EARLY LIFE AND UPBRINGING

John G. Paton was born, 1824, in Dumfries, Scotland. His father, James, was a stocking-maker by trade and a devout Presbyterian by conviction. This man labored 16 hours a day, six days a week.

But this crushing work-load in no way interfered with his "exercise in godliness". It was said that he missed church only three times in his life! His devotional life was even more consistent and moving. Every day opened and closed with family prayer. And what prayers they were! Years later, John described them: "How much my father's prayers at this time impressed me I can never explain nor could any stranger understand. When, on his knees and all of us kneeling around him in Family Worship, he poured out his whole soul with tears for the conversion of the heathen world to the service of Jesus, and for every personal and domestic need, we all felt as if in the presence of the Living Savior and learned to know and love him as our Divine Friend. As we rose from our knees, I used to look at the light on my father's face, and wish I were like him in spirit--hoping that, in answer to his prayers, I might be privileged and prepared to carry the blessed Gospel to some portion of the heathen world".

But these family prayers reached beyond the family in their effect. The unlikeliest people were helped by them, too. The village prostitute, for example. She would regularly sneak over to the Paton cottage at night to eavesdrop on the good man's prayers. The urgency with which he besought God on behalf of sinners kept her from committing suicide and finally brought her to Christ. "A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid".

In addition to daily prayers, James Paton taught his children to read the Bible, memorize the catechism, and "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy". But this strict religion was anything but suffocating. About it, John would write, "There were eleven of us brought up in a home like that; and never one of the eleven--boy or girl, man or woman--has been heard or ever will be heard, saying that the Sabbath was dull or wearisome for us, or suggesting that we have heard of seen any way more likely than that for making the Day of the Lord bright and blessed alike for parents and for children. But God help the homes where these things are done by force and not by love".

A word or two about the discipline kept up in the Paton home may be edifying. It was firm, but never harsh. Even spankings were an act of worship. Again, the younger Paton: "If anything really serious required to be punished, he retired first to his closet for prayer, and we boys god to understand that he was laying the whole matter before God; and that was the severest part of the punishment for me to bear! I could have defied any amount of mere penalty, but this spoke to my conscience as a message from God. We loved him all the more, when we saw how much it cost him to punish us; and in truth, he never had very much of that kind of work to do upon any one of all the eleven--we were ruled by love far more than by fear."

The future missionary, therefore--with his ten brothers and sisters--received the finest Christian upbringing. And, by God's grace, the father's faith was engrafted into his children--all eleven being converted--and three going into the ministry.

"Be steadfast, be immoveable,

always abounding in the work

of the Lord; for you know

your work is not in vain,

in the Lord".

CALL TO THE MINISTRY AND FIRST MISSION

James Paton longed to be a missionary himself. But he was not called by God. He hoped, however, that the Lord would bless him by putting his oldest son into the ministry. He was not disappointed.

At the age of 17, John was converted to Christ and shortly thereafter called to the ministry. At first, he became a "visitor" and "tract-distributor" for the Church is Glasgow. This work paid for his first year in seminary. But then he ran out of money. Next he became a school teacher, and so got through another year. But then, his money ran out again. And this time--it seemed--all hope was lost.

But then "God moved in a mysterious way". A year or two before, Paton had filled out an application for "Glasgow City Missionary" (what we would call a "rescue mission"). Finally, it was being reviewed! The board called, and John got the job. And what a miserable job it was!

He was sent to the worst part of town (and remember, this was at the lowest point of the Industrial Revolution). Think of sweat shops, black smoke, half-naked orphans roaming the streets, pickpockets everywhere, drunkards lining the gutter, and a red light in every other window!

And the young preacher was given a hayloft for a church building! After one year of hard work, Paton had gathered only six or seven hearers. The work was going so badly that the mission directors planned to close it down. The inhabitants, they said, "were unassailable to ordinary means".

But Paton begged for another six months to work with the poor people. The board agreed--"but that's all!" During that time a powerful moving of God's Spirit occurred and more than five hundred were added to the church!

These were glorious times. But not easy times. Although a friendly and courteous man, Paton met with strong opposition, especially from the Catholics. They threw rocks at him, poured boiling water on him, sent threatening letters, wrote vicious articles against him, and cursed him from the altar. But the persecution did not move him. And so the enemy gave up and left him in peace.

About ten years passed in this work, during which time Paton completed his formal studies, while leading many to Christ.

CALL TO THE NEW HEBRIDES

About this time, Paton's church became concerned for the New Hebrides, a group of islands in the South Pacific. One of their men, John Geddie, was already there and doing great work. But there were 30 islands in the archipelago, and so Geddie needed help.

Paton volunteered. About the decision, he wrote, "The wail and claims of the heathen were constantly sounding in my ears. I saw them perishing for lack of the knowledge of the true God and His Son Jesus".

One friend objected: "The cannibals! You will be eaten by the cannibals!" But the young preacher replied: "Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or worms; and in the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer".

The offer was accepted. The arrangements were made. On April 16, 1858, John G. Paton and his bride Margaret boarded the Clutha and sailed for the South Pacific.

TANNA

After a short stop in Australia and the island of Antieyum (where they picked up some local missionary helpers), the Patons landed on Tanna.

The islanders were vicious in the extreme. Paton wrote that he saw Romans 1 before his eyes each day. A few areas of Tannese life deserve our attention:

Religion.

