"Ke-se-wog-ne-man-toom
Ke-nah-te-tin," etcetera,
"Nearer, my God, to Thee."
After three verses of this beautiful hymn were sung, we had a large
number of short testimonies. Some of the people beautifully expressed
themselves by quoting passages from their Indian Bibles. For example,
one said: "The joy of the Lord is my portion." Another: "The Lord is my
Shepherd; I shall not want." Another: "Beloved, now are we the sons of
God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when
He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see him as He is."
Thus delightfully passed away two hours. Perhaps fifty or sixty gave
their testimonies, or quoted passages of Scripture. The speaking was up
to the average of a similar gathering among white people, as these
examples we have given would indicate. They were faithfully translated
by two of our best interpreters, and then compared. And yet many of the
beautiful Indian images are lost in the translation into English.
The best of all has also to be left out. The Divine power, the holy
emotions, the shining faces, the atmosphere of heaven, cannot be put
down on paper. Many of my readers know what I mean as thus I write, for
they have been in those hallowed gatherings where "they that feared the
Lord spake often one to another."
Then followed the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. To the Christian
Indians this service is, as it ever should be, the most solemn and
impressive in the Church. Our custom was to hold four Communion
services during the year. In addition, we sometimes gave a dying
devoted member this sacrament, if so desired. Here there were a few
other very important occasions, when we celebrated in this way the dying
of the Lord Jesus. As, for example, when several scores of our people
were going off on a dangerous trip in a plague-infected district with
but very poor prospects of all returning home again.