the life of william carey-第56章

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nthly　Circular　Letters　after　1807；　gave　birth　not　only　to　these　great　missionary　movements　but　to　the　new　and　now　familiar　class　of　foreign　missionary　periodicals。　　The　few　magazines　then　existing；　like　the　Evangelical；　became　filled　with　a　new　spirit　of　earnest　aggressiveness。　　In　1796　there　appeared　in　Edinburgh　The　Missionary　Magazine；　〃a　periodical　publication　intended　as　a　repository　of　discussion　and　intelligence　respecting　the　progress　of　the　Gospel　throughout　the　world。〃　　The　editors　close　their　preface　in　January　1797　with　this　statement：〃With　much　pleasure　they　have　learned　that　there　was　never　a　greater　number　of　religious　periodical　publications　carried　on　than　at　present；　and　never　were　any　of　them　more　generally　read。　The　aggregate　impression　of　those　alone　which　are　printed　in　Britain　every　month　considerably　exceeds　thirty　thousand。〃　　The　first　article　utilises　the　facts　sent　home　by　Dr。　Carey　as　the　fruit　of　his　first　two　years'　experience；　to　show　〃The　Peculiar　Advantages　of　Bengal　as　a　Field　for　Missions　from　Great　Britain。〃　　After　describing；　in　the　style　of　an　English　statesman；　the　immense　population；　the　highly　civilised　state　of　society；　the　eagerness　of　the　natives　in　the　acquisition　of　knowledge；　and　the　principles　which　the　Hindoos　and　Mohammedans　hold　in　common　with　Christians；　the　writer　thus　continues：

〃The　attachment　of　both　the　Mohammedans　and　Hindoos　to　their　ancient　systems　is　lessening　every　day。　　We　have　this　information　from　the　late　Sir　William　Jones；　one　of　the　Judges　of　that　country；　a　name　dear　to　literature；　and　a　lover　of　the　religion　of　Jesus。　　The　Mussulmans　in　Hindostan　are　in　general　but　little　acquainted　with　their　system；　and　by　no　means　so　zealous　for　it　as　their　brethren　in　the　Turkish　and　Persian　empires。　　Besides；　they　have　not　the　strong　arm　of　civil　authority　to　crush　those　who　would　convert　them。　　Mr。　Carey's　letters　seem　to　intimate　the　same　relaxation　among　the　Hindoos。　　This　decay　of　prejudice　and　bigotry　will　at　least　incline　them　to　listen　with　more　patience；　and　a　milder　temper；　to　the　doctrines　and　evidences　of　the　Christian　religion。　　The　degree　of　adhesion　to　their　castes；　which　still　remains；　is　certainly　unfavourable；　and　must　be　considered　as　one　of　Satan's　arts　to　render　men　unhappy；　but　it　is　not　insuperable。　　The　Roman　Catholics　have　gained　myriads　of　converts　from　among　them。　　The　Danish　missionaries　record　their　thousands　too：　and　one　（Schwartz）　of　the　most　successful　missionaries　at　present　in　the　world　is　labouring　in　the　southern　part　of　Hindostan。　　Besides　a　very　considerable　number　who　have　thrown　aside　their　old　superstition；　and　make　a　profession　of　the　Christian　religion；　he　computes　that；　in　the　course　of　his　ministry；　he　has　been　the　instrument　of　savingly　converting　two　thousand　persons　to　the　faith　of　Christ。　　Of　these；　above　five　hundred　are　Mohammedans：　the　rest　are　from　among　the　different　castes　of　the　Hindoos。　　In　addition　to　these　instances；　it　is　proper　to　notice　the　attention　which　the　Hindoos　are　paying　to　the　two　Baptist　missionaries；　and　which　gives　a　favourable　specimen　of　their　readiness　to　listen　to　the　preaching　of　the　Gospel。。。

〃Reflect；　O　disciple　of　Jesus！　on　what　has　been　presented　to　thy　view。　　The　cause　of　Christ　is　thy　own　cause。　　Without　deep　criminality　thou　canst　not　be　indifferent　to　its　success。　　Rejoice　that　so　delightful　a　field　of　missions　has　been　discovered　and　exhibited。　　Rouse　thyself　from　the　slumbers　of　spiritual　languor。　Exert　thyself　to　the　utmost　of　thy　power；　and　let　conscience　be　able　to　testify；　without　a　doubt；　even　at　the　tribunal　of　Jesus　Christ；　If　missionaries　are　not　speedily　sent　to　preach　she　glorious　Gospel　in　Bengal；　it　shall　not　be　owing　to　me。〃

