believe, on account of our maintaining the pure religion of Christ as the religion of our land, and of our promoting the knowledge of that religion, and of the blessed principles which accompany it, throughout the rest of the world. This may be a consideration worthy of the divine regard. And this, though it be no pledge of our duration, is the chief assurance of our perpetuity. On this chiefly, (viz. our being an - instrument of good to the world,) must depend our hope of surviving the shocks and convulsions which are now overwhelming the other nations of Europe. Let us now recapitulate the evidences noticed in this discourse, which encourage us to believe that the time is come for disseminating the knowledge of Christianity in the heathen world. 1. The facility with which Christianity is propagated generally in Asia, wherever the attempt has been made. 2. The peculiar success that has attended our own endeavours to promote the religion of the Bible. 3. The conversion of illustrious persons in Asia, by means of the Bible alone. 4. The translation of the Bible into almost all the languages of Asia; promising, as it were, a second promulgation of Christianity to the East. 5. The general contemplation of the prophecies in Europe and Asia. 6. The general commotion among the bands of infidelity, who are hostile to the design, both in Europe and Asia. 7. The consent of good men, in all Christian nations, to promote the design. And, 8. The preservation of our own country, to carry on the work, amidst the ruin or infidelity of other nations. Behold, then, my brethren, the great undertaking, for the promotion of which you are now assembled. If it were in the power of this assembly to diffuse the blessings of religion over the whole world, would it not be done? Would not all nations be blessed? You perceive that some take a lively interest in this subject, while others are less concerned. What is the reason of this difference? It is this: Every man, who hath felt the influence of religion on his own heart, will desire to extend the blessing to the rest of mankind; and no one who hath lived without a concern about religion, will be solicitous to communicate to others a gift which he values not himself. At the same time, perhaps, he is not willing to be thought hostile to the work. But there is no neutrality here. "He that is not with Christ," in maintaining his kingdom on earth," is against Him." And so it appeareth to "God, who searcheth the heart." Every one of us is now acting a part in regard to this matter, for which he must give an account hereafter. There is no one, however peculiar he may reckon his situation or circumstances, who is exempted from this responsibility. For this is the criterion of obedience in the sight of God, even our conduct in receiving or rejecting the "record which God hath given of his Son." And no man "receiveth this record," in sincerity and truth, who will not desire to make it known to others. You have heard of the conversion of Mahometans and Hindoos. Yes, our Lord hath said, "Many shall come from the East and from the West, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of Heaven; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out." Begin, then, at this time, the solemn inquiry, not merely into the general truth of Christ's religion, but into its divine and converting power. You observe that in this discourse I have distinguished between the name of Christianity and the thing. For it seems there are some who have departed from the ancient principles of our reformation, who admit the existence of the Spirit of God, but deny his influence; who agree not with the Apostle Paul, that the "Gospel cometh to some in word only," and to others "in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance;" and who seem to forget what our Saviour hath said of the "broad road" and the "narrow way." Begin, then, the important inquiry; for "the time is short," and this question will soon be brought to issue before an assembled world. In the mean time I shall offer to you my testimony on this subject. The operation of the grace of God, in "renewing a right "spirit within us," (Ps. li.) is a doctrine professed by the whole faithful Church of Christ militant here on earth. APPENDIX. 10401 INTERESTING INTELLIGENCE FROM INDIA. A LETTER has been received from the Rev. Mr. Ringeltaube, to the Secretary, dated Palamcotta, Feb. 7, 1807. He has acquired the language so as to write it correctly, and speak it with but little hesitation. Mr. Ringeltaube has also sent his journal, from Sept. 12, 1806, to Feb. 6, 1807. He mentions that Dr. Buchanan had requested the loan of his Bible in the Tamul language, as he was about to commence the Malayalam translation of the Scriptures immediately, there being 200,000 Christians in Malayalam, who are ready to receive it. Even the Romish bishop, it is said, signified his consent to the circulation of the Scriptures among his people. The Doctor observes in his letter to Mr. Ringeltaube, that he has had singular success in obtaining ancient manuscripts, in Hebrew, Sy. riac, &c. Mr. R. greatly rejoiced at this good news; and sent him his only copy of that Bible without delay. Ecclesiastical antiquities in India. [We have been favoured by a respectable correspondent in India, with a copy of a REPORT, presented by a pious clergyman, at the request of the Governor of Madras, concerning the state of the ancient christians in Cochin and Travancore. This Report is so curious and so interesting, that we shall give the whole of it to our readers, assured that they will esteem it, as we do, a most valuable and important document. It is followed by an account of the Rev. Dr. Buchanan's discoveries.] REPORT of the Senior Chaplain of Fort St. George, to the Right Honourable Lord William Bentinck, Governor of Madras, on the state of the christians inhabiting the kingdoms of Cochin and Travancore; with an article of interesting literary intelligence, containing an account of the discoveries made by the Rev. Dr. Buchanan, in the course of his investigations undertaken by order of the supreme government of Bengal. "Public Department. cr "To the Rev. Dr. Kerr, Senior Chaplain of Fort St. George. "Rev. Sir, "The Right Honourable the Governor in Council, being desirous "of availing himself of your vicinity to the Malabar coast, to obtain every possible information in regard to the establishment, &c. of the chris"tian Religion in that part of the peninsula, I am directed by his lord"ship in council, to desire that so soon as the state of your health and "the season will permit, you will proceed to the provinces on that coast; "and you will forward to me, for the information of government, such ac"counts as you may be able to collect, of the first introduction of chris"tianity into India-of the arrival of the different sects who have been, 66 or may be, in existence of their general history, and of the persecutions to which they may have been exposed-of their success