GIFT OF
PROFESSOR C. A, KflFOIC
HEROES AND MARTYRS
MODEM MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE
A RECORD OF THEIR LIVES AND LABORS,
INCLUDI NO
AX HISTORICAL REVIEW OF EARLIER MISSIONS.
EDITED BY
LUCIUS E. SMITH,
WITH
AN INTRODUCTION,
BY REV. WILLIAM B. SPEAGUE, D. D.
'HEROES OF A CHRISTIAN AGE— COMPANIONS OF A CELESTIAL KNIGHTHOOD.'
PROVIDENCE, R. I..-
PUBLISHED BY O. W. POTTER,
56 WESTMINSTER STREET.
1856.
Sold only by Subscription.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
DEDICATION 3
PREFACE 7
INTRODUCTION 11
A VIEW OF EARLIER MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES 25
WILLIAM CAREY 59
JOHN CHAMBERLAIN 85
HENRY MARTYN ±03
GORDON HALL 121
SAMUEL NEWELL *-r- 145
HENRY WATSON FOX 155
THOMAS COKE 173^
ADONIRAM JUDSON 193s.
GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN 219
ROBERT MORRISON 248
WILLIAM MILNE 263
WALTER MACON LOWR1K 26 1
DAVID ABEEL . 301
MUNSON AND LYMAN 313
JOHANNES THEODORUS VANDERKEMP 321
WILLIAM G. CROCKER 335
LOTT GARY 355
MELVILLE IJEVERIDGB COX *T^ 363
PI.IXY FISK 373
6 CONTEXTS.
PAGE
LEVI PARSONS 385
ASAHEL GRANT, M. D 395
JOHN WILLIAMS 407
WILLIAM RICHARDS 437
ARD HOYT 451
CYRUS SHEPARD 459
WILLIAM HEPBURN HEWITSON 471
GROVER SMITH COMSTOCK 483
JAMES RICHARDS . 503
PREFACE.
THE enterprise of missions has been a prolific source of bio-
graphical literature, of surpassing interest and value. But the
multiplication of works in this department of reading, puts it out
of the power of very many to possess all even of the most merit-
orious. It was suggested that a group in miniature of some
whose devotion to missionary service hallows their memory in the
churches, would find acceptance with a large circle of readers.
The present work aims to supply the supposed demand. It does
not profess to be complete. Undoubtedly there are names omitted
that as well deserve a place in a catalogue of missionary worthies,
as some that are here inserted, but the editor has not been able in
all cases to secure the necessary materials; and he is conscious
that, in respect to some whose lives were attempted, this deficiency
has greatly impaired the interest that properly belongs to their
character and memory. As the plan contemplated only persons
actually engaged in missionary service, some who are highly hon-
oured for their eminent usefulness in the cause were passed over.
Men like Claudius Buchanan, Samuel J. Mills, and Luther Kice,
were reluctantly postponed to others.
To some minds there may be suggested the contrary objection,
that characters are included whose lives were not sufficiently event-
ful or important to find a place here, or to answer the expectations
raised by the title. But true heroism in a Christian sense, which
it is our faith will one day become the common sense of mankind,
may be claimed for men whom the world does not now delight to
honour. "I take goodness in this sense," says Bacon, "the effect-
ing of the weal of men, which is that the Grecians call Philanthro-
8 PREFACE.
peia. . . . This, of all virtues and dignities of the mind, is the great-
est, being the character of the Deity." It seemed desirable, more-
over, to make such a selection as should exhibit different phases of
missionary life, at different stages of progress and among diverse
forms of heathenism.
It will be seen that originality is out of the question. A com-
pilation, generally from the most common and accessible sources,
was all that could be attempted in most cases. The editor has not
confined himself, however, to the track of published biography,
and he has been able to obtain some original materials of value to
enrich the volume. Except where the facts stated are novel, or
there is a conflict of testimony, no citation of authorities has com-
monly been thought necessary. The sketches of Martyn, Fox,
Boardman, Abeel, Lowrie, and some others, are little more than
abridgments of the biographies in common circulation, but as far
as possible new information has been sought to illustrate the subject.
A history of missions has not been attempted. Except in the
preliminary view of earlier missions, such historical statements only
have been made as were requisite to the completeness of the per-
sonal narrative. The editor has sought neither to conceal nor to
obtrude his own opinions on events as they passed in review, but
in matters of difference between evangelical Christians, has studied
to preserve entire impartiality.
The extent of the work made it impossible for one hand to exe-
cute it within a reasonable time, and a few of the sketches were
contributed by other pens. To the gentlemen who have thus
enriched the series, the editor and his readers are under great obli-
gation. Encouragement and "material aid," have also been liber-
ally given by several gentlemen, particularly by the Secretaries of
the American Baptist Missionary Union, Rev. Dr. Anderson, of
the American Board, and Eev. Dr. Sprague, to whom grateful
acknowledgments are due.
A word on the orthography of oriental names. Should this vol-
ume fall into the hands of any who are versed in the languages of
PKEFACE. 9
Asia, they may be offended at a want of critical accuracy. But as
it is written for English, and not for Chinese or Hindoo readers, it
has not seemed worth while to sacrifice intelligibility to critical
nicety. It may be respectfully suggested, that missionaries have
sometimes been more nice than wise in this matter. Every body
has heard of Juggernaut, but that monster has for some time gone
incog., under the alias of Jaganath. Headers of Indian history
familiar with the Mahrattas, might fail to recognise that people
under the name of Marathis. It has even been discovered that the
Mohammedans of India have discarded the Koran in favour of a
book known as the Quran. In the present work, no system has
been aimed at, but the spelling that was believed to be most famil-
iar has been unhesitatingly adopted.
The work is submitted to the Christian public, with the prayer
that it may do something to increase the missionary spirit, and so
to aid, however feebly, in advancing one of the noblest of human
enterprises.
L. E. S.
BOSTON, January, 1852.
INTRODUCTION.
BY REV. WILLIAM B. SPRAGUE, D.D
THE chief end of Biography is to embalm virtue and perpetuate useful-
ness. It is proper indeed that there should sometimes be an enduring
record of the lives of bad men ; for the world needs warnings as well as
examples ; but no doubt, in ordinary cases, it is safest and best to let the
memory of the wicked perish. But where an individual has lived a life of
eminent virtue and honourable usefulness, where his career has been
marked by great self-denial and unwearied effort for the benefit of his
fellow-creatures, and he has been hailed, while living, as a great public
benefactor, it is peculiarly fitting that the memory of such a man should
not be suffered quickly to pass away ; and Biography performs an office
due alike to the living and the dead, in protracting his earthly existence
after death has done all that it can do to terminate it. It is true, indeed,
that a good man is represented on earth, after his departure, by a thousand
nameless influences, even though his very name may be forgotten ; but he
survives in a still higher and more palpable sense, where gratitude and
reverence unite with truth in tracing his course and delineating his charac-
ter. It is by means of Biography especially, that we live among the people
of by-gone ages ; that we gather around us the great and good of other
countries and other states of society ; that we open our minds and hearts
to the dictates of wisdom from voices that have long since been hushed in
death ; in a word, that we make the past subservient to the present, and
receive into our own bosoms, the seeds of virtue and happiness from hands
that had mouldered long before we had a being.
While the biography of all who have been distinguished for intellectual
and moral worth and for a high degree of Christian usefulness, is worthy to
be read and studied as a source of enduring profit — if I mistake not, there
12 INTRODUCTION.
is on some accounts, a peculiar importance attached to the memoirs of
those who have lived and died missionaries of the cross. The peculiar
relations which they have sustained both to the church and to the world,
the prominence which they have enjoyed, and the interest which they have
awakened during their lives, together with the debt of gratitude which the
church recognises as due to their memories, all conspire to invest, at least
to the eye of the Christian, the faithful record of what they have been and
what they have done, with more than ordinary attractions. As I have been
asked to write a few pages introductory to a work designed to commemorate
some of the greater lights, now extinguished by death, in the missionary
field, I know not how I can comply with the request to better purpose, than
by offering a few thoughts on the subject that most obviously presents itself,
namely, MISSIONARY BIOGRAPHY. What then are some of the considera-
tions which especially commend to our regard, this department of our
Christian literature?
IT OPENS SOURCES OF USEFUL KNOWLFDGE.
One of the most gratifying as well as useful kinds of knowledge, is that
of the manners, the usages, the institutions, that prevail in other countries.
We are curious to know how the descendants of the same progenitor, the
heirs of the same nature with ourselves, but who are separated from us by
perhaps many thousand miles, and possibly have their home on the opposite
side of the globe — we are curious to know how they live — how far their
views and tastes and habits differ from our own — what influences -have
moulded their characters, and what counter influences are needed for their
improvement and elevation. The deep-seated and general desire for this
species of knowledge, is the reason why books of travels in foreign coun-
tries are generally read with so much avidity ; and though there may be
good cause for suspecting that many of their statements are apocryphal —
even this scarcely diminishes the number of eager and delighted readers.
Now we should naturally expect that the most authentic and satisfactory
accounts, especially of the Pagan and barbarous nations, would be furnished
by missionaries ; partly because their high characters are a full voucher
for the fidelity of their statements, and partly because their observations are
the result not of a transient sojourn, but of a permanent residence among
the people. Accordingly we find, as a matter of fact, that for a large part
INTRODUCTION. 13
of all that we know concerning not only the moral and civil condition, but
even the Geograph)' and Natural History of most of the Eastern nations,
we are indebted immediately to those excellent men who have taken up their
abode among them in the character of missionaries. There is scarcely a
department of human knowledge to which these benefactors of their race
have not contributed ; and many an elaborate volume, as well as many a
museum of natural science, testifies that while they have been diligently
engaged in their appropriate work, they have not been indifferent to other
subjects connected with the general improvement of society.
Now, in reading the lives of those who have thus had their field of labour
in distant countries, and not unfrequently among strange and barbarous
people, we seem almost to become the witnesses, — even the sharers of their
labours, to see what they see and hear what they hear ; and we hereby
gain a much more vivid impression of the actual condition of the people
among whom they have dwelt, than we could receive through any other
medium. Various little incidents are constantly coming out, which, while
they give distinctness and life and individuality to the narrative, form the
best illustration of personal qualities and social habits. This remark applies
perhaps with greater force to the journals of our missionaries, than to the
formal biographies of them which are written by other hands; nevertheless,
such biographies, if they are skilfully constructed, are always a channel of
much important general information. And while they gratify our curiosity
on some points, they awaken it on others, and thus at once reward and
cherish the spirit of useful research.
It seems to be generally supposed that this kind of reading is designed,
if not exclusively, yet chiefly, for the benefit of the church; but the truth
is, it is by no means either unworthy of, or unfitting to, a philosopher ; for
it supplies materials which philosophy may turn to the best account in set-
tling many great questions pertaining to human life and destiny. In order
to form the most enlarged and accurate judgment of the principles of human
nature we must contemplate man, so far as we can, in connection with all
the multiform circumstances in which he is ever placed ; and we must note
the developments of the common humanity under all these varied influences;
and then, in the true spirit of induction, we must found our principles, or
rear our systems, on the substantial basis of facts. If Philosophy deals
honestly with the facts thus accumulated, she will be obliged to acknowledge
14: INTRODUCTION.
that the result is in full accordance with the teachings of God's word ; and
that she has really, while pursuing her own independent inquiries been act-
ing as an humble auxiliary to Christianity.
The study of missionary biography is further recommended by the con-
sideration that
IT IS A MEANS OF CHRISTIAN GROWTH.
As man's nature is essentially social, so it is especially in the exercise
of his social qualities, that his character is formed either for good or evil.
The bad man makes himself worse by associating with those whose habits
and tempers are kindred to his own; and the good man becomes better
through the influence of other good men, whose example he is permitted,
either directly or indirectly, to contemplate. Let a man of acknowledged
Christian character be separated from all Christian society, and cut off even
from the opportunity of contemplating the lives of the faithful, except as
they come up before him occasionally in vague recollection, and it will be
strange indeed if the vigour of his good affections does not quickly abate, —
if he does not begin to feel and to show that something has occurred to
interfere sadly with the actings of the divine life. But let this same indi-
vidual be constantly kept in the bosom of Christian society ; let him be
habitually within the range of religious privileges and the atmosphere of
social devotion ; let him be within reach of the word of faithful rebuke if
he goes astray, or of cheering encouragement if he begins to despond ; let
him see the excellence of the gospel continually mirrored forth in the
exemplary lives of those who walk most closely with God ; — and there is
good reason to expect that his own course will be as the shining light, grow-
ing brighter unto the perfect day. The qualities which he contemplates
in others with an approving and admiring eye, impart new vigour to the
same qualities already existing in his own character; the words of truth
and grace which he hears from others are lodged as seeds of holiness in
his own soul ; the self-denying duties which he sees others perform, grow
easier to himself — from the encouragement which their example inspires;
and his progress towards Heaven is greatly quickened, and his evidence
of a title to Heaven proportionably brightened, from his being surrounded
by those who are animated by a kindred spirit and a like glorious hope.
Now what is true of example as visibly and palpably exhibited in a
INTRODUCTION. 15
Christian's daily walk, is true of it at least in a degree, when it comes to us
enshrined in faithful biography. If the latter is somewhat less impressive
than the former, still, by being always within our reach, we may contem-
plate it at our pleasure ; we may study it in the house and by the way ;
and if our impressions of it become faint, we have always at hand the means
of reviving them. And the more elevated the character which engages
our thoughts, whether through the record or in actual life, — admitting that
we open our minds and hearts to its legitimate influence, — the higher is our
advantage for increasing in knowledge, purity and joy.
It will hardly be questioned by any person of common candour that the
great mass of Protestant missionaries in modern times have been persons of
more than common attainments in the Christian life. There is one consid-
eration that would seem to settle this point beyond doubt — it is, that in making
up their minds to become missionaries, they give the highest possible evi-
dence of their sincerity and earnest devotion to the cause of Christ. They
voluntarily consent to resign all the advantages of Christian, perhaps, of
civilized society, and to break away from their dearest earthly friends, and
to spend their lives, perhaps beneath the rays of a vertical sun, — perhaps
amidst the most disgusting and horrid rites of Pagan idolatry, — perhaps
among barbarians who would not scruple even to take the lives of those who
would be their benefactors — and for what? Why, to enlighten and renovate
and save the souls of men ; to obey the ascending Saviour's command to
preach the gospel to every creature. It must be acknowledged that a spirit
of self-righteousness, or of mock heroism, may work itself up to an astonish-
ing pitch of self-denial, and for aught we can say, may even court not only
a missionary's, but a martyr's sacrifices ; but still it remains true that he who
spends his life and makes his grave, as a missionary among the heathen,
gives the highest evidence that we can ordinarily look for, not only of sin-
cerity, but of an exalted type of Christian character. And what would
seem to be implied in the very fact of voluntary consecration to the mission-
ary work, is only what we see more fully evidenced to us in the subsequent
lives of those who are thus devoted. By the manner in which they endure
trials, resist temptations, overcome obstacles, and hold on their hard and
humble, yet glorious way, they show that they never lose sight of eternal
objects and interests, and never wander far away from the fountain of grace
and strength. In reading the biography of such men, therefore, we put our
16 INTRODUCTION.
selves into communion with men of might and men of mark ; and as we
contemplate their extraordinary purity and energy and zeal, we may hope
to be changed more and more into their image, which is but a reproduction,
— faint and feeble indeed, — of the image of the Master.
It belongs also to this species of biography that it illustrates in an emi-
nent degree the power of divine truth. The conversion of a sinner is
substantially the same thing under every variety of circumstances : it is a
change in the current of the soul's desires and affections; it is the displacing
of the world and the substitution of God, as an object of supreme regard
and ultimate pursuit ; it is, in a word, becoming a new creature in Christ
Jesus. The same almighty energy is necessary to accomplish this change
in the mere decent moralist, or the mere speculative believer, as in the
degraded votary of superstition, immorality or infidelity. Nevertheless our
idea of the power of the gospel is necessarily heightened by the visible
measure of degradation from which its subject has been raised ; and hence
our conceptions of it never rise higher than when we view it in its actings
upon the ignorance and pollutions of Paganism. Now those who are gath-
ered as the fruits of missionary labour are generally of the class whose
conversion most strikingly illustrates the power and grace of God; and in
reading the memoirs of the missionaries, we have constantly presented
before us, in the progress of their labours, evidence of the quickening influ-
ence of God's word, that comes with the force of complete demonstration.
And as the Christian has the wonderful works of God thus passing before
him — as he witnesses the conquests which the gospel accomplishes even in
the strongholds of the Prince of darkness — this gospel becomes more and
more the object of his devout veneration ; he is grateful for the faith which
he has in it, and humble that his faith is not stronger; he presses it to his
heart with a still deeper conviction that it is a thing of life and power ; and
he breathes forth a yet more earnest prayer to Heaven that, under its trans-
forming influence, he may become a nobler and more perfect specimen of
God's renovating workmanship. Who can read the history of the life of
Swartz, or Henry Martyn, or John Williams, or of almost any of our modern
missionaries, and note the signal triumphs of truth and grace which are
here exhibited, without being quickened to a higher sense of the value of
of the gospel, or without resolving on an increased degree of conformity to
its precepts, and aspiring to a deeper sympathy with its spirit.
INTKODUCTION. 17
There is yet another aspect in which we may consider the biographies
of the missionaries as adapted to invigorate the principle of spiritual life, — I
refer to the many signal instances of the merciful interposition of Providence
which they record. These men and women, in devoting themselves to the
missionary work, made up their minds to a life of difficulty and peril.
They knew that they were going among people who had scarcely any sym-
pathies in common with themselves ; that they would be looked upon with
an eye of cold suspicion, as being innovators upon the religious systems
which had been in vogue for ages ; and they could not be certain that even
their lives would not become the prey of Pagan barbarity. And though
their general previous apprehensions may have been fully realized, and
though they may have had to encounter many difficulties which had never
entered into their calculations, yet have they been the objects, in a marked
degree, of God's providential care and goodness. Obstacles which at first
seemed insurmountable have been most unexpectedly and marvellously
removed. Dangers which appeared inevitable and appalling have been
averted by some instrumentality so marked as well nigh to bear the aspect
of a miracle. Doubts in regard to the course of duty which have weighed
heavily and for a long time upon the spirit, have, at length, by some sudden
turn of circumstances been dissipated in an hour. Bright prospects have
been suddenly overcast; sanguine hopes of good have been overtaken with
disappointment, the most useful lives have been, as human wisdom would say,
prematurely terminated ; and yet subsequent events have shown that in all
these apparently adverse dispensations, an unseen hand has been not only
sustaining, but advancing the missionary cause. Those whose memories
reach back to the earliest period of American foreign missions, will readily
call to mind the deep lamentation that was heard among the churches, on
occasion of the death of Harriet Newell ; and yet it has long since ceased
to be a matter of doubt that that devoted woman accomplished more by her
early death than she would have done by a long life of missionary labour.
She was the first American lady who set an example of going among the
heathen to die; and there is that in her very name which, to this day,
quickens the pulsations of the heart of Christian benevolence all over the
world. Her grave was no sooner made than it sent forth a voice of tender
expostulation in behalf of the poor Heathen ; and that voice has not ye
died away, even after the lapse of nearly forty years.
2
18 INTRODUCTION.
It is a trite remark that those who will notice providences will never
want providences to notice. The missionaries, not only from the earnest
character of their piety, but from the trying circumstances in which they
are placed, are always looking out for the divine interpositions : they recog-
nise the divine hand in events in which others would not look beyond the
common course of nature ; and what they thus notice and record, ultimately
becomes a part of the history of their lives. Hence we find that the recog-
nition of Providence in every thing, — in the evil as well as the good, — in
the clouds as well as the sunshine, — together with the connecting of events
with each other in vindication of the divine goodness, forms a striking char-
acteristic of the memoirs of almost all our missionaries. And the spirit
which their publications breathe, is the very spirit in which the mass of
Christians are more lacking than almost any other. While they profess to
acknowledge God's providence, yet in their thoughts and feelings and works,
they too often deny it. These publications then meet an important exigency
in the experience of most Christians. They are fitted to make them think
more of God in the ordinary concerns of life ; to suppress the spirit of dis-
content and disquietude under the divine allotments ; and to render the idea
of the divine presence at once a security against temptation, an aid in the
discharge of duty, and a support under the burden of calamity.
The conclusion on this subject to which we should arrive from a view of
the circumstances of the case, is, if I mistake not, fully confirmed by
results, so far as they have already been obtained. If we look for the
brightest forms of Christian character, for the most enlarged spirit of ben-
evolence, the most active and self-denying zeal in the ordinary walks of
Christian life, our eye will unquestionably rest upon those who have the
deepest interest in the cause of missions; — those who are most familiar with
the labours and trials of our departed missionaries, as presented by them-
selves and their biographers. And it is no doubt in no inconsiderable
degree, by the contemplation and study of these interesting records, that
these earnest Christians, who constitute the strength and glory of the church,
have attained to their high measure of spirituality. Let the lives of our
missionaries then be studied as a means of brightening the Christian graces,
and growing in Christian usefulness. But there is yet another reason for
studying them : it is that they are fitted to act as
*•
INTRODUCTION. 19
A STIMULUS TO MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE.
They appeal to our sympathy in aid of the cause of missions by the
sufferings which they record. Though we rarely find our missionaries
giving way to a spirit of complaint or despondency, but on the other hand,
often see in them the finest examples of Christian heroism, yet their history,
after all, is little more than a history of successive trials and conflicts ; and
the account which that illustrious missionary, Paul, gave of his perils and
cares and sufferings, might, in its general features at least, be considered as
a tolerably faithful record of many a modern missionary's experience.
Even those whose lot is the least difficult, are exiled from most of the bless-
ings which we think of first in estimating our own happy condition ; and
withal are subjected to many positive hardships and sacrifices, of which we
have at best a very inadequate conception. But there are many whose lot
is distinguished for severity even amidst sufferers ; who, while their tem-
poral wants are but sparingly supplied, are exposed to become the victims
of Pagan suspicion — perhaps of cannibal barbarity. There are a large
number of females connected with the various missions ; — females, too, who,
in their earlier days, have known the comforts of a quiet and respectable
home, and have been brought up in the bosom of competence, if not of
affluence. What a change must it be for them, to reflect that their once
happy home is in another land, and that nothing meets their eye but what
tells of the degradation, the pollution, the cruelty, of Paganism ! We
receive intelligence of the trials of our missionaries from time to time,
through the medium of their journals and other communications ; and after
their Master has called them home, the story of their sacrifices and suffer-
ings is perhaps put forth in a more enduring form, that thus they may
continue to make their appeal to the churches after they are dead.
Now what is the effect which these sad details which form so large a
part of the memoirs of our departed missionaries are fitted to produce on
those who love the missionary cause ? The first effect will be to quicken
the spirit of Christian sympathy. Those who have departed have indeed
ne with suffering, and have entered into rest ; but others remain labouring
in the same field, bearing the same burdens, exposed to the same perils ;
and why should not our sympathy for them be as active as it ought to have
been for those who are now no longer subjects of it? If it belongs to the
20 INTRODUCTION.
Christian spirit to exercise a fellow-feeling towards all who are in distress,
is it not especially obligatory upon us to extend our sympathy to those who
are doing a work of common interest to them and to us — a work in which
they have benevolently volunteered to become the immediate agents? And
if our sympathy be awakened in their behalf, it will lead us to pray for
them with greater constancy and fervour : when our hearts melt within us
in view of what we know of their sufferings and trials, we shall plead
more earnestly with the Father of all mercies to be a wall of fire round
about them, to impart to them richly of the supports of his grace ; and to
give them, in the increased success of their labours, fresh tokens of his
approbation. And if our sympathy prompts us to pray for them in sincerity,
it will prompt us no less to act in accordance with our prayers ; in other
words, to contribute according to our ability, of our substance, to soften the
severity of their lot, and increase their means of usefulness. The trials of
the dead plead with us in behalf of the living: let us do something to sus-
tain and comfort them, before the record of what they have suffered, shall
address itself to Christians of another generation.
But while the memoirs of these heroic men and women appeal to our
sympathies by the sufferings which they record, not less do they encourage
our hopes by the manifold evidences of success which they furnish. The
absolute promise of God, that the nations shall ere long all be subdued to
the gracious reign of the Mediator, ought to be enough to keep up the
Christian's courage in the darkest hour, and to induce him to labour perse-
veringly in the face of the most appalling obstacles. But sad experience
shows that the faith of most Christians is apt to flag, unless it is sustained
by some visible tokens of the divine favour ; and in the great work of con-
verting the world especially, we naturally look to see whether the measure
of success bestowed is proportioned to the degree of effort put forth. Now
it has come to pass in the providence of God, that the labours of many of
our modern missionaries have been attended with even an abundant blessing
They have entered into fields which have proved white already to harvest;
and it has seemed, as in the case of the Sandwich Islands, that nothing
remained to be done but to thrust in the sickle. There are instances not a
few in which, when these self-denied persons commenced their missionary
career, they found themselves in the midst of a population on which not
one ray of the Sun of Righteousness had ever fallen ; a population whose
INTRODUCTION. 21
religion was nothing better than a compound of superstition, impurity and
cruelty; and yet before the time had come for writing their history, they
have seen around them not a small number of earnest and devoted Chris-
tians, who had been raised from the degradation of Paganism ; schools in
which many Pagan children were acquiring a Christian education ; and the
whole aspect of things softened and brightened by the hallowed influence
of the gospel. Time was when their prayers, if not absolutely solitary,
were the prayers of literally two or three gathered together; but they lived
to see the time when the notice of a prayer meeting would call together a
goodly assembly of devout souls, and those who came would never fail to
thank God that He had caused the light to shine upon them amidst the
deepest darkness. Nearly all the missionary biographies that have been
given to the world, while they exhibit a large amount of sacrifice and suf-
fering,— many instances of hopes deferred, and prospects overcast, and
hearts bleeding under the rod, — exhibit yet more of the triumphs of God's
truth and grace, in multiplying, even from the most hopeless materials,
glorious specimens of the new creation.
Who that reads what Eliot and Brainard accomplished for the poor
Indians, or what many of our modern missionaries have accomplished for
the Sandwich islanders, for the inhabitants of China, or Hindostan, Turkey,
or Syria, — who that reads these records of human effort crowned with God's
blessing, but will feel his confidence renewed in the certain triumph of the
missionary cause. Let not the ill-natured skeptic, nor yet the half-way
Christian, assault me with cavils or doubts in regard to the universal
triumph of Christianity. Let neither the one nor the other attempt to weaken
my faith or paralyze my efforts by persuading me that there is that in
Paganism that will never yield to any influence that can be brought to bear
upon it. If he will thus insult me and my religion, I will answer him out
of the lives of the missionaries — I will read to him passages ihat show
indubitably that they have not laboured in their own strength; that nothing
at which their missions aim, is too hard for Omnipotence ; and that they
have only to keep on labouring in the spirit of those who have gone before
them, and with the measure of success which the past justifies to their hopes,
to accomplish, under God, every thing that prophecy has foretold or faith
anticipates.
Is there any thing that is so well fitted to call forth vigorous effort in any
22 INTRODUCTION.
cause as the confident hope of success ? If I have but faint hopes of
accomplishing an object, — no matter how desirable — the languor of my hopes
will be likely to impart itself, as an enervating influence to my efforts;
whereas if I look with confident expectation to the attainment of my end,
while yet I realize that there can be no success apart from exertion, I am
in a state of mind to labour most perseveringly and effectively ; and it is
scarcely more certain that the object which I aim at is within my reach, than
that it will be attained. I read the lives of the missionaries, and I see that
they have not laboured in vain. I have evidence not to be resisted that the
hand of God has already wrought wonders through their instrumentality.
Shall I not then, shall not all my fellow-Christians around me, shall not
the whole church, animated by the assurance of success, conveyed not only
by the word of God, but by the providence of God, — rise up to a tone of
more vigorous effort in this great cause ? Shall not every heart be strength-
ened and every hand nerved afresh, for new assaults upon the empire of
the prince of darkness?
There is another consideration here which we may not forget — each mis-
sionary biography that is written tells of another active labourer withdrawn
from the missionary ranks, and of course of a vacancy to be filled by some
one devoted to the same high vocation. In reading their instructive works,
we do right to pause, and thank God for all that he has accomplished by the
subjects of them; and it is almost a thing of course that we follow them to
their glorious reward; that we think of them as shouting louder hallelujahs
because they have come out of great tribulation. But who shall take up
the implements of spiritual labour on earth which they have laid down ?
who shall succeed to them in their efforts to enlighten and save the poor
heathen? Who shall carry forward the work in which they were actively
engaged — who shall water the plants of righteousness which have already
begun to spring up under their diligent and well-directed culture — who
shall quicken the upward tendencies of the spirit, that had already begun to
rise, and secure to Heaven that which is yet exposed to hell ? The answer
to these questions falls on the ear and the heart of the church, as a matter
of most impressive significance. Other devoted men must enter into the
labours of those who are departed. If death takes away from the mission-
ary ranks, yet he must not be allowed to thin them ; for the zeal and charity
•>f the church must not only supply the places of those whom he numbers
INTRODUCTION. 23
as his victims, but must constantly add fresh recruits, with a view to extend
and quicken these benevolent operations. It is delightful to reflect that each
missionary who is called to his rest should thus make provision by the
appeal which he sends forth from his grave for filling his place, and that
the tidings of his death in connection with the story of his life should come
to a thousand hearts as an argument for renewed diligence in the mis-
sionary work.
Let it be remembered then that the memoirs of our devoted missionaries
will not have fully accomplished their work, unless their effect is felt in a
deeper sense of obligation on the part of the church, not only to keep good,
but to increase the missionary ranks. Each of these works, as it comes
from the press, embalming some honoured and endeared name, calls upon
the whole body of the faithful to engage more vigorously, especially in fur-
nishing suitable labourers for the conversion of the world. It calls upon
our Education societies to extend their patronage, especially to those who are
looking towards the missionary field; while they are careful to encourage
none who, on any account, are disqualified for such a destination. It calls
upon our young men who hope they have felt the quickening influence of
God's Spirit, and are directing their thoughts to the Christian ministry, to
remember the millions who are sitting in the region of the shadow of death, and
to inquire whether it may not be their duty to carry them the light of life. It
calls upon the heads of our Theological seminaries, to cherish with watch-
ful and earnest solicitude the missionary spirit among those whose education
they superintend ; encouraging, so far as they can, every hopeful disposi-
tion for this field of labour. It calls upon Christian parents to strive to the
extent of their ability for the conversion of their children, not merely that
they may thereby escape hell and obtain Heaven, nor yet merely that they
may be honoured as instruments of good to their fellow-creatures, but that,
if God will, they may labour directly for the salvation of the poor heathen,
and have an important agency in this way in the ultimate conversion of the
world. I repeat, — the memoirs of each departed missionary is a standing
monition not only to repair the waste of morality, not only to strengthen the
things that remain that are ready to die, but to give new life to the mission-
ary enterprize, till there no longer remains any part of the territories of
darkness that is not enlightened.
24 INTRODUCTION.
The preceding train of thought, I trust, not only justifies, but honours
the efforts which are made from time to time to perpetuate the memories of
those who have laboured with signal fidelity and success in the missionary
field. It is not too much to say that many of the most attractive as well as
edifying works of Christian biography belong to this class ; and if there
are among them some of inferior interest, yet there are few, if any, which
have not their sphere of usefulness. It was a happy thought in the pro-
jectors of the present work to bring together in a glorious group so many
names which, by common consent, have illumined the records of the mis-
sionary enterprise. Though the notices of the several individuals are
necessarily brief, to be included within the limits prescribed, yet each
article will be found long enough to present, in an impressive manner, an
exalted character and a useful life. As these pages, at once historical and
commemorative, are read and pondered by the followers of Christ, may the
missionary cause receive fresh accessions in both numbers and strength,
and may those who are hereafter to engage in this work be the more
devoted and the more successful from having contemplated the heroic and
martyr-like spirit of so many who have gone before them.
A VIE ¥
OF
EARLIER MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES.
THE missionary enterprise was styled by John Foster "THE GLORY
OF THE AGE." There is an important sense in which the appellation
is just, for until within little more than a half century past modern
Christendom has not, since the reformation, been aroused to attempt
the conquest of the world. As civilization seeks out the farthest
nations, to unite them by ties of commercial interest in one great
commonwealth of states, the church, in a like spirit of enlarged
enterprise, girds herself to extend over all that kingdom which "is
not meat and drink," nor wealth and art, "but righteousness and
peace." While, however, considered as a comprehensive scheme,
planned upon a scale larger than the wisdom of Providence permit-
ted earlier generations to devise, the missionary work of the present
day has a character of its own, the enterprise itself is the same
which was originally committed to the church by her adorable
Head ; and the spirit in which it is carried on is but a revival of
that which animated the apostles and their immediate successors,
and which in various degrees has been manifested during the inter-
vening ages. As the present work concerns itself only with men
whose names and memory are "the glory of this age," it is not
inappropriate first to take a rapid glance at earlier missionary
achievements, the record of which did much to kindle the flame
that now burns so brightly on the evangelical altar.
If the apostles did not literally go "into all the world," according
to the terms of their commission, they went fearlessly as far as
Divine Providence opened the way, and in conjunction with a body
of faithful coadjutors, laid the foundation of churches in a large
>rtion of the Eoman empire and regions beyond the reach of
26 A VIEW OF EARLIER
Eoman arms. It is the testimony of the apostle of the Gentiles,
that "not many great, not many mighty, not many noble" were
called. The disciples were poor and despised, but their liberality
is in some instances specially commended in the apostolic epistles,
and attested by pagan writers. Their zeal for the faith sustained
them against reproach, persecution and death, and armed by the
divine power of their doctrines, confirmed for a time by miraculous
agency, was irresistible by Jewish and pagan hate or imperial power.
The apostles traversed Judea and a considerable portion of Western
Asia, Macedonia, Greece and the JSgean isles, and preached Christ
in the city of Eome. And though implicit credit can hardly be
given to all that tradition has preserved of their travels, it is nearly
certain that by them and their immediate successors during the first
century, Christianity was carried eastward as far as the Indus, west-
ward to Britain, and southward into the continent of Africa, while
some hold that both Ceylon and Continental India were evangelized
by St. Thomas. The concurrent testimony of both Christian and
pagan writers shows the church, during the second and third cen-
turies, to have overcome the ancient superstitions in southern and
western Europe, and in the succeeding century Christianity was dis-
tinctly elevated to the height of worldly grandeur by the Emperor
Constantine.
It cannot be necessary to point out the identity betwpen the pro-
gress of the primitive church and those operations which are now
distinguished as missionary. The object sought was the conversion
of the nations, — the motive, obedience to express command, — the
means, preaching the truth, — the instruments, men set apart to the
work, and sustained by the contributions, prayers and sympathies
of their brethren; and the same objects are now sought in essen-
tially the same manner, with such circumstantial differences of
method in detail as convenience suggests and experience has sanc-
tioned. In the view of some there is a marked disparity of success in
the two cases, but when the modern missionary enterprise shall have
completed a century, of which little more than half has now elapsed,
such a comparison will be more just. In speaking of those early
times, as the exploits of a century or two flit through the mind, or
are fluently uttered by the tongue, the actual lapse of years is not
always appreciated at the moment.
The corruption of the church, which was hastened by its alliance
with the state till it ultimately ripened into the great Papal apostacy,
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 27
and the distraction of heresies, combined to arrest this progress, and
the subsequent rise of the Mohammedan power tended to place
Christendom in a defensive rather than an aggressive attitude. Yet
in the pauses of these mighty movements, through the darkest ages
that preceded the Keformation, nominal Christianity was diffused by
zealous missionaries, by political strategy or by force of arms, through
the rest of Europe. If the legends of Eome are to be believed,
these ages were more fruitful in heroic zeal and miraculous attesta-
tions of the faith than that of the apostles themselves, and the further
we descend into the dusky shadow of the middle ages, the greater
are the demands upon our credulity. Yet while rejecting these
audacious fictions, and estimating at their true value the triumphs
of a Cross which was divested in great part of its spiritual significance
and moral energy, it would be unjust to deny that much was done
for human welfare. The church of Home was the faithful custodian,
if not a faithful interpreter of the Scriptures. With these, in com-
pany with much fearful error, was diffused also much healthful truth,
and where even thus much cannot be said, and conversion was little
more than the assumption of the Christian name, though it might
be likened to the raising up of an army of dry bones, these skeleton
churches were at least made ready to receive breath from the
inspiration of the Almighty, when the fulness of time had come for
the Reformation to assert the dishonoured doctrines of primitive
Christianity.
