Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1826-10-19
CIncrLay
raoN Mr.. GORDON HALL, MISSIONARY.

Your love TO your Redeemer, your
compassion for lost world, and your
bowels Of mercy for your dying, per.
ishug fellow men, often move YOU 10
call out, Watchman, what of the
night" A dark, long, a gloomy, a
woiul night has settled upon OR guilty
race 1t envelopes all. It's issues are too
expanded, too tremendous to be com.
pretended by finite intellect. But glo.
ny be to God in the highest and fore
yer, that the darkness Of mans fall
was rapidly succeeded by the light of
his recovery. From the hour the first
beams of that light revealed to man
the rcdeeming love of God, in the
garden of Eden, how has every sue.
ceeding ray that has fallen upon this
dark earth, cheered the heart of Chris
tan benevolence, while every inter
vening cloud, obscuripg the prospects
oflove and mercy among men, has
tried, and grieved the people of God
To the far distant heralds Of Zion
our hearts often seem to call, "Watch
men, what OF the nigh?' Sometimes
the reply is, "Zion travaiIeth and
bringeth forth children, the Lord hath
done great things for us, whereof we
are glad The word has been preach
ed, prayer has been made, the Spirit
has been given, sinners have been con
verted." We hear the glad tidings.
Oar hearts leap for Joy. We thank
God. aud take courage.
We turn again, and in other ylirec.
tons ask, Watchmen, what of the
night Their mourning hearts heave
the heavy sigh; and the bitter lamen.
tatlon breaks upon our ear;-"The
night is prolonged; the blackness off
darkness still gathers upon it. The
people see no light. They continue
sitting in the region and shadow oil
death. They stumble upon the dark
mountains. Their feet 60 down to
DEATH. their steps take hold on he'll
The sun of righteousness does not a
rise to shed his vivifying light upon
them. The Lord delayelh his com.
ing to save them The beautiful feet
ofthose upon the mountains who bring
good tidings, who publish salvation,
do not come here" Heavy tidings
Who will not mourn? And is such |
the mournlnl condition of three fourths
of our race? All it is. And do the
blood redeemed followers of Jesus,
who received his farewell charge, 60
ye into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creat9re,o kno,O that
such is the nournful condition of three
fourIbs of their kindred race? All.
this they know full welIl Think oil
this, and weep, % my soul, and be 10 |
bitterness. Oh that my head were
waters and my eyes fountain of tears
that l might weep day and night for
my beloved fellow creatures, thus left
10 grope in darkness, and perish with
out hope; and for the churches too,
who look on, and behold this tremen
dous ruin of immortal souls, sweeping
over long succession Of generations,
aud yet make no more effort to stay its
awful progress.
Beloved in the Lord, do you from
ZIon's most favoured mount, turn a
plying, waiting, longing eye to this
dark hemisphere, and ask, "'Watch
men, what of the night" am per
mitted to stand in the place of Il watch
man; bot it is on slender, incipient
out work, very far distant from the !
walls of Jerusalem. o that / may al |
ways be found vigilant and faithful at |
my post, and ready to give true re-
port.
will send you .idings. In some
respects they are joyous; but in others
they are grievous. 1 see much around
me that is JOYOUS IT Turn back no
farther than TO the period of my own
arrival on this spot, and survey hui
what seems to be our own neighbor. |
hood, much that is cheering greets the
eye. Then from Cape Comorin
through the whole range of sea coast
by Cochin, Goa, Bombay, Surat,
Cambay, Bussora, Mocha, and by
Mozambique, including Madagascar,
Mauritius and other islands, to the
Cape Of Good Hope, there was not
one Protestant missionary, if we ex
cept anatiye missionary who was for
short time, partially established at Su
rat.
But about three months ago, dele.
gats from fUe missions met in the Bonn.