the life of william carey-第33节

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sCarey's　〃United　Missions　in　India〃The　missionary　staff　thirty　strongThe　native　missionariesThe　Bengali　church　self…propagatingCarey　the　pioneer　of　other　missionariesBenaresBurma　and　Indo…ChinaFelix　CareyInstructions　to　missionariesThe　missionary　shrivelled　into　an　ambassadorAdoniram　and　Ann　JudsonJabez　CareyMission　to　AmboynaRemarkable　letter　from　Carey　to　his　third　son。

The　short…sighted　regulation　of　the　East　India　Company；　which　dreamed　that　it　could　keep　Christianity　out　of　Bengal　by　shutting　up　the　missionaries　within　the　little　territory　of　Danish　Serampore；　could　not　be　enforced　with　the　same　ease　as　the　order　of　a　jailer。　Under　Danish　passports；　and　often　without　them；　missionary　tours　were　made　over　Central　Bengal；　aided　by　its　network　of　rivers。　Every　printed　Bengali　leaf　of　Scripture　or　pure　literature　was　a　missionary。　　Every　new　convert；　even　the　women；　became　an　apostle　to　their　people；　and　such　could　not　be　stopped。　　Gradually；　as　not　only　the　innocency　but　the　positive　political　usefulness　of　the　missionaries'　character　and　work　came　to　be　recognised　by　the　local　authorities；　they　were　let　alone　for　a　time。　　And　soon；　by　the　same　historic　irony　which　has　marked　so　many　of　the　greatest　reforms〃He　that　sitteth　in　the　heavens　shall　laugh〃the　Government　of　India　became；　though　unwittingly；　more　of　a　missionary　agency　than　the　Baptist　Society　itself。　　The　only　teacher　of　Bengal　who　could　be　found　for　Lord　Wellesley's　new　College　of　Fort　William　was　William　Carey。　　The　appointment；　made　and　accepted　without　the　slightest　prejudice　to　his　aggressive　spiritual　designs　and　work；　at　once　opened　Calcutta　itself　for　the　first　time　to　the　English　proselytising　of　natives；　and　supplied　Carey　with　the　only　means　yet　lacking　for　the　translation　of　the　Scriptures　into　all　the　languages　of　the　farther　East。　In　spite　of　its　own　selfish　fears　the　Company　became　a　principal　partner　in　the　Christianisation　of　India　and　China。

》From　the　middle　of　the　year　1801　and　for　the　next　thirty　years　Carey　spent　as　much　of　his　time　in　the　metropolis　as　in　Serampore。　　He　was　generally　rowed　down　the　eighteen　miles　of　the　winding　river　to　Calcutta　at　sunset　on　Monday　evening　and　returned　on　Friday　night　every　week；　working　always　by　the　way。　　At　first　he　personally　influenced　the　Bengali　traders　and　youths　who　knew　English；　and　he　read　with　many　such　the　English　Bible。　　His　chaplain　friends；　Brown　and　Buchanan；　with　the　catholicity　born　of　their　presbyterian　and　evangelical　training；　shared　his　sympathy　with　the　hundreds　of　poor　mixed　Christians　for　whom　St。　John's　and　even　the　Mission　Church　made　no　provision；　and　encouraged　him　to　care　for　them。　　In　1802　he　began　a　weekly　meeting　for　prayer　and　conversation　in　the　house　of　Mr。　Rolt；　and　another　for　a　more　ignorant　class　in　the　house　of　a　Portuguese　Christian。　　By　1803　he　was　able　to　write　to　Fuller：　〃We　have　opened　a　place　of　worship　in　Calcutta；　where　we　have　preaching　twice　on　Lord's　day　in　English；　on　Wednesday　evening　in　Bengali；　and　on　Thursday　evening　in　English。〃　　He　took　all　the　work　during　the　week　and　the　Sunday　service　in　rotation　with　his　brethren。　　The　first　church　was　the　hall　of　a　well…known　undertaker；　approached　through　lines　of　coffins　and　the　trappings　of　woe。　　In　time　most　of　the　evangelical　Christians　in　the　city　promised　to　relieve　the　missionaries　of　the　expense　if　they　would　build　an　unsectarian　chapel　more　worthy　of　the　object。　　This　was　done　in　Lall　Bazaar；　a　little　withdrawn　from　that　thoroughfare　to　this　day　of　the　poor　and　abandoned　Christians；　of　the　sailors　and　soldiers　on　leave；　of　the　liquor…shops　and　the　stews。　　There；　as　in　Serampore；　at　a　time　when　the　noble　hospitals　of　Calcutta　were　not；　and　the　children　of　only　the　〃services〃　were　cared　for；　〃Brother　Carey　gave　them　medicine　for　their　bodies　and　the　best　medicine　for　their　poor　souls；〃　as　a　contemporary　widow　describes　it。　　The　site　alone　cost　so　mucha　thousand　poundsthat　only　a　mat　chapel　could　be　built。　　Marshman　raised　another　？100　in　ten　days；　and　after　delays　caused　by　the　police　Government　sanctioned　the　building　which　Carey　opened　on　Sunday；　1st　January　1809。　　But　he　and　his　colleagues　〃not　episcopally　ordained〃　were　forbidden　to　preach　to　British　soldiers　and　to　the　Armenians　and　Portuguese。　〃Carey's　Baptist　Chapel〃　is　now　its　name。　　Here　was　for　nearly　a　whole　generation　a　sublime　spectaclethe　Northamptonshire　shoemaker　training　the　governing　class　of　India　in　Sanskrit；　Bengali；　and　Marathi　all　day；　and　translating　the　Ramayana　and　the　Veda；　and　then；　when　the　sun　went　down；　returning　to　the　society　of　〃the　maimed；　the　halt；　and　the　blind；　and　many　with　the　leprosy；〃　to　preach　in　several　tongues　the　glad　tidings　of　the　Kingdom　to　the　heathen　of　England　as　well　as　of　India；　and　all　with　a　loving　tenderness　and　patient　humility　learned　in　the　childlike　school　of　Him　who　said；　〃Wist　ye　not　that　I　must　be　about　my　Father's　business？〃

