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THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 

 THE 
 
 BRITISH GOVERNMENT 
 
 AND THE 
 
 IDOLATRY OF CEYLON. 
 
 BY R. SPENCE HARDY, 
 
 WESLEYAN MISSIONARY. 
 
 LONDON: 
 CROFTS AND BLENKARN, 19, CHANCERY LANE ; 
 
 AND SOLD BY 
 
 J. MASON, 66, AND J. SNOW, 35, PATERNOSTER ROW ; 
 
 ALSO BY H. BELLERBY, YORK. 
 
 isii. 
 
 /?- /60SI-nii> 
 
G. Palmer, Printer, 4, Robert-street, Bedford-row, London. ' i 
 

 THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT 
 
 No person can visit the town of Kandy, the capital of the in- 
 terior provinces of Ceylon, without being instantly struck by 
 the proud attitude here assumed by idolatry ; the principal 
 temple being guarded at night, the period at which it is most 
 usually visited, by a soldier wearing the uniform of our most 
 gracious Queen ; and the roll of the tomtom being heard at all 
 hours, from the moment that the morning gun announces the 
 approach of day, until the echo of its evening report has died 
 away amid the gathering darkness of the night : and a residence 
 in any part of the interior, cannot fail to present a continued 
 series of similar facts, most distressing to the mind of the 
 thoughtful Christian. 
 
 In calling the attention of the church to this topic, I am 
 deeply impressed with the importance of the task I have under- 
 taken, and I approach it under the impression that it is by far 
 the most momentous question I have yet agitated, though I 
 have recently endeavoured to direct the attention of the public 
 to various subjects connected with the best interests of the 
 island, in the pages of the " Friend."* Never indeed did I feel 
 more keenly the necessity of that greatness of soul, which has 
 frequently been manifested on kindred occasions, when, with an 
 energy like that of the resistless torrent, the truth has swept 
 away at once the corruptions it has assailed, bearing itself in 
 majesty until its work was done, then changing into the gentle 
 stream that cheers and refreshes all it can reach, and having no 
 further hostility to the object of its attack, than to exhibit 
 
 * A Periodical published monthly for the Colombo Auxiliary Religious 
 Tract Society. 
 
 A 2 
 
 M3i?533 
 
through its clear waters the fallen monuments it has buried 
 beneath the surface, that other ages may look upon them and 
 learn instruction. Generations to come may dive into the 
 stream, and wonder at the unsightly form of the fragments they 
 discover, but at present the proud front of the towering edifice, 
 standing in all its strength and solidity, is presented to my view 
 Goliath of Gath, with his sword and spear, before David, the 
 shepherd of Bethlehem. 
 
 It is acknowledged that instruction by example is the most 
 powerful method of impressing the mind. Hence the value of 
 biography and history, the one illustrating the character of the 
 individual man, and the other pointing out the effect of the 
 individual character as seen in its influence upon the mass, and 
 connecting one successive result with another through many 
 generations. The one is the single stone, the other the 
 elaborate temple ; as the temple is composed of many stones, 
 so history is most commonly composed of many biographies 
 the aggregate is essentially of the same nature as the unit. 
 Now I would suggest that in addition to these most important 
 results, there is another kind of instruction which may be learnt 
 from history, and which has little analogous in the experience 
 of the individual. The temple has an sesthetical character, 
 which the stone has not; and when various biographies are 
 grouped into national compartments, and these are dovetailed 
 into each other with a master's hand, history under this form 
 has, in like manner, peculiar and important characteristics. 
 
 The philosophy of history has had of late years many able 
 expositors, who have thrown life and power into the skeleton 
 forms of the ancient chronicles, but I am waiting to see the 
 broad page of universal history deeply and devoutly studied with 
 reference to one single event, the salvation of the world through 
 the redemption by Christ Jesus, with all the preparatory ar- 
 rangements of divine providence, the peculiar advantages pre- 
 sented at " the fulness of time," and the subsequent agencies 
 which have been set at work to accomplish its grand designs 
 upon the human race. A. sound judgment, a sober imagination, 
 much acuteness of intellect, an extensive acquaintance with the 
 ancient historians, and a thorough knowledge of sacred writ, 
 both historical and prophetical, would be needful for the task ; 
 but with these requisites, it does not appear to me that it would \ 
 
be presumption in man to attempt to discover the design of God 
 in raising up one empire and subverting another, in bringing 
 different nations under one government for a given period, 
 then again parcelHng out the same possessions to separate races 
 of various and opposite character. The production of a few 
 illustrative examples may not be inapplicable to the primary 
 object of the present essay. 
 
 In the early civilization of Egypt, with the subsequent pre- 
 servation of the imagery upon her solemn temples ; the es- 
 tablishment of the children of Israel in the land of Canaan ; the 
 maritime prowess of Tyre and Sidon ; and the poetry and phi- 
 losophy of the Greeks ; we can trace an intimate coimexion 
 with the grand end of revelation, but the limits to which I am 
 confined will not allow me to illustrate this position. The 
 Roman empire, however absurd such an idea may seem to the 
 merely philosophic historian, appears to have been raised up 
 expressly that an arena might be cleared for the more extended 
 exhibition of the early triumphs of the cross, this great nation 
 being no doubt rendered subservient to other important ends in 
 the divine government of the world. It grew, and flourished, 
 with accelerated increase, until its power was consolidated 
 under the sway of Augustus Caesar. In this reign Jesus Christ 
 was born. Under the early emperors Rome presented a 
 grandeur of dominion unparalleled in any previous age ; this 
 was the moment of its maturity ; and as if to call the attention 
 of men from their usual objects of attraction to the day-spring 
 of " the Brightness of the Father's glory," there was com- 
 parative tranquillity during the ministry of the apostles through- 
 out the whole of its extensive provinces. This mighty work 
 being accomplished ; the capital, the principal cities, multitudes 
 of all classes, having received the message of reconciliation ; the 
 gospel having reached even to barbarous Britain ; from this 
 very period is to be dated the commencement of the decline of 
 the empire. Its final disruption was yet remote, but the power 
 by which it had been raised to this pinnacle of greatness was 
 from this dat gradually withdrawn ; it began to crumble piece- 
 meal into ruin ; and though many efibrts were made from time 
 to time to restore its beauty and strength, the attempt was vain, 
 and the empire has passed away, leaving only the wreck of its 
 former splendour in the city once named eternal. The separa- 
 
6 
 
 tion of the Roman empire into its eastera and western divisions, 
 the inroads of the barbarian hordes, the rise of the Mahomedan 
 power, the crusades, the invention of printing, the reformation, 
 the French revolution, the discovery of the power of steam 
 each of these circumstances, if rightly considered, would be seen 
 to bear strongly upon the interests of the church ; some of them 
 would appear to have been permitted, and others perhaps 
 ordained, to hasten the accomplishment of those events which 
 are equally longed for in earth and heaven, by good men, by 
 the spirits of the just, and by the seraph circles that encompass 
 the Redeemer's throne. 
 
 There is now existent a mightier nation than that which wor- 
 shipped in the Pantheon, and made its theatre of a hundred 
 thousand spectators shout at the martyr's doom. Britain, where 
 lived the people described by the Roman poet as " horribilesque 
 ultimosque Britannos," once scarcely acknowledged as an 
 integral portion of the world. " toto divisos orbe," is now the 
 first of the nations in wealth, and power, and extent of influence. 
 There is no nook of the ocean where her ships are not found ; 
 there is scarcely a nation among men by which her might is not 
 acknowledged; and if we leave out China, she reigns im- 
 mediately over one-eighth of the whole population of the world. 
 Whence this power and vastness of dominion ? Why have 
 India, Burma, Ceylon, the fastnesses of southern Europe, many 
 of the tribes of Africa, extensive tracts of country in New 
 Holland, the Canadas, the fairest isles of the Western Indies, 
 and numerous other places of no mean importance, been placed 
 by God under the control of the British sceptre ? We cannot 
 doubt, if we judge only from the simple analogy of history, that 
 success has attended our arms, and nations have been placed 
 under our authority, that we might carry on with better effect 
 the great work of the world's conversion, "from darkness to 
 light, and from the power of Satan unto God." 
 
 The coincidence of the manner of God's working in the 
 cabinet of the prince and the closet of the Christian is remark- 
 able. Half a century previous to our own times the church, 
 generally, was indifferent to the state of the heathen world. 
 Millions after millions passed into a fearful eternity, and no 
 efforts were made to save them from the worm that ever gnaws, 
 and the fire that ever burns. The most animating promises had \ 
 
been written in the word of God respecting the glory of the 
 future generations of men, but they were forgotten, or if re- 
 membered, they were regarded with a want of confidence that 
 to us appears utterly unaccountable. But if the case had been 
 reversed, and the church had been as ready then as now with its 
 means and men, to what part of the earth could its attention 
 have been directed with the prospect of immediate success ? 
 The heathen nations of the world were then in the place of 
 power, and banishment or the grave would have been the fate 
 of the adventurous individual who might attempt to rouse the 
 monster of superstition from his dream, though slumbering 
 within the shadow of death. The banner of Britain then became 
 triumphant in regions of which our forefathers had scarcely 
 heard, and countries were added to our dominion with a rapidity 
 that exceeded all human calculation. Then was afresh lit up 
 and it was in Britain too the flame of Christian benevolence ; 
 the spirits of good men were stirred within them ; with an in- 
 crease of national influence arose the breath of prayer to heaven, 
 that it might be exerted for the entire destruction of the empire 
 of hell ; men were willing to take their lives in their hands, and 
 erect the standard of the cross in places that had never been 
 previously cheered by its presence since the dawn of sin ; mis- 
 sionary, tract, and bible associations were formed ; and the 
 havoc of war was quickly followed by the peaceful triumphs of 
 the minister of Christ. Now, the glorious words, " Go ye into 
 all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,*' are re- 
 echoed from almost every voice in the mighty phalanx that has 
 started up at the gathering for the cross, and the world responds 
 to the divine command. It is open, with scarcely an exception, 
 to the efforts of the man of God, ** none daring to make him 
 afraid." 
 
 It is in India principally that the influence of Britain bids fair 
 to be productive of the most important results. Upon the con- 
 tinent we are in contact with Braminism, a system which carries 
 the sweep of its fell existence through more than 3000 years ; 
 in Burma and Ceylon we are equally in juxta-position with Bud- 
 hism, the most wide-spread religion of any age ; and in Arabia 
 and our recent conquests towards Persia, the warriors of the 
 false prophet are succumbing to victorious troops led on by 
 British valour. The end of these things cannot now be foreseen. 
 
8 
 
 It is possible that our armies are to make way for the downfall 
 of Mahomedanism, in equal ratio with the preparatory inroads 
 they have made upon the more ancient forms of error. The 
 destinies of the three great superstitions of mankind have thus 
 been placed by God in our hand, and who can doubt that all this 
 has been brought about, in order that their destruction may be 
 accelerated, and the blessings of the Truth be diffused in their 
 stead. 
 
 It therefore becomes a matter of very serious importance, and 
 one in which we are individually concerned, to enquire whether 
 our authorities in the east are carrying into effect the intention 
 for which they have been raised by God to their present anoma- 
 lous position. At the commencement of the missionary career 
 the aspect of affairs in India was most melancholy. It had 
 been spread far and wide that the Hindoo, gentle in manner and 
 plausible in speech, was a purer being than his Christian con- 
 queror ; and it was held that there was no necessity to teach 
 him to be a better man. Missionaries were not allowed to 
 locate in India, and men of some pretensions to judgment 
 asserted that any attempt to convert the natives would be fol- 
 lowed by the loss of our possessions. The facts of the case 
 have since been proved to be the very reverse of that which was 
 proclaimed with so much pertinacity, and it is now too well 
 known to be contradicted, that a baser, more bloody, and more 
 licentious system than Braminism never cursed the fair creation 
 of God. It will scarcely be credited in future times that this 
 most wretched system was supported by the British Government, 
 that a gain was made of its wickedness, and that the price of 
 deathless souls found its way into the treasure chest of the East 
 India Company. But the history of these evils is too long to 
 be here told. It may suffice to say, that the voice of the church 
 has cried out against them, and been heard ; and though there 
 is yet much over which we have to mourn, a great victory has 
 been achieved in procuring from the court at Leadenhall Street, 
 the despatch of Aug. 8, 1838, addressed to the Governor- General. 
 It contains the following paragraph : 
 
 " 3. We have again to express our anxious desire that you 
 should accomplish with as little delay as may be practicable, the 
 arrangements which we believe to be already in progress for 
 abolishing the pilgrim-tax, and for discontinuing the connexion \ 
 
9 
 
 of the Government with the management of all funds which may 
 be assigned for the support of rehgious institutions in India. 
 We more particularly desire that the management of all temples 
 and other places of religious resort, together with the revenues 
 derived therefrom, be resigned into the hands of the natives ; 
 and that the interference of the public authorities in the religious 
 ceremonies of the people be regulated by the instructions con- 
 veyed in the 62nd paragraph of our despatch of 20th Feb. 
 1833." 
 
 It has been ascertained from the recent pilgrims to Jugger- 
 naut that some of these directions are not yet attended to, but 
 though the full accomplishment of the instructions has been 
 delayed, they cannot long be disregarded; the church is too 
 vigilant and too powerful to brook deception, without continued 
 efforts at its exposure. We may thank God at the prospects 
 before us upon the continent of India, and take courage. But 
 it is time that we arrive at that which now more immediately 
 concerns us, the Government of Ceylon as connected with the 
 interests of Christianity. 
 
 The national religion of Ceylon is Budhism, accompanied by 
 the worship of demons, and the propitiation of malignant infernal 
 spirits. Budhism is professed in Ceylon, Burma, Siam, by the 
 populace of China and Japan, and with some modifications in 
 Tibet. In India, the seat of its origin, and where it was once 
 predominant, as is testified by the monuments yet existent 
 throughout every part of the peninsula, it is now nearly un- 
 known, except as seen in the comparatively small sect of the 
 Jains and in Nepal. It would be foreign to my present purpose 
 to enter into an examination of its dogmas. I rest my argu- 
 ment for the necessity of its destruction upon the simple fact 
 that it is opposed to the truth denies the existence of God is 
 ignorant of the only way of salvation, by faith in our Lord Jesus 
 Christ and is utterly impotent as a teacher of morals, or as a 
 messenger of peace to the awakened consciences of its deluded 
 votaries. In the sacred scriptures all these errors are summed 
 up in one word. Idolatry. The religion of Budha is idolatrous, 
 and I contend that it is the bounden duty of the Government of 
 the country, from its possession of the Truth, to discountenance 
 the system by every legitimate means ; and that it can afford no 
 open or implied encouragement to its teachers or its worship. 
 
10 
 
 without the commission of an offence in the sight of God. I 
 also contend that the government of Ceylon is guilty in this 
 particular that there is an unnatural, sinful, and pernicious con- 
 nexion between the British Government of Ceylon and idolatry. 
 This most serious charge is founded upon the proofs I shall now 
 adduce. I pledge myself to have made every possible effort to 
 arrive at certainty in the facts I bring forward, and though I 
 may possibly be mistaken in a few minor particulars, as we must 
 ever be in some measure distrustful of information gathered in a 
 heathen land, I have every reason to believe that in my principal 
 assertions I am strictly correct. It is perhaps right also I should 
 notice, that my information is in no instance official. 
 
 The Portuguese, in Ceylon, as in other places conquered by 
 their arms, set themselves in stern opposition against heathen- 
 ism, absolutely forbidding the exercise of its rites within their 
 dominions. The Dutch tolerated heathenism, but raised to 
 offices of trust and authority only those natives who professed 
 the Protestant religion. The English, on taking possession of 
 the ceded territories, in 1796, had therefore no excuse to inter- 
 fere in the internal management of the temples, and I believe 
 the appointment of the Maha Nayaka, or chief priest, in each of 
 the districts, is the only positive countenance of Budism by the 
 government in the maritime provinces. When the chief priest 
 was last appointed in the Matura district, the office was given by 
 the British collector to the individual who had the greatest num- 
 ber of the votes of his brethren. The northern province is 
 inhabited by Malabars, who of course profess Braminism, but I 
 am told there is no government interference with their worship ; 
 and the same may be said of the Moors, who are scattered, often 
 in villages of their own, through the whole of the island, and 
 profess Mahomedanism. 
 
 A proclamation by the Governor, given at Colombo, Septem- 
 ber 23, 1799, contains the following clauses : 
 
 " And it is his Majesty's will and pleasure that we should 
 execute, and we do therefore hereby publish and declare, that 
 we will execute the ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and the office 
 commonly called the office of the ordinary, inasmuch as relates 
 to the collation of benefices, the granting of licenses for mar- 
 riages, and probates of will. 
 
 ** And we do hereby allow liberty of conscience, and the free 
 
11 
 
 exercise of religious worship, to all persons who inhabit and 
 frequent the said settlement of the island of Ceylon, provided 
 always that they quietly and peaceably enjoy the same without 
 offence or scandal to Government ; but we command and ordain 
 that no new place of rehgious worship be established without 
 our license or authority first had and obtained. 
 
 " And we do hereby command that no person shall be allowed 
 to keep a school in any part of the said settlements of Ceylon, 
 without our license first had and obtained, in granting which we 
 shall pay most particular attention to the morals and proper 
 qualifications of the persons applying for the same." 
 
 This mark X is attached to the two last paragraphs I have 
 quoted, and it is said in a note to the Proclamation : " N. B. 
 The clauses which still apply to existing estabhshments are 
 marked J." The work from which I have copied these para- 
 graphs was printed in 1821, and as I am not aware that the 
 regulations in question have since been repealed, it is not lawful 
 at the present moment to commence a school without permission 
 from Government. They are not acted upon, but so long as 
 they remain among the legal enactments of the island, they are 
 liable to be made the cause of trouble and annoyance by persons 
 who are evil disposed towards religion or instruction, and as 
 such ought to be blotted from our statutes. 
 
 In consequence of the erection of two bana maduwas near a 
 Government school, an extract from the above Proclamation was 
 issued, Nov. 10, 1814, and it was further declared : 
 
 ** Comformably to this ordinance it will be the duty of persons 
 desiring to erect a new place of worship to address a petition for 
 that purpose to His Excellency the Governor, and no public pre- 
 parations are to be made or permitted for the intended purpose, 
 until the authority of Government to that effect be communi- 
 cated to the proper department officially and in writing." 
 
 The grant of a license by the Government for the practice of 
 any heathen ceremony has this pernicious effect, that it appears 
 to sanction what it only tolerates ; and as the natives generally 
 are not able to distinguish between the one and the other, this is 
 an additional reason why the enactment should be repealed. 
 
 Certain restraints having been placed upon the Roman Catho- 
 lics by the Dutch Government, by which they were excluded 
 from " many important privileges and capacities," a Regulation 
 
I 
 
 12 
 
 of Government was issued. May 27, 1806, in which it is 
 declared : 
 
 " The Governor in Council enacts as follows : 
 
 " First. The Roman Catholics shall be allowed the unmolested 
 profession and exercise of their religion in every part of the 
 British Settlements on the island of Ceylon. 
 
 " Second. They shall be admitted to all civil privileges and 
 capacities." 
 
 In 1815, a Regulation was passed, "For facilitating the 
 marriages of native Protestants," but I forbear to dwell upon 
 the anomalies at present existing upon this subject, as I would 
 hope that the privileges already enjoyed in England, as well as 
 in all the British Crown Colonies, will in a little time be granted 
 in Ceylon. 
 
 In 1817, a Regulation was issued, " For enforcing the obser- 
 vance of the Sabbath-day," by which it was enacted " that every 
 person who shall expose articles of any description for sale in 
 any bazaar, street, or public place, between the hours of 8 and 
 12 in the morning of Sunday, Christmas Day, or Good Friday, 
 shall, upon conviction hereof, be fined in a penalty not exceeding 
 one rix-dollar for every such offence." This enactment has 
 taught the natives to imagine, that the prohibited hours are the 
 whole of the Sabbath, and that during the rest of the day they 
 are permitted by God, as well as man, to follow their ordinary 
 occupations. The necessity for some more comprehensive regu- 
 lation is every day becoming more apparent. In the interior, 
 the coolies employed upon the coffee plantations are generally 
 not required to work on Sunday, and the consequence is, that 
 they take this opportunity of coming to the bazaars to make 
 their purchases, and the bazaar in Kandy is more numerously 
 attended upon the holy Sabbath of God than on any other day 
 of the week. I am happy to hear that this circumstance has 
 already attracted the attention of the proper authorities. 
 
 These are the principal Regulations which affect the interests 
 of Christianity, or of religion generally, that were passed pre- 
 viously to our possession of the interior of Ceylon, by the 
 Colonial Government; and with this brief notice I hasten to 
 that which must be considered as the gist of the question at 
 issue, the connexion of the British Government with the 
 heathenism of the Kandyan provinces. 
 
13 
 
 The interior of the island fell into our hands under circum- 
 stances widely different from those which attended our acquisi- 
 tion of the coast. Roused by the attrocities which were con- 
 stantly committed by the reigning king, Raja Singha, the 
 British authorities, at that time in possession only of the 
 maritime provinces, resolved upon his deposition, and the sub- 
 jugation of his country. These atrocities were of the most 
 appalling description, almost more than human, as set forth in 
 the " Official Declaration on the Settlement of the Kandyan 
 provinces." In 1806, 150 British soldiers were murdered in 
 the hospital of Kandy, left under the pledge of public faith, and 
 at the same time the whole British garrison was massacred, 
 commanded by Major Davie, which had surrendered on a 
 promise of safety. Ten British subjects were afterwards most 
 barbarously mutilated, in consequence of which eight of them 
 lost their lives. In 1814, the tragedy was completed by a scene 
 too dreadful to be dwelt upon in detail. " In the deplorable 
 fate of the wife and children of Eheylepola Adigar. . . . was 
 exhibited the savage scene of four infant children, the youngest 
 torn from the mother's breast, cruelly butchered, and their 
 heads bruised in a mortar by the hands of their parent, suc- 
 ceeded by the execution of the woman herself, and three females 
 more ; whose limbs being bound, and a heavy stone tied round 
 the neck of each, they were thrown into a lake and drowned.'* 
 In the language of the same authority, " led by the invitation 
 of the chiefs, and welcomed by the acclamations of the people, 
 the forces of His Britannic Majesty entered the Kandyan 
 territory." War was proclaimed on the 10th Jan. 1815, the 
 British head-quarters were established in Kandy, Feb. 14, and 
 on the 1 8th of the same month the King was taken prisoner. 
 
 From that time the British Government has exerted the same 
 authority in religious matters as was previously exercised by the 
 Kandyan king. 
 
 1 . The principal priests of the interior are appointed by the 
 Right Honorable the Governor, and hold their offices bene 
 placito. 
 
 In Kandy there are two separate fraternities of Budhist 
 priests, known by the name of the Malwatta and Asgiri es- 
 tablishments. They have equal authority, profess exactly the 
 same doctrines, and are bound by the same canons. Nearly 
 
14 
 
 all the priests in Ceylon belong to one or other of these estab- 
 lishments, though not in equal proportions, the Malwatta being 
 more ancient, and having a greater number of temples under 
 its authority. There appears likewise to be a territorial division 
 of the island, the Malwatta having authority over the temples 
 towards the south of Kandy, and the Asgiri over those towards 
 the north. 
 
 Until the year 1832, the natives generally were liable to be 
 appointed by the Government to compulsory labour. This was 
 in consequence of an ancient usage of the island, by which 
 certain personal services were considered as due to the crown, 
 in addition to the money which was paid to the king as rent, 
 or the grain which was more commonly given for the same 
 purpose in kind. After an insurrection, in 1818, when the 
 country was settled upon the terms still in some measure 
 acknowledged, though a rent of one-tenth of the produce was 
 levied in kind, the claim of government upon the gratuitous 
 services of the people was relinquished, but they were still 
 liable to be called out on receiving a compensation for their 
 labour, at an established rate. They were also futher required, 
 as in former times, to perform gratuitously such services as the 
 making of roads, the putting up of bridges, and keeping them 
 in repair. 
 
 Though the crown was considered to hare been originally the 
 sole possessor of the soil, there were, in all times of which 
 we have any statistical account, extensive lands belonging to 
 private individuals and to the priesthood. The temple lands 
 were principally royal donatives, but not in every instance. It 
 is not very clear how lands came into the possession of private 
 individuals, so as to be alienable, but we may infer that they 
 were originally granted by the kings for some signal service 
 performed, and that the families thus rewarded afterwards 
 falling into decay, found themselves obliged to look out for 
 some more powerful protection. They might either become 
 retainers to the crown or to the church; but as the temple 
 service was nearer their own homes, was less arbitrary and 
 oppressive, and had moreover the recommendation that by 
 this means they might benefit their souls, it was natural that 
 they should dedicate their lands to the priest, rather than to the 
 king. Lands that were newly cleared might also be considered 
 
15 
 
 ns liable to no compulsory custom, and from a similar motive, to 
 ensure protection, would be given over to the temple ; and in 
 return for the protection received, certain services would be pro- 
 mised on the part of the individual who presented the gift. We 
 have many parallel instances of the transmission of property in 
 the history of the feudal times. When lands were dedicated by 
 the king, the services that were to be rendered by the cultivator 
 of the soil were very minutely set forth, as is testified by many 
 inscriptions still to be traced upon slabs of stone, and occasion- 
 ally in the solid rocks, near the temple to which the lands were 
 given. 
 
 The temple lands were invariably free from royal custom or 
 duty, the services which in the royal villages were paid to the 
 king being here paid to the temple. This system was very 
 ancient, some of the grants being nearly as old as the time of 
 Christ. An extract from Robert Knox will illustrate the usages 
 as they prevailed during his captivity, which commenced in the 
 year 1659 : 
 
 ** Unto each of the pagodas there are great revenues of land 
 belonging : which have been allotted to them by former kings, 
 according to the state of the kingdom : but they have much im- 
 paired the revenues of the crown, there being rather more towns 
 belonging to the church than unto the king. These estates of 
 the temples are to supply a daily charge they are at ; which is to 
 prepare victuals or sacrifices to set before the idols. Tb'ey have 
 elephants also, as the king has, which serve them for state. 
 Their temples have all sorts of officers belonging to them, as the 
 palace hath . . . 
 
 " Many of the vehars are endowed and have farms belonging 
 to them. The tirinanxes (the higher order of priests) are the 
 landlords, unto whom the tenants come at a certain time, and 
 pay in their rents. These farmers live the easiest of any people 
 in the land, for they have nothing to do but at these set times 
 to bring in their dues and so depart, and to keep in repair cer- 
 tain little vehars in the country. So that the rest of the 
 Chingulais envy them and say of them, though they, live easy 
 in this world, they cannot escape unpunished in the life to 
 come, for enjoying the Buddou's land and doing him so little 
 service for it. . . . 
 
 " These officers (collectors of the revenue, whether in money 
 
16 
 
 or kind,) can exercise their authority throughout the whole 
 division over v^hich they are constituted, excepting some certain 
 towns, that are exempt of jurisdiction. And they are of two 
 sorts. First, such towns as belong to the idol temples and 
 priests, having been given and bestowed on them long ago by 
 former kings. And, secondly, the towns which the king allots to 
 his noblemen and servants. Over these towns thus given away 
 neither the fore-mentioned officers, nor the chief magistrate him- 
 self hath any power. But those to whom they are given and do 
 belong to, do put in their own officers, who serve to the same 
 purposes as the abovesaid do." 
 
 All the privileges granted in former times to the temples, and 
 then in actual observance, were continued to the priests on the 
 accession of the British government. The Proclamation issued 
 by Sir Robert Brownrigg, Nov. 21, 1818, contains the fol- 
 lowing clause : 
 
 "21. The Governor, desirous of showing the adherence of 
 government to its stipulations in favour of the rehgion of the 
 people, exempts all lands which are now the property of temples, 
 from all taxation whatever ; but as certain inhabitants of those 
 villages are liable to perform fixed gratuitous services also to the 
 crown, this obligation is to continue unaffected." 
 
 In the same year, another Proclamation was issued, forbidding 
 the people to dedicate lands to the priests, lest by this means 
 they should endeavour to release themselves from government 
 services and contributions. I am told that this law is not always 
 attended to ; perhaps in consequence of the different tenure upon 
 which lands are now held, it is not thought to be of the same 
 importance as when originally promulgated, though the injurious 
 tendency of the evasion must be evident. 
 
 In a Proclamation given at Kornegalle, Sept. 18, 1819, still 
 further to secure the interests of the Government, it was enacted 
 that all lands which were the property of temples on the 21st 
 Nov. 1818, should be enregistered as such within twelve 
 months, and a certificate thereof be obtained, which certificate 
 was to be the sole proof of the land being exempt from taxation. 
 The term of registry was aftei-wards extended to Sept. 1st, 
 1822, as doubts were entertained respecting the construction of 
 the former Proclamation. 
 
 On the abolition of compulsory labour by an Order of the 
 
17 
 
 King in Council no change whatever was made in the tenure of 
 the temple lands, the same rights being at present valid, and the 
 same services due. The temple lands are still free from all tax, 
 with the exception of some trifling services, which were also 
 required from them under the Kandyan kings. The office of 
 priest is therefore frequently connected with great influence and 
 emolument, excites ambition, and is the object of intrigue. The 
 priest cannot marry, nor can he legally make away with the 
 property of the temple to others ; but though he can have no 
 family of his own he may have relatives whom he can assist ; 
 and it would appear that in this way the revenues of many of 
 the temples are scattered, as they are known to be rich in lands, 
 and yet the sacred buildings are on every hand allowed to fall 
 into ruin, few eflbrts being made to prevent their destruction. 
 These practices are murmured against by the people, and they 
 tend to bring the priesthood into great disrepute. 
 
 The following offices, in the Central Province, are in the 
 gift of the Government, and the persons who hold them receive 
 a warrant of office under the sign manual of His Excellency 
 the Governor, as the representative of Her Majesty. The Maha 
 Nayaka is the arch-priest ; the Anu Nayaka, his deputy, and 
 generally his successor; and the Nayaka answers in some re- 
 spects to the abbot of the Roman Catholic church, having a 
 certain jurisdiction over all the priests in the district, as well as 
 over those in his own establishment. 
 
 THE MALWATTA ESTABLISHMENT. 
 
 The Maha Nayaka. 
 
 The Nayaka 
 
 of Welegoda. 
 
 The Anu Nayaka. 
 
 do. 
 
 Dewanagala. 
 
 The second Anu Nayaka. 
 
 do. 
 
 Anuradhapura, 
 
 The Nayaka of Gangarame. 
 
 do. 
 
 The Peak. 
 
 do. Walgampaye. 
 
 do. 
 
 Alut Nuwera. 
 
 do. Deldeniye. 
 
 do. 
 
 Dippitiya. 
 
 do. Hingule. 
 
 
 
 THE ASGIRT ESTABLISHMENT. 
 
 The Maha Nayaka. The Nayaka of Mutiyangana. 
 The Anu Nayaka. do. Myhangana. 
 
 The Nayaka of Dambulla. do. Hun^uhampala. 
 
 do. Bamba. 
 
18 
 
 II. The priests of the palace in Kandy are confirmed in their 
 appointments by the British Government. 
 
 The ancient palace of the Kandyan kings has been converted 
 into various uses by their successors in power. The pattrippo, 
 the most imposing remain, is now used as a prison for the 
 European soldiers. The hall of audience, where the ambas- 
 sadors were received, serves the double purpose of a court of 
 justice on the week-day, and of a church on the Sabbath. In a 
 long suite of apartments, once appropriated to the ladies of the 
 royal household, resides the Honorable the Agent for the 
 Central Province. Many of the old offices have been pulled 
 down, and their remains cleared away, so that the buildings I 
 have mentioned are now detached from each other. 
 
 The royal temple retains its former appropriation, and is still 
 called the Malagawa, or palace, by the natives. It is a place of 
 no great magnificence, but in the centre of the interior court is 
 a pagoda of two stories, in which is kept the Dalada relic, said 
 to be a tooth of Budha. From its being the receptacle of this 
 inestimable treasure, the Midagawa is venerated more than any 
 other spot in the world, by many of the natives, and is 
 frequented by great numbers at the principal festivals. The 
 relic is in the official custody of the Government Agent, the 
 keys of the room in which it is kept are lodged at his house, 
 and the key of the karanduwa in which the relic is immediately 
 deposited is also in his possession. For the purpose of opening 
 and closing the temple, and other temple services exclusively, 
 an arachy is appointed by the Agent, who receives from the 
 Government a monthly allowance of thirty shillings, and is called 
 the arachy of the Malagawa. In May, 1828, there was a Dalada 
 festival, and the agent of the Interior, at the time, has ex- 
 pressly said, "the superintendance of that ceremonial officially 
 devolved upon me." The contributions amounted to 10,000 
 rix-dollars, about 750, which were received into the cutcherry^ 
 to be appropriated to the embellishment of the temple. This 
 money is given out at interest in various sums, the business 
 connected with its transfer being conducted at the cutcherry 
 by the clerks of the Government. 
 
 The services of the temple are conducted by 40 priests, 20 of 
 whom belong to the Malwatta, and 20 to the Asgiri. Two 
 priests are constantly in attendance, one year from the Malwatta, 
 
19 
 
 and the next from the Asgiri, alternately. These priests are 
 appointed by the Maha Nayakas of the respective establishments, 
 but must be confirmed in their office by the Agent of Govern- 
 ment. From six in the evening to the same hour in the morn- 
 ing, a soldier, in his regular uniform, belonging to the Ceylon 
 Rifle Regiment, which is composed principally of Malays and 
 officered by Europeans, mounts guard in the lower court of the 
 temple. The Mrdagawa contains various articles of considerable 
 value, such as books written upon leaves of solid gold, the in- 
 trinsic v.'orth of one of which cannot be less than 2000 sterling. 
 On a recent occasion, when these treasures were privately ex- 
 hibited, one of the priests was heard to declare, that as they 
 were the property of Government, it was right that the Govern- 
 ment should protect them ; and he argued that the Government 
 was bound to maintain their religion, from the simple fact of its 
 retention of these sacred treasures. 
 
 The nature of the Government interference with the Budhist 
 priests of the two principal establishments, as well as with the 
 priests of the Malagawa, and those called " stipended," may be 
 inferred from the evidence given by the Honorable the Agent 
 of the Central Province, at the "Trial of the Kandyan State 
 Prisoners," as reported in the Government Gazette. The pri- 
 soners, who were charged with insurrection and rebellion, were : 
 " Moligode, late first Adigar ; Dunuwilla, late Dessawe ; 
 Dembevva Unnause ; Tibbotawewe Unnanse ; Kettakumbere Un- 
 nanse ; and Bambaradenia, late Basnaika Ralla." The trial 
 took place before the Hon. W. Norris, Second Puisne Justice 
 (now Sir W. Norris, Recorder of Penang), commencing Jan. 
 12th, 1835 ; and after a minute investigation which ended on 
 the 19th, the Jury returned a verdict of "Not guilty." 
 
 " Mr. Tumour, Government Agent. I know Mahalle and 
 Ratnapalla Unnanse, (witnesses for the crown) the former is a 
 stipended priest, the latter is his pupil. Formerly stipended 
 priests were selected by the Resident, then by the Board, and 
 after the abolition of the Board, by me. The selection is made 
 both from the respectability of their characters and their sacer- 
 dotal qualifications. If any complaint had been preferred against 
 them, it would of course be investigated, but I know of none 
 against either. Mahalle was made a stipended priest by the late 
 Sir John D'Oyly, in 1823, and as far as I have had an oppor- 
 
 B 2 
 
20 
 
 tunity of judging, he has always been looked up to for respecta- 
 bility and acquirements. 1 have formed this opinion, rather 
 from the estimation in which he had been held by the principal 
 priests and chiefs, than from my own observation. Certain 
 charges had long been preferred, and remained uninvestigated, 
 against the high priest, who died the night before last, and it 
 became at last necessary to appoint a court of enquiry. The 
 court was to consist of 15 priests and 7 chiefs. . . . 
 
 *' Wattegedere Annu Nayke Unnanse was, I always thought, 
 a priest of great respectability, until lately, when he was dis- 
 missed after trial before Council for having threatened to de- 
 grade Mahalle and Ratnapalla Unnanses for giving information 
 of this conspiracy to government." 
 
 In a statement made by the first Adigar when in confinement, 
 before Mr. Anstruther and Mr. Tumour, is the following sen- 
 tence : " On Thursday last the Maha Nayke Unnanse and the 
 other principal priests called on deponent; they talked of the 
 petition to Government regarding the ordination of Upasampada, 
 and the circumstance of their not being allowed by Mr. Turnour 
 to take their turn of duty at the Malagawa." 
 
 The Anu Nayaka above referred to, said in his evidence, 
 which he gave in favor of the prisoners : " Mahalle and Rat- 
 napalla calumniated me, and got me dismissed from my office, 
 also from a temple village which I had got from Government, 
 and have also got me deprived of my monthly allowance and 
 yearly allowance of robes which I have received from the king's 
 time, and also of my turn at the Mfdagawa. I was examined 
 before Council, cannot recollect it at full length. I have only 
 heard of others being examined." 
 
 It is thus evident that the cognizance of Government extends 
 to the chief priest that the 2nd chief priest was dismissed 
 from office " after trial before Council," which Council is com- 
 posed entirely of Europeans that there are stipended priests 
 that these stipended priests are selected by the British Agent 
 that the Agent passes his judgment on their " sacerdotal quali- 
 fications," and that the Agent can likewise interfere with the 
 appointment of the priests in taking their " turn of duty at the 
 Malagawa" a temple devoted to the worship of Budha. 
 
 There were other circumstances that came out in evidence, 
 which I refer to with the greater pleasure, as it afibrds me the 
 
21 
 
 Opportunity of presenting the acts of the Government in a more 
 favorable light than I have hitherto had the power of doing. 
 One grievance complained of by the chiefs was, that the Govern- 
 ment interfered in their religion. This interference, however, 
 was proved to be nothing further, than that the Government 
 refused to compel the attendance of the people at the festivals. 
 ** Never," said the judge in summing up, " was a more ex- 
 travagant complaint put forth. We refuse any longer to be 
 parties to the monstrous absurdity of compelling the attendance 
 of the people at the religious festivals, and this, by a strange 
 perversion of language, is called interference." The compulsory 
 attendance extends now only to the retainers of the temple, but 
 this is a subject I must notice in another place. 
 
 III. The Basnaika Nilamas, or lay chiefs of the principal 
 dewfdas are appointed by the British Government. 
 
 The temples of Budha are called wiharas, but in addition to 
 these there are numerous dewalas, where the Hindoo gods are 
 worshipped, the most popular of whom is Katragama dewiyo, 
 the Kartikeya of the Bramins, one of whose temples, situated in 
 the province of Uwa, is frequented by pilgrims from the most 
 remote parts of India. The dewalas have lands attached to 
 them, in the same w^ay as the Budhist temples. These lands 
 are equally exempt from the payment of all dues to the Govern- 
 ment, are held upon the same tenure, and the chiefs can demand 
 the same services from their retainers. In Kandy there are 4 
 dewalas, dedicated to Maha Vishnu, Natha, Pattinee, and 
 Kartikeya. In some parts of the island these Hindoo temples 
 exhibit a greater splendor, and exercise a greater influence, than 
 the pansals of the Budhist priests. I am speaking now of those 
 dewalas only that have lands belonging to them, there being 
 smaller buildings appropriated to the same purpose in almost 
 every village of the interior, and attached to nearly all the Bud- 
 hist temples. In some instances, as at Lankatilaka, the wihara 
 and dewala are under the same roof. 
 
 The priests of this order, called kapuwas, may marry. They 
 are not distinguished by any particular dress, and although they 
 must be of good family, they do not receive the same marks of 
 respect from the people that are paid to the Budhist priests. 
 Europeans are not allowed to enter their sacred edifices, and the 
 exact nature of the rites they perform is not known. In the 
 
22 
 
 sanctum are the halamba of Pattinee, or the weapons of the 
 other deities, with a painted screen before them, but there are 
 no images, at least none that are permanently placed ; in some 
 of the ceremonies, temporary images are made of rice, or other 
 materials. There are instances in which the office is held by 
 females. Temporary erections are frequently made near the 
 houses of the people in cases of sickness, in which the kapuwa 
 invokes his god, chanting and dancing to the sound of the tom- 
 tom. The invocations are all in the Sanscrit language, and are 
 not understood by the kapuwas, who repeat them merely from 
 memory. 
 
 The Nilama is the organ of communication between the 
 Government and the dewiila ; he appoints the people to the 
 services they are required to perform ; takes charge of the money 
 presented at the shrine ; and keeps the buildings in repair. 
 The warrant of appointment to this office is given by the Agent 
 of Government, and not, as in the case of the Nayakas, by His 
 Excellency the Governor. The names of the kapuwas, when 
 appointed to office by the Nilamas, are mentioned to the 
 Government Agent, whose approbation is necessary to confirm 
 them in their situation. The Agent does not usually interfere 
 in their appointment, but in cases of contumacy, upon the 
 petition of the people, he displaces the offender, and chooses 
 another kapuwa in his stead. 
 
 At several of the outstation dewalas there are annual pera- 
 haras, or processions, the necessary preparations for which are 
 made by the people as duty or service for the lands they are 
 permitted to hold of the temple. The attendance at the various 
 ceremonies is called rajakaria, government service. "When the 
 accustomed services for the god are not properly paid, a repre- 
 sentation is made on the subject to the Government Agent, and 
 by British authority the disobedient retainer is dispossessed of 
 the lands he held, and one that will be more zealous for hea- 
 thenism enters upon the forfeited privilege. 
 
 A hst of the Basnaika Nilamas is published annually, and I 
 extract the names as they are printed in the Ceylon Almanac 
 for 1839. The Diwa Nilama holds his office in connexion with 
 Budhism, but all the others are attached to the worship of the 
 Hindoo deities. 
 
23 
 
 PRINCIPALS OF THE TEMPLES. CENTRAL PROVINCE. 
 
 DJwa Nilama, principal of the temple Dalada Malagawa. 
 Basnaika Nilama of Maha Vishnu Dewala. 
 
 do. 
 
 Natha. 
 
 Basnaika Nilama 
 
 of Ganagoda, do 
 
 do. 
 
 Kattragama. 
 
 
 do. 
 
 Lankatillaka, 
 
 do. 
 
 Pattinee. 
 
 
 
 Udanuwara. 
 
 do. 
 
 Maha Dewala, 
 
 
 do. 
 
 Embckka, do. 
 
 
 Hangurankata. 
 
 
 do. 
 
 Wegiriya, do. 
 
 do. 
 
 Wallahagoda, 
 
 
 do. 
 
 Dodanwala. 
 
 
 Udapalata. 
 
 
 do. 
 
 Pasgama. 
 
 
 BADULLA. 
 
 
 
 Basnaika Nilama of Maha Kattragama Dewala. 
 
 do. Horaguna. Basnaika Nilama of Saman. 
 
 MATALA. 
 
 Basnaika Nilama of Embckka. 
 
 MADAWELETENA. 
 
 Basnaika Nilama of Alawatiigoda. 
 
 WESTERN PROVINCE. SEVEN KORLAS. 
 
 Basnaika Nilama of VTilbawa. Basnaika Nilama of Kirindagala. 
 
 do. Jangura. do. Gonawa. 
 
 do. Kandawala. 
 
 SOUTHERN PROVINCE. RATNAPURA. 
 
 Basnaika Nilama of Maha Saman Dewala. 
 do. Alut Nuwara. 
 
 ALIPUT. 
 
 Basnaika Nilama of Kattragama. 
 
 IV. The British Government grants a monthly allowance for 
 the support of Budhist priests. 
 
 There are 42 priests who are " stipended " by the Govern- 
 ment. The two Maha Nayakas receive each a monthly allow- 
 ance of seven shillings and sixpence. The two priests who 
 officiate at the Malagawa receive a monthly allowance from the 
 cutcherry of three shillings each, together with four parrahs of 
 paddy. The others receive an allowance of paddy, in various 
 proportions, from seven parrahs and a half to three and three 
 quarters each. They also receive from the Government a 
 
24 
 
 monthly allowance for salt and oil. The whole of this ex- 
 penditure, with the allowance to the outstation temples, may- 
 amount to about 150 per annum, but of this I speak with some 
 hesitation. 
 
 Under this head ought also to be included the loss to the 
 Government by the remission of the one-tenth upon the pro- 
 duce of the temple lands, which, if my information be at all 
 correct, cannot amount to less than 22,000 parrahs of paddy 
 annually; and if the parrah be reckoned at the value of one 
 shilling, the amount sterling is upwards of one thousand pounds. 
 This calculation does not include the important districts of 
 SaiFragam, the Seven Korlas, the Three Korlas, and Uwa. 
 About these districts I am unable to procure any information, 
 but I am aware from my own personal knowledge, that a great 
 portion of the cultivated land of SafFragam, including some of 
 the richest tracts in the interior, belongs to the priests. 
 Assuming the correctness of these premises, the loss to the 
 Government by the remission of the usual tax upon the temple 
 produce, must amount to more than twelve hundred pounds 
 sterling per annum. But upon these things I lay no stress ; 
 whether I am here right or wrong makes no difference in my 
 main argument ; it is not with the negative but the positive acts 
 of Government that I contend. With political errors I have no 
 controversy. 
 
 By the continuance of so great an extent of territory under 
 the sole control of the priests, as the progress of improvement, 
 in many different ways that must present themselves at once to 
 the thinking mind, is hindered, there is a virtual loss, not only 
 to the treasury of the Government, but to the whole social 
 compact. 
 
 V. The Perahara of Kandy is principally got up at the 
 expense, and by the command, of the British Government. 
 
 An account of the Perahara will be found in the Appendix, 
 extracted from the Friend, for Sept. 1839. The proper time for 
 commencing this festival having been ascertained, an announce- 
 ment to this effect is made by beat of tomtom, at the command 
 of the Agent for the Central Province, and persons who are 
 desirous to contract for the supply of the articles required in 
 the getting up of the pageant are directed to send in their esti- 
 mates to the cutcherry. The following is a copy of the bill sent 
 
25 
 
 in to the Government, which was paid as usual, for the expenses 
 
 attending the Perahara of the present year. 
 
 s. d. 
 '* For the cost of sundry Articles for the use of the 
 
 Mala^cawa and 4 Dewalas since the procession .... 310 6 
 
 " For Devil Dancing, called Walliyakoon 3 13 2J 
 
 " For 13 Outstation Dewalas 4 5 1 
 
 " For carrying the Canopy over the Karanduwa 16 
 
 " For oil and rags 3 15 
 
 15 19 9.J 
 
 The chiefs are required by the Government Agent to attend 
 and render the accustomed service, the order being conveyed by 
 a government peon ; and when the summons is not obeyed, as 
 in the case of the ratemahatmaya of Udanuwera this year, who 
 pleaded sickness, a message is sent by the Agent enquiring why 
 the chief was not present on the occasion. The chiefs are 
 accompanied during the procession by government constables, 
 that the people may be compelled to leave the way clear for their 
 progress, and pay them proper respect. "The oil and rags" 
 mentioned in the account are to supply the lights that are 
 carried during the passage of the procession through the streets. 
 
 The 13 outstation Peraharas are also got up under the direc- 
 tion of the Government, and persons neglecting to afford the 
 usual service are deprived of their lands in consequence by the 
 Government Agent. 
 
 There is an annual Perahara at Dondra, near Matura, but as 
 there are some further enquiries that I wish to make on the sub- 
 ject, I must place this account also in the Appendix. 
 
 VI. The British Government is at the expense of other 
 Festivals, both Budhist and Braminical. 
 
 From ancient times the Kandyan monarchs encouraged certain 
 festivals, the principal of which were held near the palace. 
 They have been continued by our own Government. The ex- 
 penses paid by the Government for the present year, and there 
 may be others of which I have not been able to procure any 
 account, are contained in the following enumeration : 
 
 s. d. 
 
 The Awurudha Festival 5 10 6 
 
 The Nanamura Festival 6 19 2| 
 
 The 5 Wahala Pinkamas 25 4 o| 
 
 The Katina Pinkama 43 13 8| 
 
 The Kartiya Festival 5 11 8| 
 
 The Alut Sal Festival 11 7 sj 
 
 TJic Waliyakoon , 4 1 1 
 
26 
 
 A brief account of each festival may not be without interest, 
 and the detail will illustrate still further the nature of the 
 patronage bestowed by the Government upon the heathen su- 
 perstitions of Ceylon. 
 
 1 . The Awurudha Festival. This festival, as its name implies, 
 is held on the 1 st day of the year, when the sun enters Mesha, 
 or Aries, which in the present year was on the 21st of March. 
 It is supposed to be a point of the utmost importance to ascer- 
 tain the exact moment when the ceremonies are to commence, as 
 upon this is said to depend the prosperity of the year ; and in 
 the respect which is paid by the Government to the calculations 
 of the Astrologer, encouragement is given to one of the most 
 pernicious errors prevalent among the natives of this island. 
 The principal Astrologer of the present day is Malabar, but 
 there are both Singhalese and Kandyans who are supposed to be 
 able to make the same calculations. It is a state pageant, as 
 well as a religious festival, but is connected as I have said, with 
 some of the greatest absurdities of Astrology in its preparation. 
 Under the Kandyan Government, the inferior chiefs were at this 
 period re-instated in office, on the payment of a fine, which 
 custom was in some places kept up long after we had obtained 
 possession of the interior, without the knowledge of the autho- 
 rities, but I have heard no complaints upon this subject in recent 
 times. 
 
 2. The Nanamura Festival. The ceremonies of this festival 
 take place at the time when, according to the calculation of the 
 Astrologer, it will be fortunate to bathe for the first time after 
 the commencement of the year. 
 
 3. The five Wahala Pinkamas. The word pin means religious 
 merit, or virtue acquired by a course of moral action. It is 
 usually applied by the natives to charity, or almsgiving. Ac- 
 cording to the Budhist system, all events are the consequence of 
 kusala or akusala, merit or demerit ; events proceeding naturally 
 from these causes, as heat from fire, or the tree from the seed. 
 Kusala, or pin, is good, akusala evil, in a moral or religious 
 sense. *' Quod licitum vel mandatum ; quod illicitum, vel pro- 
 hibitum." All things proceed from the associated energy or 
 power produced by moral action. Thus, ** by the united virtue 
 of all creatures," the world is said to have been produced, 
 according to its present constitution. The Budhists are atheist- 
 
27 
 
 ical only inasmuch as their hsg, Placer, or Disposer, (from Siuf 
 to place) is non-intelligent. In proportion to the acquisition of 
 pin is the assurance of prosperity. Alms-giving is the readiest 
 means of acquiring pin ; and the highest order, the most meri- 
 torious mode, of alms-giving is charity to the priests. A Pin- 
 kama is a manufacture of merit. 
 
 The word Wahala signifies " the royal gate," or " the pre- 
 cincts of the palace," and this festival was so denominated 
 hecause some of its principal ceremonies took place in the palace, 
 and it was carried on for the benefit of the royal household. 
 
 The highest order of Budhist priesthood, Upasampada, having 
 become extinct, Kirti Sri, 1750, sent ambassadors to Siam, to 
 procure its restoration. On their return they were interrogated 
 as to the festivals celebrated by the Siamese monarch, and they 
 having said, though it is supposed falsely, that the relic of Budha 
 was carried at certain times through the streets of the metro- 
 polis in solemn procession, Kirti Sri immediately commanded 
 that a similar festival should be instituted in Kandy, which was 
 continued by his successor upon the throne. It was thus con- 
 ducted. When the month Wesak was at hand, orders were 
 issued to the five districts to furnish the royal treasury with the 
 necessary supplies, such as rice, flowers, oil, &c., and these being 
 brought, at the first quarter of the moon two or more nagas, or 
 candidates for ordination, were presented to the king, and were 
 treated with great respect. On the evening of the full moon, 
 the nagas, accompanied by the relic, with a grand procession of 
 elephants, flags, music, and dancers, and attended by the prin- 
 cipal chiefs, paraded the streets of Kandy. Next morning, the 
 priests of both the Malwatta and Asgiri temples, were invited to 
 the Hall of Audience, when they received an offering of food 
 from the king. The same ceremonies were repeated at the four 
 following quarters of the moon. 
 
 When a Pinkama is now to be celebrated, the tomtom is beat 
 by order of the Government Agent, directing persons who are 
 willing to contract for the supply of the articles required for the 
 festival to make application to the cutcherry. The articles con- 
 sist of robes for the priests, white cloth, oil, &c., as set forth in 
 the usual form ; and these are supplied at the expense of the 
 Government. As there is no royal household at present in 
 existence, the merit of the ceremony is supposed by the people 
 
28 
 
 to be acquired by the Government, and they naturally imagine 
 that it is for this purpose the festivals are continued. 
 
 4. The Katina Pinkama. By an ordinance of Budha, the 
 priests are not allowed to remain in a fixed habitation, except 
 during the season of the rains ; they must live in the desert, or 
 itinerate from place to place. The v^ord pansal, from pan, a 
 leaf, and sala, a house, or place of resort, means literally a 
 residence made of leaves; and this word is still used of the 
 monasteries in which the priests reside, though they are substan- 
 tial and permanent erections. During the rainy season, was, 
 which is supposed to continue three months, the priests are 
 specially provided for by the people as an act of merit, in return 
 for which they receive religious instruction, or rather the bana is 
 read for their benefit, though they do not understand a word of 
 its language. The succeeding month is called cheewara masa, 
 or the month of the robe. The people at this time purchase 
 one or more pieces of cloth, according to their circumstances, 
 which they present to the priests. The Katina, or cloth for the 
 robe, cannot be received except by a sanghaya, an association of 
 the priesthood, which must be constituted of at least five priests : 
 thus carefully are the vows of poverty to be kept, that the Katina 
 cannot be received except by a fraternity, nor even by them, 
 except in this particular month. The cloth is produced and 
 ofi^ered to the associated priesthood as sanghika. The priests 
 then hold a conversation among each other, and enquire, 
 " Which of us stands in need of a robe ? " The priest who is 
 most in need of a dress ought now to express his destitution, 
 but this rule is not attended to, as the priest who has read bana 
 usually receives the robe, whether the most destitute or not. 
 The priest respectfully asks the rest of sanghaya to partake of 
 the merits produced by the offering. The assembled priests, 
 assisted by the upasakayas make the cloth into a robe, and dye it 
 yellow, the whole of which process must be concluded in 60 of 
 their hours, or a natural day. 
 
 In some places the robe is manufactured throughout from the 
 raw material in the same space of time. The bana maduwa is 
 seen filled with women, sitting upon the ground ; some bring in 
 the cotton from the tree, others open it out, others prepare it 
 for the spinners, who make it into yawn ; it is then handed over 
 to the weavers who wait outside with their simple looms, and 
 
29 
 
 make it into cloth. In the evening of the same day the cloth is 
 received by the priests, stitched into a robe, and dyed the usual 
 color. This custom is more practised on the coast than in the 
 interior. It is not an ordinance of Budha. 
 
 In the Katina Pinkama the cloth is presented at the expense 
 of the Government, and is received with the usual ceremonies by 
 the priests. 
 
 5. The Kartiya Festival. 'This festival is celebrated in the 
 month Kartteka, at present answering to our December, on the 
 night of the full moon. The people were required, during the 
 Kandyan rule, to present offerings of oil to the king as part of 
 their tax or custom. In the walls of the palace, as well as in 
 the wall carried along the side of the lake, and in other places, 
 there are triangular niches, or recesses, in which lamps were 
 placed. The exact moment for commencing the ceremony 
 having been ascertained by the astrologer, at the fortunate 
 neketa the lamps were lighted. There were also poles erected 
 before the palace, to which lamps were attached, and when the 
 great square, the dewalas, and the principal streets were illumi- 
 nated, the city must have presented an appearance of some 
 splendour. The palace was the scene of the greatest brilliancy. 
 The relic was also carried in procession, with its usual retinue of 
 elephants, musicians, &c. This festival was instituted by one of 
 the Malabar kings, in honor of Maha Bali, the great hero of 
 Indian mythology. It is said that in ancient times two virgins 
 were annually sacrificed on the occasion. 
 
 6. The Alut Sal Festival. A better account of this festival 
 than I have been able to procure elsewhere, is to be found in 
 Davy's " Account of the Interior of Ceylon." The words alut 
 sal mean literally, new rice. 
 
 "This feast, the fourth and last of the great annual festivals, 
 was observed in the month of January, when the moon was on 
 the increase. A nekat-wattoruwa was previously prepared by 
 the astrologers, in which a fortunate hour, on two different days 
 was pointed out ; one for bringing the new rice into the city, 
 and the other for dressing and eating it. This document was 
 sent to the king with the usual honours, and copies of it were 
 carried by the chiefs to the royal farms in the neighbourhood. 
 At these farms the ears of paddy and the new rice were packed 
 up for the temple and palace, and king's stores, by the Gabada 
 
30 
 
 Nilamas and their officers. The ears of paddy, carefully put into 
 new earthen pots, and the grain into clean white bags, were 
 attached to pingos for the sake of more convenient carriage. 
 Those intended for the Malagawa were conveyed on an elephant ; 
 those for the dewalas were borne by men marching under 
 canopies of white cloth ; and those for the palace and royal 
 stores were carried by the people of the king's villages, of res- 
 pectable caste and well dressed, with a piece of white tape over 
 their mouths, to guard against impurity. They started from the 
 different farms under a salute of jinjalls ; were attended by tom- 
 toms, flags, and others honors, and were met on the way by the 
 adigars and chiefs, who attended them to the great square, to 
 wait the nekata hour, the arrival of which was announced by a 
 discharge of jinjalls; when the rice and ears of paddy were 
 carried to the respective places for which they were destined. 
 At the same fortunate hour, the chiefs and people brought new 
 rice and paddy from their own fields and houses. 
 
 ** The nekata for eating the new rice occurred two or three 
 days after the preceding. The rice was dressed according to 
 rule, and mixed with certain curries, and ate with the face in a 
 particular direction ; on all which points instructions were given 
 in the nekat-wattoruwa. The rice that was dressed and offered 
 to the gods on this occasion, was either buried or consumed by 
 the priests ; not indiscriminately, but by those who had led 
 previously a life of purity." 
 
 These accounts are confessedly meagre and imperfect. A 
 fuller description might have given a greater interest to the 
 narrative, but it would not have added at all to the force of my 
 grand argument. At these festivals open encouragement, pecu- 
 niary assistance, is given by the Government of this colony to 
 the astrologer, the Budhist priest, and the kapuwa of the Hindoo 
 god, embracing nearly the whole circle of native superstition. 
 
 VII. The British Government pays the expenses of a cere- 
 mony which consists of invocation by a demon priest. 
 
 In the account paid by the Government for the Perahara of 
 Kandy, the following item is inserted : " For the Devil Dancing 
 called Walliyakoon, 3 I3s. 2^d." This dancing is continued 
 seven days after the various Peraharas, both at Kandy and the 
 outstations. I had an opportunity of witnessing the prepara- 
 tions made for the recent ceremony at Lankatilaka, and the 
 
31 
 
 priest very readily answered the questions I put to him upon the 
 subject. 
 
 The yakun are not exactly correspondent to the devils of reve- 
 lation ; they are lapsed intelligences, of mahgnant dispositions, 
 and are supposed to have the power of inflicting diseases and 
 other calamities upon mankind. Their choicest food is human 
 flesh, and their nectar the reeking blood. They are almost 
 universally propitiated among the Singhalese, and a belief in 
 their power is commonly the last superstition that leaves the 
 native mind on the reception of the truth. The people are in 
 absolute naisery from the idea that these infernal spirits are con- 
 stantly besetting their path ; and the gracious discipline of 
 divine Providence, by being attributed to this source, is robbed 
 of all its beneficial influence, and the suff"erer is deprived of that 
 consolation which would otherwise be imparted to the mind. 
 ITie parent, on seeing the drooping form of his child wasted by 
 disease, is haunted by the further thought of agony, that a 
 demon has chosen for its victim the object of his affection ; and 
 he applies for relief, not to God in prayer, but to the miserable 
 yakadura, or devil priest. The devils are sometimes invoked to 
 inspire the mind in times of danger, or for the commission of 
 crime. A few days ago two young men were executed in Kandy 
 for murder ; they ascended the scaff'old with an air of the most 
 perfect indiflference, if it were not something rather like triumph, 
 and the bystanders attributed their courage to demoniacal in- 
 fluence. 
 
 The word yakun is also applied to demi-gods, or deified heroes, 
 but in these instances there is usually something fierce or mali- 
 cious in their character, and they are regarded by the people as 
 devils, though this epithet usually designates a somewhat different 
 species of being. The word Waliyakun seems to be a corrup- 
 tion of Wediyakun, and refers to three heroes, one the son of 
 Vishnu, the second produced from a lotus flower, and the third 
 from a blade of grass : they became famous hunters. I have 
 not been able to discover any consistent reason why they in par- 
 ticular are invoked at the close of the Perahara, though I have 
 had given to me an account of the traditions yet in existence 
 respecting their exploits in this and other countries. The cere- 
 monies were formerly carried on in the palace, but the last king 
 suspecting that thereby the royal premises were' defiled, com- 
 
3-2 
 
 manded that they should be banished to the dewala, where they 
 are still continued. 
 
 The performances last seven days. On the day appointed for 
 their commencement, the yakadura, having previously bathed 
 and put on clean clothes, dedicates himself to the service, and 
 throws the puna nula, or sacred thread, over his shoulder. He 
 then makes the atamangala, a magical diagram of eight sides, 
 with raw rice, and begins to mutter verses and dance, continuing 
 the service until midnight. On the 5th day there are dances in 
 five different modes, and it is believed that if these are not 
 rightly performed the consequence will be death. On the 7th 
 day, there are dances in seven different modes, and the greatest 
 care is required in their performance, or the same fatal conse- 
 quences will ensue, both to the tomtom beater and the priest. 
 The former seats himself upon a mat and closes his eyes, that 
 he may pay a closer attention to the time, and the priest also 
 closes his eyes, that he may not be tempted to dance in the 
 wrong step. The concluding ceremony is called yakkan, and is 
 celebrated in five different modes. 
 
 Robert Knox refers to the Waliyakun, when he says : " At 
 this time they have a superstition, which lasteth six or seven 
 days, too foolish to write ; it consists in dancing, singing, and 
 juggling. The reason of which is, lest the eyes of the people, 
 or the power of the jaccos, or infernal spirits, might any ways 
 prove prejudicial or noisome to the aforesaid gods in their pro- 
 gress abroad." 
 
 The vouchers for the payment of this item are written in the 
 usual form. Among the particulars at the head of the receipt 
 it is stated, in so many words, " For the Devil Dancing called 
 Waliyakoon." The voucher is to this effect : " Received from 
 the Honourable the Government Agent for the Central Province, 
 the Sum of. being in full as per the above account of par- 
 ticulars for Her Majesty's Service, and for which I have 
 
 signed duplicate receipts of the same tenor and date." Thus 
 there are annual invocations of evil spirits, both in Kandy and 
 at various outstations, which are paid for, from the Government 
 revenue, by a British agent, expressly numerous vouchers tes- 
 tifying to the same as being celebrated " For Her Majesty's 
 Service ! " 
 
 I feel as if I should be a partaker in these sins, were I silent 
 
33 
 
 respecting them, and it is from a sense of duty that I have pub- 
 lished these particulars. If the position be true ; that political 
 power has been granted us, that the nations brought under our 
 dominion may receive the benefits of divine revelation, it is 
 evident that the neglect of this duty will bring upon us the 
 anger of heaven ; our authority will be taken from us, and given 
 to some other people better disposed to carry forward the counsel 
 of God. 
 
 Whilst upon this topic, I will introduce an extract from one of 
 the most recent periodicals that I have had an opportunity of 
 perusing, the Dublin University Magazine for April, 1839. It 
 is the more entitled to attention, as presenting the opinion of a 
 work not professedly religious, and as uttering the general sen- 
 timents of the well-informed classes at home concerning a sub- 
 ject on which, from my peculiar situation, I may perhaps be con- 
 sidered as a prejudiced expounder. It is contained in a review 
 of ** Statistics of the Colonies of the British Empire ; By B. 
 Montgomery Martin, Esq." 
 
 " The first and most serious consideration that is forced upon 
 us by the general view of the British Colonies which Mr. Martin 
 presents to us in a tabular form, at the commencement of his 
 large work, is, that of the hundred and one millions which com- 
 pose the population of the British Colonies, ninety- eight millions 
 are Pagans, or Mahomedans, while the number of the Christians 
 does not exceed three millions. This fact imposes an awful 
 responsibility upon the rulers of Great Britain, and upon its 
 inhabitants ; for this state of things cannot continue without the 
 great and sinful neglect of both, and it is impossible that punish- 
 ment should not follow neglect of the momentous duties which 
 it prescribes to the nation. Our rulers are responsible if they 
 neglect those duties, but the responsibility does not attach to 
 them alone, we also are every one of us culpable if we do not 
 call the attention of the national councils to this awful and ex- 
 tensive ignorance, and call upon them to use every exertion to 
 remove it, and declare that we and the whole nation are ready 
 and desirous to bear the burden which those exertions may place 
 upon us. England, the most highly enlightened and civilized 
 nation upon earth, enjoying the knowledge of the sublime truths 
 of the Christian revelation in its purest form, freed from 
 the errors and corruptions which human devices introduced, has 
 
 c 
 
34 
 
 from her wealth more power of diffusing truth than ever fell to 
 the lot of any nation, and has ninety-eight millions of subjects 
 ignorant of our divine Redeemer, and for the most part slaves 
 to the most abject and debasing superstitions. Her duty is 
 clearly pointed out by her situation. It is to preach the Gospel 
 among nations, to dispell the darkness that still pervades so 
 large a portion of the globe, to spread abroad the light of Chris- 
 tian truth, and to teach to millions of her grateful subjects the 
 knowledge of that God who died for their salvation. As surely 
 as God made and preserves the world, a blessing must attend 
 exertions in such a cause, they must be crowned with success, 
 and repay tenfold to the nation from which they proceeded." 
 
 There is no sin so frequently denounced in the Scriptures as 
 idolatry. It is called expressly by God himself, " that abomi- 
 nable thing which I hate." Jer. xhv. 4. The prophets have 
 thundered forth against it in anathemas that are among the most 
 sublime aggregations to which human language was ever ele- 
 vated ; and when we read them we admire and tremble, as the 
 attention of the mariner is attracted by the splendour of the 
 storm that may in an instant strike his bark into shivers. The 
 Israelite who worshipped strange gods was stoned. The city 
 that became idolatrous was to be ** consumed as a burnt offering, 
 of which nothing remains ; " it was to be consecrated to Jehovah, 
 that is to say, put under the ban, outlawed, proscribed, to be- 
 come an holocaust. Every remnant of idolatry was to be des- 
 troyed. It was the prevalence of this sin which filled up the 
 measure of Israelitish iniquity, and the punishment of the people 
 was captivity by the waters of Babylon, where they had to hang 
 that harp upon the willows which had thrilled with tones so 
 sweet in their native land, and to weep as they remembered the 
 privileges of Zion. The God of the Israelites is our God, " the 
 same yesterday, to-day, and for ever," and if with Jehovah there 
 be "no variableness," there must now be in the divine mind the 
 same detestation of idolatry as in the patriarchal and prophetical 
 times. The voice which then spoke, now speaks, and to us its 
 admonitions come, louder still from the mighty ages through 
 which they puss. ** The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they 
 sacrifice to devils, and not to God, and I would not that ye 
 should have fellowship with devils." 2 Cor. x. 20. 
 
 To what I have brought forward, it is probable that two ob- 
 
35 
 
 jections will be made : 1 . That the interference of the Govern- 
 ment is too slight to be productive of harm : and 2. That the 
 usages I deprecate were solemnly promised to the people at the 
 time of their subjection to the British crov/n. 
 
 1 . It has been stated, in the preceding pages, that the British 
 government of Ceylon appoints the principal Budhist priests of 
 the interior province confirms in their appointments the priests 
 of the palace at Kandy appoints the lay chiefs of the principal 
 temples dedicated to the worship of the Hindoo deities incurs 
 the annual expense of the Perahara at Kandy pays the expenses 
 of other heathen festivals and sanctions devil- dances, invoca- 
 tion to evil spirits, (a ceremony banished from his palace by a 
 heathen monarch,) in the name of our Sovereign Lady the 
 Queen. Can it be seriously maintained that these are trifles, by 
 those who hold the divine authority of the word of God ? It is 
 true that there are no pecuniary advantages accruing to the 
 British Government from these practices, but they are, doubtless, 
 continued under the supposition that they will tend to consolidate 
 the British power in Ceylon ; and if they are not carried on, as 
 similar evils have been upon the continent of India, to swell the 
 receipts of the British Government, they are intended to increase 
 either the reverence of its name or the stability of its do- 
 minion, and where is the difference in the sin ? 
 
 All persons at all acquainted with the case are well aware, that 
 the influence of the Government is here paramount, and that 
 there can be no interference whatever in the religion of the 
 country, without an implied approbation of that religion in the 
 sight of the natives. " Why have the company," was asked by 
 a Hindoo, " any thing to do with Juggernaut, if his worship be 
 wrong?" The Kandyans argue in the same manner, and hea- 
 thenism has at this moment an influence in Ceylon which it 
 would not otherwise be able to maintain, from the support it 
 receives through the patronage of our Christian Government. 
 
 There are many very worthy individuals who consider infidelity 
 to be worse than heathenism, and they would uphold the Budhist 
 religion, or any other, merely because it is a religion, and not 
 scepticism. Without entering into this question, I do not see 
 why the people should become infidel, were their present system 
 to be annihilated without further ceremony. There are emisaries 
 of the cross who are ready to pour into their villages, and tell 
 
 c 2 
 
.36 
 
 them at once of man's misery and God's mercy, proclaiming the 
 glorious truth that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sin- 
 ners. We have bibles and tracts, which we shall be glad to 
 carry to every hamlet in the land, heralds of reconciliation, 
 which may continue as silent monitors in those places where the 
 living minister can seldom have access. There is never any fear 
 of a dearth of instruction where there is true Christianity. It 
 is of the nature of the subtle flame, active, expansive, communi- 
 cative ; it regenerates that which it destroys ; it " operates un- 
 spent;" and we have express promises from God which meet 
 the difficulties assumed, in the declaration that the spread of 
 knowledge shall be divinely assisted, and that its energy shall be 
 communicated to all. " For the earth shall be filled with the 
 knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the 
 sea." Hab. ii. 14. "And it shall come to pass afterward, that 
 I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your 
 daughters shall prophecy, your old men shall dream dreams, and 
 your young men shall see visions : and also upon the servants 
 and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit." 
 Joel ii. 28, 29. 
 
 2. The other objection may be met without any difficulty, not 
 simply by argument but by fact. The various treaties that have 
 been made with the Kandyan people are upon record, and are 
 open to our examination. 
 
 On the 2nd of March, 1815, "a solemn conference was held 
 in the Audience Hall of the Palace at Kandy, between His 
 Excellency the Governor and Commander of the Forces, on 
 behalf of His Majesty and of His Royal Highness the Prince 
 Regent, on the one part, and the Adikars, Dessaves, and the 
 other principal chiefs of the Kandyan Provinces, on behalf of the 
 inhabitants, and in presence of the Mohottales, Coraals, Vidahns, 
 and other subordinate headmen from the several provinces, and 
 of the people then and there assembled, on the other part." The 
 British flag was on this day hoisted in Kandy for the first time, 
 and the establishment of the British dominion in the interior 
 was announced by a royal salute. 
 
 The 5th clause of the treaty entered into on this occasion 
 consists of the following memorable sentence : " The religion 
 of Boodhoo, professed by the chiefs and inhabitants of these 
 provinces, is declared inviolable, and its rights, ministers, and 
 
37 
 
 places of worship are to be maintained and protected." I have 
 hitherto refrained from comment in pubhshing the acts of the 
 British Government, but in this declaration, that the religion of 
 Budha shall be inviolable, there is something so strange, so 
 unwarrantable, that I cannot help expressing my extreme sur- 
 prise that such an error should have been committed by Sir 
 Robert Brownrigg, whose respect for revelation cannot be called 
 in question. If it was meant simply to signify that there should 
 be no overt act on the part of the British Government to sub- 
 vert the religion of the country, it was very improperly worded ; 
 if it meant more, it was blasphemy. In a demi-official com- 
 munication of the same date it is further said : " The treaty 
 comprises, though in a summary way, the heads of a constitution 
 carefully adapted to the wishes of the chiefs and people, and with 
 a more particular degree of attention to some prejudices, the 
 indulgence of which was plainly understood to be a sine qua non 
 of their voluntary submission to an European power. The pre- 
 servation of the religion of Boodhoo, was the first ; the other 
 (hardly inferior in their estimation) was the recognition and con- 
 tinuance of their local institutions." The anxiety of the Kan- 
 dyans for the preservation of their superstitions, is in powerful 
 contrast with the indifference manifested by the Europeans to the 
 interests of Christianity. 
 
 In the month of October, 1817, an insurrection broke out, 
 notwithstanding, as is stated, among other particulars, in the 
 preamble of the Proclamation issued on its suppression, Nov. 21, 
 1818, there had been paid "the strictest attention to the protec- 
 tion and maintenance of the rites, ministers, and places of wor- 
 ship of the rehgion of Budhoo." The following clause of this 
 Proclamation speaks in a different tone to the language of the 
 former Bulletin : 
 
 " 16. As well the priests as all the ceremonies of the Budhist 
 religion, shall receive the respect which in former times was 
 shown them : at the same time, it is in no wise to be understood, 
 that the protection of the Government is to be denied to the 
 peaceable exercise, by all other persons, of the religion which 
 they respectively profess, or to the erection, under due license 
 from His Excellency, of places of worship in proper situations." 
 
 In no other part of the Proclamation is there a single word 
 isaid respecting the religion of Budha, and all that is here prq- 
 
38 
 
 mised is, that its priests and ceremonies shall receive the ac- 
 customed respect, but from whom we are not told. 
 
 I am no jurisconsult, but if the simple matter of fact is to be 
 taken, I see no reason whatever, from the tenor of these treaties, 
 why the British Government should be considered as bound to 
 interfere with the appointment of heathen priests, the celebra- 
 tion of heathen festivals, and the pecuniary support of some of 
 the most gross superstitions that ever entered into the mind of 
 man. These things are contrary to the law of God, and there- 
 fore, whatever might have been the consequence, it would still 
 have been the duty of the British Government to rid itself of the 
 responsibility, though a promise had been given to support hea- 
 thenism in far stronger terms than any that have been actually 
 used; there would have been a prior bar to the accomphsh- 
 ment of its intentions ; but happily, as the Kandyans would 
 not have comprehended the force of this argument, it is not 
 necessary to resort to such a mode of explanation. 
 
 The 8th clause of the original convention is to this eflfect : 
 ' Subject to these conditions, the administration of civil and 
 criminal justice and police over the Kandyan inhabitants of the 
 said provinces, is to be exercised according to established forms, 
 and by the ordinary authorities ; saving always the inherent 
 right of Government to redress grievances and reform abuses in 
 all instances whatever, particular or general, where such inter- 
 position shall become necessary." The authority granted by 
 this reservation has been used by the Government in cases which 
 have affected the prejudices of the people far more powerfully, 
 than if it were to refuse, without any reason given, all support 
 of priests and processions from this time forth and for ever. 
 
 But the most important official document to which I have to 
 direct attention is the Proclamation issued by Sir R. Wilmot 
 Horton, Aug. 9, 1834. The first three clauses are as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 " Whereas a treasonable conspiracy has been originated by 
 certain Kandyan chiefs and priests, who had for their object the 
 subversion of British supremacy, by which they had hoped to 
 crush the liberties which under that supremacy had been con- 
 ferred upon the people : 
 
 "And whereas by evidence laid before the Government it 
 appears that in pursuance of their traitorous design it was in- 
 
39 
 
 tended to seduce His Majesty's Kandyan subjects from their 
 allegiance by false assertions : amongst others that it was the 
 object of the British Government to destroy the Religion of 
 Buddhoo and to revive that system of compulsory service to 
 which they had been formerly subjected : 
 
 " It is hereby declared that such assertions are false and un- 
 founded, and that although the Government will no longer 
 interfere to enforce compulsory attendance at religious Festivals, 
 the inhabitants of this Colony, professing the Religion of Budd- 
 hoo, will continue to be protected and supported in the freest 
 exercise of their religion." 
 
 This Proclamation is important, inasmuch as it is the most 
 recent document issued by the Government, which can be con- 
 sidered in the light of a treaty, promise, agreement, or conven- 
 tion; and as it points out the relative situation in which the 
 Government stands with respect to the Budhist religion at the 
 present moment ; for be it remembered, that it is to Budhism, 
 and Budhism alone, that the Government stands pledged in any 
 way whatever, not a word being said in any of the treaties re- 
 specting the various ceremonies of Hindoo origin that are now 
 carried on by command of the British Government, with the 
 sole exception that in the 30th clause of the Proclamation of 
 Nov. 21, 1818, it is said that " the attendance at the great 
 Feast, which certain persons were bound to give, shall be con- 
 tinued to be given punctually and gratuitously.'* I am willing 
 to concede all that is promised in the Proclamation of Sir R. 
 Wilmot Horton, that " the inhabitants of this colony profes- 
 sing the religion of Buddhoo shall continue to be protected 
 and supported in the freest exercise of their religion." Let 
 the authorities continue to protect and support the Bud- 
 hists " in the freest exercise of their religion," and cease to 
 protect and support Budhism, per se, and the controversy be- 
 tween the church and the Government will cease at once. I am 
 no advocate for coercion. I have travelled far, and seen much 
 of the working of different systems, and all that I have seen has 
 tended to confirm me in the opinion that liberty, and above all 
 religious liberty, is the dearest birthright of the Briton. I 
 would willingly, were it in my power, confer the same privileges 
 upon every being that possesses " a reasonable soul." It has 
 been at a vast expense of argument and blood that right princi- 
 
40 
 
 pies have been established, and I should deem myself unworthy 
 of the rights I enjoy, I should account myself a very fool, unto 
 whom the instructive lessons of all past ages had been uttered in 
 vain, were I to advocate any attempt at the compulsion of the 
 mind. 
 
 Another valuable document, among the communications re- 
 cently published relative to the interests of Ceylon, is the " Re- 
 port of Lieut.-Colonel Colebrooke, one of His Majesty's Com- 
 missioners of Inquiry, upon the administration of the Govern- 
 ment of Ceylon; dated Dec. 24, 1831." I shall make a few 
 extracts from it, some of which will be recognised as confirma- 
 tory of my own views, and their importance will be accepted in 
 apology for their length. 
 
 " The possessions of the temples constitute a large proportion 
 of the cultivated lands in the Kandyan provinces. In the 
 several temples and colleges there are registers of the lands de- 
 pendent on them, but these registers not having been examined, 
 their extent has not been accurately ascertained. At my re- 
 quest, translations were made of the registers in the principal 
 temples of Kandy ; and from these it appears that the tenants 
 and proprietors of what are called " Temple Lands " in the 
 several provinces, are liable, on the requisition of the chiefs and 
 priests, to render services and contributions of various kinds. 
 These are minutely detailed in the registers, and the occupier of 
 each allotment of land has a special duty assigned to him, or a 
 special contribution to make, either for the repairs of the tem- 
 ples, the subsistence of the chiefs and priests, and their atten- 
 dants, or on occasion of the annual festivals. The regulation of 
 these festivals, which are annually held in Kandy, and at the 
 provincial temples, was the prerogative of the king of Kandy, 
 and the holders of temple lands are still summoned by authority 
 of the Government. To those who reside at a considerable dis- 
 tance, the necessity of making long journeys to deliver some 
 article of little value, or to assist at some protracted ceremony, 
 became irksome and inconvenient : and as they are liable to 
 detention for a month at Kandy during the annual festival, these 
 duties are very negligently performed, and numbers omit them 
 altogether. In 1820 the Government Agent for Saffragam (a 
 distant province to the southward) stated the willingness of the 
 landholders to pay a tax in commutation of the temple service ; 
 
41 
 
 but in deference to the chiefs and priests, who were opposed to 
 innovation, the measure was not adopted. Some landholders, 
 from their influence, have been allowed to pay a composition to 
 the temples, instead of rendering personal service for their lands. 
 The laxity of the people, and the remissness of the Government 
 officers in enforcing the orders for their attendance, has been 
 urged as a subject of complaint by the chiefs. 
 
 "Where the lands are situated near to the temples, and in 
 districts where roads are constructing, the service is less un- 
 popular, as it is in reality less severe than the government ser- 
 vice; but any improvement in the condition of the tenants of 
 the crown would strengthen the desire of the tenants of the 
 chiefs and temples throughout the country for a similar reform 
 of their tenures. If temple lands should hereafter come into 
 possession of persons who are not Bhoodists, new objections 
 would probably be made to the performance of the temple ser- 
 vice by such persons. 
 
 ** The selection and appointment of chiefs and priests of tem- 
 ples was a prerogative of the kings of Kandy, which is still ex- 
 ercised by the Government, although in the nomination to the 
 priesthood the recommendation from the wihares (colleges) is 
 usually attended to. This interference of the Government in 
 the religious afl'airs of the country, although induced from con- 
 siderations of policy, has been attended with much inconvenience. 
 It has failed to satisfy the chiefs, and it has checked the improve- 
 ment of the country, and the advancement of the people. 
 While the Government was bound, by the convention of 1815, 
 to protect the people in the free exercise of their religion, the 
 interposition of its authority to enfore an observance of its rites 
 is at variance with those principles of religious freedom which 
 it is a paramount duty to uphold. Nor can it justly afford to the 
 Bhoodist faith a greater degree of support than it extends to the 
 Christian religion, and to other systems, including the Hindoo 
 and Mahomedan. In some districts, particularly those of 
 Colombo and Galle, the Christians are more numerous than the 
 Bhoodists, and the exertions made by the Christian missionaries 
 for the diffusion of knowledge and for the correction of the 
 habits and morals of the people throughout the country, have 
 pre-eminently tended to promote the best interests of the 
 country." 
 
42 
 
 I have been informed that it was principally to the influence 
 of Sir John D'Oyley the priests were indebted for the very 
 favorable circumstances under which the Budhist religion was 
 placed at the commencement of our Kandyan rule. Considerable 
 jealousy was for some time evinced by the Government with 
 respect to Missionary exertion. The first Mission School was 
 estabhshed by the Rev. R. Newstead, of the Wesleyan Mission, 
 at Rillegalle, a little on the Kandyan side of the limits, on the 
 road between Kornegalle and Colombo. It was commenced 
 early in 1819. At this time the Rev. Samuel Lambric, the 
 worthy founder of the Church Mission in the interior, was sta- 
 tioned in Kandy as Chaplain to the Forces. An application was 
 made in the following year, for permission to establish a school 
 at Kornegalle, but the undertaking was prohibited by the follow- 
 ing official notification : 
 
 " Kandyan Office^ Colombo, 20th Jan. 1820. 
 *' Sir, 
 " I am directed by His Excellency the Governor to inform 
 you, in reply to your letter addressed to him requesting per- 
 mission to establish a school in the Seven Corles, that it is not 
 deemed, under existing circumstances, politically advisable to 
 sanction the measure for the present. 
 
 ** 1 have the honor to be. Sir, 
 
 " Your most obedient Servant, 
 
 'G. LUSIGNAN. 
 "Sec. Kandyan Provinces." 
 " The Rev. R. Newstead." 
 
 This prohibition was rescinded in the course of the same year, 
 through the kind interposition of H. Wright, Esq., at that time 
 Agent of Government for the Seven Korlas. 
 
 It would be out of place were I to notice at large the efforts 
 that have since been made to introduce Christianity among the 
 Kandy ans, but I may be allowed to say, that in no instance have 
 the people generally opposed the instruction of their children, or 
 been averse to the commencement of divine service in their 
 villages. A few days ago I addressed a company of men and 
 women in one of the villages of Udanuwara. The man in whose 
 house I stood said at the close of the service, " The people are 
 dissatisfied with the temple worship ; they are dissatisfied with 
 
43 
 
 the dewala worship, they are indifferent to Christianity; they 
 live like the brutes ; but if you come again and again and in- 
 struct us in these things, we are willing to hear, and we shall 
 be able to learn." These sentiments are very general in the 
 places I have recently visited. Even so early as 1819, a mis- 
 sionary wrote thus: "On my last journey to Kandy (not the 
 city, but the province) I visited two large Budhist temples, and 
 had some interesting conversation with the priests, who do not 
 seem much opposed to us, except from a kind of traditionary 
 prejudice, than which nothing is more natural ; but there is dead 
 inertness about them and their system which would never stand 
 against the energetic exertions of a Christian missionary, at- 
 tended with the blessing of his divine Master. I fully believe 
 that, unsupported by the arm of secular power, they would fall 
 before us like dew before the sun. The lower orders of the 
 people, so far from appearing to defend their priests and their 
 temples, seem rather disposed to laugh at their absurdities, when 
 they hear them rationally exposed in their own language." 
 
 For the information of persons unacquainted with the present 
 circumstances of the colony, it may be necessary, before I con- 
 clude, to refer briefly to its Christian statistics. The Eccle- 
 siastical Department consists of an archdeacon; 5 European 
 chaplains ; 1 Portuguese do. ; 2 Singhalese do. ; 2 Malabar do. ; 
 5 proponents, or preachers of the Gospel to the natives ; regis- 
 rars, clerks, &c. The clergyman of the Dutch church is also 
 supported by the Government. Ecclesiastical expenditure, 1837 : 
 ordinary, 7,924 1^. 2fc?., extraordinary, 2,240 125. d^d. 
 
 There are 36 Government schools: expenditure 1,541; 
 scholars, 2,061, of whom 222 are girls. In addition, the head 
 master of the Colombo Academy receives 200 per annum, and 
 his assistant 100. The incidental expenses for education, in- 
 cluding grants to the various Missionary Societies, may be 
 stated at 1,100, making a total expenditure, on the part of 
 Government, of about 3,000 per annum for educational pur- 
 poses. 
 
 The Church Mission : European missionaries, 9, when the 
 establishment is complete ; catechists, 10 ; schoolmasters and 
 other subordinate agents, 97; average attendance at the ser- 
 vices, 2,418; communicants, 133; schools, 58; seminarists, 71 ; 
 boys, 2,036 ; girls, 426. 
 
44 
 
 The Wesleyan Mission : Singhalese district : European mis- 
 sionaries, 5 ; assistant missionaries, 9; catechists, 12; commu- 
 nicants, 557; schools, 81; boys, 3,257; girls, 558. Tamul 
 district : European missionaries, 3 ; assistant missionaries, 5 ; 
 communicants, 139; scholars, 2,136. Total communicants, 
 696; scholars, 5,951. 
 
 The Baptist Mission : European missionaries, 2 ; assistants, 
 5 ; schools, 1 1 ; scholars, 400. 
 
 The American Mission : American missionaries, 6 : assistant 
 missionaries, 2 ; catechists, 6 ; native assistants, 60 ; pupils in 
 the seminary, 101 ; girls in the central school, 90; native free 
 schools, 42; boys, 1,200; girls, 300. The number of scholars 
 is far below the usual average, as most of the native schools 
 have been suspended, from pecuniary embarrassment. 
 
 The Eastern Female Education Society has established 3 
 schools in Ceylon ; the Roman Cathohc missionaries have 1 1 8 
 schools under their care ; and there are private schools in several 
 of the principal towns. 
 
 As the population of the colony is stated at 1,256,019, the 
 Government expenditure for educational purposes will average a 
 little more than two farthings for each individual. The number 
 of children receiving Christian instruction averages 1 in 88 of 
 the whole population ; but in the Tamul district the proportion 
 is one twelfth. 
 
 I have no data by which I can ascertain the proportion of 
 Christians and heathens. The number of professing Christians 
 in the maritime provinces is very large, but so far as the Sin- 
 ghalese districts are concerned, if the Roman Catholics be ex- 
 cepted, I fear that the number of adults who do not practise 
 heathen superstitions in some form or other, cannot be stated at 
 more than five or six thousand. There are many Budhists 
 priests who were baptised in their infancy, and there are kapuwas 
 yet practising their profession, who call themselves Christians 
 because they have been baptised. The Central Province may be 
 considered as entirely heathen, the exceptions being too few to 
 be taken into the account. The island, naturally most luxuriant 
 is morally desert ; but the servants of Christ are encouraged, by 
 many promising indications, to proceed in their work. Many 
 triumphs have already been achieved ; the promises are sure ; 
 
4^ 
 
 and even this people ** shall soon stretch out their hands unto 
 God." 
 
 A better opportunity than the present could not have been 
 found for this discussion. The Right Honorable James A. 
 Stewart Mackenzie, from the time of his entrance upon the 
 Government of this rising colony, has constantly manifested that 
 it is one grand object of his rule to promote the interests of 
 religion generally in the island, and the spread of Christianity 
 among the natives of all classes ; and I have the greater satis- 
 faction in making this attempt, as I know full well that if these 
 evils are seen by His Excellency, in the light in which I have 
 been led to regard them, he will be the readiest individual in the 
 colony to come forward and decree their suppression. It ought 
 to be generally known, as an example worthy of universal imita- 
 tion among Europeans, that the family of His Excellency, as I 
 have heard upon good authority, have never, though often 
 solicited, visited a single temple, or been present at the perfor- 
 mance of any heathen ceremony, since their arrival in Kandy. 
 The acts of former Governors have placed the present administra- 
 tion in circumstances of some difficulty, but these may be 
 speedily overcome by the judgment and energy of His Excel- 
 lency, aided as I trust they will now be by the voice of the 
 church, too long silent. The present Acting Agent of Govern- 
 ment for the Central Province is the Honorable J. N. Mooyaart, 
 a gentleman who has stood forward nobly in defence of rehgion, 
 during a long residence in the colony, and by his own personal 
 exertions endeavoured to spread its saving power among the 
 people. 
 
 The most liberal assistance is rendered by the Government to 
 the various philanthropic and religious institutions of the island. 
 The missionary societies receive its countenance and support, 
 and are allowed the free developement of their separate plans, 
 for the benefit of the benighted Ceylonese. The march of im- 
 provement in the political condition of the people has recently 
 been most rapid ; and though there are yet many defects both 
 constitutional and executive, I speak advisedly when I say, that 
 no land ever shone upon by an eastern sun had greater reason to 
 rejoice in its Government, than the people of Ceylon in the 
 beneficent aspect of the British rule ; compared with their 
 former condition it is wealth to poverty, freedom to slavery, and 
 
46 
 
 dignity to the lowest degradation. The natives at large see 
 their privilege, and are grateful for the boon. 
 
 Not alone were the subverters of the Kandyan monarchy in 
 paying too great a respect to the native superstitions. The 
 brave men who conquered our eastern possessions by their 
 blood-stained swords appear on this count to have been generally 
 culpable. It must be their excuse that at this time the subject 
 of conversion had not occupied its rightful share of the public 
 attention ; and that as the pastors of the church, as well as its 
 private members, were, with scarce an exception, one and all 
 indifferent, it was not to be supposed that military men, in the 
 confusion of conquest, would regard the matter in the serious 
 light in which it has since been presented. It was an easy 
 method of soothing the minds of an irritated people, to flatter 
 their religious prejudices ; it lulled alarm without incurring 
 expense, and was in many instances a pecuniary advantage ; it 
 was too tempting an opportunity to be foregone. The servants 
 of Christ have been awakened from their stupor; they have 
 argued the question in words that have told like the thunders of 
 heaven ; and even the East India Company, in the Despatch I 
 have already quoted, has been brought to acknowledge the justice 
 of the requisition, and bow before the ordinance of God, *' I 
 would not that ye should have fellowship with devils." When a 
 power which commands the obedience of nearly 100,000,000 
 people, and these too Bramins, the proudest and most bigoted 
 of all religionists, has grappled with the subject, surmounted its 
 difficulties, and relinquished a vast revenue in consequence; it 
 were idle, it were worse than ridiculous, to talk of insuperable 
 difficulties connected 800,000 people, and these Budhists, the 
 most indifferent section of the whole heathen race, and insulated 
 in their geographical position from the rest of the world. It 
 has been decided that the patronage of Idolatry by a Christian 
 Government is wrong, and the only question now to be argued 
 is, whether the acts of the British Government of Ceylon are 
 affected by this sentence of condemnation. I have given my 
 own humble opinion, and I now leave the subject to the more 
 searching investigation of those who are better fitted for the 
 task. Sincerity of intention, and local opportunities for procur- 
 ing information which few other persons not officially connected 
 with Government possess, must be pleaded in excuse for my 
 
\ 
 
 47 
 
 presumption in having dared to lift so feeble a hand in support 
 of the ark of my God. I may be wrong in my opinion there 
 may be no cause for grief or alarm I may have espoused a 
 cause iA which none of my friends can support me ; but by all 
 that is glorious in truth, and all that is accursed in error ; if 
 there be an unspeakable bliss offered to the believer in heaven, 
 and an unsearchable torment appointed to the sinner in hell ; I 
 ask, I entreat of the members of the Christian church, that they 
 will give the subject of this Essay their most serious attention. 
 
48 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 THE PERAHARA. 
 
 The word perahara means literally a procession, and though 
 the epithet may be applied to any procession, it is used emphati- 
 cally of a festival held annually in the city of Kandy, which 
 commenced this year on the day of the new moon in August. 
 
 We have tried in vain to obtain an account of its origin from 
 the natives ; they say that its history is lost in the darkness of 
 antiquity. A kapurala of Udanuwara refers it to the time of 
 Gajabahu, who reigned A.D. 113, and says that this king was a 
 native of some foreign country, where these processions were in 
 common use. This account cannot be correct, as Gajabahu was 
 the son of a native prince, but on referring to the history of this 
 monarch, there are circumstances related which may assist us in 
 our researches. 
 
 Gajabahu resided at Anuradhapura. One night, when walking 
 through the city in disguise, he saw a widow weeping, whose 
 sons had been taken captive by the SoUi king, in an invasion of 
 Ceylon from the continent, during the previous reign. The 
 king made a mark upon the door of the house, and returned to 
 his palace. Next morning he called his nobles, and asked what 
 injustice had been committed in the city. They rephed that the 
 whole city was as free from injustice as a house wherein a festival 
 is celebrated, when the king, in anger, sent for the woman whose 
 dwelling he had marked, and asked her why she was crying upon 
 the previous evening. She said that in the reign of the king's 
 father, the people of SoUi had taken 12,000 captives from 
 Ceylon, among whom were two of her sons, and that it was on 
 this account she wept. Upon hearing this, they collected an 
 army, and proceeding to Yapapatuna, (Jaffna) he informed his 
 people that as the SoUi king had taken captive his subjects, he 
 must go and bring them back to their own homes. With Neela, 
 a giant, he arrived at the sea shore, where he dismissed his army. 
 
49 
 
 and taking an iron rod he struck the sea, which divided, and he 
 and the giant went over to the continent. The SolU king was 
 in great fear, and to increase his terror Neela took one of the 
 royal elephants, and dashed it against another with such force, 
 that both the animals died. In the same manner, the giant 
 devastated the country. The SoUi king, when he heard of these 
 things from his nobles, asked Gajabahu why he had come with 
 an array to destroy his realm ; to which he replied, that he had 
 brought no army besides his giant, and proceeded, " In the days 
 of your father, when my father reigned, he went over to Ceylon 
 and seized 1 2,000 persons, and brought them hither captive, and 
 I have come to demand them." The Solli king answered forth- 
 with, " Though you go to dewyalokaya, and receive the assis- 
 tance of the asoors, you will not be able to overcome me. Gaja- 
 bahu was greatly enraged at this refusal to deliver up the captives, 
 and declared that he would not only take his own subjects, but 
 12,000 other captives as well, and he threatened to burn the 
 royal city to ashes in case of refusal. To show his great 
 strength, that the threats were not idle words, he squeezed 
 water out of a handful of dry sand, and afterwards out of the 
 iron rod, which frightened the Solli king to such a degree, that 
 he delivered up the 24,000 persons demanded, the golden 
 halamba of Pattinee, the sacred utensils of 4 dewalas, and " the 
 refection dish " of Budha ; and with these Gajabahu returned 
 to Ceylon. The 1 2,000 Singhalese were sent to their respective 
 homes, and the 12,000 captives were allowed to reside in Aloot- 
 kfirakorla, a district to the northward of Colombo, the inhabi- 
 tants of which to this day retain many marks of their continental 
 origin. 
 
 The sacred vessels here referred to had been taken away in 
 the reign of Walagambahu, B. C. 90, and there can be little 
 doubt that it was to commemorate their return the Perahara 
 was originally established, as the carr}'ing of the halamba and 
 other relics seems to be the most essential part of the procession, 
 and to the dividing of the waters also a reference will after- 
 wards be made. It is not clear from the narrative whether the 
 halamba had been previously in Ceylon, though from other 
 traditions we have heard we should suppose they had ; but this 
 will make little difference in the intention of the festival, as it 
 
 D 
 
50 
 
 may still be held to celebrate their arrival. Tt is upon these 
 relics that the heathen natives swear in the courts of justice. 
 The origin of the Perahara is therefore to be dated as far back as 
 the second century of the Christian sera. 
 
 The account given of the Perahara by Knox, as it was cele- 
 brated in the reign of Raja Singha II. 1 670, is as follows : 
 
 " The greatest solemnity is performed in the city of Cande ; 
 but at the same time the like festival or Perahar is observed in 
 divers other cities and towns of the land. The Perahar at 
 Kandy is ordered after this manner. 
 
 " The priest bringeth forth a painted stick, about which 
 strings of flowers are hanged, and so it is wrapped in branched 
 silk, some part covered and some not ; before which the people 
 bow down and worship ; each one presenting him with an 
 offering according to his free will. These free-will offerings 
 being received from the people, the priest takes his painted stick 
 on his shoulder, having a cloth tied about his mouth to keep his 
 breath from defiling this pure piece of wood, and gets up upon 
 an elephant all covered with white cloth, upon which he rides 
 with all the triumph that king and kingdom can afford, through 
 all the streets of the city. But before him go, first some 50 or 
 GO elephants, with brass bells hanging on each side of them, 
 which tingle as they g. 
 
 " Next follow men dressed up like giants which go dancing 
 along agreeable to a tradition they have, that anciently there 
 were huge men, that could carry vast burthens, and pull up trees 
 by the roots, &c. After them go a multitude of drummers, and 
 trurapetters and pipers, which make such a great and loud noise, 
 that nothing else besides them can be heard. Then followeth a 
 company of men dancing along, and after these women of such 
 castes or trades as are necessary for the service of the pagoda, 
 as potters and washer-women, each caste goeth in companies by 
 themselves, three and three in a row, holding one another by the 
 hand; and between each company go drummers, pipers and 
 dancers. 
 
 " After these comes an elephant with two priests on his back : 
 one whereof is the priest before spoken of carrying the painted 
 stick on his shoulder, who represents Allout neur dio, that is, the 
 god and maker of heaven and earth. The other sits behind 
 
51 
 
 him, holding a round thing hke an umbrella over his head, to 
 keep off sun or rain. Then within a yard after him, on each 
 hand of him, follow two other elephants mounted with two other 
 priests, with a priest sitting behind each, holding umbrella's as 
 the former, one of them represents Cotteragan dio, and the 
 other Potting dio. These three gods that reside here in com- 
 pany are accounted . of all other the greatest and chiefest, each 
 one having his residence in a several pagoda. 
 
 "Behind go their cook- women, with things like whisks in 
 their hands, to scare away flies from them ; but very fine as 
 they can make themselves. 
 
 " Next after the gods and their attendants, go some thousands 
 of ladies and gentlewomen, such as are of the best sort of the 
 inhabitants of the land, arrayed in the bravest manner that their 
 ability can afford, and so go hand in hand three in a row. At 
 which time all the beauties on Zelone in their bravery do go to 
 attend upon their gods in their progress about the city. Now 
 are the streets also all made clean, and on both sides all along 
 the streets, poles are stuck up with flags and pennons hanging at 
 the top of them, and adorned with boughs and branches of 
 cocoanut trees hanging like fringes, and hghted lamps all along 
 on both sides of the streets, both day and night. 
 
 " Last of all, go the commanders sent from the king to see 
 these ceremonies decently performed, with their soldiers after 
 them. And in this manner they ride all round about the city 
 once by day and once by night. This festival lasts from the new 
 moon to the full moon. 
 
 *' Formerly the king himself in person used to ride on 
 horseback with all his train before him in this solemnity, but 
 now he delights not in these shows. 
 
 " Always before the gods set out to take their progress they 
 are set in the pagoda door a good while, that the people may 
 come to worship and bring their offerings unto them : during 
 which time there are dancers, playing and showing many petty 
 tricks of activity before him. To see the which, and also to 
 shew themselves in their bravery, occasions more people to 
 resort thither, than otherwise their zeal and devotion would 
 prompt them to do. 
 
 " Two or three davs before the full moon, each of these gods 
 
52 
 
 hath a pallenkine carried after them to add unto their honor, in 
 the which there are several pieces of their superstitious rehcts, 
 and a silver pot, which just at the hour of full moon they ride 
 out unto a river, and dip full of water, which is carried back 
 with them into the temple, where it is kept till the year after and 
 then flung away. And so the ceremony is ended for that year. 
 
 " This festival of the gods taking their progress through the 
 city in the year 1664 the king would not permit to be performed ; 
 and that same year the rebellion happened, but never since hath 
 he hindered it. 
 
 * At this time they have a superstition, which lasteth six or 
 seven days, too foolish to write ; it consists in dancing, singing, 
 and juggling. The reason of which is lest the eyes of the peo- 
 ple, or the power of the jaccos, or infernal spirits, might any 
 ways prove prejudicial or noisome to the aforesaid gods in their 
 progress abroad. During the celebration of this great festival, 
 there are no drums allowed to be beaten to any particular gods 
 at any private sacrifice." 
 
 Knox is right in his descriptions, but wrong, as might natu- 
 rally be expected, in some of his explanatory remarks. The 
 attendance of the giants, commemorative of the redoubtable 
 Neela, is another evidence that it is to the reign of Gajabahu we 
 are to look for the origin of the festival. 
 
 In the Ceylon Almanac for 1834, is a "Description of the 
 four principal Kandyan festivals, compiled from materials fur- 
 nished by a native chief." From this document, we learn, that 
 until the reign of king Kirtisree (a. d. 1747-1780) the Perahara 
 was celebrated exclusively in honour of the four deities, Natha, 
 Vishnu, Katragam, and Pattinee, and altogether unconnected 
 with Budhism. The sacred dalada relic of Budha was first 
 carried in procession, together with the insignia of the four gods, 
 in 1775. The circumstances which gave rise to this innovation 
 were as follows. The Siamese priests who were invited here by 
 king Kirtisree, for the purpose of restoring the Upasampadawa, 
 the highest order of Budhist ordination, one day hearing the 
 noise of jinjalls, &c. enquired the cau.=^e, and were informed that 
 preparations were being made for celebrating a festival in honor 
 of the gods. They took umbrage at this, and observed that they 
 had been made to believe that Budhism was the established 
 
53 
 
 religion of the kingdom, and they had never expected to see 
 Hindooism triumphant in Kandy. To appease them the king 
 sent to assure them that this festival of the Perahara was chiefly 
 in"^ ended to glorify the memory of Budha, and to convince them 
 of it, the king gave directions that the great relic should be 
 carried foremost in the procession, dedicating his own howdah 
 for its reception. 
 
 There can be little doubt that the Perahara received the coun- 
 tenance of the native princes, rather from a political than a 
 religious motive, though these circumstances would vary with 
 the disposition of the reigning king. It was one of the few 
 occasions upon which the monarch presented himself to the 
 public gaze. The most imposing edifice connected with the 
 palace was the pattrippo, an octagon of two stories, the upper 
 story having a balcony that overlooked the principal square of 
 the royal city, on one side of which was a lake, and on the other 
 various religious and consecrated places. The procession was 
 collected in the square, that the king might see it from the 
 balcony ; and when the curtain which shrouded his majesty at 
 his entrance was withdrawn, and the assembly did lowly rever- 
 ence, amidst the clamor of the drums and pipes, the sight of 
 the prostrate thousands, the elephants richly comparisoned, the 
 royal guard in proud array, the countless banners floating in the 
 breeze, and the adigars and other chiefs at the head of their res- 
 pective clans, all arranged in due order and degree, must have 
 produced an eff*ect that is not often equaled even in the festive 
 scenes of far mightier kingdoms. On some occasions the king 
 joined in the procession, but in this there was no uniformity of 
 observance, his majesty being at one time on foot, and at 
 another, we are told, in a golden chariot drawn by eight horses. 
 
 The Perahara affbrded an excellent opportunity to the king to 
 examine into the state of the provinces, the conduct of the 
 governors, and the obedience of the people. The refractory 
 were punished, the loyal rewarded, and new regulations were 
 now promulgated, that they might be carried to the more distant 
 districts of the island. To the inhabitants generally it must 
 have been a time of grateful festivity, especially during the reigns 
 of the more popular kings, as it was a spectacle of splendour, 
 and the various chiefs were able to exhibit their consequence in 
 the presence of the assembled kingdom. 
 
54 
 
 The Peraliara begins on the day of the new moon in the 
 month of aesala, which this year answers to our August. Tlie 
 commencement is regulated by the nekata, or situation of the 
 moon ; and at the appointed moment, which must be either in 
 the evening or morning, never at mid-day, the kapun'da of the 
 Vishnu dewala cuts down a young jack tree which has been pre- 
 viously chosen, and is consecrated for the purpose by mysterious 
 rites. The day before, the kapurala must bathe in pure water, 
 anoint his head with the juice of the lime, and clothe himself in 
 clean garments. In ancient times flowers were used, as men- 
 tioned by Knox, and these were the flowers of the aehsela, 
 cathantocarpus fistulata, but either because this tree does not 
 now bear flowers in the proper season, or because another tree is 
 more conveniently found, the jack has been substituted in its 
 place, which, however, for the time, receives the name of a^hsela. 
 When Knox wrote, the procession was in June ; when Davy 
 wrote, in July ; it is now in August ; and like all other eastern 
 festivals, from the imperfection of the native astronomy, it tra- 
 verses through all the months of the year. The painted stick of 
 Knox, adorned with flowers, appears to be commemorative of 
 the wonder-working rod of Gajabahu, and the jack is undoubt- 
 edly an innovation. When the tree has been cut down, it is 
 divided into four sections, one of which is conveyed to each of 
 the dewalas, under a white canopy, and accompanied by music. 
 The section is cleaned at the dewala, and put into a hole, after 
 w^hich oflferings of cakes are presented, called ganabodana. The 
 gana are an order of inferior deities attendant upon the gods, 
 and bodana is the Eloo form of bhojana, food. 
 
 The consecrated wood is adorned with leaves, flowers, and 
 fruit, and during the first five days the procession simply passes 
 round it, the Kapuralas bearing the sacred vessels and imple- 
 ments. After this time they are brought beyond the precincts 
 of the dewala, and paraded through the principal streets of 
 Kandy. On the night of the full moon the procession is joined 
 by a relic of Budha, properly accompanied, which is afterwards 
 carried to the Adahana Maluwa, a consecrated place near which 
 are the tombs of the ancient kings and other individuals of the 
 royal race. The maluw^a is encircled by stones, within which, it 
 is said, the kings had no jurisdiction ; it was a kind of sanctuary. 
 
55 
 
 The relic receives the adoration of the crowd until the morning, 
 when it is returned to the temple. 
 
 Towards the end of the festival the procession approaches the 
 river, at the ancient ferry not far from the Peradenia bridge, and 
 whilst the multitude remains upon the bank, the Kapuralas enter 
 a boat that has been splendidly decorated for the occasion. The 
 boat is rowed to some distance, when the Kapurfda takes a 
 golden sword, and strikes the water. At the same instant a 
 brazen vessel is dipped into the river, and whilst the water is yet 
 disparted, a portion is taken up, which is kept until the vessel 
 can be filled in the ame manner at the next festival. The water 
 which had been taken the previous year is at the same time 
 poured back into the river. 
 
 There is a close analogy between this striking of the river and 
 the striking of the sea by Gajabahu, though what is meant by 
 the dividing of the waters we cannot tell. It is probable that 
 there was something extraordinary connected with the passage 
 of the king, which tradition afterwards magnified into this 
 miracle. Were we disposed to be fanciful, we might notice the 
 resemblance which the striking of the sea by a rod, the squeezing 
 of water from the dry sand, the errand of the king to demand 
 captives, and some other circumstances, bear to certain facts in 
 the Israelitish exodus, but we have seen so many similar con- 
 structions levelled to the ground at a single blow, that we forbear 
 to pursue the parallel. 
 
 The general arrangement of the Perahara is the same now as 
 in former times, but in the grandeur of the spectacle there can 
 be no comparison. There are still elephants richly adorned ; 
 flags, pennons, and banners ; several bands of drums, tomtoms, 
 and pipes ; the palanqueens of the gods ; the sacred utensils ; 
 and the chiefs of the dewfdas, &c. with their separate retinues. 
 The streets are lighted by vessels of oil, placed upon poles, and 
 carried by men, after the manner of the meshals of the Arab 
 tribes. There are several who have a light at each end of the 
 pole, which they whirl round at intervals with some velocity. 
 The din of the tomtoms cannot be better described than in the 
 words of Knox; "they make such a great and loud noise, that 
 nothing else besides them can be heard." The chiefs walk alone, 
 the crowd being kept off by their attendants ; the stiffness of 
 
56 
 
 their gait, as they are wrapped round with manifold layers of 
 cloth, being in perfect contrast to their usual ease, indeed we 
 may say gracefulness, of manner, llie long whips were cracked 
 before the adigar until the present year, but no one has been 
 appointed to this office since the death of the old man whose 
 presence we now miss, and no other individual is entitled to the 
 honour. The whole procession may extend about a quarter of a 
 mile, but this is only towards its conclusion, as it gradually in- 
 creases in the number of its attendant elephants, &c., from the 
 commencement. The natives who attend as spectators are now 
 few, even in comparison with recent years, and it would seem 
 that in a little while its interest will vanish away, with many a 
 better remembrance of the olden time. The procession was one 
 day prevented from taking its accustomed round, as a man had 
 hung himself in one of the streets through which it must have 
 passed. The natives are very unwilling to enter into conversa- 
 tion respecting the detail of this ceremony, and say that there 
 are many mysteries connected with it which they cannot reveal. 
 
 The history of the Perahara is another evidence how tena- 
 ciously the people adhere to the Braminical superstitions, and 
 would tend to prove, that even when Budhism was predominant 
 upon the continent of India, it must have had very little hold 
 upon the mass of the population ; and this may account for its 
 almost total destruction after it had once the abihty to erect the 
 splendid temples that yet remain, monuments at once of its 
 majesty and its weakness. Budhism is too philosophical, too 
 cold and cheerless, to be a popular creed, and it is only its pre- 
 sent alliance with its deadly antagonist of former times that now 
 preserves it in the place it occupies as the national religion of 
 Ceylon. The Friend, September 1839. 
 
 THE DONDRA FESTIVAL. 
 
 This place was the capital of Ceylon for a short period, during 
 an usurpation in the reign of Sri Sangha Bo 2nd, who reigned 
 in the 7th century ; and it is probable that the temple, of which 
 numerous remains are still in existence, was built about the same 
 time. The point of land near which the present village is 
 
67 
 
 situated, forms the extreme south of the island, and is well 
 known to mariners. 
 
 The festival takes place at the same time as the Perahara of 
 Kandy, and is under the control of the modliar of the district, 
 who is appointed as Basnaika Nilama by the Government. 
 After the necessary preparations for the procession have been 
 made, the kapurala of the Vishnu dewala commences the cere- 
 mony at the first quarter after the new moon, at the appointed 
 nekata, by a rite called kaphitaweema. Six kowilas, or tem- 
 porary dewalas, are then erected for the gods Katragama, Natha, 
 Saman, and Alut, and the goddess Pattinee, whose kapuwa is a 
 female, and is called Pattinee Hamy. All the kapuwas bathe in 
 clean water, and dedicate themselves to the task in the usual 
 manner ; but before any offerings are made the tomtom beaters, 
 singers, and dancers, the latter in most grotesque masks^ with 
 the principal kapuwas bearing the sacred utensils, parade the 
 streets of the villages. They are careful to return to the dewala 
 before the proper nekata. The Basnaika Nilama, by the hand 
 of his servants, makes the first ofi'ering at each of the altars. 
 The kapuwa stands at the entrance of the dewala as the people 
 present their ofl^erings, anoints their foreheads with a preparation 
 of sandal- wood, and prays for a blessing upon them and their 
 families. This continues 36 hours without any interruption. 
 
 The expenses of the ceremony are defrayed from the offer- 
 ings ; but, as I have said, the Basnaika Nilama is appointed by 
 the Government ; and on the part of the Government he ap- 
 points the kapuralas in turn, receives the money, and divides it, 
 making the Government the conductor of the ceremony. The 
 offerings are divided into 5 portions ; the modliar takes two- 
 fifths, and the remainder is divided into 5 portions again ; the 
 kapuwas take two-fifths, and the remainder is once more divided 
 into 5 portions ; the arachy takes two-fifths, and the remainder 
 is now divided among those who have assisted in preparing the 
 procession, as the washermen, potters, tomtom beaters, &c. 
 
 I was present at the Perahara in 1827, when it was computed 
 that about 40,000 persons attended. Some years ago, the 
 popularity of Katragama appearing to be on the decline, the 
 worship of the other deities was introduced, in order to support 
 the waning interests of superstition. The Alut Dewiyo, or new 
 god, is at present one of the most popular. Some say, that he 
 
 B 
 
58 
 
 resided in the Magam Pattoo, a neighbouring province, and died 
 about 60 years ago. A fatal murrain broke out among the cattle 
 at the time of his death, and as he had been a man of austere 
 and eccentric habits, it was supposed to have been caused by 
 his influence. Offerings were made to him to appease his anger, 
 and since that period he has been reckoned among the gods. 
 Others say, that he was a man of Dondra, who having been lost, 
 no one knew how or where, came to his own house in the mid- 
 dle of the night, and told his family that he had become a god : 
 as a proof, they were to take meat into the jungle, and he would 
 come and eat it an easy method truly of claiming divine honors. 
 ** They worship they know not what.** 
 
 Q. Palmer, Printer, 4, Robert-street, Bedford-row, London. 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Prittciipal #iCiiiywiM[Ct0 
 
 ^ DURING 
 
 AN EMBASSY 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 BRITISH GOVERNMENT 
 
 TO THE 
 
 <BwiBff s^ (cmnKrA 
 
 IN THE YEAR 1816. 
 
 BY THE REV. DR. ROBERT MORRISON, 
 
 AUTHOR OF THE CHINESE DICTIONARY, GRAMMAR, &C. &C. 
 AND ATTACHED TO THE EMBASSY. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for the Editor; 
 
 SOLD BY HATCHARD AND SON, PICCADILLY; SIMPKIN AND MARSHALL 
 
 4, STATIONERS' COURT, LUDGATE STREET ; AND 
 
 BY OTHER BOOKSELLERS. 
 
 1820. 
 
 Price Three Shillings and Six^pence. 
 
James Nichols, Printer, 
 No, 2, Warwick Square, London, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The excellent author of this Brief Account of the 
 last British Embassy to the Court of China, is my 
 near relative, and transmitted the manuscript for the 
 information and entertainment of myself and his 
 numerous friends. The pamphlet carries with it 
 internal evidence, that it vras not designed by its 
 author for publication. Yet he seemed to be aware, 
 that, by committing it into the hands of his friends, 
 he was endangering the privacy to which it was his 
 first wish that it should be consigned. He intimated 
 to me, that if his friends should transgress the bounds 
 which he had defined, by giving publicity to this 
 production, (an offence to which he knew they would 
 be prone,) in that, case all the profits of the publica- 
 tion should be sacredly devoted to the relief of a certain 
 widow and her ten fatherless children, of whose mis- 
 fortunes he had heard, and in whose sufferings his 
 sympathizing spirit bore a christian part. It is 
 scarcely necessary to add, that the perusal of the 
 work in a manuscript form, imparted so much plea- 
 sure, that his friends were induced not to withhold 
 from the public that which had been an abundant 
 source of individual gratification to themselves. 
 With this object in view, the work made its first 
 appearance about a year ago, in a periodical publi- 
 
IV PREFACtI* 
 
 cation which is principally circulated among the* 
 higher classes of society. But that mode of pub- 
 lishing did not realize any of the benevolent intentions 
 of the author, in his generous directions for the appli- 
 cation of the proceeds to the rehef of the fatherless 
 and the vi^idovt^. The causes which in that instance 
 contributed to neutralize such benevolent wishes, 
 it does not at present concern the public to know. 
 They were however of such a nature as induced me 
 instantly to risk the publication of the pamphlet in a 
 separate form, and thus endeavour to secure some 
 profits to the deserving objects of Dr. Morrison's 
 bounty* 
 
 Others of the reverend author's productions have 
 been received with high approbation by the religious 
 world. His name is also not without honour in the 
 Republic of Letters. This pamphlet, plain and un- 
 imposing as it is in style, will not detract from the 
 reputation which his former literary labours have 
 prociu'ed for him. It will convey much satisfactory 
 intelligence respecting a country to the interior of 
 which a Protestant Divine has, of late years, seldom 
 had access ; and which is probably destined, in the 
 economy of God's Providence, soon to bear a still 
 more important relation than it now does to the rest 
 of the civilized world. The Pagan empire of China 
 has yet to bow to the sceptre of Christ Jesus ; and 
 the short notices on this subject in various parts of 
 the following work, w^ill not be viewed without con- 
 siderable interest bv christians of everv denomination. 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 It is pleasing to reflect that the good man who wrote 
 these remarks, although invested pro tempore with 
 a kind of diplomatic character, never forgot the par- 
 amount claims which Christianity had on his attention 
 and regards. He looked around him with the prying" 
 eyes of one whose youthful studies and manly labours 
 had been zealously devoted to the extension of the 
 Redeemer's Kingdom ; and were it the will of Heaven 
 that he might hereafter witness, in his declining years, 
 the conversion of that vast portion of the Heathen 
 world, he would, like pious old Simeon, sing ^'^ Nunc 
 dimittis'' with a joyful voice, and, modest as he is, 
 he might then be induced to think that he had not 
 lived altogether to little purpose, that "he had 
 not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." 
 
 The valuable quarto volumes of the Honourable 
 Commissioner Ellis and Mr. Abel, which enter into 
 much interesting detail concerning the same Embassy, 
 severally possess peculiar excellences, but by no 
 means intrench on the statements of Dr. Morrison. 
 Those two gentlemen occupy, to great advantage, 
 literary ground of a different description. But though 
 this work assumes only the unimposing garb of a 
 pamphlet, it will be found to contain copious and 
 entertaining descriptions of the manners and customs 
 of the Chinese ; and, in the narration of events w hich 
 transpired in the course of the Embassy, it exhibits 
 many striking traits in the national character of that 
 singular people. 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 All this eulogium will be attributed, by some 
 persons, to the warmth of my feelings as a rela- 
 tive, and to the partiality of my friendship. I am 
 not conscious however of the influence of such a 
 motive in what 1 have now expressed. To have said 
 less in favour of the author and his work, would have 
 been disguising my real sentiments, and betraying 
 the cause of the indigent, in whose behalf, as before 
 stated, the publication has been undertaken. 
 
 JOHN MORTON. 
 
 LoNDOM Road, Liverpool, 
 
 Juhj QOth 1820. 
 
MEMOIR, 
 
 -^H^U^^^ 
 
 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS, 
 
 As individuals are improved by an amicable inter- 
 fBOurse with each other; and as parts of the same empire 
 are gradually ameliorated in proportion as they have an 
 easy intercourse amongst themselves; so separate and 
 independent nations are mutually benefited by a liberal 
 and amicable intercourse^ Those governments which 
 with sincere minds endeavour to extend the friendly in- 
 tercourse of nations, deserve the thanks of mankind. 
 Whilst they pursue the good of their own country, they 
 promote the welfare of the species. 
 
 As the productions of human labonr, and of the surface 
 of the earth, are exceedingly various, and generally 
 superabundant in one thing, whilst there is a deficiency 
 or a total want of another ; it comes to pass that the 
 exchange of commodities, or commercial intercourse, 
 tsnds to ameliorate the temporal condition of the whole 
 human family* 
 
 Human ability being limited, the whole business of a 
 community is best effected by different persons devoting 
 tlemselves to different parts of the general concern* 
 Tie agriculturist, the manufacturer, and the merchant, 
 ar? alike usefully employed; and it is probably as neces* 
 
8 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 sary a part of the duty of government to exert its inffu- 
 ence with the rulers of foreign nations in behalf of it 
 merchants, as to encourage and protect the agriculturist 
 and manufacturer at home. 
 
 Further, as an exchange of commodities, on a small 
 scale, is best effected under an idea of the perfect equa- 
 lity and recipocrity of the dealers; not under the relation 
 of slave and master; or a dependant and his lord; so 
 national and commercial intercourse will proceed best 
 under an idea of the equality and recipocrity of the two 
 countries. The idea that the one owes and yields homage 
 to the other, is likely to be prejudicial to the fair com- 
 mercial intercourse between the two nations. 
 
 What are called "ceremonies," sometimes affect mate- 
 rially the idea of equality. They are not always mere 
 forms and nothing else, but speak a language as intelli- 
 gible as words; and it would be just as conclusive to 
 affirm, *^ it is no matter what words are used, words are 
 but wind;" as to affirm, " it is no matter what ceremonies 
 are submitted to, ceremonies are but mere forms, and 
 nothing else. Some ceremonies are perfectly indifferent, 
 as whether the form of salutation be taking off the hat 
 and bowing the head, or keeping it on and bowing low 
 with the hands folded before the breast ; these, the one 
 English, and the other Chinese, are equally good. There 
 is, however, a difference of submission and devotedness 
 expressed by different postures of the body; and some 
 nations feel an almost instinctive reluctance to the 
 stronger expressions of submission. As for instance, 
 standing and bowing the head is less than kneeling on 
 one knee ; as that is less than kneeling on two knees ; 
 and that less again than kneeling on two knees and 
 putting the hands and forehead to the ground ; and doin^ 
 this once, is, in the apprehensionof the Chinese, less tha/i 
 doing it three times, or six times, or nine times. Waving 
 the question whether it be proper for one human beir^' 
 to use such strong expressions of submission to another 
 or not, when any, even the strongest of these forms a;-e 
 reciprocal; they do not interfere with the idea of equalih^ 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 
 
 or of mutual independence; if they are not reciprocally 
 performed, the last of these forms expresses, in the 
 strongest manner, the submission and homage of one 
 person or state to another : And in this light, the Tartar 
 family now on the throne of China, considers the cere- 
 mony called San-kwei-kew-kow;^^: thrice kneeling and 
 nine times beating the head against the ground. Those 
 nations of Europe who consider themselves tributary 
 and yielding homage to China, should perform the Tar- 
 tar ceremony; those who do not consider themselves so, 
 should not perform the ceremony. 
 
 The English Embassador, Lord Macartney, appears 
 to have understood correctly the meaning of the cere- 
 mony, and proposed the only alternative, which could 
 enable him to perform it, viz. a Chinese of equal rank, 
 performing it to the King of England's picture. Or 
 perhaps a promise from the Chinese Court, that, should 
 an Embassador ever go from thence to England, he 
 would perform it in the King's presence, might have 
 enabled him to do it. 
 
 These remarks will probably convince the reader that 
 the English Government acts as every civilised Govern- 
 ment should act, when she endeavours to cultivate a good 
 understanding and liberal intercourse with China; but 
 since, whilst using those endeavours, she never contem- 
 plates yielding homage to China, she still wisely refuses 
 to perform by her Embassador that ceremony which is 
 the expression of homage. 
 
 The lowest form by which respect is showed in China 
 at this day, is Kung-show, that is, joining both hands and 
 raising them before the breast. The next is Iso-yih, 
 that is, bowing low with the hands joined. The third 
 is Ta-tseen, bending the knee as if about to kneel. The 
 fourth is Kwei, to kneel. The fifth, Ko-tow, kneeling 
 and striking the head against the ground. The sixth, 
 San-kow, striking the head three times against the earth 
 before rising from one's knees. The seventh, Luh-kow, 
 
 * It is otherwise called the Ko-tow, which strictly denotes only once kneeling. 
 
1^ KOHD AMHERST^'S EMBASSY 
 
 that is, kneeling and striking the forehead three times, 
 rising on one's feet, kneeling down again and striking 
 the head again three times against the earth. The climax 
 is closed by the San-kwei-kew-kow, kneeling three diffe- 
 rent times, and at each time knocking the head thrice 
 against the ground. 
 
 Some of the Gods of China are entitled only to the 
 "San-kow; others to the Luh-kow; the Teen, {Heaven] 
 and the Emperor are worshipped by the San-kwei-kew- 
 kow. Does the Emperor of China claim divine honors? 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 The Embassy announced at Canton. 
 
 The British Government, in conjunction with the 
 Honorable the Court of Directors of the East India 
 Company, deeming it expedient to send an Embassy to 
 China, Earl Buckinghamshire, President of the Board 
 of Control, wrote to the Viceroy of Canton to announce 
 the intention of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent. 
 His Lordship's letter arrived m the close of May, 1816. 
 Sir George Staunton, President of the Select Committee, 
 wrote from Macao to inform the Local Government, 
 and to request a proper conveyance to Canton, in order 
 to present the letter. Sir Theophilus Metcalfe, a mem- 
 ber of the Committee, Captain Clavel of his Majesty's 
 Ship Orlando, Mr. Morrison, who then acted as transla- 
 tor and secretary for the Chinese department to the 
 Select Committee, and Mr. Daniell, a member of the 
 Company's establishment in China, proceeded to Canton, 
 and requested an audience of the Foo-yuen, =^)v: the Vice- 
 roy then being at Court, which was accordingly fixed 
 to be on the 4th of June, the day after our arrival in 
 Canton. 
 
 We proceeded in chairs to the office of the Foo-yuen, 
 at the gate of which we alighted, and were led into an 
 
 * Fooyuen is the second officer in a province. He acts for the Viceroy in 
 iiis absence. 
 
11 TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 
 
 apartment on the left side of the great hall, in which the 
 principal Hong merchants were waiting to receive us, 
 and give us tea. 
 
 We had sat about ten minutes, during w^hich time it 
 was negociated, whether Sir Theophilus should give the 
 letter into the Foo-yuen's hand, or pass it through ano- 
 ther person. Sir Theophilus insisted on the first, which 
 was granted. At a signal given, the doors of the hall 
 were thrown open, a shout raised by the attendants, and 
 a salute of three guns fired. The Tartar General, called 
 Tseang-keun, was present on the occasion, with a de- 
 tachment of troops, forming a path up to the hall. The 
 Imperial Commissioner for foreign trade, called the Hoo- 
 poo, or Hoppo, was also there. Our party was then 
 requested to proceed with the letter, which, contained 
 in a box, was carried in form by Mr. Morrison. We 
 walked up to the higher end of the hall, made a bow, 
 and put our hats on again, as it was inconvenient to 
 stand with them in the hand; after which Sir Theophilus 
 Metcalfe opened the box and gave the letter into the 
 Foo-yuen's hands. He received it, rose, and asked if 
 our aged King was well, and how the Prince Regent 
 did, spoke of the former Embassy with satisfaction, and 
 then gave the letter into the hands of an attendant 
 officer. On this we withdrew, returned to the door of 
 the room we had left, and prepared to leave the palace. 
 Puan-ke-qua, an old and active Hong merchant, who 
 managed the announcing of the last Embassy, desired 
 us to wait till some questions should be put by the Foo- 
 yuen. Sir Theophilus however thought that those had 
 better be sent to the factory; as more respectful on the 
 part of the Chinese, and also as affording more time to 
 give suitable answers. Old Puan-ke-qua pressed our 
 stay in vain; then sighing, said, "Mei-yew-fa" there 
 is no help for it. 
 
 Sir Theophilus remained in Canton some days, duxing 
 which time various questions were brought from the 
 Government; as, what nuii/ber of ships were coming; 
 what the Embassador's name was; what the presents 
 
12 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 were; whether the ships would come to Macao or not; 
 what nations of Europe had been at war; what age the 
 Prince Regent was; when the reins of Government 
 were given to him^ &c. 
 
 In a day or two the Government sent out to require 
 that Captain Clavel, v/hom Puan-ke-qua had untruly re- 
 presented as the bearer of Earl Buckinghamshire's letter, 
 should remain till an answer was received from Court. A 
 document was found on record proving that the Hong 
 merchants had, when Lord Macartney's Embassy was 
 announced, given a bond to Government, promising 
 that the gentlemen who brought the dispatches there, 
 would remain for a reply from Court. Captain Clavel 
 would noi make any such promise, as the letter in fact 
 was not brought by him; and he purposed to leave 
 before any answer could arrive. Sir Theophilus gave 
 a written paper, saying, that he would remain, but the 
 Government would not be satisfied with it, but required 
 the Hong merchants to promise in behalf of Captain 
 Clavel. The Hong merchants declined. They were 
 taken to the Kwangeibow Foo's office, and detained a 
 day or two, when, finally, they came to an understand- 
 ing, by giving the bond required, and obtaining assurance 
 from the Government, that the promise given in the 
 bond should not be exacted of them. 
 
 This affair being arranged, Sir Theophilus Metcalfe, 
 and the gentlemen who accompanied him, returned to 
 Macao. 
 
 Europeans and Chinese had various opinions respect- 
 ing the reception of the Embassy. Some of the first, 
 who had means of knowing a little of the temper of the 
 Court, affirmed that the Embassy would not be allowed 
 to land; and Chinese of respectable standing in society 
 were persuaded, that it would certainly not be received 
 by the way of Teen-tsin, but would be required to go by 
 the way of Cant on; that if it did go so far as Teen-tsin> 
 it v/ould have to return and land at Canton. 
 
TO THK rOUKT OF CHINA. 
 
 13 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 TAe arrival of the Embasst/, and Voyage to the 
 Gulph of Pit'che-lee, 
 
 On the 9th of February, 1816, His Excellency Lord 
 Amherst, Embassador Extraordinary from his Royal 
 Highness the Prince Regent, inbehalf of his Majesty, to 
 the Emperor of China, embarked at Portsmouth, on 
 board his Majesty's Ship Alceste, Captain MaxwelL 
 The Honorable Company's Ship Hewit, Captain Camp- 
 bell, was laden with presents; and his Majesty's Brig 
 Lyra, Captain Hall, was attached to attend on the Alceste. 
 
 June 23. Sir George Staunton received at Macao a 
 letter from Lord Amherst, informing him of his arrival 
 in the straits of Sunda on the 9th of June ; and that he 
 proposed prosecuting his voyage in a few days. 
 
 Sunday morning July 7th, Sir George Staunton, 
 Messrs. Toone, Davis, Pearson, Manning, and Morrison, 
 embarked on board the Honorable Company's cruiser, 
 Discovery, Captain Ross, then lying in the Typa, near 
 Macao, The Honorable Company's cruiser, Investiga- 
 tor, Captain Crawford, put to sea with the Discovery 
 to meet the Embassador. The following day, the brig 
 Lyra arrived, announcing the Embassador's approach. 
 The Alceste and Hewit arrived off the Lemma Island 
 on the 10th of July. 
 
 It was then found that the Embassy was constituted 
 of the following persons : his Excellency Lord Amherst, 
 Embassador Extraordinary, and Minister Plenipoten- 
 tiary; Sir George Thomas Staunton, Bart., first Com- 
 missioner; Henry Ellis, Esquire, second Commissioner ; 
 Messrs. Toone, Davis, Morrison, and Manning, Secreta- 
 ries and Interpreters for the Chinese Department; Mr. 
 Hayne, acting Secretary to the Embassy, and the Em- 
 
14 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 bassador's Private Secretary; the Honora})le Mr. Am- 
 herst, gentleman; Rev. Mr. Griffith, Chaplain and 
 Tutor; Mr. Abel, Surgeon and Naturalist ; Mr. Pearson, 
 Dr. Lynn, Surgeons; Mr. Havell, Artist or Draughts- 
 man; Lieutenant Cooke, Commander of the Guard; 
 Honorable Mr. Somerset, 2nd officer of the Guard; Mr, 
 Marrige, in care of the presents; Messrs. Abbot, Martin, 
 and Poole, attached to the Embassy ; Guard 22, Band 12, 
 and servants, making in all 75 persons. 
 
 On the 11th and 12th of July, the above mentioned 
 five vessels watered at Hong-kong, near the Lemma. 
 Mr. Abel went on shore in pursuit of his object as Natur- 
 alist. During our stay, we received his Imperial Majes- 
 ty's reply to the Foo-yuen's report respecting the 
 Embassy; in which his Majesty declared his readiness 
 to receive it by the way of Teen-tsin, and stated, that he 
 had given the necessary orders, for due preparation to 
 be made to receive the Embassy, to Na-yeu-ching, the 
 Viceroy of Pit-che-lee, and Kwang-hwuy,then Director 
 of the salt department, at the port of Teen-tsin. His 
 Majesty directed also that a native linguist, acquainted 
 with the language and manners of foreigners, should be 
 sent to Court, and one to the Che-kcang, where the ships 
 of the Embassy might probably touch. Sir George 
 Staunton and Mr. Morrison moved into the Alceste, 
 Messrs. Toone and Davis to the Hewit, Messrs. Pearson 
 and Manning remained in the Discovery. 
 
 July 13th. Our little fleet got under way with a fair 
 wind, which in twelve days carried us within sight of 
 Ching-shan, the promontory of Shan-tung. The many 
 pointed hills which form the promontory, presented an 
 interesting appearance ; as almost any land in fact does, 
 after the dull sameness of sea and sky, with the unvaried 
 unbroken line of the surrounding horizon. We kept so 
 far out to sea as to perceive nothing of the Island Chow- 
 shan. Our track appeared q uite clear and safe. 
 
 During the passage, Mr. Morrison translated his Royal 
 Highness the Prince Regent's letter to the Emperor of 
 China; a list of presents, and of the persons in the Em- 
 
TO THE COURT OF cirrxA. 15 
 
 bassy, with some other official papers.^^ On the 26th 
 Mr. Toone was sent forward in the Lyra to Ta-koo, 
 with a letter from the Embassador to the Viceroy of 
 Chih-le, informing him of our approach, and requesting 
 him to announce it to his Imperial Majesty. Copies of 
 the above lists were inclosed, and a request made that 
 his Excellency would send off 20 boats for the presents 
 and haggagey and 10 boats for the Embassador and Suite. 
 
 On the 28th of July, the Alceste, Hewit, Discovery, 
 and Investigator, anchored about 12 miles from Ta-koo, 
 in about 3 fathoms water. The Lyra was nearer in shore, 
 but could see little of the land from its being so low. 
 Mr. Toone wrote on a piece of paper the object of the 
 Lyra's approach, and gave it to some fishermen, that 
 they might give it to any officer on shore ; which they 
 did, and which brought off the next morning, July 29th, 
 inferior officers, to whom he delivered the letter to the 
 Viceroy. Those persons asked whether we had any 
 likeness of the Emperor on board ; remembering that in 
 the last Embassy, an officer was degraded, for not going 
 off to see the picture of Keen-lung, which happened to 
 be in the fleet. During the next day the Lyra joined the 
 squadron. 
 
 The gentlemen of the Lyra were astonished to find 
 the fishermen in their boats as naked as savages, without 
 
 * In those papers the Embassador and Commissioners were styled, TFang- 
 Chae, "royal envoys," and the presents, Le-wuh, " things given from cwirtesy." 
 The Chinese wish to call Foreign Embassadors, A'/zw^-sAe, "envoys with tribute," 
 and the present?, Kung-wuh, "articles of tribute." That the word Kung has 
 long been understood as here stated, appears by the following quotation, " Kao- 
 tsong of the Sung dynasty made peace with the Tartar King Ile-tsong, on very 
 dishonorable conditions ; for in signing this treaty, he made use ofthe word 
 Chin, which signifies subject, and of Cong, which is tributary." (Du Halde.) 
 It may occur to the reader that the Chinese give presents in return : true, but 
 they call them by a very different name, viz. Shang, "a thing bestowed on an 
 inferior." The letters which have passed between European Sovereigns and 
 Chinese Emperors, have not been called by the same name. The letters brought 
 they wish to be called Peaou-ivan, " A representation made," as if by petition. 
 The letters they give are called CUh, "An Imperial Mandate." We used the 
 word Shoo, " A book or letter," such as passes between equals. The Chinese 
 allowed us our own phraseology, and in speaking to us, generally used it ; what 
 they wrote on the flags of boats, or used amongst themselves, we could not 
 control. 
 
^^ Lord amhekst\s embassy 
 
 appearing conscious of shame. Sometimes they wore a 
 jacket over their shoulders^ but had no clothing for the 
 lower part of the body. The same w^as true of the 
 trackers up to Teen-tsin. They passed crowds of peo- 
 ple, amongst whom occasionally were females at no 
 great distance; it appeared so usual as to create no 
 notice. Throughout the provinces of Chih-le and Shan- 
 tung, poor boys to the age of twelve or thirteen were 
 generally naked, standing, or running about in promis- 
 cuous crowds. 
 
 August 1st. Four Mandarins of inferior rank, one a 
 military man with a crystal button, came off to the ships, 
 and informed us that Kwang, a Rin-chae, or Imperial 
 Commissioner, whom we shall hereafter call the Legate, 
 was on shore at Ta-koo. They were instructed to ascer- 
 tain the number of ships, of persons in the ships, and so 
 on ; most of which questions had been anticipated by 
 our letter to Court; but every Chinese officer wishes to 
 inform himself of the numerical details of any affair, that 
 he may be prepared for the interrogatories of his supe- 
 rior. However proper it may be for them to obtjiii 
 this information, they often act improperly by annoying 
 the same person to give often the same information. 
 
 These persons requested that some gentleman should 
 go on shore to see the Legate, and give him such infor- 
 mation as he might desire. It was therefore directed 
 that Mr. Morrison, accompanied by Lieutenant Cooke, 
 should go on shore in a ship's boat. A boat of the Dis- 
 covery, under the care of Captain Crawford, and rowed 
 by Lascars, accordingly went. The passage is exceed- 
 ingly shallow; in some places not more than two feet : 
 Ta-koo, a poor village, is situated a mile or two from 
 the entrance. At it there is a temple, at which the 
 Legate had taken up his abode. It rained when w^e 
 reached the beach, and we had to wa* t till we were an- 
 nounced. The officer with us was civil in endeavouring 
 to keep us from the rain. In a short time carriages, or 
 covered single horse carts, were brought to the beach : 
 wc got into them, and drove off about a quarter of a 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. If 
 
 mile through a very dirty road to the temple. All- 
 aromid was a flat, marshy , unproductive, gloomy region^ 
 We entered an inner room in the temple, and were re- 
 quired to send in our names, and what we were, to the 
 still inner apartment. On being ushered in, we step- 
 ped over the threshold, walked up, and made our bow^ 
 On looking round there were no chairs there to receive 
 us, but withoutside the threshold on the left side were 
 placed three chairs. We went to conciliate, and there- 
 fore, though we felt the haughty reception intended, 
 took no notice of it, but sat down. 
 
 In Chinese apartments there is placed at the head of 
 the room, a large broad couch, called a Kang ; in the 
 middle of it stands a table about eighteen inches high, 
 intended to rest the arm on, or to place tea on; on each 
 side of this the two principal persons sit; the left is the 
 place of honor. From the ends of the couch, at right 
 angles, are placed two rows of chairs ; the rank dimin- 
 ishes as they recede from the couch : the first in the left 
 side row is the highest place. To prevent persons taking 
 a place they do not wish them, they sometimes remove 
 the chairs, as was the case in the present instance. There 
 were no chairs at the head of the right-hand row, but 
 three placed, as I have already observed, withoutside 
 the threshold. The Legate sat on the right-hand end of 
 the couch, leaving the chief place empty for his absent 
 colleague. At the upper end of the left row of chairs, 
 the commander of the district, v/ith a red button in his 
 cap, sat ; next to him Yin, a military officer [Heetaej 
 with a red button, and Chang, a civil officer [Tuon-tues] 
 of Teen-tsin, with a blue button. These two latter per- 
 sons were to attend upon the accommodation and safe 
 conduct of the Embassy, under the Legate and Viceroy. 
 These two gentlemen properly bore the title of Ta-Iaoii- 
 yay, " Great venerable father," but, in their intercourse 
 with foreigners, were called by their domestics Fojiriy 
 " Great Man." The Legate and Yin w^ere Tartars ; 
 Chang was a Chinese. Kwang, the Legale, was a little 
 man, about b% years of age ; pleasant and conversible in 
 
 B 
 
18 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 his manner; but artful and fraudulent; seeking to 
 obtain his purpose rather by negative than positive acts ; 
 by withdraw^ing the means of comfort, rather than by in- 
 flicting what was disagreeable ; close-minded, specious, 
 and clever. Yin was of low stature and ruddy com- 
 plexion, good-natured, with a little of the feudal pride 
 of the Tartar, and ignorant, as Tartar Chinese military 
 men generally are. Chang was rather old, tall, thin, and 
 emaciated, it is to be apprehended by the use of opium 
 and debauchery. The Commander of the troops at Ta- 
 koo was not seen frequently enough to form an opinion 
 of his character. 
 
 In the presence of tkis assembly, the Legate began, 
 in a distinct and cheerful tone, to enquire the distance 
 we had come ; whether we had touched at Macao ; how 
 long we had been from thence ; whether we had met 
 the vessels he sent to meet us he never sent any; the 
 number of ships ; of men in the ships ; of persons in the 
 Embassy, and so on ; to which he received such answers 
 as truth and prudence suggested. The other gentlemen 
 joined the Legate in expressing their satisfaction. He 
 hinted that instead of seventy-five persons, fifty would 
 be enough ; to which it was replied, that to China twenty 
 or thirty more or less, could be of very little consequence ; 
 that to do the thing liberally would be handsome. He 
 received the suggestion, and we heard no more of the 
 objection till it was too late to alter it. He said that 
 Chang and Yin would the next day go on board our 
 ships to wait on the Embassador and the Commissioners. 
 After this we withdrew, and had a dinner in the Chinese 
 manner with the inferior officers who had been on board. 
 
 In the Temple there was an upper story, from which 
 w^e had a view of the surrounding country, and of the 
 ships in the roads. Their masts only were visible. An 
 officer entered into conversation with Mr. Morrison, 
 and informed him that he understood the Embassy would 
 not remain at Court so long as the last one did: that his 
 Imperial Majesty was going to Je-ho in Tartary, and did 
 not mean to take the Embassy thither. We heard that 
 
10 TttE COURT OF CHINA, 1^ 
 
 the Viceroy Na-yeu-ching, who had been ordered to at- 
 tend to the Embassy, was since degraded and cast into 
 prison. 
 
 We went into one of the priests' rooms to take tea, 
 and found hanging against the wall, as idol pictures do, 
 an European print of the Head of Jesus Christ, crowned 
 with thorns, and a reed in His hand. Around on the 
 Chinese paper, in the centre of which it was pasted, were 
 Chinese characters.. When requested to take it down, 
 the priest declined, saying, that it was dedicated, and he 
 could not take it down ; but he show^ed to Mr. Morrison 
 a service, in mysterious Chinese phraseology, which was 
 read when the picture was worshipped. We remained 
 at the temple all night, lodged upon benches covered with 
 mats, without any bedding whatever, not even a pillow 
 for our heads. Lieutenant Cooke and Captain Crawford 
 being inured to bear fatigue, did not regard it ; Mr. Mor- 
 rison, from the want of rest, and a rough passage back to 
 the ships next morning, was much indisposed lc)r two or 
 three days. The Legate intended to have given us 
 some presents in the morning, but our rough lodging in- 
 duced us to hasten our departure very early. The 
 Chinese afterwards made an apology for entertaining us 
 so ill. 
 
 August 4th. Chang and Yin, or as their servants call 
 them Chan^- Tajin and Yin- Tajin^ " the great men 
 Chang and Yin," came off to the Alceste to wait on the 
 Embassador and Commissioners. The boats in which 
 they came off were flat bottomed, and usually employed 
 to cq,rry rice to Leaou-tung. On the deck a temporary 
 cabin was erected for the two gentlemen. They sent 
 before them large red cards of numerous folds, and about 
 18 inches frojn top to bottom. In the middle of the page 
 were written their names and rank beginning with Teen- 
 chaou, " Of the Celestial Empire." This style of card 
 is commonly affected in their intercourse with foreigners. 
 Amongst themselves they wn-ite, on a much smaller card, 
 their name, prefacing it with Yu-te," Your simple young- 
 er brother," or some other expression of humility, and 
 
 2b 
 
38)1 LORD AMHER.**t's EMBAS8V 
 
 elbsing it with Twi-show pae, " bows his head and wor- 
 ships." At all these assumptions of greatness, of course, 
 the Embassador was prepared rather to smile than be 
 angry. They were saluted as they came alongside, and 
 remarked afterwards the tremendous roar of the guns. 
 
 Having, with some apprehension on their part, reached 
 the deck of the Alceste, they passed through a line of 
 marines, and were received in the upper cabin by Cap- 
 tain Maxwell. The Embassador and two Commissioners' 
 received them in Lord Amherst's cabin, which was below. 
 The Embassador was dressed in his robes, and taking the 
 centre seat placed them on a row of chairs at his left, iiir 
 their apprehension the place of honor ; Sir George and 
 Mr. Ellis took the right-hand row of chairs. Chang 
 afterwards desired his servant to hint to Mr. Morrison^ 
 thathe wished to be placed on a line with the Embassador. 
 The novelty of their situation evidently embarrassed 
 them ; they had never seen Englishmen before. As di- 
 rected by the Legate, they made some enquiries about the 
 Prince Regent's Letter ; its tenor ; the number of persons 
 in the (ive ships ; whether we would land in our own 
 boats, or theirs ; said it would be proper to practise, on 
 our landing, the ceremony which it was the custom to 
 observe when introduced to his Imperial Majesty. The 
 Embassador declared his intention to practise the same 
 ceremony as Lord Macartney did in the last Embassy, 
 which they always designated by " the Embassy of the 
 58th year," it being in the 58th year of the reign of Keen- 
 lung. They told us that Tub Chung-tung, the second 
 Minister, had arrived at Tee'n-tsinto receive the Embassy. 
 This did not prove to be true. An old servant, in a loud 
 tone, stood prompting and explaining for Yin; Mr. 
 Morrison checked him by saying, he understood the 
 master better than the servant. Chang and Yin, after 
 having w^alked about the ship, and gone to the top of the 
 poop, took their leave and were again saluted. 
 
 Presents of bullocks, sheep and so on, came olTin the 
 course of the day, in the name of his Imperial Majesty. 
 
TO THE CCrUHT OF CJIINA. 81 
 
 Mx)nday 5th. Began to unload the presents and bag- 
 gage, boats being sent ofFby the Chinese for that purpose. 
 Chang and Yin had not been able, from the wind being 
 against them, to regain the shore, and came again along- 
 side the Aleeste. Mr. Morrison was sent to invite them 
 to dinner, in the name of the Embassador. They re- 
 ceived the message with civility, but declined accepting 
 the invitation from a dread of passing and repassing 
 from one vessel to the other. 
 
 Tuesday 6th. Mr. Davis and Lieutenant Cooke were 
 sent on shore, to see that the boats were ready for the 
 reception of the Embassy; theyreturned with an answer 
 in the affirmative. 
 
 On the 7th and 8th, several official papers were pre- 
 pared in Chinese. The wind blew fresh, and pre- 
 vented boats coming off. The Legate sent his card, and 
 a request to the Embassador to land. To prevent the 
 messenger assigning an untrue reason for not landing 
 that day, a note was written to the Legate, to inform 
 him of the real cause, and promising to go the next day. 
 
 SECTION IIL 
 
 Landing of the Embassy, and arrival at Teen'tsin. 
 
 August the 9th. It was determined to land ; and 
 accordingly all the personal baggage was put into Chi- 
 nese vessels. Lord Amherst, Sir George Staunton, Mr. 
 Ellis, and some others, went in the boat in which Chang 
 had come off, as he offered it and seemed to wish that 
 it should be accepted. The barge of the Aleeste, boats 
 from the Hewit, Lyra, Discovery and Investigator, were 
 manned. About three o'clock every thing was ready ; 
 yards were manned; the standard of England hoisted 
 a salute fired, and three cheers given by the seamen. In 
 the midst of this, the Embassador and suite left the ships 
 and proceeded with a fair breeze in the Chinese vessel 
 and ship's boats to the shore. When near it the Em- 
 
 B 3 
 
LOUD Amherst's embassy 
 
 bassador exchanged the Chinese vessel for the Alceste'ss 
 Barge. The boats then formed themselves mto two 
 lines, and rowed slowly with the band playing toward 
 the beach, on which crow^ds of people were collected. 
 Within the mouth of the river, a long line of Chinese 
 troops were drawn up, wnth a band, and petards to fire 
 salutes. As we approached, their band struck up, ours 
 ceased, and a salute was fired. Going farther up, the 
 line was somewhat broken by Chinese boats. Crowds 
 of men, women, and naked children lined the banks of 
 the river; and finally we reached the place prepared for 
 our landing ; where the ebb tide was running so strong, 
 that the small boats found it difficult to secure themselves. 
 There were now about a hundred and fifty English- 
 men, and as many Chinese of various ranks, agreeing 
 only in their ignorance of each other's language, and 
 usages on such occasions, and consequently considerable 
 confusion ensued. In each party there was probably a 
 want of previous arrangement. The Chinese did not 
 excel on this occasion. It was now evening; the heads 
 of each party were to meet ; the baggage was to be re- 
 moved to the boats intended to receive the Embassy, 
 and our whole party to be fed and lodged. We had 
 indeed marked all our baggage with Chinese characters, 
 in the hope that the Chinese would be enabled thereby 
 to remove the baggage at once : but neither the boat- 
 men nor porters could read, and our labor was useless. 
 The boats w^ere pointed out for the gentlemen, agreeably 
 to a list we had given, but when three or four men took 
 a box to carry it away ; not being able to read, they did 
 not know where to go to, and laid it down before they 
 reached its destination. The work went on slowly, and 
 the boatmen, indifferent to any thing but saving them- 
 selves trouble, shoved off from the shore. Our defect 
 on that occasion, was the not appointing ten or twenty 
 servants to attend to the general concent. Each servant 
 cared only for his own master's things, and whilst he 
 ran with one box, the other things belonging to him 
 were turned aside, where they were not to be found by 
 another servant, rummaging for his master s things. 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA, 23 
 
 All this goin^ on whilst aided by Chinese, who did no-t 
 understand the English servants, caused of course great 
 confusion. Several gentlemen did not obtain their cots 
 that night. 
 
 Embarrassment arose also from another cause. Our 
 stores and eating utensils, table linen, &c. had been sent 
 on shore marked in Chinese as the Embassador's bag- 
 gage, under the reasonable expectation, that it would be 
 found waiting for him on shore. But the Legate in his 
 haste to get us to Court before the Emperor went to 
 Tartary, had sent off all our stores, &c. together with 
 the presents. He made many fair promises that they 
 should be sent after and brought back, but did nothing 
 more than promise. We did not obtain them till we 
 reached Tung-chow. 
 
 The Legate desired Mr. Morrison to go to him, and 
 began to ask several questions about the rank of the per- 
 sons in the Embassy, and to request that some expres- 
 sions in our list might be changed, as that the expression 
 for Secretary, viz. Peih-tee-shih^ should be changed to 
 Tae-peih, because the first was a Tartar term, and that 
 E'foo for Medical Man should be changed to E-sang. 
 These verbal changes Mr. Morrison took upon himself 
 to say, might be made ; for an answer to some other 
 questions he referred the Legate to the Embassador; 
 taking an opportunity, however, to suggest, that, after 
 the fatigues of the day, it would be indecorous to trouble 
 his Lordship with business immediately on landing. The 
 Legate took the hint, and forthw^ith, in company with 
 the military Governor of the district, paid a visit to the 
 Embassador and Commissioners. Captains Maxwell, 
 Hall, Campbell, and other gentlemen were present in 
 the Embassador's boat, which made it a crowded hurried 
 interview. The Legate carried himself with courteous 
 cheerfulness, and filled up the time by taking particular 
 notice of the Embassador's son, the Hon. Mr. Amherst, 
 then fourteen years of age. The Legate affirmed on 
 this occasion, agreeably to a message that he had sent 
 to the ship, that his Imperial Majesty had made parti- 
 
24 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 cular enquiries about him, his age, studies, and so on. 
 Whether this was really the case, or whether he wished 
 to flatter the Embassador, is uncertain. 
 
 Having returned to his own boat, he sent to say that 
 he was about to set off for Teen-tsin that evening, if the 
 Embassador intended to return his visit. As this ap- 
 peared a hint, signifying he wished to be visited ; the 
 Embassador immediately offered to call on him, and 
 forthwith did so, in company with the two Commission- 
 ers. The visit was short, and the vain Legate much 
 gratified, affected to say, they carried their politeness 
 to an excess. He set off immediately for Teen-tsin, to 
 make preparations for our reception there ; teaving 
 Chang and Yin to urge our speedy departure ; he even 
 went so far as to request through an attendant, that w 
 would leave by the tide, which occurred during the 
 night : that, he was told, was impossible, and was ac- 
 cordingly given up. The gentlemen from the ships 
 made out as well as they could during the night ; some 
 slept in their own boats. At day-light the next morning 
 they took their leave, and returned to their respective 
 vessels in the roads. 
 
 It was the previous intention of the Embassador, that 
 the whole party should dine together, and a large boat 
 was provided, in which about twenty persons could sit 
 down. We had however no table large enough ; nor 
 were there chairs or stools sufficient in the boat. The 
 plate and table-cloths had been sent on before us, and 
 we were obliged to place Chinese tables together, and 
 make up the deficiency of chairs and stools by planks. 
 We were in this state till we reached Tung-chow, where 
 we had the table in a more comfortable and respectable 
 state, and were enabled to breakfast and dine together 
 as long as we remained on the Canal, which was till the 
 12th of October, when we changed boats, to enter on 
 the large river called Yang-try e-Keang. 
 
 The boats in which we were now to sail were called 
 Nan-chu-en, " southern vessels," from their being boats 
 which came from the south with passengers of different 
 
25 'PO THE COURT OF CHINA. 
 
 ranks in the country. Some were fine large roomy boats?, 
 and others but small. They were divided into rooms : 
 first was a kind of anti- chamber for servants ; next, a 
 room in which to receive visitors ; and farther back a 
 bed-room. Some had four apartments, beside a place 
 at the stern occupied by the boatmen, and used as a 
 cooking-room. The Embassador's and Commissioners' 
 boats were large and handsome, with streamers in the 
 Chinese manner. Most of the others were too small for 
 two persons, which was the general arrangement. 
 
 August 10th, 11th and 12th, were spent in passing up 
 the river to Teen-tsin. The boats were dragged by 
 human effort : poor miserable-looking men passed cords 
 across their breast, over one shoulder and under the other 
 arm, and walked forwards in a leaning posture, pulling 
 at the end of a rope, which had its other end fastened 
 to the mast-head of the vessel, to which they were giving 
 motion. There are sometimes ten, twenty, or thirty 
 men employed to drag one boat. These men thus en- 
 gaged are called Tseen-foo : where there are not persons 
 whose constant occupation is tracking, or where an ex- 
 traordinary number is required, government impresses 
 poor people, wherever they find them, for one day's 
 journey; and, to have them ready on the arrival of a 
 fleet, sometimes confines them a day or a night : at one 
 place we found a temple, dedicated to the Ming-keen- 
 shih-wang^'' tenjudges in Hades," converted into a prison 
 to confine the trackers over night : fowr of our party 
 went to see the temple, but found its gate chained up, 
 and the Magistrate of the town's seal upon it. A Mili- 
 tary Officer used his influence to have it opened for us; 
 but the large group of imprisoned trackers had so ma- 
 nured the courts of the temple during the night, it was 
 with great difficulty we could find an uncovered spot to 
 tread on, or bear the strong effluvia which exhaled from 
 the rich deposit. They commonly have a song called 
 the Tseen-foo Ko, which they chaunt to inspirit them, 
 and give union to their efforts. The greater part of it is 
 merely the tone of exertion, interspersed with a few ex- 
 
26 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 pressions alludino^ to the country they are passing;, and 
 the place to which they look as the end of their toils* 
 One person repeats the sentences which have meaning, 
 and the whole join in a chorus, Hei-o, wo-te-hei-o^ the 
 import of which appears to be, " pull away, let us pull 
 away." Mr. Morrison requested a man to write down 
 a tracker's song, and it closed by holding out the hope of 
 a breakfast when they reached Teen-tsin. 
 
 The appearance of the country was miserable ; nothing 
 but low mud huts were seen on the banks of the river. 
 Crowds of people were every where collected to gaze 
 on us as we passed : they were all of a more dark and 
 swarthy complexion than a stranger, who considered the 
 latitude in which they lived, would have expected to 
 iind them. The head-dress of the women was different 
 from that which prevails in the southern provinces of 
 China; the hair was put up so as to extend from a base 
 on the top of the head, horizontally, about six or eight 
 inches. A rosy flower generally decorated one side of 
 the head of the poorest temales. Whilst passing along, 
 various expressions of civility passed between the atten- 
 dant officer, Chang, and the Embassador. 
 
 August 12th. Our approach to Teen-tsin became 
 apparent by the increased number of spectators, and 
 the vast collection of boats which filled the river. 
 They were drawn to each side, so as to leave an open 
 passage for the Embassy : the troops were drawn out 
 below the town. Towards evening vre arrived, and 
 were brought up, near a public oilice called San-shoo- 
 yuen, opposite an Imperial palace, at which the late 
 Emperor had resided some time when travelling to the 
 south, or, as the Chinese otherwise express it, " when he 
 blessed the south ; " for of all places which the Emperor 
 passes, it is said, not that he travelled through it, but that 
 he Hing-ed "h\o?>^QA'' it. 
 
 The moment the boats arrived, it was announced 
 that Kwang and Soo wished to wait upon his Lordship 
 and the Commissioners. Kwang we know by the name 
 of the " Legate;" Soo was an old man, near seventy, the 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 27 
 
 Shano'-shoo or President of the Knng-poo or "Board of 
 Public works," the last of the well-known Luh-poo, i. e. 
 ** Six Tribunals or Boards " at Pekin, amono^st whom the 
 whole of the business of the Empire is divided. 800 
 had been a stout large man ; he was now rather bend- 
 in cr under the weight of years: he was marked with 
 the small pox, anci w^as of a rather blunt address : he 
 commonly resigned the labour of talking to his junior 
 colleague Kwang ; though Soo's permanent rank was 
 much greater than Kwang's; Soowas of the first rank, 
 and wore a red button on his cap ; Kwang had only a 
 crystal one : they were however now both Kin-chae, 
 *' Imperial Commissioners," which for the time being 
 confers the greatest distinction. 
 
 Chinese gentlemen are always dressed and prepared, 
 the moment they arrive at a landing-place, to see com- 
 pany ; and when they reach the shore, there are crowds 
 of visitors waiting on them. This is not our usage ; 
 and we generally require a short space of time to elapse, 
 after arriving at a place, ere we can receive formal 
 visitors. This circumstance more than once caused a 
 slight embarrassment, which a knowledge of the usage 
 would have prevented. 
 
 When Kwang and Soo were announced, his Lordship 
 was in his dressing-gowm, and said, he could not receive 
 them at that moment, but would prepare for them in a 
 very short time ; and forthwith requested the two 
 Commissioners to come to his boat : the Commissioners 
 came, and his Lordship put his coat on ; but when 800 
 and Kwang were informed that the Emba:ssador was 
 not ready to receive them, they said they would defer 
 the visit till the next day, in the mean time requesting; 
 that some messenger from his Lordship would call on 
 them : accordingly, Messrs. Toone, Davis, and Mor- 
 rison waited on them, and being seated, the Legate 
 desired them to invite his Lordship and the other 
 gentlemen of the Embassy to an Imperial Entertainment 
 the next morning early ; however nine o'clock was 
 finally agreed on as the hour ; it being deemed prudent 
 
2S LORD amheiist\s embassy 
 
 on our part to breakfast at home, before goin^ to the 
 formal repast to be given in the name of the Emperor. 
 Soo and Kwang further requested that they might be 
 favoured with a copy of the Prince Regent's Letter to 
 the Emperor of China, that they might forward it to 
 Court. To this request it was replied, an answer would 
 be given the following day. 
 
 Tuesday, August 13th. At the hour appointed, the 
 Embassador, Commissioners and gentlemen of the 
 Embassy, went in procession to the Hall of Chang our 
 conductor, which was situated in the town, or as it is 
 called in Chinese, differently from other towns, the 
 Wei, of Teen-tsin. The band preceded ; next followed 
 the guard with colors flying, headed by Lieutenant 
 Cooke, and the Honorable Mr. Somerset, on horseback ; 
 the Embassador in his robes followed ; the first Com- 
 missioner dressed in a Fellow Commoner's gown and 
 cap, and the second Commissioner in his Windsor 
 uniform, succeeded ; the Honorable Mr. Amherst, and 
 gentlemen of the Embassy in sedan chairs, closed the 
 procession. The Hall where the entertainment was 
 given, was about a mile from our boats. The streets 
 were crow^ded by people, w ho by order of Government 
 preserved a profound silence; the Legate seemed to 
 take credit to himself for its being so, by asking, at the 
 interview, if it were not so. 
 
 On entering the Hall we passed through a large room, 
 in which were various preparations for a play and a 
 feast. Five of the party, the Embassador, two Com- 
 missioners, Mr. Amherst and Mr. Morrison were 
 conducted by a side door to an inner apartment, in 
 which Kwang, Soo, and four Tartar Secretaries from 
 Court, Avere waiting our arrival. The other gentlemcH 
 remained without, amusing themselves by surveying 
 the ornaments of the outer court. Within, the Tartars 
 took the left side of the room, and gave to the English 
 the right-hand side. Kwang, after a few common 
 >civilities, said, that we were about to partake of an 
 Imperial Feast, in which they would join with us, and 
 
TO THE COLRT OF (HTNA. 29* 
 
 thai it was the custom on such occasions, first to give 
 thanks to his Imperial Majesty, and then sit down to 
 the feast ; and that in giving thanks it was wished we 
 would imitate their manner of doing it, which was by 
 performing the San-kwei-kew-kow before a table at 
 which his Majesty was supposed to sit. On the other 
 side it was replied by the Embassador, that he felt the 
 highest possible veneration and respect for his Imperial 
 Majesty, and would cordially return thanks for the 
 entertainment about to be given, only he would wish to 
 do it in the way that was usual with the English. In 
 his Imperial Majesty's presence he would kneel on one 
 knee and bow the head ; which, with the addition of 
 kissing the King's hand, as a mark of affection,, was 
 what he did to his own Sovereign ; that the Tartar form 
 was exceedingly proper for the subjects of the Emperor 
 of China; that though our form was different, they 
 must not infer that we were less respectful. On the 
 present occasion the Embassador was prepared to make 
 a low bow, as frequently as the Tartar gentlemen knelt ; 
 to preserve a decorous and uniform appearance, and for 
 that reason alone, as in his apprehension he paid as 
 much respect by bowing once as by bowing twenty 
 times. 
 
 The Legate said, " the feelings of the heart must he 
 expressed by some external sign : " " Granted," it was 
 replied; "our mode of expressing them is that we have 
 mentioned: and it is the mode which the King of 
 England has commanded the Embassador to follow, 
 as the present Emperor's Father was pleased graciously 
 to accept that mode from Lord Macartney." Soo at 
 first affirmed, that Lord Macartney performed the 
 Tartar ceremony, as, for brevity's sake, we shall here- 
 after call the thrice kneeling and nine times striking 
 the head against the ground, and referred to Sir 
 George Staunton's recollection to confirm what he 
 said. On further conversing, however, he admitted, 
 that Lord Macartney performed our ceremony, the 
 first time he saw the late Emperor; but at a subsequent 
 
30 LORD amiierst's embasst 
 
 period he performed the Tartar ceremony, in conse- 
 quence of Keen-hmg being displeased with the first 
 mode. When asked at what place the performance of 
 the Tartar ceremony by the late Embassador occurred, 
 he was unable to say. 
 
 The Legate then proceeded to say, that the Tartar 
 ceremony was indispensable : that without it our inten- 
 tions by the visit, which were he believed to cultivate 
 amity, would be unaccomplished, and a contrary effect 
 produced. The Legate was assured that his view of 
 the intention of our visit was correct: and it was 
 sincerely hoped no such consequences as he apprehended 
 would occur : the Embassador had too much confidence 
 in the gracious disposition of his Majesty to anticipate 
 any such result; his liberal mind would certainly accept 
 what was graciously accepted by his father; for we 
 must still use that language, as Lord Macartney was 
 never made to know, that Keen-lung was displeased 
 with the ceremony which he performed. Kwang said, 
 ** the Emperor would be angry with the King of Eng- 
 land ; " the gentleman interpreting replied, *' that will 
 be so offensive, I dare not say it;" " well then,', added 
 he, "do not mention it;" and it was accordingly i*e- 
 served to be communicated after the conference was 
 closed. 
 
 The Embassador apprehending that we could not 
 come to an amicable conclusion with the argument, in 
 which one of the secretaries, a smart young man, some- 
 timesjoined, proposed to dispense with the banquet that 
 morning, and resume the subject on our arrival at Pekin : 
 the Legate ssid to that, " We will not be violent this 
 morning: ; I'eturn thanks in vour own way, and what- 
 event be, we shall report it to the court, as is our duty, 
 and wait for his Majesty's pleasure ; you will give offence 
 if you do not conform; we warn you of the consequen- 
 ces; do not reflect on us hereafter." Old Soo joined in, 
 '' Do not reflect on us hereafter." The Embassador 
 ai^sured them that he had a strong reliance on the gracious 
 acceptance of his Imperial Majesty, and whatever oc- 
 
 
TO THE COUUT OF CHINA. 31 
 
 cuiTcd, he should by no means reflect on them. Kwan^ 
 thought we began to waver, and sat it out a little longer ; 
 urging over again the same arguments as before. As 
 they did not succeed, Kwang said, '' We will return 
 thanks, each in his own way do not view our form 
 contemptuously ; " and we rose to go to the feast pre- 
 pared ; when we came to the door of the room, the little 
 Legate turned round, old Soo being before him, and 
 screwing up his arch mouth, to be very serious and 
 impressive, said, "Do conform! imitate us! if you do 
 not, it will not be well ! " of course it produced no 
 change in the Embassador's resolution who, when he 
 entered the banqueting room, desired the gentlemen, 
 who had waited long, and began to apprehend all was 
 not right, to do what he did in point of ceremony 
 neither more nor less. 
 
 We were conducted to the lower end of the room, at 
 one corner of which was a table with a semicircular screen 
 behind, and a piece of yellow cloth hanging before. Soo 
 and Kwang had some difficulty in deciding, which was 
 the proper order in which the Embassador and Com- 
 missioners should stand. It being finally settled, a mas- 
 ter of ceremonies gave the word ; on hearing which, Soo 
 and Kwang knelt down and put their foreheads io the 
 ground, raised their bodies erect on their knees and then 
 put their foreheads down a second time, raising the body 
 again, still kneeling, and a third time put the forehead 
 to the ground. When their heads went to the ground, 
 the Embassador made a low bow standing. This was 
 done a second and a third time, and constituted the San- 
 kwei-kew-kow, " three kneelings and nine prostrations.'' 
 This being over, we advanced to the higher end of the 
 room to sit down to the banquet, and the play began. 
 
 The upper end of the room was raised about a foot 
 higher than the lower end, with pillars marking the 
 limits of the former ; three low cushions were placed on 
 the right-hand side for the Embassador and two Com- 
 missioners. On the lower floor were pieces of red cloth 
 in a line with the cushions, for the gentlemen of the Em- 
 
32J LOUD Amherst's embassy 
 
 bassy. Soo and Kwang sat opposite to the Commission-* 
 ers, and on the lower floor, in a line with them, were two 
 or three military men, the Tartar Secretaries, and Chang-* 
 We were compelled by this arrangement to sit cross- 
 legged. Some of our party, incapable of this, jd^retched^ 
 their legs under the tables ; which was not easy to effect, 
 as the tables were not more than twelve or sixteen 
 inches high. Each table had a false top removeable at 
 pleasure, and by this means the whole was taken away 
 and a new course brought on at once. The repast was 
 not continued long. The Tartars ate little, as they 
 had, probably, like ourselves, breakfasted before. The 
 dishes were in very good style ; but from the awkward 
 posture in which we sat, it was a most uncomfortable 
 meal. Kwang and Soo gave the signal for taking wine, 
 which in China is done by the whole party at the same 
 time. The play, as is usual in China, went on all the 
 time of the banquet. It seemed a mythological piece, 
 in which the monsters of the deep are introduced. The 
 dresses were splendid. 
 
 When we rose from the banquet, a large collection 
 of various coloured silks were presented in the name of 
 his Majesty, for which we expressed our thanks, and 
 the party which at first were in the interior apartment 
 again retired thither. The Legate entered again on 
 the subject of the ceremony, with arguments similar to 
 those already mentioned. The young Secretary show- 
 ed an outline of the manner of our intended reception, 
 and spoke much of the gracious disposition of the Em- 
 peror; that we should be admitted to an Imperial 
 Feast, a play, and see the gardens, and so on. The 
 Legate tried to work en the feelings of the Embassador 
 as a father, and desired him to have a due regard to the 
 welfare of his son, Mr. Amherst, then present, who in 
 the case of compliance would be blessed with the gra- 
 cious regards of the Great Emperor; which ideas all 
 met with appropriate answers in the tone of perfect 
 cordiality. The Legate wished to ascertain exactly 
 the form of our ceremony, and desired the Embassador 
 
to THE COURT OF CHIXA. 33 
 
 to shew him. This was a request that could not well be 
 complied with ; but to enable him to see the form, and 
 to accommodate as far as possible, Lord Amherst caused 
 the boy to kneel down on one knee, bow the head and 
 kiss his father's hand; "This" said the Embassador, "is 
 our ceremony, and to perform it once we consider as 
 stronji^ an expression of veneration as to perform it 
 twenty times; if it be his Imperial Majesty's wish that 
 I should repeat it nine times, rather than perform it 
 once, I will cheerfully comply with his wishes in that." 
 We now prepared to take our leave, and a copy of 
 the Prince Regent's Letter to the Emperor was given 
 to Soo and Kwang, for the information of the Ministers, 
 at their very urgent request. 
 
 The Embassador and suite returned to their boats in 
 procession, as on their way to the Imperial banquet. 
 Some thought that a victory had this day been gained ; 
 but the less sanguine did not cherish any high expecta- 
 tions from what had occurred, Chang afterwards in- 
 formed us that the Emperor was in a great rage, when 
 he heard that we stood, whilst his own people were 
 kneeling and knocking heads. 
 
 A gratuity v/as here offered through an attendant 
 officer to the bearers of the chairs ; the officer reported 
 it to Kwang, and he would not allow the people to 
 accept it. He always maintained a high tone of affected 
 purity in prohibiting the reception of any present by 
 his own people. The poor men who labored for us in 
 any way, were afterwards rewarded by ourselves, with- 
 out the intervention of any officer, and in that way the 
 reward was conferred without the ostentation of confer- 
 ring it. 
 
 The Chinese attached to each boat a military officer 
 and two soldiers. Sometimes men wearing a crystal or 
 a blue button, were attached to the Embassador's, at 
 other times officers wearing a white stone button. In 
 the province of Chih-le, for so the province usually called 
 Pechele is more familiarly denominated, a middle-aged 
 robust man, who held the rank in China called Pa-tsung, 
 
 c 
 
34 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 was attached to his Lordship's boat. His name was Ko, 
 and to have ^iven him his proper title he w^ould have 
 been called Ko-foo-yay ; but as his title vv^as unmeanin*^ 
 to the most of our party, and it vais dillicult to distin- 
 /!uish him by the single syllable Ko, ho was denominated 
 Commodore Ko. He was a bustling: man, and generally 
 ready to oblige ; at least was considered so for a long 
 time: further acquaintance made many doubt this, and 
 ho obtained the appellation of being " a good old soul, 
 and a big old rogue." Commodore Ko will always be 
 remembered by most of the gentlemen of the Embassy. 
 Chang also put two servants into the pjmbassador's boat; 
 who were well-meaning and useful men. One of them 
 obtained the appellation of " old blow-hard," from his 
 being short of ureath ; the other was too sedate and 
 quiet to acquire any ridiculous epithet. Chang also at- 
 tached to Mr. Morrison a faithful active young man, 
 w^ho assumed the character of a Shoo-pan, or writer in 
 public oilices. These three persons would have accom- 
 panied the Embassy to Canton, had not Kwang set his 
 lace against it, agreeably to v^hat appeared to be his 
 uniform system of discouraging a free intercourse with 
 the natives, in order to prevent our obtaining informa- 
 tion respecting the government or country. 
 
 At Teen-tsin many cf the gentlemen felt much the 
 want of nuisquito cmtains, and there was not time to 
 have them regularly procured. Commodore Ko went, 
 as he said, amongst his friends, and obtained several 
 pairs, for which he charged a rather exorbitant price. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 From Teen-tsin to Tang-chow, 
 
 August 14th. We again were put in motion to proceed 
 to the Capital. The v/ell laiown grain boats were here 
 seen in cons:derable numbers, and, from their uniform 
 structure and decorated sterns, presented an interesting 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 35 
 
 Spectacle. They p;o in large fleets. Wherever they 
 occurred, they were moored on one side of the river, to 
 allow the Embassy to pass. On common occasions 
 every other species of vessel must give way to them; 
 they stop for no man : the progress of grain to the Capi- 
 tal must not be delayed. A scarcity of water in the 
 course of their voyage sometimes impedes them : it is, 
 however, always an affair seriously taken up by Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 In the evening 800 and Kwang called on the Embas- 
 sador and Commissioners ; they returned the copy of 
 his Royal Highness the Prince Regent's Letter, and 
 said it was a good letter. They objected only to the 
 term Hv/ang-kaou applied to the late Emperor. It is, 
 they said, not the usage to speak of him by that term. 
 Also the word Heung " brother," from the Prince Regent 
 to the Emperor, was inadmissible ; they could not take 
 upon them to forward it to Court, and begged that the 
 words should be taken away altogether. To this no 
 positive answer was given. They again insisted on the 
 happy effects of conforming to the ceremony, and con- 
 trariwise. Old Soo threw out, in a rather gruff tone^ 
 that the Russians had been rejected for their non-com- 
 pliance, and their commerce interrupted ; and hinted 
 that it would be the same with us. He was told that in 
 comparison with national honor that was a small matter. 
 The interruption of commerce was never again men- 
 tioned by him or any other person. Kwang threw out 
 what his own better knowledge would scarcely let him 
 utter, viz. that as there is but one Sun in the Heavens, 
 so there is but one Sovereign in the v/orld ; which So- 
 vereign is the Emperor of China; to him all kings owe 
 homage and submission. It excited a murmur on the 
 other side, but was too ridiculous to be seriously opposed. 
 It M^as merely said, that was not admitted. 
 
 About this time the two Legates, Soo and Kwang, 
 entreated to be favored with a sight of the gold box con- 
 taining the Prince Regent's Letter; they were accord- 
 ingly favored with it one evening. They asked anxiously 
 
 c 2 
 
36 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 whether the translation was to be enclosed in it, and 
 were answered in the affirmative. 
 
 Aug-ust 15th. In the morning, Soo and the Legate 
 called, and said that his Imperial Majesty had sent down 
 an order to dispense with the Band. They showed a 
 copy of the Imperial edict. As usual, the Emperor had 
 interlined with red ink one of the Legate's dispatches in 
 reference to the Band; '^ These may be withdrawn." 
 This was thought a strange remark, and rather indicating 
 a weak capricious mind. It was said to the Legate, that 
 the Band were few and innocent ; that to separate them 
 from their companions, and deprive the Embassador of 
 the pleasure of hearing them, was ungracious; he was 
 begged to represent it again. Kwang asked of what 
 use they w^ere ; ho would take care and send them down 
 .iafely to the ships. As to the use, it was replied, they 
 were just of the same use as many other things which 
 contribute to innocent amusement and ornament. The 
 ships, the speakers knew, were probably gone, but they 
 evaded saying any thing about them. The conference 
 broke up without any final decision of the question. 
 The impracticability of sending them back soon appear- 
 ed, and nothing more was ever said about them. From 
 the cheerful effect which they had on our own party, 
 and the great interest they excited amongst Chinese of 
 all ranks, they proved a most useful part of the retinue. 
 
 In the evening, a message came to say that Soo and 
 Kwang proposed to call immediately. They were ac- 
 cordingly requested to come. When Kwang reached 
 the head of the boat, anger was evidently marked in his 
 countenance. He was scarcely seated ere he said, that 
 they had heard with, surprize the ships had left. Provi- 
 sions had been carried off to them, but they were not 
 there ; where had they gone ? Where they were at this 
 moment, it was replied, was not known. Every person 
 knev7 very well that for such large vessels the gulf of 
 Pet-che-lee was very unsafe; that whilst the Embassy 
 lay there much appreheFiSion was felt for the safety of 
 ihe ships. Itwms extremely difficult logo to the south- 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 37 
 
 ward against iha monsoon ; and the ships would proba- 
 bly precede his Excellency, as in the last Embassy. 
 Kwang said he knew the unsafeness of the anchor- 
 age, but they ought to have been informed of the 
 intention to depart ; and his Majes^ty's permission ob- 
 tained, as in the last Embassy: that we had been guilty 
 of a Ff{h'she,\, e. "doing what is not right." It was 
 said in reply, had the question ever been asked, a candid 
 and direct answer would have been given: if there was 
 any fault, their's v/as the fault in not asking. The Legate 
 said that the tenor of his conversation, in frequent allu- 
 sions to the ships, supposed their remaining; and if they 
 were not to remain, it should have been said so: he sup- 
 posed the Embassador intended it, and the fault rested 
 with the person who had been the medium, turning at 
 the same time to that person, and holding up his finger, 
 he said, " It is your fault.-' That person, a man of warm 
 temper, and who had given his opinion against doing any 
 thing that could be construed by the Chinese into a want 
 of perfect candour, and against silence respecting the 
 ships in particular, said, " If I must be accused thus in- 
 nocently, I'll be the medium no longer;" drawin^:; back 
 at the same time in his chair. Soo then took up the con- 
 versation with another gentleman who spoke Chinese. 
 Kwang, looking at the Embassador, pursed up his old- 
 fashioned mouth, and put his fingers on it, signifying he 
 was now dumb, from not knowing a language common 
 to both. The Embassador, always of a conciliating dis- 
 position, said something in favor of the integrity of the 
 person who had been interpreting, which was communi- 
 cated through another mediumtothe Legate, and added, 
 *' We will lay aside mutual recrimination, and discuss 
 the question amicably:" the person accused comanuni- 
 cated this, and Kwang resumed his usually cheerful good- 
 natured tone of voice. It was finally agreed that the 
 ideas mentioned above, respecting the unsafety of the 
 anchorage oif Ta-Koo, &C. should be committed to 
 writing in Chinese immediately, and sent to the Legate 
 to be forwarded to Court. This was done^ and the quea- 
 
 (3 
 
38 LOUD Amherst's embassy 
 
 tion of the ships set at rest. The Comraanding- Officer 
 at Ta-Koo was degraded for not havmg given the first 
 information of the departure of the ships; and Chang 
 was ordered to go and enquire on the coast of Shan-tung 
 about them. He used effectually his influence at Court 
 to have this order dispensed with. 
 
 August 16th. Early in the morning a messenger came 
 from Soo and Kwang, saying that they had received 
 from Court an imperial edict of importance, which they 
 wished to communicate. The Embassador and Com- 
 missioners were scarcely out of bed; but they rose im- 
 mediately, and sent to say when they were ready. 
 Instead of the Legate and Soo coming, the conductors 
 of the Embassy, Chang and Yin, came, and being 
 seated, said, " The purport of the Emperor's edict is 
 this by conforming to the Tartar ceremony, viz. 
 kneeling three times, and nine times putting the fore- 
 head to the ground, you may proceed to Court and be 
 graciously received; if you decline to conform, neither 
 the tribute nor the Embassador can be received, you 
 may return ; say, yes or no." Lord Amherst and the 
 two Commissioners declined giving an answer to the 
 conductors of the Embassy. They said, ^' We rose 
 from our couches to receive the Imperial Commissioners, 
 Soo and Kwang; we wait their arrival." Chang and 
 Yin urged, but urged in vain, that an answer should be 
 given them to the message they had brought ; alleging 
 that to send them back without an answer, put them in 
 an unpleasant situation, inasmuch as it made them appear 
 useless. The Embassador, however, was firm, and they 
 were obliged to depart without an answer. 
 
 Soo and Kwang then came, and delivered the purport 
 of his Majesty's will in much the same terms, and closed 
 by asking what was to be done. It was proposed that 
 if some of his Imperial Majesty's Ministers would per- 
 form the Tartar ceremony before his Royal Highness 
 the Prince Regent's picture, the Embassador would 
 perform it before the Emperor; Kwang said, with a 
 countenance half sneering and half dissatisfaction, '- To 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. ^9 
 
 what are we to peiforrathe ceremony? we are not sent 
 to Enoland if we were, w^e WH)iild not ol)ject to per- 
 forin it." This hist expression was taken hold of, and 
 replied to thus : " If the Emperor will in w^ritin^ declare 
 it to he his will, that, in case of an Emhassador ^oing 
 to England, that Emhassador shall perform the Tartar 
 ceremony, I w'ill perform it to the Emperor." 
 
 The fact is that all such propositions, as they imply a 
 perfect equality, are more oifensive to the Chinese and^ 
 Tartars than declininjr to perform their ceremoii}". 
 Kwan^ said that he and his colleague Soo did not dare 
 to make any such proposal to Court ; such a question 
 co(dd not he discussed as hetween equal states. 
 
 'I'he Emhassador urged that such a statement as he 
 had made brought round an arrangement in tLe laj-t 
 Embassy, and it might do so now; the Emperor Kang- 
 ho had himself proposed something similar in his time, 
 in reference to the Russians if the Legate and his col- 
 league w^ould not transmit any statement of the Embai^-- 
 satlor's views, he must charge the rupture on them. 
 They replied, "^ We have already incurred a Fi/h-she, ' a 
 charge of having done wrong,' from his Imperial Majesty, 
 the Ta-hwang-te, and w^e dare not make any such pro- 
 posals : if w^e he withdrawn, and other persons appointed, 
 perhaps those persons m.ay take upon them to transmit 
 such sentiments; w^e dare not." 
 
 As to tlie case of the Russians and Kang-he, he had 
 heardsomelhingof that Emperor's causinga person of in- 
 ferior rank, about the third degree, to peiform the cere- 
 mony before an altar, on or behind which an image of the 
 Cod of the Russiaiis was placed ; but he believed it waa 
 merely traditional; it was not found In any authentic 
 records. Kvvang, in broken interrupted language, 
 hinted that we could perform the ceremony, and repre- 
 sent it in England as we pleased. To do orre thing and 
 say another, was declared to be impossible, and the I^egate 
 did not Hiention it aofaln. 
 
 Old Soo dwelt on the happy eli'ects of conformity, viz. 
 being invited to an Imperial Banquet; seeing a play^ 
 
40 ' LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 and walking in the gardens. To receive homage, and to 
 display its own pomp and grandeur, are the objects 
 which the Chinese Court proposes to itself in admitting 
 foreign Embassies. The bad effects, Soo added, will be 
 your going away in disgrace, and a stoppage of the trade 
 between the two nations ; as had been the case with the 
 Russians. The last clause was uttered in an under tone. 
 To his tone of intimidation a high tone was opposed, and 
 it was said that the stoppage of the trade was compara- 
 tively a small matter: since they would not accept of 
 any of the above proposals, nor yet transmit a paper 
 from the Embassador, or his sentiments in their own form, 
 so that they might reach the Emperor's ears since they 
 refused all these, and affirmed that the result of any 
 thing less than unconditional compliance must be his 
 departure, he was ready to depart; and in this abrupt 
 termination of the negociation still thanked them for 
 their personal civilities he did not reflect on them. 
 
 In all these conferences Kwang adopted the privacy 
 of English usage. The Chinese affect to do every thing 
 in public with a crowd of attendants around them. 
 He could not well order out his own people; but he 
 often desired an English gentleman present to keep 
 them out. 
 
 It was now determined that the boats should turn 
 about, and go down the stream to a more convenient 
 anchorage, there to wait for the return of the presents 
 and baggage, whi-ch had been hurried on to Tung-chow, 
 as well as for further advices from Pekin. 
 
 We were within about thirty miles of the capital of 
 China. At breakfast, the Embassador mentioned to the 
 gentlemen of the Embassy the alteration in our destin- 
 ation which had taken place, and which, when the 
 gentlemen had returned to their own boats, was carried 
 into effect. The Embassy fell down the stream to a 
 pleasant situation on the left bank of the river, called 
 Tsae-yifen, ''the vegetable gardens." 
 
 The dispatches from Court at this time were, according 
 to poor old emaciated Chang, what he called, grinding 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 41 
 
 and gnashing his teeth as he uttered the words, Yentih- 
 Khan., *^ extremely stern and severe." The compliment 
 paid them, by sending nearly half the circumference of 
 the globe a man of high rank from an independent, pow- 
 erful, and enlightened country, with rich presents, 
 prepared to use the most respectful language, and go 
 down on one knee to the Sovereign is all rejected, and 
 a peremptory demand made that he shall perforn an act 
 of homage, such as they exact from the smallest, weak- 
 est, and mosit uncivilised state in the petty islands of the 
 Soo-loo Sea. 
 
 Such was the demand ; compliance was refused ; and 
 the threat of rejection began to operate. During the 
 whole of the IGth we remained at Tsae-yuen; most of 
 the gentlemen walked on shore at a small distance from 
 the boats. In the mean time the government seemed 
 to have made up its mind to try the British Embassador 
 a little further. 
 
 August 17th. In the morning Chang, Yin, and the 
 young secretary mentioned above, v/aited on Lord Am- 
 herst and the two Commissioners, to say that the two 
 propositions made yesterday were such as they did not 
 dare to report to the Emperor, nor even to mention 
 when in his Majesty's presence. However, they v/ould 
 again write to Court and entreat his Majesty to accept 
 of the Le, or "ceremony" proposed by Lord Amherst, viz* 
 to kneel on one knee and bow^ the head three times ; 
 which act, in compliance with the Emperor's wish, 
 would be r^epeated thrice. An ofilcial note, promising 
 to do this, was required and given. It was however dis- 
 tinctly specified that this Ta-Ze "grand ceremony "could 
 be performed no w^here but in the Emperor's immediate 
 presence ; that the Embassador did not like the idea of 
 Yin-ley "practising any ceremony," as he had been 
 many years familiar with the forms of a Court. After 
 this arrangement, our boats again got under weigh to 
 ascend the stream, and proceeded towards Pe-kin. 
 
 During the 18th and 19th no business was transacted ; 
 other men were now to take the lead, and to try w^hat 
 
42 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 rank higher than the Embassador's, and a still more 
 haughty manner could effect on the Englishmen. In 
 taking this measure, the Tartars greatly misunderstood 
 the English character. 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 Proceedings at Tung- Chow and Yuen-mi fig-yu en. 
 
 August 20th. In the evening, the boats of the Em- 
 ba??sy came to, at the distance of about two miles from 
 Tung-chow, near a temple at which the last Embassy 
 was lodged, but which was now to bo occupied by other 
 guests from Court. The boats lay together in a very 
 crowded manner, owing to tlie narrowness of the stream, 
 which ceases here to be navigable, at least to such boats 
 as those employed for the End)assy. 
 
 Here, according to the custom of China, Soo and 
 Kwang waited our arrival. It was too late to desire the 
 Embassador to leave his boat ; but they requested that 
 Mr. Morrison would go and see the Kung-Kwan, or 
 house prepared by government for the reception of the 
 Embassador. It was a house which had been occupied 
 by trading people, and was fitted up for the present 
 occasion: within the gate was a small court-yard, next 
 a range of buildings with a passage in the centre to an- 
 other court-yard beyond, in which was the principal 
 apartment, designed for the Embassador. On the left 
 sideof the court-yard there was a gate leading into another 
 yard, in which was an inferior apartment. The Em- 
 bassador's was divided into three rooms ; Soo and Kwang 
 were standing there w4ien Mr. Morrison arrived on 
 horseback, accompanied by Gen. Yin. "You see" 
 said the Legate, "how gracious the great Emperor is, 
 in ordering so good an apartment to be prepared." It 
 wareplie:l, " No doubt the Embassador is fully sensible 
 of his Imperial Majesty's goodness; many thanks to 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 43 
 
 him/' The Legate hiniseh' however thouo^ht tho 
 apartments would not contain all the suite, some would 
 be obliged to remain in their boats; indeed when tho 
 house was examined by the gentlemen, most of them 
 preferred remaining in their boats. The Legate pro- 
 posed pitching tents in the court, which he did, and 
 which were occupied by the officers of tho guard. 
 
 The next morning, August 21;st, the Embassador 
 himself went on shore to see the house. Ho determined on 
 remaining there during the day, and perhaps sleeping in 
 his boat at night. Chang and Yin wero very importu- 
 nate that the principal persons should sleep on shore as 
 a compliment to the Emperor, and it was finally acced- 
 ed to. The Embassador and Mr. Amherst were in the 
 chief apartment. Sir George Staunton and Mr. Ellis 
 took possession of a large room near the gate, which they 
 divided by a curtain ; Mr. Morrison tried to occupy the 
 apartment on the left of the court-yard, and remained 
 in it one night ; but it was so close, and smelled so strong 
 of the incense which had been burnt in it to idols, he 
 returned to his boat. These apartments had couches 
 built with brick, on which was laid a coarse felt cover- 
 ing, and underneath was a place to put fire, in order to 
 warm it in the winter season. 
 
 All the gentlemen of the Embassy dined and break- 
 fasted together under a mat-shed before the Embassador's 
 apartments. Two of the guard stood sentry constantly, 
 and at meals the band played. The natives climbed up 
 to the middle of surrounding trees to see the table 
 laid, and to hear the band more distinctly : many officers, 
 and those of better condition, were admitted to the 
 court-yard. The collection of officers, civil and milita- 
 ry, wearing blue and red buttons, was considerable 
 through the whole course of the journey. The Je-naoiiy 
 " heat and bustle," as the Chinese term it, was much 
 greater, they said, than when tho King of Cochin China, 
 in person went to court. The weather was now very 
 warm, and their figurative expression for a great con- 
 course of people was also literally true. 
 
44 LORD AM1IJ;U.St\s KMBAfciSY 
 
 Auf^ust 21st. In the morning the active Tartar Se- 
 cretary came to announce the arrival at Tung-chow of 
 Ho Kimg-yaij, ''Duke Ho:" his name in full is Ho-she- 
 lae, which ^if translated, would be '' Ho, great in his ge- 
 neration." He is brother to the Empress ; was made a 
 Duke for his services during the attack on the Palace by 
 the rebels in 1813. He was about 35 years of age, of 
 the middle size ; stout, and possessing apparently great 
 bodily strength and warmth of temper. Kwang after- 
 wards charged the Emperor's barbarous conduct to the 
 Duke's youth and self-confidence, supposing the English 
 would yield to him. He then held several important 
 situations, the chief of which was Le-fan-yuen-shang' 
 shoo^ "President of the Board for Foreign Affairs;" 
 principally the territories on the western part of the Em- 
 pire. With him came from court, Muh ; the Le-poo 
 Shang-shoo, *' President of the Board of Rites," a thin old 
 man^ who never spoke a word at any conference, and 
 who was hence denominated by the English " the silent 
 Muh." Soo, the Kimg-poo Shang-shoo, " President of 
 the Board of Public Works," and Kwang still remained, 
 but now took the lowest place. There are in China but 
 seven of the Shang-shoo or Presidents, and three of the 
 seven were now to confer with the English Embassador, 
 and finally destined to be dismissed from their employ- 
 ments on his account. 
 
 These persons, as well as their Secretaries, were all 
 Tartars, who were, throughout, the responsible persons 
 to whose care the Embassy was committed ; the lower 
 and laborious departments were generally filled by Chi- 
 nese. The term, which the first of these adopt to express 
 themselves, is Ke-jin, or, as they pronounce it, Che-Jin^ 
 " A man of the Standard or Banner," or Ke-hea-jin, " A 
 man under the Standards." The latter call themselves 
 Ilan-jin, " Men of Han." 
 
 The young Secretary being seated, said, that the Duke 
 had that moment arrived, and was then washing his 
 hands : this requiring no answer, a short pause ensued, 
 and he went on to give the Duke's character ; that he 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 45 
 
 wa3 a man of few words ; but with him it was a word 
 and an act ; very different from the easy and little-mean- 
 ing loquacity of some persons. If he meant, as he pro- 
 baibly did, that on his announcing Ho, the Embassador 
 should propose to pay him the first visit, this intimidating* 
 speech was not the way to carry his point. The Embassa- 
 dor merely said, " Very well ; I am informed of the 
 Duke's arrival." With that answer the messenger 
 went away. 
 
 It was next announced that several persons, five or six, 
 were coming from the Duke. It was of course intended 
 to give them a civil reception. Accordingly the second 
 Commissioner walked down the steps from the Embas- 
 sador's apartment to meet them, and made a bow to one 
 of them, a very tall man, who appeared to be the princi- 
 pal. They were all in their court dresses, and court 
 beads round their necks. The man to whom Mr. Ellis 
 bowed, so far from returning it, rushed past him with 
 large strides and an affected grave, stern look, bounced 
 up the steps into the chief apartment, raid, followed by 
 his comrades, took the principal seats. During all this 
 not a word w^as spoken ; but every person already felt 
 highly indignant, yet said nothing. The Embassador 
 completely overturned the idea of giving them the pre- 
 cedence, by putting the English gentlemen above him, 
 and himself taking the lowest place. These persons 
 were afterwards nick-named, " The Ladsof Moogden," # 
 and by that name we shall now denominate them. 
 Two only spoke that day : The very tall rude man first ; 
 and he who took the second place, a prim, thin-lipped, 
 shrill-voiced, pock-marked man. The tall man began, 
 Nayihko she Ching kung she, ^' Which one is the prin- 
 cipal tribute-bearer?" The Embas^;ador was pointed 
 out, with the reply, Na yih i^ei she Ching fVa/ig Chae, 
 '' That person is the Royal Envoy." He then proceeded 
 in atone affecting great sternness and dignity, "The ce- 
 remonies of the Celestial Empire are of vast importance, 
 
 * MvOog^lt?^ is till" c:\pital ofAlancliow Tartary. 
 
46 LORD amiieust'.s embassy 
 
 and indispensably Mndinc:; the Tribute-bearer is recjuir- 
 ed to attend to-morrow morninir in order to practise." 
 The Embassador replied, " I am not prepared to attend 
 for any such purpose; when I see the Duke I will con- 
 verse with him on that subject." The prim thin-lipped 
 lad then put in his word, and asserted the vast importance 
 end indispensably binding nature of the ceremonies of 
 the Celestial Empire. He received the same answer as 
 his haughty colleague. The English generally felt very 
 indignant at the Lads of Moogden for the insolence of 
 their manner. 
 
 These men, however, were merely acting a part. It 
 was expected that a stern haughty manner and lofty 
 pretensions would have awed the then unprotected fo- 
 reigners into submission. The Lads of Moogden would 
 have fawned and flattered if they had been told to do 
 so ; as they smirked and cringed on a subsequent day, 
 when the policy was for a while altered. 
 
 Having received their answer, they rose and rushed 
 out of the room as they entered, without taking leave. 
 
 The tone of intimidation, however, was not yet given 
 up ; it was to be tried again. 
 
 The next day, August 22nd, a request came to the 
 Embassador from the Duke to meet him, not at either of 
 their apartments, but at a third place, in the city of Tung- 
 chow. Lord Amherst and the Commissioners accord- 
 ingly consented to go thither. This attempt to waive 
 the question of precedence was thought to augur well. 
 In the mean time, however, it was deemed proper to 
 prepare in Chinese a sealed Memorial to the Emperor 
 himself, in case of an unfavourable issue of the Confer- 
 ence. In it was expressed the greatest respect and 
 veneration for the person of his Imperial Majesty, as 
 the Sovereign of so great an Empire. The ceremony with 
 which it was proposed on the part of the British Embas- 
 sador to enter his august presence was stated, and his 
 Majesty prayed to accept of it, or to signify his gracious 
 pleasure respecting its return. This document the 
 Embassador took in his pocket. 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 47 
 
 The day became overcast and rain fell : the parly 
 waited some time, in the hope that it would clear up; 
 hut, contrariwise, the rain increased. The Duke and 
 his party had already f^one some time to the city; and 
 it became necessary at last to brave the weather. Four 
 or five persons went in chairs, and others in one-horse 
 carriages, in which they had foretaste of the distressing 
 jolting afterwards to be suffered on their journey to 
 Yuen-ming-yuen. The officers of the guard rode on 
 horseback, and got completely drenched. The road to 
 the town was dirty and slippery to a degree that could 
 be exceeded by nothing but the streets of Tung-chow, 
 where the poor creatures who carried the chairs were 
 up to the knees in water. The party finally arrived at 
 the Heo-yuen^ or "Literary Hall " of Tung-chow. There 
 was no antichamber in which a person could sit down; 
 and the Embassador had to stand a few minutes till our 
 arrival was announced. Four persons were invited into 
 the room in which the Duke was: its being small weis 
 assigned as a reason for not more going. Mr. Amherst 
 bore his father's train. 
 
 The Che-chow, or Magistrate of the town was in 
 waiting. He was a person who at first professed to be 
 very civil, but who, from the trouble that the public 
 service gave him, soon changed his tone and manner; 
 and his eyes, which at no time looked straight before 
 him, for he squinted much, indicated the utmost aversion. 
 He said that Sze ko jin, ''four men^^ were to go in; old 
 Chang, who was also of the party, corrected him, and 
 said, i&e-j^e/, ^' four gentlemen, ^^ 
 
 A small court-yard, not defended from the rain, was 
 to be crossed. By the aid of umbrellas this was effected, 
 and a bamboo hanging screen being raised, discovered 
 the Duke, Muh and Kwang, standing, about three or 
 four feet from the door, with their faces towards it. 
 The Embassador made an inclination of the head, which 
 the Duke did not return in any way, but began 
 in a loud stern tone : '' We are especially sent here by 
 the Great Emperor to see the ceremony properly perform- 
 
48 LORD Amherst's embassy. 
 
 ed." Mr. Morrison said, ^^Let the Embassador be 
 seated, and then converse." The Duke replied, hi.^ lip 
 quivering with anger, " We stand, and he also may 
 stand." This was explained to the Embassador, 
 who said, ^^ Very well; we will stand." The Duke 
 was then desired to resume what he was about to 
 say. He began, Teen woo hang jih ; Te-woo urh 
 Kwang; "^ A^ in heaven there are not two Suns, 
 so on earth there are not two Sovereigns.' The Great 
 Emperor is Teen-tsze, ' the Son of Heaven ; ' before him 
 all Kings should bow down. You know it," looking at 
 Mr. Morrison, who had been seen reading Confucius, 
 and v/hich had reached the Duke's ears, ^ the ceremony 
 insisted on was coeval with Kae-Kwo, ' the com- 
 mencement of the dynasty." ' Feeling this to be no great 
 length of time, he added "it has existed from the high- 
 est antiquity, and Kangkae puh tih ^cannot be altered.' 
 Without the performance of this ceremony, the Em- 
 bassador and his tribute will be forthwith rejected and 
 cast out;" throwing his hand from him as he pronounced 
 the last word. 
 
 The Embassador, instead of yielding to the impulse of 
 feelings such as this speech was calculated to produce, 
 took no notice of the Duke's rhodomontade. but with self- 
 command and in a firm tone said, " That he considered 
 the Emperor of China as one of the greatest Sovereigns 
 in the world ; and from his Royal Highness the Prince 
 Regent also considering him in the same point of view,he 
 had sent him to compliment his Imperial Majesty. The 
 ceremony which he proposed to perform, was the same 
 as was performed by the last British Embassador, Lord 
 Macartney, and which was graciously received by the 
 late Emperor." 
 
 The Duke's face put on a smile at the first part of this 
 speech, and he took a purse from his side and gave it to 
 Mr. Amherst ; but when he heard the close, he replied 
 with warmth, " The afiairs of the last Embassy were its 
 own afllairs ; those of the present Embassy alone are 
 what we will converse about." He turned to Chang, 
 
TO rm- couuT of china, 
 
 49 
 
 who was standin^r by, and said, " Do you lead them out 
 and explain fully what I have said, and the reasons of 
 it." The Embassador being informed of this, saw 
 plainly that nothing; was to be done with the Duke 
 tben, and of course could not submit to be referred to a 
 person of Chang's rank to discuss the subject. Ho 
 therefore asked the Duke if he might expect to see 
 him again. 
 
 The Duke supposed that the Embassador considered 
 the meeting as partaking of the nature of a visit, and 
 said, ''This is not a visit it is an official meeting on 
 national affairs." He was told the Embassador also consi - 
 dered it as such. He then said, " Whether you see me 
 again or not, depends upon the resolution you choose to 
 come to." On hearing this the Embassador took the 
 Memorial from his pocket and presented it to the 
 Duke, saying, " I'll trouble you to transmit that to his 
 Imperial Majesty." The Duke, evidently disconcerted 
 at such an unexpected occurrence, took it, looked at the 
 address, turned it over, passed it to Muh, and said, '' It 
 is sealed!" The Duke was taken down a peg or two 
 by this reference to his master, and walked forward a 
 few steps to see the Embassador ouf. The whole 
 party immediately returned to the Embassador's house. 
 A gratuity was given to the chair-bearers and drivers of 
 the carriages. Chang's servant, old Blow-hard, undertook 
 to distribute it; and, according to Chinese usage, first 
 told his master, to have his permission. Chang could 
 not sanction it, in consequence, as he said, on several 
 occasions, of the Emperor's taking the' severest notice 
 of any thing that could be construed into the receiving 
 of money. One of the gentlemen of the Embassy 
 distributed with his own hand the dollars to the poor 
 men, who were thereby abundantly rewarded for the 
 labour gone through on account of the English. 
 
 The feelings of the English v/ere this day a good deal 
 roused by the insolence of the Duke's manner, and the 
 absurdity of his pretensions. -At the first some were 
 angry, at the latter all laughed. 
 
 D 
 
5D LORD AiMHERST's EMBASSY 
 
 We were now at a stand till w^e could hear what the 
 decision of his Imperial Majesty was. Express after 
 express went and came in the course of the next day. 
 Chang came to confer ; but as he could not confer with 
 the Embassador, Mr. Morrison w^as the medium for the 
 English. Chang, no doubt, was fully instructed what 
 to say; but at the same time, it is probable he introduc- 
 ed ideas of his own ; and to separate what was absolutely 
 official from what was his own, is not practicable. He 
 did not seem at heart favourable to submission ; he 
 always called it ^Hheir Tartar ceremony," and dis- 
 claimed the idea of its being Chinese. *' They were," 
 he said, '* most tenacious of it ; so much so, that old 
 infirm people, who could no longer kneel or stand, 
 were caused to raise themselves from the seat on which 
 they sat, and fall down again with a bump, the number 
 of times that others knocked their head." 
 
 He urged conformity, from our coming being volun- 
 tary ; we had embarrassed them, not they us ; had we 
 not come, they would neither have sent for us nor 
 complained of our staying away ; that what they valued 
 was the ceremony, not the presents ; if they dispensed 
 with it with regard to us, what were they to do with 
 other nations? 
 
 It was argued on the other side, that they seemed to 
 err in applying ancient rules which were suitable enough 
 in respect of petty states around, which were really 
 tributary, to modern powerful nations with whom they 
 had heretofore had no intercourse : that now they 
 would do wisely to have different rules for different 
 nations, according as they were or were not tributary. 
 To apply the same rules to Russia and to Britain, which 
 they did to Lew-kew and Siam, was injudicious. As 
 our dress and features were different from theirs, so 
 our forms of polite intercourse were different, A 
 master in his own house with propriety dictated what 
 forms he pleased to his own servants ; but v^hen the 
 servants of another master came on business common 
 to both families, it was not incumbent on the one to 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 61 
 
 enforce the ceremonies of his house on the servant-s of 
 the other; it showed an enlarged mind to pass over 
 these slight varieties; and his Imperial Majesty, in 
 allowing the British Embassador to observe the cere- 
 monies of his own Court, would be still more and more 
 admired. 
 
 He was however urged to bring an official reply to 
 the note given. He finally brought in his hand the 
 note itself; and said that as the name of the Embassador 
 was not outside, it was contrary to rule to forward it; 
 every person sending a sealed document to the Emperor 
 must write withoutside his name. However, the Duke 
 had opened it. Some displeasure was expressed at this 
 as a mere quibble, as if, though the word " Amherst" 
 was not there, the phrase "British Embassador" was 
 not distinct enough. He acknowledged unofficially, 
 that he believed it a pretence. " If a sealed document 
 from the meanest subject was referred to the Emperor," 
 Baid he, " how would they venture to conceal a letter 
 from a foreign minister?" 
 
 He then said, if we would alter some expressions in 
 it, they would send it ; if, instead of saying " the King 
 of England had cultivated amity with Keen-lun^," we 
 would say that "Keen-lung had treated the Kmg of 
 England amicably." This was conceded. Then he 
 wanted the phrase taken away, in which our own 
 ceremony w^as proposed, and to have inserted that the 
 Embassador would kneel on both knees. This was 
 rejected, as a childish proposal ; for if that were done, 
 the memorial itself became useless. 
 
 After carrying it to the Duke again, he brought 
 it back and desired we would withdraw it, for it could 
 not, he affirmed in the name of the Duke, be sent to 
 his Majesty. 
 
 On the other side it was urged, that if the Embas- 
 sador could not be heard, negociation was at an end. 
 With the note returned, Chang brought formulas of 
 the intended mode of reception at Court, which were 
 received from him, but not carefullv read and translated 
 
 D 2 
 
52 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 at the time, as it still remained quite uncertain whether 
 the Embassy would proceed to court or not. 
 
 Chang was now mstructed to commence an attack 
 on some of the persons of the Embassy, by way of 
 intimidation. The gentlemen from Canton were con- 
 sidered as mere traders, and therefore the Embassy 
 was not properly filled up. One of the commissioners, 
 it was said, had been appointed, according to advices 
 from Canton, by the government of England, in conse- 
 quence of his knowledge of the usages of the Celestial 
 Empire; but he, knowing those usages, failed in his 
 duty, inasmuch as he did not inform the Embassador of 
 them, and persuade him to comply with the ceremony. 
 It was insinuated that as far as regarded his future stay 
 in Canton, he would consult his own interest by giving 
 the advice suggested. All the idle stories which had 
 reached the court, of the aviaries, splendid apartments, 
 fine horses, &c. &c. possessed by Europeans living in 
 Macao, were now applied to the individual alluded to. 
 Various efforts were made to stop Chang in this very im- 
 proper harangue ; and the Embassador made him under- 
 stand that he was much displeased at the present interfe- 
 rence with the persons of the Embassy : that as the Emperor 
 of China employed whom he pleased, so did the Go- 
 vernment of England. Chang mumbled a sentence, as 
 if obscurely asking if the King of England did not trade. 
 The general tone of the message seemed impertinent, 
 and it was dismissed with indications of displeasure. 
 
 Finally a paper was brought purporting to be an 
 edict from the Viceroy of Pekin. The name of one 
 of the Commissioners was introduced into it, and an 
 additional guard ordered to watch the Embassador's 
 house, that no clandestine intercourse might take place 
 between the Natives and the English. There was ac- 
 cordingly a great show that evening of an additional 
 guard. 
 
 Six days had now elapsed since the interview with the 
 Duke; and the Chinese, or rather Tartars, appeared to 
 be passing from one insult to another: no answer had 
 
' TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 63 
 
 been returned from his Majesty it was therefore de- 
 termined to write an official note, and demand that we 
 should be informed of his Majesty's pleasure respecting 
 our departure. 
 
 The note was written and carried to the Duke by 
 Messrs. Hayne and Davis. 
 
 This note appears to have d(me away with the hope 
 of our yielding, and therefore the Duke sent by Chang 
 to ask the Embassador to call once more, and also to 
 request that he would introduce the subject. The 
 Embassador agreed to go. 
 
 On arriving at the temple at which the Duke resided, 
 we found chairs placed on the left side of the court 
 yard. The Duke, Moo, Soo, and Kwang, walked 
 forward to receive the Embassador and Commissioners. 
 The chairs were placed in two rows. The left-hand 
 row was a little higher than the opposite. The Duke 
 took the upper seat on the left hand, and Lord Amherst 
 on the right. 
 
 The Duke commenced by a few remarks in the form 
 of question, as to the distance of England from China, 
 tlie time which the voyage occupied, and so on. He 
 then asked, if Chang had explained every thing respect- 
 ing the ceremony. The Embassador, on the other hand, 
 wished to know what answer the Duke had to give to 
 his former note. The Duke said, it would be of no use 
 to our cause to send it to his Majesty ; and was proceed- 
 ing to reason the propriety of homage from the King 
 of England to the Emperor of China, as he did in the 
 former interview. It was therefore thought better to 
 wave the subject, and to ask him, what he thought could 
 be done to justify the Embassador to his own govern- 
 ment ; would it be given in the name of the Emperor 
 officially, that his Majesty affirmed on his own recol- 
 lection that Lord Macartney performed the ceremony, 
 and so on ? To a question put respecting the probable 
 disposition of his Majesty, the Duke said *^he could 
 give no answer; it might as well be asked him, whether 
 he thought it would rain or thunder to-morrow. The 
 
 d3 
 
54 LOUD AMHEBSt's EMBASSt 
 
 ways of the Son of Heaven were, like those of Heaven 
 itself, inscrutable." The Embassador said, " he could 
 not promise to comply; however, he would in the 
 course of the day send him a final answer." In the 
 afternoon an answer was sent, saying, the Embassador 
 could not comply with the Tartar ceremony. 
 
 The note had scarcely reached the Duke, when he 
 and his party came to the Embassador's house to pay a 
 visit, and to say it w^a^ determined the Embassy should 
 proceed to Court, at Yuen-ming-yuen, the next day. 
 
 The Embassador and Commissioners, apprehensive 
 that their note had been misunderstood, asked the Duke 
 if he were aware that they bad written to say they 
 could not perform the ceremony. He seemed to say 
 " yes," and bowed his head ; which all understood as 
 affirming " You are to be received according to the 
 forms you propose." Kwang returned the same even- 
 ing in order to heisten the departure of the Embassy 
 early the next morning. He, when asked, if the Em- 
 bassador's intention was fully understood, said, '' The 
 Emperor is of an enlarged and liberal mind, and hence 
 dispenses with your compliance." 
 
 During that night several gentlemen attended to the 
 unloading of the presents; and the utmost exertion wa 
 used to prepare the Embassador's carriage. 
 
 During the above discussion Chang once said, " Do 
 not be in haste ; you will go to Court there are wise 
 men amongst them." He was not however a person in 
 whose judgment it was proper to place confidence. 
 Kwang also sent a man, during the discussion, to know 
 what presents required men's shoulders to carry them, 
 in order to prevent their breaking, which would lead 
 a person to suppose that the Duke and his party had 
 made up their minds some time before they acknow- 
 ledged it. 
 
 The following morning was a scene of bustle and 
 confusion. The weather was warm. The Local Offi- 
 cers be^an to number our packages, in order to prevent 
 their bemg lost; but they were so numerous, and some 
 
to THE COURT OF CHINA. 65 
 
 i)f them so heavy, the people lost all patience and gave 
 . it up. The Legate was anxious to hasten our departure, 
 and came himself to the spot. 
 
 The carriage was ready sooner than the packages* 
 Should however another Emhassy ever go to China, a 
 Bengal palanquin would be much more convenient than 
 a carriage. The carriage has a fine appearance, but 
 there are rarely roads on which it can travel. 
 
 At 4 P. M. August 28, every thing was ready ex- 
 cept some conveyance for the men who were sick. 
 The Legate had promised that a proper conveyance 
 should be procured. One man died the day before, and 
 was interred in the neighbourhood. The same was the 
 case in the last Embassy : a man died, and was interred 
 at Tung-chow. When the conveyance was brought, it 
 was found unfit for the purpose, and two chairs, ori- 
 ginally intended for the principal persons of the Em- 
 bassy, were finally given to the sick. 
 
 The Embassador, two Commissioners, and Mr. 
 Amherst, were in the carriage : several gentlemen 
 chose horses, and others were accommodated m Chinese 
 single-horse carriages. The guard and band were in 
 carts. There was a great number of Chinese officers 
 and troops in attendance, who, together with the bag- 
 gage and persons of the Embassy, made avast cavalcade. 
 The weather was warm, and the road dusty. The 
 jolting of the Chinese carriages was extremely fatigu- 
 ing. Without constant effort to hold by the sides of the 
 carriage, a person's head was thrown first on one side 
 and then on the other. 
 
 The Embassador's carriage, though soiled much, Was 
 an object admired by the natives. Crowds came on 
 purpose to vsee it. One remarked, it appeared proper 
 for the Emperor. The badness of the stone road between 
 Tung-chow and Pekin, as well as of other parts of the 
 way, made even the English carriage at once fatiguing 
 and dangerous. 
 
 About half-way we stopped at a place intended for 
 the refreshment of travellers; and found some food 
 
66 LORD amiierst's embassy 
 
 prepared. But being an attempt at English cookery, 
 it was neither English nor Chinese. There were neither 
 knives nor forks, nor yet the small ivory sticks of the 
 Chinese. 
 
 At this place the Legate and Soo sent for a gentleman 
 of the Embassy, and said, "His Majesty has given a 
 s:racious intimation respecting the Embassador. He has 
 iixed to-morrow for seeing him." This was communi- 
 cated to the Embassador, to whose apprehension it did 
 not appear to be very gracious to be in such a violent 
 haste. The Legate said," Whether the Embassador be 
 introduced or not to-morrow, let us settle when we get 
 there ; but in the mean time we must endeavour to 
 arrive." 
 
 Of course we could not remain where we were, nor 
 .was it ever intended to stop there. The party accord- 
 i'ngly again commenced its journey. 
 
 The Embassy passed withoutside the city of Pekin 
 when it was dark, and arrived at Yuen-ming-yuen soon 
 lifter day-break on the morning of the 29th. Leading 
 ilown to the palace there is a paved path, along which 
 the wheels of the carriages, which were according to 
 usage driven fast, made a great rattling. Neither Soo 
 nor Kwang could be permitted to ride in chairs here. 
 Old Chang was on horseback. 
 
 Part of the gentlemen were conducted to the Embas- 
 sador's house, about a mile from the palace. The Em- 
 bassador, the Commissioners, Mr. Morrison, Mr. Abel, 
 Mr. Griffith, Mr. Cooke, Mr. Abbot, and Mr. Somerset, 
 were led direct to the palace gate. The road leads round 
 the South-east corner of the court-yard before the 
 palace. Soo and Kwang were obliged to alight before 
 turning the corner. 
 
 Here Soo and Kwang came to the Embassador's car- 
 riage door, and desired him to alight to take a cup of 
 tea. The two Commissioners gotiirstoutof the carriage. 
 jVone of the party knew certainly where they were, 
 but began to be apprehensive that some imposition was 
 intended. Lord Amherst, being really fatigued by tra- 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. '57 
 
 veiling all night a dangerous road, pleaded indisposition, 
 and said, he could neither see any person nor transact 
 any business till he had taken rest. After much impor- 
 tunity he alighted from his carriage, and was led round 
 the corner to a small unfurnished dirty apartment on 
 the right-hand side of the court-yard. 
 
 There was a bench in the room, covered with white 
 cotton felt, and which, in the manner of the Tartars, 
 serves for either a seat or a bed. The paper of the roof 
 w^as old and torn. A crowd of persons of all ages and 
 ranks fdled the room. The English gentlemen, disap- 
 pointed, vexed and weary, sat down on the bench. The 
 Embassador directed that the crowd should be desired 
 to withdraw, and leave him alone. The crowd of Chinese 
 and Tartar officers paid not the least attention, but con- 
 tinued to press forward to see the strangers. Chang was 
 desired to use his influence or authority ; but here he 
 possessed neither the one nor the other: he endeavoured 
 to apologise for them from the novelty of the occurrence. 
 
 A few minutes after entering this room, an invitation 
 came from the Duke requesting the Embassador, Com- 
 missioners, and Mr. Morrison would go to his rooms. 
 The Embassador said he could not see him then, and 
 only begged to be led to the apartments intended for 
 him. The Duke then came himself, and said, he wanted 
 to introduce the Embassador to his Majesty, and added, 
 ''Have you the letter?'' The Embassador without 
 rising said, that he felt unwell, and begged his Imperial 
 Majesty would graciously decline requiring him to attend 
 that day. The Duke said, "^ You shall use your own 
 ceremony." The Embassador requested the Duke to 
 supplicate his Majesty to decline requiring an audience. 
 The Duke became very anxious. The perspiration stood 
 on his face. He went out came again took the Em- 
 bassador by the arm to urge him away ; and told an at- 
 tendant to help him. The Embassador shook them from 
 him, and said, he would not go so, repeating the request 
 to the Duke that he would report his case to the Empe- 
 ror, and entreat his Majesty's acquiescence. A messen- 
 
68 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 ger came to the cloor of the room, and in a tone of hie^Ii 
 anger called away the Duke. Poor Chang struck his 
 thigh, and called out, "Ah! now they are incensed! A 
 man who comes here should have no will of his own! " 
 from which we augured something bad. 
 
 During the time that the Duke was going out and re- 
 turning, several persons of rank cnme, stared at the 
 English gentlemen, and went away. One old gentleman, 
 vv^th a long silver beard, came and ottered the words, 
 Fa-Zang-ke, with another Tartar-sounding word, which 
 the writer of this did not understand. It was said to 
 him, "We are not French but English." Mr, Morrison 
 requested the old gentleman to turn out the crowd; it 
 was so rude for them to press into a small room in the 
 way they did. He gave no answer to this, but went his 
 way. As soon as he had gone out, a gentleman present, 
 who knew the meaning of the round badge which he 
 wore on his breast, iniorraed the party that he was a 
 Prince of the Blood. Others wearmg the same badge 
 came in, took a rude stare, and went away again. 
 
 Towards the close of this strange scene, a part of the 
 rabble of officers left the room; the others said they 
 could not, they were ordered to be there. 
 
 Chang now came in and said there was a favorable 
 reply from his Majesty. To announce it, the Duke came 
 and said, "His Majesty has graciously ordered his phy- 
 sician to wait on the Embassador. He may now go to 
 his apartments." The Duke v/as moreover ordered to 
 see him thither. Men armed with swords then cleared 
 a path through the crov/d, and the Embassador pro- 
 ceeded, walking through the court-yard, and round the 
 corner, to the carriage. In passing the court the Duke 
 accompanied us, and himself cuffed the crowed of Man- 
 darins of various ranks, and kicked them to open a 
 wider path. It is probable that the Emperor himself, 
 from some part of the palace, had a view of the party 
 walking across the court, and that the Duke was showing 
 off his activity and zeal; or that he was vexed, and 
 s;pent his rage on the first he dared to strike. He took 
 
TO TUB COURT OF CHINA, &9 
 
 the writer of this by the arm, and squeezed it, saying 
 somothino^ which was not heard distinctly enough to be 
 remembered. When round the corner, he took a gkmce 
 at the Embassador's carriage, got into his chair, and was 
 never seen again. 
 
 The Embassador, Commissioners, and Mr. Amherst, 
 again entered the carriage, and, attended by a large 
 retinue of Chinese officers, proceeded in slow state to 
 the house provided for his excellency. This house be- 
 longed to Sung Taj in, the amiable friend of the last 
 Embassy, who is now first Minister of State, and was 
 then absent in Western Tartary. It was an exceedingly 
 handsome and spacious house. 
 
 His Majesty's physician came; felt the Embassador's 
 pulse ; said he supposed the climate did not agree with 
 him, and took hi leave. Soo and Kwang were both 
 present. Most of the gentlemen retired to sleep. Break- 
 fast was served up, at which four only were present. 
 His Lordship took something in his own room. He ob- 
 tained a few of his packages, but no part of his toilet. 
 
 In about two hours Chang brought the news that w^e 
 were to leave immediately. His Majesty was greatly 
 displeased, and had ordered our dismissal instantly. This 
 of course was quite unlooked for ; but what could be 
 opposed to the caprice of a despot, surrounded by cour- 
 tiers, who, as afterwards appeared from the Emperor's 
 own hand, did not dare to tell him that the Embassador 
 had travelled all night, and had not been at his own 
 apartments when he was fraudulently brought to the 
 door of the palace ? 
 
 The writer of this was asleep when the message came. 
 Major-general Yin came and awoke him, saying, "All 
 has gone wrong ! Kwang wishes to see you ; you are to 
 go away directly." 
 
 On going out half-dressed, Soo and Kwang were found 
 together. Kwang was generally the spokesman. He said 
 in a demure tone, " His Majesty is angry, and requires 
 you to go from this house today! What is to be done?" 
 It was replied, " His Majesty's will must be obeyed. 
 
60 LORD AMHERST S EMBASSY 
 
 What do you say is to be done?" " I know not; I also 
 am involved." was the answer. He added, "We will 
 send your thinj^^s carefully back." "Talk not about 
 things!" said the other, yet suffering under excessive 
 fatigue, ^^ throw them into the sea, if you like ; but, re- 
 gard persons." 
 
 At that moment the silent Moo came in, and Kwang 
 addressed him, "Are they to go?" He replied, "They 
 are to go." 
 
 The decree it appears had gone forth, probably in a 
 fit of anger, or a panic of fear, on the part of the Em- 
 peror. His courtiers, who sat by, without opposing it, 
 or stating facts, were either afraid to risk his displeasure, 
 or secretly hoped this very strong measure would produce 
 intimidation and submission. 
 
 Some of the gentlemen obtained with difficulty a hand- 
 basin and a change of linen. The Embassador could 
 not. The Chinese would not permit abox to be brought 
 into the house. The carts which had not been unloaded 
 were driven off. The Embassador's house and court- 
 yard were filled with officers of various ranks, and rude 
 mferiors, who kept staring in at the window, and thrust- 
 ing^ open the door to paze on the foreigners. 
 
 The Embassador did not hurry his departure, in order 
 to give the Court time to think on the very harsh and 
 barbarous step which they had deterinined on. Chang 
 was told that Vv^e must dine ere we commenced another 
 journey. Yin said we should go but ten leagues that 
 eA^ening ; this, however, proved untrue ; perhaps he was 
 himself misinformed. 
 
 About two o'clock a large blustering man came into 
 tlie court-yard, and called out, " Where is there an In- 
 terpreter?" On finding a person who understood him, 
 he began, and explained at great length from whom he 
 was deputed; how great the person was; greater than 
 the Viceroy of Chih-le; he was the Kew-mi/n-te-tifh, 
 "Commander of the forcesof the Nine Gates" of Pekin 
 He is the first and greatest military officer in the Empire. 
 Being informed that we knew who the Kew-mun-te-tuh 
 
TO TIJE COURT OF CHIXA. 61 
 
 was, he proceeded, '' My master, who commands a mil- 
 lion of men, requires that the Embassador leave the limits 
 of his command immediately. The Embassador is a 
 rude man, who does not know how to behave himself. 
 Your Kinir is respectful and obedient; but the Embas- 
 sador is not. He has used disrespectful lan^uatre. His 
 Majesty will write to the Kin^ to complain of him." He 
 was interrupted, and told that the Embassador did not 
 use disrespectful lant^uaj^e; that he said nothing^ more 
 than be^ that his Majesty would graciously defer the 
 audience. 
 
 *' The Ceremonies of the celestial Empire," said the 
 large man, "are unalterably binding." It was replied, 
 " This is not a time to talk of ceremonies." '' Well," re- 
 joined he, ''I am not sent to talk about that, but to require 
 your departure." " Very well," said the other, " we 
 shall go." 
 
 About three o'clock, a dinner in the Chinese manner, 
 and in good style, was prepared in the Embassador's 
 hall;. Major-general Yin himself waited on the Embas- 
 sador at table in the most good-natured manner. Before 
 leaving, he stepped into the room in which the Embas- 
 sador was alone, and said, '' They do not mean you to 
 go only kneel on two knees," putting, at the same 
 time, two knuckles on the table to represent the act 
 of kneeling. That, of course, was out of the question 
 then. 
 
 Chang kept urging our departure, but did not provide 
 porters to reload the carts ; a few only of his Lordship's 
 boxes were reloaded by the exertions of our own 
 people. 
 
 About 4 P. M. the Embassador, Commissioners and 
 Suite left the house. Four persons travelled in chairs, 
 the rest in the Chinese two- wheeled carriages. The fol- 
 lowing night was dark and rainy, The earliest of 
 the party arrived at Tung-chow about 4 A. M. of the 
 30th of August. 
 
 On the road, one of the Embassador's servants was 
 overturned in the car]/ in w^iich he rode, and recei\^ed a 
 
I 
 
 02 LORD AMHEUST-S KMBAifY 
 
 contusion of the head, which for some time threatened to 
 terminate fatally. 
 
 It was yet dark when we arrived, and the boat-men 
 asleep. The squinting Governor of Tung-chow nailed 
 up the door of the house which we had left the day be- 
 fore. Commodore Ko and the boat-men remained un- 
 altered by the displeasure of the despot. 
 
 On the evening of the same day, Soo and Kwang 
 called on the Embassador, and said, that his Majesty 
 had sent a Joo-e, or emblem of prosperity, of the corun- 
 dum stone ; a string of court beads, such as are worn 
 by the Emperor and ladies of the palace ; and, finally, 
 some ornamental purses. These he wished to be con- 
 veyed to the Prince Regent ; and requested, in return, 
 the maps, the prints, and portraits of the King and 
 Queen, which were mentioned in the list of presents. 
 
 The Embassador complied with their request, but at 
 the same time took occasion to speak to them freely of 
 the treatment he had received. 
 
 Six days after this violent act, the Emperor published 
 one of his penitentiary papers, in which he said, he, Puh 
 jin, could not bear the idea of our having come so far, 
 and of being dismissed in the w^ay we had been. He 
 had, he said, now found out what he did not know when 
 he took the harsh resolution, viz. that the Embassador 
 had travelled all night ; had not been at his own apart- 
 ments; nor had with him his Court-dress; "Had I 
 known these circumstances," said the Emperor, "I 
 would have changed the day of audience." He then 
 proceeded in the same official document to reflect in the 
 strongest terms on the Princes and Courtiers, especially 
 the Duke; who were called to his presence that morn- 
 ing, to all of whom the truth was known, but to mention 
 which none would step forward. He blamed the selfish 
 system which each seemed to have adopted, when they 
 sat before him and said to themselves, " The affair does 
 not concern me." " Thus," added he, " they ruined the 
 affair." The Duke he degraded by depriving him of 
 the high situation he held as President of the Foreign 
 
TO THE COURT OF CIIIWA. 63 
 
 Board: Moo and Soo, Presidents of the Boards of Rites 
 and Works, were also removed: K wan e^ was deprived 
 of his situation as Salt commissioner, and reduced to the 
 low rank of a gold button. He was granted the indulg- 
 ence of wearing his former one whilst with the Embassy. 
 He wrote also to the viceroys of provinces through 
 which the Embassy had to pass on its way to Canton, to 
 give orders to all connected with them to treat it with ci- 
 vility and respect. Yin gave it as his opinion that they 
 would have recalled it, but for what they conceived the 
 very undignified appearance of reversing the Imperial 
 decree. 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Journey from Tung-chow to the Yang-tsze Keang, 
 
 The Emperor required in the Edict just referred to, 
 that the Embassador shoudbe treated civilly, and at the 
 same time that the Military should, wherever the English 
 passed, put on an imposing appearance; have their arms 
 and accoutrements well cleaned; at once, said he, to 
 Boothe and to aw^e. Under these circumstances we had 
 now to commence a four months' journey. Some delay 
 was occasioned by the confusion and haste with which 
 the baggage was brought back from Yuen-ming Yuen. 
 A writing table, containing papers belonging to the Em- 
 bassador, was missing. It had been left behind in the 
 hurry, and was to be sent for the whole distance. One 
 bundle belonging to Lieut. Cooke was lost. 
 
