POETRY.

THE

METHODIST MAGAZINE,

FOR SEPTEMBER, 1819.

CONVERSION OF A BUDHIST PRIEST.

Continuation, from page 730 of the Methodist Magazine for 1817, of the Account of the Life and Conversion from Heathenism to Christianity, of GEORGE NADORIS DE SILVA, SAMARA MAHA NAYEKA, late a Budhist Priest in the island of Ceylon. By Mr. HARVARD.

ANOTHER Circumstance will shew how exceedingly shrewd a person he is, and how necessary it is for persons in our situation, and especially in our intercourse with the inquiring heathen, to be on our guard even in the smallest matters. One day, I had been waiting for him, as usual, at the appointed hour, and observed him coming up the street; but instead of his calling, he rode by the door, as though not intending to pay us a visit. On this I immediately sent a messenger after him, to tell him I was waiting his usual visit. He immediately ordered his palanquin bearers to turn back, and put him down at our door. As soon as he saw me he said, "I thought I would try you to-day. I have often come and sat down with you, and you have conversed with me in the freest and fullest manner. But I thought I would try for once if you had love enough for my soul, and desire enough for my conversion, to call me in, in case you saw me going by your house." He then entered, as usual, into conversation on the subject of Christianity.

He did not fail to urge, with great force, the argument, "that Christians were no better than other people."-I believe he has set a very close watch upon us; and we have sometimes supposed that he had his spies observing our conduct.

I remember one day, having been under the painful necessity of submitting to punish one of our servants for theft, about two or three hours only before one of his daily visits. He had had notice of the circumstance; and when he arrived, he took his seat with a degree of triumph, referring to the circumstance, and intimating that it was rather a sign of the defect of our religion, that we were obliged to have recourse to the civil magistrate to make our servants honest, and added, "If you cannot make VOL. XLII. SEptember, 1819.

your own servants good, who live in the same house with your selves, how can you expect to convert me, and make me a good Christian, who have not that advantage." We explained to him, that conversion was a work of God; and that we could only pray for our servants, and instruct them, and set them a good example; and that if, after all, they were bad characters, the fault was in themselves, and not in our religion. We likewise convinced him that it was with the utmost reluctance, and from the peculiar circumstances of the case, that we had consented to the punishment of the dishonest servant.

He sometimes evinced considerable respect for the ministerial and missionary character; and drew many comparisons, which shewed that he was a man of much observation on the conduct of the Christian part of society. We nevertheless felt it our duty to check every thing of an uncharitable condemning of persons indiscriminately, who might, in some points, differ from those, in whose favour he might have formed a prepossession. But while we did this, we assured him that we held it essential to salvation that there should be a consistency between our practice and our faith and profession; and were obliged to allow that the unholy lives of many, who call themselves Chris tians, was a stumbling block in the way of the inquiring heathen, and gave cause to unbelievers to gainsay the religion such persons professed.

When making such observations as these, Brother Clough and I were almost led, sometimes, to conclude he was on the verge of becoming a Christian; but we found him very fluctuating, and often had to go over the same ground again. I have many times thought he did it to try our patience; as there are few virtues which rank higher among the Orientals than self-command in disputation and contradiction; a virtue in which, as far as I have been enabled to observe, the natives of India are peculiar proficients. Any undue warmth, therefore, in argument; a display of mortification or impatience, weighs more with an Indian, than fifty subsequent syllogisms.

Though Rajagooroo had many times confessed the existence of the eternal God, he would often times start new objections in the form of interrogations. We have answered a host of these, apparently to his satisfaction. But still he continued to keep up the same kind of warfare;-and we saw no likelihood of bringing the matter to a conclusion, since, every day, he came with new difficulties. At last I determined I would begin myself to propose a few interrogatories, in order to convince him that difficulties in solution were no invariable sign of error in position,and that it was easy to start objections, and put questions which could not be answered.

The next day he came as usual, and began proposing his