That great event, however, was followed by no such revival of
missionary zeal as might have been anticipated from the profoundly
spiritual elements that gave to it its original impulse. The arm of
secular power was raised at once for the extinction and for the
defence of the reformed faith, and the alliance of Protestantism with
the state transferred the contest from the pulpit and the press to the
circles of diplomacy and the field of battle. The fact that a thirty
years' war was among the issues of a religious reformation, melan-
choly as it is in itself, is more sad as a symptom of the fundamental
error that mingled itself with the movement in its beginning. That
grand absurdity, — if a solecism so fatal in its results have not
redeemed itself by the immensity of its mischiefs from such a title,
— of a territorial religion, by which a religious profession is made
to coincide with civil allegiance, and the church is made parcel of
the ordinary municipal law, was fastened upon all Protestant Europe,
28 A VIEW OF EARLIER
with so powerful a cohesion that no revolutionary shock has more
than temporarily disengaged it. To one who looks at Christianity
as revealed in the New Testament, or from the point of view attained
in these United States, nothing can be more foreign to its whole
spirit and design. But the idea has taken full possession of the
European mind, and is now (1851) exhibiting its power in a remark-
able degree, in the agitation which has pervaded all classes of Eng-
lish Protestants, churchmen and dissenters, at the assumption of
territorial titles by Koman Catholic prelates.* Through every form
the movement has assumed, we see at bottom the one dominant
error that is the worst bane of European Protestantism, — that reli-
gion has its seat not only in individual human affections as swayed
by Divine influences, but in the soil, in the local organization of
society, in the municipal law of the land.
The effect of this original error was to make the reformed
churches, except for purposes of common defence, isolated commu-
nities, fixed almost as closely to their territorial limits as the civil
powers on which they leaned for support. Systematic aggression,
on Christian principles, upon the limits of paganism and the bap-
tized heathenism of Papal countries, was hardly thought of, and
the din of war must have soon suspended them if they had been
attempted. While the church of Kome, thoroughly centralized,
and possessing a rigid exterior unity, acted with unity of design
throughout Europe, and sent forth zealous missionaries among the
heathen of the old and the new world, Protestant Christendom was
both dogmatically and politically divided. " The Church of England,"
says Mr. Macaulay, "existed for England alone. It was an institu-
* There has been unquestionably a complicated mixture of motives in this singu-
lar agitation, but no one can consider it in connection with antecedent events and
manifestations of public opinion, without perceiving the dominion of this sentiment.
That papal bishops and priests should have the amplest facilities for proselytism, —
which is no more than proper; that a powerful body of perjured ecclesiastics and heads
of colleges, sworn to the defence of Protestant doctrine, should, with scarcely a decent
attempt at justification, employ the rich endowments of the church and the universi-
ties to propagate an undisguised Romanism in every thing but the name, — which
has been for full fifteen years the scandal of the Anglican church; these things drew
alike from church and conventicle little more than a faint remonstrance. But the
intelligence that the Pope presumed to call Dr. Wiseman Archbishop of West-
minster, instead of choosing for him a title from some city in Utopia or the Cannibal
Islands, raised a storm of patriotic wrath and Protestant fury, entirely novel to the
present generation.
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 29
lion as purely local as the court of Common Pleas."* And the
same was true of the reformed churches of the continent. As a
consequence, the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries witnessed no
missionary enterprises on the part of European Protestants, except
an ineffectual attempt at Geneva, in 1556, to establish a mission in
Brazil, and the founding of a mission in Lapland three years after-
wards, under the patronage of the king of Sweden. The nominal
results of Dutch proselytism in Ceylon do not deserve to be treated
as an exception. Upon the conquest of that island it was enacted
that no native should be admitted to any employment under gov-
ernment, unless he became a member of the reformed church, and
subscribed the Helvetic Confession. As the candidates had only to
be christened, and to recite the Lord's Prayer and the ten command-
ments, multitudes flocked to the font. Such a profanation of Chris-
tian ordinances we might desire, for the good name of Protestant
Christendom, to consign to eternal forgetfulness.
With the beginning of the eighteenth century the dawn of modern
missions broke upon Europe.f In 1705, Frederick IV., King of
Denmark, sent two missionaries, Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and Henry
Plutcho, to attempt the evangelization of India. They established
themselves at Tranquebar, on the coast of Coromandel, acquired
the Tamil language, and commenced preaching with considerable
effect. They also founded a free school. They experienced much
opposition from the resident European population, but continued
firmly at their posts, and were shortly cheered by the arrival of three
associates and a considerable sum of money. In 1710, the Society
for promoting Christian Knowledge, established in London about
twelve years before for the purpose of publishing and circulating
religious books, extended to them its patronage, and furnished them
with a printing press. A font of Tamil types was secured through
the liberality of friends in Germany, and they afterwards erected
a type foundry and paper mill. They were thus enabled, in the
year 1715, to issue an edition of the Scriptures in Tamil, translated
by Ziegenbalg. This devoted pioneer, and one of his colleagues,
* Edinburgh Review, October, 1840. — On RANKE'S History of the Popes.
f The light may be said to have first broken in the west, in the preceding century,
the missionary success of the settlers of New-England having, to some extent at
least, as we shall see hereafter, been instrumental in exciting the zeal of Christians
in the old world.
30 A VIEW OF EARLIER
Grundler, were called to their eternal reward within five years.
The work was prosecuted with constancy and enlarged success by the
surviving band. A flourishing mission was commenced at Madras
in 1728, and shortly after, by the conversion of an inferior officer
in the army of the rajah of Tanjore, an opening was made for the
introduction of Christianity into that country. In 1737, the Madras
Mission extended its operations to Cuddalore, where, after overcom-
ing much opposition, they laboured with encouraging effect. The
capture of Madras by the French was followed by the laying waste
of the mission premises, but on the return of peace the loss was
made up by the government. In 1752, the renewal of hostilities
between the French and English caused such an interruption of all
evangelical effort, that Eev. Mr. Kiernander left Cuddalore, and
established himself in Calcutta, where he held forth the word of life
for thirty years.
In 1750, Rev. Christian Frederick Swartz arrived at Tranquebar,
and entered upon those apostolic labours which have linked his name
imperishably with the establishment and progress of Christianity
in India. He had gained some knowledge of the Tamil while at
the university, to aid in examining the proofs of a version of the
Scriptures in that language, an incident which is supposed to have
suggested to him the design of devoting himself to missionary life.
On his arrival he pursued his studies with such ardour and success,
that in four months he commenced preaching. His labours were
indefatigable, in public and private, in Tranquebar, Trichinopoly,
Tanjore and throughout the Carnatic, for the space of fifty years.
His purity, sincerity and disinterestedness won the confidence of all
classes, and those even who rejected his doctrine gave him the
tribute of their unaffected veneration. In the distracting wars that
marked that portion of the history of British India, his active ben-
evolence was exerted to relieve misery which he could not prevent,
and more than once he was sent to negotiate treaties, as the only
European who would be trusted by the natives. When a garrison
was threatened with famine, and the people could not be induced to
furnish provisions, through fear that the supplies they offered would
be seized without compensation, they accepted the security of the
venerated missionary for the whole amount needed. He rendered
important services both to the British and to the native princes, yet
scrupulously avoided receiving any gifts or emoluments that might
taint him with the suspicion of mercenary motives, and sedulously
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. SI
guarded himself from being involved in any transactions that might
impair his influence as a Christian and a preacher of the gospel.
With all the humility of a child and the wisdom of mature experi-
ence, the harmlessness of a dove and the wisdom of the serpent,
he was enabled to testify to the truth in every place and among all
grades of society. At his death he was mourned as a father, and
the rajah of Tanjore erected a monument to his memory, with an
inscription which is remarkable as the only specimen of English
verse attempted by an Indian prince.
At the death of Swartz the native Christians connected with the
mission were counted by thousands. The fruit of his toils was
rapidly gathered by his successors. Bishop Heber, writing in 1826,
says, "There are in the south of India about two hundred Protest-
ant congregations," and he estimated their number at about fifteen
thousand. Many were undoubtedly merely nominal Christians, as
the Lutheran Missionaries were much less exacting in the qualifica-
tions they demanded for admission to the sacraments, than later
missionaries have felt it their duty to be ; yet considering the purity
of their preaching and the devout spirit in which their labours were
conducted, a large measure of piety must have been the result.
These missions have since come under the patronage of the London
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, and the superintendence
of the Anglican Bishop of Calcutta.
Less cheering in its results, but memorable for self-sacrifice and
patient endurance, was the Danish mission to Greenland, commenced
in 1721, by Rev. Hans Egede. This devoted man had for thirteen
years felt a desire to convey the gospel to that inhospitable country,
and made repeated ineffectual attempts to carry it into execution.
At length he succeeded in raising a subscription of eight thousand
rix dollars, and purchased a ship to convey himself and several set-
tlers, who proposed to winter in Greenland. The King sanctioned
and aided the enterprise, and settled upon Mr. Egede a salary of
three hundred dollars a-year. On their arrival they proceeded to
erect a habitation, much to the displeasure of the natives, who called
on their conjurors to destroy them. Mr. Egede attempted, without
success, to convey to the people a knowledge of the most important
facts of revealed truth by pictures, but the following year he gained
some familiarity with the language, and was able to undertake oral
instruction. The arrival of a colleague in the succeeding year,
32 A VIEW OF EAELIER
strengthened his hands, but though the people listened attentively
to what was told them, they showed no personal interest in his
preaching. Some of them, indeed, seemed pleased with the doc-
trine of the immortality of the soul, but the impression produced
was faint, and their curiosity was soon satisfied.
In 1728, the king of Denmark resolved on prosecuting the work
with increased energy, and a large colony, with additional mission-
aries, was sent out, and established a new settlement two hundred
miles northward of Good Hope, the station founded by Mr. Egede.
But the severity of the winter and the ravages of a malignant dis-
ease made them discontented, and the accession of Christian VI. to
the Danish throne put an end to the enterprise. The colonists were
ordered home, Mr. Egede's salary was stopped, and he was offered
the alternative of returning with the rest, or remaining on his own
responsibility with such persons as he could induce to stay with him.
He obtained a supply of provisions for one year, and ten men to
remain during the winter, and with a heavy heart bade adieu to his
two colleagues, who returned with the colony.
A vessel arrived the next year with provisions, and having a
valuable return cargo, the king was encouraged to renew the trade,
and made a generous donation to the mission. This intelligence
gave fresh strength to the lonely missionary, but his faith was
doomed to a severer trial. A young Greenlander, who had visited
Denmark, came back, and shortly after died of a disease that proved
to be the small -pox. The contagion spread rapidly, and raged for
twelve months, with such fatal effect, that for thirty leagues north
of the settlement the country was almost wholly depopulated. Such
was the alarm and consternation of the natives at this visitation,
that many committed suicide. Mr. Egede, in conjunction with the
Moravian missionaries, who had recently arrived in the country, did
all that untiring benevolence could do, to alleviate the physical suf-
ferings, and comfort the hearts of the unhappy Greenlanders ; they
were much affected by his kindness, and manifested the liveliest
gratitude.
The mission was reinforced in 1734, by the arrival of three assist-
ants, one of them a son of Mr. Egede. The venerable pioneer,
regarding the number as wholly inadequate, returned to Denmark.
His representations led to the establishment of several new colonies,
and the sending of additional missionaries. But the efficiency and
interest of the Danish mission shortly declined. It had not been
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 33
wholly in vain, but its fruits were scanty, and the chief agency in
imparting Christianity to Greenland, was now manifestly committed
to the United Brethren or Moravians.
This extraordinary band of Christian disciples, the feeble remnant
of a once numerous body, that for a century and a half, against
powerful enemies, maintained the doctrines of revealed truth in
Bohemia and Poland, found a refuge from persecution on the estate
of Count Zinzendorf, at Bethels-dorf, in Upper Lusatia. Thousands
had been driven into banishment, and in their scattered condition
they and their descendants had either been absorbed into other
communions, or had lost, in a great measure, the power of that faith
which had been sealed with the blood of so many martyrs and con-
fessors. The whole congregation at Hernhutt, the name by which
their settlement in Lusatia was known, did not exceed six hundred
persons. Yet so ardent was their zeal for the honour of their Lord,
that in ten years they sent forth missionaries to Greenland, the
West Indies, Africa, North and South America, and their enter-
prises have been crowned with a success proportioned more to the
simplicity and earnestness of their faith, than to their apparent
resources. The language of a distinguished English essayist,*
although somewhat too sweeping in its terms, has a basis in truth :
"The nations which separated themselves from Popery, protested
against the pontiff, but did not pronounce for Christ. Small com-
munities, and only very small ones did; principally the Moravians."
Without assenting to the negative proposition in its full breadth, it
cannot be gainsaid that this humble company of saints showed an
unworldly, self-sacrificing devotion, that contrasted most signally
with the prevailing spirit of more powerful churches.
It was in the year 1732 that, after some conversation on the pos-
sibility and duty of conveying the gospel to heathen nations, two
young men, Matthew and Christian Stach, offered to go as mission-
aries to Greenland, and in the ensuing spring proceeded to Copen-
hagen, to make arrangements for their voyage. "There was no
need," says one of them, "of much time-or expense for our equip-
ment. The congregation consisted chiefly of poor exiles who had
not much to give, and we ourselves had nothing but the clothes on
our backs. We had been used to make shift with little, and did
* Walter Savage Landor
34: A VIEW OF EARLIER
not trouble ourselves how we should get to Greenland, or how we
should live there. The day before our departure, a friend in Vienna
sent a donation, and a part of this we received for our journey to
Copenhagen. We now therefore considered ourselves richly pro-
vided for, and would accept nothing from any person on the road,
believing that He who had sent to us so timely a supply, would fur-
nish us with every thing requisite for accomplishing our purpose."
No words could portray the spirit of their holy enterprise more
vividly than this artless statement. No wonder that He, who had
not where to lay his head, and yet ever went about doing good,
honoured the faith of these humble disciples!
At Copenhagen, they were kindly received by the king, who
approved of their purpose, and gave them a letter in his own hand,
commending them to the friendship of Mr. Egede. Without solicit-
ation they were provided by many excellent persons, who admired
their zeal, with sufficient money to defray the cost of their voyage,
materials for a house, and a variety of necessary articles for their
settlement. On their arrival in Greenland, they established them-
selves at a place which they named New Hernhutt, and under the
instruction of Mr. Egede, commenced the study of the language,
which they learned with great difficulty. The terrible visitation of
the small-pox, shortly after, engrossed their attention, and after it
was over they were attacked by a violent disorder, by which they
nearly lost the use of their limbs. On their recovery, so great was
their discouragement at the depopulation of the country and the
indisposition of the natives to associate with them, that they began
to think of returning to Europe, when the arrival of two assistants
in 1734, and the information that the congregation at Hernhutt were
resolved to support them to the utmost of their power, renewed their
courage. During the first five years of their settlement they endured
great hardships, and found almost insuperable obstacles in attempt-
ing to communicate instruction. Sometimes they were reduced to
the verge of starvation. The people were extremely capricious in
•Sheir treatment of them. Now they would attend with apparent inter-
est to their preaching, and again treat it with the utmost contempt ;
they even displayed at times a degree of personal enmity to the
missionaries, which was enough to weary any common measure of
benevolence.
But in the summer of 1738, an event occurred which confirmed
their faith, and at the same time imparted to them a valuable lesson-
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 35
One of their number, John Beck, was called upon by a company of
natives while transcribing a translation of a portion of the New
Testament. They were curious to know what he was writing. After
reading to them a few sentences, he gave them a brief account of the
creation and the fall of man, and unfolded the plan of redemption,
upon which he discoursed with much energy and feeling. He then
read from the Gospel of St. Luke, the narrative of Christ's agony
in the garden. At this point, one of his auditors, named Kayarnak,
stepped forward, exclaiming, "How was that? Let me hear that
again ; for I, too, am desirous to be saved." The missionary, deeply
affected, resumed his discourse, describing the principal scenes in the
life of the Saviour, and explaining the way of salvation. While
thus engaged, he was joined by his brethren, who had been absent
on business; they united with him in uttering "all the words of this
life" to the eager listeners. Kayarnak was led to take up his abode
with the missionaries for farther instruction, and sooii gave evidence
that the truth was received into his heart. Others were led by him
to receive instruction, and it became evident that the mission was not
established in vain.
These events were not less admonitory than encouraging to the
missionaries. Up to this time they had kept in the back-ground
those essential doctrines which they regarded as more sublime and
mysterious, aiming to conduct their hearers by a gradual process,
dwelling on the attributes of the Deity, the depravity of man, the
nature and demands of the divine law. By these events, they
were taught the old but still needful lesson, that "the foolishness of
God is wiser than men." The doctrine of the Cross vindicated itself
as "the power of God and the wisdom of God." Thenceforth they
built on this foundation, and it failed them not. At the close of the
year 1748, two hundred and thirty-eight Christian Greenlanders
were settled at New Hernhutt. The limits of our present sketch do
not admit of a full history of this, or of the other missions of the
United Brethren. It is sufficient for its general purpose to remark,
that to the present day, their settlements remain as a lasting monu-
ment to the unwearied benevolence and divinely instructed wisdom
with which their labours of love were prosecuted, shedding upon that
inhospitable region the genial beams of a consoling and transform-
ing faith.
Their mission in the West Indies was commenced in the same
year with that in Greenland, and originated in one of those slight
36 A VIEW OF EAKLIER
incidents which in the order of providence are productive of great
results, because they are observed by minds capable of viewing com-
mon objects in their relations to great truths and noble pursuits.
In this aspect the simple faith of the humble Moravians, apprehend-
ing the sublime purposes of Christianity, and intently seeking the
means of their accomplishment, bears an analogy to that penetrating
philosophic insight, which, from the swinging of a cathedral lamp,
or the fall of an apple, receives suggestions of the most far-reaching
laws of nature.
Count Zinzendorf being on a visit to Copenhagen in 1731, his
servants became acquainted with a negro named Anthony, who
stated in conversation that his sister in the island of St. Thomas,
with others of their unhappy race, felt their want of religious instruc-
tion, and earnestly desired that some persons would impart to them
the knowledge of the gospel ; but added that it would be necessary
for those who attempted it, to share in the toils of those whom they
taught. On repeating this at Hernhutt, two young men immedi-
ately offered themselves for this self-denying service. Their pro-
posal was not immediately acted on, but, in the following year, one
of them, Leonard Dober, was authorized to undertake the mission,
and another of the brethren named Nitschman was deputed to bear
him company on his voyage, and return after he should have reached
his destination. They were received at Copenhagen, and on their
way thither, by persons who treated their purpose as foolishly
romantic, but they persevered, and soon found a passage to St.
Thomas, where they arrived in December. A friendly planter
received them into his house, and gave Nitschman, who was a car-
penter, work sufficient to maintain both. They sought out Anthony's
sister, and soon had a number of eager listeners. But in four months
it became necessary for Nitschman to return, and Dober, who was
by trade a potter, found it impossible to support himself by his
handicraft. For a time he was employed as tutor to the Govern-
or's son, but as this occupation so absorbed his time that he had
no leisure to pursue his chosen work, he gave up his situation, and
lived in great poverty, gaining a scanty subsistence by watching on
plantations and other services.
The ravages of pestilence and an insurrection of the slaves in
1733 interrupted his work. While he was struggling with poverty
and enfeebled in health, a party of fourteen brethren arrived, a part
of them to conduct this mission, and the rest to commence a new
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 37
one on the Island of St. Croix. Dober himself returned to Hern-
hutt, having been chosen an elder of the congregation. But the
brethren he left behind unhappily fell victims to the climate, and the
enterprise was suspended till 1735, when two new labourers, Frede-
rick Martin and John Bonicke, resumed it. Their efforts were
crowned with success. They soon had a congregation of two hun-
dred hearers, three of whom made a satisfactory profession of their
faith. In 1737, so evidently beneficial were the results of their
labours, that some of the planters aided them in purchasing an estate.
This favour from the planters was of short duration. They soon
began to manifest hostility to the mission, which was stimulated by
the bigotry of some ministers of the reformed church, taking excep-
tion to the validity of Mr. Martin's orders. The slaves were forbidden
to meet their teachers, and flogged for disobedience ; on a groundless
pretence, Mr. Martin and his assistants were imprisoned. The effect
was only to deepen the hold of their instructions upon their congre-
gation, which now consisted of eight hundred persons. At this
juncture, Count Zinzendorf visited the island, and, struck by a
measure of prosperity exceeding his expectations, exerted himself
with success to procure the release of the missionaries. After his
departure, the persecution was renewed, but the subject being pre-
sented to the king of Denmark, his Majesty sent letters confirming
the right of Mr. Martin to preach and administer the sacraments, an
authentication of his orders, which, if not very apostolic in form,
was sufficient in fact to prevent further opposition on that score.
From this time the mission, and others in the West Indies, were
prosecuted with zeal, and their results were in the highest degree
satisfactory.
The missions of the Brethren in North America, as illustrations
of unfailing perseverance in the cause of Christian benevolence, are
worthy of enduring commemoration; but were doomed to suffer
continually from the malign influence of rapacious civilization, and
the havoc of almost perpetual war, lending to them an aspect of
profound sadness. In this respect they exhibit, in a more extreme
degree, the same character which distinguished all early missions
among the red men. But the evil was much mitigated in those first
undertaken by the agency of the New England churches, from causes
inherent in the foundation of those colonies. As these missions
were commenced before the Moravians entered upon their work in
North America, they demand our first attention.
38 A VIEW OF EAELIER
Among the objects contemplated by the planting of the Plymouth
and Massachusetts Colonies, as avowed by their founders, and set
forth in their charters, the conversion of the savages to Christianity
was prominent. Their first purpose was to provide an asylum, where,
free from the restraints imposed by the civil and ecclesiastical policy
of England, the Christian church might be organized in a form, as
they believed, more consonant to the primitive model, and the doc-
trines of Christianity, as they deduced them from Scripture, preached
without the forced admixture of dogmas and rites imposed by act
of parliament; their second was to make the aboriginal races par-
ticipators of these blessings. The first prompted a jealous resistance
to the introduction of any adverse opinions or customs, which was
carried, in the province of Massachusetts, to an extreme inconsistent
with the rights of conscience. The second, though its execution
was delayed by the cares incident to a new plantation, commenced
under circumstances of such peculiar hardship as tried the endur-
ance of the Pilgrims, prompted very early action. Individuals made
some exertion to recommend the gospel to the natives with satisfac-
tory, though limited results, and in 1636 the colony of Plymouth
enacted a law to provide for preaching among the Indians. A simi-
lar act was passed in 1646, by the legislature of Massachusetts, and
in that year John Eliot, who had begun the study of the native
language five years before, commenced preaching at Nonantum, now
a part of Newton. He found attentive and serious hearers ; several
of them requested admission to English families, that they might
be taught the Christian religion, and a large number offered their
children for instruction. A settlement of "praying Indians" was
formed at ISTonantum, and removed to Natick in 1651, and ten years
later a church was organized. But the labours of Eliot were not
confined to this congregation. He translated the Bible and several
catechisms, tracts and school-books, into the Indian language, and
travelled extensively through the wilderness, with an energy and
endurance which well entitled him to be called "the Apostle of the
Indians." He died at the ripe age of eighty-six; — his last words
were, " Welcome joy!"
Thomas May hew, in 1643, commenced his labours among the
Indians on the island of Martha's Vineyard. Three years after he
sailed for England to solicit aid. The vessel was lost, and his father,
Thomas Mayhew, governor of the island, devoted himself at the
age of seventy to the same work. He laboured for about twenty-
MISSIONAKY ENTERPRISES. 39
throe years, and was succeeded in his ministry by his grandson.
Five generations of the family kept up the pastoral succession among
the Indians of that island, until 1803. In the Plymouth colony a
congregation was early gathered at Marshpee by Rev. Richard
Bourn, who laboured forty years in this and neighbouring towns
and villages. Others worthy of commemoration participated in the
enterprise, and in 1675 there were fourteen settlements of Christian
Indians with a total population of 3,600, twenty-four regular con-
gregations, and twenty-four Indian preachers. With Christianity
they were instructed in the arts of civilized life. They addicted
themselves to agriculture, were characterized by orderly and indus-
trious habits, sustained schools, and observed a high standard of
social morals. These results awakened a missionary spirit in Eng-
land. A society was organized for the propagation of Christianity
in North America, and raised a fund yielding £500, which was
applied to the circulation of the Bible and the support of missiona-
ries. The formation of the Society for promoting Christian Knowl-
edge by members of the church of England, in 1698, is ascribed by
Bishop Burnet to a spirit of emulation aroused by the example of
the non-conformists. Other societies followed, so that New England
may be said to have received the rays of the morning star, that
heralded the dawn of that day of missions whose ascendant now
illumines the church.
The year 1675 was signalized by the commencement of "King
Philip's war." Philip of Pokanoket. having resolved on the exter-
mination of all the Europeans, made a general league of the several
tribes, in which he naturally sought the aid of the Christian Indians.
There is no reason to believe that any considerable number of them
engaged with him, but they were suspected, and naturally suffered
from both parties. Some were slain by the hostile tribes, some fell
by the arms of the colonists, who were not always careful to dis-
criminate between the converted natives and the mass of their
heathen compatriots, whom a portion of the settlers regarded much
as the children of Israel did the Canaanites. The authorities of
Massachusetts in order to their protection gathered them into five
towns, and five hundred were collected on Deer Island and other
islands in the Bay. At the close of the war they found their settle-
ments wasted, their fields ravaged, their hopes blasted, and discour-
agement settled upon them, from which they never fully recovered,
the work did not cease. In 1685 there were 1,439 "praying
4:0 A VIEW OF EARLIER
Indians" in the colony of Plymouth. In 1698, out of 4,168, the
whole number of Indians reckoned within the now united provinces
of Plymouth and Massachusetts, 3,000 were said to be converted,
and there were thirty Indian churches. Their pagan countrymen
had been mostly either exterminated in the war, or absorbed in
more distant tribes.
In Connecticut and Rhode Island, the determined opposition of
the great sachems prevented the general introduction of Christianity
among the Pequots, Narragansetts, and other tribes within their
borders, yet the efforts of benevolent men were not wholly in vain.
Before the breaking out of Philip's war, over forty Christian Indians
were gathered at Norwich, Ct., but for some years little progress
was made. In 1743, under the preaching of Rev. Mr. Parks, in
Westerly, R. I., a considerable awakening occurred, which resulted
in the conversion of sixty, and in a few years there were enumerated
about seventy pious persons among the Narragansetts, twenty or
thirty among the Mohecans, fifteen or sixteen among the Montauks
of Long Island, and a considerable number scattered among the
Stonington and several other tribes.
The mission at Stockbridge was commenced in 1734 by Rev. John
Sergeant, then tutor in Yale college. He collected about fifty of
the wandering Mohecans at that place into a tribe now known as
the Stockbridge Indians, and commenced preaching to them with
marked success. He organized a school, the provincial government
built a meeting-house and school-house, and a town was commenced
of houses in the English style. He translated the New-Testament
and a part of the Old, with other religious books, and had just formed
a project for a manual labour school, towards the endowment of
which Mr. Hollis, the munificent benefactor of Harvard College,
made a liberal donation, when his course ended. He died in 1749,
greatly beloved and revered by his flock. He had done much for
them. He found them wretchedly degraded, ignorant and outcast,
with no fixed habitations, with the prospect of speedy extinction ; — •
he left a thriving settlement of two hundred and eighteen inhabitants,
enjoying the comforts of civilized society and the blessings of Chris-
tianity. His associate, Mr. Woodbridge, continued in the charge
of the mission till his death, not long after, when Jonathan Edwards
was placed at its head. Edwards laboured six years, with satisfac-
tion, but without very decisive success; the works which occupied
his leisure — his great treatises on the Will and on Original Sin — con-
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 41
stitute the most substantial and enduring fruit of that memorable
period of his life. The mission was continued till the Eevolution
by Mr. West and Mr. Sergeant, son of its founder. After the war
the tribe removed to Central New- York ; thence by successive emi-
grations they settled in Indiana, in Michigan, and finally in their
present home on lake Winnebago, their church meanwhile coming
under the supervision of the American Board of Commissioners for
Foreign Missions.*
In 1743 began the short but glorious missionary career of David
Brainard. He was born at Haddam, Ct., in the year 1718,
was subject to profound religious impressions in his youth, and
early fixed on the ministry as his profession, but dated his actual
conversion in 1739, in which year he entered Yale College. In
1741 the general religious awakening that spread over New England
in connection with the labours of Edwards, Whitefield, and others
who partook of their spirit, extended to the college. The ardent
and sometimes intemperate zeal, and censorious temper, that charac-
terized not a little of the preaching common at that time, — and that
such an excitement, however pure its origin, would naturally gener-
ate,— was not without its effect on Brainard. In him, however, it did
not, so far as is authentically recorded, lead to any open or scandal-
ous indecorum, and the penalty he paid for it was ever regarded
by himself, and it would seem must be justly considered by all, as
utterly disproportionate to the offence. In the presence of two or
three of his fellows he remarked of one of the tutors, "He has no
more grace than this chair." Some officious person, who overheard
the observation, repeated it, adding his belief that the words were
uttered concerning one of the governors of the college. The mattei
was taken up, Brainard was arraigned and examined of his offence,
and his companions required to disclose the facts. Their plea that
it was a private conversation was overruled, and the whole wrung
from them. For this hasty speech and the misdemeanour of once
attending the "separate meeting" in the town without leave, he was
expelled from the college.
He engaged soon after in the study of divinity with Eev. Mr.
Mills of Ripton, and on concluding his theological course was selected
by the New-York committee of the Scottish Society for promoting
Christian Knowledge, as a missionary to the Indians. His original
* Since the above was written, it is stated that they have made still another
removal, to lands in the territory of Minnesota.
42 A VIEW OF EAKLIEK
destination was New-Jersey, but some difficulties among the Indians
in that region, unfavourable to evangelical labour there, led to a
postponement of that project, and accordingly he commenced his
labours near New Lebanon Springs, 1ST. Y., at a place called by
the Indians Kaunameek, where he spent a year, enduring great
privations, and enfeebled by illness. He acquired the language,
translated some of the psalms, composed forms of prayer, and with
the aid of an interpreter superintended a school. He was able to
impart such a measure of religious instruction as to effect a decided
moral improvement in the Indians, and to awaken a spirit of anxious
inquiry for the way of salvation. They earnestly desired him to
remain with them, but he was now sent to the place of his original
destination in New-Jersey and Pennsylvania, leaving his people at
Kaunameek to the instruction of Mr. Sergeant at Stockbridge, where
most of them removed.
Mr. Brainard now stationed himself at the Forks of the Delaware,
with the design of labouring in the northern part of New-Jersey
and Pennsylvania as far as the Susquehanna. His first efforts at
this station were far from encouraging. The number of Indians had
been considerably diminished in the vicinity, and his hearers were
few, but he pursued his work with diligence. Among others he
visited some Indians about thirty miles distant, but had only two
opportunities of preaching to them before they removed to the banks
of the Susquehanna, where he visited them at their request, and-
remained with them several days. The following spring he repeated
his visit, encountering in his journey great perils and hardships.
On his arrival he spent a fortnight travelling nearly a hundred miles
along the river, and preaching with various success ; but in conse-
quence of his exposures in the wilderness, was seized with a severe
and dangerous illness. On returning to his own abode, he found
himself so enfeebled in body and desponding in spirit, that he was
inclined to abandon the work, but subsequent events renewed his
energies.
Having received intelligence of some Indians at Cross weeksung,
about twenty miles from Amboy, towards Bordentown, N. J.,
which opened a prospect of usefulness there, he visited them in June,
1745. The first view of this field was far from promising. The
natives were widely scattered, and his first congregation consisted
only of four women and a few children. But they were so much
interested in what they heard as to set off immediately a distance
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 43
of ten or twelve miles to invite their friends, and his audience soon
amounted to more than forty. They had been indifferent, if not
hostile to Christianity, but now all seemed desirous of hearing the
truth, and invited him to preach twice a day that they might gain
the utmost profit from his visit. He shortly had the happiness of
witnessing the conversion of the interpreter and his wife, both of
whom gave the fullest proof of their pious sincerity, and the former
was particularly useful as an assistant. On his second visit to Cross-
weeksung he found as the result of his previous labours and those of
Rev. William Tennant, who had preached there in the interim, a
remarkable spirit of inquiry and intense conviction of the truth. An
awakening followed, characterized by all those evidences of divine
power which distinguished the revivals under Edwards and White-
field. He remained there a month, and fifteen adults made profes-
sion of their faith.
Some Indians from the Forks of the Delaware, who had been
present, and witnessed these events, were much impressed by them,
so that on his return to that place he found new encouragement to
labour for their salvation. Thence he revisited the banks of the
Susquehanna, but though he found some attentive listeners, he had
no special success.
His third visit to Crossweeksung was marked by the same satis-
factory results as he had previously witnessed. His preaching was
with great power, and its fruits were precious. He commenced a
catechetical exercise, and in 1746 a school for Indian children under a
competent and faithful teacher was begun. Measures were taken to
form the people to habits of regular industry, and to secure to them
their lands, the possession of which their former habits had endan-
gered. A regular settlement was formed at Cranberry, fifteen miles
distant, land was cleared, and in about a year they had eighty acres
of ground under profitable cultivation. A church was organized, and
twenty-three received the communion, — the absence of a considerable
number unavoidably deferring their admission to the sacrament.
But the zeal of Brainard was greater than his feeble frame could
sustain. Another journey to the Susquehanna tried his powers of
endurance to the utmost. On his return he administered the Lord's
Supper to his church, now numbering nearly forty members, and at
the close of the service found himself scarcely able to walk. He
still attempted to labour, and even addressed his flock from his bed.
In November he was compelled to leave them, and travelled leisurely
44 A VIEW OF EARLIER
to Northampton, where he was received into the family of President
Edwards. He lingered in a consumption till the 9th of October,
1747, and then entered into rest in the thirtieth year of his age.
The record of his life by Edwards held up his career to the admira-
tion of the Christian world, and it is interesting to note that the
missionary devotion of William Carey and Henry Martyn, was
nourished, if not kindled, by the contemplation of his brief but
triumphant course.
His bereaved flock was placed in charge of his brother, John
Brainard, who died in 1783. Under his ministry the congregation
increased to two hundred. His successor was Daniel Simmons, an
Indian, who soon proved himself unworthy of the trust, and was
deposed for his irregular conduct. The mission was supplied with
occasional preaching by neighbouring pastors, and ultimately, the
congregation being reduced to eighty-five, was absorbed in the
Stockbridge tribe.
The first North American settlement of the Moravian Brethren
was in Georgia, in 1735, where they commenced preaching to the
Creeks, but the breaking out of war with the Spaniards in Florida,
compelled them to desert their plantations, and retire into Pennsyl-
vania. In 1740, Christian Henry Kauch arrived at New- York, and
soon stationed himself at Shekomeko, an Indian town on the bor-
der of Connecticut. Here his preaching resulted in the conversion
of some of the savages, but the whites in the neighbourhood, who
had no desire for the improvement of the Indians, instigated some
of them by slanderous reports to attempt the life of their teacher.
His meekness and evident benevolence soon dissipated the effects of
these machinations, and his labours were resumed with success.
Count Zinzendorf, in visiting the several American stations, came
to Shekomeko in 1742, and witnessed the gathering of the first
fruits of the mission by a public profession of faith. Additional
missionaries arrived soon after. Indians came from a distance of
twenty miles to hear the word, which was with power. Early in
1743, ten were admitted to the communion, a chapel was erected,
and at the close of the year the number of credible believers was
sixty-three.
