John Hunt Fo R ’ N I the Librar Y of Missio Ary Biography

J O H N H U N T

PIONEER MISSIONARY

AND SAINT

BY TH E

EV SEPH NETT ET N R . J O L O

§unhﬂn

E H K E Y C HARL S . LL

2 CASTL E ST . C I TY RD AN D 26 P E STE Ro w E . C . AT RNO R , P R I N TE D B Y W ON AN D V I N EY L D H A"E L L , ATS ,

L O N DON AN D AY L E S B U R Y .

Bo s t o n Un i ve r s i t y i b n ' l o f Th e o lo gy L u 4 m P R E F AC E

I COUNT it a great honour to have been requested to write the life of John Hunt fo r ’ n I the Librar y of Missio ary Biography .

is r r entered into h labou s , and was a debto

r ﬁr st to him as a pionee . I landed on Viwa E 1 860 t after leaving ngland in , and wen ’ h i str aight fr om the shi p s boat to s grave .

r - r e There unde the palm t ees , on bended kne s , I consecr ated myself to car r y on the w o r k wh ich he commenced With so much her oism a n d th e th e devotion . I used textbooks in college for tr aining native pastors Whi ch he r m had prepa ed . The aro atic sa intlin ess of hi s i u o n m life fell like a bened ction p e . I

r m r efﬁ cien t was a bette man , and o e as a

fo r in ﬂu en ce h is missionary , the of life and

r r the inspi ation of his wo k . The object of

b o o k r this little is not to p aise the dead , but

r m m r th e to p olong the e o y , and thus extend 6 Prefa ce

usefulness , of a wise and good man , a great m i . m ssionary, and a true saint The ini itable

Li e o o h n Hu n t Mi ssi on ar to th e Ca n n i f f j , y

5 a ls . r r r , by the Rev Geo ge St inge Rowe , is

r e a model biography . I have been g atly

it a Mr m indebted to ; and lso to . Sta pe of

al few r Grimsby , for the Journ s and a lette s I n of John Hunt . writing these pages I have

e r b en taken back again over famili ar g ound , and have renewed my fellowship with n ative colleagues who were tr ained for their wor k by John Hunt . I have marvelled, when looking at the wonder ful success of these

m r ﬁn d r r pioneer issiona ies to Fij i , to eco ds in their early letters and j ournals about ’ ’ rr ru u ba en ground , unf itf l labours , and ’ r useless toil . They went fo th weeping , ’ r bearin g pr ecious seed . Thei doubts and

r 0 n fea s soon yielded to h pe and expectatio ,

r and they lived to r eap in j oy . Thei success on compar atively small islands h a s inspired faith and br ightened hope for ﬁn a ltr iumph

n i fo r on great continents , and the win ng ul Christ of the vast pop ations of India ,

hin . Africa, and C a

J OSEPH NETTLETON . C O N T E N T S

C HAP.

’ I IN THE D Y S OF THY Y U . A O TH

II TH E E R ES U E Mrs . A N T S T D NT AND S I ONARY - DES IGNATE

111 FIRS T IMPRE S S I ONS O F FIJ I AND THE FIJ IANS

IV TH E TRAN S LATOR -I N -CH I F O F . E THE HOLY S CR IP TU RES

V S OMOS OMO O R RE S B E EXPEC . ; , A ONA L TATI ON DI S APP OI NTED

R V V V VI . V IW A " E I AL S AND NATI E PAS TOR S

E R E ANCTI FI I’ ‘ I N VII . NTI S CA O

’ ‘ I N R FT VIII . J OU N EY I NGS O

E R Y T U MP DE IX . A L AND R I HANT ATH

TES M ES TO C R C ER AND US E X . TI ONI HA A T FU LNES S

J O H N HU N T PIO NEER MISSIO NARY AND SAINT

CHAPTER I

I N THE DAY S o r THY Y OUTH

‘

ST . UGUST E A IN says , The Church owes ’

St r St . . Paul to the dying p ayer of . Stephen

m lo ve fe a st K In giving his testi ony in a , ing Th a ko mb a u attr ibuted his conver sion to Chr istianity to the dying pr ayers of J ohn

H He ﬁ r r . st unt said , I was favou ably impr essed towards the Chr istian r eligion when

sa w m n I it ade dyi g not only easy , but ’ r m n t iu phant . John Hu t s whole concern

m r as was about y conve sion . His wife w

' soon to be a widow and his childr en father

He l less in a land of savages . cou d leave

9 10 J o hn H unt

them to the car e of his heavenly Father . I

rr r r ba ed the way to the sp ead of Ch istianity ,

r r and had fo bidden the people , at the pe il

r r m . of life , to tu n away f o the gods of Fij i My conversion would open th eﬁdo o r t o many who Were waiting to thr ow o ff heathenism

r r r He and to ente the Ch istian Chu ch .

r fo r a n d fo r p ayed Fij i , me the chief of

r r sinne s . I went to see the body afte his

Mr r me death , and . Calve t told he had left

r a message of love, and his last prayers we e

fo r my conversion . My salvation was the ’ r r answer to those last p aye s . The conver

r r m sion , consistent Ch istian life , and t iu phant death of King Th a ko mb a u form one of the most wonder ful instances of gr ace abound ing to the chief of sinners to be found

in the history of the Christian Church . The beginning of a better life and the foundation of every excellence and of all usefulness in the stor y of John Hunt must

be tr aced to an ear ly and clear conversion . A ser ious illness awakened thought and led

r eli lo u He to g s decision . attended the

Methodist chapel , where conviction was m in deepened , and he beca e an anxious

ir er -m qu . In the class eeting he opened his i ’ ln the Days o f Thy Yo uth I I

m r heart to the me be s , and asked for their

r He m guidance and p ayers . was in an at o

r sphere of sympathy . Some of the membe s h m went with i to Thorpe to hear the Rev . m m John S ith preach , a inister who had a

W h o passion for souls , and was honoured of

r m r m God in the conve sion of any . The se on ,

wa s r he says , plain , pointed, and powe ful , and some par ts of it were awful but the effect on my mind was rather har dening ’ r He r than othe wise . stayed to the praye m l m eeting , but stil seemed un oved . The par ty of friends from Swinder by had set out

w r r r home a ds , but Hunt proposed to etu n

r r again to the chapel . The p eache was m praying by the side of a poor wo an , Send ’ u r r m s mo e powe . Hunt was oved to say m ’ m m m A en . In a o ent he was hi self

r broken down , and p ayed in an agony . Befor e he left the place he had found con scious salvation . He l was now seventeen , and had on y the scant education which the village schools of

At r that date provided . ten yea s of age he

r was wo king on a farm , and beyond the ’ Bible and the Pilgr im s Pr ogr ess he had read only a few tr acts and some copies of the I 2 J o hn H un t

' ' Meth o zst Ma az n e E d g z . very reader has his ﬁ r st bo ok that really interested and possessed ’ r him . Washington I ving s S ketch B o o k ﬁ rst He interested Longfellow . was spellbound

r by its pleasant humou . To the end of his it life had the same charm for him , but it “ awakened a desir e to ﬁ n d the same interest

r in othe books . A youth left at home with m ' so e little ailment , when the rest of the

r family had gone to wo ship , looked through

e fo r the sh lves a suitable Sunday book . ’ Vi ca r o Wa ke eld Finding Goldsmith s f ﬁ , which he thought must be a religious book ,

r because it was about a Vica , he took it down a n d found it the most inter esting Sunday

e ' He book he had ever r ad . was startled

r r r when told, on the etu n of his mothe , that it was a novel , and must not be read on the ’ r He r Lo d s Day . eplaced it on the shelf

r m r Very reluctantly , but ea ly on Monday o n

r ing he took it down again , and neve let it

o l r g unti he had ead the whole of it . It was

b r the ook that led him to love eading , and

n e r h im opened a w and wide world to . ’ John Hunt s ﬁ rst book wa s Ma so n o n S elf

K n ow e r n ldge . The eyes of his unde standi g

He were opened by that book . had new ’ In the D a ys o f Thy Yo uth 1 3 aspirations and a thirst for kn owledge which

r r led him to imp ove his leisure hou s , which

r . we e very few , in reading good books His ’ master s library was open to him . Reading r Opened out to him a new and a la ger wor ld .

e hi s r H not only added to sto e of facts , but the pr ocess brightened his faculties and led

He hi m to think and reason . was soon mentally alert and quick to catch the points and illustrations of the pr eacher s he heard

He r in the V illage chapel . had been rega ded

r m as slow and dull in his wo k on the far . The daily toil of the agricultur al labourer is

r not regarded as skilled labour . Is the e anything more monotonous than tr amping behind the plough fr om one end of the ﬁ eld to the other the whole day long It is dull and dreary work . The ploughboy whistles ’ a wa n t . s he goes , for of thought The expert

r r m t wo kman on a fa , who can do any hing in

s . men ex eri its eason , is dying out The of p ence in ploughing, sowing , ditching , fencing , r eaping , thatching , threshing , and looking

r a r e after ho ses and cattle and sheep , less numerous in the villages than they once were . The many-sided work of the farm w a s more ’ intelligently done as Hunt s intellectual I J o hn H un t

He powers were awakened . could put thought as well as muscle into his daily task, and his master was astonished at the quan

r tit y and the quality of his wo k . The Bible w a s the golden milestone fr om which allhis studies radiated ; but he diligently attended a night school , and often spent whole nights a He in reading and pr yer . had much lost u d e time to make p , and he redeeme ev ry

- spare moment . In the cattle stall and the solitary pasture he w as secretly meditating upon God and longing for the sacredness of a divine vocation .

The call came sooner than he expected . There was no pr eacher at Swinderby chapel w a s on the Sunday night , and he urged to give

I n a short address . fear; and with much dependence upon the prayers and sympathies of his Village audience , he made the attempt . He m spoke fro a full heart , and all felt the power and pathos of the mess a ge . It rested upon them as a benediction all through the week . The conviction grew that the young l e man had grace and gifts for a loca pr acher , and that God would honour him with fruit . In due course his name appeared upon the He d e circuit plan . sought the divine gui anc

I 6 Jo hn H u n t

He to cry, What must I do to be saved had a passion for preaching, and great sym o w pathy with the young people of his n class . He difﬁ cu lties knew their and temptations, and would quickly help the real penitent to h o get rid of his burden . Telling w he found Christ himself w a s often a short cut for the seeker of salvation to the same Saviour .

About this time he wrote, I see , to be useful as a public speaker , I must be eminent as a ’ private Christian . He had power with the e p ople when he pleaded for God, because he had power with God When he pr ayed for the

. wa s people Success humbled him, and he o t n uplifted by his popularity . His simplicity and tran sparen cy of soul were a charm that endeared him to the wise an d good in the city as well as in the villages . The city pulpits were n o w open to the m . Rev . rustic youth The William S ith, the

, superintendent of the Lincoln Circuit ‘ having wa s heard him preach , convinced that the

ﬁ eld Church should call him to a wider , and from ploughing the ﬁ elds he would break up the fallow ground of many congregations and e circuits . H discovered the diamond in the n rough , and on his nominatio the "uarterly ’ In the Days o f Thy Yo uth 1 7

Meetin g un animously recommen ded him as

a s a candi date for the ministry . There w at ﬁ rst the shri nking of timidi ty a n d a humbling

s u n ﬁ tn e ss lw a s sen e of , but the inner cal as clear as the hearty and unan imous call of th e

e Church . H could on ly follow the clear leading of the divine Spirit, and at the Conference of 1 83 5 he w a s received on pro b a tio n for the work of the ministry a n d sent to the Theological Institution .

Rev . L a idma n n The Hodgso , a missionary

r o on fu lough from South Africa, had been n ’ a m deputation in Lin colnshire , and Hun t s bitiou was to return With him to the Cape as n his servant, to do garde ing and farm work, to teach in the Sunday school, and to preach ’

th e E . a s to nglish settlers This ambition, it wa s he called , the premonition of service h e ﬁ e ld was to give in another , when the teachi ng a n d fellowship of some of the wisest a n d most saintly me n had ﬁ t t e d him for the

r wo k . CHAPTER II

THE EARNEST STUDENT AND MI SS IONARY DESI GNATE

THE man behi nd the college professor often makes a gr eater and more lasting im pression upon the student than the lessons

n - a d lectures of the class room . The Revs .

. n E a n d . Dr Bu ting, Joseph n twisle, Dr

Han n ah belon ged to the highest type of men .

They were princes in Israel . Hunt felt the elevatin g power of goodness in their fellow i ship , and n their teaching the light and gentle leadin g of true wisdom . They were

deﬁ cien cie s patient with his , and stimulated his diligen ce by kindly wor ds of encourage ment and praise . The chan ge from life in the open air to the quiet of the study was

ﬁ rst n tryin g at the , but he soon settled dow ’ to steady , patient work When Carey s gr ammars and versions of the Holy Scriptures

1 8 — Stu de n t a n d Missio n ary De sign a te 1 9

l r i were almost a ibra y n themselves, he said —I ’ modestly, I can do one thing can plod . The young studen t was putting his feet into

r m r the p ints of the great issiona y, and the

e persevering plod soon began to tell . H br ought the same energy and intensity into the study that he had previously manifested

r a s . on the fa m . No opportunity w lost His letters reveal one whose eyes were open to

m r the poverty of his ental furn itu e, and the rich stores which might be gathered from men who were apt to teach and glad to help i He those who were w shful to learn . was soon a favourite with his fellow students .

