He was ordained in 1656 and served first in Ceylon, where he narrowly escaped being trampled on by an elephant, and later in India, as one of the first Protestant missionaries to visit that country.
Ia ditahbiskan pada tahun 1656 dan mula - mula melayani di Ceylon. Di sana ia nyaris diinjak - injak seekor gajah. Belakangan, ia melayani di India sebagai salah seorang misionaris Protestan pertama yang mengunjungi negeri itu.