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Published by tlie Kd^ioiTS Tract XBodk Swaety-foT Trplaud. \V 18&1. r'*t a ^'^'f.. ...^^s.»I^,v.,u^■ai^av^<^^s«aa:J^feJaa»&^aiBi«|j)i^^^f»^ ■.-^%. I ^ MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. \»i FROM THEIR COMMENCEMENT TO THE PRESENT TIME. " I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel; and I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham^ Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." Matt. viiL 10, 11. DUBLIN : PUBLISHED BY THE RELIGIOUS TRACT AND BOOK SOCIETY FOR IRELAND, AND SOLD AT THEIR DEPOSITORY. 22, UPPER SACK- VILLE STREET, W. CURRY, JUN. AND CO., AND R. M. TIMS, DUBLIN ; AT THE SOCIETY'S DEPOSITORY, 32, SACKVILLE-ST. PICCADILLY; J. NISBET, HOULSTON AND SON, HAMILTON, ADAMS AND qp. LONDON ; WAUOH AND INNES, EDINBURGH, v. MDCCCXXXI. IP : it n PRATED BY THOMAS I. WHITE, 140, ABBEY STREET. PREFACE. The following history of the Missions of the United Brethren on the coast of |Lahra- dor, has heen principally compiled from the *^ Periodical accounts" published by the Bre- thren's Society in London. The Editor, however, being unable to procure the earlier Numbers of that Publication, is chiefly in- debted to << Holmes* Historical Sketches," for the facts which are recorded in the com- mencement of the narrative. He has also to acknowledge his obligation to a recent Publi- cation, for some of the descriptions of the characteristic features of the polar regions, contained in the introductory chapter. The history of the Labi*ador Mission, may be considered as an illustration of the truth contained in those words of Scripture — " As 164716 IV PREFACE. many as received Him, to tliem gave lie power to become the sons of God ; even to them that believe on His name. Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" In the perusal of the following nan*ative, the reader will observe the utter inefficacy of human means to convert a soul. It will be seen, that, although the savage people, among whom the Missionaries laboured, were con- vinced of the disinterested love of their teach- ers, and although they felt their superiority in intelligence and knowledge, still their as- sent to the truths which they taught, was hypocritical, cold, and uninfluential. But, when it pleased the Lord, in his sovereign wisdom and goodness, to pour out His Spirit upon the Esquimaux congregation, at a time, and under circumstances, when it was least expected, then indeed, the once ignorant sa- vages believed << with the heart unto righte- ousness," and the marvellous change produced in their principles, affections, and conduct, manifested that they had indeed received power to become the sons of God. ^ :ave he even to h were ic flesh, In the reader human J seen, among e con- teach- •iority nr as- t) was But, 5reign Spirit time, least It sa- fhte- uced iuct, ived \ PREFACE. V May the great Head of the Church be pleased to vouchsafe His blessing to this little Volume I May it be the means of exciting in careless souls, a desire after a name, and a place in that eternal kingdom of light and purity, of which it treats ! And may it ex- cite in the breasts of those, who have already been delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into that kingdom, fervent de- sires to extend its conquests, until all the ends of this dark and sinful world, ** Shall remember and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Him." October, 1831. A 3 Siti c T a Es CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Situation of Labrador — General appearance of the country — Severity of the cold during winter — Ap- proach of summer — Thawing of the ice — Mountains and fields of ice — Fogs — Esquimaux — Their stature — Countenance — Dress — Mode of subsistence — Dogs — Improvidence of the Esquimaux — Their intellec- tual condition — Moral character 1 — 18 CHAPTER H. Earliest labours of the Moravians in the Northern Regions — First attempt to establish a Mission on the coast of Labrador — A ship sent out by the Bre- thren — Murder of Erhard — Return of the Mission- aries — A second Missionary Enterprise undertaken — Mr. Havens intercourse with the Esquimaux — He returns to Newfoundland, but repeats his visit next year, accompanied by Mr. Drachart, and Vlll CONTENTS. others — Their Intercourse witli the Savages — A Quarrel between the British and Natives causes a temporary suspension of Missionary labours, 19 — 50 CHAPTER III. Hostilities between the British and Esquimaux — Kar- pik taken as a prisoner to Newfoundland — He is sent to England, and entrusted to the care of Mr. Haven — Effect of kindness — Karpik's self-righteous- ness — His love of dress — Gradual opening of his mind to the truth — Conviction of sin — He refuses to return to Labrador — Natural amiability — Karpik removed to Fulneck, and placed under the care of Mr. Drachart — His death — Reflections.... 51 — 68 CHAPTER IV. Growth of Christ's kingdom — Establishment of the first Missionary Station in Labrador — Willingness of the Esquimaux to hear the Missionaries- — An Esquimaux on his deatli-bed professes depcndancn on Christ — Some of the Missionaries make a voyage of Discovery — They arc wrecked, and two of them drow^ned — The Stations of Hopedale and Okkak (established — The Gospel preached with little effect — The causes wliich hindered its Progress — Cai'es and Pleasures of the world — Wonderful preserva- tion of the lives of two Missionaries 69 — 109 ;-:tei. CONTENTS. IX CHAPTER V. Lukewiirmncss of many of the baptized Esquimaux — Unpromising appearance of the settlement at Hope- dale — "Wise reflections of Esquimaux — Death of Mikak — Conversion and death of a noted Angekok and murderer — Death of Esther., 110 — 122 CHAPTER VI. Loss of a Missionary — Sickness among the Esquimaux — Their low spiritual state — Encouragements — Brotherly love of the Missionaries — Death of a con- verted Esquimaux — Commencement of an awaken- ing among the congregation at Hopedale — Its pro- gress, and extension to Nain and Okkak — Some effects of this awakening 123 — 160 CHAPTER VII. Letter of an Esquimaux — The Esquimaux no longer resort to Sorcery for relief in distress — Anecdote of a Heathen woman — Conviction of sin— Conversion of a Sorcerer — Power of the Word of God — Bro- therly love, and enlarged benevolence of the con- verted Esquimaux — Private Religious Meetings cimong the Believers — Family worship — Awaken- ing among Youths and Children — Death of a be- Jieving child — Deliverance from the fear of death — A backslider — Frightful death of Kapik — Reflec- tions 161—212 ». X CONTENTS. CHAPTER VIII. The Missionaries labour with tlieir own hands — An- nual arrival of the Brethren's ship at Labrador — Wonderful preservation — Reflections..... 213 — 222 CHAPTER IX. Continued effects of the awakening among the Esqui- maux — Their joy on receiving printed Hymn books from Europe — Generosity of the Christian Esqui- maux — General state of the Congregations in 1810 — Death of a Missionary — Numbers of Esquimaux receiving Instruction in 1817 — Their love of the Scriptures — The New Testament printed — Anec- dotes — Sickness of a Missionary — Jubilee of the Mission — Arrival of an English Sloop of War — Kindness of Captain Martin — Good conduct of the believing Esquimaux 223 — 246 CHAPTER X. General state of the Congregations in 1824 — Conse- cration of a new Church — Famine among the Hea- then — Conversion of a murderer — Power of ex- ample — Benefit of Bible reading — Declarations of Believing Esquimaux — Wonderful preservations of the lives of some Esquimaux 247—275 CONTENTS. XI CHAPTER XI. State of the Esquimaux congregations in 1830 — Num- bers of the Heathen under instruction — Declara- tions of the Baptized — An Esquimaux letter — Conversion of an obstinate Offender — Dreadful sickness — Triumph over death — Gratitude of the believing Esquimaux — Increasing providence — Ma- nual labour of the Missionaries — Travelling in La- brador — Brotherly love of the Missionaries — Estab- lishment of a new Settlement contemplated. 276—303 CHAPTER Xn. The Missionaries learn that the northern districts of Labrador are thickly peopled — Are invited by the Heathen to settle among them — An unsuccessful voyage — Another voyage undertaken by the Bre- thren, Kmoch and Kholmeister — Devotedness of the Esquimaux pilot — Various perils — Intercourse virith the Heathen — A providential meeting — Amazement of the Savages — Prayer answered — Return to Okkak — A mysterious providence — De- sire of the heathen for Christian instruction — Final arrangements for the establishment of a Missionary settlement at Kangertluksoak in 1830 — A ship sent out with building materials, &c. — Joy of the natives — Conclusion ,..,, 301> — 336 \ ■ MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. CHAPTER I. Situation of Labrador — General appearance of the country — Severity of the cold during winter — Ap- proach of summer — Thawing of the ice — Mountains and fields of ice — Fogs — Esquimaux — Their stature — Countenance — Dress — Mode of subsistence— Dogs ^-Improvidence of the Esquimaux — Their intellec- tual condition — Moral character. Before we proceed to relate the labours of Christian Missionaries on the coast of La- brador, it may not be uninteresting to notice some particulars respecting the external fea- tures of the country and the condition of its inhabitants, collected from the various des- criptions which Missionaries and navigators have given us of those inhospitable regions. The Peninsula of Labrador extends from lat. 520 20' to lat. 620. The character of the B 2 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. country resembles that of the polar regions in general. The snow sets in as early as August, and the ground is covered, to the depth of two or three feet, before the month of October. Along the shores and the bays, the fresh water poured from rivulets, or drained from the thawing of former collec- tions of snow, becomes quickly converted into solid ice ; a dense fog covers the land ; the hoar frost settles profusely, in fantastic clus- ters, on every prominence ; the whole surface of the sea steams like a lime-kiln ; a sheet of ice spreads quickly over the smooth expanse, aTid often gains the thickness of an inch in a single night. 7he darkness of a prolonged winter now broods impenetrably over the frozen continent, unless the moon chance at times to obtrude her faint rays, which only discover the hor- rors and wide desolation of the scene. The wretched inhabitants, covered with a load of bear-skins, remain crowded and immured in their huts, every chipk of which they care- fully stop against the piercing cold ; and, cow- ering about the lamp of train oil, they seek A POLAR WINTER. 3 to doze away the tedious night. Their slen- der stock of provisions, though kept in the same apartment, often hecomes so hard, as to require to be cut with a hatchet ; and, in the more northern parts, the whole of the inside of their hut becomes lined with a thick crust of ice, and if they happen for an instant to open a window, the moisture of the confined air is immediately congealed, and falls on the floor, in the form of a shower of snow. As the frost continues to penetrate deeper, the rocks are heard, at a distance, to split with loud explosions. The sound of voices, which during the cold weather can be heard at » much greater distance than usual, serves now and then to break the silence which reigns in these dreary regions, — a silence far di£Perent from that peaceful composure which charac- terizes the landscape of a cultivated country — ^it is the death-like silence of the most dreary, desolation, and the total absence of animal existence. At length the sun re-appears above the ho- rizon, but his languid beams rather betray the wide waste, than brighten the prospect. By MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. degrees, however, the farther progress of the- frost is checked. In the month of May> the fiimished inmates venture to leave their hut, in quest of fish on the margin of the ice. The power of the sun gradually increases ; the snow wastes away ; the ice dissolves apace, and vast fragments of it, detached from the cli£Ps and undermined beneath, precipitate themselves, with the crash of thunder, on the shores, or into the ocean, where the mighty launch floats like a lofty island. The ocean is now unbound, and its icy covering broken up with tremendous rupture. The enormous fields and mountains of ice, thus set afloat, are, by the violence of winds and currents, broken into smaller masses. Sometimes, im- pelled in opposite directions, the * approach and strike with a mutual shock, sufiicient, if opposed, to reduce to atoms in a moment the proudest monuments of human power. It is impossible to picture a situation more awful than that of the poor crew of a whale-ship, who see their frail bark thus fatally enclosed, expecting immediate and inevitable destruc- tion. A POLAR SUMMER* ; Before the end of June, the shoals of ice in the polar seas are commonly divided, scat- tered, and dissipated ; but the atmosphere is then almost continually damp, and loaded with vapour. At this season of the year, a dense fog generally covers the surface of the sea, rendering the navigation extremely dan- gerous. In the course of the month of July, the sun at length shines out, with a bright and dazzling radiance. For some days before the close of the summer, the heat in the bays and sheltered spots is so great, that the tar and pitch are sometimes melted, and run down the ships' sides. We may easily conceive with what lively demonstrations of joy the arrival of this cheering season is hailed by the inhabitants ; and, in the gladsome transition, the pious mind will discover a striking illus- tration of the goodness of God, in causing the warm and lightsome beams of the Sun of Righteousness to visit a people who had long pined in the darkness and coldness of igno- rance and unbelief.^ This improvement of * When the works of God are viewed by the light of his word, it can then be understood how " the whole 6 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. the subject which we have been contemplating naturally connects itself with the moral his- tory of the inhabitants of Labrador, and is not obscurely suggested by the words of the Psalmist — ** He giveth his snow like wool. He scattereth his hoar frost like ashes. He €asteth forth his ice like morsels : who can stand before his cold ? He sendeth out his word, and melteth them : he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. He sheweth earth is full of bis glory.** This is an exercise in which those who are spiritually-minded greatly delight ; and the language of the Bible, abounding as it does in illustrations drawn from the visible works of God, proves it to be the will of the Author of the Bible, that his people should make this improvement of the things which are seen. It is gratifying to observe how some of the weak and foolish in the estimation of the world have excelled in this branch of spiritual wisdom. A converted Greenlander, " as he was once upon a journey, was invited by the natives to dance at the sun-feast (a heathen riot, to celebrate the return of the sun) ; but he gave them this answer — * I have now another kind of joy, because another sun, namely, Jesus, is arisen in my heart.* " See Greenland Mis- sions, published by the Religious Tract and Book So- ciety for Ireland. ri ' -w< i :f ,I W! » " ' * '- ESQUIMAUX. ' T his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord." Psalm cxlvii. 15—20. Having now set before the reader a general description of the polar regions, in regard to climate, and the external appearance of the country, we proceed to describe the inha- bitants. The numerous hordes wandering through the northern wilderness are known by the name of Esquimaux. They constitute a most widely-diffused race, occupying all the shores of the Northern Ocean, and embracing nearly the entire circuit of the globe. The external form of this people seems influenced, and as it were characterized, by the severity of the climate. Their stature is decidedly lower than that of the European, — ^five feet nine inches being considered, even in a man, as almost gigantic. Though the body itself is somewhat thick, all the extremities are small, especially the hands and feet, and the fingers short. The face is broad and flat, the nose 8 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. tmall, and the cheeks remarkably prominent. Their countenance, however, marked by a frank and good-humoured expression, would be often agreeable, were it cleared of the thick crust of grease and dirt which hides the real complexion. The dress of the Esquimaux, through the necessity imposed by the climate, is much more ample, and prepared with greater care, than is usual among other savage tribes. That of the men chiefly consists in a double coat of deer-skin, the inner part of which, having the hair placed next the body, serves as a shirt, while from the outer a spacious hood is raised to cover the head. The breeches, of the same material, and also double, reach down over- lapping the boots, which extend to the knee, and are composed either of deer-skin, or, if intended for hunting or travelling, of the hide of the seal and walrus. The dress of the fe- males consists of the same articles, with only some vatiations in form : their chief distinc- tion lies in their boots, which are made suffi- ciently large to carry their children. The Esquimaux do not huddle on these WtH, EMPLOYMENTS OF KSQUiMAUX. garments in a rude and careless manner, as a mere protection against the fierce influence of the climate ; they display, like the inhabitants of civilized countries, a passion for embellish- ment and finery. Their clothes are neatly sewed, with threads made from the sinews of animals : the effect of their rich furs is heigh<* tened by being arranged in stripes of various colours, and by fringes along the border. In their traffic with Europeans, they seek anxi- ously for beads, often bartering their best furs for these worthless baubles. The labour necessary for subsistence, under this rigorous climate, is more arduous, and occupies a greater share of time, than among any other race, either civilized or savage. The ground, frozen for more than nine months of the year, yields neither root nor herb which can form a standard article of food. No tame animals are reared for this purpose, their dogs being so used only in the last ex- tremity. Hunting is their only resource, and hence their days are spent in the chase of the wild animals which inhabit the sea and the shore. During the short summer, they pur- B 3 10 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. ' i h 6ue the deer, whose flesh, as meat, and whose skin, as clothing, are esteemed ahove all others. The eider and other ducks also fur- nish them with food, while the hide, with the feathers inwards, forms a light and comforta- ble clothing. The early winter, however, compels these animals, in large bands, to move into milder climates ; and hence, for nine months annually, the Esquimaux must find their food in the waters, which are filled with large fishes, the seal, the walrus, and whale. In the capture of these animals, the natives exhibit much dexterity and courage. Nor does an Esquimaux hesitate, even singly, to attack the polar bear, the fiercest and most terrible of all the animals which inhabit those frozen regions. In describing the Esquimaux mode of liv- ing, we must not omit to mention the dogs, which are kept by the savages in greater or smaller flocks, according to the wealth of the proprietor. These animals are not unlike a wolf in shape ; like that animal, they never bark, but howl in a disagreeable manner ; they are used by the natives in the chase, and . and whose above all ks also fur- le, with the d comforta^ , however, is, to move ) for nine must find filled with and whale, he natives ige. Nor singly, to > and most abit those de of liv- the dogs, greater or th of the unlike a ey never manner ; lase, and SLEDGES, DOGS. 11 I ■it I also for draught. They quietly submit to be harnessed for their work, and are treated with little mercy by the savages, who make them do hard duty upon a small allowance of food. In fastening them to the sledge, they are not sufi^ered to go abreast, but are tied by sepa- rate thongs, of unequal length, to a horizontal bar on the fore- part of the vehicle. An old knowing one leads the way, running ten or twenty paces a-head, directed by the driver's whip, which is very long, and can be properly managed only by an Esquimaux ; the others follow, like a flock of sheep ; if one of them receives a lash, he generally bites his neigh- bour, and the bite goes round. Their strength and speed, even with a hungry stomach, are truly astonishing. The Esquimaux shew little providence in the management of their supplies. The in- stant that tidings transpire of the capture of a walrus, shouts of exultation are raised through the village, and its inhabitants share the prize in common. On its arrival, slices are instantly cut oflF, — every lamp is supplied with oil, — the houses are in a blaze,-— and all 12 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. the pots are filled with fiesh. The feast pre- pared, one man takes up a large piece, and, tearing a quantity from it with his teeth, he then hands it to his neighbour, and he to the next, till the whole is consumed. These de- graded people have no idea of temperance : one day they are labouring under fever, and all the maladies produced by gluttony — a few days after, they are without a morsel to eat. It is to be deeply lamented, that many who call themselves Christians, should bear a near resemblance to these poor savages ; for surely they who expend their money in procuring such delicacies as may tempt a fastidious ap- petite to eat more than the necessities of nature demand, are not in the sight of the Lord a whit better than they : of both it may be truly said, *< whose god is their belly." Let it be recollected, that "temperance" is one of the fruits of the spirit, where this grace exists it will moderate all our sensual desires; the truly temperate man will eat, not merely to satisfy an animal appetite but to strengthen his body for the Lord's service, and thus he eoniplies with the command, " Whether ye INTELLECT, MORALS. 13 iSLV a near -ance is eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." Considered as to their intellectual condition, the Esquimaux have not the least tincture of what goes hy the name of learning, they can form no abstract ideas, nor count above ten, the number of their fingers ; yet they shew consi- derable skill in the construction of their huts, and in the pursuit of the various animals upon which their subsistence depends. They also possess a considerable talent for humour and mimicry. In their moral qualities, the Esquimaux differ little from the inhabitants of other coun- tries; the consideration of self-interest, the fear of man, and various other motives hav- ing their root in earth, place some restraint upon those corrupt passions, which, in com- mon with the rest of the human family, they inherit from their first father. Public opi- nion is the law by which the actions of man in his natural state are ordinarily regulated, and as the tone of moral sentiment is elevated or depressed among any people, according to their knowledge of the Scriptures, we usually u MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. find those nations which are left to the dark- ness of heathenism, practising without re- morse or shame, such things as even a natu- ral man, living under the reflected light of Christianity, would hlush to avow. The an- nals of paganism furnish abundant illustra- tions of this assertion. To say nothing of the abominations of the ancient heathen, the shocking practice of burning the widow upon the funeral pile of her deceased husband, pre- valent among the Hindoos, and the infanti- cide practiced in the Sandwich Islands, where, before the introduction of the Gospel, two thirds of the children perished by the hands of their own parents, are instances of hea- then abomination fully authenticated ; while, among the Esquimaux, the cruelty with which the aged, the infirm, and the unprotected are treated, as if by general consent, is another striking evidence of the depth to which the standard of public opinion may be sunk, among a people destitute of Scripture light. The great and glaring defect in the Esqui- maux morality, which has been mentioned above, is so strikingly characteristic of this NATURAL DEPRAVITY. 15 the durk- thout re- n a natu- Jight of The an- illustra- othing of then, the low upon and, pre- I infanti- s, where, [pel, two be hands of hea- ; while, bh which cted are another lich the among ) Esqui- intioned of this savage race, that it has attracted the observa- tion of all classes of persons who have had much interconi'se with them ; some of our modern navigators who have visited the polar regions in search of a north-west passage, have noticed with much abhorrence, parti- cular instances of it, which, even during their short and desultory intercourse with the na- tives, came under their observation. We now come to consider the inhabitants of the polar regions in the most interesting point of view in which man can be considered, namely, in his relation to his Creator. The Gospel reveals the universal and total depra- vity of human nature before God. That there is none that doeth good, no, not one, and that every one is become altogether filthy and impure. Rom. iii. 12. The mind of man is sunk into carnality, and needs renewing— the conscience is defiled, every man is by nature under the dominion and power of a carnal mind, which is enmity against God, and is not subject to his law, neither indeed can be : man unrenewed by divine grace is not capable of relishing the things of God, the 16 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. unregenerate man can, therefore, neither obey God, nor delight in Him, can neither please God, nor be pleased with him. Man, thus fallen and degraded, a willing alien from the presence of God, is become the subject and servant of satan, has transferred the allegi- ance which he owed to God, to God's great enemy ; and thus he needs a two-fold delive- rance, first, from the guilt and curse which lie upon him by reason of his transgression of the divine law — and secondly, from the dark- ness which broods upon his own mind, and from satan, the god and prince of this ^orld, by whom he is led captive at his will. The truth of this is painfully illustrated in the superstitions of the Esquimaux. The objects of their worship are numerous, like the ancient heathen, they have ** Gods many, and lords many.'* They are not utterly without a conception of a supreme Being, but how little disposed they are to improve their faint persuasion of his existence, may be ga- thered from the consideration of the objects which engross their worship, among which i^ a large bear, whose dwelling they say, is in REGENERATION. IT the middle of the ice, and who frequently holds converse with mankind. The Esquimaux believe in a future world, the happiness of which, they think, will con- sist in an unlimited indulgence of their appe- tites. Contemplating human nature under such circumstances of deep and palpable degrada- tion, the thought which naturally arises in the mind is that some preparatory process of civilization is necessary to make it capable of receiving the truths of the only true religion, which is, as coming from God, pure and spi- ritual. Indeed we are always prone to forget the words so solemnly uttered by our blessed Lord, << Except a man be born again he can- not see the kingdom of God ;" for, without the regenerating influence of the Holy Ghost, the most elegant and polished scholar in our own favoured land, is as far from any real acquaintance with the truths of the Gospel, and spiritual enjoyment in them, as these de- graded savages ; and when the simple testi- mony concerning Jesus, as the Saviour of sinners, comes to the degraded Esquimaux, 18 MISSIONS IN LABllADOIl. not in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, the effects produced, supersede the necessity of any rea- sonings, to prove that the assistance of civili- zation and literature is not requisite to make him wise unto salvation. The actual putting forth of the power of the Holy Spirit in producing this wondrous change, by the instrumentality of the gospel^ is exhibited in the following history of the Labrador Missions. May every reader be led in the perusal of it, to enquire whether his own character bears the evident marks of one who has received the Holy Ghost ; and may those who, in the progress of such an enquiry arrive at the satisfactory conclusion that they have the Spirit of Christ, be stimulated in the contemplation of its power upon the un- derstandings and affections of the Esquimaux, to seek for more enlarged experience of its influence, from the deep conviction that their measure of fruitfulness, and enjoyment as the servants of Christ, will be proportioned to the measure of his Spirit bestowed upon them. CHAPTER II. Earliest labours of the Moravians in the Northern Regions — First attempt to establish a Mission on the coast of Labrador — A ship sent out by the Bre- thren — Murder of Erhard — Return of the Mission- aries — A second Missionary Enterprise undertaken •^Mr. Havens intercourse with the Esquimaux— i . He returns to Newfoundland, but repeats his visit next year» accompanied by Mr. Drachart, and others — Their Intercourse with the Savages— A Quarrel between the British and Natives causes a temporary suspension of Missionary labours. In the year 1733, three Missionaries from the Church of the United Brethren, arrived on the coast of Greenland, they were some time after followed by others, and having en- dured much hardship, and experienced many disappointments, the labours of these faithful men were finally rewarded with a measure of success, which, probably exceeded their fond- est anticipations. 20 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. The conversion of the first Greenlander took place in the year 1738, and this happy event proved the beginning of an extensive awakening among the savages, of whom an increasing number were joined year after year, to the Lord and his people ; and in the year 1752, the Greenland congregation had become so great, that we find Johannes De Watteville, a bishop of the Brethren's church, making a voyage to Greenland, for the pur- pose of visiting the flock which had been col- lected from among the heathen, in that coun- try. In the same year (1752), we find the first attempt made to establish a M ti^ion on the coast of Labrador. The Moravian Mis- sionaries in Greenland seem, at a very early period, to have entertained the opinion, that the Esquimaux living upon the opposite coast of Davis's Straits, were a branch of the same people as their own Greenlanders. This opi- nion was afterwards strengthened by the tes- timony of Ellis, who declared that the Esqui- maux whom he met with in his voyage to Hudson's Bay, resembled the Greenlanders in their aspect, dress, boats, hunting and PARTICULAR PROVIDENCK. 21 fishing implements, habitations, manners and customs ; and the only word of their language which be noted down, exactly corresponding with the term used by the Greenlanders to denote the same object, was considered as some confirmation of the supposition, that the two people used a common tongue. Those who know that the minutest events are ordered by the providence of God, and that every wheel in that complicated machine is designed to serve some purpose in refe- rence to the church, will not be wearied by a detail of events, which opened the way for the establishment of the Gospel among a heathen people. There seemed but little con- nexion between a voyage to Hudson's Bay, undertaken for a secular object, and the send- ing of Missionaries to preach the Gospel to the savages on the coast of Labrador, yet it was so ordered in providence, that the in- formation derived from Ellis concerning the Esquimaux, should stimulate the Moravian Missionaries in Greenland to make some ex- ertion for sending the gospel to that people. Their Greenland congregation was in a pros- 22 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. peroug condition, and the signal blessing which had been bestowed upon their labours in that country, encouraged them in their de« sire to plant the Gospel among other and dis^^ tant tribes of the same race. The informa- tion which they had received concerning the Esquimaux, opened a large field of labour to their view, for which they were peculiarly fitted by their knowledge of the language, their acquaintance with the superstitions and prejudices of the savages, by their being inured to the climate of the polar regfions, and habituated to the hardships which a Mis- sionary in such a country, and among such a people, must necessarily encounter. In the efforts made for promoting a Mission to the JSsquimaux, we find Matthew Stach, who had been the principal instrument of planting the gospel in Greenland, taking an active part. In 1752, this devoted servant of Christ, soli- cited permission of the Hudson's Bay com- pany to preach the Gospel to the Indians be- longing to their factories. This permission was not granted, but we are not informed upon what grounds. It would be difficult. A MISSIONARY EXPEDITION. 28 however, to allege any reason in justification of the awful offen-jo of raising a hinderance in the way of a herald of the King of kings, acting under that plain warrant, " Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.** Although Matthew Stach was disappointed in his attempt to find access to the Esquimaux through this channel, he was not cast dowu^ and he at length saw his exertions so far suc- cessful, that some of the Brethren in London, joined hy several well disposed merchants, fitted out a vessel for a trading voyage on the coast of Labrador. This ship was destined to carry out Christian Ek'hard, a Dutchman, and four Missionaries, to whom the former should act as interpreter, having acquired some knowledge of the Greenlandic when engaged in the whale fishery in Disko Bay. This little expedition set sail in May, 1752, and in July cast anchor in a large bay on the coast of Labrador, to which they gave the name of Nisbet's Haven, in honour of one of the owners of the ship. The Missionaries determined to fix their residence on this part 24 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. of the coast, and lost no time in erecting a house, made of timber, which they had taken with them from England ready framed. In the mean time, Erhard proceeded with the ship farther north, for the purpose of traffic- ing with the natives. He found that he could make himself tolerably well understood by the Esquimaux, but as they were afraid to come on board the ship, on account of the guns, he suffered them to persuade him to land in a bay between the islands in an unarmed boat, with five of the crew. The captain of the ship became greatly alarmed as the shades of evening closed in, and Erhard and the sea- men had not returned, in vain did he patrol the deck, looking through the dim twilight of a polar night for his returning companions, in vain did his ear, sharpened by anxiety, en- deavour to catch the distant paddling of their oars. Nothing could be seen but the wide expanse of waters, or the icy mountains of the wild and barren coast ; and nothing heard but the plunging of seals and porpoises, or the dismal screamings of sea fowl. In this painful state of suspense the captain remained t DISASTERS. 25 erecting a had taken amed. In L with the s of traffic- at he could tood by the id to come le guns, he ) land in a rmed boat, ain of the e shades of d the sea- he patrol twilight of panions, in ixiety, en- ig of their ; the wide untains of ling heard poises, or L In this I remained several days, for, not being provided with another boat, he was unabl-^ to go in search of his comrades, at length, when he despaired of gaining any information concerning their fate, he sailed back to Nisbet's Haven, and calling the Missionaries on board, represented to them, that after the loss of such a number of his crew, he could not possibly perform the voyage home without their assistance. Under such circumstances, the Missionaries could not refuse to supply the place of the seamen, but they left with regret, the place in which they had hoped to labour in the gos- pel, consoling themselves with the prospect of returning in the following year. On their arrival in England, it was not deemed advis- able to renew the attempt, until intelligence should be received of the safety of Erhard and his companions, and as on the return of the ship, several of their dead bodies were discovered, and the deserted house was burnt to the ground, both the trade and the Mission were for that time abandoned. Hdw natural is it for us, at first to lament over this spec- tacle, of a servant of the Lord thus made the c 26 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. speedy victim of savage cruelty. Truly, he was not offered up on the service and sacrifice of this people's faith — ^then he might hu/e rejoiced with them in his death ; hut if not, he was not the less unto God a sweet sa^ vour of Christ, whether they were saved, or whether they perished. The next attempt at the estahlishment of a Mission on the coast of Labrador, was made by Jens Haven, in 1764. This individual went as a Missionary to Greenland, from the congregation of United Brethren at Herm- huth, in Moravia, in the year 1758, in com- pany with Matthew Stach, who was return- ing at that time from Europe to the field of his former labours, and we find these two brethren engaged in the same year, in estab^ lishing the second of the Moravian settle- ments in Greenland, distinguished by the name of Lichtenfels. We mention these cir- cumstances, because they let us, in some measure, into the private history of these brethren, and from our knowledge of the in- timacy subsisting between them, it seems reasonable to conclude, that Matthew Stach, ",.) '4 MR. HAVEN. 