At length he grew thoughtful, and under the powerful conviction of his
wretched state as a sinner, would often exclaim, "Woe is me! I am good
for nothing, I am a miserable creature!" Under these uneasy sensations
he at first felt exasperated, and he wished he had never heard of a
God or of a Bible; but as the truth beamed in upon his soul, he became
calm and peaceful, and manifested a strong desire to be further
instructed. He was in this interesting state of mind, when Haven,
being called away, committed him to the charge of Mr Drachart, who was
then residing at the Brethren's settlement in Yorkshire, under whose
tutilage he made rapid improvement in knowledge; and evidenced, by the
change of his disposition, and his mildness of manner, and simplicity
of conduct, that the gospel had taken powerful hold upon his heart;
and this he evidenced still more clearly, when early called to
grapple with the last enemy.
From the encouraging progress he was making, his friends were fondly
anticipating the time when he should go forth as a zealous missionary
of the Lord Jesus among his benighted countrymen, but their hopes were
suddenly overcast. On September the 22d, he was seized with the small
pox, which, in spite of the best medical assistance, speedily proved
fatal. He bore his distemper with patience, and some of his last
expressions were, "O! Jesus, I come to thee, I have no where else to
go. I am a poor sinner, but thou hast died for me! have mercy upon me!
I cast myself entirely upon thee." The day before his death he was
baptized by Mr Drachart, who, at his own request, made use of the
Greenlandish language in administering the rite. On the 4th October
1769, he expired, the first fruits of Christ's vintage among the
Esquimaux; and although not employed to spread the savour of his name
among his heathen kindred by the living voice, yet he was honoured by
his death to encourage the exertions, and strengthen the faith of
those soldiers of the Lord who were buckling on their armour for the
glorious combat.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account