to her pious solicitude for their salvation."* For some years, however, she did not reap where she had sown, at least in the case of him who is the subject of this memoir. The work of conversion was not her's, but the Lord's, and his good time had not yet come.

When the period arrived at which it was necessary to determine upon their son's future course, and he himself having no predilection for any particular line, his parents bound him as apprentice to a Mr Enoch Tonkin, a furnishing ironmonger, then residing in the City Road, and who, with his wife, was held in high esteem by Mrs Williams for consistent and unobtrusive piety. She had resolved that the spiritual interests of her son should not be sacrificed to any secular advantage, and thus took care to place him with a family in which the Lord was feared. It was provided in his indentures that young Williams should be taught only the commercial part of the business, and exempted from its more laborious and merely mechanical departments. But very providentially, as it afterwards turned out, this arrangement was not adhered

to.

We are told that

It was not long before it became evident to those who were with him, that the implements and processes of the workshop presented to his eye attractions far superior to those of the finished and polished wares which furnished the windows, and glittered on the shelf. Frequently did the members of Mr Tonkin's family mark with a kindly smile the manifest pleasure with which "John " left the counter and loitered near the workmen, eagerly watching every stroke of the hammer and every movement of the hand; and not a little were they amused to find

that when, at the accustomed hours for meals, the men had left the shop, he had stolen into their place, and was occupying some deserted bench, or busily blowing at the forge, for the purpose of bringing his previous observations to a practical test. This course was often repeated, and in this way he taught himself, in a surprisingly short time, to form and finish many of the common articles belonging to the trade. So beautifully, indeed, did he turn out " his work, that at length Mr Tonkin found it for his own interest to request him to execute orders in which great delicacy and exactness were required.

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But while thus diligent in business, and "amiable," besides, in the world's sense of that term, one thing he yet lacked," and that was "the one thing needful." His "heart was not right with God;" and, as he grew in years, and came more in contact with the world, the serious impressions produced in childhood, by his mother's holy example and earnest prayers, gradually faded from his mind, and were at last all but effaced and forgotten.

Christ and his religion, and totally neglected those things which alone can afford solid consolation."

At that time the idea of his being a missionary of the Cross would have been laughed at by himself, and reckoned by his friends as of all things the most improbable. But the Lord's ways are not as the ways of man, nor are man's thoughts like His. He is "found of those who seek him not;" and He was found of Williams.

The circumstances attending his conversion are of a remarkable kind. Having become the associate of several young men who, like himself, disregarded the Sabbath, and had forsaken the sanctuary, he was in the custom of spending his Sabbath evenings with them at tea-gardens and taverns. It had been agreed to spend, in this way, the evening of Sabbath the 30th of January 1814; and, at the appointed hour, Williams was at the place of rendezvous. But, his companions not being equally punctual, he was kept waiting, and that very much to his annoyance; for not only was he thereby detained from his "pleasure," but was also greeted with unwelcome recognitions from many of his own and his mother's friends, who were more appropriately hastening to the house of God. Among others, Mrs Tonkin, the wife of his employer, came up, and, discovering his features by the light of a lamp, stopped and spoke with him, inquiring the reason of his remaining there. This he did not endeavour to conceal, but frankly avowed, expressing, at the sametime, his great vexation at the disappointment which his friends had oc

casioned him.

The good woman seized the opportunity, and, after a few words of kind remonstrance, affectionately entreated him to accompany her that night to the Tabernacle. "A word spoken in season, how good is it!” He had no relish for either church or sermon; but, mortified by the non-appearance of his friends, and, in their absence, not having any ready excuse for refusing to comply with her request, he did go. The preacher for the evening and the subject of discourse was the questionwas the Rev. Timothy East, of Birmingham, "What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul!" This solemn inquiry was pressed home by the Word came to the mind of Williams "with preacher with great point and energy; and the power, and with the demonstration of the Spirit." The "brand was plucked from the burning" the missionary was formed. Speaking afterwards of that night from the same pulpit, Mr Williams himself said,

