Aborigines--South Sea Mission--Fresh Slanders on Mr. Marsden's
character--His Pamphlet in self-defence--Letter of Messrs. Bennett
and Tyerman--Libels and Action at Law--Verdict--Case of
Ring--Pastoral Letters of Mr. Marsden: To a Lady; On the Divinity
of Christ--Fifth Voyage to New Zealand--Letters, etc.
Scarcely had Mr. Marsden returned to Paramatta when we find him in
correspondence with the new governor on the subject of the aborigines of
Australia. They were already wasting away in the presence of the
European colonists like snow before the sun. Their restless and
wandering habits seemed to present insuperable difficulties, whether the
object were to convert or merely to protect them. His memorandum to the
governor, and subsequent correspondence with the Church Missionary
Society, show his anxiety for their welfare and the largeness of his
heart. Each new project, as it came before him, was welcomed with
serious attention, while at the same time there was no fickleness, no
relaxation of his efforts in his old engagements and pursuits. But he
was not allowed to connect his name with the evangelization of these
poor heathen. Various attempts have been made by different denominations
to bring them into the fold of Christ, but hitherto with very small
success. It seems, at length, as if Christians had acquiesced in the
conclusion that their conversion is hopeless, that we can do nothing
more than to throw over them the shield of the British government, and
prevent their wholesale destruction by lawless "squatters" and
"bush-rangers." We shall return, however, to the subject hereafter.
His interest in the mission to the South Sea Islands continued unabated.
The London Missionary Society had deputed the Rev. Daniel Tyerman and
George Bennett, Esq., to visit these missions, and bring home in person
a report of all they might see upon the spot. On their voyage, they
stayed awhile at Sydney, and Mr. Marsden addressed a letter to them,
which shows his own zeal in the cause, and the painful apathy or profane
contempt of others. Such memorials, in this day of comparative fervour,
ought not to be forgotten. When a Livingstone returns home to receive a
shower of honours from a grateful country let us not forget the
venerable pioneers in the same missionary work, and the different
treatment they experienced. The contrast will call forth emotions both
of gratitude and of shame.
"Sydney, November 4, 1824.
"GENTLEMEN,--I know of no circumstance that has given me more
satisfaction than your mission to the South Sea Islands. The
attempt to introduce the arts of civilization and the knowledge of
Christianity amongst the inhabitants of those islands was
confessedly great. An undertaking of such a new and important
nature could not be accomplished without much labour, expense,
anxiety, and risk, to all who were concerned in the work. The
missionaries, for the first ten years, suffered every privation in
the islands, from causes which I need not state. They called for
every support and encouragement to induce them to remain in the
islands, and to return to their stations, after they had been
compelled to take refuge in New South Wales. During these ten
years, I used every means in my power to assist the missionaries,
and to serve the Society Islands. During the next ten years, the
ruling powers in this colony manifested a very hostile spirit to
the mission. As I felt it my pleasure as well as my duty to
support the cause, I fell under the marked displeasure of those in
authority, and had a painful warfare to maintain for so long a
period, and many sacrifices I had to make. The ungodly world
always treated the attempt to introduce the gospel among the
natives of the Islands as wild and visionary, and the Christian
world despaired of success.
"In those periods of doubt and uncertainty in the public mind, I
suffered much anxiety, as very great responsibility was placed on
me. Sometimes, from one cause and another, my sleep departed from
me; though I was persuaded God would bless the work. The work is
now done; this your eyes have seen, and your ears heard; in this I
do rejoice and will rejoice. I wish you, as representatives of the
Society, to satisfy yourselves, from friends and foes, relative to
my conduct towards the mission for the last twenty-five years. You
must be aware that many calumnies have been heaped upon me, and
many things laid to my charge which I know not. My connexion with
the missionaries and the concerns of the mission has been purely
of a religious nature, without any secular views or temporal
interests; and my services, whether they be great or small, were
gratuitous. The missionaries, as a body, are very valuable men,
and as such I love them; but some of them, to whom I had been
kind, have wounded me severely, both here and elsewhere. I have
always found it difficult to manage religious men; what they
state, though in a bad spirit, is generally believed by the
Christian world. I need not enter into the circumstances which
urged me to purchase the Queen Charlotte, as you are in full
possession of them; you are also acquainted with the reason why
her expenses became so heavy, the fall of colonial produce more
than twenty per cent. in so short a period, which no one could
have anticipated at that time, and the increased duty of one
hundred per cent. upon tobacco. If these two circumstances had not
occurred, there would have been no loss to any individuals or the
mission. I inclose the statement of the accounts of the Queen
Charlotte, and shall leave the matter in your hands, to act as you
think proper. I shall also leave the Society to make their own
account of the interest upon the 600l. I borrowed. I have no doubt
but the Society will be satisfied that I had no motive but the
good of the mission, and that, as Christian men who fear God, they
will do what is just and right. I shall therefore leave the matter
in your hands.