But the class of settlers who made gain by the vices of the
Indians, were determined to uproot the mission. Other means failing,
they raised a panic by representing the Christian Indians and their
MISSION ART ENTERPRISES. 45
teachers as in league with the French. At that time, such an alarm
was all too powerful to admit of calm and reasonable measures. The
brethren were harassed by prosecutions. They were acquitted, but
acts were passed imposing the oath of allegiance on " suspected per-
sons,"— and suspicion was never wanting, — till in 1746 the legisla-
ture prohibited them from imparting religious instruction to the
Indians. The settlement was broken up, and its scattered members
took refuge from persecution in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, near which
they succeeded in founding a new town named Gnadenhutten, or
Tents of Grace. Here for several years they enjoyed prosperity,
and the congregation increased to five hundred persons. The fruits
of piety were exhibited in a well-ordered, industrious community,
attentive to the education of children, and forming a centre from
which the truth was radiated far into the surrounding wilderness.
But in 1752 the Iroquois, having allied themselves with the French,
as it afterwards appeared, and desirous of attacking the whites in
their neighbourhood, demanded their removal. A part complied,
but their number was made up by other settlers. Their peace, how-
ever, was of short duration. In 1755 their settlement was attacked,
several of the missionaries were murdered, their buildings burned
and fields ravaged. Most of the congregation escaped the fate
intended for them, and found shelter at Bethlehem. During the
continuance of the war, they found little molestation, though kept
in constant alarm by threats of hostility from the savages, who were
indignant that they would not take up arms against the English,
and from the colonists, who affected to believe them in league with
the French.
The return of peace brought no peace to the Christian Indians.
Men, greedy to exterminate the whole race from the continent,
availed themselves of every excuse to attack them. If an outrage
was committed by savages, it was at once sought to be avenged on
the Moravian settlements. They were threatened with a conspiracy
in 1763, which aimed at no less than their entire destruction. The
government compelled them to give up their arms, and removed
them to Philadelphia. Blind popular rage was roused against them
to such a degree that it was necessary to protect their lives by an
armed force. The governor attempted to send them to New- York,
to put them under guard of the British army, but the governor of
New- York forbade their coming into that province. They were
brought back to Philadelphia, and lodged in barracks. Here they
46 A VIEW OF EARLIER
remained for more than a year, their numbers thinned by the small-
pox, at the expiration of which time, all the charges so industriously
circulated against them having been proved groundless, they were
assigned a tract of land on the Susquehanna. Here they made a
new settlement, which they called Friedenshutten, or Tents of Peace.
A large congregation was soon gathered, whose reception of the
truth amply rewarded the zeal and patience of the missionaries-
Another station, named Friedenstadt, or the Town of Peace, was
made on the banks of the Ohio, at the junction of Beaver Creek,
and to this, in consequence of the treachery of the Iroquois in con-
veying to the English the lands before sold to the brethren, the
settlers at Friedenshutten were compelled to remove. A town named
Shoeribrunn, or Beautiful Spring, was also founded on the Musking-
ham, and soon after another was commenced about ten miles below,
named Grnadenhutten. Occasional hostilities disquieted them, but
their character made them many friends, and they were encouraged
to build a third town. So successful were their labours, that in
1776 there were four hundred and fourteen Christian Indians on the
Muskingharn.
The breaking out of the revolutionary war exposed them to the
same jealous hostility that had proved so fatal in the war of 1755.
The Indians of the northwest were allied with Great Britain. The
neutrality of the Moravians caused each party to suspect them of
favouring the other, and they were alternately threatened with
destruction by both. In 1781 the British commander at Detroit sent
a force that removed them to the San dusky river, and then left them
in the wilderness, where they suffered greatly from famine. A por-
tion who had been sent as prisoners to Pittsburgh, returned to their
former home. They were followed by a band of ruffians, who pre-
tended to a fanatical belief that it was their religious duty to exter-
minate the Indians. Warning was sent to their victims, but too
late. The Indians were told by their treacherous enemies that they
should be conducted in safety to Pittsburgh, where they would be
protected from all harm. When they had given up their arms, they
were ordered to prepare for death the next day. They spent the
night in singing, prayer and exhortation, and on the following morn-
ing were butchered in cold blood, only two escaping. The murderers
then proceeded to Sandusky, but their intended prey had escaped.
The missionaries had been removed by the British commander, and
held as prisoners at Detroit, while their people were scattered.
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 47
The Brethren were now advised to relinquish their labours, but no
persuasion could induce them to separate their lot from the people
for whom they had already endured so much. Kepeated attempts
were made to renew their settlements in different places, and finally
the remnant of their flock found a shelter in Canada West, where a
small congregation has been preserved, a record as well of the per-
sistent zeal of its founders, as of the unchristian spirit that reigned
among the European colonists, and characterized much of their con-
duct towards the unhappy aborigines.
The settlements on the Muskingham were renewed at the close of
the revolutionary war, and for a time were continued with a meas-
ure of success. But the Indians were fast melting away before the
progress of the whites, and their last settlement in the north-western
United States was relinquished in 1822. A mission to the Chero-
kees is still maintained, but those since founded by the American
churches cast it comparatively into the shade.
A complete view of Indian missions in North America, would
not fail to include at least a passing notice of Dr. Wheelock's Semi-
nary for the education of Indians and of missionaries, — founded in
1748, at Lebanon, Ct., and afterwards removed to Hanover, N. EL* —
an institution sometimes confounded with Dartmouth College ; of
the life and usefulness of Kev. Samson Occum, distinguished as an
effective Indian preacher; of the forty years' ministry of Kirkland,
among the Indians of New- York ; and of others who did their part
toward the rescue of the aboriginal tribes from the fate which uni-
formly overtakes savages when brought into conflict with civiliza-
tion, unless it is arrested by the conservative force of Christianity.
The proper effect of these benevolent efforts was greatly impaired
by the vices and rapacity of the European settlers, few of whom
seem to have been at all under the restraints of justice or charity in
their conduct towards the red men, and by the wars in which
European policy involved the colonies. But that any remnants of
the once powerful tribes formerly inhabiting the country east of the
Alleghanies have been preserved, is to be attributed to the elevating
influences of Christianity, imparted by those devoted men whose
labours have been reviewed, sustained by active charity in Europe
and America.
The missions of the Moravian Brethren in South America were
commenced in 1738. A gentleman in Amsterdam invited some of
48 A VIEW OF EARLIER
them to settle on one of his plantations in Berbice, Dutch Guiana,
for the instruction of his slaves. Messrs. Daphne and Guettner com-
plied with the request, but were hindered from accomplishing the
object of their mission by the hostility of the stewards and man-
agers of the estates. As the congregation at Hernhutt were unable
to support their missionaries, and no favour was shown them at the
scene of their intended labours, they were compelled to maintain
themselves by constant toil, while the slaves were tasked with such
severity as to allow them no time in which to receive instruction.
At length they were presented with a tenement and a small tract of
land in the interior. In default of opportunities to instruct the
slaves, they gained the confidence of some Indians in the neighbour-
hood, and communicated to them the truths of the gospel. The
mission was reinforced from Europe, and the work was pursued with
energy and perseverance. In 1748 thirty-nine converts had been
gained, who erected their huts in the vicinity of the station. The
Indians from other parts of the country came for instruction, and
the missionaries were greatly encouraged.
But the government became jealous of their proceedings, and
determined to arrest them. The Christian Indians were forbidden
to settle at the station, and the missionaries were compelled to pay
a tax for each of them, to take the oath of allegiance and to bear
arms. Some of them, rather than submit to such vexatious requi-
sitions, returned to Europe, but the others resolved to adhere to
their congregation, which in 1756 amounted to nearly three hun-.
dred persons. Pestilence and famine blighted their harvest, so that
in three years the station was comparatively deserted, and, in 1763,
in consequence of an insurrection of the slaves, the mission was
broken up, and the brethren retired from the field.
A settlement was begun in 1739, on the Sarameca river in Suri-
nam, which they called Sharon, but before any decisive steps could
be taken for the propagation of the truth, dissensions among the
settlers led to its abandonment. It was renewed in 1756, and very
pleasing success attended their endeavours, but in 1761 a company
of Bushmen, as the numerous fugitive slaves in the wilderness were
termed, jealous of the Indians who had been formerly employed to
recapture them, resolved to disperse the settlement. The attack
was made as the congregation were returning from worship, three
Indians were killed, eleven made prisoners, the remainder with their
teachers were scattered, and their dwellings plundered. Though
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 49
many returned, and the mission was prosecuted for some years, yet
it never recovered from the calamity. The Indians still feared their
implacable enemies, their number gradually declined, and the place
was finally abandoned in 1779.
Contemporaneously with the settlement of Sharon, Mr. L. C.
Daehne established himself on the Corentyn. The Indians who
accompanied him and aided in clearing the land, soon deserted him,
and he was left alone in the midst of the wilderness for two years,
exposed to serpents and wild beasts, and to the violence of savages
who threatened his life. A company of fifty Caribs came armed
on one occasion, and surrounded his dwelling. His mild address
and frank demeanour disarmed their hostility, and they left him with
many expressions of friendship. He was joined by three other mis-
sionaries in 1759, and by some Christian Indians from other settle-
ments, and it was not long before they began to reap some fruit of
their labours. The slave insurrection of 1763 caused a temporary
suspension of the mission, and on the restoration of quiet a new sta-
tion was founded twenty miles up the river, which they called Hope.
The sentiment which suggested this name was justified by the event.
Slowly but certainly they were enabled to go forward, a school was
established, and at the close of 1793 upwards of one hundred and
fifty inhabitants were collected at the station, and about one hundred
Christian Indians resided in the neighbourhood. Disease and fam-
ine sent many of the heathen Indians to Hope, and in 1799 about
three hundred resided there. Their number was soon after reduced
one-half by small-pox and other causes. In 1806 the whole settle-
ment was destroyed by fire, and this calamity was followed by an
epidemic which swept off nearly all the members of the church.
The rest of the congregation became disaffected, and the settlement
was deserted. Here ended the efforts of the brethren among the
aborigines in Guiana. They had been rewarded by substantial
though limited success, but the evils incident to a colonial state,
aggravated by the effects of slavery, had proved too strong for them.
The jealousy of races, heightened by that of caste, and inflamed by
mutual wrongs, exposed them to continued hostility from opposite
quarters, so that one station after another was founded, flourished
for a time, and was deserted. Greater and more permanent results
followed their labours among the African race. The Bush negroes
rejected the truth, though it was faithfully preached among them for
i early forty years. During that period not more than fifty-six per-
4
50 A VIEW OF EARLIER
sons professed to believe the gospel, and the enterprise was abandoned
in 1810. But among the slaves Christianity made more satisfactory
progress.
The original design of the Moravian brethren in attempting their
missions in South America, was to benefit the slaves, but the inhab
itants were strongly prejudiced against them, and they were not
permitted to take any immediate steps for the accomplishment of
their benevolent purpose. But Christian Kersten and a few others
who engaged in business at Paramaribo, neglected no opportunity
to instruct such negroes as they hired. In no long time, three of
them gave evidence that the truth had wrought with transforming
energy upon their hearts. By degrees the missionaries lived down
the prejudices that had so long obstructed their efforts. In 1776
several negroes were admitted to a public profession, a church was
soon after erected and a congregation gathered, numbering in 1779
more than a hundred persons. During the war between England
and Holland that followed in the wake of the French revolution,
the mission was cut off from all communication with Europe, and
prevented from receiving any of the succour which they so much
needed. Yet though few in numbers, they had large resources of
faith and patience, the exercise of which had its reward. In 1803
their converts numbered three hundred and fifteen, not including
catechumens and other attendants on public worship. The church
made a gradual but steady progress in numbers and in moral eleva-
tion for twenty years. In 1820 they numbered a congregation at
Paramaribo of over nine hundred persons, of whom seven hundred
and twenty-two were communicants ; and counting those not imme-
diately connected with the town congregation there were in all 1154
negroes under their care. Their visits were extended to the neigh-
bouring plantations with much profit, and the celebration in 1827
of the fiftieth anniversary of the gathering of their first converts,
was an occasion of great solemnity and public gratitude.
The Moravian mission in Labrador was naturally suggested by
the conjecture that the Esquimaux were nearly allied to the Green-
landers. The rigorous climate, scanty subsistence, and numerous
"perils of waters" and storms which they must encounter in such
an enterprise, were not likely to daunt a people who had planted and
sustained with such persevering energy the mission in Greenland,
and to whom neither polar snows nor tropic heats had terrors suffi-
cient to shake their benevolent purposes. In 1754, four missionaries
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 51
sailed in a trading vessel, and fixed on a spot for their future resi-
dence. The vessel proceeding northward, Christian Erhardt, one
of the brethren, went in an open boat to converse with the natives,
but himself and the mariners were murdered, and the crew being
now inadequate to the safe navigation of the ship, the missionaries
were obliged to lend their aid, and return to Europe, abandoning
their errand. Twelve years after, Jens Hoven, who had been a
missionary in Greenland, determined on another effort to introduce
Christianity among the Esquimaux. On arriving in Labrador he
was kindly received by the chiefs, and addressing them in the
language of Greenland found himself understood by them. He dis-
closed his errand and after a series of friendly interviews took his
leave, promising to return with some of his brethren. The next
year he again visited them with three associates. For a considerable
time they preached with earnestness, but were received with such
indifference, and even distrust, that the enterprise was abandoned.
At length, in 1771, a company of fourteen persons set out with
the resolution of making still another effort for the salvation of the
degraded Esquimaux, and founded a settlement which they called
Nain. They gained the confidence of the people, but saw no imme-
diate fruit of their instructions. The first clear ray of light that
broke upon them was the hopeful conversion of a ferocious and des-
perate man, who heard their preaching during the ensuing year, and
pitched his tent at Nain for the purpose of being taught the way of
life more perfectly. Still he had given no decisive evidence of piety
when he left them in the autumn. But in February, 1773, his wife
came to Nain, bringing the intelligence that he had died "rejoicing
in hope." She related that on his first seizure with the illness that
ended his life, he prayed fervently and expressed his "desire to
depart and be with Christ." He continued to the last to express
full assurance of eternal joy. His death made a profound impression
on his countrymen, who habitually spoke of him as "the man whom
the Saviour took to himself." The seriousness with which the people
now listened to their preaching led the missionaries to take measures
for the erection of a church and the organization of a regular con-
gregation at Nain. They also founded a settlement in 1775 at
Okkak, one hundred and fifty miles to the northward, where was a
more desirable residence and a larger accessible population. Here
they met with much discouragement, but in the course of six years
had gathered a church of thirty-eight persons, besides some catechu-
52 A VIEW OF EARLIER
mens. In 1782 a third settlement, called Hopedale, was made south
of Nain, but for a long time no visible benefit resulted from their
labours at this post.
Indeed, the very slow and partial success of the Labrador mission
became a source of much discouragement. Not only were the
converts few, but they were persons emphatically "of little faith."
They were continually tempted to resume their former heathen prac-
tices, and not seldom yielded, especially during the summer, when
they left the stations, and were dispersed among their unenlightened
countrymen. But the year 1804 brought with it brighter tokens. In
that summer some of the congregation at Hopedale returned from
their wanderings, giving evidence that they had not only been kept
from falling, but had enjoyed a deeper spiritual experience. Their
conversation was blessed to the awakening of others. The like spirit
became manifest at the other two stations, and some whose profession
of Christianity had been merely formal were brought to repentance,
and gave evidence of a real subjection to the power of faith. At
Okkak, the effect was to excite the admiration of the heathen to
such a degree, that a company of them asked the privilege of set-
tling there, which was joyfully granted. From that time the pro-
gress of the mission has been generally steady and hopeful, portions
of the Scriptures have been translated and circulated, schools have
been maintained, the number of converts has been multiplied, the
icy wastes have been made to blossom as the rose.
The Hottentots of South Africa attracted the attention of the
congregation at Hernhutt, as subjects of missionary labour, as early
as 1737, in which year George Schmidt sailed for the Cape of Good
Hope, where he was received with great kindness, and proceeded to
form a Christian settlement. He preached to the natives through
an interpreter, established schools, and had the satisfaction of seeing
that his efforts were not in vain. The Hottentots treated him with
the utmost veneration, and a most pleasing prospect of enlarged
usefulness opened before him. But having occasion to return to
Europe in 1743, the Dutch East India Company prohibited the
renewal of the mission, on the pretence that the interests of the
colony would be injured by it. In consequence of this unexpected
action, nothing more was done for the conversion of South Africa
till 1792, when three missionaries sailed for the Cape, and were there
cordially received by the authorities. A place was assigned them
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 53
which they discovered to be the same occupied by Mr. Schmidt.
The ruins of buildings inhabited by him and his affectionate charge
were discovered, with several fruit trees planted by his own hand,
whose life amidst the surrounding desolation, was a welcome type
of the unfading vigour of that spiritual life communicated through
the word which they preached. They found also a solitary human
witness of the work achieved there, — an aged woman, nearly blind,
who though she had forgotten his instructions remembered her for-
mer teacher, and had preserved a copy of the New Testament.
Such of the people as had any recollection, or had heard of Mr.
Schmidt, received his successors gladly ; others, through slanders of
the Dutch farmers, were jealous of them, but by degrees consider-
able numbers came for instruction, and listened with the utmost
attention and reverence. Before the end of 1793, seven were received
to a public profession of their faith. Scarcely, however, had this
result been reached, when the mission was threatened by those
calamities which war always brings on the colonies of a belligerent
nation. The fear of an attack by the French caused the mission-
aries and all able-bodied members of their congregation to be sum-
moned to Cape Town for the defence of the colony,' — a measure
which, besides interrupting their appropriate labours, exposed those
left behind, and whom there was no time to remove, to great want
and suffering. From this they soon recovered on the removal of
the danger, but only to find themselves crippled by vexatious and
restrictive acts, passed by the colonial authorities at the instigation
of their enemies.
While still suffering under these regulations, in 1795, an insurrec-
tion was made by a portion of the colonists, having for its object the
redress of certain alleged grievances, among which the instruction
of the Hottentots was prominent. From this they were delivered
by the approach of a British force, which called the Dutch from
mutual hostilities to repel a common enemy. The Cape was sur-
rendered to the British, after which the mission enjoyed an interval
of repose which was diligently improved. The settlement increased
in numbers, the congregation was serious and devout, and the truth
was evidently heard with saving benefit. Nor was its religious
aspect the sole merit of the station. Neatness, cleanliness, industry
and good order characterized the people, to the confusion of those
who had slandered the self-denying brethren, their teachers, and
those who had treated the attempt to elevate the degraded Hot-
54 A VIEW OF EARLIER
tentot as an enterprise of moral Quixotism. The congregation was
decimated by an epidemic fever in the year 1800, but the missionaries
found consolation in the comfort with which their humble disciples,
strengthened by the hopes of the gospel, met the last enemy. Their
numbers were shortly made good; the fame of their settlement at
Bavian's Kloof (afterwards named Gnadenthal, or Gracevale) spread
through the land, and attracted numerous families, who took up
their abode with the missionaries, and sought the benefit of their
instructions.
On the return of peace the colony was restored to the Dutch, but
the new governor protected the mission, restored a tract of land
that had been wrested from them, and appointed one of them to
serve as chaplain to a Hottentot corps raised for the defence of the
colony, in which capacity his conduct received the decided approba-
tion of the government. In 1806, the colony was again and finally
captured by the British. The British governor treated the brethren
with much kindness, a new station was founded, and their labours
were pursued with increased success. From that time the South
African Mission has been firmly established. At different times it
has met with reverses from the occasional hostilities of the Caffres,
and other temporary troubles, but through every vicissitude it has
been preserved, a blessing to all brought under its influence, and
an active force cooperating with other gracious and providential
agencies, for the elevation of a people once deemed among the most
hopelessly degraded of the human race.
A decree of the Empress Catharine, granting to the Moravians
freedom to settle in the Russian dominions, and to exercise entire
religious liberty, encouraged them to attempt a mission among the
Calmuc Tartars in Asiatic Russia. Accordingly, in 1765, five mis-
sionaries stationed themselves at a point on the Wolga, upon the
high road to Persia and India, which from the advantages of its
position became a populous town, and received the name of Sarepta.
Their object, however, was not to found a city, but to extend the
empire of divine truth and love, and with this intent they laboured
to impart a knowledge of Christianity to the Calmucs, a body of whom
were then encamped in the neighbourhood. The chief was so far
pleased with their deportment, that he invited two of them to
accompany him in his summer wanderings. They accordingly went,
conforming to the Tartar modes of life, and followed the tribe in this
manner for two years. They were treated with kindness, and allowed
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 55
to preach; but meeting with no success, determined to return to
Sarepta, where their labours were limited to such of the tribe as visited
the town or encamped in the vicinity. In this way they persevered
till 1801, when it appearing that nothing had been visibly gained
towards effecting their object, they resolved to teach such Calmuc
children as they could collect into a school.
They soon obtained a few pupils for instruction in the German
language, among whom was the son of a chief. He was by degrees
impressed with the character and affected by the truths of the Bible.
In 1808 they commenced the translation of the Scriptures into the
Calmuc language, by the aid of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
They also ransomed four girls from slavery, who subsequently gave
evidence that the truths they heard were blessed to their personal
salvation. But the fact that five females constituted the sole fruit
of forty -five years' labour, so far discouraged them that the mission
was abandoned. It was renewed in 1815, under the patronage of
the London Missionary Society, by two of the brethren, who took
up their abode among a tribe, about two hundred miles south of
Sarepta on the Wolga. They were received with apparent good
will, but with some mistrust of their object, which was heightened
by the distribution of a few copies of the Gospel of St. Matthew,
just translated and published by the Petersburgh Bible Society.
The curiosity which it excited was succeeded by an apparent unea-
siness, lest their religion should be supplanted by one which, they
said, was "good for Germans/' but unsuitable for Calmucs.
The conversion of two Mongol saisangs- or nobles, who had been
induced to visit St. Petersburgh for the purpose of aiding in the
translation of the Scriptures, gave a new impulse to the truth. A
letter they wrote to their chief, copies of which were circulated by
the missionaries, was read with some effect, and in 1818 a man named
Sodnom professed his faith in Christ and in the immortal promises
of the gospel. In the course of this year, however, the chief became
openly hostile to Christianity, and refused the missionaries leave to
reside longer among his people. But twenty-two had become so
far enlightened as to withdraw from the tribe, and accompany the
brethren to Sarepta. The refusal of the Eussian government to
permit the gathering of converts into congregations under the
Moravian discipline, caused the substantial termination of the mis-
sion. The few Calmucs who had been brought to a knowledge of
the truth were absorbed in the Greek Church, and though the
56 A VIEW OF EAKLIER
brethren still maintained their settlement at Sarepta, it ceased to be
a centre of missions to the Tartars.
Besides the missions thus briefly sketched, the Moravians
attempted, in a like spirit of devotion, to plant the gospel in various
other countries, but difficulties that seemed insurmountable com-
pelled them to withdraw. Such were their enterprises in Lapland,
West Africa, Algiers, Ceylon, Persia, Egypt, and the Nicobar islands.
The work which they have been permitted to accomplish, however,
is an imperishable monument of the honour God delights to put
upon humble faith, working in love, with the divinely appointed
instrument, — truth. While thus devoting themselves to the salva-
tion of the heathen, they have found their own strength increased,
and the little band of " Hernhutters " is now a vigorous and growing
communion. The enlisting of larger and more wealthy bodies of
Christians in the work of missions, has caused their efforts to appear
in diminished relief to the eye of men, but they are none the less
earnest and useful than when the Moravian stations were almost the
only points of light in the wide darkness that so long shrouded
whole continents and "the multitude of isles."
During the last half of the eighteenth century, the state of the
Protestant world was highly unfavourable to evangelical enterprise.
On the continent of Europe the spiritual vitality of the reformed
churches was feeble. In England the power of religion over the
mass of society was slight. Whitefield and Wesley had done much-
to arouse the community, but powerful as the Methodist polity has
become, it was at that time in its infancy, and had no sway over the
higher and middle classes of society. Meanwhile the established
church was lethargic, except politically, and the dissenters also,
except as doctrinal disputation aroused an occasional and ungenial
activity. In the United States, the revolutionary war exhausted the
strength of the people, and of course depressed the churches, in a
degree from which they slowly recovered. In New England, more-
over, principles were widely diffused which were destined to divide
the Puritan churches, and deeply modify the forms of popular the-
ology. At such a time it was not strange if the Great Commission
was neglected. But it was not long so to be.
A new spirit of missions in England heralded the resuscitation of
the evangelical life of the established church, and the general revi-
val of pure religion in the country. In 1792 Carey and his associ-
MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES. 57
ates consecrated themselves to the diffusion of Christianity in the
East. In 1795 the London Missionary Society was organized, and
the same year was made memorable by the publication of Wilber-
force's "Practical View," exposing the hollowness of much that
passed for religion in the higher circles of society, and recalling men
to the claims of divine truth, — a work that was blessed, in conjunc-
tion with the devout labours of Simeon and his associates, to the
great increase of evangelical piety. The Church Missionary Society
soon began its noble career ; other bodies of Christians lent their aid
to enkindle the flame of a world-embracing charity; the churches of
America followed in their train. Thus, while the tempest raised by
the French revolution was sweeping over Europe, and threatening
the nations with complete civil and social dissolution ; and the more
withering blast of infidelity tainted the atmosphere as if to blight
the best hopes of the race, — the church was summoned to renew
the task committed to the eleven Apostles on the mount of ascen-
sion. The enterprise of missions, heretofore pursued by small and
isolated bands of Christians, now became a general movement,
enlisting continually new energy, till in our day it commands the
unanimous approval of evangelical Christendom, and has engaged
the service of some of her most honoured sons. In the succession
of those whose lives have been given to this glorious work, and
who have entered upon their everlasting rest, are many whoso
memory can never fail to be cherished as among the noblest exem-
plars of Christian heroism. If, by the contemplation of their self-
sacrificing career, any heart shall be made to beat with warmer
sympathy for the cause they loved more than their own lives, the
labour bestowed on the following pages will not have been in vain.
WILLIAM CAREY.
NOTHING in the origin or early life of William Carey gave promise
of the career which in the order of providence he was destined to
pursue. He was born at Paulerspury, Northamptonshire, England,
August 17, 1761. His grandfather was master of the village school.
His father, Edmund Carey, was apprenticed to a weaver, and fol-
lowed that trade till William, his eldest son, was six years of age,
when he was nominated to the charge of the same school. William
received a good English education, and his inquisitive and diligent
habits led him to make excellent use of his opportunities. He early
displayed a taste for the study of geography and history, for the
reading of voyages and travels, for drawing, and the observation of
nature. He gathered specimens of plants and flowers, birds and
insects, with which his apartment was stored, and had a decided
partiality for the study of the physical sciences. Eomances had
their attraction, and he indulged his taste for them to some extent,
but he "hated novels and plays." Yet, although perseveringly stu-
dious, his active temperament made him eager in the exercise of
boyish sports and recreations, and he is recorded to have been a
general favourite with those of his own age. His manners were
not prepossessing, but his qualities were such as could not fail to
excite the attention of observing men. One person used to say
"he was sure, if he lived to be ever so old, he would always be a
learner, and in pursuit of something further." A gentleman of
Leicester remarked, after he was settled in the ministry, that "never
a youth promised fairer to make a great man, had he not turned
cushion-thumper." But he who endowed him with the gifts that
thus seemed to fit him for worldly distinction, led him by a way
that worldly observation could not discern, and reserved him for
an enterprise, the idea of which had scarcely dawned on the vision
of the most far-sighted of his contemporaries.
The moral promise of his youth was less auspicious than his intel-
lectual. His parents were attached to the established church, and
he was made familiar with the Scriptures, but was ignorant of evan-
gelical religion, and from his first knowledge of its professors enter-
60 WILLIAM CAREY.
tained a settled contempt for them. He was intimate with vicious
associates, and became addicted to habits of falsehood and profane-
ness. That from such a condition he should have attached himself
to one of the humblest classes of dissenters, become a laborious
preacher among them, and ultimately be a pioneer in a work which
now commands in a large measure the energies of evangelical
Christendom, and the respect of less sympathizing observers, was
as improbable, according to any common estimate, as it was in
accordance with the ordinary methods of Divine wisdom.
A scorbutic disorder in his face and hands, which was aggravated
by exposure to the heat of the sun, unfitted him for employments
in the open air, while the circumstances of the family forbade any
aspirations after pursuits adapted to the activity of his mind, and
at the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to a shoemaker in Hackle-
ton. One of his associates, the son of a dissenter, frequently
engaged him in religious disputes. This person becoming seriously
attentive to personal religion, became also more importunate in his
appeals to young Carey, and occasionally lent him a religious book.
He thus gradually gained a knowledge and relish of evangelical
doctrines, and became uneasy in view of his own spiritual condition.
He resolved to reform his habits, became constant in his attendance
at the parish church, and frequented a small dissenting meeting on
Sunday evenings, with the idea that by this combination of means,
he would secure the favour of Heaven. How distant he was from
clear conceptions of the nature of true piety, appears from an inci--
dent he relates that occurred at this time. He had taken, among
the customary Christmas gifts that the workmen collected, a bad
shilling, and attempted to transfer the loss to his master, having
money of his to account for. Dreading detection, he prayed for
success in the cheat, vowing that if he got safely through it, he
would thenceforth give over all his evil practices! He Avas merci-
fully detected and exposed, and thus spared from that hardening of
his moral susceptibilities which would naturally have followed from
success, while it revealed more sensibly the evil of his own heart
and led him to seek more earnestly the renewal of his nature.
A whimsical fancy (for in itself it scarcely deserved a better name)
was the means of breaking him off from a lifeless, formal ministry, to
one more spiritual. Listening to a discourse on the duty of implicitly
following Christ, his attention was arrested by the emphatic repeti-
tion of the text, "Let us therefore go out unto him without the
WILLIAM CAKEY. 61
camp, bearing his reproach." The idea suggested itself to his mind
that the Church of England was the ucamp " in which all men were
sheltered from the reproach of the cross, and this crude impression
led him at once to renounce his ancestral and proudly cherished
faith, and to attach himself to the little congregation of dissenters in
the village. By reading and reflection he formed for himself a reli-
gious creed, the substance of which he ever afterwards regarded as
sound and scriptural. The clerk of a neighbouring parish, who had
imbibed some mystical opinions, sent a message to him, desiring a
conference on religious subjects. They met, and had a warm discus-
sion for six hours. His antagonist addressed him with a warmth
and tenderness to which he had been unaccustomed, clearly con-
victing him of unchristian conduct, and controverting, though
unsuccessfully, his doctrines. He found himself unable to admit his
friend's opinions or to defend his own. But he became profoundly
sensible of his own moral defilement and helplessness, and was soon
led to place his entire trust in a crucified Saviour, and to repose his
faith in the word of God as the sole standard of truth.
The little company of dissenters at Hackleton having organized
themselves into a church, Carey united with them, and there being
a considerable awakening, their meetings were more fully attended
than usual. At these meetings he was occasionally requested to
speak, which he did much to the satisfaction of the people. Subse-
quently being at the meeting of the association at Olney, — he had
not a penny in his pocket, and fasted all day, — he fell in with some
friends residing at Earl's Barton. By the advice of Rev. Mr. Chater,
they came to Hackleton a fortnight after, and asked him to preach
to them. He accepted this invitation, as he said, because he had
not the courage to refuse, and visited them twice with such encour-
agement that he continued to preach there at stated intervals, for
three years and a half.* A similar invitation from friends at Pau-
lerspury, his native place, was accepted with the more pleasure, as
it gave him an opportunity to visit his parents. His friends were
by no means pleased with his desertion of the established church,
but their natural partiality was gratified by the acceptableness of his
youthful ministrations, and in consideration of it, they tolerated his
* In the account which Dr. Carey gave of his early years, from which this sketch
is compiled, there is a remarkable absence of dates, which his biographer has not
supplied, — perhaps from inability to do so.
62 WILLIAM CAREY.
eccentricity. He had the happiness, not long after, to see other
members of the family partakers, through grace, of the promise of
eternal life which he cherished and preached.
During all this time, while established in the elementary principles
of the gospel, his mind was in a considerable degree unsettled on
some points of Christian doctrine. His doubts were resolved by
the perusal of Hall's* "Help to Zion's Travellers." Some of his
friends told him it was poison: but he remarked that "it was so
sweet he drank greedily to the bottom of the cup," and he never
regretted that he did so. His attention being called to the subject
by a sermon, he adopted the views of the Baptists, and received
the ordinance of baptism at the hands of Dr. Kyland. Eev. Mr.
Sutcliff, afterwards a warm cooperator in the missionary enterprise,
remonstrated with him on the irregularity of his preaching. By his
advice he offered himself to the church at Olney, and was soon after
formally set apart to the work of the ministry. He arrived at this
consummation not without sore trials. He had married at the age
of twenty, his wife was of a feeble constitution, his business furnished
him an inadequate support, which was not sensibly mended by any
compensation he received for his preaching. Ordinary men would
have fainted with discouragement, but he entered on the ministry
not for reward, except he might win souls for his hire, and the same
motives that led him into the work, sustained him unfalteringly in
its prosecution.
He now settled at Moulton, a step which did not much improve
his outward circumstances. He attempted to sustain himself by a
school, which failed, and he was driven to labour at his trade, a fact
that afterwards pointed the famous jest of Sydney Smith about
" consecrated coblers." But on the whole, the period of his resi-
dence there was among the most important of his life. By an exact
economy of time he made rapid progress in knowledge. It was
here that he began the acquisition of languages, exhibiting that
master talent which was destined to be the ground of his last-
ing fame, and what he valued more, his enduring usefulness. It
is related that a friend having given him a volume in Dutch, he
forthwith procured a grammar, and learned that language. His
mind was quickened by intercourse with men whose names are now
* Rev. Robert Hull, senior.
WILLIAM CAREY. 63
the exclusive property of no religious sect, especially with Fuller
and Pearce. Here, above all, was kindled in his bosom the mis-
sionary spirit, which he cherished and communicated to others, till
their hearts glowed in sympathy with his own.
While teaching his pupils geography, his thoughts were turned to
the moral condition of the world, and once fixed there, could not be
diverted. On the wall of his workshop was suspended a large chart,
in which were inscribed notes on the population and religion of
various nations, and with this he occupied his thoughts while earning
his scanty subsistence. Here he meditated the great theme, not with
mere sentimental pity or the fervour of romantic enthusiasm, but with
a calm and duteous sense of responsibility to God, and in a spirit of
fidelity to the great commission of his Kedeemer, in pursuance of
which, though at first with an imperfect sense of its comprehensive
magnitude, he had begun to proclaim the gospel. No voice from
without cheered his lonely studies; the Divine Spirit visited him
alone, prompted his aspirations and gave energy to his infant purpose.
By persevering effort he succeeded in engaging a few persons in
his plans. As early as 1784, at a meeting at Nottingham, it was
resolved to set apart the first Monday evening of each month as a
season of united prayer for the conversion of the world, an appoint-
ment now of nearly universal observance. It was about this time,
at a meeting of ministers at Northampton, that he broached the
question of "the duty of Christians to spread the gospel among hea-
then nations." Mr. Eyland, Sen., received the suggestion with sur-
prise, and called him an enthusiast. His zeal was not to be damped,
however, but he was content to "bide his time." He composed a
pamphlet on the subject, which, at a later period, when his plans
had ripened into a regular missionary organization, was given to the
world at the request of his associates.
In 1789, the straits to which he was reduced led him to think of
a removal to a more desirable residence, when he was called to settle
at Leicester. There his circumstances were somewhat meliorated, he
found ampler opportunities for acquiring knowledge, and his sphere
of usefulness was enlarged. Yet he still found it necessary to teach
a school for his support. No pressure of occupation, however, could
divert his mind from the theme he had so long cherished. In the
spring of 1791, at a meeting at Clipston, Northamptonshire, Mr.
