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' m^flifcw JEi^ww. l llw ^lw r Ivf I^bSml, Tix-ieiiSi-jSNMi&JR, THE NARRATIVE OP A MISSIOJ^ to NOVA SCOTU, NEW BRUNSWICK, AND THE SOMERS ISLANO&} WITH A ■•' Cout to Hake <^ntarto* TO WlllCH n ADDED, THE MISSION, AN ORIGINAL roCM, WITH COPIOUS MOTES. AUO, A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF MISSIONARY SOCIETIES, Jlnd tnueh intentting Information on Miaior.1 in general, ^1 I- ■ I ■ I w •' ' ' " ' I I _ — —I II ■ !■■ . ■■> !■ ^ — ■■ — .. — I _ ,.^l !■■■■■ Mil i».,iM, a ti r By JO&fiUA MARSDEN, tm miSIOMAIlT TO NOTA ICOTIA, NEW BUVHIWICK, AND THB BERIIVDA«t O tend out thy light and thy truth, Psaui zliii. S.. O let thy word prevail, to take away The sting of human nature. Spread the law As it is written in thy holy book. Throughout all lands. Let every nation hear The high behest, and every heart obey. Wordsworth. if- PLYMOUTH-DOCK : IPrinted and sold by J. Johns, 63, St. Aubyn>Street ; sold also by Thomas Kaye, 48, Cestle>Street, Liverpool; Baynes, l*aternoster-Row ; Williams and Son, Stationer's Court) Burton and Briggs, 156, Leadenhall-Street) Booth, Duke-Street, Blan- chcster-Square) Blanchard, City- Uoad, London; And at all the Methodist Preaching Housm in Tew a aad Covntry. I 1816. ■^iff-H ^:^- / R Pi/ Mil 1^2.^97 n; if M FMEFACEc The Narrative of a Mission should possess pecu- liar claims to public notice ; it should be enter- taining as a book of travels, and instructive as a natural history. It is supposed to combine some of the excellencies of both these kinds of wrig'ng, together with subjects of a inuch higher order; even the prosperity of the inneffable Redeemer's kingdom in Heathen lands, and the diffusion of truth, righteousness and felicity amongst the most forlorn and miserable portion of the human family. A Christian Missionaiy is supposed to bazard his life by associating with Savages and Pagans; whose language he has to learn, and to whose man- ners he must, in some degree conform, that he may preach more effectually the unsearchable riches of Christ: such were Elliot, Brainard, Van- derkemp and Kircherer; such also were many of the Moravian Missionaries, both in North Ame- rica, and likewise in Greenland ; and this is, in truth, the noblest and most arduous career of Missionary zeal. A second class of Missions are those established among nations partly civilized, but ^ill Pagan, whose language must be learned, and whose Idol- atrous practices the Missionary will expose, though at no eminent risk of either persecution or life. On such a Mission, all the comforts, and even the luxuri^s^ of civilized states may be obtained, and the preacher may be esteemed and venerated both by the Natives and others. Such is a Mission to a 2 IV PREFACE. the East Indies, or Ceylon. A third kind of Mis- sions, and much inferior to these, is when a la- bourer is sent to a friendly colony or distant part of the Empire, which gare him birth, to instruct in the doctrines of salvation a race of men, deplo- rably ignorant and cruelly degraded, but who, nevertheless, possess considerable docility, have some knowledge of the language of their teacher ; and who having no previous religion of any kind, and being withal the abjects, and least esteemed in society, require only zeal and diligence to bring them to the knowledge of divine truth. Such a state of things answers to a West India Mission. A still inferior order of Missions is as follow >:: when a preacher is sent to a friendly colony^ among those of his own nation and colour, and language, whose affairs having called them to a distant climate, still require the word of life and teachers from the parent country. A ministry of this kind has few things to ele^'ate it to the dignity of a Mission, besides a sea voyage, a change of climate, and a few supernumerary hardships and privations ; such as poor accommodations, difficult and often dangerous travelling, absence of many literary and ministerial comforts, together with such a separation from his brethren and the Christ- ' ian world, as often renders him like a partridge upon the mountains, or a sparrow upon the bouse top. Such is a Mission to Nova Scotia, Canada, Newfoundland, and many other places, in which the most essential features of an arduous and ge- nuine Mission are not known ; there is no strange language to learn— no fabric of Idolatry and Fa-» PREFACE. ganism to demolish— no exposure of life among treacherous Barbarians— no relinquishment of ci- vilized mariners, in order to symbolize with sava- ges. Things flow in much the same course as a regular itinerancy at home, ^ith the exceptions which have been mentioned above. Of the two last kinds, were the Missions on which the writer of this Narrative was employed, first in Nova Sco- tia, secondly in New Brunswick, and thirdly in the Bermudas, he would have been ashamed to call himself a Missionary, and the following pages the Narrative of a Mission, had he not sent his work to press before he read either " Crantz's His- tory of Greenland, LoskiePs Account of the Breth- ren's Mission in North America, or Brown^s History of the Propagation of Christianity ;'' if he thought himself a giant before, he now deems himself a mere dwarf in Missionary stature, and his book rather the History of a fourteen years Absence in a foreign land, than the Narrative of a Mission. He has, however, endeavoured to make some atonement for this assumption, by ik>- terweaving much information on the subject cs Missions in general, so that he hopes his work may claim, (if not the high rank above mentioned) at least, the praise of a useful manual of Mission- ary information. He has derived assistance from several books upon the subject, particularly. from the Missionary Register, which, as a medium or channel of Mission information, has no rival in the British Empire. From Brown's History, he has obtained several excellent hints; and from a compilation, justly entitled ''The Spirit of Bri- tish Missions;'' the lyriter of which deserves much ?1 trii . ; '.;..— ^tteat-s.'. PRBFAOBt ■ ■■■■» '^5 « " ' iHLfJ^i^iSLJSSlmtm^tmSm^ credit for hit selection. Brown's work, though exceedingly defective in its information on Me- thodist Missions, is nevertheless a most excellent and useful compilation, and entitles the benevo- lent and ingcnius compiler to the gratitude of the Christian world. From Melville ilorn's Letters, I have extracted several pertinent remarks ; and the «« History of the West Indies,'^ by Doctor Coke, has furnished me with some assistance. The poem on Missions, annexed to my work, does not pretend to be the production of a poet, but a lover of poetry. The author put into verse merely what was suggested to his own mind, from reading, experience, and observation upon the subject : hence, however deficient in poetry, it is a faithful and true picture of a Mission, and if poets succeed better in fiction than in truth, this may, at least, in part, account for its want of po- etical merit. The accounts of the several Missionary estab- lishments, are extracted from the latest reports, and are, he believes, pretty correct. The tables are new, and comprise much useful information. The table on Methodist Missions he has honoured with a copper-plate, as a token of his high opin- ion of what has and may yet be done by his breth- ren in this line, for he finds by a comparison with others, that the body of which he has the happi- ness of being a member, has been behind none in this career of benevolence and truth ; and he has heard it observed by persons not very friendly to this cause, when attempts to do good by others, have failed, '^why donH you get a Methodist preacher, he will succeed.'' Perhaps this may be PRBPACB. ▼ii considered as giving too much honour to the crea- ture, but facts have justified the assumption, for there is a peculiar character in Methodist Mis« sions, which, by the blessing of God, can hardly fail of success: activity, simplicity, and zeal, are the vehicles through which the purest truths are conveyed. These are simply that man is a fallen, miserable creature, and that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, which blessed fact^ are pressed home and insisted upon, till the Holy Spirit write them upon the heart and bring the miserable sinner to repentance and faith in the atoning blood of Christ. The economy of a chris* tian society, and an affectionate display of pastoral tenderness and care, bring forward the tender plants, till, as trees of righteousness, they bear fruit to God's glory. Without losing the character of a minister by mixing with his duty some portion of secular affairs, the Methodist Missionary assimilates him- self to his converts, by visiting in their families, eating at their tables, and sleeping in their cot- tages ; he is familiar as a brother, compassionate as a pastor, but authoratative and vehement as a preacher: he has neither the stiffness of learning, the pride of office, nor the haughtiness of a man of fortune; his Mission forms his business, and he attends to it as his proper work. Civilization is good, but his grand object is to make men Christians : his work, it is true, does not show so much upon earth, because he rarely keeps a jour- nal, his time being spent in preaching, praying, and vbiting from house to house; and hence, though he may ^rite a solitary letter now and i^.:araL: ' • • • Vlll PREFACE. then, he does not keep that minute account of facts which might be both profitable and interest- ing; he can, however, siKy^ What my more gifted brother has written, 1 will, by the grace of God, perform; this activity of our Missionaries may account for society having less minute and detailed accounts of our excellent and prosperous Missions than almost any other people, ior while others have let the light of their noble institutions shine with an extensive splendour, our's, till of late, has been, like Gideon^s lamp, concealed in a pitcher; we have not given them that just por- tion of celebrity which is necessary to insure their support, and to place them in their proper rank and light; hence, although the Methodist con- nexion has sent out nearly two hundred Mission- aries to foreign parts, we have no regular and condensed history of the Missions, save what is found in a few solitary letters, and nine or ten annual reports; this is all the information they have given to the world of that vast and extensive work, which for these forty years past they have been silently carrying forward in foreign lands* The London Missionary society abounds in documents; the Moravians have minute and in- teresting histories of their Missions ; the Baptists both astonish and edify the world with the just and yet splendid accounts of their translations and success ; the Church Missionary society is gather* ing up even the crumbs and fragments of their Missions, to form an entertainment for the public. But, till lately, many people never knew that such a thing as a flourishing Methodist Missson existed, so much were we cast into shades for PREFACC. IX want of a just and dignified cxpositiop of our afiairs. That angel of benevolence, Doctor Coke, was ibr a time the only oruclc oi' Missionary in- formation, and to him was in a great measure confided the management oi' this vast concern ; but now he is no more, the writer of these lines earnestly wishes that some of his brethren, whose talents and information arc competent to the sub- ject, would favour the world and the society with a just and comprehensive history of the Methodist IVfissions, in their rise, progress, economy, success, and present state; such a work would meet with both a rapid sale and extensive reading, it might contain a short and pleasing obituary, of those who have died abroad, memoranda of persecutions, patronage. Providential opening, &c, and by de- tailing the best means necessary to prosecute and establish Missions, might greatly assist the young Missionary in his noble career ; who at present is furnished with little more than a few Reports, the Minutes of Conference, and forty or fifty volumes of Divinity, which, though good in themselves, have no direct bearing upon his main work ; I reason from facts, and not from theories ; when I first went to Nova Scotia, I had not a single line or tract upon the nature of Missions, for even the Reports were not then in being ; and the first thing I met upon the subject was a little shilling edition, printed in America, of Melville Horn's Letters ; I put this into my pocket, till I had time to read it, and riding over an inundated marsh, lost it in the water; when the flood subsided, a set\er found my book, and spread it carefully before his fire to dry : the next year passing the same way, b ==BSf FRBFAC£. I! I t i I if ■t, ■ I called by accident at his cottage, ^here I found my lost treasure, which I read with aridity, pro- fit, and delight ; and though it is fifteen years thi^ spring since the circumstance occured, atid I have travelled during that period mOrti than twetlty thousand miles by sea and land, yet I have pre- served the little foundling ever sidcet hence, I am confident, that if suth a wdrk as ^' Crantfc^s Mission to Greenland, LoskiePs Book, of Brown^i Pttypagation of Christianity,'' had beeii put iiito my hand, both my mitid and my Mission would have been the better fdr them; But, to condiid^^ It may be objected to the following Narrative that it is not well written ;— that this is th« case I WiU readily grant ;-<--a good writing implies a good writer— a character which the subject of Che ^^ lowing pages di^cs not af^unde; and for wh^h ^ has had few opportunities Of c|toalifyifig him^f, ikh he Went to sea whtn[) a boy, and did not tetinHi till ab«Wt four years before Providettcfe tttyitwii ooslv Opened his Way to go as a Missionary to % ft)freign land, where active and laborious trai-eliliig and Jireacliing allowed him hut few ttf^rt^nUitefc of tnipniveittent. The above reafioii will a^oO^t for its destitution of natuHil history, botai^y^ an^ hiany other scientific subjects, whid4 m^l hattt |>leas^ii^ly and profitably adored its |jistges. W6 has written, hoWeS jr, with a warm heart; tewm'(*9 the caliJse df Mission*— an interest, wiiich lo pro- in6te, he has <(evoted fdtiftx^i Of the be^ feArk of his life; and did — Anecdote of Aloravian Missionary — Missionary fortitude— A good wife a great blessing on a Mission — Laboured in St. John — Details of Missions interesting — Depression, how relieved — Anecdote — Letter from com- mittee in London— Accounts from home greatly cheer foreign missionaries- Injustice of censuring missionaries without knowing their shmtion — Number of awakenings — New Brunswick intensely cold — City of St. John described — Dangerous nature of trvrelling upon the ice. .Terrible accident. Page 90. CONTENTS. Xlll CHAP. 7. Ile*cro8sed the Bay of Fnndy. .Colonel Bayard, account of. .A great deli- . verancc. Comfort of the promisffs.. Intensely cold winter.. Afflictinj; circun* stance of a father and his daughter. .Several vessels driven on shore, loaded with ice.. Numbers perished in the woods.. Description of the cold.. DrearincM bf such a winter — Blessed covenant meeting. Page 99. CHAP. 8. Visited Halifax. . Profitable interview with Colonel Bayard . .Vessel npset ia . a oquall — Returned to St. John — Pained at the want of prosperity on the Mission — Set apart a day for fasting and prayer — A blessed outpouring of the holy spirit — Many young people awakened — A detailed account of the revival — Wrote to Mr. Benson — Raised a new chapel — Letters from England— Appointc'l to go on a Mission to Bermuda-^Poetical faifwell to Nova Scotia. Pare 114. CHAP. 9. The discovery of (he Bermudas or Somers hiands — Sir George Somers-^— State of the islands-Waller't description of them — Moral state of the Islands in 1799- Appointment of a Missionary— Arrived in the Islands— Preached to thte Negroes — Opposed and hated — Law passed to prevent Ms preaching — The lSw~- Apprehended and sent to prison — Brought to his trial^ — Defence of his conduct by an able and eloquent lawyer— His cause pnyudirated — Fined £30. and im- prisoned six months.. Happy In his confinement — Cut his name in the prison lloor . . Lines upon it by the author — Mr. Stephenson banished from the Island . . Things in this state when the author was appointed.. Made the appointment a subject of prayer. Page 143. CHAP. 10. ' Sailed from the harbour of St. John, In Ncrjip- tore into Heathen and Mahomedan languages— Church Missionanr ^ie'ty, account of— Stations of Miissiouaries — Danish Mission Collcge-^Missioinry^ Se- mini>.ry i»t Berlin— Society for the propagation of the Gos|«|— S t'ir gone nil aintary. Jn I civilize, a "lot fail to y promotes "righteous- exaltation : iod is glo- i from int. honour of lole human i the cause kindled in St to catch itry— next their ex- md vice • wants of with the at gospel rCod to vell-peo- tion : to ^ause was thor who y is able ir atten. I degra. ae Sfild OQd^iil to all men." In 1786, the first Methodist Missionaries landed !■ the island of Antigua : and though the Methodist missions have often been overlooked* and underrated, from that period to the present they have sent out nearly ISO Missionaries, and amidst great poverty and difficulties at home, have supported them with a Jbenevolence, and zeal, which neither pecuniary embarrassments could destroy, nor persecution abate. Nova-Scotia in time claim, ed their regard also ; this colony of woods was almost deemed an outcast of the British Empire ; and would perhaps have remained such until the present day, had not the American war rent those fme colonies from our diadem ; and cooped us up to the bounds of the north. The emigration from the United States \'^as great, and Nova-Scotia soon became a theatre of considerable importance. Several whom loyalty had draw n to these wilds, carried along with them from the south, both the love of their God, and the love of their King : hence when they had cut down the trees, cleared a piece of land, and built a log hut to screen them from the weather, their next enquiry was what shall we do to worship God ? and uniting with some of their neighbours, who had fled from their poverty in England, to cultivate a sod of their own, in the wilder, ness they built a sylvan chapel ; and then wrote for Missionaries to that man of God John Wesley. One was sent out, who unit, ing with two or three raised up among tliemselvcs ; spread the sound of salvation from Cumberland to Canso ; and from Annapo. Us on the bay of Fundy ; to Halifax on the bay of Chebucto. In the winter of 1799, Mr. William Black, one of the most faithful and indefatigable labourers in that country, came over to * The late Blibop of London, Doctor Portpus, in a very spirited address to tlie principal inhabitants of the West Intlia Islands, makes very honourable mention of the Moravian Missionaries; but seems not to know that a single Missionary of any otiier description exists in that Archipela(;o, Are we to suppose the worthy prelate ignorant that more than twenty Methodist Mission- aries were labouring on those islands at the same time ; or was he afraid to men* tion itheir names, lest this should give a sanction to their labours. It is well for the Methodists that they have enjoyed little honourable and right reverend pa- tronage : God js witness of the good that h:is been done by ihe^v labp.urers, and in the records of his kingdom will be found the authentic memorials of their Miuionary success. A 2 / i! I Btif 4 FUELIMINAUY REMARKS. England, to plead its cause, and to solicit more Missionaries from the Methodist connexion for the cultivation of that wide Geld; hence the providential opening that invited the writer of these pages to a foreign mission, prior however to this event, en impression had rested upon his mind to preach the gospel in distant lands : he knew that where one would otter for a mission abroad, twenty would prefer staying in England. He had a curiosity lo visit fo. reign parts ; and independent of other considerations, an impulse uf mind predisposing him for this important undertaking. At this crisis Mr.Dlack arrived, and losing no time by '^confering with flesh and blood," he wrote to him upon the subject ; signifying withal, his intention of going, if the conference approved the design. Little indeed did he then know of the difficulties and trials, the temptations and snares, the fatigues and privations, inseparable from a mission. A young man with but a tolerable measure of grace and experience ; may perform wonders, surrounded and supported by his wiser brethren ; but take the tree from the forest, and place it alone upon a bleak heath, or lofty mountain ; and who does not tremble for the fate of the unsupported sapling. It has been an error that has gone rery far to destroy both the useful, ness and respectability of missions, to assert, that raw young men with but little piety and still lesn wisdom were competent to the un. dertaking :* *' In the establishment I believe the sentiment hat *' prevailed pretty generally, that Missionaries should be men of <' learning, and under the influence of this idea, some worthy can. <' didates for missions have been rejected for insufficiency : the <' Methodists and some protestant dissenters I am apprehensive in. ^' cline too much to the opposite extreme ; for I have heard it sug. *^ gested among them, that their weakest ministers who can be of *'^ little service in England are very proper for Missionaries ; and *^ as a man of no learning myself, (and but little piety aud wisdom) *^ I cannot but feel it a little contemptuous for me and my poor << brethren who are like myself illiterate men, to be shoved with so << much good will into the hottest front of the battle, by men wh« I • Horn's letters on Miiiioni. r*-iE:r.-rr2n: PRErilMINAIlY HEM ARKS. <' arc fitter fur the work; but who claim that very fitness as tho ** apology for their sitting still." The British Conference have several missions under their pafron. age ; I would instance Nova>Scotia, and the West Indies ; ta these I might add the Bahama and Somors Islands : the last on ac- count of its similarity I call a pretty good specimen of the West Indian Archip.elago : of Nova-Scotia, I would say, that the par of information is greater than amons; people of an equal class at home. JMost of the settlers are peoph* who have travelled; hence thejr have gleaned more knowledge uf things and men, then often falls to the share of people who never were absent from the smoke of their own village : they possess a good deal of leisure, and love for i reading, and are in many respects an intelligent people. With regard to the Bermuda's or Somers Islands, although the blacks are not informed, and numbers of tlicm cannot read; yet we have to preach before persons of both learning and respectabi. lity ; with v, horn also we have sometimes to converse, to answer their objections, and to refute their arguments : the chapel built during my mission at llamiUon, in the centre of these islands ; is at. tended by as respectable and intelligent a congregation as any I know in our whole connexion : I had magistrates, merchants, lawyerS| and doctors who were my constant hearers. In a word, a Mission, ary to a foreign land, requires a competent knowledge both of the human heart and mankind ; not as seen through the spectacles of books, but by actual experience and observation. Many peoplo abroad, are but too apt already, to think the Methodists mer* Goths with regard to knowledge ; and downright enthusiasts, as it respects religion. Let us do all we can to dissipate such an er. ror ; let us recollect, that a Missionary has to mix on different oc. casions with men wh« have travelled ; who are possessed of various information, some learning, and much acuteness : to such, an un. informed Missionary would be a laughing stock, a discredit to his ■acred office, and a disgrace to the people who gave him their patronage. I have sometimes been deeply pained to hear subjects started in company upon which many of our brethren could not •onvers«, and who, when appealed to, seemed as much at a lost \ mass PRELIMINARY REMARKS. ,^;i .!l! for an answer, or wcro us nxirh b«>9ide the mark as a rrspecuble doctor I knew in the Somers Islands, who, when asked by a lady what was the n»(Muui!{ of the sun enteritis aries^ putting on a very grave countenance he replied, that he *' supposed aries was some cross planet of Venus." 'A general knowledge of history, grammar, geography, and astronomy, in addition to his itirormatioti on divine and theological subjects, is indispensably nccossaiy to furm the usiful and ac. complished Missionary; to this I might add thu^ he should neither be clowniiih nor rude, as I have known an in^tunco where thoso had nearly destroyed a fuir and flourishing niission, and brou;;l)t the Missionary into trouble and diHiculty. Let that unhappy ox« prcssion, ^^ any one will do for a Missionary," be for over exploded, as the very wise and important persons who use it, would sometimes perhaps, find themselves at a loss were they sent upon this very critical and momentous errand. Missionaries should particularly be men of courage, that they may not be terrified with the bluster of big words or assumed consequence ; they may have much to bear from the insolence of utiice, and the fantastic tricks of *^ petty brief authority ; " in distant colonies, every minion of power will occasionally assume the bashaw, and every upstart un. derling will lord it over a christian Missionary. The fostering light of British liberty but feebly gleams upon our distant colonies ; hence the oppressed cannot '' fly from petty tyrants to the throne ;" an appeal to his God in prayer is perhaps the only refuge that is left him, and a patient bearing up under what he cannot possibly elude, or even hope to cure. I recollect a good man* who went upon a mission, whose notions of British liberty were rather too high, and when the talons of power fastened upon him, said in. dignantly, *' I will not submit to your anti.christian laws— I am an Englishman — I appeal to king George." Alas ! the good man's appeal was no more regarded than his person; he was hurried to the gloom of a prison to ruminate on the distance of relief, and to learn that British laws are no more than a dead lettei* W * John Stephenion. PRELIMINARY lIF.MAKKil. ■Mi ill t'.:« iilantU of llio sea. *' 1 nm u lioman" would once prosorvo a cltuen from insult and intliijnify in tin; n-molfst parts of that v.ist empire ; but greatly as we vuIik; Mai;na Charla, and mnch as wc plume ourselves upon tlsc pri\il('ges of Knglishmen, the for- mer is only a vain boust, and the latter a mere shield of paper in a Ikitish colony: hence, whoever jjots upon a foreign mission, must with the boldness of a lion, and tlie t rudence of u serpent, learn something of the nature of tlio ox, "that patient, guileless, harmless animal." He must not be surprised if the clerk of an under secretary send him an imperious and unceremonious mandate to appear at his oflice and answer for this or that part of his eon. duct, when, perhaps, this man of power, in the shape of an ensign, or waiting man to the governor, may severely reprimand God's minister for his proceeding, and after he has bestowed the quantum aujjlcit of correction, may order him to do better for the future ; sometimes indeed it happens that the king's representative is a mere military man, and wishes to regulate by a summary of simple, but efficient authority, both the civil, religious, and ecclesiastical alfairs of the whole colony ; in either of these cases the man of God had need be a person of great patience, humility, and moderation, and as mariners who sail in squally latitudes depress their sails, so shoald these be cautious, wary, and prudent, lest by holding tlie head too high, they should sometimes knock it against the beam of power, and so get bruised. *^ Seekcst thou great things for thy. self ? seek them not" upon a mission, where distance from thy country, thy kindred, and thy brethren, will often depress thy mind, while the sternness and hatred of those in power and office, together, perhaps, with want of great success, may fall like a weight upon thy spirits. Greatly indeed has the heart of a faithful Missionary need of comfort, when in a foreign land he meets with these kind of trials; it is true his God will support him, but such is the weakness of the human heart, that like mariners in a storm, the presence of danger frequently hinders his applying those re- sources from which alone he can expect relief. In this view I (!o not think that young inexperienced men, are aUogeth«r suitabU for missions, for though trying situations, may 1 1 Mi JMIKLIMINAHV Ur.MAIlKS. earlier call into action the cnergieH of the human mind ; and rom. press much cxperiunce in a small 8|)ucc>, yot in th(> regular counf ,of things, '* years more generally tcucli wisdom." J laving escaped by the skin of my teeth," I may lie allowed tu look back upon tho dangers I have passed and with the voice of salutary warning point them out (u others as things to be avoided. In Kugland ve do not cither in his first or second year place a young man at the head of a circuit, and yet such is the nature of the case, that on a mission, he has not only the charge of a circuit, but is often the only preacher in the whole place, and muy perhaps be several hundred miles from any of his brethren, placed too in the most critical circurostancep, which demand all the skill of a master's eye, nnd all the steadiness of a master's hand ; but lest these obscrvatious should carry me too far from the point, I will hasten to the narrative intended in these pages, and begin lirst with the voyage. NARRATIVE OF A MISSION, Sfc. CHAPTER FIRST. I^oft airs and gentle heavings of the wavf ^ Impel the bark \vhose errand is to Have ; To Hucrour fallen nature and replace The smile of piety on sorrow's fare. Let nothing adverse, nothing unforeseen Impede the bark that plows the deep serene ; That flies like Gabriel on his Lord's commands, A herald of God's love to distant lands. CowpEk. FTER a most affectionate parting vith tny dear friends^ Mrhom I did not know I should ever see again, on the 24th of August, in the year 1800, we went on board the Snow Sparrow, Captain Humble, bound for Halifax in Nova* Scotia : 1 had the advantage of •ome of my brethren in having been to sea before^ yea, and twice shipwrecked in the course of twelve months ; hence marine travelling with all its horrors The northern blast* — the ihatter'd mast, The syrt — the whirlpool and the rock ; The breaking spout — the stars gone out ; The boiline; strait — the monstrous shock ; did not fill me with any lively apprehensions of fear. Sickness that dreadful tribute paid by most when en- tering up(» the world of waters I did not antici- pate ; having never beOM sick on any former occasion. A good con&cience and a stettdfait rgliance on ih« THE NARRATIVE The singular providi-nce of God in preserving the Missiunuiios from Shipwreck. Lord Jesus Chiist sweetly composed my mind, and gave me some degree of pleasure in looking forward to the accomplishment of the voyage. It is a singu- lar proof of the providential care of the Almighty; that from the year 1770, the period when the first Methodist Missionaries sailed, to the present time ; not an instance has occurred of one of them being lost at sea; either by shipwreck, or storm. It is true, some have been saved ''by the skin of their teeth." They have seen death in the hurricane, — death in the lee shore: — death in the sunken ledge; in the white winged squall : and in the thunder of an enemy's guns : but the instance is to be recorded, of a single person, ever having fallen a victim to any of these ministers of mortality. They have sailed in all seasons of the year ; in all kinds of vessels ; with all sorts of captains; and under all paral- lels of latitude ; and yet providence has preserved them from violent death : they have gone to the east, to the north, to the west and the south, and save in one or two cases of natural death ; which might as certainly have happened on shore ; they have gene- rally arrived in safety. Surely this should be men- tioned to the honour of divine goodness^ and for the encouragement of such as may in future embark in this blessed work. In a few days we cleared the land and entered upon the mighty atlantic ocean ; vast world of waters f what immense treasures lie hid in thy bosom : thou- sands have sunk in^ thy mighty billows to rise no more till the final judgment. My brethren were exces- sively sick, and I found a pleasure in being able to wait upon them, and minister to their wants: we soon lost sight of the diminishing hills of Ireland, and Scotland ; and were encircled with on6 vast horizon of water and sky. Our vessel was small, and very 1«aky : the crew seem«d a mixture of all nations. OF A MISSION. Ti The Sea unfavourable to the Ejccrcise of stated Devotion.—Theevilsofawet Birth. We had also several passengers on boards who did not fear God; but being all united to reprove and discountenance sin, T^e did not dcubt getting com. fortably on our voyage. One great draM^back to our comfort, was the leakiness of the vessel, which kept the sailors always at the pumps, and melted more than thirty tons of the cargo, which consited chiefl y of salt. As we proceeded on our voyage, the sea sickness subsided ; and we spent many profitable sea- sons, either in singing, prayer, or spiritual conversa- tion, in Mr. Black's state-room : this was our asy- lum, when either silly conversation, or trifling made the large cabin disagreeable. In no place, oi situ- ation,, are there so many difficulties, in the way of public and private devotion as at sea. Sometimes the rolling of the ship prevented us from either kneeling or standing ; at other times the captain was impe. riously called upon deck; the noise of navigation — the shouting of the sailors — the roaringof the wind — the waves dashing — and the ship tossing all conspire to forbid the stated return of prayer. I did not much like the circumstance of doing duty as a marine, in ^he event of an action, although Mr. Black was ap- pointed the captain ; hence, while Messrs. Bennet, Lowry, and Oliphant, buckled on the marine ac- coutrements, under their worthy captain, I requested to have my station in case of an engagement at one of the great guns. The stormy weather made my birth very uncomfortable; my quilt and blankets were seldom dry; and one night I had so severe a cramp in my stomach, that, for some time, it appeared, as if both my sea and mortal voyage were almost at an end: my soul was happy in God in the midst of torment; from which I obtained no relief, as I c;>utd keep nothing on my stomach, until Mr. Oliphant brought me a tumbler of French brandy ; and as it appeared my case was desperate, I drank it off; the intenseness b2 m ftfi*' Incidents that brt'ell u« during the Voyage to Halifax. of the paiii abated ; but I felt no more ebriety from the fumes of the spirit than if I had only taken cold water. We had prayer morning and evening, and preaching on the Lord's day : — this practice rarely fails to impress the minds of the crew with some little seriousness. Nothing material occurred till we ar- rived near the banks of Newfoundland, when one of our marine family Captain Blunt, died; the old man had been taken by the French, but obtained his li- berty, and was now rcturningto his family at Halifax. Alas ! how often do our prospects and our graves lie in the same direction ! Our comforts all blossom in the vicinity of the tomb; should we. not rejoice with trembling — Here every drop of honey hides a sting, Worms wind themselves into our sweetest flowers. CoWPER. " we should suspect some danger nigh where we pos- sess delight ;" though rough in his manners, I trust he was a servant of God : and it is not the polish of the courtier, but the piety of the Christian that will fit us for the kingdom of heaven. In addition to the usual trials of our faith ; a leaky vessel, foul winds, dark hazy weather, and darker nights ; we were chased by a French corvette privateer ; she bore down upon us in a very warlike stile : although fight- ing and religion are two things so widely diflV^rent, that it is as difficult to reconcile them, as to prove that they do not exist ; yet on this occasion, the mi- nisters of peace buckled upon themselves the imple- ments of war, and Mr. Black with his four marines and small arms, was disposed to give them as good a reception as David gave Goliah. The myrmidon, however, did not like our appearance; for being two in company, and both well armed, she thought fit to shear off, with all the canvas she could set. A little after this^ a circumstance happened^ which but for OF A MISSION. A remarkable Deliverance from the jaws of a Shark. the guardian care of a watchful providence, might have proved fatal to several of the Missionaries, as well as myself. One day the weather being fine, and the. sea calm, and the ship having but little wajr through the water, (as we had now been better than five weeks on board ) the captain purposed swimming alongiside; for which purpose he let down a stage, requesting the mate at the same time to take the boat some distance from the vessel, to ascertain whether a current was not carrying us to the eastward. Mean- while, several of us launched into the mighty ocean, and were swimming alongside, and near the ship, till the mate, who was some distance off, and had his line down, hailed the Sparrow, requesting those over- board to get into the vessel as quick as possible, for that he had seen two large sharks swimming alongside the boat, which he suspected had left the ship to fol- low him. Thus, were we, by the good providence of Jehovah, and a singular coincidence of circum- stances, saved from a terrible and untimely death : truly we were enabled to say with Jonah — " I will sacrifice unto thee Lord with the voice of thanks- giving. I will pay that I have vowed : salvation is of the Lord.*' Had not the boat left the vessel, we might all have been destroyed ; — had she gone a little later, the danger would have been equally great : — had she returned before we went into the water, the sharks might have come back with her, and would have darted on their prey* He that has no eyes to behold the particular providence of God in such an event ; no heart to feel grateful for such a deliverance ; no wisdom to record the divine interpo- sition ; is blind as a mole ; stupid as a statue ; and utterly devoid of Christian perception and gratitude. " Bless the Lord« O my soul, and forget not his benefits ;" write them upon thy memory^ and grave them upon the table of thy heart. :l! •"i :' li'! i ' ft m si."!: '1' :f ■ >'; ! 1 -K I' 14 THE NARRATIVE A Voyoq^on the Ocean is a lively Emblem of a Christian's Life. ^ We arrived at Halifax the fourth of October, after a passage of six weeks, all through boundless mercy in good health, save our worthy brother Ben- nett, who had been indisposed most of the voyage. EMBLEMATICAL REFLECTION. A mariner's life is a lively emblem of the chris- tian's voyage to the peaceful shores of calm eternity ; a thousand rocks and dangerous reefs lie hid in the faithless sea, here the vortex of despair whirls its boil- ing and tumultuous waves, now the boisterous storms of affliction blow with terrible fury, anon gusts of sud- den temptation descending like the white winged squall terribly ruffle and agitate the peaceful surface of the soul ; now he glides swiftly before the auspi- icious gales of faith and love ; by and by an athwart- ing current of corrupt nature sets him several points out of his regular course ; sometimes he cannot fa- thom the mysterious depths of divine providence, and often through the dead calms of lukewarmness he is hindred from pursuing his heavenly voyage; although his sun is still in the firmament, yet his soul is often perplexed for want of a clear discovery of his origi- nal splendour, from which to begin a new data and pursue his voyage ; but soon as the immortal darts his radiance through the clouds, -The saint expands his wings Wide to the wind, and as he sails he sings, And loses by degrees the sight of mortal things. As the shores lessen so his joys arise, The waves roll gentler and the tempest dies ; Now vast eternity fills all his sight. He floats on the broad deep with infinite delight, The seas for ever calm, the «kies for ever bright. Watts. OF A MISSION. 1» •>,r The State of the Miiisiuu in Nova-Scutia, with Regard to Chapels, &c. We were now in a new world, and what at first furnished matter of surprise was to see the houses^ though built of wood^ wear an elegant^ clean^ and neat appearance ; the friends in Halifax received us with every mark of gladness and respect, and wel- comed our arrival to this western Scotland with much christian affection. Perhaps in no part of the world is there a kinder or more generous societythan the flock at Halifax, indeed this is the characteristic of most of the inhabitants of^ Nova Scotia ; these wild woods are the nurseries of real kindness, and their frozen * A mission to Nova Scotia was at this time greatly wanted ; they had prior to this period only received two Missionaries from tiie connexion, Mr. Wray and Air. Abraham 1. Bishop, botli of whom having gone to the West Indie*, (where tliey died) the province was now nearly destitute, having only the labours of Messri. I. and James Man, Mr. W. Black, and Mr. M'Call; these, whether we consider the extent or population of the province, were like a ^olitary star in a vast portion of firmament, A slight sketch of our chapels, and the probable numbers they will contain, will shed a glimmer of light on the importance of this mission. Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, one chapel will contain 1000 Liverpool, along shore, one .500 Shelburn, one 400 Annapolis, one 400 Granville, one S30 Sackville, one 250 Pont de Bute, one 300 Ilorton, one 250 Windsor, one 800 Barringtow, one 200 In the province of New Brunswick. Si. Johns, the capital, one 1000 Sheffield, one .,..200 St. Ann's, one ._..,. .400 St. Stephens, one .'.... .400 Besides these nearly one hundred preaching places deep in the bosom of the woods, along the banks «f rivers, on the shores of the Atlantic, the bay of Fundy, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and upon the borders of the Grand Lake, thousands of these but for the metliodist Missionaries would never hear the word of life; other ministers are chietly stationary — they are pastors of flocks, and seldom go far from their centre. The metliodist Missionary roves far and wide; preaches one night in the but of a fisheroaan, the next in the cot> tage of a woodman, and probably the night following in the house of a farmer, or the parlour of a merchant. In summer he travels on horseback, and ia win- ter sometimes on horseback and sometimes in a ?led ; and at other times when the snow is too deep, on foot. No man v. ill do for a mcthodist Missionary ia this country who has much of the fastidiousness of the fine gentleman about him. To a candidate for this mission, such questions as the foUowinj would not be irrelavent : Will you trudge through the snow ? Can you ride upon th«i ice — carry your saddle-bags upon your shoulders? Are you afraid to cross a rapid river in a log canoe? Can you sit in a smoaky hut, and eat buck-wheat cakes f Will your constitution bear cold 14 or 20 degrees below the freeziiig point — ride through solitary woods— bowr thouiauds of musquitos-^Qd put up witli ffK>r lodgings and « cold bed 2 i\ ft THE NARRATIVK Arrived safe in Halifax. — A Description ut'tlie Tuuii. m\ 1:;?:;: ■!■■. r.' climate is a noble theatre of hospitality ; few people ill any part of the world treat strangers with more kindness or manifest more afFection for their ministera than the inhabitants of this province. We were abundantly consoled for the roughness of our voyage by the kindness we met with on landinj^. *' May the Lord reward them in that day." We preached during our stay with much pleasure and profit both to ourselves and others^ and found by our intercourse with the truly pious^ that religion is the same in all parts of the world ; it humbles, it puri- fiesj it unites to the Saviour, it endears to each other. After staying a while at *Halifax, brother Lowry * Halifax, Die capital of iVova Scotia, >va« built by a colony from England in IT49 ; it is deliglitfully seated iti Clirbutto harl)our, lat. 44 degrees 44 minutes north, long. 63 decrees 30 minutes west. The town is an obloot; square, ex- tending from what they call fre^h water river aoothward to the king's dock-yard in a northerly direction; its whole length is about two miles, and contains a large garrison, a naval yard, and a population of about 9000 souls. The mar- ket is fine, and for plenty of ciioice and cheap lish is superior to any place \H the world ; salmon, mackerel, shad, lobsters, halibut, and various other kinds are met with in the greatest abundance : they mention an instance of an admiral who had lately arrived, and having an entertainment .-ent his servant for a dollar's worth of lobsters, who, to his no small surprise, brought a whole boat load on board: in a word, tlie place abounds with all the blessings of life Here are two episcopal churches, and one presbyterian ; a methodist chapel, a roman catholic chapel, and meeting houses for the baptists, seceeders, and quakers. The government liouse is built of free-stone, and is a laige handsome edifice; there is a house for the second in command, a court house, a province iiall where the assembly meet, an arsenal, naval yard, marine hospital, toge- ther with large ranges of barracivs both for the officers and men. The town is the residence of the governor, the admiral, the bishop of Nova Scotia, and a nnmber of other officers belonging to government; it probably contains about 1000 houses, many of them handsome, and all rising on the idde of a hill, have a fine appearance from the harbour. Uur cliapel is not handsome^ but is well attended, and on sabbath evenings always crouded; ad joining the cha^iel is a very good mission house, for the residence of a married Missionary. The coun- try round Halifax exhibits a scene of sylvan barrenness; yet the prospects are romantic, and the roads remarkably good ; tiie climate is perhaps more nmder-' ate than any other part of Nova Scotia; the thermometer is seldom lower than 16 degrees in wirter, or higher tlian 70 degrees in summer. A few Indians live in the vicinity of Halifax, who chiefly get their living by fishing; but alas! these natives of the wildernesii are much diminished in every part of the pro- vince; in general they are civil and harmless, unless when intoxicated with spirituous liquors. Tliis town will in time bt^rome a place of great trade f during the late war it flourished beyond all former precedent, which may b« chiefly attributed to the vast number of pri/et continually coming in ; it is the great emporium of Nova Scotia, and indeed, of Brhdsh America, and carriei •n a great trade in fur, lumber, liih, oil, butter, vc«f chee»e, pork, oats^-^c. &«. 1 OF A MISSION. IT My Journey bcttvixt Halifax and Windsor. infiss of anding'. We ure and by our n is the it puri- 1 other. Lowrj Kngland 44iiiiDutPt ^•lare, ex. duck-yard contains a 1'he mar- y place im (iier kindi in admiral vaiit for a liole boat Ss of life chapel, a ders, and liandsome province al, tojjc- e town it [a, and a ins about ili, have It IS well ai>«l is a he coun- lects are ' nioder- rt-T than Indians ut alas ! the pro- id with trade; may h« it is the carrieg and myself set oflf for Windsor, in the way to our respective missions,/ his being the city St. Johns, New Brunswick, and mine at the head of the bay of Fundy. The distance from Halifax to Windsor is 46 miles, the road lies through a vast wilderness, with only here and there a house. I had now aa opportunity of reflecting on my new situation. A young man two and twenty, with but little experi- ence, little religion, little fortitude, and knowledge of the world, placed in one of the most critical and trying situations among men — a missionary in a foreign land ; a character that should be upright in his motives, pure in his aflfections, and holy in hit life; a situation that requires all the zeal of a Xavier, the patience of a Brainard, and the self-denial of a Gregory Lopez, together with the meekness and perseverance of a Swartz. I had, while in England, earnestly besought the Lord to open a door for me to act as a Missionary, but now I feared I bad not sufiiciently counted the cost. A Missionary is pecu- liarly called to prepare for trials of the most formi- dable kind; he must virtually *'' bid farewell to " friends, pleasures, and comforts, and stand in rea- " diness to endure the greatest sufferings iii the work ''of his Lord and master. It is inconsistent with ministers to please themselves with the thoughts of a numerous auditory, cordial friends, a civilized country, legal protection, affluence, splendour, or even a competency; the slight and hatred of men, "false friends^ gloomy prisons, and tortures, the "^ society of barbarians of uncouth speech, miserable *' accommodations in wretched wildernesses, hunger ''and thirst, nakedness, weariness, and painfulnessj "hard work, and little worldly encouragement, "should rather be the objects of their expectation.'* Thus the apostles acted in primitive times, and *f tt ti It * i)octor Caiey. .1;; i *'>ii in TUE NARRATIVE In all Lands the principal Olijcct of a Clirislian Missionary is Man's Salvation. '' endured hardness as good soldiers of Jesu» ''Christ." Thus should all reason who are called to embark in this blessed and arduous work ; but l^loomy unbelief is disposed to sink at the threshold of such a career^ and even the heart of a sincere christian may be betrayed into fear by the anticipa- tion if trials congregated and foi .lidable ; the pain- ful musings of my mind were not a little augmented by the appearance of the country naked, wild, barren^ and raountainous, which made my first journey in Nova Scotia, both tedious and uncomfortable : but I was going upon a good errand. Pleasant scenery and deli^^htful landscapes, may please the mere tra- Teller ; but the Christian Missionary has a nobler ob- ject than the beauties of a flower, the genus of a plant, or the altitude of a mountain. He is sent to save lost men ; and whether upon the deserts of Tar- tary, the wilds of Missoury, or the snowy clifl's af Caucausus, his lot may be cast; still he keeps thit object in view : yea, the true Missionary should be willing to go to the ends of the earth, in order to save perishing sinners, ransomed with the atoning blood. O ye holy men who have gone to Labrador, to Greenland, and to Tartary ! ye have made it evident^ that neither the charms of country, nor the mildness of climate had any influence on your godlike calcula- tions : it was not a motive that weighed in your minds^ whether the valleys were covered with ice, grass, or sand, so that the " Word of God might have free course and be glorified." Ah, how few imitate your self denying spirit ! and burying, in the consideration of doing good, every foad hope of earthly pleasure and human applause. Fly to Earth's utmost bound at duty's cally And for the Heathens sacrifice their all. Late in the evening, I arrived at Windsor, and was kindly entertained at the house of a Mr. Church, jk respectable colooist. Windsor is a small town on ibe OF A MISSION. 19 IVindsor University, remarlts on road that leads to Annapolis and the the bay of Fun- i\y: it is not far from the bason of Minas, and may be considered as the centre of Nova-Scotia. The vil- lage is pleasantly situated ; and is surrounded for a few miles, with some of the best land in all the pro- vince. Near the town stands the university of Nova- Scotia — an institution wisely intended, but at that time cond ;ted in a inanner not much to the credit either of learning or piety. The fact is, we should never go bey^ 1 nature in our calculations : a land of woods may, tor these forty years to come, dispense with such an institution. The few lawyers, doctors, and clergymen required by the comparative improve- ment of an infant colony, can never furnish students for a large university : and those who are to follow the plough tail, and cut down maple logs, may very well spare a few scraps of latin and greek : in short, the university (so called) had few students, and only one professor, the Rev. Mr. Cockrane, who acted ai teacher/ lecturer^ professor, president, &c. &c. CHAPTER SECOND- During my stay in Windsor, I had an opportunity of exercising my mission, and preached to a very attentive and respectable little company in a private house. The chapel stood a little out of the town^ and as the weather was cold, a dwelling-house was considered preferable: this custom prevails much during the winter. Many of the little chapels are in the woods, and some of them have not the benefit of stoves, without which it is next to impossible to occupy them during the cold weather. Formerly religion flourished in Windsor; but whether the ^ades of a university, or the paucity of faithful c 2 1^ * •*» ii !'>-r' ii' if It ft" '' if III Arrival on in,v Mioition at the hrad of the Bay of Fundy. JVIissionarics, caused the lovely plant to decline, I will not say ; at present it appears iveli nigh banished from the place. There is a church, and a small Methodist chapel: but true* Christians arc sadly dwindled away ; and few remain to lament the un- happy declension. After staying awhile in Windsor, I set otT for my mission where the friends who had no preacher, re- ceived me with much kindness and affection, as one Avho had come to bring them the greatest of all blcii- sings, — ** the precious gospel." I found a loving., well-informed, and hospitable people ; and a chain of settlements connected together, stretching from the river Napan to the river Pedecodiack ; and from Cumberland bason to the bay de Vert, on the gulf of St. Lawrence; including Napan, Amherst, Fort- Lawrence^ Fort Cumberland, Pont de Bute, Sack«- ville, Dorchester, or Membrancook ; in i*!lof which J had to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. . This part of Nova-Scotia forms the boundary line to the province of New Brunswick. They were both formerly under the French government, called by the general name of Acadia,f the land being indented by * The author begs leave to say, lest he should be deemed narrow and uncha- ritable, that by true religion he doe^ nut mean methodism, nor by chrrsiiani methodists. The doctrines of our most excellent articles aod homilies are un- doubtedly the doctrines of the reformation: wherever these are preached by holy zealous men, whether in or out of the church, the most Messed conse- quences will follow; — the vicious sinner will be turned from the error of his -ways, a holy people will be formed and united together, the bible and religioa will be the grand concern of life, spiritual-mindedness, love, faith, and zeal will be apparent ; and where these things are absent, is there any true religion ? i I will beg leave, as it is to be the theatre of my future miuion, to mak* my leaden somewhat acquainted with the whole province of Nova Scotia. Mova Scotia is a large peninsula, reaching from the province of New Brunswick into the Atlantic; it lies between lat. 43 degrees 30 minutes and 48 degrees 4 minutes north, and between long. 58 degrees 60 minutes and 67 degrees west ; Us length is 3b7 miles, its breadth 154, and it contains about 14,000 square miles. Boundaries. — Bounded north east by the Gu}f of St. Lawrence and thf ^traits of Northumberland and Canceau ; east south and south west by the at-- fantic ocean ; west by the bays of Fuody and Yert, and the .proviace. cf Nenr ' li i OF A MISSION. • 21 A OvMriplion of the Province of Novfi Srotia from Morse. the baj of Fundy on the one hand, and the gulf of St. Lawrence on the other, may very properly be cal- led the isthmus of Cumberland. My mission ex- tended about twelve miled in the one province as far as the river Nupan; and about twenty two into the other as far as the river Mcmbrancook. The roads were dismally bad ; winter was approaching: with all its horrors : however, I felt determined to devote myself wholly to the tvork of my mission, and un- ceasingly preach the Lord Jesus ; as also to cleave to him with full purpose of heart. iThe people treated me with great kindness and affection ; they bore with Bruniwick, with which it \a connected by an ijthmiia about 12 miles wide. Names. — The name first given this province by the French wa« Acadia, which was intended by tlirm to denote a country of indefinite extent in the nortiiern parti of Noith America: James 1. uf Scotland gave it its present mune in the year 1681. Historical Epochs. — In the year 1504 one May, an Englishman, touched upon the 4roast. 1598 the isle of Sable was peopled by a number of French convicts, left there by the Marquis de la Roche, who explored the we«t of Nova bcotia, but made no settlement. 1605 Henry IV. of France granted the Sieur de Mont a patent of the American territories from lat. 40 decrees to lat. 48 degrees norlh. In the following year that Adventurer made a settlement in Annapolis. 1613 Annapolis was destroyed by an English expedition from Virginia. 1621 James 1. of Scotland granted Sir William Alexander, of Menstry, a patent of Nova Scotia, under the great teal of Scotland , by what right it is hard to tell ; it was created into a palatine to be held as a fief of the crown of Scotland, and the patentee had the usual power of a count palatine i no settlements of any consequence were under tliis patent. 1749 the Englisli government published proposals for the establishment of a new settlement at Chebucto (Kalifax), and an expedition sailed from England in the autumn of this year, under general Cornwallis, consisting of S700 persons. Parliament devoted 40,000 pounds sterling to defray the expense, and 30,000 pounds an- nually to support the settlement till 1755; many of the settlers, however, sooo deserted^ the soil was barren, the climate severe, and the Indians numerous and hostile, prompted to war, and furnished with weapons by the Canadiag French. — The progress of the settlement for the first 11 years was extremely slow. 1760: the capture of the Canadas this year, relieved the settlers from the danger they wete constantly in from the Indians and French; emigrant! came over from England in great numbers, and the prospects of the colony be- gan to brighten. 1763 : Nova Scotia, by the treaty of peace was finally ceded to Great Britain ; since that time the province hasadvanced rapidly in commerce and population. The Religion is that of the church of England, (there are; however, no tythes); the diocess of Nova Scotia includes Cape Breton, New Brunswick, and St. Johns Island (now called prince Edward's Island)} i% was first made a bishopric in 1787: there are 19 missions; the ministers are supported partly by the society in England, and partly by the government. JMwjIviw.— Nova Scotiii is divided iat« eight counties, subdivided into tewi- THE NARRATIVE ■- CTT!^— aa« Th« Tradf, Export, and Pro8|Mrrl(]F of (he Province. my weakness and inability, and nobly held up mj hands in the Lord. Frequently a goodly company would ride through the woods with me to my various appointments^ singing the praises of God in the soli- tary wilderness. Truly those words were accom- plished — ''The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them, and the desert shall blossom as a rose." — Forests that were formerly vocal only with the growling of the bear, the croaking of the bull-frog, and the yell of the savage indirn, were now consecrated with the voice of praise, and saw the sylvan chapel raise its head amidst dark pines. ,' 1 1 P •hiiis. Population,— -the number of inhabitants amount nearly to 80,000 The frreat body of the people are of Knglinh origin. Considerable numben have settled tiicre from Massachusets and Connecticut; after these the Scotch and Irish are most numerous. There are numbers of (ienuan and Dutch, and a few French Aradians. The Micmacic IndianH were the nborif;ines of the province) ihey inhabit the eastern shore between Halifax and Cnue Breton i they have about 300 warriors. Chief Towns. — Halifax, the cnpitnl, is before described. Truro is a (growing setilement in tlie county of Halifax ; it is built on the bajr of Picton, on the north east coast of tiio province, nearly opposite the sontn enst end of the island of St. John, and about 100 miles distant frrm Halifar, with which place it has a free and speedy <*oramuni€ation ; it contains, perhaps, «M) houses, and about 500 inhabitants, who are principally Scotch ; a few yean ago is was n small insignificant place, but is now the most flourishing in the province ; its trade consists chieliy in (lie exportation of timber, great quantitiet of which are shipped every year to Great Britain and Ireland, and dry goodi brought in return. Liverpool is a commercial settlement of the sea coast la Queen's county; it is built on Liverpool bay, and contains 800 houses; the In* habitants are generally Americans, and almost all merchants, or mariners | tlie town is regularly built in one long street; the trade is principally in fish and lumber to the West Indies and Spain. The other principiU towns are Lunenbnrgb, Harrington, Argyle, Yarmouth, Digby, Annapolis, and Windsor. Shelburn and Manchester, once so flourishing and populous, are now almost deserted; the former in 1783 contained 600 families, now in 1815 it has not ai many individuals ; in Manchester the same year there were 200 houses (rather huts), now there are five houses and three barns. Since tlie year 1753 this pro- vince has increased in wealth and commerce to a degree hcarcely credible : in 17.')3 ^e exports amounted to >£S9,555, the imports to ;£934; in 1810 the im- ports from Great Britain alone into the single port of Halifax amounted t» dCGOOtOOO, and into tlie whole province ::£ 1 ,200,800 ; the exports consist chiefly of timber, fish, and lumber to Great Britain and the West Indies. With regard' to the cttmate, the winters of Nova Scotia are generally severe and long, the spring is rainy ; the summer is warm and foggy, and the antumn very pleasant. The soil difiers, but is in many places sandy and dry ; there is iron and cosh i» the country, but the fuel is chiefly wood ; the province abounds in limei-stpne, gypsum and griud-stones, considerable quantities of which they send to ihm Ihiited States. OF A MISSION. 23 CUmatc extremely col.