 September 2nd. We began to move down the 
 stream. At Teen-tsin the Embassy remained iv^o days, 
 whilst the Legate transferred the affairs of his office to 
 his successor. 
 
 On the 18th, we left Teen-tsin, and proceeded up the 
 far-famed Canal called here Yun-leang Ho, '' the grain- 
 bearing or transporting river,'' also Yu-Ho, ^Hhe 
 
64 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 Imperial river." In other parts of it?'* course it is eallefl 
 Cha-Ho, " the river with locks or flood-gates." This 
 canal was commenced under Yuen, the first Tartar dy- 
 nasty. It received gradual additions and alterations in 
 the course of centuries. The Emperor Kang-he of the 
 present family paid particular attention to it. In Chih- 
 le and Shan-tung they have much low swampy ground, 
 liable to very serious inundations. To make a way for 
 the waters to pass off, was probably one object of the ca- 
 nal, as well as to make a road for the transportation of 
 goods. 
 
 September 18th. Entered Shan-tung province, and ar- 
 rived at Tih-chow [Te-chou], situated not far from the 
 borders of the province. Here Yin the Major-general, 
 Chang our conductor, and his two servants old Blow- 
 hard and his fellow-servant, left the Embassy. The Em- 
 bassador gave considerable presents to the principal 
 persons, and rewarded the inferiors. They were all 
 very desirous of what they received, but were afraid of 
 its reaching the ears of the Emperor. 
 
 Chang, before we left Teen-tsin, heard that he had 
 been named in the Gazette as Judge of Shan-tung. He 
 owed this promotion to the Duke, who was himself de- 
 graded. Chang set off for Je-ho, in Tartary, to see his 
 Imperial Majesty, and return him thanks. 
 
 At Tung-chow we were joined by the Judge of Chih- 
 le province; Shing was his name as vain and loquacious 
 a Tartar as ever lived. He had read various of the books 
 respecting Europe which have been published in China. 
 He professed, with a high degree of self-complacency, 
 that he knew all about the religion, geographical extent, 
 dependance on commerce, and so on, of England. " You 
 must not tell me," said he, addressing himself to Mr. Mor- 
 rison, and giving a wink to Chang, who was sitting by, 
 "I know that the teachers of religion in England all 
 wear beards, and you have loaves of bread three or four 
 cubits in diameter. Your country is but small," said 
 he, "my civil jurisdiction extends all the way to the 
 Gourkas." Looking at Chang, he said, '- Our country 
 
to THE COURT OF CHIXA. 6^ 
 
 k too large; it is extremely difficult to g;overn." 
 When vapouring about England being a commercial 
 country^ he was reminded that the Emperor monopoli- 
 zed the salt department, which nettled him a little. He 
 seemed to flatter himself that he could persuade the 
 English to submit to the ceremony, and so bring about 
 a reconciliation. He entered very fully into the subject 
 when he met the Embassador at Chang's boat. Not 
 having been ordered by the Emperor to call oil the 
 Embassador, he would not; but met him at a third place. 
 When he went away, he said, " Heaven knows ; we 
 may meet again." 
 
 In every province the Embassy was put under the 
 care of a Tartar Judge or Treasurer ; a General or a 
 Major-general also, for the most part Tartars. The 
 Legate was the constant Superintcndant ; under these 
 were various other inferior oificers. 
 
 The Treasurer of Shan-tung, whose name was Hoy 
 " Concord," was a very well-disposed man. He remem- 
 bered Mr. Morrison, having seen him at an interview 
 with Mr. Elphinstone, the late chief of the Factory at 
 Canton. He sent his card when he joined the Embassy, 
 and called on the Embassador when he left it. 
 
 September 22ni[l. Arrived at Lin-tsin Chow, with- 
 outside of which is a lofty Pagoda, or, as the Chinese 
 call it and all such buildings, Ta, It was taken particu- 
 lar notice of by the gentlemen who gave an account of 
 the last Embassy. There is not now any appearance of 
 procelain withoutside. It is nine stories high. It seems 
 a rule in all such structures to make them nine, seven, 
 five, or three stories high. Over the door of this Pagoda 
 are the words, 
 
 ta paou le Shay 
 4 3 2 1 
 '^ A precious Monument ta the' Shay-Ie ;" i. e. ^^re- 
 liques of Fuh ; " which last syllable is an abbreviation of 
 Fuh-too, the Chinese for Buddah. There are good 
 marble steps within, all the way to the top; several 
 gentlemen ascended it. In the various stories are idols 
 
66 LORD AMHKRST X KMBASST 
 
 placed in uiches; most of them broken and out of re- 
 pair. On a marble tablet inserted in the wall were the 
 words, "The 13th year of the Emperor Wan-leih, of 
 the Ming dynasty;" which answers to 1584. 
 
 There are in the vicinity four Mohammedan ]Mosques. 
 The roofs of the places of w^orship, called in Chinese 
 Le-pae Sze, were different from the usual Chinese tem- 
 ples. There was a centre roof rising from four equal 
 sides, and terminating in a point, on which was placed 
 a round ball. On each side were similar roofs, smaller 
 and lower than the centre one ; the^ terminated by a 
 conical ornament. 
 
 September 28th. In the morning passed the river 
 called Wan-ho, erroneously called Luen-ho in the books 
 of the last Embassy. It is said to arise from seventy- 
 two springs in the mountains called Tae shan, in Shang- 
 tung. It flows from the east, and arriving at this point 
 sends part of its waters to the north branch of the canal, 
 and part to the south. The land is high on each side at 
 its mouth ; opposite to which on the other side of the 
 canal stands the temple called Limg Wang MeaoUy 
 *^ The Temple of the Dragon King;" or, as he is other- 
 wise called, Ta-wang, "the great King;" he is the God 
 of seas and rivers. This temple is sometimes called 
 Fmi'shwuy Meaou, "The Temple at the division of wa- 
 ters;" from the circumstance already mentioned. We 
 had now the current of the canal with us ; but it flowed 
 so gently as to be but slightly perceived. The Chinese 
 books assert that from Lin-tsing to this place there are 
 seventy-two Cha, or locks. 
 
 The C/?a, or locks, are gate-ways with stone abutments 
 on each side, in the middle of which are grooves to 
 receive the ends of planks, which being let down stop 
 the water's egress or ingress. Whether placed on the 
 sides of the canal to admit water into it, or prevent 
 its flowing out ; or whether placed across the canal 
 where the descent is rapid ; they are still called Cha. 
 
 The canal now passes through what are called Hoo, 
 or lakes ; but they are frequently nothing more than 
 
TO THE tJOL'RT OF CHINA. 
 
 67 
 
 marshy swamps, with shrubs and trees growing out of 
 them. In dry seasons the waters retire to very narrow 
 limits, and the land is cultivated. The present was a 
 year of heavy rains: they fell during tlie fifth moon, 
 aud inundated the crops which were sown. Fishing- 
 boats wera now and then seen on these lakes, and poor 
 people gathering the seeds of the water-lily, which 
 occasionally covered a space of a few acres extent. A 
 few miserable huts were scattered on the banks of the 
 canal, with the water up to the very door ; and in some 
 cases rendered uninhabitable by the water rising to the 
 top of the bank, and flowing into the hut. There were 
 spots left dry in the lakes on which were houses and 
 trees, w^hich relieved the melancholy prospect of swamps, 
 in some points of the compass terminated only by the 
 distant horizon. The country we had hitherto travelled 
 through, had been an entire plain. We had not seen a 
 single hill, but the Tartarian hills north of Yuen-ming 
 Yuen. The willow had been almost the only tree 
 which was seen ; and the only grain, the Kaou-leang or 
 Barbadoes millet. It was from eight to twelve feet 
 high, and consisted of a tuft of grain on the top of a 
 stem, about the thickness of the sugar-cane. 
 
 Not far from where we were on the 28th of Septem- 
 ber was the town called Hwa-heen, which was occupied 
 some months, by the rebels in 1813. On taking the 
 towm the Government troops put to the sword all the 
 inhabitants, men, women, and children, amounting to 
 between ten and twenty thousand souls. Other fami- 
 lies have been since sent to re-people it, and to cultivate 
 the land around. 
 
 Some of the gentlemen who had read Confucius, felt 
 interested in passing near Keuh-fow Heen, which was, 
 it is said, his birth-place, and is still in the possession of 
 his descendants. 
 
 September 30th. On the eastward saw a long range 
 f)f hills beyond the marshy lake. 
 
 October 1st. Early in the morning passed the village 
 Heachin. The houses were of brick, and presented a 
 
 e2 ' 
 
68 LORD Amherst's embasst 
 
 better appearance than any that we had seen in China ; 
 they had heretofore been almost always of mud, and in 
 an exceedingly bad state. 
 
 - Near this place the canal runs through a corner of 
 Keang-nan; enters Shan-tung again for a short distance, 
 and finally enters Keang-nan a second lime. On the 
 30th of September we were a short time in Keang-nan, 
 where the custom is, on state occasions, to give the track- 
 ers a uniform jacket and cap. Our trackers had them 
 on the 30th of September: they were deprived of them 
 on the 1st and 2nd of October ; but were put in posses- 
 sion of them again at Yaou-wan chin, which is within 
 the limits of Keang-nan, on the 3rd of October. 
 
 In the course of our journey on the first, the canal 
 was crossed by a stream from the western mountains. 
 The crossing stream was called Shih-tsze Ho, " The letter 
 ten river;" ten being two cross lines, thus+. Anew 
 temple was erecting on the corner of the bank, almost 
 the i only new building which has occurred in our 
 route. 
 
 October 2nd. From the lake Hoo-shan-yih a mass 
 of water passing through seventeen flood-gates enters 
 the canal, which, during the whole of the distance tra- 
 velled this forenoon, flowed at the rate of about three 
 miles and a half an hour. 
 
 October 3rd. Remained a few hours at Hwang-Iin 
 chwang, in the borders of Keang-nan. Ho Taj in, the 
 Pooching-sze of Shan-tung, waited on the Embassador 
 to take leave. He received from his Lordship's own 
 hands a glass snuff bottle, and gave his own to Mr. Am- 
 herst in return. Ho was succeeded by Chin, the Pooching-^ 
 sze or Treasurer of Keang-nan. The military otBcer, 
 called Hee-taCy or Major-general, wearing a red button. 
 His own name was Wang; a Chinese who was exceed- 
 ingly civil as long as he remained with the Embassy. 
 He was rather tall, and a good figure. He was 
 upwards of 40 years of age ; had been in the wars 
 against the Gourkas in the last reign, and acted 
 against the rebels in the beginning of the present reign 
 eight years. He had been slightlv wounded thirteen 
 
TO THE roUUT OF CIIIXA, 
 
 69 
 
 times, and had received the distinction of a peacock's 
 feather together with a Tartar title, which was express- 
 ed in Chinese letters, Kecmg-ynng-pa too-loo, and 
 denoted '"a brav^e and gallant officer." 
 
 October 5th. All the boat-men of our fleet brought 
 cards of congratulation on account of the Chmig-tsew 
 Tsee, or Harvest-moon. Presents were given to them, 
 agreeably to the usage of the country. 
 
 October 6th. In the morning saw the mast and sails of 
 boats navigating the Yellow river, which runs some dis- 
 tance nearly on a line with the canal. O ur boats came to an- 
 chor within a quarter of a mile from where the canal enters 
 the river, without our knowing it. The Legate intended 
 to remain there all night and cross the river the next 
 morning; but a favourable breeze springing up, he 
 changed his intention, and sent to inform the Embassador 
 that he purposed getting under weigh immediately, and 
 crossing the river. Knowing the great extent which 
 the river runs, and the destructive inundations which 
 frequently take place from the impetuosity of itscurrent 
 acting on the loose alluvial soil which forms its banks, 
 the mind was worked up to expect something grand. 
 The expectation was, like all highly excited hopes and 
 expectations, disappointed. The Yellow River was' 
 here about three quarters of a mile broad; its waters 
 very muddy when agitated by a pole or an oar ; its 
 current not running more than three miles an hour: in 
 the middle it was about five fathoms deep. It presented 
 to the view a large sheet of water as the western sun 
 fell on its surface. At the distance of a few miles above 
 and below, it turned aside and intercepted the view. 
 We entered it from the canal on the N. E. side, and 
 saw, not directly across, but in a slanting direction to 
 the S. W., the mouth of the passage destined to receive 
 us. Some of the boats had considerable difficulty in 
 working up against the stream to the entrance referred 
 to, even after they had reached the opposite shore of 
 the Yellow River. They finally, however, all reached 
 the mouth of the passage called by the boatmen, the 
 
 E 3 
 
70 LoD Amherst's embassy 
 
 Tae-ping ho, where they anchored during the night. 
 Several of the gentlemen supplied themselves with bot- 
 tles full of the water of the Yellow River, as others had 
 done before with bits of the wall of Pekin. 
 
 October 7th. On the S. W. side of the river the 
 lake, called Hung-tsze-hoo, is situated. At some dis- 
 tance higher up the river than where we now lay, the 
 waters of the Yellow River are conducted into the lake> 
 and passing through it enter, part of them, the Hwae-ho, 
 ** river Hwae," and part of them again enter by the 
 Tae-ping'ho^ where we now lay, "i\\Q Yellow River.'' 
 It appears from Chinese books that during inundations 
 of the river its waters forced themselves into the Hwae- 
 ho, and it became an object to give strength and impe- 
 tus to the current of the Hwae-ho, which, as they say, 
 was effected by bringing the waters of the river through 
 the lake, and down to the river again, at the point 
 where its waters could not be resisted ; thus, as they 
 express it, they made the river oppose its own violence. 
 In books which treat of the large rivers of the Empire, 
 the Yellow River is called by way of eminence, " The 
 River." On the Hwae-ho, where the rush of water 
 was great, a plan like the above was often adopted. A 
 new channel was cut on one side of the river, and part 
 of the waters carried off, to be brought in again at the 
 distance of half a mile or a mile below. 
 
 From the Hung-tsze-hoo a great mass of water was 
 rushing through a gateway made by immense earthen 
 abutments, confined by the stem of the Kaou-leang and 
 ropes. These narrow flood-gates, made of earth, are 
 called Pa-tsze. The stone ones are called Cha as men- 
 tioned above. 
 
 We had, on the morning of the seventh, to pass the 
 first and most difficult flood-gate against the stream. 
 It was a task of some difficulty. The boats were drawn 
 through by ropes ; a large concourse of officers attend- 
 ing in case of accidents. On the bank were perpen- 
 dicular windlasses, round which the end of the rope 
 was thrown. 
 
to THE COURT OF (^IIINA* Tl 
 
 On the same day we had to pass round the pouit 
 which divides the waters of the lake, part to enter the 
 Yellow river, and part to swell the current of the Hwae- 
 ho. We had ascended one flood-gate and had to descend 
 another. The latter was formed of compact mason-work, 
 and called Teen-fei Cha^ " The lock of the celestial 
 Lady." The water of the upper part is sometimes four 
 cubits higher than the lower surface of the water. It 
 iiad been opened some time in order to diminish the 
 fall. Chinese gentlemen, however, deem it safe to go 
 on shore whilst the boats pass the lock. An elegant 
 tent was provided on shore, and the Embassador invited 
 by the Legate to go to it. The boats were laid on one 
 side of the flood-gate, and gradually brought by ropes 
 within the influence of the falling stream, when the 
 rope was slipped, and the boat shot through. It had a 
 fine effect. 
 
 Kwang and the Treasurer were both there : the old 
 Legate was polite and cheerful, as usual. The Embas- 
 sador, in consequence of an explanation, conceded to 
 Kwang, as Imperial Commissioner, the first place. The 
 Treasurer was going to take the second, which he soon 
 perceived was not agreeable, and he said, '' I have some 
 little things to attend to^ and will retire," which he did 
 immediately. 
 
 Kwang, the evening before, affirmed that the usages 
 established by law required him to take precedence 
 of Foreign Ministers, and he neither could nor would 
 decline, even at a private meeting. He wa3 late in ar- 
 riving at the spot. When he came, he said he had been 
 at the temple of the Queen of Heaven, burning incense, 
 and praying for a prosperous journey to us all. 
 
 October 8th. Early in the morning passed a large, 
 populous, unwalled town, called Tsing-keang-poo. In 
 the middle of the town there is a Cha^ or lock, with an 
 Imperial Pavilion on each side of the abutment. Over 
 the gate is written Yu-she-ting^ " The Pavilion of the 
 Imperial Ode." It is probable that some of Keen-lung\i 
 odes, made in the course of his journey to the South, 
 
72 LOUD AMHliRST's EMBASSY 
 
 were cut on stone and deposited here. The use to which 
 they are now appropriated is to store up ropes necessary 
 for the repair of the lock. Below Tsing-keang-poo 
 the banks raised on each side of the river are so high, 
 and the land behind them so low, that the tops of 
 houses and trees appear from the boats passing down 
 the stream to be on a level with the banks. 
 
 General Wang remarked in the course of conversa- 
 tion, that the wars which preceded and accompanied 
 the ascendancy of the reigning family, thinned the po- 
 pulation so much, that the earth produced great abun- 
 dance for the wants of the people. Since that period 
 there has been a vast increase of population, the con- 
 sequences of which are scarcity and poverty. In the 
 General's opinion, anothc**:* war to diminisli the popula- 
 tion would be a good thing. 
 
 October 10th. Passed Yang-chow Foo during the 
 night; which was a great disappointment to several of 
 the gentlemen of the Embassy. 
 
 October 11th, 12th, 13th. Remained at the foot of a 
 very elegant Temple and Pagoda, called Kaou-ming-sze 
 and Wan-ming-ta. An old cheerful little man, who 
 acted as commissary, and whom we denominated the 
 little governor, from his holding the situation of Che- 
 chow, opened to the Embassador and Suite the gates of 
 the Temple and the doors of the Pagoda. . The ascent to 
 the top was easy, and from the several stories a charming 
 prospect was enjoyed of the surrounding country. This 
 Temple and Pagoda were fitted up magnificently 
 for Keen-lung, and are still the property of Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 We were now to leave the boats in which we had 
 sailed ever since we entered China, and were to embark 
 on board larger and differently-constructed vessels, fitted 
 to navigate the Yang-tsze-Keang. Some of the gen- 
 tlemen here applied for horses to take an airing, but were 
 refused by the Legate, whose conduct was then blamed ; 
 but, as afterwards appeared, was induced by an order 
 from the Emperor not to allow us to go on shore. This 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 73 
 
 the Leg;ate never attempted to enforce, but, of course, 
 he could not himself furnish the means to violate the 
 order. Some of the gentlemen walked, without know- 
 ing it, in a direction for Yang-chow- Foo, which caused 
 some apprehension on the part of those whose duty it 
 was to prevent our straying. They sent a messenger 
 after them to say, we were going to get under way ; 
 which was an untruth. It however answered the pur- 
 pose that time. The gentlemen immediately returned. 
 October 14th. We dropped down to Kwa-chow, 
 which is situated on the banks of the Yang-tsze Keang. 
 The fleet was detained till the 19th by contrary winds. 
 In dropping down, the wind blew very fresh, and sent 
 the Embassador's boat with violence against the bank, 
 so as to cause it to leak a good deal. It was, however, 
 afterwards repaired so as to perform the voyage in safety. 
 Above Kwa-chow are situated the Woo-yuen, " Five 
 Gardens," which were in the last reign an Imperial resi- 
 dence. They have never been visited by Kea-king 
 since he ascended the throne, and are much out of re- 
 pair. Two, years ago one of the sage Yu-she, i. e. '^ public 
 Censors," upbraided his Majesty with the needless'expense 
 of the Five Gardens. His Majesty told him he was a 
 great blockhead for not knowing that the Emperor paid 
 no attention to them, nor spent any money whatever 
 upon them. That no money has been laid out on them 
 for many years, is perfectly apparent. 
 
 Seen from Kwa-chow rising out of the Yang-tsze- 
 Keang, which here is nearly two miles broad, there is 
 an island like the conical top of a mountain standing 
 above the water. Its sides are clothed with trees, amongst 
 which are seen light airy buildings in the Chinese man- 
 ner, and on the summit is a handsome Pagoda. This 
 island is called Kin-shan, " The Golden Hill." The Kin- 
 shan was an object of admiration to all the gentlemen 
 of the Embassy ; many wished much to visit it, but the 
 order alluded to above, prevented its being done. Be- 
 yond the Kin-shan, on the tops of the surrounding hills, 
 the white canvass tents of the soldiers produced an inter- 
 
74 LORD AMHERST S EMBASSY 
 
 esting effect; and farther still to the S. E., in the valles^ 
 and up the sides of the hills, the populous town of Chin- 
 keang appeared. That town stands at the entrance of 
 the canal which passes to Hang-chow, in Che-keang. 
 
 Kwa-chow is now in a very declining state, and the 
 walls in ruins. To accommodate the late Emperor in 
 passing to the Golden Hill, a canal v/as cut through the 
 town, and a bridge made from its Southern point across 
 the Keangto the island. Since that period, as the Go- 
 vernor of the town informed Mr. Morrison, the Tung- 
 ahwuyj ^' or fortune of the place," has gradually declined. 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 From Kwa-chow on the Yang-tsze Keang,io Kwang- 
 chow FoOy or Canton. 
 
 At Kwa-chow were several pleasant walks through 
 country lanes shaded by the foliage of trees. In one of 
 these was situated a Gan or Temple occupied by three 
 widows, who had, having no human dependance, devot- 
 ed themselves to the worship of the God Chin-te. The 
 matron was eighty years of age, and the other two up- 
 wards of fifty. One went through her morning devotions 
 in my presence. She appeared sincere, and probably 
 w^as fully persuaded in her own mind of the real existence 
 of that Being to whom she burnt incense, knelt down, 
 and offered up prayers. 
 
 To amuse the Embassador, General Wang caused a 
 few of his men to go through their exercise, in shooting 
 with bows and arrows at a target, and firing their mus- 
 kets in quick succession. After the men had shot witll 
 their bows, the old General wished some of his oflScers to 
 try, and, as is perhaps the usage in such cases, took a bow 
 and arrow, and smiling said to the Embassador, " Do 
 not laugh at me," he let fly his arrow, but it missed the 
 target. One of his officers who performed after him 
 
TO THE eOL'RT OF CfllNA. i iJ 
 
 sent hia arrow throug;h the target every shot. The 
 matchlocks performed better than it was supposed they 
 would, and eight or ten men, loading with powder only, 
 kept up in front of their party an unremitting fire. 
 
 The Legate, Treasurer, and other officers, went to the 
 Temple of the God of wind, to supplicate a favorable 
 breeze. 
 
 One of the gentlemen took out his gun and shot a crow. 
 The Legate sent to desire he would desist, lest he should 
 alarm the country people, and also because the Tartars 
 venerate the crow. The reason is the following* 
 
 The grandfather of the first Emperor of the present 
 dynasty was, when a lad, left by some accident in the 
 field of battle after the defeat of his own party. When 
 the enemy was advancing upon him, he crouched down 
 in a hole, the mouth of which was immediately sur- 
 rounded and covered by a flight of crows. The victo- 
 rious party, supposing there could be no human being 
 where the crows were sitting, passed on, and the lad was 
 saved. At the spot where this took place the Tartars 
 annually hang meat on a pole to feed the crows, and dis- 
 courage on all occasions putting them to death. 
 
 October 19th. At an early hour our fleet entered on 
 the Yang-tsze Keang, which at this place is a large and 
 rapid river. The wind was extremely light, and not 
 quite fair. The boat-men with much difHculty coasted 
 along the northern side, which was flat and marshy, 
 covered with long reeds, which are raised for fuel. 
 
 October 21st. Arrived at Kwan-yin Mim, " The gate 
 of the Goddess Kwan-yin." The arch of a bridge con- 
 necting two hills is so named. On one side of the gate is 
 situated a very picturesque rock, with shrubs hanging 
 from it over the river, which runs rapidly along at its 
 base. Its summit is crowned with trees and a Pavilion 
 called Yen-tsze Ke, perhaps, "The swallow rock." 
 Further up the stream, on the opposite side of the gate, 
 was a romantic temple built against a perpendicular rock 
 with verdure on its top. It was called ''The iron-bound 
 solitary Hill." 
 
76 LORD AMHEKSt's EMJ&ASSV 
 
 The Viceroy of Keang-nan, Gan-hwiiy, and Keang-se, 
 came to Kwan-yin Mun about twenty leagues from 
 Nan-kin to meet the Legate, to whom he appeared to 
 wish to be peronally civil. He invited the Legate to 
 breakfast. To the Embassador, gentlemen, guard, band 
 and servants, he sent presents and bestowments of sheep 
 and sweetmeats of various kinds, with a message, saying 
 he was happy to lind the Embassador and the party had 
 been Gan-tsmg, '' peaceable and quiet." To this the 
 Embassador made no reply, but sent a present in return. 
 The Viceroy sent back the present ; and it was said in 
 behalf of his Lordship, that the Viceroy's present could 
 not be received unless he took a present in return. After 
 some discussion the Viceroy sent back for his Lordship's 
 present. He did not call on the Embassador nor did the 
 Embassador propose to call on him, but sent his card to 
 say he hoped the Viceroy was well. The Viceroy whose 
 name was Pih, a man inimical to and disliked by the 
 English, sent back, according to Chinese usage, in civil 
 intercourse, the card, saying the Embassador was exces- 
 sively polite, and so on. 
 
 To-day, which proved to be the anniversary of the 
 battle of Trafalgar, the Embassador had the body-guard 
 drawn out, and examined the state of their accoutrements. 
 
 We got under way and arrived in the evening at the 
 western gate of the city of Nankin. The suburb was 
 called Hea-kwan. Here we remained till the 24th. 
 
 Without the wall of Nan-kin there are villages and 
 numerous gardens interspersed with fish-ponds. The 
 ditch or moat is a considerable width, and full of water, 
 with paths now and then across it. The streets are paved 
 with brick, and some paths are laid with rough slabs of 
 marble ; which was in great abundance in many places 
 along the banks of the Keang. 
 
 The Embassador walked towards the gate of the city, 
 which the attending officers rudely shut in his face, 
 instead of desiring him not to enter. On a representation 
 being sent to Kwang, he dispatched General Wang up, 
 and had the gate opened before the Embassador left it. 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHTNA. 77 
 
 The next day several of the gentlemen ascended a hill 
 within the gate, about a quarter of a mile high, and had 
 an extensive prospect all around. However, as far as 
 the eye could reach over the space enclosed by the walls, 
 the town did not appear, except lofty gateways and a 
 Pagoda, the famous Porcelain tower. The whole space 
 was occupied by gardens and fields, with now and then 
 a cluster of houses. Some of the gentlemen walked very 
 near what was judged to be the inhabited and populous 
 part of the town, and when the crowd began to collect, 
 returned. 
 
 The Porcelain Pagoda is called Lew-le paouTa. Lew- 
 ie is a kind of glassy substance. It is also called Keang- 
 7ian paou-gan-sze, " The Temple of Gratitude in Keang- 
 nan." Large sheets, containing a print and a description 
 of it, are sold in the streets of Hea-kwan. It was begun 
 in the 16th year of the reign of Yung-lo, of the last 
 dynasty, and finished in the 6th year of Seun-tih, being 
 19 years in building. It cost 2,485,484 taels of silver. 
 On the top were 48 catties of gold, 1400 catties of red 
 copper. Some superstitious stories are told of the God 
 of thunder pursuing demons to this spot, and there des- 
 troying them, the shock of which injured the tower: 
 The fact appears to have been, that it was struck by 
 lightning. Large grants of ground ail around v/ere 
 made to the Temple and Tower. 
 
 At a Temple in the suburbs, found three large bronze 
 vessels, cast at the expense of Ho-ching, a eunuch who 
 travelled to Bengal in the reign of Hung-he, about A. 
 D. 1424. There are in the suburbs of Nan-kin hot baths 
 for poor people. Admittance costs from four to ten 
 cash, equal to a halfpenny or a penny. The baths are in 
 a small room, which continues filled with steam. The 
 bathers are all together, and come out to dry themselves 
 and dress in a public room, in which are cupboards num- 
 bered to contain the clothes of the separate bathers. The 
 sign of one was in large characters painted against a 
 white wall, Heang shwuy yu Tang, " The bath of fra- 
 grant water." Some of the gentlemen put their heads 
 
^78 LORD AMHLHiiT's liMBASSY 
 
 into the bath, and found the fragrance any thing but 
 agreeable. 
 
 October 2 1th. The squadron moved from the jileas- 
 ant situation which it occupied before the walls of the 
 ancient capital of China. 
 
 October 27th, 28th. Were at a small creek on the 
 left bank of the Keang, called Tseen-yu-tsuy, near which 
 place wp entered the province of Gan-hwuy, and accord- 
 ingly changed officers. 
 
 Along the Yang-tsze Keang, at set distances, are ar- 
 tificial creeks for boats and large vessels which navigate 
 the river, to anchor in at nights, out of the influence of the 
 wind and current. This river was found to be much 
 more difficult to navigate, and more dangerous than 
 was at first supposed. The wind blowing against the 
 current made a very heavy swell. Some Chinese Gen- 
 tlemen were sick in consequence of the agitation. 
 
 October 30th. Passed Woo-hoo Heen. The country 
 on the left was diversified by gentle hills and rich culti- 
 vation. Thermometer at 50. We anchored at the foot 
 of a steep rugged hill, up the sides of which were small 
 temples placed fantastically ; it w^as called Se-leang Shan. 
 On the other side of the river w^as a corresponding hill 
 called Tung-leang Shan. Fancy suggested that the two 
 hills had once formed one, but by some convulsion of na- 
 ture had been rent asunder. 
 
 October 31st. Had a fine northerly breeze through- 
 out the day. Thermometer at 66. The country on 
 the right bank of the river w^as extremely pleasant. A 
 hilly undulating ground, well wooded, and spots highly 
 cultivated. In the distance was a long range of moun- 
 tains. 
 
 At 5 P.M. reached a village called Teih Keang. The 
 scenery on approaching it, was very beautiful. A great 
 variety of foliage prevailed every where. The dark au- 
 tumnal tint of some trees blending w^ith the green of 
 others, w^as exceedingly pleasing to the eye. 
 
 Near the left bank w as a small woody island, called 
 Yili-ke. A temple adorned its summit, and rocks were 
 
TO TUli COL'RT Oh CHINA. 79 
 
 r.pread along at its base. A pleasant northerly breeze, 
 a clear sky, and cool temperature, made every person 
 feel delighted with the climate. Many a wish was ex- 
 pressed, that so fine a country were more accessible to 
 persons of every clime. 
 
 On the hill above Teih-keang was a Temple dedicated 
 to Newshin, "the God of Kine." A figure of a black 
 cow, with a person sitting on it, stood in the Temple ; 
 and by the side were several marble inscriptions, con- 
 taining the names of the founders, and the views and 
 feelings of the original proposer, who invited all the 
 farmers in the neighbourhood to join in the expense. 
 
 In the streets of the village, observed a proclamation 
 respecting the English Embassy. The purport was : 
 
 " The English Embassador is about to pass this place 
 on his return. His Majesty's pleasure on the subject 
 has been received. Through the whole of the Embassy 
 not a man of the Embassy is allowed to land. Their 
 language is not known to the natives, therefore no in- 
 tercourse is permitted ; no buying or selling ; no books 
 to be sold to them. Natives are not permitted to crowd 
 about them, nor to make a clamorous noise. No females 
 are permitted to show their faces," &c. 
 
 Throughout the whole of the province of Gan-hwuy, 
 similar papers were pasted up by Government, at the 
 same time that it sent its soldiers and police-officers to 
 accompany the gentlemen who chose to walk through 
 the towns or into the country for miles around. 
 
 November 1. Stopped at Ting-kea-chow, a small 
 island. Enjoyed an agreeable walk betwixt two row^s 
 of trees, many of which were the tallow tree, of which 
 candles are made : it was called here Pe-yew-kwo-tsze, 
 and by others the La-shoo. 
 
 In this part of the country, as well as lower down, 
 many of the soldiers were arrayed in the ancient Chinese 
 helmets and coats of mail. They are now considered 
 useless, but are yet occasionally worn for ornament. 
 
 November 2. At 10 A. M. arrived at Tung-ling 
 Heen. The country around is hilly and v/ell wooded. 
 
80 LOUP Amherst's embassy 
 
 The oak and the fir were amongst the number of the 
 trees which adorned the hills and the dales. 
 
 Saw porpoises in the Yang-tsze Keang. The boat- 
 men called them " River pigs." 
 
 November 3. Remained at Ta-tung. Prom the 
 great number of public necessaries in the lanes and 
 streets, the place is very disagreeable. On the hills, 
 which are well wooded, there are pleasant walks. 
 
 From the book of a village^school extracted the 
 following couplet : 
 
 " To have good children and grand-children, constitutes happiness : 
 
 *' Though large estates be not possessed, there is no occasion for sorrow." 
 
 On the sides of the hills were numerous coffins un- 
 buried. Those in easy circumstances had a vault built 
 over them. Others had nothing but a mat laid over the 
 coffin, which mat the relations of the deceased replace 
 annually. It is probable that they are kept unburied, 
 only till the persons concerned can find a place for, 
 and perform the rites of sepulture agreeably to their 
 wishes, or till they can afford to purchase a burying- 
 place ; for, except at large towms, there is no public 
 burying-ground open to the poor. 
 
 Crossed over from Ta-tung to an island on the oppos- 
 ite side of the river, on account of the offensive smell 
 when anchored at the village. The island was called 
 Ho-ye Chow. This island is sometimes overflown by 
 the Yang-tsze Keang: when that occurs, the people 
 remove to the hills on the opposite side. Was interest- 
 ed by the appearance of a family containing four gene- 
 rations, amounting to about twenty persons, in the same 
 house. The patriarch was only 70 years of age ; at his 
 feet stood his great grand-child, whilst his son was 
 working at his father's coffin. I asked the old man 
 why he now prepared his coffin. He said he felt his 
 health decline, and he wished to have a place ready, in 
 which to rest after death. An opportunity did not 
 offer to ascertain his views of a future state of existence. 
 When asked if the sight of his coffin did not excite 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 
 
 81 
 
 iournful ideas, he replied, '' No." A mandarin with 
 me remarked, " His mouth says No, but it is not the 
 language of his heart." 
 
 In the distance is seen a lofty mountain called Kew- 
 hwa Shan, from the circumstance of a temple being 
 erected on it to the God Kew-hwa. The ascent is said 
 to be so difficult in some places, that in going up it is 
 judged necessary to attach a rope from above to the per- 
 sons ascending. At the temple are upwards of a thou- 
 sand priests. Their supplies of food are obtained from 
 the plains below. 
 
 Saturday 9th. About 2 P. M. arrived at Gan-king 
 Foo, the capital of Gan-hwuy. The gentlemen of the 
 Embassy had permission to go about the town without 
 interruption. The city is small ; the people apparently 
 wealthy, and a degree of health and colour enjoyed 
 which did not appear in other places. There is a Pa- 
 goda in the suburbs nine stories high. It is called 
 Ying-Keang Sze. Mr. Pearson ascended to its top. 
 
 November 11th. Arrived at this village last evening : 
 it is called Hwa-yuen Chin, and is about 90 leagues 
 distant from Gan-king. Rain and wind prevent our 
 proceeding. About half past four P. M., Millidge, a 
 marine, who was attached to Mr. Morrison for the 
 purposes of the Embassy, in passing along the outside 
 edge of the boat, fell overboard and was drov/ned. 
 The current was very strong. Mr. Griffith looked out 
 immediately on hearing the splash : but the man was 
 gone. The same gentleman got into a boeit, and had it 
 rowed down the stream, but could see nothing of 
 Millidge. He returned and felt with poles at the spot 
 where the man fell in, but in vain. He went down in 
 a boat a second time, whilst some of the man's comrades 
 grappled with hooked poles at the side of the boat ; but 
 all was ineffectual. Millidge was a well-behaved man^ 
 about 30 years of age. His parents were living when 
 he left England. The Chinese asked, whether having 
 lost his life in this service, his parents would be 
 rewarded. 
 
82 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 In the evening the Chinese found the body, which 
 was next morning interred with much decorum. The 
 guard and band attended. Mr. Griffith read the fu- 
 neral service. The Legate, who behaved in the most 
 gentlemanly manner on this occasion, had a stone cut 
 during the night with this epitaph : 
 
 "THE TOMB OF MILLIDGE, OXE OF THE 
 
 BODY-GUARD 
 
 OF THE 
 
 BRITISH EMBASSADOR. 
 
 NOVEMBER 12th, I8I6." 
 
 The epitaph was in Chinese characters. 
 November 12th. Al^out 3 P. M. passed a conical 
 rock about 200 feet high, situated in the middle of the 
 river. Superstition had reared, with much difficulty 
 and exj)ense, a building upon its southern side and at 
 its summit. There are supported in it about a hundred 
 priests : it is called Seaou-koo Shan, " The little orphan 
 rock, or hill." This hill is within the limits of 
 Keang-se. 
 
 In a south-east direction were seen numerous wild 
 and precipitous mountains, whilst on the north-west 
 nothing appeared but a dreary plain, the effect of which 
 was increased by a black cloudy sky and a drizzling 
 rain. 
 
 A little above the little orphan rock is situated the 
 town called Pang-tsih Heen, which occupies the valley 
 next the river, whilst its wall passes over the tops of 
 the mountains which encircle the town towards the 
 South-east. 
 
 In the evening the trackers' line broke, and left our 
 boat, with only two men on board, to drift down the 
 stream, which is rapid, and, with the wind from the 
 westward, extremely dangerous. We lost one anchor ; 
 but brought up with a second. 
 
 November 14th. Arrived at Ta-koo Tang, opposite 
 an island called Heae Shan, " Shoe-hill." It stands in 
 the mouth of the Po-yang Lake. On both sides are 
 
TO THE CO CRT OF CHINA. 
 
 83 
 
 hills of varied height. In the distance on the north- 
 west side, a lofty and remarkably poinded mountain 
 extends its huge length. On this side there is a small 
 town, with several temples in it, and a few shops in 
 which provisions are sold. 
 
 On the sides of Shoe-hill there are temples with a 
 long range of steps, by which to ascend ; and on the 
 summit is a Pagoda. During the 15th remained on 
 account of the rain. 
 
 November 16th. Proceeded up the lake, with a 
 little current against us. On the top of the Leu-shan^ 
 *' The Mountain of Retreat," snow had fallen during 
 the night, and remained shedding a white glare around 
 the summit, which, contrasted with the green below, 
 made it appear like sun-shine on the top, although the 
 sun was quite obscured. Snow which falls now, does 
 not usually melt till the fourth or sixth moon of the 
 ensuing season. Each side of the lake is here hemmed 
 in by hills of varied height. Some on the north-east 
 side are entirely sand. 
 
 The Governor of Pang-tsih Heen called, and asked, 
 amongst other questions, whether we had any opium 
 with us. He says, it is used by persons even in his poor 
 district. " There is," he said, " a preparation of tobacco 
 used as a substitute for opium, and which they call 
 Sze-yen." 
 
 In the afternoon arrived at Nan-Kang Foo, situated 
 on the border of the Lake. The walls had been recently 
 repaired, which excited a favourable anticipation as to 
 the wealth of the place. It is, however, in a very ruin- 
 ous poor state withinside. Before the town there is a 
 stone pier running parallel with the beach, and from the 
 centre of the pier a passage at right angles leads to the 
 principal gate of the town. Boats pass in behind each 
 end of the pier, and are sheltered from the agitation of 
 the Lake when it blows hard. 
 
 Up the first street are a number of the stone arch- ways 
 called Pae-fang or Pae-loo. There is on them a great 
 variety of curious sculpture, representing birds, animals, 
 
 F 2 
 
V 
 
 84 LOUD Amherst's embassy 
 
 men, horses, and so on. They bore the dates of Wan- 
 leih, and Kea-tsing, of the last dynasty. There are in 
 the town two Wan-Meaoii^ as the Temples of Confucius 
 are called ; and a Woo-Meaou^ as the Temples of Kwan- 
 Te, the military demi-god of China, are denominated. 
 
 Most of the party took extremely interesting walks 
 %o the Len^Shan, '*- Momitain of Retreat." A small 
 stream issued from the side of the mountain, and fell a 
 considerable height. It was seen distinctly from where 
 the boats lay. 
 
 November 19th. Visited the Pih-luh tung Shoo^ 
 yuen, "College of the White Stag Valley," which is 
 situated about six English miles to the north-west of 
 jNan-Kang Foo. It is a place famous in China. It was 
 anciently a national seminary, and in it Choo-foo-tsze, 
 the favourite commentator of Confucius, taught about 
 six hundred years ago. There is still bearing flowers a 
 Kwei-hwaSJioo tree which he planted with his own 
 hand. Persons are prohibited from plucking its leaves 
 or flowers. Some of the gentlemen, however, who felt 
 interested by the name of Choo-foo-tsze brought away a 
 few small twigs. 
 
 The college is situated at the further end of a beau- 
 tifully wild ravine. A torrent of water runs over a 
 broken rocky bed, which, in passing up, it is necessary 
 to cross several times. The hills are high, and more or 
 less wooded on each side, whilst beyond the stupendous 
 " Mountain of Retreat " lifts its black and rocky summit 
 in rugged points, called " The five old peaks." 
 
 This place is visited by many Chinese Scholars of 
 eminence, and the inscriptions neatly cut on a black 
 stone are very numerous. About 200 yards from the Col- 
 lege, a rock hanging over the brook is pointed out as 
 the spot where Choo-foo-tsze angled at his leisure 
 hours. 
 
 The writer of this felt more interest and pleasure from 
 a sight of this place, than from any thing else that occur- 
 red during the whole journey. 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 
 
 Sb 
 
 Wednesday, November 19th. Reached Woo-ching- 
 Chin, situated on the left bank of the Tan-ho, which 
 flows by the capital of Keang-se and enters the Po- 
 yang Lake. 
 
 Woo-ching--Chin is a great depot for the commodities 
 of various provinces. There are in the town very ele- 
 gant Hwuy Kwan^ or "halls of merchants," from the 
 same province. 
 
 There is also a very spacious and elegant temple, dedi- 
 cated to a man whose name was Heu Chin Keun, who 
 is deified, and is called " The happy Lord of Keang-se.", 
 
 His temple was by some Emperor denominated Wan- 
 show Kung, which is the name by which it is now 
 known. Here the front is decorated with various devices 
 on porcelain, and with handsome masonry. A large 
 court is formed in front, and a fine building raised 
 on the opposite side for the public performance of 
 plays. 
 
 November 21st. Arrived at Nan-chang Foo, the 
 capital of Keang-se, where we had to quit the boats 
 with which we had navigated the Yang-tsze Keang and 
 the Po-yanglake. Theremainingpartof the journey was 
 by the same road as the gentlemen of Lord Macartney's 
 Embassy. 
 
 Whilst at Nan-chang Foo, an alarming fire broke out 
 in the evening in the suburbs, on the banks of the river. 
 Our fire engines were offered to the Legate, who, with 
 many professions of thanks, declined accepting them, as 
 it was the duty of the local officers to see the fire ex- 
 tinguished, not his. In about the space of two hours 
 they succeeded. 
 
 November 27th. The Legate sent a covered boat to 
 take the Embassador, and any other gentlemen Vv^ho 
 chose to accompany him, to see a temple called Hwa 
 Wang MeaoUy " The temple of the King of flowers." 
 His Majesty is represented seated on a fantastic group 
 of rocks, surrounded by gay divinities, male and female, 
 for each month of the year. The figures were quite 
 new, and painted in the most lively colours. The 
 
 F 3 
 
8*6 LORD Amherst's embassy 
 
 temple was supported by the salt merchants in the 
 neighbourhood, who in an adjoining hall had placed an idol 
 denominated Tsae-shiriy " The God of wealth." Before 
 him was a stage for theatrical exhibitions, which are 
 blended with the service of all the temples. 
 
 On the evening of the 27th reached a village called 
 She-chih. In front of the boats saw an instance of the 
 harsh usage to which the people in China are subjected 
 from the police runners, who are armed and dressed 
 like soldiers. A respectable-looking man, walking 
 quietly away, was seized by the tail and the beard, and 
 dragged away to receive Ta-pan-tsze^ " A bambooing." 
 On enquiring the cause, it was affirmed that he had Ma- 
 kwaiiy '^ used insolent language to an officer of the 
 government." 
 
 At Nan-chang Foo, three hundred boats had been 
 put in requisition for the Embassy, and had been detain- 
 ed two months. Having received no pay for a whole 
 month, they appealed to Government for support, and 
 had then to each boat 150 cash, that is about fourteen 
 pence daily, given them. 
 
 December 2nd. Mr. Hayne's boat struck against a 
 rock and filled with water ; the boatmen ran her on shore 
 and saved every thing: his clothes and books were, 
 however, much injured. In the evening the boat, al- 
 ready repaired, overtook the rest of the fleet, and was 
 again taken possession of by the gentlemen who had 
 been wrecked in her at noon. 
 
 The fleet now consisted of about a hundred boats, 
 which, passing with their sails spread up the river Kan- 
 keang, whose stream, clear as crystal, meanders at the 
 foot of hills and mountains, formed a fine sight. 
 
 December 5th. All the boatmen in our fleet sent a 
 petition to the Embassador, requesting a pecuniary gra- 
 tuity to enable them to perform the usual rites, before 
 passing the eighteen rocky rapids, called Shih-pa-tan. 
 The Legate sent a Tan-sze, " Master of the Rapids,"or 
 pilot, and a soldier, to assist in each boat. The river 
 in this neighbourhood abounds with rocks just above 
 
TO THE COUKT OF CHINA. 5t 
 
 Water, the passage between which is frequently very 
 narrow. The bed of the river is a ravine enclosed 
 by hills and mountains, generally barren, but now 
 and then clothed with firs, and occasionally a few trees 
 of other kinds along the shore. The morning of the 
 7th set in with a cheerful sun, but became overcast with 
 thick black clouds, which hung on the tops of the 
 mountains, and gave the whole a wild gloomy ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 December 10th. All the boats were provided with 
 new tow-ropes, to drag the boats up the " Pillars oC 
 Heaven," which is the name of a dangerous rapid. Wo 
 saw the recent wreck of a fine boat as we ascended the 
 rapid. In the evening arrived at Kan-chow Foo, where 
 two streams unite. One comes from the province of Fuh- 
 Keen, and the other, called the " Western River," from 
 the mountain Mei-ling, which divides Canton from 
 Keang-se. 
 
 Early the next morning walked half-way round tho 
 ramparts to an elegant Pagoda nine stories high. The 
 external appearance was compared by De Guignes, but 
 with little propriety, to the bamboo bonnets of poor 
 Chinese piled on each other. Several gentlemen as- 
 cended the Pagoda to view the surrounding country. 
 
 December loth. Passed some very beautiful spots 
 in the morning. The stream is clear as possible. The 
 bottom generally pebbly. The hills and plants on each 
 side throw a dark hue upon the surface of the w^ater, 
 which runs a continually winding course. The nume- 
 rous water-wheels described by former travellers, in 
 constant motion and siiaded by green foliage, along the 
 banks of the limpid stream, delighted the eye. 
 
 The Legate has on two or three occasions of late or- 
 dered his own boatmen, and those of some other boats, 
 to be beaten with twenty stripes for not getting their 
 boats on with greater expedition. Those who dragged 
 the boats were exposed to the rain from heaven, and 
 walked a great part of the day up to the middle in 
 water. That in times of perfect tranquillity, for a 
 state of rebellion and anarchy does not apply, that in a 
 
88 LORD amiierst's embassy 
 
 state of perfect tranquillity a poor man who has labour- 
 ed all day in the profession to which he is devoted, 
 shall be liable at the close of the day to twenty blows 
 upon his bare breast, a punishment at once ignominious 
 and painful, merely because he could not bring his 
 labours to the successful close which some others did, is 
 really detestable. The minds w^hich can inflict, and the 
 minds which can bear such treatment, how different 
 from the minds of Englishmen ! 
 
 December 18th. Arrived at Nan-gan Foo. Here 
 we had to disembark in order to pass the Mei-ling 
 Mountain: the first land-journey which we had to take 
 since leaving Tung-chow. 
 
 A Ktmg'Kwan, " Public or Government lodging," 
 was provided on shore. There were three houses. 
 That intended for the Embassador was very good for a 
 Chinese house. One of the others was that in which 
 the Dutch Embassy had been lodged twenty years ago. 
 The Frenchman who was of that party, had written his 
 name on one of the wooden pannels of the window, with 
 a black-lead pencil. The name is still perfectly legible : 
 thus, 
 
 ^^ de guines Tozy 
 1795." 
 Mr. Tozy was a Dutchman, seen by the persons of the 
 present Embassy at Batavia. It was remarked, on 
 seeing these names, " How frequently the Chinese wash 
 their houses!" 
 
 On the 19th the presents were carried across the 
 mountain. The large glasses cost 120 taels to transport 
 them over it. 
 
 December 20th. The Embassador and suite, some 
 in chairs and some on horseback, performed the journey. 
 The pass on the top of the mountain is about 30 Chinese 
 leagues from Nan-gan Foo, and 90 from Nan-heung 
 Foo on the Canton side. There is a paved path all 
 along the valley on each side of the hill. Towards the 
 top the difficulty of ascent is lessened by steps, distant 
 from each other about three or four feet. The path. 
 
TO THE roCJRT OF CHINA. 89 
 
 cut down through the solid black rock, was made du- 
 ring the dynasty Tang, about a thousand years ago, by 
 an individual who had retired from Court. A tablet 
 still remains, which, it is said, was erected at the time, 
 but it is now illegible. An arched gate-way of brick 
 stands in the middle of the pass. It had a tower on the 
 top of it, but it is now fallen down. On one side of the 
 gate it is Keang-se province, on the other the province 
 of Kwang-tung, Canton. The view towards Keang-se 
 is very wild and dreary. Towai'ds Canton, the view is 
 intercepted by hills on each side of the passage, and a 
 few trees give it a pleasing eifect just as you pass through 
 the gate ; but none of the " flourishing fields and gar- 
 dens'' mentioned in the accounts of the last Embassy, 
 as " laid at the feet " of the traveller, are to be seen after 
 getting through the defile just mentioned ; the prospect 
 is just as dreary and barren as on the Keang-se side of 
 the mountain. 
 
 On the sides of the rock in the pass are various in- 
 scriptions cut out. Teen lejin tsingy " Heavenly prin- 
 ciples and humane feelings," apparently applied to the 
 man who made the pass, appear in very large characters. 
 His image is placed in a Temple on the Canton side of 
 the gate, and is worshipped with divine honours. In 
 the Temple a Mei-hwa Shoo, " Mei flov/er tree," was in 
 full blossom. From this tree the name Mei-ling, "the 
 Mountain of the Mei-flower," is derived. 
 
 Dec. 21st. At Nan-heuns* Foo the Embassy apfain 
 embarked in small boats, the river being extremely 
 shallow. 
 
 Dec. 26th. At Chaou-chow Foo removed to larger 
 boats, in which on the first of January 1817 we arrived 
 at Canton. 
 
 Captain Maxwell in his barge, attended by about 
 twenty ships' boats, filled wnth officers and gentlemen, 
 came to meet the Embassador. The American Consul 
 B. C. Wilcocks, Esquire, joined the party in a boat car- 
 rying the American colours. 
 
 In the evening his Lordship landed in State at a Tem- 
 ple called Hae-chang-sze, situated on an islet opposite 
 
60 LORD AMHERST S EMfiASSV 
 
 the European factories at Canton. It had been fitted up 
 in a most splendid manner, in a st}^le partly Chinese and 
 partly English, under the direction of J. B. Urmston, 
 Esquire, of the Select Committee of Supra-cargoes. In 
 the evening his Lordship took his New-year's dinner 
 with a large party of Englishmen at the Honorable Com- 
 pany's Factory. The gentlemen of the Embassy were 
 delighted to meet againtheir countrymen, who had long 
 anxiously expected them. Every heart was glad. 
 
 January 1st. The Legate waited on the Embassador 
 to congratulate him on his arrival. Several days were 
 occupied in arranging the etiquette of an interview with 
 the Viceroy. 
 
 On the 7th he, the Foo-yuen, and the Hoppo, were 
 received by the Embassador and two Commissioners. 
 He brought, carried by thirty-six bearers, in a little 
 yellow sedan chair, a letter from the Emperor of China 
 to the Prince Regent. Lord Amherst, Sir George 
 Staunton, and Mr. Ellis, had the precedence resigned 
 to them by the Viceroy and other two officers. 
 
 The Viceroy mentioned that the duties of the Hewit 
 had been remitted in consideration of her bringing out 
 the presents. He next adverted to his Imperial Majes- 
 ty's bounty in permitting the trade for so great a length 
 of time. The Embassador said, he believed it was a 
 mutual benefit to both countries. The Viceroy wished 
 that obligation and dependance should be acknow- 
 ledged; but when he found that such a tone was un- 
 pleasant, he said, ''Well, we will not speak on subjects 
 that may excite angry feelings may amity long con- 
 tinue ! " The Embassador wished him health and pros- 
 perity, and so took his leave. An entertainment was 
 presented in the name of the Emperor. 
 
 January 9th. The Embassador returned the Legate's 
 visit. The old gentleman was cheerful and chatty as 
 usual. A few days after, on the invitation of Sir George 
 Staunton, he met the Embassador at the Factory, and 
 sat down to an entertainment with a large party of 
 officers and gentlemen. 
 
TO THE COURT OF CHINA. 91 
 
 January 19th. He waited on Lord Amherst to take 
 his final leave, and expressed a hope that the Embassa- 
 dor would represent matters to his own Sovereign in a 
 way calculated to preserve peace and good-will between 
 the two countries. 
 
 On the 20th the Embassy left Canton. His Lordship 
 and suite went to Whampoa in Captain Maxwell's^ 
 barge. The band and guard preceded, and two lines 
 of boats followed. The Viceroy placed himself in a 
 boat on the river where his Lordship had to pass in 
 order to take leave of him. Numerous salutes were 
 fired all the way down the river. 
 
 January 23rd. The Embassador and suite landed at 
 Macao. Chinese troops were marched into the town 
 to receive his Lordship on the beach. 
 
 Before he sailed an interesting document was ob- 
 tained. It was a manifesto written by the Emperor's 
 own hand, and addressed to the whole world, to foreign 
 nations as well as to his Tartar and Chinese subjects. 
 In this he expresses regret and shame for what was 
 done: to take blame to himself was all that he could 
 suffer, but the courtiers who had deceived him he de- 
 livered to be tried by the proper tribunal : They decreed 
 that the Duke should have his title taken from him ; 
 that Moo should be laid aside entirely; that Soo should 
 be degraded to the fifth rank, and that Kwang should 
 be made a subordinate secretary of the 8th rank, and 
 next spring, on his return, be sent to Tartary to offi- 
 ciate there. The Emperor pitied his brother-in-law 
 the Duke, and retained his title, but took from him all 
 his important situations. Soo, if he behaved well 
 eight years, might be permitted to supplicate restora- 
 tion to his dignities. This however was like adding 
 mockery to degradation, for Soo is now nearly seventy 
 years of age, and will, should the grave not become his 
 habitation ere the period of probation be expired, be 
 unfitted by extreme old age to hold any important 
 public situation. 
 
 The Duke and Moo reported from Tung-chow that the 
 Embassador was daily performing the Tartar ceremony 
 
k 
 
 92 LORD amkeust's embassy 
 
 with a degree of veneration and respect that merited the 
 highest commendation; a statement founded on a posi- 
 tive untruth. Men, who can deliberately and officially 
 write an absolute falsehood, whatever their rank may 
 be, sink very low in the estimation of every well-regu- 
 lated mind. Their degradation can scarcely be regret- 
 ted. The most ludicrous occurrence is the case of the 
 loquacious Judge of Chih-le, who was introduced to the 
 reader in the preceding pages. He went to Court and 
 informed his Majesty of the lectures he had given, and 
 the questions which he had put to the English. The 
 answer he received was : " I did not send you to lecture, 
 nor to ask questions, but to see the Embassy safely and 
 quietly out of the Province ; for your officiousness you 
 shall suffer." My Lord Judge was forthwith degrad- 
 ed and sent into banishment. 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 
 Notices respecting Mohammedans and Jews. 
 
 Mohammedans were found in every part of our 
 journey. They frequently hold situations in the Go- 
 vernment. 
 
 On the evening of September 10th, whilst walking 
 on shore, at a village called Too-leaou, about fifty miles 
 from Teen-tsin, I observed written on the lantern of a 
 poor huckster's shop Hwuy-Hwuy laou teen, '^ An old 
 Mohammedan Shop." On stopping to ask the owner, 
 who was an old man, whence he came, he replied, from 
 Se-yang, " The Western ocean." When urged to say, 
 from what country of the west, he said he did not know. 
 He understood his family had been in the place in which 
 he now was for five generations. 
 
 He informed me that there were many Mohammedans 
 in the neighbourhood ; they had aLe-paeSze, "temple 
 for worship;" they observed every third and seventh 
 
TO THE COURT OP CHINA. 93 
 
 day, chiefly the seventh. They used for the Chinese 
 word Teeiiy "Heaven," the word Choo, "Lord or Sove- 
 rei|2:n." 
 
 The old man could not read : he did not cease to sell 
 commodities on the Sabbath. 
 
 October 13th. At a temple of Fuh, near Kvva- chow, 
 met with a gentleman who held a situation in the Go- 
 vernment : on entering into conversation with him, it 
 appeared that he was a Mohammedan. 
 
 He said he understood the Mohammedans came over 
 to China during the dynasty Tans:, about 1200 years 
 ago. 
 
 In Chinese the Mohammedans express the Deity by 
 Choo^ " Lord," and not by Shin, " a god or spirit ;" be- 
 cause, he said, "the gods, Shin, were included in things 
 created." 
 
 " We," said he, " venerate the Lord, who is the true 
 Lord of what exists and what does not ; the Creator of 
 all things. He is not like any thing ; not to be com- 
 pared to any thing : the one only true Lord." He 
 called the Sabbath by the name of" Choo-ma-urh^'' 
 
 He informed me that at Kae-fung Foo, in Honan pro- 
 vince, there were a few families denoted Teaou-kin 
 Keaou,'' the plucking-sinew sect," because they take 
 away the sinews from all the flesh which they eat. They 
 also had a Le-paeSze, or " Temple of Worship." They 
 observed the eighth day as a Sabbath. He regarded 
 them the same as the Teen-chow Keaoii, which is the 
 name by which the Christians are known in China. 
 
 The above statement exactly corresponds with what 
 is related in Grosier, on the authority of a Romish Mis- 
 sionary. That person saw and conversed with the peo- 
 ple of whom he spake, and he considered them as Jews. 
 
 The gentleman felt a little unwilling to converse on 
 the subject of religion ; said it was not their custom to 
 do it ; but to satisfy the curiosity of a stranger, and as 
 I had been civil to his brother, he now did so. The 
 Priest of Buddah was sitting by and handing tea all the 
 time. 
 
94 LORD amheust\s embassy 
 
 November 27. At Nang-chang' Foo, the capital of 
 Keang-se, v/as visited by a young military Mohamme- 
 <lan officer. He said that in Keang-nan they had 36 
 Mosques ; where we then w^ere^ there were three. He 
 affirmed the same as the persons above-mentioned re- 
 specting the terms used for the Deity. Respecting the 
 Chinese word, " Heaven," and Shin, " spirit," he said, 
 *' Heaven was created by the Lord, so were the Shin, 
 ^spirits.'" 
 
 Their Sabbath occurs on our Friday. In the Chinese 
 Calendar it falls on the days Kang, New, Low, Kwei, 
 which are four of seven characters applied to days suc- 
 cessively. The teachers or priests they call Laoii-sze 
 Foo. There is one w^ho expounds, sitting on the Sabbath. 
 Thirty or forty attend at Nan-chang Foo. Require the 
 people to pray five times a-day ; the prayers are not 
 translated from the Arabic. There are no books in 
 Chinese containing the service or doctrines of the sect. 
 The term in Arabic answering to the Chinese Hwuy- 
 hwuy, he understands to be Moo-se-ne-ma-na, probably 
 Musselman, Return on Sabbath from the Mosque to 
 their usual avocations. 
 
 The young officer said many of the sect were not 
 very strict. He himself took a little wine to strengthen 
 his arms for shooting with the bow. 
 
 SECTION IX. 
 
 Religion and Morals. 
 
 In passing through a country, secluded from general 
 intercourse with its inhabitants, little can be ascertained 
 as to the effect of religious or moral principles on the 
 human mind. 
 
 The very frequent decay and ruin in which the tem- 
 ples of superstition were found by the present travellers. 
 
TO THE COtTIlT OF CHINA. 95 
 
 seemed to denote a decay of the sentiments which 
 prompted the rearing of those edifices. 
 
 What the prophet Isaiah said of Judea two thousand 
 years ago is still true of China, ' their land aho is full of 
 idols ; they worship the work of their own hands that 
 which their own fingers have made,'' [Is. ii, 8.] 
 
 The sect of Fuh or " Buddah," is more prevalent than 
 that of Taou. There are some temples of the latter 
 which appear occupied by the priests of the former. 
 One temple occurred to the writer of this, which seemed 
 to be of neither sect. Bloody sacrifices had been offer- 
 ed to the idol, the steps to whose altar were yet red 
 with gore. Time did not permit a fuller investigation, 
 as there was no person on the spot who could give any 
 satisfactory account of it. A calculator of the fates of 
 men sat at the gate, with his apparatus about him, but he 
 could not tell to whom the temple was dedicated. The 
 fortune-telling superstition seemed very prevalent in 
 some towns ; the professors of the art kept regular shops, 
 
 *Tis liberty alone that gives the flower 
 
 Of fleeting life its lustre and perfume ; 
 
 And we are weeds without it. All constraint 
 
 Except what wisdom lays on evil men. 
 
 Is evil ; hurts the faculties ; impedes 
 
 Their progress in the road of Science ; Hinds 
 
 The eye-sight (f discovery ; and begets, 
 
 In them that suffer it, a sordid mind 
 
 JBestial, a meagre intellect, unfit 
 
 To be the tenant of man's noble form. 
 
 Coivpcr. 
 
 China does not enjoy liberty. Her government is a 
 military despotism. Her virtues and her vices are those 
 of slaves. Always artful, suspicious, intriguing, the 
 Chinese are complaisant and servile, or insolent and do- 
 mineering, according to circumstances. They affect 
 great care to prevent irregular intercourse of the sexes ; 
 and yet are well known to be very debauched. Inde- 
 cent representations were found every where exposed 
 
96 LOKl) A>JIiEK.ST\s EMBASSY 
 
 the same as at Canton. The strong arm of power inti- 
 midates them, and they acquire a habit of departing from 
 the truth. Of this numerous instances occurred in the 
 course of the journey. 
 
 The Tartars were generally more proud and haughty 
 than the Chinese. 
 
 If " barbarity" or being "barbarous" expresses some- 
 thing savage, rude and cruel, the present inhabitants of 
 China do not deserve the epithet ; if it expresses a cun- 
 ning, selfish policy, endeavouring to deceive, to intimi- 
 date, or to brow-beat, as occasion may require, connect- 
 ed with an arrogant assumption of superiority on all 
 occasions, instead of cultivating a liberal, candid, friend- 
 ly intercourse with men of other nations^ they are Bar- 
 barians. 
 
 FINIS, 
 
 JfAMES NICHOLS, PRINTER, Z, WARWICK-SQUARE, LONDON. 
 
r H r: 
 
 WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 A SERMON, 
 
 DELIVERED BEFORE THE WE6I.EYAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY, IN GREAT QUEEN STREET 
 CHAPEL, LONDON, APRIL 28th, 1837; 
 
 AND IN 
 
 GROSVENOR STREET CHAPEL, MANCHESTER, ON BEHALF OF THE EAST LANCASHIRE 
 AUXILIARY TO THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY, JUNE SOra. 
 
 REV. JOHN HARRIS, 
 
 AUTHOR OF " MAJIMON," " TUK GREAT TEACHER," "BRITANNIA," ETC. 
 
 LONDON: 
 THOMAS WARD & CO., 27, PATERNOSTER ROW; 
 
 AND ELLERBY, MANCHESTER. 
 
 1837. 
 
%u 
 
 T. C. Savill, Printer, St. Martin's Lane, Cliaring Cross 
 
TO 
 
 THE DIRECTORS AND FRIENDS 
 
 THE WESLEYAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY, 
 
 AXD OF THE 
 
 EAST LANCASHIRE AUXILIARY TO THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY, 
 
 HOLDING THEIR ANNUAL MEETING IN MANCHESTER, 
 
 THE FOir.OWINO 
 
 PREACHED AT THEIR RESPECTIVE ANNIVERSARIES 
 
 AND PUBLISHED AT THEIR REQUEST, 
 
 IS MOST RKSPECTFULLV INSCRIBED, 
 
 BY THEIR HUMBLE SERVANT, 
 
 JOHN HARRIS. 
 
THE 
 
 WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 ISAIAH. xLin. 12. 
 
 ** YE ARE MY WITNESSES, SAITH THE LORD, THAT I AM GOD." 
 
 There is one important respect in which all objects in the 
 universe, from the atom to the arch-angel, unite : all are 
 witnesses for God. He who made all things for himself, 
 has so made them, that, voluntarily or involuntarily, ac- 
 cording to their respective natures, they distinctly attest the 
 divine existence and character. He has not left it contin- 
 gent whether they give such testimony or not. The great 
 name of the Maker is inwoven into the texture of every- 
 thing he has made. So that even if the creature possess 
 a will, and that will become depraved, and guiltily with- 
 hold its intelligent testimony to the divine existence, an 
 eloquent and incorruptible witness is still to be found in the 
 physical constitution of that creature ; if the fool should 
 say in his heart, *' There is no God," every pulse of that 
 heart replies, " There is," and every atom of that vital organ 
 adds, " He is thy Maker." 
 
 As the nature of the material witnesses differ, it follows 
 of course that the manner in which they render their evi- 
 
 B 
 
\u- 
 
 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 dence will vary accordingly. In regard to some of them, the 
 marks of design and beneficence are so obvious that they 
 may be said to be ever speaking for God, without solicita- 
 tion, the divine signature is visibly imprinted on their 
 surface. In regard to others, the evidence lies deeper, and 
 must be sought for patiently. In such cases, while the 
 witnesses are under examination, while the investigation is 
 proceeding from link to link in the chain of evidence, the 
 ungodly sometimes unseasonably exult, and the timid and 
 uninformed believer in revelation trembles for the issue. 
 But he need not. Let him only wait confidently, as God 
 does, till the examination be complete, till the inquiry has 
 reached the last link of the chain, and that link will invari- 
 ably be found in the hand of God. 
 
 Chemistry once the stronghold of the sceptic has long 
 since discovered that no substance in nature is simple and 
 unmixed; in other words, that everything is in a made 
 state, that even the atom is an artificial, manufactured 
 thing : so that an argument for God lies hid in every 
 particle of which the globe is composed ; and a witness is 
 in reserve in every pebble we pass ; and a final appeal is 
 lodged for him in the elements, or first principles, of all 
 things : thus demolishing the altar which scepticism had 
 erected to the eternity of the world, and replacing it by an 
 altar dedicated and inscribed to the Divine Creator. So 
 that, if we hold our peace, or withhold our homage, the very 
 stones will cry out. 
 
 Geology, the voice of the earth, the Pompeii of natural 
 religion, the witness now under examination, a witness 
 raised from the grave of a former world, is producing her 
 primitive formations, to shew that even thei/ are in a made 
 state, and her fossil skeletons, to shew that they bear indu- 
 bitable marks of having come from the hand of the one 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 7 
 
 Great Designer : leaving us to infer, that, could we reach 
 the foundation of the earth, we should find it inscribed with 
 the name of the Divine Architect that, could we penetrate 
 to the central atom of the globe, it would speak for God ; 
 and thus impelling us to erect, out of the wreck of a former 
 world, a temple to Him who hath created all things new. 
 
 Astronomy leads us forth into the vast amphitheatre of 
 nature, to gaze on ten thousand times ten thousand burning 
 worlds : and are they not all witnesses for God ? For are 
 they not all in motion ? This is not nature, but miracle. 
 The first miracle was the production of matter ; the second, 
 to make that matter move. Its natural state is rest ; but here 
 are unnumbered myriads of material worlds in motion, out of 
 their natural state, in an artificial, constrained, preterna- 
 tural state. They are all God*s witnesses. The stars in their 
 courses fight against irreligion. Each of them, obediently 
 followed, is a star of Bethlehem a guide into the Divine 
 presence. Each of them rushes through immensity as a 
 miracle and a messenger from God to the universe, pro- 
 claiming " There is a God, and the hand of that God is 
 upon me :" and all of them unite yes, this is the real 
 music of the spheres, the chorus of creation ! all of them 
 unite in proclaiming his eternal power and godhead. In 
 the estimation of the psalmist, the creation is a vast temple ; 
 and often did he summon the creatures, and join them in 
 a universal song of praise. And John heard the chorus. 
 The noise and din of a distracted world may drown their 
 voices here ; '' But," saith he, " every creature which is in 
 heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as 
 are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, 
 Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him 
 that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever." 
 Thus nature, with all her myriad voices, is ever making 
 
 B 2 
 
8 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 affirmation and. oath of the divine existence, and filling 
 the universe with the echo of his praise. 
 
 But since the period of the creation, a new state of things 
 has arisen, and a new order of witnesses has consequently 
 become necessary. Sin has entered the world. Man hiis 
 fallen away from his Maker, and has renounced the divine 
 authority. To say, therefore, that there is a God, and that 
 that God is wise, powerful, and good, is only to say, in 
 effect, that there is ground for the greatest apprehension 
 and alarm : for sin is a guilty impeachment of that wisdom, 
 a hostile defiance of that power, and a wilful affront of 
 that goodness. The question, therefore, now arises, what 
 is the course which the offended Majesty of heaven is likely 
 to take towards us ? What, under these new circum- 
 stances, are the new terms on which we stand with him ? 
 W^i'ZZ justice have free course against us ? And, if not, what 
 is to turn it aside ? On this anxious topic, nature has 
 received no instructions, and is silent. " The Depth saith, 
 ' It is not in me.^ " Clouds of gloom have gathered and 
 settled into thick darkness round about his throne, and 
 whether the light that will eventually burst forth from that 
 gloom will be a fierce flash to scathe and destroy, or a 
 genial ray to enkindle hope, nature could not foretel. By 
 the introduction of sin, our condition had become preter- 
 natural, and the voice that speaks to us, therefore, must be 
 supernatural. God must become his own witness. 
 
 And he did so. Breaking the fearful silence which sin 
 had produced, and which might have lasted for ever, he 
 spoke to us. And every accent he uttered was an accent 
 of love. His first sentence contained hope for the world. 
 He signified that it was his divine intention to save, and 
 announced, at once, a coming Redeemer. Then God is 
 love ! The great question is answered the grand secret has 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 transpired, that God is love f And the world must know it. 
 The veil which sin had raised between God and us has 
 fallen and, behold, " God is love !" And every creature 
 under heaven must hear of it. The happiness of every 
 man depends on his knowing it. " This is life eternal, to 
 know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou 
 hast sent.** 
 
 But if the knowledge of the divine character be thus 
 indispensable, how shall that knowledge be made most 
 accessible and available? As nations multiply, and one 
 generation succeeds another, how shall this sacred treasure 
 be preserved and transmitted ? Depravity will tamper with 
 its holiness; who shall guard it from polluted hands? 
 Penitence and fear will question its truth ; who shall en- 
 courage them to believe it? Unbelief will dispute its 
 authenticity; who shall bear witness for God? All will 
 need it, for it is essential to salvation ; how shall it be made 
 accessible ? 
 
 Now these questions had been anticipated by the eternal 
 mind, and all these necessities provided for, in his purpose 
 of instituting a church, a society of witnesses for God. 
 The design of this divine institution, indeed, is twofold 
 partly, to promote the welfare of its own members, but 
 principally to be a witness for God, an instrument of his 
 mercy to the world. It is first a focus, in which all the 
 light from heaven should meet, and all the sanctified excel- 
 lence of earth be collected and combined ; that it might 
 next be a centre, whence the light of truth might constantly 
 radiate, and pour forth in all directions over the face of the 
 earth. 
 
 And, accordingly, the general remarks to which I would 
 now solicit your devout attention relate to the following 
 important positions : that the church of God is expressly 
 
10 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 designed, in its relative capacity, and as the depositary of 
 the knowledge of salvation, to be his witness to the world ; 
 that in every age it has prospered or declined in propor- 
 tion as it has fulfilled or neglected this special office ; that 
 its motives and its responsibility for answering this end are 
 greater now than at any preceding period of its history ; 
 and that this consideration should induce its members 
 anxiously to survey its wants and its resources for answering 
 that end : and may the divine Founder of the church be 
 graciously present by his Spirit to aid our meditations. 
 
 First, then, I would illustrate the great truth that the 
 church of God is expressly designed, in its relative capacity, 
 and as the depositary of the knowledge of salvation, to be 
 his witness to the world. 
 
 Passing by all the interesting illustrations of this truth 
 which might be drawn from antediluvian and patriarchal 
 history, let us confine our attention to the Jewish and 
 Christian churches. And here, on viewing these churches 
 together, as parts of a great whole, we are instantly struck 
 with the different ways in which they concur to answer 
 their design as witnesses for God. The Jewish church was 
 a local stationary witness ; and the duty of the world was 
 to come and receive its testimony : the Christian church is 
 not local and stationary, but is to go to the world. The 
 Jewish church was an oracle, and the world was expected 
 to come and inquire at its shrine : the Christian church is 
 an oracle also, but instead of waiting for the world to come 
 to it, it is commanded to go into all the world, and to 
 testify the gospel of the grace of God to every creature. 
 
 In accordance with this representation of the Jewish 
 church, we find that it contained every prerequisite for 
 answering its end as a stationary witness for God ; nothing 
 was omitted calculated to promote this object; its early 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 11 
 
 history was a history of miracles, to excite the attention, 
 and draw to itself the eyes of the wonder-loving world ; 
 its ritual was splendid and unique ; its members were dis- 
 tinguished in character from those of every other commu- 
 nity on the face of the earth ; its creed, or testimony, was 
 eminently adapted to the existing state of the world, for it 
 proclaimed a God, and promised a Saviour ; its members 
 possessed a personal interest in the truth of the testimony 
 they gave ; and, what was especially important, its geogra- 
 phical position was central. That large portion of the 
 earth, whose waters flow into the Mediterranean, is the 
 grand historical portion of the world as known to the an- 
 cients. Judea was situated in the midst of it, like the sun 
 in the centre of the solar system. Placed at the top of the 
 'Mediterranean, it was, during each successive monarchy, 
 always within sight of the nations; and its temple-fires, 
 like the Pharos of the world, were always flinging their 
 warning light across the gross darkness of heathenism pro- 
 testing against idolatry, witnessing for the one living and 
 true God, inviting the nations to come and worship before 
 him, and foretelling the advent of One whose light should 
 enlighten the world. 
 
 Thus studiously adapted, and divinely qualified to act 
 as a stationary witness for God to the world, the Jewish 
 church is called on in the text to appear in this its official 
 capacity, and the idolatrous nations are summoned to Judea 
 to receive its testimony. Ages had elapsed since that 
 church had been called into existence, but still the worship 
 of idols prevailed. Now, therefore, God is sublimely re- 
 presented as determined to bring the great question to a 
 close ; his voice is heard issuing his mandate to all the 
 nations of the earth, to all the idols and their votaries, to 
 appear in Judea ; and then calling forth the Israelites to 
 
12 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 give evidence in his behalf. " Bring forth the blind peo- 
 ple that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears the sense- 
 less idolators ; let all the nations be gathered together, and 
 let the people be assembled : what god among them can 
 shew us former things ? Let them bring forth their wit- 
 nesses, that they may be justified; or, if they cannot do it, 
 let them hear me, and acknowledge that what I say is 
 truth. Ye people of Israel are my witnesses, saith the 
 Lord, that I, even I, am God, and besides me there is no 
 Saviour." 
 
 As if the Almighty had said " It is high time to bring 
 this great controversy to a final decision ; let all my rivals 
 come." And we are to suppose them assembling : Moloch, 
 " besmeared with infant blood," and all the cruel gods of the 
 Ammonites ; Rimmon, Ashtaroth, and all the licentious 
 idols of Syria; Baal, Dagon, Tammuz, and all the false 
 deities of Phoenicia; Apis, and all the monster-deities of 
 Egypt. " Let them come from their fabled resorts in Ida, 
 from the heights of Olympus, from the shrines of Delphos 
 and Dodona, from their temples, groves, and hills, the 
 whole pantheon, the thirty thousand gods of heathen my- 
 thology, with all their retinue of priests and worshippers. And 
 now," saith Jehovah, " having assembled, let them produce 
 their witnesses to justify their conduct in receiving worship ; 
 and for this end, let them prove that one of their pretended 
 prophecies was ever fulfilled. I am content to rest my 
 claims on that single proof. Are they silent ? Then let my 
 witnesses stand forth ; let the nation of Israel appear. De- 
 scendants of the patriarchs, children of the prophets, ye are 
 my witnesses. Testify in my behalf before this assembled 
 and idolatrous world. Read in their hearing the history 
 of my conduct towards you, from the day that I brought you 
 out of Egypt to the present moment, and they will be con- 
 
V 
 
 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 13 
 
 Strained to admit the fact of my existence, and the doctrine 
 of my superintending providence. Tell them of all the 
 miracles I have wrought in your behalf, and thus you will 
 be witnesses to my almighty power. Inform them of all 
 your apostacies from me, and rebellions against me, and of 
 the way in which I have borne with and pardoned you, and 
 thus you will be witnesses to my infinite patience. Tell 
 them of all the predictions which I have caused my pro- 
 phets to utter, and of the literal fulfilment they have re- 
 ceived, and thus you will testify to my omniscience. Take 
 them, in solemn procession, to Sinai, and repeat the laws 
 which I there proclaimed when the mountain trembled, 
 and thus you will attest my unspotted holiness and inflexible 
 justice. Conduct them to my temple on Sion, lift up the 
 veil of my sanctuary, let them see for themselves that no 
 image stands in my shrine, no human sacrifice bleeds on 
 my altar, no licentious rites pollute my worship, and thus 
 you will be attesting the unity and spirituality of my essence, 
 the purity and mercifulness of my character. Forget not 
 to assure them that I am no respecter of persons that there 
 is mercy for them that, as I live, I will not the death of a 
 sinner. Lead them to the altar of sacrifice, and, as the 
 victim bleeds, say to them " Behold, in a type, the Lamb 
 of God which taketh away the sin of the world." Tell them 
 that to him have all my prophets given witness, and let them 
 hear the glorious things which they have witnessed. Let 
 my servant Isaiah stand forth and declare, that upon that 
 sacrifice I have laid the iniquities of mankind, that he is 
 wounded for their transgressions, bruised for their iniqui- 
 ties, that the chastisement of their peace is upon him, and 
 that with his stripes they may be healed, that he shall see 
 of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied, for he shall save 
 out of all nations a multitude which no one can number. 
 
14 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 Thus will you be my witnesses that I am God, and that be- 
 sides me there is no Saviour." 
 
 Now such was the honourable office and the lofty inten- 
 tion of the Jewish church, it was a stationary witness for 
 God to the world ; and the sublime scene described in con- 
 nexion with the text is only the figurative realization of that 
 idea. Through each successive age of that church this 
 divine mandate may be said to have been issued to the 
 world, directing it to repair to God's witnesses in Judea. 
 But the world heeded it not. Individuals, indeed, resorted 
 thither from far distant lands ; but in all the regions whence 
 they came, idolatry still reigned. The leading nations had, 
 each in succession, come into contact with God's witnesses ; 
 but, so far from receiving* their testimony, they went on 
 worshipping their idol-gods, and even essayed to enshrine 
 them in the very temple of Jehovah. Even the Jews them- 
 selves had lost the high and spiritual import of their own 
 testimony. All things proclaimed that, if the world is to be 
 enlightened and saved through the instrumentality of the 
 church, another church must be set up, and another mode 
 of witnessing be employed. 
 
 When the fulness of time was come, that church was set 
 up. You know its heavenly origin, its aggressive constitu- 
 tion, and its early apostolic history, all combining to prove 
 that it was a new thing in the earth, a fresh witness for 
 God. In another and a nobler sense than before, God be- 
 came his own witness. The Son of God, in person, assumed 
 the office. In this capacity he had been predicted " I have 
 given him," said God, " for a witness to the people." In 
 this capacity he came ; and having traversed Judea in every 
 direction, and found it hemmed in on all sides by the 
 grossest idolatry, having found that he could nowhere step 
 over its frontiers without entering the territory of an idol- 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 15 
 
 god, having taken an ample survey of the world, what 
 was his estimate of its moral condition ? He lifted up his 
 eyes to heaven, and said for he found that he could obtain 
 no fit audience on earth " O, righteous Father, the world 
 hath not known thee !" And what, under these circum- 
 stances, was the course which he pursued ? " To this 
 end was I born," said he, " and for this cause came T into 
 the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth," to 
 the full manifestation of God. And, accordingly, his acts 
 demonstrated the existence of God, his humanity embodied 
 the spirituality of God, ^his character illustrated the per- 
 fections of God. He was the true " tabernacle of witness." 
 The glorious train of the divine perfections came down and 
 filled the temple of his humanity. God was manifest in the 
 flesh. His character left no attribute of the divine nature 
 unillustrated, his teaching left no part of the divine will 
 unrevealed, his kindness left no fear in the human heart 
 unsoothed, his meritorious death left no amount of human 
 guilt unatoned for. Wherever he went, and however he 
 was employed, he was still winning for himself that title 
 which he wears in heaven " The Faithful and True Wit- 
 ness." But, chiefly. Calvary was the place of testimony. 
 There, when he could say no more for God, he bade the 
 cross begin to speak. There, when his lips had uttered 
 their testimony, he opened his heart, and spake in blood. 
 There was the summing up of all the promises, and of all 
 the character of God ; and the total was universal and infi'^ 
 nite love. 
 
 And now, if his first object had been thus to witness for 
 God, his second was to arrange for the boundless diffusion 
 of the testimony. No sooner has he worked out the great 
 truth that God is love, than he provides that the world shall 
 
16 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 resound with the report. As if he had been sitting on the 
 circle of the heavens, and surveying all the possibilities and 
 events that could occur down to the close of time, he an- 
 swers the objections to this design before they are uttered, 
 anticipates wants before they arise, and provides against 
 dangers before they threaten. Was it necessary, for in- 
 stance, that he should first distinctly legislate on the subject ? 
 " Go," said he and he was standing but one step from the 
 throne of heaven " Go into all the world, and preach the 
 gospel to every creature." Still, plain as this command 
 might at first appear, the duty which it enjoins is so novel, 
 and the project which it contemplates so vast, that doubts 
 are likely to arise as to its import and obligation ; he repeats 
 it, therefore, again and again, repeats it in other forms, as 
 an old prediction that must be fulfilled, and as a new pro- 
 mise ; " Then opened he their understandings, that they 
 might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus 
 it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise 
 from the dead the third day, and that repentance and re- 
 mission of sins should be preached in his name among all 
 nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of 
 these things." But peculiar qualifications will be necessary ; 
 " Ye shall receive power from on high," said he, '* after that 
 the Holy Ghost is come upon you ; and ye shall be wit- 
 nesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in 
 Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." But 
 peculiar dangers will assail them ; " All power is mine," said 
 he ; " gOj and you shall move under the shield of Omnipo- 
 tence ; lo ! I am with you always, even to the end of the 
 world." Thus, making the most comprehensive provision, 
 and taking the whole responsibility of success on himself, 
 his last word to his witnesses was, " Go" his last act was 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 17 
 
 to bless and dismiss them to their work, and the last im- 
 pression he left on their minds was, that his church was to 
 be essentially missionary, or aggressive. 
 
 And as this was the last indication of his will on earth, 
 you know how his first act in heaven corresponded with it. 
 Let the scenes of Pentecost attest. The eternal Spirit him- 
 self came down came expressly to testify of Christ came 
 to be the great missionary spirit of the church, to " con- 
 vince the world of sin." You know how the witnesses 
 began at Jerusalem, when three thousand souls received 
 their testimony. You know how their hesitation to quit 
 Jerusalem and Judea was graduaHy overcome how a Paul 
 was added, like a new missionary element infused into their 
 spirit and you can conceive how they must have felt, in 
 the terms of his new commission to be a witness to the Gen- 
 tiles, as if their own original commission had been renewed 
 and reinforced. You know how they were divinely 
 allured further and further from Jerusalem how vision 
 
 after vision drew them on to invade the neio^hbourinff terri- 
 es o 
 
 tories of idolatry and how, at length, when even a Paul 
 evinced a reluctance to pass the last limit of Jewish restric- 
 tion when even he scrupled to leave the confines of Asia 
 you know how a vision was seen far back in the western 
 regions of idolatry the emblem of Europe in the person 
 of the Macedonian suppliant, saying, " Come over and 
 help us.'' Bursting that last enclosure, the outermost 
 circle of restriction, he was not disobedient to the heavenly 
 vision; and the church found itself fully committed to its 
 lofty office of traversing the world. 
 
 But was there no danger lest the church should yet, 
 under the influence of its old attachments, cast back a lin- 
 gering look to Judea, lest it should debase and localize reli- 
 gion by regarding Jerusalem as its rallying point, and the 
 
18 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 temple as its home ? Judaism, and the place where for 
 ages it had dwelt, are forthwith swept away ; henceforth 
 but two parties are to be left on the earth the missionary 
 witnessing church of Christ, and the listening world. Thus 
 Judea, which had been the goal of the old religion, the 
 resting-place after its wanderings, now became the starting- 
 point of the Christian church, for the race of the world. 
 The old economy had expected the world to be missionary, 
 and to send to it. The new economy requires the church to 
 be missionary, and to send to the world. And if the waiting 
 and stationary character of that church had been emblema- 
 tically represented by the bending cherubim on the mercy 
 seat, the new missionary church was henceforth to be repre- 
 sented by another mighty angel, flying in the midst of 
 heaven,- having the everlasting gospel to preach to every 
 nation and kindred, and tongue, and people, that dwell on 
 the earth. 
 
 And now, we might have thought, the Saviour has surely 
 made it sufficiently apparent that his people are to be his 
 witnesses to the world. Nothing more can be necessary to 
 shew that this great object enters into the very design and 
 principle of his church. But not so thought the Saviour 
 himself. Once more does he come forth and reiterate the 
 truth. When we might have supposed that his voice would 
 be heard no more once again does he come forth, and 
 break the silence of the church ; and the subject on which 
 he speaks is the missionary character of his church. Not 
 that his church had lost sight of its office. His witnesses 
 were carrying their testimony in all directions. But as if 
 the angel having the everlasting gospel did not yet speed 
 on his way fast enough to satisfy the yearnings of infinite 
 compassion, or as if he feared that angel would stop ere 
 the whole earth, the last creature, had heard the gospel 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 19 
 
 testimony he came forth personally, and announced 
 " The Spirit and the bride say, Come ; and let liim that 
 heareth say, Come ; and let him that is athirst, come ; and 
 whosoever will, let him come, and take of the water of life 
 freely." Oh ! where is the tongue that can do justice to the 
 boundless benevolence of this final declaration of Christ ? 
 What is the comparison which can adequately illustrate it ? 
 Picture to your minds a large company of travellers, desti- 
 tute of water, while crossing one of the vast deserts of the 
 east. For days previous they have had barely sufficient to 
 moisten their parched lips ; but now their stock is quite 
 exhausted. Onwards they toil for a time, in the hope of 
 finding a refreshing spring. But the unclouded sun above, 
 and the burning sands beneath, render some of them un- 
 able to proceed they lie down never to rise again. The 
 rest agree to separate, and to take different directions, in 
 the hope of multiplying their chances of discovering water. 
 After long wandering in this almost forlorn pursuit, one of 
 them finds himself on the margin of a stream. Slaking 
 his enraged thirst, he immediately thinks of his fellow- 
 travellers. Looking around and perceiving one in the dis- 
 tance, he lifts up his voice, and shouts to him, with all his 
 returning strength, to come. He communicates the reviv- 
 ing signal to another still further off, and he to a third, 
 till the very extremities of the desert ring with the cheering 
 call to come. 
 
 Brethren, that desert is the moral waste of the world ; 
 those perishing travellers, perishing by millions, are our 
 fellow men ; that living spring is the redemption of 
 Christ ; the first that drank of it was his church ; that 
 church, every member of it, directly or indirectly, is to lift 
 up his voice to the world, with the divine invitation to 
 come ; while the Spirit of Christ, speaking through them. 
 
20 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 gives the call effect. Every one that hears the call is to 
 transmit it further still, till it has reached the very last of 
 human kind, and the world echoes with the welcome 
 sound. 
 
 Brethren, such is the scripture theory of the Christian 
 church. Its members are witnesses for Christ to the world. 
 Every place to which their instrumentality reaches is 
 meant to be a centre for extending it to a point further still. 
 Every individual added to it is meant to be an additional 
 agent for propagating the sound of salvation onwards, till 
 a chain of living voices has been carried around the globe, 
 and from pole to pole, and the earth grows vocal with the 
 voice of the church witnessing for Christ. 
 
 II. 
 
 Now, if the design of the Christian church be essen- 
 tially that of a missionary witness, we may expect to find 
 that every page of its history illustrates and corroborates 
 this truth. No law of nature can be obeyed without ad- 
 vantage to him who obeys it ; nor violated, without aveng- 
 ing itself, and vindicating its authority. The same is true of 
 the laws of the Christian church. And accordingly, we find 
 secondly, that in every age it has prospered or declined 
 just in proportion as it has fulfilled or neglected this pri- 
 mary law of its constitution. This might be demonstrated 
 by an induction of the great facts of its history. But on 
 an occasion like the present, we must confine ourselves to 
 general remarks. 
 
 And here, need I remind you that the period of its first, 
 its greatest activity, was the season of its greatest prospe- 
 rity ? that it expanded without the aid of any of man's 
 favourite instrumentality learning eloquence, wealth, or 
 arms ? that it achieved its triumphs in the face of it all ? 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 21 
 
 that though Persecution ten times kindled her fires, the 
 blood of the church ten times put them out ? that it saw 
 some of its bitterest foes become its champions and mar- 
 tyrs, and new territories constantly added to its domains ? 
 that its progress from place to place was marked by the 
 fall of idol temples the banners of the cross floated over 
 the thrones of idolatry and God caused it to triumph in 
 every place ? And' why all this, but because the church 
 was acting in character, answering its end, fulfilling its 
 office, as the witness of Christ to the world ? 
 
 Oh ! had we witnessed the activity of its first days, had 
 we heard only of its early history and triumphant progress 
 from land to land, how naturally might we ask, " How 
 long was the church in completing a universal conquest ? 
 At what precise period did India embrace the faith of 
 Christ ? How long: was it before China was evangelized ? 
 Was there not a year of jubilee on earth, when the gospel 
 had been preached to the last of the species; and in what 
 year did it occur? Alas! for the church, that these in- 
 quiries should sound so strange ! and alas, for the world ! 
 and alas, too, that the most striking historical illustrations 
 of the design of the church should be those drawn from its 
 neglect of that design ! 
 
 Need I remind you that the cessation of its activity was 
 the cessation of its prosperity? From the moment the 
 church lost sight of its appropriate character, it began to 
 lose ground to the world. Its members, instead of witness- 
 ing to the world, began to bear false witness against each 
 other. When it ought to have been the almoner of God 
 to the world, it became the great extortioner, absorbing the 
 wealth of the nations. When it ought to have been the 
 centre whence radiated the light of life, it was the focus, 
 drawing to itself the learning and the vain philosophy of 
 
22 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 heathenism. When it ought to have been the birthplace of 
 souls, it was the grave of piety, so that, in order to live, 
 it was necessary to leave it. When its members should 
 have been the peacemakers of the world, it was a camp 
 the great school of war. When it should have been check- 
 ing political ambition, it has been used as the great engine 
 of states. When it should have been furnishing martyrs 
 to the world, it has itself been a great martyrium, in which 
 to witness for God was to burn. And the strength of the 
 church, which should have been all put forth in aggressive 
 efforts, has been wasted in the strife of internal discords. 
 
 What was the history of the Christian church, what has 
 been the history of any branch of that church, when it has 
 once lost its essential aggressive character, but the closing 
 scenes of Judaism enacted over again ? What do we 
 see, in such a case, but the spirit of piety displaced by 
 the spirit of discord ? Scribes, Pharisees, and Sad- 
 ducees the proud, persecuting, and worldly, among its 
 members? The great doctrines of grace supplanted by 
 outward forms? What do we see but the Son of God 
 rejected, betrayed for money, deserted by his professed 
 disciples, delivered into the hands of his enemies, receiving 
 the mockery of homage, crucified afresh, and put to an 
 open shame ? What, then, do we see in that church but 
 fearful signs of approaching judgments? till, at length, 
 when it ought to have been vanquishing the world, the 
 world, like the Roman army, advances, besieges, and des- 
 troys the church. 
 
 But as every departure of the church from its aggressive 
 design is sure to be avenged, so every return to that cha- 
 racter has been divinely acknowledged and blessed. Had 
 we no facts at hand to prove this, the calls which our Lord 
 gave to the seven Asiatic churches to repeat their first works. 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 23 
 
 and his promises of prosperity if they did so, would lead 
 us to infer it ; the uniformity of the divine procedure would 
 warrant us to expect it ; the very return itself, implying, as 
 it would, a divine influence, would itself be a proof of it. 
 But facts are at hand. The history of every protestant 
 Christian church in Britain, during the last fifty years, 
 demonstrates, that every return to spiritual activity is, in 
 so far, a return to divine prosperity. Ascertain the mea- 
 sure of holy activity and devotedness in any church, and 
 you have ascertained the measure of its internal prosperity. 
 So that a person might at any time safely say, " Tell me 
 which branch of the Christian church is the most scripturally 
 active and aggressive in its spirit, and I will tell you which 
 is the most prosperous." 
 
 And the reason of this is sufficiently obvious. The 
 planet is then moving in its appointed orbit, the church is 
 then moving in a line with the purposes of Omnipotence, 
 and in harmony with its own principles. If, before, it 
 had been hampered with forms, customs, and corruptions, 
 at every effort which it now makes to move, some portion 
 of these old incrustations of evil fall off; a desire to advance 
 aright sends it to consult the word of God ; a concern to 
 retrieve its past indolence fills it with a zeal that calls 
 on " all men everywhere to repent ;" the conversions which 
 ensue furnish it with the means of enlarging its sphere of 
 activity. The existence of all this both proves the presence 
 of the Divine Spirit in the midst of it, and leads it to 
 earnest cries for still larger effusions of his influence ; and 
 thus, by action and reaction, an increase of its prosperity 
 leads to importunate prayer for larger importations of the 
 Spirit, and larger impartations of the Spirit necessarily pro- 
 duce an increase of divine prosperity. 
 
 Brethren, look at the Christians and Christian denomi- 
 c 2 
 
24 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 nations of Britain at present; and say, what but their 
 activity for God, and the sakitary effects of that activity 
 on themselves, constitute the sign and means of their 
 visible prosperity ? Take away this, and what single fea- 
 ture would remain on which the spiritual eye could rest 
 with pleasure? Their orthodoxy ? That would be their 
 condemnation ; for, if their creed be scriptural, activity for 
 God is necessary if only to make them consistent with 
 themselves. The numbers they include ? The world out- 
 numbers them ; and it is only by their aggressive activity, 
 blessed by God, that they can hope to keep their dispropor- 
 tion from increasing. Their liberality ? Apart from this 
 Christian activity, where would be the calls on that liberality? 
 It is this which brings it into exercise, and by exercise 
 augments it. Their union with each other ? This activity 
 for enlarging the kingdom of Christ is almost the only bond 
 which, at present, does unite them ; take away this, and 
 almost the last ligament of their visible union would be 
 snapped. Their spirit of prayer ? That has been called 
 into exercise almost entirely by means of their Chris- 
 tian activity ; for, feeling the utter insufficiency of their own 
 endeavours, they have earnestly entreated God to make 
 bare his arm in their behalf. 
 
 Their aggressive spirit, then, in the cause of human sal- 
 vation, whether at home or abroad, forms, at present, the 
 principal sign and means of their visible prosperity. 
 Amidst scenes of political strife, it has brought to them 
 visions of a kingdom which is not of this world. Amidst 
 scenes of ecclesiastical discord, it has provided one standard 
 around which all can rally against the common foe. Amidst 
 the icy selfishness of the world around, it has called forth 
 warm streams of Christian liberality ; it has given employ- 
 ment to energies which would otherwise have been wasted 
 
THE WITNESSING CHUUCH, 25 
 
 in the arena of angry controversy. It has given a heart to 
 the church, stirred its deepest sympathies for the v^^orld, 
 brought large accessions to its numbers, enlarged its 
 views, and brightened its visions, of the reign of Christ, 
 filled many of its members with a sense of self-dissatisfaction 
 of utter dependence on God, of aching want and craving 
 desire for something more, and something better, than it 
 yet possesses ; so that its loudest prayers are prayers for the 
 promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit : from all of which 
 we infer, that a full return in faith and prayer to the 
 aggressive design of the Christian church would be a full 
 return to its first prosperity. 
 
 III. 
 
 Now if such be the design of the church, and such its 
 illustrative history, let us, thirdly, attempt to enforce that 
 design ; and we shall find that the motives of the Christian 
 church, and its responsibility as a witness for God, are 
 greater now than at any preceding period. Not only do all the 
 original motives to this duty exist, they exist in aggravated 
 force, and others in addition have come to reinforce them. 
 
 1. For instance, the first witnesses for Christ required 
 no higher motive to duty than the divine command of their 
 risen Lord. They no sooner saw that he designed his 
 church to bear his testimony to the world, than they 
 hastened to obey. Brethren, that design is not merely 
 essentially the same it is now more apparent than ever. 
 Could those first witnesses return to the church on earth 
 again, they would find that the history of every church, 
 since the time of Christ, had unceasingly illustrated and 
 enforced that design, without a moment's intermission. 
 " He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit 
 saith unto the churches." And this is the language of the 
 
26 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 Spirit as he conducts us over the ruins of once flourishing 
 churches " Exist aggressively, or not at all. Behold in 
 the state of every existing Christian church an illustration 
 of the principle, that to act the evangelical missionary church 
 is to prosper ; to neglect it is to languish and perish." 
 
 2. " But is there the same necessity for a witnessing 
 church now as at first ?" The wants of the world are more 
 urgent than ever ; or, what amounts to the same thing in 
 the matter of our responsibility, we are better acquainted 
 with them, and our facilities for meeting them, as far as 
 Christian instrumentality can meet them, are greater than 
 ever. The map of the world, in the days of the Apostles, 
 was only the map of a province, compared with that which 
 lies open before us. Every geographical discovery since, 
 has only served to enlarge our ideas of the great Satanic 
 empire. Oh ! in what a small minority does the Christian 
 stand ! What a fearful expanse of darkness around him ! 
 and that darkness how dense ! and what hideous enor- 
 mities does it conceal ! There, cruelty has its chosen habi- 
 tation, and feasts perpetually on human blood. There 
 superstition has its temples, and its sacrifices of human suf- 
 fering, and its music of human groans. There, sin has its 
 priesthood its ceremonials of murder, and its ritual of lust ! 
 
 By a very slight effort of the imagination, we can cause 
 the hosts of evil to pass before us ; and what a spectacle to 
 behold ! First, come the Jews out of all nations under 
 heaven, each with a veil over his heart, and stained with 
 the blood of the Just One. Next, nominal Christians, by 
 myriads, and from all parts of Europe, headed by one who 
 drags a bible in triumph, as a dangerous book, and embraces 
 an image, or an amulet, instead. Then comes the crescent 
 of imposture, followed by Turkey and Persia, by large 
 tracts of India, the islands of the Eastern sea, Egypt and 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 27 
 
 northern Africa, the inhabitants of the largest and the 
 fairest portions of the globe. After these, the swarthy 
 tribes of Africa, central, western, and southern, with their 
 descendants of the Western Indies, laden with the spells of 
 witchcraft, and covered with the charms of their Fetish 
 worship. Now come the aborigines of the two Americas, 
 and the islanders of the great Pacific fresh from the scalp- 
 dance, the cannibal feast, or the worship of the snake- 
 god. Next, the selfish Chinese, one-third of the species 
 in appearance all idolators in reality all atheists a world 
 of atheists, to whom all truth is a fable, and all virtue a 
 mystery. Last comes India the nations of southern Asia, 
 and the many islands of the Eastern sea, a thousand tribes, 
 including infanticides, cannibals, and the offerers of human 
 blood, dragging their idol-gods, an endless train, with 
 Juggernaut at their head,worn with the toil of their penances, 
 and marked with the scars of self-torture. And who are 
 these that close the train? The Thugs of India, just dis- 
 covered a vast fraternity of secret murderers the votaries 
 of Kalee, who has given one-half of the human race to be 
 slaughtered for her honour. Oh, God, and is this thy 
 world ! Are these thy creatures ! Where is thy church ? Oh, 
 righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, and thy 
 church, appointed to declare thee, hath neglected to fulfil 
 her trust ! Christians, did you count their numbers as they 
 passed ? Six hundred millions at least. Did you ask 
 yourselves, as they passed, whither they were going ? Fol- 
 low them, and see. Can you do so, even in imagination, 
 without feeling an impulse to rush and erect the cross be- 
 tween them and ruin? That is your office; that is the 
 great practical design for which the church exists, to go and 
 testify this faithful saying, that Christ has come to save them 
 all. *' Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord." 
 
28 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 3. And this reminds us of another inducement, the tes- 
 timony of the gospel is divinely adapted to them. It is 
 not the fearfid burden of Isaiah, threatening judicial blind- 
 ness and hardness of heart, or we might hesitate to go. It 
 is gospel. It is a message from Pity to Misery an invita- 
 tion from Mercy to Guilt. It is a gift from the fulness of 
 God to the emptiness of man. The witness for Christ 
 takes with him a treasure more precious than the ancient 
 Jew, could he have taken the ark of the temple. Christian 
 missionaries, you take with you tears the tears of incarnate 
 compassion ; blood the expiatory blood of the Son of 
 God. " Before your eyes," said the apostle to the Gala- 
 tians, " Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified 
 among you." Brethren, you go to India with the cross, 
 to repeat the scenes of Calvary, to let the Hindoo see 
 Christ crucified before his eyes. Do you feel sufficiently the 
 grandeur of your message ? You go to Africa with the 
 identical gospel that Paul took to Rome. You go to 
 China with the identical blessing that Christ brought from 
 heaven. Oh, it was the consideration of theu* subject its 
 necessity, its a^laptation, its infinite grace and glory, which 
 fired the apostles which made them think little of life 
 itself when this was at stake which made them wonder 
 that any should suppose that persecution could affright 
 them from their office which gave them the air of ambas- 
 sadors, the port of kings which would have led them, if 
 necessary, to contend for precedence with an angel. You 
 go to address a nature which, however depraved, was ori- 
 ginally pre-configured to the truth, and the message you 
 bear is divinely adapted to the moral state which that de- 
 pravity has created and the Spirit goes with you to give 
 it effect. You go to tell the victims of imposture of essen- 
 tial truth to point the eye of the Hindoo widow from the 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 40 
 
 corpse of her husband to Him who is the resurrection and 
 the life to tell the infanticide mother that she may save 
 her offspring, and may press them to her heart to tell the 
 followers of Boodha of a true incarnation and the parched 
 pilgrim of the desert, of a well of water that springeth up 
 to everlasting life and the devotee of the Ganges, of the 
 washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy 
 Ghost and the self-torturing votary of cruelty, that the 
 name of God is Love and the self-immolating worshipper 
 of Juggernaut, of the sacrifice offered once for all, and of 
 the blood which cleanseth from all sin. Oh, find out the 
 nation where guilt has been hourly accumulating ever since 
 the time of the deluge ; and the command of Christ is, 
 " Go to it." And, having gone, challenge them to produce 
 the one guiltiest man of their nation ; and the command of 
 Christ is, " Offer him redemption through the blood of the 
 cross." Have they, as many of the nations have, a fabu- 
 lous tradition that such or such a cavern is the mouth of 
 hell ? Ask them to lead you to it ; for even there, could the 
 dreadful spot be found, your commission would extend to 
 the very brink ; for He whom you preach is able to save 
 even to that uttermost. 
 
 Brethren, in testifying to the necessity and divinity of the 
 gospel, you occupy higher ground than did even the 
 apostles. Since their day, nearly eighteen hundred years 
 have added their testimony to the fact that man by search- 
 ing cannot find out God that spiritual deliverance, to be 
 effectual, must come direct from heaven; and nearly 
 eighteen hundred years have only served to demonstrate the 
 sufficiency of the gospel remedy. Guilt, which might 
 destroy a world, has been cancelled by it iron chains of 
 sin have been burst asunder hearts filled with pollution 
 made habitations of God, where Satan's seat was, happy 
 
30 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 communities have been formed earth has been blessed 
 by it and heaven has been hourly growing louder in its 
 praise. In affirming its necessity, then, all history is speak- 
 ing in your voice ; the nations that have perished all the 
 lost rise up and confirm your testimony, and urge you to 
 repeat it with a deeper, and yet deeper, emphasis. And in 
 proclaiming its efficacy, the thousands who in every age 
 have been saved by it, urge you to speak louder in its 
 praise the chorus of all heaven comes to your aid, as- 
 cribing " salvation to the Lamb that was slain." 
 
 Again, think of the certainty that the testimony of the 
 gospel shall ultimately and universally prevail. We do not 
 undertake to say that the present kind of Christian instru- 
 mentality alone will cause it to prevail that no new ma- 
 chinery, no miraculous agency, will come to its aid. But, 
 whatever the means employed, the end will be gained and 
 gained as the result of all that had in any way been scrip- 
 turally done to obtain it the gospel, in the most enlarged 
 sense, shall be preached as a witness to all nations. 
 
 Where now is Diana of the Ephesians? Where now 
 are Jupiter and the gods of Greece ? and where the whole 
 Pantheon of Rome ? The first Christians testified against 
 them, and they vanished. Witnesses for Christ came to 
 Britain and where now are Woden, and all the Saxon 
 gods, Hessus, and all the more ancient and sanguinary rites 
 of the Druids ? Brethren, the idols we assail have long 
 since been routed ; and the sword we wield routed them. 
 The gods of India are the same, under different names, 
 which Italy and Greece adored: the sword of the Lord 
 chased them from the West ; and shall it do less now in the 
 East ? Many of them are already fallen. " Bel boweth 
 down, and Nebo stoopeth." And the Christian missionary, 
 approaching and standing before the most crowded temple 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 31 
 
 and the firmest throne that idolatry boasts, is divinely war- 
 ranted in taking up a burden against it, and saying, " Thy 
 days are numbered, and thine end draweth near." Yes, if 
 there be stability in a divine decree merit in the mediation 
 of Christ, if any truth in the doctrine of his reign any 
 power in the agency of his Spirit, the prediction shall be 
 fulfilled. Prior to the ultimate triumph of the gospel, in- 
 deed, unnumbered events may transpire which have not yet 
 been conceived. It is possible, even, that the affairs of the 
 kingdom of Christ may at times assume a doubtful aspect, 
 and his people may begin to wonder how he can retrieve 
 them. But he sees no difficulty he feels no perplexity. 
 At any moment, he can touch some secret spring which shall, 
 silently and imperceptibly, but most effectually, change the 
 whole aspect of his affairs. Looking on to the end, he sees 
 nothing desirable which he has not provided for, nothing 
 adverse which he has not provided against. The history of 
 the world, to the latest period of time, is written already in 
 his mind. Every province of idolatry and error has its limit 
 and its date appointed there. The angel is already selected 
 who shall eventually shout, " Babylon is fallen, is fallen.'^ 
 The chorus is appointed whose voices are to resound, " The 
 kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our 
 Lord and of his Christ ; and he shall reign for ever and 
 ever." " And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great mul- 
 titude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of 
 mighty thunderings, saying, Halleluia, for the Lord God 
 Omnipotent reigneth." Brethren, if we listen, we can hear 
 that voice too ; for even now are they rehearsing for the 
 glorious day, and every hour increases the chorus, and 
 every echo that reaches us rebukes our indolence as wit- 
 nesses for God, and proclaims the dignity of our office, and 
 the certainty of our success. 
 
32 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 5. And, then, think what the consequences of that suc- 
 cess would be. Civilization ? The missionary of the cross, 
 indeed, is the missionary of civilization. This the gospel 
 taught first at imperial Rome, cleansing her amphitheatre 
 of human blood ; and evincing that her boasted civilization 
 had been only a splendid barbarism. Morality? The mission- 
 ary of the cross is the missionary of morality. The gospel 
 produced charity even in Judea, humility at Athens, chas- 
 tity at Corinth, humanity at Rome. And wherever it has 
 gone, in our own day, liberty, morality, education, the arts 
 of civilization, and the blessings of commerce, have followed 
 in its train. It has extinguished the fires of the suttee, 
 called away the cannibal from his unholy feast, and among 
 its latest trophies are the broken slave-chains of a million 
 men. It elevates the barbarian into a man, and raises the 
 man into a useful member of society. It turns the wan- 
 dering horde of the wilderness into a civilized community, 
 and calls it to take rank among the nations. There is but 
 one art which the gospel does not promote ; as the peace- 
 maker of the world, it steps between the ranks of war, and, 
 taking the weapons of death away, it declares that men shall 
 learn war no more ; and, joining their hands in amity, it 
 says to them, '* Love as brethren." Oh ! could mere human 
 civilization effect results such as these, how soon would her 
 image be set up, and what multitudes would fall down and 
 worship ! But these are triumphs for the gospel alone, 
 and triumphs which it achieves incidentally, by aiming at 
 greater things than these. 
 
 The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. It raises 
 the savage into the man by making him a new creature in 
 Christ Jesus ; it prepares him for civil society by making 
 him a member of a Christian church. In the zeal of its 
 new-found existence, that church becomes a witness for 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 33 
 
 Christ to others ; the word of God sounds forth into all the 
 regions round about ; and similar triumphs result, only to 
 be followed by similar labours and triumphs again. Thus 
 every step of present success is a new facility for a further 
 advance, and an additional pledge of universal triumph. 
 
 Oh, there is a day call it the millennium, or by any other 
 name there is a period yet destined to bless the earth, 
 when it shall no more be necessary to witness for God, for 
 all shall know him ; the knowledge of his glory shall fill the 
 earth as the waters cover the sea. Happy state of Christian 
 triumph ! a day without a cloud the reproach of indo- 
 lence wiped away from the church, and of ignorance from 
 the world. Truth shall have completed the conquest of 
 error Christ shall have given law to the world and, im- 
 pressing his image on every heart, shall receive the homage 
 of a renovated race. Brethren, these are visions but they 
 are the visions of God ; and let nothing rob us of the in- 
 spiration to be derived from gazing at them. They are 
 visions but visions painted by the hand of God dear in 
 every age to the church of God gazed on in death by the 
 Son of God. Yes, then they were brought and set before 
 him, and such was the joy with which they filled him, that 
 he endured the cross, despising the shame. Then, on the 
 lofty moral elevation of the cross, all the ages of time, and 
 all the triumphs of his church, passed in review before him. 
 He saw our missionaries go forth in his name to distant 
 climes again he looked, and saw them surrounded by ten 
 thousand converts to his grace. He saw the veil fall from 
 the heart of the Jews ; and heard their bitter mourning as 
 they stood looking at him whom they had pierced. He 
 saw Ethiopia stretching out her hands unto God; and 
 heard her, as the slave-chain fell from her loins, exulting 
 in a double liberty. He heard his name shouted from land 
 
34 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 to land as the watchword of salvation, and marked how its 
 every echo shook and brought down the pillars of the empire 
 of sin. He saw the race of Ishmael that now traverses the 
 desert tracts of Arabia the castes of India with their num- 
 bers infinite the national Chinese the Tartar hordes 
 the unknown and snow-concealed inhabitants of the north 
 the tribes of Europe and all the islands of the sea ; he 
 saw them flocking into his kingdom his grace the theme 
 of every tongue his glory the object of every eye. He 
 saw of the travail of his soul, and was satisfied; his soul was 
 satisfied ! Glorious intimation ! Even in the hour of its 
 travail, it was satisfied. What an unlimited vision of 
 human happiness must it have been ! Happiness not 
 bounded by time, but filling the expanse of eternity ! His 
 prophetic eye caught even then a view of the infinite result 
 in heaven ! His ear caught the far, far-distant shout of his 
 redeemed and glorified church, singing, " Worthy is the 
 Lamb that was slain !'* Brethren, if we would do justice to 
 our office as witnesses for God if we would catch the true 
 inspiration of our work we, too, must often cross, as he did, 
 the threshold of eternity transport ourselves ten thousand 
 ages hence into the blessedness of heaven, and behold the 
 fruits of our instrumentality there, still adding new joy to 
 angels, new crowns to Jesus, new tides of glory around the 
 throne of God. Realizing that scene, we should gird up 
 our loins afresh, as if a new command had come down from 
 heaven, calling us by name to be witnesses for God. 
 
 IV. 
 
 We have now seen that the Christian church is, in its 
 very constitution and design, a missionary church that 
 its history illustrates this truth and that all the original 
 motives for enforcing it still exist, and exist in ever-accumu- 
 
V 
 
 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 35 
 
 lating force. What, then, can be more appropriate for us, 
 fourthly, than to survey our condition, and estimate our 
 wants, in relation to that design, to profit by that history, 
 and to yield obedience to those motives. 
 
 1. Now it must be obvious that whatever else may be 
 necessary, a vivid and all-pervading apprehension of the 
 original design of the church is of the first importance. 
 " But do not our various aggressive efforts shew that we 
 have already recovered that apprehension?" To a very 
 limited extent. Until recently, the Christian church was 
 well nigh as local and stationary as the Jewish. And, as 
 might be expected, considering the state of its piety, its 
 movements, since it began to awake, have been fitful and 
 uncertain, rather than healthy and regular. Are not its 
 members, still, too content, generally speaking, with sup- 
 porting a ministry for themselves alone ; and thus resem- 
 bling the local character of the Jewish church ? Is not the 
 clear apprehension of its missionary design confined still to 
 a small minority ? Or, if felt by the many, felt only as a 
 passing impulse the result of an annual appeal, rather 
 than as a personal obligation, and a universal principle ? 
 Or, if felt as a claim, felt as a duty to be easily devolved, 
 and discharged by proxy ? 
 
 Brethren, according to the theory of the Christian church, 
 every one of its members is a witness for Christ. In making 
 you, Christian, a partaker of his grace, he not only intended 
 your own salvation he intended the salvation of others by 
 your instrumentality he intended that you should go forth 
 from his presence as a witness, conveying to the world the 
 cheering intelligence that he is still pardoning and saving 
 sinners sitting on his throne of mercy, waiting to be gra- 
 cious to them, as he has been to you. He says to you, in 
 effect, " You have given yourselves to me, and I give you 
 
\^ 
 
 36 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 to the world give you as my witnesses : look on your- 
 selves as dedicated to this office dedicated from eternity." 
 Brethren, your very business^ as Christians, your calling, is 
 to propagate your religion. Is the gospel-cause a warfare? 
 Every Christian present is to regard himself as drawn to 
 serve. Is there a great cause at issue between God and 
 the world? Every Christian present is subpoenaed as a 
 witness for God. Look on yourself in this light, and you 
 will not, on the ground of disqualification, dismiss the sub- 
 ject from your mind. You will not think that a mere 
 annual subscription buys you off from that great duty for 
 which God has made you a Christian. " I cannot speak 
 for Christ," said a martyr, on his way to the flames, " but I 
 can die for him." And, in the same martyr spirit, you will 
 say, " I cannot speak for Christ would that I could the 
 world should hear of him ; my lips cannot speak for him, 
 but my life shall ; my tongue cannot witness, but others can ; 
 and, if property can aid, and prayers prevail, they shall." 
 Brethren, this is simply the sentiment of scripture ; this 
 was the spirit of the primitive saints. They looked on them- 
 selves individually as born to be witnesses for Christ or- 
 dained to the office of diffusing the gospel. Wherever they 
 went, the language of Christ was still sounding in their 
 ears, " Ye are my witnesses go into all the world." Is it 
 true that he has said this to us ? To the ear of piety he is 
 saying it still to the eye of piety he is here this day to re- 
 peat it do you not behold him ? Do you not hear him 
 saying it to you and to you ? Never till Christians feel 
 themselves thus individually addressed, will the church fulfil 
 its lofty design as a missionary witness for Christ to the world. 
 2. A second requisite for this end is wisdom wisdom to 
 mark the characteristic features of the age, and the move- 
 ments of the world, to appreciate the peculiar position of 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 37 
 
 the church in relation to them, and to apprehend and 
 obey the indications of God concerning them. Never was 
 there an age when the wide field of human misery was so 
 accurately measured, and so fully explored, as the present ; 
 and, consequently, there never was a time when the obliga- 
 tion of the Christian church to bring out all its divine re- 
 sources and remedies, was so binding and so great. Never 
 was there an age when science attempted so much, and 
 promised so largely challenging the gospel, in effect, to 
 run with it a race of philanthropy ; and, consequently, never 
 was there a time when it so much concerned the church to 
 vindicate her character as the true angel of mercy to the 
 world ; and to shew that not by might, nor by power, but 
 by the Spirit of God, the wounds of the world must be 
 healed. Never was there a time when the elements of 
 universal society exhibited so much restlessness and change 
 when the ancient superstitions exhibited so many signs 
 of dotage and approaching death, when the field of the 
 world was so extensively broken up, and ready for cultiva- 
 tion ; broken up, not by the ordinary ploughshare of human 
 instrumentality, but by strange convulsions from beneath, 
 and by bolts from an invisible hand above ; and, conse- 
 quently, never was there a time which so loudly called on 
 the Christian sower to go forth and sow. And never was 
 there a land blessed with such peculiar facilities as Britain, 
 for acting as a witness for Christ to the world. Why is it 
 that the gospel is at this time in trust with a people whose 
 ships cover the seas, who are the merchants of the world ? 
 Has he who drew the boundaries of Judea with his own 
 finger, who selected the precise spot for the temple, who 
 did everything for the Jewish church with design^ abandoned 
 the Christian church to accident ? And, if not, if he has 
 placed the gospel here with design, what can the nature of 
 
 D 
 
^\ 
 
 38 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 that design be, but that it should be borne to the world on 
 the wings of every wind that blows ? Say, why is it that 
 Britain, and her religious ally, America, should divide the 
 seas, should hold the keys of the world? Oh, were we 
 but awake to the designs of God, and to our own responsi- 
 bility, we should hear him say, " I have put you in posses- 
 sion of the seas ; put the world in possession of my gospel/' 
 And every ship we sent out would be a missionary church, 
 like the ark of the deluge, a floating testimony for God, 
 and bearing in its bosom the seeds of a new creation. 
 Christians, ours is, indeed, a post of responsibility and of 
 honour ! On us have accumulated all the advantagfes of 
 the past; and on us lies the great stress of the present. 
 The world is waiting, breathless, on our movements ; the 
 voice of all heaven is urging us on. Oh, for celestial wis- 
 dom, to act in harmony with the high appointments of 
 Providence to seize the crisis which has come for blessing 
 the world ! 
 
 3. A third requisite is Christian union. It is in vain to 
 talk of the beneficial rivalry of sects. This only shews that 
 we are so much accustomed to our divisions, that we are 
 beginning to see beauty in that which forms our deformity 
 and disgrace. It is in vain to say that good is done not- 
 withstanding our want of union. Is not the good which is 
 effected abroad, effected by merging the disputes of home 
 in fact, by uniting? And would not a knowledge of our 
 differences there be fatal to our usefulness ? But the doc- 
 trine of Christ on the subject is decisive " that they all 
 may be one, that the world may believe that thou hast sent 
 me." In other words, the visible union of Christians is 
 essential to the conversion of the world. It is in vain to 
 say that but little disagreement exists as yet among the 
 Christian witnesses abroad ; the seeds of discord only ask 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 39 
 
 for time, and they will not fail to bear their proper fruit. 
 But why have not the witnesses abroad differed ? If they 
 are right, must we not be wrong ? And how is it that even 
 we, on occasions like the present, can quit our denomina- 
 tional camps, and proclaim the truce of God ? Both owing 
 to the same means by paying greater deference to the 
 will of Christ than to the claims of party by looking out 
 on a world perishing by erecting the cross for its salva- 
 tion, and rallying around it, in a word, by reverting prac- 
 tically to the design of the church. Oh ! who is not ready 
 to say, at such times, " Would that the whole church could 
 be converted into a Christian Missionary Society, and meet 
 in that capacity alone." The union wanted is not the 
 union of one day in a year, but the union of every day 
 not merely a oneness of purpose, but, as far as practicable, 
 a union of means for the attainment of that purpose. Here 
 is one society calling aloud for agents, and pledging itself 
 to raise the funds for their support; while another pro- 
 claims that it has agents ready, if it did but possess the 
 means of sending them forth. Now the spirit we need is 
 that which, on the first hearing of a statement like this, 
 should induce the parties to sympathize in each other's 
 wants, and, by uniting their respective means, to supply 
 them. Brethren, the same obligation which binds the 
 church to act as a witness for God at all, binds it to do so 
 in the best manner, and to the full amount of its resources. 
 While division is making that which is already little, still 
 less not only would a spirit of union, by combining our 
 resources, economize and increase them, but by evincing a 
 greater concern for the will of Christ than for the success 
 of party, it would invite it it would humbly challenge his 
 blessing, for it would be a substantial fulfilment of his 
 prayer. 
 
40 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 4. And is not greater liberality wanted ?* Not that 
 which waits for public excitement, that which gives, not a 
 little from much, but much from a little, that which 
 brightens into cheerfulness, and rises into prayer, as it casts 
 its gift into the treasury, saying, " May this be a witness for 
 Christ." The liberality wanted is that which shall induce 
 the wealthy Clu'istian parent to offer up his pious son on the 
 missionary altar, and to lay beside him, at the same time, 
 whatever may be necessary to make the oblation complete. 
 The liberality wanted is that which shall constrain the 
 wealthy Christian to ascend that altar himself, taking with 
 him all he has, and offering the whole as a missionary obla- 
 tion to God. Talk not of sacrifice ; do you forget that 
 the world has been redeemed by sacrifice, do you remem- 
 ber the nature of that sacrifice ? Oh, if you really know 
 
 * Appropriateness required that the remarks which immediately followed 
 this inquiry on the two distinct occasions specified, should materially differ. 
 In preaching before the Wesleyan Missionary Society, it was added " To 
 this fact [the need for increased liberality] I should not have alluded on the 
 present occasion as a distinct topic, did I not read in the report of this society, 
 a statement to the effect, that it has missionary agents to send, did it only 
 possess the pecuniary means for employing them. Christians of property, 
 shall this statement become an accusation? Can you think of all that is im- 
 plied in it, without feeling as if a burning truth had fallen upon your naked 
 heart? Can you know as. some of you must that you are at this moment 
 holding in your possession that which would send some of those agents to the 
 ends of the earth ? can you know this, without hearing that property cry out 
 and give witness against you ?" On the second occasion referred to, the well- 
 known liberality of Manchester Christians at the anniversaries of their 
 auxiliary to the London Missionary Society, naturally called forth a wish that 
 " every town were, in this respect, a Manchester !" but accompanied with an 
 intimation that *' even then the question would not be irrelevant." 
 
 If the difference in the tone of these remarks on the two occasions should 
 convey to the mind of the reader an impression that in the one class of 
 Christians there is a want of that liberality which is commended in the other, 
 it is only necessary to hint that the comparative want of" pecuniary means,'* 
 complained of by the Wesleyan Society, may arise, not from a greater defi- 
 ciency of liberality in its members than in the members of other societies, but 
 from causws rather which may redound to their honour from their possess- 
 ing a greater number of agents ready for missionary service than some other 
 
^s' 
 
 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 41 
 
 the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, let the church but sym- 
 pathize with Christ in the travail of his soul ; such acts of 
 self-devotion would become of frequent occurrence, and new 
 songs would burst forth in heaven. 
 
 5. The history of the church would justify, and its pre- 
 sent position demands, an increase of energy and zeal. I 
 say this, not so much in relation to our missionaries as to 
 our churches. He must be ignorant, indeed, who does not 
 know that rashness often passes for zeal, and that the path 
 of wisdom lies between a blind impetuosity on the one hand, 
 and a cold calculating policy on the other. But blind must 
 he be, also, not to perceive that much in the Christian church, 
 at present, which assumes the name of prudence, is timidity 
 and unbelief in disguise ; that, as missionary witnesses, we 
 treat with God too much in the commercial spirit ; that we 
 
 societies possess and, also, from their Christian activity and zeal expending 
 so nearly the whole of their annual income, that they are left in a state of ho- 
 nourable and exemplary poverty. 
 
 I have remarked that the liberality of Manchester Christians on missionary 
 anniversaries is the subject of praise in all the churches. In the amount of 
 their collections at their late anniversary, they have "gone beyond" them- 
 selves ; not, indeed, so much in the actual excess of the sums collected com- 
 pared with former years, as from the peculiar circumstances under which that 
 excess has taken place. The earthquake-shock which trade and commerce 
 lately sustained, was felt especially at Manchester. So that, had the contri- 
 butions at this anniversary exceeded those of the preceding by only a single 
 farthing, it would have been more than could have been expected, and must 
 have been hailed as a great triumph of the missionary spirit, and of Christian 
 benevolence, over that selfish contraction of the heart which naturally arises 
 from a depressed state of trade, and the attendant apprehensions of personal 
 exigence. The collections approached very nearly to 3000/. And thus 
 Manchester, long since denominated, by Howe, the Capernaum of religious 
 privileges, has proved itself the Macedonia of Christian liberality ; for " their 
 deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality." But though 
 Manchester is, in this respect, far in advance of many, of most, other places, 
 it knows and proclaims that it is not yet at the goal. Its liberality, accom- 
 panied by a spirit of fervent supplication for the promised presence of the 
 Holy Spirit, cannot fail greatly to augment, and to exhibit, to the glory 
 of God, still "greater things than these." May its " zeal provoke very 
 man v." 
 
42 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 do not trust him to any large amount ; that we look too 
 much at funds in reserve, and too little at promises in re- 
 serve. '' Prove me, now, saith God, whether I will not 
 open the windows of heaven to bless you." But who thinks 
 of accepting the generous challenge ? Does not our con- 
 duct, in effect, reproach the first witnesses, and charge the 
 confessors and reformers of later days with guilty rashness ? 
 If we are only prudent, what were they ? Imprudent men, 
 to venture life so recklessly as you did ! Imprudent wit- 
 nesses for God, to calculate present consequences so little, 
 and to think so much of the future ! And how insensible 
 must you have been to say, when all the engines of martyr- 
 dom were brought out, that none of these things moved 
 you ! And how presumptuous to affirm that the promises 
 of God warranted such zeal ! How would you have stood 
 corrected now ! How much more cheaply might you have 
 purchased distinction in the church now I But if distinction 
 was your aim, well is it for your present fame that your 
 zeal burned so long ago ; for, though your names are now 
 on every lip, and we boast that God raised you up, you 
 could not now repeat your noble deeds without endangering 
 your fame. Yours is zeal to be admired at a distance ! 
 
 And yet, brethren, theirs, in truth, is the energy we 
 want the zeal of a Paul, and the first disciples ; of a Luther, 
 and the early reformers ; of a Brainerd, and our first mis- 
 sionaries a zeal that would startle the church ; aye, and be 
 stigmatized by thousands of its members, as what zeal has 
 not been ? zeal that would be content to be appreciated a 
 century hence. The zeal wanted is that which, while it in- 
 vites prudence to be of its council, would not allow her to 
 reign which, while it would economize its means, would be 
 too frequent in its demands on the funds of Christian bene- 
 volence to allow them to lie long at interest anniversary zeal 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 43 
 
 made perpetual. The energy we want is that which springs 
 from sympathy with the grandeur of our theme, the dignity of 
 our office, and the magnificence of the missionary enterprise. 
 Oh, where is the spiritual perception that looks forth on the 
 world as the great scene of a moral conflict, and beholds it 
 under the stirring aspect which it presents to the beings of 
 other worlds ? Where are the kindled eye, and the beaming 
 countenance, and the heart bursting with the momentous 
 import of the gospel message ? Where the fearlessness and 
 confidence whose very tones inspire conviction, and carry 
 with them all the force of certainty, and the weight of an 
 oath ? Where the zeal which burns with its subject, as if it 
 had just come from witnessing the crucifixion, and felt its 
 theme with all the freshness and force of a new revelation ? 
 the zeal which, during its intervals of labour, repairs to 
 the mount of vision to see the funeral procession of six hun- 
 dred millions of souls to the mouth of hell to hear six hun- 
 dred millions of voices saying, as the voice of one man, 
 * Send to our brethren, lest they also come into this place 
 of this torment" to Calvary, to renew its vigour by touch- 
 ing the cross to the spot where John stood, to catch a view 
 of the ranks of the blessed above. Enthusiasm is sobriety 
 here. In this cause, the zeal of Christ consumed him ^his 
 holiest ministers have become flames of fire ; and, as if all 
 created ardour were insufficient, here infinite zeal finds 
 scope to burn, " for the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall per- 
 form it." 
 
 6. And where is this flame to be kindled ? where is the 
 live coal to be obtained but from off" the altar ? It was 
 there the witnesses of Christ, in every age, found it ; and 
 there they kept it bright and burning. It was there that 
 Christ himself sustained that zeal, in the flames of which 
 he at last ascended as a sacrifice to God. Nay, what was 
 
,^ 
 
 44 THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 
 
 that atoning sacrifice itself, but a more intense prayer for 
 the redemption of the world the prayer of blood a 
 prayer so ardent that he consumed himself in the utterance 
 a prayer which is ascending still, and still filling the ear 
 of God with its entreaties a prayer, from which all other 
 prayers derive their prevailing power. And what was the 
 object of that bleeding intercession ? and what did he him- 
 self regard as the full answer to it ? What but the advent 
 of the Spirit, as the agent of a new creation ? Oh, Chris- 
 tians, is there such a doctrine in our creed as the doctrine 
 of divine influence ? Is there such an agent in the church 
 as the Almighty Spirit of God? Is he amongst us ex- 
 pressly to testify of Christ to be the great animating 
 spirit of his missionary witness, the church ? and is it true 
 that his unlimited aid can be obtained by prayer that we 
 can be baptized by the Holy Ghost, and with fire ? Oh, 
 ye that preach " believe and be saved" to the sinner, preach 
 the same to the church " believe the promise of the Spirit, 
 and be saved." Ye that love the Lord, keep not silence ; 
 send up a loud, long, united, and unsparing entreaty for 
 his promised aid. This, this is what we want. And this 
 is all we want. Till this be obtained, all the angelic agency 
 of heaven would avail us nothing ; and when it is obtained, 
 all that agency will be unequal to the celebration of our 
 triumphs. 
 
 Witnesses for Christ, hear the conclusion of the whole 
 matter : the cause of your Redeemer has come on in the 
 heathen world the cause of human happiness ; the destiny 
 of immortal myriads is involved ; and the world is hushed, 
 and waiting to receive your evidence. By the love of Christ, 
 will you not go and testify in his behalf? The destroyer of 
 souls is witnessing against him ; and millions are crediting 
 and confirming the dreadful testimony : will you not has- 
 ten to testify for him ? Mahometanism is denying his di- 
 
THE WITNESSING CHURCH. 45 
 
 vinity, and is placing an impostor in his stead will you 
 not attest that there is none other name under heaven 
 given among men whereby we can be saved, but the name 
 of Christ your Lord? China is denying his existence, 
 and one-third of the human race believe it; will you 
 not go to proclaim " This is the true God and eternal 
 life" ? Hindooism is affirming that his name is Juggernaut, 
 and that he your Lord, the Saviour of the world that 
 he loves impurity and blood ; and millions believe it ; will 
 you not go and attest that " his name is Jesus, because he 
 saves the people from their sins" ? Shall his cross have 
 next to no witnesses of its benevolence? shall his blood 
 have no tongue to proclaim its efficacy? his cause no 
 friends to espouse it ? Witnesses for Christ, your Lord is 
 in India, awaiting your arrival. He has obtained a hearing 
 for you ; and he is on the plains of Africa at the gates of 
 China in the temples of Hindostan, calling for his wit- 
 nesses to come and testify in his behalf. And shall he call 
 in vain ? He is saying to his church to-day, not for the 
 third, but for the thousandth time '' Lovest thou me !" 
 Then, by the blood which redeemed you by the benevo- 
 lent design of that redemption, that you might be my wit- 
 nesses by the wants of the world, waiting to hear you pro- 
 claim my grace, and perishing till they hear by the cer- 
 tainty of your success, and the glories that would result 
 from it by the power of that cross which is destined to 
 move the world awake, arise, to your high prerogative 
 and office ; call down the kid of the great renewing Spirit ; 
 and let every creature hear you say, " We have seen, and 
 do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour 
 of the world." " Ye are my witnesses." 
 
T. C. Savill, Printer, 107, St. Martin's Lane, London. 
 
BAPTISM: 
 
 THE IMPORT OF BAnTIZXl. 
 
 REV. EDWARD BEECHER, 
 
 PRESIDENT OP ILLINOIS COLLRriK, JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS. 
 
 REPRINTED FROM THE AMERICAN BIBLICAL REPOSITORY, 
 JANUARY AND APRIL, 1840. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 JOHN GLADDING, 20, CITY ROAD. 
 
 1840. 
 
 Price One Shilling. 
 
. / 
 
 J. H ADDON, CASTLE STREET, FINSBURY, 
 
BAPTISM 
 
 ^/ 
 
 To engage anew in the discussion of the subject of Baptism, may 
 seem to need an apology. Mine is, that it is a point in which Chris- 
 tians are not as yet agreed, and therefore all truth is not seen. For 
 I cannot think that God has of design hidden the truth, or that he 
 has revealed it doubtfully on a point which has proved to be of such 
 magnitude by its practical results. Hence I believe that when all 
 truth is seen on this subject, which may be seen, all true Christians 
 will so far agree that no obstacle to their perfect union in feeling and 
 action will remain. But the truth on this, as on all other subjects, is 
 not to be elicited by the action of any one mind, but by the united 
 contributions of many. 
 
 When in the dark ages, in the midnight of Papal gloom, all truth 
 was lost or obscured, and the social fabric erected on principles 
 radically corrupt, it pleased God to make no new revelation, nor to 
 raise up and illumine any one gigantic mind, of power to grasp all 
 truth and to restore it at once to its systematic proportion, or to erect 
 in all its harmony a model of the social system in its perfect state. ^ 
 
 Of the universal system different individuals grasped different 
 parts, yet still mingled with much error, and thus God accomplished 
 that which no single mind was capacious enough to do. He grasped, 
 through many minds, the great outlines of the system of universal 
 truth, so that none might be lost. Yet as in individual minds it was 
 still limited and mingled with much error, divisions and sects arose, 
 each holding important truth, which God was not willing to lose ; 
 and yet not so unmingled or in such proportions that all could unite 
 as one. 
 
 But this mixture of error with truth is not destined always to last. 
 The movement of the mind of the universal church is destined still / 
 to be upward ; for she is taught of God. And in completing the 
 fabric which he is about to erect, shall contribute his portion of . 
 
 A 2 ^ 
 
truth to the grand result, whilst the errors of each shall disappear 
 and die away. Then shall all finite minds be harmonized in one by 
 the all-pervading mind of God. As if to prepare the way for this 
 result, the public mind has of late been directed with new interest 
 to this subject. It has been brought up by certain great questions 
 in evangelizing the world, and has excited much attention. It has 
 elicited works of much talent and extensive research through a wide 
 field of philology. The spirit of the discussion has been much 
 ameliorated, at least in many of the leading writers, though not 
 always in the local and subordinate controversies. Yet union is far 
 from being obtained, nay, in some particulars the prospect is more 
 discouraging than ever. This must be a matter of grief to all who 
 desire the fulfilment of the prayer of Christ. Nor is it in harmony 
 with the convictions of the age on the duty of Christian unity, for 
 however Christians practise, they are more and more convinced that 
 there is something wrong and offensive to God in the present divided 
 state of the Church. 
 
 We have reason, then, to suppose that exactly the right ground 
 has not been taken on either side, and we ought to aim at the simple 
 ground of truth for the sake of union and the common good. To 
 furnish some small share of the materials which God may use in pro- 
 ducing this result, is my object in this effort. And at present my 
 remarks will relate entirely to the mode of Baptism. 
 
 STATEMENT OF THE CASE, AND OF PRINCIPLES OF INVESTIGATION. 
 
 I. The case is this : Christ has enjoined the performance of a duty 
 in the command to baptize. 
 
 What is the duty enjoined ? or, in other words, what does the 
 word Baptize, in which the command is given, mean ? One of two 
 things must be true ; 
 
 1. Either it is in its meaning generic, denoting merely the pro- 
 duction of an effect (as purity), so that the command may be fulfilled 
 in many ways ; or, it is so specific, denoting an external act, that it 
 can be fulfilled in but one. To illustrate by an analogous case, 
 Christ said, '^ Go teach all nations." Here the word go, is so generic 
 as to include all modes of going which any one may choose to 
 adopt. If a man walks, or runs, or rides, or sails, he equally fulfils 
 the command. On the other hand, some king or ruler, for particular 
 
reasons might command an act by a word entirely specific, as, for example, 
 that certain mourners should walk in a funeral procession. Now it is 
 plain that such a command could not be fulfilled by riding, or by running, 
 for though these are models of going, they are not models of walk- 
 ing, and the command is not to go in general, but specifically to walk. 
 So when a general says, March, it will not answer for the soldiers to 
 run ; for though this is a mode of going, it is not a mode of marching. 
 So likewise, when Christ said baptize, he either used a word which 
 had a generic sense, denoting an effect, such as purify, cleanse ; or a 
 specific sense denoting an act, such as immerse, sprinkle, dip. 
 
 2. Whichever way we decide, as it regards the import of the word^ 
 we ought to be uniform in its use as applied to the rite of baptism. 
 For though the same word may have diverse meanings when applied 
 to different things and in various circumstances, yet it certainly can- 
 not, when applied to the same thing and in the same circumstances. 
 Hence, if we adopt the generic meaning, purify or cleanse, we must 
 adhere to it at all times, when speaking of the rite. On the other 
 hand, if we adopt a specific meaning, as immerse, or sprinkle, we must 
 adhere to it in the same way, and not pass from the generic to the 
 specific, or from the specific to the generic, according to exigencies, 
 on the ground that the word jSaTrr/^w, may in the whole circuit of 
 its use, mean sometimes one thing and sometimes another. Nor 
 must we adopt both, for however numerous the possible meanings of 
 a word may be in its various usages, it has in each particular case 
 but one meaning, and in all similar cases its meaning is the same. 
 Hence the word j3a7rrt?w, as applied to a given rite, has not two or 
 many meanings, but one, and to that one, we should in all cases 
 adhere. 
 
 3. If we adopt a generic meaning, denoting an effect, we are not 
 limited by the command to any specific mode of fulfilling it, and are 
 at liberty to vary the mode according to circumstances. But if we 
 adopt a specific meaning denoting an external act, we are limited by 
 the very import of the command, to the range of that meaning. 
 Hence if the command is purify, or cleanse, we are not limited by 
 the command to any one mode, but may choose that which seems to 
 us most appropriate, whether it be sprinkling, pouring, or immersion. 
 But if the command is specific, as immerse, then we are limited by 
 the range of that word, and cannot fulfil the command by sprinkling. 
 
or pouring, for these are not modes of immersion any more than 
 riding is a mode of walking, or writing a mode of painting. 
 
 It is true that sprinkHng and pouring may be modes of purifying, 
 and so is riding a mode of going. But if the command is not 
 purify, but immerse, then all debate as to the mode is at an end, for 
 you can immerse, not by sprinkling, but only by immersion. 
 
 CAUSES OF THE DISREGARD OF THESE PRINCIPLES, AND FALSE 
 POSITIONS TO WHICH THIS DISREGARD HAS GIVEN RISE. 
 
 II. Though the principles stated are simple and obvious, yet the 
 natural operations of the mind on questions of philology have been 
 in this case embarrassed and perplexed by certain influences of a kind 
 peculiar to this word. 
 
 At the time of the translation of the Bible, a controversy had 
 arisen as it regards the import of the word, so that, although it was 
 conceded to have an import in the original, yet it was impossible to 
 assign to it in English any meaning without seeming to take sides in 
 the controversy then pending. Accordingly, in order to take neither 
 side, they did not translate the word at all, but merely transferred 
 it with a slight alteration of termination to our language. The con- 
 sequence was, that it ceased to exhibit its original significancy to the 
 mind of the reader, or indeed any significancy except what was de- 
 rived from its application to designate an external visible rite. In 
 short, it became merely the name of a rite, and had a usage strictly 
 technical, and lost to the ear whatever significance it originally had. 
 
 The habit of using the word in a technical sense has tended to 
 unfit the mind for the discussion of the question as to the mode of 
 baptism in various ways, of which I shall mention three. 
 
 1. It has led to a departure from the principles already stated, 
 that words, when applied to the same subject, and in the same cir- 
 cumstances, cannot have a double sense. This rule, as has been 
 remarked, does not forbid that the same word in diflferent circum- 
 stances should have various senses, accordingly it may be conceded 
 that the word jSaTrrt^'ij has various senses in the wide range of its 
 usage, in scriptural and classical Greek; but out of this variety of 
 usages, there is one strictly of a religious nature, and having direct 
 reference to one of the great revealed facts of Christianity. Now in 
 
^' 
 
 a case like this, the laws of philology require that some one of the 
 meanings of the word should be fixed on and assigned to it in all 
 cases. But the habit of using the word baptize in a strictly technical 
 sense, as the name of a rite, has led to a disregard of this simple and 
 obvious rule. 
 
 Many writers, fixing their minds merely upon the idea of a rite, 
 and finding that the word j3a7rrt2&> means sometimes to wash, some- 
 times to immerse, and sometimes, as they think, to pour or sprinkle, 
 conclude that the rite of baptism may be performed in either way, 
 entirely forgetting that, although the word should happen, in the 
 wide range of its usage, scriptural and classical, secular and religious, 
 to have all these meanings, it by no means follows that when used as 
 a religious term, it has more than one. Hence, if as a religious term, 
 and in certain circumstances, it means immerse, it does not also in 
 similar circumstances mean to wet or to wash, to sprinkle or to pour, 
 to colour or to dye, but simply to immerse. And just as plainly, if 
 in some cases of its religious use, it means to purify, it does not in 
 others of the same kind mean to pour, to sprinkle, or to immerse. 
 
 2. The other mode in which the technical use of this word has 
 unfitted the mind for a fair consideration of the question is, it has 
 permitted the introduction of a discussion as to the mode of baptism, 
 after concessions have been made, which ought for ever to exclude it. 
 For example, the question arises what meaning did the word jSaTrrt^w 
 convey to those- who in the age of the New Testament writers read 
 the command, go baptize all nations ? Was it to immerse ? So our 
 brethren the Baptists maintain, and so many who do not immerse 
 concede. Now after such a concession, with what propriety they 
 can debate any longer as to the mode, I acknowledge that I cannot 
 perceive. Nor do I think, that they would do it were it not for an 
 illusion practised by the technical word baptize, upon their minds. 
 
 After admitting as a point of philology, that the word jSaTrrf^w in 
 its religious use means immerse, the mind seems to revert to the old 
 habit of using the Anglicised word baptism, without attaching to it 
 any meaning, and we are at once told that it is of no use to dispute 
 as to the mode of baptism. Suppose, now, instead of the word bap- 
 tism, we substitute the meaning which it has been conceded to have, 
 and the illusion is at once exposed. We concede that j3a7rrtfa> 
 means immerse, but of what use is it to dispute concerning the mode 
 of immersion ? of none surely, so you do but immerse. But canyou 
 
8 
 
 immerse by sprinkling ? Is sprinkling a mode of immersion ? The 
 fact iS;, that if the word denotes a given definite act, no other dissi- 
 milar act is or can be a mode of it. Pouring is not a mode of 
 sprinkling or of immersion, nor is sprinkling a mode of pouring or 
 of immersion, nor is immersion a mode of sprinkling or pouring. 
 
 3. Others again still using the word merely as a technic, say that 
 baptism is the application of water, in any way, in the name of the 
 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; but base their con- 
 clusions rather on reason and the nature of the case, or on the design 
 of the rite, than on a thorough philological investigation of the word. 
 Now the defect of this last mode of reasoning is, that it does not in- 
 terpret the command. It uses the word like a technic, having no 
 meaning of its own, and gives rather a description of a rite than a 
 definition of jSaTrri^w. No one ever pretended to define PanTiZio 
 as meaning " to apply water in any way," of course baptism cannot 
 be defined to be *' the application of water in any way." And whether 
 this view of the rite is correct or not, must depend entirely on the 
 meaning of the word. 
 
 STATEMENT OF THE POSITION TO BE PROVED. 
 
 III. From what has been said it is plain that those who have 
 written on the subject of the mode of baptism may be arranged in 
 four classes. 
 
 1 . Those who maintain that the word in the whole extent of its 
 usage has various meanings, and from this fact alone draw the in- 
 ference that, therefore, the rite may be performed in various ways, 
 making at the same time no attempt to prove which of its possible 
 meanings it actually has in the case in question. 
 
 2. Those who fix on a specific meaning e. g. immerse, and which 
 of course excludes all dispute as to the word, and yet insist that no 
 more is essential. 
 
 3. Those who look mainly at the obvious design of the rite, i. e. 
 to indicate purity, and on this ground affirm that to baptize is to 
 apply water in any way which denotes purity, without attempting to 
 make out a philological proof of the truth of their position from the 
 import of the word jSaTrn'Sw. 
 
 4. Those who insist that the word in all its extent of usage has but 
 
wo 
 
 9 
 
 one meaning viz., to immerse and that this excludes all debate as 
 to the word. 
 
 None of these positions is in my judgment adapted to explain all 
 the facts which occur in the use of the word, and to give satisfaction 
 and rest to an inquiring mind. Any view which shall effectually do 
 this will be found to have the following requisites : 
 
 (1) That it shall be strictly philological. 
 
 (2) That out of all the possible meanings of j3a7rri?w, it shall fix 
 on one as the real meaning in the case in question. 
 
 (3) That it shall at all times steadily adhere to this. 
 
 (4) That this shall limit the performance of the rite to no par- 
 ticular mode. 
 
 The position which I shall endeavour to prove in accordance with 
 these views is this, that the word jSaTrrt^w, as a religious term, 
 means neither dip nor sprinkle, immerse nor pour nor any other 
 external action in applying a fluid to the body, or the body to a fluid 
 nor any action which is limited to one mode of performance. But 
 that as a religious term it means at all times, to purify, or cleanse 
 words of a meaning so general as not to be confined to any mode, or 
 agent, or means, or object, whether material or spiritual, but to leave 
 the widest scope for the question as to the mode so that in this 
 usage it is in every respect a perfect synonym of the word /ca^apt^o). 
 
 Let it then be borne in mind, that the question is not this. Does 
 the word in all its extent of usage denote at any time a definite ex- 
 ternal act? nor this, Is this its original, 'primitive signification? 
 Even if all this were admitted, it would not touch the question for, 
 as we all know, nothing is more common than for words to be used 
 in more meanings than one, and to decide in what sense a word is 
 used in a given instance, we are not to follow etymology or fancy, 
 but evidence, derived from the facts of the case. 
 
 With regard then to other uses of the word (^anTiZw, I freely 
 admit that in classic usage it does, as a general fact, clearly denote 
 some external act of a specific kind, yet it is by no means clear to my 
 mind that it does not in different cases denote different acts. And 
 though I do not regard it as an integral part of the argument which 
 I propose to construct, yet for the sake of completeness, I think it 
 best to state what seems to be the truth on this point. 
 
 1. I freely admit that in numerous cases it clearly denotes to 
 immerse in which case an agent submerges partially or totally some 
 
10 
 
 person or thing. Indeed, this is so notoriously true, that I need 
 attempt no proof. Innumerable examples are at hand, and enough 
 may be found, in all the most common discussions of the subject. 
 
 2. It is also applied to cases where a fluid is poured copiously 
 over any thing so as to flood it, though not completely or perman- 
 ently to submerge it. Of this usage I shall adduce but one 
 example : Origen, referring to the copious pouring of water by 
 Elijah on the wood and on the sacrifice, represents him as baptizing 
 them. For the passage, and remarks on it, see WalPs History of 
 Infant Baptism. 
 
 3. It is also applied to cases where a fluid without an agent rolls 
 over or floods, and covers any thing as in the oft quoted passage in 
 Diodorus Siculus, vol. vii. p. 191, as translated by Prof. Stuart: 
 *' The river, borne along by a more violent current, overwhelmed 
 many" (fjSaTrnSc). So, vol. i. p. 107, he speaks of land animals 
 intercepted by the Nile, as (^awriZoiueva, overwhelmed, and perish- 
 ing. The same mode of speaking is also applied to the sea shore, 
 which is spoken of by Aristotle as baptized or overwhelmed by the 
 tide. 
 
 4. It is also applied in cases where some person or thing sinks 
 passively into the flood. Thus Josephus, in narrating his shipwreck 
 on the Adriatic, uses this word to describe the sinking of the ship. 
 
 I am aware that by some writers rigorous eflbrts are made to 
 reduce all these senses to the original idea to immerse or dip. But 
 it seems to me that they are rather led by their zeal to support a 
 theory, than by a careful induction from facts ; and that they wrest facts 
 to suit their principles, rather than derive their principles from facts. 
 
 To me it seems plain that in all these cases there is a material 
 difference, as to the external act ; nor am 1 prepared to admit that 
 either, in preference to the other, is the original and primitive mean- 
 ing of the word. If it were an object of much importance to decide 
 what this is, inasmuch as they all agree in one common idea of a 
 state or condition, though variously caused, I should incline to give 
 to the word the meaning to cause to come into that state, and this 
 idea is favoured by the termination, t^w. The state is, a state of 
 being enveloped or surrounded by a fluid, or any thing else adapted 
 to produce such a result. And a general meaning of jSaTrrt^w would 
 thus be to cause to come into this state whether it be done by 
 pouring the fluid copiously over an object, or by the flowing of a 
 
11 
 
 fluid, over an object, without the intervention of any agent, or by the 
 passive sinking of an object into it. In all these cases the state of 
 the object becomes the same, but the external act, by which it comes 
 into this state, is not the same in either case. 
 
 To all this, however, I attach no great importance in the discussion 
 of the present question ; unless it be of use in exposing the fallacy of 
 all efforts to reduce this word to such a perfect simplicity of mean- 
 ing, even as it regards an external act, as is claimed for it by some. 
 
 On the other hand, even if I were to admit that its original and 
 primitive idea was to immerse, and that when it denotes an external 
 act, it never departs from this sense ; still the question would arise, 
 is there not another meaning derived from the effects of this act, and 
 in which the mind contemplates the effect alone, entirely irrespective 
 of the mode in which it is produced. 
 
 I contend that there is and that as thorough purification or 
 cleansing is often the result of submersion in water, so the word 
 jSttTTTtSw has come to signify to purify or cleanse thoroughly, without 
 any reference to the mode in which it is done. 
 
 IV. There is not a priori the least improbability of such a change 
 of meaning, from the laws of the mind, or of language. It may at 
 first sight seem an improbable position to some, that if a word 
 originally signifies " to immerse," it can assume a meaning so remote 
 from its primitive sense as " to purify J' and entirely drop all reference 
 to the mode. Yet the slightest attention to the laws of the mind, 
 and to well-known facts, will show that not the least improbability of 
 such a result exists. 
 
 No principle is more universally admitted by all sound philologists, 
 than that to establish the original and primitive meaning of a word, 
 is not at all decisive as it regards its subsequent usages. It often 
 aids only as giving a clue by which we can trace the progress of the 
 imagination, or the association of ideas in leading the mind from 
 meaning to meaning, on some ground of relative similitude, or con- 
 nexion of cause and effect. 
 
 So the verb to spring, denotes an act, and gives rise to a noun 
 denoting an act. A perception of similitude transfers the word to 
 the issuing of water from a fountain to the motion of a watch-spring 
 and to the springing of plants in the spring of the year. Yet who 
 does not feel that to be able to trace such a process of thought, is far 
 from proving that, when a man in one case says, I made a spring 
 
12 
 
 over the ditch, in another, I broke the spring of my watch, in another, 
 I drank from the spring, in another, I prefer spring to winter, he 
 means in each case the same thing by the word spring ? And who 
 in using these words, always resorts to the original idea of the verb ? 
 Indeed, so far is it from being true that this is commonly done, that 
 most persons are pleased when the track of the mind is uncovered, 
 and the path is pointed out by which it passed from meaning to 
 meaning, as if a new idea had been acquired so conversation, prevent, 
 charity, as now used, have obviously departed widely from the sense 
 in which they were used in the days of the translators of the Bible. 
 But to multiply words on a point so plain, would be needless, had 
 not so much stress been laid on the supposed original meaning of 
 this word. It is therefore too plain to be denied, that words do often 
 so far depart from their primitive meaning, as entirely to leave out 
 the original idea and that the secondary senses of a word are often 
 by far the most numerous and important. 
 
 Moreover, to establish such secondary meanings, it is not necessary 
 that we should be able to trace the course of the mind, though it is 
 pleasant to be able to do it. A secondary meaning, however unlike it 
 may seem to the primitive, may yet be established like any other fact 
 in the usage of language, that is by appropriate testimony. 
 
 But whilst such transitions are common in all words, they are 
 particularly common in words of the class of jdairTiZu) denoting action 
 by, or with reference to, a fluid. This is owing to the fact that the 
 effects produced by the action, depend not on the action alone, but 
 on the action and the fluid combined and of course may be varied as 
 the fluid or its application varies. 
 
 Let us now take the general idea of enveloping or immersing in a 
 fluid, and see how unlike the effects to which it may give rise. 
 
 If the envelopment is produced by a flood, a torrent, or waves, the 
 effect may be to overwhelm, to oppress, to destroy. 
 
 If by taking up the object and immersing it into a colouring fluid, 
 it is to impart a new new colour, or to dye. 
 
 If by taking up an object and immersing it into a cleansing fluid 
 or by going into a fluid or by pouring a fluid copiously over the 
 object, the effect is to purify or cleanse. 
 
 And on these natural or material senses, may be founded the same 
 number of spiritual or moral senses, by transferring the ideas to the 
 mind. 
 
 Now as a matter of fact such transfers have taken place in cognate 
 
13 
 
 and similar words. I shall out of many select a few cases from 
 Greek, Latin, English, and Hebrew words, fully to illustrate, and 
 clearly to confirm these principles, and to show that they are peculiar 
 to no language, but rest on universal laws of the mind. 
 
 In Greek all admit that the most common sense of jSotttw is to 
 dip, to immerse. I am willing to admit that it is the primitive sense. 
 But it is beyond all dispute that the same word has passed to the 
 meaning to dye, without any reference to mode. Great efforts were 
 once made to deny this. But the most intelligent Baptists now 
 entirely abandon this ground, and that with the best reason. And 
 indeed, so far has the word passed from its original sense, that it is 
 applied to colouring the surface of an object by gold, i. e. to gilding. 
 A few examples out of many in so plain a case must suffice. In the 
 battle of the frogs and mice, a mouse is represented as dying or 
 colouring the lake with his blood itairrEro oifiaTi At/uvrj. On this 
 there was once a battle royal to prove that it could be proper to speak 
 of dipping a lake into the blood of a mouse ; and all the powers of 
 rhetoric were put in requisition to justify the usage. Hear now Mr. 
 Carson, inferior in learning and research to none of the Baptists : 
 '' To suppose that there is here any extravagant allusion to the literal 
 immersion or dipping of a lake, is a monstrous perversion of taste. 
 The lake is said to be dyed, not to be dipped, or poured, or sprinkled. 
 There is in the word no reference to mode. Had Baptists entrenched 
 themselves here, they would have saved themselves much useless 
 toil, and much false criticism, without straining to the impeachment 
 of their candour or their taste. What a monstrous paradox in rhe- 
 toric is the figuring of the dipping of a lake in the blood of a mouse ! 
 Yet Dr. Gale supposes that the lake was dipped by hyperbole. The 
 literal sense he says is, the lake was dipped in blood. Never was 
 there such a figure. The lake is not said to be dipped in blood, but 
 to be dyed ivith blood." P. 67, Am. edition, N. York, IS32. This 
 is well said, and is the more to our purpose on account of its author. 
 Indeed his whole discussion of this point is able, lucid, and decisive. 
 Of the examples adduced by him I shall quote one or two more. 
 
 *' Hippocrates employs it to denote dying, by dropping the dying 
 liquid on the thing dyed : eTrsi^av iTTtcTTaKy Ittl to, Ifiaria f^cnrTsrai : 
 * When it drops upon the garments they are dyed.' This surely is 
 not dying by dipping." Carson, p. 60. 
 
 '* Again. In Arrian Expedition of Alexander: tovq de Trwyayvag 
 XijEi Neapx^C on jSaTrrwvrof 'Iv^oi : ' Nearchus relates that the In- 
 
14 
 
 dians dye their beards.' It will not be contended that they dyed 
 their beards by immersion." P. 61. 
 
 He quotes cases in which it is used to describe the colouring of 
 the hair ; the staining of a garment by blood ; the staining of the 
 hand by crushing a colouring substance in it ; for which, and others 
 of a like kind, I refer to him, and to Prof. Stuart. In the com- 
 pounds and derivations of this word the sense to dye is very exten- 
 sive ; to be fully satisfied of which, let any one examine the The- 
 saurus of H. Stephens, or the abbreviation of it by Scapula on this 
 word. It is compounded with colours of all kinds, as 7ro^^upoj3a(^r7C 
 vajctvOtvojSa^rjC, of a purple, or hyacinthine dye. It denotes a dyer, 
 a dying vat, a dye-house, &c., (5a(pEvg /3a(^aov, &c., and it even 
 passes, as before stated, to cases in which a new colour is produced 
 by the external application of a solid, as xpvaojSa^ijCj coloured with 
 gold, or gilded. 
 
 But it is needless to quote at large all the examples which might 
 be adduced to illustrate and confirm these points : and as all that I 
 claim is conceded even by our Baptist brethren, to proceed farther 
 would seem like an attempt at useless display. I shall therefore pro- 
 ceed to consider the usages of a kindred word in the Latin language. 
 
 Tingo, beyond all doubt, means to immerse. In this sense Fac- 
 ciolatus and Forcellinus in their Totius Latinitatis Lexicon give 
 jSaTTTw as its synonyme. And as jdaTrrw is used to describe the im- 
 mersing of an axe to temper it, so is ti7igo to describe similar opera- 
 tions. So Virgil, speaking of the operations of the Cyclopian work- 
 men of Vulcan, thus describes them as immersing the hissing metals 
 in water to temper them. Stridentia tingunt aera lacu. JE, 8. 450. 
 
 So speaking of a sword. Tinxerat unda stygia ensem. JE. 12. 
 91. Celsus speaks of sponges dipped in vinegar. Spongia in aceto 
 tincta. 
 
 The setting of the heavenly bodies is spoken of as an immersion in 
 the sea, and to describe this tingo is used. 
 
 Tingere se oceano properant soles hyberni. Virg. Geor. 2. 481. 
 
 Tingat equos gurgite Phoebus. JE. II, 914. 
 
 But to prove that it means immerse is needless ; no one can deny 
 it, ^nor is it the point at which I chiefly aim. This is, that like 
 /3a7rrw, it loses all reference to the act of immersion and comes to 
 signify simply to dye or colour in any way. Of this there is a pre- 
 sumptive proof that is obvious even to those who do not understand 
 
13 
 
 the learned languages. It has giA^en rise to the words tinge and tint 
 in our language and who that speaks of the rosy tints of morn or 
 of the sun tinging the clouds with golden light, would have the least 
 thought of immersion. And is it probable that such senses would 
 have passed from the Latin to our language, had tingo not passed 
 from its original sense to that of dying or colouring in any mode. 
 
 But there is direct proof in the Latin classics of the same kind as 
 exists with respect to jSoTrrw. Horace uses the word to denote the 
 dying of wool, as tingere lanas murice ; Ovid, to denote the colouring 
 of the hair, and of ivory ; Horace, to denote the colouring of the axe 
 used in sacrificing the victims, as victima pontificum secures cervice 
 tinget ; Virgil. Geor. 3. v. 492, to denote the malignant effects of a 
 plague on cattle, mentions that they had scarce blood enough left to 
 colour the knives used to slay them. " Vix suppositi tinguntur san- 
 guine cultri." 
 
 So in Georg. 2: v. 8. We have the words Tinge crura musto, 
 referring to the colouring or staining of the legs by the treading of 
 the wine press. In Pliny we have Tingentium officinae, shops of 
 dyers, and in Cicero, Tincta in the phrase to denote coloured things. 
 It is followed by an accusative of the colour, as in Pliny tingere 
 coeruleum, to dye blue. We have also in Lucretius, Loca lumine 
 tingunt nubes to tinge or colour, that is to illuminate with light. 
 See Forcellinus and Facciolatus, or Leverett's Lexicon, on the word. 
 Indeed on this word no less than on j3a7rrw, we have the unequivocal 
 concession of Mr. Carson, that it means to dye. '' In Latin also, the 
 same word, tingo, signifies both to dip and to dye." Carson, p. 77. 
 
 Facciolatus, and Forcellinus, and Leverett also give it the sense 
 to moisten, to wet, and make it in this sense synonymous with riy^b) 
 from which indeed it is derived, and to my mind the examples 
 adduced are abundantly sufficient to establish this sense. But on 
 this it is needless to insist, as Mr. Carson professes not to be satisfied 
 that this sense can be established, and for the present I wish to rely 
 on facts concerning which there is no dispute. 
 
 In English, for the sake of contrast, I shall select the word to 
 wash. The original and common idea of this word is undeniably 
 to cleanse by a purifying fluid, as water and that without respect to 
 mode. Of these ideas in its progress it drops all, and assumes a 
 meaning that involves neither to purify nor to use a fluid at all. As 
 washing is often performed by a superficial application of a fluid, it 
 
16 
 
 often assumes this sense and loses entirely the idea of cleansing, as 
 when we speak of washing a wound with brandy ; or with some 
 cooling application to alleviate inflammation. In this case we aim 
 not at cleansing but at medicinal effect. So we speak of the sea as 
 washing the shores or rocks, denoting not cleansing, but the copious 
 superficial application of a fluid. 
 
 Again, as a superficial application of a fluid or a colouring mixture 
 is often made for the sake of changing the colour, we have to white- 
 wash, to red-wash, to yellow-wash ; and the substances or fluid mix- 
 tures with which this is done, are called washes. 
 
 Next it drops the idea of a fluid at all, and assumes the sense of a 
 superficial application of a solid as to wash with silver or gold. 
 And here a remarkable coincidence in result, in words of meaning 
 originally unlike, deserves notice as a striking illustration of the pro- 
 gress of the mind in effecting such changes. In Greek, /3a7rrw, 
 denotes originally to immerse action alone, without reference to 
 effect. In English, wash denotes to cleanse or purify alone, without 
 reference to mode. Yet by the operation of the laws of association, 
 both are used to denote colouring, and both to denote covering 
 superficially with silver or gold. Finally, when we speak of the 
 wash of a cow-yard, and call those places where deposits of earth, 
 or filth, or vegetable matter are made, washes, who will contend 
 that the idea of purity is retained ? 
 
 Again, lustro denotes to purify, by certain religious rites, and 
 especially by carrying around the victim previously to its being killed. 
 From this it passes to the idea of passing around or through drop- 
 ping the idea of purifying as Pythagoras i^gyptum lustravit. Cicero 
 Pythagoras traversed Egypt. Navibus lustrandum aequor. Virg. 
 the ocean to be traversed with ships. Hence it passes to the idea of 
 observing, surveying, accurately examining, either with the eyes, or 
 the mind. Totum lustrabat lumine corpus, Virg. He scrutinized, 
 or examined his whole body with his eyes. Cum omnia ratione 
 animoque lustraris, when you shall have surveyed and accurately 
 examined all things by your reason and in your mind. 
 
 And what wider departure from the original sense to purify is 
 possible ? In Leverett KaOaptrig is given as a synonyme of lustratio, 
 and yet the same word is used to denote travelling from city to city. 
 Lustratio municipiorum also the course or circuit of the sun 
 lustratio solis. So too in Ezek. xxii. 15, h:in to immerse is used to 
 
17 
 
 denote dying where ^'^h^iu denotes dyed attire, as Mr. Carson also 
 allows. Similar transitions of meaning could be pointed out in lavo 
 DSD and tjQip and other words, were it at all necessary, and did time 
 allow. 
 
 Now with such facts before us, to increase the number of which 
 indefinitely were perfectly easy, who can say that there is the 
 slightest improbability in the idea that the word jSoTrri^w should pass 
 from the sense to immerse, to the sense to purify, without reference 
 to the mode ? Can jSoTrrw, tingo and wash, pass through similar 
 transitions and cannot jSoTrr/^w ? But what secondary sense shall be 
 adopted cannot be told a priorii but must be decided by the habits, 
 manners, customs, and general ideas of a people, and sometimes by 
 peculiar usages for which no reason can be given. For example, no 
 reason exists in the nature of things why jSaTrrw rather than jSaTrri^w 
 should pass from the sense immerse to the sense to dye yet there is 
 evidence that it did. On the other hand it could not be certainly 
 foretold that jSaTrrt^w rather than jSaTrrw would pass to the sense 
 to cleanse, and yet that it did so pass may still be true, and if true 
 can be proved like any other fact. And the existence of manners 
 and customs tending to such a result, renders such a result probable. 
 
 V. Circumstances did exist tending to produce such a transfer of 
 meaning in j3a7rri2w, and therefore there is a strong probability that 
 it was made. As it regards j3a7rrw and tingOj we have no proof that 
 any peculiar causes existed tending to such a change of meaning as 
 they are confessed to have actually undergone. But as it regards 
 j3a7rri^w, such a tendency can be proved to have existed in the man- 
 ners and custom of the Jews, for though no immersions of the 
 person were enjoined in the Mosaic ritual, but simply washings of 
 the body, or flesh, in any way, yet there can be no doubt that im- 
 mersions and bathings were in daily use and these, as well as all 
 their other washings, were solely for the sake of purity, and held up 
 this idea daily before the mind. Hence, when after the conquests of 
 Alexander, the Greek language began to be spoken by the Jews, it 
 encountered a tendency of the same kind as that which had already 
 changed the meaning of j3a7rrw to color or dye ; but far more definite, 
 powerful, and all-pervading ; for the practice of immersing to color 
 was limited to a few, but the practice of bathing or immersing to 
 purify, was common to a whole nation. Indeed the idea of purifica- 
 tion from uncleanliness pervaded thfiir whole ritual in numberless 
 cases, and must have been perfectly familiar to the mind of every one. 
 
 B 
 
' 18 
 
 The inference from these facts is so obvious that it hardly needs to 
 be stated. As the laws of the mind made from j3a7rrw, to dye, to 
 color, to paint, and from tingo, the same ; so there is a very strong pre- 
 sumption that so general a use of immersion, to produce purity would 
 give to jSaTTTi^w the corresponding sense, to purify. This does not, 
 I am aware prove that it did. But it opens the way for such proof and 
 shows that there is not the least ground for the rigorous efforts that 
 are made to set it aside. Even a moderate degree of proof is suffi- 
 cient in a case like this, when the most familiar laws of the mind, and 
 all the power of presumptive evidence from analogical cases, tend this 
 way. 
 
 VI. There is no probability a priori against this position from the 
 general nature of the subject to which the word is applied, in the rite 
 of Baptism. But the probability is decidedly and strongly in its 
 favour. No law of philology is more firmly established than this, 
 that in the progress of society, new ideas produce new words and 
 new senses of old words ; and hence, in judging concerning such new 
 senses we are to look at the nature of the new subjects of thought 
 that arise. Now that in this case the Greek language was applied to 
 a new subject of thought is most plain, and that subject is the pecu- 
 liar operations of the Holy Spirit, for that the ordinance of baptism 
 refers to these is admitted by all. Now if any external act had any 
 peculiar fitness to present these to the mind, a presumption would be 
 in favor of that act ; and if the meaning claimed was unfit to present 
 them to the mind there would be a presumption against it. Now so 
 far is this from being the fact that directly the reverse is true. What 
 is the peculiar effect of the operation of the Holy Ghost on the 
 mind? Is it not moral cleansing or purification ? 
 
 Now no word denoting merely a mode of applying a fluid to a 
 thing, or of putting any thing into a fluid, conveys of itself any such 
 idea. To pour, sprinkle, immerse, or dip, convey in themselves no 
 idea at all of cleansing. The effect of the action depends mainly on 
 the fluid, not on the action, and may be either to purify or to pollute. 
 If clear water is used, the effect is to purify. If filthy water is used 
 the effect is to pollute. So Job says, " If I wash myself with snow- 
 water and make my hands never so clean, yet shalt thou plunge me 
 [Greek j3a7rrw. Heb. ^nt?] in the ditch, and my own clothes shall 
 abhor me." Here the effect of plunging is pollution, because it is not 
 into clean water but into filthy. Hence, no external act has in itself 
 -^anyjitness to present to the mind the operations of the Holy Spirit, 
 
 I 
 
19 
 
 On the other hand to wash, to purify, to cleanse all direct the mind 
 to the very thing done by the Holy Spirit hence the presumption is 
 entirely against the supposition that the word denotes an external act, 
 and in favor of the meaning claimed. 
 
 VII. There is decided philological proof in favor of this view. 
 This I shall soon proceed to adduce. But the course which the 
 argument has too often taken, renders it necessary to make a few re- 
 marks on the principles of the reasoning involved. It is commonly 
 the case, that after proving that there are clear instances in which 
 jSaTTTt^w means to immerse, it is assumed that it is violently improbable 
 that it ever means anything else ; and that, if it can be shown that in 
 a given passage it can possibly mean immerse, no more is needed, so 
 that the main force of argument is not to prove that it does so mean 
 from the exigency of the place, but that it may possibly so mean, and 
 therefore in consequence of its meaning so in other places, it does so 
 here. 
 
 Prof Ripley reasons on these principles in his reply to Prof. 
 Stuart, but Mr. Carson has more boldly and fully developed them 
 than any writer on that side of the question with whom I am ac- 
 quainted. He goes so far as to say, p. 108, 109, that when one 
 meaning of a word is proved by sufficient evidence, no objections to 
 retaining this meaning in other places can be admitted as decisive, 
 except they involve an impossibility. This he says is self-evident, 
 and lays it down as a canon ; and affirms, p. 106, that the man who 
 does not perceive the justness of his positions is not worth reasoning 
 with. Now that there is not the least ground for assuming the im- 
 probability of the meaning to purify, nay that the probability is de- 
 cidedly in its favor, I have clearly shown. Of course to show that in 
 a given case it can possibly mean immerse is nothing to the point. 
 The question is what is its fair, natural, and obvious sense in the case 
 in question, not what it can possibly by any stretch of ingenuity be 
 made to mean. 
 
 Of old it was customary in the same way to try to prove that 
 jSttTTTw does not mean to dye, because some other sense is possible or 
 conceivable and as we have seen, Gale even goes so far as to main- 
 tain, that a lake is spoken of as figuratively dipped in the blood of a 
 mouse lest he should be obliged to admit the obvious sense that the 
 lake was dyed, colored, or tinged, with the blood of a mouse. But 
 this mode of reasoning, as it regards (dairrw, is at last candidly and 
 
 b2 
 
20 
 
 fairly given up and may we not hope that the same candor will at 
 length lead to the same results in the case of the cognate word 
 
 It may be farther observed that the reasoning of philology is not 
 demonstrative, but moral and cumulative ; and that an ultimate result 
 depends upon the combined impression of all the facts of a given case 
 as a whole on the principle that the view, which best harmonises 
 all the facts, and falls in with the known laws of the human mind, is 
 true. And where many, and separate, and independent facts all tend 
 with different degrees of probability to a common result, there is an 
 evidence over and above the evidence furnished by each case by itself, 
 in the coincidence of so many separate and independent probabilities 
 in a common result. And to be able to prove that each may be ex- 
 plained otherwise, and is not in itself a demonstration, cannot break 
 the force of the fact, that so many separate and independent proba- 
 bilities all tend one way. The probability produced by such coinci- 
 dences is greater than the sum of the separate [probabilities : it has 
 the force of the fact that they coincide and that the assumption of 
 the truth of the meaning in which they all coincide, is the only mode 
 of explaining the coincidence. 
 
 That there are various independent proofs, that /3a7rri^oj as a re- 
 ligious term means to purify, and that these all coincide, and that this 
 view harmonizes and explains all the facts of the case, I shall now 
 attempt to show. 
 
 VIII. In John iii. 25, KaBaQKr/iog is used as synonymous with 
 paTTTKTfiog, and the usus loquendi, as it regards the religious rite, is 
 clearly decided. The facts of the case are these, ver. 2^, 23. John 
 and Jesus were baptizing, one in Judea, the other in ^^non, near to 
 Salim, and in such circumstances that to an unintelligent observer 
 there would seem to be a rivalry between the claims of the two. The 
 disciples of John might naturally feel that Jesus was intruding into the 
 province of their master. They might even believe John to be the 
 Messiah, and thus give rise to the sect which held that belief. On 
 this point a dispute arose between the disciples of John and the 
 Jews, (or a Jew as many copies read,) v. 25. They come to John 
 and state the case, v. 26. ** Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond 
 Jordan, to whom thoubearest witness, behold the same baptizeth, and 
 all men come to him,'*'' Plainly implying that in so doing he was im- 
 properly interfering with the claims of John. John in reply, v. 27 
 
21 
 
 31, disclaims all honor except that bestowed on him by God, of 
 being the forerunner of the Messiah, and rejoices to decrease in order 
 that he may increase thus justifying the course which was so offen- 
 sive to his disciples, and settling the dispute in favor of the claims of 
 Christ. The argument from these facts is this : The dispute in 
 question was plainly a specific dispute concerning baptism, as prac- 
 tised by Jesus and John, and not a general dispute on the subject of 
 purification at large; so that ^/jrrjo-tc Trtpi jSaTrrtcr/xou is the true 
 sense ; and if it had been so written, the passage would have been 
 regarded by all as perfectly plain. But instead of jSaTrrto-jiiov, John 
 has used KaOapiafiov, because the sense is entirely the same. In 
 other words, " a question concerning baptism," and " a question 
 concerning purification," were at that time modes of expression per- 
 fectly equivalent ; that is, jSaTrrtcrjuoc is a synonyme of Ka^apto-juoc* 
 
 The only mode of escaping this result is to say, that as immersion 
 in water involves purification, and is a kind of purification, so it may 
 have given rise to a question on the subject of purification at large ; 
 but to this I reply, that the whole scope of the passage forbids such 
 an idea. The question was not general but specific, being caused by 
 the concurrence of two claims to baptize ; and so was the reply of 
 John. 
 
 Moreover, to assume a general dispute on purification renders the 
 whole scope of the passage obscure ; as is evident from the fact 
 that those who have not seen that in this case KaOapKTfxog is a 
 synonyme of jSaTrrio-jUoc, are much perplexed to see what a dispute 
 on purification in general has to do with the facts of the case. The 
 origin of the dispute from the concurrence of two claims to baptize, 
 is obviously indicated by the particle ovv in v. 25, showing unde- 
 niably that the events just narrated gave rise to the question. This 
 connexion does not appear in our translation, and hence the course 
 of thought is somewhat obscured. It is plain, then, that inde- 
 pendently of all theories or interests, jca^apto-juoc is used as synony- 
 mous with j3a7rrto"ju6c. Assigning this meaning makes the passage 
 natural, lucid, and simple ; to assume a general debate on purification 
 at large, renders it forced and obscure, and the reply of John totally 
 irrelevant. 
 
 And what reason is there for denying this conclusion ? None but 
 the fear of the result. No law of language requires it no existing 
 fact no previous probability. These, as we have shown, are all 
 
zr^ 
 
 22 
 
 decidedly the other way. It is then of no avail to talk of possible 
 senses. The question is not what is possible, but what is a rational 
 inference from a fair view of the facts of the case ; and this, I do not 
 hesitate to say, is that (^aTTTia/jioc and KaQapKjfxoQ are synonymous. 
 
 I have spoken the more at large on this case, because it is so rarely 
 referred to in arguments on this question, and because the light which 
 it throws on the usus loquendi is peculiarly clear. No word is more 
 entirely independent of all reference to modes and forms than 
 KaOapO^u), and nothing can more clearly show that /BaTTTi^o) had 
 dropped all reference to form, and assumed the sense to purify or 
 cleanse, than making it a synonyme of KaOapiZu). And the evidence 
 is the more striking, as it is incidental and undesigned. It is as if we 
 could stand on the plains of Judea and hear them interchange 
 jSaTTncTjuocj and KaOapiapog as synonymous words. But if this is the 
 force of the word in one instance as a religious rite, then it is its 
 force in all similar cases. 
 
 IX. This view alone fully explains the existing expectation 
 ^ that the Messiah would baptize. That the Messiah should immerse 
 ^1 is nowhere foretold; but that he should purify ^ is often and fully 
 predicted. But especially is this foretold in that last and prominent 
 prophecy of Malachi, (iii. 1 3,) which was designed to fill the eye of 
 the mind of the nation, until he came. He is here presented to the 
 mind in all his majesty and power, but amid all other ideas that of 
 purifying is most prominent. He was above all things to purify and 
 purge, and that with power so great, that few could endure the fiery 
 day. Who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand 
 when he appeareth ? 
 
 Suppose now the word /3a7rTt?a) to mean as I affirm the whole 
 nation are expecting the predicted purifier ; all at once the news goes 
 forth that a great purifier has appeared, and that all men flock to him 
 and are purified in the Jordan. How natural the inference ! the 
 great purifier so long foretold, has at last appeared, and how natural 
 the embassy of the Priests and Levites to inquire. Who art thou ? and 
 when he denied that he was the Messiah, or either of his expected 
 attendants, how natural the inquiry, *' Why purifiest thou then ? It is 
 his work of him it is foretold, why dost thou intrude into his place 
 and do his work ?'* 
 
 In view of these facts I do not hesitate to believe* most fully, that 
 the idea which came up before the mind of the Jews when the words 
 
( ^ 
 
 23 
 
 'Iwavvrjc 6 BaTrnarrJc were Used, was not, John the immerser, or John 
 the dipper, but John the purifier, a name pecuharly appropriate to 
 him as a reformer as puritan was to our ancestors, and for the same 
 reason. This view has to my own mind the self-evidencing power of 
 truth, for there is not the sHghtest presumption against it ; all probable 
 evidence is in its favor ; and it explains and harmonises the facts of 
 the case as no other view does. Indeed I can never read the account 
 of John's baptism, and his various replies, without feeling that this 
 passage from Malachi gives color to them all. This idea I shall 
 consider more at large in the following section. 
 
 X. The contrast made by John between his own baptism and that 
 of Christ, illustrates and confirms the same view. This contrast 
 exists in three particulars the subject, the agent, and the means. 
 In the case of John, the subject was the body in the case of Christ, 
 the mind. In the case of John, the agent was material, i. e. a man- 
 in the case of Christ the agent was the Holy Spirit. In the case of 
 John, the means were water in the case of Christ the truth and the 
 emotions of God. Now the idea to purify is perfectly adapted to 
 illustrate and carry out such a contrast, but to immerse is not. 
 
 This sense is never transferred to the mind, in any language, so far 
 as I know, to indicate any thing like the effects of the agency of the 
 Holy Spirit. Where oppressive, crushing, painful, or injurious 
 influences are denoted, it is so transferred as fiupiaig (j)p6vTi(7iv /3c- 
 a7rrf(TjUvoc rov vovv, Chrysostom, papvraTaig ajuapriaig /3ta7r- 
 TicTfiivoi Idem, TroWotg KVfiacn TrpayfJLciTwv f^e^aiTTiaiiivoi, Idem 
 and in this sense the overwhelming and crushing of Christ by cares and 
 agony is spoken of as a baptism in the gospels. But this does not 
 denote the peculiar and appropriate effects of the agency of the Holy 
 Spirit. But the sense to purify, can be with ease applied to body or 
 mind, to human agents or to the Holy Spirit, to water or to the truth 
 and divine influence. 
 
 How simple and natural the statement ! " I indeed purify you with 
 water but he shall purify you with the Holy Spirit. I perform an 
 external and symbolical rite, by which the body is cleansed with water, 
 but he shall perform a higher cleansing, or that in which the mind 
 itself is purified by the Spirit of God." And how harsh, how forced, 
 how unnatural to say, I immerse you in the Holy Spirit and in fine, 
 such a use of language to denote such a thing is entirely foreign to all 
 the laws of the human mind. Indeed so much is the force of this felt, 
 
24 
 
 that in this part of the antithesis many resort to a new modification of 
 the idea, and maintain that it means to imbue largely, to overwhelm 
 with divine influences. But this destroys the whole symmetry of the 
 antithesis. John does not mean to say I immerse you largely with 
 water, but either, I immerse you in water, or I cleanse you with it : 
 and whichever sense we adopt in one part of the antithesis, we ought 
 to retain in the other. But when the agent is spiritual, the object 
 spiritual, and the means spiritual, and the end purity, immersion is 
 out of the question. Nothing but the most violent improbability of 
 the sense to purify, can authorize us to reject it in such a case. But 
 no such an improbability exists ; the probability is entirely in its 
 favor. Purify, then, in any view of the subject must here be the 
 sense. 
 
 This view is still further confirmed by comparing the language of 
 John with the passage from Malachi already quoted. It seems to be 
 at all times his great desire to lead them to apply those words to 
 Christ, and not to himself. As if he had said, "Do not think that I 
 am the great purifier spoken of in those words. After me cometh one 
 mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am unworthy to loose. 
 He shall purify you with the Holy Ghost and with fire whose fan 
 is in his hand, and he shall thoroughly purge (^laKaOapLu) his floor," 
 &c. But all the force, correspondence, and natural illumination of 
 these passages, depends on giving to the word jSaTrrt^w the sense 
 which I claim. 
 
 XI. In 1 Cor. xii. 13, the Holy Spirit is directly said to baptize, 
 and in this case all external acts are of course excluded, and purify 
 is the only appropriate sense. " For by one Spirit we are all baptized 
 into one body, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." If 
 any shall say that joining the church by the external rite is here meant, 
 I reply, that is never performed by the Spirit, but by man. But this 
 baptism is as much a real work of the Holy Spirit, as the causing to 
 drink into one Spirit, which is not external, but internal and real. 
 
 But to immerse in water is not the work of the Holy Spirit, nor is 
 it his work to immerse the mind, but to purify the mind is. More- 
 over, not an external union to the visible church, but a real union to 
 the true and spiritual body of Christ is here meant, and this is pro- 
 duced by the purification of the mind, not by the immersion of the 
 body. Hence to describe the operations of the Holy Spirit in uniting 
 us to the body of Christ, purify is adopted immerse is not. 
 
25 
 
 XII. BaTTTt^w and KaOapiZwaTe so similarly used in connexion with 
 the forgiveness of sins, as decidedly to favor the idea that they are in 
 a religious use synonymous. The purification effected by the Holy 
 Spirit is of two kinds, (1.) a purification from spiritual defilement; 
 (2.) a deliverance from the guilt of sin, i. e. liability to be punished, 
 and from a sense of guilt, through the atonement. It is through the 
 atonement that pardon is given ; and through the Holy Spirit convic- 
 tion of sin is produced ; and by him also a sense of guilt is taken 
 away in view of the atonement ; and in this sense he is said to cleanse 
 from sin by the blood of Christ. This kind of purification may be 
 called legal, as it relates to guilt, forgiveness, and an atonement. The 
 other kind of purification may be called moral, inasmuch as it removes 
 the unholy and impure feelings and habits of the mind, and produces 
 in their place those that are holy and pure. 
 
 Both kinds of purification are expressed by the same word KaOaplZd), 
 Its use to denote legal purification or expiation is very extensive. It 
 denotes, (1.) to make atonement. As in Ex. xxix. 37, and xxx. 10. 
 **Thou shalt make atonement for the altar," '* Aaron shall make 
 atonement ; " Sept. KaBaplZtt), Heb. nsp. 
 
 (2.) To forgive, Ex. xx. 7. ** The Lord will not hold him guilt- 
 less (ov KaSapiu) that taketh his name in vain." Ex. xxxiv. 7. 
 "That will by no means clear the guilty." Deut. v. 11. Idem, 
 In these and similar cases the Greek Ka^api^w corresponds to the 
 Hebrew nj?: to forgive, to absolve from punishment, and is used in a 
 sense strictly legal, and does not refer to moral purity at all. So in 
 1 John i. 7. **The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from 
 all sin ;" and v. 9, *'He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and 
 to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." In these cases the idea of 
 atonement and forgiveness by it, are involved in KaOapiZu) ; and in 
 Hebrews the blood of Christ is said to purge the^conscience from dead 
 works, implying a deliverance from a sense of guilt, and a sense of 
 pardoned sin. KaOapiZoj is here used ; hence an atonement is called 
 Ka9api(Tfiog in Heb. i. 3. " When he had by himself purged our sins, 
 {KaOapicTfiov iroLrjaafxevog,) he sat down on the right hand of the 
 majesty on high." In this case the atonement, KaOapKTjuLbg, was made 
 first, and then applied to cleanse by the Holy Spirit. 
 
 Nor is this usage confined to Scriptural Greek ; we find that when 
 Croesus exempted Adrastus from liability to punishment for killing his 
 brother, it is said fxlv ka^i^pe he purified him ; and when Adrastus 
 
/r, 
 
 26 
 
 requested such exemption, KaOapcriov iSf'tro he requested expiation, 
 or exemption from liability to punishment. Among the Jews this kind 
 of purification was indicated by its appropriate external forms, of which 
 the sprinkling of blood was the most common if not the only one. 
 Besides this, as all know, KaOapl^d) is used abundantly to denote 
 moral purification or its emblem ceremonial purification of which 
 no examples are needed. Hence to a Jew the most natural word to 
 connect with the idea of the forgiveness of sins was KaSapicrfMog, or 
 some synonymous word. 
 
 Between immersion and the forgiveness of sins no such associations 
 had ever been established. For all the remissions of sin under the old 
 ritual were by blood, and hence Paul, Heb. ix. 19 23, after speaking 
 of the sprinkling of blood upon the people and the book of the taber- 
 nacle and the vessels, says, kol gtx^^ov Iv ai}xaTL rravra KaOapiZ^raL 
 Kara rov vdfiov, koX xwp\g aliuiaTK\v(TLag ov yivETat a(f>E(Tig. Here 
 the connexion of KaOapicriuLog and a<l>z(ng afiapriCjv "purification," 
 and "forgiveness of sins" are presented at once to the eye. And 
 there was no rite that involved immersion, which had any connexion 
 with the forgiveness of sins. 
 
 Now if any word is found to sustain the same relations as KaQapicrphg 
 to the same idea, forgiveness of sins, we have reason to think that it 
 is used in the same sense. But jSaTrr/^w and its derivatives do 
 sustain the same relation. Mark i. 4. "John preached the 
 baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins," so in Luke 
 iii. 3. Also, Acts iii. SS. "Repent and be baptized every one of 
 you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall 
 receive the Holy Ghost." Here the idea is legal the forgiveness of 
 sins. The common expression for this is Ka6api(Tfxog and baptism 
 has a direct relation to it and immersion is never used in any such 
 relation. How natural then the conclusion that j5a7rTi(j/jLog has the 
 same sense as the word in whose familiar place it stands. But though 
 baptism in these places relates chiefly to legal purification, in others 
 it relates as clearly to moral purification, and in this respect also cor- 
 responds with KaOapiZtt) which, as we have seen, includes both kinds of 
 purification, legal and moral. 
 
 To sum up all in a few words |3a7rrt?w as well as KaOapi^^w relate 
 to both kinds of purification legal and moral, of the conscience and of 
 the heart ; and the language most commonly applied to the first is 
 KaOalptj or KadapiZ,io and this is always in the ritual symbolised by 
 
27: 
 
 spvinkling and by blood. Hence as jSaTrriSw has the same extent of 
 appHcation with Ka^api^w and as it stands in the same relations with 
 it to the forgiveness of sins, it is highly probable that it has the same 
 sense. By giving it a meaning so extensive as purify, it is adapted 
 to fulfil all its relations. By confirming it to a meaning so limited as 
 to immerse, it is unfitted for at least one half of the relations in which 
 it stands. ' j 
 
 XIII. The account of Baptism given by Josephus, a cotemporary 
 Jew, is perfectly in coincidence with this view. 
 
 XIV. In Heb. ix. 10, a fair view of the scope and connexion of 
 the passage requires jSaTrrfcr/xot to be used as synonymous with 
 Kadapi(Tij.oh In this case the word does not indeed relate to the 
 ordinance of Christian Baptism, but to Mosaic purifications. Yet it 
 is still a religious use of the word ; moreover it is applied with reference 
 to those very usages, of which I have spoken, as adapted to cause the 
 word fdaTTTl^w to pass from its original, to the secondary sense, to 
 purify. Hence it is an example of great weight in the case, and, as 
 might have been expected, it has been strongly contested. But with 
 how little reason I shall endeavour to show. 
 
 The scope of chapters 8, 9 and 10, is to show that the purifica- 
 tions, legal and moral, provided by Christ for the conscience and the 
 heart, had, in themselves, a real efficacy, and were, therefore, entirely 
 superior to those of the Mosaic dispensation, which related only to 
 the body, and could produce no purity but such as was merely ex- 
 ternal and symbolical. Let now the following things be noticed. 
 
 1. Those things only are spoken of in the whole discussion, which 
 have a reference to action on the worshippers ; that is, the whole pas- 
 sage relates to the effects of the Mosaic ritual entirely on persons, 
 and not on things. The gifts, the sacrifices, the blood of sprinkling, 
 the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, all relate to persons. 
 
 2, The jSaTTTtcTjuot are spoken of as enjoined, as well as the other 
 rites. But of persons, no immersions at all are enjoined under the 
 Mosaic ritual. As this fact does not seem to have been noticed, as 
 it ought, and as many assume the contrary, it is necessary to furnish 
 the proof of this assertion. It lies in this fact, that no washing of 
 persons is ever enjoined by the word ^?i3, to immerse, even in a sin- 
 gle instance, nor by any word that denotes immersion ; but as I 
 think without exception by the word yrrn which denotes to wash or 
 purify, without any reference to mode. 
 
28 
 
 Those who read the English version might suppose that where the 
 direction to bathe occurs, immersion is enjoined ; but in every such 
 case the original denotes only to wash. I do not deny that where 
 the washing of the body, or of the flesh, or of all the flesh is en- 
 joined, it would probably be done, if most convenient, by immersion 
 or bathing. But I affirm that there is no washing of the person en- 
 joined in the whole ritual, which could not be performed wherever 
 there was water enough to wash the body all over, in any way, even 
 though bathing or immersion was out of the question. Why should 
 it not be so ? Could Moses suppose that at all times, and in all cir- 
 cumstances, while in the desert, during journeys, at home and abroad, 
 every man who became unclean, in various and numerous ways speci- 
 fied in the ritual, would be able to bathe or to immerse himself? 
 Even when best supplied with the means of bathing it could not be 
 expected, that every family, rich or poor, and however situated, would 
 be able to have a private bath. Nor could it be expected, that every 
 running stream or rivulet would be deep enough to bathe in. But 
 such was the benign regard of God to all these possible contingen- 
 cies, that he did not enjoin immersion at all ; but only a total wash- 
 ing, such as could be performed in any brook, or running stream, 
 or in any suitable vessel at home. 
 
 If any doubt whetlir this is the true view of the import of yrn, let 
 him take a Hebrew Concordance and trace it through the whole of 
 the Old Testament, and he will have abundant proof He will find 
 it used to denote the washing of any thing, in any way, of the feet, 
 the hands, the face, the body, or the mind. Its translation in the 
 Septuagint denotes how wide its range of meaning is ; for it is at 
 one time Xovto, at another vitttu), and at another ttXvvu), just as cir- 
 cumstances may seem to require. If ever it is applied in cases where 
 bathing was probably performed, the idea depends not at all on the 
 word, but on the circumstances of the case. So a Baptist writer 
 thinks that, in the case of Pharaoh's daughter, Ex. ii. 5, the word 
 denotes bathing. It may be true that the daughter of Pharaoh did, 
 as a matter of fact, bathe herself ; but all our evidence of it lies in 
 the fact, that she went down to the Nile, and not at all in the word 
 "prn, and therefore our translators have very properly rendered it 
 wash. 
 
 I would quote passages to illustrate all these assertions, did not the 
 proof lie so plainly on the surface of the whole usage of the word 
 
29 
 
 that I do not suppose any one, who has investigated the subject, will 
 think of denying it. Let any one, who desires to see a specimen of 
 proof, examine, in the original, Gen. xviii. 4, and xliii. 31, Lev. xiv. 
 9, Ex. xxix. 71, Isa. iv. 4, Ps. xxvi. 6, and Ixxiii. 13, Isa. i. 16. 
 
 Nor is the washing of the clothes, so often spoken of, enjoined by 
 a word denoting immersion. In all such cases, DSD is used, which 
 denotes merely to wash, a word commonly confined to the washing 
 of clothes. But it is sometimes also applied to the washing of the 
 mind, as in Ps. li. 4, 9, (English version Ps. li. 2, 7,) Jer. iv. 14, 
 Jer. ii. 22. It is perfectly plain, therefore, that, whatever was the 
 practice of the Jews, no immersions of the person were enjoined, and 
 the whole Mosaic ritual, as to personal ablution could be fulfilled to the 
 letter, without a single immersion. I do not doubt that immersions 
 were common, but nothing but washings of the body was enjoined 
 and immersions fulfilled the law, not because they were immersions, 
 but solely because they were washings. Of course, as yrr^ had only 
 the sense to wash, even in case of bathing, (dairriZo) would tend to 
 the same. 
 
 3. Even where immersion was convenient, and, a priori, probable, 
 it was not deemed essential to complete and thorough purification, or 
 to an entire washing of the body. This I infer from the account 
 given in Tobit vi. 2, of the washing of the young man. We are 
 told that he went down to the river To Se iraL^apiov Kari^ri for 
 what. To immerse himself of course, the advocates of immersion 
 will reply. Whole volumes of argument, as we all know, depend on 
 going down to a river. But, how was it? did he go down to im- 
 merse himself? Hear the writer : KaTi(5rj nepiKXifaaaOm. He went 
 down to wash himself all around, just as a man stands in a stream 
 and throws the water all over his body, and washes himself by fric- 
 tion ; a mode of washing much more thorough than a mere immersion, 
 and corresponding much more nearly to the import of the word yni. 
 
 Let it not be supposed that I regard this as an actual fact. The 
 story may be true or false, and yet be equally in point to illustrate the 
 ideas of the age, in which the writer lived. If he was a Jew, as all 
 admit, and was writing of Jews, it is enough. He would of course 
 write in accordance with the views of his day. He may indeed after 
 his TTspiKXvmg, have immersed himself, and very probably he did. 
 But he did not go down for an immersion, but for such a washing 
 as could be performed in any stream, even though immersion was 
 
'K 
 
 30 
 
 out of the question. I regard the incidental testimony of a case like 
 this, as of far more worth than the formal testimony of the Rabbis of 
 a later age, as to the importance attached, by the Jews, to immersion, 
 which learned writers have so copiously adduced. For the testi- 
 mony of later Jews, as to the times preceding the fall of Jerusalem, 
 needs to be received with much doubt and suspicion. But on an in- 
 cidental statement of this kind, of so early a date, no reasonable 
 suspicion can rest. 
 
 4. The only immersions enjoined in the Mosaic law were im- 
 mersions of things to which no reference can be had here, as ves- 
 sels, sacks, skins, &c. In this case no act was performed, that had 
 any tendency to affect the worshipper, but only the thing immersed. 
 But in all this passage, Paul regards the ritual with reference to its 
 effects on the worshipper. In ver. 9. he says, that these rites could not 
 make the worshipper, rov Xarpevovra, perfect as to the conscience. 
 In ver. 10, he assigns the reason why. They consisted only in services 
 which could affect the body, diKai(jjfia(n aapKog and these related to 
 meats and drinks, and divers purifications. The kqi, before 
 ^iKaiwfiaaL (rapKog, ought to be omitted, as it is by Griesbach and 
 others; so that those words, shall not denote other ordinances, 
 but stand in opposition to (Bptofiaai and woinacFi, and ^laffiopoig 
 idaTTTKTiuLOLg, to dcuotc the imperfection of them all, because they 
 affect the body alone and not the mind. Hence it is perfectly plain 
 that no reference can be had here to the immersions of inanimate 
 things^ but only to the purifications of persons. Indeed the whole 
 scope of the passage forbids the idea of such immersions. What 
 could any one think that the immersion of vessels of earth, or wood, 
 had to do with purifying the conscience or the heart of a worshipper? 
 A washing of the body, or a sprinkling of blood, or of the ashes of 
 a heifer might seem to purify the unclean but not surely the immer- 
 sion of vessels of earth or wood, or of sacks and skins. To refer 
 here, then, to such things, is totally unnatural, and entirely out of the 
 train of thought. 
 
 5. Besides, the purifications of the person are Sm<^opoi, diverse, 
 various ; ^but the immersions of things are not, either in act, or cir- 
 cumstances, or end. If vessels, or things became unclean, in the 
 cases specified, they were all immersed, and all alike, and all for the 
 same end. What various immersions here ? 
 
 On the other hand the purifications of men were exceedingly 
 
31 
 
 numerous and of various kinds. Some were legal and sacrificial, 
 relating to the atonement, and made by blood. Others were moral, 
 relating to regeneration and purity of heart, as symbolised, sometimes 
 by various kinds of washing, and at other times by sprinkling. To 
 all these various kinds, reference is had in the context. Purification 
 by blood, ch. ix. 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, and ch. x. 1, 2 and in 
 numerous other places. Purification by water, and by sprinkling of 
 the ashes of a heifer, ch. ix. 13, and x. 22. Why should the 
 apostle leave purifications so various and numerous as these, and so 
 entirely in point, and speak of a simple regulation as to the immer- 
 sion of cups and vessels, &c., things altogether foreign to the scope of 
 the passage, as ^lacpopoL j3a7rrt<Tjuoi, that were unable to make perfect 
 the worshipper ? No man who had not a theory to support could 
 bring himself to do such violence to all the laws of interpretation in 
 a case so plain. 
 
 6. To conclude, to give jSaTrrto-juoi the sense KaOapi(T^ot, fits the 
 word to include all the kinds of purification spoken of in the context. 
 For, as we have seen, KaOapit^io has an established legal and sacri- 
 ficial use, in all cases of atonement by blood. And we have also 
 seen jSaTrrt^w standing in relations of the same kind. Now in this 
 passage the idea of purification by blood greatly predominates, as 
 may be seen by examining the passages just referred to ; and yet the 
 idea of moral purification is also most clearly presented to the mind ; 
 and no sense but the one assigned gives the word the scope 
 necessary to take in both kinds. But that does, and it thus fully 
 meets all the exigencies of the case. It is a sense fully to the 
 purpose of Paul ; it is natural, simple, easy, obvious, and gives a 
 richness and fulness to all his ideas. The idea of immersions is 
 out of the scope and spirit of the passage ; it is forced and unnatu- 
 ral : it is unfitted for the purposes of Paul, and narrows down his 
 ideas to topics totally foreign to the subject, and has but one solitary 
 advantage it aids in escaping an unwelcome result. 
 
 What evidence is there against all this mass of presumptive reason- 
 ing ? Does any previous probability, any law of language or of the 
 mind, any thing in the context demand the idea of immersions ? 
 Nothing of this kind. All this is the other way. The meaning 
 claimed is highly probable, a priori, and the whole scope of the 
 passage tends to establish it. By all laws of sound philology, then, 
 it is here the sense. 
 
Ihh,- 
 
 32 
 
 XV. In Mark vii. 4, 8, and in Luke xi. 38, KaOapiZa> is the 
 natural and obvious sense of /SaTrrt^w, and KaOapiafiog of (danTKTfiog* 
 
 1. This sense fulfils perfectly all the exigencies of the passages. 
 I know indeed that it is said by some, that in Mark there is a rise in 
 the idea from the lesser washing of the hands, which was common 
 before all meals, to the greater washing implied in the immersion of 
 the body after coming from the market. But on the other hand, 
 there is simply a rise from the specific to the general and indefinite. 
 They always wash their hands before meals, and when they return 
 from market they also purify themselves, (as the nature of the case 
 may require,) before they eat. In the latter case, Bloomfield remarks, 
 it denotes a washing of the body, but not an immersion. The sense, 
 Kada^iZb), also more naturally suggests the reply of Christ in Luke. 
 Now do ye Pharisees make clean, Ka^apf^erf, the outside of the cup, 
 and the platter, &c. where j3a7rr/2a> seems to suggest ica^ap/^w. I 
 admit indeed that the object of immersion might suggest the same 
 idea. But such associations of thought are more likely, the more 
 obvious the similarity in the meaning of the words. But, not to 
 rely on this, I remark, 
 
 ^. Nothing in the context demands the sense, immerse, and power- 
 ful reasons forbid it. All must confess that purification is the only 
 idea involved in the subject of thought. Now it is no more likely 
 that a want of immersion offended the Pharisee, Luke xi. 38, in the 
 case of Christ, than it is that this was the ground of offence in the 
 case of the disciples, Mark vii. It does not appear that Christ had 
 been to the market. Nor is it likely at all that an immersion was 
 expected, as a matter of course, before every meal, even on coming 
 from a crowd. The offence in the case of the disciples, was that they 
 had not washed their hands. An immersion was not expected of 
 them, though they had been in crowds. Why should it be of 
 Christ ? 
 
 Rosenmiiller, on this passage, well remarks, that the existence of 
 any such custom of regular immersion, before all meals, cannot be 
 proved. And the opinions and statements of Jewish writers, in after 
 ages, are of very little weight. The case narrated in Tobit has, in 
 my mind, more weight, in throwing light on actual opinions, than a 
 host of such more modern writers. It teaches us clearly that, even 
 in cases where it was possible, they attached no peculiar importance 
 to the form of immersion, and thought only of a suitable washing. 
 
33 
 
 How much more is this likely to be true of a purification, which the 
 Pharisee seemed to expect, as a matter of course, before every 
 meal ? 
 
 But above all, the immersion of the couches on which they reclined 
 at meals is out of the question. That this is the meaning of kXlvojv 
 here, the whole context shows, and all impartial critics allow ; and 
 these were large enough for them to recline upon at their ease. And 
 are we to believe, that the Pharisees and all the Jews were in the 
 habit of immersing these, just to avoid the inference that ftaTTTiZtj 
 means to purify? What if remarkable instances of superstition, in 
 particular sects, can be pointed out ? Is it likely that a whole nation, 
 all the Jews, ever held to a practice like this ? That they should 
 purify them with various and uncommanded rites is altogether pro- 
 bable ; but that they should immerse them is totally incredible. 
 
 Mr. Carson seems to feel this point keenly, and yet manfully 
 maintains his ground. He says, that he will maintain an immersion 
 until its impossibility is proved, and suggests that the couches might 
 be so made as to be taken to pieces for this end ! He has proved, 
 he says, the meaning of the word, the Holy Ghost affirms that the 
 couches were immersed, and to call this absurd, is to charge the 
 Holy Ghost with uttering an absurdity ; and he is filled with hoiTor 
 at the thought, and warns his opponents to beware of so fearful a 
 crime, and he has a long dissertation on the infidel and Unitarian 
 tendencies of allowing difficulties to shake our faith in the assertions 
 of God. But what is all this to the point ? The question is not. 
 Will we believe that the couches were immersed, if the Holy Ghost 
 says so ? but this. Has he said so ? And what has Mr. Carson proved ? 
 Why, truly, that in other instances, fdairTiciu) means immerse. But 
 does this prove that it means so here ? Does it even create a pro- 
 babihty that it does ? Not at all. The probability, as we have 
 shown, is all the other way. Hence the demand to prove an impos- 
 sibility of immersion is altogether unreasonable. And it is against his 
 own practice in other cases. Does he not admit that j3a7rra> means 
 to dye, or color, when it is applied to the beard and hair ? And is it 
 impossible to dip these ? Improbable it surely is, but not half so much 
 so as the immersion of couches. 
 
 The fact is, that the whole reasoning against the sense claimed for 
 jdawTiZd), in these passages, rests on false principles. It assumes a 
 violent improbabihty of the meaning in question, and resorts to all 
 
 c 
 
34 
 
 manner of shifts, to prove the possibility of immersion, as though that 
 were all that the case required ; whilst the truth is, that no such im- 
 probability exists, but one directly the reverse : and the whole scope 
 of the passage demands the meaning claimed, that is, to purify. 
 
 Were it necessary, I would remark more in detail on the state- 
 ment of Prof Ripley, as to the dipping of hands, and the Jewish 
 rules concerning couches, as quoted by Dr. Gill. It is sufficient to 
 remark, that these ideas are the result of the ingenuity of later ages, 
 and the existence of any such rules or practices, in the days of Christ, 
 is totally devoid of proof, and even of probability. 
 
 XVI. In the case so often quoted from Sirach xxxiv. 25, /3a7rrf?(i) 
 requires the sense, KaOapiZio. The passage is this : |3a7rrt Jo/uevoc 
 iiTTo vLKpov KOi iraXiv aTTTOfievoQ avTov tl w^fXijerf rtf \ovTp(^ avrov. 
 " He that is cleansed from a dead body, and again touches it, of what 
 profit to him is his cleansing ?" Here I remark : 
 
 1. The sense, KaOapiZu), purify, suits the preposition otto, 
 immerse does not. It is natural to speak of purifying, or cleansing 
 from, but not of immersing from, a dead body. 
 
 2. No immersion, in the ease of touching a dead body, was en- 
 joined, but simply a washing of the body, so as to leave room for 
 various modes in various circumstances, and it is not likely that this 
 would be spoken of as an immersion. 
 
 3. The rite of purification from a dead body was complex, and no 
 import of the word /3a7rrtfw, but the one claimed, is adapted to in- 
 clude the whole. By far the most important part of the rite was the 
 sprinkling of the water, in which had been put the ashes of the heifer. 
 Concerning this it is said. Num. xix. 13, that whosoever shall not 
 purify himself with it, after touching a dead body, *' that soul shall 
 be cut off from Israel, because the water of separation was not 
 sprinkled on him." Of the washing no such thing is said, and 
 Paul, Heb. ix. 13, refers to the sprinkling, as if it included the part of 
 the rite on which the effect mainly, if not entirely, depends. It is the 
 ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, that is spoken of as sancti- 
 fying to the purification of the flesh, ayiaZ^u irpbg ttjv Ttjg crapKOQ 
 KaOapoTT^Ta, Of course the writer could not mean to exclude so 
 essential a part of the rite as this, nay its very essence. Nor could 
 he call it an immersion. It is a sprinkling. It can purify, but it 
 cannot immerse. But the sense, KaOaplZw, can include both the 
 sprinkling and the washing: for, taken together, they purify, and 
 
A 
 "10 
 
 35 
 
 this is the complex result of the whole rite, and nothing else. If any 
 object, that it is not consistent to apply Xovrpt^ to a complex opera- 
 tion like this, I ask them, how then is it consistent to apply it to the 
 blood of Christ, which is spoken of as the blood of sprinkling ? And 
 yet we are spoken of as washed from our sins in his own blood, where 
 Xovu) is used. The truth is that the sense of Xovio is general too, 
 and denotes merely a washing or cleansing, without respect to mode. 
 Besides, an actual washing is a part of the complex rite. 
 
 The effort of Prof. Ripley to establish the sense, bathing, from the 
 word XovTpov, is vain. No fact is more notorious than that Xovw, of 
 itself, does not mean to bathe. In this respect it is as unlimited to 
 any mode]^as YV^ ; so much so that the vessels, in the vestibules of 
 ancient churches, for washing the hands, were called Xour^pec* as 
 well as vLTTTripeg. One of the Fathers, as quoted by Suicer, says 
 XovTTJpeg vdarog TreTrXrjpw fiivoi, stand before the gate of the church, 
 that you may wash your hands (viipyjo), so without the church, sit the 
 poor, that by alms you may wash {irXvvrii') the hands of'your soul. 
 I do not quote this passage for the sake of its theology, but to show 
 that Xovio and its derivatives mean simply to wash or to cleanse, and 
 not to bathe, any more than the Latin lavo. Circumstances may show 
 that bathing is meant, but the word itself does not. 
 
 Mr. Carson says, that all reasoning from this passage proceeds on 
 the assumption that the Jews had made no additions to the rite. 
 Not so. It proceeds upon the assumption that they had not 
 omitted its very essence, the sprinkling with the ashes of a heifer;, 
 and that they would not call this an immersion, but a purification, as 
 in fact it was ; and that as no immersion was enjoined, but simply 
 washing, so the sense, immersion, is not to be assumed without 
 necessity and without proof, and against the whole probability of the 
 case. 
 
 That the Jews did take the view of this rite that I claim, is 
 plain from the account given of it by Philo. He directs the whole 
 attention to sprinkling and nothing else ; vol. ii. p. 251. (The edi- 
 tion in the Andover Library.) He says Moses does this philosophi- 
 cally, for most others are sprinkled with unmixed water : some with 
 sea or river water, others with water drawn from the fountains. But 
 Moses employed ashes for this purpose. Then, as to the manner, 
 they put them into a vessel, pour on water, then moisten branches 
 of hyssop with the mixture (Ik tov KpajuLaroQ ^airrovTag vaaMTTOv 
 
36 
 
 kXadovQ)) then sprinkle it upon those who are to be purified, rote 
 KaOaipojuivoig. And this account was written after the passage in 
 question. Here we note, in passing, a use of f^cnrTw with k-, at war 
 with the idea to dip, and consistent only with the idea to moisten or 
 wet. 
 
 Now for what reason are we to set aside probabilities like these ? 
 Merely to avoid so simple, natural, and probable a conclusion, as that 
 (daTTTiZu) sometimes means sirnply to purify, as in this case it most 
 clearly does. 
 
 XVII. The case of Judith also sustains the same view. In Judith 
 xii. 7, we are told that she remained in the camp of Holofernes three 
 days, and by night, that is, on each nighty she went out to the valley 
 of Bethulia, and purified or washed herself, in the camp at the foun- 
 tain of water. liapifxuv^v Iv ry 7rapE/i/3oX^ rifiipag rpng, kol ?7ro- 
 pVro Kara vvKTa dg rrjv (papayya BsruAoua koX ajdawTiZiTO tv rp 
 irape/ij^oXy tirX Trig TTTjyJjc tov v^aTog. 
 
 Here we notice that the purification in question was performed in 
 the camp, and at or near the fountain and for three nights in suc- 
 cession. In the case of Tobit, a man at a river, and away from all 
 observation, we know that immersion was more probable. But here 
 a female, in a camp, and at or near a fountain, it is insisted, did im- 
 merse herself, three nights in succession. We are told of her 
 courage and faith, and of possible bathing places near the spring, 
 and all for what ? To avoid so obvious a conclusion as that the 
 writer merely means to say that she purified, or washed herself, 
 without reference to the mode. In the case of Susannah, we are told 
 that she desired to wash herself, XovaacrOaty in the garden, because 
 it was warm. Here she could shut the doors and be alone, ver. 17. 
 Yet the writer says merely wash. But in the case of Judith, even in 
 a camp, he must needs insist, it seems, on the mode, and that mode 
 must be immersion. And what reason is there for all this ? Is not 
 the sense KaOapiZu), a priori, probable ? Yes. Does it not fulfil all 
 the exigencies of the case ? Yes. Was it of any importance to 
 specify the mode? No. Do the circumstances of the case call for 
 immersion? No ; they seem, at first sight, entirely to forbid it ; and 
 nothing but skill in suggesting possibilities can at all remove the im- 
 pression. In fact the circumstances of the case have led the vast 
 majority of minds in all ages to feel that immersion is not the mean- 
 ing here, and that to purify or to wash is. Hence it is that Mr. 
 
^^ 
 
 37 
 
 Carson, in his arduous attempt to prove that jSaTrrt^w never means 
 to wash, irrespective of mode, is obhged to admit that he has " all the 
 lexicographers and commentators " against him, p. 79. 
 
 XVIII. No contrary probability, or usage, can be established from 
 the writers of the New Testament age, or of the preceding age, who 
 used the Alexandrine Greek. It will be noticed that the argument 
 thus far is specific, and relates to a religious usage, produced at a 
 particular time, and by particular circumstances definitely and clearly 
 marked. Now to refute this argument, it is of no use to go to 
 writers who lived and wrote entirely out of this range of circum- 
 stances and ideas. It could only prove that, in other circumstances, 
 another usage of the word did exist, and this no one need deny. 
 
 But it is very noticeable that, in the very writers where alone proof 
 of an opposite religious usage, or even of a probability of it, can rea- 
 sonably be looked for, there is none to be found. It is in these very 
 writings that the whole current of probability and of usage sets 
 strongly the other way. 
 
 I do not deny that these writers do also use the word j3a7rr^?w, in 
 other circumstances, and in a secular sense, to denote immersion, 
 sinking, overwhelming, or oppression. But this only proves that the 
 two usages did coexist ; just as Mr. Carson proves that the two 
 usages of (5airru) did coexist in Hippocrates, and that the existence 
 of the one did not disprove the existence of the other. So, at least 
 four meanings of the word spring coexist, and yet no one infers from 
 one that the others do not exist. 
 
 That the religious usage of these writers all sets one way, one 
 obvious and admitted fact may show. Mr. Carson admits that all 
 the lexicographers and commentators do assign to the word j3a7rrt$w 
 the unlimited sense to wash, or cleanse. Now on what writers do 
 they rely? Beyond all dispute on the writers of Alexandrine Greek, 
 the very writers who have furnished all the facts on which this 
 argument is based. And these writers, be it noticed, furnish no pre- 
 sumption or usage the other way. Even in those minuter shades of 
 meaning, which are furnished by allusion, comparison or association 
 of ideas, all things tend the same way. So, in the account of the 
 baptism of Paul, the sacrificial reference of baptism is plainly indi- 
 cated. Acts xxii. 16 : Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, 
 ^Avaarag ^aTrrLtrai, icai airoXovaai rag afiapriag <tov, calling upon the 
 name of the Lord, Here we have faith in Christ, the washing away 
 
'\V 
 
 38 
 
 or pardon of sins, and a purification intended to symbolize it. BaTr- 
 Ticrai, purify thyself, or be purified bodily, cnroXovaai rag afxapriag, 
 wash away thy sins, as to the mind, by calling on the name of the 
 Lord. Here the antithesis and correspondence are beautiful and 
 complete, and one seems naturally to suggest the other. So the 
 casein 1 Peter iii. 21, where he speaks of baptism as saving us, is far 
 more natural and beautiful, if we adopts this sense, for he seems to 
 think that, if he left the word /3a7rrto-/za unguarded, he might be 
 taken to mean the external purification of the body. But as this 
 does not save us, and as nothing but the purification of the mind 
 does, he guards himself and says, I do not mean the putting away of 
 the filth of the flesh, by the purification of which I speak, but the 
 answer of a good conscience towards God. Hence, too, the legal or 
 sacrificial sense lies upon the very face of the passage, for it is the 
 purification of the conscience by atoning blood, to which he refers, 
 and not to an external washing at all ; and I need not say to any one 
 who can feel the nice correspondencies of words, how much more 
 beautiful and clear the whole passage becomes by assigning to jdair- 
 TKTfjLd the sense of a spiritual purification, by the blood of Christ, 
 which Peter affirms that it has. On the subject, however, of the 
 external washing in this case, I shall speak more at large under 
 another head. 
 
 So too the account given by Josephus of the baptism of John, 
 Antiq. b. xviii. c. 5^ 2, presents the same train of thought to the 
 mind. Instead of the awkward translation of Whiston I prefer to 
 give a free statement of the obvious sense, and to quote the original 
 where critical exactness is needed. 
 
 John, he says, informed the Jews, that before they could be bap- 
 tized they must commence and profess the practice of piety towards 
 God, and justice towards each other ; and that their baptism would 
 be acceptable to God, if they did not rely upon it as a means of put- 
 ting away a part only of their sins, but used it merely as a means of 
 purifying the body, to indicate that the soul had been previously 
 thoroughly purified by righteousness. 
 
 To denote baptism he uses the word /BaTrrrjo-fCj and to denote its 
 import he states that they are to use it, e^' ayvsiq. rod cru}iJ.aTog, are 
 Se KOL rrig \pvxvQ ^ncaioavvy irpoeKKtKaOapimevrjg. Now here, I remark, 
 that there was nothing to cause Josephus or any other Jew to think 
 of the mode, or to attach any importance to it. No idea of a fancied 
 
39 
 
 reference, in the rite, to the death of Christ, could bias his mind to- 
 wards the sense immerse. To him, it is plain, that it meant nothing 
 but purifying the body, to indicate that the mind had been previously 
 thoroughly purified by righteousness ; and he speaks just as he 
 would, if these ideas had been suggested by the name of the rite ; in 
 other words, just as he would if KaOapcrig had stood in the place of 
 ^airTrjcTig. 
 
 Now although If would not rely on such places for proof, against a 
 strong contrary probability, yet when I find them so perfectly coin- 
 cident with all other facts; when all shades of probability so perfectly 
 harmonize and blend in a common result, I cannot hesitate, for I see 
 no good reason for doubt. It is not a solitary fact on which the 
 argument rests. To overthrow it the whole current of probabihty 
 must be reversed, and so striking a coincidence and harmony of 
 meaning, in so many independent passages, be supposed to exist 
 without a cause. Particular errors may no doubt be detected in the 
 argument; and individual passages, viewed out of their relations, may 
 be made to admit another possible sense. But that a fair and com- 
 prehensive view of all the facts of the case can be made to lead to a 
 result opposite to the one here maintained, I shall not think possible, 
 until I see it done ; and there are no new and undiscovered means 
 for doing it. The facts all lie within a given and definite compass, 
 and they can easily be placed before the minds of all. If any that 
 bear on the case have been omitted, it can easily be shown. If not, 
 then it must be shown that the principles, on which this argument 
 rests, are unsound, or that they have not been accurately applied, and 
 I am not aware that either of these things can be done. 
 
 The argument, Trom the usage of the writers of Alexandrine Greek 
 is now at an end. Other considerations, as it regards this part of 
 the subject, still remain ; but the statement of them will be deferred 
 till the leading objections to this view shall claim our attention. 
 
 I shall now proceed to show that evidence of the truth of this view 
 is also to be found in the writings of the Fathers. I appeal to them, 
 not because I think that their opinions, on questions of interpreta- 
 tion, or sacred philology, are of much weight, for it is well known to 
 all, either that their attainments in biblical literature were small, or 
 that their principles of philology were to a great extent fluctuating 
 or unsound. Nor do I appeal to them because I deem their theolo- 
 gical opinions of peculiar weight. They deserve, indeed, a respectful 
 
40 
 
 attention, and are of great use in investigating the history of opinions. 
 Moreover they often furnish rich and valuable materials for thought. 
 But nothing can be more desperate than the attempt to make a regu- 
 lar and harmonious system of truth from their works. The sentence 
 of Milton on them is well known ; and though, if left unbalanced by 
 other considerations, it would produce undue neglect, yet it is essen- 
 tially based on truth. But I refer to them simply as furnishing facts 
 in the history of language ; and it will be my object to show that 
 these facts are such as would naturally flow from the truth of the 
 view which I have given. 
 
 My position, then, is this : if we admit that in the days of Christ, 
 KaOapiZu) was the import of /3a7rrt Jw, taking all the texts in the New 
 Testament in which the word occurs, and the ideas connected with 
 the rite, and looking at the laws of the mind and the natural course 
 of thought, we shall find that no view can so well explain the usus 
 loquendi of the Fathers, and the opinions entertained by them and by 
 their opponents, of the import and effects of the rite. 
 
 XIX. This view shows how avaysvvaw, to regenerate, and other 
 words of like import, could easily become, with the Fathers, synony- 
 mous of /BoTTT^^w. That these words did so become, is a notorious 
 fact, as will presently be proved, but a satisfactory reason is not 
 commonly assigned. The true reason appears to be this : KaOapiZio, 
 and of course /3a7rrtSw, in its spiritual sense, is in fact a synonyme of 
 avayevvatj ; for what is it to purify the spirit, but to regenerate ? 
 In fact this very form of speech is used to denote this thing, Acts 
 XV. 9. He made no difference between them and us, ** having 
 purified their hearts by faith,** ry iriaTeL KaBapi(Tag rag Kap^iag avrwv. 
 So too the pure in heart, KaOapoX ry Kap^iq, shall see God, Matt. v. 8. 
 Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, 
 axidi purify y KaOapiay, unto himself a peculiar people. Tit. ii. 14. So 
 Eph. V. 26, 
 
 Now in a case where analogical senses exist, one external and 
 material and the other spiritual, it is natural that they should run into 
 each other, and terms applied to one be applied to the other. Thus 
 if jSaTTTtSw means to purify, then there is natural purification and 
 spiritual purification, or regeneration, and there would be a tendency 
 to use avay^vvau to denote the latter idea, and also to transfer it to 
 the external rite. And, at first, it would be so done as merely to be , 
 the name of the rite, and not to denote its actual efficacy. So iof 
 
41 
 
 Justin Martyr, /3atrrt?w is rarely, if ever, used at all to describe the 
 rite, but avayevvdo). "ETrctra ayovrai v^' r]fiC)V %vBa a^iop tori koX 
 rpoTTOv avayevvrjaewg ov koX r]fXHg aveyevvif^rjfxev avayevvC)VTai: 
 "Then they are brought by us where there is water, and in the manner 
 of regeneration, in which we were regenerated, they are regenerated ; 
 that is, in the manner of baptism wherein we were baptized, they are 
 baptized." And this use was general and familiar, as may be fully 
 seen in the quotations collected by Wall in his History of Infant 
 Baptism. 
 
 Now the idea to immerse has no such spiritual and analogical sense 
 to denote regeneration, and of course cannot explain such a transfer. 
 If it is said that the use grew out of the idea of baptismal regeneration, 
 which early prevailed, I ask again, what led to its early prevalence ? 
 To this inquiry no other view can give so satisfactory a reply as the 
 one which I maintain. 
 
 XX. This view explains not only the early prevalence of the idea 
 of baptismal regeneration, but also of the other extreme, the entire 
 denial of water baptism. 
 
 The facts are these. There are two kinds of purification, that of 
 the Spirit and that of water ; one real and effectual, the other only 
 a symbol, an external rite, and yet both are called by the same name, 
 purification, or baptism. Now in the New Testament there is a class 
 of texts, in which the true and spiritual purification alone is spoken 
 of, and a saving energy is ascribed to it ; as Eph. iv. 5, Gal. iii. 27, 
 1 Cor. xii. 13, Rom. vi. 3-4, CoL ii. 12, Eph. v. 26, 1 Pet. iii. 
 21, Titus iii. 5, John iii. 5. That the external form cannot be here 
 spoken of, I propose to show in another place. I refer to these 
 passages here to illustrate fully the idea. 
 
 But soon, what was at first saidonly of the essential spiritual purifi- 
 cation, was attached to the form, according to the uniform tendency 
 of the human mind to sink from the spirit to the form, and thus made 
 baptismal regeneration, and all its train of errors. And as one extreme 
 begets another, those who opposed this view as too carnal, relying on 
 those passages where baptism denotes clearly no more than a spiritual 
 purification, would deny that the form was to be used at all. In 
 practice, words are things. Systems grow out of words. And a 
 word of a double analogical sense, like purify, would naturally give 
 rise to the doctrine of baptismal regeneration, on the one side, and to 
 an entire denial of water baptism on the other ; and that such were 
 
42 
 
 the results all know. On the other hand^ the word in the sense to 
 immerse, tends to no such result ; for the spiritual sense, in this usage, 
 has no relation at all to regeneration or purity in any form, and denotes, 
 as before stated, only to overwhelm, to oppress. And it deserves 
 notice, that the same passages, which, by this process of sinking the 
 spiritual in the natural, gave rise to the gross errors of baptismal 
 regeneration, are still the passages which, in consequence of the 
 general concession of the church that they relate to the external form, 
 fill the hands of the Campbellites, and other errorists of the like kind, 
 with their most powerful weapons. 
 
 Had the word been KaOapiZu), so that its analogical uses could have 
 been noticed, and its real import felt, the root of the error would have 
 been seen. But by using the word baptize, as a technic, the eye has 
 been entirely blinded to the laws which influenced the mind in its 
 original use. And, until that class of passages, from which the doctrine 
 of baptismal regeneration sprung, is restored to their original, true, 
 and spiritual sense, the occasions of this pernicious error can never 
 be thoroughly eradicated from the Christian church. 
 
 Hence I do not ascribe the origin of the usage of avayevvaiOf as a 
 synonyme of )3a7rrt^w, to the doctrine of baptismal regeneration as 
 some do ; but rather believe that the natural and early use of this 
 word to denote the rite, and a false application of certain texts to it, 
 gave rise to the doctrine itself; and that, when this doctrine was 
 established, the whole range of language pertaining to regeneration 
 passed over to the rite, as 0wc> ^wrto-juoc, TraXiyyeweaia, Qsoyevveaia, 
 avd-rrXacng ; that is, light, illumination, regeneration, the divine 
 generation, a new creation. Hence also ^wri'Sw, to baptize. 
 
 XXI. Besides this general reasoning from well known facts, there 
 is also philological proof that the word was often used by the Fathers 
 in the sense KaOapiZ(i)' That the other sense also occurs I need not 
 deny ; for they were originally formed rather in the school of classic, 
 than of Alexandrine Greek. In their case two currents met, and we 
 are not to look so much for universally consistent use, as for evidence 
 that the Alexandrine current did mingle in the stream. Hence I 
 remark, 
 
 1. The earlier Christian writers do not so often use the word 
 j3a7rrt?w as some synonyme derived from the sense to purify, as 
 avajEvvdu), as before stated. Nor do they fix the mind on the idea 
 immerse, but on purification, and use such paraphrases as denote it. 
 
AL\ 
 
 43 
 
 Thus, after the passage of Justin Martyr already quoted, he says, in 
 describing the mode of regeneration or baptism, in the name of the 
 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, XovTpbv Troiovvrai, 
 they wash or purify them. 
 
 2. They often use (dairrKTiuibg in the legal and sacrificial sense, so 
 as to exclude any idea but KaOapicrfiog, So Chrysostom, Horn, xxxiii, 
 says, '*He calls his cross and death, a cup and baptism, a cup, 
 because he readily drank it ; baptism, (fianrKTfjiov,) because by it he 
 purified, Ka0i7pf v, the world ;" that is, he calls]it purification, because 
 by it he purified the world, in which case the sense is sacrificial, he 
 made atonement for the world, and the reason assigned depends, for 
 all its force, on giving to jSaTrrfo-^uoc the sacrificial sense KaOapKr/mog. 
 I do not quote this, nor the following passages, because I believe that 
 he assigns the true reason, but simply to illustrate his use of language. 
 
 So Theophylact, on Matt. xx. 22, 23, says, " He calls his death, 
 fiaTTTKTfiov u)Q KaOopTiKov ovTa TTCLVTiov Tifjiiov ', as making a purifica- 
 tion, or expiation for all of us,'' where the whole force, as before, rests 
 on giving to jSaTrrto-juov the sacrificial sense KaQapiafiov, As if he 
 had said, he calls his death, a purification, because it was designed to 
 purify all of us. So, on Mark x. 38, 39, he says, " He calls his cross 
 (^aTTTKTfxov, as about to make a purification for sins," KaOapiafiov rwv 
 afiapriivv. Here the sacrificial sense is still more evident and un- 
 deniable, and requires j^airrKTfxov to mean Ka6api(T(jLbv, as before. 
 Many other passages of a like kind could be adduced, but it is- needless. 
 
 3. They sometimes, in describing the rite, use Ka^atpo) or KaOapiZw 
 alone. Thus Gregory Nazianz. says, bxpei KuOaipojuevov Trjaovv Iv 
 T(^ ^lop^avy Trjv t/XTjv KaOapcnv fiaXXov Se ayviZovra ry KaOapaei ra 
 vdara ov yap Se avrbg I^hto KaOdpcFEwg 6 aipiov T7]V afxapriav tov 
 KOdjuLov ; that is, thou shalt see Jesus purified, i. e. baptized, in the 
 Jordan, with my purification, i. e. baptism, or rather, sanctifying the 
 waters, by his purification: for he did not need purification who 
 taketh away the sins of the world. Here jSaTrrf^a) is not used at all 
 in describing the rite, and in its place is used Ka^aiptj and its deriva- 
 tives, both in a moral and sacrificial sense. 
 