"It is now twenty-four years ago since, as a stripling youth, a kind female friend invited me to come into this place of worship. I have the door in my view at this moment at which I entered, and I have all the circumstances of that important era in my history vividly impressed upon my mind; and I have in my eye, at this instant, the particular spot on

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which I took my seat. I have also a distinct impression of the powerful sermon that was that evening preached by the excellent Mr East, now of Birmingham; and God was pleased, in his gracious providence, to influence my mind at that time so powerfully, that I forsook all my worldly companions." Nor was this the only effect. From that hour," he wrote subsequently, my blind eyes were opened, and I beheld wondrous things out of God's law. I diligently attended the means of grace. I saw that beauty and reality in religion which I had never seen before. My love to it and delight in it increased; and I may add, in the language of the apostle, that I grew in grace, and in the knowledge of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.""

How striking are the accidents of Providence! But for the delay of his companions, Williams would have been off to the tavern. But for the passing of that Christian woman, or even but for the light which, as she passed, the lamp threw upon his features, he would not have gone to church; and Williams, not converted, so far as man can judge, many of the isles which now see a great light would, to this hour, have been sitting in darkness!

Soon after his conversion he determined on devoting himself to the work of preaching the Gospel to the heathen. The thought of doing so first struck him during an address from his pastor, the late Rev. Matthew Wilks, at a quarterly meeting of the Tabernacle Auxiliary to the London Missionary Society.

"At the time," he writes, "I took but little notice of it; but afterwards, the desire was occasionally very strong for many months. My heart was frequently with the poor heathen. Finding this to be the case, I made it a subject of serious prayer to God that he would totally eradicate and banish the desire, if it was not consistent with his holy mind and will; but that, if it was consistent, he would increase my knowledge with the desire."

After still further considering the matter, and having consulted his pastor regarding it, he, in the month of July 1816, sent in an application to the Directors of the London Society; and, after having passed the usual examination, was unanimously received by them as a missionary. Loud cries for help were at that time coming from the South Seas and from Africa; and it was determined that Williams, and other eight missionaries who had been fixed upon for the various stations there, should go forth on as early a day as possible, although the Society wished that years, instead of months, had been allowed for the preparation of some of them. Accordingly, on the 30th of September, a public service was held at Surrey Chapel for their designation to the work; and, after the usual questions to the missionaries had been put and answered, his biographer tells us:

The Rev. George Burder and John Angel James stood forward, and in the name of the Society, presented a Bible to each of the brethren, as a token of

regard, the bond of their union, the basis of their efforts, and the pledge of their support. "I shall never forget," said Mr Williams, many years after this interesting scene, "the impression produced upon

7

my mind by the solemn manner in which our beloved brother Mr James of Birmingham put the Bible into my hand. With all the affection for which he is distinguished, and with all the power and impressiveness of his manner, he said, Go, my beloved brother, and with the ability which God has given you, be faithful, in season and out of season, in proclaiming the precious truths which that volume contains; and then good Dr Waugh, with heaven beaming on his benevolent countenance, and the big tear of affection glistening in his intelligent eye, speaking to me upon my youthful appearance, said, Go, my dear young brother, and if your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth, let it be with telling poor sinners of the love of Jesus Christ; and if your arms drop from your shoulders, let it be with knocking at men's hearts to gain admittance for him there."

6

NO SALVATION OUT OF CHRIST.
BY REV. ANDREW THOMSON, A.B., EDINBURGH.
ACTS x. 34, 35.

