11 00 Collection at the Monthly Concert at the second 17 76 10 00 From David R. Burns, annual sub. 3 00 From the Aux. Soc. of Paramus, Bergen County, . From A Friend to Missions," enclosed in a 10 00 11 42 7.75 6 00 21 75 12 21 Collection at the Monthly Concert in the Presb. From Mrs. Eleanor Crawford, of do. by do. From the Female Aux. Soc. of Great Conewa- From the Female Missionary Society of Briar- From James R. Gibson, annual subscriber 5 00 From William Smith, New-York, to constitute 30 00 From the Young Men's Missionary Soc. of Lan- 12 50 From a pious Female, the whole amount of her 3 00 37 00 36 00 From Mrs. Mary Anna King, City of Washing- 12.00 6 75 5 00 173 88 206 50 A FARMER AND A BLACKSMITH WANTED. The Managers of the United Foreign Missionary Society are desirous to send, as soon as practicable, an additional Farmer to Union, and a Blacksmith to Harmony. They should be men well skilled in their respective occupations; in communion with some Christian Church; and able to furnish satisfactory recommendations. It is also desirable that they should be married men, as female assistance is wanted at each station. Application, for either, may be made to Z. Lewis, Domestic Sec. and Tr. of the U. F. M. S. New-York. In the Life of the Missionary Egede, and the Supplement to that Life, [given in the 3d, 4th, and 5th numbers of the second volume of the American Missionary Register,] the principal circumstances were stated relative to the foundation and present condition of the Danish Mission to Greenland. That Mission was begun in 1721. The first entrance of the United Brethren into this inhospitable field was in 1733; which year was marked by the arrival of their Missionaries, Christian David, Matthew Stach, and Christian Stach. Matthew Stach was an eminent servant of this Mission. In our account of Mr. Egede, we promised to lay a narrative of Matthew Stach's life before our readers. In fulfilment of this purpose, we shall now give a memoir of this distinguished Missionary, contained in the first volume of the "Periodical Accounts;" interweaving with it such extracts from Crantz's Greenland, as may present a view of the foundation and early progress of the Brethren's Mission in that country. Narrative of his earlier years. This Narrative is given in Mr. Stach's own words. I was born at Mankendorf, in Moravia, March 4, 1711. My father, Christian Stach, was a pious man; and laboured diligently, though under great oppression, in the Gospel, among the few remaining in Moravia. The first occasion of my having serious impressions upon my mind, was a circumstance apparently insignificant. I was sitting and crying that, in a distribution of cake among my companions, I had been neglected. My father reproved me for it, and said, "Ah, my Son, could I but once see thee weep as earnestly on VOL. IV. 29 account of thy sins!" These words pierced me to the heart, and I retained a lasting impression of them. In the summer season I was chiefly employed in tending cattle in the fields, and in winter my father taught me, at home, to read and write, fearing lest if I went to school, I might be hurt by bad examples. He did not agree with the Roman Catholic custom of administering the sacrament to children of seven or eight years old, and therefore kept me from it. I remember about that age to have been in great distress of mind about my soul's salvation, so that I often wished to have been any creature rather than a man. In my twelfth year I entered into ser vice, and being no more under my father's immediate inspection, soon got a hankering after the vanities and pleasures of the world, though I was not able to launch out as other's did, owing to my father's being counted a heretic, and the young men of the village shunning his counections. Whenever I visited him, his words penetrated into my heart, and brought back my former reflections. When I was sixteen, I moved to Zauchenthal, a place noted for licentiousness; and, alas! soon began to relish it myself. However, God was pleased to bless the frequent admonitions of a friend of my father's, called Melchior Conrad; who, by representing the dangers which I was exposed to, prevailed on me to resolve that, as soon as I could save a little money, I would leave the country, and join the emigrants who then had settled at Hernnhutt, in Upper Lusatia; but, being at my father's house on Palm Sunday, it happened that a cousin of mine, Martin Franke, was there, from Hernnhutt, and I felt a great desire to accompany him on his return. He endeavoured by every argument to dissuade me from taking this step, painting in lively colours the poverty, hardships, and distress which the emigrants had to struggle with, and how much worse my outward condition would be: all this, joined to the pain that my father felt at the thought of parting with me, had nearly overset my resolution; but it soon returned with redoubled force, till at last I packed up my linen in a bundle, and went to take a final leave of my father. On seeing me firmly determined to go, he began to describe the difficulties which he had laboured under to provide something for me:" and now,' said he, "you are going to leave