AN INDIAN LOVEFEAST--MANY WITNESSES--SWEET SONGS OF ZION--THE LORD'S
SUPPER--MEMOIR OF WILLIAM MEMOTAS, THE DEVOTED CHRISTIAN.
Our Lovefeasts and sacramental services were always well attended, if it
were within the range of possibility for the Indians to be present. To
come in on Saturday from their distant hunting grounds sixty miles away,
that they might enjoy the services of the Lord's house on His own day,
was no unusual thing. Then on Monday morning we have seen them again
strap on their snowshoes, and with glad hearts and renewed zeal start
off to return to their lonely hunting camps in the distant forests.
They are able to express themselves clearly, and often quite eloquently.
When their hearts are full of the love of God, and they are rejoicing
in the blessed assurance of the Divine favour, they are willing to speak
about it.
"What they have felt and seen
With confidence they tell."
Here are some of their testimonies. Those are the living words of men
and women who were once the slaves of a debasing paganism. But on their
hearts the blessed Spirit shone, and to His pleading voice they
responded, and now, happy in the consciousness that they are the
children of God, they love to talk about what wonderful things have been
done for them and wrought in them. Timothy Bear said:
"It is such a joy to me, that I can tell you of great things done for
me. Great is the joy I have in my heart to-day. I rest in the
consciousness that He is my own reconciled Heavenly Father, and so I
feel it good to be here in the Lord's house, and with those that love
Him. The good Spirit gives me to see how good and kind my heavenly
Father is; and so I can say that the greatest anxiety of my heart and
life is to serve God better and better as I grow older. To do this I
have found out that I must have Divine help. But He is my Helper for
everything, and so I need not fail. So I am encouraged that I shall
love God more and more, and, with that, I want to love His cause and
people, and those who have not yet become His people, that they may soon
do so, more and more. For the conversion of the unsaved, let us, who
feel that Jesus saves us, pray more earnestly than ever, and may God
help us to live our religion, that the heathen around us may see in our
lives what a wonderful thing it is."
Timothy's burning words produced a deep impression, and some one began
to sing:
"Ayume-oo-we-nah,"
"The praying Spirit breathe."
Half a dozen were on their feet when the verses were sung, but Thomas
Walker spoke first. He said:
"When I first heard the Gospel long winters ago, as brought to us by Mr
Evans, I was soon convinced that I was a sinner and needed forgiveness.
I found I could not of myself get rid of my sins, so I believed in
Christ, and found that He had power to forgive. I was very wretched
before I was forgiven. I was afraid I should be lost for ever. I
mourned and wept before God on account of my sins. In the woods alone,
I cried in my troubles, and was in deep distress. But I heard of the
love and power, and willingness to save, of this Jesus of the great
Book, and so I exercised a living faith in Him; and as I believed, God's
voice was heard, saying, `My son, I have forgiven your sins; I have
blotted them out. Go in peace.' I am sure I was not mistaken; I felt
filled with peace and joy. I felt that I, Thomas Walker, was cleansed
from my many sins, and clothed with the garments of salvation. That was
a blessed day when the Spirit of God shone into my heart and drove out
the darkness. Since then, my way in Him has been like the sunlight on
the waters. The more waves, the more sunshine. I am happy in His love
to-day. I am confident that, because He aids me, I am growing in grace.
"I rejoice at being spared to come to another celebration of the Lord's
Supper; and in view of partaking of the emblems of the dying, loving
Jesus, I feel that my soul is feeding on Christ, the true Bread of
Life."
Earnest yet suppressed words of praise and adoration quietly dropped
from many lips as Thomas ended. Then dear old Henry Budd succeeded in
getting a hearing. Henry was Mr Evans' marvellous dog-driver over
twenty-five years before the date of this blessed lovefeast. He had had
many wonderful adventures and some narrow escapes. Once, when running
ahead on a treacherous river, where in places the current was very
rapid, and consequently the ice was thin, he broke through into the
current underneath. He quickly caught hold of the edge of the ice, but
it was so weak it would not hold him up. His only comrade could not get
very near him as the ice was so bad, and so had to run about a mile for
a rope. When he returned, so intense was the cold that both of Henry's
hands, with which he had been holding on to the ice, were frozen. He
was utterly unable to close them on the rope. George shouted to him to
open his mouth. The rope was then thrown, lasso-like, so skilfully,
that the poor half-frozen man seized it in his teeth, and was thus
dragged out, and rushed off to the nearest wigwam. He was literally
saved by the "skin of his teeth."
