following their steps in vice. He beholds, perhaps, the reason of one of those who are most dear to him, and of whom he has entertained the most promising hopes, become gradually or suddenly clouded, and insanity assuming sway over him. When contemplating these calamities, is it surprising that he should attribute them to the agency of evil spirits, and deeming these spirits to be actuated by anger, in consequence of their worship being neglected, that he should seek to appease them by offerings and devotion? He attributes to them an independent authority, and pays to them that homage which is due to the Almighty Being, who has created and rules over evil spirits as well as men. In the district of Canara, on the coast of Malabar, these evil spirits are worshipped by all classes of Hindoos except the Brahmins. Some of the Soodras make offerings also to the temples of the Hindoo gods, but their worship is chiefly directed to the evil spirits, those calied Suktis, which are to be found in every village, nay, almost in every field. To the caste of slaves, which, in the estimation of their countrymen, is the lowest and most degraded of all castes, is attributed the power of causing an evil spirit to enter into a man, or, as it is expressed in the language of the country, to "let loose an evil spirit" upon him. On the occurrence of any misfortune, they frequently attribute it to this, and suppose that it has been at the instigation of some enemy that the evil spirit has visited them, to preserve their houses and persons from which, charms are in general use. Petitions are frequently lodged before the magistrates, soliciting them to issue orders for the withdrawing of these evil spirits, and to punish the persons charged with having instigated and procured their visitation, The ordinary method used to remove the active cause of their calamities, is to employ an exorcist, who also generally belongs to the slave caste. The exorcist having come to the house from which he is employed to expel the evil spirit, accompanied by musicians beating tom-toms, or native drums, commences his operations with groans, sighs, and mutterings, followed by low moanings. He gradually raises his voice, and utters with rapidity, and in a peculiar unearthly tone of voice, certain charms, trembling violently all the while, and moving his body backwards and forwards. The drum-beaters act in barmony with the motions of the exorcist, beating more loudly and rapidly as his excitement increases. In consequence of the supposed power of sorcery in the slaves, they frequently inspire the superior castes with terror; and it is a singular retribution, that these degraded beings thus enthral, by the terrors of superstition, those who hold their persons in bondage. A case of great atrocity occurred a few years ago in the district of Malabar, in which some Nairs, who are the landholders and gentry of that country, conspired and murdered a number of slaves, whom they suspected of sorcery. After much laborious investigation, the crime was brought home to them, and they were tried and convicted. The evil spirits are worshipped under the form of, and the idols represent, sometimes the simple figure of a man or woman clothed in coloured garments; at others, under the horrible looking form of a man, from whose mouth issue two large tusks, whose head is covered with snakes instead of hair, and who holds a sword in his hand; at others, under the form of a hog or a bullock, or a man with a bullock's head. Such are the demons to whom, in that unhappy country, is given the worship and honour due to the Eternal. The district of Malabar was ceded to the British government by Tippoo Sultan in 1792. Since then forty-five years have passed, and no attempt has yet been made to dispel the moral darkness in which it is involved. A generation of men born since that time, under a Christian government and dominion, have al ready advanced far on the road to eternity, and yet no voice is to be heard proclaiming to them the glad tidings of great joy, and calling them to repentance. In every place the cry of "Rama, Rama!" "Nairain, Nairain!" is openly and loudly repeated; but no where is to be heard the glorious name of JESUS, the only name given unto men whereby we must be saved. The offerings made by the people to the evil spirits, consist of boiled rice, plantains, and cocoa nuts. The management of the devil temples is generally vested in the head of the principal Soodra family in the village. The jewels of the idol are kept in his possession, and he arranges and directs the performance of the feasts, which are held on stated occasions. The temple is considered village property; each family claims an interest in it, and five or six of the chief families have a hereditary right in superintending its concerns. On the feast days cocoa-nuts, betel-nut, and flowers taken from before the idol, and which are therefore considered