 Again, " He who can take away the sins of others," ov KaOaprrlwv 
 evEKa liTi ra vdfiara p\Tai, aW oxrrs dvvafjiiv avToXg IvOuvaL KaOap- 
 TiKrjv, does not come to the water for the sake of being purified himself 
 but to impart to it a purifying power. 
 
 Here, as before, I do not vouch for the truth of the ideas. They 
 
44 
 
 are pregnant with superstition. From the notion that Christ, at his 
 baptism, gave to the water a purifying power, came the idea of holy 
 w^ater, and of a mysterious influence or presence in the water of 
 baptism, which is a constituent part of the doctrine of baptismal 
 regeneration. Still the passages are of no less importance in showing 
 the use of words ; and for this alone I quote them. 
 
 It would be of no avail, here, to say that the Fathers did in fact 
 immerse ; this could not decide that purify was not the sense, and 
 even if it could be shown that some of them use the word /BaTrrfSw to 
 denote the act of immersion in baptism, it would avail nothing. It 
 would only prove inconsistent usage. But in the confluence of 
 classical and Alexandrine Greek, after the days of Christ, and in 
 writers so various and so multifarious, we are not to look for con- 
 sistent usage. It is enough that we find the usage claimed. We 
 should rather expect a transition from the original ideas of the New 
 Testament writers, through a period of inconsistent usage, till, as the 
 form usurped the place of the spirit, and a superstitious eflScacy was 
 attached to immersion, the original sense would disappear, and the 
 name of the form alone remain, as is the case in the Greek Church 
 at the present day. 
 
 I do not expect to find in the Fathers a correct philosophical 
 account of the origin or progress of their own errors. They assign 
 different, and often inconsistent reasons for the usages of language 
 already adverted to. It is enough for me that I have the facts before 
 me, and the laws of the mind to explain them. They are just such 
 as I should expect, on the supposition that the original religious sense 
 of j3a7rrt?w was KaOapi^to, 
 
 Printed by John Haddon, Castle Street, Finsbury . 
 
THE IDENTITY OF POPERY WITH 
 PAGANISM : 
 
 A LECTURE, 
 
 DELIVERED IN NORFOLK-STREET CHAPEL, SHEFFIELD, 
 
 FEBRUA^RY 13th, 1840, 
 
 BY JOSEPH ROBERTS, 
 
 CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN 
 
 AND IRELAND, AUTHOR OF "ORIENTAL ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES," <&c., &c. 
 
 LONDON : 
 PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR. 
 
 SOLD BY SIMPKIN & MARSHALL, STATIONERS'-HALL COURT; 
 
 AND BY JOHN MASON, 14, CITY ROAD ; 
 
 AND AT 66, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 1840. . 
 
 Price One Shilling. 
 
ENTERED AT STATIONERS -HALL 
 
 LONDON: 
 PRINTED BY JAMES NICHOLS, 
 
 46, HOXTON-SQUAFE. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 The following is one of a series of Lectures now 
 being delivered by the Wesley an ministers in Shef- 
 field to the people of their charge, on the great 
 apostasy from Christ. By the advice of several of my 
 brethren and friends, I venture to print this ; and, 
 should the churches of Great Britain evince their 
 favour, 1 intend to publish others, to prove the 
 Pagan origin of Popish votive -offerings, pilgrimages, 
 processions, penances. Pontiffs, celibacy, monasteries ; 
 Hermits, the apotheosis, purgatory, relics, the rosary, 
 amulets, holy- water, and sacred fountains, incense, 
 consecrated garments, exorcisms ; devoted shrubs and 
 flowers, "the sacring-bell," the tonsure, and services 
 in an unknown tongue. 
 
 J. R. 
 
 * > 
 
A LECTURE, 
 
 " Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing 
 that is in heaven ahove, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water 
 under the earth : Thou shalt not bow down thyself, nor serve them." Exod. 
 XX. 4, 5. 
 
 The subject of this Lecture is the identity of Paganism and 
 Popery ; that is, an attempt to prove that they are one in their 
 rites and ceremonies ; and that the latter is indebted to the former 
 for its awful perversions of the pure, the simple, the immutable 
 gospel of Christ. I regret that the time devoted to the present 
 service will not allow me to notice more than the origin of their 
 connexion, and the analogies subsisting between them in image- 
 and idol-worship, and their obvious similarity in temples, churches, 
 and festivals. 
 
 Let us for a moment glance at the state of the world when Jesus 
 Christ appeared. With the exception of Judea, it was entirely 
 heathen : for the fragments of patriarchal piety which were occa- 
 sionally found, when compared with the crying sins which then 
 prevailed among the rest of mankind, will appear like a few drops 
 of rain in contrast to the waters of the ocean. The first advocates 
 of Christianity penetrated into various parts of Asia and Africa ; 
 and though for nearly two centuries the superstitions of those coun- 
 tries were not materially mixed up with the faith and ceremonies of 
 the infant-church, yet subsequently we see an amalgamation which 
 too clearly shows the origin of such an adulteration and the reasons 
 assigned for it. Rome, at that period, was rampant in idolatry ; 
 and her proud eagles had hovered over most of the adjacent coun- 
 tries. Much of her mythology had been taken from Egypt, 
 Greece, and oriental regions ; for all history, all the glorious monu- 
 ments of antiquity, go to prove, that she was their inferior in years ; 
 and her numerous aflBnities with them show how close was the 
 relation. 
 
 It is not always easy to follow in their course the various 
 corruptions with which the bright face of Christianity has been 
 beclouded : but we may confidently offer, as one general reason and 
 cause, the locality in which the Church of Rome commenced its 
 national career. And let me request, that this may be distinctly 
 
kept in mind ; because it will give the key to numerous oriental 
 ceremonies purely Pagan, which are universally observed wherever 
 Popery prevails. Christianity had been struggling with its great 
 antagonist for State-ascendancy for more than two centuries, but 
 had not gained the victory, till Constantine the Great ascended 
 the throne of the Caesars. He was born in the year of our Lord 
 271? and died in 337 ; being himself a convert from the idolatry 
 of his fathers. He made a bold attempt to establish his adopted 
 faith as the religion of the empire ; but such was the opposition of 
 its enemies, that he in a great degree failed ; therefore, for that and 
 other reasons, he resolved to found another city, which should be 
 the emporium of the Christian and eastern portion of his dominions. 
 He selected for its site Chrysopolis, where formerly stood Byzan- 
 tium ; and there he erected that magnificent capital, Constan- 
 tinople, which remained in possession of the Christians for the 
 long period of eleven hundred and twenty-three years. Thus on 
 the boundary-line of Asia was reared the splendid metropolis of the 
 East, extending its influence over all European and many Asiatic 
 regions, and attempting by its zealous agents to subjugate all Pagan 
 rations to the religion of the Cross. During his reign many of the 
 inhabitants of the East Indies are said to have been won over to 
 the Christian faith, by the ministry of Frumcntius, who had been 
 brought up the greater part of his life in that country, and who 
 had been ordained by Athanasius as Bishop, and sent to labour 
 amongst them.* At that time also, the monastic institutions had 
 their rise in Syria, Palestine, and Egypt ; and not in Europe, as 
 some erroneously suppose. For, Aihanasius and others had the 
 honour of introducing them into Italy and Rome, where their 
 character and tendency had been previously treated with great 
 contempt.-f" 
 
 And how reasonable it is to suppose, when men change from 
 one religion to another, especially in those so much opposed to 
 each other as are Christianity and Heathenism, that they have been 
 intellectually convinced of the absurdity of the one, and the excel- 
 lency of the other; or that they have been induced by sinister 
 motives, such as family-connexions in marriage, children adopting 
 the new creed of their parents ; or for reasons of State-policy, 
 having the prospect of emolument or honour ; or through their 
 minds being enlightened by the Holy Ghost, so that they became 
 not merely nominal but spiritual Christians ! That vast numbers 
 have joined the Church in all ages from among the Pagans through 
 mercenary motives, all history, all experience goes to prove ; and 
 that as circumstances have changed they also have turned, is a 
 matter of no surprise. Hence the numerous apostasies, and the 
 frequent retention, in private at least, of many of the superstitions 
 and practices of their former faith. 
 
 Tiie primitive Fathers and rulers had frequently to denounce the 
 mixing up of ancient rites ; and the penalties for such incongruous 
 
 Cave in loco, and Bingham's "Antiquities," vol. ii. p. 108. 
 
ftssociations were confiscation of goods, and corporal punishments. 
 But these proving insufficient, and a hope being entertained that 
 some of the figments of the old system might be retained in the 
 new, and thus form a source of attraction to the multitude, and of 
 profit to the church ; they at length tacitly complied with that 
 which they never properly attempted to overcome. There were 
 also other reasons which influenced the early governors to introduce 
 changes into the simple ordinances of the Gospel ; for we find from 
 one of their own historians, that " in the first age the people pre- 
 sented themselves in crowds for admission into the church, but 
 were offended at the simplicity of Christianity ; and therefore, to 
 please them, several ceremonies were introduced." * Aringhus also 
 defends the admission of the old rites by saying, it was necessary 
 "in the conversion of the Gentiles to dissemble and wink at many 
 things ; and yield to the times, and not to use force against cus- 
 toms of which the people were so obstinately fond ; nor to think 
 of extirpating at once every thing which had the appearance of 
 being profane ; but to supersede in some measure the obligation of 
 the sacred laws, till those converts, convinced by degrees, and 
 informed of the whole truth by the suggestions of the Holy Spirit, 
 should be content to submit in earnest to the yoke of Christ." 
 Jerome, however, sa^^s, in reference to the complying with the 
 popular prejudices of the Gentiles, that the church had in conse- 
 quence declined in virtue, though she had increased in power, and 
 that several superstitious usages had been taken into her service ; 
 which are also alluded to by Ambrose and Chrysostom, as in com- 
 mon use in their days.-f* 
 
 And when we turn to the operations of this fatal apostasy 
 amongst the Heathen at this day, we see the same awful alliance 
 with darkness, making Christianity a medley of every thing that 
 Satan or wicked men can desire. And how can I select a better 
 site for the basis of my observations than the East, where I resided 
 for many years ? It was not till 1503 that Albuquerque and his 
 brother, the celebrated Portuguese navigators, made their first voy- 
 age to India, by the Cape of Good Hope. Till that age no ship 
 of Europe had ploughed those seas ; and not until some time after 
 did the missionaries go to propagate their religion. Far be it from 
 me to insinuate, that all those agents were impostors or profligates ; 
 many of them, I doubt not, were influenced by an ardent desire 
 for the conversion of the natives to their own views. There was 
 Xavier, who appears to have been a man of much devotion. I have 
 visited places where he preached and established communities ; 
 have conversed with the descendants of those men who were brought 
 over to his creed ; and I have witnessed the idolatrous veneration 
 paid to his memory, by seeing them bow down and worship his 
 image ; I have met with hundreds called by his name, and have 
 heard and read of his labours in various parts of India and Japan, 
 and of his intense desire for the conversion of the Chinese. But 
 
 " In Des Anciennes Cerem. p. 24. 
 
 t Ambhos. in Luc. i., in Middle ton, p. 302. 
 
even he was guilty of fearful concessions and admissions ; he made 
 a sad and (I must say) a guilty compromise of the Gospel of Christ, 
 showino- how much he was under the influence of time-serving 
 Rome. Instances might be cited to a great amount to establish 
 all I have asserted ; but I shall confine myself to two from his 
 great eulogist, Father Barroli, who says, " Xavier made surprising 
 and unexpected conversions, by espousing the different and various 
 inclinations and desires of all sorts of sinners ; insinuating and gain- 
 ing their affections miraculously, by the use he made of the omnU 
 bus omniar'^ The great secret of the Papacy is in this omnibus 
 omnia ; it is the viaticum of the priesthood ; the last touch and 
 finish in their education, to enable them to comply with the opi- 
 nions and modes of living, and frame the injunctions of the Gospel 
 to the inclinations of men ; that none may be offended, and some the 
 more easily gained to their views. This is the foundation of their 
 craft, the main-spring of all their movements. To the priests of 
 Hindostan they professed themselves to be white Brahmins from 
 the far west ; they adopted their dress, their ablutions, and modes 
 of living ; they abstained from animal food, and conformed to 
 their superstitions. To the Bonzes of China they confessed admira- 
 tion for Confucius, and tolerated his worship, and that of the 
 saints of the celestial empire, stating that " God delights in seeing 
 us pay respect to the Manes^ because by their'means he hearkens to 
 our prayers, and through them gives us his favour.*" "f* Thus to 
 the Grand Lama or the Pontiff, to the Great Mogul or the Rajah, 
 to ignorance or wisdom, to liberty or despotism, they could pay 
 a real or feigned obedience, so as to be enabled to ensnare unwary 
 souls. 
 
 But I must give another instance of the pliancy of Xavier to one 
 of his own countrymen in the East ; because it brings out the 
 trimming policy of that wonderful man. His friend and admirer 
 Barroli informs us, that the saint was invited by Senhor Antony 
 Gomez, a Portuguese merchant, to dine ; and that at the table 
 were seated some of the concubines of his host ; but, instead of 
 reprehending what he saw, he addressed himself in a very familiar 
 manner, asking them many pleasant questions, and complimenting 
 them on their personal charms. Here therefore we discover the 
 wily, the truckling submission of the avowed minister of Christ : 
 the Gospel bows to Satan, and Jesus is insulted and abjured by 
 Lis professed advocate and friend. And yet Xavier is denominated 
 " the apostle of the East ;'' he stands at the head of all the foreign 
 representatives of Rome. His miracles, related by the Hindoos, 
 and recorded by hi& annalists, outvie those of all others in his day. 
 He could baptize five thousand and thirty-seven persons in the centre 
 of India ; and yet, at the same time, could be in South America, 
 assisting the wife of Senhor Perer, who was ill of apoplexy. J 
 What therefore could be expected from the labours of such men as 
 these, but the results narrated in the effects of Constantine, and 
 
 Parthexopius, p. 21. t Idem, p. 203. \ Barrom, 
 
 Sacchinus, and Ribadeneira. 
 
9 
 
 Fmmentius, and Paulinus, and the other propagators of their faith 
 amongst the Pagans as at this day ? The parallel is most com- 
 plete ; and never did principles produce a more exact conformity, 
 than those of the early and modern corruptions. 
 
 And you must not suppose that these are mere antiquated 
 views, the rule of policy in the dark ages ; for we have them 
 re-iterated in all their primitive force, in what is called the " Catho- 
 lic Magazine" for Sept. 1839. It appears, a Wesleyan Missionary 
 had written from India on the wonderful and shameful imitations (in 
 holy mother-church) of Hindooism ; and some of the lynx-eyed 
 fraternity, seeing this, immediately took up cudgels for their insulted 
 faith. The writer says, " If he (the Wesleyan) Jiad known 
 anything at aU of the history of Christianity, he would have 
 known it teas precisely by acting as tlie Catholic Missionaries now 
 do, and have always done, that Christianity was propagated. As 
 the Divine Wisdom acts through kuma?i agency, that agency must 
 accommoduie itself to circumstances ^ (teas not h>t. Paul ' all things 
 to all men ? ^J and provided tlie principles of Christianity he not 
 compromised, it is perfectly lawful to attempt to win over idol- 
 atrous nations to the faith of Christ, by such innocent displays as 
 may abate their prejudices.'''' Here then you have all you can 
 require to prov that as it was, so it is ; yes, and, till Jehovah shall 
 speak, so it ever will' be. See the assumed wisdom and self-com- 
 placency of this writer. He says, " If the Missionary had known 
 anything of the history of Christianity."' Yet he understood that 
 as well as the poor Apologist himself: and if he had said, '' the 
 history of Popery^'' instead of " Christianity, '"' he would then have 
 furnished something resembling a correct definition, which is always 
 necessary to prepare us for the argument. Full well do we know, 
 that this is the manner in which their own Missionaries have ever 
 acted. But the Divine Wisdom will never work for itself in 
 crooked ways ; it will not submit to be used and abused, by the 
 policy and stratagems of men ; it seeks not their devices and 
 frauds ; but, in peerless majesty, spurns all imposture from its 
 feet ; and asserts its pure, its eternal principles in heaven, in earth, 
 and in hell. Thus we have here again your omnibus omnia^ 
 your "all things to all men!" But did the apostle mean, he 
 would enlist Paganism into the service of Jesus .'^ that he would 
 bow down to images, and present to them his votes and offerings, 
 and take them out, as the Papists and Hindoos, in ponderous 
 cars, or in smaller tabernacles on men's shoulders, like Remphan 
 and Moloch ; or have paintings on hugh machines, descriptive of 
 the exploits of gods or men; or carry banners, and hold canopies, 
 and discharge fire-works, and beat tom-toms, and keep fasts of 
 six, nine, eighteen, twenty, or twenty-seven days ; or tie the tali, 
 changing the figure from Pulliar or Siva to a dove or angel ; or 
 perform ceremonies for the dead ; or observe the crescent, the 
 full, or the waning moon ; or worship saints or angels, or go on 
 pilgrimages and processions, and submit to penances and wear 
 relics, amulets, and beads, and use holy water and ashe^, and bathe 
 
10 
 
 in sacred fountains^ and dress in consecrated garments ; or bum 
 incense and lamps, and speak in an unknown tongue, and make 
 exorcisms, and sell pardons and rescue souls from purgatory^ and 
 fabricate an apotheosis ; or enter a monastery^ or forbid to marry ! 
 Did he mean any of these practices of the two great conspiracies 
 against God and liis Christ ? Answer, blessed Paul ! Tell us, 
 Latimer, Ridley, and Hooper ! Tell us, ten thousand thousand 
 Protestant tongues ! Tell us, O Holy Ghost, and pronounce the 
 final doom ! " Babylon the great is fallen. Amen, Hallelujah. 
 The Lamb shall overcome them ; for He is Lord of lords and 
 King of kings." 
 
 Did he not prohibit some of the time-serving Corinthians, whose 
 consciences allowed them to feast on meat which had been offered 
 to idols ? And yet he knew, as well as they, that idols are 
 nothing. Did he not mean he would accommodate himself to the 
 prejudices of the weak ? To the recently-converted Jews, who 
 would only eat herbs when among the Gentiles, lest they should 
 partake of flesh which they still considered unclean, or that which 
 had been offered to idols, to them he would gladly become as a 
 Jew, and join in their feast of herbs. Nay, if by eating meat 
 which had not been consecrated to the gods, and was perfectly free 
 from all heathenish ceremonies, he should cause his weak brother 
 to be offended, to be in danger of returning to idolatry and sin, he 
 would not touch it so long as he lived. This was what he meant 
 by becoming " all things to all men ;'" and not the base, renegade 
 spirit of Popery, which will sell Christ and his apostles in order to 
 enslave simple souls. 
 
 The origin of idol-worship in that remote age cannot be fully 
 ascertained. There is, however, a propensity in man to form ideas 
 of objects he has never seen ; and he is often heard to exclaim, 
 when for the first time he sees them : " I had entertained quite 
 different views ; I had thought to find them large, or small, or 
 beautiful, or deformed." And this imaginative power in him, 
 unrestrained by true piety, has led to the bold, the profane attempt 
 to describe Almighty God ; a practice alike common to the Gentile 
 and Romish superstitions. But this inclination in man to portray 
 figures of things which he has never seen, is nurtured by the strong 
 desire to have some visible object on which to fix his eyes and 
 regards ; a practice leading to the most fearful and rank idolatry. 
 Hence we read, in all ages, of men clinging to some representation 
 of deity, to which they made oflferings and prayers, and from which 
 they professed to derive wisdom, consolation, and defence. Thus 
 the natural sight usurped the proper place of the spiritual, the body 
 that of the soul. 
 
 I. After all, however, there appears to have been some hesitation 
 in the literati of the East as to these absurdities ; for they assign 
 many reasons and apologies for the practice. The Brahmins say, 
 " The idol is necessary for the vulgar, who, being uninstructed in 
 the higher or mystic parts of the system, require a visible object to 
 
11 
 
 bring the deity down to the level of their comprehension ; and if 
 you do not give them something to see, they will not believe." 
 They insist on having an object to assist devotion ; for without it, 
 they affirm, the thoughts can neither remain fixed on that which it 
 is m the act of requiring, nor on the deity who must answer the 
 request. From this it might be supposed, that the learned them- 
 selves are perfectly free from this practice ; whereas they are as 
 much addicted to it as the multitude ; and when they depart from 
 it, they are often plunged into the most subtile atheism ; showing 
 that the tendency of such a system is to induce a disbelief in the 
 being of a God, and the consequent irresponsible condition of man. 
 But some of them boldly assert, that the representation is often 
 filled with the deity, thus denying it to be a mere piece of matter. 
 They declare, that they have seen the eyes move, and have heard 
 the tongue speak ; or they will argue for the divine presence on 
 other principles. Take the following instance : A missionary was 
 once preaching to a large company of Hindoos and Brahmins on 
 the omnipresence of God, endeavouring thereby to show the futility 
 of their images. A priest exclaimed : " I have a question to ask. 
 Do I understand you to say, that your God is everywhere ?" 
 *' Yes," was the answer. "And thereby to prove that, as ours are 
 in one place, they are not divine ?" '' Yes," was the reply. He 
 then turned to the people, and said, " You comprehend the argu- 
 ment ? " They vociferated, Ahma^ ahma ! *' Yes, yes." He 
 rejoined : *' God is eicerywhere then he is in the idols therefore we 
 may icorship idols.'''' See the sophistry of this man ! He was aware 
 it was not meant, that the Almighty was corporeally present ; but 
 He saw, and knew, and heard everywhere. But he thought he had 
 found something to rest upon ; so weak, so anxious is the human 
 mind when in the possession of error ! The Chinese assign curious 
 reasons for their idolatry ; adopting the language of their great 
 lawgiver Confucius, they say, " The Supreme Essence is above the 
 apprehension of our senses ; therefore we take to our aid his true 
 images. The worship is paid to things which we see, and which 
 we worship in seeing them ; it also is given to things not seen, 
 represented by inanimate objects ; because we hope thereby to 
 obtain their favour." 
 
 And who can avoid being reminded of the similarity betwixt 
 these excuses, and those offered by the Greeks and Romans ? 
 Celsus, as Origen informs us, asks, " Who believes that our idols 
 are so many gods ? They are only symbols of the Divinity, 
 and we do not adore them but in honour of God." * " Plato, 
 Maximus Tyrius, and others say, it was a wise thing to contrive 
 images to help human infirmity, and to remind the ignorant of the 
 objects of devotion ; that they ought to be worshipped as so many 
 signs or representations of the divinity; and that the sun, moon, 
 and stars were to be adored, not as gods, but as their images or 
 statues." Porphyry, according to Eusebius, calls images " the 
 books of idiots," by which they were taught and kept in awe. 
 I^ib. vi. Contra Genfes, in Meagher, p. 25. 
 
12 
 
 And Dr. Challoner defends the use of images amongst the Roman- 
 ists precisely on the same grounds as their Pagan progenitors; 
 for, in his book, called, " The Catholic Christian," the question 
 occurs : " What is the doctrine of the church with regard to the 
 pictures or images of Christ and his Saints ?" " Answer. That 
 it is good to keep them, and retain them in churches, not only for 
 ornament and instruction of the ignorant, but for the honour and 
 resemblance of Christ and his Saints, and for to help to raise our 
 thoughts to heavenly things?'' 
 
 Who does not see the identity of the arguments employed in 
 support of these superstitions, by all the classes of idol -wor- 
 shippers ? " They are for the instruction of the ignorant, and to 
 help devotion ;" such is the language both of the Heathen Sages and 
 of Romish Priests. But the canonized mortals who are sent to hea- 
 ven by the Romish Pontiffs stand in the place of the demi-gods and 
 ministers of the Pagan mythology. Thus Christophorus Battelli, 
 in the name of his Holiness, in 1712, during the consecration of 
 four new Saints, called them, Procerum ccelestis Jerusalem, " the 
 Peers or Noblemen of the heavenly Jerusalem ;" and further 
 declared it to be the opinion of the Pope, that " if ever, at any 
 previous juncture, we stood in need of the salutary helps (or saving 
 aid) and omnipotent protection of the Peers of the heavenly Jeru- 
 salem, we do so at this present time." * So that these Romish 
 Princes of glory are not a whit inferior to those of the Gentiles. 
 
 II. All the prevailing superstitions of India, Egypt, Greece, and 
 Rome have had the statues of their gods or deified men sculptured 
 in metal, wood, or stone ; and though some of them are exceed- 
 ingly graceful in their symmetry, others are most outrageously out 
 of proportion, disgusting, and deformed. The minor divinities are 
 believed to act as mediators for men. The apologist says, " There 
 is one God, the Lord of all things ; but those whom we worship 
 are gods also : for as there is but one Caesar, who has under him 
 Judges and Governors, Consuls and Tribunes, and other powers ; 
 so, we believe, in the same manner, that there is only one supreme 
 God in this world. These are subjected, indeed, to the sovereign 
 Deity ; but they dispose of us men, and direct all earthly affairs." "f 
 Before you are permitted to approach an earthly monarch, you 
 must propitiate the manthari, the minister, the officers, and guards ; 
 and then you may perhaps speak through them in the royal ear. 
 The fact is undeniable, that, in general, when men have departed 
 from the worship of the only true God, they have made graven 
 images, and bowed down and worshipped them. 
 
 But they have also had paintings on the walls of their temples, 
 describing the exploits of their gods in war, in love, in science, in 
 heaven, and in hell. Some of these delineations are most offensive 
 and obscene ; yet the people of every age and sex study them to 
 acquire at once a history of the past, and the reasons for such 
 
 Delivered in the Vatican, April 26th, 1712. 
 
 t Clem. Recog. lib. v., in M. Mussard, p. 129. 
 
18 
 
 supple adoration ; and though they cannot copy all that they see, 
 they have been but too successful in trials at imitation, as universal 
 depravity goes to prove. What can be more illustrative of the custom 
 of having pictorial representations, and of its baneful effects, than 
 the testimony of the prophet Ezekiel, who lived five hundred and 
 seventy-four years before Christ ? He saw " the idols of the house 
 of Israel portrayed upon the wall round about,'' improper drawings 
 of men, " the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion ;"" 
 and some of these were exceedingly abominable, causing those who 
 saw them to be inflamed with vile desires. (Ezek. xxiii. 14-21.) In 
 the temples, tombs, and pyramids of Egypt, such lewd paintings 
 have been discovered, with their colours as fresh and fair as if but 
 laid on yesterday. Among them may be seen the coiTupting sign 
 of Osiris corresponding with the Baal-peor of the Philistines, the 
 Lingam of the Hindoos, the Phallus of the Greeks, and the 
 Priapus of the Romans. Philosophers and theorists may say what 
 they please about the original intention, the practical effect has 
 been most calamitous on the people. 
 
 And when we turn to Antichrist, we see that the acts of saints 
 and martyrs were painted on the walls of such churches as were 
 dedicated to their names, to serve as ornaments and memorials, and 
 to take the place of those which the new converts from Heathenism 
 had lost by leaving their former temples. Thus would they seem to 
 have been granted to satisfy the extreme desire for an object on which 
 the eye could look, and the mind could calmly dwell, in the absence 
 of sound scriptural experience and intellectual exertion. But these 
 palpable objects soon gained such an ascendancy over those who 
 had recently been rescued from Paganism, that they actually offered 
 to them the same kind of worship as that which they had tendered 
 to the former objects of adoration ; and thus did they insensibly 
 glide from one mode of idolatry to another. Augustine himself, who 
 was born a.d. 354, tells us that he knew many who were actual 
 adorers of what they saw ;* and Paulinus, who was himself a convert 
 from Heathenism, says, the pictures were made with an intention to 
 attract the rude multitudes, from the profane rites of idolatry, to a 
 knowledge and good opinion of the Christian doctrine, by learning 
 from them what they were not able to acquire from books. Thus 
 were these " helps to devotion," as the advocates of Popery and 
 Paganism call them, introduced into the Bomish (no longer the 
 Christian) Church about the end of the fourth century. Who can 
 now avoid being astounded at the impiety of these apostates in 
 giving a full-length portrait of Almighty God, as may be seen 
 in many of their churches ? " In the Nicholini Chapel at Florence, 
 there is a dome beautifully painted in fresco ; having for its subject 
 the coronation of the Virgin Mary. She is seated in the centre of 
 the picture ; whilst on one side stands a venerable old man, 
 intended to represent the Supreme Being, and on the other Jesus 
 Christ ; both of whom are engaged in placing a crown on the head 
 of the Virgin, and the Holy Ghost is seen hovering over the whole 
 Novi multos esse sepulchroncm et picttirarum adoratores. Middleton, p. 49. 
 
14 
 
 in the form of a dove/' Then in the Prayer-Books before the 
 Reformation, there was a drawing of Jehovah; and, in one printed 
 in 1526, according to the ceremonial of Salisbury, " He is exhi- 
 bited under the appearance of an old man with a triple crown, 
 resembling the tiara of the Pope, having rays around his head. 
 At Padua there was one which described the mystery of the Trinity 
 by an old man with three faces and three beards." * And these 
 profanities are defended by their most celebrated divines, such as 
 Cajetan, Diego Payva, T. Valdensis, Molan, Bellarmine, and last, 
 though not least, by the modern Dr. Challoner, who says, " / do 
 not take it to he more unlawful to paint God the Father under 
 the figure of a venerable old man^ (because he was so represented 
 in the tision of Daniel^) than it is to paint the Holy Ghost under 
 the figure of a dove^ because He appeared so when Christ was 
 baptized^ "f Now, just before this quotation, he hints at it being 
 unlawful to make an image of the Supreme Being ; but, with 
 much dexterity, turns from that, and says he does not deem 
 it more unlawful to paiiit God under the figure of a venerable 
 old man, than the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove. Mark 
 the distinction he makes betwixt an image and a painting^ as 
 if one were less sinful than the other. Daniel says, I saw in 
 my xision by night : " The Ancient of days did sit, whose gar- 
 ment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like fine wool : 
 his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning 
 fire." (Dan. vii. 9.) Now, what is there here to authorize the 
 creature to paint the Creator like an old man ? Remember, 
 it was a vision which Daniel saw ; and did he or any of the 
 Jews ever attempt to depict that sight ? They had not the daring 
 eflfrontery of this monstrous community. And as to its being 
 as lawful to do one thing as another, what does that prove ? 
 Just as much as many other of their comparisons, a glaring 
 absurdity, an unheard-of wickedness ! Who defends it as lawful 
 to paint the Holy Ghost as a dove, for purposes of devotion ? 
 Who, but those who set up one crime to justify another ? Can 
 that which John saw form an excuse or reason for describing the 
 Unseen as an old man ? I tremble for the men who will write a 
 line, or speak a word, in defence of such wickedness. In all their 
 churches they have pictures, before which deluded creatures may be 
 seen kneeling to repeat their prayers ; and some do not feel satis- 
 fied till they have paid a visit to each of these representations, and 
 thus finish what is called their " stations." Go to the sister Island, 
 if you wish your eyes to be pained with such sights. Go to the land 
 fetid in Popery, and steeped in human gore. Go, and see Romanism 
 stalking there in shameless effrontery, claiming and receiving all she 
 can require to trample on our prostrate faith. Go, and view her 
 best sons, like pilgrims, sailing to other shores, where, for a season 
 at least, they may enjoy quietness and peace. Go, and tell us, 
 Protestants, are we to be silent, and crouch to the tvranny of 
 
 ' ^""f "-'-- ~' - 
 
 * PiCART, vol. i. p. 331 ; and Clavia Calendaria, p. 36<). 
 t " Catholic Christian/' p. 41^. 
 
15 
 
 Rome ? And wliat do I hear ? Our tongues shall never cease to 
 speak, nor our fingers to write, against this direful and desecrating 
 apostasy from Christ, till death shall silence the one and unnerve the 
 other; either till this "abomination" which defileth shall no longer 
 be at once the scourge and the reproach of Christendom, or till we 
 shall hear in heaven, " Well done, good and faithful servants, 
 enter ye into the joy of your Lord ! " 
 
 III. All the images of the eastern idolaters have to he consecrated 
 by solemn and potent ceremonies, before they can be put into the 
 holy place, or be duly qualified to receive the prayers of the people. 
 Some of the rites, are most expensive and imposing ; but, having 
 been once performed, they need not be repeated till the images 
 have been defiled by impious hands ; in which case, they must pass 
 through all the former observances to regain their original purity. 
 Nor have instances of desecration been of rare occurrence ; for we 
 find, in the history of barbarous nations, that this was one way of 
 showing contempt for the religion of the vanquished ; and some- 
 times they were carried off in triumph, and admitted into the Pan- 
 theon of the national faith. Even in our wars in the East, how fre- 
 quently have our troops entered the Heathen temples, and pillaged 
 them of golden spoils, and polluted their idols ! After which, 
 when the place had to be re-occupied, hundreds of Brahmins were 
 employed to restore the whole to its pristine state of presumptive 
 holiness. Incense, sacrifices of various kinds, holy water, and per- 
 fumed oils were profusely offered to bring back the supposititious 
 hallowing presence. 
 
 If we look at ancient Greece, we meet with precisely the same 
 thing ; for, their idols, however beautiful or perfect in their form, 
 were not ready for use till they had passed through some sacred 
 rites of purification. The Scholiast on Aristophanes says, " A woman 
 dressed in garments of various hues, with a pot on her head, con- 
 taining sodden pulse, as a grateful offering to the gods, attended to 
 the duty." But others had more sumptuous gifts : thus, at the 
 dedication of the statue of Jupiter, a new vessel was brought with 
 two handles, which were bound about with a chaplet of wool ; then a 
 libation, termed "ambrosia," composed of water and honey and 
 various fruits, was poured on the ground. Another mode was, to 
 put a crown on the head of the idol, and, having anointed it with 
 oil, to present to it sacrifices and prayers ; and it is recorded of one 
 image, that, when passing through the consecrating ceremony, it 
 was twice heard to say to the matrons who officiated, " Ladies, you 
 have dedicated me in a very becoming manner." * 
 
 And where is there an image used in the Church of Rome which 
 has not been previously consecrated, by the Pope, the Bishop, or 
 the Priest ? Does she indeed deign to take unhallowed deities into 
 her sanctuaries ? Is she inferior to her progenitrix, and does she 
 lower herself in the view of the Heathen ? She scorns the 
 
 Augustine, lib. iv. c. 19; Val. Maximus, lib. ii. c. 8; also, Dypnoso- 
 phists, as in Potter and others. 
 
10 
 
 thought! One method adopted by her to impart the sanctifying 
 power is, " after saying the prayer, and giving it the name of the 
 saint it represents, to sprinkle it with holy water," which makes it 
 ready for use. But should an idol of the Virgin have to be con- 
 secrated, " it must, in addition to the former, be incensed three 
 times, and have an Ave Mary, and Psalms, and Anthems, chanted 
 to its praise." * The charm is given ; and by this process, as St. 
 Thomas says, " inanimate things acquire a certain spiritual virtue, 
 which renders them fit for divine service." -f* Thus, by common 
 belief, the fingers of PontiflTs and Martyrs must have communicated 
 an immense amount of holiness to this naughty world ; and the 
 wonder is, after all these hallowings, that Satan has any dominion left 
 under his fearful sway. You have seen, therefore, that though the 
 consecration is attained by a somewhat different procedure, yet the 
 object is the same ; namely, to impress men with the opinion, that 
 the idol or image is now invested with an extraordinary degree of 
 sanctity; and that the Divinity is in it, rendering it the^tme and 
 certain medium of prayer and praise. And are these practices per- 
 formed by a church calling itself " Christian and Catholic, the 
 followers of Jesus Christ and the successors of Peter, Paul, 
 and John," by those who denominate themselves " the true 
 fcdth ? " O that this had never been told in the Gaths and Aske- 
 lons of many heathen lands ! then would they have long since been 
 brought over to the true faith of Christ. 
 
 IV. All the gods of every age and clime had some symbol, or 
 weapon, or garment, or animal, by which they were described and 
 known. Amongst the oriental divinities, there is the supreme Siva, 
 who has the soolam or trident, and the sacred bull ; and the wor- 
 shipper, seeing any of these, at once recognises the king of heaven. 
 Parvati, the goddess, like her sister Astarti, has the crescent 
 moon on her head; and Patrakali claims the lion as her beast. 
 Sc AND AN, the divine warrior, has the proud peacock for his bird ; and 
 Yama, the sovereign of hell, the buffalo, and a snare with which to 
 catch souls. The meretricious and dishonest Chrishna has the 
 flute and serpent ; and Lechimy, the goddess of beauty, the lotus- 
 flower as her sign. Kama, the deity of love, has five potent 
 arrows, to pierce the hearts of gods or men ; and the fierce Durga, 
 an infant she is about to slay and devour; whilst Sooriy an, the 
 god of the sun, has swift horses at his command. Some of them 
 hold in their hands weapons or ornaments, musical instruments or 
 books ; others have animals, as the boar, the elephant, the rat, the 
 monkey, the deer, the eagle : so as to render them easily distin- 
 guishable. The signs therefore were absolutely necessary, to enable 
 the devotee to select his deity from the rest, and thus offer the 
 peculiar worship due to his name. 
 
 Let us look at the mythology of the western Heathens. There 
 is the mighty Jove with horns, grasping the thunderbolt, ready to 
 
 PiCART, in loco. t M. MussARD; p. 191. 
 
17 
 
 be hurled at the giant prey. In the other hand is a sceptre, having 
 an eagle perched ; his cloak is embroidered with animals and flowers, 
 and his sandals are of solid gold. Apollo is there, with his harp, 
 and wolf, and swan ; and Mercury with his winged rod and serpents 
 entwined. The besotted Bacchus has his javelin, or Thyrsus^ 
 encircled with leaves of ivy and the vine. Juno, the celestial 
 queen, has the sceptre and the peacock ; and Mars, the spear. 
 The threatening Minerva carries and claims the game-cock and 
 owl as her signs. Saturn cuts down every thing earthly with his 
 scythe ; and Janus holds a rod and a key. Vulcan has the 
 hammer; and Aurora the horses and a halo of glory on her head. 
 Vesta has the drum, a bull, a sheep, and a goat ; and Pan has the 
 pipe. The fair Diana carries the quiver and the bow, having the 
 faithful dog by her side. Neptune shakes the trident ; and 
 Hercules has the club. iEscuLAPius has laurels on his head, 
 for his staff a jointed cane, and the dog his sacred creature. Thus 
 the votaries of these deities likewise could, by such symbols, distin- 
 guish the idols of their peculiar adoration. 
 
 Now see Popery, the supplanter of the old system, with her 
 images to occupy the same idolatrous places in the minds of the 
 young converts as those which had been forsaken. She had 
 departed from the simplicity of the Gospel, and, having opened the 
 way to various assimilations, was compelled to carry out her princi- 
 ples. She had ventured into a current which nothing could resist, 
 and was soon carried into a whirlpool which, nothing could overcome. 
 She talked and dreamt of a return, when her die was cast, her moment 
 was gone. Hence her wickedness in bringing forward the apostles 
 and others, to stand in the niche with the symbols and living crea- 
 tures of repudiated Pagan gods. There is the amiable James, 
 like a brawny Hercules, with his ponderous club. How easy for 
 the poor worshipper who is just brought within the pale of the 
 Romish communion, to transfer his former ideas to him ! Peter 
 may well vie with Cybele and Janus, having the key of other 
 worlds. Thomas can occupy the place of Mars with his spear. 
 Matthias has the battle-axe ; and Paul, a noble sword. Mat- 
 thew carries the halbert and hatchet, having an angel by his side. 
 Philip, like ^sculapius, has his trusty staff; and Bartholomew, 
 his knife. And, strange to say, Moses, of Old-Testament fame, 
 is graced with horns. Luke has the bull, being equal to that of 
 Siva or Vesta; and Mark rivals another, with the lion for his 
 friend. The loving John, like Jove, has the eagle, and, as Mer- 
 cury, he has also the serpent. St. Cecilia has a harp ; and 
 Gertrude, a rat: St. Gekovefa has a candle; St. George, 
 a dragon ; Paul the hermit, a raven with a piece of bread ; 
 Athanasius, a spider's web ; and Anthony of Padua is 
 pounding the heads of heretics, and preaching to the fish of the 
 sea, that said, " Amen ! " as they passed that way. O the match- 
 less impudence, the extreme impiety of all this ! What renegadoes 
 to other creeds have been so vile as these ? Little will it avail 
 them to say, by some of these weapons the individual saints were 
 
*>^ I 
 
 18 
 
 killed : there they are in their hands, as in the images of the 
 Heathen ; and there are the sacred creatures the lion, the eagle, 
 the serpent, and the bull, to greet and assist the eyes of those who 
 bow down and worship at their feet ! 
 
 V. But the idols of antiquity were also adorned in tawdry or costly 
 apparel. Thus was Jove attired in a splendid robe of gold; which 
 was, however, stolen by the sacrilegious tyrant Dionysius, who sub- 
 stituted another of wool ; declaring it would be warmer in winter, 
 and lighter in summer, and therefore more adapted to the comfort 
 of his condition. Nearly all had vestments to please the eye, and 
 nothinf? was considered too valuable to adorn the statues of their ffods. 
 
 Looking at their ancestors, or peers, in the East, we see the 
 same reckless profusion ; for if the object is a true representation of 
 a divine being, what can be considered too gorgeous to cover its 
 sacred form ? No skill, no sacrifice, no riches are deemed too great ; 
 for after nature and art had exhausted all their stores, the deity 
 arose in honour higher in the estimation of his worshippers, than all 
 his ornaments. Hence there has frequently been more wealth in 
 the temple than in the palace; inducing now and then furtive 
 attempts at sacrilege, for the purpose of replenishing the coffer from 
 the shrine ; and the treasure thus purloined has seldom been dis- 
 gorged, except the priests could work on the fears of the titled 
 offenders, by the threatened retribution of the gods. Some of the 
 most costly gems of Europe once glittered on Heathen idols ; and 
 the temples of Asia contain many of the most splendid specimens 
 of precious stones to be found in any palace on earth. There you 
 see the coronet of the image studded with rubies, and diamonds of 
 the first water ; and here a breastplate of virgin gold, covered with 
 minerals of every hue, and braided with pearls most chastely joined, 
 giving a beauty surpassing any thing which your eyes have seen. 
 
 And is the Papacy in the rear of all this earthly glory ? No : 
 she has strained every nerve to enrich her sanctuaries. Her images 
 are clothed in the most beautiful attire ; kings and emperors, priests 
 and laymen, have laboured with their own fingers to adorn their 
 favourite saints. Some of these have riches of immense value 
 placed on their exterior on the great festivals ; and may be said in 
 several respects to equal, in amount and delicate workmanship, the 
 most exquisite ornaments of Heathen devotion. Thus, a crown of 
 jewels for the head of the Virgin ; a necklace of pearls, a cross of 
 diamonds, and such other appendages as false piety or perverted skill 
 could devise, have been furnished to her honour, or that of other 
 deified human beings. Where, I ask, is the difference betwixt the 
 decorations of the one and the other, and from whom has the usage 
 been evidently derived ? If they refuse the honour to the Pagans, 
 let them, if they can claim it, have the benefit of an original idea ; 
 the conception, execution, merit, and guilt shall be all their own. 
 
 VI. In every system of Polytheism the sex have taken a distin- 
 guished part in the government of heaven, of earth, and of hell. 
 
19 
 
 Some of tliem were famed for their beauty, their singing, their 
 intrigues and amours ; and it was in good keeping with their admirers 
 in this world, that ample provision should be made, in the state after 
 death, for the gratification of their pleasures. All had their celestial 
 queens, from whom the fair on earth were described as receiving 
 innumerable blessings ; and though these goddesses had not inde- 
 pendent sovereignty, yet they influenced the Supreme, or gained by 
 stratagem what they could not otherwise obtain. There is the great 
 Amma in oriental mythcdogy, who in time of affliction has more 
 offerings and prayers than all the other deities of the celestial and 
 infernal abodes. Under the name of Baali, she became incar- 
 nate ; and the most lascivious stories are told of her regards, so that 
 it became an honour, rather than a disgrace, for virgins to have a 
 vile dedication to her name. Mahomet, also, in his voluptuous 
 inventions, took care to have the Houri for his deluded followers. 
 
 The history of Juno also is replete wdth incident to elucidate 
 these facts. She presided over the nuptial rites, and set at liberty 
 the struggling soul of Dido. And there was Minerva, one of 
 "whose names was Pallas, reminding us of Troy. For, while 
 the temple and castle of the goddess were building, her image fell 
 into the latter from the skies, and, as predicted, that place was 
 never taken till she was removed. As to Vknus, her character was 
 too gross to be noticed in this place ; and that all have had their 
 female deities, is a fact so notorious as not to allow contradic- 
 tion. 
 
 But who can read, without astonishment and disgust, of the 
 rivalry of Popery in feminine dynasties, in this and other worlds ? 
 They have outvied in number and achievements all their predeces- 
 sors ; and the Pagan converts are furnished with the lovely Mary, for 
 their celestial queen : and though the recreants have not gone to the 
 same extremes, yet they have used most daring and gross language 
 corresponding with their sensual ideas. The image of this regina 
 regnant has not been inferior in splendour or worshippers to any of 
 her ^prototypes. In the church of Nuestra Senora del Pilar in 
 Saragossa, the Virgin, most richly attired, stands on a marble pillar 
 having an infant Jesus in her arms. Around her are fifty silver 
 angels, each bearing a large flambeau ; and there are fifty lamps, 
 and numerous branches, of the same metal, with tapers burning to 
 her glory by night and by day.* And there can be no doubt she 
 has had more devotions and donations, than all the other female 
 saints in the Pantheon of Rome. Nay, she has outvied the Father 
 and the Son ; for, independently of the fact that nearly all 
 terrestrial petitions must go through her, numerous prayers are 
 especially addressed to herself as a divine being. A few selections 
 from the supplications and praises found in her devotional exercises, 
 shall now be given : " Hail, O Queen, thou Mother of mercy, life, 
 sweetness, and our hope, we salute thee ! Go to, therefore, our 
 Advocatress : turn towards us those thy merciful eyes ; and show 
 us, after this banishment, Jesus the blessed fruit of thy womb, O 
 
 PiCART, vol. i. p. 378. 
 u 9 
 
20 
 
 mild, O pious, O sweet Virgin Mary ! " * " Holy Mother, suc- 
 cour the miserable, help the weak-hearted, refresh the weeping, pray 
 for the people, mediate for the clergy, intercede for devout women. 
 Let all who celebrate thy commemoration feel thy aid. Holy 
 Mary, Mother of God and yet a Virgin, I, though unworthy to 
 serve thee, yet, trusting in the clemency of thy motherly heart, 
 choose thee this day, before my guardian angel and the whole court 
 of heaven, for my Mother and peculiar Lady Patroness and Advo- 
 catrix."-f* Lipsius also prays to her as follows : " Grant to me, O 
 my goddess, whom 1 contemplate as present in my mind, that what 
 I have piously designed I may happily accomplish ! " and, after 
 noticing several miracles performed at her shrine, he continues : " O 
 Goddess, thou art the Queen of heaven, of the sea, of the earth, 
 above whom there is nothing but God. Thou Moon, (next to 
 Him the Sun,) whom I implore and invocate ! protect and take 
 care of us, both in public and private ! Thou hast seen us these 
 forty years, tossed in a public storm. O Mary, calm this tumultu- 
 ous sea ! " I And as to Pope Pius V., he was married to the 
 Virgin : but the account is too sensual to be read in your ears. 
 Andrew of Avellino describes the Mother as being more merciful 
 than the Son ; and declares that there can be no devotion, no 
 access to God, without her. "She is the Mediatrix of mankind, 
 and has a great deal of merit which she never received from her 
 Son.'' When the Pope was reading the sermons of the saint, he 
 exclaimed, in view of what the Virgin had said in praise of her 
 admirer Avellino, Apotheosi dignus est quern Virgo sic laudazit ; 
 " He on whom the Virgin has bestowed such praise is worthy of 
 an apotheosis." St. Felix of Cantalice had so great an affection for 
 the Virgin, he always slept with her image in his arms, and 
 addressed most ardent prayers to her for protection and grace. 
 Bonaventure, also a saint, wrote several tracts in honour of "our 
 Lady ; " and says, in conclusion of a prologue, " O most benign 
 Lady Mary, accept this small gift, which thy poor friend offers up 
 unto thee, with this little book, upon my bended knees ! and with 
 my bowed head I salute thee, saymg, both with heart and mouth, 
 A^e Maria ! " This same saint also composed another Office, in 
 which he thus addresses her : " O Empress and our kind Lady, hy 
 the authority of a mother^ command thy beloved Son^ our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, that he would vouchsafe to lift up our minds from the 
 love of earthly things unto heavenly desires I " He also published a 
 Psalter, in which the Psalms of David are addressed to her, having 
 the name of God erased, and hers put in the place ; and, be it 
 known, this was printed under the license of Sextus V., who has 
 himself also been canonized. We might go on for hours, multiplying 
 extracts from their books of devotion ; and might refer to the prac- 
 tice of their followers in India and China, to show the ardent devo- 
 tion to Mary as their Goddess and Queen. But we forbear : only 
 asking. Was there ever a female deity, in any system of Polythe- 
 
 Brev. Rom. ad Completnr. p. 107. t Brev. Rom, in Commein, de Sanb'a 
 
 Maria. X Lipsii Opera, p. 1288. 
 
21 
 
 ism, that had more fervent attachment, offerings, and prayers ren- 
 dered to her. But we cannot close this part of our subject without 
 glancing at the numerous other Romish deities of the sex. They 
 have bequeathed names to the church, honoured by the most stu- 
 pendous miracles ; they still move heaven and earth ; and, though 
 inferior to her who has taken Juno'^s place, they are separately 
 addressed by their feminine appellations, and ten thousand thousand 
 blessings are daily coming through their gentle hands. So that 
 popery can boast of as many female celestials as any system, 
 devised by Satan or received by man. 
 
 VII. But sometimes great efforts have to be made to bring the 
 idols or images of the departed heroes or heroines into fame amongst 
 the people, and hence recourse may be had to a little pious fraud 
 to impose on their superstitions. One way which the crafty priest of 
 the Hindoos adopts, is, to have a dream for several nights together, 
 that a god is ignobly buried in a deep tank or pond ; and he takes 
 care that intelligence of his vision shall be conveyed to some 
 opulent person, stating at the same time his great distress of mind 
 at not being able to drain off or otherwise empty the place of 
 water ; he also intimates it may he a false impression, that some 
 deity, envious of the one he loves, may have inspired him with the 
 nightly visitation, to bring his own into disrepute ; when the knave 
 all the time knows right well, that the image is there as it was cast in 
 by himself perhaps a year before. After the grand and solemn secret 
 is cautiously divulged, and the news is well known, the rich and the 
 poor make their contributions of money and men, and the popula- 
 tion of the district come together in the greatest excitement ; with 
 heart, and hand, and voice, they commence the undertaking, cutting 
 channels, or baling out the water with hundreds of vessels attached 
 to levers. In due time, the whole stagnant pool is drained, and the 
 mud exposed ; and in they plunge with frenzy to grope for the 
 sacred prize, not doubting that he who finds it will be for ever 
 blessed. At last, one half-frantic exclaims, " I have found it ! " 
 and the people, seeing it, shout, and wonder, and adore. The 
 priest pretends to be utterly overpowered and confounded at the 
 goodness of his god ; he worships, he weeps, he sings. All declare 
 a temple must be raised ; nothing can exceed the enthusiasm and 
 benevolence of the crowd ; the spot is chosen, and instantly given 
 by its pious possessor. Every man, woman, and child vow their 
 aid ; and not a soid, whatever his rank, will pass that way without 
 bringing a stone on his head or shoulder. Soon the masons com- 
 mence their meritorious duties, and, in the course of a year, you see 
 a noble edifice, where the chief actor in the imposition vegetates for 
 life. But perhaps it is in a field where the god has told the holy 
 man that his image is ingloriously buried ; and thither the dupes 
 accompany him. They tread with cautious steps, and wait his 
 orders : he looks with great anxiety around him, and piously 
 implores direction ; he is sure the field is the same which he saw in 
 his dream ; he remembers the tree, the hill, and pomts to what he 
 
22 
 
 thinks is the spot, but' knowing that the sacred image is not there ; 
 for though tlie place is covered with grass where he deposited it, he 
 has a mark by wliicli to find it out. The people begin, with zeal 
 bordering on madness. They dig and tear up the ground ; but, alas ! 
 no god ! The caitiff who has misled them assumes an appearance 
 of great distress ; he cries aloud for guidance, and soon exclaims : 
 " It is there ! There it must be ! " Again they root up the 
 earth ; and at last, one shouts, " Here it is ! Here it is ! "" Min- 
 gled emotions of deliorht and awe seize the multitude : the priest 
 takes hold of it, in an ecstasy of joy. All the people feel satisfied 
 that he is the favoured son of heaven. They fall at his feet and 
 implore his blessing ; they bow at his nod and tremble at his frown. 
 He is the delegate of another world ; who, therefore, will think of 
 refusing him ? A single malediction of his can dispatch body and 
 soul to hell ; and one smile from him can raise from earth to heaven. 
 There is no sin he cannot remit, no crime without its price ; he is a 
 half-deified mortal, who only lives to guide them to eternal joy. 
 The statue has come from the skies ; a temple must be raised, and 
 all w^ith alacrity and joy contribute their quota to the work. 
 
 These are the vile expedients to which the abettors of supersti- 
 tion have recourse in every age and clime. Well might Middle- 
 ton select the account given by Cicero : " A man, being at plough 
 in a certain field of Etruria, and happening to strike his share some- 
 what deeper than usual, there started up before him out of the 
 furrow a deity, whom they called Tages. The ploughman, terri- 
 fied by so strange an apparition, made such an outcry that he 
 alarmed all his neighbours, and in a short time drew the whole 
 country around him ; to whom the god, in the hearing of them all, 
 explained the whole art and mystery of divination : which all their 
 writers and records affirmed to be the genuine origin of that disci- 
 pline for which the old Tuscans were afterwards so famous."" * 
 Cicero says, *' None can be so silly as to believe that a god was 
 ever dug out of the ground ; and any attempt to confute such 
 stories would be as silly as the belief of them.*" We have already 
 referred you to the image of Minerva, which fell from heaven into 
 the temple of Troy ; and we have instances of the gods furnishing 
 the heroes of their choice with shields and weapons made by their 
 celestial hands : so that Pagan Greece and Rome have not been 
 inferior to their brethren of the East. 
 
 But who does not blush to know that Popery has had the match- 
 less effrontery to have recourse to the grossest imposture, in order to 
 bring her idols into fame ? She could not, would not, consent 
 to surrender the palm to those whom she called "the false faith.'' 
 No : she rushed into every machination to excite the veneration 
 and services of the deluded people. From the same authority I 
 cite the following relation : " When the inhabitants of Impruneta 
 had resolved to build a church to the Virgin, and were digging the 
 foundations of it with great zeal, on a spot marked out to them by 
 
 Page 267. 
 
23 
 
 heaven ; one of the labourers happened to strike his pick-axe against 
 something under-ground ; from which there presently issued a com- 
 plaining voice or groan. The workmen, being greatly amazed, put 
 a stop to their proceedings for a while ; but, having recovered their 
 spirits after some pause, they ventured to open the place, from which 
 the voice came, and found the miraculous image." Then there was 
 the glorious statue of St. Dominic at Suiriano, in Calabria ; which, 
 as their history testifies, was brought from heaven more than two 
 hundred years ago, by the Virgin in person ; who had for her com- 
 panions St. Catherine and Mary Magdalene. And what could be 
 more glorious, in the reign of Charlemagne, than the discovery of a 
 crucifix by a deer ? which, being hunted, suddenly stopped. Its 
 pursuers looked and saw the sacred object ; and not till that impor- 
 tant moment did it attempt to escape. The precious relic being 
 found, a noble monastery was erected on the spot. The case of the 
 Egyptian Princess was equally miraculous ; for, having heard of the 
 Virgin, she resolved to have her image ; and applied for that pur- 
 pose to the Christian prisoners at Cairo. But, sad to relate ! none 
 of them could paint ; though one was bold enough to make the 
 attempt. He, however, utterly failed ; and they gave themselves 
 up to their prayers. Through weariness they fell asleep ; when, to 
 their astonishment, in the morning they saw an image of our Lady, 
 and instantly sent it to the princess ; which gave her so much joy 
 that she set them at liberty, and became herself a convert to the 
 true faith.* There was also Romuald, a reformer of the Order oi 
 St. Benedict, who was talking with a nobleman of the name of 
 Maldoli, and told him of a vision in which he had seen " a ladder 
 that reached from his field on the Mount Apennine to heaven itself, 
 and a man clothed in white, as we are, to go up to God." The 
 good peer believed him, and made over the land ; on which cells 
 for hermits were soon erected.-f- It is also related of Norbert, who 
 founded the Order of Premontre, that an angel showed him the place 
 which was to be the site of his first monastery .J But the image of our 
 Lady at Loretto and Guadalupa had a most wonderful develope- 
 ment ; having been concealed in the earth for more than six 
 hundred years. A shepherd who had lost his cow went in search 
 of her ; and, after some trouble, found her apparently dead. Great 
 was his distress at such a loss ; but he thought he might as well 
 take off the skin, as that was of some value. He accordingly com- 
 menced operations ; but what was his astonishment and terror, to 
 see the creature revive ? At that critical moment the Holy Virgin 
 appeared in matchless splendour, telling him not to be afraid, but 
 to go and call the priests of the city, and to assure them, if they 
 came and digged in that place, they should find her image. On 
 his expressing doubts as to whether they would believe him, she 
 replied : " On your return home, your child will be dead ; but at 
 your word, it shall be restored to life in the presence of numerous 
 witnesses." To the silencing of all doubts, every thing was accom- 
 
 PiCART, vol. i. p. 328, 379. t RiBADENEiRA in Vita S. Romuald^ 
 
 M. Emilhane, p. 95. J Idenif p. 130. 
 
24 
 
 plished as predicted, the image was found, and a cluirch raised to its 
 glory.* 
 
 But t must not pass over the famous narrative given by Platina 
 respecting Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great. This 
 venerable matron was admonished, in a dream, to go to Jerusalem 
 to seek for the true cross of Christ ; and, in obedience to the 
 injunction, went to the holy city, and began her search. In 
 excavating, she found a marble statue of Venus ; but, going deeper, 
 she discovered three crosses those of the two thieves and that of 
 Christ, and also the title which was once fastened to his cross : Hie 
 est Jesus Rex ille Judceorum : but by some means it had been 
 separated from its original position, and therefore she could not tell 
 which was the 7^eal cross. This, however, was soon decided ; for a 
 poor woman, who was near death, being touched by two of them, 
 received no benefit ; but, on the application of the third, she 
 instantly recovered, and Helena, overjoyed, carried it to her home. 
 Strange to say, the nails were still in the wood, two of them she 
 fastened to the bridle of her son's horse, to make him invulnerable 
 in battle, and one in his crown, (though Platina says, in his hel- 
 met,) and the fourth she cast into the Adriatic Sea, which calmed a 
 tremendous tempest. Thus, though, as Baronius tells us, there 
 could not be more than three or at most four nails, we have as 
 many as an old satirist declared would afford ample materials for a 
 village smith. And to keep up these impostures, credulous Rome, 
 at this day, celebrates " the finding of the Holy Cross'' on the third 
 of May. 
 
 But we have also the history of the tree which furnished the 
 wood for the cross. When Adam became very old he sent his son 
 Seth to the angel who guarded Paradise, for some oil of mercy to 
 anoint his body after death. The reply was, it could not be 
 granted till his years were fulfilled ; but a branch of the tree which 
 led to the introduction of sin was given to be planted on his father's 
 grave ; and when it produced fruit, the transgression was to be for- 
 given. It was put there, and became a large tree ; so that, in the 
 reign of Solomon, it was hewn down to assist in building the tem- 
 ple ; but nothing could bring it to the purposes required : it was 
 therefore thrown away, and soon became buried in the earth. In 
 the course of years, a pool was made in the place where it was con- 
 cealed ; and the water cured all kinds of diseases ; and the Jews, 
 it is certain, made the cross of Christ of that very tree. Thus was 
 accomplished the apocryphal prophecy of the angel to Seth ; the 
 fruit had come forth, and Adam's sin was forgiven.-(- Now, who 
 will refuse the palm to Papal Rome ? She ran a long and vigorous 
 career with her Heathen competitors ; and, having gained the goal, 
 now receives the inglorious prize. 
 
 VIII. But not only were many of the idols of both superstitions 
 sent direct from heaven, or otherwise miraculously discovered, to con- 
 
 Hotting. Eccles. Hisior. vol. iii. p. 789; also Wichmans, Sabbatismns 
 Marianus, cup. v. pp. 47, 48. t Roman. Festival, De Inventione Cruets, p. 100. 
 
25 
 
 firm the people in a belief of their divinity; but subsequent events 
 also of a kindred nature were required, to keep up the grand delu- 
 sion. Thus, if we travel from Bombay to Bengal, and thence to 
 Pekin ; if we turn to the numerous islands of that vast Archipelago, 
 and visit temples magnificent or obscure, we shall find legends in 
 each concerning the mysterious deity within, who has been heard to 
 allude to the neglect, or respect, of his servants, and who has occa- 
 sionally demanded a more costly edifice for his glory. He has 
 spoken in fearful, or in gentle, speech ; and has been known to 
 laugh, to dance, and sing. The sacred cakes on his altar have 
 been all consumed, and he has been seen to go to other shrines, and 
 return before the morning light. He has at a single glance healed 
 the most obstinate diseases, reconciled inveterate foes, given victo- 
 ries to monarchs, and liberty to slaves. He has quelled tempests, 
 removed dearths and plagues, and has covered the fields with corn, 
 and the trees with fruit. He has given progeny to the childless, 
 wealth to the indigent, and life to the dead. In short, there is 
 nothing in the three worlds beyond his pleasure or his rage. He 
 is their joy or grief, their honour or their disgrace ; and therefore 
 all who desire prosperity must worship at his feet. 
 
 Is the idol of Pagan Greece or Rome inferior in its wonder- 
 working power to that of the East ? Let history tell its own story. 
 " Virgil informs us, the image of Minerva had been seen to perspire ; 
 and Cicero says the same thing of the statue of Apollo at Cuma 
 in Campania, of that of Victory at Capua, and of Mars in Rome." 
 That of Juno, when asked for its consent to be removed to the 
 imperial city, bowed its head in token of compliance ; and the image 
 of Fortune gave a similar sign. Some have been known to weep 
 or sing, as Memnon ; and that of Mark Anthony, in the wars of 
 Augustus and Cleopatra, exuded blood. They cured or inflicted 
 maladies ; as that of Pelichus, with which Lucian, in his Pseu- 
 domantis, makes himself so merry : and Dion Cassius declares, that, 
 in the Consulate of Corvinus and V. Messala, the images were 
 often seen to sweat as if in great toil, anxiety, or woe. Some were 
 removed through the air to some other abode ; as that of Serapis, 
 from Pontus to Alexandria ; and some, by the direction of divine 
 beings, were taken from the earth or sea, as the golden Tripos of 
 Apollo. In such qualifications, therefore, these can vie with others, 
 of any age or clime.* 
 
 And do the images of Papal Rome succumb to those of other 
 creeds ? Certainly not. They equal, if not surpass, all their pre- 
 decessors in the arena of imposture. I will not weary you with 
 instances ; but must be permitted to give you a few. We read 
 in the Acts of the second Council of Nice, " that a woman of 
 Csesarea, having laughed at an image of St. Anastasius, was 
 instantly struck with convulsions ; but, having begged pardon, she 
 was restored to her wonted health.'' Then again, before the glori- 
 ous picture of St. Dominic, which was brought from heaven, 
 
 See T. Livius, lib. v. p. 22; V. Maximus, lib. i. c. 8. p. 5; Cicero de 
 Divin. lib. i. ; Dion Cassius, lib. i. ; and Rhodiginus, lib. xxii. cap. 6. 
 
26 
 
 ** numbers of the dead have been restored to life, and hundreds 
 from the agonies of death ; the dumb, the blind, the deaf, the lame 
 have been cured ; and all sorts of diseases and mortal wounds 
 miraculously healed." And these facts have been attested by 
 Notaries Public, and confirmed by Cardinals and Prelates, and 
 Priors of various Orders. Aringims also says, " The images of 
 the blessed Virgin shine out continually by new and daily miracles, 
 to the coirfort of their votaries, and the confusion of their foes.'" 
 What an astonishing event was that, when a Jew had the temerity 
 to strike a crucifix with a knife ; at the point of impinging, out 
 rushed blood and water, which, being carefully gathered up, and 
 preserved, cured all sorts of diseases ! There was also on a time an 
 audacious peasant, who knocked out one of the eyes of the Vir- 
 gin with a goad ; but no sooner was he out of the chapel, than 
 with quick retribution it put out one of his eyes. How was this 
 effected ? Nothing more facile : for while the brutish fellow was 
 belabouring his ox with the identical goad, it snapped asunder, 
 struck his right eye, and instantly deprived him of sight. Scotus, 
 surnamed '* the subtle Doctor," received a bow from a picture of 
 the Virgin, for his able arguments in defence of the immaculate 
 conception : and the Abbot Gualbert had a similar honour, for 
 having pardoned a man who had murdered his brother. There 
 was also Xavier, who let a crucifix fall into the sea, but recovered it 
 again by a fish which brought it to him on the shore. Some 
 Popish images have been seen (with what eyes t) to shed tears and 
 sweat drops of blood, to distil oil, and have been heard to sing 
 solemn tunes, and, in brief, have given all the signs of inward life. 
 Baronius informs us, that, when the celebrated dispute at Winches- 
 ter took place in 975, as to whether the married priests who had 
 been ejected, or the monks, should occupy the sacred office ; a 
 voice was heard from the Crucifix by all present, saying, Non fiet^ 
 non fiet ! Judicdstis bene ; mutaretis non bene : " It must not be, 
 it must not be ! You have determined well. You will do ill if 
 you change."* 
 
 Who does not see that the Roman Catholics have in many 
 instances left their Pagan ancestors in the distance ; have equalled, 
 if not outstripped, the Polytheists of any age or clime ? For if the 
 deities in the new mythology had been inferior to those of the old, 
 it would have led to endless quarrels amongst the worshippers. 
 Even where there is some appearance of an equality, still envy and 
 strife sometimes arise respecting the capabilities of their idols or 
 images, their saints or demigods. Each party begins to cite proofs 
 of the greatness of their own divinity ; and should there, in the 
 heat of debate, escape any epithet of contempt from the lips of 
 those concerned, then the fierce passions are let loose, and the 
 partisans tear each other, more like furies than men. Popery, 
 having once embarked in this ungodly, this infernal commerce, she 
 was obliged to proceed ; for if she could not oifer as many celestial 
 peers, as the others could exhibit minor deities ; if her resourceti 
 MiDDLETON, M. 31rssARD, p. 201, and Meagher. 
 
27 
 
 were not equal, nay, greater, in that department of religious emula- 
 tion, she could scarcely expect the Heathen to come over to her 
 pale. She therefore became rampant in her Pagan imitations and 
 creations ; nothing could elude her sight, or escape her grasp ; she 
 was furieus in her idolatrous zeal, and successful in her achieve- 
 ments. 
 
 IX. All the old Gentiles had divine beings to superintend the 
 earth, the air, the fire, and the water. Thus the Asiatic idolater has 
 his god of the sea, who sweeps with majesty tlirough the flood, or 
 walks on the mountain-wave. To him they cry aloud in the tempest, 
 and vociferate his name in ceaseless repetitions. They lift up their 
 hands to the heavens, and then present them to the deep ; they go 
 to the bows of the vessel, as if to meet their deity, and place them- 
 selves in an attitude of devotion. They then make offerings with 
 great fervour, casting some to the raging billows ; and vow, that, 
 should they escape to land, they will present costly gifts to the 
 name of the great sea- god. In calms also, they apply to the sove- 
 reign of the winds, that he may grant them propitious breezes : so 
 that with storms and adverse gales they are in constant intercourse, 
 through their sacrifices and prayers. 
 
 The western Pagans likewise had their Nkptune, whose dominion 
 was believed to extend over oceans, rivers, and fountains. He 
 could produce earthquakes, and by a blow of the trident could raise 
 islands from the bottom of the sea. He was extensively worship- 
 ped, and games were instituted to his honour. He sat in his shell- 
 chariot drawn by sea-horses, and seemed to fly over the surface of 
 the main ; while whales and sea-monsters rendered to him their 
 homage, and the ocean owned the presence of its god. Sacrifices of 
 the bull or horse were oflPered to his glory, and the Roman sooth- 
 sayers presented to him the galls of their victims, because of their 
 bitterness. But there were others also, who had some share in the 
 government of the waters : thus Triton, the son of Neptune, had the 
 office of trumpeter ; and could calm or disturb the briny elements 
 at pleasure. There was also Oceanus, who is represented as an 
 old man, with a long flowing beard, sitting calmly on the waves; 
 while the ships in the distance appear under sail ; and sea-monsters 
 are sporting all around. Next comes Glaucus, who from a poor 
 fisherman became a marine deity ; for he observed that when the 
 fish he had caught touched a certain herb, they recovered more than 
 their pristine strength, and leaped again into the surf; wondering 
 at this, he tasted the plant himself, and immediately plunged into 
 the sea, having been metamorphosed into a divine being. The 
 Sirens also bore great sway among the waters, and by their songs 
 allured multitudes to death. Mariners therefore had numerous 
 patrons to propitiate ; no wonder, then, that they and their pas- 
 sengers should make solemn offerings and invocations on leaving the 
 shores ; and sliould, in the furious blast, pledge their faith as to the 
 performance of certain sacrifices to the marine deities, should they 
 by their aid ever reach land. 
 
28 
 
 See those of the recreant faith, who presume to call themselves 
 Christians ; what admirable provisions have they made for such as 
 *'go down to the sea in ships ! "*"' There is the ever-potent Virgin, to 
 whom all seamen of the true faith make supplications and vows ; and 
 her image, in the cabin or on deck, however ragged and decayed, 
 always secures a large share of their ignorant devotion ; and to her 
 they sing the favourite hymn as they glide along in their course. 
 Her name has been heard a thousand and a thousand times ; amidst 
 the roaring of the tempests and the lashing of the waves, perishing 
 mortals have cried aloud to her, instead of the living God. One 
 way adopted in distress to appease her majesty, or to secure her aid, 
 is to promise large wax-tapers to burn before her image, should the 
 sufferers arrive in safety on terra firma. I have no need to have 
 recourse to history or to report for establishing these assertions ; yet 
 I will select one or two instances. Lipsius tells us * of thirteen 
 sailors in fearful peril on their voyage to Antwerp ; when the cap- 
 tain, conceiving there was no hope of saving the vessel, or the lives 
 of the passengers, exhorted them to submit themselves to the will of 
 God, and so prepare for a better state of existence. But one on 
 board suggested, that every one should betake himself to vows and 
 invocations to the Lady of Halla ; and, his counsel being embraced, 
 immediately a light shone upon the vessel, and a great calm ensued. 
 They arrived at port with loss of cargo, but not of life ; and all of 
 them repaired in a body to Halla, to offer praises and fulfil their vows. 
 Sometimes pious frauds have been exercised ; for, people in danger 
 have been known to promise what they did not intend to perform. 
 Thus a son of Hibernia, mentioned by Poggius Florentinus, when 
 in danger of being wrecked, declared, with characteristic generosity, 
 *' he would dedicate a wax -taper to the Virgin as tall as the mast of 
 the ship ;" and on being reminded of the difficulty he would have 
 in doing that, he whispered^ " The good Virgin may think herself 
 well off, if I give her a farthing candle when I get to shore." 
 When the six Jesuit missionaries were sent to China, they had 
 frequent contrary winds and calms ; the seamen were becoming ill ; 
 and it was therefore resolved to perform nine Masses to the Virgin, 
 that by her intercession they might have favourable weather. 
 They chanted the Litany to our Lady, and added the chaplet, 
 joined by all on board ; so that great devotion was insured, and 
 they soon had prosperous gales. *(- But I will not make further 
 references to books in testimony of these matters. I will only ask 
 those who have' been on board Romish ships for any length of time, 
 to say whether they have not seen these things repeatedly prac- 
 tised .? Thus has Mary, " Star of the Sea," been as potent on 
 the waves, as Neptune, or Triton, or any other naval deity. But 
 as those of the old system had many gods to whom they could 
 apply in maritime strife, so they of the new have also various 
 friends who exercise dominion over the flood ; for, Xavier 
 himself has more than once ruled in Neptune'*s domains : Le 
 Compte informs us, that, when on his voyage from Siam to Pekin, 
 Lips. Virg. Ilallem. p. 1261. t "Voyage of Jesuits," p. 21. 
 
29 
 
 tliey were caujflit in a typhoon ; but by praying to that saint, they 
 procured a calm.* St. Nicholas also is a great favourite with 
 JPopish sailors; because he has performed the most wonderful 
 exploits in favour of those who put their trust in him, Certain 
 mariners, being in great danger by a sudden storm, began to cry 
 out, '' O Nicholas, servant of God ! if these things be true which 
 we have heard concerning thee, now succour us ; that so, being 
 delivered from this danger, we may render thanks to God and 
 thee ! " While they were speaking, one appeared and said to 
 them, " Behold, I am here ! for you called me ! " and he immedi- 
 ately began to help them in handling their sails, cables, and other 
 tackling ; and a little afterwards the sea ceased its roaring, and the 
 tempest was hushed into repose. The mariners, when they came 
 to the shore, inquired where St. Nicholas was ; and hearing that he 
 was in the church, they went, and (what is wonderful !) knew him 
 immediately ; though no one had pointed him out, and they had 
 never seen him before ! Falling at his feet, they offered him their 
 thanks, and related in what way he had delivered them from im- 
 pending death. -f- St. Antonia also is a great pet of eastern 
 sailors ; for they bawl out to him most lustily when they are in 
 danger : and should he repeatedly fail to grant them a fair wind, 
 they thiuk nothing of giving his image a smart flogging, or a sudden 
 dip in the sea ; thus bringing to our recollection the Arcadians, who, 
 before they went to hunt, made a sacrifice to Pan ; but if they 
 were not successful in the chase, they whipped him with onions.J 
 Whenever the Syrian goddess displeased Nero, he was accustomed 
 to show his resentment in a still more offensive manner. But there 
 are other saints to whom recourse may safely be had in time of dan- 
 ger. So -that though the Heathens had their Neptune, Triton, and 
 Glaucus, and their Sirens, to whom they vowed and prayed ; yet 
 Popery is in this particular more than a match for them, as she can 
 exhibit in the Pantheon of her idolatry, " in her chambers of 
 imagery,"" those who have outrivalled the exploits of the former gods 
 of the mighty deep, and have most adroitly occupied their vacated 
 thrones. 
 
 X. It were passing strange if the earth had not its celestial guar- 
 dians in these ingenious devices ; which, by the way, all tend to show 
 the natural weakness and ignorance of man, and his exposure to the 
 attacks of infernal adversaries. Thus all the oriental nations of 
 ancient or modern date had their divine protectors^^S whom they 
 made offerings, and uttered cries, in the hour of enreme trial or 
 adversity, and thanks for their deliverances. For though they had 
 one supreme divine Ruler, this did not preclude, in their estima- 
 tion, the necessity of co-adjutors. Hence they had many of a 
 minor class to take a part in the affairs of men. The supreme 
 Governor, however, under whatever name he might be invoked, was 
 claimed by each nation as its own, and was understood to take the 
 
 * Le Compte, p. 11. t PiCART, vol. ii. p. 59. X Theoc. iu 
 
 M. MrssARD. p. 213. 
 
-r 
 
 30 
 
 charge and management of its affairs. Many in the higher ranks of 
 Pagan society assumed the name of their chief god as part of their 
 own. Others, more modest, claimed a share in his attributes. The 
 inhabitants of Cuth had Nergal, and Hamath had Ashima. 
 The Avites preferred Nibhar and Tartah ; and the Sephar- 
 vites had the sanguinary Adrammelech and Anammelech. 
 The Babylonians, among whom idolatry had its cradle, had Suc- 
 COTH-BENOTH * and Bel for their protectors ; and Egypt had her 
 Isis and Osiris. Some of the eastern nations claim Siva or 
 VisHNOo ; others Confucius, Budhu, or Mahomet. The 
 inhabitants of Rhodes and Delphos had their divine Apollo ; and 
 Rome had its Jupiter Capitolinus, Mars, and Quiri- 
 Nus. Ephesus had her Diana, and Athens her Minerva. The 
 Thebans had their Bacchus, and the Calabrians their Neptune. 
 The Cretans had their Jupiter, and the Cyprians their Venus: 
 so that all were well provided for attack or defence. 
 
 And see the rivalry of the mother of harlots, the Romish Baby- 
 lon. She has in her great benignity given to France St. Michael 
 the archangel, and Denis the saint. On Spain she has bestowed 
 St. Januarius, or James, he who was on the mount of trans- 
 figuration, and whose remains are at Compostello at this day ! 
 The Popish portion of Germany has, with all the due submission of 
 implicit faith, received Martin and Boniface as her tutelary 
 saints ; and Portugal, her St. Sebastian. As for poor Poland, 
 she must have been most profanely neglected by St. Stanislaus, 
 or else he never would have deserted her in the hour of danger, and 
 allowed her to become a tributary province of a neighbouring 
 State. Russia boasts of her St. Nicholas ; and Ireland of her 
 dear St. Patrick. Scotland has her St. Andrew ; Wales, her St. 
 David ; and old England, her noble St. George.-|- These tutelary 
 deities displaced those of Paganism ; and the young converts were 
 fully convinced, (whatever you may be,) that they had made a great 
 and glorious change ; the old ones had become antiquated, and 
 these, being of the new school, were therefore of the right sort. 
 
 But every town also had its divine guardians ; and of this Jere- 
 miah accuses the fallen Jews : " According to the number of thy 
 cities are thy gods, O Judah."J She had joined herself to idols, 
 and was drenched in iniquity. In the Acts of the Apostles also 
 reference is made to these Heathen protectors : " for the priest of 
 Jupiter which was before their city " alludes to his image and tem- 
 ple placed at the entrance, to denote that it was in his custody. 
 Hundreds of towns and hamlets in every country of the east are 
 under the guardianship of a god, and called after his name. And 
 has not Rome, the Papal city itself, her St. Peter, and St. Paul ; 
 Paris, her St. Genevieve ; Venice, St. Mark ; Naples, her Thomas 
 Aquinas ; and Antwerp, St. Eligia ? But why do I go to other 
 countries : look at every county in Great Britain and Ireland, and 
 you will find places called by the name of some patron saint, who 
 was in days of yore the delight and comfort of all the inhabitants. 
 
 2 Kirgs xvii. .30, 31. 1 Picaht, vo^ iii. p- ^2. t Jer. ii. 28. 
 
31 
 
 In Cornwall, where Popery was in former times rampant, they have 
 forty-nine towns and villages, called after the once-dominant, but 
 now-prostrate, Saints ; whose names are bequeathed to us as a 
 memorial of the past, to intimate what our ancestors were, and 
 what some suppose we ourselves may again become. The secret 
 enemies, or the mistaken friends, of Protestantism, resemble the 
 buyer so graphically depicted by Solomon ; who, when endeavour- 
 ing by craftiness to obtain a good bargain, exclaims, " It is naught, 
 it is naught."' "But," adds the wise king, " when the same man 
 is gone his way," has obtained his sinister purposes, " then he 
 boasteth."" Many are now at ease in Sion ; the trumpet, in the 
 hnnds of some, gives no longer a certain sound. There is no 
 shout, " To your tents, O Israel !" The watch-towers are forsaken, 
 and deep sleep hath fallen on men. " But let us watch and be 
 sober," for the night cometh. 
 
 XI. But we pass on to notice other features in this frightful apos- 
 tasy; for we see it wind itself into all the multiform affairs of common 
 life ; thus the sciences and occupations amongst the Heathen had 
 their gods, to whom men considered themselves under great obliga- 
 tions for assistance and direction, and to whom they made their 
 offerings and prayers. Thus the Hindoo artificers have Sarusa- 
 pathi, the beautiful goddess of Brahma, for their patroness and 
 friend ; and to her and to their implements on the nata rdteri^ or 
 " nine nights," do they offer incense and devotions. And when 
 they first take up their tools every morning, they always devoutly 
 think upon the goddess. The farmer never begins to plough or 
 sow his fields without propitiating the image of his god. The war- 
 rior invokes the ever-conquering Scanden ; and the man of letters, 
 his all -inspiring Ganesa : reminding us of the Roman orators and 
 poets who applied to Apollo and the Muses. The ancient Roman 
 warriors had their Mars and Minerva ; physicians, their ^scula- 
 pius ; lovers of the chase, the swift Diana ; and those of the forge, 
 the brawny Vulcan ; all corresponding with former superstitions. 
 But some of the divinities are described as having occasionally come 
 to earth to perform some menial office. Thus Siva once worked as 
 a Cooly; and Chrishna, as a shepherd. Sometimes indeed on 
 account of their amours and other crimes which they perpetrated in 
 human shape, they received from injured men due personal chastise- 
 ment. And who does not know that Grecian and Roman mythology 
 teems with similar nauseous instances ? There were some who came 
 to earth for revolting purposes ; and others, as common labourers. 
 Hercules had the honour of being an expert scavenger ; Apollo, a 
 tolerable cow-herd ; and Neptune, a laborious mason. 
 
 What does modern Rome say to all this ? Is she coy or 
 chary about defiling herself with this integral part of Heathenism ? 
 On this subject she exhibits no pious delicacy, but consecrates the 
 whole mass, and gives numerous additions to those who have come 
 over to her embrace : So they have been no losers by the exchange. 
 Take a few instances : liiterarv men have their St. Gregorv and St. 
 
S2 
 
 Catherine, instead of Apollo; and divines are blessed with Thomas 
 Aquinas and the Lady of Purity for their themes ; so that they have 
 only to make application to them when they have a difficult subject, 
 or when their powers are dull, and they are certain of feeling in 
 their souls the noble glow of needful inspiration. Some have been 
 wonderfully assisted in their classical pursuits, and found out a 
 regular royal road to such attainments ; for St. Augustine informs 
 us in his eleventh chapter, J)e Curd pro 3Iortuis, of a student at 
 Carthage, who was greatly puzzled with some passages in Cicero 
 which he had to construe and explain on the next day. " In that 
 very night,'' says the Father, " I interpreted to him in his dream 
 that which he understood not. Nay, not I, but my image ; I 
 being wholly ignorant of this affair, and being so far beyond the 
 sea, doing or dreaming some other thing, and being wholly careless 
 of his cares." Painters have for their patron St. Luke ; sculptors, 
 St. Leonard ; goldsmiths, St. Eloi ; and Catholic smiths are in 
 much better condition than were the Romans, those under Vulcan ; 
 for they have St. George for their deity. Curriers have St. Lau- 
 rence ; and shoemakers, the well-known St. Crispin. Coachmen 
 have St. Lucian ; waggoners and messengers are favoured by St. 
 Anastasius ; and even the lowest carmen are not left desolate, for 
 they have St. Vincent for their friend. Grooms claim the Lady 
 St. Ann ; and cow-keepers can vie with those of their fraternity who 
 formerly sheltered themselves under the auspices of Hercules or 
 Chrishna ; for they have St. Bartholomew for their guide. As for 
 butchers, they need not fear, they having St. Mary of the Oak for 
 their defence. Innkeepers have St. Eustace ; and vintners have St. 
 Sylvester. Wholesale merchants are in great security under St. Lau- 
 rence ; and mercers need not kill themselves with care, since Sebastian 
 is their saint. Druggists live under the sway of St. Laurence of 
 Miranda ; and, degrading as the association may be, both physicians 
 and barbers are protected by St. Damian and St. Cosmus. The 
 carpenters need not think themselves forgotten, as they have St. 
 Joseph, who was himself of that trade ; and bricklayers may be 
 very well content with St. Gregory. Coopers should not murmur 
 at St. Mary of the Chapel ; neither should wool-combers be dis- 
 satisfied wiih the blessed St. Blaize. Surely the bakers have no 
 right to find fault with our Lady of Loretto. But I must not 
 forget the furriers, who have St. Pantaleon, a gentleman with whose 
 personal merits and history I have yet to make myself acquainted. 
 The saddlers have St. Saviour; and those who work in mixed 
 manufactures are in a more enviable situation than all the rest ; for 
 they have a noble array of guardians : listen to the roll celestial, 
 St. Mary of the Gardens, St. Saviour of the Crucifix, of the Trinity, 
 St. Angelo, St. Bernard, St. Jerome, St. Lucian, St. Roe, St. 
 Julian, St. Thomas, St. Mary of the Tears ; and, in addition to all 
 these, the forty crowned Martyrs,* if you know who they are. 
 Now, what man will assert that Popery has not come up to the 
 mark ? She has acted with spirit, and shown herself to be no sneak, 
 PiCART, vol. i. p. 394 ; and M. Mussard, pp. 140, 144. 
 
33 
 
 no coward in the work. Again tlierefore I ask, What did the 
 slaves and devotees of the old system lose by coming over to the 
 new ? How could they resist such a temptation to improve their 
 circumstances ? O Rome, " full of all subtilty," " thou enemy 
 of all righteousness ! **"* when wilt thou " cease to pervert the right 
 ways of the Lord ? "" Thou shameless spoiler of the gospel, come 
 out of thy hiding-place, and repent, " lest a worse thing than this 
 come upon thee ! " I must not, however, forget to notice the fact, 
 that the celestials amongst the Gentiles had sometimes to attend to 
 strange things on earth ; as in the case of Hercules, Neptune, 
 Apollo, Chrishna, and Siva. The Virgin Mary had also to come 
 from heaven on that sleeveless errand, to sew up a rent in the 
 gown of St. Thomas a Becket. Nay, she once had to descend 
 from her heavenly shrine to support a robber on the gallows, 
 because he had been ardent in his devotions to her image. She 
 had also to supply the place of a lady abbess, who was in most 
 questionable circumstances. She has been known to sing Matins 
 for a Friar, and to wipe perspiration from the faces of the monks 
 of Clairvaux. Surely, therefore, these veritable condescensions are 
 equal to those of her predecessors. 
 
 XII. If Heathen gods were supposed to preside over the pursuits 
 of men, can it be matter of surprise if they likewise kindly under- 
 took the supervision of their health ? They were thought to be 
 acquainted by intuition with the termination of diseases ; and 
 therefore, when Ahaziah the son of Ahab fell through a lattice in 
 his upper chamber that was in Samaria, he sent messengers and said 
 unto them, " Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether 
 I shall recover of this disease." (2 Kings i. 2.) For this he was 
 solemnly rebuked by Elijah the Tishbite, who said, " Thou shalt 
 not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt 
 surely die." And all the Asiatics have their deities who are 
 believed to be especially interested in this department of human 
 woe ; for they have gods whose fame has travelled hundreds of 
 leagues, so that messengers or patients come from all the adjacent 
 regions. In the time of plague, the people crowd to the gates of 
 the holy temple, with their offerings and vow^s. Often poor wretches 
 are carried in front of the sacred place, that they may have a last 
 look and a last hope. You see them with their bones ready to 
 protrude through the skin, and hear a few feeble repetitions of the 
 name of their god. Some, whose case is not so desperate, gain 
 permission to sleep on the steps of the temple, or in the lobby, in 
 expectation of health ; and, whilst there, except when slumbering, 
 they are incessantly engaged at their devotions. Those who are 
 subject to any kind of fits, apply to Sanne, who corresponds with 
 our Saturn ; and childless wives have Siva, to whom they can con- 
 fidently go. The different parts of the human frame are assigned 
 to several guardian spirits ; the head belongs to Brahma, and the 
 other members to their several protectors. 
 
 When we refer to ancient Greece or Rome, we see the same 
 
34 
 
 provision made for personal suffering. Here stands Apollo, who 
 must be invoked for the plague ; and let him only nod assent, and 
 the infection will soon depart. Fever had her altars and temples in 
 the palace, and was worshipped that she might not harm the illus- 
 trious guests. Those troubled with epilepsy had only to make suit 
 to Hercules, and the cure was soon performed. Not less than five 
 deities presided over the nuptial rites, and there were others who 
 were the guardians in parturition ; Juno Lucina was one of them, 
 as she had one hand empty, and in the other a burning torch, to 
 signify the light of life : Diana was another among those who took 
 a part on that interesting occasion. Then some had to rule the 
 members : as Jupiter, the head ; Neptune, the breast ; Mars, the 
 waist ; the Genii, the forehead ; Cupid, the eyes ; Memoria, the 
 right hand ; Fides, the back ; Mercury, the feet ; and Minerva, 
 the fingers. Here again we see the analogies betwixt the supersti- 
 tions of the East and West, manifesting an equal anxiety to rob the 
 true God of his glory, by frittering away his attributes, and parcel- 
 ling them out to the figments of a crude imagination. 
 
 Look at the " Holy Mother ! "" what care has she evinced for her 
 offspring ! what ample provision for all their wants ! The body 
 and the soul are alike in her safe keeping ; and ungrateful indeed 
 would her sons be to say, she had not been indulgent to all their 
 wants. What can be more consoling in plagues, when no skill, no 
 power of man can arrest them, than to have the exalted St. Sebas- 
 tian, who is the guardian deity of Portugal, and the potent St. 
 Roch, for their physicians ? who prescribe without mistake and with- 
 out pay. Then in fevers, whether remittent or intermittent, 
 scarlet, yellow, or putrid, they have the ever-skilful St. Petronella, 
 whose virtue is the grand catholicon against all unnatural fires in the 
 human frame. All who are poisoued, whether by eating improper 
 food, or by the villany of their enemies, or bitten by serpents, or 
 reptiles, or rabid creatures in any clime, (for the virtue is preserved 
 in all its saving efficacy both in the frigid and torrid zones,) need 
 only have recourse to St. John the Evangelist, and the venom is 
 extracted, the health is restored. And O what a relief to those 
 suffering under that concentration of all anguish, the tooth-ache, to 
 know they have only fully to believe in the welcome Apollonius, 
 and all the pangs shall cease, not another shall dare to dart fresh 
 anguish across the nerves ! Then with regard to the diseases of the 
 eye, whether from cataract, accident, old age, the ophthalmia in 
 foreign lands, or from any other cause, they have no need for fear ; 
 St. Ostilia is appointed for their relief; and if incredulous mortals 
 were only to transfer their cordial belief to this saint, there would 
 not be a single oculist or spectacle-manufacturer in the world. 
 There are also several other maladies not to be named in this place, 
 but which are removed in one moment by a glance of the Saint. 
 But we must not commit the injustice of passing over such as are 
 possessed by evil spirits ; for St. Remain has a wand more potent 
 than all the magicians of ancient Egypt, Greece, or Rome ; and 
 the wonder is, that there has never been a successful attempt to 
 obey the proverb, " Heal thyself ! " Then as to epilepsy and all 
 
35 
 
 Kinds of fits, wliat loss had the young converts or old devotees in 
 entering upon the profession of the new faith ? It is true, they had 
 lost Hercules ; but what of that ? they had gained St. Valentine. 
 As for those who were called to suffer in parturition, though Diana 
 and Juno Lucina had been forsaken, they had received the ever- 
 vigilant, ever-skilful St. Margaret ! Happy, thrice-happy people, to 
 drive such bargains on such easy terms ! Listen to Theodoret, who 
 is speaking of the power of the Martyrs, the Manes of Popery : " In 
 health we beg the continuance of it," (that is, at their altars,)" in 
 sickness, the removal of it ; the childless crave children ; and when 
 these blessings are obtained, we ask for the secure enjoyment of them. 
 When we undertake any journey, we solicit them to be our companions 
 and guides ; and wlien we return safe, we pay them our thanks.""* 
 
 But the sons of the " true^ the Catholic^'' church, as well as the 
 old Heathen idolaters, have had guardians appointed for the different 
 parts of their persons. The great angel who visited Mary has care of 
 the head. Hence it is inserted in the Office : " Holy Gabriel, be 
 thou to us a helmet : " and who will dare to utter a doubt respecting 
 his ability to furnish as good an one as old Jupiter or Brahma ? 
 And though the breast be exceedingly vulnerable to all missiles, fear 
 not ; it has the angel who fought against the dragon for its defence : 
 and the man who says, in true Romish faith, " Holy Michael, be 
 thou to me a breast-plate," may set at defiance all the balls, arrows, 
 spears, or darts, that men or devils can shoot or hurl. As for the 
 other members, they are perfectly safe, because there is a shield 
 continually moving before them ; and the person in doubt who 
 cries, " Holy Raphael, be thou to me a buckler," is instantly ren- 
 dered secure. There is, in addition, the sublime Uriel " for a 
 defence ; "" and, lest any of the deities should be nodding, or other- 
 wise engaged, the people may exclaim : " Holy cherubim, be thou 
 to us health." Thus have they delightful provision for any unfore- 
 seen contingencies amonofst the Saints. 
 
 In sickness the poor patients are carried to the churches, that they 
 may regain health. There they sit or recline, looking at the image or 
 the tomb, and remain days and nights in praying for the particular 
 blessing which they require. Nay, some devotees actually pilfer or 
 purchase the earth from the grave of some noted Saint, that they may 
 mix it with a little water ; and, if " well shaken and often taken," 
 they are sure to be restored. Such was the popularity of the titular 
 Lopez in the East, that sick devotees often clawed away nearly all 
 the soil from the old man's bones, and would actually have had them 
 too for a decoction, had not the vigilant sexton continued to fill up the 
 grave, and supply svuIMq pabulum for the strong digestive organs of 
 those of the " true faith." St. Basil, who was born in the year 328, 
 and gained great celebrity for his devotion and eloquence, tells us that 
 in his day " all who were pressed with any difficulty or distress, used 
 to fly for relief to the tombs of the Martyrs."-f* In these respects, 
 therefore, the identity between Paganism and Popery is complete. 
 
 Sermo viii. de Martyribus, in Middlt:ton, p. 52. -)- Basilii Opera, 
 
 torn. ii. p. 645. Edit. Benedict, in Middleton, p. 42. 
 
 c 2 
 
XIII. When we turn from tlie gods to their earthly abodes, we 
 feel no surprise, that their supposed holiness should be thought to 
 consecrate the place, that the locality should be impregnated with the 
 divine essence : hence the costly fanes which have been erected to 
 their glory. Among the Asiatic Pagans, these are often raised by 
 the contributions of the multitude, and sometimes by the munifi- 
 cence of the great ; and though some of them are of an inferior 
 class, others are of the most splendid character, outvieing in extent 
 and magnitude the largest conceptions of those by whom they had 
 not been previously seen. One reason for the number of these 
 buildings may be found in the wish of many old and egregious sin- 
 ners to make what they deem an adequate atonement for accumulated 
 crimes before they die ; and it is only necessary for a crafty priest 
 to give a gentle hint, that such an act will be conducive to eternal 
 bliss, and he soon ensures all the energies of the veterans and of their 
 families. Each of these rich temple-founders evinces a great wish that 
 he mav live long enough to see it finished, and be present at some 
 of its first ceremonies. Already he has liberally endowed it ; and 
 the priests are most anxious he should survive to see the consum- 
 mation of his prayers. It is in this way that thousands of such 
 sacred places have been built without any reference to the immedi- 
 ate locality of others equally sacred. They are actually in many 
 parts crowded together, not in reference to the supposed spiritual 
 wants of the people, but because that was the particular spot seen 
 in the dream, or it was the strip of land which the hoary sinner had 
 to spare, or because some miracle had been there performed. Thus, 
 in passing through streets of eastern towns and cities, you may 
 often sec temples huddled together, which illustrate the miscellane- 
 ous and ardent piety of their builders. Some men have such strong 
 views of the necessity of thus honouring their gods, that they 
 actually make themselves paupers, and have spent the residue of 
 their days in soliciting contributions for the unfinished fabric. 
 
 After the selection of the site, it has to be solemnly consecrated, 
 and cleared of demons, that it may be perfectly holy. The ground 
 is enclosed, and in some instances the grass is allowed to grow, that 
 a sacred cow or bull may be turned in for twenty-four hours ; and 
 wherever the honoured animal has reposed, or performed any of the 
 functions of nature, a hole is there made, and the pillar, or altar, is 
 erected, on which an image of the saint or god is placed. For 
 instance : If it is dedicated to Siva, the Lingam is placed on it ; if 
 to any other deity, then it receives the appropriate symbols. 
 Around this recently devoted spot, the foundation-lines are care- 
 fully and piously traced ; sacred ashes and holy water are devoutly 
 and profusely sprinkled around ; odoriferous incense ascends as an 
 offering to the gods ; prayers, incantations, and processions are 
 made to cast out and keep at a distance all evil spirits. But 
 should these infernals ever again be able to obtain admission, through 
 some deficiency in the rites ; or should the temple be otherwise 
 polluted by design or accident, by the entrance of a person who is 
 of low caste or unholy.; then the whole of those consecrating cere- 
 monies must be repeated, that the evil spirits may be eradicated, 
 
37 
 
 and the good ones restored. At the opening of the edifice for wor- 
 ship, the image, and all the sacred utensils and vessels, are put in 
 their proper places ; and multitudes assemble together to witness 
 the imposing scene. 
 
 Many of the temples occupy more ground, and have cost more 
 money, and are better endowed, than the most noble buildings in any 
 part of Europe. Perhaps a monarch has commenced the holy 
 undertaking, and each succeeding sovereign is bound to add to it a 
 wing or a tower ; so that the complicated pile has been for ages 
 increasing in size and grandeur. Black granite, wherever it can be 
 procured, is the favourite material ; and lime made from burnt 
 shells is the cement which fastens it together. The edifice must 
 stand due east and west, 'as no other position can be allowed. 
 From the entrance (to the east) at the extremity, is the holy place, 
 its top crowned with a dome, where the principal idol is placed ; 
 and in other niches stand various inferior beings, who act as heralds or 
 ministers to the one supreme. The name of the whole must be 
 according to that of the deity-in-chief. Thus some are called Siva- 
 koil, or Vishnoo, or Kaali, or Vyraver, as the wishes or wants of 
 the people may require : but all of them must have some divine 
 appellative. 
 
 The Pagans of Egypt, Greece, and Rome have left imperishable 
 memorials of their devotion, skill, and power. Their works, 
 though in ruins, tell of the glory of the past : for, some of them 
 were of great magnificence ; and, as Arnobius says, they had 
 pillars of marble ; their roofs glittered with gold and precious stones, 
 so as to represent the firmament of heaven. Wherever they stood, 
 arrangements were made, if possible, that the windows might 
 receive the rays of the morning sun. In primitive times it is be- 
 lieved the front was towards the west ; and in the opposite direction 
 stood the altars and the idols, that the worshippers, as they entered, 
 might have their faces towards the east ; at least, so say Clemens of 
 Alexandria, and Hyginus the freed-man of Augustus Caesar. But 
 we have high authority for believing, that at a very early period the 
 entrance was from the east ; and the statues, being at the other 
 end, had their faces towards the rising sun ; such was the position 
 of that of the Syrian goddess in Lucian ; also the one at Memphis, 
 built by Psammitichus, king of Egypt, in Diodorus the Sicilian ; 
 and that of Vulcan erected by another Egyptian monarch, in the 
 second book of Herodotus.* The temples were divided into two 
 parts, sacred and profane ; the former, being the abode of the 
 deity, was called cella, and the vessel for holy water was placed 
 at the porch. Before they were occupied, they had to be conse- 
 crated ; and Tacitus has given us an interesting account of the cere- 
 mony as it occurred at Rome in hallowing the site for the sacred 
 edifice. [ The whole ground was surrounded by fillets and gar- 
 lands ; and those soldiers who had lucky names entered first, with 
 branches in their hands, sacred to the gods ; then the Vestals came 
 with boys and girls, (whose parents were still living,) and sprinkled 
 
 * Strom, p. 8. DiOiSY siv s, libro de antro Nympharum : in Potter, vol. i. p. 189. 
 t Histor. lib. iv. Kennet. Also Cicero in Oral, pro Domo sua : and others. 
 
38 
 
 the place with water from the brook, the river, and the spring. 
 Then one of the chief priests, having sacrificed a swine, a sheep, 
 and a bullock for the purgation of the floor, laid the entrails on a 
 turf, and besought Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, and the other deities, 
 protectors of the empire, that they would prosper the undertaking. 
 He then seized the fillets and ropes to which the great foundation- 
 stone was fastened, and, assisted by the attendant priests and sena- 
 tors, dragged it to its place amidst the most boisterous joy of the 
 people, who cast in pieces of gold and other metals which had not 
 been in the fire. 
 
 In the erection of their sacred buildings, as the idolaters tell us, 
 strange beings of this or of other worlds frequently took a part. 
 Ask them, how the ponderous masses ^vere brought together, which 
 they do not now seem to have the power to remove to such dis- 
 tances ; they reply, "Giants brought them on their shoulders;'** 
 or, "Some divinity*" (like Neptune in the service of Laomedon) 
 " became a mason for the time ;" or, " Fiends, for their wicked- 
 ness, were compelled to the drudgery of the whole." Sometimes the 
 walls have been carried up to their proper height by the celestials in 
 a single night ; and at other periods what had been reared in the 
 light was sure to be thrown down in darkness ; and not till the fierce 
 spirit who had thus vented its spite was chained in his cave, could 
 they successfully proceed. Cases have occurred also where the wrong 
 site has been selected, and then the materials and the structure have 
 had a rapid transit by an unseen hand to the proper place. 
 
 The " Holy Mother "*' of Rome here again acted with her 
 wonted tenderness to the children of her adoption. She gave them 
 all they desired at the time, with the vain hope perhaps that at 
 some future period she might eject the tolerated evils : but, what- 
 ever of sin clings to a profession of Christianity in individuals, it 
 never leaves its hold till forcibly removed by a superior power. 
 But the adulterations here had been calmly and deliberately 
 received ; there was a regular compact with Satan, and a fatal 
 breach with Jehovah. And as to the iniquity being thrown off by 
 the dishonoured, the corrupted Gospel, that was impossible in its 
 state of thraldom ; for it was bound and chained to the corpse of 
 Paganism. If we look at Omnipotence itself, we perceive that it 
 can only act in harmony with the other divine attributes, and with 
 human volition ; it will not force men to become right ; and if we 
 seek for the native energy of primitive Christianity, any self- 
 acting power, that was all neutralized or destroyed by the unholy 
 compromise which the Papacy had ratified with Heathenism : so 
 that, conventionally, the case is hopeless ; Rome will never offi- 
 cially, never of herself, be purified. "Do grapes on thorns, or figs 
 on thistles grow ?"" O no ! the effort must be from without. 
 The keys are in her firm grasp ; but we must, with the divine 
 blessing, break down her enclosures, and set the prisoners free. 
 The analogies betwixt her temples and those of her great progeni- 
 trix are sufficiently striking to identify their origin. Vast numbers 
 of those built by Rome have been erected without any regard to 
 the spiritual necessities of the people : there was no demand for 
 
.39 
 
 tliem as to cliurcli-accommodatioTi. They are often huddled toge- 
 ther, within a few yards of each oilier ; as may be seen in all coun- 
 tries under her sway. Even England, in her cathedral towns, 
 presents the same objects ; for you see, in those religious structures 
 of Popish rearing, strange approximations towards each other ; so 
 that the question often is, "Why are they built so closely toge- 
 ther?" One reason for their strange and promiscuous contiguity 
 in all countries, has been some great exploit, some wonderful miracle, 
 performed on the spot ; and, to secure the virtue, to retain the 
 mortal influence, to honour the hero, and thus also to secure his 
 favour, opulence has poured in her stores, superannuated vice has 
 made a purchase of adscititious piety, and strange rivalries have 
 sprung up in the fierce contest to secure eternal bliss. Then the 
 position of Popish churches with reference to the cardinal points, 
 from west to east, is in full accordance with the Heathen temples ; 
 for, on entering, your face is towards the sacred place where stand 
 the chief image or crucifix, and the altar ; and where the priest 
 bows and turns before the mysteries of his own creation. His 
 altar is the substitute for that on which the former victims bled 
 and died ; and on it he has wickedly placed the Mass, which 
 is believed to be a living sacrifice. The religious pile is called 
 after the name of its guardian Saint ; for how could it remain 
 without some heavenly protector ? How could it be tolerated 
 that the new building should be inferior to the old ? This 
 would have been deemed a disgrace of no common magnitude, 
 and not to be brooked by a proud Pontiff possessed of infinite 
 supplies. But the ground which sustains the precious burden 
 has also been consecrated by ceremonies equally as potent^ and 
 by hands as pure^ as those of the former faith ; for in that 
 vicinity the pious dead have also to repose, which could not be 
 done except the devils were ejected to their native hell. The 
 august ceremony must be performed by the bishop, or some 
 priest of his appointment. On the previous evening, a. cross 
 the height of a man must be set up in the middle of the church- 
 yard ; and before it a piece of wood of about sixteen inches in 
 elevation, on which are placed three wax tapers. The next morn- 
 ing, a carpet is spread near the place, and also the holy water, 
 thuribles, and other sacred utensils. Then the priest, in his sacer- 
 dotal vestments, comes out of the sacristy in procession, with an 
 exorcist, or acolyth, carrying holy water ; another bears the thurible 
 and incense ; and two clerks take the ritual, with three tapers made 
 of white wax. All then rally around the sacred symbol : an 
 address is delivered on the holiness and the privileges of burying- 
 grounds. The large candles are lighted, the prayers are read, the 
 Litanies are chanted ; and when the priest says, " We beseech you 
 to purify and bless this churchyard C he makes the cruciform 
 sign, which must be done three times. The cross, or crosses, (for 
 sometimes they have twelve,) and the circumference of the holy 
 spot, must all be sprinkled with the purifying fluid ; and should 
 the enclosure be ever again polluted by the burial of an infidel, or a 
 heretic, by an excommunicated or unbaptized person, the whole of 
 
40 
 
 this ceremonial process lias to be repeated.* The hallowing of the 
 foundation-stone must be performed by a prelate, or by some infe- 
 rior ecclesiastic whom he may depute. The day before, a cross 
 must be fixed where the altar has to stand ; and, should it be at 
 Rome, the pontiff himself will discharge the duty in his robes ; 
 but an inferior wears the common surplice and a plain mitre, 
 the amict, the albe, the girdle, the white pluvial ; and carries 
 in his left hand the pastoral staff. The mitre is put on to exorcise 
 the salt and water. The Saint is addressed to wdiom the church is 
 dedicated ; the foundation-stone is blessed ; and then all evil 
 spirits are driven from the place. As the mason fastens the stone, 
 the celebrant sprinkles it again with holy water, and the excavations 
 are hallowed and purified with various ceremonies. When the 
 structure is finished, it also has to be consecrated ; taking care to 
 have relics for the altar, a small vessel for the holy chrism, and 
 another for the sacred oil ; and two pounds of incense, a thurible, 
 navet and spoon, a vase for live coals, and another with ashes, also 
 one for salt, and an additional one for wine, a hyssop-sprinkler, 
 some napkins, a cere cloth, four small wax crosses, wooden spatulas, 
 a vessel for scrapings, two burning flambeaux, a bason with water, a 
 crumb of bread, two pounds of silk with which to rub the crosses, 
 the chrism, and a couple of vessels for holy water. The bishop is 
 dressed in his pontificals ; and twelve candles are lighted over the 
 same number of crosses painted on the walls. The celebrant walks 
 round the church, beginning at the right, and sprinkles the fabric in 
 the name of the Trinity. Returning to the door, he knocks, and 
 is replied to from the deacon within ; then he goes to the left, to 
 perform the same office : so that if any evil one had gained a lodg- 
 ing-place even in a crevice, he would be obliged to depart. This 
 being done, he returns to the portal ; when the deacon inside asks, 
 " Who is the King of glory ?" to which the priests and bishops 
 reply, " The Lord Almighty : He is the King of glory.'"* Then all 
 cry, "Open ! '' The bishop signs the cross on the door, repeats a 
 verse in Latin to drive off malignant spirits, and then he and his 
 attendants enter, saying, " Peace be to this house." After this, 
 the prelate, on his knees and bare-headed, with his face towards the 
 high altar, begins the Vent Creator ; ashes are sprinkled on the 
 pavement in the form of a cross. Litanies are sung, and the saint to 
 whom the place is sacred, is twice invoked to take possession of the 
 church, and make it his home.-f* As to the lying wonders of 
 Paganism, about gods and angels, giants and devils assisting in the 
 erection of their temples, Romanism is nothing daunted ; for she 
 can rival them all. Take one instance only: The house in Naza- 
 reth, in which Mary the mother of Jesus was born and brought up, 
 stood there for thirteen hundred years ; but in the night of the 
 9th of May, a. d. 1291, it was removed by four angels to a 
 mountain in Dalmatia, a distance of two thousand miles ; and, in 
 the flight, produced a great effect on the Adriatic Sea, as it has 
 been much calmer since that event. In the morning of the 10th of 
 May, the house w^as seen on the mountain to the astonishment of 
 * PiCART, vol. ii. p. 97. t PiCAHT, vol. i. PP. 344, 351. 
 
41 
 
 all around. Multitudes crowded to the place ; and there they saw 
 the entire building. It had an arched roof, a chimney, and a 
 steeple for bells ; and no wonder that they approached it with great 
 reverence and fear. After some time they ventured into a chapel 
 of an oblong form, which was built of stone ; and its roof was con- 
 cave and fretted, being painted blue, and adorned with stars. The 
 walls were nearly a cubit thick ; and. on them were depicted the 
 mysteries of the habitation, which were in good preservation, 
 excepting at the bottom, where the figures had been much defaced ! 
 The building was forty feet in length, twenty in breadth, and 
 twenty-five in height ; in a corner was a cupboard of earthenware, 
 which had belonged to the Virgin ; and to this day it has the 
 faculty of working wonderful miracles. In it was found an image 
 of the Mother and Child ; she was covered with a stole of gold, and 
 a blue mantle on her shoulders. The infant held out the fingers of 
 his right hand, as if wishing well to those who came, and in his left 
 hand was a globe of gold. The people were astonished beyond 
 measure ; for they soon saw that it had been translated from another 
 place. They fell down to worship ; when those who were diseased 
 received an instant cure. Bishop Alexander of Trisectum was at 
 the point of death, when he heard the news. He endeavoured to 
 go to the sacred spot, but could not ; when the Virgin herself 
 appeared to him, confirming all he had heard, adding that, at the 
 altar of the place, St. Peter himself had oflficiated ; that the cruci- 
 fix was put there by the apostles ; and that the image or likeness 
 was drawn by St. Luke ; and, as a proof of the truth of all this, the 
 poor dying prelate was restored to perfect health. This faithful 
 account is given by the Jesuit Horatius Tursellinus, and was 
 printed at Rome by the sanction of Clement VIII.* And need I 
 ask you, " What is all this .?" Must I argue to prove the perfect 
 resemblance of the two systems ? I will not insult your minds by 
 the effort ; but pass on to glance at the festivals of these terrible 
 delusions. 
 
 XIV. When men had made images of invisible beings, who were 
 believed to bless or curse mankind through such agency, and had 
 erected splendid fanes to their worship ; it is no wonder that certain 
 days and festivities should be appointed to their service. And so 
 numerous are those in eastern idolatry, that there is not an hour in 
 the year, during darkness or light, which some god or devil does not 
 demand as its own ; so that if fresh claimants were to be introduced 
 into their Pantheon, it would be utterly impossible to find them a 
 place in the niche of devotion without dethroning the old deities. 
 The hours, watches, days, weeks, and months, are called by the 
 names of the divine guardians recorded in their Calendars ; and 
 almost the whole of their festivities are most corrupting in their 
 character. The orgies of the Satte Poosy are of a nature not to be 
 disclosed to the public ear ; they are only what hell could coun- 
 tenance, and fiendish men could perform. Sometimes you see 
 * Dr. Geddes, p. 90. 
 
42 
 
 thousands of every age and sex come together on the anniversary of 
 the demon, the deity, or saint. All are apparelled in their best 
 jewels and robes ; the ways are prepared by sweepings and sprink- 
 lings ; beautiful pandals or arbours are erected ; immense garlands 
 of fragrant flowers adorn the temples and cars ; the priests sing, 
 and the girls dance ; harsh music meets the ear ; and all seem 
 infected by delirious zeal to gain the favour of their god. 
 
 Every kind of Heathenism has had corresponding provision for 
 the honour of its infernal or celestial rulers. The Philistines had 
 theirs, as well as the Moabites, who seduced Israel into lascivious- 
 ness ; for " the people did eat,"*" " and bowed down to their gods,'' 
 and joined themselves " unto Baal-peor," the same object as the 
 obscene Phallus of Greece. The Romans also had their feast of 
 Agnolia, in honour of Janus ; that of Carmen talia, for Garments, 
 the mother of Evander ; the Lupercalia ; the Feralia sacred to 
 Ghosts ; the Matronalia, to Mars ; to Anna Perenna, who in time 
 of famine supplied the people with corn ; also to the goddess of shep- 
 herds ; and the Floralia, with many others, such as the Saturnalia, 
 and the Epiphanies in memory of supeoiatural appearances : so that 
 the Heathen, both western and eastern, "were well accustomed to 
 such celebrations. 
 
 But the Holy Catholic Mother, anxious to secure the attach- 
 ment of her young converts, (who, as Gale tells us, were " content 
 to assume the title of Christian, yet, not willing to part 
 with their ancient rites,) changed the name for some Martyr or 
 Saint, with the hope that by such symbolizings, to gain them over 
 to the embracing of the Christian religion.'' * And how well does 
 this agree with the proceedings of Popery in the East ! For, 
 whenever there is a feast of Hindooism, you will be sure to find a 
 similar one among the Papists to some of their own mummeries. 
 The two forms of superstition are always in parallels, and at the 
 same speed ; the modern never being out-distanced by the more 
 ancient. Ask the eastern Romanists, "How is this.?" and they 
 frankly confess that it is to attract and secure adherents to the 
 " true faith.'''' Fauchet, also, in his " Antiquities of Gaul," 
 defends this conduct. He says, " that Christians " (that is, the 
 Papists) kept holy the Purification^ and in afflictions made 
 processions, rogations, and Litanies, (that is, supplications,) on 
 which^ and in the Nndipedalia^ (which were processions and 
 journeys made barefoot,) " they used to call upon our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, instead of Jupiter, by which they did not Paganize, if I 
 may be allowed the expression, but prudently countermined Pagan- 
 ism, and employed it as a shield to ward off the reproaches which 
 the Heathen used to mnt against themr-\ We thank the old 
 historian for this defence of his religion, as, in conjunction with 
 modern practice, it forms an ample concession to the charges which 
 we have here preferred. 
 
 But though many great men have been compelled to acknow- 
 ledge the idolatrous origin of their festivals, and have even boasted 
 of the wisdom of their church in finis incornoratino- them with her 
 
43 
 
 own superstitious ceremonies ; there are others who have consider- 
 able misgivings, and turn round with specious language to the ritual 
 of Moses, as the source of some of their observances. Their cham- 
 pion Challoner says, " The Temple had its incense, and lamps, and 
 holy- water." We grant the Israelites had incense ; but did they 
 use it in the same way as do the Romanists ? Do these copy 
 them .'* They had lamps ; but did they hang them up before 
 images and shrines.'' They had "the water of separation," as "a 
 purification for sin ; " but that was to remove a legal impurity to 
 which the Jews were so subject by their various exposures. But 
 St. Paul, referring to this very " sprinkling the unclean to the 
 purifying of the flesh," asks, *' How much more shall the blood of 
 Christ, who through the eternal Spirit oflTered himself without spot 
 to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living 
 God.?" (Heb. ix. 13, 14; Gal. iv. 9, 10; Heb. vii. 18.) This 
 therefore was the thing signified ; it had its termination and ful- 
 filment in what St. Paul here describes, and it can offer no 
 justification or excuse for the holy-water of Rome. The law was 
 " a shadow of good things to come ;" and when Jesus came, all 
 was fulfilled. The types and ceremonies were then abolished, 
 being fully accomplished in his life and death, in his resurrec- 
 tion and ascension to God. If these apostates are resolved to 
 derive a few things from Moses, as an apology for them ; why 
 did they not take more ? Because they would not have been 
 palatable to the Heathen. This is the true secret : they were wily 
 eclectics, choosing from any thing and every thing which was 
 adapted to suit their infant charge. They would have Moses or 
 Confucius, Jupiter or Budhu, as the case might require. They 
 were quite willing to return " to the weak and beggarly elements," 
 and enter again into bondage, by observing " days, and months, and 
 times, and years." They cared not for the " disannulling of the 
 commandment " of the old dispensation : they became " all things 
 to all men," and thus made the word of God " of none effect." As 
 for the three pitiful analogies cited by Challoner, the incense, lamps, 
 and holy-water ; who believes that the originators would profess to 
 go to Jerusalem for them, when the Romans had thrown the 
 Temple to the ground ? Would they go there, when the lamps 
 were burning, the incense smoking, and the water sprinkling at 
 their own altars ? Would they attempt to go to the captive Jews, 
 when their conquerors, the ancient Romans, had at their own doors 
 plenty of lamps, incense, and holy-water? The thought is too 
 egregious to require a moment's reply. 
 
 To conclude : You have seen the infent Romish church in its 
 early associations with Heathenism, and the reasons assigned by the 
 primitive Papal governors for that degrading connexion. You have 
 glanced at its first efforts in the East, at its alliance there with 
 idolatry, and the modern defence set up by " the Catholic Maga- 
 zine ;" at the propensity in man to form ideas of objects which he 
 has not seen ; at the great talisman of Popery, " All things to all 
 men ;" at the apologies given by Pagans and Papists for images 
 
44 
 
 and pictorial representations ; at the mutual consecrations of idols 
 previous to their being worshipped ; at the symbols, weapons, ani- 
 mals, and costly attire sacred to the gods of both superstitions, to 
 enable the devotees to distinguish the one from the other, and to 
 gratify the eyes of the young converts ; at the parallels in female 
 divinities ; at the efforts to bring images and idols into reputation, 
 by dreams, by impostures, by burying in the earth, by pretended 
 miracles, such as their walking, talking, sweating, bleeding, laugh- 
 ing, crying, or their descent from another world ; at the guardian- 
 ship of the earth, sea, countries, cities, hamlets, men, their health, 
 members, sciences, and occupations ; at the temples, and churches, 
 with reference to the motives for building, disregard to spiritual 
 wants, position in reference to the cardinal points, the names, the 
 form, the altars, the vessels for holy water, the consecration of the 
 ground and of the edifice for the ejection of demons ; at the lying 
 wonders about saints, angels, gods, giants assisting in the work, their 
 transit through the air ; at their festivals, and abortive attempts to 
 derive them from the Jews ; at the true cause, to displace the 
 Pagan deities, changing their names from gods to Martyrs. And 
 now I think, you will acknowledge there is a complete identity, 
 -showing whence it comes and whither it must go. 
 
 We have traced the Romish Lady "arrayed" in "purple," and 
 " scarlet," and " gold," with her cup of " abominations and filthi- 
 ness." We have seen her in a few of her fatal bargains made in 
 darkness, and have brought them forth to the light. She has sold 
 herself to work iniquity, and her covenant is written in blood. 
 She may either threaten or promise ; we are in each case proof 
 against her wiles. We have taken up our position on the Rock of 
 ages ; and here we live, and here we die. Let her therefore go on 
 in her adulteries with idols ; still cling to them as to her life ; let 
 lier proceed in her " worshipping of angels," and " intruding into 
 those things" which she has " not seen," being " puffed up " in her 
 mind, and rampant in her path. But what saith the Lord God of 
 hosts ? " Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of 
 her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues ! " Come out of 
 her, ye children of the Reformers ; whether of the Episcopal, Pres- 
 byterian, Congregational, or Wesleyan churches .' Remember 
 Smithfield and the " Martyrs' Hill : " for " she is drunken with the 
 blood of the Saints, and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus." 
 On her head is " written Mystery, Babylon the Great, the 
 Mother of Harlots and abominations of the earth ! " 
 " The Lamb shall overcome " her ; for " strong is the Lord who 
 judgeth her." And as the "mill-stone" cast into the sea by the 
 Angel of Jehovah is " found no more ;" so shall the " beast and 
 the false prophet " sink " into the lake of fire and brimstone : " and 
 our God shall be all in all. 
 
 the end. 
 
 LONUOX : PRINTED BY JAJn:S NICHOLS, 46, IIOXTON-SQUAllE. 
 
n^ SHIN V. # SHANG-TE. 
 
 ANTAGONISTIC 
 VERSIONS OF THE CHINESE SCRIPTURES, 
 
 A REVIEW 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CONTROVERSY RESPECTING THE PROPER RENDERING OF 
 
 UZOfflM XNB EOS INTO CHINESE; 
 
 AND 
 
 ItEtmBut nf tljB nhut, aliamiiig n XargB 
 3Ka|nriti(^ far SHiN. 
 
 ADDEESSED TO THE 
 
 FRIENDS OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY, AND THE CONTRI- 
 BUTORS TO THE BENEVOLENT SCHEME FOR SUPPLYING THE CHINESE 
 WITH A MILLION COPIES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 BY A LIFE MEMBER OF THE BIBLE SOCIETY 
 
 OF THIRTY YEARS' STANDING. 
 
 " Make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth." 
 
 Exodus xxiii. 13. 
 " I am Jkhovah, that is my name : and ray glory will I not give to another, neither my praise 
 
 to graven images." Isa. xlii. 8. 
 ' If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone ? or if (he ask ) 
 
 a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? "Luke xi. 11. 
 
 LONDON: 
 WERTHEIM AND MACINTOSH, 24, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 
 
 1854. 
 
 PEICE SIXPENCE. 
 
V 
 
 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 The first part of this Pamphlet originally appeared as a letter 
 in the " Morning Advertiser " of April 1 ; and is now republished, 
 with additional matter, comprising a Summary of the Evidence 
 pro and con; and an Appendix, including letters from eminent 
 Hebraists and others, who have given much attention to the subject, 
 in support of the Author's arguments and views on this lengthened 
 controversy. 
 
 May 5, 1854. 
 
A REVIEW, ETC. 
 
 The benevolent project for supplying the Chinese with a million 
 copies of the New Testament has, I believe, been brought to a suc- 
 cessful issue. A very important question now arises for the serious 
 consideration of the subscribers viz., which of the two antagonistic 
 versions of the Chinese New Testament should be chosen by the pro- 
 jectors and managers for distribution among the people of China ? 
 The object of this letter is to bring before my readers (many of whom 
 are doubtless contributors to this benevolent scheme), some plain in- 
 formation respecting these two versions, and to state briefly the result 
 of many years' controversy amongst the Protestant missionaries in 
 China, about the proper rendering of Elohim and eos (God, gods) 
 into Chinese. It is now supposed by many, that this controversy has 
 been decided by the leaders of the insurgents in favour of the 
 Shang-te version. But this supposition is not supported by facts. 
 For, though Shang-te is frequently used by them for the " true God " 
 exclusively, in their religious books, yet Shin is constantly used by 
 them as a generic term for both the true God and all false gods, just 
 as Elohim and eos are used throughout the Scriptures j for Elohim is 
 not only given to Jehovah (to whom alone the name properly belongs), 
 but we also read of the Elohim^ or gods of the Egyptians, Babylonians, 
 and of all other nations. And eos is used in the same generic sense, 
 for the Greeks had eot ttoAAoi, " gods many," and "lords many." The 
 insurgents have used Shin in the same general sense, and quite 
 in accordance with the constant practice of Morrison, Milne, Marsh- 
 man, and all the Protestant missionaries up to a very recent period. 
 And, after a lengthened controversy of many years, a very large 
 majority of the missionaries have unanimously and conscientiously 
 
 A 
 
decided upon adopting this term as the only suitable one for rendering 
 Elohim and eo9 into Chinese. 
 
 1. The advocates of Shin allege that Shang-te, High, or Supreme 
 Ruler, being the name or title of the Jupiter of China, it ought not to 
 be used for the true God, whose name is Jehovah. And, being only 
 a proper name, or title of one, or some half-dozen, of the superior gods 
 of China, it is of course quite unsuitable for rendering the generic 
 terms, Elohim and 0eo9, into Chinese. The insurgent leaders have, 
 indeed, used Shang-te in the former sense, as a proper name for 
 the true God, partly from deference to their ancient classical books, 
 and partly because they found it put for the true God in GutzlafF's 
 translation of Genesis, which seems to have fallen early into their 
 hands. They suppose, with Dr. Medhurst, that the Chinese formerly 
 worshipped the true God, under the name of Teen, heaven, and 
 Shang-te, liigli ruler. The Greeks and Romans might have advanced 
 an equal claim for the continued use of the ancient classical names of 
 their supreme gods, Zeus, Jove, or Jupiter. But these high-sounding 
 names were utterly rejected by the inspired writers of the Scriptures, 
 and the generic name cos was alone adopted, which exactly corres- 
 ponded, in its heathen signification, to Shin, in the Chinese. 
 
 2. When the leaders and teachers of the insurgents are better in- 
 structed, and find that Jehovah not only ignores all other gods, but 
 has determined to destroy their names out of the earth, they will then 
 give up their Shang-te to the shades. The charge given by Jehovah 
 to Israel on this point (Ex. xxiii. 13), is decisive : "Make no men- 
 tion of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy 
 mouth." (See also Deut. xii. 3, and Isaiah xlii. 8 ; Zech. xiv. 9.) 
 
 3. The real question at issue between the two parties is not as to 
 the most suitable name in the Chinese for Jehovah, the true God, 
 though it is often erroneously supposed to be. 
 
 Dr. Medhurst and his party seem to be under constant misapprehen- 
 sion as to the kind of name or term required. He appears to take it 
 for granted that a proper and distinctive name for the true God is 
 wanted in Chinese, and therefore only seeks for the most dignified name 
 of the highest god in China. Now, a name of this kind is not wanted 
 at all, for God has already declared his own proper and incommunic- 
 able name to be Jehovah, which ought to be retained in every 
 version of the Scriptures, and can easily be expressed in 
 Chinese. Besides, it is absurd to look for the name of the true 
 God amongst a heathen people that know him not. But Dr. Medhurst 
 and his party have become so prejudiced in favour of Shang-te, that 
 they now labour hard to prove that the Chinese already know and 
 
worship the true G-od under this name, although they are well aware 
 that the nation is " wholly given up to idolatry," from the Emperor 
 down to the meanest peasant, and have themselves charged the 
 Chinese with this universal idolatry before they became enamoured 
 of Shang-te. Moreover, if they already know the one true God, 
 where is the necessity for sending missionaries to teach them ? The 
 Emperor Kang-he, when urged by the Jesuits to be baptized, replied, 
 *' Where is the necessity, since I already worship Shang-te the same 
 God as you do?" But if they are still ignorant of God, and in 
 " gross darkness," like all other heathen nations, then the use of 
 Shang-te by Christian teachers will become a stumbling-block, and 
 may be the means of sealing them up in ignorance and darkness, 
 under the vain conceit that their idol Shang-te is all they need ! Let 
 us now come to the real object of inquiry. The simple and only 
 question then is, what is the generic term in Chinese corresponding 
 to Elohim and cos ; or, in other words, what is the term universally 
 used by them to denote all their gods ? Now, it is acknowledged by 
 all parties that the Chinese themselves, ancient and modern, ignorant 
 and learned, use Shin, as a general name to denote every object of 
 worship known to them, whether spirit, image, or idol. The warmest 
 advocates of Shang-te do not deny this. And while they choose 
 Shang-te for the true God, they constantly used Shin for all the 
 false gods, in their writings, till recently, when they resolved on using 
 it for Spirit only. 
 
 4. Although the leaders and teachers of the insurgents have 
 frequently used Shang-te for the true God exclusively, yet their 
 constant use of Shin as a generic term, both for the true God and 
 false gods, is felt to be in favour of the advocates of the latter term, 
 and weakens the position taken by the advocates of the former. I 
 learn this from a pamphlet, which has just reached me from China, 
 with the title, " An Essay on the Bearing of the Publications of the 
 Tai-ping Dynasty Insurgents on the Controversy respecting the 
 proper Xerm for Translating the Words Elohim and cos in the 
 Chinese Version of the Scriptures," which is evidently from the pen 
 of Bishop Boone. He says " An attempt has been made to show 
 that the insurgents have derived their terms for God, gods, from the 
 native Evangelist, Leang Afah, The authority of Afah, though a 
 native writer, is set down as of no value, because he followed Dr. 
 Morrison, and is not himself a thorough scholar. Of his scholarship 
 we know nothing ; but this is not a question which demands much 
 depth of learning. Plain common sense is all that is needed. If it 
 be admitted that the Chinese have many gods and Dr. Medhurst 
 
 A 2 
 
himself has said, ' that it is more easy to find a god than a man in 
 
 China' then it cannot require a greater amount of learning to 
 
 ascertain by what name they call thern, than to ascertain by what 
 name they designate the genus man. But it is easily proved that the 
 insurgents have not followed Leang Afah." 
 
 5. The author then, in proof of this, refers to tables prepared by 
 Dr. Medhurst, exhibiting the various names and titles used for God 
 in the books of the insurgents, and in those of Leang Afah, and also 
 the various uses of Shin by both parties. Of the former class i.e. 
 of proper names and titles, amounting to twelve the insurgents and 
 Leang Afah have not used more than one in common, viz.^ Shang-te, 
 which was only found twice in Leang Afah's books. " Shin, with 
 some of its compounds, is the only term common to them, except that 
 Afah has twice used the term Shang-te. It is plain, then, that the 
 insurgents have not used any term for God, or gods, simply because 
 Afiih or any other man happened to use it. They have freely 
 expressed their thoughts in words of their own choice. As well 
 might they be accused of imitating Afah, because they use the same 
 word that he does for man^ or for the earth. They have evidently 
 used Shin for God, gods, for the sim'ple and sufficient reason that in 
 many cases the Chinese language afforded them no other term that 
 would answer their purpose." Essay, pp. 2, 3. 
 
 So far, then, as the general term Shin is concerned, its advocates 
 are supported by the usage of the insurgent leaders ; and, conse- 
 quently, their position is strengthened, and not weakened, by the 
 present movement in China. 
 
 6. Now, let us see what was the state of the question at the com- 
 mencement of the revolution, about three or four years ago. Just 
 about the same time the controversy, which had been carried on 
 several years, was interrupted by one party (the advocates of Shang-te, 
 Teen-te, Te, &c.) seceding from the board of delegates, at Shang-hai, 
 after having previously acted in concert for several years in revising 
 the New Testament. 
 
 In order to show the actual result of this long and sifting contro- 
 versy, and the relative strength and numbers of both parties, I shall 
 quote a very satisfactory document namely, a printed letter, 
 addressed by John Radley, Esq., one of the Committee of the British 
 and Foreign Bible Society, to the Rev. Carr John Glynn, occasioned 
 by some bitter articles in the " Evangelical Magazine " against the 
 Committee. After some explanatory observations, in reply to the 
 Reviewer's strictures upon the conduct of the Committee of the 
 British and Foreign Bible Society in passing a Resolution against 
 
Shin, and not forthwith adopting Shang-te ; and after mentioning 
 the firmness of Dr. Boone and his friends, in still adhering to 
 Shin, and their strong objections to Shang-te, Mr. Radlej says, " We 
 cannot be blind to the fact, that the term insisted on by Dr. Boone has 
 been maintained by many high Chinese authorities : it was adopted 
 by Morrison, Milne, and Marshman ; it was pleaded for by the 
 late Professor Kidd, and the Rev. Mr. Tomlin, formerly in the 
 service of the London Missionary Society, having had the various 
 publications and correspondence sent to him at his special request, 
 gives to it his decided preference. The present Missionaries are 
 lamentably divided on this point, and, however incredible Mr. Meller's 
 statement may appear, yet so far as we have been able to ascertain their 
 relative numbers, we have reason to believe that there are only 
 nineteen of the present missionary labourers in China, who are 
 prepared, with Dr. Medhurst, to adopt the rendering of Shang-te, 
 while no less than fifty-five adhere, with Dr. Boone, to the rendering 
 of Shin. One of the last acts of our lamented Brandram was to draw 
 up, from a printed list, a comparative statement, and such was 
 the result at which he arrived, the fifty-five being composed of 
 Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists; and in the 
 American Report more recently received, the numbers are given, 
 for Shang-te nineteen, for a transferred term, six, and for Shin, 
 fifty-five. From nearly forty of these we have had a protest against 
 the adoption of Shang-te, And if even we restricted ourselves to 
 those who have had the advantage of a ten years' residence in China, 
 there appear to be only seven in favour of Shang-te, and eleven for 
 Shinr 
 
 7. Mr. Radley brings out an important fact, in stating that the 
 fifty-five for Shin were composed of various denominations ; for this 
 shows that it was no sectarian or party question with them. But the 
 nineteen in the minority were all Independents in connexion with the 
 London Missionary Society, excepting two viz.. Dr. Gutzlaff, and 
 Mr. Doty, an American, of recent standing. However, there is 
 another fact, which I gladly mention to the credit of the London 
 Missionary Society, inasmuch as it was distinctly brought forward by 
 their Secretary, Dr. Tidman, and laid before the Committee of the 
 Bible Society, though its bearing will be seen to be in favour of Shin. 
 Mr. Radley thus candidly alludes to it : '* The difiiculty has been 
 further increased by the conflicting opinions of friends at home. 
 When the pamphlets of Drs. Boone and Medhurst reached this 
 country, and which embrace nearly all that has since been advanced on 
 the subject, there were transmitted to our Committee by Dr. Tidman, 
 
8 
 
 under date of September 20th, 1848, communications from five 
 gentlemen^ whose separate and independent judgment was solicited by 
 the London Missionary Society on the points of controversy between 
 the missionaries engaged in the revision of the Chinese Scriptures. 
 But such was the want of harmony in the views of these learned 
 referees, that while two of them were in favour of Shin^ as the proper 
 rendering of God, two were opposed to it, and the fifth undecided, 
 yet adding * If compelled to an alternative, I must acquiesce in 
 Dr. Boone*s determination in favour of Shin* " 
 
 " Under such circumstances, it is plainly impossible for the 
 Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society, unacquainted, 
 as they are, with the Chinese language, literature, and habits of 
 thought, authoritatively to determine between the respective parties ; 
 least of all, formally to adopt the views of the minority, more 
 especially when the American Bible Society has concluded in favour 
 of Shin. Its Secretary tells us * Drs. Taylor and Robinson have 
 given much attention of late to the subject, who are, perhaps, as 
 well qualified as almost any men living to reach its true merits, 
 and they feel rather confident that Shin will before long convey 
 to the Chinese mind what cos did to the Greeks, and Deus to the 
 Latins, and God to the English, and that but one version will 
 be current. But we will wait patiently, and see what the Lord 
 orders by his providence.' " See Letter, &c., pp. 2, 3. 
 
 8. Here is evidently a strong case made out for Shin^ and that on 
 the testimony of two unexceptionable witnesses, Mr. Radley and the 
 late Secretary of the Bible Society, both of whose private opinions 
 were well known to be in favour of Shang-te rather than Shi?i. Mr. 
 Brandram found, after careful inquiry, that fifty-five of the Protestant 
 missionaries voted for Shin, and only nineteen for Shang-te, giving a 
 clear majority of thirty-six for Shin! And, on limiting the calcula- 
 tion to those of ten years' standing and upwards, he found eleven for 
 Shi7iy and only seven for Shang-te, still giving a decided majority 
 of four. 
 
 9. Surely this unimpeachable statement of such decided majorities 
 for Shin ought, in all fairness, at once to have decided the question, 
 especially after a lengthened controversy of six or seven years ; for 
 it actually commenced in 1843. I leave it to the Committee of the 
 British and Foreign Bible Society to tell the reason why they have 
 not acted upon the strength of this evidence, so clearly and 
 satisfactorily brought forward by their late much esteemed secretary. 
 I am aware that they had previously given their verdict against Shin 
 by a Resolution passed prematurely. I say prematurely, for in 
 
passing it they acknowledged their incompetency to give judgment in 
 the matter. Yet, however humiliating, it would have been their 
 wisest course to have cancelled their Resolution, especially after such 
 ample evidence was adduced for Shin^ and to have decided at once 
 for this term. The advocates of Shin had certainly a right to look 
 for this. And they and their friends were astonished to see the Bible 
 Society still halting between two opinions. And the question is 
 often put " What kind and what degree of evidence will satisfy the 
 Bible Society ? " If the Committee will plainly say what evidence 
 they still require, the advocates of Shin undertake to furnish it. 
 Several of their friends, I know, were surprised at their wavering and 
 indecision, after such plain and weighty evidence was laid before 
 them by their own Secretary. Sir George Staunton, though an 
 advocate for Shang-te, candidly acknowledged that " Shin had got 
 the day," and recommended the Bible Society to adopt the term. 
 The writer had a long and friendly correspondence with Sir George, 
 and a few other Chinese scholars in England, as well as with some of 
 the first Hebraists and divines, and others who gave much time and 
 attention to the subject in Britain, of whom two-thirds at the least 
 were decided for Shin^ after full consideration and thorough under- 
 standing of the question. 
 
 The American Bible Society, after long and serious deliberation 
 on all the documentary evidence laid before them by both parties, 
 passed a Resolution in favour of Shin, and against Shang-te; and 
 published a very able and candid Report, stating fully their reasons 
 for preferring Shin, and for rejecting Shang-te, and all other proper 
 names and titles of false Gods. They passed this Resolution after 
 they were aware that the British and Foreign Bible Society had 
 rejected Shin, and had the advantage of more ample evidence than 
 the latter possessed. They consequently sanction only the Shin 
 version of the Scriptures. 
 
 10. I think the case is now plain enough for any serious-minded, 
 sensible Christian, who is willing to be guided by the Word and 
 Spirit of God, to form a sound judgment in this important matter. 
 The subscribers to the benevolent scheme for supplying China with a 
 million copies of the New Testament, have certainly a right, and 
 should also consider it their bounden duty, to see that the truth 
 of God is maintained, and his great and glorious name honoured, and 
 not dishonoured, in China. He has solemnly forbidden his people 
 even to mention or record the names of heathen gods, however 
 venerable or high sounding they may be. Jehovah has sworn that 
 
10 
 
 He will not give his name to idols and false gods, neither will He, by 
 parity of reason, be called by their names. Baal, Jove, Jupiter, and 
 Shang-te, must all perish out of the earth. The advocates of such 
 Heathen names and titles do not consider the great sin of contending 
 for and upholding them. On the contrary, they treat it as a light 
 matter, with which conscience and the Word of God have little 
 or nothing to do. It is merely a question of philology with them. 
 Hence, their constant vacillation and uncertainty as to which of 
 several high names and titles of Heathen gods they should finally fix 
 upon. For, though Shang-te^ High Ruler, was taken up at the 
 beginning (a name first used by the Jesuits) it was discarded, and 
 half a dozen others (1) (Teen-te, (2) Te, (3) Teen, (4) Teen-Choo, 
 &c.*) tried and rejected in turn. After which, Shang-te became the 
 favourite again. On the other side, the advocates of Shin have never 
 wavered or doubted that this generic term is the only suitable one in 
 the Chinese language for translating Elohim and 0O9 since they 
 entered thoroughly into the question and rightly understood it. 
 Many compromises have been proposed by the other party and their 
 friends, but they have no choice left them in this matter. 
 
 They are fully assured that there is only one term in the language 
 that will answer the purpose, (such also are Elohim, cos, and God, in 
 Hebrew, Greek, and English), and, therefore, to surrender it for any 
 other name or title would be to violate their conscience, and disregard 
 the Word of God altogether. 
 
 Let me, in conclusion, express a hope that this plain and popular 
 view of this vexed question may enable the friends of China, who 
 earnestly desire its Evangelization, to make up their minds on the 
 subject, and act accordingly. 
 
 P.S. It appears by the papers that we are also to have a Shang-te 
 version of the Prayer-book, under the auspices of the Bishop of 
 Victoria. It is to be modelled ** after the simple and chaste style of 
 the Jesuits ! ! " A junior missionary is selected for accomplishing 
 this work, while an experienced and well-qualified missionary is 
 wholly overlooked, simply, we presume, because he happens to be 
 a decided and conscientious advocate for Shin. Former Protestant 
 versions of the Prayer-book in Chinese, by Drs. Morrison and 
 Gutzlaff, seem to be entirely ignored by the bishop, and the Romish 
 Breviary preferred! I trust the Prayer-book and Homily Society 
 will pause before they consent to lend their sanction and support to 
 this version. 
 
 * (1) Heaven's Euler. (2) Kuler. (3) Heaven. (4) Heaven's Lord. 
 
u 
 
 SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE PRO AND CON, 
 
 I. Of the Protestant missionaries in China : 
 
 (1.) Of the whole number who voted 
 55 for Shin. 19 for Shang-te. 
 
 (2.) Of those of ten years' standing and upwards 
 11 for Shin, 7 for Shang-te, 
 
 Giving decided majorities of 36 and 4 for Shin. 
 
 II. Of Hebraists, Chinese scholars, and others who studied the 
 subject in Britain : 
 
 (1.) Chinese scholars 
 
 3 for Shin. 1 for Shang-te. 
 (2.) Hebraists and divines 
 
 4 for Shin. for Shang-te. 
 (3.) Friends of China who studied the question 
 
 2 for Shin. 1 for Shang-te. 
 (4.) Five referees of Lond. Miss. Society 
 
 3 for Shin. 2 for Shang~te, 
 
 12 4* 
 
 III. The American Bible Society : 
 
 The Committee, after mature deliberation on all the docu- 
 mentary evidence, unanimously resolved upon adopting Shin, 
 and published an able Report, stating the grounds of their 
 preferring Shin and rejecting Shang-te, and all proper names 
 and titles of heathen gods. 
 
 IV. Concessions in favour of Shin, as a generic term, by the advo- 
 cates of Shang-te : 
 
 1. Sir G. Staunton admitted that Shin included "the whole 
 Chinese mythology," or all false gods.-)- 
 
 2. Mr. Meller came to the conclusion that " Shin is the general 
 name of all the beings worshipped in China." 
 
 3. Dr. Medhurst and his party allowed that Shin was compre- 
 hensive enough, as comprising all false gods, and said, " It is 
 comprehensive enough, and too much so ; it includes vastly 
 more, and therefore is not the term to express the identical idea 
 of Elohim and eo?." 
 
 Dr. Medhurst, in his English and Chinese Dictionary (published 
 1847), says, " The Chinese themselves, for gods, or invisible beings, 
 
 * Or 3 to 1. 
 t See "An Inquiry," &c., by Sir George Thomas Staunton, Bart., M.P., p. 30. 
 
12 
 
 in general use ^fA Shin" i. e., the Chinese use Shin as a generic 
 term for all their gods. And in his Dictionary of the Foken Dialect, 
 (1832,) defines Shiny "a god, a spirit ; Chin-Shin^ the true God," &c. 
 His definition of Te is, "an emperor, a ruler, a sovereign." 
 According to Dr. Medhurst, ih^ primary meaning of Shin is "god ;'^ 
 and the primary and proper meaning of Te is emperor, ruler, &c., 
 there being no allusion under the definition of Te either to god or 
 spirit ! 
 
 4. GutzlafF said that Shin meant god, gods, but not the true God.* 
 
 5. Sir G, Staunton, on hearing the large majority for Shin^ said, 
 "Shin had got the day," and advised the Bible Society to 
 adopt it. 
 
 V. Morrison, Milne, Marshman, and all Protestant missionaries, till 
 recently, used Shin generally for God, gods. 
 
 VI. Conduct of the two parties in the controversy : 
 
 1. The advocates for Shin allege that this generic term is the only 
 suitable one in the language for Elohim, 0eos, and have never 
 wavered in their opinion from the beginning, or allowed of any 
 compromise. 
 
 2. The advocates for Shang-te chose half a dozen proper names 
 and titles, and discarded each in succession, viz. ; 1. Shang-te ; 
 2. Te; 3. Teen-te; 4. Teen; 5. Eloha;\ Q. The Egyptian 
 symbol, 0, by Dr. Bowring ; and 7. Resumed Shang-te^ their 
 favourite term, originally used by the Jesuits. They were 
 induced to resume it by Dr. Legge's undertaking to prove that 
 Shang-te was the name of the only living and true God, &c. 
 He rested the whole force of his argument and his reputation, 
 
 * As stated in a letter to the Author, now in hand. 
 
 t Medhurst and his friends having discarded Shang-te^ after many years' trial, 
 and Tien-te, Te, after some months' trial, adopted " Aloho," " Against which," they 
 said, "no believer in Divine revelation dare raise his voice ! ! ! " Speaking of their 
 plan of transferring this Hebrew word, they say, " We cannot go wrong in so 
 doing. It is sanctioned hy the Scriptures. We are, therefore, right in employing it, 
 unmistaJceahly and incontrovertihly right. We free ourselves hereby from all mix- 
 ture with Chinese superstition.^^ Then to persuade the missionaries, who have but 
 recently come to the country, to follow their course, they say, in their letter of the 
 30th of January, 1850, addressed to the Protestant missionaries at Hong-Kong and 
 the Five Ports, " Those who have enjoyed the most of these advantages (i. e., 
 most thorough knowledge of the classics, and had most extensive intercourse with 
 the Chinese), are the first to abandon native terms." Bishop Boone further states, 
 " It is, however, I believe, now well ascertained that, notwithstanding this pro- 
 position came before them so highly recommended, and that, too, in such confident 
 language, there has been no single missionary in China induced to follow the six 
 signers of this Letter ! " Bp. Boone's Defence, p. 140. 
 
13 
 
 as a logician and divine, upon the assumption that Elohim is a 
 relative and not a generic or absolute term ! 
 3. Various compromises were proposed by Dr. Medhurst and his 
 friends. 
 
 (1.) By Medhurst, if Shang-te, or Te^ would be allowed for 
 the True God, Shin might be used for all false gods, &c., 
 or for Spirit. 
 (2.) Mr. Meller proposed Shang-Shiny which both parties 
 
 rejected. 
 (3.) Bishop of Victoria proposed 1st, Teen-Shin; and 2d, 
 Teen-Choo, used by the Romanists, who are distinguished 
 by this name from the Protestants by the Chinese viz., 
 as the Teen-Choo-Kiaau, or sect of Teen-Choo. 
 (4.) Sir G. Staunton proposed that " Shin be used as the 
 generic name for God (and Ling for Spirit) ; but when- 
 ever used for the True God exclusively, the definition or 
 epithet, Shang-te, should be added : thus, Shin Shang-te 
 God Almighty." 
 VII. The advocates of Shang-te, especially Dr. Medhurst and Dr. 
 Legge, have lately maintained, but not proved, that the Chinese know 
 and worship the true God under this name. Medhurst seems to have 
 taken up this notion recently, for the following quotations from his 
 own work, published in England, viz., " China ; its State and Pros- 
 pects," show that he held a very different opinion before this contro- 
 versy commenced : 
 
 " There are in the works of the philosopher (Confucius) some allu- 
 sions to heaven and the presiding power of nature, and to fate, as the 
 determiner of all things, but he does not appear to attribute origin- 
 ality to the one or rationality to the other ; and thus his system remains 
 destitute of the main truth which lies at the basis of all truth, viz., 
 the being of a self-existent, eternal, and all-wise God." Again : 
 " From these expressions about ' heaven,' the * Supreme Ruler,' 
 {Shang-te,) and the * principle of order,' we might infer that the 
 Chinese had some knowledge of the Ruler of the universe, and 
 honoured Him as such, were we not baffled by the very incoherent 
 manner in which they express themselves, and shocked at the propen- 
 sity to Materialism which they constantly exhibit." 
 
 Again : " ' No first cause ' characterizes all the sects, and the 
 supreme, self-existent God is scarcely traceable through the entire 
 range of their metaphysics ; and yet the Chinese manage to combine 
 the apparently irreconcileable principles of Atheism and Polytheism. 
 ' Gods many and Lords many ' are adopted by every sect, and it 
 
14 
 
 is more easy to find a god than a man in China. Though they 
 account no divinity to be eternal, yet they discover a god in 
 everything." 
 
 Dr. Legge asserts that Shang-te is " God over all, blessed for ever," 
 but the assumption on which he rests his whole argument, and on the 
 truth of which he stakes his reputation as a logician, that " Elohim is 
 a relative term^' and not an absolute or generic one, carries along with 
 it its own refutation. However, he endeavours to persuade his 
 readers, by a vast accumulation of passages from the Scriptures, that 
 his position is correct, and Shang-te being an analogous term is 
 therefore its correlative in Chinese, and signifies "God over all, blessed 
 for ever ! " 
 
 The use of Shang-te for God will delude the Chinese with the 
 notion that they are serving the one true God, while worshipping their 
 idols under that name. Some of the junior missionaries who used 
 this term out of deference to their seniors, had painful illustrations of 
 this, which led them to discard the name with horror. 
 
 " A missionary at Ning-po wrote to inform his brethren in the 
 south that the term must be abandoned, for that one of their number 
 having exhorted a man to worship Shang-te, and told him that 
 Shang-te had sent his Son to save us, was met by the offer on the 
 part of this man to show him his god, who therefore led him into a 
 temple, and pointing to the image of Yuh-wang Shang-te (the chief 
 god of the Taou sect), said, * There is the Father of Jesus ; there is 
 THE god you worship !' " 
 
 " A man of some intelligence, who read his own language very well, 
 after hearing us preach, applied to Rev. Mr. Syle for special instruc- 
 tion ; he gave him a copy of his Catechism, and requested him to 
 come to his study every morning. The man came regularly for some 
 ten days, and exhibited great interest. He read over all the attributes 
 predicated of Shang-te, which we were accustomed to predicate of 
 God, and appeared to understand thoroughly what he read. It 
 occurred to Mr. S. one morning to inquire whether he followed the 
 advice given him at the commencement of their inquiries to pray to 
 Shang te every morning and evening?. The man replied, with great 
 simplicity, that he had not failed to visit his temple twice a day for 
 this purpose. This answer led to inquiry, and Mr. S., to his inex- 
 pressible grief, learned that the man had been understanding him for 
 ten days as recommending the worship of this idol ! " Bishop Boone's 
 Defence of an Essay, S^c., p. 87. 
 
 The great error of the party who advocate Shang-te has been that 
 they have not taken up this important question in a serious, becoming 
 
spirit, and have not submitted to be guided by the Word of God. 
 This they openly avow, and said to their opponents, " This we conceive 
 has nothing to do with conscience, viz., moral sense, but with judg- 
 ment, v&c. You have always considered this controversy as a matter 
 affecting conscience ; we never have ! " 
 
 Here is a strange admission ! Has the translation and interpreta- 
 tion of God's Word nothing to do with conscience? Does not 
 Jehovah pronounce that man blessed who fears and trembles at his 
 word ? What, then, shall we think of a Christian teacher or trans- 
 lator of God's holy Word who has no fear of mistaking the meaning 
 of it, or of dishonouring his truth and glorious name ? It is no wonder 
 that they who can avow and glory in such loose sentiments, should be 
 more concerned for their own name and reputation as scholars, and 
 more desirous of triumph in this protracted controversy, than for the 
 glory of God, and the revelation of His Name and truth to the Chinese ! 
 
 But will the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society 
 connive at such conduct ? Will they, in the view of such ample and 
 clear evidence for Shin, lean to the opposite party, and sanction and 
 support the Shang-te version ? When the Chinese ask for "bread," 
 shall we for bread, " the bread of life," give them " a stone ? " If 
 they continue to halt between two opinions, I cannot conceive how 
 they can avoid incurring a fearful responsibility to God and the 
 millions of Chinese who are waiting for the bread of life. The case 
 is now a plain one, and the Bible Society might at once set the 
 question at rest, by coming to a decision, as the American Bible 
 Society has done. It is impossible to roll the burden of their 
 responsibility upon the shoulders of the missionaries, and to say 
 with a quiet conscience, " We will still wait to see what the Lord 
 will bring about in his good providence.'* The American Bible 
 Society could conscientiously use this language in a spirit of forbear- 
 ance and charity towards the British and Foreign Bible Society, 
 after they had themselves investigated the matter thoroughly, and 
 boldly decided for Shi7i. 
 
 After seven years' sifting controversy, and after having again and 
 again humbly remonstrated with the Committee of the Bible Society, 
 I would once more earnestly and affectionately entreat them to recon- 
 sider this matter in a serious, candid spirit, and with a single eye to 
 the glory of God, and come to a decision on this all important subject, 
 and set the seal of the Bible Society only upon one version, which 
 alone can bring glory to God, and bless the Chinese with the light of 
 his pure Gospel. 
 
 * See Num. xxii. 19, compared with ver. 12. 
 
16 
 
 Finally, I would also affectionately appeal to the friends of China, 
 and the numerous contributors to the noble and benevolent scheme for 
 giving a million of New Testaments to the Chinese, not to shrink from 
 the plain path of duty, in requiring that version to be given, by which 
 alone God will be honoured, and the Empire of China blessed with 
 the pure Gospel. 
 
 I now leave the matter in their hands, and with God, praying that 
 He would vindicate his own cause, and graciously direct the hearts of 
 his servants in the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society 
 to a wise decision on this subject. 
 
 A Life Member of the British and Foreign Bible 
 Society, of Thirty Years' Standing. 
 
 P.S. The writer is prepared to substantiate, by fuller evidence, 
 every important point of the above brief statement. The nature and 
 object of this summary view precludes further detail at present. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 TESTIMONIES OF LEARNED HEBRAISTS IN FAVOUR OF 
 SHIN FOR ELOHIM. 
 
 Bev. Dr. IPCauPs testimony for Shin. 
 
 " St. 3Iagnus Hectory, May 15, 1850. 
 
 " My dear Sir, I have now read Bishop Boone's pamphlet, and am able 
 to give an opinion as to the manner of rendering cnVw and mrr; 
 though, to speak the truth, I had no doubt upon the subject, the moment the 
 question was proposed. cn'-'X is the generic name of God, signifying 
 * Deity object of worship,' and applicable either to the true God, or false 
 gods, and cannot therefore be rendered by the proper name of any Heathen 
 deity. I do not understand Chinese, but the arguments of Bishop Boone 
 and your own statements, lead me to believe that Shin is the best word that 
 can be adopted. " Alex. M'Caul. 
 
 " The Rev. J. Tomlin." 
 
 Again, on the 30th of May, Dr. M'Caul writes, " I had not an idea that 
 any one doubted that Elohi.m is the generic name of deity. No proper 
 name can express it. The proper name of a Heathen deity can only lead 
 to confusion in the minds of the Chinese, and make them believe that the 
 Jews worshipped one of their Heathen deities." 
 
 Again, December 3d, 1851, he wrote, "I have read the Report of the 
 American Bible Society on the Chinese version with much interest and 
 pleasure. Jt bears the stamp of good sense and calm judgment, and I concur 
 in their recommendation to adopt Sliin for God, and to transfer Jehovah, as a 
 means of correctly representing the original Hebrew." 
 
17 
 
 The late Professor Lee of Cambridge, and Dr. Todd of Dublin, though at 
 first rather inclined towards Shang-te, after a full view of the arguments on 
 both sides, expressed their decided judgment in favour of Shin. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Wilson, author of an excellent work in Hebrew, viz., " The 
 Bible Student's Guide," and also the Hev. W. Carus, expressed their early 
 and decided opinions in favour of Shin. The latter wrote, January 24th, 
 1852, " I must of course feel very incompetent to form an opinion where so 
 many Chinese scholars differ. But one thing strikes me as of importance 
 that everywhere the sacred and incommunicable name of Jehovah should be 
 used itself, and no translation attempted. It cannot be translated. 1 have 
 felt this a great defect in our own admirable English version. Next, with 
 reference to translation of the terms * Lord,' and ' God,' I cannot see that 
 there ought to be any difficulty ; that passage, 1 Cor. viii. 5, seems to me to 
 settle the point. ' For though there be that are called gods, whether in 
 heaven or in earth (as there be gods many and lords many), but to us there 
 is but one God, and one Lord.' The ordinary term to express a god, or a 
 lord, is obviously sufficient for translation ; so also for ' Spirit.' 
 
 "W. Carus." 
 
 Now, it is conceded by all parties that " the ordinary terms " in Chinese for 
 "a god" and "a lord" are Shin and Choo, consequently Mr. C, guided 
 by common sense and scriptural usage, determines for Shin as the proper 
 rendering of Elohim, God, gods. 
 
 TESTIMONIES RECEIVED IN APPROBATION OF THE LETTER 
 TO THE "MORNING ADVERTISER," OF APRIL 1st, 1854, 
 
 Which encouraged the writer to publish it, with additions, in the 
 form of a Pamphlet. 
 
 1. Rev. M. Margoliouth. 
 
 April 5, 1854. 
 
 " I read your very interesting article on the ' Antagonistic Versions ' with 
 very much satisfaction. In fact, I looked for something of the kind from you, 
 ever since the ' million of New Testaments ' began to be talked of. I trust 
 that both the Bible Society and the Prayer-book and Homily Society will do 
 nothing rashly, but deliberate most seriously on the important arguments 
 which you have advanced in favour of the only proper rendering of n^nV^, 
 viz., Shin. Though I lay no claim to Chinese scholarship, I lay claim to 
 having given the subject which you treat of as great an amount of study and 
 consideration, as could have been given by any one similarly situated with 
 mvself." 
 
 'April 7th, he adds, " 3fy Vicar was delighted with it. I got it to-day 
 from him, and forwarded it to Chancellor Raikes, of Chester. I cannot help 
 saying once more, the Committee of the Bible Society must now give heed to 
 the right side of the question." 
 
 2. Rev. J. Byron, Vicar of Killingholme. 
 
 " April 6. 
 
 " My dear Sir, I have read the article with great pleasure, and think it 
 must be perfectly satisfactory to any person who will be at the trouble of con- 
 
18 
 
 sidering the question. I wish the Bible Society might be brought to adopt 
 your view. Would it not be worth while to print your letter in the form of 
 a cheap pamphlet ? 
 
 " John Byron." 
 
 3. Rev. H. A. Browne, Rector of Toft Newton, 
 
 "April 21, 1854. 
 
 " My dear Sir, The letter, which I had attributed either to yourself or to 
 the Rev. Mr. M'Clatchie, of Shanghai (now, I believe, in England), appears 
 to me to make the course of the Earl-street Committee tolerably plain. I 
 fear, however, that the minority have some strong supporters amongst the 
 members of the London Missionary Society at home, and this may have its 
 share in keeping the Bible Society's Editorial Sub-Committee from declaring 
 any determinate conclusion." 
 
 N.B. Mr. Browne acts as Hon. Secretary for the Society in Lincolnshire. 
 
 4. Rev. Samuel Broadbent, Superintendent of the Wesleyan 
 Ministers in the Grimsby District. 
 
 " April 29, 1854. 
 " My dear Sir, I beg to return you my best thanks for the * Morning 
 Advertiser,' and especially for the valuable and seasonable communication it 
 contains on the subject of the Chinese versions of the Holy Scriptures. I have 
 read it with much attention and interest. To my mind it is conclusive, and I 
 cannot doubt but it will have weight with the Committee of the Bible Society, 
 who are so much interested in the question. 
 
 " Samuel Broadbent, 
 " Formerly a Missionary in Ceylon and South Africa, 
 during Six Years." 
 
 5. J. R. Rae, Esq. 
 
 " K. Mains, Castle Douglas, Scotland, April 11. 
 " My dear Sir, I have just read your valuable letter in the ' Morning 
 Advertiser,' and I think you have proved the absurdity of using the term for 
 the Chinese Jupiter as applied to the true God. The matter is of great im- 
 portance, certainly far more than any mere question of philology." 
 
 6. Col. Inglis. 
 
 " Carlingwarh House, Castle Douglas, April 13. 
 " My dear Sir, Many thanks for the perusal of your very interesting 
 letter in the 'Morning Advertiser,' which shows very clearly the British 
 and Foreign Bible Society is wrong in not following that of the American 
 Bible Society. " A. Inglis." 
 
 Although the author has for several years had an extensive correspondence 
 on this important subject with many friends, both in England and China, he 
 has hitherto been reluctant to publish his opinions, and has resisted the 
 repeated urgent entreaties of his friends to do so, because he hoped, year 
 after year, that the Committee of the Bible Society would see their way was 
 already made plain for coming to a decision, as the American Bible Society 
 did four years ago. The following extracts from letters will show this more 
 plainly : 
 
19 
 
 1. The Rev. Mr. Syle, an American Episcopal Missionary at Shang-hai, 
 writes to a friend at Southampton, July 5th, 1851 : 
 
 " Is Mr. Tomlin in print, or has he, too, * left the controversy to its fate ? ' 
 I trust not, for the matter is far from being settled. The duty which rests 
 upon the Bible Societies of deciding rightly the important question as to how 
 the money they spend shall be employed can only be met by a faithful 
 dealing with the merits of the case. It can never be set at rest by the 
 expedient of giving to this or that Society a few hundred pounds now and 
 then to keep them quiet, and their presses going. Every vote of funds 
 made in this spirit is an added wrong. 
 
 " You are aware, no doubt, by this time, that the Bishop of Victoria has 
 got up another compound term in addition to those previously proposed by 
 Dr. Legge {Shang-te), and Sir George Staunton {Shin Shang-te), not to 
 mention Mr. Meller's [Shang Shin), and the still earlier (Shin-teen) and 
 (Tien-te). Add to this Dr. Bowring's O, and what a list of make-shifts have 
 we got ! His Lordship's is Tien Shin, with which he is much enamoured. 
 Let those take up with it who sympathize with, or are subservient to him ; 
 I do not like the flavour of it, ' the old is better.' Until I see some more 
 and better reasons than have yet been produced against the use of Shin, and 
 Shin alone, I am constrained to adhere to it. 
 
 Sad, my dear Sir, is it, and sad beyond expression, that our work should be 
 embarrassed by the necessity for so much " striving " and " contending." 
 There seems, however, to be no alternative left for us but this : either yield 
 to an authority which we do not confide in, or maintain our ground (and it is 
 the old ground, that on which Morrison and Milne stood), by stedfastly pro- 
 testing against those who are not content to seek * the old paths,' but are con- 
 tinually seeking out 'many inventions' of their own." 
 
 2. Extract from a letter of Mr. W. H. Rogeks, of Southampton, to 
 Joseph Toomer, Esq. : 
 
 ** I still take a deep interest in the question, and I should like to see it 
 solved to the satisfaction of all, but I almost despair of doing so. I am firmly 
 persuaded that Shin will finally prevail, but to hasten that day we must all 
 lend a helping hand. I think the time has now come for Mr. Tomlin to throw 
 in his powerful voice. I am sure it would tell well in China just now, and 
 perhaps decide the question. Nothing material has emanated from Britain 
 yet, and, as Mr. Syle says, all parties are looking for a voice from home, and 
 with God's blessing it might prevail." 
 
 The following was written in reply to the above entreaties : 
 
 "iVw. 17,1851. 
 
 " My dear Sir, I assure you I feel the force of the united wishes of 
 Mr. Syle, Mr. Rogers, and yourself, that I should send forth a statement of 
 our views on this important question . I have, indeed, more confidence in the 
 judgment of my friends in this matter than my own. I may have erred in de- 
 laying so long to publish. I thought the question had been so thoroughly sifted 
 and made plain to every candid mind, capable of going into it fully, that our 
 opponents would soon yield to Shin. The leaders of the opposite party, after 
 changing their ground half a dozen times, and quitting every post as 
 untenable, struck their colours, and fled to foreign or neutral ground, where 
 neither duty nor inclination obliged or prompted us to follow them. 
 
 " The redoubted Dr. Legge comes boldly to the rescue, takes up the fallen 
 standard of Shang-te, and tries to rally the scattered forces, and, by dint of 
 logical prowess, peculiarly his own, endeavours to set up ' Dagon ' upon his 
 legs again ! 
 
 "The Bishop of Victoria next steps in, and politely ofi'ers his services 
 as mediator, and tenders to the two main opposing parties, ' Teen-Shin,' or 
 * Teen-choo,' as a compromise, in favour either of heathenism or Popery I 
 As Protestants, we say, * No surrender ! ' ' No peace with Pope or Pagan ! ' 
 
20 
 
 " By God's help, I hope soon to enter the field more openly. Seeing that 
 the Committee of the Bible Society, who ought to act as faithful and impartial 
 umpires in this matter, are still wavering, and halting between two opinions, 
 and feeling much encouraged by my friends in England and China, I resolve, 
 by God's help, to renew the contest, though, as a man of peace, I would have 
 rejoiced had there been no necessity for it. 
 
 " Joseph Toomer, Esq." " J. T. 
 
 The same friend, fearing there might still be delay, wrote in reply to 
 the above : 
 
 " I confess I should hail your publication as actually extant with delight ; 
 though I cannot give in my adhesion to the modest opinion expressed in 
 your letter, that you have grounds for more confidence in the opinions of 
 Mr. Syle and of Mr. Rogers than in your own. I think a strong and 
 determined exhibition of your views regarding Shin is yet a great deside- 
 ratum, especially in China on the subject ; and that you are the only person 
 in England capable of giving it, and that they may reasonably hope for such 
 succour." 
 
 I still waited more than two years in patient hope that the Lord would 
 mercifully cut short this controversy, by causing his servants to see eye to eye 
 in a matter so weighty, and now so plain. But as the Committee of the 
 Bible Society seem to be still halting and lost in a mist, and the millions of 
 China are craving the bread of life at their hands, I could not any longer be 
 silent. Dr. Legge and the Bishop of Victoria seem to have more authority and 
 weight with them, and the principal Secretary of the Church Missionary Society, 
 than the large majority of fifty-five Missionaries against the small minority of 
 nineteen ! And what has Dr. Legge to offer them but the compound term of 
 the Jesuits, after having been discarded by its ablest and warmest advocate, 
 Dr. Medhurst, and commended to them solely on the ground that he can 
 prove that Elohim is a relative and not an absolute or generic term ! 
 
 And why should the Bishop of Victoria be entitled to more regard 
 than fifty-five practical missionaries, each of which knows, probably, much 
 more of Chinese than his Lordship does ? And what does he offer for 
 their choice ? Two compound terms, viz., " Teen-shin " and " Teen-choo," 
 " Heaven's God," and " Heaven's Lord," as an adequate translation of the 
 simple generic term Elohim I The former he soon discarded, though he 
 boasted of having ten reasons for its adoption, and took up Teen-choo, which 
 is the Romanist term, and a badge of the sect of the Roman Catholics 
 amongst the Chinese! But this pet term, in turn, is also cast off, and 
 now the old term of the Jesuits supplants it, and is at present the reigning 
 favourite, both with the Bishop and Dr. Medhurst's party. So that we 
 are now to have a Shang-te version of the Prayer-book, modelled after the 
 Romish Breviary, as well as a Shang-te version of Scriptures ! 
 
 Wertheim and Macintosh, 24, Paternoster-rovr, London. 
 
THE 
 
 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE: 
 
 DIVINE INSTITUTION, EELIGIOUS EESPONSIBILITIES, 
 AND SCEIPTUEAL CLAIMS 
 
 OP 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY, 
 
 CONSIDERED WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO 
 
 WESLEYAN METHODISM. 
 
 BY GEORGE SMITH, F.A.S., 
 
 MEMBEB OP THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY OP GBEAT BRITAIN AND 
 
 IRELAND, OP THE ROYAL SOCIETY OP LITERATURE, OP THE 
 
 IRISH ARCH^OLOQICAL SOCIETY, &0. 
 
 He that heareth you lieareth me ; and he that despiseth you despiseth me. 
 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR: 
 
 SOLD BY JOHN MASON, 66, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 
 
 MDCCCLI. 
 
 Price One Shilling. 
 
n\ 
 
 lokdon: 
 
 printed by jambs nichols, 
 
 hoxton-squabb, 
 
TO 
 
 THE REVEREND JOHN BEECHAM, D.D., 
 
 PRESIDENT OP THE WESLEY AN CONFERENCE, 
 
 THIS TREATISE, 
 
 WRITTEN FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFENDING 
 
 C]^c Scriptural l^octrinc of tl)t C!)riltian ^a^toratt, 
 
 OF DIFFUSING EVANGELICAL VIEWS OF THE 
 CHRISTIAN MINISTRY, 
 
 AND OF PROMOTING A RELIGIOUS FEELING TOWARDS THOSE 
 WHO SUSTAIN THAT SACRED OFFICE, 
 
 IS MOST RESPECTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY 
 INSCRIBED, 
 
 AS A PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
 
 OF PERSONAL AND FAMILY BLESSINGS 
 
 RECEIVED THROUGH THE WESLEYAN MINISTERS, 
 
 AND OF HIGH ESTIMATION 
 OF THEIR CHRISTIAN CHARACTER, 
 
 BY 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 Trevu, January 1st, 1851. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Numerous subjects, in these times of theory and excite- 
 ment, claim attention, and struggle for ascendancy in the 
 public mind. But, among them all, there is not one of 
 higher intrinsic importance, or which stands invested with 
 deeper interest, than that which is discussed in the follow- 
 ing pages. Notwithstanding the great questions now mooted 
 in political science, social life, educational progress, and moral 
 philosophy, it would be difficult to select a single topic so 
 fully identified with the best interests of the human family, 
 so immediately associated with the practical operation of the 
 gospel of Christ, as the doctrine of the pastorate, the scrip- 
 tural claims, and legitimate religious position, of the Chris- 
 tian ministry. Even in the present period of extraordinary 
 developement, this is the question of the day ; and, in fact, 
 comes before us as possessing additional importance from 
 the existing state of the church and of the world. 
 
 Towards the close of the last century, infidelity made 
 alarming progress in our own countrj' ; and acquired such 
 fearful ascendancy on the Continent, as even to threaten the 
 existence of Christianity. But we have in our time seen 
 evangelical religion rise up into powerful and vigorous action 
 unknown for ages. Laying aside all minor matters of con- 
 troversy, she has put forth her Divine energy for the salva- 
 tion of the world, with a measure of success unprecedented 
 since the days of the apostles. Benevolent institutions have 
 been multiplied ; additional light has been cast on the great 
 doctrines of Christian charity and of Christian temperance ; 
 the practical experience of scriptural godliness has been dif- 
 fused to a great extent through every grade of civil society ; 
 and the power of the gospel has been brought, in aggres- 
 sive action, to bear upon nominal Christians and benighted 
 Heathens with gladdening results. The efiects of this 
 onward movement have indeed been so signal, in the dif- 
 fusion of spiritual devotedness and godly enterprise among 
 the evangelical churches of our land, and in the removal 
 of most of those obstacles which impeded our missionary 
 operations abroad, throwing the whole world open to the 
 efforts of Christian zeal, that sober-miuded Christians 
 had begun to anticipate the dawn of that day when " the 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover 
 the sea." 
 
 It could not, however, be expected, that the church mili- 
 tant would be allowed to proceed in this career of hopeful 
 progress, without special opposition from the malignity of 
 the grand adversary. So it has proved to be. The powers 
 of darkness raged ; earth and hell were moved. The first of 
 these recent attacks was directed against the kingdoms of this 
 world : their institutions were assailed. A revolutionary whirl- 
 wind swept over Europe ; every throne trembled ; all faces 
 gathered blackness ; sovereigns were hurled from their royal 
 seats, their honours laid in the dust; and the constitution both 
 of civil and religious society was convulsed to its centre. 
 Yet, amid all this wreck of empire, deluge of blood, and 
 waste of life and wealth, God watched over the land of mis- 
 sions, of Bibles, and of evangelical effort : and through His 
 gracious providence the sheet-anchor of European weal held 
 firm ; Britain remained unmoved, and the great principles 
 of religious advancement and improving civilization were 
 conserved. 
 
 But the artillery of the enemy was not exhausted in these 
 civil commotions : a more direct attack on the religion of 
 Christ was soon commenced. 
 
 For a long period, an insidious effort had been made to 
 introduce Popish doctrines and usages into the Reformed 
 Protestant Church of England, and with considerable suc- 
 cess. The culminating point of this effort was, an attempt 
 to establish a claim on behalf of the clergy to extravagant 
 and unscriptural powers as a Christian priesthood. These 
 claims, when calmly considered in the light of scripture, 
 simply produced disgust ; but, acting upon the democratic 
 opinions and sensibilities which had been engendered and 
 incited by political and revolutionary movements, they pro- 
 duced, to a serious extent, a diminished respect, and in 
 many minds a measure of contempt, for the Christian minis- 
 try in general. It was impossible for any one to take an 
 active part in the operations of Wesleyan Methodism, or to 
 be an attentive observer of other churches, without perceiv- 
 ing painful evidence of the existence and operation of this 
 evil leaven. 
 
 At this juncture, when the baneful feeling was at its 
 height, an opportunity offered for the w^orld and the devil to 
 make a combined onslaught on one of the largest and most 
 influential of our evangelical churches. The Wesleyan Con- 
 ference having expelled three ministers from the body, these 
 persons commenced what they called "an agitation of the 
 Connexion.'* On the details of this crusade against all 
 ecclesiastical order and religious principle, I do not now 
 
Yl PREFACE. 
 
 dilate. I have, once for all, expressed my opinion on that 
 subject ; and shall ever rejoice at the success with which it 
 pleased God to crown that production. My present more 
 immediate object is to deal with the heresy which this agita- 
 tion, acting upon the previously-excited state of the public 
 mind, has evolved, promulgated, and brought into actual 
 operation. I do not now stand between the Conference 
 and schism, but interpose to repel the aggressions of heresy 
 on an ordinance of Christ. 
 
 This strong language is amply justified by the unscrip- 
 tural principles which have been disseminated, and the still 
 more unscriptural conduct which they have produced. 
 
 It has been proclaimed throughout the length and breadth 
 of the land, that Christian pastors hold their office, and 
 exercise their ministry, in responsibility to the people ; that 
 if ministers do not so conduct themselves as to give entire 
 satisfaction to those who contribute towards their temporal 
 sustenance, the people, or any section of them, are justified 
 in withholding that support, and in attempting to starve 
 them into supple compliance. This has been pompously 
 paraded at public meetings. Some members and ministers 
 of other churches, not particularly distinguished for their 
 exhibition of " the meekness and gentleness of Christ," have 
 joined with those "who are given to change," in urging 
 these heretical dogmas. Pious, spiritually-minded minis- 
 ters of Christ have not only been traduced as mercenary, 
 servile, and paid agents ; they have also been stigmatized 
 as venal and corrupt. It has been voted by quasi majo- 
 rities, that it is the duty of Christian men, as members 
 of a voluntary religious society, to recognise ministers 
 as their spiritual pastors, and at the same time to deprive 
 them and their children of the means of subsistence, for the 
 express purpose of compelling them to act in opposition to 
 their religious and conscientious judgment ! And this is 
 exultingly proclaimed as "religious reform," "Christian 
 progress," and, above all, "advancing liberty!" 
 
 The issue of the unhallowed agitation on the "Wesleyan 
 body, is no longer doubtful ; it has long since been decided. 
 This evangelical church, raised by the special providence of 
 God, and enabled by the gifts of his Holy Spirit to present 
 to modern times the best specimen of " Christianity in ear- 
 nest," will not only maintain its institutions unimpaired, 
 and its evangelical power undiminished, but will soon 
 emerge from the raging of this furious storm, purer than 
 ever in spirit, richer in faith, and more mighty in apostolic 
 energy : for to use the words of an able and honoured 
 writer " Wesleyan Methodism is only in the infancy of its 
 difficulties, of its moral power, and of its glory." 
 
PREFACE. VU 
 
 The case, however, of those who are led away by these 
 pernicious doctrines is not so easily solved. Nor can the 
 full extent of their evil influence upon individuals or on 
 society be estimated prior to the judgment of the great day. 
 I have seen so much of this, have had such abundant evi- 
 dence of the perversion of ignorant and unwary souls, 
 through plausible pretences, that I have been constrained to 
 publish the following sheets, in the humble hope that at 
 least they may contribute somewhat toward arresting the 
 insidious evil, and disseminating sound and scriptural views 
 of the Christian ministry. 
 
 But although these circumstances may be regarded as the 
 immediate cause of this publication, it has been my object, 
 as far as possible, to avoid controversy, and to produce a 
 portable and cheap summary of scriptural teaching on a 
 subject of vital and permanent interest to the church of 
 Christ. Uninfluenced by prejudice or party, I simply desire 
 to know the truth of God ; and, believing that I have in 
 some measure succeeded in obtaining this knowledge in 
 respect of the Christian ministry, I submit my thoughts 
 most respectfully, but earnestly, to the attention of my 
 fellow-Christians. 
 
 In the discussion of the subject, it has been thought. best 
 to confine attention almost exclusively to an investigation of 
 the teaching of holy scripture. Great brevity has been stu- 
 died, as it was important to confine the argument within a 
 small compass. But it is hoped, notwithstanding, that no 
 important element in the case has been neglected. 
 
 This little work is devoted to the defence of what the 
 author considers to be the cause of God, and of his truth. 
 Whatever opposition it may excite towards him, by those of 
 different opinions, will be cheerfully endured ; while all the 
 good that may ensue shall be ascribed to the honour and 
 glory of Him who is "over all, God blessed for ever!" 
 
 Trevu, Camborne, 
 
 December 28M, 1850. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 Page. 
 The Divine Ikstitittion of the Christian Ministry 2 
 
 II. 
 
 This Ministry is, by Divine Appointment, separated prom all 
 WORLDLY Pursuits and secular Enoaqements 9 
 
 III. 
 
 The relative Position op Local Preachers to the Christian 
 Ministry, considered with Reference to Opinions which 
 have been recently propounded on the scbjeot . 22 
 
 IV. 
 
 THE Christian Minister must evince a spiritual and blame- 
 less Character, and manifest it especially in his Care 
 OF THE Church 43 
 
 V. 
 
 The Ministry is charoed with the Proclamation of Gospel 
 Truth, for the Conversion of the World and the Edifi- 
 cation op the Church : 47 
 
 VI. 
 
 The Ministry is required to gather the Fruits of the Gos- 
 pel INTO the Church, and to nurture this spiritual 
 Body 51 
 
 VII. 
 
 The Ministry is held responsible for the Exercise op godly 
 Discipline, and the Administration of Church Govern- 
 ment 55 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Several popular Objections to the scriptural Doctrine of 
 THE Pastorate considered 68 
 
 IX. 
 
 Holy Scripture claims for the Ministry the Respect, Esteem, 
 
 AND Affection op the Members of the Church 80 
 
 X. 
 
 Holy Scripture claims for the Ministry an adequate tempo- 
 ral Support..; 85 
 
 XI. 
 
 Concluding Observations 91 
 
THE 
 
 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE, 
 
 The most powerful antidote to prevailing error is, the 
 explicit manifestation of Divine truth. 
 
 It is on this principle that the promulgation of the gos- 
 pel is the grand remedy for the guilt and misery of our 
 sinful world. Men may reprove evil, declaim against vice, 
 denounce sin, with more or less success ; but, after all, the 
 Divinely appointed means of checking the torrent of ini- 
 quity is, to oppose its progress by the bulwark of God's 
 holy word. 
 
 This not only holds good as a general principle, but is 
 equally important in practice ; and there are occasions when 
 it is not merely the best course, but the only one avail- 
 able. Every religious Protestant, who has carefully noted 
 the progress of public events during the past few years, will 
 allow, that it would be a task as endless as hopeless, to 
 expose and refute all the perversion of scripture, and all the 
 insidious error, that have been recently published on the 
 subject of the Christian ministry. Popish assumption, 
 either unblushingly avowed, or but ill-concealed under the 
 plea of Anglican-churchism, has, on the one hand, impiously 
 claimed for ordained ministers powers and prescriptive rights 
 which invade the prerogatives of God, infringe the religious 
 privileges of the church, and clearly evince their antichris- 
 tian character ; and, on the other, a democratic. Chartist- 
 like principle has assailed the legitimate character of the 
 Christian pastorate ; and, not content with levelling all 
 distinctions, and trampling on the most explicit declarations 
 of revealed truth, aims at placing the ministry in necessary 
 subserviency to the people. 
 
 In these circumstances, although it may be neither pro- 
 per nor possible to analyse and refute all the error, it is 
 surely necessary to assert the truth, and to place the scrip- 
 tural doctrine respecting the Christian Pastorate briefly, 
 but fairly and fully, before the church and the world. This 
 is the object and aim of the present Essay. 
 
 In the prosecution of this purpose, I shall demonstrate in 
 
2 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 SECTION I. THE DIVINE INSTITUTION OF THE CHRIS- 
 TIAN MINISTRY. 
 
 The sacred institute which is now the subject of investi- 
 gation, did not first come into operation in our time. We 
 did not see its origin, or watch its rise and progress in the 
 world. On the contrary, we look around us on every side, 
 throughout all the various sections and ramifications of the 
 Christian church, and find the Christian ministry existing 
 as an ancient, settled, and established institution. The 
 question, therefore, necessarily arises, Whence did it come? 
 Is it from heaven, or of men ? Was this arrangement 
 devised by human wisdom, and raised by human policy? 
 or did it arise out of the direct appointment of God ? It is 
 essential to a right understanding of the subject, that this 
 question be clearly and fully answered. In order to its 
 satisfactory solution, several particulars must be consi- 
 dered : 
 
 1 . It will be necessary to refer to the origin of the Chris- 
 tian ministry, and its historical developement, from the 
 period of its appointment by our blessed Saviour, until it was 
 fully established as an integral portion of the apostolic church. 
 One immediate consequence of our Redeemer's public 
 ministrations was, that a considerable number of persons 
 attached themselves to him as his disciples. Aa the term 
 imports, by this act they professed to devote themselves to 
 '' learn " his doctrine. For this purpose, they not only 
 attended his public ministry, but were also favoured with 
 important religious instruction, given to them exclusively in 
 a more retired and familiar manner. 
 
 From these disciples the Lord Jesus at first chose twelve, 
 whom he also named apostles, that is, ** persons sent.'* His 
 object in this selection is distinctly stated in the sacred 
 narrative. It was, '* that they should be with him, and 
 that he might send them forth to preach, and to have 
 power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils." (Mark iii. 
 14, 15.) Afterward he sent forth seventy others* of the 
 disciples, to proclaim the approach of "the kingdom of 
 God," and to " heal the sick," and to cast out devils. The 
 commission given to these primitive preachers w^as so truly 
 Divine, that the same responsibility attached to the hearing 
 of their word, as to the listening to that of their Divine 
 Master. For He said, " He that heareth you heareth me ; 
 and he that despiseth you despiseth me." (Luke x. 16.) 
 
 * This is the correct rendering of the phrase, which in our transla- 
 tion reads, " other seventy also." The expression in the original does 
 not denote a second seventy, but seventy besides the twelve previously 
 mentioned. See Barnes in loc. 
 
I.] THE MINISTRY A DIVINE INSTITUTION. 3 
 
 Yet, notwithstanding tlie election of the apostles, and the 
 sending of them and the seventy forth to preach, it may be 
 regarded as an established fact, that, up to the time of the 
 Redeemer's death, he had communicated to the apostles no 
 precise information or commandment respecting their future 
 caUing as ambassadors of mercy to a sinful world. Imme- 
 diately after his resurrection this omission was supplied. 
 The most remarkable of our Saviour's communications on 
 this subject are the following : *' And Jesus came and spake 
 unto them, saying. All power is given unto me in heaven 
 and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, bap- 
 tizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all things 
 whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you 
 alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matt, xxviii. 
 18 20.) "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the 
 world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that 
 believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that 
 believeth not shall be damned." (Mark xvi. 15, 16.) *'Thus 
 it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to 
 rise from the dead the third day : and that repentance and 
 remission of sins should be preached in his name among all 
 nations." (Luke xxiv. 46, 47.) "Then said Jesus to them 
 again. Peace be unto you : as my Father hath sent me, even 
 so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on 
 them, and saith unto them. Receive ye the Holy Ghost : 
 whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them ; 
 and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." (John 
 XX. 21, 22.) 
 
 Following the course of events in the evangelical narra- 
 tive, the descent of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost 
 next claims our attention. On that occasion, all the disci- 
 ples, in number about one hundred and twenty, were filled 
 with a glorious effusion of the Divine Spirit, and spake in 
 divers tongues to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the 
 strangers who had come up unto the feast, "as the Spirit 
 gave them utterance :" while " Peter, standing up with the 
 eleven," explained to the astonished multitude the nature 
 and character of this wonderful visitation. Three thousand 
 souls were on that day saved, and added to the church. 
 (Acts ii.) 
 
 The conversion and vocation of Paul throw additional 
 light on this subject. The special appointment of this 
 eminent apostle is narrated in terms so strong and explicit, 
 that they scarcely admit of misconstruction. " He is," said 
 the Lord to Ananias, " a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my 
 name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of 
 Israel." (Acts ix. 15.) The Divine communication to the 
 
 Q 2 
 
4 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE [SECT. 
 
 apostle himself is narrated as follows : "I have appeared 
 unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a 
 witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of 
 those things in the which I will appear unto thee ; deliver- 
 ing thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom 
 now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from 
 darkness to Hght, and from the power of Satan unto God, 
 that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance 
 among them which are sanctified by faith that is ia me." 
 (Acts xxvi. 1618.) 
 
 From these passages the inference is to be drawn, that 
 the first heralds of the cross were immediately appointed 
 by the Lord Jesus ; that, in fact, the original institution of 
 the ministry was designed by him ; and that its nature and 
 character are such as are made known to us, primarily, by 
 the vocation and appointment of the apostles to their extra- 
 ordinary sphere of duty. 
 
 Bat it may be questioned, whether the men who suc- 
 ceeded the apostles as the ordinary ministers of the church, 
 are to be regarded in the same light ; whether these two 
 classes are to be viewed as elements of the same great 
 institution. A brief review of the sacred narrative will be 
 sufficient to justify an affirmative answer to these doubts. 
 "Take heed therefore unto yourselves," said Paul to the 
 presbyters of Ephesus, " and to all the flock over the which 
 the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers.^' (Acts xx. 28.) 
 So that, just as the apostles were Divinely appointed, so were 
 these, the first by Christ, the second by the Holy Ghost. 
 
 The same truth is most unambiguously asserted in the 
 Epistle to the Ephesians, where the inspired writer, enume- 
 rating the several offices appointed in the church, says, 
 **And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and 
 some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers ; for the 
 perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for 
 the edifying of the body of Christ." (Eph. iv. 11, 12.) 
 Here the unity and identity of the ministerial institute are 
 clearly stated. Whatever difference there might be in the 
 several offices, whether temporary, as suited to the times 
 of the infant church, (as apostles and prophets,) or per- 
 manent and requisite for the maintenance of the body of 
 Christ in all ages, (as pastors and teachers,) they are all 
 given by Christ. He designed the diversity, he adapted 
 the office to the occasion, and the men to the office. The 
 great object is the same, *' the perfecting of the saints, 
 the building up of the body of Christ;" and the great 
 appointing power is the same : " He gave" them. So 
 that, as certainly as the apostles heard the voice of the Son 
 of God, and knew they were called by him, so certainly 
 
I.] THE MINISTRY A DIVINE INSTITUTION. 5 
 
 docs every real minister of his sanctuary know, that he is 
 called and appointed to his work hy the Spirit of Christ ; 
 and that not merely instrumentally or mediately through the 
 appointment of his people, but directly and positively by 
 the influence of his Holy Spirit, making an intelligible and 
 powerful impression upon his heart to that effect. Hence 
 it is said, in a preceding verse of the paragraph just referred 
 to, *' Unto every one of us is given grace, according to the 
 measure of the gift of Christ." (Eph. iv. 7.) The asser- 
 tion of the Saviour on this point is as pertinent as it is 
 powerful : *' He that entereth not by the door into the 
 sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a 
 thief and a robber." And almost immediately he adds, " I 
 am the door," "I am the door." (John x. 1, 7, 9.) 
 
 It appears, therefore, from a careful consideration of the 
 manner in which the ministers of Christ's gospel were first 
 appointed to their sacred office, as well as from the scrip- 
 tural account of the way in which the ministry, as an 
 institute, was established in the church, that the vocation is 
 of God, and not of human device or invention. 
 
 2. The same conclusion will result from an inquiry into 
 the character of the ministerial office. 
 
 What are Christian ministers? The scriptural answer 
 is, "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did 
 beseech you by us : we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye 
 reconciled to God." (2 Cor. v. 20.) If, indeed, it be 
 questioned whether this passage does not apply exclusively to 
 the apostles, without reference to the ordinary ministry, a 
 moment's consideration will be sufficient to remove the 
 doubt. Timothy is associated with Paul as sending this 
 epistle to the church at Corinth. (2 Cor. i. 1.) The plural 
 pronoun in the text under consideration, therefore, does not 
 refer to the apostles as a body, but to Paul and Timothy : 
 so that the assertion, " We are ambassadors for Christ," is 
 not even made with exclusive reference to the apostolic 
 mission, but includes the ministerial agency which succeeded 
 the apostles. The terms of the assertion justify and con- 
 firm this acceptation of the passage. These ambassadors 
 were charged with the ministry of reconciliation ; which 
 clearly arose out of the ruined state of the world, and the 
 mighty application of Divine Mercy. And both these 
 elements are the same now as in the days of the apostles. 
 The world is still at enmity with God ; and the gospel is 
 still a gracious overture of reconciliation. Every man, 
 therefore, who has been called out of the world, and 
 Divinely commissioned to make a proclamation of mercy to 
 his ruined fellows, is truly an "ambassador for Christ." 
 
 Whose undoubted prerogative, then, is it to appoint an 
 
6 DOCTRINE OP THE PASTORATE. [sECT, 
 
 ambassador, but that of the prince who is to be repre- 
 sented by hira ? This point, clear as it seems when 
 regarded in that aspect, is not left to be elicited from the 
 nature of the appointment : it is distinctly and repeatedly 
 asserted. The apostle, speaking on this subject, is careful 
 to tell us, *' All things are of God, who bath reconciled us 
 to himself by Jesus Christ, mul hath (/iren to us the ministry 
 of reconciliation." (2 Cor. v. 18.) *' Hath given to us :" 
 so that the ministry is the gift of God, immediately com- 
 municated to every one who is sent on this errand of mercy. 
 Consequently, in immediate connexion with the passage 
 already quoted, these ambassadors are called "the ministers 
 of God;" (2 Cor. vi. 4;) and, in other places, "ministers 
 of Christ;" (2 Cor. xi. 23;) their immediate relation to 
 Christ as his servants being thus plainly asserted. 
 
 3. The validity of this doctrine may be further argued 
 from the source of the qualifications necessftry to form the 
 ministerial character. 
 
 The scriptures uniformly speak of the ability to minis- 
 ter as a Divine gift. " I came to you," says an apostle, 
 " not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring 
 unto you the testimony of God. And my speech and my 
 preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, 
 but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." (1 Cor. 
 ii. 1, 4.) "The wisdom of God," revealing things "which 
 God hath prepared for them that love him," is not fathomeJ 
 by "the wisdom of this world:" "But," says the apostle, 
 " God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit." For " we 
 have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit 
 which is of God ; that we might know the things that are 
 freely given to us of God." (Verses 6 12.) Again : "Not 
 that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of 
 ourselves ; but our sufficiency is of God ; who also hath 
 made us able ministers of the new testament ; not of the 
 letter, but of the spirit." (2 Cor. iii. ;>, 6.) Another in- 
 spired .apostle says, " If any man speak, let him speak as 
 the oracles of God ; if any man minister, let him do it as of 
 the ability which God giveth : that God in all things may 
 be glorified through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter iv. 11.) 
 
 The word of God, indeed, clearly asserts, that, in the minis- 
 tering of the gospel, the Holy Spirit is ministered ; and that 
 this ministration arises not from any ordination, or rite, or 
 circumstance employed by the minister, or received necessarily 
 by him from others, but springs out of the spiritual state 
 of the minister's mind, and the spiritual gifts with which 
 he is endowed. " He therefore that ministereth to you the 
 Spirit, dceth he it by the works of the law, or by the 
 hearing of faith?" (Gal. iii. 5.) The proclamation of 
 
I.] THE MINISTRY A DIVINE INSTITUTION. 7 
 
 gospel truth, therefore, when made by ministers whom 
 God has called and qualified, is emphatically spoken of as 
 '* the ministration of the Spirit." 
 
 4. The Divine institution of the Christian ministry is 
 further proved, by the nature and extent of the work which 
 it is intended to accomplish. 
 
 The peculiarities of this work are set fortli in the Divine 
 commission given to St. Paul : "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 sanctified by faith 
 that is in me." (Acts xxvi. 18.) It will be at once admitted 
 that this emancipation of the human mind this turning 
 - of men from Satan to God, this bringing of guilty persons 
 to the experience of forgiveness of sin, and idtimately 
 to the attainment of a heavenly inheritance is a work not 
 only beyond all that the human mind could devise or 
 effect ; it is one which no human intellect or energy 
 can so comprehend, as to originate adequate means 
 for its accomplishment. "Who can forgive sins but God 
 only?" is a question which admits of but one, and that 
 a self-evident, reply. And it will surely be allowed, that 
 even more than this must be included in the power which 
 could plan, and carry into execution, the appointment of a 
 ministry of reconciliation. The object of this institution is 
 set forth in other words : " Christ in you, the hope of 
 glory : whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching 
 every man in all wisdom ; that we may present every man 
 perfect in Christ Jesus." (Col. i. 27, 28.) "And he gave 
 some, apostles ; and some, prophets ; and some, evangelists ; 
 and some, pastors and teachers ; for the perfecting of the 
 saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the 
 body of Christ : till we all come in the unity of the faith, 
 and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect 
 man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of 
 Christ." (Eph. iv. 1113.) 
 
 These portions of holy writ still more fully exhibit the 
 object of the Christian ministry as infinitely beyond the 
 knowledge or the power of man. To "present every man 
 perfect in Christ Jesus," to build up the body of Christ, 
 until " all come in the unity of the faith, to a perfect man, 
 to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ;" 
 this is a work far beyond all human enterprise. It never 
 could have been attempted by the wisdom or the will of 
 man. The grand object of the Christian ministry is, there- 
 fore, either a fiction, and its pretensions a delusion, or the 
 ministry is an institution appointed by God, and maintained 
 in vigour and efficiency by his power. 
 
8 DOCTRINi: OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT^ 
 
 It does not at all militate against this conclusion to nrge, 
 that there are many men professing to be Christian minis- 
 ters, who never appear to aim at these high spiritual objects, 
 and who certainly never afford any evidence that they have 
 reahzed them in their ministrations. This is only to insis^t, 
 upon what every one allows, that men may pretend to be 
 Christian ministers who are neither Divinely called to the 
 work nor qualified for it ; or that even good and real 
 ministers may, in certain spheres of labour, toil for a long 
 time without seeing satisfactory fniit of their ministry. 
 The question is. Are there men who enter upon their work,' 
 avowing this high and holy calling and purpose? Do they 
 declare that they adopt the scriptural model, and stake their 
 character upon the results ? And are these men surrounded 
 by fruits of their ministry, who claim them as their fathers in 
 Christ, and testify to all thtit they are turned from darkness 
 to light, and from the power of Satan unta God, and that 
 they have obtained the forgiveness of their sins? And do 
 such persons, from time to time, pass away by death, rejoicing 
 in hope of the glory of God ? If this be the case, then we 
 have proof positive in scripture and rn fact, th?it the high 
 and spiritual object of the ministry declares it to be Divine. 
 
 A careful consideration of the origin, developement, cha- 
 racter, and qualifications of the ministerial office, as set 
 forth in the New^-Testament scriptures, leads to the con- 
 clusion, that, whatever false claims may be made by hypo- 
 crites, or vain pretenders to this sacred ofllce, the Christian 
 ministry is not an arrangement or device of man, or a 
 profession, the duties of which any man, however gifted, 
 can by the exercise of merely human powers adequately 
 and efficrently perform ; but that it is an ordinance of God> 
 a sacred institution, specially raised up by Almighty 
 Power and Infinite Wisdom, to attest the greatness of the 
 Divine Mercy to mankind, and to be the prominent agent in 
 the salvation of the world. 
 
 As this is an important point, it is necessary to be explicit. 
 In asserting that the Christian ministry i an ordinance 
 of God, it is not merely meant to state that it exists as such 
 by Divine permission, in the same manner as many other 
 distinctions, such as those between the rich and the poor, 
 between masters and servants, between the learned and the 
 illiterate, distinctions which arise out of the general provi- 
 dence of God. The Christian ministry exists not merely by 
 Divine permission as an institution, but by special and imme- 
 diate individual call and endowment. Each man is called 
 by the Holy Ghost to the office ; and is thus placed in 
 immediate relation to Christ, as His ambassador, or minis- 
 tering servant. Each individual is in some measure endowed. 
 
II.] THE MINISTRY SEPARATED AND UNSECULAR 9 
 
 immediately from God, with spiritual gifts expressly fitting 
 him for the work. The Christian ministry is, therefore, 
 in the most emphatic sense of the terms, a Divinely 
 appointed institution. It did not originate in the will, 
 wisdom, or power of man, but in the infinite goodness and 
 mercy of the All-wise God. 
 
 SECTION II. THIS MINISTRY IS, BY DIVINE APPOINT- 
 MENT, SEPARATED FROM ALL "WORLDLY PURSUITS 
 AND SECULAR ENGAGEMENTS. 
 
 Although it is essential to a complete exhibition of the 
 subject to prove the Divine institution of the ministry, 
 this is not, at the present time, the most important, or the 
 most disputed, portion of the scriptural doctrine of the 
 Christian ministry. We live in days when evangelical truth 
 is exposed to the opposite influence of conflicting errors. It 
 becomes us, therefore, to exercise a sound and godly discri- 
 mination, and to defend the truth of God *' by the armour 
 of righteousness on the right hand and on- the left." 
 (2 Cor. vi. 7.) 
 
 Popish error has invested the Christian minister with a 
 false character, and given him superstitious claims. The 
 Christian pastor is by it styled " a priest." And to sustain 
 this absurd title, a pretended sacrifice has been invented, 
 and falsehood and blasphemy have been introduced into the 
 sacred services of religion ; whereas the whole tenor of scrip- 
 ture declares that since " Christ our Passover is sacrificed 
 for us," (1 Cor. v. 7,) ** there remaineth no more sacrifice 
 for sins." (Heb. x. 26.) And as one leading error becomes 
 the parent of a progeny of lies, it has been found necessary 
 to claim for this so-called Christian priesthood the most 
 extravagant and unscriptural powers. These priests are sup- 
 posed to be invested w^ith a professional attribute of perform- 
 ing miraculous acts. They can, as they allege, by pronouncing 
 a certain form of words, actually change a wafer into the 
 body and blood, soul and divinity, of our blessed Saviour : 
 so that the identical body which was born in Bethlehem, 
 which knelt on the Mount of Olives, which sweat blood in 
 Gethsemane, and which died upon the cross, is actually 
 made out of a wafer by the muttering of a Priest ; and then 
 more wonderful still! this new creation of body, soul, 
 and divinity is eaten by him and his credulous flock. Nor 
 is this the only piece of spiritual legerdemain which is put 
 forth by this false system. The minister, that is, the prie&t, 
 is supposed to derive special grace by his ordination, 
 through which he is enabled to do these superhuman acts. 
 On this account he can make a wafer into Christ ; on this 
 account baptism from his hands is sure to be accompanied 
 
 B 5 
 
10 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SEGT. 
 
 by a spiritual work of grace in the heart even of an infant, 
 by which the child is made the subject of regeneration and 
 saving grace. In like manner it is taught, that the Lord's 
 supper, comraunicated by one of these men, certainly minis- 
 ters spiritual grace to the recipient ; and this irrespectively 
 of the moral or religious character of priest or people. More 
 than this, the ministerial power received at ordination is held 
 to be indestructible during the life of the priest. He may sink 
 into the lowest abyss of sin ; may become infidel in senti- 
 ment, and alien in heart from all religion ; yet, Midas-like,, 
 his touch retains its potency. Even should he renounce 
 Christianity altogether as a system of fraud and falsehood, 
 still baptism from his hand regenerates, and the eucharist 
 dispensed by him conveys spiritual life ! 
 
 If these unreasonable, unscriptural, and truly monstrous 
 opinions had been confined to Popery, it would perhaps 
 have been scarcely necessary to refer to them. But, unhap- 
 pily, they are not so. The apostolical-succession doctrine of 
 the Anghcan church is but a new edition of all these claims 
 of ordination and sacramental efficacy. The Christian minis- 
 ter, a priest, *'once a priest, always a priest," baptismal 
 regeneration, and the necessary religious effect of the 
 Lord's supper, rightly administered^ as they say, are echoed 
 throughout the length and breadth of our land, to the 
 amazement of uninstructed common-sense, and to the deep 
 affliction of those who really understand the meaning of 
 God's written word. 
 
 But amazement and sorrow are not the only feelings 
 excited by the constant iteration of these unscriptural 
 dogmas. Sickening of heart, and thorough disgust at such 
 absurd claims, have been induced to a wide extent ; and, as 
 the human mind is always prone to oscillate from one 
 extreme to another, an opinion has been introduced, and has 
 obtained considerable support, that Christian ministers 
 have no scriptural warrant for any peculiar status as a sepa- 
 rate body. Hence it is asked with the utmost confidence. 
 Were not the disciples in general described by the Saviour 
 as *' the light of the world, the salt of the earth?" As of 
 old, (Num. xvi. 3,; it is urged, " Are not the Lord's people 
 holy every one of them?" The ministers, it is freely 
 admitted, are Divinely called to their work, and qualified for 
 the discharge of its important functions. But then, it is 
 contended, so are other Christians specially fitted for their 
 different spheres of usefulness, teachers for teaching, 
 exhorters for exhortation, and others for other rehgious 
 duties. The question of the times, therefore, respecting the 
 Christian ministry, does not so much refer to its Divine 
 appointment, as to the point whether it is thereby separated 
 
II.] THE MINISTRY SEPARATED AND TJNSECULAR. 11 
 
 from all secular pursuits, and required to give undivided 
 devotion to sacred duties ; whether, in fact, the ministry is 
 specially appointed to stand out in distinction from the body 
 of the church, by being removed from all worldly engage- 
 ments and pursuits, and limited in object and effort to the 
 great work of preaching the gospel, and building up the 
 church of God. 
 
 In discussing this question, I will not stay to argue the 
 case with those who place all the spiritual offices of the 
 church, and all its didactic exercises, as of necessity, in the 
 hands of the minister ; who, in fact, make the sacred office 
 a castTe^ into which if a man is once introduced, he can 
 never retire from it, whatever change may take place in his 
 health, his sentiments, or his spirit. It will be sufficient 
 here to declare, that this claim of ministerial prerogative is 
 utterly at variance with the teaching of the Bible. It may, 
 indeed, be questioned which of these fatal errors has inflicted 
 the greatest amount of evil on the church, the reception of 
 the extravagant dogma respecting the peculiar and exclusive 
 right of the minister to exercise spiritual functions, or the 
 kindred sentiment, that it is a violation of order, and essen- 
 tially improper, for lay members of the church to teach, 
 reprove, exhort, and, according to their ability, to afford 
 rehgious instruction and aid to their friends, neighbours, 
 and the public at large. These errors and evils mutually 
 generate each other, and unite to wither and destroy the 
 spiritual efficiency of the religious commuuity among whom 
 they find a place. 
 
 It is, however, necessary and important to show, that it is 
 both the duty and privilege of every real Christian to be an in- 
 strument in the hand of the Great Head of the church in sav- 
 ing souls. This is the very genius of the gospel. " The king- 
 dom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and 
 hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." 
 (Matt. xiii. 33.) As the leaven, imbued with an energy of 
 fermentation, would communicate the same principle to 
 those particles of meal which should come into contact with 
 it, and these, in their turn, would extend the stirring power 
 to others, until the whole should become leavened ; so the 
 men whose minds are imbued with saving grace, are to teach, 
 advise, entreat, and pray for those with whom they have inter- 
 course, until they, converted to God, shall carry on the ever- 
 widening aggression, and the earth shall be filled with the 
 knowledge of the Lord. Such is also the doctrine taught 
 in the parable of the good seed. The same sentiments are 
 inculcated in the first three petitions of the Lord's prayer. 
 
 This duty is, indeed, a prominent doctrine of the New 
 Testament ; and exhortations to its exercise are frequent. 
 
12 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE, [sECT. 
 
 " Exhort one another daily, while it is called To-day.'* 
 (Heb. iii. 13.) " Let him know, that he which converteth 
 the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from 
 death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." (James v. 20.) 
 But le&t it should be supposed, as is sometimes the case, 
 that these inculcations refer to the private communications 
 and influence arising out of social intercourse, and do not 
 warrant the laity to take any part in the didactic exercises 
 of the church, or to conduct any of its services, I will bnefly 
 direct attention to this point ; and, in doing so, will place in 
 an abridged form before the reader what I wrote on the 
 subject several years since. 
 
 The twelfth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians 
 may be referred to, as exhibiting important information on 
 this subject. Here the apo&tle says, *' Now^ there are diver- 
 sities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differ- 
 ences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are 
 diversities of operations, but it is the same God which work- 
 eth all in all. To one is given by the Spirit the word of 
 wisdom ; to another the w ord of knowledge by the same 
 Spirit J to another faith by the same Spirit ; to another the 
 gifts of healing by the same Spirit ; to another the working 
 of miracles ; to another prophecy ; to another discerning of 
 spirits ; to another divers kinds of tongues ; to another the 
 interpretation of tongues : But all these workcth that one 
 and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as 
 he will." (1 Cor. xii. 46, 811.) This diversity of spi- 
 ritual communication having been insisted on, the apostle 
 proceeds to compare the whole to one l)ody, the body of 
 Christ ; and dwells with emphasis upon the utility of every 
 part, so that the foot could not say, ** Because I am not 
 the hand, I am not of the body." (Verse 15.) And thus 
 the whole company of believers at Corinth are said to be 
 "the body of Christ." (Verse 27.) His Spirit and life is 
 the animating principle of the whole ; and all the members, 
 uniting their various powers and functions in harmonious 
 action, mutually contribute to the general good. From the 
 head or the hand, the wisest or most powerful minister, to the 
 weakest and most obscure member, all partake of the same 
 spiritual life ; and a beautiful diversity of influence is exhi- 
 Uted by the combined operation of these various gifts of the 
 Holy Ghost. How diff'erent is this from the clergy-and-laity 
 principle, as exhibited in Popery throughout all its develope- 
 ments ! 
 
 In the fourteenth chapter of this Epistle, the sacred writer, 
 pursuing the same line of teaching, observes, " I would that 
 ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied." 
 (Verse 5.) On this text Dr. Clarke notes, "The word ^sAw 
 
II.J THE MINISTRY SEPARATED AND UNSECULAR. 13 
 
 does not so mucli imply a wish or desire, as a command or 
 permission. As if he had said, * I do not restrain you to 
 prophesying or teaching, though I prefer that/ " From 
 the whole scope of the apostle's observations, it is evident 
 that the rehgious instruction of the Corinthians was not 
 limited to the ministrations of the presbyters, but that all 
 those who were endowed by the Holy Ghost were encou- 
 raged to a diligent exercise of the gifts intrusted to them ; 
 and the members generally were not merely allowed, but 
 desired, to "covet earnestly the best gifts." (1 Cor. xii. 31.) 
 
 But it may be objected, that if these principles are 
 adopted and acted on in the church, they would, under 
 certain circumstances, almost necessarily lead to confusion ; 
 and the same apostle is quoted to show that '* God is not 
 the author of confusion, but of peace." (I Cr. xiv. 33.) 
 All this is freely admitted : such was the case in the church 
 at Corinth. We have, therefore, an opportunity of seeing 
 the manner in which the great apostle of the Gentiles dealt 
 with the application of these principles, when inconvenience 
 had actually resulted from their operation. The members 
 of the Corinthian church were richly endowed with spiritual 
 gifts; but these were not always used with sound judgment, 
 and for the edification of the church. St. Paul wrote on 
 this subject at length ; and what is the substance of his 
 teaching ? Does he say, that as confusion had been pro- 
 duced in consequence of the part which so many had taken 
 in the religious services of the church, therefore none should 
 speak in public but those who had been specially ordained 
 for the purpose ? Does he limit the ministration of the 
 Spirit to one man in each congregation, that order might be 
 maintained ? Nothing of the kind. On the contrary, he 
 says, "Ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, 
 and all m<iy be comforted." (I Cor. xiv. 31.) No prohi- 
 bition is given, except in the case of women, who are not 
 permitted to act as public teachers. But then, what rule 
 does the apostle lay down for the prevention of the con- 
 fusion which he condemned, and for the maintenance of 
 order? He recognises ^'governments'''' as a gift of the Spirit; 
 (1 Cor. xii. 28;) and maintains that "the spirits of the 
 prophets are subject to the prophets;" and that therefore 
 the spiritually-minded teacher, while called to exercise the 
 gift which has been imparted to him, will do so under the 
 direction of him who is by the same Spirit called to govern ; 
 and thus " all things will be done decently and in order." 
 (1 Cor. xiv. 32, 40.) 
 
 But while earnestly contending for the scriptural liberty 
 of laymen to take part in the didactic duties of Christian 
 worship, and even maintaining the necessity of their doing 
 
14 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 SO, in order to conserve the purity, spirituality, and effi 
 ciency of the Christian church, I feel equal readiness to 
 assert, and equal firmness in upholding, the scriptural doc- 
 trine of a separated ministry, as essential to the constitution 
 of a Christian church, and the extension of the kingdom of 
 Christ in the world. 
 
 The separate and unsecular character of the Christian 
 ministry may be inferred from the primitive appointment of 
 the apostles. The great body of the disciples attended the 
 ministry of Christ, and profited by his instruction : but they 
 pursued their usual secular occupations. Notwithstanding 
 their occasional, or even frequent, attendance on the Sa- 
 viour's preaching, each of them provided for his own sup- 
 port : except, indeed, on two extraordinary occasions, on 
 which a multitude had gone so far after their Divine 
 Teacher, as to be deprived of the means of procuring food. 
 In these instances, the merciful Saviour miraculously sup- 
 plied their wants. This exception proves the rule, and 
 demonstrates that the persons who attended the Saviour's 
 ministry provided themselves with the necessaries of Hfc, as 
 they had before done. 
 
 It was not so with the apostles. Their calling required 
 them to abandon their secular occupations. James and 
 John, Andrew and Peter, left their fishing ; Matthew forsook 
 the receipt of custom ; and the others acted in like manner. 
 The apostles, with their Master, had one common fund, out 
 of which their wants were supplied. I am aware that it 
 may be objected, that this arrangement was initial and pre- 
 paratory, and therefore does not warrant the inference, that 
 such shovdd be the case in the church of Christ when its 
 doctrines and constitution were fully developed. Yet it is 
 important to call attention to the fact, that although the 
 position of the apostles, during the life of Jesus, was not 
 precisely that which they were afterwards called to hold, 
 the manner and language of their call showed that the 
 abandonment of secular things, and the required devoted- 
 ness to the service of Christ, were intended to be final and 
 complete. I may instance in the language addressed to 
 Andrew and Peter. " Come ye after me," said the Saviour, 
 "and I will make you to become fishers of men." (Mark 
 i. 17.) These words can scarcely be referred to the course 
 of action pursued by those apostles during their Master's 
 life-time : the terms evidently had regard to their subse- 
 quent career as ambassadors for Christ. We hear nothing 
 of the success of their ministry prior to the day of 
 Pentecost. It was afterwards that they became " fishers of 
 men." This application of the apostohc call is justified by 
 the fact, that if ever the apostles returned to their secular 
 
TI.] THE MINISTRY SEPARATED AND UN8ECULAR. 15 
 
 occupations, it was for a very brief space, and prior to the 
 ascension of Christ. (John xxi.) 
 
 Further light is cast upon this subject by the designation 
 given to the twelve. They were called, ' that they might 
 be with" Christ; (Mark iii. 14;) yet they were styled 
 ''apostles,'' or "persons sent." The appellation did not 
 suit their initiative state : it never would have been given, if 
 their call had mainly referred to the sojourn of these men 
 with the Saviour during his life-time. The term itself 
 proves that the call referred to their going forth into all the 
 world with the gospel proclamation, as ambassadors for 
 Christ. The call to the apostleship was, therefore, a call 
 from all secular engagements to a life of entire consecration 
 and continued devotedness to the cause of the gospel, the 
 salvation of souls. 
 
 But, it is argued, this was not uniformly the case with 
 ministers, nor even with the apostles themselves, who, we 
 are reminded, had frequently to resort to secular pursuits in 
 order to procure a supply of their temporal wants. The 
 assertion may excite surprise, but I fully believe that a care- 
 ful examination of the scriptural record of such cases will 
 supply the most important support to my argument, and 
 the best antidote to the objection. 
 
 I will notice two or three of these cases. " Neither did 
 we eat any man's bread for nought ; but wrought with 
 labour and travail night and day, that we might not be 
 chargeable to any of you." (2 Thess. iii. 8.) " Even unto 
 this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are 
 naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place ; 
 and labour, working with ovr own hands'' (1 Cor. iv. 11, 
 12.) *' Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have 
 ministered unto my necessities." (Acts xx. 34.) The first 
 two of these extracts are taken from letters addressed by 
 St. Paul to the members of two Christian churches ; the 
 last, from an address delivered to the presbyters of Ephesus. 
 On reading such statements, is it not natural to ask, Why 
 does the apostle mention his secular engagements and. 
 labours in this manner? Upon what principle is this 
 pointed reference and precise statement made ? I can con- 
 ceive of no other reason, than that it arose from the 
 acknowledged fact, that the ministerial calling separated 
 men from such occupations. The manner in which the state- 
 ment is made in each instance, shows that it was unusual 
 to unite such toils with the general course of ministerial duty. 
 But, not to rely on this indirect evidence, the New 
 Testament affords the strongest proof of the separate and 
 unsecular character of the ministry. I give prominence 
 here to the language used by Paul when addressing Timo- 
 
3h 
 
 16 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [sECT. 
 
 thy. The circumstances of the aged apostle and of the 
 young evangehst requked, that there should be here nothing 
 ambiguous or capable of a double meaning. The instruc- 
 tions are given to Timothy as a minister, for the purpose of 
 directing him as to the judgment to be exercised in the 
 appointment of other ministers. The apostle says, "The 
 things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, 
 the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to 
 teach others also." And then he immediately adds, *' Thou 
 therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 
 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of 
 this life ; that he may please him who hath chosen him to 
 be a soldier." (2 Tim. ii. 2 4.) No other reference which 
 the apostle could make, would have enforced so powerfully 
 the doctrine under consideration. A soldier is taken away 
 from every business, removed entirely from every profes- 
 sional, commercial, and handicraft occupation, that he may 
 devote his undivided time, strength, and talents to fulfil the 
 behests of him into whose military service he has entered. 
 That this course of devoted action may be prosecuted with- 
 out interruption, he is provided with all necessary support ; 
 so that he entangles himself not M'ith the affairs of worldly 
 business, but devotes himself fully to the interests of the 
 prince under whose banner he has enlisted. And this is the 
 figurative manner in which the apostle most strongly illus- 
 trates the character of the Christian ministry. Timothy, as 
 a minister of Christ, is thus, in the estimation of the apos- 
 tle, set apart from the concerns of worldly business, pre- 
 cisely as a soldier is so separated ; and it is on this account, 
 because he is not called to entangle himself in secular 
 affairs, that it becomes, in a very special manner, his duty 
 to " endure hardness " in this holy service. 
 
 It is impossible that this language can refer to the spi- 
 ritual warfare of Christians in general. For whilst contend- 
 ing with '* principalities, and powers, and spiritual wicked- 
 ness in high places," they are exhorted to be diligent in 
 business, honestly providmg for their own households. 
 Those who neglect this duty are branded with disgrace, as 
 being worse than infidels. (1 Tim. v. 8.) Here, however, 
 we have a character holding a relation to Christ, and occu- 
 pying a position in the church of such extraordinary pecu- 
 liarity, that the person called to sustain it is required to 
 make the same renunciation of all worldly business and 
 secular engagement, as the man who takes upon himself the 
 duties of a soldier in the service of an earthly sovereign. 
 The reason -4'or this isolation from worldly affairs is imme- ' 
 diately added, " that he may please him who hath chosen 
 him to be a soldier." (2 Tim. ii. 4.) 
 
II.] THE MINISTRY SEPARATED AND UNSECULAR. 17 
 
 The history of every nation shows, that men may render 
 essential aid to their country by occasional military service, 
 without forsaking their several secular pursuits. But it is 
 equally certain, that every nation has required the services 
 of men fully devoted to the military profession, and who 
 cannot ** please him who hath chosen " them to this duty 
 without an entire relinquishment of the affairs of worldly 
 business. 
 
 The application of this to the Christian profession is 
 obvious. Every Christian is called, according to his means, 
 to support and extend the kingdom of Christ. Some are by 
 special influence laid under peculiar obligation to teach and 
 exhort : they may be regarded as a sacred militia, called to 
 war for their prince in their own locality, as far as this can 
 be done without an interference with their temporal busi- 
 ness. But Timothy stood in another class. He was laid 
 under solemn obhgations so to devote himself to this war- 
 fare, as that any divided attention or occupation was incom- 
 patible with his duty to his Prince. He was appointed to 
 an office which requires of all called to discharge its sacred 
 functions, that they shall not entangle themselves with any 
 worldly business, but consecrate their entire and zealous 
 service to the spiritual warfare of the kingdom of God. 
 
 The sense which I have above supposed this passage to 
 bear is confirmed, and the doctrine contended for is expli- 
 citly and authoritatively enforced, by the same apostle in 
 another epistle ; where he asks in his own name, and in 
 that of another minister of Christ, " Have not we power to 
 forbear working? Who goeth a warfare any time at his 
 own charges?" (1 Cor. ix. 6, 7.) Here, in a form of 
 speech equivalent to the strongest affirmation, St. Paul 
 contends that the ministerial office with which he and his 
 colleagues were invested, was of such a nature as to offer 
 abundant justification for abstaining from all secular engage- 
 ments ; and asserts, as in the passage previously referred to, 
 that its duties, like those of the military profession, were 
 incompatible with the pursuits of a worldly calling ; and 
 that therefore, as, by common consent, a man did not go a 
 warfare at his own expense, so a minister should be regarded 
 as placed in circumstances which precluded him from the 
 distractions and the emoluments of business, and on this 
 ground entitled to a suitable provision from the church. 
 
 A further and, if possible, stronger confirmation of this 
 doctrine is added, in immediate connexion with the text last 
 quoted. The apostle, changing the mode of illustration, 
 asks, " Do ye not know that they which ifiinistcr about holy 
 things live of the things of the temple? and they which 
 wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so 
 
18 DOCTRINE OP THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 hatli the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel 
 should live of the gospel." (I Cor. ix. 13, 14.) 
 
 The priests and Levites, who, under the Mosaic economy, 
 were separated from the people, and withheld from secular 
 occupations, that they might devote their service, without 
 reserve, to the sacred things of the sanctuary, were provided 
 for at the express command of God : and the inspired apos- 
 tle here distinctly declares, that ministers of Christ are on 
 the same ground entitled to similar provision. In another 
 place, this passage will be referred to, as bearing upon other 
 aspects of our inquiry : here it is regarded as enunciating a 
 positive law, an ordinance of God: '-' Even so hath the Lord 
 ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of 
 the gospel." The man, therefore, who, in obedience to the 
 call of the Holy Spirit, gives himself up to the work of the 
 ministry, is by this ordinance prohibited from seeking tem- 
 poral support by secular labour. To do so, (except in cjise 
 of necessity,) is to take from the completeness, and to 
 detract from the quality, of the offering. Christ requires 
 for the work of the ministry the whole man. The minister 
 is to live for the gospel, and of the gospel. It is his duty 
 to look to this, to teach this, as an ordinance of God. 
 
 But I shall, in all probability, be told, that in taking this 
 ground I censure even the chief of the apostles, and con- 
 demn a course to which Paul himself repeatedly resorted. I 
 do no such thing. I freely admit that Paul at Corinth, 
 Thessalonica, or Ephesus, Brainerd among the Indians of 
 North America, Egede in Greenland, and other holy men in 
 similar circumstances, may lawfully not only make efforts to 
 supply their temporal wants, but may even '* labour, working 
 with their hands." But these cases of extremity, to which 
 good ministers may be reduced by the indiflference of their 
 hearers or the apathy of the church, cannot abrogate an 
 ordinance of God. They may justify a departure from the 
 rule in these particular instances ; but they cannot affect the 
 law of the Divine economy. 
 
 "We have, indeed, a striking proof of this assertion in the 
 conduct of the great apostle of the Gentiles. Often as he 
 had thus laboured to support himself, when did he submit 
 to secular employment without asserting his right to support 
 from the church, his claim to exemption from such toils? 
 If St. Paul laboured to earn bread, whilst engaged in the 
 work of the ministry, he did so under protest. He knew 
 and asserted it to be his Divine calling, to spend and be 
 spent in the ministration of Hfe and salvation. And who 
 does not perceive the evil which this compulsory de- 
 parture from the Divine rule occasioned ? Men wdio would 
 shudder at making their house of prayer a place of mer- 
 
II.] THE MINISTRY SEPARATED AND UNSECULAR. 19 
 
 chandise, by some iinaccoimtabie obliquity do not appear 
 to see this. To my mind it stands out in deep shades 
 in the sacred narrative. Are bricks and mortar more 
 sacred than a sanctified soul ? When I see the man whose 
 mind, stored with all classic learning, rich in mighty intel- 
 lect, animated by a lofty spirit and a burning genius, and at 
 the same time so baptized in the mighty effusion of the 
 Holy Ghost that every power of his spirit thrilled with love 
 to souls, and panted to bring the whole world to the know- 
 ledge of salvation ;- when I see this man, who poured forth 
 a torrent of eloquence on Mars' Hill, who delivered his 
 masterly defence before Agrippa ; the man whose inspired 
 mind produced the Epistle to the Romans, and indited the 
 most splendid essay ever addressed to his Hebrew brethren ; 
 when I see this man stayed in his career of glorious 
 achievement, and wasting his body and mind in malxiny 
 tents, I am constrained to ask. Where is the Christian head 
 or heart that will plead this as a precedent ? No ! it is a 
 dark spot in the history of our faith. Christianity blushes 
 at such a blot on her escutcheon, and, as it cannot be 
 removed, holds it forth as a warning to the church through- 
 out all ages.* 
 
 The whole scope of scripture teaching thus confirms the 
 doctrine, that the Christian ministry is a separated and 
 unsecular order. Ambassadors for Clj^rist are not to be 
 involved in the cares, perplexities, and business of this 
 world. The men specially called to proclaim glad tidings to 
 a world of sinners, are to follow their Master without the 
 camp. The successors of the apostles in object and spirit, 
 purpose and effort, are to justify their high vocation, and to 
 act upon the declaration of their Master, who said of them, 
 " They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." 
 (John -xvii. 16.) The men whose message of mercy is 
 emphatically the world's hope, are taught to regard all 
 earthly things as dung and dross, that they may fulfil their 
 ministry according to the will of God. 
 
 Regarded in this aspect, how beautiful in simplicity, and 
 yet how mighty in power, is the institute of the Christian 
 ministry ! Claiming no exclusive status, as a priesthood, or 
 a caste ; renouncing and repudiating all the unauthorized 
 and unscriptural pretensions which superstition has col- 
 lected, for the purpose of supplying or concealing the lack 
 of real power and sterling evangehcal efficiency ; the Chris- 
 tian ministry stands out a living witness for Christ in the 
 world which he has redeemed. 
 
 * The strength of this remark might be amply justified by consider- 
 ing the case at length; but this is deferred till a future occasion. 
 See pp. 2431. 
 
'^'bl 
 
 20 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 I am not sure that this view of the case lias met with 
 that consideration from the church, to which it is in my 
 judgment entitled. We direct our attention to ancient times, 
 and stand amazed at the amount of preparation, the wide 
 range and colossal power of the means which were called 
 into requisition to prepare the world for the introduction 
 of the gospel: the Mosaic tabernacle, its splendid orna- 
 ments, its sacred vessels, its consecrated service, the 
 priesthood, the glorious Shekinah, the propitiatory, the 
 Cherubim, ail typical of the times, work, and glory of 
 Messiah ; the institute of prophecy, more sublime than all 
 these, although less perceptible to the sense, except when its 
 voice arrested unwilling attention, and poured upon a rebel- 
 lious people a flood of light and blessing from Heaven ; or 
 when the wonders of its miraculous agency attested the 
 abiding verity of Israel's God. All these in the pre-Chris- 
 tian period were Divinely appointed pledges of the world's 
 redemption. Men saw, heard, felt, that an apparatus of 
 mercy was at work for their spiritual benefit. 
 
 But when all these promises had been fulfilled, and these 
 pledges and types had been redeemed, verified, accomplished, 
 in the humiliation, vicariou^sacrifice, and triumphant ascen- 
 sion of the Son of God ; then, although the Holy Ghost had 
 been given, and souls were brought into glorious spiritual 
 liberty, what clear,^ visible, permanent witness for Christ 
 remained in the world ? When there was no propitiatory 
 but that in heaven, on which stood the "Lamb as it had 
 been slain ; " no priest but the Divine Intercessor at God's 
 right hand ; was the world then left to the silent operation 
 of the spiritual leaven, the hidden germination of the seed 
 of life ? Was there then no visible, audible institute, bear- 
 ing evidence alike to saints and sinners, to believers and 
 Heathens, of the presence and power of the kingdom of 
 God? Such an institute was raised. It must be admitted 
 that it possessed no external magnificence. There was 
 nothing in it to elicit the admiration of the learned, or to 
 court the favour of the great. Of humble and imperfect ma- 
 terials, it was reared in the silence of a solitary desert. Yet 
 it was imbued with a principle of vitality and power, which 
 prepared it for exerting an agency mightier than the world 
 had ever felt, for extending its influence to every part of the 
 human family, and for bearing witness for God to mankind, 
 until its testimony shall be lost in the blast of the arch- 
 angel's trumpet. 
 
 The *' eleven,'' not the *' one hundred and twenty," 
 who, impressed with a conviction that Jesus was the pro- 
 mised Messiah, joined the apostles, and continued in their 
 company untU the day of Pentecost, '* the eleven," having 
 
II.J THE MINISTRY SEPARATED AND UNSECULAR. 21 
 
 met their risen Lord by special appointment on a mountain 
 of Galilee, stood with him there. Mark the scene. Here are 
 clustered together a few fishermen from the lake of Tiberias, 
 and two or three others of similar rank. They had been seen 
 with their Master in Jerusalem ; but they had not been 
 missed from the thronged streets of the Hebrew capital. 
 They were of no account in the estimation of the men who, 
 when they smote the Shepherd, saw them as sheep scattered 
 before the power of the oppressor. Yet these eleven poor, 
 illiterate, but clear-headed and sound-hearted, men stand 
 before the Saviour, and Jesus " spake unto them, saying. 
 All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye 
 therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name 
 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : 
 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have com- 
 manded you : and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the 
 end of the world." (Matt, xxviii. 1820.) * 
 
 "We have, in this simple scene, the origin of the greatest 
 institution which the world ever contained, or men ever saw. 
 Jesus, as the incarnate Son of God, asserts his possession of 
 supreme power and dominion in heaven and on earth. He 
 makes his selection, and gives his fiat to his chosen ones. 
 The whole of the attendant circumstances prove, that this 
 was not a communication limited to the apostles personally. 
 They were not destined to remain long on the earth : by per- 
 secution most of them were soon cut off. But this potent com- 
 mission w as designed for the wide world's circumference, and 
 was decreed to operate to the end of time. This was, in 
 fact, the Divine appointment of a sacred and permanent 
 institution, a true and living succession, raised up by 
 Christ to be his great witnessing agent in the world. 
 