- His simple piety, his Whole hearted devotion , r r n in ﬂu en ce his st ong pe so ality, made him an for good in the college .

r r D . john son once sat up all night to f ame resolutions to be an ear ly riser a n d to keep a

He r diary . thought the keeping of a dia y would help him to live by rule, to have a deﬁ n it e in a d r r m obj ect life, n to p ese ve a cal breast . He could n either keep a diar y n o r get up early . His good resolution s were

u n fu lﬁlle broken and his vows d . When Hun t had been at college a little over a year

- w " N o v. I 1 8 6 . I o w i he rites 4, 3 n , n the 20 Jo hn H un t

n r . fear of God , commence keepi g a dia y I think it will be of use to me . As this is a n n o very importa t period of my life , I have doubt that what I ma y write will be useful ’ r to me in futu e days . That diar y has been published in Wo rk a n d Wo rkers It n o t n Was o ly useful to himself , but to his

G . . r s. . S biographe The Rev Rowe , in his

Li e o o h n Hu n t m charming f f j , has ade good use of it . The true life of a man will be found

ﬂo er in his letters and diaries . Like a w pr eserved in its colour and fr eshn ess and u s n fragran ce , they show the true inward ess

e s of things . H gives u the plan of his devotions

I . Commence the day with praisin g God for the mercies of the past n ight a n d repeat ’

r . 2 . the Lord s Praye As far as possible, lay

r out the business of the day . 3 . B ing every

r i r part of this business befo e God n p ayer, and ask His help against the probable danger s of the day . 4 . Read a portion of the New

Testamen t, on my knees . 5 . Read a portion

m r of the Old Testa ent, and p ay for my

r friends, elatives, the Church, and the world . ’ r hi Altogethe t s will occupy an hour .

I . Night . Commit to memory a passage Stu de n t a n d Missiona ry De sign a te 2 1

- r . 2 . of Sc ipture Self examination , confession , ’ thanksgiving , prayer .

Religion with him was a cultivation , and the plant had a kindly and congenial soil .

He co n fi de n ce r won the love and of his tuto s , ro fi tin a ll and his p g appeared unto . When he left the college during his thir d year of residence, he had the testimony of a good conscience that he had diligently improved his opportunities for growing in knowledge and growing in grace . It wa s during his third year at college ’ th a sa n ctifi ca tio n t entire , keeping to the old

Methodist term, became a j oyful experience . The subj ect had taken hold upon him as a possible grace; and with all the enthusiasm

He of his natur e he was pre ssin g towards it . says, I was praying in my study, and saw very clearly that God’s plan of saving was m through faith in Christ . I therefore ca e to the atonement just as I was, polluted indeed , but not so much so that the blood of Christ could not cleanse me . As soon as I ventured

I found the Lord faithful to His promise, and the blood of Christ at that moment cleansed me from all sin . Since then (about three weeks before) I have had constan t peace and 22 Jo hn H un t

m . someti es ecstatic j oy I have felt no sin , a n d have consequen tly been preser ved from those tr oubles Which inbred corr uption used ﬁ n d to cause . I now daily what for years I thought to be impossible - to live without m conde nation . Thank God all is peace , calmness and love I begin in the morn ing

r m to p aise Him the mo ent I rise, and thus endeavour to begin , continue , and end the day ’ with God . The new experience brought him

r inc eased power in the pulpit, and several of his fello w stu den t s enj oyed the same blessing .

r ﬁ r e r m They we e on for service, and went f o house to house trying to do good . They

r did not labour in vain . Sinne s were con led verted, and believers were to full con secration and to a higher life . From the other side of the wor ld came glad tidings to the Missionary Secr etaries in K London . ing George and thousands of his A people had accepted the Christian faith . r evival that seemed like a contin ual Pentecost awaken ed missionary enthusiasm . The mis sio n a ries r had been long sowing in tea s, and more than one had left the work in hopeless despair . But those who had the patience of faith were rewarded with a glorious harvest .

24 J o hn H u n t

hearts, and roused some excitement at ’ Hoxton . Hunt s thoughts were still fi xe d o n South Africa as his prospective mission e ld m fi , when the pointer of the co pass sud den l a A y swung round to the South P cifi c . m sum ons to the Mission House, and an inter view with the Secretaries, sent him back to

‘ his study with a fu llheart to pray and to consult with one wh o had special interest in

e o P his appointment . Would sh g to Fij i hi m Her answer relieved of all anxiety, and the o fﬁ cia l designation was made by the

Committee a few days afterwards . There was an enthusiastic rolling off at t Hoxton , and Hunt wen t away freigh ed with

r much sympathy and many praye s, for he wa s honoured by the tutors and beloved

. r by the students The Rev . William Arthu gives u s the story in his o wn felicitous style E One day, Father ntwisle, after dinner, u s r told of Cross and Ca gill, in Fij i, and of ” a d the cry Pity poor Fij i , n of the intention to send out some men for thwith . The news was soon buzzing in every study that Hunt was to go and Calvert with him . The interest we of the students was intense . Were not there to a man that evening in the little old Stude n t a n d Missio n ary -De sign a te 2 5

H l chapel at ackney, up a ane , to see Hunt

r and Calvert ordained , for their se vice amongst the ﬁ er cest of the ﬁ e r ce and at the very ends of the earth Hunt ’s solemn and commanding testimony to the grace of God , ’ Calvert s testimony, warm and homely as a

i l h r e v l age boy, left upon our earts a last hi collection of these beloved companions, w ch always had the double effect of knitting the soulto the men and of inspiring faith in the ’ blessing which would attend their mission . i 2 1 8 8 John Hunt left Gravesend Apr l 9, 3 , and after spending a few weeks in Sydney set sail for Fiji , calling at Tonga on the

r r w a y . He neve put missionary discomfo ts and sufferings in the fr ont or in full light . Everything he had to sa cr iﬁ ce in the way of comfort was more than compensated for by sweeter fellowship with the divine . Th e

L etiti a wa s l a sma l and leaky craft, with very poor accommodation for passengers . No word of complaint is found in the Journ al but there was great j oy when , on December 2 18 8 3 , 3 , they went on shore at Lakemba to spend their ﬁ rst Sunday in Fij i . CHAPTER III

FI RST IMPRESSI ONS OF FIJ I AN D THE FIJ IAN S

‘

THE Re v . r . . h a d b e e n David Ca gill , M A ,

r r in Lakemba nea ly th ee years , and the m Rev . Willia Cross had opened another

br anch of the mission on the Rewa . A wonderful providence shielded these pioneers A E from danger . n nglish vessel had been seized and burnt . The crew were clubbed , wh and cooked and eaten . All o took part in that cannibal feast died of the Mate lo a lo a

r (black death) , and the plague sp ead widely . The Fijian pr iests explained the epidemi c by ﬁ xin of g upon two the crew who , for some reason , were dressed as missionaries, and

Yo u two said, have killed priests of the ’ White man s God therefore He is angry and has sent the black death . Yo u may club ’

r . m white men , but not p iests A few on ths ﬁ rst l after this the two missionaries anded,

26 First Impre ssion s o f Fiji a n d Fijia n s 2 7

r r and Tanoa , the great chief, gave o de s that

th em no club was to be raised against , or the black death would come back and they t r would be all dead men . Hun reco ds this

a 7 03 3 . in his Memo i r of th e Rev. Willi m C The superstition about the black death was ’ God s broad shield for the pr otection of His servants until they had made themselves known as the friends of the people .

These early missionaries knew no fear . They combined the fortitude of the martyr with the intrepidity of the hero . When ’ r P asked , We e you not afraid of being killed ’

N o we di ed be o re we wen t. Calvert replied , , f They were heralds of peace to a nation o f

s r r . savage , with whom t ibal wars were ch onic After a few days spent ch ieﬂy in pr ayer ful consultation , the Rev . David Cargill, M . A . , presided over the ﬁ rst Distr ict Syn od of the

Methodist Church in Fiji . It was deemed unwise to open any new station until the newcomers had gained some knowledge of

r the language and experience of the count y .

Mr . Hun t was appointed to Rewa, where the

m r r . Rev . Willia C oss was al eady at Work

The L etiti a carr ied Mr . and Mrs . Hunt through the centre of the group to their home 2 8 Jo hn H u n t

on the bank of a beautiful river , The wonder land of a coral reef was to them a treasury hl ric y stored with rare and curious things, as they sailed away from Lakemba and saw ﬁr st m h for the ti e, t rough water clear as the m it at osphere above , corals in every con ce iva ble variety of form and in colours

wondr ously brilliant . It was a submarine ﬂo wer - garden , where the brightly coloured

r ﬁ sh e s o r pa rot and coral , blue or yellow

o ﬂo a t crims n or green , about like the humming-birds and b u t t er ﬂies in a tropical mm garden . Miss Gordon Cu ing gives a word picture of this in her Ai Ho me i n Fiji " e e Indeed, the eye that lov s xquisite colour

can never weary here . The rich blue of the harbour (lagoon) is Separated fr om the pu rplish indigo of the great ocean by a submarine rainbow of indescribable lo veli hi ness . T s is caused by the coral reef, which produces a gleaming ray as if from a hidden

prism . The patches of coral seaweed, and

e hi r sometim s w te sand, lying at irregula depths beneath a shallow cover ing of the r lli m - r r most c y sta ne e erald green wate , p oduce

every shade of aquamarin e, mauve, sienna,

a and orange llmarvellously blended . The First Impre ssio ns o f Fiji a n d Fijian s 29 shades are continually varying with the ebb ﬂ s and o w of the tide . The cene is

w ri r loveliest at n oon, h en the sun is ght ove i e a head, and l ghts up the colours b ne th the

r s h waters in the co al cave . W en the tide is

a n d t ri ﬂo a t low the sea wi hout a pple, you

dl e f r r b i y over the coral b ds, su fe ing you oat

ri r to lie at rest or d ft with the cu rent , as a stroke of the oars will disturb the clea r surface of the water beneath whi ch lie such in exhaustible stores of loveliness . Every

r sort and kind of coral grow together the e, from the outstr etched branches whi ch look like gar den shr ubs to the great table s of so lid

r s co al , on which lie strewn shells and sponge a n d heaps o f brain a n d mushroom corals . These livin g sh r ubs assume ever y shade of

" m a r e i o r colour so e delicate p nk blue, l m m others of a bri liant auve , so e pale prim r m m ose . But vain is the atte pt to car ry ho e these beautiful ﬂo wer s of the sea . Their colour is their life . It is , in fact , simply a im hi gelatin ous sl e, w ch drips away, as the living creatures melt away and die when ’ exposed to the upper air . I n contrast with the foliage of the islan ds

a w a through which the vessel thre ded its y, 3 0 J o hn H u n t and the coral reefs they looked down upon

f s from the ta frail a they stood upon the deck, the town of Rewa presented a cheerless

r appearance . It had ecen tly been desolated a r and burn t in w . Most of it was a blacken ed

a d Mr . ruin , n for apparent wretchedness, m o u r Hunt says, it co es up to all expecta tions . Our w a y to it was up a beautiful r r iver, said to be a hun d ed miles long . The island looked exceedingly beautiful as w e sailed along the winding stream . Nature sa w all appeared charming, until we the m mo m asterpiece, and a sight, and especially ’

ﬁ r st n . the sight, of a Fijia is very appalling The Fijians have been designated by a ’ r r r g eat autho ity, a race of Natu e s noble ’ r ﬁ e men . This applies onlyto thei n physical

r m a development . Thei oral nature w s the

r rever se of noble . They we e treacherous and degr aded savages . ) The moral sense wa s not

r . destroyed, but perve ted Stealing and lying wer e condemned only When done clumsily o r discovered . Cun ning was the highest

r excellency . The man whose many w inkles t e stiﬁ e d a s to n umberless escapes w a hero . r r a tiﬁ e d Revenge was a Vi tue, to be g by eating his en emy, after dragging him as an

3 2 J o hn H u n t

mere ornaments of speech , make it melli ﬂ m He u o u s and s ooth . soon discovered that w a r w a s not an amusement or a necessity

i s with the F jian , but the bu iness of life . The r estless spirit of r evenge o r ambition pleaded r He eligious zeal as an excuse for slaughter .

