Conversion and Baptism of a Singhalese Prisoner.

March 8, 1835: Lord's Day-After the Singhalese Service, I went to the jail, with the Tamul Probationary Catechist, to have some conversation with a man who has long been desirous of baptism. He appears to be earnestly seeking the salvation of his soul, so far as I can judge: he answered most of my questions satisfactorily. I told him, that, as he seemed to be truly searching after Divine Truth, and desirous of admittance into the number of God's people, it would afford me pleasure to grant his request; and I appointed Easter Sunday as the time. In the mean while, I wished him to use his diligence in endeavouring to get fully acquainted with the Service appointed for that purpose, and the answers he would have to give, and also to pray for the grace of the Holy Spirit to renew his heart. The poor man seemed very happy when I told him that I would baptize him. I trust he is a true convert, and that he will continue to serve the Lord all his days.

March 14-I was pleased to learn, from the Journals of the Probationary Catechist, that though our labours at the jail appear to produce little effect upon the Singhalese prisoners, yet, in visiting the people at their houses, in the villages near to Kandy, one and another mentions that he formed a liking to the Christian Religion from having heard the preaching at the jail, either when confined there, or when employed there as an overseer. Thus we may hope that the Word of God is silently making its way, and that more good is done than we are at this time aware of.

March 15: Lord's Day - The prisoner who wishes for baptism gave the Tamul Probationary Catechist to-day an account of his former life. He told him, that he was at first a respectable person, and that he had realized a considerable sum of money; but by gambling, drinking, and associating with bad companions, he came into his present condition. He said, that by hearing the Word of God at the jail his mind was completely changed, and that it was his earnest wish to lead a new life. His native place is Nellore, where Messrs. Knight and Adley are sta

April 12: Lord's Day-I went to the jail this evening, with the Tamul Probationary Catechist, to see the prisoner who is to be baptized on Easter Sunday. He seems to continue stedfast in his resolution to lead a Christian life. He said he had been much distressed during the last week, fearing that he should be sent to Kornegalle with a number of other prisoners who were ordered to go there, and that this would prevent his being baptized. He said he was so much distressed about this, that he could not sleep in the night; but he cried to the Lord; and the Lord in mercy so ordained, that he was not included in the number of those sent to labour at Kornegalle. I asked what name he wished to be given him at his baptism. He said, Jacob. I inquired if he had any particular reason for selecting this name. He said he had been much interested in the history of Jacob, and especially in his prevailing with the Angel of the Covenant for a blessing; and therefore he desired to be called by the name of Jacob. May God make him a wrestling and persevering saint!

April 19: Easter Sunday—I had, this morning, the pleasure of admitting the poor prisoner into the Church by the sacred ordinance of Baptism. I obtained leave for him to come to the School-room at nine o'clock. There were not many persons present, beside the Tamul Schoolchildren and the godfathers. The Epistle for the day, the Confession, Collect, and the Lord's Prayer, were read in Tamul, as usual. I then addressed a few words to the children; and afterward proceeded to read the Service of Baptism for those of riper years. I read it in English, and the Tamul Probationary Catechist read it in Tamul. The prisoner made his answers very distinctly, and seemed much impressed by the Service. I then addressed the children and the other persons present; and, lastly, I said a few words to the newly-baptized person, earnestly exhorting him to lead the rest of his life according to this good beginning. I reminded him that this was only the first step in his Christian course;

and that he must endeavour, by the help of God's grace, to live in the faith and fear of God all his days. May this fruit of our labours at the jail be to the praise and glory of God, and be an earnest of more !

by his relatives to the company of a number of Buddhist Priests, that he might, by their admonitions, be turned from any erroneous views he had embraced in the School; but he so warmly defended the doctrines of Christianity,

Benefit of Confirmation-Firmness of Two Native Youths.

An anecdote respecting one of the scholars, which came to my notice a short

time since, leads me to hope that the instructions imparted to these children are not altogether in vain. A boy belonging to the Kattegalle School, who was confirmed by the Bishop, since went to visit some relations living at a village near Colombo. While there, the people of the village were celebrating some ceremonies connected with devil-worship, and the boy was invited by his grandmother to go and see the performance. He said to her, "I am a Christian: I have nothing to do with these things: I cannot go to see them. The Bishop told me, when I was confirmed, that I must have nothing to do with idolatry. He asked us all if we would give up devilworship, and all heathenish ceremonies. I promised I would." The grandmother induced the boy just to go out into the street, and she privately sent for the devil's priest to come and dance there; but as soon as the boy saw him commence his performance, he ran into the house, and would not witness such heathenish practices.

