Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/342

 312 FIJI AND THE FIJIANS. seek earnestly their own salvation. Services were held frequently, and in one village nearly all the people began to seek the Lord. Among the number was Jane, the wife of a Chief of high rank, and daughter of the King. She was already a church member, but had not yet felt a thorough change of heart. Now, however, she obtained this, and rejoiced greatly in God. Immediately she went to the King her father, and found several persons with him. Sitting down by his side, and leaning against him, she said, " Sire, I have come to beg of you to abandon Heathenism and embrace Christianity. Heathenism is false and useless ; religion is good, and a very great matter. I now know that religion is good. The Lord has worked mightily in my soul. I now know the excellency of religion ; and I have therefore come to be- seech you to turn from falsehood to truth." She wept much. The King said, " Have you only now found that religion is good 1 " She replied, " I have only Imown well about religion a few days. The Lord has changed my heart. Had I known before, I should have come to you. On finding the power, I felt great love to you ; and I have now come before you to beg you at once to decide." He said, " You are right and true. Most of our relatives are on your side. I shall wait a little longer, and then decide. I build no temples. I do not attend to heathen worship. There are only a few of us remaming Heathens." There were many such instances, where those who had received good themselves, were thus zealous in trying to turn their relations and friends to the lotu. All this roused much opposition, especially on the part of the Trench Priests, who, publicly and from house to house, opposed the Missionaries and their work, but without avail. Another case now occurred of a lady of rank bemg cured of her sickness by the treatment of the Missionaries, after every heathen method had been tried in vain. This also had a good effect ; and the adherence of the higher families to their old religion was greatly shaken. Very few priests could now be found to carry out the deceptions and services of the temples, and Toki, the bitterest enemy to the truth, was no more. At this crisis Lakemba was threatened with war from Mbau, and great excitement prevailed. In former times the temples would have been visited with offerings, and the priests consulted ; but now many of the temples were empty, and no priests to be found. Vigorous measures were adopted to fortify the town ; and several serious conversations were held in the King's house on the expediency of all becommg Chris- tians. The Missionaries and their people were on the alert, and on Friday, January 9th, 1846, the King announced that on the next Sab bath he would, for the first time, worship Jehovah ; but his heathen