the life of william carey-第3节

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he　first　instance；　he　was　saved　by　a　disease　which　affected　his　face　and　hands　most　painfully　whenever　he　was　long　exposed　to　the　sun。　　For　seven　years　he　had　failed　to　find　relief。　　His　attempt　at　work　in　the　field　were　for　two　years　followed　by　distressing　agony　at　night。　He　was　now　sixteen；　and　his　father　sought　out　a　good　man　who　would　receive　him　as　apprentice　to　the　shoemaking　trade。　　The　man　was　not　difficult　to　find；　in　the　hamlet　of　Hackleton；　nine　miles　off；　in　the　person　of　one　Clarke　Nichols。　　The　lad　afterwards　described　him　as　〃a　strict　churchman　and；　what　I　thought；　a　very　moral　man。　　It　is　true　he　sometimes　drank　rather　too　freely；　and　generally　employed　me　in　carrying　out　goods　on　the　Lord's　Day　morning；　but　he　was　an　inveterate　enemy　to　lying；　a　vice　to　which　I　was　awfully　addicted。〃　The　senior　apprentice　was　a　dissenter；　and　the　master　and　his　boys　gave　much　of　the　talk　over　their　work　to　disputes　upon　religious　subjects。　　Carey　〃had　always　looked　upon　dissenters　with　contempt。　I　had；　moreover；　a　share　of　pride　sufficient　for　a　thousand　times　my　knowledge；　I　therefore　always　scorned　to　have　the　worst　in　an　argument；　and　the　last　word　was　assuredly　mine。　　I　also　made　up　in　positive　assertion　what　was　wanting　in　argument；　and　generally　came　off　with　triumph。　　But　I　was　often　convinced　afterwards　that　although　I　had　the　last　word　my　antagonist　had　the　better　of　the　argument；　and　on　that　account　felt　a　growing　uneasiness　and　stings　of　conscience　gradually　increasing。〃　　The　dissenting　apprentice　was　soon　to　be　the　first　to　lead　him　to　Christ。

William　Carey　was　a　shoemaker　during　the　twelve　years　of　his　life　from　sixteen　to　twenty…eight；　till　he　went　to　Leicester。　　Poverty；　which　the　grace　of　God　used　to　make　him　a　preacher　also　from　his　eighteenth　year；　compelled　him　to　work　with　his　hands　in　leather　all　the　week；　and　to　tramp　many　a　weary　mile　to　Northampton　and　Kettering　carrying　the　product　of　his　labour。　　At　one　time；　when　minister　of　Moulton；　he　kept　a　school　by　day；　made　or　cobbled　shoes　by　night；　and　preached　on　Sunday。　　So　Paul　had　made　tents　of　his　native　Cilician　goatskin　in　the　days　when　infant　Christianity　was　chased　from　city　to　city；　and　the　cross　was　a　reproach　only　less　bitter；　however；　than　evangelical　dissent　in　Christian　England　in　the　eighteenth　century。　　The　providence　which　made　and　kept　young　Carey　so　long　a　shoemaker；　put　him　in　the　very　position　in　which　he　could　most　fruitfully　receive　and　nurse　the　sacred　fire　that　made　him　the　most　learned　scholar　and　Bible　translator　of　his　day　in　the　East。　The　same　providence　thus　linked　him　to　the　earliest　Latin　missionaries　of　Alexandria；　of　Asia　Minor；　and　of　Gaul；　who　were　shoemakers；　and　to　a　succession　of　scholars　and　divines；　poets　and　critics；　reformers　and　philanthropists；　who　have　used　the　shoemaker's　life　to　become　illustrious。1　St。　Mark　chose　for　his　successor；　as　first　bishop　of　Alexandria；　that　Annianus　whom　he　had　been　the　means　of　converting　to　Christ　when　he　found　him　at　the　cobbler's　stall。　　The　Talmud　commemorates　the　courage　and　the　wisdom　of　〃Rabbi　Jochanan；　the　shoemaker；〃　whose　learning　soon　after　found　a　parallel　in　Carey's。　　Like　Annianus；　〃a　poor　shoemaker　named　Alexander；　despised　in　the　world　but　great　in　the　sight　of　God；　who　did　honour　to　so　exalted　a　station　in　the　Church；〃　became　famous　as　Bishop　of　Comana　in　Cappadocia；　as　saint；　preacher；　and　missionary…martyr。　　Soon　after　there　perished　in　the　persecutions　of　Diocletian；　at　Soissons；　the　two　missionary　brothers　whose　name　of　Crispin　has　ever　since　been　gloried　in　by　the　trade；　which　they　chose　at　once　as　a　means　of　livelihood　and　of　helping　their　poor　converts。　　The　Hackleton　apprentice　was　still　a　child　when　the　great　Goethe　was　again　adding　to　the　then　artificial　literature　of　his　country　his　own　true　predecessor；　Hans　Sachs；　the　shoemaker　of　N黵nberg；　the　friend　of　Luther；　the　meistersinger　of　the　Reformation。　　And　it　was　another　German　shoemaker；　Boehme；　whose　exalted　theosophy　as　expounded　by　William　Law　became　one　link　in　the　chain　that　drew　Carey　to　Christ；　as　it　influenced　Wesley　and　Whitefield；　Samuel　Johnson　and　Coleridge。　　George　Fox　was　only　nineteen　when；　after　eight　years'　service　with　a　shoemaker　in　Drayton；　Leicestershire；　not　far　from　Carey's　county；　he　heard　the　voice　from　heaven　which　sent　him　forth　in　1643　to　preach　righteousness；　temperance；　and　judgment　to　come；　till　Cromwell　sought　converse　with　him；　and　the　Friends　became　a　power　among　men。