-l. — Dilllciilty In i-rnuliifi; the Marshe*. towering birchi and sprendini^ maple trees. In tlic latter end of Novomiier, winter set in with all iti rigours. Those who are accustomed only to the cold of England^ cannot conceive the intense se- verity of the winters in Nova-Scotia : the snow is of- t«n from four to six feet deep ; the ice upon the rivers is two feet thick ; the cold penetrates the warmest rooms, the warmest clothes, and will render torpid the warmest constitutions ; it often freezes to death those who lose their way in the woods, or get bewil- dered in the thick and blinding fury of a snow drift. My appointments were at Pont dc Bute, in a cha- pel embowered in the woods : here I preached every other sabbath. On Monday, I rode to Tantramar ; a journey that sometimes cost me both trouble and fatigue, as the marsh was frequently overflowed, and the danger of crossing it was very great, owing to the various creeks and dykes that intersected in every di-r rection, so that I was obliged on these occasions to have a guide, who rode with a long pole in his hand^ which as the waters we rode through were muddy, he kept plunging to the bottom, ft little ahead of his horse, to ascertain the dirrection of the creeks, and that we might not unawares plunge into any of them, and thereby endanger our lives. Thus I have had to cross six or seven miles of water often at the eminent risk of ray life; — thanks to my preserving God, his providence hath hitherto interposed in my behalf. I usually preached at Tantramar, or Sackville, on the Tuesday Evening; and was kindly entertained by my friends, John and William Fawcett, two respectable farmers, who having left England in rather indigent circumstances, were become, by persevering industry, pretty able men. On Wednesday morning, I gene- rally set off through the woods for MeiT;brancook. This was one of my most dreary journeys, as I had to ride eleven or twelvo miles without a single house, k\ I u Tllli NARRATIVE |l'' ! l! f Riding tiirougii wilderness fell from my horse, and was bruised. and for the most part a miserable road. I cannot here omit mentioning a particular mercy of divine providence : as I was one day ][!assing this dreary por" tion of wilderness^ in going down a hill, my horso threw me over his head ; and as I fell chiefly on my side and face^ was bruised in a dreadful manner, and hardly knew as I lay upon the ground, whether my Ijfe and mission were not both about to terminate. However, after the severe stunning subsided, I got up, but my horse had strolled offahead ; what I should do I knew not, nearly eight miles of the wood to pass; j. miserable road ; much bruised ; weighed down with top coats and boots ; and had to preach in the even- ing. In this situation Providence sent to my aid two men, who were coming through the woods in an op- posite direction : they kindly assisted me to catch my horse, which I re-mounted^ and rode to my appoint- ment, and preached away most of my soreness, stiff- ness, and fatigue. Thus kindly does the Lord bring us through our trials, and proportion them to our circumstances; enabling us to bear them without sinking ; and to profit by them in acknowledging his hand, and giving him a tribute of praise. Sometimes on Friday, I went to the upper part of the settlement^ and preached at the house of William Fawcett. His two sons and daughter-in-law were deeply pious. I spent many most profitable seasons in their company. A young woman who lived with them as a servant was deeply pious: she lay, I think, three days in a trance, and saw and heard most singular things. On Saturday, I spent the day partly in visiting and part- ly in studying and preparing for the morrow. On the sabbath I preached in the forenoon, and afterwards met and spoke to the society, one by one ; in the evening, preached again, generally at my lodgings^ to as many as the house would contain : the little chapels in the country parts of the province are not OP A MISSION. 25 My places of preaching, and difl'erent accommodations. often used in the evening, as the bulk of the people live a great distance, frequently [seven, eight, and ten miles from the chapel, and cannot return home after preaching. Hence vfc usually preach to as many as live in the neighbourhood of our lodgings ; and spend the evening in conversing upon the Re- deemer's kingdom, and his dying love to poor sinners. On Monday we rode to Fort Lawrence, and preached at the house of Thomas Roach, Esq. a magistrate^ and member of the assembly, and also a local preach* er. It often happens with a Missionary in Nova- Scotia, that he may one day take up his quarters in a log cottage, in the wilderness ; the next he may spend in a fisherman's hut; and the day following be respectably entertained by a farmer, a merchant, or a magistrate ; have an elegant bed room, a comfort- able parlour, and the most hospitable entertainment. These changes frequently expose us to severe colds ; but otherwise they agreeably checker with their grateful vicissitude^ the path of a Nova-Scotia* Mis- ! in IS . * As Nova Scotia has been upon the minutes since the year 1785, and is 'considered as an important missionary station, it may not be improper here tu >ay something respecting the introduction of vital piety into this province. The first particular excitement or revival in thi's cold and little-known colony was in the year 1780, among a few methodist emigrants. from Yorkshire. A Mr. Newton and several others who had come to these wilds (at that time as desti- tute of religion as cultivation) established prayer meetings, by which means a concern for religion was awakened among many other settlers, wlio had fled from the noise of Europe to bury themselves in the gloom of these solitary woods, and cultivate a few acres which neither the priest could tythe, nor premier bur- then with taxes. Mr. William Black (whose father, a reputable farmer, had emigrated from Huddersfield, in Yorkshire) was among our pious colonists, or to speak more correctly, was brought to the knowledge of divine things; at this time, though a very young man, God intrusted him with excellent gifts, which, directed and influenced by divine grace, rendered him in a little while the chief speaker in this little colonial church ; Mr. B. has for many years been a laborious minister in these colonies, and, giving honour to whom honour is due, well merits the title of Apostle to Nova Scotia ; he has been the chief father of the work, and by his ministry, and those who have acted with him, the gospel has been preached from Cape Canso to Cape Sable, and from Halifax to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. John and James Ma;i have licen useful and laborious Mission- aries in these provinces, and have both worn themsclyeo out by serving God's cause. Here tlie reader will observe, that in the above note I speak chiefly of the cause of God among the mettodisls; of other denominations 1 cannot speak, and it it Bwre proper they sboult' give the biitory of their owo nuMivn. w THE NARRATIVE m\ .''■.li-Jf! ^ Hospitality of the Nova Scotians to MissioBaries. sionary. On Wednesday, rode to Amherst, and preached in the court-house ; and on Thursday io Napan, and preached in Mr. Pike's house. On Friday, rode to Pont de Bute, and preached at squire Wells's, a respectable justice of the peace and leader in our society. Brother and sister Wells possessed a large share of the love and fear of God ; so that my visit was often profitable, having my soul much drawn out in preaching in the house, and my mind sweetly refreshed by their conversation. I was now in the neighbourhood of some of the oldest settlers in these parts, by whose means religion was first introduced. Some of them were gone to their reward ; but several of their children and re- latives still manifested much of the divine life and spi- rit of religion ; and among these, I preached when- ever ft door opened, or spent my time in pastoral vi- sits. These were precious seasons ; and often times our little sylvan chapels were filled with the preseuce of God, and my social visits were both profitable and pleasant. Indeed there i^ no people in the world more kind than the Nova-Scotians : a Missionary to this country has to bear hardships from the weather^ from travelling, from the great changes in the accom- modations, and from various ;;atural causes; but with regard to the people, each house into which a Missionary enters is hospitality hall, and every friend who entertains him a Gains or Philemon, at least in kindness ; nor do I think that there is a place in the world where a Missionary may live happier. The church Missionaries who go there, live and die very contentedly in that country. — This is the case witn the Presbyterians, — ^they voluntarily expatriate them- selves. Provisions are exceedingly cheap ; they have DO taxes ; no tythes ; and the impost duties upon im- ported articles is very small. A lover of solitude might realize all the pleasures of Zimmerman or Ely Bates'ji rural pliilosopby ; and a lover of God ana OF A MISSION. 27 A Chnitian Mission is a nobis Work. — Why only young Men sent. piety^ may admire creation here in her primeval grandeur. • For raisM sublime on her unpolishM throne ; , Wild nature reigns unrivall'd and alone. The man of God cannot go " where universal love smiles not around .'* From the woods of Nova Scotia, from the rock of Gibraltar^ or from the swamps or sands of Africa there is a road to God. It is a child- ish weakness that prevents many good men from leav- ing their country to spread the gospel in foreign lands ; and whoever thinks himself too wise, too learned, too important for this blessed work abroad^ makes it most manifest that he has studied the example of the apos- tles and the genius of the gospel to very little effect. There is something so truly pleasant to a heart warmed with zeal for God's glory, to forego the gratifications of elegant chapels and large congregations, and al- most every domestic comfort^ and preach to a hand- ful of people in the wilderness, or a group of blacks under a cedar tree; that the man who does not kin- dle at the view, wants both dignity, simplicity, and benevolence. Formerly our missions went a begging ; but now, thank God, it is a little better ; though I am still sorry that few or none go but young men up^ on trial; or, indeed, as soon as they are taken out aC all, I have greatly wondered, that among so many wise^ judicious, faithful and learned preachers, as are to be found in our connexion, none ever go up- on this errand : perhaps, I shall b? asked what is this to me. It is painful to every one who has the least particle of regard for the honour^ the prosperity and the respectability of missions: possibly I may be told that they would loae their influence, their importance, and their respectability at home; and that when they returned, they would be in danger 6^ having no niche in the connexion worth filling up, and be cast into the back ground. I cannot, however^ think that any 9t THE NARRATIVE III what v/ny our Missions would become Rrsprctablc. •-F s« man of (me piety will reason in iliis manner; and if we only seek popularity, wc shall not be extensively useful cither at home or abroad ; but perhaps it will be replied, the Missionaries who have been sent out, have been greatly useful ; — they have thank God : but if a few undisciplined raw recruits have per- formed such wonders, what might we not have ex- pected from veterans, trained up in all the discipline of war, if now and then a Gaulter, a Buckley, or a Newton, were to take the field, and to take the lead also ; surely our missions would rise in respectability, as they would extend in usefulness : but I beg pardon for the freedom of these remarks and the digression they have occasioned from my narrative, and will now return to my mission, in Westmoreland. It is true 1 had now and then a rapid deep and wide, river to cross, in a log canoe; and that I might not upset this wonderful bark while the man paddled me over, I was obliged to sit in the bottom, on a little straw. I had occasionally to ride over a broken bridge, sometimes a floating bridge : — I will explain this. — A number of logs are laid upon the water, and nailed to two transverse beams that extend from side to side, and are sometimes fastened to each other : such a mode of crossing a deep creek is certainly cal- culated to dash a fear in the face of weak faith, and compel a man to a dastardly wish that he had stayed at home ; but then he must cross it'; he has to preach the gospel a few miles on the opposite side, and if he be very timorous, and afraid of death, he had better not go upon this errand. '' Let none be sent who are afraid to die" said i zealous Missionary, who la- boured upon a part o the Indian territory, in the in- terior of the United States, and who having sent for a helper, informed the conference that the Indians murdered all the white people they came across. Since my return to England, I have frequently heem OF A MISSION. 29 A Description of the Micmac Indianu in Nova-Scotia. asked questions relative to the Indians, under the idea that at least, a part of our labours were directed to them ; indeed, so much did tiiis idea prevail, even in the large and populous town of Liverpool, that more than fifteen years ago, wlien about to embark from that port for Nova-?cotia, our pious brethren prayed in the public chapels that we might be useful to the poor savages.* As it is necessary to rectify * I liavc alrpady observed tliat tliere are but comparatively few Indians in Nova Scotia, and tliat in all my intercourse with tliem I found ttiem an harmless civil people; I have sometimes met p;roups of them in the heart of the woods, where, if their views had been savage, they miglit have murdered me with the greatest security ; but, save the aversion my horse had to tite smell of bea"*a jsrease, with which they often anoint themselves, I was never molested liy thi*m; 1 have also been inside their wigwams, have bou!;ht porcupine quill boxes of them, have met them squatted upon ihe hearths of tlie colonists in tiic woods. Their mode of living Is truly wretched as well as precarious; it depends chielly upon what tliey take in hunting, viz. bears, mice, foxes, martins, ottcrp, musks, rats, lusifees, porcupines, &c. &c. they generally eat the animal, reserving the ikin for sale; their pro'-ess of cookng is both summary and nasty, they take a salmon out of the water, and just as it comes from his native element put it on the coals, and when it is half broiled they fall to and eat tlie whole animal, tout en sembUi in this manner they devour dogs, cats, and rats; ak long as they have any thing to eat tliey keep a great pot boilin;; in their wig- wams, after eating they lie down, or smoke, then eat again, and if tliey rise in the night they fall upon the contents of the great pot, eat away, and then smoke and lie down again. Their general appearance is the most wretched and squalid imaginable, as they symbolize with tlie filthiest of the Hottentots; their women seldom wear any thing but a ragged dirty blanket thrown over their shoulders, a Jacket made i>f blanket for the men, mokessons to cover their feet made of the s!>.ins of the animals they kill. Their wigwams, or temporary houses (for they migrate from place to place) are made of the boughs of trees (tuck in the earth, and covered with birch bark ; tliey rarely possess more fur- niture than a great pot, a kettle, and a canoe. Their arms are a musket, a knife, and a tomahawk, in this manner you sometimes meet a little group of them, the man with his musket and dog, a pipe in his hat, a knife in his belt, his gun in one hand and tomahawk in the other, his wife or Sqnaw with a little wooiden box upon her back, in which she carries her papoose or child; some- times they carry their canoes , which being made of birch bark dexterously stitched together, are very light, and may easily be borne upon the head; perhaps there are not more than 2000 in thewhole country, and among these probably not more than 300 warriors. Their intercourse witli the Canadian Indians has given them some notion of ?!■' roman catholic superstition ; hence, they wear beads, crucifixes, and often repair to their priests for pardon and absolution ; the roman priests make a profitable trade of their intercourse with these chil- dren of nature, 'aid strenuously teach them that wearing a large crucifix, counting their. bead", and confessing to their priests, will save their souls ; it must, however, be said, to the honour of the romish clergy, that their zeal to convert these poor outcasts to a superstitious and gaudy religion, exceeds that of other ministers to convert them to true piety. 1 have been credibly informed that the estate left by the Honourable Mr. Boyle, is, or should be, devoted to this purpose ; if the Missionaries receive an annual stipend for this purpose, it is » pity they do not take some pains with these poor creatures. ■ik n r 1 " 1 i . »• THE NARRATIVR : S The Methodist Mission not to the Indians, but Colonisti. this mistakoj I know not a more suitable time then the present ; and observe once for all, that the mis- sion of the Methodists in Nova-Scotia, is not a mis- sion to the Indians, but to the colonists or settlers, many of whom arc cut off from all other ministers bj their peculiar situation, and depend altogether upon the labours of the itinerating Methodist Missionaries^ There are many settlers deep in the bosom of the wilderness, along the banks of unfrequented rivers, and on the shores of bays and creeks, far remote from towns and regular roads, and almost cut off from all the rest of the world : these children of nature's soli* tudes have immortal souls; and who shall carry them the bread of life? who shall visit these cottages in the wilderness? — The Methodist Missionaries, under the patronage and direction of the British conference, have done this. — They have penetrated these solitary wilds; plunged into the depth of the vast forests; and carried the light of salvation into the heart of these desolate and umbrageous woods. " The wilder- ness and the solitary place have been glad for them, and the desert has blossomed as the rose.*' And many a cottage in the deep recess, Hails with delight the messengers of peace; And oft beneath the gay aspiring trees, , Whose rustling leaves are music to the breeze, The gospel's sweet and joyous strains are heard, The weak are 'stablish'd, and the drooping cheer'd; The savage Indian hears the joyful talk. And buries deep the murd'rous tomahawk, Savage no more, the renovating plan Moulds into love th' uncultivated man. I have frequently preached at places where they had not ^eard a sermon for sometimes more than twelve month'; together. Ministerial intercourse is gre Uly obstrjcted in this extensive country: the Paucity of Mii;sionaries, and the extent and remoteness of the settlements oppose many difficulties to a more ea* OF A MISSION. yfan taken sick at the Coinmcncemeiit of . .> MisHioii. larged general and minute sphere of Missionary act- ion. Thus, in my situation, at Westmoreland^ I was from ISO to 150 miles distant from any of my brethren in the mission, with scarcely any intercourse for several months in the year. CHAPTER THiaD. i . In the midst of my labours^ and almost at the Yery onset of my mission, I was attacked with a most severe cold, attended with a violent cough and deep hoarseness, ( in consequence of sleeping in a damp, I might have saic, wet bed ) ; these, had I been pru- dent, by a timely application of care and attention- might have been alleviated and remo^'ed> but an anxiety to supply my appointments, and an impru*^ dence in disregarding the beginnings of indisposition, (an error which has been fatal to many young preachers) laid the foundation of a wound in my constitution that I fear I shall carry with me to the grave ; in a little while my fever and cough increased to such a degree as deprived me of sleep, and ren- dered me unable to proceed in ihe work of my mis- sion ; after a weeks confinement an earnest desire to prosecute my work prompted me to make another effort, but alas ! this gave the finishing stroke to my disorder, and I came home with a fever and shiver- ing that indicated the approach of some formidable malady. I had now to take my bed in good earnest, to which, and my room, I was ccn fined eight weeks. My disorder was an inflamation on the lungs, at- tended with a spitting of blood, which reduced me to a mere skeleton, and brought me to the ver> porch of the immortal world But, during my affliction, I had such a display of the povrer of religion as if I 1^^ •'''?( ^t tl TIJE NARRATIVE The iiifrlt Swet'lness of Religion frcqucnlly arroiiulcd rintliii:tinsui. beyond human language to describe ; — such an over- flowing peace — such an inward and unshaken reliance upon the friend of sinners — such sweet communion with Jesus-T-and such soul ravishing manifestations of his love, as exceeded all my ideas of spiritual enjoyment; — my room was an Eden, and my bed appeared to be the very vestibule of heaven !* I could have been willing to bear an age of suHcriug for such an heaven of enjoyment. Pain and weakness did not prevent ray weeping for joy, and praising God all the day long. Surely if all the devils in hell and all the men upon earth combined to persuade me this was only imagination, I should not believe them. At first, the affliction was a great trial to my faith and patience. I had but just entered upon my mis- sion, and to be cut off in the onset, far from my na- tive land — among comparative strangers; separated from my brethren in the ministry, in the midst of a wilderness. Ah, few can tell the trials of such a si- tuation ! Nevertheless I had abundant reason to be thankful : I found a home and hiding-place in God. Brethren of the tenderest hearts, even among stran- gersj and the comforts of the Holy Spirit, were sweet * The author is well aware that language like the above may savour of en- Ihusiasm to a certain class of readers, but he is not, on this account, willing to relinquish the divine, the sweet infelt part of evangelical piety to the cold- hearted moralist, the stiff pharisee, or the sceptical and cautious deist. Are we to lay the noblest emotions of religion, the purest gifts of the cross, and the most lovely and soul ravishing fruits of the Spirit at the feet of Zcno or Epictetus ? Shall we measure our religion by a standard borrowed from the cold uninfiamed philosophers of ancient days, or the fastidious nominal christian of the present i By these Each pure seraphic bliss that warms the saint, liliss which no human eloquence can rn nt, The peace that forms an ££en in tlic soul. The joys that sweetly rise and gently roll, The sacred commerce of a soul above, The ardent flame of pure extatic love. Are deemed a sprightly fancy, or at best, The soft emotions of an amorous breast . These sacred streams above their level rise; This standard's too exalted for their size. ' ^ They spurn the Christian's sweet experience, Because above the suounit of their sense, "" "' OF A MISSION. 31 ()od in Pity to my SItiiatinii, inude this sicli Bed a i;rcat BIritsing. cordials to my soul. AIi^ Xav^ci- ! suifering, labour- ing, and patient Xavicr, I could not symbolize with thee in my affliction, and say, '' Forsaken of all men^ "dying in a cottage." I had not thy strength of mind ; thy vigour of grace; thy holy mortified, sub- dued, and elevated spirit ; hence, my merciful Fa- ther gave the helpless infant nourishing milk; for though this affliction was as the gate of heaven to my soul, yet I cannot ascribe these luminous manifesta- tions to remarkable antecsdent faithfulness, nor yet to an uncommonly deep experience in divine things. I was but a youngpilgrim, and as it respected minis- terial growlh, just in my infancy ; — what then was it but the boundless goodness of that gracious Saviour who, " not according to my works of righteousness, "but according to the counsel of his own will/' gra, tuitously bestowed these blessing upon a poor, weak- and forlorn creature. Perhaps, in a secondary view, the following reasons might influence the divine com- passion: — I was just entering upon an important career of duty, and being stopped at the threshold^ might have sunk into dejection, had not God won- derfully and graciously supported me. In my first stages of piety I had tasted much of the sweetness of religion ; but now the Lord gave me a deep and de- lightful draught; to prepare me for the blessed work to which I have good reason to believe his piovidence had called me. The friends watched my bed with affectionate at- tention, and marked every step of my disorder with peculiar anxiety : prayer was made ror my recovery in every part of (he settlement; and the minds of tha people were remarkably affected, for they deemed my affliction a judgment upon them^ for their unfaithf;il« ness to God. I had now an opportunity of examining myself ( " a lick bed is a detecter of the heart" ) relative to m jr E at I I I i i I!' ift; I! I'.r hW3 54 THE NARRATIVE .'J- ■•■« »■ Hnd ader|i Conviction of the Divinity of Ciirigt. views in undertaking the mission^ and truly I found good reason to conclude, that my motives and inten- tions were not unworthy the sacred ministry. In the early part of my illness, I was uncertain what the Lord was about to do with me ; but this text rested upon my mind with considerable weight — ''I shall not die, but live, and declare the work of the Lord," and open- ed some prospect of a recovery. • I was greatly led to meditate upon the blessed truths of the gospel ; each of which shone with a new evidence to niv soul, and brought some divine consolation with it. Never did the ministry of reconciliation appear either so desi- rable or important as on this occason; and if a wish for recovery stole across my mind« it was while re- flecting upon the precious love of Christ to sinners. Happy, if with my latest breath .,.' , I may but gasp his name ; Preach him to all, and cry in death, Behold, behold the Lamb. !bfothing gave me greater consolation than the su- preme and eternal divmity of the ineffable Redeemer. — I would have staked my eternal all upon this truth ; if St. Athanasius, in addition to the testimony of Holy Scripture, had such an internal evidence, I do not wonder at the bold, decided, and persevering stand he made against Arianism; nor yet that he should call this direful error the sin against the Holy Ghost. The divinity of Christ appeared to me the key stone of the Christian arch ; the centre of union, and palladium^ of the whole system; for if we rob Christ of his glory by tearing this noble tenet from the creed ; what i there in religion but a farrago of idolatory, or a system of deism. During my illness, some of my friends from differ- ent parts of the mission coming to visit me, I desi red to be propped up in bed, that I might once more have the pleasure of preaching a crucified Saviour. It ^^ii OF A MISSION. IS Was reitored to Health,— Rnumcd my Labour. >vas a most solemn and affecting hour: sighs and tears — weeping and lamentations pervaded the little audience; and truly it was a ''time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord." At length the Almighty was pleased to give a fa- vourable turn to my disorder. He raised me from the bed of languishing; he snatched me from the grave; he redeemed my life from destruction; and has already added to it fifteen years : unerring wis- dom knew what was best: I had more work to do; more afflictions to suffer; and more experience to gain : the set time was not come : may the Redeem- er grant, that when the moment arrives^ the best wine may be reserved to the last. Till glad I lay my body down, thy servant Lord attend ; And O my life of mercy crown with a triumphant end. As my stretrgth recruited, I longed to resume the blessed work of my mission. O that my heart might always be as deeply and earnestly involved iti the things of God as it was at this time. The first ser- mon I preached after my recovery was with the "Holy Ghost, sent down from above:" the hardest hearts were smitten as when a rock is broken to pieces by the strokes of a mighty hammer. In the month of March, I visited Ramshag, a set- tlement on the g (If of St. Lawrence, chiefly composed of French people, and emigrants from the United States of America: to this settlement I passed through fifty or sixty miles of wood, by a road chiefly composei^ of blazed trees ;* but as I had a good guide we did not miss our way. In our journey, we came to a little birch- bark covered log hut, in the midst of the wilderness ; which to all appearance, seemed * Blazed trees are notches cut with an axe in the direction you have to pass : The 'first persons who travelled the wilderness taking a compass, and steering; by that, blazed the trees as they went along. If I m'lStaice not, Mr. Wesley travelled by the dint of a blaze io his journey from Savannah to Charlesto.«B. ■ % 'i ! tWl hi V, so THE Narrative Visitfd llniiBlmj^. — Hiitrrlnlnincnt of n Lo;; Cottas;!* in llu> Wood*. more like povcrfj hall tliiin tlie habitation of plenty. We stopped to i»ct some refresiinirnt, and the worthy mistress of the mansion prepared the materials for her tea table ; which to my utter astonishment, was co- vered with the productions of the sky, the ocean, and the land. — I will give my readers a bill of fare pro- vided as the appendages of tt\i,in this log-built eottugc ; and from hence they may learn how many of the colo- nists live in this ''boundless contiguity of shade:" — First, two Mack ducks — second, a cold ham — third, six salted herrings — fourth, a plate full of boiled eggs ; which together with a large dish of vegetables, with bread and butter, constituted the substantial part of our tea refreshment. The reader will be ready to psk from whence this profusion in the midst of the wilderness ? It was chiefly the produce of their own little farm or plantation. Their pigs running at large in the woods supplied them with hams. Wild ducks are lound in the greatest plenty over the whole pro- vince — the lakes, rivers, and sea coasts, are full of them. Their barn door fowls supplied them nith eggs. And their herrings were taken from a river that runs through the woods near the house. On my arrival at the settlements, on the gulf of St. Lawrence, the whole scene exhibited a prospect at once dreary, wild, and revolting enough to the feel- ings. The travelling was all upon the ice ; the com- munication from settlement to settlement was chiefly across bays, rivers, and portions of the gulf^ all bridged with a solid pavement of ice. The gulf it- self was terrible as far as the eye could command ; and immense masses lifted up like bills, and in some places like a solid wall, rose in all directions ; and appeared as though the ice had been formed during the action of a storm. On the land, the dark green woods (pine, spruce and fir trees) rising from a bed of snow whiter than th« purest silver^ formed a singu- OF A MISSION. Yiiited the Gulf uf St. Lawrence.— Tlir wildneu of the Ornery. lar and rather pleasing; contrast to the wildneu of the ic^ landscape, which is most exactly markid io the following picture bj' Phillips. The hoary winter here conceals from sight Alt pU'iiNina; uhjccts, which to verse invite : The iiills and dales, and the dt'lii^htful woods ; The iluw'ry plains and silver.streaming floods, By Miow difigiii^M in bright confusion lie, And with a daz'ling waste fatigue the eye, • • '^' . 0\>r many a shining league the level main Here spreads itself into a glassy plain : There solid billows of enormous size Alps of green ice in wild disorder rise. '^ But to compensate the dreariness of the scene, I found a people hungering and thirsting for the bread and water of life; without temple; without ministry; and without ordinances. How mysterious the con- duct of Divine Providence: thousands living in a land of spiritual plenty, loath the food God has pro- vided for them ; others with eager appetites, are de- prived of the regular means^ and only indulged with a fragment now and then. But God is infinitely ..isc : , *Tis we who cannot read the skies. Notwithstanding the seeming difficulty of travel- ling, the people came in great numbers from differ- ent settlements, to hear the word : the Lord blessed my unworthy labours : we had refreshing times. Such was the loving simplicity of the people, that they almost devoured what was delivered, for the presence and blessing of God were sensibly felt in our meetings. O how sweet it was to meet with these children of nature's solitudes. I did not envy the man lolling over a velvet cushion, preaching to a splendid audience, in a lofty, spacious and elegant chapel. It is true the smoke of the log houses^ some- Tvl M) i * Log Houses,— A» these are the tint productions of architecture in a wilder- ness country, and as, perhaps, two-thirds of the settlers in Nova Scotia reside In them, take the folluwing description of these sylvan mansions : Theyar* made of the solid trunks of trees, twenty, thirty, or more feet long, and firoH 3S THE NARRATIVE The Term Missionary hackneyed till it means Nothing, times annoyed me while preaching ; but I was more comfortable a thousand times than Hans Egade and his companions^ in Greenland; or than Jans Haven, and his laborious and patiently persevering colleagues, in Labrador. Indeed, when I reflect upon these holj labouring, sutTering servants of God, I blush to be writing a thing called the '' Narrative of a Mission ;" in which I never lay ten nights upon the bare ground, for the space of eight years. I am afraid the term Missionary has lost all its dignity, by the manner in which it has been hackneyed iii our connexion. We talk of home Missionaries. We speak with great dignity and gravity of having been on a mission to Guernsey or Jersey : nay, indeed, we call ourselves all Missionaries; and it is probably from this misap- plication of language that I have arrogantly called myself by this venerable name. O my Lord, may I not be found in the day of judgment' to have (in this particular) spoken idle words. Had I fol- lowed the wandering tribes of Indians through the interior wildernesses of North America : had I united myself to the herds of Kalmucks, that traverse the vast steppe of Tartary ; or visited the interior of Africa, not to discover the source of the Niger or the Nile, but to follow with the calls of salvation the Negro, twelve to fourteen inches in diameter; they are cut down, and then roughly squared, (for a Nova Scotian, like a Spartan, uses only the axe, adze, and saw to build his house), after which they are dovc-tailed at tl>e ends, and laid one upon another to a proper height; then the roof is laid on, and covered with either shingles, birch-bark, or boards; a door, ^ hich sometimes serves for n window too, is made by sawing away a portion of the tninks which form the body of the house; the chinney, generally situated at one end, is constructed of clay and rouj^h stones, sometimes indeed this is made of logs ; the spaces between the trunks of the trees are filled sometimes with moss, and sometimes with clay, but in so miserable a manner that the wind comes in from every di- rection ; hence, in the winter they are excessively cold, even though they may have nearly half a load of wood upon the (ire at once, and the snow will fre> quently beat in through the chinks ; 1 have had it upon my bed and by my bed- side in a morning in considerable quantities. Two or thr?*' men will build a log bouse in a few days, as they have frequently no partition. The family eat, drink, and sleep in the same room, which contains, perhaps, two or three beds, separated by a sheet or coTerlid j ia these huts I have often slept, studie^l, and pneached. OF A MISSION. I )• w The awful End of a Drunkard at Ramshag. the Hottentot, or the Bosclieraen ! then truly I might ( after spending ten, fifteen, or twenty years in this labour of love) have assumed the honourable title and the world would willingly admit my claim : did my health and strength permit ; the Lord who sees my heart knows that it longs even in labours formi- dable and forbidding as these to devote itself to him^ but my time is past, and after having broken my con- stitution in serving, as an humble subaltern, this best of all causes, I can now do little more than feel an ardent desire to recommend it to others ; but to re- turn, as the people came many miles over the ice I had to preach two sermons, having only an interval long enough to speak individually to those who were serious, or had received good impressions, for in these wilds ( where you might have cast your eyes in all directions miles to have seen half a dozen houses) there is no such thing as preaching at night. This settlement had been remarkably dissipated and ungodly, till the following alarming providence struck terror to the hearts of some of the most vicious : a number of them had one day met together to ca- reuse and drink, but having sent one of the party to fetch a jug of rum, the unhappy man suddenly fell down dead, which damped the mirth of his compa- nions, and issued, ( by means of the Missionaries) in the reformation of the settlement. I had, during my stay, two or three hair-breadth escapes, but the Lord mercifully interposed his arm and saved me from im- minent danger. One day I was riding in a little sled upon Ramshag river with a friend who was returning with me from preaching, my horse became all at once unruly, and kicked and pranced, and at length became so ungovernable that I could no longer hold the reins, (he having got the bit between his teeth) upon which he set off like a fury to a part of the river which the rapidity of the current had prevented from i 40 THE NARRATIVE *ii! ii\l )>■ ill • 'ii ii f . 1 A remarkable Deliverance from imminent Death. freezing; inevitable death stared us in the face, but just as the mad animal had galloped to the brink of the rapid he turned short about and scoured away to the opposite side of the river, where, the bank rising perpendicular, I had the good hap, by the assistance of my friend, to stop him, and thus were we rescued fiom a watery grave. Another escape was as fol'ows: twenty or thirty people in six or seven sleds had agreed to accompany me to Tatma- gush, (a settlement of Canadian French), where I had made an appointment to preach : we had to cross a wide bay, branching from the gulf, on which, when we had travelled a few miles, the horse that preceded my sled became unruly and rampant, he began to kick and rear upward, upon which the horse that drew the sled wherein I rode, took fright, and galloped off full speed ; to escape being dashed to pieces I threw myself headlong upon the ice, and looking round saw to my utter astonishment that all the other horses were galloping on in the same man- ner ; some in one direction and some in another, but all under the influence of terror : as some of the sleds contained whole families, the death of several per- sons appeared inevitable; nothing could equal the blind fury of the animals, who, as ifpossesed of a thousand devils, continued to race round the bay ; springing now and then over each others sleds ; while most of the people who had, like myself, thrown themselves headlong fro ti their vehicles, were sitting upon the ice weeping or standing petrified with hor- ror for the fate of their companions. However, the providential hand of God was most visibly displayed, for though several sleds were broken to pieces, not a single person was injured beyond a scratch or bruise ; thus might we sing of both " mercy and judgment." After the furious animals had galloped from the bay into the woods ( for we were not mare than a mile 1 1 OF A MISSION. # Kven in these Wilds a few are united together in Society. from the shore; ihe depth of (he snow and the close- ness of the underwood, stopped their mad career ; and with some toil and patience wc got them altogether again ; and as none of the company seemed willing to trust themselves with their still foaming, trembling and bewildered horses, we pursued our journey on foot, and with some difficulty reached the settlement^ where the congregation had already assembled. The divine influence was most powerfully present, and a great and gracious quickening rested upon the people. We had many precious seasons on the dreary shores of the frozen gulf; and some were powerfully awakened to a just sense of their fallen statOj and th« need of a saviour as the only remedy. • ^ CHAPTER FOURTH. Though these settlements lie out of the way of the regular missions, there are nevertheless between forty and fifty persons who regularly meet together, and the Lord hath strangely preserved them by his power and grace. From the eagerness with which they came to hear the word; the difficulties they surmounted; and the tenderness of mind visible among them ; I judged, that if Missionaries were stationed here, or could more frequently visit this part of the gulf, the whole settlement would become Christians and mem- bers of society. It was not uncommon for persons to come ten, twenty, and even thirty miles to hear preaching. An hour or two before the sermon, no- thing could be seen, on one hand, bnt a landscape of ice, frozen rivers, bays, creeks, and the dreary gulf stretching its rifted masses of ice and solid pavement to a great extent from the shore : on the land side, 4ark and impenetrable woods skirted the icy bays and w I. Mi 42 THE NARRATIVE How the Indians Kill Geese. — Anecdote of an Indian. \raved their evergreen tops in defiance of the deep snow that covered their base. But as the appointed hour drew near, the people were seen coming in groups, frc ' all quarters: some in sleds, some ^kate- ing, some ^u foot, and others in little carioles; (a few boards nailed together and fastened to a horse) all hastening to the house appointed for preaching, which was situated upon the shores of a frozen bay. While in this settlement, I had an opportunity of observing the curious manner the Indians killed wild geese. They go out a great distance from the law \ and make themselves little huts with blocks of ice . having constructed these, they shape the snow all round them to a resemblance of flocks of geese : this done, they wait in their ice houses until a flock ap- pears in sight ; upon which they make a noise, as much resembling that bird as possible: the aerial travellers hearing the noise, look down from their lofty flight and seeing the shapes of geese npon the ice, descend till they arrive near the spot : then the "wily Indians rush from their ambush, and let fly a shower of shot among the deluded flock; and often succeed in destroying great numbers. An Indian, who had attended my preaching all the time I stayed in the settlement, observed me one day much affected, while enforcing upon the people the necessity of an immediate closing in with Christ and religion, came in after the service, and ad- dressed me in the following manner: — " Wht/ you try, me never cry, no man make me cry, no man make me frightened." I strove to convince the poor untutored fellow that we ought to wi ep for our sins, and had the satisfaction of seeing him consider- ably affected; while the big unbidden tears freely rolled down his tawny cheeks. Hearing that he had a family, I enquired m what manner he brought them up^ upon which he replfed — "Poor Indian much OF A MISSION. .Wf= Had to cross Raroshag Bay in a heavy Snow Storm. wicked neglect their papouse ;* say to Tom flog you such time, take him, never fail, nc passion, no an^ ger ; say Tom you rnuch wicked, you much diso' hedient, you run away, me flog you for dat, me no passion, no angry, you iad chap, me said flog you such time, now not tell lie, so me flog Tom, he bet" ter hoy, dat my way ; hut many Indians flog chil' dren in great passion dis make dem no better, dis do good, no good." Thus a poor native of the wil- derness knew, that to correct children while the pa- rent is in a passion, is both improper, and subversive of the end intended. I had one day made an engagement to preach at a house^ about nine miles across a bay ; but the ap- pointed day brought with it such a snow storm as I hardly ever beheld, and how to face it I knew not : however, my friend, who undertook to pilot me to the place, was willing to brave its fury; so we mounted our horses, and attempted io cross the bay, but such was the violence of the storm, that we could neither see, nor sit upon the saddle ; so we had to take to the woods, and skirt the bay as well as we could, till coming to a narrow part, we made another effort, and with great difficulty succeeded in getting to the place. Not an individual had come to the house : I imagined we should not have any con- gregation ; but I asked the man of the house, '^did you expect me i* '* expect you said the man : yes, cer- .tainly — " a Methodist preacher will go through fire and water to be at his appointment." I mention this anecdote, io show in what light the people view the hardihood, punctuality and perseverance of Method- ist Missionaries; and truly those faithful men Mr. William Black, John and James Man, had taught them, that there are no hardships; but a zealous Missionary, fired with the love of God and souls. * The Micmac Indians call a child papoote, • wife squaw, and a hniband sanop. t4 THE NARRATIVE Inland of St. John much infested with Mice. will encounter. What has not ardent, patient and per- severing zeal affected ? O yc frozen shores of Green- laud! and ye dreary woods of Esquimauxl \e can witness with v at patience and fortitude the Morav- ian Missiona/ -', cut off from all the world, have Planied the tree of life in fields of ice, ' < And made it flourish in eternal snow! Within sight of Ramshagj lies the beautiful and fertile island of St. John, now Prince Edward's Island, to which there has been a great emigration from England, attended with much vexation.* It is a singular circumstance, that every few years, the mic^c so completely overrun this island, that they cut off every thing in the shape of food that comes within their reach ; and though the people surround the fields and provision with treni^hes filled with water^ they pass these in such vast numbers, that they make a bridge of their drowned companions, and cross by myriads. Some have assigned, as a reason, for the encroachment of this mice army, that the beach nuts, of which the woods are full, having failed the pre- ceding year, they sally forth upon the settlemcfnts in quest i;f provender. A similar reason frequently brings the bears out upon the settlements. I recollect one autumn, while I was up the river St John, the bears were so numerous, and destroyed so many cat- tle, that the people were obliged to send their sheep, * I would here suggest a caution or two to anj' who may desire to emigrate to our North American colonies. Never buy land before you leave England: sometimes those who sell it, are little better than mere swindlers. Here is the mystery :~-A. favorite of government gets a grant of five or ten thousand acres, Thitt land may be forty, fifty, or sixty miles in the interior, where there is nqi road, nor river, nor communi< nation with any other place, but through a waste, howling wilderness. — ^This land is advertised in England, and sold in lots — say 500 acres each. The simpletons who buy it, go out to take possession of their Utopia, and lo, they have to seek it in the heart of a vast wilderness, disap- pointed that the land in question is hardly worth receiving as a gift. Some have returned home, and others have bought upon the spot more eligible lots, nearer the mart of trade; for of what use is land, to which the cutting a road would cost ten times the value of the lot : in a word, land in the woods is good for nothing, except in the neighbourhood of a road, a river^ a creek, or the tea, hy which you can carry your produce to market. OF A MISSION. 45 Bears numerous : — Anecdote of two. Ac. upon the little islands in the lakes^ and keep a constant watch to prevent these hungry animals cros- sing to devour them. — The following odd circum- •tance, shows how very difficult it is to kill these ani- mals^ unless you shoot them through the lungs^ head, or heart. A father and his son were watching some cat- tle they had placed on an island in the lake, and soon saw a prodigiously large bear crossing the passage ; uaving a canoe, and loaded muskets, they paddled after him^ and lodged the contents of their muskets in his body, till^ having shot away their little stock of ammunition^ (their enemy still swimming for the island ), they paddled up to him and beat him with the butt end of their muskets^ when, in the struggle, he got his paws upon the gunwhale of the canoe, and overturned the vessel ; our heroes had now to swim for it, and the poor &hot-battered bear got upon the bottomof the canoe, and there he sat, until, having obtained more help, they dispatched him with their bullets. Another instance that came to my know- ledge is the following: a bear that was mortally wounded ran past a man who was felling timber, he, seeing the animal bleeding, left his tree and aimed a stroke at the bear, who, with a dexterity for which these animals are famous, snatched the axe from the man's hand, and striking with his other paw, fore him down from his breast to his abdomen, by which the unfortunate man was killed ; the bear died also by the wounds he had received. Early in the spring of 1802 I returned to my mis- sion in Westmoreland, and shortly after set off to meet my brethren at Annapolis ; at which place we had appointed to confer how we might best fulfil our missions, and promote the cause of God. Mission- aries in Nova Scotia have always had a little annual conference upon a small scale, similar to that of their brethrea at home, at which they settle their respec- 48 THE NARRATIVK 11' ■ In 'I ; U Annual Meeting of the Nova Scotia Misviunaries. tive stations, and form their by laws ; indeed a dis- cretionary power of this kind should always be at the option of foreign Missionaries^ where several of them arc stationed in the same country ; for how can it be supposed that any man, oi any number of men, un- acquainted with the country and their rehitivc situa- tion, can possibly know in what manner to regulate the several stations of a foreign mission ? Meeting with my brethren was truly refreshing to my soul. In a forei£>-n land the sight of an old friend and countryman aB()rds an infelt pleasure, and is infinitely more grateful than a fine day in the midst of December. In Nova Scotia this pleasure is en- hanced by the circumstance of our being separated from each other all the rest of the year by bays, rivers, and large tracks of wilderness countr;'; so that our annual meeting becomes a source of rational satisfaction, and renewed friendship. My brethren judged it best for me to labour for a short time on the Halifax mission, hence I chana:ed with Mr. Black, who supplied my place at Westmoreland ; \vhere, at the request of the people, I was appointed to labour again the succeeding year. At Halifax I had large and attentive congregations, and my mind was both quickened and refreshed among the people. The society was in a lively flourishing state; some good was done, and many truly respectable people attended our chapel. During my stay in Halifax I had an opportunity of visiting several deserters, under condemnation, for leaving their posts, and firing at the party sent to pursue them; when I first entered the guard house prison, I observed one of them had a paper in his hand, which he was reading with great earnestness ; 1 requested to see it, and found it con- tained a prayer, in which, after deprecating the divine displeasure, were these remarkable words: " Lordj give us penitential sorrow, that by tJie tears OF A MISSION. 47 Anecdote of Hume Deserter!), who were nbot. iring ered had ;reat con- the >rd8: tears " we shed vfe may make an atonement for the crimes " we have committed ;" a doctrine as contrary to the ^vord of God as it is to the spirit and letter of the most excellent homilies, articles, and liturgy of our established church ; that this had been composed for them by the chaplain of the garrison I will not say, but I conceived it to be my duty to point out its dangerous trndcncy; and withal show them the only true and di- vine way by which a guilty sinner can possibly come to thj Lord Jesus Christ, so as to obtain acceptance, justifioation, and pardon. After labouring with them some time by reading, instruction, and prayer; I had the satisfaction of seeing a visible and gracious willingness, in two of them particularly, to come as guilty, miserable, but confessing sinners, to the only hope, the only advocate, the only Saviour of miser- able mortals perishing in their sins : one of the thise being humbled only in a small measure, and possess- ing some information, and more strength of mind than the others, had some idea of dying as a philoso- pher and hero, but when I informed him that unless he died as an humble penitent, he would sink to ever- lasting ruin, he was willing to come down a little from the lofty station he had taken in his own vain mind. How difficult is it for sinners of a certain cast to come to Christ ! they must share some portion of the glory of their own salvation; admit this, and they are willing enough that Christ should have all the rest; — this natural pride of the human heart, combined with unbelief and presumption, its legiti- mate offsprings, causes many either to overshoot or build below the rock of their salvation. Having sat up with them in the prison all the night previous to their execution, I attended them early next morning to the fatal spot ; and as they died with a humble reliance upon the mercy of Christ, and some degree of holy deliverance from the fear of deaths I had \- 48 THE NARRATIVE Kcturncd tn my Appointment at Westmoreland. good cause to believe^ that, two of thorn especially^ were pardoned and saved through the blood of the Lamb. The same night I improved the circumstance of their death from the history of the penitent thief on the cross. In the month of August, Mr Black having rC' turned from Cumberland, I set off once more to mj mission in those parts, and on my way preached at Windsor and Patridge island, where I stopped to spend a few days with two amiable families. Squire Rachford's and Mr. Shannon's; I also spent a little time with Mr. Shreeve, the church Missionary, who kindly rode with me to the half-way river, -where, at his request, I preached to a few persons at a school in the woods. During a considerable part of this winter my mind was much depressed, sometimes occasioned by indisposition, ( for my constitution had received a shock, as has been already mentioned, by lying in a damp bed), but my greatest grief arose from a consciousness of unfaithfulness, and the want of success in the prosecution of my mission. Were this only a diary of my own experience, I might say many things respecting the workings and exercises of my own heart, its pride, its discontent, its murmur- ings, its opposition to duty, its lusting after ease, popularity, and learning; its being elated with praise, honour, and respect ; as also its consequent repug- nance to labours, reproach, and obscurity. O ! hovr much grace it requires to make a thorough Christian! Iiow much more to make a faithful minister; but most of all to make a zealous, patient, laborious and prudent Missionary. I had all I wanted or could reasonably expect of earthly enjoyments ; the people in the settlements w^re affectionately kind ; my accom- modations were in general good ; I had a horse to ride in the summer season, and a sled during the win- ter; had a few chosin books; and was greatly OP A MISSION. 'M9' A corrupt and danfcrroiis Doctrine^ beloved bj the p'^ople ; but all these things availed little while relieion did not flourish; the want of close communioQ with the Lord^ joined with levity and un- watchfulness often covered me with shame and blush* ing, while the badness of the roads, the severity of the weather^ and the wickedness of the settlements, all heightened and aggravated by an oft recurring gloomy train of thoughts, caused me to move heavily along; and yet the Lord did not leave my labours without fruit, nor my mind without consolation. I preached hard ayd laboured constantly ; but many thought I was too legal, and certainly they had cause to think so, if the following doctrines indus* triously propagated in the settlements by somenewf light preachers were genuine: Ist. "That a believer^ though he sin never so much, is still pure ; — God sees no sin in Isreal." 2d. " That the body of a believer only sins, and not the soul; as a nut thrown into the mud is only soiled in the shell, and not the kernel/' 3d. " That the body of a believer may get intoxicated and commit whoredom, but not the soul ; that being spiritual is not affected by such fleshly lusts. "^ 4th. " That a sheep though he render himself filthy by going into the mud, and black, by rubbing against the stumps of burned trees, is a sheep still, as no- body ever heard of a sheep b^'coming a goat." In the fall I visited Pedicodiack river, many settle- mentf> along the banks having no preacher, and but seldom any ordinances. My good friends Justice Dixon and Weldon accompanied me on this tour ; our accommodations were poor in the extreme, for at one place we were all three obliged to sleep in one small bed, and, as the worthy magistrates were both portly men, I think it might safely be affirmed, that it never at one time contained so much law and gos- pel before; at other times we had no bed at all, and lay all. night on the floor; hyxi we had refreshing 60 THE NARRATIVE ' V- Vnriout Phrnoiiieiia In the Pcdicodiack River. I 1^ Ki sea8on§ in the woods among the people^ and I trust several were both quickened and awakened. Pedicodiack is one of the most dangerous and for- midable rivers in Nova Scotia ; it is nearly a mile wide, and withall so rapid and furious that it occa- •ions the destruction of many boats and lives everj ^ear, situated at the head of the bay of Fundy, ' The tide's indraught is prodigiously strong, and as it rises nearly forty feet, it causes many curiou» phenomena ; two of these are called by the people the boar and the quicksand; the former is occasioned by the rapid influx of the tide, which raises tlie water like a wall, and has often swallowed up both man and boat ; the second, for which it is more difficult to account, is attributed by the people to quicksands moving at the bottom of the river, in an undulatory manner : in the last of these I was myself involved, and though the agitation of my mind prevented my calmly and minutely observing the phenomena, yet I think the opinion of the people is very probable. We were sailing down with the tide in a large boat ; the day was fine, and the river smooth as glass, when all at once a mighty ebullition surrounded the boat, the waves rose in quick and violent succession, and, ac- cording to th.e best of my recollection, with a singu- lar noise ; I expected every moment the boat would be swallowed up, although the men seemed io think there was no danger ; it quickly subsided, but had agitated the water to a considerable extent. On the banks of this river many families of the old Acadian French reside, but so immersed in the su- perstition of priestcraft, that they are almost inac- cessible to the light of scriptural truth ; they are indolent in the extreme, seldom cultivating more land than is sufficient to supply their present wants. Their habitationr are despicable huts, consisting of one large room, where they sleep, cook, ea», lind perform $ OF A MISSION. MlMionniiM nhouldbc Men of Fatiencp, Courage, and FurlUudf. their devotions. Their language is a dialect of the Canadian French ; and their general manners about half-way-house between the Indians and the white people. Hereabout, the country is much cut up, and intersected with rivers, bays, and creeks, so that travelling is always difficult, and sometimes dangerous; hence, a Missionary who labours faith- fully in this vineyard had need to possess both strength of body, fortitude and courage of mind; he must not think to lay his head in the flowery lap of ease ; the refinement of study are out of the ques- tion ; a fear of the water would be a painful impedi- ment to his usefulness ; and a sedentary disposition would disqualify him altogether for being useful on a mission, where long rides, wild woods, and rapid rivers^ require activity and expose to hardship. God and a solitary iudividfual or two are perhaps the only witnesses of his toils and difficulties ; he cannot, in the fastidiousness of self indulgence, lean over a velvet cushioned pulpit and tell a sympathizing au- dience of his toils and trials, and then hasten back t<> his snug parlour and quiet study. Alas ! the good man must often ride twelve miles through a snow storm to preach in a log hut, and cross a dangerous and rapid river in a small canoe to speak to half a dozen settlers on the opposite shore. After a most affectionate and painful ps^riing with the dear people of this mission, in the spring of 1803, I set o^T. for Annapolis ; at Gornwallr^ I called on the Rev. Mr. T. one of the Mission^Ties of the society "for the propagation of Christian knowledge." — He had been brought to the saving knowledge of the gos- pel in its purest form, by means of Mr. Black and the other Missionaries, and now zealously enforced the doctrine of salvation by faith. He requested me to pleach , in his parish, and brought his whole family to the meeting : while I continued at his house, he g2 •n 52 THE NARRATIVE Visited the United States. — Remarks on the Work. related several anecdotes of the opposition and perse- cD.tion he met with from his brethren. He had used Dr. Watts's psalms and hjmns in his churchy to the great mortification of some of his rigid hearers, who wrote to the bishop of Nova Scotia, to prevent such dangerous and methcdistical innovations. The bishop highly disapproved of the practice* so that Mr. T. finding he was likel^^ to get into trouble, wrote home to the society, who, with a liberality worthy so venerable a body, sent him a box of the psalms and hymns in question ; at the same time testifying their approbation of his conduct, to the no small disappointment of his enemies. The brethren met at Annapolis ; and after delibe- ration, it was judged expedient, that five of the young Missionaries should go to New York, and be more fully set apart for the work of the mission. So we sailed from Digby, in the month of May, and after a rough, but speedy passage of six days, arrived in that city. Here I had an opportunity of contem* plating the vast extent of the work of God, in the western world, and particularly that branch of it, which sprung from the labours, wisdom, and zeal of the Rev. John Wesley. To use the words of the venerable psalmist, we may exclaim — "what hath God wrought." In about forty years, there have been ISOOpreachers admitted into the travelling connexion in America : 1 10 have died in the glorious work, not counting their lives dear, so that thej might finish their course with joy, between six and seven hundred faithful ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ, are spread from the northern extremities of the province of Main to St. Mary's and the Altama- haw river ; in the southern extremities of Georgia ; and from the sea board in the atlantic states to Eri- Dietroit, Muskingam, Wabash and Missoury ; in the west and south-westward to the Missisippa, Natch'es^. OF A MISSION. ^3 Spread of Religion in the Interior of America. Upper and Lower Louisiana^ to New Orleans and the Tombigbe settlements. In a word, the influence . of Methodism in the United States, has generally been, especially to the south and south-west, coeval as well as coextensive with the settlements. At dif- ferent times, a number of enterprising persons have emigrated into the interior, and forming settlements three or four hundred miles from any long established place, have been, for a season, deprived of the means of grace : such insulated settlements afibrding no field for a resident minister, have, occasionally, been vi- sited by those itinerants, who were the most contigu-^ ous, until at length a cluster of such settlements has ^ formed a circuit, and by their extent and conse- quence, ha\e required the labours of several preach- ers. In this manner, the state of Ohio, Kentucky^ ' the Tennessee country, the Western territory, and se- veral other places, have grown up under the influence of Methodism, to their present dignity, extent and power ; indeed there is hardly a settlement of any consequence to the west and south, but has been visited by active and faithful labourers from the diflerent conferences, who have left behind them traces of saving light and real usefulness. The "rose of Sharon" planted by their hands has flou- rished in the midst of these woodlands, and thousands have taken their flight from the banks of the Ohio, the Alleganny, and the Sciota to the mansions of bliss ! Methodism has been a peculiar blessing to this new world, where, having no religious estab- lishment, many of the people would be left to con- tingent religious instruction, had not the Methodist preachers, with an alacrity and zeal not unworthy the apostolic age, spread themselves abroad in every ^ direction, and become every man's servant for Christ's . sake, and every settlement's apostle in the blessed gospel. The venerable bishops Asbury (and Wat- w u THE NARRATIVE Hardships and Diificuhtes of llie United States Preachers. coat, tvho was then alive) treated us with aiTectionate simplicity, and with much solemnity and prayer, more fully ordained us for the work of the ministry ; my mind was deeply impressed during this sacred service, and I felt a strong and lively determination to give myself more fully to the work of the Lord, in labouring for the salvation of souls. In New York I saw several Missionaries from Up- per and Lower Canada, and also from the vicinity of the Lakes ; whose manifold hardships caused me to blush at my own weakness and want of courage ; and hence I learned that with all the difficulties I had endured from cold, hunger* fatigue, and storm, a Nova Scotia mission is not one of the hardest in the world, though abounding in difficulties. Good John Bunyan's Pilgrim, when passing through the valley of the shadow of death, did not know there was another in similar circumstanecs, until he heard the Toice of Faithful, and then he took courage ; so in my own trials, when trudging through the deep snow with my saddle bags upon my back, riding across broken bridges, traversing the solitary wilder- ness, preaching in asmoaky log hut to a dozen people, or groping my way by night in the dark and swampy woods, I had sometimes been ready to conclude that of all others, mine were the greatest hardships : thus a young and raw recruit will swell into formidable dangers, what a hardy veteran would treat as trifles hardly worthy of apprehension ; for now I learned that I had only been upon the borders of the desert, while others* had actually crossed the dismal and * The dangers and hardships of many of the preachers in the new world, this land of riverti, furwts, swainpa and lakes, are not to be parmllelled by any thing simiLir in an old country. Not unfrequently has a preacher to sleep in the woods. Sometimes a circuit is from one to two hundred miles! ■extent, through bad roads and a wilderness country. The living will do very well for string Iwarty ploughmen and wood cutters ; but fat bacon, fiery wisk;.' and bohea tea, are not very grateful to a tender constitutioJi or a sickly appetite. Somettnai a OF A MISSION. 