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same manner as I have been in the habit of going to the above-named Estate; as I believe it is likely to be attended with more benefit than the plan originally proposed.

Oct. 7, 1836-Yesterday I went to the Garden of Eden, and returned about seven in the evening. I found about fifty people waiting my return, to hold a Prayer Meeting; mostly members of our Church. How sweet to go out, and come in, and find a few everywhere who love the Lord Jesus, and who wait on Him for teaching and blessing; while the many disregard that Name, and reckon it any thing but precious! To-day I have had school at home. The Rev. L. Strong came up and preached in the evening.

Oct. 11: Lord's Day-After Morning Service, performed by Mr. Strong, I had the Sunday School, which consisted of about 120, including adults and children. the evening, I had a small number, as usual; whom I catechized. I afterward

In

spoke from the last few verses of Matt. xi.,

and have reason to believe it was not in vain.

Oct. 27-Rode to the Garden of Eden, and spent an hour in the Hospital, with the sick after which, I taught the free Creoles for two hours, by which time the adults had come home from the field: of these about forty attended, with whom I remained until about seven o'clock in the evening; closing, as I invariably do, with catechizing and prayer.

Oct. 30: Lord's Day-I have had a much larger attendance at School than I have seen for some time; not fewer than 150. I find the work very fatiguing with so many, being badly off for Teachers. It was pleasing to me to see two couples, who had grown up in our Sunday-Schools, come forward, and give in their names to have their banns published, that they might enter into the holy estate of wedlock;-not that it is a solitary instance; far from it.

The difficulties arising from the distances to be travelled by the Negroes, when in search of Religious Instruction, are thus referred to by Mr. Carter:

You will have heard, no doubt, of the additional expense incurred by purchasing a horse, in consequence of my having such a distance to go in visiting the Estates beyond me; the farthest Estate being RECORD, August 1837.]

about twelve miles distant;-and also as I have now just established a school on one of those Estates three days in the week; and the other three days I shall continue my school at home. I have commenced the school at the Garden of Eden; which is the farthest Estate up this side of the river, in consequence of the next Estate not being finished. When that is finished, the Creoles of the Garden of Eden and adults too, those who choose, will come there. I have commenced an Adult School for the Apprentices when on the Estate, from four o'clock to six; which I think will be very well attended, being on the spot: for it is scarcely to be expected that after they have laboured seven or eight hours, or longer, in all weathers, they will frequently walk a journey of ten miles; which is the distance from the above Estate to my residence and back.

An inconvenience, not a little distressing, is thus related by Mr. Car

ter, who describes the

Annoyance experienced from the Ants.

May 19, 1836-What I am going to add, though it may not be considered as among the labours of a Missionary, yet comes among his trials. To-day, and yesterday, I have been incessantly employed, in my house, in destroying ants of a large kind; labouring all the time with a severe headache. For about a month past I have been occasionally visited by these unwelcome guests. They were in the habit of coming for a day or two at a time, and taking possession of every part of my house; and then they would leave it again, for three or four days. During their stay in the house, I had frequently to leave it to them, and take up my abode in the church. It appeared to me, that it was the heavy rains which drove them in, as it was always after a great fall of rain that they made their appearance. During their stay, they were in search of food, examining every corner and crevice. The cockroach seemed to be their chief object of pursuit. One morning, while sitting at breakfast, I saw a few coming in at the door. I went to the door, intending to have brushed them out, thinking that I should cause them to take a different course; but I soon found that it was impossible, for as I went to the door I discovered that the whole side of the house

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was covered with them, entering in at the windows, up stairs and down. I therefore yielded, having no alternative. I went to my School; and returning in about three

hours, I found, as I had expected, that they had taken possession of the whole house. In the evening, after holding a Religious Service, about nine o'clock I entered the house; and when I put my foot within the door, I trod in the midst of a large body of them, two feet broad, entering under the door. I was sharply bitten by four or five of them, in an instant; from the effects of which I suffered the whole of the next day. I went up stairs, and found that my bed was the only place free from them; the floor, and the partitions, being covered. I retired to rest in quick time, though not without my fears of being disturbed by them ere morning. The next morning, when I arose, my chamber was as full of them as on the previous evening. I came down stairs, and found the same there. After looking around, and not knowing what to do to get rid of them, I discovered their nest in one corner of the room, i. e. a large cluster of them, including eggs and young, of the size of a foot and a half cubic. they had made their nest, and deposited their eggs, I thought now was the time to destroy them; as they would not, having made their nest, leave the place. I immediately began, therefore, by throwing boiling water on the nest: this I continued, as fast as I could have the water boiled, both yesterday and to-day. There now exist only a few, scattered over the house, which I hope soon to destroy.

