CHAPTER 1
A WORD WITH MANY ECHOES
1796-1816
“She doeth little kindnesses,
Which most leave undone or despise;
For naught that sets the mind at ease,
And giveth happiness and peace,
Is low esteemed in her eyes.”
J. R. LOWELL.
YOUNG man stood near a street corner in the City Road, London. The light of the lamps fell full upon his somewhat large features and tall form; and, although only eighteen years of age, his frame gave abundant promise of great physical strength. It was Sunday evening, January the 3rd, 1814, and the bells were chiming for service. Although in the habit of attending Divine worship, he did not heed them, as he was waiting for the arrival of some companions with whom he intended visiting the Highbury Tea Gardens, in the North of London. That young man's name was John Williams.
Upon Ruskin's principle of "Tell me what you like and I will tell you what you are," John Williams' delight in such pleasures as a tavern garden afforded showed to what degradation this son of a Christian mother had sunk. He himself has said of this period of his life, "My course though not outwardly immoral, was very wicked. I was regardless of the holy Sabbath, a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God, I often scoffed at the name of Christ and His religion, and totally neglected those things which alone can afford solid consolation.”
While he thus lingered, impatiently waiting for his friends, who were most providentially late, a lady passed him. She at once recognized the young man as one of her husband's apprentices. Prompted by one of those irresistible impulses which are proved by their results to be the inspiration of God, she spoke to him. He told her of his disappointment, and Mrs. Tonkin-for such was the lady's name-invited him to accompany her to the Old Whitfield Tabernacle, situated near the City Road. He refused, but she continued to urge her request. At length, wearied out by her importunity, and also a little influenced by annoyance at his companions' unpunctuality, he yielded, and entered the chapel. This was the turning point in his life; in Carlyle's words he "was henceforth a Christian man; believed in God not on Sundays only, but on all days, in all places, and in all cases.”
Twenty-four years after that memorable evening, John Williams, then about to start upon his second voyage to the South Seas, in a crowded assembly, thronging the Whitfield Tabernacle, which building has since been pulled down, thus alluded to his conversion:—"I have the door in my view at the present moment at which I entered, and I have all the circumstances of that important era in my history vividly impressed on my mind, and I have in my eye at this instant the particular spot on which I took my seat. I have also a distinct impression of the powerful sermon that was that evening preached by the excellent Mr. East, now of Birmingham. Mr. East that evening took for his text, one of the most impressive portions of inspired writ, ' What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? ' (Mark 8:36, 3736For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36‑37)). God was pleased in His own gracious providence to influence my mind at that time so powerfully that I forsook all my worldly companions, and became a teacher in the Sabbath-school connected with this place. Many a Sabbath afterward did I sit upon the form now in my sight with my class, and impart that knowledge to them which God in His gracious goodness had given to me.”
Well might he further remark, “Little did that female friend who took me by the hand, and conducted me to this place of worship at that time—little did she imagine what would be the result of her kind effort! Oh, friends, what momentous consequences in the providence of God are poised upon comparatively insignificant incidents. It shows what may be done for God by comparatively insignificant persons—persons who are of no note in the Christian Church.”
“At the age of twenty-two, I feel I have still to begin to live," said John Foster. On Sunday evening, January the 3rd, 1814, John Williams made the same discovery; then also he really began to live, for from thenceforth he lived by faith in the Son of God.
Before, however, pursuing his after course, we must go back and look upon another picture. In the reign of James the First, two yeomen knelt by the roadside near Witney, Oxfordshire. John and James Williams were brothers; they had been expelled by the Bishop of Bangor from his diocese for nonconformity. At that time there were no Bibles in Wales except in the churches; and the establishment there was served by men who did not understand Welsh. The Bishop of Bangor records in his journal, that during a visitation of his diocese, he found that in some parishes there had been no preaching for five or six years; and in others, the graveyard was employed as a stockyard, and the vicar's saddles and beehives were stored in the Church. Yet, because these brothers absented themselves from services which they could not understand-because, conducted in what was to them a foreign tongue-services, moreover, conducted by men like Sir John Edwards, "who spent most of his time in public-houses,"-they were banished from the Principality.
The two exiles were Baptists, and joined a church of that persuasion at Langworth, Berkshire. But they were not suffered to rest long in Langworth, so they wandered until at length they came into the neighborhood of Witney. They were hungry, poor, and friendless, and they knew not whither to go for shelter. Kneeling down by the roadside, they prayed for guidance and help, and after the custom of those times, they asked a sign from God to indicate their future course. Rising from their knees, they confidently threw a straw into the air, and walked in the direction of its fall. Towards night-time they found themselves in the village of Coate. There they requested permission of a farmer to sleep in his barn. He allowed them to do so, and the next morning, being somewhat interested in their appearance, he questioned them and heard their story. He at once offered them employment, which they accepted, and they entered his service at once. One of them, James Williams, subsequently married the farmer's daughter, the other remained unmarried all his days. The brothers appear to have prospered in Coate, as there is a record of their having purchased land there. But they retained in their prosperity the faith for which they had suffered the loss of all things, for they erected a Baptist chapel in the village, which is still used for Divine service. The son or grandson of this James Williams became one of Cromwell's Ironsides; he was called Black Williams, and retired to Coate at the Restoration. A much later descendant of James Williams removed to Oxford; his son Richard was the father of the future missionary.