Carlyle　has；　in　characteristic　style；　seized　on　the　true　meaning　that　was　in　the　man　when　he　made　to　himself　a　suit　of　leather　and　became　the　modern　hero　of　Sartor　Resartus。　　The　words　fit　William　Carey's　case　even　better　than　that　of　George　Fox：〃Sitting　in　his　stall；　working　on　tanned　hides；　amid　pincers；　paste…horns；　rosin；　swine…bristles；　and　a　nameless　flood　of　rubbish；　this　youth　had　nevertheless　a　Living　Spirit　belonging　to　him；　also　an　antique　Inspired　Volume；　through　which；　as　through　a　window；　it　could　look　upwards　and　discern　its　celestial　Home。〃　That　〃shoe…shop；　had　men　known　it；　was　a　holier　place　than　any　Vatican　or　Loretto…shrine。。。Stitch　away；　every　prick　of　that　little　instrument　is　pricking　into　the　heart　of　slavery。〃　　Thirty…six　years　after　Fox　had　begun　to　wear　his　leathern　doublet　he　directed　all　Friends　everywhere　that　had　Indians　or　blacks　to　preach　the　Gospel　to　them。

But　it　would　be　too　long　to　tell　the　list　of　workers　in　what　has　been　called　the　gentle　craft；　whom　the　cobbler's　stall；　with　its　peculiar　opportunities　for　rhythmic　meditation；　hard　thinking；　and　oft　harder　debating；　has　prepared　for　the　honours　of　literature　and　scholarship；　of　philanthropy　and　reform。　　To　mention　only　Carey's　contemporaries；　the　career　of　these　men　ran　parallel　at　home　with　his　abroadThomas　Shillitoe；　who　stood　before　magistrates；　bishops；　and　such　sovereigns　as　George　III。　and　IV。　and　the　Czar　Alexander　I。　in　the　interests　of　social　reform；　and　John　Pounds；　the　picture　of　whom　as　the　founder　of　ragged　schools　led　Thomas　Guthrie；　when　he　stumbled　on　it　in　an　inn　in　Anstruther；　to　do　the　same　Christlike　work　in　Scotland。　　Coleridge；　who　when　at　Christ's　Hospital　was　ambitious　to　be　a　shoemaker's　apprentice；　was　right　when　he　declared　that　shoemakers　had　given　to　the　world　a　larger　number　of　eminent　men　than　any　other　handicraft。　　Whittier's　own　early　experience　in　Massachusetts　fitted　him　to　be　the　poet…laureate　of　the　craft　which　for　some　years　he　adorned。　　His　Songs　of　Labour；　published　in　1850；　contain　the　best　English　lines　on　shoemakers　since　Shakspere　put　into　the　mouth　of　King　Henry　V。　the　address　on　the　eve　of　Agincourt；　which　begins：　〃This　day　is　called　the　feast　of　Crispin。〃　　But　Whittier；　Quaker；　philanthropist；　and　countryman　of　Judson　though　he　was；　might　have　found　a　place　for　Carey　when　he　sang　so　well　of　others：

