are twelve festivals, celebrated periodically; two of these are grand festivals, viz. the one which happens in the month of June, and is held in commemoration of the birth of the god; and the other in the month of October, commemorating his nuptials: these are usually solemnised in all the Shiven temples; on those two occasions five cars are highly decorated, and drawn in procession through the streets of the town. The expense on these occasions for the latter is 1554 rupees, and for the former 1550. At the season of the festivities the large muntapums on the east gate of the temple are decorated for the reception of the idols, when they are taken out in solemn train through the principal streets that surround the pagoda. The expenses of the other festivals are defrayed by government, and vary from 74 to 375 rupees for each on the whole, the expenses for the great Shiven temple annually amount to 17,871 rupees, 9 annas, and 1 pice. The festivals for Permaul, or Vistnu, happen twice a-year, in the months of September and March, when cars are drawn equal to the expense allowed them, which must not exceed 210 rupees. Independently of these, there are 21 lesser temples within the precincts of the town; to each of which an allowance of one rupee per diem is conferred to defray the expenses of their respective establishments, &c. There are besides several substantial edifices, built of granite, dedicated to the use of the idols; and here food is usually served out to a limited number of Bramins alone, by funds arising from donations, and other charitable offerings: besides the muntapums, there are muddums appropriated for the dwelling of sanniassics, and chuttrums for the reception of Bramin travellers. In Tinnevelly there are no less than 60 private schools, chiefly Tamil, and a few Sanscrit, Hindoostanee, Arabic, &c. In these schools an average of from 30 to 40 pupils each gives 2100 children that receive education. Besides these, four mission schools were opened in the year 1817, by the Reverend J. Hough. The missionaries have a meeting of the school-boys on every Wednesday evening, in the town, where the Hindus, both men and women, often give their attendance, to hear a portion of Scripture read and explained. Of Mahomedan places of worship there are ten principal mosques, four of which are designated by the term Musjeeds, and fourteen Pu'ly wassils or lesser ones, together with several other inferior kinds, known by the name of Fakeers Faikal: the whole of these are supported by mohins, or small sums in money conferred by government, according to the former usages of these institutions. There are two Romish churches, and a few chapels: the one at Palliapettay is the largest, where a Goa priest resides; and the other is on the north side of the town, called Candiapary, built in the year 1786. The tassildar holds his cutcherry in the outward apartment of the great pagoda, so as to give access to the lower classes of the inhabitants in general. The police administration of the Talooks and Zemindaries is vested in the tassildars, since the office of darogahs was abolished in 1820. A commissioner's court is held here for the recovery of small debts; the former under the control of the magistrate, and the latter subject to the authority of the judge at Madura. [Now it is subject to the auxiliary court.] The zillah of Tinnevelly was established in the year 1808, when the court of Ramnad was incorporated with Madura. This court was abolished in August 1822, and annexed to the zillah of Madura. The court-house and its dependent buildings are surrounded by a high wall, on the south side of the temple; since the appointment of James Munro, Esq. collector, in June 1823, this building was devoted to the establishment of the Huzzoor cutcherry. [An auxiliary court was established in Tinnevelly in 1827.] Tinnevelly (the town) cannot claim any consider able share of manufacture for itself, so much as its neighbourhood. Besides the common long-cloths, &c. manufactured by the Kykolar weavers, used for the dress of the common people, reed-mats are made by Moormen or lubbays, and the puttay arrack is distilled by the Elavers, who are also the venders of that article: they also carry on a small manufacture of cloths. There are two paper-mills for the manufacture of coarse brown paper, which, in texture and colour, is much inferior to that made at Madura. In no country to the southward are there more carts known to be employed than in Tinnevelly; they afford employment to a great number of the inhabitants in conveying grain, cotton, cloths, straw, tobacco, and especially firewood, bamboo, and timber, &c. &c., from the hills, which are situated from forty to fifty miles on the west. JOY AT THE SAVIOUR'S BIRTH; A Sermon For Christmas-Day, BY THE REV. FRANCIS JOHN STAINFORTII, M.A. "Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." And THE birth of a child is, under any circumstances, an event of the highest interest. Expectation has at length given place to reality; another being has come into the world, to fill our place when we are gone, and to run his course of joy or suffering, till he is called on in his turn to make room for those beneath him. At such a season every heart beats high with expectation, and every countenance is lighted up with pleasure. The cheerful tones of congratulation, the light step of innocent gladness, the pressure of the friendly hand, are there, till the father's