"I have the honour to be, gentlemen,
"Your most obedient, humble servant,
"SAMUEL MARSDEN."
While thus engaged, he was still a faithful minister of the gospel in
its richest consolations, and a bold opponent of vice. His position as a
magistrate not only obliged him to reprove but to punish sin. The task
was difficult, when the real offender, in too many cases, was not the
wretched culprit at the bar of justice, but some rich and insolent
delinquent, beyond the reach of the limited powers of a colonial
magistrate. In consequence of Mr. Marsden's fearless conduct in a case
we shall not describe, he was at length formally dismissed from the
magistracy. All that is necessary to be known, in order to vindicate his
character, is contained in an extract of a letter written by himself to
Mr. Nicholson, dated Paramatta, 12th August, 1824:
"My very dear sir," he says, "I have still to strive against sin
and immorality, which brings upon me the hatred of some men in
power; this I must expect from those who live on in sin and
wickedness.... You would hear of the whole bench of magistrates at
Paramatta being dismissed at one stroke, five in number--Messrs.
... and your humble servant. We fell in the cause of truth and
virtue. If certain individuals could have knocked me down, and
spared my colleagues, I should have fallen alone; but there was no
alternative but to sacrifice all at once. I glory in my disgrace.
As long as I live I hope to raise a standard against vice and
wickedness. We have some Herods here who would take off the head
of the man who dared to tell them that adultery was a crime."
He was still subject to the most annoying insults. Imputations,
ludicrous from their absurdity and violence, were heaped upon him. In
reading the libels which were published in the colony, and in England
too, about this time, we should suppose that the man against whom they
were aimed was some delinquent, notorious even in a penal settlement. He
was openly accused of being "a man of the most vindictive spirit,"--"a
turbulent and ambitious priest,"--a "cruel magistrate"--an "avaricious
man." These charges, amongst many more, were contained in a work in two
volumes octavo, professing to give an account of Australasia, which
reached a third edition, and to which the author's name was attached. As
if these were not sufficient to grind his reputation to the dust,
further charges of hypocrisy and bigotry were thrown in. These last were
easily repelled; to refute the others was more difficult, inasmuch as
facts were involved which it was necessary to clear up and place in a
just light before the public. It might have seemed magnanimous to
despise such assailants, and meet them with silent pity. And yet we
doubt whether such magnanimity would have been wise, for with a
blemished reputation his usefulness would have been at an end; since his
accusers were not anonymous hirelings, but magistrates and men of high
position in the colony.
He referred the matter to his friends at home, placing his character in
their hands. He was willing to institute an action for libel, if this
step were thought advisable; or else to lay a statement of his wrongs
before the House of Commons; and he transmitted the manuscript of a
pamphlet, in self-justification, to his friend Dr. Mason Good. It was
accompanied with a letter, remarkable for the modest estimate of his own
abilities, as well as for true Christian meekness: "I have requested our
mutual friend, Baron Field, Esq., to show the documents to you, and to
consult with you on the propriety of publishing them. I have much more
confidence in your superior judgment than in my own.... Many hard
contests," he says, "I have had in this colony. But God has hitherto
overruled all for good, and he will continue to do so. As a Christian I
rejoice in having all manner of evil spoken of me by wicked men. As a
member of society, it is my duty to support, by every lawful means, an
upright character. The good of society calls upon me to do this, from
the public situation I hold, as well as that gospel which I believe; on
this principle I think it right to notice Mr. W.'s work. I leave it," he
adds, "to you and my other friends to publish what I have written or
not, as you may think proper, and with what alterations and arrangements
you may think necessary. I do not know how to make a book, any more than
a watch, but you have learned the trade completely; I therefore beg your
assistance, for which I shall feel very grateful." But even these
anxieties could not engross his confidential correspondence. In the same
letter we have pleasant mention of New Zealand and its missionaries:--"I
have no doubt about New Zealand; we must pray much for them, and labour
hard, and God will bless the labour of our hands." Nor is science quite
forgotten:--"I have sent you a small box of fossils and minerals, by
Captain Dixon, of the Phoenix, from Point Dalrymple principally; the
whole of them came from Van Diemen's Land."
