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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmte A des taux de rMuction diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichi, 11 est film4 A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche k droite, et de haut en bas, an prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 ^ 2 3 4 5 6 t*-y ■" ^*"^. IN COMMEMORATION OF THE ENEVOJLENCE. OF THE Citizens of Boston, Who, on occasion of the dreadful FIRES of the 7th and 21 si of November, 1817, in St. John's, Newfoundland, sent down gratuitous supplies for the Relief of the SuPFEREBf during the inclement season of Winter. Preached in the Congregational Church, St. John's, oa Lord's-day, February 22, 1818. —With an APPENDIX.-^ By Rev. JAMES SABINE. SAINT John's: printed for the author, by JOHN RYAN, PRINTBB, TO THE king's MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY, AMB SOLD BY BURTON AND BRIGOS, LONDON, AND BY S. ;%RMSTRONC, BOSTON* 1818. i Cm. / ' !»• / "V C— H ^^38/ ! I m:-- PREFACE. X HE following Sermon lays no claim to publication on account of any intrinsic worth of its own, but only in the great me* rit of the occasion on which it was compo- sed and delivered. Such an act of Charity in the Citizens of Boston, under such cir- cumstances, demands of the Inhabitants of St. John's a decided testimonial of their gratitude, and more especially from this Congregation, the Members of which having been more deeply involved in the calamity^ than any other Community. Boston will accept this our humble tribute, in addition to the Memorial of the Town, to both which we can only add our prayers. J, s. Pastor A I. House, Feb. 23, 1818. ■F^^—^ fll in I II I . 1 I mI w A SERMON. K5C22:^3«»- — Job xIiII. — 11, 12. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and ALL HIS SISTERS, AND ALL THEY THAT HAD BEEN OF HIS ACQUAINTANCE BE- TORE, AND DID EAT BREAD WITH HIBf IN HIS house: AND THEY BEMOANED HIM, AND COMFORTED HIM OVER ALL THE EVIL THAT THE LoRD HAD BRO*T rpON him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an ear-ring of gold. so the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. Among the graces and ornaments of Christianity, Charity occupies a pre-- eminent station ; and taken in its length and breadth it inchjdes " Whatsoever things are true, wliatsoever tilings are honest, whatso- ever things aie jubt, whatsoever things am M 6 pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatso- ever things are of good report." — " Charity is the fulfilling of the law" on earth, and it is " the bond of perfectness" in heaven ; it surmounts even the triumphs of faith, and infinitely exceeds the most abundant expec- tations of hope — " Charity never faileth," Even if we consider charity only in that de- partment denominated alms-deeds, there is much to admire ; and while it displays some of the best affections of the human heart, it softens the ills of life and promotes the individual interest of thousands who would otherwise be lost to society, or perhaps be- come a dead weight upon it. The works of Charity in this parti- cular are finely exhibited, in their various application, by the sacred Penmen. The first instance that strikes us is in the Good Samaritan. He met with one of his fellow creatures in circumstances of deep distress, plundered, wounded, stripped, and half dead : the relief this good Samaritan admi- nistered in this case was not grudging and iparing, but cheerful and abundant : " he it bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him upon his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him." In this case we behold compassion looking upon misery, plenty relieving want : but in the case of the " Widow Woman of Serepta," we behold even want relieving want — a poor widow dividing her last loaf, the only support of herself and son, with the starving Prophet. But we want another case, in which we may see the " Economy of Charity," a case in which there is combi- nation and agreement ; by which not only sympathy and compassion are displayed, but also efficiency, a help that does not need to be repeated every day, but that help which enables its objects to help them- selves. This case I think you will allow is furnished in the passage first read. By a train of afflictive providences was Job redu- ced to great distress and misery, and by the kind and prudent association of his friends, was he again in great measure restored to former prosperity ; and by the blessing of God upon this friendly relief, he even rose to a height of prosperity above what he I i! i M i I 8 experienced before bis adversities. " Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house : and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him : Every man also gave iiim a pjece o^ money, and every one an ear-rino