THE scene presented in the house of Cornelius, on the occasion on which these words were uttered, was one of very unusual interest. For the first time in the history of ages, the distinction between Jew and Gentile was practically merged-the wall of partition had completely disappeared, and the Gentile soldier, from the far off banks of the Tiber, was seen standing, side by side, with the son of Abraham, eager to receive, from the lips of the apostle, the good news of the common salvation. There was a world of meaning in that little group. Looking forth upon the novel and touching spectacle, and receiving from it the impressions it was fitted to convey, "Peter," we are told, "opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceive God is no re

specter of persons; but in every nation, he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” not unfrequently perverted to the support of opinions directly opposed to the teaching of our Lord and his apostles. It is to the setting forth of the true meaning of the passage that we devote the following re

This statement has been much misunderstood, and

marks:

"Here," it has been said, "it is evident that a man may be saved without a divine revelation. It matters little whether he be a Jew, or a Mohammedan, or a

Heathen, if he just be sincere in his worship of God, or of that object which he is pleased to regard as God, and leads a just and decent life, he is quite as sure of salvation as if he were a Christian. Moreover, it is quite evident, from Peter's words, that persons 'fearing God, and working righteousness,' may be found in every nation." Such is the comment which some have proposed upon these words of the good apostle-a comment which we sometimes meet with deliberately stated and defended in books, and which we meet with far oftener still in the current and conversational

theology of thousands who are ever ready to arm them

selves with excuses for the want decision in their religious principles. Surely it should make these persons pause a little, when they are reminded that such a view

:

of Peter's words makes him flatly contradict himself, not only in the uniform tenor and spirit of his writings and addresses, but just in so many words, as in that well-known declaration to the hostile rulers and elders of the Sanhedrim: "Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved;" while the further effect of such principles would be, to render the seriousness and earnestness of inspired men in preaching the Gospel inconsistent and unaccountable; to represent their self-denial in carrying the Gospel to remote countries as enthusiastic; and to mark as almost a work of supererogation any divine revelation at all. Let us see whether a calm and accurate examination of Peter's words, as well as a consideration of the circumstances in which they were uttered, will not only bring out their entire harmony with the doctrine of the New Testament, but lay before us a large amount of valuable and wholesome instruction.

It will serve greatly to elucidate this passage, if we fix with precision the signification we are to attach to the phrase "respecter of persons." The meaning of this word will necessarily give its complexion to the whole exposition. Let it be noted, then, that the Greek word from which the phrase "respecter of persons" is formed, does not convey the same idea as an English reader would receive from the word "person.” It does not properly refer to individuality at all, but to outward appearance, and is often rendered "face," "countenance," "presence." In this simple statement we have the key by which to unlock the passage. The meaning evidently is, God is not regulated or influenced in his judgment of men by any outward distinctions or differences. "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart." You would call that judge a respecter of persons, who favoured one of the parties brought before him, because he was a man of rank or wealth, or influence or power-because he was a native of the same country, or adhered to the same creed in politics. But, says the apostle, God does not act in this spirit. As a sovereign benefactor he may, indeed, confer his favour upon whom he will, but as a judge he receives or rejects according to character. The standard is not a geographical, but a moral one. A service will not be accepted, on the one hand, merely because the man performing it is a Jew; or rejected, on the other, merely because he is a Gentile. It is the same sentiment which is expressed by Peter in his First Epistle: "If ye call on the Father, who, without respect of persons, judgeth every man's work."

"Of a truth," says Peter, "I perceive this." The meaning is, I am strongly and infallibly led to this conclusion by all that I have now seen and heard. This is what I distinctly gather from the information of Cornelius, and from the scene before my eyes. The reference is to what Cornelius had told him, in verses 30, 31, "of the man that had stood before him in bright clothing, and said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God;" and also of his own mission to Cornelius, in compliance with a direct heavenly intimation, to make known to him more fully the mind of God. Here, says Peter, is a Gentile, uncircumcised, and yet acpected; and here am I, an apostle and a Jew, sent to

be his teacher, to show unto him the way of God more perfectly, and to guide him forward into all the privileges and liberties of the Church of Christ. Of a truth, then, I perceive, that God is no respecter of persons. And who am I, that I should withstand God?