 Such is the Christian ministry, selected, chosen, sepa- 
 rated men, endued with the special and abiding presence of 
 the Lord Jesus. Since that day, eighteen hundred years 
 have rolled along ; generation after generation has found a 
 resting-place in the grave ; nations have risen to power, and 
 sunk into oblivion ; cycles of science have been filled ; and 
 human genius has alternately flourished and waned : yet the 
 Christian ministry remains. We have seen it assailed by 
 fierce persecution : we have seen it pour out its blood as 
 water in the conflict. It has been flattered and caressed by 
 secular power ; and individuals have been unfaithful in the 
 day of trial. Men whom God never called have intruded 
 unbidden into the office, and brought dishonour upon the 
 sacred cause : while whole bodies of men professing this 
 holy calling, have either, on the one hand, denied the God- 
 head and atonement of their Saviour, or, on the other, arro- 
 gated to themselves vain and superstitious powers. Yet, 
 
22 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 amid all these proofs that this treasure is placed in earthen 
 vessels, the gospel ministry remains in all the maturity of its 
 strength. Never did its heavenly teaching reach so many 
 millions of souls ; never did the light of its influence aff'ect 
 so many immortal minds ; never did it bear a clearer, 
 stronger, more effectual testimony for Christ in the world, 
 than at this day. Never did it stand out more indisputably 
 as a Divine institution ; never did the presence and power 
 of Christ more signally educe the wisdom and energy of 
 great and good men for the promotion of his kingdom, or to 
 a larger extent overrule their frailty and infirmity, than now. 
 The Christian ministry is set forth before the church and 
 the world as an undoubted ordinance of God. 
 
 SECTION III. THE RELATIVE POSITION OF LOCAL 
 
 PREACHERS TO THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY, CON- 
 SIDERED WITH REFERENCE TO OPINIONS WHICH 
 HAVE BEEN RECENTLY PROPOUNDED ON THE SUB- 
 JECT. 
 
 It is more than probable that many Christian readers who 
 will feel disposed to go with me to these conclusions, will, 
 notwithstanding, hesitate, and inquire as to the status as- 
 signed to those persons who, while acknowledged as being 
 called to preach, are not separated from their worldly pro- 
 fessions, and, conscqusntlji, are not regarded as ministers of 
 Christ. This class of spiritual agency is recognised, to some 
 considerable extent, by several denominations of evangelical 
 Christiana, and especially by the Wesleyan community. 
 
 Whatever may be said to the contrary by papists and 
 ultra-Anghcan churchmen, however they may declaim 
 against the impropriety of laymen taking a part in the 
 sacred services of the sanctuary, and insist on the grace of 
 ordination as essential to an effective proclamation of gospel 
 truth, the following are facts clear and indisputable, and 
 patent to the whole world. 
 
 It is a fact, that almost every denomination of Protestant 
 Dissenters has become so convinced that the practice of the 
 apostolic age, and the express teaching of the New-Testament 
 scriptures, justify the employment of lay preachers, that 
 such persons are regularly appointed, and the arrangements 
 for their reception, labours, and government, are generally 
 made an integral part of the order, legislation, and polity of 
 Christian communities. 
 
 It is undeniable that many persons of deep piety, consi- 
 derable learning, and distinguished ability, act in this capa- 
 city ; and that the labours of this class of agency are crowned 
 with abundant success. Sinners are convinced, penitents 
 obtain mercy, and believers are greatly edified, under their 
 
III.] RELATIVE POSITION OF LOCAL PREACHERS. 23 
 
 word. Their call is of God, their endowment from the 
 Spirit of Christ : nor can any valid reason he assigned, why 
 their labours should not be greatly esteemed, and the men 
 be deservedly honoured. 
 
 It is further unquestionable, that these men, in the prose- 
 cution of their work, labour under great disadvantages. A 
 small number, comparatively, have had the advantage of a 
 liberal education ; perhaps fewer still have access to any 
 thing like a respectable theological library ; while all of 
 them have to attend to their secular concerns throughout 
 the day, and have only the fragments of time that fall to 
 the lot of secular men, in which to prepare for their sabbath 
 exercises. In these circumstances it must require consider- 
 able energy of mind, and great acquaintance with holy scrip- 
 tare and Christian experience, to enable a man to preach 
 with any tolerable acceptance. 
 
 Again : whatever allowance may be made for the influ- 
 ence of an ardent spirit impelling pious young men to make 
 efforts for the benefit of others, and although it must be 
 admitted that such a temperament has led some men into 
 this position who are but ill-qualified to discharge the im- 
 portant duties of the ofiice ; yet, after allowing all this, the 
 work is so laborious, physically as well as mentally, requires 
 so much patient endurance as well as active zeal, that unless 
 a man has the root of the matter in him, and is impelled to 
 action by obedience to Christ and love for souls, it can 
 scarcely be expected that he will zealously persevere in the 
 prosecution of this ta^k. A person, therefore, Avho, with 
 unblemished reputation, pursues his week-day avocations for 
 his temporal support, and continues steadily to preach 
 Christ on the sabbath-day with acceptance and spiritual 
 unction, is a man entitled ^justly entitled to distin- 
 guished love and respect from the church of God. 
 
 The importance of this class of agency to the well-being 
 of a church can scarcely be over- rated. It is a nursery 
 for the ministry. When St. Paul was directing Timothy as 
 to the selection of ministers, he gave him, among other 
 directions, this very important one : " Let these also first be 
 proved." (1 Tim. iii. 10.) Now, if this proving is necessary 
 in any instance, it must certainly be so in respect of that 
 great first duty of ministers, preaching the gospel. But 
 how can a minister *' first be proved " as to his preaching- 
 gifts, ability, success, if none are allowed to preach until 
 they are irrevocably ordained ? The importance of local 
 preachers to the production of an able and efficient ministry 
 is incalculable. Nor is the value of this class of agency less 
 important to the church. The number of local preachers 
 belonging to the Wesleyan community in this country has 
 
v 
 
 24 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 been estimated at fourteen thousand. Suppose that these 
 preach, on an average, one sermon each sabbath : here we 
 have fourteen thousand sermons weekly deUvered to scores 
 of thousands of hearers. And for the far greater portion of 
 this preaching no other mode could possibly be substituted, 
 in the present scanty state of the pecuniary resources which 
 are at the disposal of the church. 
 
 Taking all these particulars into account, every calm and 
 dispassionate Christian will see reason to regard the appoint- 
 ment of lay, or local, preachers, as a very prominent 
 element in that great revival of religion which began in the 
 last century, and which has done so much for the extension 
 of pure evangelical godliness both at home and abroad. 
 
 But in proportion to the sterling worth of an institution 
 is the necessity that it be rightly understood, and properly 
 treated. This is one that can scarcely receive damage, 
 except through the misapprehension of those who sustain 
 the office. External aggression must be impotent against 
 men holding voluntary connexion with a work so Divine in 
 its origin, evangelical in its character, and advantageous 
 in its results to the church of God. 
 
 I am by no means convinced that there is any danger of 
 8uch misapprehension of the nature of their office obtaining 
 amongst Wesleyan local preachers as to justify any serious 
 concern on the subject. But I do think that sentiments 
 have been recently propounded, respecting the scriptural cha- 
 racter and the relative position of the ministry and of local 
 preachers, which render a further investigation of the subject, 
 not only desirable, but necessary. 
 
 It has been maintained that the peculiar glorying of Paul 
 (1 Cor. ix. l;j 18) arose from his steady determination not 
 to receive pecuniary support in return for preaching the 
 gospel ; that, on the contrary, it was a settled rule of action 
 with him to preach, even when compelled to provide for himself 
 by the labour of his hands. It is also argued, that the call 
 of lay preachers in general, and of Wesleyan local preachers 
 in particular, is one with that of the ordained and separated 
 ministry ; and consequently that lay or local preachers 
 stand associated with a pecuhar apostolic glory, and occupy 
 an elevated vantage-ground, when compared with ministers 
 of the gospel who derive their support from the church. 
 
 On the first point the author of a sermon recently pub- 
 lished,* quoting his text, says, "*But I have used none of 
 
 * I may observe here that I refer to Dr. Melson's sermon entitled, 
 "The Apostle of the Gentiles and his Glorying." Nothing is further 
 from my wish and design, than to descend from the consideration of an 
 important scriptural subject into a controversy on subsidiary topics : 
 much less do I desire to come into collision with a gentleman unknown 
 
in.] RELATIVE POSITION OF LOCAL PREACHERS. 25 
 
 these tilings : neither have I written these things, that it 
 should be so done unto me : for it were better for me to 
 die, than that any man should make my glorying void.' 
 Granted the power," the preacher adds, " he denies his wish 
 to avail himself of it. Though compelled to write on this 
 subject, he repudiates the very intention of avaihng himself 
 of it. Nay, he energetically protests he would die first : for 
 this would be to make his glorying void ; and to this noble- 
 minded and generous man, this were worse than dath. 
 What, then," the preacher goes on to say, " was the essence 
 of his xuu^Yjfxex, his 'glorying?' Not that he preached 
 the gospel, but that he might ' make the gospel of Christ 
 without charge.' It was a free gospel, free for all ; and it 
 should he offered freely, free of all expense, as far as he w^as 
 concerned." 
 
 Further on, the preacher asks, " How stands the case in 
 reference to this gratuitous promulgation of the gospel ? 
 Was Paul singular in this respect ? Or was it, as has been 
 alleged, only during a certain portion of his career that this 
 rule obtained?" In discussing these questions, he observes, 
 *' Some have talked and written as if this were an exception 
 
 to me except by name, and one whose character has led me to regard 
 him with great respect. But there are considerations which in my 
 judgment justify my allusion to this published discourse, and call 
 upon me to make some particular reference to its argument in the pre- 
 sent work. Dr. Melson, as well as myself, is an official member of a 
 religious community, many parts of which at the present moment are 
 agitated and torn by heresy and schism. One portion of the attaclcs 
 upon the peace and unity of the body, has been directed against the 
 local preachers, and intended to unsettle their minds, and to persuade 
 them that they are not held in such high estimation as their office 
 and labours demand. At this moment Dr. Melson is called to 
 preach before a Wesleyan Local Preachers' Association, and has among 
 his congregation about three hundred local preachers. These he 
 addresses not merely in their individual capacity, but as the -repre- 
 sentatives of other fourteen thousand. In this sermon, published 
 Immediately afterwards, there are contained opinions and views of 
 scriptural truth respecting local preachers and ministers, which I 
 conscientiously believe to be unsound and dangerous. These are put 
 forward at a time like the present, and addressed directly to local 
 preachers, by a man who had means of acquiring knowledge, and who 
 occupies an elevated station, to which very few of his fellow local 
 preachers can make any approach. Under these circumstances, and 
 while investigating the scriptural doctrine respecting the ministry, I 
 meet with this sermon. I am one of the body specially addressed : I 
 have been a local preacher twenty-seven years : I will yield to no one in 
 love and respect for this office, and for those who hold it. I therefore 
 feel bound to examine the positions put forth, and to show what I 
 believe to be the teaching of the Spirit of God upon the subject. I do 
 this in the earnest hope that my brother local preachers, especially, 
 will ascertain their true position, and labour on in the way of honour 
 and of usefulness to which they are called by God and the church. 
 
26 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [sECT. 
 
 to Paul's general rule and custom." It is then shown that 
 the apostle was not " chargeable " to the Thessalonians. 
 To this quotation is added the opinion of Grotius, that " this 
 was Paul's custom every where." The preacher, recalling 
 attention to his text as exhibiting the case of Corinth, refers 
 to Paul's address to the Ephesian elders, and to other pas- 
 sages alluding to Titus, Sylvanus, Timothy, and Barnabas ; 
 whence it is concluded that they all " acted, or were 
 instructed to act, occasionally or universally, on this prin- 
 ciple, namely, the non-reception of pecuniary contributions 
 to their support." It is not, indeed, asserted that this was 
 the universal apostolic rule ; but the impression is left on 
 the mind of the hearer and reader that it is highly probable 
 it was so. 
 
 I have given, at more length than was at first intended, 
 the substance of this argument and its conclusions. And to 
 these I call the calm and serious attention of the reader. 
 
 Do not these conclusions exhibit a singular contradiction 
 between apostolic preaching and apostolic practice ? In that 
 sermon it is admitted, fairly and fully, that " the law of 
 nature," " the law of Moses," " the dignity and value of the 
 oflfice," " fact and example," not only affirm the lawfulness 
 of a minister's claim on the church for temporal support ; 
 but ** higher reason still, bringing on, above the foundation, 
 the base, and the shaft of this beautiful and highly-elaborated 
 column, the capital of God's own ordinance : ' Even so hath 
 the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should 
 live of the gospel.' The last court of appeal has pronounced 
 in favour of the right, the highest authority has sanctioned 
 the rule, God himself has given the power." 
 
 And is it to be regarded as a settled fact, that a course of 
 action so clearly announced, so fully proved, so explicitly 
 enjoined by Divine revelation, was discountenanced by the 
 uniform practice of the apostles ? Are simple-minded readers 
 of the Bible taught, that an ordinance of God so plainly 
 laid down, and in such entire harmony with the whole 
 scope of scripture teaching on the subject, was systematic- 
 ally and on principle disobeyed by St. Paul? I am free to 
 confess, I feel great difficulty in receiving such opinions ; 
 and am consequently led to examine, with more particular 
 attention, the terms in which the mind of the Spirit is con- 
 veyed to us on this subject. 
 
 Referring, then, to the importanj: passage cited by the 
 eloquent writer just quoted, as "the capital of God's own 
 ordinance," "Even so hath the Lord, ordained ;'' I am led 
 to seek more particularly the precise sense of the term, 
 ^luTo^cra-M, " ordain." It has been said, that by the use of 
 this word " the last court of appeal has pronounced in 
 
III.] RELATIVE POSITION OF LOCAL PREACHERS. 2/ 
 
 favour of the right," "sanctioned the rule/' "given the 
 power." I appeal to every Greek scholar with the utmost 
 confidence, and ask. Do these phrases give the sense of the 
 word found in the original scriptures? This must not be 
 regarded as a case in which it is attempted to raise a doe- 
 trine on an isolated passage of holy writ. In a variety of 
 modes the word of God had clearly laid down the law of 
 the case, and we have here a further and more precise 
 enunciation of the will of God. The terms in which it is 
 conveyed must, therefore, be taken in their strict and proper 
 sense. I feel confident that the term implies an express 
 command. All my critical authorities support this opinion : 
 it is defined as meaning, " to ordain, arrange, establish." 
 Many quotations might easily be given from the Greek 
 classics, in which the word is used in this sense ; and I 
 think it would be difficult to prove that it was ever exten- 
 sively employed to express the giving of a power or license 
 Jto be used or rejected at pleasure. 
 
 I, however, confine my argument to the scriptural sense 
 in which this term is employed. I will cite a few of the 
 passages in which it is found. '* Exact no more than that 
 which is appointed you." (Luke iii. 13.) The word is here 
 rendered " appointed^'' and refers to the amount of tax 
 levied by royal command. The publicans are enjoined not 
 to take more ; they were certainly not at liberty to take 
 less. The word in this passage, therefore, is used to denote 
 an obligatory and imperative law. " Doth he thank that 
 servant because he did the things that were commanded 
 him ?" (Luke xvii. 9.) Here it is translated ^^ commanded -"^ 
 and the scope of the text shows that this is its meaning. 
 The servant was not at liberty to disobey or evade this 
 command : even obedience is not regarded as thankworthy. 
 Again : the word occurs in reference to the Divine appoint- 
 ment to erect the Mosaic tabernacle : " As he had appointed ^ 
 speaking unto Moses." (Acts vii. 44.) It is also found 
 in other places : " Claudius had commanded all Jews to 
 depart from Rome." (xviii. 2.) " The soldiers, as it was 
 commanded them, took Paul." (xxiii. 31.) "He commanded 
 a centurion to keep Paul." (xxiv. 23.) In all these places 
 the word is unquestionably used to signify an ordinance, a 
 command, a law, which is of imperative obligation. Had 
 the centurion simply a power, or right, to keep Paul, which 
 he was at liberty to use or not, as he pleased ? Did the 
 Jews possess any option, when commanded to leave Rome ? 
 Had Moses liberty to build the tabernacle or not, according 
 to his inclination ? Then, I ask. Is the exposition given of 
 the term, in the sermon before us, a faithful exposition of the 
 meaning of the Holy Spirit in the text under consideration ? 
 
 c 2 
 
h 
 
 28 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 Here is a word which is shown to mean obUgatory com- 
 mandment in many passages of holy scripture ; a word 
 which, I feel confidence in saying, is never used in the New 
 Testament merely in the sense of conveying power or 
 licence. Why, then, I am bound to ask, are we to regard 
 it here as referring to a rule, which it is better to break 
 than to keep ? It is certain that no warrant for this liberty 
 is found in the connexion of the text. The inspired writer 
 had said, " Do ye not know that they which minister 
 about holy things live of the things of the temple ? and 
 they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar ? 
 Even so hath the Lord ordained." (1 Cor. ix. 13, 14.) It 
 was not a mere licence or liberty, that the priest should live 
 of the things of the temple : it was the law. There was 
 no portion of the soil left for his occupation ; he was cut 
 off from the means of secular support ; while, at the same 
 time, the sacred vocati(fn of the priesthood was universally 
 considered so much more honourable, that none who held 
 the privilege would descend from its elevation by mingling 
 unnecessarily in the common callings of worldly life. And 
 such is the position of the Christian minister. He is a 
 partaker with the altar : the contributions to his support 
 come from the people as contributions to God, the fruit 
 of sanctified feeling and spiritual thanksgiving. " Even so 
 hath the Lord ordained." 
 
 But I am told, that the practice of the apostle undoubt- 
 edly stands opposed to my argument ; that he did labour 
 with his hands ; and that although " compelled to write on 
 the subject, he repudiates all intention of availing himself of 
 it. Nay, he energetically protests, he will die first.'" But 
 did the apostle never receive such support, while engaged in 
 the proclamation of the gospel ? Is there a doubt on this 
 point? Does he not tell these Corinthians? *'I robbed 
 other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service." 
 Does he not say again? ** When I was present with you, and 
 wanted, I was chargeable to no man : for that which was 
 lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia 
 supplied." And consequently the apostle declares, " No 
 man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia." 
 (2 Cor. xi. 8 10.) To preach the gospel, and inflexibly to 
 refuse contribution from those to whom he ministered, was 
 not, therefore, the uniform practice of the apostle. Nay, 
 he not only received such pecuniary support, but he calls 
 this " ivages." There are two words occurring in the New- 
 Testament Greek scriptures, which are translated ''wages'^ 
 in our version : [ji.ia-dog, which, though occasionally rendered 
 ''wages,'' and "hire," generally signifies "reward:'' and 
 !3\|/cyv<ov, which means the "price" paid for an article in 
 
HI.] RELATIVE POSITION OF LOCAL PREACHERS. 29 
 
 general trade; or the ^^ pay^^ given to soldiers in an army. 
 It is the latter word which the apostle uses to designate the 
 character of the contributions which he had received from 
 other churches. His language is, therefore, the strongest 
 that couM be used, and implies a full recognition, in his 
 own case, of the declaration of the Saviour : " The labourer 
 is worthy of his hire." (Luke x. 7.) 
 
 If any further evidence is necessary to prove that the 
 practice of Paul, in not receiving support from the Co- 
 rinthian church, was an exception to the general rule in the 
 apostolic age, it may be found in another text bearing upon 
 this subject. Speaking of the Corinthians as the fruit of 
 his labours, he maintains his claims to apostleship by their 
 rich experience and spiritual gifts, saying, "Truly the 
 signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, 
 in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. For what is it 
 wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that 
 I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this 
 wrong." (2 Cor. xii. 12, 13.) The apostle here asserts in 
 strong terms the ample proofs which they had received of 
 his apostolic commission, in the wonderful gifts and revela- 
 tions of the Holy Spirit. But he checks himself in this 
 career of glorying, to notice one defect. " For what is it," 
 says he, *' wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except 
 it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive 
 me this wrong." The happy turn of expression here, the 
 point and power of the language, may well merit the high 
 eulogium which Dr. Bloomfield has pronounced on it : but we 
 must not lose the meaning of the Spirit in our admiration of 
 the striking arrangement of terms. One thing is clear, the 
 effect of this passage arises from its truth. The Corinthian 
 church had not contributed toward the support of their minis- 
 ter : it was therefore inferior to other churches which obeyed 
 the ordinance of God. The apostle, taking upon himself the 
 responsibility of this, asks their forgiveness. If it had not 
 been the usual practice, even in apostolic times, for churches 
 to support their ministers, this statement could not have 
 been made. If it had not been generally regarded as the 
 duty of churches to support their ministers, this conduct 
 could not have placed the Corinthians in an inferior position. 
 
 Did the apostle, then, for the sake of indulging a pecu- 
 liar personal glorying, place the object of his care and love 
 in an inferior position ? Certainly not. He explicitly states 
 the reason : It was, said he to them, " to do you service." 
 (2 Cor. xi. 8.) The state of the matter, then, appears to be 
 this : Circumstances connected with the Gentile Christians 
 of Corinth convinced the apostle, that it would be neces- 
 sary, in order to introduce and establish the gospel in that 
 
St^I 
 
 30 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE, [seCT. 
 
 city with the greatest effect, for him to abstain from receiv- 
 ing support from his converts. His glorying, therefore, 
 arose from the fact, that he was equal to the occasion, that 
 he had been able to meet the emergency. He had submitted 
 to voluntary labour and suffering for their sakes, lest he 
 "should hinder the gospel of Christ." (I Cor. Lx. 12.) 
 Seeing, therefore, tl\at this would be the effect of his receiv- 
 ing support from them, he noblv judged that to place his 
 labour and suffering in the balance against the progress of 
 the gospel, would be **to abuse his power in the gospel.'' 
 (Verse 18.) At the same time lie distinctly informs them, 
 that the whole affair resulted in their occupying an inferior 
 position as a Christian church. Hence the force and ele- 
 gance of the irony : *' Forgive me this wrong." 
 
 Still it is possible that some of my readers will feel a little 
 difficulty in reconciling the conduct of St. Paul and other 
 ministers and evangelists, respecting their refusal to receive 
 support from the churches to which they ministered, with 
 the strong terms which they employ while enforcing the 
 support of the ministry as a Christian duty. Probably the 
 true solution of this difliculty, if such it be considered, is to 
 be found in the doctrines and institutions of the system 
 of Heathen religion which at that period was paramount 
 throughout the greater part of the Roman empire, and 
 especially in the Grecian states and colonies. According to 
 that system, an extensive range of sacrifice was recognised 
 as obligatory ; and a numerous priesthood was appointed to 
 superintend and officiate at those sacred rites. But, unlike 
 the priesthood in India and Egypt, neither in Greece nor in 
 Italy did the priests form a separate and distinct caste. In 
 these countries members of the sacerdotal body were, on 
 the contrary, generally allowed to hold any civil or military 
 dignity in addition to that of the priesthood. The sacerdotal 
 office was, however, regarded as one of great rank and 
 honour, and was generally conferred upon persons of wealth 
 and distinction. Nor can I discover that the people in 
 those countries ever contributed to the support of the 
 priesthood. Large sums were frequently spent in sacrifices, 
 and in the presentation of votive offerings to the temples ; but 
 the priests were either maintained from their own resources, 
 aided sometimes by the produce of sacred lands assigned to 
 the temple or the sacerdotal college, or, in particular cases, 
 as in the instances of the Yestal Virgins, the Augurs, the 
 Curiones, and probably some others, by an allowance from 
 the state. But we lierr nothing of voluntary contribu- 
 tions by the people toward the support of the priesthood in 
 the Heathenism of Greece and Home. 
 
 In the promulgation of the gospel, and the rearing np of 
 
III.] RELATIVE POSITION OF LOCAL PREACHERS. 31 
 
 infant churches, therefore, the apostles found the greatest 
 difference between converted Hebrews, and the Gentile con- 
 verts of the Greek and Roman states. 
 
 The former, always accustomed to make pecuniary offer- 
 ings toward the support of their religious institutions, were 
 naturally led, after they had received the Gospel, to appro- 
 priate to the support of the Christian ministry those means 
 which they had previously devoted to the service of the 
 Jewish faith. But in the case of the Gentiles, there w^as no 
 such substratum of religious opinion upon which to build. 
 The great apostle, whose life and labours were consecrated 
 to the evangelization of the Heathen world, had, therefore, 
 in raising Christian churches among them, to execute a task 
 which required at the same time consummate judgment and 
 self-sacrifice. One thing will be universally admitted, that 
 he uniformly declared the whole counsel of God, asserting 
 " that they which preached the gospel should live of the 
 gospel." But then, he found, in a few instances, that if he 
 had immediately acted upon these doctrines, and claimed a 
 provision for himself, it would have retarded the progress of 
 the gospel. Corinth, Thessalouica, at least for a while, and 
 Ephesus were cases of this kind : and when such occurred, 
 the Christian hero endured the privations and the labour 
 consequent upon the infirmity of his children in the faith ; 
 but he taught them their duty, assuring them that while he 
 had in this course obtained special reason for glorying, they 
 had consequently sustained loss of honour, and occupied 
 an inferior position. 
 
 There was, therefore, nothing in this conduct of the 
 apostle to warrant the opinion that he pursued a super- 
 erogatory course : much less does his case countenance the 
 notion that St. Paul in his own person aimed to rise above 
 the ordinance of God, and set an example in this respect for 
 the imitation of the church in all ages. On the contrary, it 
 is evident from the express terms of holy scripture, that 
 the support of the Christian ministry by the contributions 
 of the church was intended to be of permanent and para- 
 mount obligation ; and that Paul himself not only maintained 
 this law by his teaching, but acted upon it, taking wages, 
 where it could be done without damage to the infant church. 
 There is, therefore, nothing in the example of the apostle, 
 when fairly considered, that justifies any departure from the 
 Divine ordinance, in the case of a mature church ; it is, in fact, 
 such a case as could scarcely occur except in apostolic times, 
 or in missions among the Heathen in subsequent times. 
 
 No course is more dangerous to the interests of religion, 
 and the peace of Christian communities, than to address 
 persons, in times of excitement, when a restlessness of 
 
32 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTOR A-fE. [sECI*. 
 
 spirit, or any other operating cause, indisposes them for 
 cool inquir}' and calm reflection, in language which in one 
 sense is unquestionably true, while in another meaning, and 
 that which is the most likely to be popular, it is utterly 
 unsound and unwarrantable. As such I regard an expres- 
 sion used in the sermon on which I am animadverting, where 
 the learned author, speaking of ministers and local preacherff, 
 asserts, " The word is one, the call one.''* 
 
 I have already said enough to justify and maintain the 
 scriptural and religions character of lay or local preaching : 
 but I must take exception to this statement. That there is 
 a sense in which it is perfectly true, I am very free to admit. 
 "The word is one :'* that is, the message, the gospel proclama^ 
 tion, the burden of our preaching, is one. So is "the eall 
 one*' in its origin. Author, nature, and end. It arises in the 
 converted soul through Divine influence ; it is the work of 
 the Spirit of Christ, is living and energetic, and aims at 
 the salvation of souls. In this aspect the call is one. 
 
 But when we scrutinize the meaning of terms, and espe- 
 cially when we inquire what sense the great body of Christianr 
 readers generally, and probably many local preachei*s, may 
 attach to these words, it will presently appear that there is an 
 obvious and popular interpretation in which they may be 
 understood, and in which they are not true. It will be neces- 
 sary, in order to illustrate this, to look more particularly at 
 what is usually understood by the call of a preacher. 
 
 By this phrase we understand, in the first place, a 
 conviction produced by the Spirit of God in the mind of 
 an individual, by which he is assured that it is his reli- 
 gious duty to warn his fello^v-sinners of their danger, and 
 to offer them salvation, by preaching to them the gospel- 
 of Christ. He is Divinely constrained to this course : neces- 
 sity is laid upon his mind by the work of the Holy Spirit. 
 But it is not usual for any person, simply because he is the 
 subject of such a conviction, to take his place among any 
 class of preachers, and enter into the work. It is necessary, 
 in order to this, that his case be considered by the church ; 
 that his religious character and experience be inquired into, 
 his talents for teaching, and ability for the worlc, be tested ; 
 aiKl that he should then, if the issue of all these inquiries 
 prove satisfactory, be called by the church iOf preach as it 
 may appoint. This method of proceeding is in such strict 
 accordance with scripture, and is so fully recognised by 
 evangelical churches in general, and especially by Wesleyan 
 Methodists, that it requires no farther illustration or defence. 
 But then, if these views be correct, it cannot be said, with- 
 out great qualification, that the call of local preachers and 
 that of ministers is one. 
 
III.] RELATIVE POSITION OF LOCAL PREACHERS. 33 
 
 First, in reference to the internal and spiritual call : 
 Although it is admitted that this is the same in its origin 
 and object, it cannot be said that it is in every case iden- 
 tical. It is always the work of the Holy Spirit, always 
 refers to preaching as the great agent in the world's salva- 
 tion, always breathes love to souls, and looks to God for 
 light and power : but does it always produce in the mind a 
 conviction of duty to give up all secular business, and con- 
 secrate all time and strength to the ministration of the 
 gospel ? I think not. When the assertion is made that 
 the call is one, is it designed to convey the idea, that every 
 man of the fourteen thousand Wesleyan local preachers 
 would feel at liberty I mean, in a religious sense to enter 
 upon the work of the ministry ? This inference cannot be 
 intended, as it is directly contrary to all fact and experience. 
 I know a young man who voluntarily relinquished, a very 
 favourite profession, because he felt it to be his religious 
 duty to ofter himself as a Wesleyan local preacher. Yet, 
 when spoken to as to oifering himself for the ministry, he 
 at once said that his sense of rehgious duty did not go to 
 that extent ; and he declined to take a single step in that 
 direction. This is not a solitary instance. I have, indeed, no 
 doubt that there are numerous cases of a different class, as I 
 believe the present number of ministers to be very inade- 
 quate to supply the wants of the church. God has, in this 
 as in other matters, gone before his people ; and many a man, 
 whom God would have made a minister, may have remained 
 a local preacher all his days, because of the narrow-minded- 
 ness of his church. But, notwithstanding this, the great 
 body of Wesleyan local preachers are, I am fully persuaded, 
 satisfied that they are in the place which the Great Head 
 of the church has assigned to them. They feel that they 
 are where they ought to be, and are engaged in doing what 
 they are called to do. 
 
 Am I told, then, that the ministry has no higher call ? that 
 those fully devoted to it enter on their separate and conse- 
 crated course from motives of worldly prudence or gain ? No ; 
 this is not said ; 1 believe, no rehgious man entertains the no- 
 tion. Then the call is not one. The Spirit of God has made a 
 difference. It has said to one man, *' 'Work in my vine- 
 yard,' as sabbath-day opportunities offer ; " while in respect 
 of others, as in the case of Barnabas and Paul, the Holy 
 Ghost says, ** Separate me this man." The Divine, spiritual 
 call is not," therefore, the same in all cases. 
 
 If, indeed, it is maintained, that a religious impression 
 made on the mind of an individual,* that it is his duty to 
 preach, is equivalent to a call to the ministry ; and that any 
 scruple on the mind of the party must be regarded as an 
 
 c 5 
 
\^. 
 
 34 DOCTRINE or THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 infirmity or eccentricity ; I reply, that the notion is unsup- 
 ported by scripture and by fact, and is, in my judgment, 
 most unreasonable and most pernicious. The range of 
 labour, the extent of duty, and, in many respects, the quali- 
 fications for the offices, differ so greatly, that it seems a 
 strange demand on our faith to require us to believe that a 
 great number of men are constantly being called to a work 
 on which it is certain that no more than one in ten of them 
 can ever enter. 
 
 But even if all this be conceded, nothing is really gained 
 by those who assert the identity of the call. The distinc- 
 tion between a ministry fully devoted to the service of 
 Christ, and supported by the church as an ordinance of 
 God, and lay teachers and preachers who still pursue their 
 worldly avocations, principally confining their religious efforts 
 to the sabbath-days, still exists in the church, and has 
 always existed. Whence does this arise? Those who say 
 that the internal and spiritual call is the same in all 
 cases, will, I presume, reply, that the difference is the 
 "^'esult of church order, of ecclesiastical arrangement ; that 
 the judgment of the chm'ch assigns to each man his posi- 
 tion, and course of duty. Be it so : but then, upon what 
 ground is this judgment formed ? and what is its character ? 
 Is it not, in this instance, the mature opinion of the lay 
 oflicers and ministers of the church respecting the internal 
 call and qualifications of individuals who come before them 
 for examination in that respect ? The true character of tlie 
 judgment and action of the cliurch in this case, therefore, is 
 that of a public and authoritative recognition of this call and 
 of these qualifications, and a consequent appointment of the 
 party to a suitable sphere of duty. 
 
 Take the case of the Wesleyan ministry. A man has 
 laboured in an acceptable and useful way as a local preacher ; 
 but he is not on this account regarded as certainly called to 
 be a minister : his case must come before tw^o other tribunals. 
 The qura-terly meeting of his circuit must approve him as a 
 candidate for the ministry, and the district meeting, after exa- 
 mination, must recommend him as such : and if, after years 
 of probiition, his conduct and ability justify this judgment, 
 he is then publicly set apart to the ministry, and publicly 
 and solemnly recognised as a minister by ordination. In all 
 these processes it is the duty and, I have no doubt, the 
 desire of all parties concerned, to ascertain and to carry into 
 effect the Divine will, as indicated by the spiritual call of 
 the party, and manifested in his grace, gifts, and fruits. 
 
 So in the case of a local preacher. He is recommended, 
 examined, tried, and accepted as a local preacher ; and is by 
 this act recognised as a man called of God to preach, and 
 
III.] RELATIVE POSITION OF LOCAL PREACHERS. 35 
 
 by suitable gifts adapted for spiritual usefulness in that 
 capacity ; and no more than this is implied in his recogni- 
 tion. 
 
 Now, regarding all these proceedings as carried on in a 
 spiritual body simply and sincerely desiring to do the Divine 
 will, and seeking to act under the gracious guidance of the 
 Great Head of the church ; when we see two several spheres 
 of duty suppUed with men in this regular and systematic 
 manner, every step being taken with reference to a Divine 
 call and qualification, and yet issuing in placing one man as 
 a local preacher, and separating another for the work of the 
 ministry ; how can it be said, " The call is one ? " Is it 
 understood, when a man is received as a local preacher, that 
 he is recognised as having a call to the ministry ? Is not 
 the very reverse the fact 1 Are not the great majority of 
 local preachers received, and rightly received, because they 
 are regarded as called and qualified for the limited sphere of 
 religious duty devolving on them in that capacity 1 Is there 
 a circuit in England where the quarterly meeting would 
 recommend the whole list of its local preachers as candidates 
 for the ministry 1 I mean, of course, supposing their age 
 and health offered no obstacle. I am confident such a case 
 does not exist. Are there not local preachers in every circuit, 
 received and recognised as such, whom the circuit would not 
 receive and support in the character of ministers 1 And why 
 not ? Clearly because it is the settled judgment of the Wes- 
 leyan Connexion, and of evangelical churches generally, that 
 men are divinely called and spiritually qualified for acting as 
 local preachers, who are neither called nor qualified for the 
 more extended sphere of ministerial duty. And it must be 
 remembered that this distinction does not arise out of a 
 difference of intellect, or piety, or acquirement ; but, pro- 
 perly speaking, out of a diflference in the call. Many a local 
 preacher ^can be found of intellect and piety and acquire- 
 ments equal to those of some in the ministry : yet he is 
 not called to that office either to the satisfaction of his own 
 mind, or to that of the brethren with whom he acts. 
 
 How, then, can it be said, that "the call is one ?" Does 
 the common-sense Christian judgment, does the unanimous 
 verdict of the church, draw this strong line of distinction 
 between the vocation of the parties, and is there nothing 
 analogous to it in the will and purpose of the Great Head of 
 the church ? I think this cannot be seriously maintained. 
 I presume it must be admitted, that in a sound and healthy 
 church, living and progressing under the smile and by the 
 grace of Christ, the influence of the Holy Spirit, working in 
 the hearts of devoted men, and caUing them to spheres of 
 spiritual usefulness, will generally speak in harmony with 
 
36 DOCTRINE OF THF PASTORATE. [sECT 
 
 the same Divine influence gaicTing and iTiling in the minds 
 of those who are intrusted with the government of the 
 church. It is only by realizing this idea, that we really 
 participate in the sovereign rule of Christ in his own l^ing- 
 dora, and receive our portion of that Divine administratioir 
 by which *' He gave some, apostles ; and some, prophets ; 
 and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers ; for 
 the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, 
 for the edifying of the body of Christ/' (Epb. iv. 11, 12.) 
 
 The conclusion to which we are thus condncted is this, 
 that while the scriptural right of local preachers to hold 
 forth the word of God, and to labour for the conversion of 
 sinners, and the edification of the church, is indefeasible and 
 Tindeniable, their calling can only be regarded as commensu- 
 rate with their office and duty ; and differs from that of the 
 ministry, as the one office and sphere of duty differs from 
 the other.* 
 
 From the false premisses which I have endeavoured tcv 
 unravel and refute, it has been concluded, that local preach- 
 ers, because they receive no pecuniary remuneration for 
 preaching, occupy a similar position to that of the apostle ; 
 and are therefore partakers of his special and peculiar glory- 
 ing, and occupy a vantage-ground when compared with 
 ministers of the gospel who derive their temporal support 
 from the church ? 
 
 If what has been already said respecting the Divine ordi- 
 nance which enjoins ministerial support, and respecting the 
 true character of the calling of preachers, be fairly consi- 
 dered, it will suggest many and weighty ohjections to this 
 unsound opinion, which is so opposed to scriptural truth 
 that it merits special consideration. 
 
 I would, first, call serious attention to the inquiry, whe- 
 ther, in this age of mature Christianity and estabHshed insti- 
 tutions, it is lawfnl for any minister to copy the apostle in 
 refusing the contributions of the church towards his sup- 
 port ? I do not, of course, i-efer to persons engaged in any 
 missionary enterprise either in Heathen lands, or in any des- 
 titute part of our own country ; but to the ordinary course 
 of ministerial duty in this country. Is it, for instance, 
 cither lawful or expedient for a Wesleyan minister to release 
 the churdi for which he labours from the obligation to sup- 
 port him, and to abstract, as a matter of course, sufficient 
 
 * I here purposely omit, as nnsuitable to my argument, all reference 
 to those who, called to the ministry, are urjaithful to that call, by 
 refusing to relinquish their worldly business, and to take upon them 
 that sacred office ; and also those who, called and willing to obey, are 
 not employed in consequence of the apathy or covetousness of the 
 church. 
 
III.] RELATIVE POSITION OF LOCAL PREACHERS. 37 
 
 time and strength from his sacred duties, to earn his own 
 subsistence ? Supposing, for the sake of argument, there 
 was no connexional regulation to prevent it, would this be 
 any improvement or advantage? Would it be scripturally 
 warranted ? To make this matter clear, let me inquire, 
 
 1. Whether it is not an established ordinance, a perma- 
 nent appointment of God, "that they which preach the gos- 
 pel should live of the gospel?" (1 Cor. ix. 14.) On this 
 point I have already written what I regard as sufficient to 
 establish the literal sense of the text, as containing an expli- 
 cit and obligatory command. If this be so, does not the 
 minister who of his own mere will refuses to receive the 
 usual support from the church, and, as a consequence, 
 abstracts from his sacred duties sufficient time to earn his 
 own livelihood by labour, thereby virtually abandon the 
 work of the ministry? Is there an enlightened and reli- 
 gious body of men any where who would recognise such a 
 man as their minister? I do not think such a people can 
 be found who would, by such a pitiful saving, descend to 
 the inferior position to which the apostle so pointedly 
 refers. This is so evident, that those who advocate the 
 views against which I contend, are compelled to say, 
 " Where the case requires it, it is lawful and praiseworthy." 
 And I consequently infer, that where the case does not 
 require it, such conduct is unjustifiable, and a flagrant 
 infraction of an ordinance of God ; and the minister who, in 
 such circumstances, '* entangleth himself" in worldly affairs, 
 thereby desecrates his sacred office. 
 
 What must be the consequences of such conduct in the 
 church? is a question worthy of very serious consideration. 
 It is said, in the language of the Saviour, " It is more blessed 
 to give than to receive." But this can only be true where 
 there is actual need on the one hand, and ability on the 
 other. I appeal to the sober judgment, the honest candour, 
 the Christian common sense of Englishmen, Which is the 
 want of our country, as it respects the gospel ? is it money- 
 saving? oris it ministerial labour, evangelical effort, and pas- 
 toral care ? Let the best and dearest interests of our land, our 
 souls and our children's weal, be fairly estimated ; and is it 
 more blessed to allow us to save a few shillings each in the 
 year, and to lose a great amount of evangelical exertion and 
 ministerial attention ? I say most deliberately, that such a 
 blessing would be the greatest curse that could be inflicted 
 on our country. It is, then, not blessed to countenance 
 or encourage in any way the diminution of contributions 
 toward the support of the ministry. For, notwithstanding 
 the increase of evangelical ministers during the last few 
 
38 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 years, it is universally admitted, that the present number is 
 far too small to supply what is necessary for the evangehza- 
 tion of the land, and the pastoral wants of the church. 
 
 On every ground, therefore, it is demonstrable that the 
 present state of the British churches is not such as to war- 
 rant, much less to call for, any general exception to the ordi- 
 nance of God, " that they which preach the gospel should 
 live of the gospel." If, then, local preachers stand in 
 this respect on any vantage-ground above ministers, it 
 is not the fault of the latter. In obedience to the call of 
 God and of the church, these have relinquished all worldly 
 affairs, and consecrated all their time and strength to the 
 cause of God ; and, in compliance with his ordinance, they 
 receive in return a supply of their temporal wants. If this 
 implies disadvantage, or involves them in discredit, it must 
 be by the direct operation of the Divine ordinance. And I 
 think, men of correct taste and sound feeling will question 
 the propriety of any vauntings or exultations, come from 
 what quarter they may, which even by implication shall 
 throw dishonour or reproach upon men who are quietly pur- 
 suing their allotted line of labour, and fulfilling their Divine 
 vocation. 
 
 But it is alleged that local preachers in the Wesleyan 
 body occupy a position similar to that which gave the apos- 
 tle Paul occasion for his glorying. They are '* exultingly" 
 pointed out as imitators of the apostle, to the number of 
 fourteen thousand, throughout the length and breadth of the 
 land. I trust few of my brethren will be deluded by this 
 sophistry. It has been ah-eady shown that the case of an 
 apostle engaged in the evangelization of a Heathen people, 
 is altogether different from that of a minister in a Christian 
 country. It has also been proved that the calling of a local 
 preacher differs from that of a minister. I will now pro- 
 ceed to point out, apart from all opinion or theoretical argu- 
 ment, that the practice and the work of local preachers 
 form no ground for this claim, but, on the contrary, afford 
 a powerful refutation of it. 
 
 According to the case set up, local preachers are placed 
 before the church and the world as imitators of St. Paul. 
 The lamentation of Erasmus having been quoted, to the 
 effect that the example of St. Paul has now no imitators, 
 the preacher exclaims, *' Were the shade of the mighty 
 Erasmus here, I would have pointed exultingly to these 
 three hundred representatives of fourteen thousand men, 
 who, throughout the length and breadth of this land, are 
 employed on the Lord's day, and on other days too, * feed- 
 ing the flock of God which is among you, taking the over- 
 
III.] RELATIVE. POSITION OF LOCAL PREACHERS. 39 
 
 sight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for 
 filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.' "* 
 
 I doubt whether many Wesleyan local preachers will 
 feel quite easy at this challenged comparison of their course 
 of labour with that of the great apostle : it is, however, 
 placed before the church and the world with so much confi- 
 dence, with such an air of triumph, that it must be exa- 
 mined. 
 
 The course of sacred labour adopted by St. Paul in obe- 
 dience to the command of Heaven, in which he persevered 
 under every discouragement and in the presence of every 
 opposition, with unexampled energy and zeal, had one sim- 
 ple, but sublime, object, to preach Christ where he had not 
 before been kuown. It was his noble purpose to descend 
 into the deepest darkness of Heathenism, to challenge 
 the superstition, immorality, folly, and error of Greek and 
 lloman polytheism on the threshold of the imperial throne, 
 and in the presence of the proudest and most powerful 
 patrons of this iniquity. His ruling motive in all this was 
 not vain glory ; wealth and fame he alike contemned : he 
 loved the souls of the people for Christ's sake, and spent his 
 labour and his life " to turn them from darkness to light, 
 and from the power of Satan unto God." (Acts xxvi. 18.) 
 
 For the accomplishment of this purpose, the apostle 
 abandoned all his former associates : he sacrificed rank, 
 honours, and every means of acquiring reputation and wealth. 
 Nor were these sacrifices made by a man in difficulty and 
 obscurity. He did not profess to renounce what he had 
 never attained, or to relinquish that which he had never 
 held. When the apostle started on his career of labour and 
 suffering, he occupied a proud and influential position, high 
 in respectability, and in the favour of the elders and rulers. 
 As far as his temporal condition was concerned, he had 
 every thing to hope from the world, every thing to lose by 
 devoting his life to the spread of the gospel. Yet, in these 
 circumstances, he deliberately and voluntarily entered upon 
 a course of labour and danger, of which he gives the follow- 
 ing outline. Speaking to the Corinthian church, which 
 contained many local preachers, he says, " We are fools for 
 Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ ; we are weak, but 
 ye are strong ; ye are honourable, but we are despised. 
 Even unto this present hour, we both hunger, and thirst, 
 
 * Nothing that I have seen or heard, even in these exciting times, 
 has given me so much pain as the scandalous insinuation contained in 
 the close of this extract, that Wesleyan ministers do not labour to 
 save souls, but for filthy lucre. If the words do not mean this, they 
 mean nothing. Yet I cannot believe that this was the intention of the 
 doctor. While, therefore, I lament the indiscretion, I will not expose 
 or reply to the apparent malignity. 
 
40 DOCTRINE OP THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwell- 
 ing-place ; and labour, working with our own hands : being 
 reviled, we bless ; being persecuted, we suffer it ; being 
 defamed, we entreat : we are made as the filth of the world, 
 and are the off-scouring of all things unto this day." 
 (1 Cor. iv. 10 13.) Nay, more than this: beneath this 
 depth of toil and suffering there is a lower deep. The 
 apostle writes further, in his Second Epistle to the same 
 church, ** Are they ministers of Christ ? (I speak as a 
 fool) I am more ; in labours more abundant, in stripes 
 above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of 
 the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 
 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I 
 suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep ; 
 in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, 
 in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the Heathen, 
 in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in 
 the sea, in perils among false brethren ; in weariness and 
 painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in 
 fastings often, in cold and nakedness." (2 Cor. xi. 23 27.) 
 
 When the reader has traced in his mind this accumula- 
 tion of privation, toil, and suffering, he will very naturally 
 ask, "Where is the man who challenges a comparison with 
 Paul ? Who are the men that claim to stand as ' imitators ' 
 of him, and to share his glorying?" One man (and, I 
 think, but one) claims this dignity for Wesleyan local 
 preachers. The question, of course, next arises, " On what 
 ground is this claim made ? By what evidence is it sus- 
 tained ?" It is not because the local preacher renounces his 
 status in the world, or relinquishes his opportunities of 
 acquiring honour or wealth. It is not because friends are 
 sacrificed, his home forsaken, or persecution endured by 
 him. It is not, indeed, denied that the duty of a local 
 preacher is such as to involve considerable labour, and some- 
 times even painful mental exercise. While others, too, 
 enjoy the sabbath as a day of rest, he very frequently finds 
 the toil and weariness of that day to be the greatest of all 
 the seven. 
 
 But while all this is fully and frankly admitted, what is 
 there in his case to justify his claim to be an imitator of the 
 apostle? We see among local preachers gentlemen, mem- 
 bers of the learned professions, merchants, tradesmen, who 
 pursue their caUing without losing any of their respect- 
 ability, or abating one jot of their opportunities of acquiring 
 distinction in the world, or of obtaining a good provision 
 for their families. Here, too, we find respectable artisans, 
 mechanics, and labourers, who, instead of losing aught by sus- 
 taining this character, are not unfrequently benefited by the 
 
in.] RELATIVE POSITION OF LOCAL PRKACHERS. 41 
 
 prestige which their position as local preachers gives them. 
 There is, in fact, but one point of resemblance in the whole 
 range of character sustained by these parties : the local 
 preacher receives no pay for his sabbath^darj services. This 
 is all. 
 
 Who does not see that although no Christian miuister 
 of the present day would make such a claim, he has far 
 more reason for doing so than any local preacher has? 
 He does renounce all hope of gain ; he gives up all chance 
 of advancement in the world, all possibility of laying up a 
 fortune for his children. He devotes himself to the gospel. 
 This is, after all, the principal point. The apostle lived and 
 laboured, travelled and suffered, to preach the gospel where 
 it had never before been heard. If he laboured with his 
 hands to obtain food, it was that he might live to preach : 
 this was the one object of his life. But the local preacher 
 does not imitate him in this : for, however deeply interested 
 in the cause of God he may be, it is his first duty to pro- 
 vide for himself and his family. In his efforts to this end 
 he is not limited to the mere necessaries of life : if he has 
 opportunity, he goes beyond this boundary, and makes some 
 better provision. He is debarred from doing this by no 
 religious law or principle : he acts properly in thus acquiring 
 the means of maintenance : but then it stands confessed, 
 that to whatever peculiar glorying the apostle was entitled, 
 to it the local preacher can have no claim. 
 
 It is scarcely possible to carry absurd pretension beyond 
 what has been done by Popish and Anglican churchmen in 
 their so called " apostolical-succession " scheme. But what 
 is it that so strikingly demonstrates the unreasonableness of 
 these pretensions? Just this, that one end of the pre- 
 tended succession has no resemblance to the other, nothing 
 in common with it. I trust we are not to have this folly 
 repeated. Divinely called to their work, evangelical and 
 truly useful as the Wesleyan local preachers are, they 
 must greatly err, before they will claim to participate in the 
 special glorying of the apostle, on the ground of any simi- 
 larity in their work to his labours, sacrifices, and sufferings. 
 The apostle gave up an admitted right, for the benefit of the 
 church : the local preacher was received as such on the 
 express understanding that he was to have no pecuniary 
 recompence. The apostle was entitled to support from the 
 church, and could have obtained it : the local preacher has 
 no claim to support, nor does it he within his reach. Is it 
 wise, then, to dem.and such glory for relinquishing what was 
 never offered, and what considering that the sabbath 
 labours of a local preacher do not in any measure hinder 
 him from earning his living, or even prevent his advance- 
 
It- 
 
 42 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [sECT. 
 
 merit in the world he has no reasonable risrht to claim or 
 
 o 
 
 expect ? 
 
 It is to be lamented that there should be any necessity 
 for argumentation of this kind. It is alleged that ministers 
 speak slightingly of the services of local preachers :* and in 
 return a claim is set up which places the local preachers far 
 above the ministry, and invests them with glory as special 
 imitators of St. Paul. All this is wrong. It would be 
 unworthy our high calling and godly object at any time : 
 but now, w^hen infidelity is raging without, a wild and 
 lawless spirit rampant within, fatal error sapping the foun- 
 dation of our national faith, and Popery thundering on every 
 side, now this uncalled-for schism in the body is insane. 
 
 In speaking thus, 1 do not by any means imply that this 
 evil has spread widely. I trust, if any, few, very few minis- 
 ters or local preachers are thus influenced ; but the promul- 
 gation of error is like the letting out of water. The word 
 and Spirit of God, however, exhibit a system of beauty, 
 harmony, and efficiency. And whatever frailty may be 
 evinced by individuals, Methodism works out in an eminent 
 manner this glorious system. Here the head cannot say to 
 the hand, "I have no need of you:" nor the hand to the 
 foot, " I have no need of you.'* Here tract-distributors, 
 visitors of the sick, Sunday-school teachers, leaders, local 
 preachers, ministers, form a compact and powerful body, 
 knit together in Chiist, and growing up into Him. The 
 want of the church, the need of the times, is, that a mightier 
 influence from Heaven may pervade all these classes of 
 agency ; that all may live the gospel, and maintain its 
 glorious truth, and spread its saving influence through the 
 world. But, in order to this, there must be harmony of 
 action. And as to the last-mentioned classes of whom I have 
 particularly to speak, there cannot be the slightest reason 
 
 * 1 have no wish to intrude into high places, and to attempt to 
 arbitrate between learned doctors ; but I cannot avoid a remark on the 
 attack which Dr. Melson makes upon a passage in the ex-president's 
 sermon before the Conference, Upon this I observe, that the passage 
 occurs in a section in which the reverend preacher was treating of the 
 ministry as a separated body supported by the church ; and the words 
 in question speak of secular men, not as fulfilling the duties of local 
 preachers, but as supposed to hold the position of ministers and pastors. 
 No one will more readily admit than the preacher of that sermon, that 
 the pulpit discourses of many local preachers are as fully imbued with 
 the Holy Spirit, and as rich in unction, as those of any ministers : nor 
 can it be denied, on the other hand, that the commercial relations and 
 secular engagements of men of business must form a standing objection 
 against their sustaining the office of ministers and pastors. Dr. 
 Melson's walk in life may be too elevated for him to have cognizance 
 of this fact : but men engaged in trade know, feel, and admit it, and 
 rejoice that they have an unsecular and spiritual pastorate. 
 
IV.] PERSONAL PIETY OF MINISTERS. 4,1 
 
 for any difTerence of opinion, much less collision of feeling, 
 between them. Local preachers are honoured by God and his 
 church with a call to preach his gospel for the salvation and 
 edification of souls. Whoever impugns the efficiency of 
 their labours in this respect, sine no less against the Wes- 
 leyan system, than against charity and truth. The minister, 
 called away from every secular engagement, is taken out of 
 worldly care, to live for Christ and his church. His work 
 is most onerous, his difficulties grccit, his calling the highest 
 which a human being can sustain. All are the objects of 
 his care and love : all are bound to tender him warm, 
 constant, unfailing support. 
 
 But in order to a just apprehension of this principle, it is 
 necessary that we carefully consider the responsibihties of 
 the Christian ministry. 
 
 SECTION IV. THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER MUST EVINCE 
 
 A SPIRITUAL AND BLAMELESS- CHARACTER, AND 
 
 MANIFEST IT ESPECIALLY IN HIS CARE OF THE 
 CHURCH. 
 
 The first requisite for a Christian minister is a personal 
 and saving acquaintance with the gospel. He who would 
 administer the truth of God, must understand it : he who 
 would enforce its sacred claims, must first submit to them. 
 It seems trite and common-place to repeat such axioms : 
 yet it is necessary, Alas ! how fearfully have they been 
 forgotten, how greatly departed from I How many, in 
 every age of the church, have taken upon themselves the 
 office of teachers, when they have been ignorant of the first 
 principles of the gospel of Christ ! This is strongly insisted 
 on by St. Paul, in his directions to Timothy : " Be thou an 
 example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, 
 in spirit, in faith, in purity." (1 Tim. iv. 12.) Timothy had 
 first acquired saving faith, and experienced pardoning mercy 
 and renewing grace : but this did not meet the full wishes 
 of the apostle : he was to be an example of the believers. 
 Others had believed also, and he had to teach, to train, to 
 guide them. The word in the original, which is here ren- 
 dered *' example," is tuttoj, from which our term *' type " is 
 derived ; and it has a similar meaning in the Greek. The 
 sense is, therefore, that Timothy was required to possess in 
 himself such an exact accordance with the Divine Yfiil in 
 respect of all this wide range of character and action, that 
 he might exhibit a perfect likeness of the heavenly model, 
 and that with such truth and energy as to impress it on the 
 mind and life of his people. He is to live as if every eye 
 was turned to hioa as a type of Christian character and grace. 
 It must never be forgotten, that this is amongst the first 
 
\v 
 
 44 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [sECT. 
 
 and most serious of the responsibilities of a Christian minis- 
 ter. It is not enough that he preaches the truth with great 
 abihty : his hfe must preach. He must be the ti/joe of a 
 pure and vigorous godhness in word, general conversation; 
 conversation, entire deportraept ; charity, universal bene- 
 volence, more particularly evinced in Christian love toward 
 the brethren ; in spirit, in the government of the passions 
 and mind, in a meek disposition ; in faith, a firm un- 
 shaken confidence in God, even in times of great trial and 
 peril ; in purity, in chasteness of life, perfect propriety of 
 demeanour in all intercourse with the other sex, the entire 
 absence of every thing likely to provoke scandal. In all 
 these respects the minister is called to be all that his flock 
 should be ; and that with such might of spiritual influence 
 as to imprint this type upon his flock. The minister is 
 responsible to God for the maintenance of this character. 
 
 To this point the attention of the church should be more 
 than ever turned. It is the worst of policy to legislate for 
 ministers by restrictions, limitations, and fetters, as if they 
 must be presumed to be bad men. On the contrary, the 
 entire economy of the church should be directed to secure 
 good men for the office, men "full of faith and the Holy 
 Ghost ; " men who will give a godly and scriptural type to 
 the people in their own character and conduct. I may 
 observe, in passing, that this object will not be promoted by 
 a captious and cavilling spirit. Ministers must be treated 
 as men, men who have inclinations, besetments, tempta- 
 tions, in common with others. But then this godly wisdom, 
 and love, and purity, ought to be expected, and should, in a 
 kind and Christian manner, be required, of a minister. 
 
 But, further : the minister is not called to exhibit this 
 character merely as a model specimen of Christianity. He 
 is to evince it in a zealous course of action, directed to the 
 building up of the church, and the salvation of men. I 
 have already stated my reasons for believing that the apos- 
 tolic com.mission, (Matt, xxviii. 19, 20,) by the express 
 terms used by the risen Saviour, included the appointment 
 of the Christian ministry, jlinisters, therefore, while they 
 look, and rightly look, to this case for authority, direction, 
 and promise, should also look here for caution, for strong 
 motives to diligence and zeal. 
 
 The apostles were charged with the gospel. They were 
 intrusted with the grand remedy for the world's misery 
 and danger. None but they had received the heavenly gift, 
 or were acquainted with the manner of its application. 
 There was then no Christian church, no congregation or 
 body of believers. There were, indeed, mn in Judea who 
 had been impressed by the teaching and miracles of Jesus : 
 
IV.] PERSONAL PIETY OF MINISTERS. 45 
 
 but these, although perhaps convinced of his Messiahship, 
 had very vague and imperfect views of his person and cha- 
 racter, and still less knowledge as to the doctrines of the 
 gospel, and the nature of the kingdom of God. The first 
 ministers of Christ had, therefore, to make known the 
 truth, to advise and exhort penitents, to watch over and 
 counsel immature believers, and to direct and aid the 
 evangelical efforts of those who, further advanced in the 
 Divine life, were disposed to make aggressions on surround- 
 ing wickedness. The apostles had to do more than this. 
 They had to organize and rear up the church : its manner 
 of worship, modes of teaching, means of Christian commu- 
 nion, disciphne, all had to be created ; and under the 
 plenary guidance of the Holy Ghost this great work was 
 completed. 
 
 The same process, to a great extent, takes place, when- 
 ever the gospel is introduced into any part of a Heathen or 
 but nominally-Christian country. In these cases holy scrip- 
 ture aJBfords infallible guidance as to doctrine, morals, cha- 
 racter, and experience; and the constitution of other churches, 
 and the teaching of history, afford essential aid as to church 
 government and discipline. But still all this precept has to 
 be practically carried out. The personal teaching, character, 
 example, and judgment of the minister must mould the 
 rising church everywhere. The minister will, in such cases, 
 be the type of the church. He must instruct the babes in 
 Christ as to their worship, religious organization, modes of 
 social religious intercourse, and, in fact, as to all those 
 various elements of Christian communion which constitute 
 the distinguishing peculiarities of a church. 
 
 It will, then, be evident, that if the ministry be contem- 
 plated apart from individual succession, as one continuous 
 agency, uniting the zeal and energy of separated men with the 
 abiding and pervading presence of the Head of the church ; 
 if it be regarded as a permanent institution, as the Saviour 
 regarded it, when he said, " Go ye, and teach all nations : 
 and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the 
 world;" it clearly holds a paternal relation to the' church. 
 Nor must it be forgotten, that if, in this view, the succes- 
 sive individuality of the ministry is overlooked, so is also 
 the successive character of the body of believers. The 
 minister for the time being holds the same relation to the 
 junior members and converts of the flock, as the primitive 
 minister did to the primitive church. 
 
 If it is considered inconsistent to urge this view of the 
 case, as altogether disregarding lay agency, I must remind 
 the reader of the- manner in which this agency originated. 
 Both in ancient and modern times, when the gospel has 
 
M 
 
 46 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 been faithfully preached in a hitherto unevangelized locahty, 
 and sinners are converted to God, and grow in grace ; 
 and when, burning with love for perishing souls, through 
 the influence of the Spirit of Christ, some of these converts 
 are found reproving sin, visiting the sick, exhorting their 
 fellows to flee from the wrath to come ; who then sanctions 
 these efforts and dffects this godly action ? Who advises, 
 checks, and guides, as occasion may require ? In a word, 
 under whose fostering influence was this agency brought into 
 practical operation, and accredited as legitimate and useful? 
 All this was done by the minister, as far as his opportunities 
 allowed him to attend to these matters of detail. It is verj^ 
 probable that every reader will have in readiness and can 
 promptly adduce some exception ; and I may be told 
 of numberless cases in which this important duty has not 
 been performed, and the rising energy of uninstructed and 
 iinguitled Christian minds has had to grope its own way to 
 spheres of usefulness. I will not divert my reader from 
 the argument by staying to inquire whether this arose from 
 ministerial neglect, or from the paucity of ministers, and the 
 consequent impossibility of their doing all that imperatively 
 claimed their attention. It will be sufficient here to ask, 
 whether, in every such case, the defect has not been felt and 
 admitted. Has not the minister received his share of censure, 
 and probably more than his share ? Has it not been allowed 
 and maintained, that in every such case there was a mani- 
 fest defect, an acknowledged want ? This is all I ask for. 
 This is the ordinary way, the excellent way ; and every 
 exception is a misfortune or a fault. 
 
 We have a striking illustration in the example of Timo- 
 thy. He was a young man, so young, indeed, that he 
 was in great danger of being despised on account of his 
 youth. But when Paul gave him directions "that he might 
 know how he ought to behave himself in the church of 
 God," although he is counselled to feel his want of years, 
 especially in his pastoral intercourse with the people, 
 as, for instance, " Rebuke not an elder," says the apostle, 
 "but entreat him as a father; and the younger men 
 as brethren ; the elder women as mothers ; the younger as 
 sisters, with all purity," (1 Tim. v. 1 3,) he is at the 
 same time directed respecting the appointment of officers in 
 the church, and how to judge of their character and qualifi- 
 cations, as though the whole body had grown out of his 
 own personal exertions, and was the fruit of his own 
 labours. 
 
 It is in this paternal character that ministers are exhorted 
 to enter upon, and to prosecute, their work. And in this 
 character they are called to be ensamples to the flock, to 
 
v.] MINISTERS INTRUSTED WITH THE GOSPEL. 47 
 
 evince genuine godliness of conduct, unsullied purity, fer-. 
 vent love, burning zeal. It is here that they are so to copy 
 Christ, that they may safely say, " Follow me even as I fol- 
 low Christ." To a great extent, they should be types for 
 the people ; and, whether they wish it or not, such types 
 they will surely be. 
 
 this may be regarded as the first, and it is certainly one 
 of the greatest, of the responsibilities of a Christian minis- 
 ter, to live the gospel, to be faithful to his own teaching, 
 to work out fully his own principles, and at the same time 
 to spend his strength and time and life in enforcing, by 
 every scriptural argument and godly motive, a corresponding 
 course of action on his people. This was the manner of the 
 apostles : " Ye know how we exhorted and comforted and 
 charged every one of you as a father doth his children, that 
 ye would walk w^orthy of God, who hath called you unto his 
 kingdom and glory." (1 Thess. ii. 11, 12.) 
 
 SECTION V. THE MINISTRY IS CHARGED WITH THE 
 
 PROCLAMATION OF GOSPEL TRUTH, FOR THE CON- 
 VERSION OF THE WORLD AND THE EDIFICATION OF 
 THE CHURCH. 
 
 Next to the piety and purity of personal character, this 
 is the primary duty of the Christian minister. He is an 
 ambassador for Christ : he has a message from his Prince ; 
 he is charged upon his allegiance to deliver it faithfully and 
 fully. To this course of action he is impelled, not only by 
 the claims of duty, but likewise by the stronger demands of 
 love and gratitude. 
 
 There is one remarkable peculiarity in the office of a Chris- 
 tian ambassador : Every person who sustains it was once a 
 rebel in arms against his Sovereign, dishonouring him, dis- 
 obeying his commands, and despising his authority. But, 
 convinced of the wickedness and danger of his conduct, he 
 has sued for mercy, and obtained forgiveness. He is not only 
 saved from the fatal consequences of his past misdeeds, but 
 is also commissioned to bear a royal offer of mercy to his late 
 companions in crime and guilt. He is accredited as an 
 ambassador for Christ to perishing sinners. In the name 
 of his Divine Master, therefore, as his representative, he is 
 sent to proclaim the love of God, and His willingness to save 
 unto the uttermost all who will come through Christ unto 
 Him. In this communication, the mercy which the herald 
 has personally realized is made prominent. *' I obtained 
 mercy," said the prince of the apostles. (1 Tim. i. 13.) 
 " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us 
 again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus 
 
48 ' DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 Christ from the dead." (I Peter i. 3.) This was the lan- 
 guage of Peter; and such must be the declaration of every 
 real minister of Jesus Christ. 
 
 It may seem needless to dwell on this topic ; but it is one 
 of vital importance. Nor is there, perhnps, any aspect of 
 the case, in which the monstrous impropriety of unconverted 
 men intruding into the ministry is so evident. A rebel in 
 arms, surreptitiously insinuating himself into the office of 
 ambassador for the prince against whom he is still in rebel- 
 lion, exhibits a compound of daring wickedness and folly 
 which this world has seldom witnessed in its political history, 
 though such a scandal has often disgraced the kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 The first great duty of this messenger is, a free and full 
 communication of his Lord's will. He is charged with a 
 message of mercy: it is to be made known. The truth of 
 God is to be placed prominently and plainly before the 
 minds of the people. No genius or learning in the address 
 will compensate for the absence of the truth. The 
 truth must be taught. In certain cases, training is substi- 
 tuted for teaching. Efforts are made to induce and estab- 
 lish habits, without opening and informing the mind, 
 instructing and correcting the judgment. This is not the 
 order of God. Habitual propriety of conduct is a suitable 
 superstructure to be raised on the foundation of a mind 
 w^ell-informed, soundly instructed in gospel truth ; but it 
 cannot be expected in the absence of such instruction ; nor, 
 if it could be realized, would it avail any thing, while the 
 mind remained in ignorance of God. 
 
 But while the gospel minister is commanded to teach, he 
 is not left to the resources of his own mind, or to the 
 researches and speculations of wdse men, as to the subject- 
 matter of instruction, the staple of knowledge which he is to 
 communicate. The range of this teaching is sufficiently 
 wide ; yet it is clearly defined. He is, says the Saviour, to 
 teach " them to observe all things whatsoever I have com- 
 manded you." (Matt, xxviii. 20.) It is important here to 
 notice at length the peculiar inflexion of language employed 
 by the evangelists in speaking on this subject. Matthew 
 gives the command of Christ in the words just cited. Mark 
 writes the address to the disciples in these terms : *' Go ye 
 into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 
 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he 
 that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark xvi. 15, 16.) 
 Luke, in recording the conversation between Christ and the 
 two disciples on the way to Emmaus, describes the Saviour 
 as enunciating the message of the apostles to the world in 
 these words : " Thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to 
 
v.] MINISTERS INTRUSTED WITH THE GOSPEL. 49 
 
 arise from the dead the third day : and that repentance and 
 remission of sins should be preached in his name among all 
 nations." (Luke xxiv. 46, 47.) These passages, although 
 they do not all refer to the same occasion, so evidently 
 relate to the same subject that they must be taken as 
 mutually explanatory and illustrative of each other. 
 
 The commission which the apostles received, and which is 
 God's message to the world through the Christian ministry, 
 is, therefore, a command to teach, to propound Divine 
 truth to the people of the world, without distinction of 
 country or class, clime or colour. This teaching is to have 
 for its substance all the things commanded by Christ. But 
 it may be objected, that this must form a very dubious and 
 uncertain basis of instruction, inasmuch as the whole of 
 what the Saviour had told them could not be fully remem- 
 bered by the apostles, nor adequately apprehended by their 
 successors. For this obvious difficulty, the scheme of 
 redemption contains an adequate remedy. When the Divine 
 Master was about to leave this world, one of the reasons 
 which he assigned for his departure was, that upon his going 
 away depended the gift of the Holy Ghost. And one of the 
 special results of that essential gift was, that *' he shall 
 teach you all things, and bring all things to your remem- 
 brance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John xiv. 26.) 
 This promise secured to the apostles all the Divine inspira- 
 tion necessary to qualify them for their arduous w'ork : and 
 the same promise guarantees to Christian ministers an efficient 
 and permanent illumination, equal to all their requirements 
 in the discharge of their labour of love. 
 
 This reference of Christ to the gift of the Holy Spirit 
 was repeated in his last address to the apostles, when he 
 said, *' Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be en- 
 dued with power from on high." (Luke xxiv. 49.) The 
 conduct of the apostles on the day of Pentecost showed, at 
 the same time, the glorious fulfilment of this promise, and 
 how readily they, when filled with the Holy Ghost, in 
 obedience to their Master's command, entered upon their 
 vocation as a teaching ministiy. 
 
 A comparison of the several passages which have been 
 cited casts light upon the character of the persons to whom 
 this message is addressed, the manner of its promulgation, 
 and the happy results of its reception. 
 
 It comes with the offer of " repentance and remission of 
 sins," and is designated ** the gospel^''^ or '* glad tidings ; " 
 and for this object, and in this character, it is addressed 
 " to every creature." We are thus taught that the whole 
 world of mankind is guilty before God, and pursuing a 
 way fatal to their happiness and safety ; that this guilt 
 
50 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 and wickedness have exposed them to great and immi- 
 nent danger. From this danger these "good tidings of 
 great joy" oifer dehverance through repentance and the 
 remission of sins. 
 
 Equal significance is found in the language which de- 
 scribes the manner of its promulgation. This teaching is 
 not merely announced, it is proclaimed. The command was 
 to preach the gospel. The word (x>ipt>o-(rc/;) used by both 
 Matthew and Luke in recording the Saviour's command, is 
 peculiarly expressive. It signifies '* to proclaim as a herald,'* 
 *'to officiate as a herald;" and strikingly accords -with 
 the vocation of ministers as ambassadors for Christ. Iq 
 this capacity they are called to arouse the attention of a 
 slumbering woHd, by an authoritative communication from 
 God to a sinful race ; a communication which, while exhibit- 
 ing the misery, wickedness, and ruin of man, calls him to 
 repentance, and offers, through the Atonement of Christ, a 
 free and full pardon for all his sins. This is still the calling 
 and duty of the Christian ministry ; and will be, until the 
 earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters 
 cover the sea. They are to obtrude themselves on the 
 notice of mankind, to demand the serious attention of man 
 in the name of his offended God, and to urge, in every lan- 
 guage, on every man, ** We are ambassadors for Christ, as 
 though God did beseech you by us : we pray you in Christ's 
 stead, be ye reconciled to God." (2 Cor. v. 20.) 
 
 No lengthened argument is necessary to show how fully 
 the doctrine of a separated ministry accords with this view 
 of the gospel proclamation, and its continued maintenance 
 in the world. It is vain to argue, that, instead of a minister, 
 a merchant or a mechanic, with his soul converted to God, 
 and his mind spiritually illuminated, can come forth on a 
 sabbath-day, and deliver a religious address to a Christian con- 
 gregation replete with scriptural instruction and spiritual 
 power. This is freely admitted. But the real question is, 
 whether these occasional services of pious men answer all the 
 purposes of Divine Mercy with respect to a perishing world : 
 or whether the spiritual danger of man is so great, the sal- 
 vation of the gospel so necessary, its efficient proclamation 
 of such vast moment to immortal interests, that the wisdom 
 and mercy of God have demanded for this grand achieve- 
 ment the undivided, uninterrupted energies of men specially 
 consecrated to this holy service. Princes occasionally employ 
 persons engaged in commerce to attend to their interests in 
 matters of minor importance ; but when the case is of suffi- 
 cient magnitude to require an ambassador ^ he is specially 
 commissioned for the purpose, is taken away from all other 
 engagements, and, that he may duly and diligently attend 
 
\ 
 
 VI.] THE MINISTRY TO BUILD UP THE CHURCH. 51 
 
 to the business confided to him by his sovereign, he is sup- 
 ported while thus engaged, by royal command. It is just so 
 with the minister of Christ. 
 
 But while the primary object of the ministry should 
 always be to evangelize, another, and one scarcely less import- 
 ant, is to pastorize those who are gathered into the fold of 
 Christ. The Saviour, having availed himself of the oppor- 
 tunity of impressing upon his church in all ages the essen- 
 tial requisite of love to Christ, in order to spiritual useful- 
 ness, urged on Peter his solemn and thrice-repeated injunc- 
 tion, *'Feed my lambs:" "Feed my sheep." (John xxi. 
 15 ]?.) The apostle never forgot his Master's command. 
 He iterated its requirement to people and pastors. To the 
 former he said, " As new-born babes,*desire the sincere milk 
 of the word, that ye may grow thereby." (1 Peter ii. 2.) 
 To the former he gave the memorable address : *' The elders 
 which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder : Feed 
 the flock of God which is among you." (1 Peter v. 1, 2.) 
 Whatever else is implied in this language, it clearly asserts 
 the necessity of gospel ministrations in order to the mainte- 
 nance and increase of that spiritual life which is created in 
 the souls of the faithful by the Spirit of Christ ; and further 
 demonstrates that the duty and the responsibihty of providing 
 adequately this means of grace are laid upon the ministry. 
 And how great is this responsibility ! to minister spiritual 
 aliment to immortal souls, not by the imaginary efficacy of 
 rites mechanically performed, but by the diffusion of Divine 
 truth, and its powerful and appropriate application to the 
 state of the heart ; by the communication of this truth, 
 imbued with the living Spirit and Divine unction, through 
 the prayerful and pious fidelity of the minister. 
 
 0, how little do men know of gospel truth, whether 
 clergy or laity, who speak of the minister merely as a pri- 
 vileged person, as endued with power ! The responsibility 
 of teaching, feeding, nurturing a church for God ; of guid- 
 ing all the efforts, and arranging all the apparatus of means, 
 which God has called into existence for the purpose, is 
 enough, I think, to bend the mightiest spirit,-^to place the 
 strongest mind in deep humiliation, asking, ** Who is suffi- 
 cient for these things ?" 
 
 SECTION VI. THE MINISTRY IS REQUIRED TO GATHER 
 
 THE FRUITS OF THE GOSPEL INTO THE CHURCH, 
 AND TO NURTURE THIS SPIRITUAL BODY. 
 
 The aggressive character of the gospel ministry has been 
 already stated. For this, in respect of its first proclama- 
 tion, the mind of any considerate observer might have been 
 prepared by the conduct and preaching of Christ. But, 
 
 D 2 
 
52 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 considering the unpalatable character of its doctrines, the 
 ignominious death of its Founder, and the humble posi- 
 tion of its ministerial agency, -the confidence with which 
 its glorious success was counted upon and assumed, must, if 
 fairly judged, be admitted as one of the many striking proofs 
 of its Divinity. 
 
 I will not stay to particularize the discouraging circum- 
 stances under which the gospel, according to the judgment 
 of human reason, was introduced into the world. But I 
 must call attention to the fact, that its Divine Author, when 
 he gave the apostles a commission to preach, although 
 avoiding all parade of language and profession, spoke as if 
 the whole scheme of mercy stood so firmly founded in the 
 wisdom of God, was so exactly adapted to the ruined condi- 
 tion of fallen man, so richly imbued with the Divine pre- 
 sence and power in its proper dispensation, tliat it must 
 succeed. No one knew so well as this Divine Speaker the 
 inveterate prejudices of the Jews, and the obstinate antipathy 
 which Greeks, Romans, and other polished Gentiles would 
 feel to the announcement of salvation through the death of 
 a crucified Saviour. Yet, with a perfect knowledge of all 
 these obstacles, and of many more, which would oppose the 
 progress of gospel truth, He said, " Go, teach, baptizing ;" 
 as if they had only to announce the message of mercy, in 
 order to its reception. And such proved to be the fact. 
 In defiance of every human probabiHty, the eff*usion of the 
 Holy Ghost had no sooner led the apostles to preach the 
 gospel iu Jerusalem, than thousands of the people believed, 
 and even " a great company of the priests were obedient to 
 the faith." (Acts vi. 7.) Similar results followed in other 
 countries, where no less potent opposition, although different 
 in kind, stood arrayed against the cause of truth. When 
 Christ was "preached unto the Gentiles," he was, without 
 exception of nation or language, "believed on in the world." 
 (1 Tim. iii. 16.) 
 
 This success created another and very important branch 
 of ministerial duty, baptizing. This was the Divinely- 
 appointed manner of introducing converts into the church of 
 Christ ; and the exercise of this admissional power devolved 
 on the minister. It stands as a prominent element of the 
 apostolical commission, and was, without doubt, a very 
 important duty. Whether among the Jews, or in Gentile 
 countries, it was a very onerous task to judge of the fitness 
 of a candidate for baptism, to ascertain the reality of his 
 convictions, the certainty that he had renounced every false 
 hope, and was looking to Christ alone for salvation. And 
 it is just as important an affair now to decide on the 
 admission of a candidate into the church, as it was in 
 
VI.J THE MINISTRY tO BUILD UP THE CHURCH. 53 
 
 the early ages. In order to this, the sincerity of his 
 penitence and faith must be examined into ; and care 
 must be taken that none but those who forsake sin, and fully 
 devote ^themselves to the pursuit of holiness, be received. 
 This duty has, therefore, always been one of great import- 
 ance to the well-being of the church. In primitive times 
 the apostles were endowed with gi^ts specially adapted to 
 this essential branch of their spiritual work. 
 
 Notwithstanding the altered circumstances of the church 
 in these days of estabhshed institutions and prevalent in- 
 struction, baptism still remains an essential branch of minis- 
 terial duty. In the first place it must be recognised. The 
 fatal delusion, that every baptized person is regenerate and 
 a subject of spiritual life, must be repudiated, discounte- 
 nanced, renounced. When it is considered that this tenet 
 teaches that drunkards, swearers, thieves, are, in the midst 
 of their abominable iniquities, the subjects of Divine life in 
 the soul, it is wonderful that an error, so obviously contrary 
 to scripture, and so clearly fatal in its moral results, should 
 have found a place in any portion of the Christian church. 
 Yet so it is ; and there are consequently many ministers 
 who recognise no other commencement of spiritual life than 
 that which they ascribe to baptism. Such men cannot go 
 forth among oifr nominal Christians as the apostles of Christ 
 went forth into the world ; yet this is the course of duty 
 which the gospel requires. 
 
 Ministers are called upon to regard every unbeliever, 
 whatever sacred rites he may in his infancy have received, as 
 ** condemned already," and consequently exposed to *' the 
 wrath of God." They are therefore to preach now to nomi- 
 nal Christians, that is, to baptized sinners and unbelievers, 
 as the apostles in their day preached : they must proclaim 
 repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 They are also to preach in the same spirit, and with the 
 same object, to *' teach, baptizing." They are to declare 
 God's anger against sin, and enforce contrition, amendment 
 of life, and an instant reliance on the atonement of Christ : 
 that sinners may be awakened, converted, saved. The man 
 who preaches ever so eloquently, whose doctrines are ortho- 
 dox and life moral, but who nevertheless does not calculate 
 upon, and obtain, seals to his ministry by the salvation of 
 souls, does not come up to the New-Testament standard 
 of a Christian minister. 
 
 I do not urge this as a ministerial prerogative. I believe, 
 if the whole subject be regarded in the religious aspect in 
 which it is presented in the New Testament, there will be 
 little room for any thing of this kind. I call attention to 
 this work as a sacred duty ; a solemn responsibility, of 
 
54 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [sEC'T. 
 
 essential importance to the cause of Christ. To neglect it, 
 is to violate the aggressive character of the gospel, and to 
 stay the progress of the Redeemer's kingdom. To perform 
 this duty negligently and improperly, is equally fatal to the 
 purity of the church. On this important topic, information 
 is amply furnished in the New-Testament scriptures. I 
 direct particular attention to one passage : ** We are labour- 
 ers together with God : ye are God's husbandry, ye are 
 God's building. According to the grace of God which is 
 given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the 
 foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every 
 man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other 
 foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus 
 Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, 
 silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble ; every man's 
 work shall be made manifest : for the day shall declare it, 
 because it shall be revealed by fire ; and the fire shall try 
 every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work 
 abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a 
 reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer 
 loss ; but he himself shall be saved ; yet so as by fire.'* 
 (1 Cor. iii. 915.) 
 
 Here the apostle plainly exhibits the importance of care, 
 discrimination, and elevated principle, in adding members to 
 the church. ** He supposes that the foundation is laid ; 
 that it is the true foundation ; that the essential doctrines 
 in regard to the Messiah are the real basis on which the 
 edifice is reared. But he says that, even admitting this, it 
 is a subject of vast importance to attend to the kind of 
 structure which shall be reared on that foundation ; whether 
 it shall be truly beautiful and valuable in itself, and such as 
 shall abide the trial of the last great day ; or whether it be 
 mean, worthless, erroneous, and such as shall at last be 
 destroyed." * 
 
 It is easy to perceive that in respect of this particular 
 also, although the prosperity and progress of a church must 
 always be greatly affected by the measure of piety, zeal, and 
 diligence of private members and lay-officers, yet the minis- 
 ter is held responsible, by the express term.s of holy scrip- 
 ture, to the Great Head of the church, for the character of 
 those who are added to a religious society, and for the 
 conservation of religious purity in the body by the mainte- 
 nance of sterling godliness. He has to exercise a godly 
 oversight over the case of every candidate ; and if, through 
 any neghgence or defective judgment on his part, they do 
 not abide the test of the great judgment, "he shall suffer 
 loss." 
 
 * Baknes in loco. 
 
)' 
 
 VII.] MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISCIPLINE. 55 
 
 Such is obviously the doctrine of this important portion of 
 holy writ. It is evident from the construction of the whole 
 passage, that the apostle is speaking of himself and his col- 
 leagues as ministers of Christ, as persons who were mainly 
 responsible for the right performance of this important duty. 
 To the Corinthian Christians, among whom was found every 
 description of lay agency, he says, '* Ye are God's building." 
 Of himself and his coadjutors he observes, **We are labour- 
 ers together with God." 
 
 It will have been observed, that in treating of this branch 
 of the subject especially, I confine myself solely to the reli- 
 gious aspect of the case. As to the technical right of 
 admitting members into any section of the church, whether 
 unlimited discretion to receive candidates shall be exercised 
 solely by the minister, or whether he shall be required to take 
 counsel with the senior members or lay-officers of his flock, 
 this must depend upon the constitution of the religious 
 society to whiot he belongs. But one point seems clear, 
 namely, that as the minister is, according to holy scripture, 
 mainly responsible for the character of the church, it being 
 a settled matter, that, if wood, hay, stubble be introduced, 
 he shall suffer loss, no regulations ought any where to 
 obtain, which would prevent or incapacitate a minister from 
 exercising that efficient control over this department of his 
 labour which his high responsibilities demand. 
 
 SECTION VII. THE MINISTRY IS HELD RESPONSIBLE 
 
 FOR THE EXERCISE OF GODLY DISCIPLINE, AND 
 THE ADMINISTRATION OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT. 
 
 In order to the accomplishment of the Divine purpose in 
 the redemption of the world, it is not only necessary that 
 the gospel be preached, and the fruits of the ministry be 
 carefully collected into the church. The performance of 
 these duties in an efficient manner creates a necessity for 
 others of equal importance. Where the evangelical message 
 is proclaimed fully and faithfully, a number of believers will 
 be gathered ; various lay-agents will be wanted, and supplied 
 by the grace of the Divine Head ; and the church will assume a 
 substantial form, and require government as an organized and 
 regularly constituted body. When the church is regarded in 
 this aspect, these important questions arise : Upon what 
 plan, or by what system of rule or law, is this government 
 to be carried on ? and, By M^hom is it to be administered ? 
 
 Upon the subject of the first of these queries, it will not 
 be necessary to enter at present, farther than to say, that it 
 is now generally acknowledged that no precise scheme of 
 law for the constitution of a Christian church is found in 
 the New Testament ; but that, while the grand design of the 
 
56 BOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECt. 
 
 gospel is clearly stated, and its great principles and holy 
 character explicitly declared, the internal form and structure 
 of religious society, the disciplinary usages and laws of the 
 body, are left open, subject to such arrangements as the 
 varying states, conditions, opinions, habits, and intellectual 
 and social culture of different nations and communities may 
 require. The word of God does not, in this respect, exhibit, 
 fully and in detail, a model church. Diocesan Episcopacy, 
 Presbyterianism, Congregationahsm, and AVesleyan Con- 
 nexionalism, may each be honestly held by different Christian 
 denominations as the best embodiment of New-Testament prin- 
 ciples ; and may all, if imbued, in their ministers, members, 
 and ministrations, with the influence of the Holy Ghost, be 
 made efficient agents for the promotion of the cause of Christ 
 in the world. 
 
 There is not, however, the same uncertainty as to the 
 agency by whom the government of this religious commu- 
 nity is to be administered. My sentimentson tbis subject 
 were published several years ago, in the following words : 
 *' The apostles appear to have laboured to train up the 
 members of the church to a state of maturity, and to pro- 
 vide every wdiere for the government, as well as the instruc- 
 tion, of the people. This was effected in every church by 
 the pastors, who were called * elders,' or ' presbyters,' in 
 regard of the office itself, and episcopoi, * overseers,' in refer- 
 ence to the duties which devolved upon them."* 
 
 The course which issued in this result, does not appear to 
 have been taken with any special view to the attainment of 
 such an end. The apostles, from the first, acted under a 
 strong persuasion that their prime object was, not the mere 
 organization of a body, or the establishment of any particu- 
 lar political arrangement among their followers, but the con- 
 version of souls, and the bringing of every convert into con- 
 formity with the mind of Christ. In the prosecution of 
 this work, however, they always exercised all the authority 
 necessary to carry on their design. And as they could not 
 personally superintend every church, they appointed presby- 
 ters, who, besides having to attend to other spiritual duties, 
 were charged with administering the government of the 
 church. *' This was their peculiar office : it was their busi- 
 ness to watch over the general order, to maintain the purity 
 cf the Christian doctrine and Christian practice, to guard 
 against abuses, to admonish the faulty, and to guide the 
 public deliberations ; although, in the prosecution of these 
 duties, the participation of the church in the management of 
 their ordinary concerns was not excluded." f 
 
 But it will be necessary to show the reader, not only the 
 * " Perilous Times," p. 84. + Ibid. p. 85. 
 
VII.] MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISCIPLINE. 5/ 
 
 general result of apostolic management in the condition and 
 usages of the primitive church, but, what is of infinitely 
 greater moment, that this state of things arose out of the 
 operation of great established principles, which are clearly 
 and emphatically laid down in holy scripture. For if this 
 can be demonstrated, then it will be admitted, that, however 
 the external aspects of the church may change, principles 
 and relations thus Divinely enforced must be regarded as of 
 essential and permanent obligation. 
 
 It must not be supposed, however, that tliis subject is 
 introduced in a formal and systematic manner, and thus at 
 length provided for, in the New Testament. The apostles 
 who, during the life-time of their Divine Master, were so 
 prone to covet distinction, and so emulous to obtain the first 
 places in honour and dignity were, after they had been 
 baptized by the Hojy Ghost, as remarkable for an opposite 
 spirit and temper. Thenceforward they lived for the reco- 
 very of souls ; they aimed at pressing into the service of 
 their Lord every sanctified mind, and were ready to call all 
 the brethren into consultation and co-operation with them- 
 selves. And this spirit they endeavoured to infuse into all 
 their helpers in the ministry. But, in the course of their 
 labours, occasions off'ered for the assertion of the Divine will 
 respecting the establishment of rule in the chtirch. Allu- 
 sions are repeatedly found in their writings to the powers 
 with which the pastor is invested, and the responsibilities 
 under which he is laid, in this respect. Directions to 
 young ministers had to be given, and unfaithful or erring 
 Christians had to be admonished. From these isolated 
 texts, the proofs so necessary and important are to be 
 selected. 
 
 From what has been said, the reader must not allow him- 
 self to suppose that reference is about to be made to pas- 
 sages taken out of their proper connexion, and used in a 
 sense foreign to the scope and design of the sacred writers. 
 This will be studiously avoided. And it is believed that, if 
 fairly considered, the evidence adduced will be found all the 
 more conclusive from its peculiarly practical and independ- 
 ent character. 
 
 The first passage which I shall quote, is frequently ad- 
 duced for a very different purpose : " The presbyters among 
 you I exhort, who am a fellow-presbyter : Feed the flock of 
 God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not 
 by constraint, but willingly ; not for filthy lucre, but of a 
 ready mind ; neither as being lords over the heritage, but 
 being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd 
 shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth 
 not away." (1 Peter v. 1 A.) 
 
 D J 
 
58 DQCTRINE OF THK PASTORAtK. [sECT, 
 
 What is the impart of this portion of holy scripture ? It 
 is usually regarded as reprehending and denouncing the 
 proud assumption and arrogance of priestcraft. Be it so. 
 Let it be granted that one clause of this scripture was 
 intended to rebuke the unscriptural assumption of minis- 
 ters ; we have still to inquire into the meaning and scope of 
 the whole. 
 
 It cannot be denied, that this passage refers to the duties 
 and responsibilities of Christian ministers. The apostle 
 places his earnest advice, replete with Divine inspiration, 
 before the presbyters of Asia Minor. He does this as one 
 of them. Looking away from his superior position as an 
 apostle, he speaks as a fellow-presbyter on the subject of 
 their mutual duty and care. No possible exception can, 
 therefore, be taken to the bearing of this passage upon the 
 subject under consideration. 
 
 We have here, then, the explicit injunction of the apostle 
 to ministers of Christ: "Feed the flock of God which is 
 among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, 
 but willingly." No language can more aptly show forth the 
 duty of a Christian pastor. *' Feed the flock, taking the 
 oversight thereof." The meaning of this figurative language 
 (taking the authorized version as giving the sense of the 
 original) cannot be mistaken. The people of the church 
 are, according to our Saviour's own metaphor, called *' the 
 sheep," ''the flock." The minister is to *' feed" them, 
 to furnish them with suitable pasture, to provide for all 
 their spiritual wants. This simile, in its application to the 
 church, wonld imply that the pastor was enjoined to afford 
 the people that sound spiritual instruction which yields 
 nutriment to the soul ; and that this should be so judi- 
 ciously applied, as to answer the intended purpose. The 
 word in the original, rsoifxuiva>, which our translators have 
 rendered ^'feedy' although it contains the idea of giving 
 food, means more than this, and includes guidance and 
 governing, as well as feeding. This rendering might be 
 fully sustained by giving the definitions of the word from 
 the Lexicons. It will, however, be more satisfactory to the 
 Christian reader to have it proved, that the inspired writers 
 of the New Testament used the term in this large sense. 
 
 The first time it occurs in the Greek scriptures, is in 
 Matt. ii. 6 : '* And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, 
 art not the least among the princes of Juda : for out of thee 
 shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel." 
 The word translated '* shall rule'' is the same which in the 
 text under consideration is rendered ''feed.'" It will be 
 immediately perceived, that Matthew did not here use the 
 term in the sense of providing food. He employed it as 
 
VXl.] MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISCIPLINE. 59 
 
 describing all the duty of a governorship, when exercised 
 with kindness and sohcitude towards the people. The same 
 word is also used by our Saviour in his memorable charge 
 to Peter, wh^n he said, *' Feed my sheep." (John xxi. 16.) 
 And that apostle, in the text above cited, simply iterates his 
 Lord's command ; and as he had been enjoined to evince 
 the characteristic diUgence, watchfulness, and care of a shep- 
 herd in his conduct toward the church, so he exhorts the 
 presbyters of Asia Minor to similar conduct. 
 
 This is, indeed, the precise meaning of the original term : 
 it specifically includes the whole duty of a shepherd. I am 
 not aware that it is ever used in such a connexion as to 
 requii-e that its import be confined to feeding ; but it cer- 
 tainly is employed to express the power and authority of the 
 pastoral office. It is, for instance, the word rendered "n</e" 
 in the following texts : "He shall rtde them with a rod of 
 iron." {Rev. ii. 27.) *' Who was to nde all nations with a 
 rod of iron." (xii. 5.) ** And he shall rule them with a rod 
 of iron." (xix. 15.) The language of the apostle, therefore, 
 is not limited to providing sustenance ; but imports, " Act 
 as a shepherd toward the flock, taking the oversight 
 thereof." 
 
 Men of the world, and carnal professors in the church, 
 may feel inclined to regard this clearly expressed oflicial 
 duty a a high privilege, and as offering the opportunity for 
 a great and most agreeable exercise of power. These were 
 not the sentiments of Peter ; nor did he impute such views 
 to the persons for whom he wrote. On the contrary, he 
 regarded, and believed them to regard, this shepherdmg of 
 the flock as a duty imperative and onerous, indeed, but far 
 from desirable. The apostle is therefore compelled to exhort 
 his brethren to devote themselves to its discharge in a ready 
 and devoted temper of mind, '* not by constraint, but will- 
 ingly:^' as if he had said, " The duty of watching over the 
 flock is so great, the anxious care for the feeble and the 
 weak, the firm and godly restraint required for the wayward, 
 and the correction and reproof necessary for the erring, 
 involve so much painful exercise, that men are prone to 
 shrink from duties so uncongenial to their kindness of heart, 
 and to allow evils to creep into the church, and gather 
 strength ; dealing only with those that cannot be avoided, 
 and then acting by constraint and reluctantly." Against 
 this form of unfaithfulness the aged apostle enters his pro- 
 test ; and not only enjoins the guidance and government of 
 the church as a duty legitimately identified with the office 
 of presbyters, but exhorts that its claims be willingly admit- 
 ted and cheerfully discharged. 
 
 But, lest this wise and godly counsel should fall on the 
 
60 DOCTRINE OF THE FASTORAtE. [seCT, 
 
 ear of a presbyter of unsanetifiecl mind and ambitious spirit, 
 the apostle adds, " Neither as being lords over the heritage, 
 but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief 
 Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory." 
 (1 Peter v. 3, 4.) The sense is evidently this : Although 
 the church of Christ is placed in the charge, and under the 
 care, of the presbyter, as the sheep are intrusted to the care 
 of the shepherd ; yet, just as the flock does not belong to 
 the latter, but he is responsible to the owner for the tender- 
 ness, diHgence, and judgment with which he feeds and leads 
 it, so the minister, because he has the care of the church, 
 must not regard himself as the lord or proprietor of it, but 
 r imply as a shepherd, who must give an account of his trust 
 to the chief Shepherd, the Proprietor and Judge of all. 
 
 The apostle's choice of language in this, as in the former, 
 instance, is worthy of serious attention. The word here 
 used, >iaTix)tvfnvu)y is that which our Saviour employed 
 in cautioning his disciples against attempting to exercise the 
 lordship of Gentile princes : ** Ye know that the princes of 
 the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are 
 great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so 
 among you." (Matt. xx. 2.5, 26.) The same word occurs 
 in the narrative of Mark : '* But Jesus called them to him, 
 and saith unto them. Ye know that they which are accounted 
 to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them ; and 
 their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall 
 it not be among you." (Mark x. 42, 43.) The only other 
 case in which this term is used in the New-Testament scrip- 
 tures, is in the narrative of the attempted exorcisms of the 
 sons of Sceva : " And the man in whom the evil spirit was 
 leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against 
 them." (Acts xix. 16.) It is, therefore, evident, that the 
 word used by Peter to express the lordship which he con- 
 demns, implies that government which is based upon power, 
 and enforced by coercion, or, as an excellent Greek critic 
 has rendered it, that which consists in *'a selfish and over- 
 bearing tyranny over the flock." 
 
 The judicious reader will perceive that the caution thus 
 given by the apostle, instead of removing the responsibility 
 of government from the ministers of the church, confirms 
 and estabhshes that responsibility. If no ruhng power had 
 been legitimately connected with the oflice of the presbyter, 
 he could not have been exhorted to conduct himself toward 
 the church as a good shepherd toward his flock. Still less 
 could he have been cautioned against tyranny. It would be 
 as sensible to guard a slave against the abuse of freedom, as 
 to admonish a minister of Christ against overbearing, tyran- 
 nous behaviour, if he had not been, by Divine appointment. 
 
VII.] MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISCIPLINE. 61 
 
 invested with some governing power in the church. This 
 proposition is indisputable ; and it is equally certain, that 
 this text pronounces unequivocal condemnation on the 
 enforcement of religious duties by civil penalties, espe- 
 cially the supporting of ecclesiastical authority by secular 
 privations and punishment. Notwithstandhig, the minis- 
 ter's right of church government, and, more than that, his 
 responsibility for its proper administration, are clearly and 
 peremptorily enforced. But this right, this power, this 
 government, is not political, but religious. It is the power 
 of a shepherd to save the flock from injury ; and, conse- 
 quently, the pastor is invested with all requisite religious 
 authority for the purpose. 
 
 Other passages of similar import confirm these views : 
 " A bishop must be one that ruleth well his own house, 
 having his children in subjection with all gravity. For if a 
 man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take 
 care of the church of God?" (1 Tim. iii. 4, 5.) "Let the 
 elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour." 
 (1 Tim. V. 17.) "For though I should boast somewhat 
 more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for 
 edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be 
 ashamed." (2 Cor. x. 8.) " A man that is an heretic after 
 the first and second admonition reject." (Titus iii. 10.) 
 
 The doctrine common to all these portions of scripture is 
 clearly this, that the minister possesses the power and the 
 right to rule the church, and is consequently responsible to 
 God for the exercise of this trust. The first text which I 
 have cited, (1 Tim. iii. 4, 5,) is decisive. If the minister is 
 such a novice in the art of government, or so incapable of 
 obtaining a legitimate influence, and of exercising a due 
 measure of authority, over his own children, "how shall he 
 take care of the church of God ? " This is set forth as an 
 essential part of ministerial duty, in exhibiting what an 
 s7r/(7xo7roc, or " overseer," must be. The term used in the 
 original, 67n[JisXsoi/,oLi, has peculiar force. It means " to 
 take care of ; " and the noun derived from it denotes " one 
 who has the charge of, a trustee, manager, especially officers 
 appointed to the charge of any thing, an overseer, super- 
 intendent." * The verb itself occurs but twice besides in 
 the New Testament, and in both instances is used to express 
 the care evinced by the good Samaritan : "And took care of 
 him." (Luke x. 34.) " Take care of him." (Verse 35.) 
 Thus ministers are to watch over, direct, and take care of 
 the church. 
 
 The second passage which I have adduced, (1 Tim. v. 
 17,) is equally expUcit : "Let the elders that rule well be 
 * LiDDELL and Scott's Greek Lexicon. 
 
^ 
 
 62 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 counted worthy of double honour." As, in the former 
 citation, there can be no question but the term rendered 
 ** bishop " was intended to represent a minister of the 
 church; so here it is certain that 'arpsj^vTspoc, "elder," 
 has the same meaning. The elder that "rules'' is 'not, 
 according to the teaching of the apostle, to be charged with 
 arrogance, presumption, and priestcraft. On the contrary, 
 even if he discharges this dehcate and difficult part of his 
 vocation with but moderate ability and success, he is to be 
 noticed and honoured. But the man who performs with 
 especial skill and energy this arduous and important portion 
 of ministerial labour, *' the elder that rules ivell/' he is 
 to be held " worthy of double honour." Of such essential 
 importance is this work to the success of the gospel minis- 
 try ! The word used in the original here, and rendered in 
 our version " rule,'' is 'uspot(TTriiLi^ which in its active sense 
 signifies, ** to set at the head as leader, to set over." 
 
 The apostle does not shrink from urging this claim in the 
 strongest terms, saying, *' For though I should boast some- 
 what more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us 
 for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be 
 ashamed." (2 Cor. x. 8.) This passage exhibits in a new 
 aspect the doctrine under consideration. The apostle insists 
 on the possession of ability to build up the church. He is 
 therefore speaking of a power common to the Christian 
 ministry : for such is precisely their vocation. This power 
 is distinctly stated to be given, not by the church, but by 
 the Lord. It was not derived from the people or the other 
 apostles, but from the appointment of Jesus Christ. It was 
 bestowed for edification, not for destruction : and hence it 
 has been inferred that it did not empower the minister to 
 expel from the church. If this limitation and implied cen- 
 sure be confined to some of those forms of excommunication 
 which have been freely used by intolerant churches and 
 bigoted and cruel ministers, it may be readily allowed. 
 Things of this sort have taken place, which have been 
 a foul disgrace to Christianity, and a scandal to human 
 nature. 
 
 But this abuse of power cannot so restrict the sense of 
 th6 text, as to make it prohibit the expulsion of sinful and 
 unfaithful members of the church. The term used in the 
 text, oj3coSojw,ij, refers to '^building : '' it is the same word 
 which the apostle employed when he said, " Ye are God's 
 building," (1 Cor. iii. 9,) and so impressively urged the 
 duty of careful selection in the employment of suitable 
 materials for the erection, because " every man's work shall, 
 be made manifest : for the day shall declare it, because it 
 shall be revealed by fire ; and the fire shall try every man's 
 
VII.] MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISCIPLINE. 65 
 
 work of what sort it is." (Verse 13.) This figurative lan- 
 guage, strong and beautiful as it is in description and illus- 
 tration, would be altogether unmeaning if the builder had 
 not the power to refuse and reject what is worthless, as 
 well as to select and choose the materials suitable for the 
 work. The apostle, therefore, claims all the power requisite 
 to build up the church as a building of God : and the clause 
 under consideration, " And not for your destruction," was 
 certainly intended to teach that the power given by Christ 
 to his ministers was a power to work out the will of Christ ; 
 and that, as this will embraced the salvation of man, they 
 had no power to injure any, but, as workers together with 
 God, to promote the common good in aiming at the salva- 
 tion of all. If, however, this general good demanded the 
 separation of a hypocrite or an open sinner from the 
 church, the apostle possessed ample authority for this 
 purpose. 
 
 Lest it should be supposed that the power here spoken 
 of was a peculiar privilege or gift bestowed upon the apos- 
 tle, he is careful to introduce plural pronouns in relation to 
 its exercise : " For though I should boast somewhat more of 
 OUR authority, which the Lord hath given us." By this lan- 
 guage he clearly intimates that the power which he claimed 
 was common to the Christian ministry. This must be taken 
 as the sense of the text, since these plural words refer either 
 to the ministry in general, or to himself and Timothy, in 
 whose joint names the Epistle is addressed to the church at 
 Corinth. (2 Cor. i. 1.) On either supposition, the posses- 
 sion of this ministerial attribute is not limited to the 
 apostles. 
 
 The passage above quoted from Titus enjoins the exercise 
 of the power of which the preceding texts speak : " A man 
 that is an heretic after the first and second admonition 
 reject." (Titus iii. 10.) The original term, nrapuirsofjiuiy 
 which is here rendered "reject," suggests the mildness, 
 moderation, and kindness with which the discipline of the 
 church should be administered, and severely rebukes the 
 unwarrantable fierceness and denunciation which have been 
 incorporated into some forms of excommunication. This 
 word signifies, " decline, reject, refuse, avoid, shun ; " and 
 implies that separation from the society of the faithful was 
 the utmost punishment to be inflicted by the church. The 
 term rendered *'Aere^zc" here, alpsriKog, undoubtedly de- 
 notes "a founder, leader, or promoter of a sect, a factious 
 man." Titus was enjoined to separate persons of this cha- 
 racter from the church ; and in this injunction every minis- 
 ter of Christ finds a warrant for similar discipline in 
 parallel cases. The apostle's directions to this eifect, of 
 
6 4 DOCTRINE OP THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 course, suppose a power in the minister to comply with what 
 is required. 
 
 Having dwelt at length on portions of holy scripture 
 addressed to ministers, I will next cite some inspired com- 
 munications made to the people : " And we heseech you, 
 brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are 
 over you in the Lord, and admonish you ; and to esteem 
 them very highly in love for their work's sake." (1 Thess. 
 V. 12, 13.) The constant agreement which is seen to sub- 
 sist between the teaching of Christ on this head, and the 
 communications of the apostles, cannot escape observation. 
 Jesus said, " Whosoever will be great among you, let him 
 be your minister ; and whosoever will be chief among you, 
 let him be your servant : even as the Son of man came not 
 to be ministered unto, but to minister:" (Matt. xx. 26 
 28 :) and his apostles, echoing the instruction of their 
 Master, write, " Know them which labour among you, and 
 are over you in the Lord, and admonish you ; and esteem 
 them very highly in love for their work's sake." But what 
 is the meaning of the Saviour and of his inspired servant ? 
 We are told by some, that Jesus meant to impress on the 
 minds of the disciples their general equality : " All are to 
 be on a level : there are to be no ranks, no places of 
 dominion." But do such persons weigh well the closing 
 words of the Messiah's address? ** Even as the Son of 
 man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister." 
 Does this imply the levelling of all distinction in every 
 respect, and the establishment of a general equality ? I 
 think, not. The Saviour on another occasion said, " Ye 
 call me Master and Lord;" {Teacher and Ruler:) "and 
 ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and 
 Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one 
 another's feet. For I have given you an example, that 
 ye should do as I have done to you." (John xiii. 13 
 15.) 
 
 One thing is evident from these passages, namely, that 
 the Lord Jesus set forth his humiliation and zeal, his labour- 
 ing love and constant devotedness, as a pattern and model 
 for the imitation of his church in general, and especially of 
 the ministers of the gospel. But did he, by this humility 
 and condescension, abandon his power to call to the apostle- 
 ship, his power to rebuke their erring or wayward conduct, 
 his power to punish their unfaithfulness ? Were these 
 matters to be settled by a vote of the twelve ? Certainly 
 not ! He was still their Teacher and Ruler. If men will, 
 then, take this example and teaching as condemnatory of 
 secular distinctions in the Christian ministry, they must at 
 the same time allow that these words also establish the 
 
 ^ 
 
VII.] Ministers responsible for discipline. 65 
 
 spiritual prerogatives of the Christian ministry. Do these 
 texts, and this example of Christ, assert that no minister of 
 Christ should on that ground claim lordly distinction over 
 his brethren or the church ; that the civil arm should never 
 be called upon either to invest the ministry with \vealth, to 
 support it by secular power, or to enforce its decisions by 
 pains and penalties ? Be it so. But then let it be allowed, 
 that in the church of Christ, -in the kingdom of God, which 
 is not of this world, a power of religious government must 
 exist, be exercised, and be obeyed. 
 
 This is insisted upon in the passages previously quoted. 
 In the language of the Saviour, it is not denied that different 
 gradations of greatness exist in the church ; but the axiom is 
 set forth, that the real measure of greatness is the devoted 
 exercise of talent for the salvation of souls. As Christ 
 employed infinite power and unbounded wisdom for this 
 great end, so in his church He is to be the model for the 
 imitation of his people. Those who fully consecrate 
 themselves to the duties of the ministry, are held responsible 
 for that measure of religious power which devolves on this 
 office : and through every inferior grade the rule holds 
 good^ that in proportion to the measure of consecrated 
 service, so will be the measure of ruling responsibility. 
 Hence the apostle says, *' Know them which labour among 
 you, and are over you ; and esteem them very highly." Does 
 the reader inquire, "Why?" Is it demanded whether this 
 esteem is claimed because of the inscrutable communication 
 of some undefined virtue, grace, or power, supposed to be 
 conferred on the minister during the rite of consecration ? 
 If so, let the popish claim be rejected : refuse to obey the 
 superstitious demand, and show yourselves men. But then, 
 is not the labouring, zealous effort of the Christian minister 
 to be met with esteem ? Most certainly. *' For their 
 work's sake," award this esteem : and more than this, 
 regard them " as over you in the Lord.'' Do this, and show 
 yourselves Christians. 
 
 The peculiar character of this rank is specified in the 
 text : ** Over you in the Lord.'' '* Over you," it may be, 
 not in intellect or learning ; not as members of civil society; 
 but ""in the Lord," according to the Lord's appoint- 
 ment, the statute-law of the kingdom of God, that conse- 
 crated labour gives rank and power. But this is " in the 
 Lord:" it is not political or worldly. The minister exer- 
 cises his power as subject to Christ, and as responsible to 
 him for its exercise. The member awards his respect and 
 submission in obedience to the will of Christ ; not as sub- 
 jecting himself to any tyrant domination or unreasonable 
 power, but "m love." He knows that the consecrated 
 
66 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [sECT. 
 
 business of the labourer is to do him good, to save souls, and 
 as a fellow-worker with God to rear up the church. It is 
 therefore your reasonable and agreeable duty " to know 
 them which labour among you, and are over you in the 
 Lord, and admonish you ; and to esteem them very highly 
 in love for their work's sake.'* 
 
 The following clause, *' And be at peace among yourselves," 
 merits notice : its position is full of meaning. Peace in the 
 heart, peace in the church, is the dying legacy of Christ to 
 his people. No man has a right to invade this peace, to 
 disturb its reign. But how is it to be maintained ? If 
 peace is to be secured, there must be order and rule in every 
 combination of human minds. ** In order to peace there 
 must be a perfect equality," say some : " all are equal in the 
 church." In one sense this is perfectly true. All souls 
 are of infinite value : all are brethren alike interested in the 
 common salvation. But are all equal as members of the 
 body of Christ ? All may be necessary ; so that the " eye 
 cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee ;" (1 Cor. 
 xii. 21 ;) but all are not equal when regarded as members of 
 the body, whether we listen to the dictates of reason, or to 
 the teaching of holy scripture. 
 
 " Order is Heaven's first law : and, this confess'd. 
 Some are, and must be, greater than the rest." 
 
 Hence the church is so often compared to a human body, 
 of which every member is necessary, but different in degrees 
 of honour and comeliness. (1 Cor. xii. 23.) Whether we 
 look at the gracious communications of the Spirit to the 
 church, or at the religious status of members, a striking 
 diversity is apparent. " There are," said the great apostle, 
 * diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are 
 diversities of administration, but the same Lord." (Verses 
 4, 5.) So, some are "babes in Christ;" some, "young 
 men;" others, "fathers" in Israel. Is the judgment or 
 opinion of the babe equal to that of the father 1 
 
 "How, then," for the question returns upon us, "is 
 peace to be secured ?" By obedience to the apostolic precept : 
 ** Know them which labour among you, and are over you in 
 the Lord ; and esteem them very highly in love." This is 
 the way by which inspiration conducts the church to the 
 attainment of this great blessing. Then follows, what is 
 to be regarded not merely as a precept, but as the direct 
 consequence of obedience to the foregoing injunction, 
 *' And be at peace among yourselves." When the order of 
 God is acknowledged and obeyed, this dying boon of Christ 
 may be realized. 
 
 It will be seen and admitted, that while this scriptural 
 
VII.] MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE TOR DISCIPLINE. 67 
 
 teacliing exhibits the Divine appointment, it at the same 
 time dispLiys the duty and responsibiUty, of the ministry. 
 What the Divine will appoints, is to be maintained. Their 
 life of labour is Divinely marked out : their service and 
 ministry are enjoined. They are to live and learn, think and 
 work, for Christ and souls ; and they are to act as men 
 entitled, by virtue of this Divine appointment, to be over 
 the body *' in the Lord," and as responsible to the Head of 
 the church for the religious guidance and government of the 
 flock. 
 
 Many other portions of scripture might be quoted to the 
 same effect. I add the following : "Remember them which 
 have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word 
 of God." " Obey them that have the rule over you, and 
 submit yourselves : for they watch for your souls, as they 
 that must give account." (Heb. xiii. 7, 17.) "That ye 
 submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth 
 with us, and laboureth." (1 Cor. xvi. 16.) These texts will 
 be sufficient to prove, that Christians are by the authority 
 of inspiration enjoined to recognise the powers which 
 ministers are called upon, by the same Divine teaching, to 
 exercise. The quotations from the Epistle to the Hebrews 
 deserve very special consideration. In this Epistle the 
 inspired writer had very fully set forth the excellency of the 
 gospel, and the fulness and freeness of its blessings. On no 
 particular does he dwell with more point and power than on 
 the abrogation of the Levitical priesthood, and the concen- 
 tration of all priestly office and action in the person of 
 Christ, who has ascended into the heavens as "the High 
 Priest of our profession." Yet even here, in closing his 
 religious instruction and advice with earnest practical ex- 
 hortation, he twice impresses upon the Hebrew Christians 
 the importance of their obedience to those who were called 
 by the great Head of the church to rule over them. 
 
 Tn the latter of these two passages, the character of this 
 rule, and the object of the required obedience, are very 
 clearly set forth : "Obey them that have the rule over you, 
 and submit yourselves : for they watch for your souls, as 
 they that must give account, that they may do it with joy,, 
 and not with grief : for that is unprofitable for you." (Heb. 
 xiii. 17.) This rule, therefore, does not arise from any 
 needless exaltation of one class of men over their brethren : 
 nor is it exercised for the sake of the ruling class, or with 
 a view to their aggrandizement. The design of this element 
 in the constitution of the church, is in perfect harmony with 
 the benevolent genius of the entire economy. Its end is the 
 salvation of the people. And the rulers, instead of being 
 puffed up with any sense of peculiar dignitVj are constantly 
 
68 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 taught to regard this as a weighty duty rather than as an 
 elevating privilege, a duty which may yield them joy, or 
 cover them with grief, in the great day of the Lord, 
 a duty, therefore, involving fearful responsibility, which 
 calls for prayerful diligence and devoted zeal to discharge 
 it aright. 
 
 The third text which has been cited, as well as several of 
 those considered previously, depicts the character and fixes 
 the position of the parties who are intrusted with these 
 powers : " Every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth ;" 
 (1 Cor. xvi. 16 ;) the men called to share apostolic labour, 
 and to assist in building up the church of Christ ; that 
 apostolical succession of converted, spiritually illuminated, 
 and Divinely called men, with whom the presence of Christ 
 will remain, "even unto the end of the world." 
 
 A careful consideration of the general scope of scripture 
 teaching on this subject, therefore, fully justifies the opinion, 
 that God has established a religious government in his 
 church ; and that the ministry are mainly responsible for its 
 proper administration. 
 
 SECTION VIII. SEVERAL POPULAR OBJECTIONS TO THE 
 
 SCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE CON- 
 SIDERED. 
 
 To the conclusions established in the preceding sections, 
 several objections have been urged, which I will now proceed 
 to consider. Among these there is one which, from its 
 peculiarity of character and moderation of tone, deserves 
 priority of attention. It may be thus stated : The power 
 to rule the church in an administrative capacity is not 
 denied to Christian ministers : but it is contended that they 
 cannot justly claim legislative functions. 
 
 With respect to this limitation, I fully admit that, regard- 
 ing the church of Christ as a whole, there can now be no 
 legislation. All that was necessary in this respect we find- 
 communicated by inspiration during the apostolic age. The 
 New Testament is the statute-book of the church of Christ, 
 and contains the only binding code of law. In our day, 
 however, we have to contemplate the church as separated 
 into several distinct rehgious communities. In each of these 
 are found not only different versions of great New-Testament 
 precepts, as established laws of the body ; but these are 
 supplemented, from time to time, by restrictions and provi- 
 sions adapted to the peculiar circumstances of each indivi- 
 dual society, and to' the times and manners of the people 
 among whom it exists. By the same rule, the power to 
 make such conventional regulations should be deposited in 
 such hands as are most likely to maintain the whole eccle- 
 
VIII.] POPULAR OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 69 
 
 siastical machinery in vigorous operation, and in accordance 
 with the general principles of New-Testament teaching. 
 
 When, therefore, we speak of legislation for religious 
 societies, the first important consideration respects its cha- 
 racter. Does it refer to matters concerning the church as a 
 whole, or to details pertaining to that particular religious 
 hody ? Is the subject an authoritative exposition of the 
 sense of scripture, or a matter of local discipline ? I con- 
 fess I entertain grave doubts whether at the present day any 
 power exists which ought to claim a right to legislate in 
 respect of the first of these classes of subjects. But while I 
 question the right of uninspired persons to give us any new 
 authoritative elements of faith, I can see no grave objection 
 to the minor kind of legislation, which may from time to 
 time be required for the purpose of rendering more efficient 
 the operation of a particular religious society. Taking this 
 limitation, therefore, of the ministerial power in this relation, 
 it cannot be dealt with in any other than a practical 
 manner. 
 
 If, for this purpose, we apply our remarks to Wesleyan 
 Methodism, the first fact which meets us is, that no power 
 can tamper with our faith. Our religious doctrines are 
 secured as permanently as the integrity of British law. A 
 second fact is, that, whatever legislation may do, or whoever 
 may be intrusted with the power, the Conneynon must be 
 maintained intact. Now I confess, after all that I have 
 heard and read, I have met with no mode which offers 
 any rational hope of maintaining the Connexional principle, 
 but our present one of Conference government and legis- 
 lation . 
 
 ** But then," it is urged, " you give the Conference a 
 power which it may abuse." Nay, I do not give it, and 
 therefore am not responsible to that extent. The Conference 
 possesses this power, and that, as I fully believe, in the wise 
 providence of God. But then I am told, that this power 
 may be abused. Very true : But where shall it be put, in 
 order that this contingency may be rendered impossible ? 
 "We are speaking of the power to legislate, so far as a 
 mature society requires legislation. Nothing is more evi- 
 dent than that w^hoever has this power, has a trust which he 
 may abuse. And speaking honestly and in the fear of God, 
 I would as soon trust the religious privileges of my children 
 in the hands of Wesleyan ministers as in those of any body 
 of men that I know. 
 
 But it is still argued, that ministerial legislation cannot 
 be defended by holy scripture. To this it may be replied, 
 "Neither can it be impugned." The truth is, holy scrip- 
 ture takes no cognizance of rehgious societies as sections of 
 
70 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 the cliurch, and therefore scripture proof cannot be adduced 
 in support of denominational peculiarities. The scriptural 
 necessity for diocesan Episcopacy, for limiting baptism exclu- 
 sively to adults, or for Conference legislation, may not be 
 easily given : yet I apprehend it would be a hopeless task 
 to show that any one of these is directly contrary to scripture. 
 
 One thing is undeniable, namely, that holy scripture has 
 selected the ministry as the proper seat of ruling power in 
 the church. It has confided more serious interests to the 
 charge of this body than to any other. If, then, there is an 
 element of power which the New Testament has not pre- 
 cisely appropriated, I surely act in harmony with its general 
 teaching when I allow those who are so specially distin- 
 guished to exercise this trust also ; more particularly as any 
 other agency might by this means prevent the ministry 
 from doing what they are specially charged by God to 
 accomplish. 
 
 But others, assuming a bolder tone, assert that this claim 
 of ruling power by gospel ministers is priestcraft, and, as 
 such, must vanish before the advancing intelligence of the 
 age. I would address myself with becoming respect to this 
 sentiment, propounded as it often is with great gravity, 
 and urged as a weighty philosophical axiom. I close my 
 eyes neither to the rapid progress which has been made in 
 useful arts and practical science during the last half century, 
 nor to the marvellous effects of this advancement on our 
 navigation, social intercourse, commercial enterprise, and the 
 progressive civilization of the human race. I am equally 
 sensible of the changes which take place in the tone of pub- 
 lic feeling, and of the fluctuations and power of that inde- 
 scribable agent, usually spoken of as "the spirit of the 
 age." But I must, nevertheless, demur to the correctness of 
 the sentiment to which allusion has been made. It is true, 
 priestcraft has existed, and still exists : but does this admis- 
 sion prove that the pious, humble, labouring minister of 
 Christ has no legitimate claim to those religious powers 
 which are absolutely necessary to the performance of his 
 sacred duties ? Is the minister to be held responsible as the 
 shepherd of the flock, and at the same time to be on a level 
 in every respect with the sheep, or, rather, subservient to 
 them ? Is it not as possible for the people to err from the 
 order of God, and to evince unchristian behaviour toward 
 their pastors, and even to exercise tyranny over them, as for 
 the pastors to do so toward the people ? 
 
 But we are told, that the advancing intelligence of the 
 age will set all this right. To this statement I reply at 
 once : I have no confidence in the religious enlightenment 
 or moral character of this intelligence. Do the men who 
 
VIII. J POPULAR OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 71 
 
 talk and write in this strain know the intelligence of the 
 age in which the apostles lived, and the intellectual power 
 of the men who wrote the New Testament? It was not in 
 a dark era or country that Christianity was cradled, and her 
 infant institutions fostered. Greece had been schooled in 
 philosophy and logic by Plato and Aristotle, in eloquence by 
 Demosthenes and ^schines, in poetry by the sweet songs of 
 Callimachus, the noble epics of Homer, the gracefid odes 
 of Anacreon, and the Golden Verses of Pythagoras. Rome, 
 in addition to her imperial power and refined jurisprudence, 
 had been enlightened by the historical compositions of Dio- 
 dorus Siculus, Dionysius Halicarnassensis, Julius Csesar, 
 Sallust, and Livy ; had been charmed by the elegant num- 
 bers of Virgil, the delicate satire of Horace, and the fervid 
 imagination of Ovid. Nor was this cultivation confined to 
 the literati : the populace at Rome could criticize the 
 periods of Cicero. 
 
 R was, then, at Athens, Corinth, and Rome, in the 
 Augustan age; when basking in the light of a literature 
 which it is the greatest glory of modern times to approach, 
 that Christian institutions arose into prominence and sta- 
 bility. When we talk so confidently about the progressive 
 intelligence, the enlightened spirit of the age, let us pause, 
 and ask, whether cultivated intellect and sound learning 
 have yet regained what the world lost in the dark ages. 
 Men may boast of gas-lighting, steam-power, locomotion, 
 electric telegraphs, and thus glory in means and facilities to 
 improvement ; but he must be rather a bold man who would 
 poise the intellectual power, cultivated taste, and polished 
 genius of the brightest spots of earth now, against the cor- 
 responding attainments of Greece and Rome at the period 
 when the gospel was promulgated. 
 
 Nor is it of less consequence to remind those who urge 
 this objection, that the men called by our Saviour to record 
 his gospel, and to place a standard text-book of Christian 
 doctrine and morals in the hands of the church, not only 
 wrote under the direct and immediate inspiration of the 
 Holy Ghost, but were men of mind, judgment, and intellec- 
 tual power, far above the ordinary level of human life. It 
 is to be feared, that considerable misapprehension has arisen 
 from the fact, that the apostles were mostly unlettered 
 men, and that the gospel did not depend upon any human 
 genius, or intellectual culture, but upon the power of God, 
 for its successful progress in the world. Some men, read- 
 ing that "it pleased God by the foohshness of preaching 
 to save them that believe," (1 Cor. i. 21,) have regarded this 
 expression as a sanction for foolish preaching y and thus con- 
 founded gospel simplicity with folly. Such ignorance and 
 
72 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 error should be avoided and corrected ; and especially as it 
 has led many, in these days of popular parade and preten- 
 sion, to imagine that the progressive inteUigence of our age 
 is called to improve, if not to correct, apostolic teaching, 
 and the influence of its example. This notion will appear 
 ridiculous and absurd, if we regard merely the intellectual 
 character of the writers of the New Testament. 
 
 Passing over the other inspired men, whose excellences 
 are numerous and manifest, I refer to Paul, whose mighty 
 genius, comprehensive intellect, and varied acquirements 
 would have entitled him to an elevated position in any age 
 or nation. Longinus, a person of the finest taste and most 
 acute discernment in criticism and pohte literature, classes 
 this apostle among the most celebrated orators of Greece. 
 His speeches, in the Acts of the Apostles, are worthy the 
 Roman senate in its palmiest days. They breathe a most 
 generous fire and fervour, are animated with a Divine spirit 
 of liberty and truth, and abound with instances of as fine 
 address as any of the most celebrated orations of Demos- 
 thenes or Cicero can boast ; and his answers, when at the 
 bar on his defence, to the questions proposed to him by the 
 court, have a politeness and a grandeur which are not excelled 
 by any of the best remains of antiquity. At the same time, 
 the adaptation of his addresses to the capacities of his several 
 audiences evinces the nicest sense of propriety and the 
 highest degree of discriminative ability. Yet the senti- 
 ments and judgment of such a man are to be warped 
 or crushed, to meet the passion, or prejudice, or opinion, 
 of would-be reformers or legislators, because they are pleased 
 to invest their decisions with authority under the title of 
 " the progressive intelligence of the age ! " 
 
 This, as I have said, would be sufficiently ridiculous and 
 absurd, if w^e looked no further than a just estimate of intel- 
 lect and wisdom. But when the plenary inspiration of the 
 New Testament is recognised ; when it is believed that the 
 apostles were Divinely appointed to communicate to man- 
 kind " the Avhole counsel of God," in all its maturity and 
 perfection, for the salvation of the world ; then this objec- 
 tion becomes profane. But, despite of all the pretensions 
 of pride, and all the clamours of human conceit, it will still 
 be found that " Christ the powder of God, and the wisdom 
 of God," will be '* wiser and stronger than men," (1 Cor. 
 i. 24, 25,) in every age and country. 
 
 Men may err in their interpretation of holy writ ; labour 
 and learning may fail to elicit fully the mind of the Spirit, 
 . though humble, persevering, praying eflfort will generally 
 succeed : but, however this may be, the will of the Spirit, as 
 revealed in the written word, is the standard law of the 
 
Vm.] POPULAR OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 73 
 
 church. If this age is progressing in religious intelHgence, 
 that progress is to be attributed to the wide difliusiou 
 of bibhcal truth. If the spirit of the age is becoming 
 purer and wiser, it is because it is called to walk in more 
 intimate proximity to the glorious light of revelation than 
 men in past times enjoyed. What have we now of sterling 
 mental cultivation, that Greece and Rome did not possess, 
 which has not been derived from the Bible ? If, then, God 
 in his word has laid responsibilities upon ministers, and 
 -willed their possession of the means of discharging these 
 duties, this must be held as Divine law and Christian order. 
 If the progressive intelligence of the times does not recog- 
 nise this law, it must submit to be taught lessons of inspired 
 truth : if the spirit of the age resists this order, it must be 
 rebuked into submission by the scriptural and consistent 
 bearing of the church of God. 
 
 It is further urged, that this doctrine of ministerial rule 
 is a violation of an established principle, namely, that the 
 people are the centre and seat of all power, which must 
 necessarily be exercised by those to whom they shall dele- 
 gate it ; and that such deputed recipients of it shall hold 
 themselves responsible to the sovereign people. This senti- 
 ment has been strongly held, and is widely circulated. It 
 is spoken of, as if it had been a scriptural axiom ; and the 
 consequences drawn from it have been neither few nor 
 small. A single-minded Bible-reader may, however, be per- 
 mitted to ask. Where is this written ? In what part of the 
 book of God are we told, that the people en masse possess 
 the exclusive right to ruling power ? Where does holy 
 scripture inform us, that they who feed and rule the flock 
 are responsible to the sheep ? We hear, indeed, of the great 
 Shepherd ; distinct intimations are repeatedly found of his 
 supreme power, and frequent reference is made to " the day 
 of the Lord : " but I find no scriptural warrant for the 
 opinion, that ail ruling power in the church must be held 
 under responsibility to the people. 
 
 I speak not now of political governments, but confine my 
 observations strictly to the church. Let me ask, then, 
 When did all this power pass into the possession of the 
 members of the church ? When the. apostles stood before 
 their risen Lord in Galilee, they unquestionably had all 
 power given unto them. They went forth preaching Christ, 
 with power to declare the truth, and to offer to a perishing 
 world salvation in the name of Jesus. Their word was 
 effectual ; sinners repented and believed ; the apostles taught 
 them, watched over them, directed them. Now, in the 
 course of this prpcess, when did all the power of ruling and 
 building up the church pass from the teachers to the learu- 
 
 E 
 
74 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 ers ? When, and by what law, rational or Divine, did the 
 power pass from the fathers to Xheir children in the gospel ? 
 Upon what principle are these Divinely called and inspired 
 men to be placed in subjection, and rendered responsible, 
 to the body of the church ? 
 
 It will be admitted, that this supposed transfer of power to 
 the people did not take place in the apostolic age : but this 
 acknowledgment only shifts the difficulty, it does not destroy 
 it. Were the presbyters of Ephesus to whom the apostle said*, 
 " Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, 
 over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers'* 
 (Acts XX. 28) indebted to the people of their charge for 
 their appointment and power, and responsible to them for 
 its exercise ? Surely not : they derived their position from 
 the Holy Ghost. He had made them " overseers.''* It is 
 painful to have to combat such notions ; but it is necessary. 
 Let us take a very familiar case. The Wesleyan society 
 consists of members, lay officers, and ministers. Now, 
 according to this popular theory, the first are, as a body, 
 the scat of power ; the second, arising out of the people, 
 derive their power from them, and are responsible to them ; 
 and the ministers, in like manner arising out of the lay 
 officers, receive their power from them, and are answerable 
 to them. This statement, I believe, comes very nearly to 
 what is in many quarters unblushingly avowed, and in many 
 others cherished and broadly insinuated. Not to dwell on 
 the evident absurdity of thus setting the pyramid to stand 
 on its apex, let this scheme be tested by rational examina- 
 tion. A person is appointed the leader of a class : a few 
 persons who believe they can get instruction and spiritual 
 strength by his instrumentaUty, meet him in social religious 
 intercourse : others, convinced under the word, come inquir- 
 ing, "What must I do to be saved?** He points them to 
 Christ, and thus gathers a little band of babes, young men, 
 and fathers in Christ. He is their teacher, their leader ; 
 and yet, according to this theory, every one of these is alike 
 an element in the great source of power ; the inquiring 
 penitent, the lukewarm professor, the backslider in heart, 
 equally with mature Christians, are members of the body to 
 whom the teacher and head is held responsible ! 
 
 A result equally absurd follows in the other case. The 
 man whom the Holy Ghost has called out of the walks and 
 works of secular life, and made a minister of Christ, and to 
 w^hom he has given the oversight of the flock, in pursuing 
 his sacred vocation has to teach and train young men for 
 spheres of usefulness ; and after careful inquiry and patient 
 observation, he nominates one young man a leader, and 
 another a local preacher : and yet, by this g?-eat principle 
 
VIII.] POPtJLAU OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 75 
 
 with which I am deahng, he is the nest day made responsi- 
 ble to these objects of his care I I will not stay to show, 
 (as might easily be done,) that this entire plea is in fact 
 hypocritical ; that the whole body of the people never can 
 have this power ; nor can wield it, if placed in their hands. 
 The entire assumption is nrged for the sake of giving to 
 ardent and aspiring spirits a claim to the exercise of influ- 
 ence in the name of the people, to which in their own name 
 they could never have a right of approach. The truth seems 
 to be, that the church has been assailed by two evils in 
 respect of its government, which have mutually fostered and 
 strengthened each other : 
 
 Men of unspiritual and overbearing minds, wishing to 
 enforce church order and discipline beyond its legitimate 
 limits, have taken opportunities favourable for their pur- 
 pose, and employed the arm of secular power or political 
 influence to give eflicacy to their ecclesiastical decisions, or 
 to visit with fines and other penal inflictions violations of 
 their decrees. On the other hand, those who have been 
 impatient of this yoke, have taken their stand on the 
 worldly and political character of such religious communi- 
 ties ; and, pleading the common equality and liberty of 
 human nature, have contended that the government of the 
 church must of right arise from the people, and be exercised 
 in responsibility to them. 
 
 But all this efibrt to model Christian institutions upon 
 the principles and policy of national governments, is absurd. 
 In nations, the governors and rulers naturally arise out of 
 the people ; and if there were no people to be governed, 
 there would be no call for rulers. But in a church the very 
 reverse occurs : the ministry does not arise from the people, 
 but the people from the ministry. The religious community 
 cannot exist antecedently to the ministry ; and therefore 
 never can originate the ministry, or regulate the manner of 
 its existence, or its rules of action. The order of God in 
 the production of the church is, to call ministers, send them 
 forth to preach, bless them with success in the conversion of 
 souls ; and thus a church is raised up under their teaching, 
 and they " which in time past were not a people" are thus 
 constituted "the people of God." (1 Peter ii. 10.) And 
 therefore, as civil associations are not merely voluntary, but 
 essential to the conservation of human life and property, 
 cases of exigency may arise in them, in which the peo- 
 ple may have a right to choose the form or mode of the 
 civil constitution : but from this political right no argument 
 can be drawn which will apply to the constitution of the 
 church. Here the pastors and the people stand in widely 
 different relations to each other. The former are called and 
 
 E 2 
 
76 DOCTKINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 qualified by God for their work, and eater upon it by Divine 
 appointment ; are put in trust with the gospel, and charged 
 with the care of the people, for the purpose of teaching and 
 training them for heaven. 
 
 But it is not only vain to attempt to support this objec- 
 tion by presuming on an analogy between the constitution 
 of a church and that of a political state ; the uniform teach- 
 ing of the New Testament pronounces unmitigated con- 
 demnation on it. The church is never spoken of as a 
 republic, but always as a kingdom. Let it not be supposed 
 that the use of this language by the inspired writers is 
 unmeaning. There was never an age or a language which 
 would justly give more force to the meaning of such terms, 
 than the age and language in which the apostles wrote. 
 Never had there been greater eflforts made to establish and 
 sustain democracy, than in Greece and Rome prior to the 
 time of Christ. The history and literature of the period 
 were full of the distinction between the two forms of 
 government. Yet, in such circumstances, the church is 
 always called a kingdom, *'the kingdom of God." Those, 
 therefore, who introduce a gradation of ministers, placing all 
 under one human head, and those who centre all power in 
 the people, equally err from the truth. The church is a king- 
 dom ; but Christ is the King. His ministers are, therefore, 
 responsible to him. He is the centre of power. He calls 
 some men to devote themselves entirely to the work of the 
 ministr}', and lays on them " the care of till the churches.'* 
 He, by the grace of his Holy Spirit, enables others, whilst 
 pursuing their secular vocations, to instruct, rebuke, reprove, 
 and exhort : and, however mysterious it may be to the 
 worldling or carnal professor, Christ is felt to be supreme 
 by all, and is honoured in the efforts of all. 
 
 The proper status of a Christian pastor, the relative 
 position of lay officers, the duties and rights of church- 
 members, the scriptural character of discipline, will never be 
 rightly understood or fully reahzed without a distinct and 
 steady recognition of this truth, *' One is your Master, even 
 Christ;" (Matt, xxiii. 10;) and there is no power or rule 
 in his church that is not received from him and exercised in 
 responsibility to him. I know, carnal men will scoff at this 
 declaration ; they have always done so. The spiritual man, 
 however, will see the beauty, harmony, and Divine liberahty 
 of this principle. It places the body of the church before 
 us as the great object of the Saviour's love ; not as a 
 political band, but a spiritual brotherhood. All who are 
 called to any office, are qualified for its duties by grace and 
 gifts communicated by Christ. Ministers, whose first quali- 
 fication is love to Christ, are called, as co-workers with him. 
 
Vni.] POPULAR OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 77 
 
 to labour for the spiritual good of those intrusted to their 
 care. Thus spiritually united in the Lord, th^re can be 
 ** no schism in the body," (1 Cor. xii. 25,) but by a loss of 
 spiritual influence and Divine love : for the honour and 
 interest of each is that of all. 
 
 It is further objected, that, whatever may be said on other 
 points, it stands out in the history of the world as a noto- 
 rious fact, that wherever Ministers have been intrusted with 
 supreme irresponsible power in the church, they have abused 
 it ; and have proceeded step by step to arrogate to them- 
 selves rights and privileges inconsistent with scriptural 
 truth, and dangerous to the liberties of the people. 
 
 It is scarcely possible to exaggerate the tone and terms 
 with which this objection has been urged. I have placed it 
 in very moderate language before the reader, and have no 
 wish to shrink from meeting it fairly and fully. But does 
 it not strike the most superficial observer, that if this 
 ministerial power has been so widely possessed as to lead to 
 this universal abuse, there must have been some foundation 
 for it? If it had no place in the draught of Christian 
 institutions supplied by the apostolic church, by what means 
 did ministers so generally obtain possession of the sway 
 which they thus misuse? The very fact of this alleged 
 universal abuse of power proves its universal existence. 
 That it has been abused, is not, indeed, denied. That other 
 powers, altogether different from, and inconsistent with, the 
 exercise of the spiritual pastorate which the scriptures 
 enforce, have been superadded to the ministerial office in 
 many sections of the church, is freely admitted. But what 
 does this admission amount to? Is it the order of God, 
 the dictate of reason, the usual practice in civilized life, to 
 deprive men of means essential to the performance of their 
 duty, because these means have been often abused ? Is it 
 not rather endeavoured to allow them freedom of thought 
 and action, and at the same time to use all reasonable 
 prudential checks for preventing the abuse of the privileges 
 with which they are intrusted? Nor must this alleged 
 abuse be admitted as existing universally in respect of indi- 
 vidual ministers. Great numbers of these, in every section 
 of the church, have maintained their simplicity and humility, 
 and laboured until death, teaching and training their people 
 for the enjoyment of endless glory. 
 
 Another consideration must be taken into the account : 
 If any government is to be maintained in the church, 
 supreme irresponsible power must be placed in some hands ; 
 that is, there must be an ultimate court of appeal and 
 legislation, responsible only to Christ, composed of either 
 ministers, or people, or of both. If, then, the possession of 
 
^ 
 
 78 ' DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE, [SECTr 
 
 such power certainly leads to abuse, the evil is inevit- 
 able. In reply it is argued, " The remedy is simple : 
 let the latter alternative be adopted, let laymen be united 
 with ministers as a check upon clerical usurpation, and 
 the church will have the best security which the circum- 
 stances admit, that official power will be maintained, but 
 not abused." 
 
 I know of nothing, in the wide range of the exciting cir- 
 cumstances of modern times, more extraordinary than the 
 prevalence of this opinion. It is true, some coarse and 
 vulgar minds, descending beneath all decenc)', have trampled 
 on tbe order of God's truth, and shouted, *'The men who 
 are paid by the church are the servants of the church/' 
 Such men, however, so clearly display the preponderance of 
 carnal things over spiritual things in their estimation, that 
 religion shrinks from contact with their profane proposal to 
 exclude the ministers* altogether from the direction of tbe 
 affairs of the church, and to place this entirely in tbe hands 
 of the laity. Tbe absurdity, and outrage of scripture, which 
 these sentiments embody, are their own sufficient antidote. 
 Hence the prevalence of the demand for a mixed body as a 
 supreme court. 
 
 Yet, as I have intimated above, this demand seems most 
 extraordinary ; for in whatever way this court may be con- 
 stituted, it is utterly impossible for it to embrace the body 
 of the people. It must, therefore, be confined to a selec- 
 tion, a few of the most prominent and respectable of the 
 laity. And any man who will study ecclesiastical history 
 will see, that this is the precise means by which ministerial 
 assumption has ever gained ground. Wbile tbe ministers of 
 Methodism, for instance, stand alone responsible to tbe 
 Head of the church and to the salutary influence of public 
 opinion, it is next to impossible that they can obtain any 
 dangerous degree of power. But let them once pass the 
 Rubicon, and associate with themselves an aristocracy of lay- 
 men, and then no one can imagine the extent of the peril. 
 Although many of the clergy in the primitive church had 
 imbibed erroneous views, it was not until Constantine, by a 
 public recognition of Christianity, had been introduced into 
 the same relation to the Christian church M'hich, fk% jiontifex 
 maximus, he had previously held toward the Heathen super- 
 stition, that the clergy assumed any power dangerous to the 
 faith or liberties of the people. And thus has it always been : 
 Roman Catholicism, with all its depth and darkness of error 
 and evil, arose from a junction of the ministry with the great 
 men of the world. This brought it political power and 
 spiritual ruin. The merciful providence of God has wonder- 
 fully preserved Methodism from this danger by maintaining 
 
Vin.] POPULAR OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 79 
 
 its ministi'y as an isolated presbytery, responsible as minis- 
 ters of Christ for all their acts to Him. 
 
 Still the evil of irresponsible power is by some men perti- 
 naciously insisted on, as certain to generate abuses. But do 
 not such persons perceive, as has been already intimated, that 
 this cannot be avoided ? There must in every body be a head. 
 And it is certain that ministers cannot be excluded from 
 the government of the church, without renouncing the 
 New Testament. It is equally sure that an association of 
 lay-aristocracy with the ministry in one supreme legislative 
 body has always been dangerous to the character of minis- 
 ters, and to the liberty of the people. What then 
 remains ? Is the government of the church of Christ an 
 impossibility ? No : there is another course. Let the 
 ministry possess every New-Testament privilege, all the 
 power and influence necessary to the full accomplishment of 
 the work of the pastorate, in direct responsibility to their 
 Divine Master: but while these rights are conceded, let 
 admission into this ministry, and the piety and fidelity of its 
 members, be subject to such restriction, examination, and 
 trial as shall satisfy the most scrupulous mind, and offer 
 sufficient security against the introduction or retention of 
 improper persons in its ranks. Sufely it is more reasonable 
 to be careful as to the character of ministers, to exercise a 
 godly jealousy in their selection, and a kind but inflexible 
 fidelity with respect to their future conduct, than it is to 
 invade the order of God, and, presuming on the unfaithful- 
 ness of ally to prevent an}j from exercising those powers 
 which are essential to the scriptural discharge of the duties 
 of their office. 
 
 Let Methodism be fairly tested on these rational and 
 scriptural principles, and it will be seen that we possess 
 ample security for the continuance of a pious, useful^ 
 Divinely-appointed pastorate. No man can be proposed 
 as a candidate for this office, unless he is approved by 
 the quarterly- meeting of the circuit in which he has for- 
 merly lived and laboured as a local preacher. Here is a 
 practical application of the scriptural rule, "Lay hands 
 suddenly on no man:" (1 Tim. v. 22:) "Let these also 
 first be proved." (Chap. iii. 10.) It is thus ascertained, 
 jprior to the introduction of a man into the ministry, not 
 merely whether he has gifts, intellectual qualifications for 
 the work, but whether he has spirituality of mind, reli- 
 gious unction in his ministrations. And no man can be 
 introduced into the Wesleyan pastorate, unless he is thus 
 approved by the highest, largest, and most influential 
 meeting of the religious society to which he belongs, as a fit 
 person to be admitted into the sacred office, and to be put 
 in trust with the ministry. 
 
so DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT- 
 
 Nor is the man, when taken from the ranks of the people 
 and introduced into the office of presbyter, placed beyond 
 the reach of their accusation, in case he should act im- 
 morally, become unsound in doctrine, or unspiritual in 
 mind and deportment. Not only is he subjected to special 
 examination and particular inquiry during the four years of 
 his probation, but all his life long he is amenable to com- 
 plaint. Ample opportunities exist for preferring any 
 charge ; every necessary appliance is at hand for bringing 
 an offender to trial, and, if need be, for expelling him from 
 the ministry. 
 
 Nor has there occurred a single instance in the history 
 of the body, in which a minister charged with any crinie 
 has been shielded from punishment hy the partiality of 
 his brethren. The dearest private friendships have beeiv 
 sacrificed, the utmost individual suffering has been submit- 
 ted to, and the convicted offender has been removed from- 
 the body. 
 
 So far, therefore, as the purpose, desires, and determina- 
 tion of the Wesleyan pastorate can be inferred from its acts^ 
 it says to the people of its charge, " We have risen from, 
 among yourselves ; every man of us was recommended by 
 his brethren as a suitable person for the office of the minis^ 
 try. We arc still living with you, are still under your eye 
 going out and coming in before you. If you have any com- 
 plaint to make again&t any minister, it shall be candidly 
 heard and carefully examined. If you want any additional 
 appliances for effecting this purpose, let such be stated. If 
 even a minister is lying under suspicion, he is open to inter- 
 rogation : every thing that can be asked, all that can possibly 
 be desired, shall be done, to afford the people a sufficient 
 guarantee that no unworthy or wicked man shall be shel- 
 tered in the sacred office." 
 
 SECTrON IX. HOLY SCRIPTURE CLAIMS FOR THE MITVIS- 
 
 TRY THE RESPECT, ESTEEM, AND AFFECTION OF THH 
 MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 In these times of excitement and popular prejudice, " the 
 scriptural claims of the ministry " is a phrase that will 
 sound harslily on many ears, and will possibly expose the 
 author to the charge of time-serving and sycophancy. Con-* 
 scions of having devoted myself in this inquiry to the service 
 of God and truth, every thing of this kind will be unnoticed 
 by me. But while turning away from petulance, prejudice, 
 and passion, I am ready to reason with men of common sense 
 and scriptural religion. And to such I saj^ Surely the minis- 
 try must be regarded as having some claim on the people. 
 
IX.] MINISTERS* CLAIMS 0*N THE CHURCH. 81 
 
 If men are called out of their secular pursuits, and required 
 to give themselves fully to the work of the ministry, they 
 must surely have some correlative demand upon their fel- 
 low-Christians. The church asks their entire and undivided 
 services ; requires that those who are so called, shall give 
 the most ample, rational, and scriptural evidence that they 
 are men of God, men who live in the spirit, and imitate 
 the character, of their Master, Christ. These demands the 
 church is entitled to make and empowered to urge. The 
 church has a right to require that such men, and such men 
 only, shall be introduced into the ministry, and retained in 
 its racks. If in any section of the church there is laxity on 
 this head, let it be repaired by a temperate, but firm, appli- 
 cation of New-Testament principles. Let more rigid means 
 of examination, more careful scrutiny into character, be 
 adopted, if such measures are necessary. Let every thing 
 tliat can be devised in accordance with scriptural principles, 
 everything that can be executed in the spirit of holiness and 
 love, be adopted to maintain the purity of the Christian 
 ministry. But, when all this is done, when the way to the 
 pastorate is sufficiently guarded, and the character of the 
 minister sufficiently scrutinized, then, in respect of the 
 unchallenged, unimpeached, undoubted minister of Christ 
 Jesus, let the question be calmly entertained, and religiously 
 considered, " What are such men entitled to receive from 
 the people of their charge ?" I think it must be admitted 
 that such ministers have a claim to the respect, esteem, and 
 affection of their people. 
 
 The mutual relation of pastors and people clearly war- 
 rants, and seems to require, the exercise of these feelings. 
 The ambassador for Christ, who announces the message of 
 mercy, the man who, by a faithful exposition and applica- 
 tion of Divine truth, ministers the Spirit, the individual 
 who is the stated instrument by which Ihe consolations of 
 Divine promise, and the invigorating influences of grace, are 
 brought to bear upon the Christian's mind, naturally chal- 
 lenges the esteem and love of those to whom he ministers. 
 Is the person who trains the rising mind of youth, and com- 
 municates the elements of knowledge and the principles of 
 science, to be regarded with tender interest and affectionate 
 regard ? And is the minister of Christ, who is called " 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 sanctified by faith," (Acts xxvi. 18,) is he to be 
 regarded with coldness, distance, apathy, suspicion ? 
 
 It is important here to observe the manner in which this 
 relation of ministers to people, and people to ministers, is 
 
 E 5 
 
82 DOCTRINE OF THE PAStORATE. [SECf. 
 
 spoken of in the New Testament. And it may be noted in 
 passing, that the scriptures contain no unmeaning epithets. 
 Terms, whether used as figures of speech, or as descriptive 
 appellations, are employed in a definite sense, and with a 
 strict and designed reference to their precise import. Let 
 it be remembered, then, that the minister is described in 
 holy scripture as the father of those who are brought ta 
 God by his instrumeutahty. Hence St. Paul says to the 
 Corinthians, *' For though ye have ten thousand instructors 
 in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers : for in Christ Jesus 
 I have begotten you through the gospel." (1 Cor. iv. 15.) 
 For the same reason he calls Timothy his ** dearly beloved 
 son," (2 Tim. i. 2,) and his *' own son in the faith ; " 
 (1 Tim. i. 2 ;) and Titus '* mine own son after the common 
 faith." (Titus i. 4.) Nor are these terms employed in a 
 merely figurative sense : they are, on the contrary, con- 
 stantly accompanied by expressions of affection and regard 
 commensurate with the claims of a spiritual paternity. 
 
 Observe, in reference to this point, St. Paul's address to 
 the Thessalonians, " We were gentle among you, even as a 
 nurse cherisiieth her children : so being affectionately de- 
 sirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, 
 not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because 
 ye were dear unto us. Ye know how we exhorted and 
 comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth 
 his children." (1 Thess. ii. 7, 8, 11.) To the Corinthians 
 the same apostle says, ** I speak as unto my children," 
 '*nry beloved sons." (2 Cor. vi. 13; 1 Cor. iv. 14.) St. 
 John uses similar language : *' I have no greater joy than to 
 hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 4.) It may, 
 indeed, be fairly questioned whether any relation in which 
 one person can be placed with respect to another, is calcu- 
 lated to create and maintain a stronger or purer affection, 
 than that which arises when one has been made the instru- 
 ment of communicating great spiritual good to another. 
 Those who have brought the gospel to bear on the guilty 
 consciences of sinful men, who have travailed in birth for 
 them, until consecrated effort has been crowned with suc- 
 cess, they know the strength and blessedness of the reli- 
 gious affection thus raised in the soul. And the effect 
 produced on the mind of the person saved, corresponds with 
 that created in the heart of the minister. Speaking on this 
 subject, the apostle says of the Galatians, '* Ye received me 
 as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. Where is then 
 the blessedness ye spake of ? For I bear you record, that, 
 if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own 
 eyes, and have given them to me." (Gal. iv. 14, 15.) 
 
 When, therefore, I urge the exercise of esteem, respect. 
 
 % 
 
 f! 
 
IX.] MINISTERS CLAIMS ON THE CHURCH. 83 
 
 and love toward a minister as a Christian duty, I place 
 before the church a claim in harmony with all those blessed 
 feelings and Divine affections which the operation of the 
 gospel, and the reign of grace, are sure to create. The 
 relation between pastor and people, in fact, exists for this 
 very purpose. He devotes himself to the work of the 
 ministry, laying aside all worldly entanglements, that he 
 may bend his whole strength, and devote all his time, to the 
 salvation of souls. The people unite with him in holy exer- 
 cises, to the grand but simple end that grace may be 
 realized, that salvation may be obtained. And the commu- 
 nication of grace, as we have seen, forms the basis of deep 
 and sincere affection. For although scriptural Christianity 
 warns us against imputing to the instrument the power or 
 grace of the Divine Giver, it, at the same time, by a law 
 common alike to nature and revelation, recognises the in- 
 strumental medium of communication as an object of affec- 
 tion and respect. 
 
 But although it must be regarded as an established fact, 
 that the ministerial office, when exercised in the spirit of 
 the gospel, is calculated to inspire feelings of respect and 
 aftieetion in the hearts of the people toward him w^ho is their 
 minister ; the propriety of cultivating and of evincing these 
 feelings is not left to the spontaneous action of Christian 
 mind, under the influence of ministerial character. It is 
 delivered to us as a positive Christian duty, and is, as such, 
 enjoined by special scripture commandment. "We beseech 
 you, brethi-en, to know them" (or, as I. should read the 
 passage, '^ acknoivledge them'^) "which labour among you, 
 and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you ; and to. 
 esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake.'* 
 (1 Thess. V. 12, 13.) "Let the elders that rule well be 
 counted worthy of double honour." (1 Tim. v. 17.) 
 
 These terms are remarkably clear and explicit. There 
 can be no question as to their application to Christian minis- 
 ters. The ground of the requirement places this beyond all 
 doubt. "They which labour among you, and are over 
 you in the Lord, and admonish you." We have here the 
 three great divisions of ministerial duty, labouring in the 
 word and doctrine, administering the government of the 
 body, pastoral oversight and counsel. They are regarded as 
 uniting to form a claim on the persons that partake of these 
 advantages. But then, what is the nature of this claim? 
 What does it import ? Here, too, the terms of the text are 
 remarkably plain : " Esteem them very highly in Idve." The 
 language is clear, full, and strong. It requires not mere 
 esteem and love : these are in some measure universally due 
 from one Christian to another. Here, however, this affec- 
 
M DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT^ 
 
 tionate regard is required in a peculiar and eminent degree^ 
 " vety highly in loveJ" It is therefore evident that scrip- 
 tural Christianity claims, from every Christian, esteem and 
 love for the minister : and this not only because of his 
 amiability or piety, but because of his works. So that the 
 minister is to be loved and esteemed because of his dis- 
 charging those duties which not unfrequently bring him 
 into collision with the judgment and feehng of his peo- 
 ple. ^' For his ivorJi's sahe," because of his preachings 
 no matter how much it may condemn our sins, frailties, or 
 follies. *' For his work's sake," whether in his adminis- 
 tration of government he may accord with our judgment, or 
 the reverse. '* For his work's sake," although his pas- 
 toral entreaties and advices may on some occasions appear too 
 importunate or too severe. In all these case&, and on these 
 grounds, the Christian who makes his Bible his law, ia 
 required to *' esteem" his minister " very highly in love, for 
 his work's sake." 
 
 ** Then," it will be objected, " you claim infallibility for 
 ministers : you maintain that they can do no wrong, thafe 
 they cannot err, or act improperly." I do nothing of the 
 sort, I make no such claim. I know they not only may, 
 but do, err ; and so lie knows, who indited this striking 
 portion of holy writ. But this point does not touch the 
 matter in hand. The scope of the passage simply pre- 
 sumes, that the ministerial character is sustained ; that the 
 pastor means well, and is desirous to perform the sacred 
 functions of his office rightly. And then, inasmuch as the 
 ministerial office is one which has for its great object the 
 good of the people, the man who sustains this office is 
 entitled to esteem and love. He may err in judgment ; he 
 may mistake in matters of religious economy or discipline : 
 our understanding may demur to his decisions ; our opi- 
 nion may stand opposed to his. All these contingencies were 
 foreseen by the Holy Ghost : yet he imprinted on the sacred 
 record, "Esteem them very highly in love for their work's 
 sake." Indeed, this difference of judgment or opinion 
 forms no reason against the requirement of the text. We 
 are not ordered in every instance to think with ministers, to 
 judge like them : they have their work, and are responsible 
 to their Master for its efficient performance. But we are 
 commanded "to esteem them," to love them ; and to do this 
 in a high and eminent degree. 
 
 If this be the plain teaching of holy writ, what is the 
 spiritual condition of those professing Christians who habit- 
 ually entertain suspicion of the minister whose pastoral rule 
 they profess to acknowledge, and who take delight in 
 drinkingin detraction and calumny, especially when directed 
 
 w 
 
X.] THE MINISTRY CLAIMS TEMPORAL SUPPORT. 85 
 
 against the sacred office? What can be said of those pro- 
 fessors, who dihgently employ themselves in destroying all 
 mutual respect and affection between the people and their 
 pastors, whose aim and object it is to sow dissension and 
 animosity where God commands esteem and love ? " My 
 soul, come not thou into their secret." 
 
 SECTION X. HOLY SCRIPTURE CLAIMS FOR THE MI- 
 NISTRY AN ADEQUATE TEMPORAL SUPPORT. 
 
 It may be stated at once, that this claim is not urged in 
 the inspired volume in the light of Christian charity or 
 benevolence ; but is imperatively enforced in the word of 
 God on the ground of justice and Divine appointment. 
 ' The labourer," said the Saviour, " The labourer is worthy 
 of his hire." (Luke x. 7.) Nor does the duty of the 
 church merely rest on such an authoritative declaration as 
 this, plain and full as is its teaching. There is, indeed, 
 scarcely any other requirement connected with the existence 
 of the visible church, which is so clearly and in such various 
 ways exhibited and enforced. 
 
 It is urged on the ground of general equity and universal 
 practice : " Have not we power to forbear working ? Who 
 gocth a warfare any time at his own charges ? Who 
 planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? 
 Or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the 
 flock ?" (] Cor. ix. 6, 7.) It is enforced as a predetermined 
 purpose of God, and specially set forth in the arrangements 
 and provisions of the Mosaic economy : *' Saith not the law 
 the same also ? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou 
 shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the 
 corn. Doth God take care for oxen ? Or saith he it alto- 
 gether for our sakes ? For our sakes, no doubt^ this is 
 written : tliat he that plougheth should plough in hope ; 
 and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his 
 hope." (Verses 8 10.) '' Do ye not know that they which 
 minister about holy things live of the things of the temple ? 
 and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the 
 altar?" (Verse 13.) And beside all this, the duty of sup- 
 porting ministers is enjoined by a special ordinance of God 
 under the gospel dispensation : ** Even so hath the Lord 
 ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of 
 the gospel." (Verse 14.) 
 
 It is scarcely possible to conceive of any religious duty 
 being more clearly set forth, or more positively com- 
 manded. It is consequently the bounden duty of a church 
 to provide for its minister or ministers, or to see that such 
 provision is made. In places where endowments, or other 
 
86 BdCTRTNE OF THE PASTORATE. [sECT. 
 
 permanent sources of income, exist, the members of a reli- 
 gious community will feel more at liberty to promote the 
 interests of religion by their contributions to other fundsi 
 But M^here the income of the pastor must be drawn from 
 the people of his charge, as in the Wesleyan-Methodist soci- 
 eties, there it becomes the religious duty of the society, and 
 consequently of every member according to his ability, to 
 obey the law, to comply with the ordinance of God, by con- 
 tributing toward the support of the gospel ministry. 
 
 I will utter nothing intolerant in tendency, much less 
 plead for any coercion, which, in the usual sense of the 
 term, I utterly disavow and abhor. But this subject is one 
 on which so much unscriptural error has been diligently dis- 
 seminated, that it demands a clear and full statement of the 
 truth. 
 
 I offer no opinion on the case of those respected Chris- 
 tians who disavow all beUef in the scriptural appointment of 
 a separated ministry. They arrive at a conclusion from 
 which I conscientiously dissent. To them I make no refer- 
 ence or allusion, but to such persons as admit this doctrine 
 of an appointed ministry, and avail themselves of the sacred 
 services of men who give all their time and strength to the 
 work of the pastorate, and who consequently are, by the 
 ordinance of God, made dependent for support on the 
 church : In this case I maintain, that such persons are 
 bound according to their ability to contribute to the support 
 of their minister. Having received through him " spiritual 
 things," they are bound to supply him with "carnal 
 things." (1 Cor. ix. 11.) This is the clear, unequivocal 
 command of God. If a person thinks that the ministry on 
 which he has attended, is fallen from grace, or has become 
 corrupt in principle or moral conduct, and if he cannot find 
 means for restoring it, he is at liberty to turn either to the 
 right hand or to the left, in search of a more godly pas- 
 ture. But while a man admits the purity of a ministry by 
 participating in its ministrations, he is religiously bound, 
 according to his ability, to aid in its pecuniary support. 
 
 Nor is the question in the present day, how small a pit- 
 tance a veiy poor man must be reduced to, before he is exo- 
 nerated from sharing in this sacred burden. The question 
 now is, whether this principle of universal equity may not 
 be violated ; whether all the teaching and analogies of the 
 Mosaic economy may not be scoffed at, and the direct ordi- 
 nance of God be trampled on, in case certain members of 
 the church differ in opinion from the ministry ! Yes, all 
 this has been gravely urged by men who profess to be God's 
 ministers ! This has been clamorously maintained by what 
 aspires to be recognised as a Christian press ! This foul 
 
 \ 
 
X.] THE MiNTSTllY CLAIMS TEMPOltAL StfPPORT. S7 
 
 enormity has been carried into practice by men who would 
 be thought Christians par excellence. 
 
 Let us consider this matter. Men are called of God to 
 teach his truth, to preach his word. They are recognised 
 throughout the length and breadth of the land in this cha- 
 racter, and people hang upon their hps as ministers of life 
 and salvation. Yet the very persons who thus recognise 
 them as the ambassadors of Christ, beUeving them to hold, 
 notwithstanding, some erroneous views, and to act upon 
 them, deliberately and of set purpose avow their determina- 
 tion to v/ithhold all supplies from every branch of the cause 
 of God, until the teachers relinquish their own honest con- 
 victions, and adopt those held by the persons whom they 
 are called to teach ! Who does not see, that in this case 
 the order of God is totally inverted? Here divinely- 
 appointed rulers are, in purpose at least, enslaved : teachers 
 are commanded by men what to teach : the children ride 
 rough-shod over their fathers in the gospel. 
 
 It is an undoubted fact that this attempt is hopeless. 
 Men cannot be enlightened and convinced by coercion. Is 
 it conceivable that hunger is to inform the judgment, or 
 correct the heart ? Pain and punishment may create dis- 
 semblers and hypocrites, but cannot alter opinions. 
 
 This course is undeniably cruel and persecuting. In the 
 worst cases of Popish persecution, we have seldom seea 
 uncfTending women and helpless children involved in the 
 suffering of their parents. But this course at least con- 
 templates withholding the means of subsistence from the 
 wives and families of the ministers, as well as from them- 
 selves. Men who can deliberately resolve on such a mode 
 of proceeding, would, if they had the means, resort to the 
 thumb-screw, the dungeon, the rack, and the faggot. The 
 cry of liberalism is lost in the unmistakable evidence which 
 identifies this conduct with the character of the dark ages. 
 
 But the deliberate resolve of members of a. Christian 
 church to withhold support from" their ministers, is sinful. 
 It is a violation of an explicitly declared ordinance of God, 
 a plain and emphatic requirement of his. holy truth. To 
 urge, as some have done, the opinions of the minister as a 
 justification of such conduct, is impertinent. The will of 
 God is, that they who "preach the gospel should live of the 
 gospel." (1 Cor. ix. 14.) If, therefore, by continuing under 
 his ministry, and even remaining as one of his flock, a man 
 recognises the pastor as a preacher of .the gospel, he is 
 bound by God's law to afford support to that pastor : and 
 all such excuses as those referred to, are to be regarded as 
 pleas for covetousness, or apologies for sin. It may be 
 fairly questioned whether in any age or country so much 
 
88 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 positive lieresy has been circulated and acted on, in the 
 same space of time, as has been put forth lately on this 
 subject. I therefore iterate the declaration of the Saviour, 
 ** The labourer is worthy of his hire," (Luke x. 7,) and 
 denounce as unchristian, unscriptural, and wicked, every 
 attempt to defeat or neutralize its requirement. 
 
 I am willing to incur all the odium to which the assertion 
 may expose me, when I say, that I gravely doubt whether 
 the inadequate number of stated ministers, arising from the 
 inefficient contributions of our churches, is not the sin of the 
 present times. See our teeming population in town and coun- 
 try. Let this land, and the world at large, be regarded as 
 redeemed by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus ; and ministers, 
 as his ambassadors to guilty and ruined men. And then let 
 any one say, whether the proclamation of mercy is suffi- 
 ciently broad in its range, or the pastoral care of the people 
 sufficiently minute in its attention. Complaints have been 
 made, and sometimes justly, that ministers are not so active, 
 laborious, and self-denying as they should be : and no evil 
 should be met with more Christian feeling and firmness than 
 this. But when the subject is fairly considered, is it not 
 obvious that a Christian minister is, in the present state of 
 the churches, called upon to attempt an impossibility ? The 
 minister enters upon his charge, and feels the importance of 
 giving efficient pastoral attention to the members of his 
 flock : lie hears the general cry for improved education, and 
 recognises the claims of the young to his regard and solici- 
 tude : while, beyond the pale of his enclosure, he beholds 
 a wide world of humanity, for whom Christ died, and to 
 whom he is commanded to preach the gospel. But for all 
 tliis work he has neither the time nor the strength ; and he 
 mournfully echoes the language of the Saviour, " The har- 
 vest truly is great, but the labourers are few." (Luke x. 2.) 
 
 Yet the church is not straitened in the Lord, but in its 
 own doings. IMen are at hand, converted, called, gifted 
 men, men ready to take their place amongst the ministers 
 of the gospel. The grand institute raised up for the world's 
 conversion is hindered for want of means, and cramped 
 through a deficiency of numbers : and consequently infi- 
 delity scoffs at truth, and vice riots in our streets, and 
 ignorance sheds its dark influence over our youth : while 
 the church, with niggard calculation, metes out the smallest 
 modicum of ministerial agency which its conscience will 
 allow ; while some^ who disgrace the name they bear, out- 
 rage God's truth and insult Heaven by clamouring for the 
 stoppage of all supplies, and the starvation of the existing 
 pastorate. Such mingled insanity, folly, and wickedness 
 must, however, in a very brief space of time, be its own 
 
X.] THE MINISTRY CLAIMS TEMPORAL SUPPORT. SO 
 
 antidote. Bat 0, when will the church arise, and, shaking 
 off the influence of the world, come forth in mighty aggres- 
 sion upon the error, ignorance, guilt, and pollution of perish- 
 ing humanity ? 
 
 Before dismissing the subject of ministerial support, I 
 must refer briefly to the case of the worn-out or supernume- 
 rary ministers, and of the widows and orphans of ministers. 
 An important object contemplated in the institution (^f the 
 separated ministry was, that, having their wants provided for 
 by the church, they should be saved from entangling them- 
 selves with the things of this world, and consequently be at 
 liberty, like good soldiers of Christ, to devote all their time 
 and thought to His service who called them. To secure 
 this object, it appears to me, that one of two things is 
 essential. Ministers must either have an income so large, 
 that, having provided for all their present wants, they can 
 easily make a comfortable provision for their old age, or for 
 their famiUes in case of their early death : Or separate and 
 special means must be prepared for meeting their own wants 
 after they have ceased to be able to discharge the functions 
 of their office, and for maintaining their families in case of 
 their death. In the absence of such means, the minister*s 
 apprehensions and anxieties must still remain. It is not in 
 human nature for a man to be exposed to all the danger and 
 wearing tendency of a laborious and self-denying profession, 
 and to see nothing but the contingency of his broken health 
 or early death intervening between his wife and children and 
 absolute destitution. 
 
 It is utterly vain to say that there are multitudes of peo- 
 ple around him whose families are equally unprovided for : 
 because, in the case of such persons, thought, care, and eflbrt 
 to supply this want, are not only allowable, but commendable, 
 and the blessing of God is promised to crown their exertions. 
 From all this secular anxiety and labour the minister is pre- 
 cluded. He must not entangle himself; he must keep quite 
 aloof from all means of gain. The minister, therefore unless 
 met with some provision for himself when worn out, and for 
 his family in the event of his death is placed in circumstances 
 which to a great extent go to defeat the design for which a 
 separated ministry was appointed. His attempts to provide 
 support for himself ai)d his household are forbidden ; yet he 
 is doomed to be the victim of harassing care : he has to labour 
 on in prospect of an evil which he can do nothing to avoid 
 or avert. Can there be a position more harassing and dis- 
 tressing ? That ministers should be placed in these painful 
 circumstances, cannot, I boldly aver, be the Divine will. 
 
 What means, then, are to be employed to prevent such an 
 anomaly ? Shall a salary be given sufficient to enable 
 
1^^ 
 
 90 DOCTRINE OP THE PASTORATE. [sECT. 
 
 ministers without difficulty to make the necessary provision ? 
 This plan is frequently urged, but is both inapplicable and 
 unjust. It is inapplicable^ because while one man labours 
 on for forty or fifty years, another dies, or breaks down in 
 constitution, before eight or ten years have elapsed. How 
 can salary be apportioned to meet these different cases 1 
 Besides, the difficulty arises soon after a minister is married ; 
 and no increase of salary would save him from anxiety 
 during those years of labour in which his mind should be 
 kept perfectly free for the acquirement of knowledge, the 
 maturing of his judgment, and the unreserved devotion of 
 himself to his sacred work. 
 
 But this course would be unjust. The church is not 
 called to provide ministers with the means of hoarding 
 wealth. It is notorious that of those who are engaged in the 
 work of the pastorate not every one requires assistance when 
 unable to labour, nor at his death does he leave his family in 
 need. Many see their children reared and settled : some, after 
 having laboured lonp;, ''cease at once to work and live." 
 On the supposition, therefore, that the minister is to have a 
 salary sufficiently large to enable him to make a provision 
 for himself when unable to labour, and for his dependent 
 family after his death, all the preceding exceptions will 
 take away a considerable amount from the church, which 
 these individual ministers, not finding any other use for it, 
 may dispense at their pleasure. To this I object. I think 
 the church is not called to place such means at the disposal 
 of ministers. They should have a comfortable support, suf- 
 ficient to raise them above want and soUcitude. They should, 
 besides this, know that an apparatus of means exists, ample 
 enough, should their health fail, to supply their wants ; 
 and, in the event of their death, to provide for the widow 
 or children who require support. There would thus 
 remain no cause for any temporal anxiety on the ground 
 of comfortable subsistence. And, I contend, it is only when 
 such provision is fairly carried out that a church can reason- 
 ably demand from ministers the discharge of all those duties 
 which, according to scripture, appertains to the pastoral office. 
 Wesleyan Methodism has long realized these sober and 
 scriptural views, and has carried them out into healthy opera- 
 tion. Every man called of God to preach the gospel, and after 
 due examination received into the ministry, is suitably provided 
 for. This provision is adapted to the actual wants of the minis- 
 ter. iVn unmarried man has his individual wants supplied : a 
 married preacher has a provision graduated according to the 
 number of his family : while a separate fund is established 
 to afford the means of support to those ministers whose fail- 
 ing health prevents their continuing to perform the duties of 
 
XI.] CONCLITDING OBSERVATIONS. 01 
 
 their office, and to the widows and children of such minis- 
 ters as are removed by death, and leave families dependent 
 on the church's assistance. This special fund appears to me 
 to be peculiarly appropriate. It supplies an essential part 
 of ministerial sustenance, and commends itself to the earnest 
 approbation and zealous support of every Christian mind j 
 while it takes away from the spirit of the pastor every real 
 cause of anxiety respecting the maintenance of himself and 
 his family, and thus leaves him fairly open to the influence 
 of the call of Christ. 
 
 SECTION XI. CONCLrDING OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 The intelligent reader w^ill have observed that, so far as 
 the reasoning furnished in the preceding pages has been 
 conclusive, it has led to views of the Christian ministry very 
 different from those opposite and conflicting ones which are 
 now so industriously circulated. I feel no disposition to 
 treat the religious opinion of any fellow-man with disrespect. 
 Yet when what I most conscientiously believe to be fatal 
 error, is circulated as undoubted truth, though it has been 
 a thousand times refuted, I feel bound to deliver my protest 
 against the delusion, and to place it in juxta-position with 
 scriptural verity. 
 
 There is, then, one scheme of doctrine respecting the 
 Christian ministry common to Popery and to high Anglican- 
 churchism, which has been put forth with an air of confi- 
 dence and strength, as though it stood on the immovable 
 basis of Divine authority, and was only called in question by 
 infidels and heretics. There is another opinion on the 
 subject, which claims the merit of being maintained by all 
 that is liberal, philosophic, and reasonable. Between both 
 of these, the doctrine which the preceding inquiry has 
 elicited, stands just midway ; and, although it finds no special 
 favour with the great or the wise, claims to be the doctrine 
 of the Bible, the revealed v,411 of God. 
 
 I will endeavour faithfully to sketch these two opposite 
 systems, and to compare their merits and tendencies, under 
 the guidance of reason and revelation. 
 
 The first, and that which, from the extent of its preten- 
 sions, claims primary attention, may be designated as founded 
 upon the doctrine of apostolical succession. According to 
 this scheme, the validity of a Christian minister's appoint- 
 ment depends, not upon his piet}^ or upon any special 
 influence of the Holy Ghost with which he may be visited, 
 but upon the alleged fact, that he is ordained by a bishop, 
 who was himself ordained or consecrated by one that had 
 received orders or consecration from those who had also 
 obtained ordination in a regular succession from the apos- 
 
02 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [sECT. 
 
 ties. This point is deemed so essential, that it has been 
 broadly asserted that ** the gift of the Holy Ghost has been 
 preserved in the world solely by means of the apostoUeal 
 succession," and that "to seek communion with Christ by 
 any other channel is to attempt an impossibility." * ** The 
 only ministration to which the Lord has promised his pre- 
 sence, is to those of the bishops y who are successors of the 
 first commissioned apostles, and the other clergy^ acting 
 under their sanction, and by their authority." f 
 
 The substance of these pretensions is here given in a 
 condensed form. This asserted sacerdotal succession alone 
 affords the means of preserving the influence of the Holy 
 Ghost in the world, means so essential, that to them all 
 the promises of the gospel are limited ; so that to seek 
 communion with Christ in any other way is to attempt an 
 impossibility . I will not now enter largely into this question, 
 which I have elsewhere amply discussed : % hut I must refer 
 to a few of the discrepancies, breaks, and gratuitous suppo- 
 sitions in this pretended chain of apostolical succession. 
 
 1. It is presumed that Peter went to Rome, and died 
 there. For this scheme overlooks every other apostle ; the 
 ministerial labours of the eleven are all ignored, and the 
 whole of the present Christian church is built upon Peter! 
 But, unfortunately for this argument, it never has been, and 
 never can be, proved that Peter was ever at Rome. Some 
 succession-divines, indeed, have been found who, pressed by 
 this difficulty, attribute the foundation of the Roman church 
 to Peter or Paul. 
 
 2. In the next place, it is taken for granted that Peter 
 was in the ordinary sense bishop of Rome. This, Dr. Cave 
 candidly remarks, " I believe can never be made good." It 
 certainly never can. 
 
 3. It is said that Linus succeeded Peter as bishop of 
 Rome. But a learned popish historian says, " This is very 
 doubtful ; " and an erudite divine of the church of England 
 adds, ** There is no certainty who was bishop of Rome next 
 to the apostles." 
 
 4. It is stated in the Popish and Anglican catalogues, 
 that Cletus was the third bishop of Rome. This, however, 
 Dr. Comber pronounces to be a blunder, like the pre- 
 ceding. 
 
 5. It is supposed, in this scheme, that the catalogue of 
 succeeding bishops is undoubtedly correct : but, on the con- 
 trary, it is maintained by the most learned writers that some 
 of those " appointed as prothonotaries to register the passages 
 
 * Keble and NewsiAN. 
 
 + Dr. Hook's " Two Sermons on the Church," &c. 
 
 J In " Perilous Times," 
 
XI.] CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 93' 
 
 in the church, were so illiterate that they could scarce write 
 their own names in Latin." 
 
 Thus far the question is historical. And here are at least 
 five grave difficulties which have never been cleared up, 
 five suppositions which have never been proved, but always 
 taken for granted, and which have been nevertheless invested 
 with absolute certainty, and set forth as the foundation of 
 the faith of the Christian world ! 
 
 But this notion, so pompously propounded, has to draw 
 as largely upon theological propriety as upon historical faith. 
 Here it supposes, 
 
 1 . That valid ordination to the ministry can only be given 
 by episcopal hands ; although the express teaching of 
 scripture, and the unmistakable testimony of Jerome, 
 clearly show that bishops and presbyters were by Divine 
 institution of the same order, and differed in rank only by 
 the appointment of the church ; and this was held as the 
 orthodox opinion for five hundred years after the apostles. 
 
 2. It is supposed that a merely mechanical act can confer 
 Divine grace, and even communicate the special gift of the 
 Holy Ghost ; irrespectively of .the moral and religious cha- 
 racter of either bishop or priest ! It is further held, and 
 Christians in the nineteenth century are called upon to 
 believe, that a man may rise from wallowing in the foulest of 
 vices, and, meeting another also stained with the deepest 
 crime, yet, because of some mechanical action performed by one 
 of these in respect of the other, he becomes the instrument of 
 communicating a special and permanent gift of the Holy Ghost! 
 
 3. It is further maintained that, by virtue of this ordina- 
 tion, every one who has received it is endowed with the 
 power of communicating spiritual blessing in the sacraments 
 of baptism and of the eucharist, and this also irrespectively 
 of his own moral or religious character, or state of mind, or 
 of that of the recipient ! 
 
 4. Again : in perfect harmony with these strange suppo- 
 sitions, it is taught that the only communication of spiritual 
 life in the world is through baptism performed by a minister 
 thus ordained ; and that the great appointed means of 
 strengthening this spiritual life is the administration of the 
 Lord's supper by the same agency. Preaching the gospel, 
 individual faith in Christ, justification through believing in 
 Jesus, are all lost sight of. The only mode of communicating 
 religion is mechanical ; and a foul and filthy sinner, if duly 
 ordained, is, according to this system, as efficient for this 
 purpose as a holy and devoted man ! 
 
 Such is the doctrine of the pastorate according to the 
 Romanist and Romanizing schools. I do not by any means 
 insinuate that all ministers who hold these strange tenets 
 
<J4 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 are immoral in their character. I simply mean to assert that 
 they stake their high position upon an imaginary trans- 
 mission of grace through men of the most abandoned and 
 irreligious lives, men steeped in all the abominations of 
 Popery during the dark ages, and notoriously impure and 
 immoral ; and further, that the efficacy of this ministry 
 depends, not upon their piety, faith, and devoted labour in 
 the cause of Christ, but upon their having been ordained by 
 this fancied succession, and upon their performing certain 
 rites ; and that their office consists not in teaching or 
 preaching the gospel, but in acting the joriest. Whether I 
 look at the absurd pretensions upon which this scheme is 
 based, at its unscriptural, irreligious, and mystical character, 
 or at its intolerant and superstitious claims, I am compelled 
 to suspend my judgment, and ask, " Can this be the Christian 
 ministry? Are these the teachers, and the only, the 
 exclusive teachers, of the religion of the Lord Jesus? Is 
 this the way, and the only way, in which the practical 
 enforcement of the cardinal doctrines of * repentance toward 
 God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,' is to be brought 
 to bear on the world?" 
 
 But I look around, and am met with other professions. 
 
 I see the position and character of the Christian minister, 
 as he is presented to us in the doctrines of the men who 
 are now professedly exerting their talents to purge and 
 purify the church. Let us take the beau ideal of those who 
 aspire to be reformers ; who, disgusted with intolerance 
 and priestcraft, determine to remove all evil from the 
 administration of church affairs. Here we are taught, as a 
 first principle, that all the members of the church are per- 
 fectly equal ; that every individual has the same right to 
 give his judgment and his vote on the afipairs of the church. 
 The inquiring penitent, the babe in Christ, the half-hearted 
 professor, the backslider in heart, the man reproved and 
 rebuked for delinquency, together with the spiritually- 
 minded, and the father in Christ, -all are equal ; all 
 claim alike the right to hear and judge. Yet, notwith- 
 standing this urgent plea of liberty and equality, when this 
 church meets to deliberate on these grave affairs, the meet- 
 ing does not present an appearance corresponding to the 
 profession. There is not a recognition of common privilege 
 and uniform rights. In the midst of all these equals, there 
 is one man with the badge of inferiority upon him. He is the 
 man whom all receive as a minister of Christ. He, say they, 
 " is paid by all, and is the servant of all." Local preachers sit 
 around him, and ascribe to themselves special glorying, because 
 they are not paid for sabbath-day labours ! The man who has 
 given, up every means of worldly gain, and renounced all 
 
XI.] CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 95 
 
 chance of temporal advancement, wlio lias consecrated all 
 that he has and is to the service of the church, hears them 
 say, in a manner which carries barbed arrows to his heart, 
 " We * feed the flock of God, not tor Jilt/nj lucre, but of 
 a ready mind.' " Yet this man, who is not even recognised 
 as the first among brethren, is charged under the sacred 
 sanction of God's holy truth to minister the word, to build 
 up the church, to feed the flock, to act the part of a shep- 
 herd. In a w^ord, the man who is held responsible to 
 the Great Shepherd at the great day, and who will sufier 
 loss if the work be not rightly done, sees all the powers 
 necessary for his work put into a commission of which every 
 individual of the church is a member ; whilst he himself 
 has to labour under the damaging imputation of being a 
 mercenary seeker of filthy lucre, simply because he comphes 
 with the ordinance of God ! 
 
 It must be admitted that all the unreasonableness of these 
 opinions is seldom seen fully developed, because they are 
 mostly entertained in all their latitude and strength only by 
 those who, nurtured in churches where a scriptural and unfet- 
 tered pastorate exist, have abandoned, or been expelled 
 from, the place of their spiritual birth, in consequence of the 
 insubordination which these sentiments have induced. But, 
 suppoi^ing a religious body is formed, and grows up into num- 
 bers and power under the operation of these principles, then 
 the minister and spiritual father is seen to be the subject, 
 the dependent, of his sons in the gospel, even of those whom 
 he is charged to " rebuke, reprove, and exhort." 
 
 I do not for a moment hesitate to place before the church 
 and the world the conclusions elicited by the preceding 
 argument, in juxtaposition wdth these systems. Look at 
 the embodiment of priestly caste, of successional ordination. 
 Test it by reason and revelation. Let us have something 
 beyond the arrogant assertion that the thing is. Let us 
 reason the matter together. If the existence of Christianity, 
 the influence of the Holy Ghost, depends upon the integrity 
 of an historical chain, at least let it be proved that the 
 leading links existed. If the gift of God the Holy Ghost 
 flows as freely through spirits wallowing in every impurity 
 and guilt, as through vessels of holiness, at least let us have 
 some scriptural evidence of the fact. 
 
 On the other hand, if Christ has not ceased to be the 
 Head of his people, and by his Holy Spirit to call ministers 
 to preach, evangehze, and build up the church ; then we 
 shall want some other authority than the assertion of politi- 
 cal dogmas, for depriving ministers of the power to do what 
 Christ has called them to perform. The denial of all really 
 religious power in the church, the repudiation of any trust 
 
96 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. [SECT. 
 
 held in direct responsibility to the Lord Jesus, and the sub- 
 jection to democratic majorities of every matter in His 
 spiritual kingdom, are propositions that cannot be seriously 
 maintained, and, if attempted to be carried into operation, 
 will destroy the scriptural character of the body, and reduce 
 it to the level of a club. 
 
 From the claims of a proud superstition on the one hand, 
 and from those of a licentious hber.ihsm on the other, I 
 turn to what I have exhibited as the scriptural character of 
 the pastorate, to a body of men who are ambassadors for 
 Christ, chosen, appointed, sent by him ; who preach not 
 themselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and themselves the 
 servants of the church for his sake. While their conduct as 
 men, their piety as Christians, and their call as ministers, are 
 all fully open to investigation by the church, they claim, 
 if accepted in this character, not only temporal support, 
 but also liberty to act as shepherds of the flock in respon- 
 sibility to the Great Shepherd. 
 
 I am deeply sensible of the magnitude of the interests 
 involved in this question. This is not a minor topic of 
 subordinate moment : it is a grand and vital point. Upon 
 the soundness, the sterling accuracy, of the opinions held on 
 this subject will depend the character of our Christianity. 
 Let me, then, confidently insist on one stipulation : The 
 Bible must he the guide, and the only guide, to an enlightened 
 decision respecting this doctrine. If the true position and 
 proper character of the Christian ministry are ever to be 
 understood, it must be by the light communicated from the 
 pages of revelation. We must not be mystified by patristic 
 lore, nor be sent to grope for information in the dark age's. 
 Men must not expect us to receive political aphorisms as 
 axioms in the government of a kingdom which is not of this 
 world. If the Christian ministry is incontestably a Divine 
 institution, its Author and Founder can alone exhibit its 
 character and position. This is rendered certain from the 
 fact, that the church, in its true spiritual and living nature, 
 is a body distinct from, and altogether unlike, every other 
 combination of human beings. The teaching of the Holy 
 Ghost, therefore, in the written word, is the only authori- 
 tative guide on this subject. 
 
 I will venture another step, and assert that, in order to 
 obtain clear scriptural views of the Christian ministry, the 
 religious origin of the institution must be fully recognised. 
 I ask, *' What is the object of all this system ? For what 
 purpose w^as Christianity given to the world, and the Chris- 
 tian ministry established?" I am told, To save the people 
 from their sins, " to make an end of sins, and to bring in 
 everlasting righteousness." (Dan. ix. 24.) Then it will 
 
 
XI.] CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 97 
 
 surely be admitted, that in order to ascertain the true 
 character of that ministry which is specially called out of the 
 world, and fully consecrated to the great design of spreading 
 this religion among men, we must behold the institution 
 harmonizing with the object. If it had been the principal 
 design of Christianity to merge all the interests of humanity 
 in one grand effort to raise the class of priests above the 
 great body of the people, so that the presence and influence 
 of the Holy Ghost in this world, and all the religious inter- 
 ests of the people, should be made to depend on the occult 
 influence of some mechanical actions performed by the 
 priests ; then there would be some approach to consistency 
 between the claims of the Popish and Anglican priesthood 
 and the genius of the Christian system. Then it would be 
 possible to perceive, that a person with a character like Pope 
 Alexander VI. might stand at the head of the Christian 
 world, might place himself in the seat of its power, and 
 become the centre from which emanated, to all mankind, 
 and to distant ages, the potency of its influence. Or if 
 Christianity had been introduced into the world for the 
 purpose of removing the weight and influence of moral 
 purity, and establishing a select system of republican govern- 
 ment, in which wisdom and folly, the wise father in Christ, 
 and the refractory son in the gospel, the ministering 
 teacher, and the inquiring pupil, might all meet on equal 
 terms, and exercise a common influence on the body ; then 
 there would be no insuperable difficulty in the reception 
 of the scheme of modern reformers, with their majority- 
 test. 
 
 But if, instead of cither of these objects, the grand design 
 of Christianity is to destroy sin and establish holiness, per- 
 sonally and generally ; then how can mechanical action 
 necessarily produce moral effects? How can devoted ser- 
 vants of Satan be efficient ministers of Christ ? How can 
 a scheme which must make indiscretion prominent, and 
 unsanctified boldness influential, whilst it deprives the 
 minister of the power and means of doing his proper work, 
 be the most excellent model for a Christian church ? No : 
 whatever claims be put forward on behalf of the advancing 
 intelligence of the age, if it terminates in this, if we have, 
 on the one hand, a ministry arrogantly ascribing to itself 
 superstitious powers, which can neither be rationally 
 explained nor scripturally defended ; and, on the other, one 
 struggling on in its course, in a state of serfdom and vas- 
 salage, then for my own part I repudiate both. No pro- 
 fessions of intelligence or popular support can make 
 absurdity respectable, or render desirable or efficient that 
 which is ridiculous and contradictory. 
 
 F 
 
u^ 
 
 9S DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATiT. [SECTJ 
 
 If the doctrine of the Chnstian ministry must stand on 
 scriptural teaching, if it must be regarded in a religious 
 aspect, then I appeal to the enlightened judgment, the culti- 
 Yated common-sense of Enghshmen, to the real intelligence 
 of this age and country, whether that which the preceding 
 pages evolve has not a valid claim on our reception and sup- 
 port :- a ministry rising out of the people, and recom- 
 mended by the people as called of God and qualified by his 
 grace for the proclamation of his truth and the edification of 
 his church ; a ministry whose moral and religious conduct 
 is always open to impeachment, whose doctrinal purity may 
 at any time be impugned and tested ; but, at the same 
 time, a ministry which derives its authority and validity 
 from the call of Christ and the gifts of liis Holy Spirit, and 
 which avowedly depends for the efficacy o^ all its ministra- 
 tions upon personal faith in Christ, and the individual expe- 
 rience of His saving grace ; a ministry which, renouncing 
 all means of worldly gain, claims temporal support, not as 
 an act of charity, or a badge of mercenary dependence, but 
 as a religious right by virtue of the ordinance of God ; a 
 ministry which, in consequence, occupies a position in 
 which no wicked man can hope to be protected, and in 
 which the good man has the power to exercise his vocation 
 with fidelity to God and the interests of immortal souls, 
 whether rich or poor, high or low, who come under his 
 pastoral care. 
 
 I appeal to those who read the New Testament, who are 
 working out their salvation : 1& not tliis the scriptural 
 position of the Christian ministry ? . It offers you a minister 
 separated from you by no unexplainable distinction or casie ; 
 but one who can advise, exhort, or rebuke. I greatly err if 
 this does not commend itself to the judgment and conscience 
 of enlightened Christians. 
 
 If so, I may be permitted to offer two or three observa- 
 tions in the way of religious counsel. 
 
 1. If this doctrine is scriptural, if it represents the 
 revealed will of God on this important subject, then let me 
 earnestly advise and exhort that this ministry be steadily, 
 firmly, religiously supported. Give it your earnest prayers. 
 Remember that the very men who were called to this work 
 by the immediate and extraordinary interposition of Christ, 
 men who were endowed for their work by the plenary 
 effusion of the Holy Ghost, asked for these intercessions. 
 If Paul could feel it necessary to say, *' Brethren, pray for 
 us," (1 Thess. V. 25,) what must be the need of your pastors! 
 It is common now for persons to be particularly anxious lest 
 ministers should betray their trust, and abuse their powers. 
 If there is any ground for this anxiety, and if men are fftith- 
 
XI.] CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 99 
 
 ful to their principles, let tliem seek protection and strength 
 for the pastorate in fervent prayer to God, rather than in 
 shackling it with jealousies, suspicions, and penal laws. 
 Pray earnestly, fervently pray, for the ministers of the gos- 
 pel, that the '* word of the Lord may have free course, and 
 be glorified." (2 Thess. iii. 1.) Support the minister also 
 by supplying his temporal wants. Place him above the 
 reach of w^ant or care who has given himself to you by the 
 will of God, who is your servant for Christ's sake. You 
 partake of his spiritual things ; let him receive of your car- 
 nal things. And do not defeat the object and end of 
 the ordinance of God by giving grudgingly, and in such a 
 manner as must pain the minister's mind. The design of 
 the ordinance is to preserve, not only the time and bodily 
 strength of the minister, but also, and more particularly, 
 his soul's affections, and his mental attributes and energy, 
 for the service of the church. The man, therefore, who 
 gives, but in a manner which harasses and distresses the 
 minister's mind, defeats the design of the contribution. 
 Support the minister, as far as possible, by a hearty reli- 
 gious co-operation. Put the best, and not the worst, con- 
 struction upon his purposes and plans. Remember that he 
 has a responsibility which you cannot feel. Do not, there- 
 fore, stand upon unimportant points of difference. Do not 
 unnecessarily distract his attention by irrelevant matters. 
 Help him in his work. See the world before you white 
 unto the harvest, teeming with immortal souls. Hell is 
 raging ; the world is clamouring ; unfaithful professors 
 cast stumbhng-blocks in the way : the cause of God and his 
 church, the destiny of souls, demand your aid. Rally, 
 then, around God's great appointed agency, the Christian 
 ministry. Give it your hearty, zealous, constant support. 
 
 2. Discountenance all systematic attacks upon this minis- 
 try, whencesoever they may come. Of all the forms of per- 
 secution to which the church has been exposed, there is none 
 more dangerous to the cause of religion, none more Satanic 
 in its nature, than those which have assailed the character 
 of the Christian ministry. I do not, of course, speak now 
 of any charge fairly brought against an individual minister, 
 but of general, sweeping reflections upon the body of the 
 ministry. This is a course which, I may boldly say, a good 
 man cannot take. He, whoever he is, who assails or ma- 
 ligns the Christian ministry under any plea of zeal for God, 
 is a hypocrite. Exercise, then, I beseech you, a sound dis- 
 cretion in this case ; and treat all such assaults in the cha- 
 racter of direct aggressions on the religion of Christ, as, 
 indeed, they really are. 
 
 3. Let it be remembered, that Christ still exercises sove- 
 
100 DOCTRINE OF THE PASTORATE. 
 
 reign sway in liis church. His people are not called the 
 "kingdom of God" by a figure of speech. It is a great 
 fact. Christ reigns supreme. His influence is felt in every 
 spiritual church, not merely in individual conversion and 
 experience, but in the administration of its affairs. Am I 
 told that errors of detail exist, that many things are wrong ? 
 Let this mode of cure be attempted. Let the sovereignty 
 of Christ be more distinctly recognised, more fully acknow- 
 ledged. Let the whole case be treated as His, and every 
 measure be regarded in this aspect. Let men learn to act 
 with a single eye, and to be guided by this principle of alle- 
 giance, and many evils will be cured, and many more be 
 obviated. Men will find, in an improved judgment and 
 state of heart, a remedy for a thousand evils over which a 
 morbid melancholy previously gloated as affording cause for 
 murmuring discontent. 
 
 Let the evangelical piety and judgment of our land be 
 thus brought to bear upon the church ; and then, notwith- 
 standing the monstrous aggressions of Popery, the giant 
 strides of error in the Anglican church, and the revolution- 
 ary clamours of reUgious Chartists, 1 have no doubt that the 
 sterhng intellect and judgment of our country will more and 
 more adopt sound scriptural views on this subject, and, 
 under the guidance of enlightened religious principle, will, 
 in the several sections of the church, rally round a humble, 
 pious, and evangelical ministry, and esteem it as one of the 
 greatest blessings which God in his mercy has continued to 
 the church and the world. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 LONDON: PRINTJ3D BY JAMEg NICHOLS^ HOXTON^SQUARE. 
 
WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
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 TO THE NORMAN CONQUEST. 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EARLY PROGRESS OF ERROR IN THE 
 
 CHRISTIAN CHURCH, 
 
 THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GOSPEL INTO BRITAIN, 
 
 AND THE STATE OF RELIGION IN ENGLAND TILL POPERY 
 
 HAD GAINED THE ASCENDANCY. 
 
 "This work supplies a desideratum in British ecclesiastical history. 
 Although many particulars are incidentally found in the various writers 
 who have explored the ancient history of Britain, yet a work was want- 
 ing which should hring together a condensed view of the whole subject. 
 That work Mr. Smith has now furnished : his volume, in fact, may be 
 regarded as a supplement to every existing history of England and 
 Wales. We have been much gratified with the candid and Christian spirit 
 which pervades the whole work." Church-of-England Quarterly Review. 
 
 " It is a book which will convey much interesting information to 
 every class of readers." Literary Gazette. 
 
 " We appreciate the learning and industry every where apparent in 
 Mr. Smith's work. We admire the ability with which he comprehends, 
 in a few closely-written pages, the results of continued and dihgent 
 study. But, above all, we honour the uncompromising avowal of evan- 
 geUcal sentiments which, on every suitable opportunity, he is watchful 
 to introduce." Watchman. 
 
 " We despair of being able to convey to our readers any idea of the 
 Immense amount of information that is to be found in Mr. Smith's 
 volume. It is a library in itself; and as such we recommend it." 
 Church and State Gazette. 
 
 In one volume, \2mo, price 6s. in Cambric y 
 
 PERILOUS TIMES: 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE AGGRESSIONS OF ANTICHRISTIAN ERROR 
 
 ON SCRIPTURAL CHRISTIANITY, 
 
 CONSIDERED IN REFERENCE TO THE DANGERS AND 
 
 DUTIES OF PROTESTANTS. 
 
 " The author of this work sees clearly, and points out intelligibly, 
 that our religious institutions, and our civil liberty, are daily more and 
 more imperilled by the designs of the Papists, by the Romanizing ten- 
 dencies of om' Government, and by the unnatural affection displayed 
 towards * her of the seven hills' by those who are in the Church of 
 England, but who are not q/'her." Church and State Gazette. 
 
 " A MORE instructive, constitutional, and scripturally orthodox volume 
 has not for many years issued from the press." Wesieyan-Methodisi 
 Magazine. 
 
 LONDON : printed BY JAMES NICHOLS, HOXTON-SQUAKE. 
 
THE SEPOY EEBELLION. 
 
 REPRINTED FROM THE LONDON QUARTERLY REVIEW, 
 No. XVII., EOR OCTOBER, 1857. 
 
 LONDON: 
 ALEXANDER HEYLIN, 28, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 1857. 
 
V 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 No. XVII. of the London Quaeteelt Review having been 
 speedily sold off, and considerable inquiry for the following Article 
 still existing, it is issued in a separate form. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 t^ftiNTfiD BY WILLIAir NICHOL^, 
 38. LONDON WALL. 
 
THE SEPOY REBELLION. 
 
 From an early period of our connexion with the East Indies, 
 we have sustained periodical disasters in those countries. The 
 first of these, popularly called ^ the Amboyna massacre/ was^ com- 
 paratively speaking, upon so small a scale, that we can hardly 
 conceive how it should have excited so great a commotion in 
 this country as it did. In the year 1623, the Dutch, who were 
 the most vigorous of our early rivals in the East, seized upon 
 one Captain Towerson, and nine other Englishmen, and, after a 
 trial by torture, hanged them. So greatly were the public 
 enraged, that the Dutch merchants resident in London had to 
 appeal to the Privy Council for protection ; and a picture, com- 
 memorating the horrors of the scene, was exposed publicly by 
 the East India Company. More than a century later, the city 
 of Madras was wrested from us by the French, a treaty which 
 provided for its restoration violated, the Governor and other 
 authorities carried to Pondicherry, and marched bareheaded 
 through the French capital of the East. Just a hundred and 
 one years ago was perpetrated that outrage which, above all 
 others, has made a deep impression upon the popular memory 
 of England. One hundred and forty-six Englishmen were 
 thrust, by a revengeful Nabob, into a dungeon eighteen feet 
 square, at Calcutta, and the next morning only twenty-three 
 remained alive. 
 
 These last two events together exercised an influence on our 
 history in the East which can never be computed. Among 
 those enraged by the capture and disgrace of Madras was a 
 young clerk, Robert Clive, who in his fury turned soldier ; and 
 gained so much fame that, when the Black Hole tragedy 
 occurred, he was appointed avenger ; in executing which office 
 he made himself the founder of a great empire. Several years 
 
 1. Parliamentary Tapers on the Indian Mutiny. 
 
 2. Defects of the Indian Government. By Sir C. J. Napier. 
 
 3. Bengal: its Landed Tenure, and Police System. Speech by the Hon. A. F. 
 
 KiNNAIRD, M.P. 
 
 4. Crisis in India. 
 
 5. Theobald's Tracts on India. 
 
 6. Dacoitee in Excel sis. 
 
 7. The Mutiny of the Bengal Army. By One who has served under Sir Charles 
 Napier. 
 
 A 2 
 
4 
 
 later, Hyder Ali suddenly appeared at the gates of ^ladras at 
 the head of an army, and dictated terms of peace ; and shortly 
 after occurred the entire destruction of a detachment of our 
 army under Colonel Baillie, by Tipu Sahib, Hyder's son. In 
 1806, the Sepoys in the Fort of Veil ore, taking advantage of the 
 ceremonies connected with the marriage of a Princess, one of 
 the daughters of Tipu, whose family were then imprisoned in 
 the Fort, rose in the night, and poured a murderous fire 
 through the windows into the quarters of our European troops, 
 of whom two Colonels, thirteen other officers, and eighty~two 
 men fell, beside ninety-one wounded. In 1824, a regiment at 
 Barrackpore, being ordered to Chittagong, turned the Major 
 General off parade, and rushed to arms. Two European regi- 
 ments were on the spot ; some guns opened upon them at once, 
 and seventy fell. About the year 1831, a plot was discovered in 
 Bangalore for the murder of the whole of the European officers 
 and their families : the leading conspirators were blown from the 
 cannon^s mouth. In 1842 occurred the greatest disaster of all, 
 a sudden insurrection in the recently captured capital of 
 Affghanistan. The British Envoy was treacherously murdered, 
 thirteen thousand troops destroyed, and the small remnant of 
 the British force driven beyond the mountains. 
 
 Important as each of these occurrences was in its time, and 
 serious as they are when collectively viewed ; when we remember 
 that they spread over so great a length of time, and over a series 
 of conquests and occupations seldom equalled, it must be ad- 
 mitted that, in proportion to the ordinary reverses of warfare, 
 they cannot be considered as forming a dark page in history. 
 
 In the future history of India, the crisis through which it is 
 now passing will undoubtedly occupy a much more prominent 
 place than any of the preceding ; not because the actual loss 
 of life has hitherto been as great as in the Affghan war, or the 
 military reverses in the field borne any comparison with what 
 was sustained at the hands of Hyder and others, but because 
 that which had always been looked to as the greatest calamity 
 that could occur has come to pass, and the material foundation, 
 on which our power in India seemed to rest, has been blown from 
 under it. Besides, this outburst has been laid before the world 
 with more details of personal suffering and domestic calamity 
 than even wars on a grand scale usually expose to view. 
 
 Before proceeding to consider at length the mutiny, its 
 sources, and its consequences, we will ask our readers to follow 
 us in a cursory survey of the great country which it disturbs. 
 
We stipulate that a map be laid down before the eye. Take 
 your stand at the southern extremity, on Cape Comorin, and 
 look northward. You are now only eight degrees from the 
 equator. On your right hand lies the district of Tinnivelly, 
 inhabited by a Tamul-speaking population, British subjects, 
 among whom exists a larger number of Protestant Christians 
 than in any other province of India. On your left is the little 
 state of Travancore, with a population of a million, under a 
 native Prince, among whose subjects also are a large number of 
 Christians, many thousands of them Protestants, many others 
 Syrians, the language being Malayalim. Proceeding northward, 
 you pass by the ancient and renowned city of Trichinopoly, one 
 of the hottest, but not unhealthiest, in the world, and presently 
 arrive at the Neilgherry Hills, rising to a height of nearly nine 
 thousand feet, covered at the top with plants of the temperate 
 zone, and inhabited by a large English community. This noble 
 chain stands across a considerable breadth of the peninsula, 
 from west to east, and then stretches two immense and widely 
 diverging arms away towards the north : the western arm, running 
 for hundreds of miles within a comparatively short distance of the 
 Indian Ocean, is called the Western Ghauts ; the eastern, keep- 
 ing not so close to the Bay of Bengal, is called the Eastern 
 Ghauts, which are on an average only half the height of the 
 Western. Enclosed between these two great mountain chains 
 lies an elevated region of table-land, some eight hundred miles 
 long, varying from five to one hundred in breadth, with a mild 
 climate, undulating surface, fertile soil, and vigorous population, 
 who produce silk, sugar, coffee, and cotton, besides all the com- 
 mon crops of the country. 
 
 On reaching this upland region, you find the Canarese 
 language, and are in the territory of Mysore; whence the 
 armies of Hyder and Tipu so long menaced our rising power. 
 The city of Seringapatam is decaying on the banks of the 
 Cauvery, wisely left to itself, instead of having its traditional 
 importance maintained, like Delhi. This country is nominally 
 the possession of a native Bajah, but really administered by our 
 own Government, and contains a population of at least three and a 
 half millions. Beyond this, still upon the table-lands, lie immense 
 tracts of British territory taken from Tipu and the Mahrattas ; 
 then follow the dominions of the Nizam of Hydrabad, with ten 
 millions of population, whose language is Teloogoo : they are 
 frightfully misgoverned by their Mohammedan master ; but we 
 are pledged to keep him on the throne, and do. West of his 
 territories lie those of Sattara, and east of them Nagpore, both 
 
lii 
 
 Mahratta states_, lately absorbed into our own, through our 
 refusal to allow the adoption of heirs by the Kings. Along the 
 table-lands the whole of the waters flow from west to east, form- 
 ing innumerable streams, and some grand rivers, such as the 
 Cauvery, the Krishna, and the Godavery. These, on passing 
 from the table-land, rush down the Ghauts, and water the strip 
 of territory lying between them and the sea, called the Payeen 
 Ghaut, or Mountain Foot. This includes Tanjore, which, with 
 its Rajah receiving 118,000 a year from our Government, lies 
 by the mouths of the Cauvery. North of this comes Pondi- 
 cherry, still French ; then the Carnatic, with its capital, Madras, 
 the head of an army of seventy thousand men ; then the 
 Northern Circars, a hot and rich region, through which the 
 Krishna and Godavery, coming down from the Hydrabad and 
 Nagpore territories, reach the sea. Beyond, Orissa, where 
 stands Juggernaut, leads to Bengal. 
 
 At the foot of the Western Ghauts runs another strip of terri- 
 tory, but not nearly so wide ; for there the mountains, like the 
 chain of Lebanon on the Phoenician coast, generally come close 
 to the sea, sometimes right into it. On this tract lies the 
 province of Canara, the Portuguese possession of Goa, and 
 Bombay. This division of the peninsula into two distinct kinds 
 of territory, running along side by side, lowland and upland, 
 forming a country on two levels, the one from a thousand to 
 three thousand feet above the other, greatly enriches the other- 
 wise profuse variety of natural products, and delightfully varies 
 the climate. In the Mountain Foot country the sheep have 
 hides like a calf, with no sign of wool ; within a morning's walk, 
 above the Ghauts, they have fleeces. You sleep to-night where 
 nothing can be grown but what is tropical; you breakfast 
 after an early ride where Englishmen can rear strawberries, 
 apples, and potatoes. 
 
 At the northern limit of the table-land, you are in the 
 Bombay Presidency, in the midst of the ancient Mahratta terri- 
 tory, and of the Mahratta language ; and now, passing from the 
 great plateau, on which you have been for seven or eight hun- 
 dred miles, you come upon a central region of mountains, the 
 rivers of which run in the opposite direction from those of the 
 plateau, making, not for the Bay of Bengal, but for the Indian 
 Ocean. In this district lie many of the native states, of which 
 a considerable number still retain their identity, their Rajahs 
 supporting armies of their own, and administering their govern- 
 ments, but acknowledging the supreme authority of the British, 
 and unable to declare war or maintain diplomatic relations with 
 
tlieir neiglibouring states. Of these the most powerful is 
 Sindia^ King of Gwalior, and of three and a half millions ; whose 
 contingent^ eight thousand four hundred strong, has joined the 
 mutineers, though he is himself reputed loyal, and promptly 
 sent aid to Delhi. The next in point of consideration is Holkar, 
 King of Indore, with perhaps a million subjects. He, too, is 
 loyal ; but his troops have played the traitor. He maintains a 
 contingent of fourteen hundred men. A contingent means a 
 number of troops whom a native Rajah is, by treaty, bound to 
 maintain for the service of the supreme Government whenever 
 called for, in return for an engagement on its part to protect his 
 territories from all invaders. These states just named are 
 Mahratta ; and west of them lie those of the Rajpoots, a nobler 
 race, not fiercer, but prouder, and on the whole the finest of the 
 Hindu types. Round the chief states of these two divisions 
 are dozens of little ones, as numerous as in Germany, and as 
 insignificant. 
 
 Pursuing our northward course, as we emerge from the central 
 mountains, and arrive within about six hundred miles of the 
 Himalayas, all the streams begin to follow the direction of the 
 Ganges, and eventually join that great river. The system of 
 drainage of which it is the trunk, extends over the greatest 
 of all the natural divisions of India, covering a length of at 
 least twelve hundred miles, by a breadth of six hundred, called 
 the Plain of the Ganges, and including Bengal, Behar, Orissa, 
 Oude, Delhi, and minor countries; with a population greater 
 than that of France, Austria, and Prussia united, speaking 
 several distinct languages, the chief of which are the Bengalee 
 in the east, and the Hindui in the west. Bengal Proper is as 
 large as France, and as populous; flat, watery, steaming with 
 heat; inexhaustibly rich; and peopled by a cowardly, cringing 
 race, who speak the Bengalee, and never attempt soldiering. 
 Behar, further up the plain, lies on higher ground, with a finer 
 population; and here you leave the tropics, entering on the 
 temperate zone. Next comes Allahabad, a district, the capital 
 of which lies on a most sacred site, the junction of the two great 
 rivers, the Jumna and the Ganges. Before you reach the junc- 
 tion is the holiest of all Hindu sacred places, Benares, to reach 
 which a pilgrimage from any distance is cheerfully undertaken. 
 This is the lowest point at which a massacre has occurred, and is 
 about three hundred and seventy miles from Calcutta. O had 
 even that space been pierced by a railway ! 
 
 Now we come into the thick of the disturbed districts. At 
 
h 
 
 8 
 
 the junction, about seventy miles further on, lies the city of 
 Allahabad, where the treacherous 6th caressed their officers in 
 the forenoon, and slaughtered them at dinner time. Following 
 the Ganges, to the right you come upon Oude, the most famous 
 land of India in their old poems, one of its richest now ; the 
 chief source whence our Sepoys for the Bengal army were 
 recruited, our latest annexation, and the bitter fountain of our 
 present troubles. On its frontier, watered by the Ganges, lies 
 Cawnpore, where the heroic Sir Hugh Wheeler fell ; the victim 
 of Nena Sahib and Leadenhall Street, which would not forward 
 railways, of which one hundred miles more would have brought 
 Neill and Havelock in time, on the jackals that tore up our 
 noble countrymen. A little to the right lies the capital. Luck- 
 now, a centre of indescribable depravity, where Sir Plenry 
 Lawrence first taught the feeble folk at Calcutta how to deal 
 with the mutiny; where he maintained the glory of English 
 valour; and where he, the greatest man in India, worth ten 
 thousand men, fell, sacrificed for want of roads to reach and 
 support him. Tm-ning from Oude to the left, you are in the 
 Doab, that is, the Delta formed by the two rivers Jumna and 
 Ganges, where Havelock has burned Bithoor, the den of Nena 
 Sahib. Proceeding upwards, you come upon Agra, the seat of 
 Government for the North West Provinces, before which five 
 hundred English troops attacked ten thousand well armed and 
 disciplined mutineers. Ninety miles further to the north-west 
 lies Delhi, where the splendours of the Mogul formerly dazzled 
 eyes, accustomed only to the paler pomp of Europe ; where now 
 a new Emperor is in deadly struggle with the power which 
 spared and protected his fathers, and liberally pensioned him. 
 
 Above the district of Delhi lies Sirhind, or Head-of- India, in 
 which the waters begin to turn, leaving the Plain of the Ganges, 
 on which lie all the great countries we have just traversed, and 
 running for the Indus. The system of drainage whereof that 
 river is the trunk, forms the last of the great natural divi- 
 sions of India, the Plain of the Indus. It includes the cele- 
 brated countries of the Punjab, Cachmere, and Scinde ; and 
 between it and the central region of mountains spreads out a 
 great sandy desert. 
 
 Any one who will clearly fix in his mind the three 
 leading physical features of India, in the south the table- 
 land, with its two fringes of mountain-foot territory ; on the 
 north and north-east the great Plain of the Ganges, skirting the 
 Himalayas, and bending downward to the Bay of Bengal ; on 
 
9 
 
 the west the Plain of the Indus, with its border of sandy desert, 
 will easily carry in his memory the outline of the country, 
 and can insert the central mountain tract without trouble. 
 
 From the fiats of Bengal, a constant progress of vigour in the 
 population attends your advance, west and north. In Oude 
 and its surroimding countries you are among a soldierly race, 
 who do not, as the Hindus of the seaboard, live alone on rice, 
 but eat a great deal of wheat. Here also is the Holy Land of 
 the Brahmin, where that caste forms not a small class of the 
 Hindu community, as elsewhere, but an immense proportion 
 of it. According to Lord Metcalfe, all these tribes ^detest' 
 Bengal, and have horrid ideas of all to the east of it. Yet here 
 almost exclusively our Bengal authorities sought for Sepoys. 
 Beyond this, through Delhi and Sirhind, you advance amid a 
 progressively improving climate and race, tiU you reach the 
 Punjab, and thence to Cachmere, where you are in the latitude 
 not of the Indian Ocean, but of the Mediterranean. Since 
 Oude was annexed, it may be said that no native states remain, 
 either in the Plain of the Indus or that of the Ganges, except 
 on the southern borders of the latter, where lie Gwalior and 
 Bundlecund, and a few little ones on the borders of the 
 Sutledge, &c. The native llajahs still reigning, great and 
 little, number in all two hundred; and their armies are four 
 hundred thousand men. Among those who are deposed and 
 pensioned, and who have no armies, the King of Delhi, at 
 present set up against us, had, from the East India Company, 
 150,000 a year ; the Nawab of Calcutta, 160,000 ; of Madras, 
 116,000; the families of Hyder and Tipu, 63,000; the 
 Peishwa, or hereditary head of the Mahrattas, 80,000; and 
 smaller Princes proportionate sums, amounting in all to about 
 1,500,000 a year. 
 
 As to the population inhabiting Hindustan, it is only now 
 that the English mind is beginning to open to any conception 
 of its magnitude. The ease with which we have attained 
 supreme dominion in India, and the smallness of the armies 
 which sufficed for its military occupation, together with the 
 slowness of any people to conceive of masses of mankind greater 
 than those with which they are familiar, have combined to 
 maintain a popular impression respecting India far below the 
 truth. It is only of recent years that our best writers and 
 statesmen, have spoken of it as containing anything like the 
 amount of population now ascertained to exist ; but by degrees 
 the public estimate has been rising, and also that of careful and 
 inquiring writers. At the time that the first number of this 
 
10 
 
 journal appeared, (four years ago,) the public returns had 
 brought up the population to a hundred and fifty millions; 
 and we then stated our belief that it was very little short of two 
 hundred millions. The papers lately laid before Parliament 
 make it a hundred and eighty millions ; and we have no doubt 
 that the further researches of a few years will as easily discover 
 the additional twenty, as those of a few past ones have dis- 
 covered the thirty now added. It is easy to write of a popula- 
 tion of two hundred millions, but extremely difficult to bring 
 any mind to support the weight of the fact that, when we speak 
 of India, we are speaking of one in every six human beings 
 on the face of the earth. Yet unless this be kept in sight, 
 confusion of ideas is constantly arising from the notion 
 that all Hindus are one people, with one set of characteristics ; 
 whereas they are one to us only in the same way as all 
 Europeans are one to them. The Mahratta and the Bengalee 
 are more distinguished, by opposite traits of character, and by 
 language, than the Englishman and the Frenchman. The 
 Rohilla and the Tamulian are as different from each other as 
 Swede and Neapolitan. One man in India lives as far north as 
 our European fellow-subjects at Malta, and another as far south 
 as Sierra Leone; one is within eight degrees of the equator, 
 another seven hundred miles inside the temperate zone. Nova 
 Scotia is not further west of Ireland than is Scinde of Assam : 
 only the way between the latter two lies not over a waste of 
 water, but through a world of population. 
 
 It may be taken as a general rule, that on the seaboard the 
 population answer to the prevalent idea in this country, of 
 Hindoo feebleness and effeminacy, these characteristics reaching 
 their highest degree in damp, hot, featureless Bengal. It is from 
 the coast population that nearly all the specimens of Hindus who 
 appear in England, sweeping crossings, or speckling the neigh- 
 bourhood of our docks, are drawn ; but these differ widely from the 
 natives of the higher lands, w^hether of the southern plateau, the 
 central mountains, or the North West Provinces. The Mahrattas 
 of the table-land are a small, ungainly, but vigorous and enter- 
 prising race, who, before they were tamed by our arms, swept the 
 country terribly, sparing no human interest, and rejoicing chiefly 
 in plunder. In the central district and the hills are tribes called 
 Bheels, Ghonds, and others, who are small, ill-favoured, and 
 savage. The Rajpoots, who inhabit the sandy desert and tracts 
 lying immediately to the east of it, are a tall, grave, soldierly, and 
 romantic people, capable of all the crimes and virtues of semi- 
 barbarous highland clans, tracing the line of their Chiefs to their 
 
11 
 
 sun and moon, maintaining much feudal and heraldic state, 
 and murdering their female children, when not afraid of our 
 authorities. The tract called the Doab, that is, the district 
 between the Jumna and the Ganges, is inhabited chiefly by the 
 Jats, another warlike race ; and to the west of this lie the Sikhs, 
 who are men of noble physical proportions and great military 
 capabilities. In the romantic vale of Cachmere, the people 
 approach again more to the feeble type of the Bengalee than 
 the bolder races on which they border. 
 
 Throughout every region of India, the Mohammedans are 
 to be found as a distinct people, everywhere speaking the Hin- 
 dustani, which is therefore the only language useful in all 
 parts of the country. Not that every one understands it, 
 but that in every important village some Mohammedans will 
 be found whose domestic tongue it is. The proportion they 
 bear to the whole population is variously estimated at from one 
 in seven to one in fifteen, and sixteen millions, or about half 
 the population of France, is not an unusual guess for, after 
 all, it is but a guess as to the total number of Mohammedans 
 in India. While they retained supremacy in the country, the 
 Court language was Persian, which continued to be used by our 
 authorities until the day of Lord William Bentinck, who had 
 the sense to replace it by English. It was as much a foreign 
 language as our own, the language of fiercer conquerors, and 
 more severe masters ; therefore it was odious to the Hindu, and 
 the use of it a homage to the power of the Mohammedans. 
 The two greatest Mohammedan states remaining in India are 
 Oude, which has scarcely yet disappeared, and Hydrabad, 
 which holds together by British support alone. 
 
 It may be taken for granted that all the Mohammedans in 
 India are incurably disafifected to the British Government. They 
 look upon the country as the spoil of their fathers^ valour, upon 
 themselves as wronged by a hateful infidel force ; and when they 
 are not plotting for our overthrow, it is simply because no 
 feasible movement can then be undertaken. Their habitual 
 state of feeling is, that they will 
 
 ' Spoil the spoiler as they may, 
 And from the robber rend the prey.' 
 
 The first striking division, then, of the native population is 
 one that pervades the whole country, a division by religion into 
 Hindu and Mussulman ; or, to be more accurate, into Hindu, 
 Mussulman, and Sikh ; for the last deny and accept respectively 
 
12 
 
 many of the principles of botli tlie other religions_, and form a 
 sect which^ on the whole,, is different from both^ and in some 
 respects intolerant. In the days of Runjeet Singh^ Islam was 
 not free of the Punjab. 
 
 After the division by religions^ we come upon another^ equally 
 prominent in late occurrences, the division by caste. The 
 whole of the people of India are divided into High-caste^ Low- 
 caste, and Out-caste. It is important to bear the three-fold cha- 
 racter of this division in mind ; for, in nearly all popular speaking 
 and writing about India, the last division is totally forgotten, 
 or confounded with the second; but it is highly desirable to 
 keep in view that the caste system excludes an immense pro- 
 portion of the whole people of India from every social privilege. 
 The High-caste are Brahmins, the priestly caste, any one of whom 
 would be dishonoured for life by dining with our gracious Queen ; 
 and the Rajpoots, who claim to be of the ancient King and 
 soldier caste, to any private in whose ranks the same distinction 
 would be not less ruinous. Below these two castes, the great 
 body of the Hindu population are Low-caste, of the tribe that 
 is called Sudra, excluded from any social admixture with either 
 of the two High-castes, but themselves maintaining an equal 
 exclusiveness with regard to the Out-castes, and to other 
 divisions of caste people. Into how many castes the Sudras 
 are divided, no one can say ; for every craft is a distinct caste, 
 from the washerman to the jeweller. None of these can eat, 
 reside, or intermarry with the other. In the Low-castes whole 
 nations are included, as for instance the Mahrattas ; and, indeed, 
 most of the remaining Hindu Princes,' if not all, are of this 
 caste. 
 
 At a moment when the question of caste is threatening the 
 whole fabric of our Indian Empire, it is desirable that every 
 man in England should have a clear idea of what it really is ; 
 and we have been much surprised, that in the great amount 
 of writing that has taken place, no one seems to have raised 
 the simple question, ^What is caste ?^ It is taught in the 
 sacred books of the Hindus that caste is a distinction grounded 
 upon the creation of different orders of men, imbued with 
 different proportions of goodness and badness, who have trans- 
 mitted their original natm'e to the present generations. The fol- 
 lowing account gives us briefly the substance of their doctrines 
 on this point : 
 
 '"Formerly," as the sage Parasara teaches, "when the truth- 
 meditating Brumha was desirous of creating the world, there sprang 
 
13 
 
 from Ins mouth beings especially endowed with the quality of goodness ; 
 others sprang from his breast pervaded by the quality of foulness ; 
 others from his thighs, in whom foulness and darkness prevailed ; and 
 others from his feet, in whom the quality of darkness predominated. 
 These were in succession beings of the several castes, Bramhans, 
 Kshetriyas, Vaisyas, and Shudras, produced from the mouth, the 
 breast, the thighs, and the feet of Brumha." The popular account 
 describes the Kshetriya as born from the creator's arm. These castes 
 have thus distinct origins, and natures equally distinct. They repel 
 the doctrine, that " God made of one blood all men to dwell upon the 
 face of the earth ;" and, in opposition to it, maintain that the dif- 
 ferent castes of men have natures as dissimilar as the different castes 
 of grain, fruit, or animals. Caste is their word for species. Wheat, 
 rice, and Indian corn are different castes of grain ; mangoes, bananas, 
 and tamarinds, different castes of fruit ; tigers, camels, and elephants, 
 different castes of animals ; and Bramhans, Kshetriyas, Vaisyas, and 
 Shudras, different castes of men. " You may say, if you please," 
 they will observe, " that Bramhans and Shudras are both m^n. They 
 are both men, if you will, just as a horse and an ass are both animals ; 
 but as you never can make an ass of a horse, nor a horse of an ass, so 
 you can never make a Bramhan of a Shudra, nor a Shudra of a 
 Bramhan." The idea that the Out-castes are sprung from the same 
 stock as the rest of mankind is scouted with disgust, 
 
 ' Into these four divisions, then, is society parted ; each being a 
 separate commonwealth, with its own heads, its own prejudices, its 
 own pursuits, and its own laws. The various castes may not eat toge- 
 ther, may not intermarry, may not reside in the same house, and may 
 not assume each other's professions. Thus they are really wider apart 
 than if separated by national distinctions, or even than races alien in 
 blood and complexion. Again, the calling is transmitted from father 
 to son, and it passes on through indefinite generations. The design 
 of this was doubtless to secure perfection in the various departments 
 of trade. Whether it has done this or not, it has certainly esta- 
 blished professional genealogies. " Old houses" and " ancient families" 
 are common things in India. Every tailor may confidently reckon 
 that his sires clipped and fitted since before the days of the Caesars, 
 and every barber can boast an ancestry of barbers who shaved in 
 remote antiquity : the weaver, too, the joiner, the potter, the washer- 
 man, and the blacksmith, may each pride himself that the line of his 
 fathers stretches up through long centuries.' Arthur's Mission to the 
 Mysore, p. 381, &c. 
 
 It might be expected that the Brahmins_, wlio_, according to 
 this account of creation, are beings ^ especially endowed with 
 the quality of goodness/ would take high rank. Accordingly, 
 we find the great Hindu authority, Menu, speaking thus : 
 
 ' Whatever exists in the universe is all, in effect, though not in 
 form, the wealth of the Bramhan, since the Bramhan is entitled to all 
 by his primogeniture and eminence of birth. The Bramhan eats but 
 his own food, wears but his own apparel, and bestows but his own 
 alms. Through the benevolence of the Bramhan, indeed, other 
 mortals enjoy life.' 
 
14 
 
 So entirely different is the distinction created by caste from 
 any distinction of rank as existing in other nations, that a man 
 of lower caste cannot even be admitted to the dignity of domestic 
 service in the house of his higher caste neighbour. Not one 
 Brahmin or Rajpoot soldier in the whole of the Bengal army 
 could have allowed his English General to cook a dish of curry 
 for him, or to offer him a cup of tea, without thereby polluting 
 himself irrecoverably. All his food must be prepared by the 
 hands of persons of his own caste. This absurd institution has 
 been adopted by the Mussulmans, although contrary to their 
 own religion; so that, instead of discountenancing the Hindu 
 nonsense, they set up a rival caste, and affect to be as strict and 
 punctilious as their idolatrous neighbours. Hence arises the 
 enormity of the blunder with regard to the greased cartridges, 
 which, by some almost incredible inattention to the habits of 
 the people, was an affront exactly prepared to frighten and 
 wound both Hindu and Mussulman alike. A Brahmin will 
 shriek with terror if a drop of pure water from a glass in the 
 hand of a European fall upon him by accident; and how any 
 Government, having even heard of India, not to say knowing it, 
 could allow the issue of the greased cartridges to such men, is 
 one of those marvels of human folly, in presence of which it is 
 impossible to be angry, it looks so like judicial blindness. The 
 best illustration we have seen, to convey to the minds of those 
 who are not practically acquainted with the horror which the 
 caste feeling inspires against any article of food supposed to be 
 impure, is given by a writer who says, that the effect of asking 
 Brahmins and Rajpoots to bite the cartridges, greased with fat 
 either of swine or cows, or perhaps of both, was much the same 
 as would be that of asking Roman Catholic soldiers to offer 
 some public insult to the consecrated wafer. 
 
 The Hindu can conceive of no calamity comparable to the 
 loss of caste ; and hence, to a great extent, arises what is very 
 often alleged as their reproach, want of patriotism. For, 
 in fact, all the feelings of attachment to a particular form of 
 Government, or dynasty, or nationality, or freedom, are in the 
 Hindu concentrated upon that which is to him the embodiment 
 of all his family traditions and privileges, of his personal 
 station, and religious hopes, his caste. Governments may 
 change, and nationalities be overthrown, but his position remains 
 little altered: infringe, however, the regulations of his caste, 
 and at once he is dislocated from society, and hopeless for the 
 life to come. Hence, while he will look upon changes in the 
 
15 
 
 nation with comparative indiflPerence, he will resent any affront 
 to the caste with ungovernable fury. 
 
 A change of religion does not necessarily involve a departure 
 from caste ; for many native Christians endeavour to combine 
 caste with Christianity^ and in the earlier stages of Protestant 
 Missions this tendency was so far conceded to^ that_, in Tan- 
 jore, caste ran as high among the Christians as among the 
 heathen, until the abuse brought down its own destruction. 
 The Romish Missionaries adopt it. Loss of caste is most 
 ordinarily and speedily brought about by eating or tasting 
 anything that has been prepared by unclean hands; and 
 hence among the Out-castes in India are to be ranked, first 
 of all, the native Pariahs; secondly, the Mussulmans, whose 
 aflPected caste the Brahmin cannot acknowledge; and, thirdly, 
 the Europeans, who are Out-caste by a double title, first, 
 because they are of an unclean race; secondly, because their 
 food is universally cooked by Pariahs. This last fact alone 
 places the European at an infinite distance from decency, 
 according to the code of caste ; and either he must consent to 
 have all his food cooked in England, and eat it there, or else 
 meet Brahmins on the plain ground that their caste is a local 
 distinction founded on untruth, and pushed to absurdity, which 
 he is prepared to respect, so far as never to offer or invite them 
 to anything offensive, but against which every meal he eats is a 
 practical protest. 
 
 No barrier has ever been raised between man and man so 
 impassable as caste. The Frank and the western Moham- 
 medan grow friends over a meal ; the European and the South 
 Sea Islander warm at table; even the Chinese can entertain 
 strangers; but two men may be neighbours for life, may 
 write in the same office or parade in the same company for 
 twenty years, and never dare to break bread together, though 
 equals in fortune, employment, and ability. Loss of caste is also 
 caused by the omission of established rites, neglecting to sacri- 
 fice to ancestors, or drunkenness. Of the effect of loss of caste, 
 the following correct account is given by the Abbe Dubois : 
 
 ' He ' (who has lost caste) ' is a man as it were dead to the world. 
 He is no longer in the society of men. By losing his caste, the 
 Hindu is bereft of friends and relations, and often of wife and children, 
 who will rather forsake him than share in his miserable lot. No one 
 dares to eat with him, or even to pour him out a drop of water. If 
 he has marriageable daughters, they are shunned ; no other girls can 
 be approached by his sons. Wherever he appears, he is scorned and 
 pointed at as an Out-caste. If he sinks under the grievous curse, his 
 
16 
 
 body is suffered to rot on the place where he dies. Even if, in losing 
 his caste, he could descend into an inferior one, the evil would be less ; 
 but he has no such resource. A Shudra, little scrupulous as he is 
 about honour or delicacy, would scorn to give his daughter in mar- 
 riage even to a Bramhan thus degraded. If he cannot re-establish 
 himself in his own caste, he must sink into the infamous tribe of the 
 Pariah, or mix with persons whose caste is equivocal.' 
 
