CHRISTIAN FRIENDS like, would be to go and be with Jesus; but if it is His will that I should remain and work for awhile, it is all well." Owing to the nature of his disease (cholera), he was forbidden drink. On this he said, "They tell me I must not drink any thing, and I am so very thirsty. But it does not much signify. I shall soon be where they hunger no more, and thirst no more." IN our Quarterly Papers we usually tell you rather about the work of our Missionaries than about our Missionaries themselves. They do not desire the praise of men, and they have a far better reason than any wish of that sort for labouring in the blessed cause to which they have given their lives. On this occasion, however, we shall depart from our practice, and tell of some who have been lately called from their labour to their rest, feeling sure that you will glorify God in them. (See Gal. i. 24.) You have heard of our Mission in North Tinnevelly. Three Missionary brethren-the Rev. Messrs. Ragland, Fenn, and Meadows-assisted by a few native catechists, began it about five years ago. They dwelt in tents all the year round, without any settled habitation; moving from the shade of one grove to another, and going out morning and evening to preach the Gospel to the heathen within three or four miles all round them. Our Engraving presents you with a picture (from a sketch on the spot) of this Missionary encampment. Beneath the thick shelter of a cluster of tamarind trees, you see the little assemblage of tents. The voice of constant prayer ascended from them, and made each of those humble dwellings a little sanctuary. Upwards of 1400 villages have been visited since the commencement of the Mission; and as signs were beginning to show themselves of the Lord's blessing on the work, a fourth Missionary, the Rev. Charles Every, was appointed to take charge of the inquirers who were beginning to seek the Lord, "if haply they might feel after Him and find Him." And they were afterwards joined by a fifth Missionary brother, of long experience in the work, and "a workman not worthy to be ashamed," the Rev. T. G. Barenbruck. But how little can we tell what a day may bring forth! God's ways are not our ways. You have learnt, we doubt not, Christian Friends, in your own experience, that whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth; and so, during the last fourteen months His hand has been laid heavily on this Mission-field. There is only one of these labourers now at his post. Three have been called from their labour to their crown; and one is on his way to England to restore his shattered health. The stroke first fell on the Rev. C. Every. He had only been in India three years; but his prayerful and devout spirit will long be remembered. His end was peace. "If I did not know," he said, "that God was my Father, I should be the most miserable of men;" and then, with a sweet smile, he added, "What I should This was on the 18th of August 1857. The March following, saw Mr. Barenbruck called away; and Mr. Ragland wrote of him in his journal on Easter-day -"I was not a little cheered as I woke up this morning by the recollection of the Saviour's resurrection. The sun was rising bright on the graves, close by my bed-room window, of my beloved friends, Every and Barenbruck; and my mind hastened forward to the day when, because He lives, those all who have died in Him, shall live also. One was removed from us about seven months ago; the other, not seven days. "We had services in the early morning and at noon as usual; but as I had been ordered to be quiet, I left these to my brethren the catechists. Joseph preached at noon on 2 Tim. i. 12. I know whom I have believed:' those words which dear Barenbruck had so emphatically quoted, soon after being seized with illness. "I had a visit in the morning from a Christian and two inquirers: they had heard of the death of one of the Missionaries, and thought that it had been I. Hearing who it was, they had come on here to ascertain particulars. I spoke to them for some time from the verse, 'He will swallow up death in victory. In the autumn, it was indeed he who was summoned to go. Mr. Meadows had been before obliged to leave his work for the recovery of his health, and he and Mr. David Fenn were left alone. The summons came very suddenly; but his loins were girded; his lamp was burning; he was ready to go. You will like to read the letter in which the sad tidings were conveyed to us by his surviving Missionary brother, the Rev. Da vid Fenn, dated Sivagasi, Oct. 22, 1858. "MY DEAR BROTHER-Our NorthTinnevelly Mission has again been visited with a very severe stroke. I scarcely know how to tell you of it. But it is the Lord's doing, and the Lord is with us, and will be with us in trouble. And although, in reference to what we have lost, one had almost been ready to cry, 'Take any thing else from North Tin nevelly, but leave us that; yet still, now that it is gone, what else can the smitten child say, but, 'Father, thy will be done?' And now, you will be prepared to hear that God has, in one instant, without a note of warning, taken to himself the soul of our dear brother Pagland. It was only this morning that he woke in his usual health, two hours earlier than usual, mistaking the light of the moon for the dawn, and sent off a messenger with English letters, and also with one for yourself, which he wrote yesterday, in answer to your last to us both. He did not go to bed again, for, as he said, he felt very wide awake; so he had his hour of reading the Bible and private prayer then, and at dawn went a little walk. After breakfast, we both set to work writing our weekly letters. Like himself, dear fellow, he