PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 2 (of 3) : An autobiography edited by his brother
Paton, John Gibson · 109,175 words · 157 reading sections
_Face To Face With Heathenism._
And however our hearts sometimes trembled in the presence of imminent death and sank within us, we stood fearless in their presence, and left all results in the hands of Jesus. Often have I had to run into the arms of some savage, when his club was swung or his musket levelled at my head, and, praying to Jesus, so clun…
747 wordsSECTION 62_Face To Face With Heathenism._
Amidst our frequent trials and dangers in those earlier times on Aniwa, our little Orphans often warned us privately and saved our lives from cruel plots. When, in baffled rage, our enemies demanded who had revealed things to us, I always said, “It was a little bird from the bush.” So, the dear children grew to have pe…
716 wordsSECTION 63_Face To Face With Heathenism._
Matshiktshiki placed men and women on Aniwa. On the southern end of the Island, there was a beautiful spring and a freshwater river, with rich lands all around for plantations. But the people would not do what Matshiktshiki wanted them; so he got angry, and split off the richer part of Aniwa, with the spring and river,…
849 wordsSECTION 64_Face To Face With Heathenism._
It would give a wonderful shock, I suppose, to many namby-pamby Christians, to whom the title “Mighty to Save” conveys no ideas of reality, to be told that nine or ten converted murderers were partaking with them the Holy Communion of Jesus! But the Lord who reads the heart, and weighs every motive and circumstance, ha…
664 wordsSECTION 65_Face To Face With Heathenism._
“Nelwang, do you want to speak to me?” “Yes, Missi,” he replied, “if you will help me now, I will be your friend for ever.” I answered, “I am your friend. That brought me here and keeps me here.” “Yes,” said he very earnestly, “but I want you to be strong as my friend, and I will be strong for you!” I replied, “Wel…
668 wordsSECTION 66_Face To Face With Heathenism._
The usual revenge was taken. The houses of the offenders burned, their fences broken down, and all their property either destroyed or distributed. Work was suspended, and the disappointed thirty solaced themselves by feasting at Yakin’s expense. On the third day I arrived at the scene. Seeing our old friend Naswai look…
772 wordsSECTION 67_Face To Face With Heathenism._
In a few seconds Yakin entered; and if Nelwang’s bearing and appearance were rather inconsistent with the feeling of worship,—what on earth was I to do when the figure and costume of Yakin began to reveal itself marching in? The first visible difference betwixt a Heathen and a Christian is,—that the Christian wears som…
715 wordsSECTION 68_Face To Face With Heathenism._
My constant custom was, in order to prevent war, to run right in between the contending parties. My faith enabled me to grasp and realize the promise, “Lo, I am with you always.” In Jesus I felt invulnerable and immortal, so long as I was doing His work. And I can truly say, that these were the moments when I felt my S…
703 wordsSECTION 69_Face To Face With Heathenism._
Close on the heels of this, another and a rather perplexing incident befell us. A party of Heathens assembled and made a great display of fishing on the Lord’s Day, in contempt of the practice of the men on Jehovah’s side, threatening also to waylay the Teachers and myself in our village circuits. A meeting was held by…
782 wordsSECTION 70_Face To Face With Heathenism._
“It is hard to know, Missi. The water does come and go quickly. If you paid them well, they might bring the rain, and let us fill our casks!” I told them that, as followers of Jehovah, we must despise all Heathen mummeries, and trust in Him and in the laws of His Creation to help us. Aniwa, having therefore no perman…
727 wordsSECTION 71_Face To Face With Heathenism._
The old Chief and his best men now came around me more earnestly than ever. He remonstrated with me very gravely. He assured me for the fiftieth time that rain would never be seen coming up through the earth on Aniwa! “Now,” said he, “had you been in that hole last night, you would have been buried, and a Man-of-war w…
673 wordsSECTION 72_Face To Face With Heathenism._
I still answered, “Come to-morrow. I hope and believe that Jehovah God will send you the rain water up through the earth.” At the moment I knew I was risking much, and probably incurring sorrowful consequences, had no water been given; but I had faith that the Lord was leading me on, and I knew that I sought His glory,…
717 wordsSECTION 73_Face To Face With Heathenism._
