John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 1 (of 3) : $b An autobiography edited by his brotherPaton, John Gibson
Religion
John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 1 (of 3) : $b An autobiography edited by his brother
Paton, John Gibson
Missionaries -- Vanuatu -- Biography; Paton, John Gibson, 1824-1907
In the darkest moment, I never doubted that ultimately the victory
there, as elsewhere, would be on the side of Jesus, believing that the
whole Earth would yet be filled with the glory of the Lord. But I
sometimes sorely feared that I might never live to see or hear of that
happy day! By the goodness of the Ever-merciful One I have lived to see
and hear of a Gospel Church on Tanna, and to read about my dear
fellow-Missionaries, Mr. and Mrs. Watt, celebrating the Holy Supper to a
Native Congregation of Tannese, amid the very scenes and people where
the seeds of faith and hope were planted not only in tears, but tears of
blood,—“in deaths oft.”
My own intention was to remain on Aneityum, go on with my work of
translating the Gospels, and watch the earliest opportunity, as God
opened up my way, to return to Tanna. I had, however, got very weak and
thin; my health was undoubtedly much shaken by the continued trials and
dangers through which we had passed; and therefore, as Dr. and Mrs.
Inglis were at home carrying the New Testament through the press in the
language of Aneityum, and as Tanna was closed for a season, Dr. Geddie,
the Rev. Joseph Copeland, and Mr. Mathieson all urged me to go to
Australia by a vessel then in the Harbour and leaving in a few days. My
commission was to awaken an interest among the Presbyterian Churches of
our Colonies in this New Hebrides Mission which lay at their doors, up
till this time sustained by Scotland and Nova Scotia alone. And further,
and very specially, to raise money there, if possible, to purchase a new
Mission Ship for the work of God in the New Hebrides,—a clamant
necessity, which would save all future Missionaries some of the more
terrible of the privations and risks of which a few examples have in
these pages already been recorded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account