27 who was the spring of the former attempts which had heen made to estahlish a ^lission among the Esquimaux, was the instrument of inciting Haven to undertake this dangerous enterprise. Who can calculate the good which may be done by the meanest of the Lord's people, who is not only ready to make any personal sacrifice, where the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom is concerned, but who, in all his intercourse with his fellow Christians, is guided by the Apostolic pre- cept : *' Let us consider one another to pro- voke unto love, and good works." . In prosecution of his purpose of devoting himself to the service of Christ among the Esquimaux, Mr. Haven came to London, when he procured an introduction to Hugh Pallisir, Esq. the Governor of Newfound- land. This gentleman received our Missionary very kindly, freely offered him his support, and gave him the necessary letters of recom- mendation. In May, 1764, Mr. Haven ar- rived at St. John's in Newfoundland, but he had to meet with many perplexing delays before he reached his destination, every ship 28 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. in which he endeavoured to procure a passage, refusing to land on the coast of Labrador for fear of the Esquimaux. The character of this people, had become notorious for savage ferocity among all classes of people. In a proclamation issued by Governor Palliser, upon his arrival in Newfoundland, in favour of our Missionary, their character is thus de- signated : " Hitherto, the Esquimaux have been considered in no other light, than as thieves and murderers, but as Mr. Haven has formed the laudable plan, not only of uniting these people with the English nation, but of instructing them in the Christian religion, I require, by virtue of the power delegated to me, that all men, whomsoever it may con- cern, lend him all the assistance in their power." The barbarous murder of Erhard and his companions, afforded so much ground for the evil opinion so generally entertained of the Esquimaux character, that in all these circumstances, we may conclude that Mr. Haven, in proposing to carry the gospel to them, must have been animated by the same Spirit which possessed the mind of the Apos- I. e a passage, abrador for laracter of for savage >ple. In a »r Palliser, , in favour is thus de- naux have it, than as Haven has of uniting :ion, but of religion, I elegated to may con- e in their of Erhard uch ground entertained in all these that Mr. ! gospel to y the same [ the Apos- INTERVIEW WITH ESQUIMAUX. 29 tie, when he said, " Neither count 1 my life dear unto myself, so that I may finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Having experienced many disappointments, Mr. Haven at length procured a passage in a ship, the captain of which, agreed to land him on the shores of Labrador. He first visited Chateau Bay, on the southern coast, here, however, he found no &igns of population, except several scattered tumuli, with the ar- rows and implements of the dead deposited near them. Embarking again, he finally landed on the island of Quirpont, or Quive- ron, off the north-east extremity of New- foundland, where he had the first interview with the natives. " The 4th September," he writes in his journal, " was the happy day when I saw an Esquimaux arrive in the harbour, I ran to meet him, and addressed him in Greenlandic. He was astonished to hear his own language from the mouth of an European, and an- swered me in broken French, I requested him c 3 30 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. )■ to return, and bring four of the chiefs of his tribe with him, as I wished to speak with them. He accordingly ran back with speed, shouting out, * Our friend is come.* Mean- while, I put on my Greenland dress, and met them on the beach. I told them I had long desired to see them, and was glad to find them well. They replied, < Thou art indeed our countryman.' The joy at this meeting was grea\; on both sides. After the conver- sation had continued for some time, they begged me to accompany them to an island about an hour's row from the shore, adding, that there I should find their wives and chil- dren, who would receive me as a friend. By accepting this ofi«r, it was evident that I should place myself completely in their power, but conceiving that it would be of essential service to our Saviour's cause, for me to be- come better acquainted with these savages, I simply turned to Him, and said, I will go with them in Thy name. If they kill me, my work on earth is done, and I shall live with Thee ; but if they spare my life, I will firmly believe that it is Thy will, that they should */ ^' INTERCOURSE WITH NATIVES. 31 hear and believe the Gospel. The steersman and another of the crew landed me on the island, but immediately pushed oiF again — to see at a safe distance what would become of me. I was presently surrounded by the na- tives, each of them pushing forward his family to attract my notice ; I warned them not to steal any thing from our people, and repre- sented to them the danger of it. They told me, that the Europeans were also guilty of thieving, to which I replied, that if they would only inform me of the delinquent, he should be punished. " The next day, eighteen of them returned my visit, according to promise ; I took this opportunity to assure them of the friendly dis- position of the British Government towards them, and promised that no injury should be done to them, if they conducted themselves peaceably ; I also oflfered them a written de- claration to this effect from Governor Pallis- ser ; but they shrunk back when I presented it to them, supposing it to be alive, nor could they, by any means, be persuaded to accept of this writing. They listened to all I said with the greatest attention. S2 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. (( I In their bartering concerns with the crew, they constituted me the arbiter of their diffe- rences ; for, said they, you are our friend. They begged me to come again the next year with some of my Brethren, and were over- joyed, when I promised that I would. 1 told them also, that on my return, I would speak to them of things which were of the greatest importance to their happiness, and instruct them in the knowledge of God. One of them asked if God lived in the sun. Another en- quired, whether it would make him more prosperous in his affairs if he believed in his Creator. I replied, there was no doubt of it, if he attended to them with proper diligence ; but the happiness of a future life, was infi- nitely preferable to present prosperity ; and this might confidently be expected by those who trusted in God while here, and lived according to his will. When I was about to take leave of these interesting people, the Angekok* Segullia took me into his tent, and embracing me, said, * We are at present ra- * The name given by the Esquimaux to their priestij or conjurors. [I. ^h the crew, their dlffe- our friend, e next year were over- uld. Itold irould Speak the greatest nd instruct ^ne of them Another en- him more ieved in his doubt of it, r diligence ; e, was infi- perity; and ed by those and lived ras about to people, the lis tent, and present ra- to their priests MR. DRACHART. 33 ther timid, but when you come again, we will converse together without suspicion.' " On the third day after this conference the Esquimaux left the harbour, and Mr. Haven returned to Newfoundland. Sir H. Pallisser and the Board of Trade expressed their entire approbation of his proceedings, and their wish for the early establishment of a Mission on that coast. He therefore made a second voy- age in the ensuing year, accompanied by three brethren, one of whom, (Mr. Drachart,) hav- ing been a Missionary in Greenland for many years, had acquired a thorough knowledge of the Esquimaux language. Having landed on the southern coast of Labrador, July 17, 1765, the party separated. Haven and one of the Brethren sailing northward in another vessel, to explore the coast in that direction, while Mr. Drachart and his companion re- mained in Chateau Bay. The expedition to the North produced no results tending to further the object of the travellers, as they did not meet with a single Esquimaux during the whole of the voyage ; but Mr. Drachart and his companion met with several hundred 34 MISSlONr* IN LABRADOK. natives, with whom they had daily opp^^rtii- nities of intercourse for upwards of a moni^- As soon as the captain of the ship in which Mr Drachart Bailed, had received intelligence that the Esquimaux had pitched their tents at a place twenty miles distant, he sailed thither. On the approach of the vessel, the savages in the kayaks bailed them in broken French, shouting 7W comrade, oui Hu ! the crew returned the same salutation. When the tu- mult had subsided, Mr. Drachart took one of the ssavages by the hand, saying in Green- landic, " We are frienda." He replied, " We are also thy friends." Several of the Esqui- maux now came on board, one of them in a white woollen coat, said, it had been given him by Johannesingoak (Jens Haven), as a keepsake, and enquired where he was. They invited Mr. Drachart to go on shore, and the elders of the tribe, followed by the whole horde, amounting to not less than three hun- dred persons, conducted him round the en- campment, firom tent to tent, repeatedly ex- claiming, " Fear nothing, we are friends, we understand your words. Wherefore have you ■i DULNESS OF THE ESQUIMAUX. 35 come ?" He replied, " I have words to you." On this, they led him to a green plot, and seated themselves round him on the grass. " I come," he began, " from the Karaler, in the east, where I had lately a tent, wife, chil- dren, and servants." On hearing this, they cried out, ** These northern Karaler are bad people." I come not from the north, returned he, but over the great sea, from the eastern Karaler, of whom, you have perhaps heard nothing, as it is a very long time since they quitted this (Country. But they have heard of you, and Johannesingoak, and I have vi- sited you, to tell you that these Karaler are your friends, and believe on the Creator of all things, who is our Saviour, and that they wish you to know him too." The savages were much perplexed by this speech, which they made him repeat over and over, until at length, an old man took upon him to explain its import. << He means Silla," said he, and made several circles round his head with his hand, blowing at the same time with his mouth. "Yes," said Mr. Drachart, "he is Silla Pingartitsirsok, the Creator of the world, 36 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. he has made the heavens, the air, the earth, and man. But where is he ? enquired one, and what is the meaning of the Saviour? added a second. Drachart, using the same gesticulations which he had seen the old man make, replied, * He is every where in Silla, hut he once became a man, and abode many years on earth to make u en happy.' One of them now asked, if he was a teacher ; he re- plied, that he had taught the Karaler in the east." In the slowness of these poor people to comprehend Mr. Drachart's meaning, when he endeavoured to direct their attention to their Creator and Redeemer, we have a me- lancholy illustration of those numerous passa- ges of sacred Scripture, which describe man's spiritual blindness and insensibility. Were man's affections rightly directed, were he un- der the influence of right dispositions towards Him, in whom we live, and move, and have our being, individuals possessing but an im- perfect acquaintance with each other's lan- guage, would find more facility in conversing upon religious truths than upon any other ■«■■*> % DARKNESS OF THE UNDERSTANDING. 37 the earth, uired one, Saviour ? the same \e old man 3 in Silla, )ode many ; One of ler ; he re- iler in the people to ling, when ;tention to lave a me- rous passa- uribe man's ty. Were irere he un- >us towards and have but an im- )ther s Ian- conversing any other topic, their minds would be tuned in such perfect union, that no strong effort of lan- guage would be required, the most imper- fect expression of our sentiments would pro- duce a corresponding vibration. But now it is just the reverse : in things relating to this life, and especially in traffic, where man's secular interests are most deeply concerned, persons of different nations may carry on in- tercourse with each other, with but little mu- tual acquaintance with their respective tongues. The identity of feeling and disposition in con- cerns of this nature, supplies the deficiency of language. AYhile, in matters of religion, the entire opposition of the unrenewed affections to spiritual objects, clouds the understanding, making it slow to receive any impression of divine truth. We find this stated in few words by our blessed Saviour ; " Why do ye not understand my speech, even because ye cannot hear ray words ; ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, hecause there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, D 38 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it, and because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not." But, although there was in these poor sa- vages, as in all unconverted men, the entire absence of a right state of affection towards God, we are not to suppose that they were without some speculative notions of a Supreme Being. When Mr. Drachart had been en- larging on the power and providence of God, one of them exclaimed, " Thou speakest of Torngarsuk." On his putting the question, whether they believed that Torngarsuk had made the world and all things, they confessed their entire ignorance of the matter. ** But," said an Angekok, " Torngarsuk ajungilak, the Great Spirit is good and holy." Another added, " Ajuckangilek, nothing is impossible to him." A third said, " Saimavok, he is gracious and merciful." Another feature of human depravity which is accurately delineated in the sacred Scrip- tures, namely, a proud self-esteem, and in- sensibility of conscience as to the guilt incur- red by the commid in the it of the But the r the Spi- cy of 4;he nake him y, but to jod, and TS of the reator, — love him xcellence presence mple and lie Chris- le gospel icity and rod, they practical the grace ntend for i%' ;?};■■ »» »• But to return to the narrative. The Esqui- maux also shewed a great reluctance to an- swer any inquiries relative to the nature of the country. Mr. Drachart found that the only possible way of gaining the information which he desired was, to propose every sub- ject to them in the form of short questions, and, when the savages stole away to their tents, to follow them thither, pressing his in- quiries upon them, and pointing to the objects upon which he desired to receive information. Although the Missionaries, in this familiar intercourse with the Esquimaux, never expe- rienced any thing like decided hostility, thev were often incommoded by the troublesome freedoms of their savage hosts. In one of their tents, Mr. Drachart had his pockets ri- fled of every thing they contained, and his hat also stolen. However, on his appealing to the seniors of the horde, they obliged the plunderers to restore the booty, even to a knife, which they begged as a keepsake. The next time they rifled him, they took care to do it secretly. But no sooner did the old men perceive that he had missed something, D 3 ^ 46 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. than they assembled all the young savages in the house, and ordered the articles in question to be restored. The thief immediately step- ped forward, without the least marks of fear or shame. " There," said he, " are your things — ^you perhaps need them yourself." In their frequent journies backward and forward, between the station of the ships and the Esquimaux encampment, our Missionaries had to endure much hardship, — frequently spending several sleepless nights together, without a morsel of food, and exposed, under the open air, to the inclemency of this cold and stormy climate. One dreadful night is thus described in their journal : " September 12. In the evening, a violent storm, with rain, arose. A shallop was driven to the shore, and ran aground on the rocks. By the offer of an ample reward, we persuaded the savages to lend us their assis- tance in bringing it ofiP. Eight of them put on their sea-dress, waded into the water up to their breasts, and toiled at it upwards of an hour, without being able to set it afloat. Our ship, meanwhile, wore away from the A SHIPWRECK. 47 shore) and leh us alone with the natives. John Hill and the ship's surgeon engaged to follow the vessel in a small boat, and make some arrangements with the captain for their safety ; but their boat was dashed against the ship's side by the waves, with so violent a con- cussion, that it overset. Fortunately they caught hold of a rope that hung over tb^ side of the vessel, to which they clung, until those on board drew them up. Drachart and Ha- ven now betook themselves to the stranded shallop, but they were destitute of provisions, and the rain fell in torrents. The Esquimaux came, and represented to us that the boat could not possibly float before the tide returned in the morning, and invited us to lodge for the night in their tents. We judged this to be the most eligible plan we could adopt, in our present situation. Immediately the An- gekok SeguUia plunged into the water, and carried us on his back to the beach. He then led us to his tent, gave us dry clothes, and spread a skin on the floor, for us to sit on. The tent was crowded with people. They several times asked us. if we were not afraid. 48 MISSIONS IN LABRADOK. We answered, < We are certainly ignorant of ^ what passes in your minds ; but you are our friends, and friends do not use to fear each other.' To this they rejoined, * We are good Karaler, and are now convinced that you are not Kablunat, hut well-disposed Innuit,* for you come to us without weapons.' They set before us fish, water, and bread, which last had been given them by the sailors; and, shortly after, all retired to rest. ^* But Segullia now commenced his incanta- tions, which he began by singing some unin- telligible stanzas, together with his wives. He then muttered over some charm, — threw himself into every imaginable contortion of body, at times sending forth a dreadful shriek, — held his hand over Drachart's face, who lay next to him, — and rolled about on the ground, uttering at intervals loud, but only half-arti- culate cries, of which we could merely catch the words, * Now is ray Torngakf come.' Perceiving that Drachart was awake, and had * Man, au appellation which the Esquimaux usu- ally bestow upon their own countiT^meu, as if they alone had any claim to humanity. f A Familiar Spirit. ESQUIMAUX HOSPITALITY. 49 mt of , 'e our r each sgood DU are ;,* for ley set ch last ; and, icanta- B unin- wives. -threw tion of shriek, rho lay ground, alf-arti- y catch come.* Eind had iBUX U8U- if they raised himself a little on his arm, as often as he extended his hand over his face, he kissed it. He now lay for some time as still as death, after which he again hegan to whine and moan, and at last to sing. We said we would sing something hotter, and repeated many Greenlandic verses, of which, however, they could comprehend very little. It was in vain that we endeavoured to compose ourselves to sleep for the rest of the night ; we therefore frequently arose, and went out of the tent ; but Segullia appeared to view our motions with suspicion, and always followed us out. In the morning, he thus addressed us : < You may now tell your countrymen that you have lodged with me in safety. You are the first Europeans that ever spent a night under my tent. You have shewn me, by your fearless behaviour amongst us, that we have nothing to dread from you !' In return for our ac- commodation, we distributed glass beads, fish-hooks, and needles, amongst his people.*' But, notwithstanding the favourable dispo- sitions manifested by the Esquimaux towards the Brethren, and the promising appearance ,/ 50 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. of the speedy establishment of a Mission among these wild people, six years from the period of the visit of Haven and Drachart elapsed, before the establishment of a Missio- nary station in Labrador. Shortly after the departure of these brethren, the old quarrels between the natives and the English traders were renewed ; and, as no one was present who could act as interpreter, and explain the mutual grounds of difference, the affair termi- nated in bloodshed : thus the breach formerly existing between the Esquimaux and foreigpn^ ers was widened, while Satan rejoiced in seeing the country so embroiled, that the mes- sengers of peace, commissioned by the King of kings ** to preach deliverance to the cap- tives,'' were cut off from all access to the poor EiSquimaux, over whom the god of this world had long retained an undisturbed dominion. A Missionary settlement was not finally established in Labrador until 177 L Before we proceed with the history from that period, some interesting occurrences, which took place in the interval, must be noticed. This we shall do in the following chapter. V CHAPTER III. Hostilities between the British and Esquimaux — Kar- pik taken as a prisoner to Newfoundland — He is sent to Englandi and entrusted to the care of Mr. Haven — Effect of kindness — Karpik's self-righteous- ness — His love of dress — Gradual opening of his mind to the truth — Conviction of sin — He refuses to return to Labrador — Natural amiability— Karpik removed to Fulneck, and placed under the care of Mr. Drachart — His death — Reflections. The means which God employs, in his providence, for separating his own people from the mass of human corruption, and bringing them into his spiritual kingdom, nre often such as would have appeared, to our wisdom, most unfitted for the production of such a result. God*s judgments pr\i indeed unsearchable, and his ways past finding out : his judgments are a great deep. His way is in the sea, and his path in the great waters, and his footsteps are not known. 52 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. We mentioned, in the preceding chapter, that the extremity to which hostilities had been carried between the Esquimaux and the Europeans so embittered the spirit of the for- mer against foreigners, as to raise an insur- mountable barrier against the establishment of a Missionary station in Labrador for a con- siderable period. Yet this event, which seemed to seal up the spiritual destinies of the Esquimaux in hopeless darkness, was made, by the overruling providence of God, the occasion of bringing to God, and to the Lamb, the first-fruits of the redeemed from among this savage people, and ultimately, of opening the way for the settlement of Mis- sionaries in the country, by whose instrumen- tality a great number of its degraded inhabi- tants were called to participate in the mercy, the purity, and the peace of the gospel. In the fray which took place between the Esquimaux and the Europeans, nearly twenty of the former were killed, among whom was a man who had a son named Karpik, a youth about eleven years old. This boy, with some other Esquimaux, was taken by the British, GOOD ARISING OUT OF EVIL. 53 and cairied as a prisoner to Newfoundland. As this poor youth mourned the loss of his earthly parent, how little did he think that that hereaveraent was to introduce him to the knowledge of his Father in heaven I As be yielded in sullen submission to his conquerors, how little did he think that the cords with which they bound him should be succeeded by a participation in the liberty wherewith Christ makes his people free ! And, as the shores of Labrador, the scene of all his early recollections, receded from his view, how lit- tle did he think that the floods of tears which dimmed his sight, should be succeeded by tears of holy joy, in the assured prospect of a place in that inheritance which is incorrup- tible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away ! No doubt, Karpik afterwards thought upon these things ; and we may well imagine how the retrospect would excite such devout and admiring thoughts of the wondrous providence of God, as are expressed by the royal Psalm- ist — " How precious, also, are thy thoughts unto me, O God ! how great is the sum of them I If 1 should count them, they are more in number than the sand I" 54 MISSIONS IN LABUADOU. Karpik and his fellow-prisoners were car- ried to Newfoundland : from thence, he and his mother, Mikak, who was also among the number of the captives, were brought to England. There they were treated with great kindness, and received many favours from some of the royal family, and other persons of distinction. But, amidst this apparent amelioration of outward circumstances. Mi- kak's heart still clung with unabated affection to the recollection of her native land. Meet- ing with Mr. Haven, who had formerly slept a night in her tent, she recognized in him an old acquaintance, and expressed the most lively joy at meeting with one who under- stood her language, and to whom she could disclose emotions which had long struggled for utterance among people of a strange tongue. She besought Mr. Haven, with an importunity which would take no denial, to return to Labrador, to the relief of her poor countrymen, whose condition she described as pitiable in the extreme. Applications to the same effect were continually made, by this interesting Heathen, to the persons in karpik's education. 55 ersons in power by whom she was noticed ; and it is worthy of being mentioned, as exhibiting the weakness of the instruments by which God sometimes effects the greatest purposes, that her urgent representations had considerable influence in forwarding the projected Mission. The grant of land which the United Brethren afterwards obtained, by an order of the Privy Council, founded on a report of the Board of Trade, may be traced to the sensation pro- duced by Mikak's pathetic representations of the degraded and miserable condition of her countrymen. Meanwhile, Karpik was committed, by order of Mr. Palliser, the Governor of New- foundland, to the care of Mr. Haven, to be trained up for the service of a future Mission to his countrymen ; this took place in 1769, at which time our youthful prisoner was about fifteen years old. At first, Karpik seemed very averse to live under Mr. Haven's care, — the natural dislike of the human mind to restraint and subordination having been formed into a habit, by the wild lawlessness if savage life ; but few hearts can withstand l | li I I ■ I W I I 56 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. the power of disinterested affection : the be- nevolent attentions of Mr. Haven to this poor savage soon gained him over, and he willingly consented to accompany hira to his residence. Here his natural wildness shewed itself with- out restraint ; nor was his guardian solicitous to impose a premature check upon those un- governed tempers which, for so many years, had grown with his growth, and strengthened with his strength. He did not seek, by vio- lence or force, directly to lop off these branches of human depravity ; but, by endeavouring to bring the subject of the atoning sufferings of the Son of God home to his heart, he laid the axe to the root of the tree. In this mode of proceeding, Karpik*s guardian acted wisely. The gospel contains in it the germ of all that is excellent in character ; it is a seed which, planted by faith in the heart, tends to the production of all that is really excellent and amiable ; and the best way to check the growth of evil passions is, to labour at the cultivation of the opposite virtues : just as, in the cultivation of the soil, we find the careful culture of what is useful and valuable to be IGNORANCE OF GOD. 51 the best and the speediest mode of eradicating weeds. But this appeared, at first, a very hopeless task, for poor Karpik was utterly destitute of any conviction of his own sinfulness and guilt ; and therefore to invite him to accept the mercy offered in the gospel, was like presenting a honey-comb to the full soul — it could excite no feelings but those of disgust and loathing. It is said in the sacred Scripture, << There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." Did men see God in the light of his holiness, they would discover the foul stains of sin which defile their souls ; and did they know God in his purity, as a con- suming fire to sin, they could never enjoy any rest until they had found a Saviour. Observe how this effect was produced in those holy men who aro spoken of, in the Bible, as hav- ing known God. When the prophet Isaiah had a vision of the Divine glory, observe how immediately he beheld his own filthiness with shame and dismay. " Woe is me, said I, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of 58 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts !" And, although we are not now to expect similar visions, yet, when the Holy Ghost opens our minds to understand the testimony of Scripture con- cerning God's purity, we shall remember our own evil ways, and our doings which were not good, loathing ourselves in our own sight for our iniquities and our abominations. But poor Karpik, being at this time wholly under the influence of a darkened understanding, was an utter stranger to this state of feeling. Being told that the great God and Creator of all things wished to make him happy, he ap- peared to wonder at the assertion ; but re- plied, without the least emotion, << That is right, for I am a good creature." Nor are we to suppose that Karpik's erro- neous estimate of his own character, in the sight of God, arose from any deficiency of intellect, or apathy of disposition : his literary attainments forbid the former supposition, and the earnest perseverance with which he pur- sued any object that attracted his attention, shews that he possessed a natural energy of character. LOVE OF DRESS. 59 It may be of service to some of our readers, to know that this poor unenlightened savage manifested a great desire for line clothes. When he was first delivered into Mr. Haven's care, his skin was covered with a filthy scurf: this was cleansed away, and the little savage decently clothed ; for this kindness he mani- fested the deepest gratitude. But, in a few days afterwards, he conceived a sudden pas- sion for a hat and coat embroidered with gold. In vain his kind teacher remonstrated with him, telling him that such finery would be of no use to him, and exhorting him to employ his thoughts in learning to know the Lord who dwells in heaven. " Poor clothes," he replied, " will not teach me that : my coun- trymen, who are clad meanly enough, die, and know nothing of the God in heaven, of whom you say so much. The king wears fine clothes, and why then should not I ? 1 can still become acquainted with God, and love him." Mr. Haven answered, that he ought to be contented >vith his coat, if it only kept him warm, and that he had no money to pro^ cure him a gaudy dress. " Then go to the 60 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. king," rejoined Karpik, " and get some money from him." " Well," replied his guardian, '< we will go to him this minute ; hut, if the king inquires, what has Karpik learned ? can he read and write ? is he acquainted with the God in heaven ? and I am forced to answer, he has learned nothing — the king will say, take him on hoard the man of war ; there let him serve my officer, and clean shoes for seven years, until he has learned something. You know how those youths are treated I" This address produced an immediate effect — Karpik clung round Mr. Haven, and pro- mised to stay with him and he ohedient. Mr. Haven's patience was frequently put to the test, hy repeated instances of this capri- cious humour, until at length a change hecame visible. Karpik grew thoughtful, and, from the attention with which he received religious instruction, it became evident that his mind was influenced by a conviction of the solemn importance of the things connected with the soul and eternity. This growing conception of the value of eternal things, was accompanied by a convic- M, ENMITY AGAINST GOD. 61 ne money guardian, ut, if the •ned? can i with the to answer, 5 will say, ; there let shoes for something, created 1" idiate effect n, and pro- sdient. quently put .f this capri- tnge hecame and, from ed religious lat his mind the solemn ;ed with the pe value of jhv a convic- tion of his own extreme misery as a sinner. He frequently exclaimed, " I am fit for no- thing, for I am a miserable creature." But, as the mind of this poor youth was not yet enlightened to know the abundant mercy of God in Christ, his convictions served only to awaken that enmity against his Creator which lies in every unrenewed heart. Under his painful convictions, his restlessness and distrac- tion were so intolerable, that he wished to put an end to his existence — ^he was exasperated to utter several reproachful expressions against the Supreme Being. So far was he driven by the violence of his feelings, that he once snatched the Bible out of the hand of his guardian, and would have torn it in pieces, and put it in the fire, because, as he alleged, it was written by a spirit. We may suppose, that under these circum- stances, Karpik would gladly have broken loose from the irksome restraint of his tutor's society ; but this was not the case, he mani- fested no desire to leave his present situation, on the contrary, when importuned by his mo- ther Mikak, to return with her to Labrador, E 62 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. he steadily persisted in a refusal. A little in- cident, afterwards to be related in the life of this interesting heathen^ will shew that his heart was susceptible of that lingering fond- ness, for places connected in his mind with the sports and the attachments of childhood, which draws us by a powerful attraction to the land of our fathers. This renders his de- cided refusal to return to Labrador, still more remarkable, and leads us to acknowledge the hand of God, who, by the secret influence of his Spirit, or the more visible restraint of outward circumstances, binds up the strongest and most operative instincts of our nature, making even those who know him not, un* consciously obedient to his will. Karpik's refusal to return to Labrador, greatly encouraged Mr. Haven to persist in instructing him. In mere intellectual acquire- ment his pupil made rapid advances, he also manifested a growing respect and affection for his kind tutor, but to the love of that God, who had infused into Mr Haven's soul^ the benevolence which won Karpik's esteem and affection, he was yet insensible. HATERS OF GOD. 63 The Holy Scriptures represent all men as being, by nature, " haters of God." At an earlier period of poor Karpik's life, he would confidently have denied the truth of such a charge, so far as he was conceiTied: and many, ignorant of themselves, alas I suppose that they are not haters of God, because they do not give expression to feelings of malig- nity, whenever the name of the great Su- preme is mentioned. But such persons have to learn, that it is not the mere truth, that there is a God, against which the enmity of the natural heart is directed, it is God's cha- racter, as revealed in his Word, which fallen man hates ; and it is man's ignorance of this, which prevents the full exhibition of the en- mity which reigns in his heart : the darkness of the understanding, shuts up the sinner in utter ignorance of the divine character, and thus the hater of God is deluded into the be- lief, that he entertains no feeling towards him but those of allegiance and affection. The test, however, which is to try our real state of feeling towards God is this — " What think you of Christ?" for, in Him alone, as the 64 MISSIONS IN LABRADOIl. ) express image of the Father's person, can the divine character be known ; the glory of God shines forth in the face of Jesus Christ alone, and therefore it is that, he that hateth him, hateth the Father also. But we are not to think, that all those *^ haters of God" manifest an unkind and im- placable disposition towards their fellow crea- tures ; the deepest enmity against God, may consist with much, that is in the judgment of man, kind and amiable ; it was so with Kar- pik, his kind and compassionate disposition secured the love of all who were connected with him. The miserable objects he met with in the streets, strongly excited his sympathy. Towards Mr. Haven too, he manifested the tenderest affection. When he saw his coun- tenance clouded with sorrow, he would hold up a looking-glass to his face, enquiring in a soothing tone, the cause of his grief: and when he sometimes replied, <^ I am troubled on your account, because you are still igno- rant of your Creator," he would beg him to have patience with him, and promise to use his utmost diligence in acquiring the know- ledge of Him. KAUPIK S DEATH. 65 1, can the •y of God rist alone, iteth him, all those id and im- jllow crea- God, may idgment of with Kar- disposition connected e met with sympathy, lifested the V his coun- would hold [j^uiring in a grief: and im trouhled still igno- heg him to mise to use the know- In the summer of 1769, Mr. Haven being called away by other engagements to Ger- many, placed his young charge in the school of the United Brethren at Fulneck, in York- shire, recommending him more particularly to the tutelage of Mr. Drachart, who was at that time resident there. Karpik manifested much sensibility at parting with his kind friend, but soon became reconciled to the change of situ< ation, and was happy in the midst of his new companions. From two letters which Karpik wrote from this place, addressed to Mr. Ha- ven, it appears that the religious instruction which he received, had deeply impressed itself upon his mind. But while his friends were indulging the animating hope of seeing him, at no distant period, perhaps, serving the cause of Christ, in spreading the word of life among his benighted countrymen, he was at- tacked by the small-pox, which, in spite of the best medical aid, proved fatal to him, on the twelfth day. Some of his last expressions were : " O Jesus, I come to thee ; I have no where else to go ; I am a poor sinner, bul tliou hast died for me. Have mercy upon me E 3 66 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. 1 ! for the sake of thy wounds and death. 1 cast myself entirely upon Thee." The day before his death he was baptized : at his own request the Greenlandic language was used in the administration of the ordi- nance. How must the sounds of his native tongue have recalled to his mind the scenes of his early life, reminding him of his former degraded condition, and filling him with ad- miring thoughts of that God, who had so wonderfully sought him out, and followed him in all his perverse wanderings. Surely, such a retrospect, connected with his future prospects, was well suited to stir such affec- tions in his soul, as would burst forth in the language of inspiration, *• Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom and strength, and honour and blessing." On the 4th of October, God took his ransomed spirit to its eternal home. All the circumstances of ^he life, and appa- rently premature death of this individual, re- mind us, that God's ways are not as our ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts. But as he proposes a wise and righteous end in all his MYSTERY OF PROVIDENCE. 