They therefore practically beseech the only Lord God who bought them, to depart from them. This sinful conduct is especially displayed by unregenerate men when God is pleased to punish them for their sins. The Romans ascribed the calamities of the empire in its decline, to the progress of Christianity. Sinners, instead of humbling themselves before God when he afflicts them, justify themselves. They cherish murmurings and repinings under the rod, and still cling to their sins. Neither judgments nor mercies without the grace of God, can change the heart, or subdue proud rebels. Under them, the heart oft-times grows harder, and the rebellion becomes more obstinate. How rarely are sicknesses, or deaths of relatives, or loss of property, improved to the glory of God! How few, when groaning under sorrow of mind and body, through the displeasure of God, flee to Jesus! How many, after all their vows of amendment, return to their old courses with renewed avidity! And what is all this but rejecting Christ, refusing obedience to him, and soliciting his departure? They may be alarmed, they may be excited to some exertions for knowing him; but the sacrifices to be made of their sins, disturb them most, and their love of them finally extinguishes every vestige of penitence, like the morning cloud or early dew. Unhappy creatures these! who thus wilfully refuse to be saved; who wilfully choose everlasting destruction. Christ takes sinners ofttimes at their words, and departs from them as he did from Gadara. Then they become worse and worse; they are given up to themselves; to their heart's desires and lusts. If Christ continues a stranger to them, they go down to the pit for ever, there to dwell with those whose tempers they display, and according to whose suggestions they live. RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. FOREIGN. Extract of a Letter from the Rev. John Gordon, dated, Calcutta, Oct. 2d, 1809. OUR voyage was as comfortable as our circumstances would admit of. We were favoured with frequent opportunities of speaking to the men, preaching every Sabbath on deck; and performing family worship once every day in the cabin; distributed several Bibles and Tracts, which we had the pleasure to see read; some of our men were taught to read; one, upwards of 40 years old. How happy should I be to say that we could see any good or lasting effect produced thereby! However, they are now without excuse. Copy af a Letter from the Rev. W. Carey, to the Rev. Dr. Miller, of New-York, dated Calcutta, Nov. 30, 1809. I RECEIVED yours, sent by favour of brethren Gordon and Lee, and beg you will accept my thanks for it, and the volume which accompanied it. It gives me great pleasure to receive, at any time, a letter from you. The letter which you enclosed, giving an account of the remarkable work of divine grace in a neighbouring town, has created much interest here; and has, I believe, occasioned many thanksgivings to God for his mercy. Though we cannot boast of any rapid success attend ing the publication of the word in this country, yet we cannot refrain from rejoicing in the gradual spread of the sacred leaven. The progress of the kingdom of our Redeemer has been slow, and, like the growth of vegetables, insensible, yet it has been real; and when the present state of the interest of religion is compared with its state in any preceding period, at a reasonable distance, the difference is evident; and furnishes us with an occasion to praise God for what he has accomplished, and to look forward to him with earnest expectation and hope, that he will complete all that his promises hold forth to our view. There are now in Bengal, five churches constituted, and furnished with pastors, besides five more places in Bengal and Bohon, where the word of God is regularly published by evangelical clergymen of the Church of England; and two more situations where Churches are not yet formed, occupied by brethren belonging to our Mission. In all these churches there have been additions during the present year. * In Calcutta, the Lord has done great things for us. We have been enabled to erect a decent place of worship, 70 feet by 38, without including the veranda, or portico, which is 32 feet wide, through the whole length, making the whole building a square of 70 feet, each side. The congregation is increasing; I think it amounted, last Lord's day, to nearly 200 persons. There are now about fifty persons in this city, who are in full communion. I think the total of persons in all our churches in India, who are in full communion, amounts to about 140. Several collateral circumstances, also, which can be estimated by those alone who are on the spot, and are acquainted with the state of society here, contribute much to my encouragement; among others, I might mention the great proportion of those persons to whom the gospel has been effectual, who are usually included under the general term, "Portugueso." Some of these persons spring from the illicit connexion of Europeans with the native women; others are the descendants of Por I speak by guess about the width of each part, but know the whole to be 70 feet. tuguese, more or less intermixed with people of other nations by marriage, or illicit connexions. A great number of those who are the illegitimate offspring of Europeans, have had a decent education, and some of them a liberal one; those descended from the Portuguese, are in general ignorant, and their education has either been very confined, or altogether neglected; they are also mostly of the Roman Catholic persuasion. All these persons are well acquainted with the current languages of the country-they being, indeed, their vernacular languages; they also form a series of connecting links between Europeans and the natives of the country. The work of God in Calcutta, has been chiefly among this class of persons; and thus a great number who were neglected as the dregs of society, (particularly the catholic Portugueso,) are brought to declare themselves on the side of the Gospel. I, however, calculating upon the future progress of the Gospel in this country, expect that a goodly number of persons will be raised up from these people, who will publish the Gospel among the natives to much greater advantage than Europeans can ever be expected to do, and probably with greater success. Already two of the Armenian natives have been called by this church to the work of the ministry; and I hope in a reasonable time to see others, (besides those called from among the Hindoos, of whom there are now three persons called to the Gospel ministry,) engaged in the same glorious cause. The translations of the word of God into the Oriental languages, are still going forward. The whole Bible is printed in Bengalee. The New Testament in Sungskrit and Oorissa-the poctical books and part of the prophets in Oorissa-nearly two-thirds of the New Testament in Hindosthanee-and nearly half of it in Mahratta. The printing is also going forward in Chinese, and the languages of the Seeks. The translations are well advanced in several of these, and two or three other languages. In short, we have great reason to bless God that he has assisted us thus far, and to look for his support and assistance to the end. I am, very affectionately, yours, Memoir relative to the translations of the Sacred Scriptures ; to the Baptist Missionary Society in England, dated Serampore, Aug. 14, 1807. (Continued from p. 238.) 141 10. In the Guzzerattee, the translation has advanced also as far as the Gospel by John. The proportion of words already known is about six in seven, which renders this part of our work pleasant also. The first sheet of Matthew is printed off in a quarto size, and in the Deva Nagree, the character in which learned works are printed throughout India. 11. We next notice the Mahratta, spoken by a nation who, on the western side, are our nearest neighbours. Their language of course early engaged our attention, and the general affinity of languages both invited aud amply repaid application. The proportion of words already known to us was about nine in ten. In this the New Testament is nearly finished, and several books of the Old. The Gospel by Matthew was printed off nearly two years ago, in the Deva Nagree character: it was included in about 100 quarto pages. We have now however cast a fount of types in the current Mahratta character, which will comprise the whole New Testament in 700 octavo pages. Of this edition, which consists of a thousand copies, the Gospel by Matthew is nearly all printed. 12. The Hindoosthanee has admitted perhaps a greater number of foreign words than any of the dialects of India. This mixture is indeed so great as to render two translations necessary; one into that which draws principally on the Persian and Arabic for its supplies of difficult words, and another into that which has recourse in the same manner to the Sungskrit. Indeed, the difference in these two kinds is so great, that the gospel translated into the former kind of Hindee, under the auspices of the College of Fort William, is in many places quite unintelligible to Sungskirt Pundits, born and |