Komaggas, 10th May, 1831. HONOURED FATHERS, The printing of the four Gospels in the Namacqua language was finished the beginning of last March. As my wife had been for four years in a declining state of health, so her desire, during that period, always was, that they might be printed before she died. Notwithstanding her weakness, she was always willing to assist in the work, as far as possible. As soon as we had finished the correction of it, at Cape Town, she expressed an earnest desire that we might again return into the country, if possible, to Namacqualand. As soon, therefore, as the printing of the Gospels was finished, I made preparations for that purpose, and arrived at Komaggas on the 3rd of last month. We had not been more than three days at home, when I observed that my wife was unable to breathe, but with great difficulty. I prayed with her and commended her into the hands of our heavenly Father. She then repeated after me, in a voice loud and distinct, as though nothing ailed her, several verses which we had been accustomed to sing together. She, on her part, commended me and our children to the care of our God and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. After prayer, it being night, she requested that I would retire to my bed, which was in another room. Being unwilling to leave her, I told her that I should recline my head on a trunk placed just behind her. In about an hour afterwards, my servant and one of my daughters who attended on her, awoke me, when I found them crying. My wife had become so weak, as to be almost unable to speak; but, apparently with an effort to collect all her strength, she managed to utter these words, "Lord Jesus! come now and take me up into thy eternal kingdom. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do; I am weary of the present world, and now desire to be with thee!" She had long before been prepared for this change, and many times had told me, that, if it were the Lord's will, she was willing to die, so likewise that she was willing to live longer, should that be her gracious Lord's will. It is now more than sixteen years since she was convinced, by the Spirit of God, of her natural depravity, and was enabled to place her sole reliance on the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ; being fully convinced that there is nothing good in ourselves on which we can depend for salvation. This is the doctrine which I preach-this is the doctrine which the Bible sets forth; and I do not, in the least, doubt that her death was her gain. I believe she was very useful among the people at the several places where we have been stationed in South Africa. She always laboured, in particular, to render herself useful to her own sex, by conversing with them about divine things. Some of them were afraid to converse with me; but to her they opened their minds freely. She occasionally prayed in the social prayer-meetings; and, though not in possession of what are called great gifts, poured out her petitions with great fervency. Indeed, her prayers sometimes seemed to have more effect upon my hearers, than my own preaching. She is now no more here, and I and my dear children and people are suffering from the loss of her; but we must submit to the will of our heavenly Father, and say, "Thy will be done." I shall write to you again soon. Remember me in your prayers. DEATH OF THE REV. HENRY CRISP. We had, as we imagined, closed this melancholy article with the mournful information contained in the preceding communications, when the arrival of letters from India brought us the painful intelligence of the decease of the Rev. Henry Crisp, Missionary at Salem, whose name we now add, with deep sorrow, to the catalogue of mortality for the past year. Mr. H. Crisp was sent out by the Society to the East Indies, in 1827, having received his appointment, as the colleague of the Rev. W. Howell, Missionary at Cuddapah ; but on his arrival in India it was found that his services would not be needed at that place. On the recommendation of Messrs. Tyerman and Bennet (who were, at that time, visiting the several stations of the Society in the Peninsula), he was, therefore, provisionally designated, by the Madras District Committee, to Salem; to which city important considerations had previously directed the attention of the Deputation, as a very eligible place for the establishment of a new mission. Mr. Crisp cheerfully acceded to this arrangement, which was subsequently sanctioned by the Directors. Mr. Crisp commenced his labours at Salem, aided by two Christian natives from Bangalore, on the 25th of October, 1827, from which time, to the period of his death, the mission more or less rapidly advanced, both as to extent and efficiency of labour. Mr. Crisp rejoiced in the prospects of usefulness which successively opened before him; but, alas! he had soon to endure the greatest of domestic It is our earnest afflictions. On the 7th of May, 1829, he was deprived by death of Mrs. Crisp, his best earthly companion, and most interesting assistant in the mission. Her piety was fervent; her compassion towards the heathen conspicuous; her devotedness to the work exemplary. This afflictive bereavement, Mr. Crisp, although piously resigned to the divine will, felt with great severity; and it is probable that his constitution then received a shock from which it never wholly recovered. The following letter, from his brother, the Rev. Edmund Crisp, Missionary of the Society at Combaconum, giving an account of his decease, will be perused by our readers with melancholy interest, and, by the members of the Society especially, with feelings of no ordinary regret, at the loss which it has sustained by that painful event, as well as of deep sympathy with his family, who have been deprived of so pious, valuable, and amiable a relative. prayer, that all parties