recruit in the missionary army to follow a differen' one.

II Here it seems right to tell you about the substanc of evangelistic addresses. You will not be surprise to learn that we find it of little use to begin, as in a Christian country, by giving out a text. The two conclusive reasons that persuade to this course a e, that many of your audiences know nothing about the Bible; and that, even if they are aware of such a book existing, they do not bow to its authority. Have faith in the self-evidencing power of God's Word by all means, and fail not to ad uce texts; but do so in the course of your address, not at the beginning. Interweave them into the texture of your preaching, so that, introduced and followed by appropriate remarks, they may enjoy a right setting, may be as apples of gold set in pictures of silver.

I have found it attractive to begin by telling about our little British Islands, so far across the sea from my auditors, but the home of their acknowledged rulers, and therefore obj cts of curiosity to them. From our climate, country, and productions, the step is an easy one to our churches and worship, as contrasted with theirs; and arrived there, you are at the threshold of your subject, namely, the simple proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. The whole thing flows along in a natural course, the surrounding Hindus never, so far as my memory serves me, failing to listen to it with unswerving attention.

Another useful plan is, to make use of any sight or incident that has met you on your approach to the village. A marriage procession, a dead body at the burningground, the idol-car (if there be one), stones smeared with vermillion at the entrance to a grove, the harvest, the villageschool; these, and things similar, if you are ready and apt, may be made to slide into your prepared address with great propriety.

A most effective kind of introduction is a reference to some story extracted out of their own popular literature. You know, of course, that this literature teems with legends. While many of these are wild, bad, and unemployable for your purposes, others, by their moral point, their touching character, or their romance, are easily available for what you aim at. One thing is certain, the Hindu will always be immensely taken with such an opening. You begin thus (in the vernacular), "I was reading the other day in the History of King Nala, or in the Scanda Purana, or in the Ramayana, and came upon the following story." Then follows the narrative, and meantime you have your audience by

'he ears. It must have been your study beforehand how yo are to pass from the mythological tale to divine truth; and then you ply them lovingly with the living Word. This, and indeed every point referred to, might be enlarged upon; but I must proceed to tell of what follows, after a reference to the invaluable help of the converts with you. As a general rule, it is best for one of them to begin. He has the advantage of being a fellow-countryman ; and curiosity about the white man' ap proaching words is meantime whetted. Nothing has seemed more telling than when the convert narrates his own experience, tells of his former faith and practice, how the light came to him, how he struggled against it, how, at last, it prevailed, and what he has found in Christ as a mighty, gracious Saviour.

Mild and winning, or, at the least, inoffensive as this may appear, it cannot fail to wound deep-seated prejudice, and so occasion hostile feeling. The convert has to tell that he has forsaken the hoary, ancestral idol-worship, that he has broken caste, and that he has given up the Kudumy, or sacred lock, which is an integral part of the Hindu religion. It is impossible for these statements to be made, clearly implying, as they do, that all who embrace Christianity must pursue a similar course, without sharply paining a sincere, zealous Hindu. Truth, however, requires them, and the effects must be left with God.

One convert having begun, sometimes another follows, though not precisely in the same strain; or the European missionary may occupy the second place. Do not, however, imagine that native converts never go forth on this work alone-that a European is always with them. Such is far from being the case, but I prefer describing the Briton's experience, as being that about which you must naturally be most desirous to know.

Sometimes one is permitted to say all that was intended in peace and quietness; but frequently no such privilege is enjoyed. Long ere you have made a full declaration of truth, perhaps very soon after your first words bave been uttered, audden, bold, insolent interruption takes place. Some man, either assuming to be, or tacitly acknowledged by the audience as a champion and defender of the faith, loudly arrests your further progress, and, with vehement gesture, thrusts in his objections. These, as might be expected, generally belong to a given number, which are found repeating themselves in one place after another. Briefly expressed, they run thus:

1. Show us your god; we believe only what we see.

old.

2. Your religion is new; ours is very

3. Pure spiritual worship is all very good for philosophers; we need the idole, as ladders, to help us up to God.

4. Your faith for you; ours for us.

5. We must follow in the steps of our forefathers.

6. Many roads lead to one palace; we shall all meet at last.

7. Do a miracle. Show us a sign. 8. Our miracles are superior to those of your religion.

9. Who has seen vice and virtue?

one.

10. Everything is determined. rules all. Vishnu's writing is on man's skull.

Not

Fate every

11. Transmigration explains all-will put all right.

12. Pantheism is the real thing; all is divine.

13. There is nothing in our present existence but Maya, or illusion.

Sometimes a short, pointed answer will silence an opponent; but much more frequently he follows one of two courses. If boisterous, rough, and unprincipled, he will try to roar you down. Insults to you, calumnies or blasphemies against the Christian faith, wild, rash assertions, mingled perhaps with obscenity, will be vomited forth against you in a most painful way. Sometimes you can do nothing but sorrowfully retire. But whether you do so or not, you must pray beforehand, and struggle on the spot not to give way to anger. Any such manifestation on your part does no present good, gives the bystanders an occasion of triumph, and lowers you in your own eyes, besides being no proper representation of the Master whom you serve.

If the insolent, rude plan be not adopted, then an effort will be made to get you into the meshes of speculative discussion. Wild theories, wire-drawn distinctions, untenable moral positions will be advanced, and you may, before long, wish that you had rather got insult than have been plunged into such a quagmire. While your solid arguments will go for nothing, a well-hit-off illustration, struck out by themselves, will be clung to and worked up as if it were an irresistible syllogism.

pu emphasis upon the word "illustrated,” because this, as already implied, meets a strong out-tanding peculiarity of the H ndu mind. And there is the satisfaction of knowing that, although the Hindu is subtle in evading argument-, yet when these are really well put, sharply, perhaps epigrammatically expressed, and driven home with suitable analogies, both the champion and listeners will feel the force of them.