“Then, Missi,” said the Chief, “it will be our water, and we may all use it as our very own.” “Yes,” I answered, “whenever you wish it, and as much as you need, both here and at your own houses, as far as it can possibly be made to go.” The Chief looked at me eagerly, fully convinced at length that the well contained…
741 wordsSECTION 74_Face To Face With Heathenism._
“But for that water, during the last two years of drought, we would all have been dead!” Very strangely, though the Natives themselves have since tried to sink six or seven wells in the most likely places near their different villages, they have either come to coral rock which they could not pierce, or found only wate…
727 wordsSECTION 75_Face To Face With Heathenism._
“Something here in my heart tells me that the Jehovah God does exist, the Invisible One, whom we never heard of nor saw till the Missi brought Him to our knowledge. The coral has been removed, the land has been cleared away, and lo! the water rises. Invisible till this day, yet all the same it was there, though our eye…
798 wordsSECTION 76_Face To Face With Heathenism._
Necessarily these were the conspicuous features of our life as Christians in their midst—morning and evening Family Prayer, and Grace at Meat; and hence, most naturally, their instinctive adoption and imitation of the same as the first outward tokens of Christian discipline. Every house in which there was not Prayer to…
1,008 wordsSECTION 77_The Light That Shineth More And More._
My first Aniwan Book.—The Power of Music.—A Pair of Glass Eyes.—Church Building for Jesus.—The Hanging of the Bell.—Patesa and his Bride.—An Armed Embassage.—Youwili’s Taboo.—Youwili’s Conversion.—The Tobacco Idol.—First Communion on Aniwa.—Our Village Day Schools.—New Social Laws.—A Sabbath Day’s Work on Aniwa.—O…
678 wordsSECTION 78_The Light That Shineth More And More._
“I have lifted up A B C. They are here in my head, and I will hold them fast. Give me other three.” This was repeated time after time. He mastered the whole Alphabet, and soon began to spell out the smaller words. Indeed, he came so often, getting me to read it over and over, that before he himself could read it freel…
650 wordsSECTION 79_The Light That Shineth More And More._
In all my work amongst the Natives, I have striven to train them to be self-supporting, and have never helped them where I could train them to help themselves. In this respect I was exceedingly careful, when the question arose of building their Churches, and Schools. At first we moved about amongst them from village to…
717 wordsSECTION 80_The Light That Shineth More And More._
One large tree was still needed to complete the couples, and could nowhere be found. The work was at a standstill; for, though the size was now reduced to fifty feet by twenty-two, and the roof had been lowered by four feet in order to give the windlass sufficient purchase, there was plenty of smaller wood on Aniwa, bu…
683 wordsSECTION 81_The Light That Shineth More And More._
For a week all our work was suspended. Men and boys went about fully armed, and all their talk was for revenge. Nasi had a number of desperate fellows at his back, all armed with muskets, and I feared the loss of many lives. I implored them for once to leave the vengeance in the hands of God, and to stand by each other…
697 wordsSECTION 82_The Light That Shineth More And More._
“You think that Missi is here alone, and that you can do with him as you please! No! We are now all Missi’s men. We will fight for him and his rather than see him injured. Every one that attacks him attacks us. That is finished to-day!” [Illustration: “I’LL KNOCK THE TEVIL OUT OF HIM.”] In the general scolding, the S…
668 wordsSECTION 83_The Light That Shineth More And More._
One day, thereafter, I was engaged in clearing away the bush around the Mission House, having purchased and paid for the land for the very purpose of opening it up, when suddenly Youwili appeared and menacingly forbade me to proceed. For the sake of peace I for the time desisted. But he went straight to my fence, and w…
733 wordsSECTION 84_The Light That Shineth More And More._
A considerable time elapsed. No sign came, and our prayers seemed to fail. But one day, I was toiling between the shafts of a hand-cart, assisted by two boys, drawing it along from the shore loaded with coral blocks. Youwili came rushing from his house, three hundred yards or so off the path, and said,— “Missi, that i…
807 wordsSECTION 85_The Light That Shineth More And More._
He looked very anxious, as if weighing his habit against his resolution, and then said,— “Missi, I give up everything else. If it won’t make Jesus angry, I will keep the pipe. I have used it so long, and oh, I do like it!” Renewing our advice and counsel, but leaving him free to do in that matter so as to please Jesu…