heart is softened with the consciousness of his happiness, and the mother feels her pangs requited for joy that a man is born into the world. We gaze on the new-born infant, as he sleeps all careless of the interest he has excited; and hope, with fond credulity, will image forth many a scene of usefulness and delight in which he may live to share. Yet there are sadder thoughts which crowd into the reflecting mind in spite of all its efforts. Is he indeed destined to survive the perils of infancy, and the adventurous rashness of youth? Will he be one of those whom good men delight to honour, serviceable in his generation, and leaving a bright example to all who follow him? or will he be one whose track is stained with guilt, and whose end is pointed at by shame? What hardships and trials, what buffetings and afflictions, may be He the lot of this unconscious slumberer! What of love. But will God indeed dwell with furious passions may one day tear this help-men-with men benighted in ignorance and less bosom! What vain hopes, and ardent depraved by sin? Behold, the heaven of projects, and bitter disappointments, may heavens cannot contain him; and how shall disturb his peace! And will he repay our he stoop to enter this the meanest and most present anxiety by soothing the infirmity of polluted region of his unmeasured dominions? our declining years? or will he bring our Or, if he come among us, in what guise grey hairs in sorrow to the grave? Alas, shall he appear that is suited to his dignity? we cannot tell. Years may pass away before With what awful terrors might we expect his character and destiny are determined; him to come armed, the heavens bowed beand we may never live to see the result, to neath his feet, the earth shrinking from his comfort him in his troubles, or to rejoice in presence, the guilty sons of men calling on his success. the rocks to fall on them, and the mountains to cover them from his wrath. Fear not, brethren; for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. came, not to plague us for our offences, but to help our infirmities; not to call us to our account, but to provide a remedy for our sins. He came to make a way of reconciliation with his Father; to sacrifice his life as man, that men might live immortally; that, by virtue of his sufferings, we might be released from the fears and penalties of guilt; that, through his intercession, our prayers might be heard on high; that, by his doctrine, our nature might be purified, and our feet be guided into the way of peace; that, by his pattern, we might be modelled to every Christian virtue, and adorned for his eternal society and love. When the light of heaven first shines into our hearts, like the shepherds of old, we are sore afraid; but the voice of mercy still cries to us, Fear not; for, behold, I And then Christianity, where it exists at all, will always give birth to a new train of sentiments. We see before us a heir of immortality, a candidate for heaven, one whom God has loved, one for whom Christ has died, one to whom the Holy Spirit will not be denied, one whom we are privileged to bring to the holy font of baptism, and dedicate with grateful hearts to the service of his Maker. Yet will he rightly improve these means of grace? Will he pursue these hopes of glory with all the fervour and perseverance which they merit? Will the life he has derived from us prove ultimately a blessing or a curse? for on the right use of it depends the happiness or misery of an immortal soul. It is not the mere fleeting existence of a creature that is crushed before the moth; but the beginning of an endless life, with all the responsibilities of those whom God has called to a knowledge of his truth, and who have the awful alternative of heaven or hell set before them in the Gospel. Well may the parent tremble for the fate of his newfound treasure, and pray that that God who has been the guide and support of his own pilgrimage, may continue to vouchsafe undiminished mercy to the children that are given him. These I suppose are thoughts which must be familiar to all at least who have rejoiced in the name of a husband and a father; for these are such as the first sight of our offspring is always calculated to excite. But we are met together now to celebrate the birth of an Infant to whom we may all claim relationship; of that auspicious Babe on whose appearance our eternal interests depended. In the fulness of time God sent his Son into the world in form and fashion as a man, and made under the law, that we might be redeemed from its curse. This was the greatest event the world had ever witnessed, the object for which all other events had been directed by an overruling Providence. Prophets and righteous men had desired in vain to see it; nor could the very angels of heaven anticipate the accomplishment of this mysterious act of wisdom and bring you glad tidings of great joy. Glad tidings of great joy indeed, that God has not cast off his people, but has remembered the promise that he made to the forefathers of our faith, to Abraham and his seed for ever. Glad tidings of great joy indeed, that unto you is born a Saviour. We looked for anger, and behold mercy; for vengeance, and behold forgiveness. The Judge himself has stepped from off his throne to suffer for us, and has resumed it to pronounce our acquittal. This amazing tenderness towards his creatures, this earnest and intense desire for their recovery to his