Mr. Wilberforce and other friends of religion were consulted; and under
their advice his pamphlet was published in London, though not till the
year 1826. It is entitled, "An Answer to certain Calumnies, etc., by the
Rev. Samuel Marsden, principal Chaplain to the colony of New South
Wales." It contains a temperate, and at the same time a conclusive
answer, to all the charges made against him. To some of these we have
already had occasion to refer; others have lost their interest. The
charge of hypocrisy was chiefly grounded on the fact that a windmill, on
Mr. Marsden's property, had been seen at work on Sunday. But "the mill,"
he says, "was not in my possession at that time, nor was I in New South
Wales. I never heard of the circumstance taking place but once; and the
commissioner of inquiry was the person who told me of it after my return
from New Zealand. I expressed my regret to the commissioner that
anything should have taken place, in my absence, which had the
appearance that I sanctioned the violation of the sabbath-day. As I was
twelve hundred miles off at the time, it was out of my power to prevent
what had happened; but I assured him it should not happen again, _for
the mill should be taken down_, which was done." How few, it is to be
feared, would make such a sacrifice, simply to avoid the possibility of
a return of the appearance of evil! The charge of bigotry arose out of
his interference with Mr. Crook, a person in the colony who had formerly
been intended for the South Sea mission. It was at the request of the
missionaries themselves, that Mr. Marsden, as agent of their Society,
had been led to interfere; but he was represented, in consequence, as "a
persecutor of dissenters." Messrs. Bennett and Tyerman were then in
Australia; and in answer to Mr. Marsden's request that "they would do
him the favour to communicate to him their impartial opinion, how far he
had in any way merited such an accusation, either as it respects Mr. C.
or any other missionary belonging to the London Missionary Society," he
received a grateful acknowledgment of his services, which we are happy
to insert:--
"Sydney, May 11, 1825.
"REV. AND DEAR SIR,--We have to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter of the 5th inst., requesting our opinion, as the
representatives of the London Missionary Society, on one of the
malicious charges against you in the outrageous publication lately
come to the colony. It is with the utmost satisfaction we state,
as our decided opinion, that the charge of intolerance or
persecution towards Mr. Crook, or any other missionary connected
with the London Society, or, indeed, connected with any other
missionary society, is utterly untrue. We believe it to have
originated in malice or culpable ignorance, and to be a gross
libel.
"We rejoice, sir, to take the opportunity to say that the South
Sea mission, and all its missionaries, have been, and continue, to
be, exceedingly indebted to your singular kindness and persevering
zeal in their behalf. No temporal reward, we are persuaded, would
have been equivalent to the most valuable services which you have
so long and so faithfully rendered to this mission and its
missionaries. After all your upright and perfectly disinterested
kindness towards the missionaries, when they have been residing on
the Islands,--when they have been residing in the colony, on their
way from England to the Islands,--when they have voluntarily
returned from the Islands to the colony,--and when, from dire
necessity and cruel persecution, compelled to flee from the scenes
of their missionary labours, and take up their residence here;
that you have met with so much calumny, and so few returns of
grateful acknowledgment, for all you have done and borne on their
behalf, is to us a matter of surprise and regret.
"Allow us, dear sir, to conclude by expressing our hope, that the
other envenomed shafts aimed at you in this infamous publication,
will prove as impotent as that aimed at you through that Society,
in whose name, and as whose representatives, we beg to renew its
cordial thanks and unqualified acknowledgments. And desiring to
present our own thanks in the amplest and most respectful manner,
"We remain, rev. and dear sir, most faithfully,
"Your obliged and obedient servants,
"GEORGE BENNETT.
"DANIEL TYERMAN."
The case of James Ring, we cannot pass unnoticed. It shows the cruelty
with which Mr. Marsden's reputation was assailed on the one hand, and
his own firm and resolute bearing on the other. Ring was a convict, who
for his general good conduct had been assigned as a domestic servant to
Mr. Marsden. He was permitted by the latter, in accordance with the
usual custom, to work occasionally at his own trade--that of a painter
and glazier, on his own account, and as a reward for his good conduct.
He was frequently employed in this way by the residents at Paramatta;
amongst others by the chief magistrate himself. This man having been
ill-treated and severely beaten by another servant, applied, with Mrs.
Marsden's approbation, to the magistrates of Paramatta for redress;
instead of receiving which, he was charged by them with being illegally
at large, and committed to the common jail.
Mr. Marsden was then absent on duty in the country: on appearing before
the bench of magistrates upon his return home, he at once stated that he
had given permission to Ring to work occasionally for himself, and that
therefore if there was any blame it lay with him, and not the prisoner.
The magistrates not only ordered Mr. Marsden to be fined two shillings
and sixpence per day for each day his servant had been thus at large,
under the assumed plea of his transgressing a general government order,
but also ordered Ring to be remanded to jail and ironed; and he was
subsequently worked in irons in a penal gang. "At this conviction there
was no informer, nor evidence," (we are now quoting Mr. Marsden's words,
from a statement which he made before a court of inquiry instituted by
Lord Bathurst, the colonial minister at home, to investigate the
subject at Mr. Marsden's request,) "but the bench convicted me on my own
admission that I had granted indulgence to my servant to do jobs in the
town. There were two convictions, the first was on the 17th of May,
1823. On the 23rd of the same month, without a hearing, or being
present, without informer, evidence, or notice, on the same charge I was
convicted in the penal sum of ten pounds. On the 7th of June, a convict
constable entered my house with a warrant of execution, and levied the
fine by distress and sale of my property."