r made a special study of thei mythologies , and found that their worst passions wer e

r a tiﬁ e d r g by their eligion . The religion of

r the Fijian requi es cannibalism . When the pr iest pr omises the applicants that they shall wa r be successful in , by slaying some of the

a r e enemy , the bodies given by the gods not m to be killed only , but to be eaten also . Hu an ﬂesh is not cooked in the ovens o r vessels used

r li o dinarily . Canniba sm has its poisoned ’ r r r n Of sou ce in thei eligio . the lines of

o r stones in the compound , notches in the almond -tr ee growing under the shadow of the

r m N r r g eat te ple of aitasi i , on the Rewa iver , Macdonald wr ites They wer e a r egister of the number of dead bodies brought to the

o er ed u a t th e tem le r spot , to be ﬁ p p , befo e they ’ r we e cooked and eaten . Dr . Seeman also wr ites Ther e is a degr ee of religious a w e l m associated with canniba is , a mysterious

ll n sa cr ifi ce r ha ow aki to a to a sup eme being , First Impre ssio n s o f Fiji a n d Fijia n s 3 3 with which only the select few -the tabu l i r c ass , the priests , chiefs , and h gher o ders fi were deemed t to be connected . Ovens for cooking human flesh were n ot devoted to ’ r any culina y purposes . The wor ship of th e Fij ian became the

r means of gratifying his wo st passions . The l bitterness of revenge , his de ight in war , his

r a ll satanic pride , his love of noto iety , were sa tisﬁ ed by the cannibal festivities of his temple . His vilest orgies were religious festivals . The highest and rarest expression

r of evenge , however , was not in eating , but in leaving the cooked body in the oven , a sa criﬁ ce rej ected by the gods and too vile to be eaten of men . The oldest Fij ian never knew a case of cannibalism through scarcity

r a of food . Reven ge frequently g tiﬁ e d through the temple sa criﬁ ce grew into a s pa sion , and the restless warrior was said to

r be hunge ing to eat his foes . The priests also promised them to possess the bravery and strength of their Victims offered in sacri ﬁ ce ll . Sir Wi iam des Voeux , in his book M Colon i alS er vi ce " y , says The late King

Th a ko mb a u a v was a noble s age , who , prior to his conversion to Christia nity at ﬁ fty years 3 4 Jo hn H u n t

r of age , had eaten po tions of probably one ’ thousand human bodies . Such was the material upon which Hunt had to work . One saw in a vision th e sower

r going forth in the ea ly morn , and he said ,

a t The seed is good , and the sower goes the ‘ hi s l b u t th e l nl peril of ife soi is bad , and o y ill ’ E thorns and thistles w grow there . very day brought to the young missionary fresh and startling pr oo fs of the cruelties and degradation of the people . The half had ’ “ He r not been told him . w ites , I feel m m myself saved fro al ost all fear , though surrounded with men who have scarcely a n y

‘ We regar d for human life . are in the hands ’ m Ho w of a God who even the heathen fear . he longed to unburden his heart and tell the people in their own tongue that Jesus Chr ist came into the wor ld to save sinners Thi s w as to him a glorious message , and the r grandest lin e in the literature of the wo ld . h i m The message was burning within , but he - He was fettered a n d tongue tied . felt the

“ curse o i Babel as he had not realized it before . With dogged persever ance he stuck to h is pundit and his list of words with their mean He all ings . had a motive for earnestness First Impre ssions o f Fiji a n d Fijia n s 3 5

m ﬂ fo r r consu ing in its ame , , befo e his eyes , the people were perishing for lack of ’ m knowledge . To be du b because unable to speak in the native language was a sor e trial to patience . The people needed the message

r which he longed to delive . ’ Hunt s ﬁ rst attempt to conduct a ser vice was about a month after his arrival at Rewa .

The people were attentive , and he says , I ’

ﬁ rst . had , for the , a comfortable time The

n r Fij ians are insti ctively polite , and neve smile when mistakes are made by a new

r m speaker , however idiculous such istakes

e ea ifﬁ ult may b . This incr ses the d c y of learning the language . It is rudeness on the part of the native to tell the young missionar y

hi m r of s errors in pronunciation or gram a . s One young mi sionary , who , like Hunt , had enj oyed a good time in his ﬁ rst attempt at preaching , waited for an intelligent chief , wh o was walking home with him from the village appointment , to compliment him upon hi s quick mastery of the langu a ge and his ﬂu en c n y of speech in the new to gue . The

i r n ch ef was very silent , the efore a leadi g question w a s put to h im as to whether the e preacher had b en understood by the people . 3 6 J o hn H u n t

The chief politely replied , They are dark minded and very ignoran t people you must

ou r not expect them to understand y Fij ian .

Wait until their ignorance is gone , then your ’ r ll r wo ds wi be clea to them . It was a wet

blanket to the sanguine young man , put over

him like a web of gossamer . CHAPTER I V

THE TRAN S LATOR- I N -CHI EF OF THE HOLY S CRIPTURE S

BY diligent study and daily inter cour se with the people J ohn Hunt became an accur ate n ative scholar and a most effective speaker

r r r m and w ite of idiomatic and hyth ical Fij ian . By common consent among the missionaries he wa s to be the tr anslator -in -chief of the

r W r m r Holy Sc iptures . hat othe issiona ies had alr eady done in that department of work wa s co n ﬁ den tly placed in his hands . His method w as to read over the por tion car e fully in the Greek Testament and look up every doubtful word in his lexicon . Then he consulted Blo mﬁ eld and other authoritie s N ew r on Testament G eek , and made his r r He r ough t anslation . ead this over to his

r r e - r a s native pundit , and w ote and w ote any n ew light o r better word came to hi s

37 ‘ 3 3 J o hn H u n t

" He m mind . com enced with the Gospels , ’ e r r r r s lecting the Lo d s P aye , the Pa able of

the Prodigal Son , and the Beatitudes for his

ﬁ r st r wo k .

l- r l A wel known bishop , in a b i liant speech deliver ed in Exeter Hall on the difﬁ cu lties of n Bible translatio , dealt with the case of the missionary to the savages of the South Sea s who had r educed the language to a wr itten

r m r mm fo , and had maste ed its gra atical con h im struction . Then, he said, let sit down to tr anslate for the ﬁ rst time the words of

St r u stifi e d . Paul , Therefo e being j by faith, we have peace with God thr ough o u r Lor d ’ fi n d r fo r Jesus Christ . How is he to a wo d — — ju stifi ca tio n a theological term in t h e language of a cannibal people Then faith

“ r m not simple c edence , but the ind accepting the gospel plan and the hear t r eposing upon

r ﬁ n d the gospel provision . Whe e can he a wor d with a corr espondin g meaning in such ’ a tongu e P Then peace ; not as th e cessa

w a r . tion of , but reconciliation With God They can have no knowledge of atonemen t by sa cr iﬁ ce then how can they have a wor d to expr ess what we mean by peace with God A stillgr eater difﬁ cu lty is the wor d

4 0 J o hn H u n t

e a savage people has not an equivalent . Th re is not a sentence in the Parable of the Prodigal Son fo r which cor responding wor ds will ho t be easily found in the Fij ian . The far

o r c untry is to him a familia expression . An island or a mountain is not so m any leagues or miles distant it is far o r it is n ear . Let a savage get the theology of the ’ Par able of the Pr odigal Son o r the Lord s

r o wn r P ayer into his heart as an expe ience ,

h e ﬁ n d it and will a word to express . His n ew emotions will put a n ew and spiritual meaning hi into s old words . The very language is lifted higher as a vehicle of new and loftier tr uth by the Scriptures being tr anslated into i hi m t . One who knew well says of John He a s l r w . Hunt , a thorough y good t anslator He had a fair knowledge of the Greek and was Hebrew, he a careful and diligent ’ s w a s student of God Word , and he a good ’ Fijian scholar . ’ Ne Hunt s w Testament , known as the

r Tambai Viwa , because p inted at the mission

s pre s at Viwa , is a paraphrastic version in

r the idiom and hythm of the classic Fij ian ,

r r as spoken at Bau . Othe ve sions have

m r followed , which are much o e literal , but Tra n slato r-in -chie f o f the Scripture s 4 1

sa criﬁ ce d a r e the idiom has been . They only understood by the natives b ecause the ’ th e Tambai Viwa was a John Baptist , m going before to prepare the wa y for the . Some of the par ables wer e tr anslated and

r p inted on sheets , to be sung to native lyrics New in the schools . Long before the Testa

r ment could be p inted as a Whole , the young

r people had the gospel set to music , and we e char med with the story of the Good Samar i ’ tan , which they chanted in the schools and m also in the ho e . The Bible fr o m the beginning was the lever which Hunt believed would be honour ed of God as a means of conversion and the m r o al uplifting of the people . The Fij ians needed the Bible as an authoritative standard of appeal in all questions of conduct and

r . w a s r cha acter perve ted , and .Conscience a r c lled evil good and good evil . The mo al sense needed to be co r r ected by a sure stan

r da d . To appeal to the conscience of a Fijia n was like appealing for the cor r ect time

m r r to a watch with the ainsp ing b oken . The Ten Commandments wer e to them a

de ﬁ n it e r new and standa d of conduct . What saith the Scriptur es became a test question 4 2 J o hn H unt

r e of mo al character . A N w Testament

r c conscience had to be c eated and edu ated . The Scr iptur es have been the agent honoured

r B of God in spi itual conversion . y learning

r r to read , spelling out wo d by wo d , they wer e spellin g themselves into the conviction

ir of sin and the need of divine forgiveness .

r m r Hunt was surprised , as othe issiona ies

ﬁ n d h o w have been , to many, in giving an

r r a t tr i account of their spi itual conve sion , buted their ﬁ r st awakening to a sense of sin and danger to the r eading of the New

m r Testa ent . God has put honou upon His own Wor d by making it the conductor of

r a n spi itual life d light . Once fairly committed to the wor k of r t anslation , he regarded himself as a tool ’ fo r in God s hands , to be used the divine

r glo y , in giving to the people that which is

r their greatest treasure , the Holy Sc iptures in their own tongue . The missionary stationed at Lakemba in 1 865 wr ote to t h e Bible House " I t fellto my lot to examine

- me n r r e co m twenty eight young , who we e mended by o u r native minister s as candidates fo r fﬁ r r the o ce of local p eache s . While listening to the accounts 0 Tra n sla to r-in -chief o f the Scripture s 4 3

I was struck with th e oft-repeated mention of the New Testament as having been the only means used by the Holy Spirit to con vince them of their danger and lead them to the Lamb of God , who taketh away the

r m sin of the wo ld . Since that ti e I have car efully noted such cases whilst engaged in m m r r r m r y issiona y wo k . F o conve sations and examinations and written documents I h ave ascer tained that mor e than tw o -thir ds

o u r two r r of hund ed catechists , lay preache s , a n d schoolmasters have been ar oused to

livin r a sense of their danger whilst gin sin ,

r and have afterwa ds obtained peace, solely

r r th ough the eading of the New Testament ,

r a d without having eceived any counsel , m o r r onition , spi itual instruction from any o n e r r . What a blessed fact is he e b ought out to the glory of God Hunt was not mistaken in r egar din g the Ne w Testament ’ as the seed having life in itself . The human agent ma y tr anslate and distribute

r the Wo d ; but the life , the generating power , is not in the hand that scatters , but in

seed the itself . Convincing evidence of the divinity of the Scr iptures is tound in the transfor med lives of bloodthir sty cannibals Jo hn H un t

- e - r co m into God fearing , Bibl eading , and sistent Chr istians . Hunt kept himself well abreast of the

r r He best English lite atu e . cultivated his imagination by r eading Byr on and other

E He r nglish poets . never lost an oppo tunity

“ r E of p eaching in nglish on a Sunday evening , if he could get a congr egation of tw o o r E three . To keep up nglish studies and pr eaching he r egarded as of the highest impor tance fo r ever y m1ssro n a r y in a heathen

r He h count y . faced all his work wit a

r smile , and put his b ightest and his best into all he did fo r the natives ; but he valued any oppor tunity of doing good to his o w n

r r r s count ymen , whethe me chants , ailors , or

- r r globe t otte s . CHAPTER V

SOMOS OMO OH RE AS ONABLE EX ECTAT ON ; , P I D ISAPPOI NTED

I N 1 8 L etiti a r r J uly , 3 9, the a ived with r einforcements for the mission staff . A pr inting -pr ess was a par t of the new equip m r ent , and Rewa was egarded as the best available centre for the printin g establish m m Mr . ent . Hunt re arks , I soon learnt , to w as my great comfort , that I to be stationed with brother Lyth at Somosomo . I had

f o fa r o fered to g alone , but two are better ’ than one . Hunt and Lyt h were twin

r r spi its . Both lived on a high level of eligious

r r expe ience and devotion . They we e whole

r r r o hearted in thei wo k , and eady to g any

f r t where or to su fe any hing , if duty called a n d the sins and sorrows of the people n eeded t

their message of healing and sympathy . Mr . R Hunt says , We were much attached to ewa , 6 o n u n t 14 J h H especially as God w as prosper ing His blessed ’ He co n ﬁ den ce cause ther e . had won the of the heathen at Rewa , and the converts to Christianity loved him as their spiritual

r father and guide . It was a t ial to them to part with a wise teacher who understood them and was patient with their faults and

He many failings . could see the little that it was good in them , and fostered , until they were no longer weaklings , but could resist the wrong and hold ﬁ r mly to tr uth and righteousness . Telling of this par ting fr om the infant

r o w n n chu ch , of his pla ting mainly , he says But the difﬁ cu lty of leaving Rewa and going to Somosomo affected u s only as mor tals ; as missionaries we thought nothing of the

a s r privations or tri l we might have to endu e .

