the life of william carey-第9节

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n　as　possible　let　them　know　the　errand　for　which　they　were　sent。　　They　must　endeavour　to　convince　them　that　it　was　their　good　alone　which　induced　them　to　forsake　their　friends；　and　all　the　comforts　of　their　native　country。　　They　must　be　very　careful　not　to　resent　injuries　which　may　be　offered　to　them；　nor　to　think　highly　of　themselves；　so　as　to　despise　the　poor　heathens；　and　by　those　means　lay　a　foundation　for　their　resentment　or　rejection　of　the　gospel。　　They　must　take　every　opportunity　of　doing　them　good；　and　labouring　and　travelling　night　and　day；　they　must　instruct；　exhort；　and　rebuke；　with　all　long　suffering　and　anxious　desire　for　them；　and；　above　all；　must　be　instant　in　prayer　for　the　effusion　of　the　Holy　Spirit　upon　the　people　of　their　charge。　Let　but　missionaries　of　the　above　description　engage　in　the　work；　and　we　shall　see　that　it　is　not　impracticable。

〃It　might　likewise　be　of　importance；　if　God　should　bless　their　labours；　for　them　to　encourage　any　appearances　of　gifts　amongst　the　people　of　their　charge；　if　such　should　be　raised　up　many　advantages　would　be　derived　from　their　knowledge　of　the　language　and　customs　of　their　countrymen；　and　their　change　of　conduct　would　give　great　weight　to　their　ministrations。〃

This　first　and　still　greatest　missionary　treatise　in　the　English　language　closes　with　the　practical　suggestion　of　these　meansfervent　and　united　prayer；　the　formation　of　a　catholic　or；　failing　that；　a　Particular　Baptist　Society　of　〃persons　whose　hearts　are　in　the　work；　men　of　serious　religion　and　possessing　a　spirit　of　perseverance；〃　with　an　executive　committee；　and　subscriptions　from　rich　and　poor　of　a　tenth　of　their　income　for　both　village　preaching　and　foreign　missions；　or；　at　least；　an　average　of　one　penny　or　more　per　week　from　all　members　of　congregations。　　He　thus　concludes：〃It　is　true　all　the　reward　is　of　mere　grace；　but　it　is　nevertheless　encouraging；　what　a　treasure；　what　an　harvest　must　await　such　characters　as　Paul；　and　Eliot；　and　Brainerd；　and　others；　who　have　given　themselves　wholly　to　the　work　of　the　Lord。　What　a　heaven　will　it　be　to　see　the　many　myriads　of　poor　heathens；　of　Britons　amongst　the　rest；　who　by　their　labours　have　been　brought　to　the　knowledge　of　God。　Surely　a　crown　of　rejoicing　like　this　is　worth　aspiring　to。　Surely　it　is　worth　while　to　lay　ourselves　out　with　all　our　might；　in　promoting　the　cause　and　kingdom　of　Christ。〃

So　Carey　projected　the　first　organisation　which　England　had　seen　for　missions　to　all　the　human　race　outside　of　Christendom；　and　his　project；　while　necessarily　requiring　a　Society　to　carry　it　out；　as　coming　from　an　〃independent〃　Church；　provided　that　every　member　of　every　congregation　should　take　a　part　to　the　extent　of　fervent　and　united　prayer；　and　of　an　average　subscription　of　a　penny　a　week。　　He　came　as　near　to　the　New　Testament　ideal　of　all　Christians　acting　in　an　aggressive　missionary　church　as　was　possible　in　an　age　when　the　Established　Churches　of　England；　Scotland；　and　Germany　scouted　foreign　missions；　and　the　Free　Churches　were　chiefly　congregational　in　their　ecclesiastical　action。　　While　asserting　the　other　ideal　of　the　voluntary　tenth　or　tithe　as　both　a　Scriptural　principle　and　Puritan　practice；　his　common　sense　was　satisfied　to　suggest　an　average　penny　a　week；　all　over；　for　every　Christian。　　At　this　hour；　more　than　a　century　since　Carey　wrote；　and　after　a　remarkable　missionary　revival　in　consequence　of　what　he　wrote　and　did；　all　Christendom；　Evangelical；　Greek；　and　Latin；　does　not　give　more　than　five　millions　sterling　a　year　to　Christianise　the　majority　of　the　race　still　outside　its　pale。　　It　is　not　too　much　to　say　that　were　Carey's　penny　a　week　from　every　Christian　a　fact；　and　the　prayer　which　would　sooner　or　later　accompany　it；　the　five　millions　would　be　fifty；　and　Christendom　would　become　a　term　nearly　synonymous　with　humanity。　　The　Churches；　whether　by　themselves　or　by　societies；　have　yet　to　pray　and　organise　up　to　the　level　of　Carey's　penny　a　week。

