The Missionary by Stephen Nelson Haskell

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Jan 28, 1886

The Missionary.

By Stephen Nelson Haskell

Letter from New Zealand.

We left Melbourne for New Zealand October 8, and had a pleasant trip. We expected to visit, in about one month, the principal places, and establish agencies in each city for the sale of our publications, and return to Melbourne. This is one of our methods of operating in this country.

At Auckland we met with a class of people who in some respects resemble first-day Adventists in America. They hold the same views on the nature of man and the second coming of Christ, but differ widely as to the events connected with his coming. We were invited by this society to present our views and to set forth the difference between us and them. This we freely did; and it resulted in a friendly discussion of the Sabbath question with their pastor for two evenings. He took no new position against the Sabbath, unless it was to deny the meaning of the word Kadush, rendered sanctify, Gen. 2:3 (as given by Gesenius and over twenty other eminent scholars to which we referred him), viz., to appoint. The proof he offered for this was, that it was rendered appoint but once in the Bible (Joshua 20:7), and even in that place it is rendered differently in the new version. We referred him to 2 Kings 10:20; Joel 1:14; 2:15; Zeph. 1:7; Ex. 19:12, 23, as illustrative of the meaning of the word; but he said that as it did not read appoint in those places, it did not mean appoint. He claimed that the patriarchs could remember the weeks without remembering the Sabbath (which was the only thing given to mark the weekly cycle), that the Sabbath originated in the wilderness thirty days before the children of Israel came to Sinai; and that it, with the ten commandments, was given to the Jews only, and was for them to observe now and in the future age.

Thus this man virtually denied the reason which God gave in Ex. 20:11 for the observance of the Sabbath: "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." He also claimed that Matt. 5:17-20; 19:17; Luke 10:25-27; Matt. 24:20; James 1:23-25; 2:10-12; and that portion of Romans where the perpetuity of the law is taught, refer exclusively to the Jews; that Christ brought in all that was necessary (accordingly the first commandment was given to the Christian church through the devil. Matt. 4:10). In response to a question, he acknowledged that he could not find the second commandment; but the others were all right, he said, with the exception of the fourth,—they were all there, he reiterated with great assurance, except the Sabbath.

It is also the position of their pastor (he has of late been giving them a brief exposition of the book of Revelation), that the prophecy of that book is all consecutive. I did not fully understand at what particular point we are at the present time in this book. These people also hold that in a thousand years in the future there will be an opportunity for all to be saved. It can readily be seen that this view tends to laxity in the morals of the people, as they can, if this be true, go on in sin now and be saved at last. As rapid a growth in grace cannot be expected with people holding such views as with those who believe that the present is the only time of salvation. This view is a reconstruction of the temporal millennium taught by Whitby in the sixteenth century. It would be unjust, however, to say that all these people hold this doctrine, for they do not. In fact, there are hardly any two of them that agree on all points. There are some worthy members among them.

A few nobly took their stand on the truth; one, Edward Hare, who acts as general agent for our publications in the north part of New Zealand. Already he has taken between one and two hundred orders for volume four, "Great Controversy." The only way that the truth can go forward successfully in this city is by a tent being pitched and a course of religious discourses given. We trust the seed sown during our stay here, which was about five weeks, will prepare the way for a tent.

From Auckland we went to Kaeo, which is 160 miles north on the Kaeo River, four miles from the bay. The scenery here is delightful, the winding paths on the mountain sides and through the valleys, better adapted for those on horse-back and foot passengers than wheeled vehicles, forcibly reminded me of the valleys and winding paths of the Alps where the Waldenses lived for so many centuries. We remained with this people three weeks, and held meetings almost constantly. Of them it might be said, as was said of the Bereans, "They were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily whether these things were so." We became acquainted with Mr. Joseph Hare, who had been a school teacher in the north of Ireland for twenty years, and a Bible reader in one of the churches. When they excluded the Bible from the schools, he left, and came to this country. He has a large family of children and step-children, all of whom are teetotalers and only one of them uses tobacco. As we became acquainted with them, and saw their earnestness to learn how to live healthfully as well as to live acceptably in God's sight in other respects, also to have their children educated in Bible truths, our heart was drawn out for them. The entire community are a hospitable people. From our experience and the Bible record, we believe that the fear of God and hospitality are of near kin to each other. Their ideas of health reform are owing in part to the fact that a few years since the Health Reformer found its way among them and left its influence. One of them that embraced the Sabbath is a young man who had preached for the Methodists. He sails for America to learn further of the truth and the country. We hope he may return to preach the message to the people of New Zealand.

Quite a number of families at this place took their stand on the truth and will hereafter hold their meetings on the Sabbath. We know of no field where a godly minister and his wife by their example and instruction could accomplish more good than in this country. The night before we left, there was a social meeting held at the hall, where about twenty-five of the friends met. After taking refreshment they spent about two hours in remarks, singing, and playing on the organ; when finally Mr. Hare senior presented me, with a few appropriate remarks, a purse containing a check of no mean sum as a token of appreciation of what they had heard. We hope to visit them again before we return to America, which, according to present arrangement, will be in April or May. The reports we get from Australia are also encouraging. At the last report, twenty-six had signed the covenant. We are satisfied that God has a people in these colonies, and that the time has come for them to have the truth. If it was God's order, we would as willingly devote the remainder of our life among this people as in our native land. We expect to leave this week Thursday for Melbourne. There are many openings already in this colony for labor. S. N. H. Auckland, N. Z., Dec. 21, 1885.