Berbice.

As

Although, owing to various circumstances, the Committee have seen it right to relinquish this Mission; and have consequently, with the approbation of the Lord Bishop of Barbados, directed the Rev. John Henry Bernau to transfer his labours to the Mission at Bartica Point; still, much good appears to have been done by Mr. Bernau, during the period of his sojourn at Achlyne, in Berbice. His labours were briefly sketched in Vol. VII. p. 190-192: a fuller detail of them is here given.

Mr. Bernau's residence at Achlyne had latterly been rendered exceedingly unhealthy, and sometimes entirely impracticable, by the heavy

inundations of the river on the low lands. He remained there till the close of 1836. He remarks of it

I have reason to fear that Achlyne will be always exposed to inundations, unless the dams be raised very high, which would occasion considerable expense: moreover, the Estate being very low, it cannot be drained properly in the wet season, so that it will always be surrounded with

water.

We select, first, some detached ing a general view of his parts of Mr. Bernau's Journal, giv

Exercise of the Ministry in Berbice.

Aug. 6, 1836-There has not been, for years, such a heavy season as the present: the damage caused by the inundations has been considerable in all quarters, and some of the poor people are great sufferers. I do hope that some have been brought to consider their latter end, and to contemplate the wrath of God, which, like a flood, shall sweep away the ungodly. It was from these considerations that I addressed a crowd of people this afternoon, at a funeral in town. All was silent in the church

yard; and awfully solemn appeared to be the impressions made upon some, in sight of the open grave. Yet the great mortality in this Colony seems to familiarize the people to such a degree, that they often return from the place of interment with laughter and singing.

Sept. 8 As the Corantyne Coast is getting clear of water, I have begun to direct my attention more particularly to this quarter, and have given up the School which I had commenced in town. I proceeded quite dry, arrangements were made for the coast; up and finding Achlyne Divine Service on Sunday next. I am sorry to inform you, that our loss in furniture, books, linen, and bedding, has been very considerable, from the continued damp for months together. Notwithstanding all my endeavours to move some of our things to town, there was no boat to be

been quite under water. The consequence procured; and as for the roads, they have is, that what has not been destroyed by vermin, is completely rotten.

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and indifferent man, and plucked him as a brand out of the fire? He died in the flower of his age, being only twenty-nine years old. He often used to say, Sir, I have lost a world of time: if I had this time to live over again, I certainly would improve it better." But he was soon cut off, and called to render up the account of his stewardship. What an important lesson to those who neglect the day of salvation! as no one can tell how soon the night may come, when no man can work.

Oct. 3, 1836-Here and there I have occasion to observe that the Word preached is not altogether vain. Every thing takes its proper time :-Blessed is he that waiteth on the Lord!-Was much refreshed to-day by a letter from our venerable Principal at Bâsle. It was a circular epistle, addressed to his Children in the West Indies. It first travelled to Jamaica, to Mr. Haensel; then to Trinidad; and came at last to Berbice, still fresh, reviving, and full of consolation. May the Lord bless and preserve that kind and careful father, who with so much love remembers His absent Children before the Throne of Grace !

Oct. 8-Proceeded up the coast; but the rainy season having commenced rather soon, I was not able to reach Achlyne. I preached at Kilcoy the following day, to a very large Congregation-upward of 400 people.

On my

Oct. 24-Mr. R. sent a message, that I should call in at his Estate, on my way to town; which I did. A woman, dangerously ill, wished to speak to me. entering the Hospital, she requested me to read and pray with her, and to tell her of the Kingdom. As the room was crowded with people, I spoke to them of the love of God toward sinners, in sending His dearly beloved Son into this world, to save us. It is encouraging to see them attentive, but not a little difficult to make them understand. The best method of bringing the truths of the Gospel home to their hearts and consciences is, I conceive, to use common illustrations from nature, and whatever else meets their daily observation: abstract preaching far surpasses their comprehensions.

Nov. 6-I called to-day on a man dangerously ill; and was not a little surprised at the ignorance which he manifested regarding the Word of God, and His salvation. He assured me that he had never heard of Jesus Christ, because he had never been to any Place of Worship; and that he thought of nothing but fishing, which was his occupation. After I had spoken largely of the way of salvation, he appeared to be very cast down, yet anxious to know more about it.