to be consecrated, are presented by the officiating priest to the heads of those families in succession, according to their rank, and on these occ2sions their family pride is exhibited in a remarkable manner, by the frequent disputes that occur regarding their rank. Actions of damage are often filed in the courts of law on account of alleged injuries on this head. There is a hereditary office of priest attached to these temples, the holder of which is supposed to be possessed by the evil spirit on the day of the feast. On these occasions he holds in his hand a drawn sword, which he waves about in all directions; his hair is long and loose; he becomes convulsed, trembles, and sbakes, and jumps about, and at times is held by the bystanders by a rope like an infuriated wild beast. The temples generally consist of an inclosed room in which the idol is placed, surrounded on three sides by verandahs, the walls of which are made of planks of wood, with open spaces between the planks; the whole is covered with a thatched or tiled pent-roof, and some times surrounded by an outer wall inclosing a piece of ground round the temple. Attached to some of the larger temples is a painted wooden figure of the demon, riding on a horse, or on a royal tiger, mounted on a platform cart with wheels, which is drawn a short distance by the villagers on the principal feast days. These are honoured as the chiefs of evil spirits, and are represented with high royal tiara on their head, and a sword in their hand. Around the temples there are generally some old spreading banian trees, which, to the natural eye gives a pleasing and picturesque appearance to the spot, but, in beholding them a contemplative Christian mind is pained by the reflection, that their appearance, which denotes their antiquity, declares, at the same time, the length of time Jehovah has been dishonoured, and the firm hold idolatry has over those who practise it there. The evil spirits are frequently worshipped on the top of hills and in dense groves, the trees in which are so high and so closely planted together as to cause a darkness and deep gloom, which creates in the beholder a feeling of awe. There are in the district of Canara altogether four thousand and forty-one temples dedicated to evil spirits, and three thousand six hundred and eighty-two other places of Hindoo worship SACRED POETRY. THE LOVE OF GOD. LOVE Thee! oh, Thou, the world's eternal Sire! Time, space, height, depth, oh, God! are full of Thee, The blind their eyes, that laugh with light, unclose; STANZAS. BY JAMES GLASSFORD, ESQq. MILMAN. Author of "Lyrical Translations from the Italian Poets." "The kingdom of heaven cometh not with observation."— Luke xvii. 20. No longer seek the Gospel truth to know By signs and wonders in the earth and sky; Nor sound of axe and hammer meets the ear. Let Pharisees proclaim their righteous deeds; Of growth in grace, let loud professors boast; That work divine, which in the heart proceeds, When sounded least is then advancing most. MISCELLANEOUS. Oriental Bottles.-Cups and vessels of gold or silver, to drink out of, were used by kings and princes, 2 Chron. ix. 20; Gen. xliv. 2, &c.; but the Jews of old, like the modern Arabs, kept water, wine, milk, and other liquors, in bottles, or rather bags, made of skins, which could be patched and mended when old. Such were the bottles of the Gibeonites, Josh. ix. 4. This is an important circumstance to remember, as it explains the allusion of our Lord, Matt. ix. 17; Mark ii. 22; Luke v. 37, 38; which texts have often been objected to by ignorant infidels, who think that what they daily see at home must resemble every thing in former times, and in other countries. If the new wine fermented after it was put into the leathern bottle, it is evident that an old worn skin would be more likely to burst than one which was new and strong. This was the sort of bottle opened by Jael, Judg. iv. 19. Sometimes those bottles are made of the entire skin of a kid or other animal, but more frequently they are square bags, made of large pieces of leather, which will hold several gallons of any liquid; so that Abigail's two bottles, or skins of wine, 1 Sam. xxv. 18, were not out of proportion to the rest of her present, as two glass bottles of the present day would have been. The Psalmist, when describing himself as wasted with affliction and trouble, compares himself to a bottle in the smoke, Ps. cxix. 33. A leathern bottle, if hung in the smoke for a length of time, would become shrivelled and dried up. The reasoning of a Child.-It is related of Ben Syra, that, when a child, he begged his preceptor to instruct him in the law of God; but he declined, saying that he was as yet too young to be taught these sacred mysteries. "But, master," said the boy, "I have been in the burial ground, and measured the graves, and find some of them shorter than myself; now, if I should die before I have learned the word of God, what will become of me then, master?" The Use of Tents in Eastern Countries.