the two were, Mrs. Gregory and Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Gregory was fafely delivered of a fon about a month ago, and was baptifed by himself; his name is Ebenezer-Gerfham, no doubt alluding to our prefent fituation. Mrs. Jones was delivered of a daughter about a fortnight ago; the was baptifed by Mr. Howell, and was named Ruth; both the women, through the goodness of God, are now got better.

My dear parents, we must not expect the way to heaven ftrewed with flowers; if we think fo, we not only deceive ourselves, but difbelieve the plain teftimony of our Lord and Master; for he hath faid, "Through much tribulation we must enter the kingdom;" and that if any man will be his difciple, he muft deny himfelf, take up his crofs and follow him, not only when the fun fhines,. or when religion is the fashion of the times, but through good and bad report. And, let me add, that thofe who engage in miffions must not expect that all will go fimoothly on, but that they will have difficulties to encounter in the profecution of fo great a work; therefore it becomes all who embark in the caufe, to count well the coft before they begin to rear the fabric. I truft the Lord has not yet altogether fruftrated this miffion, but that he will carry us to fome place where we may be made ufeful to our fellow crea tures."

ARRIVAL of the MISSIONARIES in ENGLAND,

Y dispatches from Captain Robfon, dated May 1,

BY 1799, the London Miffionary 'Society was ap

prifed, that he was about to leave Monte Video in a few days, and to proceed to Rio Janeiro, uncertain whether he fhould there procure a conveyance to England, or to the place of his original deftination. Another letter, however, was received from him, dated Lifbon, October 2, in which he gives information, that he and all the Miffionaries had fafely arrived there on the 21ft of September. Here, by the kindness of friends, who fup

plied him with cafh, he was enabled to procure a paffage to England, where they fafely arrived on the 12th of October.

The following letter from Mr. Howell, while it gives a detail of fome circumftances relative to the Miffionaries, which have not yet been laid before the public, is written in a spirit fo truly Chriftian, and contains fo many juft reflections on the conduct of Providence towards them, that we cannot withhold it from our readers.

MY DEAR SIR,

Lifbon, Sept. 26, 1799.

WE have juft learned, by a paper from England, that you have had information of the afflictive providences that overtook us in our important expedition. I have the fatisfaction, however, to fay, that the Lord has brought us through all to this place in fafety, and in a good state of health, excepting two or three of the women, who may probably foon be better, with the conveniences and comforts to be had on fhore. Our fufferings, upon the whole, have not been what we might have expected, when we had the misfortune to be captured by the Buonaparte; nor what our friends in England would probably conjecture from the accounts we have seen; nor have they, I affure you, Sir, been half fo numerous as our mercies. Many very fingular interpofitions of the Divine goodness have indeed attended us fince our departure from England, the whole of which, I trust, we may foon have an opportunity of relating viva voce, of which, however, that of our being conducted to this port is none of the leaft to be admired.

We were taken by the convoy of the Brazil fleet to Lisbon, not far from the fpot where we were captured, when we were again pleafing ourselves with the profpect of entering the harbour of Rio Janeiro, for the purpose of procuring fome neceffary fupplies, and where we hoped to be able to fix the plan of our future movements. Every arrangement in view was, however, by this unexpected event, completely fuperfeded; and it was now no

longer a question where we should go, but where we must go. Such a peculiar providence, indeed, you will readily judge, put an end to every debate on this fubject, and finally determined our duty to return home re infecta.

Painful, my dear Sir, as this only alternative was at first felt by fome, it has probably been more than counterbalanced, by the fatisfaction of being able to perceive fo clearly the path of duty, which muft otherwife have been very complex and difficult to afcertain for the general fatisfaction of fo numerous a body of people. The bereaved forlorn ftate, however, to which many of us had been reduced by the French, was taken into the account, and altogether we could not but conclude it was the will of God, for wife and just reasons of his own, to fruftrate this miffion, and to forbid any further attempts to carry it into effect. "Be ftill and know that I am God," was the folemn and impreffive leffon inculcated by it upon every mind that gave it the confideration it feemed to demand; and "I will (yet) be exalted among the heathen," the only confolation left us to enjoy in fuch trying circumftances. But what was our furprise and aftonishment, when we perused the account in the London Chronicle, of the calamitous fituation of our brethren in the islands where we were going! Suffice it to fay, my dear Sir, it affected us not a little; it ferved, however, at the fame time, to throw a new light on the peculiar providence that had befallen ourselves, and fupplied the place of a thousand arguments, not only to reconcile us to the fevere difpenfation, but also to fill us with admiration at the condefcenfion and goodness with which it feemed pregnant;-in a word, every difficulty attending it, which has often confounded and perplexed us, now appeared to be explained; and we could as eafily justify him in his dealings with ourfelves as with them. The Lood reigneth, is become the text for every day, and is formed to preach a powerful fermon to fome of our feelings as well as our judgment.

