the life of william carey-第23节

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；　and　added　in　a　very　surly　manner；　that　if　I　did　not　like　to　see　it　I　might　go　farther　off；　and　desired　me　to　go。　　I　told　them　that　I　would　not　go；　that　I　was　determined　to　stay　and　see　the　murder；　and　that　I　should　certainly　bear　witness　of　it　at　the　tribunal　of　God。　I　exhorted　the　woman　not　to　throw　away　her　life；　to　fear　nothing；　for　no　evil　would　follow　her　refusal　to　burn。　　But　she　in　the　most　calm　manner　mounted　the　pile；　and　danced　on　it　with　her　hands　extended；　as　if　in　the　utmost　tranquillity　of　spirit。　　Previous　to　her　mounting　the　pile　the　relation；　whose　office　it　was　to　set　fire　to　the　pile；　led　her　six　times　round　it；　at　two　intervalsthat　is；　thrice　at　each　circumambulation。　　As　she　went　round　she　scattered　the　sweetmeat　above　mentioned　among　the　people；　who　picked　it　up　and　ate　it　as　a　very　holy　thing。　　This　being　ended；　and　she　having　mounted　the　pile　and　danced　as　above　mentioned　（N。B。The　dancing　only　appeared　to　be　to　show　us　her　contempt　of　death；　and　prove　to　us　that　her　dying　was　voluntary）；　she　lay　down　by　the　corpse；　and　put　one　arm　under　its　neck　and　the　other　over　it；　when　a　quantity　of　dry　cocoa…leaves　and　other　substances　were　heaped　over　them　to　a　considerable　height；　and　then　Ghee；　or　melted　preserved　butter；　poured　on　the　top。　　Two　bamboos　were　then　put　over　them　and　held　fast　down；　and　fire　put　to　the　pile；　which　immediately　blazed　very　fiercely；　owing　to　the　dry　and　combustible　materials　of　which　it　was　composed。　　No　sooner　was　the　fire　kindled　than　all　the　people　set　up　a　great　shoutHurree…Bol；　Hurree…Bol；　which　is　a　common　shout　of　joy；　and　an　invocation　of　Hurree；　or　Seeb。　It　was　impossible　to　have　heard　the　woman　had　she　groaned；　or　even　cried　aloud；　on　account　of　the　mad　noise　of　the　people；　and　it　was　impossible　for　her　to　stir　or　struggle　on　account　of　the　bamboos　which　were　held　down　on　her　like　the　levers　of　a　press。　　We　made　much　objection　to　their　using　these　bamboos；　and　insisted　that　it　was　using　force　to　prevent　the　woman　from　getting　up　when　the　fire　burned　her。　　But　they　declared　that　it　was　only　done　to　keep　the　pile　from　falling　down。　　We　could　not　bear　to　see　more；　but　left　them；　exclaiming　loudly　against　the　murder；　and　full　of　horror　at　what　we　had　seen。〃　　In　the　same　letter　Carey　communicates　the　information　he　had　collected　regarding　the　Jews　and　Syrian　Christians　of　the　Malabar　coast。

Mr。　G。　Udny　had　now　found　his　private　indigo　enterprise　to　be　disastrous。　　He　resolved　to　give　it　up　and　retire　to　England。　Thomas　had　left　his　factory；　and　was　urging　his　colleague　to　try　the　sugar　trade；　which　at　that　time　meant　the　distillation　of　rum。　Carey　rather　took　over　from　Mr。　Udny　the　out…factory　of　Kidderpore；　twelve　miles　distant；　and　there　resolved　to　prepare　for　the　arrival　of　colleagues；　the　communistic　missionary　settlement　on　the　Moravian　plan；　which　he　had　advocated　in　his　Enquiry。　　Mr。　John　Fountain　had　been　sent　out　as　the　first　reinforcement；　but　he　proved　to　be　almost　as　dangerous　to　the　infant　mission　from　his　outspoken　political　radicalism　as　Thomas　had　been　from　his　debts。　　Carey　seriously　contemplated　the　setting　up　of　his　mission　centre　among　the　Bhooteas；　so　as　to　be　free　from　the　East　India　Company。　　The　authorities　would　not　license　Fountain　as　his　assistant。　　Would　they　allow　future　missionaries　to　settle　with　him？　　Would　they　always　renew　his　own　licence？　　And　what　if　he　must　cease　altogether　to　work　with　his　hands；　and　give　himself　wholly　to　the　work　of　the　mission　as　seemed　necessary？