69 dealings with the children of men, it becomes, us, humbly and reverently to enquire, why so many who gave promise of great service in the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ, have been like Karpik, removed by an early death. In reply to such an enquiry, we may confidently assert, in the words of an old writer, that God, in such dispensations, " will have it known, that though he uses instruments, he needs them not. It is a piece of divine roy- alty and magnificence, that when he hath pre- pared and polished such a utensil, so as to be capable of great service, he can lay it by without loss," and this may awaken some to " bless God that the weight of his interest, and of the cause of religion, doth not hang and depend upon the slender thread of this or that man's life. < The God of the Spirits of all flesh,' can raise up instruments as he pleases ; and will, to serve his own purposes, though not ours." The early and unexpected removal of a Christian, qualified by the possession of pecu- liar gifts, to advance the best and highest in- terests of a country, is also caKnilated to rt*- 68 MISSIONS IN LABRADOK. mind us, that the affairs of the invisible world to v/hich, the spirits of those who sleep in Jesus are translated, are incomparably greater and more considerable, than of this world, from which they are taken. The discompo- sure of mind which we suffer upon any such occasion, arises chiefly from our having too high and great thoughts of this world, and too low and diminishing thoughts of the other: we imagine this our little spot of earth to be the only place of business, and the rest of the creation to be vast empty space, where there is nothing to do : whereas our thoughts should follow the spirits of those who die in the Lord into the invisible world, and the eyes of our faith should behold them engaged in those nobler employments, upon which they enter — of whom this world is not worthy. CHAPTER IV. Growth of Christ's kingdom — Establishment of the first Missionary Station in Labrador — Willingness of the Esquimaux to hear the Missionaries — Aii Esquimaux on his death-bed professes dependance on Christ — Some of the Missionaries make a voyage of Discovery — They are wrecked, and two of them drowned — The Stations of Hopedale and Okkak established — The Gospel preached with little effect — The causes which hindered its Progress — Cares and Pleasures of the world — Wonderful preserva- tion of the Lives of two Missionaries. In thft well-known parable of the grain of mustard-seed) the Lord directs our attention to the wonders of the vegetable world, as illustrating the growth of his spiritual king- dom ; but in order to enter into the full power and import of the similitude, we must assume the case of a person witnessing the wonders of vegetation for the first time. We can then 70 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. easily conceive how incredible it would appear to him, not having the evidence of experience, that the little seed should ever become a great tree, and however the springing up of the first tender blade, and the budding of the first leaves might stagger his scepticism, it would still recur with every blighting wind, and at length when winter seemed to extinguish the life of the little plant, he would relapse into his former incredulity. But still amid all the vicissitudes of seasons, and the alternation of hope and fear, of belief and doubting, the plant would gradually strike its roots, and extend its branches, until it had grown to those dimensions, which it had been appoin- ted to attain. It is thus with the growth of the Lord's -kingdom in the earth, and it was thus with the branch of it, planted on the coast of La- brador. Whatever hopes might have been awakened among its friends, by the prepara- tory visits of Haven and Drachart, the sub- sequent tumults which broke out between the natives and the British, seemed to forebode that these hopes v/ere fallacious. But the A MISSIONARY STATION. 71 Id appear iperience, ae a great jp of the )f the first it would id, and at nguish the jlapse into nid all the ernation of ibting, the roots, and grown to en appoin- the Lord's i thus with oast of La- have been he prepara- rt, the sub- )etween the to forebode But the m Lord designed tnat the seed should not per- ish, and it is our pleasant work to trace its growth, while amid various vicissitudes, it steadily proceeded towards the attainment of such dimensions as it was appointed unto, by Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. In the year 1771, we find the Brethren occupied in establishing a Missionary Station on the coast of Labrador, a grant of land having been obtained from the British Gov- ernment, and formally purchased by the Mis- sionuries from the Esquimaux, who testified the highest gratification at the proceeding. The whole company occupying this station consisted of fourteen persons, among these we find the ^Missionaries Haven and Drachart, whose knowledge of the language, peculiarly fitted them for such a service. Having taken with them the frame of a house, their first work naturally was, to erect it, and with the assistance of the sailors, they completed it in less than two months. The Brethren took the precaution of surrounding their dwelling with pallisades, for they found it needful, to hft 72 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. constantly on their guard, against a nation, to whom robbery and murder had become habitual. *♦ Their situation," to use the words of one of the Missionaries, " was critical, it was, as if each, with one of his hands wrought Tn the work, and with the other held a wea- pon. The favourable change, however, which had taken place in the minds of the Esqui- laaux, rendered such apprehensions ground- less ; formerly they treated Europeans with great insolence, calling them dogs and barba- rians, while they considered themselves as alone deserving of the name of men, but now they were quiet and respectful, expressed their desire to hear the " good news," encouraging at the same time, the confidence of the Bre- thren, by shewing them that they had no deadly weapons concealed in their clothes or kayaks. This change of sentiment, may per- haps, be attributed to the opportunity, which their frequent intercourse with Europeans, aflPorded this savage race, of discovering the superiority of intelligence, and power pos- sessed by a civiliied people ; but to whatever 1^ •'4 ESTABLISHMENT OF NAIN. 73 I nation, become le words :itical, it wrougbt Id a wea- jr which le Esqui- j ground- eana with md barba- iselves as I, but now Bssed their icouraging F the Bre- y had no clothes or , may per- nty, whiai Europeans, Ivering the lower pos- lo whatever secondary causes, we may attribute a change of mind, so favourable to the interests of the Mission, we must acknowledge as the pri- mary mover, the hand of Him, who turns the hearts of men, like the rivers of water, whi- thersoever he pleases. As the necessaries of life could not be pro- cured in Labrador, a company of Brethren in London, united to send a ship annually with supplies to the Missionaries, and to meet the expenditure which this would occasion, it was designed that this ship should carry on some trade with the natives. The Missionaries also determined to earn something for their own subsistence, by building boats, and making tools and utensils for the Esquimaux. This first settlement of the United Bre- thren on the coast of Labrador, was distin- guished by the name of Nain. Here some hundreds of the Esquimaux, principally of the Nuenguak tribe, attended the preaching of the Gospel during the summer months, but, on the approach of the winter, they withdrew to various parts of the coast. These poor people generally shewed a great willingness F m» 74 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. to be instructed, but no lasting impression appeared to be made upon their minds, so true is it that those who receive Christ, and have power given unto them to become the sons of God, are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. The Missionaries, however, had the satis- faction to perceive the daily growth of the confidence and attachment with which the Esquimaux regarded them. When these poor people undertook a journey, they committed their most valuable property to their care, and even left their wives and children under their inspection, during their absence. This induced the Brethren to build a store-house for the Esquimaux, in which they might lay up such a stock of provisions, as might ena- ble them to remain at Nain, and enjoy the benefit of instruction during that season. In the mean time, the Missionaries im- proved every opportunity of preaching to the natives, Mr. Drachart especially, who was the greatest proficient in the language, gave himself wholly to tins work. In the prose- INFLUENCE OF THE MISSIONARIES. 75 npression minds, so brist, and scome the >od, nor of ill of man, d the satis- iwth of the which the n these poor y committed L their care, ildren under sence. This I store-house ey might lay s might ena- id enjoy the t season, sionaries im- jaching to the lly, who was inguage, gave In the prose- tm cution of their labours, the Missionaries brav- ing the severities of the winter, crossed the ice and snow to visit the Esquimaux in their huts, the savages entertained them very hos- pitably, and in their turn visited the Mission settlement in great numbers. The Esquimaux, in general, heard the Mis- sionaries with grave astonishment, while some treated their message with contempt. Many of those dwelling near Nain, were often much moved under the Gospel, and expressed pro- found awe and reverence for the name of Jesus ; but still they remained unimpressed with a conviction of the evil of sin, and the innate depravity of the human heart. Their moral habits, however, were considerably ameliorated ; formerly no European could venture alone, and unarmed, into the com- pany of the Esquimaux, but now the Bre- thren often passed several days and nights successively with them, preaching the Gospel to them, boldly reproving them, and even sUencing their Angekoks, or sorcerers, while performing their superstitious rites and in- cantations. 76 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. The good effect of the Missionariob' la- bours in this particular, appears in the fol- lowing anecdote. Lieutenant Curtis was sent by the Governor of Newfoundland to inquire into the state of things at the Bretiiren's set- tlement ; at his desire, the heads of families, about thirty in number, were convened, and informed that the Governor had given orders that all who were guilty of murder or theft, should in future be punished with death. To this they replied, *^ It is right that a murde- rer, or thief, be punished with death, for he deserves it ; but since we have heard the Gos- pel of Jesu!ii, we have no more murdered or stolen, and we will not do it any more in future." Nor was the humanizing influence of the Gospel, exhibited only in the immediate vici- nity of the Mission settlement, the following occurrence, shews that it had spread far into the country, through the medium of the rov- ing Esquimaux, who occasionally visited Nain, in their hunting and fishing excursions. The Rev. P. E. Layritz, having been deputed by the Directors of the Brethren's Missions to m FRIENDLY DISPOSITION OF ESQUIMAUX. 77 hold a vi^i'it tion of the new establishment at Nain, in 1773, as he sailed for this purpose, along the soutlH'rn side of the coast, near Camp Island, sovt lal of the Esquimaux inha- biting that part of Labrador, and who had been most infamous for dishonesty an/1 ivage cruelty, met him in thei** kayaks, anil in the most friendly and peaceable manner, invited Mr. Layritz, and his companions, to land. Their request was acceded to, and while Mr. Layritz preach«*d through an interpreter, the Esquimaux listened with eager attention. When the discourse was ended, the savages promised to visit Nain, in order that they might hear more of these good words. Some of them said that they had been there the preceding winter, and declared that Mr. Dra- chart had told them the very same words. But, although the Missionaries had reason to fear, that no work of the Holy Ghost had iollowed the preaching of the Gospel, upon the generality of the heathen who heard it, they had gratifying evidence, that their testi- mony had not been wholly in vain. In the beginning of the year 1733, the Mission fa- ^>. <^^^ ^y^^^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 Ht'aiss ^^= 1^ 1^ 12.2 1.1 f.-^"^ — Ii& 1 '-2^ i '-^ 1 '-^ 6" ► v: 7 >^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. M580 (716) 872-4503 78 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. naily was cheered by the intelligence, that one of the savages, named Anauke, being on his death-bed, had spoken of Jesus as the Saviour of men, had constantly prayed to him, and departed in confident reliance on his salvation. When the Brethren saw this individual for the first time, they could not but remark how strongly the characters Oa thief and murderer were stamped upon his countenance, but when he had heard the Gospel several times, an evident change was produced in him, and his very countenance, lost that savage ferocity, which created an unpleasant sensation in the beholder. In 1772, Anauke pitched his tent in Nain, and continued under the instruction of the Missionaries until November, when he removed to his winter house, but finding no rest to his soul, he some time after returned on foot, with no other view than to hear the Gospel. As the Esquimaux are not accus- tomed to travel on foot, performing their journies, in summer, in boats ; and in winter, in sledges. This was a strong evidence, that his immortal spirit had tasted so much of the sweetness of the Word, as caused him to ex- .V A BELIEVING ESQUIMAUX. 79 perience what the Christian poet haa so well expressed — - What peaceful hours I once enjoyed, How sweet their mem'ry still ; But they have left an aching void, The world can never fill. After this, Anauke again left Nain, and as the inclemency of the season prevented him from repeating his visit, the Missionaries heard nothing of him, till his wife came to the Settlement, in Fehruary, with the gratifying intelligence, <e of the sioned a arm ex- f of the casioned les made sionaries greatest r clothes pot a dry red, but en about olved to the way \rind and not re- sause, in rind had cerarsuk, but he uth with safety, and get round Kiglapeit. The Mis- sionaries endeavoured to persuade him to fol- low the above-mentioned company to Okkak, but it was in vain ; and they did not feel at liberty to insist upon it, not being sufficiently acquainted with the circumstances. Their present distress dictated the necessity of ven- turing something to reach the habitations of men, and yet they were rather afraid of pass- ing over the newly frozen sea under Kigla- peit, and could not immediately determine what to do. The Missionary, Turner, there- fore, went again with Mark to examine the ice, and both seemed satisfied that it would hold. They therefore came at last to a reso- lution to return to Nain, and commit them- selves to the protection of the Lord. On the 17th the wind had considerably increased, with heavy showers of snow and sleet, but they set off at half-past ten o'clock in the forenoon. Mark ran all the way round Kiglapeit, before the sledge, to find a good track, and about one o'clock, through God's mercy, they were out of danger, and reached the bay. Here they found a good track upon r -V- ,'■• "f*"*'*?! -"wff s i^ywa >.«!i)i i M i i * WMk >'i ii< > ii !iC i n i ., i J i!i»«» »J w j iii ' » ]06 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. smooth ice, made a meal of the remnant of their provisions, and got some warm coffee. Thus refreshed, they resolved to proceed, without stopping, till they reached Nain, where they arrived at twelve o*clock at night. The Brethren at Nain rejoiced exceedingly to see them return, for hy several hints of the Esquimaux, who first met them going out to sea, and who then, in their own obscure way, had ineffectually endeavoured to warn them of the danger of the ground-swell^ their fellow-missionaries, and especially their wives, had been much terrified. One of these Esquimaux, whose wife had made some article of dress for Brother Lieb- isch, whom they called Samuel, addressed her in the following manner : << I should be glad of the payment for my wife's work." " Wait a little," answered Sister Liebisch ; ** and, when my husband returns, he will set- tle with you, for I am unacquainted with the bargain made between you." " Samuel and William," replied the Esquimaux, " will not return any more to Nain." " How, not re- turn I What makes you say so I" After RETURN TO NAIN. 107 mnant of m coffee, proceed, ed Nain, i at nigbt. [ceedingly a hints of lem going mi obscure ed to warn ound-sweU, scially tbeir |. One of had made )ther Lieb- addressed I should be ife's work.'* Liebisch ; lie will set- ;ed with the Samuel and «< will not ow, not re- so!" After r some pause, the Esquimaux replied, in a low tone, *< Samuel and William are no more I all their bones are broken, and in the sto- machs of the sharks." Terrified at this alarm- ing account, Sister Liebisch called in the rest of the family, and the Esquimaux was exa- mined as to his meaning; but his answers were little less obscure.* He seemed so cer- tain of the destruction of the Missionaries, that he was with difficulty prevailed on to wait some time for their return. He could not believe that they could have escaped the effects of so furious a tempest, considering the course they were taking. It may easily be conceived, with what gra- titude to God the whole family at Nain bid them welcome. During the storm, they had considered with some dread, what might be the fate of their Brethren, though at Nain, its violence was not felt as much as on a coast unprotected by any islands. Added to this, * The Esquimaux do not like to speak plainly upon disagreeable subjects, nor ever fairly contradict the person they are addressing : and, in general, are rery reserved. 108 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. h the hints of the Esquimaux had considerahly increased their apprehensions for their safety, and their fears hegan to get the hetter of their hopes. All therefore joined most fervently in praise and thanksgiving to God, for this signal deliverance. In the amazing preservation of the Mis- sionary Brethren, in the midst of such dan- gers, we are reminded, that, although the waves of the sea are mighty, and rage horri- bly, '* The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.*' And, indeed, his power in sending forth the stormy wind to disturb the unstable waters of the great ocean, is not so admirable, as the manifestation of the same power, in tranquilizing and composing into a settled confidence, the naturally timorous hearts of his poor servants, amidst such ex- ternal commotions. Had all who name the name of Christ, the same trust in his power and love, as was enjoyed by the Missionary brethren, were all like them, willing to sacri- fice their accustomed comforts and accommo- dations, where the prospect of promoting GLORIFYING CHRIST. 109 their master s interests, called for such a sa- crifice — did all exhibit the same patient endu- rance of sufi^ering, the ignorance of foolish men would at once be put to silence, and the name of the Lord would be greatly glorified. The patient, unmurmuring, and devout de- portment of the Missionary brethren, under their painful trial, attracted the notice, even of the Esquimaux sorcerer, who travelled with them. Let each Christian recollect, that he is called upon to make a like palpable ex- hibition of the excellent fruits of the faith which he professes to have received — " Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven." CHAPTER V- Lukewarmness of many of the baptized Esquimaux — Unpromising appearance of the settlement at Hope- dale — Wise reflections of Esquimaux — Death of Mikak — Conversion and death of a noted Angekok and murderer — Death of Esther. Amidst all the external hardships to which the Missionaries were exposed, they were called to still severer trials by observing the deadness and lukewarmness which prevailed among many members of their flock, and the open deviations of several who had been al- ready baptized. The unpromising appearance of things at the new Settlement of Hopedale, was ano- ther cause of uneasiness to the Brethren. The heathen in that neighbourhood, had at first, manifested much eagerness to hear iLe Oospely and the Missionaries had also indulg- REFLECTIONS OF ESQUIMAUX. Ill ed the hope, that through the Hopedale sta- tion, a medium of communication would he opened to them with the red Indians, who lived in the interior, and sometimes visited the coast in small parties. This hope was never realized, and the Brethren had the still further mortification, of witnessing the stuh- horn resistance of the Esquimaux themselves to the invitations of the Gospel ; and in 1790, it even appeared, as if the heathen had quite withdrawn from the neighbourhood of Hope- dale, so that serious thoughts were enter- tained of relinquishing this settlement altoge- ther. But still the Brethren were not without some evidence of a blessing upon their la- bours. In 1790, many horrid murders were committed in the North ; the heathen fell upon each other in their tents by night, and numbers were massacred in the most barba- rous manner. Amidst the alarm which this event spread through the country, the Mis- sionaries were not a little encouraged by the remarks of the Esquimaux, living upon their land. "As many murders," said they, "would 112 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. certainly have been committed here, if you had not come, and brought us the good news of our Creator and Redeemer, of his love to us, and our duty to love him and our neigh- bour." Nor were the Brethren encouraged in their labours, by evidence of its influence upon the temporal happiness of man alone, they could in some instances, at least enjoy the hope, that the higher object of their ministry had been attained, in the salvation of immortal souls. Such a hope they express in reference to Mikak, the Esquimaux woman, with whom the reader has been made acquainted in an earlier part of this history. Having returned to Labrador, before the final settlement of the Missionary brethren in that country, the essential services which she rendered them upon their arrival, proved that she was still as warm a friend to their object as ever. She even became herself an attentive hearer of the Gos- pel, and expressing an apparently sincere de- sire to obtain an interest in all its blessings, she was admitted to the class of candidates for baptism.. But removing soon after to the DEATH OF MIKAK. 113 South, the impressions of divine truth which she had received, were gradually defaced in the society of the ungodly, and she relapsed into heathenism. Fearing the rehukes of the Missionaries, to the truth of which, perhaps, her own conscience responded, she was sel- dom, after this, seen at the settlement. At the approach of death, however, she returned to the Brethren, and during the last ten days of her life, she enjoyed the benefit of their faithful instructions. Poor Mikak's declara- tions and conduct during the closing scene of her life, induced the Missionaries to hope that she had found mercy with God our Saviour. How often does it happen, that the conduct of those who have been instrumental in send- ing the Gospel to others, has been such, as to warrant only a faint hope, that they them- selves enjoyed a personal participation in its privileges. But, in some cases, the Brethren could re- joice with less trembling, in beholding the efficacy of the Gospel, as the power of God unto salvation, strikingly exhibited in the lives and deaths of some of the poor Esqui^ maux. 114 MISSIONS IN LABUADOK. Amongst those, over whom the Brethren could rejoice as the ransomed of the Lord, was Mikak*8 husband, Tuglavina ; who, after an interval of about five years, followed his wife into eternity. This individual, by his strength, courage, and penetration, combined with his reputation as an angekok, had ac- quired unbounded influence over his weaker countrymen, and his word passed for law. He had committed many murders with his own hands, and was accessary to many more ; for, if any one had incurred his resentment, he had only to declare that the Torngak had decreed his death, and a multitude of hands were instantly raised to seal his doom. The Missionaries would have fallen an easy prey to the power of this ferocious savage, had God permitted him to disapprove of their settling in the country. But, though a ty- rant among his own nation, and making no scruple to sacrifice human life for the gratifi- cation of his capricious cruelty, his wrath to- wards the Missionary brethren was restrained by the powerful hand of Him, who now, not less than in the times of old, puts a hqok in AUTHORITY OF HOLINESS. 115 the nose, and a bridle in the lips of his ene- mies, who, in the desperate madness of their infidelity, are least aware of the restraint im- posed upon them. The most which Satan was permitted to accomplish by the instrumen- tality of this child of disobedience, was, an occasional interruption of the peaceful course of the Mission, by his violence and threats, or the more pernicious influence of his cor- rupt example. So great was Tuglavina's res- pect for the Missionaries themselves, as the messengers of God, that he would tamely submit to their reproofs, even trembling while they reasoned with him of righteousness, tem- perance, and judgment to come, and confess- ing that he ought to be converted, and for- sake the ways of sin. As an instance of the extraordinary influ- ence which the Missionaries possessed over the mind of this individual, Mr. Haven men- tions in one of his reports, that on one occa- sion, when Tuglavina at the head of a party of Esquimaux returned from Chateau Bay, having furnished himself with a sloop of two jnasts, European arms, and many other ac- lltf MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. coutrements, he stepped unexpectedly into the Mission-house, dressed in the uniform of a British officer, with a hob-wig, a huge laced coat, and a sword at his side, uttering several threats, and boasting of his valiant deeds in the south. The Missionary Haven, looking sternly at him, exclaimed, ** What ! are you Tuglavina? depart this minute; I have nothing to say to you in this dress, put on your old Esquimaux furs, and then return, behave like a sober Esquimaux, and I will then converse with you." Tuglavina, as if thunderstruck, made no reply, he left the room, and, notwithstanding the degradation to which the laying aside of his splendid ap- parel would expose him, in the minds of his countrymen, he resumed his Esquimaux dress, and in that humble garb, returned to the Missionaries. The men of God then reproved him with deep solemnity, for inveigling many of the baptized to follow him to the south, for inducing them to participate with him in all manner of heathenish abominations, and for hurrying many of his fellow men from time into eternity, by his murderous hand. • HOPELESS ADVERSITY. 117 During this address, Tuglavina grew pale, trembled exce^jdingly, confessed himself an abominable sinner, but said that he must sin, for the devil forced him to it, and he could not help himself. This gave the Missionaries an opportunity of preaching to him Jesus the Saviour, who opens the eyes of the heathen turning them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith, that is in him. In process of time, when Tuglavina*s bo- dily vigour began to decline, his extraordi- nary ascendancy, which rested entirely upon his personal qualities, declined with it, accor- ding to the common fate of savage chieftains. His friends of his own standing were drop- ping off, one after another, while those who inherited the wrongs done to their insulted kinsmen, were strong in youth, and numbers. Tuglavina was reduced to poverty — of his numerous wives, some deserted him in the wane of his fortunes, others were violently taken from him, without his daring to make h3 118 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. resistance, and only one of them all remained. In these depressed circumstances, when ex- ternal aids and diversions were taken away, he could no longer repress those pangs of compunction and remorse, which, in his ear- nestness to gratify his ungodly passions, he had so long endeavoured to suppress. He now felt the i^feight of those solemn questions of the prophet, " What will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far ? To M'hom will ye flee for help ? and where will ye leave your glory ?" And now, like the poor prodigal, when he began to be in want, he first formed the pur- pose of returning to his father's house. In this state of mind be came frequently to the Missionaries, making a free disclosure of all his crimes, expressing, even with tears, bis deep convictions of guilt, and his desire to obtain pardon, and rest for his defiled and troubled soul. On his pressing request, he obtained permission to reside with his family at Nain, here the natural pride of his heart, which had formerly complete dominion over him, led him at first into temporary depar- SIN AND GRACE. 119 tares from the narrow path of Christian hu- miltty, but the proofs whkh his speedy re- pentance, and his whole conduct afforded of his sincerity, induced the Brethren to receive him into the congregation on Christmas day, 1793; when he renounced the devil, and all his works, solemnly promising, in dependance upon divine aid, to devote his future life to the service of that God, who had made him, had bought him with his precious blood, and manifested towards him such unexampled for- bearance and long-suffering. After his ad- mission to the holy communion, he grew much in humility and all other Christian graces, and showed great anxiety for the con- version of his heathen countrymen, to which he contributed all in his power ; frequently addressing them on the concerns of their souls with such earnestness, as no Esquimaux had ever done before. Yet, he once more suf- fered high thoughts to seduce him into gross improprieties, so that it became necessary to exclude him for a time from the Lord's table ; but the Lord restored his soul, and again led him in the paths of righteousriess, for his 120 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. name sake. He continued at Nain, and there died in 1798, after a short illness, at the age of sixty years. On his death-bed he declared, ** that he was ready to go to Jesus, and hoped that the Saviour would not reject him." He repeatedly testified *< that he was happy, and put his trust alone in God our Saviour." As his bodily pains increased, he frequently called on the Lord to release him, and take him to himself. Another of the Esquimaux converts, whose history is included within this period of the Mission, was the widow Esther, who depar- ted at Okkak, 1792. Being at Nain, on a visit with her parents, she heard of Jesus as her Creator and Redeemer, and though quite a child, she retained a deep impression of these divine truths. It became her practice, as she afterwards related, to resort to a re- tired part of the hill near Killanek, her birth place, and there pour forth her prayers and complaints before her heavenly friend. After the death of her father, she became the third Avife of a man of a rough and brutal disposi- tion, who was a murderer, and a sorcerer. A HAPPY CHRISTIAN. 121 The miseries which she had to endure from this marriage, did not cease with the death of her hu«band — she was hated on his account, and her two children so cruelly beaten, that they died in consequence. At length, a bap- tized countrywoman, who pitied her in this distress, took her with her to Okkak. There her ardent aspirations for all the blessings of Christ's family, were soon satisfied, and she passed the remainder of her mortal life in an increasingly happy communion with her God and Saviour. " He is my Father," she would often say, " wherever I am, he is with me, and I can tell him all my wants." She was the first of the Esquimaux, who kept their profession of faith unblemished unto the end. She constantly declined all offers of marriage, whether from believers or heathen, that she might continue in summer, as well as winter, with the Brethren. Her natural talents were considerable, and she soon learned to read and write. In her last illness, she expressed her feelings in the words of Holy Writ, " Whether I live, I live unto the Lord ; and whether I die, 1 die unto the Lord ; whether 122 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. I live, therefore, or die, I am the Lord's, lie laid down his life for my ransom, and he will keep his purchase." She died in her thirtieth year. Such fruit of their labours must have comfortably refreshed the hearts of the Mis- sionaries in the midst of their various discou- ragements ; and yet, such tokens of the bless- ing of God upon their work, were produced under the first droppings only, of that more abundant shower of blessing, which was after- wards poured out from on high, and the blessed effects of which are detailed in the following chapter. CHAPTER VI. Loss of a Missionary — Sickness among the Esquimaux — Tlieir low spiritual state — Encouragements — Brotherly love of the Missionaries — Death of a con- verted Esquimaux — Commencement of an awaken- ing among the congregation at Hopedale — Its pro- gress> and extension to Nain and Okkak — Some effects of this awakening. In the year 1800, the Missionaries were called to mourn over one of their brethren, who lost his life on a shooting excursion : the particulars of his death are unknown, as all the efforts to find his remains proved ine£Fec- tual. " During the whole winter," write the Missionaries, " we all mourned over his loss, and felt oppressed as with a heavy burden, — the Lord alone being able to comfort us." Not long before this calamitous event, the Missionary settlements, in common with the 124 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. whole country, had been visited by a putrid fever, which spread among the Esquimaux with such rapidity, that the brethren had, at one time, twenty patients upon their land, who all looked up to them for help and medi- cine ; and, for several weeks, they were obliged almost totally to suspend their usual meetings for divine worship, as the Esqui- maux could not leave their dwellings. Nor had the Missionaries much evidence of the spiritual progress of their people to cheer them under these trials : a few of them, when the medicine administered . did not immedi- ately produce the desired effect, were enticed, by the sorcerers, to try the benefit of their incantations; and, although they soon felt great remorse, and confessed their guilt with many tears, the brethren might well adopt the language of the apostle, in reference to such oflFenders — " I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.*' Nor did this sickness appear to be attended with any blessing to the heathen Esquimaux : they manifested, indeed, an excessive fear of death, but without the least seeming disposi- VARIOUS ACCOUNTS. 125 imaiix : tion to turn to the Prince of life, while, at the same time, they acknowledged their need of conversion, in order to the enjoyment of a solid hope of happiness beyond the grave. These convictions made them uneasy, and the fear of having them increased, by the exhor- tations of the Missionaries, led them to shun their society. At Okkak, the Christmas and Epiphany of 1801 are noticed, in the Missionaries' jour- nal, as seasons of blessing to the congregation ; but, << As to the heathen," the Missionaries write, " we most fervently pray, O Lord, have mercy on thes^ poor souls, who have cost thee thy life and blood, and yet o£rered so little hopes of ever becoming the reward of the travail of thy soul, but turn their backs upon thee." At Nain, appearances were more encou- raging. The Missionaries could rejoice over many of their people, as over those who were indeed God's children, — ^being sensible of their own poverty and wretchedness, but strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and deter- 126 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. f mined to liye alone to Him who loved them, and gave himself for them. The Missionaries at this settlement were also gladdened by the arrival of a noted sor- cerer, named Siksigag, who for many years had lived in their neighbourhood. This man eame unexpectedly, with his whole numerous family, in sledges, earnestly intreating the brethren to receive him as an inhabitant in their land, declaring, at the same time, that he was resolved in good earnest to forsake his former heathenish manner of living, to conform to all the rules of the settlement, and turn to Jesus. " Hitherto," write the Mis- sionaries, *' he has kept his word, and it ap- pears that he likes to live with the believes, and is still intent upon < giving his heart to. Jesus.' " This man was afterwards admitted to the society of believers, by holy baptism, February 19, 1802. In the years 1803 and 1804, the letters of the Missionaries are written in such a tone, as compels us involuntarily to conclude that tlie character of the religion of the baptized Esquimaux was very low at that time, and DISCOURAGING APPEARANCES. 127 that there was no power of God's hand work- ing manifestly among the people. From Ok- kak they write — " We have great grief fre- quently, to perceive how husy the enemy of souls is amongst them, lest he should lose his prey. These things cause us many a heavy hour, and make us often sigh, and pray to the Lord that he would have mercy upon this nation, and cause the time of their visitation to come, that we may reap the fruits of our labour with joy." From the same settlement the Missionaries write, in 1804 — *^ In the last half of September, an epidemical disorder broke out among the Esquimaux, of which ^ve persons died in Okkak and its neighbour- hood. A similar illness attacked the dogs, of which a great many died all along the coast. This is a very serious loss to the Esquimaux. About the time of moving into the winter- houses, an old widow left us, with her chil- dren, and moved to her heathen relations at Uivak, having no mind to turn to the Lord and to be converted. In the beginning of November, we had a time of much trial. When we spoke with the individuals, after 128 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. their return to us, concerning their spiritual course, we discovered, to our great gritif, among some of them, offences and wicked practices, which had long been kept secret. "We were obliged to advise several, rather to leave us quietly, than serve sin in secret, and attempt to deceive us by their untruths and hypocrisy. With some this reproof produced repentance and reflection, and they begged to 'i be forgiven and borne with. But two per- sons were dismissed, and two excluded from the communion. In general, there was great lukewarmness of heart observed among the people, and we had but few instances of 'ge- nuine conversion. They were also invited by their heathen friends, in the north, to come and eat whale-flesh ; and til our remon- strances were vain, for they answered> that, if they staid at Okkak, they must suffer hun- ger. November 20th, being the anniversary of the opening of our chapel, we began the regular winter-meetings with our Esquimaux. ** In August, after a long continuance of hot weather, the epidemical disorder broke out afresh, by which, from the 12th to the MELANCHOLY DEATHS. 129 14th of Angust, seven persons were carried off, and among them a woman, who died very suddenly, having been but sixteen hours be- fore in good health, and at work in our yard. The people were so much terrified thereby, that all the healthy, and even some who were already ailing, fled out of the country, to escape death. Our own people staid with us. But it grieved us much to see, that the sick and dying shewed no kind of concern for their soul's salvation, though we spared no pains to direct them, with compassionate hearts, to the only Friend of poor, dying sinners, who was ready, even in the last hour, to receive poor penitents, for the sake of his blood-shed- ding and death. Our words seemed spoken in vain, and they died without the least sign of repentance, so that we could not but feel the deepest grief on their account.