Fuller and Mr. Sutcliff preached on the subject, and Mr. Carey then
urged the formation of a society. Eegarding the proposal as prema-
64 WILLIAM CAREY.
ture, they requested him to publish the pamphlet which they knew
he had in manuscript. He did so, and a year afterwards, at Notting-
ham, preached his memorable discourse from Isa. 54: 2, 3, drawing
from the text these exhortations that have long been the motto of
Christian enterprise, — "Expect great things from God: attempt great
things for God." The meeting caught the spirit of the discourse ; it
was resolved to organize a society, and in October, at Kettering, a plan
was matured, a committee appointed and a subscription commenced*
The sum subscribed was thirteen pounds, two shillings and sixpence,
— an humble beginning that made a fine mark for scoffing wits. At
this meeting Mr. Carey promptly offered himself, and was accepted
as a missionary to India. His determination was announced to his
father with that modest composure which uniformly characterized
him. uTo be devoted, like a sacrifice, to holy uses," he says, "is the
great business of a Christian. — I consider myself as devoted to the
service of God alone, and now I am to realize my professions. I am
to go to Bengal, in the East Indies, as a missionary to the Hindoos.
I hope, dear father, you may be enabled to surrender me up to the
Lord for the most arduous, honourable and important work that
ever any of the sons of men were called to engage in." But his
calmness was not the result of insensibility, for he adds, "I have
many sacrifices to make ; I must part with a beloved family and a
number of most affectionate friends. Never did I see such sorrow
manifested as reigned through our place of worship last Lord's day.
But I have set my hand to the plough." The fruit of his long and
lonely struggles now began to spring up in his sight. It was but
a handful of corn, but he knew the fulness of the Divine promise,
and was assured that it would one day "shake like Lebanon."
The obstacles to the enterprise on which these faithful brethren
had entered were numerous and perplexing. The attempt was new,
they had no clear precedents to guide them, and they must strike
out their own path. Their means were scanty. The church at Bir-
mingham, through the ardent zeal of their pastor, Samuel Pearce,
nobly responded to the voice that summoned them to "attempt
great things," and raised the subscription for the committee to
nearly one hundred pounds, and others lent their aid. Carey was
resolved to go forward, in the trust that the churches would furnish
all needful aid, but there was much in the state of the Baptist
denomination to shake a weaker faith than animated him. A form
WILLIAM CAKEY. 65
of theology that might be termed a caricature of Calvinism, para-
lyzed all zealous effort for the salvation of men. Fuller had exerted
his great powers to demonstrate that the gospel is "worthy of all
acceptation," but the duty of all men to receive it was still but par-
tially admitted, and it was hardly to be expected that persons who
stumbled at this truth would devote themselves to the task of
preaching the gospel to the heathen, while practically denying the
efficacy of preaching at home. By others the superior claims of
home evangelization were arrayed, as they are occasionally now,
against foreign missions. Moreover the movers in the work, though
now viewed as among the great lights of their age, were obscure
men, and their plans were received with distrust. Only one Baptist
minister in the metropolis sanctioned the movement, and though
treated with great personal respect by Dr. Stennett and the venera-
ble Abraham Booth, Carey when in London received his chief
encouragement from Eev. John Newton, whose warm sympathies
could not be restrained within the exclusive limits of the established
church, of which his piety made him a distinguished ornament.
Even if these impediments were overcome, it was doubtful whether
the missionaries would be permitted to enter Bengal. The jealousy
with which the East India Company viewed such a movement,
though not fully displayed till a later period, was well understood.
More painful than all else, he met obstacles in his own household.
Mrs. Carey would not consent to his design, and refused to accom-
pany him; and though her resolution was overruled, her society,
in the absence of sympathy, was no help to her devoted husband.
Wearily did he bear this heaviest of calamities before he discov-
ered, many years afterwards, its true source in her evident insanity,
and found in this overwhelming sorrow a relief from the more
poignant anguish which her unexplained conduct towards him
had caused.
But Carey walked by faith, not by sight, and if he ever entertained
a momentary doubt of success, it was resolutely silenced. He ten-
dered his resignation of the charge in which he he had been so useful
and beloved, which was accepted with regret but without murmur-
ing by his affectionate people. The self-sacrificing spirit with which
they gave up their pastor, and contributed to the cause to which he
devoted his life's energies, had its reward. Few churches in the
kingdom were more prosperous than that in Leicester under his
successors, among whom the name of Eobert Hall is illustrious. He
5
66 WILLIAM CAREY.
took leave of his friends, and urged his preparations for the voyage
with all his characteristic force and methodical perseverance. As if
with a triumphant assurance of success he said to Mr. Ward, a pious
and intelligent youth, a printer by trade, "We shall want you in a
few years to print the Bible; you must come after us." The words
were never forgotten, and Mr. Ward a few years after, had the hon-
our of fulfilling more amply this prophetic suggestion.
The selection of a companion to share his labours was among the
first cares of the committee. One was providentially at hand. Mr.
John Thomas, a gentleman educated to the medical profession, who
had practised for some years in London, visited Bengal in 1780 as
a surgeon on board the Oxford, East Indiaman. On his arrival he
sought to devise some plan for the spread of the gospel there, but
was unsuccessful, and on returning to England united with a Bap-
tist church in London. He now began to preach occasionally. On
a second visit to India, in 1786, he became acquainted with a few
pious persons with whom he met for prayer, and afterwards preached
to them on Sunday evenings. One of these requested him to remain
in the country, and preach to the natives. He shrank at first from
the proposal, for he had never intended to engage personally in the
work ; he disliked the climate, dreaded a protracted separation from
his family, and doubted whether he could with propriety leave his
ship. The subject, however, could not be driven from his thoughts,
and after much prayer he made the effort. His labours were blessed
to the hopeful conversion of two Europeans, and he was much
encouraged by the seriousness of two or three natives, one of whom,
a man of more than common capacity and attainments, assisted him
in translating the Gospel of Matthew and other portions of the New
Testament. These tokens of the Divine favour led Mr. Thomas to
visit England for the purpose of enlisting coadjutors and securing
pecuniary aid. The committee believed that his providential call
to India, his acquaintance with British residents there, his knowledge
of the country and the language, and his evident missionary zeal,
eminently fitted him to be associated in their first enterprise, and
accordingly he was appointed. The decision was no doubt for the
best on the whole, but Mr. Thomas' improvident habits had already
involved him in debts that embarrassed the beginnings of the enter-
prise, and afterwards brought the mission into serious straits, while
a degree of fickleness and eccentricity severely tried Carey's
patience, till, as in the case of his wife, the manifest proofs of
WILLIAM CAREY. 67
mental derangement taught him a fresh lesson of forbearance and
charitable judgment.
Their preparations having been completed, Mr. and Mrs. Carey
and their son Felix, with Mr. Thomas and his family, embarked in
the Earl of Oxford, for Calcutta, — when their plans were frustrated
by the refusal of the captain to sail with them ; that officer having
been warned by an anonymous letter that he would be proceeded
against fbr taking a passenger whose errand was not disclosed to
the East India Company, and who had no license from them to visit
Bengal. Besides the disappointment caused by this decision, a large
part of their passage money was lost.* In this emergency Mr.
Thomas, whose elasticity of spirits and fertility of resource aston-
ished all parties, succeeded in procuring a passage in a Danish East
Indiaman advertised to sail in four days. He hurried to North-
ampton, the committee raised the necessary sum to pay their pas-
sage, their baggage was conve}^ed in an open boat to Portsmouth, and
within the appointed time they were all safe on board. They bade
farewell to England on the 13th of June, 1793, and after a pleasant
voyage arrived at Calcutta on the llth of November following.
Carey now found himself in the land to which he had so long
looked forward, with scanty means, with no clearly defined plan of
operations, and without any of that Christian sympathy which was
so needful to sustain his spirit and give a genial force to his active
powers. The European residents of Bengal were not more aliens
from their native country than from the spirit of a Christian people.
Emancipated from the restraints of home, they cast off all restraint
of principle. Most of them were professed infidels. The natives
were accustomed to say that the English differed from any people
they had ever known, for while all other nations had some object
of worship, the English had no religion at all. Of course they had
no faith in missions, and no love for the objects which missions aimed
to effect. On every side swarmed a vast native population, — that
of Bengal alone exceeding fifty millions, and peopling the whole
peninsula nearly one hundred and fifty millions, — though at that
time British rule toward the northward stopped far short of the
Himmalayas and the Indus. This immense multitude was composed
of numerous tribes and nations, speaking not less than twenty-five
* Of £350 paid, Mr. Carey received back only £150, and no account is given in
their narrative of the refunding of the balance.
68 WILLIAM CAREY.
languages, with almost an infinity of sub-divisions, each having its
local or hereditary dialect. With the exceptions of Mohammedans,
Parsees, nominal Christians and smaller sects, most of them of for-
eign descent, the greater portion of the people were professors of
some of the numerous forms of belief which together constitute
Hindooism — a name that describes not so much a definite religious
system as a local concourse of impure, debasing and cruel supersti-
tions, intermingled partly by affinities derived from their common
pantheistic origin, and partly by the accidents of conquest. The
peninsula having been several times overrun by powerful invaders
and rent by civil war, all the vices generated by centuries of violence
and oppression were added to those of the prevailing forms of reli-
gion. In spite of its cruel and degrading character, Hindooism holds
the mind of its votary by a more powerful grasp than any other
known form of paganism, strengthened as it is by the influence of
remote antiquity, and so intertwined with the institutions of society,
that almost every voluntary act from the cradle to the grave is a
part of its ritual.
As if this were not enough, British authority lent a partial sanc-
tion to these fearful superstitions. The East India Company was
swayed by men whose ends were chiefly mercenary, and who dreaded
lest any appearance of hostility to heathenism should imperil their
gains and the dominion by which these were made secure. Accord-
ingly the government ostentatiously patronized idolatry, with its
impure and cruel rites, took pleasure in annoying those who sought
to diffuse Christianity, and more than once dared to prohibit directly
the instruction of its subjects in the will and worship of God. The
missionaries, moreover, had but limited means of support, and
uncertainty rested on the prospect of aid from home. Under these
circumstances Mr. Carey resolved to engage in the cultivation of the
soil, and thus at once provide for his own support and place him-
self in a situation admitting of free intercourse with the people.
Before he could accomplish his design he was reduced to great des-
titution by the improvidence of his colleague, to whom as the most
familiar with the country the direction of their pecuniary affairs was
entrusted. Mr. Thomas indeed seemed to have no consistent plan.
At one time he showed a disposition to abandon the work, and
resuEfre . jnedical practice at Calcutta, while Mr. Carey, resolute in
his deterrtridation to execute his sacred commission, was casting
about for some refuge in which to shelter himself from want.
WILLIAM CAREY. 69
In this emergency lie received notice that Geo:ge Udney, Esq.,
of Malda, was setting up two Indigo factories in the district of Din-
agepore, and an invitation to himself and his colleague to assume
the charge of them, with salaries of two hundred rupees per month
and a commission on the indigo manufactured. This sum was suf-
ficient to provide for their support. At the same time it promised
to place them in a position to exert an influence over a large num-
ber of people, more, probably, than they would find access to in any
other manner, and thus to afford the means of laying a durable
foundation for their future operations. For these reasons the offer
was accepted, and they removed to their respective locations, Mr.
Carey at Udnabatty, and Mr. Thomas at Moypaldiggy, sixteen miles
apart, in June 1794. Their friends at home learned these facts with
surprise and not a little dissatisfaction. However advantageous to
the cause it might be that the mission was established on an inde-
pendent basis, and that they were thus at liberty to expend their
contributions wholly in the support of others, the engagement of
their missionaries in secular occupations was regarded as improper,
and calculated to divert them from their appropriate work. And
though the devotion of Mr. Carey to his appointed service was such
as to render the apprehension needless in his particular case, there
can be no doubt that, as a general rule, the hazard is too great to be
run except an imperative necessity demands it. In the present
instance, however, the reasons that led to such a course were weighty;
and the necessity of some such employment to give the missiona-
ries a secure footing in the country, while the East India Company
should continue hostile to their main errand, left no alternative.
A man of less industry and method than Carey, even with his
devotion, would have found such employment scarcely consistent
with missionary labours. The cares of building, preparing the
works and making the necessary arrangements for the manufacture,
absorbed much time, and must have been a continual burden to his
mind. But from the first his eye was on his spiritual calling, and
his journal attests how anxiously he watched over his thoughts and
affections, jealous lest a spirit of worldliness should chill his ardour
and slacken his efforts for the salvation of men. He preached regu-
larly to the English inhabitants in the ricinity, and addressed the
natives through his monshee or interpreter, Ram Boshoo. This
was one of the three persons of whom Mr. Thomas had entertained
hope that they were sincere converts. He had unhappily fallen into
70 WILLIAM CAEEY.
idolatry through the power of persecution, which he had not firm-
ness to endure, but he manifested his attachment to the missionaries,
and immediately on their arrival became Mr. Carey's assistant, by
whom he was employed to assist in translating the Scriptures. The
study of the language was zealously pursued from the first, and in
August, Mr. Carey wrote, — "The language is very copious and I
think beautiful. I begin to converse in it a little; but my third son,
about five years old, speaks it fluently."
In the autumn he was brought low by sickness, during which he
was bereaved of his son just mentioned. This circumstance brought
out most vividly the spirit of caste, an institution which must be
regarded as one of the subtlest contrivances the Evil-one has ever
devised to enslave a people in sin. By this system the whole nation
is divided into hereditary ranks, each caste being interdicted from
intermarriage and from equal intercourse with any other. At the
same time to lose caste, which is done by violating any of the con-
ventional religious rules of the order, or by eating with foreigners
or other out-castes, is to subject the offender to the most deplorable
degradation, to forfeit his rights of property,* to separate him for
ever from the society of his nearest friends. Swartz and some other
missionaries regarded caste as a purely civil distinction, and did not
require its relinquishment by their converts, but there can be no
question, in view of long experience and observation, that it is an
essential part of the religious system of Brahminism, and totally
hostile to the spirit of equality that belongs to Christianity. It is
now generally discarded by the existing missions in India. The
present was the first striking incident which revealed to Mr. Carey
the inherent baseness and inhumanity of the system. It was next
to impossible to find any person to dig a grave or aid in burying his
son. Bat he was sustained under these sorrows, and on his recovery,
exerted himself with new energy in his labour of love.
In the following year he spoke of addressing "large congregations
of natives," some of whom appeared deeply interested in his message.
He urged forward the work of translation ; and in June he records
* It is a singular fact, that until 1833, the courts of the East India Company
rigidly enforced this intolerant rule throughout their dominions. It was then abol-
ished in Bengal, but continued in force in the other presidencies till 1850. Thus
British power was exerted to enforce the persecuting Hindoo and Mohammedan
laws, and no native could embrace Christianity without literally incurring the " loss
of all things for Christ."
WILLIAM CAKEY. 71
that the Pentateuch and New Testament were nearly completed.
They were revised and ready for the press in about two years. The
mental derangement of his wife was now permitted to deepen his
cup of sorrows, though for reasons already suggested it could hardly
have added bitterness to the draught. He shortly commenced the
study of the Sanscrit, one of the most difficult of languages, although
as the original stock from which most of the oriental tongues are
derived, essential to success in his great undertaking, — the transla-
tion of the Scriptures into those numerous languages. In 1797 he
was cheered by the hope that three natives had become subjects of
grace, and though his expectations of them were not fully realized,
the impulses of his faith were strengthened. The arrival of an asso-
ciate from England, Eev. John Fountain, was a great encouragement,
giving him Christian society, and that sympathy without which the
most engaging tasks lose something of their power to enlist a man's
entire faculties. A school for native children was opened. The jeal-
ousy of parents led to such frequent changes of the pupils that it
accomplished less than had been hoped, but it was not easy to
discourage his persevering benevolence.
On the arrival of Mr. Fountain the government made a demon-
stration of its jealousy by requiring all Europeans not in their service
to report themselves and their occupation. To avoid the chance of
an order for Air. Fountain's expatriation, he was appointed an assist-
ant of Mr. Carey in the indigo works, and so reported. Immediate
collision with the authorities was thus avoided, and the brethren,
proceeded with their labours. In 1798, the Pentateuch, New-Testa-
ment and eighty-five Psalms having been translated, measures were
taken to procure and set up a printing press. This enterprise was
brought to a stand in the next year by two events that jointly threat-
ened the mission with extinction. Mr. Udney met with such losses
in business as to make the suspension of his factories necessary, thus
removing from the missionaries the shield which that occupation had
afforded them. About the same time four missionaries, Messrs.
Marshman, Ward, Brunsden, and Grant, arrived in Calcutta, and
were ordered by the Government to leave the country. They had
come in an American vessel, from the certainty that the Directors
of the East India Company in London would refuse them a permit
to settle in Bengal, and trusting that having once reached their des-
tination, Providence would open a way for them to remain.
Upon the failure of Mr. Udney's works, Messrs. Carey and Foun-
72 WILLIAM CAREY.
tain were relieved from immediate pecuniary embarrassment, by a
generous advance from W. Cunninghame, Esq., a gentleman then
filling a judicial station at Dinagepore, who had been benefited by
their preaching, and with great delicacy offered his assistance on first
hearing of their necessities. Mr. Carey at once contracted for the
purchase of an indigo factory at Kidderpore, in the vicinity, and was
making preparations for a removal thither, when he was called to sac-
rifice his whole investment, and transfer the mission to another field.
On the arrival of the new missionaries at Calcutta, they learned
that they would not be tolerated in the country. About fourteen
miles above Calcutta, there was a small Danish settlement, to which
they repaired for a temporary retreat. The governor had enjoyed
the instructions of Swartz, and gave them the assurance of his pro-
tection. They afterwards learned that their repulse from Calcutta
arose from a paragraph in a newspaper, in which they were described
as popish missionaries, but from the subsequent conduct of the Brit-
ish authorities, it was manifest that their settlement would have been
resisted and their enterprise harassed at all events. As Serampore
was happily under a friendly jurisdiction, while from the dense
population it commanded and its- nearness to Calcutta it afforded
excellent facilities for their labours, it was decided that the mission
should be fixed there. This involved a sacrifice of the entire
property Mr. Carey had purchased at Kidderpore, and a relin-
quishment of his work in that field with its first buds of promise,
but their duty appeared plain, the removal was made, and in Janu-
ary, 1800, the mission was established at Serampore.
The six years which Mr. Carey had spent in India had not been
unproductive. True, he had accomplished but little, even appa-
rently, in turning the natives from idolatry ; and the hopes enter-
tained of two or three persons whom he had instructed were sadly
disappointed. But he had gained facility in the use of the Bengali
language, and translated an important part of the Scriptures; had
mastered the elements of the Sanscrit, in which he soon became an
accomplished scholar; and had that practical acquaintance with the
native character which, in connexion with these important acquisi-
tions, prepared him for energetic and judicious labour. He gained
a juster view of the obstacles in his path. The strong bands by
which the Hindoo faith was riveted on the native mind had been
imperfectly apprehended by him. In truth, a protracted experience
WILLIAM CAEEY. 73
has been required to show clearly to the Christian world the full
strength with which oriental superstitions grasp their subjects, and
in India idolatry is so interwoven with all the social relations of the
people, that though convinced of its falsity, they will not be easily
persuaded to make themselves outcasts on earth, even to secure the
bliss of heaven. Nor have we any reason to wonder, if such mul-
titudes shrink from taking up the cross, in lands where the cross is
outwardly honoured, that men should refuse the burden where it
must consign them to worldly infamy. To proclaim the truth in
such circumstances called for a large measure of that faith which
relies exclusively, as Mr. Carey expressed it, on "the promise, power
and faithfulness of God."
Mr. Grant was not permitted to enter this field. He died at Cal-
cutta a few days after his arrival, and not long after Mr. Fountain,
whose faithful labours promised abundant usefulness, was likewise
called away from his station at Dinagepore, a severe blow to the
mission. But the protection they received at Serampore gave every
encouragement to enter hopefully and energetically on their appointed
work. The translation had been urged on with such success that
before his removal Mr. Carey was able to announce that the whole
Bible, except 2d Kings and 2d Chronicles, was completed. The
press was worked with vigour, the four Gospels and several tracts
were printed within nine months, and portions of them put in circu-
lation. He began to preach regularly five or six discourses a week
to the natives, and a Sunday service in English was established for
the benefit of the European population, who needed it scarcely less
than the natives themselves. Serampore was a retreat not more
convenient for the missionaries than for persons who had less repu-
table reasons for escaping the British jurisdiction, and the state of
society was anything but desirable. A free school was opened for
native children, and soon had fifty scholars. A boarding school in
English was also established. "Often," said Mr. Carey, "the name
of Christ alone is sufficient to make a dozen of our hearers file off
at once; and sometimes to produce the most vile, blasphemous,
insulting and malicious opposition from those that hear us. We,
however, rather look upon this as a token for good, for till very
lately no one ever opposed ; they were too fast asleep." The con-
version of Mr. Carey's sons, Felix and "William, gave him fresh
encouragement, and this was soon followed by the gathering of their
st convert from heathenism.
7-i WILLIAM CAKEY.
On the 27th of November, 1800, Mr. Carey mentioned visiting a
man named Krishnu, who had dislocated his shoulder, who came to
the missionaries a few days after, accompanied by Yokul, a friend
who had been much impressed with the truths of the gospel. Both
soon declared themselves believers, together with Krishnu 's wife and
sister-in-law. The two men broke caste December 22d, by eating
with the missionaries, and on that evening, together with the women
and Felix Carey, were received by the church for baptism. On the
29th Mr. Carey "had the happiness to desecrate the Ganges by bap-
tizing the first Hindoo," Krishnu, and also his son Felix, some cir-
cumstances having delayed the profession of the other candidates.
The joy of the mission was great, the excitement among the natives
intense. Krishnu's daughter was seriously impressed. Unfortu-
nately she had been married when a child, as is usual in India, to a
lad at Calcutta, and as she was now reluctant to consummate the
alliance with a heathen, the people made a tumultuous assault on the
house, and dragged Krishnu with his wife and daughter to prison.
The governor immediately released them, with the assurance that
the contract should not be enforced against the girl's inclinations.
Two or three months after, however, the husband came, and forcibly
abducted her to Calcutta. Efforts were made in that city to procure
redress, but the authorities declared that while she should have the
free exercise of her religion, a Christian profession could not inval-
idate the marriage bond. The decision, however just and unavoid-
able, was not less trying to the faith of her unhappy parents.
The joyful excitement caused by these first triumphs over hea-
thenism is supposed to have hastened the development of that
mental disorder to which Mr. Thomas was constitutionally liable,
and he was committed to an hospital. His eccentricities of beha-
vior, while their true cause was hardly suspected, had severely tried
his associates, who yet admired his zeal and versatile capacity, and
regarded him as a valuable auxiliary.*
Mr. Carey wrote to Dr. Eyland, June 15th, 1801, a pleasing notice
of the success of the mission up to that time, with a description of
the first converts, that must have been received by the brethren at
home as a most precious and satisfying result of their patient efforts.
"God has given us some from among the heathen," he says, "and
* He was shortly restored to society, but his constitution was enfeebled, and he
died a few months after.
WILLIAM CAKEY. 75
some from among Europeans and others. "We have baptized, since
the last day of December, five Hindoos, the last of whom, a man
whose name is Gokul, was baptized June 7th. We hope for another
or two. These give us much pleasure. Yet we need great prudence,
for they are but a larger sort of children, compared with Europeans ;
we are obliged to encourage, to strengthen, to counteract, to advise,
to disapprove, to teach ; and yet to do all so as to retain their warm
affections.
" The manner in which our Hindoo friends recommend the gos-
pel to others is very pleasing. They speak of the love of Christ in
suffering and dying, and this appears to be all in all with them.
Their conversation with others is somewhat like the following. A
man says, ' Well, Krishnu, you have left off all the customs of your
ancestors — what is the reason?' Krishnu says, 'Only have patience,
and I will inform you. I am a great sinner; I tried the Hindoo
worship, but got no good : after a while I heard of Christ, that he
was incarnate, laboured much, and at last laid down his life for sin-
ners. I thought, What love is this! And here I made my resting
place. Now say if anything like this love was ever shown by any
of your gods ? — You know that they only sought their own ease, and
had no love for any one!' This is the simple way in which they
confront others, and none can answer except by railing, which they
bear patiently, and glory in."
In this letter he also comnumicated, with that modesty which was
his invariable characteristic, the fact that he had been appointed
teacher of Bengali and Sanscrit, in the college of Fort . William.
The college was founded by Marquis Wellesley, then Grovernor-
general of India, for the instruction of the junior civil servants of
the East India Company. Certain oaths and subscriptions being
required of professors with which he could not comply, he was
ineligible to that office, and bore the humbler title of teacher. The
disabling statutes were subsequently removed, and Mr. Carey was
made professor of Oriental languages. He felt great distrust of his
ability satisfactorily to discharge his new duties, but at the recom-
mendation of his colleagues, and with the belief that it would not
interfere with the efficient prosecution of his missionary work, he
accepted the appointment. It became necessary for him to prepare
his own apparatus of instruction, Bengali and Sanscrit grammars,
vocabularies and elementary books. Having no academic experi-
ence, he was obliged to strike out his own path; and it maybe
4> WILLIAM CAREY.
readily imagined that all his habitual diligence and strictness of
method were required to perform these tasks, and yet save the first
and most sacred pursuit of his life from entire neglect. This he
accomplished. The progress of the mission is shown in a letter
under date of November, 1801. " Hitherto the Lord has helped
me. I have lived to see the Bible translated into Bengali, and the
whole New Testament printed. The first volume of the old Testa-
ment will also soon appear. I have lived to see two of my sons
converted, and one of them join the church of Christ. I have lived
to baptize five native Hindoos, and to see a sixth baptized ; and to
see them walk worthy of their vocation for twelve months since
they first made a profession of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. I
have lived to see the temporal concerns of the mission in a state far
beyond my expectation, so that we have now two good houses con-
tiguous to each other, with two thousand pounds; a flourishing
school, the favour of both the Danish and English governments,
and, in short, the mission almost in a state of ability to maintain
itself. Having seen all this, I sometimes am almost ready to say,
'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to
thy word ; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.' ' Nearly two
years later, (September, 1803,) he wrote " The Lord still smiles upon
us. I some time ago baptized three natives and my son William.
Our number of baptized natives is now twenty-five, and the whole
number of church members thirty-nine. I was greatly pleased with
a small excursion which I made, some little time ago, in Jessore.
I hope there is the foundation of a work in those parts. We have
now begun to print the second edition of the New Testament, and
are about to publish some of our little pamphlets in the Hindoo-
stani language. Dear Pearce's address to the Lascars is put into
that language. We have also some thoughts of the Mahrattas."
The necessary absorption of his faculties in the work of transla-
tion, was now such that he became jealous lest his mind might be
secularized by a "bias towards seeking out words, phrases and
idioms of speech." This, however, he adds, "is an absolutely neces-
sary work, and cannot be done without much repeated and close
attention, and frequent revision. I therefore comfort myself with
the thought that I am in the work of the Lord.'7 So manifest was
it that his fitness for the work and his favourable position alike called
him to undertake greater things in this department of labour, that
WILLIAM CAREY. 77
we soon find him widening his field of exertion. Within five months
he reports himself as engaged in the translation of the Scriptures intc
the Hindoostani, Persian, Mahratta and Ookul languages, and
intending to undertake more. At the same time the mission was
extended by establishing subordinate stations in the interior.
Besides his philological labours, he regularly preached twice in the
week, once in Bengali and once in English. His correspondence
with friends in England was naturally less frequent, but he occa-
sionally noted facts of cheering interest. In August, 1804, he men-
tioned that eight persons had been baptized during the year, and
that three or four were expecting shortly to profess Christ. A year
later he remarked that several " appeared in Calcutta and its neigh-
bourhood to be inquiring in earnest what they must do to be
saved ;" that Krishnu had his hands full in going to visit and con-
verse with them, and that in one village seven persons were awak-
ened by receiving small pamphlets. The year 1805 was in fact the
most prosperous the mission had seen, twenty-seven natives having
been baptized.
To his other duties was now added the execution of a series of
translations from the Sanscrit, for the Asiatic Society. His San-
scrit Grammar, a work of immense labour, appeared in 1806, and in
that year was commenced the enterprise with which Mr. Carey's
fame is most completely identified, — the translation of the Scriptures
into all the languages of the East. Adventurous as such an under-
taking might seem, it was begun and carried forward with all the
sobriety which characterized his plans. Learned natives, assembled
from the different countries and provinces, each translated the Bible
into his own tongue, from some version already prepared in a lan-
guage with which he was acquainted, Mr. Carey revising the ver-
sions as they proceeded. Translations thus prepared, must have
been of course imperfect, but he had the evidence that they were
intelligible, and could be made the vehicles of divine truth into
regions where the living missionary was not likely soon to go, and
where a still longer time must elapse before more accurate versions
could be produced.
The hostility of the East India government, which had now for
some time appeared to slumber, was displayed in an order forbidding
public preaching in the Lai Bazaar, Calcutta, where a chapel had
>en recently opened, the sending of "emissaries" from Serampore
78 WILLIAM CAREY.
into the British territories, and the distribution of tracts. Two mis-
sionaries, Messrs. Chater and Kobinson, who had just arrived from
England, were at first ordered to return, and it was not without some
difficulty that they got leave to proceed to Serampore. These pro-
ceedings caused alarm, but the purport of them was softened down
on remonstrance with the council, and things went on much as usual.
The next year, however, similar orders were put forth, based on the
pretence that a mutiny and massacre by native troops at Yellore
was stimulated by alarm at the operations of the mission. There
was no truth in this, and the rigour of the government was again
relaxed. But the tale was wafted to England, and a warm contro-
versy was commenced there, in which the Directors of the East India
Company declared open hostility to all missionary enterprises in
India. A war of pamphlets followed, and the leading reviews took
sides in the contest. The Edinburgh, by the pen of Eev. Sydney
Smith, the ts dazzling fence " of whose wit has blinded many to the
rancour with which he ever treated evangelical piety and its profess,
ors, whether in or out of the establishment, lent its full strength to
crush the mission.* The London Quarterly Eeview, in an article
from the pen of Mr. Southey, though treating Dr. Carey and his
associates with that sort of mingled pity and aversion which might
be expected from one professing his political and religious opinions,
vindicated the duty of propagating the Christian faith among the
heathen, and rendered a cordial tribute to the zeal and success of
the Serampore brethren. Rev. Claudius Buchanan, who had been
for some years chaplain of the East India Company, and warmly
interested in the spread of the gospel, by some timely and forcible
publications did eminent service to the cause of truth. The Com-
pany were compelled to retreat from their unchristian position, and
(to anticipate the final result) on the renewal of their charter in 1813,
a provision was inserted for the toleration of Christian missions, by
which all further vexatious interference with their operations was
prevented.
Mrs. Carey, who had been for twelve years in a state of mental
* The exuberant wit of the irreverent author, and the reputation of the work in
which they appeared, have given to his articles in the view of many an importance
they by no means deserve, and they are sometimes cited as proofs of the low state
of public opinion at that time. But that they did not represent the real sentiment
of the country, the decisive action of Parliament, legalizing both the Church and
Dissenting missions, conclusively proved.
WILLIAM CAKEY. 79
derangement, was removed by death January 8, 1808. Dr. Carey,
a few months afterwards, married Miss Rumohr, a German lady, of
a noble family in Schleswig, for some years resident in Calcutta, one
of those Europeans whose conversion was among the first results
that cheered the missionaries in the beginning of their enterprise.
Under date of January 18, he wrote, — "I have lately made a
comparison between the state of India when I first landed here, and
its present state as it respects the progress of the gospel ; which I
shall send you. When I arrived I knew of no person in Bengal who
cared about the gospel, except Mr. Brown, Mr. Udney, Mr. Creigh-
ton, Mr. Grant, and Mr. Brown, an indigo planter, besides brother
Thomas and myself. There might be more, and probably were,
though unknown to me. There are now in India thirty-two minis-
ters of the gospel." In August of this year, just as he had "put the
finishing touch to the Bengali Scriptures," he was brought to the
borders of the grave by a fever, but was mercifully raised up to con-
tinue his labours. Little occurred to diversify them ; in his corres-
pondence he occasionally notes the successes of the mission. In
1810 he mentions an interview with twenty serious inquirers, and
remarks that "the Lord is doing great things for Calcutta." Early
in 1812 he states that Krishnu and another native preacher were
zealously and usefully employed in and about Calcutta, and that
inquirers were " constantly coming forward." In addition to his
other publications, he engaged in preparing grammars of the Telinga,
Orissa, and other languages, and a Bengali dictionary.
These employments were suddenly arrested by a great disaster, the
destruction of the printing office by fire on the 12th of March, 1812.
All its contents were destroyed; the presses being in an adjoining
building were spared. Manuscripts of great value, fonts of type in
thirteen languages, and a large quantity of paper were the principal
items of the loss. The news of the calamity was received in Eng-
land and America with a general expression of sympathy, and large
contributions were raised in consequence. The Mission was not to
be disheartened. The matrices of the original type were not lost,
and with the type-metal melted down in the fire they commenced
vigorously replacing the several fonts, so that within a twelvemonth
everything was once more in successful operation. " We have been
enabled," says Dr. Carey, March 25, 1813, "within one year from a
very desolating calamity, to carry on our printing to a greater extent
than before it took place." In the same letter, after enumerating his
80 WILLIAM CAREY.
various philological labours, in addition to all his pastoral and colle-
giate duties, he remarks, — "I can scarcely call an hour in a week
my own. I, however, rejoice in my work and delight in it. It is
clearing the way and providing materials for those who succeed us
to work upon. I have much for which to bless the Lord. I trust
all my children know the Lord in truth. I have every family and
domestic blessing I can wish, and many more than I could have
expected. The work of the Lord prospers. The church at Calcutta
is now become very large, and still increases." In August, 1814, he
gives a list of twenty-six languages into which the Scriptures were
translating, yet, with that self-distrust which sometimes degenerated
(in Dr. Kyland's words) into " wild humility," he complains of a want
of fervency in his work, and of "that energy which makes every
duty a pleasure."
In 1817 began a misunderstanding with the Baptist Missionary
Society respecting the mission property at Serampore, which inter-
rupted their harmonious cooperation, and after ten years of contro-
versy resulted in the separation of the mission from the parent
society. These events, however^ did not impair the regard of Dr.
Carey for those of his early friends who survived after the lapse
of years, or interrupt his cordial sympathy and cooperation with
the missionaries who laboured under the Society's direction.
Having much at heart the improvement of agriculture in India,
lie issued in 1820 a circular on that subject, which resulted in the'
formation of an agricultural society. In May of the following year
he was afflicted by the loss of his second wife. " My loss," he said,
"is irreparable. If there ever was a true Christian in this world, she
was one. We had frequently conversed upon the separation which
death would make, and both desired that if it were the will of God
she might be first removed, and so it was."*
About this time the king of Denmark sent to Messrs. Carey,
Marshman and Ward a letter, expressing his approbation of their
labours, accompanied by a gold medal for each ; and a fortnight after
an order arrived to convey to the mission a large house and grounds
belonging to his majesty. In 1823, Dr. Carey was elected a fellow
* Dr. Carey married a third time, but his biographer does not seem to have
thought the transaction or the name of his partner worth mentioning. In respect
to dates and various matters of detail, his life is very imperfectly written, and many
deficiencies the editor has found no materials to supply
WILLIAM CAREY. 81
of the Linnssan Society, a member of the Geological Society, and
corresponding member of the Horticultural Society, of London.
Towards the close of the year, having been to Calcutta to preach,
as he was stepping from the boat on his return, his foot slipped, and
he fell heavily to the ground, causing a violent contusion of the
hip-joint. Ten days after, a violent fever attacked him, by which
he was confined for several weeks. He was unable to resume his
ordinary duties till the beginning of January, when he applied him-
self to his labours with unwonted assiduity, working extra hours
daily to recover lost time. His Bengali dictionary was published in
1825. But his constitution had received a shock from which it never
recovered. Fevers and other disorders attacked him with increased
frequency, and he began to narrow the circle of his employments,
concentrating his strength on a few of the translations, and especially
revising with great care his Bengali version of the Scriptures, the
work with which his labours in this department commenced, and
with which they closed. The revised edition was published in 1830.
He was now in the seventieth year of his age, and increasing
infirmities warned him that he must prepare to depart. He looked
forward to the change that awaited him, with the same cheerful but
humble serenity which had characterized him during his whole life.