These convictions took place under an obsolete colonial regulation of
1802, made in the first instance by Governor King, to meet a temporary
emergency; but virtually set aside by a general order of Governor
Macquarie's, of a much later date, granting the indulgence under certain
regulations, with which Mr. Marsden had complied. Mr. Marsden says, in
his official defence, that he "was the only person in the colony who was
ever fined under such circumstances, since the first establishment of
the colony, to the present time." And he adds a statement which, had it
not come down to us thus accredited under his own hand, would have
seemed incredible, namely that "the two magistrates by whom the fines
were inflicted, Dr. ---- and Lieut. ----, were doing, on that very day,
the same thing for which they fined me and punished my servant, and I
pointed that out to them at the time they were sitting on the bench, and
which they could not deny." Denial indeed was out of the question,
since, says Mr. Marsden, "one of Dr. ----'s convict servants, Henry
Buckingham, by trade a tailor, was working for me, and had been so for
months. Lieut. ---- at that very time also had two convict servants
belonging to Dr. Harris, working for him at his own house."
In vain did Mr. Marsden appeal to the governor; even he was afraid to
breast the torrent, which for a time bore all before it. "He found no
reason to interfere with the colonial law." Mr. Marsden prayed him at
least to bring the matter before a full bench of magistrates, in whose
hands he would leave his character; this, too, the governor declined,
whereupon as a last step, he laid the affair before the supreme court
for its decision; prosecuting the magistrates, and obtaining a verdict
for the amount of the fine so unjustly levied. They now affected to
triumph in the small amount of the damages in which they were cast,
"wishing," he says, "to make the world believe that the injury I had
sustained was proportionally small." And thus even his forbearance and
his Christian spirit in rendering good for evil, were turned against
him; for he had instructed his solicitor expressly, not to insert in the
indictment the count or charge of malice, but merely to sue for the
recovery of the amount of the fine. He states the case thus in simple
and forcible language. "I may here observe, the only error it appears I
committed originally was in not prosecuting the magistrates for
vindictive damages before the supreme court. Had I alleged malice, I
must have obtained a verdict accordingly; but I sought for no vindictive
damages; I sought redress no further than to set my character right with
the public. To have done more than this would not have become me,
according to my judgment, as a minister of the gospel, and I instructed
my solicitor, Mr. Norton, merely to sue for the amount of the award
which had been levied on my property by warrant and distress of sale.
The court gave me the amount I prosecuted for, with costs of suit, and
with this I was perfectly satisfied."
For two whole years this miserable affair lingered on. The unfortunate
man Ring at length gave way to despondency, made his escape from the
colony, and found his way to New Zealand, but was never heard of more.
Mr. Marsden was much concerned for Ring's misfortunes, and deplored his
rashness in making his escape when all his sufferings were unmerited. "I
knew," he says, "if he should return to England and be apprehended as a
returned felon, his life would be forfeited." Such even to a recent
period was the severity of our penal code, an escaped felon was
consigned to the gallows. With a view of preventing this additional
calamity, he wrote to the Right Honourable Mr. Robert Peel, his
Majesty's secretary of state for the home department, under date of July
1824; and having stated the case, he says: "I feel exceedingly for Ring;
should he return to England and fall a sacrifice to the law, I should
never forgive myself unless I used every means in my power to save him.
The above statement of facts might have some influence with the
executive in saving his life, if the circumstances of the case could
reach the throne of mercy." The contents of this letter were transmitted
by Mr. Peel to Lord Bathurst the colonial secretary, and his lordship
ordered the governor of New South Wales to establish a formal inquiry
into the case. A court was accordingly summoned at Sydney, consisting of
the governor assisted by two assessors, the chief justice and the
newly-appointed archdeacon Scott, before which Mr. Marsden was cited to
appear. He did so, the whole affair was investigated, and the result
was, as the reader will have anticipated, not only Mr. Marsden's entire
acquittal of the charges which wantonness and malice had preferred, but
the establishment of his reputation as a man of high courage and pure
integrity, and a Christian minister of spotless character.
The Christian reader will probably ask what were the effects of these
various trials upon Mr. Marsden's mind and temper? Did he become selfish
and morose? were his spiritual affections quickened? As a minister of
Christ, did his light shine with a more resplendent ray, or was it
disturbed and overcast with gloom? To suggest and answer such inquiries
are the proper uses of biography, especially the biography of religious
men. With regard, then, to his habitual temper and tone of mind nothing
can be more cheering than a letter, which we now insert, written to a
lady in solitude, when the storm of insult and misrepresentation was at
its highest pitch.
"Paramatta, December 26, 1824.
