the life of william carey-第76章

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to　surrender　the　free　West　to　her　own　children　only　that　she　might　raise　the　servile　and　idolatrous　East　to　such　a　Christian　level　as　the　genius　of　its　peoples　could　in　time　enable　them　to　work　out。　　But　it　took　the　thirty　years　from　1783　to　1813　to　convince　British　statesmen；　from　Pitt　to　Castlereagh；　that　India　is　to　be　civilised　not　according　to　its　own　false　systems；　but　by　truth　in　all　forms；　spiritual　and　moral；　scientific　and　historical。　　It　took　other　twenty　years；　to　the　Charter　of　1833；　to　complete　the　conversion　of　the　British　Parliament　to　the　belief　that　the　principles　of　truth　and　freedom　are　in　their　measure　as　good　for　the　East　as　for　the　West。　At　the　beginning　of　this　new　period　William　Pitt　based　his　motion　for　Parliamentary　reform　on　this　fact；　that　〃our　senators　are　no　longer　the　representatives　of　British　virtue　but　of　the　vices　and　pollutions　of　the　East。〃　At　the　close　of　it　Lord　William　Bentinck；　Macaulay；　and　Duff；　co…operated　in　the　decree　which　made　truth；　as　most　completely　revealed　through　the　English　language　and　literature；　the　medium　of　India's　enlightenment。　　William　Carey's　career　of　fifty　years；　from　his　baptism　in　1783　and　the　composition　of　his　Enquiry　to　his　death　in　1834；　covered　and　influenced　more　than　any　other　one　man's　the　whole　time；　and　he　represented　in　it　an　element　of　permanent　healthy　nationalisation　which　these　successors　overlooked；the　use　of　the　languages　of　the　peoples　of　India　as　the　only　literary　channels　for　allowing　the　truth　revealed　through　English　to　reach　the　millions　of　the　people。

It　was　by　this　means　that　Carey　educated　Great　Britain　and　America　to　rise　equal　to　the　terrible　trust　of　jointly　creating　a　Christian　Empire　of　India；　and　ultimately　a　series　of　self…governing　Christian　nations　in　Southern　and　Eastern　Asia。　He　consciously　and　directly　roused　the　Churches　of　all　names　to　carry　out　the　commission　of　their　Master；　and　to　seek　the　promised　impulse　of　His　Spirit　or　Divine　Representative　on　earth；　that　they　might　do　greater　things　than　even　those　which　He　did。　　And　he；　less　directly　but　not　less　consciously；　brought　the　influence　of　public　opinion；　which　every　year　purified　and　quickened；　to　bear　upon　Parliament　and　upon　individual　statesmen；　aided　in　this　up　till　1815　by　Andrew　Fuller。　He　never　set　foot　in　England　again；　and　the　influence　of　his　brethren　Ward　and　Marshman　during　their　visits　was　largely　neutralised　by　some　leaders　of　their　own　church。　　But　Carey's　character　and　career；　his　letters　and　writings；　his　work　and　whole　personality；　stood　out　in　England；　Scotland；　and　America　as　the　motive　power　which　stimulated　every　church　and　society；　and　won　the　triumph　of　toleration　in　the　charter　of　1813；　of　humanity；　education；　and　administrative　reform　in　the　legislation　of　Lord　William　Bentinck。

We　have　already　seen　how　the　immediate　result　of　Carey's　early　letters　was　the　foundation　on　a　catholic　basis　of　the　London　Missionary　Society；　which　now　represents　the　great　Nonconformist　half　of　England；　of　the　Edinburgh　or　Scottish　and　Glasgow　Societies；　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　o