John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 2 (of 3) : $b An autobiography edited by his brotherPaton, John Gibson
Religion
John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, volume 2 (of 3) : $b An autobiography edited by his brother
Paton, John Gibson
Missionaries -- Vanuatu -- Biography; Paton, John Gibson, 1824-1907
But of all my London associations, the deepest and the most
imperishable is that which weaves itself around the Honourable Ion
Keith-Falconer, who has already passed to what may truly be called a
Martyr’s crown. At that time I met him at his father-in-law’s house at
Trent; and on another occasion spent a whole day with him at the house
of his noble mother, the Countess-Dowager of Kintore. His soul was then
full of his projected Mission to the Arabs, being himself one of the
most distinguished Orientalists of the day; and as we talked together,
and exchanged experiences, I felt that never before had I visibly
marked the fire of God, the holy passion to seek and to save the lost,
burning more steadily or brightly on the altar of any human heart. The
heroic founding of the Mission at Aden is already one of the precious
annals of the Church of Christ. His young and devoted wife survives,
to mourn indeed, but also to cherish his noble memory; and, with the
aid of others, and under the banner of the Free Church of Scotland,
to see the “Keith-Falconer Mission” rising up amidst the darkness of
blood-stained Africa, as at once a harbour of refuge for the slave,
and a beacon-light to those who are without God and without hope. The
servant does his day’s work, and passes on through the gates of sleep
to the Happy Dawn; but the Divine Master lives and works and reigns,
and by our death, as surely as by our life, His holy purposes shall be
fulfilled.
On returning to Scotland, every day was crowded with engagements for
the weeks that remained, and almost every mail brought me contributions
from all conceivable corners of the land. My heart was set upon taking
out two or three Missionaries with me to claim more and still more of
the Islands for Christ; and with that view I had addressed Divinity
Students at Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. Again and again, by
conversation and correspondence, consecrated young men were just on the
point of volunteering; but again and again the larger and better known
fields of labour turned the scale, and they finally decided for China
or Africa or India. Deeply disappointed at this, and thinking that God
directed us to look to our own Australia alone for Missionaries for the
New Hebrides, I resolved to return, and took steps towards securing
a passage by the Orient Line to Melbourne. But just then two able
and devoted students, Messrs. Morton and Leggatt, offered themselves
as Missionaries for our Islands; and shortly thereafter a third, Mr.
Landells, also an excellent man; and all, being on the eve of their
Licence, were approved of, accepted, and set to special preparations
for the Mission field, particularly in acquiring practical medical
knowledge.
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