*' A letter from Nain, of the same date, shews that matters at that settlement did not wear a more encouraging appearance. <' As to our Esquimaux flock, we are sorry to say, that most of them seem to fall very far short of what one might expect ; and the craft and 180 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. power of Satan is but too often visibly ex- erted, to pluck up and destroy the good seed sown into their hearts. We discovered grie- vous deviations, into which some had fallen last summer, during their absence from us ; and we perceived, with pain, that in difficult occurrences, or in sickness, they are too ready to listen to the sorcerei ., and take refuge to their legerdemain tricks for help, rather than to call upon our Saviour and trust to him.'' Although the general aspect of affairs in Labrador was thus discouraging, yet instances were not wanting of the power of divine grace manifested among the poor savages. As the Missionaries write, << We may say, that our Lord, by his Spirit, has continued that work of grace which he once began among them ; and, though they are of a very changeable turn, and we find great cause to join in your prayers, that a new awakening, and more powerful proofs of the work of the Holy Ghost, might take place among this nation, yet we can confidently believe, that our Sa- viour gains many a soul, about whom we have frequently been perplexed, according to our BROTHERLY LOVE. 131 filiort-sighted views of their conduct. And how precious, in His sight, is but one poor human soul t We will therefore not lose our courage, but look unto the cross of Jesus, and make known his saving name, until he shall appear, or call us to himself, to number us with the many thousands of every nation, who praise him without sin, and rest from all their labour in his presence." But, before we proceed to notice the good fruits of their labours which appeared in the lives and deaths of some of the Esquimaux, we would notice the brotherly love which prevailed among the Missionaries and their families. In a letter from Hopedale, dated October, 1B03, the Missionaries, having given an ac- count of the safe arrival of some brethren, write as follows : " We welcomed these our dear fellow-labourers in much love, and re- newed our covenant with them and each other, to be zealous and active in the work of the Lord in this place, according to our best abi- lity, by his enabling grace. Our Saviour has also granted us the grace to live in peace and 9^ tj ! H w 132 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. brotherly love, and we have thankfully expe- rienced his blessing resting upon us, both in our inward and outward concerns. When- ever we met in his name, especially on festi- val days, and at the holy communion, he gave us to feel his comforting presence with us. In our conferences concerning the Mission, he guided and encouraged us ; and we have truly had a year of grace and blessing." A letter of the same date, from Nain, is written in a similar tone. " To give you a short account of our own family, we mention, with thanks to our Saviour, that we have all enjoyed a good state of health, and the strength requisite for the performance of our several duties. In all trials and difficult cases, he has preserved our faith and courage, and caused various perplexing events to take such a turn, that we could thank him for his gra- cious leading. In our family worship, and especially at the celebration of the Lord's sup- per, he gave us to enjoy his heart-reviving presence, strengthening our own souls, and the bond of brotherly love towards each other." THE GOOD PART. 133 When we recollect that, at this time, war was spreading its devastation over a great part of Europe, and, by the hand of one mighty usurper, the Lord seemed to be visiting with judgment the sins of the nations of Christen- dom, it is peculiarly refreshing to turn aside, and behold this little company of believers, who had left the defiled plains of Europe, and given themselves to the service of their blesj- sed Lord in a distant, inhospitable land. United to each other in Jesus, they enjoyed, in the midst of much suffering, a sweet fore- taste of the heavenly rest. And, having thus tasted the blessedness which Christ confers upon his people, they were constrained, by the generous principle of devotedness to their dear Lord, and love to the souls of men, to employ all their energies in leading those who were afar off to the same inheritance in Jesus. How many, who watched with eager curio- sity for the arrival of news concerning the contending armies, would overlook with con- tempt the labours of these Christian brethren I But now, that the din of arms has ceased, its pomp and parade have passed away, and the I 134 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. ( Toice of public excitement has subsided,~^now tbat events can be viewed tbrongb tbe medium of distance, wbicb in some measure corrects tbe false colouring produced by the present excitement of unboly passions, tbere are few whose judgment will not approve the wisdom and excellence of tbe Brethren's choice, in preferring to labour for Christ, the Prince of Peace, among a savage people, to the giving vp of their minds to the engrossing influence of those horrid deeds of war and bloodshed in which a great portion of civilized Europe was at that time engaged. Happy they, who, in the midst of all those excitements with which Satan, the god of this world, amuses and deludes his votaries, are enabled, by the power of divine grace, practically to adopt the solemn truth — " This world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." The satisfying blessedness which the Bre- thren found in the experience of their Lord's presence among them, and in their mutual love, was sometimes enlarged by delightful proofs of the blessing of God upon their PEATH OF BEN.IAMIN. 135 labours among the poor savages. An event of this nature is recorded in their letters and diary for 180a They write, « Two men departed this life. We could truly re- joice over one of them, called Benjamin, and firmly believe that our Lord has taken him home into everlasting bbss. He had been ailing for a considerable time, which, by the blessing of our Saviour, proved the occasion of a r^^re strict examination of bis heart and cond' .nd a proper consideration of his dissolution. As he approached towards it^ he would hear and speak of nothing but Jesus, and continued so to do till his breath stood still. Oh ! what a treasure is such a soul to us, of whom we can really believe, that it is gone over into the arms of its Redeemer I" The particulars connected with the happy departure of this individual are thusrecorded in the diary : " February 6th, in the fore- noon, we, with our Esquimaux, attended the funeral of Benjamin, whose remains were interred in our burying-ground. His last ill- ness was an inflammatory fever. From the beginning, his mind was occupied with his 136 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. u V- departure to the Lord. Being asked whether he thought he should go to Jesus, he cheer- fully answered in the affirmative. After some conversation with him on this suhject, the Missionary sang that verse — ** The Saviour's blood and righteousness My beauty are, my glorious dress," &c. and others of the same import, in which he joined with great fervency of devotion. He afterwards began of his own accord to sing other hymns, such as, M Christ, my rock, my sure defence, Jesus, my Redeemer, liveth," &c. No, my soul he cannot leave ; This, this is my consolation," &c. Thy \^1ood, thy blood the deed hath wrought." tt <( " Before his departure, he was frequently delirious ; but, even during this period of his illness, we and the Esquimaux who visited him were delighted and greatly affected by the subjects his spirit seemed always engaged in. His thoughts were occupied with nothing DEATH OF BENJAMIN. 137 but Jesus Christ kis Saviour, and he kept repeating the most beautiful and appropriate texts of Scripture, such as, < This is a true and faithful saying, and worthy of all accep- tation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners' — * The blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanseth us from all sin' — never failing to add, * Yes, on account of my sins, also, he shed his blood,' &c. He fre- quently prayed the whole litany, and always laid a particular accent upon those passages which treat of our Saviour's su£Ferings. He often pronounced those words with g^eat ear- nestness : < Little children, abide in Him, that, when he shall appear, we may have con- fidence, and not be ashamed before him at his appearing,' 1 John ii. 28. " Nor did he cease, in the midst of his greatest sufferings, to speak of the love of our Saviour, even till he drew his last breath. He was about forty years of age, and left a wife and two small children. " He was baptized in the year 1796, but fell sometimes into deviations, which he how- ever always confessed, and turned to the Lord I 3 138 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. „ ,■ for pardon with true repentance, and many tears of sorrow and contrition, insomuch that we always considered him as a peculiar object of our Lord's mercy. We were indeed some- times anxious about his perseverance in the faith, but his last illness has fully satisfied and comforted us, respecting the state of his soul. It made a deep and salutary impression upon the hearts of all the people here, and they expressed their thoughts upon his happy exit out of time in a manner which proved that u had been sanctified for their real spiri- tual benefit and instruction." But the Brethren were soon to receive a more abundant reward for their labours, in witnessing a general revival of religion among their Esquimaux congregation ; and it is re- markable that it should commence at Hope- dale, where the spiritual declension of the peo* ple had previously been more marked, than at either of the other settlements. We now proceed to lay the details of this most inte- resting event before our readers. In the early part of the month of February, 1804, the Esquimaux living at Hopedale RESIGNATION. 139 found considerable difficulty in procuring food. The weather was unusually mild,— ^it turned even to a perfect thaw, — and their attempts to catch seals were completely frustrated ; so that many of them experienced considerable ** distress for want of provisions. But, amidst all these difficulties, the Missionaries saw them coming to church, with friendly and cheerful countenances, and some would say, " If we only feel in our hearts the presence of our Saviour, who has loved us so much, and died and shed his blood, that our sins might be forgiven, we may well be cheerful and con- tented, though our outward circumstances are difficult, and we have not much to eat ; for we trust that he will also care for us in that respect, and we look to him for help." Their whole behaviour, during this time of trial, gave the Brethren much pleasure and encouragement. There was a general and powerful awakening among them, which first began to be perceived in some women, who were baptized last winter. These were led by the Spirit of truth, in a particular manner, to a knowledge of the depravity and sinful- 140 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. n«s8 of their hearts. An earnest desire was, at the same time, created within them, not only to experience the forgiveness of all their sins, hut to know the crucified Saviour, so often described to them, as their Reconciler, and, by the testimony of their own hearts and consciences, to be assured of their interest in him and his atonement. Their declarations on this occasion were such, that the Missiona- ries were quite surprised at the knowledge they had already gained by the Spirit's light, and not by the instruction of man ; and they joined in fervent thanksgiving to the Lord, for permitting them at last, after so long a time of sowing, to see such blessed fruits of the power of his word in the hearts of these poor people. " We often," the Missionaries write, '< called upon him to g^ant ns grace and wisdom to lead these souls, now awakened from death unto life, according to their mea- sure, and in the best manner, so as to further their progress on the way to everlasting life. << One of the above-mentioned women being asked, how she was first led to reflections so much more serious than formerly, ^he replied. \ DIVINE TEACHING. 141 that a Missionary had been speaking, at a meeting of the Esquimaux, concerning the g^eat pains which the Lord Jesus Christ had endured for our sakes, in soul and body, and his readiness now to accept the worst of sin- ners, who plead the merits of his blood. < This,' added she, < I had often heard before, but I never felt what I then felt. I thought, even for me, a wretched creature, who lived, worse than a dog, in every kind of abomina- tion, has our Saviour suffered so much, and he will now receive even me, and have mercy upon me. At the same time, I felt a singular joy and delight in my soul, and could not help weeping so much, that 1 forgot myself, and remained sitting in the church. My heart has ever since been fixed upon our Saviour alone, and I often weep for him. Now I know truly what you mean by feeling our Saviour near and precious to the soul, and experienc- ing his great love to sinners, and that it is not enough to be baptized, and to enjoy other privileges in the congregation, but that every one ought to be able to say for himself, * My Saviour is mine — ^he died for my sins — he has 142 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. also taken away my sins, and received even me a« bis child.' This I now feel in my heart, and am both thankful and humbled before him.' " << Another said, * I often walk out alone, and weep on account of my great worthless- ness. Once 1 prostrated myself before our Saviour, and, with tears and trembling, in- treated him to have mercy upon me^ and for-* give me my many sins. I experienced such comfort on that occasion, that it appeared to me, as if Jesus stood before me, and took the heavy burden off my soul. I now know that J belong to him, and have never felt as I now do, that he loves me.' " *< Similar declarations were made by others^ In all the meetings of the Esquimaux, which were diligently attended, an uncommon de- gree of eagerness and devotion were per- ceived ; they no more went to church merely for form's sake, but from the impulse of their hearts, and to find comfort and enjoyment. Several came, after the meetings, into our house, partly to express their thankfulnessi, that they now experience the truth of what GROWTH IN KNOWLEDGE. 143 was spoken, and could bear witness to its power, and partly to request an explanation of what had remained unintelligible to them.*' The letters received from the same settle- ment in September, 1804, contain cheering accounts of the progress of this awakening, and its wonderful extension to the other set- tlements. The Missionaries write — ** When our Esquimaux returned from their summer- places, and settled here again for the winter, in 1804, we found, to our great comfort, that they had not only been preserved from sin^l practices, but that the work of the Holy Ghost, so manifest during the foregoing win- ter, especially in the hearts cf some of the women, had made farther progress. They had become better acquainted with the natu- ral depravity of their awn hearts, and the wretched state of a soul without Christ, which made them cry to him for mercy, and had truly experienced grace, and the forgiveness of sin in his precious blood, by which their hearts were filled with joy and comfort in believing. Out of the abundance of their hearts, therefore, their mouths spake of the 144 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. IV'! ..r love and power of Jesus, by which a very- serious impression was made on all our peo- ple, and all longed to be made partakers of the same grace, being awakened by the Spirit of God, so as to see the necessity of true con- version of heart. This fire, of the Lord's own kindling, spread rapidly among them, insomuch that, in a short time, all the adults most earnestly began to seek after peace with God. Even several of the children were in like manner awakened. We had daily visits from our people, who came partly to ask ad- vice, and what they should do to be saved> and partly to tell us what the Lord had done for them. With what joy and astonishment did we perceive, how powerfully the Holy Spirit explained to them the things of God, the meritorious sufferings of our Saviour, and the efiicacy of his precious blood to cleanse from sin, by which they were made cheerful and happy in heart and mind. " While this heavenly fire was, as it were, in full blaze at Hopedale, two young Esqui- maux, Siksigag and Kapik, arrived here in February from Nain. Tlie first c^me to re- A FRAYING FAMILY. U5 turn his wife, a baptized young woman, whom he had married here two years ago, to her mother, intending to marry another at Nain, who promised to second him better in every kind of heathenish abominations, and to leave the believers altogether. This man, on f iter - ing his own mother's house (who lives here with a second husband, having formerly, \v hile a heathen, forsaken her first), found the Es- quimaux just engaged in prayer, as usual, before they went to rest. The family were not disturbed by his arrival, and he sat down, quite astonished at what he saw and heard, and not knowing what they were doing. Prayer being ended, they were informed by him for what purpose he had come to Hope- dale. The whole company now began to in- treat him most earnestly not to part ^"om his wife, but rather to turn with his whok< heart to Jesus. We likewise added our exhorta- tions to the same effect, but he persisted in his determination. When, tb6ii.*efore, his relations perceived that he was immoveably fixed, they resorted to prayer ; and, on the following day, they all assembled around him K 146 missio:ns in Labrador. in his mothers house, kneeled down, and cried unto our Saviour, that he would convert hifi). The mother expressed herself in the following words : « O my Lord Jesus ! be^ hold, this is my child ; I now give him up to thee ! O accept of him, and suffer him not to be lost for ever I' Such a scene, so unpre- cedented and unexpected, had an immediate effect on the young man ; he was filled with concern for his souFs salvation ; his whole heart was changed ; he desisted from his wicked purpose, took his wife again (having shortly before delivered her to her mother), and became an humble, seeking soul, to whom the Lord afterwards shewed great mercy. Kapik had, in the mean time, lodged himself with his relations, by his friend Siksigag*s instrumentality he also was awakened, and, overcome by the grace prevailing among the congregation, so that be also resolved to sur- render his whole heart to our Saviour. " Filled with life and spirit, these two men set out on their return to Nain, and there tes- tified with boldness of what they had heard, seen, and experienced at IlopedaJe, by which AWAKENING EXTENDS. U7 a lasting impressian was made upon the minds of many of our Natn Esquimaux. " They have now come hither (the first in winter, and the latter lately )> with a view to settle ; as they believed that something might hinder their conversion at Nain, and did not choose to reside any longer at a place where they had spent their former lives in the ser- vice of sin. << By means of these two people, the report that there are Esquimaux truly converted, residing at Hopedale, has spread to Okkak, and even farther north, which has made A considerable sensation among the heathen. Three families from that neighbourhood have arrived here, and express their determination to become obedient to the gospel, and turn to Jesus with their whole heart. Exclusive of these, seven families have moved hither from Nain and Okkak, by which, since the close of 1804, the number of inhabitants has been increased by thirty-nine souls, old and young, all from distant parts. Since the last departure of the ship, nine adults and five children have been baptized, seven admitted 148 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. to the Lord's supper, and one re-admitted ; four have become candidates for the same, seven for baptism, and three young people, baptized as children, were solemnly received into the congregation. " You will perceive, dear brethren, by the short account given, that the Lord has shewn great mercy to our dear Esquimaux in the year past. You will certainly join us in offer- ing up thanks and praises, and often com- mend this his work unto him in prayer, that he may preserve it, and cause it to spread more and more. " The schools of the children have also been attended with the blessing of God in the past year, and both the children and adults have made good progress in their learn- ing. It is very edifying to hear them exer- cising themselves, in their own dwellings, in reading and singing hymns. They have now, both in the morning and evening, prayer and singing in all the families ; and, both then and on other occasions, they edify each other, in a manner that moves us to tears of grati- tude, i KAPIK AND .LIKSIGAGr 149 ** In short, there is at present a small con- gregation of helieving Esquimaux at Hope- dale, hlooming like a beautiful rose ; and, as all their happiness is founded upon the enjoy- ment of the merits of Christ, and in contem- plating him as their crucified Redeemer, our joy is no more mixed with that fear and anx- iety we felt formerly, but we rejoice in truth over a genuine work of God ; God is in the midst of this congregation, and therefore they shall not be moved. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give all the glory. But, as we know that they, like our- selves, are yet poor defective creatures, and cannot maintain the grace they have received in their own strength, we will not cease to pray for their preservation to Him who him- self is their only foundation.'' The Missionaries at Nain, having described the circumstances connected with the awaken- ing of the two Esquimaux, Kapik and Sik- sigag, in terms similar to those in which the same events are communicated by their Bre- thren at Hopedale, thus relate the effects produced by the return of these individuals 150 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. v< to Nain. <-.17. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. 1.0 ^^Ki ^^ Ui 1^ 12.2 1.1 f-^KS ^^^^^^^ hid I. ^ IIJi& 1.25 III 1.4 V] 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. MS80 (716) 872-4503 172 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. speak, before she burst into loud weeping, and bitterly bewailed her sins, and abomina- ble practices. In a kind of agony and grief she then began to sing that verse, ** Thy blood, O Saviour, is the cause. That I may sue for mercy." But as the Missionary did not join her, not immediately comprehending what she sung, her voice being choaked with weeping, she exclaimed, " Ah, it is no wonder that you will not help me to sing, for I am indeed too bad, and a most abominable sinner." She then entered upon a full account of her wicked life. The Missionary could not help weep- ing with her, both out of compassion, and for thanks to the Lord for the mercy he had shown, in reclaiming so great a transgressor." Nor was it such only as had been notoriously wicked among the heathen, who were led at this time to understand their state as sinners ; but many who had maintained a good char- acter, and even those who had been admitted by baptism, into the congregation of the dis.- ciples of Jesus, were convinced of the deep DEDICATION TO GOD. 173 sping> I grief er, not 3 sung, ng, she bat you ieed too p." She L wicked p weep- ion, and ^ be had ressor." ;orioasly e led at sinners ; lod cbar- ladmitted If the dia- the deep depravity of their hearts, and brought to re- ceive salvation as a gift from God, and tho purchase of a Redeemer's blood. The fol- lowing are some of the most remarkable in- stances. << Daniel, a candidate for baptism, declared, that whenever he thought on our Saviour, he felt disposed to weep ; because he had so long stood at a cross-way, not knowing which to take, and halted between Him and sin. But now he cried day and night to Him, to mani- fest Himself unto him, and change his whole heart." Niakungtok and Augutauke expressed their great desire to be baptized, the latter said with tears, << I am a very unworthy man, this I know and feel, but I will belong only to Jesus, and walk in his ways. O how I grieve, that though I have heard of him and his love to sinners, from my infancy, I have neglected his word, and loved sin and wick- edness, better than him ; but now, I thank him that he has revealed to me, that without him, 1 cannot be happy." An Esquimaux sister, speaking to one of L 3 174 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. the Misssionaries wives, said, " I bave had a very distressing night, you know how I yes- terday told you, that I was very happy, for that Jesus had pardoned my sins, and I had now forgotten them all. But you made an- swer, that as long as children of God remain here on earth, they can never think of Jesu»' great love, and of his sufferings, bloodshed- ding, and bitter death, without remembering that their great debt of sin was the cause of all his torments; these words pierced my heart, and 1 found that I had been satisfied with myself, more than with our Saviour's work within me, nor could I sleep for think- ing about my state, I prayed, but found no comfort. At day-break, therefore, I went to the summit of the hills, where I fell on my face, and prayed that Jesus would grant me comfort and peace, but all seemed in vain, and I returned in great distress. When I entered my house, I cried out, 01 Jesus, am I the only one, whom thou wilt reject ? Immediately, I felt as if Jesus had said to me ; * Be of good cheer, I will not suffer thee to be plucked out of my hand, for thou hast cost me my blood.' ", x DEPENDAKCE ON CHRIST. ns ad a ye8- , for [had iean- jinam Jesua' Jsbed- bering luse of ed my atisfied iviour*8 . tbink- lund no went on my rant me in vain, WbenI 1 Jesus, reject ? gaid to [cr tbee tbou bast Another Esquimaux sister expressed her- self thus : << I am often moved to tears, when I consider what God my Saviour has done for me ; I start back with terror, when I reflect upon my former wicked life ; I have been an abominable sinner, and that Jesus should have received me in mercy, and granted me to be- lieve that his blood can wash away all my sins, and deliver me from the power of evil^ is a favour so great, that I am amazed at it, and sink down with shame and gratitude* But I have only within these few days been convinced, that as long as I am in the world, I can do nothing but look to Him for help I am as one walking upon a smooth sheet of ice, and obliged with every step to g^ard against falling ; He must uphold me, and my heart is lifted up in prayer to Him." Another Esquimaux woman said : " 1 pray that I may receive the assurance of the for- giveness of my sins, that I may be prepared to depart to Him with joy. How is it, that I feel such a change? Last year I made ridicule both of what you said of Jesus, and of the words of my countrymen, when they 176 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. could not help testifying of the happiness they felt in communion with God. But now, may I never cease to thank Him, that he ha» opened my heart and ears, and that I can he- lieye the Gospel, which indeed shows my for- lorn state hy nature, hut likewise the grace of my Saviour. I feel it, that your doctrine is true." Sigsigak, the individual, whose wonderful conversion has heen already mentioned, in a sudden fit of anger, struck his wife. This he confessed of his own accord; and added, *< While I was in this passion, I felt a strong reproof in my heart, and it seemed to me as if I had struck Jesus himself in the face. I was powerfully convinced of the deep depra- vity of my soul, and that on account of my sins, Jesus had heen tormented and slain; yea, that even I, hy my sins, have slain him." Here he hurst into loud weeping ; << but I have craved His pardon, and he has forgiven me both this sin, and many other things be- longing to my sinful nature." There is something peculiarly a£fecting in the simplicity with which this Esquimaux 1 GENUINE REPENTANCE. 177 hey may ha» ibe- for- jrace 5trine ierfttl i, in a his he added, strong I me as ice. I deprap of my slain; n him." "but I •orgiven ngs he- brother opened the workings of his heart. How excellent the obedience which springs from the faith of Jesus — ^how pure in its cha- racter the repentance which the knowledge of His goodness produces. Its very essence is described in the Psalmist's lamentation, — << Against theCf thee ter-houses were to be built, and others en- larged. ** As soon as it was known that these poor heathen had obtained leave to stay, there arose among our Esquimaux such a spirit of joy and gladness, that it was truly affecting to witness it. Since their arrival here, our people had not failed to speak of the mercy the Lord had shewn in their own conversion, and to preach Jesus to them as the only Sa- viour, who alone could make them happy both here and hereafter ; and now, on per- ceiving that they were to be inhabitants of this place, they hardly knew how to contain themselves for joy. Young and old ran to CHRISTIAN LOVE. 181 help tbem with their baggage, and to settle tlieir little affairs. It happened also that, in the morning early, a party of heathen Esqui- maux, who had declared that they would not live with the believers, on departing, had left a man with his wife and child behind, who refused to follow the heathen any longer, and begged to be permitted to live here. He had pitched his tent at some distance, but our people, filled with love and ardour to serve all those who wish to be converted, went immediately, took it down, and set it up in the midst of their own dwellings. The new- comers were quite humbled and amazed^ by such proofs of love and attention in their Christian countrymen, and declared that, for the first time in their lives, they had found people who loved them with disinterested sincerity. After all were safely housed, our Esquimaux returned to Ugsuktok." Nor was this feeling of brotherly love and interest in the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom, which appeared in the poor Esqui- maux, confined in its operation to those of their own nation. *< In a meeting at which M 182 MISSIONS IN LABRADOK. the salutations of the Conference of Elders of the Unity, and of the Society in London, as contained in their last letters, were g^ven to them, with some account of the state and pro- gress of other Missions, they expressed, in a very lively manner, their thanks and love to their dear brethren acroBs the great water ; and when, afterwards, some verses were sung, most of them hurst into tears. To see the various proofs of the work of the Spirit of God in their hearts, excites us to praise and adoration, at the feet of our Lord and Sa** viour," Manifestatiovis of a similar feeling were called forth by the perusal of the following letter, addressed to the believing Esquimaux, by a Christian Greenlander, named Timothy, an assistant at Lichtenfels. ** My beloved, ye who live just opposite to us, on the other side of the great water I ** You have the same mode of living that we have ; you go out in your kayaks, as we do ; you have the same method of procuring your livelihood as we have. Our Saviour has given you teachers, as he has given us. Be A LETTER. 188 tbBnkAil to him that they nade known to you hig precious words, and all his deeds, which are fiill of life and happiness. I have from my earliest infieuncy been instructed in this blessed doctrine ; for I have grown up in the congregation. When you read this, you may very likely think that I have always lived to the joy of onr Saviour ; but, alas I I have been, particularly in my youth, very often ungrateful towards Him who died for me. But, when this was the case, I was never happy, and I found no rest for my soul, until I cast myself at the feet of Jesus, and im- plored his forgiveness ; and even now I can do nothing else, when I am distressed about myself, and my great sinfulness. When I am in my kayak, procuring provisions, or on other occasions alone, and I call to mind that our Saviour was for my sake nailed to the cross, and suffered for my sins, which are numberless, I acknowledge myself the chief of sinners ; I then pray to our Saviour with deep abasement, and often with loud weeping. At such times, I feel that he draws nigh, and fills my heart with such comfort, that I am 184. MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. quite melted by his love. This is also the reason why I make our Saviour my most im- portant object : I cleave to him as a child does to its mother, and I will never turn away from him. Nothing is more profitable to me, than the contemplation of his sufferings. Of this alone I speak to my fellow-men. <* My dear brethren and sisters, 1 must stiU tell you, that I have been four times in dan- ger of my life, when rowiug in my kayak ; for so often have I been overset, when I was quite alone. When almost suffocated in the water, I prayed to our Saviour for delive- rance, and he helped me, and stretched out his hands for my deliverance. Each time I raised myself up by means of the bladder ; but it was God my Saviour who saved me out of these dangers. In him I trust alone, and provide for myself, my wife and children, with pleasure. Although, as long as I am upon earth, I shall feel my weakness and cor- ruption, yet I go with it all to our Saviour, as a child does for help to its parent. I pray thus : * O my Jesus, thou lover of my soul, let me feel thy nearness ; impress thy suffer- A LETTER. 185 ings and death upon my heart ; melt it, and make it tender, through the power of thy blood ; and, according to thy good pleasure, make me well-pleasing unto thee. Thou hast bought me with thy blood, that I might be saved. Throughout my whole life, will I rely upon thee, my God and Redeemer I I will place thee before my heart, as thou for my sake, in agony and soul's distress, in the gar- den of Gethsemane, wast weighed down to the ground with my guilt, until sweat mixed with blood forced itself through thy body, and fell in great drops to the ground.* At such times my heart grows warm, and my eyes overflow. This alone is able to soften our hard hearts ; this I experience ; and your hearts cannot be subdued and softened by any thing else. You must go to Jesus's cross, for there is no other way to happiness. Take these my imperfect words to heart, which I write out of love to you, as a people related to us. Your Jonathan's words, which he caused to be written to us, we have received, to our joy ; we have not forgotten them. It is very pleasing to hear such accounts. Oh I 186 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. that we all, as one people, might put in prac- tice what our Saviour has commanded us in his word, — ^love him ahove all things, — give him joy by our conduct, — and never again cause him grief. I write and encourage the heathen in your country, of whom there are still many, to be converted to their Creator. Let them hear much of his incarnation, suf- ferings, and death, and relate it to them when you are with them. Remember us also, and pi*ay for us to our Saviour. We will also pray for you ; and, when we do this, we shall also reap those blessings which our Saviour has promised to those who pray to him. " I am, your brother. "Timothy." Liehtenfelsy in Feb, 1804. This letter was heard with great attention ; and several of the Esquimaux came after- wards, and said, " Oh ! how pleasant it is to hear the words of our dear brethren beyond the great water I Might we only make the same progress, and grow like them in the grace and knowledge of our Saviour I" In UNITY OF LOVE. 187 this little anecdote, the experienced Christian will rec(^nize a distinguishing mark in the character of God's children. Their love is not limited to those memhers of the redeemed family with whom they are personally ac- quainted — they feel an interest in all. << I would," said the great apostle, " that ye knew what g^eat conflict I have for you, and for thein at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts might he comforted, heing knit together in love," &c. We read, Exod. xxviii., that the Jewish high priest wore a hreast-plate, in which, twelve precious stones, with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel engraven upon them, were set in gold ; and thus he bore the names of the children of Israel upon his heart, when he went into the holy place, for a me- morial before the Lord continually. It is thus that Jesus bears the interests of his people, whom he calls his jewels, in affectionate and unfailing remembrance; and the gold in which these precious jewels of his breast-plate are set is love — this is that which unites all true disciples on the heart of Christ. The exer- 188 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. cise of this grace of love is the Christian's greatest happiness. St. Paul appeals to the experience of this in Christians, when he says, << If there he any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love." The poor Esquimaux, being taught of God, had that within them which would respond to such an appeal. " Oh I how pleapiiut," they exclaimed, " is it to hear the words of our dear brethren beyond the great water I" The brotherly love of the poor Esquimaux also appeared in the sorrow with which they parted from the Missionaries, and from each other, when compelled to go in quest of their summer provision. This appears in the fol- lowing extract from the Brethren's diary. « In the following day, they set out for their fish- ing and hunting places. Many shed tears at parting, because, as they said, they felt great heaviness in being separated from their teach- ers, and from each other ; for indeed they now "love as brethren." The sincerity of these declarations was evident, by their re* turning more frequently than formerly, du- ring this season, to spend the Sundays, or to DEVOTION OF ESQUIMAUX. 189 visit and converse with us. Thus we spent the summer in continual intercourse with them, to mutual satisfaction." The delight which the Esquimaux experi- enced in the worship of God, appeared not only hy their punctual attendance at the pub- lic services of the church, but also by the establishment of private meetings for worship among themselves. " Those of our people," write the Missiona- ries, " who really have life in their own souls, have been diligent in most earnestly exhort- ing their countrymen to be converted, extol- ling the happiness enjoyed by such as have found pardon and peace in Jesus. They have also of their own accord, without any instruc- tions from us, begun to pray and sing hymns in their own families every evening, and by the testimony of several, the presence of the Lord is sensibly perceived among them on these occasions." From another Settlement, the Missionaries write. " Isaac's and Okkumelinek's families returned hither from their summer places; they soon, in a conference with the other Es- m 3 \: 190 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. quimaux living here, resolved to regulate an evening meeting, to be held by tumS| in Jo- seph's and Isaac 8 tents, in which they spent some time in prayer and singing hymns. The Lord, by his Spirit, was truly among them, and frequently the whole company were moved to tears ; several of the baptized, and candidates who had hitherto appeared cold and dead, were thereby awakened anew, and even upon the children a very salutary im- pression was made. This happened while all the Missionaries were engaged on the oppo- site s^ide of the bay, in cutting our usual stock of fire-wood, when the regular evening wor- ship in the chapel is omitted." The regular attendance of the Esquimaux at the public services of the church, also evi- denced the delight which they now found in the worship of God. " Every day we have fresh proofs of the work of the Holy Ghost in the hearts of our people, and are greatly encouraged, when we see our church well filled with attentive hear- ers, most of whom are seeking souls, hun- gering and thirsting after righteousness. This PUBLIC WORSHIP. 