It is worth mentioning that in the systematic preparation of answers, and in the general work of getting up addresses suitable to the people whom they reach, the Baptist missionaries in Cuttack, not far from Calcutta, have set a worthy example. In note-books set apart for the purpose, they treasure up proverbial sayings, good colloquialismus, nay, telling expressions; make common prope ty of them by comparison of what they have acquired, and in this way go forth as thoroughly equipped as possible.

III. And now it is surely time to tell you something about the experiences through which one passes in this kind of work. Starting from your residence in the early afternoon, as soon as the sun admits of travelling, and having previously fixed upon your destination, some few miles off, you get there perhaps by sun-down, or possibly quite after it, when the moon is up. Nothing can be done that night but pitching your tent on some bit of sward, near or among trees, if possible, and not far from the villages that you intend visiting. In the various processes of putting your tent on the bullock-cart, lifting it off, planting the centre pole, stretching the canvas, unloosing the cords, driving in the tent-pins, hoisting the structure, and then making fast the ropes, you had better, as before hinted, not only superintend, but put to your own hands, both for the sake of expedition and security.

Rising early next morning, and getting a cup of coffee, you start with your assistants for the nearest village. The practice is a good one, I think, in the prayer with your assistants before setting out, for each one going on the enterprise to offer a short supplication, rather than for the head missionary to do it all himself.

the base of a tree, a low wall, or an elevation without any tree. A hymn, in native metre, and to a native tune, if possible, is sung; a short prayer is offered, and then one of the converts begins. According to the size of the place, twenty, thirty, or forty people have assembled, and ere long they may increase to sixty or seventy. In the outskirts of a town your audience may amount to several hundreds. The nature of the discourses, each, eay, twenty minutes long, has been already described. Sometimes you are heard to the end, tracte are distributed, you invite to your tent, and, the sun now growing injuriously hot, you retire thither. On other occasions discussion, such as has been indicated, takes place. And from time to time-a fact also chronicled before this-you are furiously interrupted at the very beginning, never getting your snapped thread re-tied. In any case, you must ere long repair to your tent and rest a little. Sometimes, indeed, the villagers follow you thither at once. But generally it is before and after high noon that their visits are paid. One party comes for nothing but discussion, being primed with the usual defences of their own faith, and perhaps some objections to Christianity. Another set have been reading the tracts or gospels distributed, have lighted upon some passage requiring elucidation, and come to get it. An engaging party of boys surround you just to get books, the clean white paper and distinct printing of our literature contrasting favourably with the green Palmyra leaves and stylusscratched letters of their own native books. A fourth group, not of boys, but men, comes merely from curiosity. They want to see the inside of the tent, to hold intercourse with a European, to see how he talks their vernacular, and (perhaps slightly) to hear what he has to say about the religion of their conquerors and rulers. It must be yours to improve such opportunities, to pour in instruction, to deal with the conscience, to convince of error, and to commend Christ, so far as you can. More books are generally given on such occasions, and even though eager discussion takes place, you should try to part pleasantly and amicably with your visitors.

Snatching time for a little rest in the afternoon, without which one would never be able for the evening's work, you again prepare for the field at about four o'clock. Sallying out between that and five, you get to the same or another village, and repeat the process described as having taken place in the morning. When it grows dark (always between six and seven), you must retire, no Hindu villagers being willing to listen when the shades of evening settle down. More visitors probably come during

the subsequent hours, and early next morning you take down your tent and emigrate elsewhere.

For

There,

But a word on town-preaching. this purpose buildings are erected with a good frontage on places of resort or busy streets (not bazaars, however). Several doors provide an easy entrance. after prayer, you begin by singing or reading (perhaps both). The passing natives, hearing their own tongue, come in to listen, and ere long, if you are, or have with you, an effective speaker, the floor is covered with one or two hundred people. The kind of speaking required being one demanding considerable energy, several should be prepared to follow in rapid succession. Sometimes discussion is evoked, and at others, after tracts have been circulated, the auditors walk quietly away.

IV. Relative position of this kind of work and its results.

Here I must compress a good deal into little space. Looking to the country at large, there are two ways of conducting evangelistic work. One is for a man or men to go over large districts, content with sowing the seed broadcast, but, of course, scattering it but thinly. Another is to select a small workable circuit, and systematically repeat one's visits to the villages there. The latter has been done in several places by the Madras Free Church Mission, and is going on at present. So far as our European missionaries are concerned, none being to spare for anything like exclusive dedication to this work, and that not being, in my judgment, desirable, even if within our power, its true place seems to be that of a useful alterative from tuition. Pleasant as educational work among Hindu boys is, one needs a change from it, and a more thorough one I hardly know than that of going, at fit times of the year, out to the villages. Whether you go by budgerow (covered canal boat), by railway, or by bullock-cart, the change is a marked one from the city life; and then the village work (as already described) calls forth a different set of faculties, bodily and mental, from those required in the class-room. My own experience for more than a year was that of having a fortnightly expedition of this kind, and I found it equally agreeable to pass from teaching to the tent, and, returning, to revert to my regular scholastic occupation.

As to results in conversions from village work, our Madras Mission has had scarcely any. Our successes, resulting in the upbuilding of a Native Church, have sprung from our schools. This fact, however, has come out in connection with regular hall-preaching in the city, that inquirers, whose convic tions had arisen at the daily Bible instruc