the life of william carey-第71节

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e　to　religion；　I　cannot　say；　but　if　I　recollect　dates　aright　the　orders　of　the　Court　of　Directors　came　as　soon　as　possible　after　that　pamphlet　was　published；　and　as　it　would　have　been　too　barefaced　to　have　given　a　specific　order　to　send　home　missionaries；　they　founded　their　orders　on　an　unjust　and　wicked　clause　in　the　charter；　and　so　enforced　it　that　it　should　effectually　operate　on　missionaries。

〃I　hope　the　friends　of　religion　will　persevere　in　the　use　of　all　peaceful　and　lawful　means　to　prevail　on　the　legislature　to　expunge　that　clause；　or　so　to　modify　it　that　ministers　of　the　Gospel　may　have　leave　to　preach；　form　and　visit　churches；　and　perform　the　various　duties　of　their　office　without　molestation；　and　that　they　may　have　a　right　to　settle　in　and　travel　over　any　part　of　India　for　that　purpose。　　Nothing　can　be　more　just　than　this　wish；　and　nothing　would　be　more　politic　than　for　it　to　be　granted；　for　every　one　converted　from　among　the　heathen　is　from　that　time　a　staunch　friend　of　the　English　Government。　　Our　necks　have；　however；　been　more　or　less　under　the　yoke　ever　since　that　year；　and　preaching　the　Gospel　stands　in　much　the　same　political　light　as　committing　an　act　of　felony。　　Witness　what　has　been　done　to　Mr。　Thompson；　the　five　American　brethren；　and　our　three　brethren。　　Mr。　Thomason；　the　clergyman；　has　likewise　hard　work　to　stand　his　ground。

〃I　trust；　however；　it　is　too　late　to　eradicate　the　Gospel　from　Bengal。　　The　number　of　those　born　in　the　country　who　preach　the　Word　is　now　very　considerable。　　Fifteen　of　this　description　preach　constantly；　and　seven　or　eight　more　occasionally　exhort　their　countrymen；　besides　our　European　brethren。　　The　Gospel　is　stationed　at　eighteen　or　twenty　stations　belonging　to　our　Mission　alone；　and　at　several　of　them　there　are　churches。　　The　Bible　is　either　translated　or　under　translation　into　twenty…four　of　the　languages　of　the　East；　eighteen　of　which　we　are　employed　about；　besides　printing　most　of　the　others。　　Thirteen　out　of　these　eighteen　are　now　in　the　press；　including　a　third　edition　of　the　Bengali　New　Testament。　Indeed；　so　great　is　the　demand　for　Bibles　that　though　we　have　eight　presses　constantly　at　work　I　fear　we　shall　not　have　a　Bengali　New　Testament　to　sell　or　give　away　for　the　next　twelve　months；　the　old　edition　being　entirely　out　of　print。　　We　shall　be　in　almost　the　same　predicament　with　the　Hindostani。　　We　are　going　to　set　up　two　more　presses；　which　we　can　get　made　in　Calcutta；　and　are　going　to　send　another　to　Rangoon。　　In　short；　though　the　publishing　of　the　Word　of　God　is　a　political　crime；　there　never　was　a　time　when　it　was　so　successful。　'Not　by　might；　nor　by　power；　but　by　my　Spirit；　saith　the　Lord。'

〃Through　divine　mercy　we　are　all　well；　and　live　in　peace　and　love。　A　small　cloud　which　threatened　at　the　time　Brother　Johns　left　us　has　mercifully　blown　over；　and　we　are　now　in　the　utmost　harmony。　　I　will；　if　possible；　write　to　my　nephew　Eustace　by　these　ships；　but　I　am　so　pressed　for　time　that　I　can　never　promise　to　write　a　letter。　The　Lord　has　so　blessed　us　that　we　are　now　printing　in　more　languages　than　we　could　do　before　the　fire　took　place。

〃Give　my　love　to　Eustace；　also　to　all　who　recollect　or　think　of　me。　I　am　now　near　fifty…two　years　of　age；　yet　through　mercy　I　am　well　and　am　enabled　to　keep　close　to　work　twelve　or　fourteen　hours　a　day。　I　hope　to　see　the　Bible　printed　in　most　of　the　languages　in　which　it　is　begun。I　am；　very　affectionately　yours；　WM。　CAREY。〃

Carey　had　previously　written　thus　to　Fuller：〃The　fault　lies　in　the　clause　which　gives　the　Company　power　thus　to　send　home　interlopers；　and　is　just　as　reasonable　as　one　which　should　forbid　all　the　people　in　Englanda　select　few　exceptedto　look　at　the　moon。　　I　hope　this　clause　will　be　modified　or　expunged　in　the　new　charter。　　The　prohibition　is　wrong；　and　nothing　that　is　morally　wrong　can　be　politically　right。〃

It　was　left　to　the　charter　of　1853　fully　to　liberalise　the　Company；　but　each　step　was　taken　too　late　to　save　it　from　the　nemesis　of　1857　and　extinction　in　1858。　〃Let　no　man　think；〃　Wilberforce　had　said　to　the　House　of　Commons　in　1813；　〃that　the　petitions　which　have　loaded　our　table　have　been　produced　by　a　burst　of　momentary　enthusiasm。　While　the　sun　and　moon　continue　to　shine　in　the　firmament　so　long　will　this　object　be　pursued　with　unabated　ardour　until　the　great　work　be　accomplished。〃

