will soon overtake us." I saw it, and answered, "We can scarcely proceed, the resistance is too great; let us put back: we shall find some place in the neighbourhood, where we can stop till the storm is over." We tacked about, but while we were doing so, the storm was already come up, and would, certainly, have overset our boat, had not the Greenlander, with his Kajak, laid himself to windward, and manoeuvred in a masterly manner against the mighty waves. He let them pass over him, by which they lost something of their violence, before they reached us. The boat, however, laboured violently, by which some knees were broken, which made it unsteady. There was not much appearance of our being saved. The women lost their courage, and would not work any longer.Row!' I cried, and took an oar, 'or we shall be drowned!'-'We shall be drowned, notwithstanding,' answered they: It avails nothing.' I encouraged them by words, and by my own example, rowed with all my might, and said, 'We must do what we can for our safety, and we shall be saved.' They now took up their oars again; but the storm continued, our boat became weaker and weaker, and, in truth, our hopes also. After we had laboured for about an hour, with infinite exertions, and had been in the utmost danger of our lives, kind Providence conducted us into a little bay, where the land protected us against the violence of the waves. Here we found ourselves saved, and thanked God. It cost us some trouble, indeed, to get the boat up over the crust of ice, but we effected it. We turned it upside down, laid ourselves under it upon the snow, and spoke of the danger which we had escaped. The Kajak rower was not a little proud of his exploit; and he had reason to be so, for he contributed the most to our deliverance. Some refreshment would now have been welcome, but this was not to be thought of. I had, indeed, two of the biscuits, called Skonsogne, which my wife had made me take when I left home; but what was that among so many?

"A part of the afternoon was already gone, when the weather became more calm.To-morrow is Easter Sunday,' said I to my Greenlanders: I must go forward by land, or else back.' You joke, Priest,' answered my steersman, quickly. No, answered I. I am quite serious. You cannot go forwards,' said he; I have no knowledge of any way. The rocks are terrible, and the way back is so long, you cannot accomplish it.' Let us see,' said I; follow me! At last I prevailed on my steersman and two women, and set out. As long as it was daylight, we went on well, though the snow was deep; but when night came on, we were unable to distinguish rocks and vallies from each other. We fell into heaps of snow, helped each other up, fell again, and again got up, but became more and more fatigued, and faint. After we had proceeded for some hours, my

Greenlander said,

6

We

We have missed our way; I no longer hear the sea roar.' I listened, and was also unable to hear it. We must go westward,' said I;' the wind has not changed.' We did so, and, by extraordinary exertion, came, in about two hours, near to the strand, and soon after to a plain, which was inclosed on both sides with high rocks. I thought I recollected this plain, walked up and down on the beach, and found that I really recognised it, having been there the preceding autumn. We are in Sandbay,' said I to my companions, when I returned to them, and are now not far from home.' 'It is a mile,' said my Greenlander, if we go the right way; but we should have scarcely half a mile, if you could clamber up that rock.' Wait a little,' said I, and divided my two biscuits among us four. We eat them, drank or swallowed some snow, and felt ourselves a little refreshed. Now, up the rock !' I cried.—' At the top it is perpendicular,' replied my Greenlander; if your foot slip, you fall into the sea, and no one can save you.' will try,' said I; and now we began, with the little strength we had left, to clamber up. We walked and crawled, but still advanced, however, till we reached the above-mentioned steep place. Now, take care, Priest! don't slip!'-'Help me,' said my Greenlander, and I will help you when I have got up.' He began to climb, and by the assistance of the women who helped him, got up happily. Wait a little,' said he; I must rest myself:' but soon after he laid himself on his belly, stretched himself out as far as possible over the steep rock, and said, 'Come! I will take hold of you.' One of the women clambered up, I helped her, he took her hand, and pulled her up. Now, it was my turn. Both those who were up, and she who was behind, exerted their strength for me; I climbed; my knees tottered, I was near falling, and consequently perishing, when I got hold of the out-stretched hand of the Greenlander. By this, and the help of the woman who was behind, I got up safe. That was good! that was good!' cried my companions. Yes,' said I, that was good. God be praised. But now, help her who is behind.' That they did faithfully; both took her hand, and we were all saved, but so exhausted, that we were obliged to sit down, and rest, ten times during the quarter of a mile which we had still to go.

