felt it necessary for their own justification, to say much to the dispraise of those good men, who for so many years have labored among us in the Lord, but we cannot join in dispraising the characters of men whose praise is in all the Churches and to whom we feel ourselves under the highest obligations for their disinterested, faithful and long-continued efforts for our spiritual welfare. We do not deny that some of the pastoral duties, especially those of the minute class, have been for some time neglected. This was considered a great cause of regret, but we do not feel it right to censure men for omitting what it was not in their power to perform. Our former aged and highly-respected pastors have labored to the utmost of their powers, and their inability through the infirmities of age and other causes, to perform all the duties of the pastoral office was as much deplored by themselves as by us. At the ordination of our present pastor (Rev. W. Robinson), Dr. Carey publicly acknowledged, both on behalf of himself and his colleague, that they had often felt very unhappy at the unavoidable omission of some of their pastoral duties, and that they had long wished and prayed that God would provide the Church with a pastor, who should be able to give his whole time to the duties of his office. It was, therefore, quite as much their wish as ours that another pastor should be ordained over us. We did not choose a new pastor out of any disrespect to our old ones, but because we wished to relieve them from the labor of coming down to Calcutta every Sabbath to preach and we also felt sensible of the need of a pastor to reside among us, who would be able to attend minutely to the concerns of the Church. The other dissenting Churches in this city have long had resident pastors to watch over their interests and we have seen cause to suspect that the want of a resident pastor among us has been one reason why some have left us and why others have not joined us. They preferred to hold communion with a Church whose pastor was on the spot. Whilst, therefore, we would cherish the highest respect for our former pastors, we cannot doubt that the want of a resident pastor is one cause, among others, of our present low condition. reasons doubtless are, the loss of some of our best members by death, the removal of others to distant parts of the country, the withdrawment of others, and, not to specify further particulars, the general decline of vital godliness. We indeed see abundant cause to be humble before Him who searches the reins and the hearts, for He had not found our ways perfect before Him. May He enable us to be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, and may we remember how we have received and heard and hold fast and repent.

Other

'In this state of things our present pastor, Mr. Robinson arrived in this city from Sumatra. He had been twelve years in the Easterns Islands engaged in preaching the Gospel in Malay, and in translating some parts of the Scriptures into that language, but his health being impaired he was under the necessity of relinquishing the translation, and of leaving those islands. He came round to Bengal, hoping that though incapable of the close studies requisite for translating, he might still be useful as a preacher. As he had often preached to us when he was in the country before, his arrival was a pleasing circumstance, and it soon became the general wish that he should became our pastor. Our former pastors did not only acquiesce in this arrangement, but were among the first to propose it. A letter was, therefore, written to Mr. Robinson, signed by about sixty names, requesting him to take the pastoral charge over us. He cheerfully acceded to our request, but not unconditionally, for being a missionary, and having come round to Bengal without the knowledge of the Baptist Missionary Society, he accepted our call on condition that the Society approved the measure, reserving to himself the liberty of dissolving his connection with us should the Society require it of him.'

There is no copy of the letter to Mr. Robinson, which is referred to above on record in the Minute Book of the Church, but from his pastorate the modern history of the Church may be said to begin as the Minute Books and Church Rolls from that day are all extant.

In the "New Annual Bengal Directory and Calcutta Kalendar, for the year of our Lord 1824"-among the list of Literary and Benevolent Societies appears the Loll (sic) Bazar Church Missionary Society. The committee is given as the pastors and deacons of the Loll (sic), Bazar Church and Mr. Dyson, Mr. Irvine, Mr. Williamson, Mr. B. W. Marshman and Mr. C. C. Aratoon. Secretary, Rev. J. Mack; Treasurer, Mr. Fowles; and, Collector, Mr. J. R. Douglas.

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE PASTORATE OF THE REV. WILLIAM ROBINSON.

(From 16th June 1825 to 10th November 1838.)

BEFORE proceeding to detail the events of the pastorate it is necessary to introduce the pastor, hence a biographical sketch of his life is given below, but sufficient details have not been traced

PORTRAIT OF THE REV. W. ROBINSON.

(By kind permission of Mrs. Walter Bushnell.)

to give a biographical sketch of the lady, who shared his labors in the Church.

The Rev. William Robinson was born at Olney in Buckinghamshire in England on the 18th of January 1784, which was the

year in which the monthly missionary prayer meeting was started by Mr. Sutcliff at Olney. His parents were pious people. His father, grand-father and great-grand father were regular attendants at the Baptist Meeting House in Olney and are all buried in one grave in the cemetery connected with the Baptist congregation there. His father married on 4th March 1783

PORTRAIT OF MRS. W. ROBINSON (PREVIOUSLY MRS. LISH) ATTIRED AS A DEACONESS.

(By kind permission of Mrs. Walter Bushnell.)

and he and his wife lived happily together for 53 years, when his father died on 2nd July 1836, aged 75 and his mother on 27th March 1844, at the age of 84. Mr William Robinson was apparently the first child of the marriage. In the summer of 1801 he became converted and on 11th February 1802 he and Miss Elizabeth Walker, whom he afterwards

married, were proposed for communion with the Baptist Church. On the 14th March 1802 they-along with others-were baptized by Mr. Sutcliff in the river Ouse, after a sermon preached by Mr. Chamberlain, who was then on the eve of coming out to India as a missionary.

At the beginning of 1803, Mr. Robinson wrote to Mr. Sutcliff informing him of his desire to join the mission. On 22nd March 1804, the Church sanctioned his preaching in the neighbouring villages, which he afterwards frequently did. In June 1804 he was received by the Baptist Missionary Society as a probationer and placed under Mr. Sutcliff for instruction. After having been with Mr. Sutcliff thirteen months he was sent to the Bristol Academy in July 1805. In February 1806, intimation was received by the Society of a favorable opportunity for sending out two missionaries and, accordingly, they resolved to send out Mr. John Chater and Mr. Robinson by that opportunity. The designation service was held at Oxford on 12th March 1806. On the 15th idem, he married Miss Elizabeth Walker at Olney and left his home on the 26th idem. On 12th April 1806 they went on board and on the 17th idem reached Gravesend where they had to present themselves at the Alien Office.

at

On the 23rd August following the missionaries arrived Calcutta. Neither Mr. Chamberlain in 1802 nor Messrs. Mardon, Biss, Moore, and Rowe in 1804, all of whom had come out via America, were subjected to any interference on the part of the authorities, but in 1805 the missionaries began to be treated by the country Magistrates in a different manner. Once they were interrupted when distributing tracts and sent home, and when they were not distributing tracts nor preaching, they were interrogated and commanded to return to Serampore. But in 1806 the Government again made strenuous efforts against the missionaries owing to the Vellore Mutiny, one cause of which Major Scott-Waring actually stated to be the arrival of Methodist missionaries on the coast during the previous year. The

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