That　is　remarkable　writing　for　an　Edinburgh　magazine　in　the　year　1797；　and　it　was　Carey　who　made　it　possible。　　Its　author　followed　up　the　appeal　by　offering　himself　and　his　all；　for　life　and　death；　in　a　〃Plan　of　the　Mission　to　Bengal；〃　which　appeared　in　the　April　number。　Robert　Haldane；　whose　journal　at　this　time　was　full　of　Carey's　doings；　and　his　ordained　associates；　Bogue；　Innes；　and　Greville　Ewing；　accompanied　by　John　Ritchie　as　printer；　John　Campbell　as　catechist；　and　other　lay　workers；　determined　to　turn　the　very　centre　of　Hindooism；　Benares；　into　a　second　Serampore。　　Defeated　by　one　set　of　Directors　of　the　East　India　Company；　he　waited　for　the　election　of　their　successors；　only　to　find　the　East　India　Company　as　hostile　to　the　Scottish　gentleman　as　they　had　been　to　the　English　shoemaker　four　years　before。

The　formation　of　the　great　Missionary　and　Bible　Societies　did　not；　as　in　the　case　of　the　Moravian　Brethren　and　the　Wesleyans；　take　their　members　out　of　the　Churches　of　England　and　Scotland；　of　the　Baptists　and　Independents。　　It　supplied　in　each　case　an　executive　through　which　they　worked　aggressively　not　only　on　the　non…christian　world；　but　still　more　directly　on　their　own　home　congregations　and　parishes。　　The　foreign　mission　spirit　directly　gave　birth　to　the　home　mission　on　an　extensive　scale。　　Not　merely　did　the　Haldanes　and　their　agents；　following　Whitefield　and　the　Scottish　Secession　of　1733；　become　the　evangelists　of　the　north　when　they　were　not　suffered　to　preach　the　Gospel　in　South　Asia；　every　member　of　the　churches　of　Great　Britain　and　America；　as　he　caught　the　enthusiasm　of　humanity；　in　the　Master's　sense；　from　the　periodical　accounts　sent　home　from　Serampore；　and　soon　from　Africa　and　the　South　Seas；　as　well　as　from　the　Red　Indians　and　Slaves　of　the　West；　began　to　work　as　earnestly　among　the　neglected　classes　around　him；　as　to　pray　and　give　for　the　conversion　of　the　peoples　abroad。　　From　first　to　last；　from　the　early　days　of　the　Moravian　influence　on　Wesley　and　Whitefield；　and　the　letters　of　Carey；　to　the　successive　visits　to　the　home　churches　of　missionaries　like　Duff　and　Judson；　Ellis　and　Williams；　Moffat　and　Livingstone；　it　is　the　enterprise　of　foreign　missions　which　has　been　the　leaven　of　Christendom　no　less　really　than　of　the　rest　of　the　world。　　Does　the　fact　that　at　the　close　of　the　year　1796　there　were　more　than　thirty　thousand　men　and　women　in　Great　Britain　who　every　month　read　and　prayed　about　the　then　little　known　world　of　heathenism；　and　spared　not　their　best　to　bring　that　world　to　the　Christ　whom　they　had　found；　seem　a　small　thing？　　How　much　smaller；　even　to　contemptible　insignificance；　must　those　who　think　so　consider　the　arrival　of　William　Carey　in　Calcutta　to　be　three　years　before！　　Yet　the　thirty　thousand　sprang　from　the　one；　and　to…day　the　thirty　thousand　have　a　vast　body　of　Christians　really　obedient　to　the　Master；　in　so　far　as；　banded　together　in　five　hundred　churches　and　societies；　they　have　sent　out　eighteen　thousand　missionaries　instead　of　one　or　two；　they　see　eighty　thousand　Asiatics；　Africans；　and　Polynesians　proclaiming　the　Christ　to　their　countrymen；　and　their　praying　is　tested　by　their　giving　annually　a　sum　of　？；000；000；　to　which　every　year　is　adding。