〃Thy　songs；　Hans　Sachs；　are　living　yet；　　　　In　strong　and　hearty　German；　And　Bloomfield's　lay　and　Gifford's　wit　　　　And　patriot　fame　of　Sherman；

〃Still　from　his　book；　a　mystic　seer；　　　　The　soul　of　Behmen　teaches；　And　England's　priestcraft　shakes　to　hear　　　　Of　Fox's　leathern　breeches。〃

The　confessions　of　Carey；　made　in　the　spiritual　humility　and　self…examination　of　his　later　life；　form　a　parallel　to　the　Grace　Abounding　to　the　Chief　of　Sinners；　the　little　classic　of　John　Bunyan　second　only　to　his　Pilgrim's　Progress。　　The　young　Pharisee；　who　entered　Hackleton　with　such　hate　in　his　heart　to　dissenters　that　he　would　have　destroyed　their　meeting…place；　who　practised　〃lying；　swearing；　and　other　sins；〃　gradually　yielded　so　far　to　his　brother　apprentice's　importunity　as　to　leave　these　off；　to　try　to　pray　sometimes　when　alone；　to　attend　church　three　times　a　day；　and　to　visit　the　dissenting　prayer…meeting。　　Like　the　zealot　who　thought　to　do　God　service　by　keeping　the　whole　law；　Carey　lived　thus　for　a　time；　〃not　doubting　but　this　would　produce　ease　of　mind　and　make　me　acceptable　to　God。〃　What　revealed　him　to　himself　was　an　incident　which　he　tells　in　language　recalling　at　once　Augustine　and　one　of　the　subtlest　sketches　of　George　Eliot；　in　which　the　latter　uses　her　half…knowledge　of　evangelical　faith　to　stab　the　very　truth　that　delivered　Paul　and　Augustine；　Bunyan　and　Carey；　from　the　antinomianism　of　the　Pharisee：

〃A　circumstance　which　I　always　reflect　on　with　a　mixture　of　horror　and　gratitude　occurred　about　this　time；　which；　though　greatly　to　my　dishonour；　I　must　relate。　　It　being　customary　in　that　part　of　the　country　for　apprentices　to　collect　Christmas　boxes　＇donations＇　from　the　tradesmen　with　whom　their　masters　have　dealings；　I　was　permitted　to　collect　these　little　sums。　　When　I　applied　to　an　ironmonger；　he　gave　me　the　choice　of　a　shilling　or　a　sixpence；　I　of　course　chose　the　shilling；　and　putting　it　in　my　pocket；　went　away。　　When　I　had　got　a　few　shillings　my　next　care　was　to　purchase　some　little　articles　for　myself；　I　have　forgotten　what。　　But　then；　to　my　sorrow；　I　found　that　my　shilling　was　a　brass　one。　　I　paid　for　the　things　which　I　bought　by　using　a　shilling　of　my　master's。　　I　now　found　that　I　had　exceeded　my　stock　by　a　few　pence。　　I　expected　severe　reproaches　from　my　master；　and　therefore　came　to　the　resolution　to　declare　strenuously　that　the　bad　money　was　his。　　I　well　rememb