THE MISSIONARY HERALD. VOL. XX. SEPTEMBER, 1824. BIOGRAPHY OF REV. JOHN GOTTLIEB ERNESTUS HECKEWELDER. Translated from the German, written by himself. (From the United Brethren's Missionary Intelligencer.) No. 9. In the last volume of our work, p. 134, we mentioned the death of the well known Moravian Missionary, whose Memoir we are about to insert. Like all the productions of this interesting writer, it abounds with anecdote. We find abridgment necessary. I was born, March 12, 1743, at Bedford us had entered into. He then gave me his in England, where my father, David Hecke- || benediction, laying his hand upon my welder, one of the refugees who left Mora-head and offering up a prayer, which cirvia under the guidance of Brother Christian cumstance I have always considered as an David, was at that period engaged in the evidence of my having been set apart to service of the Lord. My juvenile years I be a messenger of peace to the heathen. spent in the Brethren's schools at Buttermere, Smith-house and Fulneck. To this very day I continue to cherish a grateful recollection of the blessed impressions made upon my heart, on a certain prayerday, held by Brother John de Watteville at Fulneck, when his address created a lively desire in the hearts of his youthful audience, to serve the Lord in the missionary cause, if ever we attained to years of maturity. Some of my companions, with || myself, actually entered into a covenant for this purpose. In January 1754, I went in company with our late Brother Pyrlacus on foot to London, and from thence to Chelsea, my parents having received a call to America, whither I was to accompany them. The whole company, destined to sail for New York in the Brethren's ship Irene, Captain Garrison, amounted in number to forty persons, including fourteen children, of whom I was the oldest. The day previous to our departure, Count Zinzendorf spoke individually with most of the members belonging to our company. I was also called in, Brother Spangenberg being present, when the Count began by inquiring, what progress I had made in learning, one main object of which ought to be, that I might one day be prepared for the ministry. In child-like simplicity I related my experience on the abovementioned prayer-day, and informed him of the covenant some of VOL. XX. After narrowly escaping a watery grave, he sailed for New York, March 12, 1754, at which time he was thirteen years old. The Voyage was prosperous, and only 21 days in duration, "which, in those times, was consid ered something approaching a miracle.” The whole of our company reached Bethlehem in safety, on the 20th of April, and were cordially welcomed by the whole congregation at a general love-feast. In the first instance I was placed in the children's seminary, and two years after, removed to Christian's brunn, there to follow agricultural pursuits and other useful occupations. Here, as well as at Bethlehem, I bad frequent opportunities of seeing Indians that lay encamped near the latter place. The sight of these people gradually confirmed my desire and expectation cherished in my younger days, of being employed as a missionary among them at some future period. At the early age of eighteen, this wish was in some measure gratified, when I was called upon by government to accompany our late Brother Christian Frederick Post on an expedition to the north-western Indians, living on the Ohio. On this journey, we endured great fatigues and hardships, hunger and sickness, and several times our lives were endangered. Through the mercy and protection of 34 God, however, he reached Bethlehem again, in safety, the latter end of November, 1762. For a few succeeding years, Mr. Heckewelder seems not to have been well satisfied with his condition, and at one time thought of returning to England, and at another of leaving the connexion of the Brethren. He gratefully acknowledges the kind hand of that Providence, which prevented the execution of his purposes in both of these respects. In 1771, I was employed in the service of the mission, in various ways, either as a guard or messenger, during the Indian war, when the Christian Indian congregations of Nain and Wechquetank were compelled to fly for refuge to Philadelphia. On their return from thence, I was, off and on, appointed to assist the missionaries in the commencement of Friedenshuetten. While out on these excursions, my life was three times in great danger. At one time, while travelling on foot to Gnadenhuetten, beyond the Blue Mountains, in a very cold night, the ground being covered by a deep snow, my strength was so much exhausted, that, feeling an inclination to sleep, I was obliged to sit down, on a felled tree, resting on its stump and covered with snow, with the intention merely to rest my weary limbs, although a secret monitor cautioned me powerfully to beware of sleep. But the moment I sat down, I fell asleep and would in all probability never have awaked again, if the tree had not suddenly given way under me, whereby I was thrown, broad awake, into the path. Grateful to my Lord for this providential escape, I immediately prosecuted my journey, and late that night reached Gnadenhuetten. well-known to me, near the road, called by the Indians the cold spring, and to quench my thirst there at all hazards, notwithstanding inward warnings to the contrary. But hardly had I drank the water, cold as ice in the cave, when I was seized with the most violent pain in the stomach and bowels. Death