Four　new　colleagues　and　their　families　were　already　on　the　sea；　but　God　had　provided　a　better　refuge　for　His　servants　till　the　public　conscience　which　they　were　about　to　quicken　and　enlighten　should　cause　the　persecution　to　cease。





CHAPTER　V

THE　NEW　CRUSADESERAMPORE　AND　THE　BROTHERHOOD

1800

Effects　of　the　news　in　England　on　the　BaptistsOn　the　home　churchesIn　the　foundation　of　the　London　and　other　Missionary　SocietiesIn　ScotlandIn　Holland　and　AmericaThe　missionary　homeJoshua　Marshman；　William　Ward；　and　two　others　sent　outLanding　at　the　Iona　of　Southern　AsiaMeeting　of　Ward　and　CareyFirst　attempt　to　evangelise　the　non…Aryan　hill　tribesCarey　driven　by　providences　to　SeramporeDense　population　of　Hoogli　districtAdapts　his　communistic　plan　to　the　new　conditionsPurchase　of　the　propertyConstitution　of　the　BrotherhoodHis　relations　to　Marshman　and　WardHannah　Marshman；　the　first　woman　missionaryDaily　life　of　the　BrethrenForm　of　AgreementCarey's　ideal　system　of　missionary　administration　realised　for　fifteen　yearsSpiritual　heroism　of　the　Brotherhood。

The　first　two　English　missionaries　to　India　seemed　to　those　who　sent　them　forth　to　have　disappeared　for　ever。　　For　fourteen　months；　in　those　days　of　slow　Indiamen　and　French　privateers；　no　tidings　of　their　welfare　reached　the　poor　praying　people　of　the　midlands；　who　had　been　emboldened　to　begin　the　heroic　enterprise。　　The　convoy；　which　had　seen　the　Danish　vessel　fairly　beyond　the　French　coast；　had　been　unable　to　bring　back　letters　on　account　of　the　weather。　　At　last；　on　the　29th　July　1794；　Fuller；　the　secretary；　Pearce；　the　beloved　personal　friend　of　Carey；　Ryland　in　Bristol；　and　the　congregation　at　Leicester；　received　the　journals　of　the　voyage　and　letters　which　told　of　the　first　six　weeks'　experience　at　Balasore；　in　Calcutta；　Bandel；　and　Nuddea；　just　before　Carey　knew　the　worst　of　their　pecuniary　position。　　The　committee　at　once　met。　　They　sang　〃with　sacred　joy〃　what　has　ever　since　been　the　jubilee　hymn　of　missions；　that　by　William　Williams

