EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN N.Z.

NZ Truth, Issue 539, 16 October 1915, Page 12

EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN N.Z.

Samuel Marsden's Successors m the Mission Field

GLEANED FROM MANY SOURCES AND AUTHORITATIVE RECORDS

1814-1852

The Methodist Effort— A Second Attempt-Successful Issue

Book 4. — Chapter V. (Continued.)

Facts and Figures, Compiled by J. M. Forde,

The Foundation of Wellington — 1840 — Arrival of 1400 Immigrants — No Provision made for their Reception — The Roman Catholic Bishop arrives on a Visitation — Anger of the Methodist Missionary — He leaves Wellington and . his Floek — The Mission to Taranaki — The Story of Mount Egmont Arrival of Bishop Se,'wyn — Consternation m the Wesleyan Mission.

More food for thought here. The Maoris knew nothing of pens, ink and paper; they never learned to read and write; they had no books; their history hag come down by tradition from parent to son and so on. Yet we are told that the British and Foreign Bible Society sent 10,000 copies of the New Testament m the Maori language to a population which was never (aught to read, and who scrambled for the volumes. "Every marketable commodity was offered by the natives for those books." "Salt" please.

The vast number of emigrants landed upon these shores by the New Zealand Company, some of whom had been members of the Wesleyan Church m Great Britain, led ,tp the multiplication of stations and the erection of new premises, and added greatly to the perplexity, responsibility and labor of the missionaries. "Having new and extended spheres of usefulness thus suddenly thrown open tt> them, and a distressing paucity of appropriate means, they were under the necessity of pressing into their service all available resources of both settlers and native converts. But the Liord had for some time been raising, up a native agency to" meet this crisis, so that several of their members were so far advanced .m knowledge and experience as to be able to fill with some degree of respectability and efficiency, the situations of Sunday school teachers, leaders arid local preachers."

Another 5000 copies of the New Testament arrived from England, and tho local Methodist press produced 5000 Bcripture lessons, 3000 copies of an elementary school-book, G7OO catechisms and prayers, and 6700 prayera and hymns. At this period the missionaries occupied 13 stations; there were 3269* persons m Church fellowship and above 4000 children In the schools. Yet, with all the teaching, martial law was proclaimed on February 23, 1860. Many of the country settlers moved by fear, forsook their farms and came into the little town, which \vas soon crowded to excess; even churches and chapels were turned into lodging-houses; not a few died of disease, engendered by overcrowding: it was but the foretaste of the miseries of war. Most of the sufferers had labored for many years and had now to abandon the fruit of their labor. It was a sad day for them, when, from the top of their loads of baggage, they gave a last look at their rural homes, where the peach trees were laden with fruit, and the flower-beds scented the air. The cnttle, hqrses and sheep were quietly grazing m the fields; and the cows milked for the last time were quietly chewing the cud. These scenes of plenty and beauty were now to be exchanged for tho tumult and danger of the camp. (James Buller).

I.,et me get back to Strachan's journal again. " Writing of the civil history of tho country, Brown observes. 'Short as was the space of time from the formation of the colony m IS4O, until Captain FlUroy's arrival In December, 1813, the natives had m the meantime been maklnic vast progress In the knowledge of their own rights and inturcsta. and also m intelligence: and those tribeM m the habit of frequenting the townships wore fast adopting and conforming themselves to the manners of the JSuropwuia. In the townships the system of barter has ceased, and money has become the medium of oxchange. The natives can calculate the price as well as the Europeans. Many of the chiefs appear m town dressed as gentlemen and behave a« such. They have cultivated fields, sheep, cows, bullocks, horses, ploughs and pigs. A native woman, brought up with tho missionaries, Ifl an excellent seamstress, ami rears a large quantity of poultry and other stock which she brings to Auckland for Bale, usually putting the proceeds In the bank. A chief, living at a point on tho Walknto, keeps an hotel for tho convenience of passengers, and a man servant to wait at table, which 1h furnished with a cloth, plutes, forks and knives. Many of tho chiefs are removiug to tho neighborhood of Auckland, the capital; a proof of the progress of civilization and of llielr de«lre to cultivate a friendly intorcours*. 1 ."

Tho missionaries hutl bt-on 20 years In brlllßlng the tmtivos to a knowlodjfe of It-tiers, and t«> ilu- adoption of iho mentut mul practical habits Ju.-it tk>HCribed. Yet this K^ripral improvement m th«< state of noclcty, and cxtrriHion of knowledKt*. 1h not. say tlio brethron, wholly ultrlbuUible to tho "direct innuenco and Uvbors of tho lOuroponn missionaries, but ul«o 10 th« tiuuncliless ardor and zealous co-opt'i»ition of rho«o few im liven who were origlnaliy oonverieil to the Chrlullan ri-liirion. Having imbibed its princlplfK and udoj.ioJ ita dirtcSpllno and formalities tht-m---sclves. th»?y have boiw about unioiiK their friends from pa to pa and from vlllaffo to viUaec teachinK and i-.xhor:---injr. »nd rfprovlnjf, und hcMUtlwc lh<? need of divine truth with' both hands. Thun It waH that th«< word has bocn spread, and hn« hctm so rapidly and

extensively diffused amongst the people; and though many have doubtless espoused the form of Christianity from secondary motives, yet they have by this means placed themselves within vi reach or tne sound of the gospel, which we have a right' to expect will issue m the saving application of the power."