The preparation of Candidates for confirmation proved of great benefit to our young people, in having set before them, in a plain and striking manner, the great truths of our holy Religion, and in being solemnly warned and earnestly invited to seek the Lord without delay. This ancient rite of our Church is calculated to do good wherever it is properly conducted, but especially in this part of the world, where the character of the converts is so weak, and the temptations to idolatry and demon-worship are so numerous.

And he further states

Pleasing instances from time to time occur, which show us that some of the children's minds are impressed with the truths and doctrines in which they are taught. A Kandian Youth, belonging to the English School, was lately introduced

convincing him that he had erred from their faith. He pressed them so closely for arguments to prove the truth of Buddhism, that they found it difficult to answer him.

Browning introduced to his conOn Easter Sunday, 1835, Mr. gregation, in his Sermon, the subject of Missions. We are happy to report, from his words,

The First Congregational Collection in Kandy for the Church Missionary Society.

There was a crowded congregation in the afternoon. I had given notice that I Missionary Society. I purposed doing should preach on behalf of the Church so last Christmas, but was prevented by being unexpectedly called from home. At the close of my Sermon to-day, I gave the people a brief account of the Society, and pointed out their duty to do something toward the support of Religion; and told them, I trusted the time would come when the people in this country would support their own Ministers, and do something also toward sending the Gospel to other places. The collection was greater than I had calculated upon it amounted to Rix-dollars 38.1. May the Lord give the people increasing love to His holy Word! May He build up in faith and holiness those who, through grace, have believed! May He incline the hearts of many more to seek Him while He may be found, and to call upon Him while He is ready to show them mercy! I feel encouraged by the Services of this day. To God be all the praise!

In addition to this sum, Rix-dollars 13. 7. 1 have been deposited in the Missionary Box during the year. The total would, in English money, amount to about 31. 17s.

Mr. Trimnell, in a Letter dated March 20, 1835, gives the following account of his feelings of hope, and of the opportunities he has improved for

Religious Conversations by the Way.
I am sometimes disposed to hope that

more has been done than we had supposed that the seed of the Word has taken root where we had not expected it. I have been led to this hope, not by seeing the green blade springing up and giving us satisfactory proof of vitality; but by turning up the earth, as it were, in some places where the seed has been sown, to see if it were alive and sending down root.

I have lately been twice a-week to a native rest-house on the bank of the river, at a place where there is a ferry, for the purpose of holding religious conversation with the people, who, to rest themselves on their journey, or to wait for the boat, if on the opposite bank, sit down in the rest-house. I have not had many persons at a time to hear me; but when some go, others come; and I have in general been heard with attention. Being persons from various parts, some had never heard of the Saviour before, and perhaps will never hear of Him again, unless their minds should be so far affected with what they have heard, as to induce them to make further inquiry about Him. Once or twice, when there happened to be no travellers in the resthouse, I conversed with my palanquinbearers-men, who, though not in our constant employ, have been so much so, that they have heard the Word, not only in church on Sundays, but very frequently on the week-days at the Schools whither they have accompanied us. The conversation I had with them at this time afforded me some reason to hope that our labours have been not quite so fruitless as we had feared. In an affectionate and solemn manner, I showed the two to whom I addressed myself the many opportunities they had had of becoming acquainted with the Saviour and the only true Religion; and added, that I yet feared, notwithstanding the advantages they had enjoyed, that they were not earnestly and sincerely seeking the salvation of their souls; and that I could scarcely account for this, after all the preaching and exhortation they had heard, without supposing that there still existed some doubts in their minds respecting the truth of Christianity. I told them, that I should not be angry with them if they had any doubts of this kind; much less should I be angry at their making them known to me; for that I should then be able, I hoped, so to explain things, as that their doubts might be removed.

