sired, that, in the event of his death, a clerical friend might be requested to do so. Shortly before he expired, being told that the New Testament was at hand, at his desire, the fourth chapter of St. John was read to him; at the conclusion of which he said, "Thanks be to God!" A hymn, which he had composed a short time before, was then sung, and of which the following is a paraphrase: Blest Saviour of the world! who art Thou art the fairest, Sharon's rose! He joined in singing this hymn; and desired that it might be sung a second time: but, he could no longer articulate distinctly, and soon became insensible to every thing around him. He lay, seemingly in perfect ease, till the evening; when he raised his head from the pillow, and with his left hand took hold of the hand of his friend-then gently withdrew it-and breathed his last. According to his desire, his remains were interred in the compound of his own house. The Resident, with other friends, attended the funeral. The Resident has also ordered a monument to be erected over his grave, and directed an inscription to be prepared for it, both in English and Persian. But he has a far better monument in those faithful “ la66 "and bours" from which he now rests," a those "works" which "follow him." For, "they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." We will not dwell upon the reflections which occur to our minds upon the death of this exemplary minister of Christ in reference to Christianity in India. In him we have seen a complale refutation of all the idle surmises a atbold assertions of the opponents of Christian missions in that country. Abdool Messeeh was a native and a Mussulman; but he lived for many years, and he died, a faithful and consistent follower of Christ, and an able minister of his holy religion. What then, humanly speaking, but the coldness and insufficiency of exertion on the part of professed Christians, prevents the faith of the Redeemer being more widely known and embraced among the natives of India, till, from the bosom of its own communion shall arise teachers sufficient in number, and as equal to the arduous office as the humble and excellent Abdool Messeeh. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. VICANUS; C. D. A.; ANON; LAICUS ALTER; A CONSTANT READER; A. H. H.; and F.; are under consideration. A CURATE; LITURGICUS ; and A LAYMAN; will see that the substance of their remarks had been anticipated. We are greatly obliged to the Rev. Basil Woodd for a series of original Autograph Letters of the venerable Missionary Swartz, written to a family of children and young persons, for whom he cherished a truly pastoral regard, in a spirit of affection, piety, and Christian simplicity, which our respected correspondent justly charac terises as "most interesting and affecting." EPSILON will see by our present Number that we have not been unwilling to admit a calm discussion of the bearings of unfulfilled prophecy; but we cannot see the propriety of making the sacred Scriptures a mere gazetteer to passing events. Epsilon commences his prophetical remarks with saying, “The battle of Navarino has rendered the approaching dismemberment of the Turkish empire almost an historical fact; the Turks must either submit without war or be forced, &c. &c." Is it sober thus first to prophecy respecting future events, and then to make these human prophecies a key to the fulfilment of the prophecies of Scripture? TO THE CHRISTIAN OBSERVER, VOLUME THE TWENTY-SEVENTH, FOR 1827. RELIGIOUS AND PHILANTHROPIC INTELLIGENCE. CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY. WE shall introduce our abstract of the last Report of this eminently useful religious institution, with the following passage from the annual sermon preached before its members, by the Rev. H. Budda passage which powerfully exhibits in its true light the basis on which all missionary exertion should be grounded: "It is to no particular condition of men, it is not to men of nicer or broader distinctions of character, that the ambassador of Christ is sent. Under what character, then, is he to address mankind?-Simply as sinners. This is the universal character of fallen humanity. The Scripture hath concluded,' or shut up together, all under sin' (Gal. iii. 22); for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God' (Rom. iii. 23): all have come short of God's glory, or purpose in forming them: all are rebels: all are guilty of foul revolt; all are found in open warfare against their God: There is none that doeth good, no, not one.' (Rom. iii. 12.) It is neither natural, nor moral, nor artificial distinction of civilized life that makes the difference here: man, all over the world, at all times, in all places, under all circumstances, is found a sinner against God. You may collect specimens of earth from either quarter of the world; you may decompose CHRIST. OBSERV. APP. them, and reduce them to their elements; and however they may differ in certain properties, in one they all agree-they are material, and perish in the using. In an army of rebels there is every variety of character; but there is one prominent and distinctive-they are rebels all. Thus it is with man: find him where you may; modify him as you please; shape him as you will, by the square and plummet of civilization and refinement; yet no perfection of art can make him less than a sinner, no attainment of science can make him less than a rebel to his God. "It is to man, the sinner, then, that this ambassador is sent-to man, 'dead in trespasses and sins' (Eph. ii. 1); corrupt by sin, impotent by sin; without strength' or disposition to return to God; ' ungodly' (Rom. v. 6); ' without God in the world.' (Eph. ii. 12.) "Here then, I apprehend, is the firm foundation of all usefulness in the ministry of the Gospel-a deep conviction that man is a sinner against his God; evidenced by all history, all experience past and present, the dictates and assumption of the whole word of God, the character