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that which has just been presented to the reader: let us, however, be raised from a mere idolatrous admiration of the men, to adore the grace which gave them such faith, constancy, and fortitude; and let this exhibition of the power of the love of Christ lead every reader to ask his own heart, whether his professed attachment to the Saviour is productive of such fruit of devoted zeal and obedience. Let it be remembered, that unless we take up our cross, and follow Jesus, we are not worthy of him, that Christians are called to crucify the flesh, with its affections and lusts, not pleasing themselves, even as Christ pleased not himself, but glorifying Him who has bought them with his precious blood, in their bodies and their spirits which are his. How deeply the Moravian Missionaries had imbibed these lessons of divine wisdom will still further appear in the following chapter.

CHAPTER IV.

The Missionaries grieved by not hearing from the European brethren-Threatened with famine-Remarkable providence-Fortitude of the Missionaries-Female helpers arrive from Germany-Mr. Egede returns to Europe-The Missionaries experience contempt and insult from the savages-The Missionaries' lives threatened-A Greenlander hears the word of God with some attention-Christian Stach and Christian Margraf arrive at New Herrnhuth-Anxious thoughts of the Missionaries about the opinion of their friends in Europe-The heathen continue unmoved by the gospel-Visit to the heathen at Kangek,

We now proceed with the history of the third year of the brethren's sojourn in Greenland, during which their faith was proved by heavy trials. In regard to temporal things they seemed to be quite forgotten by their friends in Europe. Nor did they so much as receive any letters from the congregation or any other friends, except two which were of an encouraging character, from Professor Steenbuch, a member of the Missions' College, and from the king's cup-bearer, Mr. Martens. This unaccountable silence of their friends, occasioned various distressing apprehensions.

The situation of the Missionaries was now distressing in the extreme. Their total amount of provisions, for the whole year, consisted only of half a barrel of pease, a small quantity of ship-biscuits, and a barrel and half of oatmeal. In these distressing circumstances, the three missionaries at Good-hope acted towards the brethren in the most friendly manner, assisting and comforting them by their counsels, and relieving their distress according to their power. But, as the scarcity of provisions in other parts of the country obliged another Mission family to reside with the Missionaries at Goodhope, the brethren could not receive much aid from that quarter. And, as if all things conspired to try

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them, it happened that, though they had been hitherto pretty successful in hunting and fishing, yet now they could get little or nothing; for just this year there was a great scarcity both of beasts, fishes, and birds. Therefore there was no other way in which the brethren could procure a subsistence, but by purchasing seals from the Greenlanders, as they themselves could not catch them. But the savages soon found out the straits to which the Missionaries were reduced, and, taking advantage of their distress, they demanded an exorbitant price for provisions; mapy even shewed a reluctance to supply them with food upon any terms; and how must it have pained the generous hearts of these men of God, to find that those Greenlanders with whom they were best acquainted, and to whom they had shewn much kindness before, would sell them nothing at all! Oftentimes, when they had been rowing round among them two or three days, their utmost entreaties could procure no more than half a seal or less; and when that was consumed, they were obliged to pacify their hunger with shell-fish and raw sea-weed, for that could not be eaten boiled.

At length, when their faith had been tried, God, who ordered a raven to feed Elijah, disposed a strange Greenlander, called Ippegau, to come 40 leagues out of the South to the relief of the Missionaries. This heathen, unlike the rest of his countrymen, willingly sold the brethren as many seals as he could spare, and thus became the instrument, in the hands of God, for preserving the lives of his servants. Thus they inured themselves to eat seal's flesh, and dished up the little oatmeal which they had left, or which they earned from time to time at the colony, with the train oil which the seal afforded. Those that know what the train oil is, will be able to form some idea of what the brethren endured. Yet this was a delicacy for taste and digestion, in comparison to the old tallow candles which they were obliged to use when the train oil failed.

This penury very much increased the brethren's toils and perils, for now they could not always wait for settled weather to embark on the ocean; but the cravings of hunger constrained them to throw themselves on the mercy of the raging billows in uncertain weather, and

E

to make voyages of six leagues or upwards in an old decayed hulk of a boat, which was now become so rotten, that a pen-knife might be thrust through its planks. Once, when they were about to land, they were hurried two leagues back by a sudden squall, and wetted through and through by the breakers, and in these wet clothes they were obliged to stay in the cold upon an island till the fourth day. Another time, in November, having quite tired themselves at their oars, they stayed all the night at an uninhabited place, and, almost perished with cold, and faint with fatigue, they had no better refreshment than a little seal's flesh, which they had procured from a Greenlander at a feast. For want of a tent, they laid themselves down in a hole in the snow; and when that was stopped up by more driven snow, they were obliged to rise and warm themselves by running.

Before the departure of the ship, the Missionaries were urged and pressed by every body to return to Europe, and come again the next year; and their advisers enforced the expediency and necessity of such a step, by adverting to the apparent impossibility of their procuring subsistence in Greenland. When they answered, "The Lord our God can preserve us, and if he is not pleased to do it, we shall fall into his hands;" this was taken as self-will and temerity, nay, as tempting God. The savages also, who are so little used to reflection, pondered very much upon this circumstance; and, although the object of the brethren's sojourn in Greenland had often been explained to them, they could not comprehend what inducement they could have to tarry, oppressed as they were by the want of all necessaries, involved in constant anxiety, and exposed to continual contempt.

But, while the light of the Lord's countenance shone brightly upon the souls of these devoted Christians, they could cheerfully say, in the midst of all their trials

Satan,

"When He giveth quietness, who then can make trouble ?" But this was not always the case. whose empire they came to disturb, sometimes disquieted their souls; the brethren more particularly experienced his assaults when they visited the heathen: on those occasions, they were oppressed by the most gloo

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my apprehensions-a great power of darkness rested upon their minds, while they were ready to sink under the hopelessness produced by the seeming impossibility of reaching the hearts of the savages. Under these circumstances, it appears amazing that they did not yield to the persuasions of their friends, and return to Europe. But they adhered to the word of promise, believing that their Heavenly Father would not suffer his servants to perish for hunger, and that their labour should not ultimately be in vain. Their feelings, at this distressing period, are exhibited in the following extract from one of their letters: "We commit our ways to the Lord. We know not what he intends to do with us, and as little do we understand what his secret hand has been doing among the heathen. So much we observe, that more trials await us; yet we believe that the issue will be truly glorious, and when he has exercised us enough, and found us faithful to him and the call he has given us, he will not fail to let us see his glory. Our Bible-hour is a particular blessing to our hearts in these circumstances, and He grants us many a solution in our affairs. We feel that he is with us and among us; and although people that look at things present, and are insensible to future things, can neither see nor comprehend matters in the beginning, and look upon us, simple servants, either as fools, or conceited men, who only want to begin something new, and erect ourselves a name, yet we firmly believe that He will in due time prosper the work of our hands, which is his work, and make it manifest that he has chosen and called us to this labour. May only Jesus Christ, who is yesterday and to-day the same, never withhold his grace from his poor and helpless creatures, but keep us through his strength willing to serve the heathen at his beck, and then in time all will issue to His praise."

The difficulty of procuring subsistence still continued to oppress the Brethren, during the greater part of the fourth year of their residence in Greenland. Various and distressing were the straits to which they were reduced, and various and remarkable the means by which their lives were preserved.

The extraordinary kindness shewn them by a strange