minutes to move farther; the request was repeated till the General got to the end of the log. The Indian said, "Move farther;" to which the General replied, "I can move

no farther." "Just so it is with us," said the chief; "you have moved us back to the water, and then ask us to move farther."-Connecticut Journal.

Collected at the monthly concert in the Brick church, N. Y.

Collected by Rev. Jas. C. Crane, Agent, Collected at the monthly concert in the church in Middletown, Orange co. N. Y. by Dr. Hanford,

Collected at the monthly concert in the second Presbyterian church in Alexandria, D. C. by Th. Vowell, Esq. Collected at do. in the Presb. church in Cedarstreet, N. Y. Collected in the church in Bethlehem, Orange co. N. Y. on the 4th of July. by Mr. Thomas Clement, Tr. through the Rev. Mr. Blair, From the Young People's Aux. Miss. Society, in do. by do.

From the Female Benevolent Society of Creek Path, Cherokee Nation, composed, with one exception, of Native Cherokees, for the mission among the Osages of the Arkansas, by the Rev. Wm. Potter, through the hands of Samuel Hazard, Esq.

D. C.

10 30 250 00

5 17

18 19 5 23

Tr. Collected at Metuchin and Somerville, N. J. by Mr. John S. Burnap, Agent, and transmitted by Mr. John H. Voorheis, From a Friend to the Cause, by Rev. James Baber,

12 00

15 00 1 00

15.00

10 64 9 50

From Aux. Society of Basking Ridge, N. J. by Mr. Wm. M. Lindsley, Tr. From the Ladies of Brunswick, Rensselaer county, N. Y. to constitute their Pastor, the Rev. John Younglove, a life member, From the Female Aux. Society of Union Village, Washington county, N. Y. to constitute their Pastor, the Rev. Jacob D. Fonda, a life member, by Mrs. Elizabeth Cowan, Pres. From a Female Friend of Missions, at Buskirk's Bridge, N. Y.

From Samuel Finley, Esq. of Greenville, Augusta county, Va. by the Rev. Francis Mc Farland,

455 83

9 95

Collected at monthly concert in the 3d Presbyterian church in Philadelphia, by the Rev. Dr. Ely,

Collected at the monthly concert in the seventh Presbyterian church in New-York, by the Rev. E. W. Baldwin,

10 22

11 00

I was born March 12, 1743, at Bedford, in England, where my father, David Heckewelder, one of the refugees who left Moravia under the guidance of Brother Christian David, was at that period engaged in the service of the Lord. My juvenile years I spent in the Brethren's schools at Buttermere, Smith-house, and Fulneck. To this very day I continue to cherish a grateful recollection of the blessed impressions made upon my heart, on a certain prayer day, held by Brother John de Watteville at Fulneck, when his address created a lively desire in the hearts of his youthful audience to serve the Lord in the missionary cause, if ever we attained to years of maturity. Some of my companions, with myself, actually entered into a covenant for this purpose.

In January 1754, I went in company with our late Brother Pyrlæus on foot to London, and from thence to Chelsea, my parents having received a call to America, whither I was to accompany them. The whole company, destined to sail for New-York in the Brethren's ship Irene, Captain Garrison, amounted in number to forty persons, including fourteen children, of whom I was the oldest. The day previous to our departure, Count Zinzendorf spoke individually with most of the members belonging to our company. I was also called in, Brother Spangenburg being present, when the Count began by inquiring, what progress I had made in learning, one main object of which ought to be, that I might one day be prepared for the ministry. In child-like simplicity I related my experience on the VOL. V.

37

above-mentioned prayer-day, and informed him of the covenant some of us had entered into. He then gave me his benediction, laying his hand upon my head and offering up a prayer, which circumstance I have always considered as an evidence of my having been set apart to be a messenger of peace to the heathen.

The

After narrowly escaping a watery grave when the boats which carried us on board of the ship, had well nigh been upset, having been entangled among the cables, we set sail, March 12, 1754, being my 13th birthday. We had a very prosperous voyage; for, without encountering a single heavy gale, we crossed the Atlantic in twenty-one days, which, in those times, was considered as something approaching a miracle. At New-York we were very kindly received and hospitably entertained by our brethren and sisters there. whole of our company reached Bethlehem in safety, on the 20th of April, and were cordially welcomed by the whole congregation at a general love-feast. In the first instance I was placed in the children's seminary, and two years after removed to Christian's brunn, there to follow agricultural pursuits and other useful occupations. Here, as well as at Bethlehem, I had frequent opportunities of seeing Indians that lay encamped near the latter place. The sight of these people gradually confirmed my desire and expectation cherished in my younger days, of being employed as a missionary among them at some future period. At the early age of eighteen, this wish was in some measure gratified, when

I was called upon by government, to accompany our late Brother Christian Frederick Post on an expedition to the northwestern Indians, living on the Ohio. On this journey, we endured great fatigues and hardships, hunger and sickness, and several times our lives were endangered; through the mercy and protection of God, however, we reached Bethlehem, in safety, the latter end of November, 1762.