OF GOLD — SO the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning/' Let us arrange our reflections on this subject under two heads. First, The deep affliction to which Job was reduced ; And Second, The means employed by Di- vine Providence for his relief. This will furnish us with an opportunity of applying the subject to the occasion of the present address. First. The deep affliction with which Job was exercised, may be consider- ed in regard to the sovereignty of the Di- vine permission — the malignity of seconda- ry Agency — and to the extreme reverse of experience to which he was reduced. h We may consider Job's af!)ictton9 in regard to the sovereignty of the Divino permission. This is noticed in a very sin- gular way in the case before us. Job's safety, security and prosperity, are subjects particularly noticed by the evil Spirit in hit reply to the Divine interrogation : " Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side ? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land." The doctrine of a Sovereign Superintending Providence must be admit- ted, or all our views of the Divine govern- ment are confused, our motives to obedi- ence are weakened, and our springs of com- fort fail. There are no means nor instru- ments employed by the Supreme Being in order to relieve him in the cares of govern- ment ; his power and influence are just as present as if no instrument or agency were introduced. Herein the government of God differs from that of man — man calls in the help of agents to accomplish that which he could not effect without it, and which he often cannot effect with it. And this s 10 i i mode of government is liable to great incon- venience and evil ; tlie agency employed may over-rate or undervalue the authority delegated, and so defeat the purposes of his agency : or an agency delegated by human authority may continue to act after that spring-head of authority is no more : the go- verniirent of a distant colony might be con- tinued in the king's name, for months after the king might actually be dead. Not so in the government of the God of Heaven, no agency, instrumentality or means employed by Him can fall short, exceed, or act inde- pendently of his presiding superintending power and influence. Hence we may con- clude, that whatever agencies God em- ploys in effecting the purposes of his mind, it is not because he is unequal to the work without them, but rather because he con- descends to associate them with himself for purposes of goodness and of grace. This mode of reasoning will apply to every department of God's government. "Known unto the Lord from the beginning are all his works — a sparrow docs not fall lo 11 the ground witl;out your Heavenly Father — the hairs of your head are all numbeied— shall there be evil in a city and the Lord hath not done it ? " No enemy can touch a sheep or an ox or a camel belonging to Job without the Divine permission. And your affairs, my friends, are under the self- same patronage and superintendance. 2. We are to consider Job*s afflic- tions in regard to the malignant agency by which they were brought upon him. Satan appears and stands forth to accuse him. — "The Lord said unto Satan, hast thou considered my servant Job, that there's none like him in the earth, a perfect and an up- j'ight man, one that feareth God, and es- cheweth evil ? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, doth Job fear God for nought ? — Put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face." And the Lord said unto Satan, behold all that he hath is in thy power. — So Satan went forth from the pre- sence of the Lord," and having such per- missioD^ he made speedy use of it. He^ f ::! I , . 12 soon stirred up the Sa beans and the Chal- deans, who had long beheld Job's treasure with an envious eye. These wicked men with Satan at their right hand, make dread- ful havoc. The Prince of* the power of the air has other instruments also at his com- mand. " The fire of God and a great wind from tiie wilderness ;" wiih all this force and ?jirtillery Job is soon stripped " naked" and " written childless" — and then the Devil's pestilential breath, by which he " smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.'