said, 'Let us first ask God's blessing on what we are going to write.' Then he offered prayer for each one of whom, or from whom, we had heard, mentioning the special trials of each, and asking help for ourselves in answering them. We then consulted and wrote. Then he lay down on the cot a little exhausted, while I began to read, till the servants were ready for prayers. We then both went in. I read the chapter, made a few remarks, and prayed. I thought I noticed, that, in kneeling down to pray, he was a little exhausted, and he seemed to be swallowing something. "Immediately after prayers he went to the bath-room, and very soon called me. I ran to him. He said, 'Dear brother, do not be frightened, but this is blood,' pointing to what he had just been expectorating. He then walked with me to the cot, the blood continuing to come into his mouth. He said, 'I am in God's hands,' or something to that effect: then, as he saw it coming more and more, uttered earnestly a short prayer, or verse of Scripture, I forget exactly what; then threw off his coat, unbuttoned his shirt collar, said, with a sweet smile, 'Jesus,' and fell down on the cot. And I should think, in two minutes from the time he called me, his spirit was with the Saviour. "It was only yesterday that he said to me, that, in reference to the departed spirit being with the Saviour consciously, and not in a sleep (a subject on which i know his thoughts have often been exercised), the words, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him,' seemed quite conclusive; and then he quoted the words, Absent from the body, and present with the Lord.' The subject of death had been a good deal in his thoughts lately, though not, I think, sudden death. He had a long talk with me in reference to his cough, and especially in reference to weakness, which seemed increasing, although he was taking rest. He felt certain that his lungs were affected, and thought it very probable that his strength would never be what it was; and he had, after a good deal of thought, pretty well made up his mind to remain here, do what work he could-letter-writing, keeping accounts, consulting and planning-with as little exertion of his voice as possible. It affected me a good deal at the time, for I had thought his liver only, and not his lungs, affected. Still I felt what a very great help it would be if he could do only this for three years more. "Dear fellow! I looked, a little while ago, at his face. It looks so calm and peaceful. I am all alone in the room with him, for my sorrowing servants have gone to rest. Outside is the sound of the carpenter's hammer preparing his last cot. Well, there is one more added to the 'ten thousand harps and voices' that 'swell the note of praise above.' 'Jesus reigns, and heaven rejoices, Jesus reigns, the God of love." "One more ransomed sinner has joined in the chorus, 'Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.' It was only the day before yesterday that, after I had been reading to him Psalm lxxxix., he said, "I often think, and I believe there is some good ground for the interpretation, that the joyful sound, of which it is said, 'Blessed are the people that know it,' is that song, 'Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. One of his favourite texts was, 'Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto eternal life; and another,Let thy merciful kindness, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee.' "I have very much enjoyed these four days with him since I came into the bungalow. I think, both now and dur ing the previous week or ten days, we had felt our hearts drawn cut more than usual towards one another; and he more than O child of God, O glory's heir, And heaven to crown it all!' "To us whom he leaves behind (for how many months, or days, or hours, we know not), he says, ' Watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry, for the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteous ness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day. 66 that had come up during my late week's tour among the congregations, and he had expressed full concurrence. 0, how blessed will it be to talk together in glory of all the way by which our God will then have led each of us through life!" Mr. Ragland was no common man. He had gained the highest honours at Cambridge. He ministered to a congregation who loved him deeply; but he gave up all for the Lord's work among the heathen. How deeply the native catechists who laboured with him felt his death, will be seen from the following extract from one of their letters "Dear Mr. Ragland, what a loss! He was a burning and a shining light among us, and exercised a most sanctifying and unearthly influence. It was impossible to converse with him, even for a few minutes, without being impressed with the belief that he was a man whose conversation was in heaven, and whose one desire was to know nothing save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I cannot but adore the grace of God, which made him what he was. His death has excited universal sympathy: even the heathen express their regret at his loss. And what can I say? I can only mingle my voice with that of the Prophet of old, and exclaim, 'My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.' But we will not sorrow as those who have no hope. Our loss is his gain. He is removed from "It was such a mercy that this did this world of sin, and sorrow, and trial, not take place either before I came in or and suffering, to the regions of eternal immediately on my coming in, and be- bliss and glory, where he will shine as fore I had time to talk over matters with the brightness of the