r co n ﬁ den tl We expect to sow in tea s , as y a s we hope to r eap in j oy ; and therefore

" trials and privations are words seldom used u s by , and things that are thought much more of by ou r friends at home than by ’ o urselves . Th a ka u ul Tui , the great and powerf chief of Somosomo had r equested the appoint es a ment of missionari to his town . It w s in

4 8 Jo hn H u n t

’ u s cry , Come over and help , they did not r eceive from the people . These appeared

r f utte ly indi ferent and unconcerned . They were waiting until the pleasure, or otherwise , of the great chief should decide their attitude e towards the n w arrivals . Tui Th a ka u k dl received them in y , and placed one of his o wn houses at their disposal until a suitable site could be ﬁ x ed upon for the mission ﬁ tt ed station . They the native house with doors and windows , and were ready the next

r day to receive their wives and goods on sho e . A picture of moral her oism is seen in the ladies going over the side of the schooner

- into the native canoe , while boarding nets

r a p otect the ship , and the capt in and crew are standing with muskets loaded and ﬁ xed bayonets , to protect themselves from the ferocious cannibals among whom these

a r e ladies and their husbands going to live . ﬁlled ﬁ erce - Canoes , with looking savages , dl are pad ing round the vessel , ready, each r r in tu n , to carry the baggage on sho e . Eve r y English sailor stands on guard on the deck , and would not risk his life on one of ’ the canoes for a king s ransom . All the sa mission party reached the shore in fety , So mo so mo and of all their goods and chattels nothing wa s missing . The natives all knew this to be the will of the chief . It w a s a bright beginning to the sad and

fulhi sorrow story of that new mission station . Somosomo has many a bitter memor y of

r suffe ing . The kindness of the heart was often grieved there , and reasonable expecta

Mr tion was more than disappointed . . Hunt

- soon found that widow strangling , like

r cannibalism , had its poisoned oots in the

E m i ia native religion . The lysiu of the F j n s is called Bu ro t u . The priests could see it w as when the sun sinking in the west . They d r esc ibed it as a lovely island , with palm

r r fronds tinged with gold , and f ag ant with

r spicy breezes . It eceded and vanished as

r i they sailed towa ds t . The canoe would glide over the place where they had seen it

m r r r shim e ing upon the wate s , but thei heaven wa s gone . The shores of this goodly land were guarded by the goddess Ya lew a

Levu , whose special business it was to club ever y bachelor that attempted to land .

l r r r Bu r o t u On y ma ied men we e welcome in .

h r W en the chief died , his widows we e strangled to accompany h im to B u r o t u and 4 5 0 Jo hn H un t

wa s to prove that he a married man . Five wa s the minimum number of str angled women ; but polygamist chiefs with many wives had more to escor t them to the spirit

land . The bodies of the women were called ’ r cushions and ca pets for the chief s grave . The mar r ied chief with no strangled widow on his ar r ival at Bu r o tu was refused per

mission to land , and became a miserable l wanderer for ever on steri e mountains ,

ﬁ n din fo r seeking rest but g none . Pity

r the dead chief , and a wish to secu e his m wa s welco e in the happy land , one great

r motive with the women . A sense of honou

made the strangling imperative . To survive

wa s disgr ace to the widow of a chief . Th e missionaries had n o t been settled w a s many days, when it whispered through

the town that a large canoe had been wrecked, ’ a n d Ra mb ith i n wa s r wn , the ki g s son , d o ed ,

a s r wi th many other s . There w great so row m Ra mb ith i a s in Somoso o . w a great

wa s m . warrior, and his loss deeply ourned It was soon decided that sixteen wives wer e to be stran gled to accompan y the dead chief

u r o t m to B u . The issionaries used their in ﬂu en ce t h e th e to preven t slaughter, but So mo so mo 5 I

r n king esented their interfere ce, and asserted the claims of the Fij ian religion . The J ournal refers to this dreadful business " Ou the morn ing of the 8th we heard the cries of the poor women and their friends, and soon

r they wer e mer cilessly strangled . We we e it obliged to be in the midst of , and truly their cries and wailings were awful . Soon

r after they were murde ed, they were brought to be buri ed about twenty yards from our i house . Our minds were kept n peace durin g these scen es . Our hearts were a i fe ct e d u s , of course , but God preserved from fear " The wild wailing was the preliminar y

a s of the strangling . It w the farewell of the relatives and frien ds of those who wer e leaving for Bu ro t u . The actual strangling was don e in solemn silen ce , with a sheet of

n native cloth throw over the Victim . These terri ble experiences caused nervous ex h a u st io n m it s to the issionaries, and , aved

f fr o m from personal fear, they su fered sick ness of the hear t and horror of the cr uelty of heathen ism .

The strain wa s too great for Mrs . Hunt .

lo A severe illness brought her very w . It wa s a great comfort to have the medi cal 5 2 J o hn H u n t

- . li advice of Dr Lyth, with his never fai ng m atten tion and sy pathy . All human effort

appeared to be in vain . The shadow of death was thrown over the face of the one r He dea est to Hunt . wrote at this time , I began to realize the sorrows of being left

a o i. lone, in this land need, with a feeling quite new to me . Weeping, a strange thin g me a n d with , began to be pleasant , my mind wa s m m ost severely agitated, though ost ’ divinely supported . When J ohn Hun t ’ r found weeping to be pleasant, the st ong ma n was bowed down b y a great sorrow . At such a time a missionary is thrown upon his faith in God and the prayers of Christian

r people . They could on ly pray, and thei

r r . Mr s . p ayers we e heard Dr . Lyth says, Hunt w a s given back in answer to fervent ’ supplication . The Fijian s to this day quote

r the ecovery of Mrs . Hunt as a marvellous

r instance of th e power of praye .

With so many troubles in wars, and can nibal feasts near their house , little progress was made in the spiritual condition of the people . The old king was given to paroxysms r wa s r f of age, and growin g mo e indi ferent r ﬁ x to thei comfort . He refused to upon a So mo so mo 5 3

m n site for a ission statio , and kept them in the native house, which was to have been a temporary dwelling only . In letters written at this time there are refer ences to ’ ’ unfruitful labour , barren ground, and ’ a apparently useless toil . Faith w s sorely l wa s tried, and hopefu expectation bitterly disappointed . They were forbidden to put a screen before the door or window to hide the hideous doings and barbarous ceremonies r m f o their view . A gleam of light came with the bir th of

ﬁ rstb o rn c wa s S r his , but the hild only pa ed to them for twelve days . The drying up of that well -spr ing of jo y was made a greater trial , because the burial must be among heathen graves . There was a shrinking ’ r f om that, and a wish for a corner in God s

r ac e in some Christian land . The child was given back to God, and buried in the mission garden . It was the ﬁ rst grave dug for any member of the mission families . There have been many deep graves dug sin ce then in

Fij i . With a faith that recognized the

di . vine hand in both giving and taking , Mrs ’

l . Mr . Hunt said , Thy wi l be done Hunt says in the J ournal , Our prospects are 54 jo hn H u n t

rather mysterious the work of Go d is going

o n , I doubt not, though we have not much

appearance of good . But we kn ow the folly of always expecting to see God in the whirl dew win d and the storm . I willb e as the ” ’ r . unto Israel, is His p omise to His Church of m Dr . Lyth says this ti e , The want of direct fruit of our labours of a spiritual kind

wa s greatly. calculated to discourage, but it ’ had no such effect on my friend s mind .

He looked to the promise of God, and believed ’ e we shou ld n o t labour in vain . H was a cheerful optimist, and had a great hope and a great faith in the triu mph of the mission amon g the wors t and most degraded of all the Fijians . Somosomo has been from the beginning the most difﬁ cult and trying of all the mission stations in Fij i . No sooner has any cheer fu l s ign of progress appeared, than a sudden outburst of tribal war has br oken up the schools and scattered the few sheep who were ﬁn din g pasture under the missionary shepherd . The station has been left without

E mi ssmn a r an nglish y, through death or al failure of he th, and , When resumed again , disturbing elements have arisen to hinder the

Jo hn H un t me as His labourer ; but I would not yield ’ to temptation . The language of humiliation and disappointment sounds strange when we look back upon his splendid work and glorious spiritual triumphs . Hunt was quietly pr eparing for his greatest and best — work the translation of the Scriptures . If large congregations had listened to his

a ssmn ministry, his evangelistic p would have drawn him from the less attractive work of

Bible translation .

The custom of the Fij ians, arising out of la w f the of their gods, was to kill and o fer ’ in - sa criﬁ ce all who had water in their eyes , or those who had escaped shipwreck . They were among the prescribed Victims o i l the cannibal altar . When Hunt was returning

Tr ito n from a missionary voyage on the , a mistake w a s made on entering the Somosomo

a s . bay . The ship w heading for the rocks

o r A wild shout of j y went up f om the town , fo r they made sure the vessel had struck the reef and would be for them a rich prize .

They hurried down to the shore , brandishing their clubs , and j umped into their canoes for the work of plunder and massacre . The ﬂo a t ed o ff ship again into deep water, and So mo so mo 5 7

r they were disappointed of their p ey . But

ﬁ e r ce some of these frenzied warriors, whose l men cries were the oudest, were who had been attending the public services and pro

r fessing f iendship to the missionaries . They were a treacherous people , and most danger ous when they w ere most amiable and anxious apparently to win favour with those who sought their real welfare . The discovery of deceit and cunning treachery was a shock to those who wished to trust them and to help them to a better life . A Visit from

dl r Commodore Wilkes, and frien y intercou se with him and the o fﬁ ce rs of the United States di exploring expe tion , proved a great help and comfort to the mission families . It was a relief to tell of their hopes and fears , and to have their thoughts taken away from their Fijian surroundings into a wider and

ie n tiﬁ a better world . Sc c explorers have always been glad to avail themselves of the experience and knowledge of the missionaries . Their meteorological observations have been acknowledged to be of great value . The Ch a llen ger when in the South Seas gathered much scie n tiﬁ c information from the mis

i n i s o a r es . Jo hn H u n t

" i Mr . Hunt writes in the J ournal Capta n

Wilkes dined with u s . We found him most

gentlemanly and kind, a real man of war . He seems entirely devoted to the welfare ’ of the natives of these islands . He also de — scribes a Fijia n wedding a kind of political marriage, for a woman of rank was presented

n r to Tui Thaka by the Bau chiefs , to secu e his alliance in an expected war with Vuna . The bride was accompanied to the house of the old king by a number of Bau people ’ of both sexes . She took a whale s tooth in her hand , and was welcomed to the house of

Th e the chief by an old chief woman . ’ w a s whale s tooth then presented, with a speech stating the conditions of the union , ’

&c . The speech , the whale s tooth , and the ’ wo man were received by the king s chief th e speaker with usual ceremony, and ’ another whale s to oth was presented to the Bau chief as a pledge for the perfor mance of the stipulated kindnesses . The ceremony ’ was then concluded . The wedding feast

r followed, and dances and races, with va ious S other ports , amused the many guests . The three years of r esidence at Somosomo h a d been an experience of suffering and So mo so mo 5 9

sorrow . The good really done was mainly in the prevention of evil , or modifying the

‘ savage cruelties of the people . Old customs

. in had been abandoned , some cases through

r the in ﬂu en ce of the missiona ies . A large w a r canoe had been launched without the l hu ma n r ollers— usua prisoners of war , stretched between the canoe shed and high

r water mark , that the canoe might be d agged over them , crushing them to death ; the bodies then being presented at the temple with th e prayer that for th e sa criﬁ ces offer ed

ul r the gods wo d be p opitious , and give to the newly launched vessel fair winds and safe voyages . The chiefs were less impatient B r m of reproof . y inte cession some doo ed

r men had been spared . Their superio s the Bau chiefs had been feasted fo r weeks with — out the dainty dish bo kola (human sacr i

ﬁ r r ce ) . Hunt w ites in his Jou nal Thus is ’ r custom overcome Satan s power is b oken ,

r E and the eign of passion is checked . ven a r e thi n k the Fij ians beginning to , and to allow r eason to have a place in their conduct i a m of l fe . I quite persuaded that nothing but missionary labour could have effected f this and it can only e fect it instrumentally. Jo hn H un t

Somosomo has been a place wher e ever y feeling of o u r nature and every pr inciple of i W e our religion h a s been tested . believe

that we have been made a great blessing , though the fruits of our labour may not yet ’ fully appear . ’ Mr Other b en eﬁ ts came out of . Hunt s

-o n residence Somosomo , beyond the testing of faith and the discipline of suffering and

He w as trial . thrown upon God , and in closer fellowship with the Divine he found compensation fo r any discomfort and sa criﬁ ce

He in his sur roundings . studied the habits

r and customs , the histo y and etiquette of the people , their code of honour , and their

m He mental twistings or syste of reasoning . w as found out what good in them , and could

r accommodate himself to their p ej udices ,

sa cr iﬁ ce r wa s where no of p inciple involved . Their bad qualities required no diligent search but to understand widow-strangling and cannibalism , a knowledge of their mythologies and religion was required . They were fairly industr ious for a tropical

r people . Thei gardens and plantations and

r r systems of irrigation su p ised him . They required abundance of food for their many So mo so mo 6 I

feasts , as well as for daily use . Dr . Seeman ,

’ Flor a Viti en szs r the author of , found thei cla ssiﬁ ca tio n c of plants to be orrect , and does not lose an opportunity of pointing out that in r endering palm -branches by the wor d balabala (the tree -fern) in the New

Testament , the translator had confounded

m i ia n s ferns with pal s , which the F j had not ’ done in their system of botany . Christ s entr y into Jerusalem was a triumphal pro c cession , and on all such festive oc asions the fronds of the tr ee -fern wer e used by the Fij ians therefor e the wor d was used which would convey to them the tr ue meaning

r of the p ocession . They were ingenious in

r the construction of their canoes , and cleve

r r r in handling them , being sh ewd obse ve s

r of natu al phenomena . The women made

h r m clot from the ba k of the paper ulberry, and pr inted it in di vers colour s and in many

f r r di fe ent patterns . Ci cles and angles pre

m r do inate in their deco ative designs . They

r we e a commercial people , buying and selling ’ al and getting gain . Wh es teeth were used fo r r r m cu rency . Spe whales in schoo ls Visited the islands during the months of

August and September . Occasionally one Jo hn H unt w a s a stranded . American ships eng ged in

- ﬁ sh in New sperm whale g from Bedford , K called at andavu to purchase provisions , ’ r r and exchanged whales teeth for po k , ya ns , cu and poultry . Thus their rrency was supplied without the expenses of a mint .

r The women made good potte y , without ’ the help of the potter s wheel . They were

ﬁ sh er s r expert , and the co al reefs were Well ﬁ h - stored s in g grounds .