me, just when, according to the course of nature, you would have soon stepped into your inheritance; but," said he, "if your wish to emigrate originates from a pure desire to save your soul, and to enjoy liberty of conscience, I would not on any consideration in the world detain you." It is impossible for me to tell what comfort I felt at this last speech of my father's. I remained concealed in his house that night, and the next morning, before day-break, my cousin, two other brethren, and I, set Here I first lodged with my cousin, whose conversation and connections proved a blessing to me. I soon found great difficulty in earning my bread. I served in the Orphan House for some time, then took to spinning wool. Many a day I subsisted on nothing but a bit of dry bread; and, in short, met with so many trials of this kind, that the Brethren thought I should soon quit Hernnhut. But I never forgot my resolution, made before the Lord, when I left my father's house, to persevere, should I even suffer hunger, sickness, and death itself. Thus I looked up in faith to my Heavenly Father, and trusted to his kind providence from day to day; nor did I lack any thing needful for the support of life. In June I was followed by my cousin, Christian Stach; but heard, soon after, that both his and my father had been imprisoned, as having countenanced our escape: my father was soon set free, but his father remained in prison till three days before his death. The widow then sent to desire that we would come and fetch her and her two children to Hernn hut. We accordingly attempted it, and on Whitsuntide Eve, 1780, arrived at my father's house, where we lay concealed for a whole week. My father wished us not to stay for him, and thus we set out with the above-mentioned persons, and another widow woman. Finding it very inconvenient to bring the children along, we got a wheelbarrow on the frontiers of Silesia, and put the two youngest into it, and thus arrived safe in Hernnhut. Meanwhile the Roman Catholic Priests resolved to secure my father. They sent searchers, unawares, into his house, and examined all his papers and books; and, among other things, found a letter from me, with which they went to the parson age-house, where a number of Priests were assembled, taking my father with them. He was left below stairs unguard ed, while they perused the contents of the letter. Knowing their evil designs, my father availed himself of his liberty, and ran home as fast as he could, where he informed his wife and children what had happened, and where he should hide himself, so that they might find him and emigrate together. The letter filled a whole sheet of paper in close writing, so that the Priests discovered his escape too late. Hereupon they sent four men to watch the house, but in the dark, my mother and three sisters escaped their vigilance, and joined my father. They now proceeded to Zauchenthal, but not one of my father's old friends would venture to take him in. The second day, therefore, they spent in a corn field, the owner of which discovered them, and humanely relieved their wants with some bread and milk. In the night they proceeded, but finding that the strictest search was made after them in all the neigh bourhood, they remained in a place of concealment eight days, and at length fetching a large compass, arrived at Hernnhut on the 15th of June, 1730. I had now lived two years in Hernnhut; and spent my days, in general, contented and cheerful: but remained always deficient in obtaining an inward assurance that my sins were forgiven. This subject was treated of in all public discourses, and I grew more and more uneasy. But alas! I fell into working and striving to obtain it by my own merit, which caused me many a sad and anxious hour. I felt myself totally under the Law and its curse; and the more I strove to keep it, the more I discovered my fall. There fore, wherever I was, I was wretched and miserable; and, finding that I could not procure peace of mind by any other means, I disclosed my whole situation to a confidential friend, for his advice. His answer was, "If thou art hungry, eatif thirsty, drink: all things are prepared for thee." I thought his advice very unsatisfactory, expecting that he would dictate to me a greater exertion of self denial, upon which, at that time, I rested my hopes. Thus my distress remained; and I spent a whole night in tears and prayers to the Lord for His help and direction, humbling myself before Him as a poor undone sinner. In the morning-meeting, the next day, I can say with truth, that our Saviour granted me such confidence towards Him, as my strength and shield, and such a firm reliance on His merits and death, that all my doubts and fears vanished; and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost took place within my heart. I was, soon after, admitted to the Lord's Supper; and enjoyed, in communion with my Saviour, and in fellowship with the whole congregation, daily, new blessings and spiritual consolations. In general, love and simplicity reigned among us, and we forgot all outward poverty and difficulty. After the labour of the day was over, the Single Brethren usually