the life of william carey-第31部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


e　event　for　the　spreading　of　the　Gospel；　and　will　certainly　contribute　much　to　the　comfort　of　the　inhabitants。〃

Two　years　later　he　thus　anticipates　the　consent　of　the　local　Government；　in　spite　of　the　Company's　determined　hostility　in　England；　but　the　Vellore　mutiny　panic　led　to　further　delay：

〃25th　December　1805。It　has　long　been　a　favourite　object　with　me　to　fix　European　brethren　in　different　parts　of　the　country　at　about　two　hundred　miles　apart；　so　that　each　shall　be　able　to　visit　a　circle　of　a　hundred　miles'　radius；　and　within　each　of　the　circuits　to　place　native　brethren　at　proper　distances；　who　will；　till　they　are　more　established；　be　under　the　superintendence　of　the　European　brethren　situated　in　the　centre。　　Our　brethren　concur　with　me　in　this　plan。　In　consequence　of　this；　I　thought　it　would　be　desirable　to　have　leave　of　Government　for　them　to　settle；　and　preach；　without　control；　in　any　part　of　the　country。　　The　Government　look　on　us　with　a　favourable　eye；　and　owing　to　Sir　G。　Barlow；　the　Governor…General；　being　up　the　country；　Mr。　Udny　is　Vice…President　and　Deputy…Governor。　　I　therefore　went　one　morning；　took　a　breakfast　with　him；　and　told　him　what　we　were　doing　and　what　we　wished　to　do。　He；　in　a　very　friendly　manner；　desired　me　to　state　to　him　in　a　private　letter　all　that　we　wished；　and　offered　to　communicate　privately　with　Sir　G。　Barlow　upon　the　subject；　and　inform　me　of　the　result。　　I　called　on　him　again　last　week；　when　he　informed　me　that　he　had　written　upon　the　subject　and　was　promised　a　speedy　reply。　God　grant　that　it　may　be　favourable。　　I　know　that　Government　will　allow　it　if　their　powers　are　large　enough。〃

Not　till　1810　could　Carey　report　that　〃permission　was　obtained　of　Government　for　the　forming　of　a　new　station　at　Agra；　a　large　city　in　upper　Hindostan；　not　far　from　Delhi　and　the　country　of　the　Sikhs；〃　to　which　Chamberlain　and　an　assistant　were　sent。　　From　that　year　the　Bengal　became　only　the　first　of　〃The　United　Missions　in　India。〃　These　were　five　in　number；　each　under　its　own　separate　brotherhood；　on　the　same　principles　of　self…denial　as　the　original；　each　a　Lindisfarne　sprung　from　the　parent　Iona。　These　five　were　the　Bengal；　the　Burman；　the　Orissa；　the　Bhootan；　and　the　Hindostan　Missions。　The　Bengal　mission　was　fourfoldSerampore　and　Calcutta　reckoned　as　one　station；　the　old　Dinapoor　and　Sadamahal　which　had　taken　the　place　of　Mudnabati；　Goamalty；　near　Malda；　Cutwa；　an　old　town　on　the　upper　waters　of　the　Hoogli；　Jessor；　the　agricultural　capital　of　its　lower　delta；　and　afterwards　Monghyr；　Berhampore；　Moorshedabad；　Dacca；　Chittagong；　and　Assam。　　The　Bhootan　missionaries　were　plundered　and　driven　out。　　The　Hindostan　mission　soon　included　Gaya；　Patna；　Deegah；　Ghazeepore；　Benares；　Allahabad；　Cawnpore；　Ajmer；　and　Delhi　itself。　　From　Nagpoor；　in　the　very　centre　of　India；　and　Surat　to　the　north　of　Bombay；　Carey　sought　to　bring　Marathas　and　Goojaratees　under　the　yoke　of　Christ。　　China；　where　the　East　India　Company　was　still　master；　was　cared　for　by　the　press；　as　we　shall　see。　　Not　content　with　the　continent　of　Asia；　Carey's　mission；　at　once　forced　by　the　intolerance　which　refused　to　allow　new　missionaries　to　land　in　India　proper；　and　led　by　the　invitations　of　Sir　Stamford　Raffles；　extended　to　Java　and　Amboyna；　Penang；　Ceylon；　and　even　Mauritius。　　The　elaborate　review　of　their　position；　signed　by　the　three　faithful　men　of　Serampore；　at　the　close　of　1817；　amazes　the　reader　at　once　by　the　magnitude　and　variety　of　the　operations；　the　childlike　modesty　of　the　record；　and　the　heroism　of　the　toil　which　supplied　the　means。

