EXTRACTS FROM THE CORRESPON- FIRST PROTESTANT MISSIONARIES TO (Continued from p. 336.) Tranqueber, "L AST year, when Sept. 12, 1707. the ships returned to Europe, I fell dangerously ill; and the distemper 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 graciously pleased once more to restore me, it has now so much the more excited me, entirely to spend the rest of my days in the service of God, by how much the less my health was expected. My dear colleague having renewed with me this resolution, we began afresh to apply ourselves to the work we were sent about, notwithstanding the many oppositions we are like to encounter; most certainly believing, that God would never forsake us in a work sincerely begun for his glory. "Our chief care was now to learn the Malabarian language, after being pretty well versed in the Portuguese. To facilitate this design, we maintained a Malabarian schoolmaster in our house: but still we were in the dark, as to the words themselves, and the genuine construction thereof; he being only able to teach us to read and write, but knowing nothing of the Portuguese, he could not give us any satisfactory inlet into the hardest constructions of this Janguage. Soon after we fell acZiegenbalgh. CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 103. quainted with a Malabarian, who heretofore had served the East-India Company; and besides his own lapguage, he spoke Portuguese, Danish, Iligh and Low Dutch fluently enough. This man we hired, to be our translator; and by this means we made a choice collection of some thousands of Malabarian words, which we got presently by heart. Soon after we fell to the declensions and conjugations, and began to read books in this language. And all this went on successfully, by the blessing of God. Our governor hereupon procured us some rudíments of a Malabarian grammar, drawn up by a missionary, sent hither by the French king. Besides this, we met with some books, writ in Malabaric by Roman Ca tholics; which, though they were stocked with many pernicious errors, have however contributed a great deal towards the better imbibing this language, by furnishing us with such words as did savour of a more Christian style and temper; we being not a little put to it, how to find words expressive enough for the delivery of spiritual doctrines, and yet cleared from the leaven of heathenish fancies and superstitions. "The best of these books contained a collection of the Gospel lessons, which proved very useful to us. This we first perused, picking out all such words and phrases as were fit for our design; and after they were imprinted upon our memory, we practically applied them in our daily conversation. After this, we went also through several other books. And by this means I made such advances within the 3 E compass of eight months, that, by the assistance of divine grace, I was able to read, to write, to talk, and to understand this hard language, if delivered by others. Mr. Plutscho hath likewise made a considerable progress therein; though indeed a country so hot as this, doth not permit too fervent an application of the head. However, we thought it necessary now to agree, that whilst I was employed about the Malabarian language, he might attempt the Portuguese; both these 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 Mala baric. "Soon after our arrival here, some well-disposed Germans entreated us to give them some good instructions out of the word of God. We were glad of this opportunity, and set up an exercise of piety in our own house. On the same day we were to begin, the governor sent for us to dinner; and having discoursed the point with us, he said, that he neither could nor intended to hinder any way the work we were about; though he could be more glad, to see it publicly done in the Danish church here. We replied, we would begin in our own house, till we received further orders from him. Coming home, we found the house crowded with people to hear the word of God, whom we readily served as well as we could. But some ill-disposed men, highly displeased with our design, began to exclaim against it. However, this proved but a means to draw more people to our house, and some even of the first rank would now and then come to hear us; so that the room in our house was hardly big enough to hold them. At last the governor sent his secretary, and inquired, whether we had a mind to preach once a week in the church here? We said, we were ready for it at any time, if we had but the consent and approbation of the Danish ministers; which the governor, after the removal of some obstacles, brought about at last. We presented the Danish church with twoand-twenty Psalm-books. And from that time, viz. from the month of December 1706, we have constantly continued to preach therein. We had abundance of difficulties to struggle with in carrying this point; but find now such a blessing springing up from thence, that it affords us matter of joy and comfort. By this means we had now a fair op. portunity to lay the word of God before heathens, Mahometans, and Christians. Truly, we often did not know from whence to fetch the necessary supplies to support both spirit and body; having been all along engaged from morning till night, to converse with all sorts of people. But the Lord hath hitherto assisted us so powerfully, that both Christians and heathens begin to be convinced that God is with us; especially since they see, that by his grace we endeavour to render our life and conversation conformable to the doctrine we preach to them; which, as we find, leaves generally the strongest impression upon people's minds. "We must needs say, that what we have undertaken hitherto, in singleness of heart, has been at tended with the conviction of many, and the conversion of some souls. The first of our baptismal acts was solemnly performed in the Danish church with five heathens, which were christened, after they had given an account