know nothing, and sit and bear the infliction of our pleadings in spite of wet clothes, and the expectation of a second wetting on their return home. When it was determined to attempt the evangelization of this district, a few generous lovers of souls engaged to become yearly subscribers to the amount of £35 per annum. The Conference sanctioned the apportioning of £30 from the Home Missionary Fund. This was done for three and a-half years. Since then the Penrith Circuit has taken an additional married Minister. A Missionary was found after some inquiry. He was a man of no great mental ability, but blessed with zeal and perseverance, and of a gentlemanly address. He was already elderly, and, in the latter part of his life, painfully afflicted with attacks of epilepsy; though, through the remarkable mercy of God, in the course of his mission, requiring long journeys over the mountains, by roads not much frequented, he was never attacked where he could not receive proper attendance. He was sent forth on foot, to break a way into this region of spiritual darkness. Many times he toiled to and from Patterdale without refreshment or lodging being offered to him. It was some time before he could obtain a congregation or a place to preach in. One day he went boldly to a house suitable for his purpose, and told the mistress of it he was come to preach there that evening. The woman, amazed, could not comprehend what he meant by preaching; but he directed her to arrange the room, while he went from door to door, inviting the people to attend. At length, the father of our present host offered him a lodging at his house. He now went on diligently, cultivating the acquaintance of the people, noticing their children, many of whom, now members of our society, speak of him with much reverence, and thus strove in every way to instil into their minds and hearts the plan of salvation. His gentlemanly behaviour, his perseverance and punctuality, won his way, by the blessing of God, to success. If he met with any of the influential people, he, having been in former years a Missionary in a foreign land, would produce his old letters of ordination, and show them he was no unauthorized adventurer, and give them interesting information of what he had seen and done for God abroad. There was no withstanding the man: Clergymen, proprietors, titled gentlemen, all respected him; and, what was better, God owned the word spoken, accompanied with so much faith, liberality, self-denial, and exertion; sinners were converted, and a society formed, who immediately communicated what they had received, and thus the leaven spread. At length, one of the proprietors in the above-mentioned mine built us a chapel, both commodious and neat, and thus established Methodism on a firm footing in Patterdale.

In Matterdale, the work of God has had to contend with greater difficulties, in the comparative morality of the people, and the opposition of those who remained unconverted. A range of hills approaching the size of mountains, separates this Dale from Patterdale and Ulleswater. The road from Keswick to the lake runs through only one end of it, and the Dale itself has none of the grand and picturesque features of the neighbourhood of Patterdale. Few visiters, therefore, would be attracted to it; though, since the introduction of Wesleyan Methodism, a spiritual picturesqueness has given it an interest, not only to the Christian brethren in other parts of the Circuit, but to the Lord, the Head of the church, who has often been met there, walking amidst the trees of His own right-hand planting. This unattractiveness to visiters has had its advantages and disadvantages. Less of civilized sin has been carried into the Dale. On the other hand, the people have remained content destitute of many of the comforts and conve

niences of civilized life. Few, if any, new houses have been built there. At the time of which we are now speaking, there was but one farm in the Dale the inhabitants till their own land, divided into small freeholds. The produce is mountain-wool, oats, and barley. There was no large proprietor, who, as in the case of Patterdale, could build us a house of prayer and yet the good people have, with much faith and effort, raised a neat and substantial chapel, free of debt, the opening of which, for divine worship, on Sunday, October 18th, 1847, was the occasion of this account being prepared.

When the Missionary attempted this Dale, he began with preaching in a house in the neighbourhood of the Keswick-road. For a time the novelty drew many, but, from some unexplained cause, these declined: probably the house, being at the extremity of the Dale, was inconvenient on many accounts. The farmer above-mentioned, with his family, was among the last of the hearers. The Missionary perceiving this, on his next journey that way, called at the farm-house, which stood as centrally as any in the Dale. Being kindly received, he asked for a little hay for his horse: while this was being consumed, the farmer's wife proposed making him a cup of tea, over which he conversed affectionately and interestingly with the family. Having gained their confidence, and his preaching had already secured their respect, he very characteristically told them, that "the Lord had a great deal to do in Matterdale, and he wanted a house to work in." This led to conversation which terminated with the farmer's consent to open his house; not, however, without many fears as to the result. In that house the Wesleyans preached for six years at least; and such was the thirst to hear the word, that latterly it required no small skill in packing, so as to enable all who wished to be present: as to sitting comfortably, that was entirely out of the question. The Lord blessed the farm-house in the best manner possible: every member of the family at home, of an age capable, received the converting grace of God; even the aged grandmother, who, having a long life of honesty, sobriety, and good neighbourhood to rest upon for salvation, was much grieved with her son taking up with these new ways, and complainingly asked, why he could not be content to go to church, and to do as she and his father had done before him. Her attention and interest were, however, divinely excited "to attend to the things spoken ;" and, at length, one day, upon reading the Life of Carvosso, she exclaimed, "Now I have found what I have been seeking for these many years." Though she had read the New Testament many times in private, and in fulfilling her duties as a village school-mistress, never till then had she seen the simplicity of the scriptural plan of salvation. After this time, however, her scriptural knowledge, now divinely interpreted, mightily forwarded her sanctification, and strengthened the hands of her Christian relatives. She died a few months afterwards in her eightieth year. The village Clergyman visited her only a short time before she died, and administered to her the holy sacrament of the Lord's supper; and even he was constrained to express his admiration at her knowledge and enjoyment.

