Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-10-08 00:00:00

lleamd our fathers, from our youth even unto this day,
_df have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our Gods,
unit thou wilt return, 0 Israel, saith the Lord, return
, e me; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out
,ight, then shalt thou not remove."
of their
isdi:ll—A:datiinon smarting under Providential
calamities, and prostrate before God in acknowledgment
tuereY, this prayer and supplication for His
Is.. Bis our position to-day. This is a fact full of
"liir then it itself, and if it be done sincerely, with trite
Peposeitence of heart, with true faith, and with a real pur-
betif°f•aluelitlment, it is full of encouragement and hope ;
the it be done formally, coldly, carelessly, and after
to:tuner of dissemblers with God, it is but adding
14
that
"1----a solemn mockery. It follows, my brethren,
1017 What we are engaged in to-day will ba instrumental
ushel'iler good or evil, to each of us individually what
What
us individually is to it—to the nation collectively
"1. the nation collectively is to it. It is appointed by the
highestiteeta.uthority in the nation for two purposes. The first
taid am Pardon of our sins, and the second is by prayer.
131,1:Asietuislpiiltiycatiniontothe Divine Majesty, to implore H
tths.e
s. suatithdisassistance on our arms for the restoration of
setsiatic__ India. 0 T the first of these I invite
morning, and hope by God's blessing to do
tem..'" in the evening with the second. Now, my
14,;, is our sins ; and this day is appointed, in the first
in
:8 a°o lbotra
s reeng you pardon of our sins. I showed those
stateeh who were present here on Sunday evening, the
of
God's children who had the true mark
sstailletitYs—that they cry not for the calamities that
thereel Jerusalem, but for the abominations that were done
, ▪ their concern was the sin, rather than the suffer.
toe,;Niti °he, God's house is concerned ; in the other,
- Punishment. Which is the more dreadful—sin, or
s_
tht sssesuences that sin bring with it? We may not, on
pass to the consideration of the calamities that
that,_"• fallen our countrymen in India, and the distresses
efith:..u.ve resulted therefrom, and may result at home,
-
etu sL first looking higher still, and considering the.
ties! el God's controversy with us: for national calami
efitt:'re Oct accidents. They do not come rashly, and.
Attee°ll'lot "Use, nor fall blindly without an aim. I invite
seek e, then, in the first place, to the sins for which we
;sel bsieh d
sa:adron. And what sins, I ask, may those be for
on is specifically sought on this day 1 Doubt-
Isms*" are each called upon to take into deep and
Niels •eonsideratioa our individual case; we are each
.
A °Pon to the confession of cur individual sins, to the
%es ,e_ls! of faith in Jesus Christ for our individual pardon,
tot " strenuous determination in the strength of Christ
a‘''ay from our individual evil-doing ; but I do not
that is the specific, the characteristic and
tbeiti,g Ilishing feature of the sins we lament today, and
Vb. us for whose pardon we supplicate today. Her
Al.-Jests. the Queen has commanded, and hie Grace the
for tilsl3;4°P of Canterbury has prepared, a special prayer
here s. day. Hear whit they say. The Rev. gentleman
N11.6,44(1 alt extract of the prayer referring to the rebel-
*, India, and asking forgiveness of the sins whereby
al'e provoked that chastisement, and continued :
PeSeleitli Istlsernent, my frien is, are the congruences of the
8148
to 1;11 la a large portion of the Indian Army, and the
erell we have deserved this chastisement, are the
8
act,P'cifi.eally referred to in this prayer. This is a national
thic °eonceiva.ble combination of individuals, as indivi;
hes' could have made it so. What has made it so .
made answer is authority ; lawful authority has
t
by he it s°) .v their lawful authorities nations do act ;
This authorities 13
autho;ities nations as nations do good or do evil,
I so, s the national act—there have been national sins.
