Εικόνες σελίδας
PDF
Ηλεκτρ. έκδοση

sailors. This day, in perfect health, I set and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my foot on the shores of Dominica; and my salvation be exalted." The people received a hearty welcome from some of were attentive, and the word was with the members of the society to whom I was power. After service I held a love-feast, introduced. "God bless you, Massa," and was never more delighted at any such cried one. "We very glad see you, service I have ever attended. Here was Massa," said another; and a third (one no backwardness, no shyness, no reserve of the female Leaders) said, "We heard, in speaking. Four or five persons rose of your staying at Antigua; and, if we at a time; several had some difficulty in could, we would have taken hold of the speaking at all, and rose from their seats vessel and have pulled it to Dominica." four times for that purpose; and though it All seemed unanimous in their ex- lasted upwards of three hours, the people pressions of desire to see me comfortable. continued speaking, and would have gone As far as I can judge, they seem an af- on, had I not concluded the meeting. And fectionate and pious people. May the here I had an opportunity of seeing the Lord make me an abundant blessing effects of the Gospel upon the mind of the among them! As I arrived in time, I negro. It has often been objected, that preached to an attentive congregation, the piety of our professing negroes, takfrom Isaiah xxxv., last three verses. God ing them as a whole, is very shallow; was in the midst. I felt at liberty while but if what I saw and heard to-day be a pointing out the way to heaven as the fair specimen, they know as much about way of holiness; and I trust good was the work of God on the heart, practically done. I want to be useful. I had not and experimentally, as any people in the left the land of my fathers, and all my world. It was easy to see that, notwithpious connexions, to preach the Gospel standing great inaccuracy of language, in this archipelago, but from a sincere and inability to give a correct view of desire to do good; and where am, I their religious experience, there was derejoice at the prospect before me. Here cided sterling piety. Even were it the is work enough for me to do. The first case that their piety was below the standthing I saw when landing was a Sunday ard of others, it might be easily accountmarket; crowds of negroes and ne- ed for; but, to me, all the difference is, gresses assembled in the market-place, in appearance, that, not being able to vending their articles of food, &c. If give, in language we are accustomed to ever I felt any thing of that spirit-stirring hear, a statement of their experience in zeal which seized the Apostle when in the things of God, their piety appears deAthens, it was then. May the Lord arise ficient, from the circumstance of their deand maintain his own cause! ficiency in accounting for it. One old black woman spoke as follows:-" Me poor hell-deserving sinner. God very

5th. This week I have entered into a new sphere of action. I have taken a fresh field in my Master's name, and against my Master's foes. In enlisting under his banner, rallying round his standard, and fighting his battles, I may fall; "but none of these things move me, neither count I 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 of the Gospel of the grace of God." I have come into this glorious work in the spirit of sacrifice; and, if called upon to die in the field, I trust I shall ever say, "Thy will be done." Thoughts of home, and of those who now and then send a wish and a thought after me, will intrude upon my mind; but, thank God, I am enabled cheerfully to give them up. Nor shall I ever repent leaving my happy circle of pious friends, if I am but instrumental in saving souls from death; but, on the contrary, shall thank God for using such a poor, such a worthless instrument.

Sunday, 6th.-I preached this morning from Psalm xviii. 46: "The Lord liveth,

merciful: brought me from darkness to light; me sin against him, he pardon me, give me new heart. Now me feel him my Fader; he wid me in the morning, wid me in the evening, he wid in sickness, wid me in health. He my Saviour, my friend. Now me feel me love him; me love me God, me love me Christ, me love Massa Minister, me love all de world." Nor was this a solitary instance : numbers expressed themselves in a similar way. Now only give these persons ability to expand their accounts, and let them express themselves more clearly and more at large, and I will then ask those who are so sceptical on the subject of the religious character of the negroes, whether there be not here every thing that enters into the constitution of the Christian. Who does not see divine grace operating in producing a sense of guilt; inspiring right views of the mercy of God in Christ; gradually working that change which led them to God as their Father, reconciled in Christ, and then producing the corre

ex

sponding effects of love to God and man? This statement, simple as it is, presses the whole process of divine grace on the heart; and, blessed be God, we have scores of such specimens in Rousseau. This evening I found great liberty in speaking from the narrative of the penitent thief.

