"You must not rest satisfied, my dear brethren, with daily meetings,
but you must carefully visit them in their tents and in their houses,
and put them in mind of what they have heard; for this end, all our
dear brethren and sisters must diligently use the gifts and talents
given them to learn the Esquimaux language. Let the joy of the Lord
animate you!--When you perceive the heart of any one awakened by the
Holy Spirit, and in distress fleeing for mercy to the blood of Jesus,
baptize such an one, as the Lord has directed, into his death, in the
name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: there shall be
joy in heaven over such first fruits, and on earth in the church of
Jesus. With respect to the Esquimaux, either as to gifts or European
food, do as we agreed on--neither, on the one side, neglect what
necessity or compassion require; nor, on the other, accustom them to
what would be injurious. When they labour for you, or go messages, pay
them according to the custom of the country; and when you work for
them, and make boats, sails, chests, lamps, arrows and lances, let
them also pay you, that by degrees they may be accustomed to an
orderly domestic life.
"To your little church in the house, I call in the name of Jesus, love
ye with a thorough inward sacred impulse; for God hath from eternity
chosen you to love. Consider this well, that our dear Lord has said,
'By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love
one to another.' You know from what source the apparent want of this
can be supplied; and I am sure, if every one would search out his own
fault, with kindness and benevolence acquitting others, then would you
feel that you loved one another from the heart fervently. Be of one
mind; live in peace, then shall your conferences be kept with much
blessing, and you be subject one to another in the fear of God. No one
will then tenaciously hold his own opinion as the best, or as
infallible, but every one will gladly take advantage of the other's
discernment, and rather follow what is likely to attain the desired
end, than his own private inclination. In the division of your labour
consider yourselves as members of one body--that the eye cannot be
supposed to do what the hand can, and the hand cannot do what the foot
can; and if ye are each of you conscious that you have, according to
the words of our Lord, done what thou couldst, let no one even in his
heart think that one of his brethren has done too little. Whatever the
congregation sends for your support and clothing, receive with
thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father, who has enabled his people to
minister to you in these things: at the same time you must frugally
and faithfully improve every opportunity afforded by providence to
supply your necessary expenses, by working with your own hands, and
his blessing shall certainly accompany your labours.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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