not for the dead, neither bemoan him; but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country." It has been verified in the case of others on board, as well as in his own. On December 27th, 1842, Mr. Leslie landed in Calcutta, and was, as before, hospitably entertained by Matthew Johnston, Esq., and his excellent wife and daughters. The occurrences of the next few days will be best told in his own words. On the 18th of January, 1843, he thus wrote to the Secretary of the Baptist Missionary Society : "The good folks in Calcutta having heard that I was on my way out, had a meeting a month before I arrived, and came to the unanimous resolution of inviting me to supply the pulpit in Circular Road for six months, with a view to becoming their settled pastor. In this resolution Brethren Yates and Wenger, who had been preaching for them since Mr. Gibson's death, united. Consequently, I had hardly set my foot on shore, when a letter containing this resolution was put into my hand. Though three weeks have elapsed since I received the invitation, I have as yet given no reply to it. I am at a loss to know what to do. I have no liking for Calcutta as a place. I fear I may not suit the people. My prepossessions are in favour of a residence in the interior, where I can rove about on foot among the natives, as I have often done; and where I can labour without the restraints which are imposed upon a missionary in such a place as the City of Palaces. I hardly designed to return to Monghyr, that place being amply supplied by Brethren Moore, Lawrence, and Parsons, all of whom are attached to the station; but I had it in my heart to go and settle in some place as near to the hill-tribes as possible. Though I suffered from having been among them formerly, yet I long for their salvation. On the other hand, it is plain that some one is required for Circular Road. Dr. Yates says he cannot go on preaching and translating too; and that if he has to continue both, he will ere long have to give up all. Now, it is of the very highest importance to the cause of God that his life should be continued. I have, therefore, determined for the present to remain and relieve, or, rather, aid him; for he says he will still preach now and then. Should I discover that Calcutta does not suit me, or that I do not suit the people, I shall then feel at liberty to take myself off whatever be the consequences. I hope you will write just two lines by the next mail to tell me what you and the Committee think. If you disapprove of my remaining here, I shall, without the smallest reluctance, bend my steps up into the interior. In the meantime, I do not intend to give myself wholly to the English Church. There are thousands and tens of thousands here who can speak the Hindustani language, and to whom I will preach as often as my strength will allow. "Since my arrival here, a series of meet ings has been held at Serampore of the most delightful kind I ever attended, for the formation of an Association of Baptist Churches in Bengal. There were delegates from many Churches present, both European and native; and it was certainly a most interesting and novel sight to see natives and Europeans mingling together, all on a perfect equality, and taking a share in the proceedings of the meetings. There were Bengali prayers and English prayers, Bengali sermons and English sermons, and Bengali letters and English letters. I conceive that nothing more interesting has as yet taken place in the history of our mission in the East; and I conceive, too, that the first grand step has been taken for the complete independence of the Churches. By the yearly sending of native delegates to the Association, the natives will learn to act for themselves and by themselves, while at the same time they will feel that they are not acting alone, but with a considerable body of the people of God. A most delightful spirit pervaded the meetings, which lasted four days; and what is unusual at other Associations, there was a great deal more praying than preaching. The Serampore friends entered into the affair with their whole hearts, and I think the band of union formed between them and all the other brethren, was of the most complete and holy kind. The most of the meetings were held in the spacious hall of the college; yet not all of them. Three of them were held in the humble native chapel situated in the Christian village about two miles from the College. The believers were certainly of one heart and of one soul. It seemed to me the nearest approach to heaven of anything I had ever yet seen. There was no parade, nor show. All seemed to be at work with one end in view, the glory of God and the good of men." For twenty-two years Mr. Leslie filled the place of the pastor of the Circular Road Church. The Church under his care prospered and grew, and the memory of his many years of labour is fresh in the hearts of his people. Few now remain alive of those who invited him to be their pastor. He saw most of them die. He stood by them in the dark valley, and cheered them with his prayers and his words of sympathy; he buried them in the joyful hope of a glorious resurrection. But it was also given to him to welcome many of their children, and others besides, into the Church of God on earth, burying them with Christ in the waters of baptism, and watching over the new life they strove to lead as the disciples of the Lord. They, too, are passing away one by one. They were his "joy" here, and are now forming his " crown in the presence of God. And now we come to the closing years, the evening time. It is well for us that we do not know the manner of our death, that there is nothing to tell us beforehand of the way in which we shall be called home to rest, for oftentimes the messenger comes in a form we would not choose for ourselves. Mr. Leslie always had a great shrinking from death. Naturally of a melancholy disposition, he thought of all the sad accompaniments of death, and feared the act of dying, though not death itself. His great wish was to die suddenly, even in the very pulpit, that so his life and his work might close together. But this wish of his heart was denied him. His way home was long and wearisome; yet now that the end has been reached, the length and weariness have been all forgotten in the joy of being safe in the Father's house. In November, 1863, the first