In 1771, I was employed in the service of the mission, in various ways, either as a guard or messenger, during the Indian war, when the Christian Indian congregations of Nain and Wechquetank were compelled to fly for refuge to Philadelphia. On their return from thence, I was, off and on, appointed to assist the missionaries in the commencement of Friendenshuetten. While out on these exeursions, my life was in great danger.

At one time, while travelling on foot to Gnadenhuetten, beyond the Blue Mountains, in a very cold night, the ground being covered by a deep snow, my strength was so much exhausted, that, feeling an inclination to sleep, I was obliged to sit down on a felled tree, resting on its stump and covered with snow, with the intention merely to rest my weary limbs, although a secret monitor cautioned me powerfully to beware of sleep. But the moment I sat down, I fell asleep, and would in all probability never have awaked again, if the tree had not suddenly given way under me, whereby I was thrown, broad awake, into the path. Grateful to my Lord for this providential escape, I immediately prosecuted my journey and late that night reached Gnadenhuetten.

A gunpowder affair had nearly proved fatal to me and the Brethren Ettwein, David Zeisberger, Senseman, and Angerman. The latter had lately come from Europe, glowing with an ardent desire to preach the Gospel to the Indians, and had in a manner forced himself upon our company. Having, on our journey, taken up our night's lodging at the house of a Mr. Ogden, Brother Angerman by his careless and imprudent conduct had well nigh occasioned a dreadful gunpowder explosion. Mr. Ogden's dwelling consisted of two small buildings adjoining each other. In the one his goods were stored for sale; in the other, several kegs of power were deposited. He slept in the store-room, from which a door opened into the powder Magazine; another opened into it from the outside. A change of weather threatening to come on, he prepared a couch of dry straw or hay for us in his powder magazine, requesting us, in the most friendly terms, on no account to smoke tobacco in the apartment, not only because some grains of pow.

der might lie scattered upon the floor, but chiefly because some of the kegs were opened. It being now bed-time, Mr. Ogden placed a lighted candle in his store, in such a direction as to throw sufficient light through the middle door, left open for that purpose, till we should have retired to rest. Brother Angerman, however, wished to have the candle placed nearer to him, in order to inspect and bind up his lacerated feet. The landlord and the rest of us, represented to him the danger to which he would expose himself and us; but he ceased not to plead for it; promising neither to bring the candle in contact with the straw nor to blow it out, but to leave it standing on the door-sill, and then to extinguish it on the outside of the house. Mr. Ogden at last gave way to his request, and then shut the middle door. We now lay down, after having once more earnestly charged Brother Angerman to be careful with the light. We soon fell asleep, and he too was overpowered by sleep, before he had extinguished the light.

Next morning Brother Zeisberger awaked me, and took me alone with him into the woods. He there drew the candle out of his pocket, and imparted to me in confidence, what he would reveal to no soul besides, saying: “If in the preceding night we had not had an invisible watchman with us, we should all have been blown to atoms, and no soul could have known how it happened! I was fast asleep, for I was tired, and in my first doze; suddenly I felt a shock, as though somebody was forcibly rousing me. Ijumped up, and lo! the candle was burnt down on one side, and just on the point of dropping in a blaze on the straw. To prevent which accident, there was but one moment left. From that instant, I could sleep no longer; for one chill after the other thrilled through my veins ! Thanks be to our Lord for this extraordinary preservation of our lives!"

About this time also, I was made instrumental in saving from a watery grave the lives of two young persons. The first of these was Israel Horsefield, a young man, who while skating on the ice, that covered the mill-dam at Bethlehem, in a very cold day, broke in, at a place where the water was from 10 to 12 feet deep. He did not sink immediately, but for some time supported himself by laying hold of some wood, that was floating about. The cold being extreme and the ice but thin, he could not have sustained himself in that position for any length of time, if, fortunateÎy for him, I had not been on the opposite bank at the time, and hastened to his relief. By pushing some brushwood towards him, which I hastily tied together and fastened on the land side, I formed a kind of bridge

for him, which prevented even the thin ice from breaking under him, so that by the help of God and the use of these means, his life was saved. Great and mutual was our joy, and unbounded his gratitude on beholding himself safe on shore.