I paid him several visits, inviting him to return to the Lord, and to seek pardon from Him, through Jesus Christ, though it should be at the eleventh hour: and who can tell whether the Lord has not heard the prayers of this once thoughtless

Under various dates of Mr. Bernau's Journal, some passages are here selected, which bear on the important subjects of Popery, Infidelity, and Judaïsm.

Conflict with the Errors of Popery.
Mr. Bernau relates—

Aug. 9, 1836 - The Roman-Catholic Priest begins to exercise great influence over the Planters; and to show the expediency and superiority of the Popish Religion over all others, he has entered into a controversy with, I believe, the Scotch Minister. The organ of this combat is the Newspaper. Having myself seen so much misery on the Continent among the professors of that Apostate Church, my spirit is stirred within me, and I have come to the determination to preach a Course of Lectures on the subject. Accordingly, I sat down; and, in humble dependence on God's grace and assistance, laid down a plan, according to which I intend to treat the subject.

Aug. 12-That all might know and have an opportunity of hearing, I gave notice of my intention far and wide; for I think it is a Missionary's business not only to stand on the defensive, but more particularly also to attack the bulwarks of Satan. The subject, indeed, has made a great stir. May the Lord assist and strengthen me so to treat this subject, that many may be won over to the truth!

Aug. 17-Preached to-day an Introductory Lecture, and was not a little surprised at seeing so many present: some very eagerly took down notes; others cursed, saying, “That man tells a parcel of lies:" and again, others said, still! Let us hear what he has to say." My text was-Prove all things: hold fast that which is good.

Be

Aug. 18-Several people advised me to drop these Lectures; because, by continuing to preach, I should make a great

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many enemies to my own interests. My answer was-" The only interest I wish to have, is, to speak the truth as it is in Jesus: and if you will hear the truth, that truth will preserve you from error." Others were bold enough to assert that I had no business to interfere with another religion; because, as they believe, every man will be saved by his own religion, To these I replied, that I was well aware that falsehood dreads nothing so much as inquiry; but that the Scriptures declare there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ.

Sept. 16, 1836-It was supposed, by most people, that in my Lectures against Romanism I should make use of expressions on which they could lay hold, and bring me before the Governor. But finding that none such were made use of, and that the battle was fought with the sword of the Spirit, wielded not against men, but against the doctrines of an Apostate Church, as drawn up by the Council of Trent, they felt ashamed; and these men have either absconded, or have been put to silence. Some of the Roman-Catholic persuasion have been constant hearers. I have often felt that I was engaged in an arduous work; but the Lord graciously assisted me. The subject was divided into nine Lectures, and it was my endeavour to support every argument with Scripture and history; and, blessed be the Lord! I have reason to believe that the result of these labours is glorious. The Priest has returned to Demerara: nor do I think he will ever meet with much success here, for the eyes of many have undoubtedly been opened. A proof of this is, that when the Priest came up last to perform Mass, most of the Roman Catholics were in the English Church. As for the two parishes assigned to him, the Planters have been shaken in their confidence. The one has been taken possession of by the Scotch Minister; and, in the other, I went up the other day to one of the most influential Planters, to persuade him to purchase a logie, and convert it into a church; which has since been accomplished. I understand, from Mr. Schomburgh, that higher up the Essequibo there are several Roman-Catholic Missionaries in the Macusie Country; as also some higher up Ciune, leading to French Guiana.

Oct. 28-Perceiving that the Romish Priest is struggling hard to establish a

Mission in the river, I lost no time to-day in preventing him. Went up the river with Mr. W., to purchase a suitable building which he had intended to convert into a church. A subscription has been opened; and so much is already collected, that building will commence next week. Now, by this means, the Priest has lost his hold; and for the success of these exertions I feel truly thankful to the Great Head of the Church, and shall never regret the time nor the labour that I have been enabled to spend in these quarters. May it all be to the glory of God!

Nov. 1-My heart dwells with silent satisfaction on the rapid progress of the Church in the river. O that it may please the Lord to send a faithful shepherd to these sheep! who, I humbly trust, have been snatched from the corruptions of an Apostate Church. It is a great pleasure to see the Negroes come forward, offering both their money and labour gratuitously; and it affords ample proof that they well know how to value the privileges conferred upon them. Let us remember our high calling in Christ Jesus, lest that come upon us which is written, The first shall be last, and the last first.

