EXE11TIONS OF ADAMtf. 123 
Adams was no ordinary man, or lie could 
never have accomplished the arduous task 
which he had undertaken to perform. His 
work as a teacher must have been all the more 
laborious from his having had little or no in- 
struction in his early days. It is said that he 
had never been at school. His brother Jonathan 
was a waterman in London; and from him 
John sometimes received letters directed to 
him at Pitcairn. Struggling against all his 
difficulties, John Adams gained the best and 
most useful kind of knowledge, the knowledge 
of God, and of Jesus Christ whom He hath 
sent. Having happily learned how to impart 
that knowledge to others, he left a name, 
the memory of which is cherished beyond the 
borders of his little island. He not only at- 
tended to the young, but if any of the older 
inhabitants wanted counsel, he gave it ; if they 
were ill, he went and prayed with them. By a 
steadfast adherence to the line of duty which he 
had marked out for his conduct, he could not 
but perceive that the blessing of God was 
upon his labours. The fruits of good became 
apparent in a place where indifference to re- 
ligion and looseness of morals had prevailed ; 
and when we consider the latter part of his 
pilgrimage, and the filial reverence with which 
he was regarded by his juniors, we may conclude 
that this island-pat rial ch had much to cheer and 
encourage him, amidst the trials and sorrows 
which had fallen upon him. Amongst the most 
comfortable feelings of his heart, as the end 
of his existence drew on, was probably the 
