Robert Moffat by David J. Deane

D >> David J. Deane >> Robert Moffat

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

ROBERT MOFFAT

The _Missionary Hero_ of KURUMAN.

BY

DAVID J. DEANE,

AUTHOR OF "JOHN WICLIFFE, THE MORNING STAR OF THE REFORMATION,"
"MARTIN LUTHER, THE REFORMER," ETC.

FIFTH EDITION. TWENTY-FIFTH THOUSAND.

FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY

NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO

_Publishers of Evangelical Literature._

[Illustration]

PREFACE.

The record of a life like that of Robert Moffat, the South African
missionary, can never be devoid of interest until all appreciation for
noble deeds and patient endeavour becomes extinct in the heart of man.
Till then, our pulses will quicken and our enthusiasm kindle as we read
of dangers encountered and overcome, of the true courage that could
undismayed encounter the king of beasts roaming on the African plain,
and of passing the time with savage chiefs, beneath the spears and clubs
of whose warriors thousands had been slain. Or our sympathy is awakened
as stories of sickness and suffering, of hunger and terrible thirst, of
trying disappointments, continued year after year, are related. Anon,
gratitude causes the tear to start to our eye as we witness the love
that prompts the effort to win the heathen to the Saviour, and see the
once benighted ones clothed and subdued, learning in mind and heart the
truth of the Gospel. Gratitude arises that we have men, heroic Christian
men, who count nothing dear to them, not even their lives, that they may
win sinners to the love of Jesus Christ.

Such an one was he, whose memoir we present to our readers, with the
earnest desire that his strong faith may strengthen ours, that his quiet
courage may excite us to perseverance in well-doing, and that his
deliverance from manifold and very real dangers may lead us to place
reliance upon Him in whom Moffat trusted, and who never forsakes those
that trust in Him. May we all see, and especially the youth of our land,
as we read the records of such noble lives, that true godliness detracts
not from true manhood, but rather that it glorifies and ennobles it,
until evil is overcome, and the wicked are put to silence.

In writing this brief sketch of the life of the Rev. Dr. Moffat, the
author has been much indebted to those who have trodden the path before
him; especially to the two well-known works, "Robert and Mary Moffat,"
by their son John S. Moffat, and to Robert Moffat's own book,
"Missionary Labours and Scenes in South Africa." He also owes his
acknowledgments to "The Missionary Magazine," "The Chronicle of the
London Missionary Society," to the Reports of various Missionary
Societies, "A Life's Labours in South Africa," and to other works from
which information upon the subject has been gathered. To the two first
named the author especially refers those of his readers who wish for
fuller details than are given in this volume.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CONTENTS.

I. PIONEER MISSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 9

II. CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH, 18

III. DEPARTURE FOR THE CAPE, 27

IV. MARRIAGE AND ARRIVAL AT LATTAKOO, 49

V. THE MANTATEE INVASION, 63

VI. VISIT TO MAKABA, 71

VII. THE AWAKENING, 85

VIII. VISIT TO ENGLAND, 101

IX. THE SECHWANA BIBLE, 118

X. CLOSING SCENES, 141

XI. CONCLUSION, 150

[Illustration]

ROBERT MOFFAT.

CHAPTER I.

PIONEER MISSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

The history of missions in South Africa abounds in interesting facts and
incidents. Stories of heroism, strange adventures, and descriptions of
journeyings among savage tribes and through countries frequented by
beasts of prey, form part of its details. Its theme is love to God and
love to man, and its facts have been called into existence through the
efforts of noble-minded and true-hearted men and women to bring their
coloured brethren and sisters to the knowledge of the Saviour, Jesus
Christ.

Many names are held in veneration in connection with these missions,
names of those who, having laboured faithfully upon earth, have been
called to their reward; among these none stands forward with greater
prominence than that of Robert Moffat.

A brief glance at the development of the colony at the Cape of Good
Hope, and at the early efforts made to evangelise the native races, may
enable the reader better to understand the work carried on by Robert
Moffat, and the success achieved; also to realise something of the
position of affairs when he first landed in South Africa.