concerned may be enabled to bow, with entire and profound submission, to the will of God, as expressed in this dispensation-that it may be overruled by him for extensive good-that the vacated station may be supplied with a missionary, who, with a gentleness and a zeal equal to those of the lamented deceased, may successfully carry forward the mission, which it was his honour and happiness so auspiciously to commence--and that many pious youths at home, may be seriously led, by the following touching recital, to dedicate themselves to the work of the Lord among the heathen; with this, among other cheering encouragements, that (as appears from the letter), it is possible to make a considerable preparatory impression on their uninstructed minds, by the attractive spectacle of disinterested benevolence, habitual meekness and humility, and a holy conversation and life-as exhibited by the Christian missionary. Letter of Rev. Edmund Crisp, Missionary at Combaconum, dated 22nd November, 1831, addressed to the Treasurer. MY DEAR SIR, Since I left my native land, ten years ago, it has more than once fallen to my lot to transmit the mournful tidings that death had taken away valued and efficient missionaries of our Society; but the task which Providence has now caused to devolve upon me is the most melancholy I have ever had to perform. In this instance, near relationship and strong attachment to the deceased greatly enhance my loss and aggravate my sorrow. It has pleased the Most High, in his infinitely wise, but, to us, mysterious providence, to remove, from the present state of labour and trial, my beloved and revered brother. This unexpected and deeply afAlictive event took place at Salem on the 28th of October. It was preceded by only about eighteen hours of dangerous illness; for although my brother had been unwell for some weeks-indeed, so unwell that his medical attendant had told him he must leave the station for six months, as soon as he should be able to travel (being then under a course of mercury)—yet no idea was entertained that his indisposition was attended with any immediate danger. On the morning of the 27th he took a dose of castor oil, which is said to have produced its natural and proper effect at noon. Towards the latter part of the day violent diarrhoea ensued. This yielded to the influence of medicine, and was subdued; but the system of the dear sufferer was so much exhausted, that his strength never rallied. He lay in a state of composure, but of extreme weakness, all night. At break of day (on the 28th) it was clearly perceived that his life was fast drawing to a close; and at ten o'clock he gradually sunk into the arms of death. At the time when his spirit took its departure, Isaac and the other native Christians were praying around his bed, and he is said to have been perfectly sensible; but, as far as I have been able to learn, nothing dropped from his lips which indicated an idea that his removal from the present world was at hand. Indeed, all which he did and said leaves the very opposite impression; and it is evident that, in an hour when he expected not, the languor and exhaustion of a bed of sickness were exchanged for glory, honour, and immortality. This being the case, we cannot be said to have the benefit of his dying testimony; but in his whole course we have one continued and unvarying proof of his supreme admiration of the gospel, and its glorious Author, and his unreserved devotedness to the great work of diffusing the savour of the name of Christ among the heathen. His character and his labours are too well known by you to require any extended statement from me; but, having visited the spot while he was in the midst of his active labours, and now again, since death has brought them to so unexpected a close, I cannot refrain from mentioning how greatly he was revered, and how deeply he is lamented, by the inhabitants of the place. Even the hea then, witnessing his purity of life, and his disinterested devotedness, were compelled to glorify God our heavenly Father. If they but partially understood his doctrine, yet they could read his conduct; and from their own lips I had numerous assurances that they feel his death to be a grievous loss. He had completely gained their confidence, and they were glad to trust him with the education of their children: and he improved every opportunity afforded for beseeching them to be reconciled to God. It When at Namacull, on the 11th, in my way to Salem, the people, knowing who I was, began to tell me of him, as having visited the place, gone among the inhabitants, gathered them around him, and talked to them of God. This was at a distance of thirty miles from Salem, and there I heard numerous statements of the same kind. was a great satisfaction to me to hear these remarks. They prove that Christian principle and holy zeal are respected even by those who are not yet prepared to obey the gospel. When the remains of my dear brother were removed to the house appointed for all living, large crowds of natives attended, and evinced the deepest sorrow. Indeed, Isaac told me it was a day of general lamentation through out the town. The mournful task of interment was performed by the sub-collector, R. B. Sheridan, Esq., a gentleman who attended the dear deceased from the hour that danger was apprehended; watched his couch during the whole night; and, by his truly kind and assiduous attentions, did all he could to smooth and cheer the passage to the grave. The dear orphans, now left without either parent, come, of course, under our care; and, respecting the arrangements which it may be necessary to make for their comfort and welfare, you will hear through the District Committee. To them (the Committee) I am also writing respecting the station, and hope they will make some temporary provision for its wants. But I beg, also, most