took a walk into the wood, two and two, to converse with each other concerning what the Lord had done for their souls; and when they returned they sang a hymn together before going to rest. Once, as we were passing by the house of the late Count Zinzendorf, he was just stepping out with Dr. Schaefer, a Lutheran Divine, then on a visit to Hernnhut. On seeing us, he addressed the Doctor-" Here, Sir, you see future Missionaries among the Heathen." I was much struck at hearing these words; and a desire, which I had felt for some time, to preach the Gospel to the Heathen, began to increase within me. About the same time, two Brethren, Leonard Dober and Tobias Leopold, wrote a let ter to the Congregation, mentioning their desire and willingness to preach the Gospel to the negroes in the West Indies; and that, to gain this end, they were even willing to become slaves themselves. Hitherto I had hesitated to mention a similar impulse of my heart to any one; but this letter gave me courage to speak to Brother Boehnish, my confidential friend, about it. I rejoiced greatly to find in him the same disposition of mind; and we resolved to lay our desire before the Elders and the Congregation, in the same manner as the above-mentioned two brethren had done, offering to go to Greenland: We had to wait two years before our wishes were accomplished; and, in the mean time, frequent inquiries were made, whether we continued in the same mind: and, thanks to the Lord! we could always cheerfully answer in the affirmative. During this period, I was sent to Hall in Saxony, and to Jena, with a view to inquire into the circumstances of the emigrants from Salzburg. On this journey I had the misfortune to fall into the hands of some Prussian soldiers, who detained me a whole night, and treated me very cruelly, in order to compel me to enlist. However, through the interference of Count Zinzendorf, I was set at liberty the next day. This happened in 1732. The Congregation, which was as yet totally inexperienced in Missionary affairs, could give them no instructions. They were but the second company who had to make the untried experiment, whether the Heathen would receive the message of peace from their Creator and Redeemer; and were, therefore, left to act, in every circumstance, as the Lord and his Spirit should lead them. It was only suggested, that they should cherish an affectionate brotherly love; that they should respect the venerable Christian David as a father, and profit by his advice; and that they should offer themselves as assistants to that long-tried Apostle of the Greenlanders, Mr. Egede; but if he did Obtains the Patronage of the King of not want their help, they should by no At the same time the plan of a Mission to Greenland was also agitated. As that country was under the Danish Government, which was very friendly to the brethren, it appeared to them the more eligible for the establishment of a Mission; and the forlorn state of the poor natives, who had already received Christian instruction from Mr. Egede, loudly called upon their compassion. Matthew Stach and Frederic Boehnish, two young men, being at work together, in preparing a piece of ground for a burial place at Hernnhut, in the course of conversation, found that they had both, unknown to each other, formed the design of going as Missionaries to Greenland. They, therefore, proposed themselves for this service; but, the delay of a year intervening before their offer was accepted, and Boeh nish having, meanwhile, undertaken considerable journey, Christian Stach consented to accompany his cousin. These two Missionaries, along with Christian David, the principal agent in the Moravian Emigration, who intended to return to Europe after the settlement of a Mission, set out from Hernhutt, Jan. 19, 1733, attended with numberless good wishes from their brethren. a means interfere in his labours. With scarcely any provision for their journey beyond the most necessary articles of clothing, our Missionaries travelled, by way of Hamburgh, to the Danish Capital. Here they met with a kind reception from Professor Ewald, member of the College of Missions, and M. Reuss, His Majesty's Chaplain, and from several other friends, to whom they had been recommended. could not, however, but be regarded as a Their intention of going to Greenland visionary scheme, particularly while the fate of the Danish Mission at Godthaab was yet in suspense. But they took little notice of these gloomy forebodings; and cast their confidence on Him, who, as they believed, had called them to the work, and would support them in the prosecution of it. They learned, shortly after, that His Majesty had granted leave for one vessel more to sail to Godthaab; and that M. Pless, the First Lord of the Bedchamber, had engaged a merchant of the name of Severen, to send a trader to Disco Bay, on trial. Though the latter would be ready to sail almost immediately, they preferred, after deliberate consideration, to wait for the king's ship, and made their application to this effect to the chamberlain. Their first audience with this minister was not a little discouraging. Indeed it might well seem strange to him, that |