in making pro"selytes of their church-establishment, and of the source from which "they are maintained, and with all other circumstances connected with "this important subject. "I have the honour to be, Rev. Sir, "Your most obedient humble servant, (Signed) G. G. KEBLE, Sec. to Government. Fort St. George, June 28, 1806." "To the Right Honourable Lord William C. Bentinck, Governor in Coun"MY LORD, cil, &c. &c. "When at Mysore, I was honoured by the receipt of Mr. secreta ry Keble's letter, dated the 28th June last; and finding my general health much improved, I resolved to proceed to the Malabar coast, in search of the information required by your lordship in council, regarding the Christians inhabiting that part of the peninsula :—an investigation which I have found as interesting as it is important, whether it regards humanity at large, or as it is connected, in a political view, with the British interests in this country. "To view the extensive field pointed out for my inquiries minutely, would require much more of my time than could be well spared from my other public avocations; and as I learned that the Rev. Dr. Buchanan was nominated by the government of Bengal, to travel over the same ground, for purposes somewhat similar, I did not think it incumbent on me to take up more than a general view of the subject, and I directed my attention accordingly not so much to details as to matters of comprehensive import. "The first object to which the orders of government refer, is, to an account of the introduction of christianity into this couutry. "There can be no doubt whatever, that the St. Thomê Christians settled on the Malabar coast at a very early period of the Christian church ; from whence they, at one time, spread in various directions as far even as Mileapoor, and St. Thomas's Mount; but to derive authentic information as to the time of their arrival, is at present no easy task. From the confusion arising from the imperfection of Hindoo chronology, from the desire which these christians have to derive their origin from the earliest possible times, (which may perhaps have introduced false traditions amongst them,) and as all their authentic records are reported to have been destroyed during the persecutions of the church of Rome; from all these circumstances, whether we refer to the Hindoo accounts, to the St. Thomê christians themselves, or to their persecutors, the Roman Catholics, we are not likely to arrive at any certain conclusion as to the exact time of their establishment in Malabar. Some circumstances, however, may be collected from undoubted authority, by which it may be inferred, that they have been for nearly fifteen centuries established in India; for we find, in ecclesiastical history, that at the first council at Nice, in the year 325, a bishop from India was amongst the number composing that memorable synod; and, in the creeds and doctrines of the Christians of Malabar, internal evidence exists of their being a primitive church; for the supremacy of the Pope is denied, and the doctrine of Transubstantiation never has been held by them: and they regarded, and still regard the worship of images as idolatrous, and the doctrine of purgatory to be fabulous-moreover, they never admitted as sacraments, extreme unction, marriage, or confirmation: all which facts may be substantiated on reference to the acts of the synod established by Don Alexis de Meneses, archbishop of Goa, at Udiamper, in the year 1599. "The history of this council will be found most ably detailed in a work printed in French, and entitled, "The history of christianity in India,' published at the Hague, in the year 1724, by La Croze, the celebrated librarian to the King of Prussia. "The object of this work was to deduce, from authentic materials, the rise, progress, and establishment of christianity in the East; and to hold up to disgrace, and to merited indignation, the bigotted and unworthy conduct of the Roman Catholic church, in the persecution set on foot by ber emissaries, under her avowed sanction, against the primitive christians, who were found settled on the coast of Malabar; and La Croze seems to have discharged his duty to the public in a most faithful, interesting, and able manner. "When the Portuguese first arrived in this country, in the beginning of the sixteenth century, they found a christian church using the Syrio, Chaldaic language, established in the neighbourhood of Cranganore; and, though it was published to the world many centuries before that period, that such a church existed, yet we find their ignorance expressed in the wonder which it excited, "These christians met the Portuguese as natural friends and allies, and rejoiced at their coming; but the Portuguese were much disappointed at finding the St. Thomê christians firmly fixed in the tenets of a primitive church; and soon adopted plans for drawing away from their pure faith this innocent, ingenuous, and respectable people: however, after using for nearly a century, all the customary arts and abominable persecu tions of the church of Rome to no purpose, Don Alexis De Meneses, the archbishop of Goa, appeared amongst them; and, by his commanding influence, his zeal, and his learning, and on the authority of what he called the Council of Udiamper, forced the Syrian Metropolitan, his priests, and people, into the Roman pale. The archbishop, however, had not long quitted the scene of this triumph of bigotry, ere the people sighed for their old religion, and cherished it in private; but on the 22d of May, 1653, they held a congress at Alingatte, and great numbers, headed by their Metropolitan, revolted publicly from the Romish communion; nor has all the influence of the Roman Pontiff, and the kings of Portugal, been able to draw them away again from their old faith. Leaving the history of this interesting people, which is affectingly delineated in La Croze's book, I shall, in this report, confine myself more particularly to the existing state of christianity in Malabar; and, in order that your lordship may have the subject clearly before you, I shall consider each sect of christians by itself, under the head of, 1st, St. Thomê, or Jabobite Christians ;-2dly, The Syrian Catholics, who have been forced from the Jacobite Church into the Romish pale; and, 3dly, The Latin Church. St. Thomê, or Facobite Christians. "These people, who still retain their ancient creed and usages, consider themselves as the descendants of the flock established by St. Thomas, who is generally esteemed the Apostle of the East. Their ancestors emigrated from Syria, and the Syrio-Chaldaic is the language in which their church service is still performed. They admit no images within their churches, but a figure of the Virgin Mary, with the child Jesus in her arms, which is considered merely as an ornament, and not a subject for adolatrous worship. They are generally denominated by the country people, Nazaranee Mapilles. Nazaranee is obviously derived from Naza |