"DEAR MRS. F.,--I received your kind letter by Mr. Franklane, and
was happy to learn that you and your little boy were well. The
circumstance to which you allude is not worthy to be had in
recollection for a single moment, and I hope you will blot it out
of your remembrance for ever; we are so weak and foolish, and I
may add sinful, that we allow real or imaginary trifles to vex and
tease our minds, while subjects of eternal moment make little
impression upon us. It is a matter of no moment to our great
adversary, if he can only divert our minds from attending to the
best things. He wishes at all times 'a root of bitterness' should
'spring up' in our minds, as this will eat like a canker every
pious feeling, every Christian disposition. 'Learn of me,' says
our blessed Lord, 'for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall
find rest unto your souls.' 'The meek will he guide in judgment,
and the meek will he teach his way.' It is for want of this
meekness, this humility of mind, that we are soon angry. The
apostle exhorts us 'to be kindly affectioned one towards another,'
and live in unity and godly love, and 'bear ye one another's
burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.' Situated as you are,
remote from all Christian society, and from the public ordinances
of religion, you will want, in a very especial manner, the
consolations which can only be derived from the Holy Scriptures.
You are in a barren and thirsty land where no water is; you have
none to give you to drink of the waters of Bethlehem, and you must
not be surprised if you grow weary and faint in your mind. Though
God is everywhere, and his presence fills heaven and earth, yet
all places are not equally favourable for the growth of religion
in our souls. We want Christian society; we want the public
ordinances; we want social worship. All these are needful to keep
up the life of God in our souls. Without communion and fellowship
with God, without our souls are going forth after him, we cannot
be easy, we cannot be happy; we are dissatisfied with ourselves,
and with all around us. A little matter puts us out of humour,
Satan easily gains an advantage over us, we become a prey to
discontent, to murmuring, and are prone to overlook all the great
things the Lord hath done for us. Under your peculiar
circumstances you will require much prayer, and much watchfulness;
religion is a very tender plant, it is soon injured, it requires
much nourishing in the most favourable situations, but it calls
for more attention, where it is more exposed to blights and
storms. A plant removed from a rich cultivated soil, into a barren
uncultivated spot soon droops and pines away. I hope this will not
be the case with you, though you must expect to feel some change
in your feelings of a religious nature. Without much care the
sabbaths will be a weariness; instead of your soul being nourished
and fed upon this day, it will sicken, languish, and pine. I most
sincerely wish you had the gospel preached unto you; this would be
the greatest blessing, but it cannot be at present. There is no
man to care for your souls, you have no shepherd to watch over
you, and must consider yourselves as sheep without a shepherd. You
know how easily sheep are scattered, how they wander when left to
themselves, how soon the wolves destroy them. It is impossible to
calculate the loss you must suffer, for want of the public
ordinances of religion. My people, says God, perish for lack of
knowledge. You know it is true that there is a Saviour, you have
your Bible to instruct you, and you have gained much knowledge of
Divine things, but still you will want feeding on the bread of
life, you will want Jesus to be set before your eyes continually
as crucified. You will want eternal things to be impressed upon
your minds from time to time. Though you know these things, yet
you will require to have your minds stirred up, by being put in
remembrance of these things. As you cannot enjoy the public
ordinances, I would have you to have stated times for reading the
Scriptures and private prayer; these means God may bless to your
soul. Isaac lived in a retired situation, he had no public
ordinances to attend, but we are told he planted a grove, and
built an altar, and called upon the name of the Lord. This you
have within your power to do. Imitate his example, labour to
possess his precious faith, and then it will be a matter of little
importance where you dwell. With the Saviour you will be happy,
without him you never can be. When you once believe on him, when
he becomes precious to your soul, then you will seek all your
happiness in him. May the Father of mercies give you a right
judgment in all things, lead you to build your hopes of a blessed
immortality upon that chief corner stone, which he hath laid in
Zion; then you will never be ashamed through the countless ages of
eternity.
"Mrs. M. and my family unite in kind regards to you, wishing you
every blessing that the upper and nether springs can afford.
"In great haste. I remain, dear Mrs. F----,
"Yours very faithfully,
"SAMUEL MARSDEN."
Systematic theology, or indeed deep learning in any of its branches,
sacred or profane, Mr. Marsden had never cultivated. His life had not
been given to abstraction and close study, but to the most active
pursuits. Activity, however, is not inconsistent with deep
thoughtfulness, and it affords some aids to reflection and observation,
which often lay the foundation for a breadth of mind and a solid wisdom
to which the mere student or man of letters seldom attains. Mr. Marsden,
too, was well acquainted with his Bible, and, above most men, with
himself. Thus, without being in any sense a learned divine, he was an
instructive minister, and often an original thinker. His early
acquaintance with Dr. Mason Good had led him deeply to consider the
question of the deity of Christ and the following letter upon this
all-important doctrine proves how capable he was of standing forward in
its defence, and how deeply alive he was to its importance. It was
addressed to one who had begun to doubt upon the subject of our Lord's
Divine nature.
