John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals!

JOHN PIPER John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals!

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For more biographies from John Piper, see Crossway’s series, The Swans Are Not Silent.

John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 1 ------1 ebrides H ew N arly Work in in Work arly E TeLondon Missionary Society sent another team to the from the London Missionary Society landed in . 1839 Both savages500fruit, than3, that“about 1854so[more byhalf the blood of martyrs; and Christ thereby told the whole Chris byterian Church in Scotland (coming in ) 1852 saw amazing ton wrote, “Tus were the New Hebrides baptized with the ). 75 ( own” His as islands these claimed he that world tian the island of Erromanga on November 20 of that year, only e popula e T Australia. and Hawaii between way the of thirds tiontodayaboutis190 000, . and was named Vanuatu. T e chain of Islands is about 450 lands were explored by Captain James Cook and named the minutes after going ashore. Forty-eight years Pa John later after Forty-eight minutes going ashore. miles long.If you draw a line straightfrom Honolulu toSyd ney, it will it throughcut ney, Vila,Portthecapital Vanuatu,twoof of these missionaries were killed and eaten by cannibals on New Hebrides because of the similarities with the Hebrides , the Is the , 1773 In Spain. of Quiros de Fernandez by discovered en of within seven months. But on the Island of Aneityum, Hebrides gained its independence from Britain and France Christian infuence before John Williams and James Harris IslandsNorthwesttheo f Scotland.coast Newofthe 1980 , In In 1606, a chain of eighty islands in the South Pacifc was Island Island of Tanna in 1842 , and these missionaries were driv John Geddie from the Presbyterian church in Nova Scotia

(coming in 1848) and John Inglis from Te Reformed Pres To To the best of our knowledge, the New Hebrides had no The John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 2 - - - - - 3 ] threw away their idols, renouncing their hea 2 facts as well as biblical truth: biblical as well as facts for Jesus. In Samoa, 34 ,000 Cannibals have professed Christian the population of Aneityum were said to be Christians. be to said were Aneityum of population the then customs and avowing themselves to be worshippers of the true Jehovah God” (77). When Geddie died in 1872, all population mean not to say that they are all model Christians; and of 133 the teachersevangelists.and Hebrides,Newour On 12than more, 000 umphs of the gospel. When certain people argued that the been lead to renounce their heathenism… In Fiji, ,000 79 Can istry of John G. Paton, who was born near Dumfries,nearScotland, born was who Paton, G. John istry of ity; and in nineteen years, its College has sent forth 206 Native nibals have been brought under the infuence of the Gospel; and . He sailed for the New Hebrides(via Newsailedthe 1824 forHe . May, 24the of th on conversion or civilization Paton fought back with mission ). 265 Gospel( the of same Aborigines. On our own Aneityum, 500 3 , Cannibals have Islands Islands in those days. In 1887 recorded Paton the wider tri Recall… what the Gospel has done for the near kindred of these Natives have been trained and sent forth as teacherspreachersasforthandbeentrainedsent and Nativeshave Cannibals have been brought to sit at the feet of Christ, through I 13 ,000 members of the Churches are professing to live and work The Context of Paton’s Ministry Paton’s ContextofThe . 33 of agethe at Australia), 1858 , Aprilwife16 Maryhiswith on Aborigines of Autstralia were subhuman and incapable of is is the remarkableTtheisis missionary lifethecontextandminfor Tis is part of a great work God was doing in the South Sea John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 3 - - - - slanders I Tnativese were cannibals and occasionally ate the fesh For the next four years he did extraordinarily efective sacrifce, killing the widows of deceased men so that they fouryears under incredible circumstances constant of danger seven miles by two,” 312). Tey labored together for 41 years time to the smaller island of Aniwa (“It measures scarcely pitiate this or that Evil spirit, to prevent calamity or to secure re and in March the next year both his wife and his newbornsonhis wifeandhis yearboth nextMarch the in and tribeSacredownitshad Man…. Texercisedey extraordinaryan to have the disposal of life and death through their sacred ceremo . 81 was Paton John when 1905 in died Margaret until the islandFebruary,thewasin1862driven . o untilf he magnitude magnitude of their labors and the of their wonders fruitful mobilization work for the Presbyterian mission to the New marriedagain 1864inhisandtookwife, , Margaret, backthis ness if we see some of whattheynessofsee someweif faced. nies….T eyalso worshipped the spirits of departed ancestors and infuenceforevil, these village ortribal priests, andwere believed of theirof defeated foes. Teypracticed infanticide andwidow destitution of the islanders. It will help us appreciate the ): 334 , 69 ( world next the in husbands their serve could died of the fever. He served alone on the island for the next Hebrides, travelling around Australia and Great Britain. He venge. Tey deifed their Chiefs… so that almost every village or

The Destitution of the of Destitution The When they came to Aniwa in November, 1866, they saw the eir Teir worship was entirely a service of its fear, aim being to pro Teyreached their appointed, November5 island on Tanna of John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 4 ------4 In the nextthefIn fteenyears,andMargaretthe saw John Paton feared the spirits and sought their aid; especially seeking to pro sus,” 317). “Mrs. Paton taught a class of about ffty women translated and printed and expounded the Scriptures… min Scriptures… the expounded and printed and translated pitiatethose who presided over war and peace, famine and plenty, and travelling around the world trumpeting the cause of mis of cause the trumpeting world the around travelling and all the villages to preach the gospel. the preach to villages the all ey became experts at sewing, singing and plait and singing sewing, at experts became ey T girls. and worships at the feet” Savior’s (When). 312 he was 73 years old worshipservices every Lord’s Dayand sentnative teachers to So he learned the language and reduced it to writing (). 319 health and sickness, destruction and prosperity, life and death. heroes, through their material idols of wood and stone…. T ey gospel and from the fact that thousands on Aneityum had ing hats, and reading” ( 377). Tey “trained the Teachers… istered to the sick and dying… dispensed medicines every entire island of Aniwa turn to Christ. Years later he wrote, “I day… day… taught them the use of tools…” etc. ( 378 ). Tey held of their lives ). ( 74 But he took heart from the power of the dered whether these people could be brought of to weavingthe Christianpoint ideas into the spiritual consciousness claimedAniwa Jesus, for and the graceby God Aniwa of now come to Christ. to come He built orphanages trained(“We these young people for Je Paton admitted that at times his heart wavered as he won