 One part of the operation of the caste system which is of the 
 first importance, and which seems to have received no notice 
 whatever in the present agitation, is the formation of a large 
 section of the people universally diffused, who, being Out-castes, 
 are degraded below all social rights. What proportion these 
 may bear to the whole population, we are not prepared to say. 
 The Abbe Dubois, who is generally considered an authority, 
 states that they are one in five. We imagine that this is too 
 high an estimate, and perhaps one in ten would be nearer the 
 truth. But, even in this proportion, the Indian Out- castes 
 would be twenty millions of human beings, or more than the 
 population of all England. Outside the walls of every village in 
 India may be seen a miserable kraal of huts, inhabited by a 
 hopeless race, who are borne down for generation after gene- 
 ration to a state of the extremest degradation. The following 
 extract will give an idea of the condition of these people : 
 
 * The Out-caste may not live in the common street ; and in some 
 parts of the extreme south, he may not even walk the street where 
 the Bramhans reside. He is forbidden the house of all the castes ; 
 but in some districts may enter that part where the cattle are lodged, 
 and msLj even show his head and one foot inside the door of the 
 family apartment. To touch him, to enter his house, to drink water 
 he had drawn, to eat food he had cooked, to use a vessel he had 
 touched, to sit down beside him, to ride in the same vehicle, or even 
 to give him a drink of water, would be unlawful for a man of caste. 
 He would take a proposal for anything of the kind as a mortal affront. 
 The condition of an American or West Indian slave is worse than 
 theirs only in one respect, compulsory labour. But the slave may- 
 tread the same floor as his master, without polluting the whole house ; 
 he may enter the room where he sits, touch the dish he uses, sleep 
 under the same roof, and prepare the food he eats. He is not made 
 to feel that his step defiles a room ; that his touch infects the purest 
 wares ; and that he carries in his own body, no matter how clean, a 
 cursed incurable filthiness which fills with disgust all who have proper 
 human sentiments. He has at least the privilege of a domestic 
 animal. Above all, he may possibly die free ; his children may be 
 intelligent and respectable. But the Out-caste has no hopes ; no 
 manumission can change his birth ; he must bear his curse down to 
 the grave ; he must bequeath it to his children, who will bequeath it 
 in turn, and from generation to generation on it must go, nor can any 
 power arrest it, except one, of which he knows not. Nothing can 
 
17 
 
 elevate the Out-caste, till the Gospel has taught his neighbours to own 
 his rights. Every Englishman would ten thousand times prefer 
 being a slave, permitted some semblance of intercourse with the rest 
 of mankind, and having a possibility of ransom, with the glorious 
 prospect of leaving his children free, to being an Out-caste, driven to 
 live beyond the village wall, hunted from every door, scorned by the 
 most base, loathed by the most vile, and knowing that this male- 
 diction awaits his little ones. 
 
 ' The living of this hapless race is precarious : sometimes employed 
 as scavengers, sometimes as horse-keepers, porters, or messengers ; for 
 the most part labouring in the fields for three-halfpence or twopence a 
 day ; often selling themselves for a term to a farmer, or reduced to a 
 kind of slavery as payment of debt, they never venture to hope for 
 aught but poverty and shame. When labour fails, charity lends no 
 substitute ; for, though I find in the sacred books directions for alms 
 to Out-castes, I never heard of such a thing taking place. The Out- 
 caste sees costly entertainments for beggars ; but not one of these 
 beggars would admit him to the honour of washing his dish, or dine 
 in a room that his presence stained. Thus they are driven to eat all 
 disgusting things : no sooner does a beast die, be the disease what it 
 may, than a crowd of these hungry beings surround the carrion, and 
 even for carrion they have generally to pay. Crows, rats, snakes, 
 reptiles, almost everything, is pressed into the service of destitute 
 nature, and drunkenness follows to crown their shame and woe. 
 
 ' It is said that, on one part of the Malabar coast, a section of Out- 
 castes is so abhorred, that they are not allowed to erect houses, only 
 an open shed supported on four bamboos ; and that they may not 
 approach a caste person nearer than a hundred yards, but must give 
 notice of their approach by a loud cry. To prevent the danger of 
 contact, they are forbidden the highway.' Mission to the Mysore, 
 p. 415, &c. 
 
 Few Englishmen have thought^ that under our own sceptre 
 some twenty millions of human beings were living in a degra- 
 dation like this ; and it will be well if one of the effects of the 
 attention now excited as to the caste system, be to work into 
 the heart of Englishmen a feeling of the unparalleled oppression 
 which it entails. The benefits already conferred on the unhappy 
 Out-castes by English rule are incalculable. Admitted into 
 European families as domestic servants, they are at once raised 
 into a new position ; received by Missionaries into schools, they 
 are proved to have the mental qualities of man. In the early 
 days of our rule in India, they were admitted to our armies, and 
 General Briggs has ably shown that, when that was the case, 
 our native levies were perfectly trustworthy and efficient. An 
 able writer in the Edinburgh Review for January, 1853, when 
 none of the nervous anxiety of the present moment disturbed 
 discussion, as to the best organization of our Sepoy army, said 
 that in the early times the native officers ^not unfrequently 
 
18 
 
 filled their ranks with Pariahs and persons of the lowest caste. 
 Nor did the slightest inconvenience arise from this. Off duty, 
 the Brahmin and the Rajpoot could not come into contact with 
 the Sudra, far less touch the Pariah, or eat food which he had 
 dressed; on duty, they rubbed shoulders freely, and were 
 honestly attached to one another/ But then the native officers 
 had real rank, and power over their troops ; and the native army 
 was, as General Briggs points out, composed of two classes, 
 gentlemen, and those of the lowest grades. But, just as tlie 
 caste prejudice had before our day infected the Mohammedans, 
 so in time it infected British officers also. ' The Sepoys,' says 
 General Briggs, ^ who fought the battles of Clive and Coote, who 
 contributed to the humiliation of Tipu, and who gained laurels 
 under Sir Arthur Wellesley, were of a mixed class. The 
 infantry was composed of Pariahs, Pullars, and other low cul- 
 tivators of the Carnatic, of the Northern Circars, and some few 
 Mohammedans. The cavalry were wholly Mohammedans.' 
 But, in the lapse of years, these men were either dismissed, or 
 gradually dropped out of the army, and only men of caste 
 enlisted. The same profound student of India relates how an 
 old Rajpoot, a Subahdar, alluding to the Out-castes, whom Eng- 
 land was now treating, not in her own spirit, but in that of the 
 Brahmins, said, 'The day will come when you will confess how 
 much higher qualities they possess as soldiers than the Moham- 
 medans.' That day came long ago to men of insight, such as 
 Sir Charles James Napier ; but never came, until their comrades 
 were massacred and their wives dishonoured, to the common 
 run of routine officers ; and even at the time when the fearful 
 storm under which we are now shuddering, was gathering over 
 our heads, the Commander-in-Chief of Bombay was silly enough 
 to issue a General Order, enforcing the exclusion from the army 
 hereafter of recruits from the Out-castes, he being resolved, of 
 course, to make his own army as respectable, in point of caste, 
 as that of Bengal. Owing to this miserable un-English policy, 
 while the influence of our rule in the main has been to open up 
 some hopes of amelioration to the down-trodden millions of the 
 Out-castes, we have been gradually made the tools of Brah- 
 minical cunning, in excluding them from the honourable employ- 
 ment of soldiers, and so leaving arms in the hands chiefly of the 
 two classes of men who, beyond all others, are our enemies, the 
 Mohammedans and the High-castes, who must be averse to any 
 Government not founded on their respective systems. 
 
19 
 
 In reasoning upon the cause of the present outbreak, it is 
 not uncommon to confound two things which are very distinct : 
 disaffection, which may be chronic, and co-exist with a long 
 course of obedience ; and mutiny, which is an inflammatory 
 action, founded upon the other, but itself brought about by 
 some active and irritating cause. It is too generally assumed 
 that for the whole matter some one must be to blame ; whereas 
 it may be that the only blame lies in furnishing the irritating 
 cause where a state of disaffection existed. That this latter 
 does constantly exist among the native Princes, the Brahmins, 
 and the Mohammedans, no one can doubt; and in all three 
 classes, universally, or nearly so, though exceptions may be 
 found. Each of these classes believes in its traditional right 
 to dominion, and is therefore disinclined to obey any foreign 
 power. But many of the Brahmins have not yet ceased 
 to know how much the English are preferable to the Mussul- 
 mans whom they supplanted ; and many of the native Princes 
 are aware that they are more secure under the protection of the 
 British power, than their forefathers were, when trusting only 
 to their own forces. To the Mohammedans, however, although 
 even here there may be exceptions, the English are detestable on 
 the double ground of being Christians and conquerors ; through 
 whom they themselves, from being the ruling class, have become at 
 once a minority of the population and a subjugated race. Brah- 
 minism inspires a contempt for all who are not included within 
 the sacred limits of caste ; and can ill brook the dominion of 
 any power that does not worship the order of the ^ gods of the 
 earth,' as the Brahmins delight to be called. Yet it is not, as a 
 system of religion, persecuting and intolerant, and is opposed 
 only to the English Government as it must be to any not 
 organized on its own principles. The Mohammedans, on the 
 other hand, have a more intolerant creed, a keener sense of the 
 degradation of being conquered, and a more energetic character. 
 Both parties are cunning enough to hatch great conspiracies, 
 and neither had courage or military power to present a front to 
 the British Government, unless they could gain the Sepoys; 
 and therefore every hope of a far-sighted conspirator must have 
 turned upon the possibility of uniting the two classes, of which 
 our native troops are composed, in resistance to their European 
 masters. The existence of plots with this object ought not to 
 be taken, in itself, as any proof of misgovernment on the part 
 of the East India Company, or any demonstration that we have 
 oppressed the people. The antipathy of race and religion, with 
 
 B 2 
 
^?SRsP 
 
 20 
 
 ambition^ is sufficient to account for all this. Were a general 
 disaffection manifest among the people, and hatred to our 
 Government shown by the traders and agriculturists of the 
 country, it might be taken as approaching to a proof of wrongs 
 inflicted ; although even then the doubt would remain, how far 
 it arose simply from national feeling. 
 
 There can be no doubt that the natural disaffection of all the 
 three classes we have just alluded to has been abated under the 
 British Government, more than could easily have been con- 
 ceived possible ; and at the same time it is manifest that those 
 classes of the community for instance, the traders and the 
 peasantry who had none of the ambition of governing, and 
 were chiefly influenced by the desire of well-being, have 
 been, on the whole, so far sensible of the benefits of English 
 rule, that national animosity has been conquered by a sense 
 of self-interest ; and even in the present time of our peril, many 
 of them have manifested a desire for our success. The domestic 
 servants, also, attached to European families, drawn as they 
 almost universally are from the Out-castes, have in the main 
 acted well, although to them the temptation of plunder must 
 have been inviting in the highest degree. But the feelings 
 of self-interest which our Government has engaged on its 
 behalf, in the case of large numbers of the people, could 
 not be appealed to in Mussulmans and Brahmins, any more 
 than in the native Princes. All these must see, that what- 
 ever might be the fate of individuals of their own body, 
 the inevitable tendency of British rule was, to elevate the 
 whole mass of the people to equal chances of employment and 
 consideration with themselves, and to merge all traditional 
 claims to eminence in the vulgar qualifications of energy or 
 merit. Many reason as if great pains ought to have been taken 
 to make these classes feel, that there was nothing in our ascend- 
 iincy unfriendly to their aspirations. It is very certain that 
 they ought to be treated so as to leave no ground to suspect 
 underhand designs against their caste, or any idea of coercing 
 their consciences, or of offering gratuitous affronts to their 
 scruples. But, on the other hand, it is perfectly useless to 
 attempt to administer government, by the agency of English- 
 men and Christians, on principles that will assure Brahmins 
 and Mohammedans that their influence is to be eternal. There- 
 fore, whatever prejudices have been raised by their seeing that 
 their old prophecies, foretelling a system from the west which 
 should supplant theii's, are in course of fulfilment in the rule of 
 
\ 
 
 21 
 
 the British, must be encountered as the inseparable incon-. 
 venience of dealing with a people who have to pass through the 
 stage of elevation from an old and jealous superstition. 
 
 We are not_, however, to be understood as arguing that no 
 disaffection, resulting from real fault on the part of our own 
 Government, has existed in India. It is not a little significant, 
 that at the very time when the mutineers, unknown to us, were 
 wreaking their vengeance upon our countrymen and country- 
 women, the House of Commons was discussing the motion of 
 Mr. Kinnaird, founded on a memorial from the missionary 
 body in Bengal, in which serious grievances suffered by the 
 people were set forth, and much consequent disaffection on their 
 part was affirmed to exist. The House has seldom argued a 
 question affecting India with more intelligence than was dis- 
 played in that debate, and we would especially recommend the 
 published speech of Mr. Kinnaird to the consideration of our 
 readers. The mode in which the Bengal Government replied 
 to the representations of the Missionaries was very characteristic. 
 Mr. Halliday, the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, insists from 
 his own knowledge that the disaffection spoken of does not exist, 
 and we dare say that he believes he knows as much about the 
 matter as the Missionaries ; but for any one who has lived really 
 among the people of India, nothing is more difficult to conceive 
 than how the civil servants of the Company can ever gain much 
 information on the real condition of things. They are sur- 
 rounded by so much state, exercise so much authority, are beset 
 by so many native officials, who represent all things as they 
 please, and, when they do come into personal contact with the 
 peasantry, shed down upon them such an amount of awe, that 
 they would do very wisely to use the eyes and ears of any 
 European residing in the country, without power and without 
 retinue, knowing the language, and accustomed to hear the 
 people speak their minds. A Missionary, living at a country 
 station, would hear a great deal more of the real feeling of the 
 peasantry in one week, than a dignitary at Calcutta would in a 
 lifetime. Even Mr. Theobald, who, in the pamphlets named at 
 the head of this paper, shows perfect mastery of all points 
 affecting the relations of the British residents and the Govern- 
 ment, shows also complete ignorance of the feelings of the 
 people respecting the zemindars, or middlemen ; such ignorance 
 as is inevitable in mere residents in English settlements, and, 
 above all, in one of the Presidencies. We feel as strongly as he 
 does the necessity of giving Englishmen an easy and permanent 
 
22 
 
 tenure of land in India ; and wish liim all success in his able 
 endeavours to that end. But it is impossible to put upon paper 
 the intensity of hatred which we have seen invariably manifested 
 by Hindus toward all systems of native middlemen. These 
 wretches extort and torture, browbeat and deceive, under pre- 
 text of our authority, and, it must be admitted, under the shield 
 of our power, till the curses of the people fall not only upon 
 them, but equally upon us. We do not sanction the individual 
 acts of wrong, or of torture ; but we founded, and pledged our- 
 selves to perpetuate, the system whence these unavoidably 
 spring; and what has been practised on our countrymen and 
 countrywomen helps us to conceive what is, in our name, 
 though without our knowledge, often practised on our native 
 subjects. No promise to an individual can override the general 
 principles of justice ; and while every zemindar who will ad- 
 minister on principles consistent with uprightness ought to be 
 sacredly respected, every one who uses British authority to 
 sanction native cruelties or extortions ought to be instantly 
 struck down. 
 
 Among the causes most generally assigned for an increase of 
 disaffection of late, one of the most prominent has been Lord 
 Dalhousie's policy of annexation. This acted upon the native 
 Princes by denying their right of adoption where no real heir 
 existed, and on the Mohammedans by sweeping away one of 
 their few remaining great states, Oude. We are inclined to 
 think that in these measures Lord Dalhousie was perfectly 
 justified. We can see no reason upon earth why we are to per- 
 petuate misrule over millions of men, for the sake of gratifying 
 a Hindu Prince, whom we have protected in a shadowy sove- 
 reignty, with the feeling that he will have some one to sacri- 
 fice to him when he is dead. Yet it is not to be denied that 
 the cases of S attar a and Nagpore have aggrieved the native 
 Princes seriously, and stimulated the conspiracies which they 
 have always been carrying on. Oude was a different and more 
 complex case, and we expect will prove to have been the real 
 cause of the present crisis. Whenever such measures are 
 justified, our Government must be prepared to lay its account 
 with the disaffection which will ensue ; for the rule of proceed- 
 ing cannot be to avoid everything that will annoy native Princes, 
 Brahmins, and Mussulmans, but everything contrary to justice 
 or injurious to the people ; and in the long run the disaffection 
 of classes, excited by measures founded on a true English policy, 
 will be far less detrimental to our rule than would be injuries 
 
23 
 
 to the population at large by a temporizing and half- Hindu 
 policy. Yet, whenever steps are taken which irritate any 
 dangerous class, the Government are responsible for adopting 
 sufficient measures to forestall evil; and here we think Lord 
 Dalliousie pitifully failed : failed in foresight, insight, and prac- 
 tical safeguards. 
 
 Another of the alleged causes of disaffection is one which has 
 effectually played into the hands of the leaders of the conspiracy, 
 after the fall of Oude had set them to work. Rohilcund and 
 Oude have been, too exclusively, the recruiting ground for the 
 Bengal army ; and the Government have set on foot scrutinies 
 into land titles there, by which many of the relations of the 
 Sepoys have been disturbed, and thus doubtless a feeling of per- 
 sonal bitterness has been carried into their ranks. 
 
 Among the causes of disaffection, we have been amused to 
 find a writer in a northern contemporary gravely alleging the 
 too great rapidity with which Government has proceeded in 
 matters of reform, alleging, of all things, in proof of his point, 
 the railways, and the system of governing new countries by 
 mixed Commissions of military men and civilians. The way in 
 which the writer manages to connect these matters with the 
 mutiny is, that both the one and the other, though good in 
 themselves, as he does allow, have drafted away a great many 
 officers from their regiments, to attend to the duties arising 
 from the construction of railways in one case, and the adminis- 
 tration of governments in the other. But more of the dangers 
 of our present position are due to the spirit which could invent 
 such an argument, than to all other causes put together. Four 
 years ago, we said in these pages, that the delay of the Govern- 
 ment, in the construction of railways, was as ^ politically foolish, 
 as it was unfaithful to the interests of the people ; ^ and had a 
 railway been completed even from Calcutta to Delhi, the saving 
 in simple money within the last three months would have been 
 far more than the cost of its construction. Their slowness in 
 this particular has been a great crime against humanity in 
 general, and especially against the English nation and the 
 Hindu people, between whom they stood, the guardians of the 
 honour of the one, and the interests of the other. As to the 
 absurd apology that the construction of railways has taken 
 away officers from their regiments, whose fault was that? 
 Plenty of gentlemen were to be found in England to officer both 
 the railways and the regiments, if the Government had called 
 for them. And if adopting a better system for governing new 
 
u 
 
 countries has left regiments bare of officers_, again we ask^ Whose 
 fault was that ? 
 
 Another cause of disaffection frequently dwelt upon, is the 
 change made by Lord Hardinge with regard to the law of 
 inheritance; for, up to his time, our Government had admi- 
 nistered the persecuting law of the Hindus, which deprives any 
 one who forsakes the religion of his forefathers of all hereditary 
 property. At last, however, an English prevailed over a Hindu 
 policy, and it was declared that British subjects should no longer 
 be persecuted for conscience' sake ; but every man protected in 
 his right to worship God after his convictions ; even though his 
 God was He whom our Queen addresses as Our Father. It 
 may be true that this change of the law irritated the Brahmins ; 
 as to the population generally, we do not believe tliey cared the 
 least about it; and the petitions which were sent forward to 
 England were never heard of by any but a very small section 
 of the people, and were manifestly concocted by English lawyers. 
 But suppose that this change in our proceeding had given serious 
 offence, the question is. Was it right, or was it wrong ? In a moral 
 point of view, none will dispute ; as a question of duty between 
 man and man, as a question of responsibility to the great Buler, 
 we are right in refusing to administer, with English hands, the 
 old cruel laws which would bind every man on the fair plains 
 of India to the altars of obscene idols, or in default cast him out 
 homeless. 
 
 But, though morally right, many will say, it was politically 
 unwise. Yet we venture to think that only they who look 
 merely at the moment and at the surface will go thus far. One 
 first point in political wisdom is, that the governing class shall 
 maintain self-respect. No momentary quiet they may gain by 
 prostrating themselves before those they rule, can in the issue 
 be of value. Only in so far as they stand high on their own 
 honour, can they have permanent repose ; and for any Governors 
 to administer judicial persecution against their own subjects, 
 for embracing their own religion, is a folly in politics, as it is a 
 crime in morals, which we believe was never heard of, until that 
 strangest of all mongrel creatures, the English Hindu, began to 
 mutter and mumble about the respect to be paid to the pre- 
 judices of a multitude. If any man dares to propose in the 
 British Senate that the authority of England shall ever again 
 be exerted to persecute a native of any clime under heaven for 
 avowing himself a disciple of Christ, we believe there are men 
 there able to deal with him as to the political fatuity of his 
 
25 
 
 course, and others who will show honest English astonishment 
 at his moral degradation. The British power was never created to 
 bind Brahminical chains, and enslave consciences by the million. 
 
 Another alleged cause of disaffection is our ^tampering' 
 with the Hindu law of marriage ; and, from what has been said 
 by Mr. Disraeli, Mr. Whiteside, and other gentlemen more 
 eloquent than informed, it might be supposed that the English 
 in India had undertaken to compel Hindus to marry widows, or 
 to compel widows themselves again to join in marriage, or had 
 inflicted some other grievous wrong upon human society. Now, 
 what is the extent to which we have actually gone? Simply 
 that of permitting a poor widow to be reckoned in the ordinary 
 ranks of marriageable women, instead of being, as she has been 
 hitherto, under the accursed stroke of Hindu law, a blasted and 
 hated thing. We do not know that we felt any indignation on 
 reading Mr. Disraeli^s attacks upon the measure, for any obliquity 
 in that gentleman^s moral perception is not wont to ruffle us ; 
 but that Mr. Whiteside, a man of feeling, of generosity, and 
 an Irishman, should lend himself on such a question to such 
 leading, did, we confess, excite both our astonishment and shame. 
 Time was when Irish eloquence shed gorgeous light on Indian 
 debates ; but never did Edmund Burke kindle his fires to re- 
 weld a chain which Christian charity had broken. We expect 
 that Mr. Whiteside^s own good feeling will promptly recall him 
 from so false a course, when he better understands the facts. 
 
 The following description of the condition of Hindu widows 
 was published years ago, when no such controversy as the present 
 could have been in contemplation : 
 
 ' The girl thus pompously married is always of immature age, and, 
 after the ceremony, remains in her father's house for a shorter or 
 longer term, as the case may be. When deemed fit to be united to 
 her husband, she is led to his residence, on which occasion ceremonies 
 are renewed, but on a much smaller scale. Though we should hold 
 the original ceremony only a betrothment, they hold it a marriage. 
 From that moment the man has all the rights of a husband, the girl all 
 the obligations of a wife ; and should he die, though she may never 
 have left her father's roof, she is his widow ; and his widow all her 
 days she must remain. The tahli is removed from her neck ; then, 
 one by one, her articles of jewellery ; her dress changed for a widow's 
 robe, and her rich black hair shaved, to be allowed to grow no more. 
 From that day she commences a life of shame. Her lot is not 
 regarded as an affliction to which all are liable, and which entitles the 
 sufferer to universal sympathy, but as a retribution for the vices of a 
 former birth. The gods hold her unworthy of the joys and honours 
 of marriage. The husband's relatives do not scruple to charge the 
 loss of their kinsman on her sins. Their religion teaches that the 
 
26 
 
 only atonement she can make, the only path whereby she may escape 
 days of infamy and woe, is self-destruction. She ought to burn with 
 the clay of him whom she had never seen but at the wedding, or 
 under whom she had lived in bondage for years. The benign spirit of 
 Christianity has now averted this final stroke ; but the life thus spared 
 is a life of sorrow and shame. The world scorns her ; and the care of 
 her own family is to keep her steps so watched, her spirit so broken, 
 and her frame so weak, that she may not bring disgrace upon them. 
 Should their endeavours fail, her crime cannot make her condition much 
 more severe. With us, a widow's weeds are the signals of charity, 
 inviting commiseration and respect ; in India, they are the brand of 
 justice, inspiring horror. No human being is more to be pitied than 
 a young Hindu widow. Then it is to be remembered, that this class 
 is far more numerous in India than amongst us ; for, first, every man, 
 without exception, marries and may re-marry as often as he likes ; 
 secondly, every bride is a young girl, a child ; thirdly, every female 
 once widowed continues a widow for life. From these three causes, 
 widows in India must be at least twice as numerous as in England ; 
 and when it is remembered, that the population of India is seven-fold 
 that of the British Isles, it will be seen what a multitude of breasts 
 are pierced by Hinduism with continual sorrows.' Mission to the 
 Mysore. 
 
 It may be stated, in addition to the above, that if the widow 
 have the honour to be of the Brahmin tribe, she is usually kept 
 on one meal a day, and is the drudge and butt of the family ; 
 and being considered the unlucky cause of every disaster, her 
 presence is forbidden at any festivity. Suppose, then, that 
 England had secured some ill-will from the Brahmins, by doing 
 the little that she could do towards the removal of this fearful 
 curse, that is, refusing to administer penalties upon any who 
 shall have the courage to raise themselves against it, we ask. Is 
 she to grudge the trouble that may arise in consequence ? They 
 are poor politicians who look to a measure like this as the root 
 of a deep-seated and active conspiracy; but if it were, if 
 refusing longer to stretch out our hand against the widows 
 were the real cause of all this blood, will England shrink from 
 the act, or stand by it ? Will England prefer the favour of the 
 Brahmins, with participation of their cruelties, or their deadly 
 hatred, with clean hands ? Among the many questionable acts, 
 and worse, of the East India Company, on this at least they 
 may look back with some content in their day of fiery trouble. 
 Others, too, wiU. find comfort in recalling a measure fraught 
 both with justice and charity ; and many an English widow 
 and bereaved mother, thinking of husbands murdered and 
 daughters defiled, would feel a drop of sweetness mingling with 
 their gall, could they believe that the cup was raised to their 
 
27 
 
 lips because we took it from those of the helpless. But, no, this 
 act of justice has cost no blood. 
 
 Another alleged cause of disaffection has been education and 
 missionary labours. We believe it is universally admitted, at 
 least, we have not heard any one deny it, that the class of 
 natives educated in Government Colleges, and there carefully 
 protected from all Christian teaching, are to a great extent in- 
 fidel in creed and dangerous in politics. But, on the other 
 hand, we cannot, at this moment, recollect any pamphlet, or any 
 book, in which it is asserted that the pupils of missionary schools 
 have generally displayed those characteristics. On the contrary, 
 we are inclined to believe that were the English power to come 
 to its final struggle to-morrow, among its best and last native 
 friends would be no small number of these. It must be remem- 
 bered, that in every case the education received at the hands of 
 the Missionaries has been sought by the natives themselves. 
 Their schools have always been more frequented than those of the 
 Government, or any others; and this simple fact is the one 
 practical answer to all the theory, which asserts that missionary 
 operations, in the way of education or otherwise, must create 
 disaffection. 
 
 That the Brahmins foresee that the effect of missionary 
 labours will be the overthrow of their own system is undoubted ; 
 for in such a matter they have a truer instinct than the class of 
 English politicians who are their apologists, and who, while 
 they on the one hand charge the Missionaries with turning 
 India upside down, are continually affirming on the other that 
 they will never acquire influence. The Brahmins, on the con- 
 trary, know that they will; that the sermon, the book, the 
 school, are surely and irresistibly working their way into the 
 heart of the nation; and doubtless many of them would be 
 glad, on this as on every other account, to see the end of 
 British domination. But all the enemies of Missions, and they 
 are many, bitter, and certainly free from scruples, although 
 they have ventured on the largest assertions, in the highest 
 places, have yet failed to produce one authentic fact to prove 
 that the labours of the Missionaries, either in schools or other- 
 wise, have involved the Government in conflict with the people. 
 
 The writer of one of the pamphlets at the head of this article, 
 signing himself ^ Caubulee,^ says, very naturally, that had the 
 question of the greased cartridges been submitted to a jury of 
 Missionaries, they would, to a man, have decided against any 
 such attack upon the prejudices of the people; for they know 
 
28 
 
 what does and what does not irritate. Sir Charles J. Napier 
 never showed his insight into the native character more 
 clearly J than when he stated that they had no objection 
 whatever to theological discussions. What they feared was 
 'not conversion^ but contamination.^ Of this their traditions 
 of former conquerors gave them reason to be afraid. The 
 Mussulmans were in the habit of converting them whole- 
 sale by violence. Tales of a similar kind circulate in the vil- 
 lages of the souths to this day, regarding both the Portuguese 
 and the French ; and nothing but a thorough knowledge of the 
 real spirit of Christianity will ever relieve the English, or any 
 foreign Government, from the continual suspicion of being ready, 
 by stratagem or force, to break the caste of the people. Every 
 native, however, whose intercourse with Missionaries, or otlier 
 decided and consistent Christians, has enabled him clearly to 
 discover the principles of our religion, feels certain that what we 
 seek is not ' contamination,' but ' conversion ;' and that it 
 would afford no pleasure whatever to us to see him deprived of 
 his caste by trick or violence. 
 
 Gentlemen inattentive to religious questions may confidently 
 state their opinions on one side, and we as confidently give ours 
 on the other ; but facts are much more to the purpose than the 
 assertions of either. 
 
 Take two extremes of the Indian community, the classes who 
 have been most brought into contact with Missionaries, and 
 those who have been the least. The latter are the Sepoys, and, 
 above all, the Sepoys of the Bengal army. No Missionary ever 
 dared to preach in their lines, or open a school among their 
 children ; no Christian native dared to enlist with them. They 
 were studiously kept, by statesmen, from all means of know- 
 ing what Christianity really was; and the consequence is, 
 that they are so ignorant of its spirit and aims, as to be the 
 dupes of men who represent our Government as capable of 
 entering into a conspiracy, to break their caste by making 
 them eat hog's lard. Lord Ellenborough may be assured that 
 no native who had frequently held discussions with Missionaries, 
 would have been led away by ideas so derogatory to his Lordship, 
 and to other statesmen who have guided the destinies of India. 
 It may be worth noting, for those who have had a hand in 
 maintaining this state of ignorance as to Christianity among 
 the Sepoys, in order that they may at their leisure remember 
 it, that the scene of the one well-known conversion of a Sepoy 
 to Christianity, and of his consequent expulsion from the British 
 
29 
 
 array, although he was a blameless^ and even a meritorious^ 
 native officer, that the scene of this crime against our national 
 religion, against the rights of that poor man_, of this reckless 
 servility to the Koran and caste, was no other than the very 
 city of Meerut, in which we have had so wretchedly to drink 
 the wormwood and the gall of caste and the Koran. 
 
 On the other hand, just as enmity to the English has broken 
 out in the classes least approached by Missionaries, and in 
 the countries least occupied by them, so, where their labours 
 are most extensive, and their converts most numerous, British 
 life is at this moment most sacred, and British authority 
 strongest. There have been no risings against the English in 
 Tinnivelly or Travancore in the south, none in Serampore or 
 Krishnagur in the north. In all the Madras Presidency, which 
 has had much more of missionary labour, and had it longer, 
 than any other part of the country, there has been no dis- 
 affection ; and we will venture to assert, that in proportion as 
 the natives have been under missionary influence, so will they 
 be friendly and serviceable to the English. Even where the 
 mutiny has broken out, no special enmity has been directed 
 against those who are active Christians. Efforts are made 
 to hold up Colonel Wheeler as a cause of mutiny, because 
 he had been active in instructing and exhorting the natives. 
 So far as we understand his case, he did not act the part of a 
 good soldier in the day of trial, and therefore we will cheerfully 
 leave him to whatever military censure his demerits may call 
 for. But this much is plain, that when disaffection broke out 
 in his regiment, the Adjutant, whom no one charges with 
 preaching, was shot at and wounded, and the Colonel, who was 
 so zealous, was let alone. By the natives generally, that class 
 of civilians or officers who manfully identify themselves with the 
 religion they profess, venerate its institutions, and cherish its 
 spirit, are far more respected than those of equal rank and 
 talent who indulge in vices, which some fluent speakers are much 
 slower to drag to light, for public disapproval, than any occasional 
 example of Christian zeal. One hasty and haughty oath at a 
 native will leave a rankling wound totally different from the 
 feeling caused by kindly conversation on religion. 
 
 Is there any proof in the conduct of the Sepoys of a special 
 desire for the blood of the Missionaries ? Even in the sacred 
 city of Benares they have escaped, while many an officer who, 
 poor feUow, was far enough from offence on the score of Chris- 
 tianity, has been laid low. Indeed, there the authorities have 
 
30 
 
 sought the aid of the personal influence of a Missionary in 
 getting stores. Only at three stations have we yet heard of 
 Missionaries being killed, and that, we will venture to say, 
 not from special enmity to them, but because nothing European 
 was to be spared. No solitary Mission station has been, so far 
 as we know, attacked. Again, the native newspapers, in their 
 endeavours to prove a conspiracy against the caste of the people, 
 did not allege anything that the Missionaries did, but the action 
 of the authorities, their mad action of thrusting unclean grease 
 on the lips of Brahmins and Mohammedans. 
 
 The attempt to lay the disaffection at the door of the Mission- 
 aries could have been foretold with absolute certainty by every 
 one acquainted with the history of India. We could before- 
 hand have selected the men, and almost set down the very 
 phrases that would be used. It has been so from the beginning, 
 and it will be so until the dying day of the last of the race 
 whom we have called by the name of the 'English Hindu.' 
 What they were fifty years ago, they are to-day. Then, the 
 Vellore mutiny had no sooner occurred than they laid it to the 
 charge of the Missionaries; but the question was asked. Was 
 there a Missionary in Vellore ? No. Was there one near 
 Vellore? No. Was there one in the whole Presidency of 
 !Madras ? Not a single English Missionary. Some Danes and 
 Germans were peaceably labouring at Tanjore and Tranquebar, 
 and a few Englishmen had landed a thousand miles off, in 
 Bengal ; and this rare apparition of Christianity had so dis- 
 ordered the vision of the 'English Hindu,' that he believed 
 then, and believes to this day, that the Sepoys who murdered 
 their officers and their European comrades during the wedding 
 of Tipu's daughter, were fighting against Missionaries. The 
 disaffection was one of race and religion, but mere disaffection 
 did not make mutiny. That arose from irritants adminis- 
 tered by the Government itself. The Sepoys had been for- 
 bidden earrings, forbidden to put on the marks which dis- 
 tinguish one caste and religion from another, commanded to 
 trim their beards to a standard model, forced to wear black 
 leather stocks and ungainly European jackets, and, last of all, 
 their own beautiful turban was displaced for a horrid, ugly hat ; 
 and, moreover, they were required to use a turnscrew made in 
 the form of a cross. They demurred to wear the hat, were 
 savagely dealt with, took their revenge ; and men were sensible 
 enough to say that this was chargeable upon Missions. While 
 writing this, we have put the case to a native Prince now in 
 
31 
 
 England ; his reply may go for what it is worth. ' They pre- 
 tend that the Government want to break caste^ for the sake 
 of enraging the Sepoys : but their meaning is, " We want to 
 get the English out of the way, and have the country to 
 ourselves." ' 
 
 This naturally leads us to look at what we have already 
 pointed out, as needing to be distinguished from disaffection, 
 which is chronic, and which pervades classes military and non- 
 military, namely, the inflammatory action upon the minds of 
 the Sepoys which leads to mutiny. This always pre-supposes 
 some temporary excitement, something which, irritating the 
 habitual state of disaffection, brings it to a head. The outburst 
 in India has been, hitherto, a militaiy mutiny. The Sepoys 
 have been certainly joined in several cases by such persons as 
 would hail any revolution that promised excitement and plun- 
 der ; but, as a whole, they have not met with the support of 
 the trading and labouring classes of the country, whose interests 
 are most immediately involved in the character of the Govern- 
 ment. It is therefore our duty to look specially to causes 
 affecting the Sepoys; and of these the number assigned by 
 various writers is legion. We shall not attempt to enumerate 
 them all, much less to estimate their value; but some of the 
 most prominent we may indicate. 
 
 The first, and most generally assigned, is the paucity of 
 officers on duty with their regiments. The public are weary of 
 hearing that every man of ability looked forward, as the best 
 reward of his talents, to be removed from his regiment and 
 appointed to some civil employment ; and so far was this carried, 
 that in many cases none remained with the Sepoys but the 
 youngest or the most incompetent officers. The blame of this 
 state of things must rest on the Government alone. For them 
 or their advocates to turn and say that the demands for improve- 
 ment forced them to employ military men in civil positions, is 
 mere trifling. It was their duty to govern the country, and 
 train the army ; and no consideration, but the miserable one of 
 money, could for a moment suggest the policy which they 
 pursued. Like all public measures springing from parsimo- 
 niousness, it wreaks vengeance upon the heads of its authors, by 
 occasioning tenfold the expense which a wise liberality would 
 have dictated. 
 
 Another cause, not less generally assigned, and more bitterly 
 felt, than even the former, by officers of spirit and ability, is, 
 that the regimental authorities have been gradually deprived of 
 
32 
 
 all power either to promote or to punish their own men, every- 
 thing being held in the hands of a bureau authority, or moved . 
 by mechanical system ; so that the Colonel, instead of being a 
 potentate in the eyes of his men, as he ought to have been, w as 
 only a better-paid mercenary, whose duty it was to go first into 
 action, because he had most pay. In all spheres of government, 
 it is hard to exaggerate the importance of committing a due 
 share of power to every one invested with responsibility ; but, in 
 dealing with a race like the Hindus, and especially when under 
 the peculiar conditions of mercenary soldiers, shortsightedness 
 could do nothing worse, than to denude officers at the head of 
 regiments, of anything necessary to make their will habitually- 
 powerful over the men under their command. 
 
 If these two causes reflect upon the Government, another 
 points our attention to the officers. Much has been said about 
 the familiarity of officers with their men in old days, and the 
 gradual increase of distance and distrust between them in 
 modern times. It has been very broadly intimated, by more 
 than one, that when officers kept a kind of seraglio, like native 
 gentry, they were more fitted for sympathy with their men, than 
 now, when they have generally creditable Christian families. 
 On this latter point, we would simply say, that officers enough 
 of the old class remain. And we will engage that if all the 
 history of the past three months were known, it would not prove 
 that those who have by seduction dishonoured and broken the 
 caste of the female relations of the Sepoys, were one whit more 
 respected in the common onslaught than those who were irre- 
 proachable in their private character. Gentlemen who practise 
 loose living in India have little idea how w ell the natives know 
 it, and how heartily they despise them for it. Things which 
 they will even justify themselves in doing, they know ought not 
 to be done by Englishmen ; and we have heard things said by 
 natives of men who are not afraid in public to fall foul of those 
 who have been ^ too good,^ which w^ould make their ears tingle^ 
 if they w^ere translated into plain English. 
 
 Those who deplore the decrease of fellowship between officers 
 and men are right ; but those who charge it upon an improve- 
 ment in the character of the officers, are as wrong in point of 
 fact as in point of morals. A good man has the advantage in 
 any country under heaven ; and where general respect, sym- 
 pathy, and moral influence are the objects to be gained, virtue 
 must ever be power. 
 
 But we must not be understood as denying the fact, that the 
 
\ 
 
 33 
 
 officer is, as a rule, wofuUy isolated from his men. Many are 
 so through simple ignorance of their language. It is not all who 
 have the brains, or the perseverance, to learn an Indian tongue 
 so well, that it becomes an easy medium of communication; 
 and nearly all the officers who do so are at once removed from 
 their regiments to other work. Many of those who remain 
 can just talk enough of the native language to get through 
 routine phrases which they must employ ; but they are always 
 glad to confine conversation within the narrowest limits, and 
 thus are all their lifetime incapacitated for gaining the hearts 
 of their men. They meet on parade, but are strangers. 
 
 Beside this, it is not to be concealed that the habitual bearing 
 of Englishmen to natives is marked by a high degree of pride 
 and distance. Any traveller in Egypt or the East must be 
 struck with the extent to which English residents there, as well 
 as natives, are impressed with the haughty and domineering 
 spirit of the ^ Indians ' whom they see constantly passing. They 
 think that these have all the ways, not only of a lordly, but of a 
 despotic race. We remember once seeing some Arabs laugh 
 with astonishment and pleasure, on being heartily thanked for 
 some service they had rendered ; and when a native who spoke 
 English was asked why they laughed, 'O,' he said, 'because 
 you thank them.^ ' Then would not a Pacha thank them, if 
 they did anything for him ? ' ' Pacha thank them ! He ? No ! 
 Turk like Englishman in India.' And this idea of the ' Eng- 
 lishman in India ' is far too correct. He is too much of the 
 ' Turk.' Persons who have not observed the bearing of the 
 English abroad, are often surprised that all nations speak of us 
 as the most domineering and insolent of people. We award this 
 distinction to the Americans, and they conscientiously return it 
 to us. And both they and we are right. No two nations under 
 the sky are half so overbearing, or half so insolent, as the English 
 and the Americans. Others are more cruel, more tyrannical, 
 more unjust, more revengeful ; but far more willing to admit 
 foreigners to companionable and equal relations. The English- 
 man or the American walks through the world, the moment he 
 leaves his own soil, feeling, and unconsciously showing at every 
 turn that he feels, everybody he meets with to be beneath him, 
 not personally, but simply because he is not English or not 
 American, as the case may be. Even among our neighbours in 
 Paris the complaint is often heard, that our English there 
 behave as if the place belonged to them ; and there are towns 
 on the Continent that the French have burned and sacked more 
 
34 
 
 than once, where they have committed every atrocity of which 
 men are capable, and yet, on account of their companionable 
 ways, they are more welcome as individuals than the English, 
 who have never done anything but good to the people, and yet 
 by their whole bearing make them feel that they look down 
 upon every man of them. If this is the case when Englishmen 
 are side by side with Europeans, on terms of neighbourhood, 
 how much more is it likely to be so, when they are placed 
 beside the feeble Hindu, in a position of undisputed authority 
 and power ! Many a respectable native is left to stand before a 
 European, looking meek and contented all the while, though his 
 heart is gnawing within him. Many a one hears rude sharp 
 words which outrage his ideas of self-respect, when his cowardly 
 nature will not allow even a look to betray the mortification 
 that he feels ; and in every day's intercourse much is done, by 
 these miserable faults in manners, to obliterate the good impres- 
 sions of honour, justice, and truth, even where these virtues are 
 maintained. ' You do not rob us,' said a native to Sir Charles 
 Forbes, ' but you make us stand behind your chair.' 
 
 The organization of the native army itself, in the Bengal 
 Presidency, has been much pointed to, and with reason, as 
 highly favourable to a chronic state of disaffection, and to the 
 designs of any who wished to promote actual mutiny. Recruited, 
 as we have already stated, chiefly in the most renowned seats 
 of Brahminism, and, to a very great extent, from territories 
 that, until the other day, were under the Mohammedan domi- 
 nion of Oude, they have had everything, in the local tradi- 
 tions and caste ties of the men, that was unfriendly to the 
 English power. It is computed that a regiment of a thou- 
 sand strong, on the average, contained about two hundred 
 Mohammedans and eight hundred Hindus ; that, of the latter, 
 six hundred were High-caste, Brahmins or Rajpoots, and about 
 two hundred Low-caste ; no Out-castes or native Christians being 
 in the army. Four hundred hereditary priests to a regiment ! 
 say, two hundred more Rajpoots ! every one of them consider- 
 ing himself, as the name signifies, the son of a King ; and two 
 hundred Mohammedans ! What should we think of the British 
 statesman who would attempt to govern Ireland by regiments of 
 Maynooth Priests? And yet this appears to be the nearest 
 illustration that we have at hand, of the odd art of government 
 we have been attempting in Bengal. No laudation of Lord 
 Dalhousie and we gladly give him credit for great qualities 
 and great services can ever redeem him, in the eyes of impar- 
 
35 
 
 tial men, from the fault of having refused to see the true work- 
 ing of this system ; and the still greater fault of disgusting and 
 driving from India the man who did see it^ and who would 
 have saved the Hindus and the English from what has now 
 occurred. Sir Charles J. Napier's period of command formed a 
 crisis of Indian history, and, had he been allowed to carry out 
 his views, a new era would have been inaugurated. His military 
 reforms were necessary to accompany Lord Dalhousie's great 
 political measures. The Governor- General opposed them ; and, 
 though he is in weakness and retirement now, the truth must be 
 told, that to that opposition we owe the evils which have lately 
 arisen. Genius and Talent were, as they so often are in affairs 
 of Government, opposed : Genius with its insight and foresight, 
 reading thoughts and tendencies, tiU it read the future ; Talent 
 priding itself in the idea of being practical, because it was carry- 
 ing out now the views emitted by Genius fifty years ago ; and, 
 as to the future, assuming that to-morrow is yesterday. Lord 
 Dalhousie was ably acting out the policy of the Marquis 
 of Wellesley j but he had no original genius-light. The other 
 read for himself; and 'practical men' some years hence, because 
 they are acting out Sir Charles's views, will be wonderfully wiser 
 in their own eyes than the next man of genius who shall arise, 
 and who will see when it is time to modify. 
 
 Taking all these causes put together, they tended to prepare 
 the Sepoys for any conspirators who might have the art to pre- 
 sent them with an object, or use any cause of irritation given 
 them by oversight. It would appear that both of these had 
 occurred. The capture of Oude turned a wily and able minister 
 from preying on his own country, to plotting for the 
 overthrow of the power that had cast him and his master 
 down. The King of Delhi was no inattentive listener to pro- 
 posals emanating from this quarter. Agents were disseminated 
 among the Sepoys; they were often sympathized with, often 
 unsuccessful, but never betrayed. Doubtless they used every 
 argument to persuade the Hindus that the English meant to 
 treat them, as they would treat one another, or as Mussulmans 
 had often treated them, to contaminate their caste by some vio- 
 lence or stratagem ; a crime of which Sepoys might well believe 
 us capable, because they knew so little of what we were. Yet it 
 is doubtful whether all this would have ever succeeded in raising a 
 general mutiny, had not that event occurred which, we have already 
 said, was an act of such sheer madness, that it can only be set 
 down to judicial blindness permitted by the great Ruler of all. 
 
 c 2 
 
36 
 
 Every one knows that to Hindus and Mohammedans alike 
 the idea of tasting the flesh of a swine, in any form, is 
 horribly disgusting; and that no English regiment would 
 resent an order to diet them on snails or carrion, so much 
 as would these an attempt to make them eat pig. Again, of 
 all living things, the most sacred to the Hindu is the cow ; 
 she is one of the divinities most generally worshipped. Among 
 the crimes on their catalogue, scarcely one ranks so high as 
 ^ cow murder.^ In popular parlance, it is as great a crime to 
 kill one woman as seven children, and to kill one cow as twenty 
 women. Everything that comes from the cow is so sacred, that 
 one of the most meritorious acts of religion, one of the most 
 effectual towards attaining sanctification, is taking a mixture 
 composed of what are called ' the five products of the cow,^ the 
 uncleanest of them not being rejected. Even the tamest people 
 of a country village would be fired with rage at any attempt to 
 make them taste the flesh of a cow. It may then be imagined 
 what was the horror of a certain Brahmin Sepoy, when a 
 Lascar, a man of low caste, asked him to give him a drink of 
 water out of his pot. The Sepoy refused, on caste ground ; the 
 touch of the Lascar would have polluted his pot for ever. The 
 Lascar jeered, and told him that he was every day touching 
 cartridges besmeared with cows' fat. The horror-struck Brah- 
 min rushed to his comrades; and those who know the Hindu 
 will estimate the startling effect of this intelligence, as it passed 
 from man to man. Had the agents of the Oude conspirators 
 produced a thousand affidavits, that the Government had bad 
 designs, they would have weighed little with the Sepoys 
 in comparison with this astounding discovery. The blame 
 of issuing these cartridges is laid on Colonel Birch, the 
 Military Secretary for India. To have been the author of 
 such an enormous error, is a calamity that cannot well be 
 measured, and one which all must pity ; but the man through 
 whose hands such a blow has been dealt to an honourable 
 Government and a prosperous empire, must be swept from 
 public life, and may be well content if his name be never heard 
 nor his form seen in public again. 
 
 The first act of insubordination shows that mysterious mean- 
 ings were now instantly attached to our scientific preparations 
 for the good of the country. As the Sepoys no longer doubted 
 the designs of Government against them, the electric wires 
 became to them an evil instrument of their ruin ; and, conse- 
 quently, within a week from the time when the cartridge 
 
37 
 
 abomination was brought to their knowledge^ the first stroke 
 was struck on the 24th of January, by burning down the Tele- 
 graph Office at Barrackpore,, sixteen miles from Calcutta. That 
 station was at this time occupied only by native troops_, of whom 
 there were four regiments ; and it is almost incredible, that at 
 the moment there was only one regiment of Europeans for a 
 distance of four hundred miles, half of it in the fort at 
 Calcutta, and half seven miles off, at Dumdum. Night after 
 night acts of incendiarism occurred ; at the same time, agents 
 of disaffection were making the most of the opportunity which the 
 Government had given them, and it was asleep. A whole month 
 was allowed to pass before any explanation was given ; and by 
 that time the Sepoys were fully satisfied that the design of con- 
 tamination had been abandoned only because it was discovered. 
 The native post is said to have been filled with soldiers^ letters, 
 conveying from the Sepoys to their comrades, all over the coun- 
 try, the terrible tidings of the Government conspiracy against 
 them ; and at last, by the middle of February, General Hearsey 
 found it necessary to muster the troops at Barrackpore, and 
 harangue them. On the 24th of that month, a small guard 
 from a regiment quartered there reached Berhampore, a hundred 
 and twenty miles from Calcutta, and doubtless excited, with 
 their tales of the cows^-fat conspiracy, the men of the 19th 
 regiment. The next day the latter regiment was paraded, and 
 blank cartridges served out to them. The men, excited by the 
 tales they had heard from the capital, thought these were the 
 contaminated cartridges, although they were perfectly innocent, 
 and refused them, until threatened with courts-martial, when 
 they took them in gloomy silence ; and in the night they rose 
 as one man, shouting defiance. Colonel Mitchell marched 
 against them with the remaining forces, and called upon them 
 to give up their arms ; but they would not even return to their 
 lines, until the artillery and cavalry which had been marched 
 against them were moved away. The Colonel yielded; and 
 thus in the first conflict the victory was with the mutineers. 
 Some years before Lord Dalhousie had first requested a regiment 
 to go to Burmah, and, when it refused, quietly submitted to the 
 affront ! In mentioning the word ^ lines,' it may be as well to 
 explain that it means ten rows of huts, each row accommodating 
 a company, and the whole a regiment. 
 
 At this point we may pause to say, that from the past history 
 of Indian mutinies, nothing is easier than to deduce the conclu- 
 sion, that Sepoys never break into resistance but when their 
 
38 
 
 superiors cross them on one of the following grounds : 
 1 . Pay. 2. Changes of costume. 3. Caste customs. 4. Going 
 abroad. With the certainty of a law you may always trace 
 mutiny to one of these causes. Even one exception, to ' estab- 
 lish the rule,^ or to give colour to the outcry about Missionaries, 
 cannot be found. 
 
 It was not until about the 4th of March that the news of this 
 outbreak reached Calcutta ; and, on the morning of the 6th, a 
 steamer started for Rangoon. In the meantime, the regiments 
 in the neighbourhood of the metropolis at Barrackpore showed 
 increasing symptoms of disaffection; and reports of ill-feeling 
 manifested far away at Meerut and Luckuow also came to hand. 
 After fourteen days' absence, the steamer that had been dis- 
 patched to Rangoon returned with Her Majesty's 84th Regi- 
 ment, which was at once placed at Chinsurah, eight miles from 
 Barrackpore; and the 19th Regiment, which had mutinied, was 
 ordered to march to that station. In the meantime, the 34th, 
 from which the men who excited them had come, committed 
 the first act of violence against any Englishman. The Adjutant 
 of the regiment. Lieutenant Baugh, heard that a Sepoy was 
 traversing the lines, calling upon his comrades to rise. He 
 rode immediately to the parade-ground. Mungul Pandy, 
 for this was the Sepoy's name, hiding himself behind a can- 
 non which was near, took deliberate aim, and fired at the 
 officer. The horse was wounded, and came to the ground with 
 his rider. The officer, snatching a pistol from his holster, fired 
 in return, but missed his man; and before he could draw his 
 sword, the Sepoy brought him to the ground with a blow. A 
 guard of the regiment was close by, but they did not interfere. 
 The European Sergeant-Major called out to them, but their 
 native Lieutenant forbade them to stir, and Mungul Pandy 
 wounded a second Englishman, the Sergeant-Major, and then 
 the guard struck the two wounded men with the butts of their 
 muskets. One Mohammedan was faithful, and seized Mun- 
 gul Pandy just as he had re-loaded his piece. Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Wheeler acted feebly and inefficiently; but General 
 Hearsey was presently on the spot, with some other officers, 
 and Mungul Pandy fired at and wounded himself. General 
 Hearsey promoted the faithful Sepoy to the rank of Sergeant on 
 the spot ; and it is said, in India, that Colonel Birch, the same 
 man to whom is attributed the order for the greased cartridges, 
 had the hardy imbecility to give a ' severe wigging ' to the 
 General for this departure from the sacred punctilios of routine 
 
39 
 
 promotion. The native guard and their oflBcer were left at 
 large, while the regiment which had previously mutinied at 
 Berhampore were marched on this station to be disarmed. 
 It is said that^ on the last night of this march^ a deputa- 
 tion, of Mungul Pandy^s comrades, joined them, and pro- 
 posed that they should that very night kill all their 
 officers, march on to Barrackpore, where the two regiments 
 were prepared to join them, then burn the bungalows, sur- 
 prise and massacre the European force, then march on Cal- 
 cutta, and sack it. But the ]9th, having learned that they 
 were about to be disbanded, were already in a penitent mood, 
 and had sent a petition to the Governor-General, offering to 
 proceed at once to China, or any other place, by land or sea, if 
 they were only pardoned : thus they rejected the counsel of their 
 bloody brethren of the 34th. They were marched into Barrack- 
 pore, and there disbanded; but the 34th, who had gone much 
 further than they, were left untouched. 
 
 The Jemadar (native Lieutenant) of that corps, who had for- 
 bidden his men to rescue the wounded Adjutant, was left three 
 days at large, and four weeks passed before he was brought to 
 punishment. The men of his guard, who beat the wounded 
 officer, were at liberty; their comrades, who refused to give 
 them up, were not disturbed; and that for five weeks. Thus 
 Lord Canning told every Sepoy in India, in what is the most 
 emphatic language to say anything in, acts, that it was a matter 
 for long consideration whether native officers who helped in the 
 murder of a European one should be hanged, and that it was 
 worth while to house, clothe, feed, and pay Sepoys for beating 
 wounded Englishmen. 
 
 The policy of conspirators is tremulous, and such steps looked 
 not like English honesty, but native cunning. Every Sepoy 
 w^ould read fresh evidence of evil design in every token of fear. 
 An oversight had irritated disaffection into suspicion ; tempo- 
 rizing turned suspicion to certainty ; and resistance broke out. 
 From Lucknow, the capital of Oude, came the news that a 
 doctor, who tasted a bottle of physic before giving it to a sick 
 Sepoy, was set down as a conspirator against caste, and his 
 house burned. At Umballah, much farther away, the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief was led, by the suUenness of the men, to 
 address and attempt to reassure them. At Sealkote, in the 
 heart of the Punjab, letters were found from the precious 34th 
 at Barrackpore, urging their comrades at the former place to 
 revolt. A Jemadar of the 70th regiment was found going 
 
40 
 
 tlirougli the lines,, exciting the men to mutiny; and when a 
 court-martial of his native brother officers sentenced him to 
 the gentle pain of dismissal^ the authorities complacently rati- 
 fied the decision. In the midst of all this, orders were given 
 that the British regiment which had been brought up from 
 Burmah to overawe the 19th while being disarmed, should be 
 sent away again. 
 
 This crowning folly was hindered by the rush of events. On 
 May 3rd, a Sepoy at Lucknow received a letter from the 7th 
 Oude Cavalry, which had belonged to the ex-King, and was lying 
 seven miles off, to this effect : ' We are ready to obey the 
 directions of our brothers of the 48th in the matter of car- 
 tridges, and to resist either actively or passively.' The Brahmin 
 for, be it said, he was a Brahmin showed this to a Havildar 
 (Serjeant), and he to a Subahdar (Captain) ; and the three 
 carried it to Sir Henry Lawrence, whose great character thus 
 elicited one of the very, very few gleams of light which have 
 broken on the darkness of the plot. That same day he learned 
 that four men of the regiment whence this letter came, had en- 
 tered the room of their Adjutant, armed to the teeth, and told 
 him that they did not dislike him, but he was a Feringhee 
 (European), and must die. Lieutenant Mecham looked at 
 them, and said, ' I am unarmed, and you may kill me if you 
 like ; but that will do you no good, for you will not succeed in 
 this mutiny, and another Adjutant will be appointed.' The 
 calm on his countenance and in his voice quelled the rage of the 
 murderers, and they retired, leaving him unharmed. 
 
 When night had just fallen on the lines of these mutineers, 
 they were thunderstruck at being summoned to meet Sir Henry 
 Lawrence, who was backed by eight guns manned by Europeans, 
 with one English and four native regiments. They were ordered 
 to form close in front of him, and to lay down their arms. As 
 they silently obeyed, the port- fires of the artillery suddenly 
 flashed in the dark. ^ Don't fire ! don't fire ! ' screamed the 
 mutineers, and rushed frantically away. That night all their 
 ringleaders were secured by native soldiers. 
 
 This news reached Calcutta on the 4th ; and, as if the electri- 
 city of the telegraph had galvanized the Government, the order 
 to send off the English regiment to Burmah was recalled ; and, 
 two days after, the 34th were ordered out for punishment, after 
 more weeks of respite than their accomplices at Lucknow had 
 hours. An order of the Governor- General was read, detailing 
 their great offences, and announcing their penalty, simple dis- 
 
\ 
 
 41 
 
 missal. This was to be read to every regiment in India. When 
 it reached Oude, Sir Henry Lawrence had the courage to set it 
 aside. Lord Canning had wisely attempted to imitate his 
 energy; he wisely resolved not to imitate Lord Canning's feeble- 
 ness. Nevertheless, it was made known to every Sepoy that, 
 when the Governor- General did his worst, it was but dis- 
 missal; and it is confidently affirmed that, at the same time, 
 the Sepoys had offers of better pay from the Kings of Delhi and 
 Oude. 
 
 The clouds had long been growing black, and now the 
 thunderbolt was coming. On the same day that the 3 ith re- 
 ceived their tardy dismissal, a parade was ordered at Meerut, on 
 purpose to test the troops by serving out unexceptionable car- 
 tridges. Out of the ranks of the 3rd Cavalry, eighty-five men 
 boldly advanced, and refused to take them. They were tried by 
 a native court-martial, and eighty were sentenced to ten years' 
 imprisonment, with hard labour ; the remaining five to six 
 years. Three days after their mutinous act, in the presence of 
 guns, and English rifles, and English horse, with their own and 
 two other native regiments, they were stripped of the British 
 uniform, and laden with fetters ; imploring General Hewitt for 
 mercy during the process, and at the close reproaching their 
 comrades for permitting it. They were not put under a 
 European guard, but lodged in the common jail, guarded only 
 by natives. 
 
 The next day was a Sunday, Sunday, May 10th, 1857, 
 henceforth in the calendar of many a family a blood-colour day. 
 When we think how peacefully we sat in our homes or our 
 churches that day, and that thousands in India sat in theirs just 
 as peacefully, we feel how short is human sight ! ^ One who 
 has served under Sir Charles Napier ' thus tells the tale of that 
 Sunday : 
 
 ' The Havildars made the morning report to their officers ; the men 
 of the European regiment attended morning service as usual, and there 
 was no sign of the coming storm. The day passed away as Sundays 
 generally pass in India, and not even the Serjeants, who live in the 
 native lines, had noticed anything to call for report, or even for 
 remark. Evening church-time was approaching: the 60th Eifles 
 were turning out with their side-arms to proceed thither ; officers, too, 
 were dressing either for church or for an evening ride. Sepoys ! 
 restrain your impatience for half an hour longer, and Meerut is your 
 own. Providentially they cannot restrain it. Suddenly the alarm of 
 fire is given ; then there is loud shouting, as if the Sepoys were turn- 
 ing out to quench the flames. But, then, that volley of musketry, 
 followed by another and another ! those discordant yells ! that clatter- 
 
42 
 
 ing of cavalry ! the bugle sound of the alarm ! It is not fire only 
 that has caused this direful outcry ; it is mutiny ! insurrection ! 
 The Bengal aemt has eeyolted ! 
 
 * It was nearing five o'clock on that memorable afternoon when, at 
 a given signal, the 3rd Light Cavalry and the 20th Native Infantry 
 rushed out of their lines, armed and furious. A detachment of the 
 former regiment at once galloped in the direction of the jail. On 
 reaching it, its gates were opened to them without resistance, and 
 they at once liberated all its inmates, including their imprisoned com- 
 rades : a native smith was at hand to strike off their irons. These 
 men, infuriated by their disgrace, ran with all possible speed to their 
 lines, armed themselves, and mounted ; they then rushed to the scene 
 of action, yelling fearfully, and denouncing death to every European. 
 Meanwhile the remaining portion of the 3rd Cavalry and the 20th 
 Native Infantry had proceeded to the lines of the 11th with all possible 
 speed. Thither also the officers of that regiment, alarmed by the 
 shouting and noise, had gone before them. They found Colonel Finnis 
 haranguing his men, and endeavouring to keep them firm to their 
 colours. The men were wavering when the 20th arrived. The men 
 of this regiment, whose hands were already red with the blood of 
 several of their own officers, seeing this hesitation and its cause, at 
 once fired at Colonel Finnis. The first shot took effect on his horse only, 
 but almost immediately afterwards he was riddled with balls. All 
 discipline, all better feelings, now vanished. It is true that the 
 Sepoys of the 11th permitted their officers to escape with their lives ; 
 but having done this, the greater portion of them followed the example 
 of the 20th. And now ensued a scene of disorder, rapine, and murder, 
 which pen cannot describe. Every house and building near the lines, 
 except the hospital, had been fired; and the smoking and blazing 
 barracks and houses, the yells of the mutineers, and the shouts and 
 shrieks of the multitude gathered there, numbers of whom fell from 
 the shots of the mutineers, made on that dark night a scene than 
 which one cannot be imagined more horrible. Officers galloping 
 about, carrying orders to the European troops, were fired at, not only 
 by the mutineers, but by the native guards placed over the public build- 
 ings for security. Ladies driving in their carriages, gentlemen in their 
 buggies, who had left their houses unsuspicious of evil, were assaulted, 
 and, if not murdered, treated with a brutality to which death would 
 have been a relief. Not only the Sepoys, but the released jail-birds, 
 fifteen hundred in number, the population also, that "vile rabble" 
 which is always available for plunder or murder, had joined the 
 iftovement, and spread terror and desolation all around them. Nor were 
 houses or public offices safe places of refuge from these assaults. 
 Most of the houses in Meerut all of those in the military lines are 
 thatched with straw, and easily inflammable : the plan of the insur- 
 gents was to set fire to the roof, and to murder the frighted residents 
 as they quitted the burning dwelling. Many met their deaths in this 
 way ; more, providentially, escaped ; yet not one of those in the latter 
 category owed their safety to the mercy of their assailants. In some 
 instances outrages were perpetrated which the pen refuses to record. 
 These men, whom we had pampered for a century, who had always 
 professed the utmost devotion to us, seemed suddenly converted into 
 demons. Nor was this a solitary example ; other stations were 
 
43 
 
 destined to witness atrocities fouler, more brutal, and more treacherous 
 than oven those of Meerut.' 
 
 Had the man who smothered the flame at Lucknow been at 
 Meerut, with a regiment of English rifles, one of English horse, 
 and a troop of English artillery, not a single company of the 
 mutineers would have escaped. They were only three regi- 
 ments. Yet they all got away, or nearly all. The British force 
 was, after a long delay, brought out against them, but soon led 
 back 'to guard the station,' while Delhi, India, England, were 
 left at the mercy of the mutineers. The General who served his 
 nation this turn was ' superseded for supineness ' after some 
 months had passed. 
 
 The tiger had now tasted blood, and all the ferocity of his 
 nature was awakened. The next morning, the English at Delhi 
 received a hasty intimation to repair to a strong place outside 
 the walls, called the Flagstaff" Tower. (After all that has 
 passed, in alluding to those British-built towers and bastions of 
 Delhi, we have a painful recollection that they were executed by 
 a valued friend, who does not live to lament the unforeseen use 
 to which his engineering science has been turned.) To the 
 Flagstaff Tower several hastened, others never received the 
 message, others it reached too late. The Meerut murderers were 
 at hand. To face them. Brigadier Graves had three regiments 
 of infantry and a battery of artillery, all native ! Not a com- 
 pany of English troops ! ' Plenty of mischief,' wrote Sir Charles 
 Napier, years before, to an officer of artillery,^ ' will be hatched 
 within those walls, and no European forces ! ' ' Meanwhile,' 
 says the writer whom we have quoted just above, 
 
 * Meanwhile the regiments were ordered out, the guns loaded, and 
 every possible preparation made. The Brigadier harangued the 
 troops in a manly style ; told them that now was the opportunity 
 to show their fidelity to the Company to whom they had sworn 
 fidelity, and by whom they had never been deceived. His brief, 
 pithy address was received with cheers. The 54th, especially, 
 seemed eager to exterminate the mutineers, and loudly demanded to 
 be led against them. The Brigadier, responding to their seeming 
 enthusiasm, put himself at their head, and led them out of the 
 Cashmere Gate to meet the rebels, whose near approach had been 
 announced. As they marched out in gallant order, to all appear- 
 ance proud and confident, a tumultuous array appeared advancing 
 from the Hindun. In front, and in full uniform, with medals on 
 their breasts gained in fighting for British supremacy, confidence 
 in their manner, and fury in their gestures, galloped on about two 
 hundred and fifty troopers of the 3rd Cavalry : behind them, at no 
 
 * Private letter, published in the Times. 
 
44 
 
 great distance, and almost running in tlieir efforts to reach the 
 golden minarets of Delhi, appeared a vast mass of Infantry, their 
 red coats soiled with dust, and their bayonets glittering in the 
 sun. No hesitation was visible in all that advancing mass ; they 
 came on, as if confident of the result. Now the Cavalry approach 
 nearer and nearer ! At this headlong pace they will soon be on the 
 ba^^onets of the 54th. These latter are ordered to fire ; the fate of 
 India hangs on their reply. They do fire, but, alas ! into the air ; not 
 one saddle is emptied by that vain discharge. And now the Cavalry 
 are amongst them ; they fraternize with them ; they leave the ofiicers 
 to their fate ; and these are remorselessly cut down wherever they 
 can be found ! ' 
 
 Some fled to the palace of the King of Delhi for refuge. It 
 is said that when the Sepoys cried, 'What shall we do with 
 them?' the clement reply from the throne was, 'What you 
 like ; I give them to you/ And with our brothers, with our 
 sisters, with our little girls, with our merry boys, those tigers 
 and satyrs did 'what they liked/ That day the honour of 
 England's daughters was outraged in the streets. 
 
 There was a young Lieutenant of artillery who thought of the 
 most important thing in Delhi, the Arsenal, which the Com- 
 mandant seems to have entirely 'forgotten, though, with that 
 exception, his conduct was excellent ; but, had he duly ordered 
 the firing of the magazine in case of need, the mutineers would 
 have been comparatively powerless. The young soldier laid a 
 train ; went into a subterranean passage ; waited until he heard 
 the raging of men within the building, until he heard them 
 wrestling outside for entrance. ' It is full,' he said. The match 
 is applied, the ground quakes, from fifteen hundred to three 
 thousand poor wretches are blown into the air; and yet the 
 hand that dealt the blow, though scorched and bruised, is not 
 dead. Some of his noble comrades reached Meerut ; and have 
 heard, no doubt, many a man's and many a woman's warm word, 
 ' Well done ; ' but he has gone to the grave to which he devoted 
 himself. Of aU the names which the mention of Delhi will 
 hereafter recall to the memories of Englishmen, none will ring 
 upon the ear with a tone so solemn and so grand as that of 
 Willoughby ! 
 
 What he destroyed was the small-arms magazine ; enough of 
 stores remained to supply the rebels with the means of long- 
 continued defence, which might all have been destroyed. From 
 the Flagstaff Tower a puff of smoke was seen, then a 'huge 
 coronet of red dust,' then came the noise of an explosion. The 
 Sepoys in the Tower turned the two guns which were there 
 upon the Europeans ; Brigadier Graves told them to escape, and 
 
45 
 
 was himself the last man to leave. And that escape ! What 
 tales have been told_, and what tales remain to tell ! 
 
 Through General Hewitt's ' supineness/ the disaffected Sepoys 
 throughout the country had now obtained the one thing neces- 
 sary to give them courage, success. An English station well 
 manned by Europeans had been burned ; the perpetrators of the 
 deed had marched off unhurt ; and the former capital of India had 
 become their easy prize. The man who issued the greased car- 
 tridges gave conspirators the means of turning Sepoys into muti- 
 neers ; General Hewitt gave mutinous Sepoys courage to become 
 rebels. 
 
 The King of Delhi, who owed us nothing but obligations ; 
 whose ancestors had been reduced to a mere pageant before we 
 appeared on the field, tossed about from Mahratta to Rohilla, 
 now with eyes put out, now with a little army ; whose father, 
 instead of this, had lived in peace, plenty, and respect, under 
 our protection; who was himself rich, and at ease, by our 
 bounty ; he at once put himself at the head of the movement, 
 called the regiments by the names of his sons, appointed Lall 
 Khan, of the 3rd Cavalry, the Meerut regiment, his General- 
 in-Chief, and issued proclamations, promising double pay to 
 Sepoys, and plenty of blessings to the people. 
 
 ^ Success,' that magic word for the timid, sped through every 
 Sepoy station ; success, in the face of an equal, or nearly equal, 
 force of Europeans ; success, so well used as to secure bound- 
 less stores, a fortress, a metropolis, and an Emperor. No 
 wonder that the Sepoy, who had so long hesitated between 
 fear, hatred, and self-interest, should now think that the scale 
 was turned as to the latter, and rush at once to vengeance and 
 greatness by rebellion. The English had tried to rob him of his 
 caste, dearer than life ; and now their hour was come. The 
 Bengal army revolted, murdering, violating, and burning wher- 
 ever they could. All Oude soon raged around the calm, strong 
 presence of Sir Henry Lawrence, who with five hundred-men 
 stood against a kingdom, until a shot brought him to the grave, 
 one of the best and greatest men whom England ever sent to 
 India. Blood is on the head of those who placed him in that 
 newly-annexed kingdom with but one European regiment, and 
 of those who delayed the formation of railways by which he 
 might have received support in time. In the Punjab, the vigour 
 of his brother, Sir John, backed by such men as Chamberlain 
 and Edwardes, sufficed to extinguished the flames of rebellion in 
 detail as they broke out ; so that the mutinous army received no 
 
46 
 
 important accession thence, and the loyal one did. The admi- 
 rable management of the Punjab supplied us with a base of 
 operations in the Plain of the Indus, west of the insurgents, in 
 addition to that furnished by Bengal, on their east. 
 
 Although it is no exaggeration to say that the Bengal army 
 revolted, the prevalent ideas, and even the representations in the 
 Press and in Parliament, of the extent of the rebellion are much 
 exaggerated. From a tone of confidence approaching to levity, 
 some of our journals passed at once to the position that we had 
 to re-commence the conquest of India. The confidence was 
 excusable, for nearly all who knew India shared it ; and it will 
 prove well founded in the long run, resting, as it did, on the full 
 persuasion that no native power existed capable of destroying 
 the British empire in India. But we have never yet come near 
 the position of having to re-conquer India. First of all, out of 
 two hundred reigning Rajahs^ not one of any importance has openly 
 set himself against us ; for the King of Delhi had not one soldier, 
 and Nana Sahib was a private person. Had the reigning Rajahs 
 led out their four hundred thousand men to join the Sepoys, 
 even then it had not T^een all India. But several of them 
 promptly and energetically took our side. Again, the Madras 
 and Bombay armies, one hundred thousand strong, remained 
 our friends ; and all the territory south of the central 
 mountains, the whole of the great Table Land, of the Mountain 
 Foot, were undisturbed. Scinde, Guzerat, Bengal, Orissa, never 
 needed re-conquest. Rajpootan with its seventeen millions was 
 on the whole steady. The Punjab was rufiled, but was imme- 
 diately pacified by its own garrisons. 
 
 The rebellion never established itself west of Delhi, never 
 (till the ' eleventh hour ') broke out east of Benares ; the 
 distance between these being little over four hundred miles. 
 At Benares, however, it never had a day's ascendancy. In fact, 
 any one may define to himself, very easily and completely, the 
 seat of real rebellion, the country needing to be re-conquered, if 
 he will trace the Ganges up to its junction with the Jumna, 
 and, beginning at Allahabad, say, ' There is the hostile frontier / 
 then let him ascend the line of both these great rivers, with 
 Oude and Rohilcund skirting one, and Agra and Delhi lying on 
 the other, and he will have before him the scene on which our 
 soldiers have to triumph. Serious outbreaks have occurred 
 south of this; but the mutinous troops have marched north- 
 ward, from Neemuch and other stations, to Delhi, leaving the 
 field open for re-occupation without the necessity of re-conquest. 
 
47 
 
 Most of it lias been already reclaimed, and forces from tlie 
 south are steadily approaching Delhi. 
 
 Had all India to be re-conquered, we should have against 
 us, first, our own Sepoys, say 250,000; secondly, the armies 
 of the Rajahs, 400,000; thirdly, the people, either in arms 
 or passively hostile ; fourthly, all the strong places occupied 
 by the enemy. Instead of this, we have lost about 80,000 
 Sepoys, of whom perhaps 60,000 are in arms against us ; 
 with what amount of abetting rabble we do not at present 
 know. They hold only one strong place, Delhi ; and all the 
 other great fortresses of India are in our hands. Neither 
 the people nor the Princes have joined the mutineers, so- 
 that the work to be done, though serious, difficult, and costly^ 
 is no more a re-conquest of India than the suppression of a 
 French revolt, which had occurred at Paris, would be a con- 
 quest of Europe. They who speak of re-conquering India have 
 very imperfect ideas of what such words mean. What lies 
 before us is much less than that, and yet it is far from being a 
 trifle. 
 
 The movement towards repressing the rebellion began from 
 three sides, Calcutta on the east, the Punjab and the Hills on 
 the north-west, and the Bombay Presidency on the south. The 
 Commander-in-Chief was hunting in the hills, though the army 
 had long been in a state of the most alarming ferment. He 
 moved towards Delhi, and, while pausing at Kurnaul for siege 
 guns, was carried off" by cholera. General Anson possessed all 
 the qualities of a perfect gentleman, accomplishments unques- 
 tionably of great value in any sphere, and furnishing sufficient 
 qualifications for an appointment about the Court ; but every 
 one knew that he had never commanded an army, every one 
 believed he had never commanded a regiment, and many mili- 
 tary men asserted that he had never commanded a company. 
 It is a great crime to appoint any man to high command whose 
 professional reputation does not insure the confidence of those 
 below him. Every active Captain or Adjutant in India believed 
 that he knew more of the art of war, practically, than his 
 Commander-in-Chief. How far this feeling for nothing is so 
 contagious as a feeling of this kind passed to the Sepoys, we 
 cannot tell. 
 
 The fallen Chief was succeeded by one who had seen service^ 
 General Barnard. He reached Delhi on the 8th of June, just 
 four weeks after it had been seized, swept the rebels before him, 
 took twenty-six guns, paused at the walls, and resolved not to 
 
48 
 
 risk an assault. He maintained himself outside the walls ; 
 bravely repulsed innumerable sorties, inflicting terrible loss on 
 the enemy ; and died at his post, of the same plague which had 
 carried off General Anson. His policy has had one advantage, 
 - that of making Delhi a trap, to which the mutineers have 
 been drawn from all points ; but, had he carried forward his 
 victorious men, they would have planted his standard on the 
 walls, and the hearts of the mutineers would have sunk all over 
 the country. In battle, or in policy, timidity with Hindus is 
 folly ; they bend before bravery, but spring up at the least sign 
 of weakness. From the 8th of June up to this day, Delhi has 
 continued to be the centre of the struggle, receiving new hordes 
 from stations which had mutinied, sending them out as they 
 arrived to attack our forces, receiving back the defeated sur- 
 vivors, and again recruiting its numbers and its courage by new 
 arrivals. 
 
 From the side of Calcutta, our movement consisted in sending 
 reinforcements up towards the seat of war. In this, at least, 
 and, we fear we must say, in this only, the Government of Lord 
 Canning showed itself equal to the requirements of the moment. 
 From Burmah, from Madras, from Ceylon, from Mauritius, and 
 from the Chinese expedition, it sought and found help. As the 
 troops arrived, they produced a double effect : first, their appear- 
 ance in Calcutta quenched the hope of mutiny among the con- 
 spirators there ; and, secondly, as they moved on to the interior, 
 they carried the return tide with them. Among the first effects 
 were the disarming of the troops at Barrackpore, and the 
 capture of the King of Oude ; but, as if everything done in 
 Calcutta itself was to be defective, the Fakeer, whose revelations 
 when under sentence of death led to the King's capture, was 
 allowed to escape from prison ; and whether he had told enough 
 to be of much value, we do not know. 
 
 Among the arrivals was a regiment from Madras, and the 
 first the English public knew of its Colonel was that, when his 
 men were leaving by the railway, the train was ordered to 
 start before they had all arrived. He remonstrated; the 
 
 station-master insisted that, the time being up, the train must 
 go ; the Colonel put him under arrest, and, when the last of his 
 men were in the carriage, set him free. This was Colonel 
 Neill, and the regiment was the Madras Fusileers. He might 
 have been in Benares in twenty-four hours, had the railway 
 been finished ; but at last he did reach that city, and the same 
 night came the outbreak of rebellion : with more than ten to 
 
49 
 
 one against him, he ended it in half an hour or so. Had he 
 been at Meerut, with two noble regiments and artillery, Delhi 
 would never have passed into rebel hands. It was on the 4th of 
 June that this collision at Benares occurred, and that point was 
 the farthest down the Ganges at which real fighting took place, 
 before the recent outburst at Dinapore. Here the two advancing 
 waves, of the rebel and of the re-conquering power, first met, 
 and the former was rolled back ; a tide was setting in against 
 a stream. 
 
 From Benares, Neill and his force soon reached Allahabad. 
 There the officers of the 6th had been murdered at mess by the 
 men who in the forenoon assured them of their loyalty ; and, 
 though the authorities retained hold of the place, things were in 
 fearful confusion, and were managed without energy. Colonel 
 Neill, though junior to the officer in charge, had happily 
 authority to take the command. ' Things changed as if by 
 magic' Rebels were punished, order was restored, and the 
 surrounding district as well as the city overawed. One of the 
 sufferers was a boy Ensign, from the smiling vale of Evesham, 
 who, after being wounded, spent five miserable days and nights 
 in a gully, blistered by the sun and chilled by the dews, until at 
 last he was dragged dyiug to the presence of a fellow who had 
 set up as a small Rajah. Here he saw a native Christian, 
 a convert from Mohammedanism, and a Catechist of the 
 American Mission, enduring menaces to make him deny 
 Christ. He glanced round in his anguish, as if for help or 
 courage, and the dying English boy raised his feeble frame, and 
 said, ^O Padre, whatever you do, do not deny the Lord Jesus !' 
 Just then a noise was heard outside, the noise of angry men : 
 it was Colonel NeilPs gallant band ; the persecutors were soon 
 punished, the native Christian was released, and the lad whose 
 voice had strengthened him died among friends. Let his 
 memory be cherished in every home of the peaceful, beautiful 
 vale of his nativity ! 
 
 At Allahabad a second important step was gained, the rebel- 
 lion being rolled so much farther back from the metropolis. At 
 the same time, the base of operations, on the opposite side of 
 the rebel field, was being strengthened and made available. 
 The whole of the regular Sepoy regiments in the Punjab, or 
 nearly the whole, were disarmed; corps were raised from the 
 people of the country itself, hostile to the Brahmins and Mus- 
 sulmans; and some forces dispatched to Delhi. Colonel 
 Herbert Edwardes, who gained much celebrity in the great Sikh 
 
50 
 
 war, was able, with other officers, to arouse emulation to be en- 
 listed, among the people under his government : not only did 
 Chiefs on whom he called respond, but those whom he passed by 
 remonstrated. At Sealkote the Sepoys broke fairly out, and, 
 having murdered several officers, marched for Delhi ; but, on 
 their way, they were beaten into the Ravee by Brigadier Nicholson, 
 and then, after having found temporary refuge in an island, 
 were utterly routed ; instead of them their victor marched for 
 Delhi, and the miserable remainder of them were caught by 
 native authorities, and delivered up. General Van Cortlandt, 
 who had earlier performed similar feats, took the same road. 
 Thus, from the west, as from the east, the return tide was 
 setting in. 
 
 At Neemuch and Nusseerabad successful and bloody risings 
 had taken place ; and also at Indore and IVIhow, all south 
 of Delhi. From these points ten thousand mutineers ap- 
 peared before Agra, the seat of the Lieutenant-Governor of 
 the North West Provinces ; five hundred British soldiers, 
 instead of awaiting them in the fort, went out to attack them ; 
 and, though the proceeding was mismanaged, fought them for 
 three hours, and made such an impression that, instead of being 
 besieged, they saw the host move away. Holkar, the head of 
 the second Mahratta nation in point of importance, stood firm 
 when his troops at Indore rebelled ; was reproached by them for 
 not resembling his ancestor, who had been a foe not unworthy 
 of the steel of Lake and Wellesley ; but replied that the murder 
 of women and children did not make part of any religion. A 
 column under Colonel Steuart, advancing from Bombay, has 
 taken possession of these regions, and thus the return tide has 
 set in from the south. 
 
 We left the force advancing from Calcutta at Allahabad. 
 There Neill fell ill ; but, happily, not fatally. In the meantime, 
 at the next important post, Cawnpore, on the banks of the Ganges, 
 and on the frontier of Oude, one of the first soldiers in India 
 was nobly playing his part. Sir Hugh Wheeler made a temporary 
 but strong fort out of his barracks, and soon needed it ; for his 
 Sepoys rose, and at their head was placed a Mahratta of note 
 living in the neighbourhood. What could have induced our 
 Government to make the most sacred and exciting lands of 
 Hinduism the residence of conquered Monarchs, we cannot tell ; 
 but, among others, the Peishwa, or great Mahratta Priest- King, 
 when dethroned, was placed, with a royal pension, in the sacred 
 land by the Ganges. Having no son, he adopted Nana Sahib, 
 
51 
 
 who very naturally wished for a royal pension, in addition 
 to all the property of the ex-Peishwa. He obtained the latter, 
 was denied the former, lived in state, kept troops and artillery, 
 talked English, visited the officers, and seemed very friendly. 
 No sooner did the disturbance offer a hope of revenge for the 
 refusal of the pension, than he took part with the mutineers; 
 and of his atrocities all the world has heard. In Europe, they 
 are new and horrible. In India, such things were beginning to 
 be strange, because of British supremacy ; but they formed the 
 ordinary appendages of native war, and every year had its wars. 
 To us the horror is, that noble British men and delicate British 
 women were the victims over whom this wild beast gloated. We 
 say British, rather than English ; for in the streams that have 
 reddened the Ganges the blood of the three kingdoms has flowed 
 indiscriminately. But no one who knew the Hindus, or had 
 even an idea of their history, would expect much better or much 
 worse than what has occurred. The organ of Tipu Sahib is pre- 
 served in the East India House, and may be seen by any visitor 
 in the instructive museum of that establishment. It is an 
 instrument expressive of any native hero's feeling towards an 
 enemy, and one after Nana Sahib's own heart. Its form is that 
 of a British officer prostrate, with a tiger standing upon him ; 
 its music is the alternate cry of the Briton and growl of the 
 brute. 
 
 Nana Sahib and Sir Hugh Wheeler ! One burns to write 
 two such names in the same line ! Yet the latter was the prey of 
 the former. With some three hundred men, Wheeler maintained 
 himself against a host, in a mere barrack, riddled with cannon 
 shot, and crowded with women and children. At last he fell, 
 and his hapless followers, trusting to the word of Nana, took 
 boat for Allahabad. They were fired on from the banks of the 
 river, and most of them thus destroyed ; but many women were 
 reserved for the gratification of our enemies, until the avenger 
 drew nigh. 
 
 Brigadier Havelock had left Allahabad, at the head of 
 1,800 Britons. In the terrible heats of July, this brigade in 
 eight days marched a hundred and twenty- six miles, won four 
 battles, took twenty-four guns, and recaptured Cawnpore. On 
 the 12th of July, (a day memorable as the anniversary of the 
 battle of the Boyne,) they reached Futteypore, found the rebels 
 in force, were attacked, and the result is best told in General 
 Havelock's words to his men, which show that he can write as 
 well as fight : 
 
 D 3 
 
52 
 
 'MOYEABLE COLUMIf. 
 
 ^Morning Order, July V^th, 1857. 
 
 * Brigadier-General Havelock, C.B., thanks his soldiers for their 
 arduous exertions of yesterday, which produced, in foui* hours, the 
 strange result of a whole army driven from a strong position, eleven 
 guns captured, and their whole force scattered to the winds, without 
 the loss of a single British soldier ! 
 
 ' To what is this astonishing effect to be attributed ? To the fire 
 of the British artillery, exceeding in rapidity and precision all that 
 the Brigadier- General has ever witnessed in his not short career ; to 
 the power of the Enfield Rifle in British hands; to British pluck, - 
 that good quality that has survived the revolution of the hour ; and 
 to the blessing of Almighty God on a most righteous cause, the 
 cause of justice, humanity, truth, and good government in India.' 
 
 Three days afterwards, they defeated the enemy in two 
 separate engagements, again capturing several guns ; but here 
 Major Renaud, who, in the absence of Colonel Neill, commanded 
 the Madras Fusileers, received a wound, from which he has 
 died. The next day, they encountered the whole body of the 
 rebels under Nana Sahib in person, in an intrenched position, 
 which was skilfully turned, and bravely carried in the face of a 
 determined opposition, which cost us one man in every fifteen of 
 those engaged, but ended in the complete rout of the enemy and 
 the surrender of Cawnpore. Nana Sahib, however, in retiring, 
 had more caution than the Commandant of Delhi ; for he took 
 care to have the magazine blown up. More than a hundred 
 and twenty of our countrywomen, who had been preserved 
 up to the day of the battle, were now not to be found; 
 a well was choked with their bodies; and all that re- 
 mained of these women above ground was ' long tresses of 
 hair, dresses covered with blood, here and there a workbox or a 
 bonnet.^ 
 
 After a day or two's rest. General Havelock passed on for 
 Bithoor, the seat of Nana. The wretch had abandoned it, and 
 our force burned it to the gi'ound; and whether its savage 
 master is drowned in the Ganges, or still lives, we are at present 
 left in uncertainty, the report being that, in crossing the stream, 
 he had drowned himself and his family. Hence General Havelock 
 proceeded direct towards Lucknow, and on the 29th of July came 
 upon 10,000 mutineers, strongly posted, with fifteen guns, whom 
 he routed, capturing all their ordnance ; and, after a halt of four 
 hours, he assaulted a second strong position, carried it, and 
 captured all its guns. After another victory, he fell back to 
 place his sick, wounded, and captured guns in safety, received a 
 small reinforcement, and set forward anew. We leave General 
 
53 
 
 Havelock almost within sight of the noble little band who have 
 held their ground around the grave of Sir Henry Lawrence ; and 
 the hope that_, ere this^ they have met above that great man^s 
 ashes has already made many a heart in England say_, ^ God 
 bless General Havelock !' 
 
 The present position of affairs,, then, is, first, symptoms of the 
 mutiny beginning to appear in the Bombay army, at Kolapore ; 
 secondly, great anxiety in parts of the Madras Presidency lest 
 the approaching Mohurrum should witness an outbreak ; thirdly, 
 government restored in Central India and confirmed in the Pun- 
 jab ; fourthly, in Bengal, the rebellion driven up the Ganges from 
 Benares to Allahabad, from Allahabad to Cawnpore, and from 
 Cawnpore to Oude ; our besieging force at Delhi triumphant in 
 twenty-two engagements, but kept small by constant losses, yet 
 expecting powerful reinforcements in the columns of Van 
 Cortlandt, Nicholson, and Havelock, all of which will come 
 as victors ; and all this before reinforcements have arrived either 
 from the Cape or from England. 
 
 Yet by the folly of the Government in refusing to disarm 
 three regiments at Dinapore, and keeping an imbecile old man 
 in command, disturbance has been gratuitously imported to 
 Behar ; and the heroism of the little garrison of Arrah, where a 
 dozen English and forty-five Sikhs repulsed and held at bay two 
 thousand or three thousand Sepoys, has been deprived of its 
 legitimate effect ; for a detachment was driven at night into the 
 jaws of an ambuscade, when half of them fell. 
 
 If we turn for a moment to look at the effects of this 
 mutiny, one of the first and most obvious will be, a better 
 knowledge in Europe of Hindu character. It was the fashion 
 of a certain school to paint that character as so gentle, that 
 the atrocities of this rebellion took the public by surprise. 
 But no one familiar with the best writers upon India, with 
 such writers as Orme or Mill, ever expected that Hindus 
 in warfare would act otherwise than they have acted. Feeble- 
 ness and ferociousness easily unite in the same person. 
 Any one who had read the accounts of Bengal dacoity, or 
 gang robbery, would know that even the most cringing of 
 all the Hindu nations habitually indulge in incredible atroci- 
 ties, when once engaged in conflict. The authentic memoirs 
 of any native Court, whether Hindu or Mussulman, would be 
 too horrible for belief in England. It is impossible to cal- 
 culate the saving of human life which has resulted from the 
 
54 
 
 British conquest, if it was only through the stopping of 
 murders by authority. We know a case of one Rajah, now 
 deposed, of whom his former subjects say that he killed only 
 five thousand persons while he was on the throne; whereas 
 his father had killed about ten thousand; and his uncle, a 
 much greater and abler man than either, who in his day 
 rendered services to the Government of the Marquis of 
 Wellesley, had killed at least fifteen thousand. A case was 
 well known, in which the Queen of the Nairs, in whose country 
 it was not fashionable for women to cover the chest, on learn- 
 ing that one who had been abroad did so since her return to 
 her own country, ordered her breasts to be cut off. But the 
 narratives with which our papers teem have settled for ever 
 the question in the mind of the British public, whether the 
 character of the natives is, or is not, that which a religion full 
 of blood, and lust, and murder, in its most sacred tales of its 
 gods, is calculated to foster. The Hindus are heathens, with all 
 the cruelty which heathenism continually nourishes. 
 
 Another efiect will be, a clearer apprehension on the sub- 
 ject of native institutions, especially that of caste. This has 
 been hitherto regarded rather as an oriental curiosity than as 
 a bad institution, a practical curse to mankind. By the 
 horrors of this rebellion, many will be taught that caste is the 
 most unnatural barrier ever interposed between man and man, 
 the greatest source of estrangement between neigb hours of the 
 same race and language, and the most dangerous obstacle 
 to intercourse between diff*erent nations. It must hence- 
 forth be looked at gravely as one of the worst things existing 
 under the sun ; not to be rudely assailed, because that would 
 rouse fanaticism in its defence, but to be calmly and strongly 
 passed by, in every arrangement let alone, all ordinances and 
 regulations proceeding upon the basis given us by our own con- 
 stitution, and leaving, in the enjoyment of their rights, those 
 who prefer the pride of caste to the advantages we oflcr them : 
 and these will be very few ; for when the Hindus are not forced, 
 they easily slide into practices irreconcilable with caste, if any 
 advantage is to be gained thereby. In fact, the scrupulous 
 Brahmins of the south of India would not acknowledge the pure 
 Brahminical caste of a single man of the Bengal Army, in so 
 many ways have they departed from the strict regimen of their 
 system to secure secular advantages, although they have 
 resented with violence, of which we all are aware, the supposed 
 attempt to pollute them by fraud. 
 
55 
 
 Another effect of the rebellion is, to scatter for ever the con- 
 fident belief which nearly all the English residents in India 
 entertained, that the Hindus and the Mussulmans could never 
 combine. On this point no one can reproach his neighbour ; for 
 all were agreed, and all have been equally disappointed. We 
 put it the other day to a Hindu of rank and note, how it was 
 that his people could unite with the Mussulmans. His reply 
 was, ^ All the men in India who remember the miseries of the 
 Mussulman days, have now white beards. The present genera- 
 tion know nothing about it ; the pains that we have gone 
 through are all forgotten, and the people have joined, thinking 
 they would clear the English out of the way, and have the 
 country to themselves.' Henceforth our policy can never take, 
 as the basis of any one proceeding, the assumption that the 
 Hindu and the Mussulman cannot make common cause against 
 us. That hitherto all-pervading element in the calculation of 
 Indian policy must wholly disappear. 
 
 Another effect, closely allied with this one, is the proof, 
 terribly perfect now, that the policy of our Government in 
 matters of religion has been a total failure. That policy has 
 been, in its public principles, purely atheistical. As a Govern- 
 ment, to have no religion at all, and to support Hinduism for 
 the Hindus, Mohammedanism for the Mohammedans, and 
 Christianity for the English, with a view to please all, has 
 been the way of our Government. Our whole Indian policy 
 has been tinged with the original character of commerce. 
 We have traded in everything, from crowns down to cowry- 
 shells, and from opium up to conscience. Which would 
 cost least, or which would pay most, has always been the 
 ruling consideration. Meaner than any conquerors in any 
 country before, we have been ashamed and afraid to avow and 
 encourage our own creed. Our authorities did all that in them 
 lay to keep Hindus and Mussulmans in complete ignorance of 
 Christianity. They did more: they did all that in them 
 lay to excite the jealousy of the natives against Christian 
 efforts to enlighten them. They sowed fear and discon- 
 tent, by manifesting disfavour to their own religion to obtain 
 the confidence of the Hindus. Even with an honest and 
 straightforward people, such conduct could not obtain respect ; 
 but to those who can never believe in the integrity of any 
 one, so deeply is their own character imbued with dissimu- 
 lation, all these evidences of tremor or anxiety could have but 
 one meaning; they were adopted to hide a conspiracy. 
 
56 
 
 Had the Government been as honest as the Mussulmans 
 when they were in power, or as Runjeet Singh, or as any- 
 kind of rulers that the Hindus have ever had to do with 
 before, that is, had they avowed, and acted on, and encouraged 
 their own religion, the whole body of Hindus would by this 
 time have known what that religion and its principles are, and 
 been persuaded that to it the idea of obtaining crowds of 
 nominal adherents, by fraud or force, would be utterly abhorrent. 
 The Mussulmans, acting upon their principles, and Runjeet 
 Singh on his, not only encouraged but compelled conversion, 
 not only discountenanced but persecuted other religions; and 
 yet there are no traces in the history of India that this course 
 was the cause of any material weakness to their governments. 
 We, with other principles and another creed, which would have 
 led us never to coerce any man^s conscience, never to interfere 
 with any man's rights, ought, by frankly displaying a purer belief 
 and a more elevating worship, to have held out to all mild invi- 
 tations to become wiser and holier, with the strong assurance 
 of acts, not of words, of habitual acts, that their conversion by 
 other means than that of sincere conviction was not only 
 undesired by us, but would be dreaded, as the introduction of 
 vices and superstitions within the pale of our religion. They 
 who, by their un-English cowardice in all matters of morals ; 
 who, by their steady bartering of the name and form of Chris- 
 tianity for supposed favour with Brahmins and Moollahs ; who, 
 by abetting heathen ceremonies and administering persecuting 
 heathen laws, by shutting up the Sepoy from all Christian 
 enlightenment, and making the army a store-house of anti- 
 Christian prejudices, kept a perpetual magazine of disaffection in 
 the country, and then applied to it the match of the greased 
 cartridges, now turn round upon those against whom their 
 policy has been all along directed, and untruly say, ' The 
 mischief is your doing.' When Aliab saw Elijah, Ahab said 
 unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel ? And he answered, 
 I have not troubled Israel ; but thou, and thy father^ s house, in 
 that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou 
 hast followed Baalim. 
 
 Again, one of the most immediate results will be, the revival 
 in the native mind of the old dread of British valour. For years we 
 have ceased to meet native hosts with small bands ; our armies, 
 from the days of Lord Hastings down, have assumed proportions 
 which complimented every enemy with the show of meeting him 
 on equal terms ; and besides, European and Sepoy qualities have 
 
57 
 
 been confounded^ the fire of the British regiment inspiring its 
 neighbour, the soul of the British officer animating his men. 
 In this state of things, the deeds done by handfuls of English 
 in the heroic days of Clive and Lawrence, Wellesley and Lake, 
 had faded from the native memory ; and many Sepoy regiments 
 probably thought themselves quite a match for British ones. 
 Their first trial at Meerut seemed to justify such an idea. But 
 since that day, how often has the brow of the rebel darkened 
 and furrowed with terror, as he heard the tale of what tens and 
 twenties of Britons have done ! Five hundred attacking ten 
 thousand, and frightening them away, as at Agra; a handful 
 holding Lucknow against all the forces of the kingdom ; another 
 handful holding Cawnpore ; less than three hundred scattering 
 three thousand at Benares ; and the fearful charges of the Rifles 
 at Delhi, when, ten against a hundred, they dash forward with 
 the cry, ^ Remember the Ladies, Remember the Babies,^ and 
 everything flies before them : these are feats which heroes can 
 appreciate, and which cowards will feel to the depths of their 
 soul. They will tell, too, of that officer at Agra who 
 killed five-and-twenty men ; of poor Skene, who, after cutting 
 down six or seven, saw his wife seized, and then, drawing the 
 pistol he had reserved, sent one ball through her heart, and the 
 other through his own head ; and of Miss Wheeler, the daughter 
 of the gallant Sir Hugh, who shot five with a revolver before 
 they secured her. 
 
 Against such tales they can set those of women ripped, 
 mutilated, stripped naked, sold by auction, burned alive ; 
 babies hacked and cast into the flames; husbands mutilated, 
 and compelled to witness the dishonour of their wives; but 
 none of heroism or prowess. They have never gained an action 
 in the open field, no matter what their odds ; never carried 
 a position against British arms, no matter how few. Their 
 success has been only by murder, not once by victory. In the 
 history of the world there never was a rebellion with such 
 means and advantages, which effected so little. The old heroic 
 fame of British prowess rises up anew from the annals of 
 every encounter, except the first at Meerut ; from Lucknow, 
 from Cawnpore, from the banks of the Ravee, and the field of 
 Futteypore ; and for at least another generation the records of 
 great deeds will be alive in the memory of the people ; the 
 deeds no longer of the first conquerors, but of the modern 
 British troops, fighting not against undisciplined hordes, but 
 trained and picked battalions. Nothing is so forcible an 
 
58 
 
 instrument of command over the Hindus as a sense of personal 
 prowess ; for this goes deeper into their hearts than either 
 admiration of military science, or a sense of the benefits of 
 good government. This grand element of our national ascen- 
 dancy has received, and is now receiving, wonderful illustration. 
 Nor will the display of our military resources be less signal 
 than that of individual heroism. Before this outbreak all the 
 world would have agreed in saying, that the total defection of 
 the Bengal army must overthrow our power in that Presidency. 
 Yet this has occurred, and that at a time when the British 
 force was extremely weak ; but after three months have elapsed, 
 the revolted army has not secured a single Province; Oude, its 
 home and stronghold, being at the last date swept by a British 
 army, while its capital had never been without a garrison. And 
 not in a single place, where a British force was stationed, had 
 they maintained themselves for a day, not even at Dinapore, 
 before poor General Lloyd. At the same time Ceylon 
 sends men and guns ; the Mauritius, men and guns ; the 
 Chinese expedition becomes an army of reserve, and by this 
 time the Cape of Good Hope has probably sent its men and 
 guns ; and by the time these have ceased to arrive, will begin 
 o appear noble hosts from England, in steamers and sailing 
 ships, which will swell our forces to eighty- seven thousand 
 Britons, enough to sweep India, were it all in arms, from Cape 
 Comorin to the Himalayas, and from the Himalayas back again 
 to Cape Comorin. We exaggerate to ourselves the smallness of 
 the military resources of England, and we teach others to do 
 the same ; but this Indian rebellion will show us, and show the 
 natives, what neither of us knew before, that by British bayonets 
 alone we could conquer again and again the length and breadth 
 of immense India. Time never saw an army so far distant 
 from its own country, equal to that which we shall have in 
 India in three months. Our steamers, well placed on the rivers, 
 could alone command half of the great cities. 
 
 But some ulterior plans will soon present themselves before 
 us, and demand our judgment, and require our prompt approval 
 and our firm support. When the trouble is past, what then ? 
 What is to be the future policy of England in India ? Is it to 
 be a temporizing, hollow, half- Hindu policy, attempting to 
 bolster up an insecure power, by cloking our national faith and 
 principles ? or is it to be a manly English policy, taking our 
 stand as what we are^ rulers; rulers now by double right, and 
 
59 
 
 well-tested strength; rulers who have a character which we 
 proclaim to be higher than that of the people we rule, a religion 
 more enlightened, laws and institutions more benign, and a 
 will which we mean shall command? Nothing is more remark- 
 able than the difference of tone between the letters of practical 
 men, resident in India, which have appeared, and the words of 
 politicians, more or less affecting knowledge of Indian questions. 
 Several of the latter, and among them, to judge by its quibbling 
 dispatch on the Sonthal question, the Court of Directors, clearly 
 feel inclined to do a little more duty for the Brahmins, to repent 
 of the exceedingly small measures of Christian truth and justice 
 to which we have ever dared to commit ourselves, and to ' behave 
 ourselves ' like good friends of every abomination, however much 
 opposed to us and our interests, as well as to the Christian faith, 
 provided only it be well pleasing to the potentates whom we 
 subserve. On the other hand, men writing from the midst of 
 the dangers say straightforwardly and strongly that this must 
 end the reign of double-dealing and temporizing for ever ; that 
 we must let the natives know that we are masters, and that 
 India is to be ruled not by either Brahmins or Moolahs, but by 
 Englishmen, with English ends, and English principles. To 
 this latter section we at once declare our adherence. We must 
 henceforth feel and assume that we are not in India by per- 
 mission, but by power. We now hold the country not by the 
 good will of the Brahmins ; but alone by the good hand of God, 
 and the strength of the English people. If the Government 
 can rely on Brahmins in time of danger, let it court them ; if 
 it can only rely on the people of England, if it can only invoke 
 the providence of God, let it follow a Christian policy. 
 
 We are far from joining in the wild, savage, yet natural cry for 
 a bloody retribution, wherewith our journals have horrified all 
 Europe. Let meet and dignified punishment be administered to 
 murderers and mutineers ; but let no deed give the heathen the 
 impression that our excitement at their crimes springs not from 
 horror, but from emulation. As to the mosques, the towers, and 
 the palaces of Delhi, we should be glad that not a stone remained ; 
 as to the homes of the common people, we would leave them 
 alone. Let Britain sweep before her everything that resists, but 
 let the defenceless feel that they have no enemy in Christian 
 armies. With the native Princes we would be equally tolerant : 
 their caution in the present case shows that having something 
 to lose is not without its weight. Those who have been actively 
 loyal ought to be well rewarded. 
 
60 
 
 We are equally far from advising persecution for religion or 
 caste; let Hindu_, Mussulman, and Sikh, as heretofore, feel 
 that, under Christian rule, his conscience is as free as air. Let 
 no trifling with temples, processions, or questions of caste, give 
 the impression that our Government charges itself with the 
 direction of religious movements. Let every man be sacredly 
 protected in his liberties; but, on the other hand, let the 
 Government frankly say, ^ We are Christians, and our religion is 
 to be on the footing of the most favoured ; no heritage shall be 
 alienated, no civil penalty suffered, for becoming a Christian ; no 
 act, ^uch as a re-marriage of a widow, consistent with Christian 
 morals, shall be punishable ; no rite stained by cruelty or 
 obscenity publicly permitted.' Above all, let them say, ' We force 
 no one to be educated, we leave all free ; but if schools are pro- 
 vided by us, they must teach physical truths which overturn 
 Brahminism, and therefore it is right that they should teach 
 moral truths which lay a basis for purer religion.' There is 
 something terrible in the fact that, at this moment, when 
 heathenism is showing us what it is, our authorities are actually 
 expunging from school books such sentences as, ' God is a 
 Spirit ; ' showing not only their cowardice, but their ignorance ; 
 for that is a sentence which every Brahmin in India would call 
 beautiful. The day for such trading in creeds and principles is 
 past : either let us keep out of education entirely, or be honest, 
 and teach what we believe to those who are willing to be 
 instructed. We should deprecate active interference, on the 
 part of the Government, to procure conversions ; but why dread 
 them, show a jealousy, and discourage them in every way short 
 of actual persecution ? This has been our craven policy, and 
 has hindered many from becoming Christians. Had Sepoys, 
 clerks, and all classes been assured of protection, every regiment 
 and every public office might now have contained Christians, 
 who would have felt their interest one with ours, and been ready 
 to discover any plot. 
 
 We plead then for an English, an eminently English policy ; 
 tolerant, liberal, free ; but frank and courageous, as becomes our 
 honour, our valour, and our Christianity. With the noble 
 institutions which have blessed ourselves, let us confront all 
 opposition ; and the people who would begin new courses of agi- 
 tation at any sign of double-dealing, will respect, obey, and 
 soon imitate us, when they see that we are true to ourselves, and 
 resolved to be so. There must be no receding from one step 
 taken in advance, no sop to mutiny, no shred of pretence for 
 
61 
 
 any future conspirator to argue that murders will make English- 
 men give way. Even if, after long years of experiment, it 
 should prove that measures having some complexion of Chris- 
 tianity had better be repealed, (which time will never show,) it 
 would be madness to think of retracing any steps now. 
 
 With an English policy we must have an English force. We 
 are not prepared to say that a native army can be altogether 
 dispensed with, although Colonel Macdonald's arguments to 
 that effect have been left unanswered, by those who have written 
 on the other side. But this we say without the shadow of a 
 doubt, that, with railways completed throughout India, the 
 country would be far more secure with 80,000 European troops 
 than it was without railways with all the Sepoy hordes. There 
 may be Sepoys still ; but let them be few ; money will be better 
 spent in making roads. Lord Stanley^s proposal of quickly 
 constructed and cheap lines struck us, at the time it was made, 
 as one of the best ever brought forward ; and how much has all 
 that has since transpired confirmed this view ! It is to be 
 hoped that his Lordship will return to this practical suggestion 
 in great earnest when Parliament next meets. 
 
 With English troops we also want to see English settlers. 
 Among the many errors of the East India Company, not one of 
 the least has been its blind adherence to a policy which dis- 
 couraged British independent enterprise in the country. This 
 jealousy began in the days of trading, when the Company ^s 
 servants wanted all the field for fortune- making to themselves. 
 But it has retained a pertinacious and baneful vitality. Bather 
 than encourage the influx of British capital, energy, and loyalty, 
 they have fostered the opium trade, the most accursed com- 
 merce, after the Slave Trade, which ever disgraced a nominally 
 Christian Government. We do not expect that the discourage- 
 ment of settlers will end till Leadenhall Street is ended ; for 
 there the ' covenanted service ' is sacred as Brahmins in Benares. 
 For that service we have high regard ; many of its members are 
 among the best of men, and most valuable of officers; but 
 the present events have shown of what value planters are in a 
 time of difficulty ; and had the independent British residents 
 counted by hundreds instead of by tens, many a centre of 
 information and influence, many a refuge and defence, would 
 have been provided in the day of danger. Few as they were, 
 some of the planters did the Government great service. 
 
 The petition of the British inhabitants of Calcutta falls with 
 terrible effect on the men in power there. We reluctantly join 
 
63 
 
 any cry against those who, at a great crisis, are charged with 
 overwhelming responsibility. We give the members of Lord 
 Canning's Council credit for doing all of which they are capable ; 
 but our own impression of their incompetence and want of 
 principle is painful. His Lordship is surrounded by very little 
 men, and has proved incapable of rising above them. We cor- 
 dially wish to see the Queen assume the reins of power over all 
 the empire. 
 
 Looking at the disasters which have befallen us, we may both 
 console ourselves that they were not merited from the people, 
 and at the same time feel that they are not unmerited from the 
 God of our nation. Judging ourselves by Hindu standards, the 
 people owed us nothing but gratitude. We have ruled them 
 better than they ever were ruled ; given them for the first time 
 repose, security, and freedom ; and brought into their country 
 improvements which no other Asiatic race have yet received. 
 But judging ourselves by Christian standards, we must not 
 wonder that chastisements have overtaken us. If our women 
 have been disgraced, how many of those of India have our 
 officers and troops dishonoured ! Have we not on that soil per- 
 mitted wholesale murders of widows and of old men, under 
 pretext of religion ? and though we interposed, at last, on behalf 
 of the former, the ghaut murders of the Ganges that Ganges 
 which ran red at Cawnpore with English blood still continue. 
 Have we not introduced licensed drinking-houses, to debauch 
 the people, for profit ? Have w^e not fed on the odious opium 
 revenue? Have we not trafficked in prostitution and the ob- 
 scenest idolatry by our temple subsidies? Have we not stead- 
 fastly befriended Heathenism and Mohammedism, and yielded 
 to Christianity the commonest liberties only inch by inch, as 
 it was necessitated by public opinion? Have we not shut 
 out, as far as possible, the name and fear of God from our 
 schools and Sepoys, and placed our confidence in opposing His 
 Gospel ? 
 
 The Christian people of England must hear a call to awake in 
 the chastisements which have smitten us so sorely. Men whose 
 thoughts go no higher than secular interests will naturally 
 incline to their old courses of petting superstition, of dreading 
 light and truth. But those who believe in a Ruler who smiles 
 on goodness, and bids light speed with His blessing, will see in 
 the new disclosures, now made, of heathen hearts, strong reason 
 for more exertion to mollify them with the Gospel; and in 
 the disasters of a Government carefully non-Christian, a loud 
 
63 
 
 proclamation^ that, to secure God's protection_, we must fulfil 
 His mission, and enlighten the land committed to our care. 
 
 We look steadily into the future. The trial long past, the 
 new order established, and what then? Our comfort is that 
 the destiny of India will be hastened by this awful providence. 
 M^hen a great work is to be accomplished for which mere human 
 measures are hopelessly inadequate, the Almighty is wont to in- 
 terpose by extraordinary means, by means which man could 
 not conceive and dare not execute; from which we first shrink 
 in terror before we bow to them in gratitude. Perhaps it is so 
 in the case of this terrible visitation. Mercy not only ' seasons 
 justice,' but inspires it. Nothing less than a sword to ' go 
 through the land ' will plough up the field for the reception of 
 humanizing and immortal truths. Nothing but a social earth- 
 quake could break up that system of consolidated wrongs which 
 we call India. The curse of its native rule was the twofold 
 curse of idolatry and oppression ; it has groaned for ages under 
 the tyranny of ' gods many and lords many.' And now that we 
 are about more thoroughly to supersede the rapacious and cruel 
 rule of its chiefs, it will behove us to put to shame its foolish 
 and obscene ' divinities ' by the exhibition of a purer worship. 
 If we take the country and its people for our beloved Queen, 
 shall we not put both it and them under the protection of the 
 same true God ? It is only as we are faithful henceforth to the 
 spirit of our own institutions, civil and religious, that we may 
 profit by this dreadful lesson, and hope to see the slow but 
 steady light of prosperity advance above the plains and heights 
 of Hindustan. 
 
 LONDON : PRINTED BY WILLIAM NICHOLS, 32, LONDON WALL. 
 
On the 1st of January, 1858, will be Published No. XVIIL, 
 Price 6s., of 
 
 THE LONDON QUARTERLY 
 REVIEW, 
 
 % Irarnal flf f itcrittiut, Sriente, Hiiit Cljwlogn. 
 
 The London Quarterly Review contains careful reviews of 
 New Works in the various departments of literature Theology, 
 Philosophy, History, Biography, Travels, and Poetry. It notices 
 all Scientific Publications and Discoveries of interest and import- 
 ance. It examines all matters connected with the Social Economy 
 of the country, such as Educational, Philanthropic, and Sanitary 
 Movements, And it discusses, in a thoroughly impartial and inde- 
 pendent spirit, the Political Topics of the day ; not agitating party 
 politics as such, but only as far as may be connected with great 
 social interests, or important economical principles. 
 
 In the choice of subjects, or books for review, prominence is 
 given to matters of substantial merit and useful tendency, to the 
 exclusion of such as are only of temporary importance, or of a 
 merely speculative character ; and in the consideration of questions 
 of Philosophy and Science, the Editors endeavour to exhibit the 
 progress of research, so as to give at least the results, if not the 
 process. 
 
 In addition to the more elaborate articles, devoted to the discus- 
 sion of important topics, a considerable space in each number is 
 reserved for brief criticisms of recent works, which may not require, 
 or which cannot receive, an extended notice. 
 
 The London Quarterly Review is published on the 1st of 
 January, April, July, and October. Price 6s. each Number. 
 
 Books for Review to be addressed to "The Editor of the 
 London Quarterly Review,'^ care of the Publisher, Mr. Heylin, 
 28, Paternoster Row, London. 
 
 LONDON: 
 ALEXANDER HEYLIN, 28, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 P.S. The following Papers on India have appeared in the 
 London Quarterly Review: 
 
 In No. I. "India under the English.'' 
 
 V. "The New Educational Measure for India." 
 VI. "The British Government and Buddhism.'' 
 
SUTTEES' CRY TO BRITAIN 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM ESSAYS PUBLISHED IN INDIA 
 AND PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS 
 ON THE 
 
 MnvninQ of^intioo nmOfofsf^ t 
 
 HEWING THAT THE 
 
 Rite is not an Integral Part of the Religion of the Hindoos, 
 
 A HORRID custom:, 
 
 OPPOSED TO THE INSTITUTES OF MENU, AND A VIOLATION 
 
 f cberg ^rtnci|iU oC 3Jutice antj f^umamts : 
 
 RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED TO THE CONSIDERATION OF ALL WHO ARE 
 INTERESTED IN THE WELFARE OF 
 
 BRITISH INDIA; 
 
 AND SOLICITING THE INTERFERENCE OF THE BRITISH 
 
 GOVERNMENT, AND OF THE HONOURABLE THE COURT 
 
 OF DIRECTORS OF THE HONOURABLE EAST INDIA 
 
 COMPANYjTO SUPPRESS THIS SUICIDAL PRACTICE. 
 
 BY J. PEGGS, 
 
 Late Missionary at Cuttacky Orissa. 
 
 " In childhood, must a female be dependent on her father ; in youth, on her husband ; 
 her lord being dead, on her sons; if she have no sons, on the near kinsmen of her hus- 
 band ; if he left no kinsmen, on those of her father ; if he have no paternal kinsmen, on 
 the Sovereign." Inst, of Menu. 
 
 " The burning of widows is a mere excrescence from the corrupt stock of polytheism." 
 
 Friend of India. 
 
 SEELY AND SON, FLEET-STREET ; W. BAYNES AND SON, AND 
 
 WIGHTMAN AND CRAMP, PATERNOSTER-ROW ; WESTLEY, 
 
 STATIONERS' COURT ; BLANCHARD, CITY-ROAD : SOLD ALSO 
 
 BY WILKINS, DERBY; BENNETT, NOTTINGHAM; NOBLE, 
 
 BOSTON; AND ALL OTHER BOOKSELLERS. 
 
 1827. 
 
H iuki, Pi'jutsi, Leicester-road, Loughborough, 
 
THE 
 
 
 SECTION L 
 
 Remarks on the horrid nature of the practice of burning Hindoo 
 Widows^ and on the causes that tend to prevent its suppression or occO" 
 sion its perpetration* 
 
 JLT is a melancholy reflection, that the religion which influences the 
 population of the vast regions of India, is totally unfavourable to the 
 exercise of every principle either of humanity or virtue. Many of its 
 precepts are so afliictive and unnatural, that they seem to have sunk by 
 common consent into complete disuse; and if every point of the Hin- 
 doo ritual were literally enforced, not only would it be impossible 
 to carry forward the ordinary business of life, but all those social re- 
 lations, to which we are indebted for so much of our happiness, 
 would be completely obliterated, and the whole frame of society dis- 
 solved. There are still, however, many usages subversive equally of 
 benevolence and morality, which have been perpetuated for ages. 
 Among these is the burning of widows, a practice, the enormity of 
 which would strike even the Hindoos themselves, did not a blind at- 
 tachment to the vices of their forefathers overcome every natural 
 feeling. In all the annals of human depravity it will be difficult to 
 discover a custom so horrible in its nature, or so destructive in its con- 
 sequences both on individual and public happiness. It forms one of 
 the blackest pages in the history of Hindooism ; and were this feature 
 of its character alone to remain on record, it would be of itself suffi- 
 cient to hand it down to the execration of the latest ages. That a 
 practice, which would reflect a stigma on the most barbarous tribes, 
 should have been sanctioned by men of thought and penetration, and 
 perpetuated among a people whose mildness of disposition is prover- 
 bial, shews to what a state of degradation the mind may be reduced 
 under the influence of an unnatural superstition. This is not the case 
 
 A 2 
 
of a patriot relinquishing life to establish the freedom of his country, 
 it is not a martyr braving the flames to maintain the rights of consci- 
 ence, it is not a noble mind sacrificing even life itself on some occa- 
 sion of exalted virtue to secure to posterity the benefit of its high 
 example. On these occasions we feel a melancholy pleasure in ap- 
 plauding a voluntary resignation of life. But it is the helpless and dis- 
 consolate widow torn from her family at the very climax of her grief, 
 and hurried to the flames amidst the shouts of an unfeeling multi- 
 tude. She must stifle every feeling of compassion for the offspring 
 of her womb, she must renounce tliem at a period when they stand 
 most in need of her care; and, when weighed down with sorrow, she 
 must take a last look on all mortal things, and enter the flames. Every 
 feeling of humanity is here sacrificed, without the counterbalance of 
 the least degree of advantage either to individuals or to society. Had 
 this sacrifice been demanded of the stronger part of the community, 
 even then it would have been a demand of singular enormity; but in 
 a country like Hindoostan to demand this sacrifice of the weaker sex 
 to urge the unprotected female, while her grief for the loss which her 
 children have recently sustained is yet unsupportable to deprive 
 them of their only remaining consolation, and cast them on the wide 
 world, without a father or mother, is surely a case of unparalled bar- 
 barity, and tends almost beyond any thing else to develope the ex- 
 tent of the depravity to which Hindooism owes its origin.* 
 
 Were we to hear of a nation which, on her husband's death, sub- 
 jected a widow to the loss of all her property, of which she might 
 probably have brought him part as a dower which she had enjoyed 
 with him from the time of their union; and turned her out on the 
 wide world (her lord and piotector being dead) to labour to beg 
 to steal or to perish, with what feelings of indignation should we 
 regard such a law and such a nation! AVe should inquire. On what 
 principle is this severity exercised on a helpless woman, precisely at 
 the moment when her heart is torn with anguish through the loss of 
 him on whom was fixed all her hope? Were imprisonment for life 
 added to this outrage, however; were the hapless widow deprived of 
 her liberty, as well as of all her property, the moment death had 
 closed the eyes of her husband; such a procedure would excite hor- 
 ror and indignation in every mind. What then should we say were 
 we to hear for the first time, that in some newly discovered island, 
 the death of the husband sealed the doom of the wife, however vir- 
 tuous and exemplary in her conduct; that she was, from that moment, 
 devoted to death, and to death in its most dreadful form to be 
 burnt to ashes? Such, however, is the case; not in some lately dis- 
 covered island, hitherto totally cut off from the rest of mankind, but in 
 India, famed for her literature and civilization; and, above all, in 
 Bengal, where Europeans are chiefly found; whose ideas, the wise 
 and candid among the natives are imbibing every day. 
 
 How then is it possible that the murder of the amiable and de- 
 fenceless, attended too with such circumstances of cruelty, should 
 
 * Friend of India, (monthly series), Vol. i. pp. 301, 302. 
 
have continued so long? How is it that common humanity has not 
 overleaped every bound, and constrained superstition to desist from a 
 course so barbarous and inhuman? Among* other reasons which might 
 be mentioned, this certainly has its share, that the whole of the hor^ 
 rible deed is really concealed from view. Had the deed been con- 
 stantly perpetrated in the sight of all, as was formerly the case in 
 Smithfield; had the helpless victim to superstition been bound to 
 the stake in the open view of the multitude, as were formerly the 
 victims to Romish bigotry ; had the flames been suffered to kin- 
 dle on her publicly ; had the convulsions and agonies of the widow ex- 
 piring in torments, often in the bloom of youth, been fully witnessed 
 by the aged, the young, the neighbour, the near relative, humanity 
 must have spoken out long ago; reflection must have been awakened 
 in the public mind. At least, parents and relatives must have felt hor- 
 ror while anticipating the agonies which awaited a daughter or a be- 
 loved sister, the moment sickness or even accident rendered her a wi- 
 dow ; and the voice of nature must have prevailed, and abolished a 
 practice so destructive in its anticipation to the peace of every rela- 
 tive, whose heart was not steeled against all the feelings of humanity. 
 But instead of this, the agonies of the dying victim are completely 
 concealed^ while her shrieks are drowned in the noise and shouts of the 
 ignorant multitude and the unfeeling ministers of death ; and thus the 
 whole is as completely hidden from public view, as though the dread- 
 ful deed were perpetrated within the most secluded cloister. The 
 concealment indeed is far more eff^ectual ; for in that case, though the 
 shrieks might not assail the listening ear without, the imagination 
 would unavoidably paint to itself the horrors of a daughter, a sis- 
 ter, or even an acquaintance, expiring in the flames, in a manner 
 scarcely less vivid than the real view. But the victim's being thus 
 brought before the multitude in a state which scarcely leaves her 
 the power of reflection, her being hastily led through certain cere- 
 monies, and hurried to the pile by those whose countenances wear 
 the appearance of hilarity and cheerfulness, bound to the dead body 
 of her husband, and covered instantly with the fuel, as well as held 
 down by a pressure which renders all resistance totally unavailing^ 
 hides all the horrors of death from the sight; while the shouts of the 
 unthinking crowd, which begin to rend the air the moment the torch 
 is applied to the fatal pile, no less eff'ectually conceal from the ear 
 those agonizing shrieks, from which it is scarcely in nature to refrain 
 at the touch of the flames. Thus completely are the multitude 
 deluded : they think they witness all, while they witness nothing ; 
 and the unnatural jocularity, which, originating with the actors in 
 this dreadful scene, generally pervades the whole crowd, removes 
 every feeling of pity, and gives the whole rather the air of a joyous 
 festival than of a funeral scene. The agonies, and shrieks, and 
 dying groans, of the unhappy victim, are witnessed by no one, but 
 by Him who is the Avenger of blood. But are these agonies the less 
 real on this account ? Is the anguish of this trernendous death the 
 less felt? Let reason and humanity judge. 
 
6 
 
 Without entering into the origin and cause of this dreadful prac- 
 tice so deeply seated in the system of Hindooism itself, to do full jus- 
 tice to which would require a treatise instead of a short essay, we 
 wish now merely to notice some of the most obvious circumstances 
 which attend it. Among these let us consider for a moment who those 
 are, who are doomed to undergo these agonies, unpitied, because 
 never beheld. They are, the most amiable part of the Hindoo race! 
 In most cases they are females possessing some degree of wealth, for 
 the very poor seldom thus devote themselves to death : they are not 
 worth the labour requisite to work up their minds to a sufficient pitch 
 of delusion. If the term be applicable to any female in the present 
 state of Hindoo society, they are in general persons of education : 
 and whatever be the degree of polish and delicacy which accompany 
 opulence, whatever the ideas included in a superior mode of living ; 
 they are in general possessed by those whom this dreadful custom 
 marks for its victims. It follows, therefore, as a matter of course, 
 that if among the higher ranks of society in this country there be any 
 delicacT/ of feeling^ it is possessed by these who may be said almost 
 from their birth to be devoted to the flames. And if there be any 
 thing to be found of conjugal fidelity, it resides among these, since 
 an extraordinary degree of conjugal affection, either real or ascribed, 
 is made the lure by which these unhappy victims are betrayed to 
 death; the enjoyment for numerous ages of the highest felicity with 
 their deceased husbands, being held out as the bait to draw them on 
 till they make the irrevocable declaration, that they will commit them- 
 selves to the flames. It is probable, therefore, that those who are 
 thus cruelly murdered year by year, are in most instances the best 
 educated, the most amiable, and the most virtuous, of the Hindoo 
 race.* 
 
 If we turn from the wretched victim to the unhappy offsprings whom 
 she abandons, what do we behold, but a sight of still deeper woe! 
 Scarcely recovered from the blow inflicted on them by the death 
 of their father, they are hurried from their once peaceful home io 
 the funeral pile, to witness the death of their mother! In other coun- 
 tries, the loss of paternal protection is, in some measure, compen- 
 sated by the increased exertion of maternal kindness and solicitude: 
 but under the influence of this system, their children are deprived 
 of both parents in one day. A state of the deepest misery succeeds 
 to a state of the highest happiness with such rapidity as almost to de- 
 prive them of the exercise of their mental faculties. The family 
 compact is destroyed with the suddenness of an earthquake. The 
 corpse of the father is scarcely cold before their only living parent 
 is bound to it, and consumed in their presence. But there are circum- 
 stances of still greater enormity attached to this system : The fu- 
 neral pile must be lighted by the eldest son! Had this deed of dark- 
 ness been consigned to some unconcerned spectator, to the brahmun 
 who officiates on these occasions with such lively pleasure, or even to 
 some distant and unaffected relative, this might have been some re- 
 
 * Friend of India, (mon. ser.) Vol. ii. page 319322. 
 
lief to the feelings; but it must be performed by the eldest son the 
 extinction of the hopes of the family is consigned to him. He ac- 
 companies his mother from his home to the banks of the Ganges, he 
 stands by in all the agonies of grief during the performances of those 
 tremendous rites by which she devotes herself to destruction, nor does 
 he dare to lift an arm for her relief: he beholds his mother, endeared to 
 him by the recollection of a thousand acts of kindness, thrown on the 
 funeral pile like a beast of sacrifice, and inhumanly bound to the 
 dead body of her husband with all those indications of brutal satis- 
 faction which shed a tenfold horror on the scene; and surrounded by 
 his weeping brothers and sisters, he lights up the pile which con- 
 sumes the living parent with the dead, and extinguishes all their 
 hopes of future tenderness and protection. Every circumstance which 
 can aggravate this scene of woe is here combined ; nor is it possible 
 to conceive of any thing which could add a deeper tinge of barbarity 
 that has been omitted. 
 
 If we would form an adequate idea however of the effects of tliis 
 system on social happiness, we must not overlook the state of pros-- 
 pective misery which each family suffers long before the painful mo- 
 ment of separation arrives. The family in which it is known that the 
 mother must, through the tyranny of custom, devote herself to the 
 flames, is subjected for years to the most painful and afflictive anxiety. 
 The happiness which they enjoy may be suddenly annihilated ; a single 
 day may reduce them from a high state of domestic felicity to the situation 
 of the most wretched orphans. They feel that the death of the father 
 will be only a signal for the more horrid death of their endeared moth- 
 er. The anguish which such a state of suspense and anxiety must 
 involve, may be more easily conceived than described. The longer 
 they are indulged with the endearments of maternal affection, the 
 longer is the state of misery prolonged, and the keener does that 
 stroke become of which they are held in dreadful expectation : thus, 
 that which under a milder institution is a source of joy, is here turned 
 into an aggravation of expected wretchedness. The continuance of 
 their social happiness is removed even from the common chance of 
 mortality, and placed at the disposal of a merciless superstition ; even 
 the cup of bliss is mixed with the bitterest gall, and that season of life 
 when, from the absence of care, the mind is disposed to the utmost 
 gaiety and cheerfulness, is in many instances consumed in almost in- 
 supportable anxiety and distress. 
 
 The influence of this system is scarcely less destructive to the gene^ 
 ral happiness of society. It aggravates every natural calamity, and 
 gives additional horror to every disease. In other countries the pre* 
 valence of an epidemic only serves to increase the energies of bene- 
 volence. In this country, however, there are no attempts made either 
 to stem the current of disease, or to console the afflicted and bereaved. 
 Those of the family whom the disease has spared, are only reserved 
 for accumulated misery the survivors, instead of receiving assistance, 
 are cruelly deprived of that parent who could most effectually have 
 afforded it. Every epidemic therefore assumes an aspect of ten-fold 
 
horror. This dreadful practice is not suspended during a period of 
 general distress ; in vain do the wretched offspring demand the life 
 of their mother at a time, when from the universal prevalence of dis- 
 ease, her's is ihe only hand that can minister relief to them; this su- 
 perstition is inexorable as death itself. When therefore the country 
 is afflicted, as during the past year, with a destructive epidemic, the 
 numerous victims to disease, the augmented number of female immo- 
 lations, the number of relatives who tremble for their sisters or their 
 daughters, added to the number of children who stand exposed by the 
 ravages of superstition and death, to the loss of all parental aid or 
 consolation, form a consummation of misery, to which no other coun- 
 try on earth presents a parallel.* 
 
 By whom this crime is perpetrated^ is worthy of the strictest in- 
 quiry. With the victims themselves it can scarcely be said to origi- 
 nate; for, a few days previously, they are often as void of all desire 
 to destroy themselves, as to destroy others ; and they are generally 
 averse to the deed till their minds are completely deluded by fallaci- 
 ous representations, and their heads turned with dreams of future 
 happiness, impossible to be realized. But whatever delusion may 
 reign in their minds, without the concurrence of the husband's rela- 
 tives it would be perfectly harmless. The deed is constantly encour- 
 aged by the relatives of the husband ; those of the wife on the con- 
 trary, being generally on the side for which nature pleads ; although 
 her own son, if old enough, is obliged to kindle the pile prepared for 
 his mother^s destruction. It is therefore on the husband's relatives 
 that the fate of every female of respectability and opulence is sus- 
 pended, however young she may be, the moment her husband dies : 
 and when it is considered, that they are bound to her by none of the 
 ties of consanguinity, it will not appear strange if some one or all of 
 the following reasons should, in general, so preponderate, as to doom 
 to the flames one for whom they can have little or no personal feeling. 
 
 The honour of the family. This is supposed to arise in proportion 
 to the number of unhappy victims, who can be mentioned as having 
 devoted themselves to the flames. The husband's relatives of course 
 claim to themselves a certain degree of credit for having surmounted 
 feelings of affection, which they never possessed, as they generally 
 regard the poor unhappy relict with the same apathy with which they 
 view a log of wood intended for fuel ; while the number of widows in 
 their families devoting themselves to the flames apparently from love 
 to their husbands, gives rise to the idea that these relatives of theirs 
 possess that excellence of character which rendered it impossible to 
 survive their loss. That when the unhappy widow is regarded with 
 the most perfect indifference, this alone should so weigh as to make 
 them prefer her dying to her living, wifl create no surprise in those 
 who are thoroughly acquainted with the native character. 
 
 The wish to get rid of a burden. A widow, though only twelve 
 years of age, can never marry again. If her own relatives therefore 
 be unwi lling to support her, or not sufficiently opulent, she must live 
 * Friend of India, (mon. ser.) Vol. i. page 302304. 
 
9 
 
 with the surviving relatives of the husband to the end of her life. 
 And although her life is far from being a plenteous and affluent one, 
 yet a certain degree of expense is thus entailed on the family, and 
 this possibly for a considerable number of years when she is left in 
 the bloom of youth. The consideration of an expense therefore, 
 though small, yet scarcely terminable within the space of their 
 own lives, added to the trouble and vexation often arising from fe- 
 male relatives living together who can scarcely be expected to have 
 any affection for each other, may possibly make them wish to rid 
 themselves at once of a heavy burden, when it can be done in a way 
 which, instead of being esteemed dishonourable, or any proof of the 
 want of affection, on the contrary reflects a high degree of lustre on 
 the character of the family. At least this is a temptation which hu- 
 manity would not throw in the way of a Hindoo who sets so little value 
 on human life. 
 
 This is heightened by another consideration. It has been just ob- 
 served, that these widows^ however youngs can never marry again. 
 Now while impurity reigns among these very relatives of the hus- 
 band, perhaps in such a degree as to attach to itself no kind of dis- 
 grace, a deviation from purity of conduct in a widow, would, in the 
 public estimation, fix an indelible stain on the family of the deceased 
 husband. When therefore the hazard of this dishonour through per- 
 haps a long life, is present to minds, in which no natural affection to- 
 wards a brother's widow is supposed to exist, it will excite little 
 surprise that men who, (if report may be credited), in some instances 
 make no scruple of hewing in pieces a wife of their own on a mere 
 suspicion of inconstancy, should, on the death of her husband, decide 
 also on the death of his unhappy relict, who, should she live, instead 
 of contributing to the support or the honour of the family, would en- 
 tail on it a constant burden of expense, and might possibly involve it 
 in disgrace, when her death, while it frees them from all expense and 
 anxiety, tends to heighten in no inconsiderable degree its general re- 
 putation. 
 
 To this may be added another circumstance which humanity will 
 still more strongly regret. The death of the mother deprives her 
 children of their natural guardian^ their tenderest, most faithful and 
 watchful friend, who can never see them injured with apathy, and 
 who is ready to hazard life itself for the sake of preserving to them 
 what is their own. It sometimes happens that a man who is opulent, 
 dies and leaves children in a state of mere infancy. That their 
 wealth should never be desired by the surviving relatives, is what no 
 one will expect who is acquainted with the history of human nature, 
 and much less those who are aware with what earnestness one brother 
 among the Hindoos, will labour to supplant another even while living. 
 That, in cases of infancy an affectionate mother, whom no cunning 
 can elude, and no sum can bribe, should stand in the way of the sur- 
 viving relatives of her husband, is only what might be naturally ex- 
 pected. Were she removed, there would be no one, at least with her 
 feelings, to call them to account for the expenditure of the yearly re- 
 venue of these helpless orphans; nor possibly for the dilapidation of 
 
IVNN 
 
 1 
 
 their whole property. The history of orphans, even in Christian 
 countries, sufficiently shews us, how dangerous in the hands of pre- 
 sumptive heirs, would be such a power of removing, under a religi- 
 ous pretence, the mother of rich but helpless orphans. All these 
 therefore, are so many temptations to the destruction of a widow, 
 which through this dreadful practice, may be accomplished without 
 the least suspicion being excited of the real views of those interested 
 in her death ; and were these suspected, still without that public virtue 
 being excited in the country which would urge any one to step for- 
 ward and save the widow from death, and the orphans from oppres- 
 sion and poverty. Whoever considers all these circumstances, and 
 reflects that a mother may thus abandon, to the mercy of those who 
 are presumptive heirs to all his possessions, however great, an infant 
 son only two years old^ will cease to wonder that so many widows are 
 encouraged to destroy themselves ; particularly as this dreadful prac- 
 tice is not confined to brahmuns, but extends itself to the writer cast, 
 and even as low as to those who practise the trade of a barber ! 
 
 Whatever be the delusive ideas which may apparently urge a wi- 
 dow to self-destruction, as the hope of her enjoying numerous ages of 
 felicity in company with her husband ; of expiating the offences of 
 her late husband and his ancestors, and those of both her father and 
 mother's race, with other things of this nature, there are other consi- 
 derations which cannot but come still nearer to the niind of the un- 
 happy widow. She cannot but be aware, that those who have encou- 
 raged her in these fond hopes, are either those in whose power she is 
 completely for the rest of her life, or such as are intimate with them ; 
 for although the husband's relatives affect to dissuade her from the 
 deed, it cannot be difficult to discern which way their minds really 
 lean. From these then, even the slightest hint, that they wish her to 
 die, must operate on a widow of delicacy and sensibility, like a sen- 
 tence of death pronounced by a judge. With what feelings could she 
 cofnmit herself for life to the mercy of those who had discovered this 
 wish in the slightest degree, and felt in the least disappointed by her 
 refusing to precipitate herself into the flames, particularly when the 
 laws of the country provide her so little relief against any unkindness 
 or barbarity she might hereafter experience from them ? The law it- 
 self indeed insists that, while she is never to marry again, she is also 
 to lay aside every thing like ornament for the rest of her days, and 
 every sign of cheerfulness ; that she is never to make a full meal, and 
 that one day in every week she is to devote wholly to fasting and 
 grief to the end of life. In these circumstances it is almost impossi- 
 ble that any degree of ill-treatment which the resentment of her hus- 
 band's relatives might dispose them to inflict on her, could interest 
 her neighbours in her sufferings so as to procure her redress ; par- 
 ticularly when the interior of a Hindoo habitation, surrounded as it 
 often is with walls, is nearly as impervious as an ancient castle, and the 
 female relatives are scarcely more in the public view, than were 
 formerly the unhappy inmates of its dungeons. In these circumstances, 
 therefore, it is not strange, if, at the most distant intimation of this 
 nature from those on whose kindness depends every future mitigation 
 
11 
 
 of her Idt, and this prospect before her in case of a refusal, a widow 
 of sensibility and reflection should feel almost distracted, and prefer a 
 speedy death to the unknown horrors of her future destiny. 
 
 There is also another fact which ought not to be overlooked. Cer- 
 tain brahmuns perform the ceremonies observed at the funeral pile on 
 which a widow sacrifices herself. These brahmuns receive even from 
 the most indigent families something on a widow's actually devoting 
 herself to the flames ; and from some wealthy families as much as two 
 hundred i^upees on these occasions. While, then, it is the obvious in- 
 terest of these brahmuns that the wife should be induced to destroy 
 herself when the husband dies, they have access to every family, and 
 are acquainted with the age and circumstances of the various inhabi- 
 tants, especially of those who are wealthy. That they should con- 
 stantly recommend this dreadful practice, and prepare the female 
 mind for the perpetration of the deed, particularly in cases where the 
 husband is aged or sickly, is the natural effect of their caring for their 
 own support. But these brahmuns, as they are in some cases the 
 family priests, are in habits of familiar acquaintance with the hus- 
 band's relatives, and have much to expect from them. In what dread- 
 ful circumstances then must a helpless female stand, who has for her 
 spiritual adviser on the subject of her living or dying, a man who has 
 every kindness to expect from those who are presumptive heirs to the 
 property of her infant son, or who may merely dread her devolving on 
 them as a burden to the end of life ! Nor is it necessary to suppose 
 that brahmuns in forwarding the views of an infirm husband's relatives, 
 and preparing the mind of the wife for self-destruction, should consi- 
 der themselves as actual auxiliaries in the murder of a fellow-crea- 
 ture. They of course must be supposed to be as much habituated to 
 the employment, from which they derive their gain, as a slave-cap- 
 tain formerly was to kidnapping and selling slaves, of whom probably 
 a third died in the middle passage through ill treatment and want of 
 air. They may possibly regard the act as meritorious, rather than 
 cruel, and admire those relatives who thus wish to raise the reputa- 
 tion of their families, through the death of their brother's widow. 
 And in this case even the distant prospect of a large remuneration, 
 may urge them so to work on the mind of a simple, artless female, 
 whose age is perhaps under twenty, that at the moment of the hus- 
 band's death, no persuasions shall be needed to induce her to make 
 the fatal declaration beyond the insiduous dissuasions of her hus- 
 band's relatives, increasing her desire by aff*ectedly doubting her re- 
 solution, and really inflaming her vanity. Were these relatives, how- 
 ever, sincere in these dissuasions, they have it always in their power 
 to prevent the act, as both the preparation of the funeral pile, and 
 all the cost and expenses of the widow's destruction, devolve wholly 
 on them, without the exception of the fee to the brahmun who thus 
 assists in the actual murder of the young, the amiable, and the de- 
 fenceless. 
 
 That other feelings than those of unconquerable aftectiou for a 
 husband, often twice or thrice their own age, or than any inspired 
 by a steady behef in those wonderful tales of conjugal felicity to be 
 
12 
 
 enjoyed with him for boundless ages, influence the minds of the great-^ 
 er part of these unhappy victims, might be shewn by numerous in- 
 stances wherein widows have been prevented by accident from burn- 
 ing. Of this kind is an instance which occurred a few months ago, 
 in a village about four miles from Serampore. 
 
 A man of the writer cast, at Kona-nwgwra, about four miles south of 
 Serampore, between twenty and thirty years of age, died in Decem- 
 ber last, leaving two wives, one about thirteen years of age and the 
 other about sixteen. Both of these, in the usual manner, expressed 
 their wish to burn themselves with their deceased husband. The 
 eldest of them being pregnant, however, was advised to delay till 
 after her confinement, and then to burn herself with something be- 
 longing to her husband. The youngest, not being prevented, was 
 burned with the corpse, of her husband. The eldest solemnly engag- 
 ed to burn herself a month after her confinement; till which period 
 she was taken home by her own parents. She at first expressed such 
 displeasure at being thus denied the opportunity of burning herself, 
 as to beat herself severely and possibly accelerate the time of her 
 confinement; but, at the expiration of the month after that period, 
 when called upon to fulfil her engagement, she had considered the 
 subject more at leisure, and being at home in the house of her own 
 parents, she positively refused to destroy herself; nor could all the ap- 
 peals made to her feelings, all the threats and reproaches poured upon 
 her, alter her resolution in the least degree. She was in the house 
 of her parents, and completely independent of her husband's relatives; 
 and as every thing which could be done was of course confined to 
 verbal exertion, she determined to remain with her parents, where 
 she continues till this day. 
 
 As this instance is by no means a solitary one, we have little reason 
 to conclude that the desire to destroy themselves is more firmly fixed 
 in the minds of multitudes besides, than it was in the mind of this 
 young woman: the apparent wish to die which is thus factitiously 
 produced, is in most instances the mere efiVsct of circumstances created 
 by others; and therefore no more exculpatory of the guilt of delibe- 
 rate murder, than would be a man's intoxicating another with wine, 
 or any deleterious drug, so as to deprive him of the power of resist- 
 ance, that he might secure his destruction. Such then are the cir- 
 cumstances in which the most amiable and virtuous among the Hindoo 
 women are constantly placed; circumstances are already hinted, by 
 no means confined to the sacred tribe, but extended to the lowest casts 
 among the Hindoos, as often as there is credulity enough to render 
 the delusion sufficiently strong to become fatal. 
 
 If these circumstances be carefully weighed, it will appear that this 
 inhuman practice has not even those pretensions to its being a religi" 
 ous ceremony^ which most people have been ready to imagine. That 
 it \\2i^ no foundation in any 'peculiar command given in the shastras we 
 have already had occasion to shew in our strictures on that valuable 
 tract on the subject ascribed to Ramfl-mohwn-rayo, which was re- 
 viewed in a former number. Nor indeed is there in the ceremony 
 itself any thing that marks it as being peculiarly of a religious nature. 
 
13 
 
 The woman devotes herself to no deity ; her professed object is merely 
 that of rejoining her husband in a state of happiness. It is true that 
 certain brahmuns officiate and obtain a sum of money on the occasion. 
 But this is not peculiar to this ceremony : in almost every concern of 
 life brahmuns are called in, and there are few which are not to them 
 a source of profit. 
 
 Nor is this practice by any means prevalent in other parts of Hin- 
 doostan in the degree in which it now exists in Bengal. Of this the 
 following letter contains a proof, which was sent us on the subject 
 some months ago, by a gentleman who has been some years resident 
 in Hindoostan, 
 
 ''I cannot forbear expressing my pleasure at seeing that the Edi- 
 tors of the ' Friend of India' have taken up the cause of humanity in 
 calling the attention of Government and of the public towards the 
 abolishment of Suttees. People in Bengal are not generally aware 
 how unfrequent is this most barbarous custom in the upper provinces of 
 Hindoostan. In eight years, mostly spent in this quarter, no Suttee 
 has come to my knowledge ; and my moonshee (a kshutriya)^ a man 
 of about forty-five, informs me that he never saw but one, and that 
 was at Lucknow ; the victim, a widow of a Cashmerian pundit. There 
 can be no doubt but a law of prevention would neither create surprise 
 nor resistance in these provinces, and were it enacted for them only, 
 it would lead to its being established hereafter in Bengal, should the 
 Government hesitate as to the propriety of making it more general at 
 present. Feeling you have done little towards a more glorious work 
 until the minds of the natives be prepared by some change from their 
 present insensibility and cruelty, I have written more at length than 
 I intended, and beg your excuse for it." 
 
 This letter furnishes a pretty strong proof, that the cruel practice 
 has in it more of the nature of a civil, than a religious ceremony. It 
 is a well-known fact, that in Bengal, at the present time, the Hindoos 
 are far less tenacious of their religious tenets and ceremonies than in 
 almost any other part of India; that they are far less careful respect- 
 ing caste, and that the brahmuns in numerous instances are guilty of 
 actions which, according to the strictness of the law respecting caste, 
 would degrade them completely. We have heard it mentioned as the 
 opinion of Hindoos well acquainted with the subject, that were the 
 law of caste enforced in all its strictness, there would be few families 
 around who would be wholly safe. Yet the number of widows who 
 are thus put to death scarcely at all decreases. It seems indeed to in- 
 crease in the vicinity of the metropolis, where the greatest laxness is 
 to be witnessed relative to things wholly religious. How can we ac- 
 count for this vast disparity in the number of these murders per- 
 petrated in Hindoostan, and in the lower parts of Bengal, without 
 having recource to other motives than those of a religious nature? 
 But the moment we recur to other reasons for the continuation of 
 this murderous custom, they present themselves on every side. The 
 want of feeling manifested by the natives to their own country- 
 men when in danger of death by accident, as in a storm, or even 
 when actually drowning, is known to most Europeans. The venality 
 
14 
 
 with which th^y are charged relative to oaths, is not without founda- 
 tion; yet these must often involye life itself, as well as character and 
 property. That they should then be peculiarly tender of the life of a 
 brother's widow, who must at the best be a burden on them to the end 
 of life, and who may bring disgrace on the family, is a thing scarcely 
 to be expected. And when we consider the circumstances in which 
 the widow is placed, together with that want of regard for human 
 life, which is both the effect of their religious system and the charac- 
 teristic of the nation, instead of being surprised that so many widows 
 are every year cruelly destroyed, we shall rather wonder that any 
 escape these fatal lures, when the husband's relatives so evidently en- 
 courage the practice. 
 
 Such then is the real state of the case respecting the burning of 
 widows, which so many have been almost ready to tolerate under the 
 idea of its being a most sacred religious ceremony, with which it would 
 ibe sacrilege to interfere. With almost as much justice might the Slave 
 Trade have been regarded with veneration, as a sacred relict of an- 
 tiquity handed down from the earliest ages ; or the practice of kill- 
 ing all prisoners taken in war ; or that of sacrificing hecatombs of 
 men at the funeral of a favourite chief; or the conduct of certain ban- 
 ditti in this country, who, (from time immemorial no doubt) are said 
 to seize men and immolate them at the shrine of their imagined 
 deity. It has scarcely enough of religious ceremony connected zcith 
 it to varnish it over zcith the name of religion. It is generally accom- 
 panied with the most unfeeling jocularity. Instead of its being a 
 deed of mere superstition, there is reason to fear that it is too often 
 the offspring of the meanest self-interest. It has not even the fea- 
 tures of religion. It is not binding on all. It falls only on one sex, 
 while the deed is perpetrated by the other, whom it can never reach ; 
 and of that sex it affects only one description of persons, and with 
 these it is professedly optional : were it a religious ceremony howe- 
 ver, it would be binding on all. But this class, while generally the 
 most amiable and virtuous, are the most defenceless, are left as fully 
 in the power of relatives who do not profess any feeling for them, as 
 the kid when in the paw of the tiger. It is never equally the interest 
 of Ihe husband's relatives that the widow should live, as that she 
 should be burnt to death. With the former there is connected in 
 every case, a certain loss of reputation, and the expenses of maintain- 
 ing a person to the end of life in whose welfare they feel no kind of 
 interest; with the latter, the full removal of this burden, and a high 
 degree of reputation to their families. 
 
 So much do these circumstances affect the case, that were second 
 marriages esteemed honourable, and the children born of them per- 
 mitted to inherit equally with those of a first marriage, a practice 
 sanctioned not merely by the laws of all Christian nations, but even 
 those of Greece and Rome notwithstanding their idolatry, many think, 
 that this alone would gradually extinguish the practice. But is it 
 right, that in a country so richly endowed with the bounties of Pro- 
 vidence, the mere question of interest, the loss of a few rupees annu- 
 ally, should be suffered to doom the most amiable, the most virtuous 
 
16 
 
 of our Hindoo subjects, almost daily to the most cruel death in nature ; 
 merely because their being uninformed in mind renders them liable 
 to the grossest deceptions, and their being unable to support them- 
 selves, renders them dependent? We would intreat all our readers 
 to remember, that murder concealed jom public view is murder still; 
 and, that our not actually witnessing the dreadful deed, when we are 
 certain that it is committed, will do little towards exonerating us from 
 guilt.* 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 The cruel rite of Suttee not enjoined by the most authoritative of the 
 Hindoo Legislators and' opposed to their views of eminent virtue. Force 
 absolutely forbidden by the Shastras^yet generally employed. 
 
 A learned native, already well known among our countrymen by 
 his luminous examination of the Hindoo theology and philosophy, has 
 printed and widely circulated a tract in the Bengalee language, the 
 object* of which is to dissuade his countrymen from the practice of 
 these horrid rites ; and has likewise published a translation of the 
 tract in English. The tract is in the form of a dialogue between an 
 advocate and an opponent of the system. The advocate cites vari- 
 ous passages from fTngira, Vyas, Hareet, and the Rzg-veda, which 
 enjoin or applaud the practice of self-immolation. Against these pas- 
 sages the opponent produces an extract from Mwnoo, the great Hin- 
 doo legislator, of whom the Ved itself says, that " Whatever Mwnoo 
 has said is wholesome ;" which VrzhwspMtz corroborates by adding, 
 " Whatever is contrary to the law of Mwnoo is not commendable." 
 The extract is as follows : " Let a widow emaciate her body, by living 
 voluntarily on pure flowers, roots, and fruits, but let her not, when 
 her lord is deceased, even pronounce the name of another man. 
 Let her continue till death, forgiving all injuries, performing harsh 
 duties, avoiding every sensual pleasure, and cheerfully practising 
 the incomparable rules of virtue which have been followed by such 
 women as were devoted to one only husband." 
 
 From this passage the opponent infers, that as Mwnoo directs the 
 widow, after the death of her husband, to pass her whole life as an 
 ascetic, he intended she should remain alive for this purpose ; and 
 hence that this direction of Mwnoo is totally opposed to the directions 
 of the other sages; and that their authority must bend to that of this 
 great legislator. The opponent then adduces, as his next argument, 
 the disesteem in which the generality of the Hindoo sages regard 
 Works of merit or demerit, or more properly, works done with the in- 
 terested motive of gaining future happiness thereby ; and to shew that 
 these are not necessary to the attainment of what the Hindoos esteem 
 the highest state of felicity, absorption in Brumhu, he quotes the 
 following passage from the Ved : " By living in the practice of re- 
 * Friend of India, (mon. ser.) Vol. ii. Page 322332. 
 
16 
 
 gular and occasional duties, the mind may be purified. Thereafter 
 by hearing, reflecting, and constantly meditating on the Supreme 
 Eeing, absorption in Brumhu may be attained. Therefore, from a 
 desire during life of future fruition, life ought not to be destroyed." 
 The immolation of the widow being urged on her wholly on in- 
 terested motives, that of enjoying numerous ages of happiness with 
 her deceased husband as its fruit, is therefore opposed to that sys- 
 tem, which, disregarding all actions connected with bodily enjoyment, 
 magnifies the value of divine knowledge as leading to absorption in 
 Brumhu. 
 
 The advocate for the practice replies to this ; that the later autho- 
 rities, in directing a woman to burn herself, do not contradict this law 
 of Mwnoo ; and supports this idea by saying that Mwnoo directs the 
 performance of Sundhya or evening worship, but is silent as to wor- 
 shipping Huri, by calling aloud on his name, while Vyas prescribes 
 calling on the name of Huri, and adds that the words of Vyas do not 
 contradict those of Mwnoo. He therefore infers, that when Vishnoo 
 and others command the widow to follow her husband through the 
 flames, they do not contradict the command of Mwnoo. This the 
 opponent meets with the utmost ease by shewing that there is no ana- 
 logy in the cases, the performance of Sundhya not preventing any one's 
 invoking the name of Huri during another part of the day, while a 
 woman's burning herself with her husband will infallibly prevent her 
 living the life of an ascetic ; and completely fixes the charge of con- 
 tradicting the immutable laws of Mwnoo on those who have pre- 
 scribed this practice, by quoting C/ngira as declaring that there is 
 no other way known for a virtuous woman except her ascending the 
 funeral pile of her husband ; and Hareet as denouncing her refusal 
 as a crime by declaring, that as long as a woman shall not burn her- 
 self alive after the death of her husband, she shall be subject to trans- 
 migration in a female form. The advocate for the practice endea- 
 vours to justify it farther by quoting the Kig-Yeda and Hareet, as 
 commending it. This the opponent bears down by various passages 
 esteemed sacred by the Hindoos, which reprobate men's performing 
 religious rites merely from interested motives, and among the rest the 
 following from the Bhagvut-Geeta, which he terms the essence of all 
 the Smritees, Poorans, and Itahases, '^ All those ignorant persons who 
 attach themselves to the words of the Vedas that convey promises of 
 fruition, consider those falsely alluring passages as leading to real hap- 
 piness, and say that besides them there is no other reality. Agitated 
 in their minds by these desires, they believe the abodes of the celestial 
 gods to be the chief object ; and they devote themselves to those 
 texts which treat of ceremonies and their fruits, and entice by pro- 
 mises of enjoyment. Such people can have no real confidence in the 
 Supreme Being." These passages the advocate at length acknow- 
 ledges to be indeed consistent with the Veds, with Mwnoo, and with 
 the Bhagvut-Geeta, adding however, " But from this I fear that the 
 passages of the Veds and other shastras, that prescribe Concrema- 
 tion and Postcremation as the means of attaining heavenly enjoyments, 
 must be considered as onli/ means to deceive,^' This the opponent of 
 
17 
 
 the practice very dexterously obviates, by urging that these could 
 intend no deception: they only set before mankind two methods of 
 obtaining happiness, the one excellent, the other mean and unworthy 
 for those who are enveloped in desire, passion, and cupidity, who, 
 if they had no shastras holding out rewards, would reject all shastras, 
 and follow their own inclinations like an elephant unguided by the 
 hook. To prevent this the shastra prescribes various ceremonies, 
 among which is one for procuring the destruction of an enemy! and 
 of course this for destroying widows. 
 
 Unable to urge any thing better, its advocate insists, that after all, 
 a practice handed down to them by Hareet and others ought not to be 
 set aside. This his opponent meets not only by saying that this ar- 
 gument is inconsistent with justice, but by urging the violation of their 
 own rule in the very act of burning. The direction is, that " the widow 
 shall voluntarily quit life ascending the Jlaming pile of her husband." 
 Now, says he, " You first bind down the widow along with the corpse 
 of her husband, and then heap over her such a quantity of wood that she 
 cannot rise. At the time too of setting fire to the pile, you press her 
 down with large bamboos. In what passage of Hareet or the rest do 
 you find authority for thus binding the woman according to your prac- 
 tice ? This is in fact deliberate female murder." The advocate 
 urges as an excuse for this horrid practice, that were the woman to 
 shrink back terrified with the flames, after having recited the usual 
 incantations, it would be sinful, and be considered disgraceful by 
 others. The sin his opponent treats with due contempt, by saying 
 that according to themselves it could be expiated by bestowing the 
 value of three kahuns of cowries, or twelve annas; and justly repro- 
 bates the idea of esteeming the prevention of murder a disgrace. The 
 advocate for the practice, driven to his last resort, defends the binding 
 down of the afflicted widow merely on the ground of its being a cus- 
 tom observed throughout Hindoostan. This his opponent first denies, 
 and then justly reprobates, even were it thus universal. On this part 
 of the subject we think it right to add a word or two. 
 
 In the burning of widows as practised at present in some parts of 
 Hindoostan, however voluntary the widow may have been in her de- 
 termination, force is employed in the act of immolation. After she 
 has circumambulated and ascended the pile several natives leap on it, 
 and, pressing her down on the wood, bind her with two or three 
 ropes to the corpse of her husband, and instantly throw over the two 
 bodies, thus bound to each other, several large bamboos, which being 
 firmly fixed to the ground on both sides of the pile, prevent the pos- 
 sibility of her extricating herself when the flames reach her. Logs 
 of wood are also thrown on the pile, which is then in flames in an in- 
 stant; for to such a pitch of cruel ingenuity have the brahmuns, ac- 
 customed to officiate on these occasions, attained by frequent use, that 
 the whole of this process is realized almost with the rapidity of 
 thought. Scarcely a single moment is left to the spectator to con- 
 template the scene before the unhappy woman is writhing in the 
 agonies of death. The author of the pamphlet under review states, 
 that this practice has been recently introduced, and that it is confined 
 
 C 
 
18 
 
 almost exclusively to Bengal. This information, we have reason to 
 believe, is perfectly correct. A few months ago, in one of the largest 
 cities in Hindoostan, a woman who had devoted herself to death, and 
 had even ascended the funeral pile, leaped out of the flames, and 
 plunged herself into the river. Her relatives seized on her, and 
 dragged her back to the pile ; but she uttered the loudest cries, calling 
 upon the officers of justice who attended to save her from a forcible 
 death. They instantly interposed their authority, and on finding that 
 she stedfastly resisted the wishes of her relatives, ordered her to re- 
 turn home ; and though this scene occurred in a large city highly bi- 
 goted to Hindooism, and in the presence of thousands of spectators, 
 there was not the least attempt made to rescue her from the protec- 
 tion of the officers of Government. 
 
 Before the late regulations of Government restricting the practice 
 to the cases permitted in the shastras, many instances occurred of 
 young widows, who, having refused to burn after approaching the 
 flames, were forcibly thrown on the pile by their unfeeling relatives, 
 that they might avoid the disgrace attached to a failure in such cases. 
 
 The use of force by means of bamboos is, we believe, universal 
 through Bengal ; it is intended to prevent the possibility of the wi- 
 dow's escape from the flames, as such an act would be thought to re- 
 flect indelible disgrace on the family. The number of widows burnt 
 in Bengal, however, exceeds, by nearly three times, the number 
 burnt in all the other provinces of Hindoostan besides. Thus in three 
 cases out of four that force is used which renders all resistance on the 
 part of the unhappy sufferer vain. This is totally contrary to the rules 
 even of those shastras which command the practice ; they strictly en- 
 join that the sacrifice shall be perfectly voluntary in every stage of 
 its progress. Constraint indeed is forbidden by the very nature of 
 the sacrifice. It is called a Suttee, because a woman devotes herself 
 to the flames to prove that she has continued immoveably faithful to 
 her husband. Not only therefore must the intention be voluntary, 
 but to evince this, the act of immolation must not include the most 
 distant idea of constraint. The use of bamboos is therefore at vari- 
 ance with the nature of the sacrifice, and with all the rules by which 
 it is supported, and which direct, that she shall not ascend the pile 
 before the flames are kindled. It is the Jiaming pile of her husband, 
 that she is enjoined to ascend : and the immense difference between 
 ascending the Jiaming pile, and being bound firmly down before the 
 flames are kindled, must be obvious to all. 
 
 The Supreme Government has now for several years issued vari* 
 ous regulations to the Magistrates, strictly forbidding the immolation 
 of widows in cases where the Hindoo shastras have forbidden it; and 
 surely if '' a vigour beyond the laws," be ever tolerated, it should not 
 be when the law has originated in the most savage barbarity, and is 
 held doubtful by the wisest and most virtuous among the Hindoos 
 themselves* when its operation is levelled, not against the ruffian 
 who eludes justice, but against the most ami able and helpless part of 
 
 * Mritunjoy, the head pundit of the Supreme Court, has given it as his opinion, that 
 Brumhacharya, or a life of mortification, is the law for a widow ; and that burniuff with 
 
Vti 
 
 19 
 
 our Indian fellow-subjects. Under the influence of the former regu- 
 lations many females of tender age have been rescued from destruc- 
 tion, yet not a single murmur has been heard throughout the coun- 
 try; no one attempt to counteract the wise and benign intentions of 
 Government, or to employ force in the cause of inhumanity. Were 
 the use of bamboos forbidden also, and the horrid sacrifice made to 
 assume the exact complexion which the shastras direct, we feel assured 
 that the tranquility of the country would not be disturbed for a single 
 moment. And if the apprehension that the widow, unable to ascend 
 the burning pile, might possibly reflect disgrace on the family on the 
 spot destined for immolation, by a change of mind, should in any case 
 induce the relatives to dissuade a female from incurring the risk, the 
 advantage would be entirely on the side of humanity and justice. 
 Considering, as we do, the British Government to be the greatest 
 temporal blessing which Providence has conferred on this country, we 
 cannot give up the hope indeed that, ultimately, Government will 
 abolish entirely a custom which involves the murder of the helpless 
 and the innocent, almost without the shadow of support from the Hin- 
 doo superstition itself. The immediate and complete interdiction of 
 force, however, in the act of burning the helpless widow, while it 
 would be in exact unison with that benevolence which distinguishes 
 our sway over these regions, would subject the natives to nothing 
 more than the strict observance of their own rules.* 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Further illustration of the important position that the Suttee^ though 
 recommended by some modern Hindoo Writers^ is not absolutely en- 
 joined by the most authoritative : and that the usual mode of its per- 
 petration is not sanctioned by Hindoo Writers. 
 
 An examination of the shastras on this subject has produced two 
 opposite opinions ; the one maintaining that there is no authority for 
 the practice besides that of custom, and the other, that it is positively 
 enjoined by some of their best and most celebrated writers. After 
 perusing the arguments adduced on both sides, we are led to con- 
 clude, that the opponents are, in part both right, and both wrong ; 
 and that the truth lies in the middle part, and not in the extreme, 
 which each has embraced. 
 
 A slight acquaintance with the Hindoo writings may serve to con- 
 vince any one, that they are capable of being quoted in defence of 
 many things both unnatural and absurd. What Cicero said of the 
 ancient philosophers may, with equal, if not greater truth, be applied 
 to Hindoo authors : '^ Nihil tam absurdum, quod non dixerit aliquis 
 philosphorum." 
 
 It might be expected, on a subject in which life and death are 
 concerned, and which applies to thousands of respectable individuals, 
 
 the husband is merely an alternative. Hence he argues that the alternative can never 
 have the force of law. 
 
 * Friend of India, (mon. ser) Vol. i. page 305 311 
 
20 
 
 that we should have many volumes to read through before we came 
 to a complete knowledge of the matter, and learned all that could be 
 said in its defence ; but this is so far from being the case that, to our 
 knowledge, there is not among the multifarious shastras of the Hin- 
 doos a single work written on the burning of widows I all that is said 
 about it is to be sought for in different authors, and to be found only 
 in broken fragments : it seems that the subject was never regarded 
 in so serious a light as to be thought worthy of being discussed in a 
 separate and distinct treatise. Among a people who have books 
 without number, on the most trifling and impertinent subjects, it 
 appears rather strange that there should be no popular work on this ; 
 there cannot surely be needed a stronger proof of the light estimation 
 in which the affair has ever been held by the natives themselves : and 
 from this, we feel convinced, that is has increased to its present inve- 
 teracy, more from the force of custom than from any thing that has 
 been advanced in its favour, or been esteemed sacred in the practice. 
 
 As the defenders of the practice have abandoned all reasoning on 
 the point, and have betaken themselves to the authority of the shas- 
 tras as an impregnable fortress, from which they discharge all their 
 artillery, we shall proceed to consider the nature of the materials by 
 which they contrive to destroy widows and create orphans. 
 
 It is, alas ! too true that passages do exist in the shastras by which 
 this practice is recommended, though not positively enjoined. From 
 the Rigvaid the following passage is quoted, as decidedly in its 
 favour : 
 
 ''Let these women, no longer widows, excellent wives, anointed 
 with coUyrium and ghee, enter, without tears, without complaints, 
 excellent jewels, let them ascend before the source of beings. " 
 
 It is supposed that these words are addressed to fire as a god, and 
 that they justify the widow in burning. They do appear to recom^- 
 mend it, though they are certainly far from doing it with that clear- 
 ness which a case of such importance requires. The words are very 
 dubious, and would admit of other interpretations, just as well as that 
 given by those who quote them in favour of female immolation. It 
 is not unfrequently the case, that words are taken up without due ex- 
 amination, and a certain meaning attached to them which, when ex- 
 amined, is found to be incorrect: we do not say that it is so with the 
 words in question; but, since the meaning of them is doubtful, we 
 infer, that it cannot be a good cause which rests upon them as its chief 
 authority ; particularly when there are other passages which afford a 
 refuge from the extreme into which they would lead. The Vishnu 
 Smrite* (or Vishnu Risee, see page 33) shews, that though burning 
 is allowable, it is not necessary : 
 
 "When the husband dies, a retired life, or a funeral pile. Let 
 those who desire it, mortify their body, by living on excellent 
 flowers, roots, and fruits; and let them not pronounce the name of 
 another man after their husband's death." 
 
 * The Bewasta of the Bengal Pundits presented to Government in 1817, gives this 
 text from this shastra and not from Mwnoo. (See No. i. Parliamentary Papers printed in 
 1821, p. 124). AuTH. 
 
21 
 
 From these words it is very evident that the immolation of the wi- 
 dow is not peremptorily required by the Hindoo shastras. Me^noo 
 says, '^A faithful wife who wishes to attain in heaven the mansion of 
 her husband must do nothing unkind to him, be he living or dead: let 
 her emaciate her body by living voluntarily on pure Howers, roots, 
 and fruit; but let her not, when her lord is deceased, ever pronounce 
 the name of another man." It is evident that the omission of thi 
 cruel ceremony is justified by one of the highest authorities; for the 
 Vaid itself has declared that it is lawful to abide by the advice of 
 Mwnoo. " Whatever Mwnoo has said that is indeed medicine." 
 
 But though Mwnoo is thus celebrated by the Vaid, and his opinion 
 made paramount to that of all others; yet, on this very point, he is 
 contradicted by another writer, who tells us that the case admits of no 
 such remedy as that prescribed by Mwnoo. His words are, 
 
 " There is no virtue known for virtuous women, after the death of 
 their husband, besides that of falling into the fire." 
 
 It is difiicult to conceive of a more glaring contradiction to the law 
 ofMwnoo; and how are we to reconcile these contradictions? To 
 reconcile them is impossible. What then is to be done? A third 
 writer comes forward to help us over this difficulty, and tells us, 
 
 " The shastra that is opposed to Mwnoo is not to be praised." 
 By this we understand, that it ought to be rejected. From what has 
 been above quoted, it will readily be acknowledged, that the practice 
 is recommended by Hindoo writers, though not in an absolute and 
 peremptory form : it may be omitted, upon the best authority, with- 
 out any disgrace ; and this opens an easy way for setting it aside al- 
 together, because the prohibition of it would not be the repealing of 
 a law, but the enforcing an alternative recommended by the shastras. 
 We find no arguments brought from the shastras to prove the fit- 
 ness and reasonableness of burning widows, and no effectual attempts 
 made to defend it, against the charge of self-murder : this is the more 
 singular, as it seems to be acknowledged that, if the deed be mur- 
 derous, no advantage will arise from it. This we learn from the fol- 
 lowing passages: 
 
 " If the husband be out of the country when he dies,^and the virtue 
 ous one, taking his shoes, purifying herself, enters into the fire, she 
 is not guilty of self-murder according to the Rigvaid." " But the 
 wife of a brahmun must not ascend a separate pile." 
 
 We know not whether most to admire, the reasoning or skill of 
 these two passages. The reasoning is, that self-murder does not con- 
 sist in a woman's killing herself, but in the manner in which she does 
 it; and the skill consists in this, that the wives of brahmuns, by this 
 mode of reasoning, are, in certain cases, saved from a horrid death: 
 though, if it were so honourable a one as they pretend, such honour- 
 able characters ought to be among the first to whom it should be ap- 
 pointed. It is argued not to be self-murder for a woman of an infe- 
 rior caste to burn herself with the shoes of her husband, should he die 
 at a distance ; yet this act is forbidden to the wife of a brahmun: and 
 why? Must we conclude, because it would be self-murder in her? 
 The declaring of the one innocent, to whom it is recommended, neces- 
 
22 
 
 sarily supposes the other, to whom it is forbidden, to be guilty, should 
 she perforin the same act. Now we ask, what sort of logic is this? 
 Here are two women in exactly the same circumstances, with this only 
 difference, that the one is the wife of a brahmun and the other of a 
 soodra; and if the latter burns herself it is not murder; but if the 
 former burns, we are left from the prohibition to conclude that it 
 is. 
 
 It may be replied by the native advocates for the practice, that the 
 difference in their caste is sufficient to explain this inconsistency: but 
 waving all the arguments that might be brought to oppose such a no- 
 tion from reason and common sense, we maintain, from their own 
 laws, that such distinction does not afford the smallest excuse in their 
 favour; for only suppose the dead husband to be present, instead of 
 his shoes, and then the case becomes quite inverted: then it is not 
 self-murder, but a sublime virtue, for the wife of a brahmun to burn 
 herself; and in so doing she far outstrips in sanctity the wife of the 
 soodra who performs the same deed. How strange, that the pre- 
 sence of a dead body should make such a difference in the nature of 
 a moral action! We may safely defy any one to prove the immuta- 
 bility of truth, if such grounds of argumentation are admitted. How 
 happy a thing would right reason be in this case ! Only let it be 
 supposed, that the presence or absence of a dead body can make no 
 difference in the nature of a moral action, and that, if it is wrong for 
 the wife of a brahmun to burn in the absence of her dead husband, 
 it must be wrong also for her to burn in his presence, and this rite 
 would soon cease to exist; for we believe it is through the number of 
 respectable persons of this description who suffer annually that it con- 
 tinues to be held in repute. From the lines which have been quoted, 
 and which are all we know on this part of the subject, we perceive 
 that, so far from vindicating the deed from the charge of self-murder, 
 what has been advanced rather proves such a charge to be correct. 
 
 We can find no reason given in the shastras why the son should set 
 Jire to the pile of his own mother: and were we left to infer from his 
 conduct on the occasion, what his ideas of the act were, we should 
 conclude that he was conscious of his guilt, as he averts his counte- 
 nance from the horrid sight the moment he applies the flaming torch. 
 This would indicate some degree of feeling, some consciousness of 
 shame and pain; and yet, if these really existed, or at least to any 
 considerable degree, they would surely lead him, not only to avert his 
 head, but at once stand out against the murder of his mother to the 
 very last, though enjoined by all the lawgivers in the universe.* 
 
 We think the burning of widows totally inexcusable because it is in 
 direct contradiction to one of the first principles of our nature, self- 
 preservation. God delights in the preservation of his creatures, and 
 that which he delights in must be happy. He has armed all animated 
 beings with a wonderful power, which repels every effort made to 
 destroy life. From the ferocious tiger to the timid hare, we find 
 the same instinctive property of self-defence and love of life. The 
 Divine Being has she wn us, by the instinct which he has implanted in us, 
 * Asiatic Observer, (April, 1824), JNo. vi. page 105 110. 
 
23 
 
 by the structure of the various limbs of our bodies, and still more by 
 the reason with which he has endowed us, that it is our indispensable 
 duty to preserve, and not to destroy ourselves ; a duty which we can- 
 not violate without incurring his displeasure. So strong is the attach- 
 ment to life implanted in our nature, that from time immemorial it has 
 been proverbial : " Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath, will he give 
 for his life :"* and that this powerful principle might act universally 
 and successfully, the God of nature has so formed and disposed of all 
 the members of the human body, as to render them most efficient in 
 defending us against danger; and besides this, he has added to human 
 beings the faculty of reason, to teach them how to use these most effici- 
 ently for their own preservation : and thus he has defended, with the 
 strongest barriers, every avenue leading to self-destruction. If we 
 add to these principles of our nature the sanctions of revelation we 
 shall find, that of all the crimes done under the sun, that of self-mur- 
 der is the most enormous. The Divine law expressly declares : 
 " Thou shalt do no murder ;" and in this prohibition self-murder 
 must certainly be included. The Gospel, which is a system of mercy, 
 declares it as a thing with which all ought to be acquainted : " Ye 
 know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." Ignorant 
 of these highest of all considerations, and unfaithful to those inscribed 
 on their hearts by the hand of nature, the widows of Hindoos in this 
 country, impelled by false shame, reproach, and the prospect of a mi- 
 serable existence, break through all the bonds of nature and reason, 
 and throw themselves down to be consumed in the flames with the 
 dead body of their husband. We pity the sufferers, but we must 
 condemn the deed : 
 
 *' Shall Nature, swerving from her earliest dictate, 
 Self-preservation, fall by her own act I 
 Forbid it. Heaven!" 
 
 But there is in this act a violation of the laws of nature, not only 
 on the part of the widow, but also on that of her son, who sets on fire 
 the funeral pile. Nothing can be more evident to a reflecting mind, 
 than that children were designed by Providence to administer to the 
 temporal comfort of their parents. One reason why they are neces- 
 sitated to be so long dependant on their parents, may be, to impress 
 on their minds a sense of the obligations under which they are laid, 
 to help and console them in return, should they ever stand in need of 
 their succour. All civilized nations have agreed, that it is the duty of 
 a child to honour his parents : hence, when a Grecian lawgiver was 
 asked why he had specified no punishment for the murderer of a pa- 
 rent, replied, that he did not believe such a monster could ever exist; 
 and hence the Romans erected a temple in honour of one who had, in 
 an extraordinary manner, supported a parent, when dying for want 
 in a dungeon. In our own country, if a son, at the time he ought to 
 comfort and sustain his afflicted, sinking mother, should imbrue his 
 hands in her blood, it would be regarded as a crime which no name 
 could designate, and for which no sacrifice could atone. The writer 
 of this very well recollects, that an En glish child, when he heard the 
 * This same proverb, though in different words, exists among the Hindoos. 
 
24 
 
 relation of the Beng'alees burning- their own mothers, very gravely 
 asked : "And, Sir, don't they hang them for it?" We think the na- 
 tives have no reason to complain of the want of filial affection in their 
 sons, deplorable as it is, while they encourage them to murder their 
 own mothers, at that very important crisis, when they ought to ad- 
 minister to them the balm of consolation. What idea can children 
 possibly have of filial obligations, when, instead of an outrageous 
 crime, it is considered a sublime virtue, for a son to burn his own 
 mother alive ? 
 
 The unnatural friends who urge the mother and son to the perpe- 
 tration of the murderous deed, the brahmuns who officiate at the in- 
 human rite, and the multitude who applaud the act, are all guilty of 
 murder, according to the laws of Mwnoo; for he states, that in any 
 crime, the instigator, the perpetrator, and the encourager, are equally 
 criminal. If we view things in this light, and consider the number of 
 widows that are annually sacrificed, we shall find that there is no 
 country in all the world so full of murderers and murder as Bengal. 
 It has generally been considered that the burning of a widow is a 
 simple act, which affects only the individual who suffers ; but it is not 
 so. How many urge her to it, how many assist her at it, and how 
 many rejoice in it ! This swells the enormity of the crime more than 
 a hundred fold, because, instead of the guilt of one or two, it fre- 
 quently involves the guilt of hundreds, and all these by participating 
 of the crime, are exposing themselves to greater tortures than those 
 of the widow, by " treasuring up to themselves wrath against the day 
 of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will 
 render to every man according to his work." The deed is still furth- 
 er aggravated by the cruelty which attends it. To strike a female 
 in a civilized country, is reckoned a great disgrace to a man : but 
 what is this, when compared to the cruelty of those, who bind with 
 strong cords the defenceless widow to the dead body of her husband, 
 press her down with still stronger bamboos, lest she should make her 
 escape, put the torch which is to kindle the consuming fire into the 
 hand of her son, and when the smoke and flames ascend to Hea- 
 ven, drown the shrieks of the dying by loud vociferations, exult 
 as though they had achieved some great exploit, and return home as 
 though they had been to a feast ^and not a funeral ? We can con- 
 ceive of no murder so aggravated as this. The accounts of cannibals 
 destroying and devouring their enemies, is not half so revolting to the 
 feelings of a man who considers the difference of the two cases. To 
 leave a female unprotected in the hour of danger or distress, is consi- 
 dered a greater act of cruelty than that of destroying a public foe ; 
 but because she is unprotected, and because her husband has made no 
 provision for her, to destroy her outright, and that in the most cruel 
 manner, is an act of barbarity to which the annals of time can furnish 
 no parallel. What a striking contrast do we here perceive between 
 the precepts and practice of Hindooism and Christianity ! The one 
 teaches us, that " pure religion and undefiled before God and the 
 Father is this. To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and 
 to keep himself unspotted from the world." The other would have us 
 
26 
 
 believe, that pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father 
 is this. To burn the widows in their affliction, to render the fatherless 
 still more destitute, and to seek only after the gain of this world.* 
 
 From the passage just quoted we learn, that those who assist at 
 these ceremonies, are so far from escaping the charge of murder, 
 that it is irrevocably fixed upon them by their great legislator, who 
 declares, that '' the instigator, the encourager, and the perpetrator, 
 are all alike, either guilty or meretorious.^^ Several vain attempts 
 have been made to evade the force of this charge; but it is so plain, 
 so reasonable, and so decisive, that it is impossible for the guilty to 
 escape. If the finding of another passage to contradict this would 
 effect their liberation, they would have some ground of hope ; but, 
 when every instance they bring must bow to the decision of Mwnoo, 
 whose authority is established by the Vaids, their case must be 
 hopeless. 
 
 Having ascertained that there is nothing in the shastras which frees 
 the burning of a widow from the charge of murder, and that a way 
 is open for her escape from the devouring flames ; we next inquire, 
 whether the circumstances attendant on the rite, are such as are sane* 
 tioned by Hindoo writers. It is declared in their writings, that the 
 widow who burned with her husband, in former times, ascended the 
 flaming pile, as may be perceived by these words, " She who was de- 
 voted to her lord entered the Jlaming Jire" It has been thought by 
 some that if the natives were required to attend to the ceremony in 
 this its ancient form, the horrors attending it would be so great, that 
 very few would be found possessed of sufficient resolution to encoun- 
 ter them. If we could estimate the precise point at which a blind 
 superstition would stop, we might determine this matter; but while 
 we remain ignorant of this, we can only indulge in suppositions which 
 experience might contradict. However, if the rite must be attended 
 to, it ought to be performed according to the rules laid down by the 
 authors who recommend it. This, if it did not make fewer suff*er- 
 ers, would probably make a greater number of commisserators; it 
 would kindle a flame of compassion in the hearts of spectators, unless 
 their consciences were seared as with a hot iron, and would lead them 
 earnestly to desire the abolition of so terrible a practice. As the bu- 
 siness is now transacted, the most appalling scene is concealed from 
 all but Him, to whose eyes all things are naked and open. And what 
 are the arguments which the natives urge for the violence they use 
 in applying ropes and bamboos to bind and hold down the body, in 
 order to conceal the suff*erings of the widows? None at all: they 
 cannot find a single argument in all their books to justify it. Are 
 they then without an excuse? That were impossible. But what can 
 they say, if it is contrary to the shastras ? " O it is the custom of 
 their part of the country ; it has been done so for many years ; it is 
 necessary to secure the prey," &c. After having placed their entire 
 reliance on the shastras for the defence of their conduct, we might 
 leave it to the decision of a child, whether they are justified in the 
 
 * Asiatic Observer, (January 1824), No. v. Page 21 ^24. 
 
 D 
 
26 
 
 adoption of measures which these writings expressly oppose, by pre- 
 scribing a different line of conduct. 
 
 Our next inquiry is, into the motives which the shastras present to the 
 widow to induce her to burn with her husband. The strongest influ- 
 ence which they have over her mind is that which arises from the pro- 
 mises made of future felicity, to be enjoyed by herself and her family 
 in heaven. A few writers are very loud in their praises of this me- 
 retorious deed: but when it is remembered, that some are equally 
 loud in their praises of the most insignificant actions, and others to- 
 tally condemn the motives from which they proceed, such encomiums 
 will appear as sounding brass, and such promises as a tinkling cym- 
 bal. The promises made by C/jigira to the widow who ascends the 
 funeral pile, are thus expressed: 
 
 " The woman who ascends the funeral pile with her dead husband, 
 shall shine as a star with him in Heaven. She who follows her lord 
 shall remain in Heaven as many years as there are hairs on the hu- 
 man body, viz. thirty-five millions. As the snake-catcher draws the 
 serpent from its hole by force, so she, rescuing her husband, rejoices 
 with him. The faithful one who follows her husband, purifies the 
 three families of her mother, father and husband." 
 
 Omitting the consideration that these promises are expressed in 
 poetic language, which admits of exaggeration, in order to ascertain 
 how much they should influence the mind, it is necessary for us only 
 to understand the gratuitous manner in which such rewards are offer- 
 ed in the shastras, as we shall then discover, that they may be ob- 
 tained at a much less expense than that of life. If we form our ideas 
 ^f the merit of a widow's burning from the rewards attached to it, we 
 shall find that it is not so very meritorious as it is generally repre- 
 sented ; for nearly the same reward is offered to the person who pre- 
 sents only a single plantain to Seeb. 
 
 " He who oflers a single ripe plantain to Seeb, shall, with his rela- 
 tions, be exalted to Heaven for thirty millions of years." 
 
 The only difference in the reward of the person who offers a plan- 
 tain, and of her who offers her life, is five million years : the former 
 is to remain in Heaven thirty, and the latter thirty-five million years. 
 If happiness can be thus secured, the sacrifice of life to obtain it can 
 be considered as nothing less than insanity. 
 
 But it is to be remembered here, that these promises are made only 
 to those who are not fully acquainted with what they are doing. It 
 seems very reasonable, that the female who has to go through the 
 dreadful ceremony, should have a clear knowledge of what she is 
 about, and a mind well fortified by the authority of the holy books 
 to endure the pain of so miserable a death. No such information, 
 however, is imparted, no such consolation afforded ; and what is much 
 worse, they are denied upon the greatest penalty ; so that should she 
 aspire after them, and succeed in obtaining them, she would not only 
 destroy the merit of the holy act she was about to perform, but lose 
 the enjoyment of Heaven for thirty-five million years, and sink into 
 Hell. The writings held in the highest repute among the Hindoos 
 are the Vaids ; these are said to be to them what the Bible is to 
 
27 
 
 Christians ; if so, then as Christians in all their troubles fly to their 
 Bible, so it appears reasonable that these distressed widows should 
 have recourse to the Vaids for consolation. But they are told, 
 
 " The woman or the Soodra that understands them, will go to Hell 
 after death." 
 
 This shows us how necessary ignorance is to the support of error, 
 and reminds us of those dark days, when the reading of the Bible, by 
 the common people, was thought worthy of present and everlasting 
 destruction. 
 
 The idea of the woman's dragging her husband out of Hell, as a 
 snake-catcher draws a serpent out of a hole, is very degrading to 
 the brahmuns. We are constantly taught in the shastras to believe, 
 that the brahmuns are vastly superior to their wives in virtue, and 
 that their attention to religious ceremonies all their lives secures them 
 final blessedness ; but now it seems that they sink into Hell after all, 
 and need the assistance of the poor creature whom they have so often 
 spoke of, and treated with contempt, to deliver them out of their mise- 
 ries : we wonder that the pride of their hearts has not taught them to 
 despise such a means of liberation. We leave it to their sober reflec- 
 tions, whether any thing that has been said of them by others, impli- 
 cates them in so much disgrace as this verse, which they quote in 
 favour of female immolation. 
 
 If the brahmuns, whose widows burn, have not done any thing to 
 secure their salvation during their life-time, they may have died by 
 the side of Gunga, which of itself saves them from going to Hell. 
 What need, therefore, can there be of their wives dying to save 
 them? and how can they be so cruel as to drive the poor helpless wi- 
 dow through flaming fire on earth, and through dismal shades in 
 Hell, in search of one where he is not to be found ? May it not be 
 proved, in the clearest manner, from the shastras, that this is entirely 
 a needless piece of suffering f 
 
 There is yet another consideration, which makes all the promises 
 made to the widow both futile and absurd : which is, that they are not 
 only made without the least evidence of their ever being performed, but 
 are fully contradicted by numberless other passages. On this head the 
 shastras contradict each other in the plainest terms : one says : 
 
 " The widows who follow their husbands in death, are all pure, 
 whether they do it from lust, from anger, from fear, or from folly." 
 
 Another says, that "from lust springs sin, and from sin springs 
 death ;" and a third informs us, that these rewards are only offered 
 for the allurement of fools : 
 
 " For the sake of alluring those fools who regard only enjoyment, 
 and cannot distinguish between flesh and spirit, (spirit and not spirit,) 
 rewards are offered." 
 
 What then does all the suffering of the widow secure to her ? It 
 secures her little more than could be attained by off'ering a single plan- 
 tain ; and she is expressly denominated a fool, if she seeks for happi- 
 ness by any such means. Is it possible to conceive of more egregi- 
 ous trifling on a solemn subject than this? That a person should be 
 allured by flattering promises to sacrifice, her life, to secure a reward 
 
^: 
 
 2B 
 
 either unnecessary, or attainable by the affering up of a single plan- 
 tain, and then be told that she is a tool for being thus seduced ? 
 
 Our last inquiry regards what the shastras have said concerning the 
 moral influence of this practice. They have attempted to extol it 
 very highly in reference to the persons immediately concerned, and 
 have asserted, that the merit of the deed is so great, that its influence 
 will extend to the individuals and their ancestors for an almost indefinite 
 period. The very words, however, which they have used to celebrate 
 this conduct, afford to us the plainest proofs of its demoraUzing ef- 
 fects. The merit of actions must be estimated by the motives from 
 which they take their rise : hence it is said, that " by God actions are 
 weighed," because he is the only being that can fully comprehend the 
 motives from which they originate. This is a fundamental principle 
 in morality, and a mistake in this must involve serious consequences : 
 to estimate the merit of an action by any other criterion, is like build- 
 ing a house upon the sand. Though this idea is maintained by many 
 of the Hindoo writers, yet in all the calculations that are made re- 
 specting the merit of the Suttee, it is entirely left out of the question; 
 and we are told that the deed is still meritorious, though it springs 
 from lust, anger, fear, or folly. Where such a sentiment is main- 
 tained, the basis of all morality is necessarily destroyed. What will 
 become of virtue, if by these vices the rewards of virtue may be se- 
 cured? Can we think of an idea more pregnant with mischief than 
 this; and need we wonder at the conduct of those who adopt it, when 
 they say, " Let us do evil that good may come." 
 
 The verse preceding the one which states, that it is of no conse- 
 quence from what motive the act proceeds, declares that, however 
 unfaithful in heart the woman may have been during her husband's 
 life-time, if she is only faithful at last, all will be well. We ask, what 
 must be the tendency of such a sentiment on the social circle ? There 
 is no need, after this, to exhort women to be moral in their conduct: 
 all that is necessary is, to exhort them, should they survive their hus- 
 bands, to prepare for immediate death, and by one act of faithful- 
 ness in their death, to compensate for all the unfaithfulness of their 
 lives. After having freed the woman from all moral obligations dur- 
 ing her lifetime, and declared that it is of no consequence from what 
 motives she immolates herself at last, we may indeed wonder what 
 arguments these authors would use to convince them of the necessity 
 of being virtuous. 
 
 While the consequences which result from this system to the be- 
 reaved families are passed over in silence, those which result to socie- 
 ty in general are calculated with no degree of precision. C/hgira 
 affirms, that this deed will expiate any crime. 
 
 "If the man has been the murderer of a brahmun, or ungrateful, 
 or the murderer of his friend, the woman purifies him." 
 
 Mzmoo has declared, that the killing of a brahmun is an unpardon- 
 able sin, for which their is no expiation. But, passing by these gross 
 contradictions, we would solicit the attention of the reader only to the 
 moral tendency of these words. We should not have supposed that, 
 a people so mild and so averse to murder, as the Hindoos, would have 
 

 
 trifled so stranffely with the subject, as to suppose that it could be 
 atoned for by the burning of a widow. If one murder can thus ex- 
 piate another, then we may conclude that any vice will produce its 
 opposite virtue. It is happy for this country, that the general dispo- 
 sition of the natives prevents them from turning such ideas to the 
 mischievous purposes of which they are capable. Had it not been 
 so the community would have been deprived, in numberless instances, 
 of its wisest and most honourable members, and the cords of friend- 
 ship would have been cut as frequently by death as they are now by 
 quarrelling. We are happy to find ingratitude, in the verse above 
 quoted, ranked amon^ the vices of extraordinary magnitude, and 
 placed by the side of the unpardonable sin, the killing of a brahmun. 
 We had heard it asserted by some, that gratitude was a thing so lit- 
 tle known among the natives of Bengal, that they had not a word to 
 express such an idea. This is a mistake ; yet what must we think of 
 the extent to which ingratitude prevails, when it is maintained not to 
 be ungrateful for a son to set fire to his own mother ? And how are 
 we to account for the extent of this bad principle, but by attributing 
 it to that spurious morality which teaches that any crime may be ex- 
 piated by the murder of an innocent and helpless widow? 
 
 We have now considered all the arguments which the shastras con- 
 tain on the burning of widows, as far as we are acquainted with them, 
 and as far as the native disputants have been able to draw them from 
 the stores of antiquity. We have not quoted every line they have 
 produced, but we have endeavoured to quote every line that contain- 
 ed a new idea ; so that what we have stated may be considered as the 
 substance of what they have to advance on the subject- Had the deed 
 been commanded by the shastras positiveli/ and absolutely^ something 
 might have been pleaded in excuse of the practice ; but when a way 
 of escape is opened by one of the highest authorities, the continua- 
 tion of it, appears to us, an indelible stain upon the Hindoo charac- 
 ter, and an unparrelled monument of the effects of superstition. 
 
 We have, in the discussion of the subject, exposed only a few of 
 the contradictions of the shastras : were they all pointed out, we 
 scarcely think that writings, which contradict each other on almost 
 every important point in morality, would be acknowledged as the 
 standard of right and wrong in cases where life and death are con- 
 cerned. That the Hindoo shastras contradict each other on almost 
 every moral subject, is capable of proof, and is acknowledged by a 
 celebrated writer of their own. 
 
 '^ The Vaids are at variance, the Shastras are at variance, and 
 there is no one sage whose system is not opposed by another." 
 
 Might we be permitted to suggest an inquiry drawn from this ac- 
 knowledged fact, it would be this: When the shastras disagree among 
 themselves^ ought not those rules in them to be enforced which are 
 most consistent with moral rectitude^ cmd most conducive to the good 
 of the community 
 
 We shall conclude this essay by summing up the facts which we 
 are able to substantiate from their own writings relative to the burn- 
 ing of widows. 
 
30 
 
 From the whole we learn these important truths : That the shas- 
 tras do not require or command a widow to burn: that in recom- 
 mending it they have not taken into consideration whether it is mur- 
 derous or not, but have expressed themselves so unguardly as to leave 
 the subject fairly open, on their own grounds, to this objection; that 
 in case the woman does not choose to burn, they prescribe methods 
 by which she may obtain future bliss, without the pain of burning: 
 that should the widow burn, upon the supposition that she is a self- 
 murderer, they involve also, in the charge of murder, the son and the 
 brahmuns that assist her : that they do not, in the least degree coun- 
 tenance the cruelties which are now practised, in binding the widow 
 to the dead body, and holding her down with bamboos : that the re- 
 wards, though apparently great, and on that account imposing, are 
 little more than are attainable by offering a single Jlower or plantain: 
 that since, according to the shastras, the brahmuns and their fami- 
 lies do not go to hell when they die, there cannot be the least need of 
 the widow's suffering to deliver them : and that the considerations 
 on which this practice is recommended are such as tend to destroy all 
 morality, and open the door to the commission of the most enormous 
 
 crimes 
 
 * 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Further discussion of the subject of the two preceding sections ; 
 being the Review of a pamphlet on the burning of Hindoo Widows 
 written in Bengalee by a Pundit, 
 
 This work, small as it is, is in a high degree interesting, merely 
 from the circumstances in which it appears, and the subject it em- 
 braces. It is the product of a native press, and is among the first at- 
 tempts yet made, for these three thousand years, to appeal to the public 
 respecting the justness and propriety of practices received as sacred by 
 the Hindoos, from their being sanctioned by antiquity. It forms one of 
 the fruits which have arisen from the introduction of printing into 
 India ; and is the result of that wise and benign sway exercised by 
 Britain over her possessions in the east. Under the Mooswlman or the 
 Hindoo Governments which formerly existed here, nothing of this 
 kind could have appeared : as no one durst venture publicly to ques- 
 tion the propriety of any practice which professed to derive its sanc- 
 tion from the Koran, or the Hindoo shastras, its advocates would not 
 have found it necessary to bring any discussion respecting it before 
 the public, much less to submit those arguments on which it might 
 rest for support to public decision. 
 
 Such however have been the oblique effects of that diffusion of 
 light which the residence of Europeans has produced in India, that 
 the natives themselves begin to feel the necessity of recurring to rea- 
 son as the test of their conduct in things both civil and religious. 
 They cannot but perceiv e that this is the line of conduct observed by 
 * Asiatic Observer, (April, 1824), No. vi. Page 111120. 
 
31 
 
 their rulers themselves ; that no length of time, no weight of authority, 
 is thought sufficient to support a practice which may be plainly con- 
 trary to justice and humanity, and that the inveteracy of any abuse, 
 so far from forming a reason for its continuance, furnishes only 
 stronger motives for its speedy abolition. It was impossible that this 
 should long be altogether without effect on the minds of the natives : 
 they have already begun, in a certain degree, to think for them- 
 selves ; and the consequence is, that long prescription, in cases de- 
 cidedly opposed to righteousness, begins in some measure to lose its 
 weight ; and while the advocates of humanity lay before their coun- 
 trymen their reasons for doubting the propriety of usages evidently 
 contrary to its dictates, the supporters of them are constrained, how- 
 ever unwillingly, to meet their opponents in the public area, and sub- 
 mit to the judgment of the spectators the grounds on which they so- 
 licit their continued suffrages. 
 
 The subject which occupies the attention of the natives in the pre- 
 sent instance is one in which humanity is deeply interested. It affects 
 not the colour of a garment or some bodily posture in devotion, but 
 the lives of the most defenceless and the most virtuous class among the 
 natives of India. It involves the fate of all the mothers and daugh- 
 ters in Bengal, who possess any respectability in life ; and the ques- 
 tion is, whether superstition shall in Bengal alone consign to the 
 flames, this and every succeeding year, a greater number of innocent 
 victims than were consumed in the fires of Smithfield during the 
 whole reign of bloody Mary, or than disgraced the annals of papal 
 superstition in Britain from its establishment to its downfall; whether 
 more fatherless orphans shall be deprived in every succeeding year of 
 their only surviving parent and friend, than were thus bereaved in 
 any year of the most tremendous pestilence ever raged in Britain; 
 or whether the voice of humanity shall triumph over superstition, 
 folly, and cruelty. 
 
 The occasion of this pamphlet is as follows : for some time past the 
 burning of such a number of widows annually, has greatly affected the 
 minds of many among the British inhabitants of this Presidency, who 
 have been constrained to witness these melancholy scenes. Previously 
 to the Marquis Wellesley's departure in 1806, Dr. Carey, through the 
 Rev. Dr. Buchanan, submitted to Government three memorials on 
 this subject. The first of these included the practice of exposing in- 
 fants, which existed chiefly in the north of Bengal ; and that of per- 
 sons devoting themselves voluntarily to death at Saugur Island and in 
 certain other places. The two last practices were abolished by an 
 order of Government ; but the burning of widows has been suffered 
 to continue to the present day. In consequence of many Europeans 
 having expressed their surprise and grief at the prevalence of a prac- 
 tice so contrary to humanity, many natives have at length began to 
 reflect on the subject, and to inquire into the grounds on which it is 
 still continued. 
 
 In the course of the last year (1818) Ramfl-mohwn-rMy addressed 
 his countrymen on the subject, in a well-written pamphlet, reviewed in 
 our number for December last, in which he insists that the practice 
 
32 
 
 has in reality no foundation in the Hindoo shastras themselves. To 
 this pamphlet, the work under consideration i? an answer drawn up 
 by some of the pundits in Calcutta, who feel unwilling that so lauda- 
 ble a practice as that of burning* their widows shall fall into disuse. 
 It is sent forth without a name and without a title page ; but from pri- 
 vate information, as well as from the pamphlet itself, we find that it is 
 the work of men by no means deficient in learning. It is written in 
 the form of a dialogue between an Advocate for the system of burn- 
 ing widows, under the terra '' Bidhaok," and an Opponent, here term- 
 ed " Nishedhok." In the body of the work every authority supposed 
 to countenance the inhuman custom, and every scrap of Swngskr/ttt 
 found on its side among Hindoo writers, are given in the original text, 
 as well as translated into Bengalee. The work is valuable therefore 
 from its containing every thing found in the Hindoo shastras in favour 
 of this barbarous practice ; and if all this fall short of an absolute and 
 indispensable injunction, the practice will be found to be as illegal ac- 
 cording to the Hindoo shastras, as it is inhuman in itself. This work 
 is evidently intended for the perusal of Europeans also; as an Eng- 
 lish translation, (if it deserve the name,) is prefixed to the original 
 work. This pamphlet not being put into our hands till the piece on 
 this subject given in our Number for July was put to press, we were 
 unable to notice it at that time. We now however redeem the pledge 
 then given to examine it on the first convenient opportunity; in doing 
 which, while we study brevity as much as possible, we deem it a du- 
 ty we owe to humanity to attempt it in a manner sufficiently full to en- 
 able our readers to judge of the merits of the question, as well rela- 
 tive to the foundation on which it is said to rest in the Hindoo shastras, 
 as respecting the answers here given to the objections urged against 
 the practice by the friends of humanity. In our extracts from this 
 pamphlet we prefer quoting its own language for the sake of doing 
 it every degree of justice, and shall content ourselves with merely 
 adding a sentence or a word where the translation is not sufficiently 
 clear. The work commences by the Advocate's urging the claims 
 of his cause in the following pompous and sweeping declaration. 
 
 " It is ordained by (the) Srutee, Smrtee, Pooranas, and other sa- 
 cred books, that the women, on the death of their husbands, should 
 die in Shwhw-mMrMna, that is to burn (should burn) themselves alive 
 with the corpse of their respective husbands; and, that in want of the 
 corpse, (they) should die in ?7noo-mMrwn, that is to burn, (should 
 burn) with something belonging to their husbands : which usages the 
 great sages during all the four ages of the world, viz. Swttw, Treta, 
 Dwapz/ra, and Kwlee, have regularly maintained in their codes. It is 
 very improper that you throw obstacles to prevent such a matter." 
 To this the Opponent is made to reply, " You say this is improper for 
 want of knowledge of the shastras or law, but when you know the 
 shastra, you will no more say so.'* 
 
 This forms the signal for the Advocate's unmasking all his batter- 
 ies and pouring forth on the poor Opponent, every sentence and scrap 
 of Swngskrzta in support of the practice, which he had been able to 
 muster up. The chief of these authorities is that of UngeerOy who. 
 
33 
 
 however does little more than recommend the practice. We give his 
 opinion in the Advocate's own translation: " The woman that mounts 
 the funeral pile of her deceased husband, equals herself to C/roond- 
 hootee the wife of VMsh/sht'ha, and enjoys bliss in heaven with her 
 own husband. She that accompanies her husband to the other world 
 dwells in heaven for three and a half cootee years, (thirty-five 
 millions), which is equal to the number of hairs on a human body, 
 and with (by) her own power taking her husband up, in the same 
 manner as a snake-catcher would have taken a snake out of its hole, 
 remains with him in diversion. She that goes with her husband to 
 the other world, purifies three generations, that is, the generations of 
 her mother's side, father's side, and husband's side; and so, she being 
 reckoned the purest and the best in fame among women, becomes 
 too dear to her husband, and continues to divert herself with him for 
 a period equal to the reign of fourteen (successive) Indras; and, al- 
 though the husband be guilty of slaying a brahmun or friend, or be 
 ungrateful of the past deeds, yet the said woman is capable of puri- 
 fying him from all these sins. Hence," says the Advocate, "C/ngeera 
 affirms, that after the demise of a husband, there can be no other du- 
 ty for a chaste wife than to destroy herself in the fire." 
 
 Pwra^wra is then quoted as confirming part of this recommendation, 
 by saying, " The woman that goes with her husband to the other 
 world, dwells in heaven for three and half cootee years, which is equal 
 to the number of hairs on a human body." Hareeta is, after this, 
 introduced as enjoining it by consequence in the following luminous 
 observation : " After the death of a husband, until his wife does 
 not burn (burn) herself in the fire, she cannot get rid of her feminine 
 body." This sentence is to be noticed for the inference which will be 
 found drawn from it in the latter part of the work. The Muhabharuta is 
 then adduced as declaring that a woman's burning herself on her hus- 
 band's funeral pile, atones for her having been a scold or even un- 
 faithful throughout life, and secures her accompanying him in the 
 other world, maugre all unwillingness on his part: and this although 
 she burn herself from " amours, wrath, fear, or affection." The 
 highest countenance given to the practice therefore, by their own 
 writers, (and these appear but four, C/ngeera, Pwrasura, Hareeta, 
 and Vyasa,) amounts only to a recommendation of it from certain ad- 
 vantages the widow is deluded with the hope of obtaining; that is, 
 the enjoyment of happiness with her husband by no means to eter- 
 nity, however, but for as many years as there are hairs on the human 
 body ; after which^ gentle reader, she must descend to the earth again, 
 and undergo all that vicissitudes of births which, in the opinion of the 
 Hindoos, constitutes future punishment. 
 
 The Advocate for this practice then goes on to notice another au- 
 thority, that of Fishnoo-Risee, who, however, leaves burning perfectly 
 optional, in the following language : "After the demise of a husband, 
 his wife shall either devote herself to Brumhachurya, (a life of aus- 
 terity), or mount the funeral pile of her husband," To do away the 
 force of this option, the Advocate adds, that the choice of a life of 
 austerity would involve in it eight faults or crimes, but which he has 
 
34 
 
 not mentioned that the reader might judge of their nature and mag- 
 nitude ; and that even this option is therefore to be rejected; and thus 
 the hapless widow, according to him, must inevitably consign herself 
 to the flames if she would discharge her duty to her deceased husband . 
 He then goes on to state the authority for C/noo-mwrwufl, or a wo- 
 man's burning herself after her husband's death with some article be- 
 longing to him! a practice by no means uncommon at the present 
 day. For this he adduces the authority of only a solitary writer 
 the author of ihe Mwtsytt-Poorana, in these words: "In case of 
 the demise of a husband in a distant country, the chaste wife should 
 purify her person by bathing, and then, taking her husband's shoes or 
 another thing, enter into a burning pile to be prepared on purpose." 
 This he justifies by saying, that the R/g-veda declares such women 
 not to be guilty of self-murder; which plainly indicates, that if this be 
 self-murder, in the opinion of the Hindoos themselves, it would be con- 
 demned. Such then is the whole of the countenance this Advocate, 
 on whom it was incumbent to bring forward the strongest authorities 
 for a practice so repugnant to humanity, has been able to adduce 
 from the Hindoo writers themselves ; and this, one quotation from 
 Oosima^ condemns in the gross, it is the voice of nature involun- 
 tarily speaking: ''Let not Brahmimees^ or wives of hrahmuns^ suffer 
 death by entering into a separate pile ; but for the rest of the women^ 
 brahmunees excepted^ this law is most preferable,''^ Now when it is 
 considered that every authority adduced in favour of this practice is 
 that of brahmuns, for no shoodra has ever yet become authoritative 
 as a man of learning, this decides the matter at once. If it be mere- 
 torious thus to ascend the separate funeral pile, why deny this privi- 
 lege to the daughters of brahmuns ? Why indeed^ but because nature 
 spoke in the breast of this zcriter! He was a brahmun, and he shud- 
 dered at the idea of consigning his daughter to the flames for the sake 
 of a worthless husband, who might perhaps have treated her with neg- 
 lect and cruelty all his life. The brahmuns of the present day are, 
 however, far more devout; they are unwilling their wives shall be 
 debarred this glorious privilege, and consign them to the flames pre- 
 cisely as they do others : a plain proof, that a regard for the authority 
 of their own shastras has little to do in continuing this practice ; the 
 motive for this must be sought elsewhere. 
 
 But to these quotations from C/ngeera, Hareeta, and Pwraswra, the 
 advocates for this practice are well aware, are opposed authorities of 
 far greater weight, and such as completely nullify them and forbid 
 this inhuman custom. These it is the grand object of this pamphlet 
 to do away. The Opponent is now made to quote these, therefore, 
 that the Advocate for the burning system may obtain an opportunity 
 of invalidating them. He first adduces the famous legislator Munoo, 
 whose authority is paramount to that of every succeeding writer, as 
 prescribing an opposite course for widows in the following language : 
 " Listen to the law which Mzmoo has prescribed for the husbandless 
 women. 'After the death of husbands their wives should niake them- 
 selves lean, by living upon sweet flowers, roots, and fruits; never 
 mind the name of a man, and until the time of their respective death 
 
35 
 
 with resig-nation and restriction continue to observe the laws prescrib- 
 ed for Ekpwtnees, (those who have married but one husband); that is, 
 they should, with the desire of obtaining the state of chaste woman, 
 devote themselves to the law prescribed for Brumhachurya. As 
 thousands of young- brahmuns who, before their arriving at full age, de- 
 voted themselves to Brwmhachwrya and begot no children have gone 
 to Surga or Heaven, the chaste women in like manner, who after 
 their husband's death devote themselves to the law of Brwmhachwrya, 
 may attain bliss in heaven, though issueless.' Hence, says the Oppo- 
 nent, Mwnoo has ordained, ' that women, after their husband's death, 
 should spend the remaining part of their lives in Brwmhachwrya.' 
 This decision of M wnoo's the Opponent confirms by adducing the fol- 
 lowing corroborative declaration from one of the Vedas, ' Know that 
 whatever Mwnoo pronounced, is a medicine for the soul;' and anoth- 
 er from Vrihusputee^ 'A Sreeti inconsistent with that of Mwnoo is not 
 praiseworthy.' 
 
 To get rid of this decision of Mwnoo, which completely forbids the 
 practice^ is the grand object of this work, and for the sake of this alone 
 it is quoted. This the Advocate, knowing that no commentator can 
 erect himself into a law-giver, and abolish the law itself, first attempts 
 by affirming, (that which no one denies), that it is only the Smritee 
 inconsistent with Mwnoo which is unworthy of regard ; but as a wo- 
 man can live a life of abstinence and chastity after burning herself, 
 these two of course are not inconsistent ! Feeling ashamed of this 
 argument, he quits it, and adducing- the following sentence from 
 Juyminee^ '' where there arises an inconsistency among laws, that 
 maintained by many is preferable," attempts to infer, that the recom- 
 mendation of f/ngeera, PwrasMra, and Hareeta, ought to outweigh 
 the law itself enacted by Mwnoo. Deserting this argument as unten- 
 able however, he quotes a passage from the R/g-ved, recommend- 
 ing the practice of burning, and affirms that the law of Mwnoo on the 
 subject means nothing more than that of a woman who may by any ac- 
 cident he prevented from burning herself with her husband, or after- 
 wards with one of his old shoes, ought to devote herself to a life of 
 austerity. The author of this pamphlet, while he professes to set the 
 authority of the Reg-veda against that of the great Hindoo legis- 
 lator, is however well aware that the V'edas contradict each other 
 on this very point. That he may in some way or other obviate this 
 discrepancy, so fatal to his argument, he now introduces the Oppo- 
 nent as quoting a well-known passage from the Veda which forbids 
 the burning of widows in the following words : "As by means of liv- 
 ing still, the duties usual and occasional can be performed to purify the 
 mind, and as by hearing of (and) fixing our mind and devoting our 
 soul to Brwmha or the Supreme Spirit, we can attain it (final beati- 
 tude or absorption in Brwmha,) no woman should therefore spend her 
 life, that is, suffisr death in hopes of attaining Swrga or bliss in heav- 
 en." From this the Opponent infers that, as a widow is forbidden to 
 throw away her life with the hope of obtaining connubial bliss for a 
 limited time in heaven, the authority of those who recommend a wi- 
 dow's burning herself with this hope, is completely nullified; and that 
 
36 
 
 it is clear by the determination of the Veda, as well as the command of 
 Mwnoo, that a widow ought not to burn herself, but to embrace a life 
 of abstinence and chastity. 
 
 This is the doctrine which it is the object of the writer of this 
 pamphlet to overthrow. After the Opponent has thus stated it, there- 
 fore, the Advocate for the burning- system urges first, that to infer 
 from the authority of Mwnoo and the Vedo, that a woman, instead of 
 burning herself, ought to embrace a life of abstinence and chastity, 
 would strip the writings of those who recommend her burning herself 
 of all authority ! an overwhelming argument truly. He then adduces 
 a sentence from Mwnoo, to shew that when one Smriti appears to 
 have one meaning, and another a different one, both are to be held as 
 law! The plain inference from this would be, that a widow ought to 
 immolate herself on her husband's funeral pile, and to embrace a life 
 of austerity too ! To confirm this wonderful exposition, and to preserve 
 the authority of those, who in their zeal for burning, have happened 
 to contradict their own celebrated lawgiver, the Advocate quotes the 
 following contradictory sentence by way of illustration : " In the Otz- 
 rat, or the oblations of clarified butter offered to the consecrated 
 fire, the Shorassee* is to be taken ; and in the Otzratra the Shorassee 
 is not to be taken." The just meaning of which, contrary Sutras, says 
 he, is, that if in this sacrifice the Shorassee be taken or received, 
 the sacrifice is superlatively meritorious ; but if it be not, the deed is 
 still complete and advantageous. From this illustration the writer, in 
 the person of the Advocate, infers, that if a widow wishes to attain 
 connubial bliss in Heaven, she may burn herself; but if she wishes 
 final beatitude, she may embrace a life of abstinence and self-denial ; 
 and then adds triumphantly, " See therefore that a woman's burning 
 herself for the sake of connubial bliss in Heaven has no way been for- 
 bidden." The whole of this, if it have any meaning, only goes to 
 say, that even by these authorities, if a widow desires final beatitude 
 she is not commanded to burn herself; and that according to them, 
 all is merely matter of option. Thus then the whole hitherto advanced 
 by the Advocate for the burning system is, that by their great legis- 
 lator it is not commanded but forbidden; and by those commentators 
 who abrogate the law they pretend to explain, it is merely recom^ 
 mended^ and left perfectly optional. But a further examination of the 
 subject will shew, that this recommendation, while viewed by them- 
 selves as degrading in the highest degree, is subversive of the whole 
 system of Hindooism. To illustrate this part of the subject, however, 
 it will be necessary to recur for a moment to the creed of the Hindoos 
 relative to future happiness. 
 
 The Hindoos throughout India believe the human soul to form an 
 integral part of Brimiha, or the Deity, and hence esteem the summit 
 of future bliss to consist in what they deem final beatitude, or absorp- 
 tion into Brwmhrt, of whom they believe their souls to be a part. To 
 the attainment of this, all their endeavours are directed, for the sake 
 of it the most tremendous austerities are performed ; and nothing be- 
 yond this is supposed to be within the wish of man. But besides this 
 * Shorassee, the pot containing the clarified butter and other ingredients. 
 
37 
 
 there are, according to their ideas, many heavens or inferior stages of* 
 bliss, to be obtained by certain meritorious deeds. None of these, 
 however, is considered lasting; but the duration of every state of 
 bliss is, according to them, proportioned to the merit of the deed of 
 wjiich it is esteemed the reward. After this period is expired, the 
 person is expected to be born on earth again, and to undergo nume- 
 rous vicissitudes of births till his mind be so purified as to obtain final 
 beatitude or absorption into the deity, which alone secures a person 
 from the misery of future transmigrations. Their state of misery indeed 
 is esteemed no more lasting than that of happiness ; but every kind of 
 suffering therein, (for there is supposed to be a great variety,) is sup- 
 posed to be proportioned in duration to the demerits of the sufferers; 
 after which they also are said to be born again on the earth, and there 
 to undergo all the vicissitudes of transmigration till they become suffi- 
 ciently pure to obtain absorption into the deity. Hence a woman who 
 may burn herself for the sake of living with her husband in Heaven 
 for a certain period, on its expiration descends to the earth, and, ac- 
 cording to the Hindoos, she may be found in Hell in the course of 
 years. For this reason the wise and learned among them treat these 
 evanescent states of bliss with contempt, and contend that nothing is 
 worthy of pursuit but final beatitude or absorption, which puts an end 
 to all future misery. Hence, a woman's burning herself to obtain 
 connubial bliss in Heaven for a certain period, is deemed by them un- 
 speakably inferior to her obtaining final beatitude through a life of 
 abstinence and chastity. The recommendation in which the Advocate 
 triumphs, therefore, even upon his own principles, ought to have been 
 precisely the reverse of what he has made it, since that line of con- 
 duct ought to be recommended to all, which is supposed to secure 
 their highest happiness. 
 
 The Opponent however is represented as approving of this deci- 
 sion ; but for the sake of its being answered, he is then made to urge 
 another objection in the following words: "As in various shastras 
 contempt has been poured on actions done from cupidity, a woman's 
 burning herself from such motives is by no means proper." He then 
 quotes the Kuthopunishut^ as declaring, that while the pursuit of the 
 system of Sacred Wisdom is considered safe, he who pursues the 
 other system which includes a widow's burning herself, degrades his 
 own nature. This he further corroborates by a long quotation from 
 the Bhaguvut Geeta^ which charges such as follow the system with 
 acting only from cupidity and ambition. This is correct ; for these 
 writers who thus recommend the performance of various religious 
 deeds, though done from the basest motives, prescribe certain sacri- 
 fices for the sake of obtaining wealth ; some to obtain Heavenly bliss, 
 and some to secure the destruction of an enemy ! The whole of 
 this system, therefore, is, by their best writers, regarded as having 
 nothing in it of the nature of virtue ; but as being in reality the indul- 
 gence of cupidity, ambition, and malice ; which dispositions, indicating 
 an impure mind, are the very reverse of that which they deem neces- 
 sary to final beatitude. Among these the Opponent properly classes a 
 w idow's burning herself with her husband's corpse, with the view of en- 
 
38 
 
 joying connubial bliss in Heaven for a certain period ; and intimates, 
 that if actions of this kind are not evil, they are at least unnecessary. 
 This fires the Advocate for the burning system, who, to overwhelm his 
 adversary at once exclaims, " Listen then to Srutee, (a quotation from 
 the Ved,) ' A man wishing Heaven for himself shall perform Ushwa- 
 medha-jauga,' (the sacrifice of a horse ;) and again, ' a man wishing 
 Heaven for himself shall perform Jotiswrna-jauga' These and other 
 Srutees, are they to lose their spirits? that is, to have no effect? Say 
 what is your answer." The Opponent humbly bows beneath the 
 weight of this rebuke, and acknowledges that the Srutee which com- 
 mend selfish actions are not void and useless, but intended for those 
 who, previously filled with '' amours, wrath, and covetousness," are 
 not inclined to enter disinterestedly into the service of the Supreme 
 God ; and that without these Srutees enjoining them thus to sacrifice 
 from cupidity or malice, they, freed from all restriction, would be 
 like an elephant without his guide. To prevent this, says he, certain 
 jaugas were ordained to be performed by them ; as sena-jaugay by 
 one wishing the death of his enemy; pootrosti-jauga, by one longing 
 for a son ; and Jotistuma'jauca, by one wishing bliss in Heaven. 
 This appeases the Advocate, who having thus secured the validity of 
 these commands for performing devotional acts from cupidity, ambi- 
 tion, or malice, admits, that while these deeds are good, still actions 
 done from superior motives are somewhat more praise-worthy. This 
 concession, which might seem unguarded, is in reality made with the 
 view of enabling the Opponent to bring out the last objection he has 
 left, that the Advocate may demolish it like a man of straw. This is 
 couched in the following words : 
 
 " Nessedhok. If you maintain that the disinterested actions are bet- 
 ter than those self-interested, why do you then, instead of permitting 
 husbandless women to adopt the law of (disinterested) Brumhachura, 
 which gives final beatitude, endeavour to preserve the system of self- 
 interested actions of Shuhu-muruna and Onoo^murunUy which produce 
 (merely) bliss in Heaven?" 
 
 This argument, which the Advocate was aware must appear on the 
 face of the subject, and must weigh in favour of a life of abstinence 
 and chastity in preference to burning, as much as eternal beatitude is 
 to be preferred to a continual vicissitude of misery, he now proceeds 
 to obviate. This he first attempts by urging that a woman in em- 
 bracing a life of abstinence and chastity would still do it with a view 
 to final beatitude, and therefore from self-interested motives : hence 
 as burning herself would also rescue her husband from the pit he 
 might be driven into for slaying a brahmun, or a friend, or being un- 
 grateful, together with the three generations before-mentioned, and 
 enable the woman to " get herself rid of her feminine sex," he esteems 
 it far more desirable that she should burn. 
 
 To this conclusive argument the Opponent replies, *' Now your say- 
 ings are consonant with the shastras." Still, however, he suggests the 
 probability of women's attaining the state of final beatitude, were they, 
 after the death of their husbands, " to be disciplined in sacred wisdom, 
 which, by burning themselves, they can never attain." To this the 
 
39 
 
 Advocate for the burning system has an unanswerable argument ready, 
 that all instruction would be totally vain ; for, says he, it would be at- 
 tended with no other success than to condemn them for both the 
 one and the other," in other words, either they would not live the life 
 of chastity recommended, or they would be too dull to do it from pro- 
 per motives. He concludes the argument with saying, " It is there- 
 fore very improper that the women who have never been conscious of 
 so much as the meaning of the word wisdom, shall (should) be de- 
 sired to follow the system of sacred knowledge." No other mode re- 
 mains for the poor creature, therefore, but that of preventing their 
 going astray, or of living chastely from wrong motives, by previ- 
 ously burning them alive. The Opponent is now completely silenced, 
 and at once gives up his argument. 
 
 We have now before us the actual grounds on which all those who 
 oppose the abolishment of the practice, still desire to preserve this 
 privilege of burning alive their mothers^ their sisters, and their daught- 
 ers. It is not because it is sanctioned by the Hindoo law, for their 
 greatest legislator, whose authority is paramount to every other, 
 positively forbids it by enjoining on widows a contrary course. It is 
 not that those few writers who have recommended the practice (for 
 none of them have had the audacity to command it in opposition to 
 their great legislator,) recommend it as a superior course, the dic- 
 tate of more exalted virtue, for they themselves despise the course 
 they thus recommend to the poor widow, and regard with the utmost 
 contempt the motive and principle of action they endeavour to infuse 
 into her mind. But this unparralleled course of murder is practised 
 wholly as a preventative! But as a preventative of what? the effects 
 of their dulness ! their inability to comprehend " the instructions of Sa- 
 cred Wisdom!" What then would be these effects? That they 
 would live a life of abstinence and chastity from improper motives, 
 from a desire after final beatitude ! and thus losing final beatitude, 
 only obtain heaven. Truly their thus forcing their burning system 
 on the poor widow, from principles of such exalted benevolence, out- 
 does all that the Roman Catholics have ever done in the way of burn- 
 ing heretics out of pure pity to their souls. Yet what does this burn- 
 ing system itself profess to hold out to the poor widow; Only a little 
 evanescent bliss for a limited time. As for the other part, the poor 
 widow's dragging her murderous or ungrateful husband out of the 
 hands of Ywma, as a snake-catcher drags a snake out of his hole, it 
 were much better not done. If he has died under the dominion of 
 such barbarous, or base and ungrateful dispositions, it were better far 
 to leave him in the hands of Y^ma for a season, to be taught better 
 principles, than to take him with her to heaven with these feelings of 
 ingratitude, barbarity, and murder, remaining within him. A wretch- 
 ed heaven indeed she would be likely to experience with such a mon- 
 ster during these thirty-five millions of years. If he did not murder 
 her there, it would be merely because she could not become mortal 
 again, till she had worn out this long period of misery. What then is 
 even pretended as the superior advantage of burning ? Nothing : 
 while on their own principles it is optional, the option is quite against the 
 
40 
 
 widow's interests. By chusing a life of abstinence and chastity, she 
 may attain final beatitude, and even, according to them, she secures 
 a certain degree of bliss, though she should be so dull as to forfeit 
 final beatitude through living with this alone in view; while they 
 allow that final beatitude can never be obtained by her burning her- 
 self. But is it to be endured that a poor widow should be burnt 
 merely on account of dulness and stupidity? Is it thus that their 
 mothers and sisters are to be treated? Would they not shrink at 
 burning alive even a beast on the funeral pile of its master? Surely 
 it is horrid beyond expression that relatives so dear should be urged 
 to the burning pile to prevent their living a chaste and virtuous life 
 from a wrong motive merely through dulness, and at the same time 
 be told that it is improper to offer them the least instruction on a sub- 
 ject so important, because they do not as yet know the meaning of 
 the word wisdom. 
 
 But this honest declaration that their chief motive for supporting 
 this system of burning is furnished by women's dulness and stupidity, 
 brings to light a part of the creed of these advocates for matricide, 
 which few ever suspected to belong to Hindooism. The whole of the 
 sex, every mother, and sister, and daughter, are hereby doomed to 
 interminable misery^ since they are declared to be such that it would 
 be improper for them even to be desired to follow that system of sa- 
 cred knowledge universally esteemed by the Hindoo writers the only 
 path to final beatitude. Astonishing ! We have heard that Mooswl- 
 mans exclude women from the felicity of the blessed, but this is en- 
 tirely under the idea of their being without a soul. But if Hindoo 
 women have no souls, what part of them is to enjoy this Heaven of 
 bliss with their husbands for thirty-five millions of years ? If, in the deli- 
 cate language of Hareeta, already quoted, " until the wife does not burn 
 (burn) herself in the fire, she cannot get rid of her feminine body," 
 then by that act she does get rid of her body ; else, what avails this 
 murderous rite ? But if she then gets rid of her body, what is left 
 of her ? a soul, a spirit ; of course nothing else. But of what ma- 
 terials is this soul or spirit formed ? Do they suppose it to be 
 formed of matter, or to be a part of the Eternal Spirit ? If they say 
 it is formed of matter they degrade their daughters, and sisters, and 
 mothers, beneath the very beasts around them ; for there is not a dog 
 that passes by, a reptile that crawls on the earth, or a jackal that 
 howls by night around their cottage, which they do not suppose to be 
 animated by a portion of the Eternal Brz/mhcf. But if they allow that 
 they have souls, and still cannot obtain final beatitude by burning them- 
 selves, then this system, while it devotes their bodies to the most cruel 
 death, dooms their souls to interminable misery. To what absurdity 
 to what contradiction even of the whole system of Hindooism, have 
 these advocates for burning their mothers and sisters reduced them- 
 selves! After all their pleadings for tenderness to their religious 
 prejudices, it appears evident that this murderous practice is not more 
 contrary to humanity than it is subversive to their own religious dog- 
 mas. 
 
 JBut perhaps these advocates for the burning system will urge, that 
 
41 
 
 the fear of the poor widow's mistaking through dulnessthe way to final 
 beatitude, and only reaching heaven, is not the only reason which 
 makes them so desirous of sending her through the flames to enjoy 
 connubial bliss with her deceased husband, that is rather the fear of 
 something worse. This indeed is strongly hinted by the Advocate, 
 in his reply to the Opponent on his expressing his hope that were 
 widows after their husband's death disciplined in sacred wisdom, 
 they might attain final beatitude, which by burning themselves with 
 their husbands they can never attain. In this reply he, declaring that 
 the attempt would be vain, adds "as you say (advise us,) to discipline 
 them in the sacred wisdom, it would be attended with no other suc- 
 cess than to condemn them for both the one and the other^ But in 
 what way could their being permitted to live and receive instruction 
 condemn them for both the one and the other; or, in other words, 
 cause them to lose every hope of bliss? Their dulness, even in living 
 a life of abstinence and chastity from an improper motive, could only 
 make them fall short of final beatitude; what then should condemn 
 them to the loss of all felicity? The meaning is self-evident: the 
 writer intends to say, that instead of persevering in a life of chastity 
 they might possibly go astray and thus incur the condemnation hinted, 
 which, indeed, nothing but a deviation of this nature could make them 
 incur, since he has already declared, that deeds done from the mean- 
 est motive, from "amours (or concupiscence), anger or fear," are 
 still available in the case of a woman's burning herself; and hence 
 the merit of a life of self-denial and chastity cannot of course be de- 
 stroyed by its motives. He evidently means to say, that as they 
 would not live a life of chastity, their burning themselves is the only 
 preventive of their utter condemnation. And have they then this 
 shocking idea of their own daughters, and sisters, and mothers ? Will 
 nothing preserve them in widowhood from a life of lewdness but 
 their being burnt alive? Then a Suttee at once loses both its name 
 and its nature. It is no longer the effect of chaste affection; it is 
 the highest dishonour to every family in which it may happen. It pro- 
 claims in the loudest manner that, in the opinion of her own relatives, 
 the sister or the mother who is the victim, is so corrupt in her dispo- 
 sition^ so impure in her mind, that they have no method of keeping her 
 from a life of unchastity but that of burning her alive ; for what person, 
 who had not the heart of a tiger, would resort to this dreadful remedy 
 with so near a relative, while any other course held out the least hope? 
 But granting all this, still is it right that this preventive tneasure 
 should be adopted with any one, much less with such near relatives? 
 Is it agreeable to natural equity that a person should be burnt alive, 
 not /or impurity of conduct, but to prevent it? If it be, ought it to be 
 confined to one sex? ought it not to be extended to the other likewise, 
 or are the jiiothers and sisters of those who uphold the burning sys- 
 tem more depraved than all who dwell around them? Surely, if 
 ih\% preventive course be allowable at all, it ought not to be confined 
 to the most virtuous, merely because they are the most defenceless; 
 it ought to be extended farther, to the advocates of the measure them- 
 selves. If they do not discover an equal disposition to impurity with 
 
 F 
 
42 
 
 their mothers and sisters, they may to other vices equally injurious to 
 society, and according to their own creed equally punishable in the other 
 world. The same /^rerew^/re therefore might with equal benevolence 
 be exercised on them at stated periods, or at least on such of them as 
 seem most likely to perpetrate vice; and if they were less fond of the 
 burning system than they say the poor widow is, they might be per- 
 mitted to chuse any other mode of dying, and thus the city and the 
 country would, in due time, be purified in the most effectual manner; 
 it might, 'tis true, be somewhat thinned of inhabitants; but the puri- 
 ty of those left behind, and the reflection that all either burnt or hang- 
 ed on this preventive system^ were as assuredly in the enjoyment of 
 bliss they would have forfeited by living, as the immolated widow is 
 in the enjoyment of bliss in heaven with her deceased husband, might 
 well reconcile us to the fewness of our neighbours. 
 
 The author of this pamphlet having thus far silenced the Opponent, 
 now attempts to justify their binding the poor widow fast to the corpse 
 of her deceased husband, their heaping wood upon her and pressing 
 her down with bamboos. For this purpose he makes the Opponent, 
 after acknowledging that the Advocate for the system had given "the 
 just sense of various shastras," observe, that instead of causing the 
 women to mount the burning pile as the laws direct, they make them 
 first mount the pile, and then, " having strongly tied the said widows 
 to the corpse of their husbands, heap them over and over with wood 
 and large bamboos, and setting fire thereon, burn them to death. We 
 proclaim," adds he, "that you must not slay women in such a man- 
 ner" To this the Advocate for the burning system does not reply 
 by denying the truth of this shocking fact, or by urging that it is too 
 strongly stated; but he defends it by saying that "in whatever coun- 
 try the practice is to mount the full burning pile, there it is indispu- 
 table, (indisputably right) ; but that in those countries where this is 
 not the practice, this following of local custom is not inconsistent with 
 the shastras, quoting several authors to shew, that the usages and cus- 
 toms of a country ought to be observed. The Opponent is then 
 made to reply that, by this rule, those who, residing in forests and 
 mountains make it their profession to kill living creatures, are to be 
 held blameless. "By no means," says the Advocate, "for the actions 
 of these rude foresters are not approved by men of fidelity, and the 
 laws on the head of ^huhumuruwa have been regularly maintained by 
 the holy sages, philosophers, and the learned." The plain meaning 
 of this is, that the learned have themselves introduced into Bengal 
 this custom of firmly binding women to the corpse of the deceased 
 husband, heaping wood on them, and pressing them down with large 
 bamboos from a regard to the custom of the country, when no such 
 custom existed till created by them! In Bengal there was formerly 
 no custom of this nature existing; and had there been, the customs of 
 the rude and ignorant are here said to be unworthy of regard; it is 
 the learned alone therefore who have introduced this inhuman devia- 
 tion from their own shastras, for which they now plead because it 
 does exist! 
 