Thus Henry Budd had, like many others, much for which to praise God. He
spoke on this occasion as follows:
"I rejoice in God my Saviour, Who has done such wonderful things for me.
I feel very happy. I am His child. He is my reconciled Father. How
can I help being happy?
"When I first began to get my poor blind eyes opened, and there came to
me a desire to seek God, and to obtain salvation for my soul, I was
troubled on account of my sins. My many transgressions rose up before
me like a cloud. I was ignorant, and so my mind was full of doubts and
fears. Yet with all my doubts there was the anxious desire to be saved.
But the victory came at last. I was enabled to hear enough about the
Almighty Friend, and so, as I had confidence in His power and love, and
believed in Him, I was at last enabled to rejoice in the knowledge of
sins forgiven through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. From those sad
doubts and fears I am now happily delivered. I feel I love God, and
that God loves me. I am growing in grace, and in the knowledge of God
my Saviour. My hopes are brightening all the time. I am getting old,
but not unhappy, for I am cheered with the blessed assurance of one day
meeting, in my Father's house in heaven, with many who are safely there,
and many more who, like me, will soon enter in. That this may be a
blessed certainty, I desire to be faithful unto the end, that no man
take my crown."
When Henry sat down, before another one could be heard, the large
congregation were singing:--
"Pe teh-na-mah-me cha-te yak
Ke ehe ne-ka-mo-yak," etc.
"O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer's praise."
The next to get the floor was one of the sweetest, purest Christians it
was ever my lot to become acquainted with in any land. His name was
William Memotas. He was a very happy Christian. As he was a Local
Preacher and a Class Leader, I was much in his society, and I can say,
as many others have said, that William, since the day of his conversion,
was never heard to utter an unkind word about any one, or do anything
that could give the enemies of the Lord Jesus an opportunity to scoff at
his profession of loving the Lord with all his heart. He was never a
very strong man physically while we knew him, and so was unable to go on
the long tripping or hunting expeditions with him more vigorous
comrades. He suffered much from inward pain, but was ever bright and
hopeful. When he stood up to add his testimony, the sick, pallid face
caused a wave of sympathy to pass over the audience, but his cheery
words quickly lifted the cloud, and we seemed to look through the open
door into the celestial city, into which he was so soon to enter. His
obituary, which I wrote at the time of his death, is added at the close
of this chapter. He said:--
"For many years I have now been walking in this way, and proving this
great salvation. It is a blessed way, and it is getting more delightful
all the time. Every day on it is a day's walk nearer Jesus. It is not
like the trails in our country, sometimes rocks, and then more often
muskegs and quaking bogs; but it is the solid rock all the time, and on
it we may always be sure of our footing, and it leads us up to Him Who
is the Rock of Ages. I am not now a strong man, as you know I once was.
This poor weak body is like the old wigwam. It is breaking up. As
each storm tears fresh rents in the old wigwam, so each attack of
disease seems to tear me, and bring me nearer the time when what is
immortal of me shall slip away from the worn body into the everlasting
brightness of that land where the happy people never say, `I am sick.'
I am very glad and happy in the service of this Jesus, and will serve
Him as long as He lends me health. But I do want to go home. I cannot
do much more here. Our Missionary, Mr Young, said to me, `William,
don't talk so much about leaving us. How can we spare you?' I thank
him for his love and friendship, but there is another Friend I am
getting such a longing in my heart to see, and that is Jesus, my
Saviour, my Redeemer. I am praying for patience, but by-and-by I shall
be with Him, with him for evermore. There I shall have no pain, and I
will praise my Jesus for evermore. So, while waiting, I ask God to be
with me here, and to let me serve Him in some way every day."
With suppressed emotion, for many eyes were full of tears, the people
sang--
"Tapwa meyoo ootaskewuk,
Ispemik ayahchik," etc.
"There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign."
William was a sweet singer, and joined heartily with the rest in singing
several verses of that grand old hymn. We had a presentiment that the
end was not far off, but we little thought, as we looked into his
radiant face, and heard his clear scriptural testimony, and his longings
for rest and heaven, that this was to be the last Lovefeast in which our
dear brother was to be with us. Ere another similar service was held,
William Memotas had gone sweeping through the gates, washed in the blood
of the Lamb.