stared me in the face; to proceed under such circumstances was impossible, and I feared I should be miserably torn in pieces by wild beasts. In this emergency, I cried aloud to God, to send an Indian to take charge of the letters, because I thought I should never again be enabled to leave this spot. But how wonderful are the ways of the Lord! While thus crying to God, it suddenly occurred to me, that on my way through Christiansbrunn, one of our brethren had compelled me to accept of a phial of anodyne drops expressly for the journey, and had even sent them on after me, subsequent to my leaving that place. Fortunately for me, I now had them with me; for after having with some difficulty crept out of the cave, I took some of them, which gave me instantaneous relief. However, I now felt such an extreme weariness in all my limbs, that it was 8 o'clock in the evening before I arrived at Friedenshuetten, where our late Brother Schmick immediately discovered my condition and kindly made every possible exertion for the restoration of my health. With him I staid until an opportunity offered, for returning on horseback with a party of Indians who were going to sell horses at Bethlehem. By these means my life was saved; but nearly half a year elapsed before I could resume my wonted activity. About this time also, I was made instrumental in saving from a watery grave the lives of two young persons. The first of these was Israel Horsefield, a young man, who while skaiting on the ice, that covered the mill-dam at Bethlehem, in a very cold The well-known gunpowder affair, as related in Brother David Zeisberger's print-day, broke in, at a place where the water ed memoirs had nearly proved fatal to me and the Brethren Ettwein, David Zeisberger, Senseman, and Angerman. The latter had lately come from Europe, glowing with an ardent desire to preach the Gospel to the Indians, and had in a manner forced himself upon our company. Having, on our journey, taken up our night's lodging at the house of a Mr. Ogden, Brother Anger. man by his careless and imprudent conduct had well nigh occasioned a dreadful gunpowder explosion. A third time being sent on a very warm day, about harvest time, to carry letters to the missionaries at Friedenshuetten, while yet three miles distant from the town, I felt so completely exhausted by the extreme heat and a raging thirst, that I resolved to repair to a certain spring; was from 10 to 12 feet deep. He did not sink immediately, but for some time supported himself by laying hold of some wood, that was floating about. The cold being extreme and the ice but thin, he I could not have sustained himself in that position for any length of time, if, fortunately for him, I had not been on the opposite bank at the time, and hastened to his relief. By pushing some brushwood towards him, which I hastily tied together and fastened on the land side, I formed a kind of bridge for him, which prevented even the thin ice from breaking under him, so that by the help of God and the use of these means, his life was saved. Great and mutual was our joy, and unbounded his gratitude, on beholding himself safe on shore. The other person was Christiana Rich-,, ter, my employer's daughter. One morning one of the Brethren informed me, that a company of girls, and she among the rest, were going to pick currants on the lowlands near Bethlehem that afternoon, when they had to cross a decayed bridge over the Manakosy creek. I cautioned him not to suffer them to venture on the bridge, before it had undergone some repairs, and then went to my work in an adjoining meadow. Returning home at noon, while in the act of sitting down to dinner, I suddenly felt a serect and irresistible impulse to hasten down to the Manakosy, where I espied several of the girls standing on the bridge, with Christiana Richter at some distance from them. I had just caught a glimpse of her, when the bridge broke down and she was pitched into the water which was deep and miry. I hastened to the spot, and with much difficulty succeeded in drawing her out. Thus her life was saved for the present; but it appears that on this occasion her constitution sustained such a violent shock, in consequence of the fright and cold she took, that in about half a year after, she died of a pulmonary complaint. mightily in the Indian congregation, the preaching of the Gospel was attended with a visible blessing, and numbers of Indians were converted to the Lord; many true believers in Jesus, at their departure out of this world, bore the most powerful and affecting testimonies to the truth; and the attachment of the Indian brethren and sisters to their teachers was such, as, in turn, to call forth my sincerest and warmest affection for them. Thus circumstanced, I was constantly kept in good spirits, enjoyed many a happy hour, insomuch that I was often convinced, while thankful for my precious calling, that I could in no other situation whatever, have been happier and more contended, than I actually was with the Indian congregation, whom the Lord was graciously pleased to own as his people. In 1778, being on a visit of several months at Bethlehem and Litiz, I was ordained Deacon of the Brethren's church, at the latter place, by our late bishop Matthew Hehl. There also, in 1780, I entered the matrimonial state with sister Susan Ohneberg. Our union was blest with three daughters, who are now living at Bethlehem.