On the eve of his execution I baptized him, being fully convinced that he had embraced Christianity, not only by his outward appearance, but also by his words, repeating every sentence he heard from the Scriptures through me. Late in the evening I went to spend the night with him, together with a catechist and a schoolmaster. When the schoolmaster spoke to the condemned to testify his belief, he repeated the history of Lazarus, which he had heard from me a few days before, and said, though he was a sinner he was sure that he would be borne in Abraham's bosom, as was Lazarus. He also repeated the parable of the prodigal son, and said that the prodigal not only took away half of the father's fortune, but also went away from him to spend it in riotous living, and added he believed he should be received back into his Father's bosom, as was the lost son. And from time to time he asked us to leave his room, that he might pray alone, which he did every time we went out. On the morning of his exccution he said he could not walk, being weak. After telling him that he should not be frightened, but courageous, he consented to walk, and walked faster than I and the catechist. The catechist, pointing to the gallows when we came in view, asked him if he knew what it was, and if he was afraid, to which he replied, "Why should I be afraid? I know the messengers are waiting there to carry me to Jesus Christ." Arriving at the scaffold, I prayed that he might be pardoned for his sins and be received into heaven as a penitent sinner. Immediately after he prayed a prayer which I here translate literally, as near as the language can admit- "O Jesus Christ, I am a great sinner. I have sinned so many times that I cannot count them. I have been punished in the prison for my crimes. My sins are greater than these mountains here. The stars of heaven may be counted, but my sins are uncountable. The sands of the sea-shore may be numbered, but my wickednesses are innumerable. By sin my soul is as black as coal. As the coal is made white (into ashes) by fire, so, O Christ, wash my soul by thy precious and holy blood, which thou hast shed on the cross." HYMN. OH for a heart so full of love, Of prayer and praises sweet, In spirit at the feet Of Him who lives, who died for me, Oh for a heart from self set free, That only Jesus needs. Oh for a heart by faith to feel For ever breathing prayer 1 John iv. 16. Luke x. 39; vii. 37, 38. 2 Cor. v. 15. Luke x. 42. Eph. iii. 17. Eph. i. 13; iv. 30. 1 Pet. ii. 24. Mark xv. 15-20. John xix. 5. My Saviour God, Incarnate Lord, Oh come abide in me; O come and make me truly Thine, That every one may see In me a branch of "The True Vine," And while this clay my soul doth hold, As holy Enoch lived of old, Walking, my God, with Thee. Or till Thyself, "the King of kings," Shall come and gather 'neath Thy wings, And on that morn I shall arise, With this vile body changed; YAQUB, OF AGRA. THE work of conversion is going forward. In every place where the message of the Gospel is faithfully delivered, it is doing that work. Sinners are being arrested in their wanderings from God. They are brought to consider their ways, and, encouraged by the new and living way opened for them through the blood of Christ, return unto Him from whom they have so deeply revolted. Comparatively speaking, they are as yet but few; but they are the first droppings of the shower: they are the ripe ears of the harvest. When these come first there is more behind. Only let us be diligent and hopeful. Although it "tarry, wait for it, for it will surely come, it will not tarry." Of these first-fruits from heathenism the Lord takes some and leaves others. The one are transferred heavenward, as trophies of his might, and as forerunners of the great victory soon to be gained over sin and Satan. These chosen ones are brought in that they may grace his presence. The others are left behind, that they may carry on the work, and reproduce Christianity among their countrymen. In the one and the other the Lord is alike glorified. In which way He may be pleased to dispose of his servants rests with Him. They are his, and surely the Lord is free to do as He is pleased with his own. Here is one whom our Missionary at Agra, the Rev. C. T. Hornle, A GREAT NEED, AND HOW TO MEET IT. 143 hoped would have been spared for usefulness, but the great Master decided otherwise. I commenced this letter on my return from the funeral of a recently converted, but earnest and steady native brother. His name was Yaqub, a Mussulman previously to his conversion to Christianity. When I first got acquainted with him in last April, I liked his simplicity and earnestness. He told me that he had become acquainted with the Christian truth some time ago; that he liked it, and believed in Christ as his Redeemer, and considered his religion as the only true way to obtain the forgiveness of his sins, and the salvation of his soul. Having been in the habit of reading the Gospel privately at home, he had a tolerable knowledge of the truth, had committed the creed, the decalogue and the Lord's Prayer to memory, and expressed an