191 has never before been the case, since it was first built, now twenty years ago." On another occasion, the Missionaries state that the Esquimaux women came frequently to the church, seated upon the kayaks, be- hind their husbands, crossing iu this way bays of several miles in breadth, at the hazard of their lives. The following anecdote is transcribed from the diary of the Missionaries, in the hope that the perusal of it may prove serviceable to a certain class of our readers. << At the holy communion, three Esqui- maux, Joseph, Lydia, and Ketura, were pre- sent as candidates, and Sarah, with a view to confirmation : the three women were so much afi^ected, that they cried and sobbed aloud, so as almost to create disturbance. After. the service was over, they could hardly stand, and continued weeping aloud. We let them come into our house, till they had recovered themselves. They said that they were so overpowered by a sense of the presence of the Lord Jesus, that they knew not where they were, or what they did. They wept on 192 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. account of their unworthiness, and said they would now give their whole hearts to Him who had died on the cross to save them. Their conduct and declarations made a salu- tary impression upon all who heard them. On the following day, Sarah came, and brought all the metal rings with which she had formerly decorated her fingers, in the Esquimaux fashion, and wanted to part with them. We asked the reason. She said, < I will have nothing now to please me, but only Jesus.* She was followed by Lydia, and Louisa, and others, who brought their orna- ments to dispose of to their friends. They did this quite of their own accord, for we never begin by finding fault with their dress." This simple story shews how the Spirit of God disposes those in whom he dwells, to obey the precepts of that word which the same Spirit dictated. In the third chapter of Isaiah, we find tremendous judgments de- nounced against the daughters of Zion, for the vanity displayed in the decoration of their persons. St. Peter was also instructed to con- LOV£ OF DRESS. 193 demn, in the Christian female, the ** outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold;*' and the inspired apostle Paul directs, ** that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shame-facedness and sobriety, not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array." These poor Esquimaux had probably never heard these commands, but the Spirit of God disposed them to act in accordance with them. What then shall we say of those who, knowing that such direc- tions are laid down in the Bible, still " Make their gannents, made to hide Their parents* shame, their hoast and pride ?" Alas I it is too plain, they have not the Spi- rit of Christ, — and, not having his Spirit, they are " none of his." This awakening among the Eisquimaux, was not confined to the adults, but, in many instances, extended to the youths and chil- dren. We insert some instances of this, for the instruction of our younger readers. The Missionaries at Hopedale, write : " A })oy, who is truly awakened by the Holy 194 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. Spirit, called upon the Missionaries. He said ; * We, boys, have been sitting together by ourselves, and speaking, both of our own sinfiilness, and of the mercy we have expe- rienced from our Saviour. At the close of our conversation, we fell on our knees, and prayed to him in fellowship, that He would deliver us from all power of sin ; during which my heart grew so warm, that I felt it pene- trate to my feet." (This is a phrase used by the Esquimaux, to express inward joy, and great devotion.) " Jesus," continued he, " was very near to us ; I will give Him my whole heart as His property." The Missionaries at Okkak, relate the fol- lowing anecdote : *' One day, while we were closing the schools as usual, by singing a verse, there arose such an emotion of heart among the scholars, that all melted into tears, and at last, without any direction, they, of them- selves, fell on their knees. The Missionary, therefore, who was keeping the school, knelt down also, and was powerfully excited to fer- vent prayer for these dear little ones, com- mending them to the grace of our Saviour. PIOUS CHILDREN. 195 our own Frequently the children met together, and sang hymns, after the example of their pa- rents, during which they were so much affec- ted, that they burst into loud weeping. You may easily conceive how we feel, when we are witnesses to these things, and we offer up daily many prayers to our Saviour, that as they grow up. He would preserve them from the snares of Satan, and give them more and more to know and experience the power of his blood-shedding and death, to sanctify and preserve them in the faith." We close these testimonies to the piety of Esquimaux children, by the following affect- ing account of the death-bed of one of them. *< Isaac and Elizabeth lost their only son, but eleven years old. They mourned greatly over his loss, for they reckoned upon his be- coming their chief support in old age. They, however, comforted themselves with the assu- rance, that their beloved child was now happy in the presence of our Saviour, where they should once meet him again. In the midst of his delirium, and the pain he suffered from an inflammation of the bowels, he frequently 196 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. exclaimed with a loud voice ; <* O how bean- tiful is Jesus I He is not to be described I" At his funeral in our burying-ground, the parents demeaned themselves as true children of God» and though they shed many tears, they expressed their thankfulness that Jesus had received their child to glory." Happy the child, who, like this poor little Esquimaux, can say, in the time of sickness and death, when sports cannot amuse, an4 the kindness of affectionate parents can con- fer but little comfort, ** How beautiful is Je- sus, he is not to be described." And happy are those parents, who, having devoted their children to God, and brought them up for Him, can willingly resign them into his hands, in the sweet persuasion, that Jesus has re- ceived them into glory. Nor was the power of Christ, in delivering his people from the fear of death, manifested in the young people alone. An Esquimaux woman, who supposed herself to be in a dy- ing state, thus expressed her feelings : *' I weep, but not over the pain I feel, though that is very great, but for joy that my Savi- DEATH OF JUDITH. 197 our is near my heart. O would but Jesus come and take me to himself; I long to go to him, as a child longs for its parent, to behold him, and to embrace his feet ; I feel no gloom, ray heart is filled with joy in believing on Him." When she began to recover, she said ; << I am almost grieved at the thought, that 1 shall perhaps not now be permitted to go to Jesus. But He has this day given me a powerful conviction, that I am a branch in Him, which he will not suffer to perish." The following account, dated January 8, 1806, of the death of the wife of an indivi- dual, who has been mentioned in the preced- ing pages, deserves to be inserted in this place. <* Judith, Abel's wife, departed this life. She came hither with her former hus- band, the well-known William Tuglavina, and always conducted herself with great pro- priety. After his death, she married Abel iu 1801, and with him came to live at Hopedale in 1804. By occasion of the awakening which took place in this settlement, she was greatly enlivened, but, like most of the old baptized people, who thought themselves converted 198 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. already, having also some knowledge and a fluent way of expressing themselves in reli- gious affairs, she did not at first show much of the divine life in her soul, till hy the pow- erful work of the Holy Ghost she was hrought to see and acknowledge herself an unworthy sinner, and no better than those who were just now alarmed, and broi^ht from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan to the living Ood. Before the last Lord's Sup- per she expressed herself thus : << I perceive now, that I am a great sinner, and am so ashamed, that I hardly dare open my lips, for it is clear to me, that I am far behind others in love to our Saviour. It appears even, as if He and I were yet strangers to each other, and I can do nothing but weep for Him." She afterwards became quiet, lowly in heart, and earnestly desirous of en- joying communion with God. During her last illness, however, she showed much un- easiness of mind, as if something disturbed that peaceful expectation of her exit out of this life, which we wished to see in her. Brother Kohlmeister visited her very faith- LIGHT IN DARKNESS. 199 fully, encouraging her to look up to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and on one occasion particularly, offered up a most fervent prayer to the Lord, that He would remove all her douhts hy a full assurance, that her sins were forgiven through the me- rits of His precious blood : during which the poor patient, and all present melted into tears, and felt that their prayer was heard and an- swered. She wished afterwards to speak with her teacher, and confessed that she had hitherto hidden from our knowledge some de- viations, which burdened her conscience, and which she must make known to us before she departed. She then declared her firm trust that God her Saviour would wash away all her sins, and remember them no more, after which she exclaimed : '< Now I am ready, and will go to Jesus. He will receive me in mercy just as I am, for He has died for me." She now lay still, in the joyful hope of being soon released. Both the Missionaries' wives, and the Esquimaux sisters visited her fre- quently, to whom she declared the happiness of her soul ; and in the night previous to her 200 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. departure, conversed in a most edifying man- ner with those that watched with her, of the near prospect she had of seeing her Saviour face to face. She then entreated her husband to bring her clean white dress, which she always wore at the Lord's Supper, and to dress her in it after her decease. Her two youngest children she earnestly recommended to his care, and that they might be instructed in the ways of the Lord, and sent a message, as her last will, to the two eldest, who live at Nain, that they should remain with the congregation, and devote their whole hearts to Jesus. When the sisters took leave of her with a kiss, she exclaimed with joy in her countenance ; << I shall now go to Jesus, and kiss his feet, adoring him, for all his love to me, and that he has redeemed me also, a vile sinner, and called me to eternal life I" The happy departure of another Esquimaux woman, who died about the same time as the above, is thus related by the Missionaries : '^ Aulak and Joanna's infant son was baptized ; the mother had departed this life yesterday morning, after her delivery. She came last CONVERSION OF JOANNA. 201 autumn hither as a wild, ignorant heathen, from the neighbourhood of Okkak, and, on her first arrival, showed no disposition what- ever to be converted. But soon after, the power of God's grace was made manifest up- on her. She learned to know what true con- version of heart means, and would not rest satisfied with any thing of a superficial nature. She cried to the Lord for mercy, and obtained real, saving faith ; it was surprising to ob- serve how well she comprehended the mean- ing of the Gospel, and in how clear a light the mystery of the cross of Christ was re- vealed to her soul, insomuch, that she could apply to herself the sufferings of Jesus as me- ritorious and all-sufficient, for the remission of sin, and the sanctification of soul and body. She adored the crucified Jesus in truth as her Redeemer, and nothing was so deliglitful to her, as to hear of Him, and all he had done and suffered to save her from sin and death. She sought Him with earnestness, and found rest for her soul, and full salvation in His wounds and death. Her whole walk and conversation testified of the new birth which 202 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. had taken place witliin her, and of a total change of heart and sentiment, particularly after her haptism, on the 10th of last Fehru- ary. Immediately after her delivery, there appeared symptoms of an inward inflamma- tion. She lay still, and resigned to the will of the Lord, and seemed to take no more no- tice of any thing that was said ; hut towards morning, raising herself up in the bed, she exclaimed : << Jesus is coming, and I am ready to meet Him. A very short time will bring me to Him. Trim the lamps, and make the room light and pleasant. Jesus' bleeding love is not cold towards those who are longing for Him." The company present proposing to join in^ hymn, and not immediately remem- bering a suitable one, she said : << Sing that hymn for me :** " Unto the Lamb of God, 8bc.'* After it was done, she fainted and sunk down upon the bed, her sight and hearing failed, and she fell gently asleep in Jesus. Both by the inhabitants of the house in which she lived, and by all the Esquimaux sisters be- ESQUIMAUX CONGREGATION. 203 f a total rticularly 3t Febru- iry, there inflamma- t) tbe will I more no- it towards J bed, she [ am ready will bring i make the lediiig love tonging for •oposing to sly remem- Sing that longing to the congregation, she was faith- fully attended and nursed during her illness, being universally beloved. Many tears were shed at her departure, and the happy manner in which she left the worlds made a deep im- pression upon us all. She was only about thirty years old." The feelings of the Missionaries who wit- nessed this work of God among the Esqui- maux, may be expressed in the words, with which the brethren at one of the settlements, close their account of the course of the congre- gation at that place, during the year 1805. " In general, we must say, at the close of this year, that we are bowed down with gratitude for all the mercy the Lord has shown unto us and our people, in the year past. We no more see bold, undaunted heathens, sitting before us, with defiance or ridicule in their looks ; but people, eagerly expecting a bless- ing, desirous of experiencing the power of the word of life, shedding tears of repentance on account of their sins, full of devotion and earnest inquiry. For this, praise be to him whose work it is alone." Viewing this inte- 204 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. resting scene, even through the obscuring medium of description, we are enabled in good measure to participate in the joy with which the Missionary Brethren beheld a little company who had been brought, by their instrumentality, from the pollutions of hea- thenism into the enjoyment of the peace and purity of the gospel ; and, if this be a sight so gratifying, what a fulness of joy shall they possess, who shall take their stand with that great multitude which no man could number, around the throne of the Lamb, purified from every stain of sin, — saved from the remotest possibility of ever being again entangled in its defilements, — ^perfectly emptied of self, — and filled with such admiring thoughts of the Redeemer, as shall overflow in ascriptions of praise throughout eternity I We are not, however, to suppose that this wonderful awakening among the Esquimaux, was unaccompanied by any events calculated to try the faith and patience of the Mission- aries. The word planted in the souls of some of the Esquimaux, proved like the seed sown upon the rocky ground, for a while it sprang KAPIK. 205 )scuring ibled in joy with d a little by their 3 of hea- )eace and 36 a sight shall they with that d numher, rifiedfrom e remotest itangled in of self,— jhts of the (riptions of up, but in the hour of trial withered away. Kapik, over whose supposed conversion, the Missionaries had rejoiced, was one such in- stance. The apparent state of this individual in 1805, is thus described : " Thomas was bap- tized on the twelfth of December last. This man, well known to all who read our diaries, by the name of Kapik, had been one of the gi'eatest evil-doers in this country. He is another instance of the power of the word of the cross. From his infancy he had wallowed in every kind of abomination, and was guilty of the most atrocious deeds. He had thus spent his life, and grown grey in the service of Satan. But now, O how is he changed by the power of Jesus' blood, which cleanseth from all sin I The ferocious and terrific coun- tenance of this late monster of iniquity, which made one tremble at his appearance, is now converted into a mild, gentle aspect ; the sa- vage bear has become a gentle lamb ; and the slave and instrument of the devil, a humble follower of the good Shepherd, and a true child of God. O may the Lord preserve him N 206 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. to the end, and not suffer the enemy to ob- tain any advantage over him. '^ In conversing with us, he expressed him- self thus : " We have sowed some peas in a vessel filled with earth, they are now growing very fast, and look well, which pleases me vastly. Some days ago, T was standing and looking at them with great delight, when the thought struck me, that, like them, I had lately been planted in the Lord's garden, when I was baptized, and my Saviour washed and cleansed me from my sins in His precious blood. O that I now might grow and thrive like these plants, and bring forth fruit accep- table to Him ; that he also might have cause to rejoice over me. "On another occasion, he said ; *< I have no other desire but Jesus, my Saviour, who has had mercy even upon me, the very worst of men ; and I pray that I may now give him joy, and cleave to Him to the end. Alas ! alas I that I have known him so late I For- merly, I could not believe one word of what your predecessors and yourselves told us of Jesus, and of the necessity of believing on A FALLING AWAY. 207 Him, and becoming his property. I only laughed and mocked, and gave pain and trou- ble to my teachers. But how is this? I now believe it all ; and our Saviour has so powerfully drawn my heart towards Himself^ that I can find no words to describe what I feel." In the following autumn, a malignant dis- order, resembling both the small-pox and measles, broke out among the Esquimaux. The Missionaries having described the suffer- ings which this virulent disorder occasioned to some of their people, write as follows : <*01d Thomas, formerly known by the name of Kapik, was most severely attacked by it, as the eruption in his face struck inward, and turned into a kind of scrophula, by which one of his upper jaw-bones was eaten away. The severe pain he now suffered, occasioned him to forsake his confidence in our Saviour, (if he ever really did possess any of the true kind,) and to seek for help in heathenish practices ; insomuch, that if he had had op- portunity, he would have proceeded greater lengths in these abominations than ever be- 208 iMISSIONS IN LABRADOU. fore. Indeed, during all last winter, his be- haviour was very oppressive to his whole fa- mily, and particularly to his two wives, who are both communicants, and very worthy wo- men. All our kind exhortations, as well as serious remonstrances, were in vain ; and even after he had recovered from the pain, and other effects of the disorder, he still ]»*e- mained quite hardened. We have thus dis- covered, that he has all along acted the part of a deceiver, and that the many fine speeches and tears, with which they were accompanied, were the fruits of hypocrisy. This is quite consistent with the character given him by his inmates ; but they durst not open their mouths in his presence. Of late, our admo- nitions seem to have made some impression upon his mind ; and he again declares with tears, that he is sincere in his repentance, and will turn again unto the Lord. But who can now believe him, since he has so long played the hypocrite ? However, we will not lose courage, but still hope, that the power of Jesus* blood is able to deliver this poor man from the bonds of sin and satan." I, DEATH OF AN APOSTATE. 201) ter, his bc- is whole f'a- wrives, who wrorthy wo- , as well as vain ; and the pain, he still re- e thus dh' :ed the part ine speeches ccompanied, 'his is quite Lven him by open their , our admo- 1 impression sclares with entance, and 3ut who can long played w'ill not lose le power of lis poor man In the communication from the Missiona- ries, ill the following year, we find them expressing a hope, that the Lord would ** yet pluck this old sinner as a brand from the burning;" but, notwithstanding some signs of penitence, which he exhibited, the tone in which they speak, too plainly shows, that they stood in doubt of him. The event proved that these doubts were unhappily too well founded. As the close of this unhappy man's life drew nigh, the Mis- sionaries were the more earnest in exhorting him to turn to Jesus, who alone could deliver him from the bondage of sin and Satan. In the communication forwarded to the Brethren in London, the Missionaries wrote: <^He seemed for some time to take this wholesome advice to heart, but his last days, and final exit out of the world, gave sufficient proof that his heart was unconverted. His pains were great, and his impatience increased with them. He demanded with violent cries, that a knife might be given him to stab, and make an end of himself. This being refused by the family, he persisted in calling for a rope, N 3 210 MISSIONS IN LAURADOR. till at last Ills wife and son, wearied out witli his continued cries, gave him one, with which he put an end to his own existence. We were all greatly shocked at the recital." Such painful facts as these, may alarm the presumptuous, and self-confident professor of Christianity, and recal his thoughts to those passages of Scripture, which declare how many of these gifts and graces which accom- pany salvation, may appear to sparkle around and garnish those, who, after all this, termi- nate their course in apostacy. We know from the word of God, that Christ's sheep shall never perish, and that none can pluck them out of his hand, hut we also know that it is possible for those who were once, in a measure, enlightened, and << have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come," so to fall away, as that it shall be im- possible to renew them again unto repentance. What reason have we then to exercise a holy vigilance over our own hearts, lest from our natural tendency to fall in with the cur- A WARNING. 211 rent of provailir .g opinion or fashion, wo may, in guch a day as the present, have taken up a form of godliness, while strangers to its power. Nor is it of less importance, that professing Christians be warned not to soothe the unea- siness of their consciences under present in* consistencies of conduct, by recurring to the joys which they may have formerly had in the ways of the Lord, as evidences of their accep- tance and security. For the cleansing of the conscience from the guilt of sin, recourse must be had to the blood of Christ alone, the peace which arises from any other source is false, and the true peace, which a sense of the vir- tue of the Saviour's blood confers, is incon- sistent with the deliberate continuance in open sin, or the secret indulgence of any unmorti- fied lust. " There is forgiveness with God, that he may be feared ;" the blood of Christ cleanses the conscience " from dead works to serve the living God." This is the sum of the whole matter — there is no peace but in Christ, and they are not his, who answer not the de- scription given in the parable of those hearers of the word, of whom it is said, " In an ho- 212 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. nest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.** Let those, therefore, who would live in the constant enjoyment of such peace, attend to the Apostle's exhortation : ** And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue ; and to virtue, knowledge ; and to knowledge, temperance ; and to temperance, patience ; and to patience, godliness ; and to godliness, brotherly-kindness; and to bro- therly-kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren por unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter i. 5 — 8. Departure from this plain path, is that which first leads the soul along the down-hill road of apostacy, such a painful instance of which in the early church in La- brador, we have been just contemplating. But, the deceiver of the world, shall be bound in the appointed time. . iittUkt^ e word, itience." B in the attend to besides ur faith, ; and to [iperance, J ; and to to bro- wse things you that fruitful in CHAPTER VIII. The Missionaries labour with their own hands«4> An- nual arrival of the Brethren's ship at Labrador — Wonderful preservation — Reflections. In exhibiting the blessed effects produced by the out-pouring of the Spirit of God upon the Esquimaux congregation, we have conduc- ted the reader in the history of the Labrador Missions, up to the conclusion of the year 1805. Before we proceed farther in the nar- rative, we must return to notice some circum- stances, which could not have been intro- duced before this, without interrupting the course of the history, and diverting the read- er's attention from the contemplation of the subject which it is principally designed to illustrate, namely, the wondrous effects pro- duced upon the hearts and lives of the Esqui- maux, by^the "foolishness of preaching." 214 MISSIONS IN LABUADOR. The first circumstance of importance which meets our attention, in the retrospect of that portion of the history, through which we have passed is, that we see the Missionary Brethren, not only cheerfully submitting to the inconvenience of a residence in such a cli- mate as that of Labrador, but like the great apostle, actually labouring with their own hands ; at one time we find them hewing fire- wood, at another, erecting a saw-mill ; at another, building a church, or repairing the damages which the buildings already erected had sustained. The Brethren by their inde- fatigable industry, even laid out gardens, from which, in consequence of the sterility of the soil, and the coldness of the climate, they could not expect to reap much. Their labour however, was rewarded by an annual supply of lettuce, spinnach, and a few early turnips and cabbages. We mention these things, because it is often objected by those who slander true religion, being unacquainted with its pro- per power, that its prevalence must paralize all those exertions, which promote the wel- fare of man in his present state of existence. THE MISSION SHIP. 315 We reply to this by matter of fact, we point to the Moravian Brethren on the inhospitable shores of Labrador, where we see Christia- nity acting as the spring of a cheerful industry, alleviating the hardships of a situation, which we doubt not, many of the objectors would deem to be intolerable. In the early part of this history, we men- tioned, that a company of Brethren in Lon- don, had undertaken to send a ship annually to Labrador, to supply the Missionaries with such necessaries of life, as could not be pro- cured in that barren and savage country. By the good providence of God, this vessel had hitherto been preserved from all the perils which make the navigation of the polar seas so formidable ; and also from those dangers, to which she was exposed, from the fleets of the European powers, then engaged in the war which succeeded the French revolution. When we consider, that this ship not only carried the means of temporal subsistence to the Brethren, but also, that she was the only medium of communication, through which they could receive intelligence of the state of 216 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. the European congregations, and the progress of the Redeemer's kingdom throughout the world, we can form some conception of the emotions of pleasure, which must have been excited among them, when her sails were first seen rising above the horizon of the ocean, the dreary monotony of which was at other times unbroken, except by the occasional ap- pearance o*f icebergs. We can quite enter into the feelings of the Missionaries as they hastened to the beach, to bid their brother captain (for he was a brother,) welcome ; we can conceive with what triumph they carried off their package of letters and papers. We can understand how fervently, in the midst of their Esquimaux congregation, who had been summoned to the church, they thanked their heavenly Father for the annual renewal of his mercy, in the safe arrival of the ship. And then we can follow them to the Mission house, and, in some measure, participate in the en- joyment, with which they heard the renewed expressions of Christian affection from their brethren in Europe, or listened to the recital of the things which God was doing through- out the earth. THE MISSION SHIP. 217 The same God who comforted Paul by the coming of Titus, comforted his servants in Labrador, by the annual arrival of the ship, protecting her not only from the fury of the elements, but also from the war ships of con- tending powers, cruizing in those seas, through which she annually made her peaceful course. One instance, in which the hand of God was signally extended for the protection of the Brethren's ship, is thus recorded by the Mis- sionaries. The Resolution left London on the 7th of June, and proceeded as usual in times of war, with the Hudson's Bay convoy to the Ork- nies, from whence she made the best of her way to Labrador, but was three weeks de- tained by the ice on the coast, before she could reach Okkak. After transacting the usual business at the three settlements, captain Fraser hastened back to the Orknies, to meet the convoy taking the Hudson's Bay ships home, which, during the whole of the last war, he never failed to effect. But this year it pleased God to put our faith and patience o 218 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. to »ome trial ; for the convoy arriving in the river without him, and no tidings whatever reaching us till the 23d of December, we be- gan to entertain great apprehensions for the safety of the ship ; more especially, as there had been, about the usual time of her arrival at Stromness, some very violent storms in the Northern seas, which proved the total de- struction of many vessels near the Orknies. At length a letter from Captain Eraser, dated at Stromness, December the 5th, relieved us from our fears, and created within us the most lively sense of gratitude to God for the merciful preservation granted to him on his passage. He left Hopedale on the 10th of October, and in sixteen days was within about three days sail from the Orknies, when strong easterly gales drove him back, and kept him three weeks longer at sea. But the very storms we dreaded, proved, by 6od*s great mercy, the means of his deliverance from the enemy. On the 18th of November, he was chased by a French frigate, brought to, and forced to keep her company. But PROVIDENTIAL DELIVERANCE. 219 the sea ran so high, that it was impossible for the frigate to get out a boat to board the Re- solution, and continued so during the night, and the following day. The second night proving extremely dark and boisterous, the captain, setting as much sail as the ship would carry, ventured to attempt his escape, and in the morning saw no more of the frigate. But two days after, he had the mortification to meet her again, and to be chased and brought to a second time. Again the Lord interposed in his and our behalf. The wind was so vio- lent, that the frigate could not put out a boat, and during the following night, the captain, crowding all sail, escaped once more, and saw no more of the enemy till he reached Strom- ness on December the 2d. During the tre- mendous storms in December he lay there in safety, and arrived in the river on the 15th of January, 1804. *^ What cause have we all to praise and bless God, our almighty friend and protector, for this repeated proof of His goodness towards us, and to the Mission in Labrador, with 220 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. whtcb we have now kept up an uninterrupted communication for upwards of thirty years ! Many were the prayers offered up to Him, in public and private, on this trying occasion, and He has heard them in mercy, and done more for us than we could have asked or expected.*' We have mentioned the extraordinary pre- servation of the Mission ship, not as furnish- ing any proof of God's approval of the indi- viduals, to whose support she ministered. *' The love and hatred of God," as an old writer truly observes, " are not to be measured and judged of by men's outward condition. If prosperity were a certain sign of God's love, and affliction of his hatred, then it might justly be an offence to us, to see the wicked and godly fare alike. But the matter is not so, " One event happens to all." " No man knows either love or hatred by all that is be- fore him," by those things of this world, which are the objects of sense. These we may know by that which is within us ; if we love God with all our heart, thereby we may MYSTERY OF PROVIDENCE. 221 know that he loves us; as we may know, likewise, that we are under his wrath, if we he governed hy that carnal mind, which is enmity against Him." Happy are they, with whose spirit the Holy Spirit hears witness, that they are the children of God ; who, in every afflictive dispensation, can see the faith- fulness of their heavenly father, who chastens them only for their profit, that they may he partakers of his holiness ; and who, in every temporal good, can see the gift of a gracious God, who does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men, and who rejoices even in the temporal prosperity of his servants, so far as it may he consistent with their higher welfare. But still, as to external circumstances, there is one event to the righteous and the wicked, in this world. " Is David rich ? so is Nahal. Is Joseph favoured hy his prince ? so is Naa- man. Is Ahab killed in battle ? so is Josiah. Are the bad figs carried to Babylon ? so are the good." Jer. xxiv. 1. In these things the just shall live by faith, which rests on the 322 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. divine word, and which, while it finds .^ pre- sent rest, in the consideration of the faithful- ness of Him who hath promised, still looks forward to that day, of which it is written : ** Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked ; between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not." CHAPTER IX. Continued effects of the awakening among tlie Esqui- maux — Their joy on receiving printed Hymn books from Europe — Generosity of the Christian Esqui- maux — General state of the Congregations in l&IO — Death of a Missionary — Numbers of Esquimaux receiving' Instruction in 1817 — Their love of the Scriptures — The New Testament printed — Anec- dotes — Sickness of a Missionary — Jubilee of the Mission — Arrival of an English Sloop of War — Kindness of Captain Martin — Good conduct of the believing Esquimaux. The principal events connected with the establishment and growth of the Labrador Mission, up to the conclusion of the year 1807, have now been related ; and henceforth the progress of the Gospel at the different Stations, furnishes not much more variety of incident, than might be found in the annals of a Christian congregation in our own country. '"JX,'r- r-""Tt> 224 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. Until the year 1810 the blessed effects of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which have been before enumerated, continued to be ma- nifested among the Esquimaux. In that year they received a very acceptable present from Europe — a collection of hymns in their own language. The feelings with which this gift was received, are thus c ascribed by the Mis- sionaries : " Their joy on receiving the new hymn book, printed and sent out last year, was inexpressibly great. We wish our dear brethren had been present at the distribution, to see the fervent gratitude with which they were received. They entreated us with tears, to express their thankfulness to their fathers and brethren in the east, for this present, and for the trouble they had in putting it to print ; and added, that they would not forget to pray to Jesus, to bless them richly for it." In the year 1812, we still find the Mission- aries rejoicing in the continued growth of thtir people in knowledge and grace ; the accounts received from the three Settlements, may be summed up in the following extract from one of the letters. FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT. 225 ** With thanks to Hini) we are able to say, that the walk of most of our Esquimaux has been such as to give us heartfelt joy. Our Saviour has led them, as the good Shepherd, in the way of life everlasting, and, by His Spirit, taught them to know, that, without Him, they can do nothing good. They set a value upon the word of God, and desire, in all respects, to live more in conformity to it. The love of our Saviour towards them excites their wonder ; and they sometimes complain with tears, that they do not love Him, and give joy unto Him as they ought, for His great mercy vouchsafed unto them. The word of His cross, sufferings, and death, melts their hearts, and causes them truly to repent of, and abhor sin, which nailed him to the cross, and to mourn and cry for pardon. Instances of this blessed e£Pect, of the doc- trine of a crucified Saviour, we have seen in our public meetings, in our private converse with them, and in the schools. The latter have been kept with all possible punctuality and diligence. " We can declare with truth, that Jesus o 3 226 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. Christ our Saviour, has heen the heart's desire of us all, towards whom we wish to press forward, that we may live to Him, and enjoy- more of His sweet communion. Notwith- standing all weakness and deficiency, still oh- servable in our small congregation, we have great reason to rejoice over most of them, especially over the communicants. The cele- bration of the Lord's Supper is to them a most important and blessed transaction. We have re-admitted to it those, whom you may remember last year to have fallen into foolish and superstitious practices, during a time of sickness and frequent deaths, but who truly repented of their error. " We pray for more spiritual life among our youth, in whom we have discovered too many traces of levity." The annals of the Labrador Mission for this period, also contain the account of the happy departure of the Missionary Burghardt. Having laboured in the service of the Mission, until his declining strength unfitted him for any further exertion ; " he now," to use the words of his Brethren, who witnessed the clos- DEATH OF A MISSIONARY. 