the life of william carey-第82章

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it　should　hurt　his　modesty。　　Good　old　Mr。　Newton　says：　'Mr。　Carey　has　favoured　me　with　a　letter；　which；　indeed；　I　accept　as　a　favour；　and　I　mean　to　thank　him　for　it。　　I　trust　my　heart　as　cordially　unites　with　him　as　though　I　were　a　brother　Baptist　myself。　　I　look　to　such　a　man　with　reverence。　　He　is　more　to　me　than　bishop　or　archbishop；　he　is　an　apostle。　　May　the　Lord　make　all　who　undertake　missions　like…minded　with　Brother　Carey！'〃　　As　the　home　administrator；　no　less　than　as　the　theological　controversialist；　Andrew　Fuller　stands　only　second　to　William　Carey；　the　founder　of　Modern　English　Missions。

Fuller's　last　letter　to　Carey　forms　the　best　introduction　to　the　little　which　it　is　here　necessary　to　record　of　the　action　of　the　Baptist　Missionary　Society　when　under　the　secretaryship　of　the　Rev。　John　Dyer。　Mr。　John　Marshman；　C。S。I。；　has　written　the　detailed　history　of　that　controversy　not　only　with　filial　duty；　but　with　a　forgiving　charity　which　excites　our　admiration　for　one　who　suffered　more　from　it　than　all　his　predecessors　in　the　Brotherhood；　of　which　he　was　the　last　representative。　　The　Society　has　long　since　ceased　to　approve　of　that　period。　　Its　opinion　has　become　that　of　Mr。　Marshman；　to　which　a　careful　perusal　of　all　the　documents　both　in　Serampore　and　England　has　led　us〃Had　it　been　possible　to　create　a　dozen　establishments　like　that　of　Serampore；　each　raising　and　managing　its　own　funds；　and　connected　with　the　Society　as　the　centre　of　unity　in　a　common　cause；　it　ought　to　have　been　a　subject　of　congratulation　and　not　of　regret。〃　　The　whole　policy　of　every　missionary　church　and　society　is　now　and　has　long　been　directed　to　creating　self…supporting　and　self…propagating　missions；　like　Serampore；　that　the　regions　beyond　may　be　evangelisedwhether　these　be　colleges　of　catechumens　and　inquirers；　like　those　of　Duff　and　Wilson；　Hislop　and　Dr。　Miller　in　India；　and　of　Govan　and　Dr。　Stewart　in　Lovedale；　Kafraria；　or　the　indigenous　churches　of　the　West　Indies；　West　Africa；　the　Pacific　Ocean；　and　Burma。　　To　us　the　long　and　bitter　dispute　is　now　of　value　only　in　so　far　as　it　brings　out　in　Christ…like　relief　the　personality　of　William　Carey。

At　the　close　of　1814　Dr。　Carey　had　asked　Fuller　to　pay　？0　a　year　to　his　father；　then　in　his　eightieth　year；　and　？0　to　his　（step）　mother　if　she　survived　the　old　man。　　Protesting　that　an　engraving　of　his　portrait　had　been　published　in　violation　of　the　agreement　which　he　had　made　with　the　artist；　he　agreed　to　the　wish　of　each　of　his　relatives　for　a　copy。　　To　these　requests　Fuller　had　replied：〃You　should　not　insist　on　these　things　being　charged　to　you；　nor　yet　your　father's　？0；　nor　the　books；　nor　anything　necessary　to　make　you　comfortable；　unless　it　be　to　be　paid　out　of　what　you　would　otherwise　give　to　the　mission。　　To　insist　on　their　being　paid　out　of　your　private　property　seems　to　be　dictated　by　resentment。　　It　is　thus　we　express　our　indignation　when　we　have　an　avaricious　man　to　deal　with。〃

