the life of william carey-第68节

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ieties；　through　which　the　Presbyterians　sent　forth　missionaries　to　West　and　South　Africa　and　to　Western　India；　until　their　churches　acted　as　such；　of　the　Church　Missionary　Society　which　the　evangelical　members　of　the　Church　of　England　have　put　in　the　front　of　all　the　societies；　and　of　Robert　Haldane's　splendid　self…sacrifice　in　selling　all　that　he　had　to　lead　a　large　Presbyterian　mission　to　Hindostan。　　Soon　（1797）　the　London　Society　became　the　parent　of　that　of　the　Netherlands；　and　of　that　which　is　one　of　the　most　extensive　in　Christendom；　the　American　Board　of　Commissioners　for　Foreign　Missions。　　The　latter；　really　founded　（1810）　by　Judson　and　some　of　his　fellow…students；　gave　birth　（1814）　to　the　almost　equally　great　American　Baptist　Union　when　Judson　and　his　colleague　became　Baptists；　and　the　former　was　sent　by　Carey　to　Burma。　　The　Religious　Tract　Society　（1799）；　and　the　British　and　Foreign　Bible　Society　（1804）each　a　handmaid　of　the　missionary　agenciessprang　as　really　though　less　directly　from　Carey's　action。　　Such　organised　efforts　to　bring　in　heathen　and　Mohammedan　peoples　led　in　1809　to　the　at　first　catholic　work　begun　by　the　London　Society　for　promoting　Christianity　among　the　Jews。　The　older　Wesleyan　Methodist　and　Gospel　Propagation　Societies；　catching　the　enthusiasm　as　Carey　succeeded　in　opening　India　and　the　East；　entered　on　a　new　development　under　which　the　former　in　1813；　and　the　latter　in　1821；　no　longer　confined　their　operations　to　the　slaves　of　America　and　the　English　of　the　dispersion　in　the　colonies　and　dependencies　of　Great　Britain。　　In　1815　Lutheran　Germany　also；　which　had　cast　out　the　Pietists　and　the　Moravian　brethren　as　the　Church　of　England　had　rejected　the　Wesleyans；　founded　the　principal　representative　of　its　evangelicalism　at　Basel。　　The　succeeding　years　up　to　Carey's　death　saw　similar　missionary　centres　formed；　or　reorganised；　in　Leipzig　（1819）；　Berlin　（1823）；　and　Bremen　（1836）。23

The　Periodical　Accounts　sent　home　from　Mudnabati　and　Serampore；　beginning　at　the　close　of　1794；　and　the　Monthly　Circular　Letters　after　1807；　gave　birth　not　only　to　these　great　missionary　movements　but　to　the　new　and　now　familiar　class　of　foreign　missionary　periodicals。　　The　few　magazines　then　existing；　like　the　Evangelical；　became　filled　with　a　new　spirit　of　earnest　aggressiveness。　　In　1796　there　appeared　in　Edinburgh　The　Missionary　Magazine；　〃a　periodical　publication　intended　as　a　repository　of　discussion　and　intelligence　respecting　the　progress　of　the　Gospel　throughout　the　world。〃　　The　editors　close　their　preface　in　January　1797　with　this　statement：〃With　much　pleasure　they　have　learned　that　there　was　never　a　greater　number　of　religious　periodical　publications　carried　on　than　at　present；　and　never　were　any　of　them　more　generally　read。　The　aggregate　impression　of　those　alone　which　are　printed　in　Britain　every　month　considerably　exceeds　thirty　thousand。〃　　The　first　article　utilises　the　facts　sent　home　by　Dr。　Carey　as　the　fruit　of　his　first　two　years'　experience；　to　show　〃The　Peculiar　Advantages　of　Bengal　as　a　Field　for　Missions　from　Great　Britain。〃　　After　describing；　in　the　style　of　an　English　statesman；　the　immense　population；　the　highly　civilised　state　of　society；　the　eagerness　of　the　natives　in　the　acquisition　of　knowledge；　and　the　principles　which　the　Hindoos　and　Mohammedans　hold　in　common　with　Christians；　the　writer　thus　continues：

