bow," to prepare them for future action, and exhorted the men of Jabesh Gilead, who had already distinguished themselves by their activity and energy, to strengthen their hands, and be valiant, because of the affliction which had then overwhelmed Israel. When Hur, and Aaron, and even Moses were called to rest from their labours, the command of God himself to Israel was, to go forward in their way, to be strong and very courageous" amidst the overwhelming grief which must have filled their minds at being thus deprived of all those who had gone in and out before them for so many years; -and his promise was that in thus doing he would be with them, cause them to overcome their enemies, and possess the promised land. 6 "In the beginning of the Gospel, also, when Stephen was prematurely removed in the midst of his high career of usefulness; a man "full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," who so preached the Gospel that his fiercest adversaries were not able to resist "the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake;" how deeply must the loss of such a man have been felt by all who loved the cause of God, then so much in its infancy. We do not find, however, that while they so feelingly made great lamentation over him," the disciples and brethren had the least idea of lying down in despondency. On the contrary, they took courage, and "went every where preaching the Gospel ;" and respecting some of them it is expressly recorded, no doubt for our encouragement, that "the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord."* And when a year or two after this, James, one of the three disciples, so eminently distinguished by our Lord during * See Acts xi, 21. no his life, and so justly esteemed one of the "pillars" of the infant apostolic church, was prematurely cut off by the sword, Peter also being seized and put in prison, we do not find that this had any other effect on the minds of the other brethren, than that of causing them to make prayer to God without ceasing for Peter, and doubt for the cause of God in general, that it might not suffer by these afflictions. And by far the greatest extension of the Gospel was granted after this period. Ûnworthy as we are, we are still engaged in the same cause, and every degree of blessing must flow from the same source; and seeing we serve him who is "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever," we ought to renew our trust in his mercy and his almighty power, and to abound more and more in prayer and in the work of the Lord, knowing that he will never fail nor forsake those who trust in him. The brethren at Serampore, indeed, have been thus called to renew their trust in God while wading through the depths of affliction, even from the beginning of their course. We do not here allude merely to the fire at Serampore, eleven years ago, in which our dear brother now deceased was himself almost miraculously preserved, and which threatened to overwhelm us, but which, through the Divine mercy, was succeeded by the Divine blessing to a greater extent than had ever been experienced at Serampore before. rather allude to the repeated afflictions we were called to sustain twenty-two years ago, when so many of our Missionary brethren were in succession carried to the grave in the very infancy of the cause here. Within eighteen days after our landing at Serampore, Mr. Grant was carried off in a fever; the four brethren and sisters having arrived on the 13th of We into the joy of their Lord, leaving to others, whom Divine grace may raise up, that work which is suited to their capacity, and intended for them to fulfil. Therefore, while we so heavily mourn those remov October, 1799, and he being re- || sink in despondency, and to exmoved on the 31st. The succeed-claim, "Such and such an emiing July, Mr. Fountain was remov- nent servant of God is taken away, ed by a bowel complaint, within and how can the loss be repaired? four years after his arrival in the-how can the cause of God now country, and just as he had be- go forward ?” We forget that come ready in the language. The these servants of God, thus peculnext July beheld Mr. Brunsdon iarly gifted, were raised up to do carried off by a liver complaint; a certain work; and that if they scarcely twenty-six years of age, are now called to rest, the precise and the most forward in the lan- work no more remains to be done guage, as well as the ablest Eng- for which Divine Wisdom thus lish preacher among all the four raised them up, and endued them brethren who came out together.- with peculiar talents. Thus DiAnd to complete the measure of vine Wisdom has suffered no disaffliction, the next October Mr. appointment; for these have fulfillThomas himself, who had laid the ed the work they were intended to foundation of the Mission in Den-accomplish, and have now entered gal, and had come out with brother Carey seven years before, was taken away, at an age two years below that of our now deceased brother. At that critical period, that four of the only seven Missionaries then in this part of India should be re-ed, who are necessarily dear to us moved, and among them both the youngest and the oldest, the ablest and the most active, was indeed overwhelming, had we looked merely to human aid. Yet nearly all that has been done in this part of India has been the fruit of the Divine blessing since, experienced on humble and persevering effort, accompanied with constant prayer. Surely, then, in every affliction and bereavement, we ought to look Thus, respecting our beloved directly and wholly to Him with brother, while he was so endeared whom is the residue of the Spirit to us in every capacity, that, had -who cannot be unmindful of his our feelings been consulted, we cause or of