Street　preaching　was　added　to　the　apostolic　agencies；　and　for　this　prudence　dictated　recourse　to　the　Asiatic　and　Eurasian　converts。　　We　find　the　missionaries　writing　to　the　Society　at　the　beginning　of　1807；　after　the　mutiny　at　Vellore；　occasioned　as　certainly　by　the　hatlike　turban　then　ordered；　as　the　mutiny　of　Bengal　half　a　century　after　was　by　the　greased　cartridges：

〃We　now　return　to　Calcutta；　not；　however；　without　a　sigh。　　How　can　we　avoid　sighing　when　we　think　of　the　number　of　perishing　souls　which　this　city　contains；　and　recollect　the　multitudes　who　used　of　late　to　hang　upon　our　lips；　standing　in　the　thick…wedged　crowd　for　hours　together；　in　the　heat　of　a　Bengal　summer；　listening　to　the　word　of　life！　　We　feel　thankful；　however；　that　nothing　has　been　found　against　us；　except　in　the　matters　of　our　God。　Conscious　of　the　most　cordial　attachment　to　the　British　Government；　and　of　the　liveliest　interest　in　its　welfare；　we　might　well　endure　reproach　were　it　cast　upon　us；　but　the　tongue　of　calumny　itself　has　not　to　our　knowledge　been　suffered　to　bring　the　slightest　accusation　against　us。　　We　still　worship　at　Calcutta　in　a　private　house；　and　our　congregation　rather　increases。　　We　are　going　on　with　the　chapel。　A　family　of　Armenians　also；　who　found　it　pleasant　to　attend　divine　worship　in　the　Bengali　language；　have　erected　a　small　place　on　their　premises　for　the　sake　of　the　natives。〃

Krishna　Pal　became　the　first　native　missionary　to　Calcutta；　where　he　in　1810　had　preached　at　fourteen　different　places　every　week；　and　visited　forty…one　families；　to　evangelise　the　servants　of　the　richer　and　bring　in　the　members　of　the　poorer。　　Sebuk　Ram　was　added　to　the　staff。　　Carey　himself　thus　sums　up　the　labours　of　the　year　1811；　when　he　was　still　the　only　pastor　of　the　Christian　poor；　and　the　only　resident　missionary　to　half　a　million　of　natives：

〃Calcutta　is　three　miles　long　and　one　broad；　very　populous；　the　environs　are　crowded　with　people　settled　in　large　villages；　resembling　（for　population；　not　elegance）　the　environs　of　Birmingham。　　The　first　is　about　a　mile　south　of　the　city；　at　nearly　the　same　distance　are　the　public　jail　and　the　general　hospital。　Brother　Gordon；　one　of　our　deacons；　being　the　jailer　we　preach　there　in　English　every　Lord's　day。　　We　did　preach　in　the　Fort；　but　of　late　a　military　order　has　stopped　us。　　Krishna　and　Sebuk　Ram；　however；　preach　once　or　twice　a　week　in　the　Fort　notwithstanding；　also　at　the　jail；　in　the　house　of　correction；　at　the　village　of　Alipore；　south　of　the　jail；　at　a　large　factory　north　of　the　city；　where　several　hundreds　are　employed；　and　at　ten　or　twelve　houses　in　different　parts　of　the　city　itself。　　In　several　instances　Roman　Catholics；　having　heard　the　word；　have　invited　them　to　their　houses；　and　having　collected　their　neighbours；　the　one　or　the　other　have　received　the　word　with　gladness。

〃The　number　of　inquirers　constantly　coming　forward；　awakened　by　the　instrumentality　of　these　brethren；　fills　me　with　joy。　　I　do　not　know　that　I　am　of　much　use　myself；　but　I　see　a　work　which　fills　my　soul　with　thankfulness。　　Not　having　time　to　visit　the　people；　I　appropriate　every　Thursday　evening　to　receiving　the　visits　of　inquirers。　　Seldom　fewer　than　twenty　come；　and　the　simple　confessions　of　their　sinful　state；　the　unvarnished　declaration　of　their　former　ignorance；　the　expressions　of　trust　in　Christ　and　gratitude　to　him；　with　the　accounts　of　their　spiritual　conflicts　often　attended　with　tears　which　almost　choke　their　utterance；　presents　a　scene　of　which　you　can　scarcely　entertain　an　adequate　idea。　　At　the　same　time；　meetings　for　prayer　and　mutual　edification　are　held　every　night　in　the　week；　and　some　nights；　for　convenience；　at　several　places　at　the　same　time：　so　that　the　sacred　leaven　spreads　its　influence　through　the　mass。〃

On　his　voyage　to　India　Carey　had　deliberately　contemplated　the　time　when　the　Society　he　had　founded　would　influence　not　only　Asia；　but　Africa；　and　he　would　supply　the　peoples　of　Asia　with　the　Scriptures　in　their　own　tongues。　　The　time　had　come　by　1804　for　organising　the　onward　movement；　and　he　thus　describes　it　to　Ryland：

〃14th　December　1803。Another　plan　has　lately　occupied　our　attention。　　It　appears　that　our　business　is　to　provide　materials　for　spreading　the　Gospel；　and　to　apply　those　materials。　　Translations；　pamphlets；　etc。