Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

identified with us; and as I said farewell to him, those chords of feeling were touched which vibrated so painfully when I left my father's house. I have loved to think of him in this far distant land; and I have remembered, and repeated to my missionary associates very often, a remark which he made to us at our little meeting at Dr. Anderson's 'That we should especially aim at the possession of a cheerful reliance upon the atonement of Christ.' This, he said, would support us in our work more than any thing else!

[ocr errors]

"When we heard of the sudden departure of Dr. Wisner, I remarked to Mr. Smith, that it must be that God has a place for those who become lost to us in this world, where their services are immediately employed for his glory. Or perhaps he sees that the sanctifying influence of their removal will promote his kingdom more than their lives on earth. All felt that this good and gifted man was eminently qualified for his station.

"It is my opinion that nothing is lost to the church by such an event, any more than was the case among the Israelites, when Elijah was taken up to heaven. Yet we mourn, and not without reason, when beloved objects are snatched from our bosoms. Dear friend, how your heart has bled! If I felt anguish such as no former event ever brought to my soul, when a precious brother was removed by a lingering illness, what must you have suffered by the sudden rending of that tie which now I know to be stronger than any other! But God has supported you, I am confident. He will support you to the end. You could never claim so many direct promises as in your present circumstances. If 'thy Maker is thine husband,' what have you to fear? Soon we shall meet, I trust, where sorrow and sin will never draw another sigh from our breasts. Please to accept, with my own, the affectionate sympathy of my husband."

The feelings of Mrs. Smith as a mourner with one of the families of the mission at Smyrna, afflicted in the removal of a child, were tenderly expressed in the following extract:

236

MEMOIR OF MRS. SMITH.

"Dear Mrs. Hallock:

- You were very kind to give us so minute an account of the sickness of your little daughter. It was exceedingly touching, particularly as it came from a mother's pen; and I think you have great consolation in the remembrance of her sweet deportment, and tender religious sensibilities. You may truly say of your precious

one,

'She died to sin, she died to care,

But for a moment felt the rod;
Then, springing on the viewless air,

Spread her light wings and soared to God.

"This the blest theme that cheers my voice,
The grave is not my darling's prison;
The stone that covered half my joys

Is rolled away, and she is risen.'

I know much of the sorrows which death brings into an affectionate family circle, having, the year that I left my father's house, consigned to the tomb a beloved brother, who was preparing for the ministry. Such events break up and call forth those deep fountains of feeling in the human breast, the existence of which is scarcely realized by the unafflicted. I asked my dear father, who had before lost a lovely boy of two years, which trial was the greatest, that of parting with the infant, or the son of maturer years. 'Oh! the last,' said he, 'for the love which I bore the child, has gained twofold strength for the man.' Such doubtless would have been your experience.

"Do you not often think of the dear circle at Malta, and the poor, ignorant beings that fill those streets? I doubt not your prayers mingle with ours for the long deferred blessing. Oh! when shall we see the kingdom of Satan, around this sea, tottering to its foundation? May we all be faithful to our trust, and God will hasten it in his time."

CHAPTER XII.

JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM

RETURN TO BEYROOT.

IN prosecuting the objects of the mission, Mr. Smith was called to visit Jerusalem. Mrs. Smith accompanied her husband. She prepared an account of their journey to and from Jerusalem; and separate from this, a sketch of the scenes she witnessed in that interesting city. The latter never reached this country. Its loss occasions a chasm in the present chapter, much to be regretted; especially as it was considered by her husband the most interesting of all her journals; and there is but a single letter to supply its place.

To such readers of this volume as may be already acquainted, through other channels, with scenes and places described in this chapter, it is believed there will be com⚫pensation in the characteristic descriptions she gives, and in the accompanying manifestations of her peculiar feelings as a Christian, visiting the scenes of a country of such sacred and surpassing interest.

[ocr errors]

BEYROOT, MAY 14, 1835.