Here's how Paton described it: "The Tannese had hosts of stone idols, charms, and sacred objects, which they abjectly feared, and in which they devoutly believed...Their worship was entirely a service of fear, its aim being to propitiate this or that Evil Spirit, to prevent calamity or to secure revenge...Sacred men and women received presents regularly to influence the gods, and to remove sickness, or to cause it by the NAHAK, i.e., incantation over the remains of food...Their whole worship was one of slavish fear; and so far as I could ever learn, they had no idea of a God of mercy or grace".

Now, what a man believes will affect the way he lives. This brings us to their...

Family life.

The treatment of women was especially repugnant. They were forced to do all the work while their husbands loafed all day on the beach. They were beaten for the smallest offense. And, if the husband should die before his wife, she would be strangled in order to serve him in the next life.

The care of children was almost non-existent. They were weaned and left on their own. The boys' education consisted of the following subjects: how to aim a bow, how to throw a spear, and how to swing a club. To illustrate the general disregard for children, one chief, Nowar bitterly complained: "When so many children are being killed, why do they not send one for food to me and my family? They are as tender and good as young fowls".

The elderly were abused too, usually left to starve when they couldn't fend for themselves any more.

War.

This is the one area in which the Tannese excelled. The small island was populated by several tribes, all of which hated and feared every other one. War was incessant, atrocities were commonplace, and cannibalism ruled supreme.

Paton labored on this island for more than three years, during which time he suffered constant persecution. If anything bad befell the people, he and his God were blamed. His watchdog was killed and eaten; his church was burned to the ground; his house was ransacked, he was hexed by the witch doctors, and shot at by their followers.

Miaki, the most feared chief on the island summed up their feelings toward God: "We hate the worship; it causes all our diseases and deaths, it goes against our customs, and it condemns the things we delight in!"

Finally, the wars grew so bad and the persecution so unrelenting, that John G. Paton (now bereft of his wife) had to flee Tanna with nothing but the shirt on his back.

As far as he knew, there were no converts!

ANIWA

After a short stay in Australia, Paton returned to the New Hebrides, this time the island on Aniwa, about twenty miles north of Tanna. There, he met the same fate...for a time.

But then God started to work. The Sacred Men controlled all the fresh water on the island--and charged dearly for it. But Paton decided to dig a well. This was thought to be outrageous. The Sacred Men told him that he would dig up evil gods and be destroyed if he should try it. But, of course, he disregarded their superstition. And so, for weeks, under a blazing tropical sun, the preacher dug through the hard earth and coral until he hit water. He promptly named the place "JEHOVAH'S Well".

This had a powerful effect on the people. They saw that their Sacred Men were frauds; and that their gods were helpless against JEHOVAH. But most of all, it taught Chief Namakei a valuable lesson.

One Sunday morning, he asked the missionary if he could address the congregation. The surprised Mr. Paton agreed to the offer. This is what the old chief said that day: "The Jehovah God has sent us rain from the earth. Why should He not also send us His Son from heaven. Namakei stands up for Jehovah".

The sermon was electrifying in its effect. That very day several Aniwans threw their beloved idols into the sea. Within a few years every last native of that island professed faith in Christ--and all but two were baptized.

The Aniwans not only professed a new creed; they became "new creatures". The changes on the island could not have been more startling or thorough.

--People started wearing clothes.

--Family worship began in every home.

--Church services were eagerly attended, both on Sundays and during the week.

--People started working.

--An interest is education budded, with a view toward reading the Bible.

--An evangelistic zeal was aroused. Once, the Aniwans asked a tribe on a nearby island if they could visit in order to introduce them to "JEHOVAH GOD". The response: "If you come, you will be killed". They went anyway...and were massacred.

--The way they died. Before they died in hysterical fear. Now, they died in peace, urging others to believe in Christ.

TANNA AGAIN.

John G. Paton would have little direct influence on the island of Tanna. Years earlier, he had fled without a convert. But his "works (would) follow him". A hundred Tannese warriors were shipwrecked on Aniwa. But instead of being eaten, they were fed and sent on their way with Godspeed. This deeply impressed the people of Tanna.

Some years later, another man would land on the cursed island and see it, too, won for Christ. His name was Frank Paton, son of the aged missionary.

LAST YEARS

Paton was a missionary to the end. But as many were now able to do his work on the islands, Paton went abroad to support. Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Canada, and the United States were thrilled by the old man's stories. But more than thrilled, inspired. Money was raised to print Bibles and build schools. The vicious slave-trade was exposed and ended. Young men were recruited for the ministry. But most of all, the Great Works of Christ in the South Seas were magnified world-wide.

For Paton, though an heroic figure, rarely mentioned himself in his speeches. It was Christ who had the preeminence.

In 1907, "in a good old age, and full of years, John G. Paton was gathered to his people"

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The life of John G. Paton teaches many lessons: his faith in God, his love for sinners, his courage in preaching, and more would make valuable applications.

But the one I want us to think about is this: "Patience has its reward". Paton, it seemed, was a failure. His city mission in Glasgow could only get five people in six months! But he stayed on another year, and the work blossomed. Five hundred converted in a year. His work in the New Hebrides was similar. Three years on Tanna produced nothing! But he went to Aniwa, and won a nation to Christ.

Can the same be said of us? How often have we surrendered to hardness and given in to despair? With our selves. With our children. With our lost relatives and neighbors. With our fellow Christians. With our churches. With the cause of Christ in general.

But God would have us endure. And with faith in His promises we can! "He that goes forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him".