eathenish practices; and what
was worse, had endeavoured to appease their consciences by attempting
to assimilate them to Old Testament rites imperfectly understood. They
had killed a dog, and cut the ears off many others, that by sprinkling
themselves with the blood of the dog they might prevent death from
approaching them. Under the influence of a fanatical delusion, they
compared this with the offerings of the Jews, and particularly with
the slaying of the Paschal Lamb, and sprinkling the blood on the
lintel and posts of the door. "Our situation we feel very difficult,"
complained the anxious missionaries, "as the enemy uses all his
ingenuity to blind the poor people, and knows how to employ their fear
and distress to harden their hearts, and to prevent them from
discerning their sins and repenting. It appears as if he exerted every
power to destroy this little congregation, but we hope that God will
shortly bruise Satan under our feet, and not allow his attempts to
prosper."

They found it necessary to exclude several from partaking of the holy
supper, and this severity was the blessed mean of soon bringing them
to repentance and sorrow for their sins. Others who had fainted, but
not fallen in the day of trial, expressed themselves now convinced of
the necessity of watching over their hearts, that they might not be
seduced to seek false comfort or unlawful assistance: they had, during
the time of this awful visitation, as well as they could, kept close
to Jesus and prayed to him; but they were nevertheless troubled with
fearful thoughts--as that they might all perish, and how sad it would
be if their teachers should turn away from them, when there was no one
to come to their assistance, and when they could not help themselves.
But they now saw that they had greatly erred in indulging these hard
thoughts, for Jesus had delivered them in their necessity. They felt
that they ought to be thankful, but they came far short of that
gratitude they owed to him.

Nain and Okkak were mercifully spared this year, and in the grand
object of their labours the brethren had still occasion to bless the
Lord that he graciously owned the preaching of the glad tidings of
salvation, and accompanied it with power and the demonstration of his
Spirit: often was his presence powerfully felt, particularly when,
from time to time, individuals were added to the church by baptism, or
when they partook of the holy sacrament of our Lord's body