Discovered by the Portuguese in 1486, it was not until the middle of the
seventeenth century that much was done in the way of European
colonisation. In 1652 the bold and mountainous promontory of the Cape
was taken possession of by the Dutch, and a settlement was founded on
the site of the present Cape Town. The earliest colonists were chiefly
Dutch and German farmers; who were joined a little later on by numbers
of French and Piedmontese Huguenots, driven from their native lands for
conscience' sake.

At this early period the whole of what is now designated the Colony, was
inhabited by Hottentots, a people lighter in colour than the Kafirs and
Bechwanas, having pale yellow-brown skins, symmetrical in form when
young, hardy, and having small hands and feet. They have nomadic
tendencies; and, in their uncivilised state, scarcely practise
agriculture. Their system of government is somewhat patriarchal; and
they live in "kraals," or villages, consisting of bee-hive shaped huts,
arranged in circular form. Their ideas of a Deity are extremely faint,
they possess little in the nature of religious ceremonies, but the power
of sorcerers among them is great. According to the locality occupied,
they are known as Hottentots, Namaquas, or Corannas.

As the European colonists increased in numbers, they gradually advanced
northward and eastward, either driving back the natives or subjugating
them as slaves to their service. In 1806 the colony passed into the
hands of the English, and, after a season of conflict, the Hottentots
within the British territory were emancipated. This act of justice took
place on 17th July, 1828.

In the early years of the present century, the natives of South Africa
comprised--besides the Hottentots, who occupied the southern portion of
the country, and were thinly scattered, to the north-west, in Great
Namaqualand--the Kafirs, who dwelt in the south-east, beyond the Fish
River; the Basutos, whose kraals were south of the Orange River; the
Bechwanas and kindred tribes to the north of that river; and far away to
the north-west, beyond Namaqualand, the Damara tribes, of whom but
little was known at that time. Besides these, there were the Bushmen, a
roving people, small in stature, and sunk to the lowest depths of
barbarism, hunted down by the Dutch farmers like wild beasts, who had
their hands turned against every man, and every man's hand turned
against them.

To the Moravians belongs the honour of first seeking to bring the
natives of South Africa under the influences of Christianity. In 1737
George Schmidt, who had been sent forth by the small Moravian church of
Herrnhut, arrived in Cape Colony, and at Genadendal (the Vale of Grace),
then known as Bavian's Kloof (the Glen of Baboons), established a
mission station, where he laboured among the despised and oppressed
Hottentots with much success for seven years. His work excited
considerable opposition and persecution. He gathered a small Christian
community and a school; but the Boers, or Dutch farmers, becoming
jealous of the black population receiving education, he was summoned to
Holland, and not allowed to return.

Fifty years elapsed before the Brethren were able to resume their work;
but in 1792, three humble Christian artisans recommenced labour at
Genadendal. The occupation of the colony by the British Government gave
security to their mission, and it soon grew to be a large settlement,
and a centre of light and civilisation to the surrounding country.

In 1799 the London Missionary Society commenced work in Cape Colony; at
first by four brethren, who were shortly reinforced by Dr. J.P.
Vanderkemp, a native of Holland, a man of rare gifts and dauntless
courage. Successively scholar, cavalry officer, and physician, he was
for some years a sceptic, but being converted through the drowning of
his wife and child, and his own narrow escape from death, he commenced
the earnest study of the Bible and the Eastern languages, and gained
such wonderful proficiency in the latter, that it is stated he had a
fair knowledge of sixteen.

Vanderkemp chose the Kafir tribes for his field of labour, and in 1799
proceeded from Graf Reinet, then the most distant colonial town, and
that nearest to the Kafirs, to the headquarters of that people.
Frequently in danger of his life, among those who considered the murder
of a white man a meritorious deed, he worked and endured great hardship
and privation, that he might make known the truths of the Gospel to the
ignorant around, until the close of the year 1800, when, owing to a
rebellion among the farmers, and the general unsettled state of the
frontier, he was compelled to relinquish his mission.

[Illustration]

Afterwards he laboured among the Hottentots of the colony with rare
self-devotedness, often in great straits and many perils, but with
frequent manifestations of the Divine blessing upon the work carried on.
Finally, the Hottentot mission was transferred to Bethelsdorp, where
steady progress was made. The scholars readily learned to read and
write, and their facility in acquiring religious knowledge was
astonishing, considering the peculiar apathy, stupidity, and aversion to
any exertion, mental or corporeal, which characterised the natives. Dr.
Vanderkemp died in 1811, after breathing out the Christian assurance,
"All is well."

