THE LATE REV. MR. WHITELEY.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1034, 26 March 1869, Page 3

THE LATE REV. MR. WHITELEY.

At a meeting in connection with the Wesleyan Church at Auckland, at which the Eev. Mr. J. Mackey (a Presbyterian Minister) presided, that gentleman in a , few words stated how the news of the murder of the Her. J.. Whiteley had cast a feeling of deep gloom over the community at large, and more particularly those to whom he was known most. Mr: Whiteley he said was well known for his gentlemanly bearing as well as his unexampled Christian conduct, and had labored in the cause of Christ in New Zealand for upwards of 37 years up to the time that he was struck down by the ruthless savage. Though in a few years the hand of war had devastated the work o£ half a century, still it was the hand of Almighty God. The Bey. Mr. Gould (Church of England), spoke at some length of the Bey. Mr. Whiteley and others who had indeed born the brunt of the fight, but who had now passed to their rest. He referred in particular to the Eev. Mr.. Volkner, who like their departed friend the Eev. Mr. Whiteley had been murdered by the ruthless hand of the savage. He showed how intimate was the friendship that existed, at all times between the Eev. Mr. Whiteley and Dr. Maunsell ; who, in fact, since the very first, when the missionaries were sent out to preach the gospel to the Maories by the Home Missionary Society, always seemed to go hand in hand with their Wesley an brethren, and so worked harmoniously together. The Eev. Mr. MacNicol (Presbyterian), alluded, in a very feeling manner, o the brutal murder of the Eev. J. Whiteley, of Taranaki, with whom he had been a laborer for several years ; that he had always found him a sincere worker in the cause of Christ, and one who was marked by his Christian qualities and manly bearing. He had often derived great encouragement from the manner in which he had always laboured, very often in the greatest danger to his life, for every minister seemed a marked man by the Hauhaus. Still he had thought that Mr. Whiteley's life would have been held sacred by them, as they had usually placed the greatest confidence in him. But though he regretted his death, he felt sure that the name of John Whiteley was another name added to tlie long list of tlie army of Christian martyrs. The Eev. Mr. Buller, speaking of the ■Eev. Mr. Whiteley, said— "Just as he had arrived at Auckland a gentleman came up to him and informed him of the death of Mr. Whiteley. He felt .as though he would have fallen on the deck of the ship. Ho went below and informed the Eev. Mr. Buller, who seemed thunder struck. By what dispensation had Divine Providence permitted that such a man, who had laboured so many years for the welfare of the Maori, who uad travelled so many miles in the service of religion. No one had ever exercised more selfdenial, or more earnestness, than their dear and reverend brother, who had so recently fallen. But let them still stand by the assurance that these tilings were suffered by Divine Providence for the good of man, who would, from these dreadful evils, educe glory to His holy name. There was nothing to expect from the Home Government, and the resources in this country to cope with such a difficulty were few. In the all-powerful aid of prayer they had a never-failing resource, and by resorting to it they might be persuaded this land would again be restored to peace." The impressive allusion to the lamented death of Mr. Whiteley moved not only the speaker himself, but several who were present also seemed deeply affected by it.