"At length we reached the colony, on Easter Sunday, at four o'clock in the morning, so exhausted that I fell over the threshold of the kitchen door, and my companions stumbled. I knocked at the door of the chamber, and pronounced my name: my wife was awake, and lay praying to God for my safety; for all the Danes and Greenlanders at Claushavn said the day before, while the storm raged, that it was impossible we should be saved VOL. XLII. MAY, 1819. * 2 X *

if we were at sea, but they hoped we might have arrived at Claus havn before it broke out. While my wife got up, and opened the door, I went to the chamber of my man servant, to wake him, and to tell him to make a fire in the kitchen. He had gone to sleep with the idea that we were all drowned. When I awoke him, and he, still half asleep, recognized my voice, he thought it was my ghost, crossed himself, and said, 'God be merciful to his soul! He was a good man! It is myself,' said I; 'we are saved. Now, he became thoroughly awake, and thanked God from the bottom of his soul.' Meantime, my wife had opened the door of the room, and fell upon my neck, with tears of joy. God then has restored him to me,' was all that she could pronounce. Yes! we were restored to each other. After she had become a little calmer, we felt with grateful joy the miraculous deliverance which God had vouchsafed me. But now it was necessary to think of some refreshments for me and my companions; and these were not so easily to be obtained. The fast time had set in; every thing that custom had rendered necessary, wine, brandy, coffee, tea, sugar, &c. was wanting. My wife, therefore, warmed a pot of good beer, with a slice of bread, and some butter. In the condition in which we were, this was, perhaps, the best thing we could have had. We ate Skonrogn with butter, drank warm beer, and found ourselves refreshed. My Greenlanders went home quite cheerful. I threw myself on the bed for a few hours, and performed Divine service at the usual time. Though I had been ill before this journey, it had no bad consequences, except a little pain. At the news of my return, my good Greenlanders came early in the morning to my wife to inquire after me, and expressed their joy at my safety. My boat, which the Kajak-rower had patched up a little, arrived in the afternoon much damaged. The people were well, but excessively hungry they had need of refreshment, and received it accordingly."

THE GRACE OF GOD MANIFESTED.

Memoir of THOMAS BARKER, ESQ. of East Layton, near Richmond, in the County of York.

As this gentleman's conversion to God exhibits the riches of Divine grace in no ordinary way, a brief statement of facts, connected therewith, may not be unacceptable to the numerous readers of your useful miscellany. J. KERSHAW.

THE late Thomas Barker, Esq. during a considerable part of his life, had taken pleasure in breeding, training, and running horses, and in those exercises of the field, common to country gentlemen; with such habits and practices as those things were connected with, which constitute, "living after the flesh." Though professionally a decided member of the established church, yet he was seldom seen within her walls,

To the praise and glory of grace Divine, however, it may be said, that no state of moral darkness and insensibility is such, as to place the sinner beyond its reach. Heavenly light, subtle, penetrating, convincing, and persuasive, will visit at times the dark abode of the human heart; and, if its visits be attended to, will lead infallibly, though perhaps by slow degrees, to the possession of peace, life, and salvation. Mr. Barker was happily spared to have proof of this in himself.

The first circumstances with which the writer of these pages is acquainted, that produced serious thoughts in his mind, were the following.

In April, 1811, when Mr. and Mrs. B. were retiring to rest, a drop of blood fell from Mrs. Barker's nose, which (although no supernatural aid need be resorted to, as an assignable reason of it,) caused her to exclaim, "How has this happened? What can be the meaning of this?" adding, "a similar circumstance occured immediately prior to the death of my mother." The conclusion drawn, was, that one of them would die at no great distance of time.

For the first time, perhaps, in Mr. Barker's life, he now entered into the meaning of our poet's words,

Nothing is worth a thought beneath,
But how I may escape the death

That never, never dies!
How make mine own election sure,
And when I fail on earth, secure

A mansion in the skies!

