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what thou readest?" Some say, "We wish we were as Cornelius, then would we send servants to find out preachers, but we cannot."

O, dear brethren, in the British churches we have taken root from your extended branches; we need constant support from you, as the way to receive it from our Lord, who is the root. The living God has given great light to the churches in Britain. He has made you as the light of the world. Here darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the people: Give us of your light that the candle of the Lord may also shine brightly upon our tabernacle, and chase away the darkness which is felt. You have entered the land of promise, the Canaanites, and Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and Jebusites, and all your enemies are driven out from before you, or subdued under you. Your temple is built, and you go up to Mount Zion with singing and praise, but we, brethren, are very lately come from Egypt, we are in the thorny wilderness. The Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and Jebusite, are living in their fenced cities, and their strong-built walls reach up to heaven, in that part of the promised land which falls to our lot. O, brethren, send us some of your skilful warriors. Give us your council fathers. Send to refresh our fainting spirits in this wilderness, some more of the ripe fruits of Canaan.

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Do not forget, brethren, the way that God has led you. Recollect that you were not only slaves in Egypt, but you also were captives in Babylon. The marks of your chains are yet visible on your hands

and feet. You did hang your harps upon the willows whilst you sat and wept by the rivers of Babylon. You thought upon Zion, but would not sing her songs in a strange land. How much were you indebted to your Zerubbabels, your Ezras, your Nehemiahs? How did your hearts faint when your enemies conspired against you, and would not suffer you to raise your holy city from its ruins. Think of the marks of your former bondage, the cruel insults of your bitter enemies, the cloudy and comfortless season you spent when your Jerusalem lay waste; and, O think on us, and compassionate us, your brethren, whose face is Zion-ward, but surrounded with many enemies.

Allow me, my dear brethren, to explain more particularly to you. The Scriptures and tracts are given away to the poor people; but many cannot read when they get the Scriptures. Often when they find a friend or neighbour who is able to read for them, not one of them is able fully to understand what it means. They want some person to explain those things to them. Many complain because that they have no person to teach them. I judge this is very much the case in every place where the word of God and tracts are distributed, from what I have heard the people say, and what I experienced in my own mind, when the Lord in his merciful providence gave me a part of his holy book. Very few places can yet be visited by preachers of the gospel, their number is so small. The schools of the prophets are yet very few. The Saviour has given his assistance to his servants in translating his blessed word into many languages,

but very few preachers there are to read and explain it to the people.

Dear brethren, suffer me to entreat you to consider the great want of living teachers in this land. Allow me to explain my meaning by mentioning the great difficulties I felt in the beginning of my serious inquiries, and comparing them with the difficulties which multitudes of my poor countrymen must at this time experience.

When I found the four gospels under the tree in my own language, whilst I lived in Ceylon, I read them, and I believed what I read, and I was convinced that all my religion and the religion of my father was great folly. I was convinced of this before I had finished reading the ninth chapter of Matthew. I soon learned to cry to God in prayer, but all my thoughts and way of serving God were very childish: I greatly wanted some person to teach me how to un→ derstand this book: I made many inquiries, but could find no person to explain in my own language this holy book to me.

I felt so uneasy in my own mind when I could not find any person to teach me after I had made many inquiries for three months, that I left a very comfortable situation, and went a great distance to seek for teachers. The Lord preserved me safely when returning from Ceylon to India, but instead of going where I first intended, I was landed in another place. I found out in this strange place some worldly friends that I had known before, but by dwelling with them for a few weeks, and by their conversation, I lost my

desire to seek after teachers, and I did not find so much pleasure in reading the word of God. Instead of keeping the book to read, I now began to lend it. I was very desirous to have a name among my countrymen, by letting them know that I had a printed book. The persons to whom I lent the book often came to me for explanation, and I could not give it. I was ashamed to tell them so, and I would leave them by saying I had no time to explain to them! Whenever the book was returned to me, I endeavoured again to read it, but I found not the pleasure which I did at first; I would say, "What use for me to read this, when I do not understand it?" I was much troubled when I turned to some places which spoke of David, of Solomon, of Isaiah, Jeremiah; I thought where does Isaiah say this? who are these, and who is David? and who is Solomon? When I read a little, and found such names, I would shut up the book and say, what is the use of my reading this book? The merciful God did not leave me; I continued to pray every day, but oftentimes my prayers were only hypocrisy, for I looked for the praise of men.

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My friends became troublesome in asking me questions about the book, which I could not answer ; I was ashamed that they should know my ignorance, therefore I kept the word of God from them. wondered much, and wished to know what religion I was of. I told them I was of the religion of the gospel. This word I learned out of the Scriptures, but if they had asked me what the gospel meant, I could not have told them. I was very proud of my outward

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character, but I loved sin in secret. When some of my friends said, "all religions are the same;" I answered, "yes;" so ignorant I was. One very kind friend of mine, who was a Roman Catholic, and was rich, gave a great feast on one of the saints' days, chiefly at his own expense. The friend wished me to assist him during the feast, which I did. I gave directions to the people how to put the idols in order, some how to tie and prevent their falling when they placed them on their shoulders during the procession. I marched before them with the word of God under my arm. When we returned to the chapel I opened my book and stood near the altar, looking on as if I were engaged reading till the people had placed all their idols in their stations. As soon as the people kneeled for prayer, I closed my book and kneeled also, so little was I affected by the truth. The same night, whilst I was standing near the altar with my book, my friend came into the chapel in company with a person nearly intoxicated. When the latter saw me, he pointed me out to the other people and said: "How dare that fellow stand so near the altar? he is a Lutheran: turn him out!" I thought a Lutheran signified a murderer, or something very bad, so I answered: "No, I am not a Lutheran." He asked, "Are you a Roman Catholic then?" "Indeed I am not.' "Are you a heathen?" " No," Ian swered, "I am not: I am a higher religion than all these." He told me to go away; after he had said much provoking language, I went away. Next day the poor man died, and the people said I had killed

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