UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
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MEMOIRS 
 
 OF 
 
 HENRY OBOOKIAH, 
 
 A NATIVE OF OWHYHEE, 
 
 AND A MEMBER OF 
 
 THE FOREIGN MISSION SCHOOL 
 
 WHO DIED AT CORNWALL, CONN. FEB. 17, 1818. 
 AGED 26 YEARS. 
 
 REVISED BY THE COMMITTEE OF PUBLICATION. 
 
 AMERICAN SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION. 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 No. 146 Chesnut Street. 
 
 1830. 
 
District of Connecticut, ss. 
 
 BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the fifth day of September 
 in the forty-third year of the Independence of the United States 
 of America, LYMAN BEECHER and JOSEPH HARVEY, of 
 the said District, have deposited in this office the title of a book, 
 the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in the words fol- 
 lowing, to wit: 
 
 " Memoirs of Henry Obookiah, a native of Owhyhee, and a 
 Member of the Foreign Mission School ; who died at Cornwall, 
 Conn. Feb. 17, 1818, aged 26 years.'" 
 
 In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, 
 entitled, " An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by secur- 
 ing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the Authors and 
 Proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned." 
 R. I. INGERSOLL. 
 Clerk of the District of Connecticut. 
 A true copy of Record, examined and sealed by me, 
 R. I. INGERSOLL, 
 Clerk of the District of Connecticut. 
 
MEMOIRS 
 
 Of 
 
 HENRY OBOOKIAH. 
 
 itc'rfRY Obookiah was a native of Owhy- 
 L» e, the most important of the Sandwich 
 Islands. He was born about the year 1792. 
 His parents ranked with the common peo- 
 ple ; but his mother was distantly related to 
 the family of the king. Her name was 
 Kummoolah. The name of his father is 
 unknown. When Obookiah was at the age 
 of ten or twelve, both his parents were slain 
 before his eyes, " in a war," to use his own 
 language, " made after the old king died, to 
 see who should be the greatest among them." 
 The only surviving member of the family, 
 besides himself, was an infant brother two 
 or three months old. This little brother he 
 hoped to save from the fate of his parents, 
 and took him upon his back to flee from the 
 3 
 
4 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 enemy ; but was overtaken, and the child 
 cruelly destroyed. The circumstances of 
 this interesting scene are so accurately stated 
 in a " Narrative" already before the public, 
 that that account will be here transcribed. 
 The facts were taken from the relation of 
 Obookiah. 
 
 " Two parties were contending for the do- 
 minion of the island. The warriors met, 
 and a dreadful slaughter ensued. The party 
 to which the father of Obookiah belonged 
 was overpowered. The conquerors having 
 driven their antagonists from the field, next 
 turned their rage upon the villages and fa- 
 milies of the vanquished. The alarm was 
 given of their approach. The father, taking 
 his wife and two children, fled to the moun- 
 tains There he concealed himself for seve- 
 ral days with his family in a cave. But, at 
 length, being driven by thirst to leave their 
 retreat, they went in quest of water to a 
 neighbouring spring. Here they were sur- 
 prised by a party of the enemy while in the 
 act of quenching their thirst. The father, 
 obeying the first impulse of nature, fled, but 
 the cries of his wife and children soon 
 brought him back again for their protection. 
 But seeing the enemy near, again he fled. 
 The enemy seeing the affection of the father 
 for his family, having seized his wife and 
 children, put them to the torture, in order 
 to decoy him from his retreat. The artifice 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 5 
 
 succeeded. Unable to bear the piercing 
 cries of his family, again he appeared, and 
 fell into their hands, and with his wife was 
 cut in pieces. While this was going on, 
 Obookiah, being then a lad of about twelve 
 years, took his infant brother upon his back, 
 and attempted to make his escape. But he 
 was pursued, and his little brother pierced 
 through with a pahooa, or spear, while on 
 his back. He himself was saved alive, be- 
 cause he was not young enough to give 
 them trouble, nor old enough to excite their 
 fears." 
 
 Obookiah, being now a prisoner in the 
 hands of the enemy, was taken home to the 
 house of the very man who murdered his 
 parents. With him he remained, until he 
 was found by an uncle, who having obtained 
 the consent of his keeper, took him into his 
 own family and treated him as his child. 
 This uncle was a priest ; and had the rank 
 of high priest of the island. It was his de- 
 sign to educate Obookiah for the same ser- 
 vice. In pursuance of this purpose, he 
 taught him long prayers, and trained him to 
 the task of repeating them daily in the tem- 
 ple of the idol. This ceremony he some- 
 times commenced before sunrise in the morn- 
 ing, and at other times was employed in it 
 during the whole or the greater part of the 
 night. Parts of these prayers he often re- 
 a 2 
 
6 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 peated to gratify the curiosity of his friends, 
 after he came to this country.* 
 
 He continued with his uncle, and in this 
 employment, until he look his departure from 
 his native country, to go in quest of another, 
 where he hoped to find the happiness which 
 the death of his parents had taken from him, 
 and which nothing, now to be found in his 
 own country, < ould at all supply. 
 
 His own feelings on this subject, with 
 some account of his situation while he re- 
 mained upon the island, of his departure 
 for America, and his reception in this coun- 
 try, are found in a history of his past life, 
 written by himself several years before his 
 death. As this, to all the readers of these 
 memoirs will doubtless be interesting, con- 
 sidered especially as the production of a 
 heathen youth, the greater part of it will be 
 inserted ; with but few slight alterations. 
 His own ideas, and in general, his own lan- 
 guage will be preserved. 
 
 The history commences at the time of his 
 parents' death. 
 
 " The same man," says he, " which kill- 
 ed my father and mother took me home to 
 his own house. His wife was an amiable . 
 woman, and very kind, and her husband 
 
 * The prayers regarded the weather, the general pros- 
 perity of the island, its defence from enemies, an^ -*■;> 
 cially the life and happiness of the king. 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 7 
 
 also : yet on account of killing my parents I 
 did not feel contented. After I lived with 
 this man about a year or two, I found one 
 of my uncles, who was a priest among them ; 
 but he knew not who I was, (for I was quite 
 small when he saw me at home with my pa- 
 rents.) He inquired the name of my pa- 
 rents — I told him. As soon as he heard the 
 name of my parents, tears burst out and he 
 weeped bitterly. He wished me not to go 
 back and live with that man which killed my 
 father and mother, but to live with him as 
 long as I live. I told him I must go back 
 and see that man, whether he was willing to 
 give me a release. This was done. I went 
 home, and told the man all what my uncle 
 had told me. But the saying seemed to him 
 very unpleasing. As soon as he had heard 
 all what I said to him, he was very torment- 
 ed with anger, as if he would look me in 
 pieces that moment. He would not let me 
 go, not till he die, or else he take my life 
 away. Not long after this, I went and told 
 my uncle what the man had told me, and he 
 would no more let me go back to the man's 
 house, until the man come after me, then he 
 would converse with him on this subject. 
 After I had lived with my uncle two or three 
 days, the man came to his house, to take 
 me home. But my uncle told him that I 
 was as his own child — that he would not let 
 me go back and live with him ; else if he 
 
8 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 take me, he should take both of us. Yet 
 the man did say but little because my uncle 
 was a priest. But he told my uncle that if 
 I should live with him, he must take kind 
 care of me as what he has done. He told 
 him he would by all means. When all this 
 was done I lived with my uncle a number of 
 years." 
 
 It was probably during this period, and 
 before peace was entirely restored to the 
 island, that an event occurred in which the 
 hand of Providence was strikingly visible in 
 rescuing Obookiah, from a second exposure 
 to a violent and untimely death. 
 
 He, with an aunt, the only surviving sis- 
 ter of his father, had fallen into the posses- 
 sion of the enemy. On a certain day it 
 came to his knowledge that his aunt, and, 
 perhaps himself, was to be put to death. — 
 The first opportunity he could find, he at- 
 tempted to make his escape. And by creep- 
 ing through a hole into a cellar, and going 
 out on the opposite side, he got away, unob- 
 served, and wandered off at a considerable 
 distance from the house in which he had 
 been kept. But it was not long before his 
 aunt was brought out, by a number of the 
 enemy, and taken to a precipice, from which 
 she "was thrown and destroyed. He saw this 
 — and now feeling himself more than ever 
 alone, as soon as the enemy had retired, he 
 ran toward the fatal spot, resolved to throw 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. \j 
 
 iiimself over and die with this friend ; whom, 
 perhaps, he now considered as the last indi- 
 vidual of his kindred. But he was discover- 
 ed by one of the chiefs, or head men of the 
 party, who ordered two men to pursue him 
 and bring him back. — He was overtaken just 
 before he reached the precipice, and carried 
 back to the quarters of the enemy. By a 
 kind interposition of Providence he was 
 saved for purposes which will appear in the 
 subsequent history. 
 
 "At the death of my parents," he says, 
 " I was with them ; I saw them killed with 
 a bayonet — and with them my little brother, 
 not more than two or three months old — so 
 that I was left alone without father and mo- 
 ther in this wilderness world. Poor boy, 
 thought I within myself, after they were 
 gone, are there any father or mother of mine 
 at home, that I may go and find them at 
 home ? No ; poor boy am I. And while I 
 was at play with other children — after we 
 had made an end of playing, they return to 
 their parents — but I was returned into tears ; 
 — for I have no home, neither father nor 
 mother. I was now brought away from my 
 home to a stranger place, and I thought of 
 nothing more but want of father or mother, 
 and to cry day and night. 
 
 " While I was with my uncle, for some 
 time I began to think about leaving that 
 country, to go to some other part of the 
 
10 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 globe. I did not care where I shall go to. 
 I thought to myself that if I should get 
 away, and go to some other country, pro- 
 bably I may find some comfort, more than 
 to live there, without father and mother. — 
 I thought it will be better for me to go than 
 to stay. About this time there was a ship 
 come from New York ; — Captain Brintnall 
 the master of the ship. As soon as it got 
 into the harbour, in the very place where I 
 lived, I thought of no more but to take the 
 best chance I had, and if the captain have 
 no objection, to take me as one of his own 
 servants and to obey his word. As soon 
 as the ship anchored I went on board. The 
 captain soon inquired whose boy I was. 
 Yet I knew not what he says to me, for I 
 could not speak the English language. — But 
 there was a young man who could speak the 
 English language, and he told the captain 
 that I was the Minister's nephew — (the mi- 
 nister of that place.) The captain wished 
 me to stay on board the ship that night, and 
 the next day go home. This very much sa- 
 tisfied me, and I consented to stay. At even- 
 ing the captain invited me to eat supper 
 with him. And there sat another boy with 
 us who was to be my fellow-traveller; by 
 name Thomas Hopoo — Thomas, a name 
 given him by the supercargo of the ship. 
 After supper the captain made some in- 
 quiry to see if we were willing to come to 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 11 
 
 America; and soon I made a motion with 
 my head that I was willing to go. This man 
 was very agreeable, and his kindness was 
 much delighted in my heart, as if I was his 
 own son, and he was my own father. Thus 
 I still continue thankful for his kindness to- 
 wards me. 
 
 " The next morning the captain wished 
 me to go shore and see my uncle, whether 
 he was willing to let me go with him or not. 
 I then got into a canoe and went on shore 
 and found my uncle. He was at home. — 
 He asked me where was I been through all 
 that night before. I told him that I was on 
 board the ship and staid there all the night. 
 I told him what my object was, and all what 
 the captain invite me to. As soon as my 
 uncle heard that I was going to leave him, he 
 shut me up in a room, for he was not willing 
 to let me go. While I was in the room my 
 old grandmother coming in, asked me what 
 was my notion of leaving them, and go with 
 the people whom I know not. I told her it 
 is better for me to go than to stay there. 
 She said if I should leave them I shall not 
 see them any more. I told her that I shall 
 come back in a few months if I live. Her 
 eyes were filled with tears. She said that I 
 was very foolish boy. This was all she said, 
 and she went out from the room. As soon 
 as she went out, I looked around, expecting 
 to find a hole that I might escape out of the 
 
12 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 house. And as soon as I saw a little hole 
 in the side of the house, I got through it 
 and went on board the ship. When my un- 
 cle heard that I was on board the ship, he 
 got into his canoe and came on board the ship 
 inquiring after me. No sooner after he made 
 some inquirement I was there discovered by- 
 one of our countrymen who had the care 
 of the ship, and was brought forth, and come 
 to my uncle's house. He would not let me 
 go unless I pay him a hog for his god : 
 (for I was taken under his care to be made 
 for a minister.)" 
 
 Here there is an interruption in the his- 
 tory, and it does not appear whether the ex- 
 acted price was or was not paid for his dis- 
 charge, and permission to come to America. 
 Permission, however, was soon obtained. 
 
 " My uncle," he says, " would now delay 
 me no longer, and I took my leave of them 
 and bid them farewell. My parting with 
 them was disagreeable to them and to me, 
 but I was willing to leave all my relations, 
 friends and acquaintance ; expected to see 
 them no more in this world. We set out 
 on our journey towards the Seal Islands, on 
 the N. W. part of America. On these 
 islands the captain left twenty or thirty men 
 for sealing business on his way to Owhyhee. 
 We found them safe. Among these men I 
 found a very desirable young man, by name 
 Russell Hubbard, a son of Gen. H. of New- 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 13 
 
 Haven. This Mr. Hubbard was a member 
 of Yale College. He was a friend of Christ. 
 Christ was with him when I saw him, but I 
 knew it not. — ' Happy is the man that put 
 his trust in God !' Mr. Hubbard was very 
 kind to me on our passage, and taught me the 
 letters in English spelling-book. 
 
 " We continued on these islands during 
 six months, then took ©ur course towards 
 Owhyhee. Two of my countrymen were 
 with me in the ship. One of them concluded 
 to stay at Owhyhee, and the other to pro- 
 ceed on the voyage. The ship delayed no 
 longer than a few days, and we set out for 
 China, on our direct course to America. — 
 On our way towards China my poor friend 
 Thomas fell overboard. He was so careless, 
 not knowing what he was about, he went 
 outside of the ship and drew salt water to 
 wash plates with (for he was a cabin's boy.) 
 When the ship rolled he got in the water. 
 The captain calls all hands upon the deck, 
 and ordered to have all the sails pulled down 
 in order to let about. — While we were work- 
 ing upon our sails, my friend Thomas was 
 out of sight. While he was in the water he 
 pulls all off his clothes in order to be lighter 
 — We turned our ship and went back after 
 him We found him almost dead. He was 
 in the water during the space of two and a 
 half hours. how glad was I then to see 
 him — for he was already gone. 
 
14 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " We took our direct course from hence as 
 it was before. Soon we landed at an island 
 belonging to that part of China, and in the 
 evening after the sun-down we anchored. On 
 the next morning we fired one of our cannon 
 for a pilot. When we had fired once or 
 twice, there was another ship of war belong- 
 ing to the British, which stood about four or 
 five miles apart from us. 
 
 " As soon as they heard our cannon, they 
 sent one of their brigs. We were then ta- 
 ken by it for a while. They took our cap- 
 tain and he went on board the men of war's 
 ship. He was there for a number of days. 
 After this the Englishmen agreed to let us 
 go. We therefore leave that place, called 
 Mocow or Mockow, (Mocao) and directed 
 our course to the city of Canton. We were 
 there until we sold out all our seal-skins and 
 loaded our ship with other sort of goods ; 
 such as tea, cinnamon, nankeens and silk, 
 &c. At the end of six months we steered a 
 direct course to America. At the Cape of 
 Good Hope, or before it, our sailors on 
 board the ship began to terrify at us. — They 
 said that there was a man named Neptune 
 who lived in that place and his abiding place 
 was in the sea. In the evening the sailors 
 begun the act. — One of them took an old 
 great coat and put on him, and with a speak- 
 ing trumpet in his hand, and his head was 
 covered with a sheep-skin ; and he went for- 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 15 
 
 ward of the ship and making a great noise. 
 About this time friend Thomas and myself 
 were on the quarter-deck, hearing some of 
 them telling about Neptune's coming with 
 an iron canoe, and iron paddle. Friend 
 Thomas questioned whether the iron canoe 
 will not sink down in the water. ' No,' 
 said some of them, * he will make it light, 
 for he is a God.' While we were talking, 
 the first we heard the sound of trumpet as 
 follows, — 'Ship hail! from whence came 
 you ?' — The captain immediately giving an 
 answer in this manner: 'From Canton.' 
 1 Have you got my boys ?' said the old Nep- 
 tune. — ' Yes,' answered the captain. — 
 1 How many boys have you ?' added the old 
 Neptune. ' Two,' said the captain, (that 
 is myself and friend Thomas.) As soon as 
 we both heard the captain says ' two,' we 
 both scared almost to death : and wished we 
 were at home. The old Neptune wished to 
 see us ; but we dare not come near at it. 
 He continued calling to us to come to him, 
 or else he would take both of us to be as his 
 servants. We therefore went up imme- 
 diately and shook our hands with him in 
 friendly manner. I thought that he was 
 quite an old age ; by seeing his long beards 
 and his head covered with gray hairs: for 
 his head was covered with a sheep-kin. 
 After our conversation with him he wished 
 for drink. So that I went and filled two 
 
16 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 pails full of salt-water, (as the sailors had 
 told us,) and I set them before him. Then 
 he took his speaking trumpet and put it in 
 my mouth for tunnel, in order to make me 
 drink that salt-water which I brought. But 
 while he stoops down to reach the pail of 
 water, I took hold of the speaking trumpet 
 and hold it one side of my cheek, so that I 
 may not drink a drop of salt water : did not 
 any body knew it for it was dark. But 
 friend Thomas he was so full of scare, he 
 took down a great deal of salt water. On 
 the next morning he was taken sick, and 
 puked from the morning until the evening. 
 
 " About this time our provision was almost 
 out. We had no bread, meat and water, 
 save only one biscuit a-day and one pint of 
 water ; only when the cook put in our tea. 
 We were looking out for a vessel for a long 
 time. Within a few days we come close to 
 a schooner going to the West Indies ; sailed 
 from Boston. We fired at her in order to 
 stop her. So did she. We got from them 
 as much provision as we wished, and this 
 lasted us until we got to New York. 
 
 " We landed at New York in the year 
 1809 ; continued there a few weeks, and af- 
 ter the captain sold out all the goods that 
 are in the ship, we then parted with all our 
 sailors ; every one to go to their own home. 
 But friend Thomas and myself continued 
 with the captain. One evening two gen- 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 17 
 
 tlemen called on board the ship to see us. 
 After our conversation was made with them, 
 they wished us to go with them into a play- 
 house, to show the curiosity. We then 
 went with them into the playhouse and saw 
 a great number of peoples, as I ever saw be- 
 fore. We staid during the forepart of the 
 evening, then went on board the ship. The 
 next morning the same two gentlemen called 
 again and invited us to come to their house 
 that forenoon. So that we both went. I 
 thought while in the house of these two gen- 
 tlemen how strange to see females eat with 
 men. 
 
