ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



21 



until judged fit for admission into the Church by baptism. On 

 this point, the clergy remark in their letter of 3d January, 1681, 

 " We cannot however conceal the fact that the administration 

 of Holy Baptism to natives, causes us no little anxiety and 

 solicitude, many of them being still strongly inclined to hea- 

 thenish superstitions and devil worship, which we are not 

 always able to discover, for the one will not betray the other, 

 and no one has the boldness to give us the information. " It 

 is an extraordinary circumstance that with the large number on 

 the one hand, of natives professing Christianity in Ceylon, 

 there were on the other hand, reasonable doubts all along on 

 the part of the clergy as to the propriety of administering the 

 rite of baptism to such. The opinion of the classis on this 

 point, communicated in their letter of May 1 679 was as follows : 

 « Worthy brethren, our heart is enlarged towards you, desiring 

 to help by word and deed the cause of our Great Shepherd 

 among you where Satan holds his throne. We know that for 

 years doubts have existed in Ceylon respecting the children 

 of certain Singhalese who though baptized are prone to devil- 

 worship, whether such children should be baptized, &c. As 

 this crying evil has, to the best of our knowledge, not yet been 

 remedied, and as it is a great obstacle to the extension of 

 Christ's Kingdom, we will, pace vestra, franckly give you our 

 sentiment. The whole subject resolves itself into the follow- 

 ing questions. 



" 1.— Whether it be allowable to baptize an adult without 

 his previous acquaintance with God and the Christian Religion? 

 This, of course, the brethren unanimously reject with us, 

 knowing that ere an adult is baptized, he must be taught, yea 

 become a disciple of Christ. — Mark 29. 19. He who is with- 

 out the knowledge of God, and his revealed service, is without 

 faith, without God, and without hope.— Ephes. 2. To a per- 