At　the　time　of　the　organisation　into　the　Five　United　Missions　the　staff　of　workers　had　grown　to　be　thirty　strong。　　From　England　there　were　nine　surviving：Carey；　Marshman；　Ward；　Chamberlain；　Mardon；　Moore；　Chater；　Rowe；　and　Robinson。　　Raised　up　in　India　itself　there　were　seventhe　two　sons　of　Carey；　Felix　and　William；　Fernandez；　his　first　convert　at　Dinapoor；　Peacock　and　Cornish；　and　two　Armenians；　Aratoon　and　Peters；　two　were　on　probation　for　the　ministry；　Leonard　and　Forder。　　Besides　seven　Hindoo　evangelists　also　on　probation；　there　were　five　survivors　of　the　band　of　converts　called　from　time　to　time　to　the　ministryKrishna　Pal；　the　first；　who　is　entered　on　the　list　as　〃the　beloved〃；　Krishna　Dass；　Ram　Mohun；　Seeta　Ram；　and　Seeta　Dass。　Carey's　third　son　Jabez　was　soon　to　become　the　most　advanced　of　the　three　brothers　away　in　far　Amboyna。　　His　father　had　long　prayed；　and　besought　others　to　pray；　that　he　too　might　be　a　missionary。　　For　the　last　fifteen　years　of　his　life　Jabez　was　his　closest　and　most　valued　correspondent。

But　only　less　dear　than　his　own　sons　to　the　heart　of　the　father；　already　in　1817　described　in　an　official　letter　as　〃our　aged　brother　Carey；〃　were　the　native　missionaries　and　pastors；　his　sons　in　the　faith。　　He　sent　forth　the　educated　Petumber　Singh；　first　in　November　1802；　to　his　countrymen　at　Sooksagar；　and　〃gave　him　a　suitable　and　solemn　charge：　the　opportunity　was　very　pleasant。〃　　In　May　1803　Krishna　Pal　was　similarly　set　apart。　　At　the　same　time　the　young　Brahman；　Krishna　Prosad；　〃delivered　his　first　sermon　in　Bengali；　much　to　the　satisfaction　of　our　brethren。〃　　Six　months　after；　Ward　reports　of　him　in　Dinapoor：〃The　eyes　of　the　people　were　fixed　listening　to　Prosad；　he　is　becoming　eloquent。〃　　In　1804　their　successful　probation　resulted　in　their　formal　ordination　by　prayer　and　the　laying　on　of　the　hands　of　the　brethren；　when　Carey　addressed　them　from　the　divine　words；　〃As　my　Father　hath　sent　me　so　send　I　you；〃　and　all　commemorated　the　Lord's　death　till　He　come。　　Krishna　Dass　was　imprisoned　unjustly；　for　a　debt　which　he　had　paid；　but　〃he　did　not　cease　to　declare　to　the　native　men　in　power　that　he　was　a　Christian；　when　they　gnashed　upon　him　with　their　teeth。　　He　preached　almost　all　night　to　the　prisoners；　who　heard　the　word　with　eagerness。〃　　Two　years　after　he　was　ordained；　Carey　charged　him　as　Paul　had　written　to　Timothy；　〃in　the　sight　of　God　and　of　Christ　Jesus；　who　shall　judge　the　quick　and　the　dead；〃　to　be　instant　in　season　and　out　of　season；　to　reprove；　rebuke；　exhort　with　all　long…suffering　and　teaching。　　Ram　Mohun　was　a　Brahman；　the　fruit　of　old　Petumber's　ministry；　and　had　his　ability　as　a　student　and　preacher　of　the　Scriptures　consecrated　to　Christ　on　the　death　of　Krishna　Prosad；　while　the　missionaries　thus　saw　again　answered　the　invocation　they　had　sung；　in　rude　strains；　in　the　ship　which　brought　them　to　India：

〃Bid　Brahmans　preach　the　heavenly　word　　　　Beneath　the　banian's　shade；　　Oh　let　the　Hindoo　feel　its　power　　　　And　grace　his　soul　pervade。〃