With a better knowledge of the people ,

and a much better insight into their dialects , Hunt ﬁ xe d upon the Bauan as the classic

r r r Fijian . The dialects we e a bit ary, and made for the pur pose of isolating one tr ibe

r r He n o w s f om anothe . was at his be t for

r wo r kﬁ lite ra r eal mission y, evangelistic , or

quiet teaching .

J o hn H un t na nodra Lotu eso (the religion of some a people is Viw n palms) . J ohn Hunt was a complete contrast in personal r eligion and diligent wor k to the fr uitless palms which

He a s spread their fronds over his head . w r i ul a f u tf Vine , and the boughs ran over the wall . His literary work at Viwa is a marvel i - of painstaking d ligence . The printing press Was removed ther e into the ﬁ rst stone house Mr ever built in Fij i . When . Hunt required r a house for himself , the white esidents of it Levuka volunteered to build , for they loved and respected a true -hearted friend of both white men and natives . They took the timbers fr om two vessels that had been wrecked on the reef , not far away, and built a good house as an expr ession of their ’ r fo r Mr esteem and g atitude . Hunt s kind

r w a s ness to them in sickness . The e one e m r peculiar ity about that hous . The ti be s had been accustomed to cr eak when they

r r m we e pa t of a vessel , tossed by the stor

“ r at sea . They could not b eak the habit ,

but would creak in every gale , and gave the inmates of the house the impr ession that

th e r t h e wa s y we e at sea , although house

doubtless on the land . Viw a " Reviva ls a n d Na tive Pasto rs 65

’ Durin g his three years residence at Viwa

Mr . Cross had been honoured of God with He success . left to his successor a young but h in ﬂo u ris g native church . It was a new

r Mr atmosphere fo . Hunt . The chief was

m r ver kin d no inally Ch istian , and y , and was ready to do anything for the comfort of the missionary and his fa mily . Many of the e r p ople gave evidence of a new c eation , in th at they were new creatures . In conduct and character they were consistent and t devout Chris ians . Their power in prayer and their religious testimony were a surprise r m and j oy to the missiona y . Many of the

me n were young , and in these the eye of the missionary very soon saw the hope of

- in stru the future . They were God given

hi it r ments , w ch wisely t ained and directed would be agents of conversion th roughout di the group . The rapi ty with which the wor k spread from Village to Village and island to island compelled the use of the most suitable men that could be obtained

ﬁr st w a as teachers . The requisite s tr ue conversion ; then they could be instr uments of conversion and teach others all they h knew about the Bible and the C ristian life . J o hn H u n t

An t w as th e Australian s atesman , who ﬁ rst Eur opean to climb the Blue Mountain r ange and to look upon the gr eat country wi of the West , th its gums and acacias and r E kanga oos , turned also to the ast , and

r gazed with wonder upon the sapphi e sea , n r washi g the eastern sho es , and upon the many islands that gemmed the bosom of th e Pa iﬁ c He c . recognized in these the great inheritance of Australia as the mother

r continent . In his Ode to Aust alia he addresses his adopted land

Pr o u d "u e en o f I sles Th u it e t v a s a n e o s t s t , lo , A h o st o f v a ssa ls b en din g a t t h y th r o n e Th y Po lyn esia n br o o d R o u n d t h e e d isp er se d u p o n t h e o ce a n ﬂo o d W h ile ev er y t id e t h a t d o t h t h y b o so m la v e Pr o cla ims e r e t h e Empr ess o f t h e so u th e n w a v .

In this there is the dream of empir e ; a

r il great Southern wo ld , that w l balance the United States in the Western world ; a al E i ﬂa Commonwe th under the ngl sh g,

E u m nl speaking the nglish lang age , and ai y r Protestant in its eligion . The dream has been realized in the Commonwealth of Aus tr alia . Viwa " Reviva ls a n d Na tive Pa sto rs 67

But there were men of God who had a similar vision about that empire as a ﬁ eld for missionary enterprise . In the sa me year the GeneralSecretary of the Wesleyan ‘ i Re v Missionary Society , wr ting to the . al Joseph Orton , the Gener Superintendent of

Wesleyan Missions in Australia , and the ﬁrst mini ster of any church to hold a religious l service in what is now the Co ony of Victoria , says, As your societies increase , men will be raised up to help you in your work , and to spread it through the islands of the South Y New s Seas . our South Wales Mi sion will Spread the light and power of the gospel

New " rien dl through ealand , Samoa , the F y K Islands , and Fij i . eep your eye on this r fo r great end . P epare these important ’ fo r missions , and nurse up men them . i Dr . Bunt ng was a prophet , and the

Vision of the seer has been realized , beyond ﬁr st even his hopes and expectations . The ﬁ rst m native helpers came , like the ission

. l aries , from the Friendly Islands Joe ul Mamai fa n o a Bulu , Pa Vea , Moses (all Tongans) have an imperishable memory in t u riﬁ ed s the regenerated hear s , p home , i ian s brightened lives , and saved souls of F j . 68 Jo hn H u n t

But these in their young manh ood came under the in ﬂu en ce and teaching of John r d Hunt . With many others they we e traine

or i n it . f their work , by being trained Three times a week they came froin the towns and h th e Villages where t ey were stationed , for lectures of John Hunt on theology . These f l lectures were care ul y prepared , compiled ’ mainly from . Dr . Hannah s lectures , and lighted up by local illustrations . They were then printed at Viwa and became the manual

al r r of theology for catechists and loc p eache s .

th e That book , next to the Bible , has been

- f r seed basket o the Fij ian sower . Well r l grounded in theology , and with a ma vel ous

r knowledge of the Sc iptures , these men have never been surpassed for practica l work by any more fully educated and tr ained men

n at the native colleges . Joh Hunt put He himself into these men . inspired them i w th a thirst for knowledge , a passio n for ul so s , and an intense desire to experience He and preach Scriptural holiness . died young , but he lives in the native pastors of Fij i to day . His man ual of theology is in the purest i ia n Ne an d most bea utiful F j . w edi tion s Viw a " Reviva ls a n d N a tive Pa sto rs 69

have been published from time to time , and it is still the chief textbook in the college for training native pastors and catechists . He gave these lectures at six o ’clock in the morn

. He ing, three mornings per week prepared a brief outline to be copied by the students . The Fijians have a ﬁ n e development of the

. h ea r memory They did not only , they did l read, mark, learn , and inward y digest this scripturaland suitable material for their o wn sermons . They became powerful an d impassioned preachers . No native agency in any mission has been so richly own ed by God and honoured with success as the pastors and catechists of Fij i . They are the ﬁn e st product of the mission ’ and very largely the fruit of Hunt s teaching o and holy living. They were ready to g any f sa criﬁ ce r where, and su fer or eve ything , even life itself, to rescue the perishing heathen, and to teach them a better life .

They have many excellences, the greatest of which is their wonderfulknowledge of the

Bible . They quote copiously and accu r a t ely from the Scriptures . With memory m highly developed, their reasoning is al ost limited to analogy . They have all been 7 0 Jo hn H u n t

students of nature from childhood . Th e l a d j ung e is their almanack, n the months are named from the ﬂo weri n g plants peculiar to each . The habits and peculiarities of n ﬁ sh e s a ll pla ts, insects , birds, , and manner of life in the wonderland of a coral reef give - l a never ending supply of i lustration . Their language lends itself to oratory, and their rhetoric neve r fails . In appeal they are b u t t impassioned, hey arrest attention and convince the j udgement before they apply i their message, plead ng for God with a power that is often startling and irresistible . Their native proverbs are often used with

‘ more effect than a n argu ment . A proverb clenches the teaching a n d presents the truth

- like a ﬂa sh light . People trying to evade the consequen ces of sin, or to get away from its punishment , are likened to the

ﬂ in ﬁ sh y g , that leap out of the water to th e escape the bonita, and are gobbled up by

seagu lls . Canoes are a never-failing source of

illustration , and they are quick to pick a s up any n ew suggestion . When steam w

n i - up in the morni g n the steam launch, and a llwas th e ready for taking up the anchor,

J o hn H u n t

u n e 1 8 . Ye wa s j 3 , 44 sterday a good l day to a s . We held our o vefe a st and had a good time The teacher was the ﬁ rst wh o S poke after I had spoken . He gave a satisfactory account of his conversion, but not so clear as some others who spoke

rw . His afte ards wife was much more clear, and so was the "ueen of Viwa . But the best native experience I ever heard was that of Noah, a young man in the Native Training

Institution . His account of his conviction of sin , his faith in Christ, and clear sense of

ch e rirf his acceptance with God were very e g. He mentioned some remarkable manifesta tions of the love of God to him since his conversion, and stated that he believed sin was entirely destroyed in his heart . I have every reason to believe that this is the case . He seemed under a most blessed in ﬂu en ce while he spoke, and said he often wished to go up to his he w a s willing to stay if he could be of any use to the people ’ of God and to the world . The high tone of spir itual life in the mis sio a r r eﬂe ct e d He n y was in the students . m kindled their enthusiasm, their a bition to be good and true, while he taught them Viw a " Reviva ls a nd Na tive Pa sto rs 7 3

arithmetic, geography, history, and, above

. He all , theology was happy in this work when the news of the death of Mr . Cross at Somosomo fell as a great shadow upon the infant church at Viwa . His relation to it wa s tender, for they were his spiritual

r m children . M . Hunt sought to i prove thi s bereavement to the people on the l fo lowing Sunday , and says, It was a time to be remembered of a tru th . Many wept I and so did , as heartily as I ever wept since E ’ I left ngland . He m was very ethodical in all his work . His devotions had not only their stated times, but the subj ects for prayer, praise, intercession , and meditation were according E to plan . ach portion of the day had its a s hi m appointed task . Change of work w to

. He a means of relief and rest was always, ’ as o l . he says , n fu l stretch In his life of

o wn Cross, Hunt gives evidence of his careful study of the mythologies and native religions of the Fij ians, and of their history , super

stitio n s m . , and custo s The last words of — — Dr . Cross spoken to Lyth were, Best

o for a missionary to g home, to escape to i the sk es, and j oin the enraptured host of 74 Jo hn H u n t

’

a . heaven , and be with Jesus and ngels A n ew and beautiful mon ument has been recently erected over his grave by the

Tu ikila kila R Tu ith a ka u . successor of , oko It is one evidence of the change wrought by Christianity that the present Roko should honour the memory of the missionary who suffered pers ecution along with Hunt and

Lyt h from his forebears . Tu ikila kila died a miserable leper in a lonely hut . His food was taken withi n a few yards of his door, and no one but the missionary visited him in the last stages of a l . He w s his malady a humb e pen itent,

and died hoping in mercy . In the days of

his power he was a cruel tyrant, and scorned

the teaching of the missionaries at Somosomo . f Hunt, Lyth, and Cross su fered many things

at his hand . In his lingering and painful l il ness, he was the victim of remorse, and spoke with shame of his treatment of good

men k , who had always been ind and faithful a s l to him . Lyth w on ce de ivered from his

fury, when he held him by the tail of his

coat and called loudly for his club , " with r murderous pu pose . A sudden leap left the rent part of the coat in the hand of the Viw a " Reviva ls a n d Na tive Pa sto rs 7 5

hi r it . c ef, and Lyth never retu ned to ask for

ul u n S t . Pa prayed to be delivered from ’ r reasonable and wicked men . If that p ayer E had not been answered, some of his pistles would not have been written and the Church would have been the poorer in its sacred writings . There was a broad shield between the missionaries at Somosomo a n d the Tu ikila kila treachery of , for God had much work for them to do at Viwa and else where . After much endurance and bitter dis appointment Somosomo was abandoned , and

Dr . Lyth j oined his old friend at Viwa .

