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Instructions from the Committee to Mr. R. Hunt, the Missionary Catechist.

In endeavouring to fulfill the important duty which now devolves upon us as the Committee of the Association under which you go forth we have drawn up the following instructions for your guidance and we humbly hope that it will be found we have pressed nothing on you for your adoption which will not prove for the benefit of the Mission and of your own soul.

1. Your own personal religion is the first thing to which our and your attention must be directed. If that thrive there is hope for the Mission, if that decay all will be a failure. But in order to the thriving of personal religion, close communion must be maintained with God. The stream cannot continue to flow without supplies from the fountain. All grace is an emanation from God through our Mediator Jesus Christ and is to be sought hourly through this channel: we say hourly because the soul cannot retain what grace it has already received without more grace to do so. Hence the absolute need of continual prayer and the frequent reading and meditation on the Word of God, as the grand help thereto. Hereby faith is gendered and nourished and together with it the other graces. Of these great truths we venture to remind you.

2. Next to your own personal religion have respect to the well being of those associated with you in the Mission. Cultivate brotherly love. In lowliness of mind let each esteem other as better than himself, so shall strife and discord find no place among you. For only by pride cometh contention. Let it be your care to exhibit to the heathen around you the picture of a family dwelling together in unity. Divide and conquer is the maxim of the devil but in union with the Lord Christ and each other will be found strength to overcome the wicked one. Give the people you dwell among occasion to say "Behold how these Christians love one another."

3. Be very accessible and live much in the presence of the Natives and do not even debar them should they show a wish to be present at your family and Sabbath devotions so long as they control themselves properly. Much good may be effected in this way, though as yet they do not understand your speech, for by witnessing your habitual acknowledgement of the Supreme Being and acts of dependence on Him, they will infer what is due to God and what manner of persons you are who do so reverence Him.

4. As you will have to acquaint yourself with the native mind, mode of reasoning and thinking, traditional customs and observations and whatever tends to influence and form the native character, it will be necessary you should hold much communication with the more intelligent natives. But here a wisdom will be required lest your motives be suspected and a jealousy excited. Care should be taken to convince them that the knowledge you seek is only for their benefit.

5. In your intercourse with the natives care should be taken not to excite their disgust or anger by dealing contemptuously with their prejudices either in small or great matters. Whatever they may have been accustomed to venerate, it would be unwise in you to manifest a contempt for, until you had convinced their judgement that it was contemptible and satisfied them that yours is the better way.

6. It will often be found difficult among the uncivilized tribes with which you will have to do, to keep in mind the distinction that subsists between the Chiefs and their people and the respect that is due to the former. Suffer not their mean and abject appearance to betray you into a forgetfulness of their rank and standing in their tribe. The disregard of this caution may give rise to heartburnings and lead to disastrous consequences. We must render honour where honour is due in whatever society we are called upon to live. As far as consists with their known character place confidence in the Chiefs and when kind and persuasive arguments fail to restrain any annoyance or wrong to which you may be exposed from their people, state frankly and plainly all your grievances to them, remembering that the powers that be are ordained of God. Keep clear of party quarrels, you come on behalf of the Prince of Peace, be not mixed up with their feuds but cultivate the good will of all. Let none think you to be not their friend. Neither entangle yourself with commercial speculations, so long as engaged in missionary work, lest it prove a snare to you and your love for souls be lost in the love for money.

7. Let it be your first effort to master the language of the tribes you go to instruct and think no time lost which is devoted to this object. Let your desire to preach to them the Gospel and tell them of the love and glory of Christ, daily stimulate you to diligence in the acquiring of their language, without which you will be to them as a barbarian.

Let the reflection of the treasure which you have in your possession, in the knowledge of Christ and eternal life in Him, be continually awakening your desire to preach the Word, that you may communicate to them the treasure you possess and this desire being kept alive will quicken prayer to Him Who is the great Teacher, to loose the stammering tongue, that you may speak plainly and quicken effort also, that you may catch the word from their lips and make their tongue your own. Then what a delight it will be to declare to them in their own tongue the wonderful love of God and by fixing their language afterwards and rendering God's Word into it, give it to them as a national blessing, a great birthright to their children in that more durable form. Labour then with all your power, both with God and man, to gain a knowledge of and fluency in the native language and let this be your first and principal pursuit till it be overtaken and mastered.