of Christ revealed therein as the remedy for sin, and, above all, the experimental conviction of this awful truth in the plague of the minister's own heart. No man is fit 5 H for a minister of Christ, who does not feel that he is a perishing sinner, sent to perishing sinners with this embassy, • Be ye reconciled to God!' We might quote, with much pleasure, many passages from Mr. Budd's glowing statements, relative to the manner in which the ambassador of Christ is to fulfil his ministry of reconciliation; and peculiarly by the faithful exhibition of that fundamental and specific disclosure of the sacred Scriptures, that "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing unto men their trespasses*." But our limits oblige us to pass on to our abstract of the Report. The committee commence their Report with expressing their gratitude to God for the mercies which There is a spirit of piety, of affection, of Christian simplicity, and of pastoral unction, in every page of Mr. Budd's discourse, which makes us unwilling to assume the office of the critic in perusing it; otherwise we should be inclined to take some exception to certain passages in it; for example: as, "What is the reason that society in Christian England has not made a greater practical advance in the grace of the Gospel? Shall I attempt to answer the question? I would rather answer it by asking another-Is the pulpit of the Church of England a pulpit of precept or of promise, of exaction or of reconciliation, of the Law or of the Gospel? Which is its distinctive character?" If the respected preacher means simply that the Christian ministry ought to be pre-eminently an office of promise and reconciliation, we quite accord with him; and we lament that the religion of Christ is ever made to wear an unlovely aspect; that the wrath or the harshness of the frail messenger is ever allowed to interpose between the embassy of mercy and the sinful being to whom it is addressed; but, at the same time, is not the Christian pulpit, to employ our author's language, though we will not use the unkindly word "exaction," "a pulpit of precept," of scriptural injunction, of exhortation to duty, of remonstrance, and of correction in righteousness, not less than of what is termed privilege? In truth, in the happy blending of faith and love with a principle of cheerful obedience in the Gospel of Christ, is not duty itself privilege; and ought not the minister of Christ to guard as strongly against the perversions of an Antinomian hearer, as against those of the self-righteous Pharisee? To the list they have continued to experience. Notwithstanding the difficulties of the country, affecting all classes of society, there had been a small advance in the funds of the society in the past year. The society had also received more than 800%. towards promoting native-female education in India. of vice-patrons the committee had the pleasure to add the name of the Right Rev. the Bishop of Llandaff, now of Winchester. Ten new associations had been formed in the course of the year. The gross receipts of the year amounted, including the contributions to the institution at Islington, to 45,9501. The amount of expenditure had been 40,470/. Two of the missions of the society, the West-African and the Indian, had suffered, somewhat considerably, by the return of those who were engaged in them, on account of ill health, and from other causes. Several missionaries had departed for their stations during the year; and the Bishop of London had admitted several of the society's students to ordination. The total number of persons who had been accepted during the year for missionary employment is twenty-nine. There were in the society's institution at Islington thirty-one pupils; and the committee are increasingly convinced by experience of the uti lity of such an institution. WEST AFRICAN MISSION. We lament to find that in this important sphere of missionary exertion, the society has not of late possessed sufficient strength for the be nevolent work in which it is engaged. While new accessions to the colony are continually making, the number of those who are labouring for its spiritual benefit is gradually dimi nishing; and the supply of Christian teachers is inadequate to the wants of a population of 16,000 souls. The details of the proceedings at this station are too miscellaneous for abridgment, but we select a few specimens. At Freetown, the usual services had, till Mr. Raban's sickness, been regularly performed, and an increased attention had been manifested by the European part of the congregation. There was an increase in the number of the attendants, children and adults, in the schools. The number on the books had been, boys 1310, girls 637, adults 27. Public meetings were held in support of the Auxiliary Bible, Church Missionary, and Prayer-book Societies, which were attended by the acting governor. 66 other, and a consistent conduct There is a reduction in the boys' school, from a new plan of apprenticing the boys of ten or twelve years of age among the people. At Waterloo, Mr. Wilhelm gives a melancholy account of the body of the people, who have been very considerably increased by accessions from captured slave-vessels. "The men," he says, are in a wretched condition-not fit to be put to labour; but prepared only to suffer and die! They came from the vesAt Kissey, the people had been sel like so many skeletons. May negligent about spiritual things, few the Lord behold in mercy the low besides the communicants attend- estate of these poor people." Mr. ing the ministry of the word of God; Wilhelm notices some facilities afbut their attendance had somewhat forded for the introduction of the improved. The number of com- Scriptures and tracts into the inmunicants was forty; and within terior. The Mediterranean press nine months, ten adults and seven- will thus find a new vent for its teen children had been baptized. valuable labours. - From Kent a The native teacher, David