I truft one of the effects of thefe awful vifitations, upon my own mind, at least, has been to humble and

to quicken me in prayer, that the Lord would fupport and comfort the friends of the Miffionary caufe in general, and the Directors in particular, that their hearts may not faint, nor their hands grow flack, amidft the dif couragements they must feel, and the reproaches they muft meet; and furely they are not called to forrow as men without hope, as if the Lord had forbidden us to believe, that he will protect an intereft of fuch magnitude and confequence from fuftaining any real injury by fo painful, a method of teaching us his fovereign will; but he is able to make the wrath of man to praise him, and has often, before this, been pleased to adopt the most unlikely measures to us to effect the leading defires of our heart. His counfel fhall ftand, and he will do all his pleasure; and what a confoling reflection, that that very counfel refpects the preservation and propagation of the cause in queftion, and the cause we had at heart. Yes, Sir, the Directors, and the numerous friends of the inftitution, will take courage, and ftrengthen themfelves in the Lord their God. They will alfo try to profit by the disappointment, and be better qualified than ever, to meet the difficulties, and to manage the concerns of an undertaking, which appears to require as much experience as zeal and wifdom to conduct with fuccefs; nor fhall the cause they have fo heartily efpoufed, and laboriously purfued, be any the worfe for fuffering in the eftimation of indifferent fpectators on the one hand, and active enemies on the other, while it has fo many promises of truth and goodness to ftimulate and encourage its patrons, and to enfure its profperity. The zealous king of Ifrael, it feems, had occafion to beseech God in the fame terms which are accommodated to our own cafe, and in behalf of the fame intereft. "Arife, O Lord, let not man prevail," &c. and they who wish to efcape disappointments in fuch a way, have only to fit ftill and look on, and do nothing; they may then congratulate one another upon their having had nothing to do with a work, which, in their own judgment, has yielded little but difgrace to its active fupporters; but they lofe VOL. I. No. 3. I

A

all the fatisfaction and honour of having attempted what the noble spirit of Chriftianity fuggefts, what the calls of duty urge to, what the good prophets of our God foretold, and what the apofties, the firft Miffionaries of Chrift, fanctioned by example.

1 purposed embracing the firft opportunity of a paffage to England, but I believe it is now fettled that we fhall all be difpofed of in the fleet, which is expected to fail in less than a week. We do not care how foon we are removed, because our continuance here is both expenfive and uncomfortable. I cannot help remarking how good the Lord has been to us, how his efpecial care and kindness have been accommodated to our trials, as they have been varied, and have infinitely exceeded them all; and should it pleafe him to preferve us to fee you, a more particular recital of his gracious dealings cannot fail to do good. I flatter myself, an interview with many of my Chriftian friends will be productive of the fame effect, and that much more good may come out of this broken mission, than many are aware of, or are willing at prefent to believe. I beg, Sir, you will take the trouble to prefent my dutiful refpects to the gentlemen in the direction; they will have condefcenfion to accept my beft wifhes for the furtherance of the great and good defign for which I was employed, and believe me to be, their Very obedient fervant for Chrift's fake,"

WILLIAM HOWELL.

Sunday, October 12, 1799.

P. S. I open my letter juft to fay, that by a kind providence I have arrived, with many of my brethren, fingle and married, at Falmouth, this morning, by the Packet, that I expected would bring this to England. The particulars, which I have neither time nor room to infert, Mr. Smith, the mate, will communicate; and I hope, in the courfe of a few days, to have the pleasure of relating others myfelf. At Falmouth we have met