I couldI learn, theyGodideahad).mercyno ofa of graceor72 ( The Fruit of Paton’s Labor Paton’s of Fruit The Teir whole worship was one of slavish fear; and, so far as ever John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 5 ------Au T e 7

and creating a dictionary for his 6 Even to his death he was translat 5 in three parts from 1887 to 1898. Almost all we Today, allthese yearsaboutToday, sincePaton, deaththe John of Paton outlived his second wife by two years and died in During his years of labor on the islands Paton kept a jour a kept islandsPaton the on labor of yearshis During In telling Paton’s story, I want to focus particularly on Paton’slife? What did Paton’s courage achieve? courage Paton’s did What courage WheredidPaton’s comefrom? Whatkinds circumstancesof called couragefor in

sions in the South Seas,Souththein was stillsions he ministering hisbeloved to ces and the legacy of the missionaries to the New Heb New the to missionaries the of legacy the and sacrices f of the population being evangelical. being population the of 21% perhaps tian, the great ones. great the his courage: his ). 451 ( more any them with be couldn’t he when even people know of his work comeshisthatfromworkknow book,ofwhich availableis in tobiography wan Language” in . 1897 nal and notebooks and letters from which he wrote his ing hymns and catechisms rides are stunning, and John G. Paton stands out as one of one volume now fromthevolumeBannernow Trust.one Truth of 85% of the population of Vanuatu identifes itself as Chris

Aniwan people and “published the New Testament in the Anithein Testament AniwanNewthe and“published people . 1907 , 28 January on Australia › › › John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 6 - - - Another kind of criticism for going was that he would Paton’s Life? Paton’s by cannibals!” Te memory of Williams and Harris on Er be leaving a very fruitful ministry. Paton had served for tried to persuade him to stay in that ministry.that argued He he reported that ten years as a city missionary in urban Glasgow among the his story so invigorating. so story his pect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I What Kinds of CircumstancesofKinds What CalledCourage for in lowerincome people with tremendous success. Hundreds of the Lord Jesus, it will make no diference to me whether I am unchurched people were attending his classes and services from respected elders for going to the New Hebrides. New the to going forrespected eldersfrom mark Paton’s wholebigpartlife.a mark whatPaton’s It’s of makes reading ministertheof congregation where hadhe served as an elder romangayearswasthis onlyto 19 responded: Butold. Paton duringthe week. One ofhis loved professors ofdivinity and urrectionbodywill rise asfair as yours inthelikeness ofourrisen confesstoyou, that ifcanI but live and die serving and honoring He had courage to overcome the criticism he received he criticism the overcome to courage had He eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Res

). 56 ( Redeemer Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own pros A Mr. Dickson exploded, “Te cannibals! You will be eaten Tis is the kind of in-your-face spiritual moxie that would John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 7 - - turn back. turn pneumoniaand diarrhea with delirium fortwo weeks. probably fall away; that I was leaving certainty for uncertain third. To crown sorrows,mythird. To andcomplete loneliness,my dearthe ty—work in which God had made me greatly useful, for work blessed my labors; that if I lef those now attending my Classes joy!” ). (79 Mary had reaped attacks of ague and fever and whether whether I was carrying out the Divine will, or only some head warm Christian fiends, that I was sorely tempted to question in which I might fail to be useful, and only throw away my life of sorrows was treading hard upon the heels of that great He and his wife arrived on the island of Tanna November 5, given me peculiar qualifcations, and in which He had so largely press on when he did in fact lose them. losefact in did he whenpress on He had courage to risk losing his loved ones, and to to ones,and loved his losing risk to courage had He strong wish of my own. Tis also caused me much anxiety, and In fact Paton says, Paton fact In ). 56 ( prayer” in God to close me drove 12,.1859 “Our island-exile thrilled with joy! But the greatest 1858, and Mary was pregnant. Te baby was born February ). 55 ( Cannibals amongst and Meetings, they might be scattered, and many of them would Green Street Church was doubtless the sphere for which God had We We will see shortly how he rose above these temptations to Ten in a moment, altogether unexpectedly, she died on March Te opposition was so strong fom nearly all, and many of them John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 8 ------fculties, dangers, and deaths…. But for Jesus, and the fellowship ful circumstances; but feeling immovably assured that my God by the house he had built:had he housethe by morethanvaintryto ) paint tosorrows!my 79 ( ) 80 lonelygrave!the( bor to which the Lord had Himself so evidently led me, my rea baby-boy, whom we had named af er her father, Peter Robert hev ouchsafedto me there, mustI have gone mad and died beside alone, and in sorrow in and alone, le f resigned, be to fcult di very was It land. neathmassivethis courage man’s andtoil: experience the loss and press on alone was supernatural: was alone on press and loss the experience Here Here we get a glimpse of the theology that we will see under He dug the two graves with his own hands and buried them or permits, I looked up to the Lord for help, and struggled on in of March. Let those who have ever passed through any similar son seemed for a time almost to give way. T e ever-merciful Lord sustained me… and that spot became my sacred and much-f e quented shrine, during all the following months and years when darkness as of midnight feel for me; as for all others, it would be Stunned by that dreadful loss, in entering upon this feld of la andFatherwiseandlovingtoowaserranythingdoes to inhe that I felt her loss beyond all conception or description, in that dark I labored on for the salvation of the savage Islanders amidst dif Robson, was taken fom me af er one week’s sickness, on the 20th ). 85 ( workHis e courageTe risktothe losswasthing. one the courageBut to John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 9 - - For example, as he was building a new house to get to farewell of old Abraham, of my mission work, and of everything the fever that took his wife and son lay at the door. the at lay son and wife his took that fever the these attacks would mean his own death. Imagine struggling higher, healthier ground, he collapsed with the fever on his press on month after month, year after year, knowing that the root of a tree to keep me fom rolling to the bottom, I took the light of such dispensations, it becomes us all to love and serve way up thesteepupway hill fromthecoast: with a life-and-death sickness over and over with only one landwithnodoctors andescape.no lyneeded for his service here; but this Ido know and feel, that, in wherein God calls away the young, the promising, and those sore promising, those young, and the the calls away God wherein come with him to the island to help him.help islandtheto withhimto come He revived and was restored. But only great courage could companion,).quietsleepaandfellinto 106 ( cluded I was dying. Lying down on the ground, sloped against ourblessed readyhiscallLordmayatbeJesusdeathweforthat so Christian native friend—a man named Abraham who had He had courage to risk his own sickness in a foreign a in sicknessown his risk to couragehad He In view of his wife’s death he never knew when any one of