of all the articles of the Christian faith. This they did with such readiness of mind, that many old people were ashamed thereat, and we ourselves convinced they had a sound sense of what they outwardly performed. Nay, God hath assisted us so far, that we have been able to build a church among the Malabarians here; which seems the more marvellous to us, the greater the difficulties were we met with in bringing it about." "We happened to fall acquainted with a man of an eminent family in this country, who offered both to come over to our religion, and to raise a church at his own charge for our use; but there arose so many contests and broils about it, that he was forced, not only entirely to drop this design, but to remove also from hence to another place. Notwithstanding this disappointment, we, in the name of God, and in hopes of being supported by our king, laid the foundation of a church, bestowing thereon all whatever we could possibly spare from our yearly pension. Every one that saw it, laughed at it as a silly and rash design." "However, we prosecuted our design in the name of God, a friend sending fifty rix-dollars towards it. By this forwardness of our work, the enemies were confounded, and some of them did then contribute something themselves towards accomplishing the whole affair; which proved no small comfort to us. Thus is the building finished at last, and fitted up for a church-congregation. It lies without the town, in the midst of a multitude of Malabarians, near the high road, built all of stone. It was consecrated the 14th of August, which was the Eighth Sunday after Trinity, in the presence of a great conflux of heathens, Mahometans, and Christians; who had a sermon preached to them both in Portuguese and in Malabaric. This solemnity was performed to the no small astonishment of abundance of people, who visibly discovered the finger of God attending us all along in carrying on this work. And thus we have now, for seven weeks together, performed the public service in our Jerusalem (this being the name we have given to our new-built church), by preaching, catechizing, and administering the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. We continue also to preach every Wednesday, in our native language, in the Danish church, called Sion. Every Sunday morning we preach in our church Portuguese, and in the afternoon Malabaric, each sermon being conduded with a short catechizing of children. The same is observed every Friday; only, that one day we perform it in Malabaric, and the other in Portuguese. Multitudes of people flock together to hear us, Malabarians, blacks, and Christians, every one being allowed to come in, let him be Heathen, Mahometan, Papist, or Protestant. However, our small congregation more nearly committed to our charge, have their seats fitted up for them. "At this rate the work of God runs op amain. Our congregation consists of sixty-three persons; and another is to be baptized to-morrow. We hope more will shortly come over, there being a pretty many up and down, that have already received a favourable impression of the Christian religion. There is a blind man in our congregation, endued with a large measure of the Spirit of God, who begins to be very serviceable to us in the catechizing of others. He has such an holy zeal for Christianity, that every one is astonished at his fervent and affectionate delivery in points of religion. We cannot express what a tender love we bear to our newplanted congregation. Nay, our love is arrived to that degree, and our forwardness to serve this nation is come to that pitch, that we are resolved to live and to die with them; though, according to the tenor of our engagement, we might have liberty to return to Denmark after a stay of three or five years in this country. At least, we cannot harbour as yet any thoughts of returning home, though we be daily exposed to the persecutions of our enemies on all sides, and taken up all the day long with uninterrupted business to carry on the design once begun. I am sure you would wonder, if we should give you an account at large of all the oppositions we have met with hitherto. all these engines, set on work by the devil, have only served the more gloriously to display the work of God, and to unite us the nearer to Him, who is the only support of all Yet the distressed. Heathens and Mahometans are kind enough to us, and love to be in our company; notwithstanding we have all along laid open to them the vanity of their idolatrous and superstitious worship. But those that pretend to be Christians, and are worse than heathens at the bottom, have shewn us all the spite and malice they ever could. However, there is a remnant left among them too, that love to be sincerely dealt with. and containing the Gospels, as they are translated by papists.' "All our endeavours are now entirely bent upon this, how we may be able to raise the work to a higher degree of perfection. We have sent some proposals to his Danish majesty relating to this point. It is It is true, the grace of God is the spring of all good motions: but if this should be accompanied with seasonable supplies, and beneficial contributions of public-spirited persons, we should then be enabled to lay a firm foundation for many noble establishments, tending to a thorough conversion of these wild and deluded heathens." "I do not question, but many well-disposed souls, and well-wishers to the public good, will gladly contribute something towards the supply of our wants. We have likewise desired, that two persons more might be sent over to assist us in the work so happily begun." Oct. 7, 1707.