to them in the Portuguese, and their own native language. I perceive, I fhall in time exprefs myself as fluently in this heathenish language, as in my own: the continual practice of it rendering it more and more eafy to me. When at times

I take a walk in the country, I am furrounded 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 fince I had one of their idols, made of gold, prefented to me by fuch of the Malabarians as had received the chriftian faith. It had been worshipped in one of their idol-temples, but we made of late a prefent of it to his Majelly the King of Denmark.

In the midst of this town is a very fpacious building, which hath been heretofore the palace of a Malabarian Prince. Should we be so happy as to fee this put into our hands, we should then undoubtedly be able to enlarge our Charity-School, and render it more beneficial to a great many people. However, for the prefent, we are deftitute of all neceffary fupplies for carrying on the work; being in daily expectation of the happy arrival of the fhips coming from Europe. I wish heartily, you would send us all forts of authors, treating upon the feveral parts of Philofophy, and especially upon the Mathematicks, wherein fome of the Pagans, I find, are pretty well verfed. Truly, we do not defign to ftuff any body's brain with the useless trash of Ariftotle's philofophy, though perhaps it may now and then prove fome accidental help for conveying good notions to them about the fubftantial points of the Chriftian Religion; true divinity being the main point we shall aim at in all our converfation with them. Should we be enabled to accomplish our defign in this, there is no queftion, but we should fee a commotion in the whole Malabarian Paganism; fome of them being convinced already, of the fouifhnefs of their way of worship. Befides this, we wish we might be provided with books treating on Church-Hiftory, on the various Religions

Religions in the world, and particularly on the Mahometans, whom we frequently converfe with. Likewife, with an account of the Lives of pious Souls, and other pieces of True and real Chriflianity. We do not doubt, but fome will be willing to advance fo useful a defign by generous contributions.

Great is the harveft, but the number of true and faithful labourers very fmall: and therefore we moft heartily defire the concurrence of your prayers and fupplications. I have fent and dedicated a book to his Majefty the King of Denmark, containing the Grammatical Rudiments of the Malabarick tongue. I had no time to tranfcribe it myself, being obliged to fend it away as foon as it was done, without keeping a copy thereof for my own ufe. It has added to it a Malabarick Vocabulary, containing the more familiar words of that language, together with an eafy method to introduce one into the general knowledge thereof.

As the Portuguefe and Malabarick language is of abfolute neceffity to fuch as enter upon the propagation of the gofpel in thefe parts; fo my Colleague and I agreed, that, whilft he was taken up with the Portuguefe, I fhould apply intirely to the Malabarick, to which I found now a fingular inclination. By the gracious affiftance of God, I made fo confiderable advances, that within fix months, I began to perform the part of a catechift in this language. At first we fpent four hours a day in teaching, viz. two hours in catechizing fome Malabarians in their native tongue, and two in inftructing thofe that understood the Portuguese: the reft of the day was employed about practifing these two languages, and converfing with Heathens, Moors, and Mahometans. But the more the number of thofe that came over to Chriftianity increafed, the more our labour increafed alfo; and our congregation being now become pretty numerous, we went without any delay, about building a church. This defign we accomplished after having paffed through abundance of difficulties. It was confecrated Auguft the 14th, 1707, and called New-Jerufalem.

From

From this day we have conftantly preached therein three times a week, both in Malabarick and Portuguefe. I have explained hitherto the articles of the Chriftian faith in fix and twenty Sunday Sermons. These I dictated to a Malabarick amanuenfis, 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 fermon, but in an easy, and catechetical manner: thefe plain and catechetical exercifes having done much good to fuch Heathens and Mahometans as use to be present in great numbers. My colleague keeps the fame method with the Portuguese tongue; we endeavouring, as much as poffibly we can, to go hand in hand together.

[To be continued.]

光燦

An Account of th: ROCK in HORE B.