55 Intprestins; Anecdote of n Forest Preacher. dreary waste. The worthy bishops themselves take their full share of all the toils and labouc attending an extensive circulation of divine truth in this vast world of woods — this boundless contiguity of shade. Bishop Asbury, in a pastoral sermon I heard him preachy showing that they were *'not a wit behind any of their brethren,'* the preachers, in labours, travels, and exposures, illustrated his position by the following simple but appropriate amecdote, which so in deep preacher will have to ride from five to thirteen hundred miles to a conference. At the general conference I attended in New York, there ^ere some preach* ers from Charlestown, 800 miles distant ; from Kentuclcy 800 ; from' Ohio 700; fromTennesse 1,300; from the Western Territory 1,200; from the Miasoiiry and Louisiana 1,400. There is likewise, another very severe liard from one end of his cir- cuit to another, to get a single room for his whole family ; and' this too, pro* bably, in a miserable log-house ; perhaps the good man is not morethan one day at hone in forty ; and yet there are some excellent preachers ; some men' who. possess strong minds, considerable information, and powerful eloquence. An English traveller thus describes a forest solemnity of preaching; and religious ex- ercises. — " It was one Sunday, as I travelled through the county of Orange, that my eye was caught by a cluster of horses, tied near a ruinous old wooden house in the forest, not far from the road side : having frequently seen such objects before in travelling through these states, I had no difficulty in understanding that this was a place of religious worship— 'levotion alone would have stopped me to join in the duties of the congregation ; but I must confess, that a curiosity to h'ear the preacher of such a wilderness, was not the least of my motives ; no en- tering, I was itruek with his preternatural appearance ; — he was a *a\\ and very spare old man) his head, which was covered with a white linen eap, his shri- velled hands and his voice were all shaking under the influenctt of a palsy, and a few moments ascertained to me that he was perfectly blind. The first emo- tions that touched my breast, were those of mingled pity and veneration) buk ah 1 how soon were all my feelings changed — his subject wa* the passion of ouc Saviour ; and little did 1 suppose, that, in the wild woods of America, I was to meet with a man, whose eloquence would give to this topic, a new and more sublime pai.iOS, than I had ever before witnes&ed. He drew a picture of the suf- ferings our Saviour ) his trial before Pilate ; his ascent up Calvary ; his cruci-' fixion and death. I knew the whole history, but never till then had I heard circumstances so selected, so arranged, so coloured ) it was all new, and I seemed to have heard it for the first time in ny life. Ilis enunciation was so de« liberate, that his voice trembled on every syllable, and every heart in the as* seqsbly trembled in unison : his peculiar phrase had that force of description, that the original scene appeared to be at that moment acting before our eyes » but wlien he came to touch on the patience, the forgiving meekness of our Sa? viour; when he drew to the life, his blessed eyes streaming in tears to heaven ) his voice breathing to God a soft and gentle prayer for pardon on bis enemicvf * father forgive them, for they know not what they do.' The efiject was incon- ceivable ; tnc whole house rr»ounded with the mingled groans and sobs, and :(hrielM of the congregation." m i$ THE NARRATIVE Anecdote of Bishop Asbury. bad a wonderful effect on the whole conference: "during the revolutionary war, a fort was besieged by a part of the British urmy^ and the little garrison was reduced to the grcuicsf. possible distress, fatigue> labour, and privation, next to famine, excited a spirit of murmurint^ in^ discontent among the pri- vate men; the commander remonstrated, and after pointing out his more than equal hardships, held up bis pint of rice, (which was all their daily allowance) observing that if any of the men were dissatisfied, they might share his portion among them, as he had no more than the meanest private in the garri- son. The men were satisfied; their murmuring subsided." And now said the good bishop, — if any^ of the brethren are dissatisfied with your pint of rice, you &.re welcome to take my pint, and divide it air.ong you. CHAPTER FIFTH. After the accomplishment of our object, in New York, brother Bei^iett and myself re-embarked for the cold and rugged shores of Nova Scotia, empha- tically so, when compared with the beautiful and well cultivated vicinity of New York. After a de- lightful passage of five days, we arrived at Digby^ in the bay of Fundy; and as it was sabbath, and we could not reach Annapolis, we went ashore^ hoping for some opening to preach the gospel ; but alas! Jesus Christ did not appear to have one foot of ground in all Digby; (the Nazareth of Nova Scotia) so after a solitary walk on the sea shore, we hailed the boat, and returned on board, to read our bibles, and enjoy what conversation our circumstances af- forded. Digby is given up to smuggling, and at OF A MISSION. 67 Unge of some Smugglers. -Wilmot Mountain. night, when the smugglers came on board, to carry their contraband goods ashore^ wc were greatly dis- turbed with their profane and worldly conversation ; thej continued to grow worse, and at last we reproved them, but this brought upon us a flood of reproach and invective ; one of them, to show his importance, quoted a scrap of latin, but upon my calmly telling him we did not deal in scraps, his fury became ungo- vernable ; and I believe, had it not been for fear of the consequence, they would have murdered us both. The next day we procured a boat, to take us to Annapolis, where I was appointed to labour for three months.* The circuit is large and populous ; and there are many truly pious people on both sides of the river. We have a chapel at Granville, ten mile» from the town ; likewise a small one on Wilmot mountain : this is a majestic eminence, that com- mands the whole bay of Fundy, and in fine clear wea* ther, the opposite shores of New Brunswick. I laboured on this mission, with great delight and satisfaction. The work prospered from Wilmot ixiountain to the Waldeck settlement. Our meetings were crowded; many were greatly quickened: and seldom did we assemble together without a refreshinr.^ sense of the presence of the Lord. At Granville cha- pel, and the Waldeck settlement, the vast numbers who attended, necessitated me to preach and admini- ster the Lord's supper, in the woods : the stillness of this sylvan theatre; the lofty pine and birch trees •WW * Thh beautiful little town, formerly the capital of Acadia, was called iiy the French, Port Royal. Its present name was given it in liononr of Queen Ann ; Annapolis, or the City of Ann ; from the Greek word palis, a <^.ity. It is situated on the river, and near the bason of the same name, perhaps one of the fineftt in the world. The climate of the country of Annapolis is the mildest and most sheltered part of the province, and taiay be called the Eden of Nova Scotir. The town is small, but delightfully situated } it has a church, a metho* dist ch.'^pel, a court-house, a fine garrison, and many good houses} it is upon the bank of tht river, whi«h is cultivated on both sides, and Ail.l of iiiM4ew«« gardens, . u'l vrcbardi. 1 m \ r 58 Tlifi NARllATIV?: ill Imi^ There id mutii pure and varni Devotion in the Woods of Nova Scotia. waving over head ; the table covered with the rlc- mcnts ; the suiroundinj?; and often weeping cop^re^;a- tion left impressions upon m}' mind^ that neitixr lime nor place will be able to remove, and when I think of these seasons, my heart sprini^^s across the v. kde at lanticj to preach the gospel in the woods of Nova Scotia. The reader will pardon m^ for dwelling so iiiuch upon the simple mihals of tl»ese, our British American colonists ; if like myself, he hud formed his miuistry, and received some of his greatest comforfs m the vvilti woods of North America, the recollection would notl>« bajren of entertainmeni. Here all wsfsspontaneoas, affectionate, and sincere: the divine inli j \ ce \vn» like the dew upon Israel ; the emotions of G'^d's spirit in the heart, were not shaped and modelled to the formal decorum of a large and splendid congregation, where a sob, a tear, or a sigh, would break in upon the unvarying monotony of re- ligious propriety, and attract the attention of half-a- thousand orderly demure and unaffected worshippers. I am under iio restraint, in saying, that in the forests of Nova Scotia, I have seen as much pure genuine devotion and holy excitement, as ever solemnized the finest temple made with hands^ or ascended to heaven from the sincerest heart. One day, while I was preaching, J. W. a man re- markably moral, and who had long lived in avery regu- lar but self righteous manner mixed with the congrega- tion ; the word fell upon his heart ; he became deeply convinced, that he was not built upon the right foun- dation ; and throwing aside his fig leaf covering, he came to the Lord Jesus Christ, for the garments of salvation. The change wrought on his mind wag wonderful to all wh6 knew him ; he became ai holy and humble as a little child, and soon after died in the triumph of faith. A friend requested me to visit a woman of a very different stamp. When I 50 OF A MISSION. |(ia. ic cle- |i' time think \t iil- ing so ^iifisli ied his lection In cere : 11 ,- the shaped ,'e and [a sigh, of re- fialf-a- ippers. forests en nine ed the leaven anre- regu- ;rega- leeplj toun- ?> he its of was hoi J in the ; to len I Anecdote of a dying self Deceiver. entered the room, I found her propped up in bcd^ and to all appearance, within a few days of the final limit of human life: on my entering the room, her looks expressed her aversion to my visit, which greatly pained my mind ; however I ventured to ask the poor dying deceiver, whether she had any reason to believe that her soul was in a state of salvation ; to which with great acrimony, she replied — *' what have I ever done that I cannot be saved?" immediately adding — ''I do not know why I cannot go to heaven as well as another." — Strong delusion; and yet this deluded wo- man had the day before been receiving the sacrament, and a day or two after went unhumbledand unrenew- ed into the eternal world. While upon this mission^ my visits to the Waldeck settlement on the Annapolis bason, were most refresh- ing and precious to my soul. Some of the people were as simple as little children ; for God had given them "the spirit of love, of power, and of a sound mind." Oh! how easy is it to preach, and how sweet to converse with a people in such a case. My preach- ing to these was always blest, and my meeting them in class was an enlivening season.* Once, however, as I was visiting this settle- ment, an accident happened that had nearly cost me my life. The lady at whose house I lodged wished to accompany me in order to hear preaching, and visit a friend in that part ; so my horse was put be- fore the family gig, and we had arrived within a mile of the appointed place, when a tree that lay along side the road catched the wheel, and as the * In many parts of Nova Scotia there are no regular class leaders ; hence, the Missionary, at soon as he has finished his sermon, meets the class at whatever place he preaches ; this is sometimes fatigueing, but generally profitable, as it gives him an intimate knowledge of the people, and often lays the foundation for that pastoral and christian affection which subsists, as much in Nova Sco- tia, as ia any place I ever knew. m W<' ."J ¥\l hS «0 TIIE NARRATIVE Ricliii); to (hf VViildcck Si'ttltfiiient was upset in a Gig. "j.i horse was going on a smart trot, the gig was over- turned with a considerable shock, and we were both thrown out to the distance of several yards. In my first apprehension. I did not know but I had fallen to rise no more. Poor Mr. B. called out, "Osir, my jaw is broken ;" and one equally ignorant how far he had sustained injury, replied, and my ribs are all fractured. However, after a few moments colloquial condolence with each other, we found the injury we had sustained, was not equal either to the shock with which we were thrown out of the carriage, or the ap- prehension we felt in the first moments of our fail; nevertheless we were both sadly bruised, and my clothes were much torn. When the gig upset, the horse stopped, otherwise it must have been broken all in pieces, as it was in the midst of a wood. We had some difficulty in restoring things to order : however, we managed once more to resume our places, and pursuing our journey, thanked our Almighty pre- server that we had not been killed on the spot : " thou Lord savest both man and beast;" thy name be to endless ages adored. The people were waiting for my arrival in a large barn ; and after pinning together the rents in my clothes, I preached away all my sense of soreness, and had a most profitable time. It was otherwise with Mrs. B. she being much older, did not recover from the bruises she received for a long time. Mytime at Annapolis being expired; Itookanaifec- tidnate leave of all my friends ; and early in the fall, crossed the bay of Fundy, for St. John, on which mission, my brethren had appointed me to labour during the winter. Evangelical religion was first planted in f)t. John, by that holy and useful Mission- ary Mr. Abraham John Bishop, from the island of Jersey. He was, under God, the chief instrument of the first revival, both in the city, and along the banl sic it siom man ine t€ , I ^^ OF A MISSION. ni Tlic Dculh of Abrahnm John Bishop, a rnUhful MixHiuiiiiry. ;h e banks of the river ; and his name will long be as mu- sic in the ears of many who date their first impres- sions from his Missionary labours. He was truly a man of God, and possessed a large share of the genu- ine Missionary spirit : — he feared neither the rich nor powerful^ but would lovingly invite or mildly re- prove all who came in his way. What is sometimes dignified by the name of prudence, was in his estimate lukewarmness. He rarely met an individual in the street without speaking to bin on the concerns of his soul. In a word, he was *' instant in season and out of season ;" and although a man of fortune^ he was humble as a little child, and self denying as an her- mit. His rank in society added a lustre to his zeal ; and his loving and affectionate spirit made his reproofs "an excellent oil :" but he is no more ; he was early snatched from the toils of warfare to the triumphs of glory. — The conference wanted a Missionary, who could preach both in French and English, to visit the island of Granada ; and as he was eminently qualified for this undertaking, he was sent to the West Indies, and in those blooming regions of perrenial death, he soon paid the debt of nature, and was transmitted to glory, by that blight of mortality the yellow fever ;— dying in the prime of his life and the midst of his use- fulness. Holy shade, farewell ! — thou feelest no more the bitter blasts of Nova Scotia, nor the scorch- ing fervor of the torrid zone ! — Gentle Missionary, may my spirit be with thine in the regions of repose and the mansions of eternal blessedness t On my arrival at St. John's, the severity of the fogd ( sometimes the sun did not appear for a whole week ) created great pulmonary oppression, and difficulty of breathing ; hence^ the climate appeared hostile to mv constitution, and occasioned a fear that eventually I should not be able to stand it ; however, in this I had apprehended more than I actually felt, for after a M fi2 THE NARllATIVE • ■gj •■■%- f 'J f; 'v'l Jl ImI in a Snow Drift on the Bay of BeilisSe. little while the inconvenience passed away, and a sense of the goodness of God, together with a strong desire to he useful, reconciled me f / my situation. The Sariour's love can every place beguile ; Make the rocks bloom, the arid desert smile. If he be near all Eden*s in my soul, Whatever skies preside or seasons roll. My labours on this mission, if not remarkably successful, were at least salutary to myself, and profitable to as many as feared God. Our little chapel was often greatly crowded, and my own soul was much quickened. In the winter I went up the river St. John, per- haps the second in British North America for extent 9nd importance. During this excursion I was on the point of perishing in a snow storm ; night approached just as we were entering upon the bay of Beilisle, a part of the river nearly seven miles wide ; the power- ful drift had erased all the road, and was so thick and furious that it prevented our seeing further than the horses' heads. There were in the sled, be. sides myself, two women, a child, and the driver ; our s'uation was truly perilous, as the bay across which >*? were pursuing our journey was full of air- holes, occasioned by the tides and current ; While round us uight resistless closed fast, With the wild tempest howling o'er our head. We knew not which way to take ; the storm increas- ed, and blocked up our path before and behind ; the deep and accumulating snow greatly impeded the sled ; the drift was full in our face, so that the dri- ver could hardly look out, or the horses face the furious element. For some time we were bewildered by our situation, nor did the driver know which way to guide his horses, so that the prospect of being be- nighted and lost stared us in the face, as the severity of the cold would soon have put an end both to our The particular Providrnre of (iod n pin ; Rrflcctlnn. and a strong on. rkably and little rn soul n, per- extent } on the oached lisle, a power- so thick further ed, be- driver ; y across 1 of air- increas- ind ; the ;ded the the dri- face the wildered lich way jeing be- I severity th to our hopes and fears, and would have left us to bleach beneath an inclement sky. But in this extremity God did not reject our supplications; just as the night shut in with all its horrors, we arrived on the opposite shore, not far from a house, thus divine providence (the infidel would say chance) interposed for our preservation. Let God be praised for his goodness in the hour of extremity ; and may my soul derive confidence from his past guardian care. In writing this narrative I shall often be disposed to advert to God as the blessed agent in my various deliverances and escapes ; if this seem like enthusi- asm, I must bear the stigma; — if like pride and arroganc;, I believe [ shall never be humble. One from above has taught me to " acknowledge him in all my way, and he will direct my path." He has told me that "a. sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice;" that ''the hairs of my head are all numbered ;" yea, that ''he is about my bed and my path :" hence, 1 cannot much regard such chance-mongers as the maker of the following lines : *' Vt^hen the lose mountain trembles from on high *' Shall gravitation cease if you go by." Yes, he that knew the mountain would fall, knew al- so that I should pray for deliverance, and suspended the ruin until I was safe beyond the roll of the fur- thest stone. The next day we pursued our journey, though the cold, the intensely cold north west wind blowing full in our faces rendered us in a manner torpid ; in a little while I could hardly tell whether I had either feet, legs, or hands; towards evening one of our horses gave up and fell down upon the snow, so we had no choice but to leave the river and make for the first house, which, though greatly destitute of ac- commodations, (it was a log-hut) we were obliged to make our asylum for the night, I have often beea fli THE NARRATIVE l(ardHhi|M uf travvlllng on the Uivrr 8l. John. — Anrcdotv of • Chapel* iurprised at the inhabitants of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, many of whom, though possessing con- siderable land and money, will live in these wretched hovels, sometimes with scarcely a pane of glass in the window, and frequently in the midst of winter the door wide open ; one might almost imagine that such ice-hardened constitutions would be sufficiently inured to colonize the planet Saturn. With some help we ^ot our poor horse from the river, and in the morning our friends from the next settlement, who knew we were coming up, and fearing the vio- lence of the storm had exhausted our horses, sent a fresh sled and horses, with which we arrived in safety at Sheffield, the place of our destination. I would here observe, that travelling such a coun- try as along the river St. John's, in the depth of a North American winter, is one of those hardships of a Missionary life, that calls for no ordinary faith, patience, and fortitude. Traversing an immense fro- zen river* on which you have to encounter dismal snow storms ; your body rendered torpid by the se- verity of the cold ; your accommodations probably a log-hut ; your sleeping room pervious to the storm ; your bed covering, in some places, hardly sufficient to keep you from shivering. Ah ! how often have I longed, and anxiously waited for the morning, and 'i! ■ill * Id the depth of winter, the ice on the river St. John, is from two to three feet in thickness i and as there are no roads through the woods, all the travelling is performed on this aqueous bridge. The Presbyterian chapel, at Sheffield, in which 1 was frequently invited to preach, bad been drawn upon the ice more than five miles : the circumstance was as follows — It had been built upon a liti- gated lot of land, and the people having a glebe five miles lower down the river, it was agreed to get the whole settlement to assist in removing the chapel, which being a frame building large enough to hold 800 people, with a spire steeple, required some difficulty. More than 100 yoke of oxen, besides horses, were employed on the occasion ; and after the chapel was raifsed with levers from the foundation, immense beams were placed under the whole length ; to these, the oxen were yoked with iron chains, and at a given signal, each man standing by his yoke, tne chapel was drawn down the bank of the river, and so along to the appointed place: after which, I had frequently an opportunity of preacbinj in tlieaame emigrated buildinf. OF A MISSION. H A de«rription of (he KWrr St. John, in New Orun«wick. the maple fire, at wliich I might warm my cold and benumbed limbs. These arc some of the trials for which a Missionary, travelling upon the river* St. John must prepare himself. Yet, amidst the seve- rity of the weather I had some precious seasons ; the simplicity and affection of Ihc people beguiled many tedious and bitter hours. The reader may ask how I spent my time ; I could not retire and walk in the woods as in the summer season. When I had to visit a settlement some of the friends carried me in a sled ; this usually required some little preparation. On this occasion, a little party was formed, and sometimes two or three sleds would setoffincompany^ The preaching was usually in some house, where fre- quently a social entertainment was provided for the whole party. After preaching, I spoke severally to the members, and then (unless I stopped all night) returned in the same manner I came ; sometimes riding^ nine, ten, or twelve miles upon the ice, after preach- ing in the evening; — but this is not so formidable as a stranger would imagine; for your quantum of clothing is generally proportioned to the severity of * As a ifatt of my circuit lay upon the banks of the rivrr St. John, I will, with the reader a permission, |;ive him a short description of this noble stream, which thongh nut famed either in sonf; or story, is a sea compared with tlie river Thames. In the classification of rivers it would obtain a tliird or fourth rata situation, as it is mure than 400 miles in length, extending towards lower Canada, and about 4000 feet or nearly a mile 'wide. 850 miles above Freder- icton, or about S20 from the sea, are the grand falls. A Cataract 90 feet perpendicnlar ) it empties itself into the bay of Fundy in Iatitude45degree8 north, and longitude about 65 degrees west. Along its banks are fine tracks of upland and intervale. It receives the tribute of a number of smaller rivers, and noble lakes. The woods, through wiiich it glides with silent m^esty, are full of {lines, some of which are the largest in the world ; also maple (from which the nhabitants extract their sugar) spruce, hemlock, birch, oak, beach, &c. There are many settlements on either bide ; but the country is by no means populous. The inhabitants who live on the banks of the river are obliged to retreat to the high land in the spring of the year, as the freshets that roll down inundate all the intervale, and frequently sweep away houses, barns, and cattle. The woods contiguous to the' river are much infested with bears, who often make depredations amongst the cattle. The settlers are chiefly emigrants from the United States; half-pay oflicers, and others^ whe served io the British wj daring the AsMrican revnlutionary war. ir\ u THE NARRATIVE Difficulty of Travelling. — Revival of Religion at Slicflield. the cold. — My Uavelliag dress was as follows: — woollen stockings and socks, boots, overhauk, socks over my boots, surlout coat, fearnought great-coat over this, wotrsted gloves, and often woollc^a mittens over them, a fur cap, with a large silk handkerchief tied over the lower part of my face: tbuM equipped, I have frequently bid defiance to the cold, and rode twenty or thirty miles at a time, without much incon- venience. The greatest difficulty in travelliog urines from the depth of snow and the narrowness of the path, that is usually beat ; when if two sleds meet, the lightest must turn out of the path, and tlie conse- quence is a plunge into the snow* which is frequently from four to six feet deep. In riding through the woods, the boughs are so curved downward with the weight of snow banging upon them, that if any part of your sled touches the tree, the whole superincum- bent mass falls down upon you : however, it is rare for any part of this to melt while you are on your journey, so that you seldom suffei any other iiicon- venience than its covering yourclothes. I preached with much profit at Sheffield, where we have a little chapel, on the right bank of the river, at Majorville, and on the grand lake. This, in the summer season, is a lovely expansive sheet of water, about forty miles in length, and frrm four to seven wide ; but in the winter, it is dreary in the extreme. At Nash Walk, St. Ann, and several other settle- ments, I had an opportunity of sowing the seed of eternal life. At Sheffield, there had been a consider- able revival of religion, under the ministry of brother Bennet. Many young people had been truly awak- ened, and others found redemption in the blood of the Lamb. The Presbyterian society, ( which contained •ome truly pi'otis persons) was greatly quickened; and the whole settlement was moved with reiigioui excitement. ^'Thns the wilderneia bioBsoiaed abuik- OF A MISSION. # Spread of Religion in America. — Was appointed for Liverpool. dantly^ eyen \rith joy and singing;" for in these cold snowy forests^ the light of piety sheds a serene beam ; these wastes have heard a rofee ; these woods are often rendered tocal with the praises of redeeming Io?e ; these lofty trees have often beheld the humble colo- ns t kneeling beneath their shady covert^ and pour- ing out his soul to God in prayer ; and the solitary dominions of primeval shade have often resounded with the glad tidings of salvation, through the gos- pel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through vast America's continuous woods ; ' ^' O'er mountains, lakes, and pine, form'd solitudes Where mighty rivers unregarded flow ; And lofty elms and quivering maples grow: Where fine Savannahs beautifully green, Luxurious rise amid the sylvan scene: Where high the Allegenney mountains frowa : Where wide Missonry rolls his waters brown: Where from, his lakea the sire* of rivers pours > Or, down his steeps tfie Niagara roars: *• < The light of piety serenely flows, '* And makes the forest blossom as a rose. In the spring: I recrossed the bay of Fundy^ to at- tend the annual meeting of the Missionaries, at Wind- sor, in Nova Scotia, when my brethren appointed me to labour on the Liverpool mission. After spending a short time at Halifax, among my old friends, I sailed for my appointment. — This was the most com- pact and comfortable circuit I had laboured upon since I came into the country ; and I soon found my- self at home among tLIs friendly, civil, and respect- able people. In the courseof my labours, I visited Port Mutton, Port Jolly, Port Med way, and Port le Bare, small places along the eastern shores of the Atlantic. They were chiefly inhabited by fishermen ; many of whom possessed, in no small degree, the spirit of the gospel. —Here I resolved to devote myself anew to my mas- * The river MisiiMippee ia called by the Indians the Sire of Fleoda. i2 THE NARRATIVR Sweet enjoyment in the Hut of a Fisherman, — how employed. i;i ter's work. I resximed my four o*clock rising ; and. as I thought it would conduce to my health, further, my studies, Cfor which I had now a little leisure) and assist my soul in its warfare with corrupt nature, I abstained altogether from animal food — a practice however, which I did not long continue, as it brought on a painful diarrhoea, and complaint in my bowels. During this winter, I had, both at Liverpool and along the shore, many good sc sons of divine influ- ence. It is truc^ amons: fishermen, mv fare was not so excellent as in some other parts of the province; but in some spiritual enjoyments, I had, probably, as refreshing ordinances in a fisherman's hut, as many respectable and popular ministers enjoy in the spa- cious chapel. In these cottages, I have sat reading my bible, or dictating a scrap of poetry, while the father or the son has taken his gun, and in a little while returned with, perhaps, half a dozen wild ducks, for dinner. In these huts, I have often forgot both the busy, the splendid, and the learned world ; and retiring in- to iuyf uif, have tasted the joys of Eden, in the midst of a wilderness. A Missionary should be a man much mortified to the world, else, how could he cheerfully labour in the wilds of Africa; the woods of America; the ices of Greenland ; or the \slandd of the south sea — The beau priest — the elegantly popular mini- ster — the man of a finely cultivated taste and varied literary accomplishments, are not the most suitable men for Missionaries, in such stations, nor is there much fear that such will be tempted io make the wig- wam of the Indian, the cottage of the Negro, or the hut of the fisherman, the theatres of their costly la- bours ; and ^ti it is in the abodes of pious poverty, that we often meet with smiling content and placid resignation : there we often see low circumstances, combined with exalted hopes — misery on a bed of ftraw "justifying the ways of God with mcR." or A MISSION. 60 The blessings of Poverty. — Dreadful Gale on oiy Passage from Liverpool. gratitude breathing out praise for barley bread and simple water — warm-hearted devotion forgetting its poverty, and only supplicating for more grace — noble minded generosity freely imparting a portion of its scanty means to the more abject and forlorn — the afflicted and tender hearted mother giving the last morsel to her children, while the aftectionate liusband strives to hide his own distress, that he may comfort bis afflicted wife and suffering family. These are thine own sweet poverty ! and these Make thy mean fare and little cottage please. With such a train, thy lot is nobler far Than his who wears a coronet and star ! CHAPTER SIXTH. ' In the spring, at the request of Mr. Black, I went to supply his place on the Halifax mission, behaving gone to the Baltimore general conference to meet Dr. Coke. I sailed for Halifax in the brig Rover, formerly a Liverpool privateer, and the same day (April 10, in the year 1804) when we were within sight of Sambro light-house^ at the entrance of Halifax harbour, a gale of wind set in from the north east, and biew with such violence as forced us out to sea, in as critical and unpleasant a situation as can possibly be conceived. The captain, who calculated to get into Halifax the same night, had made no pro- vision for the vessel. We had not a single candle for the binnacle ; the men were mere landsmen, hired only to carry the vessel round to Halifax, there to be refitted. — Hence, in the midst of the gale, they ■kulked below. The captain was greatly agitated, fearing the storm might continue long and oblige us to bear away for the West Indies, which, in our si- tuation, would have been a famishing alternative : iome of the passengers persuaded that we should ar« ■'\H't lill 70 TBE NARRATIVH Had sufcour from the Word of God. — He hears Prayer Jind is a present Help. Sonii rive the same evenings had not supplied themselvei with any provisions ; but mjr friends in Liverpool, as if actuated by a wise foresight^ in a manner quite unaccountable to me^ had put on board, for mj use, two baskets of provision, with two bottles of spirits ; and this, by the providence of God, was a seasonable supply for us all, as both captain and pas- sengers shared the little stock. In our extremity, I had recourse to my old and never failing refuge, the bible ,* which in difficultiefi, dangers, and afflictions, has always been my sheet anchor, my fountain of hope, and my greatest comfort ; and although I am no ad- vocate for bibleoniancy, yet t!ie very first chapter to which I turned, was David's description of a storm, in the 107th psalm, in which, are these most appro- priate words — "then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out 6f their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still : then they are glad because they are quiet; so he bringeth them into the desired haven:" on which passage, I reasoned thus — '^is not God the same as here^fore ? has he not all power in heaven and on earth P do not the prayer of his people still come up before his thrcr.e ? is not all nature under his contronl ? even the winds and the waves obey him. Were not the things that were written afore- time written for our instruction, that 're through pa- tience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope > From these reflections sprung an inward reliance on the divine veracity, faith fuln*;ss^. and power ; and I felt satisfied God would ueli'ver us. The wind, which had blown from the *iorth-east, lulled and came round to the south-west ; and though the storm had driven us as far westward as Cape le Have, we got into Halifax the next night. " O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and magnify his noly name." Some may call it superstition,' cant, folly, presumption, to suppose that the great God OF A MISSION. 71 Some dfcny a particular Providence, and deface all tlie Beauty of Religion. would arrest the course of the elements at the request of a poor worm. Shall burning Etna, if a sage requires, Forget its thunders antl recall its fires ; On '^arth and heaven new motion be imprest^ O blameless Bethel '. to relieve thy breast ? Thus sung that smooth and soft poet Alexander Pope ; but, shall we, in compliment either to Pope, Hume, Middleton, or any other sceptical poet and philosophci , give up and deny a particular providence? — we might as safely give up the whole of religion altogether, and go back to the chance, atorrij &nd fate systems. What ! overlook the many particular an- swers in prayer with which God favours his people; overlook the many promises that offer his interference in the hour of need ; overlook his watchful care over his church;, and say that Jehovah is only an uncon- cerned spectator of his children's afflictions. Perish the page of mine that would make an unrighteous composition with such men, merely to avoid thccM stale, and unmeaiilng cry of enthusiasm and super- stition. If we concede vital religion to the humour of every objector who chooses to new model the word of truth ; the mere moralist would fritter away the new-birth into I know not what of water baptism and regularity of life ; the rational mystery hating SDcinian would rob the Redeemer of his e^ual and essential Godhead, and glory in the sacrilege ! proud philosophy would account all spiritual and heart- felt influence downright enthusiasm ! each self- sufficient pharisee would tear the richest jewels of grace from the Saviour's crown ! while the latitude- loviog antinomian would divest the gospel of either condition, morality, or holiness ! bigots would strip religion oF candour, and pompous prelates destroy its simplicity ! thus, among the whole, lovely reli- gion, ttiat masterpiece of the wisdom and goodness •f God, would fare like the beautiful statue left by a f.H'J THE NARRATIVE Alissionaries find nnuch Consolation from an over-ruling Power. u II'' i the sculptor for inspection in the market place; every beauty would be erased^ till the whole were a mutilated mass of deformity. Providence is the glory of u. Missionary ! What man upon such an errand would leave his native shores and face peril and fatigue in distant climates without the hope of a reward, without the confidence of a protector, without the consolation of believing in an all-seeing God ? Answer ye holy men who have gone to the ends of the earth to preach the gos- pel I who have faced the burning south ! braved the bUi^iering north ! ventured your lives among the Itcarlicrous Malays, the savage Indians, the wild t affrees ! did not you derive comfort from an over- ruling providence ? When the tiger,* the serpent, or the kayman were overcome or eluded, did you not see the hand of God ? Yes ; — it was this providence that cheered your spirits when waited with sickness, worn down with fatigue, or harrassed by wild beasts and savage men. Your lives were in *^jeopardy every hour;" truly, if in this world only ye had hope, then were ye of all men the most miserable ; but ye had consolation iu the midst of your sufier- ♦ "On one of my voypges either to or from Queda, a Danish ship hailed us, and approaching, ran foul of our stern and broke our tlag-stai)'; we landed near a wood to cut doMn a tree to make a new one ; while the men were cutting down the tree 1 walked on the outaide of the wood, eagerly looking for some game, and soon discovered among the high grass an object which I mis- took for an hair : I was just going to ;': j, wh. ;. the animal rose up, and proved to be a tiger; my arm involuntarily '-jnkdown, and I sfood motionles with horror, expecting he would make a spring at me, and gav ayself up for lost ; hut, by God's providence watching over me to deliver, the beast seemed a> much alarmed as I was, and, after staring at me for a few moments, turned slowly about and began to creep away like a frightened cat, with his belly close to the ground ; as I approached tiie water, there was a piece of jungle or low thicket before me, and I was turning to the left to pass round by the side opposite the boat, thinking that I might yet tind some game, when, seeing the men labouring hard to drag the tree they had felled towards the water, I altered my course and went to their assistance ; no soouer had I entered the boat than I discovered on that side of the jungle to which 1 was first going, close to the beach, a large kayman watching our motions, whom I should certainly have met bad I gone round by th« way I intended," — Letters of a Mornvian Missitn- mrji on th* Nkobar Islands. OF A MISSION. fS Anecdote of (he siugular Courage of the Abbot Sidotte. ing,* and courage to bear up, drawn from the cheering promises and a watchful providence. The friends in Halifax received me gladly, and I laboured among them greatly to my satisfaction til( the latter end of summer, when Mr. BUck returned from Baltimore, and I was by him united in marriage with Miss Mary Seabury; this was a union of much prayer and deliberation ; my reasons for it were the following: 1st. Mutual attachment and congeniality of mind. 2nd. Similarity of sentiment in religion ; "How shall two walk together except they be agreed." My wife had been brougiit up in the fear of God from her infancy, and from the age of sixteen had experienced a saving change of heart; her mother is a deeply pious, well informed, and respectable mem- ber of the Methodist society : her uncle, Dr- Seabury, was a pious bishop of the episcopal church in Ame- rica ; and her grandfather a respectable presbyterian minister : thus, like Timothy, she had the benefit of pious ancestors, I thought then, and aft«r eleven yean experience still think, that a Missionary may be more holy, useful, and happy in a married than a • In August, 1709, the Abbot Sidotte cct out from Manilla, witli ISlichaBl d« Eloreago, an expeiienced captain, who had oH'ered to curry him over to Japan; they arrived upon the coast, and wer« informed by a fisiiing boat that they could not go into Japan without exposing themselves to iiiunincnt danger, that as soon as ever they had set their feet on shore, they would be seized and car- ried before the emperor, who, being a cruet and bloody man, would immediately put them to death with dreadful tortures. ThereupiJn the Abbot withdrew, to beg of God to inspire him what course to take ; about five o'clock in tht- even- ing he returned to the captain to acquaint him of bis final resolution. "The happy moment is come, sir," said he to bwn, " 1 have lomany years wished foi. We are now at the entrance into Japan ; it is time to prepare all things to set me ashore in the country I have so much longed after : you have been so generous as to bring me acrou a sea that is unknown to you, and made famous by so many •hipwrecks, be pleased to finish the work you have begun, leave mo alone amidst a people that is an enemy to Chri'^tianity, but whom ( hope to bring under the yoke of the gospel. I do not rely upon my own strength, but upon the all-powerful grace of Jesus Christ." The captain yielded to the pressing in- stance of the Missionary, and ordered all things for setting him on shore in the dark night; ia the mean time the Abbot wrote several letters, prayed with the ship's crew, made an exitortatiun, and going into the boat was landed on the shorea uf Japan, 'k \'U I.'' m ■■ •*' -Am ^m 't.i ,»,. i*, ^if-rn^ i'M |: w ' .« *V.'>j THE NAIIRATIVK Married Missionaries more comfortable than single. single state. A married Missionary is less liable to scandaU and the mission will be scarce more expen- sive ; a faithful woman will sympathize with her husband under the unavoidable trials of his mission ; be will stay more contentedly abroad. Had I re- mained single^ instead of fifteen j^ears, I fear I should not have stayed five in a foreign land. " A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband;" he has one friend^ at leasts to whom he can communicate his joys and sorrows; one counsellor to consult, advise, and confer with in his difficulties ; in a word, I am de- cidedly of opinion that a married Missionary is more comfortable tha* a single one; my wife has travelled with me SOOO miles by sea and land ; we have had seven children, four of whom we have buried, but with all the travels, shiftings, difficulties, and trials we have had to bear, we should not be willing to take Alexander's sword, nor yet any other, and cut the gordian knot that binds us together; our language is. Together let ns sweetly live, together let us die ; And each a starry crown receive, and reign above the sky. We continued in Halifax but two days after our marriage, and then sailed for St. John, in the bay of Fundy, where, after a quick and pleasant passage of five days, wc landed just as the service began in the chapel ; — thanks to the Lord for marine mercies! During this winter, 1804-5, I laboured in St. John and along the banks of the river with visible success, and much satisfaction ; old differences in the society were reconciled; prejudices among the town's people seemed to lose ground ; there was a manifest increase of christian affection and simplicity among the so- ciety. With regard to myself, ( I speak in the fear of God), my affections were much warmed with holy desire to promote the glory of our blessed Re. dcemer, and the salvatipn of his moral family. I OF A MISSION. 75 [ Had my Mind greatly quickened and engn^rd in my Work. divided the day into regular parts, and in the morn- ing from four till eight devoted my time to reading, writing, and meditation. I roso every morning at four o'clock, in the bitterest weather, and lighted a lire in the stove, as this only would >varm the room and check the intense cold ; the forenoon was spent in visiting from house to house, and visiting the sick, as well as providing for the wants of my family ; the afternoon was taken up in reading, and meeting the classes, four of which I regularly met every week ; in the evening, though in the depth of winter, we had generally a vaecting of one kind or another. My labour demanded all my time, but it was delightful ; even the fragments were gathered up and preserved for use; for I do not recollect that I ever felt more fully influenced by the spirit of my duty than at this time. "lie instant in season and out of season'* was my motto. I held prayer meetings in different parts of the town ; and as the intense cold prevented my preaching in the chapel, I preached from house to house. I catechised the children once a week ; and every Monday evening had a select meeting in my own house, for reading the lives and experience of Christians ; several were deeply awakened ; the society was much edified and quickened ; my own soul was 'Mike a watered garden." O how sweet is sailing to heaven, when wafted al^ng by divine in- fluence, and freighted with humble love and holy zeal. Surely these were times cf the son of man; but I am sorry that a regard for truth compels me to say I was not always thus diligent on my different Missionary stations ; sometimes weakness of body ; sometimes unbelief; and not unfrequently a desire for curious and pleasing studies, would slacken my ardour, and restrain the spirit of holy diligent exer- tion. A Missionary to a foreisrn land should rather than a contei diligei nnplati 2 object H W' ri 7fl THE NARRATIVE \ Missionary nhmiM Itnpruvc every Incident on his Miniinn. should be more to suve suiii» than guiii knowledge. Activity is the soul of a mission ! I would rather see a Missionary travel ten miles to preach to a dozen solitary souls in a thicket of trees, than descant never 80 beautifully on polite learning. A diligent man may glean much rare and profitable knovrledge while in the prosecution of his duty ; and I would have him not to let anything interesting escape his observation, but make minutes in his p,ocket memorandum book of all useful and lively incidents. 1 have often in a log-cottage heard the most singular and striking oc- currences; fragments of such conversations as I have noticed in the solitary wilderness; details of curious adventures and experiences from many who live in the bosom of the forest, would agreeably and beauti- fully adorn the pages ofa narrative, or the numbers of a magazine. The nioravian Missionaries have filled their journals with many simple, beautiful, and in- teresting details, hereby affording an excellent model to all who j;-a upon ihh blessed errand. Crantz's history of th** irjibHion r;t Greenland is full of these interesting and heart touching details. But, to re- turn; I well remember one sermon I preached at this time from these words : '' Be instructed, O Jerusa- lem, lest my soul depart from thee :'* surely this was delivered with the power of the Holy Ghost sent down from above; a br( kennesi of heart and many tears indicated much of the divine influence; groans^ sobs, and exclamations were heard from every part of the chapel ; some wept aloud, and others were powerfully agitated, and the blessed effects of this solitary address were visible for many months, al- though I know not that ever I preached a sermon under greater anxiety and depression of mind; mj soul had been harrowed up by some heavy and unex- pected trials ; and I almost began to doubt whether or not I was called to the ministry ; however^ the "i OF A MISSION. n -.« Reproving Sin eiitaiU'd upon me cuiiiidrrabic Krpruarh. above gracious attrstatinn broke the snare, dispersed the clouds, and filled my heart with renewed zealj courage, and resolution. Can there be a greater proof of the divine omniscienee and compassion thuii such visitations? and where is the true niissioner, minister, or christian that is not a witness of such seasonable interpositions ? seasonable, hcc- i the Lord reserves the greatest mercies as aiiHi' our greatest miseries ; he onl y saves us as wc ;> ', and when the storm is most furious^ conu tg upon the waves. In the prosecution of my mission I had many^rccious seasons, and also strong trials ; and I am well per- suaded, the more faithfully and undauntedly a mini- ster of Christ discharges his duty, the more the old serpent and his brood of vipers will'hiss and bite. I had to preach against sabbath breaking, and the magis- trates thought I reflected upon their conduct, because during the herring, salmon, and shad season, they allowed the people to Hsh on the Lord's day, evcu before the city, and as a reason alledged that fish ran more abundantly on that day than on any other. Interest will never want an excuse for breaking in upon the most sacred duties. Dancing and reveling began to prevail in an unusual degree ; and having to take notice of these, some of the gay, who occasion- ally came to the chapel, thought they were ill treated ; so they came no more, conscience and duty required me to reprove drunkenness, and as this was the beset- ting sin of the place — '^ master thou condemnest us" was felt by a number of delinquents. I had to ani- madvert upon smuggling, and this came home to the very doors of the church of God, so that a brother possessing some influence and much property, would scarcely speak of me with charity, or to me with pleasantness. One sabbath evening, I preached from this text — ''my name is legion ;" from which I endeavoured to 'r.'tt H'.n M .1 . r 1 -f^ % >^ ^; > 7 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 ■2.5 ■■■ m 1.25 HUU i^U4 PhotDgraphic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STtlET WIBSTfR.N.Y. 14SS0 (716)872-4503 78 THE NARRATIVE Srrmnii vn the Word Legion caused a ciirioui Anecdote. prove, that the wicked arc under diabolical agency, and that satan, in various forms, rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience ; observing that many evil spirits are engaged in this bad work, and that while one man is under the influence of a lying, ano- ther is governed by a cheating devil ; a third, is |he captive of a pruiid revengeful demon: these are se- duced by a pleasure, loving, dancing devil ; and those by a back-biting, evil speaking fiend. This man is possessed of an unclean spirit; and that of a dumb: Mammon, claims many for his subjects, and Beliel more. In a word, that all wicked men are of their father, the devil, because his works they do. Thii sermon furnished a topic of tea table conversation to the gay and wealthy, for some time. And a certain lady, not a novice in the art of detraction, ( whose domestic, a serious, sensible young woman belonged to the society ) came one day into the kitchen, full of this strange subject, and thus accosted her — " Han- nah, I understand Mr. Marsden has been preaching, about devils ; but which devil did he say was the worst" — a backbiting devil, madam, replied the re- collected girl. It was enough. Hannah's mistress left the kitchen as quick as though she had been bit by a tarantula ; and conscience was left at full liberty to make the application. Some thought I was too pointed ; others said I ought to be stopped : thus did I prove the saying of Luther to Melancthon; that faithful preaching will either make men enemies to their sins, or to their ministers. Never did I more need the wisdom of the just, the innocence of the meek, and the boldness of the daring, than on these occasions. At one time I was upon the mountain of leopards ; and at another in the den of lions, but the Lord was with me, and blessed be his holy name. I was enabled to outride every storm ; though I had to hold the helm with a steady hand, and watch the sails with an eagle's eye. The principal inhabitants of the OF A MISSION. ^^ Letter from the Miission Committer on Mitigion Afl'airt. town of St. John were remarkably inimical : hence« we were often disturbed, although it uevcr amounted to actual persecution. During the fallj I received the following letter from the mission committee, in London ; which, as it casts some light upon the state of our missions at that time, and contains some useful hints, I will here in- sert it. New Chapel, City .Road, London, 10th Feb.;. 1804. ' Dear Brotoeu. Since the departure of our esteemed friend and brother, Dr. Coke, for America, we have been much concerned for the prosperity of the Methodist Missions. Feeling their great import, ance, as they respect the eternal interests of mankind, and the ge. neral increase of the Redeemer's kingdom, we have been very de. sirotts of placing them upon some regular establishment, so that un- der the divine blessing, we might reasonably expect a continuance •f their success. The Doctor left Mr. Benson in charge of the missions generally, and Mr. Whitfield was entrusted with their pecuniary concerns ; but Mr. Bensoft having, by the desire of the Conference, taken up. on himself the management of the magazine, and being otherwise greatly engaged in the affairs of the connexion at Urge, he found himself quite unable to devote so much time and attention to the Missions as they required. And Mr. Whitfield having had a dan. gerous illness, which rendered him totally incapable of business, and no provision having been made to pay the bills which had been drawn, and were coming due, or to answer the various demands upon him on account of the Missions, it became a matter of abso. lute necessity to call in the aid of the Travelling preachers in the London circuit, and of some of our principal private friends, to consider of the best means to be adopted to support the cause of Missions, and the credit of the Methodist connexion. It was determined in the present distress, to appoint a committee fi>r, the management of the Mission affairs, till the next Conference. %.. 80 THE NARRATIVE Mission Committee Letter seut to the Missionaries. ir Tliis commute to consist of all the travelling preachers in the Lon- don circuit, together with those friends, who compose the commit, tee appointed at the last Conference for guarding our privileges, at stated in page 30 of the printed minutes, and also of a few other friends, whose assistance might be useful. The committe therefore to consist of the following persons : viz. ^ Joseph Benson Joseph Taylor Thomas Rutherford Benjamin Rhodes William Myles Jabe^ Bun^'ng George W hatield William Jerram George Wolff Christopher Sundins William Marriott Robert Middleton Joseph Bulmer Luke Haslope Thomas Allan Joseph Bdtterworth. The committee choose from the above, the following officers : Joseph Benson, President, William Marriott, Treasurer, Joseph Butterwortb, Secretary. The first act of the committee, was to lend between three and four hundred pounds, in order to houour the bills which had been drawn upon Dr. Coke and Mr. Whitfield, on accouut of the missions. In order to refund the above sum, and to r' '^ide for further de- lUMids, a circular letter was sent to the vari^ ircuits, desiring, that collections should be immediately made in our chapels, throughout Great Britain. This pre Juced an enlarged correspon. dence on the subject, and it was found to be the general desire of the people, to have some accounts of the missions regularly pub- lished, with a full detail of (he receipts and expenditures. The committee feel very desirous to comply with the wishes of the nume- rous subscribers, and render every satisfaction in their power. They would be glad to engage the public more generally in this blessed work, by giving all possible information : and that they may be enabled, from time to time, to publish interesting acounti of the missions, they would most earnestly recommend each Mis. uooftry, on the receipt of this letter, to keep a regular journal of OF A MISSION. 8t Missionaries required by tite Committee to lieep Journals. his proceedings, and all particulars of his mission ; together with accounts of all remarkable conversions, with the experience and death of any indifiduals, from which, extracts might be made for publication, and to transmit this journal or the heads thereof, at least twice a year, to the committee, or till the conference give other directions. It may here be observed, that when sereral Missionaries are ittationed in the same colony, they might possibly think it needless for all of them to write home, but the committee would however, wish to! receive accounts from each, as by comparing their several journals together, a more comprehensive view nii2;h{' be taken of the whole than would be formed by any single account, which might perhaps^ omit many interesting- particulars. The superintendent Missionaries will be pleased io draw their bills on Mr. George Whitfield, New Chapel, City.road, London, till further direction ; but at the same time send advice thereof, with the particular appropriation of the money, to the secretary above mentioned. And it Is particularly requested that the Mis. sionaries will most exactly comply with the conference minutes of the year 1800,* in order that the committee may render a satisfac- tory account to the subscribers at large of the expenditure of the money. Upon this occasion, it may not be amiss to drop a hint to our Missionaries upon the importance of an exact observance of the r : I'' * The conference adopted the following^ rules respecting the missions : I. The superintendents shall be retiponsible to the English conference, and t« their a|;ent the Rev. Dr. ('oke. 8. The superintendents sliall keep exact ncconnts of all monies received by them on account of the missions, and of all the disbui-sements of that money, and transmit those accounts annually to Dr. Coke, ^r in his absence, to the Lond»n Superintendent, to be laid before the conference. 3. That the collections and disbursements at large shall be annually laid be- fore the conference, or before a committee appointed by the conference; that they also «hall be transcribed into the ledger, and published as the conference •hall appoint. Con/. itfJB. 1800, pa^«27. N. B. The London committee recommend to all the Missionaries an attentive |l$rusal of th« coofcrence mioutes, for the year 1800, oo the subject of the mifsiea. fl3 THE NARRATIVE The Methodist DWcipline (hould be enforced on Missions. Methodist discipline, Mrhich has been formed under th« imin(;diate direction of divine providence, and altogether suited to the state of Christian society ; a due observance of the life antd conversation of private members ; and a full determination to hold no communion with those who walk disorderly, let their situation or circumstances be what they may, will have a great tendency to promote vital godliness, and to render out societies a savour of life unto life. Wherever a society is formed, it is of great importance that ^tew. ards should be ebusen to couduct the temporal affairs, and leaders appointed to the classes : this prevents reproach from falling on the ministry, and is of essential service in many respects. — Individuals become more concerned for the welfare of the society when they feel a personal interest therein ; and when officers are diosen in the church of Christ from among the people, it mutually strengthens the common bond of union between them and the preachers. It i» especially necessary to have leaders and stewards where there is a probability of any change of preachers, in order that when fresh preachers come to the place, they may have some persons to whom they can apply for needful assistance, on their arrival ; and also that there may be resident overseers, who will endeavour to keep the flock together in the absence of their pastors. Without the united exettiuns of the Mbslonaries'^ abroad, and of the frjends at home, it should seem that this important work must fall to the grr»und ; but, after the peculiar blessing and glo- rious success which have hitherto accompanied these missions. We feel most deeply concerned to go on Jhand in hand in building np the v^alls of Jerusalem, and after nsing every lawful means w* refer all to the great Head of the Church, who uses what instru. ments he pleases to execute his own designs. We beg yon ta address all communications intended for the committee, to the secretary, M^. Joseph Bulterworth, No. 43, Fleet.street, London. Requesting to hear frequently of your proceedings, in order to stimlate our exertions in your behalf, we bow commend you to OF A MISSION. «l A Letter from Home alwayi afford* Comfort to a Minioiiary. God, even our Father, who bhall supply all jrojir need, accordiog to his riches in glory by Christ Jesub. We are, Xour very affectionate brethren, Joseph Benson . Joseph Taylor Thomas Rutherford Benjamin Rhodes William Miles ' V Jabez Bunting George Whitfield. Tliii letter was a gr«at comfort to my mind^ as well ,as a spur to my exertions in the work of my mission. In a foreign land thel^ands of a Missionary are apt to hang down^ and his mind to flag^ especially when he has cause to think that he is forgotten by his brethren at home, or that little or no interest is ex- cited in behalf of himself and his colleagues ; did those who are at the head of our Missionary concerns know the heart of a Missionary as well as the writer of these lines, they would seldom leave a letter un- answered, or let a year elapse without sending at least a word of comfort, caution, encouragement, or advice to the brethren abroad ; I have reasoii, how- ever to believe, that these things are more attended to now than formerly, and that the old proverb "out of sight out of mind,'* is not allowed to influence the conduct of any of the respectable and worthy com- mittee who manage the missions. If ever man needed comfort it is a foreign Missionary ; solitary and insu- lated his mind is. liable to be deeply depressed ! he does not receive the soothing counsel of a venerable tenior, for there is none at hand ; he cannot, by di- viding his grief with his brethren^ lessen it, for he is l2 ^'1, 84 THE NARRATIVE We shoyld not be lavish in Blame when we are unwilling to wt Example. often like a patridge upon the mountains^ or a spar- row upon the house top ; thus he becomes the victim of silent solitary grief^ and feels in the keenest man- ner the words of the wise man, "Woe to him that is alone ; when he falleth he hath not another to help him up." It is much easier to blame Missionaries than to comfort them ; to enlarge upon their failures than to prevent those by judicious counsel and con- soling advice: those who frequently cannot know the relative situation of a Missionary, who can- not judge of his motives because Ihey are not ac- quainted with his situation, may rise up and make a long speech, condemning his conduct altogether ; but, would some of these venerable brethren go themselves, probably all those failures and misman- agements would be prevented, and our missions would proceed in that harmbnious and regular man- lier that all would have cause to admire, and none to blame; and, until this is theVasc we may animadvert; — we may reflect — we may censure, but they come with as ill a grace from a brother sitting snug and comfortable by a good fire-side, as from a general in genteel winter quarters, who, having committed the command of an important expedition to a subaltern, blames him for failing in his object from want of ex- perience, when the fault obviously lay in the com- mander for trusting an expedition of importance to unskilful hands. If this appears severe, to whom does it apply ? to none but those who freely censure Missionaries in foreign lands, and yet will not go themselves. I may be told that I am but a yoimg man, — that I know nothing; well then, as a fooU bear with me while I speak the truth, for who re- gards my feelings when the truth must be told^ And who is he whose scorn I dread, Whose wrath or hate makes me afraid ? Doth anght on ear.th my wishes raise, Or the "viforld'iS ceasure or its praise ? OF A 31ISSI0N. 85 All tkr public Letters of MiMlonaries ihould be answered. I lament that there is not among us a regular code of Missionary regulations, applicable to all existing circumstances, and embracing a variety of contingent events growing out of missions. I regret that there is not a person appointed to answer all letters received from Missionaries, and to write to them as occasion may require; for when a Missionary Is three or four years without seeing any of his brethren, and with- out receiving a single line from home^ his mind is prone to sink, and few can bear to be forsaken and forgotten by all men.