227 ing scene of bis life '* lay quiet, in peaceful expectation of the happy moment, when his Lord and Master would call him to rest. About three o'clock in the afternoon he breathed his last, in a most gentle and peaceful manner, in presence of the family gathered around his bed. During this transaction, a powerful feeling of divine peace prevailed among us, and many tears were shed by us, who are left behind, to follow the example of this devoted servant of Jesus. He had attained to the age of sixty-nine years." When the news of this brother's death reached the other settlements, the many tears which the poor Esquimaux shed, proved the efficacy of the Gospel to soften the most sa- vage hearts, and to unite in the bonds of the tenderest affection, individuals, whose cir- cumstances, seemed to have raised an impas- sable barrier between them. As we behold the Esquimaux, standing around the bed of the departed Missionary, and giving vent to the tenderest and noblest affection in floods of tears, we can scarcely believe that they are some of the same savage race, whose 228 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. name was a terror to Europeans, and whose hands had been imbrued in the blood of the murdered Erhard. Is any thing too hard for the Lord I The reader will naturally, be anxious to know the extent to which, the labours of the Brethren among the Esquimaux had been blessed. On this subject^ however, it is quite impossible to a£Pord accurate informal tion; for, in consequence of the migratory habits of the Esquimaux, many may have re- ceived saving impressions of divine truth at the Missionary Settlements, with whose after- life, the Missionaries were wholly unacquain- ted ; and the example and conversation of these individuals, would exercise an influence upon their savage countrymen, wherever they were thrown into their society in the progress of their wanderings. The case of Anauke, which has been mentioned in the early part of this history, may be referred to, as proving that this is no groundless speculation. The only tangible information, as to the extent of the success attending the Brethren's labours, is furnished by the returns of* the number of NUMBERS OF ESQUIMAUX CHRISTIANS. 229 Esquimaux residing at the different Sta- tions. At the close of 1817, the following were the numbers of Esquimaux, who, in the judg- ment of the Missionaries, having been made partakers of the faith of the Gospel, had fixed their abode at the several Settlements ; Hope- dale, 140 ; Okkak, 178 ; Nain, 155. In ad- dition to these, there were several inquirers and catechumens also living at the Settlements, and ei/ ' g the benefit of the Missionaries* instruci^Euii ; these, with the native Christians, made the total numbers of Esquimaux at the several Stations as follows ; Hopedale, 167 ; Okkak, 237 ; Nain, 196. While the great work of the Missionaries was, to bring these poor people to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he has sent, they also laboured to impart to them such literary instruction, as might both assist them in the furtherance of this leading object, and also promote their present comfort and happiness. In the communication of the Mis* sionaries, from Okkak, in 18 14, we find the fol- lowing statement. " The schools have been re- 230 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. golarly held; and are frequented not only by children, but by adults ; who come, not so much to learn to read and write, as to hear what may be said in them of our Saviour, and His love to sinners. At the examination, we were much gratified by the progress they had made in learning. Some could read a whole page without hesitation, and were tolerably expert in the rudiments of arithmetic." The portions of Scripture translated by the Missionaries into the Esquimaux language, and printed by the British and Foreign Bible Society, were gifts, bighly prized by the be- lieving Eisquimaux, who had acquired the art of reading ; and they were indeed diligent to improve these new advantages. In reference to this, one of the Brethren writes : << The schools have been held with the di£Perent classes, as punctually as circum- stances would allow. The scholars came dili« gently, and showed great attention ; and the printed portions of the Scriptures have been made use of with much edification and bene- fit. We therefore request you, to present to the venerable Bible Society, our most un- t0V£ OF THE SCRIPTURES. 231 feigned thanks for the yaluable present they have again sent us, of the Acts of the Apos- tles, printer' for the use of our Esquimaux ; and we rejoice already, in prospect of the great blessings our dear people, young and old, will derive from the perusal. For they value the Scriptures above every other gift, and always carry the books with them, as their choicest treasure, whenever they go from us to any distance, that they may read in them every morning and evening in the week, and particularly on Sundays. They often pray fur the blessing of God to rest upon that excellent society of benefactors of the human race, that their endeavours to spread the knowledge of the Word of God through- out the world, may be crowned with increas- ing success, for the salvation of many thou- sands." In the love of these poor people for the sacred Scriptures, we trace that feature of character which David describes, as belong- ing to the man who has found favour with God. " His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night." 332 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. In the year 1821, the same Society pre* sented to the Esquimaux people, the invalu- able gift of the New Testament in their own language. The following letter from one of the Brethren, shews how deeply and practi- cally they felt the obligation which the bestow- ment of such a boon put upon them. *' Seve- ral of our Esquimaux here at Nain, having been informed of the nature and aim of the Bible Society, and its labours in the distribu- tion of the sacred Scriptures throughout the world, of their own accord, began to collect seal's blubber, by way of making up a small contribution towards the expenses of that So- ciety. Some brought whole seals, or half a seal, or pieces, as they could afford it. Others brought portions of blubber in the name of their children, requesting that their poor gifts might be accepted. The expressions they made use of, in presenting their offerings, deeply affected us. Having been told, that, in some parts of the world, converts from among the heathen, who were poorer than they, had contributed their mite, hovt<;ver small, with great eagerness and delight, to- GENEROSITY OF ESQUIMAUX. 233 wards the furtherance of the spread of the word of God, they exclaimed, < How long have we not heard the pleasant and comfor- table words concerning Jesus Christ our Sa- viour, and how many books have we not re- ceived treating of Him, and yet we have never known and considered, whence they come. We have indeed sometimes spoken together, and observed, that these many books given to us without pay, must cost a great deal some where ; but we never have before now known, that even poor people bring their money, out of pure love, that we may get those comfortable words of God. We are indeed poor, but yet might, now and then, bring some blubber, as a contribution, that others, who are as ignorant, as we were for- merly, may receive the same Gospel, which has been so sweet to our souls ; and thereby be taught to find the way to Jesus, and be- lieve on Him.* By these spontaneous decla- rations, a great impression was made upon our people. Each Would bring something, when they heard how desirous other nations were to hear the word of God. They now It 234 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. begged me to send this collection of blubber to those generous friends, who printed the Bibles for them, that more heathen might be presented with that Book, * so far more pre- cious than any thing else in this world.' We rejoiced to find even in Esquimaux, whose ideas in general seem rather of the blunt kind, such a sense of gratitude for the benefits con- ferred upon them. It is a proof, that they are capable of grateful feelings, when enlight- ened by Christian principles. The blubber they have thus collected, amounts to about thirty gallons of oil, which we have added to, and must be deducted from that in the store. If you have no objection, we should be obliged to you, if you would present the Committee of the Bible Society with the value of it, in whatever way they may wish to receive it. We make no doubt, that the worthy Society will rejoice at the disposition of heart in our poor Esquimaux, which dictated the gift, small as it is, and be pleased to perceive, that the benefits our Esquimaux have derived from the generosity of the Bible Society, are ac- knowledged with due thankfulness." Surely CHRISTIAN LIBERALITY. 235 the readinegs of these poor people, to contri- bute from their " deep poverty," towards the furtherance of the Redeemer's kingdom, is an evidence that they had tasted the blessed- ness of admission to its privileges, and that they felt their obligation to devote all to him, who had purchased those privileges for them, by his own precious blood. The lamentable want of a similar liberality, among many, calling themselves Christians, is too plain a proof that they have not the root of the mat- ter in them ; for, however vehemently they may express in words love to the Redeemer, and his cause, their actions declare that they love their money, and the comforts which it can procure, better. It wasr not so with these Esquimaux Christians, being taught of God, they felt the weight of the Apostle's exhor- tation ; " Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price ; wherefore, glorify God in your bodies, and your spirits, which are God's." In the year 1819, the Missionary George Schmittman, was disabled by illness, which ended in death, from prosecuting his labours among the Esquimaux ; but the memorial of 236 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. his faith is abundantly preserved by the fol- lowing letter from him. < *^ It seems, that I am not to see you again in this world, for you will find, that on the 12th of July last, I was seized with a para- lytic stroke, by which, no doubt, the Lord would give me to understand, that I should not return to Europe, as was intended, but that He meant to call me from hence, and perhaps soon, into His everlasting kingdom. This would be quite according to my own heart's inclination ; and I shall gladly lay down my mortal body, to rest near the graves of my dear first wife and children, and those of my Esquimaux brethren and sisters, whom I have now had the favour to serve for thirty- eight years. All of them show the greatest kindness towards me in my present circum- stances." Reader, pause and consider this voice from the distant coasts of Labrador. Are not they truly blessed, who, in the midst of a dying world, possess such a hope as animated and supported this afflicted Christian ; to this hope, even the once degraded savage also A VETERAN OF CHRIST. 237 attained, for it is the gift of God, that no flesh should glory in His presence. The contents of this letter, affording, as they do, an ear- nest of the latter-day glory of the church, re- mind us of Isaiah's prophecy; "And he will destroy in this roountain the face of the cover- ing cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces, and the rebuke of his people shall he taVe away from off all the earth, for the Lord hath spoken it." The following year being the fiftieth, since the commencement of the Mission, a day was appointed to be observed as a jubilee, to call to mind the Lord's goodness, in providentially preserving, and graciously visiting the Mis- sionary Brethren, and their Esquimaux con- gregation. The recollections connected with this festival, so revived the spirit of George Schmittman, that he went to the church sup- ported on the arms of his brethren, and there this hardy veteran of the cross, once more engaged in the service of his blessed Master, addressing his dear Esquimaux brethren. 238 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. In reference to this event he wrote to a friend in Europe : <* I am rather weaker than last year, nor have the symptoms of my in- ternal disorder abated ; but He has granted me such a portion of strength, that on the Jubilee anniversary of this Mission, I could not only be present at all our meetings in the chapel, but was enabled in the evening of that day, to deliver a discourse to my dear Esqui- maux. It was very affecting both to me and them, thus, after two years absence, owing to infirmity, to appear again among them. Some of them even wept aloud, when they saw me coming in to address them. They were attentive, and I was graciously sup- ported. ** What shall I say more I It pleases the Lord, that I should yet su£Per a painful exis- tence in this world; but He comforts roe with His precious presence, in such a manner, that I am made able to resign myself to His holy will, with child-like confidence in Him. He will assuredly not lay more upon me than I am able to bear. Pray for me, that He may continue to support me. Pray also for AN UNEXPECTED VISIT. 239 my dear aged wife, that she may be led and comibrted by Him, when I am no longer here. I must close, but I will not take leave of you, for we shall, through mercy, see each other again, in that place, where all sorrow and pain will be swallowed up in eternal joys." The jubilee year is also remarkable in ^he annals of the Labrador Mission, for a visit paid to the three Settlements, by the Clinker sloop of war, commanded by Captain Martin. This vessel had been despatched by the Go- vernor of Newfoundland, to explore the coast of Labrador, and with an express direction to visit the three Settlements of the Brethren, to inquire after the welfare of the Missiona- ries, and to render them any service, if needed. This vessel arrived at Okkak August the 17th, and as the captain feared, that i^i^ un- expected arrival of a ship of war might alarm the Missionaries, he apprised them of his ap- proach, and of the friendly object >f his visit, by an Esquimaux, whom he found at the en- trance of the bay. The Missionaries at this Settlement, speak very gratefiilly of Captain 240 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. Martin's kind and generous conduct towards them, and their poor people. From this Settlement the Clinker sailed for Nain, where she arrived, August the 21st, the day appointed for the celehration of the juhilee. «* Captain Martin," writes one of the Bre- thren, " conducted himself towards hoth us, and our people, as a true friend and bene- factor, and kept the strictest discipline on board ; declaring, that he did not wish that the least harm should be done to the Mission by this visit, especially, since he himself was now an eye-witness of the great diflference between the Esquimaux here, and those in the south, who were without any religion. He was frequently in our house, and like- wise attended our worship at the church. On the 23d, he invited the Missionaries on board, and showed them the arrangements in a sloop of war. Early in the morning, in commemoration of the jubilee of the Mission, he decorated the vessel with fifty flags of dif- ferent nations, and on the 24th furnished a feast of boiled peas and biscuit for all the Es- FESTIVITIES. 241 quimaux living on our land, at which he was present. The Esquimaux sat on pieces of timber, placed in a square. Before they be- gan their meal, they sang that hymn, Now let us praise the Lord, &c. And at the close, that verse, Praise God for ever, &c. All of them expressed great thankfulness for this condescending mark of the captain's good will. Each had a goodly portion of biscuit left to carry home. Several guns also were fired by the sloop, which gave a delightful and multiplied echo among our vallies and hills. " We consider this visit as permitted for the benefit of the Mission, and thank the Lord that we found in this officer a man of such a Christian and humane character. We expressed, as well as we were able, our thanks to the Governor of Newfoundland, by a letter to his Excellency. " Captain Martin intends to sail to Hope- p 242 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. dale in company of Captain Fraser.* Brother Kohlmeister intending to visit Hopedale, will go thither with our ship ; and may the Lord grant to hoth vessels, a safe and prosperous voyage." The voyage here alluded to, is thus spoken of in a letter from the Missionary Kohlmeis- ter : " We had the pleasure to sail in company with Captain Martin's sloop to Hopedale, and had a most agreeahle voyage. He came twice on hoard the Harmony, to pay us a visit. As we approached Hopedale, the Brethren and the Esquimaux, not having received any account of the arrival of the sloop of war, were rather alarmed at its appearance ; hut we found means, before we cast anchor, to send them word, that all was peace and friendship, upon which the music began to play that hymn, " Now let us praise the Lord," &c. and the Esquimaux afterwards fired a salute with their pieces. The sloop answered with * The captain of the Brethren's ship, which hap- pened to arrive at Labrador, at this perioart with him so soon. By this extraordinary and friendly visit, the celebra- tion of the Jubilee of the Mission, acquired a peculiar and new feature ; as we were at the same time assured of the favour of those whom God has appointed to rule over us, and may hope in future, also to experience a con- tinuance of that protection we have hitherto enjoyed." This visit to the Brethren's Settlements on the coast of Labrador, accomplished a two- fold good, for the favourable report which Captain Martin was enabled to make, of the THE GOSPEL OF PEACE. 345 state of things amoug the Christian Esqui** maux, served to gainsay many evil reports, which had reached Newfoundland. While the kind and generous conduct of this gentle- man and his officers, efiPectually contradicted a malicious rumour, which had heen circulated among the Esquimaux, hy designing persons in the south, that the English would send a ship of war to destroy them and their teachers. But this visit presents to us, a more grati- fying ohject of contemplation, than any par- ticular advantage resulting to the Brethren's Settlements from it. Whoever will con- trast the jealousy and rancour which cha- racterized the intercourse hetween the Esqui- maux and the British, as related in the ear- lier part of this history, with the frank and unsuspecting good will, which marked their conduct during the whole of this unexpected visit, must be struck with the blessed ten- dency of the Gospel of peace, to restrain those evil passions of our nature, which have filled the earth with violence, and made man from a rational and accountable being, << like the fishes of the sea, which have no rule over p 3 246 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. them." In proportion as we know and be- lieve the Gospel for ourselves, the word most aptly describing the state of our souls, will be peace. In proportion as this blessed know- ledge is diffused throughout a family, or com- munity, peace will accompany it, and did the leaven of the Gospel extend its operation throughout the whole mass of mankind, then the glorious descriptions of prophecy would be realized in the prevalence of universal har- mony and love : Men would ^* beat their swords into plough-shares, and their spears into pruning hooks ; nation would not lift up sword against nation, neither would they learn war any more ; they would sit, every man under his vine, and under his fig- tree, &nd none should make them afraid." Let none, therefore, who neglect opportuni- ties of imparting the knowledge of the Gospel to their families, their acquaintances, and mankind in general, suppose that they have any interest in the blessing pronounced in the words of our Redeemer; << Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God." CHAPTER X. General state of the Congregations in 1824* — Conse- cration of a new Church — Famine among the Hea- then — Conversion of a murderer — Power of ex- ample — Benefit of Bible reading — Declarations of Believing Esquimaux — Wonderful preservations of the lives of some Esquimaux. s In proceeding with the history of the La- hrador Mission, we shall here lay before the reader, a regular view of the state of the con- gregations in 1824, and then return to notice some interesting particulars which occurred since the year 1821, the date to which the narrative has been carried in the preceding chapter. The general view of the state of the Esqui- maux congregations, which we are now about to lay before the reader, is taken from a state- ment submitted to the Brethren's Society for 248 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR^ the propagation of the Gospel, by the Mis' sionary Kohlmeister ; and we shall be pre- pared to appreciate his testimony, when in- formed that he had laboured for thirty-four years in the service of the Labrador Mission. 1. *^ The work of God in the hearts of our dear Esquimaux, proceeds in the power of the Spirit, and with rich blessing, and I may with truth assert, that they grow in grace, and in the love and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Their number is likewise on the increase. 2. << The congregation at Okkak in parti- cular, obtains a great increase from year to year, by the arrival of heathen from the coast to the north of the Settlement, as you will see by their reports. " The number of heathen Esquimaux in their neighbourhood is indeed decreasing, but Okkak may yet be called a * Mission among the heathen.' 3. " Nain and Hopedale are now Christian Settlements, all the inhabitants being initiated into the Christian church by holy baptism, except a few children, and no heathen live in EFFECTS OF BIBLE HEADING. 249 their neighbourhood. Their increase, there- fore, depends upon the rising generation, and upon the accession of persons coming from a distance to reside among them. On this ac- count, the endeavours of the Missionaries, in these two Settlements, are particularly direc- ted to instil into the minds of the youth, the principles and precepts of vital Christianity, and to see to it, that, by the grace of our Saviour, all the souls committed to their care, become more firmly grounded and established in faith and love, and walk worthy of their high and heavenly calling. This is done by faithful instruction, accompanied with watch- fulness aL 1 prayer. 4. <* The most efficacious means of promot- ing their growth in grace, is the reading of the New Testament, which they have now in their hands, through the generosity of the venerable British and Foreign Bible Society. They read therein daily in their houses and tents, with the greatest earnestness, delight, and edification. We have, indeed, ever since the arrival of this most precious gift, observed a great change. Their understanding of the 250 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. word of God, and the doctrines which it con- tains, has greatly increased, and the influence upon their moral conduct is manifest ; for they now, more than ever, desire to regulate their walk and conversation in conformity to truly Christian principles. 5. ** Again, the schools which are held with hoth children and adults, from November to April, are a most powerful means of forward- ing their improvement in every thing good and profitable for them. Most of our people attend them with great diligence, and with an earnest desire to be soon able to read the New Testament for themselves. There are among the children, some of five, and even four years of age, who read well. The seve- rest punishment that can be inflicted on a child, is to keep him from school. The whole number of Christian Esquimaux under the care of the Brethren, is at present 705, old and young : since the Jubilee of the Mission in 1821, upwards of one hundred heathen have been added to the Christian church." Besides the general information contained in the foregoing extracts, the Missionary ESQUIMAUX ACCOMl'LISHMENTS. 251 Kohlmeister communicated many interesting particulars, relative to the Mission in Labra- dor, and especially in regard to the benefits conferred on the Christian Esquimaux, by their having been taught to read and write. During the long winter nights, and when at a distance from the Settlements, at their hunt- ing-places, their most agreeable occupation is to read those parts of the Scriptures together, which have been printed for them. As there are some who have not acquired this profi- ciency, having become converts at a more ad- vanced period of life, the children or young people read aloud, while the rest are quietly mending their tackle, or sitting down and do- ing other work. They also delight to join in hymns, of which they easily learn the tunes. Many of the women and children having sweet voices, their singing is very delightful and affecting, nor is there any danger of their abusing this precious gift for improper pur- poses, as the use of music is altogether con- fined to the service of religion. Many of them show great capacity for learning to play upon any musical instrument Violins have been 252 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. introduced, and French horns, and a few of them accompany the voices with great preci- sion and devotional effect. Some of the Mis- sionaries have even succeeded in teaching them to sing short and easy anthems, in three or four parts, hy which, on particular occa- sions, the worship of the congregation is much enlivened. The acquisition of the art of writing, has afforded to many of them the means of inter- course with their friends in other settlements. The Missionary Kohlmeister says, that he has sometimes had nearly fifty short letters committed to his care by the Esquimaux, when, in his official capacity, he was proceed- ing from one settlement to the other. These letters contain information respecting the fa- milies and friends of the writers, and, not unfrequently, edifying remarks and medita- tions on religious subjects, which may have been peculiarly impressed on their minds and hearts, with exhortations and encouragements to be faithful to their Saviour. Surely, this is an astonishing display of the goodness and mercy of God, in sending out his light and # A CHUIICH CONSECRATED. 253 iiis truth to a benighted race, who, but halt' a century ago, were immersed in the grossest ignorance, and addicted to the most cruel vices, and horrible superstitions. Those things which were formerly practised among the Es- quimaux, by their sorcerers and angckoks, and by which the Brethren were so much an- noyed and distressed at the beginning of the Mission, are at present hardly ever heard of, the heathen themselves being ashamed of them. In the Christian settlements, the very names of Angekok, Torngak, &c, are almost unknown to the rising generation. We now return to notice some of the most prominent particulars in the course of the Mission, since 1821. And first, we find re- corded in the Missionaries' diary, the solemn consecration of a new church at Okkak, which had been erected by the labour of their own hands. " The Lord," they write, " granted us the needful strength for our work, in the building of the new church at Okkak. Bro- therly love, peace, and willing co-operation, caused us to proceed with cheerfulness. The blessing of God attended us during our labour, R 254 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. from the commencement to the completion of the building." They then proceed to relate the solemn dedication of the building to God, and conclude by describing the lively joy with which the Esquimaux participated in the reli- gious exercises of the day. In the autumn of 1822, the heathen Esqui- maux, at the north of Okkak, suffered ex- ceedingly from famine, but in their distress, many a one was brought to a sense of his wretched state, without the knowledge of a God, who is mighty to save, and in general, a great awakening took place among the hea- then, who began to ask, what they must do to be saved. These savages, in the days of their prosperity, might have ridiculed the believers at Okkak, or affected to pity them, as poor despicable people, who were destitute of proper spirit, in exchanging their wild liberty for the restraints of religion, and the discipline of a Christian congregation; but, under this external contempt, there lay a deep conviction, that their believing country- men had chosw^n the better part, and there- fore, when suffering under the pressure of A FAMINE. 255 outward distress, and troubled by a sense of guilt within, they immediately repaired to the believers, as to those who were best qua- lified to counsel and help them. In the early part of the year 1823, fifty-nine of these poor savages came to the Brethren at Okkak, re- questing permission to live at the Settlement, among these were several, truly desirous of being converted, and obtaining pardon and peace with God through the merits of Jesus. It was manifest that the Spirit of truth had enlightened their hearts, and directe j them to Him as their only hope. The privations and sufferings of several of these new comers, had been very severe. One company, parti- cularly, moved the compassion of the Bre- thren. Their emaciated forms exhibited a deplorable picture of the hunger they had suffered, and proved that they had been nigh unto death. At Nain, the power of the Gospel was ma- nifested also in the conversion of some hea- then from the north, who spent the winter of 1823 at that Settlement. Concerning these poor people, the Missionaries write as follows : 256 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. " They were truly awakened ; and being con- vinced, by the teaching of the Spirit of God, of their lost condition by nature, repented and confessed their sins, turned unto Jesus for pardon and deliverance, and found, thnt with Him there is plenteous redemption. " These heathen were, in the beginning, remarkably blind and ignorant. One had been guilty of the murder of two of his coun- trymen. But when it pleased the Lord to open their hearts, it seemed as if they could not hear enough of that Saviour, who was manifest in the flesh, who suifered, died, rose again, and ascended into heaven, and now pleads in behalf of poor lost sinners, inviting even the worst to come unto Him, that they may obtain forgiveness and everlasting life. To them the Gospel was tidings of great joy." Thus, to the congregation in Labrador, as to that at Corinth, it might be said, after enu- merating the vilest of characters to be found in the records of crime, " And such were some of you ; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of onr God." THE SCRIPTURES. 257 Nor was the Gospel, less evidently, the power of God unto salvation, to those who had long been familiarized to its sound ; of this we subjoin some instances, related in the Missionaries' own words : " An old woman, who, with particular obstinacy, used to resist all instruction, and turned a deaf ear to every exhortation to consider the state of her soul, and the importance of eternal things, was at length so much astonished and overpowered, by the grace of the Lord, made manifest in the walk and conversation of those living with her in the same house, that in her last days, she cried to the Lord for mercy, confessed Jesus the crucified to be her only Saviour, and died, calling on His name." The diary of the Brethren at Nain, also furnishes some practical refutations of the calumnies, with which the Church of Rome has wickedly aspersed the ..acred Scriptures, in asserting that the perusal of them is calcu- lated to lead the simple and unlearned into error. The declaration of God is, that the holy Scriptures are able to make wise unto salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus ; that 258 MISSIONS IN LABUADOR. in this dark world, His word is << a light to our feet, and a lantern to our paths ;* that, " the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul ; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." The following ex- tracts from the diary of Nain, shew that several of the Esquimaux, proved the truth of these declarations in their own experience. " Many who had gone astray, and were he- wildered in their minds, haveheen again led in- to the right path, by the reading of the Bible. They return to us, repent, and weep over their deviations. One of them said, < I have sinned, I am ashi.nied to come before you; 1 feel great anxiety, and know that I am the very worst man on your land. Lately I sinned in words, and was frightened. I felt sick, not in body> but in my soul. I thought of all the evil that I have done, and still do, and fear that it is all over with me. But I shall stay here all the winter, that I may be converted, and hear more of the word of God my Saviom*. Several times I came as far as your door, wishing to tell you my state, but could not venture, and returned. Wha,t shall I say CONVICTIONS. 259 more ? I h'lder the work of God not only in myself, but in all those that belong to me. Lord Jesus ! have mercy upon me.* " " A candidate for baptism said : * I feel that I am spiritually dead, yea, I am the worst of all mankind ; but 1 hear from the word of God that there is hope, even for me. 1 therefore cry to Jesus with my whole heart, that He would help me to cast from me all evil things. My heart pains me, when 1 think on all the sins I have committed, and I know I am only fit to be thrown into the fire ; but then I think on those words, — that they who are washed from sin by the blood of Jesus, are among the saved. O that, when I hear this so often, it might make a deeper impres- sion on my heart. Jesus knows how wret- ched I am. I cannot always pray, and feel my heart as hard as a stone ; but I will be like a sick person, and beg to be cured by Him." *' A little boy, who is not yet baptized, re- plied to an observation made, that he was an orphan, to which was added an exhortation to look to Jesus, and to pray Him to be 260 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. his provider.* < That I am a poor orphan gives me no concern ; but I grieve that I do not love Jesus more ; for I hear that he was crucified for me also, and suflfered for my sins. I pray to him sometimes, but not often enough.* " The testimonies to the same effect as the above, contained in the Missionaries* diary for the following year, are equally satisfac- tory. A communicant who had been hindered from coming to see the Missionaries, expressed himself thus : " Whenever the day approaches thPkt you celebrate the holy communion, and 1 cannot be with you, my spirit is sorrowful within me, but it seeks to be present among vou, and I then feel the nearness of Jesus for my comfort, and am very thankful to Him. Now, that I may be with you this time, I am the more t'l joioed to partake of His body and blood in tlie holy Sacrament." " A widow, Mho had grown old in the * A phrase aiuong the Esquimaux, signifying one who tares for the maintenance of the family. THANKSGIVING. 261 abominations of heathenism, said : * I have been meditating on the words of our Saviour in St. Matthew's Gospel, ix. 12, 13, which I heard yesterday in the sermon — They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick ; and I could not sleep last night for admiration and joy.* She then mentioned other texts she had remembered — * I will have mercy, and not sacrifice ;' and — * I am come not to call the righteous, but sinners to re- pentance,' and bursting into tears, exclaimed : * Thus our Saviour has dealt with me, for I was dead in sin, but He has pardoned and added me to His flock.' " " A man, who, after remaining long in the class of candidates for baptism, has at length attained to all the privileges of the church, said : " What thanks shall I render unto my Saviour, that he has had mercy upon me, and drawn me to Himself. I feel that I am still very deficient, but I am His; I pray that when in spring we go away to seek food in distant places, I may not be led astray and forget Him. Formerly, before I was a com- municant, I used to be glad that I gained H 3 262 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. that time, and could spend it uninterruptedly in catching seals, but now 1 do not care for them, but seek food for my poor soul, and to receive a new and abiding impression of the death and sufferings of Jesus for me/ A single sister expressed herself thus : ' I will remain sitting under the cros^ of Jesus, where he bled and died for me. It is there, where I am happy and blessed, and there Jesus takes away all my sins and bad thoughts.' A com- municant, and father of a large family, said : * Who am I, and what are my children, that Jesus shows so much mercy unto us I Should we not be quite devoted to Him I yes, in- deed, I feel that He has compassion on the poor and orphans, and takes care that they get food and subsistence. O that we could thank and praise Him for it as he deserves ! I was much distressed to think how I might provide for my own, and my sister's family, who is a widow with four small children ; but it has pleased God to let me take twenty seals, and thus to have enough for some time. All this I ascribe to the mercy and compassion of Jesus !" KXTllAOllDINAllY ESCAI»E. 263 Several iustaiices of tlie extraurdinary pre- servation of Esquimaux from imminent dan* ger, are recorded in the diaries of the Mis- sionai'ies. We here suhjoin two of those ac- counts, hoth hecause they illustrate the hard- ships to which the inhabitants of the polar regions are exposed, while in quest of a pre- carious subsistence, and exhibit the power of the grace of God in these poor savages, in enabling them to maintain a steadfast confi- dence in their Almighty Saviour, under the most trying circumstances. The first of these relations which we give in the Missionaries' words, is as follows : ^^ Ephraim, a communicant, experienced a peculiar preservation of his life in April last. He went, with five other Esquimaux, to catch seals at the edge of the ice, about sixty En- glish miles from hence. Being at some dis- tance from his party, the ice broke under him, and he had only time to grasp the rim of the hole made in the ice, to prevent his sinking under it. In this situation, hanging over the sea, the cold being intense, his fin- gers froze fast to the ice, which helped to 264 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. support him, for liis inimodiate cries lor nssis- tance were not heard, and lie remained for a quarter of an liour in dreadful suspense. At length, just when his voice failed him, he was perceived by his companions, and his life saved. His remarks on the mercy of God shown in his preservation were very edifying. Though his fright and anxiety in the begin- ning were very great, he said that he com- mitted himself to our Saviour, and felt re- signed to His will ; and when the danger seemed most imminent, help was afforded, for which he gave thanks to Him, who alone could deliver him in such distress." But, among all the recorded instances of the preservation of the Esquimaux Christians, none is more wonderful than the following: " A party of three being engaged on the 4th of June, 1824, in fishing on the ice, that part on which they v^ere standing, broke loose from the shore, and floated out to sea. As they were all anxious to acquaint; their fami- lies and relations with the misfortune that had befallen them, one of the Esquimaux, named Conrad, converted the sledge which A PElllLOUS SITUATION. 