Letter from Mr. Evans at Bethelsdorp.

323

tained, and their return to Caledon, he describes their journey with Mr. Pacalt to High Krall, and their arrival there.

April 5. At one o'clock on Saturday morning, immediately on our arrival, all the people in the place arose, and flocked around our waggons. They ran to meet Brother Pacalt, as children run to their father, after returning from a long journey. Had we been angels from heaven, they could not have received us with greater joy. After we had taken some refreshment, Mr. P. called the peo→ ple into the house, where we held a meeting to thank our heavenly Father for bis care over us in our journey. While he was engaged in prayer, the people, unable to suppress their feelings, began to weep and cry aloud. After singing a hymn, one of the women was desired to engage in prayer. O how ardently did she thank the Lord for putting it into the hearts of his dear people in the far land, to send his servants with the everlasting Gospel to them, poor despised Hottentots, the most despised and neglected nation in the whole world.. How did she express her astonishment, that any should be found possessing so much love to such poor, black, and miserable beings, as to leave their native country, their dear fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and friends, to come and live in such a wilderness, in order to be the means of saving them from everlasting perdition. How she wondered that they ventured to cross the mighty and blusterous ocean, to travel over high mountains, and through deep rivers, to come and live among poor Hottentots, who had nothing to give them in return for all their trouble and labour. Her manner and language were enough to affect the hardest heart.

Brother Pacalt has an excellent station, situated in the midst of a large plain, about two miles from the sea, and about three from the Drosdy of George. He has two large and fruitful gardens, besides good pasture and corn land, The people also have good gardens behind their houses. It is astonishing how much good he has been the instrument of doing in the space of four years. He has built a neat little church, with two small, but good bouses.

I cannot omit mentioning the Hottentots' singing, which is most delightful. I should almost think it worth while to come from England to Africa to hear it. Their voices are nearly, if not fully, as delightful as any musical instrument I ever heard. To hear them singing when alone in the fields, in the mornings and evenings, is in the highest degree pleasant.

Baptism of Old Simeon.

On the Tuesday evening before we left High Krall, we heard an old man of 90 years of age engaged in prayer. You can bard ly conceive how affecting it was to hear him express his thank. fulness to God, for sending the Gospel to his nation in his days, and especially for making it effectual to his own conversion.

In his youthful days he was the leader in every kind of iniqui

324

Baptism of old Simeon in Africa

ty. He was also a great elephant and buffalo hunter, and often bad very narrow escapes from the jaws of death. Once he fell under an Elephant, the enraged animal doing its utmost to crush him to death, but he escaped, he knows not how. At another period, he was tossed by a Buffalo several times, by which he was severely bruised; after which, the animal fell upon him, but the same secret and Almighty hand snatched him from the power of this fe< rocious creature, he being no doubt a chosen vessel,' though the time for his being called out of darkness into light was not yet come. Some years ago, he was for a considerable time, to all appearance dead. Every preparation was made for his funeral. He was carried to the place of interment, and let down into the grave, but as they were beginning to throw the earth upon him, he reviyed, and was carried home.

When Brother Pacalt came, and he had heard him a second time, he went home rejoicing and shouting, saying, that the Lord had raised him from the dead three times, that he might hear the word of God, and believe in Jesus Christ, before he died the fourth time.

