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
Here, in passing, I may mention that my mother, ever beloved, “fell on
sleep,” after a short agony of affliction, in 1865; and my “priest-like
father” passed peacefully and joyfully into the presence of his Lord
in 1868; both cradled and cherished to the last in the arms of their
own affectionate children, and both in the assured hope of a blessed
immortality, where all their sons and daughters firmly expect to meet
them again in the Home prepared by their blessed Saviour.
We embarked at Liverpool for Australia in _The Crest of the Wave_,
Captain Ellis; and after what was then considered a fast passage of
ninety-five days, we landed at Sydney on 17th January, 1865. Within an
hour we had to grapple with a new and amazing perplexity. The Captain
of our _Dayspring_ came to inform me that his ship had arrived three
days ago and now lay in the stream,—that she had been to the Islands,
and had settled the Gordons, McCullaghs, and Goodwills on their several
Stations,—that she had left Halifax in Nova Scotia fourteen months ago,
and that now, on arriving at Sydney, he could not get one penny of
money, and that the crew were clamouring for their pay, etc., etc. He
continued, “Where shall I get money for current expenses? No one will
lend unless we mortgage the _Dayspring_. I fear there is nothing before
us but to sell her!” I gave him £50 of my own to meet clamant demands,
and besought him to secure me a day or two of delay that something
might be done.
Having landed, and been heartily welcomed by dear Dr. and Mrs. Moon and
other friends, I went with a kind of trembling joy to have my first
look at the _Dayspring_, like a sailor getting a first peep at the
child born to him whilst far away on the sea. Some of the irritated
ship’s company stopped us by the way, and threatened prosecution
and all sorts of annoyance. I could only urge again for a few days’
patience. I found her to be a beautiful two-masted Brig, with a
deck-house (added when she first arrived at Melbourne), and every way
suitable for our necessities,—a thing of beauty, a white-winged Angel
set a-floating by the pennies of the children to bear the Gospel to
these sin-darkened but sun-lit Southern Isles. To me she became a
sort of living thing, the impersonation of a living and throbbing love
in the heart of thousands of “shareholders”; and I said, with a deep,
indestructible faith,—“The Lord _has_ provided—the Lord _will_ provide.”
For present liabilities at least £700 were instantly required; and, at
any rate, as large a sum to pay her way and meet expenses of next trip
to the Islands. Having laid our perplexing circumstances before our
dear Lord Jesus, having “spread out” all the details in His sympathetic
presence, pleading that the Ship itself and the new Missionaries were
all His own, not mine, I told Him that this money was needed to do His
own blessed work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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