 "Within a few days we left our ship and 
 went home with Captain B. to New-Haven ; 
 the place where he lived. There I lived 
 with him for some time. In this place I 
 become acquainted with many students be- 
 longing to the College. By these pious stu- 
 dents 1 was told more about God than what 
 I had heard before ; but I was so ignorant 
 that I could not see into it whether it was 
 so. Many times I wished to hear more about 
 God, but find no body to interpret it to me. 
 I attended many meetings on the sabbath, 
 but find difficulty to understand the minis- 
 ter. I could understand or speak but very 
 little of the English language. Friend Tho- 
 mas went to school to one of the students in 
 the college before I thought of going to 
 school. I heard that a ship was ready to 
 
18 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 sail from New York within a few days for 
 Owhyhee. The captain was willing that I 
 might take leave of this country and go home 
 if I wish. But this was disagreeable to my 
 mind. I wished to continue in this country 
 a little longer. I staid another week — saw 
 Mr. E. W. D. who first taught me to read 
 and write. The first time I saw him, he 
 inquired whether I was one who came over 
 with Thomas, (for Thomas was known among 
 many scholars in College.) I told him I 
 was one who came over with Thomas. He 
 then asked me if I wished to learn to read 
 and write. I told him that I was. He wished 
 me to come to his room that night and be- 
 gin to learn. So that 1 went in the evening 
 and began to read in the spelling-book. Mr. 
 D. wished me to come to his room at any 
 time when it is agreeable to the captain 
 with whom I then lived. I went home that 
 night, and the next morning I mentioned all 
 this matter to the captain. He was pleased, 
 and he wished me to go to school to Mr. D. 
 Thus I continued in school with him for 
 several months." 
 
 When Obookiah was first discovered at 
 New-Haven by the person of whom he 
 speaks, his appearance was unpromising. 
 He was clothed in a rough sailor's suit, was 
 of a clumsy form, and his countenance dull 
 and heavy. His friend had almost deter- 
 mined to pass him by, as one whom it 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 19 
 
 would be in vain to notice and attempt to 
 instruct. But when the question was put 
 him, "Do you wish to learn?" his counte- 
 nance began to brighten. And when the 
 proposal was made that he should come the 
 next day to the college for that purpose, he 
 served it with great eagerness. 
 
 It was not long after he began to study, 
 and had obtained some farther knowledge 
 of the English language, that he gave evi- 
 dence, that the dullness, which was thought 
 to be indicated by his countenance, formed 
 no part of his character. It soon appeared 
 that his eyes were open to every thing that 
 was passing around him, and that he had an 
 unusual degree of discernment with regard 
 to persons and things of every description 
 that came within his notice. The first exhi- 
 bition that was made of this trait in his cha- 
 racter, and indeed the first decisive evidence 
 he furnished that his mind was less inactive 
 than had been supposed, was in the following 
 incident. 
 
 When he began to read in words of one 
 or two syllables in the spelling-book, there 
 were certain sounds which he found it very 
 difficult to articulate. This was true, espe- 
 cially of syllables that contained the letter 
 R : a letter which occasioned him more 
 trouble than all others. In pronouncing it, 
 he uniformly gave it the sound of L. At 
 every different reading an attempt was made 
 
20 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 to correct the pronunciation. The language 
 generally used on such occasions was, " Try, 
 Obookiah, it is very easy." This was often 
 repeated. But it was soon perceived, that 
 whenever these words were used they ex- 
 cited a smile. And as patience began to be 
 tried by many unsuccessful attempts, and 
 the words to be used more in earnest, he was 
 observed to turn away his face for the pur- 
 pose of concealment, and seemed much di- 
 verted. As he was unable to express his 
 thoughts except by acts, no explanation was 
 made and none demanded. The reason was 
 scarcely perceived. But as the attempts to 
 correct the error were at last successful, the 
 circumstance was soon forgotten. A short 
 time after this, long enough, however, for 
 Obookiah to have made some improvement 
 in speaking the English, his instructor was 
 spending an evening pleasantly with him, in 
 making inquiries concerning some of the 
 habits and practices of his own country. 
 Among other things Obookiah mentioned 
 the manner in which his countrymen drank 
 from a spring, when out upon their hunting 
 excursions. The cup which they used was 
 their hands. It was made by clasping them 
 together, and so adjusting the thumbs, and 
 bending the hands, as to form a vessel which 
 would contain a considerable quantity. Of this 
 he gave an example ; and after preparing his 
 hands, was able, from the pliablenes's of his 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 21 
 
 arms, to raise them entirely to his mouth, 
 without turning them at all from their hori- 
 zontal position. The experiment was at- 
 tempted by his instructor : but he found 
 that before his hands were raised half the 
 distance to his mouth, they were so much 
 inverted, that their contents would have 
 been principally lost. He repeated the trial 
 until he began to be discouraged ; when 
 Obookiah, who had been much amused with 
 his efforts, with a very expressive counte- 
 nance said to him, "Try, Mr. D., it is very 
 easy." The former mystery was now un- 
 ravelled, and an important lesson taught with 
 respect to the ease or difficulty, with which 
 things are done by us, that are or are not na- 
 tural to us ; or to which we have or have not 
 been, from early life, accustomed. 
 
 About this time it was discovered that 
 Obookiah noticed with uncommon acuteness 
 and interest, every singularity in the speech 
 and manners of those around him. And in 
 the midst of his own awkwardness, to the 
 surprise of all who were conversant with 
 him, he suddenly began to show himself 
 dexterous as a mimic. He one day placed 
 himself upon the floor, drew up his sleeves 
 half way to the elbow, walked across the 
 room with a peculiar air, and said " Who 
 dis ?" The person intended was instantly 
 known by all that were present. He then 
 put himself in a different position, changed 
 
22 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 his gait, and said again, " Well, who di»V' 
 This imitation also was so accurate, of 
 another of the members of college, that no 
 one doubted with regard to the original. 
 The extent of his own awkwardness at this 
 time may be learned from the effect which 
 an exhibition of it produced upon himself. 
 After he had completed his own efforts at 
 mimicry, his friend said to him, " Well, 
 Obookiah, should you like to know how you 
 walk ?" He seemed much pleased with the 
 suggestion, and the imitation was attempted. 
 He was greatly diverted, though almost in- 
 credulous, and said with earnestness — several 
 times repeating the question — " Me walk 
 so?" After being assured that it was a re- 
 ality, he burst into a loud roar of laughter 
 and fell upon the floor, where he indulged 
 his mirth until he had exhausted his 
 strength. 
 
 The same trait of character was discover- 
 able in the manner in which he was affected 
 with respect to the idols of the heathen, upon 
 the first instruction given him concerning 
 the true God. He was at once very sensibly 
 impressed with the ludicrous nature of idol 
 worship. Smiling at its absurdity, he said, 
 " Owhyhee gods! they ivood, burn; Me go 
 home, put 'em in a fire, burn 'em up. They 
 no see, no hear, no any thing" — then added, — 
 " We make them — Our God, (looking up) He 
 make us." 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 23 
 
 The history proceeds — " Now I wished 
 no more to live with captain any longer, but 
 rather wished to live somewhere else, where 
 I could have an opportunity to learn to write 
 and read. I went to my friend Mr. D., who 
 was to be my best and kind friend ; I made 
 known to him all my desire. I told him 
 that I wished to live where I could have an 
 opportunity to get in some school, and work 
 a part of the time. He then wished me to 
 live with President Dwight. This satisfied 
 me ; I went with him to Dr. Dwight's house. 
 I lived with this pious and good family for 
 some time, and went to school to the same 
 man as before. While I lived with these 
 good people I have more time to attend to 
 my book than I ever did before. Here was 
 the first time I meet with praying family 
 morning and evening. It was difficult for 
 me to understand what was said in prayer, 
 but I doubt not this good people were pray- 
 ing for me while T was with them ; seeing 
 that I was ignorant of God and my Saviour. 
 I heard of God, as often as I lived with this 
 family, and I believed but little. Whilst I 
 lived at Dr. Dwight's, I went up to my 
 school room one evening, and saw Mr. S. J. 
 M., a son of Rev. Mr. S. J. I., of Torring- 
 ford, sitting with Mr. D. my instructor. 
 Mr. D. wished me to make acquaintance 
 with Mr. M. So did I — (and shook hands 
 with him.) Mr. M. continued in New 
 
24 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Haven for several months. During this time 
 he wished me to go home with him ; he 
 says he has a good father, mother, bro- 
 ther and sister. This requesting was very 
 pleasing to me — so that I consented. I then 
 left New-Haven and went home with Mr. 
 M. I lived with this family in the year 
 1810. These people were the most judicious 
 and kindest people. I was treated by them 
 in the most affectionate manner — (yet not 
 knowing who brought me there, for I was 
 very ignorant of him who gave me so many 
 good friends in this country.) It seemed to 
 me as my own home. It was. And I have 
 made my home there frequently. I could 
 say much of them, but what more can I do, 
 but to remember their kindness toward me. 
 While I was with them I continued my study 
 in spelling, reading and writing, to Mr. J. 
 F. M. a brother of Mr. M. whom I was ac- 
 quainted with at the first. Here I learned 
 some sort of farming business: cutting wood, 
 pulling flax, mowing. &lc. — only to look at 
 the other and learn from them." 
 
 As Obookiah was to obtain, in part, his 
 support at Mr. Mills's by his labour, he was 
 immediately set about most kinds of busi- 
 ness that pertain to a farm. And though 
 this was a new employment to him, he was 
 found to excel in every thing to which he 
 turned his hand. One glance at others for 
 an example was all the instruction that he 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 25 
 
 required, before he was ready to undertake, 
 and to perform skilfully, every kind of la- 
 bour. 
 
 The following extract of a letter from the 
 Rev. Mr. Mills, sufficiently illustrates this 
 part of his character. 
 
 " There was something unusual in regard 
 to Obookiah. His attention to what passed 
 before him, and his talent at imitation, were 
 singular. He had never mown a clip until 
 he came to live with me. My son furnished 
 him with a scythe. He stood and looked on 
 to see the use he made of it, and at once fol- 
 lowed, to the surprise of those who saw him. 
 We had a spell at reaping. We furnished 
 him with a sickle. He stood and looked, 
 and followed on. It was afterwards observ- 
 ed by a person who was in the field, that 
 there were not two reapers there who ex- 
 celled him. 
 
 "In these respects and others, he was 
 truly a remarkable youth." 
 
 While Obookiah remained in the family 
 of Mr. Mills, " every possible attention was 
 paid to the improvement of his mind, and 
 his progress was such as to convince those 
 who instructed him that their labour was 
 not in vain. He soon acquired a knowledge 
 of the spelling-book, and in a few months 
 was able to read in the Testament. By this 
 c 
 
*b MEMOIRS OF 
 
 time he had also made considerable profi- 
 ciency in writing. It was observed that he 
 learned to talk English just as fast as he 
 learned to read it. When he became able to 
 communicate his ideas in a broken manner, 
 he would express a very tender concern for 
 his countrymen."* 
 
 Henry now made his first essay at letter- 
 writing. His first letter was written to his 
 friend Thomas at New-Haven, and the se- 
 cond to his former instructor. The last has 
 been preserved, and for reasons that will be 
 obvious, is here inserted. — The following is 
 an exact copy : 
 
 " Torringford, March 2, 1810. 
 •< Mr. E. D., Sir, 
 
 ' : I here now — this place, Torringford — 
 I glad see you very much. I laugh Tom 
 Hoboo — he say — ' Obooki write me that r 
 Me no write.' I want you tell Tom Mr. S. 
 Mills say if we be good boys we shall have 
 friends. One morning you know I come 
 into your room in college, and you tell me 
 — read — you say, what c.a.p. spel!? then I say 
 c.a.p. pig. I spell four syllables now, and I 
 say what is the chief end of man. I like 
 you much. I like your brother, and your 
 friend Mr. Dean. I wear this great coat 
 
 * f( Narrative of Heathen Youth." 
 
HENRY 0B00K1AH. 27 
 
 you gave me to meeting every Sunday. I 
 wish you would write me a letter and tell me 
 what Tom do. 
 
 " This from 
 
 " Henry Obooki." 
 
 " Mrs. M. the wife of the Rev. Mr. M." 
 continues Obookiah, " was a very amiable 
 woman, and I was treated by her as her own 
 child. She used me kindly, and learned me 
 to say the Catechism. 
 
 " Many ministers called on the Rev. Mr. 
 M., and I was known by a great number of 
 ministers. But on account of my ignorance 
 of the true God, I do not wish to hear them 
 when they talk to me. I would not wish to 
 be in the room where they were ; neither did 
 I wish to come near to a minister, for the 
 reason that he should talk to me about God, 
 whom I hated to hear. I was told by them 
 about heaven and hell, but I did not pay 
 any attention to what they say ; for I thought 
 that I was just as happy as the other people, 
 as those who do know about God much more 
 than I do. But this thought, as I see to it 
 now, was the most great and dangerous mis- 
 take. 
 
 " At the close of the year 1810, I left this 
 place, and went to Andover. I continued 
 there for some time. Here my wicked heart 
 began to see a little about the divine things ; 
 but the more I see to it, the more it appear 
 
28 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 to be impenetrability. I took much satisfac- 
 tion in conversing with many students in the 
 Institution. I spent a little time with some 
 of them, and in going to one room and to 
 another to recite to them : for I was taken 
 under their care. Whenever I got a lesson 
 I had a right to go to any room in college 
 to recite. While I was there for a long time, 
 my friend Mr. M. was there ; one of my 
 kindest friends that I had, who took me 
 away from his father's house. This young 
 Mr. M. was studying divinity at the col- 
 lege where I was instructed by the stu- 
 dents." 
 
 It was at this time and with the friend 
 who has been mentioned, that Obookiah 
 made his first attempt to pray in the presence 
 of another. " His friend having knelt down 
 and prayed, turning to him before they rose, 
 said, ' you may pray.' — When he delivered 
 himself, in substance, in the following 
 terms." 
 
 " Great and eternal God — make heaven 
 - — make earth — make every thing — have 
 mercy on me — make me understand the Bi- 
 ble — make me good — great God have mercy 
 on Thomas — make him good — make Tho- 
 mas and me go back Owhyhee — tell folks in 
 Owhyhee, no more pray to stone god — make 
 some good man go with me to Owhyhee, 
 tell folks in Owhyhee about Heaven — about 
 Hell — God make all people good every 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 29 
 
 where- — great God have mercy on college — 
 make all good — make Mr. Samuel good — 
 have mercy on Mr. Samuel's father, mother, 
 sister, brother." — " Our father which art in 
 heaven," &,c. 
 
 " My friend, Mr. M., now thought it 
 would be well for me to leave Andover, and 
 go to some school, where I may improve my 
 time much more than I could there. He 
 said if I should go he would try to find some 
 good people who would be willing to sup- 
 port me. This was a most kind offer, which 
 I cannot feel any more than to be thankful 
 for all this kindness to me. Mr. M. now 
 sent me to Bradford Academy ; and there I 
 continued for some time at school. The 
 people where I boarded, at the house of Dea- 
 con H. were a most pious family. But while 
 I was here in the school, my serious feelings, 
 which I had before, lost all ; and become 
 very ignorant of religion by being among 
 some iinserious company, talking many fool- 
 ish subjects. I thought now I shall never 
 have any more such feelings as I had before 
 — I thought that I must always be misera- 
 ble here and hereafter, I became prayerless 
 and thoughtless — no hope for mercy — never 
 attempted to be alone as I had done before. 
 I sit and walked about all day — took no op- 
 portunity to be at the throne of grace, but 
 rather to be stupid — from the morning until 
 evening never thought of him who kept me 
 c2 
 
30 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 alive ; neither when I lay down upon my bed. 
 nor when I rose up. I was in this situation 
 for a long time, while I was at school. At the 
 close of the school I went back to Andover. 
 Mr. M. was not there. It was vacation. I 
 staid until he returned. When he returned 
 he inquired how I have been, and how I was 
 pleased with the school. I answered well. 
 But I did not let him know what was my 
 situation, and what trouble I had met with 
 while I was there, but kept all these things 
 in my own mind. 
 
 " In the spring season of the year 1811, I 
 hired myself out for a month or two, on ac- 
 count of my health, with Mr. F. who lived 
 about five miles from the college. Mr. F. 
 one day sent me into the woods not far from 
 the house to work. I took an axe and went 
 and worked there till towards noon. But 
 here O ! I come to myself again ! many 
 thoughts come into my mind that I was in 
 a dangerous situation. I thought that if I 
 should then die, I must certainly be cast off 
 for ever. While I was working, it appear- 
 ed as it was a voice saying, • Cut it down, 
 why cumbereth it the ground.' I worked 
 no longer — but dropped my axe, and walked 
 a few steps from the place (for the people in 
 the house would soon send a lad after me, 
 for it was noon.) I fell upon my knees and 
 looked up to the Almighty Jehovah for help. 
 I was not but an undone and hell-deserving 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 31 
 
 sinner. I felt that it would be just that God 
 should cast me off withersoever he would 
 — that he should do with my poor soul as it 
 seemed to him fit. I spent some time here 
 until I heard a boy calling for me — and I 
 went. The people in the house asked of my 
 sadness — to which I gave but little answer. 
 In the night my sleep was taken away from 
 me. I kept awake almost the whole night. 
 Many of my feelings and thoughts in past 
 time came into remembrance — and how I 
 treated the mercy of God while I was at 
 Bradford Academy. The next morning I 
 rose up before the rest, and went to a place 
 where I was alone by myself. Here I went 
 both morning, night and noon. At this little 
 place I find some comfort. And when I go 
 there I enjoy myself better all the day. 
 
 " At the end of two months I returned to 
 Andover. Many times Mr. M. asked me 
 about my feelings, and I was neither willing 
 to answer much, nor could I, on account of 
 my unfruitfulness and wickedness. 
 
 " I continued here a few days and then 
 hired myself out again, and went to labour 
 for Mr. A. a farmer, in haying time. Mr. A. 
 was a good man, and it was a religious fa- 
 mily. I had here the same seriousness in 
 my mind as before, but never did meet with 
 real change of heart yet." 
 
 During Obookiah's residence at Andover. 
 he lived two years in the family of Mr. A 
 
32 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 the steward of the Theological Institution 
 This family bears very favourable testimony 
 to the excellence of his character. They 
 speak of him with tears. Said Mrs. A. to 
 a friend, M He was always pleasant. I never 
 saw him angry. He used to come into my 
 chamber and kneel down by me and pray. 
 Mr. M. did not think he was a christian at 
 that time, but he appeared to be thinking of 
 nothing else but religion. He afterwards 
 told me that there was a time when he 
 wanted to get religion into his head more than 
 into his heart." 
 
 In an absence of a month or two from the 
 family, he wrote a letter to Mrs. A. from 
 which the following is an extract : 
 
 " I sometimes think about my poor soul, 
 and that which God hath done. I will cry 
 unto God — ' What shall I do to be saved ?' 
 I know that God is able to take away blind 
 eyes and wicked heart. We must be born 
 again and have a new spirit before we die. 
 As soon as we shall be dead, all we must 
 stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 
 Friend, perhaps you have not done any thing 
 wicked, so that God can punish you. I hope 
 you have not. But if we are not his friends 
 and followers he will cast us into hell, and 
 we shall be there for ever and ever. I hope 
 you will think upon all these things. Friend 
 to you, " Henry Obookiah." 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 33 
 
 Whilst at Andover Obookiah heard that 
 one of his countrymen resided in the vicini- 
 ty. He hastened to him and spent a part of 
 a day with him, and a night in which they 
 did not sleep. When he returned, a friend 
 said to him, " Well Henry, what news from 
 Owhyhee ?" He replied, "I did not think of 
 Owhyhee, I had so much to say about Jesus 
 Christ:' 
 
 Henry had now become diligent in study- 
 ing the Scriptures, and made rapid progress 
 in religious knowledge. The following fact 
 is a specimen of what he had attained. 
 
 He was asked, "How many miracles are 
 recorded of our Saviour?" He began with 
 the first, that of making water wine, and 
 mentioned them all. 
 