* Nor does the agency of the evil Spirit stop here — his " Three friends, Eli- phas theTemanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, who had made an appointment together, to come to mourn with him and to comfort him," seem to have quite mistaken the object of such a visit. They were coming to a man who had just lost his all — his property — his children — and even his health. Could they think of finding him in any other state than in deep despon- dency ? They should have conciliated him 13 with some suitable present ; tliey should have brought something in their hand — a little food and a little raiment, and every man a piece of silver. But instead of this they are dumb with confusion for seven days, and when they break silence, they be- gin to rail at him ; they charge him falsely; they give him ashes for bread, and mingle his drink with tears. Well might he in the agony of his spirit exclaim, " Ye are forgers of lies; ye are all physicians of no value; miserable comforteis are ye all — ^Oh that ye would hold your peace, and it should be your wisdom." t And thus it often happens that our friends who profess to pity us, and would be thought to be our comforters, become our tormentors, and onl}^ aggravate our mi- sery. 1 know of no department in pastoral duties equally difficult to visiting the af- flicted ; nothmg is more painful to me than to offer spiritual consolation, when the poor sufferer wants food and clothing. " Be ye warmed and be ye filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are 'r ' I 14 needful to the body," is a practice condem- ned by St. James, and equally abhorrent to every feeling heart. This did not our Di- vine Redeemer: the disciples said "send the multitude away that they may buy themselves victuals ;" but Jesus said, " 1 have compas- sion on the multitude — if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way — give ye them to eat." \u 1' '• 'I f!:'; 5. We proceed to remark on Job's affiictions in contrast with his former state of prosperity. For you will admit that, dependance, straitncss and subjection, suc- ceeding power and wealth, is a state much more distressing than circumstances of de- pression and dependance, as common to persons born and brought up in humble life. Job's prosperity and elevation were of no ordinary character — " His substance was seven thousand sheep, and three thou- sand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household ; so that this man was the great- est of all the men of the East. And there were born unto him seven sons and three 15 r daughters/* His own reflection on his prosj)erity is higly descriptive. '*! washed my steps in butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil. AVhen I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street, the young men saw me and hid themselves, and the aged arose and stood up ; the princes refrained talking, and laid their hand upon their mouth ; the no- bles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth. When the ear heard me, then it blessed me, and when tlie eye saw me it gave witness to nie ; because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him : the blessing of him tlrat was ready to perish came upon me ; and I cau- sed the widow's heart to sing for joy. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was 1 to the lame : I was a father to the poor, and the cause which I knew not I searched out ; and I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth. My glory was fresh in me^ and my bow was re- newed in my hand. Unto me men gave ear, and waited and kept silence at my ,il ii ! t I 1 !l '' i 1 ! 1 16: crvnnsel : after my words tljcy "spake not again ; and my speech dropped upon them. I chose out their way, and sat chief and dwelt as a king in the army/' We observe here every thing combining both the great and the good. Job's character unites that of a husband, a father, a master, a magis- trate, a prince. I'o descend from all this height in one day, was a most heart-rending exercise, and he felt it too; as well he might. Hear his pungent j piercing words ** But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have dis- dained to have set with the dogs of mj flock — now am I their song, yea I am their by- word — they spit in my face — God hath delivered me over to the ungodly and turned me over into the hands of the wicked — he brcaketh me with breach up 11. It is too generally known, to need a statement in these pa- j>ers, that Newfoundland receives ahnost all its Hupply of Provi- fiioiis from oilier countries ; so that if any accident occur at a late reason of the year, by which the provisions are cut off or destroy- «d, the settlers are exposed to all the horrors of famine. Such it was feared would have been the case after the calamitous fires of November last ; it was next to impossible to obtain relief from the Mother-Country, by any means adopted in this country ; for thf'ugh a vessel might have been dispatched immediately, it was not to be expected such prompt intelligence could bring out re- iief at a season of the year when this coast is generally inacces* nible, by reason of the prevalence of strong westerly gales, and fields of drift ice — all these circumstances were considered im- mediately the melancholy news arrived in Boston, and an at- tempt to send relief was resolved upon. This resolution was favored by the coast of Newfoundland being more accessible