the life of william carey-第88节
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f recreation he loved to train; awful as the sage; simple as the child; speaking through the Eastern world in as many languages; perhaps; as 'the cloven tongues of fire' represented; to be remembered and blessed as long as Ganges rolls!〃
The historian of the Baptist Missionary Society; and Robert Hall; whom Sir James Mackintosh pronounced the greatest English orator; have both attempted an estimate of Carey's genius and influence。 Dr。 F。 A。 Cox remarks:〃Had he been born in the sixteenth century he might have been a Luther; to give Protestantism to Europe; had he turned his thought and observations merely to natural philosophy he might have been a Newton; but his faculties; consecrated by religion to a still higher end; have gained for him the sublime distinction of having been the Translator of the Scriptures and the Benefactor of Asia。〃 Robert Hall spoke thus of Carey in his lifetime:〃That extraordinary man who; from the lowest obscurity and poverty; without assistance; rose by dint of unrelenting industry to the highest honours of literature; became one of the first of Orientalists; the first of Missionaries; and the instrument of diffusing more religious knowledge among his contemporaries than has fallen to the lot of any individual since the Reformation; a man who unites with the most profound and varied attainments the fervour of an evangelist; the piety of a saint; and the simplicity of a child。〃
Except the portrait in London and the bust in Calcutta; no memorial; national; catholic; or sectarian; marks the work of Carey。 That work is meanwhile most appropriately embodied in the College for natives at Serampore; in the Lall Bazaar chapel and Benevolent Institution for the poor of Calcutta。 The Church of England; which he left; like John Wesley; has allowed E。 S。 Robinson; Esq。; of Bristol; to place an inscription; on brass; in the porch of the church of his native village; beside the stone which he erected over the remains of his father; Edmund; the parish clerk:〃To the Glory of God and in memory of Dr。 Wm。 Carey; Missionary and Orientalist。〃
Neither Baptist nor Anglican; the present biographer would; in the name of the country which stood firm in its support of Carey and Serampore all through the forty…one years of his apostolate; add this final eulogy; pronounced in St。 George's Free Church; Edinburgh; on the man who; more than any other and before all others; made the civilisation of the modern world by the English…speaking races a Christian force。36 Carey; childlike in his humility; is the most striking illustration in all Hagiology; Protestant or Romanist; of the Lord's declaration to the Twelve when He had set a little child in the midst of them; 〃Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child; the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven。〃 Yet we; nigh a century after he went forth with the Gospel to Hindostan; may venture to place him where the Church History of the future is likely to keep himamid the uncrowned kings of men who have made Christian England what it is; under God; to its own people and to half the human race。 These are Chaucer; the Father of English Verse; Wyclif the Father of the Evangelical Reformation in all lands; Hooker; the Father of English Prose; Shakspere; the Father of English Literature; Milton; the Father of the English Epic; Bunyan; the Father of English Allegory; Newton; the father of English Science; Carey; the Father of the Second Reformation through Foreign Missions。
APPENDIX
I。CHARTER OF INCORPORATION OF SERAMPORE COLLEGE
WE; Frederick the Sixth; by the Grace of God King of Denmark; the Venders and Gothers; Duke of Slesvig Holsten; Stormarn; Ditmarsken; Limessborg and Oldenborg; by writings these make known and publicly declare; that whereas William Carey and Joshua Marshman; Doctors of Divinity; and John Clark Marshman; Esq。; inhabitants of our town of Fredericksnagore (or Serampore) in Bengal; being desirous of founding a College to promote piety and learning particularly among the native Christian population of India; have to secure this object erected suitable buildings and purchased and collected suitable books; maps; etc。; and have humbly besought us to grant unto them and such persons as shall be elected by them and their successors to form the Council of the College in the manner to be hereafter named; our Royal Charter of Incorporation that they may the more effectually carry into execution the purposes above…mentioned:We; being desirous to encourage so laudable an undertaking; have of our special grace and free motion ordained; constituted; granted and declared; and by the presents We do for ourselves; our heirs and successors ordain; constitute; grant and declare:
1。 That the said William Carey; Joshua Marshman and John Clark Marshman; and such other person or persons as shall successively be elected and appointed the Council of the said College; in the manner hereafter mentioned; shall by virtue of the presents be for ever hereafter one body politic and incorporate by the name of the Serampore College for the purposes aforesaid to have perpetual succession and to have a common seal; and by the said name to sue and be sued; to implead and be impleaded; and to answer and be answered unto in every court and place belonging to us; our heirs and successors。
2。 And We do hereby ordain; constitute and declare that the persons hereby incorporated and their successors shall for ever be competent in law to purchase; hold and enjoy for them and their successors any goods and chattels whatsoever and to receive; purchase; hold and enjoy; they and their successors; any lands; tenements or hereditaments whatever; and that they shall have full power and authority to sell; exchange or otherwise dispose of any real or personal property to be by them acquired as aforesaid; unless the sale or alienation of such property be specially prohibited by the donor or donors thereof; and to do all things relating to the said College or Corporation in as ample a manner or form as any of our liege subjects; or any other body politic or corporate in our said kingdom or its dependencies may or can do。
3。 And We do hereby ordain; grant and declare that the number of Professors; Fellows or Student Tutors and Students; shall be indefinite and that the said William Carey; Joshua Marshman and John Clark Marshman; shall be the first Council of the said College; and that in the event of its appearing to them necessary during their life…time; or in the case of the death of any one of the three members of the said first Council; the survivors or survivor shall and may under their respective hands and seals appoint such other person or persons to be members of the Council of the College; and to succeed each other so as to become Members of the said Council in the order in which they shall be appointed; to the intent that the Council of the said College shall for ever consist of at least three persons。
4。 And We do hereby further ordain; grant and declare; that for the better government of the said College; and the better management of its concerns; the said William Carey; Joshua Marshman and John Clark Marshman; the members of the first Council; shall have full power and authority for the space of ten years from the date of these presents; to make and establish such statutes as shall appear to them useful and necessary for the government of the said College; in which statutes they shall define the powers to be entrusted to their successors; to the Professors; the Fellows or Student Tutors and the other Officers thereof; and the duties to be performed by these respectively for the management of the estates; lands; revenues and goodsand of the business of the said College; and the manner of proposing; electing; admitting and removing all and every one of the Council; the Professors; the Fellows or Tutors; the officers; the students and the servants thereof; and shall make and establish generally all such other statutes as may appear to them necessary for the future good government and prosperity of the said College; provided that these statutes be not contrary to the laws and statutes of our realm。
5。 And we do hereby further ordain; grant and declare; that the statutes thus made and established by the said three members of the first Council; and given or left in writing under their respective hands; shall be valid and in full force at the expiration of ten years from the date of these presents; so that no future Council of the College shall have power to alter; change or vary them in any manner whatever and that the statutes shall for ever be considered the constitution of the said College。 And we do hereby appoint and declare that these statutes shall be made and established by the said William Carey; Joshua Marshman and John Clark Marshman alone; so that in case either of them should die before the expiration of ten years; the power of completing or perfecting these statutes shall devolve wholly on the survivors or survivor; and that in case all three of them should die before the expiration of ten years; the statutes which they have left in writing under their hands; or under the hand of the last survivor among them shall be considered 〃The Fundamental Statutes and Cons