keeping to them, when you are shown a better way, the only way that can give you peace here and happiness hereafter." This, said he, will all be, when our children are taught in the ways of God: they will be able to direct us, and keep us in mind of our duty, by having the book, in which God's will is made known, to instruct us from.

Monday, Jan. 22d. This morning I breakfasted early, and accompanied by my little boys and Chand, went to LibbaPahar, to witness a sacrifice of the same description as that which took place at Choumbdy. After an hour's walk, we reached the village, where nothing was to be seen but companies of hill people here and there dancing, and nothing to be heard but their songs and tom-toms. As soon as I was perceived, the manjy of the village, his Cutwauls, and two or three other manjies came up to me, and conducted me to the shade of the manjy's house, opposite to the place where the sacrifice was to be slain. After sitting here for some time, the buffalo was led forth, his fore-feet tied, and led to a stake at a little distance, where he was bound in the midst of shouts of the people, who screamed as with delight, brandishing their swords in the air. After standing here some time, two men went and seized it by the tail, and began to torture it, by taking the tail in their mouths, and gnawing it with their teeth till they tore of the flesh, as if working themselves up to phrenzy. When the creature had been tortured for about an hour, a young man brought a bamboo tray, having on it Indian corn, boiled rice and flour. Taking a small vessel of water, he washed the shrine, and sprinkled water on the ground about it. Another person now brought a green bough, and stuck it in the ground, at the east side of the three unformed stones that represented the deity, which the man, from his small brazen vessel, sprinkled with flour and water. The koodom, or sacred stool, was then washed and sprinkled, and placed upon the stones. This done, the manjy brought some oil, and anointed himself, and a young man who was to assist him in the ceremony. This person he marked on the forehead, shoulders, and back, with red paint. The party then rose from before the shine where they had been sitting, and the chief took a new earthen vessel, which he broke in pieces by dashing it violently on the ground, at the end of a speech which I did not understand. The Cutwaul of the village, taking an egg, went up to the buffalo, and broke it on

its head, and in the next minute, the chief, with one stroke of his sword, cut the hamstrings of the poor animal, which brought it to the ground. The cord that bound it to the stake was now loosed, and it was dragged to the shine, when the people with their swords began cutting at the neck. I never saw a sight so barbarous; for a long time, as they continued cutting at it, by its struggles it forced itself two or three times round the shine, during which, I was obliged to hold my hand over my eyes. At last, from loss of blood, it was exhausted, and fell down about two yards from my feet, and suffered its butchers to hack away without a struggle. I just raised my eyes at this time, and looked at the poor thing; they had cut about half way through the neck, and the blood seemed like a well in the horrid looking gash, which their swords scattered to some distance. When the head was parted, it was brought and placed opposite their deity, and the young man who had prepared the place, took up blood in both his hands, which he sprinkled over it, and on the branch, and two altars that were at a short distance, and sprinkled some on the people. The possessed persons came forward at the same time, and with great eagerness caught up some of the blood, which they drank. Drinking the blood does not seem peculiar to the possessed persons, for I observed a chief among them put his hand into it and drink some. The whole of this seemed to give them the greatest pleasure, and I am almost inclined to think they have these sights, as much to gratify a barbarcus and inhuman propensity, as out of respect to their divinity. They crowded around me to pay their respects, said this was their custom, and called it Tamushu. Just before the buffalo was slain, and the shrine prepared, a cock was brought and killed, its blood poured on the koodom, the stones, and branch; and while the neck was yet streaming, the sacrificer put it into his mouth. Just as the buffalo was about to be killed, they began dancing and leaping with great violence, and crying out "kuso, kuso," blood, blood. The people of the village, and those present from neighbouring ones, were more or less drunk, without exception of age or sex. In one party I observed six women, who, though they seemed just able to stand, were keeping up the dance, and poor little children, for whom I felt most, as they seemed the most hopeful part of the assemblage, were taught to practise all the excess of their elders. When the sacrifice was ended, I rose, and

went away, satisfied at having seen this, but at the same time horrified and disgusted. May He, in whose hands are the hearts of men, give me zeal and ability to undermine this empire of Satan, and open the minds of these deluded people, that they may turn to the Lord, who bought them, not with the slaying of beasts, but with his own precious blood. My good little boys and Chand kept close at my side, and when I came away, they followed me.

CHRIST OUR HIGH PRIEST.

"But Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption of us. Hebrews ix. 11, 12.

THIS is one of the many passages in the Epistle to the Hebrews, that cannot be understood without a knowledge of the Jewish customs, to which it alludes.

You know, of course, that the Jews had a high priest, who was always of the family of Aaron. This high priest was at the head of the Jewish religion: he alone could perform some of those ceremonies which God had commanded to be performed so that he stood between God and the Israelites as their great intercessor: it was only by him that God would be intreated for the people.

There was one day in the year called "the day of Propiti. ation"-the day, that is, for propitiating God; for making him look upon his people with favour. On this great day, which was a solemn fast, the high priest himself offered sacrifice for his own sins and the sins of the people. For his own sins and those of his family he slew a bullock: for those of the people he took two goats, one of which was chosen by lot to be slain.

Having slain the bullock and the goat, he went into the Holy of Holies-which was the furthest part of the tabernacle, into which none might go but the high priest, and he only upon this one day of the year.

In this Holy of Holies was placed the ark of the Covenant, an ark or chest in which the Law of Moses was kept,-the lid of which was called the Mercy-Seat, and considered as the place where God was most particularly present. On this lid of the ark (or mercy-seat) the high priest sprinkled the blood of the bullock and goat. He also sprinkled it seven times upon the floor. This (with other sprinklings of the blood in other parts of the temple) was an atonement—because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins." Lev. xvi. 11-19.*

* The rest of the ceremony, though not alluded to in these verses, is too interesting to be omitted. The high priest then went into the