265 lie hiul with him into a kind of raft, by tying skins a id seal's bladders to it, and thus he contrived to paddle to the firm ice, using a seal javelin s a rudder. They had drifted off above half an hour before ho could set out, but the sea being perfectly calm, by God's merely he reached the firm ' in safety, and hastened to Hopedale with the news. His purpose was to go with a boat to the assistance of his brethren, Sut by the time he got back to the coast, a south-west wind had carried them so far out into the open sea, that they could hardly be seen in the horizon, and to follow them was impossible. Both the size and strength of the field of ice was such, that it afforded them the means of building a snow-house upon it, about six feet in height, in which they took shelter during the night, and in rainy weather. They had caught eight seals on the day of their de- parture, which afforded them nourishment, though, for want of fuel, they could make no fire, but eat the meat raw, and drank the blood, in dreadful uncertainty, how this voyage might end, they spent nine whole IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 lAIIZe |2.5 m U 11.6 % 71 "'^'^^ /A '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 ^ o f; 266 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. days, and were not delivered from their im- minent danger till the 13th, when they were brought safe to land. A translation of the account, written by one of themselves, is subjoined, as affording an undeniable proof of what the grace of God can effect in the hearts of men, lately the most ignorant, and the rudest among heathen nations." Peter wrote the following : " When, on the 4th of June, we were driven off the coast, upon the field of ice, I was not much alarmed, for I did not appre- hend much danger. At night, when we lay down to rest, we commended ourselves in prayer td God our Saviour, and gave up our lives into his hands, which we always conti- nued to do. " On the 5th, as we were floating pretty near to the point of Tikkerarsoak, I hoped that our brother Conrad, who had been with us, would come to help us with kayaks. We repeatedly thought that we heard the report of fire-arms, and therefore fired off our pieces ; but, towards evening, we perceived that we had been inistaken. Now I began to feel ANXIOUS THOUGHTS. 267 great fears about the preservation of my life, and thinking of my poor forsaken family, I wept much. With many tears, I cried fer- vently to Jesus to save me. I could speak with Him as if he stood by me, and said : < I pray that I may not be carried to the other side of the water, nor to the south, nor too far to the north among the unbelievers ; but that my body may have decent burial in the earth. O shew mercy to me ; and do Thou, the only Helper in need, take care of my poor family !' Then those words occurred to my mind, ' Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown ;' which made me shed tears of gratitude and love to our Saviour, like a child, though at so great a distance from home, I entered our snow-house, weeping and we both joined in calling upon Jesus for help and comfort. This we did, every morning and evening. << On the 6th, in the morning, finding our- selves carried far away from the land, into the ocean, we again looked for comfort to Jesus, and prayed to Him with many tears to help us, and direct our course. We sang that verse together, 268 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. ' O lift up Thy countenance npon us,* &c and those words were impressed upon my mind, * I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine/ I felt my unworthiness deeply, and nothing hut the words of Jesus could give me joy. I prayed fervently to Him, that He would give his angels charge over me. I spent the wiiole day in prayer, and as I walked about aldne, several parts of Scripture occurred to my re- collection, especially the account of our Sa- viour's being taken captive. The prayer he offered up for His disciples, (John xvii.) was peculiarly precious to me, and gave me great comfort. Frequently I felt joy in my heart on remembering our Saviour's words, and that He said to his disciples, < Receive ye the Holy Ghost I' << On the 7th, the fog was so dense, that we could not see whither we were driven. I cried to Jesus, O help me, and His words came sweetly into my mind : < Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and 1 will give you rest. Take my yoke upon COMFORT IN DISTRESS. 269 you, and learn of me, for 1 am meek and lowly in heart/ Then I felt comforted. " On the 8th, 9th, and 10th, we could see nothing on account of the fog. I wept, and longed only to enjoy the inexpressihle love of Jesus. I remembered how the apostle Peter was frightened in the storm, and was com- forted by our Saviour. Thus, also, He com- forted us in our dreadful situation. I cried continually to Him to bring us again to the shore, for the thought of my poor bereaved family caused many tears to flow from my eyes ; but I felt confident, that they were under the protection and care of our Saviour. I remembered St. Paul's shipwreck, and how for many days he saw neither sun nor stars, and was delivered. At another time, the poor thiefs cry to Jesus on the cross, < Lord! remember me, when Thou comest into thy kingdom ;' and again, St. Peter's deliverance from prison, when an angel came and said to him, < follow me ;* proved a comfort to me. Thus I also hoped we should be brought out of the great ocean, back to the land. Once I recollected the story of the prodigal son. 210 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. who had spent all his living, and said, * My father's servants have bread enough, and to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my father/ &c. This 1 felt to be my case, and that I was as unworthy to be received. << On the 11th, when we saw land through the fog, we wept for joy, for it was clearly manifest to us, that we were guided by the hand of our Saviour; we were still surrounded by broken pieces of floating ice. On the 12th, in the morning, we again saw the land before us, but as we did not trust the fragments of drift ice, we remained upon our large field, and returning into our snow-house, felt com- forted in prayer. Having examined more fully whether the drift ice lay close together, it appeared, towards evening, as if we were approaching the firm ice. But just as we were again entering our house, our ice field sustained a terrible shock, and a large por- tion of it broke off. We now left it, being quite convinced that the Lord would direct 08. In passing over the drift ice, whenever WONDERFUL i>£UV£RANCE. 271 we were in danger, I cried to Jesus, and he provided a way for us till we were in safety. ** On the 13th, in the morning, we arrived with our own people, thankful to our Saviour for this wonderful preservation, nor shall I ever in my life forget it. " Peter-" We omit the relation given hy the other Esquimaux, of the circumstances of this peri- lous adventure, as it does not contain any particular, which the preceding narrative has not already put in the reader^s possession. The record of the thoughts with which his own mind was exercised, will, however, he found to be deeply interesting. ** When, on the second day, being June the 5th, we knew no more whither we were going, I cried out of my inmost soul to Jesus, that He would cleanse me from all my sins. On the 6th, we were carried forward very fast by a strong wind. With many tears I prayed to him, that He would not suffer my body to perish in the sea, as the thought of my poor destitute relations greatly distressed 272 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. my mind. I was filled with shame and re* pentance, thinking of my depravity, my sins, and unfaithfulness. ** On the 7th, in the morning, the wea- ther was calm, and we thought we heard the report of guns, fired hy the Christian Esqui- maux on Navuklialuk. We prayed without ceasing to Jesus. I thought of His pierced feet, and outstretched hands, as He hung upon the cross, and could represent him to my mind, as He was tormented for my sins ; and when I examined myself, I became quite heavy, thinking of my frequent transgres- sions, my unsteady walk, my evil propensi- ties, levity and disobedience. Then I be- sought our Saviour, that He would cast all these my sins into the depths of the sea. On the 8th, in the morning, I cried fervently to Him : < Help me, O Jesus ! I wish not to be buried in the ocean I O Jesus, save me, though^I am a great sinner !* As'^I was thus praying, my heart was filled with such joy andjcomfort, that I did not know what had happened to me, and whether I^should rejoice or weep. PRAYER ANSWERED. STS « Wben we came out of our but on the Otb, tbe fog was again very tbick. I looked witb tears to our only Deliverer, and also tbougbt mucb of our teachers, who bave so faithfully taught us the way of salvation. Why have I been so often disobedient ? I ought to bave been more obedient to my teachers I On the morning of the lOtb, while my companion was walking about on the ice, I knelt down and cried aloud, and with great earnestness, for help, to Jesus. During the following night, I dreamed that a man came from an unknown sea, and said to me : * Live again, but remain with me.' I dreamed it twice, and our Saviour's words occurred to me, ' Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.' When, on the 11 1^.., we saw the land, (it was the island Ukkalek,) my heart was filled with joy and thankful- ness. On the 12th, our ice-field struck against a rock, upon which we left it, and, with fervent prayer to be preserved, walked upon the broken drift ice to the island Umi- garvik. *^ On the 13th, we were delivered from all 274 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. danger, therefore, I likewise bring meet liinn- ble thanks to Jesus. Yes, indeed 1 am thank- ful to Jeous I Jesiis is worthy of thanks I « Titus." The feelings of the poor Esquimaux, when they found the mass of ioe on which they stood, separated from the shore, and drifting rapidly out on the wide expanse of the Unex- plored ocean, must have been similar to those which the writer and reader of this little his- tory must soon experience, when the rough hand of death breaks their connection with the things which are seen, and sends them adrift, upon the boundless and untried ex- panse of eternity. With what anxious alarm must the poor JSsquimaux have looked back upon the shore, as its various objects gradu- ally faded from their sight in the dimness of distance ; how did the recollection of privi- leges not duly improved, rise before their view ; and how mean and worthless did those things appear, which had served to withdraw them from that absorbing attention to their eternal interests, which is man's truest wis- TRUE WISDOM. 275 dom. All these feelings most toon be realized by every son and daughter of Adam. Happy they, who maintain the habitual recollection of the hour in which the triifles of time are to be exchanged for the all-important realities of eternity ; and who, instead of foolishly la- bouring to drown their recollection of that moment, in the dissipation or business of the world, have fled to Jesus, who is mighty to save, aud having tasted that peace in Him, which the world knows not of, can, in the confidence of hope enlivened by experience, apply in every time of need the promises of a faithful Saviour, who says to each of his people, ^* Fear not, for I have redeemed thee ; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burdened, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." CHAPTER XI. State of the Esquimaux congregations in 1830 — Num^ bers of the Heathen under instruction — Declara- tions of the Baptized — An Esquimaux letter — Conversion of an obstinate Offender — Dr^dfui sickness — Triumph over death — Gratitude of the believing Esquimaux — Increasing providence — M»> nual labour of the Missionaries — Travelling in La- brador — Brotherly love of the Missionaries — Estab- lishment of a new Settlement contemplated. We have now arrived at that period of the history of the Labrador Mission, which com« mences with the year 1825, and ends August, 1830, when the latest accounts were received from the Missionaries. The course of the Esquimaux congrega^ tions during this latter period, was not marked by any circumstances of variety, and in gene^ ral, their state may be described in the words with which the Brethren at Okkak, in their latest communication, describe the state of -DeclarR- letter— .Dreadful de of the nee — Ma^ iiig in La- >D £8tab> NUMBERS OF NATIVE CHRISTIANS. 277 things there. " During the past winter, we have spent a blessed time with our Ekiquimaux congregation ; and the presence of our Lord was felt in all our meetings, but particularly at baptismal transactions, confirmations, and the celebration of the Lord's Supper. The schools were punctually held, and diligently attended, and we experienced much satisfac- tion in the progress made by the scholars, yet there are several of the adults who cause us uneasiness, by their apparent indifference to the concerns of their soul, and some have been diverted from the right way. Their number however, is comparatively small, and even such declare that they yet hope to be truly converted." By the latest accounts, the number of Es- quimaux under the instruction of the Mission- aries at the several Stations, was as follows : Nain, 245; Okkak, 388; Hopedale, 18L* It has been our object throughout the whole of this history, to shew that the Missionaries * This census was taken at the conclusion of 1828, that of the other two Settlements at the conclusion of 1829. S >«t»«ii«riw>iaim>u(nu9u k >. . 278 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. did not labour to collect a number of Esqui- maux together at the different Stations, dis- tinguished from their savage countrymen by the name of Christians, by the use of forms of worship, and the knowledge of some useful arts of civilized life, but that these devoted servants of Christ, were the instruments in the hands of their divine Master, of calling from among the heathen, a little flock ; who, being regenerated by the Holy Spirit, wor- shipped God in the Spirit, and rejoiced in Christ Jesus, and had no confidence in the flesh. As we must not lose sight of this lead- ing object of our history, we subjoin the fol- lowing spontaneous expression of the feelings of some of the Esquimaux converts, as evi- dences of the blessing which continued to rest upon the labours of the Missionaries. One of the communicants wrote thus to a Missionary : " I feel truly displeased with myself, on account of my many defects. But I also remember, that Jesus has not been weary in forgiving my frequent failings and transgressions. I ought, therefore, continu- ally to thank and praise Him. But I am so SPIRITUAL CONFLICT. 279 much ashamed of myself, that I sometimes hardly dare lift up my eyes towards Him. His grace is my only consolation, and I often think of His words : ' I will not leave you comfortless ;* and, < Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' I wish to be more enlight- ened by His word, and to forsake all my own ways. I will therefore, thus cry unto Jesus, ' O have mercy upon me, for I am a great sinner ; heal thou me, for I am sick I 1 have often sought a place of rest for my soul in vain, but now I will have no other place, but at the right source, with Jesus, though I am so weak. I wish to be like one of the wise virgins on that day, but grieve to find so much to obstruct my path.* " Another expressed himself thus, ** When 1 examine my own heart, I feel repentance, on account of my sins, but also that Jesus has power to deliver me from all danger, and from sin. Without Him I should be a slave of sin, and lead a wretched life. But He took all my misery upon Himself, when he died on the cross for me, that I might live ..JWilii iniiWr M Sk ! i*ii ifnii iiii< * aBa J . 280 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. happy for ever. I cast all my burden upon Him, for he has blotted out my transgres- sions. He sees me wherever I am. He knows all my failings and mistakes, and every circumstance of my life, my whole heart, and all my thoughts, all my fears and anxieties, and He takes them all away, for bis mercy never ceases." The following letter written by an Esqui- maux at Hopedale, and literally translated by one of the Missionaries, will also be read with deep interest. " To the dear congregation of the United Brethren in London, do I presume to write, to tell them of my course on earth, and what I am doing now. This I will tell them just as it is. " From my childhood I have been in this congregation, but for almost a great many years, whether I should love Jesus as my Sa- viour, or not, darkness would not let me have any thoughts. The desire of my eyes was to the things of this world. In this state I was, when my dear Saviour looked upon me in mercy, and drew me out of my perishing A LETTER. 281 condition to Himself. He showed me the danger in which my heart was ; then I per- ceived in what distress, in what darkness, in what uncleanness I had my dwelling. Then, when I had no power, and found that I was not ahle to help myself, I fell into very grie- vous trouhle. The pleasure of the things of this world, as it were, vanished away ; and when I fully saw all the danger into which they led me, I hegan to he greatly perplexed and sorrowful, I cried to the Saviour of man- kind, thus : < My Jesus, have mercy upon me, do away all my great sins, for I cannot do it ; hlot them out, though they are innu- merable, with Thy precious blood. This 1 know ; therefore deliver me from my great distress!' When, without ceasing, I thus cried unto Him, and pleaded his mercy, he revealed it unto me. *< For all this I thank Jesus. The teachers whom He sent unto us, they are his servants, and they enlightened us by the light of His Gospel. By His mercy I was likewise laid hold of, and He made it manifest in me, that He did not despise the poorest ; yea, He re- 282 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. vealed this to me, in that He drew me forth out of my wretched state, and brought me to His church, and even made me a servant^ in it, of which, indeed, I am very unworthy." << Now, as Jesus our Saviour has made his becoming man, His sufferings, his death, his burial, ard His resurrection, meritorious for all men, 1 offer to Him much thanksgiving. For wretched sinners He became man,, and walked about among men on this earth, as a poor man ; yes, even for my sake ; for this I thank Him. << He has not despised our worchlessness, but sent us the Scriptures, which contain His invitation and His exhortations, even to this our country. They come continually from London, where you take kind notice of us ; for this we have reason to be very thankful. O hear me I O my Saviour, show mercy unto me, till the time of my death arrives I « We also thank you, that, out of love to us, you have often sent us peas ; for this gift we thank you, and also the Lord, for it is^ manifest, that it is, our duty to thank Him. * The writer was a chapel servant. CONVERSION OF A SCOFFER. 283 ** I have had ten children : six are alive, and four are gone home to Jesus. The last who went to Him was Cleophas, who had heen eighteen weeks with us. It was a great comfort to us to see him smile, while he was dying. For this we praise God likewise, all of us I Amen ! We salute you all that are in London. " I am Amos, the most unworthy. " Amos ovanga Ajortulik,'* The Missionaries mention many instances of the most stubborn spirits, that had long withstood their teaching and exhortations, being at length subdued by the omnipotence of divine grace ; the following is one of the most remarkable : " A young unmarried wo- man had, for several years, given us much uneasiness by her conduct, which was marked by uncommon levity and indifiPerence to spiri- tual things. According to her own confes- sion, she was in the habit of frequently ridi- culing the Missionaries and their labours, and was never so well pleased, as when the time arrived for leaving Hopedale, and removing 284 MISSIONS IN LABIIADOR. to the summer places of resort, out of the reach of their observation and controul. It pleased the Lord that a proposal of marriage should be the means of bringing her to seri- ous reflection. At first she declined it, al- ledging as the reason, that she felt herself un- fit for it, in her unconverted state. From this time, an evident change took place in her conduct : she became thoughtful and serious, and anxiously intent upon knowing the way of salvation. To her teachers, she confessed, with tears, her past transgressions, and en- treated pardon for the grief she had caused them. ' How many times,' she frequently exclaimed, ^ have I heai'd the words of Jesus, without understanding them : and it has been the same when I have read in the Holy Scrip- tures. But now,' added she with much emo- tion, *how precious are they to my soul.' Her dreams, which formerly, like her wak- ing thoughts, turned upon what was evil, became a means of blessing to he^. One made a particular impression on her mind : she dreamed that she was present at a solemn service, at which the minister spoke on the AN INFECTIOUS SICKNESS. 285 text, < Behold the Lamb of God, which tak- eth away the sin of the world,* with so much power, that she seemed, for the first time, to enter fully into the subject of our Saviour's sufferings, and to understand, that it was also for her sake, that He shed his precious blood on the cross. In the spring of this year, she came hither from a considerable distance to attend the festivals of the Ascen- sion and Whitsun-tide, although the ice was covered with water, and she was obliged to wade up to the knees in it, nearly the whole way." In the autumn of 1828, the faith of the Missionaries and their Esquimaux, residing at Nain, was severely tried by the prevalence of an infectious disorder, which ended in the death of many ; and, at one time, threatened, utterly to destroy the congregation. " What," the Missionaries' write, " has not the Lord done for this nation, for nearly sixty years! O might none remain behind, to whom the precious Gospel of a crucified Savi- our is brought, but experience that the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin, and brings 286 MISSIONS IN LABUADOR. the sinner nigh unto God. Of this we have seen many encouraging proofs in the year past, but never had more cause to rejoice, than over those which we witnessed during the last autumn, when an infectious disorder was brought hither from the south ; and spread so fast, that, in the space of four weeks, upwards of one hundred and fifty of the members of our congregation lay il! ; the situation of these poor people was deplorable in the extreme. " In such cases every thing is wanting: nor could the patients assist each other. In many tents, all the families lay in a helpless state, nor could any one give the other even as much as a drop of water. Those who had recovered a little, walked about like shadows. We were employed early and late, in pre- paring medicines, visiting and nursing the sick, and all our spare time was occupied in making coffins, and burying the dead. On some days, we had two or three funerals, and you may conceive what we felt during such an accumulation of distress. Our stock of medicine was all expended, and at one time TRIUMPH OVER DEATH. 287 we feared we should lose the majority of our congregation. But the Lord heard our sighs and prayers, and gave us to experience his marvellous help, when the distress was at its height. For, on the 1st of October, when yet thirty patients lay ill, they were at once enabled, without help, to sit up on their beds. We cannot express what our hearts felt, when we afterwards met our congregation to render thanks for this mercy, which our dear Brethren may easily conceive : for, in such trials, faith is sometimes weak. Our great- est comfort was the state of mind of the twenty-one persons who departed this life, one seeming more desirous than the other to depart, and be with Christ. They all declared that they rejoiced at the prospect of soon seeing Him face to face, who, by sufferings and death, had redeemed them from the power of sin, and the fear of death. In watching the departure of many, we felt indeed as if heaven were opening to them. " Parents were removed from the embraces of their children, and departed with joy, as did manv children out of the arms of their 288 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. parents. Thus the Lord gathered in a rich harvest. Many of the patients even ex- pressed sorrow at being left behind. This melancholy scene therefore a£Porded subjects for praise and thanksgiving. Here we reaped the fruits of the tears of our predecessors. Who would have expected this fifty years ago, when no European durst shew his face without being unmercifully murdered, not to speak of the human sacrifices offered up by the heathen Esquimaux, to appease evil spi- rits. Here is, in truth, made manifest the power of the word of the cross, among the most benighted nations." In the year 1825, an improved edition of the Esquimaux hymn-book was sent to the congregations in Labrador, by the Brethren in Europe ; the feelings with which this gift was received, are thus described by the Mis- sionaries at Okkak : << Januaiy the 19th was a day of joy and gladness, when we celebra- ted the 49th anniversary of the beginning of the Mission here at Okkak, a corner of the world the most rough and stormy, but where now the Lord our Saviour has fixed his stan- GRATITUDE. 289 dard. In a meeting of our Esquimaux, the new edition of the hymn-book was distributed to all that can read, and we spoke to them of the love of our brethren and sisters in Eu- rope towards them, in sending them such a valuable present. We could have wished you dear brethren, to have been present to wit* ness the emotion of their hearts. They were so deeply a£Pected, that when we afterwards gave out that hymn: ** I will sing to my Creator," their voices altered with weeping, and we could hardly proceed, till we concluded with that hymn : " Praise God for ever," which they sung with all their hearts, and afterwards begged that we would most cor- dially thank the Society, and all their friends and benefactors. They desired that we would assure them, that they counted themselves unworthy of such benefits, for they were too mean, and did not, as they ought, render due joy and honour to our Saviour, but they would not cease to pray, that they might be T 290 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. made more conformed to His mind ; that they could not be thankful enough that teachers had been sent to them, to make them ac- quainted with their Saviour, who had died on the cross to redeem them; and that they could not describe the diiference between their present enjoyment of His love and mercy, and their miserable state as heathen. They woilld therefore always pray for a bless- ing upon them, and on the King of England, for whom they prayed every Sunday, in the litany, that the Lord would fill his heart with His peace. They added, that they hoped at last to come to that place, where they should for ever join in the song of * Holy, holy, holy, to the Lamb that was slain, and had redeemed them also to God by His blood.* These and many more expressions of thank- fulness towards their friends in Europe, they begged us to transmit to you, which we now do in part." We have related this little anecdote, be- cause it serves to shew the power of divine grace, in renewing the minds of the most ferocious savages, causing streams of devout TEMVERANCK. 291 affection and brotherly lovo to flow abundant- ly from the once stony heart. We must also mention in this place the testimonies which the later communications of the Missionaries, bear to the increased in- dustry of the Esquimaux, in providing for their families ; and their prudent and tempe- rate use of the food, with which the kind providence of their heavenly Father supplied them. The Missionaries at Okkak, in their annual communication of August, 1828 ; thus notice the improvement which was observable in these particulars among their Esquimaux: ** During the autumn, our Esquimaux caught many seals in nets, and were likewise pretty suc- cessful upon the thin ice. In this there are many holes, where the seals bask, dive, and come up for air, and are easily shot by the hunters. The people therefore felt no want ; and as they learn more and more to use with prudence the gifts of their heavenly Father, a sufficient supply was provided for their sup- port." The improvidence of the heathen Esqui- 292 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. maux, in using, or rather abusing the gifts of a bountiful Creator, has been mentioned in the early part of this history ; and the preva- lence of the same disposition among the early converts to Christianity, caused the Missionaries, in the beginning very much un- easiness ; as in consequence of the sinful im- providence of the people, they were fre- quently, like the heathen, exposed to all the horrors of famine. How forcibly did bur blessed Lord warn his people against such vicious waste ; when, having fed the multi- tude, by an exertion of miraculous power, which He could have repeated again, and again, as often as he pleased, He said, " Ga- ther up the fragments which remain, that nothing be lost." This particular in the con- duct of Him, who has left us an example, that we should follow His steps, was doubt- less, often brought before the Esquimaux by their teachers, and when we consider the extreme difficulty of overcoming a long-estab- lished habit, and what constant vigilance and self-denial are required to enable one to continue steadfast in a course of life, FRUITS OF FAITH. 29^ exactly the opposite to it, we cannot but agree with the worthy Missionaries, " that this change in the general conduct of the Esquimaux, is a fruit, and very encoura- ging proof of the benefit of Christian instruc- tion and conversion of heart." True religion consists in knowledge, experience, and prac- tice ; where any one of these is wholly want- ing, there is not genuine piety. The doc- trines of the Gospel must be known and be- lieved, their power felt upon the aftcctions, and exhibited in daily practice. Many, it is to be feared, sadly lose sight of this practical illustration of the power of godliness, as an evidence of the faith which is of the opera- tion of God. He who has not this evidence to produce, may fancy, and it is true, be as- sured in his own mind, that he is building upon Christ the rock ; but such assurance is unfounded and presumptuous. The day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, will shew that they only are truly uni- ted with Christ, who hear his words, and do them. During the period of the history of the La- 294 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. brador Mission which we are now reviewing, we find the Missionaries as usnal, contributing by the labour of their hands, to their own support, and the accommodation of their poor Esquimaux. By their exertions a neat and convenient place of worship was erected at Hopedale, and dedicated to the service of God at the conclusion of 1826. The felling of timber, for buildilig and fuel, and the cul- tivation of their gardens, afforded them much employment ; and another kind of labour not less necessary, though not so agreeable, which constituted a part of their yearly task, is thus described by the Missionaries at Okkak: << The immense quantity of snow, which falls every year at Okkak, generally employs two Brethren till midsummer, in clearing it away from the roofs. It lay this year twenty-four feet deep, and in some places still deeper. Most of our buildings were almost buried under it, and we were apprehensive of the roofs being broken down. Some of the Es- quimaux houses were crushed by its weight ; and the people had but just time to effect their escape. The chimney of our bake-house TRAVELLING IN LABRADOR. 295 was filled ; and we had to clear it continually. As the dogs ran about on the snow, and over the roofs, there was danger of their tumbling into it. Shovelling and cutting away the ac*^ cumulating masses of snow, was a laborious task, and caused us a great deal of fatigue from day to day." The Missionaries resident at the different Stations, had frequent intercourse with each other, the joumies to and from the Settle- ments, were sometimes performed by sea, sometimes over land. We subjoin, for the gratification of the reader, the account which one of the Missionaries wrote of a journey of the latter description. " March 7th. We set out from Nain, drawn by. twenty-two dogs, driven by two Esquimaux. Another sledge accompanied us my wife sat within the tent, and I was posted behind upon a box, containing meat for the dogs, well clothed with seal and rein-deer skins. We found our first night's lodging in an old Esquimaux winter-house at one of the places where they fish with nets. The house 296 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. was full of dead seals ; however, they were thrown together to make room for my wife and me to lie down in our sleeping-bags.^ 1 then proceeded to order Simeon to be cook, and gave to every one his work. One was to feed the dogs, another to unpack the sledge. For ourselves, I ordered a supper of vermi- celli, and for our men, peas ; they had been boiled at Nain, and were brought in a sack. " After our evening prayers, my wife, with * An Esquimaux travelling bed consists of a large bag of reindeer sldn, with the hair turned inward, covered with seal-skin, the hair turned outwards. It is furnished with a broad flap to cover the mouth, and a strap to fasten down the flap. This bag compre^ hends the whole apparatus and furniture of an Esqui- maux bed-room. Having undressed, the traveller creeps into it, and a kind neighbour having shut him close by fastening the strap, he leaves him to sleep on till morning, when he helps him out again. In sum- mer, the flap is dispensed with. The invention, how- ever, is of European origin, and a luxury introduced by the Missionaries ; for an Esquimaux lies down in his clothes, without any further preparation. — Journal of a Voijaye to Ungava Bay, p. 34. TRAVELLING ON THE ICE. 297 difficulty, got into ber bag ; 1 tben found a place next to tbe mountain of dead seals. Tbe men lay any wbere upon them. " On tbe 8th, in the morning early, put- ting my head out of the bag, I gave orders to our cook to boil coffee for us, and oatmeal porridge for our men. After morning pray- ers, we set out, on an excellent smooth track, till half an hour after eight o'clock, when we discovered, with great alarm, that over the mountains of Kiglapeit, the track was filled with irregular masses of ice, like towers, some higher, and some lower. We almost despaired of getting through them. Under the mountain, the weather grew warm and still ; and we sent the smaller sledge forward to find a road through the masses of ice. I could never have conceived that such vehicles and roads could exist, till I now saw them. We got on very slowly, as the dogs seemed disposed, some to go one, and others another way, round the ice masses. The consequence was, that they got entangled in their traces, some of which are eight yards long ; and we t3 298 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. had often to stop to disengage them. The motion of the sledge was likewise so violent by the roughness of the ice, that my feet be- came very uneasy. At three, P. M. we had passed the mountain, and about half-past six took up our night's lodging in a cavern, dark and dismal in appearance, but to us a welcome retreat. "On the 9th, we met with good roads, and arrived without accident, at Okkak, at three o'clock in the afternoon, where we en- joyed the fellowship; of our brethren and sis- ters, with thankful hearts, till the 1 6th, when we returned to Nain. The weather was ex- cessively boisterous, but the Lord brought us safe to our home." We cannot proceed in our account of the work of the Moravian Missionaries in Labra< dor, without again recurring to the brotherly love which united them in their labours. For nearly sixty years, they have been engaged in the service of Christ among the Esquimaux; and we can find nothing in their annual com- munications to the Society in Loudon, which LIFE IN CHRIST. 299 would lead us to suppose, that during the whole of that period, the bond of brotherly affection was broken by any disagreement. On the contrary, their letters afford abundant evidence, that peace and love reigned among them. This they attribute to the grace of God, and indeed it is easy to perceive, that He alone could have preserved them in mu- tual love, under the trying circumstances in which they were placed. Sometimes they were oppressed by hard labour, and some- times they .were agitated by alarming o,ppre- hensioqs, as to the safety qf the ship, upon which their temporal subsistence depended ; had the Brethren been united by ordinary motives, the peevishness which would have been engendered by the operation of their hardships and forebodings upon their selfish- ness, would soon have broken their union. But it was not so, the love which prevailed among them, was produced by their common union in Christ ; it was derived from him, and as this brotherly love is the essence of that life which believers derive from their 300 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. glorified head, it could not be destroyed, for Christ dieth no more ; and because he lives, His people live also. In drawing this part of the history of the Labrador Mission to a conclusion, we would once more commemorate the kind providence of God, in preserving the Bre- thren's ship in all her perilous voyages, du- ring a period of sixty years, suffering her only to encounter so much actual danger, as might rouse our stupid minds to consider his hand in her deliverance. The last event of this kind, which we have to notice, in this part of the narrative, is recorded in the fol- lowing extract of a letter, from the Mission- aries, to the Society in London. Nain, August 30, 1828. Dearest Brethren. " On the 9th of this month, we received the joyful inteUigence, that the Harmony had arrived safe at Okkak, on the 6th. Our hearts were filled with praise and thanksgiv- ing to God, for having safely conducted bro- PROVIDENTIAL DELIVERANCE. 