Last new year's day, Brother P. baptized him, and gave him the name of Simeon, alluding to old Simeon, who took our Saviour in his arms, saying, Now lettest thou, &c. Mr. P. told us, that it was impossible to describe the joy which filled the old man's heart, and so invigorated his weak frame, that he seemed as lively as a youth; Now I am willing,' said he, to die; yes, I would rather die than live, that I may go and live for ever with my good and precious Saviour. Before, I was afraid to die: 0 yes; the thoughts of it made my very heart to tremble. But I did not then know God and Jesus Christ. But now I am not at all afraid to die; nay, I have no desire to live any longer. I am too old to do good to the Hottentots; and I am so much afraid of committing a single sin again, that I long to go and be with Jesus Christ, my dear Lord and good master. O, he is the best master I ever had. How many bad masters I have served; and what is worst of all, I served the devil upwards of 80 years, and he was just ready to throw me into bell, after all my trouble in serving him. But, O what infinite mercy! when on the very brink of the grave! I have had the King of Glory to be my master; and I, though a black Hottentot, shall go to his heavenly palace, to live with him in everlasting happiness. O, yes! he died for me, the most vile sinner, to buy me from the service of the devil. O, wonderful grace! O, wonderful love! O, astonishing mercy! to a bad and unruly Hottentot, who was ready for hell-fire.' Then he shouted aloud for joy. But the frail body being too weak to support the gladness which he felt, he sunk into a swoon; and the people began to think that he was gone from *the church to glory. But he revived, and began a second time to magnify the name of the dear Mediator.

We arrived at Bethelsdorp on Wednesday evening, April 30, where we were received with every mark of Christian affection, by Mr. and Mrs. Messer. Not a single accident befel us all the

Missionary Society of Connecticut.

325

way from Cape Town to Bethelsdorp, for which we have great cause to bless the name of the Lord; and here we raise our Ebe nezer, saying,' Hitherto the Lord hath helped us !'

MR. SCHMELEN, on his journey from the Cape to Namaqualand, in a letter to Dr. Steinkopff, says, We have erected a place for worship; and divine service is regularly attended morning and evening. There is a great desire among the people-a praying spirit prevails, and many are anxious to obtain an interest in Christ.

On his journey he met a chief from the little Namaqua country, who was going to procure a Missionary, if possible, to reside with him. Mr. Shaw (of the Methodist connexion, who was travelling with Mr. Schmelen,) was persuaded by the chief to accompany him to his krall at Kamüsberg.

"The place from which Mr. Schmelen wrote was formerly called Berondermeed; it now bears the name of Steinkopff.

DOMESTIC MISSIONS.

ad szed

Nineteenth ANNUAL NARRATIVE of Missionary service directed by the Trustees of the Missionary Society of Connecticut, principally in the year 1817.

Friends to the enlargement of the Redeemer's kingdom, Conciseness has been regarded in the compilation of the following Narrative. On this principle, the number of miles travelled ; of families, schools and sick: persons visited; of conferences, councils, church and prayer meetings, and funerals attended; of hopeful converts admitted to Christian privileges on a profession of piety; and of sacramental administrations; with those more minute details of missionary duty which every man employed is required to give, in the journals of his labours, will be found to have been omitted. The reasons are obvious. The insertion of such articles would be repetitions rather than useful. It would augment the size of the publication, while it could add little or nothing essential to such information as the pious reader will desire.

Those who affectionately consider this work of the Lord have well known, for years, that the missionary vocation is self denying and laborious. Their conviction has been complete, that it demands every degree of vigilance and circumspection, of wisdom and per severing fidelity in winning souls.

It will be seen that the views of the Trustees have embraced not only such destitute sections of our country as are comparatively near, but such as are far distant. Some of the labours here mentioned were, of course, performed the preceding year-the journals not having arrived seasonably for a place in the last annual Narrative.

It will be, furthermore, observed, that the Missionaries employed bave been men, generally, though not in every instance, hold

326

19th Annual Narrative of the Trustees

ing pastoral charges in the midst of the destitute regions.---From every circumstance they must unavoidably derive many advanta ges, not soon attained by others for a judicious application of time. and strength to the service of Christ among those that do not enjoy the appointed means of salvation.

Much experience has fully persuaded the Trustees, that the establishment of good ministers in the new settlements, for such por tion of their time as the people of their stated charges can afford them support, conduces more effectually to the prosperity of the Christian cause. It has therefore been among the objects of their plan to encourage, as far as practicable, the settlement of faithful men in the various parts of the missionary field.

The account now exhibited commences with labours performed in such parts of that field as are less distant.

