1814-1853 - The Missionary Register [Sections relating to New Zealand.] - 1849 - Church Missionary Society, Northern District, Middle District, p 482-488

We have a School in our Settlement, which is partly maintained by the Natives themselves. At the late administration of the Sacrament a good collection in food was made, probably worth 15l. --and without proper funds no School can be carried on well. I am thankful to say that our Natives appreciate, in some degree, the object of the collection. Many of them brought, instead of a basket of potatoes, to redeem the shilling ticket put in the plate, a bushel of wheat, "running over." I weighed one of them the other day, and the Native Christian was quite pleased to find that his bushel weighed 78lbs. This last season they have been blessed with abundant crops, in wheat, kumera, corn, and potatoes. Many small vessels have come, and returned filled with grain and potatoes for the European Market. I think that the Natives of our District cultivated not less than 300 acres in wheat, all spade work! This is a great increase from the first two quarts which I sowed to rear seed for them. Civilization, together with evangelization, is an immense blessing. Surely, when the Natives have enough, and to spare for their hungry White Neighbours, it shews that they must have made great advances in civilization; for the marks of a savage include both bad clothing and little food.

Aug. 4, 1847 --This evening, feeling cast down at the loss sustained by the Ngauhuruhuru Party in the death of Wiremu, I turned in thought to Tihinui, as the only Native of promise to supply his place; but he is still undecided, halting between two opinions. He has forsaken the Roman-Catholic Religion, but has not yet decidedly joined the Church of England. He is a clever and intelligent Native, and should it please God to give him His grace, and raise him up as a Teacher, he would be very valuable.

Aug. 5 --In the evening I received information that Tihinui had determined upon joining the Protestant Church, and that his wife was much pleased with his resolution. Tihinui is not baptized, but the Priest thought very highly of him, and he lived within a few yards of the Priest's house. His wife was admitted by Baptism into the Church of Rome several months ago, and I am informed was one of the female Teachers. Tihinui is nearly related to the leading Chiefs, and his conversion, by the Lord's blessing, will be a severe blow to the Church of Rome.

Aug. 6 --Tihinui came down to see me. He gave me the two following reasons for joining the Church of England. First, he acknowledged the benefit of the instruction he had received in the Adult School conducted by Mr. Strass, an Italian, and convert from Romanism. Secondly, he said that he had, during the time he belonged to the Romish Church, looked on the right hand, and then on the left hand, for a foundation on which to build, but being unable to find one, he had determined to join the Church of England.

I have had several opportunities of conversing with this young man, and he has several times told me that, when fully convinced of the errors of Romanism, he would forsake the Church of Rome. My last conversation with him was at Kaitotehe, in the afternoon of June 21st. He called at Mr. Ashwell's Station, with the

millwright, to see me in reference to the Ngauhuruhuru mill. I was at the time engaged in watching over one of my dear children, who was then dying; but being informed that the canoe could not remain, I went out, and, having answered the millwright's questions, I requested Tihinui to remain for a few minutes' conversation. He did so, and again promised that when convinced of the errors of Popery he would join us.

Aug. 8, 1847: Lord's Day --At the close of the Morning Service at Ngauhuruhuru, Tihinui arose, and openly renounced the errors of Popery. His wife was present. May God enable them to fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life!

Aug. 19 --I visited the Raha, and was pleased to find that several more Natives from the Roman-Catholic Party had joined us, and applied to me for Testaments. Mepa, a Roman Catholic who joined us several weeks ago, had brought over his uncle, and one or two more of his family. He had himself started for Auckland, with some pigs for Mr. N., as payment for some property he stole, he having been concerned in the robbery of Mr. N.'s house about two years ago. I was much pleased, to find him absent under such circumstances.

Aug. 27 --I visited the Raha, and held a Bible Class. Several from this place have lately left the ranks of Popery, and united themselves to the Church of England. I saw and conversed with several who still adhere to the Church of Rome. On my proposing that a Chapel should be built here all present agreed to it, but wished that Mepa, who is still at Auckland, should also be consulted. Much opposition has been exhibited against two women, baptized by the Romish Priest, who wished to join the Protestant Church. Their friends opposed them, and threatened to beat my Teachers if they visited them. I called at the house, and invited them, and the mother-in-law of one of them, to go to the Bible Class; and they all accompanied me. After the Meeting, the old lady, wife of the leading Chief, told me that they were Roman Catholics, and that she only allowed her daughter to attend to-day because I had called for her, but that she would not allow her to do so in future. The old lady's son--the husband of the woman-- having expressed his desire to join us, I thought it advisable not to say much to the mother, but to allow the matter to rest quietly until her son-in-law's return from Auckland, and then see and recommend him, with his wife, to forsake the errors of Popery, and unite themselves to the true Church of Christ.

