righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." These truths have been the guide of youth, and the support of persons in middle life and old age, in every period of time. And it is this universal conviction which has produced the present distinguished efforts throughout the whole community of Christians to diffuse the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. But let us take a glance at the situation of the Hindoos as it respects the support they can derive from their own views of religion.

The knowledge of "the only true God," is, as we have seen, connected with eternal life; but the Hindoos have no knowledge of the one God. The greater part of their ancient teachers have declared that he is "the unknown Brùmhu;" that he is not an object of worship; that he has no attributes, and has nothing to do with material things. They therefore worship the gods, who are to them the only objects of dread or hope, and to whom alone all worship, all praise, all petitions, and all offerings are presented. The histories of these gods exhibit them as in the highest degree. capricious, weak, unjust, cruel, and licentious: that this is their real character is known to the most illiterate of the people; and therefore, in times of distress they do not hesitate to reproach them in the most bitter expressions which disappointment can dictate; nor is it uncommon, in moments of anguish, for them to destroy the images of these gods which cannot save. contempt of the gods is shewn even in the most common currences of life: when a man's clothes are wet by an unexpected and undesired shower, he sometimes exclaims, "These rascally gods are sending more rain." To the Hindoos, therefore, the gods are not "a very present help in trouble." They cannot "cast all their care" upon them, nor ❝ call upon them in the time of trouble," with any hope of relief. But the Christian can

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refer his minutest wants to Providence, persuaded that his " heavenly Father knoweth that he needeth all these things." pecting this most important branch of divine knowledge then, in what lamentable darkness are the Hindoos!

tor.

The Hindoos are not only without God, but without a MediaThe lower orders, it is true, approach the gods through the brahmuns, and I have heard ignorant persons speak as though the gods were the medium of access to the one God; yet it is cer tain, that the gods are never spoken of as intercessors, nor ever regarded as such, in any of the forms of prayer or praise found in the shastrus. The worship of the Hindoo always terminates on the deity whom he addresses. If ever he looks further, his hopes are fixed on his meritorious actions rather than on the god; so that he expects by them to "obtain God," that is, absorption. But if he sin, he has no "advocate with the Father;" no one "able to save to the uttermost by ever living to make intercession."

Further, a Hindoo has no hope in Divine mercy as it respects pardon that sin will be forgiven, or the punishment remitted, makes no part of Hindoo faith. The shastrus declare, that the sins both of gods and men never leave the offenders till expiated by personal sufferings through millions of births. If a person sin in the human shape, he is doomed to pass through eight millions of births, before he can again appear as high in the scale of existence as man. Supposing him to sin as often as he appears in the human form, when are those transmigrations to end? A bramhun once declared, that as long as men are possessed of wants, they must siu. From hence it appears, that the Hindoos to a man, have no hope of happiness after death; for perfect ascetics are no where to be found; and a pardoning God, or a throne of grace, they know not.

The Hindoos have no idea of seeking divine assistance to ena ble them to become virtuous according to their own ideas: they are quite of opinion with Dr. Priestley, that a man's virtue arises only from himself. The most painful duties are enjoined upon their yogees, but the praise of abstraction is wholly given to the ascetic himself, noną to God. Hindoos sometimes speak of the divine favour resting upon a man, but they mean nothing more by this than a recognition of the doctrine of fate. But take from

the Christian system the promise of assistance in duty, and it loses all its glory, and man becomes a certain prey to his spiritual enemies. Christ has said, "Without me ye can do nothing ;" but he also says, "How much more [cheerfully than the tenderest earthly parent will give good gifts to his children] shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ;" so that to a person disposed to trust in Christ and do the will of God, salvation becomes a matter of entire certainty. The Hindoo has never heard of such assistance.

The government of the world is, according to the ideas of the Hindoos, in the hands of the gods, and of as many gods as there are things over which they can preside; and these gods are so capricious and ignorant, that they are represented in many instances as counteracting and ruining each other. What must then bccome of the interests of mortals ?-Hence a Hindoo has no corfidence either in the wisdom or the benevolence of his god. In 16his misfortunes he not unfrequently reproaches his guardian deity, or resorts to some other god. He says, "The gods will do as they please;" but he is never able to say, "God is too wise to be mistaken, and too good to be unkind." What a desolate creature is man, when we behold him stript of the tender care and wise direction of his "heavenly Father." A Hindoo says, God, what art thou about? What have I done, that thou thus afflictest me?" But a Christian says, "It is the Lord, let him do as seemeth him good."