To

Sunday, 13th.-Thank God, this has been one of the best Sabbaths that I have I spent since I left my father's house. have enjoyed more of the divine presence, have felt more liberty at the throne of grace, and greater liberty in preaching, than I have done for some time past. me these Sabbaths are Sabbaths indeed. Though I am more or less engaged in the work of God the whole of the week, I hail their return with as much sacred delight as those who are engaged in their secular calling. The early part of this day I was deeply affected with a sense of the responsibility of the Christian ministry. I began to tremble that I had taken it upon me, and thought if I should take the blood of the people to the bar of God, it would have been better that my tongue had been sealed in endless silence, than to have used it in such a cause. With such impressions I went to God, imploring his assistance; and he was pleased to hear me. In the evening, while preaching, my heart was warmed, my tongue unloosed, and I was enabled to exhort, to entreat, to warn, and to persuade the people to give themselves unto the Lord. My text was, "And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord ?" (1 Chron. xxix. 5.) Í never felt more desirous of doing good; and this desire led to the adoption of plain and pointed language. The people seemed to feel the word. The Lord add his blessing, and it shall be well! By his grace I am determined more and more to spend and be spent for the glory of God. I want, first of all, to feel all the truths, and enjoy all the bless ings, which I preach and hold out to others. Without this, my ministry will be a dry, worthless nothing. A clear, unclouded sense of the divine favour is what I will always try to secure, a mind decidedly spiritual; and I am determined not to let a day pass without getting some accessions of knowledge, faith, and piety. Lately, I have been more spiritualized in my affections and desires; God is weaning me from the world, and every thing is merged in an intense desire

"To glorify my God below, And find my way to heaven." Sunday, 27th.-A day of great peace. I have felt much of the divine presence, and have been enabled to glorify God.

But O! I want his utmost salvation, his fulness of love; to be all renewed in righteousness, and to have every moment of my time taken up in doing the will of God. I rose this moring a little before six, and went to Layou to preach "the unsearchable riches of Christ." There a goodly company, all black and coloured people. As this was the first time I had been there, the people, as I entered the chapel, rose up with one accord, and sang,

was

"Welcome, welcome, messenger of mercy,"&c., and continued singing till I had been in the pulpit some minutes. During the sermon the congregation sat with marked attention; and when it was drawing to a close, and during the last prayer, there was such a sobbing in several parts of the chapel, as gave evidence that they not only heard, but felt, the word of God. After this Í gave tickets to the men; and found many who could rejoice in a sinpardoning God. I had the melancholy task, however, of excluding two persons for actual sin; a circumstance the more to be regretted as our little society here has, from the beginning, been remarkably steady.

May 8th.-According to previous arrangement, I went on two estates, distant about four or five miles from Rousseau, to request permission to visit them. That request was kindly granted by the proprietors. Having obtained permission, I gathered about twenty of the negroes around me in one of their huts, and explained to them, as they were all members of our society, what God and his church expected of them. They listened eagerly; and among this humble people, and in this humble place, a gracious influence was felt, constraining us to say, "It is good for us to be here." There seems to be simple, unaffected piety among them, and most of them give evidence of a real work of grace in the heart.

11th. I went to Layou. In the service at the chapel, when I commenced reading prayers, there were but few people; they kept increasing, however, as I went on, so that, I had a good congregation. Liberty was given me while explaining the nature and grounds of a Christian's hope, and many wept aloud during the application of the sermon. After preaching, I fell into conversation with a black girl who had, for a while, been a member of the Methodist society, but who, unhappily, had been led into sin, and subsequently excluded. I talked to her closely, pointedly, and affectionately, and prayed with her; in which prayer she heartily joined, and wept bitterly. May the Lord save her!

By these extracts it will be seen that I am endeavouring, by the help of the Lord, to prosecute the object of my Mission. We are visiting the estates as far as we can get access to them; and our labours in this respect are not in vain. We have our discouragements, it is true; but many circumstances are transpiring which encourage us to go forward in the name of our Lord. 'Though we have lately had to exclude several for not "walking uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel," yet we have a small increase. Many backsliders have returned, some have found peace with God; and, among the members, the Lord is working silently, solemnly, and deeply. Our Sundayschool, too, is improving considerably; we have had an increase of about sixty children since the District-Meeting, and several of them have sought for and obtained admission into society, and are inquiring their way to heaven. The work at the barracks is still going on. Through the instrumentality of a pious Serjeant, the men are kept together; about twenty of them meet in class, and two have lately been savingly converted to God. I have begun preaching, on the Sabbath-day, at

a place near Grand-Bay, about ten miles from town, where preaching is much wanted. It lies in the neighbourhood of four estates, on which live about eight hundred negroes. At present the congre. gation is small, but I have already seen some fruit. I wish to live, and preach, and pray, and study for God and souls. I am willing to employ all for the glory of Him whose I am, and whom I serve. There is not a drop of blood in my veins that I would not willingly spill upon the Missionary altar to win souls to Jesus, Thus far, I bless God, I have had my health; and should it be continued, I conceive myself bound, by my engagements before God and his people at my ordination, (which season I have not forgotten,) as well as by the nature of my calling, to spend it in the behalf of the cause of Christ in the West Indies. To this department of labour God, I believe, has sent me; and here I am, body and soul, for the Missionary work. O that I may be blessed with that heavenly unction which will qualify me for my work, and make me useful in it! Amen and amen.

