CHRISTIAN FRIENDS You will remember that we were able lately to present you with a picture of one of our Missionaries in South India, surrounded by a group of native clergymen, several of them his own converts, bred up by him, and prepared to minister among their own people. Our Missions in North India have not been so long established. We have as yet only five native clergymen there. But our engraving for this quarter shows you a body of our native teachers at Benares, in North India, one of whom has since been ordained; and we now give you an account of him by an eye-witness, and of two others who were at the same time admitted to the office of pastors over their own countrymen. When you read this narrative, it will give you a bright and cheering view of our work, and will show you that our labour is not in vain in the Lord. The 6th of February 1859 was a happy day to us and to our native-Christian flock at Benares; for we had the pleasure of hearing the worship of the true God conducted, for the first time, by native clergymen in that dark place, which is literally full of idols. The day before, we had rejoiced to welcome the Revs. Tulsi Paul, David Mohun, and Daree Solomon, who had just returned from their ordination at Calcutta, and were proceeding to take pastoral charge of the native-Christian flocks assigned to them. It was very interesting to me to talk over with them the examination they had just passed, and very delightful to hear of all the kindness they had met at the hands of the bishop and his lady. I learned afterwards, that as the bishop had only lately arrived from England, he was rather amused at discovering that they found it more comfortable to do without chairs and knives and forks, and to sit on the floor, and "dip their hand into the dish," in the Eastern fashion, than to use our English customs. I just mention this, because I think here is one of the many advantages that native pastors have over Europeans. The natives can feel more thoroughly at home and at ease with their own brethren, who have all the same habits with themselves, than they can with a foreigner, who finds it very hard to sit cross-legged on the ground, and very disagreeable to eat with his fingers, and who must live in a larger house and different style from that to which they are accustomed; for if he did not, he would soon lose health and strength in that burning and wasting climate. I had never before seen Tulsi Paul; but I had read accounts given of him by my dear friend and brother, Mr. French, of Agra, who knew him well, and had trained him for the ministry. I remember Mr. French said, that if our dear friends and supporters in England could see Paul's fine beaming face, and long white locks falling over his shoulders, and could, by conversation with him, learn, as he (Mr. French) had done, how it had pleased God to give him the spirit, as well as the appearance, of an apostle, they would indeed thank God and take courage for such a specimen of the result of the Church Missionary Society's labours, under God's blessing. And as far as my short intercourse with him went, I rejoice to confirm Mr. French's testimony. At my request, Paul addressed our native flock on occasion of our monthly prayer-meeting. Though I cannot now remember the particulars of the address, I can remember that it was most hearty, earnest, and spiritual. I also remember that Í thought it not so orderly or connected as an address by an educated European would have been. But even this, strange as it may seem, illustrates what is, in some respects, an advantage to the native clergyman over the European in addressing natives; for people are most readily interested in a mode of address which is according to their accustomed manner of thinking; and the great number of the natives of India are not at all used to keep their minds fixed for long on one subject. In the same way the natives are very fond of being preached to, by the way of stories and illustrations. I give you an example. One of our Missionaries tells us how he was preaching one day on the general corruption of mankind, and the impossibility of being saved by our own works. "A person present," he says, "expressed his surprise, and thought it strange that I should enforce the necessity of our keeping the whole law if we desired to be saved by our own merits. It was unjust, he urged, to consider a man cursed who 'confirmeth not all the words of the law to do them:' and cried out, 'How can this be true, that whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all? How can this be? If I keep six of the commandments and break four, have I not kept the greater number? and is not God in justice bound to give me heaven, because I have kept two more than I have broken?' In explaining these truths I could never make the people understand me without a parable. Instead of entering into an argument, I have often replied by describing a scene on the Ganges. ''The day was dismal, the wind roared, the thunder pealed, the lightning was vivid, the waves of the Ganges raged, the stream was swollen, and the current rapid; no boat could outlive the storm for any length of time. But, see, what is that? It is a boat in distress, filled with people, rapidly hurried along by the waves. Between the peals of thunder the shrieks of the people are heard: they fear the rocks on the shore to which the current is driving them. What can be done for them? Could they but be drawn into this creek they would be safe. Those on the shore look around anxiously, and discover a chain lying near them. A man instantly fastens a stone to a rope, binds the other end to the chain, and flings the stone into the boat. The rope is caught; the people eagerly lay hold on the chain; whilst those on shore begin to draw them,amidst the raging elements, towards the creek. They already rejoice at the prospect of deliverance; but while they are still within a few yards of the land, one link of the chain breaks-I do not say ten links, but one link in the middle of the chain. What shall these distressed people do now? Shall they still cling to the unbroken links?' "No! no!' exclaimed one of my hearers, overboard with the chain, or it will sink them the sooner.' 