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Therefore, when

was only for the sake of one soul. some people advised them to go back, because, as the land was depopulated, they would waste their time in vain; they could answer them, with frankness and courage: "God's ways are not man's ways; he that called us hither, can still accomplish his aim by us."

But, to proceed, the three Missionaries fell sick themselves, one after the other. As soon as they had put their habitation in order, they were infected with an eruption, which so increased in the winter, that they could scarcely move their limbs, and often were obliged to keep their bed. Very probably it was the scurvy, so common in the northern countries, which might the sooner condense and corrupt their blood, as a sedentary life suddenly followed very hard labour; for they were obliged to change their habits of active exertion, and sit writing continually in a cold damp house: or possibly they might have been affected by the intolerable smell of the dying Greenlanders. However, one of them could always be up to nurse the rest, and to go with the colony's boat to visit the sick savages. Mr. Egede behaved towards them like a true friend, and his wife never omitted sending them some refreshment or cordial when she herself had any; so that they were often scrupulous of accepting the many kindnesses with which they were loaded.

Thus, in the beginning of their mission, the Brethren had very great straits to pass through. They wrote as follows concerning it: "We are at present in a school of faith, and see not the least prospect before us. We can perceive no trace of any thing good among the heathens, no, not so much as a sigh, and the poor creatures find death where they should have found life. As for us, let us look where we will, we see nothing in ourselves but mere poverty and misery without and within. Without, we find not the bodily strength and ability requisite to stand it out in this land; this is a gift to be yet bestowed upon us from the hand of God. At present we are severely handled by sickness, though we believe that our constitutions will only be prepared and seasoned by it, that we may be able to endure the more in the service of the Lord. We acknowledge it

also as a peculiar kind providence, that our sickness was to wait till we had removed into our house. Within, every thing that could spring from human good-will, even our alacrity to learn the language, is fallen away; nothing, but what grace has wrought, abides by us. Our Lord best knows why he stationed upon this post the most feeble and inexperienced, and some of such as had but just begun to prosper among you. However, we will remain in this school, where we must contend who can believe best, even in the prospect of nothing but human impossibilities: yes, here we will stay till Jesus helps us as helpless ones, neither will we be concerned for any thing but to please him.

What gives us hope is, that God suffers his children to pass through straits to the mark in view; and our joy is, the remembering and being remembered by the many children of God in Europe."

In such troublous circumstances was the first year passed over, and the second begun. With respect to the sickness of the Brethren, when spring came, they recovered pretty well. But the mortality continued among the Greenlanders, till after Midsummer; and they were therefore seldom any where to be seen. Yet the brethren lost no opportunity of visiting them, performing most of their voyages for this purpose in winter, often in the extremest cold, because the Greenlanders are seldom met with at home in summer.

Christian David undertook the furthest voyage southward this year, from the 11th to the 31st of March, in company of the traders; he would also have gone north afterwards, but could not. His aim on this voyage was to inquire into the circumstances of the country, to see if the contagion still prevailed, and where most of the Greenlanders resided both summer and winter; to declare to them, as much as possible, the joyful message concerning Jesus, and to invite them to visit the Missionaries. For many leagues at first they found no people, but fallen houses, and many unburied bodies, with new clothes and tools lying by them. The second day, a high wind brought them into great danger of their lives among ice and rocks, but, after much labour and difficulty, they got to land through the ice. After

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spending three days and three nights in the open air and sharp cold, and waiting in vain for a better wind, they endeavoured to go back to an island inhabited by Greenlanders, but the ice forbade their approach to land; therefore they were obliged to forsake their boat, and to walk full two leagues over the ice to another island, where they found five inhabited Greenland houses, and where Christian David and the boatmen were forced to stay ten days. The Greenlanders behaved in a friendly manner towards him, desired to learn his name and its signification, looked at his book (the Bible), wondered how he could understand God's will by that, and would be glad to know something about it. But he could be of little service to them, for want of knowing their language. They ran about after him every where like children, and were very sorry at parting with him.