656 wordsSECTION 86_The Light That Shineth More And More._
“Do you, in accordance with your profession of the Christian Faith, and your promises before God and the people, wish me now to baptize you?” And,—“Will you live henceforth for Jesus only, hating all sin and trying to love and serve your Saviour?” Then, beginning with the old Chief, the twelve came forward, and I bap…
813 wordsSECTION 87_The Light That Shineth More And More._
The new Social Order, referred to already in its dim beginnings, rose around us like a sweet-scented flower. I never interfered directly, unless expressly called upon or appealed to. The two principal Chiefs were impressed with the idea that there was but one law,—the Will of God, and one rule for them and their people…
702 wordsSECTION 88_The Light That Shineth More And More._
As the sun is setting I am creeping home from my village tour; and when darkness begins to approach, the canoe drum is beat at every village, and the people assemble under the banyan-tree for evening village prayers. The Elder or Teacher presides. Five or six hymns are joyously sung, and five or six short prayers offer…
705 wordsSECTION 89_The Light That Shineth More And More._
During the same period of privation, my Orphans suffered badly also. Once they came to me, saying,— “Missi, we are very hungry.” I replied,—“So am I, dear children, and we have no more white food till the _Dayspring_ comes.” They continued,—“Missi, you have two beautiful fig trees. Will you let us take one feast of …
876 wordsSECTION 90_The Light That Shineth More And More._
Dr. Steel had chartered the _Paragon_, a new three-masted schooner, built at Balmain, Sydney, to come down with our provisions, letters, etc.; and the owners had given a written agreement that if we could purchase her within a year we would get her for £3,000. She proved in every way a suitable vessel, and it became ab…
678 wordsSECTION 91_The Light That Shineth More And More._
I then sailed from Sydney to Victoria, and addressed the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in session at Melbourne. The work was easily set agoing there, and willing workers fully and rapidly organized it through Congregations and Sabbath Schools. Under medical advice, I next sailed for New Zealand in the S.…
709 wordsSECTION 92_The Light That Shineth More And More._
Reaching Auckland, I was in time to address the General Assembly of the Church there also. They gave me cordial welcome, and every Congregation and Sabbath School might be visited as far as I possibly could. The ministers promoted the movement with hearty zeal. The Sabbath Scholars took Collecting Cards for “shares” in…
341 wordsSECTION 93_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
The Gospel in Living Capitals.—“A Shower of Spears.”—The Tannese Refugees.—Pilgrimage and Death of Namakei.—The Character of Naswai.—Christianity and Cocoa-Nuts.—Nerwa the Agnostic.—Nerwa’s Beautiful Farewell.—The Story of Ruwawa.—Waiwai and his Wives.—Nelwang and Kalangi.—Mungaw and Litsi Soré.—The Maddening of M…
734 wordsSECTION 94_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
“Jehovah thus protects us. He has given us all your spears! Once we would have thrown them back at you and killed you. But now we come not to fight, but to tell you about Jesus. He has changed our dark hearts. He asks you now to lay down all these your other weapons of war, and to hear what we can tell you about the lo…
919 wordsSECTION 95_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
“Missi, I am lifting up my head like a tree. I am growing tall with joy!” On the fourth or fifth day, however, he sent for me out of the Synod, and when I came to him, he said, eagerly,— “Missi, I am near to die! I have asked you to come and say farewell. Tell my daughter, my brother, and my people to go on pleasing …
660 wordsSECTION 96_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
“We knew that he was dying, but we durst not tell you. When you agreed to let him go, he went round and took farewell of all his friends, and told them he was going to sleep at last on Aneityum, and that at the Great Day he would rise to meet Jesus with the glorious company of the Aneityumese Christians. He urged us al…
715 wordsSECTION 97_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
“Men of Fotuna, you come to see what the Gospel has done for Aniwa. It is Jehovah the living God that has made all this change. As Heathens, we quarrelled, killed and ate each other. We had no peace and no joy in heart or house, in villages or in lands; but we now live as brethren and have happiness in all these things…