The other person was Christiana Richter, my employer's daughter. One morning one of the Brethren informed me, that a company of girls, and she among the rest, were going to pick currants on the lowlands near Bethlehem that afternoon, when they had to cross a decayed bridge over the Manakosy creek. I cautioned him not to suffer them to venture on the bridge, before it had undergone some repairs, and then went to my work in an adjoining meadow.. Returning home at noon, while in the act of sitting down to dinner, I suddenly felt a secret and irresistible impulse to hasten down to the Manakosy, where I espied several of the girls standing on the bridge, with Christiana Richter at some distance from them. I had just caught a glimpse of her, when the bridge broke down, and she was pitched into the water, which was deep and miry. Ihastened to the spot, and with much difficulty succeeded in drawing her out. Thus her life was saved for the present; but it appears that on this occasion her constitution sustained such a violent shock, in consequence of the fright and cold she took, that in about half a year after, she died of a pulmonary complaint.

With the above-mentioned year 1771, a new period of my life commenced; the dark clouds which had hitherto obscured my horizon, were dispersed, and I obtained clearer views of my future calling and destination-for which favour I still humbly thank my gracious Lord. Already in the spring of said year Brother David Zeisberger, being arrived at Bethlehem from Beaver creek, had requested Conference to send me along with him, as an assistant to the mission. A proposal to this effect was accordingly made to me, and although at that time I had a fair prospect of settling myself comfortably at Nazareth, yet I preferred entering upon the missionary service among the Indians, which in those turbulent times was become a peculiarly dangerous undertaking. Accordingly in September, attended by the blessing of the congregation, I accompanied Brother Zeisberger to Friedenstadt. My heart's determination at the time, was to devote myself with soul and body to the service of the Lord in this mision, and cheerfully undergo the greatest hardships if the service required them. I may truly say, that the time spent in the service of the Indian mission until 1781, proved a very pleasant, happy, and refreshing season to my soul, notwithstanding the labours, hardships, and

sufferings we had to undergo,_particularly during the Shawano wars, the Revolutionary war, during our peregrinations, the commencement of new towns, &c.; for love and concord reigned among the missionaries, the grace of God prevailed mightily in the Indian congregation, the preaching of the gospel was attended with a visible blessing, and numbers of Indians were converted to the Lord; many true believers in Jesus, at their departure out of this world, bore the most powerful and affecting testimonies to the truth; and the attachment of the Indian brethren and sisters to their teachers was such, as, in turn, to call forth my sincerest and warmest affection for them. Thus circumstanced, I was constantly kept in good spirits, enjoyed many a happy hour, insomuch that I was often convinced, while thankful for my precious calling, that I could in no other situation whatever, have been happier and more contented than I actually was with the Indian congregation, whom the Lord was graciously pleased to own as his people.

In 1778, being on a visit of several months at Bethlehem and Litiz, I was ordained a Deacon of the Brethren's church, at the latter place, by our late bishop Matthew Hehl. There also, in 1780, I entered the matrimonial state with Sister Susan Ohneberg. Our union was blest with three daughters, who are now living at Bethlehem.

Besides those hardships and dangers endured in the turbulent times above alluded to, it may not be deemed improper for me to relate several incidents to the praise and glory of God, in which I was an individual sufferer.

Crossing Beaver creek, in 1772, after heavy rains, my canoe struck upon a large log, which occasioned its upsetting and plunging me into water of 10 or 12 feet depth. By holding to the canoe, I kept myself above water for some time; but considering the rapidity of the torrent and the great falls a short distance below, I must inevitably have perished, if two Indian Brethren, on seeing my distress, had not plunged into the stream and saved me and the canoe, while one of them swimming, dragged it along, and the other propelled it from behind.

Twice I was in danger of falling directly into the hands of hostile warriors, once at Schoenbrunn and again at Lichtenau, while imprudently venturing too far from the town, in spite of the arguments of the Indian Brethren to the contrary. The warriors, however, raising a great shout, as usual, before entering the town, I by that means discovered them, without being seen by them, for which I thanked God, and thus escaping their clutches, I reached home in safety by taking a circuitous route.