around! In this weak state I lay, watched over by my faithful ). 85 ( eternity and I do not pretend to see through the mystery of such visitations— When about two-thirds up the hill I became so faint that I con that I so faint became hill up the two-thirds When about “Fever and ague had attackedague fourteenhadand). times “Fever me severely” 105 ( John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 10 - Day read like a thriller. In Autobiography [the mission ship] was wrecked, we lost a darling child by And it’s not as if these dangers were only during one season duringone onlythesedangers ifwere as not it’s And My My enemies seldom slackened their hateful designs against from one savage crisis to the next. One wonders how his faithful dog Clutha would give a sharp bark and awake me…. beambushed along yousurvivedoHow the way. when there threat to his life from the hostilities of the natives. the of hostilities the from life his to threat hisfwasrstfour yearsallhewhen Tanna alone, movedon he spring at the beginningmissionarythehis at of life.Fifteen yearswith later anotherwifeanotheranotherandisland,records,child on he my life, however calmed or baf ed for the moment…. A wild my clothes on, that I might start at a moment’s warning. May would be surrounded with angry natives or his party would ). 384 ( dying asreported was and fever… rheumatic severe with low mind kept from snapping, as he never knew when his house is no kickbackno is time?unwinding. No surerefugeNo earth. on He writes:He chief followed me around for four hours with his loaded musket, He had courage to persevere amid the almost constant almost the persevere amid to courage had He )… 178 ( livesoursaving death, my dear wife had a protracted illness, and I was brought very brought was I and illness, protracted a had wife dear my death,

and, though ofen directed towards me, God restrained his hand. I spoke kindly to him, and attended to my work as if he had not , when the the whenhurricanes, During , the April,January f1873 to om Our continuous danger caused me now ofentimes to sleep with God made them fear this precious creature, and ofen used her in is is what makes his his makes what is Tis John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 11 - - - [Once] [Once] when natives in large numbers were assembled at my scolded them for their bad behavior even as they held the ax felt immortal till my work was done. Trials and hairbreadth es to his assailants. He often rebuked them to their faces and my trembling hand clasped in the hand once nailed on Calvary, miniChief snatched spadea withwhichhad been I working, and take my life. Seeing that I was entirely in their hands, I knelt ). 117 treadheelsdidswifollow;theyandother’s( each fto upon ly with danger is the gutsy forthrightness with which he spoke beenthere, fullypersuaded placedGodhad mythere, methat and house, a man furiously rushed on me with his axe but a Kaseru what seemed the last time on earth. Rising, I went out to them, wouldprotect tillmeallottedmy task wasf nished.Looking inup over hishead.over capes strengthened my faith, and seemed only to nerve me for morecapesstrengthenednervefor seemed and meto onlyfaith, my all in his hands,hisand in le all Jesus, I Lorddear f our unceasing to prayer onebrief hour, when or how attack might bemade; and yet, with One of the most remarkable things about Paton’s dealing stancesled me to cling very near to the Lord Jesus; knewI not, for some of the Chiefs, who had attended the Worship, rose and said, dexterously defended me fom instant death. Life in such circum down and gave myself away body and soul to the Lord Jesus, for

)… 115 ( allthose whohateyou” and began calmly talking about their unkind treatmentand contrastingof me it with all my conduct towards them…. At last armed men, and a chief intimated that they had assembled to One morning at daybreak I found my house surrounded by “Ourconduct has been bad; but now we will f ghtfor you, and kill John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 12 - - - Once a nativeOncea named Iancalled hissickbed,to andPaton four miles till I reached the Mission House, faint, yet praising four God miles House, Mission yet the faint, till praising I reached ). deliverance191 a ( such for ere passed a few moments of awful suspense. My My suspense. awful of moments few a passed Tere Himself. with ry tilities, setting the evils of war before them, and pleading ton, blaming him for an epidemic, and made siege against himand his little band Christians.of Tere were spectacular he would make it his aim to keep warring factions separated, as Paton leaned over him, he pulled a dagger and held it to andwould throw himself between them and argue for peace. the Lord to spare me, or if my time was come to take me home to Glohometo takeme timetocome was my spareme,if orto Lord the with the leading men to renounce it” ). He139 ( would go to have courage to die. to courage have leaf. leaf. And cried to me, “Go, go quickly!”… I for ran my life a weary neverknowing whatwasanambush andwhatwasnot. close calls and a miraculous deliverance from fre by wind Paton’sheart: visit his enemies when they were sick and wanted his help, He had courage in the face of criticism that he did not did he that criticism of face the in courage had He sight went sight and came. Not a word had been spoken, except to Jesus;

and then Ian wheeled the knife around, thrust it into the sugar cane cane sugar the into it thrust around, knife the wheeled Ian then and and now swaying the scepter of the universe, ). calmness117 ( and soul peace my in abode resignation and I durst neither move nor speak, except that my heart kept praying to to praying kept heart my that speak,except nor move neither durst I After four years, the entire island population rose against Pa against rose population island entire the years, four After Ashiscourage increased hisdeliverancesand multiplied,were “Goingamongst them every Idid day, myutmost to stop hos John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 13 - - - is Courageis Achieve? H In response to this, after four years of risking his life the island. the f o him take to time in just arrived ship ken to my face. One dear fiend, for instance, said, “You should the island of Aniwa and around the world. the around and Aniwa of island the he turned his missionary heart to Aniwa. And this time the his wife and child in the process. But instead of going home, have remembered that in Glasgow for ten years he had had hundreds of times and losing his wife and child, he re pressed on for another four decades of fruitful ministry on and rain ), and215 ( fnally a wonderful answer to prayer as a What Did What unprecedentedsuccess as an urban missionary. forNowfour lef all results in the hands of my only Lord, and all criticisms to years he seemed to have accomplished nothing and he lost ing away from the mission at a moment likecouragethat.momentBut a mission the atfrom away ing nothavele should fYou . havestood atthepostofduty till youfell. could have meant the end of Paton’s missionary couldPaton’s life.He of endmeant thecouldhave counts this incident: this counts O, how easy it would have been for him to respond by walk Four years of seemingly fruitless and costly labor on Tanna

