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safeguard of valiant Indians, at least, should accompany him; but as these could not get themselves in readiness so soon, because their horses were not near at hand, he took leave of the brethren and rode off. God, however, permitted him to go by a wrong path, without his being aware of it. When the four brethren, who had started an hour later than he did, came to the place where the road turned off, they saw brother Zeisberger, who in the mean time had discovered his mistake, riding back, and thus they providentially met together. Had he taken the right road, it would have been impossible for these brethren to overtake him before he met the hostile party; for the latter met them when they were only about 10 miles from Lichtenau. Just about this juncture, the friendly Delawares, brave men, who were out upon the chase, joined Zeisberger's company, and immediately had recourse to their arms, in order to act upon the defensive, provided they were attacked. This, however, was unnecessary; for the enemy finding them on their guard sheered off.

In the spring of 1781, brother Zeisberger was called to Bethlehem, and there joined in holy matrimony to Susan Lekron, a single sister from Litiz. It was not long after his return to the Muskingum with his wife, that black clouds gathered over the heads of the Indian congregation and the missionaries. The half-king of the Hurons had undertaken the charge imposed upon him by the British government at Detroit to suspend both. On the morning of the 3d of September, a national assistant entered the mission house at Gnadenhûtten, where the brethren, Zeisberger, Edwards, Senseman, and Heckwelder were assembled, and with tears in his eyes, brought the intelligence, that they would be attacked that same day by the savages; but that the latter were not yet agreed among themselves, whether they would lead them away captive, or murder and scalp them. This intelligence had been conveyed to the national assistant by one of his relations, who had sat in their council and was a friend to the brethren. The missionaries, notwithstanding, had the bell tolled at the usual hour in the morning, to assemble the Indians for divine service; and as a great number of warriors came along with the Christian Indians, the spacious hall was not only crowded with people, but many stood outside of the doors. Several verses having been sung, brother Zeisberger read the text appointed for the day-"In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." Isa. liv. 8. From these words he spoke with such power and undauntedness, that nearly all those present, and even many of the warriors, melted into tears. All those members of the congregation who were faithfully disposed, were on this occasion united together in one spirit, and took up the resolution, willingly and patiently to submit. to every thing that God should suffer to befall them; others, howVOL. VII.

4 E

ever, whose conversation was not sincere, were brought to consider their state, and at least to be ashamed of their double-mindedness. But another matter of the greatest importance, the prevention of a terrible slaughter, was, by the mercy of God, the blessed consequence of this memorable meeting. We knew that many of our Indian brethren would not remain indifferent spectators to the scene, if their teachers were assaulted and abused; and it was likewise known that many of the warriors loved us, and would, in connexion with their relations among the believing Indians, fight for us. For this reason the war-council, who were apprized of this, had devised ways and means for assassinating us. Now brother Zeisberger had publicly, and in the name of all the missionaries, declared that we would willingly, and without murmuring, submit to the continued care of God's providence; yea, that we would, as was the duty of every believer, pray for our enemies, and for all the warriors that had encamped around us; and this he had done himself, at the conclusion of his discourse. This tended to quiet the minds of our Indian brethren and sisters respecting us; and the warriors who had attended the meeting could now give information to the council, that they would meet with no resistance here. This also was the reason why but three or four Indians laid hands on us, notwithstanding above 300 warriors were on the spot, and even they, contrary to their custom, in such cases, treated us with comparative lenity. At noon of said day, the brethren, Zeisberger, Senseman, and Heckwelder, standing together, a captain of the Monseys came running up to them and asked the former, whether he alone would acknowledge himself as belonging to the nation of the Monseys, (a Delaware tribe) and as their only teacher? Scarcely had the answer been given, "Where one stays there we all stay," when we three were seized and led into the camp of the Hurons. While we were dragged along, a Huron gallopped up to us with great impetuosity, and aimed his javelin at brother Senseman, but missed him. A wicked Monsey took us one after the other by the hair, shook our heads soundly, and every time repeated these words "Guamangomel nimat," i. e. "I salute thee, brother!" The common salutation of the brethren was well known to this arch enemy of their's and reviler of the gospel; and we now being in his power, he vented his indignation against us in this manner. Through the mercy of God, another danger was averted from us when we arrived in our transport for Sandusky at Salem, the Christian Indian town that had been last laid out on the Muskingum. The young Indians there could not remain passive spectators of the captivity of their teachers. They accordingly conferred together in the night, and unanimously resolved to effect our enlargement, let what would be the consequence. Fortunately there was one among their number, whose reflection led him farther than the rest, who insisted upon their

first procuring the assent of their teachers to this measure. The most valiant man among them laid the matter before us, with this expression" that to all of them their heart gave the same advice." We, however, advised them not to lay violent hands on any man, for in that case we should assuredly forfeit our lives. After a captivity of four days, at the intercession of the national assistants, the savages allowed the missionaries more liberty, but now required them to encourage the believing Indians to get themselves ready for their decampment. They did so, with the best success, and the whole body broke up. But never before had the Indians left a spot with so much regret as this, since they were compelled to forsake the three comparatively beautiful towns of Gnadenhûtten, Palem, and Schonbrunn, together with a great part of their effects. Upwards of 200 head of cattle, and more than 400 hogs, they had already lost at an earlier date. Their external loss only, according to a moderate calculation, amounted to more than $12,000. But the total stop put to the instruction of their youth, grieved them more than any thing else. Their books and documents were burnt. With that they saw nothing but misery and danger before them. However the Lord was with them. They felt this-and this kept their courage alive.

(To be continued.)

MAGDALEN KLEFF.

