REQUEST TO HEAR A MISSIONARY. 541 



shaking hands with myself and Dr. Mullens, he said, ' Let us pray,' and 

 offered thanksgiving to God for having brought us there, saying that it was 

 not by our guidance we came, but by God's good guidance. Next morning 

 the governor, the pastor, and a great many elderly matrons, came and asked 

 some of us to stay, as they wanted to hear a missionary. The governor said 

 that every evening he had worship in his house, and the people outside were 

 invited to come in. Here there is no Christian missionary. All this is the 

 outcome of the spontaneous action of the people, who are constantly plead- 

 ing for some one to guide them. 



"Mangasoavina is the name of a town which is situated in a district 

 separated from any other dense population by a desert region, which it took 

 two days to cross. It is situated in a thickly-peopled 'basin,' with a terraced 

 amphitheatre all around, along whose sides irrigating streams are conducted, 

 which render the scene populous, rich, and verdant. In this town (says 

 Mr. Pillans), they told us that twenty could read, and many more knew 

 their letters. Sixteen were baptized, and formed the church in the place. 

 There were two pastors. They have one service on the Sabbath, at which 

 about one hundred and fifty attend. They have three Bibles, many testa- 

 ments and lessons-books, slates, etc. We wanted to learn what kind of 

 teaching the people received, and inquired what the pastors taught. 

 ' To do no evil,' they said, 'and to love one another.' 

 ' But what did they teach about Christ ?' 

 ' To observe his laws.' 



' But what did they teach about Christ Himself?' 

 ' That he was a substitute for the guilty.' 



Inquired what they taught about the Holy Spirit, but did not get any 

 answer ; one said it was a difficult subject. 



" They had many questions to ask about the Bible and particular texts, 

 some of which reminded us of questions which have largely exercised both 

 the learned and the unlearned at home. Who was Melchizedek ? Who 

 wrote the Epistle of the Hebrews ? Why did Christ call Himself ' the Son of 

 man?' 



" The wife of one of the pastors, a daughter of the governor, took a 

 leading part in this conversation. She seemed a very intelligent woman, and 

 an eager inquirer. 



" These facts give a wonderful evidence that the gospel is the power of 

 God unto salvation to every one who believeth, to the Jew first, and also to 

 the Greek. It is very true that there have been very remarkable circum- 

 stances connected with the recent expansion of the Church in Madagascar. 

 The supreme power in the State, the Queen and her husband, the prime 

 minister, have been on the side of Christianity ; but if this circumstance be 

 cited as largely accounting for the multitude of adherents, we have two 



