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NEW

EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE,
MAGAZINE,

AND

Theological Review.

FEBRUARY, 1824.

ON FEMALE IMMOLATION.

To the Editor of the New Evangelical Magazine.

Saltash, Dec. 13, 1823.

SIR, Female immolation in India having lately excited some interest, and hoping that the public voice will instantaneously call the attention of the Legislature to the subject, in the approaching session of Parliament, you will perhaps please to insert the following in your useful publication.

an office essential to the existence of society. The conscience of the duellist suggests that his own life and that of his antagonist, should be devoted to destruction at the shrine of his titular deity, honour; but does this sentiment of the duellist involve a liberty of conscience which forbids the interference of the magistrate?-by no means; the lives of subjects are not exclusively their own, they belong also to the com

As female immolation is a religious rite of the Hindoos, it has been ques-munity of which they make a part, the tioned, whether a legislative suppression of the practice would not infringe the principle of religious toleration-a question certainly of the first importance. But the principle of toleration which forbids the interference of the civil magistrate in religious matters, relates purely to the conscience, where the lives of the subjects are not endangered: the lives of men are the field of magisterial legislation-the conscience is the province of religious liberty, and it is for each to keep within its respective sphere; should the magistrate attempt to invade the province of conscience, he must expect a resistance; and should ⚫ conscience make an attack upon life, it is for the magistrate to repel. When conscience, whether in the name of religion or otherwise, dictates the destruction of life, of which the magistrate is guardian, then it passes over the boundary of religious liberty, and enters the department of civil control; in such sanguinary acts the magistrate does not interfere as legislator of religion, but as civil protector of the lives of subjects,

VOL. X.

being of which in a congregated capacity is dependant on individual existence. The vain suicide claims a right to sacrifice himself; here also the law interposes, rejects the claim; condemns the act, and refuses the rites of Christian burial." But should the duellists and suicides now begin to say, that though their selfdestruction would certainly be still the same in itself and consequences, yet that it did not now proceed from the same principle as formerly, but that they now believed it to be the will of a deity they acknowledged, that under their circumstances they should terminate their existence: would this alleged change of principle so make this selfdestruction a religious matter of conscience that it should be tolerated, and the civil power no longer take cognizance of it? Should the votaries of such a deity greatly multiply, and it be further alleged that this deity also enjoined female immolation in case of widowhood, would the principle of religious toleration forbid the interference of the civil power? If so, then our own country

F

would from the same cause bè afflicted | tivities of this inhuman abomination.

with precisely the same baneful effects
which India now suffers. How awfully
desolating would be the ravages of such
an horrid practice amongst us! what
wide breaches would a few years make
in the ranks of our community! how
would it dissever those social ties, and
destroy those kindred sensibilities, so
essential to the happiness and prosperity
of a people; and what multitudes of
abandoned helpless infants would it
cast as a burdensome charge on the
precarious care of the nation. But this
we do not fear; that principle in our
laws which takes cognizance of the
duellists and the suicides, would we
think interfere in this case, and prevent
the direful consequence amongst us:
then why not extend the same salutary
principle of legislation to our fellow
subjects in India? As they are brought
under the same Government as our-
selves, why should they not with us
participate in all the benefits of its
'wisdom? As they are amenable to
tribunals established by British autho-
rity, and this authority forbids self-
destruction amongst us, why not by a
similar application of this authority
amongst them, stop the ravages of the
funeral pile, rescue the widows of Hin-
dostan from the consuming flames, and
secure to the children of India the fos-
tering care of parental regard? The
policy of the interference in a political
point of view (though it is conceived
this would not forbid it) is not now a
subject of discussion; nor should the
Christian or the Philanthropist hesitate
on so comparatively inferior a considera-
tion. Our Christian zeal calls upon us
in consistency to forbid that act, which
in every case is not merely the consum-
ing of a living body, but also the des-
truction of an immortal soul, which
hurries the wretched widow from the
region of hope, from the voice of our
Missionary messengers of mercy, and
awfully consigns her to an everlasting
destiny. Every filial feeling admonishes
us to stop the son from fixing the
funeral pile, and becoming the execu-
tioner of his mother; every parental
affection commands us to oppose this
revolt of maternal fondness, this un-
natural consignment of infancy to all
the miseries of orphanage; all the
jealousies of our national character, and
all the sympathies of our nature, rise
up in indignation at the merciless ac-

Let our countrywomen employ every stimulus they can command on behalf of their degraded sex in India; and let every community of our countrymen rise spontaneously in the ensuing session of Parliament, and practically evince their commiseration by energetically supplicating our Senate to stay this degradation of our Empire, this rebellion of nature, this agony of humanity; that those that cry and the fatherless may be delivered, that the blessing of those ready to perish may come upon us, and the widow's heart sing for joy.