681 wordsSECTION 98_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
The two Chiefs of next importance on Aniwa were Nerwa and Ruwawa. Nerwa was a keen debater; all his thoughts ran in the channels of logic. When I could speak a little of their language, I visited and preached at his village; but the moment he discovered that the teaching about Jehovah was opposed to their Heathen custo…
673 wordsSECTION 99_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
“Oh, to have this treasure in my own words of Aniwa!” When Matthew and Mark were at last printed in Aniwan, he studied them incessantly, and soon could read them freely. He became the Teacher in his own village School, and delighted in instructing others. He was assisted by Ruwawa, whom he himself had drawn into the c…
744 wordsSECTION 100_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
“Missi,” he said, “I could not breathe in my village; so I got them to carry me here, where there is room for all. They are silent and they weep, because they think I am dying. If it were God’s will, I would like to live and to help you in His work. I am in the hands of our dear Lord. If He takes me, it is good; if He …
701 wordsSECTION 101_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
He had been once at the head of a numerous people, but was now literally a Chief without a tribe. His son and heir was smitten down with sunstroke, while helping us to get the coral limestone, and shortly thereafter died. His only daughter was married to a young Chief. And at last, of all his seven wives only two remai…
673 wordsSECTION 102_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
“Listen, all ye men of Aniwa, and take warning by Waiwai. I am now old, and ready to drop into the grave alone. My wives kept me back from Jesus, but now they are all taken, and I am left without one to care for me or this little child. I tried to deceive the Missi, but I could not deceive God. When I was left with onl…
659 wordsSECTION 103_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
While they remain Heathen, and have many wives to manage, the condition of most of the women is worse than slavery. On remonstrating with a Chief, who was savagely beating one of his wives, he indignantly assured me,— “We must beat them, or they would never obey us. When they quarrel, and become bad to manage, we have…
793 wordsSECTION 104_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
“Don’t call me coward, or think me afraid to die. If I died now, I would go to be with Jesus. But I am no longer a Heathen; I am a Christian, and wish to treat you as a Christian should.” Others now coming to the rescue, the men were disarmed; and, after much talk, they professed themselves ashamed, and promised bette…
710 wordsSECTION 105_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
On our return he was greatly delighted; but he complained bitterly that the white men “had spoiled his head,” and that when it “burned hot” he did all these bad things, for which he was extremely sorry He deliberately attempted my life, and most cruelly abused his dear and gentle wife; and then, when the frenzy was ove…
765 wordsSECTION 106_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
“O my father! God has blessed me to see you again. Is my mother, your dear wife, well? And your children, my brothers and sisters? My love to them all! O my heart clings to you!” We had sweet conversation, and then she said more calmly,— “My days here are hard. I might be happy and wealthy as Queen on Aniwa. But the …
816 wordsSECTION 107_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
On my recent visit to Aniwa, in 1886, God’s almighty compassion was further revealed to me, when I found that Nasi the murderer was now a Scripture Reader, and able to comment in a wonderful and interesting manner on what he reads to the people! When I arrived on a visit to the Island, after my last tour in Great Brita…
710 wordsSECTION 108_Pen-Portraits Of Aniwans._
Of other ten adults at this time admitted, one was specially noteworthy. She was about twenty-five, and the Elders objected because her marriage had not been according to the Christian usage on Aniwa. She left us weeping deeply. I was writing late at night in the cool evening air, as was my wont in that oppressive trop…
433 wordsSECTION 109_Letters From Aniwa._
Editorial Preface.—_Letter for 1867._—Not Tanna but Aniwa.—“Missi Paton _versus_ Teapots.”—The Humour of Taia.—Evening Village-Prayers.—“Make him _Bokis_ Sing.”—My Sewing Class.—“That no Gammon.”—“Talk Biritania.”—The Marriage of Kahi.... _Letter for 1869._—First Communicants on Aniwa.—Mungaw and the Mission Boys.…
404 wordsSECTION 110To Rev. Dr. Macdonald, South Melbourne.