). 223 ( others” and It would have been to your honor, and better for the cause of the Mission, had you been killed at the post of duty like the Gordons His unerring judgment. Hard things also were occasionally spo Consciousthathad, I tothelast inch oflife, tried todo myduty, I The entire island of Aniwa turned to Christ. to turned Aniwa of island entire The John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 14 ------Autobiog , he says, was to record God’s “marvelous goodness in frst four years in the Mission-feld on Tanna, I wondered… why raphy story was diferent. “I claimed Aniwa for Jesus, and by the rides, to claim another island and still another for Jesus. Tat that awakened thousands to the call of missions and and missions of call the to thousands awakened that pray, in thisin littlepray, book: and around the world. For example,etellsthewhataroundfandForus world.ecthethe usingmy humble voice and pen, and the story of my life, for tralianPresbyterianism livingaawith f ectiontheseIslandersfor best work of all my life, namely the kindling of the heart of Aus strengthened the home church. homestrengthened the ). (312 feet” Savior’s the at worships now Aniwa God, of grace work,and all that may spring f omit in Time and Eternity, nev interesting thousands and tens of thousands in the work of ing, and providing me materials wherewith to accomplish, the of his home tour was on his own small Reformed Presbyte clearly perceive… that the Lord was thereby preparing me for do Missions” 220). ( And the infuence goes on today—even, I of their own Southern Seas… and in being the instrument under er could have been accomplished by me but for frst the suferings ) 223 – 222 ( enterprise! Tanna my of story the then and Ofentimes, while passing through the perils and defeats of my God permitted such things. But on looking back now, I already er Missionary to the New Heb New the to aMissionary fer Missionary out sending of God Andtheawakening wasjustAustralia,in not Scotlandinbut The courageous endurance on Tanna resulted in a storya in resulted Tanna on courageousendurance The e Te reason Paton wrote the second volume of his John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 15 ------he tells stories of particular con particular of stories tells he Autobiography So So in his blessing for the mission feld and for the church at home in thegospel as wrotehe the story hisof life. wantedHe giveto tude to be able to proclaim, at the close of my tour… that of people. Debts that had burdened many of the ChurchesManspeople.andburdenedthe had of manyDebts that perity at home. New waves of liberality passed over the heart of her heartofliberality theofpassed over wavesperityhome. New at allher ordained Ministers, onein every six was Missionarya ways he could have never dreamed in the midst of his dangers. his of midst the in dreamed never have could he ways widespread than that—and here is a lesson for all churches: all for lesson a is here that—and than widespread her zeal for Missions accompanied, if not caused, unwonted pros ness on Tanna. “I was… flled with a high passion of grati rian Church after his four years of pain and seeming fruitless seeming and pain of years four his after Church rian does transformunlikelydoessocieties.theirmostand the people evidence to skeptical modern men that the gospel can and on Tanna, in spite of apparent fruitlessness, bore fruit in of theCross!”Indeedof 280thee). ( f farwereects homemore at came to say farewell to Paton: to farewell say to came Paton had an eye to the sophisticated European despisers of pel to convert the hardestpeople. convertthe to pel verts like Kowia, a chief on Tanna. When he was dying he His persevering work vindicated the power of the gos the of power the vindicated perseveringwork His In other words, the courageous perseverance of John Paton es were swept away. Additional Congregations were organized.

an honorable and independent Union with her larger, wealthier, ). 280 Scotlandof Church( progressive Freemoreand the sister, Nor did the dear old Church thus cripple herself; on the contrary, , the Reformedthe Presbyterianenteredinto , Church 1876 May, in And John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 16 ------fromAneityum absolutely trustworthyand Paton’s helper on reality of conversion?… I knew that day, and I know now, that ral”personmanaroundallCannibaltheinof Heathen,and and place of graves; there he lay down… and slept in Jesus; and there terof light and beauty. What think ye of this, ye skeptics as to the there is one soul at least fom toTanna sing the glories of Jesus in the faithful Abraham buried him beside his wife and children. themChristrealitythatman wasa in a f skepticismall!theAller ham, nursing them, feeding them, saving them ‘ for the love Je would dissolve under one glance of the new light that Jesus, and yearned to plant them just one week on Tanna, with the “natu ness to Europeannessto skeptics: not converts,one of Paton’s but he was a converted cannibal of God and the love of Jesus changed, transf gured into a charac ofEurope would hide itshead infoolish shame; and all itsdoubts only the one “spiritual”one the only converted Abra person the manof in the sus’—that I might just learn how many hours it took to convince scribblersand talkers, hinting that there was no reality in conver sions,missionthatand e f heartwaste,ortbutwasmyhowhas oh, When I have read or heard the shallow objections of irreligious Tanna during all his time there. So Paton writes again in wit Jesusand with Jesus!”… Abraham sustained him, tottering tothe Jesusalone, poursconvertedf theom Cannibal’s). 107 eye( Heaven—and,) rapturemeetwhentheoh,160 I himthere! ( Andthen, course,of there was Abrahamold himself. wasHe Tus died a man who had been a cannibal chief, but by the grace “Farewell,Missi, amI very near death now; wewill meet again in John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 17 - - - . But

