Call for more Missionaries.

We know not what divine wisdom intends to do here; but we think a great effort ought to be made, in every island, to establish Christianity and to take possession for CHRIST and the Church, before that idolatry, which seems to have been crushed by a single blow to JEHOVAH's arm, should a gain be revived. The case is so new and so unparallelled in the history of the world, that we know not what to say. When hath a nation changed its Gods? The enemy may have retired but for a season, to appear again in his wrath, to kindle the flames of persecution, and re-establish the worship of demons in all its forms of pollution and cruelty. How often did Israel, the chosen of GOD, give melancholy proof of the most deep rooted depravity, and the incurable propensity of the human heart to the grossest idolatry, even with the lively oracles of divine truth in their hands, and the awful majesty of JEHOVAH's presence before their eyes. Were it not for the fact, that the present is an age of wonders, and the hope, that the Christian church will not relax the ardor of effort and the fervency of prayer for us and this people, we should expect soon to see the altars of abomination erected, and the powerful priesthood of superstition arrayed against this little feeble band of Christian pilgrims before one of us could preach plainly and impressively in the language of the islands. the unsearchable riches of JESUS CHRIST. But in GOD is our hope; and we will not fear. We dare not put our trust in princes. The king of Zion alone is worthy of our confidence. It is he who has begun the glorious work; and it will go on. The powers of earth and hell cannot successfully oppose it. We are nothing. And whether defeat or success shall be our particular lot we know that the holy cause in which under your patronage, we are allowed to embark, cannot fail of ultimate and universal triumph. "Zion shall arise and shine- the REDEEMER shall reign- the isles shall wait for his law.- The glory of the LORD shall cover the earth, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it"

Cheered with these divine consolations, in the midst of trials and privations-contented and happy in our work, weak and inexperienced as we are, we turn our eyes to you for counsel, and to Heaven for help, and subscribe ourselves, dear Sir, your servants for JESUS sake, and fellow laborers, in the vineyard of our LORD.

H. BINGHAM,
DANIEL CHAMBERLAIN,
SAMUEL WHITNEY,
SAMUEL RUGGLES,
ELISHA LOOMIS.

P.S. We send you by the Levant a copy of our journal up to the 19th of July, 1820. We wrote you by the ship Mary, Capt. Smith, about fifty days after our embarkation, and since our arrival another letter. No. 2, by the L'Algie, Capt. Starbuck. In the second we gave a more particular account of our arrival and settlement; but this may reach you first.

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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The late 1820s and 1830s saw a Protestant religious revival called the Second Great Awakening which had a strong impact on American religion and reform. In New England evangelical enthusiasm led to the formation of missionary societies that sent clergy to foreign lands to bring bibles and religion to non-Christians. This is a call for more missionaries to go to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii). The writers felt that they have had good results establishing Christianity but think that more missionaries would prevent the island religions from again taking hold. The men who signed this letter were all members of the Baptist Missionary Society of Massachusetts. The Greenfield Gazette and Franklin Herald was the newspaper in Greenfield, Massachusetts, from June 26, 1827 to June 27, 1837. It changed its name to the Gazette & Mercury.

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