　　　〃O'er　those　gloomy　hills　of　darkness。〃

They　〃returned　solemn　thanks　to　the　everlasting　God　whose　mercy　endureth　for　ever；　for　having　preserved　you　from　the　perils　of　the　sea；　and　hitherto　made　your　ways　prosperous。　　In　reading　the　short　account　of　your　labours　we　feel　something　of　that　spirit　spoken　of　in　the　prophet；　'Thine　heart　shall　fear　and　be　enlarged。'　　We　cordially　thank　you　for　your　assiduity　in　learning　the　languages；　in　translating；　and　in　every　labour　of　love　in　which　you　have　engaged。　Under　God　we　cheerfully　confide　in　your　wisdom；　fidelity；　and　prudence；　with　relation　to　the　seat　of　your　labours　or　the　means　to　carry　them　into　effect。　　If　there　be　one　place；　however；　which　strikes　us　as　of　more　importance　than　the　rest；　it　is　Nuddea。　　But　you　must　follow　where　the　Lord　opens　a　door　for　you。〃　　The　same　spirit　of　generous　confidence　marked　the　relations　of　Carey　and　the　committee　so　long　as　Fuller　was　secretary。　　When　the　news　came　that　the　missionaries　had　become　indigo　planters；　some　of　the　weaker　brethren；　estimating　Carey　by　themselves；　sent　out　a　mild　warning　against　secular　temptations；　to　which　he　returned　a　half…amused　and　kindly　reply。　　John　Newton；　then　the　aged　rector　of　St。　Mary　Woolnoth；　on　being　consulted；　reassured　them：　〃If　the　heart　be　fired　with　a　zeal　for　God　and　love　to　souls；〃　he　said；　〃such　attention　to　business　as　circumstances　require　will　not　hurt　it。〃　　Since　Carey；　like　the　Moravians；　meant　that　the　missionaries　should　live　upon　a　common　stock；　and　never　lay　up　money；　the　weakest　might　have　recognised　the　Paul…like　nobleness；　which　had　marked　all　his　life；　in　relinquishing　the　scanty　salary　that　it　might　be　used　for　other　missions　to　Africa　and　Asia。

The　spiritual　law　which　Duff's　success　afterwards　led　Chalmers　to　formulate；　that　the　relation　of　foreign　to　home　missions　acts　not　by　exhaustion　but　by　fermentation；　now　came　to　be　illustrated　on　a　great　scale；　and　to　result　in　the　foundation　of　the　catholic　missionary　enterprise　of　the　evangelicals　of　England；　Scotland；　Ireland；　America；　Germany；　and　France；　which　has　marked　the　whole　nineteenth　century。　　We　find　it　first　in　Fuller　himself。　　In　comforting　Thomas　during　his　extremest　dejection　he　quoted　to　him　from　his　own　journal　of　1789　the　record　of　a　long　period　of　spiritual　inactivity；　which　continued　till　Carey　compelled　him　to　join　in　the　mission。　〃Before　this　I　did　little　but　pine　over　my　misery；　but　since　I　have　betaken　myself　to　greater　activity　for　God；　my　strength　has　been　recovered　and　my　soul　replenished。〃　〃Your　work　is　a　great　work；　and　the　eyes　of　the　religious　world　are　upon　you。　Your　undertaking；　with　that　of　your　dear　colleague；　has　provoked　many。　　The　spirit　of　missions　is　gone　forth。　　I　wish　it　may　never　stop　till　the　Gospel　is　sent　unto　all　the　world。〃

Following　the　pietist　Francke；　who　in　1710　published　the　first　missionary　reports；　and　also　the　Moravians；　Fuller　and　his　coadjutors　issued　from　the　press　of　J。　W。　Morris　at　Clipstone；　towards　the　end　of　1794；　No。　I。　of　their　Periodical　Accounts　relative　to　a　Society　formed　among　the　Particular　Baptists　for　Propagating　the　Gospel　among　the　Heathen。　　That　contained　a　narrative　of　the　foundation　of　the　Society　and　the　letters　of　Carey　up　to　15th　February　1794　from　the　Soondarbans。　　Six　of　these　Accounts　appeared　up　to　the　year　1800；　when　they　were　published　as　one　volume　with　an　index　and　illustrations。　　The　volume　closes　with　a　doggerel　translation　of　one　of　several　Gospel　ballads　which　Carey　had　written　in　Bengali　in　1798。　　He　had　thus　early　brought　into　the　service　of　Christ　the　Hindoo　love　of　musical　recitative；　which　was　recently　re…discoveredas　it　wereand　now　forms　an　important　mode　of　evangelistic　work　when　accompan