to America than to Europe. A Subscription was entered into— Six thousand Dollars were raised — the whole sum laid out in Bread and Flour — a Vessel chartered and freighted -and in Fift'j Days from the last fire the Brig Messenger, Capt. Gfc. Peterson, anchored in our Harbour. Upon the arrival of the Yessel the Governor gave orders to the marine powers, to lend all necessary aid, in getting her through the ice up to any wharf con- sidered the most convenient. The Custom-House also hand- somely ceded titeir usual claims, and this "Welcome Messen- tSKa" was discharged of her cargo in four hours, and the provi- visions lodged in the stores of Messrs. N. & J. Gill, merchants, ■who gratuitously lent their wharf and storage on the occasion. The cargo was consigned to the Governor, as President «f a Benevolent Society established in St. John's, and by him transferred to the direction of the Committee of that Society. After some necessary inquiries and arrangements, the whole car- go was divided into shares, and these rations ^ven to the suffer- iii. VII B APPRNDlt. ;■ I era in proportion to the number of their household ; and thai many families, i%hich would through the winter have been i» great straits, were furnished with a comfortable supply of the ne- cessaries of life. The luxury of doing good is universally admitted to be great,and it muiit be admitted also, that true Christian philaiUiiro- py asks no i-ecompence, seeks not the obsequious bow of the humble dependant. Nevertheless, we think the return of a grate- ful heart in the oblation of thanks cannot be unacceptable, and we are sure it is a tribute that is due on the part of him who has been disinterestedly, and er^sentially served. Under these impres- sions a meeting of the inhabitants of St. John's was called in a few days after the arrival of the Messenger; and an address of thanks was unatiimousiy voted to the citizens of Boston^ and to Capt. Peterson, with his adventiiroiis crew, for their services iri coming down at such a season of the year, &nd that upon a coast so dangerous. To the Captain also was voted a Silver Cup, value twenty-five guineas, with an inscription suited to the occasion. It is hoped that these expressions of grateful remem9 tilt about the year 1811, when, owing to the great demand lor lish witii which to supply the urmie8 in Spain, it received a vast inthix of settlera from Ireland chieliy, from which part of tlio United Kingdom, Newfoundland hus been niO!*tly peopled, especiully the Northera nnd Wt'stem shores. Hundreds of houses, and even wholo streets have been built in this town bince the year 1811, and such was the demand for hnuscA at one time, that the rents wer« equal to what might be demanded in London. II m* This populction so oxtondod in some part of the Island, and so concentrated in others, and especially in Saint John'^, hus been regulated principally by a few laws enacted by the British Parliament, adapted almost entirely to the old moveable fishery— laws that apply to some general circumstances of trad» and navigation, but afTurd no internal regulation for the promo- tion of comfort, happiness and virtue, in society. The reader must not remain ignorant of the application of th(? common and statute Laws of England to this country, as far as these can b»> brought to bear upon the general state of things; but as every incorporate Town, and almost every little parochial community in England stand in need of soine local municipality, the nature of which they themselves are the best judges; so it must upon similar princi|)les be necessary for the peace, pi >^p?rity and vir- tue of seventy thousand of His Majesty's subjects in Newfound- land. I am very far from being prepared to say what sort of local legislation is best fitted to this country, but that a local sys- tem is absolutely necessary, none will deny ; for the want of it the njost unhappy circumstances have occurred and must conti- nue to occur wiih all that increasing disadvantage which such a deficiency might be expected to produce. Bu* this i^ a topic on which I intend to say but little, as I feel myself very^ inadequate, both for want of information and experience. As it respects tfa« «ii. THB APPENDIX. MORAL 8TATR of the Island in general, and that of Saint John's in particular, I feel myself more competent ; indeed it is hardly possible for any man of serious habits and moral feelings t« spend a few months in this community, without deeply lament' ing the state to uhich the soul of man is reduced by sin and error. It will be necessaiy upon this article to set before the rea- der the grand source of these evils, and what contributes princi-. pally to nourish and increase them. I shall then notice the in« efficiency of the remedies applied* and the obstacles in the way of more effectual ones. The prmcipal