"Paramatta, June 13, 1825.
"MY DEAR SIR,--I ought to have answered your letter long ago, but
was prevented from one thing and another, which called away my
attention when I was determined to write. I received the books you
sent me. That respecting our Lord's Divinity I read with care and
attention. I found nothing in it that would satisfy me; there was
no food to the soul, no bread, no water of life. I found nothing
that suited my ruined state. I know I have destroyed myself by my
iniquities, that I am hopeless and helpless, and must be eternally
undone unless I can find a Divine Saviour who is able and willing
to answer all the demands of law and justice. If I were alone in
the world, and no individual but myself believed that Jesus was
God over all blessed for evermore, and that he had died for my
sins, that the penalty due to them was laid upon him, I know and
am persuaded unless I believed this I could not be saved. I find
no difficulty in my mind in praying to him, because I believe he
is able to save. The dying thief did this in the very face of
death: 'Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.'
Jesus promised that he should be with him that very day in
paradise. Stephen, we are told, was a man full of faith and the
Holy Ghost; he was mighty in the Scriptures, so that none of the
Jewish priests were able to withstand his arguments which he
advanced in support of the doctrine that Jesus was the Son of God.
When he was brought to the place of execution his only hope of
eternal life was in Jesus. 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,' was
his dying prayer. He fled to him as the Almighty God at this most
awful period. No other foundation can any man lay than that is
laid, says St. Paul, which is Christ Jesus. It is to no purpose to
quote Scripture on this important doctrine, I mean any particular
passage, for Jesus is the sum and substance of them all. I am
fully convinced that no man can have a well-grounded hope of
salvation unless he believes in the Divinity of our Lord and only
Saviour. I would ask you, why should you not have as firm a hope
as any other man in the world of eternal life, if you do not
believe in the Divinity of our Lord? Admitting that you have the
same view as the author of the work you sent me to read, of God
and religion, I may put the question to you, Can you depend on the
foundation your hope stands upon? Does it now give you full
satisfaction? Are you sure that you are right? I believe Jesus to
be a Divine person, I believe him to be God over all; I have no
doubt upon this point, and I believe that all will be saved by him
who trust in him for salvation. This doctrine is as clear to me as
the sun at noon-day, and while I believe this doctrine it
administers comfort to my mind, and gives me hope of a better
state. I envy none their views of religion. I am satisfied with my
own, though I am not satisfied with the attainments I have made in
it, because I have not made those advances in divine knowledge in
all the fruits of the Spirit I might have done. This is matter of
shame, and regret, and humiliation. Examine the Christian religion
as it stands revealed, with prayer for Divine illumination, and
that God who giveth wisdom to all who call upon him for it will
impart it to you. I have never met with a Socinian who wished me
to embrace his faith, which has surprised me. I feel very
differently. I wish all to believe in our Lord, because I believe
this is necessary to salvation, as far as I understand the
Scriptures; and I would wish all men to be saved, and to come to
the knowledge of the truth. I would not change my views of
religion for ten thousand worlds. But I must drop this subject,
and reply to your last note.
* * * * *
"Our affectionate regards to Mrs. F.; accept the same from,
"Dear sir, yours very sincerely,
"SAMUEL MARSDEN."
He remembered with gratitude his early friends, and was now in a
condition to repay their kindness, and in his turn to repeat the
Christian liberality which had once been extended to himself. From a
private letter to the Rev. J. Pratt, we venture to make the following
interesting quotation: "I believe in the year 1786 I first turned my
attention to the ministry, and from the year 1787 to 1793 I received
pecuniary assistance, more or less, from the Elland Society, but to what
amount I never knew. First I studied under the Rev. S. Stores, near
Leeds. In 1788, I went to the late Rev. Joseph Milner, and remained two
years with him. From Hull I went to Cambridge, and in 1793 I left
Cambridge, was ordained, and came out to New South Wales. I shall be
much obliged to you to learn, if you can, the amount of my expenses to
the Elland Society. I have always considered _that_ a just debt, which I
ought to pay. If you can send me the amount I shall be much obliged to
you. I purpose to pay the amount from time to time, in sums not less
than 50_l._ per annum. When I close the Society's accounts on the 31st
of December next, I will give your Society credit for 50_l._, and will
thank you to pay the same to the Elland Society on my account. When I
know the whole amount, I will then inform you how I purpose to liquidate
it. Should the Elland Society not be in existence, I have to request
that the Church Missionary Society will assist some pious young man with
a loan, per annum, of not less than 50_l._, to get into the church as a
missionary. In the midst of all my difficulties God has always blessed
my basket and my store, and prospered me in all that I have set my hand
unto. The greatest part of my property is in the charge of common
felons, more than a hundred miles from my house, in the woods, and much
of it I never saw, yet it has been taken care of, and will be. A kind
providence has watched over all that I have had, and I can truly say I
feel no more concern about my sheep and cattle than if they were under
my own eye. I have never once visited the place where many of them are,
having no time to do this. We may trust God with all we have. I wish to
be thankful to him who has poured out his benefits upon me and mine."