They worked together, Hunt translating , and Lyth patiently revising and correctin — g the proof sheets of the N ew Testament . They were also cheered by the wave o f revival that wa s passing over the native church . Pentecostal blessings came upon

Viwa .

Octo ber 1 1 8 . 9, 45 I commenced the wa s meeting in the usual way, and there a h r good feeling, but not ing very ext aordinary . a After I had pr yed, I gave a short exhorta i tion, stat ng the design and man ner of such e meetings as w were n o w holding. Paul 76 Jo hn H un t

whi then prayed and the feeling increased, ch was the more remarkable, as he is a calm old man , and prays with very little feelin g . ul Another prayed, and, according to r e , not

u very long, and without being called pon , but by the time he had ﬁn ish e d most of the people were engaged in prayer . The feeling and praying became general . Some cried aloud . Clear and decisive work commenced . It w a s evident that the hand of the Lord was among the people . Many were pricked in a d the heart, n cried in agonies of prayer for

m . ercy Some were enabled to believe, and were made exceedingly happy . They prayed fo r n ew a d th e others with fervour, n thus m n a s ﬂame Spread . The eeti g w not very

long , but the praying, continued after it was concluded ; and, indeed , the praying com men ce d that night continued till most of the people were saved . To describe what b e followed is impossible . Every meeting came a penitent meeting, and almost every a s family altar a pen itent form . This w ’ especially the case at Na mo sima lu a s house . Andi Va t e a gen erally prayed with such earn estness that the people ﬂo cke d from all o n th e parts of th e town to j oin . We were Viwa " Re viva ls a n d Na tive Pasto rs 7 7

spot in due time , and some glorious meetings we had in this house On some occasions the glory of the Lord was won derfully revealed . Some of the instances of con version were very remarkable . A person would be seized all at once and thrown into the most extraordinary two di stress . Most of the women fainted or Ou three times before they foun d peace . me so n some occasions the n were viole t , both in their sorrow and j oy, that it was almost dangerous to be near them . There was no wa y of managing them but by throwing them on the ground, and holding them there , which sometimes had to be done for hour s

together, and in some cases the strength of four or ﬁ ve men was required to manage th Ye t l efn . there was nothing wild or si ly n we in what they said ; indeed, in ge eral were aston ished at the manner in which they expressed themselves, both in prayer and praise , and in their exhortations to others after they found peace . Generally after they obtained the favour of God, and became a little calm, they would begin to exhort those aroun d them with amazing power and ﬂu e c n y, keeping to the great points about n n Which they formerly said next to othi g, 7 8 Jo hn H u n t

l name y, repentance toward God and faith toward Jesus Christ . Our public services were most extra r o dinary times , especially on the Sabbath morning . Sometimes before we reached the we chapel heard the cries of penitents , or s the expression of joy of pardoned sinners , wh o o were glad to g to the house of the Lord . It was almost impossible for the priest to minister, because of the glory of the Lord . To hear the preacher ’s voice in prayer was ﬁr st few out of the question , except the i sentences . The people were pray ng all over a ll the chapel , with their might , and several of them prostrate on the ground , fainting or d over ome by the p ower of their emotions . Those wh o fainted were removed by those about them , without any confusion , so that, though to a mer e spectator it appeared allcon fusion , yet to a person engaged in it there in ﬂu was but little . A great deal of saving ence was felt among the people . Frequently the preacher and people wer e weeping aloud ul e together, and anything like a reg ar s rvice was d wa s impossible . The Te Deum chante

With amazing triumph . When they came to such passages as Thou art the Kin g o f

‘ 80 J o hn H un t in ﬂu en ce l of their fee ings . It is not wonder fulto u s that such people should be affected in such a manner . When we consider what dreadful cannibals , murderers , and poly ga mists many of them were only a few wh o r months since , can be su prised that a proper View o i themselves should produce such an effect on their minds " When we sa w l their agonies and heard their wai ings , it frequently appeared to u s as the most e consistent thing w had ever seen . Suppose twenty men should murder a hundred of o r their neighbours , and eat them , divide them among their friends to be eaten . Suppose they afterwards attend the ministr y of the gospel , and are convinced of the des perate wickedn ess of the kind of deed they had committed . Who would believe they were truly convinced of the awful nature and consequences of such a sin , if they merely

r shed tears , or manifested their cont ition in wa the ordinary y We should say,

‘ men b e ul Nay , these cannot tr y penitent , for true repentance consists in having a proper knowledge of our sins a n d corre ” s o n din No sa p g feelings . w if these men w the pr oper nature of th e sins of mur der and Viw a " Re viva ls a n d N a tive Pa sto rs 8 I

l ca nnibalism , their feelings wou d be more di than ordi nary . Or nary repentance is not the kind of repentance we should expect to ’ see in such sinners . The revival w a s a new era in the Fij ian

r r mission it sp ead f om one island to another . Hunt had much of the revival element in

o wn his nature , and these wonderful con versions were the manifestation of a di vine power that could change the savage war r ior and cannibal into a humble , devout , and l He child ike Christian . cherished a great h o pe n o w fo r the conversion of King Th a ko m

Va te a Viw a b eso u h t bau . , the "ueen of , g that chief with tears to turn his back upon the i ia n F j deities , and his face towards the true

w a r r s God, who loved peace, not , ighteousnes

On K and not vindictive cruelty . andavu , l o n when such a reviva was going , thirty young chiefs banded themselves together

0 it . o i to put a st p to Some " the young women to whom they were betrothed wer e

r among the penitents . They fea ed that their conversion and confession of Chris tia n ity might make difﬁ culties about their marriage with them as heathen . With u p lifted clubs they marched round the chapel , 6 8 2 J o hn H u n t

r threatening death to those within , who we e in r n earnest p ayer with several penite ts . a They c lled some by name to come out , or ill be k ed . No notice was taken of their l At savage yel s and thr eats . length one u r r l vent ed inside the chu ch , and fel imme di a t el ﬂ r y on the oor in a swoon . The othe s ll followed, greatly excited , ti one by one

r all r n erye they we e p ostrate , every quivering l convu sively , and the perspiration running from their bodies . Their veins stood out like whipcord and they moaned as it in m agony . The issionary went to one , and , i Be l touch ng him gently , said , ca m , and I ’ r willpray for you . Calm calm eplied

ma l ﬁr e . the n . He l is burning me I ’ ni r deserve to perish . A shrewd native mi ste m o i advised the issionary to g home , say ng , ’ He The excitement is too great for you .

r went home to bed , and on ising at six in the morning saw the native minister at W di d r the door . hat time you b eak up

las . He t night he asked replied , We have just left the chapel . The last pe nitent h hi s i n o w as come out of th rd faint , and is ’ shouting for j oy . They had been allni ght e e n with th s you g chiefs , Witnessing great Viw a " Reviva ls a n d Native Pa stors 83

contor tions and struggles but a ll wer e

converted , and the fruits of their repentance were abiding and goodly .

r r In a lette to Mr . Calve t at this time Hunt w m r rites , I have felt so e power in p ayer for Th a ko mb a u lately and I think most

u . h im of s have The Lord can save . I never thought He could save heathens so ea sily ’ ff till I saw it . The e ect of the revival wa s not only to str engthen faith and brighten s m hope in the power of the go pel , to hu ble satanic pride and to cleanse the mor al leper

o u y me n r ni it gave a band of y ng, for the t ai ng ’ l r col ege , whose hearts the Lo d had touched . After a few years of carefu l teaching and wise oversight catechists wer e sent out from Viwa di r l for the stant islands who we e god y men, m powerful preachers , and exa ples to the e il p ople in industry and fam y life and trai ning . The home of each catechi st was a pattern for the village wher e he lived . Viwa has always been the poorer for allthe purposes

r r of town life and chu ch wo k , because her best sons and daughters were sent out at that time to enrich other islands . New hymns in the Fij ian had to be pre pared for congregational use . Their native J o hn H un t

lyrics could be adapted to the Te Deum , the Ma n iﬁ ca t g , or any of the Psalms . Some ﬁ rst of these hymns , composed by Lyth ,

W a tsfo r d ll o , and Hunt , wi never g out of use . Hunt’s free rendering of Charles Wesley’s ’ hymn , J esu , Lover of my soul , is an ex u isite 0 q native p em , more tender , if possible ,

. r than the original The widow of a ministe , wh o had been away from Fij i for mor e than

r h er thi ty years , when on dying bed quoted

r the Fij ian rende ing of the hymn , saying, It is sweeter music to my soul than the ’ E r nglish . With many other f uits of literary ’ r a r e indust y , Hunt s hymns mellow and

r - H sweet in the Fij ian chu ches to day . e

r r r ver lives in the vernacula Sc iptu es , the n a cu la r ministry , the theological textbooks ,

- t ra n sﬁ u r ed the hymn book , and the g lives of the people . CHAPTER VII

" E NTI RE SANCTI FICATI ON

OLY wa s H living a passion with Hunt , almost from the time of his conversion . The subj ect of Entir e Sa n ctiﬁ ca tio n wa s not

- m a life study only , but an embodi ent of He wa s r daily living . no mere demonst ator

m l a io n exe iﬁ c t . of the doctrine , but its living p The aromatic saintliness of his life is one of the most precious memor ies of the good man in Viwa . In his teaching the students found

r the germs of t ue wisdom , and in his life they found the elevating power of r eal good ness . There are many books on the subj ect ’ of holiness . John Hunt s theology on that subj ect wa s the outcome of personal ex

er ien ce p , by the light of the divine Word

and close f ellowship with the Holy Spirit .

r As a good p eacher , he was often preaching to himself ; and the ﬁ delity with which h e 3 5 ‘ 8 6 Jo hn H u nt

used the search-light in his o wn heart gave him light and leading in tr ying to help

He deﬁ n es r sa n ct iﬁ ca io others . enti e t n as di r " inclu ng th ee things First , entire purity of heart ; secondly , the maturity of the

h r r C ristian character thi dly, all p actical — holiness b y which is meant a unifor m a t tention to the claims of God and the duties

r we owe to ourselves and to all men . The e were holy seasons , like the Sabbath and the

r religious festivals . There we e holy places , like the tabernacle and the temple . There

t h e were holy things , like the vessels of

a r k tabernacle andthe . There were holy men , like the priests and the Levites . The com mo n quality under lying all these is con se — cr a ti o n set apart from secular to religious purposes . What was partial in the Old a m r Test ment , and te po ary, is made universal

' r in N e o and pe manent the w Testament . N t

r s a re the p ie ts only , but all believers to be E an d holy . very day is to be a Sabbath , devotion is to diffuse itself thr ough the whole

r e o r life . Whethe y eat , drink, or whatso ’ r e eve y do , do all to the glory of God . Holiness wa s to be written upon the bells of the horse s daily business and domestic

8 8 jo hn H un t

’ all to cleanse u s from unrighteousness .

Hunt says, Seek to be cleansed from all

ﬁ n d sin , and never rest until you what you ’ seek . This cleansing must be ﬁ r st an w intense desire , then it ill be a fervent

" prayer Purge me with hyssop , and I shall

e be clean ; wash m , and I shall be whiter than ’ 0 snow . Create in me a clean heart God ,

r r and enew a right spi it within me . a d Purity of heart is the absen ce of sin, n

brings clearness of spiritual perception . u s we Isaiah tells what must do ourselves, as

n . the conditio of this cleansing Wash you ,

r make you clean , put away the evil of you

doings from before Mine eyes . Cease to do ’ n evil, lear to do well . The only sin God n ever forgives is the sin which we never

a in give u p . The unpardonable sin is n ma curably sinful condition . God helps the n wh o wills to get away from sin ; therefore we read of the divine provision on God ’s part Then will I sprinkle clean water upon e m you, and y shall be clean ; fro all your ﬁlth in e ss and from all your idols will I cleanse l I . n ew you A heart also wi l give you , and ’

t . a n e w spirit will I put within you . S Paul gives u s the very words of consecr ation En tire Sa n ctiﬁca tio n 89

Having therefore these promises, dearly u s beloved, let cleanse ourselves from all ﬁlth in e ss ﬂe sh a n d of spirit, perfecting holi ’ ness in the fear of the Lord . The power E that cleanses is the ternal Spirit, through the blood of the everlasting covenant . The words used in the Bible about cleansing refer to that which saturates the substance— not that only which washes the surface . Hunt guards this doctrine of Christian purity . It is not the absence of liability to sin . It is not absolute perfection ; that belongs to God o t only . It is n perfection in wi sdom and a d knowledge , not freedom from frailties n n misco ceptions, but the perfection of our love . It is a growth , beginning with our conversion or being in Christ . Its maturity

r is being like Ch ist . There must be a

r u s moment when sin is dest oyed within , n e and the w life is in full health . The old English word hallow meant to restore to

r perfect wholeness of hea t . It is our highest nature in full sp ir itual health or at its best o for service . Hunt insists upon h lin ess as essential to usefulness and happiness, and being perfect in love is simply lovin g God wi th all the heart and min d and 90 Jo hn H un t

s ul a n d o ur o strength, and neighbour as ’ ourselves . The Fij ians used to say that Hunt loved them more than he loved himself . There is nothing more wonderful in their recollections of his life on Viwa than their reverence for T his sain tliness . hey cherish his memory as a man of the highest type, and one whose daily life illustrated his best teaching . They read the Bible in his life before they saw fe the printed book . With so w helps in E the fellowship of nglish Christians, his successors have admired and tried to imitate the closeness of his fellowship with the divine . The echoes of his footsteps, as he walke d and talked with God under the palms l of Viwa, are stil heard, and his favourite spots are holy places to those who cheri sh his memory . His grave has been the place of consecration to the young missionary on e his arrival in the islands . H might look no longer for the mantle of Elijah ; but if the man tle of John Hun t might fall upon ' ul f him, his life wo d be di fused with the S d pirit of holiness, and his work woul be honoured of God and crowned with s e ucc ss . En tire San ctiﬁca tio n 9I

A letter written to the Rev . Francis Wilson of Tonga subordinates everythi ng else to the ’ subj ect that domi nated Hunt s whole life . 1 1 18 The letter is dated Viwa , September , 45 .