atehill:tg°lnc to speak of them in the way of reproach
'-bet ; the Government—this is not the time for reproach
fie h am going to speak of them to justify God in what
tltil.osd°l:le, and what has made the crim3 the national
'cassia St he Government of India has been of a mixed kind,
tae,,tiug partly of the British Government and partly of
14f:41cl:tall of merchants, commonly known as the Eastndia
by ths c'eVarlY. By these the nation has acted in
keßi4" England has done good in India; by these
eif,l has done evil in India; by these England has
-41.%713 God in India. The sins of these have been both
kailsZission and commission. Their grand sin of omission
Itiekea the omission of Christianity in their dealing with
these r Islow, this was not the case in the beginning of
EpBliute there. In one of the earliest records of our
resp,-" rule in India, I find this remarkable regulation
the s,-etiui",' all the chaplains who were to be employed by
lst India company We do farther will and
India hat that all such ministers as shall be sent to reside in
s 'la, as aforesaid, shall be obliged to learn, within one
!ear
ittld
,28:7 their arrival, the Portuguese language,
i:legbetter to enable them themselves to learn the native
uage of the country where they shall reside, the
servantsbe them to instruct the Gentoos that shall
es_ or slaves of the same company, or other
t:Ette4st:iliteis the 'Protestant religion." They were required
s,_l,k.ll')vs the Portuguese language, because the Roman
ittired t in India spoke that language ; they were re -
o know the native language, because the natives
e it, la order that they might be able to teach both
'th
eth Pretestant religion. This was a good regulation of
art; eeeirl'PanY at its starting in India. Acting upon this
and WPle' Llrd Clive, the celebrated conqueror of Pla ssey,
th "9 41a7 be called the founder of the British empire
Bengal East, brought with him the first missionary to
the gave him the use of a dwelling-house along with
So —embers of the Council, and stood sponsor for his
144. There was an open proclamation from Lord Clive
etee:!,,istianity before the natives
.. of India, and soon after
tab!he company recognising and honouring
pthetovoeenoe_-
-,4su'e Missionary, Schvvarts, placing the native
.c
h. I
1?o under his instruction, and even employing im
.
tt-e highest political missions without any deft.' -
to the functions of his heavenly calling. In
'estsb 4utior, the College of C slcutta was originally
e
,i-shed on strictly Christian principles, under the
eridi, missionary chaplains, Brown and Buchanan,
ue Bible formed part of the daily instruction in it.
his
bleWas well—this was a good beginning—and God
thiossil the labours of our heads for years in I idia. When
6
let ste of thines ceased, by what msans it was first
"istit'''r.ed With, by
' what steps it was broken down, or by
feted letlasnce, it is dStioult to trace ; but it was inter-
tritsa:lll:labythat modern liberalism which has brought
principle to work at home. Our modern states_
the t not act out what those early statesmen did, and
libelst India Company became infested by our modern
A:'l3lstla) It tried its hand at home by Popery, and. it
dies:it'll"- same part by Mohamme.l.anis in and Hindooism.
titipe.e.eat Was It Why, it was this, that
on the plea of
eed gsr.4lit)between man and mac, the authority of God
It ,""td's word over all men was withheld or ignored.
itg, at as
just that—they proceeded upon the principle of
thistialitY, as between men, as if there was no such
haal as the Bible in the world, and as if God Almighty
eh," tlever spoken. By this principle, which witahsaprawen-
ssoecis In Ireland, the Christian element was
acts in India•
w ra
I,l;_a_l.l Government officials and ofa
the Bible was withdrawn from the C )it l
)liege of Calcutta—
% liithle was withdrawn from the Government Schools
OP hildias and no acknowledgment from the Government,
wasent,
41,1 the Government, that the religion of the nat.iv
re °l' that the religion of the Bible was true. I shallmr
kelt; le You a brief statement made by the Rev.
rev
rtatl'he, Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral in Calcutta. Tner
of
ena
v. here read an extract from the examination
tat,,,s-raue before the House of Lords, in July 1853, and
freC'eh he said, in reply to a question from L. er,si
*kali that
. there was more than " impartiali'y' —there
to methlrerence—on the part of the East India Company
• e Prof, • • • among the natives :and
%atlas Progress of Christianity
feed sed lmpartiality" we accept from Lord Win-
-- e• *9 Pleaded fur the Government, and adopt it as our
zasictesent. " Impartiality" between Juggernaught andtle:e I 1' Impartiality" between heathenism antd
sin,a
Chris-
very ity
"Impartiality"—it was a sin,
fa 0 scat tan. Now, look how this has warogurgehat, for it
this! the source of the rebellion. How shall I maket
tltt.tratet:::,:est: hly brethern, the native of India could
dno
thatr'euend. this " impartiality"—they could not. believe
atlY Persons were sincerely " impartial" in such
They had too much of what they sail religion
cogh _selves to suppose it possible that any
.Government.
be:',d be 80 infidel as not to care between religions, or to
es..ll3aPartial" between them. The natives of India did
11"e'dblieve it—they thought it was a mask to deceive,wise
teiustshey at once, in consequence, seized on the otherwise
is
tent, the the
greased cartridges,and said, now the secretb
rountlati they, have tried to undermine our religion
atyita
Ilea ..a.uunt way, and to destroy our caste." Imparti
d.Yd
—ll
religions.is practical infidelity of all, and they