The practical wisdom, the spirit of calm submission to the Divine will
when danger appears, and the simple faith in Christ displayed in the
following letter require no comment, nor will its affectionate and
paternal tone pass unnoticed. It appears to have been written to a lady
on the eve of a voyage to England. We could wish that a copy of it were
placed in the hands of every lady who may be compelled to go to sea.
"Paramatta, May 27, 1826.
"MY DEAR MRS.----,--Should you sail to-morrow it will not be in my
power to see you again. I feel much for your very trying
situation; why and wherefore you are so severely exercised remains
at present known to the only wise God. If time does not reveal the
mystery, eternity will. Clouds and darkness are round about the
paths of the Almighty, and his footsteps are not known. You must
now cast yourself and your little ones upon the bosom of the great
deep. Remember always that he who holdeth the waters in the hollow
of his hand, will continually watch over you and yours; winds and
seas are under his sovereign control. We are prone to imagine that
we are in much more danger on the seas than on dry land, but this
is not really the case; our times are all in his hands, and if we
only reflected that the hairs of our heads are all numbered, we
should often be relieved from unnecessary and anxious fears. As
for myself, I am constrained to believe that I am as safe in a
storm as in a calm from what I have seen and known. Should you
meet with raging seas and stormy winds, let not these distress
you; they can do no more to injure you than the breath of a fly,
or the drop of a bucket, without Divine permission. The promise
is, 'When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee.'
This is sufficient for the Christian to rest upon. You must live
near to God in prayer. Labour to get right views of the Redeemer,
who gave his life as a ransom for you. Humble faith in the Saviour
will enable you to overcome every trial and bear every burden. No
doubt but that you will have many painful exercises before you see
the shores of old England. Tribulations will meet us, and follow
us, and attend us all our journey through, and it is through much
tribulation we must enter the kingdom of God. Could you and I meet
on your arrival in London, and could we put our trials in
opposite sides, it is very probable that mine would overbalance
yours during the period you were at sea. You are not to conclude
when the storm blows hard, the waves roar, and seas run mountain
high, that you are more tried and distressed than others.
"I hope the captain will be kind to you and the children; if he
should not you will have no remedy but patience. Should the
servant woman behave ill, you must submit to this also, because
you can do no good in complaining. Should the woman leave you ...
this is no more than what has happened to my own family. I should
recommend you to give the children their dinner in your own cabin;
never bring them to table but at the particular request of the
captain. This precaution may prevent unpleasant disputes. You will
soon see what the feelings of the captain and his wife are, and
regulate your conduct accordingly. When I returned to England,
when I entered the ship I resolved that I would not have any
difference with any one during my passage; whatever provocations I
might meet with, I would not notice them; and that resolution I
kept to the last.
"If you take no offence at anything, but go on quietly your own
way, those who would wish to annoy you, will cease to do so,
finding their labour in vain. Never appear to see or hear anything
that you have not the power to remedy. If you should even know
that the persons intended to vex you, never notice their conduct.
There will be no occasions for these precautions if your
companions on board be such as they ought to be.
"Let your passage be pleasant or not, take your Bible for your
constant companion. The comfort to be derived from the Divine
promises will always be sweet and seasonable. 'They that love thy
law,' says the Psalmist, 'nothing shall offend them.' If Jesus be
precious to your soul, you will be able to bear every trial with
Divine submission. To believe that Jesus is your Saviour, and that
he is God over all blessed for evermore, will make you happy in
the midst of the sea, as well as on dry land. Wishing you a safe
and pleasant passage, and a happy meeting of your friends in
England, and praying that the God of all grace may preserve you
and yours in his everlasting kingdom, I subscribe myself,
"Yours respectfully,
"SAMUEL MARSDEN."
More than two years had now passed since Mr. Marsden's last visit to New
Zealand. The close of the year 1826 found him preparing for another, his
fifth voyage, of twelve hundred miles, to the scene of those missions he
had so long regarded with all a parent's fondness. A great change had
just taken place in the conduct of several chiefs towards the
missionaries in consequence of their fierce intestine wars. At Wangaroa
the whole of the Wesleyan missionary premises had been destroyed; the
property of all the missionaries was frequently plundered, and their
lives were exposed to the greatest danger. The worst consequences were
apprehended, and the missionaries, warned of their danger by the
friendly natives, were in daily expectation of being at least stripped
of everything they possessed, according to the New Zealand custom. For a
time the Wesleyan mission was suspended, and their pious and zealous
missionary, Mr. Turner, took refuge at Sydney, and found a home at the
parsonage of Paramatta. The clergy of the church mission deeply
sympathized with him. Mr. Henry Williams writes: "The return of Mr.