* . Besides those hardships and dangers endured in the turbulent times, above alluded to, in common with other missionaries, as detailed at length in Loskiels' and Hecke welder's histories of the Brethren's Indian mission, it may not be deemed improper for me, to relate several incidents, to the praise and glory of God, in which I was an individual sufferer. Crossing Beaver creek in 1772,after heavy rains, my canoe struck upon a large log, which occasioned its upsetting and plunging me into water of 10 or 12 feet depth. By holding to the canoe, I kept myself above water for some time; but considering the rapidity of the torrent and the great falls a short distance below, I must inevit With the abovementioned year 1771, a new period of my life commenced; the dark clouds which had hitherto obscured my horizon were dispersed, and I obtained clearer views as to my future calling and destination for which favor I still humbly thank my gracious Lord. Already in the spring of said year Brother David Zeisberger, having arrived at Bethlehem from Beaver creek, had requested Conference to send me along with him, as an assistant to the mission. A proposal to this effect was accordingly made to me, and although at that time I had a fair prospect of settling myself comfortably at Nazareth, yet I preferred entering upon the missionary service among the Indians, which in those turbulent times was become a peculiarly dan-ably have perished, if two Indian Brethren, gerous undertaking. Accordingly in September, attended by the blessing of the congregation. I accompanied Brother Zeisberger to Friedenstadt. My heart's determination at the time, was, to devote myself with soul and body to the service of the Lord in this mission, and cheerfully undergo the greatest hardships if the service required them. I may truly say, that the time spent in the service of the Indian mission until 1781, proved a very pleasant, happy, and refreshing season to my soul, notwithstanding the labors, hardships, and sufferings we had to undergo, particularly during the Shawano wars, the Revolutionary war, during our peregrinations, the commencement of new towns, &c.; for love and concord reigned among the missionaries, the grace of God prevailed on seeing my distress, had not plunged into the stream and saved me and the canoe, while one of them swimming, dragged it along, and the other propelled it from behind. Twice I was in danger of falling directly into the hands of hostile warriors, once at Schoenbrunn and again at Lichtenau, while imprudently venturing too far from the town, in spite of the arguments of the Indian brethren to the contrary. The warriors, however, raising a great shout, as usual, before entering the town, I by that means discovered them, without being seen by them, for which I thanked God, and thus escaping their clutches, I reach From these children he lived to see thirteen grandchildren, one of whom died before him. ed home in safety by taking a circuitous || Philadelphia, who were desirious of seeing route. In 1781, while at Salem, and just going to hold a meeting in the church, where the congregation were assembled, I was exposed to the most imminent danger of being shot in my own house by a Monsey Indian, a declared enemy of the Gospel and the white people. The intervention of old Tobias, who, being the sexton, came to call me to the meeting, proved the means of my providential escape, the circumstantial account of which, together with instances of a similar nature may be read in my missionary history. He remained in Canada from 1782 to 1786, which he describes as the most trying and arduous the missionaries had ever witnessed. Their labors, sufferings and dangers were very great. In 1786 circumstances required his removal with his family to Bethlehem. Here I was employed in various ways in the missionary cause, accompanying other missionies to the Indian congregation, and going several times on business to New York, for the Society of the Brethren for propagating the Gospel among the heathen, lately instituted. When at home, I waited upon visitors and strangers to show them about the town. their father, President Washington. During our stay at Fort Washington on the Indian boundary line, I contracted an acquaintance with a clergyman who lived about six miles from Cincinnati in Colombo, a village on Little Miami river. After repeated invitations to come and see him, on a fine morning, I set out on my way thither. At the request of Mr. Swan, the general paymaster, who lived along the road, I stopped in to see him and spent a short time in friendly conversation with him. On learning whither I was bending my course, he assured me, that so far there had not been the least danger for travellers in that direction. Indeed while I was with him, several persons met together at his house, who all intended to go by the same route. Three of them having left Mr. Swan's shortly before I did, and having advanced but a short distance, I presently heard the cry of murder! murder! and one of the men being wounded in the arm came running back with the horrible news that one of his companions had been murdered, and the other taken captive by the Indians. Here again was displayed the superintending care of Divine Providence over my life, in my being detained at Col. Swan's, that thereby I might escape a cruel and certain death. The next paragraph, in which he describes the dangers to which he was exposed in another similar expedition, is too long for insertion. We come to the concluding passages in his own