source of these evils is ignorance ; and what cherishes them to an alarming degree is, * ******** ******************** The reader perhaps tvas not prepared for this sudden and «brupt arrest, and I must confess it has a strange appearance, but there is needs be for it ; the story as it proceeded in the original MS. would have been, it was thought, highly ofTensive to some branches of the community. However, the reader ni4ist be in* formed that nothing has been prepared for the prees that could bave been deemed unconstitutional — nothing offensive to His Ma- jesty or His Majesty^s Ministers — nothing offensive to any legally constituted and wisely administered authorities — nothing offen* sive tp wise and pious men, or to orthodox and faiUiful clergy* men in any christian church under heaven — nothing offensive to good citizens or peacef':! subjects in any country in the worKl — ' Kiothing, but for which the author would have been applauded (for hia intentions at least) by all classes of peaceable and good men in the Mother-Country. — Why then should it be withheld in Newfoundland ? To develop the reason would be to tell the tale, and to involve my worthy friend the King^s Printer in tome inconvenience, not that by printing the whole he would 9Wend his Royal Master, or expose himself to rebuke from any ,1? r VHB APPENDIX. ¥iifc liigh ofTice in this Island; but as St Johu'tt printing offiees, both of them, stand so intimately connected with the personal interest And feeling of almost every branch of this condensed community, it would be hardly possible for these OfRees to become the organ ef a party without giving offence ; though it would delight m« to see the printing Press every where the organ of every party, that thinks it has any claim to public notice from its moral pre« tensions. It is indeed exceedingly to be regretted, that the Missionft- tics of every persuasion in Newfoundland have not a printing Press, for purposes purely moral ; it is next to impossible that truth can ever be propagated here to any extent without the as- sistance of the press. Supposejthe Catholic Clergy wished t* adopt vigorous and public measures for the conversion of th« Protestants to what they deem the true faith, it could not be done through the medium of our Presses as they now stand ; sudh a measure would offend all the Protestant bigots in the commu- nity, and of course, their support would be withdrawn from the office, and the Printer would be ruined ; but if the Romail Church had its own Press, which would be quite congenial td the spirit which breathes in the Society De propaganda jide, an unoffending discussion might be entered into, and truth thereby would make its way. After what has been above offered aii an apology for that iliversion which has been imposed upon me from the plan of de^ tail laid down, the reader will only now expect me to fill up thdi sheet in as harmless and tame a way as the subject will admit.-^ With these precautions and irresolute rosolutions, we proceed to develop the mortd state oC this country. In pursuing this ob- ject, I hope it will be cordially granted, that a display of the mo- ral or spiritual instruction a people receive, will afford some cfi- t^ioD of their moral characten ax. THE APPENDIjr, It is too well known to need any proof here, that the Esta* Wished Cliurch of England extends not her pale beyond the boundaries of the Britidli Isles — nor even to the full extent of these Doaiioions ; Scotland is. an evident exception. So that whatever influence or authority the English Episcopacy has es- tablished " beyond the seas" must have been either by a Sjje- cial Act of Parliament^ or by missionary operations. As no Act of Parliament has established the episcopacy in this Island, and as a voluntary society conducted wholly by episcopalians has sent out and continues to support missionaries here, it may be presumed that this Island is rather a CuM for missio^'arij labour than any part of the established pale. But, notwithstanding the real equality of all spiritual characters here, it is natural to expect that the government and many whose interest is blended with the government, will discover a preference to the episcopal clergy ; of this no one can complain, nor ought it to be felt as a grie- vance. In this country there are four Episcopal Minis'ers ; one at St, John's — one at Harbor-Grace — one at Trinity, and one in the adjacent island of Twillingate. The good effects attend* jng the ministry of an English Clergyman need not be delinea- ted ; his duty is so clearly laid down in the rubric, that to des- cribe his duty is to describe his success — But as it respects Newfoundland, nobody will conjecture that four episcopal cler- gymen are equal to all the duties required by sixty or eighty thousandsouls, dispersed along the extensive