His description and judgment of them is to the following purport: "According to outward appearance, the life they lead is angelic, in comparison of our European Christians. And yet it may be said of them, that they live without God in the world, and what they have hitherto heard of God, is like a chip to them. It is all one to them, whether one speaks of Him, or lets it alone, or whether we sing a hymn, or they a song. I could not perceive the least stirring in them, Their intellectual faculties are so weak and dull, and so indisposed to reflection, that they cannot form the least idea of a Divine Being, and consequently have no religion. Sensitive as they are, yet they seem to be almost destitute of passions, and their nature is not easily inflamed or stirred up. They know of nothing but Greenland finery and good eating, and as they know no other subject of discourse but the beasts they use for food, so they are as brutal and stupid as the beasts themselves. They associate with their like, love their young like the beasts, and know of no other culture to be spent on them. They look upon us as another race, not belonging to their species. Now whether these people can be rendered capable of faith, God only knows."

Towards the end of the year, some of the heathen made their appearance again; they put on a very

friendly demeanour, and were full of flattering speeches, by which they endeavoured to soothe the Europeans to liberality, because it is considered a shame to beg any thing. As long as the Missionaries talked with them about seal-catching, or satisfied their inquiries about the state of other countries, they heard them with pleasure. But when the Brethren began about conversion, they grew drowsy, or set up a shout, and ran away.

The prospect of the conversion of the Greenlanders now became so gloomy, that Christian David and Christian Stach began to think of returning by the first ship, because they knew not what they could do in a land that seemed to be almost depopulated, and where the small remnant left did not shew the least token of any inclination or meetness for the kingdom of God. But Matthew Stach could not resolve to go away. He often thought of a text, that had made a deep impression upon him when he received the first impulse to go to Greenland, viz. "At evening time it shall be light," Zech. xiv. 7. Therefore he had determined even to stay alone, and Mr. Egede had offered to take care of him as long as he himself should remain.

In the midst of these gloomy circumstances, God, who comforteth those that are cast down, cheered the Missionaries by the news, that the congregation was resolved to support the mission, and that John Beck and Frederick Boehnish were actually on their passage to Greenland as their assistants. Being shortly after encouraged by the arrival of these brethren, they took courage afresh, and engaged themselves with them to await the glory of the Lord, in this rough post, with patient hope. After that, they applied to their business, and particularly to learn the language, with renewed and united energy. In this they continued to receive much assistance from Mr. Egede's grammar, and from the instructions of his son, who had learned the language from the Greenlanders, when a child. We have again adverted to the help which the brethren derived from Mr. Egede in acquiring the language of the savages, because in this, and the many important services which Mr. Egede rendered to the Moravian Missionaries, we see abundant reason for thinking, as

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he himself was assured, that the best portion of his life was spent in Greenland, in obedience to the call of God.

While the Brethren were engaged in these studies which were preparatory to their usefulness among the Heathen, they also laboured diligently to maintain themselves, as much as possible, in the Greenland mode, and to lessen their need of supplies from abroad. And God imparted his blessing to them, so that they improved in the art of fishing more and more.

They now also regulated their daily meetings for edification, in a more orderly manner; and besides the hour for prayer and singing, appointed an hour every day for reading and meditating upon the Holy Scripture. Besides this, each of them, along with his daily work and the meetings, chose some particular time, as well by day as night, for laying before the Lord in secret prayer, his desires for himself, bis brethren, and all children of God throughout the earth, and to supplicate his blessing also towards their learning of the language, and their successful labour among the heathen.

In this manner the Missionaries began the third year in Greenland. They had, as yet, but little opportunity to labour among the heathen, therefore, their chief winter occupation was learning the language; in the acquisition of which they still found great difficulty.

This year Christian David, according to his original purpose, returned to Europe. The other four brethren divided themselves in their visiting voyages. We find nine such excursions noted down this year; so that each of them got an opportunity of learning the circumstances of the country, the internal and external condition, morals, customs, and language of the inhabitants. These voyages also afforded them an opportunity of dropping a seed of divine truth, here and there among the Heathen, in faith and hope. But as they were making preparation for one of these voyages in March, and were rejoicing in the prospect of their intercourse with the heathen, the only women's-boat they had left, was lifted up from the ground by a violent tempest, was carried some hundred paces in the air, and dashed to pieces against a rock. This brought them into a sad dilemma; but they were comforted from the Bible with