As, for instance, the members of a man, such as the nose, might come in the place of the ear, and the ear in place of the nose; the chin in the place of the mouth, and the mouth in the place of the chin. Friends, certainly God created the world, and the many things therein. He is an eternal Being; he knows the events of the past, present, and the future times: he knows the thoughts of all the inhabitants of the world. If any one doubt that, it is nothing but the mere obscurity which is the cause of his heathenish faith. The chicken in the egg could not see the sun, moon, and the world, being covered with a shell, and its eyes not being open; likewise. my brethren, you can't know and acknowledge the everlasting God, or believe in the Saviour, as you are covered with the shell of heathenish faith; and as you have not the light of understanding. Your eyes are not open: therefore we should rejoice and be thankful to God, and those preachers who lay before us such a just and cheerful religion of a Holy Trinity consisting of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Who can be averse to embrace this religion, offered by those who have some efficient knowledge thereof? Surely none. The Apostle Paul says, in his Epistle to the Romans, chap. i. verse 16, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Beloved brethren, I myself was one of the principal preachers of the Budhist religion, in this island of Ceylon; and during my priesthood, I not only acquired some proficiency in the Palic Sanscrit and Cingalese sciences; I also spent good part of my time in preaching and learning the religious books of Budhu, and of some other religions. It is well known to you, that I was much esteemed among the Budhists for my preaching: and was respected and rewarded by royal favours, and by chief ministers of state; yet I found in that religion no REDEEMER to save our souls from death; no CREATOR of the world, or a beginning to it. Consequently, I had some doubt always in my mind, as to its reality; and had some suspicion that the world and its thousands of wonderful parts, was the creation of an Almighty God. While I was reflecting on this, a conversation took place between me and the head priest of Saffergam district, called Atledassa Teronansey, of the temple of Kotlembulwalle. He asked me, who could believe that a child (as it is said in the Christian religion,) could be conceived in the womb of a virgin? To which I answered, If the world, and all its curious things, which we see about us, were created of themselves, it is no wonder that a child should have been conceived in the womb of a virgin. Upon which the priest was somewhat displeased with me. While I was in this condition, I happened, through the blessing of God Almighty, to speak with the pious Rev. Mr. Clough, since which, I have maintained a friendship with him, and have continued to attend and converse with tim concerning the Christian religion. By this means, the obscurity and doubts which were over my mind, were perfectly cleared off, and the light of the Christian faith filled my mind in their stead, as easily as colours are received into fine white linen when painted; so I consented to be baptized. While I was in doubt, a large Mandowe was erected, in the place called Galwadogodde, at Galle, for the performance of a very great ceremony of Budhu's religion; there were assembled twenty-eight preachers, (or priests) including myself, and an immense crowd of common people of both sexes. During that ceremony I read over two chapters of the Gospel of St. Matthew before the multitude, and spoke to them upon that subject in a friendly manner. Some time afterwards, the people of Galle district. hearing that I was at the point of leaving the priesthood, and of being baptized, gathered into a large body, and spoke in such a manner against my intented baptism, that scarcely any man could have resisted them: in consequence of which, I was in a state of perplexity for some time, being strongly inclined to be baptized, on the one hand, and to comply with their request on the other. But after my arrival in Columbo, all the hesitations and the agitations of my mind were completely done away, by the sweet and admirable advice I received from the Hon. and Rev. Thomas James Twisleton, the chief chaplain in this island. Just as darkness vanishes by the appearance of the sun, I was enlightened, and was actually baptized, without regarding the aversion and abuse I was likely to undergo from the people of the Budhu's religion; giving up my relations and friends, the teachers of my former religion, and the situation I was in, and the lands and other property which I obtained from the Budhu priesthood. Thus I embraced Christianity, and became a member of Christ's church, which circumstance is perhaps known to every one of you. Beloved brethren, your principal object must be to seek the means of obtaining a happy and eternal life. You are labouring, both day and night, to support this uncertain life, yet you never think of the means of saving your soul. If you labour so much for this uncertain and temporal life, how much more ought you to labour for the salvation of the immortal soul? Are we not sinners by nature, and under the curse of God? Yes. And why do not we think of the means of being saved? We being sinners by nature, God took compassion on our sad state, and sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world, to suffer punishment, and to be crucified, and to die for our sake, and to save us from our sins: He also rose the third day from death, and ascended into heaven. Now we have received the Gospel, wherein are contained his own doctrines, which he delivered while he was in this world, for the direction of mankind, and for their salvation. The holy Gospel is the way to lead every man to salvation. We have many evidences to convince w of its truth, not only by the Holy Scriptures, but also in the profane histories of the ancient heathens. There is no other way of salvation except this very way by the Gospel. Many persons in this world are worshipping images, made of wood, clay, &c. with a view of being saved by them; yet they do not consider that the images cannot hear their prayers, nor see their homages, neither accept a single thing of their offerings; consequently, those labours and services are of no use. They lead men to break the second commandment of our Creator, the Lord God. And can they be blessed of this? There are some persons who deny the existence