of saints, &c., all which practices bear more or less resemblance to those in use among the Hindoos. Now, if even such a mode of worship is become so objectionable to the natives, can it be reasonably expected that any one of the simple protestant sect will ever prosper among them ? " 4 "The Hindoos are constituted in such a manner by their education and customs, that they are quite insensible to all that does not make a strong impression on the senses. Fully aware of their dispositions, the impostors who contrived their monstrous form of worship, consulted in doing so the peculiar temper and character of these nations, and as they had to deal with a people who, they perceived, were only to be stirred up and roused by monstrosities, they in consequence gave to them a monstrous religion. 5 It is hard to read the next extract without suspecting that the writer had very little better opinion of his brethren, who, instead of attempting to wean this people from their gross superstitions, actually, as abundantly proved in the foregoing pages, accommodated the rites of their Church to the worst abominations of the Hindoo idolatry, and thereby compromised the purity and freedom of Christianity for the sake of its nominal diffusion. "Seeing the empire of the senses over these people, and that their imagination was only to be roused by strongly moving objects, the first missionaries among them judged that some advantage might result to the cause of religion by accommodating themselves, as far as possible, to their dispositions. Agreeably to this idea, the ordinary pomp and pageantry which attend s Ibid, p. 68. Letters, &c. pp. 18, 19. A. D. 1815. CHAP. V. the catholic worship, so objectionable to the protestant communions in general, were not judged by them striking enough to make a sufficient impression on the gross minds of the Hindoos. They in consequence incumbered the catholic worship with an additional superstructure of outward show, unknown in Europe, which in many instances does not differ much from that prevailing among the Gentiles, and which is far from proving a subject of edification to many a good and sincere Roman Catholic." "This Hindoo pageantry is chiefly seen in the festivals celebrated by the native Christians. Their processions in the streets, always performed in the night time, have indeed been to me at all times a subject of shame. Accompanied with hundreds of tom-toms, (small drums) trumpets, and all the discordant noisy music of the country; with numberless torches, and fireworks the statue of the saint placed on a car which is charged with garlands of flowers, and other gaudy ornaments, according to the taste of the country, the car slowly dragged by a multitude shouting all along the march-the congregation surrounding the car all in confusion, several among them dancing, or playing with small sticks, or with naked swords: some wrestling, some playing the fool; all shouting, or conversing with each other, without any one exhibiting the least sign of respect or devotion. Such is the mode in which the Hindoo Christians in the inland country celebrate their festivals. They are celebrated, however, with a little more decency on the coast. They are all exceedingly pleased with such a mode of worship, and any thing short of such pageantry, such confusion and disorder, would not be liked by them." I at several times strove to make those within my range sensible of the unreasonableness of so extravagant a worship, and how opposite it was to true piety; but my admonitions proving every where a subject of scandal rather than of edification to my hearers, who in several instances went so far as to suspect the sincerity of my faith, and to look upon me as a kind of free-thinker, and a dangerous innovator, merely on account of my free remarks on the subject, I judged it more prudent to drop the matter, and overlook abuses it was out of my power to suppress. I cannot but declare that the necessity under which I stood to wink at such, and (in my opinion) many other no less reprehensible abuses, proved to me at all times a subject of great vexation and disgust." 6 3. Who can read this concluding paragraph without regretting that the writer could not discover what ought to be done to remedy the evils he deplored? While avowing the total failure of their missions, he does not hesitate to assert, that there is no alternative but to abandon in despair a field that had proved so fruitless. He calls upon us to assent to the astounding conclusion, that the vast population of India is doomed to perdition by Heaven's immutable decrees, and that henceforth to attempt the Hindoos' conversion is to fight against God. "This is not the place," he says, "to enter into a discussion of the awful and unfathomable mystery of predestination, to scrutinize the apparently obscure ways of the Supreme Wisdom on this subject, to ask the common Father of mankind why, in His all-ruling providence He has vouchsafed to impart the heavenly light of His CHAP. V. Protest appalling conclusion. divine word only to a part of his children, Who hath known the mind of the Lord? or Nor 4. For the honour of humanity we cannot against this believe, that this writer maturely weighed the tremendous consequences of his own conclusion when he argued thus. We can understand a man's wish to put forth a plausible reason for abandoning a field which he was pledged to cultivate, or to depreciate the attempts of others where his own had failed: and, probably, one or both these motives operated in the present instance. But it is difficult to imagine a human being deliberately consigning one fellow creature, much less five hundred millions, to perdition. Well might the poor heathen exclaim— "Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are great: and let us not fall into the hand of man."9 Why, if this writer's rea 7 Letters, pp. 42, 43. 8 Ibid. pp. 105—111. 9 2 Sam. xxiv. 14. soning be sound, and his conclusion fairly drawn, we behold, in these benighted millions, the vast majority of the human race in as hopeless a condition as that of apostate angels: and, instead of cherishing the rising sympathies of our common nature, which would move us to stretch forth the hand of charity to raise them from their prostrate condition; we are bound to stifle every tender emotion rising in our own bosoms on beholding it, lest we should involuntarily speak to them in the accents of mercy, tell them of the love of Him who died to take away the sins of the world, and thus be found fighting against the purposes of the Almighty. Far be it from the Church of Christ ever to assent to a conclusion involving so fearful a result to the whole world besides! The revealed purposes of Jehovah are against it. "All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." The declarations of Jesus Christ are against it. "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." 2 The omnipotence of the Holy Ghost is against it. By His inspiration all the tribes of humankind could be as speedily, as easily, and as effectually turned to God, as any individual soul. He who in the beginning moved over the wide expanse of waters, and at once breathed animation into all creatures; might with equal facility reanimate the spirits of all flesh, now dead in sin, and cause the whole world to "be born at once. Hard and easy are comparative terms that can have no reference to the operations of the Almighty and low indeed must the Church of Christ be fallen ever to believe, that any con 13 1 Psa. ii. 8.; lxvii., and xcviii. 2, 3; Isa. lii. 10; Dan. ii. 35-45; Luke iii. 6; 2 Pet. iii. 9, &c. A. D. 1815. |