Now comes a wail from the Methodists. It will be easier to quote Strachan: "This work of natural regeneration was, however, suddenly checked by circumstances which we record with sorrow. The Rev. Samuel Marsden Originated and superintended the New Zealand mission until a bishop was appointed to New South Wales. New Zealand being a dependency of that colony, its ecclesiastical affairs were then placed under the jurisdiction of the bishop of, Sydney. His Lordship visited the islands m 1838, held an ordination and two confirmations, and consecrated burial grounds at Paihia and Kororareka. New Zealand being separated from New South Wales, and the directions of the New Zealand company having voted considerable grants •of money and land towards the establishment of an episcopal See, the Government acceded to the arrangement; and on October 17, 1841, the Rev. G. A. SeJwyn, of St. John's College, Cambridge, was consecrated first bishop of New Zealand. He arrived m the diocese on May 30. After calmly reflecting on Jus new position he wrote as follows: 'I find myself placed m a position such as was never granted to any English bishop before, with power to mould the Institution of the Church from the beginning according to, true principles.' '1 am fettered by no usages, subject to no fashions, influenced by no inspections ot other men; I can take 'that COUrso which seems to be best, and pursue it with unobtrusive perseverance. When we have been strengthened m our entrenched camp, we will I sally forth.'" [Visitation Journal, I part I].

Having created Archdeacons, "filled up other ecclesiastical offices and supported himself with confidential advisers, his lordship "sallied forth." But against whom was the first attack directed? Against • the cruel and inhuman atrocities ot the aboriginals, or the licentious orgies of his own countrymen, or the aggressions of Popery? No; there was a more serious obstruction than either of these m his way to episcopal supremncy: that once removed, the others might be treated as minor evils. There had grown up simultaneously with his own mission, another branch of the Protestant Church, very much like his own m doctrine, m. its forms of worship, and m its administration of Christian ordinances, but not under episcopal jurisdiction. Up to this period tho headquarters of the church brethren had been at the Bay of Islands, and those of the Wesleyans at Hoklanga; one sphere of operations stretching along the eastern coast as far as the river Thames and Poverty Bay, and the other along the western coast and Middle Island as far as Kawhla, Taranakl, Port Nicholson, Nelson. Cloudy Bay and Otago, with only a narrow strip of land between them. "The missionaries of both societies had lived in' peace and labored m harmony: 'The nntiVO converts of one connection being treated m all respects a.s if they were members of the other, and wisely kept m Ignorance of tho formalities of religion which distinguished the one set of rnisKionaricK from the other.' 'No sooner does the bishop arrive, however, than a line of demarcation is immediately drawn between the Wesleyan and the Church Mission natives, tho former not being allowed, as formerly, to partake of the sacrament with tho latter. The Wesleyan mission ones were described as not being of divine authority, and their teachings decried ass unwarranted and useless. The rilo of baptism performed by them must bo repeated by the bishop or his clergy, m order to be effectual. In his artlor for making converts for the Church ho has not rested satisfied with promulgating tho doctrines of Christianity, but has waged war with his fellow laborers, by denouncing their teachings as unsound. A.s this subject Is of the deepest importance to the peuco and welfare of Uie country, as well as tho spread of Christianity among the natives, every Information on tin* point should be communicated to th© British people." [ Brown's Now 'A*ulu.utl and It.-* aborigines. J

Hitherto tho tnLssionarlfH of both soclotiott had labored separately, each m hla own communion, and In accordance with thoai* distinctions of intornal nrrunuvmenls which were therein r»'co{fnl»«{U: y«M it luul bi-t-n v s»*p;ira« tion of love; H«-i>uruU> m form. Uni uniie«J m obj«?cr, m afTi-cUon, ill syniuathy. Hut bl» loritahip, m Jilh primary visitation of hi» t'hTjry and Urn dlfft-n-tit HtnlionH or tho Church inimdon, had cro«tod (i con.sidcr.iblo Hi-nnutlou by his bold and novel observations on tho Wcsleyan ml«slon. That lie might b«» fx*ttur uudcrntood by tht' nativea ho cond<-Ht-ond<-d to employ koiih« of th<-ir tlifurc« of Mpi.-och. dcHcribiiiß: tlu i Wesk'yan Church an .1 "crooked branch,