〃The　attachment　of　both　the　Mohammedans　and　Hindoos　to　their　ancient　systems　is　lessening　every　day。　　We　have　this　information　from　the　late　Sir　William　Jones；　one　of　the　Judges　of　that　country；　a　name　dear　to　literature；　and　a　lover　of　the　religion　of　Jesus。　　The　Mussulmans　in　Hindostan　are　in　general　but　little　acquainted　with　their　system；　and　by　no　means　so　zealous　for　it　as　their　brethren　in　the　Turkish　and　Persian　empires。　　Besides；　they　have　not　the　strong　arm　of　civil　authority　to　crush　those　who　would　convert　them。　　Mr。　Carey's　letters　seem　to　intimate　the　same　relaxation　among　the　Hindoos。　　This　decay　of　prejudice　and　bigotry　will　at　least　incline　them　to　listen　with　more　patience；　and　a　milder　temper；　to　the　doctrines　and　evidences　of　the　Christian　religion。　　The　degree　of　adhesion　to　their　castes；　which　still　remains；　is　certainly　unfavourable；　and　must　be　considered　as　one　of　Satan's　arts　to　render　men　unhappy；　but　it　is　not　insuperable。　　The　Roman　Catholics　have　gained　myriads　of　converts　from　among　them。　　The　Danish　missionaries　record　their　thousands　too：　and　one　（Schwartz）　of　the　most　successful　missionaries　at　present　in　the　world　is　labouring　in　the　southern　part　of　Hindostan。　　Besides　a　very　considerable　number　who　have　thrown　aside　their　old　superstition；　and　make　a　profession　of　the　Christian　religion；　he　computes　that；　in　the　course　of　his　ministry；　he　has　been　the　instrument　of　savingly　converting　two　thousand　persons　to　the　faith　of　Christ。　　Of　these；　above　five　hundred　are　Mohammedans：　the　rest　are　from　among　the　different　castes　of　the　Hindoos。　　In　addition　to　these　instances；　it　is　proper　to　notice　the　attention　which　the　Hindoos　are　paying　to　the　two　Baptist　missionaries；　and　which　gives　a　favourable　specimen　of　their　readiness　to　listen　to　the　preaching　of　the　Gospel。。。

〃Reflect；　O　disciple　of　Jesus！　on　what　has　been　presented　to　thy　view。　　The　cause　of　Christ　is　thy　own　cause。　　Without　deep　criminality　thou　canst　not　be　indifferent　to　its　success。　　Rejoice　that　so　delightful　a　field　of　missions　has　been　discovered　and　exhibited。　　Rouse　thyself　from　the　slumbers　of　spiritual　languor。　Exert　thyself　to　the　utmost　of　thy　power；　and　let　conscience　be　able　to　testify；　without　a　doubt；　even　at　the　tribunal　of　Jesus　Christ；　If　missionaries　are　not　speedily　sent　to　preach　she　glorious　Gospel　in　Bengal；　it　shall　not　be　owing　to　me。〃

That　is　remarkable　writing　for　an　Edinburgh　magazine　in　the　year　1797；　and　it　was　Carey　who　made　it　possible。　　Its　author　followed　up　the　appeal　by　offering　himself　and　his　all；　for　life　and　death；　in　a　〃Plan　of　the　Mission　to　Bengal；〃　which　appeared　in　the　April　number。　Robert　Haldane；　whose　journal　at　this　time　was　full　of　Carey's　doings；　and　his　ordained　associates；　Bogue；　Innes；　and　Greville　Ewing；　accompanied　by　John　Ritchie　as　printer；　John　Campbell　as　catechist；　and　other　lay　workers；　determined　to　turn　the　very　centre　of　Hindooism；　Benares；　into　a　second　Serampore。　　Defeated　by　one　set　of　Directors　of　the　East　India　Company；　he　waited　for　the　election　of　their　successors；　only　to　find　the　East　India　Company　as　hostile　to　the　Scottish　gentleman　as　they　had　been　to　the　English　shoemaker　four　years　before。

The　formation　of　the　great　Missionary　and　Bible　Societies　did　not；　as　in　the　case　of　the　Moravian　Brethren　and　the　Wesleyans；　take　their　members　out　of　the　Churches　of　England　and　Scotland；　of　the　Baptists　and　Independents。　　It　supplied　in　each　case　an　executive　through　which　they　worked　aggressively　not　only　on　the　non…christian　world；　but　still　more　directly　on　their　own　home　congregations　and　parishes。　　The　foreign　mission　spirit　directly　gave　birth　to　the　home　mission　on　an　extensive　scale。　　Not　merely　did　the　Haldanes　and　their　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。