 In a letter from Andover, communicating 
 the preceding facts, it is observed, "Mr. A. 
 the steward, says, Henry was very inquisi- 
 tive, and could never be satisfied until he 
 saw the whole of a subject. This was pecu- 
 liarly observable during an eclipse of the 
 sun, concerning which he asked many trou- 
 blesome questions : and also with regard to 
 many kinds of public business ; particularly 
 the mode of levying, collecting, and appro- 
 priating taxes. 
 
 " He was seen one morning very early 
 with a rule measuring the College buildings 
 and fences. He was asked why he did it. He 
 smiled, and said, ' So that I shall know 
 
34 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 how to build when I go back to Owhy- 
 hee.' 
 
 " When he heard a word," said Mr. A. 
 " which he did not understand or could not 
 speak, it was his constant habit to ask me 
 ' How you spell? How you spell? 1 When I 
 told him he never forgot." 
 
 Henry now began to maintain a corres- 
 pondence with his absent friends: a prac- 
 tice in which he seemed to take unusual 
 pleasure through the whole of his future 
 life. 
 
 The two following letters, written at An- 
 dover, are taken from the " Narrative of 
 Heathen Youth." " They were exactly co- 
 pied from the original with a few corrections 
 in the punctuation." 
 
 " Andover, Dec. 15, 1812. 
 
 "Dear Christian Friend, 
 
 " I improve this opportunity to write to 
 you. And I saw your beloved book which 
 you sent by Mr. G. and that I very much 
 thank you for it. I am great joy to God to 
 give me such a good friend in this land 
 where we hear the words of God — God is 
 kind to us and to the other — that is to every 
 body else. God will carry through his work 
 for us. 
 
 " I do not know what will God do with 
 my poor soul. I shall go before God and also 
 both Christ. 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 35 
 
 " We must all try to get forward where 
 God wishes us to do. God is able to save 
 sinners if we have some feeling in him. Is 
 very great thing to have hope in him, and 
 do all the Christian graces. I hope the 
 Lord will send the gospel to the heathen 
 land where the words of the Saviour never 
 yet had been. Poor people worship the wood 
 and stone and shark, and almost every thing 
 their gods ; the Bible is not there, and Hea- 
 ven and Hell they do not know about. I yet 
 in this country and no father and no mother. 
 But God is friend if I will do his will and not 
 my own will." 
 
 The following letter was written to the 
 Rev. Mr. Mills of Torringford. 
 
 " Andover, Jan. 27, 1813. 
 s< Very Dear Christian Friend, 
 
 " I improve this opportunity to write to 
 you a letter. I received your two letters 
 and I had broken the seals of both of them, 
 and I have read those sweet words that 
 make my poor and wicked heart feel cold, 
 as like cold water. Lord how long shall I 
 continue in my own sins ? Lord wilt thou 
 hear my secret prayer ? 
 
 "Dear sir, I hope your prayer for the 
 poor and blind immortal souls will be heard. 
 I thank you to pray for me beside my own 
 prayer; Pray to God that he might pour 
 
36 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 down his Holy Spirit upon all our souls. — 
 I do not know what will become of my poor 
 soul, when my time is full come hereafter. 
 But in my own -feeling I wish his will, and 
 I am willing that God do what he please for 
 my poor soul. What are sweet things in 
 this world, sinners like better than their own 
 souls which are going down to the bottom- 
 less pit. how wicked and sinful are we. 
 How shall we go to the path of life and of 
 his truth, and be with him in Heaven. No 
 way at all ; only we must give away ourselves 
 to him and leave all our sins behind. Some 
 think they know not how to pray ; but they 
 ought to know, for Christ hath taught us. i 
 went to Tyngebury last week to see a boy 
 who came from Owhyhee. He arrived last 
 June — (this is not Thomas who came with 
 me.) As the distance from this place was 
 small, I went to visit him. I hope the Lord 
 will have mercy upon his poor soul. He 
 knew nothing of the Saviour before I told 
 him. I first mentioned to him Genesis 1., 
 &c. telling him that God made the world by 
 his own power ; then he said, how foolish 
 we are to worship wood and stone gods ; we 
 give them hogs and cocoa nuts and banana, 
 but they cannot eat. Yes, said I, it is fool- 
 ish. Then he asked me where that man was, 
 that made every thing. I told him, he was 
 every where with us. Does he hear when 
 vou and I talk ? says he. I told him yes, 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. -37 
 
 and you must believe in him if you would be 
 his friend. He said he did believe what I 
 told him. He has not learned to understand 
 English, but I spoke in Owhyhee. I took 
 him with me to the minister's house on Sab- 
 bath evening, so I told him in Owhyhee 
 what Mr. Allen the minister said. He had 
 been before but could not understand what 
 was said. I told him what God did for him 
 in keeping him alive and bringing him to 
 this country. He said he liked that man 
 (meaning God) very much. He asked me 
 many questions again and again about God, 
 which I answered. After we went to bed he 
 said he would never forget what I had told 
 him. He said when he eat he would remem- 
 ber who gave him food. The people where 
 he lived said he might stay there as he would ; 
 and when he had learned English a little he 
 might go to school. He did cry when I left 
 him. 
 
 In the spring of the year 1812, Mr. Mills, 
 the particular patron of Obookiah, was ap- 
 pointed by the board of commissioners to 
 take a missionary tour through the western 
 and southern states. Soon after his depar- 
 ture Obookiah went to spend several months 
 at Hollis, in New Hampshire. — " Here," he 
 says, " I lived with two good men, Dea. E. 
 and Dea. B. and with the Rev. Mr. S. 
 While I was in this place, I became more 
 thoughtful about myself. I attended many 
 
 D 
 
38 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 of the young people's meetings, and I was 
 quite happy. But I was now taken sick of 
 a fever at the house of Dea. B. I was very 
 weak and was not able to answer to the 
 questions of those who came to visit me. 
 Then thought I, where shall I go for a phy- 
 sician, but unto thee ! Death had but a little 
 fear. I continued sick for five weeks. The 
 whole family of Dea. B. were very kind. I 
 was treated with the most affectionate care 
 during the whole of my sickness. Doctor 
 C. was a very kind and friendly man. He 
 was a pious man and good Christian. Many 
 times he prayed with me while I was upon 
 my sick bed. 
 
 " One day Mrs. B. asked me whether I 
 was willing to die and leave this world of 
 sin and go to the better. To which I replied 
 that I should have no objection if God should 
 do with me as it seemed to him fit. She 
 added, ' Do you remember the goodness 
 and the kindness of God toward you ?' I 
 answered yes — For I have neither a fathei 
 nor a mother, nor a brother nor a sister in 
 this strange country but He. But ! am 
 I fit to call him my father ? ■ Whosoever 
 doeth his will the same is a child of God.' 
 No longer after my complaint was over I 
 began to experience hope in religion. I 
 thought often concerning the happiness of 
 another world and eternal realities. But 
 my mind and my heart of wickedness would 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 39 
 
 often turn back to this world : (if I do not 
 think about the serious things.) Many times 
 I meet with dark hour. But the greatest 
 part of the time I took much comfort and 
 happiness, both in my secret prayer and in 
 serious conversation with others. I thought 
 now with myself, that I have met with a 
 change of heart. It was so if I mistake not. 
 For the Lord Jesus did appear as chiefest 
 among ten thousand, and one altogether 
 lovely ; and his mercy appeared to be wel- 
 come to a sinner as I." 
 
 In the fall, Henry left Hollis and returned 
 to Andover ; where he remained until the 
 succeeding spring: when he took his final 
 leave of that place, and went ". home" to the 
 house of the Rev. Mr. Mills in Torringford. 
 Here he passed the following summer. 
 
 During this residence at Mr. Mills's, he 
 occasionally visited Litchfield, to see the 
 person who had been his early friend at New- 
 Haven. As this was but a short period af- 
 ter his hopeful conversion, his friend was 
 anxious to ascertain what knowledge he pos- 
 sessed of experimental religion. To the 
 questions that were asked him, he gave an- 
 swers which clearly evinced that on this 
 subject he had thought and felt for himself; 
 and furnished much reason to hope that he 
 had been savingly instructed by the Holy 
 Spirit. " How does your own heart appear 
 to you ?" was a question put to him. To 
 
40 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 which he replied, "O black, very black." — 
 "But you hope you have a new heart, how 
 did it appear to you before it was changed?" 
 " Mud," he said, " all mud." 
 
 His conversation was at this time much 
 upon the subject of religion, and he seemed, 
 for so young a christian, to be in -an uncom- 
 mon degree heavenly minded. He said, 
 " When I at home — at Torringford — out in 
 the field I can't help think about Heaven. I 
 go in a meadow — work at the hay — my 
 hands — but my thought — no there. — In Hea- 
 ven — all time — then I very happy." 
 
 He had already acquired a very consider- 
 able knowledge of the Scriptures. He quoted 
 passages appropriate to almost every subject 
 of conversation. It was evident that his 
 mind dwelt upon the truth of the Bible, and 
 that he found much of his habitual pleasure 
 in searching out the less obvious treasures 
 which it contained.* He manifested great in- 
 quisitiveness with regard to passages of 
 Scripture whose meaning he did not entirely 
 comprehend. Many passages were the sub- 
 ject of inquiry. One only is recollected. 
 " What our Saviour mean," said he, "when 
 he say, ' In my father's house are many man- 
 sions — I go prepare a place for you.' What 
 he mean, '/ go prepare a place V " 
 
 The readiness and propriety with which 
 he quoted passages of Scripture on every 
 occasion, were particularly noticed by all 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 41 
 
 who conversed with him. In one of his visits 
 he asked his friend, who was now in the 
 study of Divinity, to go aside, as if he had 
 something of importance which he wished 
 to reveal. But it appeared that it was his 
 object to converse with him upon the subject 
 of accompanying him to Ovvhyhee. He plead 
 with great earnestness that he would go and 
 preach the Gospel to his poor countrymen. 
 Not receiving so much encouragement as he 
 desired, he suspected that his friend might 
 be influenced by the fear of the consequences 
 of attempting to introduce a new religion 
 among the heathen. Upon which, though 
 he had now just begun to lisp the language 
 of the scriptures, he said, " You /raid?" 
 You know our Saviour say, " He that will 
 save his life shall lose it ; and he that will lose 
 his life for my sake, same shall save it." 
 
 His own fearlessness and zeal on this sub- 
 ject he exhibited about the same time to an 
 aged Minister who asked him why he wish- 
 ed to return to Owhyhee. He replied, " to 
 preach the Gospel to my countrymen." He 
 was asked, what he would say to them about 
 their wooden gods. He answered " Nothing." 
 "But," said the clergyman, "suppose your 
 countrymen should tell you that preaching 
 Jesus Christ was blaspheming their gods, 
 and should put you to death?" To this he 
 replied with great emphasis, " If that be the 
 will of God, / am ready, I am ready.' 1 
 
 ■n <•> 
 
42 MEMOIRS Of 
 
 In the fall of 1813, Henry was invited 
 by James Morris, Esq. of Litchfield, to spend 
 the winter in his family, and attend the pub- 
 lic grammar school, of which for many 
 years he had been preceptor. Here Henry 
 commenced the study of English grammar, 
 geography and arithmetic, in which he 
 made during the winter very considerable 
 progress. In the spring of 1814, he return- 
 ed to Mr. Mills's, and spent the summer, 
 principally in labouring on the farm. At 
 the annual meeting of the North Consocia- 
 tion of Litchfield county, in the fall of 1814, 
 Henry, by the advice of his friends, applied 
 to that body to take him under their care, 
 and give him counsel and direction as to 
 his studies and other concerns. The Con- 
 sociation voted to comply with his request, 
 and appointed a board consisting of three 
 persons, to superintend his education, and 
 report to the Consociation annually. 
 
 After Obookiah was taken under the care 
 of the Consociation, he pursued his studies 
 under the direction of their committee, so 
 far as the charity of his christian friends 
 furnished him with the means. He was 
 obliged to labour a part of the time for his 
 own support ; and to change from time to 
 time his place of residence. The evidences 
 of his christian character in the view of 
 those who had most opportunity to observe 
 him, were continually brightening. He dis- 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 43 
 
 covered a strong relish for the Bible ; was 
 constant in reading it; and seldom would 
 any object or circumstances prevent his 
 reading daily some portion of the Scriptures. 
 Occasionally, when requested, he has prayed 
 and spoken in social religious meetings, and 
 always performed these services to the ac- 
 ceptance, and it is believed, to the edification 
 of those present.* 
 
 The summer of 1814, Henry spent at Tor- 
 ringford. " In the beginning of summer," 
 he says, " my friend Mr. M., whom I loved, 
 returned from his missionary tour. I re- 
 ceived him with joyful salutation. Several 
 times he asked me how my wicked heart get 
 along while I was hoeing corn. — But I was 
 still fearful to tell whether my heart was 
 changed or not. 
 
 " At this time Mr. M. wished me to go 
 and live with the Rev. Mr. Harvey, of Go- 
 shen. This was pleasing to me, and I went 
 to live with Mr. H. and studied geography 
 and mathematics. And a part of the time 
 was trying to translate a few verses of the 
 Scriptures into my own language; and in 
 making a kind of spelling-book ; taking the 
 English alphabet, and giving different names 
 and different sounds — (for this language was 
 not written language.) I spent some time 
 
 * " Narrative of Heathen Youth." 
 
44 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 in making a kind of spelling-book, dictionary, 
 grammar, &,c. 
 
 " While I was in this place with Rev. Mr. 
 H. I took more happiness upon my knees 
 than I ever did before ; having a good room 
 to study, and being alone the greatest part 
 of the time. Many happy and serious 
 thoughts were coming into my mind while 
 I was upon my bed in the night. Every 
 thing appeared to be very clear to my own 
 view. Many times the Lord Jesus appeared 
 in my mind to be the most great grace and 
 glorious. what happy hours that I had 
 in the night season ! I thought sometimes 
 before, that religion was a hard thing to 
 get it — making many excuses for pray hour, 
 and kept putting off from time to time, and 
 thought it would become easier some time 
 at hand. But this kind of feeling led me fai 
 beyond all happiness. Many times I lived 
 as a man that travels up to a hill and then 
 down. But it was nothing that hindered me 
 but my own wicked heart, and because I did 
 not repent for my sin. 
 
 " I seeked for the Lord Jesus for a long 
 time, but found him not. It was because I 
 did not seek him in a right manner. But 
 still I do think that I have found him upon 
 my knees. The Lord was not in the wind, 
 neither in the earthquake, nor in the fire, hut in 
 small voice. 
 
 " About this time I thought with myself 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 45 
 
 to join with some church. I wished to give 
 every thing up for the glory of God, to give 
 up my whole soul to him, to do with me as 
 he pleaseth. I made known these things to 
 the Rev. Mr. H. and he thought it would be 
 better for me to make a profession of reli- 
 gion. He wished me to go and see the Rev. 
 Mr. M. and the people whom I have been 
 acquainted with, and talk the matter over 
 with them ; for I longed to be. I therefore 
 Went and conversed with my good friend 
 and father M. concerning my case. All the 
 matter seemed to him well. He wished me 
 to come over on the next Sabbath and attend 
 my examination. I staid at Goshen until 
 the approaching of the Sabbath which was 
 appointed, and then went over to Torring- 
 ford. I thought while I was travelling, that 
 I was going home to New Jerusalem — to the 
 welcome gate. As I walked along I repeat- 
 ed these words, ' Whom have I in heaven but 
 thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire 
 besides thee.' I was received into the church 
 of Christ in Torringford, on the ninth day of 
 April in the year 1815. The following is 
 the text which the Rev. Mr. M. preached 
 from : ' I will bring" the blind by a way that 
 they knew not ; I will lead them in paths that 
 they have not known.' " 
 
 Previously to the time appointed for the 
 admission of Obookiah into the church, he 
 requested Mr. Mills to give him an oppor- 
 
46 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 tunity, if he thought it proper, at the time 
 of his admission, " to speak a few words to 
 the people." Mr. Mills readily consented — 
 but from some particular circumstances, he 
 did not recollect, at the proper time, Hen- 
 ry's request, and it was neglected. After 
 the public services were closed, and Mr. 
 Mills had retired to his study, Henry went 
 to him with a broken heart, and said, " You 
 no let me speak, sir — I sorry." Mr. Mills 
 was much affected, but there was no reme- 
 dy. But, said he, " What did you wish to 
 say, Henry?" He replied, "I want to ask 
 the people, what they all waiting for ? they 
 live in Gospel land — hear all about salvation 
 — God ready — Christ ready — all ready — 
 Why they don't come to follow Christ?" 
 
 Although Henry became a member of the 
 church at Torringford, he still continued his 
 residence with the Rev. Mr. H. at Goshen. 
 " Here," he says, " I lived a little more than 
 a year, and was treated with the most affec- 
 tionate and kindest treatment. I was now 
 taken under the care of the board of com- 
 missioners for foreign missions, with a view 
 to my future employment to be as a mission- 
 ary to my poor countrymen — who are yet 
 living in region and shadow of death — with- 
 out knowledge of the true God, and ignorant 
 of the future world — have no Bible to read 
 — no Sabbath — and all these things are un- 
 known to them. With them I feel and ex- 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH 47 
 
 pected to spend the remainder of my days in 
 the service of our glorious Redeemer, if the 
 Almighty should spare my life. I often 
 feel for them in the night season concerning 
 the loss of their souls, and wish many times 
 to be among them before I am fit to come to 
 them — for I long to see them. that the 
 Lord would pluck them from the everlasting 
 burning ! and that the Lord may be their 
 God, and may they be his people — and be 
 made partakers of the inheritance of the saints 
 in light. O what a happy time I have now, 
 while my poor friends and relations at home 
 are perishing with hunger, and thirsty, want- 
 ing of Divine mercy and water out of the 
 well of salvation. May the Lord Jesus dwell 
 in my heart and prepare me to go and spend 
 ihe remaining part of my life with them. 
 But not my will, Lord, but thy will be done. 
 May I live with them as a stranger and pil- 
 grim upon the earth as long as I live : and 
 spend and be spent in the service of the Re- 
 deemer. May the Lord teach me to live in 
 his fear, to do his will and to live devoted to 
 his service." 
 
 The following extracts are taken from a 
 letter written by Obookiah whilst residing at 
 Goshen : dated 
 
 "April 24, 1815. 
 
 11 , T knew not what was my bu- 
 siness when at first time I set out from home 
 
48 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 — only a boy's notion. Because I have no 
 father and no mother, I therefore thought of 
 it, I must go and see the world, and see 
 what I can find. I never heard any thing 
 about Jesus, and heaven, and hell. Well, 
 after I heard about these things, I heard 
 that Jesus was the Son of God, and that he 
 has came into the world to save sinners ; the 
 evil spirit then coming into my mind, and 
 said that there was none neither heaven 
 nor hell. I could not believe it. Some- 
 times when some good people talked with 
 me on this subject, I was but just hate to 
 hear it. 
 
 " I hope that you and I may meet, though 
 at present unknown to each other, in the 
 eternal world ; where many come from the 
 east and from the west, and from the north 
 and from the south, and sit down together 
 in the kingdom of Christ. But I do some- 
 times think often that I shall never see that 
 holy and happy world. I am very afraid, 
 because I was a great enemy to God, and 
 have fought against his grace and his loving- 
 kindness towards me. 
 
 "Oh! my dear friend, do not forget to 
 pray for me before our heavenly Father, 
 when you are alone. Pray for me, and for 
 my poor countrymen, and for others, that 
 we may escape from the wrath to come. 
 Those that have been faithful to the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, the same shall be saved ; and 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 49 
 
 those that have done evil shall come to the 
 resurrection of damnation. 
 