shores of this Island. Hence, it must be observed, that to supply this lack of spiritual help, in part, the Catholic Church of Rome steps in with her aid. Saint John's is the residence of a Bishop, where there is a large Chapel, served by several Priests ; and as the greatest proportion of the inhabitants of this town are catholics, many of them natives of Ireland, or of that extraction, it may be expected that the chapel receives by far the largest congregation. Nor must I fail to say, however I may differ from that communion in religious faith, that some of the Catholic Inhabitants of this town live ia a» The appevdix'. X. good fellowship with many of their Profastant hr^lhrcn na if they were all of one Cluirch. Besides the Catholic coininunif y at St. John's, thorc are several othera with large Chnr'els in wliirh to officiate. At each of the following places there is a Chapel, King's Cove, Harbour Grace, Harbour Moin, Port de G-avi?, Bay de Verds, Garbonear, Petty Harbour, Trepassey, P'acentia, Bay Roberts, E'erryland. The number of Priests I am not able to state, butl believe they are about as numerous as their Chapels, for thc-y have fre- quently to visit smaller commmunities of Catholics in some of the minor settlements where there are not a sufficient number of souls to render the erection of a Chapel necessary, Hence I should conclude that the labours of the Catholic Clergy must be very considerable in this Island. It is worthy of notice that there is generally considerable cordiality preserved between tlie CathoHc Clergy and their Episcopal brethren of the Church of England. Besides the Episcopal and CathoHc communiotls, there are two denominations of Christians dissenting from the Church of England, and claiming the benefits of the Toleration Act ; namely, Con^egationalists and Methodists. The former of tl.ese has been the longest established in the Island, though it has only one society and only one place of worship. This Church was found- ed in Saint John's in the year 1775. The history and influence of this humble community, are hardly worth delineating ; indeed the influence of a merely tolerated sect cannot be expected to weigh much in a scale over against which are placed the prepon- derating merit and overwhelming splendor of the Episcopate and Pontificate. Nevertheless, this community of Christians are, it is presumed, laudably emulous to obtain and to preserve a cha- racter for soundness of doctrine — benevolence of heart — and purity of life ; this exemplified, and it is hoped such a people will never want the protection of the Law, nor fail in their attach- t n , !' J >l. niE APPENOlSt I ^ went to the governtneiit under which thejr enjoy their rights and privileges. But there have been some doubts expressed whether the TJeraiion Act extends " beyond the seas :" these doubts, men learned in the law, can solve ; and there is another doubt oa which a legal opinion would be very satisfactory ; it is on the subject of Episcopal toleration " beyond the seas." The case will appear in the underwritten note.* Tub Wealean Mtthodisls arc the second class of secedert from the Episcopacy. The Ministers of this denominutioa ofH** * On the point of leiral abilities* and disabilities to preach in foreign parts within the British empire, it would be proper to make a few obser- rations. As it respects Ministers end places of vvorsliip under the Tolera- tion act, there can be little doubt, provided the said Ministers and plat-eg of worship be duly registered ; and provided also, that the protection and countenance of the Law extend to settlement!' abroad. But if the Tolera^ tion act docs not extend to foreign parts, then it sliould seem that some- thing remains for the Legislature to effect ; thoutrh I think there can hardly be a doubt on the subject in rela on to persons dissenting from the Church of England. The doubt, if there be any, ratlier rests on the officiating of Clergymen of the Church of England in foreign parts. 1 will slate a case which might have taken place in the Island of , about the year — — , A Clergyman was interrupted by a man while performing Divine ser- vice — the man was accordingly apprehended and put under the charge of a peace officer. Upon examination it appeared that the offender wai very iudiflerent on the subject of liis commitment, and when pressed by the Magistrates for his defence, or acknowledgment of his crime, declared his determination to stand a legal trial. That part of the trial which bears npon the point, I shall give in form* The Counsel for the accused asked the Clergyman as follows :-«■ Cou. Sir, are you a 'Clergyman of the Church of England 2 Cier. I am, and have my letters of orders. Cou. By what. Bishop was you ordained i C/er. By the Bishop of Lincoln. Cout Hndyou,Sir,anyliccncerromthatBi«>hopioofficiateinhi8diOcese ? Cler. I had, and officiated for years by virtue of that licence. Cou. Does that licence afford you any warrAnt to officiate in this island 2 CItr» I presume it does not. ^ THE ArPFNDIX. einting in Newfoundland, arc Mi.irfioiiaries sent out by The Me- thodist Missionary Society, and in great part supported by that Institution. The number of these Missionaries is considerable, I believe not less than eleven ; one of which resides at St. .John's, , wh-re there is a large and handsome Chapel ; the other Mission- aries are etigH^ed in the Out-ports and Harbours, where it seenis, they have very severe duties to perform ; but then it is said, by some, tlut these Meth';dist Preiu-hers are very illiterate inen. As T have not autrmriiy, iiur have 1 eiliier eoinj)eteMcy or oppor- tunity to oxamiiie their ijiu-liiicatioas, I cannot say how that mat- Cow. By what authority thcti do yo!> offlciato in (his Ii-Ionrl ? Ckr. 1 nrn a Missiouai-y sciU out by the Sodelj Jbr pt omulins^ Chrkliun KncicleJge. Con. Does that Sorlr'y L'rant iicPDCPs tn r!r»-!Tvv-ner; ? Cltr. I In not ku. w .hai uie '--a-.t'iy hu.s aiiy such auihonty. Cou. You liave no such liCfi.ce lioiu liiat. tociety ? Clsr. I have not. Cou. Do you fonc'ivo, ihiit 'n y->ur pn'sent situation, yoa are offioiatin^ within tht" pale of the Ciunoh oi E ifj'uaiS, Ckr. I make no doubt but I am. Cou. What reason have you for thriKintr eo? Cler. Because nil His iMajesty's d,,miiuoii3 aUvood are withm the rlio- ccse of the Bshop of London. Com. Have you any licence from the Bishop of .London Jo oQiciate jn this part of his diocese ? Cler, No, I Irive not, because I am n Missionary. Cow. But, Sir, if you have no legal licence from tlie Bisliop in whose diocese you officiate, nor from ihe ^ocifty wliose MisiMonary you are, by what aulliority do you officiate ? Cler. I have the nutliority of a Missinnnry. Cou. Under what proteciion or patronugi- is the Church in which yoa ©fficiate. Cler. It was built at the expence of tlie people in the settlement. Coj<. Is it consecrated .' Cler. It is not. Com. Is it registered as required by cct of Tokration ? €ler. Certainly not, it i.s an episcopal Chur-l:, Xiii. TriR APPTHNDIX. ter mny b •, but I am abnost inclined to tb'nk that they hav* learning enough to enable them to teach a great proportion of the good planters and industrious fishermen of Newfoundland, nor Kjust I fail to say that I have heard some of these settlers speak of them in rather high terms, and I do not wonder at it, for these unlearned men submit to great privations and endure greater hardships and labours, it should seem, purely for the purpose of instructing some more ignorant than themselves. This seem* to be commendable, but they may have unworthy motives — they may from a more idle disposition become preachers, and from tho love of good cheer quarter themselves upon the industry of their flocks. As to their motives, it is not for me to judge, their heart is hid from human eye ; but if these were their motives, they must have been sadly disappointed in coming to Newfoundland and in finding themselves placed out, as most of them are, amidst 8ome of the most hard-working and hard-faring of the human race. A Methodist Missionary's bill of fare, during a long win- ter, is salt fish, sometimes relieved by salt pork — Ivard bread — potatoes — tea — spruce beer ; these make up his collation for months together. And a& to the bill of Ial>our, it has some arti- cles in it not exactly suited to a downy doctor. He has almost Com. Is it recognised by any legal instrument, either by the Bishop in whose diocese you say it is, or by any other Bishop ? Cler. I do not know of any such legal instrument. Com. Sir, if your Church be not recognised by the laws of episcopacy, nor by the act of Toleration ; and if you ha\e no direct legal licence to officiate there, 1 demand of yon by what authority you officiate there, atitl by what authority the people meet there for religions worship ? It is hardly necessary to say, that the accused was dismissed for want of a Statute upon which to convict him. And if the case be thus Episco- palians and Episcopal Ministers in 'oreign parts, are in a woful dilemma, neither e>itabli«lied nor tolerated. It may be different with Colonial and G rrison Chap'uiiis, cppointed by Governmmt !! and it is certainly to be desired, that nothing «hould be wanting on the part of our Guverument t» lender the Church as respectable and as secure us possible. THE APPENDIX. »V« every day to cross mountains of finow, to climb rocks, cross arms of the sea, force a passage through dii«mal woods, and if he gets to the place of liis destination in time, he hoists his littK) flag at his chapel door ; the children of the settlement gather round him, and he in his humble way " instructs the ignorant ;" the