It came fom God , even if you don’t read anything else. rigin? O ts ts I Autobiography Tere was a small room, the “closet” where his father something profound about God. T e impact on John Paton be a father like this. like father a be than lengthen the list here. list the lengthen than he would also want us to see what precious means God used and, if possible, apply them to ourselves and our situation. our and ourselves to them apply possible, if and, his courage achieved was, in fact, a vindication of the value ) victoriousthe 8 appeal,( I?” walkedGod,not “Hemaywith why tastrophe to be swept out of memory, were blotted fom my under Where Did Paton’s Courage Come From? CourageFrom? Come Paton’s Did Where Was What was immense: was would go for prayer, as a rule after each meal. Te eleven wept as I read this section, it flled me with such longing to of the children knew it and they reverenced the spot and learned of all that produced his courage. So let’s turn to that, rather causein reality our second and third question overlap. What Maybe it’s because I have a daughter and four sons, but I Hiscourage came from hisfather. standing, my soul would wander back to those early scenes, and shut itself up once again in that Sanctuary Closet, and, hearingwithdoubt all backGod, crieswouldhurl to those of echoes the still

Tough everything else in religion were by some unthinkable ca Te tribute Paton pays to his godly father is worth the price Te answer he would want us to say is: e Te list could go on as to couragewhat Paton’s achieved be John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 18 ------How much my father’s prayers at this time impressed me I can forty-mile walk. Forty years later Paton wrote, Paton walk.forty-mileyearslater Forty father and the power of the impact on John’s life of uncompro lifeof John’s impacton the of power theandfather become a city missionary in his early twenties. From his home his From twenties. early his in missionary city a become knees and all of us kneeling around him in Family Worship, he town of Torthorwald to thetrain to Torthorwald of townKilmarnock station at was a to leave home and go to Glasgow to attend divinityandattend school to Glasgow to go and home leave to place;grasped he f hand my rmlyminute silence,in a for and then poured out his whole soul with tears for the conversion of the Hea om all evil!”all f om you keepand you, prosper God ther’s mestic need, we all felt as if in the presence of the living Savior, andSavior,living the presenceof the in if asmesticfelt need,all we then world to the service of Jesus, and for every personal and do his shoulders. His lips kept moving in silent prayers for me; and his tears fell fast when our eyes met each other in looks for which low, but in later years white as streamedsnow) like a girl’s down e time came for the young Paton Paton young the for cametime e T purity. courageandmising ). Divineourlearnedas21 flovehim knowand iend ( to ney are fesh in my heart as if it had been but yesterday; and tears never explain, nor could any stranger understand. When, on his carrying hat in hand, while his long fowing yellow hair yel (then counsels and tears and heavenly conversation on that parting jour One scene best captures the depth of love between John and his and John between love of depth the capturesbest scene One solemnly and af ectionately said: “God bless you, my son! Your fa er in almost unbroken silence—my as father, was ofen his custom,

all speech was vain! halted We on reaching the appointed parting away away to the scene. For the last half mile or so we walked on togeth eely now as then,aswheneverfcheeksas now eelymemory my on mesteals are My My dear father walked with me the f rst six miles of the way. His John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 19 - - Unable to say more, his lips kept moving in silent prayer; in feltsure, stillrising prayersin forme.watchedI through blinding toGod, and was resolved toaim atbeing missionarya theof the South Seas; and I saw that few were caring for them, whilecaringthem,wereforfew that saw Seas;I Southandthe plinewasimmeasurable. couldsaid.morebe much So tears,gaze;then,formandfadedtillhisfmyhastening om my on tears we embraced, and parted. I ran o f as fast as I could; and, heartcarryfulltoowastoandsore dartedfurther, meI so intothe looking out for me! He did not see me, and afer he gazed eagerly way, vowed deeply and of, by the help of God, to live and act so whenabout turnto corner a inroadthewhere wouldhe lose sight of his studies in divinity in Glasgow at the age of 32, he says, inmydirection for while,a hegot down, set his face toward home, cross,ministera or theof gospel” As 21came). he( theto end Before he was 12 years old, Paton says, “I had given my soul climbed the dike to see if he yet stood where I had lejusthim;andhad stoodwheref Iyet he ifsee climbeddiketo the of me, I looked back and saw him still standing with head uncov head with standing still him saw and looked me, back I of ). 26 – 25 ( me given His courage came from a deep sense of divine calling. divine of sensedeep a from camecourage His side of the road and wept for a time. Ten, rising up cautiously, I I wellI knew that many would readybe taketo inworkmy up ered where I had lef him—gazing afer me. Waving my hat in

as never to grieve or dishonor such a father and mother as he had and began to return—his head still uncovered, and his heart, I at that moment I caught a glimpse of him climbing the dyke and adieu,roundedI cornerthe instant. ansight inandofout Butmy e e T impact of his father’s faith and prayer and love and disci “I continually heard… the wail of the perishing Heathen in John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 20 - -

When he wascriticizedWhenhe leaving fruitfulfor a ministry, one ). ( 57 yourhire for HeathenWorld fthe om er yourself!’” fer o and rise got, be canquali ed f better traced its lineage back to the Scottish Covenanters and had his parents: his praise God for the decision to which you have been led. Your fa land, one of the oldest but smallest Protestant churches. It leading me to, the Foreign Mission feld” (). 57 Tat sense may accept your ofering, long spare you, and give you many souls mother laid you upon the altar, their frst-born, to be consecrated, this very decision; and we pray with all our heart that the Lord ther’sheart was set upon being Minister,a but other claims forced would never look back. look never would him to give it up. When you were given to them, your father and in it in a strongit sense valorof for the cause theof great truths of if God saw f t, as a Missionary of the Cross; and it has been their of duty and calling bred in him an undaunted courage that doubtas pathmyto dutyof forever vanished. sawI the hand of God very visibly, not only preparing me before, but now crucialevent sealed his sense calling,of namely, wordfroma Paton wasPaton part of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scot constant prayer that you might be prepared, qualifed, and led to inhischurch. Calton” (). 52 “T e Lord kept saying within me, ‘Since none His courage came from a sense of the holy heritage holy the of sense a from camecourage His In response to that Paton wrote, “From the moment, every

