And now from Deal:
“The 10th of January, according to the old style, which is yet used here, or the 21st according to the new, was the day on which we left Kensington, where God bestowed so much grace upon us. On the preceding evening we were from seven till ten with His Majesty’s chaplain, who said many things to the awakening of our hearts. He gave us the 121st Psalm for meditation on our voyage, ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help’. Whatever could in any way constitute to our comfort and encouragement, that he did. On New Year’s Day also he addressed us publicly from the pulpit from these words, ‘Be not afraid, only believe’ (Mark v. 36). At the same time he exhorted the congregation to pray for us. On the same evening he prayed again with us, commended us to the mercy of God and gave us some copies of his lately published ‘Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer’. He then dismissed us with the cordial admonition not to allow our brotherly love to cool. May God write all that we have heard deeply in our hearts!
“Thus we departed on the 21st January, N.S., in the Name of Jesus, accompanied by that trusty German, Matthieson, who has conducted all the missionaries from Mr. Walther until now. On the 23rd we arrived at Deal, in perfect health and spirits. Here we lodged in a house which is only a few paces from the shore, so that from our windows we see nothing but the sea. My heart is filled with cheerful confidence, being convinced that as God has taken us under His paternal care during our late travels so will He likewise continue to be our Protector. If we will only cleave steadfastly to Him, He will most certainly be with us and be our faithful God. And He will graciously hear the prayers with which we know so many of His children and servants accompany us. Now, therefore, we go forth in the Name of the Lord Who hath called us to be His servants and messengers among the heathen, Who will also guide and bring us to the destined place.”
A few days more and the ship, with her three missionary passengers, stood out to sea. Not yet out of sight of land, they would watch the lessening shores and hills of England as they sailed down channel. Some favourable winds had sprung up, but they could not take advantage of them because the boat which was to victual the ship for their long voyage had not arrived. So they lay off the Isle of Wight, and Schwartz takes advantage of the delay to send some very interesting details in letters to his friend, the Chaplain Ziegenhagen, under dates 1st and 3rd February, 1750.
“There comes a ship to bring us provisions by which I send you a few lines. On the 29th of January we left Deal. God hath given us a favourable wind, with which we have already sailed past Portsmouth. Praised be His name we are all well. Our cabin is below that of the captain. We are alone, for which we have thankfully to acknowledge the goodness of God. We are as conveniently accommodated as can be expected on board ship. God be praised for it! The captain is a good, plain dealing man, and the other passengers show us much kindness. We talk English as yet very badly but they all encourage us to speak and no one laughs at our blunders. Several of them know a little Latin and use their utmost endeavours to explain to us whatever we do not understand. We return hearty thanks to God for having brought us to this ship. Hitherto He hath graciously preserved us, that no one has sustained any hurt, except that last night a sailor fell into the water; however, he was saved. The number of persons on board is about a hundred and a few passengers. We pass our time in reading the Holy Scriptures in the original language and other good books, and practise reading and writing English, according to your kind instruction. There are persons on board who go to India for pleasure. One of them goes for the fifth time and says it is a very pleasant voyage. There are also many children on board who learn navigation. Now this I have written in haste. May Jesus bless you abundantly and hear your prayers and those of other children and servants of God for us! O the Lord is faithful and never yet forsook His people.”
The delay in receiving the expected provisions kept them back and we find Schwartz again sending a few more lines to his friend in England.
“Filial love requires us to make use of this opportunity of informing you of our circumstances. When we last wrote to you we were off the Isle of Wight and had a most favourable wind but we were obliged to lay to for more than half a day, before the things which the ship brought us from Deal were taken on board. Towards evening we sailed and by Monday came already close to the Bay of Biscay. In the morning the wind veered about and the captain found himself compelled to return to some harbour. Here the motion of the ship was so violent that I experienced something of sea sickness but only for a few minutes. That day about four we arrived off Falmouth. We were met by two pilots and the captain engaged him who came first to the ship, but the other, on coming up, expressed his great dissatisfaction, not so much because he had not been engaged, as because the other had not conducted us aright. He disputed so long that the first was obliged to go away. This morning we found that the man had just grounds for his displeasure. For when it was ebb tide our ship had not sufficient water but struck frequently against the ground with such a crash as if a gun was fired. At the same time there was a great storm so that we might have sustained much injury if God had not preserved us. Now we praise Him that we were forced to return, for in this storm we should have been in the greatest danger off the Spanish coast. Thus we daily perceive that His goodness preserves us. O that we might always look only to Him, rest in His will and filially resign ourselves to it! Our captain shows us great kindness. For the rest I pray God daily that He would purify my heart more and more from all dross and by His Spirit fit me for the important office for which, unworthy as I am, He has out of mere grace ordained me.”
They appear to have been weatherbound at Falmouth for over a month but the delay was not lost upon Schwartz and his colleagues. They had a little unexpected quiet in which to prosecute their studies, and, as will be seen by the letter which Schwartz wrote on their arrival at Tranquebar, they were enabled to keep in touch with England a little longer and felt the pulse of that throbbing wave of revival of religion which under the Wesleys and Whitefield was passing over the people. It is evident that during their brief stay in London this had not affected them; being so much in the company of the Royal chaplain, and not having time or inclination to visit any parts of the country, they had missed this stimulus to their faith. But in the little world of their life on board during this long voyage of four months from their leaving the shelter of Falmouth Harbour, they had many experiences to record, which awakened a spirit of thankfulness, and as this was the first time they had made a voyage the incidents related by Schwartz in his letter of 8th October, 1750, are well worth preserving. They give us a side light of his character and how step by step and day by day God was preparing him for the great work which was awaiting him at Tranquebar.
“We can now,” says he, “joyfully relate how graciously God hath heard your supplications in His goodness to us. With undeserved grace and mercy He hath brought us, hath graciously averted all perils on our long voyage, mightily refreshed us during the course of it both in soul and body, and caused us to reach the end of it in four months and four days. We could scarcely have imagined that He would so paternally and graciously guide us. His Name be humbly praised and glorified now and in eternity!
“In order to give you, reverend Sir, a somewhat detailed account of this gracious guidance of our God, that you may magnify His name with us, I shall briefly relate the most important particulars from our diary, not having yet found time to copy the diary itself, which your Reverence will kindly excuse.