pleasure, but it is hard to keep them in an attentive mood, for as soon as their eye or ear is amused with some other thing, away they run after it, and what they heard before is instantly forgotten. I was once reading something to a Greenlander, and when I read this expression, We should despise earthly things,' he said, Saog, why so, I pray?' I informed him, that God had created mankind, not only for this transient earthly life, but for an everlasting life, and that it was the unhappy effect of the fall, that men concerned themselves solely for the body, and had no care for their immortal soul, nor for that state where they are to be fixed for eternity, when Jesus Christ shall come to judge the world, and shall conduct those that believe to heaven, but shall consign over the unbelievers and the wicked to the devil, and cast them into unquenchable fire. Hereupon the Greenlander replied, If the Son of God is such a terrible Being, I do not want to go to heaven.' Then I asked him, if he would go to hell-fire? He answered, no, he would not go there neither, but would stay here upon earth. When I made it clear to him that no man can stay always on earth, but all must die, and after death must go to a good or bad place, he mused a while, and then said, he did not know that, nor did he like to hear any more of it. At last he said, he must go a fishing, his wife had no victuals, and he had no ears to admit such incomprehensible things."

Thus gloomy were the prospects of the conversion of a people from among the Greenlanders, but the Missionaries, although often perplexed by unbelieving thoughts, were not in despair. It will be seen in the following chapter that the present darkness was designed to exhibit more strikingly the arm of the Lord in the fulfilment of the promise contained in the word, whereon he had caused his servants to hope, "At evening time it shall be light."

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CHAPTER V.

The Missionaries cheered by a Greenlander who takes up his abode with them-Some Greenlanders much moved by the narrative of the sufferings of Jesus-Conversion of Kajarnak-Several Heathen hear the Gospel-Kajarnak persecuted-A famine draws many heathen to New Herrnhuth-A visiting voyage to the heathen-Cruelty of a Greenlander-Baptism of Kajarnak and his family-Brightening prospects of the Missionaries clouded, by the departure of Kajarnak-Which event proves the occasion of much good-The awakening proceeds among the savages - Return of Kajarnak-His exemplary walk-A good impression produced upon strangers-Kajarnak's death.

THE very unpromising appearance of things, as the Brethren entered upon the sixth year of their Mission, has been described in the last chapter.

In the beginning of the year there was a great scarcity of provisions in Greenland, and the Missionaries received frequent visits from the savages, who were drawn to New Herrnhuth by the hope of getting something to eat. Among these hungry guests, there was a young Greenlander whose name was Mangek, who offered his services to the Brethren, on condition that they would maintain him. The Brethren believing that this man was sent them from above as an instrument to assist them in learning the Greenland language more fundamentally, gladly accepted Mangek's offer, although they did not believe that he would stay with them longer than the famine lasted.

In the daily instruction which the Missionaries gave this poor savage, they took particular care to direct his attention to the state of his heart. At first they perceived no difference between him and the other blind heathens, but some time after, the effect of their instructions in the alteration produced in his conduct, was so evident, even to the savages, that Mangek became an object of persecution, but when they found that they

could not entice him to leave the Brethren, nor to follow their heathenish practices, they tried by artifices to induce the Brethren to force him away, charging him with having secretly purloined some of their property. But, after strict examination, it was found that they had wickedly invented these accusations, as they themselves were forced to own.

In the mean time, Mangek's deportment furnished the Missionaries with much encouragement, his heart appeared to them to be yielding under the softening influence of the Gospel; they observed with pleasure the increasing delight with which he joined in religious exercises, and sometimes, when they prayed with him, the tears which stood in his eyes seemed to speak the deep emotions of his heart. The ray of hope which the state of this Greenlander let in upon the darkness of their former prospects, may be traced in the tone of a letter written by the Brethren to their friends in Europe, about the end of May, 1738: "We have some little hopes that our Redeemer will step forth in his bleeding form, and display the exceeding great power of his blood, on the hearts, even of the benighted Greenlanders. But how does it abase us, when we read, in the accounts received by the ship, that our brethren's labour is attended with the full blessing of the Gospel in all places, among Christians and heathens, especially in St. Thomas', while poor we in a manner go away empty. But courage, dear brethren! and believe with us that our Lord will still, at last, do glorious things in Greenland. Meanwhile, we will not intermit our prayers and supplications for the salvation of these poor people, that the power of our Redeemer's blood may be apparent on

their hearts."