The　first　act　of　the　Committee；　after　Fuller's　funeral；　led　Dr。　Ryland　to　express　to　Carey　his　unbounded　fears　for　the　future。　There　were　two　difficulties。　　The　new　men　raised　the　first　question；　in　what　sense　the　Serampore　property　belonged　to　the　Society？　　They　then　proceeded　to　show　how　they　would　answer　it；　by　appointing　the　son　of　Samuel　Pearce　to　Serampore　as　Mr。　Ward's　assistant。　　On　both　sides　of　their　independence；　as　trustees　of　the　property　which　they　had　created　and　gifted　to　the　Society　on　this　condition；　and　as　a　self…supporting；　self…elective　brotherhood；　it　became　necessary；　for　the　unbroken　peace　of　the　mission　and　the　success　of　their　work；　that　they　should　vindicate　their　moral　and　legal　position。　　The　correspondence　fell　chiefly　to　Dr。　Marshman。　Ward　and　he　successively　visited　England；　to　which　the　controversy　was　transferred；　with　occasional　references　to　Dr。　Carey　in　Serampore。　　All　Scotland；　led　by　Christopher　Anderson；　Chalmers；　and　the　Haldanesall　England；　except　the　Dyer　faction　and　Robert　Hall　for　a　time；　among　the　Baptists；　and　nearly　all　America；　held　with　the　Serampore　men；　but　their　ever…extending　operations　were　checked　by　the　uncertainty；　and　their　hearts　were　nearly　broken。　　The　junior　missionaries　in　India　formed　a　separate　union　and　congregation　by　themselves　in　Calcutta；　paid　by　the　Society；　though　professing　to　carry　out　the　organisation　of　the　Serampore　Brotherhood　in　other　respects。　　The　Committee's　controversy　lasted　sixteen　years；　and　was　closed　in　1830；　after　Ward's　death；　by　Carey　and　Marshman　drawing　up　a　new　trust…deed；　in　which；　having　vindicated　their　position；　the　old　men　made　over　properties　which　had　cost　them　？800　to　eleven　trustees　in　England；　stipulating　only　that　they　should　occupy　them　rent　free　till　death；　and　that　their　colleagueswho　were　John　Marshman　and　John　Mack；　of　Edinburgh　Universitymight　continue　in　them　for　three　years　thereafter；　paying　rent　to　the　Society。　　Such　self…sacrifice　would　be　pronounced　heroic；　but　it　was　only　the　outcome　of　a　life　of　self…devotion；　marked　by　the　spirit　of　Him　who　spake　the　Sermon　on　the　Mount；　and　said　to　the　first　missionaries　He　sent　forth：〃Be　wise　as　serpents；　harmless　as　doves。〃　　The　story　is　completed　by　the　fact　that　John　Marshman；　on　his　father's　death；　again　paid　the　price　of　as　much　of　the　property　as　the　Hoogli　had　not　swallowed　up　when　the　Committee　were　about　to　put　it　in　the　market。

Such　was　Dr。　Carey's　position　in　the　Christian　world　that　the　Dyer　party　considered　it　important　for　their　interest　to　separate　him　from　his　colleagues；　and　if　not　to　claim　his　influence　for　their　side；　at　least　to　neutralise　it。　　By　trying　to　hold　up　Dr。　Marshman　to　odium；　they　roused　the　righteous　indignation　of　Carey；　while　outraging　his　sense　of　justice　by　their　blows　at　the　independence　of　the　Brotherhood。　　Dr。　Marshman；　when　in　England；　met　this　course　by　frankly　printing　the　whole　private　correspondence　of　Carey　on　the　subject　of　the　property；　or　thirty…two　letters　ranging　from　the　year　1815　to　1828。　　One　of　the　earliest　of　these　is　to　Mr。　Dyer；　who　had　so　far　forgotten　himself　as　to　ask　Dr。　Carey　to　write　home；　alone；　his　opinion　of　his　〃elder　brethren；〃　and　particularly　of　Dr。　Marshman。　　The　answer；　covering　eleven　octavo　pages　of　small　type；　is　a　model　for　all　controversialists；　and　especially　for　any　whom　duty　compels　to　rebuke　the　minister　who　has　failed　to　learn　the　charity　which　envieth　not。　　We　reproduce　the　principal　passages；　and　the　later　letters　to　Christopher　Anderson　and　his　son　Jabez；　revealing　the　nobleness　of　Carey　and　the　inner　life　of　the　Brotherhood：

〃SERAMPORE；　15th　July　1819。

〃MY　DEAR　BROTHERI　am　sorry　you　addressed　your　letter　of　January　the　9th　to　me　alone；　because　it　places　me　in　a　most　awkward　situation；　as　it　respects　my　elder　brethren；　with　whom　I　have　acted　in　concert　for　the　last　nineteen　years；　with　as　great　a　share　of　satisfaction　and　pleasure　as　could　reasonably　be　expected　from　a　connection　with　imperfect　creatures；　and　whom　I　am　thereby　called　to　condemn　contrary　to　my　convictions；　or　to　justify　at　the　expense　of　their　accusers。　　It　also　places　me　in　a　disagreeable　situation　as　it　respects　my　younger　brethren；　whom　I　highly　respect　as　Christians；　but　whose　whole　conduct；　as　it　respects　the　late　unhappy　differences；　has　been　such　as　makes　it　impossible　for　me　to　do　otherwise　than　condemn　it。。。

〃You　ask；　'Is　there　no　ground　for　the　charges　of　profusion；　etc。；　preferred　against　Brother　Marshman？'　　Brother　Marshman　has　always　been　ardently　engaged　in　promoting　the　cause　of　God　in　India；　and；　being　of　a　very　active　mind；　has　generally　been　chosen　by　us　to　draw　up　our　Reports；　to　write　many　of　our　public　letters；　to　draw　up　plans　for　promoting　the　objects　of　the　mission；　founding　and　managing　schools；　raising　subscriptions；　and　other　things　of　a　like　nature；　so　that　he　has　taken　a　more　active　part　than　Brother　Ward　or　myself　in　these　public　acts　of　the　mission。　　These　things　placed　him　in　the　foreground；　and　it　has　been　no　uncommon　thing　for　him　to　bear　the　blame　of　those　acts　which　equally　belong　to　Brother　Ward　and　myself；　merely　because　he　was　the　instrument　employed　in　performing　them。

〃The　charge　of　profusion　brought　against　Dr。　Marshman　is　more　extensive　than　you　have　stat