the life of william carey-第62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！


eir　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　his　short　life；　and　a　chaplaincy　became　the　best　mode　in　every　way　of　his　living　and　dying　for　India。　　What　a　meeting　must　that　have　been　between　him　and　Carey　when；　already　stricken　by　fever；　he　found　a　sanctuary　in　Aldeen；　and　learned　at　Serampore　the　sweetness　of　telling　to　the　natives　of　India　in　one　of　their　own　tongues　the　love　of　God。　William　Carey　and　Henry　Martyn　were　one　in　origin；　from　the　people；　in　industry；　as　scholars；　in　genius；　as　God…devoted；　in　the　love　of　a　great　heart　not　always　returned。　　The　older　man　left　the　church　of　his　fathers　because　there　was　no　Simeon　and　no　missionary　society；　and　he　made　his　own　university；　he　laid　the　foundation　of　English　missions　deep　and　broad　in　no　sect　but　in　Christ；　to　whom　he　and　Martyn　alike　gave　themselves。

The　names　of　Carey　and　Simeon；　thus　linked　to　each　other　by　Martyn；　find　another　pleasant　and　fruitful　tie　in　the　Rev。　Alexander　Stewart；　D。D。；　Gaelic　scholar　and　Scottish　preacher。　　It　was　soon　after　Carey　went　out　to　India　that　Simeon；　travelling　in　the　Highlands；　spent　a　Sunday　in　the　manse　of　Moulin；　where　his　personal　intercourse　and　his　evening　sermon　after　a　season　of　Communion　were　blessed　to　the　evangelical　enlightenment　of　Stewart。　　Moulin　was　the　birthplace　ten　years　after　of　Alexander　Duff；　whose　parents　previously　came　under　the　power　of　the　minister's　new…found　light。24　Like　Simeon；　Dr。　Stewart　thenceforth　became　a　warm　supporter　of　foreign　missions。　　Finding　in　the　Periodical　Accounts　a　letter　in　which　Carey　asked　Fuller　to　send　him　a　copy　of　Van　der　Hooght's　edition　of　the　Hebrew　Bible　because　of　the　weakness　of　his　eyesight；　Dr。　Stewart　at　once　wrote　offering　his　own　copy。　　Fuller　gladly　accepted　the　kindness。　〃I　with　great　pleasure；〃　writes　Dr。　Stewart；　〃followed　the　direction；　wrote　a　letter　of　some　length　to　Carey；　and　sent　off　my　parcel　to　London。　　I　daresay　you　remember　my　favourite　Hebrew　Bible　in　two　volumes。　　I　parted　with　it　with　something　of　the　same　feelings　that　a　pious　parent　might　do　with　a　favourite　son　going　on　a　mission　to　the　heathenwith　a　little　regret　but　with　much　goodwill。〃　　This　was　the　beginning　of　an　interesting　correspondence　with　Carey　and　Fuller。

Next　to　Andrew　Fuller；　and　in　the　region　of　literature；　general　culture　and　eloquence　before　him；　the　strongest　men　among　the　Baptists　were　the　younger　Robert　Hall　and　John　Foster。　　Both　were　devoted　to　Carey；　and　were　the　most　powerful　of　the　English　advocates　of　his　mission。　　The　former；　for　a　time；　was　led　to　side　with　the　Society　in　some　of　the　details　of　its　dispute　with　Dr。　Marshman；　but　his　loyalty　to　Carey　and　the　principles　of　the　mission　fired　some　of　the　most　eloquent　orations　in　English　literature。　John　Foster's　shrewder　common　sense　never　wavered；　but　inspired　his　pen　alike　in　the　heat　of　controversy　and　in　his　powerful　essays　and　criticisms。　　Writing　in　1828；　he　declared　that　the　Serampore　missionaries　〃have　laboured　with　the　most　earnest　assiduity　for　a　quarter　of　a　century　（Dr。　Carey　much　longer）　in　all　manner　of　undertakings　for　promoting　Christianity；　with　such　a　renunciation　of　self…interest　as　will　never　be　surpassed；　that　they　have　conveyed　the　oracles　of　divine　truth　into　so　many　languages；　that　they　have　watched　over　diversified　missionary　operations　with　unremitting　care；　that　they　have　conducted　themselves　through　many　trying　and　some　perilous　circumstances　with　prudence　and　fortitude；　and　that　they　retain　to　this　hour　an　undiminished　zeal　to　do　all　that　providence　shall　enable　them　in　the　same　good　cause。〃　　The　expenditure　of　the　Serampore　Brotherhood　up　to　that　time；　leaving　out　of　account　the　miscellaneous　missionary　services；　he　showed　to　have　been　upwards　of　？5；000。　　Dr。　Chalmers　in　Scotland　was　as　stoutly　with　Carey　and　his　brethren　as　Foster　was　in　England；　so　that　Marshman　wrote：〃Thus　two　of　the　greatest　and　wisest　men　of　England　are　on　our　side；　and；　what　is　more；　I　trust　the　Lord　God　is　with　us。〃　　What　Heber　thought；　alike　as　man　and　bishop；　his　own　loving　letter　and　proposal　for　〃reunion　of　our　churches〃　in　the　next　chapter　will　show