the life of william carey-第93章

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30　the　college　ceased　to　be　a　teaching；　and　became　an　examining　body。　　When　the　salary　was　reduced　one…half；　from　Rs。　1000　a　month；　the　Brotherhood　met　to　pray　for　light　and　strength。　　Mr。　Robinson；　the　Java　missionary　who　had　attached　himself　to　Serampore；　and　whose　son　long　did　good　service　as　a　Bengali　scholar　and　preacher；　gives　us　this　glimpse　of　its　inner　life　at　this　time：

〃The　two　old　men　were　dissolved　in　tears　while　they　were　engaged　in　prayer；　and　Dr。　Marshman　in　particular　could　not　give　expressions　to　his　feelings。　　It　was　indeed　affecting　to　see　these　good　old　men；　the　fathers　of　the　mission；　entreating　with　tears　that　God　would　not　forsake　them　now　grey　hairs　were　come　upon　them；　but　that　He　would　silence　the　tongue　of　calumny；　and　furnish　them　with　the　means　of　carrying　on　His　own　cause。〃

They　sent　home　an　appeal　to　England；　and　Carey　himself　published　what　is　perhaps　the　most　chivalrous；　just；　and　weighty　of　all　his　utterances　on　the　disagreeable　subjectThoughts　upon　the　Discussions　which　have　arisen　from　the　Separation　between　the　Baptist　Missionary　Society　and　the　Serampore　Missions。　〃From　our　age　and　other　circumstances　our　contributions　may　soon　cease。　　We　have　seen　a　great　work　wrought　in　India；　and　much　of　it；　either　directly　or　indirectly；　has　been　done　by　ourselves。　　I　cannot；　I　ought　not　to　be　indifferent　about　the　permanency　of　this　work；　and　cannot　therefore　view　the　exultation　expressed　at　the　prospect　of　our　resources　being　crippled　otherwise　than　being　of　a　character　too　satanic　to　be　long　persisted　in　by　any　man　who　has　the　love　of　God　in　his　heart。〃

The　appeal　to　all　Christians　for　〃a　few　hundred　pounds　per　annum〃　for　the　mission　station　closed　thus：　〃But　a　few　years　have　passed　away　since　the　Protestant　world　was　awakened　to　missionary　effort。　Since　that　time　the　annual　revenues　collected　for　this　object　have　grown　to　the　then　unthought…of　sum　of　？00；000。　　And　is　it　unreasonable　to　expect　that　some　unnoticeable　portion　of　this　should　be　intrusted　to　him　who　was　amongst　the　first　to　move　in　this　enterprise　and　to　his　colleagues？〃　　The　Brotherhood　had　hardly　despatched　this　appeal　to　England　with　the　sentence；　〃Our　present　incomes　even　are　uncertain；〃　when　the　shears　of　financial　reduction　cut　off　Dr。　Carey's　office　of　Bengali　translator　to　Government；　which　for　eight　years　had　yielded　him　Rs。　300　a　month。　　But　such　was　his　faith　this　final　stroke　called　forth　only　an　expression　of　regret　that　he　must　reduce　his　contributions　to　the　missionary　cause　by　so　much。　　He　was　a　wonder　to　his　colleagues；　who　wrote　of　him：　〃Though　thus　reduced　in　his　circumstances　the　good　man；　about　to　enter　on　his　seventieth　year；　is　as　cheerful　and　as　happy　as　the　day　is　long。　　He　rides　out　four　or　five　miles　every　morning；　returning　home　by　sunrise；　goes　on　with　the　work　of　translation　day　by　day；　gives　two　lectures　on　divinity　and　one　on　natural　history　every　week　in　the　college；　and　takes　his　turn　of　preaching　both　in　Bengali　and　in　English。〃

When　the　Christian　public　responded　heartily　to　his　appeal　Carey　was　loud　and　frequent　in　his　expressions　of　gratitude　to　God；　who；　〃in　the　time　of　our　great　extremity；　appeared　and　stirred　up　His　people　thus　willingly　to　offer　their　substance　for　His　cause。〃　　With　respect　to　myself；　I　consider　my　race　as　nearly　run。　　The　days　of　our　years　are　three　score　years　and　ten；　and　I　am　now　only　three　months　short　of　that　age；　and　repeated　bilious　attacks　have　weakened　my　constitution。　　But　I　do　not　look　forward　to　death　with　any　painful　anticipations。　　I　cast　myself　on　and　plead　the　efficacy　of　that　atonement　which　will　not　fail　me　when　I　need　it。〃