firmament throughhim. We had gone over every thing out the countless ages of eternity." Dear Christian Friends, we are assured that you will pray for this afflicted Mission. The Committee will not delay to strengthen it with new labourers. But we want you to pray largely that the Lord would give us more men-men like those who have been called away, not for this Mission only, but for the wants of the whole world. Pray for me, dear brother, and for our poor district. Dear Ragland! He has been for the last four months and more full of hope that we shall see some stir among the dry bones, some coming of the breath from the four winds; and now, if it comes, he cannot see it, unless his freed spirit still looks down upon the place of its earthly toils. It is in this way especially that we seek the help of our poorer brethren-poor in world's goods, rich in faith. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man," no matter whether rich or poor, "availeth much." Dear brethren, use this mighty weapon to help our great work. The Lord has given you the words. May He give you the will to use them! Use them in the morning. Use them at night. Lift up often your heart to the Lord in the use of them, as you sit at your daily toil, or go about your daily business. Do you not remember what the words are? The words are these: THE HARVEST TRULY IS GREAT, BUT THE LABOURERS ARE FEW: SEND FORTH LABOURERS INTO THY HARVEST! Subscribers and collectors of one penny a week are entitled to a copy of this paper free. CHRISTIAN FRIENDS WE have hitherto had but few tidings to give you of one of our wide fields in Southern India-our Mission among the Telugu people. It is a district where the work has languished sadly for want of labourers. About eighteen years ago, our devoted Missionary, Henry Fox, began to travel about, or itinerate, amongst its towns and villages, but it pleased God soon to remove him to his rest. Two Missionaries, born in India, were since appointed to the work; another from England lately joined them; and a superior school for Native Youths, long conducted by the Rev. R. T. Noble, is now beginning to yield some hopeful converts, who will probably be very useful hereafter in preaching to their countrymen. Our itinerating Missionaries have often passed from village to village, scattering the good seed of eternal life. The people have gathered round them as they stood in the market-place or the open street, ready to hear and to ask questions, but seemingly untouched at heart. Often did the preacher watch and wait for the morning, and seem to watch in vain. But some streaks of the dawn are now appearing, which we trust will shine more and more unto the perfect day. We give you the narrative in the Missionary's own words. He writes from the town of Bezwara, of which you have a view in the picture on the first page. The idol-temple and the idol-car are seen on the left; in the foreground stands the Missionary conversing with his inquiring visitors; the great river, Kistna, rolls behind them, its waters pent back by a broad embankment, so that they may be turned into canals on either side, thus watering the rice-gardens of the district, and changing many a parched and barren wilderness into a green and fruitful field further still, are lofty mountains, from the neighbourhood of which some of the inquirers have come. But we will not keep you longer from the letter. Bezwara, March 23, 1859. Some time ago, I mentioned that a few men in certain villages had offered themselves as candidates for baptism. On this occasion I have to state that the harvest which before was only anticipated has now become a reality, for it has been my privilege-and it has given me joy unspeakable, to admit into the outward and visible church of Christ, by baptism, eight men, one woman, and seven children, "It is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes." I have returned from a visit to this little congregation with very solemn feelings. I think I can describe them in the words, "fear fell on me" to see the name of the Lord Jesus magnified by the heathen amongst whom God has made His Gospel to take root. I desire to be humble while I remember what He has wrought, and to ascribe to Him alone all the praise and glory which are most justly due. The class from which these converts have been gathered are Mallas-some of them cultivators, others weavers-all of them in their position well to do, and very comfortable in this world's goods; the same kind of people upon whom God has in mercy been pouring out His spirit in the Cuddapah district and Palnaud country. Now the light of the Gospel has dawned upon these parts also, an earnest, I trust, of a bright and glorious day. Though the word preached may be said not to have reached their ears-for, with one exception, none of them had ever seen a Christian Missionary—yet the savour of Christianity had gone abroad. A tract, too, had found its way amongst them. Once or twice a Native Christian from the Guntoor district had borne witness for Christ at a neighbouring village, and these people had learned that Jehovah is God alone. They had heard, also, that many in distant parts, and other districts, had acknowledged Him as their Saviour. The good work seems to have commenced in earnest, in a remarkable manner, about three years ago, in the heart of the headman of the village. He cannot now account for it. He can only tell he was secretly led by an unseen power to consider his idols but vanities, and to despise them. About the same time he had a strange dream, which greatly alarmed him. From that moment he ceased to be an idolater, refused to be even present (nor allowed any of his family to do so) |