Heretoforefearedbiaswe to you, mustnowbutwetell youwhy we John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 21 - - - , , “I am by conviction a Autobiography Oh, Jesus!Tee aloneTo be all the glory. Tou hast the key to e Te truths he has in mind are the robust doctrines of Cal strongcon fdencethat God can and will change the hearts of ). For himthis For a seen,meant, have strong as Calvinist” we ). 195 ( blood blood of Martyrs is in my veins, and their truths in my heart, nal source to mention of Paton’s courage is not surprising. not courageis Paton’s of mention to fsourcenalthe the most unlikely people. His Reformed doctrine of regenera wascrucialtion maintaining in here hiscourage facethe inof the Reformation. Paton once wrote, “I am more proud that the that proud more am “I wrote, once Paton Reformation. the ). 280 ( names”royal pedigree or noble of canbe men thanother humanly impossible odds. Commenting the on of conversion was not a hindrance to missions but the hope of missions for ). 85 ( work” His in on gled heart and soul, and is in every case one and the same. Conversion, )… will,(372 neversouls”even isabsolutelytwo sameperhapsin the does permits, or I looked to theup Lord and help, for strug one native,one said:he child’sgrave: “Feeling immovably assured that my God and of God controlling all adversities. all controlling God of unlockevery heart thatThasoucreated ). (373 on the otherhand,the bringingon actionhumanplaytheinto thealso of vinism. He said vinism. in his His courage came from confidence in the sovereigntythe in confidencefrom camecourage His In other words, Calvinism, contrary to all misrepresentation, Father was too wise and loving to err in anything that he John Paton and hundreds of other missionaries like him. So

Regeneration is the sole work of the Holy Spirit in the human We We have already seen the words he wrote over his wife and John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 22 ------Over and over this faith sustained him in the most threat most the in him sustained faith this over and Over fngers, without the permission of Jesus Christ, whose is all power zation and then of work on Aniwa: on work of then and zation from Tanna at the end of four years of dangers, he and Abra had on earthlittleearthlyon had (“my All”), insteaddespairing of or ham were surroundedraginghamwereurging bynativeskept each who me, and of which at this moment neither I nor anyone had ever pouting or being paralyzed with self-pity, he moved forward ). 207 SeasSouth( the of Savage eventhe restrainsmate,and that I was I that immortal till myMaster’s work with me was done. T e rst of missions mobili missions of frst him, to ministry in the opened that in Heaven and on Earth.rulesHeavenonand in He Nature,animateall inaniand not a musket would be fred to wound us, not a club prevail to killingthe thrown,a stonearrowor anbe bow,not leave to the ing expectingtosee God’s good purpose in time—which hesaw other to strikeotherto thefrstblow: ening and frightening situations. As he was trying to escape of of all these interests, that I might with undistracted mind de strike us, not a spear leave the hand in which it was held vibrat scene. My peace came back to me like a wave fom God. I realized ). 220 ( dreamed”

assurance came me, to as if v a oice out of Heaven had spoken, that My My heart rose up to the Lord Jesus; I saw Him watching all the Of en since have I thought that the Lord stripped me thus bare votemyentire energy tothespecial work soon tobecarved out for Aftergetting awaywith his life and losing everything that he John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 23 - - - - - , that he Dayspring 8 formerly, owing to an increased feebleness in my legs and lumba so disappointed, so miserable,” he wrote about one period of tort the man if we said there were no low moments. “I felt time, it seems, where life was And where it time, seems, very dis we easy. would had worked so hard to fund, was sunk in a storm, he wrote: he storm, a in sunk was fund, to hard so worked had his travels, “that I wished I had been in my grave with my ). 488 glory( Godthe of again and again. When the mission ship, ship, mission the When again. and again takes! When we see all His meaning, we shall then understand, ly intermingled”ly hisinlife. 247)period long( wasTere of no have never had the trial of doubting that perhaps, afer all, Jesus hadmade some mistake. blessedmy No! LordJesus makes nomis what now we can only trustfully believe that all is well—best for island Aniwa: island name of the Lord.” But the way out was clear, and he used it Nearhistheofend life, wasageheat back ,79 his on beloved dear departed and my brethren on the Islands who had fall en around me” ). 232 ( It was not always easy after the words, us, best for the cause most dear to us, best for the good of othersgoodofcauseandus, theus,thedearmostbestforbestfor to go. Whichpainfulgo.islast the fortnight.for ourMasterasButallis sends it, and we submit thankfully, as all is nothing to what we deserve; and adored be our God. have We in our dear Lord Jesus [grace] for peace and joy in all circumstances. all in joy and peace for [grace] I cannot visit the villages, or go among the people and the sick, as Whatever trials have befallen me in my Earthly Pilgrimage, I Year after year, “disappointments and successes were strange “Te Lord has taken to add away,” the words, “Blessed be the John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 24 - - - - - Paton had 9 Tis is what trustedPaton God for in claiming 10 His courage when he was surrounded by armed natives said to her children, “O my children, love your Heavenly Fa supply your wants so far as it shall be for your good and His some of his servants (Luke 11:; 49 21: 12 –). 18 So the promises ther, ther, tell him in faith and prayer all your needs, and he will trusting in those promises and were martyred? the promises: that God would do what was for good Paton’s take me home to Glory as you see to be for the best.” He portsWhenit. thepotatofailed crop Scotland,in Mrs. Paton and for his own glory. ownhis for and learned the answer to this question from listening to his knew that Jesus had promised sufering and martyrdom to ed up my hands and eyes to to eyes and hands my up lif ed then I Earth. on been ever had I than to or me protect to Jesus…either aloudfor prayed and Heavens, the ). 164 ( best the for be to saw He asGlory to home me take would work most for God’s glory and his good. his and glory God’s for most work would glory”). 22 ( mother pray, even before he learned the theology that sup your wife was equally faithful but, rather than being protect would take me to be with Himself in Heaven, and to be far happier far be to and Heaven, in Himself with be to me take would ed, died; and when the Gordons on Erromanga were equally der der the overarching submission to God’s wisdom as to what mitted to God’s sovereign wisdom. sovereign God’s to mitted came through a kind of praying that claimed the promises un promises the claimed that praying of kind a through came How How do you claim the promises of God for protection when Hiscourage came through kindaof praying that sub