In perfect harmony with these explanations are the words of verse 35: "But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." These two phrases are very comprehensive in their meaning, including in them the various duties which we owe to God and to our neighbour. The former -"he that feareth God"-describes the principle of piety; not slavish dread, but that confiding veneration, that filial reverence which springs from a just view of the holy and benignant, the infinitely awful, infinitely amiable, character of God, and which manifests itself in corresponding and appropriate acts of worship and obe dience. The latter expression-"He that worketh righteousness"-we understand to be a comprehensive description of all those duties of fidelity, justice, and kindness, which one man owes to another. And I conceive the direct reference here, also, is to the prayers and alms of the devout centurion, which had come up as a memorial before God.

The general meaning of this important passage is now completely before us. We see what it does not teach -we see what it does teach. It does not say that God may not, and does not, distinguish one nation from another by external privileges. The Jews had actually been so distinguished for centuries from all the other nations of the earth. It does not say, that men might be found in heathen lands who, by the mere light of nature, had been led to the knowledge of the true God, and who performed works of piety and benevolence acceptable to God. This was not the case now before the apostle at all; for Cornelius was not a man left to the mere light of nature. He had the Old Testament

he knew and worshipped the true God, whom it revealed-he expected, and longed for the Messiah whom it promised. It does not say, that Cornelius was accepted on account of his works; the meaning seems rather to be, that his works were accepted as the fruit and evidence of his faith. It says none of these things, which some have attempted to extort from it. But it does say, that genuine piety and benevolence are acceptable with God by whomsoever performed; and that as no distinctions of rank, or wealth, or birth, or nation, will obtain the acceptance of hypocritical services; so neither will these distinctions, on the other hand, procure the rejection of those which are the genuine fruits of the knowledge of God, and the faith of the truth. Show me a Cornelius, in short, and be his nation or descent what it may, his prayers and his alms will ascend as a memorial before God. As Peter's be loved brother Paul has expressed it: "There is no dif

ference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same

Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."-Rom. x. 12, 13.

Such we believe to be the correct view of this passage, to which an examination of its terms, as well as an intelligent consideration of the circumstances which drew it forth, not to speak of a comparison of Scripture with Scripture, infallibly conducts us. But it fre

under Domitian, this apostle was carried to Rome, and afterwards banished to Patmos, an island in the Egean Sea, where the future destinies of the Church and of the world were disclosed to him in those visions whose undefined and mysterious foreshadowings continue to exercise the faith and encourage the hopes of believers in the pages of the Apocalypse. Upon the death of Domitian, he obtained, with other exiles,

the remission of his sentence of banishment; and the closing years of his life were spent at Ephesus, as the central point of his apostolical ministrations.

One or two anecdotes have been recorded by the fathers of the Church, which, as they correspond with the qualities exhibited by him, as made known to us in Sacred History, may be received as probable, though the external evidence is not conclusive.

During one of his missionary journeys, he was struck with the appearance of a young man whom he observed in an assembly of the brethren, and warmly recommended him to the care of the newly-ordained minister. Upon a subsequent visit, when inquiring of the pastor respecting his interesting charge, he learned that, after his baptism, the youth had been betrayed into vicious habits by idle companions; and that, throwing aside all restraint, he had proceeded to every extremity of guilt, and had now taken up his abode on a neighbouring mountain, where he was infesting the country as a captain of banditti. The apostle, in the ardour of his love, proceeded at once, unarmed, towards the haunt of the outlaws, and being soon laid hold of by one of the band, he demanded to be brought to his leader. When the young robber beheld the holy man approaching, he turned away in shame, to avoid his presence. But the apostle followed after him, and refused to leave him till, by his prayers, and tears, and expostulations, he brought him back to the true fold.