warning came, in the shape of an attack of illness which threatened his life. Mr. Leslie, however, recovered in a few days, and had he listened to the advice of the "beloved physician" who attended him, he would probably have been completely restored to health. He was urged, entreated, implored to give himself some rest, if he wished to retain his mental faculties unimpaired, but he would not believe what was told him, and accordingly refused. He recommenced work again in a fortnight. In two months a second warning was sent. He attended to this so far, that he rested for three months, and then began again. Longing to die in the midst of his work, and believing the end to be very near, he devoted himself entirely to it, working as hard as ever he had done in the days of his strength. His mind being weakened, the strain of preparation for three sermons a week was very great, and bodily strength and mental vigour both began to fail, and in 1865 it was thought advisable for him to give up the pastoral charge of the church he loved so well. He did it: but how reluctantly, and with what cost of suffering to himself, those who were constantly with him, alone know. On the 1st of June, 1865, the tie which had lasted so long, was severed. His last act as pastor was to receive six young persons into Church fellowship, an act which gave him peculiar pleasure. His last sermon was preached from the words, "Christ died for us" (Romans v. 8), a fitting close to his forty-one years of labour on Indian soil. After this, his life was one of patient waiting for the coming of the Lord. Heart and flesh failed more and more, but God was the strength of his life, and his portion for ever. Five weary years of evergrowing helplessness had to be passed through before the heavy burden of flesh was laid down; but he never murmured, and on one occasion, when a friend was remarking on the mys teriousness of God's Providence in thus dealing with him, he exclaimed, with much earnestness, "It is all right, all right!" He remained in Calcutta; for his children and his friends were there, and he had no wish to go elsewhere. For some time he was able to attend the chapel he loved so much, but gradually he had to give up one service after another, until at length he was unable to go out at all. During the last eight months of his life he never left his house. There is little left to record. One interesting incident must, however, be mentioned. About the beginning of January, 1870, the year of his release, he was visited by a Mr. Rodgers, who expressed a strong desire to see him. On being told that Mr. Leslie was not well and unable to converse, he said, "O do let me see him; perhaps he will remember me when I call some things to his mind." Admitted to his room, he asked him if he remembered him? "No," was the answer. He reminded him of the regiment at Dinapore, of his frequently going to preach to the soldiers after Mr. Burton's death, of Sir Henry Havelock and Captain Ward. All these he remembered well. He then said, "I was baptized by you at Dinapore forty years ago, and I well remember the last sermon I heard from your lips, from Isaiah xxxii. 2: "A man shall be as an hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of waters in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." He continued, "I left the army many years ago, and have lived ever since in the Kangra valley, and am now on my way back to England. It has always been my determination whenever I came to Calcutta to visit you. This is the first time I have come, and I have found you out; but oh, how grieved I am to see you thus!" After ineffectual efforts to get Mr. Leslie to converse, Mr. Rodgers, with much feeling, asked him if his hope in Christ was still firm. "O yes," was the immediate answer. "Oh, then, keep fast hold of Him, dear Sir, and never, never let Him go." And, rising, with moistened eyes and a full heart, he bade him farewell with these words, "When next we meet, it will be in heaven." During the last two or three years, Mr. Leslie was unable to keep up family worship in the evenings. His weakness obliged him to retire to bed very early, oftentimes before sunset. In the mornings, however, he always had it, following with his eyes the chapter read, and leading in prayer. Sometimes he was able to pray at some length and connectedly; at other times he could only repeat a few sentences over and over. The last time he had family worship was on the morning of July 19th. Luke xxi. was read. When the reading was over, he looked intently on his open Bible for a few minutes, and then deliberately turned down the page, a thing he was not in the habit of doing, as if to mark the place where his ministrations had ceased. He assumed the attitude of prayer, but "Gracious Father" were the only words he could utter. We waited for some time in silence; but he said no more. Doubtless his "Abba, Father " was heard in heaven, and God understood all His servant wished to say, but could not. The day passed as usual; we noticed nothing strange. The next morning paralysis came on; and after this, there was no more speech, scarcely any recognition. On Saturday morning, there was a change, and we saw that the hand of death was on him. All that day, and the next night, and the following Sabbath, he was dying, but he knew nothing of it. At last, at half-past seven in the evening of July 24th, he passed away to the Sabbath rest in heaven. We thanked God through our tears, rejoicing that the heavilyburdened spirit was at length released, and again able to rejoice in doing the service of his God. He had passed through the river of death, but he had not seen it, and the anguish of parting words and looks had been spared him. Most lovingly and tenderly had his Master dealt with him; and who imagine the rapture and surprise of the glorified spirit, when, after a period of unconsciousness, he woke up in the likeness and in the presence of Christ! He was then, and for the first time, satisfied. can The next evening a very large concourse of friends of all denominations assembled to bear him to his rest. Six soldiers from the regiment at Dum Dum, out of respect to his son, then residing there, came in and carried his remains to the grave. There seemed an appropriateness in this, as he had ministered so much to soldiers at the beginning of his Indian career. He was buried in the