To enter further into detail, however pleasing to many, and quite easy to the narrator, would incur the charge of tedious partiality with many more: be it sufficient to say, that, after this second commencement, the prejudices of many of the most reputable persons in the Dale gave way; they came forward, and were joined in a society, over which, in truly apostolical style, one of themselves was placed to watch, a position which he honourably and usefully fulfils to this day; though the charge has become far too large

for his single care. three Leaders.

We have now in that place fifty-two members and

More to the same purpose might be added as to other places; but we invite our friends to visit Ulleswater and the vicinity during the approaching season, and see and hear for themselves. This the originators of the movement, so graciously succeeded, desire to feel, is but the beginning: the standard has been but planted comparatively: they would desire not to rest, until, in the language of the Minutes for 1820, “ every town, village, and hamlet in our neighbourhood shall be blessed with the means of grace and salvation." There are many places in this neighbourhood into which we hope to enter, when by an influence from on high the church is invigorated to break a way by believing effort. It would be exceedingly desirable to extend this work, if a man of faith and persevering zeal could be found, who, working from the above-mentioned places, might carry out the Missionary purpose of the benevolent and energetic originators of the effort, many of whom are yet alive, and thankful to see such results in so short a time. But we shall need help from the Home Missionary Fund, in thus carrying out its intention; and we hope our friends will think of such as we, in July next, when an appeal will, as usual, be made to their liberality. Penrith, March 29th, 1848.

THE SABBATH.

S. P. H.

OUR appeal is to Christian parents! We ask you not what most you desire for your children. It cannot be wealth, class-distinction, worldly alliance. You" travail in birth that Christ may be formed in them." To see them called by divine grace ere you die, would be to turn your death into a rapture. For this you would sacrifice all. You had rather leave them paupers than aliens from the covenant. Do you respect the Sab

bath, and teach them to respect it? Is it the memorial of your roof-tree? Is every duty and pleasure, journey and visit, subordinated to it? Is it the universal reference? Do you let them see that nothing is suffered to interfere with it? Is your private course as strict as your public? Is there no artifice, no evasion? Are there no opportunities of edification and usefulness slighted? Are there no fragments lost? Is no illness nursed, which would not detain you on another day from any business? Is no weather admitted for an excuse of not attending public worship, at which you would only smile if your walk was to the warehouse and to the exchange? Is no bereavement your apology for withdrawment from that habitation where God is known for a refuge, and is the comforter of the desolate? Do you endeavour to mix with the pious poor who worship with you? Do you encourage your children to teach in the Sabbath-school? Do you early enlist them in the benevolent institutions of your sanctuary? Do you direct them to look to your Pastor as their guide and friend? Do you instruct them in the great peculiarities of your faith? Do you impress upon them the ordinance of this day? Hitherto there may be little complaint against you. But what are the schools to which your children are sent? All that they learn there, if you have acted from an intelligent motive, they learn under your sanction; they were sent there to learn! How is Sabbath kept? They return. Are their young convictions helped? Is their love of holy hours and Christian services increased? If you cause your children to pass through the fire, you need not wonder that they are ready victims. Why did you this? Was it inconsiderateness? How

could that be, if you had their salvation nearest to your heart? Ah! there is a "pride of life" creeping in among us. We call it respectability. Unhappy is the household in which this becomes its familiar word. Saints are no more welcome, the excellent of the earth, they who could make a palace holy, former friendships are coldly repressed,-activity in useful effort is proscribed, and this phantom, this mock-word, respectability, does it all. The remembrance of the Sabbath-day is the life of Christian families. Its forgetting is not seldom the decay of their fortunes, and is always the degeneracy of their descendants.