6 What, then, shall they do?' Cast themselves upon the mercy of God,' exclaimed another. ( True, I replied: 'if one commandment is broken, it is as though all of them were broken: we cannot be saved by them; we must trust in the mercy of God, and lay hold on the almighty hand of Christ, which is stretched out to save us.' I have frequently used this parable, and always found it to answer." Now, although the European Missionary does of course learn to suit his addresses in these respects to his hearers, yet to a native it is natural to speak exactly as natives are used to think and talk among themselves. And this circumstance, that their habits of mind (like their habits of life) are similar to those of the natives in general, is one of the natural advantages which natives have over Europeans. Then, too, the climate is not so trying to them as to the foreigner, and the language which the foreigner has to acquire by hard study is their own mother-tongue. The Rev. Tulsi Paul soon left us to take charge of a native congregation in a beautiful valley near the Himalayan mountains, and several hundred miles from Benares, where he is faithfully carrying on his labours. The Revs. David Mohun and Daree Solomon were well known at Benares. They had been brought up in the Orphan Institution, under Mr. Leupolt's charge, at our Mission station of Sigra, and had both of them commenced their duties as assistants of the Missionaries in preaching the Gospel, when I arrived in January 1853. It has pleased God to bestow on David Mohun the gifts of readiness and power in public preaching. I have heard him argue calmly, earnestly, and persuasively, with the prejudiced people in the streets of Benares. He was the first native preacher who was honoured to proclaim the Gospel in the streets of Lucknow, after the dreadful mutiny of 1857. He accompanied Mr. Leupolt there towards the close of 1858, and both of them needed boldness and wisdom from above to preach the Gospel publicly among a bigoted Mohammedan population, and in a place where, a few months before, they could not have been even seen without being shot down by furious wretches, who were burning to destroy everybody who had any connexion with the English power. I remember Mr. Leupolt testified warmly to the ability and zeal with which Mohun had preached by his side in that new and hazardous scene of Missionary enterprise. Mr. David Mohun was, after his ordination, appointed to take charge of a native congregation at Allahabad, eighty miles from Benares. Most of the male members of this congregation supported themselves and their numerous families by working in the Government printingpress. They had formerly worked in the printing-press belonging to the Church Missionary Society at Agra; but after that press was destroyed by the rebels, they travelled 300 miles to Allahabad to find employ there. For some months the Society had no Missionary, either European or native, to spare for this flock at Allahabad. This fact sadly proves the want which the Society had of men for its blessed work. But the chief pastor did not leave them uncared for; and it was my privilege to see gentlemen, distinguished in the servic of the Indian Government, conductin divine worship for these shepherdless sheep, visiting them at their houses, and gathering their little children together for instruction on Sunday. As these gentlemen showed so much interest in that congregation, it was particularly pleasing to me to receive a letter from one of them, after my friend, David Mohun, had entered on his charge, зaying how greatly they had rejoiced, not only in the excellent spirit, but also in the power with which they had heard him address his new flock. that he knew the native Missionary there, and told me that one day this Missionary had asked his permission to come and address the native clerks in this gentleman's office. The officer told me he gladly consented to his proposal, and invited any of his clerks and of his servants who liked, to come and hear. All the clerks came to hear, and the servants both came themselves and brought their families. The gentleman did not perfectly understand the language, but he told me that he did understand that the clerks were afterwards seriously talking over what they had heard, and arguing about it. He said, too, that what struck them so much, and disposed them all to come and hear, and to listen so attentively, was, that this able advocate of Christianity was one of their own nation and people. Since my return to England I had an unexpected and most gratifying testimony to Mr. D. Mohun's zeal to spread the Gospel among the heathen and Mohammedans by whom his flock is surrounded. I met an officer who had lately returned from Allahabad. I asked him if he knew the Missionaries there. He said Such an account of the work of our Native Ministers in North India may well make our hearts leap for joy. A tale like this never reached the ears of the fathers of our Missions. They laboured, and prayed, and watched, and waited for joyful news like this; but many of them fell asleep without receiving the promise. They knew that it would come, because God had said it, and they worked on in faith and hope. How much more reason is there that we should take up their work and carry it We have entered into their labours. Brighter hopes, nearer prospects, better news, are granted to us. Shall we grow faint? Shall we let the work decay, for want of more prayer, and exertion, and self-denial? And yet we must tell you, that whilst so much is bright and hopeful abroad, at home our income falls far short of our wants. Last year, in spite of all care and prudence, we spent on our Missions, in ways that could not be helped, 60007. more than we received; and until that sum is replaced, we cannot venture to "lengthen our cords." We must shut our ears to every cry, "Come over, and help us!" We can send out no fresh Missionaries, except to supply the place of those who have died in their work, or returned home sick. The work cannot go forward without the means. on ! Christian Friends, will you not help us? Try to interest those, who have never taken an interest in the work as yet. 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