-The tents of the Arabs are black, or of a very dark colour, as we read in the Bible that the tents of Kedar were in former times, Sol. Song i. 5. The master of the family is often seen sitting in the door of the tent in the heat of the day, as is described Gen. xviii. 1. The tents are of all sorts, varying in size and shape according to the means of the owner, from a coarse cloth of goats' hair thrown over a few sticks, much worse than the gipsy tents in England, to large habitations divided into several rooms, separated by fine curtains. The tents were fixed by stakes and cords, and could easily be enlarged by lengthening the cords, strengthening the stakes, and adding more coverings, Isa. liv. 2. When people travel, they always, if they can, fix their tents near some river, fountain, or well. The Israelites, in the wilderness, lived in tents for forty years. Many of these were what we should call booths, made of the branches of trees. That they might remember this, the feast of tabernacles was to be kept. Read about it, Lev. xxiii. 39–43. Such a booth Jonah made when he went and sat on the east side of Nineveh, to see what would happen to the city. Without some such shelter, it is impossible to endure the hot mid-day sun of those countries. If travellers have no tents, they put some of their garments upon sticks and creep under them, or get into the shade of a rock, or even pile up stones. CONTENTS.-The Character of Jesus of Nazareth. By Rev. W Malcolm. Part I.-Biographical Sketch. Mrs Hannah More. Part II. Remember the Sabbath Day to Keep it Holy. By Rev. D. Macfarlan. No. I.-Discourse. By Rev. John Paul.-The Present State of the Presbyterian Church in New South Wales.The Worship of Evil Spirits on the Coast of Malabar in India. By F. Anderson, Esq.-Christian Treasury. Extracts from Toplady and Gurnall.-Sacred Poetry. The Love of God. By Milman. Stanzas. By J. Glassford, Esq.-Miscellaneous. Now ready, VOLUME II., being that for 1837, containing 832 pages, handsomely bound in cloth, price 8s. Also may still be had, Vol. I., for (1836,) 704 pages, uniform with the above, price 7s. Separate Numbers from the commencement may at all times be supplied to complete sets. Published by JOHN JOHNSTONE, at the Offices of the SCOTTISH CHRISTIAN HERALD, 2, Hunter Square, Edinburgh, and 19, Glassford Street, Glasgow; JAMES NISUET & Co., HAMILTON, ADAMS & Co., and R. GROOMBRIDGE, London; W. CURRY, Junr. & Co., Dublin; and W. M'COMB, Belfast; and sold by the Booksellers and Local Agents in all the Towns and Parishes of Scotland; and in the principal Towns in England and Ireland. Subscribers in Town will have their copies delivered at their own residences regularly, by leaving their addresses with the Publisher. Subscription (payable in advance) per quarter, of twelve weeks, Is. 6d., and the other periods in proportion. THE SCOTTISH CHRISTIAN HERALD, CONDUCTED UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH. WHO IS INVISIBLE. THE very essence of faith consists, as we have seen, in believing the things proposed to it as true, to be really so. What is applicable to faith generally is true of Christian faith, which is the belief of the things revealed to us in the Word of God. The truths, there made known to us, naturally class themselves under different heads, as doctrines relative to the attributes of God, and the exercise of them in creation, providence, and redemption; and relative to the character of the Redeemer, as Emmanuel, God with us, or in our nature, his wondrous love, and the love of the Father, whose gift he is. Connected with these doctrines are various duties, which arise out of the relations of man to his Maker, Preserver, and Redeemer; and particularly the duty of faith, without which no other duty can be acceptably performed, and hence it is that," without faith, it is impossible to please God." PRICE lad. be aware, that there is something intermediate between the object and the act of the mind in believing, and by which the mind gets hold, as it were, of its objects. Those who are little accustomed to attend to the operations of their own minds may require some illustration, in order to comprehend what we have in view. One thing very obvious is, that, to believe any doctrine whatever, we must understand it more or less clearly. We must put together the parts, or propositions, of which it consists, and view them in this combined and connected state; in other words, we must form a conception of them, as forming one thing; and it is by viewing this conception, as intermediate between the mind and its object, that the believing takes place. It is thus that we get hold of things invisible; and so "faith becomes the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen." The conception is a kind of picture exhibiting the form, figure, and substance of