his promise-and who should never have suffered him to has declared that all nations shall enter into rest but with ourselves; be blessed in the Redeemer-and the work for which God pre-emithat He, Jehovah, will accomplish nently raised him up, was evidentthis glorious work in his own time.ly that of printing the Scriptures in The human mind, however, India; and we believe that to him which is continually prone to run was shewn herein grace and fato the extremes either of presump-vour granted before to very few tion or despondency, is ever apt men in that particular line. to misinterpret the dealings of the language of the apostle, which God with his church. Thus when the brother who came out with him any of the servants of God are well recollects seeing in his diary taken away peculiarly fitted for in the course of his voyage, some particular work in their day applied with reference to his own and generation, we are ready to circumstances, "Unto me, who am for their work's sake, we should consider that Divine Wisdom has removed them, only because their peculiar work in the church militant below was fully accomplished; for had it not, their Saviour, who has the keys of death and of the unseen world, and who shutteth and no man openeth," would surely have detained them longer below. Το thus dom and love thus guide all things, however mysterious, and that these are ever the same,-what. remains, but that we all, who have seen so many of the servants of God around us removed in the past year, adore in humble silence what we are unable to comprehend-take new courage, and go forward in the work of Him who will cause his church to increase, till, like the stone cut out without hands, it shall have filled the whole earth. And to animate us thus to abound in the work of the Lord, and to do our own peculiar work in our day and generation, what can tend more than the example and the less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should print among the heathen, the unsearchable riches of Christ,"could he have foreseen the Divine goodness to him, he might have added-in Twenty of their Languages;" for the Twentieth version of the New Testament in the languages of India printed under his eye, had advanced to the book of Revelation at the time of our beloved brother's removal; and we believe it has been granted to few men in the church of God, ever to print the New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in twenty languages spoken among the heathen. But for the prepara-end of our beloved brother; whose tion of all those founts of types which they required, and most of which had never before been seen in India, was his thorough knowledge of the art, his nice discernment, his assiduity, his indefatigable diligence, his love for the cause of his Redeemer, and the souls of the heathen, peculiarly suited. Yet all these founts prepared, and the difficulties attending these first editions of the Scriptures overcome, the way is now made easy;-second and succeeding editions with the same types involve so little difficulty, that the various native Christian brethren and others, trained up by our beloved brother for so many years, can go on with the work under common European superintend ence. life at least for the last twentyfour years, amidst all the difficulties and trials he had to share with his brethren, was one uniform course of high usefulness and happiness of mind; and who, after so long a course of bodily and mental labour, and spirituality of soul, was in heaven adoring before the throne of the Lamb, within forty-eight hours after he had delivered his last message for the glorious Redeemer below! Let us then lift up the hands which hang down, and confirm the feeble knees, and looking to Jesus, be steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forasmuch as we know that, prematurely as to an eye of sense we may seem to be called away, our labour, worthless as it may be, shall not be in 66 Seeing, then, that infinite wis-vain in the Lord." RELIGIOUS COMMUNICATIONS. INFANT BAPTISM. For the American Baptist Magazine. THE following narrative is ex-|| son, Governor of Nottingham Castracted from a work written in the tle and Town, representative of time of Charles II. and lately pub- the Town of Nottingham, &c. by lished in England, entitled, "Me- his Widow Lucy Hutchinson." moirs of the Life of Col. Hutchin- Col. H. was one of the greatest and best men of his time. He belonged to the independent party in the Revolution, and might justly be considered one of its most distinguished leaders. The extract will show, that the question of the validity of Podobaptism was then warmly agitated, and that in the time of the Commonwealth, the distinguishing sentiments of Baptists claimed for their supporters some of the best men in Eng land. It ought in justice to be added, that Mrs. Hutchinson was in no respect inferior to her husband. The narrator is speaking of Col. Hutchinson at the time he was Governor of Nottingham Castle. "When formerly the Presbyterian ministers had forced him (Col. H.) for quietnesse sake, to goe and breake up a private meeting in the Cannoneer's Chamber, there were found some notes concerning Podobaptisme,which being brought to the governor's lodgings, his wife having then more leisure to read than he, having perused them, and compared them with the Scriptures, found not what to say a gainst the truths they asserted concerning the misapplication of that ordinance to infants: but being then young and modest, she thought it a kind of virtue to submit to the judgement and practice of most churches rather than to defend a singular opinion of her owne; she not being then enlightened in that greate mistake of the nationall churches. But in this yeare she communicated her