aid to die, for at death my Savior my death at for die, to afaid not was I that them assured I… Tat was how he prayed again and again: “Protect me or… John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 25 - - - After 11 , em , 164 ( will men’s when 12 in His own good time and 13 My heart ofen says within itself—when, e peace God gave him in these crises was not the peace of of peace the not was crises these in him gave God peace e T fame on the souls by them blessed and brought to the Savior? sure escape but the peace that God is good and wise and om throughdisposeor methereinof for His glory, couldI never he claimed were both: either protect me or take me home in ). 148 ( journey” either undertaken have a way that will glorify you and do good for others. assurance that… in every path of duty He would carry me prayer and send help to His servants phasisadded). ). 197 ( sight” his in best seemed what do to omnipotent and the ignorant, the outcast, and the lost, and write their eternal true God—a heritage which the world… cannot give to them, but which the poorest and humblest followers of Jesus inherit way, way, so far as it shall be for His glory and their good? nipotent and will do all things well. “We felt that God was near, near, was God that felt “We well.things all do will and nipotent nounce their shallow fivolities, and go to live amongst the poor, one harrowing journey he wrote, “Had it not been for the only taste and feel the real joy of those who know and love the not be surpassed anywhere in any other ministry. other any in anywheresurpassed be not His courage came from a joy in God that he knew could could knew he that God in joy a from camecourage His eyes at home be opened? When will the rich and the learned… re danger’s hour, than the Lord Jesus hastens to answer believing

) 78 ( enjoy! and Did ever mother run more quickly to protect her crying child in Ohthat the pleasure-seeking men and women of the world could John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 26 - - 14 —when I breathe the prayer that it that prayer the breathe I —when to live and die in carrying Jesus and His Gospel His carryingand in Jesus die and live to IsLife worth living? I deeply rejoice deeply I nd the same joy: same the nd f and mission same the throughthepromise, amwith“Lo,alway.” I you their pride and joy and pride their and Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” answer, it seems, is that it rested most deeply in is it seems, the deeply that most expe it answer, rested mayplease blessed turnhearts the to allchildren Lord the of to my the Mission Field and that He may open up their way and makeand it way their open mayup He MissionFieldthat and the brink of eternity. of brink who have never yet heard the Name of Jesus. Nothing that has been has that Nothing Jesus. of Name the heard yet never have who , emphasis added). emphasis , 444 ( World! Heathen the of heart the into never again ask— again never rience of personal communion with Jesus Christ mediated Near the end of his life he wrote about the joy that carriedthathim joy the about wrote he life his of end the Near thatchildrenundertake hisown would his hope about and on use it as before in similar ministries of love, especially amongst those those amongstespecially love, ministries of similar in before as it use one quiver of hesitation lay it on the altar to Christ, that He might He Christ, that to altar the on it hesitationlayquiver of one on the contrary, contrary, the on vice in which any human any inwhich vice being, can spend spent; or be and that, if Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations… Hiscourage came from personal fellowship with endured, and nothing that can now befall me, makes me tremble— me makes me, befall now can that nothing and endured, Let me record my immovable conviction that this is the noblest ser noblest the is this that conviction immovable my record me Let God gave me back my life to be lived over again, I would without Wheredid the joy of John G. Paton most deeply repose? T e Tose who have tasted this highest joy, “Te joy of the Lord,” will Te promise had been given precisely in the context of the Jesusthrough faithhispromise, in especially onthe John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 27

- Autobiography Oh the bliss of living and enduring, as seeing “Him who is 15 brought Jesus close and real to John Paton in all his dangers. hislife. What experiencedhe there was the deepest source of moments when musket, club, or spear was being leveled at my hours of crisishoursof was unlike anyotherScripture prayer:or to me sweetly afer 20 years, that I had my nearest and dearest lands, and for which the missionaries were blamed, he wrote: he blamed, were missionaries the which for and lands, unreliablechief,ashundreds angryof natives huntedhim for behold Him, as Stephen did, gazing down upon the scene. I felt life. havepreserved fmelosingom reason my andperishing miserably. world,”became realmesowouldthatitto nothavestartled meto ) 117 ( invisible”! ). 154 ( name his be Blessed it! in describeshisexperience hidingantree,mercytheofof at a in Paton’s joy Paton’s and courage. In fact, I would dare to say that to glimpses of the face and smiles of my blessed Lord in those dread of my dear Lord and Savior, nothing else in all the world could One One of the most powerful paragraphs in his erect and with my whole weight on the promise, ‘Lo! I am with you you with am I ‘Lo! promise, the on weight whole my with and erect en I adore Jesus for it, and rejoice it, rejoice and for o fJesus How adore en I promise! Precious alway.’ In his words, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the During the crisis, I felt generally calm, and frm of soul, standing (Matthew 28:19 -). 20 More than any other promise, this one Without that abiding consciousness of the presence and power His supporting power…. It is the sober truth, and it comes back After the measles epidemic that killed thousands on the is the on thousands killed that epidemic measles the After Te power this promise had to make Christ real to Paton in John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 28 ------Autobiog He began his his began He 16 with the words, “What I write here is for the glory of rows, did my Lord draw nearer to me, and speak more soothingly fore me as if it were but of yesterday. I heard the fequent discharg raphy sharethisreasonwastheexperience it callandenjoy others to that he wrote the story of his life. his of story the wrote he that the midnight, the very bush,the in the in embrace deathofitself, have at is what this story is about: is story this what is at T things. all the branches, as safe as in the arms of Jesus. Never, in all my sor ) 200 ( then? you fail not will Friendthat a you was lef there alone in the bush. Te hours I spent there live all be in my soul, than when the moonlight fickered among those chest told I as brow, throbbing my on played air night the leaves,and nut ing of muskets, and the yells of the Savages. I Yet sat there among exalted. And his Son his exalted when we cherish him above ship. If thus thrown back upon your own soul, alone, all alone, in God” ). 2 ( Tat is true. But God gets glory when his Son is all my heart to Jesus. Alone, yet not alone! If it be to glorifyGod, to my be it If alone! notJesus. Alone,yet to heart my all again my Savior’s spiritual presence, to enjoy His consoling fellow I I will not grudge to spend many nights alone in such a tree, to feel I, though perplexed, felt it best to obey. I climbed into the tree and Being entirely at the mercy of such doubtfulvacillatingsuch andf mercyof iends, the atBeingentirely John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 29

