her soul's prosperity so as to greatly delight his heart. Therein she also communicated to him what had been her counsels and precepts to both sons and daughters, so that Cromwell might rest satisfied as to the spiritual care she exercised over them. This was all the more necessary as there were tendencies in some members of the family to worldliness, about which the noble father was sometimes grieved. "I am in fear," said he, "lest Satan should deceive them-knowing how weak our hearts are, and how subtle the adversary is, and what way, the deceitfulness of our hearts and the vain world make for his temptations." So easy is it to be cozened with worldly vanities! so much harder to maintain a consistent life of walking with God!

Thus far we have seen a quiet, godly, domesticated woman. Loving the Saviour herself, she was anxious to bring up her offspring in the same fear and love. There was a sweet community of interests in herself and husband. The preciousness of that dear old "covenant," ordered in all things and sure, was the hope of both. Amidst the convulsions of society, the mutability of friendships, and the dangers of high position, this good woman closely followed her Lord. It is said she strongly dissented from the policy of those statesmen, who brought to the block the head of the lying despot, Charles I. It is also said,(how many untrue things have been said of this epoch, and those who played prominently in it,)-that she was grieved that her husband assumed the protectorate. Both which rumours may be credited but little. If true, the iron-minded Cromwell took no notice of this talk. She, good soul, was no politician; if she had been, adieu all thoughts of her having been a good wife and mother. In her elevated position, as Lady Protectress, she was humble, cheerful, and charitable. There are many slanderous stories told of her. She has been accused of shameless crimes. These, no sensible man ever believed. But, like her husband, she was the victim of even good men's misrepresentation. I remember what a curious effect the heraldic glass windows gave, when the sun shone through them, upon Maclise's grand picture in the House of Parliament. The picture-"The Interview of Wellington and Blucher" -was at such times a field for the gambols of red lions, which made it look a despicable production. The glass has since been changed for that of grisaille character, and of course the scene looks radiant with intelligence, pure and lovely. So have even good men unintentionally been the means of throwing the sunlight of their influence, through the distorted media of misrepresentations, until what was really a fair and beautiful life has been rendered grievously ugly. Happily, these scurrilities have been replaced by good sound testimony. So shall it be with everyone that trusteth in the Lord.

The Protectress bore up under the heavy stroke that separated her from her heart's love, about as well as her attendants. Dr. Goodwin and others consoled her and those also whose true hearts were beating with anguish at the nation's great loss. She left London for the country, upon the accession of Charles II. In the midst of her grief, she received the intelligence of the exhuming of her husband's and son-in-law's (Ireton) bodies, which were hung up at Tyburn. All this, "on the word of a Christian king!" However it is doubtful whether poor Charles's soul was in as happy a state at his death as was this Cromwell's, while

his body was hanging gallows-high at Tyburn. After a while, Mrs. Cromwell left her retreat in Wales, and spent the remainder of her days among her children. She survived her husband fourteen years, and was buried in September, 1672.

So much for a useful quiet life; given to God, it was taken by him out of a world of sin and persecution. In her seventy-four years this good lady had seen remarkable changes in the condition of this country. Anglican tomfooleries had become serious entities. Archbishop Laud, reckoned a martyr just now amongst High Church people, but in his time, condemned upon clear evidence as a traitor to the people, had been riding the high horse in the Star-chamber. To him were brought honest ministers and godly men, whose shoe-latchets he was unworthy to unloose. No Baal, no four surplices at All-hallowtide, no bowing to the Virgin Mary, no superstitious signing of the cross, would these good men have. The prison, the pillory, excommunication, were no terrors to men with consciences. Then occurred the fearful outbreak, the savage civil war, the fair field for everybody but papists, the securing of a godly ministry. Afterwards came a reaction. Oliver, the great soul of puritanism, died. The nation went mad. The second Charles was made king without any conditions. Only honour us with your commands, and whatever they be, they shall be done." Thus, in heart, spoke the body politic. Strange scenes followed, which must have shocked the mind of the Protector's survivor. The Act of Uniformity, so craftily got up, so hurriedly carried in both houses,-how odious to the first principles of Christianity! If earth-thoughts engross at any time the attention of the redeemed, what a pitiable tale had Oliver to hear when his "dear heart" ascended to heaven: but we hope that these miserable superfluities are above the care of glorified spirits.

66

The Religions of India,

A PLEA FOR INDIAN MISSIONS, BY ALEX. FORBES, ESQ., A.M.
LATE EDITOR OF THE "BENGAL HURKARU."