 " There is no great consequence wherever 
 we may be called, if we only keep our hearts 
 right before God. We are under peculiar 
 obligation to consecrate ourselves wholly to 
 the glory of God. But we know that our 
 deceitful hearts are apt to run down, even as 
 a clock or watch is. A good clock will keep 
 good time by winding it up ; but if we don't, 
 it certainly will run down. For ' this peo- 
 ple,' said our Saviour, ' draweth nigh unto 
 me with their mouth, and honoureth me with 
 their lips, but their heart is far from me.' 
 My wicked heart has been just as those 
 clocks which run down very often. But I 
 hope I love the Lord Jesus Christ. I am 
 willing to give up every thing, both my soul 
 and body, for time and eternity. God can 
 do all this. ' I can do all things,' said the 
 apostle, 'through Christ,' &,c. 
 
 " My dear friend, do not forget to pray for 
 William — pray that he may ever have joy in 
 the holy presence of God, and may he be 
 made a good soldier of the cross of Christ. 
 There is reason to hope that his heart will 
 be changed, for God will have mercy on 
 whom he will. I wish that he could live 
 with me, so that I could do all what I can 
 for him. God, in his holy providence, has 
 brought him and me from the heathen land. 
 Because of the weakness of our faith and our 
 
50 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 selfishness, the gold and silver are tempting 
 to the soul. 0! can sinners expect to walk 
 the golden streets without a perfect heart ; 
 or how shall we live with him without being 
 born again. 
 
 " There is no way I can see for sinners 
 but to go to Christ. ' I am the way, the 
 truth, and the life. No man cometh unto 
 the Father but by me,' said the Saviour. 
 1 At that day shall ye know that I am in 
 the Father, and ye in me, and I in you.' 
 The Lord Jesus is all ready and waiting for 
 sinners, and inviting them to come to him 
 immediately without delay. 
 
 " May the Lord direct you, and make 
 you a faithful labourer in the Lord's vine* 
 yard." 
 
 The following extracts are from a lettei 
 written to the Rev. E, T. F., at New-Haven, 
 dated 
 
 "Goshen, June 4, 1815. 
 M My Dear Friend, 
 
 11 1 received your kind letter which came 
 into my hand this day with great pleasure. 
 You desire me to let you know the present 
 state of my feelings. I have no objection, 
 but I have not much to say on this subject. 
 You know when I was at Andover, there I 
 was in full concern about my soul, and knew 
 then that I was but a dying worm of the 
 dust, and I knew I was poor sinner. And 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 51 
 
 now I hope that the Lord Jesus will be ray 
 eternal portion, and direct me evermore. I 
 have nothing to do but to be thankful for all 
 the privileges and blessings which I enjoy. 
 I know that God will have mercy on whom 
 he will — and with such promise, our souls 
 must rest in God. 
 
 "Omy dear friend, do not cease to pray 
 for me, and for Tennooe, and for the poor 
 ignorant people at Owhyhee : and pray for 
 the poor people in this country as well as 
 the heathen, for their hearts are not with 
 God, and their ears are much deafer than that 
 of the heathen — when they hear the word 
 of God on every Sabbath, and can read the 
 Holy Scriptures. may the Lord bless us 
 all with an increase of* his grace. I hope 
 you will never forget to write to me when 
 you can, and tell me what religious expe- 
 rience you know I am ignorant of. 
 
 " I want to see you about our Grammar ;* 
 I want to get through with it. I have been 
 translating a few chapters of the Bible into 
 the Owhyhee language. I found I could do 
 it very correctly. 
 
 " I hope that the great God will be gra- 
 cious to you, and make you a faithful minis- 
 ter of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ' Walk by 
 faith, and not by sight.' " 
 
 * An Owhyhean Grammar which he was employed in 
 making with the aid of Mr. F. 
 
52 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Extracts from a letter to Mr. S. B. I., a 
 member of Yale College. 
 
 "Goshen, June 9, 1815. 
 " My Dear Friend, 
 
 11 1 improve this opportunity to write to you 
 a few lines. When you was up here last you 
 know that I was quite unwell then. On that 
 account I could not talk much with you when 
 you was speaking on the religious subjects. 
 
 "O my friend, what is our rule? Is not 
 the word of God, which is contained in the 
 Scriptures of the Old and New Testament : 
 Certainly it is. But we are apt to hate to 
 put away sins, for they are sweeter than the 
 grace of God. 
 
 " my dear friend, let us continue in the 
 hope of the glory of our Redeemer, with 
 true hearts, in full assurance of faith. Cea^e 
 not to pray for the fatherless as I am. 
 what a wonderful thing it is that the hai d 
 of the Divine Providence has brought me 
 here, from that heathenish darkness where 
 the light of divine truth never had been. 
 And here have I found the name of the Lord 
 Jesus in the Holy Scriptures ; and have read 
 that his blood was shed for many. And I 
 remember his own words which he said 
 1 Father forgive them, for they know not what 
 they do ?' 
 
 " Do not forget to mention me and Ten- 
 nooe before our heavenly Father when you 
 
HENRY 0B00K1AH. 53 
 
 are alone by yourself, that we may not enter 
 into temptation, and that our souls may have 
 rest in God. I hope to hear from you be- 
 fore long. When you write to me, if agree- 
 able to you, I wish you to give me some in- 
 formation of religious experience, &c. and 
 how a Christian feels, &c. &,c. I hope that 
 the Lord will be with you ; and may your 
 journey through this vale of tears be sweet- 
 ened by the precious religion of the blessed 
 Saviour. May He who is rich in mercy, 
 and abundant in grace and goodness, bless you 
 with an increase of his mercy, and make you 
 a faithful soldier of the cross of Christ." 
 
 In another letter to one of his countrymen 
 residing at Boston, he says, 
 
 " I doubt not that you have seen some 
 people in this country, as much as 10, 20, 
 30, 40, 50, and 60 years of age, still neglect- 
 ing religion from year to year ; and adding 
 sin to sin as long as they live. This will not 
 do : for God hath said, ' My Spirit shall 
 not always strive with man.' But, alas, 
 sin is a lovely friend to a sinner. He will 
 not get away from his sins for a thousand 
 worlds. ' O,' sinner, c taste and see that the 
 Lord is good? 
 
 " Do write me a long letter without delay, 
 and tell me how did God appear to you at first, 
 and tell me what is your first object if you 
 should return home," &,c. 
 e2 
 
54 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 The letter which follows was taken from 
 the " Vermont Adviser," and was written to 
 a young gentleman in Middlebury. To what 
 extent the language was altered before it was 
 inserted in the " Adviser," is unknown. 
 
 « Goshen, Sept. 25, 1814. 
 " Dear Friend, 
 
 " It is long since I saw you when you had 
 kept Mr. B.'s store at Torringford : you are 
 by no means forgotten. I conclude that you 
 are probably in the best place. I am con- 
 tented. Undoubtedly your present situation 
 affords the best opportunity to pursue your 
 studies ; and is hoped that you have also 
 good religious instructions and cautions. I 
 hope you remember that the true friends of 
 God may have pleasure wherever they are, 
 if they make it their chief concern to glorify, 
 love, and please him : but those who do not, 
 have no right to expect pleasure any where. 
 In whatever place we are, we have much 
 that we can and ought to do for God. Our 
 first care should be to keep our own thoughts 
 right. We should think much on that great 
 and holy Being, that formed us ; on his ho- 
 liness and abhorrence of every sin ; on our 
 constant dependence upon him ; how many 
 blessings he is conferring upon us, and how 
 little we deserve them, and how undone and 
 unthankful we are for them ; or our deserv- 
 ing evil instead of good ; and how abomina- 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 55 
 
 ble we are in his sight, whenever we do evil. 
 We should think often on death and our ap- 
 pearing before the eternal Saviour in judg- 
 ment. We ought not only to read the Bible 
 often, but to pray often that we may know 
 of the salvation, and understand and be as- 
 sisted to live according to it ; and this would 
 aid us very much in keeping our thoughts. 
 If we exercise sufficient care over our 
 thoughts, our outward conduct also will be 
 good. But if we employ our minds, one 
 moment, on foolish or useless things, we 
 shall not only offend God by that, but we 
 shall be liable to fall into outward sins, and 
 so endanger our own souls, and encourage 
 other in the same evil ; and their wickedness 
 will encourage other, and so on. We can- 
 not conceive the dreadful consequences of 
 one sin, and we are very apt to forget how 
 prone we are to fall into sin. We are very 
 apt likewise to satisfy ourselves with what 
 we intend to do hereafter, and to forget our 
 present duty. The truth is, all our time is 
 made up of present lime, and all we need to 
 care is, that we may all the time do the best 
 we can for our great Creator, this present 
 minute. All that we can possibly do is but 
 a little ; for all we have and all we are is 
 God's, and we can never atone for one of 
 all our sins, but we must trust altogether in 
 the merits of Christ. But now my dear 
 friend I hope you will strive to improve all 
 
56 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 your time well ; and that may the God will 
 be gracious to you ; and make you faithful 
 and useful as long as you live here in the 
 world. 
 
 " I wish you would write to me as soon 
 as you can, when you can. I concluded to 
 be here with Mr. Harvey this winter ; and 
 whenever you come this way, I should be 
 glad to see you here. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey, 
 they are very agreeable and kind, I was very 
 much pleased with them. I saw your father 
 at Torringford some time ago ; he wished 
 me to write to you when I could, I told him 
 I would. 
 
 " One thing I must mention to you, that 
 is, we must always continue in our prayers 
 before our heavenly Father, that we may all 
 become followers of those, who through 
 faith and patience inherit the promises. But 
 now I must close this subject. 
 
 " Your affectionate friend, 
 
 "Henry Obookiah." 
 
 In October, 1815, Obookiah left Goshen, 
 and went to reside in the family of the Rev. 
 Mr. Prentice of Canaan. At this period the 
 history of his past life terminates. He com- 
 menced writing it soon after he removed to 
 Canaan, at the request of his instructor, as 
 a daily exercise. It was completed in the 
 beginning of the succeeding year. In March 
 he commences a Diary ; which he continued 
 
HENRY 0B00KIAH. 57 
 
 till the close of the summer : when he chang- 
 ed again his place of residence, went to 
 South Farms, and soon afterward to Am- 
 herst in Massachusetts. From this time the 
 nature of his employment was such that the 
 Diary was either suspended, or continued 
 only at intervals, and not preserved. 
 
 The following extracts are from the 
 Diary. 
 
 March 5, 1816. — This evening I attended 
 a conference at the house of Dea. B. It was 
 a very solemn time. Many appeared to be 
 very serious and attentive ; though I was in 
 fear it was not so in the heart. Rev. Mr. 
 P. made some observations from these 
 words, " Why sit we here until we die ?" 
 By hearing these words my mind was much 
 concerned, and I felt as though I was still 
 enough in my own sin. " What shall I do ?" 
 said I to myself. The answer was, work 
 faithfully with your own heart. With these 
 thoughts coming into my mind, I found 
 peace and joy. that I might understand 
 the work of my own heart. 
 
 6th. — I have just now been thinking of 
 the prophet Elijah: how he prayed to his 
 God, when he went up to the top of the 
 Mount Carmel, and how he put his face be- 
 tween his knees and prayed to the God of 
 Heaven. 0, how much better it is to spend 
 time now in such a way of praying, than to 
 
58 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 wait until the time of prayer may be over. 
 What should hinder the heart from being 
 busy in prayer to God secretly, while their 
 hands are full of any business whatever ? 
 
 $th. — This day is very dark. My mind 
 has been quite down by reason of my bar- 
 renness. But Christ has appeared as " chief- 
 est among ten thousand, and altogether 
 lovely." In Christ have I found the light of 
 comfort and joy. Whatever joy and comfort 
 I receive from God, my heart is bound up 
 with thanks ; but at the other time I become 
 forgetful; as if I was carrying away by my 
 own sin, as far as where it was not to be re- 
 membered what God had done for my soul. 
 
 9lh. — I have had this morning a solemn 
 visit from two young gentlemen, (unknown 
 before,) who were of the most pious and 
 amiable characters. Their conversations 
 were sweet to my soul. They continued 
 with me in my room during the space of 
 two hours, then we prayed together. — Soon 
 they bid me farewell and went. I then re- 
 turned into my retirement and offered up 
 thanks to God for such serious and solemn 
 conversation. I prayed with a free and 
 thankful heart. ! what a glorious time it 
 was! I never prayed to God with so full 
 view of God's goodness as I did then. It 
 seemed as if God was teaching my wicked 
 heart how to pray. I felt so easy that I could 
 not help crying, Lord, Lord, increase my 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 59 
 
 faith. I continued thus for several days, then 
 that dark hour came on ; though not very 
 dark, for I had a little spark of light — and 
 that spark of light was given for an answer to 
 such secret prayer as I offered up to God in 
 ray heart. ! that I might continually watch 
 in my heart that I might not enter into temp- 
 tation and snare of the Devil. 
 
 10th. — To-day I rejoiced greatly to hear 
 many glorious news from almost every quar- 
 ter and town in the state, that many sinners 
 were brought to bow to Jesus, and many were 
 inquiring for what they should do to be 
 saved. 
 
 19th. — I attended this evening a very so- 
 lemn meeting as ever I attended. A sermon 
 was preached by the Rev. Mr. H. from these 
 words : " The sacrifices of God are a broken 
 spirit," &c. Many appeared with a thought- 
 ful and serious look. But ! may they not 
 be as those hearers who hear the words, and 
 after all hide them from their hearts, as I do 
 fear there are many. 
 
 No doubt but many young people attend 
 frequently such meetings, for the purpose 
 of seeing others: their looks, dress, &c. — 
 by these their minds are drawn away. ! 
 how many thoughtless and careless are there 
 in the world ! Sinners, 
 
 "You live devoid of peace, 
 A thousand stings within your breast, 
 Deprive }'our souls of ease." 
 
60 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 23d. — This morning my friend Thomas 
 come to me with a sad countenance, and 
 wished that we might pray together in our 
 own language. I told him that I had no 
 objection — that I would willingly do it. — 
 We then prayed to that Almighty God who 
 was able to help us ; and I believe that our 
 prayers were graciously answered. We of- 
 fered up two prayers in our tongue — the first 
 time that we ever prayed in this manner. 
 And the Lord was with us. 
 
 April 1st. — This evening my friend Tho- 
 mas and myself conversed about what we 
 would do first at our return to our own 
 country ; and how we should begin to teach 
 our poor brethren about the religion of J.e- 
 sus Christ, &c. and many other kinds of 
 conversation that we thought of. And we 
 both thought that we must first go to the 
 king ; or else we must keep a school to edu- 
 cate the children, and get them to have some 
 knowledge of the Scriptures, and then we 
 must give to them some idea of God. But 
 these thoughts seemed to be blind on some 
 accounts — not knowing how to do better 
 without God's direction. The most thought 
 that come to my mind, was to leave all in 
 the hands of the Almighty God as he seeth 
 fit. The means m?iv easily be done by us, 
 and all other duties which God commands, 
 but to make all others believe in the reality 
 of religion, no one could do it, to open blind 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 61 
 
 eyes of sinners, but God only. He is able 
 " to bring the blind by a way that they know 
 not, and he will lead them in paths which 
 they have not known." 
 
 2c/. — As I was just rising up this morning 
 and looked out of my bed room's window, 
 I saw the sun rising in the east, (Sabbath) 
 and I wondered that my life should be kept 
 so safely during the night past, and that I 
 was brought to see another day of the Son 
 of man. A soon as I went to bed my eyes 
 were wide open during the whole night. I 
 thought how many unready lives were taken 
 before the morning comes. This made my 
 heart cry. Lord, prepare me, prepare me 
 for death. I spent the greater part of the 
 night in secret prayers in my bed, and found 
 sweet communion with my God. " Commune 
 with your own heart upon your bed and be 
 still." that the grace of God may be suffi- 
 cient for me ! Lord, fill my hungry soul with 
 spiritual food. 
 
 3d. — This day I set apart for secret pray- 
 er, and the Lord was graciously with me, 
 and has given me some spirit to pray. It 
 seemed as if I could not enjoy myself better 
 in any worldly conversations than I did in 
 prayer. I can say as I trust, that the spirit 
 of God has been with me this day. God 
 appears to be gracious and lovely. Holy 
 thou art, Lord God of Hosts ! Lord ! 
 look down with a pitying eye upon this thy 
 
 F 
 
62 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 servant, whom thou hast brought from a hea- 
 then land ! Be gracious to all the rest of my 
 heathen brethren who are now in this country. 
 Do now, Lord, hear my call. Let not the 
 Lord remember former sins which were 
 known to thee. 
 
 7th. — This afternoon I attended the fune- 
 ral of an aged person. Many people attend- 
 ed, and many tears were shed upon almost 
 every cheek for the loss of their friend. But 
 
 weepers, weep for yourselves, (he was a 
 friend of Christ it is hoped) for he has gone 
 in peace. 
 
 I thought with great astonishment how 
 little idea we have of death and eternity. 
 Who can stop the approaching of death ? 
 May the Lord teach me to know the number 
 of my days ! Oh ! that the everlasting arm 
 may raise my soul from deepest hell ; and 
 direct my step toward the peaceful shore of 
 blessed eternity ! 
 
 9th. — To-day is my first year since I made 
 a profession of religion. I set apart this 
 day for prayer, and returned thanks to God 
 for his wonderful grace and kindness towards 
 me as a lost sinner. Though how little have 
 
 1 done towards him ! how little have I done 
 for his glory ! Shall I live to see the end of 
 another year ? Lord, increase my faith. 
 
 l%th. — To-day the Lord turned me to look 
 into my heart, to see whether there be any 
 holiness in me. But I found nothing but 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. bS 
 
 " wounds and bruises and putrefying sores." 
 I saw my sins were very great, and never 
 were known before. I had seen my own sin 
 before, but the Lord never show me so much 
 as I recollect, to make the soul sink in deep 
 sorrow for sin, as he did this day. But it 
 was my own blindness too. When I con- 
 sidered my former life, and looked into it, 
 nothing but a heavy bundle of sin was upon 
 me. I pray the Lord that he may not re- 
 member my past sin. may not the God 
 of Isaac and Jacob hide from the tears of 
 such dying sinner as I. 
 
 I enjoyed myself much this day in fasting, 
 and prayer, and supplication. 
 
 — . " I have been thinking this day to 
 know what is the state of man ; whether 
 they are pure from all sin : — for last evening 
 I had a dispute with a young man. — He ask- 
 ed me whether I do believe that we sin by 
 words, thoughts and deeds. I answered him 
 Yes. Certainly we do, unless we take heed 
 to our ways — as David speaks for himself in 
 Ps. 39. " mortal man," says he, " do we 
 then always sin?" Yes, I answered. The 
 Apostle speaks, " If we say we have no sin 
 we deceive ourselves." 
 
 how many ways that a creature can be 
 deceived ! 
 
 15th. — I attended a prayer meeting this 
 afternoon, and a number have been examined 
 to be brought forward to the Church. I 
 
64 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 have thought a great deal this day about my 
 unfaithfulness and barrenness since I made a 
 profession of religion : — how my wicked 
 heart has turned away from God in a most 
 evil and unkind manner. But when I con- 
 sider that I sin against my Maker, I always 
 feel sorry ; and all sins which I commit raise 
 my tears from my eyes : as I have this af- 
 ternoon been weeping very deeply because 
 of my sins. Many times I am apt to fall 
 into sin ; but if God hears my crying for 
 forgiveness, I shall still live devoted to him. 
 Is there any thing that we can be cleansed 
 by from our sins but the blood of the Lamb 
 of God ? No, in no wise. 
 
