If you have missed the first four installments from John Paton’s autobiography, I would encourage you to read them in the archives before continuing with this portion of quotes and notes.
John Paton, while working at Glasgow City Mission, felt the tug of the Lord to go to the heathen in the New Hebrides. This made no sense to the common mind because God was so blessing his work in Glasgow and because it was a dangerous and difficult land. We read about his calling, the opposition he faced, and his determination below.
“The Lord kept saying within me, ‘Since none better qualified can be got, rise and offer yourself!’ Almost overpowering was the impulse to answer aloud, ‘Here am I, send me.’ But I was dreadfully afraid of mistaking my mere human emotions for the will of God. So I resolved to make it a subject of close deliberation and prayer for a few days longer and to look at the proposal from every possible aspect.” 53
Being compelled to go, he met discouragement.
“Dr. Symington, one of my professors in divinity, and the beloved Minister in connection with whose congregation I had wrought so long as a City Missionary argued that, ‘Green Street Church was doubtless the sphere for which God had given me peculiar qualifications, and in which He had so largely blessed my labours; that if I left those now attending my Classes and Meetings, they might be scattered, and many of them would probably fall away; that I was leaving certainty for uncertainty—work in which God had made me greatly useful, for work in which I might fail to be useful, and only throw away my life amongst Cannibals.’” 55
“I replied that my mind was finally resolved; that, though I loved my work and my people, yet I felt that I could leave them to the care of Jesus, who would soon provide them a better pastor than I; and that, with regard to my life amongst the Cannibals, as I had only once to die, I was content to leave the time and place and means in the hands of God, who had already marvelously preserved me.” 55
The dangers were fresh on the minds of most in the church. We read…
The ever-famous names of Williams and Harris are associated with the earliest efforts to introduce Christianity amongst this group of islands in the South Pacific Seas. John Williams and his young Missionary companion Harris, under the auspices of the London Missionary Society, landed on Erromanga on the 30th of November 1839. Alas! within a few minutes of their touching land, both were clubbed to death; and the savages proceeded to cook and feast upon their bodies. Thus were the New Hebrides baptized with the blood of Martyrs; and Christ thereby told the whole Christian world that He claimed these Islands as His own. His cross must yet be lifted up, where the blood of His saints has been poured forth in His name! 75
Again, therefore, in 1842, the London Missionary Society sent out Mr. Turner and Mr. Nisbet to pierce this kingdom of Satan. They placed their standard on our chosen island of Tanna, the nearest to Erromanga. In less than seven months, however, their persecution by the Savages became so dreadful, that we see them in a boat trying to escape by night with bare life. 76
Christianity had no foothold anywhere on the New Hebrides, unless it were in the memory and the blood of he Martyrs of Erromanga. 76
“Amongst many who sought to deter me, was one dear old Christian gentleman, whose crowning argument always was, ‘The Cannibals! You will be eaten by Cannibals!’ At last I replied, ‘Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer.’ The old gentleman, raising his hands in deprecating attitude, left the room exclaiming, ‘After that I have nothing more to say!’” 56
Some retorted upon me, There are Heathen at home; let us seek and save, first of all, the lost ones perishing at our doors. This I felt to be most true, and an appalling fact; but I unfailingly observed that those who made this retort neglected these home heathen themselves; and so the objection as from them, lost all its power. They would ungrudgingly spend more on a fashionable party at dinner or tea, on concert or ball or theatre, or on some ostentatious display, or worldly and selfish indulgence, ten times more, perhaps in a single day, than they would give in a year, or in half a lifetime, for the conversation of the whole Heathen World, either at home or abroad.” 56-57
I am not sure too much has changed since the days of John G. Paton! We are just beginning to meet the jovial, blunt, and powerful personality of the great missionary. He is about to go head to head with some people almost as stubborn as him.
Until next time…
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