‘ MY ERY DE AR ROTHE R V B , I need not say I deeply sympathi ze w r ith you, your dea wife, and the cause of

a fﬂictio n . God at Tonga, in your Allow n me, my dear brother, to direct your attentio to a subj ect which is equally importa nt to

a r e those who ill or those who are well, the living or the dyin g, and which cannot there for e be out of place ; I mean the subject

E r iﬁ a i n of nti e Sa n ct c t o . I doubt not but you do think much upon the subj ect . There is o n e aspect under which it presents itself

i r to me wh ch is very encou aging , namely, that it makes an essential par t of gospel salvation . Christ died that we might be

. He e entirely holy is a p rfect Saviour, able to save to the uttermost all that come

Him . unto God by Faith , simple faith in

i l u s efﬁ ca c Jesus, w l help to the y of His blood, e by Which w are clean sed from all sin . It is by the same faith we shall receive that ’ degree of the Spirit s grace necessary to 92 Jo hn H u n t

perfect our love to God and man . I like

Mr . Wesley exceedin gly in the latter part 1115 On wa of sermon , the Scripture y of Salvation (a most appropriate title) e speci E ally these words , xpect it by faith , expect

n o w . it as you are, expect it The whole of paragraph eighteen is to me inestimable,

n o t St . but more so than Paul , who , after he had prayed for the entire sa n ctiﬁ ca tio n of

He the Thessalonians, declares, Faithful is ”

wh o w do it . that calleth you, also ill

Again, that passage in Hebrews is delight fully encouraging " For if the blood of bulls and of goats sa n ctifi e th to the purifying fl of the esh , how much more shall the blood of Christ purge your conscience from dead ” ’ works . The apostle s argument is triumph sa crifi ces ant . If the animal under the Old Testament dispensation an swered the pur f poses for which they were o fered, which o e n o t no n can deny, then shall the blood of Christ effect all the purposes for which; " Ye s it was shed , thank God, it shall

much more fully effect them all . One purpose wa s to purge our conscience fr om

dead works . This expression perhaps would not show that Christ shed His blood to En tire Sa n ctiﬁca tio n 93

u s a llsi cleanse from n , or some people might limit its meaning ; but who can limit the

- v . meaning of Eph . 25 27 Christ also it loved the Church, and gave Himself for ; that He might sanctity and cleanse it with He the washing of water by the word, that might present it to Himself a glorious

o r l Church , not having spot, wrink e , or any such thing but that it might be holy and without blemish All the unbelief in r o b s the world cannot u of this blessed text . Jesus intends to cleanse u s and ﬁllu s with

His Spirit , that we shall be glorious even

. r He in His pure eyes Glo y be to God,

ﬁ t . will fully you for Himself Then , to live is Christ and to die is gain . I will not refer to any other subj ect except j ust to say that the good work continues to prosper here in all its departments, and is becoming somewhat established as well as much ex tended . My dear wife j oins in sympathy with you , who sympathized with her when in trouble . I should like much to see you . ’ a n d sist e r God bless you, my dear brother .

Accept the tear of sympathy, f e From yours very a f ctionately, ’ OH J N HUNr . Jo hn H u n t

Such a letter to an a fﬂicte d brother mission ary could only be wr itten by one pure in l heart and with a great so u . One of his prayers is given in his book — on En tir e S a n ctiﬁca ti on and the true in ’ w a r dn ess of a man s life may be known from

’ e e ll his prayers, sp cia y when they are written for private use . The prayer reveals the ’ man in God s presence . The cleansing from sin ushered in a n ew

e w a s life . H conscious of the gift of heavenly strength in all his activities . It wa s not only deliverance from the bondage of

su fﬁ cie c sin , but power for service The n y of divine grace to transform character, and to give power with men when pleading for

wa s a n . God, not a theory, but experience E Christ was to Him the nabler, and made all things possible . This revelation changed the whole aspect of his work . It wa s the " secret of his unfailing Optimism I can do a ll things in Him that st ren gth en e th ’ me me . The Lord stood by me and gave " iv . power (2 Tim . This w a s the ’ t ul n secret of S . Pa s e ablement for his i wa s min stry, and it the explanation of ’ a Hun t s missionary success . Holiness w s

96 Jo hn H u n t

Ba n w came from on a Sunday morning , here all the people were still heathen , and his heart had been chilled by sneers and scornful

r words about the God he loved and se ved , h e found Hunt as he passed the Viwa church

- in the midst of a red hot revival . Brother ’ r Calvert, he c ied, come in and show these ’ men the shortest way to Jesus and salvation . He pointed to several notorious heathen

ﬂo o r n warriors, prostrate on the , prayi g

r in very agony, and quive ing with nervous

. a m excitement Calvert replied , I j ust from Bau , which is hell upon earth . The blasphemy of the heathen has made me shiver

w . ith cold I have been shocked, and this is too sudden . It is from the north pole to the equator . I must go home and get o wn my heart warmed with prayer, then I ’ ’ will come and help you . Hunt s only reply ’ was, Halleluj ah several have got through,

- and he went on with his prayer meeting . The nervous expenditure of such meetings ’ a s e w xhausting, and if on full stretch, as it w a s he termed , the strain severe and began to tell upon a strong physical frame . Writing to his friends at home he says, We have n o w in Society and 15 9 on trial for En tire Sa n ctiﬁca tio n 97

membership . We have been very busy N e w during the past year on the Testament, which is now printed in the native lan guage .

This, as you may suppose, has cost some one a good deal of trouble . I hope we may have the Old Testament done in ﬁ ve or six a n d years hence, if our life health are spared . These things are little thought of by our friends at home . They know something of that part of our work whi ch consists in h Visiting various places, preac ing the gospel , and teaching schools ; but they know o f — little that is done in the study what hour s of anxious thought spent in deciding the a d meaning of words n phrases, and how the Word of God is to be pu t into the language of the people without altering its meaning, or making it di fﬁ cu lt for them to understand

it . A pale face, a feverish state of the body,

a mind almost distracted, and an appetite s perhap impaired, in dicate that something S severe has been going on behind the cen es . He f Thank God a fords His aid, and then ,

’ L a o u r is r est a n d a i n is swe et . b , p About the same time he writes in his J ou rn alabout other missionaries as well as 7 98 Jo hn H u n t

s e himself . Our mis ionaries her are hard

- —- o i a ll . working men, and men work They a d rise early n translate the Scriptures, or prepare other good books ; they teach the a natives useful arts, and guide them in ll they do one part of the day is devoted to native schools, and another to the schooling of their o wn children . They preach the a ll it gospel to who will hear , morning , noon , and night . They administer medi cine to di the sick, and settle sputes for all parties . They a r e consulted about every important r t ente prise, and have heir hand in every

o n . thin g that is going They are lawyers, physicians, privy councillors, builders, agri ul r a d l c tu ists, n frequent trave lers on the high seas in the frailn ative can oes . They are men

W h se a th is o n t h e mo u n t a in w a v e o p , W o se h e is o n t h e d e e h o m p .

They study hard that they may give a faith — fultranslation of the Word of God several of them daily read Hebrew , Greek, and t Latin , for this end ; besides their constan application to the perfecting of their know l edge in the native language , in which they

Jo hn H un t

missionaries in the lan d of savages . They never held their husbands back from posts where duty called or danger threatened . They sent them forth in an atmosphere of n sympathy, and shielded them by con ti ual prayer and faith in God . CHAPTER VIII

I N J OURN EY I NGS OFT

AFTER his appointment as Chairman of di the District , in addition to the stant places

hi s o n in w circuit, Hunt had to visit the out -stations and distan t islands like Ro tuma . In the Viwa Circuit he had one hundred thousand people on the large island,

Na Viti Levu . Three importan t centres required frequent Visits a n d continual inter r cou se with the teachers in charge . One of

these centres was sixty miles from Viwa , another was ninety, and the third one hun dred and twenty . These places had to be ’ Visited in what he calls frail canoes . When w a s a small schooner sometimes available , o w he had to be his n captain, with a native crew . It was never safe to sleep in the

n night , for the Fijian helmsma invariably tied the helm and went to sleep also, with all

1 0 1 I 0 2 Jo hn H un t

his fellows in the hold of the vessel . Any ’ person knowing the perils of the sea, through which the early missionaries to

Fiji were safely brought , will have no difﬁ cu lt y in believing in a special providence . That no o n e of those missionaries was drown ed is cause for wonder and than kful n ess Some narrow escapes were experi en ced , and the workers could tell of wonderful providences . During his ﬁ rst year of residence at

. wa s Lakemba, when Dr Langham on a voyage, in a small schooner, to visit one of the distant islands in his circuit , the bumping of the vessel on the reef woke him up from ﬁ n d his bed under an old sail, to himself o alone n the deck, with the tiller tied to the f a ta frail . The crew were fast sleep in the hold, but thinking they had all gone over l board to swim for the shore, and eft him l to perish , he eaped into the water to swim for his life . Fortunately one of the crew wa s n n awakened by the splash , and, ru ing on deck, jumped into the sea to follow the missionary . The land was much farther away than it looked in the starlight, and

a s . Dr . Langham w soon exhausted The

I 04 J o hn H u n t

n cheerful , looki g at the bright side of things, and seeing the humour of any ridi culous la situation . There is a w of compensation . When a man leaves the comforts of home or ’ its conven iences for the kingdom of God s wi sake, he has sweeter fellowship th the divine He ﬁ n ds a deeper well a n d sweeter a m w ter than physical co forts can ever yield . All sense of personal danger is lost in the full assurance that between him and peril

God spreads His broadest shield . O b e n the deck of the canoe , when m n E cal ed, he had the opportu ity for nglish

He reading . always had good standard h im books with , and his J ournal of these many voyages t e stiﬁ es to his love of the

l a s r best iterature , as well to the ca eful improvement of every opportunity . In Visit ing these infan t churches, plan ted in the m midst of cannibal savages, the co manding in flu en ce of a great per sonality w a s an 1m fi u r e mense advantage . His tall, manly g made him a fi t leader of a gr eat n ational reformation . His strength, courage , and dignity compelled respect . To the average

Fijian he was every inch a chief . To their

r superstitious fea s, he had some reserve ’ In J o urn eyin gs Oft 10 5 of power in the God whose ambassador he a s w . Those who rejected his religion rever en ced the man who loved them a n d proved m in a d hi self to be their friend sickness, n who was always a messenger of peace . Preaching was only a small part of the work in Visiting these out -sections of the E large Viwa Circuit . ducational work was of great importan ce . The day schools for both children and adults had to be examined and the teachers en couraged by suggested improvements, or admonished if the results were not satisfactory . The candidates for baptism had to be met , and such as were eligible for church membership chosen with great care . The service for the baptism of adults w a s one of special importan ce and solemnity . Heathen marriages, where the a n d wife had been purchased in childhood, w er n o t taken by force to her husband, % r recognized . The compact of Ch istian marri age was entered into where the women had on ly been the slaves of their husbands, and were henceforth to enj oy Christian home life . The dignity of woman hood had to be taught . Polygamists who wished to en ter the Christian Church selected the wife of I 06 Jo hn H unt

highest rank and set the others free . This in volved no hardship or injustice to the e liberated women . Through the prevalenc ema le of infan ticide , practised on ly on f children , and chronic tribal wars, where m w the victi s were often omen and girls, men r came to be in a large maj o ity . b The women , li erated from the tyranny a d of the harem , soon found husbands n homes of their o wn . Where children were concerned, the chief had the right of veto , in case the intended husband of his freed wife was not likely to take care of his l “ children , or he cou d take them to his own home . Polygamy was never tolerated in the C Fij ian hristian Church . Any sanction of it would have involved what was not only

r r r w ong in p inciple , but impolitic in p actice . When the people wer e accepting the Chr istian religion in thousands , the visit of the mis sio n a r y involved the j oining of scores in

r marriage at one service . This se vice was made the oppor tunity for explaining what the New Testament taught of the relative

a n d r duties of husband wife , and of pa ents and children . The foundation principles