While Dr. Vanderkemp bent his steps towards Kafirland, three other
missionaries, by name Kitcherer, Kramer, and Edwards, proceeded to the
Zak River, between four hundred and five hundred miles north-east of
Cape Town. Here a mission was established to the Bushmen, which,
although unsuccessful in its original intention, became the finger-post
to the Namaquas, Corannas, Griquas, and Bechwanas, for by means of that
mission these tribes and their condition became known to the Christian
world. After moving from their original location to the Orange River, at
the invitation of a Griqua chief, Berend Berend by name, the mission was
carried on among the Corannas, Namaquas, and Bastards (mixed races),
finally removing in 1804 to Griqua Town, where it developed into the
Griqua Mission, under Messrs. Anderson and Kramer, and became a powerful
influence for good; continuing in existence for many years.

Mr. Anderson thus describes the condition of the Griquas when he first
settled in their midst, and for some time afterwards:--

"They were without the smallest marks of civilisation. If I except one
woman, they had not one thread of European clothing among them; and
their wretched appearance and habits were such as might have excited in
our minds an aversion to them, had we not been actuated by principles
which led us to pity them, and served to strengthen us in pursuing the
object of our missionary work; they were, in many instances, little
above the brutes. It is a fact that we were present with them at the
hazard of our lives. When we went among them they lived in the habit of
plundering one another; and they saw no moral evil in this, nor in any
of their actions. Violent deaths were common. Their usual manner of
living was truly disgusting, and they were void of shame."

By missionary effort these unpromising materials yielded such fruit,
that, in 1809, the congregation at Griqua Town consisted of 800 persons,
who resided at or near the station during the whole or the greater part
of the year. Besides their stated congregations the missionaries were
surrounded by numerous hordes of Corannas and Bushmen, among whom they
laboured. The land was brought under cultivation, and fields waving with
corn and barley met the eye where all had been desolation and
barrenness. In 1810 a threatened attack from a marauding horde of Kafirs
was averted in answer to prayer. Mr. Janz, the only missionary then on
the place, with the people, set apart a day for special supplication;
they sent a pacific message and present to the Kafirs, who immediately
retired. In place of war there was peace, and the blessings of
civilisation followed the preaching of the Gospel.

A mission had also been commenced by the London Missionary Society in
Great Namaqualand, north of the Orange River, on the western coast of
Africa; a country of which the following description was given by an
individual who had spent many years there: "Sir, you will find plenty of
sand and stones, a thinly scattered population, always suffering from
want of water, on plains and hills roasted like a burnt leaf, under the
scorching rays of a cloudless sun."

The missionaries, after a journey of great difficulty and suffering,
reached the land of the Namaquas, and halted for a time at a place which
they named "Silent Hope," and then at "Happy Deliverance;" finally they
settled at a spot, about one hundred miles westward of Africaner's
kraal, called Warm Bath. Here, for a time, their prospects continued
cheering. They were instant in season and out of season to advance the
temporal and spiritual interests of the natives; though labouring in a
debilitating climate; and in want of the common necessaries of life.
Their congregation was increased by the desperado Jager, afterwards
Christian Africaner, a Hottentot outlaw, who, with part of his people,
occasionally attended to the instructions of the missionaries; and they
visited the kraal of this robber chieftain in return. It was here that
he first heard the Gospel, and, referring afterwards to his condition at
this time, he said that he saw "men as trees walking."

Terrible trials soon came upon these devoted missionaries. Abraham
Albrecht, one of their number died, and Africaner, becoming enraged,
threatened an attack upon the station. The situation of the missionaries
and their wives was most distressing. Among a feeble and timid people,
with scarcely any means of defence, a bare country around, no mountain,
glen, or cave in which they could take refuge, under a burning sun and
on a glowing plain, distant two hundred miles from the abodes of
civilised men, between which and them lay the dreary wilderness and the
Orange River; such was their position, with the human lion in his lair,
ready to rouse himself up to deeds of rapine and blood.