Nov. 26--The weather being so unfavourable to moving about, I have been confined to the house for several days. To-day I called on all the Roman-Catholic families, and was much gratified in finding them inclined to the words of life. My Lectures on the doctrines of the Romish Church have not altogether been relished by them; and at this I do not wonder. I should, perhaps, not have alluded to them, had not they themselves quoted several things which I had named, of which they were ignorant, and on which they wished for more information. I was thus led, in a friendly and more familiar manner, to enlarge upon the subjects of their doubts, and to draw the practical lessons from them. Some said, "I will go and inquire of the Priest whether these things be so:" others said, "We wish to make the Bible our only rule, and to stick to the religion of our forefathers." One of their champions attacked me before several other Gentlemen, and required to know the grounds of our separation from the true Church. I quietly answered him: "We have not separated, nor do we, as Protestants, separate ourselves from the true Church, but from the errors in doctrine, and some lifeless and unmeaning cere

monies, by which the Romish Church has been corrupted."—" Please, Sir, to state these errors." "I would rather spare you, my friend; for I do not think it becoming our holy religion to quarrel with those who differ: still, as you ask a reason of the hope that is in me, you shall hear the truth." A long conversation ensued; till, at last, he said he would go and call the Priest, who could talk in Latin with me; whereupon the whole company broke out into laughter. I should not have entered at all upon so delicate a subject, but, as several Planters were present, I felt justified in stating what the Scriptures teach, and what are the impositions of men. It is true, there are not many professed Roman-Catholic families here, but in practice I have reason to fear there are too many in this land, and more particularly as it regards the doctrines of justification and the practice of holiness.

Mr. Bernau, in other parts of his Journal, records some deeply affecting

Conversations on Infidelity.

Oct. 30, 1836-Called to-day on a professed infidel, a blacksmith, with the intention of meeting him on his own ground, having heard so much of his learning and ingenuity: and though I am fully convinced that arguments of this sort will but seldom convince the heart, still, as Missionaries are debtors to all men, both to the wise and the unwise, I think it not more than just to pay that debt, by conversing with those who evade and slight the ordinary means of grace. This man has read a great deal, but appears to be little profited thereby. He is also in possession of the Bible, and reads it frequently, though, I apprehend, to his own condemnation. While he was shoeing my horse, I said, "How is it that I have never seen you go to any Place of Worship?" "O, Sir, I do not trouble myself about nonsense; and am persuaded that I can serve God at home as well as in the church.' "_"True, we ought to serve God at all times, and in all places; but pray, who is that God whom you serve?" "Why, Sir, Perfection is God; and in fulfilling my relative duties, as a husband, father, and friend, I serve Perfection."-"And what is, then, your object and aim in serving that Perfection?"

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Why, to live in peace with all men and with myself, and to enjoy the esteem and good-will of my fellow-creatures.”—“Have

you at all times, and under all circumstances, performed your duty in this service ?" "Why, Sir, this is rather a close question; and I am bound, in honour, to acknowledge that I have not.”—“ Do you think that Perfection, whom you serve, can be pleased with your imperfections in serving Him ?" He appeared to be at a loss what to say; but, after a little pause, he replied, "By the workmanship, the Master is known."-" Do you mean to say, that because you, myself, and all men, are guilty and sinful, falling infinitely short of perfection-do you mean to say, that He who made us must be sinful too?" He did not venture to assert this blasphemy; and tried to evade a decisive answer, by asking, whether I had read Tom Paine, Voltaire, and others. "I have read a few words, which fill my mind with anxiety and concern for your temporal and everlasting welfare; and would to God I could write them with flaming letters upon your heart!"" And what is that?" he "Why, it is written anxiously asked. somewhere, The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." After a long pause he exclaimed, "I wish I could believe!" From this moment he appeared to be very uneasy; and I, perceiving that his conscience was at work, bade him adieu, saying, “Mr. M., God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Nov. 17 Called to-day again on Mr. M., and found him willing to listen; though he did not appear to be humble on account of his imperfections in serving his Master. He now plainly told me, that he firmly believed the whole Bible to be an imposture; and that he could not think God was such a cruel Being as Moses, the Psalmist, and the Prophets describe Him to be. As for Jesus Christ, he could not tell whether such a man ever lived or not, because he finds so many glaring contradictions in the accounts given of Him by the Evangelists, and more particularly as it regards the supposed event of His resurrection. I asked him whether he had ever accustomed himself to listen to, and ponder over, sound and fair arguments, as it regards matters of fact." Yes, Sir, I am fond of argument, provided a man argues philosophically-I mean, in such a manner that my reason is able to comprehend both the premises and the argument drawn from

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