earnest desire for baptism. After some time of probation his wishes were fulfilled. He may have unconsciously felt that his time of grace was drawing to a close. Hence his solicitation to comply with his Lord's command, and make open profession of his faith in Christ. He had just risen from a bed of sickness, which, though long and painful, was spiritually blessed to him. It seemed to have been the time when the light from above, breaking in upon his mind, decided him to obey the divine injunction - "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways." It was well he did so without waiting longer: for soon afterwards the fever returned with increased virulence, and carried him off sooner than either he or I expected. He was, however, now prepared for the greatest of all changes. He spoke much of Christ, prayed with the Scripture-reader, admonished the people about him, while the serenity of his countenance testified of the peace of his mind. He fell asleep in the sure hope of salvation through Christ. He might have been useful in propagating the truth among his benighted countrymen, had his life been spared. But the Lord, who knows and does every thing best, took him unto Himself. Praised be his name! May the promised time soon come, when they shall no longer come to Christ one by one, but nation by nation! A GREAT NEED, AND HOW TO MEET IT. SHAHIGURH is a large village lying on the road from Azimgurh to Mhow. It contains a bazaar for the sale of common and parched grain, sweetmeats, &c., for the supply of travellers and the surrounding villagers. The inhabitants, about 1500, are chiefly ryots and shopkeepers. They are all, Hindus and Mussulmans, poor and ignorant. The land around Shahigurh, east, south, and west, is very productive, and, after the native fashion, well cultivated. Along the road, when the season has been dry, numbers of people may be seen employed in irrigation. Generally the crops are wheat and barley; but here and there may be seen the tall sugar-cane and dâl towering above the rest. The dâl is a kind of pulse of a yellow colour, and, although smaller, not unlike in form to our English 144 A GREAT NEED, AND HOW TO MEET IT. sweet-pea. It forms very nutritious food, and is largely consumed by those natives who can afford it, which the very poor can rarely do. In November 1864, our Missionary, the Rev. A. Lockwood, of Azimgurh, went into the bazaar of Shahigurh to preach, accompa nied by the native catechist, Philemon. A congregation of about eighty was soon assembled. Mr. Lockwood says— Philemon strove, in simple Hindu, to illustrate every thing that was said, but still it remained a dark riddle to them, and yet 1 could not help feeling that this was the last time that many of them would hear the Gospel. And this is the state of a whole district, containing, I suppose, a million and a half of souls. While reflecting on this, a feeling of shame came over me, that Christian England had so neglected this people, and, while enjoying India's luxuries, had withheld from her children the opportunity of hearing of the Bread of Life. I never shall forget the feeling which filled my soul at the time, almost amounting to horror. For the people of Azimgurh, my own station, I have often felt the deepest anxiety; but now a whole districtbegan to open before me, and my inability to supply labourers adequate to its vast need was only too plain. Yes, in truth, it is the same as it was in olden time-" The harvest is plenteous, but the labourers are few." Let us apply ourselves then to the Lord of the harvest, and ask Him to "send forth labourers into his harvest." May He give to every European Missionary a little band of genuine converts, like the little body by which the Lord Jesus surrounded Himself. He put them forth to preach. Let the Missionary do the same with the first-fruits given to him from the heathen. Let him utilize every man, and as he does so, they will reproduce themselves, and the number will increase. We remember when wheat grain was first introduced into the eastern district of New Zealand. It was a very little quantity, not more than filled a stocking. Every grain was carefully sown, and the same was done with its produce also, and so on through several sowings. There was a large district to be provided for, and not a grain was to be used for food: all was to be for seed. So with our first converts. Better they should be few and genuine, than numerous and with no vitality in them. These genuine converts may be difficult to obtain, and our Missionaries, like the apostle of the Gentiles, must travail in birth to this end. But they are worth all the pains, and when God gives them to us, at home or abroad, amply repay us for all the cost. But these true converts are like the grains of wheat. Let the grains be properly used, and they will increase themselves. We shall be putting out our Christians to interest, instead of keeping them shut up in a box. Sovereigns reproduce themselves. Genuine converts are the King's coin. His image and superscription are upon them. Let us put them out to interest, and they will multiply still faster, |