Dissenters' Burial Ground, a place which in the days of his health he had been in the habit of almost daily frequenting, for the purpose of walking and meditating, and in which he had buried very many of his congregation. There, amongst his own people, and beside his little grandson, who nine years before had entered the celestial city, his body lies waiting for the resurrection of the just. Funeral sermons were preached for him on the following Sabbath, in Calcutta, by his successor, the Rev. Albert Williams, and, at Monghyr, by his beloved associate, the Rev. John Lawrence. It is remarkable that the same text was chosen by both preachers: "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a Fi crown of life" (Rev. ii. 10). delity was evidently the characteris tic which struck both minds. In the chapel where he preached so long, his people have put up a very handsome Marble Memorial Tablet, with an inscription drawn up by the Rev. C. B. Lewis. Nothing now remains to be done but to sketch Mr. Leslie's character in its different aspects. I. The Missionary. We have seen how Mr. Leslie consecrated himself to the work of preaching the Gospel to the heathen; and how reluctantly he gave it up. how unweariedly he carried it on; The self-denial exercised by him in devoting himself to the work was very great. Study was his delight, and it was no easy thing for him to give up his favourite tastes and pursuits for the laborious life of a Missionary. But constrained by the love of Christ he did it, and never repented. His "frugality in the use of Missionary funds" has been written about, and in reference to this subject perhaps it would be as well to make an extract from one of Baptist Missionary Society. his letters to the Secretary of the "Many hundreds of miles have I walked in missionary journeys, and that without any cost to you either for myself or native associates, for I invariably paid all expenses, and I saved besides not a few hundred pounds to the Society by never drawing for more than nine months' salary in the year all the time that I was on your funds. In addition to this, I never drew one fraction for my children. I do not say this by way of boasting. I did no more than my duty to the cause of Christ, and no more than others did who were on your missionary list at the time of my being enrolled on it. It is true that after five years' suffering from jungle fever, I have once been home, but though the Society paid for my passage home and back, I drew nothing of salary from the date of my leaving India to my return to it. And as to the journeying expenses of my wife and children when they were in England, a private friend paid the whole and more than the whole; and he did this on my saying in reply to him that I could never think of expending Society's money in taking them to see different places in England and Scotland. At Monghyr, I required nothing of you for house repairs, nor any sum to make up deficiencies in the local subscriptions for the support of native preachers, schools, &c., deficiencies which often happened and to no small extent. Perhaps you are ready to ask how could I do all this? 1 will tell you how. First, I was a widower for seven years, and had only myself to supply; and next I lived with Mrs. Chamberlain who bore one half of the expenses of the table; and these from the way in which we lived were not very great." When it appeared to Mr. Leslie to be the will of God to take charge of the Circular Road Church, he did so with the intention of keeping up his missionary work. For some years, in company with Mr. Wenger and others, he regularly preached in the streets to the heathen. But after a time he felt that he had not strength sufficient for this, and that if he would continue in charge of the Church, he must give up the street preaching. His interest, however, in missionary operations never abated. Jessor he visited the churches in Islande; twice he went to Saugor Once to preach at the yearly festival; twice he went and saw the churches in the South villages. In addition to all this he spent considerable labour on a revised edition of the Hindi New Testament. Being on the Committee of the Calcutta Baptist Missionary Society, he was always present at their meetings, giving his advice and counsel. Until the last three years of his life, he was never absent from the annual meetings of this society, and until 1866, himself opened them with prayer. On the Sundays he preached one of the annual sermons, and few things delighted him more than to get a good collection for the mission. The monthly missionary prayer meeting he considered very important, and always made it a duty to be present, considering that without prayer no blessing could be expected. Even as late as 1867 he was present at some of these meetings. II. The Minister. What Mr. Leslie was as a minister to the English Church at Monghyr may be gathered from the extracts from letters already made. In Calcutta he was the same. As a preacher he was much liked: the attendance at the chapel proved that. In one of his letters he makes the following remark :-"Fine preaching rather than good preaching is sought for; and I have determined to try to be as good as I can, and to shun everything like finery." And this he did. He laboured at plainness of speech; delighted in Saxon English; and aimed at being understood by all classes. The excellence of his preaching consisted in its exceeding simplicity of style, originality of thought and fervour of spirit. He never preached a sermon that he had not thoroughly studied, and written out in a great measure: When Mr. Leslie took charge of the Church, he told his people frankly that he had no talent for religious conversation, and that he would not promise to visit them formally; but if any one were ill, and would let him know, he would be sure to call; and if he were invited to tea for he positively refused all invitations to dinner-he would be certain to accept the invitation. And he kept his word. To the poor he was especially kind. When they were ill, and the poorer and more neglected they were, the more attentive he was, he would go day after day to see them, generally walking. If any were in trouble, he was distressed. Many a night he never slept, in consequence of the troubles of his people. If any prospered in their business, he was overjoyed. He seemed to identify him |