8. In your first attempts to prepare a vocabulary note those sounds that are of the most frequent occurrence, though you may not as yet have ascertained their meaning: and in order to do this with correctness and facility, bear in your mind one uniform method of spelling, always employing the fewest number of letters that will represent the required sounds. In this branch of your work, which is of no light importance to those who may succeed you, it will be well to disregard altogether our English orthography, in which many superfluous letters and arbitrary sounds are used and to adopt as nearly as practicable the Italian vowels.

"Captain G. informed me that this part of the instructions was written by him and was not to be considered binding as far as the Italian vowels is concerned: he has submitted two plans to me, the last the better but neither so complete as that which time and experience will enable us to form."

9. It is strongly recommended that both Missionary and Catechist should keep a daily Journal and enter into it the duties and occurrences of the day. You will then prepare a Quarterly Report, embodying the principal incidents and occurrences during this period, with any such observations as you may think necessary, either to explain or further the work on which you are engaged. One fair copy of the Journal and the Quarterly Report is to be kept at the Station in charge of the individual by whom it is drawn up and one copy of the Report under his signature is to be transmitted to the Secretary of the Association, as soon after it is due, as an opportunity shall offer.

10. Both the Missionary and the Catechist are invited freely and fully to correspond with the Committee whenever they may feel disposed and to bear in mind, that the interests and objects of those at home are identified with those, who on behalf of the Association, are enduring the heat and toil of the day abroad - that we do not sin against God in ceasing to pray for them - that we sympathise in their privations and trials and are desirous, as far as in us lies, to aid and encourage them in all their work and labour of love in the Lord.

And since we have no power of ourselves to do anything as of ourselves, we recommend that the first Thursday in every month be observed as a day for united prayer for the guidance and blessing of Almighty God upon the Mission which we are sending forth in His name and without which we shall but labour in vain.

11. Finally - We would exhort you to fear God and not fear the face of men, to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might and to put on the whole armour of God. Be patient and do the best you can. If it be much you are permitted to do, be very thankful, if little, still be thankful. Be content to labour though it be only to break the ground and prepare the way for others. If the Lord permit you to cast in the seed, be thankful, though it be not given you to see the springing and ripening of the grain. Be strong and of a good courage: if your heart be set to serve the Lord in this work and your aim be single, certainly He will be with you and He will not suffer either you, or your labours to perish. Only keep a single eye, walk by faith in His unseen power and goodness, stay your soul upon Christ. Feed upon Him in the promises and thereby nourish faith and hope and love, those three great Christian graces, which being kept in vigour shall cause you to abound in the work of the Lord and forbid your fainting through discouragements: God has passed this word to His Son "I will give Thee the heathen for Thy inheritance and the uttermost part of the earth for Thy possession." These wandering tribes shall be His one day and who can tell but that these first labours of yours may be the commencement of the accomplishment of the promise! Labour and pray in faith and hope. "In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening withhold not thine hand." Only let it be the incorruptible seed, the very truth and Word of God that you teach and sow and then you have the promise "My Word shall not return unto Me void".

And now we earnestly commend you to the great Head of the Church in whose cause you are now embarking and we beseech Him to take you and your work under His immediate protection and to be to you a present help. May it please Him to give you a prosperous voyage and land you safely on the soil you go to cultivate for Him. May he give you favour and acceptance with the natives and so prepare the way for the reception of His Word among them. May it please to make your abode among them as comfortable as circumstances admit of and grant you that satisfaction in your undertaking and that inward peace and joy in Himself, as shall make the trials and privations you may meet with, easy to be borne. Finally our brother, farewell, be strong and acquit yourself like a man of God and May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with you now and always.

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With the spirit of these instructions my judgement and heart entirely accord and by the help of God I shall give up myself entirely to attempt to carry them out.