10 8 J o hn H u n t

r those who had been p epar ing for baptism .

rr In the afternoon I ma ied two couples , ul l baptized seventeen ad ts and two chi dren , and preached from I indeed baptize you ” &c . r with water , I had ave y bad headache, ’ but that did not prevent a blessing . Next morning he pr eached at daylight on Lovest thou Me P After wards he met the Society and questioned them on their personal ex

erien ce p , and listened to several pleasing ’ r testimonies of changes grace had w ought . Then he administer ed the sacr ament of the ’ Lord s Supper and found a special blessing as I explained the presence of Chr ist in the sacr ament which is real to every believer, though much perverted by the Oi can r Papists . course it only be a spi itual presence , for what else can be present to the spir it P After attending to the sick o fo r N a ir a r a and the sch ols he sailed away , going thr ough much the same round of wor k

On B a at that place . May 4 he gets to , late at night , where the chief had lately

r e renounced heathenism . After taking fr eshment we had some conversation and

r r r r praye and etired to est . Pe haps a missionar y owes it to the gr ace of God that ' ln J o urneyin gs Oft 10 9

he is without fear under such circumstances , as he certainly does to His providence that B a he is quite safe . The people have the worst char acters o f any in Fij i for cannibal

r ism . The next morning he held a se vice hi in the house of the c ef , when the household , consisting of eleven persons , embraced

Christianity . These extracts will be su fﬁ cien t to show how the foundations of a native Christian church were being laid, with great care as l to doctrine , character, and po ity . Nothing has been a greater surpr ise to the missionaries who succeeded these pioneers than the i wisdom o f th eir plans and lines of develop m ent . Their successors had only to con solidate and extend a work begun on right principles of church life and growth . The education of t h e children was provided for in day and Sunday schools , and Christian home lite was cultivated by the daily readi ng

r ul a t of the Scriptures and p ayer . Reg ar hi tendance at Sabbath wors p was required, and any one failing in Christian conduct was admonished by his fellows . The New Testament was the standar d of doctrine and

character . 1 10 J o hn H un t

Mr After holding the Annual Synod . Hunt n was agai n on the wing . O this voyage he was the companion and co n ﬁden tia ladviser al r a of the Rev . W te Lawry , the Gener l Superintendent of Wesleyan Missions in the

n e o h n South Seas . The w mission ship j

Wesle i f y, on which they sa led , a forded com fo r t a ble accommodation , and was a contrast in every respect to the native canoe or

o r Tt itan island schooner , even the , which w a s the for erunner of mission vessels in the

South Seas . Verani , the Christian chief of th e Viwa, was pilot , and the purpose of the voyage wa s to select the best positions for two n ew mission stations on the Large Land

(Vanua Levu) . The negotiations with t native chi efs were delicate and often difﬁ cul . o They were j ealous of letting their land g , as they often said , from under their feet , even when it was to be utilized for churches , th e l schools for education of their chi dren , and for the residence of their o wn missionary . Great practicalwisdom was required in the ex en di selection of suitable sites , or much p ture might pr ove to be a waste of money . Bau and Nandi wer e the two stations ﬁ xe d

upon , with the best information that could

I I 2 J o hn H u n t w as on an episcopal Visit of inspection , and E says, verything takes from the Chairman , s not a ombre hue , but a tinge of evergreen , a glow of life ; and giant strides are being ’ made in every part of the Fij ian work . Mr These testimonies show . Hu nt to have been one of the men, like Nehemiah , who count for thousands , who kindle enthusiasm and i nspire other s with their o wn zealand devotion . 18 8 Mr In June, 4 , . Hunt is again upon the Ca l so sea , on board H . M . S . yp . Captain Wor th required his services as o fﬁ cia linter

r preter in Visiting va ious islands . Fij ian missionaries have cheerfully given their

help to ships of war , in translating for the o fﬁ cers the treaties into which the various Governments wished to enter with the

native chiefs . ’ r Ca l so M . Hunt s voyage on the yp involved

r a j ou ney overland, and the long walk in the heat of the sun w a s followed by ex

r e He p o su to the damp night air . was ll E chi ed , and the cold , which in ngland

r r r would st ike the th oat or chest , st ikes in r Fij i the mucous memb ane of the bowels . Repeated attacks of dysentery wore away ln J o urn eyin gs Oft 1 13

n e He the strength of a ﬁ constitution . had the unremittin g attention of his colleague r al w l d Dr . Lyth . Inte v s of relief ere fo lowe by repeated attacks , and the end drew near .

When slightly better, he Visited the schools , and tried to give his little strength to teach ing the children when he could not preach He to adults . preached his last sermon at the mission house fr om the text Prayin g ’ in the Holy Ghost . It was an appropriate subject for a man who lived in the spirit of s prayer . In the last analysi the source of power in spiritual work is God , and the power of God is given in answer to prayer . Missions in difﬁ cu lt ﬁ elds and under adverse l e conditions have had large spiritua succ ss , because the feebleness of man has n ecessi t a t ed r p ayer for divine power , and developed m a faith that could remove ountains . Mis sio n a r y success hinges upon prayer . It is the unlocking force that opens barred doors and inspir es every true forward movement ’ for the world s conversion . CHAPTER I X

EARLY AND TRI UMPHANT DEATH

w l e " wa s Ho ought such a if to end It ,

a e . He comparatively, death at an early g -six e th e wa s only thirty . H had crowded s e work of a long life into ten hort years . Som ripen for an early harvest . Some pioneer missionaries in th e South Seas were honoured ’ Th e by a martyr s death . noble Bishop

i Patteson was killed in revenge for wr ongs f w e su fered at the hands of hite men, by savag natives whom he loved and for whom h e had left home and country and friends ’ dearer than his life . John Williams fell e E und r the clubs of the savages on rromanga , t o W l hom he was carrying the gospe of peace . Thomas Baker w a s killed by the cannibal mountaineers of Viti Levu (Great Fij i) , and ’ ’ wears a martyr s crown . In the Martyr s e u E r th e M morial Ch rch of r omanga, under

1 14

1 1 6 J o hn H un t

l Glo r E n l l Jesus, Sa vation , and y, ter a G ory Halleluj ah he repeated twenty or thirty a s times, every time fainter till his voice w hushed . Why wa s such a triumphant departure given to this pioneer missionary " To the Fijian Christians it was a striking contrast l to the death of the heathen, and a wonderfu co n ﬁ rma tio n To of the Christian religion . die in a rapture of praise was a n ew light upon th e shadowed valley . The happy death to

John Hun t was specially given , not only to l wn n comp ete and cro a life of good ess, but to co n ﬁr m the faith and brighten the h0pe

of the infant churches . It was the gleam of light into the dark soul of King Th a ko m

. He wa s ﬁ rst bau said, I favourably impressed towar ds the Christian religion when I saw it made dying not only easy but triumphant To this day the death of John Hunt in the arms of his friend and colleague James Calvert is quoted in many a Fij ian pulpit as evidence that the Christian religion lights up the dark valley and gives a good man a triumphant entrance into the i th e Paradise of God . Precious n sight ’ B of the Lord is the death of His saints . y ‘ Early a n d Tri u mpha n t De a th 1 17

ul death, as tr y as by life , they glorify God .

n d Death sums up a completes the service . r r It is the fore unner of life , the fo ward movement in the in fin it e progression of the soul. They enter upon n obler service in a higher sphere . No one ever earned a better fi h t right to say, I have fought a good g , fi n ish e d I have the course , I have kept the ’

&c . faith , , than John Hunt , the missionary hero and saint , who died at Viwa on October

18 8 . 4, 4 An iron monument and palisade mark ’ the missionary s grave at Viwa . The Revs . Po lla se John g and Joel Bulu are buried near . The ground is holy in its memories and associations . It has been the shrine where succeeding missionaries have come to dedi cate themselves for service and for co n se cr a tion to holy li ving . From the grave of John Hunt they have gone forth to repeat hi s life l of high and nob e purpose . CHAPTER X

TE STIMONIE S TO CHARACTER AND USEFULNES S

’ A GREAT mission ary is one of God s best r n ﬂ gifts to His Church . The eﬂex i u en ce of the life and work of John Hunt has kindled the missionary enthusiasm of British and American churches and deepened th e religious e exp rience of many hundreds of Christians .

His power was in his entire consecration . ’ ‘ H e e served the Lord fully . H was full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom —and there fore a magazine of spiritual forces . His missionary principles were wellthought out

e and scriptural . H sought to found no exotic church, but one that would be native

He to the soil . did not denationalize the n Fijian , but made the can ibal into a Fijian t Christian . No church can take root withou r a verna cular Bible and a ve nacular ministry,

113

I 20 Jo hn H un t

difﬁcu lties il al fa ed to move , and of a c mly al fervent zeal , which in sickness and in he th , al in strength and in weakness , was ways in

pursuit of its one grand obj ect , the salvation ’ of man .

Dr . Hannah , his revered tutor in theology, said of him Grace called forth mind ; that mind discovered unexpected energies ;

r u and these ene gies , under the g idance and

blessing of the Lord the Spirit , yielded

labours , the fruits of which shall not easily I - die . never knew a man more right hearted with respect to the great work of o u r . Lo r d and Saviour . I never knew a man whose principles were more staid , whose zeal was

r mo e perpetually fed by charity , and who was mor e disposed to devote himself in ever y possible way to the advancement of his ’

as . M ter s praise And although his life , in m m hu an esti ation , may seem to have been cut short in the midst, yet in abundance of a n d r i labours , in extrao d nary success , John He Hunt lived a long life . crowded the labours and successes of many years into al ten ; and , though he has passed away when we wished he might remain , I trust his ’ ll a n d example wi yet live , will yet operate . Te stimo n ies to Chara cter 1 2 1

Another testimony must be given , that of

- r u his warm hea ted colleag e , and a born W a t sfo rd Rev . revivalist , the John , whose E 1 88 1 Visit to ngland in , as representa l tive of the Australasian Conference , wi l not He n soon be forgotten . is the o ly survivor of these pioneer missionaries of Fij i . Hunt was a very holy man , so humble , so fully

r consecrated t o God , and so ea nest in his work . When he wrote his letters on Chris

r tian Pe fection , so widely known and so hi h is o wn li e ghly valued , he wrote f . I heard those letters delivered as lectures , and a specially powerful in ﬂu en ce was on all who heard them . As a preacher , I have never known his equal . His exposition of God ’s Word was so clear that in listening to him I felt greatly surprised that I had not before seen those truths that now appeared m exceedingly plain and si ple . His praying was indeed pleading with God . With mighty faith he laid hold of God ’s promises and wrestled until he prevailed . I shall never forget some seasons of prayer we had to gether , when the Lord very graciously r He evealed Himself to u s. was a diligent B h a d student . y hard labour he 1 22 Jo hn H un t acquired a good knowledge of Greek and w as hi m Hebrew, which invaluable to in the W He a c ork of translating . was better qu a in t e d with the Fij ian language than any r other missionary . As a t anslator all his

r brethren regarded him as thei chief . When was ill it ul he and was feared he wo d die , the distress of every one was very great . I was at the special prayer-meeting held at

r Viwa to pray for his recove y , and I heard that wonderful pr ayer by Verani which has often been referred to . Telling the Lord His what servant had done , he cried , If o some one must g , Lord , take me , but spare ll Thy servant . If one wi not do , take ten and if ten are not enough , take twenty ;

r only spa e Thy servant , to do Thy work in ” . dr Th a ko mb a u Fij i As the end ew near, came to see the dying missionary , and was

r f b e fo r g eatly a fected . Well he might ,

Fij i was losing one of its best friends . ’ V er a n i s wa s Mr prayer not answered ; . Hunt died— died most triumphantly—died

his r praying for Fij i , and p ayer has been

- answered , for to day heathenism in Fij i is ’ a thing of the past . Th e j ubilee of mission s in Fij i wa s cele

1. 24 Jo hn H u n t

j ubilee rej oicings, Fiji is a nation of Metho ’ dists . An intelligent traveller and popular

C. F Writer, Miss . Gordon Cumming, says Probably the whole wor ld contains no whole nation of such simple, gentle Christians as the Fij ians of The reproductive power o f Christianity is s hown by the fact that nearly a hundred trained Fij ians are missionaries in New Guinea, New Britain , and the Solomon Islands . The contributions of the Fijians to foreign missions during the past six years have averaged over per year . They give not only their money, but their sons and daughters . The latest 1 0 statistics, for the year ending March, 9 4, 2 - give Churches, 75 other preaching places, 16 8 1 3 44 missionaries , native ministers, a d catechists n teachers, local preachers ,

- class leaders, ; members, o n o n trial, attendan ts public worship ,

Sunday scholars, What hath God wrought Praise ye the Lord

Pr i ted b H a z l" Wa ts o 63" i L et L o n d a l bu r n y e , n V m , , on n d Ay es y , A

SELECTIO N 0 12 BO O KS

E E AL RELIG IO US AND G N R , , J UV ENILE LITERATURE

SUITABLE FOR

PRESENTATIONS OR REWARDS

Med i u m 800 clo th ilt ed es 3 8 a es 3 . m l. , , g g , 4 p g , 5

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