Upon another occasion, in his zeal against error, he manifested perhaps some remains of the natural temperament which, at an earlier period, had procured for him and his brother the appellation of the "Sons of Thunder;" when, in proceeding to bathe, he perceived the heretic Cerinthus, and turning hastily away, exclaimed, "Let us flee from this place, lest the bath should fall while this enemy of the truth is within it."

The prevailing sentiment, however, of his declining years was love; and we are told by St Jerome, that when he was too much oppressed with infirmity to permit him to exercise his public ministry any longer, he was accustomed to be carried into the church, and after stretching forth his feeble arms and crying, Little children, love one another, to retire from the assembly. So deeply was he imbued with the seraphic love of the bosom on which he leaned, that it remained unimpaired amidst the decays of nature and the eclipse of intellect.

The precise year of his death is not known; but it took place during the peaceful interval in which Trajan pursued the mild policy of his immediate predecessor, at a date which is usually considered as corresponding with the end of the second century.Dr Welsh's Church History.

HUMAN LIFE.

Man's uncertain life Is like a rain-drop hanging on the bough, Amongst ten thousand of its sparkling kindred, The remnants of some passing thunder-shower, Which have their moments, dropping one by one, And which shall soonest lose its perilous hold We cannot guess.

JOANNA BAILLIE.

The Missionary Field.

HEATHEN DARKNESS.

We extract the following interesting details from a work lately published, under the title of “ Protestant Missions in Bengal Illustrated;" by the Rev. Mr Weitbrecht of the Church Missionary Society.

I. HINDU IDOLS.

The idols worshipped consist of various kinds; but the Brahmans have divided them into two classes, viz., such as are made to last, which they set up in the temples; and others intended only for particular festival celebrations. The first consist of some solid material, as stone, copper, silver, gold; those belonging to the second class are made of wood, straw, and clay.

Idols of stone and metal are sold in the larger towns in the bazaar. I have been informed, that some merchants of Birmingham have made a good speculation lately, in manufacturing idols of brass for the Indian market, for which they have found a ready sale. It was mentioned to me as a fact, last year, that two missionaries were embarking for Calcutta on board the same ship which carried several chests filled with idols.

The

Idols of wood and clay are manufactured in every Hindu village. When the festival is over, they are broken up, or thrown into the water. In the eyes of the natives, the fabrication of idols is as honourable a handicraft as that of a carpenter, or more so. maker fastens two pieces of bamboo into a board; he then ties straw round them, to give them a shape, and prepares his finer materials by kneading clay, mixed with manure and chaff, together; with which the straw figure is covered. It costs him no small trouble before the eyes, and other delicate parts, are finished. On the whole, these idol makers may be said to have brought their business to a considerable degree of perfection. A nicely-wrought idol will cost about fifteen or twenty shillings, including paint, and other materials. On the morning of the idol festival, the priest comes to undertake the consecration of it. He touches the forehead, the eyes, breast, and other parts, pronouncing each time the words, "May the spirit of Shiva, or Durga, descend, and take possession of this image." By virtue of these citations, or muntrus, the spirit is received; and of this the Hindu is as certain as of his own existence. Henceforth it is considered as a dwelling of the god. Many Brahmans go even further, in asserting a kind of transubstantiation, viz., that the materials of straw, mud, or stone, are changed into the substance of the god. Such a power does the Brahman possess, according to the often-repeated prayer of the Shasters. "The world is under the power of the gods; the gods are under the power of the muntrus; and the muntrus are under the power of the Brahmans; consequently. they are the principal gods!"

If you express your surprise to a Hindu as to how a lump of straw and clay can become a god, he answers, "Why should this be impossible? God can do everything." But if a dog, or a woman, or an European should touch the idol, the god will make his escape from it. If it be of clay, it must be thrown away; but if it be of solid material, the Brahman undertakes the consecration of it a second time. passing through a village, I once had the imprudence to touch the stone image of Shiva with my stick, and some persons saw it indistinctly from a distance. The following day, a number of villagers came to the mission premises, when their chief speaker said: "The god

On