narrative. In 1791, the United States government having entered into negotiations for peace with those Indian tribes with whom they had been at war, and General Rufus Putnam being charged with the execution of this mission, he requested that I might receive orders to accompany him on the expedition. Accordingly I received a commission from the Secretary of War, signed by President Washington, to attend the general, On showing the commission, (in which it was expressly stated, that the peace in view, must be established "uron the terms of justice and humanity,") to the late bishop Ettwein, he, after perusing it, returned it to me with these words, "Bless-through wild uncultivated tracts of coun ed are the peace-makers!" adding his fervent prayer that the blessing of God might rest upon our endeavors. Setting out on the journey very soon after, I met General Putnam at Pittsburg, from which place we penetrated into the Indian country as far as Post Vincent on the river Wabash. The result of our expedition was briefly this. We took about sixty Indian prisoners, including women and children; along with us, from Fort Washington (a distance of near 400 miles) to the assembled chiefs, consigning them over to their friends and relations. Our journey and stay on Wabash river having lasted about nine months, we returned in January 1793, in company with fourteen Indian chiefs to Praise and glory be ascribed by me to God, the guardian of my life, for all his merciful interpositions on this as well as on other occasions which, when my life was in the most imminent danger, He vouchsafed to me, not only among the ordinary hardships which travellers have to encounter that pass for hundreds of miles try, but also on such occasions, when wild and venomous animals obstructed my passage. Four times in my travels (twice when alone) I met with panthers, when they would stand still or squat down in the road before me for some time, then rise again and quietly pass off into the woods, without venturing an attack upon me. On another occasion, while encamped with | Christian Indians at Cayahaga, I killed no less than sixteen rattlesnakes in one day. In 1794, and the following years, I was variously employed in the concerns of the Society for propagating the Gospel among the heathen, in despatching business for them with government, and assisting Gen. Putnam in 1797, in surveying a tract of memoirs, he dictated the most remarkable features of his past life to a confidential friend, for the benefit of his children and land on the Muskingum. In 1798, I ac- The remaining notices are from another hand. Being resigned to the will of the Lord, he wistfully, as a weary traveller longing for his journey's end, awaited the decisive moment, when his better immortal part, divested from its clayey tabernacle, should be summoned into the presence of Jesus, there to rest from all his labor, while such was his fervent prayer: "For Jesus' sake, O Lord, I pray Agreeably to his request, the blessing of the Lord was imparted to him on the morn Occasional attacks of rheumatism excepted, our late Brother Heckewelder wasing of January 30th, previous to his deblest with an uncommon share of health. During the latter part of 1822, however, the infirmities of old age visibly began to undermine his constitution and gradually brought on very painful bodily sufferings. Inferring from these circumstances, that the time of his departure might be near at hand, he settled his domestic concerns, and being too weak to write his own parture, while in broken accents and cheerful looks, he expressed the serenity of his mind and the joy he felt at the prospect of future glory. At 6 o'clock in the morning of January 31st, he ceased to breathe, and his redeemed soul entered the mansions of rest and peace above, after having sojourned in the body 79 years, 10 months, and 18 days. American Board of Foreign Missions, PALESTINE MISSION. JOURNAL OF MR. FISK. (Continued from p. 244.) From their inquiries I infer that the establishment of a press is a part of their plan. Tripoli. The next day Messrs. Fisk, Wolff and On the 29th of September, 1823, Mr. Fisk, King set out for Tripoli, which stands near the foot of Mount Lebanon, where they arrived on the 2d of October. The place was supposed to contain about 15,000 inhabitants, of whom 400 or 500 were Greeks, a few were Maronites, and a few Jews. The rest were Mussulmen. From the terrace Mr. F. count accompanied by Mr. Wolff, visited Shanfi and I have seen no convents so good or so neat as this; nor have I, in any of the monastic establishments that I have visited, met with men of equal talents and acquisitions. They are clever, enterprising and persevering. They made many inquiries about the expense that would attend the purchase and establishment of a press. Oct. 4. At half past nine we left Tripoli, rode over a plain, and ascended the mountains, till we reached a lofty summit, better describe, than by calling it a frightwith a valley before us, which I cannot ful chasm in the earth. We dismounted, || and descended literally by winding stairs, nearly to the bottom of the ravine, and then, after various windings and gentle ascents among shrub-oaks, we reached the Convent of Mar Antonius at Khoshiah, situated on the side of an almost perpendic ular mountain. We were nine hours on our way from Tripoli to the convent. It is a Maronite establishment, and contains about 100 monks. They seemed dirty, stupid and ignorant. One of the priests |