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The New Zealand Evangelist

Local Religious Intelligence

Local Religious Intelligence.

Waimate—Missionary Meeting Among the Natives.

A Missionary Meeting was held on the 26th inst., at Turangarere, a settlement in the bush, on the Taranaki mountain range, which excited great interest throughout the Circuit, and which has been attended with the happiest results in this isolated place. The New Zealanders are beginning to estimate the advantages they have derived from the preaching of “the glorious gospel of the blessed God,” and their hearts are expanding in noble desires to send it to those dark places of the earth which are full of the habitations of cruelty, as theirs was a few years ago. I wish the friends of Missions in England, and elsewhere, could have witnessed their sparkling eyes in their dark tattoed faces, as they threw their silver and copper into the collector's plate. Two of the leading chiefs were not agreeable to a collection being made, and rose to endeavour to prevent it; but they were simultaneously put down, and were obliged themselves to be givers to it. Underneath are the names of the chiefs who spoke at the Meeting, with a brief account of their speeches. The collection amounted to £8 6s. 4d., in crowns, half-crowns, shillings, sixpences, four-penny and threepenny pieces, pence, half-pence, a far thing, and three small pieces of pounamu, i.e., green stone! The next day, Sabbath, I administered the sacrament of the Lord's Supper to 400 members in the Circuit, page 26 and a few strangers from the neighbouring Circuits, which was a solemn and hallowed season, conducted with the greatest decorum and order. I administered it on the occasion of opening a new and beautiful chapel, of native material and workmanship, which does the hearts and hands of the people great credit in that place. Great interest was excited by the attendance of Ngapara, or Grey, from the Rev. W. Kirk's station, Wanganui, who in time past was one of their greatest enemies, but now by the grace of God reconciled and changed into a new man, meekly partaking with them of the emblems of the dying Saviour's body and blood.

After the meeting was opened I described its object, the number of Missionaries, stations, members, schools, &c. The first speaker was—

Thomas Rayner, who said—“Though I am a poor man, all my property having gone to help to pay for a Flour Mill, yet I will freely give the little I have, to send the gospel to the dark places of the earth.”

Skevington—“I wish to glorify God and to speak good of his name, for I have been brought up “out of the horrible pit and miry clay,” and will give what I have for the Saviour.

Matthew—“I love the people who are sitting in darkness, and am anxious to send them the Gospel.”

Isaiah—“Don't let us say that this is the first time of our hearing of money being collected for the gospel. I have heard of it long ago. It is good to send the gospel.”

Joseph—“Paul says in the Corinthians, make a collection for the saints—so my heart says, let us make one among us to send the gospel to those who are yet in darkness.”

Thomas Walker—“This is a good work, let it go on—Send the Gospel! Send the Gospel!”

These two were from Patea.

W. Woon.

Death of a New Zealander.—

I was at Manawapou on the 3rd inst., a place in this Circuit, and found a fine young man about 24 years of age, in dying circumstances. He was lying in a small page 27 house in shape like our dog-houses at home, the heat and smell most offensive, and the entrance was so small that I could not go in to pray with him. I stood outside. He heard my voice. I asked him “Do you know me?” He turned round, and with his large dark expressive eyes, exclaimed, “Yes, you are my minister.” I asked him the state of his mind. He replied that it was dark on account of the great pain in his body. The next morning he died repeating the words of our Lord, “I must work the works of Him that sent me while it is day, the night cometh when no man can work.”—John, ix, 4.

Twins.—There are two young men in this neighbourhood, Natives of Katotauru, and the resemblance is so great that they are mistaken the one for the other.