MR. EDITOR,

W. M.

In submitting to you the following strictures, I fear you will deem me either intrusive or litigious, or as wishing to set your hand against every man's, that every man's hand may be set against yours; but such is not the case. I merely turn to your Miscellany as knowing no other which embraces such a combination of talent, fidelity, and impartiality.

It is common, Sir, in the country anticipate that the opening of every month will refresh us with good news from a far country." A portion of this refreshment has been realized, from the contents of the Heralds, and Chronicles, and Magazines for December; but in examining the Missionary Chronicle in the Evangelical Magazine for that month, I confess, that Missionary intelligence was never read with such utter astonishment and grief.

My grief was not that the Missiona ries have had to tread in apostolic steps, to be "in labours more abundant, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft, thrice beaten with rods, once stoned, thrice shipwrecked, in journeyings often, in perils of waters, of robbers, by coun trymen, by the heathen, in the city, in the wilderness, in the sea, and among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, and cold, and nakedness." But to read from the Bay of Raiatea, that "The large and handsome houses of the Missionaries, and the very spacious Chapel and judgment-hall, occupy the centre of the settlement, while respectable and well plastered houses for the chiefs and people extend perhaps for a mile each

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STRICTURES ON SOME RECENT MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE. way." So then it may be more than | among Missionary friends, exhibitions of presumed, that we have huts for the poor chairs, bedsteads, and sofus, instead of natives-respectable and well plastered translations. houses for the chiefs, and large and handsome houses for the Missionaries. Oh! "tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcision triumph!"

My grief was not that the Missionaries have had to adopt the bitter exclamation, "Who hath believed our report, and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?" or that they have been forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach the Gospel in any place; but to read, that "It was with much satisfaction we witnessed the baptism of one hundred and fifty persons in one day, making up the number of baptized about one thousand one hundred, leaving a remainder of persons in the island unbaptized about two hundred. With the church, which consists of about one hundred and fifty members, we had twice the pleasure of communing at the Lord's Table. Thus happily is this Island evangelized. " Here are then one thousand and one hundred persons baptized, and a church consisting of only one hundred and fifty members. Were the persons baptized adult believers? or were they the prolific infant offspring of the adult believers? If adult believers, why not of the church? and if adult unbelievers, why baptized at all?

My grief was not that no practical results were visible, that the Missionaries did not see "the mountains and the hills break forth before them into singing, and all the trees of the field clapping their hands." But to read that "our Missionary brethren have appropriate places for the natives, in which to manufacture their tobacco-to boil their sugar to make salt-to manufacture smith's work-and for making chairs, bedsteads, and sofas; all which they may be said to do well: and of the extent to which they have car ried the manufacture of sofas with neatly turned legs, you may judge by the following fact: at a feast of the baptized persons we counted (what was never counted at any nobleman's feast in the British dominions) we counted two hundred and fifty sofas, large and well made after the English model." If this be true, then we may expect on Missionary platforms in Missionary rooms, and

Again, my astonishment was not, that the Missionaries never migrated from their feasts, their sofas, their large and handsome houses to teach the poor slaves, but that the first thing that is taught is the decalogue.-"Lord's Day, July 7th. I explained to them the ten commandments, and pointed them to Jesus, the Saviour of sinners. Lord's Day, July 15th. I explained the ten commandments, I of course also directed them to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world, and who is the end of the law for righteousness unto all that believe, whether bond or free. To teach them the nature and use. of the Sabbath, is one of the first things to attend to. I informed them that the fourth commandment not only teaches us to remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy, but also that we are to attend to our work in the six days of the week.” Is this preaching the Gospel to every creature? Is this being wise as serpents, and harmless as doves? Is not this the way, Sir, for Missionaries to be impli cated in insurrections? and was it thus the Apostles at their first and second interview taught the slaves of Greece and Rome? than which none could be in a more degraded condition-who were held "pro nullis, pro mortuis, pro quadrupedibus." Vide their tuition to the converted slaves, 1 Cor. vii. 20-24.

Finally, my astonishment was not that the Missionaries do not acknowledge the need of a superior agency, but to see this statement admitted into the Chronicle: "I regret much that Africaner is no more. His influence among the Namacquas was very considerable, and with a little assistance from Government, would have rendered the cause of God in that country essential service." Ilave the Missionary brethren forgotten that the government is upon the shoulders of the Prince of peace? That his kingdom is not of this world? and that his temple shall be erected, not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts? Now, when these things are published under the sanction of the Directors of a Society which can realize £30,000. per annum for Missionary objects, they assume a grave form indeed, and compel me to ask, are the Directors and Missionaries carnal men? do they need carnal weapons? and are

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