MISSIONS. 



581 



Minions. In 1771, the brethren succeeded in establishing a 

 v ""~v^*' mission on the unhospitable shores of Labrador, after 

 Labrador. re p ea t e (l attempts for this purpose had failed. From 

 their first arrival in the country, the missionaries were 

 treated by the Krquirnaux in the most friendly man- 

 ner, and in a short time the most perfect confidence 

 was estiblished between them. No European would 

 formerly have ventured himself alone with these sa- 

 rages, or have spent a night with them on any con- 

 sideration whatever; but the brethren travelled over 

 the ice t > them, visited them in their winter-houses, 

 and slept among them many nights successively. 

 When they endeavoured to instruct them in the princi- 

 ples of Christianity, the savages often expressed their 

 astonishment at the things which were told them ; at 

 other times they would not listen to any thing about 

 religion. They seemed to have some idea of a Su- 

 preme Being, who made the heaven and the earth ; 

 yet no fvi-ble was the impression, that there appeared 

 among them no traces of religious worship. To con- 

 rince them of their sinfulness was no easy task. The 

 liars consoled themselves that they were nut thieves; 

 the thieve* that they were not murderers ; and the 

 murderers that they were not Kablunats, i. e. Euro- 

 peans, to whom it seems they assign the highest place 

 in the scale of criminals *. But though the missiona- 

 ries for several years met with many difficulties and 

 discouragements, they at length beheld their labours 

 crowned with considerable success. In 1817, the 

 who e number of Esquimaux baptized by them at the 

 different missionary settlements in this country since the 

 commencement of their labours, was as follows : 

 Begun 



1771. Nain . 172 



177ti, Okkak ... 244 

 178si, Hopedale . . .185 



Total, . .601 



The schools were attended not only by the children, 

 but by the adult*, many of whom made considerable 

 progress in learning. They had family wor-hip both 

 morning and evening in all their houses, and it was 

 extremely pleasing to hear them employed in their 

 own habitations in reading the New Testament, which 

 is now translated into their language, and in singing 

 hymni to the praise of the Redeemer. 



Vniud After the house of Stuart ascended the throne of 



State*. England, the tyranny of the government, both in 

 church and state, was so intolerable, that numbers of 

 the people fled from their native land, and sought an 

 asylum in the wilds of America, in the hope of ob- 

 taining that liberty of conscience among savages, 

 which was denied them by their own countrymen. 

 In I'iKi, Mr. John Elliot, one of their ministers, began 

 to preach to the Indians in the neighbourhood of Bos- 

 ton. He afterwards translated the whole Bible into 

 their language, and several other useful books. Be- 

 sides Mr Elliot, there were a number of other min- 

 ister!, who exerted themselves with great energy and 

 zeal in instructing the savages; and their efforts were 

 successful in an eminent degree in p omoting Chris- 

 tianity and the arts of civilization among them. In 

 16&7, there were six churches of baptized Indians in 



New England, and eighteen assemblies of Catechumens Missions. 

 professing Christianity. Of the Indians themselves, T""" 

 there were no fewer than twenty- four who were 

 preachers of the gospel, besides four English ministers 

 who preached in the Indian language. 



In I73-1, Mr. John Serjeant settled as a missionary 

 among a number of Indians on the river Housatunnuk, 

 in the province of Massachusets. His labours among 

 them appeared at first to be attended with considerable 

 success; but the Dutch traders in the neighbourhood 

 never ceased in their endeavours to corrupt them with 

 rum; and though the Indians passed strong resolu- 

 tions against drinking, and even kept them for a con- 

 siderable time, yet some of them unhappily relapsed 

 into that and other vices, even after they seemed to be 

 completely weaned from them. In 1M1 the Stock- 

 bridge Indians, as they are now called, amounted to 

 47. persons, none of whom we suppose were professed 

 pagans. Of late years they have made considerable 

 progress in husbandry, and other useful arts. 



In 1743, Mr. David Brainerd entered on his labours 

 as a missionary among the Indians. Many were the 

 fatigues, the dangers, and the distresses which he ex- 

 perienced in the course of his labours among them ; 

 and no le*s singular were the faith, the patience, and 

 the self-denial which he manifested under trials of this 

 description. His success however amply compensated 

 him for all his toils and sufferings. The impression 

 which his ministrations made upon the Indians was 

 truly extraordinary, yet it was at the same time scrip- 1. 



tural and rational. Few men were ever more free 

 from enthusiasm than Mr. Brainerd, and none could be 

 more careful to check it in others. A dry eye was 

 often scarcely to be seen in their assemblies ; yet there 

 was no disturbance of the public worship. A deep 

 impression was mwde on their hearts ; but there was 

 no boisterous agitation of their passions. All was pow- 

 erful and efficacious ; yet calm and peaceful. The 

 number whom he bapti/ed was not considerable ; but 

 there is reason to believe they were in general sincere 

 converts to the Christian faith. 



In 1734, a number of the United Brethren proceed, 

 ed to North America, with the view of introducing 

 Christianity among some of the Indian tribes. To de- 

 scribe the difficulties, and trials, and persecutions, 

 which they experienced in the prosecution of their 

 disinterested labours, would far exceed the limits of 

 this article. In November 1755, a party of French 

 Indians arrived in the neighbourhood of the missionary 

 settlement. As the family were one night sitting at 

 supper, they heard an uncommon barking of dogs, 

 upon which one of the brethren went out at the back 

 door to see what was the matter. Hearing the report 

 of a gun, several others ran to open the house-door. 

 Here stood a number of Indians with their pieces 

 pointed to it ; and no sooner was it opened than they 

 instantly fired and killed one of the missionaries. His 

 wife also, and some others were wounded, but they 

 flew up stairs to the garret with the utmo-t precipita- 

 tion, and barricadoed the door with bedsteads. Having 

 pursued them, the savages endeavoured to burnt open 

 the door; but being baffled in the attempt, they set 

 the house on fire. Two of the family having got ou 



* To wage*, written language muM appear a very ttnnge inexplicable thing. Once when the miuionarirs read to the Esquimaux a 

 declaration of friendship, by the governor of Newfoundland, they would on no account receive the paper into their hands, truni a dread 

 that there ww tomrthing living in it, which could thin convey to them the thought* of one who was to far distant, and which might 

 aAsnmd* riae and injure them. 