TH

HE famous Rock in Horeb, antiently called Massah, orMeribath; and at present the stone of Mofes, and the stone of the fountains; (being that which Mofes ftruck with his rod, in order to give water to the children of Ifrael in the wilderness, Exod. 17.) is preserved to this day, without the least injury from time or accidents; and is certainly a fragment from mount Sinai; as appears from Dr. Shaw's description of it. "It is (fays he) a block of granate marble, about fix yards fquare, lying tottering as it were, and loose in the middle of the valley of Rephidim, and feems to have formerly belonged to mount Sinai, which hangs in a variety of precipices, all over the plain." (Shaw's Travels p. 352.)

It may not be unacceptable to the reader, to continue the description of this Rock; which is as follows: "The waters which gushed out, and the ftream, which flowed withal (Pfalm 1xxviii. 20.) have hollowed, acrofs one corner of this rock, a

channel,

channel, about two inches deep, and twenty wide, appearing to be incrufted all over, like the inside of a tea-kettle, that hath been long in ufe. Befides feveral mossy productions, that are ftill preferved by the dew, we fee all over this channel a great number of holes; fome of them four or five inches deep, and one or two in diameter, the lively and demonftrative tokens of their having been formerly fo many fountains.

It likewife may be farther obferved, that art or chance could, by no means, be concerned in the contrivance; for, every circumftance points out to us a miracle; and, in the fame manner with the rent in the rock of mount Calvary at Jerufalem, never fails to produce a religious surprise in all who fee it."

Similar to which, is Dr. Pocock's account of this Rock; and alfo that of the Prefetto's of Egypt; each of which the reader may fee inferted in the Bishop of Clogher's tranflation of a manuscript Journal from Grand Cairo to mount Sinai, page 14, 2d edition.

may

It be obferved farther, that, in confidering this Rock, as a fragment, the miracle, of the water's flowing out of it, will appear much greater, than if it had been in its natural bed, or united to the folid orb of the earth, for, it is not uncommon, in breaking up, or only boring through the regular ftrata of the earth, to enter into a natural fiffure, which, communicating with the abyfs, is always full of water; and, when fuch is broken into, a ftream of water will immėdiately iffue out, and continue flowing but as this rock was feparate, and detached from the regular and undisturbed ftrata; and lying loose upon the furface of the earth, it cannot be fupposed to have had any communication with the natural fiffures; and, therefore, the water, that proceeded from it, muft have been owing to a fupernatural cause, which is agreeable to what an ancient traveller (M. Beaumgarton, a German nobleman, who travelled into Arabia in the year 1507 fee his travels in Churchill's collection of voyages, vol. 1. p. 337.) remarks: which miracle (of the water's flowing out of the above

mentioned

mentioned rock) was the more wonderful, because this stone, though it is feparated from the rest of the rock; and is almoft of a square figure; yet is fixed in the ground by only one pointed corner; and, confequently, not in fo fit a pofture to extract moisture from the earth; and therefore its fending forth Juch abundance of water must have been the work of an Almighty Hand."

We may add likewise, that this stone was so small, expofed in fuch a manner, and fituated in fuch a tottering condition, that it might easily be viewed on all fides; and even turned upfide down, had the people, who attended Mofes, fufpected any cheat, or imposture in this affair. And, in order to take off all fufpicion of this kind, might be one reafon, why God made choice of fuch a ftone as this, for the operation of this miracle; which was fo extraordinary, and attended with such indubitable proof, that the perfons, who had just before mur mured, and questioned the divine miffion of Mofes; now entirely acquiefced in it.

And, if fuch perfons as Corah, Dathan, Abiram, and their companies (who were ready on every occafion to find fault with Mofes, and dispute his authority) were satisfied; furely our present unbelievers (who lay claim to great modesty and reafon) ought to be fo, fince the miracle was examined by their own set of people; and they may have ocular demonftration of the truth of it at this day.

THOUGHTS on Making WILLS: in a Letter to the Rev. J.

Rev. and dear Sir,

ONE

WESLEY.

Jan. 13, 1790.

NE of our friends has given us an ufeful book on the nature of Wills; but is there not fomething ftill wanting on the importance of fo difpofing of a man's property at his death, that he may meet, the approbation of the great Lord and VOL. XIII.

LI