Southern Baptist Missionary Journal, February 1847

SOUTHERN BAPTIST MIS S IONARY JOURNAL. VOL. I. FEBRUARY, 1847. NO. 9. THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY IN HEATHEN LANDS. As a leading article for the present number, we insert a series of interesting facts, taken from a work prepared by one of the missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The author had been for many years employed on one of the Sandwich Islands, and was, therefore, a competent witness in the case. He proposes to furnish a history of the mission among the wretched idolators of these lovely isles, and the reader cannot but be impressed, as he pursues these simple narra¬ tions, with the truth of the divine declaration, “ Their sorrows shall be multiplied that ha3tcn after another God.” Nor will he be less struck with the transform¬ ing and elevating influences of the missionary enterprise. The glorious gospel of the blessed God, is the only instrumentality adapted to human salvation. If Christ cruci¬ fied be preached, it will be made the wisdom of God, and the power of God unto sal¬ vation. The facts contained in the work before us arc startling. Truly, a nation has been born in a day. The book itself furnishes testimony of the rapidity with which light is spreading on heathen shores. It is a duodecimo volume of 446 pages, neatly printed and bound at the mission station. We solicit the attention of the reader to this article, and as he reads, let him remem¬ ber, that millions of our globe are now besotted and miserable, as were these island¬ ers,— and that nothing but the gospel can relieve them ; and then let him propound to his own conscience the solemn inquiry : What may I be permitted to do to extend far abroad over the earth’s surface the tidings of salvation? — u Salvation ! oh, salvation ! The joyful sound proclaim, ’Till every land aud nation Shall learn Messiah’s name.” Referring to the moral habits of the people or. the Sandwich Islands, the author remarks : — It is time, perhaps, to glance briefly at those practices of the people, that are more usually termed vicious and criminal. We mention, then, first, that as far as they could find the means, they were much addicted to intoxication. They used for this purpose a narcotic root called awa, and also various fermentations, such as those made of the sweet potatoc, sugar cane, banana, and the root of the ti plant. As these means of intoxication became abundant, the vice became a usual accompaniment of their boxing matches, mock fights, midnight dances, and other like sports and amusements, and added very much to the disgust and 25