My dear Brother and Sister : - On the 1st day of April, at 2 o'clock, P. M., I turned my face to go up to Jerusalem. You will not doubt that I indulged some peculiar feelings as I went toward the Holy Land; such as no former journey ever induced. I could hardly believe it a reality, though a sacred cheerfulness stole over me. When I was a little girl, I used to think of Jerusalem with great interest; and after I had a new heart, though not the heart of a missionary, I thought that I could brave every imaginable evil for such a field of labor. Now, I was actually realizing the dreams of

earlier days; and though the romance of childhood had passed away, my heart beat in unison with the occasion. I only wanted some of my beloved ones in America to enjoy it with me.

"The style of travelling in this country, together with the narrowness of the roads, which seldom allows two to ride abreast, interferes with social intercourse; and conversation cannot be supported without considerable effort. We talked some, however, and thought more.

We

"Our tents were pitched at night on the shore of the Mediterranean; and while the gentlemen were employed in their erection, I walked down to the water, 'to meditate at eventide.' 'That classical sea,' whose waters were then clear as crystal, cast its waves upon the smooth sands with calm dignity; while I gathered the pretty shells which they lodged at my feet. Not a sound was heard, save the murmuring of the sea, in this solitary place; and as I looked over the wide, watery waste, my heart could not but soar to Him who sitteth alone upon the throne of the universe, and quietly respond to the voice of the peaceful waves. partook of our evening meal with cheerfulness, and after uniting in prayer, retired to our couch. We had reason to regret our choice of a location; for the rain and the wind beat upon our habitation, and the pins which held it being driven into loose sand, it fell in the middle of the night. My husband was up nearly all night fastening down its sides, and securing me and our articles from injury. When morning dawned, however, no harm had befallen our persons or property. Under the shadow of the Almighty we were secure from the terror by night. At half past 8, we left Khan Khuldeh, rode upon the shore of the Mediterranean, and reached Sidon in seven hours. It is surrounded by beautiful and well-watered gardens; and as we rode out to our encampment beyond the city about sundown, the brilliant verdure of the plain, bounded by low and luxuriant hills, transferred us in imagination to our dear New Eng land. The next morning at sunrise we set out for Tyre.

"Whenever I saw our tent fall to the ground, my thoughts naturally reverted to the taking down of the tabernacle of the body at last. While waiting, I often had time to read portions of Scripture appropriate to the localities we visited; to take notes also, and to converse with the women and children who came to ask charity and to gather up any thing which might be left. We travelled on this day along 'the coast of Tyre and Sidon,' from whence many came forth to witness and to be benefited by the miracles of our Saviour. We passed near the site of Sarepta. The scenery was exquisitely beautiful on the left; the country rising gradually into hills of moderate height, whose declivities, even to their summit, were covered with grain, and interspersed with olive trees. These latter, in the distance, strikingly resemble the apple trees of America, and we felt almost as if we were travelling there.

"After a ride of seven hours we found ourselves in Tyre, once 'the crowning city,' now most emphatically the abode of indigence. We went directly to the house of our consular agent, a respectable native, of the Greek Catholic church, who treated us very hospitably. It was Friday evening, and we staid in Tyre until Monday.

"Of the luxury of retirement, the inhabitants of these countries know nothing, and no provision is made for it in the construction of their houses. One large room is furnished with cushions on each side, with a recess, before which a curtain is drawn, containing the mattresses and coverings of their beds, which are drawn forth at night and spread over the room for sleeping. While arrangements for the night were going forward, I sat quietly by with my pencil, taking notes of the occurrences of the day. One of the ladies took a bit of a wax taper in her hand, and dropping upon her knees by my side, kindly held the light as long as I wished to write; interrupting me occasionally with questions about the object of this, that, and the other articles of dress, &c., which I readily answered. As I sat thus occupied, and thus attended, I thought, 'Can it be that this is

« PoprzedniaDalej »