27th of July, however, the deputation arrived in the 'John Williams'-
-two ministers, and Mr. Creagh on his way back to Nengone, and the
upshot of the conference on board, after a dinner in the house of
Apollo, the native teacher, was that as they had no missionary for
Lifu, they made no objection to Mr. Patteson working there at
present, and that if in another year they received no reinforcement
from home, they would take into consideration the making over their
teachers to him. 'My position is thus far less anomalous, my
responsibility much increased. God will, I pray and trust,
strengthen me to help the people and build them up in the faith of
Christ.'

'August 2.--Yesterday I preached my two first Lifu sermons; rather
nervous, but I knew I had command of the language enough to explain
my meaning, and I thought over the plan of my sermons and selected
texts. Fancy your worthy son stuck up in a pulpit, without any mark
of the clergyman save white tie and black coat, commencing service
with a hymn, then reading the second chapter of St. Matthew, quite
new to them, then a prayer, extemporary, but practically working in,
I hope, the principle and much of the actual language of the Prayer-
book--i.e. Confession, prayer for pardon, expression of belief and
praise--then another hymn, the sermon about forty minutes. Text: "I
am the Way," &c. Afternoon: "Thy Word is a lantern unto my feet."

'You can easily understand how it was simple work to point out that a
man lost his way by his sin, and was sent out from dwelling with God;
the recovery of the way by which we may again return to Paradise is
practically the one great event which the whole Bible is concerned in
teaching. The subject admitted of any amount of illustration and any
amount of reference to the great facts of Scripture history, and