The Children's Repository—Effie's Baptism (concluded) [pp. 175-177]

THE LADIES' REPOSITORY.
After it was over the whole company adjourned to the piazza. The sun had set, and
the full moon was rising in the east. The stars
were coming out one by one, but could be seen
only occasionally through the full foliage of the
trees, gently moving on the breath of the evening air.
After they had sat in almost entire silence
awhile, enjoying the hour and their own
thoughts, one of the children asked why Mr.
Hartley put water on Effie's head when he
baptized her.
Mr. Mellor replied that Jesus had commanded
us to use water in baptism, and that it was
meant to represent the-grace of God sprinkled
on the heart. "Water," said he, "is pure, and
clear, and free, just life the grace of God."
"Now," said Mr. Hartley, "shall I tell you a
story which I have somewhere read, of a
heathen man, who was converted and baptized?"
"O, yes!" exclaimed the children all at once.
"We are all ready for a story."
So Mr. Hartley went on:
"Two or three persons were once traveling
in India along the River Ganges. It was a
beautiful evening, cool and refreshing. They
anchored their boat on the shore of the stream
for the purpose of enjoying a ramble. They
chose a shady path through a wood of high
bamboos. These trees look very much like our
water-willows. Near the shore all was bustle
and noise; but the writer says as they advanced further into the woods the scene seemed
to acquire new charms. The rustling of the
breeze among the long, slender branches of the
bamboo, the moaning of the ring-dove, together
with the distant views of corn-fields and
thatched cottages, which, from time to time,
they caught through the openings of the woods,
excited many delightful ideas. Yet still they
were grieved to think that this fair land was
given up to the worship of false gods.
"At length they came to a village ermbosomecl in the wood. It was composed of pretty
thatched cottages, with little yards around
them, hedged in with a kind of prickly fence.
Just beyond this village was a grove of mangoes, inclosed by walls of mud. In the center
of this grove, where the foliage was very dense,
stood the tomb of a Hindoo saint. Around
the tomb were scattered things which had been
brought as offerings to the dead.
"Near it sat an old man; the very sight of
him was revolting. He was what the Hindoos
call a'devotee.' There are many like him in
that deluded land. They wander about living
on the charity of the people. They never wash
themselves. They let their beards grow t any
length, and some of them never cut their nails.
So you may be sure they present a verv disgusting appearance.
"They are ignorant and wicked, and seem to
think it a very fine thing to deceive the people.
Indeed, they appear to regard deception as
commendable. They practice jugglery, and do
almost any thing but what is saint-like. This
one which our travelers met was no better than
the rest of his kind, although he affected a
great deal of sanctity, They tried to talk to
him, but he would not answer any of their
questions. All he did was to make effort to
prevent them from touching the tomb, pretending they were too unholy to be allowed the
privilege. But the night came on, and our
travelers were obliged to hasten back to their
boat.
"Two years afterward the same party again
went up the Ganges. Early one evening they
stopped at the house of a friend to carry to him
a letter. The house was not far from the bamboo grove and the gloomy tomb. Before their
evening meal they were invited by their friend
to walk into the garden. Their friend was a
Christian man, and in one corner of the garden,
under a shed, he had a school of Hindoo children. At the door of this shed sat an old man
decently clothed. He made his'salaam,' or his
'how do you do,' to the strangers in genuine
Hindoo style. Our travelers thought they had
seen the old man before, yet they could not
distinctly remember when or where; so when
they had an opportunity they asked their friend
about him. They found he was the very same
old man who had lived in the thick grove near
the tomb, when they before traveled through
this region of country. A missionary visiting
the neighborhood had met him and had told
him about the Savior, and that his whole duty
was to repent and believe and be baptized.
"The poor old man soon was induced to yield
his Htindoo heart to God, and he became a
'devotee' of the right kind. Our travelers
askled what his name was. Their friend told
them it had been'Rambuksh' before his conversion; but when he was baptized he was very
anxious to have a new name given him. He
was told that he could. retain his old name if
he chose to do so, as the na,mning was not an
essential part of baptism.'O yes,' said he,
'give me a new name, and then when I hear it
I will be reminded that I belong to Christ.'
They gave him a new name, and his subsequent
life proved that that name was'written in the
Book of Life,' and that the'new name of love'
had been written on his heart."
176