 The manner in which the Advocate justifies their violating the wo- 
 
43 
 
 man's promise to mount the burning pile, however, is still more singu- 
 lar. It must here be remarked, that the woman, before she burns, 
 pronounces what is termed the Swnk7/lpa, which is couched in the fol- 
 lowing terms: '^ I will mount the burning pile.^^ Adverting to this 
 the Opponent says, " How can the Swnkwlpa be completed, because 
 (when) it is pronounced with a promise to mount a burning pile? in- 
 stead of which they mount it before it touches fire." This difficulty 
 the Advocate removes in a moment. Says he, " Whatever you say 
 regarding the incompletion of the Swukwlpa arises from your inatten- 
 tion; for should a little part of a village or a cloth be consumed by 
 fire, it is then said, even by learned men, that the village or cloth was 
 (is) burnt. In the same manner a little burning-pile is also called a 
 burning pile, and in that case the Swnkwlpa was (is) not incomplete." 
 As much as to say, that if a single twig be set on fire, this constitutes 
 a burning pile! In this manner do these men, with the most daring 
 effrontery, sport with their violating even their own most sacred for- 
 mulas, for the sake of securing the destruction of a poor defenceless 
 widowy in whom nature might otherwise recoil at the doom awaiting 
 her. 
 
 The next reply, however, is, for its levity and falsehood^ if possible, 
 still more disgusting. The Opponent is made to answer, " I approve 
 of your saying this; but from what instances the people attending fu- 
 neral ceremonies (by what authority do the people attending funeral 
 ceremonies) tie up the women that are about to mount the burning 
 pile? and why are they not guilty of the sin of slaying women? " To 
 this the Advocate replies," In the aforesaid text of Hareeta it was (is) 
 expressed, that until the women themselves cause their bodies to be con- 
 sumed in the fire, they cannot finally get rid of their sex. In which 
 case, should any part of their bodies, while burning asunder in the 
 piles (on the pile) be slipped out thereof it cannot be wholly consumed.''^ 
 It is difficult to say whether the indelicacy, the shocking levity, or the 
 impudent falsehood of this reply be most to be detested. Granting 
 that the horrid rite requires every particle of the body of the wretch- 
 ed victim to be consumed, does their binding her secure this? It se- 
 cures her death it is true ; it renders all the recoilings of nature una- 
 vailing; but do they bind down every limb of their helpless victim? 
 if they did, would not the cords be the first fuel for the flame? For 
 men thus to sport with decency, humanity, and truth, in defence of 
 MURDER offered to a British public, is of itself sufficient to condemn 
 for ever the inhuman custom. We shall only detain the reader with 
 one instance more of this kind. The Opponent having expressed his 
 approbation of this reason for binding women, has only one scruple 
 left, which is, whether those who assist in burning the widow are not 
 guilty of sin. To this the Advocate for burning replies, that it rath- 
 er exalts them to glory than renders them guilty of sin, which he 
 confirms by reciting the following example from Mutsya-poorana, 
 "There was a prostitute named Leelavztee,who having resolved to make 
 an off*ering of an artificial salt-hill, one goldsmith, named Heemtz^rw- 
 ghuiuka, undertook the work, and perceiving it to be a divine action he 
 took nothing from the girl for his hire, but constructed for her a salt-hill 
 
44 
 
 with so much elegance and neatness that afterwards, in reward there- 
 of, the said poor and theological goldsmith together with his wife was 
 endowed with immense riches, and became himself the monarch of 
 the seven-dweepa universe, with a shining form equal to the rays of 
 ten thousand suns." Hence he gives the Opponent to understand, that 
 whoever assists in burning a widow is likely to reap glory, as well as 
 this theological goldsmith for assisting the prostitute in her devout 
 offering. Thus do the supporters of this system, by the most idle 
 fables^ as well as the most indecent examples^ trifle with the real mur- 
 der of their nearest female relatives. 
 
 On this subject, as the only reason why this murderous custom is 
 still permitted to pollute the land with blood, when the exposure of 
 infants, and men's voluntarily devoting themselves to death, have been 
 abolished by public authority, must be sought in the idea entertained 
 that it is indispensibly enjoined by the Hindoo laws and system, we 
 intreat permission to subjoin a few extracts from a document in our 
 possession, drawn up in S^ngskrita about two years ago by Mrztyoon- 
 JMy-VzdyalMnkz/rfl, the chief pundit successively in the College of 
 Fort William, and in the Supreme Court, at the request of the Chief 
 Judge in the Sudder Dewanee Adawlut, who wished him to ascertain, 
 from a comparison of all the works extant on the subject, the precise 
 point of law relative to burning widows, according to those who re- 
 commend the practice. This document, as the Compiler of it, from 
 his own extensive learning and the assistance of his friends, had an 
 opportunity of consulting more works on the subject than almost any 
 pundit in this Presidency, may be regarded as possessing the highest 
 legal authority according to the Hindoos. After having consulted 
 nearly thirty works on the subject, current in Bengal and the north- 
 ern, western, and southern parts of Hindoostan, among which are all 
 those quoted for the practice by the author of this pamphlet, he says, 
 "Having examined all these works and weighed their meaning, I 
 thus reply to the questions I have been desired to answer. The 
 Juttee Mulla Bilas shastra directs the following formula to be address- 
 ed to the bride by the priest at the time of marriage, ' be thou per- 
 petually the companion of thy husband, in life and in death.' Ha- 
 reet, a later writer, says that it is the inheritance of every woman 
 belonging to the four casts, not being pregnant or not having a little 
 child, to burn herself with her husband." The Compiler afterwards 
 quotes Vishnoo-moonee as speaking thus, " ' let the wife either em- 
 brace a life of abstinence and chastity, or mount the burning pile;' 
 but he forbids the latter to the unchaste." He then enumerates parti- 
 cularly the various rules laid down by him and others who have fol- 
 lowed him on the same side of the question, relative to the time and 
 circumstances in which a woman is permitted to burn herself, and in 
 what cases she is even by them absolutely forbidden. These extracts 
 shew that binding the woman, and the other acts of additional 
 cruelty which the author of this pamphlet justifies, are totally forbid- 
 den. The Soodheekoumoodee as quoted by the Compiler says, " Let 
 the mother enter the fire after the son has kindled it around his fath- 
 er's corpse ; but to the father's corpse and the mother let him not set 
 
45 
 
 fire: if the son set fire to the living mother he has on him the guilt 
 of murdering both a woman and a mother." Thus the possibility of 
 a woman's being bound to her husband's corpse is taken away : while 
 the act is left perfectly optional, the son is not to be^ in the least de- 
 gree^ accessary to the mother^ s death; if she burn herself at all, it 
 must be by throwing herself into the flames already kindled. And 
 the Nirnui/tt'Sindhoo forbids the use of any bandage, bamboos, or 
 wood, by way of confining the woman on the funeral pile ; nor before 
 she enters it must the least persuasion be used, nor must she be plac- 
 ed on the fire by others. Thus the practice as existing in Bengal 
 and defended in this work is deliberate murder^ even according to the 
 legal authorities which recommend burning as optional. 
 
 Mrityoonjuya however shews, from various authors, that though 
 burning is termed optional, it is still not to be recommended. To 
 this effect he quotes the Vijuyuntee^ *' While Brwmhachwrya and 
 burning are perfectly optional, burning may arise from concupiscence, 
 but Brwmhflchwryrt cannot ; hence they are not equally worthy, how 
 then can they be equally optional ? By BrMmhttchwrytt the widow 
 obtains bliss though she have no son." He then quotes several 
 authors, as declaring, that women ought not to burn, because it is 
 merely a work of concupiscence ; the Julwa-mala-vilas and others as 
 declaring that the practice is merely the effect of cupidity, and not 
 the fruit of a virtuous and constant mind ; and the Mitakshura as de- 
 claring, that by embracing a life of abstinence the widow, by means 
 of divine wisdom, may obtain beatitude ; and hence, that a woman's 
 burning herself is improper ; adding, that in former ages nothing was 
 heard of women's burning themselves : it is found only in this corrupt 
 age. 
 
 The following is the conclusion drawn by this able pundit and jurist 
 from the perusal of the whole of these works. " After perusing many 
 works on this subject, the following are my deliberate and digested 
 ideas : Vzshnoo-moonee and various others say, that the husband be- 
 ing dead, the wife may either embrace a life of abstinence and chas- 
 tity, or mount the burning pile ; but on viewing the whole I esteem a 
 life of abstinence and chastity ^ to accord best with the law / the pre- 
 ference appears evidently to be on that side. Vyasa, Swngkoo, Un- 
 geera, and Hareeta, speaking of widow's burning, say, that by burn- 
 ing herself with her husband she may obtain connubial bliss in Hea- 
 ven ; while, by a life of abstinence and chastity, she, attaining sacred 
 wisdom, may certainly obtain final beatitude. Hence to destroy her- 
 self for the sake of a little evanescent bliss, cannot be her duty ; burn- 
 ing is for none but for those who, despising final beatitude, desire 
 nothing beyond a little short-lived pleasure. Hence I regafd a 
 woman's burning herself as an unworthy act^ and a life of abstinence 
 and chastity as highly excellent. In the shastras appear many prohi- 
 bitions of a woman's dying with her husband^ but against a life of ab- 
 stinence and chastity there is no prohibition. Against her burning 
 herself the following authorities are found. In the Meemangsha- 
 dirshMnrt it is declared, that every kind of self-inflicted injury is sin. 
 The Sankhyrf says, that a useless death is undoubtedly sinful. The 
 
46 
 
 killing for sacrifice commanded by the shastras has a reasonable cause, 
 and is yet sinful in a certain degree, because it destroys life. And 
 while, by the Meemangsha, either of the two may be chosen ; by the 
 Sankhy, a life of abstinence and chastity is alone esteemed lawful. 
 But by the Vedant, all works springing from concupiscence are to 
 be abhorred and forsaken; hence a woman's burning herself from the 
 desire of connubial bliss, ought certainly to be rejected with abhor- 
 rence." 
 
 He further adds, "No blame whatever is attached to those who 
 prevent a woman's burning. In the shastras it is said, the Kundurpa 
 being consumed to ashes by the eye of Shiva, his wife, Rwtee, deter- 
 mined to burn herself; and commanded her husband's friend, Mwd- 
 hoo, to prepare the funeral pile. Upon this the gods forbad her ; on 
 which account she desisted, but by Kalee-dasa no blame is attached 
 to them for this conduct. Thus also in the Shree-Bhaguvuta : a wo- 
 man, Kripee, had a son, a mighty hero, from love to whom she for- 
 bore to burn herself with her husband ; yet she was deemed guilty of 
 no sin therein. Now also we hear of sons and other relatives at- 
 tempting to dissuade a woman from burning ; yet they are esteemed 
 fuilty of no crime. It is also evident that a woman, in thus burning 
 erself, dies merely from her own self-will, and from no regard to 
 any shastra ; such the command of a thousand shastras would not in- 
 duce to die. They merely reason thus, ' By the death of my hus- 
 band I have sustained an irreparable loss ; it is better for me to die 
 than to live ;' hence a woman determines to die : and her relatives 
 seeing this mind in her, provide the funeral pile, and say, " if you are 
 determined to die, to die by falling from a precipice would be tedious, 
 die in this manner :" thus a father who has a son determined to go to 
 a distant country, finding all dissuasion vain, at length sends a guide 
 with him who knows all the rivers and dangerous places. The vari- 
 ous shastras therefore describe this action as being merely that of 
 one who, having received an incurable wound, is determined to die, 
 whether by falling from a precipice, by fire, or by water." 
 
 After this full and accurate investigation by one so able and pos- 
 sessing such opportunities, the subject, as far as relates to the law of 
 the Hindoos, or to the countenance it receives from the Hindoo sys- 
 tem, may well be supposed to be fully before the public. All that the 
 author of this pamphlet, assisted by all the pundits who wish for the 
 continuance of the practice, has been able to bring forth as at all 
 countenancing it, is confined to the opinions of five or six authors, 
 amidst that multitude included by the Hindoos under the term of " the 
 learned :" and after the examination of nearly thirty works written 
 either for or against this practice, the hope of obtaining further light 
 respecting it from the Hindoo shastras, is totally vain. A work to be 
 ranked as an authority in point of law, must have been known and 
 read for ages : any work therefore on the subject hitherto hidden, and 
 hereafter brought forth to countenance the practice, becomes, for that 
 very reason, of no authority. The question is now left to be determined 
 wholly on the principle of equity and reason. It is possible that this 
 practice might have origijiated in the injunction of the shastra addressed 
 
47 
 
 by the priest to the bride in marriage, " Be thou the companion of 
 thy husband in life and in death." It is evident that Mwnoo was 
 ignorant of the custom of Suttee, by his prescribing for widows 
 a life of abstinence and chastity. From this, however, certain succeed- 
 ing writers, Hareeta, and some others, may have taken occasion to 
 recommend the widow's burning herself, with the hope of living 
 again with her husband for a limited number of years. But even by 
 these it was enjoined, that this should be a perfectly voluntary act, 
 voluntary in its origin, and in every stage of it; and that this should 
 be manifested by her ascending the burning pile without the least 
 force, and by no force being used to detain her there. And should na- 
 ture recoil at the sight of the flames, the atonement was only three 
 kahwns of cowries, or about twelve annas ; after which it is expressly 
 enjoined, that she shall be received and treated by her neighbours 
 precisely as before. Above all, the son is forbidden, in the most ex- 
 press manner, to be in the least degree accessary to his mother's death. 
 If frantic grief urge her to put an end to her own existence, it must 
 be by her throwing herself on the funeral pile of her deceased lord, 
 in which she must be no more assisted than as though she were pre- 
 cipitating herself from a precipice. While nothing can be more mur- 
 derous, therefore, than the practice and mode justified by the writer 
 of the pamphlet under consideration, nothing can be more contrary to 
 the spirit and intention of even those few Hindoo writers who have re- 
 commended the burning system. 
 
 While this horrid practice is allowed to have been recommended by 
 certain writers, it is evident that it was never considered as a law^ or 
 as a religious injunction essential to the duty of a good Hindoo. If it 
 be a law binding even in point of conscience, the greater part of India 
 must ever have lived in a state of direct disobedience to the laws 
 of their own religion ; for as the recommendation is directed to widows 
 of every cast down even to the lowest, that of a Chandala, it must have 
 been imperative on all, at least as matter of conscience. Yet, not to 
 advert to what Mrztyoonjwya has advanced, that it was unknown in the 
 first and purest ages of Hindooism, if the number of widows burnt in 
 Bengal annually do not exceed a thousand, it must be disobeyed even 
 in Bengal, where it is most prevalent, by at least ninety-nine out of a 
 hundred of the population, and in the western part of Hindoostan by a 
 still greater proportion ; while, in the southern part of the British do- 
 minions, it is said to be scarcely regarded at all. If this practice 
 therefore form a part of the Hindoo religious system, with the excep- 
 tion of one in perhaps a thousand, this system is, by themselves, uni- 
 versally discarded and treated with contempt.* 
 
 This barbarous practice, however, while recommended by a few 
 among the Hindoo writers, has been found by others to involve prin- 
 ciples directly subversive of Hindooism itself. Here it is almost need- 
 
 * " Supposing the entire Hindoo population of the Bengal Presidency to be 50,000,000, 
 and the annual deaths to be 1 in 33, or above 1,500,000 a sixth of this number, or 250,000 
 might, on a general computation, be assumed as the number of Hindoo females becoming 
 widows, of whom little more than 600 devote themselves on the death of their husbands." 
 (Parliamentary Papers^ July, I825y p. llj Ed. 
 
48 
 
 less to inform the reader that the learned among the Hindoos have 
 been, for numerous ages, almost as much divided respecting their re- 
 ligious sentiments as were formerly the learned of Greece and Rome. 
 One grand principle of the Hindoo system is, that life must not be de- 
 stroyed : hence their abstaining from animal food ; and hence many 
 have thought it sinful to destroy a noxious or a poisonous reptile. 
 Even sacrifices are supposed to involve a certain degree of guilt, as far 
 as they destroy life, although their being done in obedience to a sup- 
 posed command, causes the merit of the deed to overbalance its demerit. 
 But it is evident, from what has been already urged, that a woman's 
 burning herself has never been considered as a deed commanded* 
 Hence, as Mr^tyoonJMya justly observes, no blame has ever been at- 
 tached, by any of their writers, to those who have prevented its being 
 done ; which would have been the case had it been regarded as a re- 
 ligious duty. Instances enough may be found in the Hindoo shastras 
 of the strong sense they have of the sin of obstructing or preventing a 
 religious act; many examples are related of men said to be destroyed 
 by devotees for interrupting them only in their evening ceremonies. 
 While, therefore, it has been merely recommended by a few, others 
 have beheld it as destroying life without cause, and thus violating 
 one of the fundamental principles of Hindooism. 
 
 But many have gone farther, and condemned the very principle on 
 which it has been recommended. The ground of this has been al- 
 ready mentioned. The Hindoos maintain, in all its strictness, the doc- 
 trine of the metempsychosis, and believe that the human soul is part 
 of the Supreme Being, and that while its desires are impure and cor- 
 rupt, it can never be re-united to him and obtain final beatitude. 
 Others among them, however, hold that certain deeds, though done 
 from the most unworthy motives, are in themselves so available as to 
 merit a certain degree of recompense ; never final beatitude indeed, 
 but wealth, a son, long life, the destruction of enemies, or a certain 
 temporary state of bliss in their Swwrg, or heavens. In this class those 
 rank who contend for the burning of widows, as is sufficiently testified 
 by one of the quotations given in the pamphlet under consideration, 
 which says, that though a woman burn herself from " amours, anger, 
 fear, or affection," she is still certain of obtaining heaven. But all 
 these deeds the more learned treat with the greatest contempt, de- 
 claring them to be nothing more than vice in another shape, the in- 
 dulgence of a corrupt mind. These writers therefore view a wo- 
 man's burning herself as perfectly unlawful. Thus those who form 
 the great support of the Hindoo system, totally condemn the very 
 principle on which the practice is at all recommended, and esteem the 
 whole an indulgence of vicious and corrupt desires, while they insist, 
 on the other hand, that the law commands a widow to live a life of 
 abstinence and chastity. That these compose the greater part of the 
 Hindoos, may be inferred from the proportion of widows thus burnt 
 alive when compared with the whole population of Hindoostan, the 
 horrid practice prevailing chiefly in the lower part of Bengal, and 
 most of all, within about twenty or thirty miles of Calcutta. 
 
 Such then is the real state of things relative to this practice, even 
 
49 
 
 when described by its most slreniious advocates; for the reader will 
 have seen that in the pamphlet under consideration, the admissions of 
 the Advocate for its continuance condemn the practice scarcely less 
 than Mrhyoonyiiya himself. As a command it has not the least foun- 
 dation in the Hindoo system; for while it is recommended to all, at 
 least ninety-nine out of a hundred of the strictest and most devout 
 Hindoos have ever lived in complete disregard of it. Had it been other- 
 wise indeed, as the recommendation is general, the country must have 
 been every year a scene of general massacre. If the number of Hin- 
 doos in India be computed at a hundred millions, and few will esti- 
 mate them lower, the least number who die annually must, in the 
 common course of mortality, be estimated at three millions ; and, as 
 nearly every man is married, and in general to a woman far young- 
 er than himself, a million of widows annually is the very lowest 
 number which we ought to reckon. Now if only one out of a hun- 
 dred of these are burned, this will exhibit ten thousand widows con- 
 signed to the Jlames every year! but, were the whole million to be 
 thus burnt alive, this country would yearly present such a Gehenna 
 such a sacrifice to Moloch, as the world has never beheld. A law, 
 however, regularly disobeyed by ninety-nine out of a hundred of those to 
 whom it is given, and this without either punishment or blame, is totally 
 unworthy the name. Such is not the case with the laws of the Hin- 
 doo system: by these widows are forbidden to marry again, and not 
 one in a thousand ever marries again. As a recommendation then it 
 has not been supported by one fifth of the Hindoo writers on ethics 
 or jurisprudence, nor practically regarded by a thousandth part of 
 those who profess Hindooism. The recommendation is also in direct 
 opposition to the command of the great Hindoo lawgiver, who enjoins 
 on every widow a life of abstinence and chastity ; and further, it is 
 grounded on principles completely subversive of the Hindoo system, 
 and opposed to that course which the Hindoos believe to be the only 
 path to final happiness. Yet this practice, thus opposed to their great 
 legislator's command to the very nature of their religious system 
 and to all their best ideas of virtue, is kept alive in the metropolis and 
 its vicinity by acts of unfeeling coercion, which are the most direct 
 violations of the rules laid down by those few who have at all recom- 
 mended the practice, while in the provinces of Hindoostan, which is 
 held to have been the chief seat of every important transaction de- 
 tailed in their mythology, and which contains a brave, noble, courage- 
 ous race, before whom the natives of Bengal have always trembled, 
 thepractice, if formerly prevalent in any great degree, has at this time 
 nearly expired beneath the feelings of common humanity. Yet all these 
 circumstances of additional cruelty are now detailed and justified in an 
 address to the British public, while not the least shadow of argument 
 is brought forward in support of the system; but rather principles 
 are tacitly avowed as the grand motive for continuing it, which dis- 
 cover the most complete absence of feeling for the moral welfare of 
 their dearest female relatives, and reflecton their characters the high- 
 est dishonour. 
 
 While the discussion of the subject was confined to the native Ian- 
 
 b 
 
50 
 
 guage, a certain degree of silence might perhaps have been less 
 blameable. But after a justification of the system has appeared in 
 the shape of an appeal to the public both in India and in Britain, in 
 the English language, it would be criminal to remain silent, and a 
 grievous offence against humanity to treat the subject in a light and 
 cursory manner. And when it is considered, that this practice causes 
 the death of a greater number of persons in one year, who, if they 
 ought not to be thus burnt alive, involve the country in all the guilt of 
 innocent blood, than are publicly executed for their crimes throughout 
 the whole of India in the course of twenty years, it cannot be wrong 
 to call to this momentous subject the attention of every friend to his 
 country. How would Biitain feel, if within herself a hundred inno- 
 cent persons suffered death by some mistake of law in the course of a 
 year ! How then ought she to feel when in only one province of her 
 foreign dominions nearly a thousand innocent widows are every year 
 burnt to death? Were this inhuman persecution, which, in the num- 
 ber of its annual victims, exceeds all that papal superstition ever 
 brought to the stake in Britain in the course of a century, directed by 
 the supporters of this practice against any particular sect, or class of 
 men, they would long ago have appealed to their rulers for redress, 
 or they would have left the spot where they were treated with such 
 cruelty. But how can mothers and sisters make an appeal against 
 their own relatives ? How can a wife, a mother, withdraw from her 
 own family ? They may endure continual agony under the apprehen- 
 sion of the dreadful doom which they know awaits them on the first 
 fatal attack of disease on their husbands, they may feel their anguish 
 renewed at the sight of every female neighbour they behold led forth 
 to the flames they may tremble at every touch of disease that 
 affects their husbands, and weep at every recollection of their hapless 
 children; but can they leave the scene of suffering? can they make 
 k?iozcn their sorrows? dare they bewray, even in the slightest degree, 
 the anguish which preys on their vitals ? They lie bound as sheep 
 for the slaughter; and thus they must remain, suffering in silence, 
 till British feeling and sympathy shall duly realize their hitherto un- 
 known, unpitied misery.* 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 The present partial interference of the British Government promotes 
 
 the INCREASE, CELEBRITY, and SUPPOSED LEGALITY of the Suttce. 
 
 The sentiment of the Poet, "'Tis but lame kindness that does its 
 work by halves," applies with peculiar force to the regulations enact- 
 ed in British India relative to the burning of widows. This will ap- 
 pear by the following extracts from the Parliamentary Papers relat- 
 ing to Hindoo widows: JVo. i, ii, iii, iv; printed July, 1821 ; June, 
 1823; June, 1 824; and July, 1825. 
 
 * Friend of India, (monthly series), Vol. ii. Page 453483. 
 
61 
 
 '' It appears to me that, if the practice is allowed to exist at all, 
 the less notice we take of it the better, because the apparent object 
 of the interference of the police is to compel the people to observe 
 the rules of their own shastras, (which of themselves they will not 
 obey), by ascertaining* particular circumstances of the condition of the 
 widow. The object of the interference does not appear to answer 
 the proposed end : for, with the same means of obtaining" information, 
 the number of widows burnt in 1817 far exceeds that in the preceding 
 years. It is true, that the interference of the police may, in some 
 cases, have induced compliance with the rules of the shastras; but 
 the official attendance of the darogah stamps every regular Suttee with 
 the sanction of Government ; and I must humbly submit, that autho- 
 rizing- a practice is not the way to effect its gradual abolition."* 
 (W. Ewer, Esq., Act. Sup. of Police, Lower Provinces, Calcutta, 
 Nov., 1818.) 
 
 ''Mr. Chapman entirely agrees with Mr. Oakley that the interfe- 
 rence of Government has been a cause of the increased prevalence 
 of Suttee."+ (W. Ewer, Esq., &c.) 
 
 "I should not deem it improbable that the interference of the po- 
 lice officers, under the orders of Government, may have tended to in- 
 crease the practice, by acting as a stimulus, in the same manner that 
 the interference of European Governments with the religious tenets of 
 any sect, has always tended to increase the zeal and confirm the preju- 
 dices of the sectaries." J (J. Ewing, Esq., Magistrate, Sylhet.) 
 
 '' Previous to 1813, no interference on the part of the police was 
 authorized, and widows were sacrificed legally or illegally as it 
 might happen; but the Hindoos were then aware that the Govern- 
 ment regarded the custom with natural horror, and would do any 
 thing short of direct prohibition to discourage and gradually to abo- 
 lish it. The case is now altered. The police officers are ordered to 
 interfere, for the purpose of ascertaining that the ceremony is per- 
 formed in conformity with the rules of the shastras, and in that event 
 to allow its completion. This is granting the authority of Govern- 
 ment for the burning of widows ; and it can scarcely be a matter of 
 astonishment that the number of the sacrifices should be doubled 
 when the sanction of the ruling power is added to the recommendation 
 of the shastra:'% (H. Oakley, Esq., Mag., Hooghly, Dec, 1818.) 
 
 ^' The Governor General in Council is reluctantly led to express 
 his apprehension that the greater confidence with which the people 
 perform this rite under the sanction of Government, as implied or 
 avowed in the circular orders already in force, combined with the 
 excitement of religious bigotry by the continual agitation of the ques- 
 tion, may have tended to augment, rather than diminish, the frequency 
 of these sacrifices." || (Calcutta, Dec, 1819.) The increase here refer- 
 red to was evident from the returns of Suttees in the several districts 
 subordinate to the Presidency of Fort William, viz., in the year, 
 
 " 1815 378. 
 
 1816 442. 
 
 1817 707."f 
 
 Par. Papers, No i. p. 229. + p. 232. % P- 232. S P- 2S6. || p. 242. 5 p. 241. 
 
Ci 
 
 52 
 
 Relative to the increase of Suttees, the Magistrates in the Allypore 
 district remark, " The abstract statement of the number of Suttees 
 exhibits the frequency of these abominable sacrifices so progressively 
 and materially increased since the period referred to, (from 1813 to 
 1818), as to justify our being confirmed in the belief, before more 
 than once expressed by this, to the superior Court, that any interfer- 
 ence, save that of total prohibition under the severest penalties^ will 
 ever be productive of a mistaken spirit of jealousy and opposition, 
 which will hope by encouraging the prevalence of this superstitious 
 usage, to induce us to discontinue altogether our interference."* 
 (Allypore, March, 1819.) 
 
 "As far as my observation goes, I shall say that the humane inten- 
 tions of the framersofthe regulations regarding these ceremonies will 
 not be fully answered. It can hardly be doubted but that the neces- 
 sary presence of the police officers of Government, at these immola- 
 tions, stamps on them that character of strict legality and seem 
 to afford them that degree of countenance on the part of Govern- 
 ment which must produce an evil effect." + (J. F. Petty, Esq , Mag., 
 Southern Concan.) 
 
 "After having weighed, with every deliberation, the mode of car- 
 rying into effect the intention of Government, I became most fully 
 satisfied that if the prohibitory points to the sacrifice were to be deters 
 mined by native police officers^ the practice of this awful rite would 
 shortly multiply manifoW J (J. Marriott, Esq., Mag., Tannah, Sep. 
 1819.) 
 
 "Our Government, by modifying the thing and issuing orders about 
 it, orders which even the Government and the Sudder Judges them- 
 selves do not appear clearly to comprehend, have thrown the ideas of 
 the Hindoos upon the subject into a complete state of confusion. They 
 know not what is allowed and what interdicted ; but, upon the whole, 
 they have a persuasion that our Government, whom they most erro- 
 neously suppose to be indifferent about the lives of the natives, are 
 rather favourable to Suttees than otherwise. They will then believe 
 that we abhor the usage when we prohibit in toto by an absolute and 
 peremptory law. They have no idea that we might not do so with 
 the most perfect safety. They conceive our power and our will to be 
 commensurate.^^ ^ (C. Smith, Esq., Second Judge, Calcutta, Aug., 
 1821.) 
 
 The Hon. the Court of Directors, in a letter to the Governor Ge- 
 neral in Council, under date London, June, 1823, thus express their 
 opinion upon the subject of partial interference, "To us it appears 
 very doubtful (and we are confirmed in this doubt by respectable 
 authority) whether the measures which have been already taken 
 have not tended rather to increase than to diminish the frequency 
 of the practice. Such a tendency is, at least, not unnaturally as- 
 cribed to a Regulation which, prohibiting a practice only in cer- 
 tain cases, appears to sanction it in all others. It is to be appre- 
 hended, that where the people have not previously a very enthu- 
 siastic attatchm ent to the custom, a law which shall explain to them 
 * Par. Papers, No. i. p. 218. f p. 254. t 255, 256. No. ii. p. 67. 
 
63 
 
 the cases in which it ought not to be followed may be taken as a di- 
 rection for adopting it in all others. It is, moreover, with much re- 
 luctance that we can consent to make the British Government, by a 
 specific permission of the Suttee, an ostensible party to the sacrifice; 
 we are averse also to the practice of making British Courts expound- 
 ers and vindicators of the Hindoo religion, when it leads to acts which, 
 not less as Legislators than as Christians, we abominate."* 
 
 *'A general opinion prevails (in which I most cordially concur), 
 that, in order to reduce the frequency of this rite, it should be neg- 
 lected and treated with as little notice as possible." + (J. J. Sparrow, 
 Esq., Col. & Mag., S. Concan, Feb., 1822.) 
 
 The opinions of the second, third, and fifth Judges of the Niza- 
 mut Adawlut in Calcutta, are as follows : 
 
 " The second Judge cannot subscribe to any instructions that have 
 a tendency to modify^ systematize^ or legalize the usage^ or that appear 
 to regard a legal Suttee as at all better than an illegal one. He is 
 convinced, that if this mode of issuing orders under the sanction of 
 Government to regulate Suttees is continued, the practice will take 
 such deep rooty trader the authority of the supreme power of the coun- 
 try, that to eradik.2te it will become impossible. The usage will be much 
 more likely to fall into disuse under a total neglect on the part of 
 Government, than under the present system of attention and inquiry, 
 which serves but to keep the feelings of the Hindoo population alive 
 upon the point, and to give a sort of interest and celebrity to the sa- 
 crifice, which is in the highest degree favourable to its continuance 
 and extension." J (C. Smith, Esq.) 
 
 "I conceive that we have already done a great deal of mischief in 
 this way, and that instead of diminishing we have increased the evil." 
 (J. T. Shakespeare, Esq.) 
 
 " I confess that my own opinion inclines me to impute to the Re- 
 gulations a positively pernicious tendency, in proportion to the degree 
 in which they have brought the sacrifices under the more immedi- 
 ate cognizance of the officers of Government, whose presence at the 
 ceremony, instead of operating as a restraint, has, I am afraid, con- 
 tributed to invest it with additional solemnity, and to confer on the 
 performance of it, in the mistaken view of the natives, a species of 
 authoritative sanction which it was not before considered to possess." || 
 (W. B. Martin, Esq.) 
 
 " It can hardly be doubted but that the printed work regarding 
 Suttees has given the ceremony, in the eyes of the natives, a stamp of 
 legality which in our Provinces it never before possessed ; and it may 
 therefore be questioned whether, upon the whole, more harm than 
 good may not have followed its publication." H (Bombay, Jud. Cons., 
 June, 1820.) 
 
 " This permission I found that the people most ignorantly and per- 
 versely abused ; and, at every stage of my argument with them, an 
 appeal was made to the order of Government , as a vindication of their 
 conduct. There can be no doubt of the benevolent intention of Go- 
 
 * Par. Papers, No. iii. p, 45. f p. 48. % No. iv. p. 148. p. 149. || p. 149. 
 
 5 p. 156. 
 
54 
 
 vernment in issuing such an order, and as little of its beneficial 
 influence in many instances, as it prevents the employment of 
 force; but, the people construe it into a direct approval of the dread- 
 ful act; and for a long time ' The order of GovernmenV seemed 
 to form a triumphant answer to all my arguments.'" And again: 
 '' The only answer they attempted to give was, ' It is the custom, and 
 we have got the Government order for so doing.'"* (Extracts from 
 Bombay Courier, Oct., 1824. 
 
 From these observations it is presumed that partial interference 
 with the burning of Hindoo widows has not been attended with the 
 desired end the discountenance and decrease of Suttees ; but that 
 rather the appalling evil has increased in enormity, celebrity, and 
 supposed legality. Humanity and justice dictate " a more excellent 
 way," enjoining the ancient precept of the Almighty to Noah and his 
 sons " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man snail his blood be 
 shed." (Gen. ix. 6.) May Britain " awake to righteousness," nor 
 fear to spread the shield over the heads of the deluded and oppressed 
 widows daily appointed to death by this unnatural and suicidal cus- 
 tom, and doubtless " the blessing of those who were ready to perish 
 will come upon her, and she will cause the widow's heart to sing for 
 joy." 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Authorities to confirm the propriety and safety of the immediate 
 suppression of Suttees, 
 
 The papers relating to the burning of Hindoo widows, printed by 
 order of the Hon. the House of Commons, contain numerous authori- 
 ties for the immediate suppression of this dreadful rite. *' From what 
 I have heard of several very respectable brahmuns, I am almost sa- 
 tisfied that the exercise of a very tiifling degree of authority would 
 put a stop to this perversion of reason and humanity. It appears 
 that the late Peishwa frequeniiy personally exerted himself to dissuade 
 women from becoming Suttees ; and that he always took upon him- 
 self the charge of supporting those who attended to this advice. I 
 shall be glad to use my influence at this place, in a similar manner, if 
 authorized by you, and have little doubt of the success of my interpo- 
 sition, in the majority of cases that may occur, when I have it in my 
 power to assure the women of the means of subsistence."+ (H. Pot- 
 tinger, Esq., Collector ; addressed to the Hon. M. Elphinstone, Governor 
 of Bombay, Oct., 1818.) 
 
 " The letter from the Magistrate of Chinsurah deserves the serious 
 attention of the Nizamut Adawlut and the Government. It appears 
 that this abhorrent, and often utterly illegal practice, was forbidden 
 by the foreign Governments of those settlements : and that the pro- 
 hibition was obeyed without a murmur. So little do the people ap- 
 * Par. Papers, No. iv. p. 212, 213. + No. i. p. 65. 
 
66 
 
 pear to have interested themselves in the affair, that we find, from 
 Mr. Forbes' letter, that the mere publication of an order from him- 
 self prohibiting the practice, effectually prevented it, and that no sin- 
 gle instance of a woman burning herself has occurred since. Women 
 cannot burn or be burnt within the Supreme Court, and as we do not 
 find that this prevention has excited the slightest religious alarm in 
 Calcutta, we beg to call the attention of the Nizamut Adawlut to the 
 fact, in proof that no necessity whatever exists why those who assist 
 in killing women in this way should not be treated as murderers in 
 other parts of the British territories."* (E. Watson, Esq., AUypore, 
 April, 1816.) 
 
 " If the British, in imitation of the Moghul Government^ were to lay 
 an immediate and positive inhibition upon it, and would declare the 
 parties aiding in the ceremony indictable for murder, and proceed 
 against them accordingly, it must totally die away ; but if tolerated, 
 under whatever restrictions, I do not hesitate to pronounce that it will, 
 in a short time, become nearly as prevalent as it now is in Bengal."f 
 (W. Wright, Esq., Mag., Furruckabad, April, 1819.) 
 
 " I do not think that much, if any, ditficulty would be experienced 
 in abolishing the custom of Suttee, if a law for that purpose were to 
 be established."]: (W. P. Pechell, Esq., Mag., Chittagong, Dec. 18.) 
 " I do not hesitate in offering my opinion, that a law for its aboli- 
 tion would only be objected to by the heirs^ who derive worldly profit 
 from the custom, by brahmuns, who partly exist by it, and by those 
 whose depraved nature leads them to look on a sacrifice as an highly 
 entertaining show ; at any rate the sanction of Government should be 
 withdrawn without delay. The adoption of this measure will most 
 likely be followed by a decrease in the number of Suttees, and the 
 Magistrate's feelings zcill not be outraged, as they frequently are at 
 present^ by compelling him to so barbarous a custom." (H. Oakley, 
 Esq., Mag., Hooghly, Dec, 1818.) 
 
 '' The interference of Government is well understood to be the 
 Christian wish of humanity. The Rajah of this place is a Mussul- 
 man ; and the Hindoos seem generally willing to embrace the excuse 
 of the will of the reigning power to evade the Suttee, believed of 
 their little-read, and less understood shastra."|| (R. Morrieson, Esq., 
 Sory Burthom, Dec. 1818.) 
 
 " A law might doubtless be promulgated for the abolition of this 
 practice, v/ithout causing any serious disturbance. It has already 
 been done in regard to the sacrifice of children at Saugor and else^ 
 where, as well as the practice of destroying female infants, and the 
 burying alive of women. Why, if these customs, which were also 
 generally practised, have been abolished by a humane Government, 
 should not the practice of Suttee be abolished? The destruction of a 
 woman, or of a child, in the eye of the law, is equal ; the free consent 
 alleged in palliation of the sacrifice appears to me inadmissible; that 
 is, no fair judgment can be passed upon a person non compos mentis, 
 assenting to the performance of this act; for caa a person be called 
 actually in a sound state of mind and reason under the agitation of 
 * Par. Papers, No. i. p. 99, 100. + p. 212. t P- 233. ^ p. 237. || p. 238. 
 
^ 
 
 56 
 
 grief? and would a person's deposition, under this state of mind, be re- 
 ceived in a court of justice in a case where life and death are at 
 stake? Look at the statements; they exhibit a class of people who 
 must have been generally ignorant of the shastras."* (E. Lee War- 
 ner, Esq., Mag., 24 Pergunnahs, Calcutta, Dec, 1818.) 
 
 C. Chapman, Esq. Magistrate in Jessore, under date Dec, 1818, 
 thus addresses the Acting Superintendent of Police, Lower Provinces, 
 Calcutta, relative to Suttees : " Any law, abolishing the Suttee, 
 would be attended with no other effect than it should have under 
 every good system of Government the immediate and due observ- 
 ance of its enactments. I would most willingly undertake to promul- 
 gate any orders regarding its abolition, throughout the district under 
 my charge, without dread of any ill consequences arising from the 
 interference of Government."+ 
 
 G. Forbes, Esq., first Judge of the Calcutta Court of Circuit, thus 
 writes to the Register of the Nazamut Adawlut, Aug., 1819: "I 
 take this opportunity to express my concurrence in the opinion which 
 I found to prevail with the judicial officers at the several stations^ with 
 whom I conversed on the subject, that the practice of Hindoo women 
 burning themselves on the funeral pile of tneir deceased husbands, if 
 prohibited by Government, might be effectually suppressed without 
 apprehension of any serious obstacles. I am happy in being able to 
 adduce an instance of effectual interference in the suppression of this 
 barbarous custom under British authority. In the territory of Delhi, 
 the late resident, Mr, Metcalfe, never (when apprised of the inten- 
 tion) permitted the burning of a widow to take place, and zcas pre- 
 pared to prevent the practice, whenever necessary, by forcible interfe- 
 rence, but which zoas requisite only on one occasion that came un- 
 der his immediate observation. I have been induced to mention the 
 instance of successful interference by the Resident of Delhi, as afford- 
 ing an example which I believe nearly every Magistrate in the coun- 
 try would, if authorized, be most happy to follow ; and in order to 
 show that there appears no insurmountable obstacle to a measure, 
 with regard to the exigency of which, if shown to be practicable, 
 there can be but one sentiment."^ 
 
 F. Warden, Esq., one of the Members of Council in Bombay, thus 
 declares his opinion : " I am convinced of the practicability of abo- 
 lishing not only this, but also every other sanguinary practice of the 
 Hindoos, and without endangering either the popularity or the secu- 
 rity of our supremacy." 
 
 J. O. Tod, Esq., Judge in the Masulipatam Zilla, under the Ma- 
 dras Presidency, thus expresses his opinion relative to suppressing 
 Suttees, July, 1819: " The practice is by no means common in this 
 part of the country ; and that it might be altogether abolished by an 
 ordinance of Government, without offence to the religious feelings or 
 prejudices of the natives seems, not impossible from the following cir- 
 cumstance : Application was once made to the criminal Judge, when 
 he held the office of Magistrate, by the relations of a widow, for his 
 permission to burn herself with t h e dead body of her husband. He 
 * Par. Papers, No. i. p. 239. f p. 241. % p. 243^; S p. 261. 
 
57 
 
 informed them that the British Government made it a rule never to 
 interfere with the relig-ious prejudices or customs of the natives, and 
 that therefore he would not give any order whatever to the woman 
 herself^ who might act as she should think became her ; but he as- 
 sured them that he would immediately commit, as accomplices in the 
 murder^ all persons who should in any way assist her to destroy her- 
 self, and the consequence was, that the woman did not burn, but is? 
 alive and well at this day. This measure did not cause the least dis- 
 satisfaction, on the contrary, the relations of the woman appeared 
 pleased at her having obtained a decent pretext for avoiding the hor- 
 rid ceremony.* 
 
 The Parliamentary Paj)ers, No. iii, printed June, 1824, contain lit- 
 tle beside a detail of the number, names, casts, &c. of Suttees in 1821. 
 The following expression of public opinion relative to the abolition of 
 the burning of widows, appears important: 
 
 " As far as every information I can obtain, this revolting ceremony 
 could be altogether prevented, by a short prohibitory enactment of 
 the Legislature."+ (R. C. Plowden, Esq., Barripore, June, 1822, to 
 C. H. Hopper, Esq. Mag., of the 24 Pergumahs, Calcutta.) 
 
 Inquiry having been made by the Superintendent of Police, Ma- 
 dras, relative to a woman desirous of burning herself, though dis- 
 suaded by her relatives, yet those relations, upon her persisting in her 
 intentions, desiring she should be permitted to do so, received the 
 following reply from the Secretary of Government, dated Fort St. 
 George, March 7, 1823 : " I am directed to acknowledge the receipt 
 of your letter of yesterday's date, and to express the opinion of the 
 Hon. the Governor in Council, that all practicable means should be 
 employed for preventing the woman in question from making the in- 
 tended sacrifice of herself. With that view, her relations should be 
 informed, that such a practice being contrary to the established usage 
 of this placcj cannot obtain the sanction of Government^ and that it is 
 considered to be their duty to use their strongest persuasions and in- 
 fluence to induce her to forego her intentions. You will also apprize 
 them that they will be held answerable for any interference of a con- 
 trary tendency.''^ 
 
 The success attending efforts to discountenance the perpetration of 
 Suttees under the Presidencies of Madras and Bombay have been attend- 
 ed with great encouragement, and shew the fecility of entirely sup- 
 pressing this unnatural and murderous rite* According to the re- 
 turns of Suttees for the Madras Presidency, from 1817 to 1819, the 
 number was 183; from 1821 1823 no returns, average per annum 
 sixty-one. 
 
 Under the Bombay Presidency, from 1819 to 1823, 245, average 
 per annum 49. Who can doubt whether these few individuals sacri- 
 ficed every year could not be saved in those extensive territories without 
 exciting the least commotion ! Nor is the evil under the Bengal Presi- 
 dency (containing probably a population of 50,000, 000,) so gi eat as to 
 deter exertions for its suppression, the number of Suttees being, from 
 
 * Par. Papers, No. ii. p. 85. +No. iii.p. 4. :{: p. 51. 
 
 H 
 
58 
 
 1819 1821, 3059, average per annum 611.* Might not British 
 humanity, magnanimity, and piety, rescue these without the least danger 
 to the state? The muUitude of counsellors reply in the affirmative. 
 
 The nature of the system of discountenancing Suttees pursued on 
 the Madras side of India is as follows : " Where, (says the writer of 
 the following article, in a Calcutta paper), the immolation of widows 
 though once frequent^ is now seldom known," 
 
 " Before any woman can destroy herself by burning, permission 
 must first be obtained from the Magistrate. On the request being re- 
 ferred, the applicant is directed to wait a little for an answer ; the 
 Magistrate in the mean time sends for his Cutwal and instructs him to 
 proclaim that a certain widow intends burning herself, but should any 
 Bunian or Bukall be discovered selling any article required for the 
 purpose to the said woman, or any cooly (labourer) offering his as- 
 sistance by carrying oil, wood, &c. to the spot appointed, the former 
 shall be turned out of the bazar, and the latter otherwise punished. 
 It is also proclaimed, that should any crowd collect, the police peons 
 are constantly to disperse it, and to confine to the Cutwal's Choultry 
 all persons resisting the police authority ; further, should any brah- 
 mun belonging to the public offices be seen in the crowd, or any of 
 his relations be found aiding and abetting in the ceremony, such ser- 
 vant shall be discharged from his situation. The whole of this being 
 proclaimed, the applicant is desired to take leave. As may be ex- 
 pected it has been observed, that with these restrictions no burning 
 has taken place ! The prevailing practice therefore with us may be 
 said to be a complete remedy, and points out that a remedy exists for 
 the prevention of so material an evil. It is briefly this prevent a crowd 
 from collecting to zmtness the immolation^ and rest assured no such 
 ceremony proceeds 1 Mark the disappointment of the brahmun when 
 he discovers that a crowd (for what is a Hindoo ceremony or feast 
 without a concourse of people!) cannot be collected; mortified, he 
 abandons the victim of his persuasion to shift for herself. His zeal is 
 exerted in proportion to his expected popularity, or to the worldly ad- 
 vantage he is to derive. So it is with the poor deluded widows, har- 
 rassed and goaded into assent to they know not what ; ninety-nine 
 out of a hundred of them secretly rejoice that their attempt at self- 
 destruction has been, by the above means, frustrated. As the remedy 
 can hardly be said to be attended with coercion, it appears no difficult 
 undertaking to introduce the practice of it in Bengal, and hereby 
 render an essential service to the Hindoo community." (R. S. Moli- 
 gaipore, March, 1823.) 
 
 J. H. Harrington, Esq., officiating Chief Judge in Calcutta, in a 
 minute relative to the Suttee of considerable length and interest, 
 dated June, 1823, gives much information upon the subject before 
 us. This document was forwarded to the Court of Directors by the 
 Governor-General, Dec, 1 824. See Par. Papers, No. iii, printed July^ 
 1825, p. 8 18. A few extracts cannot but be interesting: 
 
 '' I am desirous of putting upon record some considerations which 
 appear to merit attentio n in any future deliberation u pon this import- 
 * See Account of the York Meeting for the Suppression of Suttees, p. 21. 
 
69 
 
 ant question, and which, I acknowledge, have produced in my own 
 mind a strong beHef, if not a full conviction, that whenever it may ba 
 judged expedient to suppress this barbarous practice by legal prohi- 
 bition, instead of restricting it to what is sanctioned by the shastra, as 
 at present, it will not be found impracticable^ or^ as far as I can judge, 
 be attended with any serious political danger. It is probable that a 
 proclamation to this effect (abolishing the practice) would not at once 
 prove completely effectual ; secret immolations would still take place 
 occasionally, and in some instances the widow, under a paroxysm of 
 grief, and the delusion of superstition, might be expected to devote 
 herself on her husband's funeral pile, or otherwise, even without 
 brahminical assistance ; but such cases would be rare in comparison 
 with the number of sacrifices which now take place annually, either 
 with or without the knowledge of the police officers; and after a few 
 examples for wilful deviation from the rule newly promulgated, 
 (which should of course be made with tenderness in the early inflic- 
 tion of penalties,) / have no doubt that the practice would be soon 
 abandoned as unsatictioned bij Government^ and subjecting the aiders 
 and abettors to punishment by the criminal Courts, On a deliberate 
 view of all those instances in which the laws, customs, and prejudices 
 of the Hndoos, when found to be at variance with the principles of 
 justice and good society, have been necessarily superseded and abro- 
 gated by the laws and regulations of the British Government,* and 
 in the whole of which such supercession has been quietly submitted to, 
 as obviously and exclusively originating in motives of equity and huma- 
 nity, unconnected with any degree of religious intolerance, we may, I 
 think, safely conclude that a similar result will attend the enactment 
 of a legislative provision to prevent the yearly sacrifice of several 
 hundreds of deluded unoffending females, born and living under the 
 protection of the British Government, whenever it shall be deemed 
 expedient to make and promulgate the requisite enactment for that 
 purpose." 
 
 This interesting document thus closes. Referring to certain pro- 
 bable excesses in the perpetration of Suttees, it is added, " In such 
 a state of things I could not hesitate to adopt the opinion expressed 
 by the second Judge of the Court of Nizamut Adawlut, that the tole- 
 ration of the practice of Suttees is a reproach to our Government ; 
 and even now I am disposed to agree with him, ' that the entire and 
 immediate abolition of it would be attended with no sort of danger.'' ^^ 
 
 Among the papers forwarded to the Hon. Court of Directors was 
 one containing, says Mr. Harington, " an extract from a well-written 
 paper, ' On female immolation,^ published in the valuable periodical 
 work, entitled ' The Friend of India^'-^" which the late Sir Henry Blos- 
 sett and myself read on our voyage to India, and which appeared to 
 
 * Such as the execution of brahmuns : suppressing the sacrifice of children at Saugur ; 
 preventing women and children, in the provinces of Benares, from burning in a koorhy or 
 circular inclosure, on the approach of a public officer to serve any judicial process on 
 brahmuns ; abolishing Dhurna, infanticide among the Rajkoomars, &c. See Asiatic 
 Researches, Vol. iv. p. 330. 
 
 + See Friend of India, (qUar. ser.) No. iii. March, 1821. 
 
60 
 
 both of us a powerful and convincing statement of the real facts and 
 circumstances of the case."* A few passages from it may be inte- 
 resting : 
 
 " We are confident that the continuance of the practice stands on 
 the doctrine of cjcpediency alone. This is its only prop; of which 
 could it once be deprived it would fall beneath the weight of justice 
 and humanity. And considering the British supremacy in the East 
 as the greatest blessing which the natives have yet received, it does 
 become a duty to look forward to remote consequences which may at- 
 tend any act of benevolence. The Government of this country has 
 done much to alleviate the misery of India, and to counteract the 
 mischief of its native depravity; and were it practicable with one 
 stroke of the pen to remove every misery, and diffuse happiness 
 through the country, we are sure it would not be withheld for a mo- 
 ment. It cannot therefore be improper to weigh the question of ex- 
 pediency, and to collect into one focus all the light which can be 
 obtained on the subject from our preceding transactions in India. 
 And if it should thence appear that we have not hitherto been arrested 
 in our career of justice by the prejudices of the natives, that on the 
 contrary the Hindoos have already gone hand in hand with us, with- 
 out discovering any hostility to our authority. There can be no rea- 
 son to apprehend that, in the abolition of female immolation, we shall 
 experience the least interruption. To prove that this is the case, we 
 will adduce three examples : 
 
 ''In the province of Guzerat the deluded parents had been for a long 
 series of years in the habit of destroying their female infants as soon 
 as they were born. Whether the custom was sanctioned by the shas- 
 tras or not, is irrevelent; it is enough that it was deeply rooted in the 
 practice and prejudices of the natives. These unnatural murders at 
 length attracted the attention of Government, and they were abolished 
 by an order of the supreme power. Did Government immediately 
 lose the confidence and attachment of the natives? Did the enraged 
 parent, unsheathing his sword, slaughter the reserved victim, and 
 then turn it on those who had attempted its preservation ? Not one 
 symptom of disaffection has been manifested by the natives on this 
 account. By some the practice is probably forgotten ; and it would 
 now appear in the eyes of those as horrible as it formerly appeared 
 natural and indispensable. 
 
 "Our second example is of the same nature, but as it indicates the 
 feelings of a class of natives at the other extremity of the continent, 
 in the opinion of some it may carry greater weight, as demonstrating 
 that the same security accompanies every assertion of the principles 
 of humanity throughout this vast empire. From time immemorial it 
 was the custom of mothers to sacrifice their children to the Ganges at 
 the annual festival held at Gunga Saugur. The British Government 
 regarded the practice with those feelings of horror which such un- 
 natural murders are calculated to inspire; as persuasion would have 
 been unavailing with those who had parted with every parental feel- 
 ing, th e practice was prohibited by a public regulation^ and the pro- 
 * Par. Papers, No. iv. p. 13. 
 
61 
 
 hibition enforced by public authority. Nor let us forget that this or- 
 der was promulgated in the presence of thousands assembled at a pub- 
 lic festival, in the highest excitement of superstitious frenzy. What 
 was the consequence ? Not one instance of resistance was attempted 
 by that immense crowd the mischief vanished from the earth, and 
 no one bewailed it! The mothers who had brought their children to 
 this funeral sacrifice were constrained to carry them back unhurt; 
 and many, perhaps to whom the heinousness of the crime had never 
 appeared, were, by this interposition, awakened to a sense of its 
 enormity ! 
 
 " The third example will perhaps go farther to show that we have 
 pursued a course of undeviating justice in India, at the expense of re- 
 ligious injunction and popular prejudice. The Hindoo laws absolutely 
 prohibit the execution of a brahmun ; they forbid the Magistrate even 
 to imagine evil against him. Thus fenced by the laws, and extolled 
 by their sacred books, they are still more powerfully guarded by the 
 respect and veneration of the people. From one corner of India to 
 the other, however, religious observances may have fallen into disuse, 
 this sacred tribe enjoys great homage. When therefore our Govern- 
 ment commenced in the East we were reduced to the most serious di- 
 lemma. To have inflicted punishment on brahmuns would have been 
 to violate the most awful sanctions of Hindoo law, and the dearest 
 prejudices of the people ; to have exempted them from punishment 
 would have been to deliver over the country to desolation, ravage, 
 and murder. The reign of equity which we were about to introduce 
 was stopped at the very threshold ; the destiny of millions hung in 
 suspense. How did we act on this occasion ? Did we lay the laws of 
 justice at the feet of the sacred tribe ? Did we abrogate our code of 
 jurisprudence, and adopt the Vedas for our guide ? Did we deprive 
 the country of our protection because the Hindoo shastras forbid the 
 punishment of the aggressors, if they happen to be brahmuns? We 
 did not hesitate a single moment, but boldly stepped forward in vin- 
 dication of the rights of society; and in spite of a formidable phalanx 
 of Hindoo juris-consults, and of the strongest prejudices, caused these 
 delinquents to pay the forfeit of their lives to the laws of offended jus- 
 tice. We have repeated the punishment of brahmuns since that pe- 
 riod whenever it has been requisite ; and scarcely a year has since 
 elapsed without the execution of a brahmun in some one of the pro- 
 vinces of our empire. Have the natives complained of this outrage 
 on the sanctity of their priesthood, or considered it as an infringement 
 of our toleration ? Have we lost their confidence ? Have they, in any > 
 one instance, petitioned us to disregard their welfare and exempt 
 their spiritual guides from death ? or have they not on the contrary 
 tacitly sanctioned every act of punishment, and applauded the inflexi- 
 ble tenor of our proceedings? Let any man read the account of 
 Nundkomar's execution in Calcutta, forty years ago, and he will be 
 convinced that Hindoos are not men to complain of the execution of 
 justice^ even though it happen to infringe their lazes and prejudices, 
 Mr. Hastings judged there could be no danger in his execution; and 
 his judgment proved correct. If ever it might have been expected 
 
62 
 
 that public feeling would have manifested itself against us, it was 
 most assuredly in this instance, when, for the first time, we were car- 
 rying the law into execution against one of this sacred tribe ; where 
 the actors in this unprecedented exhibition of justice were but a hand- 
 ful compared with the immense crowd (full 200,000 of his own coun- 
 trymen!) which surrounded the scaffold; that vast crowd returned 
 peaceably to their houses. If Mr. Hasting's intrepid support of the 
 claims of justice, in the face of such formidable obstacles, should con- 
 tinue to encourage others, and thereby prove a lasting benefit to the 
 natives of India, more solid glory will inscribe his memory than as 
 though we covered the plains of India with obelisks."* 
 
 In reviewing the annual statement of Suttees, in the Zillahs and 
 Cities of India presented to the Government, while it is distressing to 
 see with wh^t frequency ^ indifference^ and brutality^ the unhappy wi- 
 dow is hurried out of the world, it is grateful to see humanity some- 
 times triumph, and the infatuated victim rescued ; affording demon- 
 stration how easily 
 
 *^*^One mild effort of the conquering hand 
 
 Might free the earth from this detested blot, 
 
 And lead in blest religion to withstand 
 
 By her meek precepts, what has dimm'd the lot 
 
 Of man, and wrought such deeds as cannot be forgot." 
 
 In the Bareilly Division it is reported, that in 1815 three women 
 were prevented becoming Suttees. In the Patna Division, in 1817, 
 twenty-five Suttees took place, but five women were prevented who 
 " were saved from burning by the interference of the people of the 
 village or by the arrival of the police officers." In the same year 
 five Suttees are stated to have been prevented in the City of Benares. 
 In the following year three other Suttees were prevented in the same 
 City, and "one woman, cast a brahmun, ran away from the pile after 
 it was set fire to, and is still living." Four widows were saved at 
 Cuddapah in 1820.+ 
 
 The Magistrate of the Patna Division, in his returns of Suttees for 
 1822, writes, " It is with satisfaction that I have noted, at the foot 
 of the report, that twelve widows have been either prevented or 
 dissuaded from becoming Suttees ; in nine of which they were dis- 
 suaded by the police officers; in one the widow was prevented by a 
 police officer on account of a legal impediment, and in the two re- 
 maining cases the widows were dissuaded, in one by the Zemindar 
 of the village, and in the other by her friends. A police officer was 
 present in only one of the numerous cases in which the sacrifice was com- 
 pleted (and in that he should have prevented it! ) although, as it may 
 be observed, many of the villages in which they took place are not 
 far from the police stations." 
 
 In the returns from the same Division of the following year (1823) 
 are the following highly interesting statements: "It will probably 
 be considered the most remarkable feature of the present report that, 
 on nine occasions of intended Suttee, at which alone the police officers 
 
 * Par. Papers, No. iv. p. 22 24. Friend of India, as above. 
 + Par. Papers, printed July, 1821, and June, 1823 
 
had an opportunity of being present, they succeeded, without diffi- 
 culty or opposition, in dissuading the widows from sacrificing them- 
 selves. From the inquiries that 1 have been able to make on the sub- 
 ject of Suttees during the last two years, I do not hesitate to offer an 
 opinion, that in this district it would not be attended with any dissa- 
 tisfaction of a dangerous nature, if the Government should deem it 
 proper, to prohibit this lamentable custom altogether ; it even appears 
 to me that the inhabitants of the district generally are prepared to 
 hear of such a prohibition." Oh! when shall suffering humanity in 
 India hear the voice of mercy saying "kindle those horrid fires no 
 more ! In some parts of Orissa a pit is used for this dreadful sacri- 
 fice, and the woman, after circumambulating it three or seven times, 
 throws herself into the fire. I have seen one of these pits at Jugger- 
 naut's temple, but did not hear of the Suttee in time to be present. 
 Even from this pit the Suttee sometimes escapes. In the Par. Papers 
 (printed July, 1825, p. 109 and 150) is the following account: " Rahang 
 in the Thannah,of Pooree, (Juggernaut) died Aug., 25, 1823, and his 
 widow, Mussumut Munee, aged 50, declared her intentions of be- 
 coming a Suttee, and repeated the declaration in presence of the po- 
 lice officers. In pursuance of this intention, the day following she 
 went through the usual ceremonies, and threw herself into a burning 
 pit, where the body of her husband was consuming, but almost imme- 
 diately leapt out and made her escape. She was severely, but not 
 dangerously burnt, and an engagement was taken from the managers 
 of the village binding themselves that she should be taken care of and 
 proper remedies applied. She returned to her family, and was re- 
 ceived by them as usual." 
 
 Private friendship prompts me to record here the rescue of a poor 
 woman from the flaming pit at Pooree, and this event, like the pre- 
 ceding, shews, *' while rescuing one, how practicable it is, with ease, 
 to rescue all." The account is contained in the Report of the General 
 Baptist Missionary Society for 1826, and is as follows : 
 
 **0n Friday, Oct. 28, 1825, we were informed that there would be a Suttee in the after- 
 noon. Brother B. wrote to the different Europeans at the stations, thinking that some 
 from motives of curiosity or humanity might wish to attend, but no hope could be enter- 
 tained of saving the poor woman, as we were told that she had already burnt her fingers 
 in order to prove her fortitude. Brother B. declined going, having seen one Suttee, and 
 being so disgusted at the horrid scene ; and from what he then saw, and did, feeling per 
 suaded that it was in vain to attempt to save the wretched victim, he despaired of doing- 
 any good. I however felt a desire to vdtness the honid work, that I might speak from 
 experience ; and two military gentlemen having expressed their determination to go, at 
 about half-past four we set off towards the spot where the Suttee was to take place : the 
 name of the place is Swergo Dwar, or The Gate of Heaven ; a place thickly strewed 
 with human skulls and skeletons of Juggernaut's adorers. About a furlong from the 
 pit we ascertained, from the noise of the tin kettle-drums, &c,, that the woman was ap- 
 proaching. In a few minutes a vast concourse of people made their appearance, shout- 
 ing and beating their drums, &c. ; even little children were employed in this unholy work. 
 In the centre of a crowd we discerned the destined victim, surrounded by a slight hoop of 
 bamboo, so that she might walk clear from the press. She appeared to be under twenty 
 years of age, and of an interesting appearance. Round her person was wrapped a white 
 cloth smeared with turmeric ; under her right arm she carried a handy, or earthen pot, 
 containing a little rice, a piece of cocoa-nut, one or two other trifling things, and some 
 fire to throw into the pit, this was from Juggernaut's temple ; in her left hand she held 
 some pice (halfpence) which she was to distribute to the bystanders. Her jet-black 
 
64 
 
 hair was smeared with ghee and other greasy substances, and decorated with flowers and 
 gaudy ornamented paper: round her neck was a large rope nearly as thick as my wrist, 
 and one or two smaller ones: thus attired, she looked the picture of all that is degrad- 
 ed and wretched. Before her stood one of Satan's high priests with two paltry pictures 
 of Juggernaut, which he was very anxious slie should look upon continually. Altogeth- 
 er, I never saw any thing so infernal. The barbarous indifference of the multitude to 
 every feeling of humanity the thoughts of an awful eternity the idea that the poor crea- 
 ture before me would soon rush, thus polluted with Idolatry, into the presence of an aw- 
 ful God, who hates sin and abominates Idolatry the multitude who evinced so savage 
 a pleasure in the bloody work and the malicious countenances of the principal actors in 
 this wretched scene, rendered more horrible than ever by the interruption, altogether so 
 pressed upon my mind that the feeling beggars description. But what could be done ! 
 something must be attempted. We bid the people stop. I got off my horse, and the 
 two Europeans came near with their elephant ; I made my way to the woman, and 
 found she was quite intoxicated ; there was a strange wildness in. her appearance. I 
 looked at her eyes, turned up the eyelids and found them very bloodshot and heavy : 
 the woman could not utter a syllable distinctly, all that could be understood was, * Jug- 
 gernaut,' and 'koosee,' meaning, I suppose. Juggernaut is my pleasure. A thrill of 
 horror ran through my veins : her youth her destitute condition, for she had not a friend 
 even to ' give her fire,' viz., light the pile her total insensibility and the general hor- 
 ror of the scene, induced the mutual feeling that she was about to be cruelly murdered. 
 We thought the law protected us under such circumstances, and determined to rescue her. 
 The people looked at us amazed ; the crowd soon thickened upon us, and assumed rath- 
 er a formidable appearance ; but there was no time for parley, we put on a determined 
 aspect, and insisted on her being taken back, urging that she was quite intoxicated : this 
 many of them admitted, but still retained their hold of the hoop by which she was en- 
 closed, and urged that it was her wish to bum, and thatit was Juggernaut's pleasure ; we 
 however insisted upon her being taken back till she was sensible. Captain G. and Lieu- 
 tenant M. behaved nobly, they charged a few servants in their employ to keep off the 
 people ; they soon gave way without making any further resistance, and left us in charge 
 of the woman and the principal actors. I should observe that the Daroga (head iolice-" 
 officer) was absent. I then mounted my horse and rode before, the road was made through 
 the crowd by the servants and a few idle seapoys who attended as lookers on, the officers 
 followed the woman on their elephant till they saw all was safe, and then returned to 
 the pile. I rode before the crowd and the woman towards the police officer's place of 
 confinement : in my way I met with brother B. and surprised him with what was done : 
 he accompanied me to the prison, and delivered the woman into the charge of the Daro- 
 ga, who was much surprised and disconcerted at what was done, but was obliged to at- 
 tend to Captain G.'s orders to secure the woman. All seemed consternation. I am sure that 
 I wondered at our success, Bampton seemed to wonder more ; the people seemed thunder- 
 struck, and exclaimed, ' Now you have done something !' others said, * This is merciful !' 
 and indeed among the thousands of spectators not a sound of disapprobation was heard, 
 or the least confusion excited. The woman herself kept saying, as well as we could un- 
 derstand, 'This is well done! you have broken my purposes:* she was however quite 
 stupified. What may be the result we know not, or whether we shall be able to save 
 her is quite uncertain ; we know, however, it might be done with the most trifling inter- 
 ference on the part of the Magistrate. Her husband's corpse is already consumed." 
 
 He adds, " On Tuesday the Judge, much to his credit and honour, determined that 
 the woman should not burn. May God overrule it to promote his own glory, and for the 
 putting out for ever these flames which hell itself has kindled. O that this circumstance 
 may be the harbinger of this happy consummation ! How easily might it be done I 
 Only think, that three individuals, at the very worst place in all India, without authori- 
 ty, and without the least disturbance, and without giving offence to any except three or 
 four individuals immediately concerned, have succeeded in saving this wretched woman 
 from the devouring flames ! " 
 
 If so much satisfaction is felt by humane minds in the rescue of a 
 single individual, how would humanity how would Christianity hail 
 the merciful suppression of all those barbarities! 
 
 The opinion of J. H. Harington, Esq, officiating chief Judge in the 
 Nizamut Adawlut, Calcutta, relative to the expediency of abolishing 
 
the Suttee, has been given. The secondjudge, C. Smith, Esq., says : 
 " The practice of Suttee ought to be ABOLtSHEo, and it may be 
 abolished with perfect safety." The third Judge, J. T. Shakes- 
 pear, Esq., likewise states: "I am prepared to concur in a recom- 
 mendation to Government, that a regulation be promulgated prohi- 
 biting Suttees throughout the country." The fifth Judge, W. B. 
 Martin, Esq., at the same time stated: " The toleration of the prac- 
 tice by our Government, and its disposition to interfere no further 
 than was necessary to guard it from abuse, has been misconstrued 
 into a tacit recognition of the principle of an usage, the legality of 
 which within certain limits, it has formerly acknowledged." 
 
 The minute of the officiating Judge, J. Ahmuty, Esq., relative 
 the documents from which the above extracts are taken, is as follows: 
 " I feel satisfied that it would be far preferable to enact a regula- 
 tion prohibiting the practice of Suttees at once^ and rendering it pu- 
 nishable by law^ than having recourse to any partial or indirect means 
 to repress it gradually, if even such a result could be reasonably ex- 
 pected to ensue." * 
 
 The Governor General in Council, Lord Amherst, evidently anti- 
 cipates the final abolition of Suttee, as appears from the observations 
 upon the statement of the number of widows who were burned in 
 1823. His words are : " His Lordship in Council is unwilling to aban- 
 don the hope, that the abolition of the practice may, at a future pe- 
 riod, be found safe and expedient ; and he has already had occasion 
 io remark, that the more general dissemination of knowledge and the 
 discussions of the question among the better informed Hindoos them- 
 selves, may be expected to have some effect in gradually preparing the 
 minds of the natives for such a measure.t (Jud. Depart., Dec, 1824.) 
 
 Humanity, in her tears, asks, why delay to rescue the unhappy wi- 
 dow ? " The argument that we may ultimately look for the cure of 
 this evil in the gradual increase of intelligence which is beginning to 
 develope itself in India, might have some weight, if the progress of 
 intelligence were of a more accelerated character than circumstances 
 allow us to suppose, or if the immediate abolition of the rite were not 
 proved to be both safe and practicable. But this fact, once satisfac- 
 torily established, to delay the enjoyment of an acknowledged good, 
 because at some future, yet more remote time, you anticipate its at- 
 tainment by the operation of other causes, what is this but to pro- 
 crastinate a happiness already within your reach, and to be justly 
 responsible for all the misery of the intervening period of a long and 
 criminal delay?" J 
 
 The authorities for the propriety and safety of the immediate abo- 
 lition of Suttee are numerous and decisive. This has appeared from 
 the various references which have been made to the Parliamentary 
 Papers upon the subject, and they may be increased from various 
 other sources. 
 
 The Magistrate of Poona, under the Bombay Presidency, (Captain 
 
 * Par. Papers, No. iv. p. 148, 149. f Page 153. 
 X See Grimshawe's Appeal to British Humanity in behalf of Hindoo widows, 
 p. 2628. 
 
 r 
 
Sx- 
 
 66 
 
 H. D. Robertson,) thus states the nature of the popular feeling rela- 
 tive to Suttees : " The feeling, I might almost say, is general to 
 stop them ; it was hinted to me, through various respectable chan- 
 nels, that although a show of discontent would be exhibited, an order 
 of Government to prevent their continuance would be a palatable 
 measure."* 
 
 Another Magistrate in Bombay, (J. Barnard, Esq.,) declares: 
 " The circumstances under which Suttees prevail, the classes inter- 
 ested therein, the number of instances, and the conduct of the com- 
 munity in their communications, both with the Magistrate and with 
 each other, on such occasions, as well as the impressions generally 
 entertained by those not concerned, convince me that there are 
 few cases in which evil would ensue from prohibition and coercive 
 prevention'^ \ 
 
 Colonel Dow, in his History of Hindoostan, says, " All religions 
 must be tolerated in Bengal except the practice of some inhuman cus- 
 toms zshich the Mahomedans have alreadij^in a great measure^ destroyed. 
 There are particular usages, established by time into a law, which 
 our humanity must destroy. Let no women burn themselves with 
 their husbands, no dying person being exposed by his friends. To 
 leave the natives entirely to their own laws would be to consign them 
 to anarchy and confusion."| Vol. iii. p. 128, 143. 
 
 " The Commentaries of Bras de Albuquerque, the son of the Great 
 Albuquerque, one of those extraordinary men who, nearly three hun- 
 dred years ago, raised to the highest pitch of glory the Portu- 
 guese name in India, contains the following passage : " When Alf. 
 de Albuquerque took the kingdom of Goa he would not permit that 
 any woman from thence forward should burn herself; and although to 
 change their custom is equal to death, nevertheless they rejoiced in 
 life, and said great good of him, because he commanded that they 
 should not burn themselves. Long after his death, when a Moor or 
 Hindoo had received wrong and could obtain no redress from the 
 Governor, the aggrieved person would go to Goa, to Albuquerque's 
 tomb, and make an offering of oil at the lamp which burned before it, 
 and call upon him for justice." Wilberforce's Speech, 1813, 8vo. 
 page 93, 94. 
 
 The Rev. T. S. Grimshawe, in his valuable pamphlet, called, " An 
 earnest Appeal to British Humanity in behalf of Hindoo Widows," 
 (1825, published by Hatchard, London,) refers to the suppression of 
 Suttees by other powers. 
 
 " The Mogul Government has uniformly discountenanced the prac- 
 tice of burning widows alive ; and the extent of the benefits thus 
 conferred may be estimated by the remarkable fact that in no part 
 of Hindoostan is the rite less known than under their sway ; and 
 in none is it more common than in that which is the centre of British 
 power and ascendancy ! This example was humanely followed by 
 the Portuguese. The Dutch, the Danish, and the French Governments, 
 uniformly refused to sanction the custom. Why is the name of Bri- 
 
 * Par. Papers, No. iv. p. 167. f Page 209. % " Collection of Facts and Opinions 
 relative to the Burning of Hindoo Widows," by Dr. Johns, p. 89. S P^g^ 103, 104. 
 
67 
 
 tain alone excluded from the honourable list of competitors ? Is it 
 that policy and duty in our case are irreconcileable, however blended 
 in that of others ? The conviction is most humiliating that the Bri- 
 tish Government is the only European power in India that tolerates 
 the practice of burning widows alive on the funeral pile I /" Page 16, 17. 
 To the same effect is the following brief extract from the article 
 in "The Friend of India," No. iii.(quar.ser.) before noticed. "The 
 Mosulmans who never protected the unhappy natives from foreign 
 invasion, or from internal commotion, checked this practice in many 
 cases, and in some provinces abolished it altogether. Will it be too 
 much for us while we dispense blessings with one hand, with the other 
 to snatch the helpless victim from the flames ? There is no instance 
 on historic record in which acts of humanity have ever roused public 
 indignation. Massacre, confiscation, and injustice are the elements 
 from which revolutions are created, nothumanity, justice, and equity; 
 the mere supposition is a novelty in political science."* 
 
 In " An Account of the York Meeting to petition Parliament for 
 the abolition of the immolation of Hindoo widows in British India," 
 the reader may be furnished with much information upon the subject 
 under consideration. In the preface of this pamphlet is the following 
 statement relative to the views of the late Marquis of Hastings, Go- 
 vernor-General of India, on the abolition of Suttees : " The import- 
 ance of petitioning Parliament will be duly appreciated when it is un- 
 derstood that the late Marquis of Hastings said, he would at once have 
 put down the atrocious practice, if he could have relied upon the 
 popular feeling being in his favour in our own country, and that the 
 danger was felt not in India, but only in England!! " O when shall 
 every town and city in Britain and Ireland say, " This blood shall not 
 rest on us! Let no more widows perish!" Before the Marquis left 
 India, in 18^3, the following ''Supplicatory Lines'* were addressed to 
 him in the public Papers : 
 
 *' Ere thy benignant power retires 
 
 From India, bless'd beneath thy care, 
 
 O quench these foul unhallow'd fires. 
 
 Which hell's own flame has kindled there, 
 
 The stain of earth and upper air ! 
 
 Then o'er the sea. 
 
 The orphan's blessing and the widow's prayer 
 
 Shall follow thee. 
 
 O ne'er to man has pitying Heaven 
 
 A power so blest, so glorious given, 
 
 Say but a single word and save 
 
 Ten thousand mothers from a flaming grave, 
 
 And tens of thousands from the source of woe. 
 
 That ever must to orphan'd children flow ! 
 
 Save from the flame the infant's place of rest. 
 
 The couch by nature given a mother's breast ; 
 
 O bid the mother live the babe caress her. 
 
 And sweeter still its hoping accents bless her. 
 
 India with tearful eye and bended knee, 
 
 Hastings, her lord and judge, presents her plaint to thee.'* 
 Britain speak. " Plead for the widow !" Let petitions pour into 
 Parliament from eve ry quarter, which, like the streams of the sane- 
 * Par. Papers, No. iv, p. 2426. 
 
Sl^ 
 
 08 
 
 tuary, shall quench these fires that hell hath kindled. Let the friends to 
 India, wfio hold its destinies in their hands, hear the appeal of a writer 
 in that country: ' Let us freely look at the practicability of its aboli- 
 tion, and number both its friends and its foes. We may calculate on 
 the support of all the humane, the wise, and the g'ood, throughout 
 India! we may depend on the great majority of the people who have 
 prevented every village in India from being lighted up montlily with 
 these infernal fires. Those who used all their power and influence to 
 liberate their country from the stigma of this guilt, by preventing 
 their mothers and sisters from ascending the funeral pile, will un- 
 doubtedly support us in discountenancing the practice elsewhere. We 
 shall enlist on our side all those tender feelings which, though now 
 dormant, will then be aroused into new life and vigour; but above 
 all we shall surround ourselves with the protection of that Almighty 
 Power, whose command is, 'Thou shalt do no murder;' who defends 
 the weak and succours the injured; who, when the cries of oppressed 
 India had pierced His throne, selected us of all other nations to break 
 its chains and restore it to happiness."* 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 A collection of European and Native testimony to the position that 
 the Suttee is not absolutely enjoined by the Hindoo Shastras, and hence 
 should be suppressed. 
 
 Menu, in his Institutes, is the great authority in determining the 
 legality of the Suttee. Of this work Sir W. Jones, in his preface to 
 the translation of it, says : " This system of duties, religious and ci- 
 vil, and of law in all its branches, the Hindoos firmly believe to have 
 been promulgated in the beginning of time by Menu, son or grand- 
 son of Brahma, or in plain language, the first of created beings, and 
 not the oldest only, but the holiest of legislators." His high charac- 
 ter is thus described in the beginning of the work : " Menu sat re- 
 clined, with his attention fixed on one object, the supreme God; 
 when the divine sages approached him, and after mutual salutations 
 in due form, delivered the following address, ' Deign, sovreign ruler, 
 to apprize us of the sacred laws in their order, as they must be fol- 
 lowed by all the classes, and by each of them, in their several degrees, 
 together with the duties of every mixed class ; for thou, lord, and 
 thou only among mortals, knowest the true sense, the first principle, 
 and the prescribed ceremonies, of this universal, supernatural Veda, 
 unlimited in extent, and unequalled in authority.'" 
 
 After a careful perusal of this work, while this pamphlet has been 
 ill the press, not the slightest reference to the horrid custom of the Suttee 
 has been found. It contains various laws relative to women; a few ex- 
 tracts, in addition to what has been already quoted, may be interest- 
 ing : jj^ pjjg passage to the next world, neither his father, nor his 
 
 "~ Par. Papers, p. 26. 
 
69 
 
 mother, nor his wifc^ nor his son, nor bis kinsmen, will remain ia 
 his company : his virtue alone wiil adhere to him. When he leaves 
 his corse, like a log or a lump of clay, on the ground, his kindred re- 
 tire with averted faces : but his virtue accompanies his soul. Equal 
 care must be taken of women without sons, of women without kin- 
 dred, of widows true to their lords, &c. A widow who, from a wish 
 to bear children, slights her deceased husband, by marrying again, 
 brings disgrace on herself here below, and shall be excluded from the 
 seat of her lord. Like those abstemious men (unmarried brahmuns) 
 a virtuous wife ascends to heaven, though she have no child, if, after 
 the decease of her lord, she devote herself to pious austerity."* The 
 duty of Hindoo widows is evidently a life of austere devotion till death, 
 and the custom of Swttee is altogether unknown in the Institutes of 
 the great Indian legislator. 
 
 The following extracts fram the Parliamentary Papers, shewing 
 that the Suttee is not positively enjoined, and should be suppressed, 
 acco^rxling to the opinion of many Europeans high in office in India, 
 appear very important. 
 
 " We really think there is as little justification for a woman to burn 
 herself with the remains of her deceased husband, as for a ranjkoo- 
 mor to destroy his daughters at their birth ; burying alive for the le- 
 prosy where the party is desirous to die ; human sacrifices at Saugor; 
 putting sorcerers to death, or killing a human creature by any other 
 means, without justification or excuse : ail of which are made capital 
 offences hy the Regulations, The killing in all these instances has 
 quite as much in its favour, (on the score of erroneous prejudice 
 and superstition, and perhaps of religion), as the practice of Suttee: 
 but we do not find the punishment of death denounced against these 
 crimes, has at all been considered by the people as an infringement of 
 that complete toleration, in matters of religion, which it has been a 
 fundamental principle of the British Government to allow. And 
 there can be no doubt that the practice of Suttee might be as easily 
 checked and prevented throughout the British Territories as any of the 
 murderous practices above referred to. We have the fact, that its 
 suppression at the foreign Settlements was eff'ected without the slight- 
 est difficulty ."+ (E. Watson, Esq., Judge, Allypore, April, 1818). 
 
 "On the subject of anoojumun (burning after the husband's death), 
 the shastras exhibit a great variety of opinions; biit no difference pre" 
 vails with regard to the propriety of leading a life of austerity. From 
 the above it would appear, that not the slightest offence attaches eith- 
 er to the women who depart from their resolution, or to those who 
 persuade them to relinquish their intention."! (W. H. Macnaghten, 
 Esq., Trans, of Mutoonjoy's Bewasta relative to Suttees, &c,) 
 
 " The suicide in these cases is not indeed a religious act, nor has it 
 the sanction of Menu and other ancient legislators revered by the Hin' 
 doos. On the contrary. Menu declares that a virtuous wife ascends 
 to heaven, though she have no child, if after the decease of her lord 
 she devote herself to pious austerity. The texts of Yama and Caty- 
 
 * Sir W. Jones' Works, Vol. vii. p. 240, 334, 271. + Papers, N. i. p. 99. 
 t p. 124, 125. Text 141, ' Digest of Hindoo Law," book 4, ch. 3, sec. 2. 
 
70 
 
 ayana, quoted in the Vivada Bhangarnana (digest of Hindoo law), " On 
 the duties of widows choosing to survive their husbands" are also to the 
 same effect;* and Vrihaspate addsf "whether she ascends the pile, 
 or survive for the benefit of her husband, she is a faithful wife." 
 Some authors have condemned the suicide of widows altogether, as 
 coming within a general prohibition against the wilful abridgment 
 of human life : and proceeding from a desire of future sensual enjoy- 
 ment, in preference to the more pure and perfect state of beatitude 
 promised for a life of virtue and piety." \ (Govt. Regulations rela- 
 tive to Suttees). Referring to these Regulations it is remarked : 
 " It is trusted they will have a very beneficial influence, by lessening 
 a sense of obligation under which there is reason to believe many are 
 induced to make this sacrifice of their lives, and showing that the 
 practice is far from being inculcated as such by the most approved 
 authorities of the Hindoo law,^"*^ (J. Adam, Esq., Sec. to the Gover- 
 nor General, Oct., 1817. 
 
 " I submit that it has little or no connexion with their religion ! 
 The practice is strongly recommended by the shastras, but nothing 
 more, and Menu (together with other authorities of great respecta- 
 bility,) prescribes the duties of a widow, without hinting that burning 
 herself is one of the most important. In permitting, or indeed autho- 
 rizing Suttees, we are by no means showing a proper forbearance 
 towards the religious customs, or long established prejudices of 
 the Hindoos ; an act no where enjoined by any of the shastras ; 
 on the contrary a crime which their own laws would punish with 
 death; and only tolerated by our Government because we over- 
 look the impudent imposition which has transformed a recommenda- 
 tion to the widow to accompany her husband, into an order, which the 
 relations must carry into effect if she should evince symptoms of dis- 
 obedience. I cannot attempt to account for the great prevalence of 
 Suttees in some districts and the rarity of them in others ; but it is a 
 proof that it is a custom seldom thought of in the greater proportion 
 of our dominions."|| (W. Ewer, Esq., Act. Sup. of Police, Lower 
 Provinces, Calcutta, Nov., 1818.) "Menu and the most ancient and 
 respectable writers do not mention Suttee : it was therefore in their 
 time either unknown or not approved. If known, but not mentioned, 
 because not approved by Menu, the authority of the modern shastra 
 is not sufficient to give any merit to the sacrifice. In the first case 
 we do not find that the practice originates in law, but the law is the 
 consequence of the practice. Sacred authority is subsequently pro- 
 duced to enforce the merit of enacting or originating on the mortal 
 feelings of affection, grief, despair, or some other passion of the mind 
 equally incapable of affording a hope that it could be acceptable in the 
 eyes of the Deity."f (W.Ewer, Esq., as above, Calcutta, Jan., 1819.) 
 
 " After having attended at several Suttees, for the purpose of 
 gaining as much information as possible on the subject, and after hav- 
 ing attentively considered the doctrines imder which it is sanctioned, 
 the circumstances attending the actual performance of the sacrifice, 
 
 * Texts, 144, 145, " Digest of Hindoo Law." + Text 130. | p. 126. p. 147. 
 II p. 228. Up. 231. 
 
,v 
 
 71 
 
 and the terms upon which those who have been prevented from burn- 
 ing have subsequently lived with their relations and neighbours, I am 
 decidedly of opinion that the abolition of the practice by law zoouldnot 
 be attended with any evil consequences : on the contrary I think the 
 enactment of such a law is dictated by every principle of humanity ; 
 nor does it appear to me that the abolition of the practice is altogeth- 
 er inconsistent with the spirit of toleration which has ever distin- 
 guished the British Government. The greater proportion of the men 
 are unable to give a reason for the performance of the sacrifice, and 
 it is surely fair to infer that the women are not better informed on the 
 subject; and therefore to suppose that the resolution to become Sut- 
 tees cannot proceed so much from their having reasoned themselves 
 into a conviction of the purity of the act itself, as from a kind of infa- 
 tuation produced by the absurdities poured into their ears by ignorant 
 brahmuns, most of whom, if asked, would be found unable to give a 
 reason for the doctrines they inculcate. I am persuaded that ninety- 
 nine out of a hundred women sacrifice themselves more under the in- 
 fluence of this infatuation than from any conviction of their own 
 minds."* (E. Molony, Esq., Mag. Burdwan, Dec, 1818.) 
 
 " It was the prevalent opinion amongst the natives that this sacri^ 
 fice would not be tolerated by the British Government,"+ (S. Mar- 
 riott, Esq,, Tannah, Sept., 1819.) 
 
 V. Hale, Esq., Judge in the Southern Concan, (Oct., 1819,) thus 
 shews the state of public opinion relative to the Suttee in that part of 
 India : " I was much gratified on finding on my arrival in this 
 part of the Concan, that the ceremony of Suttee, at no time so com- 
 monly practised as in most parts of British India, had, on the institu- 
 tion of the Hon, Company's Government entirely ceased^ apparently 
 caused by a very general opinion which prevailed among the na- 
 tives, (though certainly without reason), that the performance of this 
 sacrifice was totally repugnant to the laws, as well as the feeling of 
 Government ; in short, that it would not be permitted. This senti- 
 ment, particularly as no specific rules at that period existed for the 
 guidance of Magistrates, and as no bad effect apparently was the re- 
 sult of it, I did not most certainly take the smallest pains to remove ; 
 contenting myself, in the very few instances where my permission was 
 applied for, by neither giving nor withholding my consent, declaring, 
 as was then literally the case, that I was ignorant whether the usage 
 was permitted by the Government or not. The state of doubt in 
 which these evasive answers left the minds of the applicants, I found 
 had all the eff*ect I could have hoped for, and in a very short time I 
 heard no more of them : the result being that in the bounds of the 
 late Mai wan residency not a single case of Suttee has ever occurred; 
 at least not in my time : and I believe I am correct when I add, neith- 
 er within the four years my predecessor was stationed there ; if 
 there has it must have been performed (a very improbable circum- 
 stance) with such secrecy as to prelude the possibility of its coming 
 to the knowledge of the local authorities." J 
 
 One more extract may be made from the Par. Papers, (printed 
 
 * Par. Papers, p. 236. + p. 256. | p. 258. Account of YorkMeeting, p. 26. 
 
72 
 
 1821), of similar import with the preceding: "I feel embolden- 
 ed, in the cause of numanityj to state, that the practice (of Suttee) 
 is neither prescribed by the shastra^ nor encouraged by persons of edu- 
 cation or influence. I can speak, from positive authority, that his 
 Highness the Rajah of Tanjore, has ever discouraged it; and I feel 
 assured that, with the exception of a few brahmuns, who derive a ne- 
 farious reward for presiding at this infernal rite, the prohibition of the 
 practice would give universal satisfaction."* (C. M. Lushington, Esq., 
 Mag. at Combeconum, Sept., 1813.) 
 
 We could, with no consistency declare that to be murder to day, 
 which we yesterday declared to be justifiable, and I do not think we 
 ever can do so until we are armed with law opinions, that the prac- 
 tice of Suttees is not conformable to the Hindoo law : and it by no 
 means seems certain that such a construction of the law would be unat- 
 tainable.^H ( W. Leycester, Esq., Chief Judge of the Nizamut Adaw- 
 lut, Calcutta, May, 1821.) 
 
 ''The ordinances of Menu, which are one of the principal law au- 
 thorities in this part of India, do not encourage the sacrifice in the 
 same manner as others quoted in the vivade changamana, translated 
 by Mr. Colebrook. 'Let him not wish for death ! Let him not wish 
 for life t Let him expect his appointed time, as a hired servant ex- 
 pects his wages,' are doctrines more agreeable to the institutes of the 
 oldest Hindoo legislator, who mentions doctrines very averse from 
 self-immolation of widows ; such as the raising up a son to the de- 
 ceased by the widow. Here the marriage of widows is now deemed 
 illegal, but not so in some of the most southern parts of the Peninsula. 
 The Hindoo shastra lays down rules for securing proper provision for 
 the widow, and confidence on the uninterrupted validity of such claims 
 has probably proved, as a solace to their afflictions, one of the most 
 efficacious considerations to operate to the prevention of the practice ; 
 while the persuasion which the priesthood use to widows to induce 
 them to devote their bodies to this sacrifice, have the greatest influ- 
 ence on those who, being without future protection and maintenance^ 
 regard a future sojourn in this world with despair."J 
 
 " I look upon this inhuman practice as one tolerated to the disgrace 
 of the British Government; it is ever abominated by the better sort of 
 natives themselves,^ and no where is it enjoined by Hindoo law. The 
 authorities against self-immolation are Menu, Bhooraspattee, and se- 
 veral others. The weight of authority is in favour of a rigid prac- 
 tice of austerities, because it is that prescribed by Menu, revered by 
 the Hindoos as the first and greatest law of authority. Custom can 
 only be legally upheld when it does not militate against law^ 'consue^ 
 tudo pro lege servator^^ will only extend to cases where no specific law 
 exists. In the present instance there is a specific law, sanctioned by 
 Menu, in direct opposition to authorities of inferior weight. I appre- 
 hend, the obvious absurdity of the law (exempting brahmuns from 
 death) and the impossibility of reconciling it with our notions of jus. 
 tice induced its abolition. If then a law can be repealed from its in- 
 consonancy with reaso n, the same ar guments exist in a stronger de . 
 * Par. Papers, No. i. p. 270. + Par. Papers, No. ii. p. 63. J p. 98. 
 
73 
 
 g-ree against an inhuman, barbarous, and unjust custofn.^^^ (C. M. 
 Lushington, Esq., Mag., Trichinopoly, Oct., 1819.) 
 
 The Hon. Court of Directors, in a letter addressed to the Governor 
 General in Council, at Fort William, Bengal, dated London, June 
 17, 1823, thus expressed their views of the obligatory nature of Sut- 
 tee, and the means of its abolition : " Connected vvrith the opinions 
 expressed by many intelligent men, that the practice of Suttee is not a 
 tenet of religion to which the people are enthusiastically^ attached, but 
 rather an abuse, fostered by interested priests and relations. These 
 instances of partial success do lead us to regard the notion oprohibi' 
 tion, modified according to circumstances, of this barbarous custom 
 with rather less of apprehension than it has generally produced. 
 Assuredly the most acceptable form of success would be that which 
 would be brought about by such an increase of intelligence among 
 the people as should shew them the wickedness and absurdity of the 
 practice ; next to this, we should rejoice to see the abolition effected 
 by the influence and the co-operation of the higher order of natives."+ 
 It is gratifying to see this awfully interesting subject discussed by 
 every class of society, and there can be no doubt that the abolition of 
 the Suttee would be hailed in India as an act expected from the Bri- 
 tish Government, and reflecting lustre upon its administration. O 
 may those in whose hands are the lives of thousands of hapless wi- 
 dows, and the destinies of millions, reflect upon the language of the 
 Almighty: "If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto 
 death, and those that are ready to be slain ; if thou sayest, ' Be- 
 hold we knew it!' doth not He that pondereth the heart consider it? 
 and He that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he 
 render to every man according to his works." Pro. xxiv. 11, 12, 
 
 J. H. Harington, Esq., now member of Council in Calcutta, in a 
 very interesting Minute relative to Suttees, dated Dec, 1824, thus 
 gives his view of the fecility and safety of suppressing Suttees : " If, 
 as appears from the exposition of the shastra, given by the pundits of 
 the Sudder Dewanny Adawlut, the assistance of brahmuns and others 
 be requisite to enable the widow to devote herself in the prescribed 
 or customary way, whether of sahamaran or anoomaran, (burning 
 with or without the body,) it would surely be possible to prevent such 
 aid being given by a public interdiction, with a declaration that any 
 person hereafter causing, aiding, or in any manner promoting a fe- 
 male sacrifice, such as that commonly denominated a Suttee, shall be 
 liable to a criminal prosecution, as principals or accomplices, for ho- 
 micide ; and that on conviction it will not be held any justification of 
 the homicide that the person so convicted was desired by the deceased 
 to cause, aid, or in any manner to promote her death, or that the de- 
 ceased became a Suttee by a voluntary act of self-devotion. It is im- 
 possible that a legislative enactment to prevent assistance being here- 
 after given in the Suttee immolation, with a view to preserve the lives 
 of a number of miserable women from suicide, in a state of affliction 
 from the recent death of their husbands, and to put a stop to the hor- 
 rible abuses and cruelties which, unsanctioned by Hindoo laws, have 
 * Par. Papers, No. ii. p. 103, 104. + Par. Papers, printed 1824, p. 45. 
 
 K 
 
74 
 
 loo frequently attended an involuntary perpetration of this sacrifice, 
 could be imputed to any other motives than what would really govern 
 such an enactment ; and which might therefore be fairly and fully de- 
 clared, without danger of its being misconstrued into any thing like a 
 general design to put down, by authority, the religious system with 
 which the inhuman practice referred to is imperfectly connected."* 
 
 The same Gentleman, in a paper addressed to the Right Hon. the 
 President of the Board of Control, under date May 30, 1822, thus de- 
 cidedly shews his opinion of the nature of the Suttee, and the propri- 
 ety of its abolition: "Whatever opinion may be entertained on the 
 policy which has hitherto induced the British Government to tolerate 
 the immolation of Hindoo widows, as considered to be in some degree a 
 religious observance, although it is not a prescribed duty^ as may be 
 seen in Mr. H. Colebrook's Translation of Original Texts on the sub- 
 ject, (see Vol. iv. of the Transactions of the Asiatic Society), there 
 can be no sufficient or legitimate reason for permitting a practice so 
 repugnant to every feeling and principle of humanity, in opposition to 
 the only laws which can be pleaded in justijication of it," + 
 
 The following statement is interesting, contained in a letter from 
 T. H. Pelly, Esq., Magistrate of the Southern Concan, to the Gover- 
 nor in Council, Bombay, dated May 11, 1820: "Happening to be 
 at Penn in Dec. it was reported to me, late in the day, that a woman 
 was about to perform the ceremony of a Suttee. Some of the res- 
 pectable brahmuns were sent for, and after in vain endeavouring to 
 persuade them from persevering in their design, they were told that 
 if they could show any passage in their sacred works which went the 
 length of actually ordering the ceremony^ it might go on. This they 
 said they could readily do; but could not in fact produce any thing 
 beyond the well-known commendations bestowed on Suttees, and the 
 equally known recapitulation of the several curious advantages deriv- 
 able to the soul of the deceased by the cremation of the widow. 
 The days were short at that season, and while these discussions were 
 going on in the most quiet and amicable manner, the sun was ra- 
 pidly sinking, and indeed nearly set. They noticed this, I imagine, 
 and seeming unwilling to press for my sanction to an immolation, 
 which they must have perceived I contemplated with extreme hor- 
 ror; they inquired if I would object to the Suttee within Angrias ter- 
 ritory, which was close at hand. To this I replied, that I could ex- 
 ercise no jurisdiction there. They left me with the intention, as I 
 conceived, of performing the ceremony beyond our line of boundary: 
 but I found, on inquiry, that the design was abandoned altogether : 
 and the woman is now, I believe, alive." t 
 
 The Magistrate of Poena, in 1823, Captain H. D. Robertson, ex- 
 erted himself much for the abolition of Suttees. His discussions with 
 the brahmuns and pundits, as given in the Parliamentary Papers, 
 are highly interesting ; an extract or two may be given. "Chinta- 
 mun Dixit, a violent man, said I had infringed their law, by saving 
 Radabyee's life, and that had she lived they could not have permitted 
 her to be con sidered in their caste. I defied him the proof of this : 
 * Par. Papers, No. iv. p. 10, 11. + Page 20. + Page 155, 156. 
 
76 
 
 and asserted the unpalatable truth that he either willfully misrepre- 
 sented, or did not understand, his own law; that the shastras and 
 commentaries upon them, by which they in those days declare them- 
 selves to be guided, precisely laid down a penance during twelve 
 days, of no very hard description to be the terms of readmission in- 
 to society of a woman who should come from the pile alive, after be- 
 ing once in it : and that it was po:<itively declared to be a meritorious 
 act, to assist in saving such a Suttee from burning."* 
 
 Addressing the natives in their language, he said: "There is not 
 a man in this assembly who, if he had witnessed the scene I was sum- 
 moned to behold, (on Saturday, Sep. 27th),would not appreciate my 
 present motives, and would not aid me in endeavouring to impress on 
 the rest the propriety of some arrangement being effected, by which 
 a repetition of it should never occur. Impressed with the conviction 
 that the Suttee is a barbarous one; aware that the law of i/our fore- 
 fathers no where inculcates as a positive law or duty^ the practice^ 
 but merely allows it a colour of such sanction^ by such a positive en' 
 durance^ that room even for doubt is left whether the sanction is not a 
 kind of denouncement of it ; aware that your shastra, in no text, can 
 be interpreted to attach blame or even censure to widows who do not 
 become Suttees; that there is no slur or stain that anyone may dare 
 to throw on the character or affection of her who does not sacrifice 
 herself; aware moreover that the present generation and yourselves 
 attach no contempt to those who survive their partners ; you cannot 
 but agree with me, that there exists not one good cause for not stop- 
 ping the practice altogether."+ 
 
 An article " On Female Immolation^'' published in " The Friend of 
 India," March, 1821, from which extracts were forwarded to the 
 Hon. Court of Directors, July, 1823, and printed in the Par. Papers, 
 July, 1825, (p. 20 26,) contains a just and powerful statement of the 
 points at issue. The writer says : " If it be advanced that the Hin- 
 doos think the Suttee is a religious rite, w6 would ask : Under what 
 Government is the privilege of deciding on the nature of crime and 
 punishments delegated to the subject, more especially with regard to 
 actions which render him obnoxious to justice ? If the Hindoo who 
 burns his innocent mother brings himself to think it a religious action, 
 are the civil authorities, to whom the preservation of her life is com- 
 mitted, over which life he has not even a shadow of a right, obliged 
 to think so ? Are the sacred principles of justice to be abrogated be- 
 cause private individuals are mistaken in their notions of the worship 
 which is acceptable to the Deity ? The admission of this principle 
 would rend asunder the bond of society ; for if the highest crime, that 
 of murder, may go unpunished when committed under a religious pre- 
 text, what crime can we consistently punish in India ? There is no 
 species of abomination which the Hindoo code does not sanction under 
 some shape or other. But the whole course of our judicial proceed- 
 ings demonstrates that we have never acted on these principles. ^ But 
 the Hindoo law commands this murderous practice.' This we must 
 beg leave to deny. Menu, the parent of Indian jurisprudence^ for 
 * Par. Papers, No. iv. p. 167T~+ page 181, 182. 
 
76 
 
 whom the natives entertain such veneration, that the brahmun who 
 possesses not a shalgram and a copy of his laws, is said to have for- 
 feited his religious privileges: Menu, respecting whom it is acknow- 
 ledged, that ' what is contrary to his injunction is not law,' says nothing 
 of female immolation, but on the contrary prescribes rules for the 
 conduct of widows during the time of their natural existence. If 
 succeeding Hindoo commentators have partially countenanced it, we 
 would ask; since what period have we taken those authors for our 
 rule and guide, and substituted their precepts instead of the principles 
 of justice ? For the honour of the British character we can reply that 
 we have never done so ; we have never put to death every shoodra 
 who has molested a brahmun by bringing an action against him for 
 debt, robbery, or adultery. We have not cut off the hands of every 
 shoodra who has seized a brahmun by the neck ; we have not poured 
 melted lead into the ears of every plebeian who has listened, during 
 the last sixty years to reproaches against these twice-born favourites 
 of heaven. Yet these injunctions, however contrary to reason, to hu- 
 manity, and to the peace of mankind, are positively contained in their 
 code. We have not therefore listened for one moment to these books, 
 but have defended the natives from the bloody rigour of their own 
 laws. If any one be still disposed to object, that while we have in 
 general upheld the authority of these books, we have disannulled those 
 laws which appeared unjust, we really know not what argument may 
 be adduced more favourable to the abolition of female murder; for in 
 this case it maybe justly urged that if we possess a discretionary 
 power over the Hindoo laws, the helpless widow has as strong a claim 
 to our compassion as the members of the servile tribe, almost every 
 individual of which is daily incurring the penalties decreed in them ; 
 and that if we make any exceptions in the execution of the Hindoo 
 code, the unprotected female ought fully to share in them. The 
 burning of widows is a mere excrescence from the corrupt stock of 
 polytheism. We question whether one half oi the population of India 
 know any thing of it but by report; the number of those wiio feel in- 
 terested in supporting it consists only of those who are personally en- 
 gaged in promoting female immolation ; the great majority of our 
 native subjects are as little interested in the question as in the death of 
 a brahmun at Cape Commerin. It does not require any great pene- 
 tration to discern that those who have quietly submitted to the death 
 of their priests when justice has demanded the sacrifice, will manifest 
 no disquietude when in the spirit of equity and humanity, we prevent 
 the murder of their sisters and daughters." 
 
 Charles Marsh, Esq., in the House of Commons, in 1813, thus ex- 
 pressed himself relative to the obligatory nature of Suttees ; " It is 
 enjoined by no positive precept of the Hindoo religion. It is a species 
 of overstrained interpretation of its duties : and the offspring of that 
 fanaticism which will inevitably grow up, and has more or less grown 
 up, under every system of religion."* Ought not such fanaticism to 
 be corrected ? 
 
 The late C. Grant, Esq., in his " Observations on the Maimers of 
 
 * Dr. John's Pamphlet on the Suttee, p. 96. 
 
T7 
 
 the Natives of British India," adverts to this custom, and intimates, 
 that to say we should continue to allow of these great disorders in 
 " all time to come" would be " too daring a conclusion."* 
 
 The philanthropic and eloquent Wilberforce thus pleaded the cause 
 of benighted India, in the British Senate, in 1813. "Oh Sir, if we 
 lived nearer these unfortunate people, their distressed situation would 
 exact from us more prompt relief. It was formerly my task to plead 
 the cause of a people whose woes affected every heart, who were fi- 
 nally rescued from the situation in which they groaned by the aboli- 
 tion of the Slave Trade. That cause was doubtless the cause of suf- 
 fering humanity ; but I declare that, even if we exclude the considera- 
 tion of religion; humaniti) appears to me to be still more concerned in 
 the cause I am now pleading than in that of which I was formerly the 
 advocate" 
 
 The Rev. T. Scott of Aston Sandford, in his valuable Commentary, 
 has the following remarks on Numbers xxxv. 33 : " So ye shall not 
 pollute the land wherein ye are : for blood it defileth the land : and 
 the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein but by 
 the blood of him that shed it." " The connivance of our Government 
 in the burning of widows, and in human sacrifices, and in other species 
 of murder committed in our East Indian dominions, under the pretext 
 of an idolatrous religion, is wholly unjustifiable, and burdens our land^ 
 and all connected with those distant regions^ with the guilt of blood 
 not expiated by that of those who shed it." The blood of Suttees cry 
 to Britain. O may she soon " make inquisition for blood," that " the 
 blood of the souls of the poor innocents" may not be "found upon 
 her skirts." 
 
 It appears very important to ascertain the judgment of the Hin- 
 doos themselves upon the obligation of the rite of Suttee. In the Be- 
 wasta, received from Mutoonjoy Pundit of the Supreme Court in 1817, 
 respecting the burning of Hindoo widows and other sacrifices among 
 the Hindoos, Menu is not mentioned among the various authorities 
 quoted; and it is acknowledged "on the subject of anoogumum the 
 shastras exhibit a great variety of opinions ; but no difference pre- 
 vails with regard to the propriety of leading a life of austerity." 
 
 Ram Mohunroy in 1818 published in Calcutta, in Bengalee and 
 English, a pamphlet entitled, " A Conference between an Advocate 
 and an Opponent of the practice of burning widows," which I should 
 be happy to see reprinted in this country. A quotation or two from 
 it will shew the sentiments of the humane and enlightened among the 
 Hindoos relative to the Suttee : " The Veda declares ' By living in 
 the practice of regular and occasional duties the mind may be purified. 
 By hearing and reflecting and constantly meditating on the Supreme 
 Being, absorption in Brumhu may be attained. Therefore from a de- 
 sire during life, of future fruition, life ought not to be destroyed!' 
 Menu, Yagnyuvulkyu, and others, have, in their respective codes of 
 law, prescribed to widows the duties of ascetics only. The ancient 
 saints and holy teachers and their commentators and yourselves, (ad- 
 dressing Advocates of the Suttee,) as well as we, and all others, agree 
 ~~ * Townley's Answer to the Abbe Dubois, p. 189. 
 
S^i 
 
 78 
 
 that Menu is better acquainted than any other lawgivers with the spirit of 
 the Vedas. He has directed widows to spend their lives as ascetics." 
 It is thus closed : " It is to me a source of great satisfaction that you 
 (the Advocates) are now ready to take this matter into your serious 
 consideration. By forsaking prejudice and reflecting on the shastra, 
 what is really conformable to its precepts may be perceived, and the 
 evil and disgrace brought on this community^ by the crime of female 
 murder^ will ceased 
 
 Mr. Townley, in his " Answer to the Abbe Dubois," shews the 
 opinions of the Hindoos upon this subject: "I have heard of the re- 
 ply being repeatedly given to the expostulations of Europeans; ^^ If 
 there is any blame in our proceedings^ it belongs to you yourselves^ for 
 we are acting under British sanction,^^ He adds, " The native who 
 instructed me in the Bengalee language, (who was a brahmun of more 
 than ordinary intelligence,) frequently expressed his surprize to me 
 that Government did not issue an order that no more Suttees should 
 be permitted, intimating his conviction that no commotion whatever 
 would ensue." * 
 
 Ah why is Britain afraid to do justice upon those who shed innocent 
 blood? "Where are the bowels of our mercy? Where our fears of 
 the retributive justice of Heaven? How long shall this scourge con- 
 tinue to desolate India, and dishonour Britain? We may answer in 
 the memorable language of a brahmun, ' Till the British Government 
 shall think proper to abolish it,'' " + 
 
 '' The pundits have intimated that if Government will pass a regu- 
 lation, amercing by fine every brahmun who attends a burning, or 
 every zemindar who permits him to attend it, the practice cannot 
 long continue. The ceremony, unsanctified by the presence of the 
 priests, will lose its dignity in the eyes of the people." (Southey.) 
 
 When Dr. Johns was in India (in 1812) the principal brahmuns at 
 the Mission Press, Serampore, were asked, whether the interference 
 of the Government to suppress so horrid a custom would be objected 
 to by the natives. They promptly answered that it would not^ and 
 encouraged the idea of such an interference." % 
 
 " It ought to be considered, that some of the most respectable pun- 
 dits do not approve the practice, and would be happy if it were abo- 
 lished: while many others reproach us for permitting it to exist J'' 
 
 In the Asiatic Journal for July, 1826, published in London, are 
 three letters in English, written by Bengalees, on the subject of Sut- 
 tees, which are very curious compositions, and show ihe sentiments 
 of sensible natives on the nature of this appalling rite. We can give 
 but a short extract or two. " Her brother Roopnarain Gosaul, who 
 is supposed to be a wealthy man, and being so long in the Hon. Com- 
 pany's service, ought to be discharged from his place, and prosecuted 
 in the Supreme Court for giving countenance to such an inhuman act. 
 No body anger could be minded when a life is concerned ; she ought 
 to be prevented to burn. If Governor General gives orders to remove 
 
 * Townley 's Answer to the Abbe Dubois, p. 180. 190. f " Grimshawe's Appeal," 
 p. 24. + See Dr. John's Pamphlet, p. 92. Account of York Meeting, p. 23, 24. 
 Asiatic Observer, No. 8. Oct., 1824, p. 371. 
 
T9 
 
 the woman from her relations, at her pronouncing that she will burn, 
 and allow her to remain one day in a comfortable place with English 
 Ladies that understands the country's language, there is no doubt her 
 mind shall be purified, and her foolish thoughts shall be removed, and 
 will not be anxious to do such a base act as to burn with dead person." 
 (Muddunmohun Mullick, Calcutta, Jan. 27, 1826.) 
 
 " I fully agree with the sentiments contained in Muddunmohun's 
 letter. If the Government in Council gives order to remove all the 
 women on pronouncing that they will burn, to be placed with an in- 
 telligent English person to persuade them to the contrary, and not 
 allow any of the relations to converse, or make them take intoxicated 
 drugs, they will never die in such an inhuman manner. I have lost 
 my wife these six years, and have not married again for fear she may 
 burn with my body at my death. The Hindoo woman have no sense; 
 they hear from their superiors the cremation is an holy act, and they 
 are fool enough to listen it, which only induce them to express their 
 sentiments that they will burn; and as soon as such a declaration is 
 obtained all the unfeeling relations uses all their exertions to induce 
 the poor unfortunate widows to suffer such a cruel death. I hope you 
 will not refuse to have this appeared in your interesting Paper, and 
 oblige me." (Sunchurn Sill, Calcutta, Jan. 31, 1826.) 
 
 What shall urge British humanity, magnanimity, and justice, to 
 abolish, without delay, the bloody rite of Suttee? Let the magnitude 
 of the evil be seriously considered. The following is an account of 
 the number of Suttees under the Presidencies of Bengal, Madras, and 
 Bombay, during the years specified. 
 
 Suttees in the Bengal Presidency, | 
 
 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 
 378 442 707 839 650 597 654 583 
 
 18231 
 575| 
 
 Madras Presidency, 1 
 
 1817 ^o 1819, 183, Average per annum 61. No returns 
 
 since. \ 
 
 Bombay Presidency.* 
 
 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 
 42 67 50 48 38 
 
 The aggregate af these details is 5853. "What a tragic history 
 would a complete detail of these burnings make!" Could they have 
 been assembled in one city (say Calcutta) for a general massacre, 
 would they have perished ? No ! but is the evil, the guilt, the re- 
 sponsibility, less because these fires are lighted up daily and in vari- 
 ous parts of the land? "The question (discussed here) is a question 
 of life or of death, and consequently we must bring to the considera- 
 tion of it all those rules of evidence, and all that process of argument, 
 which can alone satisfy men's sober judgment, and direct them in a 
 decision, which is to terminate either in the death-warrant of the vic- 
 
 * See Par. Papers, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, Account of York Meeting, p. 21. 
 
^ 
 
 80 
 
 Urns or in the revocation of their degraded and mournful lot." Bri- 
 tain delays to speak the decisive word that shall save thousands of un- 
 happy widows from death, but, " On whom will the blood of the many 
 thousand victims that are destined to perish be visited? This is a so- 
 lemn and momentous question, before which we may well pause and 
 weigh all the present and all the future consequences. It cannot be 
 dissembled, that the charge of guilt attaches primarily to the Govern" 
 ment of India, who are the conscious spectators of the act, and largely 
 possessing the means, are yet deterred from employing those means 
 for its suppression. It next attaches to the British Government at 
 home, who acquiesce in the motives that influence this reluctance. 
 And finally, the whole British people become parties to this moral 
 guilt, if knowing, as they do, the existence of the crime, they do not 
 consider themselves pledged to use all lawful means for abolishing a 
 rite, derogatory to the British character, forming an anamoly in the 
 administration of civil law, and involving a flagrant breach of the law 
 of God."* 
 
 The Marquis of Hastings would have "abolished the atrocious prac- 
 tice, if he could have relied upon the popular feeling being in his favour 
 in our own country, and that the danger was felt not in India, (Proh 
 dolor!) but only in England." + Let the inhabitants of Great Britain 
 and Ireland speak and supplicate that no more innocent blood may be 
 shed. Bedford, in 1823, and the village of Crail, near Edinburgh, in 
 1825, have taken the lead in this work of justice and mercy. The 
 present year, 1827, is likely to see something important done. The 
 abolition of human sacrifices has been discussed in the Court of East 
 India Proprietors, and advances made towards the attainment of this 
 desired object. Notice is given in the House of Commons of a mo- 
 tion on the subject of Suttees, for May 24th, and petitions have been 
 sent from York, Rochdale, Colchester, &c. and others are preparing 
 at Derby, Loughborough, Retford, &c. The most concise and com- 
 prehensive form of a petition I have seen, is that of Loughborough, 
 which is as follows : " To the Honourable the Commons of the United 
 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled. 
 
 " The humble Petition of the Inhabitants of the Town of and 
 
 its Vicinity, 
 
 " Sheweth, That your Petitioners learn with extreme concern that 
 the inhuman and impious practice in India, of burning Widows on the 
 funeral pile of their husbands, still continues. 
 
 " That your Petitioners while they gratefully acknowledge that of 
 late years exertions have been made for the moral and religious im- 
 provement of India, and that the influence of the British Government 
 has been successfully exerted in the prevention of many superstitious 
 cruelties hitherto practised by the Natives ; would earnestly implore 
 your Honourable House to command such further exercise of autho- 
 rity as may secure the abrogation of the practice, so opposed to the 
 law of God, and so revolting to humanity. And your Petitioners will 
 ever pray." 
 
 Un der the law of Moses even uncertain murder was to be expi- 
 * Grimshawe's Appeal, p. 20. 26. + Account of York Meeting, p. 6. 
 
8t 
 
 arted, and the people taught to pray ; " Be merciful, O Lord, unto 
 thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent 
 blood unto thy people of Israel's charge." (Deu. xxi. 8.) May Bri- 
 tain fed her responsibility to "put away theg^ilt of innocent blood." 
 
 " Ye British matrons, liusbands, sires, 
 
 Your souls with soft compassion glowing ; 
 O haste to quench the horrid fires 
 
 Whence human blood is sadly flowing ; 
 With your lov'd King and Country plead y 
 
 Implore the Senate of your nation 
 That British India may be freed 
 
 From scenes of such abomination.*'' 
 
 The existence of Suttees and other cruel rites in India, for many 
 ages, is a proof of its benighted, degraded state. Bible and Mission- 
 ary Societies are the great means of promoting its conversion to Chris- 
 tianity. " The Gospel is the power of God to salvation to every one 
 that believeth." I have seen a Bengalee Christian and a preacher 
 who, when a boy, set fire to the pile that consumed his mother to 
 ashes. Behold the triumph of Christianity! Let the friends of hu- 
 manity and of true religion prosecute the good work of evangelizing 
 India and the East, for their " labour is not in vain in the Lord." 
 
 We shall close in the impressive language of a Writer in the Asi- 
 atic Observer, No. viii. (published in Calcutta, Oct, 1824). Speaking 
 of this cruel practice, it is observed : " How many noble souls have 
 ventured on some bold enterprize, without seeing how they could ac- 
 complish their design; yet, by close attention and perseverence, a 
 way his opened to their view, and means have offered themselves al- 
 most spontaneously for forwarding their wishes, so that at length they 
 have attained to that which at first appeared to them almost impossi- 
 ble to be acquired. Indeed the noblest plans and institutions by which 
 our country (Britain) is adorned, and our happiness increased, have 
 originated in this manner. Let one man of influence in society take 
 the object into consideration, deliberately, and with a determination 
 to find out some plan to which he can solicit the attention of the pub- 
 lic, and we have as little doubt of his success as we have of the dispo- 
 sition of the public to assist him. Various ideas have been started on 
 this subject and some of them, were they adopted, might prove be- 
 neficial. It has been thought that it would be good for the inhabi- 
 tants of Calcutta to present a petition to the Supreme Government 
 here, or through them to our own Legislators at home. It would cer- 
 tainly be an honourable thing to those who made it, and entitle them 
 to a place among the friends of India to the latest age. It has been sug- 
 gested that it would be very honourable to the ladies in Calcutta were 
 they all to unite in presenting a petition and soliciting the Lady of the 
 Governor General to do them the honour of putting her name first. 
 This would display the humanity and sympathy of the Calcutta ladies, 
 and have a great practical effect, by leading many to impress on their 
 husbands the importance of rescuing a degraded part of the female 
 sex. If all the Knights of the present day could be persuaded to 
 undertake the rescuing of Bengalee widows from the flames, they 
 would attempt a nobler deed than was ever achieved since the order 
 
 L 
 

 82 
 
 was instituted; and, should they be successful, would transmit to pos- 
 terity a name more honourable than any or all of their brethren. 
 Another plan that has been proposed, and acted upon in part, is, that 
 Houses of Agency, Mercantile Houses, &c., would set their faces 
 ag-ainst this practice, by dismissing from their employment any per- 
 son who has been brutal enough to burn his own mother. This would 
 teach the natives in general the abhorrence that Europeans have of 
 the crime, and would, in many instances, prevent it from being com- 
 mitted." 
 
 '' We are encouraged, from the spirit of the British Nation, and 
 from the prophecies of Scripture, confidently to anticipate an end to 
 the miseries we now deplore. That a Parliament which has abolish- 
 ed the Slave Trade, will for ever permit the burning of widows, we 
 can never believe. Slavery did not receive its death-blow at once: 
 many blows were aimed at the monster before its head was broken ; 
 and its carcase is not even yet all consumed. So it may be in the 
 case under discussion: it may be brought forward several times be- 
 fore all objections to it, real and fictitious, are answered; but, not- 
 withstanding this, unless humanity and wisdom perish from the British 
 Senate^ we are certain that sooner or later they will put an end to this 
 horrid practice. We argue, not from the cessation of many cruel 
 ceremonies among other nations that this will certainly be the case; 
 we have a surer word of prophecy on which to depend: the Most 
 High has declared that he will give his Son " the heathen for his in- 
 heritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession." If 
 these nations are given to him, whose law is love, and whose Gospel 
 is peace, then will be brought to pass the saying that is written : " The 
 wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw 
 like the bullock; and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall 
 not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord."* 
 * Asiatic Observer, p. 369, 370, 374, 375. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Winks, Printer. Baxter-Gate, Loughborough. 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 Page. 
 Section I. Remarks on the horrid nature of the practice of burning Hindoo Wi- 
 dows, and on the causes that tend to prevent its suppression, or occasion its 
 perpetration 3 
 
 Section II. The cruel rite of Suttee not enjoined by the most authoritative of the 
 Hindoo Legislators and opposed to their views of eminent virtue. Force abso- 
 lutely forbidden, yet generally employed 15 
 
 Section III. Further illustration of the important position that the Suttee, though 
 recommended by some modem Hindoo Writers, is not enjoined by the most au- 
 thoritative ; and that the usual mode of its perpetration is not sanctioned by 
 Hindoo Writers 19 
 
 Section IV. Furtherdiscussionof the subject of the two preceding Sections, being 
 a Review of a Pamphlet on the burning of widows, written in Bengalee, by a 
 Pundit 30 
 
 Section V. The present partial interference of the British Government promotes 
 
 the increase, celebrity, and supposed legality of Suttees, 50 
 
 Section VI. Testimonies to confirm the propriety and safety of the suppression of 
 Suttees 54 
 
 Section VII. A collection of European and Native testimony to the position, that 
 the Suttee is not absolutely enjoined by the Hindoo shastras, and hence should 
 be suppressed 68 
 
<rl. 
 
AN 
 
 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 WESLEYAN METHODISM, 
 
 IK WHICH 
 
 VARIOUS MISREPRESENTATIONS OF SOME OP ITS LEADING 
 PRINCIPLES ARE EXPOSED, 
 
 ITS PRESENT FORM IS VINDICATED. 
 
 BY JOHN BEECHAM, D.D. 
 
 WITH NOTES, AND AN APPENDIX, 
 
 CONTAININO 
 
 CONNEXIONAL DOCUMENTS. 
 
 I SPEAK as to wise men ; judge ye what I say. Paul. 
 SECOND EDITION, CORRECTED AND ENLARGED. 
 
 LONDON : 
 PUBLISHED BY JOHN MASON, 14, CITY-ROAD 
 
 SOLD AT 66, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 
 
 MDCCCL, 
 
^-\ 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED BY JAMES NICHOLS, 
 
 BOXION-SQUARE. 
 
TO 
 
 THE TRUSTEES, STEWARDS, LOCAL PREACHERS, AND 
 CLASS-LEADERS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 LIVERPOOL SOUTH CIRCUIT. 
 
 Dear Brethren, 
 
 I HASTEN to meet the wish, which you have so generally 
 expressed, that I should publish the substance of the Speech I 
 delivered at our Christmas Quarterly-Meeting, on the constitutional 
 questions by which some individuals have attempted to agitate the 
 Connexion. 
 
 The following Essay was written previously to that Meeting, 
 without any view to its ever appearing in print ; and as it embodies 
 the arguments which, on that occasion, I advanced in your hearing, 
 I have revised the whole, and, with some slight additions to meet 
 more recent objections, I now present it for your use. 
 
 If it should answer the purpose of a manual, and give you 
 such a satisfactory view of the subject in question, as may save you 
 the trouble of a more laborious research, or should only serve as 
 a guide to direct you in a more extended inquiry, I shall be suffi- 
 ciently compensated for the trouble attending its preparation. 
 
 I remain. 
 
 Your affectionate brother, and devoted servant in Christ, 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 Mount-Pleasant, Liverpool, Apiil 30th, 1829. 
 
 A 2 
 
^^ 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT TO THE SECOND EDITION, 
 
 The views of Methodism, and the arguments in favour of its 
 Constitution, contained in this Essay, are exhibited in a controversial 
 form. This resulted from the circumstances which called it forth. A 
 controversy arose, in 1828, respecting the interposition of the 
 District- Committee in the case of the Leeds Organ, which involved 
 the entire question of the Constitution of Methodism. The Wesleyan 
 Connexion is not to be regarded as a mere association of independent 
 churches, for some general object not affecting their several internal 
 arrangements ; but it is such an association of churches or Societies as 
 blends the whole into one body, with an united pastorate, having one 
 and the same system of doctrine, being under the administration of a 
 common discipline, and having common institutions and funds for 
 their support. Such a body, while receiving the laws of Christ as its 
 i-ule, must necessarily possess a governing power, for the purpose of 
 giving effect to those laws, and of making the prudential arrangements 
 necessary for the due regulation of Connexional affairs : and the contro- 
 versy of that day mainly hinged upon this point. The principal objections 
 urged by the dissatisfied pai'ties seriously involved the Connexional 
 principle; for had there been validity in the arguments which they 
 employed against the authority of the Conference and of District- 
 Committees, it would have followed, that the Connexion was not 
 really pervaded by a common principle as one body, nor held together 
 by any real bond of union, that, in fact, its oneness existed princi- 
 pally in form and appearance, and, as a consequence, that the body was 
 not calculated to bear the pressure of adverse circumstances, or resist 
 the force of divisive influences in the time of trial. This Essay, there- 
 fore, took its peculiar form from the questions which were then mooted. 
 It was written with the view of subjecting the Constitution of Method- 
 ism to such an investigation as would establish the fact, that the Con- 
 ference is the principal authority in the Connexion, charged with the 
 general management and regulation of its affairs. 
 
 The first edition of the Essay was speedily sold. I have been frequently 
 requested to publish a second, but have hitherto declined ; because the 
 question of the Constitution of Methodism, having been examined in a 
 controversial manner, with especial reference to one object, a greater 
 degree of prominence was given to the government of the Connexion 
 than seemed desirable in a time of peace and tranquillity. After the sub- 
 sidence of the agitation in which the Essay was written, it appeared to 
 me that, instead of its re-publication, it would be better that some 
 competent person should examine the Constitution of Methodism on 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 sucli general grounds, us would divest the subject of the air of contro- 
 versy, and give no more prominence to any of the principal features of 
 the Constitution, than their relative importance might demand. But 
 the times are again changed ; and I now yield to a new request that 
 I would publish a second edition of the Essay which, to my mind, 
 possesses much of the force of command. It would seem as though 
 there is something in the theory of an eloquent living writer, that 
 events revolve in cycles. In the revolution of the wheel of Methodism, 
 after something more than twenty years the same controversy is 
 revived ; the same objections are urged against the authority of the 
 Conference ; and the same claims advanced in favour of the independ- 
 ence of the local meetings, against the jurisdiction of the District- 
 Committees. The Essay, in its original form, appears, therefore, on 
 the whole, as much adapted to the present controversy, as it was to the 
 one which it was designed to meet. After the lapse of more than 
 twenty years, the views which I embodied in the Essay have under- 
 gone no material change. Reflection and observation have only tended 
 to satisfy me of their substantial accuracy. And I am more than ever 
 persuaded, that the changes in Methodism which are again recom- 
 mended by certain parties, although spoken of under the name of 
 reform, would, in reality, if practically adopted, effect a revolution; 
 and, while professing to improve Methodism, would, in fact, subvert 
 it, and substitute another system in its stead. I, for one, am not pre- 
 pared to make the experiment. I cannot, I dare not, be a consenting 
 party to any such attempt ; but feel myself bound to do whatever I 
 can, Christianly and constitutionally, to prevent its success. And 
 while I endeavour to maintain the trust committed to me, in part, as a 
 Methodist Minister, I do so from the deep conviction, that the present 
 system of Methodism is far more scriptural in its character, and better 
 calculated to promote the cause of pure and undefiled religion, than 
 would be the case were it to undergo that transformation which is now 
 advocated as salutary reform. I should not engage in controversy for 
 its own sake ; but the Christian man and Christian Minister may not 
 shrink from an irksome task, when the interests of the cause of Christ 
 require its performance. 
 
 J. B. 
 11, Lloyd-street, Lloyd-square, London, 
 June 19^A, 1850. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 Preliminary Remarks. 
 
 i. the constitution of methodism previous to 1795 and 1797. 
 
 Misrepresentation of original Methodism 1 
 
 A few principles common to all governments whatever 2 
 
 The views of certain persons at variance with those principles 2 
 
 The Conference, the Supreme Authority 3 
 
 Who constituted the Conference 4 
 
 Principle on which it commenced its deliberations 5 
 
 Legislated on spiritual matters, and on temporal concerns 6 
 
 Sir William Home, that the Minutes of Conference are the Statute Law (note) 7 
 
 Officers of original Methodism, and their powers 8 
 
 View of the ordinary administration 10 
 
 Local-Preachers' Meetings 11 
 
 Mr. Wesley's general Superintendence 12 
 
 Conference confirmed in its authority by usage and custom 14 
 
 Design of the Deed of Declaration 15 
 
 Uniform solicitude on the part of Mr. Wesley to perpetuate the government of 
 
 the Connexion in the Conference 17 
 
 Mr. (now Baron) Rolfe's description of the Conference {note) 19 
 
 The Conference regarded itself, as left, at Mr. Wesley's death, the Supreme 
 
 Authority ; and so viewed by the people 20 
 
 Institution of District-Committees 21 
 
 Designed to supply the lack of Mr. Wesley's general Superintendence 22 
 
 Regulations respecting District-Committees examined 24 
 
 General view of original Methodism 29 
 
 II. THE CONSTITUTION OF METHODISM AS SETTLED BY THE REGULATIONS OF 
 1795 AND 1797. 
 
 Contradictory views of certain persons on the conduct of the Conference 30 
 
 The Sacramental question the primary and leading cause of the disputes after 
 
 Mr. Wesley's death 31 
 
 Plan of Pacification (1795) 33 
 
 The effects of the French Revolution on those disputes 35 
 
 Those who were dissatisfied with the restrictions imposed by the Plan of Paci- 
 fication on the introduction of the Sacrament, attack the constitution of 
 
 the Conference 36 
 
 The Conference did not, in 1797, give up the legislative power 37 
 
 The Lay-Delegates recognised the Conference as the legislative body 38 
 
 The Conference conceded that a Quarterly-Meeting might suspend the opera- 
 tion of a New Law, in its Circuit, for the first year 40 
 
 The concessions made in the executive department 41 
 
 The power given to Leaders'-Meetings similar to the power of a jury 43 
 
^' 
 
 V 
 
 CONTENTS. Vll 
 
 Page. 
 
 It was only in their secondary cliaracter, as Committees of Business, that 
 
 power was taken from District-Committees 45 
 
 The supposition that the extraordinary jurisdiction of the District-Committee 
 
 was given up in 1797, leads to absurd conclusions 45 
 
 The District-Committee not strengthened to try Preachers 47 
 
 The Rule for inviting three Superintendents to assist District-Committees 
 
 araphfied by the Conference of 1835 {note) 48 
 
 The same Conference (of 1835) provided that a Minor District-Committee may 
 be resorted to, if a Leaders'-Meeting reject the facts of the case under 
 
 inquiry {note) 49 
 
 The Circuits, in 1797, familiarized with foreign interference 52 
 
 The Miscellaneous Regulations of 1797 were agreed to during the sitting of 
 
 the Lay-Delegates 53 
 
 The ** Exhibit F," containing the " Code of Laws" separately published by the 
 
 Conference of 1 797 {note) 55 
 
 The power of the District-Committee, judicial 62 
 
 If the concessions of 1797 involve the idea of a " compact," then they must be 
 understood as imposing an obligation upon the people, corresponding to 
 
 that resting upon the Preachers 62 
 
 The views maintained in this Essay respecting the end for which District- 
 Committees were instituted, and the powers which they possess, confirmed 
 
 by the Vice-Chancellor and Lord Chancellor, in 1835 {note) 62 
 
 The principle of appeal to Conference 63 
 
 Its importance to the people shown 68 
 
 What certain parties recommend as genuine Methodism proves to be another 
 
 system, which would soon destroy the oneness of the Methodist body 70 
 
 III. THE CONSTITUTION OF METHODISM AS IT NOW APPEARS. 
 
 The Conference not covertly undermining the Constitution 71 
 
 The whole system of our legislation, since 1797, shown to have been marked 
 
 by voluntary concession on the part of the Conference 71 
 
 Additional disciplinary modifications made by the Conference of 1835 in favour 
 
 of the people {note) 71 
 
 First reason why the Constitution should not be given up for the new scheme 
 some recommend is Because our present Constitution properly recog- 
 nises the pastoral office, and consistently maintains its scriptural authority 72 
 
 Scriptural inquiry concerning the pastoral office 72 
 
 The principle established, that the Pastor is both " to feed " and " to rule " 
 
 the Flock 85 
 
 Examination of passages in the New Testament which have been adduced 
 to show, that the Government of the Church is vested in the Church 
 
 itself 85 
 
 The practice of the Apostles in the Government of the Church, which, in some 
 instances, would seem to favour that opinion, found to be in unison with 
 their precepts, which place the Government of the Church in the hands 
 
 of its Pastors 95 
 
 The notion that the Church is intrusted with the Government of itself, appears 
 
 contrary to the order of things 96 
 
 Who are invested with the pastoral office and authority 97 
 
 To be wholly set apart to the ministry necessary to constitute a Pastor 97 
 
 The regular Preachers are the Pastors of the Methodist flock 102 
 
? 
 
 Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 The Local Preacliers and the Class-Leaders not Pastors 102 
 
 Teaching, in various ways, was engaged in, in the primitive church, by those 
 
 who w^ere not Ministers or Pastors 104 
 
 Absurd consequences of the principle, that whoever teaches at all in the 
 
 Church is thereby constituted a Pastor 107 
 
 Second reason why the present Constitution of Methodism should be preserved 
 is Because it gives a sure guarantee for the security of the Methodistic 
 rights and privileges of the whole Connexion 108 
 
 It guarantees to the whole body to secure 
 
 The purity of our Doctrines 108 
 
 A competent and profitable Ministry 110 
 
 The benefits of Itinerancy 110 
 
 The able and faithful management of its temporal concerns and public 
 
 Funds Ill 
 
 It affords to every class of Methodists security for their peculiar rights and 
 privileges : 
 
 To the Class-Leaders Ill 
 
 To the Local Preachers 112 
 
 To the Trustees, Stewards, &c. ^their respective rights 113 
 
 Every individual member is secured from being oppressed 
 
 By the Preachers, on the one hand 114 
 
 By the Leaders on the other 114 
 
 Concluding Appeal 114 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 A. The Plan of Pacification of 1795 116 
 
 B. Address to the Societies, and Miscellaneous Regulations of 1797 118 
 
 C. Rule of 1820 on Organs 122 
 
 D. The Special Address of the Conference of 1835 123 
 
 Declaratory Resolutions of the same year 133 
 
AN ESSAY, 
 
 Among the various views under which Methodism presents itself for 
 our consideration, its poHty is not the least important. A system 
 which cements in one a religious community, so numerous and widely- 
 extended as the Wesleyan Methodists, a government which, without 
 secular power, extends over and effectually provides for the whole, is a 
 suhject of interesting inquiry to the mere ohserver; but to Methodists 
 themselves it is a question of practical moment. Circumstances will 
 occasionally transpire, by which their attention will be called to the 
 principles on which their polity is founded ; and if those principles be 
 but imperfectly understood by them, their peace will be liable to be 
 disturbed by groundless fears and unnecessary apprehensions. A com- 
 petent knowledge of the leading features of their system, is one of the 
 most likely means, under the blessing of God, to secure the Methodists 
 from those agitations to which a large and popular body is ever 
 exposed. 
 
 To place in a clear light the constitution of Methodism, as settled 
 by the Regulations of 1 795 and 1 797, it will be necessary to ascertain 
 what it was previously to that important period. It is true, had the con- 
 stitution then been formed entirely afresh, what it was originally 
 would be a question of curiosity rather than practice : but as this was 
 not the case,- as the old system was only altered and modified, while 
 it remained, as to its fundamental principles, the same, a knowledge 
 of it, in its former state, is indispensably necessary. 
 
 In prosecuting the proposed inquiry, while I elicit, from the official 
 documents and history of Methodism, a general view of its constitu- 
 tion, I shall endeavour, at the same time, effectually to expose the 
 misrepresentations by which it has been latterly assailed. 
 
 According to the plan thus marked out, the first subject of our 
 inquiry will be, 
 
 1. THE CONSTITUTION Of METHODISM PREVIOUS TO J 795 AND 1797. 
 
 With original as well as modern Methodism misrepresentation has 
 been at work, and has given us a picture very discordant from the 
 truth. It is assumed by some, that, at the close of Mr. Wesley's life, 
 the local meetings, of which the Preachers of the Circuit are said to 
 have been only members, and the Superintendent the Chairman, had, 
 in all local affairs-, become confirmed, by usage, in a state of inde- 
 pendence ; ^that the judicial power of the Conference was limited, by 
 
 B 
 
2 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 the " Deed of Declaration," to tlie trial and expulsion of its own mem- 
 bers; and that, therefore, the Conference had no right of judicial 
 interference with either the officers or members of the Societies, either 
 directly, or by means of such a provision as the District-Committee. 
 To this view of original Methodism, there is a prima facie objection. 
 There are a few principles common to all governments whatever ; and 
 one of these is, that every body politic must have a head. This head, 
 in the language of political writers, is " the supreme power ;" and is 
 described as the power which legislates, the power which makes laws 
 for the body. Speaking of this power, Blackstone says,* " All others 
 must conform to, and be directed by it, whatever appearance the out- 
 ward form and administration of the government may put on. For it 
 is at any time in the option of the Legislature to alter that form and 
 administration by a new Edict or Rule, and to put the execution of 
 the laws into whatever hands it pleases : and all the other powers of 
 the state must obey the legislative power in the execution of their 
 several functions, or else the constitution is at an end." So universal 
 is this principle, that it is recognised in the simplest of all polities, 
 domestic government, the government of a single family. The parent 
 the master is the head. It is for him to lay down rules for the 
 conduct of the family ; and he is armed with the rightful power of 
 enforcing obedience, either in his own person, or by whatever agents 
 he may see fit to employ. But the picture of original Methodism 
 which is now presented to us, exhibits the political anomaly of a body 
 without a head. It recognises no legislative assembly to make such 
 laws as circumstances Avould occasionally require no supreme authority 
 extending over and controlling the whole. Is it said, that the legislative 
 power of the Conference is not denied ? There is a virtual denial of 
 it. If the judicial power of the Conference was limited to its own 
 members; if the Conference could not interfere, by any such pro- 
 vision as a District-Committee, with either the Societies or their local 
 officers, but the Meetings were, in all local affairs, independent of the 
 Conference; then the laws were administered, not by the Conference, 
 or by its authority, but by the local meetings, on their own authority. 
 The power of enforcing the laws is thus denied to the Conference, and, 
 by consequence, the power, too, of making laws ; for, as it has been 
 shown, these two are so essentially united, that where the latter is not, 
 it is mere talk to say that the former exists. Is it maintained, that 
 the Conference was represented by the Superintendent of the Circuit, 
 who presided in the local meetings ? It is answered, the Superin- 
 tendent is not spoken of as administering the laws, by the authority of 
 the Conference, aided and assisted by the local meetings, as jurisdic- 
 tions subordinate to the Conference : the local meetings are repre- 
 sented to have been independent, and the Superintendent to have been 
 merely their Chairman. Had this been the case, the Superintendent 
 
 * Vol. i., p. 49. Fovirth edition, 4to. Oxford. 
 
A^ 
 
 OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. J 
 
 would, therefore, have carried into effect the decisions of the meetings, 
 not as the representative of the Conference, acting hy its authority, hut 
 as the organ and servant of the meetings, executing the commission 
 with which they had charged him. Whatever may be admitted in 
 words, the legislative power of the Conference is thus virtually denied. 
 Instead of being spoken of as the supreme authority in Methodism, 
 which made the laws, and enforced them by means of subordinate 
 jurisdictions accountable to itself; it is represented as having had 
 nothing to do with the Circuits, but to appoint Preachers to the cha- 
 pels, and to take a part in a few temporal and financial arrangements. 
 Such is the anomalous appearance which original Methodism is made 
 to put on, by the representations of certain parties. We can easily 
 conceive of a number of independent States, each of which has its 
 own legislative assembly, and subordinate jurisdictions for the enforcing 
 of the laws, all confederated together for some common purpose ; and 
 of one of these being vested with a right of limited interference with 
 the others, for the accomplishment of that object which is the end of 
 their union. And if original Methodism had been thus exhibited ; if 
 the Circuits had been represented as having each had its own legis- 
 lative body, with inferior jurisdictions to administer its discipline, and 
 held together only by certain general ties, and that the Conference was 
 allowed to interfere with all the Circuits, in a few respects, for the 
 attainment of the common object of their association, such a view 
 would have been consistent enough with the theory of government in 
 general. But the representation now made is widely different. It is 
 not contended, that the Societies or Circuits possessed legislative 
 power; the legislative power is virtually denied to the Conference; 
 and we have, therefore, a representation, not of so many bodies politic 
 united in a general bond, but of one body politic without a head, with- 
 out an authority which is supreme, legislating for, and enforcing its 
 laws upon, the whole. 
 
 This view of original Methodism is not more at variance with the 
 fundamental principles of government, than it is with historic fact. 
 Mr. Wesley left the Conference established, by usage, as the supreme 
 authority in Methodism, and possessed, by virtue of the Deed of 
 Declaration, of means for perpetuating its pastoral rule over the body 
 at large ; while the local meetings were subordinate jurisdictions, 
 formed for the purpose of aiding, only, in the administration of the 
 laws. 
 
 In speaking of the Conference as the "supreme power" in Methodism 
 as constitutionally possessed of authority to legislate for the Body, it 
 will of course be understood that I only use the expression in reference 
 to that power which every branch of the church of Christ possesses, 
 to frame such Regulations for the management of its affairs, as do in 
 its judgment accord with the fundamental laws of Him who is supreme 
 Legislator in His church on earth, and as it believes to be best calcu- 
 lated to give practical effect to those laws. 
 
 B 2 
 
4 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 But who constituted the Conference ? Sometimes mention is made 
 of Mr. Wesley and the Conference ; but it is not, therefore, to be con- 
 cluded, that Mr. Wesley was not a member of the Conference. In the 
 Deed of Declaration, which he executed for the purpose of " explain- 
 ing the words, ' yearly Conference of the people called Methodists,* of 
 declaring what persons were members of the Conference, and how the 
 succession and identity thereof was to be continued," having shown 
 in general terms who had ever composed the Conference, he then 
 mentions all the members of it by name. This enumeration sets the 
 question at rest. Mr. Wesley and his brother are there included with 
 the Preachers, and they are represented as constituting, together, the 
 Conference. 
 
 And the Conference, thus composed, gave to the body all its Laws 
 during the period to which our present inquiry refers. The first 
 Methodist Society, commencing with ten or twenty persons only, was 
 formed in the latter end of the year 1739.* It cannot, however, be 
 said to have had a separate existence till the middle of the following 
 year. A kind of general union subsisted, for a time, between the 
 Methodists and the Monivians; but, towards the close of July, 1740, 
 that general bond was dissolved, and an entire separation took place 
 between them.t How inconsiderable the Methodist Society still was, 
 in regard to numbers, may be seen from ^Mr. Wesley's own words. 
 Speaking of this division, he says, " About twenty-five of our brethren 
 God hath given us already, all of whom think and speak the same 
 thing ; seven or eight and forty likewise, of the fifty women that were 
 in band, desired to cast in their lot with us."J Before the Society, 
 however, thus took a separate form, several lay-Preachers itinerated 
 with Mr. Wesley. Mr. Wesley makes mention of one as early as 
 1738,11 a year before any Society was formed at all. The fact then is 
 not that Mr. Wesley, in the first instance, raised and organized a large 
 Society, before he called in the aid of lay-Preachers. Lay-Preachers 
 were associated with him from the beginning ; and the Society may 
 rather be said to have been raised by the blessing of God resting on 
 his and their joint endeavours. Under such circumstances, Mr. Wesley, 
 as might be expected, associated the Preachers with himself in the 
 management of the Society, that Society which they had assisted him 
 to originate. For a while, he, >vith the Preachers, regulated the infant 
 body without ivritten laws ; but when they commenced meeting period- 
 ically for the more effectual transaction of business, they began to 
 commit to ^vriting the Laws by which the body was to be disciplined. 
 The first of their formal meetings, consisting of Mr. Wesley, his 
 brother, four Clergymen, and four lay- Preachers, IF was held in 1744, 
 four years only after the first establishment of the Society. At that 
 
 * See Rules of Society. 
 
 t Myles's Chron. Hist, of the Methodists, 4th edit., p. 15. 
 
 % Mr. Wesley's Journal, Wednesday, July 23d, 1740. 
 
 See Large Minutes. |1 Myles's Chron. Hist., p. 10. ^ Ibid. p. 24. 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 5 
 
 meeting, Mr. "Wesley adopted, for the assembly, the appellation of the 
 "Conference ;"* and our argument is, that the Conference gave to the 
 Connexion the laAvs by which it was governed during Mr. Wesley's life. 
 
 The principle on which the first Conference commenced its delibe- 
 rations is deserving of notice, because it proves, that Mr. "Wesley did 
 not convene the Preachers for mere show and formality, but that they 
 might really share with himself in the management of the Connexion. 
 In the Minutes of that Conference, drawn up by Mr. Wesley himself, 
 among other things, he says, " It is desired, that every point which is 
 proposed may be examined to the foundation ; that every person may 
 speak freely whatever is in his heart ; and that every question which 
 may arise should be thoroughly debated and settled." Among the 
 questions which are proposed, he asks, " How far does each of us agree 
 to submit to the judgment of the majority ? " and the question is 
 answered, " In speculative things each can only submit so far as his 
 judgment shall be convinced ; in every practical point each will sub- 
 mit so far as he can without wounding his conscience." It is thus 
 evident, that however great was Mr. Wesley's authority, whatever 
 deference was paid to him as the Father of the Connexion, the very 
 first Conference proceeded to business on the principle, that the sense 
 of the majority should be respected. 
 
 And it was not merely such business as concerned themselves, only, 
 which was to be settled on this principle. The object of the Meeting 
 is stated in the same Minutes to be, " To consider, 1 . What to teach : 
 2. How to teach : and, 3. What to do : that is, how to regulate our 
 doctrine, discipline, and practice." And the deliberations of the 
 Meeting were not to be confined to what should be done in all those 
 matters in future ; but they were retrospective also. The Conference 
 did not begin on the supposition, that what was then in existence in 
 Methodism could not be touched. Mr. Wesley, in the Minutes, 
 encourages the most rigorous examination of their " first principles," 
 declaring that, if these are false, the sooner they are overturned the 
 better. The business of the first Conference, then, was to examine, 
 for the purpose of altering or confirming, the " principles " on which 
 they had been founding Methodism, and to make such provision for 
 the management of the body, in future, as should be deemed neces- 
 sary. The first subjects which were debated for two days w^ere their 
 great doctrinal " principles ; " which having confirmed, they then pro- 
 ceeded to examine and confirm those " principles " of discipline on 
 which they had been acting, and to make such new Regulations as the 
 circumstances of the body at large required. 
 
 The view which the Minutes of the first Conference thus afford, of 
 the end contemplated by Mr. Wesley, in the institution of the Confer- 
 ence, is expressly confirmed, in a letter to Mr. M , under date of 
 
 January, 1 780 ; only eleven years before the close of his lengthened 
 
 * Myles's Chron. Hist., p. 25. 
 
1' 
 
 ill 
 
 6 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 life. In that letter, he remarks, " You seem likewise to have a wrong 
 idea of a Conference. For above six years after my return to England, 
 there was no such thing. I then desired some of our Preachers to meet 
 me, in order to advise, not control, me. And you may observe, they 
 had no power at all, but what I exercised through them. I chose to 
 exercise the 'power which God had given nie in this manner^ both to avoid 
 ostentation, and gently to hahituats the people to obey them when I should 
 be taken from their head."* Mr. Wesley, in this quotation, appears as 
 the expositor of his own plans and intentions. Although, as the 
 Founder of Methodism, he was the source and centre of all power in 
 the body, and was ever ready, as occasion offered, to assert that 
 power by both his pen and his acts ; he steadily prosecuted the object 
 which he had contemplated, from the beginning, of so associating the 
 Preachers with himself in the exercise of his power, that the people 
 might become accustomed to obey ihem, also, and that the Conference 
 might thus become established, by iisage, as the head of the Con- 
 nexion, when he might be removed by death. 
 
 The laws which emanated from the first and succeeding Conferences 
 for the government of the whole body, may be divided into two 
 classes : 
 
 J. Those which related to spiritual matters: 
 
 2. Those which referred to temporal concerns. 
 
 On adverting to the first class, it appears that the conditions of 
 membership were settled by the Conference. Mr. "Wesley had, only a 
 few months before the first formal meeting of himself and the 
 Preachers in Conference, drawn up, in writing, the Rules by which, as 
 to their substance, they had been admitting persons into the Soci- 
 ety, and excluding them from it ; and, on the meeting of the Confer- 
 ence, these Rules were carefully investigated, and then confirmed.t 
 This examination of the Rules was repeated in succeeding Confer- 
 ences, with a view to ascertain whether any change was necessary ; 
 and, as often as they were reviewed, they received again the solemn 
 sanction of the Conference. What was done respecting them at the 
 Conference of 1756, which was held at Bristol, and at which nearly 
 fifty Preachers were present, may be given in Mr. Wesley's own 
 w ords. " The Rules of the Society," he says, " were read over, and 
 carefully considered one by one ; but we did not find that any could 
 be spared, so we all agreed to abide by them all." " The Rules of the 
 bands were read over and considered one by one, which, after some 
 verbal alterations, we all agreed to observe and enforce." 
 
 The manner and the times of public worship were determined by 
 the Conference. Not only the hymns to be sung, and the tunes to be 
 used, but even the manner of singing was settled by its authority. 
 
 The Regulations under which persons should exhort, or engage as 
 
 * Wesley's Works, vol. xiii., p. 114. Svo. 1831. t Myles's Chron. Hist., p. 34. 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. / 
 
 Local Preachers, were laid down, and most explicitly, too, by the 
 Conference. 
 
 On examining the second class of its laws, we find the Conference 
 legislating on almost all the temporal matters of the Society. The 
 steps to be taken in the building of chapels, how the expense was to 
 be met, how they were to be settled, even what was to be the form 
 of the chapels, were all regulated by the Rules of the Conference. 
 The collections in the congregations, whether regular or casual, with 
 the times when they were to be made, were also decided by its autho- 
 rity. The Conference determined how much the members should 
 contribute weekly, and quarterly, to the support of the cause ; what 
 should be the salary which the Societies should allow their Preachers ; 
 what they should provide for the Preachers' wives ; and enacted that 
 the expenses of the Preachers' travelling to the Conference should be 
 paid by the Circuits. 
 
 An instance may be produced to show, that the laws of the Confer- 
 ence respecting temporal matters were not a dead letter. The Confer- 
 ence of 1752 had directed, that the Societies should pay the Preachers 
 twelve pounds per annum ; and, in ] 765, a deputation from a distant 
 Circuit came to the Conference assembled at Manchester, to pray for 
 an alteration of the Rule, twelve pounds being regarded by them as 
 too large a sum : but their suit was rejected, and the Rule con- 
 firmed.* 
 
 With respect to the laws by which the Methodist body was 
 governed during Mr. Wesley's life, it may be confidently affirmed, that 
 they all issued from the Conference. The " whole Methodist disci- 
 pline " was digested and promulgated, not by any of the local meetings 
 on the one hand, nor by Mr. Wesley alone on the other, but by Mr. 
 Wesley with the Preachers assembled in Conference. The inquiry 
 What was the legal record of the laws of original Methodism ? is, of 
 itself, sufficient to lead to conviction on this point, If we wish to 
 know what were the laws of the body during Mr. Wesley's life, whi- 
 ther do we refer ? To the record of any local meeting or meetings ? 
 To the Works of Mr. Wesley ? No : but to the " Minutes of the 
 Conference." The Conference, then, was the " supreme power," the 
 legislative body : else how could its Minutes be the only legal record of 
 the laws ? t This consideration shows, moreover, the propriety of our 
 adopting that definition of " the Conference," which Mr. Wesley gives 
 in the Deed of Declaration. Were we, from the mention some- 
 times met with of Mr. Wesley and the Conference, to suppose, that 
 he w^as not included in the Conference, we should have then to come 
 
 * Myles's Chron. Hist., p. 76. 
 
 t In the Vice-Chancellor's Court, in 1835, in the case of " Warren v. Burton 
 and others," Sir WiUiam Home, the leading Counsel for the defendants, sustained 
 this view of the subject, and " contended, that the intention of the Founder and 
 whole body of Methodists had always been, to consider the Minutes of Conference 
 as the statute law by which all temporal and spiritual matters, were to be 
 governed." 
 
B ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 to the conclusion, that the laws were made and promulgated hy the 
 Preachers alone. 
 
 The Conference is now to be viewed as providing for the execution 
 of its laws. The administration of the laws was vested in Mr. Wes- 
 ley, his clerical associates, and the Assistant Preachers and Helpers ; 
 and to these were added various local officers, who were created as the 
 occasion required. The first time the Conference met, formally, we 
 find it describing the powers which the various officers of Methodism 
 should exercise. The following is a list which it gives of the officers 
 employed in the as yet infant Society : " Ministers, (that is. Clergy- 
 men,) Assistants, Helpers, Stewards, Leaders of bands, Leaders of 
 classes, visiters of the sick, schoolmasters, and housekeepers." The 
 only meetings of the local authorities which were then recognised, 
 were the w^eekly Meeting of the Leaders, and the weekly Meeting of 
 the Stewards. The business of these Meetings is distinctly marked 
 out. The Leaders were to meet once a week, to inform the Minister 
 of the state of their classes, and to pay to the Stewards the moneys 
 received from their classes in the preceding week. The Stewards were 
 to meet weekly, to adjust the temporal affiurs of the Society, and to 
 give such information, on local affiiirs, to INfr. Wesley, as might assist 
 him in that general superintendence of the Connexion, which he 
 retained through life.* Now, in all this is witnessed the exercise 
 of supreme authority. Had not the Conference been the " supreme 
 power," what would it have had to do with determining the powers of 
 the officers in Methodism, with marking out the limits of its local 
 jurisdictions ? . The Leaders'-Meetings and Stewards-Meetings might, 
 with as much propriety and right, have set themselves to determine 
 the powers of the Conference, and to mark out and limit its juris- 
 diction. 
 
 As Methodism kept making advances from a state of infancy 
 towards maturity, new officers and new jurisdictions were introduced; 
 as, for instance, Circuit-Stewards, and Circuit Quarterly-Meetings. 
 The Connexion was not divided into Circuits till the year 1746, 
 From this period Quarterly- Meetings are recognised in thr* Minutes, 
 as part of the Methodist economy. The Quarterly-Meeting, composed 
 of the Preachers, the Circuit-Stewards, and the Stewards of the differ- 
 ent Societies, appears to have taken the place of the weekly Meeting 
 of the Stewards ; and the end of its institution, as we learn from the 
 Minutes, was to afford to the Assistant an opportunity of reviewing 
 the spiritual state of the Circuit, and to settle its temporal affairs.t 
 
 In 1763 an extensive jurisdiction was formed, with a view to pro- 
 mote a closer union of the whole Methodist body. The subject had 
 been started some time before ; but, at the Conference, it was formally 
 discussed and determined, that London should be the centre of com- 
 
 * Myles's Chron. Hist., p. 34. f Minutes of Conference, vol. i., p. 40, 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 9 
 
 munication, and that the Stewards of that Society should correspond 
 with the Stewards of other Societies, and give such advice in temporal 
 matters as might seem good to them. This jurisdiction, however, not 
 answering the expectations which had been entertained of it, was, after 
 a time, abolished. But who, or what body, we ask, is this, which is 
 seen making such alterations in the Connexion, by dividing it into 
 Circuits, which is beheld creating jurisdictions, and abolishing them 
 at pleasure ? The Stewards, or Leaders'-Meetings ? No ; but the 
 Conference. This, then, affords another view of the supreme authority 
 of the Conference. Blackstone, in the quotation above, says, " That it 
 is at any time in the option of the Legislature to alter the administra- 
 tion of the Government, and to put the administration of the laws into 
 whatever hands it pleases." But we have seen the Conference making 
 laws for the Connexion, providing for the execution of its laws, as it 
 saw good, and then altering and modifying the administration at its 
 own discretion : the Conference, therefore, certainly was the " supreme 
 power" in the Connexion. 
 
 The powers of the different officers and jurisdictions of Methodism, 
 as the constitution appeared in its settled and matured state towards 
 the close of Mr. Wesley's life, now claim attention. 
 
 In the first place, the formal meeting of the local authorities was not 
 legal, without the Preacher being present to preside. In the Confer- 
 ence of 1776, it was stated, that, in Ireland, part of the Leaders met 
 without any connexion with, or dependence on, the Assistant ; and it 
 was decided, (and the Rule was never rescinded or modified,) " We 
 have no such custom in the three kingdoms. It is overturning our 
 discipline from the foundations. Either let them act under the direc- 
 tion of the Assistant, or let them meet no more. It is true they can 
 contribute money for the poor ; but we dare not sell our discipline for 
 money." * 
 
 In the next instance, the local jurisdictions had no directing or con- 
 trolling power in spiritual affairs. In the Leaders'-Meeting, all that 
 the Leaders had to do in these matters, was to give information on the 
 state of their classes ; and, in the Quarterly-Meetings, the Preacher 
 inquired into the spiritual state of the whole Circuit ; but this was all 
 that either Meeting had to do with spiritual affairs. The enforcing 
 of the discipline was vested in the Preacher, independently of the 
 Meeting. The Leaders'-Meeting had no voice as to the persons to be 
 taken into Society, or excluded from it. In an early period of Me- 
 thodism, a direction was given to the Preacher to allow a person to 
 meet a few times in class before he gave a ticket, that he might have 
 the opinion of the Leader to guide him ; but no controlling power was 
 vested by that regulation in the Leaders'-J/e6'^m(7. The Leaders'- 
 Meeting had nothing to do with the appointment or removal of 
 Leaders, nor had either Meeting a voice in the appointment or cliang- 
 
 * Minutes of the Conference, vol. i., p. 126. 
 
]0 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 ing of Stewards : this was entirely rested in the Preacher. In the 
 Conference of 1787, only little more than three years before Mr. 
 Wesley's death, it was ordered, " Inform the Leaders, that every 
 Assistant is to change both the Stewards and Leaders as he sees good." 
 The local meetings had no control over public worship. This was in 
 the hands of the Preachers. They, and not the meetings, were respon- 
 sible for the conducting of public worship according to the regulations 
 of the Conference. How little power the Leaders'-Meeting possessed 
 may be judged from the fact, that the Leaders were directed to 
 sit in silence on their assembling together, until the Preacher should 
 enter the room ; and, during the meeting, they were not allowed to 
 speak a single word, except in answer to a question from the Preacher 
 or Steward.* 
 
 The jurisdiction of the Stewards was over temporal matters. The 
 reason assigned by Mr. Myles, why the plan of uniting the Societies 
 more closely, through the medium of the Stewards, failed, was, . 
 because these officers had nothing to do with anything but the tem- 
 poral affairs of their respective Societies. And, in this their jurisdic- 
 tion over temporal matters, the Stewards were under the control of the 
 Preachers. The Preachers had the supervision of all temporal affairs. 
 In 1763 the Conference, in marking out the power of the Assistant, 
 directed that he should " inquire diligently into the temporal^ as well 
 as spiritual, state of the Society;" and, in the "office of a Helper," the 
 same Conference determines it to be a Helper's duty, "to meet the 
 Ijcaders and Stewards and overlook their accounts," and to see " that 
 the Stewards and Leaders faithfully discharge their several offices." 
 
 A clearer view of the ordinary administration of original Methodism 
 cannot be given, than what is afforded by Mr. Wesley himself. In 
 the year 1771, when the constitution of Methodism had acquired that 
 settled and consistent state in which it remained to the end of his 
 life, Mr. Wesley visited Dublin, for the purpose of rectifying certain 
 disorders which had originated in the Society there. Having tho- 
 roughly investigated the business, he then read over to the Leaders the 
 following paper : 
 
 1. That it may be more easily discerned whether the members of our Societies 
 are working out their own salvation, they are divided into little companies, called 
 classes. One person in each of these is styled the Leader: it is his business, 
 (1.) To see each person in his class once a week; to inquire how their souls pros- 
 per ; to advise, reprove, comfort, or exhort them. (2.) To receive what they are 
 wilhng to give towards the expenses of the Society ; and, (3.) To meet the Assistant 
 and the Stewards once a week. 
 
 2. This is the whole and sole business of a Leader, or any number of Leaders. 
 But it is common for the Assistant in any place when several Leaders are met toge- 
 ther, to ask their advice, as to anything that concerns either the temporal or spirit- 
 ual welfare of the Society. This he may or he may not do, as he sees best. I 
 frequently do it in the larger Societies : and, on many occasions, I have found, that 
 in a multitude of counsellors there is safety. 
 
 * Extract from the Minutes published in 1763. 
 
^T^ 
 
 OF WESLEY AN METHODISM. II 
 
 3. From this short view of the original design of Leaders, it is easy to answer the 
 following questions : 
 
 Q. 1 . What authority has a single Leader ? 
 
 He has authority to meet his class ; to receive their contributions, and to visit 
 the sick in his class. 
 
 Q. 2. What authority have all the Leaders of a Society met together ? 
 
 They have authority to show their class-papers to the Assistant ; to deliver the 
 money they liave received to the Stewards, and to bring in the names of the sick. 
 
 Q. 3. But have they not authority to restrain the Assistant, if they think he acts 
 improperly ? 
 
 No more than any member of the Society has. After mildly speaking to him, 
 they are to refer the thing to Mr. W. 
 
 Q. 4. Have they not authority to hinder a person from preaching ? 
 
 None but the Assistant has this authority. 
 
 Q. 5. Have they not authority to displace a particular Leader ? 
 
 No more than the door-keeper has. To place and to displace Leaders belongs to 
 the Assistant alone. 
 
 Q. 6. Have they not authority to expel a particular member of the Society ? 
 
 No ; the Assistant only can do this. 
 
 Q. 7. But have they not authority to regulate the temporal and spiritual affairs 
 of the Society.' 
 
 Neither the one nor the other. Temporal affairs belong to the Stewards ; 
 spiritual to the Assistant. 
 
 Q. 8. Have they authority to make any collection of a pubHc nature ? 
 
 No : the Assistant only can do this. 
 
 Q. 9. Have they authority to receive the yearly subscription ? 
 
 No : this also belongs to the Assistant. 
 
 Considering these things, can we wonder at the confusion which has been here 
 for some years? 
 
 If one wheel of a machine gets out of its place, what disorder must ensue ! 
 
 In the Methodist discipline, the wheels regularly stand thus : the Assistant, the 
 Preachers, the Stewards, the Leaders, the people. 
 
 But here the Leaders, who are the lowest wheel but one, were got quite out of 
 their place. They were got at the top of all, above the Stewards, the Preachers, 
 yea, and above the Assistant himself. 
 
 5. To this chiefly I impute the gradual decay of the work of God in Dublin. 
 
 There has been a jar throughout the whole machine. Most of the wheels were 
 hindered in their motion. The Stewards, the Preachers, the Assistant, all moved 
 heavily. They felt all was not right. But if they saw where the fault lay, they 
 had not strength to remedy it. 
 
 But it may be effectually remedied now. Without rehearsing former grievances, 
 (which may all die and be forgotten,) for the time to come, let each wheel keep its 
 own place. Let the Assistant, the Preachers, the Stewards, the Leaders, know and 
 execute their several offices. Let none encroach upon another, but all move toge- 
 ther in harmony and love. So shall the work of God flourish among you, perhaps 
 as it never did before ; while you all hold the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of 
 peace. 
 
 As yet, however, we have no mention of Local- Preachers' Meetings. 
 Some time previous to the death of Mr. "Wesley, the Assistants had 
 met the Local Preachers occasionally, more especially when the new 
 Circuit-Plans were about to be made ; but, from the great extent of 
 many of the Circuits, this could not be a universal practice. It was 
 not till the year ] 796, five years after Mr. Wesley's death, that any 
 formal recognition was made of Local-Preachers' Meetings. Then it 
 was enacted, that, from that time, w,herever it should be found prac- 
 ticable, the Superintendent should meet the Local Preachers, every 
 quarter ; and that, instead of its being left entirely to the Assistant 
 
12 KSSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 to take on the Plan Avhomsoever he saw fit, none should thence- 
 forward be admitted but those who were approved of at that Meeting, 
 or at the Quarterly-Meetings of the Circuit, where Local-Preachers' 
 Meetings could not be held. 
 
 The regular and ordinary administration of the laws of Methodism, 
 it is thus seen, was, in every Circuit, vested in the Assistant and 
 Helpers ; and the business of the local officers and meetings was to 
 assist the Preachers, by their advice and other friendly offices, and 
 this was the whole of their business. The local officers, viewed either 
 singly or collectively, had no powers by which they could, constitution- 
 ally, control or resist the Preacher. They were merely the council of 
 the Assistant ; and their advice he could adopt or reject as he saw 
 good. In the " Rules " the Steward, who, according to Mr. AYesley's 
 description of the wheels of Methodism, is the highest local officer, is 
 thus addressed by the Conference : " Remember you are not the 
 master of the Assistant, but his friend ; therefore, always speak to him 
 as such." To offer friendly counsel was all that the first of local 
 officers could do. 
 
 We have yet, however, to see, more clearly, what department in the 
 executive was filled by Mr. Wesley. In him was vested the general 
 superintendence of the whole Society. He had not the ordinary charge 
 of any single Circuit : this the Assistant had. He was constantly 
 travelling from place to place, examining the state of the Societies, 
 and rectifying whatever disorders he found, whether among Preachers 
 or people. This prominent feature of original Methodism the ordi- 
 nary, every-day administration being vested in the Assistants, and the 
 supervision of the whole in Mr. Wesley is clearly perceptible in the 
 very infancy of the body. In the first Conference which was held, 
 Mr. Wesley asks, " With whom should we correspond ? And how 
 often?" And the answer recorded is, "Once a month with each 
 Assistant ; and with some one other person (at least) in each Society." 
 And in that extract from the preceding Minutes, which was published 
 in 1763, the Conference, in describing the duties of an Assistant, 
 directs him to travel with Mr. Wesley, if required, once a year, 
 through the Societies in his Circuit. The proceedings of Mr. Wesley 
 at Dublin, at the time when he read the foregoing paper, are a speci- 
 men of the manner in which he exercised this general superintend- 
 ence ; and as it will be found of service, in our future inquiries, to have 
 a clear view of the extent of this interference with the ordinary admi- 
 nistration, we will give his o^vn account of the steps he took on that 
 occasion. Having mentioned his arrival in Dublin, he says, " I imme- 
 diately set myself to inquire into the state of the Society. It was 
 plain there had been a continual jar for at least two years past, which 
 had stumbled the people, weakened the hands of the Preachers, and 
 greatly hindered the work of God. I wanted to know the ground of 
 this; and, that I might do nothing rashly, determined to hear the 
 parties, separately first, and then face to face. Having already talked 
 
S\.b 
 
 OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 13 
 
 witli tlie Preachers, I talked this evening witli the Leaders at large : 
 and, from the spirit which appeared in all, I had a good hope that all 
 hinderances would be removed. On Wednesday evening I met the 
 Leaders again, and gave them an opportunity of explaining themselves 
 further. And on Friday I appointed an extraordinary meeting, at 
 which some spoke with much warmth ; but I tempered them on each 
 side, so that they parted in peace." On the following Sunday he says 
 again, " The Leaders, Stewards, and Preachers spoke their minds freely 
 to each other. I now saw the whole evil might be removed, all parties 
 being desirous of peace. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I 
 visited the classes, and found a general faintness had run through the 
 Society." Having thus fully inquired into the affair, and found out 
 who were the disturbers of the peace, he then read to the Leaders the 
 paper which has been given at length in a preceding page. 
 
 In this instance, the business was settled without any expulsions 
 having been made ; but when he saw it necessary, he removed Stew- 
 ards or Leaders from office, and excluded members from Society. 
 Whoever will look over his Journal, will find him making not unfre- 
 quent mention of his having done so. He did not, however, always 
 make the expulsions himself; but directed the Assistant -Preacher, 
 who had the care of the Circuit, to do it. This was the case on one 
 occasion at Birstal, near Leeds. He had removed, it would appear, a 
 Leader from his office ; but the Leader proving refractory, he wrote to 
 Mr. Yalton, the Preacher, in the following words : " I cannot allow 
 J. S. to be any longer a Leader ; and if he will lead the class, whether 
 I will or no, I require you to put him out of our Society. If twenty 
 of his class will leave the Society too, they must. The first loss is the 
 best. Better forty members should be lost, than our discipline lost. 
 They are no Methodists that will bear no restraints. Explain this at 
 large to the Society." * 
 
 When he saw it necessary, Mr. Wesley reproved the Preachers also, 
 or silenced them, if their offence was of such a nature as to deserve it. 
 The first Preacher who was excluded from the Connexion was James 
 Wheatley, in the year 1752. The letter which Mr. Wesley addressed 
 to him, and which was signed by his brother Charles also, is preserved. 
 The conclusion is interesting ; because it shows how, at that very early 
 period, Mr. Wesley, in his proceedings, practically recognised the Con- 
 ference as the court where the final decision, in such cases, was to be 
 made. " The least and lowest proof of such repentance which we can 
 receive is this : that, till our next Conference^ you abstain from preach- 
 ing, and practising physic. If you do not, we are clear ; we cannot 
 answer for the consequence." Why specify the Conference, if he did 
 not mean that the business w^as to be finally settled there ? 
 
 That Mr. Wesley should thus make such a practical recognition of 
 the Conference in such matters, is not, however, to be wondered at, 
 
 * Wesleyan-Methoclist Magazine, May, 1824. 
 
14 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 when it is borne in mind, that, from the beginning, it was settled that 
 all admissions into the body of Preachers, and expulsions from it, 
 should be made at the Conference. In the very first Conference, it 
 was asked by Mr. Wesley, " What method may we use in receiving a 
 new Helper?" The answer recorded is, "A proper time for doing 
 this is at a Conference, after solemn fasting and prayer ; we may then 
 receive him as a probationer." " If he can, let him come to the next 
 Conference, where, after examination, fasting, and prayer, he may be 
 received into full connexion with us." And, in the Deed of Declara- 
 tion, it was expressly stated, that one part of the business which w^as 
 transacted at the Conference was, the receiving of new members into 
 the body, or candidates on trial, and the expelling of unworthy mem- 
 bers. Hence, as whoever consults the Minutes will see, " What 
 Preachers are admitted this year ? Who are admitted on trial ? 
 What Preachers are laid aside (or desist from travelling) this year?" 
 became, as the body increased, regular questions in Conference. 
 When these facts are kept in view, it is certainly no more than might 
 be expected, that Mr. Wesley, when, in the exercise of that general 
 superintendence which he retained, he saw it necessary in the course 
 of the year to silence a Preacher, should be found referring to the 
 Conference, as the court where the final decision on his case should be 
 made. 
 
 While we thus contemplate original Methodism in the light of history 
 and its o^vn official documents, how remote from the truth does the 
 assumption appear to which we adverted on commencing our inquiry ! 
 So far from Mr. Wesley having left the local jurisdictions, confirmed 
 by custom, in that state of independence which is now contended for, 
 they were only subordinate branches of the executive, whose business 
 was to assist the Preachers in the maintenance of discipline, but having 
 no power to resist or control them. The Conference was, by virtue of 
 established usage, the "supreme power;" and Mr. Wesley, and even 
 the Preachers of the Circuits, members of its own body, could 
 exclude persons from Society, and remove Stewards and Leaders, when 
 necessary, independently of the local meetings. So that not only the 
 legislative, but the executive, power, also, was, to every practical pur- 
 pose, in the hands of Mr. Wesley and the Preachers. That this state 
 of things should have been continued, is not my argument. I am very 
 far from maintaining, that the administration of the laws should be 
 left, without any restraint, in the hands of those who make them. 
 AVhat I mean to vindicate is Methodism as it was modified by the 
 Regulations of 1795 and 1797, w'hich Regulations give to local meet- 
 ings a real controlling power, by which they can effectually restrain 
 the Preachers from abusing their authority. All I have to do with on 
 this part of the subject is historical fact. I am merely endeavouring 
 to show what the constitution of original Methodism really was, that 
 we may have a clue to guide us in our inquiry as to what Methodism 
 now is. 
 
s 
 
 OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 15 
 
 In proving, as I have done, that, in original Methodism, the Confer- 
 ence was the supreme authority, and that the executive was so fully in 
 the hands of Mr. Wesley and the Preachers, that the local meetings 
 could offer no constitutional resistance, I have, of course, at the same 
 time, made it apparent, that that interpretation of the Deed of Decla- 
 ration to which I at first adverted cannot he correct. It will, however, 
 be important to inquire into the true design of that celebrated instru- 
 ment. Its object was, to give such a legal specification of the Confer- 
 ence as would ever secure for that assembly, in the exercise of its right 
 of appointing Preachers to the chapels, the protection of the law of the 
 land. 
 
 In the settlement of the chapels, the great object which had been 
 kept in view from the beginning was, to secure to the people, in per- 
 petuity, the preaching of the same doctrine, and the exercise of the 
 same discipline, for the sake of which the chapels were built ; and 
 one in the order of means for the attainment of that end was the right 
 vested in Mr. "Wesley and the Conference to appoint Preachers to the 
 chapels. The first chapel which was built was, in the first instance, 
 settled on eleven feoffees ; but Mr. Wesley, becoming convinced, by a 
 letter from Mr. Whitefield, that they could exclude even himself from 
 it whenever they thought proper, instantly saw that such a mode of 
 settlement would endanger the perpetuity of Methodism. Calling 
 together the feoffees, he therefore took the chapel into his own hands ; 
 and, having got a form of trust-deed drawn up by three eminent Bar- 
 risters, he had that, and the chapels generally, as they were built, set- 
 tled in accordance therewith. That plan the same v^^hich, with some 
 additions, is still used among us placed the chapels in the hands of 
 Trustees, and vested the right of appointing Preachers to them, first, 
 in Mr. Wesley, and, after his death, in the Conference. 
 
 It was not till towards the close of Mr. Wesley's life, that a defect 
 was discovered in this mode of settlement. It was then ascertained 
 that the law would not recognise and secure to the Conference the 
 exercise of its right in appointing to the chapels, without the names of 
 the persons composing the Conference being specified. This produced 
 a great sensation in the body of the Preachers, who became solicitous 
 to have some method devised for remedying the defect, before Mr. 
 Wesley should be removed. An extract from the Address of Dr. 
 Coke to the Societies, written about a year previous to Mr. Wesley's 
 death, will tend to place in a clear light the circumstances under which 
 the Deed of Declaration originated : 
 
 " In the Conference, held in the year 17B2, several complaints were 
 made in respect to the danger in which we were situated, from the 
 want of specifying, in distinct and legal terms, what was meant by the 
 term, ' The Conference of the People called Methodists.' Indeed, the 
 Preachers seemed universally alarmed, and many expressed their fears, 
 that divisions would take place among us, after the death of Mr. 
 Wesley, on this account. And the whole body of Preachers present 
 
16 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 seemed to wish that some methods might be taken to remove this dailgef ^ 
 which appeared to be pregnant with evils of the first magnitude. 
 
 " In consequence of this, (the subject lying heavy on my mind,) I 
 desired Mr. Clulow, of Chancery-Lane, London, to draw up such a 
 case as I should judge sufficient for the purpose, and then to present it 
 to that very eminent Counsellor, Mr. Maddox, for his opinion. This 
 was accordingly done ; and Mr. Maddox informed us in his answer, 
 that the deeds of our preaching-houses were in the situation we 
 dreaded; that the law would not recognise the Conference, in the 
 state in which it stood at that time ; and, consequently, that there was 
 no central point which might preserve the Connexion from splitting into 
 a thousjmd pieces, after the death of Mr. Wesley. To prevent this, 
 he observed, that Mr. Wesley should enrol a Deed in Chancery, which 
 Deed should specify the persons by nam6 who composed the Confer- 
 ence, together with the mode of succession for its perpetuity ; and at 
 the same time, such Regulations be established by the Deed, as Mr. 
 Wesley would wash the Conference should be governed by after his 
 death. 
 
 " This opinion of Mr. Maddox, I read in the Conference held in the 
 year 1 783. The whole Conference seemed grateful to me for procur- 
 ing the opinion ; and expressed their wish, that such a Deed might be 
 drawn up, and executed by Mr. Wesley, as should agree with the 
 advice of that great Lawyer, as soon as possible." * 
 
 With this account accords the Declaration which was made at the 
 Conference in 1785, (five years before the Doctor's Address was writ- 
 ten,) by the Preachers who had attended the Conference of 1783. 
 " We, whose names are underwritten, do declare, that Mr. Wesley 
 was desired at the last Bristol Conference, without a dissentient voice, 
 to draw up a Deed which should give a legal specification of the 
 phrase, 'The Conference of the People called Methodists:' and that 
 the mode of doing it was entirely left to his judgment and discre- 
 tion." t 
 
 To advert again to the Doctor. After the extract just quoted, he 
 goes on to detail, that Mr. AVesley authorised him to draw up, with 
 the assistance of Mr. Clulow, such a Deed as should answer the above 
 purposes, and that the Deed was filled up with the names of the 
 Preachers, and completed as the law required. 
 
 A difficulty occurred respecting the number of names which should 
 be inserted. Dr. Coke thought that all who were in full connexion 
 should be included ; but Mr. Wesley preferred the round number of a 
 hundred, making an after-provision, as will be seen, for preserving, in 
 point of practice, equality between the " Hundred " and those who were 
 not in that number. But, although all the Preachers who signed the 
 Declaration above inserted expressed at the same time their approbation 
 of the svhstance and design of the Deed, as did the whole Conference of 
 
 * Mylcs's Chron. Hist., p. 199. f Minutes of Conference, 1785. 
 
"S^^y 
 
 OP WESLEY AN METHODISM. 17 
 
 1785, in another Declaration to which they also affixed their names ; * 
 yet there was great dissatisfaction cherished by some, whose names 
 were not included in the Hundred ; and a small number of Preachers, 
 after a while, actually left the Connexion. The great majority, how- 
 ever, acquiesced in the arrangement; and, in time, confidence was 
 restored among the brethren. 
 
 Now, on examining this important document, we find it recognising 
 the Conference in that character under which we have viewed it. It 
 speaks of the Conference as meeting from year to year ; and says that all 
 the matters transacted during its sittings had been annually published, 
 under the title of " Minutes of Conference." But as the Conference, 
 at its periodical sittings, enacted all the laws by which the Society at 
 large was governed; and recorded and published those laws in its 
 " Minutes," which " Minutes " were the only legal record of the laws 
 of Methodism ; it follows, that this is, in fact, an acknowledgment of 
 the Conference as the supreme authority of the Connexion. Then, 
 having enumerated the names of Mr. Wesley and his brother, and the 
 others making up the Hundred, it declares, that these do, and that 
 they and their successors ever shall, constitute the said Conference ; 
 and that all their acts when recorded, in due form, in the " Journals or 
 Minutes of the Conference," shall be received as the acts of the Con- 
 ference. This important instrument thus recognises, in substance, all 
 the powers and prerogatives which were exercised by Mr. Wesley and 
 the Preachers, assembled in Conference ; and secures for the Confer- 
 ence the enjo3rment of them after Mr. Wesley's death, by placing it 
 under the protection of the law, in the exercise of its right of appoint- 
 ing to the chapels. That paragraph which has been understood as 
 limiting the judicial power of the Conference, is only one of those 
 "Regulations" which have for their primary and leading object, to 
 perpetuate the Conference in the eye of the law, by enabling it ever to 
 keep that determinate form which the law could recognise. 
 
 That Mr. Wesley, by associating, from the beginning, the Preachers 
 with himself in the government of the Connexion, and securing to 
 them the right of appointing to the chapels after his death, did design 
 that the government should ever remain in their hands, the whole 
 tenor of his conduct proved. The management of the Society, after 
 his removal, was with him a subject of deep and constant solicitude. 
 So early as the year 1749, it was asked in Conference, what was to be 
 done should Mr. AVesley die ; and Mr. Wesley advised, that all the 
 Assistants should immediately go to London and consult together. 
 Not a word did he say of consulting with the people, or with any of 
 the local officers of the Societies, but that they were to advise with one 
 another, t In 1769, the question was again formally discussed in 
 Conference, how the body was to be preserved one after Mr. Wesley's 
 death ; and Mr. Wesley recommended that all the Preachers, both in 
 
 * Minutes of Conference, 1785. t Ibid., 1749. 
 
 C 
 
m 
 
 18 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 England and Ireland, should repair to London within six weeks after 
 his death, that they should draw up articles of agreement to be signed 
 b}' themselves, that those of the Preachers who would not act in concert 
 with them should be dismissed, that they should choose a Committee, 
 one of the members of which should be Moderator, and that that 
 Committee should propose Preachers to be tried, admitted, or excluded, 
 and appoint the Preachers for the ensuing year. Mr. Wesley being 
 the Father of the Conference as well as of the whole Society, always 
 presided in Conference, and managed that part of the business of 
 Conference ; and he designed this Committee, with its Moderator, to 
 occupy, in these respects, his place in Conference. Having given this 
 advice, he then asked the question, " Can anything be done now, in 
 order to lay a foundation for this future union ? Would it not be 
 well, for any that are willing, to sign some articles of agreement before 
 God calls me hence ? " Articles were then drawn up, and signed by 
 the whole Conference ; and copies were sent to all the Assistants not 
 present, for them and their Helpers to consider.* These articles were 
 again brought forward in the Conferences of 177^, 1774, and 177^, 
 and confirmed by each of them in succession. t 
 
 One of the articles thus agreed upon, was to enforce the whole 
 Methodist discipline : but how could Mr. Wesley ask the Conference 
 to engage to do this, if he did not regard it in the light of the supreme 
 authority of tlie Connexion, and as remaining such after himself 
 should be removed by death ? Blackstone, as we have seen, says, 
 " All the other powers must obey the legislative power in the execu- 
 tion of their several functions." It is, then, the legislative or supreme 
 power only which can compel the executive to do its duty. To apply 
 this to the case in question : The administration of Methodism was, in 
 every Circuit, vested in the hands of the Preachers aided by the local 
 authorities ; but, if the Preacher and the local authorities in any Cir- 
 cuit should refuse to do their duty, nothing, save the supreme power, 
 could coerce them ; but the Conference is called on by Mr. Wesley to 
 engage, in the most unqualified manner, to do this and everything else 
 necessary for the maintenance of the whole discipline : Mr. Wesley 
 must, therefore, have calculated that the Conference would remain the 
 supreme authority in Methodism when he should be no more. 
 
 Although this plan was modified when it was found necessary to 
 execute the Deed of Declaration, yet a review of all those proceedings, 
 at difterent periods in Methodism, is important, because it furnishes 
 additional confirmation to the fact, that Mr. Wesley ever intended the 
 government of the Methodist Connexion to be perpetuated in the 
 Conference ; and that his object in those arrangements was to have a 
 plan settled and agreed upon by the Preachers themselves, as to the 
 manner in which his own place in the Conference should be filled up, 
 so that when his death might take place, there might be no jarring or 
 
 * Minutes of Conference, 17G9. f Minutes of those years. 
 
OF WESLEY AN METHODISM. 1^ 
 
 contention among them, but that all things might go on quietly and 
 harmoniously. 
 
 That the conclusion to which we thus come respecting Mr. Wesley's 
 views and designs is correct, his letter, addressed to the Conference to 
 be read at its first sitting after his death, may be produced in con- 
 firmation. The writing of this letter was the method which he 
 adopted for preserving, in point of practice, equality between the 
 Preachers of the Hundred and their brethren. He had enjoyed, 
 throughout his lengthened life, so many and unequivocal proofs 
 of the profound veneration with which he was regarded by both the 
 Preachers and people, as encouraged him to hope that his dying 
 request would have its proper effect. No apology will be needed for 
 giving this letter at length : 
 
 TO THE METHODIST CONFERENCE. 
 
 My DEAR Brethren, Chester, April 1th, 1785. 
 
 Some of our Travelling Preachers have expressed a fear, that, after my decease, 
 you would exclude them either from preaching in connexion with you, or from some 
 other privileges which they now enjoy. I know no other way to prevent any such 
 inconvenience, than to leave these my last words with you. 
 
 I beseech you, by the mercies of God, that you never avail yourselves of the 
 Deed of Declaration, to assume any superiority over your brethren ; but let all 
 things go on, among those Itinerants who choose to remain together, exactly in the 
 same manner as when I was with you, so far as circumstances will permit. 
 
 In particular, I beseech you, if you ever loved me, and if you now love God and 
 your brethren, to have no respect of persons, in stationing the Preachers, in choos- 
 ing children for Kingswood-school, in disposing of the Yearly Contribution and the 
 Preachers'-Fund, or any other pubhc money: But do all things with a single eye, 
 as I have done from the beginning. Go on thus, doing all things without prejudice 
 or partiality, and God will be with you even to the end. 
 
 John Wesley. 
 
 Nor was the confidence of Mr. Wesley ill-founded. The assembling 
 of the Conference for the first time without him, and the reading of 
 his letter, formed one of those touching scenes which it is more easy 
 to conceive than describe. His " last words " to the Conference were 
 as the "commandment" of "the son of Rechab" to his children. 
 (Jer. XXXV.) The Conference immediately passed and recorded the 
 following Resolution : 
 
 The Conference have unanimously resolved, that all the Preachers who are in full 
 connexion with them, shall enjoy every privilege that the members of the Con- 
 ference enjoy, agreeably to the above-written letter of our venerable deceased 
 Father in the Gospel.* 
 
 * Minutes of Conference, 1791. Mr. Wesley's affecting letter, and this Resolu- 
 tion which was adopted in reference thereto by the bereaved Assembly, were read 
 by Mr. (now Baron) Rolfe, one of the Counsel, for the Defendants, in Dr. Warren's 
 case, in the Court of Chancery, 1835 ; and the learned Counsel, at the same time, 
 in answer to a question from the Lord Chancellor, thus explained the privilege 
 which was conceded to those Preachers who were not of the Hundred, to attend the 
 Conference, and take part in its deliberations, although the final decision of every 
 question was reserved to the Legal Hundred : " Your Lordship is not to infer that 
 one hundred members alone attend the Conference. The Conference consists of the 
 Hundred senior Preachers. I believe there are exceptions to that ; but, generally 
 
 c 2 
 
^A 
 
 20 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 Now when we connect the foregoing letter with all those proceed- 
 ings to which we have adverted, and keep in mind that the favourite 
 object of Mr. Wesley was to preserve the body one^ we are led, irresist- 
 ibly, to the conclusion, that it was a settled point in his own mind, 
 that the Conference was ever to remain the supreme authority of the 
 Connexion. He is never found anticipating, by the plans and measures 
 which he recommended, disputes between the Conference and the 
 people on any such question. All that he saw necessary to guard 
 against were divisions among the Preachers themselves; and his 
 design, in what he did, w^as to have all things so settled by previous 
 arrangement, that when he should die, his place might at once be 
 filled up, and the whole machine continue to work without interruption. 
 
 On a subject of so much moment it is important to know, what 
 were the views of the Preachers themselves. Was there anything 
 in the conduct of the Conference, on Mr. Wesley's death, which 
 manifested indecision or doubt as to the extent of its power ? There 
 was not. After the Preachers had met, and had, by choosing a 
 President, and appointing District-Committees, filled two departments 
 vacated by Mr. Wesley's removal, they then went on with the usual 
 business of the Conference, regulating the affairs of the whole Connexion 
 as though nothing had happened. Were the few paragraphs expunged, 
 which have reference to the death of Mr. Wesley, the Minutes of that 
 year could not be distinguished from those of former years. The same 
 tone is preserved, and the same powers are seen in exercise, as usual. 
 
 It is moreover desirable to know in what light the body at large 
 viewed this important subject. On the death of Mr. Wesley disputes 
 took place. The jealousies among the Preachers lest some should 
 acquire an undue pre-eminence over their brethren, did not all at 
 once die away. There were, also, disputes between the Preachers, and 
 Trustees and people, on the subject of the Sacraments; and afterwards 
 on other subjects. These contentions we shall have to dwell on more 
 
 speaking, it is of the Hundred senior Preachers. Every Preacher is put at first 
 upon what may be called a trial ; and your Lordship will see that at all these Con- 
 ferences there is almost always a question entered upon the Minutes : * What 
 Preachers are admitted upon trial ? ' Then they enumerate them to know whether 
 they are competent, in point of character and learning, to discharge the duties of 
 the office. They remain as Preachers upon trial for four years ; and at the end of 
 the four years, if approved of, they are what is called ' received into full connexion,' 
 It may be considered as an analogy between the reception of Deacons and Priests 
 in the Church of England into orders ; at least the analogy is not very bad. On 
 being received into full connexion, they are received as ecclesiastical persons. All 
 Preachers in full connexion are allowed, whether by custom, or from whatever cause, 
 occasionally to attend the Conference. They not only attend the Conference, but, 
 I believe, join in their deliberations. They not only join in their deliberations, but 
 they vote ; not that their vote has any binding effect, for, although the Conference 
 so constituted comes to a vote, after that vote has been carried by the whole Con- 
 ference, consisting of the Legal Conference and the Conference by sufferance united, 
 the same questions are afterwards put to the Upper House, if I may so express 
 myself, the Legal Conference, and it is their vote that finally carries the 
 measures." 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 21 
 
 fully hereafter ; but this one general conclusion may be deduced from 
 them, that the question whether the Conference was the supreme 
 authority of the Connexion was not mooted. That was a settled 
 point ; and the utmost that the most liberal party contended for was, 
 not that the government of the Connexion was not vested in the Con- 
 ference, but that lay-Delegates should be admitted into the Conference, 
 and thus share with the Preachers in the management of the body. 
 As a proof that this was the utmost of their wishes, when this the most 
 liberal party went off under the guidance of Mr. Kilham, they consti- 
 tuted their system on the plan of the body which they had left, and 
 made their Conference also the supreme authority in their Connexion ; 
 with this difference, that they modified it according to their wishes, 
 and associated lay-Delegates with the Preachers. 
 
 "We have now to proceed to the consideration of the District- 
 Committee ; and, as it is the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of that institution 
 over the local courts in the Circuits which is more especially assailed, 
 I shall subject to a strict examination the Rules by which District- 
 Committees were established, and regulated during the period to which 
 our present inquiry refers. This thorough investigation of the sub- 
 ject will yield an ample compensation for the time which it will 
 occupy. It will enable us to clear away all the misrepresentations by 
 which this important feature of Methodism has been obscured, and to 
 place its origin and design in the clear and convincing light of truth. 
 
 District-Committees were instituted by the Conference the first time 
 when it assembled after Mr. Wesley's death, in the year 1791. The 
 Resolutions by which they were established are the following : 
 
 Q. "What Regulations are necessary for the preservation of our whole economy 
 as the Rev. Mr. Wesley left it ? 
 
 A. Let the three kingdoms be divided into Districts : England into nineteen 
 Districts ; Scotland into two ; and Ireland into six. 
 
 After that enumeration of the Districts which follows, comes another 
 question : 
 
 What directions are necessary concerning the management of the Districts ? 
 
 A. The Assistant of a Circuit shall have authority to summon the Preachers of 
 his District who are in full connexion, on any critical case which, according to the 
 best of his judgment, merits such an interference. And the said Preachers, or as 
 many of them as can attend, shall assemble at the place and time appointed by the 
 Assistant aforesaid, and shall form a Committee, for the purpose of determining 
 concerning the business on which they are called. They shall choose a Chairman 
 for the occasion ; and their decision shall be final till the meeting of the next Con- 
 ference, w^hen the Chairman of the Committee shall lay the Minutes of their pro- 
 ceedings before the Conference. Provided, nevertheless, that nothing shall be done 
 by any Committee contrary to the Resolutions of the Conference. 
 
 The interpretation of this Rule which some parties now offer is, 
 that the Conference could not mean to empower District-Committees 
 to punish the local officers and members of Society, because the Con- 
 ference itself had no such power to give, the sole right of visiting, 
 judicially, the local officers and members of Society having been 
 
^'i'v' 
 
 22 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 secured, by custom, to the local meetings; and that, therefore, this 
 "critical case" could be nothing more than the trial of a Preacher 
 during the intervals of Conference. 
 
 It is somewhat surprising, that those who admit such an explanation 
 should not see anything in the Rule itself and in the preceding questions, 
 to awaken suspicions in their minds, as to the correctness of their con- 
 clusion on the subject of the power with which the Conference 
 intended to invest District- Committees. In the very first question, the 
 Conference is seen contriving a something to maintain, not a part only, 
 but our whole economy: why then, the necessary, and almost self- 
 evident conclusion is the jurisdiction must be designed to exert a 
 controlling influence over the whole body, as well as the Preachers ; or 
 how could the ivhole economy be maintained by it ? And then, as the 
 Conference speaks of something necessary to be done for this end now 
 that Mr. Wesley was gone, the obvious conclusion again is, that Mr. 
 Wesley's death had rendered it necessary. To an inquiring mind, not 
 labouring under a false impression as to the power of the Conference, 
 the question must have suggested such considerations as these; and 
 would have put it upon the inquiry, what vacuum had been produced 
 by Mr. "Wesley's death, which had made such an extensive jurisdiction 
 necessary : and it would soon have been found, from the abundant 
 means of information at command, that a most important department 
 in the executive had become vacant by Mr. Wesley's death ; and 
 that the new jurisdiction was intended to supply it. 
 
 From the inquiry which has been instituted we have learned, that 
 Mr. Wesley exercised a general superintendence over the whole Con- 
 nexion that in the intervals of Conference, he saw that the Preachers, 
 and local officers and members, discharged their respective trusts with 
 fidelity, and removed or suspended them, if faulty, at his discretion. 
 Now, at Mr. Wesley's death, this important department, the highest in 
 the executive, became vacant. The ordinary administration of Me- 
 thodism was settled ; but if a Preacher should neglect his duty, or a 
 Circuit be thrown into a state of anarchy, there was then no remedy, 
 Mr. Wesley being dead, until the following Conference. It was, 
 therefore, the care of the Conference, assembling for the first time 
 after Mr. Wesley's death, to provide for any such emergency ; and this 
 it did, not by appointing, as was expected to take place by some, an 
 individual or two to take this general superintendence of the whole 
 body ; but by constituting the new jurisdiction of District-Committees. 
 This is the view of District-Committees, as to their design, given us by 
 Mr. Myles, who, it is to be remembered, was one of that very Con- 
 ference, and took a part in its deliberations on the subject. He 
 expressly says, that District-Committees were instituted "to supply 
 the want of Mr. Wesley's general superintendence." 
 
 AVith this information, there is no difficulty in ascertaining the 
 extent of their jurisdiction. If we take the law and examine it, in the 
 first instance, by the ordinary and allowed rules of interpreting Ian- 
 
OF WESLEYAN 3IET110DISM. 23 
 
 guage, we must conclude that its literal meaning is, that every case of 
 difficulty, without exception, which can occur in a Circuit, is within 
 the jurisdiction of the District-Committee. The Preachers are to be 
 summoned on any " critical case," which, " according to the best of the 
 Superintendent's judgment, merits such an interference," and, being 
 met, " they are to determine concerning the business on which they 
 are called," and " nothing is to be done contrary to the Resolutions 
 of Conference." Now it must strike every considerate person, that if, 
 as some now endeavour to make it appear, the only business of this 
 new authority was simply to try a Preacher, there could be no neces- 
 sity for this long and laboured Rule, and for such a waste of strong 
 and comprehensive expressions. If this, after all, had been what it 
 meant, the production of this Rule would, indeed, have furnished an 
 illustration of the mountain in labour. 
 
 If this law, by which District-Committees were instituted, be sub- 
 jected to the usual mode of interpreting laws, that will lead to the 
 same result as the examination of it by the ordinary rules of language 
 in general. One of the common principles applied in the explanation 
 of laws is, that, in endeavouring to ascertain the meaning of the terms 
 in which a law is expressed, respect is to be had to the intention of the 
 Legislator in enacting the law itself. Let this rule, then, be applied 
 to the law in question : the design of the Conference was to fill a 
 depai-tment vacated by Mr. Wesley's death; and as that was the 
 general superintendence of the whole Connexion, with all its officers 
 and local jurisdictions, it must therefore be concluded, that the Con- 
 ference intended the District-Committee to have an authority as exten- 
 sive as the literal meaning of the law indicates a power correspond- 
 ing to that which Mr. AVesley exercised over the whole body. It 
 would have been difficult for the Conference, unless it had descended 
 to particulars, to have framed a Resolution which would have better 
 expressed, than does this Rule, the comprehensive meaning it 
 undoubtedly intended to convey. 
 
 With such hints as the question of Conference, itself, gives, and 
 with the means of obtaining full information at hand, it does appear 
 surprising how any one can adopt so erroneous an interpretation of 
 the original law respecting District-Committees, as that which we are 
 now called to expose. But the mistake appears still more glaring 
 when it is found, that the Minutes of the same Conference contain an 
 important comment on the law under consideration. That comment is 
 found in the regulations respecting the appointment of Dr. Coke, as the 
 Irish President for the following year. The first question on the sub- 
 ject is, " Who is appointed to hold the Conference in Dublin on the 
 first Friday of next July ? " The answer is, " Dr. Coke." Then suc- 
 ceeds another question, " Are any directions necessary concerning 
 the preceding Minute ?" Answered thus, 
 
 No letters of complaint, or on Circuit business, shall be written to England on 
 account of this appointment. The Committees of the Disiricts shall deternune all 
 
24 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 appeals whatsoever during the intervals of the Conference : and, therefore, all 
 applications on Society business, during the said intervals, which cannot be deter- 
 mined by the Assistants of the Circuits, shall be made to the Committees only. 
 
 In this Rule, the Conference evidently apprehends that, " on account 
 of the Doctor's appointment," the Irish, during the year, would be 
 sending over their complaints and applications to him, as they did to 
 Mr. Wesley : and the Conference tells them, that they are not to do 
 so ; that Dr. Coke, although their President, is not intended to fill 
 Mr, Wesley's place, as General Superintendent ; that the new jurisdic- 
 tion of the District-Committees was appointed with that view; and that, 
 therefore, they were to apply, not to Dr. Coke, but to the District- 
 Committees. 
 
 And the language of this regulation is a complete illustration of the 
 law instituting District- Committees. " The District -Committees shall 
 determine all appeals whatsoever during the intervals of Conference;" 
 and therefore, because they are appointed to do this, " all applications 
 on Society business " are to be made, in the same intervals, to them. 
 What, in the name of wonder ! what relevancy would this talk about 
 '"''all appeals whatsoever" and "aZ^ applications on Society business" have 
 had to the oiu simple case of trying a Preacher^ on receiving an appeal or 
 complaint against him? But, again, the Rule says, that it is such "Society 
 business as cannot be determined by the Assistants of the Circuits," 
 which is to be brought before the District-Committees. Then if, as it 
 is said, the District- Committees were appointed merely to try Preach- 
 ers; and if, as the same persons maintain, District-Committees were 
 strengthened afterwards, only for the purpose of trying tyrannical 
 Assistants, the language of the Rule appears more extravagant and 
 absurd than ever. " The Society business " is merely the trial of a 
 Preacher; (which, properly speaking, is no Society business at all;) 
 and then, as the same individuals again, when they come to speak of 
 the Minutes of J 7^7, make it out, that the "Assistants" were the 
 great and principal transgressors, it would be, that, in most cases, this 
 "Society business" which the "Assistant" could not decide, would be 
 just this the trial of himself I Most wonderful legislators are the 
 Conference of 1791 now made to appear. 
 
 From the original law of District-Committees, and the comment on it 
 in the regulations on Dr. Coke's appointment, I pass on to the Rules 
 respecting District-Committees, adopted at the Conferences of the two 
 following years. As these Resolutions will not occupy much room, I pre- 
 fer inserting them here, to giving them in the form of an appendix : 
 
 1792. Q. 20. What further regulations shall be made concerning the manage- 
 ment of the Districts ? 
 
 A. 1. All the Preachers of every District respectively, who shall be present at 
 the Conference from time to time, shall meet together as soon as possible after the 
 stations of the Preachers are finally settled, and choose a Chairman for their Dis- 
 trict out of the present or absent members of the District-Committee. 
 
 2. The Chairman so chosen shall have authority to call a Meeting of the Com- 
 mittee of his District, on any appUeation of the Preachers or people, wliich appears 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 25 
 
 to him to require it. But he must never individually interfere with any other 
 Circuit but his own. 
 
 3. Whenever the Chairman has received any complaint against a Preacher, either 
 from the Preachers or the people, he shall send an exact account of the complaint, 
 in writing, to the person accused, with the name of the accuser or accusers, before 
 he calls a Meeting of the District-Committee to examine into the charge. 
 
 4. If it appear, on just grounds, to any Superintendent, that the Chairman of his 
 District has been guilty of any crime or misdemeanour, or that he has neglected to 
 call a Meeting of the District-Committee, when there were sufficient reasons for calling 
 it, such Superintendent shall have authority, in that case, to call a IMecting of the 
 District-Committee, and to fix the time and place of meeting. The Committee 
 thus assembled, shall have power, if they judge necessary, to try the Chairman, 
 and, if found guilty, to suspend him from being a Travelling Preacher till the 
 ensuing Conference, or to remove him from the office of a Superintendent, or to 
 depose him from the chair, and to elect another in his place. 
 
 1793. Q. 30. Shall any alteration be made concerning the exercise of the office 
 of a Chairman of a District ? 
 
 A. 1. If any Preacher be accused of immorality, the Preacher accused, and his 
 accuser, shall res})ectively choose two Preachers of their District ; and the Chairman 
 of the District shall, with the four Preachers chosen as above, try the accused 
 Preacher ; and they shall have authority, if he be found guilty, to suspend him till 
 the ensuing Conference, if they judge it expedient. 
 
 2. If there be any difference between the Preachers in a District, the respective 
 parties shall choose two Preachers ; and the Chairman of the District, with the 
 four Preachers so chosen, shall be final arbiters to determine the matters in dispute. 
 
 In both cases the Chairman shall have a casting voice, in case of an equality. 
 
 These regulations, also, hare received an erroneous interpretation. 
 Those persons who maintain that the "critical case" in the original law 
 of the preceding year, was nothing but the trial of a Preacher, seem, after 
 all, suspicious that something more may be meant ; for when they come 
 to argue on these succeeding enactments, they manifest a disposition to 
 get rid of the original law altogether, and attempt to prove, that it is 
 repealed by these more explicit regulations. The original law gave to the 
 Superintendent the power of summoning the District-Committee ; but 
 the regulations of the succeeding year limited this power in the Super- 
 intendent to particular cases, and gave the power, in general^ to the 
 Chairman. The fact is, the original law did not direct the Chairman 
 to be chosen, till they had actually met on the special business which 
 they had to decide. The Meeting of the Committee could not, therefore, 
 be called by the Chairman, when as yet there was not one : it must, 
 necessarily, be summoned by some one else ; and who so proper as the 
 Superintendent himself, in whose Circuit the business was to be trans- 
 acted? It was, however, soon found that some inconveniences attended 
 this method; and the following Conference provided a remedy, by direct- 
 ing that, immediately after the Stations of the Preachers had been settled 
 in the Conference, the Preachers of the Districts should assemble, and 
 choose a Chairman wlio should remain in office the whole year. Having 
 ordered this, then, as a matter of course, the Conference gave to the Chair- 
 man the right, in general, to convene the District-Committee, reserving 
 to the Superintendent the power to summon it, should the Chairman 
 neglect his duty, or otherwise misconduct himself. Now, how this regula- 
 tion, which the legislators themselves, from their question, " What fur- 
 
sSC\C 
 
 ^' 
 
 26 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 ^/^er regulations" are necessary, &c.? evidently regarded as additional to 
 the other, and by which they intended to give more efficiency to District- 
 Committees, by having them ready organized for any particular emer- 
 gency; how this regulation, I say, repeals the whole of the original 
 law respecting District-Committees, will not appear so clear to any but 
 those who have so recently made the discovery. It is not, however, 
 necessary to dwell longer on this point ; for they themselves admit, 
 that the second of the additional regulations of 1792 is to the same 
 effect as the original law which they say is repealed. And so, by their 
 own acknowledgment, their labour to do a^vay with the law of 1791 is 
 all in vain ; for, themselves being the judges, there is in this following 
 regulation a re-enactment of that law. 
 
 Were they to study well this rule, they might see that it is not only 
 equivalent to the original law, but that it throws additional light upon 
 it ; for, in the first place, it prohibits the interference of the Chairman, 
 individually, with any Circuit but his own. Something more, then, must 
 be meant than the trial of a Preacher; for his interfering to try a 
 Preacher is not, in correct language, interfering with a Circuit at all. 
 Then, as the other Circuits and his own are placed in contrast, and he 
 is prohibited interfering, individually, "with ot/iers, but is left at liberty 
 to do so with his own^ the interference in both cases must be the same, 
 or there is no contrast at all : but he could interfere with all the officei's 
 and members of his ovm Circuit ; therefore it is this interference in 
 other Circuits from which he is prohibited, individually. Further: as the 
 Rule, while it prohibits the Chairman from interfering with any other 
 Circuits, individually, authorizes him to do so officially, on any appli- 
 cation of the Preachers or people, it necessarily follows, that he is 
 empowered to interfere, oflcially, with any other Circuit, to the extent 
 to which he can interfere with his own, that is, with all its officers 
 and members. 
 
 But it is said, that, although this regulation is equivalent to the 
 original one of the preceding year, yet, because the Rules which are 
 connected with it define the method by which a Preacher shall 
 be tried, therefore this is the whole business which the District- 
 Committee was appointed to transact. Now, providing they who assert 
 this could have proved, that the original law of 1791 was repealed by 
 the more explicit regulations of 1792 and 1793, and providing that 
 these regulations had contained no general law equivalent to the one 
 repealed, this might have been good argument ; but they admit the 
 fact, that the second of these is equivalent to the original one which 
 they say is repealed. The question, then, is, Must it necessarily 
 follow, that this general rule which, when taken in its literal sense, 
 unquestionably gives to the District -Committee the cognisance of all 
 cases of difficulty which can occur in a Circuit, after all, means 
 nothing more than to empower the Committee to try a Preacher, 
 because it afterwards dwells more particularly on this, as one case 
 which might occur ? Py the same kind of reasoning, the well-known 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 27 
 
 apostolic law, of doing "all" we do to the glory of God, might be 
 proved to mean nothing else but that we are to "eat" and " drink" to 
 His glory; for the Apostle makes mention particularly of these. It is 
 true, if it had been proved that the Conference had no right of judicial 
 interference with a Circuit, by any jurisdiction it might create, but 
 could only judicially visit the Preachers, then it certainly could not have 
 delegated any power beyond that to District-Committees; and we 
 should thus have been compelled to admit the general law to be unin- 
 telligible, and that the more explicit Rules respecting the trial of a 
 Preacher did really mark out the extent of this new jurisdiction. 
 But 1 have proved the reverse, that the Conference is the supreme 
 authority, and, as such, is possessed of the right of providing for the 
 maintenance of its whole discipline. This being the case, and bearing 
 in mind, that the District-Committees were instituted to fill the place 
 of Mr. Wesley, ' in the general superintendence of the whole Con- 
 nexion, we are bound to admit the law, in its obvious and literal sense, 
 as empowering District-Committees to correct all abuses whatever in 
 the Circuits, which the Superintendents could not rectify. We have 
 been taught to regard several of the leading Preachers of that day as 
 eminently great men, men of strong and well-disciplined minds ; but 
 if it were true, that the Conference had no power in a Circuit but to 
 correct the Preachers, and that they never intended by their regula- 
 tions to give any other power, save this, to the District-Committees, 
 we should have to form a new estimate of their capacities. To have 
 seen them labouring general rule after general rule, and culling the 
 strongest and most sweeping expressions they could find, in order to 
 tell us this one thing, that District-Committees were to try Preachers, 
 and, having gone through all this toil of composition, then setting 
 anew to work, to tell us this one thing over again, in plain and une- 
 quivocal language, would have led us to call even their common 
 sense in question ; for the integrity of the Conference at that period 
 we are not allowed, as will be seen hereafter, to suspect. 
 
 But is it asked, " What, then, led the Conference to dwell more 
 particularly on this one class of the cases which a District-Committee 
 should settle?" When the Apostle, on laying down the general law 
 of doing all to the glory of God, mentioned, particularly, the two acts 
 of eating and drinking, he was led to do it by circumstances then 
 existing in the Corinthian church. And there were circumstances 
 among the Preachers^ which induced the Conference to dwell more 
 particularly on their trial, when giving to District-Committees the 
 power of settling all extraordinary cases in the Connexion. The Deed 
 of Declaration, as has been shown, had produced great jealousies 
 among the Preachers ; and many who were not of " the Hundred" 
 were alarmed, lest the Conference should reduce them to a state of 
 comparative inferiority and dependence. Mr. Wesley's letter had contri- 
 buted to allay this feeling, but had not wholly effected this ; and it was a 
 display both of the wisdom and equity of the Conference, not to leave 
 
'^ 
 
 28 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 the trial of Preachers, like the other cases, to the discretion of the 
 Chairman of a District, lest partiality should he shown by him in 
 favour of those of the Hundred ; hut to lay down plain and explicit 
 rules how all Preachers, whether of the Hundred or not, and even the 
 Chairman himself, should be tried. These regulations were thus 
 called for by particular circumstances ; and were admirably calculated 
 to allay the fears of the excluded Preachers, and unite them to the 
 Conference. 
 
 In that gross misinterpretation of the Rules respecting District- 
 Committees, which I have exposed by placing those Rules in their 
 true light, may be witnessed the effect of a first error. Those who 
 thus err so egregiously respecting the design and power of District- 
 Committees, are the same persons who adopt the principle, that the 
 sole right of judicial interference with the local officers and members 
 of Society had been secured by custom, during Mr. "Wesley's life, to 
 the local meetings, and that the Conference could not visit, judicially, 
 any but its own members ; and, full of this view of the subject, they 
 overlook, in a most surprising manner, those things in the Rules 
 respecting District- Committees which are most palpable, and which 
 one would have thought could scarcely have been misunderstood. 
 
 Thus far our attention has been directed chiefly to the District- 
 Committees as specially intrusted with the maintenance of discipline in 
 the Circuits, as well as among the Preachers ; but it will be proper 
 briefly to notice the ordinary business, also, which they were appointed 
 to transact. 
 
 The Conference of 1791, the same by which, as we have seen, 
 District- Committees were first instituted, gives this direction, more- 
 over, respecting them : " Let the District-Committees settle the tem- 
 poral accounts of their respective Districts annually, either on the 
 Saturday before the Conference, or at such time as is most con- 
 venient." 
 
 In the Conference of 1 792 it was asked, " What can be done to 
 contract the temporal business of the Conference ?" And to this ques- 
 tion the following answ er is given : " Let the Committees of the Dis- 
 tricts settle all the temporal business of their Districts respectively, as 
 far as possible ; and let the Chairman of each District lay the accounts 
 in writing before the Conference." 
 
 In the Conference of 1793, the question was proposed, "What 
 directions shall be given concerning the division of Circuits ?" and 
 answered thus : " No division shall be made in a Circuit, where it does 
 not appear to the District- Meeting, the Committee of Delegates, and 
 the Conference, that there is such an enlargement of the work of God 
 as requires it." 
 
 In the same Conference, the following directions were also given : 
 "All matters relating to the building of preaching-houses and dwelling- 
 houses shall be settled, in future, in the District -Meetings. All mat- 
 ters relating to the payment of the debts of houses, collections for 
 
OP WESLEY AN METHODISM. 29 
 
 houses, and everything that appertains to preaching-houses and 
 dwelling-houses, shall he considered and settled in the District- 
 Meetings." 
 
 There are, in the Minutes of 1791, and of two or three succeeding 
 years, some other regulations, directing the District-Meetings to choose 
 each a Representative to form a Stationing-Committee at the Confer- 
 ence, and to determine what Preachers should attend the Conference ; 
 and all these regulations together show, First, That whether the 
 District-Committees were called together on any extraordinary busi- 
 ness or not, they were to hold an annual Meeting at the time most 
 convenient for them to assemble ; and, Secondly, That at their regular 
 annual Meeting they were directed to investigate and digest all the 
 temporal matters of their Districts, which had heretofore been brought 
 to the Conference in a wholly unprepared state ; and so shorten the 
 labours of the Conference, by leaving to it little else to do, in those 
 matters, than to review them and decide thereon. 
 
 "We have now before us a full view of the institution of District- 
 Committees. We see that the District- Committees, at their Annual 
 Meeting, had, in addition to those matters which were more strictly 
 pastoral, the temporal concerns of their respective Districts to transact ; 
 that they had to act as Committees of business, preparing the tempo- 
 ral affairs of the Connexion for the following Conference ; and that 
 the District-Committee was, moreover, specially appointed as an extra- 
 ordinary tribunal, for the determining of all cases of emergency, in 
 which the ordinary method of enforcing discipline should fail ; and, in 
 this character, assembling whenever cases of difficulty might arise 
 requiring its interference. 
 
 We have now accomplished the first part of our task, and traced the 
 constitution of Methodism from its origin to the important epoch of 
 1795. AVe have seen that Mr. AVesley did not reserve his power, 
 wholly and absolutely, in his own hands so long as he lived ; and then 
 bequeath it at his death, altogether, as an entire whole, to the Confer- 
 ence : but that he, from the first, began to associate the Preachers 
 with himself in the management of the Society ; that, in the very 
 infancy of the Society, he united the Preachers with himself in legis- 
 lating for it, and that from him, with the Preachers assembled in Con- 
 ference, the Society received all its laws ; that the various institutions 
 which sprung up, providentially as it were, in the course of his labours, 
 were brought by him under the cognisance of the Conference, and 
 were defined and established there, or afterwards laid aside, or modi- 
 fied, as the occasion required; that the Society submitted to the 
 government of Mr. Wesley and the Preachers associated with him, 
 and became, in course of time, accustomed to look up to Mr. Wesley 
 and the Preachers assembled in Conference, as the supreme authority ; 
 and that the Deed of Declaration, which Mr. Wesley executed at 
 the earnest desire of the Preachers themselves, by securing to the Con- 
 ference its right of appointing to the chapels after Mr. Wesley's death, 
 
30 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 did, in point of fact, confirm it in the possession of all its powers and 
 prerogatives, as the supreme authority of the Connexion. We have 
 seen that the ordinary administration, from the first, was vested in 
 the Assistants, who could not be, constitutionally, controlled by the 
 local meetings ; that the highest department in the executive was 
 filled by Mr. AVesley, who exercised a general superintendence over 
 the whole Connexion,-. over the Preachers, local officers, and people, 
 all of whom he could visit, judicially, as the necessity demanded ; and 
 that, at his death, the District-Committees were instituted to supply 
 the lack of his general superintendence, and meet all such cases of 
 emergency in the Circuits, as could not be dealt with in the ordinary 
 administration of discipline. We now, therefore, turn our atten- 
 tion to, 
 
 II. THE CONSTITUTION OP METHODISM AS SETTLED BY THE 
 REGULATIONS OF 1795 AND 1/97. 
 
 As might be expected, those persons whose erroneous views of 
 original Methodism have already been exposed, do not represent the 
 Conference as laying down, in 1795 and 1797, power which originally 
 and properly belonged to it; but as giving up power which it had 
 unjustly claimed and exercised as restoring to the local authorities 
 their proper and original rights. But on this subject their statements 
 are clashing and contradictory. While endeavouring to prove that the 
 Conference of 1791, by the sweeping language which it uses, means 
 nothing more than that the District-Committees should try Preachers, 
 they find it helpful to their argument, to contend for the integrity and 
 uprightness of the Conference that it was not, by this general rule, 
 plotting to seize the rights of the local jurisdictions. And yet, after 
 maintaining that the Conference, so far from then taking any such step 
 towards arbitrary power, had not even so much as an evil design, 
 having lost sight for a moment of this, to them, perplexing subject, 
 the design and power of District-Committees, they represent the 
 Conference in 1795, only four short years afterwards, so completely 
 transformed in its views, and principles, and conduct, that it had not 
 only conceived the wish, and formed the plan, but had also so openly 
 and manifestly executed its design of seizing on the rights of the local 
 authorities, (and thus, as a matter of course, enslaving the people,) 
 that universal dissatisfaction and commotion followed. They speak 
 of the Conference as resigning, in that year, some of its usurped 
 power ; and as deeming it prudent, in 1797, to meet the loud demands 
 of the people for further concessions, by giving up more. Now, in 
 remarking upon these concessions, they do not describe the Conference 
 as making them in the spirit of equity and repentance, but from motives 
 of prudence, as though it were compelled by circumstances, rather 
 than acting from principle. But the instant their attention is directed 
 again to the power of District-Committees, they represent the same 
 Conference of 1 797, which had been compelled, by prudential motives, 
 
OP WESLEY AN METHODISM. 31 
 
 to give lip the riglits which it had usurped, again so suddenly changed 
 once more so suddenly inspired with the spirit of uprightness which 
 had influenced it in 17^^!, and so full of zeal for the people's good, 
 that it spontaneously enlarges the power of the President, and of the 
 Chairmen of Districts, for the sole purpose of securing to the people, 
 the concessions which it had made, hy protecting them from those 
 arbitrary Preachers who are imagined then to exist, and against 
 whom the Conference is supposed to be as full of indignation, as of 
 kindness and regard for the people ! Such are the contradictions 
 into which men fall when they commence their investigations on 
 wrong principles. 
 
 We, however, who follow the light afforded by the history and 
 official documents of Methodism, are under no necessity of represent- 
 ing the Conference as undergoing such sudden and unnatural trans- 
 formations of character of exhibiting it as a kind of moral chame- 
 leon. We have proved that the Conference was the supreme authority 
 in original Methodism; and this position being adopted, all appears 
 natural and consistent in the conduct of the Conference, and the Con- 
 ference is not made to undergo any revolution of character or princi- 
 ples at all. The power which the Conference exercised before 17^5 
 was not usurped, but legitimate ; and when it laid part down, it was 
 from motives which reflected upon it the highest honour, and gave it a 
 stronger claim on the esteem of the Connexion. 
 
 That the Methodist body did experience some violent convulsions 
 after Mr. Wesley's death, is painful matter of fact ; but disputes on 
 the part of the people with the Conference about power, were not the 
 primary and leading cause. The sacramental question was the original 
 cause of the disturbance ; and disputes relative to the power of the 
 Conference arose, in part, out of that controversy. During the latter 
 part of Mr: Wesley's life, the Connexion began to be agitated on the 
 subject of the Lord's Supper. A great part of the Societies could not 
 have it in the Established Church, without receiving it from the hands 
 of Ministers who were either of objectionable morals, or enemies to 
 Methodism. There was also a very great number who had never, in 
 any correct sense, been members of the Church of England at all, 
 who were gathered out of the world, and had been, almost entirely, 
 regardless of religious ordinances ; and many more who had been 
 brought up in the principles of Dissent : and this large portion of the 
 Societies were either without a relish for the National Church, or unable 
 in conscience to attend its ordinances. The greater part, perhaps, of the 
 Methodist body was, from one cause or other, almost entirely deprived 
 of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 In process of time a feeling of dissatisfaction arose. It began to be 
 wished that this Sacrament might be introduced into our own chapels. 
 The feeling increased in extent and strength as the Societies were en- 
 larged ; and how^ever it might be restrained by the veneration which was 
 cherished for Mr. Wesley, it became evident to all reflecting persons, 
 
32 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 that, as soon as he should be removed by death, the flame must break out. 
 Such a state of things it was certain could never continue. The great 
 and increasing portion of the body which was without the Sacrament, 
 could never be expected to remain quiet ; and, a large number retain- 
 ing their original prepossessions in favour of the Church, it was certain 
 that a most serious collision must follow. What was expected took 
 place. The Connexion became so violently agitated, that in 1792, 
 only one year after Mr. Wesley's death, the Conference, driven to the 
 greatest straits, resorted to the lot to determine, whether they should 
 that year introduce the Lord's Supper, generally, or put it off at least 
 another year. The result was, that it was delayed another year ; and 
 a strong prohibition against its being administered in any of the Socie- 
 ties (except in London, where it had been administered for years) 
 was issued. The following year, however, the Conference felt itself 
 compelled to permit the introduction of the Sacrament, into those 
 Societies which would not remain content without it ; and, in two 
 Circular Addresses,* it forcibly describes the necessity which con- 
 strained it thus to act, and at the same time gives us to see, from what 
 quarter the most powerful opposition was experienced, namely, from 
 the Trustees. Many of the Trustees were opposed to the administra- 
 tion of the Lord's Supper in the chapels ; and at the Conference of 
 1794, a number of them assembled in Bristol, and delivered to the 
 Conference an Address on the subject of the Sacrament, and on their 
 situation as Trustees. The result of the negotiation was, that the 
 Conference made some Regulations respecting the management of tem- 
 poral matters chiefly in reference to the chapels ; and imposed some 
 additional restrictions on the administration of the Sacraments. All, 
 however, would not do ; and the following year " was a time of great 
 uneasiness. The Trustees of that chapel in Bristol, which has been 
 already mentioned as the first which ]\Ir. Wesley built, were exceed- 
 ingly averse to the ordinances being allowed to the Societies. They 
 had laboured in this cause a considerable time, and seemed much dis- 
 satisfied that more liberal views should prevail. The Conference 
 having, at their late sitting, granted to ninety-three places, the privi- 
 lege of having the ordinances of God in that w^ay which they desired, 
 convinced those Trustees that their labour had hitherto been in vain ; 
 and they determined on a more decisive opposition, and to risk all 
 consequences rather than allow the liberty contended for." f The step 
 which they took was to exclude, on their own responsibility, the 
 Preachers from the chapels. This, as might be expected, produced a 
 still more violent agitation in the Connexion ; and the Conference was 
 again looked forward to, with deep solicitude. At last it met, at 
 Manchester, and a number of Trustees assembled at the same time. 
 So serious was the aspect of aflairs, that the Conference agreed to spend 
 the whole of the first day in fasting, and prayer to God for direction. 
 
 * Minutes of Conference, 1793. f Myles's Chron. Hist., p. 226. 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 33 
 
 It may be mentioned, as a proof of the tone of piety which, after all, 
 prevailed, that several of the Trustees joined with the Preachers in 
 these devotional exercises, and partook with them of the Lord's 
 Supper at the close. 
 
 The official documents of this period sufficiently prove, that the 
 parties immediately at issue were the Conference and the Trustees ; 
 and that the great cause of dispute was the administration of the 
 Lord's Supper in our own chapels, and by our own Preachers. " The 
 Delegates " were representatives, not of the people at large, or of the 
 Leaders' or Quarterly Meetings, but of the Trustees merely ; and the 
 Plan of Pacification,* adopted in 1795, had for its express object to allay 
 the ferment which prevailed in the Connexion, by la3dng dovni Rules 
 which should so regulate the administration of the Sacraments, that 
 those Societies should have the Lord's Supper which desired it, and 
 those which did not should not have it forced upon them ; and to 
 make provision that this method should be rigidly observed, by 
 denouncing penalties against any, whether Preacher or local officer, 
 who should dare to violate it. 
 
 In perfect imison with the Plan of Pacification are the " Addresses " 
 of the *' Delegates " with whom the Conference negotiated. As they 
 will not occupy much room, I will insert them here. 
 
 ADDRESSES FROM THE DELEGATED TRUSTEES, ASSEMBLED AT MANCHESTER, 
 TO THE CONFERENCE. 
 
 Resolved, That the thanks of this Meeting be unanimously given to the Presi- 
 dent, and the members of the Conference, for their kind attention to the business 
 of the Delegation of the Trustees that has been laid before them. 
 
 Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Conference, signed by the 
 President and Secretary. 
 
 Committee-Room of Delegates, Matthew Mayer, 
 
 August 4th, 1795. William Pine. 
 
 TO the METHODIST PREACHERS ASSEMBLED IN CONFERENCE. 
 
 Dear and honoured Fathers and Brethren, 
 
 We beg you to accept our sincere thanks, for your kind attention in sending 
 us propositions for general pacification and discipline. 
 
 We are sensible of the hberality and candour which are manifest in them. It is 
 evident from their tenor, that you have attempted to meet the views of each party. 
 We hope and trust that, by the blessing of God, it may be a means of uniting the 
 whole body of Methodists throughout the three kingdoms. 
 
 With all deference to the Conference, we submit the following propositions to 
 their further attention : 
 
 That some provision be made for the brethren who differ from the judgment of 
 the Trustees, or the major part of a Society, on the subjects in question ; as we sup- 
 pose such cases are numerous and important : we particularly refer to Leeds Circuit. 
 
 That the case of those chapels where there are no Leaders, be more fully 
 explained. 
 
 Also those where the Sacrament is administered every Sunday in the Parochial 
 Church. 
 
 Although we think it our duty thus candidly to state the views which have 
 
 * For the Plan of Pacification at full length, see Appendix A. 
 
34 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 occurred to us in carefully perusing the propositions, yet we think it necessary to 
 say, we shall cheerfully acquiesce in the final determination of the Conference. 
 
 Signed, in behalf of the Meeting, 
 Manchester, August 3d, 1795. Michael Longridge. 
 
 On looking over the few things which the Delegates suggest to the 
 Conference, as still, in their judgment, necessary to he settled, we find 
 that they all relate to circumstances connected with the administration 
 of the Sacraments. Not a hint is there of any other grievance. And 
 the tone and spirit of the Addresses are not to be overlooked. In the 
 language of respect in which they address the Conference, and in their 
 cheerful acquiescence in its decision, we do not recognise the language 
 and purposes of men treating with a body of tyrants, who had robbed 
 them and the people of their legitimate and unquestionable rights, and 
 who gave back the smallest modicum of their ill-gotten power with 
 reluctance. Had they looked upon the Conference as some parties now 
 speak of it ; had they considered it as having claimed and exercised a 
 power an authority over the Connexion, in general, which did not belong 
 to it ; had they regarded the Conference as having had left, only four 
 years before, a limited jurisdiction, with no other legitimate power than 
 the right to control its own members, to appoint Preachers to the cha- 
 pels, and to take part in a few temporal arrangements ; and that all 
 other power which it had exercised was snatched from the local autho- 
 rities ; had these been the views of the " Delegates," we should have 
 had grievances of a very different kind more than hinted at ; and we 
 should have found them taking much higher gi'ound, and adopting a 
 tone very different from that cheerful submissiveness to the Conference 
 which pervades their Addresses. And, under such circumstances, this 
 they might have done without any violation of Christian principle, or 
 indulging, in the slightest degree, in un-Christian bitterness. A can- 
 did statement of their grievances, and a firm demanding of their rights, 
 would then have been becoming. 
 
 We have thus obtained sufficient evidence that, up to the close of 
 1795, the great subject of dispute, and the leading cause of all the 
 commotions in the Connexion, was the administration of the Sacra- 
 ments in our own chapels and by our own Preachers. Had those 
 persons who are now heard uttering the language of complaint exa- 
 mined well the Plan of Pacification, and the other official documents 
 of that period, they must have reached the same conclusion which I 
 have thus established ; and they would have never committed them- 
 selves as they have done, by asserting that the great, and (for anything 
 they say) the only, cause of the disputes from the time of Mr. AV^es- 
 ley's death, was the power which the Conference claimed and exer- 
 cised. Another good effect would have resulted from their careful 
 study of the Plan of Pacification : it would have contributed, greatly, 
 to preserve them from the gross mistake into which they fall respecting 
 the Minutes of 1797, on the subject of District-Committees. With the 
 Plan of Pacification before them, they could not have concluded, that 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 35 
 
 the object of the Conference in strengthening District-Committees was 
 to try Preachers. They must have seen that that Plan puts the 
 Preachers so fully into the hands of the people, when the Trustees, or 
 the Stewards and Leaders choose to interfere in the cases specified, 
 that certainly nothing more could have been necessary to bring an offend- 
 ing Preacher to justice, even if no other concessions of power had been 
 made by the Conference, than what was granted by the Plan itself. 
 
 To proceed. From this time, however, the 'power of the Conference 
 began to be assailed. The historian of Methodism says, " The Plan of 
 Pacification had satisfied all moderate people;"* but that was an age 
 in which " moderate people " did not superabound. During the period 
 of those disputes, respecting the administration of the Sacraments, by 
 which the Methodist Society was agitated, the French revolution was 
 raging in its fury, and threatening not only to lay the thrones of 
 Europe prostrate in the dust, but to dissolve the whole frame-work of 
 society itself. In England, the spirit of uprooting reform raged like a 
 fury through the land. Paine was then promulgating his levelling 
 doctrines. The elegant historian of " the Reign of George the Third," 
 speaking of the second part of Paine's pestiferous work, says, "It 
 directed his votaries to pull down every establishment, and level all 
 distinctions, in order to enjoy the rights of man : by far the greater 
 number of the lower ranks, and a considerable portion of the middling 
 classes, were infected with the revolutionary fever which operated in 
 the wildest and most extravagant ravings. Thomas Paine was repre- 
 sented as the minister of God dispensing light to a darkened world : 
 the most industrious and useful classes of the state were seized with a 
 furious desire of abandoning their own course of beneficial and pro- 
 ductive labour, and taking the management of public affairs into their 
 own hands. All the levelling notions of John Ball, John Cade, and 
 the fifth-monarchy men, appeared to revive with an immense addition 
 of new extravagance." The demagogues of the day, directing the 
 attention of their disciples to the Established Church, taught them 
 that " the hierarchy was equally the bane of Christianity, and rational 
 liberty," and indulged in sanguine hopes "that the downfal of our 
 establishments was approaching." f 
 
 It would have been surprising if the Methodist body had kept wholly 
 free from this contagion. There was a party in the Connexion which 
 had imbibed notions of a liberty which Methodism certainly did not 
 afford. Some, at least, of the principal leaders of this party were 
 young men, who had arisen upon the stage of action, and formed 
 their opinions, in that state of things which the French revolution 
 introduced. They did not enter into Mr. Wesley's views of Methodism 
 as intended, by Divine Providence, to effect a revival of religion 
 in the Church of England, and that, in order to effect this, it was 
 
 * Myles's Chron. Hist., p. 235. 
 
 t Bisset's Reign of George the Third, 1st edit., 8vo., vol. v., pp. 227, 241. 
 