(Continued from page 197.)

OHAMMEDANISM.-Though there is no such thing as an accurate census of any district in India, still I think we are not far wrong when we assume that one-half of the population of Lower Bengal are idolaters, and the other half nominally Mohammedans. I say nominally Mohammedans, for Islamism, like Roman Catholicism, has a sacred language in which it shuts up its sacred books. Whoever would acquaint himself with the Koran must learn Arabic. Even the prayers which form so large a portion of Mussulman religion, to be efficacious, must be repeated in that language, so that very few among the Bengalee peasantry take the trouble of learning to pray, and those who do, do not understand the meaning of the words they use. All that seems to be necessary in Bengal to the profession of Mohamme danism is the rite of circumcision, and the repetition of the formula,

"La elahah ul illah, Mahumud Roosool illah"-There is one God, and Mohammed is his prophet. Mohammedanism in India is, in fact, a kind of Atheism, and is of no use to its professors, except when all is going on well with them. When cholera breaks out in the village, or misfortunes happen to their crops, we find the Mussulman peasant showing the necessity he feels for a personal God, by his immediately borrowing one from his Hindoo neighbours, which he worships with much fervency till the calamity is past. They also worship the tombs of saints, and sometimes set up, like Jacob, a stone for a pillar, which they anoint with offerings of oil and milk, under the shade of some fine old Peepul or Banian tree. Bengal, as well as Palestine of old, worships under every green tree, for scarcely is there one tree in the country distinguished above its fellows by its size, under which we do not find a small idol, or the tazzeah of a Mussulman saint, or at any rate a few rags hung up to show that a worshipper has lately been there. Mohammedanism, as I have said, is, among the peasantry of Bengal, a fair-weather religion; but even in fair weather it has borrowed much from its idolatrous neighbours. It has a good deal of caste in it, but this is not to be wondered at, when we remember that even Christian missionaries have been led away by this institution of the devil, so artfully addressed to the pride which lies deeply rooted in every, even the most regenerate heart. But Mohammedanism, addressing itself to the lusts of men rather than to the ascetic principle, which is that seized hold upon by Hindooism, has set free its votaries from the trammels of caste as to things. There is nothing which the Mohammedan desires, of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life, which is forbidden to him, with the exception of swine's flesh and wine. Hence we find that most of their wealthy men are given up to all kinds of debauchery. If they do not drink-which many do in secret-they eat or smoke opium, the almost invariable consequence of which is, that no sooner does a Mohammedan family attain to riches than its decay commences; and there are few rich Mohammedans in Bengal that can trace back their pedigree above one or two generations. The tendency of Mohammedanism is to develop the animal nature, and hence we find the professors of that creed, though sprung from the same stock as the Hindoo, much less intelligent, and much more bigoted and brutal. No rewards will lead them to give their children that education which in India is the certain high-road to advancement and to wealth, and which the Hindoo so highly appreciates that he will starve himself for years in order that he may be able to afford it to his son. I have often offered to pay the whole cost of a Mohammedan boy's education, but could not prevail upon the father to permit his son to go even to the Government College, where all religious education is as carefully excluded as if the Empress of India were a disciple of Hume or Voltaire. It is true that Mohammed acknowledges Issoo ben Mariam (Jesus, the son of Mary) to be a prophet sent from God, inferior only to himself; but his Indian followers would rather that their children should join in the worship of their idolatrous neighbours, than that they should imbibe any of the dangerous learning of the Christian. I have not statistics by me to refer to, but I believe myself to be much within the mark when I say that not ten per cent, of the students of our colleges are Mohammedans.