earnestly to recommend the mission to the early notice of the Directors. A good beginning is made. May God raise up some well-qualified labourers, to enter upon the field from which he has called away his devoted servant! Soliciting an interest in your sympathy and prayers, and deeply sympathising with the Society in the loss they have sustained, I am, Your's, &c., (Signed) DOMESTIC MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE. EDMUND CRISP. MONTHLY MISSIONARY PRAYER-MEETING. MADAGASCAR. In conformity with the principle laid down in the introduction of these Monthly Papers, which, in cases of peculiar prosperity or adversity, admits of a departure from the order observed in the arrangement of the Society's stations, particularly (as intimated in the paper for May, 1831,) at that season of the year when so many thousands of its members meet together for the purpose of unitedly supplicating the favour and blessing of God on the various operations of the Society, at home and abroad, and animating each other in the future prosecution of the work-we propose, on the present occasion, to deviate from that order, and to invite the more special attention of the Society to the favourable progress of its mission in the island of Madagascar. we, Under the apprehension of that island becoming the seat of intestine war, and the kingdom of Hovah, in particular, the scene of hostile aggression, by a foreign and formidable enemy, in our paper for January, 1831, invited the members of the Society to present their supplications to the Father of Mercies, that the apprehended evils might be graciously averted; and that the spiritual results which appeared in connexion with the mission-then, indeed, comparatively very limited in their amount, but calculated, nevertheless, to excite gratitude and inspire hope-might be multiplied, and extended more and more, as the light which increaseth to the perfect day! It is with much satisfaction we are enabled now to state, that, since that time, the movements, which then threatened serious political commotions in Madagascar, have happily ceased, and a state of general tranquillity throughout the island has ensued.** The Missionaries have received increased proof of the favourable disposition of the government towards themselves personally, and also towards the mission, the operations of which it * We are concerned to state, that letters from Madagascar, received since this article was set up, mention the revival of intestine war in that island. has, in various ways, aided. In the prosecution of their great object they have had to contend with fewer impediments of a political nature than formerly, while the mission itself have been attended with more distinguished success, and more decided encouragement, than have marked any antecedent period of its history. The people are now left by the government at full liberty to pursue the convictions of their own minds, both in regard to the public avowal of their belief in Christianity, and the personal observance of its sacred rites and ordinances. Shortly after this toleration was made known, nearly thirty natives, who had previously afforded evidence of sincere reception of the truth, came forward, and were admitted to the Christian privileges of baptism and the Lord's Supper. This number has been subsequently increased to nearly seventy.* The number of the natives who manifest an earnest desire to attend the preaching of the gospel has greatly increased, and is still increasing. Two chapels have been opened at Tananarivo, also a place for stated public worship at Ambohimandroso, distant some miles from the city; all of which are well attended by apparently devout worshippers; among whom are many who have not participated of the religious advantages afforded in the mission schools. Besides the places of worship already mentioned, several houses have been opened in the heart of the capital for meetings for prayer, and religious instruction and conversation; one or other of which meetings are held each evening of the week. The number of schools has not been increased, but the missionaries are looking forward to a considerable extension of their operations in this important department. According to the last returns, the number of schools in connexion with the mission was about sixty, and that of the scholars (who had much improved in their learning,) about 2500. A distinguished officer in the native army, zealous in promoting the object of the mission, has established an evening school at Tananarivo, where servants, and, indeed, every person who desires to attend, may go and receive religious and other instruction. From sixty to seventy persons attend this school, among which some have evinced great concern in regard to their spiritual interests. The missionary artisans have, in their respective vicinities, very commendably provided the means of acquiring useful learning and religious instruction to the operatives in their employ, being natives; of whom there are several hundreds. This arrangement has been attended with results equally gratifying and encouraging. On the other hand, the civil benefits imparted by the artisans in the prosecution of their respective callings, have tended to conciliate the regard of the natives towards the mission, and render them, generally speaking, more accessible to the means employed for their instruction and evangelization. Indeed, the people at length begin to feel convinced that the benefits conferred by the missionaries are designed for them, and are not intended, as they formerly supposed, to be exclusively reaped by the government. The printing-press has been actively engaged in the printing of the Scriptures, together with hymn-books, catechisms, school-books, and tracts, in Malagasse, for which there is a great demand. Numerous copies of the New Testament have been