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THE figure engraven above is one of Mr. Ward, (View of Hindoo Mythology, the representations of SHIVU, or SEEVA, ii. 16,) in Bengal, and many parts of the Destroyer, who has the second place Hindost'han, are far more numerous among the Hindoo deities, though in than those dedicated to any other idol; general, in allusion to their offices, these and the number of the daily worshippers three gods are classed thus: Brumha, of this scandalous image,(even among the Vishnoo, Shivu. In his character and Hindoo women,) who make the image history, as detailed in the pooranas, he with the clay of the Ganges, every bears a strong resemblance to Bacchus, morning and evening, is beyond compaor rather to Bacchus and Priapus united.rison greater than the worshippers of all To this abominable deity, who is said the other gods put together. to have no less than 1,000 different names, the Hindoo mythology is indebted for one of its principal and most appropriate ornaments, the worship of the lingu, or lingam. These temples, says

On the nature of this particular species of worship we cannot, for powerful reasons, be more explicit in this place. Those of our readers who wish

Every year, in the month Phalgoonu, the Hindoos make the image of Shivu, and worship it for one day; throwing the image the next day into the water. This worship is performed in the night, and is accompanied by singing, dancing, music, feasting, &c. In the month Maghu also, a festival in honour of Shivu is held for one day; when the image of this god, sitting on a bull, with Parvutee (his wife,) on his knee, is worshipped.

The ceremonies of swinging, with iron hooks inserted in the back, piercing the tongue, sides, &c. as performed in the month Choitru, are intended to do honour to this pretended deity, whose deluded self-torturing followers expect that Shivu will bestow upon them some blessing, either in this life or in the next. Christian reader, does not your heart burn within you, at the thought of millions being enslaved to such infernal superstitions as these; will you not unite your efforts in the aid of those who would teach these miserable, degraded beings that godliness only hath the promise of the life that now is, and of that

which is to come?

From the letters subjoined, our friends will learn the safe arrival and favourable reception of Mr. and Mrs. Kitching, at Jamaica.

Extract of a Letter from the Rev. Christopher Kitching to Dr. Ryland, dated

Kingston, Jamaica, Oct. 3, 1818. HAVING obtained help and protection of the Lord, we have been brought in safety to the land of our destination. We arrived on the 18th of August, in perfect health, and were kindly received by Mr. and Mrs. T. at whose house we remained till Friday last. All the brethren appeared overjoyed at our arrival. They enquired very affectionately after Mr. Coultart, and were glad to hear he was better. I have met with the class

leaders of our denomination three times since my arrival. I have not been able to obtain a license to preach as yet, and therefore have never attempted it; but I am not without the hope of obtaining it the first time the council meets, and this will be the only medium [of gaining permission] till the quarter sessions, which will be held on the third Wednesday in November. I called on two of the magistrates last Monday, who received

for more information, are referred to the work just quoted, and to the second part of Mr. Fuller's Apology for Missions in India, page 110.

me very kindly, and wished me to wait on the council. This I intend to do on Monday, if they meet, and in the mean time will not forget to plead with the Lord to grant me favour in their sight. We are much obliged to you and the rest of the society, for all their kindness to us, and hope our conduct will be such as to deserve a continuance of it. Extract of a Letter from a Friend in Jamaica, to Mr. Coultart.

Jamaica, Oct. 2, 1818. WE were rendered very happy by the arrival of Mr. Kitching and his partner. It was quite an unexpected circumstance, but not the less gratifying on that account. I have much confidence that they are formed for the situation in which it has pleased God to place them. Many will be their difficulties for some time to come, but they must not be cast down. Eventually they will see the prosperity afforded through their means to the church of the Redeemer. The people seem to have received them most cordially. They have taken a small house at the back of where Mr. Compere used to live, near the camp road, and seem likely to make themselves pretty comfortable. The sessions being so distant will be a delay to the commencement of his labours; but I do not think they ought to be commenced too soon after his arrival; and he will have time to make himself acquainted with local circumstances, so that no time will be

lost, and his health will then have got a little more equal to exertion. My hopes are much raised by the interest which the Jamaica cause has created in England; they cannot, I think, be disappointed.

LONDON

MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

DEPUTATION TO AFRICA. THE directors of this society having found it necessary to appoint a deputation to visit and superintend their numerous stations in South Africa, have prevailed with their brethren, the Rev. John Campbell, of Kingsland, and the Rev. John Philip, late of Aberdeen, to undertake this important trust. They were set apart to their undertaking at Orange-street Chapel, on Monday morning, November 9, and sailed from Liverpool, on Wednesday, November 18, in the Westmoreland, bound to Bombay. They are accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Mault, who are proceeding to Travan core, to strengthen the hands of Mr. Mead in that mission.

NORTH AMERICA.

EDUCATION OF AFRICANS. THE spirit of active benevolence has been roused among the friends of religion in the United States of America, on behalf of the poor Africans residing among them. There are computed to be a million and a half of these people in the union-a very large proportion of whom, we regret to say, are in a state of slavery. Three distinct societies have lately been formed, however, one at Philadelphia, another at New York, and a third at Boston, for the purpose

of educating young men of colour to be teachers and preachers to their countrymen. In the list of the executive committee at Boston, we perceive the name of the Rev. Thomas Paul, who visited England about two years since, and is personally known to many Christian friends in this country. We hail the formation of these societies, not merely on account of the direct advantages which, we trust, will attend their efforts, but because we regard them as pleasing indications, that the day is not far distant when our Transatlantic brethren will expunge the foul blot of African slavery from their national character.

Supplement to the Account of Moneys received by the Treasurer of the Baptist Missionary Society, up to November, 1818; received too late for Insertion in the last Number.