The mother of John Williams was a Miss Maidment. Her father, who resided over his business in St. Paul's Churchyard, was a china and glass merchant; the firm traded under the names of Maidment & Neale, the business being now removed to Cannon Street. Miss Maidment during her youth had attended the ministry of the famous Romaine, the author of "The Life, Walk, and Triumph of Faith," who was then so popular that it was said, "people came from the country to see Garrick act, and to hear Romaine preach." Mr. Maidment was a personal friend of the preacher, and for a long time Mr. Romaine conducted a weekly service at his friend's house in St. Paul's Churchyard. After her marriage, and consequent removal from London to her husband's house in Oxford, Mrs. Williams worshipped with the Baptists of that city, of whom the Rev. John Hinton was the minister. Subsequently, Mrs. Williams with her husband removed from Oxford to Tottenham, six miles north of London. In this quiet country village, as it was then, the young couple lived for some years. In a little house upon the brow of the hill, just beyond the Green, and situated between the spot where the Congregational Chapel now stands and the High Cross, their son John, the future Apostle of Polynesia, was born, on the 27th of June, 1796. Of his boyhood no anecdotes have been preserved, but we learn that he was cheerful, active, and intensely affectionate, and gave early proof of his remarkable mechanical genius. Perhaps the most noticeable feature of his youthful character was the faculty that one of his fellow workers in the South Seas thus describes:—"Williams," says Mr. Pitman, "was possessed of a peculiar talent which at once won upon the natives, whether chiefs or common people." As a boy he won upon his acquaintances and friends. His mother attended the old Independent Chapel at Edmonton, nearly two miles distant from her home; and with her boy she regularly occupied a pew in the right hand corner of the end gallery facing the pulpit. For education, John went still farther; his school in Lower Edmonton was nearly three miles from Tottenham High Cross. Here, however, he was only taught writing and arithmetic. His mother was probably his chief instructor, as she certainly was his best; every day she assembled her children in her chamber in order to teach and to pray with them. When the time came for him to commence the toil of life, he was apprenticed for seven years to Mr. Tonkin, a furnishing ironmonger, who kept a shop in the City Road. His indentures, dated the 27th of March, 1810, showed that he was not to undertake the laborious part of the business; and he was to acquire only so much of the retail department as would enable him to manage a business of his own. His parents, about this time, removed from Tottenham to a house in Spencer Street, Goswell Road, London, probably in order to be near their son.
“Every man's best education is that which he gives himself," remarked Wilberforce; it certainly proved so in this instance. After mastering all that was required of him, although he was not intended to be a mechanic, John Williams lost no opportunity of acquiring a practical knowledge of his trade. In his moments of leisure he visited the workshops and minutely watched the workmen, and during their absence he made experiments in metal working. After a short time, this almost self-taught mechanic became so proficient that any article requiring extra skill in its manufacture was always entrusted to him. It is said that such pleasure did he find in his work, that he would cheerfully shoulder the necessary tools, and hasten to any job that might come in, as if he were merely an ordinary mechanic. But while he thus taught himself that which was of priceless value to him in after years, he did not, in acquiring mechanical aptitude, neglect the duties which were his special charge. On the contrary, so competent did he become in the shop, that for a long time the entire management of the business was entrusted to him. We have now narrated his history up to the Sunday evening already referred to.
An earnest clergyman of Yorkshire, during the great revival under Whitfield and Wesley, was wont to say, "I do love those one-eyed Christians." John Williams became a one-eyed Christian. He resolutely and completely broke from the world, and threw himself ardently into Christian service. In September, 1814, he became a member of the Tabernacle Church, and began immediately to labor as a Sunday School teacher, tract distributer and sick visitor. At least one soul was converted by his earnest efforts in those days. Conscious of his own deficiencies, which knowledge is one of the benefits of doing good, he joined a Mutual Improvement Society, which met every Monday evening for the discussion of some important topic. A class conducted by the eccentric Rev. Mathew Wilks was probably of the greatest benefit to John Williams at this period. This class was composed of young men who were preparing to enter the Christian ministry, and Mr. Wilks, a keen judge of character, invited John to join it. Mr. Wilks, among many other excellences, was an ardent missionary advocate, and once a quarter he held a missionary meeting in the Tabernacle for the purpose of diffusing missionary information. At one of these meetings, held in the autumn of 1815, Mr. Wilks announced the conversion of Pomare, the King of Tahiti, and many of his subjects to Christianity. After a long period of waiting, the natives had become Bure Atua, or praying people, and in consequence there was a great need for additional missionaries. Mr. Wilks in communicating these good tidings, emphasized the call for helpers, and John felt a secret response to this appeal. The desire, at first hidden, then cherished as a remote possibility, grew stronger, until he felt himself called indeed of God to this work; and, after adequate inquiry, Mr. Wilks counseled him to write to the Directors of the London Missionary Society. His application was made in July, 1816, and in this interesting document, after describing his anxiety and care in examining his motives, he says, with characteristic conscientiousness and sincerity, "I have endeavored to be as frank and plain as possible. If this, and the account which the Rev. Mathew Wilks can give of me, should not meet with your conscientious approbation, I hope, pray, and trust, that you will on no account, for the sake of my soul, offer me the least encouragement." He was, however, immediately accepted, and Mr. Tonkin released him willingly 'from the seven months that yet remained of his apprenticeship.