Sept. 2 --The Roman-Catholic Party at Ngauhuruhuru, irritated at several of their number having joined us, sent a challenge to my Teachers to meet them in discussion. The Priest wrote out a list of subjects to be discussed, which having been forwarded to me, I arranged the subjects for four days, and directed my Teachers to accept the challenge. The arrangement stands as follows-- 1st day: Is the Church of Rome, or the Protestant Church, the true Church of Christ? -- The Church is not built upon Peter. 2d day: The worship of saints and angels, the adoration of images, and the blotting out of the Second Commandment from the Roman Catechism -- The Marriage of Priests. 3d day: Transubstantiation --Half Communion, or the withholding of the Cup from the Laity. 4th day: Confession-- The power of the Keys. Rules--The Speakers--the two or three leading Teachers from each party --to be allowed fifteen minutes each. An European to be appointed by the Priest, and another by myself, as timekeepers. Neither myself nor the Priest to be present. Hours, from ten to four o'clock.

Sept. 8 --On the 6th the discussion between the Roman Catholics and my Native Teachers commenced. To prove the Church of Rome to be the true Church, the Roman Catholics brought forth their Apostolical succession, and the promise of Christ to be with His Church to the end of the world. To which my Natives replied by stating the nature of a Church, as explained in Article xix of the Church of England. That no promise had been given that Rome should continue in the faith to the end of the world, but, on the contrary, that Paul had warned them to take heed: Romans xi. 20-22. That Apostolical succession alone was insufficient to prove them a true Church-- that there must also be Apostolical doctrine, as stated by St. Paul in Galatians i. 8, 9. That the promise of Christ in Matthew xxviii. 20. was given to all the Apostles. That some of the Churches of

Asia had fallen, and that consequently Rome might, and had departed from the faith. In reference to the Church being built upon Peter, the Romanists quoted the usual passages, asserted Peter to be the Head of the Church, and, in the warmth of their discussion, displayed their ignorance by asking my Teachers to shew from Scripture where Christ was called the Head of the Church. In reply, my Teachers said that Christ was the rock on which the Church was built, and quoted Matt. xvi. 18, 19, and xviii. 18, 1 Cor. iii. 11, 1 Peter ii. 6, and other passages. They then quoted the texts in which Christ is called the Head of the Church. After which they argued, that if Peter was the rock on which Christ had built His Church, then that rock had failed, as when he (Peter) thrice denied his Master, and again so dissembled that St. Paul reproved him to his face--Gal. ii. 11-19. That the Church, if built upon Peter as its rock, must have fallen when he, the foundation, gave way, and hence Christ's promise had failed, that the gates of hell should not prevail against His Church; but as it was impossible for Christ's promise to fail, Peter, against whom the gates of hell had prevailed, could not be that rock upon which Christ had promised to build His Church. They also alluded to the wicked lives of some of the Popes, the introduction of Christianity into Britain, the arrival of St. Augustine, and his meeting with the British Bishops, &c, an outline of which I had furnished them with, chiefly taken from Smith's very excellent "History of the Religion of Ancient Britain." This, together with references to Wickliffe, John Huss, &c, was brought forward in reply to the usual question, "Where was your religion before Luther?"

On the second day the two parties disputed so long upon the worship of saints and angels and images, and the omission of the Second Commandment, the usual arguments being brought forward on both sides, that the marriage of Priests was not touched upon.

On the third day, on the doctrine of Transubstantiation and half Communion, my Native Teachers obtained a very decided victory. The usual texts in support of Transubstantiation were brought forward and replied to. My Teachers then adduced several extracts from the Roman Rubric, and demanded Scripture Authority for the practice of the Church of Rome withholding the wine from the laity, to which the Romanists replied that the Church had ordered it to be withheld. In reply, my Natives said that Christ had ordered it to be given, and if the Church interfered with and kept back the wine, the Romish Church must have fallen, as none but a fallen Church would interfere with the Sacraments of Christ.