distributed, some of which have reached many villages distant from sixty to eighty miles from the capital, and even the sea-coast, in different directions. On the whole, from the later communications of the missionaries, the general state of the mission, together with those circumstances of the country, on which, under Providence, much of its stability, progress, and future success may be supposed eventually to depend, are such as to afford the most animating encouragement, and to awaken the most delightful anticipations. On the part of the native authorities, is evinced an increasing disposition to carry forwards plans favourable to the advancement of civilization-to show personal kindness to the missionaries to further their beneficent designs-to allow, as already hinted, the people to pursue their own convictions as to the truth and obligations of Christianity; while, in reference to the people themselves, it is gratifying to learn, that a spirit of inquiry has been diffused among them, which promises to extend itself not only in the capital and the surrounding country of the district in which it stands, but likewise in all the adjacent districts of the king From the further communications just received, it appears, that this number has been, subsequently, greatly augmented. dom of Imerina. Persons are daily coming forward to be instructed in the Christian faitha marked and gratifying improvement has shown itself among the native youths who have been instructed under the wing of the mission, some of whom address their fellow-countrymen on religious topics "with fluency, copiousness, and earnestness,”—the places of worship are filled with apparently sincere, attentive, and devout worshippers of the true God-a powerful impression appears to be made on them by the preaching of the gospel, the interesting topics of which give rise, from time to time, to improving conversations among the people-while a goodly number exhibit such evidence of intelligent and decided piety as affords, in the opinion of the brethren, scriptural reas to believe that the grace of God has been shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost. Thus, in the midst of a population said to comprise not less than FOUR MILLIONS of souls, has the gospel of Christ been planted, and the preaching thereof attended with power. Large congregations of hearers assemble statedly to hear it-Christian churches have been formed, and a considerable number of the natives are seen walking in the fear of God, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ—the government of the country, meanwhile, permitting the missionaries to pursue their various important labours without interruption, and countenancing and even aiding them therein-the blessing of God evidently resting on their work, and they themselves greatly animated and encouraged by the circumstances of the happy change which has taken place, and the cheering prospect that is spread out before them. Let all the members of the Society, then, devoutly and thankfully acknowledge these manifestations of divine goodness-let them pray-let all who are looking for the coming of the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ pray-that a prospect so bright may not be ob cured that a light so cheering, amid darkness so profound, may not be extinguished; but spread from village to village, and from province to province, till every mountain and vale throughout this large and interesting island shall resound with the songs of Zion, and the name and praise of the Redeemer be wafted, with every breeze, along all its coasts. Amen. Austin Friars, 17th April, 1832. MR. G. BENNET'S VISIT TO SUFFOLK. During the past month George Bennet, Esq., has attended the several missionary anniversary meetings held successively at Beccles, Bungay, Ipswich, Woodbridge, and Stowmarket, on the 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th of the same; and, in a letter to the Home-Secretary, expresses the great satisfaction he had enjoyed on those several occasions. Mr. Bennet states that, with only one exception, the meetings were numerously attended, while, in all of them, was observed a spirit of serious attention, and of Christian zeal and affection, equally gratifying and encouraging. Mr. Bennet adds, that beside the public meetings already mentioned, several opportunities were afforded him, at the private dwelling-houses of Christian friends, of addressing numerous parties of young persons, among whom were many who act as treasurers, secretaries, collectors, &c., to different missionary associations, or who, otherwise, are engaged in labours of Christian benevolence. Mr. Bennet expresses his deep sense of the kind personal attentions he every where received, both from ministers and other friends of Christian missions, belonging to various denominations; and notices his own increased gratification derived from the consci ousness he felt, that those attentions were justly to be regarded as so many proofs of esteem and attachment to the cause which, to use his own language, he so feebly advocated. NOTICES. EAST LANCASHIRE MISSIONARY SOCIETY. The Anniversary of this Society will be held at Manchester, on May 27th, and the two following days; when the Rev. Drs. Thorp, are expected to preach. Mr. Jones, Fletcher and Ross, and Messrs. Ely and J. occasion, and furnish some interesting details from Madagascar, will also attend on the of missionary labour and success. CAMBRIDGESHIRE. The twentieth Anniversary of the Cambridgeshire Auxiliary Missionary Society, will be held on Thursday, the 31st inst. at T. J. Davis's meeting-house, Royston, when two sermons will be preached; that in the morning by the Rev. James Bennett, D.D., of London, and that in the evening by the Rev. John Rowlands, of Baldock. The meeting for business will be held immediately after the morning service. |