* But^ lest my readers should think I am detailing unrealized trials, I know the man, who, during the first four years of his mission, never received a line from the mother country, and for the last four never saw the face or heard the voice of any of his colleagues in the ministry. I hope the reader will pardon the length of this digression; and now I will proceed. The little society in St. John flourished exceed- ingly this winter. We had a number of awakenings, end in the midst of a most severie winter, much* har- mony and love; the cold was indeed intense, and the snow in general about six feet deep ; our hogsheads of rain-water were froz^en solid, and au liquids, less strong than ardent spirits, froze, unless kept underground, in what are called frost-proof cellars. I know not the reason why New Brunswick is so much colder than Nova Scotia, unless it is owing to its being less cultivated, and more full of woods, rivers, and lakes, and perhaps its contiguity to Lower Canada may in some measure acc<>unt for it. As New Brunswick is little known in England, and not unfrequently confounded with Nova Scotia, «' * The writer does not insinoate-r-this is solely the duty of >the worthy secre- taries in London; they may have their hands full of other business, and he be- lieves they bM«. TUB NARRATIVE I The City St. John, Capital of New Brnniwick. =aB4 ( altboug;h it is a distinct province and separate go- irernment), I sf'iW detain my readers with a short account of the country and capital. . The city of St. John, is built on the mouth of a ri- Tcr of the same name, at the western side of the bay of Fundy, in latitude 45 degrees north, longitude about 65 d^rees and 30 minutes west. It is nearly oppo- site u'lghy, in Nova Scotia, and about twenty or thirty miles distant from the bay of Passamaquady. The town or city (for it has a royal charter) is but about thirty years old, and was first settled by royal- ' ist emigrants from the United States, after the evacu- ation of New York, by the king's troops. It contains about fiOO houses, and probably 3000 inhabitants. It cannot indeed, boast of many public buildings ; if we except the church, the steeple of which, recalls to my memory, the loss of a respected friend, John Venning, a native of Plymouth- Dock. This excel- lent man and skilful artist, who usefully filled the offices of steward, trustee, leader, and local preacher, wat in a moment precipitated from a scafibld ( he was building the steeple) upon the roof of the church, and from thence upon abed of rock, and was literally dashed to pieces. HiB death was mysteriously awful ; but as he was one of those few who have no cause to fear death in any shape, his mourning friends drew consolation both from the goodness of God and hii genuine and unaffected piety. The Methodist chapel, on the foundation stone of which, I had the pleasure to preach, will hold nearly a thousand people, and is one of our best and largest places of worship in all British North America. There is also in the town, a court-house, academy, and barracks. The river is wide, and has. a noble fishery for salmon, shad, herrings, and sturgeon,* which furnishes employment and wealth to several hundreds of the inhabitaats. The tide, in the river, rises nearly forty feet,— a cir- OF A MISSION. ^lfc,jiJU-S. be Falli on lh« Rivrr 8t. John, near theCily. t» ■ .-; ;.. jr. L L :..-Ll.. ,■ .,.,■• ■■ ■ -j_-:-.-u:-j. cunifltance that renders the baj of Fundj famous through all the world ; for perhaps, in no part of the earth does the phenomena of the tide bear such marked and striking characters as on the shores of this baj, along which, it rolls with a majesty and grandeur I never saw in an3r other place, makmg in some places a current of from five to seven miles an hour. The trade of St. John is chiefly to England and the West Indies ; to the former they send masts, spars, and staves, scantling and lumber of all kinds ; and to the latter fish, potatoes, pork, butter cheese, oats, staves, &c. &c. In times of peace they have a good trade to the United States of America; to which they carry gypsum (plaistcr of Paris) and grind stones ; but this commerce involves much smuggling, and great quantities of contraband goods are hence brought into the province. Two miles from the city are the falls of the river, which, at ebb tide, are grand and terrific. A body of water nearly a mile wide, and from 20 to 30 feet deep, is all at once compressed betwixt a bed of rocks, through and over which it rushes with such an impetuosity and force as no language can possibly describe. The descent is about 20 feet ; the noise is terrible, and gives a tremulous Kaotion to all the surronndine scenery ; it covers the whole harbour with foam and froth, and diffuses a hollow roaring noise for seve- ral miles round ; and yet, when the powerful tides in the bay of Fundy rise to the level of the waters above the cataract, vessels can go through for a few minutes, so that the river is navigable nearly 100 miles above the falls. Round the city for several miles, nothing beautiful or charming attracts the eye ; the whole scene is rocky, barren, and hilly ; perhaps Faulkland Islands themselves are not more dismal. Whoever travels through the world to be- 'Id [%i^ 88 THE NARIIATIVK ".-yjv .L ' ! ■ -.. ■ .. - r y The Prmprct round St. John eitrfnirly unplrnMnt. Eii hold delightful scenery^ clear strcuins, pleasant val- leys and groves, must not go to St John. The whole landscape (if such it may be called) unites an assemblage of the most forbidding traits of nature that the traveller, could select. Here are irregular clumps of stunted spruce growing among the rocks ; salt marshes, bounded by jutting and fearful crags; muddy creeks, where swarms of pestiferous mus- quitos annoy the neighbouring inhabitants ; in a word, nature has stamped the impression of barren- ness and deformity on all around, as if to serve as a foil to many of her lovely and enchanting depart- ments ; heuce, the neighbourhood of St. John looks best when a vail of snow has covered its nakedness and concealed its sterility ; however, to recompence these defects, all the blessings of life are brought in the greatest abundance down the river, in the summer season by boats, and in the winter by sleds ; hence, the market is remarkably cheap ; I have bought good beef for two pence per pound, mutton for two pence farthing, and fine fat geese for twenty pence each ; for a fine salmon, weighing 12 or 14 pounds, I have given two shillings and sixpence. Roots were equally cheap; potatoes and turnips one shilling a bushel. But what is most singular, amidst this cheapness the waganp;pn altcndiiix travelliiiK upon the Irr. 1.— — from six for a few months; during which time I had an opportunity of once more labouring among my dear Aminpotis friends ; where, as well as in other parts of Nova Scotia, I had some '' plants* of my bund and chrldreii of my care." Prior to my vrsrting AnnapoHs this se- cond time, colonel Bayard (who retired upon half pay and lived at his estate, near the foot of Wilraoi mountain ) had experienced the power of religion : he had been a man of pleasure,, gal'lantry and dissipatioir ; and as is usually the case with sueh, an infidel and contemner of religion ; having however, many bap^ tists and methodists in his neighbourliecrd, be somt;^ times fell into conversation with them. At fength, at the request of Lawyer Aplin, he was induced lo read Mr, Wesley's sermons. Light from the Holy Spirii darted upon hi: benighted mind: his eonse ien«« wa» roused from its deep and awful slumbers; in finfrh« became a true penitent, manifesting in a very particu- lar manner, his compliance with good old bishop^ Latimer's adage, restitution or no remission. Wbere- ever he was conscious upon refieiition that be had in> jured or wronged any man, he made ample satisfac- tion to the cggrieved party, and wasin some instances greatly imposed upon. AHhough he tuoved in %hm OF A MISSION. dl Divine Qrace works Miracles in 'the Moral World. ' * *' . .1 g^ higher circles .i>frUfe^ he was not ashamed of the,go8- .pel of Christ; k'w whole soul seemed absorbed in the things of God. Hence, at his house^ I have seen him .read the bible in his familv i^on his knees^ watering .the holy testimony with a plentiful effusion of tears, after some deep and gracious exercises of mind, the consolations of hope visited his soul ; a radical and genuine change was apparent in all his conduct; the man of gallantry and pleasure kneeled as a weeping penitent at the feet of mercy ; the proud, daring, highminded officer was transformed into a little child ; and the trophies of infidelity were laid at the foot of the cross. Never did religion gain a greater triumph, or infidelity lose a warmer friend ; but what is there that divine grace cannot effect ; — the persecutor Paul, and the £mperor Constantine — the deputy Ser- Igius Paulus, and the Ariopagite Dionisius — colonel Gardener, in France, and cc^onel Bayard, in Nova ,Scotia, have all adorned its triumphs. O grace, how great and glorious are thy victories; — ^it is thine to soften the rocky heart and humble the loftiness of man. If the desert becomes a garden and the lion a iamb, it is by thy power. Thou canst raise the ser- pent to a seraph and the worm to a throne. Of pol- luted, degraded and miserable sinners, thou formest the redeemed, the holy, the spotless inhabitants of -heaven. Is the mountain levelled and the abject val- ley eocalted? It is thy hand which has performed the stupendous work. Thy bright beams illuminate the benighted soul and guide the pilgrim on his way to jbliss. If peace and Joy visit the awakened sinner's conscience, it is from thy smiles ; thou puttest the cup .of consolation to the thirsty, and takest the burthen iram the weary and heavy laden soul. Precious trulh ! "by grace are ye saved, through faith, and Ibat not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of ■mjuk%t l«8t any man should boast.'' Salvation is aU I fiig 'H THE NARRATIVE The Conversion of a Soul to God gives Offence to intimate Friends. !■ of grace; by this we lay the foundation^ edify the temple, and bring forward the head stone with shouts of grace unto it. — Grace tunes the harps of redeemed infants in glory : it is the song of young men in Israel : fathers in Christ join the blessed anthem — -join it O my soul — sing the blessings of grace—- sing the tri- umphs of grace — sing O sing to all eternity the foun- tain* of grace — the giver of grace — the gracious Sa- viour — hallelujah — praise the Lamb I : — , , my all, My theme, my inspiration, and my crown ; My strength in age, my rise ift low estate ; My soul's ambition, pleasure, wealth; my world ; My light in darkness, and my life in death ; My boast through time ; bliss through eternity. YouNd. Having received the Lord Jesus Christ, by faith, into his heart, he now wished to entertain the ser- vants of God at his house ; hence, I received a note from him, begging that I would stop and visit him on my way from Horton to Annapolis; and shortly after, the Missionaries at his request, made his house one of the regular preaching stations of the Annapolis mission; in consequence of which, his gay and high- minded friends became deeply offended at what they were pleased to call '^his meanness of spirit. The B p of Nova Scotia told him he could not come to visit him as usual, becauise he kept low company ; the governor, his former intimate friend, rode past his house without calling; and the governoi's lady chose to be very witty at his expense, because the colonel had lost his senses ; a certain C n offended that God had made the Methodists the humble in- struments of conveying his truth to this great man's mind, was pleased to observe, " that his religion was only th« half-way house to atheism;" while others^ more charitably prophesied, that he would run rav- ing mad. Intelligent snd candid reader^ be pleased OF A MISSION. 93 in- Vital Godliness hated under the odious Terms Fanaticism, &c. to observe, that while colonel B. was wicked in the worst sense of that term, an infidel, a man of pleasure, a carousin^!^, debauched, profane and dashing offi- cer, no fault was found with him ; but alas ! he had become moral, serious, and godlj ; and withal was tainted with the deadly leaven of Methodism, whence he was no longer fit company for a pious clergyman and a venerable bishop. O tempora ! O mores ! but God forbid that a line of miqe should ever underrate the character of a gospel minister — no, I venerate the man whose heart is warm ; Whose hands are pure ; whose doctrine, and whose liftf Coincident, exhibit lucid proof That he is honest in the sacred cause : To such I render more than mere respect; ^ V* Whose actions say that they respect themselves. COWPER. But when a bishop or a minister is an enemy to all Religion, save and except what flows through the medium of canonical or high church episcopacy, I am ready to say — "from envy, hatred, and all un- charitablcness, good Lord deliver us/' for where, in such a case, is the liberal and catholic spirit of the blessed Redeemer. Some of the colonel's relations begged of hitn, for God's sake, to think upon his military honour, and not tarnish his respectable fa- mily and name with such a low drivelling thing as fanaticism, alias enthusiasm, alias methodism, alias experimental and vital religion. The witty said, he kept three chaplains to pray for the good of his soul. And the wicked and incorrigible hated him, because, a& a magistrate, he put the laws in force agaip^t swearing and sabbath breaking ; thus, when a man of dignified station, becomes truly godiv, his former gay companions stigmatize and vilify him, and con- sign him over as a person of little mind to oblivion and enthusiasm ; so it often fares, O blessed Jesus, Airith thy pure gospel*^" the poor receive it and the rich will not." 94 THE NARRATIVE i: A Christian Missionary mint often be separated frmn bis Wife. '' Not many mighty, not many wifle, noi many noble are called/' A great man e»teem8 it an honour to serve his king, his country, bis friends, or his mis- tress ; to face danger with the intrepid ; or pursue glory and fame with the ambitious ; but it is ac- counted weakness to serve God — miserable infatu- ation ! when that which is our glory, excites our blush ; and what should be our highest honour, is lowest in our estimation : yet there are persons lofty in station, possessed of lowly minds ; fome few raisca to opulence and grandeur^ who are truly poor in spirit. Hearing that my dear companion was in a danger- €us and critical state, and receiving a letter from the doctor who attended her, not very flattering, I liastened my departure from Annapolis, and arrived at St. John rather sooner than the appointed time. Separation from wife and family for considerable portions of time, is an hardship which, whoever goes upon foreign missions, must frequently calci- late upon. On my arrival nt St. John, I found both my dear partner and infant in an afflictive and'delicate state, from which they but slowly recovered. My dear wife bad been dangerously ill, so that her life Imd been despaired of; however, this had been kept from me, and being across the bay, in the other-province, I had no opportunity of he&ringj or I might prenia- turely have quiitted my labours in Annapolis, which the favour of the Lord, had m several instances, oon- descended greatly to bless. While crossing the bay of Fundy, Providence again favoured me with a seasonable interposition. O may perils on the sea ; in perils in the wilderness; m perils on the ice ; but I call heaven and earth to witness I never found one promise to fail. Trust in the Lord ye his people; and to your everlasting con- solation, be it spoken — '' they who trust in Him, )»hall n^ver be confounded." And O ye holy, faithful young men, who go as Missionaries to foreign lands, or are already gone, ye have the promise, the provi-> dencei and the power of Jehovah for your protection. He will be with you in all lands, and under all possi* ■•11 ■ 1 >\ M 00 THE NARRATIVE A deep Snow. — A severe Winter. — Many frozen to Deutli. ble forms of danger* sufTeriiig, and trial: sup- ported by his Almighty arm^ you cannot sink : com- forted by his presence, you shall not despond : and protected by his Almighty mercy, you shall not be forsaken. ' Sooner the lovely spring shall cease to bloom, > The tree to blossom, and the rose perfume , Sooner the freezing north refuse to blow, ,, And polar rocks resign their glittering snow ; Yon distant blazing glory fail to shine, And purple figs adorn the grapeful vine ; The hills remove, the rocks to atoms rend ; The mountains fall, creation's pillar.« bend, : I Than spotless truth to thee unfaithful prove ; I Or, God forsake the soul who trusts his love. I laboured in much peace, this winter, upon my mission, both along the river and in the city. Our congregations increased both in number and respecta- bility, especially while the weather continued mode* rate. Several found the pearl of great price. The members in office, were of the samo mind with myself. Wo acted in harmony ; and God appointed to our lit- tle Zion, "salvation for walls and bulwarks." The winter was the coldest I ever knew ; the frost was in- tense, and the snow fell six feet deep. It was often my morning work to dig a passage from my house to the street ; in doing which, I have had to stand up to my girdle in the snow. Frequently the lower win- dows of the house were blocked up, so that at one time, we received our dim light through the medium of snow, which had drifted against the side of the house, and was seven or eight feet deep. So severe was the weather, that our meetings were imperiously suspended. We have been obliged to take our bed and put it under the stove pipe, in order to keep our- ' selves from freezing. Several persons were frozen to death this winter. — A man and his daughter, a girl about ten years of age^ who wer« travelling; from oae iii ri! OF A MISSION. 07 The inl«UMi Cold of tbe Winler, 18d5, in New Brunswick. settlement to another, at a little distance from the place, were arrested ; the girl died in her fathers arms, and he, poor man, lost both his legs: before and after amputation, I visited the mournful sufferer; and never in my life did I see a fellow creiiture so mangled by the frost ; his feet literally dropped off, andhishands, face, nose, andcars, were all dreadfully scorched fay the tremendous cold : ho^ 3ver, I had great reason to believe that the shocking calamity, was a mercy, sent to heal his soul. Several vessels coming upon the coast, were so laden with ice, that they foundered ; and 9thers having all their ropes, blocks, and sails frozen, were driven on shore, and the crews perished in the woods, being frozen stiff as blocks of marble. I had some Madeira wine in the house that became thick as jelly ; an intensely cold vapour hovered over the earth and water, through which thesun endeavoured to penetrate with cold and sanguine beams. Iron, if exposed to the weather, was so frozen, that it became quite brittle. Vessds^ in which water was left during the night, were found broken in the morning. My ink has frozen while I have been writing. I have had to wear my surtout during breakfast, though sitting before a large ma- ple fire ; and have seen the spilled tea upon the table become cakes of ice. If I walked out, my whiskers and my eye-lashes were fringed with ice. The houses and the streets would crack with such violence as to alarm one. The thermometer was from 1 5 to 20 de- grees below the freezing point ; and I think it was sometimes as low as nothing. While reading the fu- neral service over a woman, who had died during the levere cold, my nose and ears had frequently to be rubbed, to prevent their freezing; and so much had the cold penetrated my body, that I seriously appre- hended ray lungs were frozen, for when I got home, ■ly breathing was^ wi]th difficulty and labour, and I 9§ THE NARRATIVE LXJ^-X»LJ > Perfonned ny JaurDlei amidct grtrat Severity of Weather. till my wife gave me a large wine glass of hollands^ I scarcely kaew whether I possessed sensation or not. I was sometimes obliged^ thoueh with a far different motive than Cowper, intended to represent "just fifteen minute» huddle up my Yfotk/* and efen for that space was obliged to preach with my top coat closely buttoned^ In the week nights^ we had to quit the chapel^ and I preached in private houses ; tnese were more tolerable than our frost-bound cha- pelj whichj by reason of its being shut up, and with- out a fire, was cold enough to make one think it in the neighbourhood of Tobolsk, in Siberia. With a little variation, the langiuige of Thompson is a lively picture of such a winter. -nought around Strikes ihe sad eye but forests lost in snow ; . But heavy loaded groves and solid floods^ That stretch athwart the solitary vast, * Their icy horrors " ■ Notwithstanding however, the severity of the cotd, several were added to the little flock. My heart swoetly embraced the Lord's work, so that I waii disposed to labour wiili all my might. My journiei^ upon the river and grand lake were performed amidst great severity. of wenther ; sometimesthe intense cold made me siek and faint, but never brought on that deep drowsiness, which frequently ends in death. My greatest inconveniencies arose from haviDgto tra- vel nine or ten miles upon the ice after I had'preached in the evening : however, with regard even to these> I could say — " labour is rest, and pain is sweet, if thoufny:God art here.'" Our covenant meeting on the new year, was the most powerful J bad ever at- tended; so great was tlie Holy One in the midst of us, that a sentiment bordering upon aw«, €ombin\*id' with some I portion of Astonishment, was evidentljr felt by many hearts : silence^ ^oletlittity^ and dd^ TM or A MISSION. =x£f Th«*CwvM(Ml Mtelhig a blessed Seanon.— Allended oar little Conferrnce. JLi i ' iMiiiiiaiii>'m Win MMHea iobs exprened the first emotions felt by most present ; but in a little time these were succeeded by such a ge- neral melting, wailing, supplication, and pathos, as rendered all hearts like dissolving snow before the glorious sun. In a word, neither the frost nor snow ; neither the piercing air, nor the cold earth, could hinder many from attending the means : the divine blessing was poured into many hearts : the Lord was often in our midst, and consecrated the cold of win- ier bjr the fervours of his love. CHAPTER EIGHTn. In the spring of 1806, I once more recrosscd the bay of Fundy, with my wife and little one. Our conference met at Horton, a pleasant and well-culti- vated part of Nova Scotia, near the basin of Minas. On the day of our meeting, we had a total eclipse of the sun, which took place about two o'clock in the after- noon. The preachers and their wives were all well, and felt much pleasure and affection at the sight of each other. We had much harmony in our various conversations; and, in a few days, acompanied by sny wife, I set off for Halifax. Meanwhile, Mr. Black supplied the mission, in New Brunswick. We spent a pleasant and profitable summer in Hali- fax ; and in the fall, I returned to my mission across the bay. On our journey, we stopped to visit our esteemed and worthy friend colonel Bayard, and found him full of faith, zeal, simplicity, and loving ■meekness.— The interview was a blessing to my soul, «n^ an excitement to holy emulation and shame, par- ticularly during morning worship in the family, at .which, it was nis custom to read the word of God kflcettog, and with such affection and tears, ai made n2 ^ iM. 1 100 i: I me NARRATIVE r CroMiing the Bay of Fundy • Squall blew the Veuel on her Beam Enili. I T , ■ ■■■■■. . ..I . M sssssseaasm >■» it evident God frequently gives the same spirit to the humble reader^ that inspired tlie hearts of the vene- rable saints, who penned the Holy Scriptures. I preached several times to a number of bis tenants and the neighbouring: poor, to whom, since his conver- sion to God, his house has become a sort of religious Caravansara. Crossing over the bay of Fundy, from Annapolis to St. John, we met with a violent squall, which, before the mariners could let go either sheets or hal- vards, blew the vessel upon her beam ends, and brought the mainsail down into the wafer ; the sea poured down the cabin like a torrent, which greatly terrified the females and passengers ; my mind was kept in peace, and in a short time the squall ceased, and she righted, as the cargo could not shift, she being full of flour to the very combing of the hatch- ways. How necessary to preserve the mind in the fear of God, " for in the midst of life we are in death." *^ Oft has the sea confestthy power and iiiyen me bark to thy command ; It would not Lord, my life devour, safe in the buUow of thy hand." We arrived safely the same day at our own habi- tation and among our old friends ; — thanks be to God for all his mercies, both on the waves and in the wilderness. During this fall, my mind was deeply pained at the little prosperity attending the mission ia New Brunswick, which, being as it were, my own department, ( not having another Methodist preacher in the whole province, save good old Mr. M'Coll, who, living upon the lines, seldom, or never quitted his mission) made me feel a livelier interest than if the labours had been divided among several. I ap- pointed a day for fasting and prayer, and the Lord gave us a token for good, which was succeeded th» following winter by a blessed and delightful out- pouring of his Holy Spirit. I had gone, as usual, to visit that part of my mission, which lav on each fide of the river St. Joho, leaving the society to the cha wh( poii mat festf not witl Afi the fest( Wh OP A MISSION. 101 A preciouf Revival uf Religion in the little Town ofSt. John. III! ■-■ ■ ■ ■» charge of the leaders and a worthy local preacher* who supplied my place in the pulpit. They ap- pointed a Mratch night, at which, some special inti- mations of the divine power and presence were mani- fested. The holy flame kindled at this meeting was not a flash ; several children became deeply affected with a lively concern for the salvation of their souls : A few young people, who had been induced to attend the preaching, prior to my going up the river, mani- fested a more than ordinary interest in the meeting. What is a little singular, while up the river, I felt an impression to hasten down sooner than usual : added to which, the state of the weather not permitting me to travel, I returned to St, John, as fast as possible, and just arrived in time to adapt regulations to th« new state of things ; and these were the more neces- sary, as some buddings of enthusiasm had begun to ap- pear in the infant work, and much reproach was grafted upon what the world called — ''the blind zeal and singular excesses to which things were carried:" some wondered whereunto this would grow ; others condemned the whole as enthusiasm and delusion, re- questing that I would put a stop to the dangerous wild-fire, that spread in the society; such as shouting aloud, children exhorting, holding the meetings un- til twelve o'clock at night, nay, until two or three in the morning, and several other things, that appeared equally strange and fprbidding in the eyes of the world ; however, after ^hearing all sides, and com- paring the work in my mind, with all I had read and heard of the work of God, I did not hesitate to give niy unqualified approbation to the leading features, resolving, at the same time, with as little noise, and as much tenderness and prudence as possible, to check any thing that might assume an extravagant charac- ter, and so bring the whole into odium and contempt. Prior to this awakening;, the society coniisted of (Of THE NAURATIVE SooM CircuuMtMcMaltendios (IM Work of God. about ninety members, and the usual conflfc^rition on the sabbath day, betwixt two and thr^^r nuniired : some of these were moral, steadj persons; a few were members of the church of England ; and some vere of the number of those who have no distinct re- ligious character : the former of these took great of- fence; and as thejr had never seen anything of the kind, neither had they themselves been subject to much religious emotion — Their strictures upon the exercises of others were rather severe. The subjects of the work as observed above ; v -^a chiefly young people and children ; many of whom had been in the habit of attending the chapel, and were more or less connected with the members of the society. Its general influence, however, was greatly felt by mo«t of the old members, who were much re- vived and stirred up to a display of more zeal and earnestness than they had usually manifested. The leading marks wcroofthe following kind : — a number of children, from eight to ten years of age, were much wrought upon. These began to pray for their parents, and reprove and exhort others, at the public prayer meetings : some of them spoke for an hour to- gether, both with great earnestness and propriety — ''out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, &c." The spectators were deeply affected with the novelty and fervency of the exhortations. These meetings were attended by greater numbers than the place -would contain; and the exercises wore Continued, though in the depth of winter ^ 'a iidnighi, and frequently later. Some, who before this, were luk^* warm, becatne much engaged ; an uncommon ear- nestness in prayer and supplication was poured out f jpon those who exercised in the meetings. With re- ^a^a to myself, I had great and unusual enlargement ?.i my pul^lic labours. God gave me singular liberty kk delivermg a series of sermons explanatory of thic OF A MISSIOX. 109 TIm blcMcd Conaequeut'eii of • Revival of piii« Relifion. first exercises of gracious souls, especially when first awakened and lubourin^ to be justified by the law, or when coming to Christ for pardon and salvation. On these occasions, the chapel was greatly crowded, and frequently a solemn and affecting sense of God rested upon the assembly. After sermon, I went in- to the desk and invited the mourners; or those awak* ened, to come forward and join ; many of whom pres- sed through the crowd, deeply affected, and gladly availed tnemselves of the communion of saints ; others seeing their boldness, broke through their own diffidence, and joyfully cast in their lot among us. There were none of the rich and great impressed ; thai passage was only in part verified, "they shall all know the Lord from the least, even to the greatest." God casts into shades the pride of man, and shows how little he regards either the glitter of wealth, or the pomp of erandeur : there was very little shouting, tlappine of hands, or wild-fire, such as I have often witnessed in the camp meetings of the United States. The outward pro faneness of the streets was greatly dimi- nished, and an air of morality was, in some degree, visible through the whole town. The proud oppos- ers of the work, could not deny, but a great and vi- sible change had taken place in many persons, who, before this, were notoriously wicked ; yet they thought it was all sham, and would vanish into smoke. Oar of the principal opposers, who got some doggerel poetry printed in band bills, ridiculing the work, came to nothing, and was obliged to fly from the town in disgrace ; old bickerings were done away, a«id much love and harmony prevailed in the society. There were irregularities, it is true ; for whoever saw a genuine revival of religion without them ? But when the profane persecute, the proud scoff", and the •elfrightfliiiis moralist oppose ! shall these be laid at the door of the work of God ? if these persons make disturbances, others ought to know that reli^^ioa is m w ' Ji r*,.' 104 THE NARRATIVE Irregularities and Imprudence ofsotnc on these Occasiions. not chargeable with them. I grant, that some diffi- culties may arise^ even from professors, whose wis- dom and piety should teach them better things. The untempered zeal of these warm spirits will, on such occasions, exceed the bounds of prudence and charity : they anathamatize all who do not coincide with their judgment, and condemn all who cannot see through their eyes ; with opposers they have no patience, but fall upon them with as little mercy as Sampson showed the Philistines : hence, through their intemperate zeal, the cause is often disparaged, and the innocent have to bear the blame of the guilty. Sometimes the various exercises, such as praying, weeping, rejoic- ing, singing, exhorting, all blended together, and performed simultaneously, present a strong resem- blance of confusion and discord; however, God's thoughts are not as our thoughts : upon the whole, there have been few revivals of religion, at- tended with less irregularity, and more of those plain and decided characteristic marks, which constitute a l^enuine and scriptural work of God. 100 were joined to the society in about a month, which, in a place, containing only 3000 inhabitants, was no in- considerable proportion. Most of these afforded pleasing evidence of a genuine change of heart and life : the greater part of them were ut- terly ignorant of religion prior to this revival. But as a letter written to Mr. Benson, at this time, will cast more light on this interesting subject, I need no apology for inserting it. , , March 35th, 1807, City St. John, New Brunswick, Dear Sir, I am happy that it is in my power to send you a pleasing aeeouat of the work of God, in this formerly barren part of the universe. For some time religion was at a stand in this and the neighbonring proviac«. It is true, a few now and then were adv OP A MISSIOI^. 10« Letter to the Rev. Joseph Uenson on the Work of fiod in St. John. ded to the people of God, to supply the places of those who emi- grated to other parts ; but no revival of true piety had taken plac» in this country until this winter. About a month ago the Lord began to pour out his Holy Spirit upon us in a very remarkablt manner, shaking the kingdom of darkness in many hearts, so that an alarm and distress became visible in the faces of numbers, and a cry was heard " What shall I do to be saved ?" This blessed work is still continued ; some stone-hearted sinners have been awakened, and a number of little children both boys and girls hav* been evidently changed by the power of the Holy Ghost. About seventy persons hare joined the society, and perhaps there are not fewer than thirty more under slight awakenings or deep convic. lions. Curiosity or aimilar motives bring many to the meetings, when either the cries of the distressed, or the exhortations of such as have lately found peace with God, touch their hearts, and (re* quently from gazing and mocking they are brought to solemnity and grief. Some who have come with the professed design of ridi- culing this work of God, have been struck down, and constrained to cry for mercy and salvation in the most heart«piercing^anner« A few have been set at liberty under the word, yet the work has been chiefly carried on in prayer meetings, to which great num. bers resort, and will not go away until a very late hour. Early this morning two young men came to my house, and no sooner had I opened the door than they both fell upon their knees, begging ear« nestly that I would pray for them ; I commended their case to th« Lord in prayer, and then exhorted and encouraged them to look to the Lord Jesus for a present salvation ; — one w^is much com. forted, but the other went away in deep distress. Not a day passes but I hear of three or four that are struck to the heart ; and scarce is there a meeting but some join the society; indeed, it appears to me, that if the work confiu't^e, all the young people im the place will turn to God. In this situation of things you may naturally suppose that tit* enemy of squIs is not idle, but endeavours to support his falling kingdom. . But, glory bo to God, all hit stratagems have hith«Tt« f> ice THE NARRATIVE Continuation of the Letter to Mr. Benson. failed ! Much opposition has been made to this work. CalumnjF and blasphemy, scriptnre and ridicule, promises and menaces have all been employtd, but, thank God, without success. Nothing ean equal the firmness of the young converts; they stand unshaken, though almost every engine of hell has been made use of to cause them to stagger and turn aside from the good way. The magis. trates and principal inhabitants cannot deny that there is a great change in the place for the better, asmany of the young men who are subjects of this work were once both loose in their principles and irregular in their practices, but they are now new creatures ; and ene can hardly go through a street of this little city without hearing the voice of praise, or seeing the young men assembling together for prayer. What appears to me a pleasing circumstance is, that several of the young men have very promising gifts both for prayer and exhortation, which, if piously improved, may render them truly useful at a future time. It would astonish you to hear with what propriety youths of fifteen or sixteen years of age pour out their souls to God in prayer ; the fervency of their spirits, the cvangelicalness of their language^ and the solemnity of their manir Ber tend not a little to impress the minds of such as hear them, and promote the work. Some have been awakened by hearing the prayers of cbildren, while others have been ready to say that we put words into their mouths, and teach them how to escpress them, lelves in their prayers. Our little chapel is so crowded that you can scarcely see any thing but human heads ; and the meetings are solemn beyond any thing seen in this place for a long time. Often, towards the con- elusion, a cry for mercy begins, which spreads from one to another till the union of the voices of those who are either praying, cry- ing, or rejoicing, forms what worldly people call confusion. On these occasions some are brought to taste that the Lord is gracious, and others alarmed with conviction, who, perhaps, in a few days, can also praise a sin-pardoning God. Most that I have ^tlosely examined give a pretty clear account of being cut to the &«*Kt for SID, £ee} thankfulness that they are n«t i» bell, lee th»U A revival uf Keligion is like Ithuriars Spear. need of a Saviour, and are cotivincfd they must lead ajiew life or be lost ; hence, they are led to Implore forgiveness through th« Redeemer's blood, and grace to help them ou their way to heaven. What makes this appear the more singular to some well-minded persons is the order and stillness which were observed in the meet, ings prior to this period ; hence, some who once thought well of us, now take the alarm at wh&t they think enthusiasm. A revival of religion is like Ithnriat's sp^ar, it makes persons assume their proper shape and character, and shows the carnal mind in its native and undisguised colours. Our meetings are become tht common topic of conversation. Some wonder, some mock, some acknowledge the power of God, and several not in society defend the cause to the utmost of their power. But, as yet, none of th« rulers have believed on him. The good that is done is chiefly among the poor and middling classes of people. Since this quicks ening began, there has been a continual cry for books, especially hymn books. It would be a work of mercy indeed if some of our rich friends at home would send us two or three hundred pamphlets and little hymn books. It pains one to the heart that I have not books to distribute among the young converts, as many of then will be in danger from seducing spirits, and that doctrine of devils antinomianism. I have sometimes feared that the work of God among the Methodists would come to nothing in this province, but now 1 am abundantly encouraged ; my heart dances when I see the young converts crowding to the meetings, or when 1 hear them declare their experience in the things of God, in a manner which is chiefly clear, simple, and affecting. I have now been seven years in this country, and, if consistent with my duty, would wish, in about twelve months, to return home; not that I am tired of a Missionary life, no, blessed b» God, I am determined to spend my strength and my all in the cause of Jesus ; but my health has suffered, and dues suffer daily ; the extreme cold winters affect my breast in a very painful manner, and sometimes render me quite unable to undergo the toils of my misiion, yet, by th« blessing of God, I hav« E«1dom flinched., • 2 i-*i«s lit THE NARRATIVE At this time only Six Methodist Missionaries in Nova Scotia. though sometimes the consequences have been very painful. In the discharge of my duty I have had many discouragements both from within and without, but what I have seen this month past more than recompenses me for all my trials. The life of a Mis. tionary in such a climate as this is both perilous and laborious, but the presence of Jesus can sweeten every toil, and ^' make the wilderness blossom as the rose.'* One of our principal diiricultiet4 •rises from our being too weak.handed, too far separated from each other: henco our labours, for want of being seconded and continued, have sometimes failed of su<.^ess. O fur more young men of steady zeal, unwearied patience, and .active lives! thea we might expect to see more fruit, and more flourishing societies. We are only six preachers in this immense tract of wilderness, and if Mr. Black goes to Bermuda our number will be reduced. This circuit, of which this little city is the head, extends more than one hundred miles towards Canada, and there is no preacher but my^ self to supply it. I should esteem a line from you or any of our London friends a great favour. In the mean time, may the Lord direct you in the great work of saving souls, and make your life holy and happy. This, dear sir, is the prayer of .r . Your unworthy son in the gospel, V . JOSHUA MARSDEX. During the ensuing summer, 1807, I devoted mj time and attentiou to the circumstance of erecting a new chapel, as by reason of the revival, the place was become too strait for us ; but as many of the 80« ciety were but in indigent circumstances, I had great difficulties to encounter, and much painful exercise of mind to bring my object to bear . however, in the name of the Lord, I was enabled to look over the obstacle::! that presented ; my motive was upright^ and I believed God would open every closed door ; nor was I disappointed ; his providence redeemed the pledge his promise had given; and the same God yvho enabled Moies to build a tabernacle in the wil* OF A MISSION. ''■:» v4 m A new Chapel erected in the City St. John. Ferness, and professor Frank an alms house at Halle, and George Whitfield an orphan house in the forests of Georgia^ enabled us to go forward with our design. We procured a frame for a building, 60 feet long by 42 feet wide ; and I assembled the society, and as many of the congregation as volunteered their ser- Tices ; and having bought the land, we dug the foundation; many others sent their carts; some fetched stone gratis ; a few assisted to collect pieces of rock, from the sea side and to drag the various parts of the frame from the river to the spot : after which, I invited from the pulpit, as many as chose to come at a stated time, and help us to raise the frame. More than a hundred stout and able*bodied men came for- ward to this part of the business ; so we got the frame of our new chapel raised after I had preached on the foundation stone, to about 500 persons. At this building, I worked with my own hands, from morn- ing to night, during a considerable part of its pro- gress, both as a motive to induce others, and also to help forward the good design : the Lord gave nie strength for the day, so that I know not that ever I felt ray soul happier, or my mind more in peace, and in the way of duty, than when i worked all day at the new, and preached at night in the old chapel. In the summer, I made a begging tour around the head of the bay of Fundy, and visited many of my old friends in Membrancook, Tantramar, Pont de Bute, Cumberland, Fort Lawrence, Bay de Vert, and va- rious other places; and returning by the basin of Minas, crossed the bay of Fundy, from Patridge Island, and reached home in less than two months. Having now laboured in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick seven years; travelled many thousand miles under various discouragements, and in all kinds of weather, with some success and much un- faithfulness. Having; laboured on various missions^ m 110 THE NARRATIVE My Cunstitution snflTered severely in North America. , -: '■ ■■" . - :.i,:,..-r- '■- -: , , , -^ ■- ■■ ;; ■ -r-^ from Annapolis Royal to the gulf of St. Lawrence; and from the head of the bay of Fundy to Halifax. Having suffered severely in my healthy by exposures on the ice; in the swampy woods; in snow storms; by severe rains — damp clothes — damp beds — log huts — travelling in the night ; and laying upon the floor : having greatly injured my lungs, and impaired my general health, I wrote for permission to return home, signifying at the same time, that if no other Mission- ary could be found for the Somers Islands, I was, nevertheless, willing to go, hoping, that should the conference appoint me, the mildness of the climate might contribute to restore my health, and enable me to devote my life to the cause of missions. In the annexed note will be found Mr. Benson's answer, accompanied by one from Dr. Coke, requesting me to go to Bermuda.* Having, therefore, done with * Hew Chapel, City-Road, London, October 5th, 1807. Sly .> of a Jkliessionary, as you oibscrTe, iqu»t b« very difficult and danger-, OF A MISSION. til LeUerti hom the Ilev. Joseph Demon and Doctor Coke. z=S! ««= NoTa Scotia^ I may be allowed to annex a little poem, I wrote upon my departure, ivliich, as it was a tribute of my esteem, and a picture of my farewell fceling;s, I hope will not be considered as an intruder in this part of my narrative. A FAREWELL TO NOVA SCOTIA. Thou climate of colli, where the icy winds blow ; Where the maple fire burns and the lofty pines grow: Ere I quit thy cold shores for a happier clime ; I'll chaunt my farewell in a fragment of rhyme. 0U8, in such a climate as Nova Scotia : hut the Lord has already recompensed yoH, by giving you to see such blessed fruit of your labours, and will recompense ^011 more at the resurrection of thejast, The Conference would willingly have consented to your coming home next year, hut as you signified that you were willing to spend some time at Bermuda; as you will see by the minutes, tliey have appointed yon for that island for the present, believing that it is a very likely place for the restoration of your health, and that you will be very useful there in the Lord';* vineyard. According to sundry lettere we have had from there, many of the inhabitants have a great de* tire to hear the word, and there is a great opening for the gospel, and a pros- pect of doing much good. I shall be very glad of a few lines from you both before you sail for Bermuda, and after you arrive there. Praying that the Lord would bntii support you and bless your labours in his work. I remain, your very affectionate Brother, r ' JOSEPH BENSON". Liverpool, August Tth, ISOT. My very dear Brother, I am in the midst of the hurry of Conference business. Tou see by the tnclosed minutes that you are appointed to Bermuda; set offassoou as you pes' libly can, and draw on me from time to time for what you want, at the Rev. Robert Lomai's, New Chapel, City Road, London. My love to brother Black, ^» W(4I ai the other preachers. God bless you. I am, wy very dear Brother, Your's afftctioaately and .faithfully, „ THOMAS COKB^ ,kV! ml IIS TnE NARRATIVE A Poeticnl Furcwcll to Nova Scotia. i Seven years have I traversed ihy dcs: Inte voodo, Thy bays, marshes, lakes, and thy icy.pav'd floods ; With tempest and snow-drift impeding my courscy And icicles spangling both me and my horse. I've frequently pass'd in my snow.gliding sled Thy dark lofty pii - that wav'd over my head, Still humming a tune as I fac'd the cold breeze, Till the snug little scttlenicat peep'd through the treeg, Nor, shall I forget in thy winters severe. When crossing bleak marshes and barrens most drear, Full many a blessing has warmed my heart, Though the cold chill'd my blood, and my fingers would smart. With a joy unexprest I have often surveyed The cottage that c|ieer'd in thy wilderness shade, Thouj;h my lodging was cold, and the stars I could see Through the chinks of my log.room bright twinkling on m«« When, the fierce blowing drift had the pathway eras'd, With my sta£f in my hand I've the north-wester fac'd ; My saddle .bags over my shoulders well tied, I've trudged over the snow, for 'twas too deep to ride. How oft have I " 'scaped by the skin of ray teeth," When the ice was worn thin by the currents beneath^ And when by the showers the torrents were rais'd, I trembled till past, — ^but delivered, I prais'd. Hence, learn, O my soul, to put trust in thy Lord; His care and past dangers be kept on record. Tke sea and the desert with safety are cross'd : Be faithful — ^thou shall not in Jordan be lost. scene of my labours, I bid thee adieu ; 1 loT« thy rough climate,, tho' sightless t« ri«w. OF A MISSION. 119 I'arcwdl ti> Nova Scotia continued. When u'er the wide ocean I sail far away, ril tliiiik o( thy woods ; — for thy woodlanders pray. Though transient thy spring-tirae, thy winters severe; Though freezing and sea.fog encircle the year ; Yet thy wilds have their game, and thy forests their stores; And kind are the natives who people thy shores. The moose in thy woods, and the bears in thy brakes ; The trout in thy streams, and the fowl on thy lakes ; Thy salmon, thy maple, and fine pome.de.terre,* A bountiful providence jointly declare. Nor do I forget that fair piety grows, Like an evergreen plant amid thy bleaching snows : Who rules the green earth from the Oby to Nile, Has illumined thy wastes with his lucific smile. Thy forests and snow-drifts, thy marshes and bogs, Thy birch-covcr'd wigwams, and sun.veiliug fogs, , ^ .,; Thy cold rocky soil, and thy winters severe. His presence can sweeten, his blessing can cheer : For 'tis not in seasons or climes to impart The bliss that enlivens and gladdens the heart ; Spitsbergen's cold shores, or Borneo's scorch'd isle, * Can please if illumin'd with Jesus's smile '. That smile is a spring of delight to the Soul, Though tempests arise and the tierce billows roll j It gladdens the deSert, it charms the wild wave, Gives ease in affliction, and hope in the grave. Ye high.coned pines, and ye balsamic firs ! Ye maples so sweet, and ye quiv'ring poplars ! IT #1, •*i • Potatocf. J? m THE NARRATIVE Appointment to labour in the Uermudai or Sitmeri Iibnds. 'Neath your shades-f I have stood while ye heard me proclaim Salvation unbounded through Jeaus's Hame I But ne^er shall I wander thy woodlands again Where silence and gloom, brother foresters, reign ;. Nor travel thy dreary Peninsula o'er, From the Canada gulf to the Atlantic shore. Farewell to thy plains, and adieu to thy hills ! Thy deep rapid rivers and wood-cutting mills ! Thy terrible snow-drifts, thy'bleak torpid coasts t Adieu to the region of sea-fog and frost I ,■!. .; Ill;' li 1.. I CHAPTER NINTH. ^ Mission to the Bermudas or Somers Islands^ Go plant the cross on every sea.girt isle, Bid the wilds blossom and the desert smile: '-^ Make the reviv^ing gospel 'vHely known From the world's girdle,, tc each icy zonvr Being appointed to labour as a Missionary on the Bermudas or Somers Islands^ it may be necessary to give a short account of these verdant spots in the cen* tre of the ocean^ or, as a poet who resided there for some time calls them, *' Those leafy islets on the ocean thrown *^ Like studs of emerald on a silver zone.'* Beautiful indeed, in all that relates to climate fa- Toured with a serene and temperate atmosphere, blue skies, green vales, and constant summer ; but in their moral state tributary to the "prince of the power of the air." The Bermudas were first known to the English through the medium of the Spaniards; they were discovered by the latter in the year 1522, and by them designed to be the rendezvous for the '• ■» 11 —— — — — ■ h II. I. ■ » » I. .1 + The Aithor fitiiuently preachei in the wo«da» OF A MISSION. Some Account of the Discovery of the Bermudaii. return fleets of Mexico. A situation so convenient^ a design so important could not have escaped the other countries of Europe. To the government of England* Bermuda must have been known ; to indi- viduals it certainly was. Cabot, I think, mentions it ; and Wm. May, who was shipwrecked here in 1592, speaks of it as a place generally known, and much avoided by all western navigators ; but it was not until the year 1609 that it excited much attention, and became an object of British speculation. In that year Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Somers, crossmg the Atlantic to relieve the infant colony of James Town, in Virginia, met with a violent storm near the latitude of Bermuda, which separated them from the rest of the fleet, and reduced them to so leaky a condition that the Sea Venture (the ship in which they sailed) was a mer« wreck, and kept from going down only by the good providence of God, and their continually working the pumps, which they plyed for three days and three nights without inter- mission ; and when they were so far exhausted with the toil as to give up all thoughts of being saved, and had partly resigned themselves to the mercy of God and a watery grave. Sir George Somers, who had sat upon the poop of the vessel for three days and nights, most happily discerned land ; whereupon he encouraged the men to resume their labours at the pumps, if by any means they might reach the so much desired shore; hope inspired .their languid bodies with new energy ; they made another eflbrt to gain upon the water, so that beyond all human pro- bability the ship was kept from sinking, until she struck upon the rocks. The reader will here ob- serve, that it is not the case as is generally thought, and mentioned in our geographies, that Sir George was shipwrecked here, but on the contrary, he found th» reefs of Bermuda a desirable refuge from the gulfs I n. if!! ill 118 THE NARRATIVE The State of the Iklands when Ant diKovered. of the western ocean : nor is this a solitary case; hun« dreds have had cause to praise the God or nature for placing these islands in their present situation, as in crossing the parallel, from the gulf of Mexico to North America, or from Europe to South Caroiinn, Georgia, or the West Indies, many leaky and half sinking yesscls find here a secure asylum from the horrors of a submarine grave. The rocks on which Sir George Somers struck iverc so near (he shore that >vith a little difficulty all tiic crew, J 50 in number, were enabled to gain the islands, and to praise the Almighty for a most wonderful and manifest deliver- p.ncc. It does not appear that our distressed mariners escaped one danger to encounter another, or that they leaped from the waves of the ocean upon the tomahawks of Indians, the clubs of Savages, or the bayonets of gold- loving blood-shedding Spaniards; in short, they found the whole group of islands un- inhabited ; the Spaniards who had visited these shores, not satisfied with the simple bounties of nature, savr no beauty in fragrant groves of cedar, orange trees loaded with golden fruit, skies delightfully serene, and a climate peculiarly salubrious and fertile; in a word, they discarded this lovely group of islands because they contained no quarries of emerald, or mines of glittering gold and silver. Alas! how has that infatuated nation been verging to ruin, since she murdered the Indians of Hispaniola, slaughtered the unopposing and simple-hearted Mexicans, and open- ed the amazingly productive mines of Potosi^ which, though they have enriched Europe and the world, have left her poor and insolvent^ wretched and servile. The clime she won drew dawn an instant curse; The fretting plague is ia the public purie. The canker'd spoil corrodes the rising state, Starv'd by that indolence, their mines create. ^.CowrsB* OF A MISSIOl^. 117 Thry nhniind<>d with many Rlfudng*. Rut to return to our countrymen, who, by tliii time, had come to their appetites, and boiran to cast a wishful look towards the production of the island, in order to satisfy the cravings of nature, and recruit their exhausted strength, after their uncommon fa- tigues ; nor were they long left to doubt, whether or not, a bountiful providence had smiled upon thes€ sea-circled rocks. They soon found shoals of fishes, plenty of hogs, wild fowl in abundance, and such store of eggs, that one thousand were gathered in a few hours. The country was well stocked with he- rons; the woods seemed alive with a variety of other birds, and the shores swarmed with turtle. The common instinct of nature having drawn these, her children, to these beautiful and fertile islands, where the birds might carol their songs to the author of crea- tion ; the fishes glide along the coral rocks without finding the treacherous hook or encircling net, andthe quadrupeds rove through the woods, and live upon the berries of the palmetto, mulberry, and cedar, without becoming a mark for the murderous gun or heart-piercing arrow. In a word, our tars found plenty of the productions of nature, and lived pretty wellj until they built a pinnace, and sailed for the mouth of the Chesapeake where they arrived the 4th of May, in the year 1610, after a pleasant pas- «age of 14 days. — At what time the islands were more regularly and fully colonized, is not in my power to say, from the slender information I possess upon the subject ; however, it is more than probable that it was during the civl war, as the persons who fettled in Bermuda, were chiefly Presbyterians and Independants ; some have thought that Waller the poet, resided here some time. It is more certain that bishop Berkeley intended to found here a transatlantic university, and render it the emporium of learning for the w^gtern world ; but unhappily the captaiu of '*!. i ^ A U^^ !: IW THE NARRATIVE V t I 11 Waller's Poetical Description of Bermuda. the good bishop's ship missed this speck in the ocean^ and to make a good land fall^ ran for the continent of America. The first Town built upon the islands^ was St. George, after its patron Sir George Somers, who ended his dajs here, and was buried in a spot that is now used as a garden^ where there is a little monu- ment to his memory. Waller has given us a verj splendid, though entirely poetical account of the islands, which^ upon the whole, like most other visions of fancy^ has nevertheless some little ver- similitude. ^' : Bermuda, wali'd with rocks : — who does not know That happy island, where huge lemons grow, And orange trees, which golden fruit do bear : Th' Hesperean garden boasts of none so fair. The lofty cedar, which to heav'n aspires : The prince of trees is fuel for their fires. ■ . » The sweet palmetos a new Bachus yield With leaves as ample as the broadest shield. Figs, there unplanted, thro' the fields do grow, * Such as fierce Cato did the Romans show ; "With candy'd plantains and the juicy pine. On choicest melons and sweet grapes they dine ; And with potatoes, fat their wanton swine. Ripe fruits and blossoms on tl^ same tree live : At once they promise, what at once they give. So sweet the air, so moderate the clime. None sickly lives, or dies before his time. Although this account of the Somers Islands is poetica licentia, yet it must be confessed, that there is not, perhaps, a pleasanter spot on the surface of the whole globe, not excepting even the Madeira or Canary Islands ; yet, in their moral state, when the writer of this account first visited them, darkness and sin spread their desolations through every part of the otherwise lovely domain. It is true there was one church in each parish, with three clergymen be- longing to the establishment ; and also a Presbyterian miuihter, who preached at a small church, in Heroa OF A MISSIOX. 119 Churches small and ill-constructed. — State of the BlacKs. bay r notwithstanding whicli^ the parishes, in general; were only favoured with one sermon every fourth sab- bathj and even to this scanty moVsel of the bread of )ife^ many of the poor black and coloured people had no access. No calculations of either minister or peo- ple embraced their moral prosperity ; they were not allowed to marry, or approach the Lord's table; their children were often denied the rights of baptism,^ and themselves hardly esteemed for any thing but the strength of their limbs, or the value of their labours. The contracted and ill-constructed buildings, ap- propriated for religious worship, were by far too small to contain even all the white inhabitants : hence, the poor blacks, who were not employed in domestic avocations, were left to spend the sabbath either in idleness, amusement, or vice. With regard either to the knowledge or influence of vital godliness, I have too few evidences, to believe, that either the one or the other, formed any part of the religion of 'T The Opposition made against faiis preaching to tite Negroes. them iaught religion.