The　absolute　originality　as　well　as　grandeur　of　the　unconscious　action　of　the　peasant　shoemaker　who；　from　1779；　prayed　daily　for　all　the　heathen　and　slaves；　and　organised　his　society　accordingly；　will　be　seen　in　the　dim　light　or　darkness　visible　of　all　who　had　preceded　him。　　They　were　before　the　set　time；　he　was　ready　in　the　fulness　of　the　missionary　preparation。　　They　belonged　not　only　to　periods；　but　to　nations；　to　churches；　to　communities　which　were　failing　in　the　struggle　for　fruitfulness　and　expansion　in　new　worlds　and　fresh　lands；　he　was　a　son　of　England；　which　had　come　or　was　about　to　come　out　of　the　struggle　a　victor；　charged　with　the　terrible　responsibility　of　the　special　servant　of　the　Lord；　as　no　people　had　ever　before　been　charged　in　all　history；　sacred　or　secular。　　William　Carey；　indeed；　reaped　the　little　that　the　few　brave　toilers　of　the　wintry　time　had　sown；　with　a　humility　that　is　pathetic　he　acknowledges　their　toll；　while　ever　ignorant　to　the　last　of　his　own　merit。　　But　he　reaped　only　as　each　generation　garners　such　fruits　of　its　predecessor　as　may　have　been　worthy　to　survive。　　He　was　the　first　of　the　true　Anastatosantes　of　the　modern　world；　as　only　an　English…speaking　man　could　beof　the　most　thorough；　permanent；　and　everlasting　of　all　Reformers；　the　men　who　turn　the　world　upside　down；　because　they　make　it　rise　up　and　depart　from　deadly　beliefs　and　practices；　from　the　fear　and　the　fate　of　death；　into　the　life　and　light　of　Christ　and　the　Father。

Who　were　his　predecessors；　reckoning　from　the　Renascence　of　Europe；　the　discovery　of　America；　and　the　opening　up　of　India　and　Africa？　Erasmus　comes　first；　the　bright　scholar　of　compromise　who　in　1516　gave　the　New　Testament　again　to　Europe；　as　three　centuries　after　Carey　gave　it　to　all　Southern　Asia；　and　whose　missionary　treatise；　Ecclesiasties；　in　1535　anticipated；　theoretically　at　least；　Carey's　Enquiry　by　two　centuries　and　a　half。　　The　missionary　dream　of　this　escaped　monk　of　Rotterdam　and　Basel；　who　taught　women　and　weavers　and　cobblers　to　read　the　Scriptures；　and　prayed　that　the　Book　might　be　translated　into　all　languages；　was　realised　in　the　scandalous　iniquities　and　frauds　of　Portuguese　and　Spanish　and　Jesuit　missions　in　West　and　East。　Luther　had　enough　to　do　with　his　papal　antichrist　and　his　German　translation　of　the　Greek　of　the　Testament　of　Erasmus。　The　Lutheran　church　drove　missions　into　the　hands　of　the　Pietists　and　MoraviansWiclif's　offspringwho　nobly　but　ineffectually　strove　to　do　a　work　meant　for　the　whole　Christian　community。　　The　Church　of　England　thrust　forth　the　Puritans　first　to　Holland　and　then　to　New　England；　where　Eliot；　the　Brainerds；　and　the　Mayhews　sought　to　evangelise　tribes　which　did　not　long　survive　themselves。

It　was　from　Courteenhall；　a　Northamptonshire　village　near　Paulerspury；　that　in　1644　there　went　forth　the　appeal　for　the　propagation　of　the　Gospel　which　comes　nearest　to　Carey's　cry　from　the　same　midland　region。　　Cromwell　was　in　power；　and　had　himself　planned　a　Protestant　Propaganda；　so　to　the　Long　Parliament　William　Castell；　〃parson　of　Courteenhall；〃　sent　a　petition　which；　with　the　〃Eliot　Tracts；〃　resulted　in　an　ordinance　creating　the　Corporation　for　the　Promoting　and　Propagating　the　Gospel　of　Jesus　Christ　in　New　England。　　Seventy　English　ministers　had　backed　the　petition；　and　six　of　the　Church　of　Scotland；　first　of　whom　was　Alexander　Henderson。　The　corporation；　which；　in　a　restored　form；　Robert　Boyle　governed　for　thirty　years；　familiarised　the　nation　with　the　duty　of　caring　for　the　dark　races　then　coming　more　and　more　under　our　sway　alike　in　America　and　in　India。　　It　still　exists；　as　well　as　Boyle's　Society　for　advancing　the　Faith　in　the　West　Indies。　　The　Friends　also；　and　then　the　Moravians；　taught　the　Wesleys　and　Whitefield　to　care　for　the　negroes。　　The　English　and　Scottish　Propagation　Societies　sought　also　to　provide　spiritual　aids　for　the　colonists　and　the　highlanders。

The　two　great　thinkers　of　the　eighteenth　century；　who　flourished　as　philosopher　and　moralist　when　Carey　was　a　youth；　taught　the　principles　which　he　of　all　others　was　to　apply　on　their　spiritual　and　most　effective　side。　　Adam　Smith　put　his　finger　on　the　crime　which　had　darkened　and　continued　till　1834　to　shadow　the　brightness　of　geographical　enterprise　in　both　hemispheresthe　treatment　of　the　natives　by　Europeans　whose　superiority　of　force　enabled　them　to　commit　every　sort　of　injustice　in　the　new　lands。　　He　sought　a　remedy　in　establishing　an　equality　of　force　by　the　mutual　communication　of　knowledge　and　of　all　sorts　of　improvements　by　an　extensive　commerce。5　Samuel　Johnson　rose　to　a　higher　level　alike　of　wisdom　and　righteousness；　when　he　expressed　the　indignation　of　a　Christian　mind　that　the　propagation　of　truth　had　never　been　seriously　pursued　by　any　European　nation；　and　the　hope　〃that　the　light　of　the　Gospel　will　at　last　illuminate　the　sands　of　Africa　and　the　deserts　of　America；　though　its　progress　cannot　but　be　slow　when　it　is　so　much　obstructed　by　the　lives　of　Christians。〃

The　early　movement　which　is　connected　most　directly　with　Carey's　and　the　Northamptonshire　Baptists'　began　in　Scotland。　　Its　Kirk；　emasculated　by　the　Revolution　settlement　and　statute　of　Queen　Anne；　had　put　down　the　evangelical　teaching　of　Boston　and　the　〃marrow〃　men；　a