And from this time he began to withdraw from company, and read books of a religious character. He became constant in his attendance at church, though residing some miles distant, and took his family with him. He urged the inhabitants of the village to reform their conduct, to keep holy the sabbath-day, and frequent the worship of God. If want of suitable apparel was urged by some, as a reason for non-attendance, he supplied their wants; and by a variety of evidence gave proof that he felt a "growing dread of vengeance at his heels."

Mr. Barker was now ready to comply with any answer which that question might elicit, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" To shew him the will of the Lord, was a discovery that gave instant law to him. In this stage of religious experience, although no connection had been formed with the Methodists, but on the contrary the strong est prejudices were entertained against them, his old acquaintance stood aloof from him; they thought it strange that he ran not with them to the same excess of riot as formerly, speaking evil of him. "That he was mad," or "had a devil," was the general sentiment concerning him.

"What is truth?" however, was a question of much greater moment, in the estimation of Mr. Barker, than what the world or worldly associates might think of him.-The consequence of following such dictates, are now calculated upon with anxiety, for Wisdom is justified of her children."-Though hitherto Mr. Barker was a stranger to that evangelical truth, "By the deeds of the law shall no flesh living be justified," yet he was soon taught the way of the Lord; the sorrows of his heart became enlarged; he wept, and prayed, and all his virtuous * 2 X 2

shew completely faded: the soul-convincing Spirit blasted every flower, and now,

"The jealous God in his behalf came down,

Jesus himself the stronger shew'd,

And claim'd him for his own,"

Pardoning mercy was revealed to his heart; and he delighted in the abundance of peace which he possessed.

With respect to the means which God employed to seal instruction upon his heart, a word may be spoken.

We cannot always account for every thing in the Divine economy, whether in the kingdom of nature, providence, or grace; he does what he will; dreams and visions are sometimes employed by him to fulfil his pleasure.

The experience of Colonel Gardener, and of the late Rev. Mr. Newton, rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, may be referred to with others, as evidences.-Gardener's biographer prefaces his statement of that case by saying-" I choose deliberately to expose myself to "those severe censures which the haughty, but empty scorn of Infi"delity, or principles nearly approaching to it, may very probably "dictate upon the occasion, rather than to smooth a relation which "may, in the judgment of my conscience, be likely to conduce so much "to the glory of God, the honour of the gospel, and the good of "mankind."

Perhaps the case of Mr. Barker may not deserve equal notoriety. The fact, however, is, the following circumstances were scarcely ever related by him without a flood of tears, accompanying the relation; so satisfied was he that it was a Divine interposition, designed to point out the way of the Lord to him in his distressed state of mind:February 27, 1812, about six o'clock in the morning, when perfectly awake, a flame of light, exceeding in brightness the light of the day, suddenly caught my attention, and induced me to look towards the window, which presented a vastly extended plain, covered with objects; two roads appeared in full view, leading different ways, one of them narrow, and of a zig-zag, serpentine form; the other so broad as almost to cover the whole plain. Multitudes of men and women were moving quickly along, in large and small companies. This supernatural light appeared to reach myself, and fill my heart: struck with solemn awe, I repeatedly surveyed the multitude, and felt convinced that they were in the road to ruin.

A parchment scroll now appeared in view, which seemed to contain the gospel of the blessed God; there I discovered the plan of redemption, the cause why men walk in darkness; and the impossiblity of men being saved without regeneration. A voice also distinctly sounded in my ears, "The Methodists preach the gospel; seek them out, and assist them."-The writer of this paper passes over many things for the sake of brevity, which Mr. Barker added to the above, with his pious gratitute to God; and proceeds to remark,-That from this time, he rejoiced exceedingly, and resolved to fit up a place of worship, for the benefit of the village inhabitants, and to call in the preachers; but by no means unite further, than in acts of public and private devotion with the Methodists. From this strong-hold of prejudice, Mr. B. was soon compelled to retreat.