On the morning of the fourth day, Kahawai, chief of the Roman-Catholic Party, proposed to Kimi Hori Waru, chief of the Protestant Party, that they should discontinue the discussion, to enable them to prepare for starting to-morrow on their visit to Taupo, and that my Native Teachers should not be allowed to go and preach, and try to gain over the Romanists. Kimi Hori Waru replied that he could not agree to the latter request, as God had commanded His Word to be preached to every creature; but that he would agree to close the discussion, so as to enable them all to start for Taupo tomorrow.

We are not privileged, as we often have been in past years, to report that the Gospel is winning its victorious way among our people, beating down the strongholds of Satan, undermining superstition, and turning men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. Our language, with St. Paul, must rather be, We are troubled, we are perplexed; yet, blessed be God! we can add, yet not distressed, not in despair. We walk by faith, not by sight; and we labour on, sustained by the immoveable promise of the Captain of our salvation, that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord.

As usual, Archdeacon Brown has been much occupied in travelling through his district, and visiting the different villages where Christian Na-

Nov. 18, 1847 --Left home on my annual journey through the Tauranga Archdeaconry.

Nov. 20 --Arrived at Te Ngae, the Rotorua Missionary Station, by mid-day, and was occupied until late at night in examining the Baptismal Candidates.

Nov. 21: Lord's Day --The Chapel was most inconveniently crowded, but the wind too high to admit of our holding Service outside. Mr. Chapman baptized thirty-six Natives. I preached, and afterward fifty-two assembled at the Lord's Table to commemorate His dying love. It was the first time that a collection had been made in this Chapel at the administration of the Lord's Supper, and we felt that the contributors might be ranked among "cheerful givers." The Offertory amounted to 19s. 11d. in English money, one foreign coin, and thirty-six tickets, pledges for thirty-six baskets of potatoes.

Nov. 26 --Accompanied by the Natives with whom we stayed last night, we embarked early this morning in their Canoes for Omaunu--a motley group of men, women, children, pigs, and dogs. The wind blowing over the snowy mountain of Tongoriro was intensely cold; but by a hard and cheerful pull we soon reached our destination. The young Chief, William Busby, came immediately to my tent. He is, I hope, holding fast his profession. He informed me that he had lately received an invitation to join the Natives at Wanganui who have been engaged in arms against Her Majesty's Troops. He sent a message to the Tribe that he was a soldier of Christ, and had another battle to fight.

Nov. 27 --Blowing hard during the night, accompanied by rain; but the weather moderating by three o'clock, we proceeded to cross this most magnificent lake, and by sunrise were approaching close to the opposite shore. Held Service at Waitahanui, and then pulled on to Orano. The Church here is in a very low state, and no wonder. They are truly as sheep without a shepherd. What would be the case with a village in England, which received but one ministerial visit in a twelvemonth?

Nov. 28: Lord's Day --The wind continued so high that it was not deemed safe to hold Service in the Chapel, the roof of which was swaying to and fro with the violent gusts. We found, however, a friendly shelter behind the stout fencing of the Pa, and the place was soon neatly spread with the flax mats from the Chapel. The Congregation consisted of about 100 Natives, many of whom had come from places twenty miles distant to partake of the Holy Communion, and to have their children baptized. At Morning Service I baptized eleven adults, and afterward administered the Lord's Supper to twenty-eight. In the afternoon sixty-five assembled to School, of whom more than forty could read in the New Testament. A class of nineteen, which I took, pleased me much in their ready reference to passages of Scripture confirmatory of the truths taught in the Church Catechism. It seemed like a revival of those days which, amidst all the trials of native war that used to harass us, may yet be ranked among our happiest in the Missionary Field, when so many of the Natives were directing those fine energies in search of immortal treasure, which, since the tide of colonization has set in upon them with such overwhelming force, have been too much directed to the acquisition of those treasures which perish in the using. At Evening Service I baptized three children; and then, in conversation with the Natives at my tent door, closed a happy, and, I trust, a useful Sabbath in the wilderness.

