their Master's will. Still, they must perish, unless the Gospel is sent
to them. But though they perish, their punishment will be lighter than
the punishment of those who refuse to love and obey the Saviour. That
servant who knows his Lord's will, and prepares not himself, neither
does according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he
that knows not, and does commit things worthy of stripes, shall be
beaten with few stripes. Should it be your sad lot to perish at last, it
would be far better for you to go down to hell enveloped in all the
darkness of a heathen land, than to go down to hell from a land of such
gospel light and privileges as you enjoy.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE SUTTEE, OR BURNING OF WIDOWS.

My dear children--From what I have already told you, you know that the
Hindoos are a cruel people. But I have not told you of the extent to
which they carry their cruelty. Perhaps it is shown to the highest
degree in their practice of the suttee, or burning of widows. The
British have abolished this rite throughout their dominions in India.
They have also made great exertions to have it abolished in the
territories of the native princes, but I am sorry to say, that in some
of these territories it is still practised. Within the last three years,
twenty-three of the princes just alluded to, have issued orders for its
abolishment throughout their dominions. These orders have probably been
issued solely in consequence of their fear of the British power, for it
is a practice which is riveted in the affections of the people. This
power they know that it will be dangerous to resist.

In my "Sermon to Children, on the Condition of the Heathen," I
mentioned, that the sacred books of the heathen encourage the suttee. I
also mentioned several instances, in which widows had been burned to
death with the corpses of their husbands. Even though you may have seen
that book, it will be well for me to give you two or three other cases,
to impress your minds more fully with the horrors of the Hindoo
religion. The first took place in a village of Tanjore. A merchant
having died, his wife, who was about thirty years old, determined to
burn herself with his corpse. The news of what she was going to do,
quickly spread in every direction, and large numbers of people collected
to witness the burning. After she was adorned with jewels and dressed in
her best clothing, and after her body was tinged with the yellow
infusion