第 72 节
作者:
垃圾王 更新:2021-02-24 22:52 字数:9322
arned orientalist than any European has ever been before him; and has been appointed Professor of Sanskrit and Bengali at the College of Fort William。〃 Then follow a history of the Mission written in a style worthy of the author of the Life of Nelson; and these statements of the political and the purely missionary questions; which read now almost as predictions:
〃The first step towards winning the natives to our religion is to show them that we have one。 This will hardly be done without a visible church。 There would be no difficulty in filling up the establishment; however ample; but would the archbishop; bishops; deans; and chapters of Mr。 Buchanan's plan do the work of missionaries? Could the Church of England supply missionaries?where are they to be found among them? In what school for the promulgation of sound and orthodox learning are they trained up? There is ability and there is learning in the Church of England; but its age of fermentation has long been over; and that zeal which for this work is the most needful is; we fear; possessed only by the Methodists。。。
〃Carey and his son have been in Bengal fourteen years; the other brethren only nine; they had all a difficult language to acquire before they could speak to a native; and to preach and argue in it required a thorough and familiar knowledge。 Under these circumstances the wonder is; not that they have done so little; but that they have done so much; for it will be found that; even without this difficulty to retard them; no religious opinions have spread more rapidly in the same time; unless there was some remarkable folly or extravagance to recommend them; or some powerful worldly inducement。 Their progress will be continually accelerating; the difficulty is at first; as in introducing vaccination into a distant land; when the matter has once taken one subject supplies infection for all around him; and the disease takes root in the country。 The husband converts the wife; the son converts the parent; the friend his friend; and every fresh proselyte becomes a missionary in his own neighbourhood。 Thus their sphere of influence and of action widens; and the eventual issue of a struggle between truth and falsehood is not to be doubted by those who believe in the former。 Other missionaries from other societies have now entered India; and will soon become efficient labourers in their station。 From Government all that is asked is toleration for themselves and protection for their converts。 The plan which they have laid for their own proceedings is perfectly prudent and unexceptionable; and there is as little fear of their provoking martyrdom as there would be of their shrinking from it; if the cause of God and man require the sacrifice。 But the converts ought to be protected from violence; and all cramming with cow…dung prohibited on pain of retaliation with beef…tea。
〃Nothing can be more unfair than the manner in which the scoffers and alarmists have represented the missionaries。 We; who have thus vindicated them; are neither blind to what is erroneous in their doctrine or ludicrous in their phraseology; but the anti…missionaries cull out from their journals and letters all that is ridiculous sectarian; and trifling; call them fools; madmen; tinkers; Calvinists; and schismatics; and keep out of sight their love of man; and their zeal for God; their self…devotement; their indefatigable industry; and their unequalled learning。 These low…born and low…bred mechanics have translated the whole Bible into Bengali; and have by this time printed it。 They are printing the New Testament in the Sanskrit; the Orissa; Mahratta; Hindostan; and Guzarat; and translating it into Persic; Telinga; Karnata; Chinese; the language of the Sieks and of the Burmans; and in four of these languages they are going on with the Bible。 Extraordinary as this is; it will appear more so when it is remembered that of these men one was originally a shoemaker; another a printer at Hull; and a third the master of a charity…school at Bristol。 Only fourteen years have elapsed since Thomas and Carey set foot in India; and in that time have these missionaries acquired this gift of tongues; in fourteen years these low…born; low…bred mechanics have done more towards spreading the knowledge of the Scriptures among the heathen than has been accomplished; or even attempted; by all the princes and potentates of the worldand all the universities and establishments into the bargain。
〃Do not think to supersede the Baptist missionaries till you can provide from your own church such men as these; and; it may be added; such women also as their wives。〃
Soon after the Charter victory had been gained 〃that fierce and fiery Calvinist;〃 whose dictum Southey adopted; that the question in dispute is not whether the natives shall enjoy toleration; but whether that toleration shall be extended to the teachers of Christianity; Andrew Fuller; entered into rest on the 7th May 1815; at the age of sixty…two。 Sutcliff of Olney had been the first of the three to be taken away25 a year before; at the same age。 The scholarly Dr。 Ryland of Bristol was left alone; and the home management of the Mission passed into the hands of another generation。 Up to Fuller's death that management had been almost ideally perfect。 In 1812 the Committee had been increased by the addition of nineteen members; to represent the growing interest of the churches in Serampore; and to meet the demand of the 〃respectable〃 class who had held aloof at the first; who were eager that the headquarters of so renowned an enterprise should be removed to London。 But Fuller prevailed to keep the Society a little longer at Kettering; although he failed to secure as his assistant and successor the one man whose ability; experience; and prudence would have been equal to his own; and have prevented the troubles that followedChristopher Anderson。 As Fuller lay dying; he dictated a letter to Ryland wherein he thus referred to the evangelical doctrine of grace which he had been the one English theologian of his day to defend from the hyper…calvinists; and to use as the foundation of the modern missionary enterprise:〃I have preached and written much against the abuse of the doctrine of grace; but that doctrine is all my salvation and all my desire。 I have no other hope than from salvation by mere sovereign; efficacious grace through the atonement of my Lord and Saviour: with this hope I can go into eternity with composure。 We have some who have been giving it out of late that if Sutcliff and some others had preached more of Christ and less of Jonathan Edwards they would have been more useful。 If those who talk thus had preached Christ half as much as Jonathan Edwards did; and were half as useful as he was; their usefulness would be double what it is。 It is very singular that the Mission to the East originated with one of these principles; and without pretending to be a prophet; I may say if it ever falls into the hands of men who talk in this strain (of hyper…calvinism) it will soon come to nothing。〃
Andrew Fuller was not only the first of Foreign Mission Secretaries; he was a model for all。 To him his work was spiritual life; and hence; though the most active preacher and writer of his day; he was like Carey in this; that his working day was twice as long as that of most men; and he could spend half of his time in the frequent journeys all over the kingdom to raise funds; in repeated campaigns in London to secure toleration; and in abundant letters to the missionaries。 His relation to the Committee; up to the last; was equally exemplary。 In the very earliest missionary organisation in England it is due to him that the line was clearly drawn between the deliberative and judicial function which is that of the members; and the executive which is that of the secretary。 Wisdom and efficiency; clearness of perception and promptitude of action; were thus combined。 Fuller's; too; was the special merit of realising that; while a missionary committee or church are fellow…workers only with the men and women abroad; the Serampore Brotherhood was a self…supporting; and to that extent a self…governing body in a sense true of no foreign mission ever since。 The two triumvirates; moreover; consisted of giantsCarey; Marshman; and Ward abroad; Fuller; Sutcliff; and Ryland at home。 To Carey personally the death of Fuller was more than to any other。 For almost the quarter of a century he had kept his vow that he would hold the rope。 When Pearce died all too soon there was none whom Carey loved like Fuller; while Fuller's devotion to Carey was all the greater that it was tempered by a wise jealousy for his perfectness。 So early as 1797; Fuller wrote thus to the troublesome Fountain:〃It affords us good hope of your being a useful missionary that you seem to love and revere the counsels of Brother Carey。 A humble; peaceful; circumspect; disinterested; faithful; peaceable; and zealous conduct like his will render you a blessing to society。 Brother Carey is greatly respected and beloved by all denominations here。 I will tell you what I have foreborne to tell him lest it should hurt his modesty。 Good old Mr。 Newton says: 'Mr。 Carey has favoured me with a letter; whi