A Hindoo has no idea that the present state is probationary, and that if religion be truly cultivated, heaven may follow. He considers himself as placed under an inevitable fate, which he did not originate, and over which he has no controul; that this fate will carry him forward as a floating atom, and lead him wherever it pleases. All the comfort therefore that arises to a Christian from the assurance, "Seek and ye shall find," and a vast variety of "exceeding great and precious promises scattered through the sacred volume, he never tastes. He quietly gives himself up to the current, and permits it to carry him wherever it will.

*

Finally, his views of a future state neither awaken his fear, nor stimulate him to a course of virtuous action "seeking glory, honour, and immortality." He fears transmigration more than a state of misery; and, as has been already observed, he has no hopes of heaven. If he had, he has no idea that purity of mind is to qualify for its enjoyment, for sensual pleasures form the chief bliss promised in the Hindoo heavens. But the Christian hope leads

the believer to purify himself even as Christ is pure; so that his hope, while it is as an anchor to the soul, is the best security for a life of holiness. But when we add to all this, that unless the blessings of the Gospel are imparted to the Hindoos either as sincere and holy seekers of God, or as actual believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, they must perish eternally, how heart-rending does their condition appear!

Thus the Hindoo system supplies no stimulus to a holy life -no examples of holy prophets, apostles, and martyrs—no means of religious instruction and improvement--no consolation and support in affliction-no hope and succour in death no pros pects of a glorious resurrection, nor of a blessed immortality. In short, it leaves its disciples "without hope, and without God in the world." Are we not then bound, by every motive which can operate upon us, as men made of one blood," and as Christians, to seek the diffusion of " the glorious gospel of the blessed God?" God grant that we may be faithful to these obligations, treating with deserved contempt and abhorrence the idle and unfeel

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* Mukshya, or the liberation of spirit from every thing which is not spirit, is the highest felicity held out by the Hindoo writings. They believe that there is only one spirit, portions of which are individuated by porti ons of matter, thus forming sentient beings; this universal spirit is God. Hence Mukshya is the entire destruction of personal identity; the insulated portion of spirit, when liberated from all extraneous things, mixes with the divine essence; as the water contained in a vessel, when the vessel is broken, mixes with the general mass of water. The highest happiness therefore held out by their shastrus is, the loss of personal identity by ab sorption in God, consequently the total destruction of the individual. Hindoo cannot therefore expect future happiness, as that cannot be enjoy. ed by any one when his individuality is destroyed.

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ing insinuation, that their conversion is hopeless, and that the word of God, as it respects these millions "shall return to him void." Let the means to accomplish their conversion be adequate to the case, and then, at no very distant period, India shall be seen 66 stretching out her hands unto God," and saying "What have we any more to do with idols ?"

IV. Society for Schools recently formed at Dacca.

The following article being too late for insertion in the Report of the Institution at Serampore for the encouragement of Native Schools, we have been requested to insert it in the "Friend of India," which we do with peculiar pleasure, as highly honorable to the feelings and character of gentlemen who have so generously stepped forward in aid of the efforts now making to pour instruction on the minds of our Indian youth.

Resolutions of a number of Gentlemen, resident in the City of Dacca, assembled Wednesday, November the 11th, 1818, for the purpose of forming a Society to disseminate knowledge and instruction amongst the indigent Class of Christian Children and to promote the establishment of Native Schools, in this City, and its neighbourhood;

J. A'HMUTY, Esq. in the Chair.

1st. Resolved, that an Auxiliary Society be formed in aid of the Institution at Serampore, (of which a branch has been already established in this City under the able management of Mr. Leonard) for the instruction of indigent Christian Children, and the formation of Native Schools without reference to any avowed object of religion.

2nd. That, with the view of encouraging the Parents of Native Children of the Hindoo and Mahomedan persuasions, to send their offspring to the latter description of Schools, and of removing any unfounded objections which may exist; Books, which have been or may be printed for the Calcutta School-Book Society, to which

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