likeness and his favour, shews that we can never apply to him in vain, or vainly seek the benefits of his redemption; shews, in fact, that we cannot be more anxious to receive salvation than he is anxious to bestow it. Thanks be to God, then, for this unspeakable gift. Thanks for that surpassing love which in fear, and in sickness, and in grief, still points to the place where the young Child lay, and gives us a comfortable assurance that, as he did not abhor the virgin's womb, so he will not disdain to make his abode in the humble and contrite heart. "And, behold, I bring you glad tidings of tain men clave unto him, and believed; among the which was Dionysius the Arcopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and many others." And why, amongst many others, should Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, be specified? Why, but to bid you mark that the doctrine of the apostle was such as no learning would be disparaged by confessing, and no feebleness of intellect should be incapable of receiving. Unto you, then, whatever be your age, or sex, or rank, the enormity or continuance of your guilt, the weakness of your nature, or the pressure of your temptations, unto you, we proclaim good tidings of great joy, that there was this day born unto you a Saviour. great joy, which shall be to all people." | Though the message of mercy was first delivered to the shepherds, they were not to entertain the selfish notion that they had any exclusive interest in it; nor, on the other hand, to be saddened by the thought that any of God's creatures were overlooked in this visitation of his love. He would have us know that his goodness is as unlimited in its operation as it is wonderful in its nature. Not, alas, that we may hope that all will profit by it; on the contrary, we have too much reason to believe that many will find their condemnation aggravated by the abuse of those privileges which were intended for their blessing. To such we cannot say, Fear not; for there is every thing for them to dread. We cannot say that we bring And this Saviour is here called Christ the them good tidings of great joy, while they are Lord, that is, the anointed Lord, a title immersed in worldly pleasures; for we are which, you may remember, is frequently bound to proclaim that danger overhangs applied to our Redeemer both in the Old them, and "a fearful looking for of wrath and New Testaments: and this is not withand fiery indignation." We cannot speak out a meaning. There were three classes of thus to such as are hasting to be rich; for to men whom it was customary to anoint when the poor is the Gospel preached, and hardly they were consecrated to their respective shall the rich man enter into the kingdom of offices, viz. prophets, priests, and kings; and God. We cannot speak thus to such as are in each of these relations does the blessed climbing the heights of ambition, and panting Jesus stand to all his true disciples. He is after the honours of the world; for our lan- our Prophet; for he came to teach us the guage is, Except ye become as little children, things that belong to our peace; and without except ye become as this little child, ye shall his teaching we can know nothing as we in nowise enter into the kingdom of heaven. ought to know it. He has taught us our But the gift is spoken of according to the origin-that the body of man was formed out effects it is properly calculated to produce. of the dust, and the spirit was an emanation It is justly called good tidings of great joy from God himself. He has taught us our to all people, that unto them is born a Sa- fallen condition our first parents having viour, if they will but close with his gracious offended their Creator, and transmitted an offer, and accept the salvation he came down evil nature to all their children, which renfrom heaven to bestow. There is no dis- ders them prone to sin, and liable to continction of persons in his system; high and demnation. He has taught us the mode by low, rich and poor, ignorant and learned, are which we may become reconciled to God by equally invited and equally welcome. See looking to Him that bore our sins in his own how from the first he called around his cradle body on the tree, and humbly, yet faithfully, men of opposite kinds-the poor shepherds claiming the promised imputation of his from the quiet innocence of their pas-merits. He has taught us to expect his tures, and the wise men from their studies in the east ; and dear to him was the simple homage of those rustics, who seemed to typify him that came to seek the sheep that were lost, and lead them to the green pastures and living waters of his love; and dear to him was the high-born adoration of those magi, as they cast their crowns before his feet, and poured into his lap the abundance of their offering. Could any thing better teach us that no situation in life is so exalted but what religion claims its deference, and none so humble but what religion proffers to it the riches and honours of immortality? It is precisely in a similar spirit that you are told of the result of Paul's preaching to the Athenians. "Howbeit cer Spirit to cleanse and sanctify our hearts, and to make us meet for that inheritance of glory which is prepared for them that love him. And whence had this Man such knowledge to impart to us, but that he was that anointed Prophet by whom the Father would unfold the great mysteries of godliness? One of his titles