Dec. 5: Lord's Day --Preached morning and evening to an attentive Congregation of 120, baptized three adults and six infants, and administered the Holy Communion to 43 Natives. Seven of this

number, who were absent when I administered the Lord's Supper at Taupo, on Lord's Day last, had come on from that place, a distance of seventy miles, in order to partake of it here. Surely this may encourage the hope that they ate and drank in faith.

Dec. 6, 1847 --A walk of nineteen miles, through a very hilly wooded country, brought me to Oputao in time to take the Evening Service. More than 100 Natives present, many of whom, by an arrangement of Mr. Preece's, had assembled from little villages which I had proposed visiting.

Dec. 7 --Examining the Baptismal Class, but could only find one that I deemed to be sufficiently instructed. Of the class for the Lord's Supper, passed 15. As I make it a rule to inquire before the Church into the course of life held by the Communicants since they last partook of the Holy Communion, I find a most fruitful source of quarrels among themselves is the laying claim to patches of land for cultivation, the proprietorship of which is claimed by others. Preached from 1 Corinthians xi. 28; baptizing 1 adult, and administering the Lord's Supper to 15. My old friend, Ann Wilson, was brought several miles through the woods on the back of a Native, to commemorate for the first time the dying love of her Saviour at His table.

Dec. 25: Christmas Day --Native Service morning and evening. I spent the afternoon in examining a class of Baptismal Candidates, whose average ages must have been more than fifty. They had been four years under instruction. I chose ten of them. At Evening Service I baptized ten children.

Dec. 26: Lord's Day --In the morning I baptized the ten aged Natives. It was altogether a most touching sight. In their youth they were doubtless familiar with those scenes of murder and cannibalism which so fearfully distinguished this island before the glorious Gospel was proclaimed, in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling, by our earliest Missionaries; and now their lives have been spared, and their hearts renewed by the omnipotent energy of the Holy Spirit, until they are made willing to spend their few remaining days in the service of the Prince of Peace. From what depths of heathen darkness are jewels won to adorn that head which weareth many crowns!

Dec. 29 --I reached home in safety after a journey of much mercy, which has occupied me six weeks. I was privileged to preach Jesus nearly sixty times, and to admit into the Church 71 adults and 130 children. The increase, too, of Communicants enables me to thank God, and take courage; for they are not admitted to the Lord's Supper simply because they present themselves, but are subjected to a careful examination as to their views of the Sacrament, and inquiries made before the Church concerning their general walk and conversation. In 1845, during the same journey, the Communicants amounted to 180; in 1846 to 200; and in the present year to 312. May the Lord continue daily to add to His Church such as shall be saved!

May 31, 1848--I to-day heard the following interesting account of the son of Rangitoheriri. His name is Iharaira

(Israel), and he is the second Teacher at the principal Pa of Rotorua. On his arriving at the spot where his father lay dead, he thus addressed him, in the presence of all around-- "And so, father, this is you! Three times you used every persuasion in your power to induce me to put aside my belief in God; and three times I tried, by every argument I could use, to induce you to cast away your belief in native superstitions. There, there is the end of your refusing to listen to truth. My grief is great: yes, great; but there is no more to say about this." On Iharaira's hearing, a day or two after this, that a party, nearly related to his father, living on the opposite side of Rotorua lake, were meditating the murder of some one as a payment for his father's death, he immediately mounted a horse, and rode round to the place, passing through the Missionary Settlement--I was absent--where he stopped a short time, and addressed the Natives, exhorting them to hold on, and to use every exertion to stop further aggressions. He then hastened on to the place he intended to visit, and, on arriving there, at once charged them with the information he had received; stating that his hasty visit to them on the Sabbath was to forbid their acting so wickedly as to murder any one in revenge for his father's death. He stayed some time with them, urging their sitting quietly, and then proceeded round the other half of the lake, stopping a short time at each place, to exhort all parties to preserve peace, and to hold on in their Christian Profession. Iharaira is about 25 years of age; and thus to act, on the death of his father, is surely to shew that some principle is at work.