So　early　as　1806　the　missionaries　thus　acknowledged　the　value　of　the　work　of　their　native　brethren；　and　made　of　all　the　native　converts　a　Missionary　Church。　　In　the　delay　and　even　failure　to　do　this　of　their　successors　of　all　Churches　we　see　the　one　radical　point　in　which　the　Church　in　India　has　as　yet　come　short　of　its　duty　and　its　privilege：

〃We　have　availed　ourselves　of　the　help　of　native　brethren　ever　since　we　had　one　who　dared　to　speak　in　the　name　of　Christ；　and　their　exertions　have　chiefly　been　the　immediate　means　by　which　our　church　has　been　increased。　　But　we　have　lately　been　revolving　a　plan　for　rendering　their　labours　more　extensively　useful；　namely；　that　of　sending　them　out；　two　and　two；　without　any　European　brother。　　It　appeared　also　a　most　desirable　object　to　interest　in　this　work；　as　much　as　possible；　the　whole　of　the　native　church　among　us：　indeed；　we　have　had　much　in　them　of　this　nature　to　commend。　　In　order；　then；　more　effectually　to　answer　this　purpose；　we　called　an　extraordinary　meeting　of　all　the　brethren　on　Friday　evening；　Aug。　8；　1806；　and　laid　before　them　the　following　ideas：

〃1。　That　the　intention　of　the　Saviour；　in　calling　them　out　of　darkness　into　marvellous　light；　was　that　they　should　labour　to　the　uttermost　in　advancing　his　cause　among　their　countrymen。

〃2。　That　it　was　therefore　their　indispensable　duty；　both　collectively　and　individually；　to　strive　by　every　means　to　bring　their　countrymen　to　the　knowledge　of　the　Saviour；　that　if　we；　who　were　strangers；　thought　it　our　duty　to　come　from　a　country　so　distant；　for　this　purpose；　much　more　was　it　incumbent　on　them　to　labour　for　the　same　end。　　This　was　therefore　the　grand　business　of　our　lives。

〃3。　That　if　a　brother　in　discharge　of　this　duty　went　out　forty　or　fifty　miles；　he　could　not　labour　for　his　family；　it　therefore　became　the　church　to　support　such；　seeing　they　were　hindered　from　supporting　themselves；　by　giving　themselves　wholly　to　that　work　in　which　it　was　equally　the　duty　of　all　to　take　a　share。

〃4。　We　therefore　proposed　to　unite　the　support　of　itinerant　brethren　with　the　care　of　the　poor；　and　to　throw　them　both　upon　the　church　fund；　as　being　both；　at　least　in　a　heathen　land；　equally　the　duty　of　a　church。

〃Every　one　of　these　ideas　our　native　brethren　entered　into　with　the　greatest　readiness　and　the　most　cordial　approbation。〃

Carey's　scheme　so　early　as　1810　included　not　only　the　capital　of　the　Great　Mogul；　Surat　far　to　the　west；　and　Maratha　Nagpoor　to　the　south；　but　Lahore；　where　Ranjeet　Singh　had　consolidated　the　Sikh　power；　Kashmeer；　and　even　Afghanistan　to　which　he　had　sent　the　Pushtoo　Bible。　　To　set　Chamberlain　free　for　this　enterprise　he　sent　his　second　son　William　to　relieve　him　as　missionary　in　charge　of　Cutwa。　〃This　would　secure　the　gradual　perfection　of　the　version　of　the　Scriptures　in　the　Sikh　language；　would　introduce　the　Gospel　among　the　people；　and　would　open　a　way　for　introducing　it　into　Kashmeer；　and　eventually　to　the　Afghans　under　whose　dominion　Kashmeer　at　present　is。〃　　Carey　and　his　two　colleagues　took　possession　for　Christ　of　the　principal　centres　of　Hindoo　and　Mohammedan　influence　in　India　only　because　they　were　unoccupied；　and　provided　translations　of　the　Bible　into　the　principal　tongues；　avowedly　as　a　preparation　for　other　missionary　agencies。　　All　over　India　and　the　far　East　he　thus　pioneered　the　way　of　the　Lord；　as　he　had　written　to　Ryland　when　first　he　settled　in　Serampore：〃It　is　very　probable　we　may　be　only　as　pioneers　to　prepare　the　way　for　most　successful　missionaries；　who　perhaps　may　not　be　at　liberty　to　attend　to　those　preparatory　labours　in　which　we　have　been　occupiedthe　translation　and　printing　of　the　Scrip