* Cutting throats, murders, rebellion, insurrection, and in a word, all the hor- rors of St. Domingo were connected with the idea of enlightning these unfortunate beings, as though the pure, peaceful, and mild religion of Jesus Christ and savage inhumanity were real friends r in short, a com- plaint was lodged by one justice Green, who coming to the islands in the capacity of an itinerant portrait painter, had accumulated a little money, and was finally lifted upon the stilts of the law, that he might overlook his surrounding neighbours. This wor- thy Uiiagistrate was informed that Mr. Stephenson had been preaching in hit parish, to a few blacks, whereupon he hastened to the governor, who, it ap- peared, had already imbibed a strong prejudice against our poor persecuted and forlorn Missionary ; not indeed for having been guilty of immoral conduct, but because he had not studied greek and latin in the British universities, in order to qualify himself to teach the slaves of Bermuda how to serve God and save their souls. Mr Stephenson too waited upon the go* vernor, but his prejudices had passed the rubicon, and a bill, under the patronage of his excellency, was brought into the house of assembly, to hinder the most dangerous and disloyal thing in the world — preaching the gospel to negro slaves. This passed b j a vast majority into a law — a law indeed ! worthy of the wisdom of a Laud, and the bigotry of a Bonner.f « To the honour of the Bei-mudians it must, however, be said^ that slavery in these islar Is wore its mildest forms, and the blacks were more attached to their home? ai 1 masters tlian would readily be imagined ; a proof of this occur- red during lut American war: A vesw), navigated by Uermudlan slaves, was taken and carried into Boston, where they were all set at liberty ; however, they all except one man managed to get back to Bermuda, prefering slavery ia those pleasant Islands, to liberty in any other place. + "An Act to prevent persons pretending^ or having pretended, to be Min- isters of the Gospel, or Missionaries from any religious Society whatever, and- ftot invested with Holy Orders^ according to tiie Rites and Ceremonies of tlitr iiuirch of Euj^aod, vr the Church of Scotland, from aetiug as Preacbers." We lli! OF A MISSION. Ul A penal Statute enacted to hinder his Mission. We shall not at present^ enter into the pro- priety or impropriet3r of Mr. Stephenson's obeying ihat precept of our Lord — "if they persecute ^ou in one city, flee to another." Where could he flee ? the law covered the whole Bermudian archipelago ; he must cease to preach the gospel, or become a transgressor ; besides, the same olrjection that might be brought against him for preaching, would also implicate many of the apostles and most of the primi- tive martyrs. They knew that the laws prohibited ''i'tfi*;! '■^l ** WHEREAS it is conceivc-d extremely essential f«r the due preservation of order and good government, as also for the better maintenance and support of the religions principles of the community of these islands, to exclude all persons pretending, or having pretended, to be ministers of the gospel, or Missionaries from any religious society whatever, and not regularly invested with h^ly orders according t» the rites and ceremooiea of tfie churah of £ngland, or the church of Scotland, from propagating any doctrine upon the gospel or otherwise.; WE, therefore, your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the general assembly of these, your Majesty s Bermuda or Sumers Islands, in America, do most lium- bly beseech your Majesty that it may be enaeted. And be it enacted by your Majesty's governor, council, and assembly, and it is hereby enacted and or- dained by the authority of the same, that no person whatever, pretending, or having pretended to be a minister of the gospel, or Missionary from any reli- gious society, and not regularly invested with holy orders according to the rites and xereraenies of the chutch of England, or the cliurch of Scotland, sliall b« allowed to preach or propagate in these islands, any doctrine upon the gospel, by writing or printing, or by speaking to, teaching, or in any wise lecturing «r exhorting any public or collected andiencewhatevec, and that any person who shall violate or act repugnant to this law by preaching or propagating, writing or printing, or by speaking to, teaching, or in any wise lecturing or exhorting any public or collected audience whatever as aforesaid, shall be subject and liable to a -Sne of -fifty pounds, and to be imprisoned for the space of six •months without bail or mainprize. " And he it further enacted and ordained by the authority aforesaid, that any person or persons admitting, or allowing in his, her, or their house or dwelling, to any person pretending, or having pretended to be a minister of the -gospel or Missionary from any religious society whatever, and not invested with holy orders, according to the rites and ceremonies aforesaid, for the pur- jpose of preaching or propagating any doctrine upon the gospel, by writing or printing, « v by speaking to, teaching, or in any wise lecturing, or exhorting as aforesaid ujy public or collected audience whatever, shall be subject and liabU to a fine of fifty pounds, and an imprisonment of six months without bail •r mainprize." ** Passed the assembly this S5th day of April, 1800, and ordered to be laid Wcfore the council for concurrence." JAMES TUCKER, Speaker. « Concurred to by the cor ncil this 23rd day of May, 1800." HENRY TUCKER, President. '^^ Assented to this 84th day of May, 1800." GEORGE BECK WITH, e2 «f ii'ii-;' I' If' U '1 h i|'! 124 THE NARRATIVE Mr. Stephenson violates the Law and \s imprisoned. their preaching, and yet they did preach in defiance of those laws. Did we not forbid you to preach in this man's name^ the Jews and Infidels mi^ht say ; but every resolute Peter would reply, " whether it be better to obey God or Man, judge ye." In this dilemma, Mr. Stephenson took council with his friends as to the line of conduct he ought to pur- sue. Some of these advised one thing, and some ano- ther, as most of them were afraid of the fine; how- ever, the objections on this score wore overruled by the resolution of a Mr. Pallas, who declared he would run all risks, rather than the servant of God should remain silent and useless. Mr. Stephenson gladly accepted the offer, as he conceived himself bound in duty, to resist what appeared to him an an- tichristian law : he, therefore, preached in the house of Mr. Pallas ; they were both taken into custody and sent to the jail in St. George's. Mr. Pallas was soon bailed out, but though several respectable per- sons offered bail for God's minister, it could not be obtained ; his crime was too black to admit of such a composition ; his enlargement from a close and un- healthy prison in a burning climate^ could not be procured. That man should thus encroach on fellow man. Abridge him of his just and native rights; Eradicate him, tear him from his hold Upon th' endearm^^nts of domestic life ^'1. And social nip his fruitfulness and use. And doom him for, perhaps, (a godlike deed) To barrenness and solitude, and tears, ]l^foves indignation ; makes the name of lawf Of laws, which only petty tyrants make. As dreadful as the manichean God, Ador'd thro* fear—strong only to der troy. Cowpib. Iloweyer, this servant of God fo^nd, that imprison- ment for the cause of Christ, was neither as unplea- sant nor intolerable as some may imagine : the Lord abundantly fulfilled that beatitudCi-^'' blessed are OP A MISSION. 12S The Defence of Mr. 8. by Lawyer Easton. they who arc persecuted for righteousness sake." It appears from his manuscript journal and several of his lettersj which I have in my possession, that the con- solations of the Holy Spirit were most sweet and pre- cious during his incarceration, and he found the joyful experience af that divine line — "and prisons will pa- laces prove, if Jesus would dwell with me there." At the sitting of the special court, his trial came on, and though he employed one of the most able lawyers in the island, Mr. Easten, the present worthy chief justice of Bermuda, who made a most able defence of toleration, liberty of conscience, and the rights of private judgment in all matters relative to religion,* yet tb*" jury were requested by the chief justice to find him guilty : accordingly, he was condemned to ■ml m * I am sorry that my limits wi!l not r.llow me t(i insiert the whole of Mr. Eastcn's most able and eloqnent defence of Mr. Stephenson, and librrty of con- •ciencr; however, I cannot deny myjcir the pleasure of giving my readers a ihort analysis of it: he began by observing that tlie prisoner at the bar stood indicted i'ot worshiping God according to his conscience, or, in other words, he stood charged with violating a law that it was both improper and impossible io obey ; for it would be easy to prove that legislators might make laws which it would be the most exalted virtue to violate, as, for instance, should they make a law to prphibit the worship of God altogether: and that for his part he saw no difference between enacting a law to prohibit the worship of God altogether, and one, forbidding tr.en to worship God according to their own consciences. He uaintained by eloquent arguments that the law in question was contrary to the laws of God, destructive of the natural and unalienable rights of mankind, and opposed to the fundamental sta- tutes of the British Empire : here he read the Toleration Act, the preamble «f which is ** Ahnighty God h«th created the human mind free, consequently the right of private judgment in matters of religion is and ever must be ttic unalien- t^h\e right of mankind, and ought always to be held sacred and inviolable; the provisions of the act are, that all protestants shall have free liberty to exercise their religion, and by speaking, writing, and publishing, or by all and any of the said ways and means, to investigate religious subjects, and by preaciiing and teaching to instruct persons in the duties of religion, in such manner as every such person respectively hall judge the most conducive to promote virtue, the happiness of society, and i. e eternal felicity of mankind " He also read extracts from the writings of several jurists and philosophers, particularly Vatel, to prove that man is essentially and necessarily free to make use of his own choice in matters of religion ; that this is one of the rights man did not give up by the social compact, if indeed such a compact was ever made, at the organi- zation of society, as some theoretical writers have supposed. The above if only a faint outline of a most nervous and comprehensive defec^e. The subject covers a great deal of ground, and cannot be analyzed without evaporating the iieauty, the strength, and the suUablenesi of his clear reaiobiOgi eloquent lau> •{uafc, and judkioiu raaarlu. m lae THE NARRATIVE mstr P->rsecuting Spirit of some of the Vest India Islands. '^ •ufTer six months imprisonment, pay a fine of fifty pounds^ and also discharge all the costs of the court. The human mind can hardly contemplate a more in- teresting spectacle in a Christian land^ and under the mild auspices of a gospel dispensation^ than to behold a minister of Jesus Christ, a Christian Missionary, -standing at the bar of his fellow Christians and citi- zensj and before a Christian judge, who condemns him to suffer pains, penalties^ and imprisonments, for finiply preaching the religion of Jesus Christ, whom, in one form or another, all Christian people profess to believe and adore. Such a sufferer is entitled to our warmest sympathy, and the cause for which he is op- pressfid, becomes venerable and interesting in th* same proportion as the hand of power endeavours to crush it. Perhaps in no part of the British Empire has persecution proceeded with such a systematic de- liberation as in our British colonies; they, as if dis- regarding both liberty of conscience and toleration, both tlie rights of man as a moral agent and as a member of civil society, have, in several instances, particularly in Jamaica, endeavoured to crush the ministers of Christ by legal oppression. Banishment, imprisonment, and fines have all been employed in their turn, and with a spirit worthy the days of Bonner and Gardener, of Nero and Doraitian ; they have marched forward with a bold and firm •tep in this career of oppression and injustice: in- deed, hardly any thing remains now to complete the system on which they 'lave acted but a few fires and gibbets ; let these once be restored and the nefarious work will be complete 1 O that Jehovah would cause the wrath of man to praise him, and restrain the residue of it for his Name's sake. Meanwhile, it is deeply to be lar?ented, that a dependant co- lony, a mere nook and excresence of the empire, — a place, that, were it not defended by our armies aud navies, would not have existence, much OF A MISSION. KT Mr. S. w£ii Imppy in his Prison nnil prenclied tliroiigli the lirntcs. less anamej should so far beard and insult the mother country by which it is fostered and protected, as to make laws lU open defiance of her constitution, and to the detriment and oppression of her citizens. What ! do the gentlemen of Jamaica, bccaiK> IW. mt' * In thought I view the hoary veteran He, Peace in his heart and sorrow in his eye, A teur would now and tlien unbidden flow, A tear of softest pity, — not of woe ; And as he mus'd some peace-infnsing text, £xalts hi» soul from this work! to the iiext. The " den of thieves" became a '*^ house of prayer" Wliilc God's much injured minister was there, And sweetest sou nds through all the prison ran;( 'Where felons' chains dispread a doleful clang. Oft through bis gloomy portals iron barr'd, The bleeding Saviour's gospel he declar'd. Day after day, his prison to beguile. And teach the joyless solitude to smile ; The deep cut letters one by one arose, That give tlie short plain record of his woes» So Paul and Silas shar'd a sim'lar doom,* Thurst in an inner prison's deepest gloom; '^'' e same their fate,— the some their n»b!c zeal^ To save the lost, and human woes repeal v These from a demon free'd the female slave ;•- - lie from the fiend poor Negroes sought to save. The damsel's master £aw his prospects wanef Tlie Creole fear'd his mistress and his gain. Such customs are not lawful to prevail ; Auny with each disturber to a jail ! « 16£baptcr AcU, from the 16 to 83 ver»«. OF A MISSION. 129 ■ ■ I Wl.ltl l ' Uelerminatinn to go tii Bermuda in the Lord's Name. (he island^ and was only prevented from nccompliHli- ing much more than has been accomplished : but the captain and passengers, when they discovered that he was a Methodist Missionary, refused to allow him to proceed in the vessel, so he was obliged to fetch his trunk ashore again. Things were in this state when the author received the abovementioned letters, containing his appointment for Bermuda : an appointment that was as unwelcome to flesh and blood as "smoke to the eyes, or vinegar to the teeth. '^ On a lofty mountain, and secure from the tempest, we may contemplate a stormy ocean with some de- gree of serenity; but to encounter the foaming bil- lows in a shattered little bark — ah ! there's the rub f Until the time of our departure, ( for it was then the depth of winter) my dear partner and myself set apart every Friday as a day of fasting and prayer, and on one of these occasions found much comfort from the powerful application of those words in J«>remiah xlv. 5, ''Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for behold I will bring evil upon all flesh saith the Lord : but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey, in all places whither thou goest. ' This, and many other precious passages, strengthened our determmation to obey the apparent call of providence ; it seemed as though I continually heard a voice from Bermuda, saying, <' Come over and help us." Our dear friends in St. John were unwilling to part with us; for God had greatly blessed our residence among this dear, kind> and simple hearted people. We came among them at a low time, and continued until we saw the little Ziou in full prosperity : and now, like Abraham, we were going to a strange place and a strange people, we bad cause to feel some painful emotions of heart. ■1 1 hi 130 THE NAIiaATlVIS trailed iu iheSchounrr Mnry Ann.— Kveiitii on bwtrd. I> I ;i ii I. ll^. CHAPTER TENTIT. On the 17th of April, 1808, wc sailed fiom the harbour of St. John, in the schooner Mary-Ann, captain Beattie, bound for the ishuid of Ntw Provi- dence, one of the Bahamas, it being the intention of the captain, according to agreement, to leave me at the Somers Islands. While we \«-ere getting under way, the captain, a civil man, and one of my former hearers, cursed one of the men, upon which I gently tapped him on the shoulder ; he stood reproved, and never to my knowledge, swore afterwards during the whole passage. For several days our weather wa» fine; we passed the gulf stream, and soon got into a warmer latitude. Morning and evening we had prayer in the cabin ; profanencss was banished the vessel, or at least suspended ; and I do not recollect that I ever saw any state of things at sea that so much resembled a church. The captain, the mate, the supercargo and his wife, had all an exterior of seri- ousness : hence, we had much harrvave8 of the ocean heard the sound of praise and prayer. When we were about a hundred leagues to the lee- ward of Cape Hatteras, in North Carolina, a violent gale overtook us in the form of a squall of wind, hail, rain, thunder and lightning. I had observed during the greatest part of the afternoon, a portentious black cloud gathering in the west, and spreading with a slow, but still darker and darker aspect, till it beat upon us with great fury : it was so sudden and impe* tuous, that my help was required to assist our little crew to take in all sail, lest they should be torn in shi- vers from the yards. My dear wife was much alarmed, fts was also the wife of the supercargo ; but that beau- tiful and encouraging hymn of Luther, was a source of support and consolation. Commit thou all thy griefs and ways into his hands, fmands ; To his sure trust and tender care, -who heaven and earth com. Who points the clouds their course, Mrhom ^vinds and seas obey : He will direct thy wand' ring feet — he will prepare thy way. Thou on the Lord rely, so safe shalt thou go on ; Fix on his work t> y steadfast eye, so shall thy work be done. And a strong confidence, that both the faithless ocean and the florid earth are under the immediate control of divine Providence, calmed my own mind, and enabled me to administer comfort to my dear part- ner, who had never before been in a storm like this ; for such was the violence of the gale, that some al- lowance may be made for even a Christian, feeling an apprehension of danger. The wind resembled successive discharges of artillery, and on the follo"- ing morning, (sabbath) the white topped ^vavcs cur- led and crested their summits in a grand, and yet formi- dable manner ; but our little schooner, with her head to the sea, vaulted lightly over the immense ridges with far greater dexterity thiin some bulky and pun- •derons ships. When the gale subsided, we stood ■ 'i/i t . <• > ,.V' .^l1 j«»; fj m\ y I m THE NARRATIVE Arrival in Bermuda, and Reception from tlie Inhabitants. W. to the eastward ; the long rolling swells left hy the storm, helping us forward to our destined islands; and on the 14th day from the time we sailed^ we made Bermuda on the side least rock j^ and the morn- ing following, a pilot came out and carried us safely into the little cedar-circled harbour of St. George. •^ Here I was a stranger in a strange land ; I knew not a single person ; and was come upon an unwel- come errand : hence, my reception was likely to bo unpleasant, ar»d the final issue of my mission doubtful. I had, indeed, that precious promise made to the first of all missionaries — *' Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.'" Some gentlemen came on hoard, to whom the captain communicated my in- tention and character : but these manifested by the unpleasant and embarrassed manner M'ith which they received the intelligence, how unwelcome such an event was, at least, to the inhabitants of St George. Not knowing an individual in the place, I had no person to whom I could apply for direction ; my trust, however, was in God ; and this, in my present situation, was more than all the world beside. Ah ! how forlorn must be the condition of that man who in similar circumstances is destitute of such a soul-sup- porting prop. Having a letter of introduction and recommendation to the governor^ from my esteemed friend Colonel Bayard, of Nova Scotia, I hastened to the government-house, but his excellency being Somewhat engaged, requested I would wait upon him in the morning. ! enquired, in vain, for Methodists ; — the bated sound seemed to startle even some who appeared as if they wished to show me civility if I had come upon any other errand: as a tumbler, buffoon, dan- cing master, or conjurer, I might have been wel- come ; but to preach the gospel^ yea, and to preach the gospel to negroes : this shut up ever^ afcnue qf JOF A mSSlON. 133 >■' -■« ■ Painful Exercises of Mind uo Account uftlie gloomy Prospect. jcmlity, and rendered my person as forbidding, as mj errand was disagreeable. After much difficulty, I learned that an old man, of the name of Pallas, lived at the west end of the islands, who was a Methodist : pleased with this information, I hired a boat, and leaving my wife and child on board the schooner, went in quest of what, in Bermuda, was liara avis in Terris, the only Methodist in the whole Bermu- dian archipelago. I arrived in Hamilton, in about three hours, and found a sickly old man, pressed down io the earth with poverty, affliction, and persecution. He gave me a long detail of the trials and oppositions he had met with, adding that the religious state of the islands was most deplorable, and that the few per- sons raised up under the ministry of Mr. Stephenson, had fallen away ; in fine, that the prospect was most unpromising, and it was doubtful whether 1 should be allowed to preach, as nothing official had trans* pired relative to the expiration of the persecuting sta- tute: hence, he thought that no person would ven- ture to admit of my preaching, for fear of the penalty. This information added a deeper shade to the gloomi- ness of my prospect, and fell with indiscribable weight upon my spirits. I could not refrain from weeping at the desolation of the place and, probable failure of the misf)ion, which had been the object of so many sacrifices, solicitudes, and prayers. I re- turned to St. George with a heavy heart, not with- out frequent starting, tears, and mingled desires, to change my gloomy and unpleasant situation for the quiet of the grave, and an escape from the windy storm and tempest. My mind was sorely exercised with the situation and distress into which I had brought my dear partner, who was far advanced in her pregnancy, still on board the vessel, with our lit- tle daughter seventeen months old, and no door open in the town to admit us to lodgings ; every house \ii / !! 111! I *^ It-* f.»: li.iii ill I! ill P! 134 THE NARRATIVE Had Consolation from the Word of God. being full of army and navy officers : yet — O the pity and kindness of my Almighty Saviour ; he sup< ported me in the hour of conflict, and having tried my faith, he realized the expedient my situation re- quired ; and after my faith had blindly groped for a path, and my thoughts had been running to and fro to find out what measures I should adopt ; divine light, like the first rays of the morning upon a be- nighted traveller, broke in upon my mind : vre looked into the comforting book, not for enteitainment, nor yet for mere profit, but as a pilot in a storm looks at a chart, to find an opening among the rocks, or a passage through the dreadful shoals, that he may csca|Te the shipwreck with which he is threatened. And for ever be the Deliverer praised, all the scrip- tures to which we were directed, greatly alleviated the exercises of our minds, as well as cast some light upon our stay. Although fiesh and blood solicited to abandon the mission as hopeless. I knew much had been suffered by the Jesuits,* Baptists, and Moravians, as well as by my own brethren the Methodists ; and that much had been accomplished. The case of Jonah made me afraid to flinch, lest the Lord should punish my cowardice as he did that of the prophet. These words were as *' • The Jesuits penetrated into the uncultivated recesses of America,civili7;e(l ihe savii(!;es, and won tliein to habits of industry. They visited the untried regions of Sipni, Tonquin, and Cochin-China. They entered the vast empire of China itself, i;isinu.ited themselvcii into the confidence of that suspicious people, and numbered millions amon^ their converts, in India they assumed the garb and austerity of the Uramins ; and boasted on the coasts of Malabar of a thou> land converts baptized in one year by a single Missionary. They could alik* familiarise themselves with the magnificence and luxury of the court of Pekin, or live on water and vegetables like the Jogis : and whatever their adversariet may object to the looseness of their moral system, the conduct of their Mission- aries ^viis unimpeachable, otherwise they had never attracted or preserved the veneration of their disciples. — If they admitted of relaication, it was for them* and not for themselves. *' That their sufferings were great, we have the most authentic evidence. The dreadful massacres in China and Japan, proved them sincere) and| atledst^ |^ ♦rue Caihulics as any at Rome, or elsewhere." — Bvrdsb. " -- *-^ - • -—- "■ ' JSJi--^ -' \ OF A .MISSION. 13d av tssr-n Scriptures (hat were applied to my mind, and rendered a Blessin'. «s^ the brightness of a lamp in the midst of a gloom: " Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that oheyeth the;, voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God," But the scripture that seemed the mo«t pointed against my deserting the mission was the 42iHi chap- ter of Jeremiah, from the iOth to the Vl\\\ \erse : " If ye will abide in this land, then will I build you^ and not pull you down ; and I will plant you and not pluck you up ; for I am with yon, to save you and to deliver you : and I will shciv mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land." 5 This passage, which was given unto us in prayer, brought us to a pleasing acquiescence with the will of God, and quieted many of those anxieties that arose from the enemy acting upon a troubled sea. Several persons came on hoard, who privately told the captain we should not be allowed to stay ; mean- while the vestry of the church in St. George was called together to consult how they might best prevent my preaching, or send me from the islands. The honest hearted captain, who frequently went ashore, finding how matters were going forward, most affec- tionately urged me to stay on board, withal assuring me that he would give me a passage to the Bahamas, and back to Nova Scotia ; adding, in his honest and blunt manner, *'they are not worthy of a Mission- ary ;^-let them die in their sins." Most of those I had any intercourse with, carried their opposition in their looks, as though I had come to spread a plague . in the island. Never were faith, patience, and for- titude brought to a severer test than on this occasion ; and, adored be my merciful God, their efficacy greatly revived me in the sinking hour. I waited on his excellency according to appointment ; he received me with much civility, and assured me he would do "> mm 1 m r 'mm iff ■if' : 13C THE NARRATIVE i t : m I i Waitfd upon the (iovernDr, and obtained pcrinisiiion to t>rrach. all in his power to further m}' mission, for the sake of his friend Colonel Bayard. After some conversa^ lion respecting Nova Scotia, he sent for tfcie attorney- general, and chief justice of the islands, to consult them, in order to know whether any law existed to hinder my preaching; the chief justice examiner^ my letters of introduction, civil recommendations, and other ministerial documents which I had brought with me, but still demurred, because I had not been ordained in the establishment.* Th. ittorney-general had different and more liberal views of toleration; he gave it as his opinion that no law existed to hinder the free exercise of my mission. The governor dis- missed me, with liberty to preach for the present ; hence, my next c^re was to provide a lodging for my wife and child, ( for I had on\y permission to preach, but no place to preach in); however, in this also providence interposed: an unknown friend bad been round the town to try if he could procure some place either for lodging or residence ; and having found two rooms, which an officer of the army just going to Halifax was leaving, I was, by his recommenda- tion, glad to hire them ; they belonged to a man of colour, a respectable person, who, with his wife and family, afterward became seals to my ministry. Having hired these rooms for one pound a week, I fetched my wife and child from the inn, where they ha4 remained since we came on shore; and now« having got our baggage into our rooms, we felt as lively a satisfaction as thouf^h we were in a palace, so glad were we to get any kind of footing on this * Alas! are all the. minis^ters of the gospel in Europe and America impostora who never came in at this door ? Are piety, wisdom, and eloquence counterfeit' Yiniess stamped in this mint I And will ignorance, protligaey, and bigotry obta*n (he probalunt'tst of heaven, merely because they are found in the (Ktth of clerical regularity, alias, English episcopal establishment orders? 1 speak thus on account of the chaplain of . wbowascvcry tbing; that a good minister ikoitld ■«t be. OF A MISSION. 137 8inr. Had St. Augustine the remotest prospect that \m hit to Great Britain would issue in the universal i:pread of religion through all parts of this highly favoured land ? Thus it behoves the faithful Mis- sionary io wait with patience and labour in hope. Let him remember the venerable Paul, the aiucnt Whitfield, and the tndifati§able Wesley ! and re- flect upon the trials, the fortitude, the patience, and the years of tedious waiting for success which exercised the first Moravian Missionaries in Green- land, who, for six years, hardly saw a single fruit of their ministry ! Let him look forward to a gra- dual unfolding of the gracious designs of Jehovah r his kingdom shall come though earth and hell oppose its majestic progress; fur, as the stars of an evening sky do not all appear at once, but one after another, so does providence, »tep by step, open the way for the march of divine truth, and Illumine the darkness of the moral world, till, in due time, the whole hemisphere shall be spangled with lights and the day will dawn that never mere shall close. For the comfort of dejected Missionaries, we might show this more at large. For several years our blessed Lord had but a few followers. The apostles in some places were attended only by solitary individuals, perhaps a few women, as in the case of Lydia and others. Religion in those days resembled a grain of mustard seed, which in time spread its brunches, and now furnishes the lost a refuge, and the faint a shade. The reformation sprung from a solitary monk and a few of his companions. From the insulated labours of John Knox arose the church of Scotland; the Quakers from George Fox and William Penn ; and the Metbodisti^ who are now between four and fiv^ 'ih OF A MISSION. 13t Parishes, Population, and Names of llie Bermudas, Imndred thousand strong, eighty years ago consisted of no more than six or eight young men^ in one of the colleges at Oxford. The moral state of Bermuda presented^ perhaps^ as many difficulties in the way of a mission^ as most other places in the western ocean. The labourer in this vineyard had to encounter three formidable evils: prejudice^ ignorance^ and bigotry ; in opposition to these he had to lift the banner of the cross with much patience, and with many fears of final success. The Bermudas (or as they are always called in written instruments and other documents^ the Soniers Islands) are a lovely little cluster of islands, in lati- tude 32" north, longitude 65" west. Their whole number amounts to several hundred of these, about nine are more or less inhabited ; the rest are small verdant rocks, covered with cedar and sage bush ; the larger ones are, the Main Island, St. George's Island, St. Stephens, St. David's, Long Bird Island^ Somerset Island, Ireland Island, and Tucker's Island; these are separated from each other by small inlets of the sea : in some instances, the navigable channel ig from a quarter to half a mile across, but the whole group does not occupy more than twenty- five miles in length, and five in breadth ; so that none of the islands are large, and the whole circuit of them may be sailed in a day. The popul ition of the whole amounts to about twelve thousand, half of whom are black and coloured people : the rest are whites. The islands are divided into nine parishes ; five of which are destitute of Christian worship every sab- bath. The poor blacks, as I observed before, were hardly beheld in the light of moral agents ; hence, every attempt to convey instruction to their minds, appeared to their owners in an invidious light, and €xcited a suspicion that, in proportion, as they be- came enlightened^ they would deteriorate and growr 1^^ 1 ■\'hi ,1 :H Mm m i/ii '.. 140 THE NAIIRATIVE A brief Account of the Slavei, their Oispositiun, &c. iJF.M ^orse ; perhaps this may account for the liltle pains which have been taken to reform their lives, or to en- lighten their benighted minds. In other respects, the Bermuda blacks were well treated, for with re- gard to cruelty, very little of this is either known or practised ?'u the islands, and yet there have not been wanting inr^ance» of the moat ferocious barbarity even in the^e delightful recesses of nature. The blacks themselves are often goodnatured and civil to oyj another, and remarkably clean ; many of them ar.) neat and gay in dieir apparel, and somewhat polite in their address : they compose a race entirely different from the West India negroes — I mean the mere plan- tation slaves : a Bermuda black man thinks himself a gentleman compared to one o^ these; hence, there is not a greater punishment dreaded than that of being carried to any other island to work on the plantations, for ilxevQ are no plantation slaves upon the whole group ; they compose the principal pilots, seamen, mechanics and (isliermeii of the place. In their in- tellect, the Bermudiau Hacks are rather acute than stupid — they want nothing but systematic instruction and the influence of good example to bring them over to the knowledge and practice of piety ; being always suspected of thievishncss, may account for their dis- honesty ; being deprived of their liberty, they mrfy very naturally reason that it is no sin to steal a little from those who have robbed them of their all ;* their incapacity to giye evidence, may render them careless * A Bermuda black was one ni^ht taken in the act of stealing, upon which, the person addressins him, said — " Cato, wliat is the reason you are such a thief; have you meat enough?" — " O yes, massa, plenty, plenty:" — "what then is the reason of your stealinj; ?" — " Massa steal to keep my hand in ? steal to keep my hand in, massa?" Tliat disposition to theft, with which they have been branded, must be ascribed to their situation, and not to any peculiar de* pravity of the moral sense: the man, in whose favour, no laws of property ex- hU probably feels himself less bound to respect those made in favour of others. Laws to be just, must give a reciprocation of rights ; and without this, they are jnere arbitrary rules of conduct, founded in force, end not in conscience ; and, it is a problem, which I give to the slave holder to solve, whether the precepts OF A MISSION. 141 Characters of Ihu Bluck People continued. of speaking the truth ; and if they sec no religion in the whites, who have knowledge, can it be wondered at ; that aping the manners of their superiors ; they are generally destitute of piety ; no people in the world are more studious of imitation than the blacks, — they have t'ieir vocabulary of polite terms, their bows, &c. to perfection : they have also their balls, routs, yea, and even tiieir laces and furbelows : I wish I could say that they went no farther, and that they only imi- tated the follies, and not the vices of those above them ; but a black man frequently has his mistresses and his haram as well as his master ; nay, and should he get his liberty, and become the owner of a slave, is often more cruel, oppressive, and tyrannical, than the greatest white tyrant in the islands : towards the sick, however, they are frequently tender and affection- ate; the black women make the best sick nurses in the world, and will manifest a degree of solicitude and as- siduity seldom witnessed elsewhere ; they a; } generous to a fault, and if they are lazy and careless, it is be- cause they reap little or no benefit from their labours : the flexibility of their characters is a great obstacle to their establishment in piety when they embrace' religion ; but as their feelings are remarkably tender, they are more easily won upon ; if they are polyga- * mists, it is in consequence of their not being allowed to marry ; they are very affectionate and remarkably social ; their resentments are short and easily cancel- led, having a good deal of the child about them, I . , Jigainst the violation of property were not framed for him as well as his slave; and whether the slave may not as justifiably take a little from one who has takea all from him, as he may slay one who would slay him; that a change in a man's relative situation should change his ideas of moral ri^bt and wrung, is neither new nor peculiar to the blacks. Homer tells ns it was so S6(X) years ago. Emisu ger V aretes appoainutai curuopa /eus 'Jlaneroseut'an min katadoulion, emaelcsin. Odd. Jove fis'd it certain that whatever day Alan nak«s a slave, takc« half bis worth away. Notes on VirginijI. m ' 1 *j 14« THE NARRATIVE Obyism itsNnturc and dreadful ConaequencrR. tliey are quick, but it is soon over; treachery thej are unacquainted with, and if at any time they step out of their plarc^ it is owin;^ to the improper and unwarrantableliberties taken with them by the whites; in general, they are far less profane than the lower orders in England ; and as for bigotry, they have that common effect of pride, ignorance, and super- stition, to learn; in their houses they are hospitable; and those among them who are serious, feel as much pastoral love for their ministers as any people in the world. Some few among them possess a species of witchcraft, called Obyism.* This detestable impos- ture does not so much prevail in Bermuda as in some of the other West India islands, and is always re- nounced the moment they become serious. In a word, many of the vices of the blocks are the consequences of slavery. — O that this reproach of humanity were for ever annihilated, ^^ And every isle amidst the western wave, With freedom glow, and blush to own a slave ! * This practice is piirsupd by a certain class of meo, called obrah men, or rni\jurcr9. I'hesc people make use of a kind of poison in the exercise of their magic art, which is a i^pecies of dog's bane, apocynura erectnm^ and is deemed one of the mo*t deadly poisons with which we are acquainted. Its symptnmi are griping, inclination to vomit, loss of appetite, frequent convulsions, hectic fevers, constant wasting of the body. That my readers may more fully comprehend the nature of these men, and the effects of their practice, t will here ijisert an extract from the report of the agent of Jamaica, to the commissioners appointed for the purpose of examining into the slave trade. * kuttlw, gravt dirt, nua, and «(g«£helU." ft. 144 I' f THE NARRATlVi: Srvcrnl IVrioiik imprckscd with divin« Thingi. of several pounds, and this I judged a sure sign (lint they had obtained some bcnctit by the word, yen, they even went so fur as to pay the hire of my rooins^ which cost a pound a week ; my prospect now hccanic brighter and brighter. One day Ruth Bascomb and Letitia Harvey^ two respectable free persons, came into my room, and after some hesitation, informed me that they wished me to direct them how they might save their souls : these were the first buddings of a gracious nature that I had seen since my arrival, and they were as pleasing to my heart as the reviving sun to a Greenlander. Tony BurgeSj a venerable old black man, became a constant hearer of the preaching, and in a little time God took the scales from the old man's eyes, and though hard upon seventy years of age he began to read ; and before I left the island, could, with the help of his spectacles, and spelling a few words, read a chapter in the bible. Jane Burgess (Tony's wife) soon followed the example of her husband, and be- coming deeply convinced that she was a miserable sinner, was glad to hear of a Saviour ; she became, in truth, one of the most pious, humble, and affec- tionate blacks I ever knew : several of their children followed the example of their parents, until the whole family were drawn to God. Sally Tucker, a most respectable black woman, who lived near my lodgings, desired to attend family prayer; God touched her heart, and Sally in her turn began to pray earnestly for salvation. One day, when passing her house, she came out, and lifting her hands and eyes to heaven, she said in the most touching and im- pressive manner, ''O Mr. Marsden, I shall bless God that ever you came to Bermuda ; God has made you mi/ eye-lid opener ! My landlord, Mellory, and hi : wife, ^ho were respectable coloured people, began io show some signs of a gracious nature. I should or A MISSIO.V. 14.1 ria 'ibf Si-i'tl lOH II bi'Kuii to upriiig ami lit'ur I' luiU xrt- . T- r . — ■?' ' -T-^r*- . ■ r not oiiiitnientioninp^, tliatscvrrul young* nu^i, I\Ir.«fohn Diirrcl uiul Kichurd liii:^^ >viili i\w. (Iutc duuglilcrs of a Captain Rankin; all became close attendera of the preai'liini^, and were i^racioniiily drawn to a Ncrioiis and impartial inquiry after' divine things; these, with many others whom I could name, inclinin^^ the same way, and htuomin^ reformed and serious, I formed into a little Mociety, reading; the rules, and pointing out to them the nature of each, for all was new and interesting respecting chr stian fellowship ; — this was the first Methodist society ever raised in the Somcrs Islands, about forty in ninnber; I rejoiced over them as a tender father over a hrst-boin son the seed that was sown in tears I now began to rei [ in joy ; the design of Providence began to uafoM itself in my appointment to the islands and i no longer walked with my book in my hand through the cedar trees and by the sea side as a solitary and mournful exile, unconnected and alone in the islands. For a great part of the first year, I confined my labours to the little town of St. George, which, though it con- tains no more than 2500 inhabitants, was at that time the capital of the Bermudas, I visited the blacks at their own houses ; gave those who were be- ginning to learn to read, little phamphlets and tracts ; prayed with them, and somef' t^os partook of the lit- tle social refreshments they wit' the greatest neatness, cleanliness and cordiality, set before me. Occasion- ally making an excursion into the country, among the other islands, preaching at Brackish Pond, Ha- milton, Spanish Point, and Somerset, at the west end of the islands. M y congregations were respectable people, who treated me with attention, politeness, and tiospitality ; but alas ! they had need of nothing : they were too polite to treat me rudely, too complai- sant to gainsay, and too innocent, moral, and good to need a Saviour. At first, my principal endeavour i m '}¥*' ■i t-;,', .',. .if- m I" 146 THE NARRATIVE W' ■ i With what vain Preteniions awny say they are Churchmen. was^ to remove prejudice^ that a way might be opened for the reception of divine truth in its purest forms. The people in general, knew little of those differen- ces which agitate the Christian world in general, and cnwreath so many thorns in the bands of brotherly love. They went to church once a month, and to them the church of England was, in religion, what the sun is in the firmament ; and had they been ex- perimentally acquainted with the pure and holy doc- trines of the establishment, this would have been all right ; but doctrines and experience seemed to make no part of their religion : going to church was an apology for both the power of faith and the obedience of love; and the best account of their creed I could ever get, was comprised in these two articles : first, doing no harm, and never having done any; — second, doing all the good that lay in their power. To shew them that I was not an enemy to the chnreli of England, I frequently attended the service on the sabbath forenoon, and to convince them of »iCX: Removed to Hamilton, and saw the Hand of Providence in it. ar:-. ■ = ■.._ . . . . . . . ■ ■ ^ . _ ■_,„ after maturely considering the subject^ I coneluded to reinove to Hamilton. This place had been in ?vlr. Stephenson's time, the very focus of persecution, and from hence he was carried to an ignominious jail ; however, I did not reason with flesh and blood, but took a house at Pitt's Bay, and hired a long room over some stores to preach in. I had occasionally preached at Hamil- ton in an inn, but few would come; yet now my hired room was crowded upon the Lord's day, and often on the week night. I had not been long here before the place became too strait for me ; several respectable white females were deeply impressed with a lively concern for experimental religion ; and also with the complete inutility of all forms tmd profes- sions separate from saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and love to God, and divine communion with him : two -^f these have since become united to two of our Missionaries, and adorn the precious gospel they then found to be the power of God to salvation. £ncouraged by these promising buddings, and the countenance of several worthy and respectable merchants^ I drew up a form of subscription, and got a friend to go with me to the houses of several men of property, in order to solicit contributions for a chapel for the mission. Humanly speaking, the prospect was rather gloomy, as there were few to whom we could apply who had not been engaged ia persecuting my predecessor from the islands ; hence, wehad to combat the ditiiculty of human improbabi- lity with the exercise of faith in God, and he who has the hearts of all men in his hand, turned, moved, and disposed the above persons to his purpose, so that in a fewdavswehad obtained ncarlv six hundred dollars; one gave 1^0, another 100, several others 50, 40, 30, and 20 each ; and now I could perceive and bless the providence that inclined my heart to r l-i;; :'i **. '■'iil ! ■ ik: r, ,i .r m 1!' li 'i! I5t TiiE NAIIRATIVK I Will k'- ill: '' Obtained a Urant uf Land, and be^an to build a Chapel. walk calmly into the lion's den. But slili, I bad a number uf difficulties to encounter; wbvMc to get a piec^ of land, — bow to get a plan u,\awn and (xecu- ted, — bow to obtain a master workiriiNi, ^^id prr jure materials for tbi' building^. To a strangei in the islands^ wbo bad to carry forwarJ the whole design, these appeared formidable obstacles; but they ail vanished one after another. I petilionod il j ctrpo- ration of Hamilton, juid after some dei> urs, they granted me a lot sufficieitty latge iur . chapel and mission house. The lot for the cien Holy Spirit say, pray on, pray on, tell how Jesus Christ, God's Son, stand wid arms stretched out to save poor sinner. Den temptation say, say Sophy too bad, too wicked. Den I tink I see his blood flow from de blessed side for my poor soul." Some however, were not without a considerable portion of iftteUect^ and in these^ the knowledge oC OF A MISSION. m The Efitabliihmont uf Sunday ScliooN in the West Indion dcsir;il>le. diTine things was more distinct, their experience more uniform^ and in many respects not inferior to many whites ; their passions are easily kindled^ so that all they know is warm from the heart, and stamped in iho mint of sincerity. The Hamilton blacks wished mc to teach them to read, as many of the blacks in St. George looked Oier the heads of their fellows in this respect ; and, whimsically herculean as this task may appear^ I did not think it either foreign from my province, or beyond my power, and I am persuaded if our mission committee were to make some provision for African schoolmasters, and our Missionaries would take more pains on this head, the good we do in the West Indies would be more permanent, the societies would be less fluctuating, and the benefit conferred upon those poor outcasts of men would be ten to one greater than at present; for how painful is it to be preaching from a book, the contents of which they are utterly unacquainted with, and to the beauty and excellence of which they must, at least, be partially blind. I am convinced that sunday schools in our West India plantations, would be the noblest work of charity that man could engage in, and the greatest help to a mission that could possibly be contem- plated. I am, nevertheless, well aware that they would meet with decided opposition from those who wish to consider Negroes only as beasts of burden, and sink their minds to a level with their circum- stances. A host of arguments the body guard of oppression would withstand, their being taught " they will not be so subservient — they will be discontented, rebellious, and insubordinate — they will not keep their place — ^thcy will think themselves upon a level with the whites," would be the logic used ; ho\vever, a thousand such assertions have not the weight of halt* an argument. The objection that they have no ca- pacities^ is both foolish and untruo; for, how can we u^2 ■^•4 • m 150 THE NARRATIVE Made some useful 4tleiniiti to teach them to read. W tell unless we make the trial ? but those who have made the trial car refute the allegation^ which^ at best, has but the shadow of truth. I know an emi- nent writer (Mr. Jeiferson, late pre^tident of the United States) has said a good deal upon the sub- ject^ but to what purpose ? surely he has not proved that they cannot become good men and true Chris- tians ! A black will learn (o read nearly as soon as a whitc^ hns an excellent memory, a fine ear for sinking, and a voice as sonorous as an instrument; and, whether we follow them to the wilds of Africa, or the cane plantations of the West Indies, with a few exceptions, they possess a feeling and friendly heart. But, to return, I began a Sunday school, and, to encourage others, attended and taught in it myself; and a pious female (now married to one of our Missionaries ) devoted herself to the instruction of the slaves in the chapel, so that numbers learned to read the new testament whose minds were formerly covered with the rust of ignorance, and degraded by the practice of vice. In my peregrinations up and down the islands, it gave me heart-felt satisfaction to see them frequently sitting in the road with a spelling book in their hands, conning over the part they wished to learn ; and when they had made some improvements, I gave them testaments and tracts, and as they had but few hymn books, composed a little pamphlet of hymns purposely for their use.* * This little pamphlet alluded to, was not written to supersede their using our own excellent collection ; but as they had only about a dozen of these, in lome poor d^ree, to supply the loss, the following hymn, written to the same metre as the one in Mr. Newton's collection, called " Blind Bartiroeus," is a fair specimen of the whole, which the reader ^ill allow is not much abore the capacity of a black. Mercy, O thou bleeding Saviour, Listen to a black man's prayer ^ Others feel thy smiling favour. Others of (by bounty share. OF A MISSION. tW i 9 liBve cb, at m emi- >f the e 8ub« )roved Chris- loon as lar for iment ; Africa, with a riendlv school, ;ht in it I one of ruction learned irinerljr ided by up and (faction with a he part le some tracts, posed a r use.* their using f tliese, in tlie same leus," is a abOTC the Wrote lonie Ilynm for the Use of the Blacks. This gave rise to some considerable opposition on the part ofthose who had no pica for their conduct toward the blacks, but the absurd idea of their being incapable and unsuitable subjects for instruction. Some said the book was calculated to inflame their minds with a desire of freedom, because, in some of the hjmns, I had used similics respecting liberty and slavery in a moral sense ; however, one was sent to the attorney- general, and another to the governor, and the former was pleased to say that " it was admirably calculated to promote their instruction." On more occasions than one, we had to stand the brunt of much opposition. When I began an even- ing lecture for the blacks, the mayor of Hamilton wrote me a very severe letter; but rather than relin- quish my plan of instructing and preaching to them, I Ami •l^^<«. It!,- would have left the islandK,* — Iliad to measuremy steps by tlie lino ofpriidencc^ and to maintain in}' ground with undoviatinp; firmness. JVIeanwIiilc, the work of God was <^oing' silently forward in the hearts of ninny : the preachiuju^ wns well attended ; muth prejudice was removed ; and many blessed impressions were made l5oth upon yonng and old. There were a few serious hlaek and eololired people in almost every parish of tiic little Archipelago, in St. George^ Hamilton, Brackish Pond, Heron Kay, Crow Lane, and Spa- nish Point ; these frequenti v held meetings amongst themselves, on the Lord's day, and as many of them had gifts in prayer, some few in exhortation, and almost all could sing the praises of God ; they were often rendered prontable to themselves. Mellorey before mentioned, would frequently go into the country parts of the islands and read sermons, and expound himself: I have happened to ride past when a group of black and coloured people have been col- lected to hear him ; amongst whom I have seen seve- ral whites listening with attention. — He had a clear voice, a tolerable degree of boldness, and, for a co- loured man, a good personal appearance. Thus, I had remained in the islands until a seed was sown that shall bear fruit unto endless life: the lowering clouds of persecution' gradually dispersed, or only muttered at a distance : the bitter enm*'^ . of most had subsided : many of the former persecutors had pews in the chapel : a remarkable change had taken place with refi:ard to the observance of the Lord's day. Some of the blacks, who were formerly vicious in the extreme, had outwardly reformed, even though they did not belong to the meeting; and, others, degraded to the very dust, began to feel that they were men : for the gospel stamps a dignity upon subjects who have hardly a name. A few whites were still averse to the mission ; but even these, though they did not ap- Itis circum individ which ^ is gene might tie soc were w most o of God it was upon i this — s lect; I very : left lit titude went c bands, coura] remen all thi sidere worse and hi yet he OF A iVISSION. iiSB Ti*- ,1, The Socirty ninotiiitrtl lit Our lliindriMl and Tliiil>->lx. prove, became silent, anJ now and then ventured to come and hear for tlicmiselves. Several respectable young femule§ were savinirly brought to the Lord Jesus, and joined the societ}', two ol' whom are now in the rest of paradise. The family of Stowe Wood, Esq. one of the first merchants and magistrates upon the island, received tlu; truth in their hearts, and its messengers int(» their hospitable mansion. IMis. T — o and Mrs. Alhouy, with her whole family, iiiiifed in saying — '* blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." It is not my intention in this narrative to go into the circumstances of the awakening and drawing of each individual, though I have ample documents by me which would furnish much information ; but as there is generally a sameness in Christian experience, it might become tedious through repetition. The lit- tle society amounted to 136 persons, 30 of whom were whites ; the rest black and coloured persons : most of these afforded convincing evidence of a work of God; and though, in some of the very ignorant^ it was amazingly superficial, yet who, that reflects upon their degradation and ignorance, can wonder at this — an ignorance not arising from total want of intel- lect ; but from the perversion of that intellect, by sla- very : however, the genuineness of the work in othcri left little room for doubt, so that I could, with gra- titude and pleasure, say — ''with my pastoral crook I went over the brook, and behold I am spread into bands." Should any minister of Christ, under dis- couraging circumstances, read this narrative, let him remember that when the writer came to these islands, all things seemed to make against him ; he was con- sidered an impostor, an enthusiast, or something worse : he had indeed \ih bible — a throne of gracCj and his God ; but human encouragement he had none ; yet he icruples not to say — that had he been inviolably I6^J THE NARRATIVE Tlip Time of my Departure from the Islands drew iiigk I'll iaitlifiil in the improvement of every opening and the discharge of every duty, the 1 3() members he left in the island might have been 500, for which deficiency he takes all the blame, and blushing to himself, pray- ing "God be merciful to me an unprofitable servant." Thus, after spending four years in the tomers Islands, ( with what success the day of judgment will disclose) my successor arrived from England; and in the month of February, 1812, I began to prepare for my departure,* my clear wife had the preceding November embarked with the children, for New York, where her parents then resided ; and as she in- tended to wait my arrival in that city, I concluded to return to England by that route, rather than by the West Indies, as the vessels that come to Bermuda seldom return direct for Great Britain^ but either by the Windward or Leeward Islands, in order that thev may get as good a home-bound freight as possible. My parting with this dear loving people was, to my mind, a trial of the most acute nature ; for to say nothing of their being plants, raised by the Lord's blessing, upon my unworthy mission. I had for the last two years, lived in habits of friendship with se- veral which bad known no interruption^ either from the coldness of reser^c^ or the breaks rf humour ; and * More particulars of the mission at Bermuda, may be found in my letters in the Methodist Magazine, from 1808 to 1813. I would have inserted those let- ters, but fur fear of swelling my book, which U already both too long, and I fear too tedious. My reasons for leaving Bermuda were not a dislike to a Mil- vionary life — I could even now prefer such a life to any other; but I had an aged mother, who wished to see me before she died — (alas I she died before I arrived in England.) I had a country from which I had heen abiient betwixt twelve and thirteen years ; yetof which I could always say Patria Cara — " England with all thy faults I love thee still." I had not seen one of n>y brethren in the ministry for more than foir years, atid to one who loves his brethren this was no small cross. Since I Mad left England, many of the venernble Fathers of tlie Connex- ion had died ; a few were still living, whom 1 witched to see before ihey went to the land of their fathers. I had an only sister, whom I wished once more to Mee. I wished to behold some little of the prosperity of Zion in England, and in our Connexion, which had increased so much si net my departur** : these iu leneralwere the reason; of my return. OK A iilSSlON. llie ARipctioiiaiid Kindiiesit MuuiifoHted on tlit* (K'CiiiiiiHi. now I liad to part wilh tlicin forcvtr: I bad come liere friendless ; I had s(mmi the inland in a state of bi- ^ottcd inbospitality to a Metiiodist mission; and had hiboured to scatter the thick ch)itds of prejudice that enveloped their minds; had seen the enmity to my ministry done away, and now ricli and ))oor, white uud black, manifested their rec^ret at my departure. Ilow changed from the time wiicn 1 had to keep my dear wife and child on board tiie vessel, for want of a shelter on shore, when my Orst place of reception was an exhorbitant inn, and mv lirst con«:res;ation six t)lack persons, now more than four hundred of the most respectable people in the islands attended Liy farewell sermon^ which could scarcely be heard fur the sobs and weeping of the children God had given me; how changed from the time when not a single person would receive me into their habitation ; now many of my spiritual sons and daughters gladly and hospitably welcomed me into their houses, and cordi- ally received my successors, yea, and would have wished them ivory palaces for our sake., I dwell much upon the affection manifested by these affect- ionate hearts, because it was most consoling to my feelings, as the pure expression of an attachment which had grown out of nny pastoral relation to them, and the spiritual benefit they had received from my ministry, (however weak and imperfect in itself) to them, at least, it had been the ministry of salvation anci comfort; and never did a people manifest more affectionate regard for the instrument God had used than the little flock now alluded to; nor were they much consoled, as is the case in England, by the appointment of a successor ; they seemed to think there was only one minister ever likely to do them good ; the rigid, morose, and captious, may call this human weakness, and the mention of it foppish- ness and vanitv, — well, let them call it so, but did ;»:■ ' .1. V'f 162 THE NARRATIVE KiN Affection for Ministers a noble Principle. the apostle Paul when he speaks of it to the everlast- ing honour of the Gallations ? that they would have plucked out their eyes and given them to him : if it be feeding self, to dwell upon this subject, I must be content to bear the charge — I am not much moved by what any person may either think or speak of me. It is consoling to my own heart thaft these dear friends loved me frO(i the purest motives, and manifested that love in the least equivocal form : let any one place himself in my situation — let him labour in a barren and hostile place^ with sensations sometimes border- ing upon melancholy — let him see his children rising like flowers in the desert — let him feel the consoling thought of seeing a little flock; each of which owns him in the double relation of pastor and spiritual fa- ther^ and then t^aee the work back from the begin- nings and let him ask his heart — can he behold thi» without emotion, without gratitude, without sensa- sations of the highest pleasure — can he depart from these without the deepest regret. I pity the man, and envy neither his judgment, piety, nor feelings, who can wrap himself in sucft a covering of apathy, and shielding his breast from the warmth of Christian affiection and the sensibilities of friend'ship, say fare- well without a sigh of sorrow, or a tear of regret. Bermuda was a little world to me ; I had gone there a despised and unindeared man ; God had given me friends, respect, a chapel, a society, a love for the pluce, and all that could render parting and separa- tion painful in the extreme. Many, of both the blacks and whites, manifested the most poignant grief: they wept aloud, and strongly reminded me of St. Paul's departure from the chvrcb of Ephesus, "and they all wept sore, and fell upon St. Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more; and tbe^' accomnanied him to the »iiip.'* OF A MISSION. 163 An Epiitle written to Doctor Coke. Greatlj was my own mind affected; but I had, amidst weeping, cries, and lamentations, to tear my- self away and get into the boat. As I have not said much by way of describing the Somers Islands, I will here relieve the reader from the tediousness of this narrative, by subjoining an epistle in verse, which I wrote to Dr. Coke, a lit- tle after my arrival. I had then no intention of ever giving it to the public; but as the^Doctor has inser- ted rather a mutilated copy of it in his history cf the West Indies, I shall give it here at large. » -. «. DESCRIPTIVE EPISTEE FMOM BEMMUBA. TO THE LATE REV. DOCTOR COKE. BY J. MARSBEN. -There eternn i»mmer dwells And west winds, with a musky wing, About the cednr'n alleys iQing, Nard and Cassia's balmy smells. CoM«i. j3gEP 1(1 the bosom of Atlantic waves, ' Whose snowy foam a rocky island lares, Far from my friends on western Scotia^s shore, But further from the land my thoughts deplore : I sit me down to muse an hour or two, *Ease my full heart, and fill a page for you. 'm '% * This epistle was written under some very painful emotions of mind, o«ca. sioned by the little prospect of success which the author had when he firn arrived ia Bermuda.— See the Narrative, from page 188 to 140. x2 H 164 THK NARRATIVE The Bermudas are encircled with Rocks on every hand. " .:. u¥ ».»• What time the moun a slender crescent wears, Dim in the west, and quickly disapjuars ; We seek, the bark, unfurl each lofty sail, To the full impulse of a northern gale : And left the land where polar tempests blow, Bind the wild waves, and spread a waste of Hnow: Where woods extend immeasurably wide, And gloomy fogs the summer sun-shine hide. Where rais'd s*il)lime on her unpolisird throne, Wild nature reigns nnrivai'd and alone : Rocks, cataracts, rivers, forests, own her sway, And i-.averns exil'd from the light of day. But when night's orb her spacious horn had fill'd 0\w f^lobe of light, one pure refuli:ent shield ; We saw Bermuda's rock encircled shore. Her reefs extend, and heard her breakers roar! Where gallant Somers, to.^t by many a blast,* Found an asylum from th« wi>es at last ! ^ Here rocks into a thousand shapes are wrought. The yawni'«g cavern, and the dripping grot, And dismal ledges lurk beneath the wave, The ship's destruction, and the seaman's grave. Kor long before the steersman sees the shore. Or hears appali'd the inner breakers roar, His gallant vessel with an awful crash. On the dire reefs with thund'ring noise may dash; While the stunn'd seaman, 'm^tlst a sea of foam, liooks wildly round and sadly thinks of home ; lint wife or home his eyes shall never view, 'I'he next fierce surge o'erwhelms the hapless crew : And spreads the wreck in shivers on the wave ; No eye to pity, and no arm to save. Yet thougli these seas a thousand rocks infold, Not half so fatal Scylla fam'd of old ! Though needy Spaniards mourn'd its want of mines, Where diamonds blaze, and snowy silver shines ; T\u/ bleak and wild the chill north-wester roars, And rolls the white wave on the rocky shores, That stand a barrier 'midst the surging swell, So stands a saint amidst the rage of hell ! * Sir George Sooiers (from whom the islands derive their name) wan not lost herr, as is gener^illy thought, but saved. These islands proved u haven to his foundering vessel.- -See the Narrativ**, w OF A MISSION. 165 They have a most enchanting Appearance, — ^are always given. So Stands the rock of truth on which I rest ! When hell pours all her whirlwinds 1 ound my breast! Yet on the land a different view is acen, Groves ever gay, and vallies ever grften ; Here Waller made the list'ning rucks admire, The sylvan sweetness of his charininj; lyre. And here his ditties love.sick Little* sigh'd, Where the dark mangroves kiss the llowing tide, i^nt not with these do I attempt to vie, Moore is too loose, and Waller far too high ; And yet I may one short epistle send, Nor fear a critic whom I love, a friend. Here spring iu robes of living verdure deigns To crown the cedar hiils, and sunny plains, *' Here sea-born gales their gelid winds ex|)and ; *' To winnow fragrance o'er the happy land." "When on some little eminence I rise, O what a sight to feast poetic eyes ! Three hundred isles adorn'd with cedar trees. That give their balmy sweetness to the breeze : While here and there the snowy mansions rise, Like bow'rs of bliss in groves of paradise ! Had ancient poets known this little spot. These em'rald isles, that ocean's bosom dot, ,; Thessalian Tempc, and Ausonian bowers, Tho' rich in pasture^, and profuse in flowers, Had not appear'd more beautiful and fair, Than these gay rocks and sea-beat islets are !] Thro' half the year a rich nutritious store, The blooming trees and cultur'd gardens pour ; Here purple grapes in swelling clusters grow, There milk.white arrow.root abounds below : , See rich in juice the musky melon lies, ' Aloof the bread.roots, green cassadas rise : The savoury onion,''' and the yellow squash, The pumpkin green, aud bowUform'd calabash. In the green woods how beauteous to behold, The yellow orange pour his tlaming gold ; * Little Moore, who wrote some elegant, tiiough amorous and licentious «des, from Bermuda. + Loads of Trhich they send every year to the West Indies; wliich gave ri»ft to that question to commonly asked Bermui^a vessels, — >* What is your cargoi" — " Duckri and onioos." . ;!^ii '^y-'^;*^ IfiS THE NARRATIVE ^mi if 11 The Water is perfectly limpid, and the Bottom full of all kinds of Shelb, Enormous lemons swell the curving bough, Ard juicy limes unbid spontaneous grow; Those yield their juice, the thirsty swuin to cheer, And cool the fervours of the genial year. Nor should my landscape loving muse forget, The luscious rig, and seedy pomegranate j The i^uava sweet, and the tart tamarind, The mulberry red, the pappa deeply green; With that whose every branching leaf displays^ A parasol to break the solar rays ; ^ '' Delicious fruit, which some banana call, ^ ■ .^ Whose pulpy sweetneiiS is belov'd by all* < > ; . \ • ■ ■'■ S ■-. 1 ■' Nor should the azure ocoan be forgot, A\'hich adds new beauties to th^s little spot, C ciir thro' the verdant isles it sweetly rov**! Clasps their green charms, and laves their coral groves! Amd like a mirror of the finest face. Improves the scene, and brightens every grace ! A thousand shining shells the t'iceps adorn, With lustres brilliant as a vernal morn : Thro' the clear wave along the rocks are seen, • The pearly oyster, and the plant marine :* On the white sand the Murex forms his mail, . The little Nautilus expands his sail, Glide: through the deep, or dances on the tide, Nor needs the pole or compass for his guide. Where the steep crag invades the waves profound. The dreadful scuttlef spreads his arms around, Whose fibrous fangs twist closely round his prey, Suck the best blood, and drain the life away. O'er the clear water's variegated bed, Cave'..ous rocks and cors.1 thickets spread, 'Vhere horned crnks their pearly hues unfold, Shine thro' the ^u-ves, and drink the solar gold. Here too, huge whales iu rapid motion sweep, Roll o'er the waves, or foam along the deep: Dark'ning the white sand with a dreadful shade, While from their nostrils roar a bright cascade ! * Madiipores. + Tliese scuttle or cuttle fish adhere to the rocks, spreading nine or ten Ieag;ue9 in all directions whicii undulate with the water until they fasten upon something. Tliey will often draw a duck down. These were, probably, the monstcjs Homer has magnified in his horrors of the Gulf of Chyribdes. ■ t •■ • . ■ OF A MISSION. 167 There is scarcely any Winter.— December is pleasant. — Weather squally. In this bright isle no wint'ry snows are known \ Those white.wing'd scourges of the frigid zone ! Nor winter house, the native he»e requires, Nor downy furs to warm, nor blazing lires. For tho' the genial sun be far remote, In southern climes to charm the friendly goat ; And make the haughty Dons of Paragua Seek the cool shade, or pant beneath his sway : Yet still enamour'd of these sea-girt shores, O er heaven's arch a gentle heat he po« rs ; Hence winter brings, thu' foaming billows roll, No icy armies from the frozen pole. 'Tis true, the gardenshalf their beauty lose, And chill and heavy fall the ev'ning dews ; The fig, and vine, their leafy beauty shed. And the pomegranate's scarlet bloom is dead. The pride of Ind', in heat a cooling shade, Not needed now, is stript or disarray'd ; Serenely thro' the veins the life-blood glides. The titillating prickly heat subsides : Lest fierce the venomous mosquetoes bite. Nor burn the eye.balls with the dazzling white. Yet on these rocks the fieice-wing'd squall descends, Foams o'er ihe reefs, inul sky and ocean blends ! And ore the morning throws her lucid robe Of virgin light, o'er half the dusky globe ; The zsrecker* all impatient of the day, To the high dills directs his eager wuy ; And wheio the orran meets the arched skies. Where glimmering wlute the distant breakers rise : Some hapless bark omf rges o'er the tide, Her cables cut, hcu' tjill masts o'er her side. Along her b"ew Brunswiclt. tTlie Cedar (Juniperuf. Bermudiaiia) is the common tree; it l>eautHies and vnriclies the whoic island, and covers thcuc rock:: with a rube of pcreiuiial aad deliglitful green. OP A MISSION. 169 They have no Springs nor Riven, but drink Rain Wat THE NARRATIVE A (leiiroble Spot if Kellgi e, And raise thy climate's beauties by ^ wn ; Then hail thou lovely, verdant, suuu, isle, lYher* summers bioom| and s«asons gaily smile. VI ■■'§' ! ,'Ai :. ,n-..i: r :f DETENTION IN NEW YORK, VISIT TO XiAKE ONTAMIO AND RETURN O ENGLANP, I had no sooner arrived in New York, than I found myself likely to be involved in the difficulties of the two countries^ as I saw by the general excitement of the ruling or major party, that they were at the eve of making war upon Great Britain. An embar- go, which was the precursor, was then in operation, so I had run blindfold into the snare^ and must now abide the issue. The pilot, who came off to Sandy Hook, informed us of this measure : thus, in the di- rect path which leads to the accomplishment of our views, how often do we meet with disappointments and obstructions. — I left Bermuda for England, and was likely to be detained a prisoner in New York ; the gathering cloud burst with a declaration of war as^aiiist my dear native country — Ah! Columbia, how ruinous a measure was that to thy best, thy dearest interest as a mercantile nation; but rulers seldom consider the evils they entail on private per- sons by rash public measures. Many reflecting minds were pained, and many feeling hearts trembled for the events that would necessarily result from such a quarrel ; but the die was cast — I had a wife and three children, or I would have passed through the interior of New York into Canada, or through the New England States into Nova Scotia: however, neither of these was practicable as my affairs stood, so I calmly resigned myself and situation into the hands of the Lord. y2 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) % 1.0 1.1 11.25 m ^" ■■■ ■K lU |2.2 u lift «tUU Hiotographic Sciences Corporalion 23 WeST MAIN STRUT WEBSTiR,N.Y. 145S0 (716)872-4503 ''^P ^ 171 THE NARRATIVE ( The Nan^r of Churcbeo in the City of New York. The Methodist ^eaeral eonference^ which consisted of delegates from all the proyincial cooferences, having met in New Yotk, I mentioned my situation to Bisnop Asbury^ who^ with a kindness, which re- flects honour upon his venerable character, interested himself in my behalf; a temporary vacancy was cre- ated in the New York circuit, and the bishop, by the consent of the preachers, appointed me to fill up the gap, under the superintendance of the Rev. Mr. Garretson. In New York, and the adjoining circuits I had an opportunity of making many observations upon the work of God io this new world ; New Y4>rk itself, is a wonderful city for such an infant country ; if I recollect aright, ther£ are 37 churches of different denominations in and near the city : of the Episcopal, or Church of England, eight; of the Dutch reformed, four ; of the German Lutherans, two ; of theCalvin- ist reformed, one; of the Baptists, four; of the SScotch Presbyterians, seven; of the Methodists, seven; French church, two; Friends, two ; Jews' synagogue, one ; besides several smaller places of worship. Many of these pulpits are filled by preach- ers of the first ability. l)r. John Mason, and Dr. Millar, are . men, whose eloquence in the pulpit, might command admiration from the first audiences in the world; perhaps in no city of equal size are there to be found more evangelical and spiritual preachers. Each denomination is called a church, to prevent individous distinctions, which, in a country that gives equal countenance to all religions, is cer- tainly very proper : thus they say the Dutch church, the Presbyterian church, the Methodist, &c. &c. &c. During my continuance in this city, I had an op- portunity of attending several camp meetings, and as the nature of these stupenduous means of grace is not distinctly known, I will spend a few moments in making my readers acquainted with them. — Camp OF A MISSION. 17S ;amp A Description of a Camp Meeting on Huitaoa River. meetings are now a regular and orderly part of the Methodiflt economy in the United States ; and one of the questions at the annual conference is, " when and where shall our next camp meetings be held?" hence, thej are not as some in this country, suppose cither disorderly or {^'regular, but wonderful means in the hands of God. The time and place being ap- pointed by conference, it is next advertised from the pulpits, and as the day approaches, each of your friends asks you — "are you going to camp meeting." Great preparation is made, and much excitement pre- vails upon the occasion. The one held for the city and district of New York, is generally at Croton, about 40 miles up the Hudson river ; a select part of the forest IS chosen, rising like an amphitheatre: this is generally cleared from brush and sylvan rubbish, so as to have little but the grass beneath and tall trees waving above. At the appointed time, the trustees of the New York Methodist churches, delegate one of their body to attend and make the proper arrangements for the occasion. A number of tents are employed ; sloops and small vessels are hired by the trustees, who charge each person a small piece of money for his pas- sage, and alto debar improper persons from embark- ing; — ^the joyful hour is at length arrived ; the sloops are all freighted with the tents, camp meeting equi- page« &c, and only wait the proper number of passen-r gera : these crowd from every part of the city toward the well-known wharf. Some of the sloops have "camp meeting" waving on their colours ; others have the words painted on boards, which they bang in the rig- ging. The people crowd on board, until each sloop above and below contains from three to four hundred persons: it is often the case that there are several local and itinerant preachers in each vessel, who re- gulate and lead the worship on board ; for from the time the J leave the wharfs until they arrive at the 117 -re'j 174 THE NARRATIVK Description of Camp Meeting continued. i placCj sometimes a period of seven or eight hours, singing, prayer^ preaching, and exhortation^ alter- nately follow each other in regular duccession; and truly it is enlivening to a dull, and enchanting to a devout and well-tuned heart to sail along the silent and towring woods^ singing the praises of God^ and joining in the various exercises of religion ; at a time too, when nature is in a state of beauty — the sun shin- ing over your head, and the morning star irradiating the heart; this is certainly a combination issuing in much internal peace and harmony of soul. — One of the hymns sung cr. this occasion is the following : '^ Children of the heavenly king, ** As we journey let us sing, ** Sing our Saviour's worthy praise, ^* Glorious in his works and way^." ** We are travelling home to God, > *' In the way the fathers trod ; ** They are happy now, and Me '* Soon their happiness shall see." When the vessels reach the selected spot, the pas- sengers hasten as quickly as possible to the camp ground. The tents are generally pitched in the form of a crescent, in the centre of which is an 'vated stand for the preachers, round which, ii il di- rections, are placed rows of planks for the people to sit upon, while they hear the wor».«. Among the trees, which spread their tops over this forest-church, are hung the lamps, which burn all night, and give liglit to the various exercises of religion, which oc*> cupy the solemn midnight hours : as it was nearly eleven o'clock at night when I first arrived on the borders of a camp : I left the boat at the edge of the wood, one mile from the scene, though the sound of praise from such a multitude, and at such an hour, in the midst of a solitary wilderness is difficult to describe ; but when I opened upon the camp ground, my curiosity was converted into astonishment, to be- OF A MISSION. 173 Frequently nttcnded with much Good. hold the pendent lamps among the trees ; the tents half encircling a large space; 4000 people in the centre of this, listening with profound attention to a preacher, whose stentorian voice and animated man- ner carried the vibration of each word to a great distance through the now deepl)^ umbrageous wood ; where, save the twinkling lamps of the camp ; brood- ing darkness spread a ten fold gloom : all excited my astonishment, and forcibly brought before my view the Hebrews in the wilderness. But, to return, when the tents are pitched, the preachers stand raised ; the carts, waggons, chaises, horses, &c. of those who come, all disposed round theoutside of the tents ; the preachers then go hand in hand, through the camp, singing some appropriate hymn ; the one sung on this occasion began with the following lines : '' O thoa, in whose presence my soul takes delight, *^ On -whom in affliction I call, '* My comfort by day and my song in the night, *' My hope, my salvation, my all." The meetings generally begin on Monday morn- ing, and on the Friday morning following break up ; the daily exercises are carried forward in the follow- ing manner: in the morning, at five o'clock, the horn sounds through the camp, either for public preaching or prayer, this, with smaller exercises, or a little intermission, brings on the breakfast hour, eight o'clock ; at ten the horn sounds for public preaching, after which, until noon, the interval is filled up with little groups of praying persons, who scatter themselves up and down the camp, both in the tents and under the trees : as these smaller exer- cises are productive of miich good, a powerful spirit of prayer and exhortation is often poured forth. I hav^ not unfrequently seen three or four persons lyine on thegrouDd crying for mercy, or motionless, and without m 17» THE NARRATIVE They continue Night und Dny. any apparent signs of life, except pulsation. After dinner the horn sounds at two o'clock ; this is for preaching. I should have observed, that a female or two is generally left in each tent^ to prepare the proper materials for dinner, which is alwa^rs cold meats, pies, tarts, tea, &c, (the use of ardent spirits being forbidden), and a lire is kept burning in different parts of the camp, where the water is boiled. After the afternoon preaching, things take nearly the same course as in the morning, only the praying groups are upon a larger scale, and ndore scope is given to animated exhortation* and loud prayers ; some wbo exercise on these occasions soon lose their voices, and at the end of a camp meeting many, both preachers and people, can only speak in a whisper. At six o'clock in the evening the horn summons to preaching, after which, though in no regulated form, all the above means continue until morning; so that go to whatever part of the camp you please, some are engaged in them ; yea, and du- ring whatever part of the night you awake, the wilder- ness is vocal with praise. In the calm and solemn hours of sleep, to hi;ar amidst the deep silence of a wood, the gloom filf.ed with hymns of piety to the God of love, is to a gracious and heaven aspiring soul, a spiritual luxury that cannot be described. I have, at one and two o'clock in the morningi gone from tent to tent, to observe what filled the hour, and but few engaged my notice, where the inmates were lying asleep upon the clean straw. I should have observed, that there is generally a partition or curtain between that part of the tent in which the men sleep, and that in which the women sleep; all things are done decently, and in much order; nor do I believe that there is a place in the world where wicked thoughts find such difficult accesg to tbe OF A MISSION. 177 The Mannrr in which they conclude. mind as at a camp meeting : the world cannot claim an hour of abstraction from divine things ; nor can the devil stick a nail to hang his temptations upon. I waSj during the preaching of one forenoon^ sitting musing at the foot of a tree^ respecting the singu- larity of such a mode of worshiping God, when I fell into the following train of thoughts : God, thought I, might put them upon, instituting an ordinance that should bear some resemblance to the magnitude of the immense country where all nature is upon a scale of grandeur, rivers, mountains, forests, lakes, cataracts, all far surpassing those of any other country in the world. At the expiration of the allotted time the camp meeting is broken np, the process of which is as follows : there is a sacrament and lovefeast near the preachers' stand, which is often a time of power- ful influence and much spiritual benefit ; the preach- ers then walk through the camp, singing a hymn ; after this they stand in a line, and all the people walk round the camp singing, and as they pass thd preachers shake hands until the whole are passed, then the preachers ascend the stand, sing the parting hymn, and bid each other farewell in the presence of the whole camp. At this (Croton) camp meeting there were 20 preachers^ 212 tents, and upon the most mod- erate^calculation, not less than 40or 50 carts, waggons, gigs, &c. on several of the days there were present about 6000 persons ; the tents, reckoning 15 persons to each, contained 3180, but some of the tents had from 20 to 30 inmates. Perhaps not less than 100 persons were awakened and converted to God ; and many professed to have received the sanctifying power of divine grace. During the meeting 1 ob« served a number of persons in a circle who were struck down; they appeared perfectly stiff, and senseless ; some lay in this state four hours, and when they resumed their faculties often began by either m m IW THE NARRATIVE Camp Meetings one cause of the Increase of the Society. ni cr)ring aloud for mercy, or testifying the grace of a sin-pardoning God. What renders this circumstance more mysterious, some who were thus struck down were in the habit of mocking, laughing, or trifling, and in this state were seized by an invisible power, and fell instantaneously. However embarrassed prior to the meeting, the mind, when upon the camp ground, becomes peculiarly abstracted, and taken up with God and divine things ;■ the world is shut out, not only by the seclusion in a wood, but more fully by the sensible influence that is feH attending all the duties, drawing the mind and afieciions up- ward> and inspiring a calm, heavenly, and divine frame. I have heard many say that they never heard such praying, exhorting, and preaching any where else ; and those who engage feel such a divine alla- tus, thai th«y are carried along a& by the force of a delightful torrent; indeed this has been s&much the case with myself, the several times that I preached and exhorted at these meetings, that I was sensible of nothing but a constraining influence, transporting me beyond myself, carrying me along with a freedom and fullness, both of emotion and language, quite unusual; and yet I had no very friendly views of camp meetings until I attended them;, however, i am now satisfied that they are the right hand of Me- thodism in the United States, and one main cause why the societies have doubled and trebled there within these few years ; I grant there is much enthu- siasm, and unnecessary shouting, singfng, and chip- ping hands, but I will not condemn camp meetings, lest I should hurt the generation of God's children in that country, and more especially lest I should ofibnd God^ who has put his broad signet upon these ordinances of the forest world. .. During my detention in the United States, (through the kindaess maaifegted by those in power) I had & OF A mssiON. 179 "Hi ViiiUed Philadelphia. — Anecdote respectini; Dr. "Ruth. indulgence of visiting and preaching at Long Island, the Jerseys, and also Philadelphia, which is one of the most beautiful and regular cities I ever saw, though I hardly think it merits the title it bears ai well as New York. During my visit to this city, the celebrated Dr. Rush died, deservedly esteemed and lamented as a great and good man : to the Africans he was a distinguished benefactor. Hence, in this city, they stand upon dignified ground, having se- veral good chtircbes, and ministers of their own co- lour, chiefly through his former liberality to them, and his influence with others in their behalf. The funeral of thi^ great physician and philanthropist, was one of the largest I ever saw, extending probably a mile in length, and attended by nearly a hundred coaches. One of his pupils related to me a singular anecdote respecting him : — he was at one time, attend- ing his lectures, and remarked, (hat in one of them, he branched out upon a subject, which he Dr. Ser- gent had read, more largely treated upon in a work of Mr. Fletcher's, and meeting with Dr. Rush, af- terwards, my friend asked him if he knew the writ- ings of Mr. Fletcher — Ah ! yes, replied the doctor. I know the writings of that great and good man well; and can assure you he was the first that knocked th$ shackles of absolute unconditional predestination from my mind; before I read his works, I could not pray for all men, but he set me at liberty ; and if I meet him in heaven, I will thank him, and say — "you Mr. Fletcher, gave me just views of God's love to the human family." This anecdote may be depended upon as an absolute fact. On my return to New York, I visited the city of Albany, on the Hudson river, the first theatre of ( that good man ) Captain Webb's labours. .From Al- bany, I went with several friends to see the Shaking ^uakers^ at their own settlement, which is called z2 m iSO TUE NARRATIVE Vkited m Setllrment of the ShaklnK Quaken. Niskeana. We staid all night at ope of their eita* blishmenti, for believersi as they are called ; and had an opportunity to witness the manners^ worship, and doctrines of this singular people. About eieht o'clock the hour of family worship, we were called into the great hall, or chapel, in the centre of the building; and when we were seated, the men and women marched into the room, in two ranks, occu- pying the whole length, the men on one side, and the women on the other ; a profound silence ensued until two men and women separated from the rest, and filed off to the head of the room ; these began to hum a lively jig tune, to which all the rest j^ept time, first with a gentle vibration of their hands and whole body, and then by a more violent gesticulation, which ended in a rapid dance, that lasted about eight minutes, when they stood still ; until another tune being struck, they proceeded as before, and continued dancing about twenty minutes in the whole, and then in two regular lines, marched out io their respective rooms, having finished ( what they call ) the devotions of the evening This was an establishment of believers ; only such as have renounced all sexual intercourse are admitted into this higher order of things : separation of hus- band and wife is a sine qua non to this distinguished dignity. Marriage is, by these, held in the greatest detestation and abhorence; they consider it as adam<» ning sin, in a word, as the cause of all other sins; yea, they assert this was the forbidden fruit, of which Adam and Eve eating in paradise, brought death in- to the world and all our woes : hence, most of their exhortations to others are io beware of this great transgression, as being offensive to God, and ruinous to the soul. I asked the elders to give me a candid statement of their doctrine ; the substance of which amounts to this — " that they had received a new dis- pensation superseding the bible and all old established equa and } time in Le OF A MISSION. ur I .Iher Viewi nf the Shaken. forms of religion ; that Mother Ann, their foundress, vfM the elect lady mentioned by John, likewise the voman mentioned in the canticles and revelations, and in various other parts of scripture ; that she was equal to God, and in all respects above Jesus Christ, and when I asked whether she was present at the same time at all their church establishments, both at that in Lebanon, Connecticut, and also that on the Ohio, more than a thousand miles distant, and at Niskeana, where we were then conversing; he replied in the affirmative. 1 enquired the reason vihy they did not pray; to which he answered, "that they had no need of prayer, — prayers being the crutches of rotten religi- ons ; but that theirs was the new Jerusalem, comings down from God out of hieaven, as a bride adorned for her hi|sband:" in short I could get nothing out of them but what savoured of the grossest delusion and blasphemy ; and yet these people have their admirers, their advocates, and their numerous proselytes ; the whole settlement belongs to them ; they have flocks, herds, farms, and riches. Several handicraft trades are carried on among them ; they live in a regular manner; keep all in a common stock ; dress with plain uniformity; and use the plain language thee, thou, yea, nay, like the Quakers. Several who have left them, say they dance together in a state of perfect nudity, and have some other abominable and wicked orgies among them. — Alas! that such a disgrace should scandalize the human mind. I took my l^ava of them with a mixture of pity and disgust ; for you might as well reason with the tempest as persuade them that they are wrong. During my residence in New York, I received a pressing invitation to visit the Gennessee country, and various other parts of the inferior ; and as I felt a wish to gratify an innocent curiosity in the line of ^ttiy> I gUdly embraced the opening; a worthy JM THE NAailATIVC A Sail along the Hudnon River i~the Scenery, dcr. friend, whom the times had compelled to retire from business* agreed to accompany me on this route^ as well as bear my expences. My intention was to visit the interior^ the lakes, both of Ne«r York and Ca- nada, and also the celebrated falls of Niagara, haTing no immediate prospect of returning home, as (he go- vernment had refused to give a flag of truce to any more vessels ; and I was the more disposed to this jour- ney, hoping to have an opportunity to scatter the seeds of life more widely and extensively by such an excursion. In the early part of the month of May, 1814, we took our passage on hoard of a sloop packet, bound for Albany. We passed with an easy gliding course, Ibose stupendous cliffs the highlands, rising in awful grandeur more than a thousand feet above the edge of the river, and compelling this noble stream to lake a serpentine course through this vast chain of mountains; of whose summits the rattling thunder and forked lightning hold indisputable possession. A New York writer has given the scene a poetic character in the following lines : A 'ibaggy mountain frowns among the clouds, 0*er whose vast craggs a wilderness extends^ Interminable, pathless, unexplor'd, Save where the Hudson rolls his silent wave, Compress'd to narrow bounds by the vast ridge, ' Yet nobly urging on his woodland course. . As we passed along the rivers we were delighted with the picturesque scenery, the villages that slope from its very edge, the neat little towns of New- burgh, Athens, Rhinebeck, Hudson, and many others which do business upon its waters, all render the summer navigation of this river an highly interest- ing sail. Many gentlemen's seats adorn its banks, while its own fine swells, expanding in some places twa or three miles^ together with its graceful b^nds^ OF A MISSION. DeMripHon uf Allxuiy uiid (lie Dutch Ourch. 183 curving until its continuance is lost to the eye, give it a romantic and charming appearance : the number of sloops sailing between New York and Albany, adds a beauty and richness to the scenery, while in some places vast forests extend to its very banks. The Kaatskill mountain, nearly opposite Rhinebeck, rises with a majrsty and sublimity from the river which language cannot describe; it is \vi(i;in a rc%v miles of the water, and may well justify Mr. Barlow's description : *' The hoary Kaatskill, where the stomis dividei Would lift the heavens from Atlas labouring pride. After a delightful passage of four days we arrived in Albany, where I was kindly entertained by my worthy English friends Mr. John Taylor and family. Albany still bears evident marks of its Dutch origi- nal, both in the conical tops of many of its bouses, (whose gable ends face the streets) and also the bustle and hurry of business, of which it is still a crowded theatre; being the emporium of commerce to the great western territory, which stretches to- wards that vast region of lakes which will hereafter be spoken of. The principal denomination in this city is the Dutch reformed, who have several large churches, and being amalgamated with the presby* terians ( betwixt and whom there are only a few shades of difference) form a large mass of the religioun of the state: the Baptists, the Methodists, the Episcopalians, and the Quakers, have all their churches; but the above is the principal body. Re- ligion, however, does not, in Albany, wear those lovely characters of liveliness and zeal with which she is attended in New York. The Dutch religion is somewhat like the Dutch character, heavy and formal, though there are doubtless many true chris- tians in this church, and some eminently learned and gocrd men. I preached with much liberty and com- :'V^ m 'A 384 THE NARRATIVE ---.:. a? Cohoit Falls on the Mohawk.~- Scbericdadv. fort in the Methodist church, (a new, spacious, and lightsome building), and during my stay in the city Tisited the grand and beautiful falls of the Cohos, tipon the Mohawk river. Were it not for these falls, the Mohawk would beautifully glide intd the Hud- son, and so form an immense chain of inland naviga- tion from Lake Ontario to the city of New York : the cataract is about 40 feet, and the river about a quarter of a mile wide; the best view of them is either from the bridge, or the left bank of the river turning to the road which leads to Saratoga ; from this eminence you have a charming view of the immense cascade, which makes the earth tremble beneath your feet. After spending a week in Albany, where we purchased two good horses ( for now we had to pur- sue our route by land), we took leave of our worthy friends Mr. Taylor's family, and on the 28th of May, after a pleasant ride of two hours, we arrived at Schenecdady ; this city ( for so every place of conse- quence is called in America ) is the beginning of the navigation of the Mohawk river ; it is a mart of goo- siderable trade, though too near Albany to become a flourishing town. After refreshing ourselves, we walked upon an eminence which commands a fine view of the city, the neighbouring country, and the majestic Mohawk gliding at the foot of a high range of mountains : — this too was formerly a Dutch town. The church is nearly in the form of a sugar loaf, and the gable ends of the houses, as in Albany, front the streets; it is, neve, theless, pleasantly situated at the feet of lofty hills ; and here the great western turn- pike begins (if roads can deserve that name), which are a foot deep in mud, full of stumps of trees, in- tersected with streams, and these sometimes covered with rotten poles, and others not covered at all, with now and then holes, gaps, and excavations, suflSci- ently large to swallow up a horse and cart; indeed. say. OF A MISSION. 185 Politics, — tlieir Influence. — Religious Establislimenta. most of the American roads are a libel upon common sense — your neck and limbs arc in continual jeopardy ; but, perhaps this is what may naturally be expected of a new country. Schenecdady contains a Presby- terian, an Episcopal, a new Dutch^ and a Methodist church ; the last, however, is a mere unfinished shell. The bridge ovet the Mohawk is a large and noble work, built entirely of Wood, and covered over like the Schulkill bridge, near Philadelphia, and the Delaware, at Trenton. The old college is a vener- able pile ; I walked round it, but all seemed like the silence of the grave : a larger and more extensive one is now erecting under the auspices of Dr. Nott, the president; I fear, however, that neither true reli- gion, nor yet sound learning, flourish much at pre- sent. Sour crabbed politics shed a baneful mildew over these lovely plants of Paradise, and embitter the sweetest streams of social happiness. An old man at the tavern bawled out to every one that came in, "Are you a democrat or a fed ?'* and this appears at present the universal medium through which both men and things are viewed in the United states; hence, party spirit casts a .vail over this othervvise lovely country, and spoils many of the delightful harmonies of human life. Sunday the 29th was a rainy day, nevertheless I preached in the unfinished church : this term is certainly better than conven- ticle ; for I apprehend that in England the manner ofspeaking in these matters, implicates in thr charge of "all false doctrine, heresy, and schism," whoever does not belong to " the church;" not but a religious establishment, fprm^ed upon a sound basis, is a great preservative to the general morals of the community; in this view alone, I scruple not to say, that I prefer our own constitution with all its manifold defects, to the state of things in united America; where an Atheist, Blasphemer, x>r an In- 2 a ■U ^'^^l ISG THE NARRATIVE A dreadful Thunder Storm.— Methodist Churches mere Shells. fidel is as' much tolerated as a Christian ; and yet I know not that governments have a right to punish such« further than by rejecting their evidence in a court of judicature. While I was preaching \i'c had one of the most tremendous thunder storms I ever witnessed ;. the cohcustions shook the church, while darkness spread an awful glooro^ attended with most vivid flashes of lightning; the congregation was greatly alarmed^ and as the crashing peals drowned mj voice^ I discontinued^ that JPehovah might be heard and attended to ; and then I changed my subject for that of the day of judgment ;. the effect was such as I had desired ;, an inexpressible solemnity and awe rested upon the people^ while the voice of God in the clouds seconded the voice of God in his word. In contemplating the ruinous- condition of the Methodist church here, and several other shells of churches I had seen in this state, I am led to conclude^ that in the interior of New York, Methodism is in the rear of all other denominations ; to what cause can this be imputed ;. is it politics;* avarice^ or want of pure zeal, that the Methodist churches are only shells, or mere frames just board- ed in ? I apprehend the people are as rich as others, and yet their places of worship are most miserable . probably one reason is the want of more regular preaching; a preacher has to cover too extensive a fleld with his labours ; lience^ a large portion of it must necessarily remain either poorly cultivatedj or not cultivated at all : another cause of this poverty in chapels^ is. many people in this state neither properly understandj nor cordially approve of the itinerant plan; but^ a third and principal reaaoo is, the preachers do not give themselves fully up to the work of the ministry, — ^they dabble with tneir farms, their tfaops, and their secular pursuits, and the conse> %ueiice is, the lF A MISSIOX. 187 T=p. TraTcIliDg along tbe Mohawk.— Remarks on the River. Monday the SOth^ at five in the mornings we set •off on our western toui*^ through roads as bad as deep futs, broken bridges, and rapid torrents could tnakethem. We had, it is true, the delightflil Mohawk. I'iver on our left hand, (the reader will observe, we did not go the Cherrj Valley road, or the Mohawk would have been on our right) whose banks are covered with £nely cultivated plantations, affording some beauti- fully romantic landscapes. The former inhabitants of this river (the Mohawk Indians,) the most war- like of all the Aboriginal Americans, being friends to the British, removed to Upper Canada, and now inhabit the country about Little Yo/k, so that not an inhabitant of the whole nation is left upon their former domains ; their places are, however^ supplied with Dutch and Germans, who have converted the liunting grounds of the Indians into delightful farms, and cheerful villages. We were much surprised to find the roads so interspersed with inns, as we ex- pected to ride through much forest country and lls up from a bed of rocks, so thoroughly saturated with sulphur, that large quantities are deposited in all directions; this placf, though dreary in the extreme, is visited by numbers, and the springs are found beneficial in most cutaneous disorders. As our object of visiting Nia- gara was defeated^ we set off to visit Lake Ontario OF A MISSION. 103 A Rattle Snake. — Folh of theGcnnesucc Rivrr. aod the Gennessee Falls from Bioomfield, where I preached on the Sabbath-day in the Academy. Wc rode to the Gennessee river, descending its windings until we came to the village above the cataract ; just as we entered this village wc passed a number of boys, one of whom had just given a deadly wound to a large rattlesnake ; the animal was writhein^ iu the agonies of death, until I dismounted and got hini dir^itchcd, that I might minutely inspect his rattles^ bis fangs, and the poison at the root of them ; I gave the boy a shilling for his skin, which he readily stripped off, together with his rattles, and two fangs : the monster was nearly six feet long, and full as thick as my arm ; they are rather numerous about this part of the country, but not much feared, as providence has provided an antidote for their bite; this is called Rattlesnake Root; the Indians first discovered its efficacy, and to them the white people owe this in- valuable antidote, which they chew, swallowing the spittle, and applying some . at the same time to the wound. Having put up our horses, we walked through the woods to the first cataract, not without some suspicions of coming unawares acroiis some of the reptiles above mentioned, as the thick underwood is much infested with them. We could now and then obtain a glimpse of the river above the falls, gliding like an arrow, while the thundering sound stunned ui considerably as we approached the spot. The roai- ing and foaming of the rapids before the river arrives at the precipice; the green tint of the water, edged all the way down by curling folds of snow-white foam; the immediate chasm of boiling snow into which the river pours ; the deep dense mist that hovers over the gulf below, through which you see at in- tervals the turbulence of the bottom ; the immense interminable mass of wood which fills the whole of ''. if';': idi THE NARRATIVE The Grandeur and Beauty of the Genneisee Falli. the surrounding country, and borders to the very edge every part of the river, which boils along as if in haste to escape the horrible chasm in >vhich it had been engulfed ; formed altogether a scene of gran- deur and beauty which can hardly be rivalled : the river is about 480 yards across, and the upper falls or principal cataract is 96 feet perpendicular ; belo\r these the river is again precipitated over another pre- cipice of 57 feet, so that adding about 30 (cei for the three miles of rapids, and the height of both falls will be about the same as at Niagara. After the falls of Niagara, these are decidedly the grandest and most beautiful in the world. The excavated amphitheatre allows the eye to take in a circumfer- ence of nearly half a mile, though the falls themselves are not more than the breadth I have assigned the river; but the variegated colour of the strata, now contrasted, now softened into each other, intermixed with the green foliage of the cedar above and below, and interspersed here and there in the midst of the rock, afford a contrast of objects and of tint beauti- ful beyond expression. The eye takes in this de- lightful scene at the same time with the immense cascade that terminates the view, — a view so inter- mingling the beautiful with the sublime, that I considered it well worth the labour and pains of a ride af 400 miles, even though I had not dispensed the precious gospel along many parts of the journey. My companion and I found it difficult to speak to each other, for I was literally stunned with the noise, and now I first understood the grandeur and force of that ex- pression. Rev. i. 15, — ''And his voice as the sound of many waters." As this immense sheet of water curves in its descent, I was curious to know whether it might not be possible to get between the river and the rock, and was told that some daring men had really walked within the vast sheet af waters^ th<>ugh the fa^t ( OF A MISSION. l«l ti-; Preachrd at the Genncfwe Village, and visited Lake Ontario. seemed incredible, both on account of the tremendous uoiie and the uncommon rarefaction of the atmos- phere that must prevail within the torrent. I preached a mile from these falls at a small chapel, or rather school house, in the woods, to which we had to climb over the stumps of trees and logs, for the place was but recently settled ; hence, the streets are full of these vestiges of the forest, for they are not particular in America about a few stumps or roots of trees sticking up in the streets. As soon as they make a town ( for town and city making are no sucu formidable things in this part of the globe as many might imagine) they select a piece of the forest, and then give it a pompous name, perhaps Homer, Scipio^ or Manlius; this done they fell the trees ; these make the frames, rafters, beams, clap boards, and shin- gles of their dwellings ; the roots and stumps are left to rot in the ground ; a dozen houses are erected, a school, a tavern, and a mill; in process of time there is a post office, a church, and two or three snug little boxes for lawyers, who are indispen- sables to every village in the United States; the people cannot live without those bonds of union to keep all quiet : but I proceed. The next morning I was impatient to begin my journey through the woods to hike Ontario ; the distance was only seven miles, but the road was a perfect bog; however, about ten o'clock this majestic inland ocean broke upon us through the trees, and caused sensations I cannot describe. When you recollect that you are 400 miles from the sea, in the midst of a wilderness, a ''boundless contiguity of shade," and then view this vast world of water, over which the eye roves in vain lo find a boundary or opposite shore, you cannot refrain from exclaiming " How manifold are thy works O Lord, in wisdom hast thou created )them all ! I ran to taste if the waters were fresh, 2bS ! ■ US ^ ? A'h'i 106 THE NARRATIVE Danki of the Lake flat and unhealthy. hardly convinced that (his vast volume of water wa: no way connected with the occan^ save by a river BOO mites lon^. The part of the lake we visited is opposite to Little York, the capital of Upper Ca- nada, and not far from the scene of Golasmith's fine couplet : Where wild Oswego spreads her swamps around, And Niagara stuns with thundering sound. We were precisely between Oswego and Niagara, thoush we could neither see the swamps of the one, nor yet hear the thunder of the other. At this sect* ion of country, the lake is about 100 miles across : the current of the Gennessee is driven back by the mightier waters of the Ontario ; hence, the extensive and un- healthy flats at the the mouth of this river : we could hardly look upon a countenance that did not bear vi- sible vestiges of the sallow ague. A little before our arrival, the British had been paying a visit to these parts, so that all the houses in the place, except one, was abdicated, and we could with difliculty, get any thing cither to eat or diink, for even this family kept their furniture and provisions hid under ground, for fear the intruders should repeat the unwelcome com- pliment. 'Inhere is but little cultivation upon the banks of the Ontario, which are uncommonly flat, swampy, and Unhealthy during the summer months. The dny of our visit was intensely hot, nearly 90": y«?t ihn waters of the lake were so amazingly co\C, ( i^t 4iiy companion, who would go in to swim, became deadly sick, hod was covered with a cold tremor, so that I was afr» id he would have died in the act of putting on his cl>Qthei ; thip we found upon enquiry, to be a natura! cou.ieq. euce of bathing in these unhealthy waters. After pret<.ching near Sodus, I returned by the same route to New York> where^ waiting a little time^ an OF A Ml5^10N. Obtained my Pauport, ami rmbarkiHl for f'rstiiro. 197 .ax— opportunity presented of rrO.irning to Enjc^land. I ^rotc to Washington^ for perinifl^^ion to leave tfit* country — a piivilegc that had hitherto been denied me ; and having obtained my passport^ through the kindness and influence of Mr. Foxal, a respectable frienO al Washington, on Sunday, October t^3d, I814« I cn;V. / . French, I was obliged to be thankful for the wish to do them good. Monday, October 31st. — ^Had the carpenter to widen our birth; before this I chiefly lay upon trunks, as the birth was too small for two persons. Pleasant wind from the south-west, with a long swell : my wife is much better, and able to go upon deck. Wc expect soon to be upon the banks of Newfoundland. Many of the passengers still remain sick ; the children in general are well r it rained a little, and the wind eame round to the north-west, but still with a small and moderate breeze. How thankful ought we to be that no particular sickness of a mortal nature has occurred ! Near ^00 persons on board a ship of betwix-t three and four hundred tons, necessarily render our situation very crowded : the little cabin occupied by myself, Mrs. Marsden, and two children, is about six feet long, and Ave feet wide ; here we eat, drink, sleep, hs^^e our trunks, and indeed most of our provisions. Some of the passengers are very dir- ty; what a mercy that the weather is cold. Surely the prayers of our dear friends and relatives in New York are heard before the throne of love : nine da} s only since we left, and we are a thousand miles from them; "but mountains rise and oceans roll to sever us in vain." Precious friends, we love you — we think of you — we pray for you; but here we are bounding over the white surges ; it is only in heaven that there is no separating sea : '' and there was no sea there." I have pleasant times in our little cabin, where I kneel with my little family night and morning and at other seasons, and find God'^s presence on the mighty ocean, and am comfortable ; '' for where he Tital breathes there must be joy." Alas! I have little hope of being able to do any extensive good among these French people — so gay, so volatile^ so OF A MISSION. 203 Nights spent on the Ocean instructive. polite, all mercury ; but I am afraid in faith mere sceptics* and in religion stratum super stratum. November Ist. — I sit down in my little cabin to write this journal, for the satisfaction of my friends in New York : my two children are sleeping in the birth above me; my wife in the one below. The French, according to their usual custom, are gamb- ling and gabbling all around me; the trampling of the sailors upon deck announce the bustle of navigation. We have already been ten days at sea; to use the words of an elegant traveller' — '* Nights passed on the bosom of the deep are not barren for the mind.** The stars, which appear for a moment between the flitting clouds ; the waves sparkling around you ; the hollow sound returned by the sides of the vessel to the dashing waves, all proclaim that you are out of the power of man, and dependant upon the Almighty alone ; the uncertainty of your future prospects re- duces objects to their true value, and the world con- templated amidst a tempestuous sea resembles life, considered by a man, on the brink of eternity. Our latitude at noon was 43 deg. 34 min. N. The wind since the sun went down has come round to the eastward, so that we have it in our teeth again. Wednesday, November 2nd. — This day we have had a violent gale of wind from the north-east ; we had to sail under close-reefed courses — I will not say that the sea ran mountains high, but the storm was exceedingly furious: ah, amidst such a tempest, what a poor thing is man ; how he shrinks into his own nothingness: when God rides on the tempest and awakes the storm ! in the midst of the mignty ocean, what can he do? whither can he go, but cast hi m- self upon the mercy of the great God ? He can curb the foaming sea, He can bid the tempest rest ; ^- ^ All the elements obey : ' v't ' - Great Jehovah's high behest. 3c2 i . 504 THE NARRATIVE A Viuleiit Gule of Wiud left a dreadful Swell. At noon our latitude was 42 deg. 30 min. N. In the evening the storm raged with awful fury; but all was calmness and confidence within. God is mighty in power^ why should I fear ? he is omnipotent in love^ why shoulid I be dismayed. All was uproar and confusion ; the winds whistlings the waves roaring, the captain bawling, the men shouting, and our gal- lant vessel creaking with the mighty surges that dashed against her sides ; yet, amidst all, I could lay me down in peace. '* Jesus protects ! my fears begone'* Was tossed to and fro in my birth for sometime; however, I made shift to sleep, and had upon the whole, a tolerable good night. Thursday, November 3rd. — This was a day of trial, difficulty, and danger : the gale of yesterday having subsided to a perfect calm, we were left to the mercy of a most tremendous swell ; so that lying was difficult, sitting was dangerous, and walking was impossible : our vessel rolled till the dock was sometimes almost perpendicular ; to increase the diffi- culties, wc had an assemblage of the miseries of a seafaring life, but still I could say. Lord, thy will be done. The night was the same as the day ; we rolled incessantly; a thousand pounds without the grace of God would not induce me to spend a month in this way ; but, divine grace can make any thing supportable. Friday, November 4th. — This day our latitude was 42 deg. 30 min. N. as before : longitude W. from London >2 deg. About noon a breeze sprang up from the north, and our rolling swell subsided ; we began to feel as usual, but the dirtiness of the steer- age is still a great draw back to our comfort. We have Germans, French, and others around us^ wha are by no means clean ; 'tis true we have a little cabin, but it is too small to be comfortable ; we have to pass through the steerage^ feel all its emells^ see OF A MISSION. 205, Reasons for taking a Steerage Passage, all its dirtj and hear all its noises. I am sensible the. committee would not wish me to take a steerage passage^ as I believe no Missionary ever did before,, but hy this I shall save the fund more than j^. 100 sterlings which wilt send out another MissionarVj yea, two at the rate I went out ; I had ^. 10 allowed me for books and clothes, and £.2b for my passage to Halifax ; this was a cheap way of sending out Missibnaries: some captious person may say. Who will thank you for this ? I ask no thanks from man; I did it in obedience to the dictates of my conscience, and after much prayer for direction. Let no one suppose that I have degraded Me- thodist Missionaries by taking my passage in a steerage;* the example will not be infectious, nor do I wish it may ; for a Methodist Missionary in forsaking his country, kindred, friends, and home^ is certainly entitled to all the comforts his emigrating into a foreign land will admit. I prayed this day for a fair wind, and beginning to despond opened my ])ible on Luke i. 20. which removed my doubts, and the event pioved that " There is a God that both heareth and answereth prai/cr ;" praise him, O my soul ! Saturday, November 5th. — This day, for the first time since we left New York, we have, thank God, been sweeping away ten or eleven knots before a fine westerly gale; to transpose an expression of Job's, the vessel seemed to swallow the sea with fierceness. We passed the banks of Newfoundland this forenoon, and are now dashing across the mighty Atlantic. What a sublime idea; a small vessel crossing the vast ocean ; a few planks nailed together, and borne upon m M m * One principal reason of my taking a steerage passage was tlie extravagant mand of £905 fur a cabin passage, for uij/sclf, Mrs. Marsden, and tw* demand ckildrec. im THE NARRATIVE ^ai^zziji The Intrepidity of Columbus in first crossing tlie Atlantic. the bosom of the stormy and multitudinous abyss ; an expanse of ocean below^ and a vast concave of sky above, Tvhile a solitary ship is crossing three thou- stind miles of the watery waste ! O Columbus ! how n^ust thy bosom have been stejied against the Jangers of the sea! how ardent thy curiosity; how eagle- t'y»;d thy knowledge; how strong thy passion for ff me, to carry thee and thy g»llant vessel across the wide, unknown, and unexplored western ocean, to climates and rivers till then "unknown to song." Whcit a theatre for the exercise of failh in the bound- less power and providence of that awful Being who " rides upon the stormy skies, and manages the seas." yes, mariner, make God thy refuge, for Many enemies thou hast On the bhie en, requested I would act as chaplain; so the passengers and crew assembled upon the quarter deck, while I applied those solemn words, *' Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee!" They all heard with deep attention, and a number of them thanked me most affectionately for the dis- course ; but alas ! what tedious days are sabbaths on board a ship to a Christian ; " How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord!" There is something in the decency and order of the house of God, which, considered as a mere building, greatly helps the de- votion of the heart. There are several reasons why sea sabbaths are not pleasant to Christians: 1. There are no external sii^ns of the sabbath; no sound of the church-going' bell. 2. There is no house of God, no neat elegant chapel, or venerable gotbic edifice. 3. No consentaneous collection of Christians, all tending to the house of God. 4. No sacrament; no harmonious singers; no pulpit, no altar; no stated times. 5. It seems like a day of labour ; the rolling of the ship, the wmking of the sails, and fre- quent bad weather, l^^mnt any worship ; add to these the want of silifW*' retirement, and solemnity, cause a general absepjpDf devotional feeling. Can we say that the sea if j|p^ favourable to devotion than Hie soil P one mig^liiupposc that the lofty expanse ti f< ' * l« ' ^08 TIJC NARRATIVE A iHile Mctvor «at upon the Topmast. i! I of heaven; the wide "wave swelling ocean;" the presence of dangers, and the absence of the world '? baubles, would all tend to lift the soul through the sublime of nature "to nature's God; but this is nut always the case, some people who do very well on shore seem to lose all their religious emotions at sea. This day our latitude was 43 deg. 30 min. N. longi* tude by dead reckoning, 46 deg. W. for we have no chronometer, no measuring the angular distance of the sun and moon, no telescope to watch the immersion of Jupiter's Satellites, we depend all upon our log and glass ; we go eight knots an hour, but all is in the hand of the Almighty. Monday, November 7th. — We are still wafted on- ward by a fine westerly breeze : truly saiiing is plca> sant when the wind is fair, the sky blue, and the ocean smooth. To day onr latitude was 43 deg. 3 min. N. and longitude 44 deg. west. Last evening in a squall of thunder, rain, and lightniiig, a pale meteor sat upon the topmast, and soon disappeared : this, I apprehend, was what the heathens called Cas- tor and Pollux ; it is said that the Argonauts being endangered by a tempest, that Orpheus offered vows for the safety of the ship, when immediately two lam- bent flames appeared over the heads of Castor and Pollux, which appearance was succeeded by a calm. It is strange seeing this is the fifteenth day since our departure that we have not seen a sail : what! — are the Americans banished from the ocean ; have these sticklers for " free trade and sailors' rights" lost all trade and sent their mariners to the wilds of Ken- tucky, or the lakes of Canada? it always appeared to me a singular method of defending these, to fall upon the defenceless and i^*^^nding inhabitants of Upper Canada ; but alas ! IjJBvvas only the varnish, a mere tub to catch the whaKr Another motive dic- tated the present war; Iaiii^t|»w upon the ocean^ ".* . s^' OF A MISSION. dod In the Midit of the Atlantic Ocean. and will frecl^' declare my sentiments without fear of the stigma of tor} ism, or the hatred of any person : J hlame no man for being lojal to his country, but io support ao administration that is evidently ruining its best intereat, is as foolish and unreasonable^ as it would have been ft^f Englishmen to have supported all the popish absurdities of King James the second. Tuesday, November 8th. — This day our latitude was 44 deg, 9 min. N. longitude 39 deg. W. ; so by the blessing of a good Providence, we have nearly made half our passage in 15 days : we have sailed at least 1600 miles, without sickness, without accident, without discord ; and yet we have Methodists, Epis- copalians, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Qua- kers, Lutherans, Seceders, Nothingarians and Deists^ on board. Wednesday, November 9th.— Neither wind nor sun, but fog and rain all this day. We are now in the middle of the Atlantic ocean — in whose dominions ? not in America, — not in England, — but in the domin- ions of the God of nature ! Our vessel is a good sea boat, dry in the hold, dry upon deck : thanks to gra- cious Providence for bringing us thus far ; amen — hallelujah. Thursday, November 10th. — Hazy, wet weather, the wind S. W.; a good breeze. Our latitude at meridian was 46 deg. 30 min. N. We are going nine knots an hour : the dampness of the weather depresses my body as we approach toward the eastern hemis- phere; however, it is a consolation that we arc has- tening nearer our desired haven. — Ah ! who would go to sea for pleasure ? — alas ! they must have very mistaken notions who go to sea for amusement: are bad weather, rolling, tossing, want of sleep, bilge water, confinement below, &c. &c. pleasant circumstances ? Friday, November Hth. — Wind fair from the north-west ; we have sailed more than ^00 miles the :: ,;i|. y'"l 210 THE NARRATIVE Put he Meridian of (he Weitrrn Ivlandt. last 24 hours. Our latitude to day was 48'df ^. 