 'Hist. — O what a solemn meeting to-day at 
 the house of Dea. B. It was a serious and 
 joyful time. It seemed to me that the Lord 
 was with us. I took notice that almost 
 every person in the room appeared very joy- 
 ful. Many persons kept their heads down- 
 wards with tears on their faces. We had 
 then neither sermon nor any discourse de- 
 livered, but many prayers were offered up 
 for those who were rolling sin as a sweet 
 morsel under their tongue. A number of 
 pious men tried to speak, but they could not 
 For the fear of the Lord had fell upon them, 
 that they could not finish their discourse, 
 but to weep. how myself felt then. I 
 saw that it was the Lord's work, who hath 
 power to make sinners feel, and to show 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 65 
 
 himself that he is God alone. that the 
 Lord may carry on his work ! 
 
 May 5. — This day I have attended the sa- 
 crament of the Lord's supper. I felt guilty 
 of my unfruitfulness, and had but little faith 
 in him whose blood is drink indeed and 
 whose flesh is meat indeed. I could not help 
 weeping whilst the minister addressed those 
 who were to be admitted into the Church — 
 warning them to be faithful. On account of 
 this warning I could not put a stop to my 
 weeping eye. — For I felt that I had had a 
 stupid and cold heart, wanting of divine 
 grace. 
 
 Sth. — I have been reading this morning 
 the history of pious women, and I was very 
 much pleased to see and to know how 
 Christians feel. Their employment every 
 day was to address their heavenly Father in 
 secret, and to read some portion of the holy 
 Scriptures. 
 
 16th. — This day I took a walk for exer- 
 cise at the distance of two or three miles. 
 On my way home I met an aged man, un- 
 known before, who I judge to be about sixty 
 years of age. He was travelling on the same 
 way that I was, and I thought in myself 
 that I would take this opportunity to con- 
 verse with him upon religious subjects: as 
 it was my duty, (and as I have done with 
 many other unacquainted .persons before.) 
 As we were walking, " What bad going is 
 f 2 
 
66 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 this!" said he, "I have never known such 
 time as this." With this observation I spoke 
 thus — Ought we not to be thankful to our 
 Maker for such a season as this, as well as 
 we do for the finest weather? C{ yes, Sir, 
 I think we ought to," says he, "though I 
 do not feel thankful as I ought." With this 
 saying, I then asked him to know whether 
 he was one that was born again of the Holy 
 Spirit. To which he replied, "0 1 hope 
 so ; though I was one of the sheep that was 
 almost gone, for ever lost, yet I hope that I 
 am found." I asked him whether he ever 
 met with any difficulty or trouble in his 
 mind. He answered, "0 yes, great deal; but 
 when I meet with any trouble, I wish to be 
 alone, and pray to God, and ask him for 
 such comfort as I need. Before I was 
 brought into light I thought many times 
 that the religion of Jesus, was hard thing to 
 seek for — but it was nothing else but my own 
 wicked heart. When I came to it in my 
 own heart, I found no holiness at all, but all 
 manner of evils, are lodged in it." 
 
 Soon we parted from each other, and 
 we both wished to be remembered in our 
 prayers. 
 
 June 1. — This morning I have been walk- 
 ing out for some secret duty. As I walked 
 through the field alone, lo ! I heard the 
 sweet songs of many birds, singing among 
 the branches ; for it was a beautiful Sab- 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 67 
 
 bath morning. While I thus hearked, this 
 part of a Psalm came into my soul very 
 sweetly — 
 
 " Sweet is the mem'ry of thy grace, 
 
 My God, my heavenly King, 
 Let age to age thy righteousness, 
 
 In sounds of glory sing," &c. 
 
 I thought of Christians as soon as I heard 
 these birds tuning their joyful song3 around 
 the tree. Christians as soon as they leave 
 their fleshly songs, with their bodies, in the 
 silent tomb, will be at rest beyond all pain, 
 death, sorrow and trouble ; and come around 
 their King of glory, and tune their golden 
 harps to Immanuel's praise. And then say 
 one to another, 
 
 " Come let our voices join to raise, 
 A sacred song of solemn praise," &c. 
 
 16th. — This evening I attended some se- 
 rious exercises of prayer with a few young 
 men of pious character. Five pious young 
 men came to our room for this purpose. 
 They appeared to be very much engaged in 
 the cause of the great Redeemer. We spent 
 our time in solemn prayer for two or three 
 hours. I found comfort myself easy in every 
 duty which I was commanded by my God 
 to do. 
 
DO MEMOIRS OF 
 
 23c?. — I was visited this morning by a 
 pious and good Rev. Mr. H. of L. who in- 
 structed me in a most affectionate and tender 
 manner; and has given me some of the 
 clearest views of Christian character, such 
 as I needed. 
 
 I was intreated by this friend of Christ 
 concerning my future happiness, and was 
 warned to live above this world with hum- 
 ble and tender heart. But O ! who can 
 know my own unfruitfulness and vileness, 
 but He who "searcheth the heart and tri- 
 eth the reins of the children of men." I 
 felt in my own heart that I needed the teach- 
 ing of all the people of God. Many times 
 I have thought of myself being deceived, 
 because many evil thoughts came into my 
 mind and put me out of the right way ; but 
 in my secret prayers I have always found 
 happy rest to my poor and immortal soul, as 
 if I was in the right path. O that the Lord 
 Jesus, who doth " bring the blind by a way 
 that they know not" may be the director of 
 such blind as I. 
 
 %4th. — We have heard to-day much good 
 news from every quarter of the country. A 
 work of grace has been begun in many 
 places, and there are hundreds of hopeful 
 converts, or newly born by the influences of 
 the Holy Spirit. how great and how won- 
 derful is the arm of the Lord ! reaching 
 forth his hand toward sinners, and kindly 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. D» 
 
 taking them in his bosom of love. But are 
 there not many sinners yet in the ^all of bit- 
 terness and in bonds of iniquity, rejecting 
 the free offer of salvation ? Are not many 
 opposers yet set against the truth of the 
 Gospel of Jesus Christ ? when shall these 
 never-dying souls find rest! It is very 
 strange to me that so many careless and stu- 
 pid sinners never think or have any concern 
 for the worth of their immortal souls. 
 Lord, I intreat thee to look down with com- 
 passion upon such dying sinners as are here 
 in this land of the Gospel light! save 
 them, O Lord God of Hosts, save them! 
 Glorify the riches of thy free grace in mak- 
 ing them the heirs of thy holy kingdom. 
 glorious Jesus, thou son of the Most High, 
 have mercy on the never-dying souls of men. 
 Thou canst do the helpless sinner good ; for 
 all homage, honour, glory, and worship are 
 due to thee ; the true promised Messiah and 
 Redeemer of the world. Thou canst work 
 among sinners, and none can hinder thee. 
 O Lord save us or we perish. I am a sin- 
 ner as well as other ; I feel myself an un- 
 fruitful creature : and yet I choose the Lord 
 Jesus for my everlasting portion. I have 
 nothing of my own to recommend myself to 
 his holy favour. All the present that I can 
 make unto Jesus is myself. He seeks not 
 mine, but me onty. 
 
 %5th. — Last evening I attended a prayer 
 
70 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 meeting, and enjoyed great comfort to my 
 soul. I thought how Christians all agree in 
 their feelings toward each other, in lovely 
 manner. I once thought while we were in 
 the room, in such a little circle, and enjoyed 
 ourselves in conversing after the manner of 
 the flesh, how much happiness will be found 
 at the great court of the Almighty, when all 
 the children of God are gathered together, 
 from the east and the west, and are set down 
 in the kingdom of Heaven. What a happy 
 time will it be for Christians ! 
 
 July Sd. — My health being weak, I set out 
 to walk, and at the place to which I came, 
 I found a sick woman lying upon a sick bed. 
 She had been in that case for eight years. 
 When she heard of my being in the house 
 she wished to see me. I conversed with her 
 concerning her case ; and though she was 
 weak in her body and mind she could answer 
 whatever question I put to her. I asked her 
 whether she was willing to leave this world 
 of sin, and to be present with her lovely Je- 
 sus. She replied "0 yes, O yes, I hope I 
 shall reach that peaceful shore where I shall 
 have neither sickness nor pain, as I have 
 now." Before I was about to leave her, she 
 wished me to pray with her, and this was 
 done. She took hold of my hand and begged 
 me to remember her, thus — " O my friend, 
 do not forget me in your prayers, and if I do 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 71 
 
 not see you again in this life, I shall in better 
 life than this." 
 
 17th. — I have just returned from a visit to 
 my friends. As I was walking through the 
 woods I came to a house which stood at 
 some distance from the town. As soon as 
 I was come near the house, I found an old 
 gray-headed man, next to the road hoeing 
 corn. I saw he was very aged man, and 
 I thought it was my duty to converse with 
 him. I stood by the fence and asked him 
 how he did. He answered, " Well." I 
 asked him whether he was well within also. 
 But he did not understand what I mean. 
 (This old man was about ninety years of 
 age, and had been living without hope and 
 without God in the world.) Immediately 1 
 went to the old man, and spoke to him in 3 
 friendly manner, thus — -My friend, said I tc 
 him, you are a stranger to me, and I unto 
 you ; and I see that your head is full of gray 
 hairs, and no doubt your days will soon be 
 over. " I know that," said the aged man, 
 "so every one has got to be as I am." 
 Well, said I, what do you think of the great 
 day of judgment? are you ready for that 
 day? " 0, I don't know," said he, "I do 
 sometimes think that I am too far off for 
 that day." Why do you not now begin to 
 make your peace with God, before deatli 
 overtake you ? said I to the old man ; repent 
 and believe in the Son of God. But the old 
 
72 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 man seemed to be very careless and stupid 
 I talked to him but he kept hoeing his corn ; 
 and I followed him to the end of the field, 
 pursuing my discourse. But he seemed to 
 be unwilling to hear me any farther, and I 
 returned thanks to the Almighty God for the 
 opportunity which I had with this poor old 
 man, and bid him farewell. 
 
 Sabbath afternoon, August 5th. — To-day I 
 felt more anxious for prayer than I ever did 
 After I returned from meeting, I entered in 
 my retirement, where I always find comfort 
 and joy in my secret prayer and supplica- 
 tions before the great Jehovah. I now wish- 
 ed to see my friend Thomas, who lived a 
 little apart from me, and I set ont to meet 
 together in prayer for our own good. I went 
 and found him reading the Bible. I urged 
 him to go up to his room with me and be 
 there a little while ; and we took a Bible and 
 went up. We spent some time together in 
 prayer till the sun was down. "O how 
 good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell 
 together in unity." We both united in 
 prayers, two of each. We cried to God for 
 help in the language of good old David, 
 "Search us, God, and know our hearts, 
 and try us and know our thoughts, and see 
 if there be any wicked way in us, and lead 
 us in the way everlasting." May the Lord 
 be pleased to lead us both in the right way, 
 and not in the "way which seemeth right 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 73 
 
 unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways 
 of death." We cried to God farther, that 
 he would teach us his way, in order to walk 
 in his truth ; and to unite our hearts both to 
 fear his holy name. 
 
 I told my friend Thomas how I felt that 
 day, and how much I longed to be with him 
 together in prayer for our poor countrymen, 
 as well as for ourselves. We both wished 
 to have our little meeting kept up until we 
 should be separated far from each other. 
 We wished to have no one know it, but to 
 look to God whenever we both come to- 
 gether. 
 
 The Diary of Obookiah may not have 
 been discontinued here. A considerable part 
 of what has been transcribed was found 
 upon detached pieces of paper; and other 
 similar pieces may have been mislaid. The 
 whole he had begun to copy, but had not 
 completed it. 
 
 The following is a selection of passages of 
 Scripture made by Obookiah while he lived 
 at Canaan, the first letters of which spell 
 his name. It is a specimen of his ingenuity 
 as well as his acquaintance with the Scrip- 
 tures. 
 "Ho! every one that thirsteth, come ye to 
 
 the waters, and he that hath no money ; 
 
 come, buy wine and milk without money 
 
 and without price." — Isa. lv. 
 
<4 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 '' Except a man be born again, he cannot see 
 
 the kingdom of God. " — John iii. 
 ' Not every one that saith unto me, Lord ! 
 Lord ! shall enter into the kingdom of hea- 
 ven, but he that doeth the will of my Fa- 
 ther which is in heaven." — Matt. vii. 
 
 " Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed 
 of David, was raised from the dead ac- 
 cording to my Gospel." — 2 Tim. ii. 
 
 "Young men likewise exhort to be sober- 
 minded." — Tit. ii. 
 
 " magnify the Lord with me, and let us 
 exalt his name together." — Psalm xxxiv. 
 
 •' But speak thou the things that become 
 sound doctrine." — Tit. ii. 
 
 "Only let your conversation be such as be- 
 cometh the Gospel of Christ." — Phil. i. 
 
 " that men would praise the Lord for hi* 
 goodness, and for his wonderful works tc 
 the children of men." — Psalm cvii. 
 
 cc Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out 
 of it are the issues of life." — Prov. iv. 
 
 •' I must work the works of him that ser.t 
 me while it is day : the night cometh irc 
 which no man can work." — John ix. 
 
 " And they went out and preached every 
 where that man should repent." — Mark 
 vl. 
 
 •'' He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." 
 —Matt. xi. 
 
 Henry Obookiah. 
 
HENRY 0B00KIAH. 75 
 
 This was found among his papers, and the 
 original is in his own hand writing. 
 
 The following extracts are from his letters 
 written whilst residing at Canaan. 
 
 " Canaan, Dec. 1815. 
 " My Dear Friend, 
 
 11 Your letter I have received, dated the 
 tenth of September. It was with great plea- 
 sure. I shall take your advice in the all-im- 
 portant things which belong to me to attend 
 to as a professor of religion. I know the 
 eyes of the Lord are upon me day and night, 
 and beholding all my wicked actions and 
 motions in every thing which I do. that 
 the Lord would be my help ? Am I yet in 
 the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of ini- 
 quity ? I neither do justly, nor love mercy 
 as much as I ought, nor walk humbly with 
 my God. 
 
 11 The work of grace in the town of S. is 
 still going on very powerfully. By the last 
 account which I have heard, about one hun- 
 dred and forty are in a hopeful state. They 
 are now rejoicing in the hope of the glory 
 of God. And many others are inquiring the 
 way to Zion, crying, ' Men and brethren, 
 what shall we do ?' In this place also, many 
 are in deepest concern about their souls. 
 where have sinners been so long since they 
 had discovered the name of the Saviour 
 
76 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 who was crucified upon the cross, and yet 
 they have not come to him until now ? They 
 have known their Master's will, but they 
 have not done it. They are wise to do evil, 
 but to do good they have no knowledge. 
 wretched sinners will you come to the foot 
 of the cross at this very moment, and ask 
 forgiveness of sins ? Hark and hear the voice 
 of him that knocketh at the door of every 
 sinner's heart ! ' Behold I stand at the door,' 
 &c. Christ the Saviour is knocking, say- 
 ing, " Open to me, my sister, my love, my 
 dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled 
 with dew, and my locks with the drops of 
 the night." I cannot help weeping. My 
 tears are running down for joy to hear and 
 see sinners flocking to the Almighty Jeho- 
 vah. that all sinners may come to 
 Christ ! 
 
 " Stop, poor sinners, stop and think, 
 
 Before you farther go ! 
 Will you sport upon the brink 
 
 Of everlasting wo 7" 
 
 11 that we may stop and think where we 
 are, and upon what ground we are standing, 
 whether it be holy or whether it be unholy, 
 or whether it be our duty to do the will of 
 God or not. We now live here upon this 
 earth, and how long we shall live we know 
 not. Death will soon overtake us, for we 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 77 
 
 are not far from it. My dear friend, I intreat 
 you to be much engaged in prayer for thought- 
 less and stupid sinners, both in this country as 
 well as in other. 
 
 " I would thank you to present my humble 
 respects to all your family. I hope I shall 
 see them, though at present unknown to 
 each other, in the eternal world; if I do not 
 in this present world. May God be gra- 
 cious to you all. Remember me in your 
 sweet sacrifice of prayer before our heavenly 
 Father. 
 
 " Your affectionate friend." 
 
 The preceding letter was written to Dea. 
 H. of Danby, in the state of New- York ; an 
 elderly gentleman who had taken a very deep 
 interest in the welfare of Obookiah, and had 
 written to him a letter of advice soon after he 
 made a profession of religion. 
 
 That which follows was addressed to Mr. 
 E. B , in the state of New- York. 
 
 " Canaan, May 1816. 
 " Having received your most kind and 
 affectionate letter a few days ago, it much 
 satisfied me. Notwithstanding that you are 
 ever so far from me, yet I expect to meet 
 you at the bar of God. how glad am I to 
 hear from you, Ephraim. I am glad to hear 
 that your mind has been more engaged in 
 regard to the subject of religion, than when 
 g2 
 
78 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 we lived together. If it is so, my friend 
 that you have such thoughts in your mind, 
 
 I urge you to be careful, for it is an awful 
 thing to be deceived. Set your heart to- 
 ward Christ, and in him you may find help. 
 Our sins are very great and reach over our 
 heads, and there is nothing which can make 
 them smaller or stop them, but the precious 
 blood of the Lamb of God, who has all 
 power to take away sin from the world. 
 The Lord Jesus expressed himself thus — 
 
 I I that speak in righteousness mighty to 
 save.' 
 
 11 You mentioned in your letter that the 
 religion of Jesus Christ is glorious privilege. 
 O my friend, it is so. We can say or think 
 that his religion is a very important thing, 
 if any one should have it, but we are not 
 willing to seek for it. If the Lord has been 
 pleased to operate on your mind by the in- 
 fluences of his Holy Spirit, as you trust he 
 has, I hope the Lord will still continue his 
 work in you through life. But let me in- 
 treat you to put your whole trust in God ; 
 make him sure as your own friend, and 
 above all, give yourself entirely into the 
 hands of your Saviour ; who came to seek 
 and to save that which was lost. When you 
 write to me let me know all about your feel- 
 ings. I long to see you, my friend, and all 
 your father's family. I remember all your 
 father and mother's kindness while I was 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 79 
 
 with them ; though I am in fear that I do 
 not feel thankful enough to God for it. 
 
 " If you should ever come to Connecticut 
 do take some pains to find me where I am, 
 for I long to see you with brotherly love. 
 
 " I would desire your solemn prayer be- 
 fore your heavenly Father for 
 
 " Your affectionate friend." 
 
 To Mr. E. W. of Torringford. 
 
