ade me of some service to
a few poor benighted souls, especially among the Karens, who shall be my
glory and joy in the day of the Lord Jesus." "As to my hope and my
confidence of acceptance with God, if any man has reason to renounce all
his own righteousness, ... and to trust entirely and solely to grace,
sovereign grace, flowing through an atoning Saviour, I am that man. A
perfectly right action, with perfectly right motives, I never performed,
and never shall perform, till freed from this body of sin. An
unprofitable servant, is the most appropriate epitaph for my
tombstone."

Thus appeared a life of self-denying sacrifices for Christ, when shone
upon by the pure light of eternity. Happy then that the dying man could
say, "NOT by works of righteousness which we have done but by his
mercy he saves us!"

CHAPTER XI.

LETTER FROM MRS. BOARDMAN.--ILLNESS AND DEATH OF GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN.

"Tavoy, March 7, 1831.

"My beloved Parents,

"With a heart glowing with joy, and at the same time rent with
anguish unutterable, I take my pen to address you. You, too, will
rejoice when you hear what God has wrought through the
instrumentality of your beloved son. Yes, you will bless God that
you were enabled to devote him to this blessed service among the
heathen, when I tell you that within the last two months,
fifty-seven have been baptized, all Karens, excepting one, a little
boy of the school and son of the native governor. Twenty-three were
baptized in this city by Moung Ing, and thirty-four in their native
wilderness by Mr. Mason.

"Mr. Mason arrived Jan. 23d, and on the 31st, he, with Mr.
Boardman, myself and George, set out on a long-promised tour among
the Karens. Mr. Boardman was very feeble, but we hoped the change
of air and scenery would be beneficial. A company of Karens had
come to convey us out, Mr. Boardman on his bed and me in a chair.
We reached the place on the third day, and found they had erected a
bamboo chapel on a beautiful stream at the base of a range of
mountains. The place was central, and nearly one hundred persons
had assembled, more than half of them applicants for baptism. Oh it
was a sight calculated to call forth the liveliest joy of which
human nature is susceptible, and made me, for a moment, forget my
bitter griefs--