MONTEGO-BAY.-Extract of a Letter from Mr. Wedlock, dated July 22d, 1834.

It is truly gratifying to find that our good friends in England continue to take so lively an interest in our welfare, and the welfare of the thousands committed to our charge. The Resolutions of the Bible Society are noble and truly philanthropic. The great boon they purpose to confer upon our peasantry, who are so soon to be enfranchised, will ever be reckoned amongst the most glorious performances of that God-like institution.

Our prospects here are most exhilarating; and if we are to maintain our ground, and to embrace any of the new openings which present themselves, we must have help. Here are three of the most thickly populated parishes in the island, namely, St. James, Hanover, and Westmoreland, containing nearly seventy thousand human beings, who are just going to take their proper stand among the families of the earth; and amongst all these thousands, to say nothing of the thousands who are already free, you have two Missionaries. We ought to have, at least, two more, without loss of time. I do most earnestly entreat you to plead for us, that if two

cannot be sent, one, at least, may be sent to our help without delay. Now that the door is opening before us, we cannot see the people perishing in their sins without using our utmost efforts. And the fact is, if one be not soon sent into these Western Circuits, you may probably have to send three. I mentioned in my last, that the Authorities and others are now favourably disposed toward us; in proof of this, I am happy in being enabled to inform you, that a gentleman, who is a Magistrate, and who has charge of several properties in the neighbourhood of one of our preaching places, Ramble, presented me with fifty pounds, Jamaica currency, about a fortnight ago. The money was enclosed in a letter to the following ef fect:

"To the Rev. Mr. Wedlock. "The sum of fifty pounds currency, enclosed, is presented to the Wesleyan Missionary Society, for the purpose of aiding its efforts towards the religious instruction of the inhabitants of this neighbourhood."

POSTSCRIPT.

THE following extract of a letter, from the Rev. John Burdsall, dated Weymouth, December 9th, 1834, will be read with pleasure. It exhibits

an instance of zeal in behalf of the Mission cause worthy of general imitation. Our Weymouth friends evidently argue correctly respecting the duty of the supporters of Missions at the present important juncture of our Missionary affairs. Their conduct shows that they regard the unexampled success vouchsafed to the operations of the Wesleyan Missionary Society, and the providential openings, numerous and promising beyond all precedent, to new fields of holy and benevolent labour, as imposing on them obligations to more than ordinary exertion. In this way, by redoubling their endeavours to augment the funds of the Society, we trust our friends in other places will respond to the heartless, wicked, senseless advice which has been given them to withhold their contributions, and thus arrest that work of mercy which God is carrying on in the earth by the instrumentality of this Society. The liberal offerings of our friends at Weymouth will be added to the Special Fund in aid of our West India Missions.

"After reading last night, at our monthly Missionary prayer-meeting, the extracts of Messrs. Walton and Britten's letters, dated from Parham and Nevis, in your December number of the Missionary Notices, I asked the assembly if those touching appeals for more chapels and aid should be made to them in vain? To this, one replied, No; put me down five pounds; and another, and another, said, put me down so much, and so much. I took down the names, and received between eight and nine pounds; and hope in a few days to send you an order to this, if not to a larger, amount.”

CONTRIBUTIONS.

The amount of Contributions received by the General Treasurers of the Wesleyan-Methodist Missionary Society, since the 13th of November, is £2553. 148. 6d.

OBITUARY.

THE LATE DR. CAREY.

"THE Calcutta Inquirer" of June 14th last, says, We have this morning to announce the death of the Rev. Dr. Carey, of Serampore, which happened on Monday last. The venerable Doctor had for a long time been ill and expected to expire, but he was spared to breathe in this world until last Monday. He was the first person to enter into the Missionary field in India, and no man in these times has undergone more personal labour than he in preaching the Gospel to the Heathen. He laboured equally with his pen and his tongue, and published useful works and preached to the people with indefatigable zeal. The Bible and the Tract Societies are indebted to him for the best of their versions of the Bible and Tracts; and the Bengalee literature, poor as it is, owes its present state of improvement to his exertions. The oldest native converts looked to him as the instrument of their conversion, and Serampore and the neighbouring villages will feel his loss.