Noah, missionary writes: "There has writes to the secretary: "Our arisen among the inhabitants of loss has been very great; and is, this settlement a continued inindeed, still so for as fast as the quiry after the way of salvation; Lord is sending His faithful servants and instead of being annoyed, among us, so fast He removes as formerly, with settling daily them from us by death. But what palavers, and silencing noisy shall we say unto Him? Shall school children at night, I am now not the Judge of all the earth do rejoiced with different prayer meetright? Yes! He is too wise to err, ings in the town, and by the school and too good to be unkind: there- children singing at night and before fore we must stand still, and see the day-break in the morning. The salvation of the Lord: for the Lord attendants on Divine service have will not cast off for ever. I read much increased: their average numyour letter both at Kissey and Wel- ber, inclusive of children, is on Sunlington; and the people were very days from 369 to 419, and on weekattentive, and also glad to hear that days from 229 to 239. Our present the good people in England are still place of worship has become too mindful of us and pray for us. It small to contain so large a number, has been read in most of the villages so that many have to sit outside in of the liberated Africans in the the piazza."-We lament to learn, colony." At Wellington the at- that at Regent there is an almost tendance on Divine service on the total unconcern about the things of Sunday morning continues to bear another world; and that not the an encouraging appearance. On fifth part of the population attend Sunday afternoons, and on week- public worship. This lamentable days, there are, on an average, 200 neglect is attributed, partly, to the adults: and they are, at all times, withdrawing of the government raapparently attentive. There are tions, partly to the want of a stated thirty-three under probation for European ministry, and partly to baptism. The communicants are the present occupations of the 108 in number; and they manifest people. Only one school, and that a pleasing cordiality towards each for boys, has recently been kept at this station. It has been increased by an accession of fifty-five boys from a slave ship. Of these the missionary writes: "I rejoiced when I beheld them, though toiling, with weary steps and in a sickly condition, up the steep hill leading to the school-house: because I knew that there they would be beyond the reach of their cruel masters; and I trusted that a few days' rest and the use of wholesome food would soon restore them to health and strength; but, more especially, that now they would be trained up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The behaviour of the liberated children is as good as can reasonably be expected, from poor children on whose tender minds the first impressions were inade by the errors and vices of Heathenism. But I have been much struck by the contrast between these children, and those who were born of liberated parents and have been reared in the town: these last appear more intelligent, frank, and happy, and have the air of liberty in their whole deportment; while the others exhibit, in their downcast, timid, and suspicious mien, the appearance of a servile and oppressed race." MEDITERRANEAN MISSION. The labours of those who are employed in missionary objects, in the countries adjoining the Mediterranean, are daily assuming a more interesting character; and heighten the anticipation of that period, when, by the blessing of God on the prayers and endeavours of his servants, pure religion shall be communicated to the Eastern churches; and, through them, to their Mohammeḍan and Heathen neighbours. The Rev. William Jowett has been so much burdened with the preparation of publications for the press, which is becoming an engine of extensive good, that the committee have sent him an associate in his labours, the Rev. C. F. Schlienz. The labours of the printing department must be very great, from the extensive list of publications in Greek, Arabic, and Italian, which have issued from the press. A large quantity of these publications was in a course of circulation, in the Ionian Islands and Greece, at Constantinople and Smyrna, and in Syria and Egypt. It was stated in the last Report, that Mr. Hartley on leaving the Ionian Islands, proceeded to Asia Minor. During the first three months after his arrival in Smyrna, he was much occupied in the acquisition of languages, and the perusal of books connected with his various duties. Of the effect of his labours he thus speaks"Not a few persons have been led to disclaim those errors in which they have been educated, and to join me in religious worship. Of some I even venture to hope, that it has pleased God to accompany the acquisition of knowledge with a considerable change in their moral character." He afterwards made an excursion to the country of the Seven Churches. He states the following contrast between the con. dition of some of these ancient churches and that of others. "While Ephesus, Laodicea, and Sardis, the three churches which called forth the denunciation of displeasure on the part of our Lord, are now nothing more than abandoned ruins, Philadelphia, together with Smyrna and Thyatira (and this is also the case with Pergamos, which I have not yet visited), still contain flourishing communities of Christians. The pen of a celebrated infidel bears witness to a circumstance which is worthy of notice in regard to Phila delphia. Philadelphia alone has been saved by prophecy or courage At a distance from the sea, for gotten by the emperors, encom passed on all sides by the Turks, her valiant citizens defended her religion and freedom above fourscore years; and, at length, capitulated with the proudest of the Ottomans. Among the Greek colonies and churches of Asia, Philadelphia is still erect; a column in a scene of ruins.'" (Gibbon's Decline and |