to fupport us with their charity, in fo preffing a neceffity. We follow herein the example of the Apoftles themselves, who, being under the same circumstances, most deeply laid to heart the care for the poor in the feveral Churches, the management whereof was committed to their trust. Induced by thefe and the like motives, we, the unworthy fervants of the word among the Heathens, moft heartily intreat those fouls, that are made partakers of the love of God, feafonably to relieve us, or rather, fuch of this nation, as by cmbracing the religion of our Lord, are reduced to want and poverty. They will thereby fhew forth one of the nobleft evidences of that faith, which worketh through love. And that ye fhould do fo, is not only the will of God, requiring both bodily and fpiritual affiftance at your hands, for the relief of your fellow-Chriftians; but it will prove alfo a mean, to render the name of Chrift more glorious among the Heathens, which has been blafphemed hitherto among them, by the uncharitable and vicious conduct of many Chriftians converfing with them. Alas, dear fouls! Who would not endeavour, readily to perform the will of him, who in his Son has loved us from all eternity? And who would not lay hold on any opportunity, to magnify the name of him, who not only has borne infinite love to us and our fathers, by bringing us over to the glorious light of the gofpel, from heathenifh darkness; but ftill continues plentifully to pour out his blessing upon us in heavenly things? Dear fellow-Chriftians! Since we enjoy fo many be nefits from the hand of God, let us return a fincere gratitude. to him, who is the spring of all goodness, and a compaffionate love to our neighbour, that stands in need of our help. We fhall reap a thousand-fold hereafter in heaven, from what has been sown in singleness of heart, and faith here upon earth. Let us, while we have any time left, do good to others; and not make ourselves unworthy of that benediction and reward, that is laid up for them, that have not difdained to serve Chrift VOL. XIII. U in in his poor and indigent members. The Lord is faithful! What we do to thefe, he takes as done to himself. Nay, he bears such a tender regard to all who are willing to communicate; that the leaft mite, or cup of cold water, shall be rewarded. These he will confefs before all angels and faints, faying, Come unto me, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungred, &c. Tranquebar, October 16, 1706. LETTER VII. WE have not been a little furprised, on account of not having received any letters from you this year, at the arrival of the laft European fhips; after having wrote to you both from the Cape of Good-Hope, and last year from this place in the East-Indies. Whatever the reafon be, neither I, for my fellow-labourer, have been induced to believe this to be an effect of any neglect of our friends in Europe; fince in the daily discharge of our paftoral function, we cannot but feel the concurrence of many prayers of our friends, whereof we reckon you to be the chief. And fince we remember you, not only in our prayers, but even in our daily converfation; we could not but give you an account of the rife and progrefs of the work we are fent hither about, and of the fignal bleffings of the Lord attending our endeavours hitherto. Last year, when the fhips returned to Europe, I fell dangerously ill; and the diftemper holding me above a month, made me pine away to that degree, that both myself, and others with me, began to despair of my recovery. However, the Lord having been gracioufly pleased once more to reflore me, it has now fo much the more excited me, entirely to spend the reft of my days in the service of God, by how much the lef my health was expected. My dear colleague having renewed with me this refolution, we began afresh to apply ourselves. to to the work we were fent about, notwithstanding the many appofitions we are like to encounter; moft certainly believing, that God would never forfake us in a work fincerely begun for his glory. Our chief care was now to learn the Malabarian language, after being pretty well verfed in the Portuguefe. To facilitate this defign, we maintained a Malabarian school-mafter in our house but still we were in the dark, as to the words themfelves, and the genuine conftruction thereof; he being only able to teach us to read and write; but knowing nothing of the Portuguefe, he could not give us any fatisfactory inlet into the hardest conftructions of this language. Soon after, we fell acquainted with a Malabarian, who heretofore had ferved the Eaft-India Company; and befides his own language, he fpoke Portuguese, Danish, Iligh and Low-Dutch fluently enough, This man we hired, to be our tranflator; and by this means. we made a choice collection of fome thousands of Malabarian words, which we got presently by heart. Soon after, we began to read books in this language. And all this went on fuccefsfully by the blefling of God. Our Governor, hereupon, procured us fome rudiments of a Malabarian grammar, drawn up by a miffionary, fent hither by the French King. Befides this, we met with fome books, wrote in Malabarick by Roman Catholicks; which, though they were stocked with many pernicious errors, have however contributed a great deal towards our better imbibing this language, by furnishing us with fuch words as did favour of a more chriftian ftile and temper; we being not a little put to it, how to find words expreflive enough for the delivery of spiritual doctrines, and yet cleared from the leaven of heathenish fancies and fuperftitions. The beft of thefe books contained a collection of the gofpelJeffons, which proved very useful to us. This we firft perused, picking out all fuch words and phrases as were fit for our defign; and after they were imprinted upon our memory, we practically applied them in our daily life and converfation, After this, we went also through feveral other books. And by this means I made fuch advances, within the compass of eight months, that by the affiftance of divine grace, I was able to read, to write, to talk, and to understand this hard language, if delivered by others. Mr. Plutfcho hath likewife made a confiderable progrefs therein; though indeed a country fo hot as this, doth not permit too fervent an application of the head. However, we thought it neceffary, now to agree, that whilst I was employed about the Malabarian language, he might attempt the Portuguese; both thefe languages cutting out work enough for us every day. And hitherto he has spent two hours daily, in catechizing in Portuguese, as I have in Malabarick. [To be continued.] An Account of an extraordinary NEGRO SLAVE, in Maryland: by Dr. Rufh, of Philadelphia. I Am preparing the hiftory of a Negro Slave, in Maryland, of a most extraordinary memory. At prefent I fhall give you one anecdote of the extent and force of this faculty of his mind. Some gentlemen of Philadelphia, travelling through Maryland, fent for him to know the certainty of the stories they had heard of him, by converfing with him. One of them afked him how many feconds a man of feventy years, and some odd months, weeks and days, had lived? In a minute and a half he told the number. The gentleman took up his pen, and after calculating by figures, told him he was wrong, and that the number he had declared was too great. "Top, maffa," faid the flave, "you forget de leap years." Upon including the feconds contained in the leap years, their fums were exactly the fame. This flave is a native of Africa, and can neither read nor write. He multiplied nine figures by nine, with the utmost facility, for the entertainment of another company. The flave is the property of a Mrs. Coxe. His name is Thomas Fuller. A MORAL |