Many were the Missionaries that, through the oppressive climate of Bengal, either terminated their earthly career, or were obliged to return to their native country. Few had the privilege of labouring long in this land of darkness and Heathenism; but the Rev. Dr. Carey was highly honoured in this respect. He was allowed to spend a very great part of his life in the Missionary work here, and lived too to see much of the fruits of his labour.

The "Sumachar Durpun" gives the following account of his death:

We have to communicate intelligence to-day, which will be received with general lamentation, not only throughout India, but throughout the world. Dr. Carey has finished his pilgrimage on earth, having gently expired early last Monday morning. For several years past, his health has been very infirm, and his strength has gradually sunk, until the weary wheels of nature stood still from mere debility, and not from disease. The peculiarly trying hot weather

and rainy season of 1833, reduced him to such extreme weakness, that in September last he experienced a stroke of apoplexy, and, for some time after, his death was expected daily. It pleased God, however, to revive him for a little. During the past cold season, he could again take an evening and morning ride in his palanquin carriage, and spent much of the day reclining in an easy chair with a book in his hand, or conversing cheerfully with any friend that called. As, however, the hot weather advanced, he sunk daily into still greater debility than before. He could take no nourishment; he lay helpless and speechless on his bed, until his skin was worn off his body, and death was a merciful relief. His dearest friends could not but rejoice that his sufferings were ended, although they mourn his loss to themselves and to mankind.

The career which Dr. Carey has run is worthy of most honourable notice. He was a man who stood prominently forward from the mass of the several generations of men with whom he lived; and both for his private and his public character he deserves to be had in lasting remembrance. He was the son of a poor man, and entered life with a very defective education, and assigned to a business no where in high estimation, and peculiarly despised in this country-he was a shoemaker. These disadvantages, however, could not repress the energy of his mind; and it soon appeared that divine Providence had other work for him to do, than that for which he seemed at first to have been designed. A thirst for knowledge he manifested, in various ways, from his childhood; and, just as he was coming to manhood, it pleased God to draw his heart to himself, which happy change in his character in. creased his pursuit of instruction. To understand the word of God was the first object of his desire; and therefore he set himself to acquire a knowledge of the ancient languages in which it was written. Whilst he was yet labouring for his daily bread with the awl, he sought acquaintance with grammars and dictionaries; and he never left them, till those compiled by himself had gained, by universal consent, an honourable place amongst the monuments of human learning. He was soon after settled as Pastor of a church in Leicester.

In the meantime, as he became more acquainted with the condition of the various nations of the earth, by reading the narratives of voyagers and travellers, he felt great concern for the state of the Heathen. So much was he affected there

by, that he resolved to leave all that was dear to him in his native land, for the purpose of preaching the Gospel to the Heathen; and in 1792 a Society was formed amongst his friends, and through his influence, at whose expense he came to Bengal with his family and another Missionary, in the end of 1793.

Dr. Carey came to India in a Danish ship; without obtaining the consent of the Hon. Company. To have sought it would have been useless, since the Indian Government were at that time as opposed to the propagation of the Christian religion in India, as if they had thought their own faith to be false. When Dr. Carey came into Bengal, therefore, it was a principal object with him to conceal himself from the knowledge of Government; and for a little time he occupied himself in the cultivation of recently redeemed jungle-lands near Takee, about forty miles east from Calcutta; and here he was exposed to much suffering. A few months afterwards, however, he was invited by the late Mr. Udny to take charge of an indigo factory, which he commenced between Malda and Dinagepore, and his colleague obtained a similar situation. Through the kindness of their employer, too, they obtained formal permission from Government to continue in India. Dr. Carey continued thus situated from 1794 to the beginning of 1800; during which time he applied himself diligently to the study of the Bengalee language, and then of the Sungskrit. He translated the Scriptures into Bengalee, preached the Gospel in it extensively, and supported several schools.

On the 10th of January, 1800, Dr. Carey came to Serampore and united with Dr. Marshman, Mr. Ward, and others, lately arrived from Europe, in forming the Mission which has since borne the name of this town From the Serampore Government, and His Majesty the King of Denmark himself, Dr. Carey and his colleagues, from first to last, have received the most gracious protection and favour, with whatever jealousy they were in former days regarded by their own country

men.

In the first year of his residence at Serampore, Dr. Carey's translation of the New Testament was nearly all printed; and the first Christian converts from Hindooism in Bengal were baptized. The Christian church, which was then begun with a few individual believers in the Gospel, has now branched into about twentyfour churches in different parts of India.

In 1801 Dr. Carey was chosen as Bengalee teacher in the newly instituted college of Fort-William. He was afterwards

« ΠροηγούμενηΣυνέχεια »