301 ther and sister Liindberg, brother Glitscli, and the whole ship's company in good health to our coast. No one can conceive what sen- sations of joy and gladness fill the hearts, both of us Missionaries, and of all our Esqui- maux, when, after our expectations have been raised to the highest pitch, about the time of the ship's arrival, the glad tidings burst upon us, that the Harmony has arrived safe, and brought us accounts from our Brethren, and friends in Europe. We adore the goodness of God, our heavenly father, that he has again protected this small vessel in her dangerous passage through the ice. At one time the danger was so great, that she could move neither forward nor backward, but, the ice pressing upon her from all sides, was in im- minent danger of being crushed, and over- whelmed by the towering masses surrounding her. The help of man was vain, and she seemed left to her fate, when at once, as if by an unseen hand, she went forward without wind or sails, pushed for herself a passage through the tremendous fields of ice, and 302 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. escaped into open water. All on board stood astonished at this merciful deliverance, and even the sailors exclaimed, * this is the work of the Almighty I* nor could the Missionaries on board refrain from tears of gratitude." The reader has already been informed, that of late years, Okkak, the most northern Mis- sionary Station, had become the principal re- sort of the heathen Esquimaux, and hunce the number of residents at that Settlexuent, in the latter period of the Mission, very much exceeded the number of inhabitants at Nain or Hopedale, which derived little accession, except from the ordinary ' ncrease of popula- tion, by the birth of children. In 1826, a Missionary resident at Okkak, writed : ** I believe that the number of our inhabitants has not reached its full limit. I think that a great many Esquimaux from the north are in a state of preparation, and desire to hear the Gospel. Four boats full of them came to us this summer ; and we did not fail to press upon them the necessity of conver- sion, if they would save their souls from de- A NEW SETTLEMENT CONTEMPLATED. 303 struction. In many I discovered great atten- tion and thoughtfulnesg ; but most of them were prepared with excuses, why they could not, just now, be converted. Several de- clared, that after they had obtained this and the other object of their wishes, they would then turn to the Lord." Hence the Brethren were, early led to de- sire the establishment of another Missionary Station, to the north of Okkak. The inte- resting facts connected with the several at- tempts which were made from time to time to carry this object into effect, must constitute the subject of another chapter. Il .^; CHAPTER XII. The Missionaries learn that the northern districts of Labrador are thickly peopled — Are invited by the Heathen to settle among them — An unsuccessful voyage — Another voyage undertaken by the Bre- thren, Kmoch and Kholmeister — Devotedness of the Esquimaux pilot — Various perils — Intercourse with the Heathen — A providential meeting — Amazement of the Savages — Prayer answered — Return to Okkak — A mysterious providence — De- sire of the heathen for Christian instruction — Final arrangements for the establishment of a Missionary settlement at Kangertluksoak in 1830 — A ship sent out with building materials, &c. — Joy of the natives —Conclusion. So far back as the year 1800, the Mission- ary Brethren had learned from the reports of Northlanders, who occasionally visited their settlements, that the coasts and islands of the nortli were more thickly peopled than the more southern districts of the country. On asking- this people whether it ^; MISSIONARY VOYAGES. 305 would be agreeable to them, to have a Mis- sion estab] ished in their country, they assured the Brethren, that it would give them the greatest pleasure. ^* The whole land," they said, " would welcome them with one shout of rejoicing." Encouraged by these appear- ances of a providential opening for the fur- ther propagation of the Gospel, preparations were made by two of the Brethren in 1800, for a coasting voyage, to explore the country, but the Lord's time was not come, and their plan was frustrated by unfavourable winds and weather. This project, however, though suspended for some time, was not abandoned ; and in 1811, the Missionaries Kholmeister and Km- och cheerfully engaged in this perilous and difficult enterprise, for which they were pecu- liarly qualified. The latter, to other essential qualifications, joined great cheerfulness and intrepidity. The former, having resided seven- teen years in Labrador, was complete master of the language, and was gifted in an eminent degree with a kind and affable manner, which was particularly calculated to conciliate the 30(> MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. good will of wild and ignorant savages, while his ardent zeal for the promotion of their best interests, enabled him to submit with cheer- fulness, to any hardships which might be encountered in an enterprize so calculated to advance their eternal welfare. Having engaged a Christian Esquimaux, named Jo- nathan, from Hopedale, as a pilot, they em- barked at Okkak, June 23, 1811, on board his two-masted shallop, having been commended to the grace and protection of God by the congregation, who assembled for that purpose in the chapel. In this expedition the Mis- sionaries were accompanied by four Esqui- maux families, besides that of their guide, amounting in all to nineteen persons. The sacrifice which Jonathan made, in con- senting to accompany the Missionaries, was very great. At Hopedale he was considered as the principal person, or chief of his nation, but being made a partaker of the same spirit by which the Missionary Brethren were ac- tuated, he was willing to sojourn among strangers, where be would have no pre-emi- nence, and to expose himself to unknown THE PILOT JONATHAN. 307 hardships and dangers, sustained only by the hope, that the projected voyage might open the way for the introduction of the Gospel, among a portion of his countrymen, still sit- ting in darkness, and the shadow of death. When any of his countrymen represented to him the danger of the expedition, he used to say, " Well, we will try, and shall know bet- ter when we get there ;" and once he said, << When I hear people talk about the danger of being killed, I think Jesus went to death out of love to us ; what great matter would it be, if we were to be put to death in his service, should that be his good pleasure." So e£fectually had this poor heathen been taught, that ^'Christ died for all, that we which live, should not henceforth live unto ourselves, but unto him who died for us, and rose again." Nor was this a mere empty boast ; this gene- rous principle of devotedness to Jesus, evi- dently actuated our Esquimaux captain, du- ring the severe trials of this most perilous voyage ; his cheerful, firm, and faithful con- duct under all circumstances, being quite con- sistent with his Christian prof<3Ssion. 308 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. For several days our voyagers proceeded along the coast, without any remarkable occurrence. At night they generally ap- proached the shore, and cast anchor, as there was still much drift ice, which it required constant vigilance to avoid. They frequently met with companies of Esquimaux from Ok- kak, and other places, who had their summer stations along the coast. With these, the Missionaries kept meetings for worship, when- ever circumstances permitted, especially on Sundays. The travellers had not made many days sail northward, when they found their passage completely obstructed by floating ice which drifted towards them and obliged them to put about. They were brought into such great distress, that even the hardy captain himself repeatedly exclaimed, in a plaintive tone, << Alas I alas I we shall soon be without boat." In these distressing circumstances some of the crew were obliged to land and haul the boat round the points, while others with hooks and spars, kept her off from the rocks and masses of ice. Two or three times the little CIVILITY OF THE HEATHEN. 309 vessel struck on sunken rocks, but by God's mercy, she floated off again without sustaining any damage. July the 15th our travellers reached Na- chvak Bay, where a party of heathen Esqui- maux, about fifty in number, had fixed their summer residence. As soon as the Mission- aries and their party approached, these poor people testified their joy by loud shouts, and by discharging their muskets, they hastened down to the beach, where they vied with each other, in assisting the Brethren and their companions to land. The modest and cor- rect behaviour of these heathen, induced the Missionaries to sojourn with them two days, during which they acquainted them with the design of their voyage, and preached the Gos- pel to them. They were evidently much im- pressed, and one of their chief men said, " I am determined to be converted to Jesus." The Christian Esquimaux seconded the testi- mony of the Missionaries, commending the Gospel, by their exhortations and devout de- meanour, to their heathen countrymen. On the 25th of July our travellers arrived 310 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. at Oppernavik, where they found Uttakki- yok, an Esquimaux from Ungava Bay, with his two wives, and youngest brother, await- ing their arrival, he had been watching for them during the whole spring, and had erec- ted signals on all the heights surrounding his tent, that they might not miss him. The kind providence of God, in disposing the heart of this heathen so favourably towards the Brethren, was afterwards very conspicu- ous, for without such a steady and skilful guide, they must have long wandered in the most painful and perilous uncertainty, in the desert regions to the west of Cape Chudleigh, where, on a coast of one hundred miles in length, they did not meet with a single inha- bitant. Having been safely conducted through many dangers, similar to those which have been already described, our navigators dou- bled Cape Chudleigh, and now they found themselves transported as it were into a new world. The coast which had hitherto taken a northerly direction, now turned to the south south-west. The Ungava country soon open- WONDER OF THE SAVAGES. 311 ed to tbeir view, and a favourable breeze carried tbem swiftly amidst the numerous islands which lie along the coast. Here they descried three boats, full of people, making towards them from the shore. They proved to be inhabitants of Ungava, and welcomed them with shouts of joy and firing their pieces. The Missionaries visited them in their tents, and informed them of the purpose of their voyage. As many of these savages had never before seen a European, they gazed at the Missionaries with wonder depicted in their countenances, and not satisfied with occular inspection, they felt the brethren with their hands from head to foot. Leaving these poor people, the travellers proceeded onward, and on the 7th of August, dropped anchor at the mouth of the Kangert- luksoak, or George river, in the Ungava coun- try, lying 140 miles S.S. W. of the Cape, in latitude, 58® 57' north. Here they staid some days, pitching their tents on a green slope, overgrown with shrubs, and flanked by a woody valley, which possessed every advantage for a Missionary Station. 312 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. Our travellers, leaving this place, had pro- ceeded but a short way, when contrary winds obliged them to cast anchor in an exposed situation, where they were detained several days, and when the wind became more fa- vourable, it blew with such violence, as ex- posed their little vessel to great danger. Their situation was now critical, the season was far advanced, the frosts might soon set in, and render their return to Okkak imprac- ticable : on the other hand, they were only seventy or eighty miles distant from the wes- tern extremity of the Ungava country, which had been fixed upon as the final object of their voyage; under these circumstances, it was difiicult to decide whether they should proceed or return ; in this perplexity, the Brethren retired to their tent, and having maturely weighed all the circumstances, they entreated the Lord's direction in fervent prayer. They rose from their knees with a firm conviction, that they ought to proceed in His name, relying on his help. And when they mentioned their determination to the INTERCOURSE WITH THE HEATHEN. 313 the Esquimaux, they found them cheerfully dis- posed to prosecute the voyage. A sail of six days brought them to the mouth of the Koksoak, or sand river, about six or seven hundred miles distant from Ok- kak, and the very place which they had wished to reach. Here also, not far from the mouth of the river, they discovered another place well adapted for a Missionary Settlement. The travellers remained in this place from the 25th of August, until the 1st of Septem- ber, and during this time they had frequent intercourse with the natives, to whom they explained the object of their voyage. The Esquimaux in this place presented the ap- pearance of extreme wretchedness. As some of them had never before seen a European : they were at first very shy, but having re- ceived a few trifling presents, they became more free and communicative, they listened with attention to the discourses of the Mis- sionaries, repeatedly expressing their wish, that they would come and settle among them in their country, that they might hear more of the Gospel, and be converted. Being sa- u 314 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. tisfied from the accounts of the natives, that there were no eligible places farther to the west, our voyagers returned homewards, and reached Okkak in safety on the 4th of Octo- ber, having been absent fourteen weeks, du- ring which they had performed a voyage, of from twelve to thirteen hundred miles. Various untoward circumstances, however, still prevented the Brethren from turning the valuable information which they had derived from this voyage to a practical account, which they must have the more lamented, as their visit had excited an anxious desire among the savages, for the final settlement of Missiona- ries in their country. Among the events which obliged the Bre- thren to delay the planting of a Mission in the Ungava country, the following, which we transcribe from the periodical accounts, is too remarkable to be passed over in silence. " October 28th, 1816. The Jemima ar- rived in the river from Labrador, after one of the most dangerous and fatiguing passages ever known. As in almost every part of Europe, so in Labrador, the elements seem A DANGEROUS VOYAGE. 315 to have undergone some revolution during the course of last summer. The ship arrived at the drift ice on the Labrador coast, on the 16th of July. Captain Fraser found it ex- tending two hundred miles from the land, and after attempting to get in, first at Hopedale, then at Ndn, and at last at Okkak, he was at length completely surrounded by ice, and in the most imminent danger during six days and nights, expecting every moment that the ship would be crushed to pieces ; till after very great exertions, he got towards the outer part of the ice. Nevertheless, he was beset by it for forty-nine days, and did not reach Okkak till August the 29th, to the astonish- ment of all our Brethren, as well as the Es- quimaux. The very next day the whole coast, as far as the eve could reach, was en- tirely choked up by ice, and after laying at Okkak nearly three weeks, he was twice forced back by it on his passage to Nain, which place he did not reach till September the 22d. After staying the usual time, Cap- tain Fraser proceeded, October the Sd, from Nain to Hopedale, though with fine weather, 316 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. yet) on account of the lateness o^ the season, and a great deal of drift ice, with but little prospect of reaching that Settlement. This circumstance he mentioned to the Brethrer at Nain. However, brother Kmoch and his wife, and the two single Brethren, Korner and Christensen, who were going to Hope- dale, went on board, and they set sail ; but the same evening it came on to blow exceed- ingly hard, with an immense fall of snow, and very thick weather, that they could not see the length of the ship, and being within half a mile of a dangerous reef of rocks, the captain was obliged to carry a press of sail to clear them, which he did but just accomplish ; for after that the gale increased to that de- gree, the wind being right on shore, that he could not carry sail any longer, and was obliged to lay the ship to, when the sea often broke over her, and he was at last necessita- ted, seeing every attempt to reach Hopedale in vain, to bear away for England on Octo- ber the 5th. He again experienced a gale equal to a hurricane, on the 8th, 9th, and 10th of October, which, during the night, t^ A MYSTERIOUS PROVIDKNCE. 317 between the 9th and 10th, was so violent, that the captain expected the ship would have foundered. She was at one time struck by a sea, that twisted her in such a manner, that the very seams on her larboard side opened, and the water gushed into the cabin, and into the mate's birth, as if it came from a pump, and every body at first thought her side was stove in ; however, the Lord was pleased to protect every one from harm, and, consider- ing all things, the ship has not suffered ma- terially, neither was any thing lost." This disastrous and unlooked for event oc- casioned many fears and perplexities, both to the Missionaries in Labrador, and their Bre- thren and friends at home. But the most distressing consequence of this mysterious providence, was the hlnderance which it raised in the way of sending a Mission to the Un- gava country. The unexpected removal of four Brethren to Europe, so thinned the number of labourers, and so reduced the Society's friends, that such an undertaking became at that time impracticable. In the mean time, the anxious expectation u 3 318 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. with which the Esquimaux looked out for the arrival of the Missionaries, seemed to say to the Brethren, come over and help us. This appears in the following letter, written hy one of the Missionaries to the secretary of the Society in London. Okkakf August 5, 1815. " Last winter, (1815,) two men, Atsugar- suk and Aveinek arrived here in a sledge from Nachvak, with a message from the peo- ple in the Ungava country. They had left the river Koksoak in the sping of 1814, and spent the winter at Nachvak. They related, that during the summer of 1813, twenty-one boats full of people, with their goods, had arrived in the Koksoak, anxiously waiting for our return. They spent the winter partly on the banks of that river, partly in its neigh- bourhood. In the spring of 1814, about the time that these two men were preparing to depart, other thirteen boats arrived, and more were expected, under a certain persua- sion that they should meet us there. Our good friend, Uttakkiyok, had spent a greater TH£ HEATHEN DESIRE INSTRUCTION. 310 part of that time in a situation outside of the islands, that he might be ready to conduct us as pilot, whenever we might arrive, either with a ship, or in boats. He, as well as the other Esquimaux, had taken care to preserve the boards and other signals we had set up near the shore, that we might not seek the former places in vain. The men had resolved in their council, that they would cut no tim- ber for the repairs of their kayaks and boats in the Koksoak, that the woods might not be injured, when we should come and build a Settlement. They therefore went for wood into the great river Aksaviok, where large timber trees are found, and had commissioned the above-mentioned two men to inform us, that they were waiting for us with great longing, many of them being desirous to live with us, and be converted. They therefore determined not to leave the place, in hopes that we yet should come and settle among them. Uttakkiyok had told them, that if we did not come in 1814, he would, during the summer of 1815, go with his boat to Okkak. " Even the Indians expressed their joy at 320 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. the expected arrival of Europeans, and had made many friendly signs from off the hills, pointing towards the sea, and signifying, that they would he visited from that quarter." This anxious desire of the heathen for in- struction, makes the extraordinary event which hindered the Brethren from gratifying their wishes, the more incomprehensible. But times and seasons are in the Lord's hand, ** He doeth all things well, and the duty of His servants is, under every trial, to be re- signed to His will." We find the Missionaries in their subse- quent communications, frequently expressing their desire, that a Station might be estab- lished at Kangertluksoak, and expressing their readiness to give all the assistance they could, to the furtherance of this object. Va- rious circumstances, however, arose to delay the accomplishment of their wishes until the year 1830, when the Society determined, in dependance on the help of the Lord, to avail themselves of the opening which Providence had made, for the communication of the Gos- pel to the northern Esquimaux. The need- A SHIP SENT TO KANGEUTLUKSOAK. 321 ful preparations were therefore made, a ves- sel was hired for the transport of building materials, and other stores, and the last com- munications from the Missionaries, dated August, 1830, announce the safe arrival of the ship, with her cargo, on the coasts of Labrador. The Missionaries write as fol- lows. Dearest Brethren, " We received your kind letter of May the 25th, on July the 24th, by the safe arrival of the Harmony from Kangertluksoak. We soon met, and offered up praise and thanks- giving to God our Saviour, that he had brought the ship, with her companion, the Oliver, Captain Corrigal, to our coasts, pro- tected from all harm. " We felt great gratitude towards you, dear Brethren, not only that you had again so generously sent the necessary stores and provisions for us by the Harmony, but had even ventured, in reliance upon the help of the Lord, to transmit all the building mate- rials necessary for the Mission-house aad ■ -i 323 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. church at Kangertluksoak, as well as provi- sions for the Brethren residing thet*e, hy hir- ing a second vessel for that purpose. We also have done what we could to further the formation of this new Settlement, and have experienced the blessing of the Lord accom- panying our labours. By His mercy we were favoured, during last winter, with such an extraordinary sledge-track, that the oldest inhabitant cannot remember one so good. This afforded us the means of transporting to the new place, rafters, boards, and shingles, which, with the help of our Esquimaux, we had in preparation. " In the beginning of March, brother Lundberg paid us a visit, when we conferred with him respecting the best plan to be adop- ted ; and we resolved to convey all the ne- cessary stores by sledges, together with the frame-work of the house to be put up at Kangertluksoak. Brother Mentzel was com- missioned to care for the execution of this plan. On the 22d of March he arrived here from Nain ; and, on the 13th of April, set out in company of brother Beck, and six AN INFANT SETTLEMENT. 323 young Esquimaux, for Kangertluksoak. On the 8th of July, the frame-work of the house was erected, and on the 21st, the day hefore the arrival of the ships, it was covered with weather-boarding on three sides. The stores, therefore, sent by the Oliver, could immedi- ately be brought under cover. The house is forty-eight feet long, and twenty-eight broad, two stories high, and contains three dwelling- rooms, and a kitchen on the ground floor, and 'f'7 be inhabited as soon as resident Mission- Mi'ies are appointed for this new Settlement. The whole will be finished next spring, God willing. There is likewise room in this house for a temporary chapel ; and the completion of it will be committed to the Brethren Kruth and. Beck, brother Mentzel having been invited to visit Europe. We believe that all relating to the formation of this Set- tlement proves, that the Lord has laid his blessing upon it, for He has given success to all our exertions. May He grant you the means of bearing so much additional expense, by disposing the hearts of those, who delight in the spread of the Gospel to come to your assistance." 324 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. The following letter written by one of the Brethren, who accompanied the ship which carried out the building materials for the new Settlement, contains some interesting parti- culars. Kangertluksoak, July 26, 1830. " My letter from Stromness, will have given you some particulars of our passage from London to the Orkneys, and our deten- tion there for upwards of a week, owing to the state of the weather. It was not till the 19th of June, that we were able to continue our voyage, the wind having meanwhile be- come favourable. The text for the day, forming part of the prayer of Solomon; at the dedication of the temple, proved a real en- couragement to me, especially as it admitted of an easy application to our little vessel : < Let thine eyes be open towards this house night and day.' And truly did we experi- ence, during the whole of our passage across the ocean, and along a dangerous, and, in part, an unknown coast, that the eye of our Almighty Father, ever the keeper of Israel, KANGEBTLUKSOAK, 325 who sleepeth not, neither slumbereth, was oyer us for good ; and that we were the ob- ject of his favour and protecting care. After a remarkably safe and pleasant voyage, we arrived off the coast of Labrador, on the 18th of July. The high land between Okkak and Kangertluksoak, forming the promontory of Kaumoyak, came fimt into sight, and pre- sented an interesting appearance. On the following day, we passed the island Nellertok, (to which Captain Fraser gave the name of the watchman,) with a light but favourable wind ; and on the 20th, came so close in shore, that we confidently expected the re- port of a gun would bring some Esquii)iaux on board. Being, however, herein disap- pointed, it was deemed advisable, lest any accident should happen to the ships, from our ignorance of the soundings, that Mr. Suther- land should proceed with the Harmony's boat in search of the entrance into Kangertluk- soak Bay. About nine o'clock in the even- ing, he returned with an Esquimaux, whom he had met with at Nappartok, and who in- formed us, that Kangertluksoak lay conside- X 326 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. . ] rably farther to the northward. The object of my coming, being explained to this man, who was a heathen, he held out his hand to me, in the most friendly manner, saying, nahomeki (that is well.) Shortly after, two kayaks from Kangertluksoak approached us ; the Esquimaux to whom they belonged, came on board, and remained with us, for the pur- pose of piloting the vessels into the bay. Early on the 21st, the report of our guns brought a great number of Northlanders, from Saeglek and Nachvak, on board the Harmony. They were mostly heathen, and several of them had a somewhat rude and savage as- pect. On the whole, I was exceedingly struck with the marked difference existing between the appearance and manners of the converted Esquimaux, and of their heathen countrymen ; the sight of the latter affected me greatly. Their habits indicated a state of existence, but little superior to that of the brute creation, the children in particular, seemed to be almost utterly neglected. At half-past four o'clock, brother Beck paid us a visit ; from him we learned, that brother ERECTION OF BUILDINGS. 327 Mehtzel and himself had been stationed at Kangertluksoak, since the 7th of Apri], awaiting our arrival, and that brother Kmoch had been assisting them for several weeks, but had been obliged to return to Okkak, in consequence of ill health. The vessels hav- ing dropped anchor, we proceeded on shore, thankful to the Lord our Saviour, for all the goodness and mercy bestowed upon us, du- ring our voyage of seven weeks. We found a good house nearly constructed on the site of the intended Settlement ; the sides, with the exception of one gable, being already boarded over. The country around Kanger- tluksoak looks green at this time of the year; and as to the harbour. Captain Taylor gives it the character of being superior to those at the older stations. On the 23d, brother Mentzel took leave of brother Qeck and my* self, who are appointed to remain at this place, and proceeded with the Harmony to Okkak, attended by our best wishes and prayers. The weather having meanwhile cleared up, we commenced the unloading of the Oliver, in which we were stoutly assisted 328 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. by about thirty Esquimaux, with their wives and children. In the ccarse of three days> forty-four thousand and nine hundred bricks were landed, and brought under cover. I had no idea that this part of our task would be accomplished in so short a time. On the 29th, all the casks were emptied of their con- tents, and in less than two days we hope to see the cargo of the Oliver fully discharged. Thus far, therefore, the Lord hath helped us ; and on Him we desire to depend, for that aid and support which we shall still require, if the work, which we have u:idertaken in His name, is to be successfully executed. Assist us with your prayers, and your brotherly co- operation. " Ferdinand Kruth." While the ship was at the place destined for the site of the new Settlement, three boats, containing from forty to fifty heathen from the northward, paid the Missionaries a visit ; but owing to the accumulation of busi- ness, they were unable to give that particular attention to them, which they could have APPLICATION OF TALENTS. 329 r wives e days, bricks iver. I would On the »r con- lope to ifcrged. )ed us ; bat aid lire, if in His Assist ply co^ » CH. stined three athen ries a busi- icular have wished. Several of their number expressed their desire to hear the Gospel, but could not resolve to remain with the Brethren, at the hazard of being separated from their rela- tions. To use their own expressions, ''they felt themselves unable to live with the believ- ers.'* If, however, the father of a family is desirous to be converted, the members of his household have no alternative but to follow him, and in this way many a soul has been brought under the sound of the Gospel, and eventually won for our Saviour. Thus favourable are the appearances under which this new Settlement has been com- menced; its future prosperity and growth depend upon the sovereign pleasure of God, but while we acknowledge this, let it not be forgotten, that He works by the instrumen- tality of men, and that it is the duty of all who profess His name, to be fellow-helpers of the truth, and to assist with the gifts and talents, which the Lord distributes severally among them, in the furtherance of every plan which seems fitted to extend the kingdom of the Redeemer. There are in those northern X 3 330 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. regions, hordes of savages, so degraded even in intellect, that there is in many, little to distinguish them from the seals on which they feed ; yet these poor people have souls, capa- ble of knowing God, and delighting in Him. but they know Him not, Satan holds undis- turbed dominion over them, nor have they ever even heard of Him, who alone has power to deliver the human soul from his thraldom. In some of the modern voyages of disco- very, which have been made towards the north pole, E^uimaux were found existing in a state of the deepest seclusion, they had never before seen men belonging to the civi- lized world, nor of a race diflPerent from their own ; and so utter was their ignorance of those objects which are most familiar to us, that it cost no small pains to convince them that the ship which had carried the strangers to their coasts, was not a huge animal. They supposed too, that the navigators were beings of a different species, whose mere touch might commuuicate a fatal influence, and it was with difficulty they were induced, to accept the oflfered hand, of even a Greenland interpre- LEADINGS OF PROVIDENCE. 381 ter, connected with the expedition. The eB-* tablishment, therefore, of a Missionary set- tlement further northward, by the increased facility which it a£Pords to these poor people of hearing the Gospel, must be regarded by all who are interested in the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom, as a matter of the deepest moment, and should the account which our navigators have given us of the poor Esquimaux, contribute in any measure to stir up the hearts of God's people to send the Gospel to them, these perilous voyages will have been productive of a more glorious re- sult, than had a passage been discovered, through which the wealth of India might have been poured upon Europe. The knowledge which the Moravian Bre- thren possess of the Eisquiniaux language, and their being inured to the hardships connected with a residence in these polar climates, pe- culiarly qualify them for invading those dark, and hitherto undisturbed dominions of Satan. God has apparently opened the way before them, for in addition to the encouraging com- mencement of the Settlement Jit Kangertluk- 332 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. isoak, we may recollect, that in the reconnoi- tering voyage made in 1811, an eligible site for another Missionary establishment! was discovered at a still more remote part of this wild and unfrequented coast. The editor of this little history, would express a hope, that these facts may move some of his rea- ders to consider, in the disposal of their property as God's stewards, the claims of the Esquimaux.^ Let those, who have them- * The Brethren's Society for the furtherance of the Gospel, close their statement iu reference to the pre- parations made for the establishment of a fourth Mis- sionary Settlement in Labrador, with these words. " The means at the disposal of the Society are altoge- ther inadequate to the accomplishment of the work, which they have taken in hand ; but, in the confident hope, that it will conduce to the spread of the Gospel of Christ among the Esquimaux, they venture to call on their brethren and friends to support it by their benevolent contributions ; and, above all, by their fer- vent prayers for the divine blessing. " The sum required, which will include the cost and transport of materials for the erection of a church and Mission-premises at Kangertluksoak, is calculated at about ^1000. A separate account of all receipts CHRISTIAN OBLIGATIONS. 333 selves received the Gospel, recollect that they are debtors to all men, debtors in love, which is to know no weariness in well-doing, but continually to exercise a self-denying dili- gence in seeking for objects which stand most deeply in need of its k'nd offices. And, indeed, we would say to all those who acknowledge this debt of love, and feel ?n ary measare the constraining power of that ¥' }»-. sed principle, which is the joy and furnishes and disbursements, in furtlierance of this objecv, wM hereafter be laid before the public. " Donations towards the separate fund for Kanger- tluksoak, will be thankfully received by the Rev. C. I. La Trobe, Secretary of the Society for the Further- ance of the Gospel, 19, Bartlett's Buildings; by Mr. £. Moore, Treasurer, 97, Hatton Garden; and by the Ministers of all the Brethren's congregations in Great Britain and Ireland; also by Mr. Robert Plen- derleath, Edinburgh ; James Playfaii . Esq. Glasgow ; and by the following persons on behalf of the London Association in aid of the Br(^thren*s Missions; W. Leach, Esq. Treasurer, 38, Charles Street, Westmin- ster; Messrs. Smith, Payne, and Smiths, Lombard Street; Messrs. Hatchard and Son, Piccadilly; and Mr. Nisbet, Burners Street." 334 MISSIONS IN LABRADOR. the occupation of heaven itself, that we know of no region on the earth, which calls for the exercise of it from them, more than the nor- thern polar regions. There those, who are however, of one hlood and one family with ourselves. Acts xvii. 22, live in deep and dis- tant seclusion from the haunts and busy scenes of all who profess the knowledge of the name of Jesus, that only name ttnder heaven, given among men, whereby they must be saved. But alas ! how shall they hear of this name, without a preacher; and without this name, they are totally in dark- ness, even until now. Satan holds undis- puted lordship over them, and impelled by him who was from the beginning a murderer and a liar, who can tell the foul deeds which they practice, without remorse, and without fear. Even in their best estate, how wretched are they — toiling for a precarious subsistence, they know no enjoyment beyond that in which the brute might participate ; but not being able to restrain all the actings of the immor- tal soul, they are tormented by fears to which the brute is a stranger; they tremble with r^^ ^''^g ^rW " Hy ' '■■ ■ ^ » ' l y I" "T J ." ' - J r ' -tZMV ^'-fr^f- MISERY OF THE HEATHEN. 335 dread of some angry and malignant spirit, whose power is too mighty to be resisted — they know themselves to be mortal, and shudder at the thought of death, seeking to drown the disquieting apprehensions of its approach, and its consequences, in a stupid recklessness of futurity ; and at length, when death comes, they lie down in darkness and hopelessness. During their sleep of sin in this life, they might have dreamed that they were satisfying the cravings of their immor- tal souls, by the indulgence of animal desires. But they awake in the world of spirits, and ** their soul hath appetite." Earth, with its enjoyments and occupations, has passed away, and they find themselves destitute of any meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light — ^because destitute of that new life which is derived from Christ, and which alone can converse with the joys, and have place in the occupations of heaven. " Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." We speak not of the precise condition in which the souls of the heathen may be 8M MISSIONS IN LiBRADOtl^ fixed after death, we ^>tiot our autlio- rity for tbiv-^buf we do see our authority for insistinj^ on it, that the knowledge of Qod, in iesuB Christ, and that only, is life eternal ; and under the sanction of this solemn truth, and in the constraining po#er of the Ibve of Christ his ransomed people are to spread this knowledge of the name of God itheir Saviour, and to witness, in their own persons, its healing, sanctifying; and glad- dening virtues. Lord increase our faith, ^ and while we rejoice that true and righteous are thy ways, thou ping of saiAts, let our knowledge of the ruined '8|ate df the whole earth, and all its families, by reason of sin, endear to our hearts the message of Thy re- deeming love, and urge us to spread it from pole to pole; believing assuredly that, accord- ing to the good word of Thy grace, thy way shall be known upon earth, and Thy saving health among all nations. THE END. PRINTEU BY THOMAS I. WHITE, 110, ABBE7 STREET. >ur autbo- r authority wledge of fily, is life his solemn Pi^r of tbe pie are to le of God their own aiM glad- our faith, ^ righteous ;s, let our the whole )n of sin, f Thy re- id it from It, accord- , thy way hy saving r STREET.