He expressed a profound consciousness of his own unworthiness,
with an unshaken trust in the Divine mercy, through the intercession
of the Saviour, and a fervent desire for entire sanctification. "I trust,"
he said, "I am ready to die through the grace of my Lord Jesus, and
I look forward to the full enjoyment of the society of holy men
and angels, and the full vision of God for evermore." "It is from
the same source," he said in another communication, "that I expect
the fulfilment of all the prophecies and promises respecting the
universal establishment of the Eedeemer's kingdom in the world,
the abolition also of war, slavery and oppression. It is on this
ground that I pray for and expect the peace of Jerusalem; not
merely the cessation of hostilities between Christians of different
sects and connections, but that genuine love which the gospel
requires, and which the gospel is so well calculated to produce."
In this state of mind, with increasing weakness of body, he con-
tinued till the 9th of June, 1834, when he "fell asleep." In his will
he requested that he might be buried by the side of his second wife,
and that on the stone which commemorates her should be cut "the
following inscription, and nothing more:" —
6
82 WILXIAM CAREY.
"WILLIAM CAEEY, BORN AUGUST 17, 1761; DIED — .
"'A WRETCHED, POOR AND HELPLESS WORM,
ON THY KIND ARMS I FALL.' "
Forty years had elapsed since Mr. Carey arrived in India. He
found a populous empire of idolaters, of whom a few individuals
only had heard the gospel, a European community regardless of
every form of piety, and disposed to regard the promulgation of
Christianity with scarcely less hostility than the most besotted
heathen, and a government whose policy was in a considerable
degree directed in the same spirit. He left England at a time when
great apathy prevailed among evangelical Christians on the subject
of missions, while undisguised enmity was manifested among the
influential classes of society. Destitute of that pervading sympathy
which from all Protestant Christendom now cheers and sustains the
missionary, harassed by the Indian government, tried by domestic
calamities, and by apprehensions with respect to his means of support,
he yet went forward, strong in the consciousness that he was in the
path of duty, animated by a warm desire to impart the knowledge
of salvation to the perishing, and firmly assured by his faith in the
Divine promises, that his labours would not be lost. He lived to
see the political obstacles to the enterprise overcome, evangelical
Christians in both hemispheres aroused to the work of preaching
the word of life to all nations, and the first-fruits of the Grospel
springing up and maturing under his eye. At Serampore, Calcutta
and several stations in the interior of Bengal, the truth was preached
with success, and was carried far into the heart of Hindostan, while
other denominations, both of England and America, entered the field
to cooperate in the same beneficent work. If the fervent hopes
with which he commenced his labours were in some degree chastened
by his experience of its difficulties, his sober expectations, founded
on immutable promises, were richly confirmed by the solid and steady
process which was visibly crumbling the fabric of heathenism, and
framing from the disintegrated fragments lively stones for the erection
of a spiritual temple to the glory of God. He.was himself permitted
to bear a distinguished part in the enterprise. The publication of
the entire Scriptures in several of the most widely spoken tongues
of India, and the translation of important portions into forty differ-
ent languages and dialects of the east, form a monument that any
of his contemporaries, in an age crowded with extraordinary men
and events, might have reason to envy.
WILLIAM CAREY. 83
All this was achieved, — by the grace of God, — without anything
of what is commonly denominated genius, unless he may be said to
have had a genius for patient labour. " I can do one thing, " he said ;
"I canpfod" Kesolute, unwearied, well-ordered industry, directed
by unselfish aims, made him a successful preacher, a useful pastor,
a thorough philologist, a devoted missionary. The same force, under
the control of a worldly ambition, might have borne him to a higher
place in the view of his contemporaries, and perhaps of a later age,
but could not have enabled him to say on his death-bed, as he is
recorded to have said, "I have not a single desire unsatisfied." —
Yet, while we recognise in his humble appreciation of his own gifts
a substantial truth, and one full of encouragement to those who unite
a desire of usefulness to a distrust of their ability to achieve it, it
must be said (with devout gratitude to Him who gave such a man
to the church and to the world) that he possessed a mind of more
than ordinary power. With unfailing energy of purpose, he had
robustness of intellect to endure sustained exertion. An active
curiosity, nice powers of observation, a retentive memory and a large
share of good sense, are excellent helps in plodding, and these he
possessed in an eminent degree. He preferred the solid to the bril-
liant, and aspired to be useful rather than distinguished.
To these qualities were added in rich measure the graces of the
Spirit. Naturally self-willed, opinionated and inclined to "seek
great things for himself," from the hour when he took up his cross
he earnestly cultivated that meekness, purity, benevolence, and per-
petual aspiration after holiness, which have the special benediction
of his Lord and Master; and while in this spirit he "attempted great
things for God," his lowliness of mind effectually repressed that vain
elation which could permit him to slacken his endeavours at any
point, through the self-satisfaction of partial success. His soul was
absorbed in the contemplation of his Kedeemer's glory, his strongest
desire was to aid in its consummation, and all other things were
rejected as but trifles of the hour. Loud as was the clamour of polit-
ical strife, terrible as seemed the shaking of the nations, during all
the early part of his career, he seems to have scarcely bestowed a
thought upon the whole. One may read his published correspond-
ence throughout without detecting a consciousness of the existence
of Napoleon, so entirely was his soul preoccupied. He was com-
missioned by one "stronger than the strong man armed," to make
conquests for an everlasting kingdom, and felt that he had no lei-
84 WILLIAM CAREY.
sure to observe the times and the seasons. The love of Christ which
animated his soul, and constrained him to live for such holy ends,
was directed towards all who were partakers of the same grace.
Assurance of hope and faith made him uniformly cheerful, under
discouragements that all his natural buoyancy of feeling would have
been too weak to encounter. It was because he was labouring not
for himself nor in his own strength, that he never fainted. For the
like reason he rejected all craft and subtlety. Simplicity and purity
of purpose made him simple and frank in his demeanour. Conceal-
ment was foreign to his nature, because the spirit of selfishness was
so far exorcised that he cherished no plans which required artifice.
He had a single aim — the glory of God through the salvation of
men — to this he devoted his life, and he was FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.
JOHN CHAMBERLAIN.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, the county of Carey's nativity, was also the
birth-place of JOHN CHAMBERLAIN, a faithful and successful co-la-
bourer in the evangelization of India. He was born at Welton in
the year 1777. His parents were poor, but industrious, and gave
him the best education their circumstances could afford. In his
infancy he was weak and delicate ; at three years of age he had a
fever, by which he lost the hearing of one ear, and never recovered
it. His mental growth was rapid. He was unable to remember
when he learned to read, his earliest recollections terminating with
the school-room, where he stood by the mistress, reading from a
Testament with boys older than himself. During his subsequent
school career he made it a point to keep the start which he gained
at the outset. His childhood was marked by profound religious
impressions. He durst not, he says, do anything he thought sinful.
"At that early period I used to attempt to pray. When I went to
meeting I was delighted with the singing, and united with all my
might to give vent to my rapture. Sometimes, then, some glimmer-
ings of divine truth illumined my mind, which at least prepared
me for after days. I thank my God for parents who, though poor,
taught me to read the Bible, and took me to hear the word of
God preached. Ah! how much I owe to the care of my dear
mother 1"
These pious feelings, though cultivated by faithful instruction
and the study of the Scriptures, gradually wore off. At the age of
twelve years he was separated from the home of his childhood to
enter the service of a farmer at Market-Harborough, in Leicester-
shire— this employment having been selected in preference to me-
chanical labour, for which he was originally intended, on account
of his slender physical strength, which it was thought would be
invigorated by working in the open air. To part from his parents
cost him much pain, and for some time he embraced frequent
opportunities of retirement to pray for them and to meditate on the
86 JOHN CHAMBERLAIN.
past. His religious feelings were kept alive and occasionally deep-
ened, under the faithful ministry enjoyed there, though he lamented
their inconstancy. In view of the feebleness of his most fervent
resolutions, he gained a deeper insight into the deceitfulness and
depravity of his heart, till he found his need, and was ready to
accept the Divine proffer, of strength in the Eedeemer alone. His
hopes were not fully established, however, till a subsequent period.
In 1794 he removed to Burby, Northamptonshire, where, under
the evangelical ministry of Dr. Bridges, he had much religious
enjoyment for a time; but he relapsed into a state of comparative
indifference, disturbed, as was inevitable, by his conscience, which
he could not put to sleep. The following year he lived at Brunston,
in the same county. The clergyman was anti-evangelical, his master
made him promise to avoid dissenting worship, and he frequented
a neighbouring church, where the gospel was preached once in two
weeks by Dr. Bridges. He gained permission, with some difficulty,
to go for once to "meeting." The sermon went to his heart, and
from this time he began a consistent and happy Christian course,
though he regarded the change as but the conscious completion of
a work that had been in progress for a considerable period. He
obtained leave to repeat his visit to that place of worship, and
thenceforth continued his attendance, though compelled to meet
opposition and reproach. From this he was delivered in 1796, by
becoming an inmate of a serious family, the master of which, the
house-keeper, one of his fellow-servants and himself, with eleven
others, were baptized by Eev. Mr. Simmons, Baptist minister of
Guilsborough.
It was in October of this year that his attention was first called to
the subject of missions, by reports of the labours of Carey and
Thomas in India, and by the discourses delivered at the recent form-
ation of the London Missionary Society. The reading of these ser-
mons, particularly, kindled an ardent flame in his breast. "I then
felt," he says, "a burning zeal for the welfare of the heathen.
Sometimes I thought I could die in the cause, and triumph in the
tortures of a fire. My hopes were directed to India, though I saw
no way how they could be fulfilled." The apparent impossibility
of gratifying these feelings by a direct participation in missionary
labour led to their suppression for a time, but the same ruling prin-
ciple that led him to aspire, as he thought vainly, to the privilege
JOHN CHAMBEKLAIN. 87
of preaching the gospel to the heathen, forbade him to be unem-
ployed at home.
On removing to Nasby, to live with a Mr. Haddon, he set about
establishing a Sunday school and prayer meetings, which he attended
as regularly as possible. But unsatisfied with what he was able to
accomplish in his circumstances, he determined to learn some me-
chanical trade, in order that he might secure more time for religious
usefulness. While revolving this project in his mind, his master
had become acquainted with his missionary fervour, and made a dis-
closure of his feelings to some ministers. They were pleased with
the account they received, and recommended him to the committee
of the Baptist Missionary Society. The result was that on Septem-
ber 20, 1798, he was accepted "as a probationer for missionary
undertakings," and commenced his studies under the care of Mr.
Sutcliff at Olney.
The prospect of gratifying his long-cherished wishes awoke a
feeling of anxiety lest he should be unfit for the responsibilities of
the work, and he entered on his preparations with solemn resolutions
to cultivate habits of earnest and constant devotion, to nourish an
ardent love for souls, and to study continual activity for their sake.
He continued at Olney nearly a year, during which time his journal
shows him to have been watchful in self-examination, quick to
reprove himself for any lapses from the standard of attainment he
had set up, and seeking every occasion of improvement and oppor-
tunity to do good. He read the lives of eminent Christians, espe-
cially of missionaries, that he might feed the flame of self-devotion
and emulate the spirit that actuated them. Sometimes, while weigh-
ing his motives and analyzing his feelings, he was brought into a
state of deep despondency, but the process, though a painful one;
and perhaps, we may judge, carried at times to a morbid extreme,
such as a studious and contemplative life is liable to induce, had
upon the whole a purifying and strengthening effect. His intimacy
with Mr. Brunsdon, then a fellow-student, who went out in company
with Mr. Ward to India in May, 1799, was a source of much enjoy-
ment, and the parting with him was a trial painful in prospect, but
sustained with unlooked-for fortitude.
A few weeks after this event, the committee having no immediate
need of his services as a missionary, concluded that it was inexpe-
dient for him to remain longer under their patronage, and recom-
mended him to remove to Bristol, and study for the ministry in the
88 JOHN CHAMBERLAIN.
Baptist Academy under the care of Dr. Kyland, leaving the place of
his future labours to be afterwards determined. In the propriety of
this advice he cheerfully acquiesced, and after spending a few weeks
preaching in different places, entered upon his academic course.
At Bristol, Mr. Chamberlain pursued his studies and cultivated
habits of piety with the same conscientious diligence as at Olney,
but added to these a degree of labour much beyond his previous
efforts, and equally above the standard recognised by his fellow-
students. Under date of Sunday, March 23d; 1800, he writes,
" My heart was pained at seeing this sacred day awfully profaned by
a number of boys playing in the streets. I spoke to them, and they
dispersed ; but only from fear and confusion." A week later he says,
"I am thinking that it becomes us to bestir ourselves in this large
and populous city in seeking poor sinners, who are in the midst of
darkness." With these views he went with one of his brethren to
ascertain the practicability of preaching to the poor in the streets
and lanes, a course the legal propriety of which was doubtful, but
they were inclined to attempt it. He did not, however, act upon
the idea till several weeks later, when his desire for increased use-
fulness sent him out on a Sunday morning undecided what course
to pursue. In this state of mind he met a friend, who asked him
"why he was at home doing nothing, while souls were perishing for
lack of knowledge." On communicating his thoughts, he was led
to a house where some people were gathered, who listened atten-
tively. He soon extended his labours into a portion of the town
tenanted by the most poor and degraded class of inhabitants, "living
in wretchedness, covered with rags and filth." He was well received,
and on some days preached several times in succession to different
audiences.
But while tasking his powers with study, in which he found
increasing delight, and with labours which gratified his earnest
benevolence, his mind still turned towards the great enterprise on
which it had been originally fixed. Finding in the "Baptist Kegis-
ter " a Bengali hymn set to a familiar tune, the accent of which suf-
ficiently showed the pronunciation, he learned it, and "spent two or
three hours singing Bengali. My heart," he adds, " was fixed more
than ever." From these thoughts he was turned for a time by the
loss of his mother, but he could not be long diverted from the subject,
and the intelligence that the committee of the Missionary Society
JOHN CHAMBERLAIN. 89
designed reinforcing the Bengal mission awakened much anxiety.
Yet he thought it inexpedient to offer himself, but waited their action.
The suspense was ended in December, 1801, by an appointment, with
directions to make immediate preparations for his departure.
The preparation he made was of the best and most appropriate
kind. During a period of four months previous to his embarkation
he carefully counted the cost of his undertaking, reviewed his mo-
tives, and spent much time in devotion, thus girding himself with
Divine strength to sustain his own weakness, and laying the solid
foundation of peace in his labours. The society of Christian friends
cheered him, while yet he allowed no personal or social enjoyments
to divert his mind from the solemnities of his appointed work.
Having been married in April, 1802, to an amiable young woman
with whom he had enjoyed an intimacy of several years, he embarked
on the 15th of May for Calcutta, by way of America, and arrived
at New- York in July. Thence he proceeded to Burlington, N. J.,
where he spent a few days in the family of Dr. Staughton. From
this place he addressed a letter to the editor of the Biblical Magazine,
in which he speaks of the attentions he received from ministers and
others, with observations on what he saw, which show, if not a great
degree of shrewdness, a kindly spirit.* He had occasion to lament
the deficiency of Missionary zeal, and his expressions in regard to
slavery are such as might have been naturally looked for in one
combining the character of an Englishman, a Christian, and a philan-
thropist. He speaks with much interest of revivals of religion that,
were prevailing, particularly in the South- Western States.
He embarked about the middle of August in the ship Monticello,
at New Castle, Del., and arrived at Calcutta in January following.
The voyage was not a very pleasant one, the captain and officers
having little regard for religion; but the missionary couple, in the
exchange of mutual sympathies, to which they were in a measure
shut up, and in the study of Divine truth, were not on the whole
unhappy, though they met with severe trials, particularly in the loss
of a child given to them in mid-ocean only to have its infant
remains committed within a week to the depths of the sea.
* "The people in America," he casually remarks, "I am informed, are increasing
in a disposition to read," — a habit to which we commonly suppose them to have been
considerably addicted for more than a century before Mr. Chamberlain was born.
90 JOHN CHAMBERLAIN.
On his arrival at Serampore, Mr. Chamberlain entered on the
study of the language with the ardour to be expected from one who
had so longed to labour for the heathen, and made unusually rapid
progress. He was accustomed from the first to converse as much
as possible with the natives, while he spared no pains to become
critically versed in Bengali writing, as well as ready in speech. In
this way he found himself qualified to preach in about a year. He
addicted himself to the study of native poetry, by which he became
able to excite more ready sympathy in his hearers, and turned his
acquisitions to account, also, in writing hymns, which, if not distin-
guished for their poetical merit, proved very useful, and were sung
by the native Christians with great pleasure.
While he remained at Serampore he was ready to bear his full
part of the common duties of the station, preached occasionally in
the English chapel, and assisted in instructing the young in English.
He embraced frequent opportunities of visiting the native brethren
for conversation and prayer, thus benefiting both himself and them.
He made frequent excursions to the neighbouring villages, preaching
every where with zeal and perseverance, and an abundance of labour
that was surprising to his colleagues, addressing crowds of people
from morning to night as if insensible to fatigue.
His first missionary tour was undertaken in January, 1804, to
Saugur island at the mouth of the Ganges, — a place esteemed sacred
by the Hindoos, — on occasion of the annual festival, accompanied
by Felix Carey and two of the native converts. It being his first
view of a heathen pilgrimage on a large scale, the great multitude
assembled, their insane shouts and pitiable superstitions, deeply
affected him. The people thronged around to secure books and
tracts, and an opportunity was obtained of addressing immense num-
bers, who commonly listened attentively to what was uttered. He
preached with that deep yet exhilarating emotion to which mission-
aries have frequently attested, springing from the fact that the gospel
had never before been heard by the vast throng, — a feeling to which
ministers in Christian lands are necessarily strangers. He says,
"Never had I greater satisfaction than in this work. The attention
of the people to that which was spoken, their eagerness for the books,
together with their peculiar circumstances, having never heard of
the Saviour before, gave me such satisfaction of mind as I cannot
express. I would not change my situation with the greatest lord in
the world."
JOHN CHAMBERLAIN. 91
About a fortnight after his return he was bereaved of his son,
aged six months, the second of a series of domestic sorrows with
which he was tried in more than ordinary measure during the resi-
due of his life in India, and which the warmth of his affections
made more than commonly severe.
The mission having resolved to extend its operations into the
interior of the country, Mr. Chamberlain was appointed to com-
mence a new station. The plan was to connect with his labours the
superintendance of a trade in cloth, indigo, or whatever else should
be most practicable, in accordance with the original policy of the
mission, — for the double purpose of protection against interference
from the government, by having some recognised business other
than preaching, and incidentally to afford a measure of relief to those
who should be deprived of employment, and otherwise harassed for
their change of religion. The first object was for the time being a
legitimate one, but experience is decisive against holding out any
expectation of security to converts for temporal sacrifices incurred
in a profession of Christian faith. Sympathy and partial succour
may and should be given by individuals in such cases, to the extent
of their means, but any system of insurance against worldly sacri-
fices for the sake of the truth is impracticable and undesirable, how-
ever painful such trials may be, alike to those who suffer and those
who witness them. The subsequent change of policy on the part
of the East Indian government made the plan unnecessary for the
protection of the missionaries, and the embarrassments it occasioned
in other respects led to its ultimate abandonment.
Mr. Chamberlain made an excursion to Dinagepore with a view to
make the necessary arrangements, and in about two months fixed
himself at Cutwa on the Hooghly, seventy-five miles north of Calcutta,
the station selected for his abode. Here he found a fixed population
of three or four thousand, and had access daily to hundreds of peo-
ple visiting the town for purposes of trade, besides the thousands
continually passing on their way to the shrine of Juggernaut and
other "holy" places. The general course of his life was very uni-
form from day to day — Bengali worship at his residence, conversa-
tions with visitors, of whom he had great numbers, curious to learn
what the "sahib" had to tell them of his "new way," disputations
in the bazaar, distribution of tracts and books, with occasional excur-
sions in the neighbourhood for preaching in the villages and on
92 JOHN CHAMBEKLAIN.
festival occasions. He remarks that his constitution was affected in
some measure by the climate, and he found it impossible to labour
as continuously as when in England. He was more sensible to
fatigue, and found it necessary to exchange his sedentary toil for
something more active, in order to maintain the equilibrium of his
spirits. The want of a fellow-labourer, in the midst of the great
idolatrous mass that surrounded him, to share in the duties and
responsibilities of the station, and to lighten the burden by his sym-
pathy and aid, was sensibly felt at times, but his natural elasticity
of temper, strengthened by an ardent and unfailing faith, made his
loneliness more supportable than it might have been to a mind less
happily constituted.
His instructions were varied to suit the temper of his auditors, but
two subjects might be said to form the staple of them, — the unrea-
sonableness and unsatisfying character of their idolatry, and the
authority and blessings of Christianity. He would sometimes inquire
of them how sinners could be saved, and having exposed the absurd-
ity of the answer, proceed to show a more excellent way. Some-
times he called attention to the degraded character of their gods,
their sacred books being witness, assuring them that men who should
now be guilty of such crimes as they are related to have committed,
would most certainly be hanged. But such points were always so
presented as to disarm all reasonable offence, and he was commonly
listened to with respect and good temper by the majority of his
hearers.
He was now called to pass through deeper waters of affliction.
Mrs. Chamberlain died on the 14th of November, 1804. The state
of her health had occasioned anxiety in the mission family at
Serampore, and Mr. Marshman proceeded to Cutwa for the purpose
of bringing her within the reach of medical aid and more careful
domestic attention, but he returned with the bereft husband and a
motherless babe. Mrs. Chamberlain had won, in no common degree,
the affections of all with whom she had been associated, and her
decease was lamented by the mission as a common loss.
The stricken husband remained but two days in the society of his
brethren at Serampore, — the grave that hallowed his garden, and
the work to which he felt bound more entirely to consecrate himself,
alike called him irresistibly to Cutwa. Of his labours during the
succeeding year, he left no account ; but a letter of the mission, dated
in September, 1805, says, " There is at present much of a spirit of
JOHN CHAMBEELAIN. 93
inquiry : people are frequently coming to brother Chamberlain to
hear the word of life." About this time the mission committed to
writing a statement of the rules by which they acted, that they
might be more definitely understood and carefully regarded by each
member. They were in substance, — to cultivate a profound sense
of the infinite value of souls ; to gain the most accurate knowledge
of the modes of thinking, propensities, antipathies and ensnaring
superstitions of the people ; to abstain from aught that might tend to
increase their prejudices against the gospel; to make the doctrine of
Christ crucified, after the example of St. Paul, the principal subject
of preaching; to win the natives by kindness and gentleness of
demeanour ; to use the utmost wisdom in watching over their con-
verts, fostering their gifts and graces as much as possible; to give
special attention to the translation and distribution of the Scriptures,
and to the establishment of free schools ; to cultivate earnestly per-
sonal religion, and to cherish a spirit of entire devotion to the work.
After concurring with his brethren in framing and signing these
resolutions, Mr. Chamberlain returned to Cutwa, and in ^Tovernber,
1805, gave the following general account of his labours: "I have
met with many discouragements, as you have heard, but am not dis-
couraged as to the result of what is going on here. The conversion
of 'souls is the work of the Almighty, and subject to his sovereign
will. Some hopeful appearances have issued in disappointment;
yet I trust some good has been done. Some thousands of papers
have been distributed, and some thousands of men have heard the
word of God. Many are inquiring after it, and talking to their
neighbours about it. I hear things that excite my hope of some
people of Jumakundee, a large place, about thirty miles distant.
This is a populous part of the country. Within the space of six
miles round, I believe there are one hundred thousand souls. What
a momentous charge!"
In the course of the Autumn, he was married to Mrs. Grant, a
widow lady in the mission family at Serampore, but in less than a
year she also sank into the grave, leaving him a second time deso-
late. The shock was awful, but not overwhelming. He who
chastened, sustained him. Without pausing to brood over his loss,
he girded himself anew to his labours of love among the heathen.
For nearly three years he had toiled at his station, "in season and
out of season — with all long suffering," and the only visible fruit had
been the conversion of two persons. A third had professed himself
94 JOHN CHAMBERLAIN.
a disciple, and as such had been baptized ; but he turned back, and
walked no more with them. The Brahmins taunted him with his
want of success, and though the quiet, if not earnest attention of
many, and the serious inquiries of a few, gave him much joy in his
efforts, he was not seldom annoyed by the noisy clamours of the
multitude, intent on silencing the utterance of truths they could not
gainsay, but were determined to resist. The constant spectacles of
vice that met his eye were such as had a continual tendency to
harden his heart towards the people; it required great grace, he
observes, to feel for them as a Christian ought to do.
Yet he pursued his way with a zeal that seemed to gain fresh
ardour from the obstacles that hedged it up, and was more abundant
in labours, as the reception they met more clearly demonstrated their
necessity. In the spring of 1807 he was rewarded by the privilege
of adding two hopeful converts to his incipient church. In the
summer he was reduced by illness to comparative inaction, but in
the autumn resumed his wonted exertions with more than his wonted
energy. "If it please the Lord to give me strength," he says,
recounting a visit to a market where he preached for three or four
hours together, "I promise my feet little compassion for some months
to come." Perhaps he would have done better to have shown him-
self more compassion ; for a month later his sickness returned, and
Mr. Kobinson was despatched from Serampore to his assistance.
With returning strength he resumed his activity, and during the
remainder of his residence at Cutwa, — till 1810, — he seems to have
performed an immense amount of labour. As a specimen, which
must answer in place of details, between January 9, and February
21, 1809, he rode nearly four hundred miles, preached every day
and often several times a day, and distributed about ten thousand
tracts, one hundred copies of Luke, and fifteen of the New-Testa-
ment. It was his to sow the seed; others entered into his labours,
and reaped the fruit.
Besides these multiplied toils as a preacher, he superintended a
school instructed by a native teacher, in which the pupils became
imbued with the truths of the Bible, as it afterwards appeared,
not in vain. But in one department of labour he was blessed
with immediate and remarkable success. Visiting Berhampore, he
preached to the soldiers of the regiment stationed there, and as a
result he was permitted in a few months to baptize between thirty
and forty of them. A few dishonoured their profession, but over
JOHN CHAMBERLAIN. 95
thirty were steadfast, and on the removal of the regiment, organized
themselves into a church, setting apart as their pastor one of their
own number, whose abilities seemed most to qualify him for the
duty of watching over their spiritual interests.
The removal of the regiment which Mr. Chamberlain accompanied
to Calcutta, was connected with an important change, — his removal
from Cutwa to a more distant field. While at Serampore it was
proposed to extend the operations of the mission into the upper
provinces, and the fitness of Mr. Chamberlain for pioneer service
seemed to justify his undertaking it in this instance. Considering
his familiarity with the Bengali language, and his acquired skill in
using it as the vehicle of instruction, with all the advantages of
experience in the particular field he had been called to occupy, the
propriety of this step may be doubted. But his readiness to take
any position that should be judged to be for the advantage of the
mission and for the spread of the gospel to the widest practicable
extent, moved him to comply with the wishes of his brethren, and
he was designated to found a new station at Agra, nine hundred and
fifty miles distant from Calcutta. He did this willingly from a sense
of duty, but in communicating his decision to his brethren he could
not forbear uttering his misgivings, coupled with a fine expression
of his desire to take any part that should be deemed most useful to
the common cause. "At the same time I cannot help looking on
the millions of souls in Bengal as the grand object of the mission at
present. Preaching and riding about are what suit me ; and hence
I conclude that it is my work to itinerate, and to publish abroad the
Holy Scriptures, which through the Divine favour you have been
enabled to prepare thus for the nations. Some to sow and some to
water; some for this department and some for another. It is not to
be expected that all should be qualified alike." With these views
he repaired to the post assigned him, leaving to his successor, Mr.
W. Carey, the second son of Dr. Carey, the pleasing duty of enter-
ing into his labours at Cutwa, and gathering the souls who had first
heard the way of life from his lips. Previous to his removal he
had contracted a third marriage, — with Miss Underwood, a lady
whom he had known in England, from whom in fact he had received
some of his first missionary impulses, and who, when she devoted
herself to the same high calling, little thought she was destined to
be the companion of his later years. Her life was spared to be the
solace of his trials till he put off the body.
96 JOHN CHAMBERLAIN.
At Agra, Mr. Chamberlain's duties were of an arduous and com-
plicated character. It was necessary for him to acquire the use of
languages with which he was imperfectly acquainted, — the Hindoos-
tani, Persian and other tongues, spoken by the numerous tribes that
throng that populous empire, — to commence a school and translate
the Scriptures, to preach in English, and also to the natives, so far as
his power over their language enabled him to do. In the com-
mencement of his ministry here, he was called to mourn the death
of two daughters in rapid succession, leaving him, for the time,
almost inconsolable. The year following, his only remaining child
was taken, and his cup of sorrows seemed full. But the destruction
by fire of the mission premises at Serampore, about this time, almost
swallowed up his private griefs in the greatness of public calamity.
The worship in the fort was shortly prohibited. Some Eoman
Catholics had their zeal stimulated by Mr. Chamberlain's labours,
and they accordingly called in their priest to set up religious ser-
vices. One of the men being sent for by a superior officer, declined
obedience, on the pretence that he was engaged in prayer. In
answer to a reprimand, he said he thought it hard that these "Metho-
dists " could do what they liked, while the same privilege could not
be allowed to them. Without stopping to inquire whether the
"Methodists" had ever made their religion an excuse for violating
military discipline, all public worship was forbidden. As this only
directed Mr. Chamberlain's labours more exclusively to the natives,
it was an act not to be specially regretted for his sake, however dis-
creditable to the commandant and injurious to the souls under his
authority. While it was possible to prevent preaching, the opera-
tions of the Divine Spirit could not be arrested by "general orders."
Several of the soldiers were seriously attentive to the word of God
and to social devotion. One was baptized, and others were about to
follow his example, when an order was issued requiring Mr. Cham-
berlain's immediate return to Bengal. No reason was assigned for
the act. He was obliged to resign hopes of usefulness that were
clearly dawning, and seemed to give promise of a bright and cheer-
ful day. He repaired to Calcutta, and reported himself to the
authorities, as the order required, and the only answer he received
was, that he was at liberty.
Without waiting inactively for something new to " turn up," he
forthwith set out, leaving his family at Serampore, to visit the scenes
JOHN CHAMBERLAIN. 97
of his former labours, preaching and distributing books in the
villages, as he had been wont. While upon this tour he received
an invitation from Sirdhana, a town near Delhi, over eight hundred
miles distant from Calcutta, which opened for his occupation a field
of usefulness on which his mind had formerly sometimes turned.
The place was the capital of a small principality, the princess having
possession of it on condition of maintaining a certain military force.
She was a Koman Catholic, but of very liberal and enlightened views.
A young man who went there a few years before from Calcutta,
conducted so much to her highness' satisfaction, that he was
entrusted with the management of her affairs, and married her
grand-daughter. He applied to Mr. Chamberlain, a few days before
he left Agra, to settle there and educate his son, whom he wished
brought up in the Protestant faith. Mr. Chamberlain replied,
expressing his willingness to do so, provided he could act without
restraint as a missionary. The business was broken off by his sud-
den dismissal from Agra, but he now received a letter, acceding to
his terms, and remitting a sum of money to defray the expenses of
his journey. He immediately visited the place, preaching as he
went, and after a long and tedious journey, arrived there in May,
1813. He was kindly received, a suitable residence was prepared
for him, and he engaged with diligence in teaching, preaching, and
translation.
Things bore a promising aspect. The Roman Catholics, who
were numerous there, treated him, indeed, with aversion, as was
most natural, but he established several schools, set up regular wor-
ship, and had the satisfaction of gaining a few hearers and some
apparently earnest inquirers. His chief pundit, Purumanunda, who
had been his assistant in translation at Agra, and there received
some serious impressions, renounced idolatry, and professed his faith
in Christ. One or two others gave him strong hopes.
Early in 1814 he accompanied the princess to Delhi, the ancient
capital of Hindostan and a chief seat of brahminical superstition.
His pundit accompanied him, and it being his native place, his faith
was subject to severe trials, but he bore them firmly, and with his
family broke caste, — a thing never before witnessed, it is probable,
in that city since its foundation. Many came for books and to hear
the gospel, mostly Mussulmans, so that Mr. Chamberlain's time was
fully occupied, while Purumanunda went about with equal zeal,
declaring the truth, and reading the Scriptures to great numbers.
7
98 JOHN CHAMBEELAIN.
His strength gave way, and he was for some time seriously indisposed,
yet as long as he could do so, he persevered in his work. On his
return Mrs. Chamberlain was startled at her husband's emaciated
appearance, but after two days' respite he set off to attend a fair at
Hurdwar, to the north of Delhi, where he preached to immense
congregations of Hindoos, Bengalis and Mussulmans. The author
of " Scenes in India" testifies to the absorbing interest with which
he was heard, and states that "his knowledge of the language was
that of an accomplished native."
Convincing proof was given, some time after this, that his labours
at Hurdwar were not in vain. Anund Museeh (the name assumed
by Purumanunda after his conversion) having visited Delhi, was
told that a large number of people had excited considerable curiosity
by the circumstance of their assembling in the neighbourhood for
conversation and the reading of some books in their possession. He
went to the place, and found about five hundred persons seated under
the shade of trees. To the inquiry who they were and for what
purpose they came together, they said, "We are poor and lowly,
and we read and love this book." "What is that book?" "The
book of God!" — It was a gospel in Hindoostani. "Where did you
obtain it?" "An angel from heaven gave it us at Hurdwar fair."
"An angel?" "Yes, to us he was Grod's angel, but he was a learned
man, a learned pundit. The written copies we write ourselves,
having no other means of obtaining more of this blessed word."
What the ultimate result was, is not known, and may not be known
till the coming of the day when all the mysteries of earth shall be
revealed, but it is permitted us to hope that some souls did heartily
embrace the way of eternal life, the news of which they cherished
with such warm affection.
Unhappily, complaints were made by some persons of his visiting
Hurdwar, and in the unsettled state of the country the governor-
general, Lord Hastings, whose character for liberality guarantied the
uprightness of his motives, whatever may be thought of the absolute
propriety of so decided an act, felt compelled to require Mr. Cham-
berlain's dismissal from Sirdhana. Thus a second time was he driven
from a field where he had the highest hopes of success. He bowed
submissively to the ordination of Providence, and returned to S^ram-
pore, preaching daily on his route with his customary diligence.
Application was made to the government for leave to return to Hin-
JOHN CHAMBERLAIN. 99
dostan, which was refused, but he was authorized to settle at any point
in the lower provinces he should select. He fixed upon Monghyr, a
populous town in Bengal, nearly three hundred miles from Calcutta,
which he had before visited and remarked as a favourable situation.
To this point he proceeded in the autumn of 1816, in his usual
manner, pausing daily to testify to all who would hear, the gospel
of the grace of God. He contracted a severe cold, by which he was
enfeebled, and spent three weeks at Digah, where two brethren had
been recently settled, and as yet had not acquired the language so
fully as to make them ready preachers, but with the aid of two
native converts, one of whom had been baptized by Mr. Chamberlain
several years before, they succeeded in communicating with the
people. Here he had the happiness of baptizing four natives, and
of administering the communion to twenty-three persons, nine of
them gathered from among the heathen, "the wave-sheaf," as he
says, " of the harvest in Hindostan."
At Monghyr he was still troubled with indisposition, but was
soon enabled to enter on his work, — translating, and preaching to
both natives and Europeans, with the evidence that the word was
heard with profit. After pursuing this course for three months, he
made a missionary tour, a species of employment to which he was
always partial, to Berhampore. Returning, he resumed his duties
at the station, where he remained till the close of the year 1816. In
the beginning of the next year he made another tour, accompanying
an officer of the army who had recently commenced a religious life,
to his station up the river. It was the last important excursion of
the kind he was permitted to make, but differed nothing from oth-
ers. He always did what he found to do with his might, and had
he seen death frowning in his path he could have done no more
than this. In his return he stopped at Digah, where he found the
good work prospering, and a large number of candidates for baptism,
many of them soldiers stationed there.
