p. 236 | Untitled article by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 12, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 15.

FROM THE SOUTH SEAS.

By Editor

A LETTER from Brother J. R. McCoy, bearing date of December 21, written from Melbourne, Australia, to Brother C. H. Jones, of this office, contains some news which we believe will be of interest to our readers. He says that the camp meeting at Wellington was very successful, eleven persons being baptized. At the time he wrote the Pitcairn expected to sail from Wellington to America on December 25. When his work in Australia is done, he expects to sail for America, reaching San Francisco before the Pitcairn.

He writes that, from letters he has received since reaching Melbourne, he learns that God is greatly blessing on the island of Norfolk. He incloses copies of letters from various ones. Three of the letters which Brother McCoy incloses are from the island of Pitcairn,—one from Sister Hattie Andre, one from Brother McCoy's daughter Ella, and a third from his wife. These, or extracts from them, will be given next week.

One of the three letters from Norfolk Island is from Brother Cole to Brother White, under date of November 23, 1893. Some of the most interesting items in this follow. He says that he is working in a Methodist Episcopal Church, but the people are not really Methodists; they believe as we do in many things, especially as regards the coming of the Lord and the work of grace in the heart. They have no preacher now, but there are eight elders among them who preach some, and with a simplicity that would draw one to them. Their prayer meetings, he says, are very much like our own good prayer meetings.

He says that all these elders have a very tender feeling toward us, and the one who was a short time ago very much against our work there, was more anxious than the others for him to take charge of the meetings. He speaks almost every Sunday night, and the church is always well filled with people from both churches. Some attend from the English Church who would never go inside the M. E. Church before. It has been their custom after services to call upon backsliders and sinners to go forward for prayers and give their hearts to God, and he says "up to the time of writing this about ten have given their heart to God, and, in visits and conversation with them since, we are much pleased with the progress which they are making, and to know from God's word that their sins are forgiven."

He is assisting in their Sunday school and also has a class every Sabbath afternoon. "Our meetings on the Sabbath," he writes, "were very small at first, but one after another kept dropping in until our room is quite crowded, and many are very much interested. The organist told Sister Mary McCoy that she could hardly wait for the Sabbath to come around." He has been holding young people's meetings, which had proved very interesting and profitable. He has been offered the parsonage to live in, but thinks it best to remain where he is until he sees further developments.

And yet he is meeting opposition on the island. As people began to attend these meetings on the Sabbath, a lawn-tennis club was organized to call people's attention from it, and the people even begged Sister McCoy to join it. Since he started the young people's meeting, the minister in the other church has started one too.

Brother Cole has good help in Brother Nobbs, the schoolteacher on the island. As an evidence of the universal Sunday persecuting spirit, this little item from his letter will be of interest: "One of Brother Nobbs' daughters was married one day last week. We, with many others, were invited to the wedding dinner. While there I noticed the minister talking very earnestly with the chief magistrate, but thought little of it at the time. The wedding was on Tuesday, and to be ready Brother Nobbs' family did some cooking on Sunday. Now would you be surprised to learn they have him in court for it? The trial has not come off yet, but it will soon. Now Sunday is a day when the Norfolk people cook and feast, but they say there is this difference, 'We cook for the day, but he cooked for days to come.' If they can make an example of Brother Nobbs, they think they will frighten others who are not so strong, from starting out to keep the Sabbath. He will not pay the fine, but says he will willingly go to jail if it comes to that. The court was appointed for Friday evening, when they knew he would not go. For some reason it has not come off yet. We can see plainly that something is to be done, and that right early. We are not discouraged; but seek God daily for his guidance, and thank him for the privilege of being on Norfolk, for we believe that is where he wants us to be."

The other letter from Norfolk is from Mary Ann McCoy, a sister of Brother J. R. McCoy. She says: "Brother Cole's very humble way with his preaching is having a good influence. They found out that he is feeding their souls with the bread of life, the pure word of God. I think that he is the right man for this place. The work is of a most encouraging nature. Brother Cole preaches in the Methodist Church every Sunday night and once or twice a week, and will also hold meetings in the country. He has already organized a young people's meeting at 5 o'clock Sunday afternoon. Several of the young people have gone forward under conviction and express their desire to be saved. At the Long House the room where our Sabbath meetings are held is always crowded. Sometimes it will scarcely hold all who come to the preaching. The little children flock into the Sabbath school, which began October 7. Brother Cole has all the adults, Sister Cole the little ones, and I have the young people. They are so interested in the Sabbath school. They like the Bible lessons better than their catechisms, and our way of illustrating the lessons is quite different from their method of teaching."

Sister McCoy also speaks of the efforts that are being made to turn the people away from the meetings, and to induce her to join the lawn-tennis club, which was organized to meet every Sabbath to play. They have offered the parsonage to Brother and Sister Cole, but he thinks it best to stay where they are for the present. The people are learning truths that they never heard before. Sister McCoy also speaks of the Sunday prosecution against Brother Alfred Nobbs. Several years ago the school was taken from Alfred Nobbs because he would not teach the catechism in the school. But as they could find no one to take his place, they restored him, sending the chaplain every week to teach the catechism for him. He objected to that part of the catechism which treats of infant baptism, which says: "In my baptism I was made a member of Christ, a child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven."

We rejoice with our dear laborers on Norfolk Island that God is blessing them in their work, and are thankful to Brother McCoy for furnishing us with this news. We hope that God may be with his servant and sustain him when the fearful news reaches him of the loss of his wife and daughter, the former of whom died the 26th of August, and the latter the 3d of September. But he had not heard of it at the time of writing, in the last part of December. We hope he will have the prayers of our people.