 D 2 
 
36 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 necessary to keep as closely attached to the Establishment as possible ; 
 and they could not endure the restraints which the Conference persisted 
 in imposing with respect to the administration of the Sacraments. They 
 exclaimed against those restrictions, as an infringement on their Chris- 
 tian liberty, forgetting that others, who had different views, had rights 
 as well as they ; and that it would have been as great a violation of the 
 rights of those Societies that wished to receive the Lord's Supper in 
 the Established Church, to impose on them the Sacrament, as it would 
 have been to withhold it from themselves. The middle plan of grant- 
 ing it under such restrictions that none should receive the Lord's Sup- 
 per in their own chapels but those who wanted it, did not at all suit 
 men of such a temperament ; and the Plan of Pacification, in J 7^)5, 
 having finally settled the long and keenly-disputed question on this 
 basis, their displeasure was then directed against the Conference. 
 They loudly declaimed against it, not as though it exercised a power 
 which did not belong to it : they admitted that the Conference was, 
 and ought to be, the supreme ])ower ; but they quarrelled with its con- 
 stitution. Nor did they object to that, as though there had been any 
 departure from the original plan : they well knew that, as the " Deed 
 of Declaration" shows, the Conference had always been thus consti- 
 tuted that none but those who were in the office of the ministry, 
 whether Ministers of the Establishment, or regular Preachers, had 
 ever been members of it. They urged the introduction of Lay-Delegates 
 merely on the ground of expediency and fitness. Inspired with a por- 
 tion of that enthusiasm, respecting the rights of the people, which had 
 then so generally seized the nation, they contended, that the people 
 ought to be introduced by their representatives into the Conference, 
 and to have a share in making their own laws. Aware that they could 
 not effect such a revolution as they wished, they separated, and formed 
 a plan of church-government suited to their taste ; and that very plan 
 of this the most liberal party in jNIethodism furnishes, as we have before 
 seen, the irrefragable proof that their objection was not so much to the 
 power of the Conference, as to its constitution. They, as wise men, 
 saw that in every body politic there must be a head a supreme autho- 
 rity ; and they constituted their Conference also the supreme power : 
 only, instead of composing it, as the Methodist Conference had ever been 
 composed, of Preachers exclusively, they associated, with the Preachers, 
 the Delegates of the people. Now if this body of separatists had had such 
 views of the Methodist constitution as some at present entertain ; if 
 they had been contending for the independence of Leaders' and Quar- 
 terly Meetings, in all local affairs, and that the Conference had been 
 exercising an usurped power over the body a power which had not 
 been secured to it by established usage ; would they immediately, when 
 they had throAvn off this tyranny, and when sitting down in freedom to 
 frame a constitution to their taste, have done the very thing they com- 
 plained of, and on account of which t\\ey separated, and have given to 
 their Conference this very power have constituted it their supreme 
 
OF WESLEY AN METHODISM. 37 
 
 authority, aiid made all their other jurisdictions of Leaders'-Meetings, 
 Quarterly-Meetings, &c., subordinate to it ? Let those adopt such a 
 conclusion who can ! 
 
 Mr. Kilham's connexion with the Conference terminated in 1796. 
 But so great was the activity with which the views he had adopted 
 were disseminated, and such was the prevailing taste of that day for 
 every thing that bore the name of reform, that the Methodist Society 
 was thrown into a greater state of commotion than ever. This being 
 the state of things, the Conference of 17'^7 came to the resolution of 
 modifying the exercise of its authority as far as it possibly could, con- 
 sistently with a due regard for the sacred trust which was reposed in 
 its hands ; and, after an amicable intercourse with a number of friends 
 who had assembled at the time of its sitting, the Conference made 
 the concessions to which our attention has now to be directed. In 
 making those concessions, however, the Conference is not to be 
 regarded as giving up, from prudential motives merely^ power which 
 did not belong to it ; but as relinquishing, in the spirit of noble sacri- 
 fice, as well as from prudence, power which was, originally and legiti- 
 mately, its own. 
 
 One of the first results of a careful examination of the concessions 
 of 1797 is the establishment of the fact, that the Conference did not 
 give up the supreme power the power of making laws. Indeed, it 
 was not asked to do so. The Methodists of that day even those who 
 were the most liberal in their sentiments who had caught the most 
 of that enthusiastic spirit in favour of liberty which then pervaded, 
 not only this country, but most of Europe, were, after all, too good 
 politicians ever to dream of such an anomalous and contradictory 
 thing, as some persons now contend for a body without a head. 
 They knew that in every body politic there must be supreme power ; 
 and they never thought of taking it away from the Conference, where 
 it had ever been, and bestowing it elsewhere. The utmost that they 
 proposed was, that the Conference should receive into its number 
 Representatives or Delegates of the people, who should share with the 
 Preachers in the exercise of this supreme power. But this, also, the 
 Conference felt bound to refuse ; and thus recorded, among the " Sundry 
 Miscellaneous Regulations" published with its concessions, its senti- 
 ments on the proposal : 
 
 The Conference, having maturely considered the subject, are thoroughly per- 
 suaded, with many of our Societies whose letters have been read in full Conference, 
 that they cannot admit any but regular Travelling Preachers into their body, either 
 in the Conference or in District-Meetings, and preserve the system of Methodism 
 entire, particularly the Itinerant plan, which they are determined to support.* 
 
 On this refusal of the Conference, two things are observable : First, 
 it was not dictated by lust of power. The principle on which the 
 Preachers assembled on that occasion acted was, to meet the wishes of 
 
 * Minutes of Conference, 8vo., vol. i., p. 379. 
 
38 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 the people as far as they possibly could, without violating the pastoral 
 trust reposed in them as Christ's Ministers ; and they felt they could not 
 introduce laymen into their own body, or into the District-Meetings, 
 consistently with a due regard to the purity of their doctrines and 
 ministry, the preservation of itinerancy, and the real welfare and reli- 
 gious liberty of the people at large. 
 
 It is to be noticed, in the second place, that in this view of the sub- 
 ject the Conference did not stand alone. It was not the whole of the 
 Connexion which was asking for the admission of Lay-Delegates into 
 the Conference. Many of the Societies took the same view of the 
 question as the Conference itself. In the midst of the popular outcry 
 for civil and religious liberty, they had the wisdom to suspect, that the 
 interests of the people were not always most secure in the hands of those 
 who made the loudest professions of regard for liberty. And they felt 
 it to be what they owed to themselves, to the cause of God, and to the 
 Conference, to avow, in such a crisis, what were their sentiments ; and 
 to support the Conference by the assurances of their attachment to it, 
 and the declaration of their conviction, that Methodism, as a whole, 
 and their own Methodistic rights and privileges, were safer in the 
 hand of the Conference, constituted as it then was, than they would be 
 if Lay-Delegates should obtain a place either in the Conference or in 
 District-Meetings. It is to the addresses of these Societies that the 
 Conference refers, in the preceding extract from its Minutes. What 
 important concessions, on the subject of the admission of lay-brethren 
 into District- Meetings, the Conference, without being solicited, has 
 made in late years, will be noticed afterwards. 
 
 It is not, however, merely from its recorded objection to receive 
 Lay-Delegates into its own body, that we are left to infer that the 
 Conference remained, notwithstanding its concessions, in the possession 
 of supreme power. There is, in the concessions themselves, an express 
 recognition of the Conference as the supreme authority. The " supreme 
 power " is, as we have seen, the power of making laws ; and the right 
 of the Conference to make laws is explicitly recognised in the conces- 
 sions of 1 797, and confirmed by them. At a time when the Confer- 
 ence is viewed by some parties with such suspicion, it is well that 
 there are means of proving that this recognition was not surreptitiously 
 introduced by the Conference, and overlooked by the Delegates, but 
 that it was seriously considered and well understood ; and, more than 
 this, that it was drawn up by the Delegates themselves, and merely 
 adopted by the Conference, the very language of the Delegates being 
 preserved almost throughout. There are, still extant, copies of the 
 Minutes of this Committee of laymen who negotiated with the Con- 
 ference, which show this to have been the case. The following is a 
 copy of one of the day's proceedings : 
 
 On Saturday/, August bth, 1797, 
 Resolvkd, That the Committee of this Meeting do confer with the Preachers' 
 Committee on the following subjects ; namely, 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 39 
 
 1. The answer of the Conference with respeet to the Bristol case. 
 
 2. How far the Preachers will agree, that when the Conference shall make any 
 new Rule for the Societies at large, provided the Travelling Preachers find, at the 
 first Quarterly-Meeting, that the major part of that Meeting, in conjunction with 
 the Preachers, are of opinion that the enforcing of such Rule in that Circuit will 
 be injurious to the prosperity of that Circuit, it shall not be enforced, in opposi- 
 tion to the judgment of a Quarterly-Meeting, till after a second Conference. 
 
 3. How far the Conference will agree to submit any new Rule that they wish to 
 make for the Connexion to the sanction of any Meeting of Trustees, Stewards, &c., 
 sent to places where the Conference shall be held in future. 
 
 A plan for some regulations in the executive government of the Methodist Soci- 
 eties was, by order of this Meeting, recommended to the consideration of the 
 Conference. 
 
 The recognition of the Conference as the supreme authority thus 
 emanated from the Lay-Committee. The Conference refusing to share 
 the legislation with the people, by receiving their Representatives into 
 its own body, the Delegates then proposed two other plans ; one of 
 which, we see, was, that the Conference should refer new laws to a 
 Lay-Committee, which should sit at the same place and time with the 
 Conference ; the other, that the different Quarterly-Meetings should 
 consider a new law, and, if they should see fit, should suspend its 
 operation in their respective Circuits till the following Conference. 
 Had the Conference agreed to the plan in paragraph " 3," it would as 
 really have shared the legislative power with the people, as though 
 Lay-Delegates had been incorporated with itself. The Lay-Committee 
 would have been, to all intents and purposes, a second branch of the 
 legislature. To the plan marked " 2," the Conference could have no 
 objection; because it left the legislative power, whole and entire, 
 where it had ever been in the Conference ; and only provided for the 
 trial of a new law, before it should be made absolute and imperative 
 on the whole Connexion. It is especially to be remarked, that the 
 Delegates did not propose that if, at the following Conference, it 
 should appear that any given number of Circuits say a majority 
 had rejected a new law, the Conference should not in such case con- 
 firm it. This would have been, in effect, to ask again for what they 
 had sought to obtain by the two other plans. It would have been to 
 ask for a prerogative even more objectionable, perhaps, simply consi- 
 dered in a practical point of view, than a share in the legislation. 
 Quarterly-Meetings would then have been invested with a power 
 similar to the formidable tribunitian power of the Romans, which 
 might have proved most pernicious in its exercise. The Conference 
 would have had the onus of making laws for the body ; and after it 
 had, with the greatest care and solicitude, devised a law to meet any 
 of those emergencies which will frequently occur in every body politic, 
 it might have happened that a majority of the Quarterly-Meetings, by 
 their hasty veto^ would have rendered all its deliberation void, and 
 have left the emergency unprovided for. And this, it is evident, 
 might have been frequently the case. The evil against which a new 
 law provides is often far from being universal. It is frequently con* 
 
40 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 fined to a comparatively small number of Circuits. Now, in sucli 
 instances, the Quarterly-Meetings in the greater number of Circuits 
 where the grievance had not been felt, considering, as the Minute 
 directs, their respective Circuits only, might naturally enough con- 
 clude, " Our circumstances do not require any such law, and it will 
 impose an additional burden upon us: we will therefore reject it." 
 And thus all the deliberation and care of the Conference, looking with 
 a paternal eye on the Connexion at large, and devising laws which, 
 although inconvenient in some respects, perhaps, to many Circuits, 
 would be found highly conducive to the welfare of the whole body, 
 would be completely defeated. 
 
 The Delegates did not, however, as we see by their own Minutes, 
 ask for the Quarterly-Meetings to have such a dangerous power 
 intrusted to them to be placed in such circumstances of temptation. 
 That which they asked was, that the Conference would allow the 
 Quarterly-Meetings to suspend, if they saw fit, the operation of a new 
 law in their respective Circuits until the second Conference ; trusting 
 in the wisdom and paternal affection of the Conference, that, if it per- 
 ceived, from the objections of the Circuits, that the law was not calcu- 
 lated to answer the end proposed, it would not confirm it. But the 
 Conference was to be left at liberty to render the law absolute and 
 imperative on the whole Connexion, should it find the objections of 
 the Circuits to be of little weight ; and should it still see reason to con- 
 clude, that the law, on the whole, would be beneficial, and meet the 
 emergency for which it was provided. This Regulation, which thus 
 sufficiently secures the people against " precipitation " on the part of 
 the Conference, in making laws, leaves, at the same time, the legisla- 
 tive power whole and entire in the Conference.* 
 
 * To enable the reader to compare the proposal made by the Delegates with the 
 language used by the Conference in adopting it, without the trouble of further 
 reference, the Rule of the Conference, as contained in the Address of the Confer- 
 ence to the Societies, dated August 7th, 1797, is here given: 
 
 " VII. In respect to all new Rules, which shall be made hy the Conference, 
 
 " It is determined, that if at any time the Conference see it necessary to make 
 any new Rule for the Societies at large, and such Rule should be objected to at the 
 first Quarterly-Meeting in any given Circuit ; and if the major part of that Meeting, 
 in conjunction with the Preachers, be of opinion, that the enforcing of such Rule in 
 that Circuit will be injurious to the prosperity of that Circuit ; it shall not be 
 enforced in opposition to the judgment of such Quarterly-Meeting before the 
 second Conference. But if the Rule be confirmed by the second Conference, it 
 shall be binding to the whole Connexion. Nevertheless, the Quarterly-Meetings, 
 rejecting a new Rule, shall not, by publications, pubMc Meetings, or otherwise, 
 make that Rule a cause of contention, but shall strive, by every means, to preserve 
 the peace of the Connexion." 
 
 On this Regulation the Conference thus comments, in a subsequent part of the 
 same Address : 
 
 " (6.) In order to prevent any degree of precipitation in making new Rules, and 
 to obtain information of the sentiments of our people on every such Rule, we have 
 agreed to the article mentioned under the 7th head, by which no Regulations will 
 be finally confirmed, till after a year's consideration, and the knowledge of the sen- 
 timents of the Connexion at large, through the medium of all their public officers." 
 (See the Addiess, in Appendix B, at the end of this Essay.) 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 41 
 
 It is to be regarded as a happy circumstance, that the Conference 
 had the proposal made to it by the Lay-Committee, that it should 
 not make its laws binding on the whole Connexion till another sitting, 
 unless, however, they should be adopted, at once, by the tacit consent 
 of all the Quarterly-Meetings ; because this proposal led to an express 
 recognition of the Conference as the supreme power, in those conces- 
 sions which are regarded as introducing a new era in Methodism. 
 Had not this proposal been made, in all probability there would have 
 been no such direct recognition of the legislative power of the Confer- 
 ence at all ; and it might have become a matter of serious dispute with 
 those who cannot see anything that is not couched in express terms, 
 whether the Conference was really left in possession of that power or 
 not. And it is another circumstance of importance, that the Lay- 
 Delegates should have published to the world the Minutes of their 
 proceedings and negotiations with the Conference ; and thus have fur- 
 nished the incontrovertible proof, that this Rule, which recognises the 
 legislative power of the Conference, was not a stratagem of the Con- 
 ference, but that it was offered by the Delegates themselves, and 
 merely agreed to by the Conference, the very words of the Delegates 
 being preserved almost throughout. 
 
 The Conference was thus left in possession of legislative power, 
 although it made the important concession that that power should, for 
 the future, be exercised with due regard to the views of the people, as 
 ascertained according to the plan submitted by the Delegates. What 
 other concessions were made by the Conference of 1 797 ? The Lay- 
 Committee, as we have seen, say, in their Minutes, that " a plan for 
 some Regulations in the executive government was recommended to the 
 consideration of the Conference;" and the Conference itself, in sum- 
 ming up or commenting on its own concessions, says, " We have given 
 up the greatest part of our executive government into your hands." 
 What was given up, may be ranged under two general heads : 
 
 I. Concessions in regard to financial and other temporal matters; 
 
 II. Concessions in respect to discipline. 
 
 I. In the first class we see the Conference taking business from the 
 District-Meetings, and giving it to the Quarterly- Meetings. 
 
 The Yearly Collection formerly was all brought to the Conference, 
 and the Conference divided it among the Preachers who had not 
 received, from their respective Circuits, what was their due. But 
 with this distribution the Circuits had little or nothing to do. The 
 Preachers laid before the Conference their bills : the Conference paid 
 the money ; and published nothing but a general statement. To show 
 how little the people were made acquainted with this business, I will 
 give from the Minutes of 17^0, the last Conference which Mr. Wesley 
 attended, the account given of the Yearly Collection for that year. 
 
 Question. What is contributed for the yearly expenses ? 
 Answer. 1,225. 155. lOrf. 
 
42 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 Question, How was it expended ? 
 
 Answer. As follows : 
 
 s. d 
 
 Last Year's Deficiencies 52 13 11 
 
 Present Year's Contingencies 100 
 
 Law 72 3 
 
 Ireland 248 18 
 
 Scotland 200 
 
 Wales, Isles of Guernsey, &c 78 
 
 In all England 473 4 11 
 
 1,224 19 10 
 
 After Mr. Wesley's death, and the District-Committees had been insti- 
 tuted, this was a part of the business these Committees were directed to 
 transact. The District-Meetings examined the claims of the Preachers, 
 and drew up a plan for distributing the money, which was laid before 
 the Conference for confirmation. With this method of transacting the 
 business, the people had become dissatisfied. They could not tell 
 whether the claims of the Preachers were correct or not. The 
 Preachers gave their own account of the sums which their Circuits 
 had failed to pay them ; and the Circuits had nothing but the inte- 
 grity of the Preachers as the pledge that none but fair statements were 
 given, and none but just claims made. But, by Regulation I.,* the 
 business of preparing bills for deficiencies was transferred to the Quar- 
 terly-Meetings. It directs that the Quarterly-Meetings of those Cir- 
 cuits which cannot pay their Preachers the whole of their salaries, 
 shall see that the bills for deficiencies to be presented to the Confer- 
 ence are correct, and signed by the Circuit-Steward. Thus prepared, 
 they are to go through the District-Meeting to Conference. And the 
 Conference proposes, for the time to come, to publish a minute and 
 particular account of what every Circuit raises towards the Yearly 
 Collection, and of what is paid for deficiencies in every Circuit ; that 
 thus every Circuit, by comparing the Conference-account with its own, 
 may have evidence that there has been no collusion among the 
 Preachers, whether in the District-JNIeetings or the Conference, but 
 that all has been transacted with uprightness. 
 
 By Regulation II.,t the Quarterly-Meetings are allowed to have a 
 voice in the division of Circuits. In former times, the Conference 
 divided Circuits as it saw fit ; and after the District- Committees were 
 established, this was another part of the business they were appointed 
 to prepare for the Conference. The Preachers, when assembled at their 
 annual District-Meetings, digested plans for such divisions as they 
 thought necessary ; which, with all their other transactions, Avere laid 
 before the Conference for confirmation. In all this, the Circuits had 
 nothing to do. Although the Preachers might consult any of the 
 principal friends on such proposed divisions, neither the friends indivi- 
 dually, nor the Quarterly-Meetings, had any constitutional right to 
 
 * See Appendix B. f See Appendix B. 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 43 
 
 interfere, to prevent any division ; nor was their sanction necessary to 
 render it valid. The Regulation in question, however, takes the 
 arrangement of this business from the District-Meeting, and gives it to 
 the Quarterly-Meetings. The plan for dividing a Circuit is now to be 
 agreed on at the Quarterly-Meeting, and signed by the Circuit- 
 Steward, before it can come into the District-Meeting at all ; and the 
 District- Meeting has now nothing more to do in the business than to 
 approve of, or reject, the plan proposed, or to refer it back to the 
 Quarterly-Meeting for revision. 
 
 The same Regulation provides, that all other temporal business shall 
 first be prepared at the Quarterly-Meetings ; and " their approbation 
 given, signed by the Circuit-Stewards," is made necessary to its being 
 introduced into District-Meetings. 
 
 An important change was thus effected by the first two Regulations. 
 All the temporal matters which the District-Committees used to pre- 
 pare for the Conference, were transferred to the Quarterly-Meetings. 
 The Quarterly-Meetings were, thenceforward, to prepare those matters 
 for the Conference ; and the District-Meetings were only on those 
 questions to give their consent or reject the measure. The District- 
 Committees, acting as Committees of business, had nothing left them on 
 those questions " hut a negative." * It is, of course, to be understood, 
 that the District-Meeting remained at liberty, while negativing any 
 measure, to give such recommendation to the Quarterly-Meeting as it 
 might deem fit.t 
 
 II. The second class of concessions relates to discipline. 
 
 By Regulation III., J a right is given to the Leaders'-Meeting to 
 prevent the Superintendent from introducing persons into Society^ 
 whom the Meeting judges to be unfit for admission. The Superin- 
 tendent, formerly, might ask the opinion of the Leaders on those 
 matters ; but they could do no more than advise. By this Rule, how- 
 ever, they can restrain the Superintendent. He must admit none who 
 are formally objected to by the Leaders. 
 
 By the same Regulation, it is provided, that the Superintendent's 
 power of expelling from Society should also be laid under restrictions. 
 The Superintendent, up to this period, could expel any person fi'om 
 Society, whom he might judge unfit for membership. The Leader had 
 no constitutional power to oppose him in the exercise of this autho- 
 rity. Now, however, the Superintendent cannot put a person out of 
 Society, till his offence be proved. This Rule certainly admits of two 
 interpretations ; but I adopt the more liberal one. I understand it to 
 say, that all ofi^ences with which an individual may be charged are to 
 
 * See Appendix B, 2. 
 
 t Since 1797, the principle involved in these concessions on financial matters 
 has been still further extended, by placing the management of the Public Funds of 
 the Connexion in the hands of mixed Committees of Preachers and laymen. (See 
 especially on this subject the '* Special Address" of 1835, in Appendix D.) 
 
 t See Appendix B. 
 
44 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 be proved, not only in the presence of the Leaders, but to their satis- 
 faction also.* But this the more liberal construction of the Rule, 
 makes the Leaders to be no more than the jury, whose business it is to 
 decide upon the fact. It does not empower them to determine what 
 the sentence shall be, in case they bring in a verdict declaring the fact 
 to have been proved : that is left to the Preacher. He, as judge, must 
 award the punishment. 
 
 By Regulation IY.,t an important alteration is made in the manner 
 of appointing and removing Leaders and Stewards. Previously, the 
 Superintendent had managed this business without any control. He 
 could appoint a Leader or Steward, or displace either, as he saw fit. 
 This power, however, is now put under restrictions. The Superin- 
 tendent cannot now either appoint or remove Leaders and Stewards, 
 but in conjunction with the Leaders-Meeting. The same Rule extends 
 also to the admission, but not to the expulsion, of Local Preacher's. 
 
 In all these concessions which relate to discipline and general 
 management, there is one thing especially observable. The Superin- 
 tendent's authority is not shared with the local meetings. They are 
 not constituted judges along with the Superintendent. The Rules do 
 not make the Meetings responsible for the enforcement of discipline. 
 Every one of the Regulations says, the Superintendent is to receive or 
 expel, to appoint or remove, as he ever did, only now with this limita- 
 tion, that he must have the concurrence of the Meeting. The Con- 
 ference does, therefore, in its own comment on these Rules, speak 
 most correctly when it says, " Our Societies have now a full check on 
 the Superintendent/' { The Superintendent's power is not taken from 
 him, but he is thus checked in its exercise. 
 
 We have now a full view of the concessions of power which the 
 Conference made to the people, in the memorable year of 1797; and 
 find, that what the Conference conceded with regard to legislative 
 power was not the power itself, but its absolute exercise ; and that its 
 concessions relating to the executive government, the administration 
 of Methodism, had respect to its ordinary administration only. A\''e 
 have before seen that, from the beginning, there has been in Method- 
 ism an ordiriary and an extraordinary administration ; that, during 
 Mr. Wesley's life, the ordinary administration was vested in the 
 Assistants and Preachers, and the extraordinary in Mr. Wesley ; and 
 that, on his death, the District-Committee was instituted to supply his 
 place, as an extraordinary jurisdiction to enforce discipline, in all cases 
 
 * The " Form of Discipline," publislied by the Conference of 1 797, (described in 
 a subsequent note, page 55,) which I had not seen before I published my Essay, 
 confirms this interpretation. The Rule relating to expulsions is thus put in that 
 publication : 
 
 "4. As to the exclusion of members from the Society, the far greater number 
 exclude themselves by utterly forsaking us. But with respect to others, let the 
 Rules of the Society be carefully attended to, and the Leaders be consulted on such 
 occasions, and the crime proved to their satisfaction." (Page 13.) 
 
 t See Appendix B. % See Appendix B, 3. 
 
OP WESLEY AN METHODISM. 45 
 
 of emergency where ordinary means should fail. Now there is nothing 
 in the concessions which so much as glances at District- Committees, in 
 their principal and leading character, as possessing an extraordinary 
 jurisdiction over the ivhole Connexion. The power taken from District - 
 Committees is power they had exercised in their secondary character, 
 as Committees of business. It is in express reference to temporal mat- 
 ters, and to temporal only^ that tlie Conference says, " Nothing is left 
 to them but a negative ;" and although this expression is repeated by 
 the Conference, towards the close of its Address, in connexion with 
 the plan of trying Preachers, as modified in 1 795, yet it can only refer 
 in truth to temporal matters. No one will say, that the District- 
 Committee has nothing hut " a bare negative" in the trial of a Preacher. 
 On this great question, as to what power was taken from District- 
 Committees, everything is clear and explicit. All that is said of power 
 taken, by these concessions, from District-Committees, refers to them 
 only as Committees of business. Not a single expression can be made 
 to apply to them in their principal character. What rule, then, I ask, 
 will any one produce to prove, that when the Conference says, it takes 
 away the power of District-Committees under one of the characters 
 they sustain, it, therefore, takes away their power under both their 
 characters ? It would be no common rule which would prove such a 
 point. By all the acknowledged principles of interpretation it will be 
 concluded, that as the Conference did not take away from District- 
 Committees their e^^raorcZmary jurisdiction, they remained possessed 
 of that^ when stripped of their power as Committees of business. 
 
 This sound conclusion is confirmed by the following considerations. 
 The opposite conclusion would involve the absurdity, that the Confer- 
 ence, in conceding one point, did, in fact, give up two. The Confer- 
 ence conceded that hereafter Methodism, in its discipline, should 
 be administered in the one way which it marks out in its Address ; 
 but if it gave up the extraordinary power of District-Committees, it 
 did really concede this point also, that Methodism should be admi- 
 nistered in any way the Circuits should choose. For if j| has no 
 power left to interfere by this extraordinary jurisdiction, why then the 
 Circuits may abide by this one way, or adopt any other ; there being 
 no power left to prevent it. But, adopting the only just interpretation 
 of the Rules, we are saved from this absurdity. All appears consist- 
 ent. The Conference agrees that Methodism shall be administered in 
 this one way ; but, by leaving to District-Committees their extraordi- 
 nary jurisdiction, it reserves to itself the power to step in, when neces- 
 sary, and do that which Circuits may refuse to do according to the 
 plan then agreed upon, for the ordinary administration of discipline. 
 
 To adopt the opposite conclusion would be attended with this result 
 also, that the Conference has, in reality, given up the supreme power, 
 which is so clearly recognised by the same concessions. It is, as has 
 before been shown, a universal principle in politics, and it may be 
 added, that it is a common-sense principle, too, that wherever there 
 
46 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 is the power to make laws, there is also the power to enforce them. 
 However explicitly, then, the Conference has marked out the ordinary 
 administration, it must necessarily, as the supreme authority, have the 
 inherent right to interfere in an extraordinary manner, to prevent any 
 ahuse of the ordinary plan, or departure from it. To advert, for the 
 sake of illustration, to the civil constitution under which we live, ^it 
 might as well be said, that, because the ordinary administration of 
 justice is settled, therefore the Government cannot interfere in extra- 
 ordinary emergencies. I adopt this comparison the more readily, 
 because it is the favourite argument of certain parties, that they might 
 as well give up their constitutional right to be tried by jury, as to give 
 up their right to be tried by their Leaders'-Meetings. They say, it is 
 their right to be tried by jury, and the Government cannot deprive 
 them of that right. Very good ; but has not the Government power to 
 interfere to prevent any abuse of this important privilege ? If a jury 
 should happen to be empannelled among whom were accomplices of 
 the prisoner, or those who had a strong bias on any account in his 
 favour, is there no alternative ? Must the ends of justice be defeated 
 through the corruptness of the jury ? One cannot but admire the 
 numerous provisions of our constitution, for preventing any abuse of 
 the important privilege of trial by jury. In the first place, the jurors 
 are not selected from the immediate neighbourhood where the prisoner 
 has resided, but from all parts of the county at large. The probability, 
 therefore, is, that a jury thus constituted will be found, not only free 
 from prejudice either for or against the prisoner, but even without any 
 previous knowledge of him at all. This, however, is not regarded as a 
 sufficient security that justice will be administered. The law contem- 
 plates the possibility that the Sheriff or Returning Officer may, through 
 oversight or other cause, empannel a prejudiced jury ; and provision is 
 therefore made that it may be set aside. Not only the prisoner him- 
 self may object to any or all of the jury, but the law provides for chal- 
 lenges to be made, on the part of the Crown, to any of the jurors, or 
 to the wjiole array. Every suspicious individual of the jury can thus 
 be rejected before the trial is proceeded with. With such provisions 
 as these, the Executive will not be often foiled in the just administra- 
 tion of the laws. It will generally be able to prevent the important 
 privilege of trial by jury from being abused. Emergencies, however, 
 will occur, when its powers will require to be increased ; and one 
 of those emergencies is fresh in our recollection. It is not long 
 since,* when Manchester and its vicinity were infected with the 
 spirit of dissatisfaction and rebellion, the Legislature interposed, 
 and, by the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, armed the Execu- 
 tive with an extraordinary and most formidable power. When this 
 great bulwark of our liberty was thus thrown down, a person, on 
 mere suspicion of hostility to the Government, might have been 
 
 * This was written in 1828. 
 
OF WESLKYAN METHODISM. 47 
 
 arrested, and throAvn into prison, and left there without being brought 
 to his trial at all. And this, it is known, is not the dernier resort. 
 The supreme Executive has the power, without applying immediately 
 to the Legislature, to place a rebellious district under law of an alto- 
 gether different kind ; and to administer justice by tribunals totally 
 different from civil courts. From this brief view it is evident, that, 
 although, in our civil constitution, the ordinary administration of the 
 laws is settled, and it is the undoubted privilege of Englishmen to be 
 tried by jury, yet the Government possesses the inherent right to 
 interfere, in an extvaordmary manner, for the maintenance of its own 
 authority, and for the due administration of justice. On the same 
 principle, then, I maintain, that although the Conference, by its con- 
 cessions in 1797, marked out the method by which discipline should be 
 thenceforward ordinarily administered, it did not, necessarily, by doing 
 this, give up the District-Committee in its principal and leading charac- 
 ter ; because it still possessed, as the supreme authority, the inherent right 
 of interference in extraordinary cases, to prevent an abuse of the privi- 
 leges which it conceded, and to secure the just administration of its laws. 
 
 We might thus have reached a satisfactory conclusion on the subject, 
 providing that we had nothing from which to argue, save the Address 
 to the Societies, which the Conference of 1797 issued during its sit- 
 tings ; but, surely, every shadow of doubt ought to be removed by the 
 " Miscellaneous Regulations" with respect to Districts, found, in con- 
 nexion with that Address, in the Minutes of Conference for that year. 
 It is matter of just surprise how any persons can read these Regulations, 
 and not see that the Conference has reserved to itself the right of enter- 
 ing a Circuit by means of its District-Committees, whenever such an 
 interference becomes necessary, for the maintenance of its discipline. 
 In these Regulations we hear the Conference say, in effect, to the local 
 meetings : " We concede to you all the foregoing important privileges; 
 take them and use them, and we will never interfere to disturb you ; 
 but we reserve to ourselves the power of stepping in, when i^cessary, 
 to prevent their ahuse." 
 
 In the Regulation which stands the second in order,* we have an 
 evident recognition and formal confirmation of the extraordinary juris- 
 diction of District-Committees. The Chairman, in conjunction with 
 the Preachers of the District, is made responsible for the " execution 
 of the laws" in his District. There are some persons who would 
 make it appear, that all the authority left to District -Committees is, 
 simply to try and remove a Preacher ; but how they can conclude so, 
 in the face of this Rule, is surprising enough. What, has the Method- 
 ist Code no laws but for Preachers ? Can there be no offenders but 
 Preachers? Unless this be proved, something more than the one 
 
 * " 2. The Chairman of each District, in conjunction with his brethren of the 
 Committee, shall be responsi])le to the Conference for the execution of the Laws, so 
 far as his District is concerned." (See Appendix B.) 
 
48 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 simple business of punishing a Preacher must be contemplated here. 
 *' The laws" cannot be understood to mean anything less than " the 
 laws" of Methodism in general ; and the only fair conclusion respecting 
 the Rule is, that the Chairman, with the Committee, is responsible for 
 the execution of all the laws respecting the people, as well as the 
 Preachers. The Chairman and the Committee, then, of course, must 
 have a right to visit any and every Circuit in their District, where an 
 extraordinary emergency occurs, and apply a suitable remedy. How 
 can there be responsibility where there is not a commensurate power ? 
 If they are responsible for the administration of " the laws" through- 
 out the whole District, the whole District must necessarily be so 
 placed under their control, that, when ordinary means fail, they may 
 step in and put the machine again in motion. 
 
 Having thus recognised, and formally confirmed, the extraordinary 
 power of District-Committees, the Conference then proceeds to 
 strengthen them by the addition of other Preachers, for the effectual 
 exercise of this power. The Rule, which is the third in order, sup- 
 poses that such cases of difficulty might occur, where the District was 
 comparatively small, or where there was a paucity of Preachers of 
 standing and experience, as to make it desirable to strengthen the 
 District-Committee, by the addition of other competent Preachers 
 from neighbouring Districts ; and the Chairman in " order that he 
 might not have cause to complain of want of power " to deal with such 
 cases of special importance and perplexity is therefore empowered 
 " to summon three of the nearest Superintendents, to be incorporated 
 with the District-Committee, who shall have equal authority to vote, 
 and settle everything until the Conference." * This Regulation is thus 
 to be regarded as a provision for strengtiiening the District-Committee, 
 whenever the Chairman is of opinion that foreign assistance is desir- 
 able, to enable the Committee to settle a case of more than ordinary 
 intricacy, in the most satisfactory manner. Now if we are not to 
 understand the Conference as saying, that its design in this provision 
 is to gvm greater efficiency to the District-Committee as an extraordi- 
 nary jurisdiction, extending over the whole Connexion, its language is 
 incapable of interpretation. It will not be said, that the object of the 
 Conference was to strengthen District-Committees for transacting 
 temporal affairs. Having nothing left to them, on these subjects, but " a 
 bare negative," they could not need thus to be enlarged, for the mere 
 purpose of enabling them to say, " No."t 
 
 * " 3. That no Chairman may have cause to complain of the want of power, in 
 cases which (according to his judgment) cannot be settled in the ordinary District- 
 Meeting, he shall have authority to summon three of the nearest Superintendents, 
 to be incorporated with the District-Committee, who shall have equal authority to 
 vote, and settle everything till the Conference." (See Appendix B.) 
 
 t The Regulation of 1797, providing for the strengthening of a District-Com- 
 mittee by the addition of three Superintendents from other Districts, was amplified 
 by the Conference of 1835, which resolved that, instead of three of the nearest 
 Superintendents, ^^four Superintendents, or other Preachers, may be called in, if 
 either party desire such assistance, and be incorporated with the Preachers stationed 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 49 
 
 But it is said that the ohject of the Conference was to strengthen 
 District-Committees for the trial of Preachers. That couhl not be, for 
 two reasons : 
 
 First. That was sufficiently provided for, two years before, by the 
 Plan of Pacification. If those persons who maintain the opinion just 
 stated, would trouble themselves to look at the Plan of Pacification, 
 they would see that it makes effectual provision for the trial of 
 a Preacher, in all conceivable extraordinary cases. Is not a 
 Meeting composed of all the Preachers of the District, and all the 
 Trustees, Leaders, and Stewards of the Circuit, sufficient to try any 
 offiinding Preacher whatever ? Most people will think so ; and, what 
 is fatal to the interpretation above stated, the Conference thought so, 
 not only at the time when the Plan was adopted, but in 17^7 too. At 
 the close of the Address to the Societies, which we have considered, in 
 summing up the sacrifices it has made, the Conference adverts to the 
 provision for trying a Preacher, as already made in the " Plan of Paci- 
 fication," in language which cannot be mistaken, language which, if 
 it signifies anything, must mean that the Conference regarded this 
 provision as amply sufficient for every case of delinquency among the 
 Preachers which could possibly occur.* With such views on the sub- 
 ject as are thus recorded, it was impossible that the Conference should 
 immediately proceed to strengthen Districts for the trial of a Preacher. 
 So far from this being all that was provided for in the following Regu- 
 lations, the Conference does not seem to have contemplated such a 
 case at all; at least, not directly. The object of these Regulations 
 evidently appears to be this, to strengthen the Districts in the exercise 
 of that extraordinary power, by which they control the whole Con- 
 nexion, and enforce the discipline where ordinary means are unavailing. 
 
 But there is another reason for the conclusion that the Conference 
 did not design to strengthen District-Committees for the purpose of 
 
 in the District. Of these, two shall be chosen by each of the two parties concerned 
 in the affairs to be- settled by the Meeting." This, however, must be ^garded as 
 an enlargement of the provision of tlie Rule of 1797, and not an abrogaiioii of that 
 Rule. The Conference of 1835 says, '^four Superintendents, or other Preachers, 
 may be called in;" but the parties against whom the proceedings are to be 
 instituted, may not desire such assistance, and may decline to choose two addi- 
 tional Preachers. In such circumstances, if the Chairman judges that the case is 
 one of so much difticulty, that it is requisite the District-Committee should be 
 strengthened by the addition of other experienced Preachers, he is still at liberty 
 to avail himself of the original provision of 1797, and call in " three of the nearest 
 Superintendents" for that purpose. 
 
 The same Conference (of 1835) which, as is shown in a subsequent note, 
 granted the privilege of a Minor District-Committee to any one complaining of 
 expulsion from membership in the Society ; extended the same provision to " a 
 Superintendent complaining of any Leaders'- Meeting, for refusing to act its consti- 
 tutional part, or for acting it factiously, or in contradiction to law and evidence, in 
 the trial of an accused member." For the prompt remedy of such a grievance, and 
 to save the trouble and inconvenience of a full meeting of the District-Committee, 
 it was resolved that he too should have the benefit of the Minor District-Committee. 
 (See the " Special Address" of 1835, in Appendix D.) 
 
 * See Appendix B, the conclusion of the Address. 
 
 E 
 
50 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 trying Preachers. The measures tliey adopted would have been 
 regarded, at that day, as rendering the District-Committees less, rather 
 than more, effective for the purpose. The Delegates who negotiated 
 with the Conference, in 1795, having got the plan of administering the 
 Sacraments adjusted, wanted security for its being preserved inviolate 
 by the Preachers, by having the facilities increased for bringing them 
 to justice, should they offend. According to the only then existing 
 plan of tr3dng Preachers, none but Preachers were the judges. It was 
 thought this was not sufficient, in certain conceivable cases, for the 
 purposes of justice ; that Preachers might have too much partiality for 
 one of their own order; and that, in such particular cases as were 
 contemplated, certain laymen ought to be associated with the Preachers 
 on the trial of an offending Preacher. To meet the wishes of the 
 people on the subject, the Conference consented that, on the trial of a 
 Preacher, all the Trustees, Stewards, and Leaders of the Circuit where 
 the offence had been committed, should be joined with the District- 
 Committee, and should have an equal right to vote, that is, whenever 
 they should " choose to interfere " as accusers : for this popular method 
 of trial was never intended to set aside the mode of trial by the regu- 
 lar District-Committee, or a Minor District-Meeting ; but was to be 
 resorted to in those particular cases only, when the interference of the 
 local officers should happen to be interposed.* According, then, to the 
 views and feelings which some parties cherished in that day, to make 
 such an addition of Preachers, as is provided for by the Rule under con- 
 sideration, for the purpose of trying a Preacher, would not have been 
 required to strengthen the Districts for the purposes of justice : it would 
 rather have been considered as having an opposite tendency. In the view 
 of those to whom I refer, more laymen, and not more Preachers, should 
 have been added to the Committee, to have accomplished such an object. 
 Now on the true principle of interpreting these Regulations, a suf- 
 ficient reason presents itself, both for strengthening District-Committees, 
 and for strengthening them by the addition of certain Preachers. The 
 Conference was well aware that it was a formidable power which it 
 was conceding to the local meetings ; and that a dominant faction 
 might, by means of it, so obstruct and thwart a Superintendent in the 
 management of the Circuit, as to throw all into disorder and confusion: 
 and therefore, by the Regulations now under consideration, it arranged 
 to balance this power conceded to the local meetings, by giving an 
 increase of influence, wise counsel, and efficiency to the extraordi- 
 nary jurisdiction of District-Committees. Under this view of the 
 subject, all appears natural and consistent in the conduct of the Con- 
 ference. There was a necessity for these Regulations, arising out of 
 the concessions which the Conference was making. And as the 
 strengthening of District-Committees was to balance the power which 
 the people would henceforward have, to add Preachers, such as were 
 
 * See Appendix B, the conclusion of the Address. 
 
OP WESLEYAN MEXnODISM. 51 
 
 likely to increase, by their wisdom and experience, the moral " power " 
 of District-Meetings, was really to strengthen them to " render them 
 more effective." 
 
 These views will receive confirmation, from a reference to the pro- 
 vision for making Districts more effective by the interference and 
 visitation of the President of the Conference.* This Regulation stands 
 first in the Minutes. It gives power to the President for two purposes. 
 First, for the filling up of all vacancies, and for effecting any changes 
 among the Preachers, which might be necessary in the intervals of the 
 Conference. Secondly, " to assist at any District-Meeting, when invited 
 by the Chairman, or a majority of the Superintendents;" and, when 
 " written to by any concerned, to visit any Circuit to inquire into their 
 affairs with respect to Methodism, and, in union with the District- 
 Committee, to redress any grievance." It is truly astonishing, how 
 any one can look at this Rule, and still say, that District- Committees 
 have no power in a Circuit, but to try and remove a Preacher. Is 
 this " visiting any Circuit by the President," and " inquiring into its 
 affairs with respect to Methodism," and " this redressing of any griev- 
 ance," by himself and the District-Committee, nothing at all but just 
 this one business, of going into a Circuit, inquiring into the con- 
 duct of a Preacher, and punishing him if faulty ? Does this examina- 
 tion of a Circuity in regard to its Methodistic affairs, turn out, after all, 
 to be nothing else than the examination of a Preacher, in respect to his 
 Methodistic conduct in the Circuit ? And is it for this one purpose, 
 that the arrangement is made for giving the greatest possible efficiency 
 to the District-Conmiittee, by associating with it the first officer in the 
 Connexion ? To argue the point is impossible. What general terms 
 can be employed to express all the difficult cases which can in any way 
 occur in a Circuit, if this Rule does not ? 
 
 The fourth Regulation deserves especial notice in, this important 
 question, t It alone, beyond all controversy, sets aside the principle 
 which some so strenuously maintain, that there can be no foreign 
 interference with the affairs of a Society, that all Society-affairs must 
 be settled by the local meetings, with the Preachers of the Circuit, 
 This Rule expressly provides for the attendance of the Chairman at the 
 Quarterly-Meetings of the Circuits in his District. Can there be any 
 
 * "1. In order to render our Districts more effective, the President of the Con- 
 ference shall have power, when applied to, to supply a Circuit with Preachers, if 
 any should die or desist from travelling ; and to sanction any change of Preachers 
 which it may be necessary to make in the intervals of the Conference ; and to 
 assist at any District-Meeting, if applied to for that purpose, by the Chairman of the 
 District, or by a majority of the Superintendents in such District. And he shall 
 have a right, if written to by any who are concerned, to visit any Circuit, and to 
 inquire into their affairs with respect to Methodism, and, in union with the 
 District-Committee, redress any grievance." (See Appendix B.) 
 
 t " 4. The Conference recommends it to the Superintendents of the Circuits, to 
 invite, on all important occasions, the Chairman of their respective District, to he 
 present at their Quarterly-Meetings." (See Appendix B.) 
 
 E 2 
 
52 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 quibbling here? Is a Quarterly-Meeting the Meeting to try a Preacher? 
 Is not the business transacted there Circuit-business, and Circuit-busi- 
 ness only ? Here then is provision for foreign interference, in mere 
 Circuit-business, as often as the Superintendent judges there will be 
 need of such assistance. How those persons who tell us that the Con- 
 ference, in its " Miscellaneous Regulations " respecting District-Com- 
 mittees, is only kindly contriving to secure to the people the benefit of 
 its concessions, (by enabling them to bring to trial tyrannical Super- 
 intendents,) reconcile with their views the Rule now under considera- 
 tion, it is not easy to divine. What, the Conference merely providing 
 to protect the people against t3n'annical Superintendents, and yet with 
 the same breath recommending to the Superintendent to fetch the Chair- 
 man of the District into the Quarterly-Meeting of his Circuit, to help 
 him in his projects ! How, with their views, they can reconcile this 
 Rule with the supposition that the Conference possessed common 
 sense, it is as difficult to conceive. Had it been a settled point, that 
 the local meetings had a right to that kind of independence now con- 
 tended for, can it be supposed that the Conference, after solemnly recog- 
 nising that independence, and providing means for its preservation, 
 would have had the senseless temerity to recommend to its officers, to 
 violate the independence of the local meetings to a greater extent than 
 they had ever before attempted ? And I ask those persons, how, on their 
 principles, they can account for it, that when this Rule appeared in the 
 printed Minutes, it did not throw the Connexion into greater agitation, 
 and raise a greater clamour against the Conference than ever ? 
 
 This Rule is one of much greater importance than some persons have 
 attached to it, because it serves to show what were the views generally 
 entertained in 1797 of foreign interference. So far from its being a 
 thing so terrible to the Connexion in that day, it is found that even 
 then, when the power of the Preachers was most objected to, not only 
 the extraordinary jurisdiction of District-Committees was strengthened, 
 to prevent an abuse of the power conceded to the local meetings ; but 
 provision was made for bringing into the Quarterly-Meeting one 
 of the officers of the Conference, as often as the Superintendent (not 
 the Stewards or Leaders) should see fit to do so. The body of Me- 
 thodists of that day had been so familiarised with the frequent display 
 of foreign interference^ that the mention of it was not so startling to 
 them as it appears to be to certain parties at the present time. Mr. 
 Wesley had been dead only about six years ; and the recollection of 
 his visitations of the Circuits, and of his controlling the whole Soci- 
 eties, with their local officers and Preachers too, was yet fresh in the 
 memory of the Connexion. As the interval fi'ora his death had been 
 occupied by the District- Committees, which were created to succeed 
 him in this depai'tment, foreign interference had thus ever been a 
 practically acknowledged principle in Methodism. And the people 
 sought not to destroy any of the essential features of the system : all 
 they wanted was such a modification of the whole, as would afford 
 
OF WESLEY AN METHODISM. 
 
 53 
 
 them a sufficient security for the enjoyment of their rights and 
 privileges. 
 
 There are persons, however, who cannot but admit that the lan- 
 guage of the "Miscellaneous Regulations" respecting District-Com- 
 mittees seems to have all that meaning which we maintain that it 
 possesses, but they endeavour to evade its force, by arguing that these 
 Regulations were made by the Conference after the Delegates had 
 separated, and that therefore they are not binding. In what a light does 
 this supposition place the principles of the Conference, by represent- 
 ing it as thus perfidiously taking back and increasing the power which 
 it is supposed to have just resigned ! With what a spirit of strangest 
 infatuation does it assume the Conference to have been actuated in 
 making such a desperate experiment ! If the Avhole supposition be 
 true that, in the first instance, the Conference, in negotiating with the 
 Delegates, had given up the power of District-Committees, and then, 
 on the departure of the Committee of Delegates, had made these 
 Regulations to get back all its concessions, and even more ; how was 
 it that the people did not arise as one man, and at once, and for ever, 
 renounce a body of Ministers who could thus act ? 
 
 In my preceding inquiry into the proceedings of 17i^7? I have 
 assumed the principle, that the " Miscellaneous Regulations " with 
 respect to Districts were not an after-thought of the Conference, but a 
 part of one grand whole, digested and agreed to at one and the same 
 time ; and there is sufiicient evidence that this was the case. In its 
 Circular Address of the 7th of August, the Conference tells the Soci- 
 eties that it has given only a general view of its proceedings ; and 
 that " in the Regulations " to be afterwards published, they would have 
 " the whole at large." * We are thus directed for further information 
 to " the Regulations," which the Conference promised, in its Address, 
 to publish at the close of its sittings. In its " Minutes," which were 
 printed immediately after its session for that year had terminated, 
 the Conference republished its Circular Address of the 7th of August, 
 and, in connexion therewith, gave a number of additional Rules which 
 it had made, classed under seven heads, with the title of " Sundry 
 Miscellaneous Regulations." * Now, as there is not in these " Regu- 
 lations " any further explanation of the concessions contained in " the 
 Address," the provisions respecting District-Committees, and the other 
 matters touched on, are, unquestionably, the things to which the Con- 
 ference refers, as completing^ so far, however, as new regulations are 
 concerned, the plan which it had digested for the future administra- 
 tion of Methodism. 
 
 In confirmation of this view of the subject, we may advert again to 
 the " Minutes " of the Lay-Delegates. By the quotation which I have 
 already given from their pamphlet, it will be seen, 
 
 * See Appendix B at the end of this publication, which is a copy of tlie Address 
 of the 7th of August, and the " Sundry Miscellaneous Regulations," from vol. i. 
 of the " Minutes of the Methodist Conference," 8vo., pp. 374, 378. 
 
54 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 1. That they asked the Conference for its judgment on the Bristol 
 case. 
 
 2. That they proposed to the Conference, for its consideration, the 
 regulation respecting the making of new laws ; and, 
 
 3. Submitted for the consideration of the Conference a plan respect- 
 ing the executive government. 
 
 This was on Saturday, the 5th of August. On the following 
 Monday, the 7th, they record again in their Minutes, that they have 
 received three letters from the Conference, signed by the President 
 and Secretary. Letter No. 3 begins thus : 
 
 Dear Brethren, 
 
 The Confereuce spent most of the forenoon in considering the subject men- 
 tioned in your letter relative to our executive government, and have passed the 
 following Rules ; namely, 
 
 1 . That in cases which (according to the judgment of the Chairman) cannot he 
 settled in the ordinary District-Committee, he shall have authority to summon 
 three of the nearest Superintendeu's, who shall be incorporated with the District- 
 Committee, and have an equal right to vote, and settle every thing till the Con- 
 ference, &c. 
 
 2. That if at any time the Conference see it necessary to make any new Rule for 
 the Societies at large, &c. 
 
 The obnoxious Rule relative to the strengthening of the District- 
 Committee by the addition of " three Superintendents," is thus 
 recorded by the Delegates as having been then passed by the Con- 
 ference. What were the details of the plan, respecting the executive 
 government, which the Delegates had proposed to the Conference, 
 does not appear. But we have seen from their Minutes of Saturday^ 
 that the Rule last-mentioned, respecting new leyidation^ was proposed 
 at the same time by the Delegates ; and, as the Conference mentions, 
 in the letter recorded by the Delegates on the following Monday^ that 
 this Rule had been adopted ; and, when previously speaking of their 
 plan respecting the executive government, further says, that they had 
 passed the Rule respecting the three Superintendents ; there is pre- 
 sumption that this very Rule was the proposal of the Delegates, as 
 well as the one respecting the making of laws. It is, indeed, hardly 
 likely that the Delegates would ask the Conference to resign so much 
 of its legitimate power as it has, in fact, conceded to the local meet- 
 ings, without offering something to prevent the meetings from abusing 
 its concessions. Be this, however, as it may, it is certain that this Rule 
 was passed Avith the cognisance of the Delegates ; as, doubtless, >vere 
 the rest, although they are not given in detail in their Minutes. 
 
 The reason which induced the Conference to publish the concessions it 
 had made, in an Address to the Societies, issued during its sittings, (on 
 the 7th of August, the very day on which it sent the three letters above 
 mentioned to the Delegates,) and reserved the regulations respecting 
 District-Committees to be published afterwards, was, that the Con- 
 ference was anxious to give the Societies some information respecting 
 what it had done as early as possible, and thus relieve them from the 
 suspense in which they were held. The Conference, therefore, selects 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 55 
 
 the concessions wliicli it had made to the local meetings in the ordinary 
 administration, and leaves the regulations respecting its extrao7'dinarp 
 administration to be published afterwards. This was a natural and 
 obvious division. The people wanted to know what were the new privi- 
 leges they were to enjoy. The Conference enumerates those which they 
 would immediately receive. The concessions made in the ordinary 
 administration were on every -day subjects, which would be instantly 
 felt ; but the regulations, which had for their object merely to prevent 
 those concessions from being abused, were not provisions for every-day 
 matters, but for great emergencies^ which it was hoped would not often 
 happen. These, therefore, were not published till the close of the 
 Conference, when the regulations with respect to Districts ; the Rule 
 against the admission of Lay-Delegates into the Conference or Dis- 
 trict-Meetings, and the Rules with regard to Preachers ; the Resolutions 
 on the Bristol case ; (which w^as mentioned by the Delegates, as we 
 have seen, in their Minutes of the 5th of August, and which the Con- 
 ference immediately decided on;) and Resolutions on some other 
 subjects, were all classed together under the title of " Sundry 
 Miscellaneous Regulations," and printed, as has been shown, in the 
 " Minutes" of the Conference published at its close.* 
 
 * When I wrote this Essay, in 1828, I had not been able to ascertain whether 
 the Conference of 1797 had pubMshed the "Sundry Miscellaneous Regulations" 
 in any other manner than as they appeared in its printed " Minutes " of that 
 year. Those Minutes appeared to warrant the expectation, that all the legislative 
 enactments of that year, with a Collection of Rules of preceding years, would be 
 pubhshed in a separate form for general use. In the Minutes of that Conference, 
 under the date of August 1st, the Conference says, 
 
 " Whereas, we, the undersigned, have, on this and the preceding day, carefully 
 revised the Rules drawn up and left us by our late venerable Father in the Gospel, 
 the Rev. Mr. Wesley, which were published by him in our Large Minutes, to which 
 we consented when we were admitted, and by which we were regulated during his 
 hfe : And whereas, we have collected together those Rides which we believe to be 
 essential to the existence of Methodism, as well as others to which we have no 
 objection, we do now voluntarily and in good faith, sign our names, as 
 approving of, and engaging to comply with, the aforesaid Collection of Rules, or 
 Code of Laws, God being our Helper." (Vol. i., 8vo., p. 360.) 
 
 To this declaration are appended the names of the Ministers assembled on the 
 occasion. 
 
 In its Circular Address " To the Methodist Societies," issued on the 7th of the 
 same month, the Conference adds, 
 
 " V. We have selected all our ancient Rules, which were made before the death 
 of our late venerable Father in the Gospel, the Rev. Mr. Wesley, which are essen- 
 tial Rules, or prudential at this present time ; and have solemnly signed them, 
 declaring our approbation of them, and determination to comply with them, one 
 single Preacher excepted, who, in consequence, withdrew from us. (Before the 
 Conference concluded, two other Preachers withdrew.) 
 
 " VI. We have determined that all the Rules which relate to the Societies, 
 Leaders, Stewards, Local Preachers, Trustees, and Quarterly-Meetings, shall be 
 published with the Rules of the Society, for the benefit and convenience of all the 
 Members." (Vol. i., p. 376.) 
 
 Then, in conclusion, after stating that the design of this Circular was to give to 
 the Societies, " in as concise a manner " as possible, an early notice of its proceed- 
 ings, the Conference remarks, 
 
56 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 As a proof of the amicable manner in wliich the negotiations 
 between the Delegates and the Conference terminated, the Resolution 
 Mvith. which the Delegates closed their sittings is here introduced. 
 
 Resolved, That the thanks of this Meeting be unanimously given to the 
 President, and the memhers of the Conference, for their kind attention to the 
 business of the Delegation of the Trustees that has been laid before them ; and that 
 it is their determination to support the Methodist cause upon the plan agreed on 
 this Conference. 
 
 " In the Regulations which will be published with the Rules of the Society, as 
 mentioned above, you will have the whole at large." (P. 378.) 
 
 From the language thus employed by the Conference, I was led to make inquiry 
 for some separate publication, which should embody the whole of the Methodist 
 discipline as revised and settled at its important session in that year. Some of the 
 agitators in 1828, observing that the Selection of Rules printed in the Class-books 
 did not contain the " Miscellaneous Regulations " of 1797, relating " to Districts," 
 given in the Minutes of the Conference, were anxious to have it believed, that 
 that Selection was the one which the Conference of 1797 published, according to 
 the intimation it had given in the extracts from the Minutes of the Conference, just 
 quoted. But this view, on examination, appeared untenable on various grounds : 
 
 1. The Conference of 1797 promised, that the ** whole" of its legislative pro- 
 ceedings should be pubUshed ; but the collection in the Class-books is professedly 
 only a Selection of the Rules deemed " most material." 
 
 2. This Selection of Rules in the Class-books does not merely omit the " Miscel- 
 laneous Regulations with respect to Districts," but also some of the most important 
 concessions to the people, enumerated by the Conference in its Circular Address to 
 the Societies ; as, for instance, the Regulation (vol. i., p. 376) by which a Quar- 
 terly-Meeting, in conjunction with the Preachers, is empowered to suspend for a 
 year, in the Circuit to which it belongs, the operation of any new Rule which the 
 Conference might make for the Societies at large. That Selection of Rules which 
 thus left out such an important popular concession, it appeared obvious to my 
 mind, could not possibly be the publication to which the Conference of 1797 had 
 referred; whatever the agitators of 1828, in the efforts of their blind zeal to get 
 rid of the Miscellaneous Regulations relating to Districts, might urge in favoiu- of 
 that opinion. And, 
 
 3. It was manifest on the face of the thing, that the Selection of Rules in the 
 Class-books was not pubhshed at all by the Conference of 1797; for, under the 
 head of " Rules relating to the Officers of the Societies," it contains a Rule of the 
 Conference of 1801 ; and this Rule was given by Dr. Warren in his " Digest," as 
 one included in the original edition of this Collection. 
 
 The Class-book, it was thus evident, did not meet the expectation raised by the 
 Conference of 1797. And it was equally clear, that a new edition of the Collec- 
 tion, known by the name of the " Large Minutes," originally made by Mr. Wesley, 
 and presented to the Preachers when received into full Connexion, could not be the 
 publication which appeared to be contemplated by the Conference. The Conference, 
 it would seem, did not intend merely a revision of that Manual, which was chiefly for 
 the use of Preachers, but such a " Collection of Rules," old ones revised, and new 
 ones included, as they believed essential to the very existence of Methodism, and, 
 therefore, a " Code of Laws," such as concerned not only the Preachers, but the 
 Connexion at large. My copy of the " Large Minutes," printed in 1817, with 
 the old title of *' Minutes of several Conversations between the Rev. John Wesley, 
 M.A,, and others, from the year 1744 to the year 1789," exhibited no pretensions 
 to the character of such a " Code of Laws," as that which the Conference of 1797 
 digested and subscribed. Although it had received the addition of the Plan of 
 Pacification of 1795, and the Circular Address of the Conference of 1797, with two 
 Forms of Deeds of Trust, it did not contain the "Miscellaneous Regulations" of 1797 
 with respect to Districts, nor, indeed, any of the Regulations relating to District- 
 Committees adopted in preceding years. It may be remarked, in passing, that the 
 omission of these Regulations in a book chiefly designed for the guidance of 
 
OP WESLEY AN METHODISM. 57 
 
 Before we pass from the su])ject of District-Committees, it may, 
 however, be proper to notice an argument which has more lately been 
 employed. It is now admitted by some, that the Special District- 
 
 Preachers, ought to have been regarded by those persons who maintained that the 
 Regulations respecting Districts concerned the Preachers only, as having a most 
 unfavourable bearing upon their argument. 
 
 Neither of these Collections, therefore, accorded with the intimation given by the 
 Conference. Nor did they unitedly. They did not together comprise the " whole 
 at large " of the " Regulations," partly collected from the earher Minutes, and 
 partly adopted at the Conference of 1797, to which the language of the Conference 
 seemed to refer. Until my Essay had passed through the press, I had not met 
 with any publication answering the expectation raised by the language of the 
 Conference. Shortly afterwards, a friend in Liverpool informed me, that he had 
 found, among some old Methodist publications in his library, a pamphlet con- 
 taining a Collection of various Minutes of the Conference, which was at my ser- 
 vice ; although he did not suppose that it would bear upon the controversy then 
 going on, as it had been pubhshed as early as the year 1779. A cursory examina- 
 tion was sufficient to show that the date was a misprint. It had been published 
 by George Whitfield ; but Mr. Atlay, not George Whitfield, was the Book-Steward 
 in 1779 ; the pamphlet included all the Regulations of the Conference of 1797; and 
 a comparison of the title of the book with the language of the Conference of 1797, 
 at once suggested the conclusion, that this must be the identical publication inti- 
 mated by the Conference of that year, in its Circular Address to the Societies. The 
 title was as follows : 
 
 " Minutes of several Conversations between the Rev. John Wesley, A.M., and the 
 Preachers in Connexion with him. Containing the Form of Discipline established 
 among the Preachers and People in the Methodist Societies. London : Printed for 
 G. Whitfield, City-Road, and sold at all the Methodist Preaching-Houses, in Town 
 and Country, 1779." 
 
 The language employed by the Ministers assembled at the Conference of 1797, in 
 the Declaration, which they subscribed with their own names, and in their Circular 
 Address to the Societies, clearly showed that the " Collection of Rules " which they 
 had made from the Minutes, was subscribed by them as a Code of Methodist Law; 
 and, in accordance therewith, the title of the pamjjhlet represented it to be such a 
 Collection of Minutes as contained " The Form of Disciphne established among the 
 Preachers and People in the Methodist Societies." A closer inspection of the con- 
 tents of the pamphlet confirmed the impression made by its title. It contained the col- 
 lection of Minutes which the Conference of 1797 made and signed at its early sittings; 
 to which were added all the discipUnary and financial regulations adopted in the sub- 
 sequent part of its session of that year ; and the whole were so harmonized, under 
 thirty-five heads, as to indicate something like Code-making. The book was not 
 such a classification of Rules as might be made by any private individual ; but a 
 Collection in which the Rules were so adjusted to each other, and an occasional 
 ambiguity removed, as to indicate legislative sanction and authority. In short, this 
 ** Form of Disciphne established among the Preachers and People in the Methodist 
 Societies," although not containing the " Rules of Society," appeared to be the only 
 publication which could claim to be considered as the " Code of Laws " referred to 
 by the Conference of 1797 ; and the testimony of competent witnesses subsequently 
 estabhshed the fact, that this was the very " Code of Laws " published at the Book- 
 Room, by order of the Conference, before the end of the year 1797, when George 
 Whitfield was the Book-Steward. 
 
 What then is the evidence furnished by this important publication, on the ques- 
 tion relating to the " Sundry Miscellaneous Regulations with respect to Districts," 
 contained in the Minutes of the Conference of 1797? Are they included in this 
 Code of Laws ? Or is it silent upon the subject ? It cannot be denied that, had 
 not these Regulations been given in the pubUcation in which the Conference of 
 1797, in its Address, intimated to the Societies they should have " the whole, at large," 
 of the " Regulations " which had been adopted, the omission would have afforded 
 
58 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 Meeting certainly has the right, when legally convened, to interfere 
 with the affairs of the Society, but that it has no power to act except 
 through the medium, and by means of, the Leaders-Meeting : and 
 
 some show of plausibility to the objections which the agitators urged against those 
 Regulations, But this " Form of Discipline," this " Code of Laws," does fully com- 
 prise the Regulations in question ; and they are not introduced, as though inci- 
 dentally, but so aiTanged and harmonized with the Rules of preceding years on the 
 same subject, as to form a complete and connected \\evf of Methodist Law on 
 District-Committees as at tliat time settled. In the Minutes of the Conference of 
 1797, the five " Miscellaneous Regulations " relating to Districts are arranged in this 
 manner : 
 
 1. The Regulation for making the Districts more effective, by the interference or 
 visitation of the President of the Conference. 
 
 2. The Rule relating to the responsibility of the Chairman for the execution of 
 the Laws in his District. 
 
 3. The provision for calling in the assistance of three Superintendents from some 
 other District or Districts. 
 
 4. The Regulation for the attendance of the Chairman at the Quarterly-Meetings 
 of the Circuits in his District. 
 
 5. The Rule for the election of every Chairman of District by the ballot of the 
 Conference. 
 
 In the ** Code of Laws," the fifth, or last of these, is placed in connexion with 
 the District-Regulations of the year 1792, instead of the one, which it had vir- 
 tually abrogated, providing for the election of the Chairman by the members of his 
 own District merely. The order of the other four Regulations is inverted, and the 
 first, relating to the President, comes last. The following is an exact copy of them 
 as they are given in the " Form of Discipline," or " Code of Laws :" 
 
 *' The Chairman of each District, in conjunction with his brethren of that Dis- 
 trict, shall be responsible to the Conference for the execution of our Laws, as far as 
 his District is concerned. 
 
 " The Chairman in aU cases which (in his judgment) cannot be settled in the 
 ordinary District-Meetings, shall have authority to summon three of the nearest 
 Superintendents to be incorporated with the District-Committee, who shall have 
 equal authority to vote, and settle everything till the Conference. 
 
 " The Conference recommends it to the Superintendents of the Circuits, to invite, 
 on all important occasions, the Chairman of their respective District, to be present 
 at their Quarterly-Meetings. 
 
 " In order to render our Districts more effective, the President of the Conference 
 shall have power, when applied to by the Superintendent, to supply any Circuit 
 with Preachers, if any should die or desist from travelling; and to sanction any 
 change of Preachers which it may be necessary to make in the intervals of Con- 
 ference. And to assist at any District-Meeting, if applied to for that purpose by 
 the Chairman of the District, or by a majority of the Superintendents in such Dis- 
 trict. And he shall have a right (if written to by any who are concerned) to visit 
 any Circuit, and to inquire into their affairs with respect to Methodism,* and, in 
 union with the District-Committee, redress any grievance." 
 
 Now this alteration indicates thought and design. It is evidently an intentional 
 arrangement, by which all the Regulations relating to the Chairman, his District, 
 and District-Committee, follow each other in a natural and methodical manner ; and 
 then the whole is properly closed with the provision for rendering the Districts still 
 more effective, by the visitation of the President, the highest officer in the Con- 
 nexion. The evidence firrnished by the pamphlet is thus most important ; for 
 although the argument in support of the vaMdity of the " Miscellaneous Regula- 
 tions" would have been satisfactory, providing that the Conference had never issued 
 such a sejjarafe publication as it appeared from its Address to contemplate; yet 
 that argument is rendered complete and impregnable by the consideration, that the 
 Regulations in question are made part and parcel of Methodistic Law, as embodied 
 
 Italics are used in the pamphlet. In the Minutes of the Conference the word is in small capitals. 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 59 
 
 the design of tins argument is to show, that the power of the District- 
 Committee in interfering with local affairs is not judicial^ but merely 
 the power of argument and persuasion. In answer to this, I would 
 
 in the " Form of Discipline," which the Conference did publish in fulfilment of its 
 intimation. 
 
 It may be proper here to place on permanent record the fact, that this identical 
 copy of the " Form of Discipline," which had thus come into my hands, was the 
 very same copy afterwards produced in the Courts of Chancery, in the proceedings 
 instituted by Dr. Warren in the year 1835 ; and was recognised, at that time, as the 
 Methodist " Code of Laws," first by Sir Lancelot Shadwell, the Vice- Chancellor, 
 and, subsequently, on Dr. Warren's Appeal from the Vice-Chancellor's decision, by 
 Lord Lyndhurst, then Lord High Chancellor of England. The hght in which this 
 publication was regarded by these eminent Judges, will appear from a quotation 
 or two from the report of their respective Judgments. In the report of the 
 Vice- Chancellor's Judgment, delivered Mai-ch 3d, 1835, it is stated: 
 
 " His Honour then referred to the Collection of Rules which the Conference of 
 1797 had published in a separate pamphlet. This ' Code of Laws' confirmed the 
 view he had given, that the 'Plan of Pacification' did not supersede the regular 
 District-Committee ; for it contained the Resolutions of 1791, and the two or three 
 succeeding years, respecting District-Meetings ; and he commented on some slight 
 alterations in their lihraseology as evidence of the care which had been taken in 
 harmonizing them^ 
 
 The Lord Chancellor, on the 25th of the same month, in confirming the powers 
 of the District-Committee, against the claims founded on the " Plan of Pacifica- 
 tion," remarked : 
 
 " But the case does not at all rest here : the case is much stronger. In the year 
 1797 it was considered by the Conference, who are the legislative body, that it was 
 of importance to the Connexion, and for the purpose of promoting harmony, and 
 for the piu-pose of pointing out the hue of duty which individuals should pursue, 
 that it was of importance to pubUsh the existing Rules of the Society. In the 
 preamble to this it says, ' And whereas we have collected together those Rules 
 which we believe to be essential to the existence of Methodism, as well as others to 
 which we have no objection, we do now voluntarily, and in good faith, sign our 
 names, as approving of, and engaging to comply with, the aforesaid Collection of 
 Rules, or Code of Laws, God being our Helper.' Now that Code has been given in 
 evidence. It is the document described by the letter ' F,' the ' Exhibit F.' " 
 
 On this Code his Lordship further remarked : 
 
 " Who are the parties promulgating these Laws ? Not parties who had slight 
 information ; not persons who had only a slight knowledge of the constitution of 
 Methodism : why, it was the legislators themselves, it was the very party who 
 promulgated the * Act of Pacification ; ' it was they who promulgated this law, 
 and who, by that very act of their own promulgation, made it become of itself a 
 Legislative Act ; and it is a declaration, by the legislature, that the power of sus- 
 pension still continues in the District-Committee." 
 
 These extracts sufficiently show the importance which the Vice- Chancellor and 
 the Ijord Chancellor attached to the publication in question ; and prove that they 
 recognised it as an authoritative Code of Methodist law. Their conclusion in its 
 favour is the more valuable, on account of the strenuous attempt which was made 
 to destroy its authority, and establish the rival claims of another collection of 
 Minutes, put in by Dr. Warren's Counsel, namely, the Collection of Rules called 
 the " Large Minutes," to which I have already referred as not containing the Regu- 
 lations on District-Committees. Respecting this, his Lordship remarked : 
 
 " I must advert here, however, to another document, which was put in on the 
 other side, and much insisted upon ; which is handed, as I understand, and I 
 believe that it appears in the affidavits, to each Preacher at the time of his ordi- 
 nation ; and which document is accompanied with this declaration, that, * as long 
 as you conform and adhere to those Rules, we shall receive you as our fellow- 
 labourer in the ministrv.' That contains the * Act of Pacification ;' it contains the 
 
60 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 ask, Was the power which Mr. Wesley exercised over the Societies, 
 and which, after Ills death, was vested in District-Committees, nothing 
 more than a power of persuasion ? When such means would not avail, 
 
 Act of the year 1797 ; but it takes no notice of the preceding Acts : and it is said, 
 therefore, that that document is to be put in o[)position to the ' Code of Laws' 
 published in the year 1797, and is to be considered, jyro tanto, as an abrogation of 
 them. But I consider this as nothing more than as a guide to the conduct of the 
 Preacher. It is not intended as a perfect Code of Laws ; for this obvious reason, 
 that the Regulations as to the District-Committee are entirely excluded from it, 
 not merely for the purpose of trial, but for all other purposes. It is quite obvious, 
 on the face of that document itself, it was not intended as a transcript of the Code 
 of Laws, as then existing, but as a mere guide and assistant to the Preacher." 
 
 It was thus, after a careful comparison of the two publications, that the Lord 
 Chancellor rejected the claims urged in favour of the "Large Minutes" in Dr. 
 Warren's behalf, and decided that the "Form of Disciphne" ^vith the misprint of 
 1779 must be received as the full and complete " Code of Laws " published for the 
 body at large, by the Conference of 1797. 
 
 This decision of the Lord Chancellor had an unfavourable bearing upon the argu- 
 ment of those who have wished to make it appear that the Conference of 1797 
 issued two separate publications, the " Large Minutes," revised for the guidance of 
 the Preachers ; and the Collection of Rules bound up in the Class-l)ook, which related 
 to the people. Dr. Warren was claimed by the agitators of 1828 as an authority in 
 support of that opinion. In his " Chronicles of Wesleyan Methodism," or " Digest 
 of all its Laws and Regulations," published two years before, he had copied at 
 length the Collection called the " Large Minutes," and described it as that public 
 document *' by which the special character and work of the Preachers are defined, 
 and which contains most of the Rules whereby they consent to be governed." 
 And under the head of ' The People," he had given a cojjy of the Rules of the 
 Society, and the accompanying Selection of Rules, as found in the Class-book. 
 But I have not observed that he anv-vshere sjjcaks of these two Collections as hav- 
 ing been published by the Conference of 1797, with the view of giving in the 
 former, the Rules which it had revised and enlarged for the direction of the 
 Preachers, and in the latter, the Rules and Regulations then adopted for the use of 
 the people. The two Collections together, I have already stated, do not by any 
 means comprise all the principal Rules collected, revised, and enlarged by the Con- 
 ference of 1797. A reference to the Class-book will at once show that it does not 
 contain the "Miscellaneous Regidations" of 1797, with respect to Districts, nor 
 any of the District-Regulations of preceding Conferences ; and I again affirm, how- 
 ever the contrary may be asserted, that neither does the Collection called the " Large 
 Minutes" comprise them. Dr. Warren did not include them in the copy of that 
 publication which he gives in his " Digest." That copy ends with the 70th Ques- 
 tion, as in the publication itself ; and all that follows, under the general head of 
 " The Conference," is a methodical arrangement of Minutes of Conference selected 
 by Dr. Wanen himself. And neither did the separate publication of the " Large 
 Minutes," exhibited by Dr. Wanen in Chancery, as appears from the quotation 
 from the Lord Chancellor's Judgment, contain the Conference-Regulations with 
 respect to Districts. The object of his application to Chancery was to obtain the 
 protection of the Court against the jurisdiction of the District-Committee ; and the 
 publication called the " Large Minutes" was there exhibited by him with a view to 
 further that object, by showing that the " Collection of Minutes which relate to the 
 Preachers" did not contain the Regulations respecting District-Committees. Sir 
 Charles Wetherell, the Doctor's leading Counsel, objected to the " Form of Disci- 
 pline," or " Code of Laws," which, however, he admitted was published in 1797, 
 for the reason that in it (he said) " all the old rubbish of the law is printed ; " and he 
 desired to establish the authority of the " Large Minutes," because that publication 
 ** left out all those old glosses ;" which he doubtless felt were most unfavourable to 
 his client's interests. 
 
 But, without dwelling longer on the opinions and proceedings of Dr. Warren, 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 61 
 
 did he not use a power strictly and properly judicial^ expelling mem- 
 bers and turning out officers, as the case required ? I ask again, Is it 
 possible that District-Committees can be made to answer, in all cases, 
 the end of their institution, if they have no judicial power to exercise ? 
 If the case with which the District-Committee is summoned to deal 
 should be that of a dominant faction, which, sheltering itself under the 
 forms of Methodistic law, successfully opposes the Superintendent in 
 
 the Lord Chancellor's rejection of the chaims set up in favour of the " Large 
 Minutes," and his recognition of the '* Exhibit F," as being the full and complete 
 Code of Methodist Law, which the Conference of 1797 published in accordance 
 with the intimation which it had given, effectually explode the notion that that 
 Conference fulfilled its intention by issuing two separate publications, the one, a 
 Revision of the ** Large Minutes" for the Preachers ; and the other, the Selection of 
 Rules in the Class-book, for the use of the people. The Manual of "Large Minutes," 
 with the addition of the "Plan of Pacification," and the Circular of 1797, was kept 
 in print, after 1797, for presentation to Preachers on their ordination ; but it was by 
 the publication of the complete " Code of Laws," contained in " Exhibit F," that 
 tlie Conference executed its design. The Selection of Rules in the Class-book, it 
 may be remarked, did not emanate from the Conference of 1797 at all. It was a 
 selection of such Rules as were of every-day use, got up some time afterwards, for 
 the sake of easy reference, and pubhshed, with the Rules of the Society, at the 
 Book-Room. But although the compiler refers to the Circular Address of the 
 Conference of 1797 as authorizing such a publication, he could not possibly suppose 
 that that Selection was what the Conference had in contemplation when, at the 
 close of its Cu-cular, apologizing for the brevity of the Circular, it intimated to 
 the Societies that they should afterwards have " the whole at large" Nor 
 could tbe managers of the Book-Room of that day really intend that that Selection 
 should be considered as the "Code of Laws" referred to in tlie Circular of the 
 Conference of 1797, when it did not contain one of the most important concessions 
 in favour of the people made by that Conference. The Conference had said : 
 " In respect to all new Rules which shall be made by the Conference, it is 
 determined, that if at any time the Conference see it necessary to make any new 
 Rule for the Societies at large, and such Rule should be objected to at the first 
 Quarterly-Meeting in any given Circuit ; and if the major part of that Meeting, in 
 conjunction with the Preachers, be of opinion, that the enforcing of such Rule in 
 that Circuit will be injurious to the prosperity of that Circuit ; it shall not be 
 enforced in opposition to the judgment of such Quarterly-Meeting, before the second 
 Conference," &c. This concession had been asked for by the Delegates, as has been 
 shown from their Minutes ; and such importance was attached to it, that the Confer- 
 ence included it in the brief Circular which it issued on the 7th of August, for the 
 purpose of giving the earliest notice to the Societies of the measures which it had 
 adopted. Is it possible, then, that the managers of the Book-Committee could 
 avowedly publish the Class-book Collection, with such an important omission, as the 
 " Code of Laws" referred to by the Conference of 1797, when most of the Delegates 
 who asked for this concession on legislation were probably still alive, and the 
 transactions of 1797 were comparatively fresh in the memory of the people? 
 Had such been their intention and object, how was it that such an attempt at imposi- 
 tion did not call forth an universal burst of indignation from the Connexion ? 
 The silence maintained at the time is proof that the thing was then properly 
 understood, and that the Class-book Collection was not received as the " Code of 
 Laws " settled in 1797, but as a brief selection of Rules for every-day use. 
 
 It may be added, as a matter of information, that the pamphlet recognised by 
 the Lord Chancellor as the Code of 1797 was reprinted in 1835, and has ever since 
 been on sale at the Methodist Book-Room, in City-Road. From that time, more- 
 over, the pubHcation has been regularly presented to Preachers, on their ordination 
 at the Conference, instead of the " Large Minutes " in the form originally prepared 
 by Mr. Wesley. 
 
62 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 the exercise of his functions, could not this same faction just as effect- 
 ually resist the District-Committee too ? Most certainly it could. The 
 District-Committee must then have a proper judicial power to exer- 
 cise in cases of greatest emergency. I plead for no wanton display of 
 this power. I not only grant, but I maintain, that the ordinary forms 
 of administering discipline, as settled by the Regulations of 1 797, are 
 not to be trifled with. I say, Let the District-Committee accomplish 
 its object, if possible, by counsel, by persuasion, by entreaty ; but if all 
 these methods completely fail, I ask. What then ? Is all to be given 
 up as lost, and a triumphant faction to be left without control ? The 
 Conference of ] 797 and the Delegates did not think so. They agreed 
 that the Chairman and District-Committee should be still held respon- 
 sible for the execution of the laws in their District. But how can 
 there be responsibility where there is not a commensurate power? 
 The Conference and the Delegates could never have concluded tlms, if 
 they did not mean that, in such extreme cases as will not yield to 
 milder methods, the District-Committee must exercise a power strictly 
 and properly judicial^ and redress the grievance. And who can rea- 
 sonably complain of such a power as this, which can never be brought 
 to bear upon any of the people, till a local court has abused the pri- 
 vileges conceded by the Conference, and misapplied them to the pur- 
 poses of faction and misrule ? Is the Conference to have no adequate 
 means of securing its concessions from being so perverted from their 
 original design ? 
 
 Some persons dwell much upon what they term the " compact " of 
 1797. But do they intend that, had a "compact" in the strict and 
 proper sense of the term then taken place, only one of the parties 
 should be under obligation to perform its conditions ? They certainly 
 entertain strange views of what is just and right, "if they imagine, that 
 the Leaders'-Meetings, influenced by a factious spirit, or acting from 
 misapprehension, are at liberty to pervert the concessions of 1797, for 
 the purpose of preventing the exercise of discipline ; while the Confer- 
 ence remains bound by its engagements, and must not be allowed to 
 interfere. This was not the principle upon which the arrangements of 
 1797 were made. The Conference then conceded, that, in the regular and 
 ordinary administration of Methodism, a Superintendent should not 
 exclude a person from Society, until the offence had been proved to 
 the satisfaction of the Leaders'-Meeting ; but it, at the same time, 
 effectually pro\dded for the maintenance and enforcement of discipline 
 by the collective pastorate of the District^ in any Circuit where the spirit 
 of party or faction may prevent its administration by the local courts.* 
 
 * The views which this part of the Essay was designed to establish, respecting 
 the end for which District-Committees were introduced, and the powers with which 
 they were intrusted for the enforcement of discipline upon the whole body of 
 Preachers and people, were afterwards amply confirmed by the judgments deli- 
 vered in the Courts of Chancery, in Dr. Warren's case, in 1835, refei'red to in the 
 preceding note. The Lord Chancellor, who stated, "that he had looked with 
 considerable attention into the volumes of Minutes " of the Conference which had 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 63 
 
 There is an original principle in the constitution of Methodism, 
 which did not undergo any change whatever, in 1/95 and 17^7, the 
 principle that any individual, or body of individuals, have a right to 
 
 been handed up to him, which, he added, " hreathe a spirit of meekness and Chris- 
 tian feeling throughout;" and whose judgment in favour of the separate pamphlet, 
 entitled, the " Form of Discipline," has heen given in the preceding note, recognised 
 the Conference as "the legislative body" in the Methodist Connexion, and, conse- 
 quently, the validity of its Laws or Regulations ; and he dwelt on the importance 
 of referring to the usage of Conference as a help in fixing their meaning, for the 
 reason " that it is the usage of the very legislative body itself, acting under and 
 interpreting its own laws." He considered that the District-Committees were Com- 
 mittees of the Conference, instituted at Mr. Wesley's death, as subordinate juris- 
 dictions for maintaining its discipline throughout the Connexion ; and he decided 
 that the Plan of Pacification of 1795 does not take a Preacher out of the jurisdic- 
 tion of the District-Committee, except in that specified class of cases in which 
 " the Trustees, Stewards, and Leaders choose to interfere." 
 
 The remarks of his Lordship on the extent of the jurisdiction of District- 
 Committees are very important. In his judgment, so far from District-Committees 
 having been appointed merely to exercise discipline upon Preachers, the trial of a 
 Preacher was only one of that class of critical cases for the settlement of which they 
 were provided. Having made some introductory observations upon the case under 
 the consideration of the court, his Lordship said : 
 
 " It is to the law passed in 1791 that I must first direct my attention ; because 
 it appears to me that, upon the just construction of that law, much of the present 
 case necessarily depends. 
 
 " Li the year 1791, then, after the death of Mr. Wesley, for the first time, 
 Districts throughout the kingdom were established ; and a provision was made to 
 this effect, that the Assistant of the Circuit shall have the power of convening 
 together the Preachers of the District upon * any critical case which might occur ; ' 
 that they should have the power of appointing a Chairman, when so met ; that 
 their decision upon the matter before them should be final, until the next Confer- 
 ence ; that the Chairman should report the proceedings to the Conference, who, 
 upon that report, should act as the Conference should think proper and just. This 
 is the first law to which I think it necessary attention should be directed. 
 
 ** Nothing is said with respect to offences committed by Preachers,- nothing is 
 said as to the trial of Preachers ; but still, taking the language and the spirit and 
 the scope of this law, and the nature of the Society, can it for a moment be 
 
 doubted, that if a Preacher had so conducted himself as to introduce discord, 
 
 and to disturb the harmony of a Society like this, and endanger the Connexion, 
 that that would not be considered as a ' critical case,' justifying the Assistant in 
 calling the Meeting of the Preachers ? If so, and they had the power to decide, 
 and their decision was to be final till the next Conference, is it not quite obvious, 
 that it might, in many instances, be necessary, under such circumstances, for the 
 pui-pose of preserving the very existence of such a Society, that the Meeting should 
 have the power of suspending or removing the Preacher, subject always to the 
 ratification or opinion of the Conference ? 
 
 " It appears to me, notwithstanding the generality of these terms, it embraces 
 the very case in question ; and that if the law had stopped here, and no other Act 
 had been passed, that, under this Act of Conference, in the year 1791, any 
 Preacher who misconducted himself to such an extent as to disturb the peace and 
 harmony of the Society, would justify the Assistant in calling a Meeting ; and that, 
 when the Meeting assembled, tliey would be justified, if they thought the case one 
 of such description as to endanger the peace and harmony of the Society, to sus- 
 pend or remove him till the next Conference. I consider this, therefore, as the 
 basis of the law with respect to this subject." 
 
 Again, on the authority of the District-Committee to decide when its interference 
 is necessary, his Lordship, referring to the disciplinary act of the Manchester 
 District-Committee, thus met the question, ** Had they power to do so ?" 
 
64 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 appeal to the Conference for redress of grievances. Tliis principle has 
 been assailed in the charge advanced against the Conference, that it 
 has violated its own law, in allowing an appeal from the decision of 
 the District-Committee, on the subject of the Leeds organ ; and the 
 
 " Why, I refer them (those who ask the question) back to that which I consider 
 to be the foundation of the whole of this authority ; namely, the Law of 1791. In 
 a case of emergency, the District-Committee may meet, they may consider that 
 case of emergency. It is not for us to say whether it was a case of emergency or 
 not ; it is for that particular tribunal the District-Committee to say whether it 
 was a case of emergency or not. They did meet ; they considered it was a case of 
 emergency ; and they had a power to decide according to their own discretion, and 
 their decision is final until the next Conference. What did they decide .-' They 
 decided, that because he did not choose to attend the investigation of the case, he 
 should be suspended. I think this comes clearly within the scope and meaning of 
 the Article of 1791, as coupled with the Law of 1792, and that they had power to 
 do what they did." 
 
 Then, again, as to the power of the District-Committee, when assembled, to regu- 
 late its own proceedings, his Lordship remarked : 
 
 " It is said that Dr. Warren was harshly treated, in their not allowing Mr. 
 Bromley (I think his name was) to attend with him at that Meeting. With that 
 I have really nothing to do. The District-Committee had a power to regulate their 
 
 own proceedings. They had a power to do so they did exercise that power 
 
 that no stranger should be present. They have authority to do that ; and that does 
 not, therefore, render the proceedings illegal or invalid." 
 
 Further, in regard to the authority of the District-Committee to determine what 
 constitutes an offence to be visited with discipline, his Lordship thus met the argu- 
 ment that the publication of the pamphlet by the Plaiutift" was not an oiFence 
 entitling this body to exercise the jurisdiction, and that it did not support the 
 charges that were preferred against him : 
 
 " Whether it did support those charges, or not, was a question for the District- 
 Meeting. I have no jurisdiction with respect to it. A particular tribunal is estab- 
 lished by the agreement of those parties to decide a question of this kind ; I have, 
 therefore, no authority to say, whether, within the meaning of the Rules of this 
 Society, this pamphlet was, or was not, an offence : that was peculiarly for the 
 decision of the District-Committee." 
 
 These extracts, the importance of which is my apology for giving them at such 
 length, it will be apparent, establish two conclusions : 
 
 1. That the legal interpretation of the Regulations appointing District-Committees 
 is in accordance with the literal and popular meaning of the language which is used; 
 that they were, in fact, instituted to deal with any kind with all kinds of criti- 
 cal cases which might occur in the Districts. It was the very " generality of the 
 terms " employed, which enabled his Lordship to bring the one case of the trial of 
 a Preacher within the jurisdiction of the District-Committee. 
 
 2. It is the prerogative of the District- Committee to determine what is such a 
 " critical case " as calls for interference ; what constitutes an offence requiring the 
 exercise of discipline ; and in what manner it shall regulate its proceedings on any 
 case of which it determines to take cognisance. 
 
 It may be remarked, in conclusion, that the Lord Chancellor examined carefully 
 the proceedings of the Conference of 1797, and decided that there was nothing in 
 its legislation of that year militating against the powers of the District-Cominiltee. 
 The Vice- Chancellor too, whose Judgment the Lord-Chancellor affirmed, atten- 
 tively considered this matter. The report states, 
 
 "His Honour then showed that the passage in the Address of 1797, on 
 
 which stress had been laid, did not mean that the Conference had set aside the 
 District-Committee in spiritual matters. Instead of tliis, the Conference had made, 
 at the same time, additional Regulations for the express and avowed pur})ose of 
 making the District-Committees * more effective ' for managing, in tlie intervals of 
 the Conference, the spiritual and ecclesiastical concerns of the body." 
 
OP WKSLEYAN METHODISM. 
 
 65 
 
 examining of this charge mil be, perhaps, the best method which I 
 can adopt to show the importance of the principle which it attacks.* 
 
 The first thing which strikes us in the reasoning by which the 
 charge in question is attempted to be maintained, is a rejection of the 
 word appeal, and the adoption in its stead of the word application. 
 By this substitution of one word for the other, the Leeds Special 
 District-Meeting is ridiculously made to say in its Minutes, that the 
 Rule on organs sends the applicants to the District-Meeting for leave 
 to apply to the Conference, and tells them, at the same time, that the 
 Conference ^^i\\ receive their application without leave. What the 
 Leeds Special District-Meeting really maintains is, that while the 
 Rule requires the ap2)lication to be made to the District-Meeting, it is 
 a principle in Methodism, that if the applicants are aggrieved by the 
 decision of the District- Committee, they have a right to appeal to the 
 Conference. 
 
 In this confounding of the application to the District-Committee, 
 with the appeal to the Conference, those persons expose their own 
 ignorance of the practice of District-Meetings and the Conference. 
 They evidently suppose, that, if the Trustees h.ad obtained the sanction 
 of the District-Meeting to their application, they (the Trustees) 
 would then have had to go and make their application, thus sanc- 
 tioned, to the Conference. Not so : if the District- Meeting had sanc- 
 tioned the application, the Trustees would have done with it ; and 
 instead of their applying to the Conference, the business would have 
 been removed to the Conference by the District-Committee, and 
 would have been managed there by the representative of the District. 
 From this view of the practice of District-Meetings, and the Confer- 
 ence, it is evident, that it could not be one and the same application 
 which the Trustees made to the District-Committee, and subsequently 
 to the Conference. The application for an organ could only go to 
 Conference through the medium, and by means, of the District- 
 Committee ; but as the District-Meeting rejected it, it could not then 
 go to the Conference at all. It was nothing but an appeal which the 
 Conference could and did, in fact, receive from the Trustees. 
 
 But it is said, that the appeal was an application; therefore, of 
 course, the application of the Trustees and their appeal were one and 
 the same thing. And so, because an appeal is an application, every 
 application is an appeal ! This is just as good an argument as the 
 following : " A lawyer is a man, therefore every man is a lawyer." 
 It was an application which the Trustees made to the District-Meet- 
 ing, and their appeal to the Conference was an application ; but they 
 were neither the same application nor the same kind of application. 
 The application to the District-Committee was an application for a 
 privilege, the application to the Conference was for redress of a griev- 
 ance. But we are told, that the object of both applications was the 
 
 * For the Rule on Organs, see Appendix C. 
 F 
 
66 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 same, to get leave for an organ; and, therefore, the applications 
 themselves were one and the same. This will prove that there can be 
 no such thing as an appeal at all, as well as that there cannot be one 
 to the Conference on the subject of an organ. When a person brings a 
 cause into a civil court, and, not being satisfied with the judgment, 
 appeals to a higher court, has he not one and the same object in view 
 the recovery of his right ? But, according to those persons, as the 
 object is the same, his appeal is no appeal, it is only the same appli- 
 cation repeated in the higher court, which he had made in the lower. 
 
 In combating the position that the Conference had a right to 
 receive the application, of the Trustees when rejected by the District- 
 Committee, those persons are fighting a man of straw which them- 
 selves had first set up. No one contends for such a thing as that 
 to which they object. What is maintained is, that the Conference 
 had a right to receive the appeal of the Trustees. The appeal is the 
 thing contended for ; and those persons confound it with the applica- 
 tion to the District-Committee, and then argue that it ought not to 
 have been received. 
 
 And this their error is to be traced to that capital mistake which I, 
 in the first instance, exposed. Did they view the Conference as the 
 " supreme power," they could not consistently come to such a conclusion. 
 For it is well known to all who make pretensions to political know- 
 ledge, that wherever there is the power to make laws, there is a right 
 to receive appeals from the subordinate courts intrusted with their 
 execution. If an inferior court mistakes the law, or, from an improper 
 bias, gives a ^vrong decision, is there to be no remedy ? It is strange 
 that Englishmen can say, " No ;" when the civil constitution under 
 which they live, and of which they make their boast, provides so 
 amply for correcting the errors of the courts which have to administer 
 justice. Causes tried in inferior courts may be removed into the 
 Court of Queen's Bench ; yet even this so high and honourable Court is 
 not the dernier resort of the subject ; for if he be not satisfied with any 
 determination here, he may remove it again to other courts. The 
 House of Lords is the highest court of appeal ; and its decisions are 
 final. Now, it is surprising that, familiarised, as Englishmen, with 
 this principle of appeal from the executive to the hereditary branch of 
 the Legislature, those persons can maintain that the Conference vio- 
 lated its ovvTi law, in receiving an appeal from the District-Meeting, on 
 the subject of the organ. Take an Act of Parliament, and compare it 
 with the Rule respecting organs : the Act says nothing about an 
 appeal to the House of Lords, any more than the Rule does about an 
 appeal to the Conference ; but, nevertheless, a cause is decided by it in 
 a court of justice on the understood principle, that, if either of the 
 parties be aggrieved, he can appeal from the decision of the court to a 
 higher, and, finally, to the Legislature. According to those persons, 
 however, a Methodist, or body of Methodists, may feel themselves 
 aggrieved by the decision of a District-Meeting; but they must sit 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 67 
 
 down quietly, there is to be no redress for them. And those, too, are 
 the persons who talk so loudly of liberty. 
 
 What those who charge the Conference with violating its own Rule 
 say, would appear something more like argument, providing that the 
 Conference had not been in the frequent habit of receiving appeals ; 
 or that the Rule on organs had contained any expression amounting 
 to this, that the rejection of the District-Committee should be impe- 
 rative, and that there could be no appeal : but, unfortunately for their 
 argument, neither of these is the case. The principle of receiving 
 appeals is cleaiiy recognised in the constant and uniform practice of 
 the Conference. The ear of the Conference is ever open to the 
 injured ; and not a Conference passes but appeals, not only from pub- 
 lic bodies, but from individuals, are received and decided upon. And 
 then the Rule does not say anything equivalent to this, that the 
 rejection of the application by the District- Meeting shall be impera- 
 tive, and that there shall be no appeal from its decision. All that is 
 said is, " that if it obtain the sanction of the District-Committee, it 
 shall be referred to a Committee of the Conference." Now, bearing in 
 mind what has ever been the practice of the Conference, the only fair 
 interpretation of the Rule is, that, if the District-Committee refuses to 
 sanction an application, and the applying party rest satisfied with the 
 decision, then the matter ends ; but if the parties, whose suit has been 
 rejected, consider themselves aggrieved, there remains for them the 
 understood resource of an appeal to the Conference. 
 
 It is surprising that the complainants do not perceive that their 
 reasonings, respecting the decision of the District-Committee on the 
 org-an-question, clash, most palpably, with the arguments they at other 
 times use against the power of District-Committees. When they are 
 objecting to the District-Committee, in its principal and leading cha- 
 racter, they represent it as the mere creature of the Conference ; 
 originated, in the first instance, by its fiat, and then stripped, in 1797, 
 so completely of all power, that it has nothing left to it but " a bare 
 negative," (which expression they receive in a sense that makes it just 
 about nothing at all,) excepting in the single case of the trial of a 
 Preacher. But when they turn to the Rule respecting organs, then 
 this power of negation which District-Committees possess, turns out, 
 after all, the most formidable power in the Connexion, standing 
 between the Conference and the Circuits, and forbidding them to 
 come near to each other. In the first instance, they hold up the Dis- 
 trict-Committee as a mere scarecrow, of which the people have not the 
 slightest cause to be afraid; in the next instance, they are seen 
 approaching it with the most profound veneration, laying the power of 
 the Conference prostrate at its feet, and sacrificing on its altar also 
 the interests of the Circuits. 
 
 If we examine the concessions of 1797? which leave the negative, in 
 all temporal matters, with the District-Committees, we find no men- 
 tion made, either directly or indirectly, of an appeal from their deci- 
 
 F 2 
 
DO ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 sion to the Conference, any more than there is in the Rule on 
 organs. The only mention of a reference to the Conference is in the 
 Rule among the " Miscellaneous Regulations," respecting Districts, 
 for inviting three Superintendents ; and by the showing of those 
 persons themselves, this has nothing to do with the temporal matters 
 of the Connexion. On the principle, then, that there is no right to 
 appeal unless the law expresses it, we are landed in the conclusion, 
 that, however wrong the District-Committee might be, in putting its 
 "negative" on any of the temporal matters which come before it, 
 neither the Circuits nor the Conference have any means of redress. 
 The division of a Circuit is one of the temporal matters on which 
 the District-Committees have a " negative." Now, if the division of a 
 Circuit should be ever so necessary, and the wish of the Circuit be 
 ever so unanimous, if the District-Committee should say, " No," 
 why then there is no help ; it must be submitted to. It will perhaps 
 be said, that this is supposing a most unlikely case to happen. After 
 we have seen that the simple question of the introduction of an organ, 
 in lieu of other kinds of musical instruments, has had the effect of 
 throwing persons into such a panic as to cause them to cry out that 
 the foundations are giving way, and that the whole goodly framework 
 of Methodism is coming do^vn, no one must pretend to determine 
 what shall not happen. But we will take another view of the subject, 
 which, to some minds perhaps, may appear more probable. The power 
 of negation which District-Meetings have on temporal matters, neces- 
 sarily implies another power, the power to sanction. If the District- 
 Meeting does not put its "negative" on the question, it sanctions it, 
 and passes it to the Conference for its final decision. Let us suppose, 
 now, that, in the judgment of the friends generally, the division of a 
 Circuit would be of most pernicious consequence ; but the Superin- 
 tendent and a few others, being eager to effect it, manage, by craft 
 and manoeuvre, to obtain a majority in its favour at the Quarterly- 
 Meeting, and then the Superintendent, by his influence, induces the 
 District-Committee to sanction it ; what, I should like to know, would 
 be the constitutional resource of the Circuit, providing that there is no 
 appeal from the District-Committee ? But, to advert again to the 
 Rule on organs. Supposing that the District-Meeting, instead of 
 rejecting the application from Leeds for an organ, had sanctioned it, 
 and forwarded it with their recommendation to the Conference ; and 
 that the dissentients at Leeds had then appealed to the Conference 
 against the decision of the District-Meeting ; would the complainants 
 have justified the Conference in refusing to listen to their appeal ? 
 Would not rather the Connexion have been made to resound again 
 with exclamations against the tyranny of the Conference, in artfully 
 placing one of its own Committees the District-Committee between 
 itself and the people, as represented in their different local meetings, 
 and thus making the inequitable vote of the District-Committee the 
 reason for closing its eais against any application from the Circuit ? 
 
hi 
 
 OF WESLEYAN aiETHODISM. Vi) 
 
 It is now, however, time to examine another ground on which those 
 persons object to the appeal of tlie Trustees. We have seen how they 
 have confounded the appeal to the Conference with the application to 
 the District-Committee, and then urged that the Bule does not admit 
 of it. Now we have to hear them conclude their argument, by main- 
 taining that neither does the szihject admit of appeal. And why does 
 it not ? Because, they say, appeals relate to judicial decisions ; and, 
 therefore, they have nothing to do with such a case as this. And so 
 it seems, if the Conference were to alter this Rule, and all the others 
 relating to " temporal matters," and should say, expressly, that the 
 aggrieved party was to have the right of appeal, it would amount to 
 just nothing at all : District-Committees do not, in settling their 
 " temporal matters," proceed judicially ; and therefore there cannot, in 
 the nature of things, be any appeal from their decision. Let us look 
 at this argument for a moment. " Appeals relate to judicial deci- 
 sions." True ; but do they relate to judicial decisions only ? That is the 
 question ; for unless they relate to that class of decisions exclusively, 
 this mighty argument amounts to mere words. Let us see, then, how 
 the case stands. When I, in common with other householders, receive, 
 from the proper officers, notice of the amount of my assessments for 
 the year, I am at the same time informed, that, if I consider myself 
 aggrieved, I have the right of appeal^ and am informed when and 
 where I am to exercise that right. Now, I ask, is the decision of a 
 Surveyor of Taxes, against which I appeal, a judicial decision, any 
 more than the decision of a District-Committee on the subject of an 
 organ, or any other temporal matter whatever ? From the draught of 
 the Irish Freeholders' Bill, which has just appeared in the public papers, 
 (1829,) I quote the following clause : " The Assistant-Barrister may 
 refuse the registry, if he see ground for so doing from defect of title, 
 &c. If the applicant be rejected on the score of insufficiency of value, 
 he may require a jury ; and if they decide that the value is sufficient, 
 the Assistant-Barrister must register the freehold. If the registry be 
 refused on any other ground, the appeal lies to the Judge of the assize, 
 at the next county assizes ; who may, if he think fit, reverse the refusal 
 of the Assistant-Barrister." Here we have a case very similar to that 
 of the Trustees. The Trustees applied to the Conference for redress, 
 the District-Committee having refused the privilege they claimed ; and 
 a person is here contemplated as having his claim rejected, and apply- 
 ing to a higher court for redress; and his application for redress is 
 called an " appeal." 
 
 To conclude on this subject. It is a fundamental principle in poli- 
 tics, that Avhere there is the power to make laws, there is the right to 
 receive appeals from the officers and jurisdictions intrusted with their 
 administration. This principle is fully recognised by the civil consti- 
 tution under which we live. The House of Lords receives appeals 
 from lower courts, although the Acts on which these courts have made 
 their decisions may make no mention of such right of appeal ; and it- 
 
70 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 ought not, therefore, to be objected against the Conference, which is 
 intrusted with the making of such laws as a religious community 
 requires, that it opens its ear to those who claim redress from what 
 they regard as an unequal administration of those laws. In fact, the 
 right of appeal to the Conference by aggrieyed individuals, or collect- 
 ive bodies of Methodists, is one of those principles in the Methodist 
 constitution which are most firmly established by immemorial usage. 
 
 Our inquiry into the constitution of Methodism, as settled by the 
 Regulations of 1795 and 17^7, has thus made it evident, that the system 
 for which some parties now contend, imder the name of the Methodism 
 of 1797^ is quite another thing, a theory existing only in their own 
 imagination ; and which, if once practically adopted, would soon 
 destroy that which has ever been a distinguishing characteristic of the 
 Methodist body, its oneness. If once the principle of the independ- 
 ence of the local meetings, in all local affairs, were brought into opera- 
 tion ; were it admitted, as a settled point, that the District-Committee 
 has no power to enter a Circuit, except to try a Preacher, or, at most, 
 to oflfer counsel in Society affairs ; what, then, would be left in the 
 constitution, to prevent any Circuit from throwing off the authority of the 
 Conference ; or even from renouncing Methodism itself, and introduc- 
 ing any other system, however dissimilar ? What could the Preachers of 
 the Circuits do, bound as they are by the Regulations of 1797? What 
 could the Conference do ? It would retain the legal right to appoint 
 Preachers to the chapels ; but who does not see, that, on such a prin- 
 ciple, that right might be made of little worth ? I call not in question 
 the piety of the body. I hope the best things from the great mass of 
 the people. But the question is not. What is the safeguard which 
 Methodism has in the piety of the people ? but. What would there 
 then be left in the Constitution to prevent the breaking up of the body, 
 the disruption of the Societies ? I answer, " Nothing;" and I stand 
 not alone in this opinion. The inventors themselves of this new sys- 
 tem which is now ottered to us, as the Methodism of 1797, seem to be 
 fully aware of the consequences of its adoption ; for they oracularly 
 warn the Conference, that if it do not pursue the course which they 
 mark out, " its hold on the chapels will slide away, as the estate of an 
 insolvent man passes into the hands of his creditors." 
 
 To complete our investigation, we must take a view of, 
 
 III. THE CONSTITUTION OF METHODISM AS IT NOW APPEARS. 
 
 The first point here to be considered is, whether any change in the 
 constitution has been effected since the extensive and formal modifica- 
 tion which it underwent in 1 795 and 1 797 ? Some of those persons 
 who think that the Conference, by sanctioning the claims set up for 
 the Leeds Special District-Meeting, has violated the engagements 
 which it entered into with the people at that period, charge the Con- 
 ference, moreover, with having long acted on the principle of covertly 
 
% 
 
 OF WESLEY AN METHODISM. 7^ 
 
 and insidiously resuming the privileges which it conceded to the local 
 meetings in 17^7 ; and they say, that it is its success in acting on that 
 system, which has emboldened it to attempt what they call an open 
 violation of the constitution, by the interposition of the District- 
 Committee in the local affairs of a Circuit. We have sufficiently 
 exposed the misapprehensions of such persons on the subject of the 
 jurisdiction of District-Committees ; and have proved that the Confer- 
 ence, in sanctioning the District -Committee, in the exercise of the 
 power by which it controls the Society as well as the Preachers, and 
 redresses the grievance, whatever it may be, does, in fact, maintain 
 the constitution, and not violate it ; and a further inquiry would show, 
 that the charge of a secret undermining of the constitution is advanced 
 against the Conference with as little reason as the other.* 
 
 It is not necessary, however, to go into lengthened details upon this 
 point. A comprehensive glance at the subject is sufficient to make it 
 apparent, that the whole course of Conference legislation since 1797 
 has been in the direction of further concessions to the people. At that 
 time, as appears from the second head of its " Sundry Miscellaneous 
 Regulations " " As to Delegates," the Conference declined to admit 
 lajonen into District- Meetings, as well as into the Conference. Since 
 then, however, it has arranged a plan by which the Circuit-Stewards are 
 introduced into the District-Meetings, and take their share in the 
 management of all the financial affairs of the District : while, in like 
 manner, that of the public funds of the Connexion has been in- 
 trusted to the care of Mixed Committees; in which the number of 
 laymen is equal to that of Ministers. While all the great principles 
 maintained by the Conference in 1 797 have been preserved inviolate, 
 there has been such an enlargement of the concessions which it then 
 made, that laymen are now seen taking their full share in all the tem- 
 poral and financial business of the Connexion. t 
 
 * I omit here a few paragraphs contained in the first edition of the Essay, 
 relating to objections which were urged against the Conference in 1829, respecting 
 the Liturgy, and the division of Circuits, and Leaders'-Meetings, as not especially 
 applicable at the present time. 
 
 t In the year 1835, the Conference, moreover, introduced some disciplinary 
 modifications in favour of the people. Additional protection was thrown around 
 the members, for the purpose of shielding them from hasty and inconsiderate expul- 
 sion. It was then directed, that no sentence of expulsion shovild, for the future, 
 be pronounced by any Superintendent in the same Meeting at which the trial 
 has taken place ; but that the sentence should be deferred for at least one week. 
 In difficult or doubtful cases, the Superintendent is further instructed, not to pro- 
 ceed to the actual sentence of expulsion, until he has sought information for his 
 guidance from individual Leaders, or other experienced persons. Every case of 
 proposed expulsion is also to be brought by the Superintendent before the weekly 
 Meeting of the Preachers of the Circuit, that he may have the benefit of the coun- 
 sel of his colleagues. And in a case of expulsion, where the party is dissatisfied it 
 is provided that, as a summary mode of seeking redress, he shall have the privilege 
 of a Minor District-Committee ; reserving to him the right of appeal to the full 
 District-Committee, and from that to the Conference. Nor is the benefit of this 
 arrangement at all diminished by its being extended to the Superintendent also, in 
 case he be dissatisfied with the proceedings of the District-Meeting. The same 
 
72 ESSAY ON TUE CONSTITUTION 
 
 Having thus seen that the Conference has not been insidiously 
 encroaching on the liberties of the people, but that, on the contrary, it 
 has, by its own voluntary concessions, admitted a much greater degree 
 of lay-interference in the management of Connexional afiairs, it 
 now becomes a fit subject for our consideration, whether the Constitu- 
 tion of Methodism, as settled by the regulations of 17^5 and 17^7, and 
 rendered still more popular by the subsequent liberality of the Confer- 
 ence, shall be preserved, or the new and untried system wliicli some 
 persons now so strongly recommend shall be adopted in its stead. 
 
 There are two principal reasons to be adduced why this change 
 should not be made : 
 
 1 . Because our present system properly recognises the pastoral office, 
 and consistently maintains its scriptural authority ; and, 
 
 2. Because it affords a sure guarantee for the security of the 
 Methodistic rights and privileges of the whole Connexion. 
 
 ] . To begin with the former of these reasons. There is at present 
 so much misconception on the subject of the legitimate authority of 
 the Christian Pastor, as to justify a brief examination of the subject in 
 the light of holy writ. 
 
 One of the most familiar representations of the church which the 
 New Testament affords, is that in which the church is spoken of as u 
 flock, and Christ and the Ministers of the Gospel as its Pastors, 
 Christ the " great " or " chief Pastor," and his ministering servants as 
 Pastors in subordination to himself. The latter are enjoined faithfully 
 to perform the duties of their office as under-Pastors ; to which they 
 are further stimulated by the promise, " And when the chief Shepherd 
 shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." 
 (I Peter V. 4.) 
 
 But what are the services which this relation is intended to repre- 
 sent Christ, and the Ministers of the Gospel, as performing for the 
 church ? This will be seen, in the first instance, in the meaning of the 
 Greek word for " Pastor," rsoiyLr]v. The corresponding verb, waifiuiuco^ 
 " to do the work," or " perform the office of a Pastor," is used by both 
 sacred and profane authors, in the sense of " to rule," as well as " to 
 feed." To give an instance from the New Testament of the use of the 
 verb in the sense of ruling, or governing : In Matt. ii. 6, Bethlehem is 
 thus addressed, " Out of thee shall come a Governor that shall 7nile 
 (to-oi/xai/et) my people Israel." So fully does this verb express the 
 idea of government, that it is sometimes employed to denote " ruling 
 with severity." In three out of the four places in which it is found in 
 
 Conference of 1835 also enlarged the concession of 1797, by providing for the 
 holding of a Circuit-Meeting, in the month of June, for the purpose of memorial- 
 izing the Conference on any question of Connexional interest. The " Special 
 Address of the Conference of 1835," as far as relates to its explanations on existing 
 Rules, and the various modifications then introduced, is given at length in Appendix 
 D, at the end of this publication. 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 73 
 
 the Apocal3rpse, it is thus used. Take, as an instance, the first of these 
 passages: "And he shall rule {-asoifxavfl) them with a rod of iron." 
 (Chap. ii. 27.) Here Christ, who is the speaker, addressing the 
 angel of the church in Thyatira, declares, that " he that overcometh " 
 shall, for the shepherd's crook, have a rod of iron ; and with it he, in 
 subordination to Himself, shall rule with such rigour over '' the nations," 
 that " as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers." In 
 accordance with this use of the verb, the substantive woiixrjv is fre- 
 quently so applied as to give prominence to the governing authority of 
 the Pastor. In the Old 'i'estament Kings are called Pastors ; and in the 
 Septuagint, the Hebrew word for "Pastor" (^rv*^) is often expressed 
 by vynifiriv. Nor are Kings spoken of as Pastors merely with reference 
 to their fostering care over the people. They are referred to in that 
 character when guiding or ruling is intended, as well as feeding. 
 This is the case, for instance, in 2 Sam. v. 2, and in the parallel pas- 
 snge in 1 Chron. xi. 2 : " And the Lord thy God said unto thee. Thou 
 shalt feed (Hi) "in) my people Israel." In our English Bible, the 
 Hebrew verb, in the latter passage, is rendered in the margin "rule," 
 instead of " feed;" and in the Septuagint it is expressed by the Greek 
 verb vrotixaivo). Both the Greek and the Hebrew verbs are also used in 
 the Old Testament to express the injurious exercise of pastoral authority; 
 as in Micah v. 6 : "And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the 
 sword." In this passage the Hebrew verb rendered " waste," is nyi 
 for which xffoifiaivco is given by the Septuagint. In classical Greek 
 writers, as well as in the sacred Scriptures, Kings are represented as 
 sustaining the pastoral character. Homer frequently speaks of them 
 as " Pastors of the people," vfoifieves Xadp. Thus Nestor is styled, 
 ^soi^rjv Xaoiv^ who is obeyed by the aKrjnTovxoi ^ao-iXrjes, *' the sceptred 
 Sovereigns" present in council, as well as by the "people;" (/^., ii. 
 85 ;) and Agamemnon, in reference to matters in which the sol- 
 diers are concerned, is usually distinguished by the same appellation. 
 
 In the earlier ages of the world, w^hen flocks and herds M^ere the 
 chief possessions, and a principal employment of m.ankind was to tend 
 them, the familiar relation of a Pastor to his flock was frequently 
 transferred, in a figure, to those w^ho had to provide for and direct 
 communities of men. And it is evident, from a consideration of the 
 meaning of the Greek verb and substantive, and the corresponding 
 Hebrew terms, that whenever this relation was thus metaphorically 
 applied, the two acts of feeding and governing were intended to be 
 expressed. That as the shepherd fed his flock, and drove them from -^^^^ 
 one pasture to another, directing them and restraining them at his will, 
 so they to whom the character was figuratively transferred were to 
 nurture and govern the communities that were supposed to bear to 
 them the relation of a flock.* 
 
 * Xenophon commences his '* Institution of Cyrus " hy comparing the authority 
 of shepherds over their flocks, or of herdsmen over their cattle, with that which 
 
74 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 The duties of the pastoral relation in general, whether literally or 
 figuratively understood, are thus sufficiently manifest; and it will 
 not, I presume, be necessary to argue, that Christ fills the whole 
 pastoral office. There will be no question whether He governs as 
 well as feeds the church. In one of the preceding quotations, He 
 is represented as exercising pastoral rule over His people. It may, 
 however, be necessary to extend our inquiry, for the purpose of ascer- 
 taining whether his Ministers fill the whole office, or if they are 
 restricted to the one work of nurturing the flock. 
 
 Now, as it is apparent that to feed and to rule is the proper business 
 of the pastoral office ; that Christ is represented as the Pastor of the 
 church, and his Ministers as Pastors under him ; and that Christ 
 undoubtedly fills the whole office ; it is but fair to conclude, that, 
 unless the work of the Ministers of Christ is expressly limited to one 
 function, they also, in subordination to Christ, have to exercise 
 authority in the church, as well as to provide for its spiritual nurture. 
 But does the New Testament contain any such limitation ? It does 
 not. On the contrary, the Ministers of Christ are recognised, in the 
 most explicit manner, as filling the whole office ; and upon them, also, 
 the two-fold task connected with that office is most unequivocally and 
 solemnly imposed. 
 
 The evidence first to be examined on this point is, of course, the 
 original commission by which Christ formally invested His ministering 
 servants with all the authority they possess. " Go ye, therefore, and 
 teach all nations," (that is, " disciple all nations," as Mr. Wesley has 
 it,) " baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
 the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I 
 have commanded you : and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the 
 end of the world. Amen." (Matt, xxviii. 19, 20.) The end of this 
 commission most obviously is, that mankind may be brought under the 
 influence of religion ; that the inhabitants of this sinful world may be 
 prepared for the enjoyment of heaven. Now, if all this can be accom- 
 plished, without discipline, then there is not need for any government 
 in the church ; but if discipline be necessary, as well as instruction, in 
 order to effect the comprehensive object of the commission, then its 
 administration is intrusted to the stated and regular Preachers of the 
 Gospel. Upon them is imposed not a part, merely, but the whole, of the 
 task of evangelizing mankind, and of instrumentally making them 
 meet " to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." 
 
 rulers exercise over men : " All these flocks and herds seem more wiUing to obey 
 their pastors (or keepers) than men their rulers. For they go where their pastors 
 direct them, and they feed in any place whatsoever to w^hich they may drive tliem, 
 and they refrain from those places from which they are excluded. Besides, the 
 produce which is derived from them they suffer their pastors to use, in what man- 
 ner soever they may choose. And, truly, we have never noticed any flocks to rise 
 up against their pastor so as not to have obeyed him, nor yet on any occasion not 
 to have suffered him to use their produce. But flocks and herds are more untract- 
 able with all others than with those who govern tlkcm, and to whom they are 
 useful and profitable." 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 7^ 
 
 To take another view of this commission. Baptism is that rite by 
 which persons are admitted into the church of Christ in general ; and 
 this rite Christ here expressly directs the Ministers of the Gospel to 
 perform. They are thus to receive persons into the church; but is 
 exclusion from its communion also a function of their office? That 
 they are to do this, too, is put beyond all doubt by the same commis- 
 sion as recorded by John. (John xx. 21 23.) The conclusion of it 
 in that Evangelist runs thus: "Whose soever sins ye remit, they 
 are remitted to them ; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are 
 retained." Mr. "Wesley, commenting on this passage, shows that the 
 power here imparted is, " First, a power of declaring with authority 
 the Christian terms of pardon, &c. ; and, secondly, a power of inflicting 
 and remitting ecclesiastical censures ; that is, of excluding from^ and 
 re-admitting into^ a Christian congregation." No one, I imagine, will 
 argue that Christ communicated this power to none but the Apostles ; 
 because such argument would prove a great deal too much. It would 
 prove, just as conclusively, that none except the Apostles were com- 
 missioned to preach. The same persons whom Christ sets apart to the 
 work of the ministry. He appoints to discipline the church ; and we 
 must therefore conclude, either that this commission was altogether 
 confined to the Apostles, or admit that it empowers the Ministers of 
 Christ, in general, to exercise discipline in the church, as well as to 
 provide for its spiritual nourishment. 
 
 The passage in the first Epistle general of Peter to which an 
 allusion has already been made may be very properly examined in 
 immediate connexion with this original commission.* In the first 
 verse the Apostle says, " The Elders which are among you I exhort, 
 who am also an Elder." That he is here addressing Christian Minis- 
 ters, is evident from the word which he uses. The Greek word ren- 
 dered, in our translation of the New Testament, " Elder," is vfpea-^vreposf 
 the meaning of which word is made evident by the fact, that it was 
 early adopted, in different fonns, into other languages, as the appella- 
 tion designating the ministerial character. Our own word " Priest " is 
 a contraction of "Presbyter," vrpea^vrepos. That they are Ministers 
 whom the Apostle addresses, appears again from this circumstance, he 
 calls himself avp-Trpea^vrepos, " a fellow-Presbyter," or " fellow-Elder." 
 Nor is this the only instance where an Apostle gives himself the same 
 appellation : John calls himself an " Elder " at the commencement of 
 his last two Epistles. 
 
 In the second verse he gives those Presbyters or Elders the follow- 
 
 * " The Elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an Elder, and a 
 witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall 
 be revealed : 
 
 ** Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by 
 constraint, but willingly ; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind ; 
 
 " Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensaraples to the flock. 
 
 " And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory 
 that fadeth not away." (1 Peter v. 1 4.) 
 
76 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 ing charge: "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the 
 oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly ; not for filthy lucre, 
 but of a ready mind." Here we have the church spoken of as a 
 "flock;" and the Ministers of Christ are directed to feed it. The 
 word " feed " is in the original vroifiaivo), the meaning of which we have 
 previously investigated ; and the point to be now ascertained is, 
 whether the Apostle here uses it in the sense of feeding only. This 
 restricted meaning cannot be admitted on any sound principle of inter- 
 pretation. As he speaks of the church as a flock ; as the work of a 
 Pastor is both to feed and govern the flock ; and as the verb trrot/xaiVto 
 includes the two senses of feeding and governing ; we are bound to 
 admit that the Apostle here imposes on Christian Ministers the whole 
 work of a Pastor, and directs them to both feed and regulate the flock 
 over which they are appointed to watch. Our translators here, as in 
 some other instances, have not been able to give the entire meaning of 
 the Apostle. There is no verb in the modem English language equi- 
 valent to tarot/^aiVcj. '' To feed" is correct as far as it goes ; but govern- 
 ing must be connected with feeding, to express its full sense. AVere it 
 allowable to employ the word " shepherdise," found in some old 
 authors, or to apply the term "shepherd" as a verb, which is thus 
 used as a provincialism in some grazing districts, the full meaning of 
 the Greek verb would thus be given. "To shepherdise," or "to 
 shepherd," the flock, is to do for it the whole work of a Piistor. 
 
 Having enjoined on the Ministers of Christ that they perform the 
 duties of the pastoral oflice, the Apostle then urges them to act from 
 7'iffkt motives. He tells them that they are to take the oversight of the 
 flock willingly^ d'c. The word rendered " taking the oversight," is the 
 present participle of (TnaKOTreo)^ from which is derived iniaKoiros, 
 "Bishop;" and his meaning is, that they are to discharge the duties of 
 the oflice of Bishop willingly, &c. What that oflice is will shortly be 
 seen. The verb eiria-Koneoi means " to oversee, to superintend;" and the 
 substantive iir'nTKonos possesses, in the New Testament, a correspond- 
 ing meaning. The Christian Bishop is the superintendent the over- 
 seer of the church. The kind of oversight with which he is charged, 
 is clearly shown by the Apostle, in that description of the necessary 
 qualifications of a Bishop which he gives to Timothy. The Bishop, 
 eViV/coTTos, must be "one that ruleth well; his own house, having his 
 children in subjection with all gravity ; for if a man know not how to 
 rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God ?" 
 (1 Tim. iii. 4, 5.) From hence it appears, that the Christian Bishop 
 is to oversee the church, as a man oversees his own family : that as a 
 man provides for his family, and authoritatively directs and controls it, 
 so is the Bishop to take care of the church ; providing for its spiritual 
 wants, and directing and disciplining it for its good. What importance 
 the Apostle attaches to the ruling depai'tment which the Bishop has to 
 fill, is seen in his insisting on an ability to rule, as an indispensable 
 qualification in a Bishop. His argument amounts to this, that what- 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 77 
 
 eyer piety a man may have, or however capable of teaching he may be, 
 if he is not able to rule, he is not fully fitted for the office of Bishop. 
 To regulate the church by wholesome discipline, is thus as much the 
 work of a Christian Bishop, or overseer, as to instruct and nourish it 
 by the Word and Sacraments.* 
 
 In directing Christian Ministers to oversee the flock of God, or to 
 perform, in respect to it, the work of a Bishop or overseer, the Apostle 
 is thus evidently repeating the charge which he had just addressed to 
 them, to feed the flock of God ; or, in other words, to do for it the 
 whole work of a Pastor. And this meaning the Apostle's language 
 carries on the surface. It is plain that, in the latter part of the verse, 
 he insists on their doing the work which he enjoins upon them from 
 right motives. Unless then the latter expression respecting their 
 taking the oversight of the flock, is to be regarded as traitamount to 
 the one immediately preceding, respecting their doing for it the work 
 of the pastoral office, we shall make the Apostle's charge on the sub- 
 ject of right motives to refer exclusively to the work of overseeing the 
 flock : and, for anything the Apostle says. Christian Ministers would 
 be left at liberty to do the pastoral work (that is, on the supposition 
 that it is diff*erent from the work of overseeing the flock) from wrong 
 motives, or from no motives at all. 
 
 But what are the motives on which the Apostle insists ? He tells 
 the Ministers of Christ, that they are to perform the pastoral work to 
 oversee the flock of God, " not by constraint," as though it were an 
 irksome and disagreeable task; nor "for filthy lucre," that, although 
 the church is under obligation to provide for them a competent sup- 
 port, they are not therefore to relinquish that secular business by 
 w^hich they might obtain their subsistence; and obtrude themselves 
 into the ministry, merely that they may turn the sacred office to pecu- 
 niary advantage. They are to act from higher motives. They are to 
 do the work imposed upon them, " willingly " with " a ready mind." 
 They are willingly and cheerfully to sacrifice their worldly prospects 
 and their ease ; and from a zeal for God's glory, and from a love for 
 the souls of men, they are to devote themselves to the sacred work. 
 
 In the third verse the Apostle marks out the manner in which 
 Christian Ministers are to perform their task. "Neither as being 
 lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." Some 
 persons suppose that the Apostle here prohibits Ministers from exer- 
 cising any kind of authority ; but how greatly they err who judge 
 thus, it will not be difficult to make appear. The original word for 
 "being lords," is KaraKx)pivovTs. Now Kvptevio sometimes expresses 
 absolute and even tyrannical authority. It is used in the Epistle to 
 the Romans to denote the power of death, and, in the same connexion, 
 
 * " Peculiariter autem olim dicehantur iivla-KOTroi, sacri gregis inspectores, qui 
 verbo et gubemaiioni praerant, quique quasi speculatores in doctrinam et mores 
 commissi gregis inquirebaat : ut Act. xx. 28, et Phil. c. i., iidem qui et Presbyteri." 
 (Scapula.) 
 
\ 
 
 78 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 it is employed to express the tyranny of sin over the human mind. 
 (Rom. vi. 9, 14.) With Kara prefixed, the meaning of the verb is 
 strengthened. It occurs in the New Testament only once where it 
 has not reference to Christian Ministers; and there it expresses an 
 authority or power exercised exclusively in inflicting suffering. The 
 passage to which I refer is in the Acts of the Apostles, (chap. xix. 16,) 
 where the demoniac is spoken of as assaulting the seven sons of Sceva. 
 KaraKvpievo) is one of the verbs employed to express his entire mastery 
 over them, in wounding them and stripping them naked, and putting 
 them to flight. The meaning of the Apostle in the passage under con- 
 sideration, then, is that the Christian Pastor is not to govern his flock 
 in a despotic manner. In other words, the Apostle forbids, not pastoral 
 authority, but lordly^ imperioiis rule ; and his object in doing this, is to 
 put them on their guard, lest the authority which belongs to their office 
 should degenerate into that which is foreign to its character. Two 
 things appear to be included: ^Pastors are to regulate the flock, 
 1 , Not according to their own arbitrary will or caprice, but by admi- 
 nistering the doctrine and discipline of Christ : and, 2. They are to do 
 this, not as " lords," but as Pastors, who, while they direct and control 
 the flock, are at the same time its servants for Christ's sake. They 
 are not to exercise their authority in a haughty and imperious spirit, 
 but with all that humility, and lowly-mindedness, and self-denial, 
 which will at the same time make them the patterns of the flock. We 
 must thus interpret the language of the Apostle, or make him contra- 
 dict himself. In the preceding verse, he recognises the Ministers of 
 Christ, as invested with the pastoral office ; as having its work to per- 
 form, and as anned with its authority : and he cannot, therefore, 
 immediately, and with the same breath, deny to them all rule all 
 authority whatever. 
 
 Having thus spoken of Christian Ministers as charged with the 
 oversight of the flock of God, as having to perform, in respect to it, 
 the wo7'k of the pastoral office, by nourishing it vriih the word and 
 sacraments, and regulating it, in the spirit of meekness, by the enforce- 
 ment of the laws of Clirist ; having dwelt on the motives which are to 
 actuate them in their work, and the manner in which they are to fill the 
 sacred office with which they are invested; the Apostle then encou- 
 rages them to be faithful, by assuring them, that when the Chief 
 Pastor of the flock shall appear, they, its mider-Pastors, shall receive 
 their reward an incorruptible crown of glory. 
 
 We may now turn our attention to a class of passages which expli- 
 citly recognise the two-fold work of feeding and regulating the church ; 
 and which represent the same persons as having the whole task to 
 perform. 
 
 The Apostle, in his directions to Timothy, says, "Let the Elders 
 that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who 
 labour in the word and doctrine." (1 Tim. v. 17.) This passage is 
 understood by some, as though it taught that, in the primitive church, 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 79 
 
 there were some Presbyters or Elders whose business was to rule, and 
 others to whom was committed the work of teaching : but if such a 
 doctrine has nothing better to support it than this passage, it would 
 seem to rest on a precarious foundation. In the first instance, the 
 Apostle says, "Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of 
 double honour." Two things here are evident : First, that he insti- 
 tutes a comparison between those of whom he speaks, and either some 
 other Elders, or their own selves viewed in some other light; and, 
 secondly, that those with whom the comparison is instituted, whether 
 it is with themselves, or some other Elders, are worthy of honour for 
 something else besides ruling well. The Apostle must have in view 
 some others, or themselves in some other respect, to whom honour^ 
 simply, is due ; or his mention of double honour as the desert of those 
 who rule well would be absurd. Is it then to be understood that he 
 makes a distinction between Elders who teach only, and Elders who 
 only rule ; and that he says that the teaching Elder is certainly deserving 
 of honour, but that the ruling Elder who fills his department properly, 
 is Avorthy of double honour ? The Apostle does, certainly, as we have 
 before seen, lay great stress on government, and make an ability to 
 rule an indispensable qualification in a Christian Minister; but he 
 cannot here mean that ruling is of two-fold more moment than teaching. 
 If the Apostle is not comparing them with other Elders who had only 
 to teach, is he then comparing them with other ruling Elders ? On the 
 supposition that he is, he must be comparing them with those who 
 rule ill there being no medium between ruling well and ruling ill ; 
 and what he means will, therefore, be this that they who rule ill are 
 worthy of honour, but that they who rule well are deserving of double 
 honour. I presume, however, that even those who are the most 
 anxious to strip the Ministers of Christ of that authority with which 
 their Divine Master has invested them, will not say that this is the 
 Apostle's meaning. The only remaining principle of interpretation 
 then is, that he is comparing them, as good rulers, with their own 
 selves in some other service which they render to the church. What 
 then can that other service be? If we look at those passages only 
 which we have already noticed, and see, that, by their original com- 
 mission. Christian Ministers are empowered both to teach and disci- 
 pline the church; and that, in Peter, they are addressed under this 
 very appellation of "Elders," and as having this two-fold work of 
 ruling and teaching to perform; the fair conclusion appears to be, that 
 the Apostle, in the instance before us, has evidently his eye on those 
 Ministers who are worthy of honour for their faithful preaching ; and 
 is saying, in effect, that if, in addition to this, they rule well too, they 
 are " worthy of double honour." 
 
 But the Apostle immediately adds, " especially they who labour in 
 the word and doctrine." " Those," says Dr. Clarke, " who not only 
 preach publicly, but instruct privately^ catechise" &c. The whole 
 passage may be paraphrased thus : " Those Ministers who faithfully 
 
80 ESSAY ON THE LONSTITUTIOX 
 
 perform their work of teaching are to be regarded as deserving of 
 honour, but if they rule well too, let them be counted wortliy of 
 double honour; and more especially if, in tlieir teaching department, 
 they put forth all their strength, and laboriously exert themselves in 
 every way, to communicate religious instruction to all under their 
 care." This distinction between working and labouring between 
 more or less vigorous exertions on the part of faithful IVIinisters is not 
 fanciful. The Apostle is found making such distinctions in other 
 parts of his writiiif^s. In his First Epistle to the Corinthians, speak- 
 ing of Timotheus, lie says, '' lie worketh the work of the Lord, as I 
 also do." (1 Cor. xvi. 10.) Here the business of the ministry is called 
 " a work," ^pyou, and the verb used is epydCon'u. "fo wurk;" but in 
 several instances he expresses himself as in the pus-iuc under consi- 
 deration, and speaks of labouring, of toiling, of being spent with 
 labour; for such is the meaning of Komdio. Then again, the Apostle 
 sometimes so expressly and manifestly institutes a comparison between 
 faithful Ministers, in respect to their being more or less laborious, that 
 not a doubt can be entertained as to his meaning. In the fifteenth 
 chapter of the same Epistle to the Corinthians, he compares himself with 
 the other Apostles; and maintains, that, in the work of preaching the 
 Gospel, he "laboured more abundantly than tliey all." (1 Cor. xv. 10.) 
 And again, when vindicating his claims against those who sought to 
 depreciate him, he asks, -^ Are they Ministers of Christ ? (I speak as 
 a fool.) I am more : in labours more abundant," &c. (2 Cor. xi. 23.) 
 Whotlier in these passages lie represents those with whom he com- 
 pares liinisclf as working or labouring, it matters not: he most 
 unquestionably maintains, that, however much they did, he did more 
 than they. It is thus evident, that the interpretation which I give of 
 the passage under consideration. nialc( s the Apostle speak like him- 
 self: The Minister who faithfully preaches the Gospel is worthy of 
 honour, but if he rule well too, he is worthy of double honour ; 
 especially if he exceeds others in his ministerial labours as the Apostle 
 exceeded his colleagues, and other Ministers labouring more abun- 
 dantly than they all. And with respectful deference to our brethren 
 of another section of the Christian church, who think otherwise this 
 interpretation, I conceive, must be adopted to make sense of the 
 passage viewed as a whole. 
 
 The injunction addressed by the Apostle to Timothy, of which we 
 have thus disposed, is evidently a repetition of one which he had before 
 given to the Thessalonians, " And we beseech you, brethren, to 
 know them which labour among jou^ and are over you in the Lord, 
 and admonish you ; and to esteem them very highly in love for their 
 work's sake." (1 Thess. v. 12, 13.) Dr. Clarke very properly observes, 
 that the persons here referred to " were then actually employed in the 
 work of God. They were all admonishers, teachers, and instructers of 
 the people, devoting their time and talents to this important work." 
 The first coincidence which strikes us, between this passage and the 
 
OP WESLEY AN METHODISM. 81 
 
 one ill Timotliy, which we have just examined, is that, in both 
 instances, the persons spoken of are represented as labouring in the 
 work of the ministry. Further, in both passages, they are represented 
 as ruling the cliurch, as well as teaching it ; for the word rendered in 
 Timothy " rule," and the word here translated " are over," are parti- 
 ciples of the same verb. And then again, the Apostle here says, 
 that they are to be " esteemed very highly," an expression appear- 
 ing to be about equivalent to the " double honour," of which he 
 represents them as being worthy, in the corresponding injunction to 
 Timothy. 
 
 This passage from the Epistle to the Thessalonians is thus interest- 
 ing for two reasons. It clearly marks out the twofold work of feeding 
 and ruling the flock, and shows that the whole is to be performed by 
 the same persons ; and it throws light on what I regard as the mis- 
 understood passage in Timothy, and tends to confirm that which I 
 adopt as the scriptural view. But some, perhaps, may urge, that 
 these passages do not speak of ruling at all ; that what the Apos- 
 tle intends is, that Ministers preside over the church. This interpre- 
 tation will not, however, alter the question. That passage in Timothy 
 in which the Apostle speaks of a man's ruling his own house, settles, 
 beyond all controversy, what is the kind of presidency with which he 
 invests the Ministers of Christ. He uses the same word there, as in 
 these instances ; so that, unless it can be proved, that a man has no 
 authority to ride his own family that he merely presides over it as 
 chairman, the Apostle represents the Ministers of Christ as exercis- 
 ing over the church what is strictly pastoral rule and authority. 
 
 We find, in the thirteenth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, 
 another passage or two of this class which deserve particular consi- 
 deration. In the seventh verse, the Apostle enjoins, " Remember 
 them who have the rule over you," or, " Remember your rulers," as 
 Macknight renders it, " who have spoken to you the word of God." 
 Here, again, the same coincidence presents itself, those who rule the 
 church are the same who nurture it with the word of life. Whether 
 the Apostle here speaks of their deceased Pastors, or of those who 
 were then filling the pastoral office among them, is of no moment in 
 the inquiry which we are now instituting. In either case, the whole 
 work of feeding and governing the flock was performed by the same 
 persons. 
 
 In the seventeenth verse, the injunction is repeated : " Obey them 
 that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves : for they watch for 
 your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with 
 joy, and not with grief." The language of the Apostle in these 
 passages is so express, as almost to exclude the possibility of misappre- 
 hension. But it is said that fjyovfxevos, the word here used in the 
 plural number, means " a guide or leader;" and therefore that we are 
 called to obey or submit to our Pastors, in that character only, and not 
 as " rulers." That the word has that sense is true ; and it may be 
 
 G 
 
82 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 rendered so here, provided that we are to understand not guides 
 merely, but those who rule as well as conduct. The Apostle must 
 certainly be speaking of those who have authority to enforce their 
 directions, or his language would be inappropriate. " Obey," says he, 
 " them that have the rule over you." If he had been speaking of 
 those who were mere guides, would not his language have been at 
 variance with the ordinary forms of speech ? "VVe do not speak of 
 obeying but of following a guide. To speak of obeying one who is a 
 ruler as well as guide is, however, correct. The second injunction in 
 this passage, " and submit yourselves," is equally strong. The original 
 word for " submit " is iirdKco, which occurs only this once in the 
 New Testament ; but it is employed by profane writers in the sense of 
 yielding or giving way to. It is used to denote such a submission as 
 the Apostle could not possibly claim for any but those who are rulers. 
 If he speaks of guides, it is of such guides as are armed with a spirit- 
 ual authority to coerce those whom they teach, by such a discipline as 
 the genius of Christ's kingdom admits. 
 
 This view of the Apostle's meaning is confirmed by Mr. Wesley. 
 In his note on the passage, he says on the former part, " ' Obey them 
 that have the rule over you,' the word implies also ' that lead or guide 
 you,' " that is, that over and above the proper sense of the word which 
 our translators give, it includes the idea of leading or guiding. On 
 the next part of the Apostle's charge, " and submit yourselves," he 
 says, " Give up (not your conscience or judgment, but) your own will 
 in things purely indifferent." The meaning which he here briefly 
 expresses, he developes more fully in his sennon on the same passage, 
 entitled " On Obedience to Pastors." He there prefers to render the 
 word " guides," rather than " rulers ; " but it is for the reason that he 
 regards the Apostle as especially intending to inculcate the truth, that 
 our spiritual guides are those who are appointed to rule over us, and 
 whom we are therefore bound to obey ; that not one class of men are 
 appointed to guide, and another class to rule and feed the church, but 
 that they who perform the one function are also to exercise the other. 
 In this sermon Mr. Wesley expresses, more at length, his views of the 
 extent of that obedience to Pastors on which the Apostle insists. He 
 argues that it is not to be limited to those things which are enjoined 
 of God ; for when our Pastors enforce those on us, and we do them, 
 we obey God rather than our Pastors : and he therefore maintains, 
 that obedience to Pastors properly consists in submitting to them in 
 all indifferent things whatever; doing, or leaving undone, anything 
 of an indifferent nature as they direct. And this extensive obedi- 
 ence, he argues, it is the duty of every Christian to yield to his Pastor. 
 As loud professions of regard for Mr. Wesley's opinions and mea- 
 sures are now made by certain parties, his opinion of those who dis- 
 regard pastoral authority ought to secure attention. Having lamented 
 that there are so many who are supposed to be good Christians, who 
 do not even dream that there is such a duty as that of obedience to 
 
or WlSLEYAN METHODISM. 83 
 
 Pastors, he says, " And yet there is not a more express command 
 either in the Old or New Testament. No words can he more clear 
 and plain, no command more direct and positive. Therefore, cer- 
 tainly, none who receive the Scriptui-e as the word of God, can live in 
 the hahitual breach of this, and plead innocence. Such an instance of 
 wilful, or at least careless, disobedience, must grieve the Holy Spirit of 
 God. It cannot but hinder the grace of God from having its full 
 effect upon the heart. It is not improbable, that this very disobedi- 
 ence may be one cause of the deadness of many souls ; one reason of 
 their not receiving those blessings which they seek with some degree 
 of sincerity." lie continues to argue in the same strain at consider- 
 able length, and then concludes thus : " Meantime, be assured of one 
 thing : The more conscientiously you obey your spiritual guides, the 
 more powerfully will God apply the word which they speak in His 
 name to your heart : the more plentifully will He water what is 
 spoken with the dew of His blessing : and the more proofs will you 
 liave, it is not only they that speak, but the Spirit of your Father 
 who speaketh in them." 
 
 There yet remains for consideration a numerous class of scriptures, 
 which expressly and chiefly dwell on the power of Ministers to order 
 and enforce discipline on the church, in general, and exhibit the exer- 
 cise of that power under various circumstances. We must confine 
 ourselves, however, to a selection from this class. 
 
 In the concluding verses of the fourth chapter of the First Epistle to 
 the Corinthians, the Apostle threatens them with what he will do 
 unless they amend. Mr. Benson thus comments on the last verse : 
 *' ' Shall I come to you with a rod V To chastise by the exercise of 
 my apostolic power ? Will you, by persisting in your dissensions and 
 disorders, compel me to come in this spirit, and for this purpose ? 
 ' Or in love, and in the spirit of meekness ? ' commending and comfort- 
 ing, instead of chastising ? Will you amend your ways, and reform 
 what is amiss, that I maybe kind and gentle towards you?" Such 
 was the manner in which the Apostle asserted his authority, after he had 
 expostulated with them for listening to those insinuations against him 
 which his enemies had been endeavouring to infuse into their minds. 
 
 In the Second Epistle, the Apostle renews the subject, and occupies 
 the greater part of the tenth chapter in asserting the authority with 
 which he was invested, and threatening his enemies with a convincing 
 practical display of his power when he should visit Corinth ; assuring 
 them that they should prove he was not formidable in word only, when 
 at a distance, but in deed also, when present with them. 
 
 In concluding the epistle, he tells the Corinthians, that the design 
 of his writing to them is, that he might, by friendly expostulation and 
 warning, effect in them the amendment which he desired ; " lest," he 
 says, " being present I should use sharpness, according to the power 
 which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction," 
 (Chap. xiii. 10.) 
 
 G 2 
 
84 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 In his First Epistle to Timothy, the Apostle tells him that he had 
 delivered Hymen^us and Alexander to Satan, that they might learn 
 not to blaspheme. (Chap. i. 20.) Here we have the Apostle not 
 talking, merely, of his power, but exercising it. These persons had 
 disgraced the Christian profession, and had fallen into open sin, and 
 the Apostle enforced the discipline of the church, and inflicted on 
 them the terrible punishment which he mentions. 
 
 With this passage may be connected Rev. ii. 12 15. Christ there 
 tells the Pastor of the church at Pergamos, whom He addresses as its 
 angel or messenger, that He had this against him, that he kept in 
 the church those who had fallen into the sinful errors of Baltuim, and 
 of the Nicolaitanes. But how could Christ blame and tlu-eaten the 
 Pastor, because immoral persons were allowed to remain in the church, 
 unless it was his duty to put them away ? This passage clearly shows 
 that, whether or not the delivering of immoral persons to Satan was a 
 power peculiar to the Apostles, or exercised only by their appoint- 
 ment, the expulsion of such individuals from the church was as much 
 the business of the ordinary Pastor as of the Apostles ; the power to 
 exclude immoral persons being common to all who fill the pastoral 
 office. 
 
 In the tenth and eleventh verses of the last chapter of the Epistle to 
 Titus, the Apostle directs him to reject (that is, to deny any more 
 place among them) a man who is a heretic, and who will not listen 
 to admonition. This passage deserves particular consideration ; because, 
 while it marks out the persons who are to enforce discipline, it like- 
 wise fixes a mark of reprobation on a line of conduct which some, in 
 every age of the church, have been too ready to pursue. The offender 
 spoken of is a " heretic." Mr. Wesley says, " This is the only place in 
 the whole Scripture where this word heretic occurs ; and here it evi- 
 dently means a man that obstinately persists in contending ' about fool- 
 ish questions,' and thereby occasions strife and animosities, schisms and 
 parties, in the church. This, and this alone, is an heretic in the Scrip- 
 ture sense." Mr. Benson thus comments on the passage : " Avoid, 
 and declare him " (the heretic) " unfit to be any longer looked upon as a 
 member of your community, knowing that such a one who is so fond 
 of his own darling notions, that he will ruin the peace of the church, 
 and will not submit to thy remonstrances, and those of the T\iser and 
 better part of the society, is svhverted, or pervei^d, as e^earpanrai may 
 be properly rendered ; a7id sinneth in making such obstinate efforts to 
 diffuse his notions, and form a party to himself : being condemned of 
 himself, convinced in his own conscience that he acts wrong, as he 
 cannot but see it to be evil to cause strife, animosity, contention, and 
 disunion among those that fear God, and were, before he thus troubled> 
 them, united in Christian love." The man who thus persists in dis- 
 turbing the peace of the church, whatever may be the recommenda- 
 tions he possesses, the Apostle pronounces to be unfit for its commu- 
 nion ; and he directs Titus, a Minister, to effect his separation. 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 85 
 
 Another passage from the Apocalypse may be here noticed. Christ 
 tells the Pastor of the church at Thyatira, (chap. ii. 20,) that he had a 
 few things against hira too ; one of which was, that he suffered the 
 woman Jezebel to lead the servants of Christ astray by her false teach- 
 ing. It must be evident to all who reflect, that Christ could never 
 have censured him for this, unless it was his duty to silence false and 
 improper teachers. 
 
 Such is the teaching of the New Testament respecting the authority 
 of the Ministers of Christ. Christ has appointed them as Pastors over 
 the church ; and has committed to them power to discipline, as well as 
 feed, the flock. There are, however, certain passages brought forward 
 with a view to show, that the government of the church is not vested 
 in its Pastors, but in the church itself ; that its laws are to be made by 
 or with the consent of the ivhole church ; and that they are to be admi- 
 nistered also, not by its Pastor or Pastors, but by the whole church, or 
 by a deputation of its members representing the interests and opinions 
 of the whole. 
 
 That passage in the twentieth chapter of Matthew, verses 25, 26, 
 where the Saviour is found correcting the ambitious views of two of 
 his disciples, is produced as a proof that He has forbidden His Ministers 
 to exercise all authority whatever. If Christ, in thus denying power 
 to His Apostles, had expressed Himself in general terms, there might 
 have been some shadow of a reason for such an interpretation of His 
 words ; but He describes so particularly the authority which He means, 
 as to make it apparent that He is not prohibiting power in general, but 
 only one kind of authority or dominion, ^namely, such as the Princes 
 of the Gentiles exercise. What that is, none need be at a loss to 
 know, who are at all acquainted vdth the history and manners of the 
 East. Despotism is there the prevailing form of government. The 
 Eastern Sovereigns reign in the most arbitrary manner ; their will is 
 the law ] and the lives of their subjects are entirely dependent on their 
 caprice. The words themselves, which the Saviour uses, are sufficiently 
 indicative of the power which He intends. The word rendered " exer- 
 cise dominion" is KaraKvpievovcnv, the same verb which we have exa- 
 mined in 1 Peter v. 3. The term translated "exercise authority" is 
 KaT^ov(TLa^ov(TLv. Aud good critlcs are not wanting, who understand 
 these words as implying not merely despotic, but oppressive, authority.* 
 
 * Nee est simpliciter dominantur, sed KaraKvpievova-i, dominantur in eas, sive 
 adversus eas. Frequenter enim ea prcspositio in malum sonat, quod Tyranni popuU 
 malo gerant principatum. 
 
 Potestatem exercent Karc^ovcna^ovcnv avrav, i. e. Jus, sive autoritatem, exercent. 
 Et proepositio similiter in partem malam sonat, indicans earn potestatem esse tyran- 
 nicam et cum malo parentium esse conjunctam. (Erasmus.) 
 
 'E^ova-id^eiv (potestatem exercerej idem est quod Kvpieveiv, fdominarij pro 
 lubitu non ex usu parentium imperare ; quomodo i^ova-id^ovras (imperiose agentes 
 in populumj sumitur et in Grceco Nehemice v. 15. (Grotius.) 
 
 KaTe^ovcrid^eiv non est simpliciter habere potestatem, sed po$estate uti tyrannicc 
 adversus subditos, et, sicuti explicat Theophylactus, i^ovaiaaiKcbs kuI TVpavviKm 
 x>Tpo(T(f)p(r6ai. (Casaubonus.) 
 
86 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 Not, however, to dwell on the intensive effect of the preposition Kara'. 
 The two verbs without the preposition, as they are found in the paral- 
 lel passage in Luke xxii. 25, sufficiently describe the power which the 
 Saviour prohibits. It is the exercise of that power which is despotic, 
 and has for its object, not so much the welfare of the governed^ as the 
 personal gratification and selfish aims of him by whom it is exercised. 
 Nor is this view of the meaning of the Saviour affected by the consi- 
 deration, that in Luke's Gospel He says, the persons of whom He speaks 
 are called "benefactors." To the present day, flattery loads the 
 JVIonarchs of the East with the most extravagant, and sometimes the 
 most impious, appellations ; and the title of " benefactors" is to be 
 traced to that source. Mr. Wesley, in commenting on the passage, 
 says, " They that exercise the most arbitrary authority over them, have 
 from their flatterers the vain title of ' benefactors.' " A number of 
 instances are produced by Grotius, which show that this was the com- 
 mon appellation of the pagan Princes, with whom the Jews were best 
 acquainted. Judea was at that period under the Roman yoke ; and 
 Philo gives to Caligula, who ascended the imperial throne soon after 
 our Lord's crucifixion, the titles of "benefactor," and "saviour;" 
 although, as every smatierer in history knows, he was one of the 
 greatest monsters of wickedness and cruelty that ever disgraced 
 liuman nature. 
 
 A consideration of the occasion on which this prohibition was given, 
 will tend to confirm the view we have taken of the power which is 
 intended. The Apostles were as yet labouring under a false impres- 
 sion as to the nature of that kingdom which their Master was about to 
 establish. They imagined that it would be like the kingdoms of this 
 world ; and the object of the two was to attain the very highest places 
 of dignity and power which its subjects could enjoy. Of course their 
 views of government would accord with that which universally pre- 
 vailed in the East, and with which alone they were acquainted ; 
 namely, despotic government, government which was too often exer- 
 cised to the injury of the subject. Pontius Pilate was then the Roman 
 Governor of Judasa ; and the example of princely splendour and power 
 which he exhibited was before their eyes, while contemplating those 
 imaginary stations in their Master's kingdom, which they were solicit- 
 ous to obtain. Although they might design to use their power well, 
 yet it was thus most certainly princely, despotic power which they had 
 in view. Now the object of Christ was simply to correct the false 
 views of the Apostles ; to teach them that His kingdom was altogether 
 different from that which they contemplated ; that the glory which it 
 would exhibit would be a moral glory, not the pomp and splendour 
 of earthly kingdoms ; and that greatness in His kingdom would not 
 consist in ruling with princely, arbitrary power, for their own ease and 
 gratification ; but would consist rather in denying themselves, in sub- 
 mitting to any h'Su'dships or privations, so that they might promote the 
 good of others. Having thus ascertained what kind of authority it 
 
OF WESLEY AN METHODISM. 87 
 
 was which the Apostles sought, and the Saviour denied to them, it 
 may be asked, Wliat countenance can this passage be supposed to 
 aftbrd to the opinion in support of which it is adduced ? Must it 
 follow, because Christ's kingdom does not admit of princely rule, 
 that it therefore denies to the Minister of the Gospel the exercise of 
 spiritual pastoral authority? that because the Christian Pastor must 
 not enforce upon the people his own will as law, for his own personal 
 gratification, he is not to discipline them according to the law of 
 Christ, for their own spiritual benefit ? Here, as in Peter, while the 
 one kind of power is denied to Christian Ministers, they are, undoubt- 
 edly, left in the undisturbed exercise of the other. And this inter- 
 pretation is confirmed by our Saviour's concluding words, which have 
 been overlooked by those who have brought forward the passage for 
 the purpose I have stated. Having denied to the Apostles such power 
 as the Princes of the Gentiles exercise, and having directed that 
 whosoever would be gi-eat among them should be their minister, that 
 whosoever would be chief among them should be their servant, He 
 then adds, " Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, 
 but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." From the 
 manner in which He thus associates Himself with the Apostles, while 
 denying power to them, and insisting that they must serve, it is evi- 
 dent that this passage might just as well be adduced to prove, that 
 Christ denied all power whatever to Himself, as well as to them. 
 This, however, would be proving too much even for those to whose 
 interpretation of the Saviour's meaning I object ; and we must there- 
 fore adopt the conclusion, that, for anything this passage shows to the 
 contrary, the Ministers of Christ have, as really and truly, a pastoral 
 authority over those whom they serve in the Gospel, as Christ Himself 
 was the Lord and Master of His disciples, at the very instant when He 
 was washing their feet. 
 
 To equally little purpose is Matt, xxiii. 8, quoted, where Christ 
 prohibits His disciples from being called " Rabbi," for the reason that 
 He is their " Master :" " But be not ye called Rabbi; for One is your 
 Master, even Christ." This Syriac term "Rabbi" was used among 
 the Jews as a kind of academical distinction, (nearly corresponding 
 with our term " Doctor,") conferred on those who had signalized them- 
 selves by their learning.* The Greek word, here used as an equiva- 
 lent to it, is Ka6T]yT}TT]s, the meaning of which is a " Teacher," or '' Mas- 
 ter." If, then, the Saviour s prohibition is to be understood in the 
 unqualified sense for which some contend, it proves that Ministers are 
 neither to teach nor rule, that they have no official duties whatever. 
 It is not, then, teaching or ruling itself which is here prohibited, but a 
 certain authoritative mode of enforcing their views. I will give the 
 meaning of the passage in the words of Mr. Wesley. Speaking of 
 those Jewish Doctors, he says, that they required their disciples, 
 
 * See Campbell's Preliminary Dissertations, part ii., diss. 7. 
 
V 
 
 88 
 
 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 "1. To believe implicitly wliat tliey affinned, without asking any far- 
 ther reason. 2. To obey implicitly what they enjoined, without seek- 
 ing farther authority. Our Lord, therefore, by forbidding us eitlier to 
 give or receive the title of Rabbi, Master, or Father, forbids us either 
 to receive any such reverence, or to pay any such to any but God." 
 For anything, then, that this passage says to the contrary, tlie IMinisters 
 of Christ have authority both to teach and to rule, in the spirit of the 
 Gospel. 
 
 The appointment of an Apostle to fill the place of Judas (Acts i. 
 15 26) is sometimes adduced as a proof that the government of the 
 church is intrusted to the church itself to the ivkole church. Let us 
 examine the scriptural narrative of the transaction. "We commence 
 with the supposition tliat the One ]mn<lrcJ and twenty individuals 
 were the whole church. Who was it that proposed the measure ? On 
 the principle that the government of the church is vested in the church 
 itself, the proposition ought to have come from that quarter; but 
 instead of tliis having been actually the case, the subject was intro- 
 duced jjy tlie Apostle Peter. And he did not propose it as a question 
 which admitted of discussion, as to whether the measure should be 
 adopted or not : he tells the assembly, at once, that the thing " must " 
 be done. One of two conclusions seems to follow from this, either 
 that the government of the church is not in the church itself, or that 
 Peter strangely forgot himself in dictating, as he did, to those whom 
 he ought to have obeyed, rather than commanded. In the next place, 
 " they appointed two." AVho appointed the two ? Why may we not 
 suppose that the Apostles nominated them ? It may perhaps be said, 
 that the Apostles are not mentioned ; and that therefore the pronoun 
 "they" must refer to the one hundred and twenty. We pass on then. 
 It follows "they prayed." Who prayed? I suppose we shall be 
 told again, the whole church. We again proceed. In the next 
 instance, the narrative says, "they gave fortli tlieir lots." The question 
 was not decided by ballot, or by vote, but by the lot. The names of the 
 two candidates were put into an urn : then into another urn were cast 
 two scrolls, one blank, and on the other the word " Apostle." Having 
 done this, one was dra^vn out of each urn. If the lot for Justus was 
 taken out, the blank lot was drawn out of the other, and thus the lot 
 for Matthias, and the lot on which the word " Apostle " was written, 
 were left in the two urns ; or, if the lot for Matthias was drawn out, 
 then the lot with "Apostle" on it was drawn from the other, and 
 Justus and the blank remained in the urns. The name which was 
 either taken out, or left in along with the scroll inscribed "Apostle," was 
 that of the successful candidate : and that, we are told, was Matthias.* 
 Well then, " they " thus " gave forth their lots." Who did ? We are 
 told that the pronoun " they " refers to the one hundred and twenty : 
 and so the whole one hundred and twenty wrote the names, and put 
 
 * Grotius in loc. 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 9 
 
 them into the urns ; and the whole one hundred and twenty put their 
 hiinds into the urns, and drew out the lots ! To adhere rigidly to the 
 letter of the narrative, would thus lead us into absurdity. It is certain 
 the business could not be transacted by the whole one hundred and 
 twenty, but by only a few of them. The most probable conclusion is, 
 that as it was an Apostle who introduced the business, it was alto- 
 gether managed by the Apostles; in the presence, and with the 
 approbation, of the whole assembly. 
 
 But after all, was this one hundred and twenty really the whole 
 church ? We are to bear in mind, that, at that period, no particular 
 church had been founded in any place, having its ordinary Pastor and 
 other subordinate officers. The Apostles and their coadjutors had not 
 then opened their commission ; but were waiting in Jerusalem, accord- 
 ing to the direction of their Lord, for the promise of the Spirit the 
 Pentecostal baptism. The church was, therefore, as yet, only in its 
 embryo state ; and was strictly one^ under the sole management of the 
 Apostles, and other extraordinary officers. Did then the one hundred 
 and twenty comprise the whole church ? Most certainly not. The 
 risen Saviour had been seen only a few days before by " above five 
 hundred brethren at once." (1 Cor. xv. 6.) The one hundred and 
 twenty were then only part of the church. Mr. Benson seems to 
 adopt the opinion of Dr. Lightfoot, as to who those were. He says, 
 " Dr. Lightfoot reckons, that the eleven Apostles, the seventy disciples, 
 and about thirty-nine more, all of Christ's own kindred, country, and 
 company, made up this one hundred and twenty ; and that these were 
 a sort of synod, or congregation of Ministers, a standing Presbytery, 
 (chap. iv. 23,) to whom none of the rest durst join themselves ; 
 (chap. V. 13 ;) and that they continued together till the persecution at 
 Stephens death dispersed them all but the Apostles. (Chap. viii. 1.) 
 But he thinks that, besides these, there were many hundreds, if not 
 thousands, in Jerusalem at this time who believed; and indeed we 
 read of many who believed on Him there, but durst not confess Him." 
 That the one hundred and twenty were not chiefly Jews of Jerusalem, 
 but that they were from Galilee, the country where our Lord had 
 been brought up, where He had commenced His public ministry, 
 where His relatives dwelt, and which was the native country of His 
 Apostles, appears highly probable from the following consideration : 
 The inspired historian, having informed us that Matthias, the suc- 
 cessfal candidate, was numbered with the eleven Apostles, immediately 
 proceeds to tell us, that " when the day of Pentecost was fully come, 
 they were all with one accord in one place." Whoever examines the 
 whole narrative with attention can scarcely, I think, conclude other- 
 mse, than that he is here speaking of the same persons the same 
 one hundred and twenty : but if he is, their country is at once deter- 
 mined. When they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to 
 speak in divers tongues, the multitude which came together to listen 
 said one to another, "Are not all these which speak Galilceans ?" It 
 
90 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 is unnecessary, however, to prosecute this inquiry any further. It is 
 certain that the one hundred and twenty were only a pa7i. of the 
 church ; and it is next to certain that they were not those of the disci- 
 ples of Christ who were inhabitants of Jerusalem ; but that they were 
 a company of persons from Galilee our Lord's own country, who were 
 then in Jerusalem. If, then, the argument is correct, that the govern- 
 ment of the church is vested in the church itself, that is, in the wliole 
 church, then it follows, that the first act of church-government, as it 
 has been called, was an act of glaring injustice, a small 2?art of the 
 church having invaded the rights of the whole ; and if it was the case 
 that the one hundred and twenty were Christian Ministers, why, then 
 their conduct appears, on the principle assumed, more extravagant 
 still. We must look on them as a cabal of servants usurping the 
 rights of those whose servants they were. But to conclude This was 
 altogether so extraordinary a transaction, that nothing can be deter- 
 mined by it on the question of church-government in general. If 
 the one hundred and twenty had been the whole of the church of 
 Christ at that period, still the appointment of the Apostle was not 
 made by the church, nor even by the eleven, but by lot, after special 
 prayer to the Lord to order it so that the man of His own choice might 
 be selected. 
 
 The appointment of the seven Deacons (Acts vi. 1 6) is adduced 
 with the same view as the transaction to which we have just adverted. 
 The first thing to be noticed respecting it is, that the business which 
 was transferred to the Deacons was business that had been transacted 
 by the Apostles from the beginning. During our Lord's public minis- 
 try He and His disciples had a common fund for the supply of their 
 own wimts, and to distribute to the necessities of the poor : but did 
 the Saviour appoint a temporal officer for this department ? No ; an 
 Apostle was the treasurer or steward. Judas carried " the bag," out 
 of which their own wants were provided for, and the poor relieved ; 
 and, after our Lord's death, the Apostles continued to transact this 
 business up to the period when Deacons were chosen. The manage- 
 ment of the funds of the church was not, then, a business which had 
 casually fallen on them, as some make Peter say ; it had been such 
 business as they had never been without ; and those who speak of the 
 transaction of the temporal matters of the church as a work so foreign 
 to the office of Christian Ministers, as to be wholly inconsistent >vith 
 it, would do well to consider, if they are not implying a severe reflec- 
 tion on our Lord Himself, who imposed, from the very beginning, this 
 w ork on the Apostles. In the next place, the Apostles had not this 
 business taken from them by the church : they voluntarily resigned it, 
 that is, so far as they did resign it. The language of the narrative 
 is decisive on this point. It shows, beyond all contradiction, that the 
 measure originated with the Apostles themselves. Then, again, 
 although the church, by the direction of the Apostles, nominated the 
 candidates, yet the nomination was confirmed, and the persons were 
 
\^ 
 
 OP WESLEY AN MITHODISM. 91 
 
 installed in their office, by the Apostles themselves. The Apostles did 
 thus, in relinquishing that temporal business which was committed to 
 the Deacons, take care that it was intrusted to suitable persons. 
 
 But did the Apostles from that time entirely withdraw their atten- 
 tion from the temporal matters of the church, and leave them to the 
 church and to the Deacons ? By no means It was not left to the 
 church to fill the office of Deacon with such persons as it might judge 
 to be suitable. The Apostle tells Timothy what qualifications Deacons 
 must possess; and that candidates must undergo a sufficient trial 
 before he set them apart to the office. (1 Tim. iii. 8 13.) Thus, 
 although the nomination might remain with the church, yet the Apos- 
 tles, we see, provided that no persons should enter that office but those 
 who were approved of and introduced by themselves and their col- 
 leagues. Nor was this all. The Apostles stimulated the churches to 
 liberality. Considerable portions of the Epistles of Paul are occupied 
 with exhortations and discourses on this subject.* And the Apostle 
 and his colleagues in the ministry did not confine themselves to talking 
 and writing upon the subject : they took an active part in raising the 
 necessary funds for the church. The Apostle sent Titus along with others 
 to the Corinthians, (2 Cor. viii. 6,) that their contributions might be all 
 in readiness by the time when he himself should visit them, accompa- 
 nied by the brethren from Macedonia. (Chap. ix. 4.) He himself had 
 stopped behind, evidently to accelerate and complete the contributions 
 in that country. Then he himself undertook, as he tells the Romans, a 
 journey to Jerusalem, to carry the sums thus raised from Achaia and 
 Macedonia to the saints of that church. (Rom. xv. 25, 26.) On 
 another occasion he and Barnabas are spoken of, in the Acts of the 
 Apostles, as being the bearers of contributions from the church in 
 Antioch to the poorer saints of Judea. (Acts xi. 30.) It is, moreover, 
 expressly said, that this money was sent, not to the Deacons, but to 
 the Presbyters or " Elders," the ordinary Pastors of these churches. 
 (Acts xi. 30.) And the distribution of the public funds was under the 
 control of the Apostles and their associates in the ministry. The 
 Apostle is found giving authoritative directions to Timothy as to the 
 manner in which the funds of the church should be appropriated. 
 (1 Tim. V. 16.) We may then safely come to this three-fold conclu- 
 sion : 1. That the institution of the office of Deacon originated with 
 the Apostles, not with the church. 2. That none filled this office but 
 those who were approved of, and set apart to it, by the Apostles and 
 their colleagues. And, 3. That this office was not designed to with- 
 draw from the cognisance of the Apostles the temporal matters of the 
 church ; but that it still remained the proper business of the Christian 
 Minister to excite his flock to liberality, to take an active part in 
 raising all needful funds for the church, and to insure their proper 
 distribution. This transaction, the institution of Deacons, thus turns 
 
 See the Epistles generally. 
 
92 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 out to be no more helpful to the cause in behalf of which it is adduced 
 than does the other the appointment of an Apostle. 
 
 Another instance from the practice of the primitive Christian 
 church, adduced to show that the government of the church is vested 
 in itself, is the determination of the question concerning circumcision. 
 (Acts XV.) Disputes respecting the rites and ceremonies of the law 
 produced great uneasiness during the first age of Christianity. It was 
 long before the Apostles themselves were entirely divested of their 
 Jewish prejudices. Several years passed away before the Gentiles, as 
 such, had the Gospel fully offered to them ; and when God designed 
 to make Cornelius a participant in its blessings. He employed super- 
 natural means to remove the scruples of Peter. By a vision. He 
 showed him that he might go " in to men uncircumcised." Paul tells 
 us, that on one occasion he " withstood Peter to the face," on account 
 of his yielding to the prejudices of those who still attached a certain 
 importance to circumcision. When it is considered how great was the 
 reverence with which this distinguishing badge of Judaism was regarded 
 by many, it does not excite surprise that when some, who had come 
 from Judea, taught at Antioch that without circumcision there could 
 be no salvation, a strong sensation was produced, and that disputes on 
 the subject arose. As this was not the case at Antioch only, but in 
 other places the same question was frequently producing similar agi- 
 tations, it became extremely desirable that some formal, authoritative 
 decision should be had which would be generally respected. To obtain 
 this was the object for which Paul and Barnabas, accompanied by 
 others, went up to Jerusalem. But it is said that the church at Antioch 
 sent them; and this circumstance is dwelt on as though it were 
 demonstrative evidence that the government of the church is vested in 
 the church itself; and that the Pastor must submit to its decisions, 
 and obey its commands. Supposing, however, that the whole church 
 is intended when it is said, " they determined " that the Apostle, with 
 his companions, should go, must it necessarily be understood, by the 
 expression, that the church sent the Apostle as a master authorita- 
 tively sends his servant ? Is anything more intended, than that the 
 Apostle undertook his journey with the hearty concurrence or by 
 desire of the church ? Such an interpretation of the language of the 
 narrative appears easy and natural. But are w^e to adopt it ? In the 
 commencement of the second chapter of his Epistle to the Galatians, 
 the Apostle makes mention of his going up to Jerusalem in company 
 with Barnabas ; and commentators, whether Calvinist or Arrainian, as 
 to doctrine, or Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Independent, or Methodist, 
 in regard to their views of church-government, ^generally agree that 
 he there speaks of the very journey in question the journey Avhich 
 he undertook on the question of the circumcision.* What then does 
 
 * See Hammond, ^Vhil^y, Scott, Henry, Doddridge, Macknight, Wesley, and 
 Benson on the passago. 
 
\>vu 
 
 OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 93 
 
 he say about the authority which determined his going to Jerusalem ? 
 He tells us, that he " went up by revelation" And so it turns out, 
 after all, that it was the Lord who sent the Apostle. The expression 
 respecting his being sent by the church, must therefore be understood 
 in the sense of its concurring with the authoritative command of the 
 Lord. 
 
 But the whole church at Jerusalem decided the question. Nothing 
 of the kind. It was not calculated upon at Antioch that this was to 
 be the case. Why could not the church at Antioch settle the question 
 as well as the church at Jerusalem ? It is expressly said, that it was 
 determined that the Apostle, with his companions, should go up, not 
 to the church at Jerusalem, but to "the Apostles and Elders." In 
 accordance with this, it is said again, not that the churchy but that " the 
 Apostles and Elders " assembled " to consider the matter :" and although 
 " the multitude," that is, the church in general, are afterwards men- 
 tioned as being present, yet they are not spoken of as having met " to 
 consider" the subject ; "the Apostles and Elders" only are said to have 
 met for that purpose. Nor is the " multitude " represented as taking 
 any part in the conversation. The speaking was confined, as it was 
 most fitting it should be, to those who had met "to consider the 
 matter "to those who had to deliberate thereon. But, after all, the 
 question was not decided by the votes of " the Apostles and Elders," any 
 more than by the votes of the whole church, it was determined by 
 revelation. The language in which the decision is expressed cannot be 
 misunderstood : " It seemed good to the Holy Ghost." The Holy 
 Ghost, then, speaking by the Apostles, authoritatively decided the 
 question ; and although it is added " and to us" none will presump- 
 tuously suppose that the association of the names of even the Apostles 
 added any authority to the decision. The whole business was evi- 
 dently transacted under special divine direction. The Head of the 
 church, when He sent Paul by revelation up to Jerusalem, could as 
 easily have revealed His will, on the subject in question, to Paul him- 
 self; but Infinite Wisdom saw it fitting, in an affair of such moment, 
 that the revelation respecting it should be impressed with such a cha- 
 racter of formality, solemnity, and importance, as would secure for it 
 more general respect than a private communication, in an age of reve- 
 lation, could possibly command. The Apostle was therefore sent to 
 Jerusalem, that the decree might go forth to the church, not on the 
 authority of one Apostle only, but as the voice of God speaking by all 
 the Apostles, in solemn assembly, with many other Ministers men of 
 wisdom, experience, and repute. That the decision was intended, not 
 for the church at Antioch only, is evident from the following history. 
 When the Apostle with his colleagues left Antioch, to visit " every 
 city" where they had preached the Gospel, it is said, that, as they 
 went along, " they delivered them the decrees for to keep that were 
 ordained of the Apostles and Elders which were at Jerusalem." (Acts 
 xvi. 4.) And here, we may observe in passing, is further evidence 
 
94 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 that it was not the whole church by which God spake, but by " the 
 Apostles and Elders.'* 
 
 If, then, this passage is brought forward to show that the church 
 ought to rule its Pastors, it does not answer the purpose for which it is 
 quoted. It was the Lord who authoritatively sent Paul, not the 
 church. If it is adduced to prove that the church ought to be the 
 judge of doctrine, it serves as little, in this respect, the cause it is 
 designed to support. The point in dispute w^as settled neither by the 
 churchy nor by its Pastors, but by immediate revelation. And if we 
 ask, By whom did God communicate his will ? the answer is. By the 
 legitimate Pastors of the church ; not by the church itself. And now 
 that the volume of inspiration is complete, and no new revelation is to 
 be expected, it remains, as the business of the Pastor, to take care, 
 while he feeds his flock with wholesome doctrine, that all who assist 
 him in any way also impart the pure word of God. How could the 
 Pastor of the church of Thyatira be blamed by Christ for not silencing 
 false teachers, if he were not the judge of doctrine, as to whether it be 
 true or false ? 
 
 The case of St. Paul's directing the Corinthians* to deliver the 
 incestuous individual to Satan, may be dispatched in a few words. 
 Those who adduce it to show that the power of inflicting discipline is 
 in the church, lose sight entirely of an important consideration. The 
 first point to be settled is, whether this punishment could be inflicted 
 without an Apostle, or his express authority : for if it were the case 
 that none but an Apostle, or persons acting by the express direction of 
 an Apostle, could perform this highest act of church discipline, the 
 question is settled at once ; and this transaction at Corinth, like the 
 others which we have examined, injures the cause it is intended to 
 serve. The language of the Apostle tends to sanction the opinion, 
 that this act was peculiarly apostolical, that it could not be performed 
 but by an Apostle, or by his express authority. The Apostle repre- 
 sents it to be necessary, that his own spirit should be present, and the 
 power of the Lord Jesus. Whitby, in commenting on the passage, 
 says, " The Apostle speaks not of this as of a common act of discipline, 
 which every Presbyter might exercise ; but as of that which required 
 his extraordinary presence in the spirit, and the power of Christ assist- 
 ing them." The opinion is, moreover, favoured by the consideration, 
 that in the other instance made mention of in the New Testament, of 
 persons being " delivered to Satan," the punishment was inflicted by 
 the same Apostle. (1 Tim. i. 20.) Now, before any person concludes 
 that this affair at Corinth is conclusive evidence that the government 
 
 * " For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as 
 though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, in the name of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the 
 power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruc- 
 tion of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." 
 (1 Cor. V. 35.) 
 
OF WESLEY AN METHODISM. 95 
 
 of the church is in the church itself, he ought to settle the previous 
 question, and make it apparent that this was an act which could he 
 performed without an Apostle. But when he has accomplished this 
 task, he will find his labour has been in vain. When he has proved 
 that this was only a common act of discipline, which could be per- 
 formed in the ordinary way, then the question will occur, By whose 
 authority did the Corinthians act ? And the answer to this question 
 settles the business. The Corinthians acted in this matter, not on 
 their own authority, but by the direction and command of the Apostle. 
 The church had not tried the oifender, and pronounced the sentence ; 
 the Apostle had adjudged him ; and the church was only the execu- 
 tioner, acting according to the Apostle's warrant. This instance, also, 
 of the manner in which the primitive church was managed, does thus, 
 as far as its evidence extends, contradict the theory which it is adduced 
 to support. 
 
 Vain do the attempts to set the practice of the Apostles against the 
 general tenor of the preceptive part of the New Testament thus 
 appear. The inspired volume shows, in language too express for cri- 
 ticism ever to explain away, that the government of the church is 
 vested in its Pastors. One great mistake of those who reject this 
 principle is, they conclude that, because the Apostles and their col- 
 leagues in* the ministry governed in the spirit and manner in which 
 they were required to exercise their authority, they did not therefore 
 govern at all. The Ministers of the primitive church remembered 
 that they were not to lord it imperiously over the church, not to 
 reign in an arbitrary, despotic manner, as though the end for which 
 authority had been given to them was, that they might make it sub- 
 servient to their own ease and gratification. They lived under the 
 impression that their pastoral power had been imparted for the good 
 of the church; and they therefore endeavoured so to exercise their 
 authority as to convince their flock, that they were affectionately soli- 
 citous to promote its welfare. They consulted the wiser and more 
 experienced part of their charge, who assisted them, in various ways, 
 in the important work ; and they transacted some church-matters in 
 the face of the church, whose presence was thus a check on them 
 against any temptation to abuse their authority and act improperly. 
 They thus carried the church along with them, and managed it with 
 its own concurrence. On this principle, the New Testament is seen at 
 one with itself ; and every passage relating to the practice of the pri- 
 mitive church, which seems to militate in any respect against the power 
 of the Pastor, is reconciled with the preceptive part of the Scriptures, 
 which puts the power to rule into his hands. In support of this har- 
 monizing principle of interpretation, I may adduce a passage which we 
 have already examined. In that passage, one of the strongest expres- 
 sions which can be advanced, in support of the opinion that the power 
 to rule is in the church itself, is intended, as we have proved, to con- 
 vey no other idea than that the church acquiesced in the measure 
 
96 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 which was adopted. The church did not authoritatively .send the 
 Apostle to Jerusalem : its sending him was only its approving of the 
 journey, its concurrence in the necessary arrangements. 
 
 There is something repugnant in the notion, that the church is 
 intrusted with the government of itself; and that its Pastors are 
 merely its organs, through which it gives expression to its own views. 
 "We may suppose a case in primitive times. A faithful Minister of the 
 Gospel proceeded into a heathen country, and was instrumental in 
 raising a church. He was really of some importance so long as his 
 converts were full of penitential sorrow and alarm on account of their 
 state, and were looking up to him, as their hest earthly friend, for 
 guidance and direction ; but the instant this was over, and he had 
 formed them into a church, his authority was at an end. They were 
 then his masters, and he had to submit to them in the regulation of 
 church -affairs. And the case of the Minister in the present day 
 would, on this principle, be very much the same in regard to all new 
 converts. He would see his spiritual children raised above him the 
 instant they entered his church; and from that period it would be 
 their decision, in part, on the management of church-affairs, which he, 
 as its organ, would have to carry into effect. Such a scheme of 
 church-government does not appear to be easily reconcilable with 
 reason and the fitness of things, or the leading principles of the word 
 of God. Under God, the church owes its origin to its Pastors. It has 
 been called into existence, and is chiefly perpetuated, by the ministry 
 of the Gospel. If the world is to be evangelized, and every human 
 being is to be brought within the pale of the church, the Gospel com- 
 mission, " Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every 
 creature," indicates the primary means by which this great end is to be 
 effected. Whatever subordinate agencies may be employed, the minis- 
 try of the Gospel is the leading and principal instrumentality for ori- 
 ginating, training, conserving, and extending the church of Christ on 
 earth. It appears, then, to be as reasonable, as I deem it to be scrip- 
 tural, that the Ministers of the Gospel the Pastors of the church 
 should have a pre-eminence and an authority in the direction of its 
 affairs, agreeable to the peculiar relation which subsists between them. 
 Is the order of things to be inverted? and in the spiritual house of the 
 church are the children to deliberate and decide upon the management 
 of its affairs, and the parent to act merely as the chairman of the 
 family-council, and carry into effect its arrangements and conclu- 
 sions ? These remarks iire made with all due respect for my fellow- 
 Christians to whose views Independency or Congregationalism is most 
 consonant. Methodism is formed on a different principle : that prin- 
 ciple I conscientiously regard as the more scriptural ; and, writing for 
 Wesleyans, as I feel strongly, I express my convictions with earnest- 
 ness in vindication of that system which has been handed down to us 
 from our fathers, and to the maintenance of which we stand solemnly 
 pledged. 
 
\\\ 
 
 OP WESLEY AN METHODISM. 97 
 
 Having thus shown that Jesus Christ has committed the ministra- 
 tion of the word and sacraments, and the exercise of discipline, to the 
 Pastors of the church, we may now more particularly inquire, AVhat 
 is necessary to constitute a Pastor ? Who are the persons invested 
 with the pastoral office and authority? Four things appear to be 
 requisite for tlie office : 1. Qualification, consisting in personal reli- 
 gion, and competent abilities, natural and acquired. 2. A Divine call. 
 It is the prerogative of the great Head of the church, to select whom 
 He chooses for the highly -responsible work of the Christian Pastor, 
 and impress upon their hearts a sense of obligation to undertake that 
 work: the legitimate Christian Pastor is "inwardly moved by the 
 Holy Ghost" to undertake the task of winning souls for Christ, and is 
 thereby made to partake, in some measure, of the feeling of the Apos- 
 tle, when he said, " Necessity is laid upon me ; yea, woe is unto me 
 if I preach not the Gospel." (1 Cor. ix. 16.) 3. A recognition of that 
 call, and a formal committal to him of the sacred trust by those who 
 are possessed of authority in the church to make it. "The things 
 that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit 
 thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also," was the 
 injunction of the Apostle to Timothy. And, 4. An actual separatioi^ 
 from secular business, and entire dedication to the sacred calling. To 
 dwell, for a time, upon the latter point, I may remark, that God has 
 ever required of those whom he has placed over his church an eiitire 
 dedication of themselves to their sacred employment. In the Jewish 
 church, tlie Priests filled the pastoral office ; they constituted one class 
 of its Pastors, and are frequently spoken of as such in the Old Testa- 
 ment. Now these were wholly consecrated to the duties of their high 
 office. In the division of lands among the tribes, there was no allot- 
 ment made for them ; and for the reason, that they were not to follow 
 the ordinary occupations of life. In lieu of this, tithes were appointed 
 for their support, that, having their sustenance provided for them 
 without care or effi^rt on their part, they might be left fully at liberty 
 to attend to their holy calling. In the First Epistle to the Corinthians, 
 (chap. ix. 13, 14,) the Apostle institutes a comparison between these 
 Pastors of the Jewish church, and their successors in the Christian 
 church : " Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things 
 live of the things of the temple ? and they which wait at the altar are 
 partakers with the altar ? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they 
 which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel." The Gospel-law 
 to which the Apostle here refers was laid down by our Lord, when he 
 sent forth his disciples to. preach in the towns and villages of Judea. 
 (Matt. X. 9, 10 ; Luke x. 7.) There is frequent reference made to 
 this law by the inspired writers of the New Testament. The Apostle, 
 addressing the Galatians, says, " Let him that is taught in the word 
 communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things," Here is the 
 same duty clearly marked out : the Pastor is to be provided with tem- 
 poral things by those for whose spiritual good he is labouring. The 
 
98 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 " double honour" which the Apostle, in a passage already examined, 
 (1 Tim. V. 17, 18,) requires for the laborious Pastor is, as good com- 
 mentators agree, a more abundant provision for his support ; for he 
 enforces the duty which he enjoins by the consideration, that " the 
 Scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the 
 com : and, The labourer is worthy of his reward." As the ox is to be 
 fed by his master in return for his work,-^ as the labourer is to have 
 his wages for his labour, so is the faithful and devoted Pastor to be 
 supported by his people. "The Lord hath thus ordained," as the 
 Apostle says, "that they who preach the Gospel should live of the 
 Gospel ;" and the conclusion to which the Apostle leads us, by his 
 comparison between the Jewish Priests and the Pastors of the Chris- 
 tian church, is irresistible. Why has God made provision for the lat- 
 ter, as well as He did for the former? Because lie requires them also to 
 be wholly given up to the arduous work of their high and holy office. 
 The Christian Pastor's having to renounce all secular business, by which 
 he might provide for the support of himself and his family, that he 
 may, with an undivided and unembarrassed mind, give up himself 
 without reserve to the sacred employment to which he is called, is 
 the reason why the Head of the church has made it obligatory upon 
 the church, to provide its Pastors with the temporal things which are 
 necessary for the support of themselves and their families. In accord- 
 ance with the spirit and design of this law, Christ, when He called His 
 Apostles, required them to leave all and follow Him ; and so likewise 
 the Apostle, while instructing Timothy how to behave himself as a 
 Minister of Christ, having specified several studies and duties, exhorts 
 him to give himself wholly to them. The very terms of the original 
 Gospel commission convey the idea of this entire devotedness on the 
 part of the Minister ; and, in fact, indirectly enjoin it : " Go ye, 
 therefore, and teach all nations;" "Go ye into all the world, and 
 preach the Gospel to every creature." Here is a work marked out, 
 the most gigantic in which a human being can possibly engage; a 
 work which demands the concentration, and constant and vigorous 
 application, of all the powers of those to whom it is committed. And 
 this " going into all the world," too, may be well considered as but 
 another mode of imposing on the Minister of Christ, the obligation of 
 renouncing, of leaving all things else behind, for this all-engrossing, 
 all-important task. 
 
 Upon this subject Mr. Wesley entertained very decided views. So 
 early as the year 1768 it was brought before the Conference, and received 
 the most serious consideration. The Resolution adopted on the occasion 
 explicitly recognises and maintains the principle, that those who are 
 called to the ministry of the Gospel, ought to withdraw from all secu- 
 lar business, and devote themselves to the duties of their high office. 
 An extract from this Resolution must suffice. The inquiry was, 
 " Should Itinerant Preachers follow trades ? " To which it was 
 answered : 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. 99 
 
 This is an important question. And as it is the first time it has come before us, 
 it will be proper to consider it thoroughly. The question is not, whether they may 
 occasionally work with their hands, as St. Paul did ; but whether it be proper for 
 
 them to keep shop, and follow merchandise First, Is it not, with regard to 
 
 Travelling Preachers, evil in itself/ Is it well consistent with that scripture, 
 2 Tim. ii. 4, " No man that warreth," (takes on him the profession of a soldier, as 
 we eminently do,) " entangleth himself with the affairs of this life ? " plainly refer- 
 ring to the Roman law, which absolutely forbad any soldier to follow any other 
 profession. Is it well consistent with that word, " Give attendance to reading, to 
 exhortation, to teaching : meditate on these things, give thyself wholly to them ? " 
 (1 Tim. iv. 13, 15.) Can we be said to give ourselves to these things, if we follow 
 another profession ? Does not our Church, in her Office of Ordination, require 
 every Minister to do this ? If they do not, the more shame for them. But this 
 plainly shows, what both they and we ought to do. We, indeed, more particu- 
 larly ; because God has called us to " provoke them to jealousy," to supply their 
 lack of service to the sheep that are as without shepherds, and to spend and be 
 spent therein. We above all ; because every Travelling Preacher solemnly pro- 
 fesses to have nothing else to do ; and receives his little allowance for this very 
 end, that he may not need to do anything else, that he may not be entangled in the 
 things of this life, but may give himself wholly to these things. 
 
 This passage is very important, because it shows, most clearly, in 
 what light Mr. Wesley regarded the Preachers ; at the same time that 
 it makes us acquainted with his views, on the subject of Ministers 
 being wJiolly given up to the work. 
 
 But did not the Apostle Paul sometimes engage in manual labour 
 for his support ? He did occasionally ; but under such circumstances 
 that no argument can be derived from the fact, which will militate 
 against the general principle, that the Gospel Minister the Chris- 
 tian Pastor is to be entirely devoted to the work of his holy office. 
 When the Apostle laboured for his support, it was on his introducing 
 the Gospel into a new place ; as, for instance, into Corinth On engag- 
 ing in this work, what was he to do ? The church in Corinth could 
 not support the Apostle, when as yet it had no existence. He worked 
 with his own hands, therefore, as a matter of necessity in the first 
 instance ; and, afterwards, owing to existing circumstances, he declined 
 to receive support from the Corinthians, that he might not " hinder 
 the Gospel of Christ." (1 Cor. ix. 12.) But neither did he then 
 entirely depend upon his own industry. Referring to this period, in 
 his second Epistle, he says, " I have preached to you the Gospel of 
 God freely;" but he adds, " I robbed other churches, taking wages of 
 them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and 
 wanted, I was chargeable to no man : for that which was lacking to 
 me, the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all 
 things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so 
 will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall 
 stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Wherefore ? 
 because I love you not ? God knoweth. But what I do, that I will do, 
 that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion." (2 Cor. 
 xi. 7 12.) After a church had been founded at Corinth, it thus 
 appears, that, in order to avoid giving any advantage to those " false 
 teachers" who professed great disinterestedness, and wished to have it 
 
 H 2 
 
\h\ 
 
 100 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 understood that they took nothing for their preaching,* the Apostle 
 declined to receive his support from the Corinthians ; hut it is further 
 apparent, that he did not then derive his entire maintenance from 
 manual labour. He obtained fi'om the churches of Macedonia that 
 which supplied his temporal wants, while he continued to exercise his 
 ministry at Corinth. Again, when the Apostle was with the Thessa- 
 lonians, he deemed it necessary to correct a prevalent practical error, 
 and set an example of industry by labouring with his own hands. 
 (2 Thess. iii. 6 12.) But he did not adopt this course because he 
 deemed it ^vrong in principle to look to the church for a maintenance. 
 At that time, also, while resorting to manual labour to correct, by his 
 example, a prevalent evil among the Thessalonians, he was receiving 
 assistance from other churches. Writing to the Philippians, he says, 
 *' For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity." 
 (Phil. iv. 16.) It is thus evident, that in those very places where the 
 Apostle was induced, by the reasons which he mentions, to work with 
 his own hands, rather than derive his support from the churches in 
 which he was then exercising his ministry, he was nevertheless not 
 entirely dependent upon his own industry ; but he obtained his main- 
 tenance, in part, from other churches, which were ever ready to minis- 
 ter to his wants. How thankfully the Apostle accepted the contribu- 
 tions sent by other churches, when he was prevented by existing 
 circumstances from receiving his support from the church in whose 
 service he was at the time employed, sufficiently appears from the 
 touching language in which he acknowledged the frequent assistance 
 he obtained from the Philippians, and referred to the great exigencies 
 to which he was sometimes reduced. In the conclusion of his Epistle, 
 he says, " But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last 
 your care of me hath flourished again, wherein ye were also careful ; 
 but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want : for 
 I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I 
 know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound : every- 
 where and in all things I am instructed, both to be full and to be 
 hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things 
 through Christ which strengtheneth me. Notwithstanding, ye have 
 well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. Now ye 
 Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the Gospel, when I 
 departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me, as con- 
 cerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica 
 ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a 
 gift : but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have 
 all, and abound : I am frill, having received of Epaphroditus the 
 things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice 
 acceptable, well pleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your 
 need according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus." (Phil. iv. 
 
 1019.) 
 
 * See Benson's Commentarv, 2 Cor. xi. 10 15. 
 
OF WE9LEYAN METHODISM. 101 
 
 A careful examination of the whole case sufficiently shows, that the 
 scriptural principle which requires that the Christian Minister shall 
 be entirely devoted to the duties of his sacred office is not at all 
 attected by the fact, that the Apostle Paul occasionally resorted to 
 manual labour. The conduct of the Apostle in that respect only 
 furnishes an exception to the rule. He laboured sometimes at his 
 former trade ; but it was only when the force of circumstances pre- 
 vented him from receiving his support from the church in which he 
 was then exercising his ministry, and because the supplies which he 
 received from other churches were not so regular and abundant as to 
 meet all his wants. The fact, that the Apostle occasionally engaged 
 in manual labour, indeed, affords support to the scriptural principle, 
 instead of weakening its authority. That Ministers should have a 
 competent support provided for them, because their office withdraws 
 them from all mere secular business, was then so distinctly understood, 
 that the conduct of the Apostle gave rise to strong suspicions respect- 
 ing the legitimacy of his claims to the sacred office which he assumed. 
 In his note upon 1 Cor. ix. 1, Mr. Wesley remarks upon the clause, 
 " ' Are not ye my work in the Lord ? ' A full evidence that God 
 hath sent me? And yet some, it seems, objected to his being an 
 Apostle, because he had not asserted his privilege in demanding and 
 receiving such maintenance from the churches as was due to that 
 office." It was viewed by them as a suspicious circumstance, that he 
 should not put in his claim for his support ; and so strong was the 
 impression which had been made upon the minds of the Corinthians, 
 who had been converted to the faith by his ministry, and for whose 
 sake he had engaged in manual labour, that he deemed it necessary to 
 write the greater part of a chapter in vindication of himself and 
 Barnabas, against those who called in question the legitimacy of their 
 sacred character, because they sometimes worked for their support. 
 The exception to the scriptural rule, arising out of the Apostle's occa- 
 sionally engaging in manual labour, it thus appears, only serves to 
 strengthen the scriptural rule from which it was a departure ; but had 
 it not had this confirmatory effect, it would not have weakened that 
 rule any more than the Apostle's abstinence from marriage, and his 
 recommendation to others to follow his example, militated against the 
 divine institution of marriage. It might be proper for himself and 
 other Christians, in the circumstances of persecution and peril to 
 which they were then exposed, practically to disregard that institu- 
 tion ; but the institution of marriage itself remained in all its original 
 force, notwithstanding the abstinence which was recommended to the 
 primitive Christians by his advice and example. No exception which 
 circumstances may occasionally render necessary can possibly invali- 
 date a great scriptural principle, or render nugatory a plain and expli- 
 cit scriptural rule of action. However any of the Apostles and other 
 Christian Ministers, in the peculiarly trying circumstances of the 
 primitive church, might occasionally have recourse to manual labour 
 
102 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 for their support ; and however, in erery age of the church, Ministers 
 of the Gospel may sometimes find it necessary to follow their example ; 
 still the rule remains the same. No exceptions which necessity may 
 compel can weaken its force. Long as the church remains on earth, 
 and the Christian ministry continues to be exercised, this inspired argu- 
 ment will remain the same, that, as it was divinely appointed that the 
 Jewish Priests should " live of the things of the temple," because their 
 time was occupied in " ministering about holy things ; " that, as they 
 should "be partakers with the altar," because to "wait at the altar" was 
 the one work to which they were set apart, " even so hath the Lord 
 ordained, that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel," 
 (1 Cor. ix. 13, J 4,) for the reason, that he who sustains the office of 
 the Christian ministry is to " give himself wholly to " the duties of his 
 sacred office. (1 Tim. iv. 15.) 
 
 That the Gospel principle was well understood in the time of the 
 Apostle, we have seen. AVhat were the views of the early Christian 
 church, in general, may be argued from the fact, that in diffi^rent Councils 
 which were held in the first ages of Christianity, Canons were frequently 
 made in support of this principle ; prohibiting, in the strictest manner, 
 the Pastors of the church from engaging in mere secular business. 
 
 Prepared by the views which we have thus derived from the New 
 Testament, of the nature of the pastoral office, and of the description 
 of persons by whom its functions are legitimately performed, we may 
 now turn again to the constitution of Methodism, and mark its accord- 
 ance with the word of God. Methodism distinctly recognises the 
 pastoral office, and secures its legitimate and scriptural authority. The 
 regular Preachers are the Pastors in the Methodist Jioch. Each indi- 
 vidual Preacher, having been made partaker of the Gospel-salvation, 
 and having become persuaded that he is called of God to devote him- 
 self to the work and office of the ministry, has had the sacred office 
 formally committed to him by the collective Pastorate of the body, and 
 is now engaged in the work of the ministry, and devoted entirely to 
 the service of the church. Whatever attention he may be required to 
 devote to temporal matters, they are only the temporal matters of the 
 church with which he has to do ; he is wholly separated from worldly 
 business, from all mere secular affairs. 
 
 But are not the Local Preachers and the Class-Leaders "Pastors?" 
 This is the question proposed by those parties whose erroneous views 
 of the constitution of Methodism it has been my principal object to 
 expose. Whatever may be desired by the individual who recently 
 published* his views on church-government, and who maintains that 
 the government of the church is vested in the whole church ; I ima- 
 gine that the parties to whom, in the course of my argument, I have 
 
 * This refers to a painplilet publislied at the time when I wrote the first edition 
 of this Essay. 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 103 
 
 more especially referred, would not be any better pleased with Me- 
 thodism, were it re-modelled upon that principle, than they appear to 
 be satisfied with its present constitution ; for the Local Preachers and 
 Class-Leaders would then be of no more importance than the regular 
 Preachers, as the whole Society would be reduced to a common level. 
 What they ask for is, in fact, that the Local Preachers and the Class- 
 Leaders shall be recognised as co-Pastors with the regular Ministers. 
 While I answer, in the negative, the question as to whether Local 
 Preachers are not Pastors, I entertain the greatest respect and affection 
 for that estimable and useful body of fellow-labourers ; many of whom 
 are possessed of talents and literary qualifications which would secure 
 for them distinction in any service of the church. I am anxious to 
 avoid every expression which would even seem to imply anything to 
 their disparagement, or afibrd reason for the suspicion that the regular 
 Preachers are actuated, with regard to them, by an improper jealousy. 
 It is simply a question of principle which claims our consideration, 
 a question not to be determined by prejudice or feeling, but by an 
 appeal to the word of God. And, by that which I receive as the 
 teaching of the New Testament, I am led to the conclusion that the 
 Local Preachers of our body are not invested by the great Head of the 
 church with the full ministerial office, and are not, in the proper 
 sense of the expression. Pastors of the flock. As a body, we have ever 
 been strict in the maintenance of the principle that, although per- 
 sonal piety and competent ability are indispensably requisite as a pre- 
 paration for the office of the ministry, a Divine call is necessary to 
 authorize any one to enter upon that office, and exercise its functions. 
 Now that call, which is given by the operation of the Holy Spirit upon 
 the mind and heart, is, in fact, a renewal to the individual, who is the 
 subject of that operation, of the original Gospel commission : " Go ye 
 into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." (Mark 
 xvi. 15.) The obligation which the Holy Spirit imposes upon any 
 individual to enter upon the work and office of the ministry, is derived 
 from this original commission. The institution of the Christian minis- 
 try is traced to this source ; and, from the terms of this Divine waiTant, 
 the Christian Minister, in every age, learns the nature and extent of 
 the commission which, as an individual, he has received. From this 
 he ascertains that his one business is the ministry of the Gospel, and 
 that the world is his parish. The commission does not express the 
 precise locality which shall be his sphere of action; but it imposes 
 upon him the obligation to exercise his ministry in whatever part of 
 the world his providential lot may be cast. The call is one that call 
 embraces the whole world, and every creature, every human being in 
 the world ; but, in giving effect to that call, as addressed to an indi- 
 vidual, the great Head of the church, by His providential arrange- 
 ments, marks out the place or country where his ministerial functions 
 shall be performed, the particular part of the wide-extended field 
 which he is to cultivate. If this be a correct view of the subject, then 
 
104 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 does it follow that no one can be regarded as sustaining the ministerial 
 cliaracter, who has not had this commission conveyed to him by the 
 inward moving of the Holy Ghost. But then the call alone does not 
 constitute a Minister. It must be obeyed. The individual receiving 
 it must, in the spirit of his call, separate himself from worldly pursuits, 
 and actually enter upon the office of the ministry, and devote himself 
 entirely to the service of the church. The first question then is, Have 
 our Local Brethren a Divine call to the M'ork of the Gospel ministry ? 
 And should this be answered in the affirmative, then the inquiry fol- 
 lows, Can they be regarded as Ministers so long as they are not actually 
 separated to the work, but remain, as men of business, engaged in 
 secular pursuits ? This question must, I conceive, be answered in the 
 negative. Let them act in pursuance of the call, withdraw from 
 worldly business, and devote themselves to the work and office of the 
 ministry: they will thus legitimately assume the ministerial character, 
 because they have actually become Ministers ; but then they will no 
 longer be Local Preachers. 
 
 But does not occasional preaching constitute our Local Brethren 
 Ministers, and authorize them to administer the Sacraments ? Such a 
 claim cannot, as I conscientiously believe, be established by an appeal 
 to the New Testament. In the apostolic age many preached who 
 were not Ministers. It will not be maintained that the Deacons were 
 Ministers. They were a distinct and subordinate order of church- 
 officers. But they preached. And some of them preached with 
 amazing power and success ; as did Stephen, who first won the crown 
 of Christian martyrdom. The Deacons performed other spiritual 
 work besides preaching. The commentator Scott, remarking on 
 1 Tim. iii. 1 3, says, " The Deacons were principally appointed to dis- 
 pense the charity of the church, and to manage its temporal concerns ; 
 yet they preached occasionally, or taught in private, or were readers in 
 the public assemblies." The first was the work to which they were 
 more especially appointed ; and, as Mr. Wesley says, " whatever time 
 they had to spare from this they employed in works of spiritual mercy." 
 As several of the qualifications required in Bishops were also required 
 in candidates for the office of Deacon; (1 Tim. iii. 8 13;) as some 
 of those endowments could hardly be needed to fit him for the mere 
 transaction of the temporal business of the church ; and, as the Apostle 
 encourages Deacons to zeal and fidelity by the consideration, that 
 " they that have used the office of Deacon well purchase to themselves 
 a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ 
 Jesus ; " it seems fair to conclude, that the Deacon, besides attending 
 to his primary duties, was also to act as a subordinate Teacher, and 
 that, if he acquitted himself well in this lower department of spiritual 
 labour, he should obtain preferment, and be raised to the office of 
 Minister or Pastor. Thus, in the early ages of Christianity, it was 
 customary, as we are informed, to pray at the ordination of a Deacon, 
 that he, using the office of Deacon unblamably, might " be held worthy 
 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 105 
 
 of a higher degree." And we are informed, moreover, that it was 
 usual in the primitive church to select from among the Deacons per- 
 sons to fill the office of Presbyter or ordinary Pastor.* This proves 
 that the Deacons were partly employed in a subordinate department of 
 teaching. A man might have an excellent talent for transacting the 
 temporal concerns of the church, and have little or no talent for the 
 work of the ministry ; and, however faithfully and long he might use 
 his business-talent in the office of Deacon, that exercise of it would 
 not convert it into a preaching talent. It was more especially, then, 
 by teaching that the Deacons became prepared for the higher office of 
 Minister or Pastor. It was by instructing and exhorting the poor, and 
 the sick, and those who were imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel ; 
 by reading in the public assemblies, and by occasional preaching ; that 
 their ministerial talents would be developed, and they would acquire 
 that "boldness" and readiness of expression which would prepare 
 them for the ministerial office. Now, if occasional preaching consti- 
 tutes Wesleyan Local Preachers " Pastors," and qualifies them, as such, 
 to administer the Sacraments, why did not occasional preaching, and 
 teaching in private, make the Deacons Pastors, and empower them to 
 perform all other ministerial acts ? But they were not Ministers, nor 
 did they administer the Sacraments. Philip, it is true, " who was one 
 of the seven," baptized the Eunuch ; but it was not as Philip the 
 Beacon, but as "Philip the Evangelwt." (Acts xxi. 8.) The Evange- 
 list was one of the extraordinary officers of the apostolic church, who 
 assisted the Apostles in the performance of the highest ministerial 
 duties ; and to this office Philip appears to have been raised after he 
 was driven from Jerusalem by the persecution commencing with the 
 martyrdom of Stephen. 
 
 Occasional preaching, then, does not, we are bound to conclude, 
 impart the ministerial character to a secular man, one engaged in 
 secular, worldly business, nor qualify him to administer the holy 
 Sacraments. And this is a conclusion which others have adopted as 
 well as ourselves. That eminent Nonconformist, Richard Baxter, took 
 up the subject in his "Christian Ecclesiasticks ; " and in answer to the 
 question, as to the lawfulness of a layman's preaching or expounding 
 the Scriptures, he says, "No doubt but there is some preaching or 
 teaching and expounding which a layman may use." He says, more- 
 over, that, "it is not any one method or sermon-fashion which is 
 proper to a Minister, and forbidden to a layman ;" and, also, that "it 
 is not the mere publicness of the teaching which must tell us what is 
 unlawful for a layman." Having enlarged on these three points, he 
 then concludes thus : " But for the regulating of laymen's teaching, 
 I, They must statedly keep in their families, or within their proper 
 bounds. 2. They must not presume to go beyond their abilities, espe- 
 cially in matters dark and difficult. 3. They must not thrust them- 
 
 * See Whitbv and Dr. Adam Clarke on 1 Tim. iii. 13. 
 
106 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 selves without a just call and need into puLlic and numerous meetings, 
 as Teachers, nor do that which savoureth of pride or ostentation, or 
 which tendeth to cherish those vices in others. 4. They must not 
 live, or preach, as from under the government of the church Pastors : 
 but, being members of their flocks, must do all as under their lawful 
 oversight and guidance : Much less must they proudly and schis- 
 matically set up themselves against their lawful Pastors, and bring 
 tliem into contempt to get themselves reputation, and to draw away 
 disciples after them." 
 
 I give this quotation for the purpose of showing, that, in the judg- 
 ment of that eminent man, an individual may exercise his talents in 
 occasional {Teaching, and may adopt any mode of sermonizing proper 
 to a Minister, and remain, nevertheless, a layman still. And I am not 
 aware that different views upon the subject are entertained by those 
 Dissenting Bodies which may be regarded as the ecclesiastical suc- 
 cessors of the Puritans. In a Congregational church occasional preach- 
 ing does not constitute the individual a Minister. He alone who sus- 
 tains the character, and performs all the functions of the Christian 
 Minister, is the person who is connected with the church in the rela- 
 tion of Pastor. 
 
 If that claim to the ministerial character which is advanced in 
 behalf of Local Preachers cannot be established by an appeal to the 
 New Testament, neither are the claims set up for Class-Leaders sus- 
 tained by its teaching. Viewed in the light of inspiration, the Class- 
 Leaders do not appear to be co-Pastors >vith the regular Preachers, 
 authorized as such to share with them in the exercise of discipline. 
 In the New Testament the Minister of the Gospel appears as tlie only 
 Pastor in the Christian church. He who nurtures the flock by the 
 ministry of the word and the Sacraments, is the individual who is to 
 administer discipline ; the person who is made responsible for its 
 faithful exercise to the great He^id of the church. But the Class- 
 Leader, as such, is not a public Preacher of the Gospel : it is only 
 private instruction which he communicates, and he makes no profes- 
 sion of a call to the work of the ministry. However valuable, then, his 
 services, however beneficial to the members of his class the religious 
 advices and counsels which they receive from him, it would be a mani- 
 fest violation of New-Testament order to recognise the Class-Leader 
 as a CO -Pastor with the regular Preachers. AVere this done, were the 
 principle that private religious teaching constitutes those who impart it 
 Pastors, in the proper and scriptural sense of the term, w here could we 
 consistently stop ? We must then abandon the conclusion which we 
 have already established respecting the Deacons, and, in contradiction 
 to the New Testament, regard them as Pastors. We must make the 
 same admission with respect to the other subordinate teachers of the 
 apostolic age. On the same principle the primitive Deaconesses, too, 
 will undergo a similar transformation. Mr. Wesley, in speaking of 
 Phebe, says, " In the apostolic age, some grave and pious women were 
 
OP WESLEY AN METHODISM. 107 
 
 appointed Deaconesses in every church. It was their office, not to 
 teach publicly^ but to visit the sick, the women in particular, and to 
 minister to them in their temporal and spiritual necessities." But if 
 they did not teach publicly^ they did teach ; and therefore, on the prin- 
 ciple in question, they were all in the pastoral office. On the same 
 ground, all our female Leaders sustain the pastoral character. They 
 fill precisely the same department as their brother-Leaders ; and if the 
 teaching of the one sex makes them Pastors, the teaching of the 
 other sex, which is the very same in kind, must have the like effect on 
 them. Admitting this principle, it would be no difficult matter to 
 prove that every Methodist is a Pastor. To instruct and help one 
 another is a great Methodistic principle. Whatever benefit a Methodist 
 may receive from the advice which the Class-Leader gives to him, and 
 the other members of the class in his hearing, is it not true that a great 
 deal of the instruction and benefit he derives from meeting in class is 
 from listening to the experience of his class-mates ? And are not the 
 instruction and the encouragement which our weekly band-meetings 
 and our love-feasts afford communicated on the plan of mutual instruc- 
 tion? In these meetings our people mutually teach and edify one 
 another. But if it is true, that to engage in any kind of teaching in 
 the church conveys the pastoral office and authority, then the Methodist 
 flock is nothing else than a flock of Pastors, for all systematically 
 teach one another. Such would be the chaotic confusion introduced 
 into the church were the theory in question admitted. The only 
 sound conclusion to which the New Testament most clearly conducts 
 us is, that, as occasional teaching, whether in public or private, did 
 not invest the Deacons and Deaconesses, or any others who exercised 
 it, in the primitive church with the ministerial character, so neither 
 are our Local Preachers and Class-Leaders constituted Pastors by that 
 assistance, however valuable, which they render to the regular Preach- 
 ers, who are the scriptural Pastors of the Methodist flock. I repeat 
 the intimation which I have previously given, that I adopt this con- 
 clusion with most sincere affection and esteem for my brethren the 
 Local Preachers and Class- Leaders. I am only solicitous to know the 
 mind of the Spirit upon this important subject. The question is not 
 what we ought to regard as the most desirable arrangement in the 
 church. The Divine Head of that church has adopted the order which 
 He deems best ; and our only business is, prayerfully to ascertain what 
 that is, and observe it. He has not, indeed, given us the details of a 
 plan of church-government ; but He has laid down certain great prin- 
 ciples, which all bodies of Christians are bound by their allegiance to 
 their Divine Lord not only to recognise in all their church-arrange- 
 ments, but, moreover, to give them such a place in their ecclesiastical 
 system as will allow them to operate with all their scriptural force and 
 divinely-intended efficacy. These great principles have been the sub- 
 ject of my inquiry ; and it is to them, and not to details, and matters 
 of lesser moment, that my conclusions relate. 
 
108; ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 The first reason which I assigned, in the commencement of this 
 division of the Essay, for the inviolable maintenance of the constitu- 
 tion of ]\[ethodism, was, the scriptural character which it has ever sus- 
 tained. That argument in its favour has now been examined, and, I 
 would persuade myself, successfully maintained. Methodism, we have 
 found, was, in the first instance, based upon the principle, that God 
 has placed the government of the church in the hands of its Pastors ; 
 and all the modifications which it has undergone have been made in 
 accordance with this great Scripture-doctrine. We have seen that, in 
 1795 and 1797? the power of the Pastor was not taken away from 
 him, and given to others, or even shared with them ; that all the pri- 
 vileges then conceded by the Conference were only so many fences and 
 guards thromi around the Pastor, to prevent him from using his power 
 injuriously ; and that, by means of the District-Committee, and right 
 of appeal to the Conference, all cases of difficulty, which cannot be 
 settled in the ordinary way, nevertheless are detennined by pastoral 
 authority, that the final decision of extraordinary questions is not 
 with the people, but rests with the collective pastorate. That theory, 
 however, which some have recommended to the Connexion in lieu of 
 the scriptural and long-tried system which I have endeavoured to 
 sketch, puts the pastoral office, in the first instance, into commission. 
 The pastoral authority is divided between the Superintendent and the 
 Leaders'-Meeting. Every Leader, although not a Pastor, has as large a 
 share of the pastoral authority as the Superintendent, who w the scriptural 
 Pastor of the flock. According to that scheme, the difterence between 
 the Superintendent and the Leaders, individually, is, simply, that he is 
 Chairman of the Meeting. Then again, having thus shared the autho- 
 rity of the Pastor equally between himself and the Leaders, it rejects 
 the extraordinary provision of the District- Committee, and thus leaves 
 the Pastor stripped of his rightful authority, without help, and with- 
 out redress. So unscriptural a system the wisdom and piety of the 
 Methodist body will, I am persuaded, reject. The Methodists, gene- 
 rally, of the present day, do not desire that their Pastors, who are 
 under obligation to God to perform all the duties of their sacred office, 
 should give up that power by which alone they can execute their func- 
 tions, and share it with those who, although they are responsible to 
 God for whatever has been committed to their care, are not responsible 
 for the pastoral office, for with that they have not been invested by 
 the great Head of the church. 
 
 2. It is not, however, solely on the ground of its scriptural charac- 
 ter, that I defend the constitution of Methodism. My second argu- 
 ment is, that it is likewise deserving of support on account of the 
 guarantee which it gives for the security of our IVIethodistic rights 
 and privileges. It guarantees to the whole Connexion the continued 
 possession of the important advantages which it now enjoys. 
 
 It offers a pledge that our doctrines sfiall he preserved in their pw^y. 
 
V\\ 
 
 OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. ]09 
 
 Our people are secured, as far as any human contrivance can secure 
 them, from the dtmger of being fed with unwholesome teaching. The 
 doctrines which they believe to be according to the truth, and which, 
 under the Divine blessing, have had the most salutary eiSect upon their 
 hearts and lives, are contained in that exposition of the Scriptures 
 which is given in Mr. "Wesley's four volumes of Sermons, and his 
 Notes on the New Testament ; and these works are recognised as the 
 doctrinal standard in the Deeds of the chapels. The Conference itself 
 thus has not the power, if one could suppose it should ever have the 
 wish, to change the doctrines of Methodism for those which would 
 poison rather than feed. Nor can the Preachers of the Circuits do 
 this. Were any of them to preach contrary to our standard doctrines, 
 the local officers have the means of redress in their own hands : they 
 have the right secured to them of bringing such Preachers to trial, and 
 procuring their being silenced. Now, before the Methodists renounce 
 their present system, it becomes them seriously to consider, whether 
 that which is recommended in lieu of it offers any such security for 
 the preservation of the doctrines of Methodism in their purity. 
 Should the local meetings attain that independence for which some 
 persons now contend; should it become a settled point, that they 
 could not be interfered with by the District-Committee or the Confer- 
 ence, in the management of Society-affairs ; where would be the 
 guarantee for the purity of doctrine ? If a Local Preacher should 
 introduce unsound doctrine, and should by his influence secure a 
 majority among the local officers in his favour, who could silence 
 him, if there could be no foreign interference with the Circuit ? 
 There would be no redress or help in such a case. Nor ought I to be 
 regarded as implying an unworthy insinuation against the Local Bre- 
 thren, in supposing that one of them might introduce immethodistical 
 doctrine. Surely I may conceive of such a thing as within the range 
 of possibility, when the Plan of Pacification and the Chapel-Deeds not 
 only suppose it possible that the regular Preachers may become hete- 
 rodox, but make provision for meeting such cases. And it cer- 
 tainly will not be considered extravagant in me to calculate, that a 
 Local Preacher so offending might be supported by a majority of his 
 brethren, the Local Preachers and Leaders, when the same Plan of 
 Pacification proceeds on the supposition, that if a Travelling Preacher 
 thus departs from the truth, his brethren may be biassed in his favour ; 
 and, accordingly, provision is made that the local officers may all be 
 imited with the regular Preachers in investigating his case. But if 
 this new theory should be introduced, and (as the inventors of it seem 
 to anticipate) the chapels should slide away out of the hands of the 
 Conference, what security would the people then possess, that the 
 doctrines which we regard as the doctrines of the Gospel, might not 
 be supplanted by others widely different ? It may be answered, " The 
 piety of the Local Preachers and Leaders." Very well : but we have the 
 same protection now ; and we have the additional security which the 
 
110 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 piety of the regular Preachers affords ; who, as Pastors, are especially 
 appointed by God to watch over the purity of Christian doctrine. 
 And we have still more : all our regular Preachers, and all the 
 Trustees and Local Preachers and Leaders, are enabled so to control 
 each other, that if, on the one hand, a Local Brother should introduce 
 false doctrine, the Superintendent can reduce him to silence ; and if, 
 on the other hand, a regular Preacher should do the same, the local 
 officers can procure his ejectment from the pulpit. Who, I ask, then, 
 would exchange that ample protection for the purity of our doctrine 
 which the present constitution of Methodism affords, for that one only 
 remaining security which the new theory offers ? 
 
 The Methodist body have, under the present system, a guarantee 
 that they shall continue to enjoy a competent and profitable ministry. 
 Providing that their doctrines were preserved pure, if they had not a 
 competent ministry, the full and beneficial effect of those doctrines 
 would not be realised. But this important point is secured. In the 
 first instance, a person cannot enter the Wesleyan ministry until trial 
 has been made of him as a Local Preacher. If he proves generally 
 acceptable to the people, and the sanction of the great Head of the 
 church is given in the blessing attending his labours in that capacity, 
 he must then be recommended to the work by the voice of the Circuit, 
 as expressed in its Quarterly-Meeting. Now all this popular trial, 
 and popular recommendation, of the candidate are necessary, before 
 the Conference can appoint him to a Circuit ; and, after he has 
 entered the ranks of the regular Preachers, he still remains so far 
 under popular control, that if he disappoints the expectations which 
 were formed of him, if his abilities are found unequal to the work, 
 if he proves unfaithful, becomes immoral, or unsound in doctrine, the 
 same popular voice which contributed so much to his elevation can 
 exert as gieat an influence in procuring his removal, can bring him 
 to his trial, and secure his removal on proof of his imfaithfulness or 
 incompetency for the ministerial work and office. Constituted as 
 Methodism now is, the people have it placed, to a great extent, within 
 their o>vn power to secure, under the continued blessing of Heaven, a 
 competent and profitable ministry ; and the training now afforded to 
 accepted candidates in the Theological Institution, furnishes additional 
 security that none but suitable men will enter the work. But what kind 
 of ministry could they calculate upon for the future, should once the 
 new plan be introduced, and the chapels should begin " to slide 
 away out of the hands of the Conference," and the appointment of 
 Preachers to occupy the pulpits fall into other hands ? 
 
 The present constitution of Methodism promises to perpetuate, to 
 the Connexion at large, the benefits of itinerancy. The Methodist body 
 has ever been eminently and strictly one. The talents and qualifications 
 of the regular Preachers have always been regarded as the common 
 property, if one may so speak, of the whole Connexion ; and, on the 
 principle of itinerancy, the different Circuits are enabled successively 
 
OP WESLEYAN METHODISM. ] 1 I 
 
 to enjoy their ministry. Now, under the present system, the perpe- 
 tuity of itinerancy is most fully secured. The Model Trust-Deed on 
 which our chapels are settled, formed in accordance with the Deed of 
 Declaration, marks out the time when the Preachers are to he 
 removed, and succeeded by others : and the Conference cannot thus 
 set itinerancy aside, if it would. But if Methodism were altered, as 
 some now recommend ; if the Circuits had acquired that kind of inde- 
 pendence for which some parties contend ; if the local meetings were 
 to obtain the management of local matters, without being subject to 
 foreign control ; how long could the itinerancy be preserved ? The 
 Methodist body could not long remain one^ in these altered circum- 
 stances. Division must follow ; and some of the Circuits or larger 
 Societies would perhaps become separate churches, each having its 
 Pastor, and independent of the rest. Then, as the Methodists value that 
 connexional union which they now enjoy, and that system of itinerancy 
 by means of which the various talents and ministerial qualifications of 
 the Preachers are so employed as to make them the common property 
 of the body, it becomes their interest to guard and preserve the sys- 
 tem under which their union has been maintained, and the benefits of 
 itinerancy so amply secured. 
 
 The Methodist Connexion, moreover, has the fiillest security for the 
 able and faithful management of its temporal concerns and pvhlic funds. 
 These matters are not exclusively in the hands of the regular Preach- 
 ers, nor yet entirely committed to laymen. Both are united in the 
 District-Meetings, and in the several Managing Committees ; and this 
 arrangement affords the best guarantee for a wise and upright adminis- 
 tration. One class alone might perhaps be suspected by the other ; 
 but the union of Ministers and laymen is calculated to inspire mutual 
 confidence. A system which affords, perhaps, the best security which 
 could be devised for the faithful application of the funds, and the judi- 
 cious management of the temporal affairs of the Connexion, ought not 
 to be hastily and inconsiderately spumed. 
 
 While the present system thus secures to the whole body these 
 common benefits, it guarantees to every class of Methodists their 
 peculiar rights and privileges. 
 
 In Methodism, as it is now constituted, our Class- Leaders enjoy the 
 respect and influence which are their due. It is fitting that so use- 
 ful a class of persons should have influence in the management of the 
 Society; and they do possess a large share of influence. They form a 
 kind of council to the Superintendent, with whom he converses on the 
 spiritual state of the Society. They are more than this ; they can do 
 more than advise. The Superintendent cannot receive a single person 
 into Society, to whom they formally object ; nor can an individual be 
 excluded from Society, in the ordinary course of things, without their 
 concurrence : and their concurrence is equally necessary when a Leader 
 is to be removed from office, or a new one appointed. Where, in 
 short, is the medium between the influence which they have, and that 
 
112 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 authority which is strictly and properly pastoral ? All the influence 
 and authority which persons can have, in matters of discipline, who 
 are not in the pastoral office, our licaders do enjoy ; for, in addition to 
 that which the letter of the law confers, their locality gives them an 
 influence which the regular Preachers cannot command. A Dissent- 
 ing Minister remains several years, sometimes a great part of his life, 
 with one people ; and he therefore acquires a local influence, which 
 enables him to uphold his authority ; but Methodist Ministers, from 
 their more frequent removals, cannot oljtain much of that kind of sup- 
 port. Local influence throws its weight into the scale of the Leaders, 
 rather than into that of the Preachers. The Leaders do indeed pos- 
 sess great power ; and I have the fullest confidence in the great body 
 of our Leaders, that their good sense and deep piety will ever fortify 
 them, under the blessing of God, against any glittering bait which 
 would tempt them to leave the honourable and useful province in 
 which they are rendered so great a blessing, and aspire after an 
 authority which they could not exercise in accordance with the word 
 of God. 
 
 Our Local Preachers occupy a distinguished situation under the 
 present constitution of Methodism. By means of their exertions, the 
 Gospel is preached more generally in the Circuits than it could be by 
 the regular Preachers only ; and they will ever enjoy, as a reward for 
 their labour of love, the esteem of those who benefit by their exertions. 
 But the respect which they thus secure for themselves by their dis- 
 interested exertions, is not all the distinction they enjoy. As no 
 person can be taken into the Itinerant work who is not a Local 
 Preacher, the body of Local Preachers has thus the honour of filling 
 up the ministerial ranks. The office of Local Preacher is the last 
 step in the approach to the regular ministry, and a preparation for the 
 office- Now, it ought to be seriously considered by the Local 
 Preachers, whether it is probable that the new scheme, however impos- 
 ing in appearance, would in the end secure to them such solid distinc- 
 tion as they at present enjoy. Are the Local Preachers sure they 
 would continue to have the honour of furnishing men for the regular 
 ministry ? Are they certain their own services would be regarded of as 
 much importance as they are at present ? or, indeed, that they would 
 continue to preach at all ? I know the system promises all this, and 
 more ; but most of us have lived long enough to learn from experi- 
 ence, that many a fair promise miserably disappoints the expectations 
 which it excites. Among what body of Christians are Local Preachers 
 seen enjoying such importance and distinction as among the Me- 
 thodists? No ecclesiastical arrangement can afford such scope for 
 their energies, or confer upon them such honour, as the Con- 
 nexional system : but as the new plan is to settle into a kind of 
 Independency, whatever it may promise, or whatever it may perform 
 for a while, there is good reason to suspect that, in the end, it might 
 have an effect upon the Local Preachers the very reverse of its pro- 
 
OP WESLEY AN METHODISM. 113 
 
 mlse, and may, in fact, depress them instead of elevating their condi- 
 tion. Let no insidious enemy ever, then, sow the seeds of jealousy in 
 the bosoms of the Local Preachers. The Travelling Preachers regard 
 them with brotherly kindness, remembering that they themselves were 
 trained in their ranks, and can never view with indifference that 
 body, to which alone they have to look for the perpetuity of their own 
 order. 
 
 Our present system secures due respect and influence for that portion 
 of the Society whose superior wisdom, piety, and experience, whose 
 station in life, and whose liberality to the cause of God, entitle them 
 to especial regard. These as Trustees^ and Stewards^ and as Treasurers^ 
 and members of the Committees of our various funds and institutions, 
 obtain a very large share in the management of all the financial and 
 temporal affairs of the Connexion. But would this portion of the 
 Society have their privileges secured to them by the contemplated 
 change ? If the proposed new system were established, and the 
 Leaders'-Meetings should obtain the imcontroUed government of both 
 the Preachers and the Societies, could it be expected that this class 
 of persons would continue to enjoy that respect, and retain that weight 
 and influence in the Connexion which they now possess, that respect- 
 ful regard which such persons ought ever to enjoy in the religious 
 community to which they belong ? 
 
 These are questions which deserve the most serious consideration, 
 especially of the Trustees. To the Trustees, the Connexion at large 
 is under great obligations. The majority of our Societies are persons 
 in the humbler walks of life ; and, however expanded their hearts may 
 be, their circumstances will not allow them either to contribute much 
 towards the erection of chapels, or to become responsible for the debts 
 incurred in their completion. To those persons who have the abiUty, 
 and who enter into obligations for the requisite sums, our Societies 
 and congregations are greatly indebted, for the numerous and commo- 
 dious places of worship which are provided for their accommodation. 
 Some persons, it is true, say that the Trustees have sufticient security, 
 and that they cannot sustain loss. This I grant, on the supposition 
 that Methodism is to remain unchanged. I verily believe that, under 
 our present system, with the continuance of the blessing of God, the 
 body of Trustees will sustain no injury : but the question to be con- 
 sidered is. What would their situation be, if the new scheme were to be 
 adopted ? Would the Trustees then have that influence in the Society 
 which it is fitting they should possess, considering the responsibility to 
 which they generously subject themselves ? Is it probable that the pulpits 
 would continue to be filled with a ministry, that would secure such 
 large congregations as now throng our chapels ? Is it likely that the 
 income from the seat-rents would be kept up ? Should the income of 
 the chapels fail, and their circumstances become embarrassed, whither 
 would the Trustees go for help ? I do not undertake to answer these 
 questions ; but they certainly demand the most serious consideration 
 
 I 
 
114 ESSAY ON THE CONSTITUTION 
 
 on the part of the Trustees. If there is a class among our people who 
 ought to regard, with greater suspicion than the rest, any proposals for 
 a change in our system, it is the Trustees. They, in common with 
 the rest, have their spiritual interests at stake ; and they have, what 
 the others have not, their temporal interests, too, involved in the 
 question. 
 
 The present constitution of Methodism affords to every member of 
 Society^ however poor and obscure, security against oppression. 
 
 Our members are fully guarded against arbitrary expulsion by the 
 Preachers. No one can be expelled till he has been proved at the 
 Leaders'-Meeting to be guilty of violating the precepts of the Gospel, 
 as recognised by the Rules and Regulations of the body. The Leaders 
 are thus his protection against tyranny on the part of the Preachers. 
 
 And our members are also secured, on the other hand, from being 
 oppressed by a faction in the Leaders -Meeting. If the majority of a 
 Leaders'-Meeting, from prejudice, or a factious spirit, or through the 
 influence of some powerful individual, should prevail upon the Superin- 
 tendent to exclude him from the Society, he has his resource : he can 
 call in the District-Committee, and claim the redress of his grievances. 
 But, on the new plan, what security would the people have against 
 unrighteous expulsion ? Were the Leaders'-Meeting to become so all- 
 powerful as some say it ought to be, what would then be the resource 
 of our members, should they be driven from the Society by a preju- 
 diced majority ? They would learn, when too late, to attach a proper 
 value to the extraordinary provision of the District-Committee : 
 they would then discover that this provision was as well calculated to 
 defend the people from oppression on the part of the Leaders'-Meeting, 
 as it was to preserve them from the arbitrary proceedings of the regular 
 Preachers. 
 
 Such are the securities which the present constitution affords for the 
 preservation of the rights and privileges of every class of persons in the 
 Methodist body. The regular Preachers, as the Pastors of the flock, 
 are intrusted with its management ; but they do not rule arbitrarily, 
 and without control. They administer discipline with the concurrence 
 of their charge, the wiser and more experienced part of the Society 
 being associated with them ; aiding and assisting them in the due 
 exercise of their authority, and restraining them from using it amiss. 
 The more carefully the Constitution of Methodism is studied, the more 
 clearly will its excellence be perceived. It will be seen, that no one 
 class among us is so unduly elevated as to depress the others. There 
 is an admirable harmonizing of interests and balancing of power, 
 which affords, under the blessing of God, the surest guarantee for the 
 preservation of all our Methodistic rights and privileges. 
 
 The great question, then, is, Are w^e to sacrifice our present Consti- 
 tution, and adopt instead of it that which a class of innovators have 
 thought fit to recommend ? We have a system which is the special 
 boon of Heaven. Mr. Wesley and his early associates had no concep- 
 
% 
 
 OF WESLEY AN METHODISM. 115 
 
 tion, in the first instance, of what their labours would effect. They 
 went forth without any plan, or any other object than to preach the 
 Gospel wherever they might find an opening. They marked, with 
 careful eye, the indications of Providence ; and wherever Providence 
 led the way, they followed. As they advanced, first one institution and 
 then another sprung up, out of circumstances, without any previous 
 thought or arrangement on their part ; until that system arose which, 
 as to its great and leading principles, we still enjoy. We have a 
 system, the great outlines of which our fathers, heaven-directed and 
 heaven -assisted, filled up with many prayers and tears, and much soli- 
 citude lest they should mar those original features which the finger of 
 Providence had so evidently traced. We have a system which has 
 proved fraught with mercy for millions of our kind ; and under whose 
 shade we now enjoy the privileges which are dear to us as men and 
 Christians. And for what are we called upon to reject it ? What is 
 offered us in exchange ? An untried scheme a mere creature of the 
 imagination ! And will a due regard for our own best interests allow 
 us to make the exchange ? Can we do it consistently with a proper 
 regard for our country? for the world? If we contemplate our 
 country at the present hour, with all the improvements which have 
 been effected in its religious and moral character ; we shall be made to 
 feel that still the most vigorous and combined efforts of all that love 
 the name of Jesus are necessary to withstand the common foe. If we 
 look at the wide world, with what a moral desert are we still sur- 
 rounded ; and with what a piteous cry for help from perishing millions 
 are our ears assailed ! And is this the time for us, whom God has 
 so signally owned as instruments in that work of mercy, which He 
 has commenced in these latter days, is this the time to madly 
 speculate, and make the desperate experiment proposed to us by a 
 number of dissatisfied individuals ? ^Can we do it with a due regard 
 for posterity ? We are to remember that we have to decide not only 
 for ourselves, and for the present generation, but for them that shall 
 follow; and if we do the deed, generations to come may have to 
 bewail our folly. Have we no regard for our own offspring ? If we 
 take a wrong step, our children will feel its effects when we lie 
 mouldering in our graves ; and, when they think of us, will have to 
 drop the tear of bitter regret on our memory. And shall we, then, 
 reckless of consequences, venture on that which, if once done, can 
 never be undone ? Methinks I hear the great body of the Methodists, 
 with one consentaneous voice, respond, " No ! We will preserve the 
 sacred deposit inviolate, as it has descended to us from our fathers ; 
 and, as far as in us lies, we will hand it down, with the blessing of 
 Heaven upon it, to our children, to generations yet unborn." 
 