Turner will be a convincing proof of our feelings on this point. In the
present unsettled state of things we consider ourselves merely as
tenants for the time being, who may receive our discharge at any hour."
His brother, the Rev. William Williams, in another communication says:
"We are prepared to depart or stay according to the conduct of the
natives; for it is, I believe, our united determination to remain until
we are absolutely driven away. When the natives are in our houses,
carrying away our property, it will then be time for us to take refuge
in our boats."
As soon as the painful intelligence reached New South Wales, Mr. Marsden
determined to proceed to the Bay of Islands, and use his utmost
exertions to prevent the abandonment of the mission. He was under no
apprehension of suffering injury from the natives; and his long
acquaintance with their character and habits led him to anticipate that
the storm would soon pass away. Accordingly, he sailed for New Zealand
in H.M.S. Rainbow, and arrived in the Bay of Islands on the 5th April,
1827. He had reached the period of life when even the most active crave
for some repose, and feel themselves entitled to the luxury of rest; but
his ardent zeal never seems to have wanted other refreshment than a
change of duties and of scene. He found the state of things improved;
peace had been restored; and the missionaries were once more out of
danger. He conferred with them, and gave them spiritual counsel. As far
as time would permit, he reasoned with the chiefs upon the baneful
consequences of the late war, and, at the end of five days from his
arrival, he was again upon the ocean, on his way back to Sydney. "He
was not wanted in New Zealand;" in Australia, besides domestic cares,
many circumstances combined to make his presence desirable. Thus he was
instant in season, out of season; disinterested, nay indifferent and
utterly regardless of the honours and preferments which even good men
covet; and ever finding in the work itself, and in Him for the love of
whom it was undertaken, an abundant recompense.
Brief as the visit was, it confirmed his faith, and reassured his
confidence in the speedy conversion of New Zealand. He found the
missionaries living in unity and godly love, and devoting themselves to
the work. "I trust," he says, "that the Great Head of the church will
bless their labours." In consequence of his co-operation with the
missionaries, the beneficial labours of the press now for the first time
reached the Maori tribes. During a visit to Sydney, Mr. Davis had
carried through the press a translation of the first three chapters of
Genesis, the twentieth of Exodus, part of the fifth of Matthew, the
first of John, and some hymns. These were small beginnings, but not to
be despised; they prepared the way for the translation of the New
Testament into Maori, which was printed a few years afterwards at the
expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society. The importance of this
work can scarcely be estimated, and it affords a striking example of the
way in which that noble institution becomes the silent handmaid,
preparing the rich repast which our various missionary societies are
ever more distributing abroad, with bounteous hand, to feed the starving
myriads of the heathen world.
Nor was the Polynesian mission forgotten by its old friend. The London
Missionary Society now conducted its affairs on so wide a basis, and to
so great an extent, that Mr. Marsden's direct assistance was no longer
wanted. But how much he loved the work, how much he revered the
missionaries, those who shall read the extract with which this chapter
concludes will be at no loss to judge.
"Paramatta, February 4, 1826.
"MY DEAR SIR,--It is not long since I wrote to you, but as a
friend of mine is returning, the Rev. Mr. Nott, who has been
twenty-seven years a missionary in the Society Islands, I could
not deny myself the pleasure of introducing him to you. Mr. Nott
was one of the first missionaries who was sent out to the Islands.
Like Caleb, he always said the missionaries were able to take the
land. He remained a long time in Tahiti alone, labouring by
himself when all his colleagues were gone, and lived with and as
the natives, under the full persuasion that the mission would
succeed. He remained breaking up the ground, sowing the gospel
seed, until he saw it spring up, and waiting until part of the
harvest was gathered in, until many of the poor heathen crossed
the river Jordan, with the heavenly Canaan full in view. Such have
been the fruits of his patient perseverance and faith. Should his
life be spared, I shall expect to see him again in fourteen months
returning to his labours, to die amongst his people, and to be
buried with them.
"I venerate the man more than you can conceive: in my estimation,
he is a great man: his piety, his simplicity, his meekness, his
apostolic appearance, all unite to make him great in my view, and
more honourable than any of the famed heroes of ancient or modern
times. I think Mrs. Good will like to see such a character return
from a savage nation, whom God has so honoured in his work. I
shall leave Mr. Nott to tell his own story, while you listen to
his report....
"I remain, my dear sir,
"Your's affectionately,
"SAMUEL MARSDEN."
"To John Mason Good, M.D."