But many that are first, shall be last, and the last first. Poor Mangek, notwithstanding all his convictions, his tastes of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, some time after forsook the society of the Brethren, and, although in some little intercourse which they subsequently had with him, the good impressions which seemed to have been made upon his mind, were not entirely defaced, a thick cloud rests upon the termination of his history. But the hopes of the Brethren, in reference to the conversion of the

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Greenlanders, as expressed in the above letter, were not disappointed: for, in a few days after it was written, the first Greenlander, a wild Southlander quite unknown, who had never yet heard a word about God, was solidly awakened by the doctrine of the atoning sufferings of Jesus. We relate this important event in the Missionary's own words.

"June 2d, many of the Southlanders that went by here, visited us. John Beck was just writing out fair, part of a translation of the Evangelists. The savages wanted very much to know what was contained in that book. He read something of it to them, and took that opportunity to enter into a discourse with them. He asked them, if they had an immortal soul? they said, yes! He asked again, where their soul would go when their bodies died? Some said, up yonder; and some said, down in the abyss. After he had set them to rights, he asked them, who had made heaven and earth, man, and every thing visible? They replied, they did not know, nor had they ever heard, but it must certainly be a great and opulent lord. Then he told them how God created all things good, particularly man, but man revolted from him through disobedience, and was plunged into the most extreme misery and ruin. But he had mercy upon him, and became man, that he might redeem mankind by suffering and dying. Now we must believe in him, if we would be saved. Hereupon the Holy Spirit prompted this brother to describe the agonies and death of Jesus, with more and more energy, and he exhorted them, with strong emotion of heart, to think seriously how much it had cost our Saviour to redeem us, and on that account they should by no means withhold their hearts from him, which he had earned at so dear a rate; for he had been wounded, shed his blood, and died to purchase them, nay, he had endured such anguish of soul, that it made him sweat blood. At the same time, he read out of the New Testament the history of our Saviour's conflict on the Mount of Olives, and of his bloody sweat. Then the Lord opened the heart of one of them, whose name was Kajarnak, and he stepped up to the table, and said, with a loud, earnest, and affecting voice, How was that? tell me that

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once more; for I would fain be saved too.'* These words, the like of which I had never heard from a Greenlander before, penetrated through my very mar. row and bone, and kindled my soul into such an ardour, that I gave the Greenlanders a general account of our Saviour's whole life and death, and of the counsel of God for our salvation, while the tears ran down my cheeks. In the mean time, the rest of the brethren came home from their employments abroad, and began with joy to tell the heathen yet more of the way of salvation. Some of them laid their hands upon their mouths, as is customary among them when they are struck with wonder. Some, who had no relish for the subject, slipped away secretly; but others desired we should teach them also to pray: and when we accordingly prayed, they repeated it many times over, that they might not forget it. In short, there was such an agitation and stirring among them, as we had never seen before. At taking leave, they promised to call upon us again soon, and hear of this matter again, and they would also tell the rest of their people of it.

"June 11th, some of them came again, and staid all night with us. Kajarnak knew still a great deal of what we had told him, and could say somewhat of the prayers. He said, he would now go to his tent, and tell his family, especially his little son, these great things.

“The 18th, a great number of Southlanders visited us again. Most of them had no ears to hear. But we

* A couple of months before, they wrote: "One of the heathens visited us, and we told him what induced us to come into their country, viz. because they were so very ignorant of divine things, and if they continued so, they could not go to God. Therefore we would instruct them in the knowledge of God and his word, and if they embraced it, and strove to follow what was good, they would go with us to God when they died. He hearkened diligently, but was at the same time quite still and unmoved." But now, when human wisdom was laid aside, and Christ crucified boldly preached, the different effect produced, illustrated the apostle's words, "The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. "Now, when they heard this (namely, about Jesus that was crucified, and who was both Lord and Christ,) they were pricked in their heart, and said, what shall we do?" Acts ii. 36, 37.