June 7, 1848 --After winding through many valleys, we all at once burst upon Rotokakahi lake, the scene of the present warfare. The lake was still; no sound, nothing moving, save two or three light canoes passing to and fro from the island to Epeha, the besieged Pa. But soon the scene was changed. The warring party were now gathering together. The party besieged were waiting the arrival and the issue of the fight from Maketu. The fight now neared the place of rendezvous: muskets were fired as they approached to welcome them; then their friends rushed toward them with yells and brandishing of spears, muskets, &c.; each passed, horridly saluting each other in this way; returned, passed, met and mingled, and, in an instant, formed and commenced the war dance--the horridest thing I think Satan ever invented; terrific beyond description.

Morning Prayers: then all parties assembled, and much discussion took place. However, the Maketuites would hear nothing of peace, and so they again parted. Partial skirmishing now took place; that is, the attacking party fired at Epeha from heights at so great a distance as to appear quite ridiculous. In reference to the speeches, it was strange to see Wirimu Hikairo, an old warrior, and in their former wars their leader, at the head of the Christian Party, all pleading for peace; and declaring their intention, if peace were not made, to go into the besieged Pa, and remain there. This many did, to the annoyance of their warring friends, as, by close firing, they might shoot their own relatives. By noon, all was quiet It was Saturday; and, by common consent, all parties prepared for observing the morrow as a day of rest. I retired to the island, as the larger portion of the Christian Party wished to spend their Sabbath there. The war was on the mainland. This seemed an island of refuge. It looked peace in the midst of war.

June 11: Lord's Day --Morning, all quiet and Sabbath-like. Protestant, Papist, and Heathen, all seemed to acknowledge it a day of rest. It was fine, and we assembled to prayers to the amount of about 200. A quiet, solemn Service, and I was much impressed with the peculiar adaptation of many parts of our Liturgy to our peculiar situation. Hitherto I had held no communication with Epeha, the besieged Pa: however, I now visited it, to hold Evening Service, and to baptize some infants. As I approached it from the island, in a canoe, the prayer-bell rang. I landed, and walked slowly up to the Chapel, saluting no man by the way. My heart was too full to desire any converse or salutation. And is this Ephesus? --so named by themselves--said I, as I threw my eyes round upon the parapets and fortifications; "and was Paul once your warm and zealous teacher? now in his cold grave, hurried thither, and his place the theatre of war?" I saw all this as I turned into their neat Chapel to weep, to pray, and to exhort. The Chapel was full, but Paul's place was filled by another. I turned aside to weep, for I could not forbear. It may be called weakness. Joseph wept when he

had found a brother: surely I may be allowed to weep, when I so painfully discovered I had lost one. Well, we all wept; and then I recovered my calmness, and went through the duty that was before me with composure. It was a solemn duty to tell the truth, and, through the grace given me, I did so. I opened to them the responsibilities they incurred when they became the servants and soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were now engaged in a carnal warfare. "See to it," said I, "and pray that you may soon be delivered from this present evil." The Service concluded, I retired silently from the Chapel to the canoe; and, reaching the island, spent the remainder of the evening in quiet with such Christian Natives as had accompanied me thither.

July 8, 1848 --Reached Epeha--Ephesus --but how changed! Almost all the houses are pulled down, and carried over to the little island in the middle of the lake. The Chapel stands alone, and is to be removed also as soon as leisure can be found. Ihaia, the Teacher formerly acting with Paul, is a mild man, and of excellent character. He appears much cast down. I now deeply sympathized with him and with all. I had no place in my whole district so promising as this: now, nothing can appear more unpromising. Their breaking up their Pa, too, is, I think, a sad affair; yet all urged it as the most likely means of keeping peace, upon the ground that by their living on the island their enemies would feel less disposition to quarrel with them. The water is their natural defence. The Pa of their enemy may not always be so well defended.

July 9: Lord's Day --At Motutana, the island in Lake Rotokakahi: Epeha on the mainland, a quarter of a mile to the South-east of it. No Chapel here. Held Service in the Compound of Kohika, the principal Chief. About one hundred and fifty attended, very orderly and attentive. Weather prevented School. Evening Service in a large native house; myself very poorly from the cold. This has appeared a heavy day, I appear strange here now among those who formerly were foremost in every little interchange that cheers you in your Missionary visits. I pray "the Good Shepherd" to compassionate these, who "erred and strayed like lost sheep." How one sighs over such a state of things! and you can do nothing. Yes, you can pray for them. I remained here a couple of days, and then left for home, being still very poorly.