During the remainder of the year he confined himself mostly to
his station, visiting some convenient places in the neighbourhood as
he found opportunity. On the 27th of December he baptized the
first native convert in that place, a brahmin, whose profession of
Christianity profoundly agitated the community. On the last day
of the year he was assailed with symptoms of disease in the lungs.
"The work in my hands," he wrote on that day, "requires years to
accomplish it; but whether another year will be granted to me for
100 JOHN CHAMBEELAIN.
what I am to do, I know not. 0, that when my Lord and Master
cometh, I may be found in his work. Now pardon all my sins, 0
thou forgiving God, and crown with blessings this departing year."
From this time he declined rapidly, and was able to do but little.
In the following October he was advised to try a change of air, and
for this purpose proceeded to Calcutta, and thence to the Sand
Heads, but without material benefit. His strength was for a brief
interval recruited, so that he returned to Monghyr, but all hopes of
continued usefulness began again to fade. He looked sadly at the
villages he passed, where he longed to preach, but could not. In
February, 1819, he revived, and seemed like one from the dead.
Cautiously he resumed his ordinary employments, but his ardour
was not sufficiently tempered by prudence. He was anxious to finish
the translations in which he was engaged, and his efforts dissipated
his strength. He bore up with frequent interruptions till September,
when his disorder prostrated him for a month. Another voyage to
the Sand Heads was serviceable to him, but, as before, over-exertion
speedily destroyed its good effects. He could not be quiet. He
returned home at the beginning of 1820, and laboured through the
spring at his translations, besides preaching four times a-week to the
Europeans and seven or eight times to the natives 1 In the course
of the summer he was compelled to intermit some of his labours,
but during a considerable part of the time persisted in preaching as
many as six discourses a week, besides prosecuting his tasks with
the New-Testament in the Hindi language, the translation of which
he completed in September. The year 1821 was equally laborious,
though he was but the shadow of himself, and it was manifest that
he was rapidly wearing out his life. On the first Sabbath in Sep-
tember died his friend Brindabun, whom he -had baptized in 1809.
He spoke at his grave in Hindoostani, and in the evening preached
his funeral sermon in English, and administered the Lord's Supper.
The next Sabbath he made another and last attempt to preach. He
now bade farewell to his flock, then consisting of twelve native
members, and went to Calcutta. A voyage to England was recom-
mended, a measure which was unquestionably two full years too late,
but further labour was out of the question, and he prepared for his
departure. For some reasons, not founded, we may be sure, in any
want of affection, he chose, with very questionable self-denial, to
leave his wife behind to await his desired, but scarcely expected,
return to his loved employ. The vessel sailed the second week in
JOHN CHAMBERLAIN. 101
November. He was confined to the cabin, and languished for three
weeks, where he was found on the morning of December 6th, lifeless
upon his bed. His remains were committed to the deep near the
island of Ceylon, in lat. 9° 30' N., Ion. 85° E. No human ear was
permitted to listen to his dying accents, or to witness his tranquil
departure into rest ; but He whom he served in life, watched his pil-
low, and received him alone.
No description is needed to portray Mr. Chamberlain's character
as a missionary. It is recorded in the life we have reviewed ; his
works constitute an unequivocal and undying memorial of the man,
ardent in the pursuit of his high calling, singularly skilful in the
use of means, eminently successful in reaching those for whose sal-
vation he laboured. The want of immediate and decisive results was
no disappointment to him ; he looked for no such results. His work
was preparative. He continually spoke of himself as a pioneer, toil-
ing in the forlorn hope of the enterprise, occupying new stations,
bringing strange things to the ears of myriads. He knew that his
words would not fall to the ground, or be lost "in the vast and
wandering air," but hoped that when he should have departed, the
good seed would spring up and bear fruit to the honour of his Lord.
In this faith he lived and died, and time has justified his confidence.
In his private relations he was earnestly beloved by all who knew
him. His warm temperament exposed him to the danger of giving
offence when engaged in controversy, and he did not always guard
himself sufficiently against it, but familiar acquaintance never failed
to vindicate the essential kindliness of his nature. In his intercourse
with the natives he manifested a gentleness and moderation that con-
ciliated them to his message, and was more effectual than the most
persuasive speech to show the worth of the religion he preached.
He knew himself, and was quick to discern the characters of others.
This knowledge of human nature gave him great power in his work.
His humility was remarkable, and he always cherished a feeling of
gratitude for the least blessing he received, whether human or
divine. His talents were not splendid, but they were exerted with
conscientious diligence. His temper was ardent, but burned " with
an unconsuming fire of light" habitually kindled from above.
Others may have pursued more dazzling, but few more useful,
blameless, or happy lives, than that of JOHN CHAMBERLAIN.
HENRY MARTY N.
HENRY MARTYN was born at Truro, in the county of Cornwall,
England, February 18, 1781. His father was originally a common
labourer in the mines at Grwenap, but qualified himself by study in
the intervals of labour for the situation of chief clerk in a counting-
house, affording him an easy income. Henry was placed, in the
eighth year of his age, at the grammar school in Truro. He was
regarded as a boy of uncommon promise, and his proficiency in class-
ical studies justified the expectations that had been formed of him.
Indeed, his ease of acquisition was such that he was exposed to the
temptation of relying too much on the quickness of his powers,
and to fail in due application to study. He appeared like an idler,
but performed his tasks with great readiness, as if he had learned
them by intuition.
Having inherited a weak constitution, and by no means an adept in
the ordinary pastimes of boys, Henry suffered from the overbearing
tyranny of some of his stouter associates, who had little sympathy
with his shy and retiring disposition. But his gentle and inoffensive
demeanour made him friends, and one older than himself became
his protector. In this school he continued till his fourteenth year,
when he was sent to Oxford as a candidate for a vacant scholarship
in Corpus Christi College. He sustained himself so well that in the
opinion of some of the examiners he ought to have been elected,
but was unsuccessful, and returned to his school, where he remained
two years longer. His mind was directed, in the spring of 1797, to
the University of Cambridge. The schoolmate whose counsel and
protection had stood him in such stead, had entered there upon a
highly successful course, and he naturally felt a desire to continue
a relation that was mutually satisfactory. He was accordingly
entered at St. John's College, and commenced his residence there in
October. The beginning of his academic career was not promising.
His time was wasted on favourite diversions and books, "attributing,"
he says, "to a want of taste for mathematics, what ought to have
been ascribed to idleness." The standing he obtained in his first
104: HENRY MAKTYN.
examination showed that lie had not wholly wasted his powers, and
in the following summer he reached the second place in the first class,
to which distinction the judicious counsel of his friend, restraining
his youthful waywardness, probably contributed not a little.
During this and the succeeding year, Mr Martyn's talents unfolded
themselves with increasing distinctness as of no ordinary kind. He
was unwearied in application, and generally unexceptionable in his
conduct. An irritability of temper was indeed occasionally manifest,
and once proved nearly fatal to a friend, at whom, in a paroxysm
of anger, he hurled a knife, which missed its object, and was fixed
trembling in the wall. But his character in most respects was esti-
mable, and such as won general regard. His religious views, how-
ever, were indefinite, and his ruling motives worldly. The duty
of studying not chiefly for its own, or his own sake, but for the
Divine glory, though he acknowledged its reasonableness, seemed
strange when suggested in conversation. On visiting his friends in
the summer vacation of 1799, his religious obligations were affection-
ately urged upon him by a pious sister, with no good effect at the
time ; but the very resistance which he made to motives that his judg-
ment could not but approve, awakened a more vivid consciousness
of his moral deficiencies. He afterwards recurred, with expressions
of deep self-abasernent, to the circumstances of this visit.
At the Christmas examination of this year, he was first, an honour
flattering to himself, and the more exquisitely gratifying from the
delight it gave his father. But his joy was speedily turned into
sorrow, by the intelligence of his father's death, an event for which
he was wholly unprepared, and which laid a heavy burden of grief
on his susceptible spirit. In this hour of mourning, his thoughts
naturally turned towards that eternal state into which his parent had
entered, and to which his own spirit was bound. "Yet," he says,
"I still read the Bible unenlightened, and said a prayer or two,
rather through terror of a superior power than from any other cause.
Soon, however, I began to attend more diligently to the words of
our Saviour in the New-Testament, and to devour them with delight ;
when the offers of mercy and forgiveness were made so freely, I
supplicated to be made partaker of the covenant of grace, with
eagerness and hope." From this time, though he afterwards looked
back, from the elevation of a piety such as is not often attained,
with some measure of distrust respecting the state of his affections
in the dawn of his religious life, he seems to have gone forward,
HENRY MARTYN. 105
with, an increasing steadiness of purpose and Vigour of pursuit, in
the way of Christian improvement.
The examination for degrees in the University now approaching,
his mind was directed with ardour to his mathematical studies.
Much was expected of him; the result of the examination might
have a momentous bearing on his success in life ; and he felt that the
circumstances required watchfulness, lest his heart should be too
much set upon the distinctions of the hoar. As he entered the Sen-
ate-house among the crowd of able competitors, he might have been
pardoned for giving way to the ambitious promptings that are so
natural to a strong and aspiring intellect in the flush of youth. But
at this moment there rushed upon his recollection the severe and
authoritative warning, "Seekest thou great things for thyself? SEEK
THEM NOT, SAITH THE LORD." His spirit was tranquillized, and the
calmness with which he set about his task undoubtedly gave him
additional power. The highest academical honour was conferred
upon him in January, 1801, at which time he had not completed the
twentieth year of his age. Yet he was not dazzled by the splendours
of such a prize. It was inadequate to satisfy a mind that had known
"the powers of the world to come." He says, "I had obtained my
highest wishes, but was surprised to find that I had grasped a shadow."
Returning to his home to receive the congratulations of his friends,
his sister alone was disappointed, in finding his religious progress
less marked than she had fondly, perhaps too eagerly, anticipated.
He spent the summer vacation in Cambridge, where he was much
in solitude, and improved it to the happy increase of his spiritual
resources. The acquaintance he was permitted to form with Rev.
Charles Simeon, whose influence on the university, and through
that upon the church and the whole body of society, was for many
years the instrument of widely diffusing the spirit and power of
evangelical religion, proved a valuable auxiliary to his better im-
pulses. By him he was introduced to a number of young men, with
whom he formed a lasting friendship, dignified by all the graces of
the Christian character. From him also he derived higher views
of the importance and intrinsic honour of the Christian ministry to
which he soon devoted himself, having hitherto looked forward to
the legal profession.
He was now for a time employed in instructing some pupils, till
his election as a fellow of St. John's College, in March, 1802. He
soon after won the first prize for Latin prose composition, and with
106 HENRY MARTYN.
these added honours departed on a visit to his relatives in Cornwall.
The days that he spent in the society of his friends were among the
most joyous of his life. In his hours of retirement he indulged in
sacred meditations, that fed the flame of devotion, while the absence
of distracting objects enabled him to fix his attention more exclu-
sively upon the study of the Scriptures.
In the autumn of this year he returned to his engagements in the
university. The months that followed formed an important era in
his life. From some remarks of Mr. Simeon on the labours of Dr.
Carey and his associates in Bengal, and the reading of David Brain-
ard's apostolic labours among the Indians, his thoughts were turned
to the missionary enterprise. He had already fixed his mind on the
duties of the ministry ; he now conceived the design of seeking his
field of labour in the dark places of the earth. It was no light
matter for one endowed with such rare powers wholly to resign the
thought of exerting them in a society affording such scope for their
exercise as his native England. It cost no small struggle to silence
the pleadings of a nature possessed of exquisite susceptibilities for
the enjoyments of Christian society, of domestic peace and the
endearments of kindred and closely-knit friendships. But he felt
the promptings of compassion for those perishing for lack of knowl-
edge, and of duty to Him whose commission he wras about to bear,
the terms of which extended to "all the world;" and after much
devout consideration he devoted himself to the work, and offered
himself for the patronage of the Church Missionary Society.
His journal, from this time to that of his ordination, shows that
he was far from insensible to the difficulties and trials that he must
encounter in his labours. At one time he complains that "nothing
seems to lie before me but one vast uninteresting wilderness, and
heaven appearing but dimly at the end." At another, he "had some
disheartening thoughts at the prospect of being stripped of every
earthly comfort." Again he says, "Had distressing thoughts about
the little prospect of happiness in my future life." Besides these
special causes of sorrow, the researches he made into the depths of
his own nature gave him abasing views of his own character, which
are recorded in terms of great energy. The same record of his inte-
rior life discloses the sources of his consolation, in the study of the
Scriptures, in grateful meditation on the excellences of the gospel
and the sublime mysteries of faith, and in much prayer.
The ordination of Mr. Martyn occurred at Ely, October 22d, 1803,
HENRY MARTYN. 107
and lie commenced his clerical duties as curate to Mr. Simeon in the
church of the Holy Trinity, Cambridge, undertaking at the same
time the care of the small parish of Lolworth near the university.
His preaching was characterized by great earnestness and solemnity.
"With that careful watchfulness that distinguished him, he has entered
in his journal the fact that in company with a friend he was asked
if he were riot to be Mr. Simeon's curate, a question which he was
for the moment reluctant to answer. It probably was not, it may
be remarked, his being a curate that mortified his pride, but that he
was to be Mr. Simeon's curate. That excellent person, now revered
in memory as a lasting benefactor of the university and of the
church, even by those who would be far from assenting to his views
of religion, was then the object of reproach and derision as a "mys-
tical, rnethodistical, fanatical" preacher. But such feelings as these,
in the breast of one like Henry Marty n, must have been of a tran-
sient character. They were detected and sternly repressed on his
first consciousness of their existence.
Toward the close of this year he was appointed to act as examiner
of the university, an office he filled with singular credit to himself,
but with great anxiety, lest the absorption of his thoughts in it
should work to the prejudice of his more sacred duties. At this
time his prospects of missionary service were overcast by the sud-
den loss of his little property, in which his younger sister was also
involved. To leave England under these circumstances seemed a
matter of doubtful propriety. His friends had interested them-
selves in soliciting for him a chaplaincy in the service of the East
India Company, an offer which would enable him with less hard-
ship to undertake missionary labour in their territories. In this
emergency it was of more consequence than ever that he should
obtain the desired post, and the position of his sister justified some
reference to his pecuniary interests ; but the application was unsuc-
cessful, and he was left in a state of painful uncertainty as to his
future course.
While thus unable to discern the way in which he should walk,
he devoted himself with increased assiduity to his ministerial work.
He preached frequently, visited the sick and dying, the poor and
the outcast, was diligent in the work of private instruction and
admonition, and sought in every way to fulfil the duties imposed
by his ordination vows. Where he had reason to know that his
ministrations were useful, he received the assurance with profound
108 HENRY HARTYN.
gratitude and humility. "When applause was excited, he shrank
from it with dread, lest it should corrupt his Christian simplicity by
prompting a vain elation of spirit. He sought to acquire habits of
self-denial, and was indefatigable in the use of means to promote
his progress in knowledge and in piety. To this end he guarded
against every thing that tended to distract the pursuit. If a book
excited in him special admiration, he would lay it aside for a time
to study the Scriptures, jealous lest any human production should
even temporarily usurp that place which rightfully belonged to the
inspired Word. In his solitary walks he took care to direct his
rnind to the contemplation of sacred things, for which purpose he
committed to memory passages of the Bible to be always ready to
his thoughts. By these and other appropriate methods he studied
to be blameless in the minutest particulars of life, and thoroughly
furnished for the duties he assumed. He did not escape calumny,
misrepresentation and ridicule, but he bore them meekly, uncom
plainingly, with a forgiving temper, and a reliance on Him who
warned his disciples that they must meet the hostility of a world
that rejected and crucified their Master.
Early in this year he made the acquaintance of Henry Kirke
White, whose genius he appreciated, and whose spirit was congenial
with his own. He did much to encourage him in his entrance upon
that memorable career, whose brilliant morning was so soon to be
shrouded in untimely darkness. He was also in the summer again
engaged to act as examiner in the university. At the conclusion of
the examination, being assured of an appointment as chaplain to the
East India Company, he visited his friends in Cornwall preparatory
to leaving England. Anxious to make full proof of his ministry,
he hoped for the privilege of preaching there, but the prejudice
against his evangelical principles was such that his services were
chiefly limited to two churches, where he preached to large and
attentive audiences. "The common people heard him gladly."
After a season of much enjoyment, tempered by the sadness which
could not fail to gather round one anticipating a speedy and final
separation, he bade farewell to his sisters and to one dearer than a
sister, with inexpressible sorrow that subdued his spirit, and only
yielded to a paramount sense of duty.* He made his way to Lon-
* The question whether he should go out to India married or single, agitated his
mind for some time, but Mr. Cecil gave him such reasons for the latter as convinced
him that duty demanded the sacrifice of his affections.
HENRY MARTYN. 109
don, whence lie returned in September to Cambridge. Here he
resumed his pastoral labours, and pursued them with increased dili-
gence and pleasure, and at the close of the year acted for a third
time as university examiner. He was admitted to priest's orders in
March, 1805, having completed his twenty-fourth year, and received
the degree of Bachelor in Divinity. No cause now existing to
detain him longer in England, he made immediate preparation
to depart.
At London his heart was lightened by the happy marriage of his
youngest sister, and by the information that two of his friends had
resolved on devoting themselves to the same arduous but happy
work on which he was entering. During the two months of his
sojourn there he applied himself to the study of the Hindoostani
language, besides frequently preaching. On the 8th of July he
went to Portsmouth, the place of his embarkation. The intensity
of his feelings, which he struggled to repress and conceal, was such
that he fainted on the way, and was compelled to stop over night.
The presence of some of his brethren, and particularly of Mr. Simeon,
who came to Portsmouth to bid him farewell, somewhat soothed him.
The vessel in which he sailed, with a large fleet, put to sea July
17, 1805, and two days after unexpectedly anchored at Falmouth.
By this unlooked-for event, Mr. Martyn was compelled to renew the
anguish under which his physical energies had once sunk, as he was
brought to the near vicinity of his early home and of those friends
from whom his sensitive nature so hardly permitted him to part.
A short interval was given him to enjoy their society, to be followed
by a bitter season of regret. Keturning to the vessel he once more
put to sea. Compelled, unhappily, to sail in view of the coast for
nearly two days, his torture was prolonged, and when he was finally
borne away from the shores of England, he complained that "all his
peace had disappeared." On the 14th, the fleet came to anchor in
the cove of Cork, and here he gained at last the calmness of spirit
and entire reconciliation to the Divine will, that were sufficient to
sustain him in his utmost need.
At Cork Mr. Martyn preached regularly, and was indefatigable
in his private ministrations, but found much to discourage him.
The officers were indifferent or hostile to his principles, the passen-
gers inattentive, and it was not strange if the common sailors and
soldiers, though better disposed, partook of the same feeling. When
the fleet again put to sea on the 31st of August, and through the
110 HENRY MARTYN".
whole course of the voyage to Madeira, this opposition was increased.
The officers complained of the severity of his preaching. If he
would utter "smooth things," they would hear, but he was signifi-
cantly told that he must not "preach about hell" any more. With
more firmness than discretion, he answered this warning by taking
for his text, the next Sabbath, Psalm ix. 17. — "The wicked shall be
turned into hell, with all the nations that forget God." From Madeira
they proceeded to San Salvador, Brazil, where several days were
spent, after having narrowly escaped destruction by shipwreck.
Their course was then to Cape Town, which was attacked and taken.
Mr. Martyn was greatly concerned at the levity with which the sol-
diers went forward to battle, and shocked at the horrors of war.
When the British colours were hoisted on the fort he was saddened
at the spirit of conquest in which the expedition originated. "I
had rather," he says, "be trampled upon, than be the trampler. I
could find it more agreeable to my own feelings to go and weep
with the relatives of the men whom the English have killed, than
to rejoice at the laurels they have won."
The voyage from the Cape was attended with much sickness on
board the fleet, which proved fatal to many, and kept Mr. Martyn
busy in attendance upon the suffering. The opposition he met with
from the officers and passengers was more violent than ever, but
with the fervour of love he pursued his thankless labours till the
21st of April, 1806, when he was gladdened by the sight of India,
nine months from the time of leaving Portsmouth. After being
detained a short time at Madras, he reached Calcutta, not without
great peril from a hurricane, which dismantled the vessel in which
he sailed, and kept them for two hours in the momentary expectation
of immediate death.
While at Madras Mr. Martyn describes himself as filled with des-
pondency. The multitudes of idolaters, and the apparent impossi-
bility of their conversion, pressed on his mind and tried his faith,
"but God wonderfully assisted me," he says, "to trust him for the
wisdom of his dispensations.' — How easy for God to do it; and it
shall be done in due time ; and even if I should never see a native
converted, God may design by my patience and continuance in the
work to encourage future missionaries."
On his arrival at Calcutta, Mr. Martyn was welcomed by Eev.
David Brown to his residence at Aldeen near the city. Here he
was attacked with fever, which occasioned his friends great concern
HENKY MAKTYN. Ill
for a time. On his recovery he applied himself to the study of the
Hindoostani, and continued in this employment and in the pleasures
of Christian society until the beginning of October. During this
time his Christian friends in Calcutta earnestly desired that he would
make that the scene of his labours. But he was set on other objects,
and "to be prevented from going to the heathen", he said, "would
almost have broken his heart."
The reception he met with on first preaching in that city was not
calculated to offer his mind the strongest inducements to remain.
He was openly denounced from more than one pulpit ; his doctrines
were first denied, then misrepresented, then condemned as fanatical
and absurd. He received these assaults, improper as coming from
his brother chaplains, as well as unchristian, with a meek and for-
giving temper. Another chaplain came to his assistance, by reading
instead of a sermon one of the Homilies, in which the doctrines thus
maligned are set forth by authority of the Church of England.
About this time the order issued by the government against the
Baptist mission at Serampore, forbidding them to preach or circulate
tracts within the British jurisdiction, grieved him exceedingly, and
he expressed himself vehemently against it.
Having received an appointment to Dinapore, he prepared to
part from the friends with whom he had shared so many happy
hours, but not till his heart was strengthened by the arrival of two
fellow -labourers from England. On the 15th of October he com-
menced his voyage, accompanied for a little distance by Mr. Brown
and other friends. On parting from them, and finding himself alone
with the natives, he gave himself to study, diversified by conversa-
tion with his moonshee and by pauses at different places on the
route, where he had the opportunity of conferring with the people.
At Berhampore he stopped for one day with the hope of preaching
to the soldiers, but the privilege was not granted, and on the 26th
of November he arrived at Dinapore.
The objects he contemplated at this station were, to acquire suffi-
cient knowledge of the Hindoostani to preach in that language, to
establish native schools, and to prepare translations of Scripture and
religious tracts for circulation. While on his passage he had devised
and begun a translation of the parables with comments, which he
continued after his arrival. He likewise commenced a translation
of the book of Common Prayer into Hindoostani. The discussions
he had with his teacher were of a character to wound his spirit at
112 HENRY MAKTYN.
times, and the natives seemed disposed to receive his approaches
with jealousy.
His ministrations to the English residents were commenced with
some discomforts. Offence was taken at his extempore preaching,
and he was directly requested to discontinue it. Many of them,
especially the wealthy, repulsed all his efforts at religious conver-
sation. The sentiments current among the Europeans respecting
his missionary employments were anything but encouraging, while
the necessity of meeting these difficulties alone gave them greater
depressive force. His work of translation, however, went rapidly
forward. By the 24th of February, 1807, his version of the prayer
book was completed, and on Sunday, March 15, he commenced a
service in Hindoostani. The commentary on the parables was also
completed toward the end of this month. His duties on the Sabbath
now consisted of an English service at seven in the morning, Hin-
doo service at two in the afternoon, and attendance at the hospital,
• — and in the evening, meeting at his own rooms with soldiers who
were seriously inclined. In these duties he found great delight,
heightened by evidence that to some of the officers his instructions
were of saving benefit.
In the month of June he was requested to give himself with more
exclusiveness to completing the translation of the New-Testament
in the Hindoostani, and to undertake a Persian version, tasks upon
which he entered with alacrity. He was soon after deeply afflicted
by the intelligence of the death of his eldest sister. The severity
of the blow was mitigated by the knowledge that she departed in
the sure hope of a blessed resurrection, and by the anticipation of
a reunion at that day. But greatly as he was moved by this intelli-
gence, he would not suffer it to divert him more than a single day
from his appointed tasks.
The schools, of which several had been established, were mean-
while well attended. No Christian books were introduced at first,
as Mr. Marty n was anxious to proceed very gradually, that the jeal-
ousy of the natives might not break up the schools, and thus destroy
one important agency in which he relied for future success in dis-
seminating the word of truth. He now put the sermon on the mount
into the hands of the pupils, a measure that met with no opposition,
and the success of which naturally afforded hirn great pleasure.
The arrival of two assistants in the work of translation gave a
fresh impulse to his mind. These were Mirza, of Benares, a widely-
HENRY MARTYN. 113
known Hindoostani scholar, and Sabat, an Arabian, then a professed
Christian, but afterwards an apostate from the faith. Mr. Martyn
welcomed Sabat as a brother beloved, and anticipated much happi-
ness from cooperating with such a man, heightened by the long
suffering with which he had been obliged hitherto to endure the
contradictions of his moonshee and pundit. He bore with the evi-
dences of an unsubdued Arab temper, pride, arrogance and jealousy,
in the spirit of charity that "hopeth all things," loth to believe the
man anything else than a sincere, though immature and very imper-
fect Christian, and by his efficient aid went rapidly and successfully
forward with the Persian New-Testament.
At the beginning of 1808 he made an effort to do something for
the spiritual benefit of the Eoman Catholics and other nominal
Christians in Patna, whose state, differing for the better in no import-
ant respect from the heathen among whom they lived, had strongly
affected him, but his offered service was repulsed. The state of the
weather at this season interrupted the regular performance of divine
service at Dinapore, and under these circumstances he opened his
own house, where he preached to a pretty numerous congregation.
His health, however, suffered from his arduous toils ; his body could
not execute the promptings of his eager spirit. In March the
Hindoostani New-Testament was completed. Through the remain-
der of the year he was engaged in its revision, in the superin-
tendence of the Persian translation, and in the study of Arabic with
a view of undertaking a version in that language. Toward the close
of summer he had a severe attack of illness that for a short time
seemed to threaten his life. In the time of his greatest suffering,
however, his mind was tranquil and even joyous, as he looked back
on all the mercies he had received, and forward to the bliss of
heaven that appeared so near.
In February, 1809, the Four Gospels in Persian were finished. In
the month of April Mr. Martyn's labours at Dinapore were arrested
by orders to remove to Cawnpore. He had just succeeded in securing
the erection of a church, in which divine service could be celebrated
in comfort and decency, and he anticipated the future with hope.
It is true that the immediate effect of his labours was slight. A
few officers and soldiers attested the power of the gospel, and a few
women attended his Hindoostani service, but infidelity and an entire
contempt of the truth reigned among the mass of the European res-
idents, and a besotted indifference characterized the natives. The
114 HENRY MARTYN.
spring of his activity, however, was from above, not from without,
and with all its toils and discouragements, there was no sphere on
earth he would have sought in preference to this. While his body
drooped under his exhausting labours, and his soul was burdened
by the aspects of depravity that he felt his human powers unable to
contend with, he found peace in resting with unshaken faith on Him
whose truth he proclaimed.
Something, though so little, — something had been accomplished,
and to leave it for a new station, where all must be newly begun,
was no slight test of patience. The removal was, however, accom-
panied with evil, if not fatal, effects on his health. No doubt his
exertions at Dinapore were on the whole too much for his powers
of endurance, but they were aggravated by the change. His journey
was performed at a time when the heat was suffocating, through a
barren waste that made the air like that of a furnace, and on his
arrival at Cawnpore he fainted from its effects. There was no church
in which to shelter his head, but he prayed and preached under the
open sky, the soldiers drawn up in a hollow square around him, in
an atmosphere so oppressive that some of his auditors dropped down
in the midst of the service.
At the close of this year Mr. Martyn's soul was once more bowed
with sorrow at the death of his surviving sister, who had been the
instrument of so much spiritual good to him in his youth, thus
binding her to his heart with double affection. "0 what a barren
desert, what a howling wilderness," he exclaimed, "does this world
appear I But for the service of God in his church, and the prepara-
tion of my own soul, I do not know that I would wish to live
another day." To that service he devoted himself with continued
energy. About this time he began his first public ministrations to
the heathen. Hitherto he had avoided this, through apprehensions
of exciting prejudice, a caution which we should incline to think
excessive, were it not imposed on him by his relations to the East
India Company as an army chaplain. The danger of compromising
the government in provinces where its influence was imperfectly
established, demanded of him a reserve that was unfavourable, if
we may judge by comparison with the labours of others not thus
encumbered, to his largest influence as a preaching missionary.
A company of mendicants being in the habit of coming for alms,
he appointed a stated day to receive them, that he might not be
unduly interrupted. To this congregation, sometimes amounting to
HENRY MARTYN. 115
eight hundred persons, he preached the word of eternal life; his
instructions were well received, and not long after he had the happi-
ness of receiving one of their number to a profession of humble
faith in Christ. These labours were continued through the early
part of the year 1810, but repeated attacks of weakness in the chest
which he had experienced for some time, and that seemed to
mark him as the victim of the same insidious disease which had
deprived him of his sisters, compelled him to suspend his exer-
tions. While Deliberating whether to try a voyage to England,
or to turn in some other direction for the desired relief, the neces-
sity of revising the Persian New-Testament decided his course.
That work was pronounced by competent judges to be removed from
the comprehension of the common people, by too great elevation
of style, and by the frequent occurrence of Arabic idioms. This
was a great disappointment to him, more especially as his Hindoos-
tani version was pronounced highly successful. He now decided to
visit Persia and Arabia, for the purpose of making a new Persian
translation and undertaking an Arabic version. With this inten-
tion he preached his farewell discourse at the opening of a new
church, the erection of which he had long urged, and in which he
had fondlv hoped to proclaim the word of life for years to come.
On arriving at Calcutta, the joy with which his friends received
him was shaded by perceiving how greatly his bodily vigour had
been impaired by his four years' labours. Such was his weakness
that he could not indulge freely in conversation without pain, yet
he preached every Sunday in all fidelity during the two months that
he remained there. On the 7th of January, 1811, he delivered a
discourse on the anniversary of the Calcutta Bible Society, which
was afterwards published, and on the same day addressed the inhabit-
ants of Calcutta for the last time from the words, " But one thing
is needful."
He now took passage in a ship bound for»Bombay, having for a
companion on his voyage the Hon. Mr. Elphinstone, Resident of
Poonah. From the captain, who had been a pupil of Swartz, he
obtained much interesting information concerning that devoted mis-
sionary. He arrived at Bombay on the 18th of February, on which
day he completed the 30th year of his age, "the age at which
David Brainard finished his course. I am now," he adds, in that
spirit of humility which he cherished by ever looking from himself
to his Divine Exemplar, "at the age at which the Saviour of men
116 HENRY MARTYN.
began his ministiy, and at which John the Baptist called a nation
to repentance. Let me now think for myself, and act with energy.
Hitherto I have made my youth and insignificance an excuse for
sloth and imbecility ; now let me have a character, and act boldly
for God."
At Bombay he remained nearly a month, making inquiries concern-
ing the native Christians, and conversing with Parsees and Moham-
medans on religion. On the 25th of March, he embarked in a vessel
ordered to cruise in the Persian Gulf against pirates, and landed on the
22d of May at Bushire in Persia, whence he proceeded by land to
Shiraz. The heat was so intense that his life was endangered; at
Ahmede, under the shade of a tree, the only shelter they could get,
the thermometer rose to 126°. At Shiraz he commenced his new
version of the New-Testament in Persian, with the aid of Mirza Seid
Ali Khan, a learned Mohammedan, characterized by much liberality
of feeling. With him Mr. Martyn had frequent and free discus-
sions, in which the Mussulman was compelled to acknowledge with
tears the excellence of Christianity, and once confessed that from
childhood he had been seeking a religion, and was still undecided.
Other Mohammedans and several Jews visited him, and much curi-
osity was excited in the town concerning his character and designs.
At first he kept open house, ready- to receive all who called, but in
July he removed to a garden in the suburbs, where, secluded from
interruption, he pursued his work and enjoyed his Sabbaths with
unaccustomed pleasure.
From this retreat he was summoned to hold a public dispute with
the Professor of Mohammedan law, an antagonist whose rank and
distinction made him formidable; but the great man was too digni-
fied to reason; he inflicted a tedious lecture on Mr. Martyn, taking
little notice of his objections. Others, however, were not so blind
to them, and he began to fear the result of Mr. Martyn 's enterprise.
He accordingly wrote* an elaborate and subtle defence of Moham-
medanism, of which his antagonist produced a cogent refutation,
not shrinking from the most frank exposure of the system in ques-
tion, and holding up the Christian system as infinitely superior. He
was told by a nephew of the Prince Euza Cooli Mirza, that the
proper answer to his reasonings would be the sword. To much in
Christianity free assent was given, but the doctrine of the divinity
of Christ was the great stumbling block with Mohammedans. " Their
sneers," Mr. Martyn writes, "are more difficult to bear than the
HENRY MAETYK. 117
brickbats which the boys sometimes throw at me : however, both are
an honour of which I am not worthy." His reply was felt by his
learned opponent, who came to inquire into the principles of Chris-
tianity in a manner which indicated that the shaft had taken effect.
The translation of the New -Testament made such progress that in
November, Mr. Martyn ordered two splendid copies to be prepared
for the King of Persia and his son, the Prince Abbas Mirza. Hav-
ing determined to spend the winter at Shiraz he commenced a ver-
sion of the Psalms in Persian. The year 1812 was entered upon by
him with an apparent presentiment that his time was short. "The
present year will probably be a perilous one, but my life is of little
consequence, whether I live to finish the Persian New-Testament
or do not. I look back with pity and shame on my former self, and
on the importance I then attached to my life and labours. The more
I see of my own works, the more I am ashamed of them I
am sick when I look at man and his wisdom and his doings, and am
relieved only by reflecting that we have a city whose builder and
maker is God. The least of His works it is refreshing to look at.
A dried leaf or a straw makes me feel in good company."
He had need to look for company to God's inanimate works. To
be condemned, as he was, to dwell without Christian society in a
city full of all manner of wickedness, where his purposes and hopes
were viewed either with contempt or ignorant wonder, was a severe
trial to his mind, and he was able, he said, to understand the feel-
ings of Lot. "The face of the poor Russian appears to me like the
face of an angel, because he does not tell lies." Yet he had the
consolation of finding some who were curious to know, if not ready
to obey, the truth. To such, the strangest part of his faith was his
assured hope of eternal life. Aga Ali, a Mede, once asked, How
did he know he should be saved? Was it by these books? "What
was the beginning of it ? Was it the society of friends ? In answer
to these inquiries he related his religious history. Could the same
benefit be conferred upon them? — "Yes; I bring you this message
from God, that he who, despairing of himself, rests for righteousness
on the Son of God, shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; and to
this I can add my testimony, if that be worth anything, that I have
found the promise fulfilled in myself." — "What! would you have
me believe as a child?" — "Yes." — "True; I think that is the only
way. Certainly," he added, as he turned away, "he is a good man!"
the 18th of February, the thirty-first and last birth-day he
118 HENEY MARTYN.
commemorated, lie notes that the New-Testament was completed,
except the last eight chapters of the Revelation. Six days after, the
work was concluded ; and the version of the Psalms, " a sweet employ-
ment," he said, which "caused six weary moons that waxed and
waned since its commencement, to pass unnoticed," was finished by
the middle of March. About this time he had another public
dispute with his former antagonist, Mirza Ibrahim, in which he
intrepidly defended the Divinity of Christ, and effectually silenced
opposition.
On the 24th of May, Mr. Martyn left Shiraz for Tebriz, to procure
from the British ambassador a letter of introduction to the king,
with a view of presenting to him the New-Testament. Had he fore-
seen the hazards of this enterprise it is not likely he would have
incurred them for an object so comparatively unimportant. The
journey occupied eight weeks, and when he finally reached the
royal camp at Carach he was not admitted to an audience. He then
went to Sultania, intending to wait an audience there, but found it
impracticable to do so. In his return to Tebriz he suffered dread-
fully from fever, which prostrated him after his arrival at that city
for two months. The English ambassador showed him much kind-
ness, and volunteered to present the Testament to the king. His
majesty gave it his approbation, and the work was printed at St.
