"They treated us very kindly; gave us water sparingly, but as many cocoanuts as we could devour; they also boiled some rice for us, which they presented in cocoanut shells, with curried fish, and jaggery, a sort of coarse black sugar; and laughing at our method of eating, made for us a few rude spoons of bits of cocoanut shell and splinters of bamboo. They informed us that Trincomallee, which we knew to be one of our mission stations, was not far distant; and, agreeing to take us thither, they proceeded to weigh anchor, while we stretched our cramped and weary limbs on the pent-roof thatch, which served as a deck to the vessel.

"In the evening they cast anchor for the night : the heavens were again darkened with clouds; the lightnings flashed, and the distant thunder rolled and murmured; awakening us to a more lively and awful remembrance of the dangers we had escaped.

"We had some difficulty in fixing ourselves for the night the ladies were accommodated with the master's apartment, if a small but clean division of the vessel, in which it was impossible to stand upright, may be dignified with the name; and the rest were left to choose their own quarters. The smoke of cooking deterred me from going below, till the cold and dew made me think shelter necessary. I then stooped into the interior of the vessel, and creeping over the cargo, which seemed to consist entirely of cocoanuts, thought myself fortunate in finding a

narrow board, five or six feet in length, on which I stretched myself, putting a bundle of fire-wood under my head as a pillow. Alexander, who had attached himself closely to me since our misfortune, came and lay by me. In the night he roused me, to drink from a cup he held in his hand: it contained hot conjee, or rice-water, not an unpleasant beverage at any time, but then peculiarly grateful to my parched mouth.

"I slept soundly, and rose refreshed; but should have been more so, had not one of the seamen, in searching for accommodations, after I had fallen asleep, chosen my head for his pillow, which before did not rest very easily on the bundle of sticks, and now, pressed by the weight of a sailor's skull, felt, when I awoke, as though it did not belong to me; a bathe in the sea-water restored the circulation.

"In the morning we again weighed anchor, and in a few hours came in sight of the flag-staff of one of the forts of the harbor of Trincomallee : the wind was unfavorable, and we could not get into the harbor; we therefore sent our smaller boat, with four of the best seamen and the purser, to give information of our circumstances. It was a good distance, and the men were weary; but within two or three hours, we discerned the beautiful boats of a man-ofwar, then in the harbor, hastening towards us under crowded sail next we could distinguish the naval uniform of the officers; and, as they drew nearer,

could see the fine countenances of our countrymen beaming with interest and commiseration, as they gazed on us, and directed their boats alongside; it was a scene to awaken the most powerful feelings; and will, I think, ever be depicted on my memory. My heart had been stout till that moment; but I then leaned against the mast, scarcely able to stand, from the mingled emotions excited in my mind.

"We soon stepped into the boats, answering the numerous and kind inquiries of the officers, and enjoying the slight refreshment of fruit, &c., they had brought with them. The men pulled hard at their oars: we soon entered the harbor, admiring its spaciousness and the beauties of its scenery; but admiring, most of all, the wondrous dealings of that gracious Providence, which had preserved us in such unusual perils, and brought us to a place of rest and safety. We landed in the dockyard of Trincomallee about three P. M. on Friday, the 8th of September, 1820, being exactly sixteen weeks after our embarkation at Gravesend."

The Extent of the Missionary Enterprise.

BY THE REV. GARDINER SPRING, D. D.

NOTHING is more certainly determined in the Bible, than that the heathen are given to the Son of God for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession; that he must reign, until all enemies are put under his feet; and that the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Tell me not of difficulties in the accomplishment of these purposes, for "the mouth of the Lord hath spoken them." Say not that the world opposes itself to these designs of mercy, for "as I live, saith the Lord, all the earth shall be filled with my glory!"

Why, then, should we take a more limited survey of the field than is taken by the Divine purpose ? Why not include within our efforts all that is included within his? If his purposes are circumscribed by nothing but the world, why should our plans be so narrow as to retard and embarrass his career? If nothing else will satisfy the extent and largeness of his desires, nothing short of this may satisfy ours.

Why, when he is going forth conquering and to conquer, and with the avowed purpose of subjugating the world, why should not his church prepare the way for his most extended and universal triumphs?

There have been seasons when unyielding difficulties have stood in the way of every thing like combined and well-organized effort for the conversion of the world; and when, from the paucity of numbers in the church-from the want of means-from various circumstances in the existing state of human societyfrom hostile relations of different parts of the earth— from intrinsic difficulties in international intercourse— from the domination of anti-christian governments— and from the internal agitations of heathen lands, it would have been impossible to have disseminated the Gospel beyond very circumscribed limits. More than once, the church has had enough to do to save her single self from being swept away by the torrent. Such was her condition during several periods of the patriarchal age. Such was her condition after the confusion of tongues. Such was her condition at the calling of Abraham. And long after this period, a dark and heavy cloud overshadowed the earth. The Sun of Righteousness was withdrawn, and save the single nation of the Jews, was withdrawn for more than six thousand years. During the most of this period, there was no encouragement for missionary effort. There were no intimations in the providence of God, that the time had come for the ex