“... How much I enjoyed your kind letter which came by the _Dayspring_ last month! I was delighted indeed to hear that your Parish now extends to the New Hebrides,—rather a scattered one certainly, nevertheless you are bound to look after your flock, and we shall soon be expecting _a pastoral visit_.... “You were, I d…
912 wordsSECTION 111To Rev. Dr. Macdonald, South Melbourne.
“Taia, however, does not always do as he professes, and Mr. Paton sometimes feels it incumbent on him to call Taia to account; but Taia’s equanimity is never in the least ruffled. He sits listening with his chin resting upon his knees, looking up now and again with a bland smile, saying, ‘Ah, very good talk that, Missi…
720 wordsSECTION 112To Rev. Dr. Macdonald, South Melbourne.
“Before closing this long epistle, I want to tell you about our first Christian marriage here, especially as the Bride was decked out from your Emerald Hill box, last sent,—at least partly so. It was a deeply interesting occasion. Kahi, the bride, was one of my scholars, a pretty young widow of about seventeen; and Rop…
504 wordsSECTION 113To A Lady.
... “To spend such a day as we did a few Sabbaths ago when our little Church of God on Aniwa was formally constituted, we felt to be worth more than all the sacrifices connected with our isolated life. We had a very good attendance, 180 being present, and an unusual solemnity and interest pervaded the Church throughout…
660 wordsSECTION 114To A Lady.
“We have a gathering of boys now on the Premises; for Mungaw had not been installed into his office two days, before a few others came and asked quite humbly that they might be allowed to do something for the Missi. We were truly amazed as well as gratified at this unexpected proposal; for the boys here, as a rule, are…
380 wordsSECTION 115To The Family Circle
“MY DEAREST MOTHER, SISTERS, AND BROTHERS,— ... I must, however, arrive at Aniwa more by degrees, as this is to be the journalistic Family Epistle, and you have heard nothing of us since we left Sydney on the 4th April, with dear Dr. Steele on board, who seemed like a link between us and Civilization. I felt ‘strong to…
685 wordsSECTION 116To The Family Circle
“Our visitors and Vessel left us in the afternoon, and on my return from seeing them off (John was too exhausted to go), I met a very nice man, one of the Church members, who stopped me and said,—‘Missi, I’ve given my boy up to you and Missi the man, and you’re to feed and clothe and teach him, as you do the other chil…
703 wordsSECTION 117To The Family Circle
“John and I espoused Nelwang’s cause from that moment, and he soon found an opportunity for saying a word on his behalf. I also got Hutshi alone, and told her what Nelwang had said. She replied that she did not know what to do, as they were all urging her to take Sarra (the new lover); but she said,—‘I would cry more t…
508 wordsSECTION 118“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
(1875.) “If I could only put one of the Earthquakes we’ve had into this journal it would produce a sensation,—descriptions seem so very tame after one has experienced the awful feelings they produce! But I must begin and go forward as best I can, there being no possibility of gratifying you in that direction. “You kn…
660 wordsSECTION 119“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“John immediately set to work revising his Tannese, which he had well-nigh forgotten, so that when the Tanna gentry declined to come to Church he was soon able to go to them and first read his addresses and then preach to them in Tannese. How it did remind us of the early Aniwan days, when our worthy parishioners used …
773 wordsSECTION 120“My Dearest Sisters And Brothers,—
“It was altogether a sad time, that, for we had been so tried with Hutshi, the girl I had last time with us in Australia, and who turned out a complete _vixen_; the first of my girls, I am thankful to say, who has not turned out well. She was married to one of our best young lads, and went quite gracefully through the …
753 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.