Petersburg for distribution.
On recovering from his illness he decided to return to England
for the more complete restoration of his health, a wise step in itself,
but imprudently attempted too soon, — on the tenth day after his
recovery. Setting out on horseback with his attendants, he left
Tebriz on the 2d of September for Constantinople. The journey
was tedious, but he kept his mind occupied with study and medita-
tion on the Scriptures, and found at Echmiadzen and Erzroorn a
hospitality and fraternal welcome from the Armenians, that con-
trasted cheerfully with the rudeness he met from the Mohammedans,
or twice he was in danger from robbers, but escaped without
harilN On the 29th, soon after leaving Erzroom, he was attacked
with f^yer and ague. At the close of the next day's journey he
was so far weakened that he nearly fainted. The next two days his
attendants ^rove him furiously forward, much of the way in the
rain. Bepose^^kY*8*6^ his sufferings, and he went on through an
other day at the <,same merciless speed till he was compelled to halt.
He was permitted J(° rest at a small village, where his fever increased
HENRY MAKTYN. 119
till he was nearly frantic; his attendants believed him really delirious,
and minded nothing he said.
After gaining a little sleep he was hurried off, and reached Tocat
in a state of weakness that made further progress impossible. Here
on the 6th of October he made a final entry in his journal, a fitting
conclusion of the record of such a life. "I sat in the orchard," he
says, "and thought with sweet comfort and peace of my God, in
solitude my company, my friend and comforter. 0, when shall
time give place to eternity ! When shall appear that new heaven
and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness! There, there shall
in no wise enter in anything that defileth : none of that wickedness
which has made men worse than wild beasts, none of those corrup-
tions which add still more to the miseries of mortality shall be seen
or heard of any more."
In this state he looked forward to his "perfect consummation and
bliss." Ten days after, either sinking under the disease that arrested
his journey, or falling by the plague that then prevailed there, he
exchanged the sufferings of this present life for "a far more exceed-
ing and eternal weight of glory."
The intelligence of this unexpected event was received with pro-
found grief both in India and England. His great powers of mind
and wide compass of knowledge, — the celerity with which he exe-
cuted the most difficult undertakings, and the sincerity with which
his whole being was devoted to the service of his Divine Master,
made his withdrawal from his earthly mission an afflictive dispensa-
tion to all who had hopefully watched the promise of his early
manhood. To such as had enjoyed the happiness of personal com-
munion with him, the blow was more severe, as the bond it sundered
was more tender, and it was an affecting thought that, in the hour
of nature's extremity, he was left without the consolations of Chris-
tian sympathy or the offices of friendship. But it was so ordered,
and though few could so gratefully have felt the value of such alle-
viations at such an hour, few needed them less. His grave remained
without a monument till 1823, when Claudius James Eich, Esq.,
English Kesident at Bagdad, consecrated a stone to his memory.
More durable monuments were his versions of the New Testament,
which have every requisite for permanent circulation, and his trans-
lation of the English liturgy, by the aid of which many a Christian
congregation will offer prayers and praises, where now the name of
God is only heard to be profaned. It is the peculiar characteristic
120 HENRY MARTYN.
of a missionary's work, that it is linked with imperishable results.
Time, which dims the memory of earthly heroes, shall but brighten
that of Christian champions; and eternity has in reserve for them
honours that it is not now permitted us to conceive, much less
describe, but that are embodied in words whose sublime import tasks
the highest imagination — THE JOY OF THEIR LORD.
GORDON HALL.
GORDON HALL, one of the pioneers in American missions to the
heathen, was born at Tolland, Massachusetts, April 8, 1784 In his
childhood he was noted for vivacity, force of will and versatility of
talents. Endowed with no little wit and humour, joined to active
bodily habits, he was a leader in all the amusements appropriate to
childhood and youth, and as he grew up he showed a fondness for
mechanical contrivance, in the exercise of which he spent much of
his leisure time. At the age of fourteen, it is related, he undertook
to construct an air balloon from a description he had read ; of his
success we have no account, but the attempt was characteristic.
Early in life he acquired a taste for reading and composition.
His first attempts at literature were of a satirical turn, aimed at
individuals of the neighbourhood, an occupation for which we can
readily believe he found abundant scope. There are not a few
retired New England towns that have a store of eccentric characters,
whose originalities would make the fortune of an observing humour-
ist. He laboured upon his father's farm till his nineteenth year,
when he commenced a course of classical study, under the direction
of Rev. Mr. Harrison, the minister of the parish. He offered him-
self for examination at Williams College in February, 1805, and
received the special commendation of the President. "That young
man," said Dr. Fitch, "has not studied the languages like a parrot,
but has got hold of their very radix." His course as a scholar
justified this praise. Foremost in the generous competition, he was
graduated with the highest honour.
When entering college he was not a professing Christian, though
well instructed in the principles of religion by the care of a pious
mother. In 1805 a revival of religion commenced in Williamstown,
the influence of which during the following year extended into the
college. Mr. Hall was not insensible to the power of religious truth,
and in letters to his friends showed much solemnity of feeling, but
obtained no satisfactory evidence of piety, till the commencement
122 GORDON HALL.
of his third collegiate year. The state of the college at that time
was unfavourable to the exercise of active piety. Infidelity and
irreligion had been to some extent rife among the students, and the
prevailing political excitement was fitted to induce a feverish rest-
lessness of mind uncongenial to the cultivation of a Christian spirit.
The revival had indeed done much to counteract these influences,
yet it was not easy, even then, for a mind not strongly anchored by
independent principle to withstand the strong current of skepticism
. and worldliness. But Gordon Hall had a robust manliness of spirit
not to be deterred from a straightforward course on the line marked
out by his conscience and sober judgment. This gave him power,
and he fearlessly exerted it in behalf of religion. Those who were
contemporary with him could not soon forget the impression made
by his bold and manly bearing, and there are some now among the
living who can bear witness to the inflexible fidelity with which he
maintained the attitude of a Christian scholar.
At what time his mind was first directed to the subject of missions
is not certainly known, but it must have been very soon after his
conversion. In the class below him was Samuel J. Mills, a man
who, without extraordinary talents, but with an energy of faith and
profound benevolence such as are rarely exemplified, succeeded, in
his own words, in making his "influence felt to the remotest corner
of this ruined world." Unlike Hall, Mills had entered college with
an established religious character, and was studying with a view to
the Christian ministry, and with a desire to exercise his ministry
among the heathen. As early as 1802 his father overheard him
saying that "he could not conceive of any course of life in which
to pass the rest of his days, that would prove so pleasant as to go
and communicate the gospel of salvation to the poor heathen," — a
remark which was noted as one of the first decisive proofs of
personal piety he had shown. The subject continued to occupy his
thoughts, but his plans were not disclosed to others till the year
1807, when he conferred with Hall, and found him ready to respond
to his aspirations. In the summer or autumn of that year he spent
a day in fasting and prayer by the side of a large haystack in a
meadow near the Hoosick river, in company with James Eichards
and Eobert C. Bobbins. Their hearts flowed together, and a sacred
union was formed, destined to ripen into an enterprise wider and
more x°,ffective than they could then have hoped. In September,
1808, a society was formed, whose object was stated to be, "to effect
GORDON HALL. 123
in the persons of its members a mission or missions to the heathen."
The constitution admitted none as members who were "under any
engagement which should be incompatible with -going on a mission."
Each member was pledged to "keep absolutely free from every
engagement which, after his prayerful attention and after consulta-
tion with his brethren, should be deemed incompatible with the
objects of this society;" and to "hold himself in readiness to go on
a mission when and where duty might call." *
This constitution was originally signed by Mills, Kichards, Bob-
bins, Luther Bice, Ezra Fisk, and Daniel Smead, and seems to have
been the first foreign missionary organization in America. Though
Hall, for some reason, did not unite in its formation, there is evi-
dence that his heart was in the work from the first, that he was
fully cognizant of the steps taken by his fellow-students, and was
ready to cooperate with them to the extent of his ability. In the
high resolves, fervent prayers and secret communings of this little
band, far from human observation and human sympathy, were laid
the foundations of one of the greatest moral enterprises of the
American churches.
The constitution of the society was kept a profound secret, and the
original agreement was written and signed in cipher. For such a
course there were reasons grounded on the state of public opinion
with respect to missions, and in the situation and plans of the young
men who formed it. By a large portion of the religious public, such.
schemes were regarded as impracticable. There was great risk of
failure, not, certainly, from any liability to vacillation on their own
part, but from want of support by the churches. Public action, that
should prove abortive, could only injure them and the cause they
sought to serve. They were young, unpractised in any popular arts,
and destitute of personal influence. Mills, who was the master-spirit
of the movement, and gave it form and direction, was constitution-
ally inclined to the policy they pursued. He was unaffectedly
modest, humble, distrustful of his own capacity, but had great faith
in the power and merciful purposes of God. He was not disposed,
therefore, to seek great things for himself. He had no wish to figure
in the van of the enterprise, confident as he was that Providence
would in due season set it forward. He was inclined to pray and
wait, — not inactively, but in the exercise of an unobtrusive influence,
* Tracy's Hist, of the Am. Board.— Pres. Hopkins' Semi-Centenn. Address,
(Miscellanies, 280.)
124: GOKDON HALL.
suggesting his plans to others whose position in the churches gave
them power to move the public mind.
With these views the members of the little society set themselves
to diffuse a missionary spirit, to enlist other individuals in the
scheme, and especially to interest clergymen whose character gave
ground to hope for their cooperation. Kev. Drs. Worcester, of Salem,
Spring, of Newburyport, Morse, of Charlestown, and Griffin, then
settled in Newark, N. J., afterwards President of Williams College,
were more particularly looked to. These all became prominent in
forwarding the work of missions, but Dr. Worcester is believed to
have been first enlisted. Attempts were made to awaken an interest
among the students of other colleges. For this purpose one of their
number took a dismission to Middlebury College, Mills visited Yale,
a correspondence was opened with members of Dartmouth and Union
Colleges. The association also published and circulated two sermons
at their own expense, to move the public mind.
After graduating, in 1808, Mr. Hall commenced the study of the-
ology at Washington, Connecticut, with Rev. Dr. Porter, afterwards
a professor in Andover Theological Seminary, Mass. "The devel-
opment of his powers, during his theological investigations," says
Dr. Porter,* "satisfied me that, in intellectual strength and discrim-
ination, he was more than a common man. Of this, however, he
was apparently unconscious, being simple and unpretending in his
manners." Dr. Porter specially testifies to his steadfast piety, perse-
vering industry, sobriety of judgment and inflexible decision. While
at Washington he was appointed a tutor in Williams College, but
declined the office. He was licensed to preach in about a year, and
invited to supply the pulpit of the Congregational church in Wood-
bury, Conn., as a candidate for settlement. He consented to go, but
with the condition that he should be under no obligation to become
their pastor, — in accordance with his fixed determination to keep
clear of engagements incompatible with a missionary life, provided
any opening should offer itself in that direction. This determination,
and the tenacity with which he held it, were well understood. Mills,
then at New Haven, writing to a friend under date of December 22,
1809, declared that Gordon Hall was "ordained and stamped a mis-
sionary by the sovereign hand of God." He remained at Woodbury
till June 1810, occasionally preaching in other places, among others
at Pittsfield, Mass., where he spent two months. While at Pittsfield
* Am. Quarterly Register ii. 209
GORDON HALL. 125
he seems to have wavered between foreign and domestic missions,
on account of the uncertainty that rested on the prospect of com-
mencing a mission to the heathen.*
On leaving Woodbury, in June, he connected himself with the
Theological Seminary at Andover. There, in concert with Mills,
Kichards, Eice, and other kindred spirits, their plans were matured
and their purposes ripened into decided action. Their circle had
received an important accession in the person of Adoniram Judson,
then lately reclaimed from the snares of infidelity, whose thoughts
and desires had been directed to the work of missions without the
knowledge of what had been long passing in the minds of others.
His impulsive spirit was ill tutored to wait with all the patience
that characterized his associates. The arrival of Hall was opportune.
With less impetuosity than Judson, he had great courage and deci-
sion of character. The two united in dissuading further delay.
Judson was ready to seek the aid of British Christians, if those in
America held back from the work. Hall said he would work his
passage to India, and rely, under Providence, on his own resources.
It was decided that the time had come to go forward. The faculty
of the Theological Seminary were consulted, and approved of their
plans. A meeting for consultation and prayer was held at Andover
June 25, 1810, and it was determined to bring the subject before
the General Association of Massachusetts, then about to assemble
at Bradford. Kev. Drs. Worcester and Spring were present, and
the next day, as they were riding in a chaise to Bradford, a board
of missions was proposed and a plan of organization suggested.
The General Association convened on the 27th, and on the after-
noon of the 28th, Messrs. Judson, Mills, Samuel Nott, Jr., and Sam-
uel Newell, were introduced by Dr. Spring, and presented to the
body a written statement of their views and wishes, soliciting the
advice of their fathers in the ministry. After hearing from them a
more particular statement, their memorial was referred to Kev. Drs.
Spring and Worcester and Kev. Enoch Hale. They reported on the
following day, approving the spirit and purpose of these young men,
* It may have been this circumstance, in connexion, perhaps, with some
concurring facts of the same nature, that led Mr. Judson some years later to affirm
that those who came to Andover from Williams College, had limited their views to
missions at the west. The aspirations of Mills, as we have seen, were limited only
by the bounds of "this ruined world." But the aspects of the time were far from
lopcful, and might have made the most stout-hearted despond.
126 GORDON HALL.
recognising the duty of giving the gospel to the heathen, and recom-
mending the formation of a society for this object. They further
recommended to the applicants to continue their studies, holding
themselves in readiness to go forward whenever a way should be
opened and the necessary means should be provided. The report
was adopted, the plan approved, and the members of a board
elected, who organized themselves at Farmington, Connecticut,
September 5, 181 0, by the name of the American Board of Commis-
sioners for Foreign Missions. Dr. Worcester was chosen Correspond-
ing Secretary, and an address was issued to the Christian public,
bespeaking their favour for the enterprise. The young men whose
application gave the impulse to these proceedings were meanwhile
advised to continue their studies till the necessary information and
pecuniary resources should be obtained by the Board.*
* The honour of originating the Board of Commissioners has been claimed for
different persons. The truth seems to be that in this, as in many important move-
ments, several minds were drawn by a common influence to the same result. In the
order of time, Mills was unquestionably first, having felt the stirrings of missionary
zeal as early as 1802. Richards was under the influence of similar feelings before
he knew anything of Mills's designs. The same is said to have been the case with
Hall, though the direct evidence of this is scanty, and somewhat doubtful. In 1808,
these and others, members of Williams College, had advanced so far as to unite in
acts of personal consecration to the work. Judson dated his impressions in the
autumn of 1809, and his purpose was fixed before he knew that others were prepared
to sympathize with him. So that four persons successively, Mills, Richards, Hall
and Judson, from independent thought acting on separate suggestions, were provi-
dentially put in training to give a united and powerful impulse to the spirit of missions
in the American churches.
Of these persons, Mills, though early self-devoted to the work, was not permitted
to engage personally in its prosecution. His character eminently fitted him to exert
a moving influence on the minds of others, while his consecration to the divine ser-
vice and his ardent desire to promote the highest human welfare, uniformly directed
his energies to pure and exalted ends. He contributed largely to the setting in
motion of some of the most important religious charities in our country. Besides
his agency in forming the Board of Missions, he originated the Foreign Mission
School, which was maintained for ten years at Cornwall, Conn., for the education of
heathen youth. The United Foreign Missionary Society, operating within the limits
of the Presbyterian Church, and afterwards united with the American Board, was
formed at his suggestion. The American Bible Society sprung directly from his
counsels: and he bore a principal part in the movement that originated the American
Colonization Society, in whose service, as an agent for exploring the coast of Africa
to fix the site of a colony, he met his end, and found a grave in the ocean. Few men
have made their mark so deeply in the history of what is most vital to the progress
of the world, and fewer still have been so indifferent to the question whether it would
GORDON" HALL. 127
The progress of the Board, notwithstanding the favour with which
it was viewed by many persons of influence, was slow. That senti-
ment of religious "liberality," which for thirty years had been silently
supplanting the ancient theological landmarks of New England, and
was soon to sunder the Puritan churches into two sects, having
scarcely anything in common but their forms of ecclesiastical organ-
ization and the memory of a common origin, had wrought a degree
of religious apathy, disturbed only by the beginnings of a contro-
versy as yet not foreseen in its full intensity. The subject, more-
over, though not absolutely new, was little considered as a practical
reality. Some were for postponing the claims of the world at large
for those of our own country. Some thought the scheme visionary.
Few were prepared to say, Go forward. Under these circumstances
the Board entertained the design of effecting an arrangement with
the London Missionary Society for a joint superintendence and sup-
port of missions, conducted through missionaries appointed by the
Board here. Mr. Judson was despatched to England to confer on
this subject. The directors of the London Society expressed a will-
ingness to receive Mr. Judson and his associates under their patron-
age, but deemed a joint management impracticable.
This reply, though very natural and just, could hardly meet the
views of the Board. Meanwhile, indications appeared of a measure
of public liberality sufficient to justify independent action. Accord-
ingly, at the meeting in 1811, the Board appointed Messrs. Judson
jSTott, Newell and Hall, as its missionaries, and designated the Bur-
man empire, or some contiguous territory out of the British juris-
diction, as their field of labour.
Mr. Hall had much to overcome in accepting this mission. The
congregation in Woodbury were greatly attached to him, and gave
him a pressing invitation to settle with them. From the tenour of
letters to his parents it would seem that he met with opposition
from them. But he had too long and too devoutly meditated on the
claims of the heathen to confer with flesh and blood, or to yield
himself to considerations of ease and present favour. To the call
from Woodbury he replied, Dr. Porter informs us,* with "a glist-
be recognised by others. He was content nay, he preferred to work out of sight, if
the desire of his heart could be so accomplished, and it was not till his earthly task
was ended that the world was permitted to know the extent of its obligations to him,
or summoned to do justice to his character.
* Am. Qu. Reg., ui supr.
128 GORDON HALL.
ening eye and firm accent:" — "No, I must not settle in any parish in
Christendom. Others will be left whose health or preengagements
require them to stay at home ; but I can sleep on the ground, can
endure hunger and hardship ; God calls me to the heathen ; — wo to
me, if I preach not the gospel to the heathen!" The same duty he
likewise urged on others, with singular directness and force. Having
his heart fully set, he made careful preparation. Early in 1811 he
resided some time in Boston to attend medical lectures, that he might
increase his usefulness as a missionary, and after his appointment in
the following September, he repaired with Mr. Newell to Philadelphia
for the same purpose. In a letter addressed to his parents and his
brother from that city, he makes an earnest appeal that they would
give their cheerful assent to his plans. "Are you not willing," he
asks, "that your son and brother should go in the name of the Lord,
and proclaim pardon and eternal life to those who know not God
and are trusting to their idols?" After appealing to the great com-
mission of the apostles as binding on all ministers of Christ, he says,
"There are parents, who through divine grace can rejoice to see
their sons zealously engaged in this work. 0, may I be such a son,
and you such parents."
Mr. Hall, with his colleagues, received ordination at Salem, Feb-
ruary 6, 1812. Messrs Judson and Newell sailed from Salem on the
9th, and Messrs. Hall, Nott and Eice (more recently appointed,) from
Philadelphia, on the 18th of the same month. Messrs. Judson and
Newell arrived at Calcutta on the 17th of June, and their colleagues
on the 8th of August. By Christians of different denominations
they were received with kindness and affection, but the British East
Indian government met them with a prompt and peremptory repulse
from their territories. One ground on which this act was ostensibly
based, was the fact that the missionaries were not English subjects.
The real motive was undoubtedly the same that had dictated their
intolerance of the Serampore mission, and of every other effort to
introduce Christianity among the natives of India.*
The first order commanded the missionaries to return in the ves-
sels that brought them, but they were afterwards authorized to go,
by any conveyance, to any place out of the jurisdiction of the East
* To an American gentleman, who spoke of the duty of promoting the education
of the Hindoos, Lord Wellesley, now duke of Wellington, is said to have signifi-
cantly replied, that Great Britain had seen enough of the effects of that, in the case
of the North American colonies, and that the experiment would not be repeated.
GOEDON HALL. 129
India Company. It was not easy to decide where they should go.
The Bur man empire was the seat of war that agitated all the neigh-
bouring regions, and China was not yet opened. They learned that
the governor of the Isle of France, now more generally known by
its older Dutch name, Mauritius, was friendly to their establishment
on that island and in Madagascar. Mr. and Mrs. Newell embarked
for the Isle of France by the first opportunity ; their associates were
delayed two or three months at Calcutta, during which interval
Messrs. Judson and Eice announced a change of views on the sub-
ject of baptism, which separated them from their colleagues and
from the further patronage of the Board.
Messrs. Hall and Kott had engaged their passage to the Isle of
France, when an unexpected detention of the vessel gave them an
opportunity to reconsider their plans. They had decided to go to
Ceylon, but news of the arrival of Sir Evan Napean as governor of
Bombay opened a better prospect. Sir Evan was known as a friend
of missions and a Vice-President of the British and Foreign Bible
Society. They were promised favourable letters to several gentle-
men at Bombay, and resolved to attempt a mission there. They
received a general passport "to depart in the ship Commerce."
Before they could get their baggage on board, they were served with
an order for their beingf sent to England. After an unsuccessful
attempt to bring their case before the governor-general in person,
they obtained leave of the captain of the Commerce to go on board
and wait the result. He reported them as his passengers, obtained
a port clearance, and on the llth of February, 1813, they landed
safely at Bombay.
Here they found that the order for their transportation to England
had been forwarded from Calcutta. They submitted a memorial to
the governor, setting forth their object in corning to India, their
proceedings at Calcutta, and their reasons for departing under such
circumstances. With this he was so well pleased that he wrote to
the governor-general in favour of the missionaries, and appears to
have so far satisfied his mind as to gain permission for them to
reside at Bombay.
At this juncture, to their great embarrassment, came the news of
war between Great Britain and the United States. To make the
matter worse, an American schooner that came under a protection
from Admiral Sir John Warren, bringing letters and supplies for
the missionaries, was condemned on a charge of having forfeited her
130 GORDON HALL
protection by cruising on the coast to inform other American vessels
of the declaration of war. Neither the Board nor the missionaries
had any control over her, and they could not be justly held account-
able for the conduct of her officers. But the government professed,
and may have entertained, suspicions that the mission was connected
with some political design. The letters and supplies brought by the
condemned vessel were forwarded to the missionaries, but their
longer residence in the British dominions, it was intimated, was not
to be thought of. Their names were entered as passengers for Eng-
land by the ship Carmarthen. They addressed a remonstrance to
the governor, showing that their errand was unconnected with the
war, or with the political relations of the two countries. Sir Evan
consented to a few weeks' delay that they might perfect their
arrangements, but stated that his orders from Bengal forbade him to
permit their residence at Bombay.
Communications were received in September from Mr. Newell,
then on the island of Ceylon, and from Rev. Mr. Thompson, chap-
lain at Madras, to the effect that the governor of Ceylon would pro-
tect them, and urging them to repair to that island. These were
submitted to Sir Evan Napean, with a request for permission to act
upon this counsel. They were informed that he was personally
inclined to grant the request, and was expecting more favourable
orders from the governor-general. If these came seasonably, he
might accede to their wishes, but if not, he must send them to Eng-
land by the first ship. The time for the sailing of the Carmarthen
was now near at hand ; every open expedient to avoid transporta-
tion had failed, and their enterprise appeared to be completely
frustrated.
After prayerful consideration, they resolved to adopt the only
alternative, — to depart without the knowledge of the government
beyond its j urisdiction. That their friends might not be needlessly
compromised, they confided their plan to only a single person, Lieu-
tenant John Wade, a young officer of noble descent, and at that
time Military aid and Secretary to the commander-in-chief on the
Bombay station. He had become acquainted with them early in the
summer, had sought their aid in establishing his religious principles,
and felt profoundly grateful for their instruction and counsel. He
promptly affered his aid. On the 18th of October he informed them
that a native vessel was to sail for Cochin, and thence, it was under
stood, to Columbo, Ceylon, which would take them as passengers if
ai
i
GORDON HALL. 131
they could be ready in five hours. He gave them a note of intro-
duction to an officer at Cochin, which proved of service on their
arrival there. He saw them safely on board, and after their depart-
ure prepared and circulated a defence of their conduct.
"I have fears," Mr. Hall wrote in his journal, "lest we have sin-
ned in leaving Bombay as we have. — Yet after all," he added, "I
do not know why it was not as right for us to escape from Bombay,
as it was for Paul to escape from Damascus." Unfortunately, they
did not meet with the Apostle's success, and had to deal with per-
sons who were not inclined to accept the analogy. The vessel was
bound to Cochin, and no further; the crew were not competent to
navigate her to Ceylon, had they been so disposed. Lieut. Wade's
note secured them very courteous treatment during their detention,
but before any conveyance to Ceylon presented itself, a message
came, demanding their immediate return to Bombay. On arriving
there, they learned that the governor regarded their conduct as
inconsistent with their character as gentlemen and ministers of the
gospel. He treated them, in fact, somewhat like prisoners who had
broken their parole. They were informed that their passage to
England was inevitable, and that Mrs. Nott would have been sent
by the Carmarthen if her health had admitted of it. For ten
days they were detained on board the Company's cruiser Ternate.
From their prison-ship they sent a letter to the governor, vindi
eating their course.
Being brought to the police office, they were required to give a
bond, with security in four thousand rupees, not to leave Bombay
without permission. This they declined doing. They were then
asked to give their parole to the same effect, which was declined,
as also a third proposal, to give their parole not to leave without
permission before the following Monday. Thereupon they were
remanded on board the Ternate. The next day they were again
summoned, and informed that their vindication had been favourably
considered, but was not satisfactory. They were assigned quarters
in the admiralty-house, and ordered not to leave the island without
application to the government, and to be ready to sail for England.
But their deliverance was at hand. Lord Moira, appointed to
supersede Lord Minto as governor-general of India, arrived at
alcutta. A committee in that city for cooperating with the mis-
ionaries made representations to the government in their behalf,
which drew from Lord Minto the admission that their designs were
132 GORDON HALL.
unexceptionable, and from Lord Moira an intimation that "no con-
ceivable public injury could arise from their staying," with such
further declarations as seemed to assure a reversal of the obnoxious
orders. Kev. Mr. Thomason, of Calcutta, wrote to this effect, and
his letter was sent to Sir Evan Napean. He replied that as his
orders were peremptory, and had not been reversed, he should put
them in execution.
On the 20th of December, Messrs. Hall and Nott, as a last resort,
addressed a bold but respectful communication to the governor, in
which they used the following language: "That exercise of civil
authority which, in a manner so conspicuous and determined, is
about to prohibit two ministers of Christ from preaching his gospel
in India, can be of no ordinary consequence ; especially at the pres-
ent moment, when the Christian public in England and America
are waiting with pious solicitude to hear how the religion of the
Bible is welcomed and encouraged among the pagans of this coun-
try. Our cause has had so full and conspicuous a trial, that its final
decision may serve as a specimen, by which the friends of religion
may learn what is likely to befall, in India, those evangelical mis-
sions which they are labouring to support by their prayers and
their substance." After making a solemn appeal to his conscience
in respect to the moral responsibility of thus resisting the spread
of the gospel, they remarked on the degree of force possessed by the
orders under which he acted, and in words that have lost none of
their weight by the lapse of time, declared: "Your excellency
knows perfectly well, that whenever human commands run counter to
the divine commands, THEY CEASE TO BECOME OBLIGATORY; and that
no man can aid in the execution or support of such counter com-
mands, without aiming violence at the authority of Heaven." They
referred to the information recently laid before him of a favourable
change in the views of the governor-general, as furnishing sufficient
ground at least for delay. Entreating him, by the highest motives
of personal religious duty, to forbear from the decisive act which he
had threatened, they thus concluded:
"By all the dread of being found on the catalogue of those who
persecute the church of God and resist the salvation of men, we
entreat your excellency not to oppose the prayers and efforts of the
church, by sending back those whom the church has sent forth in
the name of the Lord to preach his gospel among the heathen ; and
we earnestly beseech Almighty God to prevent such an act, and
GORDON HALL. 133
now and ever to guide your excellency in that way which shall be
most pleasing in his sight. But should your excellency finally dis-
regard the considerations we have presented, should we be compelled
to leave this land, we can only say, Adieu; till we meet you, face to
face, at God's tribunal."
This letter, though addressed to Sir Evan personally, was sub-
mitted to the council, and on the 22 d they were informed that the
governor and council had decided to await further instructions from
the supreme government. Under this informal and provisional
license, the missionaries remained several months. Their flight to
Ceylon had been arrested, that the mission to Bombay might not fail.
A mere sufferance in India, however, was not a sufficient basis
of operations. The act renewing the East India Company's charter,
passed about six months before, provided for the future toleration
of missions, but no provision was made for those already commenced,
so that the American missionaries were in fact excluded from its
benefits. .The authorities at Calcutta and Bombay had transmitted
to the Court of Directors in London, an account of the transactions
we have related, with copies of the correspondence that had passed.
The Directors had under consideration a vote of censure on all
officers who had abetted the American missionaries, and requiring
their removal from the Company's territories. As the resolution
was about to pass, the venerable Charles Grant, formerly chairman
of the court, presented a written argument, proving that the authori
ties in India had assumed powers not conferred by the law of Eng-
land or of nations. The argument prevailed, and the governor of
Bombay was informed that the missionaries were allowed to remain.
In communicating this result to Mr. Hall, Sir Evan Napean added,
"I can now assure you that you have my entire permission to remain
here, so long as you conduct yourselves in a manner agreeable to
your office; and I heartily wish you success in your work." Con-
tinental India was now opened to Christian missions by a formal
public act, to which the firmness of the American Missionaries had
chiefly contributed. If Mr. Hall had accomplished nothing else, his
mission would not have been vain.
While hindered from his chosen work by these trials, Mr. Hall
did not neglect opportunities of usefulness to such persons as were
within reach of his influence. Allusion has been made to Lieut.
Wade, who felt himself under great spiritual obligations to the mis-
sionaries, and the force of whose gratitude was shown by his readi-
134 GOKDON HALL.
ness to set at hazard his reputation and worldly prospects for their
benefit. Two other officers in the English military service regarded
Mr. Hall with the same feeling, for the same cause. Through his
influence, they were led not only to a hearty reception of spiritual
religion, but to a withdrawal from the army. Mr. Hall was a con-
sistent and uncompromising advocate of peace. "As to war," he
wrote to a friend in America, "you may mark me for a thorough
Quaker." To one of the officers mentioned, he wrote: "As to war
and violence, in every shape, I am as confident that it is utterly
contrary to the spirit of the gospel, as I am that theft or any other
immorality is so." In another letter to the same, he says: "You
request me Ho search, if there are any scriptural proofs in favour of
war;' I would as soon look for proof that men may lie one to another
as that they may slaughter one another." And in reference to
delaying, for prudential reasons, the resignation of his commission,
Mr. Hall wrote: "If your profession in the army is incompatible
with your duty as a Christian, it can be no less sinful for you to
continue in that profession for a moment, either on board ship or in
England, than here." Those who do not consider this view of the
military profession a sound one, will yet honour the spirit with
which the faithful missionary carried out his sincere convictions to
their proper result, and held them up in logical thoroughness and
completeness.
His letters to friends in America at this time glow with missionary
zeal, and show, moreover, that he did not enter on his work without
maturely considering its nature and the proper means of success.
"Eighteen hundred years ago," he says, "it was solemnly com-
manded by Jesus Christ that his gospel should be preached to every
creature, but now the British Parliament is debating whether it may
or not be published to sixty millions of their heathen subjects in
Asia." With respect to details of oriental life and manners, he
remarks: "It matters little whether a man's hair trails on the ground,
like the Chinese, or whether like the Hindoos it is shorn as close as
an Englishman's face, — whether he lives in a bamboo or log hut, — •
on a plain or a mountain,' — whether his language is refined or bar-
barous,— or what are the personal qualities of the multitudes of
gods which crowd the Hindoo pantheon; a thousand things of this
kind may be interesting and amusing to the curious, but they are
not the things which Christians need to excite them to action in dis-
seminating the gospel. The facts which the Christian needs are few
GORDON HALL. 13D
and simple. The world is full of heathen. Christ died for them all.
The gospel must be preached to them" Eespecting the relative value
of translations, as means of conversion, he says: "Many seem to
suppose that if the Bible were only scattered among the nations,
the work of conversion would follow of course. — The fact is, that
in the economy of human salvation, the living preacher holds the
most prominent instrumentality." And again: "I should think that
the sentiment is stealing upon the minds of many, that Bibles alone will
convert the world. This sentiment is as absurd as it would be to
toss a sickle into a field of grain, and leave it un wielded, to gather
the harvest. Do not understand me to say aught against the sickle :
were it in my power, I would multiply it a thousand fold. But what
I mean is, that there should be a due proportion observed in send-
ing forth preachers and in multiplying translations of the Bible."
There may be those to whom these sentiments will appear like an
undue magnifying of his office as a minister, but we are mistaken if
the records of missionary effort for the last fifty years do not fully
confirm his views on this point. The instruments employed must
be various, for the end sought is a complex one, but there is an
order and proportion to be observed in their application. We shall
see that Mr. Hall, though decided, was not exclusive, in his views.
The way having been opened for free entrance on their appropri-
ate work, the missionaries were diligent in preparing for it. For
several months, indeed, before the decision of the Court of Directors
in London was known, they were kept under restraint, and compelled
to reside in the admiralty -house, where they preached in English,
and also at another place in the town. In the course of the year they
opened a school. Their attention was likewise given to acquiring
the languages of the country. But in due time they were set at lib
erty. The force engaged at Bombay consisted of Messrs. Hall and
Nott, soon after joined by Mr. Newell, who was then in Ceylon.
An arduous task was before them. In the part of India which was
the scene of their labours, the attachment of the people to their
ancient faith is peculiarly strong, and as a field of missions it yields
to few in point of difficulty. There lay before them nothing but
severe and continuous toil, relieved by scarcely a gleam of success.
No surprising incidents, no romantic adventures, no marvellous
achievements, enliven the record. From this time to the day of
his death, it was the lot of Mr. Hall to expend his strength in one
136 GORDON HALL.
continuous struggle against a power that frowned sullen defiance on
his efforts, without any prospect of immediate reward, but in the full
assurance that not a word spoken for his Lord would be lost. It is
an impressive spectacle, and the firmness with which his spirit bore
up against discouragement, drawing from the obstacles he encoun-
tered only arguments for greater exertion, give to his character an
aspect of moral sublimity.
Bombay is situated on an island off the western coast of peninsu-
lar India, near its northern extremity, separated by narrow straits
from the continent on the east and from the island of Salsette on
the north. The range of mountains called the Ghauts, rising to the
height of two thousand feet, runs near the coast, leaving a strip of
flat or broken country called the Concan, from forty to a hundred
miles wide and about three hundred miles long. Eastward, from the
Ghauts toward the Bay of Bengal, and southward, from the river
Nerbudha to Cape Comorin, stretches the vast region known as the
Deccan. This was overrun by the Mahrattas, originally an obscure
piratical race, early in the eighteenth century. For about a hundred
years they ruled and ravaged a large part of India; when their
power declined, and was gradually absorbed by the British. Their
population is estimated at about twelve millions.
The Mahratta language was Mr. Hall's more especial study. Few
facilities existed for its acquisition; but by diligent exertion he was
able to employ it as a vehicle for religious instruction as early as
the commencement of 1815, less than two years after his arrival.
In the course of that year he translated most of the Gospel of Mat-
thew, and prepared a harmony of the gospels and a small tract. He
knew that his translations were far from perfect, but found them
useful, both in imparting a knowledge of scriptural truth, and (by
the comments they called forth from his hearers) in correcting mis-
takes, and thus increasing his familiarity with the language. The
process of spreading Christian truth was a difficult one. The mis-
sionaries could have no stated congregation, for there was not curi-
osity enough to convene one. There were no inquirers, for the like
reason. As people would not come to them, they had to go to the
people. At temples, markets and other places of public resort, they
could collect little groups of hearers, and address them briefly, read-
ing passages of Scripture, and explaining the truths they contained.