 " August 5, 1816. 
 '• My Dear Friend, 
 
 " I hope you will not think it strange that 
 such an one as I should write to you ; for I 
 am full of concern for the souls of others. 
 
 that the Lord would direct you in the 
 right path. — May the Lord teach me what 
 
 1 ought to write this day. I have heard that 
 your sickness is still continuing. But O, 
 how is it with you now ? Look now, my 
 dear Elijah, and see whether you are pre- 
 pared or unprepared, or whether you are fit 
 to die or unfit — whether you are the Lord's 
 or not. my friend, consider how many 
 are there who have been wheeled down to 
 endless torments, in the chariots of earthly 
 pleasures ; while others have been whipped 
 to Heaven by the rod of affliction. how 
 good had it been for some of them if they 
 had never known the way of life by the cru- 
 cified Saviour. We have great reason to 
 tremble when the Holy Scripture teaches us 
 
SO MEMOIRS OF 
 
 that few shall be saved. Much more when 
 it tells us, that of that rank of which we are, 
 but few shall be saved : for it is written, 
 ' Many are called, but few chosen.' I often 
 think of you, my dear friend Elijah, since I 
 heard of your sickness. You perhaps some- 
 times think about dying — and what must be 
 your end — and how you have misimproved 
 your best opportunities, &c. O what a 
 dreadful thing it is to die in a sinful state! 
 My friend, how do you expect to find joy 
 and peace in Heaven if you should die in 
 your sin ? How have you neglected the free 
 offer of salvation, which is offered to you 
 ' without money and without price!' Haste, 
 O my poor friend, and get up out of your 
 sleep of sin and death, and the Lord Jesus 
 Christ will give you life, comfort, health 
 and strength — For there is none but Christ 
 can do a helpless sinner good. JS T ow, there- 
 fore, my friend, haste to look to Christ with 
 faith, and ask for mercy and forgiveness of 
 your sin. I feel for you my dear friend, for 
 the worth of your poor and never-dying souk 
 O don't refuse this lovely and welcome Sa- 
 viour any longer : — the more you reject him, 
 the more you grow worse ; the more you 
 hate him, the greater will be your condem- 
 nation. poor Elijah, choose the meek 
 and lowly Jesus for your everlasting portion 
 Consider the danger in which you now live 
 upon the brink of everlasting wo. Your 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 81 
 
 sickness, I fear, will take you away from the 
 world into a solemn and silent grave. O 
 Elijah, Elijah W. where are you ? Are you 
 willing to leave this world of sin and death 
 and be at rest ? Are you willing to die now ? 
 In time of sickness we ought to keep our 
 hearts right towards God, in order to be 
 cheerfully willing to die. For ' death is 
 harmless to the people of God.' — ' The right- 
 eous hath hope in his death, but the wicked 
 is driven away in his wickedness.' Follow 
 not, my dear friend, after the example of 
 mankind, but after Christ's — make no kind 
 of excuse, turn unto God and live. Be not 
 offended because I have taken this opportu- 
 nity to write to you in such a manner. Let 
 all be taken into serious consideration. It 
 cannot hurt you my earthly friend. And it 
 may keep your heart from shrinking back 
 to consider that death is necessary to fit you 
 for the full enjoyment of God. Whether 
 you are willing to die or not, there certainly 
 is no other way to complete the happiness 
 of your soul. The happiness of the eternal 
 world of heaven commences immediately af- 
 ter death. Now can you, my dear Elijah, 
 say, ' I will arise and go to my Father, and 
 say, Father I have sinned,' &/C. why are 
 you so unwilling to accept the free offer of 
 mercy? And why will you still shut Christ 
 out of the door of your heart ; when he still 
 is knocking, and saying, ' Open to me my 
 
82 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 sister, my love,' &,c. poor friend of mine 
 I do not speak of your being poor in body, 
 but your soul is poor : wanting of the bread 
 of life. This is why I need to speak of your 
 being poor : — for without the love of God in 
 the heart of a man, that man is poor. 
 
 "If you are a friend of Christ, be not 
 afraid of death and eternity ; for death can- 
 not hurt you, nor your soul. Why then are 
 you afraid that your sickness is unto death ? 
 If you were to die in sin — if death were to 
 reign over you ' as a tyrant — to feed upon 
 you as a lion doth upon his prey' — if death 
 were to you to be the prison of hell, then you 
 might reasonably startle and shrink back 
 from it, with horror and dismay. But if 
 your sin has been blotted out of the Book of 
 God's remembrance ; or if the Saviour hath 
 begun his good work in you, why should you 
 be afraid of being taken away from the 
 world ? and why not bid welcome to the 
 King of terrors ? My dear Elijah, our lives 
 are short, and they, like the smoke of the 
 fire, are hastening away. 
 
 1 Well, if our days must fl) T , 
 "We'll keep their end in sight,' &c. 
 
 " Remember, my dear Elijah, that 1 am 
 not the teacher of the heart, nor the judge 
 of it. The Lord Jesus is your teacher — He 
 can make you feel. He can make the blind 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 83 
 
 to see — and the lame to walk — and the sick 
 to be healed — and above all, He can make 
 you and I happy or miserable in eternity. 
 All what I have said to you, my friend, will 
 be remembered in the day of God's wrath. 
 You and I shall both render our account to 
 that God who hath made us, at the day of 
 judgment, for what deeds we have done in 
 the body. Whether we have done every 
 thing right in the sight of Jehovah, or 
 whether we have not. May the Lord God 
 of Hosts bless you. May Jesus make you 
 faithful unto death, and that you may have 
 at last the crown of life in the eternal world 
 of glory. 
 
 " You, parents of Elijah, you have the 
 means of doing good to your own souls — to 
 improve your time in the service of God. 
 Where then shall you be after the return- 
 ing of your bodies to the dust — when your 
 bodies shall become food for the worms of 
 the earth ? 
 
 " Brothers and sisters of the sick man — 
 Your days will soon be over ; and the road 
 upon which you are all riding towards eter- 
 nity soon will be ended. Remember, my 
 friends, that the eyes of the Lord are upon 
 you all, beholding the evil and the good. 
 Your souls are worth a thousand and mil- 
 lion times more than such a world as this. 
 Be careful lest they be lost in the snares 
 and temptations of Satan : for they are 
 
84 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 many and ready to carry away your souls 
 into darkness and despair. that the Lord 
 would smile upon you in pity and compas- 
 sion, and save you from eternal death. Look 
 up now, my friends, to Christ — which is your 
 life." 
 
 The following letter was written to Mr. 
 W. C. now a member of Yale College. 
 
 "Canaan, Sept. 7, 1816. 
 " My Dear Friend, 
 
 lt Our interview yesterday was but short, 
 and our short conversation with each other 
 was sweet to my soul. You requested 
 me to write to you, for which I am now 
 taking my pen to begin our correspond- 
 ence : not because I am destitute of com- 
 panions here, but for our everlasting good. 
 There is one of the best friends who is 
 above all earthly friends; even Christ Je- 
 sus the Lord. But we are all by nature 
 the greatest and strongest enemies to him. 
 ' All have sinned and come short of the 
 glory of God.' We are naturally opposers 
 to God, and to the holiness of his nature, 
 and unable to accept of his mercy which is 
 offered to us ■ without money and without 
 price.' 
 
 " I have reason to bless Jesus Christ that 
 he hath wonderfully turned my feet from 
 the path that leadeth down to an endless 
 wo. There is nothing more that I can do 
 
HENRY OEOOKIAH. bO 
 
 <br him, for his great and wonderful work 
 in the soul of such an one as I, than to be 
 thankful for all which I now enjoy. But 
 this is not ail — ' Give me thine heart, and 
 let thine eyes observe my ways,' — I hope 
 that the God of all grace has been gracious 
 to you, as he has to me. that we both 
 may rejoice with joy unspeakable and full 
 of glory here and hereafter. The religion of 
 Jesus which we now have embraced (as we 
 hope we are passed from death unto life) is 
 a strong helper of the soul, to help us on the 
 peaceful shore. 
 
 " I wish I could express my weak feel- 
 ings to you, but alas ! I cannot. It is a dif- 
 ficult thing to tell you that I love my Ma- 
 ker more than I do any thing else. Truly 
 I do not love him enough. I have faith in 
 him but a little — but I am sure I wish to 
 love him more and serve him better than I 
 now do. what a stupid wretch and hard- 
 hearted sinner am I ! Why should I have 
 been spared so long, while many of my fel- 
 low mortals are gone over the other side of 
 the gloomy graves ; and I am yet on this 
 side of eternity. where are those now 
 who have gone before me ? Remember, my 
 dear friend, that we will soon return to the 
 dust, and leave this world of perplexity and 
 trouble, and all the useless pleasures in it, 
 and be for ever miserable, or happy in the 
 presence of the King of glory. how hap- 
 
86 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 py it will be for Christian souls to meet to- 
 gether and uniting their hearts in love at that 
 time. 
 
 When shall I reach that happy place, 
 And be for ever blest ? 
 When shall I see my Father's face, 
 And in his bosom rest V 
 
 1 It is no matter however long or short 
 the lives of Christians are, if their best mo- 
 ments are well improved, in order to meet 
 their lovely Jesus in peace whenever they 
 are called for. Let us live, my dear friend, 
 as a stranger, and pilgrims on earth — let 
 us feel lively in the faith of the Son of God 
 — let us both seek for a better country than 
 this — let us be faithful and humble believ- 
 ers of Jesus. I think I can truly say to my 
 Lord, Lord my body and soul are in thine 
 hands, do with them according to thy holy 
 will. Thy will be done and not mine. The 
 happiness of this world is nothing but a 
 dream. It will soon pass away as the wind 
 that bloweth. We must give up all for 
 Heaven, lest we perish at the presence of 
 the Judge. The best present that we ought 
 to make to Christ, is to give our whole 
 hearts to him — and not ' gold and frankin- 
 cense and myrrh' as wise men of the East 
 did. 
 
 " Do remember, my friend, those that are 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 87 
 
 around you whose sins are unpardoned. Do 
 pray for them. Remember my poor coun- 
 trymen, who know not the way of life by a 
 Redeemer. Do not forget to pray for your 
 affectionate friend, 
 
 "Henry Obookiah." 
 
 Towards the close of the year 1816, Hen- 
 ry went to Amherst in Massachusetts, for 
 the purpose of accompanying the Rev. Mr. 
 Perkins, an agent of the Board of Commis- 
 sioners for Foreign Missions, in a tour 
 through that section of the country, to soli- 
 cit donations for the benefit of the Foreign 
 Mission School. The success of the solici- 
 tations was greatly promoted by the pre- 
 sence of Obookiah. Contributions were 
 highly liberal, and often drawn from sources 
 not before accustomed to yield any aid to 
 purposes of charity. 
 
 The interest which he had excited to- 
 wards himself personally is expressed in a 
 letter from Mr. Perkins, written soon after 
 nis death. " He was much beloved," he 
 says, "by all who knew him in this region. 
 He had awakened a lively interest in his 
 welfare among them ; and his death has cast 
 a gloom over them which will not soon be 
 dispelled. His recall to the world of spi- 
 rits is one of those deep things of Providence 
 which we cannot fathom." 
 
 A letter since received from the same re- 
 
88 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 spected source, contains several facts and 
 observations which illustrate his character, 
 and evince the peculiar acceptableness and 
 influence of his visit in that quarter. 
 
 " I have rarely, if ever, (says Mr. Perkins,) 
 seen a person who seemed to set so high a 
 value on time as Obookiah. What others 
 would call leisure hours, would be busy 
 hours with him. When alone, he was de- 
 lighted in his literary studies. When in 
 company, improvement was his object — and 
 if the conversation was not immediately in- 
 teresting to him, he would take his Pocket 
 Testament and read, or repair to his study 
 and his books. 
 
 "At a little circle of friends one even- 
 ing, he said to me in a whisper, ' Time is 
 precious, here are a few souls going to eter- 
 nity, 'tis a good opportunity to improve.' 
 Just as we were about to retire at the close 
 of the evening, he addressed two youth in 
 the room for a few minutes, on the subject 
 of religion, with great apparent effect. — 
 Whether the alarm of conscience, which he 
 was instrumental of exciting, proved lasting 
 or not, I have never known. So valuable 
 was time in his estimation, that if he had 
 passed a day or an hour unprofitably, he 
 would speak of it with deep regret. 
 
 " His humility deserves our notice. — One 
 fact will illustrate this feature in his religious 
 character. 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. ©» 
 
 " In visiting different towns, it was my 
 practice to gratify the people, by calling on 
 Obookiah to address thern on the subject of 
 Christianity. He was always appropriate, 
 solemn, and interesting. Many nattering 
 remarks were frequently made to him on 
 that account. But though this was calcu- 
 lated to foster pride, and inspire him with 
 unbecoming confidence, yet it actually pro- 
 duced the opposite — humility and self-dis- 
 trust. A. circumstance took place which 
 justifies this observation. 
 
 "At a village of considerable magnitude, 
 after the Missionary service had been per- 
 formed, the Rev. Pastor of the Church ap- 
 pointed an evening meeting. Just before 
 the meeting, it was observed to Obookiah, 
 that some remarks would be expected from 
 him. He modestly declined. The subject 
 was urged. He said, ' I'm a poor heathen, 
 I don't know enough to teach people who 
 live in Christian land.' Being under my 
 care, he applied to me to excuse him from 
 the service. I replied to him, that I be- 
 lieved it to be his duty. The people had 
 contributed generously. They were anx- 
 ious to hear him speak on the subject of re- 
 ligion. You have always succeeded well. 
 And what you shall say may prove a savour 
 of life to some soul. Soon after, as we were 
 passing to the meeting-house, observing his 
 extreme reluctance, I asked the Rev. Mr. 
 h2 
 
90 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 B. to urge and encourage him. Many things 
 were said to persuade him, but his reluc- 
 tance appeared to be invincible. As we ar- 
 rived at the door, he again fled to me foi 
 refuge. Said he, ' Do excuse me — I can't 
 say any thing — You can preach — it will do 
 more good.' I told him I could not, as the 
 people would be greatly disappointed. But 
 when I said this, such had been his anxiety 
 and such his manner of expressing his feel 
 ings, that tears instantly started in my eyes 
 and gladly would I have preached for his 
 relief. When the proper time came, he 
 was called upon to address the meeting. He 
 deliberately rose, and addressed the people 
 with his usual propriety and seriousness. 
 At the close of the service, I passed by his 
 pew, and invited him to walk with me. He 
 was bathed in tears. I did not hesitate 
 about the cause. — I tried much to sooth 
 his feelings, but it was to no purpose. Mr. 
 B. perceiving them, made an attempt to pa- 
 cify him, but was unsuccessful. His soul 
 seemed to refuse comfort. This was on 
 our way to our lodgings. When we arrived 
 at the house, I mentioned his feelings to 
 the kind family where we were to lodge 
 Every expedient was tried to restore him to 
 his wonted cheerfulness. But all our efforts 
 were unavailing. After about an hour, one 
 of the family took a seat near him, with a 
 view to divert his mind. This attempt was 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 91 
 
 successful, — and the first sentence he utter- 
 ed, was, ' I'm a poor unworthy sinner — I 
 feel as though I was lost.' His customary- 
 cheerfulness soon returned, and many in the 
 little circle, who sat a long time sorrowing, 
 had their sorrow turned into joy. 
 
 " The Bible was his best and constan 
 companion. He always carried in his 
 pocket a Testament, which was presented to 
 him by a friend, who is now a Missionary 
 to the heathen. At a certain time he went 
 about ten miles to visit one of his country- 
 men. — In changing his clothes, he left his 
 Pocket Testament. On his return, he plea- 
 santly said to me, f Blind man don't walk 
 very safely without his staff.' 
 
 " Obookiah's visit to this part of the coun- 
 try was of essential service to the cause of 
 Foreign Missions. It has silenced the weak 
 but common objection against attempting to 
 enlighten the Heathen, that they are too 
 ignorant to be taught. This sentiment has 
 prevented much exertion. It had a wicked 
 origin. We have first enslaved our fellow 
 beings, then degraded them by every me- 
 nial service, deprived them of the means of 
 mental improvement, and almost of human 
 intercourse ; and because, under these cir- 
 cumstances, people of colour are devoid of 
 knowledge, we have hastened to the irra- 
 tional conclusion, that all the Heathen are a 
 race of idiots. Adopting this conclusion 
 
92 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 multitudes are utterly opposed to making 
 any attempt to turn them from darkness to 
 light. Influenced by this opinion, ground- 
 less as it is, no reasonings, or arguments, or 
 motives, which can be offered, are of any 
 avail. But the appearance of Obookiah has 
 done much in this region to wipe off this 
 disgrace thrown upon the Heathen, and to 
 remove the objection so often made. The 
 proof he gave of talents, as well as of piety, 
 carried conviction to many that the Heathen 
 had souls as well as we, and were as capa- 
 ble of being enlightened and christianized. 
 Acknowledgments to this effect have fre- 
 quently been made to me ; and now in the. 
 circle of his travels, there is no occasion to 
 combat this objection. 
 
 " Another effect produced by his visit to 
 this region is, that it has roused the slum- 
 bering energies of those who have hitherto 
 done nothing in the missionary cause. ?*Ian\ 
 have become interested for the benighted 
 Heathen, and satisfied that the conversion 
 of them to Christianity is practicable. And 
 though they have never before lifted a fin- 
 ger, or contributed a mite, have now been 
 prevailed on to do something. In several 
 instances, dollars were handed me by per- 
 sons who confessed that they had never done 
 any thing before. This is an effect produc- 
 ed, which is not of a transient nature, bui 
 permanent. A feeling in the cause of mis- 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 93 
 
 sious has been excited, which will not soon 
 subside. 
 
 " His visit moreover has enkindled a spirit 
 of prayer and benevolence in the bosoms of 
 God's children, which was very much need- 
 ed. Coldness and a circumscribed charity 
 were too apparent. Especially were these 
 visible with respect to the Heathen. But 
 now there is evidently an increase of ferven- 
 cy and holy wrestlings in the addresses of 
 Christians to the throne of grace. They 
 intercede for the unevangelized nations as 
 though it was their heart's desire that they 
 might be saved. Their benevolent efforts 
 are more numerous, and more liberal. They 
 not only exert themselves in this glorious 
 cause, but they use their influence to induce 
 others to come and do likewise. They re- 
 fer them to Obookiah as an instance of the 
 propriety and practicability of missionary ex 
 ertion. While this instance encourages then 
 own efforts, it greatly emboldens them in 
 urging upon others the necessity and expe- 
 diency of constant exertion in the cause ot 
 the Heathen. 
 
 " Such have been the effects of Obookiah s 
 tour in this region. And since such are 
 the effects, and such was his character, it 
 is not surprising that his death is so much 
 lamented. Many flattering hopes were ex- 
 cited in the breasts of his friends here, but 
 a righteous Providence has seen fit to blast 
 
94 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 them — But we have a foundation for our 
 hopes that cannot be shaken. On this we 
 may rest the heathen cause, and feel secure, 
 while human means and promising agents 
 are swept away." 
 
 The following letter was written by Oboo- 
 kiah whilst at Amherst, to his companions at 
 £>outh Farms, (Litchfield.) 
 
 " Amherst, Jan. 1, 1817. 
 " My Dear Brethren, 
 
 " I long to see you all. You may perhaps 
 be glad to hear from me, and to know how 
 I am. I hope you are doing well, both in 
 your studies, and your religious exercises of 
 the morning and the evening, which is the 
 duty of prayer. 
 