Our appeal is to the children of religious households. Think not that it is necessary to doubt in order that you may inquire. Think not that speculation is an enlargement of the mind. All that has been great and good in character and action, in virtue and influence, has been associated with holy Sabbaths! Like a "river it went out of Eden," where it had been seen in its unpolluted source, and "thence it was parted and became into" many “heads,” and these have watered with blessings the whole earth. Read your country's history. Study the urns of the mighty. Contain they the ashes of the sceptic or the irreligious? Did the world ever allow their title to that name? The mighty ruled, still ruled, by their holy power. They were made strong by Sabbaths. This baptized the sword of Marston and Naseby, that holy war of liberty and religion,-the camp a church, the ensign an ark, and the battle a sacrifice! This wrought a Bacon, a Hale, an Ussher: we want not party names for the sacred roll! All worthies thus were bred! This inspired our bard to sing his chime with Heaven! When Sabbath is feeble, all is feeble,-philosophy drivels, civilization recedes, religion dies! We charge it on you, O youth of our churches, to take the Sabbath as our best legacy, as your greatest trust! Guard it well! Cast it not away vilely! Deal not treacherously with that banner of patriotism and piety. Withstand every encroachment upon it; and piously transmit it to your children's children.

We fain would bring back the Sabbath of our fathers. Its restoration is our only hope of seeing the holy family, with its godly seed,-the holy church, prolific of saints as the womb of the morning is of its new-born drops of dew, the holy world, echoing with the anthem of angels, "Glory to God in the highest! peace on earth and good-will among men!" As Sabbaths grow up to their perfection, the festivals of knowledge and liberty shall be celebrated; law shall find its best bond, and civilization its truest cement; the freeman, trampling on every chain, shall everywhere rejoice ; the philanthropist shall see interpreted his brightest dream; the peacemaker shall behold reversed and extinguished the last brand of war; and the saints be left to sigh for nothing better except heaven.-Hora et Vindicia Sabbatico, by the Rev. Dr. R. Winter Hamilton.

INDIA: ITS RELIGION.

BY THE REV. WILLIAM ARTHUR.

(Continued from page 432.)

FASTING is among the essential duties of a Bramhan. From all animal food he constantly abstains, as also from all intoxicating drinks, and all bulbous roots.* In addition to which, he is obliged to keep a fast-day at

* On these points the northern Bramhans have grown very lax.

the change and full of the moon, on the eleventh day of each moon, and at the solstices, equinoxes, and eclipses. Their fast is not absolute: though they do not take any meal till after sunset, they may freely use milk and fruit, which are at all times chief articles of their diet. The Abbé Dubois thus estimates the religious value of their abstinence :-"These fasts have for their objects two purposes, which would do credit to a religion more pure than that of the Bramhans. The first is to obtain by this act of penitence the forgiveness of their sins; and the second, to avert the malign influence of the stars." It would seem, then, that the worthy Priest concurred in the view of God's government, which supposes that offences against law are compensated by bodily pain; and that our lot is affected for good or ill by the mute stars!

Upon marriage, the Bramhan becomes a householder, or grihasta; thus entering upon the second stage of his priestly career. His conduct is now regulated by multifarious rules referring to ablution, recitation of prayers, giving alms to the Bramhans, the practising hospitality, and the study of sacred books; but many of these points will be more naturally reviewed, when we examine Hindu ritual.

The third stage of priestly life is that of Vanaprashta, or ascetic, in which the Bramhan abandons all society but that of his wife, and with her resides in a forest, wholly given up to devotions. In ancient times, many Bramhans practised this mode of life; but now it is chiefly left to men of inferior caste, who, as Orme remarks," seek to obtain, by severities, the religious veneration accorded to the Bramhans on account of birth alone." It would appear that, even in the days of Alexander, the Bramhans did not monopolize ascetic life; for Arrian, in noting the fact that the Indians were 66 not allowed to exercise two vocations, nor to change from one to another," adds, "except to that of the Gymnosophists, which is of all professions the most austere." The Gymnosophists he had previously described as being the highest class of Hindus, and as the Priests; adding, that not even a private sacrifice was considered "pleasing to the gods," unless presented by them. He states, also, that "they practised divination, went naked, and lived on fruits."

The fourth and highest stage of priestly life is that of Sannyasi, or hermit, in which he renounces wife, family, caste, goods, and all earthly things, devoting himself wholly to contemplation, and to such voluntary torments as we have already described.

This division of the Bramhans into four stages is now little more than nominal; for the Vanaprashta and Sannyasi are very rare, and the Bramhachari are only boys. The Grihasta (or householder) Bramhans may, therefore, be said to include nearly all the adults of the caste. Their real divisions are into the two classes, sacred and secular; into the four classes, each of whom follows one of the four Vedas; and into Vishnuite, Shivaite, or Neutrals, according to their sectarian creed. Each sect has, among the Bramhans of its sacred class, two different orders of PRIESTS. Of these the lower is the PURSHITA, who ranks above the ordinary Bramhan; and the higher is the GURU, who ranks above Bramhan, Purshita, and all beings not divine.

The duties of the Purshita are ceremonial. He is not a teacher, unless one choose to consider as teaching the annual publication of the Almanack, which devolves upon him, as does also the duty of announcing, on the first day of the year, who is to be, for the year, King of the gods, which star is to be lord of the stars, what deity will have charge of the crops,