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the life of william carey-第84章

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m have been excited by the statements of the Calcutta brethren; which you certainly ought to receive with much caution in all things which regard Bother Marshman and his family。  You observe that the younger brethren especially look up to me with respect and affection。  It may be so; but I confess I have frequently thought that; had it been so; they would have consulted me; or at least have mentioned to me the grounds of their dissatisfaction before they proceeded to the extremity of dividing the mission。  When I engaged in the mission; it was a determination that; whatever I suffered; a breach therein should never originate with me。  To this resolution I have hitherto obstinately adhered。  I think everything should be borne; every sacrifice made; and every method of accommodation or reconciliation tried; before a schism is suffered to take place。。。

〃I disapprove as much of the conduct of our Calcutta brethren as it is possible for me to disapprove of any human actions。  The evil they have done is; I fear; irreparable; and certainly the whole might have been prevented by a little frank conversation with either of us; and a hundredth part of that self…denial which I found it necessary to exercise for the first few years of the mission; would have prevented this awful rupture。  I trust you will excuse my warmth of feeling upon this subject; when you consider that by this rupture that cause is weakened and disgraced; in the establishment and promotion of which I have spent the best part of my life。  A church is attempted to be torn in pieces; for which neither I nor my brethren ever thought we could do enough。  We laboured to raise it: we expended much money to accomplish that object; and in a good measure saw the object of our desire accomplished。  But now we are traduced; and the church rent by the very men who came to be our helpers。  As to Brother Marshman; seriously; what do they want? Would they attempt to deny his possessing the grace of God?  He was known to and esteemed by Brother Ryland as a Christian before he left England。  I have lived with him ever since his arrival in India; and can witness to his piety and holy conduct。  Would they exclude him from the mission?  Judge yourself whether it is comely that a man; who has laboriously and disinterestedly served the mission so many yearswho has by his diligence and hard labour raised the most respectable school in India; as well as given a tone to all the otherswho has unvaryingly consecrated the whole of that income; as well as his other labours; to the cause of God in India;should be arraigned and condemned without a hearing by a few young men just arrived; and one of whom had not been a month in the country before he joined the senseless outcry?  Or would they have his blood?  Judge; my dear brother; yourself; for I am ashamed to say more on this subject。

〃I need not say that circumstances must in a great measure determine where missionaries should settle。  The chief town of each of these countries would be preferable; if other circumstances permit; but sometimes Government would not allow this; and sometimes other things may close the door。  Missionaries however must knock loud and push hard at the door; and if there be the smallest opening; must force themselves in; and; once entered; put their lives in their hands and exert themselves to the utmost in dependence upon divine support; if they ever hope to do much towards evangelising the heathen world。  My situation in the college; and Brother Marshman's as superintending the first academy in India; which; I likewise observe; has been established and brought to its present flourishing state wholly by his care and application; have made our present situation widely different from what it was when first engaged in the mission。  As a missionary I could go in a straw hat and dine with the judge of the district; and often did so; but as a Professor in the College I cannot do so。  Brother Marshman is placed in the same predicament。  These circumstances impose upon us a necessity of making a different appearance to what we formerly did as simple missionaries; but they furnish us with opportunities of speaking to gentlemen of the first power and influence in government; upon matters of the highest importance to the great work in which we are engaged; and; as a proof that our opportunities of this nature have not been in vain; I need only say that; in a conversation which I had some time ago with one of the secretaries to Government; upon the present favourable bias of government and the public in general to favour all plans for doing good; he told me that he believed the whole was owing to the prudent and temperate manner in which we had acted; and that if we had acted with precipitancy and indiscretion; he had every reason to believe the general feeling would have been as hostile to attempts to do good as it is now favourable to them。

〃I would not wish you to entertain the idea that we and our brethren in Calcutta are resolved upon interminable hatred。  On the contrary; I think that things are gone as far as we may expect them to go; and I now expect that the fire of contention will gradually go out。  All the distressing and disagreeable circumstances are; I trust; past; and I expect we shall be in a little time on a more friendly footing。  Much of what has taken place originated in England。 Mistakes and false conclusions were followed by all the circumstances I have detailed。  I think the whole virulence of opposition has now spent itself。  Our brethren have no control over us; nor we over them。  And; if I am not mistaken; each side will soon acknowledge that it has gone too far in some instances; and ultimate good will arise from the evil I so much deplore。

〃Having now written to you my whole sentiments upon the business; and formerly to my very dear Brother Ryland; allow me to declare my resolution not to write anything further upon the subject; however much I may be pressed thereto。  The future prosperity of the mission does not depend upon the clearing up of every little circumstance to the satisfaction of every captious inquirer; but upon the restoration of mutual concord among us; which must be preceded by admitting that we are all subject to mistake; and to be misled by passion; prejudice; and false judgment。  Let us therefore strive and pray that the things which make for peace and those by which we may edify one another may abound among us more and more。  I am; my dear brother; very affectionately; yours in our Lord Jesus Christ; W。 CAREY。〃

〃14th May 1828。

〃MY DEAR BROTHER ANDERSONYours by the Louisa; of October last; came to hand a few days ago with the copies of Brother Marshman's brief Memoir of the Serampore Mission。  I am glad it is written in so temperate and Christian a spirit; and I doubt not but it will be ultimately productive of good effects。  There certainly is a great contrast between the spirit in which that piece is written and that in which observations upon it; both in the Baptist and Particular Baptist Magazines; are written。  The unworthy attempts in those and other such like pieces to separate Brother Marshman and me are truly contemptible。  In plain English; they amount to thus much'The Serampore Missionaries; Carey; Marshman; and Ward; have acted a dishonest part; alias are rogues。  But we do not include Dr。 Carey in the charge of dishonesty; he is an easy sort of a man; who will agree to anything for the sake of peace; or in other words; he is a fool。  Mr。 Ward; it is well known;' say they; 'was the tool of Dr。 Marshman; but he is gone from the present scene; and it is unlovely to say any evil of the dead。'  Now I certainly hold those persons' exemption of me from the blame they attach to Brother Marshman in the greatest possible contempt。  I may have subscribed my name thoughtlessly to papers; and it would be wonderful if there had been no instance of this in so long a course of years。  The great esteem I had for the Society for many years; undoubtedly on more occasions than one put me off my guard; and I believe my brethren too; so that we have signed writings which; if we could have foreseen the events of a few years; we should not have done。  These; however; were all against ou

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