Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/453

VrWA AND MBAIT. 421 Verani was accustomed, when from home, to retire to the reef at low water, or into the woods, for private prayer ; and one night, at a distant island, while he was praying in the bush, a man lifted a club to kill him, not knowing at first who he was, or what he was doing. No wonder that such a man, living such a life, was made a great blessing to Fiji. Mr. Lyth wrote as follows, dated Lakemba, Sept. 15th, 1851 : " Elijah Verani, of Viwa, paid a friendly visit to Lakemba in April. Whilst it was evidently gratifying to him to see what Christianity had done here, it was equally gratifying to all of us to behold what it had done for him, once a desperate Heathen and cannibal, now a man, a Christian, and a brother beloved. On Sunday, April the 27th, I attended Levuka chapel in the morning, and heard with pleasure a short sermon from him, on Luke xv. 6. What he said told on the congregation ; but, what was better, the spirit in which he conducted every part of the service was devotional and stirring. In his whole deportment there is the Christian, — ^love to God and love to man in earnest. At the love- feast held on the 4th of May, he said that whilst he was going about serving Thakombau, he had his mind fixed on the work of his true Master, the Lord Jesus. The service and person of Thakombau, he said, had a low place in his esteem compared with the Saviour ; that he was altogether His who had bought him with the price of His own blood ; his body, soul, vessel, all he possessed, were His. During his stay in Lakemba, he called on the French Priests, and narrowly observed their behaviour and system. Their physiognomy and long beards were to much like what he had been familiar with in his heathen state, and among his former associates, to impress him favourably ; and their behaviour and conversation tended greatly to increase, instead of dimin- ishing, the unfavourable impression. Elijah is an acute observer of men and things, and his opinion is thought much of by Thakombau. He saw, he disapproved ; and what he saw and disapproved he would report ; and perhaps this may be overruled by Divine Providence to the prevention of Priests gaining access to Mbau and Viwa, — places they have their eyes upon ; or, if they succeed in insinuating themselves, to nullify in part their plans for disseminating destructive error." Towards the end of 1845, God greatly blessed His work in Viwa ; and it was remarkable that the Church in the far distant island of Ono was quickened and increased at the same time, without the people knowing what was taking place at Viwa. The revival took place just when Eewa was destroyed, in October, 1845; and Mr. Hunt wrote concerning it, as follows : — .