things unseen. Let us endeavour to simplify this remark. A person has read a book of travels in a foreign land. Many strange things, which he has never seen, are described; animals, fruits, flowers, and various productions of nature, belonging to one or other of its three kingdoms, as they are commonly classed, In regard to all these things, and their mani- depicted." The first operation of the mind fold subdivisions, there is much to exercise the is to conceive the representations of the writer devout and pious mind in studious reading of the or to make up a picture out of his descriptions, Divine Word, and meditation on its all-important which picture is the thing contemplated by the contents; and in order that all this may be suc- reader's mind. Every one accustomed to reflect cessfully accomplished, it is pre-eminently requi- on the operations of his own mind will be sensible site that there be an humble and chastened mind, that this is the process which takes place in the conscious of its need of the teaching of the Spirit, case supposed. The picture will be more or less and of watchfulness against that rash and pre-accurate, according to the qualities of the mind sumptuous treating of divine things, which is ever aiming at being wise above what is written. It is hoped that it may not be inconsistent with the spirit here recommended, nor with the simplicity which we wish to characterise these illustrations, to say a few words on the nature of that mental process, by which the mind is brought into contact (so to speak) with its object, or by which the object is so presented, that the believing act can be exercised upon it. Without entangling ourselves in what may be called the metaphysics of the subject, it is presumed that most minds may VOL. III. are " that formed it; but still he feels that it is only through the medium of these conceptions, or pictures, that he is able to understand his author. Now, this conception, or picture, is necessary to believing, or understanding the thing described; but it is not itself believing; it is the thing which the mind contemplates, before believing takes place. As in the supposed case of a book of travels, the first thing that takes place is the formation of the conception or picture. Then the mind, in the exercise of judgment, examines the picture, its possibility, its probability, its consistency. It may find all these qualities wanting, and therefore, instead of believing, it rejects the thing stated or described, as incredible and false. Some of our readers may have seen Baron de Tott's travels, in which verisimilitude is outraged to caricature; and also the satirical exposure of it under the name of Baron Munchausen. Nobody ever believed the things represented in either of these works; but still the pictures or conceptions of the things described were formed in the reader's mind, before his judgment was in a capacity to reject them as false. that we can experience "peace and joy in believ ing," and feel ourselves nerved with strength in fighting the battles of the Lord, and laying hold of eternal life. Whatever can aid us, then, in so seeing Him, must be of the utmost importance; and I hope now to furnish the reflecting mind with some help in this deeply interesting matter. I would beg of him first of all, then, to reflect on the power of conscience, which he feels within him, and which he feels " accusing, or else ex cusing," him, as his conduct has been good or evil. It is by this vicegerent (as it has been ap forces us to acknowledge his presence and holiness, and imparts to us happiness or misery, as we have obeyed or disobeyed that law which He has written on the tablets of every human heart. Now, this voice of God within may be said continually to sound in our ears, that "it shall be ill with the wicked, and well only with the righteous:" for "there is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." In realizing the divine presence, then, let the Christian heedfully attend to the voice of this inward monitor, and remember that it is the voice of God himself. We may just observe farther, that this inter-propriately called) of God in the soul, that He position of conception between the mind and its object in believing, may be illustrated by what takes place in the eye in seeing a natural object. Every one is aware that, in seeing a ship far off at sea, and still more in seeing the sun, moon, and stars, his eye does not come in contact with these objects. But there is a picture of the object contemplated painted on the retina of his eye; and it may with truth be said that it is this picture alone that he sees, or that this picture is the interposed medium, by which he sees the object. Trusting that these remarks may not be without their use, I now observe that there may be things that we cannot conceive, and yet may and should believe. We have no distinct and vivid idea of the things themselves, (which