of God, and say, Where is he? who saw Him? and many such foolish words; but it is the height of stupidity; for there is no man who can judge in what way the power and grace of God are bestowed. We ought only to consider that we are sinners, and to obtain our salvation through Christ, the Son of God. There is no profit in their entertaining such false and vain thoughts; for they resemble a foolish physician, who is brought to cure a wounded man of an arrow received in a battle, who, instead of applying his remedies, quietly sits inquiring, who was the person that shot him? from whence the arrow came? what is the name of the archer? and many other long and foolish particulars, and so lets the man die. My brethren, do not entertain such vain thoughts as this foolish physician; look out for immediate remedies for salvation, pulling out the arrow of sin from you. It plainly appears to a good Christian, that the ceremonies of devils prevailing in this country, are the ways leading to death. Some one of you say, If you forbear from doing evil works, there is no need of worshipping God. But I do assure you, that no man can be saved, though he do good works, if he do not worship the Godhead, consisting of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost; as the man will never grow fat, though he dress and ornament himself with much good apparel and jewels, unless he also eat food. Therefore, I conjure you to do good works, from a complete Christian faith in your hearts. We must be saved by by faith in Christ; by loving God, keeping his commandments, pray ing to him, studying his religion, and repenting of our past sins: he who errs from this way, errs from the truth. Britannia, the Queen, sent her children to shew the right way to the children of her sister Ceylonia.As a learned physician cures the leprosy with good remedies, we have good doctors to cure our false faith, and heathenish, with their enlightened doctrines. Therefore, if we are willing to be saved, why are we not saved? If a thirsty man refuses to drink pure cold water,—and if a hungry man refuses to eat delicate victuals,-and a naked man refuses to put on clear and valuable apparel,-is it not his own fault? The chief means of being saved from death, is by faith towards God; consequently, the man who has a complete faith, ought to keep God's commandments, according as they appear in the holy scriptures, and leave off all evil works, and do all good works. There are three things in the heart of man which lead to all manner of evil, viz. covetousness, envy, and ignorance: and thus men, in consequence of these chief evils, or on account of covetousness, envy, and the ignorance of the true religion, do sin, by word, deed, and thought; they commit murders, thefts, and adulteries; by their words, they lie, backbite, talk roughly, so as to hurt a man's feelings; take the name of God in vain, and say other bad things; and in their thoughts covet the things and property of others. They are envious of the prosperity of others, and think that there is no God; all these things happen on account of the abovesaid covetousness, envy, and ignorance; all these evils are against bis salvation. These things he ought to forsake; and ought to give alms according to his circumstances. He ought to speak courteously to others, and to conduct himself, in all his actions, so as not to be prejudicial to others, but beneficial; to consider the lives of all others as his own; these are the good works. Therefore, my brethren, let us endeavour to forsake all the aforesaid evil things, be confirmed in good works, and not to err from the right paths; but to lead those into the right paths, and to participate of the redemption of Christ, and the love of Almighty God; so SHALL we save their SOULS FROM DEATH, AND HIDE A MULTITUDE OF SINS. MORAL SAYINGS OF THE PERSIANS. THE discourse of the wise is distinguished from that of fools, in that the former are for peace, and the latter for dispute. To love wise men, and to converse with them, is half wards wisdom. way to An Arabian being asked how he knew there was a God, answered as he knew by the traces in the sand, whether there had passed man or beast. Honour consists in virtue, not in riches; and gravity not in. age, but in understanding. A ship may as well expect to sail out of port without paying the customs, as a man depart this world, without sharing in its troubles. POETRY. For the Methodist Magazine. REFLECTIONS ON THE DEATH OF A FRIEND WHO INSTRUCTED THE AUTHOR IN SACRED MUSIC. Of blasted expectations, with'ring joys, friend, Whose glowing heart with fine sensation fraught, An angel form appears. Upon her brow At thought of thee, the coin and the tomb Affright no more, and e'en the monster, death, What solace canst thou offer to the soul, CAROLINE MATILDA. ΤΗΣ METHODIST MAGAZINE. FOR DECEMBER, 1818. DIVINITY. EVIDENCES OF THE TRUTH OF THE CHRISTIAN REVELATION. Extracted from the new Edinburgh Encyclopædia. (Continued from page 408.) 146. We offer the above observations, not so much for the purpose of doing away a difficulty which we conscientiously believe to have no existence, as for the purpose of exposing the rapid, careless, and unphilosophical procedure of some enemies to the Christian argument. They, in the first instance, take up the rapid assumption, that Jesus Christ has, either through himself, or his immediate disciples, made an assertion as to the antiquity of the globe, which, upon the faith of their geological speculations, they know to be a falsehood. After having fastened this stain upon the subject of the testimony, they, by one summary act of the understanding, lay aside all the external evidence for the miracles and general character of our Saviour.-They will not wait to be told, that this evidence is a distinct subject of examination; and that, if actually attended to, it will be found much stronger than the evidence of any other fact or history which has come down to us in the written memorials of past ages. If this evidence is to be rejected, it must be rejected on its own proper grounds; but if all positive testimony, and all sound reasoning upon human affairs, go to establish it, then the existence of such proof is a phenomenon which remains to be accounted for, and must ever stand in the way of positive infidelity. Until we dispose of it, we can carry our opposition to the claims of our religion no farther than to the length of an ambiguous and mid-way scepticism. By adopting a decisive infideli VOL. 1. 56 |