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
After much prayerful deliberation with my brethren and with my own heart
before God, I somewhat reluctantly felt constrained to undertake the
task. If my story was to be the means of providing more Missionaries for
the Islands, and of providing a commodious Ship for the service of the
Mission alone, to keep open their communications with the outer world
and with Christian influences, not to speak of carrying their provisions
at fixed periods, or rescuing them when in troubles and perils from the
jaws of death, I was not unwilling to tell it again and again, if the
Lord would open up my path. God knows my heart, and any one who really
knows me will easily admit, that no selfish or egotistical motive has
influenced me in reciting through all the Australasian Colonies, New
Zealand, Scotland, and latterly in many parts of England and Ireland,
the incidents of my career and experience, first of all on Tanna, and
thereafter for nearly twenty years—as the Second Part of my biography
will relate—on the neighbouring island of Aniwa; an island entirely
given to me by the Lord, the whole population of which became Christian;
and they and their race will be my crown of joy and rejoicing in the day
of the Lord Jesus.
With regrets, and yet with unquenchable hope for these Islands, I
embarked for Australia, having received the solemn promise of my
brethren, that in entering upon this great effort I was to be left
absolutely free of all control, and empowered to carry out the work as
God might seem to guide me, and open up my way. I had only spoken to one
man in Sydney; all the doors to influence had therefore to be unlocked,
and I had no helper, no leader, but the Spirit of my Lord. The Second
Part of this Autobiography, should God spare me to write it, will record
His marvellous goodness in using my humble voice and pen and the story
of my life for interesting thousands and tens of thousands in the work
of Missions, and especially for binding together the children of the
Sabbath Schools of Australasia in a Holy League of help to the New
Hebrides, which has already borne precious fruit to His glory, and will
continue to do so for ages to come.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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