the missionaries perceived that some person was endeavouring to draw aside the curtains of their tent, which were fastened with a couple of pins. Going out to see who it was, they beheld, to their amazement, a number of Greenlanders with knives in their hands; nor could they drive them away, till they threatened them with their fire-arms. Our missionaries supposed their only intention was to take away the skins, which covered the tent: but some years after they learned that the savages had conspired against their lives, expecting that the other Europeans would not deem it worth their while to revenge the death of such poor despised people. And as it appeared in the sequel, that they were instigated to this wicked attempt by some malicious persons in the colony, our brethren sent a strong remonstrance to the Danish missionaries and factor, which was duly attended to, and had the desired effect.

Notwithstanding these overwhelming discouragements, they still persevered in the path of duty. They continued their visits to the heathen, though without any visible success. Those that lived at a distance were stupid, ignorant and void of reflection; and those in the vicinity, who had long been instructed, were not grown better, but rather worse; they appeared disgusted with religious discourse, and hardened against the truth. Sometimes they urged their want of understanding as an excuse, and would say: "Shew us the God you describe, then will we believe in him and serve him. You represent him too sublime and incomprehensible, how shall we come him? Neither will he trouble himself about us." At other times they exerted their wit in shocking and profane jests at the most sacred mysteries of religion.

At one time Matthew Stach stayed a whole month with some of them. He describes their behaviour towards him as very changeable. In the beginning, they now and then suffered him to read to them out of the New Testament, but they soon lost their relish for this. One day, while it was raining very hard, they desired him to pray to the Son of God, whom he described as an almighty being, that he would give them good weather, and not let the rain penetrate into their houses. The missionary replied,

there was no necessity for prayer in this case, as they need only spread their tent-skins upon the roof, and then the wet could not soak through; they ought rather to pray to God to have mercy on their souls. But for this they had no ears. Their conduct often became almost insufferable. Once they kept up a dance, for two whole nights successively, accompanied with the most hideous howling and drumming *. The children, however, showed much fondness for him, and used to run after him wherever he went. He conversed familiarly with them, asked them a few questions, and for a while engaged their attention; but this was soon diverted, when any new thing attracted their notice, and thus the little they had learned was speedily forgotten.

In the beginning of 1738, many Greenlanders visited the missionaries. Their chief inducement was to get provisions, with which they were supplied as far as possible. Our brethren did not neglect this opportunity of exciting in them a hunger after that meat, which endureth unto life everlasting. But, as in former cases, their admonitions still failed of the desired effect.

One solitary instance however occurred, which served to revive their drooping spirits. Among their hungry guests, was a young heathen, of the name of Mangek, who offered to take up his residence with them, if they would maintain him, promising that he would deliver to them whatever he caught. Though they did not believe that he would remain longer with them than while the present scarcity lasted, yet they willingly admitted him, looking upon him as an instrument sent them from above, for the purpose of acquiring greater proficiency in the language. They instructed him daily, and endeavoured more particularly to make him attentive to the state of his soul. At first, their instructions seemed unavailing, but by degrees they discovered some relentings of heart, and convictions of sin; and when they prayed with him tears generally started into his eyes. On this account his countrymen began to persecute him; and when they

* The missionary judged the number of those present to fall little short of one hundred and fifty.

could not entice him to leave the missionaries, and join in their heathenish practices, they tried by various artifices to induce the brethren to put him away, falsely accusing him of having purloined several articles. In the sequel, he indeed left our missionaries, yet this occurrence animated their hope to persevere in sowing the seed of the gospel, looking to God for the increase.

Five years had now elapsed since their arrival in Greenland, and except the case just now related, which was but like the first dawn of the morning spread upon the mountain,' they had seen no abiding fruit from their labours. They had tilled a soil apparently unfit for culture, and in tears, had sown the seed on hearts, seemingly, as cold and barren as the coast where they had pitched their tents. But, now the Lord heard their prayers, and made it appear that their "judgment was with him, and their work with their God."