Until his ordination, which took place in Surrey Chapel, on September the 3rd, 1816, he read and studied under the direction of the Rev. Mathew Wilks. With eight companions, he was solemnly set apart for missionary labor. Henceforth his motto might well have been Dr. Judson's famous words, "devoted for life," for such he really was. At this solemn meeting Dr. Waugh thus addressed John Williams: "Go, dear young brother, and if thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, let it be with teaching poor sinners of the love of Jesus Christ; and if thy arm drop from thy shoulder, let it be by knocking at men's hearts to gain admission for Him there." Robert Moffat was one of the eight new missionaries, and it was at first intended that these two should be sent out together. But Dr. Waugh visited Mr. Wilks, and expressed his opinion that "tha' twa callants were over young to gang Vg-ether." So Moffat went to Africa, and John Williams to his wonderful "enterprises" in the South Seas. But he did not go out alone; his young wife accompanied him; of her some account must now be given.
The Mongols, we are told, strangely believe that there is a race of half men existing somewhere upon this earth; two individuals of which must be united in order to constitute a complete being. This may stand as a parable; even a Christian man is incomplete until he is happily married. Much of the unhappiness of life arises from the fact that sometimes the wrong halves are united; John Williams happily found the fitting and completing half to his own life in Mary Chauner. Of this lady, one who was well able to judge said, "In Christian heroism she proved the equal of her intrepid husband, and in patient endurance his superior. It is not flattery but simple justice to say that she was in all points worthy of the honored man to whose happiness and success she so largely contributed." Mary Chauner, at the time of her first acquaintance with John Williams, resided with her mother in Spencer Street, Goswell Road, London. Her father had once possessed considerable landed property near Cheadle, in Staffordshire, where his ancestors had resided since the Norman conquest. A law suit about some extensive estates near Lichfield, to which he was heir, exhausted nearly all his patrimony. While in London upon business connected with this action, he visited the Whitfield Tabernacle, and heard John Hyatt preach. His glowing account of the sermon inspired his wife and daughter with a great desire to hear this remarkable preacher. Their wishes were gratified in an unexpected manner, for, in the year 1808, Denston Hall, their ancestral home, was sold, and they therefore came to London. Mary Chauner, the youngest daughter of this family, had long been the, subject of deep religious impressions, which, although not saving at that time, were not lost; and upon her coming to London they were deepened, and. she became a member of the Tabernacle. Like her future husband, she caught the missionary fervor of Mr. Wilks, and her constant prayer at this time was "that she might be sent to the heathen to tell them of the love of Christ.”
On the 29th of October, 1816, she was married to John Williams. Two portraits of the bride and bridegroom, taken at this time, have been preserved in the London Missionary Society's Museum. In these the bride is shown with a slight girlish figure, and small features, and fine eyes; her mouth might perhaps be considered by the over-critical as a blemish, but if it be so, it is amply atoned for by the sweetness of the face. Gentleness and strength are suggested by the winsome features. Her husband appears indeed "ower young," but there is an expression of attractiveness about his profile that in some degree accounts for the strong friendship that he inspired.
On the 17th of November, 1816, the missionaries embarked in the Harriet for Sydney, from which port they had to re-ship for the South Seas.
Almost immediately after his going on board, Mr. Williams busied himself in making his cabin as comfortable as might be. Writing to his sister from Gravesend, he calls the ship "his home." While on shore he had been asked the time, and had replied, "I have left my watch at home." "I am glad that you find the ship to be so," was the answer. "And it is so," added Mr. Williams. In this ability to make for himself a home wherever he might be, no doubt lay one of the secrets of his happiness and success. It is a fine test of character, as to whether a man is desolate or at home; for home is rather a reflection of the spirit's own light than a product of external things. Such men as John Williams carry the elements of home within their own bosoms, and therefore attract and help less fortunate spirits. Therefore do thou be a home-maker wherever thy lot may be cast.