 " I have seen one of our own countrymen 
 at Enfield, about nine miles from this place. 
 He has been in that place for ten years, and 
 two years at Boston." Thus, he continued 
 in this country just twelve years. He did 
 come from Owhyhee, and also his native 
 place was Koihi, (well known such place.) 
 From that place Capt. John took him on 
 board the ship, and brought him over here, 
 when he was not but fourteen years of age. 
 His native name was Nablemah-hownah. 
 Since I saw him I could converse with him 
 but little, for he has lost the greatest part of 
 our language. But he could recollect the 
 names of many things, as far as he was able 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 95 
 
 to describe them to me. While I was with 
 him he could not keep his eyes away from 
 me for wonder and gladness, to see such a 
 one who came from his own country. I 
 staid with him two days at Enfield not long 
 since. I spended the whole of my time with 
 him while I was there. The first that I did, 
 I took him by my side, to converse with him 
 upon serious subjects. By his own words, 
 I judged him to be as one who was willing 
 to accept of the free offer of mercy, though 
 I fear he may in a time of temptation fall 
 away, and all that which is sown in the 
 heart. my dear brethren and friends, he 
 needed your prayers. Pray for him, that 
 he may be brought to see the goodness of 
 the Lord, and that he may be faithful to his 
 own soul. Do not delay your prayers to the 
 Almighty God for such a one, that is very 
 dear to you. He now feels as though he 
 was one of the greatest sinners that ever 
 lived. Do you not all feel anxious for the 
 soul of your own countryman, here now in 
 this country? that he may devote himself 
 to the service of his Creator! I observed 
 many times while I prayed with him, he 
 would deeply cry with such a dismal gloomy, 
 as if the wrath of the Almighty was upon 
 him. I have heard last Sabbath noon, by a 
 man who was well known to him, that this 
 young man becomes more thoughtful ever 
 since I come away. If this be the case, I 
 
90 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 would humbly beg at the mercy seat for 
 your prayers, that they may not be hindered. 
 I shall see him again before a long time. 
 He longs to see you.* 
 
 " May God be with you all." 
 
 Henry returned from Amherst in April to 
 South Farms. Here he remained with his 
 countrymen, until the first of May ; when 
 the school was removed to Cornwall, the 
 place of its permanent location. 
 
 He now had his mind bent upon becom- 
 ing prepared, as soon as practicable, to 
 preach the Gospel. He paid particular at- 
 tention to preaching, and made many remarks 
 upon the subjects of sermons, and the man- 
 ner of preaching them. 
 
 Some observations upon a common defect 
 in preaching are well recollected. He com- 
 plained of the practice of those ministers, 
 who used such language in their sermons 
 as was unintelligible to most of their hear- 
 ers. Ministers, he said, preached to per- 
 sons of every description; almost all were 
 ignorant, very few had learning, and if they 
 preach to all the people, they ought to preach 
 so that all can understand. They ought to 
 
 * This youth is now a member of the Foreign Mis- 
 sion School, and exhibits hopeful evidence of piety. The 
 impressions made by the conversation of Obookiah were 
 never loat. 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 97 
 
 use plain language. If not, he said, " as 
 well might preach in unknown tongue." 
 Every word, he thought, should be plain, 
 for " people," said he, " can't carry dictionary 
 to meeting." 
 
 As Obookiah, at the time of his entrance 
 into the school at Cornwall, had arrived at 
 an age of considerable maturity, it may be 
 proper that a more particular description 
 should now be given of his person and cha- 
 racter. 
 
 He was considerably above the ordinary 
 size : but little less than six feet in height, 
 and in his limbs and body proportionably 
 large. His form, which at sixteen was awk- 
 ward and unshapen, had become erect, grace- 
 ful, and dignified. His countenance had lost 
 every mark of dulness; and was, in an un- 
 usual degree, sprightly, and intelligent. His 
 features were strongly marked. They were 
 expressive of a sound and penetrating mind. 
 He had a piercing eye, a prominent Roman 
 lose, and a projecting chin. 
 
 His complexion was olive, varied equally 
 from the blackness of the African, and the 
 redness of the Indian. His hair was black, 
 worn short, and dressed after the manner of 
 the Americans. 
 
 In his disposition he was amiable and af- 
 fectionate. His temper was mild. Passion 
 was not easily excited, nor long retained 
 Revenge, or resentment, it is presumed, 
 i 
 
98 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 was never known to be cherished in his 
 heart. 
 
 He loved his friends, and was grateful for 
 the favours which he received from them. 
 In his journal and letters are found frequen* 
 expressions of affection and gratitude to 
 those who had been his benefactors. To 
 families in which he had lived, or to indivi- 
 duals who had been his particular patrons, 
 he felt an ardent attachment. One of the 
 latter, who had been separated from him for 
 a considerable time, he met with great de- 
 light; and after the first customary saluta- 
 tions, said to him, " I want to see you great 
 while: you don't know how you seem to me: 
 you seem like father, mother, brother, all." 
 
 In his understanding, Obookiah excelled 
 ordinary young men. His mind was not of 
 a common cast. It was such, that, with 
 proper culture, it might have become a 
 mind of the first order. Its distinguishing 
 traits were sound common sense, keen dis- 
 cernment, and an inquisitiveness or enter- 
 prise which disposed him to look as far as 
 his mind could reach into every subject that 
 was presented to his attention. 
 
 By his good sense he was accustomed to 
 view subjects of every kind in their proper 
 light; to see things as they are. He seldom 
 misconceived or misjudged. By his com- 
 panions his counsel was sought, and regard- 
 ed as decisive. He had that clear sense of 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 99 
 
 propriety with regard to his own conduct 
 and the conduct of others, which always 
 commands the respect or excites the fear 
 of those who behold it. Had he been dis- 
 posed to cultivate a talent for this purpose, he 
 would have become one of the severest of 
 critics upon the manners and conduct of those 
 around him. 
 
 Few persons have a deeper insight into 
 the characters of men, or have the power of 
 forming a more just estimate of them, by 
 their words and actions, than he had. Few 
 are more capable of perceiving the exact 
 import of language, or are less liable to be 
 deceived as to its real meaning, by a design- 
 ed ambiguity of terms. 
 
 His inquisitiveness existed in relation to 
 all subjects of interest, and disposed him to 
 make himself acquainted with every thing 
 that was known by others, and to discover 
 whatever was within his reach. The trait 
 was exhibited, especially, in his character as 
 a scholar. 
 
 His inquisitive mind was not satisfied with 
 pursuing the usual round of study, but he 
 was disposed to understand critically every 
 branch of knowledge to which he attended. 
 For this reason, his progress in his studies 
 was not rapid — but as a scholar he was in- 
 dustrious, ingenious and thorough. His 
 mind was also inventive. After having ac- 
 
100 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 quired some slight knowledge of the English 
 language in its grammatical construction, he 
 entered upon the project of reducing to sys- 
 tem his own native language. As it was not 
 a written language, but lay in its chaotic 
 state, every thing was to be done. With 
 some assistance he had made considerable 
 progress towards completing a grammar, a 
 dictionary, and a spelling-book. 
 
 He had also translated into his native lan- 
 guage the whole of the book of Genesis. 
 
 These specimens of his industry and inge- 
 nuity, when seen, administer severe reproof 
 to the sloth and dulness of most persons of 
 much greater age, and of advantages far su- 
 perior to his own.* 
 
 When Obookiah became a member of the 
 Foreign Mission School, he had attended to 
 all the common branches of English educa- 
 tion. In reading, writing, and spelling, he 
 was perhaps as perfect as most young men 
 
 * In accomplishing this labour, Obookiah received the 
 assistance of the Rev. Mr. F. now Professor of Divinity 
 in Yale College. He had some assistance also from 
 others. The manuscripts, however, are all his own 
 hand writing : and considered merely as proofs of appli- 
 cation, are greatly to the credit of the industry and enter- 
 prise of one so young, and uninstructed. They could 
 liave cost him no less than the constant labour of many 
 months. 
 
 These manuscripts, though now imperfect, will afford 
 much aid to future translators and Missionaries. 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 101 
 
 of our country, of the same age and with 
 common opportunities. He wrote a legible, 
 manly hand, and acquired the habit of writ- 
 ing with considerable rapidity. He had at 
 this time studied the English Grammar so far 
 as to be able to parse most sentences with rea- 
 diness. He understood the important rules in 
 common Arithmetic, and had obtained consi- 
 derable knowledge of Geography. He had 
 studied also one book of Euclid's Elements 
 of Geometry, and of his own accord, with- 
 out a regular instructer, he had acquired such 
 knowledge of the Hebrew, that he had been 
 able to read several chapters in the Hebrew 
 Bible, and had translated a few passages 
 into his native language. He had a peculiar 
 relish for the Hebrew language, and from its 
 resemblance to his own, acquired it with great 
 facility.* 
 
 The winter before he came to the school 
 he commenced the study of Latin. This, he 
 pursued principally after he became a member 
 of the Institution. 
 
 In his manners, Obookiah was habitually 
 grave and reserved. In the presence of his 
 friends, however, his conversation was often 
 sprightly, and rendered particularly enter- 
 
 * In consequence of this resemblance in the structure 
 of the two languages, Obookiah found it much less diffi- 
 cult to translate the Hebrew, than the English, into his 
 native tongue. 
 
 i2 
 
102 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 taining, by a fondness for humour, for which 
 he was distinguished. This he oftener ex- 
 hibited by a quick perception and relish foi 
 it in others, than by actually displaying it in 
 himself. Yet he sometimes gave evidence 
 in his own remarks, of possessing no small 
 degree of genuine wit. When conversing 
 with his companions in their native language, 
 he frequently afforded them much amusement 
 by the pleasant and humorous cast of his 
 conversation. 
 
 The customary deportment of Obookiah, 
 however, was serious, and dignity striking- 
 ly characterized his manners. Few young 
 men, it is presumed, command so much 
 respect from persons of every age and cha- 
 racter. Notwithstanding the familiarity 
 which he used with his companions, he 
 maintained an influence over them, becom- 
 ing the relation of an elder brother, or even 
 that of a respected parent. In his inter- 
 course with them the dignity of his charac- 
 ter was peculiarly visible. A motion of his 
 head often made known to them his will, 
 and obtained the compliance which he de- 
 sired. 
 
 His manners had become in a considera- 
 ble degree refined. A gentleman of respec- 
 tability who visited Cornwall, and had a 
 particular interview with him, observed, 
 that he had met with but few persons of any 
 country, more gentlemanly in their manners, 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 103 
 
 or intelligent and interesting in their conver- 
 sation. 
 
 Obookiah was a decided and consistent 
 Christian. His conduct was habitually un- 
 der the influence of principles of piety. He 
 manifested a strong interest in the general 
 prosperity of religion, and expressed in his 
 conversation, as well as his letters and diary, 
 ardent desires for the salvation of his fellow- 
 men ; and especially of his countrymen, for 
 whom he fervently prayed, and in whose be- 
 half he often requested the earnest prayers 
 of his friends. 
 
 In his writings, satisfactory evidence is 
 furnished of his own personal experience of 
 the power of divine grace. In these may 
 be seen, his convictions concerning the cha- 
 racter of his unrenewed heart ; his views of 
 the grace and glory of the Saviour ; his en- 
 tire reliance upon the merits of Christ for 
 justification, and the employments and duties 
 in which he found his only happiness through 
 the whole course of his Christian life. 
 
 Besides this evidence, and that which was 
 furnished by his exemplary conduct, the fol- 
 lowing facts will afford additional proof of 
 his ardent piety. 
 
 While a member of the Institution at 
 Cornwall, he was in the habit of attending a 
 weekly meeting with his companions on Sa- 
 turday evening ; in which, in addition to the 
 
104 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 usual exercises of a religious meeting, he 
 questioned them individually concerning the 
 state of their minds, and addressed to them 
 such observations as the particular situation 
 of each seemed to demand. Others in a few 
 instances have been present, and have been 
 greatly surprised both at the ability which 
 he possessed of eliciting the feelings of his 
 companions, and at the pertinency and wis- 
 dom of his remarks. 
 
 He once observed to a friend, whilst in 
 health, " I have many times so much enjoy- 
 ment in the night I cannot sleep." 
 
 At another time, " When I have done wrong, 
 I am always sorry — I am so sorry!" 
 
 He excelled and delighted in prayer. In 
 a letter from the Rev. Mr. Perkins, who 
 often witnessed his performance of this duty 
 in public assemblies, and had also a favour- 
 able opportunity of becoming acquainted 
 with his secret devotions, it is observed, 
 " Prayer seemed to be his daily and nightly 
 business : in this duty he not only appeared 
 to take great delight, but he was pertinent, 
 copious, and fervent. It was almost impos- 
 sible to hear him pray and not be drawn 
 into a devotional frame. I have repeatedly 
 witnessed great numbers in a meeting melt- 
 ed into weeping, and in one instance the 
 greater part of the assembly, and several 
 sobbing, while he stood before the throne of 
 
5IENRY OBOOKIAH. 105 
 
 God, filling his mouth with arguments and 
 pleading for Christian and Heathen nations. 
 
 " He remarked to me one morning as we 
 were journeying, that the night previous he 
 had spent chiefly in prayer for a youth who 
 happened to reside in the family where we 
 had been kindly entertained." 
 
 He was once requested by a clergyman to 
 attend a religious meeting with him, and 
 make such observations as he thought pro- 
 per to the people. Previously to the hour 
 appointed for the meeting, he proposed to 
 the minister that they should retire, and 
 spend a short time in supplicating the bless- 
 ing of God upon the duties they were about 
 to perform. 
 
 Obookiah considered it as his duty, and 
 made it his habitual practice, to converse, 
 as he had opportunity, with persons whom 
 he supposed to be destitute of grace, and 
 urge upon them the necessity of immediate 
 repentance. In several instances his con- 
 versation has made impressions which have 
 terminated in an apparent conversion of the 
 soul to God. 
 
 After Henry's return from Massachusetts 
 he maintained a correspondence with seve- 
 ral persons of respectability, residing in the 
 different parts of the country which he had 
 visited. A very few only of his letters have 
 been obtained ; and parts of these are of so 
 local and private a nature as to prevent 
 
106 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 their being inserted with propriety in this 
 volume. 
 
 Extracts from two of them will follow. — 
 The first was addressed to S. W. Esq. of 
 Greenfield. 
 
 " Cornwall, June 16, 1817. 
 " My Dear Sir, 
 
 " Again I take my pen to embrace this 
 opportunity in writing. Indeed, on this 
 very day 1 received a most affectionate let- 
 ter ; and when I come to unseal it, lo ! it 
 was from my dear beloved friend, Mr. S. 
 W.! How, or what an answer can I give 
 for it ? My dear friend, I received your let- 
 ter with a thankful heart. I rejoice to hear 
 that you have still a lively thought concern- 
 ing the great things of eternity. that our 
 thoughts and hearts may be united together 
 in the fear of God, and in love of the Lord 
 Jesus — whom you spoke well of. Indeed, 
 my dearest friend, we are in a great debt, 
 both to God and to his Son Jesus Christ. 
 We have owed them ten thousands of talents ! 
 and alas ! how would we repay for all ? Not- 
 withstanding the greatness of our due to 
 God for all his goodness and kindness to- 
 wards us, yet we can repay it, by giving up 
 ourselves to him : for he does not wish for 
 ours, but us : for thus it is written, ' My 
 son give me thine heart, and let thine eyes 
 observe my ways. Your observations which 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 107 
 
 you observed in this your letter, are just as 
 the thoughts of a true and humble believer 
 in God — -and as one that fears God. Surely 
 it is as you say, that the supreme love and 
 affection must we give to him, who is the 
 Lord over all and blessed for ever. Pray that 
 these thoughts may not be mislaid in our hearts. 
 
 " Since I received your letter, my com- 
 panions had the curiosity for knowing the 
 person from whom the letter was sent. I told 
 them from one of my friends at the place 
 where I was kindly treated by them. They 
 were very much pleased with the letter — 
 supposed that you was a friend of Christ, 
 and a true believer in God, by what you 
 spoke well, both of Christ and his character. 
 To whom I answered that I had a strong 
 love for you, and hope that you may be a 
 fellow-traveller through the journey of this 
 wilderness world. O that we both may meet 
 in the presence of God in the eternal world 
 above, where sin will never enter there. Let 
 us not neglect the duty which we owe to 
 God to love him with our hearts, souls and 
 strength — and let us pray without ceasing. 
 
 " With this I must leave you, my dear 
 friend, in the hand of God. Look to him to 
 receive instruction and to know his holy cha 
 racter." 
 
 The following letter was written to A. S 
 Esq. of Amherst, dated 
 
108 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " Cornwall, Aug. 15, 1817. 
 " My Dear Friend, 
 
 " Your letter oflate gave me a great satis- 
 faction. And since I have received it, I do 
 now think that I was in a fault for not giving 
 you an answer for it sooner ; but be so kind 
 as excuse me. You know not what joy and 
 pleasure I had since I received your letter. 
 Q what happy news ! It gives me a suitable 
 joy to hear that the Lord has visited Am- 
 herst once more, with the influences of his 
 Holy Spirit, and that he has already plucked 
 as brands from the burning, some of those 
 who once had been destitute of the Grace of 
 God, and yet are now bowing down to the 
 sceptre of King Jesus. that the professed 
 followers of the meek and lowly Jesus, be 
 more and more lively in this most glorious 
 work of our blessed Redeemer. Let every 
 Christian be more and more deep sensible 
 that the glory of every good work here be- 
 low must come from God ; as we read that 
 he is the giver of every good gift, and every 
 perfect gift is from above. We cannot expect 
 to see a single soul coming out of the king- 
 dom of Satan, into the kingdom of Christ, 
 unless we see one or more faithful and hum- 
 ble Christians, running forward in spirit 
 without any least of doubt, nor fail from 
 doing whatever duty God required of them. 
 O let us all intreat of the Lord that he would 
 show unto us of his holy character a per 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 109 
 
 fectioD, that we may be able to love and to 
 serve him more and far better than we now 
 do. Let us have a more realizing sense of our 
 ingratitude and unfruitfulness in the eyes of 
 the all-seeing God ; let us be faithful in our 
 duty, and may the great grace of God be suffi- 
 cient for us all. 
 
 " I have not heard any news since I came 
 away from Amherst. The only information 
 that I can give is the present situation of 
 this Institution, under which we are placed. 
 Our school is going on very regularly, and the 
 scholars are making some progress in their 
 studies. One of our members is become a 
 born in Christ, since he has been here, and 
 I trust there is no small degree of happiness. 
 He is now rejoicing in the hope of the glory 
 of God. that the Lord would be pleased 
 to bless this school. I humbly beg of your 
 prayers for this school, that each member of 
 it may become a member of the household 
 of God. Please to remember me to Mr. 
 and Mrs. P. and family. Tell Mr. P. that 
 I shall write to him as soon as I can, but I 
 dare not make any promise to set a time 
 when. Yours, 
 
 "H. Obookiah." 
 
 About the commencement of the year 
 1818, Obookiah became seriously indispos- 
 ed, and was obliged wholly to abandon his 
 studies. A physician was called, and speedy 
 
 K 
 
110 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 attention paid to his complaints. It was 
 soon found that his disease was the typhus 
 fever; and a thorough course of medicine 
 was commenced, which after one or two 
 weeks appeared to check the progress of 
 the disorder, and confident expectations 
 were entertained of his recovery. Hope 
 continued to be cherished until it became 
 evident that his strength was wasting, and 
 that his constitution, naturally strong, was 
 giving way to the violence of the disease, 
 which had taken fast hold of him, and had 
 not been essentially removed. Notwith- 
 standing the unremitted care and the skill 
 of his attending physician, and the counsel 
 of others called to consult with him, the 
 kindest and most judicious attentions of the 
 family into which he had fallen, and the uni- 
 versal solicitude of his surrounding friends, 
 he continued to decline until the night of 
 the 17th of February ; when his happy spirit 
 was released, and his joyful anticipations 
 realized, that he should soon reach his heavenly 
 Father's house. 
 