- - - (Toronto: James (Grand Rapids: John G. Paton: Mis . (Grand Rapids: ZondervanRapids: (Grand . A A History of the Expansion of . 238 , . 238 , Operation Operation World Missionary Life among the Cannibals: JohnPaton:G.Missionary HebridesNewtheto John G. PatonG.John John G. PatonG.John (Edinburgh: BannerTeTrust, , 1965 Truth of tia Presbyterian Mission on that Group nearbyislandAniwa. of ). 1891 orig.1889, 228. ), 1943 orig. , 1970 PublishingHouse, May 20, 1861. Tey had labored four years on the island . 508 ), 1882 Son, and Campbell sionary to the New Hebredes, An Autobiography Edited by . 572 ), 1993 House, Publishing Zondervan Ralph Bell, Bell, Ralph Patrick Johnstone, Kenneth Scott Latourette, Ralph Bell, Bell, Ralph Tis description was made of the natives on the island of Mr. and Mrs. G. N. Gordon were killedErromangawereGordon on N. on Mrs.G.and Mr. Ralph Bell, Bell, Ralph George George Patterson, All page references in the text refer to to refer text the in references page All ary to the New Hebrides; with the History of the Nova Sco AD 1914 to AD 1800 fA ica, and (Butler,IN:HighleyT e Press, 238. ), 1957 Being the Life of the Rev. John Geddie, D.D., First Mission D.D., First Geddie, John Rev. of the Life the Being Tanna, but applies equally well to the conditions on the His BrotherHis Christianity, T e Great Century: T e Americas, Australasia otes

9 8 N 6 5 2 3 4 7 1 John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 30 ------such such trying circumstances, was an abiding perplexity. To body.” body.” Mrs. Gordon came running to see the noise and struck,buthis weapon was also caught. Onetheof toma – 17 : 3 Daniel in furnace ery f the faced Abednego and shach, tered Glory together, to be welcomed by Williams and the Lord; loving in their lives and in their deaths not di not deaths their in and lives their in loving Lord; the head! Tis was the fate of those two devoted servants of that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the gold the worship or gods your serve to going not are we that lowed spot for the namethecause166andtheJesus”( for ). spot of lowed hawkswasthen wrenched his grasp.of out Next moment, have left altogether, when so surrounded by perils and ene and perils by surrounded so when altogether, left have a blow on the spine laid the dear a Missionarysecond on thelow, andneck almost severed the head from the him with a tomahawk, which he caught; the other man king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, O you, to known be it let not, does He if even But king. whenthey walked intoan ambush.wasblow aimed “A at may may rescue us for his or glory, let us be killed for his glo into her back and with another blow almost severed her ry, ry, which way to turn in self-preservation was not an easy question to answer. “To know what was best to be done, in done, be to bestwas what know “To answer. to question Harris, whose blood was shed near the same now hal of of blazing fre; and He will us of deliver your hand, out O up.” set have you imagethat en vided, their spirits, wearing the crown of martyrdom, en , “God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace the from us deliver to able is serve we whom “God , 18 Compare Compare this way of praying with the way Shadrach, Me T is meant that, in one sense, life was not simple. If God “Oubenslippedstealthily behindsankhere, tomahawkhis

11 10 John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 31 - - - - ). (329– 330 thee’ sake said,nothing done,stand but still in silent prayer,asking for Tee and and for Ty Worship; if they kill let us now, to protecttoprepare tous or usgoingforHis to glory.home they have murdered Ty servants on Erromanga. T ey thy Aneityumese servant. “O Lord, our Heavenly Father, hear the same faith and prayer in Abraham, his trustwor all with Jesus, I held on while the hope of being spared lon spared being of hope the while on held all I Jesus, with have banished the Aneityumese from dark Tanna. And lose lose all, which to me was heart-rending; therefore, risking advice advice of many friends. But again, I had acquired the lan upwards, or, pleading with my assailant, uncapped his usdie together in goodTy work, like servantsTy Missi ). 173 vanished”( entirely and absolutely not had ger uence amongst the amongst inuence f considerable a gained had and guage, myself and to the Worship. To have left would have been to to been have would left have To Worship. the to and myself musket in the struggle. At other times, nothing could be rst seemed the wisest course, and was the repeated the was and course, wisest the seemed f rst at mies, now now they want to kill Missi Paton and me. Our great Natives, and there were a number warmly attached both to to both warmlyattached number a were there and Natives, He fulHe flledHiswillownpromise ‘I fail -not theefor nor King, protect us, and make their hearts soft and sweet to 171). ( woman”the manMissiandthe Gordon Gordon Jesus Christ…. Make us two and all Ty servants strong “Often have I seized the pointed barrel and directed it Paton Paton taught his helpers to pray this way as well, and we Ty Worship. Or, if they are permitted to kill us, do not T ou hate us, but wash us in the blood of Ty dear Son

13 12 John G. Paton You Will Be Eaten By Cannibals 32 ------). (Christ”359 sus bling,uplifting, and consoling experience that can come sensibly present,inspiringsensibly (empoweringand342me” ). serveGodandHisand Son, thereby securing yourselffor be held for ever and for ever in ever a and ever for praise, for f- a ectionate re be held to the soul of man - blessed communion with the Father the moments when I felt my Savior to be most truly and tal,whenall thepoems and monuments and pyramids of tions, in bringing one human soul to know and love and at least one temple where your name and memory would life, would be well spent, under any conceivable condi who,from whatever cause, isstrangera theto most enno way.’ In Jesus I felt invulnerableway.’ and immortal, so long as generated Heart generated Tin at fame heaven. willimmor prove me to graspto andme realize amalthepromise,withI you ‘Lo, right in betweenrightin contending theparties. faithenabled My of our Spirits, through gracious union with the Lord Je ). 412 – 411 ( dust” into gone have Earth I wasI doing his work. And canI truly that say, these were “I pity from the depth of my heart every human being, “My constant “My custom was, inprevent torunorder towar, He goes on to expand the ground of this joy: “Life, any

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