may originate in the nature of the things, or in the nature of our minds;) but we believe them, because we have perfect confidence in the veracity of him who communicated them. What we believe in this case, however, is the veracity of the person, rather than the things announced. It is on this quality of veracity that the mind acts, and not on things which it cannot conceive. This holds in regard of many things revealed in the Word of God, of which things, as of himself, it may be said, that they are "as high as heaven, what canst thou do? deeper than hell, what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the sea." In cases, however, where our feeble and finite minds are bewildered and lost in attempting to grasp at infinity, and realize what is invisible, we may still, in some measure, help out our conceptions by the cautious use of such aid as analogy affords. There are things whose nature, taken in connection with the nature of our minds, renders it impossible that we should have just and adequate ideas of them; and yet we cannot rationally doubt of their reality and essential characteristics, as communicated to us. Such is the idea of eternity, or duration without beginning or end, and such is infinity, or boundless space. Now, these two ideas, if we may be said to have ideas of what we so imperfectly conceive, are associated in our minds with the existence and all the attributes of the Divine Being, as made known to us by himself. Notwithstanding, however, the impossibility of approaching to adequate conceptions of the ever-living and unchangeable JEHOVAH, it is only by "living as seeing Him who is invisible," | Farther, in order to help us to see Him who is invisible, let us attend to an analogy presented to us in ourselves and our fellow-men. If any one is asked whether he sees his fellow-men? whether he sees particular friends? The affirmative answer is ready in a moment, with no little surprise at what is deemed the extraordinary and novel question. Well; but without condemning it unheard, on account of its novelty, let us fairly examine it. We see our friends and relatives. Our chief enjoyment, in so far as this world is concerned, is derived from our mental and social intercourse with them. Be it so; but what is it that we see and touch-what, in short, is it that is the object of our senses? Is it our friend? Is it that which we see and touch, that has shed a charm over the scenes of chequered life, that hath soothed its sorrows, and heightened its joys? By no means; all that we have seen and touched is the mortal body of our friend, the cottage of clay, in which he lived. But the inhabitant is an invisible spirit, that is not, and cannot be, the object of our senses. And what made us love one friend more than another? Was it the structure of the cottage he dwelt in? Oh no! It was the unseen and invisible attributes of the inhabitant,-the acute and soaring mind, the noble and purified moral powers, and the tender and kindly affections. Now, all these are necessarily unseen and invisible; but their existence and actings were manifested through the medium of the organized matter of the body, which alone we see and touch. Here, then, is a very direct analogy to help us in seeing Him who is invisible. We cannot see, nor touch the Great JEHOVAH; He is a Spirit, whose greatness and glory not the highest archangel can comprehend. The friend we loved on earth is also a spirit, whose nature is above our comprehension. He has no form nor shape; and he inhabited for a time a little cottage of clay, through the medium of which we held intercourse with him. But at length the cottage crumbled into clay, and he left it. Apply this: God's dwelling-place is the universe; his "temple is all space," and he holds intercourse with us by all that we see, touch, and taste, by all that we feel and fear, and by all that we remember and hope. Besides the voice within, and the voice of the Gospel, he employs as organs of communication with us, the whole of his works so great and marvellous. "The heavens declare his glory, and the firmament showeth his handiwork day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge." He speaks to us in the sun, and the moon, and the stars, which he has ordained; in the vicissitudes of day and night, in the vernal blossom, the bright glories of summer, and the varied bounties of autumn; and not less impressively in the stern and desolating tempests of winter. Not a flower that blooms, not a tree that waves its leafy branches, not a bird that carols its sweet notes, buoyant with delight, and pours its hymn of gratitude to Him that imparted that delight—nothing, in short, is there in earth, air, or sea, but speaks of Him who made them all, and appointed them to be instructors of man, whom he made higher than them all, but who abused all his blessings, and shut his ears, and his eyes, and his understanding, and his heart