_Sunday, September 23rd._--Morning prayers in German with the
house-family. Our venerable senior missionary read the texts and the
Gospel for the day, and gave out suitable hymns, which were well sung
by the company of brethren, and sisters, and children assembled in the
dining-room around the long table. Breakfast is enlivened with
cheerful, godly converse, and shortly after we join the Eskimo
congregation in the first service of the day. I like this church as
well as any in the land. It is proportionate, simple, neat and light.
Mr. Wirth takes his place behind the table, and, what with residents
and visitors, there is a goodly row of missionary brethren and sisters
to right and left of him, facing the Eskimo congregation. Among the
latter the white faces of a settler family, the Metcalfs from Napartok
Bay, are conspicuous. Though the language be strange, I have already
grown familiar with the liturgic forms of worship and can follow
either the "Church Litany," familiar to one in English and German, or
the admirable responsive compilation of tests known as the Catechism
Litany. The latter is chosen this morning, and it is quite possible
that a negro congregation in Surinam, or a Kaffir congregation in
South Africa may be using the same form of sound words, for it exists
both in Negro English and in Kaffir.
At 10 we are again summoned to the house of prayer by the bell. Mr.
Dam is the preacher, and is evidently moved by the thought that this
may be his last sermon in Eskimo for many a day. A hymn and a prayer,
fervent and brief, precede the giving out of his text, Rev. i. 12-20.
The sermon is listened to attentively by old and young, of whom
considerably more than a hundred are present. Old Zippora is, as ever,
at her place at the end of the bench. Blind though she is, she often
walks miles to church over uneven ground or hummocky ice, when away at
the fishing places. She seems to take her part in the worship of the
sanctuary thoroughly, whether in response or sacred song, or as
listener with animated face and at times an overflowing heart. While I
am looking, her fingers seek the corner of her apron, and lifting it
she wipes the tears from her sightless eyes.
But the eloquent flow of words, mostly unintelligible to me, comes to
a close. A hymn is sung, and the New Testament blessing pronounced.
Then the procession from the missionary benches files out through the
schoolroom into the mission-house and the people disperse to their
homes. Mere mounds they look as I see them from my window. But they
are Christian homes, whence rises prayer and praise.
I was mistaken. The congregation had not dispersed, for the choir
wished to give me a specimen of their powers. I returned to the church
and listened to a fair selection of sacred music, including a long
piece (Psalm xcv. 6, 7), well sustained by a choir of about a dozen
men and women, and two or three instrumentalists. When they ceased, I
spoke a few words of thanks and farewell.
Dinner was as usual very literally "the mid-day meal." Soup was
followed by a joint of reindeer venison, which was a treat to me, as
beef or mutton would be to my hosts. The vegetables had been grown in
the mission garden. After coffee I went over to the ship for the
afternoon service aboard, rowed by four Eskimoes, Thomas, Clement, one
of the organists, Daniel, and Heinrich. In their endeavour to converse
with me they brought out some amusing scraps of English, and little
Heinrich informed me his name in my language was "Harry."
Whilst I was preaching to the crew there was an afternoon meeting
ashore. I returned for our solemn farewell service with the missionary
band. Here, as at each previous station, this was an occasion of deep
feeling. My parting word was founded on (2 Corinthians xiii. 11)
"Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of
one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with
you." So I took leave of "brethren," who are faithfully serving their
Lord in this cold country. Truly here is the patience and the faith of
the saints. The God of all grace bless each missionary family, comfort
and strengthen them in all their work, and perfect that which
concerneth them and their people! How wonderfully He can and does
help, I have experienced on this voyage and visit to Labrador, and so
at the close of my visitation record my humble praise.