The　opposition　of　Anglo…Indian　officials　and　lawyers；　which　vainly　used　no　better　weapons　than　such　as　Mr。　Prendergast　and　his　〃tub〃　fabrication；　had　been　anticipated　and　encouraged　by　the　Edinburgh　Review。　　That　periodical　was　at　the　height　of　its　influence　in　1808；　the　year　before　John　Murray's　Quarterly　was　first　published。　　The　Rev。　Sydney　Smith；　as　the　literary　and　professional　representative　of　what　he　delighted　to　call　〃the　cause　of　rational　religion；〃　was　the　foe　of　every　form　of　earnest　Christianity；　which　he　joined　the　mob　in　stigmatising　as　〃Methodism。〃　　He　was　not　unacquainted　with　Indian　politics；　for　his　equally　clever　brother；　known　as　Bobus　Smith；　was　long　Advocate…General　in　Calcutta；　and　left　a　very　considerable　fortune　made　there　to　enrich　the　last　six　years　of　the　Canon's　life。　　Casting　about　for　a　subject　on　which　to　exercise　at　once　his　animosity　and　his　fun；　he　found　it　in　the　Periodical　Accounts；　wherein　Fuller　had　undoubtedly　too　often　published　letters　and　passages　of　journals　written　only　for　the　eye　of　the　private　friend。　　Carey　frequently　remonstrated　against　the　publicity　given　to　some　of　his　communications；　and　the　fear　of　this　checked　his　correspondence。　　In　truth；　the　new…born　enthusiasm　was　such　that；　at　first；　the　Committee　kept　nothing　back。　　It　was　easy　for　a　litterateur　like　Sydney　Smith　in　those　days　to　extract　passages　and　to　give　them　such　headings　as　〃Brother　Carey's　Piety　at　Sea；〃　〃Hatred　of　the　Natives　to　the　Gospel。〃　　Smith　produced　an　article　which；　as　republished　in　his　collected　essays；　has　a　historical　value　as　a　test　of　the　bitterness　of　the　hate　which　the　missionary　enterprise　had　to　meet　in　secular　literature　till　the　death　of　Livingstone；　Wilson；　and　Duff　opened　the　eyes　of　journalism　to　the　facts。　　In　itself　it　must　be　read　in　the　light　of　its　author's　own　criticism　of　his　articles；　thus　expressed　in　a　letter　to　Francis　Jeffrey；　and　of　the　regret　that　he　had　written　it　which；　Jeffrey　told　Dr。　Marshman；　he　lived　to　utter：〃Never　mind；　let　them〃　（his　articles）　〃go　away　with　their　absurdity　unadulterated　and　pure。　　If　I　please；　the　object　for　which　I　write　is　attained；　if　I　do　not；　the　laughter　which　follows　my　error　is　the　only　thing　which　can　make　me　cautious　and　tremble。〃　　But　for　that　picture　by　himself　we　should　have　pronounced　Carlyle's　drawing　of　him　to　be　almost　as　malicious　as　his　own　of　the　Serampore　missonaries〃A　mass　of　fat　and　muscularity；　with　massive　Roman　nose；　piercing　hazel　eyes；　shrewdness　and　funnot　humour　or　even　witseemingly　without　soul　altogether。〃

The　attack　called　forth　a　reply　by　Mr。　Styles　so　severe　that　Sydney　Smith　wrote　a　rejoinder　which　began　by　claiming　credit　for　〃rooting　out　a　nest　of　consecrated　cobblers。〃　　Sir　James　Mackintosh；　then　in　Bombay；　wrote　of　a　similar　assault　by　Mr。　Thomas　Twining　on　the　Bible　Societies；　that　it　〃must　excite　general　indignation。　　The　only　measure　which　he　could　consistently　propose　would　be　the　infliction　of　capital　punishment　on　the　crime　of　preaching　or　embracing　Christianity　in　India；　for　almost　every　inferior　degree　of　persecution　is　already　practised　by　European　or　native　anti…christians。　　But　it　fell　to　Southey；　in　the　very　first　number　of　the　Quarterly　Review；　in　April　1809；　to　deal　with　the　Rev。　Sydney　Smith；　and　to　defend　Carey　and　the　Brotherhood　as　both　deserved。　The　layman's　defence　was　the　more　effective　for　its　immediate　purpose　that　he　started　from　the　same　prejudice　as　that　of　the　reverend　Whig　rationalist〃the　Wesleyans；　the　Orthodox　dissenters　of　every　description；　and　the　Evangelical　churchmen　may　all　be　comprehended　under　the　generic　name　of　Methodists。　　The　religion　which　they　preach　is　not　the　religion　of　our　fathers；　and　what　they　have　altered　they　have　made　worse。〃　　But　Southey　had　himself　faith　as　well　as　a　literary　canon　higher　than　that　of　his　opponent　who　wrote　only　to　〃please〃　his　patrons。　　He　saw　in　these　Methodists　alone　that　which　he　appreciated　as　the　essence　of　true　faith〃that　spirit　of　enthusiasm　by　which　Europe　was　converted　to　Christianity　they　have　in　some　measure　revived；　and　they　have　removed　from　Protestantism　a　part　of　its　reproach。〃　　He　proceeded　to　tell　how　〃this　Mission；　which　is　represented　by　its　enemies　as　so　dangerous　to　the　British　Empire　in　India；　and　thereby；　according　to　a　logic　learnt　from　Buonaparte；　to　England　also；　originated　in　a　man　by　name　William　Carey；　who　till　the　twenty…fourth　year　of　his　age　was　a　working　shoemaker。　　Sectarianism　has　this　main　advantage　over　the　Established　Church；　that　its　men　of　ability　certainly　find　their　station；　and　none　of　its　talents　are　neglected　or　lost。　　Carey　was　a　studious　and　pious　man；　his　faith　wrong；　his　feelings　right。　　He　made　himself　competently　versed　in　Latin；　Greek；　and　Hebrew。　　He　is　now　probably　a　far　more　learned　orientalist　than　any　European　has　ever　been　before　him；　and　has　been　appointed　Professor　of　Sa