is "the Word." This is the name so often given him by St. John at the opening of his Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And he was so called in the opinion of the Fathers, because he was the mode of communication from God to man; because he was the Messenger and the message, the Prophet and the truth, whom Love had sent for our salvation. And this message and this truth is not only made clear to the understanding of his chosen followers, but is so fixed in their hearts, and so interwoven with their affections, that it exerts a powerful and lasting influence on their lives, calling them with a winning voice, and leading them with a gentle hand in the ways of holiness and peace. As our Prophet, then, we N are to listen to his gracious teaching, submitting our reason willingly to his guidance, not tarrying for fresh evidence, nor cavilling at what is granted, nor doubting that he will accomplish all his promises and purposes of love. Again; he is our Priest, for he offered once for all that invaluable sacrifice which could take away the sins of a guilty world. "For their sakes," said he, "I sanctify myself;" that is, as I understand the phrase, I consecrate myself to die as an atonement for their offences; which atonement he himself offered up as a sweet-smelling savour to the Father. And now he has an unchangeable priesthood, having ventured into heaven to plead the merits of his obedience in our behalf. He pleads that the homage he rendered to the Father in our nature makes usurious amends for all that our rebellion had denied him. He meets the claims of justice with an appeal to the efficacy of his sufferings and intercession; so that God no more demands the satisfaction of his authority, and man no longer hates the law which spoke only to condemn him, nor shrinks from the hand which is yet marked by those nails with which compassion for our race had pierced it. Nor is he less our King; for he exacts dominion over our hearts and lives, and counts for revolted subjects all who will not yield him an exclusive and a willing obedience. His kingdom, indeed, is not of this world; and it seldom thrives or comes to good when it is overlaid with the trappings of human grandeur. But he loves to erect his throne in the pure and contrite spirit, and seeks so to reign over our affections now, that we may find entrance into the courts of his everlasting glory. Such, then, was the Saviour, whose birth was announced this day to the humble shepherds of Judea as "glad tidings of great joy, which should be to all people." But, observe, his offices are proclaimed to us, in order to induce us to seek his presence. And therefore it is added, "This shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger." The angels give no command to seek the new-born Monarch. They take for granted that as the vision faded gradually from the view of the shepherds, the description they had received would make them hasten to adore him; for the same grace that reveals the Saviour to us, creates the impulse to fly to him without delay. Yet it is obvious that the token with which they were furnished would not enable them to find this wondrous Babe, nor, perhaps, to distinguish him, when found, from other children. I am inclined, therefore, to regard it as a sign given, not to assist their discovery of the Infant, but to explain the purpose of his advent, the nature of his intentions to mankind. The words were addressed, as you are aware, to a few poor shepherds, who were watching over their flocks in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Such persons might well feel alarmed at being called on to approach so mysterious a Being. They might mistake the motive of his visit, and suppose, like the great body of their countrymen, that he was come to establish an earthly throne, and restore the kingdom to forsaken Israel. They knew not as yet that he came to undeceive mankind as to the value of prosperity, to disenchant them of their attachment to wealth and power, and to teach them that happiness consists rather in suppressing our desires than multiplying our enjoyments. They would think of him only as the deliverer of Israel, as the conqueror of Judah, as the legislator of the people. They would expect to find him in the schools of the learned, or in the palace of the governor, where their humble condition might make them unwelcome guests. And therefore this was to be a sign unto them, that they should find him a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger; that they should find him in all the helplessness of infancy, and all the meanness of destitution. And this shall be a sign to you to the poor, and the afflicted, and the friendless, in all ages;-if tempted to murmur at the hardships you endure, think not they are marks of God's anger or neglect; but remember how lowly was the rank of Him who was this day born into the world, that he might purchase for you the hopes of everlasting life. Ye sons of penury and sorrow, behold how the Son of God has cast in his lot with yours; he made you the objects of his peculiar attention; he chose his friends and ministers from your class; he performed his miracles on those of your order; he made it the very peculiarity of his Gospel, that it is eminently preached to you; he pronounced an emphatic blessing on your condition; he has bequeathed your necessities to the care of his richer followers in all ages, and has mercifully declared that he