12 min. N. longitude 29 deg.W. ; so that we have made nearlj two-thirds of our passage in the last eighteen da)g, being past the meridian of the Western Islands, wc now begin to feel the chilness of European air : it ii 14 jears since I was in so high a latitude as the pre- sent ; ah! how many events have taken place both in the eastern and western world since that period. Little did I thinK when leaving England for Nova Scotia, that I should continue an exile from my native land for 14 years and 4 months ; how mauy of the old veteran preachers have gone to the land of their fa- thers since that period : Thompson is gone — Hopper is gone — Mather is eone — Pawson is gone — Rankin is gone — Rutherford is gone, and a number more ;* but thank God excellent young men are contmually starting up to fill their places. My native country will appear as a foreign land ; strange faces, and perhaps, strange manners. — Ah ! how I long to see the white cliffs of Albio;* ! — the land whom dis- tant tyrants hate in vain ! My wish is, that the land which gave me being, may give me a grave: when I go home to my heavenly Father, I shall see a better country; bnt till then, I despair of seeing a happier^ wiser, freer land. England, the nation I love, has abolished slavery ! — rescued Europe from the grasp of a tyrant ! — sent the word of truth to the ends of the earth, and appointed active Missionaries as living teachers, to instruct the heathen in the great doctrines of salvation and happiness ! — Is this the land that American politicians woukl sink to the bot- tom of the ocean P Saturday, November I2th. — This has been a calm, cloudy, raw, and gloomy day ; one of those gloomy * Little did I then know tbat my dear friend and patroa Dr, Goke Tra» dctwi: OF A MISSION. l\\ The (loodnnt of nod in briiiginK me (hntuKh mnnlfolil Trouhln. November days, in which a Frcnrh writer says, "Englishmen hang and drown themselves." I have this day been led into the following reflections : it is more than 14 years since I crossed the Altantic, ifiendless and unknown; what hath God wrought since then ? I have now many friends and spiritual children in Nova Scotia, in New Brunswick, in the Somcrs Islands, and the United States of America : I was then going to a strange land ; now I am relum- ing to my own country : I was then beginning my career of travel and trouble ; since then I have travel- led some thousands of miles by sea and soil ; but God hath brought me through all : I have been in perils in the wilderness ; in perils on the ice ; in perils cros- sing rapid rivers in log canoes; in perils in snow storms ; in perils thrown from horses ; yet I have al- ways been delivered. The God of Missionaries hath fulfilled all his promises, both in spiritual and tempo- ral matters, and has left me nothing to regret but the unfaithfulness of my heart and the defectiveness of my services : O that I could make both the ocean and the land resound with his praises ! I wish to be a stran- fer and pilgrim wherever I go ; the Lord knows that return home with no Icrge expectations, but with a pure desire to love and glorify God. Forbid it O my God, that I should indulge a single prospect that is not combined with thy glory. I am now 900 miles from my native shores ; France, Ireland, Scotland, England, — all extending their sea-beaten shores to the eye of my mind. Ah! how little is an individual compared to the kingdoms of the Globe ; and yet worlds are not equal in value to an iinmortal soul. " Which shall survive *' Sun, seas, and stars, and live yihi\e angels live !" Our breeze freshens; most of the passengers are flushed with the hope of getting on shore the next week; but thy time is the best, thou wise and gracious God i gD2 Uif i fl [, THE xVAlUlATIVE Preached in the great Cabin with Sati»factioB. I ! f I Sunday^ November 13lh. — This diy, though ex- ceedinjs^ly unwell^ I performed my duty as chaplain, and as it was too rough to preach upon deck, at the request of the passengers, I preached in the cabin, ■with seme degree of liberty and comfort : all the time we were going before a south west gale, at the rate of ten and eleven miles an hour. The gentle- men of the cabin invited me to dine with them : had some agreeable conversation with Col. B. the British consul, on religion ; the Colonel is pretty well ac- quainted with Methodism, and adverted to those days in the United States when the Methodists were united with the Church of England, but seemed to regret that they should have become a separate body in that country. Our latitude at noon was 49 deg. 34 min. N. our longitude 24 deg. W. from London. The gale fresh, with rain ; but 'tis pleasant to be going eleven miles an hour. Col. B. told me he had been across the Atlantic a number of times, at different seasons of the year, but did not recollect to have had so favourable a passage as the present is likely to be; thus, in the gloomy, stormy, and often unpleasant month of November, God has given us a fine time, and fair weather; surely this is an answer to mj^ prayers all last winter. ** Bless the Lord^ O my soul, and forg;et not all his benefits." Monday, November 14th. — This day we had a stiff gale from the south west; our latitude was 49 deg, 55 min. N. longitude 16 deg. W. ; little com- fort upon deck; staid below and read Cowper's Poems and Cook's Voyages. During this passage I have read the following books: Zimmerman on Soli- tude, Calvin's Life, Scott's Force of Truth, Chateau- briand's Travels, The Son of a Genius, and some good portions of the Holy Scriptures. What a blessing to have a taste for reading, and to have ample resources in one's own mind ! How tedious must a sea voyage be to a man who has no intellect^-no mental stores— « OF A MtSSIOX. Never, during all my Absence, lost the Love of my Couatry. no ability to commune with his own thoughts : there are twelve hours in every day that must fly on leaden wings to 8uch a mortal ;'on the contrary^ lie that has treasures of hts oivn, May leave a palace or a throne ; May quit the world, aud dwell alone Within his spacious mind. Tuesday, November 15th. — Rough and squally. This day, being in latitude 49 deg. 30 min. N. lon- gitude 1 1 deg. W. we had soundings^ with 75 fathom, and concluded we were in the chops of the channel ; thus in 2^ days we have crossed the vast Atlantic, having sailed 1300 miles in the last seven : let him have all the praise who "holdeth the winds in his Jist, and the waters in the hollow of his hand.** We have Ireland under our lee, and the Scilly Islands ahead; are going with close-reefed top sails nearly nine knots; and to-morrow, by the blessing of God, may see land. O my dear native shores ! through all the changes of place and climate I have passed for these last 14 years, the love of my native country has never forsaken me : " England, with all thij faults I love thee still ! Neither the sunny groves of Bermuda, the rich settlements of the United States, nor the plentiful shores of Nova Scotia, could ever blot the love of country from my heart. Well, but what has England done for you ? She gave me birth ! the light of salvation there tirst vi^^ited my soul ! and thence my brethren sent me to carry the light of the gospel to the ends of the earth ! Wednesday, November 16th. — This day we have had a strong wind from the north west ; at meridian our latitude was 49 deg. 44 min. N. and and at two o'clock p. m. we made the Scilly Islands, and passed them within about five miles ; in the evening early we saw the light house at the Land's End, and now about seven p. m. we are sailing past the Lizard m [M 514 THE NARRATIVE Safely landed on the Shores of my dear native Country, light house ; thus in three weeks and two days^ God hath safely brought us across the vast Atlantic, a distance of more than 3000 miles : it seelras like en- chantment that three weeks ago I should be with my friends in New York, and now am within ten miles of the British coast. Truly the Lord hath wonder- fully remembered mercy ; hallelujah ! praise the Lord. ♦ Thursday, November 1 7th. — I am once more ar- rived in my dear native land. This morning, being oflf Torbay, and several of the passengers desiring to be set on shore, the Captain made the signal to some fishermen to come along side. I had wished to pro- ceed on with the vessel to France, but my wife feeling a desire to land ( and well she might, having been so much sick ), I agreed with one of the fisher- men, who put us ashore at Brixham, for two guineas; thus, after an absence of 14 years, I kneeled down and kissed the shores of my dear native land, and thanked, from my soul, the God of all mercy, who has ful- filled one of the dearest wishes of my heart. END OF THE NARRATITE. i THE JllSSIOJf, A POEM ; RetpectfuUif inscribed to all Foreign Missionaries^ bj/ their aj^eciionate Servant, the Author, PREACH THK GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE. Mark xvU 15. v Tlie C*'oss display To the bright regions of the rising day : Tempt icy seas, where scarce the waters roll, And bid religion flourish 'neath the pole. 1!j I}] 4 m POFE. Hail men of God ! all hail intrepid youth ! Who lift the banners of Almighty truth ; And feel your hearts with holy zeal expand To wave the Cross o'er every distant land : Nor fear to pass the separating tide ; Angelic hosts your guards and love your guide. Servants of God, for you I strike the lyre : May wisdom guide my pen, and grace inspire. O!: ! may my heart the noblest ardours feel. And God approve, and truth direct my zeal ! I give my mite, and could I more impart The warmot wishes of a grateful heart ; For the poor Heathens' sake would all bestow To shed a gleam of gladness on their woe : To save them from idolatry and guilt. And plunge them in th« blood Emmanuel spilt ; 216 THB xMlSSlON. O'er their dark regions pour supernal light; And to meridian turn their deepest night. Arise my noble friends^ and hear the call Of unsav'd myriads on this guilty ball. Go — plant the cross on every sea-girt isle ; On every land, and bid the desert smile. Make the reviving gospel vridely known From the world's girdle to each frozen zone. Through Scotia's woods, o'er Carib isles proclaim A free salvation in Emmanuel's name. Where'er the breezes blow or rivers glide ; Where flames the rising sun^ or rolls the tide. At Jesus call for man's salvation speed : / Nor pain, nor toil, nor men, nor demons heed. A rugged pfith may lacerate your feet; But bright the crown shines — the reward is sweet. This holy path the bleeding martyrs trod This tribulated thoroughfare to God. Meanwhile belov'd of heaven, 'tis yours to gIow« With zeal, which none but God's true legates know. The burning sands of Lybia to illume; And shed a radiance o'er her ethnic gloom : Bid Ethiopia her hand extend. And point the B'ack Man to the sinner's friend. Your noblest pr ^ers of mind and strength exert^ And every man of every clime convert ; — - - - . —*- Through Scotia'i woods, &'c. Nova Scotia and the West Indies, al(h«ugh mucii benefited already by Missionary exertions, afford still a noble field foiv the spread of the gospel. There are nearly 80,000 inliabitants in the former, and near a million blacks in the latter place. The blacks we have enslaved, contrary to all laws divine and human. Should we not, as the best recompense we can make them for our iinustice, send them, through the medium of the fospel, the precious religion of the Lord Jesus Christ j THE MISSION. 217 Amplificate the reign of saving grace. Till healing mercy all mankind embrace : Till Idol fanes and Pagan altars fall ; Till Jesus reigns from Paris to Bengal : And the wide earthy to her remotest shore. His word believe, — his excellence adore. Join'd with the Lamb in the delightful plan. That leads to deathless bliss immortal man ; Scoffers may sneer^ and fools your toils despise; Your great pursuit is noble, just, and wise. Not Howard's self a brighter mercy plan'd. Than he who spreads the Cross in Heathen land. The world's disciples may condemn the deed ; . But graft their ardour on the Christian creed* When science, letters, fame, and gold invite, -. How far they travel — how unfoiled write. Each nerve is brac'd at glory's instant call ; And wealth or pleasure's magnet — draws them all. In Heathen land. Some of those who are unfriendly to missions assert, that it is iianh and uncharitable to suppose that the Heathens will be lost; yea, some holy men hate admitted that if they tbllow the light of nature, they will af last share an inferior degree of glory, and be finally sated by Christ, ulthough they have never heard of his name: this was the opinion of the author, until he heard some strong reasoning by Mr. Benson, at the London Missionary Meet- ing, which sboolt. his former opinions, and excited him tb look more deeply into the sul\ject; the result of his present views are in the sequel of this note. By the light of nature wc i^^ay suppose the dic'^tes of conscience ( their con- science in the time accusing or excusing *hem. Now, it is plainly demonstrable that the Heathens in general have no internal notions of what is proper, but, as far as we have ai:y knowledge of them, are universally depraved ; for, docs the light of nature teach the Hottentot to murder, and the Greenlander to bury alive his aged patent? Does this light instruct the Chinese to throw tlieir fe- mde children into the river Hogley, or the Hindoos to leave them to perish on the banks of the Ganges? Does it prompt .he American Indian to broil his Srisoners, and the South Sea Islanders to sacrifice living men to their Etooes ? [as this principle instituted the abominable and impure worship of Juggernaut; or doei it instruct the women of Malabar to burn themselvt*s with the bodies of fMr dead huib«nd8 ? lu a word, where are the H«atheui to b« f«uud wli* 2 E I : 918 THE MISSION. Each fearless hero braves the hostile camp ; Each son of science wastes the midnight lamp ; The merchant boldly tempts the waves and wind ; Columbus bravely leaves his Spain behind : Intrepid Bruce an arduous task pursues Through burning sands, hot winds, and noxious Bounds o'er the ocean, to remotest shores : [dews ; SeaSt rivers, mountains, lakes, and woodi explores: To find the source of his adored Nile, He bore with stoic pride incessant toil. Nor are the gravest free,-— the wisest clear ; Both sage and erudite will trifle here : An altitude to take — a star to see; To observe a transit — measure a degree ; They vent'rous sail rounr^ earth and ocean's tide^ And deem their time and taleits well apply 'd. Their conduct is a legacy for you ; -> : ■ '» "^yith equal zeal a nobler work pursue : A nobler motive prompts to nobler deeds ; A purer fame, — a brighter crown succeeds^ wonhip the trne God in any form that is not a lSb«I npon Ats perftNcfioAs, aiid a scandal to devotion' is not the worship of God a cont^ilence of divine JknoKvledge? but, what knowledge of God do tlie Heathens pp^ess ? Theft, cruelty, perfidy, whoredom, murder, and idolatry in its most debasing forms, are the common vices of Heathens : tbry are without ho|>e and without God in fbe world ; given up to a reprobate mind, and filled with all uarighteousneis ; and it 18 nothing to the point to say "Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lor«* will be saved,** or that " In every nation he that fearcth God and worket^ ri^'iteoosnns ii accepted wf him)" for, bow can they call upon God who have rA to much as ht^rd of him? and, do they even in the lowest sense of fbe #ord, eitiier fear him «r work righteoosness ? Alas ! their sta' j is deplorably dark J and though we are not justified in throwing the bolts oiTGod, or dealing damnation round the woild, y£t we should be far C jm the presumption of peopling the kingdom of heavea with such characters as the HeaOientf in their present etatei rather let m anite to send them that precious gospel which tn- lightens the mind, porlfitil fbie b€9rf, and imparts comforts under every portion of htunaa calwnifles. THE MISSION. 219 Yours is the noblest cause that cither man Could prosecute^ or the Redeemer plan : A cause for which, yon burning daj-stai rolls. From east to west, across earth's balanced poles; For which, yon softer moon her light imparts. Guiding to calm reflection human hearts: For which, the prophets spoke — the martyrs bled ; For which, redeeming mercy bow'd his head. A cause that comprehends all human weal : For which, all tongues should plead—all bosoms All hands impart — all human hearts engage [feel : To spread on earth, a more than golden age. Here talenib may unite ; — here eloquence^ Its noblest thoughts — its richest words dispense ; And men and aogels, emulouslyjoii? To spread and promulgate the plaa divine : Till love, — till universal love, unfeign'd, Shall speak on earth, a paradise regain'd. Say not the work is wild and premature : The Lamb shall open every closed door. Bid night and error from the world depart ; And build his throne in every human heart. Already all the gracious signs appear ^ That speak the bright the promised epoch near. Mrtaiy all the Mracitw tigns tppenr. There it hardly a spot in the globe ^here tiie blessed gospel £as not either reflected some scintillations of divine light, or shone with a morb holy splendour during the fify years that are past. Greenland's desolate shores, Afiica's sandy deserts, Labrador's unfre- mented rrgiona, the burning Cuib and Antilles Islands, the Lakes of Ctuiada, toe bonks of the Ganges, have all been cheered with Uie bcBigliit> of thik hol>- visitor, whose pure and salutary influence has been shed both among the spicy grofct of Ceylon, and the sickly swamps of Java; t{ie islands of the Southorn 2 B 2 ii j W) THE MISSION. The spreading cloud some gracious drops distils ; The^first ripe fruit adorns the distant hills . See^ in the east^ some streaks of glory shine Along the norths and o'er the burning line The seed is scattered ; here and there a place Is green ; the soft approach of vernal grace^ Bespeaks]^a boundless summer near at hand. To spread a whitening harvest round the land. Did the Redeemer bid 3hs servants go To every nation and to all below. To preach rich gospel grace fulfraught and free As the soft ether or earth-circling sea. The hour is come ; — a thousand voices say. In every land prepare, prepare the way ! God's ripening providential signs unite. O'er Pagan minds to pour millenial light. And send his truth to nations long forgot In every language of the polyglot. He will arise, his kingdom to assert. To crush his enemies, or to convert ; And, though a thousand obstacles may frown. His arm shall dash each proud opposer down ; Shall sink the towering mountain's crested pride. And bid deep rivers through the desert glide. Main, and the East India Archipelaj^o, have both heard this messenger of the skies. The gospel has been preached in the cold woods of Nova l^otia and Vevr Brunswick t the coBvicts of Port Jackson, the troops of Gibralter, and the fishermen of Newfoundland, have 9II heard the joJ^fulsQund. The pagod of the Budhist, and the palmetto hut of the Black Man, have been visited by ibe ministers of Christ ; they have sounded forth salvation from the palnu of the -south to the lofty pines of the north ; from Britaia to Tartairy, and throughojit pll the shores of Columbia in the new world ! rr*. THE MISSION. Stl Yet, as he uses means tr •vork his ends^ And second causes with the primal blends^ On you the high distinguished grace is shed. His gospel-light and happiness to spread : From man to man through all the moral race. To teach the doctrines of atoning grace ; O'er every sea, o'er every land you cross. Erect the banner of the bleeding Cross ! And claim it for and in Emmanuel's name. The moral empire of the conquering Lamb ! And shall vile sloth and unbelief pretend ' To damp this ardour, and the sin defend ; Create new obstacles on every hand. And to a mountain swell a grain of sand ; Quench the pure flame of consecrated zeal. Which burns in many breasts for Pagan weal ? Forbid it. Lord ! let thy pure gospel run. Thy kingdom triumph, and thy will be done: Thy servants with celestial courage bless; > ^ Bid them go up and Heathen lands possess. Surmount each hind'rance, fly at Jesu's call. O'er earth and ocean like laborious Paul ! U\ If Heathen Greece, the polish'd and the brave, Embrac'd the gospel as God's power to save ; Diana's fane, Apollo's shrine forsook. And every Heathen rite and magic book ; Sage Consul Praetor to the Cross submit. Renounce their riches, learning, fame, and wit. II. 1' m THE MISSION. If Corinth, Athens, Anitioch, and Rome, Sunk in the deepest night of Pagan gloom, Embrac'd the gospel record, and were won To faith and hope in God's eternal son,— Why dread impediments from fiends or men, tle'U conquer now, whose cross triumphed then. Live near to Jesus ! you bis envoys are. In every land the objects of his care ; On sea or soil Emmanuel will attend. By day to comfort, and by night defend ; Expanding brighter prospects to the view. He'll lead the van, and be the rear guard too ; New Scotland's woods or Gambia's wilds illume. And bid the burning sands of India bloom. For whether in a wigwam or a kraal, A Negro's cottage, or a Rajah's hall, A wood or waste, a cabin or a cave. His smile shall gladden and his arm shall save. Lo ! "I am with you" says the Prince of Grace, In every trial as in every place; The barren waste my presence shall beguile ; My love shall sweeten every pain and toil ; My promis'd aid shall every grief compose. And sweetly soothe your warfare and your woes. JfCoriHtkt Athens^ Jntioch, and Rome. Tertullian addressing the Roman governen ia behalf of the Christiacs, assures them that although tbs Christians are as strangers of no long standing, they had already filled a:11 pT icps of their dominions ; their cities, islands^ ca»tl««, boroughs, (soancUs, armii i, tribes, the palace, the senate, and the forum ; they Iiad left to the Heath( ns only their temples: if we were, saith be, to maJie a geotral vecaMioa frota your domi- jiions, ydu would be astonished at yoor tolitude. Bvaom, THE MISSION. 32S Then go ye holy men, the Lord will stand Your friend by day and night, by sea and land : Go in his name, and on his love confide ; Go, and the God of love shall be your guide : Go cheerfully, nor deem the warfare hard ; If great the labour, greater the reward : Your help, the lost, the abject wretch implores; The injur'd Negro calls from Carib shores; Each solitary settler from his Lakes, To you his mild appeal for succour makes; From distant Ganges to the Senegal, " Come help us,** save us is the cry of all. Before you see the Heathen world displayed. Wrapt in the deepest errors' sevenfold shade, A thousand islands in the Southern main Implore your aid, and shall they ask in vain ? Dark Africa, where desolation reigns Along her sickly swamps and sandy plains. Invites you to her shores, the Cross to raisei And bid the wilds resound Emmanuel's praise. F \ W Invites you to her shorn. Except (he aboUtion of the slave trade, which was only a mere -efraioiag from the greatest crime in tlie world, It is lamentable ttt reflect how little has been done by civilized Kurope for poor iiyured, oppresned, and degraded Africa.. We have wronged her in the face of the san; yea, ia the sight of God and angels; we have excited civil wars along her peaceful plains } we have stolen and enslaved ber children ; we have justified onr cmelty by degrading reflections upon her colour and inferiority { and what recompense have we mmc her? I grant the African society has come forward nobly in tier behalf; the church Missionary society; the Moravians at the Cape of Good HopQ ; Dr. Vanderkrmp and others among the Hottentots ; the Methodists and others at Sierra I eone Iwve done some little; but alas! this is only as a drop in the ocean far a country comprehending 63 degrees of latitude, and containing, perhaps, a fifth part of the entire population of the globe. Lord,, hasten the thne when ** Kthiopb sbaU ttrvtch forth h«r hand to God." U 324 THE MISSION. Yon burning isles that spot the torrid zone^ Where oft the lash is heard^ and oft the groan Of famish 'd Negroes driven o'er the soil, To hoc the cotton^ or the cane-plant boil : Those isles invite to plant sweet Sharon's rose, ■Where the dark Upas of oppression grovs; T' inwrcath the sweets that on devotion grow^ With the fell chains of slavery and woe, And bid pure Ghristan hope her standard rear. Amidst the gloomy regions of despair. All eyes are fixM on you, on you the heirs Of many holy hopes and ardent prayers. — Whoever feels a spark of heaven's fire. That beam of bliss, that spring of pure desire ' . Lifts holy hands to heaven for your success. And bids an angel guide, — a Saviour bless Your holy errand ; give you happy speed ; « Your mission prosper and your toils succeed : To send you, cheer you on a distant shore. They ready, cheerful^ liberal offerings pour ; On you the human family depend. To bid the reign of Pagan darkness end ; Wide o'er the moral world the Cross display. From pole to pole difi'use the gospel-day ; In every heart erect Emmanuel's throne. And make the Lamb through every climate knovrn. Wide is the sea on which ye now embark^ And fierce the tempest^ yet secure the ark : I TUB MlS«^tON. ^13 For \^liilc yc sail, with Jesus at the hclnij No rocka cun oplit the hark^ — iiu billows whelm : O'er burning deserts, if required, go; Or, traverse mouutaius ofeternal snow. . r y To wild Acadia magazine of ice ; Java's hot shores, or Ceylon's groves of spice. Fly, if clear duty call, nor dare confer . With flesh and blood, so liable to err. The path of duty leads to God's abode ; And virtue, truth, and reason, point the load. '1 y I'M . ii i Think not of death and danger; — Jcsu's power Can screen and save in every trying hour : Who feeds the ravens, — who for all provides ; Smiles in the sun, or on the tempest rides : xi Will shield from peril, with his holy baud ; And be thy life-guard in a foreign land. Does unbelief suggest a gloomy grave In some lone wild, or 'neaid some surging wave. With ardent Coke, where southern billows roar ; Or, stretch'd within a cottage, on the shore y Like holy Xavier ; still there is abroad. From every clime, an avenue to God. '■ Think not of death and danger. When Jonathan, one of Ihr Esquimaux Mo- ravians! wa« told that the IJnf^va Esquimaux would kill him, he ganerally antwered, *' Well, we will try, and we shall know better when we get tliere:'" and once conversing with us un the subject expressed himhelf thus; " When I. hear people talk about the danger of being killed, I think, Jesus went in death out of love to us, what great matter would it be were we to be pat to death in. his service, should that be his good pleasure concerning us ? — See Voyagf *)tthfi Moravians to Ungava Bay, in Labrador. Like holg Xavier. Of all the Missionaries who distinguished themselves bf real and labour, none acquired a more shining reputation than Francis Xavier, commonly calM " The jfpostle to the Indiane." An undaunted resolution, an ardent piety, and no small degree of genius and sagacity, rendered this famoits Missionary one of the most proper for such an arduous task. In ISes be sailed for India; and in a &hort space of time spread the knowledge of Christiaaitj. 2 F 930 THE MISSION. Th^ bones may, in a distant region bleach^ The happy soul shall heaven's high palace reach. All is secure, if thou his will perform ; Or, in the snow-drift desert, ship, or storm : Till he permit-^tho legion fiends assail ; Thou art immortal ! — CTcrj shaft shall fail. God is a shield, to cover in the hour When foes would swallow up, and fiends devour! His flaming Aegis tn^ll defend thy head ; And thou redeemed, sooth 'd, comforted, and fed. His arm made bare-— his holy arm shalt see ; And heaven and earth combin'd to succour thee. When suns consume, winds parch, and toils annoy; New strength, — ^new life, Jehovah shall supply. In each extremity his grace shall cheer. Repress the sigh, and check the starting tear. For the fierce warfare^ nerve thy upright soul ; And guide the bark, when stormy billows roll. For still on earth, while adverse mortals sway, God's faithful legate has a rugged way : Mis path lies through a wilderness of woe. Where thorns annoy, and vexing briars grow ; Who serves a thankless world the best he can. Must brave the base ingratitude of man ; •Tcr a great part of the Continent. In 1589 he passed into Japan, and laid there, with amasing rapidity, the foundation of the famous church which lour- ished during so many years in that vast empire. lie attempted the conversion of the Chinese, and with this view embarl^ed for that extensive and powerful kingdtfin, in the sight of which he ended his days In the year I SSI: he expired hi a cottage, in the inland of Saachian, deceiveu, betrayed, and forsalien by all biscoontryaicn! MoiHEtv. THE ^JISSION. 127 Nor siok dejected at the sight , — if those He sought to serve^ commence embitter'd foes. Among a world of wolves* your warfare lies. As doves be innoeent, as serpents wise ; Remote from cringing, littleness, or pride ; Firm, modest, calm, polite, but dignified. For wily men will oft your path beset. With many an artful lure, and many a net To draw God's servant in the fatal snare. Unless he act with circumspectest care. . M: ! '"j . When far from Britain's isle and British laws. Who shall redress the suffering preacher's cause ; When petty courts of upstart power possest. The Mission ban — ^the Missioner molest ; And little tyrants misapply the power : States delegate to govern-— not devour ! ' Make brief authority a bigot's rod. To lacerate and crush the work of God. Where shall God's servant find redress from these ? To Jesus then appeal on bended knees : All hearts are his, — he can the stoutesit bend. And turn a persecutor to a friend. Flinch not when duty calls thee to a place Where vice prevails, and virtue hides her face : And licenc'd crimes unblushing front assume ; Nor seek the secret shade, nor midnight gloum, * Behold 1 send you forth at sheep ainon^ wolves.— Matt. z. IS. ^f2 228 THE MISSION. Where terror keeps the trembling vrretch in awe; " Laws rule the poor, and rich men rale the law ;" While penalties^ imprisonment^ and loss^ Attend whoe*er displays the hallow'd Cross. In lieu of honor, scorn, and foi respect; Imbitter'd calumny, and mark'd neglect: Shun'd by the great, the heirs of wealth and place; Ani only follow'd by the poor and base. By men in power and office deem'd a spy ; IVho watch each motion with a jealous eye. And thou, O man of God, obliged to hear Thyself the butt of every scoff and sneer. A friendless stranger in a foreign land : ' A lonely lamb amidst a wolfish band. Far from the sweet society of those Endeared friends, who felt and shar'd thy woes. With prospects all around involv'd in shade : Perhaps thy health, — thy energies decay 'd. IVho watch each motion with a jealous eye. The writer of these lines has seen a sufficient mantfeHtation of thij assertion to justify its havinj; a place here. When he first arrived with his brethren in Nova Scotia, a clerical character, high in office, applied to the governor to adopt measures to stop such dangerous persons from overrunning the province. "What," says Sir John,.** shall we do with them?" *' 1*11 tell you, Bishop, we'll have them all shot." This was a delicate irony, for the governor's heart did not vibrate to the intimations of persecution, in April, lk08, the Autlior arrived in Bermuda, and the snme day a meeting of persons in power was held iu the «hurch to send him from the islands: he btffM preaching to the blaclis, and an ofRciat person sent a letter to deter him, which, however, he felt justified in disobeying : he had the pre> sumption, at the desire of her friends, to bury a poor woman, for which, at fhe request of a certain official person, he was summoned before the governor : he wrote a few hymns for the use of the blacks, and was impeached with ex- citing insurrection and insubordination : he dared to speak of the vices of some in power,' and an official letter, orddring him to do so no more, was the conse* quenoe: he attempted in one place to build a chapel, and some in power went round to forbid ttie people to give. He mentions these thingi to diow how necessary for a Missionary to be a man of prudence. ** Behold," says the Saviour, " I send you forth as lambs among wolves } be ye, therefore, wise as verpcnts aiiU harmless as doves." . . THE MISSION. 339 For lofty chapels now u negro's but. Where few respectables will set their foot : Thy pulpit an old stool, a foot or higher ; Thyselfresponser, chanter, priest and choir; Thy audience but a double score at most: Part black, — the rest unfeeling as a post. Some petty spy, or scoffer at the door, T'insult the females, and revile the poor: Some scribbler's clerk — a wretched, servile thing; A coxcomb's pimp — an ensign's underling: To shake his cane, fume, menace, stamp, and rave ; And rail thee an enthusiast, or knave. In ^u ^ \ state, — on pleasure stamp : To every lot and rugged sross submit^ Hovf e'er it mortify your parts and wit ; And arm'd with fortitude^ thro' frowns or smiles : Press to the mark and glory in the toils. If you my friends Emmanuel's army Iead« Buchanan's sweet simplicity you need : ^ Conquer ! should be the motto on your crest ; ^^ nd Whitfield* s ardour animate your breast : A Daniel's courage, with Efjah's zeal. Must nerve your arm — your upright bosoms steel ; Thus arm'd for service, plunge into the war : And be your watch-word — Christ the conqueror ! £ach active grace, your warfare shall assist ; Fit your bright helm, and gird you for the list : Till ripe for glory's undefiled state. You turn the fight to heaven's immortal gate ; And enter crown'd with deathless laurels won. Through the dear might of God's eternal son. f! Meanwhile, endure as seeing the unseen ; Be calmly firm — invincibly serene : Dash each self-pleasing dalliance from your breast ; Op earth you militate; — in heaven you rest. \ 1 93? THK MISSION. Compel easC'loving nature to complj' : Toil leads to God ; let silky sofiiess di. A Mission is no paradise of ease ; Here l.'^'^e blooms a carnal mind io please. Ye do' .V priests, unequal to the task, Remaiii at home, nor such a warfare ask : These frozen Alps, — ^thcse stormy seas i6 pass. Require a vigorous mind — a frame of brass : A man, whose zeal will every danger brave; That ever frown'd around a martyr's grave. Not dear his life if he can save the lost ; Whatever hazard, toil and pain it cost : Not dear his life, if he (through deserts wild. Where never church was seen, nor sabbath smil'd ) Can preach the Cross, and bid the Pagan see In that bright mirror, man's felicity. [Coke, A Brainard, Swartz, Crantz, yanderkemp and Who firm as anvils to the frequent stroke ; A miMtoH it HO paradite ofeaie. A minion is often a literal cruclfication of llnh and blood { a holy nuulyrdom of all pleasing worldly hopes. The moment a man enters upon this campaign he embraces all the hardships, toild, and perils incident to a formidable warfare ; he renounces all promises made to con-upt nature, and goes forth In the spirit of the Apoitle Ptiul, who ^'counted not bis life deafi so that be might finish his course with joy." " Alas I" says Mr. Horn, *' while we have sofi pulpits, well dressed congregations, good food, and decent clothes, and may relieve the dry study of the apostles and prophets by wantoning in the circle of ancient and modern sciences. We manoeuvre to admiration but to alyure all science bnt that of the gospel to compass sea and land for the love of Christ, to prostitute our eloquence by stammer- ing in a barbarous tongue, to exchange our polished friends for savage associates, to break our constitutions with hardships ir. a sickly clime, and to put off the fine gentlema.i that we may put on the rough garb of Christ's soldiers are things hardly mentioned, and never taught in our collies and universities." ji Brainardf SwartSf Crantt, Vanderketitp, and Coke. These holy men are worthy to be held up as everlasting models for the imitation of all faithful Christian Missionaries : their giant souIk, enlai^ed with the love of God and his creatureS) stretched their useful sphere far beyond the line of other men, and filled up the span of life with laboart and rafferings Worthy the apostolic age ; f=st THE MISSION. 33S Serenelj^ zealous^ confidently bold ; Not lost in softness, — not seduc'd by gold : Flew to earth's utmost bound at duty's call ; And for the Heathens sacrific'd their all. . . 'Tis sweet to pass a 'flower-enamerd vale. Or walk on cowslips through a sunny dale ; Where rivers gently glide, and roses bloom ; The groves all music, and the trees perfume. 'Tis sweet, and many these attractions draw, Whose hearts are gracious, and revere the law; For human passions will attempt to sway Ev'n holy men, whate'er Ascetics say. Henoe honour, letters, friendship^ wealth, and praise. Will strong emotions in an hermit raise^ T^e upright priest may feel his heart incline To spacious chapels 'fill'd and pulpits fine ; To splendid parlours and refreshing fare ; The charm that's novel, and the sight that's rare : The eloqueace to win; impress or draw. As the mild gospel bids, or fiery law. their fervent exertions xtete adniirably calculated to silence the scofis of the in- fidel, r^eem the pledge of Missionary exultation, and transmit .throu!;h the church their rxtt-nsive usefulness to all succeeding ages. Do they now regret that sacrificing ail the refinentents of pastoral elegance and polished life, the ivell furniiiied study, the spacious cliapel, and the crowded assembly, they sub- mitted to U^arn the jargon of Indians, coaforraed'to the wretchedness of Green- landers, wandered the desert with Hottentots, or descended to the level of Negroes, that they might instruct them in the doctrines of the Cross. — ^They mij^it have enjoyed at home the sweets of popularity, tlie cliarms of literature, and the luxuries of wealth; but, having an eye to the *» recompense of tiie r^eward," tbey hailed the reproach of Christ, swore eternal ii(l«-lity to the shield nf faith, ftnd, binding l V : J.' . ii!. 93A THE MISSION. Thro* artic, or thro' equiiioxial waves ; In distant lands find honourable graves : Or 'scape the ti/ger's fang, — the serpent's bite ; The kayman's mortal jaws, — the Malay's spite ; Proclaim the Saviour's life-preserving care^ And to bis love an E^^enezer rear. Believe me brethren, it requires to filf A mission well, no common gifts and zeal : 'Tis not alone, a voyage long and rough ; Though that to timid minds is cross enough. Nor all the nameless dangers of the deep. Where reefs lie hid, and foamy billows sleep. Nor sickly climate, vestibule of death,. Where putrid vapours taint (he vital breath r Dank noxious dews fall heavy on the ground, %4nd stagnant swamps spread pestilence around. 'Tis not unwholesome fare, nor squalid bed; The blinding snow drift, nor palmetto shed : Or^acape the tiger's fang, the serpent^s bile. Lewes Christopher Dehne, a Moravian Mistiioiiary at Paramaribo, in South America, being one evening attacked with a panwysm of fever, resolved to go into his liut and lie down in his hammock ; just, however,, as he entered the door, he. beheld a serpent de- scending from the roof upon him^ in the scuffle which ensued,, the creature •iuDg or bit him in two or three different places, and pursuing him closely, twined itself several times around his head and necli as tightly as possible; ex- pecting now to be stung or strangled to death, and being afraid lest his brethren ihould think the Indians had murdered him, he, with singular presence of niod, wrote with chalk on the table^ "a $erpent hat killed me^^ suddenly, kowever, that promise of the Redeemer darted into his mind, *' they shall tako np serpents and shvil not be hurt f" encouraged by tliis declaration,, lie seized the creature with 4;reat force, tore it loose from his body, and slung it out of the hut ; he then lay down in his hammock in tranquility and peace. jind stagnant Mampt jpread pestilence around. At Prince Rupert's Bay, iu the island of Dominica, there is a dismal pestilential swamp, that has been fktal to several of our Missionaries, three having died upon the island in conse- queace of the putrid miasmitot or exhalation that arises from it. Brothers M*C»rawcb, Ricbwrda«Dy aoA Bb»wk8baw, and several othccs, have br^aoblifed And THE MISSION. 237 *Tis not the artic ice, nor tropic blaze. Toils on the land, nor perils on the seas : Nor savaore beasts, nor more ferocious men ; Nor Indians' fierce 5var whoop, nor t^rger's den: Nor clime — the dog star's rage, — the frigid pole. May touch the clod, but tlie reflecting soul, Secure amidst the elemental strife. Will smile at all the outward ills of life : Retire within herself, and sweetly taste The joys of Eden in a dismal waste: Be the strong bolt by men or devils hurl'd, ' Can brave the fury of a frowning world. : % But can you, O my junior brethren, bear ; ' The fiery conflicts of internal vt ar : \ Forego the claims of sweet respect and brook, A snappish manner^ and a scornful look. From foes you may, but friends you love and please ; Can you bear shyness and contempt from these ? " And thou my son /" — ah ! here's the fiery test. That plants sharp dago:ers in a generous breast. When sorrows rise, and waves of trouble roll; And men afllict the body. — God the soul : ' )an you in that distressing crisis stand> And write amen with firm untrembling hand ? ill to leave the island at the point uf death ; yet some have had tlie weakness to say a West India mission is more pleasant and comfortable than an 1 n|;rnih circuit; were nothing to be apprehended from the seasoning and yellow fevers, perliapi there in no part of tlie world where a Missionary is more beloved, and this n the true reason why some have retnrned to tho!ean> us threat a dibpro- portion to the deaths at home as livf to three | bence, we caKnot sup[)Oke tl^m Hltogfther as pleasant as 4n Eugliiili circuit. ii h W S38 THE MISSION. Cast on the soul-supporting cross ; can you. Though tried, bear up; though harrass'd, still Or sink in silent resignation sweet, [pursue; Calm as a lamb, beneath Jehovah's feet. Kiss the rough rod,*-the bitter chalice take. And hug the Cross for his ( who bled there's) sake. To gusts of wild volition say ''be still," And brook a self- waged warfare on the will : Bear evil tidings with a cheerful grace; Forego respect, and choose the lowest place ; Till patience every head-strong passion sway. And nature's quick and fiery steeds obey; Till lowliness receive the reigns from pride. And meekness sway each breast, and wisdom guide. In all your ways be upright and discreet. Gentle, though firm and resolute, but sweet. In reason's balance every action weigh. Ponder each path and second thoughts obey. While passion sleeps let holy prudence wake. And caution measure every step you take. A grain of prudence on occasion fit Is worth a pound of sense, — a tun of wit. Who gives the inward curb to wrath and pride. And rules his temper well, the church may guide. A patient, gentle spirit, dead to all The smiles and frowns of this unsettled ball. Should o'er his breast its soothing influence pour. Who plants the gospel on a foreign shore. The hasty man must keep his passions cool ; ' The strong seem weak, — ^the wise become a fool : . -s: THE MISSION. 930 The touchy loul a holj stoic grow ; Nor grieve a friend, nor irritate n foe : For ere your labours can avail at all. The brazen walls of prejudice must fall. Join the dove's meekness with the serpent's art; But act the pastor's and the brother's part. Each little error patiently remove By Words of wisdom, and by works of If. ?e. A gentle hand, — an eagle's piercing eye, Must the keen lance or lenitive apply. Zeal point the shaft, — love ease the raging smarts And pour the balm of Comfort on the heart. I But should a caviller your words gainsay. And mock and sneer as many a sceptic may : Can you, but young in this offensive war. Parry each artful thrust, without a scar. Maintain your ground alone, and rise above Each opponent, by patience, skill, and love. Can you the arts of wily men detect. And treat the foes of God with much r^'sncct ? Bear every wound that passion may iniiict; Nor cross the evil man, nor contradict [shun : Luther's prompt warmth, and Kuom's rougbnesss The noblest triumphs are by calmness woo. If envy make and malice tell the lie, A steadfast silence is the best reply. Patience and time will set the matter right; Purge the foul ear, and clear the clouded sight. When called to vindicate the truth, can you Feel zeal for that^ aad love the opposer too P ir *.\ * 240 THE MISSION. Nor stornij nor fret to bolster up a creed : Does Jesus' vrotk unhallow'd frenzy need P If others rage, the fire of strife allay. And softly whisper " brother let us pray/* Thus shall you polish'd shafts and workmen shine^ And master builders in the plan divine. To win the weakest, you must oft forget All knowledge save the Christian alphabet: > The Lamb's atoning blood he first imprest ; * Then the touch'd heart will glow to learn the rest. Unfold the love-contriv'd redeeming plan. That he who made all worlds became a man. Jehovah, whom all heaven and earth confess ! Whose name is love, — his nature holiness ! The LttrnVs atoning blood. In the year 17S5, after the Moravian brethren bad spent eight years in Greenland, they made the following covenant: that the fuand object among ns shall be Jefeus Christ ; and the grand doctrine, the puri- fication of all onr sins through his blood shed upon the Cross, and his being the cause ami source of eternal salvation to all that believe in him; this vire will testify by our vrord, and walk according to the power God shall give us ; and by this we will endeavour to bring the Heathen to the obedience of faith. After ijiis they say that the gospel concerning the Creator's becoming man in 4»rder to redeem his fallen creatures, and his purchasing and winning them with his own preciouv blood, and with his innocent suffering and dying« flew and ikindled like a fire from the Lord in the heart of a perfectly ignorant Heathen, mollified his obdurate miod, illuminated his dark spirit, and brought bis dead leart to life ; and therefore it is obvions that this well tried method, namely, the simple relation and -profitable application of the meritorious incarnation, ^ife-, passion, and death of Jesus, had the best and most infallible ^ect upon the hearts of the Heathens. It is certain that there had been many vicissitudes in point of the method until this year, and the consequences had been as various too, but the more experience made them wise, and the more they were l£d from the effects to the cause, the more intent they became to know nothing among the Heathen but Jesus Christ and him crucified, and the more they found t!iat the {gospel is a power of God, capable of vanquishing the most wild and stupid "Savages.— rSee ( .rantz's History of Greenland, vol. 2. p, 2. The relation of Juliannis the Mahikander Indian is well known; after relating how himself was convarted, and many of hie !ndia«i countrymen by the mention of theblood of Christ, he tlius addressed himself to the Moravian Missionaries: *' Brethren! preach to the Heathen Christ, and his blood, and his death, if yoo would wish to produce a blessing among them." — See Spangenhurg's Account how the BrethrciMrarry on their Missions among the Qeatheni j^gjf 89. iftirngn-i^ THE MISSION. A fallen^ guilty, ruin'd world to save. His son, — his only sou most freely gave ; Who died for man's transgression to atone. And pleads his blood before Jehovah's throne In their behalf, and graciously imparts His loving spirit to renew their hearts. Next show their state as creatures all deprav'd ; Lost, dark, unhappy, helpless^ and enslav'd: By vilest crimes, idolatory and lust; To God unholy, and to man unjust. Bid them repent, confess, believe, and pray^ Till Jesus takes each hell-born sin away. Point to the bleeding Cross the Saviour's side; ' His streaming blood a sin expurging tide : Display a free salvation through his name^ < ; / And draw the rebels to th' atoning Lamb; Till peace and pardon, hope and heaven bloom In Pagan hearts; and all their souls illume.. Oh ! for that zeal, which fir'd the holy few^ Who o'er the Roman world with ardour flew; Expos'd to persecution's fiery storm. And woes, that wore the most terrific form. Racks, prisons, lions, men, and fiends asrreed - To storm their patience, and to, shake their creed . But vain the task, — their breasts were fortified^ Not with the stoic's philosophic pride ; Not with the desperate chactaw's stubborn smile, Who mocks the foes that revel round his pile ; But with such sweetness, faith, and fortitude^ As oft their tyger-minded foes subdued^ h2 i{i 31 Ifi I 4) i\ I l! 242 THE MISSION. And made the tyrant's rage a shorter way To crowns of bliss and everlasting day. But they are gone, and if their mantle flew To earth, — my brethren may it rest on you. Much does the faithful Missionary need The brighter comforts of the Christian creed. I know his heart will often be opprest ; I know the struggles of his anxious breast ; I know his crosses neither small nor few ; I know his fears, for I have felt them too : Yes, I have felt them on the stormy flood. The bleaky mountain, and the pathless wood : I've felt them on a cold and barren shore. Where wild Acadia's frost-wing'd tempests roar. As through the forest's cheerless gloom I've past ; My limbs benum'd and torpid with the blast : Or, as by moonlight on the snow-beat track, I've bridged the floods, and heard the rivers crack. Each rapid torrent cross'd in log canoe ; The drenching rain-storm marsh exhaled dew : The muddy creek, that oft my pathway crost ; The blaze not easy trac'd, and often lost : Each rapid torrent cross'd in log canoe. In British North America there are 4wo kindb of canoes iiiied. The Itirrh bark canoe is peculiar to the Indians ; they are sewed together, and carried on the heads of their squaws or women : they are as light and buoyant as a bit of corli wood, and yet in these barli con- structed vessels they will sometimeft cross lakes, bays, and large arms of the sea; and, though the least preponderance to either side upsets them, yet, when navigated by a family of Indians, with their paddles, tliey glide along like an arrow. The other kind of canoes are those chiefly used by the settlers ; they are made of the excavated trunk of a tree, without either beauty of form or comfort of accommodation ^ they are often very dirty by lying among the mud cf the rivers ; are very easily upset, so that it is difficult to sit in them and pre- serve a state of equilibrium. In these wretched things I have often bad to navigate rapid and formidable rivers, with someUmcs little prospect before m« but that of haviog to swim for my life. THE MISSION. 24S The swampy road, — the floating broken bridge'; The prostrate windfall, and the craggy ridge. Excited many a fear, and many a start, [heart. From danger's brink, that thrill'd my throbbing I've felt his woes, when cold and sleepless laid In the log hut beneath the pine wood shade ; Or when a weight of care and sickness prest This feeble frame, exil'd from home and rest. I've felt his feebleness, when many a mile; The snow drift made my path a path of toil : For oft my weary limbs have ask'd for ease-<7 Ere the log cottage rose amidst the trees. Yes, ere I heard the woodman's echoing stroke. Or saw a glimmer of the curling smoke ; Or heard the house dog's bark salute my ear. That told my anxious heart repose was near. I've known his heart on an unfriendly shore. Where many a crqss and mental death I bore : Or on the ocean, when the tempest drave Our little bark across the broken wave, I've felt his sacred confidence in prayer ; The wild storm howl'd — but Deity was there. I've felt his bosom, peace and comfort too, Sv^eet as May's bloom, and mild as summer's dew. The woodman's blessing, and the Negro's smile, Have more than balanc'd many an hour of toil : When o'er the cottage threshold I have set Mv foot : — Oh \ what a welcome have I met : And when I bid my farewell to depart, A ready tear from every eye would start. Windfall, A tree blown down and lying acrow the raad. 2u9 i 944 THK MISSION. There selfish pride and stifi^ness tvere not known : 'Twas sweet simplicity' aud love alone. No measured distance formtMy polite; The soul felt more than fancy can indite. Simplicity rr^ f jvt impart a charm That makes the warniest welcome doubly warm. Oft has the sacred pleasure thrill'd my hearty , The faithful Missionary's toils impart. As J have kneel'd beside the Negro's bed. Or preach'd the Cross beneath the birch-bark shed; Or in the silent green umbrageous grove, Dispens'd the symbols of atoning love, A sacred energy, verse cant reveal. A peace, — a bliss, would o'er my bosom steal. Dispel all pain, all weakness, and impart The glow of heaven to tranquilize my heart. Happy and cheer'd, I've fac'd the snowy blast; And in my little sled the wild wood past : Or in the shady forest took my way, With God to talk, and nature to survey : Beneath the sugar maple's leafy screen. To pray and read, and meditate unseen ; Till soon the cow bell's tinkling sound I hear Break through the silence on my listening ear : Dupens'd the symbols of atoning love. During; my mission in Nova Scotia, the warmth of the weather in summer, the smnllnt^s of the houses, and the number of people assembled together, bare put me upon the necessity of preach- ing ont ill the open woods i and having a table spread in the wildernets, I have, beneath the shade of lofty pines, administered the Supper of the Lord to a •olenfn and deeply impressed company : this to a fastidious lover of canonical ordef, may appear wild and irregular ; but need I tell such that Paul wor- shipped by a river side, — that Jesus Christ preached on a raonntaiii and in a ship,— and that the first worshipperi of the living God we read of, " stood, aud under open sky, adored the God who made both air, earth, sea, and sky." Cow Mh tinkling $ound. The inhabitant? of the forests of Nova Scotia keep a bell upon one of the cows, -to direct their search when they go to milk them; as the creatures run at large in the woodi, this sound ii the only guide to the epot wbere tiie^ graze. THE MISSION. 245 And as I onward pass to mark the noise, Charm'd have I seen the settler's mansion rise; And hastening to the hospitable cot. Have found a friend in the secluded spot, ^ Whom I could join in prayer for Jesu's grace; Or in sweet converse, all his love retrace. I've felt the mission rose, — ti*e mission thorn ; Sweet friendship's sraile, an^ callous hsitred's scorn ; The bitter trials, and seraphic joys; The Cross on earth, and hope beyond the skies ! For sure there is a bright reward above For whoso cultivates this field of love: A royal diadem for every scar They suffer in this Missionary war. Each happy soul their i .hours sav'd below. Shall in their crown a star for ever glow. Then Yanderkerap his Hottentots shall greet In robes of light around the mercy seat. ^ From wild CafFraria's arid wastes i'fs was one continued effort to imitate the ejianipie of hit BLESSED MASTER. Eis)i>ioye4l as a Protestant Missionary from the Government of Denmark, And in the same character by the Society in Einot.AND for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge, He, during a period of PirrT tkars, " Went about rioing good j" Manifesting, in respect to himself, tlie most entire abstraction from temporal views. But embracing every opportunity of promoting both the temporal and eternal welfare of others. In him religion appeared not with a gloomy aspect or forbidding mien, But with a graceful form and placid dignity. Among the many Fruits of his indefatigable labours was the erection of the church .it Tanjore. The savings from a snmll salary were, for many years, devoted to the pious work, And the remainder of the Expense supplied by Individuals at his solicitation. The Christian Seminaries at Ramnaoporam and in the TiNNEVELLT proviuce were established by him. Beloved and honoured by Europeans, He was, if pAssible, held in still deeper reverence by the Natives of this country, of every degree and every sect; And their unbounded canfideace in his Integrity and Truth Was, on many occasions, rendered highly beneficial to the public service. The POOR and the injured Looked up to him as an unfoiling friend and advocate; The ORBAT and powehful Concurred in yielding him the highest homage ever paid in this Quarter of the Globe to European virtue. The late Utder Allit Cawn, In the midst of a bloody and vindictive war with the Carnatic, Sent orders to his officers V to permit the venerable father swartz to pass Unmolested, and shew him respect and kindness. For he is a holy manj and means no harm to my Government. Th« late Tuuaja, Rajah of Tanairb, When on his death-bed, desired to entrust to his protecting care «.♦ THE MISSION. 247 The western world her Indian tribes shall send To crown the triumphs of the sinner's friend. Thy converts Mayhew^ shall in glory shine ; And there, O Brainard, thou shalt meet with thine : In that immortal joy shall Coke behold [gold ; His Blacks high-throned in bliss, and crown'd with And I my 'Moodian Negro's there shall see ; Yes, — lame black Hannah may exult with mc, ■ Ili^ adopted Son, SEtiFofiEK, the present Rajah, With the administration of nil afi'airs of liis Country. On a spot of ground granted to him hy the same Prince, two miles east of Tanjore, He built a House for his Residence, and made it an ORPHAK ASTLCM. Here the last 20 years of his life were spent in the education and. religious instruction of Children, ^ Particularly those of indigent parent* — whom he gratuitously y maintained and instncted ; And here, on the 13th of February, 1798, Surrounded by his infant flock, and in the presence of several of his disconsolate brethren, ^ Entreating them to continue to make Religion : V the first object of their care, = ," And imploring with his last breath the Divine Blessing on their labours. He closed hit truly Christian Career, in the 72d year of bis age. The East India Compant, Anxions to perpetuate the memory of such transcendant worth. And gratefully 6ensib1e of the Public Benefits which resulted from its influence, Caused this monument to be erected, Ann. Dnm. 1807. Missio.vart Register. Yes, — lame black Hannah may exult with me. This %vas a deeply piniis Bermuda Negro, to whom the Lord made the author of this narrative an instru- ment of good; and who in her turn, was the blessed means of quickening, and often enlivening his soul. By reason of a caries in the bone of one of her legs she was completely bcdiidden, as the bone rotted away piece by piece, and wat ns blaek as a coal; nevertheless, she was always happy — always riyoicing in God : and when I visited her, though she would sometimes show me another piece of the rotted bone wrapped up in a rag, yet with uplifted eyes Hannah would say *''tis all well, — my blessed Lord and master does all things well," She had always srtme new disclosures to make of what God had done fpr her •oul: she could not read a word, and yet 1 never heard a person enter deeper into the sweetness of communion with the Redeemer, and the inward walk of a Christian, or speak more clearly of the deep things of God ; sometimes she would for whole days together sit up in her bed with her eyes shut, without tasting any food, or taking notice of any person; during which times she would receive such communications as it is hardly possible for me to describe, though I have been edified by the relation of them, and abased that my owa 'Moodittn, so in the Somers Islands tbey .pronounce Bctmudiao. ■; i Xr.^3 248 THE MISSION. And 'Tony Rurges — bless bisi bonest smile; ' And Sally Tucker, loving without guile; Who kiss'd my coat, and bless'd the path I trod ; Hr MitntdeHf A^f'\tiHv J riacM yames i>CMi.*ionaries cn/creiyn Juti'ivm.' Mark cXr9 WAii^ jhfM Jtttiqua JUamoi' Moiyan.Jokn lewU. Jtaniel SiUier. 2^86 i '^gtfS 1 a7 Ch*rtvphm Jam'*. Whiiwortk . Jn.Jtady. ThofJ[mMtJnJlayiur.Ihc'3lackbiim 2JS7 9g4l^ 1 44 \^$^ Nevis Sastv^J*. Jfoolieif. JnJfortier. jj6d \23iL 1 34 1 284. BarAvicmm Jerenuak Boothbif. ijyd tkfs ., , , i , ^.y 0'6t JeHvla Sr riu ffryinlflatidi ^or^e Johnsivne.WTfl^siermm ff^Shretrsbuty . 1 7^>' 224*^ Dcminuia Abraham- fyhitehouse. ijSS jop 2 710 Kncenif Jn.Hace, WV^t'oiiltajf. JnDAUen nr^Beacock. 1794 iff^sf^ 26 j '^86^ Barbadces Cttverlei/ Jfileif, 27^36 \i7 \63. 1 \&vnada JiUlAf Miiron^, m^' ^7P 1 2 do Irinadad Geort/e Tcole. iSog i.u8 4- 1 '^20 1 Jamau'a Jh. Jfiagans. Jn .Sbipman, Jn.JBurye.f. W!" Smith, 1 276^ 2676 ;?;? '^700 Jmhtmui Islands Jl^Iurton, W^DanKfon. Jos^^ani, Jto^rMbore.Michaelffedi 1600 660 404 2064 Bermudof.oT JF^WUsonJfoses.Jiat/ner. 1808 37 ng 6'8 winfaScoiia WTMemei. HTTBlack. JJTnowlan. Ric -Armstrong J^an.JnMm. JJiunbea-.S.Bemubnl. Jfamejt JUcfde^. 1780 8 680 686 New Brunsirick' WJ^Crosscomh. Duncan Jf'ci^U. ^790 20 360 37^ VetrfomuUand Sampson Buj'by. B^£Uif,Jn.Iems. JnJhckavunl; JhfSickjson.J.Mvkfon. ^4 460 460 |, la/land . Johnmt'k. JfrMulpilt. 1808 So So \ Canada, Micf*WMiams Jn. J>eJ\itrcn Jh. Strong. 1,814 5o So GihmUrr Ben^. ffood 1804 63 S3 \fierra£ecne WiUr^Davies 1821 200 100 Ceylon W^Mjfarvard JXynch T/f.Sqiuaux Oeorpe Erskine Sen^^Clouyh 2824 So So \t,t ^t MannkHf ^v-viAtv ct' a Milton. JSld . 86 \ -^gdS \JViunte' 't^mtr n '^ifd6\£npli:i I Greal OutTtfr ^7 ^5?^5 68 J32Z 44 \ ^$8^ D. 34 'y8\ti4S A'f '' \ J)'' 13-45 i>'' ii>^ 'jy^^f 86^^o k'Aaiiexivn J)f ()66^ \ If fmden 88 I '2ojii j6 \ ^148 \iircat 88 \ jop 94 \ ^^3^ 28 fio '^864 ^' (S:SL S-V2:: ^7^-»<2«»^«»^ ^ J)'' I JOl no j88c D' d8\36 \2j \63. J)^ D^ Bo/semi i D %^^^3^oo J^sl^n D^ ^' t^4M,,^^'*''^'^'^^ ^' go ^79 ^^ ^>i6 :jjdo Port ^fiieoiye D' J)" 8y I ^678 2Q \ 2700 £nt/li>'h\ Di" vo \68o 404 1064 78 37 ^9 I ^^ D' jy. D"" D' 7(^V44mi'nr'^:i_ 77^37 rfUcn."^^^ Sintfstvn J)' Mi/^fau If. ^.^GecroeS- ffamiiton D' lo 8 680 688 \ h'! \ Df •^460 ffalifar If. w 10 360 o 480 37(^ 460 D' J)' ir f '!-^'f3S^ ^Soo ff4?^^dW£4n S.^Jbhn J)" Bf dHokn. jy ^8 o 60 So 4 5o 6c Iferwhi.- J)" M 46?o:2^lat e^Fo.'f&tffi. If 7i':io'Jaon ^5oo Charlotte Town, no R 2760 (Quebec Myn8'C€il J)':' o 53 53 Enplisk D' 200 o 100 InffUi-h D' 36?b:MLat. 8fj6:MLat l2t"3i\nnAm 1020 Cridraliet Eurvpe 2700 Free Town AJrica o So So (XnftUee^ TanuU Fortuguti ZngUfh \tii J)f 7roo'jatU \82r4o:Min JIOCO (A)hiJnbo A*fl(L ^fJBSS^S^^ i:^/ .••■:• *• APJPJENDIX, it; itit Containing u brief Account of t'he pretent State of the different Missionary Establishments in most parts of the World; toge- ther with the Missionaries employed^ the Societies by whom the^ are supported and sent out ; also several useful Fables ; exhibiting at one view, a variety of interesting Particulars relative to Missions. Thy kingdom, tome. Matt. vi. 10. Yes,— his shall be the kiaxdom! He shall cofiie. Ye scoffers at his tarrying! hear ye not, Even now, the thunder of his wheels ? — Awake Thod slumbering world : even now the symphonies Of that blest song are floating through the air,— • ** Peace be on earth, and glory be to God !" A brief Abstract of the Methodist Missions, Thb Methodist societies first sent Missionaries to foreign parts in the year 1770, In that year they sent Missionaries to Anglo . America ; and how the blessed seed then iown has prospered, the follpwing statement will testify. There are in society in the diff. «rent States of United America, the following numbers : Whites. Coloured. ,,, In the stat6 of Ohio . . . 22723 561 In the state of Tennissee . . 23633 . 2066 fn the state of South Carolina . 23966 . 13771 In the state of Virginia . . 19817 . 6334 In the stale of Maryland . . 20272 . 7790 In the state of Pensylvania . . 23873 . 10884 . In the state of New York . . 17928 1121 In the New England states 11768 92 In the Gennessiee Country . . 10468 40 Whites 171448 42659 • Colourexl 42659 Total 214107 .. ,^- ..,..;.•/:? -f NttMb^!' of travelling preachers . • . ■ . M^^:\.., 2i2 * • !'•» . »— -^^-J- ' - ' — ' - 252 APPENDIX, The following tabic will exhibit the progressive stages of the first mission established in America to the present time : Voaio No. of Persons No. of Years. No. of Persons No. of Hears. iti Society. Preachers, in Society. Preacberf, 1773 1160 10 1795 60291 313 J 774 2073 17 1796 56664 293 1775 8148 19 1797 58663 262 1776 4921 24 1798 60169 267 1777 >'' 6968 36 1799 61351 272 1778 6095 29 1800 64894 287 1779 8577 49 1801 72874 307 1780 8504 42 1 «02 86734 358 ir8i 10539 54 1803 104070 383 1782 11785 59 1804 113134 400 1783 13740 83 180^ 1 19945 433 1784 14988 83 1806 130570 452 1785 18000 . 