Prospects of the Mission. 39 
which are gradually, spreading through the group. Certainly, 
it was by the good hand of God upon him that Mr. Geddie was 
led to choose, out of the thousand islands of the South Seas, 
that little island of Aneityum, for his home and field of labour. 
Of the missionary brethren on the islands, I have just this to 
say: Let no man think that they are throwing their lives away. 
The authors of the “ South-Sea Bubbles ”* deplore the abstrac- 
tion of such men from the work of evangelising the masses at 
home. Let the Earl and the Doctor set themselves to that 
work. The Church’s duty is to “go to all nations.” They ad- 
mit, however, that “‘if these races can be taught to appreciate 
the superior beauty of christianity for its own sake, a nobler 
purpose for a man to devote his life to can scarcely be con- 
ceived.” No one who has read the brief sketches of 
Aneityumese christianity which I have given, can doubt that 
that result has been attained there; and our brethren need no 
other vindication of their self-sacrifice, than the assurance that 
God’s word “shall not return to Him void, but shall accomplish 
the thing whereto He sent it ”—whatever that thing may be. 
But if we knew how difficult their work is—how depressingly 
it settles down upon them at times—and how languor, fever, and 
ague, invade and weaken them, and dry up the sources of joy 
and the powers of thought, we would feel that their devotion 
calls—not for our pity; they do not want that—but for our warm- 
est sympathy, and constant affectionate remembrance in prayer. 
That many prayers are offered on their behalf, in the various 
churches which they represent, I have no doubt; but there 
ought to be something more definite. There ought to be 
*A book of which the writers ought to be ashamed. Many of their 
“Bubbles” show that they have failed to appreciate the superior beauty 
of christian holiness.—They are very profane and very foul,—blown out 
of foulest waters. We don’t expect heathen people to be pure; we 
don’. expect even professedly Christian people, living at French ports 
and much-frequented harbours, to be pure: but we do expect English 
noblemen, and English doctors. and English books to be pure. When 
will men learn that it is only the pure in heart who can see God? 