Dr。　Marshman　gives　us　a　brighter　picture　of　him。　〃I　met　with　very　few　friends　in　England　in　their　seventieth　year　so　lively；　as　free　from　the　infirmities　of　age；　so　interesting　in　the　pulpit；　so　completely　conversible　as　he　is　now。〃　　The　reason　is　found　in　the　fact　that　he　was　still　useful；　still　busy　at　the　work　he　loved　most　of　all。　　He　completed　his　last　revision　of　the　entire　Bible　in　Bengalithe　fifth　edition　of　the　Old　Testament　and　the　eighth　edition　of　the　Newin　June　1832。　　Immediately　thereafter；　when　presiding　at　the　ordination　of　Mr。　Mack　as　co…pastor　with　Dr。　Marshman　and　himself　over　the　church　at　Serampore；　he　took　with　him　into　the　pulpit　the　first　copy　of　the　sacred　volume　which　came　from　the　binder's　hands；　and　addressed　the　converts　and　their　children　from　the　words　of　Simeon〃Lord　now　lettest　Thou　Thy　servant　depart　in　peace；　for　mine　eyes　have　seen　Thy　salvation。〃　　As　the　months　went　on　he　carried　through　the　press　still　another　and　improved　edition　of　the　New　Testament；　and　only　then　he　felt　and　often　said　that　the　work　of　his　heart　was　done。

He　had　other　sources　of　saintly　pleasure　as　he　lay　meditating　on　the　Word；　and　praising　God　for　His　goodness　to　the　college　and　the　mission　stations　increased　to　nineteen　by　young　Sir　Henry　Havelock；　who　founded　the　church　at　Agra。　Lord　William　Bentinck；　having　begun　his　reign　with　the　abolition　of　the　crime　of　suttee；　was；　with　the　help　of　Carey's　old　students；　steadily　carrying　out　the　other　reforms　for　which　in　all　his　Indian　career　the　missionary　had　prayed　and　preached　and　published。　　The　judicial　service　was　reorganised　so　as　to　include　native　judges。　　The　uncovenanted　civil　service　was　opened　to　all　British　subjects　of　every　creed。　　The　first　act　of　justice　to　native　Christians　was　thus　done；　so　that　he　wrote　of　the　college：〃The　students　are　now　eligible　to　every　legal　appointment　in　India　which　a　native　can　hold；　those　who　may　possess　no　love　for　the　Christian　ministry　have　the　prospect　of　a　profitable　profession　as　advocates　in　the　judicial　courts；　and　the　hope　of　rising　to　posts　of　honourable　distinction　in　their　native　land。〃　　The　Hindoo　law　of　inheritance　which　the　Regulating　Act　of　Parliament　had　so　covered　that　it　was　used　to　deprive　converts　to　Christianity　of　all　civil　rights；　was　dealt　with　so　far　as　a　local　regulation　could　do　so；　and　Carey；　advised　by　such　an　authority　as　Harington；　laid　it　on　his　successor　in　the　apostolate；　the　young　Alexander　Duff；　to　carry　the　act　of　justice　out　fully；　which　was　done　under　the　Marquis　of　Dalhousie。　　The　orders　drawn　up　by　Charles　Grant's　sons　at　last；　in　February　1833；　freed　Great　Britain　from　responsibility　for　the　connection　of　the　East　India　Company　with　Temple　and　mosque　endowments　and　the　pilgrim　tax。

His　son　Jonathan　wrote　this　of　him　two　years　after　his　death：

〃In　principle　my　father　was　resolute　and　firm；　never　shrinking　from　avowing　and　maintaining　his　sentiments。　　He　had　conscientious　scruples　against　taking　an　oath；　and　condemned　severely　the　manner　in　which　oaths　were　administered；　and　urged　vehemently　the　propriety　of　altogether　dispensing　with　them。　　I　remember　three　instances　in　which　he　took　a　conspicuous　part　in　regard　to　oaths；　such　as　was　characteristic　of　the　man。　　On　one　occasion；　when　a　respectable　Hindoo　servant　of　the　college　of　Fort　William；　attached　to　Dr。　Carey's　department；　was　early　one　morning　proceeding　to　the　Ganges　to　bathe；　he　perceived　a　dead　body　lying　near　the　road；　but　it　being　dark；　and　no　person　being　present；　he　passed　on；　taking　no　further　notice　of　the　circumstance。　　As　he　returned　from　the　Ganges　after　sunrise；　he　saw　a　crowd　near　the　body；　and　then　happened　to　say　to　one　of　the　watchmen　present　that　in　the　morning　he　saw　the　body　on　the　other　side　of　the　road。　　The　watchman　took　him　in　custody；　as　a　witness　before　the　coroner；　but；　when　brought　before　the　coroner；　he　refused　to　take　an　oath；　and　was；　consequently；　committed　to　prison　for　contempt。　　The　Hindoo　being　a　respectable　person；　and　never　having　taken　an　oath；　refused　to　take　any　nourishment　in　the　prison。　In　this　state　he　continued　a　day　and　a　half；　my　father　being　then　at　Serampore；　but　upon　his　coming　to　Calcutta；　the　circumstances　were　mentioned　to　him。　　The　fact　of　the　man　having　refused　to　take　an　oath　was　enough　to　make　him　interest　himself　in　his　behalf。　　He　was　delighted　with　the　resolution　the　man　tookrather　to　go　to　prison　than　take　an　oath；　and　was　determined　to　do　all　he　could　to　procure　his　liberation。　　He　first　applied　to　the　coroner；　but　was　directed　by　him　to　the　sheriff。　　To　that　functionary