104 1807 144599 516 1786 20681 117 1808 151995 510 i787 25842 133 1809 163098 597 1788 37354 160 1810 174560 635 1789 43262 196 1811 1845S7 667 1790 61631 227 1812 195357 688 1791 63153 250 1813 214307 678 1792 65361 266 1S14 218000 680 1793 67643 269 1815 No accouut 1794 66608 301 1816 No account ; In Nova Scotia andNero Brunsicick^ tlie conference have had a flourishing mission ever since the year 1780. To this cold s^nd dis^ tant region they have at ditTereut times sent 19 Missionaries, and have 11 there at present. In many parts of these forests the people would hardly ever hear the gospel, except for «he Methodist Mis. sionaries. The country is nearly as large as England, with only a population of 80,000 ; hence, the settlements are scattered, and often far apart ; th re are about 14 chapels, and perhaps 80 or 100 different preaching stations. — This is r wide field, and admits of very extensive cultivation. — See the preceding Narrative. Newfoundland is another mission station. To this colony of fishermen they have sent 14 Missionaries ; at present they have six in different parts of the island who are labouring Avith great en. eouragement and success : as there are few ministers but the Methodist Missionaries, the place would be in a deplorable state if deprived of their useful labours. The West India Islands from Jamaica to Barbadoes, have, since the year 1786, had Methodist missions established npoa them :"r- APPENDIX. 25C tiiese missions are chiefly fur the black and coloured people, though hundreds of Whites have bee:i benefitted by their influence. To these islands theMethodist conference has, at different periods, sent 105 Missionaries, and myriads of the poor Negroes have had cause to bless God for the joyful sound. The connexion have now 31 Missionaries labouring in this Archipelago ; many of them with great success, and others amidst much persecution. In Upper and Lorser Canada^ and Prince Edzsard^s Island in the Gulf of St. Lazcrence^ they have missions established. In UppcrCanada, there are societies at Augusta, Bay Quintie, Smith's Creek, Young Street, Niagara, Ancaster and Long Point, and Detroit. In Lower Canada, there are societies at Quebec, Mont- real, Ottawha, and St. Francis. — These provinces are a nolle field fur missions, as there are more than 250,000 inhabitants in them. The gospel may be spread from the three rivers to Lake Superior, and from the Bay of Chaleur to Hudson's Bay. At present, we have only three Missionaries in the two provinces, and two at Prince Edward's Island. Several zealous, active and enterprising young mei , who could preach both in French and English, might do immense good in these provinces. The author has lately received a letter from a respected friend in America, who has been travelling in Canada, in which he informs Mm, that the people and the trustees wish for l^-nglish Methodist Missionaries : surely such an extensive part of the British empire should engage the attention of our mission committee. At present, thftre are in society in Upper and Lower Canada; UPPER CANADA. Augusta . 450 Bay Quintie . 655 Smith's Creek 120 Niagara 527 Ancaster and Long Point .... 569 Detroit 130 \ 2451 LOWER CANADA. Quebec : 26 Montreal 52 Ottawha . . « 97 St. Francis 120 295 254 APPENIKX. At Ci\i/loni in the East Indies^ a Mtithdist mission is now esta- blished under ttie must happy auspices, botli of providential and human patronage ; and from the best accounts, the prospect was most promising ; — a Budhist priest was made the happy first fruits of an expected gracious harvest. Six additional Missionaries have been designated for this island, and we should De happy to hear that some one of the senior and experienced preacliers has accompanied them on this important mission, both to direct them by his counsel, j^nd encourage and animate them by his example. When the Mis- .sionaries shall have learned the laiiguaae, we may, through the blessing of God, expect largely from their labours in this populous island, where it is said, there are 1200 temples dedicated to Pagan deities. Gibrallar and Bermuda are both favoured with a Methodist mission. The first of these is important, as a garrison, and the last as a aaval station. From the Gibraltar mission, much good has resulted to the troops, and owing to the paucity of other preaching in the Bermudas, a large portion, both of the white and coloured inhabitants have been greatly benefitted by the mission. — See the Narrative. The Sierra Leone mission is st'!l in its infancy ; but as the C'^m- mittee have sent an active Missionary to that pan of the world, wo are willing to hope that the benighted Africans in those parts will stretch out their hands to God. * To the Cape of Good Hope and Net;; South Wales, two Mission- arief have been sent : the one sent to the Cape has, however, been hindered by the government of that colony from preaching ; and af the other cannot h»v^ lung arrived at the place of his destination, nothing particular has yet transpired relative to bis situation. The annexed plate will exhibit at one view, the present state of the Methodist missions: the first co'>...nn contains the names of places in which missions are established ; the second contains the present Missionaries; the third, the years when they were esta- blished, and so on, for the encouragement of those young men who are employed, or who may still embark in the blessed work. I have placed in one view, all Ihe minutes made by the different con- ferences, relative to tiieii missions ; likewise the happy deaths of such as have died upon mission stations ; to which I have also sub- joined a list of all the Missionaries who have been sent to foreign parts by the <;onferenco, with a specific|tion of the places to which they wero sent. •«^>V APPENDIX. 255 Various Bulcs, Regulations and Minutes, made hy the different Conferences, in Relation to Mission- furies labouring: on Foreign Stations. Rules made in 1799. Any preacher in the West Indies, whose state of health, accord- ing to the judgment of a physcian, requires it, may visit the Island of Bermuda, (one; of the healthiest spots in the world) or the con- tinent of America, and continue there as long as expedient. The preachers in the West Indies, shall not be considered as under the regulations of the connexion in Europe, in rcs|)ect to marrir^ge ; but none of the preachers who are not in full coifhexion, ai * -. marry, till they have consulted the conference or Dr. tjoko : nor are any of the prpatliors married or single, to return to P^iiropc, till they have previously consulted Dr. Coke, and received the ap- probation of the conference, or of the doctor. ' The following Question was asked in 1800. What shall be done for the relief of the foreign missions ? A. A collection shall be made in all our congregations in' Great Britain, foi the support of those missions the ensuing year, and the money sent to Mr. Whitfield. N. B. Respecting the foreign missions, the following rules- were adopted : 1. The superintendents shall be responsible to the English conference, and to their agent, the Rev. Dr. Coke. 2. The supeiintendents shall keep exact accounts of all monies received by them on account of the missions, and of all disburse. inent» of that money, and transmit those accounts annually to Dr. Coke, or, in his absence, to the London superintendent, to be laid before the conference. 5. That every local preacher who may, in future, be sent out as a Missionary, shall f-nga?;? to labour as such forthe term often years, previous to his enjoying the privilege of travelling in Europe. 6. That every preacher, who is on trial as an itinerant, when sent out as a Missionary, shall labour as such till the time of his pro. ba(ion be expired, and six years following. N. B. The two last rules shall not affect those who are already engaged. 7. Thatevory preacher in full connexion, who goes out as a Missionary, shall labour as such for the term of six years, provided, that in all the above cases, if the health of the Missionaries re- quire it they shall have liberty to visit Bermuda, Nt)va Scotia, or New Btnnswick. 8. No person shall, in future, be employed as a Missionary who is not received upon trial by the conference, accordiug to «ur rules, or inserted in the list of reserve. 'i"| 111 m m ! 111. if)'. I ]-V 256 APPENDIX. 0. That all our rules of discipline, respecting the admission and excliision of members, holding love leasts, &c. shall be strictly enforced as in Europe : and that the authority of the superintend dent in all these things, be the same in every place. 1801. The conference being informed, that Thomas Pattison left his circuit (IJarbadues) without permission, highly censure such con- duct. They pass it over at present with a strong censure ; but shall in fature consider every Missionary who is guilty of this fault, as withdrawing himself from the itinerant plan, both in the Weal indies and Europe. 1802. Q. 14. What regulations are necessary to be made in respect to the West India missions? A. 1. The rule which requires that each of the Missionaries who never was a travelling preacher in Europe before he was sent to the VVest Indies, shiiU continue there for ten years, is repealed. 2. The following regulations are agreed upon. (1.) That every NVest India Missionary, who has been pre- viously received into full connexion, shall be obliged to labour in that Archipelago for four years. ('2.) That every Missiouo^ry, who has previously travelled in £urL>j)e on trial, shall be obliged to travel in the West Indies for five years. (3.) That every Missionary who has not travelled at all in Europe, shall be obliged to travel in the West Indies for six years. (4.) If any Missionary be so ill in body, that he cannot con- tinue in the West Indies, without the utmost danger of dying, he shall remove either to Bermuda, Nova Scotia, or New Bruns. wick, until he has received further directions from the Conference or Dr. Coke. (5.) No Missionary is to return home (agreeably to a former rule) until he has wiitten to the Conference or Dr. Coke, and received an answer. (6.) The MisionarJr' are desired to send to Dr. Coke by the April packet, a rtrular account of their receipts and disburse, ments for the preceding year. T >s direction has been already given, but some of the Missionaries have not complied with it: the Conference, therefore, insi&j: upon it that all the Missionaries ^hall, in future, be exact in complying with this minute. 1804. (7.) The superintendents of circuits are directed to lookout for proper Missionaries among the travelling and local preachers in their respective circuits, and to go through the due forms con. eerning them ; and the chairman of districts are also directed to make particular inquiry on this business, at their district meetings. Q. What regulations are made respecting the missioas ? ferenc.e. APPENDIX. 257 A. 1. Dr. Coke is ro.appointcd tu the office of general super, intendeiit of all our missions. 2. A committee of liaance and advice is appointed, consisting of all the preachers stationed iu Ijondon. 3. Dr. Coke is appoiiit<'d president of this conintittee, Mr. Kntyyisle the secretary, and Mr. Lomas the treasurer for th« ensuing year. 4. All olticial letters and commimication^ what- ever from the Missionaries, shall be laid, from time to time, be- fore the committee, and their advice taken upon the same. 1805. Q. What can be done for the support of our important nibsions ? A. 1. Let the collection which has been frequently made for their support in our congregations, iu town and country, be an- nual : and let the proachers who make this collection preach ex. pressly on this subject at the time of making it, especially in ali the larger places ; and let the money thus collected be all trans- mitted to the book.bteward, at the farthest before Christmas. 1806. Q. Can any improvement be made in the management of ouPi foreign missions i A. The West India islands, where we have missions, shall be immediately divided into districts, according to the plan adopted at home. 2. The chairman of each district shall be annually ap- pointed by the conference at home. 3. The secretary shall be chosen by ballot, at the commencement of eacl) district meeting, which shall assemble annually as soon as cuiivenieut, after Easter Sunday. 4. A book shall be provided iu each district, and kept by the chairman, in which the minutes of every meeting shall be registered, yem after year. 6. In these minutes, the must par- ticular and detailed accuunts of all collections, receipts, and dis- bursements, shall be regularly inserted. 6. Every year a full and faithful account shall be sent to the secretary of the Missionary committee in London by the lirst packet, sign< d by all the preach- ers present, or by the chairman or secntary. 7. The district; meetings shall be subject and accountable to the general superin- tendent and the Missionary committee at home ; and they subject and accountable to the conference. 8. It is expected that the several district meetings will furnish annual information to tlm general superintendent and committee on the following subjects, viz. (1.) the state of their liaances. (2.) The state of our cha{>els and other ])roperty m the West Indies, with regard to their security to the connexion. (3.) The nuniber of preachers, who, in their judgment, are necessary for each island, and conse- quently the number of new Missionaries which may at any time btt wanted. (4.) Their opinion concerning; the stationing of the preachers in the islands, subject to the control of the British con- ference. (5.) The general state of religion in the islands; ami 2k 'MiM 2$8 APPENDIX. (6.) The characters of the preachers, with respect to moral con. duct, doctrine, and discipline. (9.) The general superintendent, in conjunction with the Missionary committee, shall have authority to engage for our foreign missions any married man, who may b& deemed sufficiently qualified for that work; provided that such married man shall sacredly engage never to expect a circuit in Great Britain, and to make no demands on any of the funds of the conference. N. B. Brother William Jenkins is appointed to succeed brother Bntwisle, who removes fromlxtndon, as secre- tary to the Missionary committee. 1807. Q. What further regulations aie adopted with respect to our ims(>lons ? A. 1. No pCTson shall be employed on any of our missions at home or abroad who is not deemed perfectly proper to be em. ployed !n our regular circuits, when the conference shall 40 deter, mine. 2. The preachers on trial, who shall be sent on foreign mission^, in this or any future year, shall be subji-ct, with respect to marriage, to all the rules which apply to preachers on triaHn this country ; the exemption formerly allowed to our foreign Mis- sionaries being hereby repealed, with jcspect to tho«e who may bo hereafter sent out. 3. The public collections for the missions are to be made, at usual, in all our congregations, and should be transmitted to Mr. Lomas before Christmas. N. B. 1. The con- ference determines that none of our preachers employed in th«> West Indies, shall be at liberty to marry any person who will n*ot previously emancipate, in the legal methods, all th» slaves of vhom she may be possessed : and if any of our brethren thertv already married have by such marriage, or in any other way, be- come proprietors of slaves, we require those brethren to take^ immediate and cfiectual steps for their emancipation. 2. The secretary of our mission committee in London, is directed to send .t copy of this minute to every preacher in the West Indies, ami to require a report, next year of the manner in which it has been obeyed. 1812. What new regulations are necessary on the sul»ject of missions ? 1. Let no preacher be sent to any foreign mission unless he be first proposed to, and approved by the conference. 2. Let all our missions be placed on the same. plan both as to government and pe- cuniary support. 3. Let the committee make all such retrench- ments in the different departments as may be found consistent with i\\e glory and work of God. 4. Let a general superintendent for the West India Missions be appointed ; if a suitable person can be found who is m illing to go out in that capacity ; and be changed every two or three years as nay be deemed best. 6. One general dit>trict meeting shall be annually held in the Leeward and Wind* APPENDIX. 25i^ 'It? ward Islands, in the month of April, in lieu of the three district meetings which have been held there of late years. The po>fer of this meeting in the way of censure, shall not extend farther than suspension. They shall form and transmit a plan of stations for the inspection and approbation, or rt>jection, in whole or in part of the British conference. And they are further expected to for. >vard all possible information on every point of importance connect. «d with the missions, to the committee and the conference. N. B>, A second Missionary may be sent to the island of Jamaica, if Dr. Coke and the Missionary committee shall unitedly deem it prM<)er.. 1813. What is the judgment of the conference concerning the proposal of a Methodist mission to the East? A. The conference authorizes and appoints Dr. Cuke to under^ take a Mission to Ceylon and Java, and allows him to take with him six preachers for that purpose, exclusively of one for the Cape of Good Hope. ., ' 1814. What further directions shall be given respecting our Missionary affairs ? , > A. 1. Our Missionaries in Newfoundland shall be instructed to pay particular attention to St. John{). 2. Three Missionaries, in addition to the two already there, shall be sent to Newfoundland ; two to Demerara ; one to Mont«* Teal ; and two to New South Wales. 1815. ^ Q. 10. What plan shall now1)e adopted in consequence of the d»ath of Dr. Coke, the late general superintendent of the Method- ist missions, for the future management of those important concerns I A. 1. AH our missions shall be subject as heretofore to the ge. neral direction of the conference, under whose authority the Misj sionaries ha?e engaged in the work, and ^vlio are responsible to them for the provision of the necossary supplies d'uring the continu-- ance of their engagements. 2. The spiritual concerns of the missions shall be under the ex. elusive superintendence of the conference; who shall, in particular, have the sole right of selecting and appointing Missionaries, accord- ing to the established rules respecting the admission of preachers into our body, of stationing, frcm year to year, the Missionaries •o appointed, and of trying, censuring, or recalling them, whenever such measures may seem expedient. 3. The missions and Missionaries appointed by the conference,' •hall be saperintended, during the intervals of the sittings of the conference, by an executive committee, consisting of the preachers stationed sn London, aud of the two general treasurers mentioned ia the succeeding article of this plan. 4. Two joint treasurers for our general Missionary fund, shall 1)6 auaaally chosen by the conference ; one of whom, for the caaw %il2 ... ' !'f« 11 i!4 i|t n" fi^t^^i^^^^tm 360 APPENDIX. Tenienceof the Mi8sionari«8, shall be a travelling * rs, the| sums drawn out by a separate order, shall he especially notitied tu the commit, tee at their next meodng. 6. Two of the preachers stationed in London, shall be annu.ally appointed to act as secretaries to the executive committee and con. ference for Missionary afl'airs. f. The accounts of receipts and disbursements on account of our missions, shall in future be made up to tlie 24th day of June in each year. a. A committee of examination and finance shall be annually chosen by the conference, to meet on the Friday and Saturday which shall immediately precede the meeting of the ensuing conference, and in the same city or town in which such conference is to be held. This comwVifxi shall consist of the president and secretary of the conference, for 'he time Ining ; — of the two general treasurers, and (,ho foundland. Nova Scotia, New Brunswi shall be permitted to draw a bill for mon time, without previous advice and explanauun ot the extraordinary nature and circumstance of tite ca^^e. No Missionary stationed in the East shall be permitted to draw a bill fur more than one hundred and fifty pounds at one time, without similar advice and expla. nation. And were there are more than one preacher on the parti, cular station at which any such bill is drawn, all their names shall be affixed to the bill. Q. 20. Who are the general treasurers aod secretaries for our missions, for the ensuing year. A. Thomas Thompson, esq. M. P. and Mr. James Wood are respectfully requested to accept the office of joint.treasurers; and Mr. Buckley, and Mr. Thomas Wood are appointed joint, secretaries. Q. 21. W^ho shall compose the committee of examination and finance, for our Missionary ailiairs, for the next year ? A. I. The president and secretary of the conference, the general treasurers, and the preachers in London, are ex officio, members of that committee. 2. The nine preachers appointed according to rule, are the following, viz. Henry Moore, Adam Clarke, Charles Atmore, Walter Griffith, George Highfield, Richard Reece, Samuel Taylor, Robert Smith, and George Mor. ley. 3. The following persons, viz. Joseph Uutterworth, esq. M. P. Mr. David Bruce, Mr. Joseph Bulmer, Mr. William Marsden, Mr. John Cooper, Mr. Thomas Marriott, Mr. Richard JSmith, (all of London) Mr. Hulett, of Brompton, and Mr. Jennings, of Rotherhithe, are respectfully requested to act as the nine other members of the committee. Q. 22. What increase shall be made this year in the number of our foreign Missionaries ? A. [n compliance with the pressing requests received from abroad, and in humble dependence on the blessing of Goi^, and the continued exertions and liberality of our friends, and of the public, we authorize our executive committee to ^end out, as soon at convenient, A. ^ v^^ v^,^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 11.25 ■ii|21 §2A ■so ^^~ ii^H >tt Uii 122 ■luu 6" ^ ^, Ji' .** r ^ '/ HiotograiJiic Sciences Coiporalion ^^^V^'^ ^^' 23 WIST MAIN STMIT WUSTIR.N.Y. I4SM (716)«72*4S03 '^ -: ,—-*; 562 APPENDIX* Four additional Missionaries to the West Indies, &c. Four ditto to the British provinces in North America ; Two ditto to Newfoundland ; and Six ditto to Ceylon and the East. N. B. Several other proposals respecting the extension of our Missionary efforts, which were laid befoie the conference, are referred to the consideration and discretion of the committee. 'A sJwrt account of Missionaries who have died on foreign stations ; — extracted from the general • minutes. 1791. Robert Gamble died in the isknd of St. Vincents, in the West Indies. He laboured for some years as a travelling preacher in England; but spent the last three years of his life in the conversion of the poor despised N^roes. Last February he was seized with a putrid fever, and, aftr*r a sickness of sixteen days, Entered into glory in the triumph of faith. 1792. Thomas Worrell, a most promising youtig man. For Bome time he laboured in Ireland, his native country, >vith success. Afterwards he devoted himself to the work of God among the Heathens ; and after a short, but successful ministry in the island of Jamaica, he died the death of a saint, — of a Christian entering into glory in the full assurance of hope. 1793. James Wray, a faithful labourer in the I^ord's vineyards Far several years he travelled in England with success. His xealous spirit then led him across the Atlantic ocean to Nova Scotia, "where he was rendered useful in his master's cause ; and lastly he closed his steady race in the rsland of St. Vincent, resign, iag his soul into the hands of his faithful Creator, with all that resignation, peace, and holy joy, which might be expected from a father in Christ. 1794. Abraham Bishop, a native of the isle of Jersey. He began his itinerant labours in the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and concluded them last year in the island of Granada, in the West Indies. He was one of the holiest mea upon earth: he lived continually within the veil; and his soul nninterruptedly burned for the salvation of the Heathen. He was instant in season and out of season ; a useful preacher iall the day long, without the least breach of modesty or decorum. He pwached well both in English and French. In the same leiter,: ef which two-thirds were written by himself in the roost lively and Mtimating manner, an account was sent us of his death^ by the Uev. M. Dent, the rector of St. George, Granada, who loYed iiim as his own child. APPENDIX. 263 Daniel Oraham, \^ho preached for some years in Ireland. He tiien crossed the Atlantic ocean, to carry the everlasting gospel to the Negroes in the West Indies. He was a man of great piety, and 6( a deeply crucified spirit. But the Lord in his mysterious pro. Tidence,was pleased to take hhn to his great reward, in the prime of his life and usefulness, and in a few months after he had begun his labours among th*^ Heathen, in the island of Barbadocs. Both lie and Mr. Bishop d.ed of the yellow fever, which lately raged in so dreadful a manner in these islands. 1795. Benjamin Pearce. — He travelled eleven years In Eng- land, Ireland, and the West Indies, with an unhlamcable cha- racter, and Considerable usefulness. In a voyage from Granada to Barbadoel he was i^eized with a putrid fever, and died on liis passage. Before he expired, he called the captain of the vessel, tmA said to him, ** Tell my friends, when yoa arrive in Barbadoes, that I die happy in God." John Cooky who was appointed to labour in the West Indies^ He weS recommended in the strongest manner by all the preachers, stewards, and leaders of his circuit. On his arrival at the island of Tortbla, he was seized with the putrid fever, th^n raging tu that part of the world. A lodging was prepared for him on a hill, where the air was particularly salubrious, and two physicians at- tended hrm, but all in vain. After an illness of five days, he was taken to his reward, in the prime of life, and in triumph. Hov unaccountable are thy judgments, O God ! ' 1799. Bartholomew Mc. Donald, a young preacher of great piety and zeal. He offered himself ds a Missionary for the con. Version of the Heathen, and was accordingly sent to the island of Antigua, where he died of an epidemic fever, to the great regret of all who knew him. His usefulness for about a year among the poor Negroes, afforded pleasing expectations that he would have proved a very useful preacher of the gospel; but God in his mys- terious providence, was pleased to cut off our blooming hopef^, and to take his servant to himself in the triumph of faith. James Richardson^ who wax also young. He was appointed by the lust conference to labour in the West Indies. He landed on Good Friday on the island of Jamaica, preached four times, and fnet a class once, and, in seventeen days, finished his course with joy. During his illnessj which continued only seven days, he •xpressed great confidence in God. 1800. Francis Jnene. — He was a native of the island of Jersey, and spoke fluently the French language. He was a very holy man, and of a pleasing temper. There was a great probability of his being exceedingly useful among the Negroes in the island of Gra- nada, after it bee \me subject to the'J)ngli«li. But it pleased God to call him hence, by a violent fever. • ■ «a4 APPENDIX. 1 802. Joseph Bocock.-r-VLe was a yuuni; man of a most amiable* disposition, good taleuts and deep piety. He was appointed to la. bour in the islands of St. Christopher's and Nevis, in the West Indies ; but, in a short time atter bis arrival in that archipelago, he was seized with a putrid fever, of which he died. He preached se. veral times in St. Chri8topher'9, and a few times in Dominica, tu the great profit and approbation of the congregations. The pa. tience, resignation, and holy triumph which he manifested during a short illness, was greatly blessed to all who attended him. The re. spect and affection of the inhabitants of Risaeau (the principal towQ of Dominica) towards him, influenced them to raise a sub.- scription, by the means of which, he was buried in a respectable manner, and many gentlemen of property accompanied the corpse to the grave with genuine sorrow manifested in their countenances. He seemed formed 'or extensivi^ usefulness ; but w« see only a little way, and should submit to the will of the great Head of the Church. 1803. John Burkenhead.' — Ht was a man* of sound judgment and understood well the Methodist doctrine and discipline, and possessed great integrity of mind. In the year 1800, he oifered himself as a. Missionary to labour among the Heathen, and was ac- cordingly sent to Antigua, in the West Indies. For two years he preached the gospel there with great success, and was highly respec ted by the gentry of the island, as well as by the negroes. But it pleased God to call him to his great reward, by a putrid fever, in the course of the last year. An instance of his forgiving spirit shoul4 not be omitted : While he was returning from his circuit to the towii of St. John's, a soldier stabbed him in a very dangerous man. ner. The soldier was found out ; and his officers were determined to punish him in a very exemplary way ; but Mr ^.«ettled in 1774* This Congregation still receives, • The GoBtUtuatieB it not yet translated into English, i « t « c c s ( ] j 1 1 APPENDIX. 278 rom from time to time, some increase from the Heathen, ^hick is, at present, but rarely the case in the two former Congregations, u Greenland, by the labours of both the Danish and the Brethren's Missionaries, may now be considered as a Christian country. Upon the Coast of Terra Labrador, the preaching of the gospel, by the Brethren, among the Esquimaux, coonnenced in 1771; and, at present, three small Congregations are collected from this nation. The growth of these Congregations, both in number, and in the g^race and knowledge of Jesus Christ, has, in later times, become very conspicuous. The first place, in -which the Mission, aries of the Brethren settled in the forementioned yeai, is named Nain, situate in the fifty.seventh degree N. L. The second, be. gun in 1776, is situated on an island in a small bay, in the fifty, eighth degree, called by the Esquimaux, Okkak, that is, Totigue, which name the settlement has retained. The third place, ia the fifty.sixth degree N. L. cpnunenced in 1783, and is named Uopedale^ Among the Indians in North America, the Brethren began to publish the gospel of the grace of God in Christ Jesus, soon after their arrival in this country, in 1735, with such success, that, •ver since 1742, a Congregation of Christian Indians, chiefly of the Mahikander tribe, was gathered in the Indian village Shekom meko, on the confines of the state of Connecticut. The memorable events of this Indian Congregation, which, in the sequel, was in- creased by members of differ«nt Indian nations, their wanderings, auffierings, wonderful preservation, and growth, through the power of the testimony of Jesus, may be best learned, as far as the year 1787, from G. II. LoskieVs History of the Mission of the United Brethren among the Indians in North America, printed in German in 1789, and 1794 in English. Since that time, this Congregation has experienced various similar vicissitudes, too circumstantial to be related in 'this account. At preseni, a small Congregation of believing Intians is established at Fairfield in Upper Canada,* and another at Goshen, on the river Muskingum, upon land granted -by tha Congress of the United States, in favour of th« Indian missioa in the state of Ohio, In the year 1801, amission was undertaken among the Cherom. kees, in the state of Tennessee, on a spot called Springplace; and, in 1807, another was begun among the Creek Indians, on Flint^river^ in the state of Georgia, where, however, the en. deavours of the Brethren have hitherto not been attended with much success, f In the West Indies the gospel is preached by the Brethren to the NegrO'Slaves in several islands, and in some, very numerous Con* gregations of Heathen converts have been collected. ^ ^.11 * I ■ ■ 11 1 11 ■ ■ III III II I 11 III 1 1 I I .. j ii * Since pillaged and burnt by tlie American army, in 1814. f Tiiis lalter misrion baa since been relinquished. 2x3 276 AfPENOIX. In Jamaica f the Mission w.to begua in 1754; but its progress has been rery variable^ and the .number of conrerted Negroes is not considerable at present. The Brethren have two mission; settlements in the island,. at Carmel and the Bogue, in the parish of St. Elizabeth and another at A/e^opo^amia, parish of Westmoreland.* A History of the Misiion in,the three Danish W, f. islands f St, Thomas^ St. Croix, and St Jan, compiled by C. G. A. OMendorp, -was published by J. J. Uossart, zX Barby, in the year 1777. The mission in '.he first of these islands is the oldest of all those, undertaken by the United Brethren, th(^ first Missionaries having set out from Ilerrnhut for St. Thomas in the year 1732. There are, at present, two settlements in this island. New Ilerfnhut and Niesky, each of which has a church and dwellings for the Missionaries. In St. Croix a,re ihrvn Kotthmentn: Friedensihal, ne9.r Christianstadt, the capital of the island, since 1759; Fried, ensberg, near Friedrichstadi, at the west end of the island, since 1771; ^nd Friedensfeld, in the central part of it, begun in 1804. In St. Jan there is a settlement called liethany, where a church and a mission.hoiise were erected in 1753, and another called Mmmaus, begnn in 1773. < The mission in Jntigua, at present one of the most flourishing commenced in 1756, and the first settlement was near the town of St. John. Another, on the opposite end of the island, is called Greicehilln and a third, Gracobay. The number of believini^ Negroes, ministered unto by the Brethren as a Cbriitian CoiM;rega« tion, amount» in this island, as in St. Croix, to several thousands. The mission in St. Christopher^ s, (or St. Kttfs) commenced in 1777, and has been successful. A numeroiis Congregation of Negroes being served by Missionaries residing in the settiemeUt of the Brethren at Bafftf^erre. In the island of Barbadoes a mission was established, in 1^67^ at Sharon, six miles from Bridgetown.. In South America, in the possessions of the Dutch in Terra/irma or Guiana, a mission was begun by the Brethren in 1738, aceourits of which down to the year 1780, are to be found in- the NarraHvei selected frftm the History of the Church of the Brethren, printed at Barh^ in the years 1803—1805, Part 11. Section HI, f A mission.settlement is formed in the capital of Surinam, Parmna* ribo, and another on the plantation Sommeltdyk,, upon the river Cottica, for promoting the conversion of the Negro-slaves im. ported from Africa. From the latter place, the gospel Is alHO preached in other neighbouring plantations. Among the Free Negroes, near the river Surinam, Missionaries of the Brethren's church have resided with the same view, ever • Of late, however, the |tro|pect, as to the succets of the misiion in this island", has considerably b^htened. f Not yet translated intd English. APPINDIX^ 977 since 1765, whose endeavours, however, have hitherto not pro. duced much fruU.^ The mission amonj; the Aratcaks^ which was the first under- taking of the Brethren in tbetfe parts, has undergone many re. marlcable vicissitudes, as nay be seen in Crantz^s ilistory of the Brethren^ and in the befi>ro-mentioned Narratives. There is, at present, an inconsiderable number of baptized' fndtans of this na- tion living on the river Corentyne, among whom a few Brethren reside. In Africa, among the Hottentots, near the Cape of Good Hope, a missioa already begun as early as 1736, but afterwards relinquished, was renewed in 1792, with abundant success, in a short timer Two Congregations-of believing Hottentots have been gathered by the preaching of the gospel, and settled, one at Gna^ denthal, ( Gracevale), in Baviansiktoof ( Baboonsglen), dbout aii hundred and thirty miles north-east of the Capetown,- and another In Greenktoof, north of the Capetown, wot far from the western coasti* Among the baptized there are individuals.belonging to the nations of the Caffreesy Tambukkisj and Dambarras. Of some other attempts of the Brethren to spread the gospel among Uie Ileatheti, which have either proved abortive^ or pro. duced no abiding fruit, Dav. Crantz's History of the Brethren, and the two Continuations of it, give a sufficient account. + The whole Missionary work, a^ carried on by the church of the United Brethren, is placed under the special inspection ofacoaiw. mittee of the Eldet's conference of the Unity, called. The depart.^ tnentfor missions. Moreover, Societies for the Furtherance and Propagation of the Gospel among the Heathen, have been formed in England, Holland, and North America, which chiefly* confme their attention to the support of some particular missions. The very considerable expenditure occasionedby this great undertaking for journies and voyages, the maintenance of Missionaries! and of their widows and children, &c. has been hitherto defrayed, undoi^ the evident blessing of Ged, by voluntarily regular contribiltions of the members of the Brethren's Congregations, by legacies and dona, tions from them and other well-wishers to the Brethren's missions : the Missionaries thiemselvies endpavour, wherever it is in their pow. er to provide for their own Mistenance, either altogether, or in part, Yy the labour of their hands, alleviating thereby the burden of the above-mentioned committee, which, in the present times especially, is not light. * The Missionaries have lately been withdrnwiv {torn this place, which, ort acronnt of circutnstances, could no longer be maintained. + Likewise the hitnoduction to tli* Periodical A«rounts, relating to the Miit tions of the churcli of thr United Brethren established among the HeatHen. 578 APPENDIX. A TABLE (FROM BROWN'S PROPAGATION OF CBRISTIANITY) qr TBE UNITED BRETHREN*S MISSIONS. Begun. Countries. Settlementg. Missio- nnries. Bap- tized. Comm- unicots Yw. West Indies 1732 St. Thomas New Herrnhuth Niesky 1009 1276 430 758 1812 1733 St. Croix Friedensthal 5161 1711 1812 i* - Friedensberg Friedensfield >36 2982 300 897 1741 St. Jan Emmaus 1006 471 1812 Bethany J 455 201 1754 Jamaica Bogue Mesopotamia Garmel 6 207 45 1812 1800 1756 Antigua St. John*s Gracehill 14 5804 2283 2578 964 1809 Gracebay 1359 643 - 1765 Barbadoes Sharon 4 75 1794 1774 St. Kitts Basseterre 6 1870 1797 1773 Greenland New Herrnhuth Lichtenfels 18 300 298 1810 Lichtenau 400 1734 N. America 15 Fairfield 126 36 1812 Goshen 50 1810 Spring Place Flint River Sandusky 1735 S. America 17 Paramaribo 507 400 1812 Sommelsdyk 68 1798 Hope 169 84 1800 " Bambey 50 20 1804 1765 Tartary Sarepta 4 1810 1771 Labrador Nain 26 97 24 1812 Okkak 128 28 ' Hopedale 87 32 179« C. of G. Rope Bavian's Kloof 16 876 296 1812 Greenkloof 125 36 1 r> Yrs. 1812 1812 1812 1812 1800 1809 1704 1797 810 812 810 812 798 800 804 10 12 U2 Exhibiting at one View the Principai where they send Missic Publico Chf, principal Mimonary Societies in tireat Britain, together with the 'JHrne of their Institulion. Places to tchich they lend and where they have established. The Society for propagating theGosijel in Foreign Parts, instituted in 1647. The Church Missionary Society, instituted in 1801. The United Brethren's Society for promoting the Gospel, instituted 1732. (n Newfoundland, Scotia, in New I in Cape Breton, Canada, in Low in Africa. At Sierra Leone Country, East It Zealand, Malta and rarious othe The Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, instituted in 1770. The Society for Missions, established by the Baptists, instituted ia the year 1792. The London Missionary Society, instituted in the year 1795. The Society for the promotion of ChrisUan Knowledge, insMtutediu 1698. In South America Good Hope, W North America, Greenland, am Wolga. In the West Indi. America^ Gibra Ion, Newfoundlai Bay, and Sierra J in all parts of the E where they have the Scriptures int< languages. East Indies, in the i Port Jackson, Soi ca, Cape of Good Ta Scotia, Cane Indies, New Brui Tanjore, Aladrasi, poly, Calcutta, : quebar. They ha\ in the Indies. 9\ A TABLE. Exhibiting at one View the Principal Missionary Societies in Great where they send Missionaries, respective Secretaries an Publications, and in what Manner they Chf. principal Mitsionary Societies in Great Britain, together tetlh the Time of their Imtitulion. The Society for propagating theGuspel in Foreign Parts, instituted in 1647. The Church Missionary Society, instituted in 1801. The United Brethren's Society for promoting the Gospel, instituted 1732. The Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, instituted in 1770. The Society for Missions, established by the Baptists, instituted in the year 1792. The London Missionary Society, instituted in the year 1795. The Society for the promotion t>f Christian Knowledge, instituted in 1698. Places to which they send Missionaries, and where they haveMimitms establishctl. In Newfoundland, in Nova Scotia, in New Brunswick, in Cape Breton, in Upper Canada, in Lower Canada, in Africa. At Sierra Leone, Bullone' Country, East Indies, New Zealand, Ma'ta, Ceylon, and rarious other parts. In South America, Cape oC Good Hope, West Indies. North America, Labrador, Greenland, and on the Wolga. In the West Indies, North America, Gibraltar, Cey Ion, Newfoundland, Botany Bay, and Sierra Leone. In all parts of the East Indies, where they have translated the Scriptures into seventeen languages. East Indies, in the Sou^h Seas, Port Jackson, South Ameri. ca, Cap« of Good Hope No. va Scotia, Canbda, West Indies, New Brunswick, &c L'anjore, Madras, Trichino poly, Calcutta, and Tran quebar. They have a Bishop in the Indicts. Their respective Secretaries, and Places of Meeting, The Rev. Doctor Morrice, No. 53, Gower.street, London. Rev. Joseph Pratt, B. D. Secretary, Salisbury-square, Flect.street, London. The Rev. C. S. LaTrobe, Secretary, Meets No. 10, Nevil's-court, Fetter.lane, Fleet.street, London. The Rev. James Buckley, and the Rev. Thomas Wood, Secretaries. Meets at New Chapel, City. road, London. Doctor Ryland, Bristol, Rev. Mr. Hinton, Ozford, Secretaries. Annual Meeting at Northampton. Secretaries : Rev. George Burder, Rev. William Tracey. Meets No. 8, Old Jewry, London. The Rev. Doctor Gaskin, Bartlett's Buildings, London. A TABLE, Societies in Great Britain, the Date of their Institution, Places ctive Secretaries and Places of Aleeting, Miasion r* what Manner thetf are supported. "^heir respective Secretaries, and Places of Meeting, i Rev. Doctor Morrice, ^o. 53, Gower.street, London. ;v. Joseph Pratt, B. D. Secretary, bury-square, Fleet.street, London. Tlie nooks and Periodical IVork* OH Missions, published by each Sodetjf. Humphries's History oftheSb. ciety. Annual Sermon and Report. eRev. C. S. LaTrobe, Secretary, >ts No. 10, Nevil's-court, etter.Iane, Fleet-street, London. Rev. James Buckley, and e Rev. Thomas Wood, Secretaries, its at New Chapel, City, road, London. octor Ryland, Bristol, ev. Mr. Hinton, Oxford, Secretaries. Annual Meeting at Northampton. Secretaries : Hev. George Burder, [lev. William Tracey. eets No. 8, Old Jewry, London. he Rev. Doctor Gaskin, Bartlett's Buildings, London. Annual Sermon and Report. Missionary Register. Buchanan's Researches. Spirit of British Missions. Horn on Missions. Crantz*s Mission to Greenland Loskiel's Historyof the Mission to North America. Letters on Nicobar Islands. History of the Mission in the Danish [slands & Periodical Accounts. Supported by voluntary Con- tribuUon, by the Sale of Books. Annual Expenditure jf 8,000 Coke's History of the West Indies. Annual Reports. Accounts in Methodist Maga. zines. Doctor Carey's Enquiry. Brief Narrative of Baptist Missions in India. Periodical Accounts. Baptist Magazines. Annual Reports and Sermons. Campbell's Travels in S. Africa Transactions of the Missionary Society — Missionary Voyage. Howel's inter. Particulars. Gregory'sJournal — Authentic Narrative — Evan Magazine. Annual Account — ^Sermon and Report — Abstract of Reports & Correspondence — Charges delivered to Missionaries. In what manner the Jntlitutions are supported. Kith the probable ylimual Expenditure. Supported by Grants, Dona tions, and Legacies. Annual Expenditure jf 5,00o' Supported by voluntary Con- tributions, Donations, &c. Annual Expen-> ^.^^^ diture, about 5 ^^10,000 Supported by voluntary Con. tribution — Annual Subscrip. tions. Annual Expenditure for the year 18l5,jg9,129. 1 7s. 2d. Supported by voluntary Con- tributions, and by the Trans, lations in India. Annual Expen diture Its* £8398 4 10 Supported by voluntary Sub- scriptions and Donations. Annual Expenditure, about . ^16,000 Supported by Donations, Grants, Legacies, &c. Annual Expenditure j£S,00(J To J ace Page i78. ^ c/) C<3 «+^ ^-i 00 «<0 a, ':5 s e - s •- « ■ - oi 3 r^! :;: !« o o c o o o ^». •• •" u "5 ifS 1 '/ a. ;^ (O •|5t: •r to - - O O o u •? tS 3; ■ -» . • o £ 1 '' O 3 O o •- 5 -5 u« ' /T. 55 t- ^ ^"i "^ »* c» •3 f> c .i . «* 1 o t o ^n o -% 1 •? >» ^ "J '5 -, "! O o c 5* z - c c o o o WW • Jo' 1 1 . 1 1 i • 1 • 1 I • 1 1 Cw i I 1 1 b •a s ^ "^ ea o n 4^ c n 2 >s ^ 3; rt ^ « ej Cd O u •^ fcC CO pa Q to •«» et 8 O •5 t o O «^ »« o o o o o d o •* o o ' n4 i2 B 1 Si « C The Londou Mi-sionarj Society. S 3< « - CI c o o pi^ 1 o « et « c t 0.5 1^ 1 e c >r) .4 1 p« - o o a M O •J The Church Missionary Society. o 3* «s - o »- o o o 1 o o o - o o * III c c Ci o ^ « o o "* ot o o < o c 3 •2.S . n 3-s 1 lis ? s 3 1 1 • a ■a s 1 • 1 1 c« c le 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 > 1 • u "3 1 • 1 i '5 ^ 2 • 5 • ■« "2 § 1 1 2 1 • 1 2 2 T3 « l3 II a ' "a • ' a >3 SZ 1 • 15 • CQ •-• 1 • .2 S < a < South Sea Islands . N«w South Wales > 1 O O i 3 -* o o o »* o O O 1 3 O o o o o (O t>« — >t V. • o o O »< o o o o li ^2 c t ■ ■ s« g1 o « si ll= o o > « c i* SI? 5*«l» 2> 1 O 91 e« 01 D O O 3 ^ f r M O 90 ffO 11 = 3 - O a» 90 o ».c O O o - O ( D 80 C ' gJ ©» CO » o O ( O O C ' 5 4 1 . • • 1 i /^Ai^ • «ws^ ana M • « 1 ^ tt tt * ? •• ■ be Id 2 New Brunswic West Indies . South America n.arn» lu Mmwv Total Numbei Missionaries •2 is*i'2 1' 1 sJs < o IS e .5 2a "g < o <2 OSSBSa *.i'8k'3H5 o I •a§2LatrSg 4X ^t: S-- «« llllilj a-s 1 «* ilsilliiri BiW bjS »^ ^ XI ** 23 ; ^ tefi CO Q «9 I" m ** I 'I o o s o o o HI a M . O C Si iU 9 y ■fig ■a e .•? b S ■- •5^ a? ' e .s ill I*-S, sr AS 9« M >« »♦ o o c 5 O O • • i 1 i • • 1 1 1 . I • 1 s T) s i 1 « >■ t3 e t» § ** ■ a t9 1 •ma Q ^J > '^ £[r%. Appxprnix. 379 The LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. « I lite (London) Miitionafjf Societj/, formed in 170&, eonsisit of Chrittiana of teveral retigioua denominations. The taut Report of the Directort givee thefottowing account of the Missionary Stations, Sfc* China. — Mr. Morrison and Mr. Milne. ' TtiK ivhf rse Grammar and Dictionary. Jata. — Mr. Supper at BtttTia, and Mr. Brucliner at Samarang. Ambotna. — Mr. Ram. Ckylon. — Messrs. Palm, Ehrhardt, and Read. , Mauuitius, or Isle or France. — Mr. Le Brun. INDIA. Vhagapatam.'—MeisrB. Gordon and Pritohett. — (Mr. Dawson on his voyage to assist them.) — Part of the New Testament transla. ted by them into the Telinga language, with the assistance of Ananderayer. Garyam. — Mr. Lee, who is employed in translating the Gospels •f St. Matthew and St. Luke, into the Canara language. Madras. — Mr. Loveless. Bellary. — Mr. Hand? and Mr. Taylor. Chinsurah. — Mr. May, who superintends schools, and preadiei* Travancore. — Mr. Ringletaube. SuKAT.— Messrs. Skinner and Fyvie lately sailed for Surat. Malacca. — Mr. Thomson to Malacca, SOUTH SEAS. , Eimeoj 8fc. — Messrs, Davies, Hay ward, Henry, Nott, Scott^ Tessier, Wilson, and Bicknell. Part of the Scriptures translated into their language, printed in New South Wales, and dispersed in the islands. Several m^ Missionaries are going to the South Sea Islands, where Pomarre, King of Otaheite, and several others have, at length, renounced Idolatry. North Amekica..— Missionaries are employed in Canada, New Brunswick, aud AewfooN^nd. • Spirit of Biitlili m\u\om. 480 AVPENBIX. West Inoie&, &c;.*.IV1r. Wray labours in Berbice. Mr. j[)»vie» and Mr. Elliott in Demararaj^ and Mr. Adam in Trinidad. - . SOUTH AFRICA. Tti the Namaqita coimtryy Messrs. Albrecht, Ebner« and S6bmc1t'U....i?i'/Ae^(/(lt Mf^ssr^. ||.«lm ^nd Sas%,m^,Griqua Toxen, Messrs. Anderson and J am. ...Bethelsdorp^ Messrs. i^ |^ Calcutta* S N. 1799 5 7 2. Dinagepore and > ntn JSadamahl* \ ^^^ N. 1804 — 1 is. C.ulwa* ' 75 IN. 1 1807 I b 4. KRn?ooii , «i70 N. li. 1 1807 I — 5. Jessore | 77 b. W. t. 1 1807 1 — I 0. Goamalty* . . - . | 2W) N. J 808 1 7. Uisah a20 1 N. W. 1 18°pore* t)l5 W. 1812 i — * 11. Coluinbo* J 1220 1 s. s. w. 1812 1 1 — 1'2. Fatna* 320 N. W. 1812 1 — 1 13. Bombay & ^urat 1010 W. 1812 1 — * 14. Chitta^ong . . . > 230 E. 1812 1—1 15. Sirdhana* 020 JN. W. 1813 1 1 1 16. Java* 12350 S. S. E. 1813 1 1 I 17. Pandua* 310 N.E. 1813 — I 18. Ava 500 t.. 1 1813 1 — 19. Anihuyna'* .... 3*^30 1 S. f- 1 1814 1 — 20. Allahabad 490 1 W.N. -• 1 1814 — 1 Versions of the Scripture translating or printing by the Baptist Miintonaries at Serampore, 1 Siingskrit 2 Hindee 5 Brij.Bhassa 4 Mahratta 5 Bengalee 6 Orissa 7 Telinga 8 Kurnata 9 Maldivian 10 Gujvrattee 11 Bulochee 12 Pushtoo 13 Punjabee 14 Kashmeer 15 Assam 16 Burman 17 Pali 18 Chinese 19 Kassai 20 Sindh 21 Wuch 22 Napala 23 Birkancera 24 Oodaypoora 25 Marwa 26 Jypoora 27 kunkiina 28 Tamul 29 Cingalese 30 Armenian 31 Malay 32 nindoostanee 33 Persian Schools arc connected with the Stations which are markad wiib an Astedak* 2n2 384 APP^MDIX. .^ !^1 «o 8 f? s *^ S «=»' .2 tC bo a a, be p ^ '^ »c: ."^ •m CO ■^:^ OS ^ 1^ .2 S 2 e § B e en u « o % B O ■w u O B s tZ4 n B a s fe •:: B tt V W u « m S O « [3 e e S I b O n u -c E B O B en .2 B O s OB "" to ce >» a "O .2 -3 to -"i — rt ». ~ "S ^ B CO CQ 'S "g S O OS • mm e § b •♦^ _ "S T" •*-' .c w a bO B K -: .s pB B e 4) H 91 u tS Sr 2 •d B «« O IS B bn (4 u at la O u a> > B O a* -& o -a 60 B ca ca .B B s ta B B ."< a B 4^ O e« B . 31 a> bO e« s bfi s ea 0) B « >> ,£1 B O a. en tn Ed o> .a B V .id o D. B = .2 '' u 2 B - •* S § S ^ i tt • ^^ IS c« B aj (4 cQ * pa "! g «i S B B tt tt tt M J4 ,i4 o o o Q> O4 Q< in tn ui e tt o SQ o a. Is u b tt .2 <» b tt ^ B CO O .2 S g .2 «« _. •■a fl «=• .2 PQ S ^^ b o tt "5 .^ tt tt "« b tt B •- c3 ♦* ca 5 2 « 5 H •■4 b 09 £ E o o §-^ b B tt (A .b rt .2 B*^ « o 2 w s M S tt tt tt > a eS Q tt B "^ -C (4 S "i ^ ^ g tt 4, S .S rt S e •* .2 ■ CQ 2 ..S CD •M b b en ■*» B £ O S -- -tt Pi .2 (4 U tt BBBSBB^a B S S ^ b b a en ** «« ^ - ►^ en ^ &J» .2 tt _ " eS "O :s — •w B B 'ai -t-i ii B " ** 1> o «\ - tt *C B JS tt o ^ a "^ **■* 2 tt ^ o o § -2 ^ " > 2 '" b « tt « "3 5 8^ a ^ a — ■ Wa ap* fi «J tt o a, en B B tt tt O O o. o< en en B B tt tt cn »3 BBS 9i V «> M M M ^ ^ ^ 0< 0« 84 en en CO S H c;' gM b b M <« o •s £? s> V s 4> .<3 ti> a « ->* « en £ E C el Q .2 o cu o si 1 13 -a g ^ o •a en in u u 3i s ea CO rt 'fl 01 a 09 a k. »4 o O •S •♦* o W«4 en o en IS s n e ^^ CO s S^ GO •2 *-S lO •5 CQ e (8 s 1 «4 1 1 I 1 ■w OS s .a s ?f 3 Tl >, »v 0) .u ^ X) § ■5 1 "S s •a 1 o i o to •^ b Tfl (• (4 ♦* n d O . a n S en 0) 1 13 O s a ^:; V pt e d u • PM «M IP* e a C a « 0) « « V ^ ^ M .^ M o o o o o o. eu Q< & a. IX> C#3 M W3 en M f. S s S 9i Jg (1) a a 3, "o •3 APPENDIX. 285 a o *s _ S a) ea u o CO .S a; a> a a tt (Q Q Q OS *N ja on S 3? O <" -■§ £ W e — !S s 5£ a •« S « J2 a .2 12 a ** s ^ a s Cm !3 ^ « c« a d a « « o a. 9 a CO h « a> u C/} o a. M a •r bi g en 2 •> en a; en 0- Q •^ .a >, tt ja -35 « 2 M .Si *Ul et Sa ^ en a S u OD ■5 ^ £ a o -s JS •a a Ct. ■** -a 1 ^ 2 ,-^ « t« "H >2 O CQ Ml *" — S •£-•0 13 ■- a .2 « HH O U •£ ^ »- .2 ^ era b •■a et a, t-s C3 ^ (u a ■a o ** -a ^- •a ^ a .2 I. a ?. o 2 o a u « en tg S a a- 9 .5 St* ^ ■*> t; 'M .a g •a •a S? a .2 « n a « ^ •a •^ en a o a 2 A a ^ ft -a .o » §. a 2 •If <^ « bfl .a a *• o a !: o s a a a d a a W V « (V V 0) M M ^ M M M o o o a o o a. a. cu o« o. Q. en en en en en en r a g 2 5S i< a I (S n3 » en ■% e e a Ca s^ apM •«« a iJ -a ^ ^ a je a ^ a ** a, Q. •» ^ o-^ S. JS « en s -a ^ 5 S ^ a a a .M •■« .•« a a a V V 01 .M .i^ ^ Qt a^ a^ Ti m in a «« •S -o C9 QJ en 9 •a ,*" en •3 CU tt « o « ts •a :a .a .a -a -a 0* V en en a a M R .-< mm -a -a a a a e a a 0) a> ri '^ o o CL a. en r/i 2 a ta 2 § 6 O d a V V o o C. CU en en V 5 (" >« en b •« ..ft ^ •S J3 2 c a» .2 - -i^ a s< a ^ CQ § • cv ■^ _S JS ,« "O «s a « a, «1 ^ « ^ a en n 2 S « bf) ^ .a * a S5 ^ « « a 5 ^ rt a c! <^ 0) 0) S * o S a. a. £ en en H .a .s a (i ft .a •a an a a M „ « ff £ rS S - o * = a " ^ « "2 >^ <» S 4, a, w U 'C a ^ rt O •a e •** g o S en t« g « a I S'H SMC. '-^ ^ 2 ^ .a "O iS -a i! rt Of « s 5 s 'S a 2 en ■** «• a _i^ 0* •a a ^ ^ w H g a d a a a 9) H V M M M •g -s -g O4 Q4 CU en en en a 3 .2 2 jr U Q U U » a ^ § S if a> a •*^ ta 2 S S .2 o m a> ■fc' a .w rt O es a fli a b^.^ MM n CO «> in a u M) •- a a w^3:sss:5S;S6{S{£e2 t86 APPENDIX. ii ' t| r The church MISSIONARY SOCIETY. Tbi9 society instituted in 1801, forms a grand pillar in the Mis. sionary temple : they have already begun to act upon a large scale, mnd with the united energies of such a learned and opulent body called into action \vhat may they not efieit for the salvation of the • Heathen. The nature of this institution may be collected from the following account, extracted from ^' Au Appeal to Churchmen," in the Missionary Register. Many members of the Established Church, participating in the increased concern for the salvation of the Heathen, and aware that the restricted obiects of two venerable societies* left open to the exertions of the church immense portions of the Heathen world, and judging it probable that a society with the exclusive object of evangelizing tb^ Heathen would meet with the hearty support of tho pious members of their own body, formed themselves, in the year 1801, into such a society : and the continent of Africa, and almost the whole of the East, being still open to the Missionary labours of the established Church, the society assumes its name of church MISSIONARY society FOR AFRICA AND THE EAST, from this eX. tensive field ; not however considering their name as binding them to exclude their attempts from any other unoccupied place which may present a prospect of success to their labours. The continent of Africa is supposed to contain 100 millions, perhaps 200 millions of inhabitants. Asia is computed at 500 or €00 millions. All these, with a few exceptions, are either Hea.. thens, who know not God, or blind followers of the false prophet Mahomet. It is also matter of extreme regret, that the intercourse between them and nation;; called Christian has tended to confirm their prejudices againtit Christianity ; the professors of which they have too often fonnd to be distinguished by their rapacity, violence, •nderudty. In the support of this great cause you are now invited, Christ, ians, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to unite with those who are endeavouring to remove the reproach of negligence from your country. The honour of j'oi'r Divine Master demands it at your hands. To you the bread of life has been liberally dealt : learn to impart a portion of that bre^d to your perishing neighbour. On all the members of the Established Church, the committee would press the consideration that this is the only society in that church, zDi'ich has for its exclusive object ihe evangelizing of the Heathen world. There existed before the formation of this society, no association of members of the Established Church, with this exclusive object. As a Church — the pillar and ground of the Protestant faith— we have been too justly reproached with want of zeal for the diffusion * Propagation and Christian Knowledge Societies. APPENDIX. 287 lETY. in the Mis. large scale, ulent body tion of the ed from the urchmen," iting in the aware that "It open to hen world, e object of iport of tho in the year and almost labours of )f CHURCH tm this ex. tding them lace which millions, at 500 or ther Hea. . e prophet itercourse o confirm 'hich they violence, , Christ, hose who 'om your t at your learn to ommittee ij in thai g of the sociation object, ith — ^we diffusion of Christianity. The Chnrch of Rome, with whatever mixture of secular motives, has done more to make known the name of Christ among the Heathen than all the professors of the reformed faith : and of all the nations professing that faith. Great Britain has la. boured far less in this great cause, in proportion to her means and opportunities, than any other state. While, therefore, other bo. dies of Christians among us are strenuously exerting themselves to remove this reproach from our land, let the United Church of Eng* land and Ireland SLSSume that share in these exertions which becomes her! It was with the view of associating her members in this holy work, that the present institution was formed. This benevolent body has turned its attention toteards the long oppressed inhabitants of West Jfricu, and by its exertions a wide door has been opened for the circulation of the Gospel among the poor benighted Blacks. The follozcing table zcitl shew the present;^ state of the missions. WHEN „,.„„„ MISSIONARIES AND LAY PI ACES BEGUN ' • SCHOOLMASTERS, Quarters of the Globe. 1815 Malta 1 Witliaiii Jowett | Europe 1815 Madias J. C Schnarre, C. T K. Rhening Asia 1813 Agra William Greenwood, C. F. G. Schroettr, Do. And three native Preachers 1814 Muttra Talib Aiessevh Khan Native Do. 1814 Coei 1 Uitruckut Ullah, a Native Do. 1814 Bareillv | Motwee Miinsoor. a Native Do. 1^14 Handha | Anmunuit IVleNKreh.aNalive Do. lbt5 1 beiiares | William Bowley Do. 1815 NewZealand Ihomaiit Kendal, William Hall, JuhnKinie: Austral Asia Sierra Leone L. Butschei-, J. H. Schuize Africa ' Bashia M. Kenuer, J. Hnrrisnn. Do. Canoffee V. Wenzel. J. G. Wilhelm Do. Yongroo Po> moh G. h. Ny lander, ,1. C. Sperrahacken Do. 1 Gambier Jonathan Solomon Klein Do. 1815 I tioree I Robert Hughes jl; Do. 03= S88 APPENDIX. The royal DANISM MISSION COLLEGE. This institution, founded in 1706, by Fr(>d(>ric the Fourth of DeDmarlc, claims precedt:nce among the* Continental Protestant Societies. The efforts of the College have been chielly dirt-cted to India. It supported a mission also in Greenland, where, among tethers, the learned i>nd worthy Ua a Egede laboured; but it has conferred moist important benefits o» the Peninsula. The seat of itii missions there has been Trauquebar, where a succession of excellent men have trod in the steps of the eminent Ziegenbalgius, yrao founded the mission. The scriptures have been translated, schools have been established, churches built, and various books and tracts printed. The Rev. Dr. John, at present senior of tl.is mission, has lately invited very earnestly the co-operation of th) different European societies, in the great work opening before the mission. THE MISSIONARY SEMINARY AT BERLIN. This establisihrnent originated in the zeal of the Rev. John Jcenicke, of Berlin, and of Baron von Schirnding, of Dobrilugk, in Saxony, Ranger of the Electoral Forest. Seven youths having been excited, by the intelligence of the new Societies springing up in Britain, to devote themselves to the service of Christ, in any Heathen nation to which it might be His will to send them, the Baron placed them under a course of regular tuition. After spend, ing a considerable sum in thus laying the foundation of the Berlin Seminary, circumstances in his family obliged him to withdraw his support. But the faith and courage of Mr. Joenicke and his friends did not fail. Much assistance was afforded from East-Friesland ; and the object and constitution of the seminary being made known in this country, aid was granted by several societies ; and the semi- Bary has supplied, in return, many worthy and laborious Mission. aries. The Church Missionary Society, in particular, commenced its Missionary labours entirely by the aid of this seminary ; and has , received from it, at different times, tvrelve Lutheran clergymen, six of whom are now in Africa, two have died there in the service of their Master, two have departed from the work, and two are pr.. paring in this country for the Indian Peninsula. The (London) missionary Society his also obtained many pious mea from this institution. AFIPENOIX. 280 LLEGE. he Fourth of il Protvstant y directed to liert', among i ; but it has The seat of HcccssioD of egenbalgius, 1 translated, rious books iseot senior to-opcration >rk opening LIN. Ele?. John brilugk, in ths having ringing wp ist, in any them, the fter spend, the Berlin thdrai^ his his friends riesland ; de known the semi- Mission. >mmenced and has , •rgymen, service of ) are pr,- [London) from this ENGLISH SOCIETY FOR TIIK PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL IN FOREIGN PARTS. The unexpected success which attended the efforts of the lude. pendents and Puritans to convert thq North. American Indians, gave birth to this society in 1647 : ^* which, '* says Mosheim, *' in proportion to the increase of its number, intluonce, revenues, and prerogatives, has still renewed and augmented its ett'orts." Before the troubles broke out which ended in the independence of the United States, the Society employed nearly lOO ntistsionarics, beside catcc^'sts and schoolmasters, and expended' from 4000 to 5000/. per a. um. Since that period its exertions haye been much cur. tailed, and are now chiefly confined to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, . V Brunswick, and Canada. A wide field is, however, a^ll open lathe enterprlze of the Society in the West Indies. It employs, at present, between 40 and 50 missionaries, and about the same number of catechists and schoolmasters, in whose support it expends about 3000/. per annum. THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE Was formed in 1698, for the advancement, generally, of true reli- gion in the world. The Civil War having suspended the execution of the plans of the "Society for propagating the Gospel," the members of this nev*' institution united with those of the old in ptd. curing the Charter, in 1701, by which they were all incorporated as the "Society for propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts :" the original members of the new institution still continuing, as a separate and not incorporated Society, to prosecute their benevo. lent designs at home ; and the incornorated Society confining its operations principally to the British Plantations in America, the proceedings of the " Society for promoting Christian Knowledge" have gradually been extended to other quarters, chiefly to the East Indies. It has contributed to the translation and circulation of the Scriptures, &c. in several tongues. Its missionaries are all ordained ministers of the Lutheran Church; and its numbers, among those which it has employed, the " apostolical Swartz and Gericke," by whose labours, and those of their brethren, many thousand natives hare been brought to the profession of the Faith. The Society has, at present, in India, the following Missionaries, who are Lutheran Clergymen : viz. Rev. Christian Pohle, at Trichinapally— Rev. John Casper Kolhoff, at Tanjore-T-Rev. Charles William Peezold, at Madras- Rev. Immannel Gottfried Ilolzberg, at Cuddalore. Besides these labourer^, the followiiig Natives, ordained by the Missionaries according to the Lutheran Ritual, are under the Society's Drotection : viz. — Sattianaden — Nanaperagason — Adey. kalam — Wedanayagam — Abraham. The Society expends, at present, ?\bout 1100/. or 1200/. pet annum, in 'he support of these missions. ^ BOOKS LATELY PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR t THE BACKSLIDER; A POEM, ii Four Parti— Price 1|. 6d. IIXES OJ^ THE DEATH OF DR, COKE^ Price 6d. ■^ liH CAOBTAY Wilt MM ruaitsMtMDa «* THE AMUSEMENTS OF A MISSION,'' Or Po§m9y Moral f Religiousy and Defaiptivt, ucoHD xpmoKi wrm addrions. Alio, a il^rt Memoir of the Author's Christian Experience, Tlird E4itk>ii» with AdditioM. TwQ editiom of thU work have been speedily sold off ia the, United States. , . . . i ALSO) PIETY: A POEM. Or, Delineations of Christian Bag^eriencey IN SIX BOOKJt. V ■M^ Okr COKE. [ON,'' ence.