-"Since my last, our congregation is still increased, and we are in hopes of seeing it still more and more enlarged. I send you here the four Gospels done into Malabaric, after having them carefully perused according to the original. To Mr. N. I send a catechism in the Malabarian tongue, translated by mine own hand. And you will find here two Malabaric sermons, preached by me in this language, to be delivered to Mr. N. The other eight Malabaric sermons, preached in our new church here, I would have sent to the professors of divinity at Hall: besides which, you have here a small book, exactly transcribed in Malabaric letters, "My dear colleague has begun to translate Mr. Freylinghausen's Fundamental System of Divinity, together with all the Scriptural places quoted in it. I perceive, I shall in time express myself as fluently in this heathenish language, as in my own; the continual practice of it rendering it more and more easy to me. When at times I take a walk in the country, I am surrounded with hundreds of Malabarians, to whom I can preach, whenever I please. They are wonderfully kind to me upon account of their language, and they like to argue with me about points of religion. It is not long since I had one of their idols made of gold, presented to me by such of the Malabarians as had received the Christian faith. It had been wor shipped in one of their idol-temples, but we made of late a present of it to his majesty the king of Denmark. "In the midst of this town is a very spacious building, which hath been heretofore the palace of a Malabarian prince. Should we be so happy as to see this put into our hands, we should then undoubtedly be able to enlarge our charity-school, and render it more beneficial to a great man people. However, for the present, we are destitute of all necessary supplies for carrying on the work; being in daily expecta tion of the happy_arrival of the ships coming from Europe. I wish heartily, you would send us all sorts of authors, treating upon the several parts of philosophy, and especially upon the mathematics, wherein some of the pagans, as I find now, are pretty well versed. Truly, we do not design to stuff any body's brain with the useless trash of Aristotle's philosophy, though perhaps it may now and then prove some accidental help for conveying good notions to them about the substantial points of the Christian religion; true divinity being the main point we shall drive at in all our conversation with them. Should we be enabled to accomplish our design in this, there is no question, but we should see a commotion in the whole Malabarian paganism; some of them being convinced already of the sottishness of their way of worship. Besides this, we wish we might be provided with books treating on church-history, on the various religions in the world, and particularly on the Mahometans, whom we frequently converse with. Likewise, with an account of the lives of pious souls, and other pieces of true and real Christianity. We do not doubt, but some will be willing to advance so useful a design by generous contributions." Aug. 22, 1708.-"As the Portuguese and Malabaric language is of an absolute necessity to such as enter upon the propagation of the Gospel of Christ in these parts; so my colleague and I agreed at last, that, whilst he was taken up with the Portuguese, I should apply myself entirely to learn, the Malabaric, to which I found now a singular inclination. By the gracious assist ance of God, I made so considerable advances, that within the compass of six months, I began to perform the part of a catechist in this language. At first we spent four hours a day in teaching, vic. two hours in catechizing some Mabarians in their native tongue, and two in instructing those that understood the Portuguese: the rest of the day was employed about practising these two languages, and conversing with heathens, Moors, and Mahometans. But the more the number of those that came over to Christianity increased, the more our labour increased also; and our congregation being now become pretty numerous, we went without any delay about building a church, for the better service of our young Christians. This design we accomplished at last, after having passed through abundance of difficulties, which the Devil did raise against it. It cost 250 perdous, and was consecrated August the 14th, 1797, and called New Jerusalem. "From this day we have constantly preached therein three times a week, both in Malabaric and Portuguese. As for myself (to whose share the learning of the native language of this country is fallen), I have explained hitherto the articles of the Christian faith in sixand-twenty Sundays' sermons. These I dictated to a Malabaric amanuensis, and then got them by heart, word by word. Every Friday I catechize both old and young, and on Wednesday I repeat with them the last Sunday's sermon, but in an easy, and catechetical manner: these plain and catechetical exercises having done much good to such heathens and Mabometans as use to be present in great numbers. My colleague keeps the same method with the Portuguese tongue; we endeavouring, as much as possibly we can, to go hand in hand together, and with one spirit to promote the same work. "As for the order I observe daily. in the management of my pastoral function, and in preparing myself towards it, it is as follows: after morning prayer, I explain the heads of our catechism, from six to seven. From seven to eight, I repeat my Malabaric vocabulary, and the phrases gathered in this language. From eight to twelve, I am entirely employed about reading such Malabar books as I have never read before; a Malabaric poet and writer being present at the same time to assist me. The poet is to give me a fuller insight into all the circumstances of each story recorded in the book, and to clear up the more dark and intricate passages of their poems: but the writer is to take down in writing such expressions as I am as yet unacquainted with. At twelve o'clock, I go to dinner, having appointed one to read to me all this while out of the holy Bible. Betwixt one and two, I usually rest. a little, the excessive heat in these countries not permitting a man to enter upon serious business immediately after dinner. The hours |