 In this last lingering sickness, the chris- 
 tian character of Obookiah was advanta- 
 geously exhibited. His patience, cheerful- 
 ness, resignation to the will of God, gratitude 
 for the kindness of his friends, and be- 
 nevolence, were particular subjects of no- 
 tice and conversation to those who attended 
 him during this interesting period. His phy- 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. Ill 
 
 sician said of him that " he was the first 
 patient whom he had ever attended through 
 a long course of fever, that had not in some 
 instances manifested a greater or less degree 
 of peevishness and impatience." 
 
 Mrs. S. in whose family he was confined, 
 and who devoted her attention exclusively 
 to the care of him, observed, that " this had 
 been one of the happiest and most profitable 
 periods of her life — that she had been more 
 than rewarded for her cares and watchings 
 by day aud night, in being permitted to wit- 
 ness his excellent example, and to hear his 
 godly conversation." 
 
 By this friend a part of his observations 
 and answers, particularly within a few of the 
 last days of his sickness, were committed to 
 writing ; and are as follows : 
 
 To one of his countrymen, as he entered 
 the room in the morning, after he had pass- 
 ed a night of suffering, he said, " I almost 
 died last night. It is a good thing to be 
 
 sick, S , we must all die — and 'tis no 
 
 matter where we are." Being asked by 
 another " Are you afraid to die ?" he an- 
 swered, "No, I am not." A friend said 
 to him, " I am sorry to find you so very 
 sick" — he replied, " Let God do as he 
 pleases." 
 
 Mrs. S. frequently inquired of him if he 
 would hear a few verses in the Bible. " O 
 yes!" was his answer, " 'tis s;ood;" and after 
 
112 MEMOIRS OP 
 
 hearing, he would turn his eyes to Hea- 
 ven, apparently in prayer. After a season 
 of great distress, he broke out in an audible 
 voice, and said, " If we put our trust in God, 
 we need not fear." Frequently, when free 
 from pain, he inquired for some one to pray 
 with him ; but often before he could be gra- 
 tified his pains returned, and he forgot his 
 request. The person whom he most fre- 
 quently called upon to pray with him was 
 his friend Thomas. They often prayed to- 
 gether, alone : — as they had done for years. 
 In the language of his female friend, " Their 
 souls appeared to knit together like those of 
 David and Jonathan. Henry always appear- 
 ed composed and apparently very happy, af- 
 ter a season of prayer with Thomas. In a 
 season of fainting I left the room for a mo- 
 ment, to get some water, returned and found 
 them weeping in great distress, supposing 
 the time of separation had now come." 
 Upon his inquiring for the Doctor, to whom 
 he appeared greatly attached, Mrs. S. said 
 to him, " Henry, do you depend upon your 
 physician?" "Oh! you don't know," said 
 he, "how much I depend upon the great 
 Physician of the soul." He inquired, " Does 
 the Doctor say I shall get well ?" It was 
 answered, " He thinks it is uncertain :" to 
 which he said, " God will do what is right 
 — God will take care of me." He observed 
 to Mrs. S., " It is a fine pleasant morning.' 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 113 
 
 •She said to him, " You are glad to see the 
 light of the morning, after a dark distressing 
 night." He replied, " Oh! some light in the 
 night — some light of God." 
 
 After a season of distress for two hours, 
 he appeared perfectly happy — he looked out 
 of the window, his eyes appeared fixed on 
 some delightful object. I inquired of him, 
 "Of what are you thinking, Henry?" — 
 " Oh ! I can't tell you all," said he, " Of Je- 
 sus Christ." 
 
 After sleeping for some time, he prayed 
 very fervently, in these words, "0 Lord, 
 have mercy on ray soul — Thou knowest all 
 my secret sins — Save me for the sake of Je- 
 sus Christ, our Lord and Saviour — Amen." 
 
 He said to one of his countrymen, who 
 had been a faithful nurse to him, " 1 must 
 eat or I can't live" — and then inquired of 
 him with anxiety, " Have you eat breakfast, 
 
 W ? How thankful you ought to be 
 
 that you have strength, and can eat." Soon 
 he raised his hands and said, " Oh! how I 
 want to see Owhyhee! But I think I never 
 shall — God will do right — he knows what is 
 best" — and burst into a flood of tears. 
 
 " W , if you live to go home, remember 
 
 me to my uncle." 
 
 To dear H. he said, "lam thinking most 
 
 of the time, how good God is — how kind to 
 
 me." His companions were mentioned. He 
 
 said, " They are all very good ; they have 
 
 k2 
 
114 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 done a great deal for me. But they must be 
 good for themselves too." 
 
 He appeared very affectionate to all, es- 
 pecially his countrymen. He insisted on 
 some one of them being with him continual- 
 ly ; would call very earnestly for them if they 
 were out of his sight ; and would be satisfied 
 only with this, that they were gone to eat or 
 
 to rest. To one of them he said, " W , 
 
 I thank you for all you have done for me ; 
 you have done a great deal ; but you will not 
 have to wait on me much more, I shall not 
 
 live." To another, " My dear friend S , 
 
 you have been very kind to me ; I think of 
 you often ; I thank you ; but I must die, 
 
 G , and so must you. Think of God, 
 
 G , never fail." To another, "You 
 
 must stay ; perhaps I finish off this fore- 
 noon. How much God has done for me 
 and for you!" 
 
 The day before he died, " after a dis- 
 tressing night, and a bewildered state of 
 mind, he appeared to have his reason per- 
 fectly, and requested that his countrymen 
 might be called." After they came in he 
 inquired several times for one of them who 
 was absent, and for whom he had no hope ; 
 and said, " I have not seen him much — I 
 shan't see him — I want to talk to him." — 
 When the rest had seated themselves around 
 his bed, he addressed them most feelingly in 
 his native language, as long as his strength 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 115 
 
 would permit. As much of the address as 
 could be recollected, was afterwards written 
 in English by one of his countrymen, and 
 was essentially as follows : — 
 
 " My dear countrymen, I wish to say 
 something to you all — you have been very 
 kind to me — I feel my obligation to you — I 
 thank you. And now, my dear friends, I 
 must beseech you to remember that you 
 have got to follow me. Above all things, 
 make your peace with God — you must make 
 Christ your friend — you are in a strange 
 land — you have no father — no mother to 
 take care of you when you are sick — but 
 God will be your friend if you put your trust 
 in him — He has raised up friends here, for 
 you and for me — I have strong faith in God 
 — I am willing to die when the voice of my 
 Saviour call me hence — I am willing, if God 
 design to take me. But I cannot leave you 
 without calling upon the mercy of God to 
 sanctify your souls and fit you for Heaven. 
 When we meet there we shall part no more. 
 Remember, my friends, that you are poor — 
 it is by the mercy of God that you have com- 
 fortable clothes, and that you are so kindly 
 supported. You must love God — I want to 
 have you make your peace with God. Can't 
 you see how good God is to you ? God has 
 done great deal for you and for me. Re- 
 member that you have got to love God, or 
 else you perish for ever. God has given his 
 k3 
 
116 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Son to die for you — I want to have you love 
 God very much. I want to talk with you by 
 and by — my strength fails — I can't now — I 
 want to say more" 
 
 This is probably but a part of what was 
 spoken, and that imperfectly translated. — 
 The address, under the circumstances in 
 which it was made, was affecting beyond 
 description. The weakness of Obookiah, 
 which was such that it was with difficulty 
 that he could utter an audible sound ; the 
 peculiarly affectionate and earliest tones of his 
 voice, the voice occasionally faltering in 
 death ; his companions sitting around him, 
 with broken hearts — some of them almost 
 unable to support their grief — the address 
 being continued until his strength was en- 
 tirely exhausted, rendered the scene literally 
 overwhelming — Loud sobbing was heard 
 throughout the room ; and from persons little 
 accustomed even to weep. 
 
 After Henry had ceased to speak, one of 
 his countrymen at his request, communicated 
 in English, to those of his companions who 
 were not able to understand the Owhyhee lan- 
 guage, such things as Henry had previously 
 committed to him for that purpose. 
 
 An hour or two after this, when Obookiah 
 had obtained a little rest, his countryman, 
 who had been absent during the address, 
 coming in, he said to him, "Sit down, 
 G , I have been talking with the othei 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 117 
 
 boys — They have been very kind to me — 
 I can't pay them — but the Lord Jesus has 
 enough and to spare — not money nor wine, 
 
 he will reward them. You, G , as well 
 
 as I, are a poor boy ; you have no father nor 
 mother here. God has given us good friends, 
 
 and you must love him and serve him, G ; 
 
 and when we be departed here, we may 
 praise Grod for ever. We must all die. 
 Doctor C. cannot save us when we are sick 
 unto death. You and I are sinners. May the 
 Lord Jesus have mercy on our poor souls — I 
 must rest." 
 
 To a son of the Rev. Mr. S. who came to 
 his bed-side, and after looking at him, was 
 about to withdraw, he said, " Wait — wait 
 
 — I wish to speak to you. P , you have 
 
 got to be a great boy — you have been to 
 school a great deal. Remember you will be 
 examined at the Day of Judgment, for your 
 improvement." To a friend, he said, " My 
 faith holds out." To another, " How soon 
 shall I be taken away?" It was answered, 
 "pretty soon." He was asked, "If you 
 could have your choice, would you choose to 
 live or to die ?" He replied, "I do not 
 know ; I wish to live to do good ; if it were 
 not for this, I do not wish to live another 
 moment." And added, with much apparent 
 grief, "I've lost my time — Pre lost my time.'' 
 To another friend, he said, "./ haoe no de- 
 sire to live, if I can enjoy the presence of God 
 
113 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and go where Christ is." Looking down at 
 his feet, which bore evident marks of ap- 
 proaching death, he cried out, " Oh! Mor- 
 tality /" His physician requested him to 
 take some medicine which was disagreeable 
 to him ; he said, "Wait, wait, Sir, till to- 
 morrow ;" but soon consented, and said 
 " Perhaps there will be no to-morrow." 
 The evening before his death, the Rev. Mr. 
 Mills, whom he always called " Father," 
 came in to see him. He looked at him very 
 wishfully, and said, " Will you pray, Sir, 
 before we part?" He listened to the prayei 
 with fixed attention, and when it was closed, 
 said, as he had done in every instance be- 
 fore, "J thank you, Sir" — and this with a 
 sweetness of voice, and an expression of coun- 
 tenance, which none can conceive but those 
 who witnessed. 
 
 As death seemed to approach, Mrs. S. said 
 to him, " Henry, do you think you are dying?" 
 He answered, " Yes, ma'am" — and then said. 
 "Mrs. S. 1 thank you for your kindness." 
 She said, " I wish we might meet hereafter." 
 He replied, " I hope we shall" — and taking 
 her hand, affectionately bid her farewell. 
 Another friend taking his hand, told him that 
 he " must die soon." He heard it without 
 emotion, and with a heavenly smile bade him 
 his last adieu. 
 
 He shook hands with all his companions 
 present, and with perfect composure ad- 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 119 
 
 dressed to them the parting salutation of his 
 native language, "Alloah o'e." — My love be 
 with you. 
 
 But a few minutes before he breathed his 
 last, his physician said to him, " How do 
 you feel now, Henry ?" He answered. " Ve- 
 ry well — / am not sick — / have no pain — I feel 
 well." The expression of his countenance 
 was that of perfect peace. He now seemed 
 a little revived, and lay in a composed and 
 quiet state for several minutes. Most of 
 those who were present, not apprehending 
 an immediate change, had seated themselves 
 by the fire. No alarm was given, until one 
 of his countrymen who was standing by his 
 bed-side, exclaimed, "Obookiah's gone." All 
 sprang to the bed. The spirit had departed 
 — but a smile, such as none present had ever 
 beheld — an expression of the final triumph 
 ol his soul, remained upon his countenance. 
 
120 MEMOIRS OF ^ 
 
 EXTRACT FROM A SERMON 
 
 Preached at the Funeral of Obookiah, Feb. 
 18, 1818, by Lyman Beecher, D. D. then 
 Pastor of a Church in Litchfield, Conn, 
 from Psalm xcvii. v. 1 &< 2. 
 
 The Lord reigneth let the earth rejoice, let the 
 multitude of the isles be glad thereof. Clouds 
 and darkness are round about him : righte- 
 ousness and judgment are the habitation oj 
 his throne- 
 
 The death of Henry Obookiah, is one of 
 those ways of God, about which are clouds 
 and darkness. 
 
 We did not expect it, and we should not 
 have ordered events thus, to glorify God, 
 and extend his cause. 
 
 We thought surely this is he who shall 
 comfort Owhyhee. We saw so plainly the 
 hand of God, in bringing him hither ; in his 
 instruction, his conversion, talents, and mis- 
 sionary zeal, that like Samuel, when he saw 
 the eldest son of Jesse, we were prepared 
 undoubtedly to say, " This is the Lord's 
 anointed." But all our hopes of his agency, 
 in the Owhyhee Mission, are dashed. His 
 work is done : those feet will not traverse 
 the shores of Owhyhee, that tongue will not 
 publish salvation to those, for whom it ut- 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 121 
 
 tered so many supplications. We behold the 
 end of his race, and bury with his dust in 
 the grave all our high raised hopes of his 
 future activity in the cause of Christ. 
 
 And to some it may seem, as if God were 
 frowning upon this Institution,* and were 
 warning us, after so much needless expense, 
 and labour lost in the education of this 
 youth, to cease from our vain expectations 
 of sending the Gospel to Owhyhee, and give 
 up our labour of love. 
 
 But we do not thus interpret the voice of 
 his Providence which speaks to us this day, 
 but rather hear him saying to us, more audi- 
 bly than ever, "Go forward." 
 
 It must be confessed that we have had 
 fears, unbelieving fears, doubtless in part, 
 and such in part as resulted necessarily from 
 the novelty of the undertaking ; and had we 
 suitably regarded the analogy of Providence 
 we might have had fears from our uninter- 
 rupted and uncommon prosperity, whether 
 our work was the Lord's, and would be own- 
 ed by him, and blessed. But from this dark- 
 ness we hear the voice of our God saying 
 unto us, " Be not afraid, for I am with you 
 — be not afraid, it is I." And we are not 
 afraid. Instead of his frown, we behold in 
 this his Providence, cheering evidence, that 
 
 * The Foreign Mission School, then established at 
 Cornwall, Connecticut. 
 
122 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 this institution is taken under his protection 
 as his own, and that he will by trials so dis- 
 cipline us, and the members of this school, 
 for future usefulness, that himself shall not 
 be robbed, nor we be destroyed, by the sal- 
 vation of Owhyhee. 
 
 Nor do we feel as if our labour had been 
 lost, did our work terminate this day. If 
 any are disposed to think so, let them behold 
 the dying scene of Henry Obookiah ; witness 
 his heavenly smile ; trace his bright path to 
 glory ; behold his immaculate spirit before 
 the throne of God — his astonishment at the 
 Providence which brought him from Owhy- 
 hee, to fit him for heaven, and his rapture 
 at the glory revealed in him. Behold his hu- 
 mility, while he veils his face, and casts his 
 crown at the feet of Jesus; his rapture while 
 he cries amid the myriads of glory, " Wor- 
 thy is the Lamb that was slain." Let them 
 calculate the amount of moral evil prevented 
 by his sanctification, and of natural evil, by 
 his exemption from the plagues of sin and 
 the wrath of God. — Let them think of his 
 growing knowledge and expanding mind ; 
 his increasing holiness, and his joy, destin- 
 ed to increase for ever, and then decide, 
 whether they would recall the prayers, and 
 the substance given to him, if by doing so it 
 would recall his spirit from Heaven, renew 
 in his heart the reign of sin, and send him 
 back to weep unheeded, where he once wept 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH. 123 
 
 "because no one would give him learning," 
 and at last to go back to the darkness of 
 Owhyhee, and die unsatisfied among the 
 heathen. 
 
 Who would dare to stop the song which 
 he sings, to extinguish the rapture which he 
 feels, to eclipse by his removal from Heaven 
 the glory of God, which his redemption il- 
 lustrates, or rob angels of their joy at his 
 conversion, and their augmented joy at his 
 arrival in glory. 
 
 Who does not rejoice rather, that God has 
 inclined and enabled him to bear a part in so 
 glorious an achievement, as is now comsum- 
 mated by his redemption ? 
 
 If the churches of New-England, knowing 
 the purpose of God concerning Obookiah, 
 had chartered a ship and sent it to Owhyhee, 
 on purpose to bring him to Christ, and fit 
 him for heaven ; it would have been a cheap 
 purchase of blessedness to man, and glory 
 to God : and were there no expedients now 
 to rescue his poor countrymen, for whom he 
 prayed, the end would justify the constant 
 employment of such means, to bring the sons 
 and daughters of Owhyhee, to glory. But 
 besides his redemption, God by his Provi- 
 dence towards him, has illustrated his go- 
 vernment of the moral world, and added new 
 evidence to the truth of the declaration, 
 " All that the Father hath given unto me shall 
 come." 
 
124 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 He is in the deep darkness of Owhyhee, 
 and how shall he believe on him of whom 
 he has not heard, or how shall he hear with- 
 out a preacher, or be blessed with the privi- 
 leges, when the time has not come to send 
 that Gospel to that isle of the sea. 
 
 Behold the wonder-working hand of God ! 
 He is in the proscribed family of his father, 
 all of whom are cut off. He flies with his 
 brother on his back, whom the fatal arrow 
 pierced, leaving Obookiah untouched — He 
 is dedicated by his surviving uncle to the 
 priesthood — But his tender spirit, grieved 
 at" the loss of his parents, could not bear the 
 associations of Owhyhee. Other children 
 had parents to return to, after playing, but 
 this " poor boy" could not forget that he had 
 none, and left his native land voluntarily, 
 and eagerly, that he might cease from the 
 constant, painful, rememembrance of joys de- 
 parted never to return. 
 
 He came to this land, and heard of Him 
 on whom without hearing, he could not be- 
 lieve, and by the mouth of those, who could 
 never have spoken to him in Owhyhee. 
 
 He heard, and God who commanded the 
 light to shine out of darkness, caused the 
 light of the knowledge of the glory of God 
 in the face of Jesus Christ, to illumine his 
 heart. 
 
HENRY OBOOKIAH 125 
 
 Nor does the salvation of Obookiah fill up 
 the measure of good, by which the Most 
 High is pleased to reward our labour for 
 him. By means of his conversion, numbers 
 of his brethren, wandering like lost sheep in 
 our land, have been brought also to the know- 
 ledge of his truth, and by the remote instru- 
 mentality of the same event, this Institution, 
 the hope of Owhyhee, and other heathen 
 lands, has been established. Nor are we 
 compelled to believe, that this usefulness will 
 terminate with his life, or that the immediate 
 consequences of his death, will be calamitous. 
 His death will give notoriety to this institu- 
 tion — will awaken a tender sympathy for 
 Owhyhee, and give it an interest in the 
 prayers and charities of thousands who other- 
 wise had not heard of this establishment, or 
 been interested in its prosperity. 
 
 Let there be no despondency, then, in- 
 dulged by the members of this agency, or the 
 board under whose patronage we act, or by 
 the churches of our Lord, who favour this 
 institution. These clouds, and this darkness, 
 announce the presence, but not the displea- 
 sure, of our God. 
 
 Had no disappointments intervened, our 
 work had lacked the immemorial testimony 
 of the Divine approbation. Instead of being 
 appalled by the darkness, we are cheered by 
 
126 MEMOIRS OF HENRY OBOOKIAH. 
 
 it; instead of fainting under the stroke, we 
 are animated by it, to double confidence in 
 God, and double diligence in this work, for- 
 asmuch as we know, that our labour is not 
 vain in the Lord. 
 
 THE END. 
 
J 
 
r 
 
 i