will visit the neglect, and accept the bounty, that is exercised towards you, even as if done unto himself. O, who would not be the disciples of so gracious a Master? Who can look without amazement on the love which he has displayed in condescending to our low estate? Who can fail, during the high solemnities of the day, to catch from his example some glow of generous sentiment; or hesitate, during the pauses of festive conviviality, to offer louder praises to Almighty God, and larger charity to his creatures? It should be so in reason; but reason has lost her influence, and man prefers to be the slave of every criminal emotion, to that service which is perfect freedom. At the birth-time of the Saviour there was no room for him in the inn; and such, alas, is his reception to the present day. For, tell me, ye who know the world, to what could I better compare the heart of man than to one of those common receptacles, where the guests come and go, and are honoured in proportion to their equipage and expenditure. Travellers from far and near are welcome, so they bring with them the objects that we covet; and may make us very drudges to their exactions, if they will but repay us for our toil. But there is no room for the Saviour in our busy and crowded bosoms. We scorn his offer to lodge within us. Every corner of the heart is preoccupied or bespoken by the things of time and sense; and he is rudely turned out for any casual thought, or mercenary object, or coarse affection, that may chance to enter there. But if the heart of man be cold, and his lips be dumb to this instance of divine compassion, there are not wanting those who could receive it with far other feelings. For, suddenly, "there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Now was revealed unto them that mysterious union of holiness and mercy, which met together in the salvation of mankind; now they saw truth and love, righteousness and peace, reconciled to each other; now they might look once more with affection on the children of Adam being brought back again into covenant with their Maker. Yet, mark how it was not the mere fact that a Saviour was come into the world, not the mention of his exalted title, not the name of the anointed Lord, which wrung from them their song of gratulation. But when they heard this last proof of his humiliation; when they found Him whom they had worshipped through eternal ages, now pointed out as a babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger, then burst forth from this heavenly host their hallelujahs of uncontrollable delight. Yet he was no Saviour to them; he had not humbled himself for their sakes, for they had never forfeited the favour of God, nor needed an atonement. It was their love of God's infi nite perfections, their admiration of a scheme that blended all his attributes into one stupendous act of mercy, which extorted from them this strain of simple grandeur. And shall not we, who are so much more interested in the event, prolong the glorious thanksgiving? Yes; it has been adopted by the Church in all ages; and hard must be the heart that will not this day echo back the sound. It is not enough that we yield ourselves to social mirth, and pile the hearth of hospitality, rejoicing in the friends that surround us, and thinking, not without hope, of those whom we miss from amidst the circle. There are spiritual blessings which, without repressing innocent delight, call also for acts of holier and more solemn gratitude, and bid us proclaim glory to God in the highest, while we exult in the peace sent down to earth, and the good will exhibited to man. Let the Godhead be adored as it exists supreme in undivided unity; let God have glory in that highest place where, in his secret counsels, he planned the recovery of our race; let the heavens, and all the powers therein, give praise unto him; let the wisdom be extolled which could reconcile earth and heaven, and magnify the law, and save the sinner from its penalties; let the matchless love be glorified which could resolve to execute that purpose at so immense a cost; let the power be magnified which could effect the incarnation of such a Being, and thus prepare to slay the enmity that existed, and bridge the gulf that separated us from heaven. Glory to God, then, in the highest; for he has sworn that he will by no means clear the guilty, and the truth of his word remains unbroken. Glory to God in the highest; for his insulted majesty may now be propitiated by One, who, being free from sin, may lay down his life for sinners. Glory to God in the highest; for his goodness has devised means whereby his banished ones may be brought back again. Glory to God in the highest, for love has turned the scales of justice, and wrenched the thunderbolts from the hand of vengeance. Glory to God in the highest; for the kingdom of Satan is overthrown, and death and hell shall be cast for ever into the lake of fire. And equal glory be to thee, O thou Son of God, who didst thus come to visit us in great humility. Glory to thee for thy noble act of self-abasement; glory to thee, for God hath highly exalted thee, and given thee a name above every name, that every knee may bow to thee, and every tongue confess thee Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Nor was it less a subject of congratulation that now there was peace on earth and good will displayed towards man. It was not a matter of indifference among the blessed |