businenr of the day closes with a sermon to all who are willing and have leisure to attend, and it is presumed that this last specimen of our Missionary's abilities need not display any vast profundity of ** learned lore ;" and when this honest day's work is done, the labourer finds a resting place in the humble cabin of some wor- thy, hardy fishen .an. The reader will judge from these things of tha moral character of the Methodist Missionaries, and froia thence an inference may be drawn as to the moral itate of the people they instruct. t' The moral, nay, spiritual character of Newfoundland, if exalted by the h^lp of another class of teachers, whose labours it would be sacrilege not to notice. In several of the Out-harbours where there are no clergy, School Masters, patronized and paid by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, read prayers on a Sunday, by which means the people are not only prevented from sinking down into a total indifference to all religion, but these learned pedagogues thereby counteract or r.upersede the sad pernicious influence of the unlearned Methodists. Indeed I can* not see why the greater part of Divine Service could not be mora generally performed by such honest and useful men, as well as^ by more regular clergy, for as they can read and doubtless read well, they could not only perform the duty of the Desk, but, with the help of Drs. Trusler and Blair, they might attempt, at least^ the duty of the Pulpit. With this help so near at hand, it seems a pity that sudb expences should be incurred as are necessary to support a regular clergy, in such places as this Island presents. These safoe spi- ritual helps could also read the Marriage and Burial 6ervicc»> »♦. THE APPENDIX. ' .'• ii. I^l W: and though they rould not convey the sacred grace cf rogenera- tion in the office of baptism, yet this service might be left to some itinerant priest, who could christen the children by groups ; and Bo the whole matter might very easily be adjusted, without the aid of meddling, obtruding, and unlettered Methodist missionaries. In such minute and important detail as the above, it would be highly criminal to omit to notice those spiritual serviros, in somf-. cases, performed by Magistrates, sometimes by Merchants, and even by the Planters and Fishermen.* For if the Mairiago and Burial services, were not sometimes performed by such gentle- nen, the living must remain single and the dead unburied. From the above statement, is it possible that the reader ihouldi draw an unfavourable conclusion on the Moral fdate of Newfhundland ? — It is admitted that this Appendix was at first undertaken^ with an impression rather unfriendly to such a con- elusion^ but the sudden turn given to our detail, and the new ^rifl of our argument, have brought us to see, what perhaps we should otherwise have been too prejudiced to have observed. In finding up these statements and remarks, it may not bo amiss to pve a brief syllabus of the foregoing relation. We have seen , that the ppiritual lack of the people of Newfoundland is cupj/nVJi by professing Christians of several denominations i of the Eng- lish Church there are four Clergymen, assisted in some of the Out- harbours by the humblej but well-intended labours of the good School-Masters, appointed more especially to instruct the rising race. Of the Cdtholic Church, there are twelve Chapels, with a Bishop and a proportionate number of Priests. The Congrega- • It is said, that there is still living a conple in ene of the out-harbours^ which W88 married, I suppose, by one of these learned Chaplains^ for in the celebration of the nuptials this son c St, Peter read the Burial, 'n- «tead of the Marriage, Service. Howt/er, this little blunder produced no ▼ery great evil, for the parties liavc lived to a great age, and have scea «, numerous progeny. THfi APPENDIX. XV?. tionalists, or as some call them the Prosbytarians, we have seeu are confined to one single society, and have but little share, if any, in evangelizing the Island. The Methodists seem to be the only class equal to contend with their spiritual rivals, I mean, if their numbers did but afTord any criterion of their strength, but their literary attainments are reputed so low, that they cannot be ex- pected to stand before the more respectable and more powerful talents of their brethren, of the other denominations. " And here will I make an end. And If I have done well, " and as is fitting the story, it is that which l desired, but if slen* " derly and meanly^ it is that which I could attain unto. For as " it is hurtful to drink wine or water alone ; and as wine min- " gled with water is pleasant and delighteth the taste, even so " speech finely framed delighteth the ears of them that read th9 * fitory. And here shall be an end," {Apocrypha,} •■%-, FINIS.