Narrative of a visit to the West Indies : in 1840 and 1841

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A V I S I T TO T H E W E S T I N D I E S .

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R o a d s T o w n is a b o u t t h r e e m i l e s a c r o s s a n a r m of t h e s e a . I t b e i n g a p l e a s a n t d a y , w e w a l k e d to t h e p l a c e of m e e t i n g , b y a c i r c u i t o u s p a t h a l o n g t h e s e a - s h o r e , m a k i n g t h e d i s t a n c e n e a r l y five miles. W h e n w e reached there, w e found about five h u n d r e d m e n , w o m e n a n d c h i l d r e n , c o l l e c t e d near the beach, w h o soon gathered around us, a n d w e held a m e e t i n g u n d e r t h e d e n s e foliage of a cluster of t a m a r i n d trees. W e r e m e m b e r e d t h e d a y s w h e n o u r f o r e f a t h e r s first l a n d e d o n these shores, a n d collected t h e long-neglected A f r i c a n s l a v e s a r o u n d t h e m , n o t for t h e l o v e o f s i l v e r o r g o l d , b u t b e c a u s e t h e y felt t h e m t o b e t h e i r b r e t h r e n , t o w h o m t h e y w e r e s e n t to p u b ­ lish t h e g l a d t i d i n g s of t h e g o s p e l of p e a c e . T h e y s e e m e d f u l l y to a p p r e c i a t e o u r l a b o r s a m o n g them, and w h e n w e saw the tears flowing from the youth, and from the h o a r y headed, w h o s e t e r m of p r o b a t i o n h a d n e a r l y a p p r o a c h e d its c l o s e , w e felt t h a n k f u l t h a t o u r l o t h a d b e e n c a s t a m o n g t h e m , a n d t h a t w e h a d b e e n a b l e to g i v e a w o r d of e n c o u r a g e m e n t t o t h e s e p o o r b u t good-hearted people. A s w e w e r e a b o u t closing the opportunity, a n a g e d m a n collected three stools, a n d placing o n e before e a c h of u s , said w i t h t h e g r e a t e s t a p p a ­ r e n t s i n c e r i t y — " N o w , m a s s a , y o u all p r a y for us before y o u g o . " After explaining our v i e w s for n o t c o m p l y i n g w i t h h i s r e q u e s t , w e g a v e t h e m a n a s s u r a n c e o f o u r e a r n e s t d e s i r e s for their present and future welfare, a n d encourag­ i n g t h e m t o l i v e i n a s t a t e of d a i l y w a t c h f u l n e s s against sin, w h i c h w o u l d secure to t h e m the f a v o r of h e a v e n , w e b i d t h e m f a r e w e l l . When 3


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