Series 01: Rowland Hassall, papers, 1797-1820, 1860: No. 009
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[MS 14]
intercourse with them peculiarly seasonable and we hope abundant efficacious, thus it is possible divine providence may have provide you with a sphere of usefulness which you could in no respect anticipate, and in this or some other way demonstrate that he produces his own wise and gracious purposes by means of those events which in themselves appear to us disastrous.
We have endeavoured to obtain a favourable representation in your behalf from Mr Serle of the Transport Office to Governor Hunter and Governor King who accompanies this - Governor King is going out to Norfolk Island, and we see no reasons why this should not, furnish a station of considerable promise for Missionary work. By his patronage the introduction would be much facilitated the protection and influence of the British settlement may be of singular advantage in such an attempt. We are therefore not without hopes, that the great Head of the Church in compassion to those benighted heathen who are placed in the vicinity of that Island has designed this your means to carry to them the light of his precious Gospel, We cannot however at present enter more particularly into this subject, "we think it probable that in a few months a vessel will sail with Convicts under the command of Mr Wm Wilson, and as we hope in the meantime to receive your dispatches we shall then be able to write you in a more particular manner. We shall therefore only further observe, that if unhappily you undertook this Missionary warfare without having counted the cost of a wearing of the work a feasibleness of dispositions - an imprudent conduct among the Heathens or a pernicious desire to quit the Station appointed you has induced you to avail yourself of this single occurrence
[MS 15]
to remove to a more favourable situation. We trust you will seek that sincere repentance which so awful a state of Mind, and so deep and lasting an injury to the Cause of Christ requires. Should the failure of this mission be owing to yourselves, we need not inform you that the friends of the Gospel here would by no means interfere further in your behalf nor by rendering you any assistance, reward your unfaithful Conduct and thus encourage others to follow the same as same course but even in this case the principal responsibility may lay with a few, whose fatal influence over the rest may have succeeded in producing this dereliction of duty, and or embalmed them with subsequent lament. On their behalf we trust the compassionate High Priest will interpose his powerful intercession the faithful Shepherd will call back these [ ] into the path of righteousness, and strengthen them for future [indecipherable]
Brethren we hope better things of you although we thus speak, We cherish the expectation that God has in his wise and gracious providence been pleased to change the situation of your labours with the design of your increasing useffulness, and if it appears that you quitted your former station from imperious necessity and yet persevere in all its ardour the desire to extend the Kingdom of Christ among the heathen, we doubt not a great and effectual door will be opened to you, and in the faithful presentation of this work you have every reason to expect that your fellow Christians in this Country will regard you with the most tender sympathy bear you continually in their hearts in devout supplication