against all the lessons of love, and wisdom, and duty, of which he has appointed the whole of created things to be the organs of his communication. "He In these ways God holds intercourse with us; and how manifold and varied are they, compared with those, by which we hold intercourse with our earthly friends, and let it be remembered that both are spirits, and equally invisible. But speaking of friends, is not God himself a Friend above them all, and the Giver of them all? Yes, and an unchanging and unchangeable Friend. fainteth not, neither is weary." And they that "wait upon him shall renew their strength; they shall mount up as on eagles' wings; they shall run, and not be weary," or at least "they shall walk, and not faint." His is the Unspeakable Gift, the Friend that sticketh closer than a brother. May He help us ever to live as seeing Himself who is invisible, but who has appointed every thing that exists as the medium of communicating with us! * BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. MRS. HANNAH MORE.-PART III. THE schools which Mrs H. More had instituted, and which she and her sisters so assiduously superintended, were productive of the greatest benefit to the poor. Not only were multitudes thereby taught to read who could never have otherwise acquired that privilege, but along with the art of reading they received careful and minute instruction in the pure principles of in No. V. of this Scries. Vol. II., p. 753. col. 2, line 20 from the top, for "make the manifestations read "mark these manifestations." religion. Towards the end of the last century, however, the infidel principles imported froni France began to diffuse themselves, with alarming rapidity among the humbler classes in England. The abettors of these principles, with a zeal and alacrity worthy of a better cause, lost no opportunity of gaining proselytes to their pernicious sentiments. With this view they printed and circulated infidel tracts, which they contrived, by various artifices, to introduce into the cottages of the poor. Some counteractive, accordingly, seemed to be imperiously called for, and Miss More came to the resolution of exerting herself to supply it. The undertaking was one of considerable difficulty, but encouraged by the success of her Village Politics' she set herself to the task. Such was the origin of the well-known Cheap Repository Tracts.' Three of them appeared regularly every month, and being supported by a subscription, she was able to produce them at a very low price. The circulation was most gratifying to the author and her friends. No fewer than two millions of the tracts were sold during the first year, and by means of committees formed in almost every part of the kingdom, they were so widely diffused as to prove a most effectual check to the progress of infidel opinions in the country. The exertion, however, which the regular preparation of the tracts demanded from Miss More, and the extensive correspondence which she was obliged to maintain during their publication, affected her naturally feeble frame, so as to undermine her constitution. She persevered, not withstanding, under great weakness, until she had finished the projected series, and when completed they were reprinted in three volumes, and down to the present moment they continue to be held in very high estimation. The next work which came from the pen of Mrs H More was entitled 'Strictures on Female Education,' published in 1799. Like all her previous writings, the Strictures,' rapidly attained great popularity. Amid the warm eulogiums which were passed upon it by the most distinguished persons in the literary world. objections were raised to the religious opinions which it inculcated, and that too, from a quarter which surprised Mrs More not a little. Archdeacon Daubeny, one of her earliest friends, published a tract remonstrating against the high Calvinistic doctrines taught in the Strictures,' evidently wishing to raise a controversy on the subject. Mrs More, however, with that strong good sense which characterised her general conduct, made no reply, and the Archdeacon's remonstrance passed into speedy oblivion, while the work against which his pointless arrows were directed, became a standard treatise on the subject of Education. The uneasiness which Mrs More suffered from the opposition made to her work was small, compared with that which she was called shortly after to endure. While labouring indefatigably to promote the best interests of the poor, by the institution of schools in destitute parishes, she received applications from various quarters, and among others from Mr Bere, the curate of Blagdon, to extend her care over his district, and more especially, as being the parish in which Cowslip Green was situated. For some time Miss More, and her sister Martha, declined, but overcome by persuasion, they at length, yielded, and soon succeeded in collecting two hundred |