"June the 2nd." (write the missionaries) "many Southlanders visited us. Brother Beck at the time, was copying a translation of a portion of the gospels. The heathen being very curious to know the contents of the book, he read a few sentences, and after some conversation with them, asked, whether they had an immortal soul, and whither that soul would go after death? Some said: “Up yonder;" and others: "down to the abbyss." Having rectified their notions on this point, he inquired, who had made heaven and earth, man and all other things? They replied, they did not know, nor had they ever heard, but it must certainly be some great and mighty Being. He then gave them an account of the creation of the world, the fall of man, and his recovery by Christ. In speaking on the redemption of man, the Spirit of God enabled him to enlarge with more than usual energy on the sufferings and death of our Saviour, and in the most pathetic manner to exhort his hearers, seriously to consider the vast expense, at which Jesus had ransomed their souls, and no longer reject the mercy offered them in the gospel. He then read to them out of the New Testament, the history of our Saviour's agony in the garden. Upon this the Lord opened the heart of one of the company,

whose name was Kayarnak; who stepping up to the table, in a an earnest manner, exclaimed: "How was that? tell me that once more; for I too desire to be saved." These words, the like of which had never before been uttered by a Greenlander, so penetrated the soul of brother Beck, that with great emotion and enlargement of heart, he gave them a general account of the life and death of our Saviour, and of the scheme of salvation through him."

In the mean time, the other missionaries, who had been abroad on business, returned, and with delight joined their fellow-labourer in testifying of the grace of God in the blood of Jesus. Some of the pagans laid their hands on their mouths, which is their usual custom when struck with amazement, Others, who did not relish the subject, slunk away secretly; but several requested to be taught to pray, and frequently repeated the expressions used by the missionaries when praying with them, in order to fix them in their memories. In short, they manifested such an earnest and serious concern for their salvation, as the missionaries, had never witnessed before; and at going away, they promised soon to return, and hear more of this subject, and also to tell it to their countrymen.

The impression made on Kayarnak was not transient, but had taken deep root in his heart. He frequently visited our brethren, and at length took up his residence with them. He told them, that he often felt a monition in his heart to pray, and "when we speak to him," say they, "he is often so affected, that the tears roll down his cheeks." Considering the general stupidity of the Greenlanders, the missionaries were not a little surprised at the quickness with which he comprehended every thing they told him, and retained it in his memory. At the same time he manifested very strong attachment to them, and a constant desire for further instruction.

By means of his conversation, his family (or those who lived in the same tent with him,) were brought under conviction; and before the end of the month, three large families came with all their property, and pitched their

"

tents near the dwelling of our brethren, "in order,” as they said, "to hear the joyful news of man's redemption." They all appeared much affected, and even some, who had formerly opposed the word, declared that they would now believe, and winter with the missionaries. Most of them, however, soon went away to hunt reindeer; but Kayarnak refused to accompany them, fearing to suffer harm in his soul. Hereby he was brought into great straits, as he had no tent of his own. This was the third time he had been abandoned by his friends, who had taken the skin-boat and the tent, which in part at least, were his property. Our brethren were not without fear lest his friends should entice him away, by exaggerating the difficulties of his new mode of life, and the restrictions he would be under, compared with the unbounded liberty, or rather licentiousness, in which the heathen live. But he remained firm to his purpose, and instead of long vindications, would reply to their mockeries and remonstrances, by a short remark like this: "Yes, I will stay with my teachers, and hear the words of God, which I have once found sweet to my taste." If they were disposed to hear him, he discoursed with them; if they railed at him, he held his peace, after he had borne his testimony to the truth, in a few serious words. At length he prevailed so far with some of his nearest relatives, that they resolved to return; and even some other families desired leave to settle near our missionaries.

Thus in the beginning of October 1738, when the Greenlanders leave their tents and move into their winter houses, above twenty persons took up their abode near the brethren. This induced them to commence regular morning and evening devotions with the two families of Kayarnak and his relation, Simek, every day, besides the reading and expounding of the holy Scriptures on the Lord's day. Five of these persons, who appeared most serious, they selected as suitable candidates for baptism, and gave them more frequent instruction in the truths of salvation. They • also began a school with the children; but this they found a most difficult and troublesome undertaking, for their scholars were so entirely unaccustomed to any kind of discipline, that it was nearly impossible to keep them to