LANDING OF SAMUEL MARSDEN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 1, 26 September 1907, Page 10

LANDING OF SAMUEL MARSDEN.

" GLAD TIDINGS 05"GREAT JOY.' Samuel Marsdpn, reprinting tin Church Missionary Society, landed i: •Now Zealand in December, 1814, ah. the first Sunday ho spent in Nov. Zealand fell 011 Christmas Day. Leaving Wangaroa, 110 reached tin li.iy of Islands 011 December 22, an-_ .mchored off liangihoua, ltuatara'.. l iilago. This was tho spot which In;-. choscn for tho residence of tlk .ilissioaarics, and here tho whoi. ,iarty was received with tho utmo;.. cordiality; voices of .welcome, an.

;;omises of protection and helj.iiioundcd on every side. . (•on at this time iluatara cannot t. .aid to have been a Christian, o:.. paint bad strongly impressed itsell i~ ,:i3 mint!--the importance of .ng among his countrymen that wiiK.. ..a hinisoir had been most mipicae

ii.li, tiie observance oi tlie Loru .Jay, tiie iia lapu, or Holy Day. li.

.iiiiiil had iong oecn,bent on wnat J. ..inisclr termed "making a-Sabbath. Jn that Christmas Jive, according -io was exceedingly busy, Enclosa:, ■IUOBt iinll an acre oi' land witli . . uugli fence, iio erected a . .ading-Uo:. and pulpit in tho centre, anil cui'ck clio erection witli some Uiaek c-ot.li i.iiaU brought from Sydney lor the pu. poso. He also arranged some c: jii'noes on eaolrsido of the pulpit, ;-. .ioats for tho English; the n.iiivo po. .ion of the congregation was to sit, at oording to custom, on the groiui'.. \.U these preparations he made ol h. /.-.'n accord, and out of his own Ilea., .ml in the evening joyfully informc, ,lr. iMarsden that ali things we;/cady lor tho service of the niorrov. 'On that Christmas morning, what wa ;ho delight of that good mail to sc.- : iom the deck of the Active tho E;. ;lish colours flying from a Angsts, vrected by Iluatara. It might we! .ecm to him tho emblem of the daw. sf religion and civilisation on tha woplo who had sat so long in dark .ess. About ten o'clock lie prepared I ;i> ashore, to preach for the first tiux a this land the glud tidings of Hi-, jospcl; and su;h was his coiUidonce i; • she peoplo that he ordered all on board to go ashore with him to attend tho service, with tho exception of .he master and one man. Tins memorable event cannot be better described than in his own words, taken from his journal written at the time: " When wo landed," he says, " we ■'U'ld 'C.f.voicor-'- IM'r-' ■;

dressed in regimentals which Governor Jlacquaric had given them, with Uioir niuii drawn up, ready to uo marched into the enclosure to attend divine servico; tlioy had their swords by their sides and sv,-itches in their hands. Wo entered tlin enclosure, and were placed 011 the seats 011 cnch side of tlio pulpit. Korokoro inarched .his men, and placed thein on my right hand' in the rear of the Europeans, and Ruatara placed his men on tho left, l'ho inhabitants of the to'.vn, ivitli the womon and children, and a number of other chiefs, formed a circlo round the whole. A very solemn silence prevailed—tho sigh\ was truly impressive. I rose up an began the servico with singing tbOKI Hundredth Psalm, and felt n. •/pry soul molt within me when viewed my congregation, and ennsit' «jred the state they were in. Alii, ivfiding the service—during which th natives stood up and sat down at th signals given by Korolcoro's swift! which was regulated hy the movi monts of this Europeans—it bein Christmas May, I preached upon ti\

s'.cond chapter of St. Luke's Oosp; and tenth verse, 1 Behold I biing y. glad tidings of great jov.' The iiaiii c«M Rimiara that tliny could not 11 dont.-ind- what i meant. He -.hat tliey were nnfc to mind that nclimy would understand by-and-l-; ■1 .id that lie would explain ?ny mca' 111;; as far as he could. When 1 !■; done my preaching, he infarrerd vhnt I had been talking about. I: this manner the Gospel naa uei:i. traduced into Mow Zealand; and 1 ! .cntiy pray that the glory of it : aver demrt from its inha!iila::';s • ;r.' f:iiai! i;p no viorc." 'i''r{'!ii Cnbnial Church T T !;■!■. (.New Zealainu;, by Dean Jacobs.