They both declared that they had no doubt whatever of the truth of Christianity; and one of them said, that neither since I had been in the country, nor since Mr. Mayor had come, had he been to any temple to worship, or to make offerings, or to any Maduwa to hear Bana (Buddhist sacred writings and preachings). I said, "That may be: you may have left off those idolatrous ways, and yet not be seeking in earnest the salvation of your soul. Do you really every day engage in serious, solemn prayer to God, who made you and all the world, for the pardon of your sins through Jesus Christ? I do not mean a mere mentioning the name of God, or a mere repeating words of prayer with your lips." He affirmed that he did. This was a better answer than I expected; but he seemed very serious, and, I trust, spoke the truth from his heart. I then asked him whether he assembled his family together, his wife and children, and prayed to God with them. (One of his children, a little girl, comes to our School.) He said he did not; that they would object to it; and that, though he spoke to them, they would not hear. He must have meant his wife, and his mother, who lives with them; as his children are too young to object to any thing of the kind. I told him, that I doubted whether that was the real cause of his neglecting to worship God in his family, as he was master in his own house; and if he had talked seriously with his wife, and endeavoured to convince her of the importance of Religion, and of the duty of worshipping the God who made them, I did not think that she would object to it: that I suspected that the real cause was, a feeling of shame in his heart that it should be known that he had become religious; that it should be said of Baba, that he, with his family, worshipped God every day; or, that he thought that he could not pray with his family easily, with propriety, and as he would wish to do. He replied, that it was not from this cause, but from the one he had before stated. I then endeavoured to encourage him to break through all difficulties, and make a commencement; and talked to him of the distress of heart it would occasion him, if the wife whom he loved, and with whom he had lived many years, should be removed from him by death, if he had reason to suppose that she had died in her sins and had gone to hell:

the consideration, that he had not done what he could to induce her to repent, and seek mercy through Jesus Christ, would be most painful. He seemed affected, and made no reply. After a little pause, I said: "True believers in Christ give up their sins: they cast off their old and sinful works, and walk in holiness and righteousness of life:” and I begged him to tell me seriously from his heart, reminding him that God was present, and knew every word we uttered, whether he left off the things which he knew were sinful, such as lying, deceiving, pilfering, and every false way— these are sins which the natives are more addicted to than any others—and desired and endeavoured to walk in holiness, and to do good according to the will of God? He replied, that he had left off those evil ways; and reminded me, as some proof of it, of his having returned me money when I had paid him too much, or had paid him part of his hire before

hand, and had forgotten it. I spoke of the true Christian's love to his Lord and Saviour; and asked him whether he thought that in his heart he really loved the Lord Jesus Christ. He said he did. I cannot but hope that what he said was said in sincerity, and not with a wish to deceive; and I do not know any thing in his conduct that should lead me to think ill of him. His state appears to me a hopeful one; but from what I have seen of others, who appeared, perhaps, not farther off from the kingdom of God than he, I cannot rejoice over him. other palanquin-man, to whom I more particularly addressed myself afterwards, also declared that he daily engaged in prayer to God, and had left off his evil ways; that is, open known sin. I have no ground for doubting his assertion; and hope there may be some good thing in him also toward the Lord our God, though it is not a hope without fear.

Death of the Bishop of Lichfield. THE Committee have this month the painful duty to record the death of the Right Rev. Henry Ryder, Lord Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry. This melancholy event took place at Hastings on the 31st of March. The Bishop had long been in delicate health; but was not considered to be in danger until a few days before his death, the immediate cause of which was apoplexy. His Lordship accepted the office of Vice-President of the Society at its Annual Meeting in May 1813, and that of Vice-Patron in 1815, on his being appointed Bishop of Gloucester. Dr. Ryder connected himself with it at a time when its early difficulties were not overcome; and to his dying hour, a period of twenty-three years, he continued its steady and attached friend. The Bishop had not completed his fifty-ninth year when he was called to enter into his rest.

At the Meeting of the Committee on the 11th instant, the Hon. Captain Waldegrave in the Chair, the fol

The

lowing Resolution was unanimously adopted, in expression of their unfeigned respect and affectionate regard for this lamented Prelate :

RESOLVED-That while this Committee deeply participate in the sorrow felt by all the friends of the Church of Christ, on occasion of the decease of the Hon. and Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, V.P. of this Society; yet, while they review the devoted and selfdenying course of that beloved and venerated servant of God, they are consoled by the conviction that the event has been to him an unspeakable gain. More especially, the Committee desire to this Society has long derived from his Lordship's early, constant, and affectionate attachment to the object of this Institution-an attachment, manifested by his eloquent advocacy of the Cause of Missions, in his Sermon at its Fourteenth Anniversary, antecedently to his elevation to the Episcopate; and, subsequently to that event, by the uniform extension of his influence toward the objects of this Institution; as well as, generally, to the promotion of the Redeemer's Cause throughout the whole earth.

record their sense of the benefits which