doubts to her husband, and desired him to endeavour her satisfaction, which while he did, he himselfe became as unsatisfied or rather satisfied against it. First, therefore, he dilligently searched the scriptures alone, and could find in them no ground at all for that practice; then he bought and read all the eminent treatises on both sides, which at that time came thick from the presses, and still was cleared in the error of the Podobaptists. After this, his wife being brought to bed, that he might if possible give the religious party no offence, he invited all the ministers to dinner, and propounded his doubt and the ground thereof to them. None of them could defend their practice with any satisfactory reason, but the tradition of the church from the primitive times, and their maine buckler of federall holinesse, which Tombs and Denne had excellently overthrowne. He and his wife then professing themselves unsatisfied in the practice, desired their opinions what they ought to doe. Most answered, to conforme to the generall practice of other Christians how darke soever it were to themselves; but Mr. Foxcraft, one of the assembly, say'd that except they were convinced of the warrant of the practice from the word, they sinned in doing it; whereupon the infant was not baptized. And now the Governor (Col. Hutchinson) and his wife, notwithstanding they forsooke not their assemblies nor retracted their benevolences and civilities from them, yet were they revil'd by them, call'd fanatics and Anabaptists, and often glanced at in their public sermons. And not only the ministers, but all the zealous sectaries concurred in implacable malice against them upon this account; which was car ried on with a spiritt of envy and persecution to the last; though he on his side might well have said to them as his Master to the old pharisees, "Many good workes have I done among you, for which of them do 99 hate me. ye Yet the generallity even of that people had a secret conviction upon them that he had been faithfull to them, and deserved their love, and in spite of their owne bitter zeale could not but have a reverent esteeme for him, whom they often rayl'd at for not thinking and speaking according to their opinions."-Vol. 2d, pp. 103-5. LETTER TO THE REVIEWER OF MERRIAM's ESSAY ON COMMUNION. The following letter on the Review of Merriam on Communion was received too late for insertion in our last number. We are pleased at the attention which the subject has excited, and cheerfully lend our columns to promote a fair discussion of it. We here present our readers with the letter to the Reviewer, and the Reviewer's answer.-Editors of Am. Bup. Mag. To the Editors of the American Baptist Magazine. MESSRS. EDITORS, I have read the article in your September number, on Close Communion, with attention, interest and profit. But the argument seems to me a little defective. For the sake of having the subject more fully discussed, as well as with the hope of receiving farther light myself, I will briefly state wherein the defects consist. admission to a church, renders it proper to withhold occasional communion, p. 409. Does he mean to assert this as a fundamental, practical maxim? Or does he mean only to silence our Podobaptist brethren, by quotations from their own standard works? If the latter was his object, he has given us is called argumentum ad hominem, a very ingenious specimen of what and I have nothing farther to say. But if the former, then I should like to have him enter more fully into the subject. At present, his views seem to me to lead to the result, that no man should commune with another, no matter whether belonging to his own, or to some other church, whose pious character would be thought sufficiently equivocal to authorize a vote against him, were he a candidate for admission. That such cases are considerably numerous, I have already intimated, and pro1. The Reviewer assumes, that bably shall not be contradicted. whatever renders a person an im- In discussing this subject, I wish proper subject for admission to a the Reviewer to go into the inquiry, church, renders him a proper subject for what purposes particular ecclefor excommunication, p. 408, 409. siastical churches are formed; beBut, whatever be the opinions of cause I think he cannot do justice certain great and wise men on this to the subject in any other way. subject, and whatever certain books Let him manage the cause fairly, may say, is not the practice, not and as ably as he can, and demononly of Podobaptist, but of Baptist strate, on the principles of sound churches, at variance with this common sense, why it is, that a principle? How numerous are the member of another religious comchurches, in which there are mem-munity, which rests on a constitubers of such equivocal religious characters, that, had they not given more evidence of piety before their admission, they would not have been received into the church and yet there can be no question, that, in many of these cases, excommunication would be improper. The reason is, that while a refusal to admit a man into the church affects his standing in society very little, excommunication would, in all probabili-will understand me. ty, ruin him. 2. The Reviewer assumes, that whatever renders it proper to refuse tion, scriptural in the main, though differing from ours in some few particulars,-why it is, that a member of such a community, though bringing with him a passport testifying his good standing in his own country, may not be permitted to sojourn among us, nor to eat and drink at our tables, without becoming first an alien from the land of his birth. I speak figuratively, but your Reviewer 3. The Reviewer is very positive, that if a Podobaptist refused to offer up his children in baptism, |