The Diary of the United Brethren's Mission at Gnadenthal, (South Africa,) furnishes the following interesting account of a Christian Hottentot woman. It suggests some useful hints to children, who are too much disposed to throw off parental authority, "before they are out of their 'teens."

On the 24th of May, 1819, Magdalen Kleff, a very aged Hottentot woman departed this life. She had had 24 children, most of whom have gone before her into eternity. She was the last person here, so far as we know, who knew our late venerable father George Schmidt. She had been one of his scholars; and sometimes spoke, with tears in her eyes, of the last meeting he held with the children, and the fervent prayer with which he concluded his farewell discourse. She afterward removed into another part of the country: but, on hearing that some brethren were come again and had settled at Bavianskloof, she said to her children, "To that place we will go; for these are certainly the same sort of people as George Schmidt was. You shall go to school to them." Thus she arrived here with all her children; and it was soon perceived, that the seed sown in her heart half a century before, had not perished.. At the consecration of our new church, in 1800, she, with six other adults, was baptized; and, in 1803, became a communicant.

We can testify, that it was her earnest wish to live unto the Lord, and walk worthy of the gospel. Her whole demeanor was exemplary; and, by a certain upright, decided, and resolute manner, which was natural to her, and made her differ from the Hottentots in general, she acquired great esteem with all, whether superiors or inferiors. She retained, however, from long habit, certain Hottentot manners and ideas for instance, she thought that no age screened a child from parental authority and discipline: if she had reason to find fault with and resent her children's conduct, though they were upward of 50 years old, she would not only scold, but would make them submit to personal chastisement. One could not help smiling, to see this aged, infirm person, hobbling along, scarcely able to support herself on her trembling knees by means of a crutch, dealing out her feeble blows on the backs of her unresisting grey-headed children, who took it all in good part, since she considered it a discharge of parental duty. In the latter part of her life, she seldom could leave her bed; but she cleaved unto and rejoiced in the Lord, without wavering. Her end was very gentle, and the ceasing of her breath hardly perceptible.

CHARACTER OF MRS. HANNAH MORE.

To the Editor of the Christian Herald.

Mrs. Hannah More is so well known from her works, and so highly respected in this country, that the character I now send you of her, must be amusing to your readers; whilst the closing sentence of the letter which gives it, cannot fail of awakening a lively sensibility, and of imparting solemn instruction.

A SUBSCRIBER.

"Some of her friends," says the "Biographia Dramatica," (edit. 1812,)" called her exquisite humanity, her hobby horse; and to such of them as were wits, it furnished a new species of raillery. It is in this humour, which is a mixture of praise and of blame, that the late Lord Orford, in a letter to herself, gives the following sketch of her character:

"It is very provoking," says his Lordship, "that people must be always hanging or drowning themselves, or going mad; that you, forsooth, mistress, may have the diversion of exercising your pity, and good nature, and charity, and intercession, and all that bead-roll of virtues that make you so troublesome and amiable, when you might be ten times more agreeable, by writing things that would not cost one above half-a-crown at a time.

"You are an absolute walking hospital, and travel about into lone and bye places, with your doors open to house stray-casualties. I wish, at least, that you would have some children yourself, that you might not be plaguing one for all the pretty brats that are starving and friendless. I suppose it was some such

goody, two or three thousand years ago, that suggested the idea of an Alma-Mater suckling the 365 bantlings of the Countess of Hainault.-Well, as your newly adopted pensioners have two babes, I insist on your accepting two guineas for them, instead of one, at present; that is, when you shall be present. If you cannot circumscribe your own charities, you shall not stint mine, madam, who can afford it much better, and who must be dunned for alms, and do not scramble over hedges and ditches in searching for opportunities of flinging away my money on good works. I employ mine better at auctions, and in buying pictures and baubles, and hoarding curiosities, that, in truth, I cannot keep long, but that will last forever in my catalogue, and make me immortal. Alas! will they cover a multitude of sins?-Adieu! I cannot jest after that sentence."

REVIEW.

Dr. Miller's Sermon on the Difficulties and Temptations which attend the Preaching of the Gospel in great Cities.

(Concluded from page 560.)

In our last number we followed the reverend author through the three first obstacles, to the faithful and successful preaching of the gospel in great cities.

"A fourth obstacle to the success of gospel ministers in populous cities, is the tendency of particular circumstances, in such places, to harden the heart."-p. 22.

Of these, two only are mentioned, viz.-" Familiarity with death, and the frequency and publicity of gross vices." On these our author justly remarks that

"Few things have a greater tendency to impress and soften the heart, than Death, and the various attendants on the close of our earthly pilgrimage. The coffin, the shroud, the funeral procession, and the open grave, all tend to inspire deep reflection and seriousness, in every man who has not become obdurate as a brute. Nay, the most abandoned profligate, and even the atheist, are compelled to be thoughtful while they stand over the house appointed for all living. Such, in fact, is the impression made, on the minds of most persons, by a death and a funeral, in those places in which occurrences of this kind are comparatively rare. But probably every one who has had an opportunity of making the observation, has remarked, that in large cities, where deaths and funerals, and sometimes large numbers of them, occur every day, they, in a great measure, cease to make the impression which is proper and desirable. The scene is familiar. The mind becomes, in this respect, hardened. And that whole train of motives which the gospel preacher is wont to draw from the consideration of death and eternity, and which ought to be among the most awfully powerful, make, for the most part, but little impression.

"The same general remarks may be applied to gross vices. In the retirement of the country, where such vices seldom occur, and when they do occur, are in a great measure concealed from public view, they are