When the people returned from their summer occupations, 1803, --4, the
missionaries spoke with each of them, both baptized and unbaptized,
and had the pleasure to find that during their absence, they had been
preserved from falling a prey to the seductions and wicked practices
of the heathen, with whom they had been forced to associate. The
communicants they conversed with, previous to their partaking of the
Lord's supper, afforded them much satisfaction; while they, on the
other hand, expressed their thankfulness for their exhortations, by
which they had been led to forgive and forget old injuries and
quarrels, and to speak freely with each other in love. On this point
their tenderness of conscience was strikingly in contrast with that of
the promiscuous multitudes who rush to the table of the Lord, in the
professing congregations of more civilized lands. Peter observed, that
his mind was not quite at ease respecting the subjects in dispute
between him and others, and that he had better not go to the table of
the Lord with an unreconciled heart. He at the same time spoke humbly
of himself; and added, that he did not wish to grieve the Spirit of
God by indulging anger. One of the women, Brigitta, said, that she was
not quite sure whether she dared approach the Lord's table, feeling
still much uneasiness and displeasure in her mind; but that she would
once more in prayer cry unto our Saviour to help her, and take away
those evil things that separated her from Him. On the day following
she came again to the missionaries, and, with many tears, declared her
thanks to the Lord, that he had delivered her from her perplexing
thoughts, and granted to her his peace in her soul, and therefore
begged to be admitted to the holy communion. On the 3d of December
they partook of this heavenly feast; and it proved a time of
refreshing to them all. The season of Christmas was celebrated with
much blessing, and they rejoiced with thanksgiving in the incarnation
of God our Saviour, this amazing proof of his infinite love to the
lost human race! Again, on the 31st, they were strengthened anew by
participating in the sacred ordinance together, and closed the year
with praise and prayer, thankful to the Lord for the numberless
favours they had experienced, and particularly for his mercy to the
Esquimaux congregation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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