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will not quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed, would never suffer the soul that had been so devoted to his service, "by any pains of death to fall from him ;" and we rest assured, that, consoled by his presence, he did not fear when he passed through the gloomy valley of the shadow of death, and that he is now amongst those of whom it was said: "These are they who came out of great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them to living fountains of water: and God shall wipe away tears from their eyes."

all

The news of his death excited sincere grief in the minds of his friends, both in India and England. Funeral sermons were preached for him in this country, at Monghyr, at Berhampore, at Serampore, and at Calcutta; and a strong impression was left behind, that a great missionary had fallen in the East. A few of his friends, who "esteemed him highly in love for his work's sake," voluntarily contributed to the erection of a tablet to his memory, to be placed in the Baptist Chapel, Circular Road, Calcutta. They were happy to adopt this, as a small means of manifesting their respect for departed worth: being persuaded, that while his monument bore testimony to his missionary character in the house of God, the remembrance of it would extend much further, and be engraven on the mind of many in durable and indelible characters. The stone contains the following inscription :

Sacred to the Memory

OF

MR. JOHN CHAMBERLAIN:

WHO,

AFTER HAVING DEVOTED,

WITH UNABATED ZEAL AND INDEFATIGABLE LABOUR,

NEARLY TWENTY YEARS OF HIS LIFE

TO THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL AMONG THE HEATHEN IN INDIA,

died

ON HIS PASSAGE TO ENGLAND FOR THE RECOVERY OF HIS HEALTH,

DEC. 6, 1821.

IN LAT. 9. 30. N. LONG. 85. E.

NEAR THE ISLAND OF CEYLON.

AGED 44-5.

Be ye followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Heb. vi. 21.

CHAP XI.

Delineation of Mr. Chamberlain's Character.

THE characters of men are as various as their features, and it is not easy to determine in which divine wisdom is most displayed, the former being as essential to the beauty of the moral world, as the latter is to that of the natural. Some men are formed by nature, habit, and education, for attaining excellence only in one particular department; while others, from their general aptitude and skill, are fitted to excel in whatever they undertake.

In drawing a likeness, the principal concern of the artist is, to render conspicuous those parts of the countenance which are naturally most prominent; and if he succeeds in this, his representation is immediately recognized by those who know the person, and communicates to strangers a correct idea. In this respect, the work of the biographer very much resembles that of the artist, his great object being to describe those specific properties of the mind, by which the character may be distinguished at once from any other.*

As in painting, it is by no means an easy task to give a striking likeness; so in describing the character of a man, no ordinary degree of care is necessary to complete the outlines, and avoid giving too much light on the one hand, or too much shade on the other. The utmost circumspection in

* Ωσπερ εν οἱ ζωγραφοι τας ὁμοιοτητας απο τ8 προσώπε, και των περι την οψιν ειδων, οις εμφαίνεται το ηθος, αναλαμβανεσιν, ελαχιστα των λοιπων μερων φροντίζοντες· ὅτως ἡμιν δοτεον εις τα της ψυχης σημεια μαλλον ενδύεσθαι, και δια τέτων ειδοποιειν τον βιον.-Plut.

these points cannot be expected to secure the approbation of all; since men, after inspecting the self-same picture, form very different judgments respecting the execution: the judgment being often affected by the circumstances in which we are placed at the time we are called to exercise it. A consideration of this fact made Pericles the Athenian orator, on a memorable occasion, observe: "It is a difficult matter so to speak concerning an individual, as to satisfy those who can scarcely be expected to have the same ideas on the subject. He who knows and admires the person, will think something less to be said than he could have wished, and inferior to what he well knew; whilst he who is unacquainted with him, will through envy think the statements to be exaggerated, if they describe what exceeds his own capacity. The praises spoken in favour of others are tolerable, so long as the hearers fancy themselves capable of doing the things which they hear; but if they conceive this line of demarkation to be transgressed, they immediately envy and disbelieve.”*

Notwithstanding this diversity of feeling, which may arise from the bias of the judgment, there are some virtues which, whether attained in a small or large degree, are of so attractive and commanding a nature, that they need only to be mentioned, in order to gain their possessor respect. The human mind, though it may for a season be influenced by partiality or prejudice, is so constituted, that it must ultimately acknowledge genuine worth, and that in proportion to the evidence produced in favour of its existence. There are some things against which there is no law, and concerning which there can be but one opinion: and we are confident, that in the character we are about to pourtray, there are

* Χαλεπον γαρ το μετρίως ειπειν, εν ῳ μολις και ή δοκησις της αλήθειας βεβαιεται. ό, τε γαρ ξυνειδως και ευνες ακροατης ταχ' αν τι ενδεεστέρως προς ά βsλεται τε και επισταται, νομίσειε δηλέσθαι. ό, τε απειρος, εστιν ά και πλεονάζεσθαι δια φθονον ει τι ύπερ την ἑαυτε φυσιν ακέοι, μεχρι γαρ τε δε, ανεκτοι οἱ επαινοι εισι περι ἑτερων λεγομενοι, ες όσον αν και αυτος έκασος οιηται ίκανος είναι δρασαι τι ων ηκεσε. τῳ δε ὑπερβαλλοντι αυτών φθονεντες ηδη και απιστώσιν. Thucyd.

many qualities of this description which will be universally approved, though there may be others which will produce some variety of sentiment. From a perusal of the preceding chapter, it must be evident to every one, that the personal, religious, and missionary qualifications of Mr. C. were of no ordinary stamp; and it remains for us now to state only such particulars respecting them as could not be interwoven with a general narration.

As a man, his bodily and mental endowments claim our attention. In his stature, he was somewhat above the middle size, and during the latter part of his life, inclined to be robust. His eyes were blue, and very penetrating; his hair a light brown. His eyebrows formed a very prominent part of his countenance, and gave to him a rather severe aspect. This, on some occasions, made him appear less amiable, and on others added considerably to the dignity of his appearance, and the effect of his address. When engaged in an enlivening conversation, his features displayed an agreeable mixture of the two opposite qualities, mildness and severity. His constitution in early life was not naturally strong, but was greatly improved by the manner in which he was brought up, by constant exercise, and by travelling. He was formed by nature for an active, rather than a contemplative life; and his circumstances favoured his natural disposition, and afforded the fairest opportunities for the exercise of all his powers, whether corporal or mental. The gifts of nature bestowed on the body are truly valuable, when they are made the medium through which the activities of the soul are displayed; but still "the mind's the standard of the man.” Omitting, therefore, an enlargement on those personal advantages, arising from health and strength, which he possessed above many of his fellow labourers in the East, we shall choose rather to dwell on the mental qualities, whether natural or acquired, for which he was distinguished.

In the temperature of his mind, Mr. C. was naturally warm. This, in some respects, was an advantage, as it made him lively in his manners, and energetic in his conduct, and diffused such a portion of life and spirit throughout his system, as did not suffer him to be deterred by difficulties, or dis

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