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This Day is published,

Periodical Accounts of the Baptist Missionary Society, No. XXXIII. contain ing intelligence from July, 1816, to the end of 1817. Sold by Button and Son, London. Price 1s. 6d.

The List of Subscriptions, Cash Account, Index, &c. will shortly be published, as an Appendix to No. XXXIII.

P.S. Those Friends of the Mission, who are desirous of completing Sets of the Periodical Accounts may be accommodated with any of the preceding Numbers, at half price, viz. Nos. 8, 9, 24, at three pence each.

No. 10, and the Supplement to 31, at four pence halfpenny each.
Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 27, at sixpence each.
Nos. 3, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 28, 30, 31, 32, at nine pence each.
Nos.-23, 25, 26, 29, at one shilling each.

In the Press, and shortly will be published.

Brief Narrative of the Baptist Mission in India, including an Account of the Translations of the Sacred Scriptures into the various Languages of the East. With Maps illustrating this Narrative, and the Periodical Accounts of the Society. Fifth Edition. Continued to the close of 1817.

J. BARFIELD, Printer, 91, Wardour-Street; Soho,

Baptist Magazine.

FEBRUARY, 1819.

HISTORY OF THE CONFERENCE

AT SALTERS' HALL,

ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY, IN 1719. (Continued from Page 6.)

doctrine of the Trinity, and removed them from their offices for refusing to do so.

In the debate at Salters' Hall

on the 3d of March, those who proposed a subscription to the forms, observed, "that as they had all been obliged by the Act of Toleration to subscribe the Articles of the Church of England respecting the Trinity,† it was not unreasonable, upon just occasions, they should be expected to do so again. And as Dissenting ministers were supposed to teach their children the answers in the Assembly's Cate

THE differences of opinion which unhappily took place between the London Dissenting ministers, are not to be attributed to any difference of sentiment respecting the important scripture doctrine of the Trinity. With one or two exceptions it may be safely stated, that the whole body of ministers were united in principle as to the doctrine itself, though they differed as to the manner in which they should declare their sentiments concerning it, and the advice that should be given to the Presbyterians at Exeter. Those who refused to subscribe the Articles of the Assembly's Catechism, it was not unreasonable chism, &c. justified the conduct of Messrs. Peirce and Hallet; and others, by subscribing those tests as explanatory of the scripture doctrine, approved that of the managers at Exeter, who had required their ministers to sign a declaration of their faith on the

"Two of them," says the Rev. Daniel Wilcox, "are now pretty well known in the City, to whom Dr. Clarke himself directed a country Dissenting minister for further instruction in his scheme." It is probable this alludes to the Rev. Drs. Lardner and Gale. Noble stand! Part ii. p. 16, note.

VOL. XI.

until the contrary appeared, to conclude that they believed these doctrines themselves." They urged their subscription as the more necessary, because the Arians made their boasts, that the more considerable of the Dissenting ministers were of their sentiments. High church sermons and pamphlets upbraided

+ Dissenting ministers at that period were all obliged to subscribe the 39 Articles of the Church of England, with some exceptions, in order to their enjoying the protection of the Act of Toleration.

H

I begin with those of the subscribing ministers.

the Dissenters, without distinc- | Under these impressions both tion, as Anti-Trinitarians. Mr. parties sent their Advices to the John Sharp, a Baptist minister people at Exeter, which are sufof Frome, who was present at the ficiently important to be copied debate, mentioned that one of the at length, in order that the reader judges upon the western circuit may have the entire history of had taken notice in his charges this event before him. to the grand juries, of what was reported of the Dissenters as gone off from the doctrine of the Trinity as a matter belonging to their inquiry! Mr. Sharp added, "That the eyes of all the west were upon the ministers of London, to see what they would do in this juncture; that he waited with concern for the result of their debates; and if they broke up without coming to a declara-but oblige the people to withtion of their faith in the Trinity, it would be the greatest blow imaginable to the Dissenting interest in the west country.”

"Some of our number," say they, "having been applied to by several worthy gentlemen at EXON for advice how to conduct themselves under their unhappy circumstances: we are clearly of opinion,

"That there are such errors in doctrine as will not only warrant,

draw from those ministers that maintain and teach them. And that the people have a right to judge what those errors are; and when they are so maintained and taught, it will justify them in withdrawing from such a ministry. But as the purity of the faith, the peace of the churches, the reputation and usefulness of ministers, are matters of very great weight and consequence, the utmost care and caution ought to be had on both sides in all proceedings of such a nature, and therefore we humbly advise,

On the other hand it was objected, that to request subscription: to human compositions was of "the nature of imposition:" that to do so would look like giving up their Christian liberty; they urged, that "if this humour of subscription was once complied with, they could not tell where it would stop," &c. &c. and alluding to the Bangorian controversy, which had now commenced, they thought it would "1. That when such differences discourage the champions for do arise, the people would conliberty in the church establish- sider, though they have the ment from pursuing their exer-power of judging what ministers tions in the cause of Christian and doctrines are fit for them to liberty, if the Dissenting ministers were to submit to what they considered as impositions in religion.*

In 1717, Dr. Hoadley preached a sermon before King George I. on the Nature of the Kingdom of Christ. This led to a violent controversy, Dr. Snape and others zealously supporting the temporal jurisdiction of the clergy. bishop would have been roughly handled by his brethren, had not the king prorogued the convocation: and from that period the clergy in England have been unable to exercise temporal jurisdiction.

hear, yet they must by no means suffer their passions, prejudices, or unreasonable jealousies, to bias their judgment; but must search the scriptures, and be determined by them, both as to the merits of the cause and the manner of proceeding. All rashness and intemperate zeal must be suppressed, and every thing managed clearly, calmly, in the fear of God, with meekness, and ten

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