 I 2 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 A. Page 33. 
 ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT FOR GENERAL PACIFICATION. 
 
 1. CONCERNING THE LORD's SUPPER, BAPTISM, &C. 
 
 L The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper shall not be administered in any chapel, 
 except the majority of the Trustees of that chapel on the one hand, and the 
 majority of the Stewards and Leaders belonging to that chapel (as tlie best quali- 
 fied to give the sense of the i>eople) on the other hand, allow of it. Nevertheless, 
 in all cases, the consent of the Conference shall be obtained, before the Lord's 
 Supper be administered. 
 
 2. Wherever there is a Society, but no chapel, if the majority of the Stewards 
 and Leaders of that Society testify, that it is the wish of the people that the Lord's 
 Supper should be administered to them, their desire shall be gratified : provided 
 that the consent of the Conference be previously obtained. 
 
 3. Provided nevertheless, that in Mount-Pleasant chapel, in Liverpool, and in all 
 other chapels where the Lord's Supper has been already peaceably administered, 
 the administration of it shall be continued in future. 
 
 4. The administration of Baptism, the Burial of the Dead, and Ser\'ice in 
 church-hours, shall be determined according to the Regulations above mentioned. 
 
 5. Wherever the Lord's Supper shall be administered according to the before- 
 mentioned Regulations, it shall always be continued, except the Conference order 
 the contrary. 
 
 6. The Lord's Supper shall be acbuinistered by those only who are authorised by 
 the Conference ; and at such times, and in such manner only, as the Conference 
 shall appoint. 
 
 7. The administration of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, according to the above 
 Regulations, is intended only for the members of our own Society. 
 
 8. We agree that the Lord's Supper be administered among us on Sunday 
 evenings only : except where the majority of the Stewards and Leaders desire it in 
 church-hours ; or where it has already been administered in those hours. Never- 
 theless, it shall never be administered on those Sundays on which it is administered 
 in the Parochial Church. 
 
 9. The Lord's Supper shall always be administered, in England, according to the 
 form of the Established Church : but the person who administers shall have full 
 liberty to give out hymns, and to use exhortation and extemporary' prayer. 
 
 10. Wherever Divine Service is performed in England, on the Lord's Day, in 
 church-hours, the officiating Preacher shall read either the Service of the Estab- 
 lished Church, our venerable Father's Abridgment, or at least, the Lessons 
 appointed by the Calendar. But we recommend either the full Service or the 
 Abridgment. 
 
 II. CONCERNING DISCIPLINE, 
 
 1. The appointment of Preachers shall remain solely with the Conference ; and 
 no Trustee, or number of Trustees, shall expel or exclude from their chapel or 
 chapels any Preachers so appointed. 
 
 2. Nevertheless, if the majority of the Trustees, or the majority of the Stewards 
 and Leaders of any Society, believe that any Preacher appointed for their Circuit, is 
 immoral, erroneous in doctrines, deficient in abilities, or that he has broken any of 
 the Rules above mentioned, they shall have authority to summon the Preachers of 
 the District, and all the Trustees, Stewards, and Leaders of the Circuit, to meet in 
 their chapel on a day and hour appointed (sufficient time being given). The 
 
APPENDIX. 117 
 
 Chairman of the District shall be President of the assembly : and every Preacher, 
 Trustee, Steward, and Leader shall have a single vote, the Chairman possessing 
 also the casting voice. And if the majority of the Meeting judge, that the accused 
 Preacher is immoral, erroneous in doctrines, deficient in abilities, or has broken any 
 of the Rules above mentioned, he shall be considered as removed from that Circuit : 
 and the District-Committee shall, as soon as possible, appoint another Preacher for 
 that Circuit, instead of the Preacher so removed; and shall determine among 
 themselves how the removed Preacher shall be disposed of till the Conference, and 
 shall have authority to suspend the said Preacher from all public duties till the 
 Conference, if they judge proper. The District-Committee shall also supply, as 
 well as possible, the place of the removed Preacher, till another Preacher be 
 appointed. And the Preacher thus appointed, and all other Preachers, shall be 
 subject to the above mode of trial. And if the District -Committee do not appoint 
 a Preacher for that Circuit, instead of the removed Preacher, within a month after 
 the aforesaid removal, or do not fill up the place of the removed Preacher, till 
 another Preacher be appointed, the majority of the said Trustees, Stewards, and 
 Leaders, being again regularly summoned, shall appoint a Preacher for the said 
 Circuit, provided he be a member of the Methodist Connexion, till the ensuing 
 Conference. 
 
 3. If any Preacher refuse to submit to the above mode of trial, in any of the 
 cases mentioned above, he shall be considered as suspended till the Conference. 
 And if any Trustees expel from any chapel, a Preacher, by their own separate 
 authority, the Preachers appointed for that Circuit shall not preach in that chapel 
 till the ensuing Conference, or till a trial take place, according to the mode men- 
 tioned above. 
 
 4. If any Trustees expel or exclude a Preacher, by their own separate authority, 
 from any chapel in any Circuit, the Chairman of the District shall summon the 
 members of the District-Committee, the Trustees of that Circuit who have not 
 oflfended, and the Stewards and Leaders of the Circuit. And the members of such 
 assembly shall examine into the evidence on both sides ; and if the majority of 
 them determine, that the state of the Society, in which the exclusion took place, 
 requires that a new chapel should be built previous to the meeting of the Confer- 
 ence, every proper step shall be immediately taken for erecting such chapel. And 
 no step shall on any account be taken, to erect a chapel for such purpose, before 
 the meeting of the Conference, till such meeting be summoned, and such determi- 
 nation be made. 
 
 5. No Preacher shall be suspended or removed from his Circuit by any District- 
 Committee, except he have the privilege of the trial before mentioned. 
 
 6. The Hundred Preachers mentioned in the enrolled Deed, and their successors, 
 are the only legal persons who constitute the Conference ; and we think the junior 
 brethren have no reason to object to this proposition, as they are regularly elected 
 according to seniority. 
 
 7. Inasmuch as, in drawing up the preceding Regulations, we have laboured to 
 restore and preserve the peace and unity of the Society, and, in order thereto, have 
 endeavoured to keep the Preachers out of all disputes on the subjects therein speci- 
 fied, Be it understood, that any Preacher who shall disturb the peace of the Soci- 
 ety, by speaking for or against the introduction of the Lord's Supper in our Socie- 
 ties, or concerning the old or new plan, so called, shall be subject to the trial and 
 penalties before mentioned. 
 
 8. And in order that the utmost impartiality may be manifest in these Regula- 
 tions, for the peace of the whole body, we also resolve, that if any Local Preacher, 
 Trustee, Steward, or Leader, shall disturb the peace of the Society, by speaking for 
 or against the introduction of the Lord's Supper, or concerning the old or new 
 plan, so called, the Superintendent of the Circuit, or the majority of the Trustees, 
 Stewards, and Leaders of the Society so disturbed, shall have authority to summon 
 a Meeting of the Travelling Preachers of the Circuit, and the Trustees, Stewards, 
 and Leaders of that Society. Evidence shall be examined on both sides ; and if 
 the charge be proved, the Superintendent Preacher shall expel from the Society the 
 person so offending. (See Minutes of Conference for the year 1795, vol. i., p. 322.) 
 
118 APPENDIX. 
 
 B. Pages 40, 42, 43, 44, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53. 
 
 TO THE METHODIST SOCIETIES. 
 
 Dear Brethren, Leeds, August 7th, 1797. 
 
 We think it our duty to inform you, by the earliest opportunity, of the mea- 
 sures we have taken, in order to satisfy those of om: brethren who have been made 
 more or less uneasy by sundry publications circulated through the Societies ; and 
 we trust that, on a serious consideration of the Regulations we have agreed to at 
 this Conference, you will see that the sacrifices in respect to authority, which we 
 have made on the part of the whole body of Travelling Preachers, evidence our 
 willingness to meet our brethren in everything which is consistent with the exist- 
 ence of the Methodist disciphne, and our readiness to be their servants for Jesus's 
 sake. 
 
 I. In respect to finances, or money-matters : 
 
 1. We have determined to pubhsh annually a very minute accoimt of the dis- 
 bursement, or apphcation, of the Yearly Collection ; and, 
 
 2. A full account of the affairs of Kingswood School. 
 
 3. That all bills for the support of Travelling Preachers and their families, in 
 respect to deficiencies, house-rent, fire, candles, sickness, travelhng expenses, and 
 all other matters of a temporal kind for their support, for which the Circuits cannot 
 provide, shall first meet with the approbation of the Quarterly-Meeting, and be 
 signed by the general Steward of the Circuit, before they can be brought to the 
 District-Committee. 
 
 II. In respect to all other temporal matters : 
 
 1. It has been determined, that no Circuits shall be divided till such division has 
 been approved of by their respective Quarterly-Meetings, and signed by the general 
 Stewards. 
 
 2. That no other temporal matter shall be transacted by the District-Committees, 
 till the approbation of the respective Quarterly-Meetings be first given, signed by 
 the Circuit- Stewards. 
 
 III. In respect to the receiving and excluding private members of the Society : 
 
 1. The Leaders'-Meeting shall have a right to declare any person on trial impro- 
 per to be received into the Society ; and, after such declaration, the Superintendent 
 shall not admit such person into the Society. 
 
 2. No person shall be expelled from the Society for immorality, till such immo- 
 rality be proved at a Leaders'-Meeting. 
 
 IV. In respect to the appointment and removal of Leaders, Stewards, and Local 
 Preachers, and concerning Meetings : 
 
 1. No person shall be appointed a Leader or Steward, or be removed from his 
 oflSce, but in conjunction with the Leaders'-Meeting : the nomination to be in the 
 Superintendent, and the approbation or disapprobation to be in the Leaders'- 
 Meeting. 
 
 2. The former Rule concerning Local Preachers is confirmed ; namely, That no 
 person shall receive a Plan as a Local Preacher, without the approbation of a Local- 
 Preachers' Meeting. 
 
 3. In compliance with a request made by the Committee of persons from various 
 parts, namely, " That the Conference be requested to re-consider and revise those 
 Rules which relate to the calling of Meetings, and appointing Local Preachers, made 
 last year," we say, " No Local Preacher shall be permitted to preach in any other 
 Circuit than his own, without producing a recommendation from the Superintend- 
 ent of the Circuit in which he lives ; nor suffer any invitation to be admitted as a 
 plea, but from men in office, who act in conjunction with the Superintendent of 
 that Circuit which he visits." The design of this Rule is to prevent any, under the 
 character of Local Preachers, from burdening the people, either by collecting 
 money, or by Uving upon them ; and to prevent improper persons, who bear no 
 part of the expense, from inviting Local Preachers thus to visit them. But it never 
 was intended to reflect the least disrespect on any of our worthy brethren, the 
 Local Preachers, whom, considered as a body, we greatly respect. And it should 
 not be lost sight of, that several of the most respectable Local Preachers in the 
 
APPENDIX. 119 
 
 kingdom, who were in the Committee which met the Committee of Preachers 
 appointed by the Conference, declared their high approbation of the Rule, and 
 desired that it might be strengthened as much as possible, as none could justly 
 complain of it. 
 
 4. As the Committee above mentioned requested also, that the Minutes of the 
 last Conference, concerning the caUing of Meetings to consider of the affairs of the 
 Society or Connexion, be explained ; and as we are exceedingly desirous of pre- 
 serving the peace and union of the whole body ; we have agreed upon the following 
 explanation : namely, 
 
 (1.) As the Leaders'-Meeting is the proper Meeting for the Society, and the 
 Quarterly-Meeting for the Circuit, we think that other formal Meetings, in general, 
 would be contrary to the Methodist economy, and very prejudicial in their conse- 
 quences : But, 
 
 (2.) In order to be as tender as possible, consistently with what we believe to be 
 essential to the welfare of our Societies, we allow that other formal Meetings may 
 be held, if they receive the approbation of the Superintendent and the Leaders' or 
 Quarterly Meeting ; provided also, that the Superintendent, if he please, be present 
 at every such Meeting. 
 
 V. We have selected all our ancient Rules, which were made before the death of 
 our late venerable Father in the Gospel, the Rev. Mr. Wesley, which are essential 
 Rules, or prudential at this present time ; and have solemnly signed them, declar- 
 ing our approbation of them, and determination to comply with them, one single 
 Preacher excepted,* who, in consequence, withdrew from us. 
 
 VI. We have determined, that all the Rules which relate to the Societies, 
 Leaders, Stewards, Local Preachers, Trustees, and Quarterly-Meetings, shall be 
 pubUshed with the Rules of the Society, for the benefit and convenience of all the 
 members. 
 
 VII. In respect to all new Rules which shall be made by the Conference : 
 
 It is determined, that if at any time the Conference see it necessary to make any 
 new Rule for the Societies at large, and such Rule shall be objected to at the first 
 Quarterly-Meeting in any given Circuit ; and if the major part of that Meeting, in 
 conjunction with the Preachers, be of opinion that the enforcing of such Rule in 
 that Circuit will be injurious to the prosperity of that Circuit; it shall not be 
 enforced, in opposition to the judgment of such Quarterly-Meeting, before the second 
 Conference. But, if the Rule be confirmed by the second Conference, it shall be 
 binding to the whole Connexion. Nevertheless, the Quarterly-Meetings rejecting a 
 new Rule, shall not, by publications, public Meetings, or otherwise, make that 
 Rule a cause of contention ; but shall strive, by every means, to preserve the peace 
 of the Connexion. 
 
 Thus, brethren, we have given up the greatest part of our executive government 
 into your hands, as represented in your different public Meetings. 
 
 1. We have delivered the whole of our Yearly Collection to your management. 
 For we know, by experience, that the bills of the Quarterly-Meetings, if only mere 
 justice be done to the Preachers and their families, will amount to nmch more than 
 the Yearly Collection. The Conference will, in this business, have no authority 
 whatsoever: they will have nothing but the trouble of receiving the money, and 
 paying the bills which shall have been sent to them from the Quarterly-Meetings, 
 and been approved of by the District-Committees. And when the accounts are 
 published by the Conference, every Quarterly-Meeting may compare its own accounts 
 with those of the Conference, and thereby have as complete a check as the nature 
 of things can possibly admit of. 
 
 The Conference has reserved to itself the management of its own Book-Concerns. 
 This is most reasonable : as the institution was established for the carrying on of 
 the work of God, under the direction of Mr. Wesley and the Conference ; was con- 
 tinued, by the deed or codicil of Mr. Wesley's will, for the use of the Conference ; 
 as the whole burden of the management of the business lies upon the Conference, 
 and the servants they employ, and on the Superintendents of Circuits ; and also, 
 as it is the only fund which can supply any deficiencies of the Yearly Collection, as 
 
 * Before the Conference concluded, two other Preachers withdrew. 
 
120 AP^Kymx. * 
 
 the accounts published in our Minutes for several years past clearly evidence, the 
 Yearly Collection having not been nearly sufficient for the wants of the Preachers 
 and families, and for the carrying on of the work of God in general. 
 
 2. The whole management of our temporal concerns may now be truly said to be 
 invested in the Quarterly-Meetings, the District-Meetings having nothing left them 
 but a negative. 
 
 3. Our Societies have a full check on the Superintendent, by the means of their 
 Leaders'-Meeting, in regard to the introduction of persons into Society ; whilst the 
 Superintendent has sufficient scops allowed him for the increase of the Societies, 
 not only according to the common course of things, but at the times of remarkable 
 out-pourings of the Spirit of God. 
 
 4. The meml)ers of our Societies are delivered from every apprehension of clan- 
 destine expulsions ; as that Superintendent would be bold indeed, who would act 
 with partiality or injustice in the presence of the whole Meeting of Leaders. Such 
 a Superintendent, we trust, we have not among us : and if such there ever should 
 be, we should be ready to do all possible justice to our injured brethren. 
 
 5. There is now no Society-officer among us, who can be received without the 
 consent of that meeting to which he particidarly belongs, nor can any officer be 
 appointed, except upon the same plan. 
 
 6. In order to prevent any degree of precii)itation in making new Rules, and to 
 obtain information of the sentiments of our people on every such Rule, we have 
 agreed to the Article mentioned under the seventh head, by which no Regidations 
 will be finally confirmed, till after a year's consideration, and the knowledge of the 
 sentiments of the Connexion at large, through the medium of all their public officers. 
 
 In short, brethren, out of our great love for peace and union, and our great desire 
 to satisfy your minds, we have given up to you by far the greatest part of the 
 Superintendent's authority : and, if we consider, that the Quarterly-Meetings are the 
 sources from whence all temporal regulations, during the intervals of the Conference, 
 must now originally spring ; and also that the Committee, formed according to the 
 Plan of Pacification, can, in every instance in which the Trustees, Leaders, and 
 Stewards choose to interfere respecting the gifts, doctrines, or moral character of 
 Preachers, supersede, in a great measure, the regular District-Committees ; we may, 
 taking all these things into our view, truly say, that such have been the sacrifices 
 we have made, that our District-Committees themselves have hardly any authority 
 remaining, but a bare negative in general, and the apjwintment of a representative 
 to assist in drawing up the rough draught of the Stations of the Preachers. And 
 besides all this, we have given the Quarterly-Meetings opportunities of considering 
 every new Law, of suspending the execution of it for a year in their respective Cir- 
 cuits, and of sending their sentiments on it to the Conference, before it be finally 
 confirmed. 
 
 We have represented these measures which we have taken for your satisfaction, 
 in as concise a manner as we well could, giving you the sense of the whole, not 
 only for brevity's sake, but for expedition, that you may be informed of the general 
 heads of our proceedings as soon as possible. In the regulations which ivill be 
 published with the Rules of the Society, as mentioned above, you will have the whole 
 at large. We are your affectionate brethren, 
 
 Signed, in behalf and by order of the Conference, 
 
 Thomas Coke, President. 
 Samuel Bradburn, Secretary. 
 
 SUNDRY MISCELLANEOUS REGULATIONS. 
 
 I. WITH RESPECT TO DISTRICTS. 
 
 1, In order to render our Districts more effective, the President of the Confer- 
 ence shall have power, when applied to, to supply a Circuit with Preachers, if any 
 should die or desist from travelling; and to sanction any change of Preachers 
 which it may be necessary to make in the intervals of the Conference. And to 
 assist at any District-Meeting, if applied to for that purpose, by the Chairman of 
 the District, or by a majority of the Superintendents in such District. And he shall 
 have a right, if written to by any who are concerned, to visit any Circuit, and 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 121 
 
 to inquire into their affairs with respect to Methodism, and, in union with the 
 District-Committee, redress any grievance. 
 
 2. The Chairman of each District, in conjunction with his brethren of the Com- 
 mittee, shall be responsible to the Conference for the execution of the Laws, as far 
 as his District is concerned. 
 
 3. That no Chairman may have cause to complain of the want of power, in cases 
 which (according to his judgment) cannot be settled in the ordinary District- 
 Meeting, he shall have authority to summon three of the nearest Superintendents, 
 to be incorporated with the District- Committee, who shall have equal authority to 
 vote, and settle everything till the Conference. 
 
 4. The Conference recommends it to the Superintendents of the Circuits, to 
 invite, on all important occasions, the Chairman of their respective District to be 
 present at their Quarterly-Meetings. 
 
 5. The Chairman of every District shall be chosen by the ballot of the Confer- 
 ence, after the names of all the Preachers in the District have been read to them 
 by the Secretary. 
 
 II. AS TO DELEGATES. 
 
 The Conference, having maturely considered the subject, are thoroughly per- 
 suaded, with many of our Societies, whose letters have been read in full Confer- 
 ence, that they cannot admit any but regular Travelling Preachers into their body, 
 either in the Conference or District-Meetings, and preserve the system of Method- 
 ism entire, particularly the Itinerant plan, which they are determined to support. 
 But let it be well observed, that, in explaining their Minutes, it was fully and 
 explicitly understood, that, if there be any accusation against a Preacher, or any 
 difficult affair to settle, not only the Circuit or Town Steward, but any Leader, or 
 even member of the Society, shall be admitted as evidence to the District-Meeting ; 
 provided the matter has been first heard at a Quarterly-Meeting. 
 
 III. WITH REGARD TO PREACHERS. 
 
 1. Before any Superintendent propose a Preacher to the Conference, as proper to 
 be admitted on trial, such Preacher must not only be approved of at the March 
 Quarterly-Meeting, but must have read and signed the General Minutes, as fully 
 approving of them. Nor must any one suppose, or pretend to think, that the con- 
 versations which have been on any of these Minutes, were intended so to qualify 
 them, as in the least to affect the spirit and design of them. 
 
 2. No Local Preacher shall keep love-feasts without the consent of the Superin- 
 tendent, nor in any wise interfere with his business. Let every one keep in his 
 own place, and attend to the duties of his own station. 
 
 IV. TOUCHING THE BOOK-CONCERNS. 
 
 It is agreed, 
 
 1. That every Superintendent shall settle his accounts with, and pay the balance 
 to, Mr. Whitfield, at every Conference, for the preceding year. 
 
 2. That a Circular Letter shall be drawn up, and sent by Mr. Whitfield to every 
 Superintendent, informing him of the above Resolution. 
 
 3. The Article made last year, and published in the Minutes, relative to printing, 
 shall stand in its full force, with this exception : should a manuscript be rejected 
 by the Book-Committee, a Preacher may print it, provided he do not sell it at our 
 chapels, nor advertise it from our pulpits. The design of this Rule is to prevent 
 any Preacher in our Connexion from selling at the doors of our chapels or other- 
 wdse, or offering to sell, any books or pamphlets among our people, but those which 
 belong to the Conference, and come from our Book-Room. N.B. If a Preacher be 
 attacked by any of our enemies, and his character misrepresented, his printing a 
 reply in his own defence shall not be deemed a breach of this Rule. 
 
 V. CONCERNING THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 1. Let a collection be made in the course of this year for the support of the 
 Missionaries, in every congregation where it is practicable. 
 
 2. The District-Committees in the month of May are to inquire, whether any 
 
122 APPENDIX. 
 
 Preacher is willing to go to the West Indies ; and the Chairmen of those Districts, 
 in which any Preacher offers himself, are to inform Dr. Coke of it before the meet- 
 ing of the Irish Conference. 
 
 VI. THE CASE OF BRISTOL. 
 
 1. It is the opinion of the Conference, that the Plan of Pacification, in respect to 
 the affair at Bristol, has been broken ; but they are determined this shall not be a 
 precedent, but they will take proper means that the Plan shall be sacredly observed 
 in all its parts in future. 
 
 2. The Conference, in union with the Committee of Trustees in Leeds, advise 
 the contending parties in Bristol to settle their differences in the following 
 manner : 
 
 (1.) That our brethren who attend divine service at the Old Room and Guinea- 
 Street chapel, unite with their brethren of the New Chapel, and bring all their 
 subscriptions and collections into one and the same channel with our brethren of 
 the New Chapel, according to the agreement at Manchester, and take seats in, and 
 attend, in general, the services at the New Chapel. 
 
 (2.) That our brethren of the New Chapel, if the others comply vnth the above 
 condition, give up the service in church-hours in that chapel. 
 
 VII. PUBLIC COLLECTIONS. 
 
 1. The Superintendents in the Bristol District are to make a collection in their 
 respective Circuits, and in the Bradford Circuit, as soon as convenient, towards 
 paying the workmen the money due to them on account of our chapel at Frome. 
 
 2. A collection is to be made through Rye, Rochester, and Canterbury Circuits, 
 for the Dover House. 
 
 3. A collection is to be made for Axminster through all the Circuits in the 
 Salisbury District. 
 
 4. A collection is to be made for Tavistock through all the Circuits in the 
 Plymouth-Dock District. 
 
 5. A collection is to be made for Falmouth through the Redruth, Penzance, and 
 St. Austle Circuits. 
 
 6. A collection is to be made through the Slirewsbury and Chester Circuits for 
 the chapel at Myrthyr-Tydvill, in the Brecon Circuit. N.B. The Brecon Circuit is 
 to be divided. 
 
 7. A collection is to be made for Doncaster through the Doncaster, Rotherham, 
 and Sheffield Circuits. 
 
 8. A collection is to be made for Carlisle through the York, Whitby, and New- 
 castle Circuits. 
 
 All the above collections to be made as soon as convenient, that they may not 
 interfere with the stated collections. 
 
 Q. WTien and where shall our next Conference be held } 
 A. In Bristol, on the last Monday in July, 1798. 
 
 N.B. The Representatives of the Districts, who form the Committee for station- 
 ing the Preachers, will meet as usual, on the preceding Wednesday, in the morning, 
 at six o'clock. 
 
 Signed, in behalf and by order of the Conference, 
 
 Thomas Coke, President, 
 Samuel Brad burn, Secretary. 
 (See Minutes of Conference for the year 1797, vol. i., p. 374.) 
 
 C -Page 65. 
 
 Q. XXII. What is the decision of the Conference on the erection of Organs in 
 our chapels ? 
 
 A. We think that in some of the larger chapels, where some instrumental music 
 may be deemed expedient in order to guide the congregational singing, Organs may 
 be allowed, by special consent of the Conference ; but even' application for such 
 
APPENDIX. 123 
 
 consent shall be first made at the District-Meeting ; and if it obtain their sanction, 
 shall be then referred to a Committee at the Conference, who shall report their 
 opinion as to the propriety of acceding to the request, and also as to the restrictions 
 with which the permission to erect an Organ ought, in that particular case, to be 
 accompanied. (See Minutes of Conference for the year 1820, vol. v., p. 146.) 
 
 D. Pages 43, 49, 71. 
 
 SPECIAL ADDRESS OF THE CONFERENCE OF 1835. 
 
 The following three sections of the Address contain the explanations and modifi- 
 cations referred to in the notes at pages 43, 49, 71, of the preceding Essay. 
 
 I. FINANCIAL AFFAIRS. 
 
 1. The Conference has long felt it to be both just and expedient, and to them- 
 selves (as a body of Christian Ministers) exceedingly agreeable, that the active 
 management of the financial affairs of the Connexion, whether local or general, 
 should be undertaken, as far as possible, by Laymen of established character for 
 integrity. Christian principle, and steadfast attachment to the interests of Method- 
 ism, accustomed to the transaction of similar business, able to command suf- 
 ficient leisure for such " labours of love " as are needed in this department of the 
 " work of the Lord," and wilhng to consecrate that leisure to the service of our 
 common cause. The Conference heartily concurs in the principle, that those of our 
 Public Funds which are wholly or chiefly supported by the contributions of our 
 people at large, (although these contributions, as it is well known, are principally 
 obtained by the public exertions and private apphcations of the Preachers them- 
 selves,) should be expended, under the general direction of the Conference, by 
 Committees, composed not of Preachers only, but of Preachers and Laymen con- 
 jointly. In our very peculiar system of Itinerancy, and Connexional Union, the 
 assistance of the Preachers in such Committees will always be found indispensable 
 to the good practical working of the several Funds ; because they obviously possess 
 a more intimate and personal acquaintance with the circumstances and necessities 
 of our work, in its varied relations and mutual bearings, and in its now widely- 
 extended field of operation, than local men, however able and devoted, can possibly 
 acquire. And it would not be equitable or reasonable to demand, that those whose 
 influence and activity are mainly relied upon for procuring pecuniary support to our 
 institutions, and whose individual and ministerial character is therefore pledged to 
 the public for the right application of the Funds which they are employed to advo- 
 cate and maintain, should be systematically excluded from the Committees to which 
 those Funds are confided. On the other hand, it is equally just and advantageous 
 that the body of contributors should have, in the respectable Lay-Members united 
 with the Preachers in the Committees, a suflScient security for the proper and care- 
 ful expenditure of the public money. By the plan of Mixed Committees both these 
 objects are accomphshed ; and all parties, who, either by personal service or pecu- 
 niary benevolence, have a share in the work of contribution, are enabled to exercise 
 a fair and salutary influence in the subsequent work of distribution. 
 
 2. These views and principles are not new in the Wesleyan-Methodist Connexion. 
 They have been for many years in extensive operation among us. The shameless 
 assertions of some modern adversaries of our body, that our people have little or no 
 share, according to our existing economy, in the management of their financial con- 
 cerns, and that the Preachers are desirous to have in their own hands either the 
 exclusive control, or the onerous and active management, of the public funds of the 
 body, is a calumny which the Conference are bold to meet with a positive and 
 justly indignant denial. Most gladly would they be exempted, if a sufficient num- 
 ber of other persons of adequate leisure and influence could be found to undertake 
 the task, from much of that labour, even in soliciting pecuniary support for our 
 
\K 
 
 124 APPENDIX. 
 
 work, to which the necessity of the case, and their love for the cause of God, alone 
 induce them now to submit. 
 
 It is matter of notoriety, that all the Local Contributions of our Societies and 
 friends, constituting by far the largest portion of the whole financial concerns of the 
 Connexion, are now, and have been for a long series of years, regularly paid into 
 the hands of the Society-Stewards and Circuit-Stewards annually appointed for this 
 purpose, and expended by them, or under their entire superintendence and direc- 
 tion, according to our estabUshed usages and rules. A report of their management 
 in these matters is constantly made by the Stewards to the Quarterly-Meetings of 
 their respective Circuits. 
 
 As to the contributions to those Public Funds, by which our various institutions 
 for the general purposes of the Connexion, or for objects of piety and benevolence, 
 are supported, they are, in like manner, generally ex])ended under the superintend- 
 ence oi mixed Committees, constituted on the principles above stated. Every secu- 
 rity which can be reasonably desired in a religious commimity like ours is thus 
 afforded, that the moneys liberally contributed shall be honestly expended in effect- 
 ing the great purposes for which they are soUcitcd and designed. This has long 
 been the established practice with respect to the Missionary Fund and the General 
 Chapel Fund. Last year the Conference spontaneously applied the same principle 
 to the School Fund ; and they are now not merely willing, but anxious, that it 
 should be fully extended also to the only two remaining Funds, which are at all 
 materially or generally aided by the contributions of our people ; namely, the Con- 
 tingent Fund, and the Preachers' Auxiliary Fund. 
 
 3. With resjiect to the Contingent Fund, which derives its means of usefulness 
 principally from what are termed the Yearly Collection in the Classes, and the July 
 or Home Missionary Collection in our congregations, and to which the Conference 
 affords considerable aid by a voluntary donation from the profits of our Book-room, 
 the largest part of its annual income, by much,, is emy)loyed in supplying the 
 deficiencies of the poorer and smaller Circuits in Great Britain and Ireland, and 
 especially those of new and infant stations, unable, as yet, to meet fully their own 
 local exjienses. These, which are called the Ordinary Deficiencies, are regularly 
 examined and adjusted, for the current year, at the Financial District-Meetings in 
 September, and the sul)sequent Annual District-Meetings in May ; when two Cir- 
 cuit-Stewards from each Circuit in the District are earnestly reqtiested to attend, 
 and have an equal right with the Preachers to speak and vote on every financial 
 question. The whole grant made from the Contingent Fund to that District is 
 divided among the several claimant Circuits in their presence, and with their assist- 
 ance and concurrence. Thus, by far the greatest portion even of the Contingent 
 Fund is already placed under an efficient control, by means of a mixed meeting. It 
 only remains to apply the same principle to the distribution of that part of the 
 same Fund which is expended on what are called the Extraordinary Deficiencies of 
 the year ; including grants for " Travelling Expenses," " Afflictions," ** Furni- 
 ture " for Preachers' Houses, and " Miscellaneous Expenses " of various kinds, 
 especially those connected with the executive department of our general work, as 
 directed by the Conference, and the due administration of our discipline. These 
 " Extraordiuaries " have hitherto, for the sake of convenience, been settled at the 
 time of the Annual Conference, in a meeting of the Chairmen of the several 
 Districts. But the Conference now resolves as follows ; viz., 
 
 (1.) That the entire portion of the business of the Contingent F\md, which can- 
 not be finally settled by the Preachers and Stewards in the Local District-Meetings, 
 shall henceforth be confided to a Mixed Committee, who shall meet in the week 
 before the annual assembly of the Conference, and be called, " the Committee of 
 the Contingent Fund," consisting of the President and Secretary of the Conference, 
 and of thirty other members, viz., fifteen Preachers, to be annually appointed by 
 the Conference, and fifteen Laymen, to be annually chosen from the Districts which 
 are most contiguous to the place where the Conference is to be held, or from which 
 it is likely that Laymen of suitable leisure and information may be induced to 
 attend the ensuing Conference. The appointment of these Lay-Members shall rest 
 exclusively with the Circuit-Stewards of those Districts which shall be specified in 
 the Minutes of the Conference from year to year, as most conveniently situated for 
 
w 
 
 APPENDIX. 1^25 
 
 this purpose* ; auJ sliall take place at tlie time of their assciuLly in t!ie Mai/ Oislrict- 
 Meetiugs, as soon as they shall have finished the business connected with the Ordi- 
 nary/ Deticieucies of their respective Districts. 
 
 (2.) That in-o Ti-easurers and two Secretaries of the Contingent Fund shall be 
 annually apj)ointed, who shall be e.r officio members of the Committee. One of the 
 Treasurers shall in future be a Lay-Member of the Society. 
 
 (3.) That the same Committee, or such members of it as can conveniently be 
 present, shall be the Committee of Distribution, who shall meet at the close of each 
 Conference, or as soon as the Stations of the Preachers shall have been finally set- 
 tled, for the purpose of allotting to each District its fair and necessary share, 
 according to its means and probable expenditure, of the gross sum which they may 
 deem it proper to devote, out of the estimated income of the ensuing year, to the 
 payment of " Ordinary Deficiencies " in the Circuits. At this final meeting they 
 shall also complete the settlement of the " Extraordinaries " for the past year, by 
 examining those items of Miscellaneous Expenditure, belonging to that department, 
 the exact amount of which could not be ascertained at an earlier period, because 
 they necessarily depend upon various executive arrangements which can be deter- 
 mined only during the course of the proceedings of each successive Conference. 
 
 (4.) That to the said Mixed Committee of the Contingent Fund shall likewise be 
 confided, at their meeting in the week before the Conference, the duty of examining 
 and regulating the affairs of the Children's Fund; for which purpose the two 
 Treasurers of that Fund, (one of whom shall, as now^ be always a lay-member of 
 the Society,) and also its Secretary, when he can conveniently attend the Confer- 
 ence, shall be ex officio members of the Committee of the Contingent Fund. 
 
 (5.) That the Chairman and the Financial Secretary of each District shall be 
 desired to attend the meetings of the Committee of the Contingent Fund, during 
 the time at which the applications from that District shall be under consideration, 
 in order to state in person the cases which they have to recommend, as agreed upon 
 at their respective District-Meetings in May, and to make the Committee fully 
 acquainted with the circumstances of every claimant Circuit or individual. 
 
 4. In reference to the Preachers' Auxiliarij Fund, the Conference resolves as 
 follows ; viz., 
 
 (1.) That the Annual Distribution of the sums contributed by our friends to this 
 Fund shall in future be intrusted to a Committee, consisting of the President and 
 Secretary of the Conference, with eleven Preachers, and eleven Laymen, to be 
 appointed from year to year by the Conference : such distribution being conducted 
 according to the general plans and regulations hitherto adopted, and on the princi- 
 ples of a becoming tenderness and respectful feeling towards the Aged Preachers, 
 or Widows or Orphan Children of deceased Preachers, who may apply for assist- 
 ance ; as well as with a sacred regard to the confidential character of any commu- 
 nications, made by them, or on their behalf, in reference to their private affairs and 
 necessities. 
 
 (2.) That two Treasurers, one Preacher and one Layman, and also a Secretary, 
 shall be appointed at each Conference, who shall be ex officio members of the 
 Committee. 
 
 (3.) The Treasurer for the time being of the Seniors' Fund, which is partially 
 assisted by an Annual Grant from the Auxiliary Fund, shall also be ex officio a 
 member of the Committee of that Fund ; in order that he may give such informa- 
 tion as may be deemed necessary or advantageous* 
 
 II. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS. 
 
 1. During the life of Mr. Wesley, and for a short period afterwards, the Super- 
 intendent (formerly called "the Assistant") possessed, according to the primitive 
 Rules and established usage of the Connexion, the entire and unrestricted power of 
 excluding from the Society any members whom, on account of their habitual and 
 persevering violation of the laws of God, or of any of our general Rules, he judged 
 to be improper for our Christian communion. This power was subject only, in the 
 case of an appeal, to the paternal interference of Mr. Wesley, while he lived, and, 
 after his death, to that of the Distiict-Committees and of the Conference. (See the 
 7th head of the General Rules, dated May 1st, 1743.) 
 
126 APPENDIX. 
 
 2. It was subsequently agreed, in 1794, (see Minutes, vol, i., p. 299,) to regulate 
 and limit the power of the Superintendent, by a formal engagement then made on 
 the part of the Conference, that the Preachers should " consult the Stewards and 
 Leaders," before they proceeded to any act of expiUsion ; the admission and expul- 
 sion of members being, however, at the same time, explicitly recognised as among 
 those ^^ sjjiritual concerns of the Society" which, in contradistinction to " temporal 
 concerns," had " ever" been, and should continue to be, ** managed by the Preach- 
 ers," This legal provision for "consultation" applied to members generally. But 
 a distinct and special provision was made, in the same year, in reference to Trustees; 
 viz., " No Trustee (however accused, or defective in conforming to the estabhshed 
 Rules of the Society) shall be removed from the Society, unless his crime or breach 
 of the Rules of the Society be ^-^ro^edf in the presence of the Trustees and 
 Leaders.''* 
 
 3. At length, in 1797, (see Minutes, vol. i., p. 375,) instead of this simple " con- 
 sultation " of the Stewards and Leaders, it was enacted, that no person should be 
 expelled for immorality, till such immorality had been ^^ proved at a Leaders* Meet- 
 ing ;'* or, as this clause appears to have been afterwards explained, ''proved to the 
 satisfaction" of the Leaders'-Meeting. And the intention of this new enactment is 
 officially recorded to have been, to deliver the members of our Societies from every 
 apprehension of clandestine expulsions, " That Superintendent," it is stated, 
 " would be bold indeed, who would act with partiality or injustice in the presence 
 of the whole Meeting of Leaders. Such a Superintendent, we trust, we have not 
 among us ; and if there ever should be, we should be ready to do all possible justice 
 to our injured brethren." 
 
 4. The case to which this Rule of 1797 applies, must necessarily be understood 
 as being that of a member who demands a trial at the Leaders'-Meeting. " The 
 far greater number," it is truly stated, " exclude themselves, by utterly forsaking us." 
 (See "Form of Discipline," 1797, sect, vi.) Continued absence from the class- 
 meeting, or other means of grace, without any sufficient reason, or some manifest 
 breach of the laws of God, or of the particular Rules of our own Connexion, is 
 usually in such cases reported by the Class-Leader to the Preacher, at the time of 
 the Quarterly Visitation. If there be no denial of the fact, or satisfactory defence 
 against the charge, on the part of the member, or of his friends who may be pre- 
 sent, and if the Preacher, in the case of alleged crime or misconduct, be of opinion 
 that the offence is one of such grave and serious character as to require some public 
 testimony of disapprobation, the immediate exclusion of the negligent or offending 
 member has usually resulted, quietly, and as a matter of course, by the Preacher's 
 withholding his Society-ticket, and erasing his name from the Class-book. But if 
 the member, so charged, deny the allegation of a wilful neglect of our peculiar dis- 
 cipline as to class-meetings, &c., or of a breach of some law of Scripture, or rule of 
 Methodism, and demand a trial, for the proof or disproof thereof, before the Lead- 
 ers'-Meeting, or before a Committee of Leaders appointed by that Meeting, then 
 such trial must, as our law now stands, and has stood ever since 1797, be forthwith 
 conceded. If a majority of the Leaders who vote at the Meeting shall be " satis- 
 fied" that sufficient proof is adduced, to establish the fact of a wilful and habitual 
 negligence, or of the violation of some Scriptural or Methodistical Rule, and shall 
 give a verdict to that effect, then the Leaders'-Meeting has discharged its ivhole part 
 of the painful duty to be performed, and the case is left in the hands of the Super- 
 intendent. On him devolves, in his pastoral character, as the person whose pecu- 
 liar call and province it is to " watch over that soul," as one that " must give an 
 account," the sole right and duty of deciding on the measures to be adopted towards 
 the offender, in consequence of the verdict thus pronounced. He must consider his 
 solemn responsibihty, personally and officially, to God and to the church of Christ, 
 and his special obligation to care most tenderly and anxiously for the spiritual and 
 eternal welfare of the individual whose conduct is implicated; and, impartially 
 applying the laws of God, as found in the Holy Scriptures, or the specific Rules of 
 our body, (as the case may be,) to the facts which have been declared to have been 
 proved, as invohdng a violation of those laws or Rules, he must prayerfully form 
 the best judgment he can, respecting the nature and degree of the ecclesiastical 
 penalty most fit to be inflicted ; whether censure and reproof, in private or in pub- 
 
^0\i 
 
 APPENDIX. 127 
 
 lie, temporary suspension from Methodistical privileges, putting the member 
 back again into a state of mere probation, or, tinally, the extreme penalty of 
 expulsion. 
 
 5. This the Conference solemnly declare to be, in their conscientious judgment, 
 the import and intent, even according to tlie most large and liberal interpretation 
 which can with truth and fairness be given, of our Rules and usages, collectively 
 considered, and as they now exist, in reference to this part of our pastoral disci- 
 pline. The power of determining the sentence to be passed on an offender, thus 
 uniformly, and from the beginning, reserved to our Superintendents, the Conference 
 believe to be essential to the Scriptural Duties and Functions of the Pastoral Office. 
 Those duties and functions they can on no account consent to abandon, or permit 
 to be frittered away ; for that would seriously endanger the purity and peace of our 
 Connexion, on the one hand, and the rights, liberties, and spiritual privileges of our 
 people, on the other hand. The pastoral duty and power vested in the Christian 
 ministry, to exclude obstinate offenders from our religious fellowship, for manifest 
 violations of the general laws of the Holy Scriptures, or of the particular Rules of 
 our Connexion, are clearly essential to peace and purity. The correlative power of 
 the Pastor, who, if a man of God, "naturally cares" for the flock, to decide, after 
 the case has been proved, on the adoption either of some mild and corrective sen- 
 tence, or of the severer one of expulsion, according to his own deliberate and con- 
 scientious views of the whole affair, and all its circumstances, is equally essential to 
 the protection of an accused individual from the effects of personal prejudice or 
 irritation, or of popular excitement and undue local influence. 
 
 6. Asserting, however, in the strongest manner, the Scriptural principles now 
 stated, and which have governed our discipline from the beginning, the Conference 
 do nevertheless most cheerfully agree to adopt the following Additional Guards and 
 Securities to our people, for the proper exercise of the powers confided to Superin- 
 tendents in cases of Expulsion : 
 
 (1.) No sentence of expulsion shall hereafter be pronounced by any Superintend- 
 ent in the same Meeting at which the trial shall have taken place. To afford time 
 for full inquiry into the past character of the party, and other circumstances, and 
 for calm and careful dehberation, the sentence shall Ijc deferred for at least one week 
 after the trial ; unless the Superintendent be fully satisfied at once, that the case is 
 one in which some of the milder forms of discipline should alone be adopted, and 
 that expulsion is not at all to be contemplated. 
 
 (2.) In difficult or doubtful cases, the Superintendent is now further directed, 
 not to proceed to the actual sentence of expulsion without privately asking informa- 
 tion from such individual Leaders or other judicious and experienced members of 
 the Society, as are most likely to put him into full possession of all the circum- 
 stances necessary to his forming, with due discretion and caution, his own final 
 judgment on the subject. 
 
 (3.) Every case of proposed expulsion shall be brought by the Superintendent 
 before the Weekly Meeting of the Preachers of his Circuit, in order that he may 
 have the advantage of hearing the opinions and advice of his colleagues and co- 
 Pastors, before he shall finally decide on the course he ought to adopt. 
 
 (4.) In all cases of dissatisfaction with the sentence of expulsion, pronounced by 
 a Superintendent, the aggrieved person shall have, as heretofore, the right of appeal 
 to the Annual Meeting of the Preachers of his District, and even, if still dissatisfied, 
 to the Conference ; who will hear him by a Committee, or by a Special Deputation, 
 and endeavour to decide according to truth, and to the requirements of Holy Scrip- 
 ture, and of our discipline. 
 
 (5.) But as it is readily admitted that the appeal to the full District-Committee, 
 or to the Conference, may possibly be found, practically, too inconvenient to admit 
 of a sufficiently prompt and easy application, except in cases of extraordinary inter- 
 est and importance ; the Conference now agrees and resolves, That the principle 
 of the Rule of 1793, (see " Minutes," vol. i., p. 277,) respecting the appointment of 
 Minor District-Committees in the case of Preachers, shall be extended also to the 
 case of all excluded members, who choose to avail themselves of its provisions. 
 An excluded person shall, therefore, have the right of selecting any two Preachers 
 of the District to which his Circuit belongs, and the Superintendent shall select two 
 
128 APPENDIX. 
 
 other such Preaoliers ; and these four, with the Chahman of the District, (or if it 
 hapjien that the Chairman is himself the Suj)erintendent whose act is .'mpugned, 
 then some other Preacher to he chosen hy the four other memhers as their Chair- 
 man pro tempore,) shall meet in some convenient place, and shall have the power of 
 modifying, reversing, or confirming the sentence against which such ajjpeal shall be 
 made. Their decision shall in such case he binding on all })arties, unless subse- 
 quently altered, on further appeal, by the full District-Committee, or by the 
 Conference. 
 
 (6.) These additional guards and securities for our people against the possibility 
 of rash and unwarrantable expulsions, by granting an appeal from the decision of 
 an individual Superintendent to the collective judgment and wisdom of a number 
 of Pastors, being cheerfully adopted, the Conference considers it both necessary and 
 reasonable, at the same time, to provide an equally easy, prompt, and convenient 
 remedy for another case, which may possibly arise, in seasons of peculiar excitement, 
 though it is confidently hoped that it will be found to be one of only rare occur- 
 rence. The case intended, is that of the majority of a Leaders'-AIeeting, before 
 whom a member accused may be put on his trial, being induced, through some 
 undue local interest, or influence, or prejudice, so far to forget its duty to God, and 
 to the purity, peace, and good order of our Connexion, as to bring in, factiously 
 and por\ersely, a verdict notoriously inconsistent with the facts proved, and with 
 the plain and'obvious meaning, and the general or s])ecific regulations, of the laws 
 of God, or of our own body, as applicable to these facts, or as even, in certain 
 conceivable cases, to refuse to give any verdict at all ; thus, in either case, defeat- 
 ing the ends of public justice, and preventing, by an abuse of their constitutional 
 functions, the exercise of that discipline which Christ has commanded, and for 
 which He has made the Ministers of his church responsible to Himself. It is true, 
 that our present Rules provide an ultimate remedy for such an occasional and 
 extraordinary occurrence, by the powers given to Regular and Special District- 
 Committees, in 1791, 1792, and subsequent years, and confirmed and extended in 
 1797. But that remedy, though sufficient, when actually called into operation, to 
 provide for " any critical case," and to " redress any grievance," is not of easy and 
 convenient application. There is the same reason for affording facilities of redress 
 to a Superintendent, obstructed in his pastoral duties by the prevalence of a contu- 
 macious and factious sjjirit, as for granting those facilities to an aggrieved member, 
 complaining of the prejudice or severity of his Superintendent. The Conference 
 therefore resolves. That a Superintendent, complaining of any Leaders'-Meeting, for 
 refusing to act its constitutional part, or for acting it factiously or in contradiction 
 to law and evidence, in the trial of an accused member, shall have the same right 
 of prompt appeal to the revision of a Minor District-Committee, as has just been 
 granted to an excluded member in the other case supposed. 
 
 7. In almost every case, it is presumed that this Minor District -Committee will 
 be sufficient to accomplish the purposes of general peace and purity, and at least 
 " settle everything till the Conference." But if not, there is still in reserve, where 
 it may be found absolutely necessary, the power of calling a Special District- 
 Meeting, consisting of the whole number of the Christian Pastors of that District, 
 who shall be in full connexion with the Conference, according to our existing Rules 
 respecting District-Committees ; whose powers, either in the cases here particularly 
 intended, or in any other cases, nothing contained in this document shall be con- 
 strued to weaken or abridge. In reference to the constitution of Special District- 
 Meetings, on whatever subject such Meetings may hereafter be deemed necessary, 
 and in order to render their decisions satisfactory to our people, the Conference 
 resolves. That instead of " three of the nearest Superintendents," chosen by the 
 Superintendent who calls the Meeting, four Superintendents, or other Preachers, 
 may be called in, if either party desire such assistance, and be incorporated with the 
 Preachers stationed in the District. Of these, two shall be chosen by each of the 
 two parties concerned in the affairs to be settled by the Meeting. The parties 
 may severally make choice of Preachers in whom they have most confidence, from 
 any District, without restriction as to contiguity ; and the President of the Confer- 
 ence, if he judge it expedient, may attend and preside in all such assemblies, 
 according to the Regulations of 1797. The right of appeal to the Conference from 
 
1 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 129 
 
 the decisions of this, as of all other inferior jurisdictions, is to be considered as 
 reserved to all parties. 
 
 8. In the preceding articles of this Document, reference has been repeatedly 
 made to the Law of God contained in the Holy Scriptures, as furnishing, in the trial of 
 members, that primary standard of judgment, by which the innocence or culpability 
 of any particular facts adduced in evidence is ever to be determined. This princi- 
 ple, though obvious, and scarcely needing argumentative defence, the Conference 
 have advisedly made prominent in this statement of their views. Any conduct in 
 a man professing godliness, which can be shown to be decidedly condemned by the 
 precepts and principles of the New Testament, is surely sufficient to justify, if per- 
 sisted in, the application of a suitable ecclesiastical censure, or other penalty, to 
 such an individual ; even though it may not have been previously foimd necessary 
 to make a distinct and specific Rule of our own Society on that exact mode and 
 form of delinquency. The New-Testament Law of Purity, in reference both to the 
 Pastors and Members of the Christian Church, and with respect both to Doctrine 
 and Practice, its often-repeated Law of Peace, and Godly Quietness, and its 
 Laws of Courtesy, Brotherly Kindness, and mutual Charity as well as its direc- 
 tion that ** all things " should " be done decently and in order," and its requirement 
 of reasonable submission, on the part of Church Members, to the scriptural " rule " 
 of those who are " over them in the Lord," these are standing enactments of the 
 Gospel, binding on all Christian communities, and therefore binding on the Me- 
 thodist Societies, without exception. Any obstinate violation of them must be 
 suitably visited, when proved ; or else the authority of Jesus Christ himself, as the 
 Lord and Master of our department. of his spiritual House, will be criminally set at 
 nought ; and He will have just cause to say to the Ministers and Pastors of our 
 community, as He did to one of old time, " I have somewhat against thee." 
 
 9. On considering, in connexion with these Scriptural principles, the present 
 state of several Circuits, and the system of organized agitation and distm-bance in 
 which certain persons have publicly threatened to proceed, in the com-se of the 
 coming year, the Conference deem it necessary to take this opportunity of expUcitly 
 declaring their views on that subject, and of giving such general directions to the 
 Superintendents as the exigency appears to demand. 
 
 The self-called " Grand Central Association," considered as to its character of 
 confederacy and coml)ination, and its extensive schemes of disorder and mischief, 
 is, in those respects, somewhat unusual and strange ; and some other persons, also, 
 avoiding a formal connexion with the Association, have applied themselves with 
 unwonted activity and insidious concert to plans and efforts of factious agitation. 
 Hence, some of the friends of good order have supposed that new Rules were want- 
 ing to check these new forms of evil, and have called on the Conference to protect, 
 by some additional enactments, the peaceable and well-disposed members of our 
 numerous Societies from the menaced annoyance and insult. It should, however, 
 be considered that the circumstances which are most characteristic and essential in 
 the constitution and conduct of the " Association," and in the proceedings of other 
 agents of faction, are plainly contrary even to our existing Rules and Usages, and to 
 those j^rinciples, conservative of purity and peace, which the Conference has ever 
 recognised, and guarded by strong enactments. Thus, in 1795, it was resolved, 
 that any Local Preacher, Trustee, Steward, or Leader, who should disturb the peace 
 of the Connexion by speaking for or against '* the old or new plan," then the sub- 
 ject of eager contention, should be expelled from the Society. And in 1796 it was 
 enjoined, that " no man or number of men in our Connexion should, on any account 
 or occasion, be allowed to circulate letters, or call meetings," for the purpose of 
 stirring up our people to divisive and innovating agitations. Such plans and pro- 
 ceedings, moreover, are plainly opposed to the supreme and unrepealable Law 
 of Christ in the New Testament, already repeatedly referred to in this Address. 
 " Debates, envyings, vnraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults," 
 are there deprecated and condemned in the strongest and most affecting terms. 
 We are enjoined to mark them that cause divisions, if any man that is called a 
 brother be a railer, with such an one, no not to eat, to live in peace, that the 
 God of love and peace may be with us, to let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, 
 aod clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from us, to follow peace with all 
 
 K 
 
'A^ 
 
 130 APPENDIX. 
 
 men, if it be possible, as raucli as in us lieth, to live peaceably with all men, to 
 know them which labour among us, and are over us in the Lord, and to esteem 
 them very highly in love for their work's sake, and be at peace among ourselves, 
 to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and, finally, to desire that 
 we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godhness and honesty. St. James 
 declares that " where envying and strife is, there is confusion and everj' evil work ; 
 but the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be 
 entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy ; 
 and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." The 
 Conference, for these reasons, deem it unnecessary at present to provide against 
 these modem forms of offence by any new and more specific regulation ; because so 
 much of moral evil and un-Christian practice is involved in the plans and proceed- 
 ings of the said Association, and of other similar confederacies, by whatever name 
 disguised, that to give them countenance, or to co-operate \sith them, is to be a 
 partaker and abettor of various palpable transgressions of the commandments of 
 God, and a violator, in some instances of the letter, and in others of the whole spirit 
 and tenor, of our established rules. It is therefore hereby declared to be the 
 unanimous judgment of the Conference, That any person who, instead of peaceably 
 retiring from our Connexion, if he decidedly disapprove of our system either of doc- 
 trine or discipline, and cannot conscientiously even acquiesce in them, endeavours 
 to retain and to employ his position among us for the purposes of opposition and 
 strife, or who continues, after due admonition, to be a member of " The Grand 
 Central Associ.ition," or of any other confederacy formed for the object of syste- 
 matic agitation, is guilty of a flagrant transgression of that morality of the Neu> 
 Testament, the observance of which was a principal condition of his admission into 
 our Society, and must be considered to have justly forfeited his claim to the privi- 
 leges of our religious fellowship. In applying to particular cases this righteous 
 general rule, the Conference exhorts all the Superintendents to exercise, in con- 
 nexion with a holy firmness, the moderation and mercy of the Gospel ; bearing long, 
 and dealing tenderly, though faithfully, with the weak, the ill-informed, and the 
 misled ; while they do not shrink from the effectual execution of necessary Chris- 
 tian discipline on those who by overt acts of hostility and disturbance identify 
 themselves as the leaders, or open partisans, of disaffection and faction. The sound 
 and satisfied majority of our Societies a majority happily so immense as to render 
 all comparative calculations unnecessarj' have a just claim on us for protection in 
 the quiet enjoyment of their religious privileges ; a claim which some of them have 
 most forcibly urged, and which it is our bounden duty to meet with a discreet but 
 decisive enforcement of our discipline on those whoin milder methods shall fail to 
 reclaim from their course of disturbance and mischief. 
 
 JII. MEETINGS FOR COMMUNICATION WITH THE CONFERENCE BY MEMORIAL, 
 ON SUBJECTS OF LOCAL CONCERN, OR ON THE GENERAL LAWS OF THE 
 CONNEXION. 
 
 The spirit and substance of our present regulations and authorized usages on this 
 subject the Conference considers to be embodied in the following summarj' state- 
 ment : 
 
 1 . The Conference have said that they, as well as the District-Committees, will 
 gladly receive useful intelligence and information, even from any individual member 
 of the Society, " on whatever concenis themselves or their people." (See ** Minutes " 
 of 1796.) 
 
 2. ** The Leaders' -Meeting is the proper Meeting for the Society, and the 
 Quarterly 'Meeting for the Circuit." (" Minutes" of 1797.) From those Meetings, 
 therefore, the Conference will receive communications, whenever they deem it 
 necessary to make them, on subjects connected with the proper business of their 
 own Societies, or of their oum Circuits, respectively. 
 
 3. After full discussion and deliberation, it was judged (in 1797) that *' other 
 formal meetings, in general, would be contrary to the Methodist economy, and very 
 prejudicial in their consequences." The grounds of this judgment were, doubtless, 
 such as these : The " other formal meetings," to which reference is made, are 
 pbviously unnecessary for the purposes of individual representations of fact, or for 
 
APPENDIX. 131 
 
 communication with the Conference on the really difficult and important affairs of 
 a particular Society or Circuit ; the fullest provision being made for all these cases 
 by the preceding articles of the same Rule. If unnecessary, they are for that rea- 
 son undesirable ; because occasions of contention and debate ought not to be need- 
 lessly multiplied, especially in a religious Society, which is bound by the law of 
 Christ to " follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one 
 may edify another." Christians should rather sacrifice unessential points of 
 opinion, or matters of personal predilection, than endanger, by an eager obtrusion 
 of their own views, the maintenance of tranquillity and good feeling in the commu- 
 nities to which they belong. If the object of those who wish for the " other 
 formal meetings," to which the Minute of 1797 objects, be the suggestion of any 
 improvements in our various Pubhc Institutions, then, too, are they, generally 
 speaking, as unnecessary, as in the case of Society or Circuit business ; for in all 
 those institutions Committees are now appointed, in which Preachers and laymen of 
 unimpeachable integrity and intelligence have a place, which Committees have, as 
 such, regular official communication with the Conference, on every subject con- 
 nected with their respective trusts and interests. " Other formal meetings " cannot 
 be needed in order to obtain redress for the alleged misconduct or mal-administra- 
 tion of any particular Preacher or Preachers ; because the most ample means of 
 obtaining such redress are already secured to complaining parties connected with 
 the Circuit immediately concerned, by our existing Rules respecting the Trial of 
 Accused Preachers. It seems, then, that no very material and legitimate business 
 remains for the " other formal meetings " in question, except it be the transmission 
 to the Conference of opinions, respecting some desired change in the general laws 
 of the Connexion. Now, it should be considered that frequent alterations in the 
 laws of a religious community, when they have once been deliberately settled, are 
 neither safe nor advantageous. Such questions should not be hastily or capriciously 
 mooted, as they usually tend to " gender strifes," rather than to " godly edifying." 
 A habit of petty, meddling, speculative legislation would be a dire calamity. It is 
 not good in matters of discipline, any more than of doctrine, to be " ever learning, 
 and never coming to the knowledge of the truth;" ever making new laws, or 
 trying to mend existing ones, instead of keeping those already in force, and endea- 
 vouring to turn thera to the best account for the spiritual benefit of ourselves and 
 others. 
 
 4. For reasons probably similar to those now stated, the Conference of 1797 did 
 not feel themselves at liberty to establish or encourage " other formal meetings." 
 They did not, however, wholly prohibit them, as matters of occasional occurrence ; 
 being willing, it appears, to provide, if possible, for the permanent tranquillity of the 
 Connexion in circumstances extraordinary as well as ordinary. They therefore 
 appended to the statement last quoted the following Rule : 
 
 " In order to be as tender as possible, consistently with what we believe to be 
 essential to the welfare of our Societies, we allow that other formal meetings may 
 be held, if they first receive the approbation of the Superintendent, and the Leaders' 
 or Quarterly Meetings : provided also, that the Superintendent, if he please, be 
 present at every such meeting." 
 
 The present Conference have considered with the most respectful attentioA\ the 
 wish which appears to have been of late revived among several of our sincere 
 friends, that some direct and authorized medium of occasional communication with 
 the Conference should now be provided for our people, in reference to a certain 
 class of subjects, which do indeed concern the general laws, and, cojisequently, the 
 practical administration, of Methodism ; but which, because they do not affect them 
 in their individual capacity as members, nor yet relate, strictly or directly, to the 
 local affairs of their particular Society or Circuit, cannot, for that reason, be made 
 the topics of discussion, or of memorial, in the Leaders' or Quarterly Meetings, 
 without violating a great and important general maxim, essential to a due observ- 
 ance of the Christian law of peace, and to the orderly transaction of our public 
 business ; namely, that every meeting among us shall confine itself to its proper 
 and definite province, do its own work in the spirit of piety and kindness, and 
 refrain from interfering with the work of others. Anxious to maintain this maxim 
 in its full authority, and concurring ge}ierally in all the reasons stated in the pre- 
 
 K 2 
 
132 APPENDIX. 
 
 1 
 
 ceding article, as rendering " other formal meetings " undesirable and unnecessary, 
 (except, perhaps, on very special occasions,) this Conference are nevertheless soli- 
 citous, like their venerable predecessors of 1797, to meet, as far as the public peace 
 and safety will permit, the wish above described. On careful deliberation, the 
 Conference are of opinion, that the principle of the concluding portion of the law 
 of 1797, already quoted, will be found to furnish the best and most expedient 
 means of accomplishing all that can be reasonably desired. But it must be con- 
 fessed, that the detaiU of the Rule, as it now stands, appear to be so vague, and 
 otherwise defective, as to require considerable alteration and extension. The 
 Conference, therefore, now agrees as follows ; viz., 
 
 (1.) That, after the final close of the June Quarterly-Meeting in ever}' year, the 
 Superintendent shall detain the Circuit-Stewards, and all the Society-Stewards, 
 who may be present, whether belonging to the Societies in the Circuit-town, or to 
 those in the countrj' places ; and shall ascertain from them whether there really 
 exists, in that Circuit, a general or considerable dissatisfaction ^^^th any of our 
 existing Rules, or a prevalent and earnest desire for the enactment of any new and 
 additional Regulations. If it be the opinion of a majority of the persons so con- 
 sulted, or even of any considerable proportion of them, that the wish for alteration 
 is strong and extensive, and moreover, that the matter is clearly of such im])ortance 
 as to justify the calling of a Special Circuit-Meeting, in order to consider the pro- 
 priety of sending a Memorial to the Conference on the subject, then, and in every 
 such case, the Superintendent is hereby directed and required to summon, by good 
 and sufficient notices to all the parties concerned, such Special Circuit-Meeting, 
 which shall assemble within a period of not less than seven days, and not exceeding 
 ten days, from the time of the June Quarterly-Meeting. The power of a veto, in 
 reference to the calling of such Meetings, given to the Superintendents by the old 
 Rule of 1797, is hereby wholly repealed and abolished ; and the provision above 
 stated is substituted for it, 
 
 (2.) That, whereas the Rule of 1797 did not at all define the composition of the 
 " other formal meetings " partially allowed by it, it is now expedient to define the 
 constitution of the Special Circuit-Meeting above mentioned, if one shall be 
 convened, in the following manner; viz., such Meeting shall include, 
 
 All the Travelling Preachers of the Circuit, comprehending the Supernumerary 
 Preachers, if any : 
 
 The Circuit-Stewards : 
 
 The Stewards* of the Town Society, or of all the Societies (if there be more than 
 one) in the Circuit-Town : 
 
 One of the Stewards of each of those other Societies which were entered on the 
 latest Circuit-Schedule as containing fifty members or upwards : 
 
 The Male Class -Leaders in the Circuit, of tea years' continuous and uninterrupted 
 standing in that office : 
 
 The Local Preachers in the Circuit, of the same continuous and uninterrupted 
 standing, since they were first placed on the Plan as Local Preachers fully 
 admitted : 
 
 The Trustees of the Chapel or Chapels of the Circuit-Town, (if regularly 
 settled, and so seciu-ed to the use of the Connexion,) being members of the 
 Society : 
 
 And, One of the Trustee-Treasurers or Trustee-Stewards of every other regularly 
 settled and secured Chapel in the Circuit, being a member of the Society. 
 
 The Superintendent, or, in the case of his unavoidable absence, some other 
 Travelling Preacher appointed by him, shall always preside in the Meeting. 
 
 (3.) That at such Meeting, any member thereof may propose for consideration, 
 as before stated, the propriety of memorializing the Conference, respecting the 
 repeal or alteration of any of our existing laws, or of the enactment of any additional 
 Rule. Such Memorial, if approved by a majority of the persons present, shall be 
 signed forthwith by the individuals who concur in its adoption, and then imme- 
 diately placed in the hands of the Superintendent, who is made responsible for its 
 delivery, personally or otherwise, to the President of the Conference, on or before 
 the second day of its ensuing session. And all such Memorials shall be received 
 by the Conference, and referred to a Committee of its members, who shall carefully 
 
APPENDIX. 133 
 
 examine, consider, and classify the whole, and report their opinion thereupon to the 
 Conference. 
 
 (4.) That the right of memorial on the suhject of our general legislation, thus 
 recognised and allowed, shall, however, be exercised under the following Regula- 
 tions, which the Conference considers to he both sound and reasonable in principle, 
 and really necessary in order to the prevention of great and serious evils : First : 
 Notice in writing shall be given to the Superintendent, for the information of all 
 who desire it, at least three days before the day of Meeting, of the precise subject 
 on which it is intended to propose that any Memorial shall be sent to the Confer- 
 ence ; and no proposal, of which such timely notice has not been given, shall be 
 allowed to be brought forward for that year. Secondly : All Memorials, requesting 
 any change in our laws, shall be limited to such changes only as are consistent 
 with the essential principles of M'^esleyan Methodism, and within the pale of our 
 established constitution. The Conference cannot fairly be required to receive any 
 propositions of a manifestly revolutionary character, or which are wholly subversive 
 of that system of doctrine or discipline which has been confided to them by Mr. 
 Wesley as a sacred deposit, and which, as they believe, has been also committed to 
 their keeping by the providence and grace of God. Thirdly : The Rules, whose 
 alteration, repeal, or enactment may become the subject of discussion and memorial 
 in such Meetings, must be such Rules only as have operated, or are intended to 
 operate, in the government of the Societies at large. This is in literal accordance 
 with the limitation adopted in 1797, in the analogous case of the " new laws," to 
 be submitted to the consideration of the September Quarterly-Meetings. The dis- 
 ciphnary jurisdiction of the Preachers over each other, and their right of regulating 
 among themselves all that relates pecuUarly and specifically to the Christian minis- 
 try, and the pastoral office, are not to be considered as subjects open to the official 
 interference by Memorial of the Meetings now constituted. Fourthly : The Special 
 Meeting of one Circuit shall not be at Uberty to intermeddle with the local affairs 
 or proceedings of any other Circuit or Circuits ; respecting which, its information 
 must often, of necessity, be exceedingly partial and defective, and its interference, 
 consequently, if attempted, must be as useless and even mischievous, as it would 
 be culpably officious, offensive, and unconstitutional. (See " Minutes " of 1828, vol. 
 vi., pp. 399 401.) With these necessary limitations, the Superintendents are 
 directed to allow, in Meetings constituted as aforesaid, the free and friendly discus-^ 
 sions of our people, and to take charge of any Memorial from them, couched in 
 proper and respectful terms. (See Minutes of Conference for the year 1835, vol. 
 vii., p. 573.) 
 
 [The Resolution of the Conference, declarator;/ of the right of the Conference 
 and the District-Committees to institute a friendly inquiry into the ministerial con- 
 duct of any of its members, is contained in the following extract from the Minutes 
 of the same year. (1835.) That the right concerning which the Declaration was 
 made, has always been exercised in Methodism, is fully established in the able pam- 
 phlet of the Rev. Thomas Jackson, President of the Conference for the present year.] 
 
 Q. XXIII. Is it expedient, on account of recent occurrences, to re-assert, by 
 Declakatory Resolutions, any of om- Rules or usages, which individuals have 
 attempted to contradict or pervert ? 
 
 A. We think it is expedient ; and therefore the Conference unanimously declares 
 as follows ; viz., 
 
 1. That not only the Conference, but all its District-Committees, whether ordi- 
 nary or special, possess the undoubted right of instituting, in their official and col- 
 lective character, any inquiry or investigation, which they may deem expedient, 
 into the moral, Christian, or ministerial conduct of the Preachers under their care, 
 even although no formal or regular accusation may have been previously announced 
 on the part of any individual ; and that they have also the authority of coming to 
 such decisions thereupon, as to them may seem most conformable to the laws of 
 the New Testament, and to the Rules and usages of our Connexion. In the 
 District-Meetings, especially, the Chairman has the official right of originating such 
 
134 APPENDIX. ' ' 
 
 inquiries, if he think necessary ; because our Rule declares, that " the Chairman of 
 each District, in conjunction with his brethren of the Committee, shall be responsi- 
 ble to the Conference for the execution of the laws, as far as his District is con- 
 cerned." 
 
 2. That all Preachers who desire to remain in ministerial communion with us, 
 are considered as retaining that communion on the distinct condition, that they 
 hold themselves individually pledged to submit, in a peaceable and Christian spirit, 
 to the usual discipUnary investigations, not only of the Conference, but of all its 
 District- Committees, whether ordinary or special, when summoned according to our 
 Rules and usages ; and that any Preacher who refuses to submit to the friendly 
 examination of the Chairman and of other brethren, or to take his trial, regularly 
 and formally, before the Preachers either of an ordinary or of a Special District- 
 Committee, when duly required so to do, shall be considered as, ipso facto, incur- 
 ring the penalty of suspension until the ensuing Conference ; because no possible 
 security can be found even against the worst forms of moral or ministerial delin- 
 quency, if persons charged with any misconduct, and summoned to trial, be allowed 
 to evade with impunity our established modes of investigation. 
 
 3, That a Preacher under suspension has no right to vote on any question in the 
 Conference, while his suspension is continued ; nor even to be present in its meet- 
 ings, without l^ave, until his own case shall be brought forward. (Vol. vii., p. 549.) 
 
 THE END. 
 
 LOifbON : PRINTED BY JAMES KICHOLS, HOXTONSQUARE. 
 
SUPPLEMENT 
 
 TO MRS. JUDSON'S ACCOUNT OF THE AMERICAN BAPTIST 
 MISSION TO THE BURMAN EMPIRE. 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 Mission House, Rangoon, Dec. 11, 1823. 
 
 My dear Friend, 
 
 Shall I attempt to describe the sensations produced by 
 finding- myself in this much-loved spot ? Yes, I am really in 
 Rangoon, at my own study table, and surrounded by the same 
 scene 1 have so frequently described to you. 
 
 It appears to me now all a dream that I have been in Eng- 
 land, in America, and through all my wanderings, am at last 
 returned, and find the same scene I left. Who has so much 
 cause for gratitude and thankfulness as myself? Who is under 
 so great obligations to be entirely and exclusively devoted to 
 God as I am ? Goodness and mercy have followed me all my 
 days, but the kind, protecting care of God has been most con- 
 spicuously &een*duiing my two years absence from Rangoon. 
 
 In my usual style 1 will give you, my dear friend, an account 
 of myself since 1 last wrote, as you are so kind as to express 
 so nmch pleasure in reading my little narratives. On the 22nd 
 June last, with a joyful heart, J left my native shores for India, 
 followed by the prayers of thousands, who were collected on 
 the wharf to witness our departure. In a fine new ship, a large 
 airy cabin, with a kind obliging captain, I found myself most 
 pleasantly situated, and under the direction of our heavenly 
 Father, the winds and waves were propitious, for we reached 
 the sand heads in the Bay of Bengal in a hundred and five days 
 from Boston. During our voyage, I had the happiness of wit- 
 nessing a most decided change in the captain, who, for two 
 months previously to our arrival at Calcutta, devoted his whole 
 time to the subject of religion, and is resolved, on his return 
 passage, to conduct worship himself among his sailors on the 
 Sabbath. 
 
 On my arrival in Bengal, you will readily imagine my first 
 inquiries were to ascertain what intelligence had been received 
 from Mr. Judson, and what prospects of my speedy departure. 
 The information received from the former was animating and 
 encouraging ; but respecting the latter, sad indeed, as it was 
 expected that no ship would sail for several months, as very 
 
 z 
 
328 Supplement to Mrs. Judson's Account 
 
 serious difficulties existed between the Burman and British 
 Governments. For several days my mind was in a state of 
 constant anxiety, but was instantaneously relieved, by noticing 
 a paragraph in the paper, advertising a ship for Rangoon. I 
 immediately engaged my passage, and after a month's resi- 
 dence in the kind and hospitable family of the Rev. Mr. Tho- 
 mason, I embarked for Rangoon, where I safely arrived in 
 nineteen days. 
 
 I dare not attempt to describe my feelings as the ship ad- 
 vanced towards the Burman coast. It was late in the evening 
 when the vessel anchored ; but the first object which caught 
 my eye, as the boat rowed toward the shore, was Mr. Judson. 
 From long expectation and disappointment, he had acquired 
 such an habitual sadness and dejection of spirit, that it required 
 all my exertion to disperse it, and make hi? . -.!r. J. again. He 
 had not heard a word from me for thirteen months, (owing to 
 the failure of my letters) and the very day I arrived, he had in 
 despair yielded all hope of my existence ! I soon had the 
 happiness of meeting Mah-Men-lay, Moung-Shay-bay, and 
 others who are still an honour to their profession. Mah Myat- 
 lay, the second female who was baptized, died in the triumphs 
 of hope a few months ago. She longed for the hour of her 
 release, and assured those who stood around her that she would 
 soon be in the ])resence of Christ. Is not this one instance of 
 the power of divine grace more than a compensation for all 
 our days of darkness and distress, formerly spent in preparation 
 for our work ? 
 
 Mr. Judson has his boats in readiness to proceed to Ava, 
 and to-morrow we go on board. He has obtained considerable 
 favour from high officers in Government, and thinks our pros- 
 pects at Ava very encouraging. The King's own brother, a 
 very powerful prince, has his attention excited by the Christian 
 religion, and has lately written a very kind, affectionate letter 
 to Mr. Judson, requesting his speedy return to Ava, and to 
 bring with him all the sacred books.* A foreign female has 
 never yet been introduced to the Burman Court, consequently 
 much curiosity is excited by the expectation of my arrival. 
 May the God of Heaven be our protector, and give us that wis- 
 dom which is profitable to direct. I feel, my dear friend, that 
 I am about to begin anew my missionary work, and need more 
 grace, more resolution, and more spirituality of feeling than 
 ever before. We shall be surrounded by despotism and idola- 
 try, but the God of Jacob is our hope, and in his hands we are 
 as safe as in our own loved America. He has evidently pointed 
 
 * See pages 231, 2, of Mrs. Judson's printed Letters on the Burman 
 Mission. 
 
Of the Baptist 3Iission to the Burman Empire. 333 
 
 outside of the cabins, such as rice, cooking utensils, and the 
 boatmen's mats, were all afloat. The steersman, however, had 
 presence of mind enough to cut the rudder from the boat, 
 which enabled the boatmen to raise her from her side, and 
 after drawing her to the shore, and repairing her rudder, we 
 proceeded on our way, feeling more than ever our dependence 
 on God, and the importance of having our minds at all times 
 stayed on him. Our fears have been considerably excited for 
 a few days past, on beholding the martial movements of the 
 country. We understand that the Emperor is determined on 
 war with the English, and has ordered an army to proceed 
 with all possible dispatch to Arrakan. Yesterday we passed 
 the head-quarters of the troops, and war boats are continually 
 passing us. We know not what effect this war will have upon 
 our mission, or how much our own lives will be endangered 
 from the suspicion that we are English. But we always have 
 this consolation, that God reigns, and that the greatest, as well 
 as the smallest events are under his direction, 
 
 AvA, Feb. 16, 1824. 
 I must now finish this long letter, as a gentleman is on the 
 point of going to Bengal, and has kindly offered to take letters. 
 We arrived in safety at this city twenty days ago, after a plea- 
 sant trip of six weeks ; we had not a house to cover our heads 
 on our arrival, nor could we procure one which was sufficient to 
 shelter us from the burning rays of the sun. We were therefore 
 obliged to remain in our boat until we could build : you will I 
 am sure smile, when I tell you that we built a house, and moved 
 into it, in just a fortnight from our arrival ; it consists of three 
 rooms and a verandah, delightfully situated on the bank of the 
 river. The ground was given last year to Mr. J. by the king, 
 and is considered our own. The house we now inhabit is de- 
 signed for the school-house for my girls, as soon as we can 
 get another built for our own use. The school has already 
 commenced with three little girls, whose shrill voices are now 
 ringing in my ears while they read their lessons : they are fine 
 children, and improve as fast in reading and sewing as any 
 children in the world. I doubt not the school will rapidly 
 increase, as soon as we have time to look around and make a 
 selection. The Emperor, on account of the present war with 
 the English, is rather prejudiced against foreigners, conse- 
 quently Mr, J.'s reception at court was rather cool. I have 
 not yet been at the palace, as the king and all the royal family 
 went to Umera-poora, in a day after our arrival, where they 
 remain until the completion of the new palace in this city, 
 when they will take possession in usual form, and Ava will in 
 
334 Supplement to Mrs, Judson's Account, ^c. 
 
 future be their residence. My old friend, the lady of the 
 viceroy of Rangoon, came to sec me as soon as she heard of 
 my arrival, and has promised to introduce me at court on the 
 return of the royal family. Her husband died during my ab- 
 sence, and with his death all her power and distinctions cease. 
 She is a well-informed, sensible woman, and there is much 
 more hope of her attending to the subject of religion in her 
 private situation, than when she was in public life. In a day or 
 two after our arrival, Mr. J. introduced me to Prince M. and 
 his Princess ; they treated us with the greatest kindness. The 
 Princess took me into her inner apartments, made me a hand- 
 some present, and invited me to visit her frequently, and ordered 
 her cart to be prepared to convey me home. Prince M. is intel- 
 ligent, desirous of obtaining foreign information, and has for 
 some time been examining the Christian religion ! Oh ! that a 
 merciful God would enlighten his mind, and make him a real 
 disciple of the blessed Redeemer. 1 hope to gain some influence 
 over the Princess, and induce her to read the New Testament, 
 which is now in her own language. She is surrounded at all times 
 by twenty or thirty females, and who knows but religious conver- 
 sation may be blessed to them, though the Princess herself 
 should never be benefited. We have here an uncommon field 
 for usefulness, and if we may only be allowed to remain, there 
 is no doubt but much good would be done. My health has 
 been much improved during my voyages, and I begin to hope 
 that I may last yet some years ; but we are, in a literal sense, 
 alone. We have not half the means of obtaining intelligence 
 from our friends as when in Rangoon; and as for society, it is 
 so far out of the question, that we hardly think of mentioning 
 it. Dr. Price is our only missionary associate; but he has 
 married a native wife, and lives the other side of the river. 
 Mr. J. preaches every Sabbath in the Doctor's house, where 
 he has something of a congregation. We also have worship 
 in Burman every evening in our own house, so that a faint ray 
 of light is beginning to appear in this dark city. 
 
 Remember me most affectionately to , whose likeness 
 
 is now hanging before me, and is almost the only ornament in 
 our little house. Pray kindly write a line to Miss H., of Li- 
 verpool, and inform her that the box of articles she forwarded 
 arrived just as I was leaving Calcutta, They were most ac- 
 ceptable, as we have daily occasions for distributing them. Say 
 also that I intend writing to her very soon. Do not forget to 
 pray for 
 
 Your most affectionate Friend, 
 
 A. H. JUDSON. 
 
 To , London. 
 
SEVENTH MEMOIR 
 
 RESPECXrNG 
 
 Cfje Cranslations of tfte ^acteD g^criptureg 
 
 INTO THE 
 
 LANGUAGES OF INDIA, 
 
 CONDUCTED BY THE BRETHREN AT SERAMPORE. 
 
 Nearly five years have elapsed since the Serampore 
 Brethren, whom recent circumstances* constrain to act 
 as a Committee for conducting Translations in certain 
 of the Languages of India, published their last Memoir 
 respecting the progress made in them ; and they now feel 
 themselves compelled to lay the state of these Transla- 
 tions before the Public at large, in the hope of obtaining 
 that aid which they find themselves under the imperious 
 necessity of soliciting for the sake of carrying them for- 
 ward. In these circumstances, therefore, they feel it 
 their duty to submit to the various Bible Societies in 
 Europe and America, to the Christian Public at large, and 
 to every one in particular, who feels interested in the 
 Scriptures being given to the heathen, a concise view of 
 
 * The circumstances alluded to are, the dissolution of the Corresponding 
 Committee of the Bible Society, from its being no longer necessary ; and 
 their generouS' request to the Committee of the Parent Society, that they 
 would. consider the Serampore Brethren as a distinct body, and as such 
 transmit their future grants directly to them. 
 t 
 
2 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 
 
 what has been already done, and of the advantages pos- 
 sessed for accomplishing the rest under the blessing of 
 Him who has hitherto so graciously smiled on their 
 humble attempts. 
 
 Twenty-six years have elapsed since the commence- 
 ment of the first of these translations, that in the Ben- 
 galee language ; and sixteen since they submitted to the 
 public their plan of extending them to the various lan- 
 guages of India. Circumstances, therefore, enable them 
 now to judge with a degree of certainty relative to this 
 work, particularly as in this period their attempts to 
 introduce the gospel into various provinces of India have 
 made them better acquainted therewith, as well as im- 
 pressed them more deeply with the importance of the 
 work. 
 
 In their last Memoir it was stated that the whole of the 
 Sacred Scriptures were published in two of the languages 
 of India, and the New Testament in sexen of them. 
 They now have the happiness of stating, that the whole 
 of the Scriptures are published in five of them, and the 
 New Testament in Jifleen. Of the state .of succeeding 
 editions, &c. in these languages, they proceed to give a 
 brief account. 
 
 Languages in which the whole Scriptures are published. 
 
 1. In Bengalee, the Jifth edition of the New Testament, 
 containing five thousand copies, which was printed ofl' 
 about three years ago, is nearly exhausted ; and of the 
 different parts of the Old scarcely a single copy has been 
 left for some time past. The continual demand for this 
 version, therefore, has rendered it necessary to lose 
 no time in printing a new edition of the whole Scrip- 
 tures. This edition, which will form the sixth edition 
 of the New Testament, and the third of the Psalms 
 
Seventh Memoir respecHng Translations. 3 
 
 and some other parts of the Old Testament, will con- 
 sist of four thousand copies, and of the New Testa- 
 ment two thousand extra, the demand being so very 
 great. With the view of studying economy in an edition 
 so large, the Serampore Brethren have prepared a new 
 fount of types, which, while perfectly clear and legible, 
 are of a moderate size : and with these they are printing 
 this new edition in double columns, in a large octavo page, 
 which they hope will bring the whole five volumes into 
 one volume of about thirteen hundred pages, royal octavo, 
 or two very moderate volumes, and the New Testament 
 into a neat duodecimo of about four hundred pages. For 
 this edition they are preparing a paper of a suitable size, 
 made of the sun (crotoleria j uncea), which, though inferior 
 to English paper in point of colour, is equally imper- 
 vious to the worm, and far more durable, being made 
 of the raw material, the fibre of which possesses a supe- 
 rior degree of strength. Independently of the advan- 
 tage arising from thus comprising the whole Bible in one 
 portable volume, this edition will secure a saving of more 
 than half the paper, and full two-thirds of the expense 
 of binding. This appears so important a consideration 
 when the demand for the Scriptures in India is so con- 
 stantly increasing, that the brethren think few things will 
 more effectually serve the cause of religion, rnd (he in- 
 terests of those societies in Britain and India, who so 
 generously labour to evangelize the heathen, than 
 endeavouring to ascertain by what means the largest 
 editions of the Scriptures can be given to the numerous 
 millions of India, at the least possible expense ; and a 
 careful examination of the various characters current, 
 enables them to hope, that in most of the languages of 
 India, the Scriptures may be ultimately brought into one 
 volume without injuring their legibility, or rendering the 
 
 a2 
 
4 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 
 
 volume too unwieldy for common use. The present 
 edition of the Bengalee Scriptures, which will, they 
 trust, receive considerable improvement in going through 
 the press, they expect will be completed within two years. 
 
 2. In the Sungskrita^ the last volume of the Old Tes- 
 tament was printed off above two years ago. The first 
 edition of the New Testament is quite exhausted ; and 
 the numerous calls for the Scriptures in this language by 
 the Literati of India, especially those in the western pro- 
 vinces, have induced the Serampore Brethren to put to 
 press a second edition of the whole Scriptures. This 
 will be likewise printed in double columns, in the large 
 octavo size, and the whole Scriptures be comprized in 
 one volume. It will consist of two thousand copies, 
 with an extra number of two thousand for the New 
 Testament. 
 
 3. In the Hmdee also the last volume of the Old 
 Testament was published nearly two years ago. The 
 edition of the New Testament being nearly exhausted, 
 and the Rev. John Chamberlain having prepared another 
 version of the New Testament in this language, for 
 which his long residence in the western provinces of 
 India, and his intimate acquaintance with their popular 
 dialects, eminently fit him, the brethren at Serampore 
 have resolved in this edition to print his version of the 
 New Testament instead of their own, as a comparison of 
 independent versions, made by persons long and intimately 
 acquainted with the language, will be of the utmost value 
 in ultimately forming a correct, chaste, and perspicuous 
 version in this widely extended language. Of this edition 
 of the New Testament, which is more than half through 
 the press, they are printing three thousand copies. 
 
 The KyVhee character, an imperfect imitation of the 
 Dev-NagMree, being far more read in some parts of the 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 5 
 
 country than the Devfl-Nagwree itself, particularly by 
 the trading part of the community, the brethren, at Mr. 
 Chamberlain's particular request, have caused a fount of 
 types to be cut in this character from the best models they 
 could procure ; and are also printing three thousand 
 copies more of the Hindee version in this character, that 
 it may meet the wants of those who, already familiar with 
 it, are too old to acquire the Deva-Nagwree. That in 
 the latter character is advanced as far as the Acts. 
 
 4. In the Orissa language the whole Scriptures have 
 been long published. The first edition of the New Tes- 
 tament being exhausted, and the demand for this version 
 still increasing, the Serampore brethren have put to press 
 a second edition, which is now more than half through the 
 press. It consists of four thousand copies. 
 
 5. The last volume of the Old Testament in the Mah- 
 ratta language was published many months ago, so that a 
 version of the whole Scriptures in that language is now 
 completed. Of the first edition of the New Testament, 
 not a single copy being left, they have put to press a 
 second edition in a duodecimo size. A certain number of 
 copies, however, are printed with double columns in the 
 large octavo size to bind up with a second edition of the 
 Old Testament, which they hope to put to press in that 
 size when this edition of the New is finished. In these 
 Five Languages the whole of the Scriptures are now pub- 
 lished and in circulation ; in the last four of them, second 
 editions of the New Testament are in the press, and in 
 the first, the Bengalee, begun twenty-six years ago, the 
 sixth edition of the New Testament. In the following 
 ten languages the New Testament is published or nearly 
 so ; and in some of them the Pentateuch, and other parts 
 of the Old Testament. 
 
# Seventh Memoir respecting Translations, 
 
 Languages in which the New Testament is published. 
 
 1. In the Chinese language the translation of the Old 
 Testament was completed several years ago. In addition 
 to the New Testament, the Pentateuch, the Hagiographa, 
 and the Prophetic Books, are now printed off. The His- 
 torical Books, which will complete the whole Scriptures, 
 are in the press ; and as- the work becomes gradually more 
 and more easy, the whole of the Chinese Scriptures will 
 probably be published before the end of the ensuing year. 
 
 2. In the Shikh language, beside the New Testament, 
 the Pentateuch and the Historical Books are printed off; 
 and the Hagiographa is advanced as far as the middle of 
 the book of Job. So strong however has been the desire 
 of this nation for the New Testament that the whole 
 edition is nearly distributed, and a second edition will 
 probably be called for before the Old Testament is wholly 
 published. Beside the Mugs on the borders of Arracan, 
 no one of the nations of India has discovered a stronger 
 desire for the Scriptures than this hardy race; and the 
 distribution of almost every copy has been accompanied 
 with the pleasing hope of its being read and valued. 
 
 3. In the Pushtoo or Affghan language, the nation sup- 
 posed by some to be descended from the Ten Tribes, the 
 New Testament has been printed off. The Pentateuch 
 is also advanced at press as far as the book of Leviticus. 
 
 4. In the Telinga language, often termed the Teloogoo, 
 the New Testament was published two years ago, and the 
 Pentateuch is printed as far as the book of Leviticus. 
 This translation however, when the Pentateuch is finished, 
 the Serarapore Brethren intend to resign to the Madras 
 Auxiliary Bible Society, now one is formed at that Pre- 
 sidency. 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 7 
 
 5. In the Kunkuna language, the Nesv Testament was 
 completed above eighteen months ; and the Pentateuch is 
 advanced at press as far as the book of Numbers. As 
 this province comes immediately under the care of the 
 Bombay Bible Society, it is intended, on the completion 
 of the Pentateuch at press, to relinquish this translation 
 to them. 
 
 6. In the Wuch or Mooltanee language, the New Tes- 
 tament has been printed off these eighteen months in its 
 own character. But as the opportunities of the brethren 
 for distributing this version have been exceedingly limited 
 and they have little prospect of being able soon to esta- 
 blish a mission in that province, they have dismissed the 
 pundit, and discontinued this translation, till these cir- 
 cumstances, with those of a pecuniary nature, shall be 
 more favourable, 
 
 7. In i\\e Assam language, also, the New Testament has 
 been printed off nearly two years ; and the vicinity of this 
 country to Bengal rendering it highly desirable to proceed 
 with the translation, an edition of the Old Testament has 
 been put to press in the large octavo size with double co- 
 lumns, which will very considerably lessen the expense, 
 the character being similar to the Bengalee both in form 
 and size. The simultaneous progress of the Swngskr2t, 
 the Bengalee, and the Assamese versions in precisely the 
 same size, tends to facilitate the labour of bringing them 
 through the press. 
 
 8. In the Gujuratee language, the New Testament is 
 now happily brought through the press, thirteen years 
 after retaining the first pundit in this language. It makes 
 between eight and nine hundred pages, and is printed in 
 the Deva-Nagwree character. The province of Surat 
 however, being sa near to Bombay, and the Serampore 
 Brethren having at present no missionary there, they in- 
 tend to resign thfe translation to their brethren of the 
 
8 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 
 
 London Missionary Society, who are now studying the 
 language, that they may give their attention more fully to 
 those in which no others are engaged. 
 
 9. In the Bikaneer language, also, the New Testament 
 is now finished at press. It contains eight hundred pages, 
 and is printed in the Nagwree character. The Bzkaneer 
 version was begun nearly seven years ago. 
 
 10. To these we may add the New Testament in the 
 Kashmeer language, which version has been in hand 
 nearly eight years, and will be finished at press in about 
 a month. It is printed in a neat type of its own, as men- 
 tioned in a former Memoir. In these Ten languages the 
 New Testament may be considered as being published. 
 
 Beside these fifteen in which the New Testament is 
 completed, there are six other languages, in which it is 
 brought more than half through the press. These are, 
 the Kurnata, the Nepal, the llarotee, the Marwar, the 
 Bhughulkund, and the Oojein version. About ten months 
 more, they have reason to hope, will bring these through 
 the press ; and thus in Twenty-one of the languages of 
 India, and those by far the most extensive and important, 
 will the New Testament be published. It is the intention 
 of the brethren to relinquish the first of these, the Kur- 
 nata, to the Madras Bible Society on the New Testament 
 being completed, that they may be able to attend to the 
 remaining languages in which no version is begun by any 
 one beside, with greater intenseness of mind. 
 
 The remaining versions now in hand are the following 
 ten, which are all in the press : 
 The Jumboo printed to John. {The Dogura orPcr/pa, Mark. 
 
 The Kanouj to John. 
 The Khassee to John. 
 The Khoshul to Mark. 
 The Bhutuneer to Mark, 
 
 The Magudha to Mark. 
 The Kumaoon to Matthew. 
 The Gudzoal to Ditto. 
 The Muni-pocra to Ditto. 
 
 In these ten versions, therefore, a sufficient progress is 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations, 9 
 
 made to render the completion of them in no way 
 difficult. 
 
 In this state of the work, the brethren feel constrained 
 to acknowledge, with the deepest gratitude, the goodness 
 of the Father of Mercies, who has so graciously preserved 
 them and those who have assisted them in this work till 
 the greatest and most difficult part of it has been thus 
 completed. And they feel it their duty to express their 
 obligations to the public, both in Britain and America, 
 for that generous aid which has carried them through their 
 work far beyond the highest expectations they had formed 
 sixteen years ago, on first addressing the public on the 
 subject. Nor does it lessen their satisfaction to contem- 
 plate how many in this period have been stirred up and 
 encouraged in various denominations to assist in this im- 
 portant work. From the beginning their object has been, 
 as they then declared, to secure the completion of the 
 work, regardless by whom it was done if really accom- 
 plished ; which has made them encourage all of other 
 denominations to engage therein within the verge of their 
 acquaintance ; and when they have had reason to believe 
 that any version would be carried through, they have 
 gladly relinquished it to others, unless the language ap- 
 peared sufficiently important to degerve the labour of 
 two simultaneous versions, as is the case with the Chi- 
 nese, and some few others. 
 
 That the progress already made renders the rest easy 
 of accomplishment, if life be spared and means affi)rded, 
 will appear evident to those who consider, that the 
 twenty-one languages in which the New Testament is 
 either published or nearly brought through the press, 
 comprise not only the parent languages which originate 
 most of the dialects in India, and indeed throughout 
 Eastern Asia, the Swngskrfta and the Chinese ; but also 
 
10 Secetith Memoir respecting Translations. 
 
 the principal branches sprung from them, which pervade 
 the greatest extent of population, and from which the 
 neighbouring dialects have been formed, although now 
 so varied in their terminations as to form distinct lan- 
 guages. The New Testament being printed off in these, 
 the other ten, which have precisely the same mode of 
 construction, and above nine-*enths of the same words, 
 would be perfectly easy, were they now to be begun. 
 But the progress made in printing these, sufficiently 
 shews that a beginning is made in them all, and that in 
 some of them two or three of the gospels have been 
 brought through the press. The principal difficulties 
 of this work therefore, which at the beginning created so 
 much anxiety, have now been nearly overcome. To 
 those who have brought one edition of the New Testa- 
 ment through the press, any part or the whole of the Old 
 Testament can create little difficulty, if it be advisable 
 to proceed therewith. And a second edition of the New 
 Testament in any one of them, must be rather a work of 
 delight than of difficulty. In almost any language, a 
 first edition, if it be at all correct, removes so many of 
 the difficulties of a language, as almost to secure the rest 
 asmatter of course. 
 
 Relative to second editions, however, or even to carry- 
 ing the translation through the whole Scriptures in each 
 one of these languages, the brethren intreat permission 
 to submit to the public the following ideas -.Respecting 
 the leading languages of India, and those which are 
 spoken through the largest extent of country, they ap- 
 prehend that there can be but one opinion on this subject 
 among all who feel interested in the planting of the gos- 
 pel in India. In these, not only should the whole of the 
 Scriptures be given ; but successive and improved editions 
 of them be published as they may be required till the 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 1 1 
 
 version be rendered complete, and the country evan- 
 gelized. Further: in the languages of those countries 
 into which missionaries have been sent, although they 
 may be comparatively small, it seems desirable not only 
 that the whole scriptures should be given, but that suc- 
 ceeding versions should be published as they may be 
 needed. Wales contains a far less number of inhabitants 
 than the population among whom some of these lan- 
 guages are current, that of Orissa for example, yet what 
 wisdom would there have been in denying to Wales the 
 whole Scriptures, or even successive editions of them ? 
 But respecting those countries which, while not very 
 large in extent, are as yet without any one, either Euro- 
 pean or Native, to carry to them the word of life ; it 
 may not be improper to delay proceeding with the rest of 
 of the Scriptures, till Providence may put it into the 
 heart of some one to carry the word of life into these 
 countries. The New Testament once printed, it can be 
 distributed to those of its inhabitants who may be met 
 with in other parts of India, and these may carry it into 
 their own country, and possibly make way for the dis- 
 semination of the gospel there ; since it is but for one or 
 two of those natives to meet with the Scriptures while 
 sojourning in other parts, and to be instructed in them 
 by some one who is acquainted with the truth as it is in 
 Jesus ; and if their hearts be touched, they may at once 
 perform the work of missionaries for their own country, 
 and like the Ethiopian Eunuch, carry thither the gospel 
 they themselves have received. Moreover a version of 
 the New Testament contains a sufficient quantity of mat- 
 ter to form a key to any language ; the grammatical ter- 
 minations, the construction, and the orthography exhibit- 
 ed by so large a volume, will completely prevent the 
 knowledge of any language being lost, and open the way 
 
 b2 
 
12 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 
 
 for its beinij; carried further whenever this may appear 
 desirable. Till there be, therefore, an immediate pros- 
 pect of the gospel's being carried into any province, the 
 brethren conceive it will not be unwise to pause for a 
 season at the completion of the New Testament. 
 
 It may be hoped, also, that in some instances wherein 
 the terminations of two or three of these languages nearly 
 approximate, and the words in all three are nearly the 
 same, one version will be ultimately found to suffice for 
 two or three of these provinces, and thus the labour and 
 the expense be in some degree lessened when second 
 editions may be required. If this can be effected only in 
 a few instances, the fact is worth ascertaining, which can 
 be done effectually by circulating a first edition of the 
 New Testament in each of these dialects, and waiting 
 relative to a second, till due examination shall have been 
 made. 
 
 In comparing this Memoir with that published five 
 years ago, the reader will perceive that in several of the 
 languages therein mentioned the translation has been 
 discontinued. On discovering the low state of their 
 funds, and weighing the heavy expense which the second 
 editions of the Scriptures, now in the press, in the Swng- 
 skrztfl, the Bengalee, the H/ndee, and the Orissa lan- 
 guages, in which they were so imperiously required, 
 would necessarily involve after every degree of economy 
 was studied, they were constrained, though with the ut- 
 most regret, to give up several which they had begun, as 
 they feared to continue them all lest the expense should 
 appear to the public too heavy a burden. In discon- 
 tinuing these, however, they have been guided by a due 
 consideration of the importance and the distinctness /of 
 the different languages in which they are engaged, as 
 well as of the ease with which pundits could be again pro- 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations, 13 
 
 cured, should the public enable them to take up these 
 again. Should any language retained appear less impor- 
 tant, therefore, than some of those dropped for the pre- 
 sent, the reason maj be sought in the difficulty with which 
 pundits in this language could have been obtained, had 
 they been once dismissed. 
 
 Having thus briefly stated the progress which has been 
 made, under the Divine blessing, in the work of publishing 
 the Scriptures in the various languages of India, they beg 
 leave to add a few observations relative to the importance 
 of this being attempted, and the means afforded fordoing 
 it, as constituting this attempt an imperious duty, since 
 " to him that knoweth to do good and doth it not, to him 
 it is sin." On this subject they have occasionally seen 
 remarks thrown out, too vague and indistinct, indeed, to 
 need of a refutation, and yet capable of distressing the 
 minds of those partially acquainted with the nature of the 
 circumstances, which render the work both easy of ac- 
 complishment and a sacred duty. The following observa- 
 tions on the subject are not intended as a refutation of any 
 thing which has appeared on the subject, therefore, but 
 merelv to convey information to the minds of those who 
 really desire to see India under the influence of the word 
 of God. 
 
 1. It seems important that the whole of India should 
 obtain the light of the gospel, and that as speedily as pos- 
 sible. As a nation we are debtors to the whole of India, 
 and not merely to one or two provinces ; and the whole 
 of it i^in nearly the same circumstances. It is in a state 
 of almost equal darkness : the whole is filled with the 
 same monstrous delusions, that God and his creatures are 
 one, or rather that there is no Creator, and hence no 
 Lawgiver able to save, or to destroy ; nor a Supreme 
 Judge of all, separately from the creatures he has made. 
 
14 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations, 
 
 Nor is this darkness likely to be removed by the light of 
 truth being confined to one place or one province. A 
 city is not illuminated by filling abundantly with light a 
 single house, or even a small street therein, but by dis- 
 tributing light through all its principal parts. To en- 
 lighten India effectually, the Scriptures must be given in 
 the dialects of its different provinces ; and their effect in 
 dispelling the terrors of superstition, and drawing general 
 attention to the gospel, will be more speedily produced 
 by enlightening various provinces at the same time, than 
 by its light being concentrated in one province or city. 
 That one city in India should, indeed, renounce Hin- 
 dooism, or manifest any very general attention to the 
 gospel, while the rest of the country continue bound by 
 the chains of cfl5/ and of superstition, will not be expected 
 by those who are thoroughly acquainted with the state of 
 things. The dialects of India are also nearly of the same 
 nature, all of them almost equally allied to the Swng- 
 skritfl, and all of them capable of receiving a translation of 
 the Scriptures : and through the leadings of Providence 
 within these few years past, and the success with which 
 the counsels and the arms of Britain have been crowned, 
 nearly all the provinces of India wherein these various 
 languages are spoken are now rendered easy of access. 
 It is, therefore, exceedingly to be desired, that the whole 
 of India should be enlightened by the gospel with as 
 little delay as possible. 
 
 ^. It is impossible for this to be fully effected without 
 the Scriptures being translated into the various languages 
 current in India, Respecting the number of these, the in- 
 formation formerly obtained was very defective. It was 
 once supposed, that in a country which equals Europe 
 both in extent and in the number of its inhabitants, there 
 were not more than ten or twelve different dialects cur- 
 
<\ 
 
 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 15 
 
 rent, although the British Isles alone comprize five, and 
 require five translations of the Scriptures for the use of 
 the common people. The bounds fixed to its various 
 provinces by its Mahomedan conquerors, however, could 
 by no means change their languages ; and prior to the 
 appearance of a Musulman army on its borders, the Hin- 
 doos had possessed their own country above two thousand 
 years, undisturbed by any beside their Babylonian or 
 Grecian invaders, who, whatever were their predatory 
 conquests, could interfere but little with the various lan- 
 guages spoken in the country. It was during this long 
 period, in which Europe and Western Asia were con- 
 vulsed with revolutions, that the various dialects of India 
 were formed, and too firmly fixed in their respective pro- 
 vinces for a conqueror to make any great impression on 
 them. It is now demonstrated that, during the seven 
 centuries in which they held India, the Musulmans were 
 able to afi'ect its languages merely as spoken in its chief 
 cities. And even in these, that deference which the con- 
 quered naturally have for their masters, and which led 
 the chief Hindoo inhabitants in some degree to incorpo- 
 rate their language with their own, little affected the 
 natives in the interior of the country, who, seldom ac- 
 customed to the sight of their Mahomedan masters, con- 
 tinued to speak the language which their forefathers had 
 spoken from age to age. This may be naturally inferred 
 from the state of things in Calcutta relative to the lan- 
 guage of those who now rule the country ; although a few 
 of the natives have acquired the English language, it is 
 a fact, that notwithstanding the length of time which the 
 British have possessed India, English is not become the 
 language of the natives in a single street, or in the 
 smallest corner of the city. The languages of India, 
 therefore, may well be supposed to be now nearly what 
 
16 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations, 
 
 they were two thousand years ago ; and the hope of 
 rooting out or of changing languages, which have been 
 fixed in their various provinces for more than two thou- 
 sand years, is completely futile. The only method of 
 conveying information to its inhabitants, appears to be, 
 that of carefully ascertaining the language in which they 
 are accustomed to convey ideas to each other, and making 
 that the medium through which to convey ideas con- 
 tained in the Sacred Scriptures. 
 
 The exact number of these is not easily ascertained ; 
 but nearly Forty have been already found, including 
 those in the south of India. That such an extent of 
 country and population should contain so great a num- 
 ber, will not appear strange to those who attend to the 
 hints found in the Greek writers respecting the number 
 of nations into which the inhabitants of India were then 
 divided, which, in some instances, is said to have exceeded 
 a hundred. Porus boasted that he had six hundred chiefs, 
 or rajahs, subject to his sway ; and though we may sup- 
 pose that many of these resided in one province, yet it 
 will not appear strange that there should have been 
 among these nearly forty languages, when Mithri dates' 
 army, assembled from Asia Minor, is said to have con- 
 tained so great a number as twenty-two. That a conti- 
 nent which so justly deserves the name of Asia Major, 
 should be divided by a still greater number of languages, 
 will appear to follow almost of course. And that while their 
 system of superstition, their manners and customs, and 
 even the form and fashion of their garments, have con- 
 tinued the same from generation to generation, any of 
 their languages should have perished, or have undergone 
 any very great alteration, is not likely even in the nature 
 of things. 
 
 If the tidings of salvation, therefore, be ever fully im- 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations 17 
 
 parted to the inhabitants of the various provinces of India, 
 this must be effected by giving them the Scriptures in 
 their own languages, small as may be their extent or cir- 
 culation. To give them in that of some neighbouring 
 province, may enable a few individuals acquainted with 
 the language of their neighbours to understand them ; 
 but will do little towards the gospel's obtaining a perma- 
 nent abiding in the country itself. Of this the Welch, 
 and more recently the Gaelic and the Irish languages, 
 furnish sufficient proof The currency of the Scriptures 
 in the English language, was not sufficient to make them 
 the means of salvation among the Welch. After nearly 
 a hundred and fifty years had elapsed, it was deemed 
 necessary to give them the Scriptures in their own ver- 
 nacular dialect small as was its extent of circulation ; and 
 from that time they have brought forth fruit abundantly. 
 Nor did their being in the general language of Britain, 
 render the Scriptures intelligible to those who spoke the 
 Gaelic in the Highlands of Scotland, the Native Irish 
 in the remoter parts of Ireland, or the Manks in the 
 Isle of Man. After generation upon generation of these 
 has passed away, unblessed by the oracles of truth, the 
 friends of mankind have at length deemed it worthy of 
 the labour and expense to publish the Scriptures in these 
 languages, notwithstanding their limited extent ; and this 
 after the English language had been cultivated around 
 them, with the Scriptures current therein, for more than 
 two hundred years. 
 
 3. While there appears no way of permanently en- 
 lightening the various provinces of India without giving 
 the Sacred Scriptures in their different languages, there 
 is nothing which will so much assist the endeavours of 
 the Living Preacher in attempting to evangelize a 
 province* The sphere of labour occupied by any 
 
 o 
 
IS Seventh 3Innoir respecting Translations. 
 
 missionary who has not the Scriptures to distribute 
 in the lan;uai^e of the province, will be found ex- 
 ceedingly narrow. Should he succeed in attracting the 
 attention of a few, so as even to raise a small church, 
 unless he has the Sacred Scriptures ready to nourish 
 their minds and to enable them to hold forth the word of 
 life amidst their neighbours, they can effect but little; 
 they maj/ gradually die away, and the little handful of 
 proselytes become extinct. But with the Scriptures in 
 their hands, however imperfect a first translation may be, 
 even natives will be able to appeal to their neighbours 
 in the most powerful manner, demonstrating to them 
 that their faith is not without foundation ; and while they 
 nourish their own minds with the words of sound doc- 
 trine, and train up their children in the perusal of the 
 Scriptures, able to make them wise unto salvation, they 
 can circulate them far and wide among their own coun- 
 trymen. This consideration is strengthened by the fact, 
 that a deep reverence fur writings deemed sacred, is a 
 prevalent feeling throughout most of the provinces of 
 India. Literature is not as yet so widely diffused among 
 them, as to take away a regard for books in general ; 
 but writings which come recommended to them by an 
 idea of their being Divine, attach to themselves a strong 
 degree of veneration. In Bengal no opposition has ever 
 been made to the Sacred Scriptures ; many have mani- 
 fested indifference relative to them, but few have ever 
 treated them with contempt. 
 
 4. While a translation of the Scriptures into the dia- 
 lects of India, will so increase the efficiency of the mis- 
 sionary's exertions in attempting to plant the gospel, it 
 fiiay in some instances effect this important object without 
 the aid of a Missionary from Europe. The similarity is 
 great between the various languages derived from the 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 19 
 
 Si/ngskritrt : and a Native of India to whom one of them 
 is indigenous, as he is already acquainted with nine- 
 tentbs of the words it contains, can easily acquire a 
 neighbouring one. It is not uncommon indeed to meet 
 with intelligent natives who understand three or four of 
 these languages, which they have acquired in the course 
 of business. Further, India possesses even at the pre- 
 sent time, Natives who have from the heart obeyed the 
 gospel ; and there are Youth now rising among these, 
 who, from their parents or elder relatives having em- 
 braced Christianity sixteen or eighteen years ago, have 
 grown up in the perusal of the Scriptures. For these 
 the College lately instituted at Serampore provides the 
 means of improving their minds in knowledge both hu- 
 man and divine. Among those, therefore, who have thus 
 turned from idols to. serve the living and true God, or 
 among their children still more fully imbued with the 
 knowledge of the Sacred Oracles, may perhaps be found 
 such as taking a version of the Scriptures, will enter 
 another province of India with the language of which 
 they are familiar, and there ditfuse abroad the knowledge 
 of that way of life in which they have been trained up from 
 their youth : for which work their intimate acquaintance 
 with the habits and ideas of their countrymen, their being 
 accustomed to the climate, and hence able to travel on 
 foot from village to village, and from house to house, 
 with various other circumstances, fit ihem far beyond 
 foreign missionaries who may arrive from Europe or 
 America too late in life to sustain the heat of the burning 
 climes of India. 
 
 5. Further, it is possible in some cases for a version of 
 the New Testament . in some of the languages of Indiay 
 even to create its own expounders. If blessed to this end 
 by its Divine Author, it will be found quick and power- 
 
 c 2 
 
t0 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations, 
 
 fill, sharper than any two-edged sword. But has the 
 Divine Spirit ever thus blessed the mere perusal of the 
 Sacred Scriptures ? This is no uncommon case even in 
 Britain and America, where there is no want of living 
 instructors: and in India more than one instance could 
 be pointed out even among our own countrymen, wherein 
 the Scriptures have been made the only means of bring- 
 ing the mind to a knowledge of the Redeemer. Nor 
 would it be difficult to name the village in which a New 
 Testament in the Bengalee language, left at a shop 
 many years ago for public perusal, was the means of 
 bringing five or six persons to the knowledge of the 
 Saviour of men, of whom two died some years ago in the 
 enjoyment of Christian hope, the others are at this day 
 respectable as Christians, and one of them a highly ac- 
 ceptable preacher. If such be the case, what a pow- 
 erful means of spreading the knowledge of Christianity 
 throughout Eastern Asia may the Scriptures be rendered! 
 How great might be the effect of an edition of the New 
 Testament introduced into a nation, to whom it may be 
 scarcely possible at present for missionaries to obtain ac- 
 cess ! A Thousand copies might pervade almost a whole 
 country ; and a copy might convey the news of salvation 
 to a man of reading in the most unobtrusive manner ; it 
 might be perused by him at a season in which a mis- 
 sionary could not obtain access to him, in a moment of 
 retirement, when the mind, sickened with the enjoyments, 
 or wearied with the cares and oppressions of the world, 
 might listen with joy to the Saviour, declaring himself 
 the only rest " for the weary and heavy laden." The 
 sacred invitation might be consulted repeatedly, and 
 weighed with that attention scarcely capable of being 
 given to the fleeting voice at a first or even a tenth ad- 
 dress from a man of a foreign nation and accent. It 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations, 21 
 
 could moreover be read to an intimate friend, or amidst 
 a family circle inaccessible to a foreigner. If the Scrip- 
 tures should enlighten the mind of one individual, he 
 might impart his ideas to others, and these to others in 
 their turn, till a number of living preachers were created 
 by the Scriptures themselves ! Thus, through the Di- 
 vine blessing, might the Sacred Scriptures themselves 
 diffuse a knowledge of Christianity in countries as yet 
 scarcely accessible to foreign Missionaries. 
 
 Were it not indeed for encouragement of this nature, 
 what could we reasonably expect from the Two Hundred 
 Thousand copies of the New Testament, which have 
 been with so much wisdom and piety distributed by 
 Leander Von Ess among the Roman Catholics in Ger- 
 many ? These go forth unaccompanied by any living 
 instructor, as a preacher could at present scarcely gain 
 admission into these countries, who yet receive a copy 
 of the written word. But are these copies of the Scrip- 
 tures sent forth without the living preacher, sent in 
 vain ? Had the British and Foreign Bible Society judg- 
 ed thus, would they have encouraged the distribution of 
 the Scriptures by this excellent man, as they have so 
 wisely done from the beginning ? Do these copies of 
 the Scriptures, however, find those converted to whom 
 they come ? Are they not enveloped in darkness scarcely 
 less palpable than that which covers the natives of India ? 
 It is evident, however, that all hope of fruit from this 
 amazing distribution of the Scriptures in Roman Catholic 
 countries, must be founded on the expectation that the 
 Divine Spirit will render the Scriptures themselves the 
 means of enlightening the mind and changing the heart. 
 But are these influences of the Divine Spirit confined to 
 countries called Christian ? may we not humbly hope 
 that God will pour out his spirit on the Heathen also ? 
 
2'2 Sevrnlh Memoir respecting Translations. 
 
 Should he not indeed, what can be effected hy the 
 labours even of the livings preacher ? But is not this 
 hope imperative on us as to providing the Sacred Scrip- 
 tures as far as it may be in our power ? From a review 
 of all these circumstances, it appears impossible more 
 effectually to promote the cause of God here, than by en- 
 deavouring, if possible, to carry the translation of the 
 Scriptures into every dialect current in India. 
 
 6. Nor may it be improper to add, that while the 
 Scriptures impart to one missionary the efficiency of many, 
 the expense of a version of the New Testament is not equal 
 to that of even One Missionary/ for three years. Relative 
 to the living messenger of the gospel and the written wordy 
 things at present arf precisely the reverse of what t^ey 
 were in the days of the Apostles. While the extension of 
 knowledge is such almost throughout the whole world, 
 or at least through that part of it which is under Euro- 
 pean inffuence, that, compared with the state of things 
 in the days of the Apostles, the ahiliti/to read is increased, 
 more than a hundred fold, the expense of furnishing a 
 Hundred copies of the Sacred Scriptures at the present 
 day, must be far less than that of preparing One in the 
 Apostolic days. Then, after the canon of Scripture was 
 completed, when each manuscript copy (for such alone 
 existed), was the labour of years, what must have been 
 the expense of preparing for any country One Hundred 
 copies of the JVew Testament alone! Surely to furnish 
 even Ten Thousand copies at the present time, occupies 
 less time, and involves a less portion of labour, than pre- 
 paring only One Hundred in manuscript, although each 
 copy is read with such superior ease. This seems to point 
 out the path of duty relative to evangelizing every nation 
 which possesses a written language. God is pleased to 
 suit his gifts to the various periods of his church; the 
 
Serenth Memoir respcctiftg Translations, 23 
 
 present age he has not favoured with the gift of working- 
 miracles, nor with that of tonues ; but the Sacred Scrip- 
 tures may be made to speak in every tongue, and so mul- 
 tiplied as to find their way to every town and village, 
 and almost to every house : they may even exercise a kind 
 of ubiquitT/^ and speak in ten thousand places at the same 
 moment. 
 
 This peculiar feature in the present age will strike the 
 mind still more strongly, when we also consider the vast 
 disparity between the expense of sending forth living mes- 
 sengers of the gospel at the present day, and that of 
 their going forth in apostolic times. Then, as long as the 
 ^ift of tongues was continued, a man often went forth 
 with little or no previous preparation : a heart filled with 
 the knowledge and the love of the gospel, enabled mul- 
 titudes to go forth at their own charges into countries and 
 climates little diflerent from their own, recommended to 
 the grace of God, indeed, by the believing brethren with 
 whom they were connected, and followed hy their ardent 
 prayers; but, from the age and the nature of the work 
 in those days, expecting no pecuniary supplies from their 
 brethren to follow them. This in the present day is al- 
 most wholly impracticable. A certain degree of prepara- 
 tion is generally necessary ; and from the distance of India 
 both froin Europe and America, before missionaries can 
 reach the scene of operation, the expense of a long 
 voyage is unavoidable. When they have arrived there, 
 the unfriendly nature of the climate renders it impossible 
 for the foreign missionary to travel from place to place 
 without an accumulated degree of expense. When we 
 add to this the disadvantage of speaking a strange tongue 
 acquired when the organs of speech have ceased to be 
 flexible, and the enfeebling effect of a burning clime on 
 every exertion made to convey the word of life to others; 
 
S4 Seventh Memoir respecting Trafislations, 
 
 it will appear, that even when life is spared, and the ex- 
 pense of preparation and the voyage is not rendered abor- 
 tive by death, still the difficulty and expense of furnishing 
 a living preacher must be nearly ten times greater than 
 that which lay on the churches in apostolic times. Con- 
 trast this with the superior facility of imparting copies of 
 the written word at the present period ; and while the ne- 
 cessity for living instructors is fully acknowledged, it will 
 still strike the mind, that since the difficulty and expense 
 with which the one is furnished in the present age compared 
 with the other is as a Thousand to One, the widest extent 
 of operation should be given to the written word in aiding 
 the exertions of living instructors. If the Great Head of 
 the Church, suiting his gifts to the present state of man- 
 kind in their increasing attention to letters, has rendered 
 the diffusion of the written word so easy and inexpensive, 
 compared with that of sending forth and supporting the 
 living messengers of the gospel, wisdom itself dictates 
 that the latter should be employed chiefly with the view 
 of giving efficiency to the former ; and that they should be 
 occupied principally in the work of circulating the written 
 word through the various countries now without the gos- 
 pel, till, the whole earth being filled with thewordof God, 
 this disposition of them be no longer necessary : and we 
 may reasonably expect, that while they are thus em- 
 ployed, God will by their means raise up numerous native 
 preachers in various countries, to whom the Scriptures 
 will be absolutely necessary, and who, with them in their 
 hands, will be able to assist in the work in a most exten- 
 sive degree, as was the case even in apostolic times. 
 
 The importance of the work being evident, it only re- 
 mains to inquire whether advantages exist for carrying it 
 forward sufficient to warrant the attempt ; and this can 
 easily be seen by briefly noticing those which have been 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations, 25 
 
 for years in a train of preparation, and through Divine 
 goodness are now in full operation. 
 
 1. Advantages are enjoyed for printing any Version 
 whatever^ and that at a moderate expense. The necessity 
 of suitable founts of types, to print the different versions, 
 is self-evident ; and this was severely felt on first engaging 
 in the work. This necessity, however. Divine Providence 
 has now met in the most effectual manner. Beside dif- 
 ferent founts of Devfl-Nagwree, the most ancient of the 
 Indian characters and the origin of all the rest, when 
 the founts in hand are finished, the Serampore Brethren 
 have now /a!;e/i:;e alphabets, embodied in as many different 
 founts, the letters in all of which, as far as they are 
 found, being substantially the same in name, order, and 
 power, with those in the Deva-Nagwree alphabet, much 
 as they may differ in form from that and from each other. 
 These are : the Orissa, the Telinga, the Tamul, and the 
 Cingalese, which embrace the language current in the 
 South of India, and the three last of which have been 
 employed for printing editions of the Scriptures at 
 Madras and Ceylon ; the Bengalee, the Mahratta, and 
 the Kyt^hee, which render the Scriptures legible to nearly 
 thirty millions in the central part of India ; the Mool- 
 tanee, the Goojuratee, and Shikh, current in the more 
 western part; the Kashmeer, current in the north-west ; 
 and the Burman, which is read throughout that vast 
 empire, as well as by the Christian brethren in the Mug 
 country, and the inhabitants of Arracan. In addition to 
 these may be added, a new fount of Arabic, now em- 
 ployed in printing a version of the Malay Scriptures ; and 
 a fount of Persian in preparation, under the eye of the 
 best judges of that character in India. With these va- 
 rious founts of types, there are few versions of the Scrip- 
 tures, in any of the languages of India, which cannot be 
 
 I) 
 
26 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 
 
 printed with ease. The labour of twenty years has also 
 formed a Printing Establishment comprising Seventeen 
 Presse?, and workmen of every description ; and the 
 value of it in reducing the expense of a version is by no 
 means inconsiderable. To this is now added the ad- 
 vantage of a Paper Manufactory on the spot. The 
 importance of this to the diffusion of the Scriptures 
 throughout India has been long felt: it is vain to ex- 
 pect that the Scriptures can be printed in sufficient 
 quantity for extensive distribution on paper brought 
 fifteen thousand miles: the expense will fall too 
 heavy on the Christian public. A first edition, of 
 which the number is necessarily small, may be thus 
 printed ; but how can second and succeeding edi- 
 tions, in which the number of copies it may be hoped 
 will continually increase, be given on paper imported 
 from Britain ? The paper formerly made in India, however, 
 became so quickly a prey to insects, that some have pre- 
 ferred a small number on English paper, to a far greater 
 which a few years might consign to destruction. But a 
 perseverance for twelve years in attempting to produce 
 a superior kind, has been so far crowned with success, 
 that, as already observed, paper equally impervious to 
 the worm with English paper, and of a firmer texture, 
 though inferior in colour, is now made of materials the 
 growth of India. The advantage of thus procuring for 
 these versions, paper made on the spot, and hence free 
 of all expense of carriage, will not appear small when 
 the number of versions requisite is considered, and the 
 increased number of copies in every succeeding edition. 
 These circumstances united, seem themselves to encou- 
 rage persevering exertion in a work so important to the 
 evangelizing of India, independently of . other, things. 
 There are, however, others more intimately connected 
 with the work itself, among which are. 
 
Seventh Memoir respecLing Translations. 27 
 
 2. The number of .learned Natives now trained up and 
 accustomed to the work of translation. These, who are in 
 general well acquainted with Swngskrztfl, have in some 
 instances an acquaintance with three or four of the lan- 
 guages derived from it, beside their own. They, more- 
 over, have now acquired a pretty clear idea of transla- 
 tion, as consisting, not in the exchange of a number of 
 words for an equal number in another language, but in 
 transfusing into one precisely the ideas expressed in 
 another. This is a matter of such importance, that 
 without it the very nature of a translation is misunder- 
 stood. Yet it is by no means easy to convey this idea to 
 the mind of a native, though a man of learning. To do 
 this effectually, is often the labour of years spent in the 
 most assiduous instruction. But when this has been 
 once attained, in the case of able pundits eminently 
 skilled in the parent language as well as their own ver- 
 nacular dialects, the work of translation is thereby 
 exceedingly facilitated. Some of these will take a piece 
 in the Bengalee language, possibly relating to general 
 knowledge, and render it into another dialect, with a 
 fidelity and a happiness of expression scarcely imitable 
 by a European after years of the severest study. When 
 such men are already prepared, it is wise to employ their 
 knowledge and talents in forwarding the most important 
 of all objects, the loss of such men, a lapse of many 
 yearsj or.even of an age, might fail to supply. 
 j; 3.' In the course of so many years a certain degree of 
 experiehcein the worJc has been necessarili/ obtained. There 
 are difficulties in the work of translating the Scriptures, 
 which cannot be easily surmounted without a consider- 
 able' degree of experience. Passages, the general mean- 
 ing of which may be strongly felt, often create difficulty 
 in renderihg.them'^into another language, of which few 
 
 D 2 
 
28 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 
 
 who have not made the trial have an adequate idea. 
 There are also variations in the text of different kinds ; 
 not only arc there passages in which the original is 
 acknowledged to differ much from the sense given in the 
 authorized English version, but many wherein the ori- 
 ginal itself is understood differently by eminent biblical 
 critics. This requires caution in those who conduct a 
 translation of the Scriptures : without some acquaintance 
 with the original, the sense of many passages can scarcely 
 be given in any way, and in the present rage for critical 
 emendations, there is danger lest a strong attachment to 
 studies of this nature should create almost a new text. 
 In the course of years, however, a degree of experience 
 may be acquired favourable to the work : that examina- 
 tion of the original Scriptures which three or four ver- 
 sions successively require, gives an opportunity for 
 weighing passages which one scarcely affords. Ideas 
 relative to a doubtful passage or a various reading, which 
 in a first version seemed indubitable, may be weighed in 
 a second or third, and the novelty of them having disap- 
 peared, they may, perhaps, appear to have little besides to 
 recommend them. There are, indeed, diffipulties found 
 in translating the Scriptures into the languages of India, 
 even where the meaning of the text is perfectly clear ; 
 and these are so numerous, that to surmount them re- 
 quires nearly as much practical skill and experience as 
 the exercise of a distinct art or profession. These it is 
 not easy to describe to those who are unacquainted with 
 the work. Perhaps some idea may be conveyed by the 
 fact, that although the translation of the New Testament 
 into the Bengalee language was not put to press till the 
 translator had been seven years in the country, he him- 
 self, in the second edition, altered nearly every verse 
 therein to render it conformable to the Indian idiom. 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations, 29 
 
 Whatever be the learning or talents possessed by any 
 who may engage in the work of rendering the Scriptures 
 into the languages of India, therefore, experience in the 
 work is by no means unimportant. Opportunities for 
 the acquisition of experience of this nature, however, 
 do not often occur; and when they have occurred, to 
 improve them to the utmost, for the cause of God, seems 
 a sacred duty. 
 
 4. There are certain things which may be highly im- 
 proved for the advancement of these versions. Among 
 these, is, the assistance to be derived from our own country- 
 men in various parts of India who are acquainted with any 
 one of its dialects. It has long been the study of the Bre- 
 thren how the knowledge possessed by these friends 
 might be brought to bear on this great object; and it has 
 occurred to them that few would be unwilling to examine 
 a version of the Scriptures in any dialect with which they 
 are acquainted. Their assistance, therefore, was soli- 
 cited, about two years ago, in an article published in one 
 of the Numbers of " The Friend of India ;" but effectually 
 to secure their help, a circular letter has since been drawn 
 up more fully requesting it, which has been already sent 
 to some, and will be sent to others as occasion may offer. 
 In this letter they are invited not only to contribute as- 
 sistance themselves, but to put a version, or part of a 
 version, into the hands of any respectable native near 
 them competent to the task of examining it, with the as- 
 surance that every expense shall be defrayed which may 
 attend this in the way of copying or otherwise. They are 
 ready to hope that this will gradually bring to bear, on 
 this important object, nearly all the knowledge of this 
 kind possessed by their countrymen in the various pro- 
 vinces of India ; and that if it does not render accurate 
 the various versions of the Scriptures in these dialects, it 
 
30 Seventh Memoir respecimg Translations. 
 
 will do as much towards effecting this as circumstances at 
 present will permit to be done. This letter is given in 
 the Appendix. 
 
 5. But relative to the completion of these different 
 .versions of the vScriptures in the dialects of India, their 
 hope under the JMvine blessing rests chiefly on the exer* 
 tions of the natives themselves. To bring these exertions 
 to bear on the Scriptures is one object of the New College 
 at Serampore. Indeed, for an object so important as that 
 of perfecting the various versions of the Scriptures in 
 the languages of India, almost equal to Europe itself in 
 extent and population, preparation ought to be made, and 
 suitable means provided. A work of this nature ought 
 not to be left to chance, nor to the mere operation of the 
 common course of events. As well might David, when 
 he had set his heart on building the house of God, have 
 left all the materials, the gold, the silver, the brass, the 
 iron, the wood, and the various kinds of precious stones 
 precisely where he found them ; particularly as he was 
 told by the prophet, that he himself was never to com- 
 plfete the house. Such, however, was not David's feeling ; 
 he loved the house of his God too well to slacken his dili- 
 gence on that account ; he prepared of all things for the 
 building almost without weight and number, and this the 
 Divine Spirit has been pleased to record .'in^terms which 
 endear David and his example to this- very. daiy. Thus 
 should provision be made for bringing all that philologi- 
 cal knowledge into this work in which the natives of 
 India are so profound. This accurate knowledge, of the 
 structure of language in general, as well as of the. Sz/ng- 
 skn'ta and its cognate dialects, ought not to be left 
 .wholly in the possession of idolaters ; it ought, if pos- 
 sible, to be transfused into Native Christian .Youth, who 
 are now growing up in an acquaintance, with the Scrip- 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translationsi. 31 
 
 tures. Where philological knowledge, so highly valuable 
 as that possessed by the learned in India, does exist in 
 any country, it ought to be obtained by the advocates of 
 truth. To deny it them, if it can be imparted, is to be- 
 tray the cause of truth and righteousness, and to sin 
 against the best interests of mankind. How important is 
 it, then, that this knowledge should be imparted to them 
 at the period when the word of God is about to be given in 
 every dialect of India ! And how possible it is to impart 
 this knowledge in the fullest manner, when their own 
 superstitions are done away, the proficiency made by the 
 native Christian youths who have already entered the 
 College sufficiently demonstrates. 
 
 6. It seems reasonable that Native Christians in India 
 should not remain for ever without a knowledge of the 
 Languages in which the Sacred Scriptures were given; 
 a little reflection may, indeed, convince us, that a know- 
 ledjje of these will ever be desirable. Translations of 
 the Scriptures, however excellent, can never equal the 
 original : were there no other difference, it will always 
 form an important one, that there are many words, both 
 in the Hebrew and the Greek Scriptures, which have 
 more than one meaning. Now to suppose that any 
 translator, however faithful and able, shall in every in- 
 stance express precisely the idea intended by the Divine 
 Spirit, and with exactly the same force, is to suppose, 
 that every translator is infalliably guided in the whole of 
 his work by the Spirit of God, which would be equiva- 
 lent to a new inspiration. The probability of discrepancy 
 will appear the stronger if we consider that the Scriptures 
 differ widely from all human writings ; in the latter, a 
 translator of congenial taste, and even equal genius, if he 
 should not express precisely the idea conveyed by his 
 author, may, in some instances, express it with supe- 
 
32 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 
 
 rior force and energy. But in a translation of the Holy 
 Scriptures, to express an idea more forcibly than it is ex- 
 pressed in the original, is a departure therefrom, and, as 
 far it extends, a misrepresentation of the mind of God as 
 revealed in his word. While the bulk of mankind in 
 every country, therefore, must make themselves ac- 
 quainted with the Divine will through the medium of a 
 translation, it seems desirable that in every nation which 
 embraces Christianity there should be, even to the end 
 of time, certain persons able to refer to the originals 
 themselves, lest otherwise, as every exposition may 
 possibly recede somewhat from the original, the genuine 
 meaning of the Sacred Oracles should be at length en- 
 tirely lost among them. If this be to be deprecated res- 
 pecting any single nation, how much more respecting 
 the whole of India, in extent equal to Europe itself! 
 Surely it cannot be desirable that the whole of this vast 
 continent, when they receive the Scriptures as the way of 
 salvation, the rule of life and practice, should be without 
 a single person capable of examining their original mean- 
 ing. Yet this may be the case, should no native of India 
 become acquainted with the languages in which they 
 were delivered. It seems important, therefore, that 
 knowledge of this kind should be imparted to native 
 Christian youth with as little delay as possible. When 
 the gospel is made known to the natives of India, the 
 Scriptures given them in their vernacular tongues, and a 
 knowledge of the originals themselves imparted to them, 
 they may be safely commended to the grace of God ; and 
 under his divine guidance and blessing, though foreign 
 missionaries should no longer visit them, the gospel may 
 no more perish from India than it did from England at 
 the Reformation, or from the various countries of Asia 
 Minor when no longer visited by Jewish evangelists. 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 33 
 
 Nor let it be deemed strange for the natives of Eastern 
 Asia to apply to the study of Greek and Hebrew. As to 
 Hebrew, it is more naturally theirs than ours ; it belongs 
 to Asia, and justly forms a principal part of Oriental 
 literature. That one of the most ancient languages of 
 Western Asia should be deemed less congenial to the 
 ideas of its eastern inhabitants, than to those of the most 
 distant isles of Europe, can arise only from our want of 
 reflection. The manners and customs described in the 
 Sacred Writings assimilate far more with those in India 
 than with those existing in modern Europe ; and nume- 
 rous words occurring therein, are at this day used in 
 India in their proper and natural sense. But the capa- 
 city of Native youth to acquire the Hebrew language is 
 placed beyond all dispute by the fact, that there are 
 already to be found many natives of India eminently 
 skilled in Arabic, so much more complex and copious 
 than the Hebrew. To the Greek language the Swng- 
 skriia scholar has an unerring clue : no two languages 
 of different origin resemble each other more strongly. 
 In its nouns, the singular, dual, and plural numbers ; in 
 its verbs, the active, passive, and middle voices ; its 
 twenty prepositions, almost the same in sound as well as 
 force and meaning; its wonderful facility for compound- 
 ing words, and expressing the nicest shades of idea, 
 render the Sungskriia quite a counterpart to the Greek 
 language ; while its grammatical structure is so accurate 
 and exquisite, that, compared with the most concise of 
 the SMngskr2t grammars, the fullest Greek grammar 
 now in use is little more than an imperfect sketch com- 
 pared with a finished picture. To a youth trained up in 
 the study of Sungskriia, therefore, the acquisition of the 
 Greek language can form no hardship. The cultivation 
 of both the original languages by a select number of 
 
 
 
34 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 
 
 native Christian youth previously trained up in Swngs- 
 krz'trt, can easily be secured in the College at Serampore ; 
 and their application of this knowledge in future years to 
 the improvement of the versions of the Sacred Scriptures, 
 in the perusal of which they have been trained up from 
 their infancy, we may hope will ultimately impart to 
 them that almost inimitable felicity of expression, given to 
 the English version by our British divines in the reign of 
 king James, and which could scarcely have been imparted 
 by any beside persons born and educated in Britain. 
 
 7. The collection of such Works as exist in the popular 
 Languages of the country^ zchether in prose or verse, may 
 greatly assist in this work. Although from some of these, 
 highly valuable facts may be gleaned relative to the an- 
 tiquity, the history, the geography of India, the intention 
 is to collect them, not so much for the sake of the ideas 
 they contain, or the information they may convey, as for 
 the sake of ascertaining with precision the different lan- 
 guages of India, with a view to ihe translations of the 
 Sacred Scriptures. This collection will form a consider- 
 able feature in the Library of the College at Serampore ; 
 and from the number of works already obtained, and the 
 generous readiness of friends in various parts of India 
 to aid herein, there is reason to think that such a collec- 
 tion of works in the popular languages of the country 
 will soon be made, as has not yet been found in any one 
 library in India. These works will form a rich treasure, 
 for the examination of native Christian students who may 
 possess a philological taste, and furnish, possibly, the best 
 means of deciding relative to the different languages of 
 I ndia. From all these means united, therefore, they humbly 
 hope that, under the divine blessing, as great a degree of 
 improvement in the versions of the Scriptures in the va- 
 rious languages of India may be anticipated, as can 
 be reasonably expected in present circumstances. 
 
\ 
 
 H 
 
 Seventh Memoir respecting Translatioris. 35 
 
 There is indeed a certain season wherein every thing 
 can be done to the greatest advantage : and this is not 
 wholly inapplicable to the ultimate improvement of the 
 versions of the Sacred Scriptures. Our excellent English 
 version was not brought to its present degree of perfection 
 in the age of Tindal, nor during the reign of Edward the 
 Sixth, -nor even in the long and peaceful reign of Eliza- 
 beth. Could this have been accomplished, indeed, till the 
 learned certainly knew what they had to alter, and what 
 words or phrases to substitute in the room of others ? Who 
 will say that the reign of Elizabeth, wherein the Scriptures 
 were so thoroughly examined by all parties, was not in 
 some degree necessary to prepare the best philologists of 
 that age for the formation of our present excellent ver- 
 sion, early in the seventeenth century ? How much more 
 may this be expected to be the case in India ? How few 
 Europeans have as yet made Indian philology their study 
 for any number of years ! And as for the Natives, from 
 whom the ultimate improvement of these versions may be 
 so justly expected, their minds must imbibe divine truth, 
 become acquainted with the contents of the Sacred VV^rit- 
 ings, and enter into their nature and meaning, before 
 they bring to any degree of perfection the various versions 
 of the Scriptures. 
 
 If these versions, however, be at present imperfect, still 
 the most imperfect version ever made under the direction 
 of those who understand the literal meaning of the Sacred 
 Scriptures, and their design in producing repentance and 
 faith in Christ, has contained the substance of all Chris- 
 tian doctrine, and has been capable of making men wise 
 unto salvation. Who will say that even the Rhemish 
 version of the New Testament, which, according to 
 Fulke and other divines of Elizabeth's reign, contains so 
 many false renderings, intended to pervert the pure doc- 
 
 E 2 
 
36 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations* 
 
 trines of the gospel, was never the means of salvation to 
 one soul, amidst the many thousands who have made it 
 their study ? How much more, then, may we hope that a 
 version will prove the means of salvation to heathens 
 which may be conducted under the direction of those who 
 desire to set every truth in its clearest light, though it 
 should hereafter admit of numerous verbal alterations ! 
 Not a verse of the Bengalee version of the New Testa- 
 ment was left unaltered in the second edition ; yet 
 KrishnoOy who was brought to the knowledge of the truth 
 while reading it, long preferred it to the second edition as 
 a daily manual of devotion. Further, when a version is 
 once in circulation, not only will every European Mis- 
 sionary who may labour on the spot, be able to examine 
 it and enrich it with his remarks ; the Natives themselves 
 will become gradually able to compare it with some ver- 
 sion of the Scriptures in a neighbouring language, the 
 Bengalee, the Hindee, &c., which may have gone through 
 various editions; an ability to read which, if not to read 
 that in the parent Swngskrztfl, will be possessed by some 
 few in almost every province, although the bulk of the 
 inhabitants may be acquainted with no language beside 
 their own dialect. If a version of the Scriptures be 
 brought to a good degree of correctness in a few of the 
 leading languages of India, therefore, those in the others 
 will soon obtain the same degree of correctness : it being 
 easy to transfuse ideas published in one of these cognate 
 languages into all the rest. Thus a version of the Scrip- 
 tures, once put into circulation in any one of the Indian 
 languages, is almost certain of becoming gradually cor- 
 rect, while it may make thousands wise unto salvation, in 
 the course of its thus working itself pure. 
 
 The Brethren who form the Committee for conducting 
 and printing these Translations, now intreat permission 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations, 37 
 
 to submit to the Public the state of the fund intrusted to 
 them for this purpose, which will be found to contain a 
 balance of somewhat more than one thousand pounds. 
 But this balance is so much more than absorbed by the 
 editions now in the press, that the work must have 
 stopped, had they not borrowed funds on their own credit 
 to carry it forward. The sum already expended on these 
 editions, with that which must be advanced before sup- 
 plies can be received from Europe, exceeds, by several 
 thousand pounds, the balance now in hand, as will ap- 
 pear from the following particulars. 
 
 The gracious providence of God, in stirring up the 
 mind of the late excellent Mr. Hey, of Leeds, to interest 
 himself so deeply in the Indian versions, on reading the 
 last Memoir, as to propose a fund for meeting the ex- 
 pense of those of the New Testament therein mentioned, 
 calls for the warmest gratitude to the Giver of all good : 
 nor is it less matter of gratitude that the Bible Society 
 have taken up this plan with the determination to carry 
 it into effect. The ten versions of the New Testament 
 already mentioned as the least advanced,* however, have 
 necessarily a certain outlay made upon them. It is evi- 
 dent, that before a version can be put to press, types and 
 paper must be prepared to print it, and that, when begun, 
 the wages for printing must commence. Hence the Bible 
 Society at Calcutta, on every version they have requested 
 the Brethren to print, have made an advance beforehand 
 to meet the expense of the outlay. On these ten versions, 
 as some of them are already advanced to St. John's Gos- 
 pel, it will not be beyond the truth to say that the outlay 
 on them has been already fifteen hundred pounds. But 
 on the eleven others (exclusive of the three for which 
 the five hundred pounds have been already voted by the 
 
 See page 8th of this Memion 
 
38 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 
 
 Bible Society), of which four are finished and copies sent 
 to the Bible Society, one in the Revelation, and the 
 other six likely to be completed within a tvvelvemonth 
 from this time, the outlay already made is very consider- 
 able. And as the sura is not paid till each version be 
 printed off and delivered, the expense of bringing them 
 through the press lies in the mean time wholly on the 
 Brethren who conduct them. While their previously 
 providing this sum, however, lies heavy on the Brethren 
 who conduct them, still as the Bible Society, in gene- 
 rously undertaking to carry into effect Mr. Hey's plan, 
 have ultimately provided for the expense of them when 
 brought through the press, the Brethren consider these 
 versions of the New Testament as happily taken off from 
 the general fund in their hands for translating and print- 
 ing the Scriptures. 
 
 For the versions of the Old Testament now going for- 
 ward in the TeKng, the Kwnkwnfl, the Shekh, the 
 Pushtoo, and the Assam languages, they have been con- 
 strained to make an outlay from the general fund to 
 the amount of tiearly nine hundred pounds^ that they 
 might put them to press. As the two first of these lan- 
 guages will be relinquished when the Pentateuch is finish- 
 ed, this sum will probably meet the expense of printing 
 the Pentateuch in them, and that of the conducting the 
 rest of the Old Testament in the Shzkh, Pushtoo, and 
 Affghan languages for some time longer. The Old Tes- 
 tament in the Chinese language is as yet carried forward, 
 by the grant of a thousand pounds made by the Bible 
 Society for that express object. 
 
 But the new editions of those versions which have been 
 the longest in circulation, the Bengalee, the Swngskrzta, 
 the H/ndeej the Mahratta, and the Orissa, are those 
 which form the heaviest part of the burden now lying on 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations, 39 
 
 the general fund for translation. These new editions, 
 however, are absolutely necessary to the diffusion of the 
 light of the gospel in India. The first four of them are 
 in the chief languages of India, and those widest in circu- 
 lation ; and in all five of them the Scriptures are more 
 sought than in any other languages in this part of India. 
 Nothing, therefore, can at present be of greater impor- 
 tance to the cause of God here, than a supply of the 
 Scriptures in these languages. The desire for them has 
 been such, that the former editions of the Old Testa- 
 ment in the Bengalee and Swngskr2ta are now exhausted, 
 as well as those of the New. Hence to print less than 
 two thousand copies of the Old Testament in SMngskr2t, 
 or of four thousand in Bengalee, would only have in- 
 creased the expense, since, from the wish for them being 
 so much increased, a small edition would have been dis- 
 tributed almost as soon as printed off; and another edition 
 begun immediately would have increased the expense to 
 answer no valuable purpose. But a version of the Old 
 Testament, containing two thousand copies, no Society 
 have ever yet been able in India to bring through the 
 press for less than three thousand pounds. From the 
 arrangements they have made, however, the Brethren 
 are ready to hope that they shall bring the Sz/ngsknta 
 version, containing two thousand copies, through the 
 press for about two thousand pounds, and that even 
 the Bengalee version, of four thousand, will not greatly 
 exceed two thousand five hundred. If this can be 
 done, the two principal editions of the Old Testament, 
 containing six thousand copies, will come much within 
 five thousand pounds sterling ; but of this sum full 
 two thousand must be expended for paper, types, and 
 wages, before supplies can arrive from Europe, particu- 
 larly as the largest of these editions, the Bengalee, has 
 advanced to the book of Numbers. 
 
40 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations, 
 
 For the same reasons the edition in Bengalee of the 
 New Testament required an increased number, as the 
 last edition, including five thousand, was distributed 
 within four years. Six thousand copies, as a supply for 
 the increasing numbers who inquire for them among at 
 least twelve millions of people, did not appear too great. 
 Nor did the Hmdee appear to deserve a less number, 
 particularly when the one-half is in the Deva-Nagwree, 
 and the other three thousand in the Kyt'hee character. 
 The Swngskn'ta New Testament, which will be circu- 
 lated among the learned in every part of India, seemed 
 to demand an edition of at least two thousand.* The 
 Orissa, in which the opportunity for distribution is so 
 great, could now scarcely have less than four thousand ; 
 nor could the second edition of the Mahratta be brought 
 below three thousand. These five editions of the New 
 Testament will form a supply of twenty thousand 
 copies in those languages of India in which they are 
 most needed ; and while this will be a supply of the most 
 seasonable kind, it may suffice for some years to come, 
 unless it should happily lead to a spirit of inquiry far 
 beyond present expectation. These twenty thousand 
 copies of the New Testament, the Brethren hope to 
 bring within four thousandpounds sterling. Of this 
 sum, however, nearly one-half will be needed before 
 supplies can be received from Europe, as one of the 
 versions, containing six thousand copies, the Hmdee, 
 will, they trust, be finished at press before that period, 
 and one or two more be considerably advanced. From 
 this statement, it will be evident that, independent of the 
 versions of the New Testament not yet finished, this new 
 
 * The Brethren had intended to print 4,000 copies of the SMngskrtta 
 New Testament when the first pages of this memoir were put to press; 
 but on ascertaining the very low state of the fund, tliey feared to go be- 
 yond two thousand in the present edition. 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 41 
 
 supply of the Scriptures in the five languages in which 
 they are most read, will require an outlay of nearly five 
 thousand pounds sterling before November next. The 
 balance of the Fund now in hand, however, is little more 
 than one thousand pounds; and no other way remains 
 of carrying forward these new editions, so essential to th6 
 enlightening of India, but that of the Brethren's obtain* 
 ing the other four thousand pounds on their own credit, 
 which must bear interest till again replaced. 
 
 In these circumstances, they beg leave earnestly to 
 appeal to the Christian public, both in Europe and 
 America, and particularly to the various Bible Societies, 
 and those friends in America and Britain who have 
 already so liberally encouraged these translations. They 
 humbly hope that their rendering themselves responsible 
 for these sums, through their confidence in the good faith 
 and liberality of the public, rather than suffer the work 
 to stop, will not be imputed to them as a crime, since 
 they have done it purely from a desire to advance the 
 cause of God, and this on the maturest consideration, 
 grounded on a knowledge of the circumstances of the 
 country. To give the Scriptures to India, indeed, has 
 formed their chief object from the time they arrived 
 there, from a full conviction that this would prove one 
 of the most effectual means of evangelizing the country : 
 and in doing this, it has constantly been their care to 
 render the burden of expense on the public as light as 
 possible, that they might be encouraged to carry forward 
 the work. With this view, they have taken on them- 
 selves the expense of cutting the various founts of types 
 formed, that the public might have nothing to meet be- 
 side that of printing and paper ; and with the same view 
 they have been labouring for more than twelve years to 
 produce paper, durable in its texture, and impervious ta 
 
 F 
 
42 Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 
 
 the worm, at a cheaper rate than paper can be imported, 
 which they have now the satisfaction of doing at little more 
 than half that price. In these various experiments, however, 
 including a steam-engine and paper-mill, full fifty thou- 
 sand rupees have been expended wholly with a view to 
 the translations. When in the paper manufactory, and 
 in forming the various founts of types, therefore, they 
 have sunk scarcely less than eight thousand pounds 
 sterling, for which they never desire any other recom- 
 pense than that of seeing the work done ; and have now 
 to render themselves responsible for nearly as much 
 more, that the work may not stop ; they feel assured that 
 they need add no more to a generous public, who have 
 hitherto ever exceeded their hopes. 
 
 They rejoice, however, in the prospect that this call on 
 the liberality of the public for aid, in thus publishing the 
 Scriptures, will not be permanent, and, perhaps, never be 
 again necessary to the same extent. In two or three 
 years, the greatest part of the yet unpublished versions 
 of the New Testament will, they trust, be brought 
 through the press ; after which, the chief expense will be 
 that of carrying forward the translation of the Old Tes- 
 tament in such of the languages as demand them, and of 
 publishing successive editions of the New, as they may 
 be needed. The present supply in the five languages in 
 which the Scriptures are chiefly sought, however, will 
 probably suffice for several years ; and at any rate they 
 are not likely to occur simultaneously to the same extent 
 again. They, therefore, conclude by intreating those 
 who have so liberally assisted them in this work, both in 
 America and Britain, and particularly the British and 
 Foreign Bible Society, to accept their warmest thanks, 
 with the assurance that whatever they may be further 
 pleased to intrust to their care, shall be applied with the 
 
Seventh Memoir respecting Translations. 43 
 
 utmost faithfulness, not only to the work in general, but 
 to that particular part of it for which any donation may 
 be expressly designed. The fruits of their liberality 
 may be either transmitted directly to the Committee for 
 conducting the translations at Serampore, or consigned 
 to the care of the Secretaries, or any of the Members of 
 the Committee of the Baptist Missionary Society, in 
 Britain, or in America, to those of the Baptist Conven- 
 tion, who will faithfully transmit them to the Brethren at 
 Serampore. 
 
 Serampore, ^ 
 J>ec, 1, 1820. i 
 
CIRCULAR ADPRESS, 
 
 The Brethren who form the Committee for conducting Translations at 
 Serampore, having been for many years engaged in the Tnmslation of the 
 Scriptures, have felt convinced, in proportion as they have applied to this 
 ivork, that in no way can the best interests of India be more effectually 
 promoted, than by a version of the Scriptures being given, if possible, in the 
 dialect of every province and tribe in India, notwithstanding the difficulties 
 which attend tlie completion of the work. 
 
 With these difliculties it is impossible that they should be unacquainted, 
 engaged in the work, as they have been, for so many years. But if difficul- 
 ties are suffered to deter from an undertaking of this nature, there can be 
 little hope that light will ever be diffused throughout India, or tliat the nu- 
 merous tribes of Eastern Asia, which comprize a full half of mankind, will 
 ever enjoy those blessings with which Britain is. so highly favoured. They 
 have found in the course of their work tliat the dialects of India and of 
 Eastern Asia, numerous as they appear, may almost all be traced to two 
 sources, the Swngskrito and the Chinese ; and therefore that a knowledge 
 of these two languages sheds a prodigious degree of light over the various 
 languages of India. This circumstance, among other things, enables them 
 to view the difficulties in the way of accomplishing it as easily surmount- 
 able, by a course of steady perseverance ; particularly if steps be taken to 
 bring into operation that knowledge of the various dialects of India already 
 possessed by our countrymen here. ITiey humbly trust that the College 
 recently established at Serampore, in which Native Youths of talent and 
 ability, conversant with the various languages of India, will be instructed in 
 the languages wherein the Scriptures were originally written, as well as in 
 their own classic tongue, will prove highly important in this great work, 
 which can be brought to due perfection only by efforts continued through a 
 succession of years. But they feel assured that assistance of the most im- 
 portant kind may also be obtained from their countrymen in various parts of 
 India ; and it is with the view of respectfully soliciting this assistance in the 
 improvement of the versions of the Scriptures they have already published, 
 that you are now addressed. 
 
 This request they feel encouraged to make from the consideration that 
 the Word of God is equally the portion of all Christians, by whatever name 
 or denomination they may be known. It is indeed to men that this glorious 
 revelation is made ; and every man who loves his race, is bound to interest 
 toimself to the utmost of his power in causing to be made for his fellow-men 
 
45 
 
 of every nation, a faithful and perspicuous version of the Divine Writings. 
 The Committee for conducting Translations at Serampore, therefore, wish to 
 interest in this important work every friend to the Scriptures in India who 
 feels willing to contribute his aid in the improvement of even a single version, 
 with whom they wish to exchange ideas on the subject in tlie most free and 
 candid manner, for the sake of improving the various translations of the 
 Divine "Word which they may conduct. 
 
 How to secure this, so as to bring to bear on the Sacred Writings that 
 knowledge of the dialects of India now possessed by gentlemen who reside 
 in its various provinces, has long been with them matter of serious considera- 
 tion, particularly as they wish to include the assistance of learned Natives 
 in various parts of India in examining and judging relative to the style of 
 such versions as are made in their respective dialects. The unavoidable dis- 
 tance of those so capable of affording this assistance from them and from 
 each other, increases the difficulty of frequent communication. They how- 
 ever humbly trust that the following plan will obviate most of the difficulty 
 w^hich exists in the present case. Tliey respectfully propose : 
 
 1 . That every gentleman willing to correspond with them on the subject of 
 Translations, be intreated thus to contribute his aid to the improvement of 
 some one of the Indian versions, and therein to obtain the aid of every 
 learned Native over whom he has influence. 
 
 2. That such gentlemen be not called upon to incur any expense in exa- 
 mining any version of the Scriptures ; but that, whatever expense they may 
 thus incur, be defrayed by the Committee for Translations at Serampore. 
 
 3. That an interleaved copy of any one version of the Sacred Scriptures, 
 or of a single book in the language with which any gentleman may be best 
 acquainted, be sent him, on his kindly requesting it. 
 
 By thus combining all the help procurable in examining the various versions, 
 as editions are successively printed, most of the translations of the Scriptures 
 will, they trust, ultimately be brought to a happy degree of perfection. But 
 whether it be sooner or later, the Committee feel determined, by Divine 
 assistance, never to withdraw their attention from this object till it be accom- 
 plished. They beg leave to observe, however, that in thus attempting to 
 promote this important work, they have no wish to interfere with any friend 
 who may be already conducting a translation in any of the dialects of India ; 
 on the contrary, to every such friend they cheerfully tender that assistance 
 they respectfully solicit from others, their grand wish being to see the work 
 accompiisixed, by whomsoever it be done. 
 
 They therefore respectfully intreat your assistance, dear Sir, and that of 
 any friend near you, whether European or Native, in examining any one of 
 the versions they have already brought through the press, a copy of any part 
 of which interleaved, and particularly of the version in the 
 language, shall be thankfully sent you on your kindly intimating your wish. 
 
State of the Translation Fund, from June 30, 1816, to 
 April ^0, 1820. 
 
 Dr. 
 
 TRANSLATION FUND, June 30, 1816. 
 
 Cr. 
 
 Rbceipts. R- a. p. 
 
 By Balance in hand.. 1,739 3 11 
 
 Collected in England 25,891 7 6 
 American Board of 
 
 Commissioners 4,170 1 6 
 
 Bible Society 8,000 O 
 
 Mrs. Rebecca Cox 4,000 
 
 Donation from Dr. Ca- 
 rey, towards the Gwju- 
 
 ratee translation 100 O 
 
 A Friend 209 12 O 
 
 Mr. Robert Gordon .. 100 O | 
 
 Mr. Wright 100 O ' 
 
 SirE. H. East 50 O 
 
 Sa. Rs. 44,360 8 11 
 
 Disbursements. R- A P. 
 
 To Pundits' Wages . . 9,385 2 
 
 Chinese writers, cutters, 
 and paper for print- 
 ing 3,973 10 10 
 
 Printing Memoirs 100 O O 
 
 Charges Extraordinary 8 11 
 
 1000 copies of the Hin- 
 
 dee Hagiographa 2,000 
 
 1000 copies of the Mah- 
 
 ratta Historical Books 3,000 O 
 
 5000 copies of tlie Ben- 
 galee New Testament 8,000 O 
 
 26,467 7 10 
 Balance.. 17,893 1 1 
 
 Sa. Rs. 44,360 8 1 1 
 
 Dr. 
 
 TRANSLATION FUND, June 30, 1817. 
 
 Cr. 
 
 Receipts. - 
 
 Ri. A. p. 
 
 By Balance 17,893 1 
 
 Bible Society 8,000 
 
 Ditto ditto 8,000 O 
 
 Baptist American Board 2,059 14 
 
 Sa. Rs. 35,952 15 7 
 
 Disbursements. 
 
 Rs. A. P. 
 
 1 1 To Pundits' Wages ..13,706 2 8 
 
 i Chinese writers, cutters, 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 and paper 2,012 1 
 
 Binding for the last three 
 
 years 4,875 
 
 Sundries 31 12 
 
 20,625 O 9 
 Balance.. 15,327 14 10 
 
 Sa. Rs. 35,952 15 7 
 
Dr. 
 
 TRANSLATION FUND, April 30, 1818. 
 
 Cb. 
 
 Receipts. R*- a. p. 
 
 By Balance 15,327 14 10 
 
 Mrs. Webberly 100 
 
 Bible Society 8,000 
 
 Ditto ditto 8,000 
 
 A Friend 100 
 
 Balance of Interest.. 1,151 13 1 
 
 Sa. Rs. 32,679 1111 
 
 Disbursements. R' A. P. 
 
 To Pundits' Wages . . 13,533 2 
 Chinese writers, cutters, 
 
 and paper 1,561 5 6 
 
 Mahratta Hagiographa 2,000 O O 
 
 Shikh Pentateuch .... 3,000 O 
 
 Sitngsknta Hagiographa 2,000 O O 
 
 Hmdee Prophets., .. 3,000 O 
 
 Binding to April 30th 582 5 O 
 
 25,676 10 8 
 Balance.. 7,003 1 3 
 
 Sa. Rs. 32,679 11 1 
 
 Dr. 
 
 TRANSLATION FUND, April 30, 1819. 
 
 Cr. 
 
 Receipts. R* a. p. 
 
 By Balance 7,003 1 3 
 
 268 Dollars from Ame- 
 rica 547 6 
 
 Money collected in Eng- 
 land from Oct. 1814, 
 to September 1817, 
 5,189 4 2. Ex- 
 change at 2s. 7d. and 
 2s. 8d. the Rupee. . 39,690 10 3 
 
 Rs, 47,241 1 6 
 
 Disbursements. R'* A. P. 
 To Pundits' Wages.. 15,658 O O 
 Chinese writers, cutters, 
 
 and paper 1,841 14 4 
 
 Charges extraordinary 59 2 3 
 
 Binding 1,200 O 
 
 Mahratta Prophets .. 3,000 
 Shikh Historical Books 3,000 O 
 4000 copies of the Four 
 
 Gospels in Hmdee 3,250 
 1000 copies of Matthew 
 
 and Mark in Benga- 
 lee, Mr. Ellerton's 
 
 translation 
 
 Matthew in the Roman 
 
 Malay, 500 copies. . 300 O 
 Advance on the Assam, 
 
 Telinga, KMnkuna, 
 
 and Pushtoo Penta- 
 
 teuchs 7,000 O O 
 
 Interest, Commission, 
 
 &c 383 1 9 
 
 
 
 750 O 
 
 36,442 2 4 
 Balance.. 10,798 15 2 
 
 Sa.Rs. 47,241 1 6 
 
 # 
 
Dr. 
 
 TRANSLATION FUND, April 30, 1850. 
 
 Cr. 
 
 RSCEIPTS. RS' A. 
 
 By Balance 10,798 15 
 
 Received from the Cor- 
 responding Commit- 
 tee of the Bible So- 
 ciety 17,839 6 
 
 Sa.Rs. 28,638 5 2 
 
 Disbursements. R*- A. p- 
 
 To Pundits' Wages.. 14,617 9 9 
 
 Chinese writers, cutters, 
 paper, postage, &c. . 863 IS 
 
 Printing 1,000 Arabic 
 
 Malay Matthew 500 
 
 Binding 500 ditto in 
 leather and 500 in 
 boards 625 O 
 
 Printing 3,000 copies 
 of Mr. Chamberlain's 
 Hindee Four Gos- 
 pels 2,600 O O 
 
 Interest on money bor- 
 rowed 943 14 7 
 
 Commission on dis- 
 
 nts 
 
 . 263 
 
 9 
 
 
 
 Balance. . . 
 
 20,413 
 . 8,224 
 
 14 
 6 
 
 4 
 10 
 
 Sa. lis. 
 
 28,638 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 FINISv 
 
 LON DON: 
 
 TRINTED BY COX aND BAYLIS, 
 GREAT QUEEN STREET, L1NC0LN's-1KN FIELDS. 
 
[Circulated bij the Aborigines Protection Societi/.] 
 
 THE 
 
 HISTORY, ANTIQUITIES, 
 TOPOGRAPHY, AND STATISTICS 
 
 OF 
 
 EASTERN INDIA; 
 
 COMPRISING THE DISTRICTS OF 
 
 BEHAR, SHAHABAD, BHAGULPOOR, GORUCKPOOR, 
 DINAJEPOOR, PURANIYA, RUNGPOOR, & ASSAM, 
 
 IN RELATION TO THEIR 
 
 GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, BOTANY, AGRICULTURE, COMMERCE, MANU- 
 FACTURES, FINE ARTS, POPULATION, RELIGION, EDUCATION, 
 STATISTICS, ETC. 
 
 SURVEYED UNDER THE ORDERS -OF THE SUPREME GOVERNMENT, 
 
 AND 
 
 COLLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS AT THE E. I. HOUSE 
 
 WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE HONOURABLE COURT OF DIRECTORS, 
 
 MONTGOMERY MARTIN, 
 
 Author of the " History of the British Colonies, '^ ka. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 W"^' H. ALLEN AND Co. LEADENHALL-STREET 
 
 MDCCCXXXVIII. 
 
[The Committee of the Aborigines Protection Society * deeply impressed 
 with a conviction of the importance of the facts stated by Mr. Montgo- 
 Martin, in the accompanying Introduction to the Third Volume of his 
 work on *' Eastern India;" and desirous of summoning the attention of 
 the British public to those Facts with reference to the ultimate adop- 
 tion of measures on behalf of the vast native population of British India, 
 have resolved on circulating as generally as possible, a document con- 
 taining a mass of invaluable official information resting on the highest 
 authority, and claiming the immediate interference of the community. 
 The Committee further venture to express their earnest hope, that the 
 Editors of the Press throughout the country will feel that the case now 
 presented to public notice, is one of such vital importance, as to demand 
 all the aid that can be rendered by the powerful efforts of every journal 
 in the kingdom, alive to the interests of humanity and Christianity.] 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 TO VOL. III. " Eastern India." 
 
 The official survey of the richest and most populous districts 
 of British India is now before the public, and a document of 
 more value politically, socially and commercially, has rarely, 
 if ever, been submitted to the attention of a reflecting com- 
 munity. The circumstances under which this singular survey 
 originated, and the orders for carrying it into execution are 
 detailed in the first volume. That volume when printed 
 was submitted to the Court of Directors of the East India 
 Company. The Court ordered a number of copies to be 
 transmitted to India, as it conceived " the information col- 
 lected by Dr. Buchanan to be extremely valuable ; and that 
 the opportunity of perusing it would be highly advantageous 
 to our servants in India, especially to those occupied in the 
 collection of the revenue." In addition to this high testimony 
 to the value of the work, the following portion of the Des- 
 patch containing the foregoing extract may be submitted for 
 perusal. 
 
 * The Aborigines Protection Society was established in 1836. The 
 object of the Society is to assist in protecting the defenceless, and pro- 
 moting the advancement of the Aborigines in our transmarine possessions. 
 Office, No. 4, Blomfield Street, Finsbury, London. 
 
INTRODUCTION. HI 
 
 " Public Department. No. (April) 1838. Our Gover- 
 nor-General of India in Council. 1. In 1807, a Survey of 
 the Provinces, subject to the Presidency of Bengal, was com- 
 menced with our sanction and under the orders of the Go- 
 vernor-General in Council, by Dr. Francis Buchanan. The 
 points embraced in the enquiry were numerous and impor- 
 tant. Dr. Buchanan was directed to collect information upon 
 the general topography of each district; the condition of the 
 inhabitants, their religious customs, the natural productions 
 of the country, fisheries, forests, mines and quarries ; the state 
 of agriculture; the condition of landed property and tenures; 
 the progress made in the arts and in manufactures ; the ope- 
 rations of commerce, and every particular that can be regarded, 
 as forming an element, in the prosperity or depression of the 
 people. The Survey was pursued during seven years, and 
 in 1816, the results were transmitted home. 
 
 " 2. We have recently permitted Mr. Montgomery Martin 
 to inspect the manuscripts, with a view to selection from them 
 for publication." 
 
 With a due sense of the importance of the trust reposed 
 in me, and with a desire that a survey, which had cost 
 upwards of 30,000 and which was creditable to the muni- 
 ficence of the Government which had ordered it, should be 
 accurately investigated, neither labour nor expense was 
 spared to exhibit Dr. Buchanan's meritorious exertions in 
 the fullest point of view. Unfortunately, owing to the period 
 which has elapsed since the completion of the survey a 
 great mass of matter was found to be irrelevant to the 
 present position of affairs in the East. I therefore deemed 
 it advisable to confine my views to an examination of the 
 geography and physical aspect of the country ; to its tradi- 
 tional or recorded history ; to the monuments or relics of 
 antiquity ; but above all to the physical and moral condition 
 of the people amounting (according to the survey estimates) to 
 nearly 16,000,000, and to the resources of the soil which they 
 till ; the manufactures which they carry on ; and to the pro- 
 ducts and profits of agricultural and commercial industry. 
 That a survey containing such materials, offering so vivid a 
 description of the social aspect of millions of our fellow sub- 
 jects, and corroborating every useful fact by minute statistics, 
 should have remained so long in obscurity is indeed to be 
 
IV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 deplored, and Can only be accounted for by supposing that 
 it was deemed impolitic to publish to the world so painful a 
 picture of human poverty, debasement and wretchedness. To 
 see this picture in all its hideous deformity, it would be neces- 
 sary to employ diligently as many months as I have spent in 
 examining the voluminous official records laid before me ; but 
 enough is presented in the three volumes now printed, to make 
 any man of ordinary feelings start with repulsiveness from the 
 disgusting task of contemplating misery, ignorance and super- 
 stition, in all their degraded forms ; while the most sanguine 
 philanthropist may have his noblest energies chilled at the dif- 
 ficult and uncheered labours w Inch await on his exertions. 
 
 To offer an analysis of the facts contained in these three 
 volumes would be a difficult task, and it would fail to convey 
 an accurate im])ression as to the reality of the case ; the 
 whole work should be read and pondered on ; the very mi- 
 nutiae of detail conveys to a thinking mind a clearer view of 
 what the condition of people so situated must be, than any 
 other mode of description ; while those who are in the habit 
 of contemplating the progress of society, and whose mental 
 faculties are sufficiently comprehensive to examine all the 
 elements of social wealth and happiness, will philosophically 
 scrutinize the materials on which alone sound and just opi- 
 nions can be Based. I do not hesitate to declare, that the 
 object I have in view in rescuing these manuscripts from 
 oblivion, is an endeavour to arouse in some measure, the 
 people of England to some sense of feeling for the condition 
 of the myriads of their fellow subjects now pining and perish- 
 ing of famine, disease, and all the slow but sure concomitants 
 attendant on long continued want and slavery. England 
 is considered the abode of a Christian people, enlightened 
 far above their Continental neighbours, and blessed with all 
 the advantages of advanced civilization. But how has En- 
 gland treated British India, which is as much a part and 
 parcel of the Empire as Scotland or Ireland ? A dominion 
 which the dream of the wildest enthusiast could scarcely 
 be expected to have realized, has most mysteriously been 
 subjected to her sway ; an hundred million of human beings 
 of various creeds, colours and races own her sceptre ; and 
 every product of earth, sea and air which can minister to the 
 wants, comforts and luxuries of man are tendered in lavish 
 profusion. 
 
INTRODUCTION. V 
 
 Yet an insignificant island in the Caribbean seas, excites 
 more of our attention than an empire which would have 
 quenched the ambition of Alexander, whose armies rival those 
 of Rome in her palmiest days ; and whose commerce would 
 have satiated Tyre or Carthage. The neglect of duty is a 
 crime. Js it reasonable to suppose, that the retributive justice 
 which overtakes an offending human being is confined to an 
 individual? Do not the pages of all history sacred and pro- 
 fane indicate, that retribution has sooner or later overtaken a 
 nation, who not only despises the blessings conferred by an 
 Almighty Providence, but perverts them to selfish purposes, 
 and thus extends the circle of sin and woe throughout the 
 earth ? Had France had any other European power been 
 so long in the possession of India as Great Britain, how dif- 
 ferent would its condition have been ; liow thoroughly would 
 its wants have been known; what efforts would not have 
 been made for their relief? Let us examine a few of these offi- 
 cial statements ; statements be it remembered not made by 
 interested persons for private purposes, but statements made 
 by the intelligent, and far from morbidly humane officer 
 appointed by the Directing Government in England, and the 
 Supreme Government of India, to examine and report for their 
 information. First, as to the appearance of the country. 
 
 Patna * Althoii<;;li one of the ciiief cities in British India (it is nine miles 
 h)no) has out of 52,000 houses, 22,188 inud walled huts covered with tiles 
 and about 20,000 similar wretched tenements covered withgrass, vol. I, p. 
 37. Pavini!^, cieaniii^^ and lij^htiui^ are totally out of the question, p. 36. 
 It is diflBcuit to imaj^ine a more dis<)^ustin^ place, p. 36. 
 
 Division under Thannah Phatitha. ' Houses in this district built of mud, 
 and the houses closely huddled toi^elher.' p. 43. 
 
 Noufiutpoor ' is a fine rice country. There is only one brick house 
 and 60 mud-walled houses of two stories, 15 covered with tiles an;l 45 
 with thatch.' p. 45. 
 
 Sahcbgunj Gaya * Js a beautiful country, but the wretched sub-division 
 of property has banished every elegance, without introducing' neatness and 
 comfort. There are- about 500 of the round hovels like bee hives.' 
 
 p. 47. 
 
 Qnya. * A near approach to this town fills with diss^ust. The streets 
 are narrow, crooked, dirty and uneven.* p. ASi. 
 
 Patna District. ^^* The small number of houses that are built of rough 
 stones with clay mortar, where such materials are so abundant, is a clear 
 proof of extreme poverty. In most countries so situated the meanest hut 
 would be built in this manner p. 168. The huts here are far from 
 neat, and although dark and close, have seldom more than one small 
 aperture for a door. Wooden doors and glass windows are far beyond 
 their reach.' p. 1 17- 
 
 Kotivali of Bhagulpoor. * The soil in many parts is well cultivated, 
 finely planted, and would be very beautiful were it not that the huts are 
 
A 
 
 VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 wretched, and not concealed from view by fine plants, as is usually done 
 in Ben<(al.' vol II. p. 26. 
 
 'The town of Bhagulpoor although reckoned to extend two miles in 
 lenp^th, and from one mile to half a mile iu width, is a very poor place.' 
 p. 27. 
 
 Ratnaugunj. 'This is a fully occupied and very beautiful country, 
 especially towards the north-west, where there are some rocky hills finely 
 wooded, while the adjacent country is thorougfhly cleared, and adorned 
 with numerous plantations, consisting almost entirely of manc^oes inter- 
 mixed with palms. The villao-es however are poor, and the wretchedness 
 of the huts is concealed by fences and bushes. There is no lake nor marsh 
 of the least note. Two of the Zemindars have small houses of brick, but 
 there are no buildings that can at all be considered as an ornament to the 
 country.' p. 33. 
 
 Amni-poor, 'containinc^ about 200 houses, is the only place in the division 
 that can be called a town.' p. 335. 
 
 Gogri. * In this vast extent are only two wretched houses of brick, one 
 of them ruinous.' p. 35. 
 
 Kumurgunj . * The villacfes are not concealed by plantations, so that the 
 wretchedness of the huts is fully displayed.' p. 36. 
 
 Surj/agarha *ls a beautiful and well occupied country. The southern 
 parts contain or are skirted by some low hills covered with wood, and are 
 productive of rice, and well planted with mangops. The western parts to- 
 wards the Gani(es and Kiyual, are finely planted with mangoes and palms, 
 but are rather poor. The plantations are not ornamented with bamboos, 
 but some are surrounded by Sisau trees, that add a very beautiful variety. 
 The e;i^ti in jNirts are low and bare of trees, being deeply inundated, but 
 in spriiio- arc covered with one continued sheet . of corn. There are two 
 houses and one shop of brick ; but the habitations are no oriuunent to the 
 country, the misery of the villages being too much exposed to view ; nor 
 is there any pid)lic building worth notice.' p. 49, 
 
 MiiUepoor. * This division where it is properly occupied is very beautiful, 
 being rich land, finely diversified by hills and woods, and the cultivated 
 parts are orna;iiented with numerous groves of the mango and a few palms, 
 but no bamboos, p. 50. 
 
 * The houses as usual in the western parts of this district, are no orna- 
 ment to the countrv ; on the contrary their meanness is very disgusting. 
 p. 51. 
 
 * There is no public work that is any sort of ornament.' p. 51. 
 Tarapoor. ' The houses as usual in the western parts are very mean, 
 
 even that of the Raja of Kharakpoor, although it contains some snall por- 
 tions of brick is but a sorry place. Among the forest of the district of 
 Janggaltari, the houses make a still worse appearance than in the open 
 country. There is no public building of the least note.' p. 55. 
 
 Bangka. * Is a most beautiful territory, there being scattered through 
 it a great number of small detached hills and rocks finely wooded. The 
 plains or swelling grounds by which they are surrounded are by nature 
 very rich. p. 59. 
 
 * In the whole division there is no dwelling house of brick nor any public 
 building, that is an ornament to the country, or the least relief from the 
 uniform misery of the huts.' p. 60. 
 
 FayezuUahgunj. 'Is a jurisdiction of a moderate size. Were it in a 
 decent state of cultivation it is a very beautiful country ; but owing to the 
 neglect of the proprietors, it has in many parts a most dismal appearance. 
 The northern extremity is low land flooded by the river, most beautifully 
 cultivated, and adorned at each end by little hills, p. 63. 
 
 ' The natives have erected no dwellings of brick, and there arc some 
 
INTRODUCTION. VII 
 
 Trojflodytes who still live in caves. There are two or three miserable brick 
 bridtres, but no public work in any decree ornamental.' 
 
 Painsrti. * There are a few scattered hills, and those of the northern 
 tribe of mountaineers, bound most of the territory on the south, and 
 would render the scenery very fine, were the land between them and the 
 river occupied and cultivated, but it is almost totally neg-lected, and 1 have 
 no where seen such a wretched jurisdiction. There is no dwelling of 
 brick.* p. 66. 
 
 Rajmahal ' Is extremely fertile, and the whole district mii^ht be made 
 most beautiful, as the hills of the mountaineers are everywhere in full view to 
 diversify the scene, and the lakes add a beauty, which is uncommon in 
 India. There are 220 buildings of brick remaining but they are in general so 
 slovenly, as to impress the mind with less regret than even the common 
 huts of the peasantry. There are two bridges of brick ; one at Udhuvvanala 
 said to have been built by Kasem Ali, and another towards Pirpahar. 
 They are both small and exceedingly rude, and although still of use seem 
 fast hastening to ruin.* p. ^T . 
 
 Lakarrierwani. ' This country is naturally beautiful, as it consists of 
 very rich lands, finely interspersed with detached rocky hills, that are 
 covered with wood. The country however has been miserably neglected, 
 and is overrun with forests, and the houses are very mean.' p. 81. 
 
 District of Goruckpoor. ' The extent of barren land absolutely unfit for 
 cultivation is small ; there are few or no ravines and hills only occupy 16 
 square miles, p. 292. 
 
 'In the places where fallowing is best understood, it produces from 8 
 to 10 years, after a fallow of 2 years, and for the first three gives annually 
 two crops. There is a great deal of rich vegetable mould, which is very 
 retentive of moisture, so as to produce some verdure in the worst seasons, 
 and to yield crops of wheat and barley without irrigation, p. 293. 
 
 * Goruckpoor although near a large marsh, and surrounded by woods, 
 is one of the most healthy stations we possess and the sepoys on duty have 
 
 * no where been more exempt from sickness, p. 323. 
 
 The Cheros or other immediate successors of the family of the sun have 
 entirely disappeared, as have the Siviras, by whom they were succeeded. 
 A few Thar us still remain on the skirts of the hills, reduced to ignorance 
 and poverty. The military Brahmans in most parts have become entirely 
 extinct except near Behar, where the support of tlieir warlike brethren 
 in that province has enabled one or two families to reserve a little property. 
 The Bhars who co-operated with the military Brahmans in destroying 
 the Tharus, have sufiered still more and are reduced to a few miserable 
 families who live in the skirts of the forests, by collecting the natural 
 productions of these wilds. It is also to be observed and, I think, much 
 to be regretted, that the operations of our system of finance and have law 
 done more in 12 years to impoverish and degrade the native chiefs, who suc- 
 ceeded the impure tribes than the whole course of the Mahammedan 
 government, p. 345. 
 
 Division under the Kotwali of Goruckhpoor. * The buildings here are 
 very mean, and the streets in general are crooked, dirty and filled with 
 impediments.' p. 346. 
 
 Munsurgunj. * This jurisdiction contains above 800 square miles. In 
 the whole of this extensive division, no habitation has walls of a better 
 material than clay, and only 10 have two stories. These are covered with 
 tiles as are 50 huts ; all the others .are thatched, and some of them with 
 stubble ; 14-I6ths of the huts have mud walls, and 2-l6ths have walls made 
 of hurdles, the place where the people cook being plastered with clay.' 
 p. 361. 
 
VIll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Parraona. ' There are 75 mud-walled houses (f two stories, of which 
 five are covered with tiles, and 70 are thatched. Of the huts 6-16th8 have 
 mud-walls and of these 10 are covered with tiles and 200 have wooden 
 doors and window shutters. The remainder are tliatched and if they have 
 any door it is a mat, to shut the only aperture in the hut, except the 
 crevices in the roof; 10-]6ths differ fronj those last mentioned, in having 
 their walls made of hurdles, the place for cooking being plastered with 
 clay on the inside.* p. 354. 
 
 Kesii/a. * There is no house of two stories, nor is any built of bricks ; 
 8-16lhs of the huts have mud walls, and 15 of them are covered with tiles. 
 The remainder are thatched with grass, and very few have wooden doors; 
 some are thatched and have walls made of hurdles, which near the fire-place 
 are plastered on the inside with clay.' p. 357- 
 
 Belawa. * No house is built of brick, nor contains two stories and only 
 five of the huts are tiled. The roofs are thatched. 3-4ths of the huts 
 have mud-walls ; those of the remainder are made of hurdles.* p. 358. 
 
 *iiS'e/f;w/)oor il/r{///o/MS a very beautiful country with numerous planta- 
 tions. 30 houses with mud walls have two stories, of these 10 are covered 
 with tiles, and 20 with thatch. All the huts have mud walls, and 250 of 
 them are tiled; the others are thatched.' p. 3fil. 
 
 Chauki Bhngulpoor. * This division is also very beautiful. Forty 
 houses have two stories with mud walls, of these 10 are covered with tiles, 
 and 30 with thatch. Fifty mud walled huts are covered with tiles; all 
 the remainder have mud walls and thatched roofs, p. 363. 
 
 DaralialgunJ. * There is no dwelling house of brick, but 50 mud walled 
 houses have two stories, 20 of them being covered with tiles, and 30 
 thatched ; 500 huts with mud walls are tiled, so that on the whole, no 
 division in the district has such good houses. Of the remaining huts 11 
 parts have mud walls, and 5 parts those of hurdles, and all these are 
 thatched with grass.' p. 368. 
 
 Gajpoor. 'There are 60 mud walled of two stories, of which 35 are 
 covered with tiles, and 15 with thatch. 200 mud walled huts are covered 
 with tiles. Of the remaining huts all of which are thatched I5-16th8 
 have mud wails, l-16th walls of hurdles.' p. 3G8. 
 
 Bhewopan. * There is here no hoiise of brick. Seven houses with mud 
 walls have two stories, and two of them have tiled roofs, while of the huts 
 eight have a similar covering. Of the remaining huts which are all 
 thatched with grass, 12.16ths have mud walls, in the remainder hurdles 
 are used.' p. 374. 
 
 Gnaula * This division is very poorly cultivated. There is no house of 
 
 brick ; three houses with mud walls have two stories, but are thatched, 
 and two of one story are tiled. Of the remaining huts which are- all 
 thatched with grass 15 parts have mud walls, and one part walls of hurdles ' 
 p. 374. 
 
 Gopalpoor * Contains about 150 houses, two of them of brick and several 
 of them tiled.' p. 375. 
 
 yazirgunj 'Is very fertile and beautiful. With the exception of the 
 hunting seat of the Nawab Vazir, there is no house of brick ; 125 houses 
 of two stories have mud walls, 25 of them are tiled and 100 thatched. Of 
 the huts l-32nd, part has mud walls and tiled roof: all the others are 
 thatched but 30-32;ids have mud walls and l-32nd have walls of hurdles. 
 The thatch as usual in this district is grass.' p. 379. 
 
 Nmcabgunj. 'This division is entirely confined to the town of Nawab- 
 gunj, which according to the officers of police contains 1059 houses. 
 This place like all others near Ayodhya, swarms with religious mendicants, 
 and the necesitous poor are numerous. It contains four houses of brick j 
 
INTRODUCTION, IX 
 
 250 mild walled bouses of two stories, of which 200 are tiled and 50 
 thatched ; about 500 tiled huts, and 300 that are thatched, all with mud 
 walls.' p. 382. 
 
 Manikapuor * Is well cultivated and would l)e very beautiful, were not 
 the houses uncommonly wretched. There are 35 houses of two stories 
 with mud walla ; 10 are tiled and 25 are thatched. Ten mud walled huts 
 have tiled roofs. All the remainder are mud walled and thatched with 
 grass ; 25 of them have wooden doors.' p. 382 and 383. 
 
 Salffunj * Though exempt from floods, contains many long, narrow, and 
 shallow pieces of water, higlily favourable for agriculture. There is no 
 house of brick except some thatched huts in a village near the old ruin of 
 Katkas, which affords abundance of the material ; 26 houses of two stories 
 have mud walls, only one of them is tiled, the others are thatched. There 
 are 10 mud walled huts having tiled roofs. All the other huts are thatched 
 a few with straw, but by far the greater part with grass ; 31 -32nd parts 
 have mud walls and l-32nd part walls of hurdles.' p. 385. 
 
 Dumurhjagunj . 'This country is beautiful, and more cultivated than 
 is usual in the northern parts of the district. There is no house of brick, 
 but 225 are of two stories with mud walls, and l-32nd part is thatched 
 with rice straw, while the remainder are thatched with grass.' p. 387. 
 
 Baltl. * This country is beautiful, but loaded with useless plantations, 
 and a large proportion of it is waste. There are 110 houses of 2 stories, 
 of which 10 are tiled and 100 thatched. All the huts have mud walls, 10 
 are tiled, the remainder tliatched with grass.* p. 390. 
 
 Magahar * The land here is beautiful but very poorly cultivated. 
 The Kazi has two houses partly of brick. Twenty houses of two stories 
 have mud walls, and tiled roofs ; and 50 huts with similar walls are roofed 
 in the same manner. The remainder are thatched with grass, and31-32nd 
 parts have mud walls, and l-32ni part walls of hurdles.' p. 392. 
 
 Bakhira. ' This division, exclusive of the woods, is tolerably well cul- 
 tivated. There is no house of brick ; 6 houses of two stories have mud 
 >Valls, and of these one is tiled, the others are thatched. There are 50 
 thatched huts with hurdle walls. All the others are built of mud ; 15 of 
 them are roofed with tiles, and the others with grass, p. 394. 
 
 Bang'oi. 'There are said to be 87 marshy lakes in this division, and al- 
 . though they might be of the greatest advantage to agriculture, they are over- 
 whelmed with weeds and are disagreeable objects to view. The remainder 
 of the country is planted to superfluity, but very poorly cultivated. 
 
 'The Raja's present abode consists of several mud walled quadrangular 
 towers of two stories, and covered with roofs somewhat after the Italian 
 shape. It is surrounded by mud buildings for the Raja's attendants, some 
 of them two stories high. There are in all 200 mud walled houses of two 
 stories all thatched with grass.' p. 396. 
 
 Lotan. 'This district is very poorly cultivated. No house is built of 
 brick or tiled, but there are 10 mud-walled houses of two stories. Of the 
 huts 15 parts have walls of mud, but these are always })lastered with clay 
 on one side, and sometimes on both. AH the thatchis grass.' p. 400. 
 
 * Nichlaul or N'lchlawali 'Is a very sorry place although it contains 200 
 huts. There are 2 houses of brick belonging to the Kanungoe, and eight 
 houses with mud walls have two stories ; three are tiled and five thatched. 
 Four mud walled huts are covered with tiles, all the other huts are 
 thatched with grass, ten parts having mud walls, and six parts those of 
 hurdles.' p. 403. 
 
 Rnn'i Songkol. ' In this division a few houses have mud walls, and per- 
 haps one-eighth of the whole huts are plastered neatly with clay. The 
 remainder are mere hovels, with mud walls, made of straw or grass hur- 
 dles.' p. 631. 
 
X INTRODUCTION. 
 
 'At Pirgunj and Hemtabad the huts are principally constructed of straw 
 and hurdles.' p. 632. 
 
 Mnldeh. *The niinous houses which are overgrown with weeds, and 
 shelter dirt of every kind, together with the narrowness and irregularity 
 of the street, give Maldeh an uncommonly miserable appearance.' p. 
 657. 
 
 Birgunj. * In the whole division there is no dwelling house of brick, and 
 very few have mud walls. There is no place that can be properly called a 
 town, the two largest places do not contain 10() houses.' p. 628, 629, 630. 
 
 Thalmrgram * Is the largest division in this district, and contains about 
 400 s(piare miles. About 150 miles of this land is very rich. The most 
 extraordinary thing in this division are sotne artificial caves, built of brick, 
 round the roots of two large trees, and covered with earth. In these 
 wretched hovels reside a number of persons (Vaishnovs) of both sexes, 
 who are dedicated to God, and receive a daily subsistence from the Raja. 
 These caves are about 6 feet long and 3 wide and high, and no light or air 
 enters, but at the end the most remote from the tree.* 
 
 Dinnjpoor * Embraces an extent of 5374 square British miles.' p. 683. 
 
 ' It is much to be lamented that the cultivation of these lands could not 
 be further extended ; for the soil although in some places covered by beds 
 of sand is remarkably rich, while in its present state the value of its pro- 
 duce is very small, being chiefly a wretched pasture and long reeds.' 
 p. 5S6. 
 
 * The Doangsh or mixed soil (which occupies about 46 per cent, of the 
 whole ground in this district that is exempt from inundation) is capable 
 of producing almost every thing that agrees with the climate, and the ve- 
 getation on it is rcmarkai)ly luxuriant. The lowest parts of the Doangsh 
 land produce one crop of winter rice, which is amazingly rich, and pulse 
 is often sown amongst the growing corn, and ripens among the stubble. 
 The land is eagerly sought after by the farmers, and little of it is waste.' 
 p. 587. 
 
 Rajarampoor. * In this division, Brusi on the Atreyi, and Ghughud- 
 angga on the Punabhoba, are the only places that can claim the title of 
 towns, the former contains about 250 dwellings, and the latter about 
 1J)0. Neither of them have a single brick house, nor any buildings worth 
 notice.' p. 625. 
 
 District of Rttraniya. * The lands watered by the Mahanonda and its 
 branches, are by far the richest. The inundated land occupies about 45 
 per cent, of the whole, and where the soil is good is tolerably well culti- 
 vated.' Vol. 111. p. 3. 
 
 * The people on the banks of the Ganges live much on cakes made of 
 pulse, and the poor seldom procure rice.' p. 4. 
 
 * In favourable seasons, the high land of a mixed good soil is very pro- 
 ductive of all kinds of grain, especially of the cruciform plants resembling 
 nmstard, which are reared fur oil, and are the staple commodity of the 
 districts.' p. 5. 
 
 Haveli Purmmja.*' This town, which occupies a space equal to more 
 than half of London, does not contain 50,000 people, although one of the 
 best country towns in Bengal. It is supposed to contain about 100 dwell- 
 ing houses and 70 shops, built entirely or in part of brick, and 200 that 
 are roofed with tiles.' p. 51. 
 
 Sayefgunj or Dangrkhora * Including several adjacent hamlets, is a large 
 miserable place, containing about 400 houses, which are quite bare, and 
 overwhelmed with dust from old channels by which it is surrounded.' 
 p. 52. . ' 
 
 Gondwara * Is a very large territory. The villages are in general very 
 bare, and the huts are huddled together without gardens or trees, but the 
 
INTRODUCTION. XI 
 
 country is overwhelmed with plantations of mango, in general totally neg- 
 lected.' p. 52. 
 
 Gonduiara * The capital, is a large but scattered and wretched place, con- 
 taining, however, three market places, and perhaps 250 houses, but they 
 are separated by waste spaces that are overgrown with trees and bushes, 
 totally wild and uncultivated.' p. 53. 
 
 Division of Thanah Dhamdaha 'About 60 miles from north to south, and 
 very populous. 
 
 * In this immense and populous territory there is no dwelling house of 
 brick, but one shop is built in that manner, and one Moslem and three 
 Hindus have private places of worship composed of the same material. 
 The huts of the villages are naked, and huddled close together.' p. 53. 
 
 Division of Thanah Matiyari. * JVIatiyari, the capital of the division is a 
 poor town, containing about 125 houses.' p. 58. 
 
 Bahadurgunj. * The soil of this district is so free that few ploughs re- 
 quire iron, Bahadurgunj, the principal place, is a very poor town, and 
 does not contain above 70 houses.' p. 61. 
 
 * In the division of Dangrkhora they have some tolerable houses with 
 wooden frames, the walls of which consist of straw placed between two 
 rows of reeds, and plastered on both sides with clay an}l covvdung. These 
 have wooden doors, but no windows, as they are considered too favourable 
 for wanton curiosity.' p. 98. 
 
 * Some of the huts in the western district are very wretched, and neither 
 exclude sun, wind, or rain. p. 99. 
 
 * In a country so exceedingly poor, a gold coinage is highly distressing 
 to the lower classes. Even a rupee in this country is a large sum, being 
 a ploughman's wages for two months, p. 341. 
 
 District of Zila of Ronggopoor. * Cultivation of this district extends 
 to about ten-sixteenths of the whole.' p. 352. 
 
 * The clay here is by no means so stiff as that in Dinajpoor, it may be 
 x^ultivated at almost the driest season of the year, yields all manner of rich 
 
 crops, and seems to produce a more luxuriant vegetation than the lands 
 which are of a looser nature.' p. 353. 
 
 * Throughout the whole of Ronggopoor, there are very few brick-built 
 houses, they being chiefly composed of bamboos, with clay walls, and 
 roofs of thatched grass. Cultivation might here be considerably ex- 
 tended, much land being almost totally neglected.' 
 
 Phoi'onoari. * About 500 huts of this division have walls made of bam- 
 boo mats, and 100 may be supported by wooden posts.' p. 425. 
 
 Par,gang. * The soil in this division is remarkal)ly light, so that iron is 
 never used in the plough. 
 
 * There is no brick house, and only one person has a mosque of that ma- 
 terial. Ten or 12 houses have wooden posts, one-sixteenth may have walls 
 of bamboo mats, two-sixteenths walls of split l)amboos, and the remainder 
 have walls of reeds, in general plastered on the inside with clay.' p. 440. 
 
 Fakirgung ' The soil here also is very light, and no iron is used for 
 the plough. The houses are similar to those of Patgang.' p, 441. 
 
 Ranggamati. * Goyalpara, the chief town of this division, contains 
 about 400 miserable huts, and most of them are regularly surrounded l)y 
 a flood, for upwards of two months in the year ; so that the only passage 
 from house to house is in a boat, and the floors are covered froml to 3 feet 
 deep in water.' p. 477' 
 
 The districts included in the foregoing remarks form an 
 area of 44,207 square miles, or 28,292,480 acres, and what a 
 picture of unvarying misery they present ! Mud huts that 
 
XU INTRODUCTION. 
 
 exclude neither "sun, wind, or rain;" some dwelling in caves 
 others in bee hive hovels, and all in iiltli and poverty. Yet 
 what a richly luxuriant country ! The unmanured soil re- 
 quiring no fallow for ten years. Yielding generally two 
 crops per annum, and in many parts so light and alluvial as 
 to require no iron in the ])lough : and as to tlie abundance 
 and variety of the crops, let tlie facts adduced in the three 
 volumes answer for the industry and skill of the people. But 
 let us proceed with a further examination of the tenements 
 of these wretched subjects of the British crown 
 
 * No Zemindar has a liou.'^c hccoinin;;- tlic rank of a ^-cntleinan. The 
 l)rick hous(';> of tiic towns are in tlie very uorist btyle. The clay houses are 
 of two kinds, one having- two stories, and the other only one. The former 
 usually ccHisist of one chamber on each floor, and most commonly it has in 
 front of the lower story an open i,'-aliery su|ported by small wooden posts. 
 The stair is extremely wretched, and indeed the most common means of 
 mountini>- to the upper room is by means of a ladder. The usual dimen- 
 sions art! from nine to fifteen cubits lon^, by from seven to ten cubits 
 wide, li! room a |)erson cannot always stand erect, the' lower 
 is o-eiieraii 'ven cubits h:L;h. Tiiere arc always wooden doors. The 
 roof is tliatched with a frame of wood and bamboos. The walls are not 
 nhite-w asiied, nor in Behar, especially, are they well smoothed. The 
 lloor is terraced with clay. A house of this kind costs from 20 to 25 rs, 
 (40 to 45.S'.) and will last 15 years; but it requires annual repairs. 
 
 * The houses with mud walls and consisting- of one story are thatched, 
 and iiave no ceiling- covered with clay to lessen the danger from fire. These 
 houses consist of one apartment, of the same size with those of two stories, 
 aiui have seldom any gallery. The roof is in general of the same shape 
 with that in eastern parts of Bengal, consisting of two sides meeting' in an 
 arched ridge ; but the pitch is usually very low, and they are commonly of 
 the structure called Chauka, of which 1 haveji^iven an account in treating 
 of Puraniva. Among the woods, many houses have walls of bamboos split 
 and interwoven like a basket. The hovels in form of a bee-hive are not 
 so common as in Puraniya. They are most usual on the north side of the 
 river, where baml'oos are veiy scarce, and in Fayezullahgunj, where the 
 peo))le are totally abandoned to sloth. 
 
 ' If there is any native house in the district sufficiently larg-e enou<yh to 
 accommodate a wealthy family, the number must be exceedingly small. 
 The peo'ple here liave scarcely any furniture, except bedding-, and some 
 brass, copper, and bell-metal vessels. Bedsteads are much uiore common 
 than in Puraniya. Bed-steads called Khatiyas, are made entirely of rough 
 sticks rudely joined together and the bottcjui is made of strav.^ or gra>s ropes 
 A coarse quilt serves for bedding. A few during the floods sleej) on bamboo 
 stages. iMany sleep on the ground, chieily on rnais made of grass (Kusa), 
 or of palm leaves. Each hut usually consists of one apartment eleven 
 cubits long by seven wide, to the front of which if the occupant is a trader 
 or artist, a narrow gallery is added to serve for a shop. 
 
 ' In ordinary houses the furniture generally consists of bedsteads, 
 earthen pots, a spinning wheel, and a rude knife, cleaver, &c. persons in 
 easy circuuistances' add some copper vessels; but carpets, chairs, tables, 
 &c. are confined to very few families indeed.' vol. I. p. 1 18. 
 
 ' The poorer classes here suiler much from cold, on account of the 
 scantiness of clothing.' p. 1 19. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XIU 
 
 * Fuel in most parts of these districts is very scarce and dear, and the 
 greater part consists of cowdiino- mixed witli husks.' p. 123. 
 
 Huts pervious to rain and wind flooded for some months 
 in a year the damp earth for a bed, without clothing or 
 fuel and with a few pulse cakes for food this is the condi- 
 tion of millions of our fellow-creatures ! Why the tenants of 
 the African kraal or Indian wigwam have a paradise com- 
 pared to the position of a people who luxuriate in the proud 
 distinction of British subjects ! Examine a specimen of the 
 
 land they inhabit 
 
 
 Richness of SoU. * Near the river a g^reat deal of the land gives two 
 complete crops in the course of the year. One-half of the rice land in 
 the interior, g-ives a crop of Khesari (of the bean tribe) sown without any 
 cultivation amoni^ the corn, when that is near ripe.' p. 2/5. 
 
 Puramya. ' Here it must be observed that a great quantity of seed is 
 sown without any previous culture. The farmer merely scatters the seed 
 among the mud at the commencement of tlie fair weather, and is at no 
 other trouble with his crop, until he comes to reap it.' p, 211. 
 
 * There are reckoned three harvests annually, viz. Bhadai, reaped in 
 the rainy season, including broadcast rice, maruya, maize, &c. K/iurif, 
 reaped in the cold season, including transplanted rice, janera. &c. ; and 
 Rabi, reaped in spring ; including wheat, barley, linseed, peas, &c.* 
 p, 282. 
 
 * Near Patnaand Dinajpoor, potatoes are cultivated to a great extent. 
 The same field usually gives, in the intervals between the crops of the 
 potatoe, a crop of vegetables, and another of maize.' p. 284. 
 
 Shiihabad. * In this district 2,297 square miles, are occupied by fields, 
 gardens, plantations and houses. The proportion of land that gives two 
 full cro])s in the year, may amount to one-twentieth of the whole. About 
 one-half the district is cultivated with rice, but there is no doubt that if 
 proper pains were bestowed on irrigation, few countries are better fitted 
 for this valuable grain.' p. 537. 
 
 * Here, as well as in Behar there are reckoned three harvests, p. 
 538. 
 
 Two or three harvests in the year of wheat, barley, rice, 
 maize, peas, beans, &c. and yet the people who raise this 
 produce ftimishing for want of proper nutriment subject to 
 every loathsome disease and of sickly infirm frame of body, 
 the perpetuation of which is a curse rather than an advan- 
 tage to any community. Then look at their wages of in- 
 dustry 
 
 * In general it may be observed that the people here, especially the wo- 
 men, are if possible more dirty than those of Puraniya, and that their 
 clothing is more scanty. The poorer women are allowed one piece of 
 cloth in the year, and it is not woven of a breadth to hide their nakedness, 
 so that two breadths must be stitched together to make one wrapper, 
 which after all is very scanty.' p. 93. 
 
 ' In the southern part of the district, Belpatta and Kalikapoor, the 
 day labourers receive about 3 sers of grain per daiV} or money and grain 
 
XIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 to the value of between from f ana to 1 ana [l^d.] a day. The number 
 of labourers is very considerable/ p. 227. 
 
 Iron of Kharakpoor. * A for^e with six men make daily 10 sers C64s.w. 
 = 1 6426-10,000 lbs.) of each three kinds of iron, one fitted for plough- 
 shares, one for hoes, and one for hatchets. Ninety sers of crude iron, 
 worth 3 rs., jL,nve 40 sers of the forged worth at the advanced price 44 rs. ; 
 and to forge this quantity requires 7^ anas worth of charcoal, each man 
 therefore makes 2 anas, U ganda a day. The -\ ganda may be allowed for 
 the expense of itnplements, &c. They never work but when they receive 
 advances.' p. 265. 
 
 * A common labourer gets 2 anas a day, a clever workman is allowed 
 3 anas per day.' p. 266. 
 
 Shahabnd. ' In proportion to the number of inhabitants, the number 
 of common beggars is more considerable than in Behar, amounting to 
 about 3300:' p. 480. 
 
 Ranggamati. * The free men-servants here usually receive from one 
 rupee to 12 anas a month, and their food and raiment, worth as much 
 more.' p. 497. 
 
 * Number of common beggars, about 5500.' p. 498. 
 
 Gortikhpoor and NawabgunJ . * About 800 families are engaged in com- 
 merce, and 100 as artificers and artists.' Vol. II. p. 407. 
 
 * Where food or land is not given, men servants get from 2 to 3 rupees 
 per month, and women from 8 to 16 anas.' p. 426. 
 
 * About 395 canoes are employed in fishing, and there arc 1625 families 
 of fishermen, besides 80 men in one of the divisions where the estimate 
 was given in this manner, and not according to families. It was stated 
 that in 702 of these families tliere were 1325 men, and at this rate the 
 whole number of men will be = 3147.' 
 
 * Some fish only two months, and a very few the whole year ; but the 
 average time of employment is 4 months'and ten days in the year. The 
 fishermen make a clear profit of about 2 rs. per montli.' p. 510. 
 
 The most common day laI)ourer that can be procured to weed and trans- 
 lant are women, and boys too young for holding the plougli, and these at 
 
 arraona earn daily, 3 sers (of 96 p. w.) of grain.' p. 544. 
 
 ' The oilmen are poorer than these of Behar, and about six-sixteenths 
 have too little stock to enable them to purchase the seed, and therefore ex- 
 press the oil for hire. Perhaps six-sixteenths also, besides the oxen neces- 
 sary for the mill, have others with which they carry grain to market, and 
 trade in that article as well as in oil ; but very few have more than one 
 mill, there being estimated 2,880 mills to 2,780 houses. All the mills are 
 turned by oxen ; but the number of cattle is by no means adequate to keep 
 the mills going all day, being only estimated at 2,9/5, whereas two oxen 
 at least are required for each mill, to keep it going for the greater part of 
 the day. It was stated that a mill with one beast squeezes linseed four 
 times a day ; at each time it takes four sers of 44 s. w. or 4 4 lbs. The 
 value of all the seed is3i anas; the oil procured is four sers, worth four anas, 
 and the oil-cake 12 sers, worth one ana. A man and ox therefore make 
 only Ij ana a day, which, allowing for accidents, will not give more than 
 3 rs. a month, and from this must be deducted the feeding of the ox, and 
 the repairing of the mill.' p. 545. 
 
 ' The Patoya and his wife make annually by weaving cotton-cloth 26i rs., 
 and by weaving Tasar silk 24 rs., in all 50^ rs., which in this district is 
 considered as but a poor provision for a family, less than 1 r. a month for 
 each person, young an! old, reducing the family to a very scanty allow- 
 ance, and it is probable that the Patuyas make at least 60 rs. a year. They 
 are said to live' better than the common weavers. 
 
 * According to the statements which I received, there are in this district 
 
 t 
 
INTRODUCTION. XV 
 
 7,025 houses of weavers, who work in cotton alone, and who have 7,950 
 looms. It is admitted that in these houses there are more than 7,950 men 
 ahle to work, but the surplus is said to he employed in affricultiire. As, 
 however, the weavers are a source of revenue to the landlords, I think it 
 probable that more are employed in their profession than has been stated. 
 Seven thousand nine hundred and fifty looms require 457,954 rs. worth of 
 thread, and make 622,950 rs. worth of cloth. Each man, therefore, makes 
 ^oods to the value of a little less than 78 six-sixteenths rs., while in Patna 
 and Behar the averao^e acknowledged was rather more than 103 rs. Here, 
 further, the total profit beino- 164,996, the annual averaije gain of each 
 weaver will be nearly 20| rs., while in Behar a <rain of 28i rs. was ad- 
 mitted. In this employment each loom requires the whole labour of a 
 man and his wife, and a boy, g-irl, or old person, besides cooking, cleaning 
 the house, bringing water, and beating the rough grain used in the family, 
 <;an do no more than warp and wind.' p. 547, 548. 
 
 * Usual wages of carpenters at Gorukhpoor are about six rs per month, 
 allowing for holy days.' p. 657- 
 
 * A Thathera (or worker in brass), makes about 4 rs. 14 anas per month.' 
 p. 558. 
 
 * Average profit of one woman's spinning, 2 six-sixteenths rs. per year.' 
 p. 559. 
 
 D'majpoor. * The men employed in actual agriculture cannot be less 
 than 480,000, which with their wives and children, &c. will make the total 
 agricultural population 2,400,000, which added to the remaining popula- 
 tion otherwise employed, will give 3,000,000 for the total population, or 
 about 558 persons to each square mile. 
 
 The most remarkable circumstance is that with this overwhelming po- 
 pulation there is a general complaint of a scarcity of workmen. The 
 waste lands are attributed to a want of farmers, and the want of farmers 
 to the general extreme poverty of that class of men.' p. 686 and 687. 
 
 * Weavers earn 36 rs. per year.' p. 560. 
 
 District of Puraniya. * The furniture is greatly inferior to that of Dinaj- 
 poor or Ronggopoor.' Vol. III. p. 101. 
 
 ' The women of the Moslems and ofsomecastes of Hindoos, that are se- 
 creted, are said to be tolerably clean, but all those whicu are visible, are 
 wretchedly dirty. A woman who appears clean in public, on ordinary 
 occasions, may pretty confidently be taken for a prostitute, such care of 
 her person being considered among tlie Moslems and Hindus, as totally in- 
 compatible with modesty. Their clothes are often worn to rags without 
 having been once washed.' p. 107. 
 
 * The average consumption of rice, for a family eating no other grain 
 except for seasoning was in different divisions stated from 48 to 64 s. w. a 
 day for each person young and old.' p. 109. 
 
 * In a few divisions towards Dinajpoor, the poorest people eat little or no 
 salt, and supply its place by ashes ; and in a few others towards the north- 
 east the lowest classes add some ashes to compensate the scantiness of the 
 supply.* p. 112. 
 
 * The free male and female domestic servants are of the same kinds as 
 in Bhagulpoor, and receive nearly the same allowances, except in Patna 
 and Danapoor, where wages are a little higher. Some of the women 
 servants are young, and none are commonly procurable of any age, with- 
 out wages as high nearly as those given to men. A great many poor 
 women, as in Bhagulpoor, gain a livelihood by carrying water for wealthy 
 families, usually get 2 paysas a month for each pot of water that she sup- 
 plies daily; and besides managing her family and perhaps spinning a little, 
 may gain monthly 8 anas (three pence a week.) 
 
 ' In the town of Puraniya domestic servants receive from 2 to 3 rupees 
 
XVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 per month, and find themselves in food, clothing- and lodu^ing-, o^eneral wau^es 
 given to a cfood servant, 1 rupee a month with food and clothino-.' p. 120. 
 
 * Annual value of the property pilfered by the watchmen, 60,000 rupees.' 
 p. 162. 
 
 * Total number of the families of the Vaishnavs, may be 3000, all im- 
 pudent be/^cfars.' p. l/^- 
 
 * The number of sufferers from poverty is great, and would shock the 
 most hardened nation of Europe.' p. 100, 
 
 * Serpents are very numerous and dangerous in this district, probably 120 
 persons besides many cattle are annuallv killed.* p. 189. 
 
 * Number of fishermen estimated at 7000 houses, and in each house on 
 an average, two able bodied men, giving 14000 fishermen. Each man 
 catches on an average 18 rupees worth offish per annum ; at least one- 
 third of which is given to the agents of their landlords.* p. 192. 
 
 *At Dhamdaha, the workman gets 3 sers (72 s .w.) of rough rice, a day.* 
 p. 226. 
 
 * A man taking care of 300 sheep, is allowed 36 rupees per annum.* p. 
 278. 
 
 * The person who tends plough cattle, is allowed equal to 8 anas a 
 month, and half a ser of grain per day. Almost all the servants are in 
 debt to their masters.* p. 297- 
 
 * The Dhunaru (or those who clean cotton) can earn, if industrious and 
 sober, frofn 4 to 8 anas per day.* p. 322. 
 
 * Dyers make from 6 to 8 rupees a month.' p. 325. 
 
 * Almost all the silk weavers are extremely necessitous, and involved in 
 debt by advances.* p. 326. 
 
 * The free male domestic servants of the great are three kinds. Bhan- 
 daris who are stewards, and take care of all the household effects ; Khed- 
 inutgars, who dress their master, attend him at meals, supply him with 
 tobacco and betle, and make his bed ; and Tahaliyus, who clean the kitchen 
 and its utensils, bring wood anfl water, and buy provisions ; but in com- 
 mon one man does everything, cind takes care also of the horse, and of 
 any cows and goats that may live in the house. Their wages vary from 8 
 to 24 anas a month, besides food and clothing. About 1 r. is however the 
 average, the food may be as much, and the clothing may be 4 rs. a year. 
 The whole allowance seldom exceeds 30 rs a year.* vol. II. p. 98i 
 
 * The common fare of many poor labourers consists of boiled rice or 
 other grain, which is seasoned with a few wild herbs boiled with pot-ashes 
 or capsicum, and it is only occasionally they can procure oil or fish, 
 p. 491. 
 
 The details given throughout the three volumes prove most 
 fully the pittance which a day labourer can earn the trifling 
 remuneration received by an artizan, or by a manufacturer of 
 iron, silk, or cotton. Although salt is such is a necessary 
 ingredient in a vegetable diet yet poverty compels the sub- 
 stitution of ashes. From such a deplorable state of things 
 can any other result be expected than the following : 
 
 * When a pilgrim on his road falls sick and is unable to walk, he is de- 
 serted to his fate, and unless some charitable persons provide for his wants 
 he perishes. The officers of the police say that near the routes which the 
 pilgrims principally follow, the number of bodies they are obliged to bury 
 (to prevent the nuisance of their becoming putrid) is very considerable. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XVII 
 
 * The poor of the country are not only in p^eneral totally neglected, when 
 unable to go out to bejj, but whenever one of them becomes sick (in some 
 places), and is in dani^er of dyinp;-, the neighbours privately convey him to 
 another manor and leave him under a tree. If he survives the following 
 day, the people on whom he has been stolen, next night convey him to 
 another manor, and the poor wretch is thus bandied about until he pe- 
 rishes. The reason assigned for this cruelty is, that the neighbours are 
 afraid of the expense attending the funeral, &c.' p. 480. 
 
 As the state of slavery in India has been of late discussed 
 let us now investigate the condition of this unhappy portion 
 of our race. 
 
 'Proper slaves of the male sex are in this district called Nufurs, and 
 their women are called Laundis. They are confined to the part of the 
 district included in Subah Behar. In general they belong to the owners 
 of land, chiefly on free estates, or to wealthy Brahmans, who rent land. 
 None of them are employed as confidential servarrts, such as in Puraniya 
 receive a good farm for the subsistence of their family; on the contrary 
 they are generally very poorly provided, and the greater part of the men 
 are employed in agriculture. Some of them, when there is nothing to do 
 on the farm, attend their master as domestics ; others 'are employed en- 
 tirely as domestics, and living in their master's house receive food and 
 raiment ; finally, others are cojistantly employed on the field, and these 
 get no allowance, when there is no work on the farm, but are allowed to 
 cut fire-wood, or do any other kind of labour for a subsistence. When 
 old, their allowance is in general exceedingly scanty, and commonly de- 
 pends in some measure, and sometimes in a great part upon what their 
 children can spare. If they have no children they are sometimes turned 
 out to beg. The usual daily allowance is about 3 sers Calcutta weight, or 
 about 6 lbs. of rough rice, or of the coarse rgrains, the great quantity of the 
 husks of the former making it of less value than the latter. The slave 
 from this must find clothing, salt, oil, and other seasoning, fuel and cook- 
 ing utensils. His master gives him a wretched hut, where he lives almost 
 alone ; for, although he is always married, his wife and children live in the 
 master's house and there receive food and clothing. The women when young 
 are usually alleged to gratify their master's desires; and when grown up, 
 sweep the house, bring fuel and water, wash, beat and winnow grain, and 
 in fact are women of all work. At night they go to their husbands' hut, 
 unless when young and too attractive ; in which case they are only allowed 
 to make him occasional visits for the sake of decency. The boys, so soon 
 as fit are employed to tend cattle, are early married, if possible to a girl 
 belonging to the same master ; but sometimes the master has no girl of an 
 age fit for marriage, and cannot purchase, in which case he allows his boy 
 to marry a girl belonging to another master, or a free girl, in either of 
 which cases he gets no share of the children. If a man has a marriageable, 
 girl, and no slave to whom he can give her, he allows her to marry another 
 person's slave, or even a free man ; but in both cases retains all the 
 children. In general a free man marrying a slave girl is not personally 
 degraded to slavery as in Puraniya ; in other places he becomes a Chutiya 
 Golam {cunno servus), but cannot be sold ; he works for his wife's master 
 at the usual allowance that a slave receives. Slaves may be sold in what- 
 ever manner the master pleases , but they are not often brought to market. 
 All the slaves are either of the Dhanuk or Rawani castes. Free men of 
 the Dhanuk caste, if very poor, sell their children ; but in this district 
 this is not done by the Rawanis. The slaves here are in general in- 
 dustrious, seldom run away, and are seldom beaten.' p. 99. 
 
XVlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 'There are no doubt many slaves, as the chief persons in the district are 
 Muhammedans, and some of them have, I understand, dealt in this com- 
 modity to a ruinous length. I saw two Abyssinian boys in the train of 
 one person of rank, and he told me he had commissioned tbem from 
 Calcutta on account of the character for fidelity, which this nation holds 
 throusfhout the east. In the division of Mungj^e'r alone, I understand that 
 the Moslems have 50 male, and 70 female domestic slaves (Golara and 
 Lriundis). 
 
 Slaves of PuranUjn. A prown man costs from 15 to 20 rs. ; a lad of 16 
 years of aije, from 12 to 20 rs. ; and a drl at 8 or 10 years old, from 5 to 
 15 rs.' p. 123. 
 
 ' The slaves are very numerous. In Gaya and some other places, the 
 slaves arc occasionally sold, and formerly usually fetched a rupee, for 
 eacb year of their a^e until they reach 20, when they are at their hi<?le8t 
 value.' vol. I. p. 125. 
 
 * Khurmis and Dhanuks born free, occasionally ^ive themselves up as 
 slaves, when they fall into distress. Slavery seems to be pretty universal 
 wherever Mahammcdan law prevails. The number of common begn^ars 
 that are estimated to be in the whole of these districts amount to about 
 4200.' p. 126. 
 
 Shahabttd. 'Slaves here are not so numerous as in Behar, but they are 
 
 less indulg'ed, for they are often sold ; and where a master is so poor 
 
 that be cannot feed them, he usually requires them to ^ve him a share 
 of their wa^es." p. 4/9. 
 
 * In the division of Parraona bordering on Sarun are 250 families of 
 slaves, of whom 4-5ths are employed in aejriculture.' p. 427. 
 
 * Number of common beggars estimated at 1 145.' p. 428. 
 
 Thus it will be perceived that the value of a slave in British 
 India is 20 rs. or 40 shillings ! Why in the West Indies before 
 emancipation 40 would have been a poor price. Even human 
 flesh and blood has little comparative worth in the Eastern 
 Empire, over which England professes to exercise a mild 
 and paternal sway ! Need we be astonished at the following 
 facts which are but faint specimens of what these volumes 
 pourtray. 
 
 Puranhja. ' The chief celebrity of Matiyari arises from its being in- 
 habited by a crocodile, wlio is considered the same as a saint, and he is 
 accompanied by a smaller, which is supposed to be the saint's wife. On 
 the first of Vaisakh, about 5000 people of all sects assemble to make offer- 
 ings to these monsters. One year as a young man was attempting to 
 drive away a buffaloe, that had imprudently gone into the water, he was 
 carried down and devoured, and the natives believe, that the man was a 
 dreadful sinner, and that his death was a punishment in consequence 
 thereof.' p. 59. 
 
 Bhagulpoor. * The education of the Zemindars and other landholders, 
 has been fully as much neglected as in Puraniya. In the plan of educa- 
 tion here, science or any study that can enlarge the views or improve the 
 heart, has been most deplorably neglected, and the chief object seems to 
 have been to lay in a stock of chicane, in which even the most stupid are 
 profound adepts.' p. 104. 
 
 * In this district, witchcraft (Jadu) is supposed to be exceedingly com- 
 mon. The witches (Dain) here also are supposed to be women, some 
 young and some old. p. 107. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XIX 
 
 ' It is thought that when one of these witches sees a fine child, by means 
 of imprecations addressed to some unknown gods, who are pleased with 
 such worship, that she destroys its health, so that it pines away, and is 
 deprived of reason, or dies. Unless the witch knovvs the real name of the 
 child, her imprecations do no harm. On this account children are usually 
 called by some nickname, and their proper one is concealed ; and, as 
 most parents think their children line, almost every one is alarmed, when 
 in play his children go out of sight. The children however are generally 
 fortified by hanging on them something that is considered as a charm 
 against spells. At Bhagulpoor it was stated to me, that about 25 children 
 are supposed annually to perish in that town from the malevolence of 
 these witches. Some poor women, it may be suspected, are not unwilling 
 to be considered as witches; for, after they acquire this character, parents 
 are alarmed whenever they approach ; and, after having concealed their 
 children, give the Dain some present to induce her to go away.' p. 108. 
 
 Superstition. ' To destroy a Hanuman (monkey) is considered almost 
 as great a sin as to kill a cow ; and moreover, it is imagined, that such an 
 action is exceedingly unlucky, and that where a Hanuman has been killed, 
 all the people will soon die. His bones also are exceedingly unfortunate, 
 and no house built, where one is hid under ground can thrive. The dis- 
 covery of these bones, or the ascertaining that none such are concealed, 
 where a house is to be built, is one of the employments of the Jyotish 
 philosophers of India, so highly vaunted for the purity of their science.' 
 p. 141. 
 
 Puraniya. * The number of persons who deal in spells and incantations 
 are very great, and amount to about 3500.' p. 143. 
 
 Purgunahy Bhagulpoor. * Few of the inhabitants know any thing of 
 their family history, some of them not even the name of the grand- 
 father. Many of them cannot read ; and in the whole of Ratnagunj, the 
 best part of the Pergunah, no Zemindar who resides, has any higher 
 .education, than to be able to read common accounts, although several of 
 them are Brahmans.' p. 235. 
 
 Rungpoor. ' Here as in Dinajpoor, it is considered highly improper 
 to bestow any literary education on women, and no man would marry a 
 girl who was known to be capable of reading ; for it is believed, that no 
 man will live long who has a wife that knows too much. p. 500. 
 
 Ranggamati. The astrologers here are the most numerous and the 
 highest in rank, for it is said they amount to about 300 houses, p. 527- 
 
 It is painful it is heartrending to go on with the picture ; 
 the reader should examine the volumes if he have a heart to 
 feel or a mind to think ; infanticide, widow burning, human 
 sacrifices, &c. might well close the fearful analysis. 
 
 The foregoing details, however,' most fully demonstrate 
 the truth of my proposition as to the beauty and ferti- 
 lity of the country, and the poverty of its inhabitants. 
 These facts are corroborated by many other details through- 
 out the work, all demonstrative of a mass of wretched- 
 ness, such as no other country on the face of the earth 
 presents ; and the continuance of which is a disgrace, 
 a deep and indelible disgrace to the British name. Since 
 this official report was made to Government, have any efFec- 
 
XX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tual steps been taken in England or in India, to benefit the 
 sufferers by our rapacity and selfishness ? None ! On the 
 contrary, we have done every thing possible to impoverish still 
 further the miserable beings subject to the cruel selfishness 
 of English commerce. The pages before the reader, prove 
 the number of people in the surveyed districts dependant for 
 their chief support on their skill in weaving cotton, &c. Under 
 the pretence of free trade, England has compelled the Hin- 
 doos to receive the products of the steam looms of Lanca- 
 shire, Yorkshire, Glasgow, &c., at mere nominal duties ; 
 while the hand-wrought manufactures of Bengal and Behar, 
 beautiful in fabric and durable in wear, have had heavy and 
 almost prohibitory duties imposed on their importation into 
 England ; our Birmingham, Staffordshire and domestic wares 
 have ruined the native artisans of the East, who endeavoured 
 to compete with the accumulation of wealth and steam-power in 
 England ; while by a suicidal folly, we have refused to receive 
 the sugars, coffee, rum, tobacco, &c. the cultivation of which 
 might have enabled the unfortunate Hindoos to cease being 
 the periodical victims of famine and pestilence. In public 
 works we have done nothing for India ; every thing has been 
 subservient to the imperious necessity of raising .^0,000,000 
 yearly, to meet the expenses of an army of 200,000 men, and 
 a large costly civil establishment. For half a century we 
 have gone on draining from two to three and sometimes four 
 million pounds sterling a year from India, which has been 
 remittable to Great Britain, to meet the deficiencies of com- 
 mercial speculations ; to pay the interest of debts, to support 
 the Home establishment, and to invest on England's soil 
 the accumulated wealth of those whose life has been spent in 
 Hindoostan. 
 
 I do not think it possible for human ingenuity to avert en- 
 tirely the evil effects of a continued drain of S to 4,000,000 
 a year from a distant country like India, and which is never re- 
 turned to it in any shape. The desolating effects of such a drain 
 are stated in the Introduction to Vol. I. p. xii. and the accu- 
 racy of the facts there stated has not even been impugned. 
 The question which naturally occurs on considering this 
 painful subject is, what should be done to alleviate the suf- 
 fering we have caused. A people who with all their industry, 
 and possessed of considerable skill, are unable to earn more 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXI 
 
 than Id. to l^d, or 2d, a day, and when in want of means (as is 
 constantly the case) to till their land or carry on their looms, 
 and smithies are compelled by their necessities to borrow mo- 
 ney at 20 to 30 per cent, per annum, must necessarily be beg- 
 gared. As at the faro table, however successful the player 
 may apparently be the doctrine of chances is against him, and 
 whatever his capital, he has only to continue to play, to be 
 certain of final ruin. Thus is it with the poor Hindoo farmer 
 or artizan, he may out of three seasons, enjoy two propitious 
 ones ; the necessity for borrowing at 20 to 30 per cent, comes, 
 the scanty savings (if indeed there be any among a people 
 living from hand to mouth) of two past years are swept away 
 and a debt contracted, the interest on which impoverishes 
 him for the remainder of his existence. It does not require 
 a profound knowledge of social intercourse to perceive that 
 under such a state of things not only can there be no pros- 
 perity, but that the utter destruction of a people thus si- 
 tuated is merely a question of time. And when to such a 
 sure cause of misery we have added the commercial injustice 
 which prohibits the Hindoo from having even the same ad- 
 vantage for his dear wrought, high taxed products in the 
 markets of the United Kingdom, as the Englishman has for 
 his cheap manufactures in India, can we be surprized at the 
 misery which exists, and the utter desolation that must ensue* 
 Admitting that it is impossible under present circumstances 
 to avoid the continued drain of 3,000,000 per annum as 
 tribute from India to England surely it is our duty, a sacred 
 and imperious duty, to mitigate the effects consequent on this 
 unceasing exhaustion of the capital of the country. The go*- 
 vernment of India has retrenched, and retrenched to an ex* 
 treme without producing the slightest relief to the people ; we 
 have admitted the sugars of one province (Bengal) to the 
 English markets at a duty of 150 per cent. ; but the rum, to- 
 bacco, &c. of India is virtually prohibited. We are becoming 
 lavish of political Institutions, (which cost no money) but as 
 regards social rights, England treats India with a despotism 
 which has no parallel in ancient or modern history. But injus- 
 tice acts like the scorpion's sting on its possessor, and the tem- 
 porary and trifling advantage which England gains by her 
 cruel and ungenerous treatment of India, will, if persevered 
 in, recoil with tenfold effect on the persecutor. 
 
XXU INTRODUCTION. 
 
 England has been used by Divine Providence, as an instru- 
 ment for restoring tranquillity to Hindostan, and peace, the 
 precursor of all blessings, now exists. The power and re- 
 sources which a small island in the Atlantic possesses by 
 means of the occupation of the vast empire of India is in- 
 calculable, but " the handwriting is on the wall/'' and 
 if ever a nation deserved punishment and annihilation it will 
 be England, should she continue in her present career of in- 
 justice to India. Let the intelligent and really Christian 
 portion of these islands bestir themselves on this momentous 
 subject ; their philanthropy has been long turned towards the 
 negro population of the West, let it now be directed to the 
 alleviation of the misery which depresses and degrades a 
 hundred million of their fellow subjects in the East. 
 
 What a field for their operations is thus presented to them ! 
 In addition to a hundred million of our fellow subjects under 
 the governments of the Presidencies of Bengal, Madras, and 
 Bombay ; there are another hundred million of people directly 
 and indirectly connected with our territories and administra- 
 tion. We have before us that land which was the cradle of the 
 human race, a land flowing with oil and milk and honey, con- 
 taining the loftiest mountains, the largest rivers, the richest 
 plains ; a people industrious, intelligent, and brave, who 
 submit to our moral power, rather than to physical force, and 
 who, notwithstanding the past, are disposed to confide in the 
 reputed integrity, morality and boasted equity of christianized 
 Britain. Let then but a tithe of the energetic benevolence 
 which was directed towards a comparative handful of negroes 
 in the West Indies, be now expended in improving the condi- 
 tion of those whom we have so long neglected in our Anglo- 
 Indian Empire. 
 
 It is not interfering with the religion or prejudices of the 
 Hindoos that is first required; it is not education merely 
 (though valuable in itself) that is to be sought for. However 
 gross in theory the rehgion of the Hindoos, it could not be 
 more unjust in practice than has been the conduct of pro- 
 fessing Christians towards Hindostan ; prove that justice is 
 at the base of our religion, and the prejudices and supersti- 
 tions of the Hindoos will gradually and effectually yield before 
 the hght of truth ; but it is folly it is rashness it is a 
 mockery to attempt to force Christianity on the Hindoos, 
 
INTRODUCTION. , Xxiu 
 
 SO long as all our actions bear the stamp of a selfish, narrow- 
 minded and cruel policy, which no idolatrous or heathen na- 
 tion could surpass. 
 
 The grand preliminary measures to be adopted for the 
 welfare of Hindostan are 1st. Let the land revenue be 
 fixed in permanency throughout India so that the cultiva- 
 tors be not ground down from year to year with enormous 
 and overwhelming exactions, which has the same effect 
 on the people as would be the case with a swarm of bees, 
 whose hive would be plundered every night of the honey 
 prepared throughout the day. 2nd. Let common justice 
 be done to the products of British India when sent to the 
 ports of the L^nited Kingdom. Whatever duties are le- 
 vied in England on Indian produce, let equivalent duties be 
 levied in India on English produce. This is the free trade 
 sought with France, &c. but denied to British India. 3rd. Let 
 a sound and judicious banking system be introduced through- 
 out all the principal districts ; in a free country such establish- 
 ments are best confided to the management of the people 
 themselves ; but British India is avowedly a despotism an 
 oligarchical, foreign despotism and therefore the more bound 
 tp provide for the wants of its subjects. A sound banking 
 system would instantly reduce the rate of interest, raise 
 credit to a proper level, enhance prices, and encourage in- 
 dustry by the employment of capital, prevent hoarding and 
 usury by offering a safe and legitimate use for wealth, and 
 raise the moral character of a people by showing them the 
 beneficial effects of credit. Such have been the results of 
 banking in every country, and no finer field was ever pre- 
 sented for its operation than India, as these pages demon- 
 strate. 4th. Let municipalities suited to the people be esta- 
 blished in the principal cities for cleansing, lighting, and 
 improving them, and for the establishment of periodical fairs 
 or markets. The facts detailed relative to Patna, &c. prove 
 the want of such institutions in reference to physical com- 
 forts : but a great advantage would also be gained by ini- 
 tiating the people into habits of self-government, combinino- 
 various classes of society for the promotion of their mutual 
 welfare, and thus slowly but surely abrogating the perni- 
 cious effects of caste. 
 
 Finally, I would hope that England may awake ere it be 
 
XXIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 too late to a sense of the serious, solemn, awful responsibility, 
 which the possession of British India involves ; it is a trust 
 reposed in her by Heaven, and dreadful will be the penalties 
 if neglected or abused. It seems to be one of the results 
 attendant on the sociality of man that national suffering and 
 remote consequences, however terrible, have less effect on him 
 than the misery of a single individual, or proximate results 
 however trifling ; but surely this is not the doctrine or precept 
 of Christianity ? The present generation, may perhaps not 
 be afflicted for the injustice now committed towards India, 
 and the empire be preserved in its integrity for a century ; 
 but if we acknowledge that we owe many of the blessings of 
 civilization to our ancestors, are we not bound by every sacred 
 obligation to transmit them not only unimpaired but improved 
 to our posterity. Such doctrines would be avowed and acted 
 on in any intelligent heathen community how much higher 
 should be the actuating principles of a Christian nation? 
 Lofty, proud, and glorious as is this empire on which earth's 
 sun never sets He who gave to it a puissance unrecorded 
 in the annals of mankind, did so in accordance with His wis- 
 dom for some good use and unless that good use be derived 
 and made evident to the world the pride, the strength and 
 glory of England will but serve to measure the height of her 
 fall, and to add another fact to the chronology of those king- 
 doms which forgot the source whence they sprung and the 
 purport for which they were created : then may the inspired 
 language of Isaiah when crying, " Listen O Isles unto me, 
 and barken ye people from afar," be applied : 
 
 " Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments ! then had thy 
 peace been as a river, and thy rij^hteousness as the waves of the sea : 
 thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like 
 the gravel thereof; thy name should not have been cut off nor destroyed 
 from before me." Isaiah, xlviii. 
 
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