For a whole month they were in constant terror, hourly expecting the
threatened attack. Their souls revolted at the idea of abandoning the
people, who were suffering from want, to become a prey to a man from
whom they could expect no quarter. On one occasion they dug a square
hole in the ground, about six feet deep, that in case of an attack they
might escape the musket balls. In this they remained for the space of a
week, having the tilt sail of a waggon thrown over the mouth of the pit
to keep off the burning rays of an almost vertical sun. Eventually they
withdrew northward to the base of the Karas mountains, but finding it
impossible to settle, retired to the Colony.

Africaner approached the station, and finding it deserted, plundered it
of whatever articles could be found; one of his followers afterwards
setting fire to the houses and huts. Thus for a season, this mission was
brought to a close. It was after a time resumed at a place south of the
Orange River named Pella.

Thus missions in South Africa had been commenced, stations among the
Hottentots and others had been formed, good work had been done, and the
way pioneered. The field was opened and it was wide, but as yet the
labourers were few.

At the time when Vanderkemp closed his eyes on this world, a lad was
working as an apprentice to a Scotch gardener, rising in the dense
darkness of the cold winter's mornings at four o'clock, and warming his
knuckles by knocking them against the handle of his spade. He was
passing through a hard training, but this lad was being prepared to take
up the work which Vanderkemp had so well begun, though in a somewhat
different sphere, and to repair the loss which had been sustained by the
missionary cause through his death. The name of this lad was Robert
Moffat.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER II.

CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH.

Robert Moffat was born on the 21st of December, 1795. His parents dwelt
at that time at Ormiston, in East Lothian, Scotland. They were pious
God-fearing people; the mother though holding a stern religious faith,
yet possessed a most tender loving heart, and very early sought to
instil into the minds and hearts of her children the love of God and a
knowledge of the Holy Scriptures.

Of the early childhood of the future missionary very little is stated.
In 1797 his father received an appointment in the Custom House at
Portsoy, and in 1806 the home of the Moffats was at Carronshore, on the
Firth of Forth. At this time the family consisted of four sons and two
daughters, besides the subject of this memoir.

A glimpse of the interior of their cottage, during the long winter
evenings, is given, which shows how the mother by her gentle influence
may become the means of sowing seed, which shall spring up in after
years bearing fruit a hundred-fold. The lads were gathered by the
fireside learning to knit and sew, and while so engaged their mother,
who took great interest in the missionary enterprises then carried on,
read aloud, in such publications as she could obtain, the descriptions
given of the work and sufferings of the pioneer labourers in heathen
lands, more especially of the Moravians in Greenland and the East
Indies.

Of educational advantages, Robert had but few in his early days. One,
"Wully Mitchell," as he was popularly called, the parish schoolmaster
was his first tutor; and "the Shorter Catechism," the title-page of
which contained the alphabet, his first instruction book. His progress
was but slow, his hands often being made to suffer for the dullness of
his brains. A boy living in the midst of shipping, his desires were more
for nautical matters than for Wully's books, and so he ran off to sea.
The captain of the ship on which he was, became much attached to the
lad, so with his parent's consent, he made several voyages in the
coasting trade. Many hairbreadth escapes fell to his lot, and at last he
quitted the sea, as he states "to the no small joy of my parents."

When about eleven he accompanied his elder brother, Alexander, to Mr.
Paton's school at Falkirk. This school was for writing and book-keeping,
but such as chose to pay received lessons in astronomy and geography
after school hours. Alexander was one of these, and Robert was allowed
to wait for his brother in the large room while the class was being
conducted. "I felt queer," he tells us "to know what the master was
doing within the circle, and used to look very attentively through any
little slip of an opening under an elbow, while I eagerly listened to
the illustrations given, the master all the while never suspecting that
I was capable of understanding the planetary system. What I could not
understand my brother explained on our way home." In this manner he
picked up some knowledge of astronomy.

At this school the lad continued for six months. It was the last he ever
attended.

When about fourteen, Robert Moffat was apprenticed to a gardener, named
John Robertson, a just but hard man, who lived at Parkhill, Polmont. The
toil was severe and the food scanty. Often in the bitter cold of a
Scottish winter the lads employed were required to commence work at four
o'clock in the morning, and had to hammer their knuckles against the
handles of their spades to try and bring some feeling into them. Here he
remained till the end of 1812.

While thus engaged, he managed to attend an evening class occasionally,
and made an attempt at learning Latin and mensuration. He also picked up
some knowledge of the smith's craft, and acquired sufficient skill to
play a little on the violin. A special craving, which stood him in good
stead in after life, impelled him to learn something of whatever he came
in contact with.