Vermont.-Wonderful and extensive were the operations of divine grace in that division of our country. Descriptions of them have been published and widely circulated. They have awaken ed gratitude and praise in the hearts of God's people upon earth. Among the angels in heaven there has been joy, for many sinners were brought to repentance.:

The trustees devoutly acknowledge the love and kindness of God, our Saviour, manifested in causing the exertions of Missionaries there to be instrumental in accomplishing the designs of his mercy. Through his gracious smiles, their labours were not in vain. He did not leave them to spend their strength for nought. Visiting daily, and from house to house, seemed to be rendered particularly efficacious.

Their preaching and instruction were employed chiefly in the more mountainous and central parts-regions which had long been spiritually desolate. The Rev. Ammi Nichols, whose stated charge is in Braintree, was more than nine weeks in the missionary service. Much of his time was passed in places where the revi vals of religion were experienced. Those revivals made bis coming and labours uncommonly useful and acceptable to the people. Such was their destitute condition, and such were then their impressions on the great subject of eternal life, that nothing off earth could rejoice them more than the presence of one who came to bring the good tidings which the Gospel reveals.

For a much longer term the Rev. Justin Parsons was engaged in missionary labour. He delivered one hundred sermons. His pastoral charge is in Plainfield. He traversed a broader field, than Mr. Nichols, though in part comprehending the same towns. He accordingly beheld the displays and the triumphs of grace over a more numerous population. He was joyfully received by the good people; bad many expressions of gratitude for his services; and was a happy witness of the divine blessing on his exertions.

The Rev. John Lawton has a stated charge in Windham. He was employed in the county of Caledonia. There he found him. self in the midst of a vast field white already for the harvest. Illustrious were the triumphs of grace. Many stout-hearted sin

of the Missionary Society of Connecticut.

327 nets were made to bow under the mighty power of the Holy Spirit But while multitudes of hearts were thus open to the reception of truth as it is in Christ, teachers, skilful in the word of life, could not be obtained. Opinions erroneous, and dangerous were inculcated with lamentable diligence and success. In more than twenty towns, of the vicinity, there were no intelligent and able teachers of those doctrines, which make the soul wise unto salvation. It would be impossible for any person, who had not been on the ground, to conceive the pressing calls for help, from the people of many towns, who, a year before, seemed almost as indifferent to spiritual things as the beasts that perish. He states, that about ten months previous to the date of his last communica tion, a lecture had been appointed and only ten persons attended. In the same place then, the people so crowded the house, and thronged the windows, that the preacher was unable to retire, for more than an hour after the usual services were ended-such numbers with tears were inquiring, "What they should do to be saved?" After all, he felt as though the half could not be told..

Pennsylvania.-In New-Milford and its vicinity the Rev. Oliver Hill has a pastoral charge. A small part of his time was spent in the missionary field. His labours were performed in the county of Susquehannah, and in the neighbouring county of Broome, State of New-York. In the course of five weeks be delivered twenty-five sermons. He found urgent need of Missionaries in that quarter. The whole county of Susquehannah had only two ministers of the congregational or presbyterian denomination; and those two were almost the only Missionaries who had laboured in that destitute region. Though professors of religion, continued steadfast in the faith, yet he had to lament the prevalence of a lukewarm spirit. No remarkable revivals refreshed and animated the followers of Christ.

a

In the counties of Wayne, Bradford, and Susquehannah, and in several counties of New-York bordering upon them, the Rev. Ebenezer Kingsbury, whose stated charge is in Hartford, travelled and laboured twenty-six weeks. While in this employment he delivered one hundred and thirty-five sermons. He had often previously been over the same ground in the same work. Calls for missionary labour were more frequent and impressive, and meetings were more solemn and full, than in any preceding period of his acquaintance with that country. Still, he found no general awakenings in any place. Individuals, however, were hopefully turned to the Lord. Some small churches were favoured with considerable additions. A disposition to support religious institutions, and to hear the truth, was increasing. He was received with as much kindness as formerly, and with more apparent affection. The faithful exertions of missionaries there had been blessed. Numbers regarded those, exertions as the means by which a divine band led them to repentance, and enriched them with the hopes and consolations of the gospel. But it was deeply affecting to behold the destitute condition of