I am happy to say that this state of things is likely soon to come to an end, or at least that the inducements to study the laws and religion of the Koran are passing away. Up to a year or two ago, the law administered in our Courts was the Mohammedan, and a Mohammedan law-officer sat with the English judge in all criminal cases, who declared what degree of punishment the criminal had subjected himself to. This officer has now become unnecessary, in consequence of the enactment of a penal code for all India, by which all are to be tried, whatever their creed or caste; and the last mail announces that a bill has been introduced into the Legislative Council to abolish the office of Kazee. The Mohammedans now will have either to give up the profession of the law, or to study English jurisprudence. There is also a movement among the higher classes towards English education; but so long as the religion itself remains, it seems hopeless to expect that a desire for improvement will permeate the masses. And we must remember that the Mohammedan is, in consequence of his religion, an enemy of the British power and of Englishmen. The murder of a Kaffir (or unbeliever) he is taught to believe, secures to him at once a place in Mohammed's voluptuous paradise. Patriotism, then, as well as a desire to fulfil our Saviour's last command on earth, to preach the Gospel to all people, should lead us to direct an earnest attention to our Mohammedan subjects. The Hindoo may be led, by the secular education he receives from us, to despise the fables of his own creed, and, the Spirit of God helping him, to embrace ours; but the Mohammedan shuts his eyes and closes his ears to our schoolmasters and professors. The only way to reach him is by the living voice of the missionary. The only way to make him a good subject to the English Government is to lead him to the knowledge of the King of kings. When he worships with us, then will he in his heart be loyal to our rule; but not till then. However we may proceed, whatever plans we may devise to lead our idolatrous fellow-subjects to loyalty and civilisation, there is but one which can be successful with the Mussulman, and that one is to convert him. To speak of worldly motives only, a feeling of compassion and a desire to deliver him from the cruelties to which his religion subjects him, ought to lead us to desire the conversion of the idolater; motives of policy would impel us to Christianize the Mohammedan. But when we think that these poor creatures have immortal souls,—that in addition to the life of slavery and penance endured by the one, and that of brutal sensuality which is the lot of the other in this world, they are to suffer to eternity the pains of the worm that dieth not in the next,-how can we, to whom the oracles of God are committed, continue so lukewarm with regard to our duty to publish them abroad? If, during the Indian mutinies, we had been commissioned by the Governor-General to proclaim a free pardon to all rebels who should come in and lay down their arms, how would the world have cried out against us, if, instead of delivering our message, we had remained at ease in our houses, suffering poor wretches to be daily shot down by our troops? But how much more guilty are we if we are careless about missions! We have a promise of a free pardon from our King to all who will come in; but we say nothing about it, and see myriads of our fellowmen perishing in ignorance that the King has ever deigned to think

upon them. If men might well cry shame upon those who neglected to deliver a message of salvation from earthly death, what shall be said of those who will not give half an hour of their time, or a shilling from their pockets, to assist in telling of the glorious pardon proclaimed by the Lord God Almighty, which remits the never-ending penalty of sin? I saw two Sepoys hanged one morning in the terrible year of 1857, upon the same gallows. The one was a Hindoo, and the other a Mussulman; and as they both were calm and collected, and both spoke to the assembled multitude, I had an opportunity of seeing on what, in their several religions, they relied in the last dread hour. The Hindoo, after a speech in which he asserted his innocence of the crime for which he was to suffer, died as he had lived, supported by the Satanic pride of the Brahmin. Taking the noose in his own hands, in order that he might not be defiled by the touch of the hangman, and adjusting it about his neck, he turned to the crowd, and said with a loud voice," And now you shall see how a Brahmin can die!" The Mohammedan was much more quiet, but kept repeating incessantly the formula, "There is one God, and Mohammed is his prophet." Neither prayed to any being who might receive them in that unknown world they were so shortly to enter. The one thought only of himself, as the only God he had ever known; for among his fellow-men he had been worshipped as a God. He trusted in his own strength. His pride upheld him even in death. He, like the ancient Roman, thought more of how to die decently than of what came after death. The other trusted his salvation to a form of words. Allah was a mere abstraction to him, and his Prophet was but a man. As his God was an unknown God, he rested all his hopes in words: he trusted he might be heard for his much speaking.

We now come to the third division of our subject, namely, THE PROTESTS AGAINST IDOLATRY AND MOHAMMEDANISM, arising from the spread of English education and general intelligence among the people. It is the custom to speak of the unchangeableness of the East; and men who ought to know better write and talk of the religion and civilisation of the Hindoos having been stereotyped or petrified some three thousand years ago, and of all things remaining as they then were to the present day. As for the civilisation, the remains of ancient poetry and art show it to have attained a much higher point than anything it can boast of now. It has deteriorated; and this was to be expected, seeing that the Hindoo has for the last eight hundred years been a conquered race, ruled over by rude and war-loving soldiers, but few of whom thought of encouraging the arts of peace, and, when they did so, preferring foreign to native talent. The beautiful Taj at Agra was built by Italians.

But far from the religion of the Hindoos remaining stereotyped, the very contrary has been the case. It may be said to have given birth to new children every year. There is nothing easier than for a man to become the prophet of a new religion in India. It only requires a little hypocrisy and a little impudence; and any one who will forswear water, and take to cow-dung and vermillion instead, will refrain to cut or comb his hair or beard for a year or two, and will swing himself backwards and forwards on his hams for a couple of hours each day, reciting

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