Upon the completion of his apprenticeship, in 1812, he obtained a
situation at Donibristle, a seat of the Earl of Moray at Aberdour. Here,
he delighted his fellow-workers of an evening by his violin
performances, was fond of athletic sports, in which he excelled, and
became an accomplished swimmer, saving the life of one of his
companions, who having got out of his depth was in imminent danger of
drowning.

In this situation he continued about a twelvemonth, and then, being
about sixteen, he found employment as under-gardener to Mr. Leigh, of
High Leigh, in Cheshire. While at Donibristle he had been able to
frequently visit his parents; the time had now come when he must bid
them adieu.

The parting scene between Robert and his mother has been sketched by his
own hand and appeared in the Bible Society's "Gleanings for the Young."
It is described as follows:--

"When we came within sight of the spot where we were to part, perhaps
never again to meet in this world, she said--

"'Now, my Robert, let us stand here for a few minutes, for I wish to ask
one favour of you before we part, and I know you will not refuse to do
what your mother asks.'

"'What is it, mother?' I inquired.

"'Do promise me first that you will do what I am now going to ask, and I
shall tell you.'

"'No, mother, I cannot till you tell me what your wish is.'

"'O Robert, can you think for a moment that I shall ask you, my son, to
do anything that is not right? Do not I love you?'

"'Yes, mother, I know you do; but I do not like to make promises which I
may not be able to fulfil.'

"I kept my eyes fixed on the ground. I was silent, trying to resist the
rising emotion. She sighed deeply. I lifted my eyes and saw the big
tears rolling down the cheeks which were wont to press mine. I was
conquered, and as soon as I could recover speech, I said--

"'O mother! ask what you will and I shall do it.'

"'I only ask you whether you will read a chapter in the Bible every
morning and another every evening?'

"I interrupted by saying, 'Mother, you know I read my Bible.'

"'I know you do, but you do not read it regularly, or as a duty you owe
to God, its Author.' And she added: 'Now I shall return home with a
happy heart, inasmuch as you have promised to read the Scriptures
daily. O Robert, my son, read much in the New Testament. Read much in
the Gospels--the blessed Gospels; then you cannot well go astray. If you
pray, the Lord Himself will teach you.'

"I parted from my beloved mother, now long gone to that mansion about
which she loved to speak. I went on my way, and ere long found myself
among strangers. My charge was an important one for a youth, and though
possessing a muscular frame and a mind full of energy, it required all
to keep pace with the duty which devolved upon me. I lived at a
considerable distance from what are called the means of grace, and the
Sabbaths were not always at my command. I met with none who appeared to
make religion their chief concern. I mingled, when opportunities
offered, with the gay and godless in what are considered innocent
amusements, where I soon became a favourite; _but I never forgot my
promise to my mother_."

After several delays, High Leigh was reached on Saturday, 26th December,
1813, and there the young man found himself surrounded by a genial
atmosphere. The head gardener took to him, and soon left a great deal in
his hands. This made his work very heavy and responsible; but, although
labouring almost day and night, he yet managed to devote some time to
the study of such books as he could obtain. The kindly notice of Mrs.
Leigh was attracted to him, and she lent him books, and encouraged him
to studious pursuits.

In very early years serious impressions had been made upon the heart of
Robert Moffat. The earnest teachings of his minister, combined with his
mother's counsels and prayers, left recollections which could never be
effaced. These impressions were now to be deepened, and the good seed
that had been sown to be quickened. The Wesleyan Methodists had
commenced a good work at High Leigh, and a pious Methodist and his wife
induced Moffat to attend some of their meetings. He became convinced of
his state as a sinner, and unhappy, but after a severe and protracted
struggle, he found pardon, justification, and peace, through faith in
Jesus Christ, and henceforth his life was devoted to the service of his
Lord. Energetically he threw himself into the society and work of his
new friends, but by so doing, lost the goodwill of Mr. and Mrs. Leigh,
who were grieved that one in whom they took so much interest should have
become a Methodist. So were these good people despised by many in those
days.

At this time Robert's worldly prospects were brightening, and a position
of honour and comfort seemed opening before him. But the anticipations
of that day were not to be.

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10