The　influence　of　Carey　and　his　work　on　individual　men　and　women　in　his　generation　was　even　more　marked；　inasmuch　as　his　humility　kept　him　so　often　from　magnifying　his　office　and　glorifying　God　as　the　example　of　Paul　should　have　encouraged　him　to　do。　　Most　important　of　all　for　the　cause；　he　personally　called　Ward　to　be　his　associate；　and　his　writings　drew　Dr。　and　Mrs。　Marshman　to　his　side；　while　his　apostolic　charity　so　developed　and　used　all　that　was　good　in　Thomas　and　Fountain；　that　not　even　in　the　churches　of　John　and　James；　Peter　and　Paul；　Barnabas　and　Luke；　was　there　such　a　brotherhood。　　When　troubles　came　from　outside　he　won　to　himself　the　younger　brethren；　Yates　and　Pearce；　and　healed　half　the　schism　which　Andrew　Fuller's　successors　made。　　His　Enquiry；　followed　〃by　actually　embarking　on　a　mission　to　India；〃　led　to　the　publication　of　the　Letters　on　Missions　addressed　to　the　Protestant　Ministers　of　the　British　Churches　by　Melville　Horne；　who；　after　a　brief　experience　as　Church　of　England　chaplain　in　Zachary　Macaulay's　settlement　of　Sierra　Leone；　published　that　little　book　to　excite　in　all　Christians　a　passion　for　missions　like　the　Master's。　　Referring　to　the　English　churches；　Established　and　Nonconformist；　he　wrote：〃Except　the　Reverend　Mr。　Carey　and　a　friend　who　accompanies　him；　I　am　not　informed　of　any。。。ministers　who　are　engaged　in　missions。〃　　Such　was　the　impression　made　by　Carey　on　John　Newton　that；　in　1802；　he　rebuked　his　old　curate；　Claudius　Buchanan；　for　depreciating　the　Serampore　missionaries；　adding；　〃I　do　not　look　for　miracles；　but　if　God　were　to　work　one　in　our　day；　I　should　not　wonder　if　it　were　in　favour　of　Dr。　Carey。〃

The　Serampore　Mission；　at　an　early　period；　called　forth　the　admiration　of　the　Scottish　philanthropist　and　essayist；　James　Douglas　of　Cavers；　whose　Hints　on　Missions　（1822）；　a　book　still　full　of　suggestiveness；　contains　this　passage：〃Education　and　the　press　have　only　been　employed　to　purpose　of　very　late　years；　especially　by　the　missionaries　of　Serampore；　every　year　they　have　been　making　some　improvements　upon　their　former　efforts；　and。。。it　only　requires　to　increase　the　number　of　printing　presses；　schools；　teachers；　translators；　and　professors；　to　accelerate　to　any　pitch　the　rate　of　improvement。。。To　attempt　to　convert　the　world　without　educating　it；　is　grasping　at　the　end　and　neglecting　the　means。〃　　Referring　to　what　Carey　had　begun　and　the　Serampore　College　had　helped　to　develop　in　Asia；　as　in　Africa　and　America；　Douglas　of　Cavers　well　described　the　missionary　era；　the　new　crusade：〃The　Reformation　itself　needed　anew　a　reform　in　the　spirit　if　not　in　the　letter。　　That　second　Reformation　has　begun；　it　makes　less　noise　than　that　of　Luther；　but　it　spreads　wider　and　deeper；　as　it　is　more　intimate　it　will　be　more　enduring。　　Like　the　Temple　of　Solomon；　it　is　rising　silently；　without　the　din　of　pressure　or　the　note　of　previous　preparation；　but　notwithstanding　it　will　be　not　less　complete　in　all　its　parts　nor　less　able　to　resist　the　injuries　of　time！〃

Henry　Martyn　died；　perhaps　the　loftiest　and　most　loving　spirit　of　the　men　whom　Carey　drew　to　India。　　Son　of　a　Cornish　miner…captain；　after　passing　through　the　Truro　Grammar　School；　he　was　sixteenthe　age　at　which　Carey　became　a　shoemaker's　apprenticewhen　he　was　entered　at　St。　John's；　and　made　that　ever　since　the　most　missionary　of　all　the　colleges　of　Cambridge。　　When　not　yet　twenty　he　came　out　Senior　Wrangler。　　His　father's　death　drove　him　to　the　Bible；　to　the　Acts　of　the　Apostles；　which　he　began　to　study；　and　the　first　whisper　of　the　call　of　Christ　came　to　him　in　the　joy　of　the　Magnificat　as　its　strains　pealed　through　the　chapel。　　Charles　Simeon's　preaching　drew　him　to　Trinity　Church。　　In　the　vicarage；　when　he　had　come　to　be　tutor　of　his　college；　and　was　preparing　for　the　law；　he　heard　much　talk　of　William　Carey；　of　his　self…sacrifice　and　his　success　in　India。　　It　was　the　opening　year　of　the　nineteenth　century；　the　Church　Missionary　Society　had　just　been　born　as　the　fruit　partly　of　a　paper　written　by　Simeon　four　years　previously；　and　he　offered　himself　as　its　first　English　missionary。　　He　was　not　twenty…one；　he　could　not　be　ordained　for　two　years。　　Meanwhile　a　calamity　made　him　and　his　unmarried　sister　penniless；　he　loved　Lydia　Grenfell　with　a　pure　passion　which　enriched　while　it　saddened　hi