As auxiliary to these labours, something could be done by the
agency of free schools. Common school education is no monopoly
GOKDON HALL. 137
of western civilization. Long ago, in the villages and hamlets of
Hindostan, the teacher was honoured and his services esteemed;
reading and writing were accomplishments very generally acquired
there, except by those whose extreme poverty refused them the
scantiest leisure for study. But in western and southern India, the
ravages of war and the more exhausting, because perpetual, mischiefs
of bad government, had so impoverished the country, that education
was fallen into decay.* The people were ready to welcome schools,
which might impart some wholesome moral instruction to the
young. True, the missionaries could not give their own time to
them, and must choose between heathen, Mohammedan and Jewish
teachers; but they could direct what books should be used, and by
frequent examinations ascertain that they were faithfully taught.
The school also became a nucleus for gathering larger and more
regular congregations than could otherwise be brought within the
scope of their preaching.
From the journal of a week's itinerant labours in the autumn of
1815, a few hints may be gathered to show the methods adopted by
Mr. Hall to bring the object of his mission before the people. On
Sunday morning he "spoke in four different places to about seventy
persons." In the afternoon " spoke in another place to about twenty ;
also in four other places." At Momadave, "held a long discussion
with some brahmins in the midst of sixty or seventy people. As I
came away, a brahmin told me that there was no one there who
could make a proper reply to what I had said." He addressed in
all about two hundred. On Monday, "spoke in six different places,
and in all to more than one hundred. At one place I fell in with
some Mussulmans." After some discussion, a Jew interposed, and
he left them disputing together. "It is one part of a missionary's
trials," he notes, "rightly to bear the impertinence, contradictions,
insolence and reproaches of men, who are sunk to the lowest degra-
dation." On Tuesday " spoke in several places to about one hundred
* "The wealth of the Indies" is still a popular expression to denote unlimited
riches, but as applied to the East Indies, if it ever had a ground in truth, which may
be doubted, it must have been long before the British dominion was founded in
Bengal. India was then a miserably poor country, if wealth is to be measured by
any rule of proportion to the number of inhabitants. There were a few who rolled
in wealth gained by extortion, but the multitude were, and are now, below the poor-
est peasantry in Europe in point of physical comfort, except as the nature of the
climate may be supposed to dimmish the number of artificial wants.
138 GORDON HALL.
persons. Six or eight of them were Jews. At one place addressed
a considerable number in front of a large temple. — Some agitation
arose among the people, and one or two cried out, ' Come away from
him, come away.' But the greater part were disposed to remain and
listen to the word. I view it as an encouragement." On Wednes-
day "walked out as usual at four o'clock P. M., and spoke to about
one hundred and twenty people." On Thursday he addressed, in
five or six places, about one hundred heathen; and rendered medical
aid to a woman; on Friday spoke to more than a hundred people,
and spent an hour in the evening at the house of a heathen, reading
and explaining a tract to a small company. He writes on Saturday :
"This day addressed about seventy persons, and in the course of
the past week have spoken to more than eight hundred persons.
Blessed be God for the privilege! I have noticed a few persons
who seemed desirous to hear all I had to say ; so much so, that they
have been constant at the stated place to which I have daily repaired,
and some have even followed me from one place to another. But,
alas! when I fix my eyes only on the people, all is dark as night;
but whenever, by faith, I am enabled to look to the Son of Eight-
eousness, all is light as noon. How great, how precious are the
promises! Blessed is he that can trust in them!"
The "stated place," alluded to, was a temple much frequented by
the people. In the precincts of those centres of idolatry it is gen-
erally easy to obtain auditors for any purpose. There the people
resort, not only for worship, but to hear the brahmins read and
expound the Shasters, or to spend an hour in idleness. For a mis-
sionary to enter the temple would be an affront, but under the shade
of trees planted around, a company is easily gathered to listen to
his instructions. Mr. Hall made an exact distribution of his time,
spending certain hours in study and translation, reserving about
three hours daily for the labours above described.
Toward the close of this year the health of Mr. Nott required his
relinquishment of missionary labour, and return to the United States,
leaving Messrs. Hall and Newell to the single-hand prosecution of a
work that might well have tasked scores of industrious men. About
this time they jointly wrote a tract, entitled "The Conversion of the
World," which passed through two or three large editions in this
country, and was reprinted in England. It did much to deepen and
extend the missionary spirit. During the following year, as the
language became more familiar, the labours of the mission were
GORDON HALL. 139
extended. Several books of the New-Testament were translated
and some Mahratta tracts prepared. The transfer from Ceylon 10
Bombay of Mr. Bardwell, who added a knowledge of the printing
art to other qualifications, and the purchase of a press and types,
enabled them to put these and other works into circulation. In
December, 1816, Mr. Hall was married to Miss Margaret Lewis, an
English lady resident in the country, whose piety, familiarity with
the native character, and acquaintance with the Hindoostani language,
made her a valuable helper.
Mr. Hall felt a lively interest in the Society of Inquiry in Andover
Theological Seminary, of which he was an original member, and
from time to time corresponded with it. In an energetic appeal on
the duty and the means of the universal diffusion of Christianity,
he wrote: "When I advance any of the arguments which show that
Christians ought immediately to use the proper, the adequate means
for evangelizing the whole world, and that it is the duty of every
individual, without exception, to exert himself with zeal, activity and
faith proportionate to the magnitude of the work; every argument
and motive seems like telling those to whom I write, that they need
to be convinced that the Son of God has died for sinners, that there
is salvation in no other, and that the salvation of souls is of great
importance. In a word, it seems like telling them that they are not
Christians. — How can his heart be like that of Jesus, how can he
be a Christian, who does not love all mankind, with a love which
makes him willing to suffer the loss of all temporal things, and even
to lay down his life, if thereby he can promote the salvation of his
fellow-men ?"
In another communication he thus expressed himself on the ques-
tion of personal duty: "To me it appears unaccountable how so
many young men, by covenant devoted to Christ, can deliberately
and prayerfully inquire whether it is their duty to become mission-
aries, and yet so few feel effectually persuaded that it is their duty
to come forth to the heathen! It tends greatly to the discourage-
ment of those already in the field. While so great a proportion of
those who examine this point of duty, deliberately decide that it is
not their duty to engage in the missionary work, what are we to think?
In general, those who excuse themselves from the work, must do it
for general reasons, which would be as applicable to others as to
themselves, and which would excuse those who have gone forth to the
work as well as themselves. Therefore, must not those men who
140 GOKDON HALL.
thus excuse themselves, think either that those who engage in the
missionary work do wrong, or that themselves who decline it
do wrong?"
To the objection that if all candidates for the ministry chose for-
eign service, our own country would be impoverished, he replies:
"When thousands have gone forth to the heathen, and God has
failed to fulfil his promise, ' He that watereth shall be watered also
himself,' or when he shall not have caused religion to flourish among
the people at home, in proportion as they labour for the heathen
abroad, then, and not till then, let the objection be heard."
In 1817 the Harmony of the Gospels, the Gospel of Matthew, and
a tract of eight pages were printed. Two hundred and fifty pupils
were under instruction in the mission schools, and the publication
of these works furnished the means of improving the course of
instruction. Early in 1818 two new missionaries were added to the
station. The number of schools was increased to eleven, with six
hundred regular attendants, while the use of printed text books
was, even to the minds of the heathen, so manifest an improvement,
that the books of the mission were introduced into native schools
in the interior.
Kegular preaching to a small congregation of natives in Bombay
was commenced in 1819, under circumstances of encouragement.
Early in this year Mr. Hall was able to chronicle the gathering of
the first mature fruit of his labours. "We have recently baptized,"
he says, in a letter to a friend, "and received into our church, one
man who was before a disciple of Mohammed. He is, so far as we
can judge, a consistent Christian and a helper in publishing the gos-
pel." This was Kader Yar Khan, a merchant from Hydrabad in
Golconda, four hundred miles from Bombay. While at Bombay
on business, the reading of a Christian tract made a decisive impres-
sion on his mind. He returned home, put his whole business into
the care of an agent, and repaired to Bombay, where he lived in
retirement, and gave the subject his undivided attention. The study
of Henry Marty n's Persian Testament, and other Christian books,
convinced his understanding, and in a few months he gave satisfac-
tory evidence of piety.
The interest in preaching at Bombay so far increased that it was
found practicable to collect congregations several evenings in the
week. The new governor, the Hon. M. Elphinstone, threw some
obstructions in the way of itineracy, but these were soon removed.
GORDON HALL. 141
The number of schools increased to twenty-one, with one thousand
and fifty scholars. But a series of afflictions— the removal of
labourers by sickness and death, and the abridgment of their efforts
by a deficiency of funds, depressed the mission.
In 1825 Mr. Hall was called to separate from his family, as he
supposed, for a year or two, but, as it was providentially determined,
finally. His two children were sickly, and there was little prospect
of their attaining to sound health in that climate. It was decided
that Mrs. Hall should go with them to America, with the view of
returning as soon as they could be provided with a suitable home.
The separation, though needful, was a painful one. Mrs. Hall
entreated her husband to accompany them. "Do you know what
you ask?" he replied. "I am in good health; I am able to preach
Christ to the perishing souls around me. Do you think I should
leave my Master's work, and go with you to America? Go, then,
with our sick boys. I will remain and pray for you all, and here
labour in our Master's cause; and let us hope God will bless the
means used to preserve the lives of our dear children." "From that
time," says Mrs. Hall, "I ceased asking him to accompany us."
The mother and children, with heavy hearts, yet scarcely foreboding
the issue, bade adieu to the husband and father. They were at first
so prospered on their voyage that their hopes were high, but before
its conclusion the eldest child was suddenly smitten by death, and
found a grave in the ocean.
The formation of the Bombay Missionary Union, in November
of this year, was an event of peculiar interest to Mr. Hall, as con-
trasted with the long struggle through which he had to pass before
he was granted the privilege of preaching to the heathen. The
society was formed by the missions of the American Board and of
the English Church Missionary Society at Bombay, those of the
London Missionary Society at Surat and Belgaum, and that of the
Scottish Missionary Society in the southern Concan. On this occa-
sion Mr. Hall preached a sermon, which was published. To add to
the joy of their meeting, four natives were received to the fellowship
of the church.
It does not appear that Mr. Hall at this time had any presentiment
that his labours were drawing to a close, but he gave himself with
more .than ordinary earnestness to his work. "That the truth of
God is affecting the minds of this people to a considerable extent,"
he wrote in January, 1826, " there can be no doubt. I trust that
142 GORDON HALL.
by and by righteousness and salvation will spring up amidst this
prevailing sin and death. I never felt more encouragement and
satisfaction in my work than at present." About the first of Febru-
ary he wrote a letter which was printed as a circular, — a fervent
appeal to his fellow-Christians in America on behalf of the heathen.
It came to this country with the tidings that it was his final message,
• — a summons from one who was already on high. It should seem
that words like those hardly needed such affecting attestation to
make them pierce the bosom of the churches. Beginning at Bombay
he traced the circuit of India, then pointed eastward and northward
through Asia, and southward through Africa and the islands of the
sea, detecting only here and there a solitary station whence the light
of truth broke the dense gloom of heathenism. Since that day much
has been observed over which angels in heaven and good men on.
earth may rejoice, yet on how large a surface does the pall of dark-
ness still rest ! How little, after more than twenty years' exertion,
can be deducted from the sum of desolation then disclosed !
From this wide survey he recalled attention to the Mahrattas,
numbering twelve millions, with only six Christian missionaries,
or one missionary to two millions of souls. "I will endeavour," he
concluded, "as God shall enable me, so to labour here that the blood
of these souls shall not be found in my skirts," — to proclaim their
wants "so plainly and so fall}7, that if the guilt of neglecting their
salvation must lodge anywhere, I may be able to shake it from my
garments."
On the second of March Mr. Hall set out upon a tour on the con-
tinent of over one hundred miles, to Nassick. He arrived there on
the llth; the cholera was raging and the people were in consterna-
tion. Two hundred, or more, died the day after his arrival. He
laboured among them till his books and medicine were nearly
exhausted, and on the 18th set out to return home. He arrived the
next day at Doorlee Dhapoor, about thirty miles on his way. He
spread his matron the verandah of a temple, and lay down to sleep.
Finding himself cold, he removed to a warmer place, but discovered
that it was occupied by two sick persons, and returned to the veran-
dah. About four o'clock he called up his attendants, and made
preparations to resume his journey, when he was seized with the
cholera. The spasms were so violent that he fell helpless on the
ground. Being laid on his mat, he took the small quantity of medi-
/*•«••» e ne had left, but his stomach rejected it. He at once foresaw
GORDON HALL. 143
the result, and told his attendants that he would not recover. After
giving directions for the disposal of his body and such personal
effects as he had with him, he devoted his few remaining hours of
weakness, as he had done his hours of strength, to the work of his
ministry. He assured the natives that he should soon be with
Christ. He exhorted them to repent and turn from their idols, that
they might also go to heaven. He prayed fervently for his wife
and children, for his missionary associates and for the heathen around
him. So passed away eight hours of agony. Then he exclaimed
three times, "GLORY TO THEE, O GOD!" and expired. The lads
who were with him with difficulty procured a grave, in which they
laid his body, uncoffined, to await the resurrection. The place of
his burial is marked by a stone monument, bearing in English and
Mahratta his name, office, and the date of his decease.
The name of GORDON HALL is embalmed with no trophies of
ordinary distinction. His«is not the praise of profound erudition,
or enchanting eloquence, or dazzling achievement. With a mind
and character that, under other influences than those to which he
surrendered his powers, might have won for himself such memorials,
he sought them not. His intellect was strong, his judgment sound
and sober, his decision firm, not to be lightly shaken. Simple,
unostentatious, single-minded, he was equal to any effort or any
sacrifice, and he could afford to make sacrifices without shrinking
or boasting. The career he would have run, had he possessed no
ends higher than ordinary selfishness proposes, may be imagined,
but happily for himself and the world, all that was admirable in his
powers and auspicious in his prospects became tributary, by his
voluntary consecration, to the divine glory and to the highest wel-
fare of man.
Even in the pursuit he entered, no startling results gave visible
splendour to his life, — no crowds of converted heathen lamented his
loss, no flourishing churches hallowed his memory. But he did a
work that included the complete results of the labours of many men
through many years. He kindled the flame of missionary zeal in
the breasts of thousands, and the light of his example cheered them
on in the great enterprise. For this he sacrificed ease and enjoy-
ment, eager hopes, and high expectations of honour and usefulness
at home. His indomitable spirit surmounted obstacles that would
have repelled common energies, and forced a passage into India,
.'hrice would the mission have been baffled but for his calm and
144 GOKDON HALL.
resolute purpose. For all that has been, and all that is yet to be,
accomplished through that mission, India will have occasion to glo-
-nfy God on his behalf. He shall partake of the honour, for they who
reap in joy follow the furrows which he sowed in tears.
SAMUEL NEWELL.
THE missionary career of Samuel Newell, though comparatively
brief, was sufficiently extended to present an unusual example of
youthful enterprise, such as mankind have viewed with no little
admiration in those who rise from obscurity to worldly eminence.
He was born at Durham, Maine, July 24, 1784, the youngest of nine
children. He lost his mother in his third year, and his father at
the age of ten. When fourteen years old he felt a curiosity to see
more of the world, and with the consent of his friends, set out on
foot for Portland, a distance of twenty-six miles. The novel sights
of the town attracted his admiration. The vessels in the harbour
more especially excited his attention. As he was carefully observ-
ing one of these "odd machines/' the captain was struck with his
appearance, and hailed him with the question, " What is your name,
my boy?" Samuel made a civil reply. "What do you want?'
"To seek my fortune." "Well, I sail to-morrow for Boston; how
would you like to try your luck with me?" He was delighted at
the proposal of so fine an adventure, and readily assented.
Arrived at Boston, the captain met Judge Lowell,* who wished
to obtain the services of a boy in his family. Young Newell was
named to him. His pleasing appearance recommended him to the
judge, who took him to his residence at Eoxbury, and treated him
with uniform kindness till his death in 1802.
In the year 1800 he went into the service of Mr. Ealph Smith, of
Eoxbury, with the usual proviso of three months' attendance at
school. It was soon apparent that Samuel was not disposed to limit
his acquisitions of knowledge within the amount stipulated in the
contract. He was often discovered busy over a book when he ought
to have been at work with his hands. Eemonstrance was ineffectual.
In the course of the following year Mr. Smith went to Dr. Nathan-
iel S. Prentiss, the master of the Eoxbury Grammar School, and
told him he had a boy living with him that he was disposed to put
* Father of the Rev. Dr. Lowell, now of Boston.
10
146 SAMUEL NEWELL.
under his charge, as he was so fond of books he feared he would be
good for nothing else. Dr. Prentiss expressed a readiness to do
what he could with him, and Samuel was duly entered as a scholar.
Though able to read very well, he could scarcely write his name.
A week or two after he commenced his attendance, he staid in the
school -room till the other scholars had gone, and stepped timidly
up to the preceptor's desk with the question: "Sir, do you know
any way that a poor boy can get an education?" "Why," replied
his teacher, "all things are possible to one who is diligent and per-
severing. Do you wish to get an education?" "Yes, sir." "But
can you persevere?" and the teacher went on to warn him of the
greatness of the task; that it would require courage and patience
and effort, to overcome all the difficulties in his way ; and he advised
him to count the cost carefully before he decided. A week later
he came again, and said he still desired an education. "You think
you can persevere?" UI will try; for I cannot bear to live and die
in ignorance." " Very well," said his preceptor ; nothing that I can do
for you shall be wanting. — But remember, now, you shall not give
up. If you once begin, I'll hear nothing of leaving off. You put
your hand to the plough, and must not look back." Samuel procured
an "accidence," and commenced Latin. He went courageously for-
ward, but not long after became discouraged, and made a halt. He
said he feared he could never learn Latin. The "comparison of
adjectives" was the lion in his path, and he came to his teacher
ready to give all up. "Samuel," said the preceptor, with a kind
sternness, "I will not hear of this, — not a word of it! You know
4 he that putteth his hand to the plough, and looketh back, is not fit
for the kingdom of heaven.' There never was a mountain so high
that it could not be climbed." So he urged the timid youth forward,
and this was the last murmur of difficulty he heard from him.
Mr. Smith, meanwhile, gave him aid in another way. At the
supper of a club to which he belonged, he told the company of
Samuel's incorrigible love of books. Dr. Prentiss was present on
invitation, and being questioned, gave a good account of his dili-
gence and promise. A subscription was opened, and about four
hundred dollars raised on the spot.*
While studying the Greek Testament he sometimes heard John
* The writer acknowledges his obligations to the courtesy of Dr. Prentiss for the
communication of these and other incidents in the early career of Newell, to which
his mind, in the oeaceful decline of life, recurs with vivid and pleasant recollection.
SAMUEL NEWELL.
Murray, the Universalist preacher, and showed an inclination to
study more than the letter of the text. He frequently asked the
interpretation of different passages. His teacher declined following
him in this pursuit. He would instruct him, he said, in the idiom
of the Greek, but could not teach him theology. "When you get
to Cambridge, you will have a professor of divinity more capable
than I am." But his pupil was not to be hindered. He persisted in
studying the principles of theology with such aids as he could obtain.
In two years he was prepared to enter college. His preparation
was thorough and exact. He became a member of Harvard College
in the autumn of 1803, as the "Kegent's," or "Butler's Freshman,"
in which capacity he defrayed most of his expenses by ringing the
bell and other services. His standing as a scholar was good, and
on graduating he received an honourable appointment for the
commencement.
Soon after entering college he showed much seriousness on reli-
gious subjects, and frequently sat under the preaching of Kev. Dr.
Stillman, the eloquent pastor of the first Baptist church in Boston.
In October, 1804, he became a member of the first Congregational
church in Eoxbury, under the ministry of Rev. Dr. Porter. His
religious views, however, were not thoroughly settled, and during
the latter part of his collegiate course he was oppressed with doubts
as to the propriety of the step he had taken in making a public pro-
fession of religion. He was moreover far from satisfied with the
form of theology taught by Dr. Porter. That church was one of
many ancient churches in Massachusetts, which, when the line of
division was drawn, about ten years after, was recognised as Unita-
rian. Newell had not so learned the New-Testament as to yield his
mind without a struggle to the "progress " he witnessed, and between
difficulties in theology and doubts as to his own religious state, began
to absent himself from the communion. His old preceptor, a mem-
ber of the same church, was not prepared to sympathize with these
views, and remonstrated against them, making application still of the
same text that had been wielded with such effect in two former crises
of Samuel's history. But his youthful friend was not to be con-
vinced that the following of that plough was the surest way into the
kingdom of heaven. And so effectually was his teacher taught by
these and subsequent communications between them, that his own
views were ultimately modified, and the two were united in a com-
mon fellowship of evangelical truth and piety.
148 SAMUEL NEWELL.
After graduating, Mr. Newell spent a few months at Roxbury as
an assistant teacher in the grammar school, and then took charge of
an academy at Lynn. Here he designed to remain for some years,
but his mind was turned towards the Christian ministry, and in 1809
he became a member of the Theological Seminary at Andover, at
the same time uniting with the church there,* and was ranked by
his instructors as one of the jewels of that institution. It was here
that he became intimate with Judson and Nott, and entered into their
purposes to preach the gospel to the heathen. He was one of the
signers of that paper which evoked from the General Association
of Massachusetts the constitution of the American board of Com-
missioners for Foreign Missions, and was among the first to be set
apart for that sacred work.
In 1810 Mr. Newell left the seminary, and preached for some
time at Rowley, near Newburyport, Mass. In October of this year
he was first introduced to Miss Harriet Atwood, of Haverhill, a
young lady of devoted piety and a cultivated mind, to whom he
made a proposal of marriage, which, after much conflict of feeling,
inseparable from the consideration of an enterprise then so strange
and untried, she accepted, becoming one of that first band of Ameri-
can women whose missionary career has been so honourable to their
sex and to their country. Mr. Newell in the following summer pro-
ceeded to Philadelphia in company with Gordon Hall, for the study
of Medicine. In February, 1812, he was married, and on the 19th,
in company with Mr. and Mrs. Judson, the youthful pair set forth
on their uncertain way.
On his arrival at Serampore Mr. Newell wrote to Dr. Prentiss,
acknowledging his obligations for the kindly aid he had received in
his boyhood. "While I am writing to you," he said, "I cannot but
go back in thought to the year 1801, when you found me, a poor,
ignorant and friendless boy; and I cannot but acknowledge again,
as I have often done, that the encouragement and friendly aid which
I then received from you, was that which, under the providence of
God, gave a new turn to all the succeeding events of my life. To
you, probably, as the instrument of God, it is owing, that I am now
a minister of Christ in heathen lands, and not a day-labourer in
America. Permit me, dear sir, to renew my professions of gratitude
* It is believed that he had not been connected with any other church than that
in Roxbury.
SAMUEL NEWELL. 149
for all the kindness you have shown me. It is with sentiments of
real pleasure that I recollect the continued and increasing friend-
ship that has subsisted, and I hope still subsists, between us. I hope
and trust it is built on a foundation that will render it perpetual, on
those feelings which are peculiar to such as have felt the bitterness
of sin, and have found relief only from a Saviour's blood. If so,
though we may meet no more on earth, yet we shall meet in a bet-
ter world, where it will only increase our joy that we have been
separated for a few days on earth."
After a few weeks' pleasant sojourn at Serampore, the mission-
aries were ordered to leave the country. They sought every means
to avoid the necessity of returning to America, and having favour-
able intelligence from the Isle of France, and a vessel offering pas-
sage for two persons, Mr. and Mrs. Newell went on board August
4th, expecting that Mr. and Mrs. Judson would follow by the first
opportunity. Their voyage was tedious and dangerous. They were
tossed about nearly a month in the Bay of Bengal without making
any sensible progress towards their destination. On the 27th the
vessel sprung a leak, and they put into Coringa, a small port on the
Coromandel coast, where they were detained a fortnight. They then
reembarked. On the 13th of October they had the sorrow of com-
mitting to the deep the body of an infant daughter born on ship-
board. They arrived safely at Port Louis, the capital of the Isle of
France, on the 31st.
Here it became painfully evident to Mr. Newell, that his affliction
on the voyage was but the beginning of sorrows. Mrs. Newell had
shown symptoms of pulmonary disorder, which now assumed a fatal
type. Medical aid was fruitless, and on the 30th of November, at the
early age of nineteen, she exchanged the trials and sufferings of a
missionary life, of which she had already experienced no small
measure, for the rewards of the heavenly state. In this event, not
her husband alone, but all the friends of missions felt wounded.
The charm of an engaging domestic circle, and an ornament to
the Christian church, she had surrendered all the enjoyments and
endearments of a New England home, to devote her youthful ener-
gies and sanctified affections to the divine service among the heathen.
She had suffered the privations, without living to possess the present
recompenses of successful missionary effort. Her heart was set upon
her sacred calling, and dearly as she loved her friends and country,
she was filled with sadness at the apprehension that she might be
150 SAMUEL NEWELL.
compelled to withdraw from the work. But an authority higher
than any earthly sovereignty summoned her to leave it when upon
its threshold, and the record of her life and early death did more
for the promotion of the cause than years of active service might
have accomplished. There was power in the utterances of her holy
and single devotion, augmented as they came wafted from her grave,
that wrought with thrilling effect on multitudes.
The painful event was announced by Mr. Newell to her mother,
in a letter which at this distance of time has lost none of its pathos,
for it is charged with the undying fervour of a heart-felt sorrow
rising into joy by the force of immortal consolation. "I would tell
you," he says, "how God has disappointed our favourite schemes,
and blasted our hopes of preaching Christ in India, and has sent us
all away from that extensive field of usefulness with an intimation
that He has nothing for us to do there. I would tell you how he
has visited us all with sickness, and how he has affected me in par-
ticular, by taking away the dear babe which he gave us, the child
of our prayers, of our hopes, of our tears. And I would tell you — •
but 0, shall I tell it, or forbear? Have courage, my mother,
God will support you under this trial ; though it may for a time
cause your very heart to bleed. Come, then, let us mingle our griefs,
and weep together, for she was dear to us both ; and she, too, is
gone. Yes, Harriet, your lovely daughter, is gone, and you will see
her face no more ! My own dear Harriet, the wife of my youth and
the desire of my eyes, has bid me a last farewell, and left me to
mourn and weep. Yes, she is gone. I wiped the cold sweat of death
from her pale, emaciated face, while we travelled together, down to
the entrance of the dark valley. There she took her upward flight,
and ascended to the mansions of the blessed!"
Mr. Newell remained at the Isle of France for about three months
after the burial of his wife. On the 24th of February he embarked
for Bombay, intending to touch at Ceylon. On arriving at Point de
Galle, where he expected to meet one or both of his brethren, he
learned that Messrs. Hall and Nott were already at Bombay. From
what he could learn of the temper of the government, he had no idea
that they would be permitted to remain on the continent of India,
while the friendship of Governor Brownrigg gave to Ceylon an aspect
of greater encouragement as a missionary field, and he determined
to abide there for the present. He addressed his brethren at Bombay,
inviting them to Ceylon. They made an ineffectual attempt to
SAMUEL NEWELL. 151
comply with his invitation, but were providentially driven back to
Bombay. They wrote that they had hopes of being permitted to
remain there, and advised him to study with a view to join them.
Here he remained about a year, apprehensive, from long silence, that
they were already on their way to England, and with entire uncer-
tainty resting on his prospects. He occupied himself with his studies,
and preaching twice or three times a week to the English and half-
caste people, of whom, he says, "there are thousands in and about
Columbo, who stand in need of instruction as much as the heathen."
In November he wrote to the Corresponding Secretary of the
Board. His bereavements, disappointments, loneliness and manifold
uncertainties, had not weakened his desire to be about the great
business that called him from his country. He set forth the advan-
tages of Ceylon as a missionary station, in such terms as led to its
subsequent occupation by the Board, and the success that has attended
it confirms the soundness of his views. He also suggested Bussura, at
the head of the Persian Gulf, as a desirable location for a missionary.
In January, 1814, he received intelligence from Bombay that author-
ized him to join his brethren there. He addressed a note to Governor
Brownrigg, thanking him for his protection, and soliciting permission
to depart, with testimonials to the Governor of Bombay. These
were cheerfully granted, and on the 7th of March he had the happi-
ness of joining his associates, whom he had not been permitted to
see since he parted from them in America.
From this time Mr. Newell became identified with the Bombay
mission, entering with all his power into its duties, and bearing
manfully his full share of its burdens. His individual life seemed
to be in a manner swallowed up in the common enterprise, leaving
no personal record that is not part of the mission history. In loving
conjunction with Mr. Hall, he concerned himself in preaching, trans-
lating, teaching, and stirring up their brethren at home to give
themselves with increased energy to the work on which they were
commissioned. "I have so little time for writing," he says, in a
letter of July 14, 1816, "that (except my letters to the Board) lean
do little more than to tell my friends that I remember them and
love them."
A literary project is thus mentioned as in question with them, but
with unusual modesty postponed for reasons stated: "It is the inten-
tion of Mr. Hall and myself to compose a Hindoo Pantheon, and some
other things of the kind, as soon as we feel ourselves qualified. At
152 SAMUEL NEWELL.
present we should be liable to commit endless blunders ; and we
think it needless to add any more to the blunders that have already
been made by those who have written on India. Even the Asiatic
Researches are full of mis-statements, groundless assertions, whim-
sical theories, &c. (but you must not tell anybody that I say so.)
With some exceptions, (such as Sir "William Jones, and others of the
same stamp,) those who have written on subjects connected with this
country have been uneducated men. The Company's servants
who are sent out to this country, are generally of that description.
Almost none, except the professional men (and many of them need
not be excepted,) have had a liberal education. But when they get
here they are the lords of the land, and of course think themselves
capable of doing anything. They lay down propositions involving
the most important consequences, and for proof seem to think it
quite sufficient to bring a few far-fetched analogies, a thousand of
which would not amount to a probability." Unhappily, not only
for such schemes, which were of secondary importance, but for the
weightier interests of the mission, time was not given him to acquire
the desiderated qualifications.
In 1818 Mr. Newell was married to Miss Philomela Thurston, a
lady who went out to Bombay the preceding year in company with
two new missionaries appointed to that station. He continued to
labour with all fidelity till his earthly mission was closed on the 30th
of May, 1821. He had a presentiment that his time would be short,
which he often expressed, but until the fatal event was imminent,
no visible sign foretold its approach. He was in his usual health
till the evening of the 28th, when he felt somewhat indisposed, and
passed a restless night. The next morning he was worse, but no
apprehension of danger was felt till about ten o'clock, when it
became manifest that his disease was cholera, which was then epi-
demic at Bombay and in the vicinity. It had made such progress
that he was beyond the reach of medical aid, and he gradually sunk
till one o'clock of the following morning, when he placidly breathed
his last. His senses were early stupefied, so that conversation was
impossible. A single remark fell from his lips, indicating that he
knew the nature of his disease. When asked by his wife if he could
not bid her farewell, he answered by shaking his head and gently
pressing her hand. His remains were deposited in the English
burying-ground.
Mr. Newell's physical organization was delicate, but he usually
SAMUEL NEWELL. 153
enjoyed very uniform good health. His manners were prepossess-
ing, his demeanor modest, his habitual temper earnest, affectionate
and confiding. He had in a large measure those engaging qualities
which lie at the basis of enduring friendship, and the ties which
bound him to his chosen associates in his earlier and later life were
of the nearest and most tender kind. His intellect was strong, and
diligently cultivated, and his acquired knowledge was extensive,
the fruit of unremitting and judicious application, but his estimate
of himself was humble. He laboured with unyielding energy, and
without ostentation. All his aims and efforts were subordinated to
the sense of Christian duty, and pervaded by an habitual piety, the
spring of cheerfulness as regarded himself, but of deep sadness in
view of the miseries of the heathen. The strength of his will, the
height of his courage, were half- veiled from view by his magnan-
imous sympathy, his quick and tender sensibilities, that responded
to the first appeal. In his early removal, the church lost a faithful
servant, the world a whole-hearted philanthropist, a wide circle of
friends their hope and joy; and heaven gained a jewel such as earth
does not often present to adorn the holy city.
HENRY WATSON FOX.
THERE are some, whose conformity to a high principle of action
is so thorough as to seem spontaneous, and their steadfast progress,
from the absence of visible effort and struggle, makes a fainter
impression on an observer than if there were more inequality, occa-
sional yieldings to resistance with painful recoveries and more urgent
speed to make up the loss. If, besides this quality, a life have few
or no shining incidents, but depends rather for its value on the sum
of a series of acts that are individually and outwardly of no extra-
ordinary estimation, it is still more likely that, however noble it
may be when duly considered, it will fail to challenge its just meas-
ure of admiration. But it may be thought that for the world, as it
now goes, the best service a man can render to society is to live a
true life, true to a just and pure standard. And if that lesson of
"the chief end of man," in a manual now grown old-fashioned among
us, has been truly taught, lives that are true by that test, or even
nearly approaching to it in their aim and purpose, are not so numer-
ous that the memorial of one can justly be deemed superfluous.
The life, a brief outline of which we here propose, was short, and
was surely not splendid, if judged alone by its exterior. The num-
ber to whom it was immediately visible was not large. Nor was it
by any means perfect; it had its lapses. Yet whoever, on atten-
tively surveying it, pronounces it of little moment to himself or the
world, is seriously advised to try if he can live one like it. He may
then possibly come to have a new perception of its character.
Henry Watson Fox was born at Westoe, in the county of Durham,
England, October 1, 1817. He was brought up in the enjoyment
of the unspeakable blessings of a Christian home. His father added
" to the full character of the English gentleman a beautiful example
of the decided, consistent Christian," and his example was seconded
by other members of the household. The direct instructions and
the daily silent influences that moulded his character and gave
direction to his aims were of the most healthful kind. During his
childhood he showed an amiable disposition that yielded gracefully
156 HENRY WATSON FOX.
to the Christian discipline of his home, where his early education
was conducted till the age of eleven. He then went to the Durham
Grammar School for two years, and at the age of thirteen was
removed to Rugby School, at that time under the direction of Dr.
Arnold, a man of whose excellences it is difficult to speak in fit
terms to those not familiar with his life and character, without the
appearance of exaggeration. To a vigorous intellect, extensive
learning and commanding influence, he added a lofty ideal of Chris-
tian manliness, that he loved to hold up to his pupils for their
attainment, and which is more, that he exemplified in a degree and
with a consistency rarely equalled. Next to a home graced with the
utmost social refinement, and sanctified by the spirit of true piety, no
greater blessing could have been conferred on the boyhood of Henry
Fox than he found in the guidance of Dr. Arnold during the six
years he spent at Rugby.
His first decisive indications of a religious character showed
themselves at the age of fifteen. His personal relations to the great
truths of Christianity seem to have been clearly seen and submit-
ted to, not, indeed, without serious conflict, but with less mental
agitation than is experienced by many, especially of those who meet
the issue later in life. His earliest impressions were the fruit of the
faithful and affectionate admonitions of a brother and sister, to whom
he often expressed the warmest gratitude, and from whose counsels
he sought guidance and support as he went on his way. The letters
in which the progress of his religious life is disclosed, show a strength
and sobriety of mind beyond the common attainment of such tender
years. Moreover they have a charming simplicity and directness,
being free from anything like cant or set phrases of devotion, but
showing how the weightiest truths were applied to the common pur-
suits and trials of a school-boy, and how diligently, according to his
opportunities, he sought to do good. " Temptations," he says, "come
on so insinuatingly that I can scarcely perceive them at first. The
two greatest are, I think, pride of heart, in thinking myself better
than others, in comparing myself with others; and though in my
understanding I see how wicked I am, yet my heart is so sinful that
it is with difficulty I find means of repressing such thoughts. The
other temptation is, wasting time, which comes on by little and little,
but which I hope soon to be able, with God's assistance, to over-
come. I find myself so sinful, that were it not for Christ's blessed
promises, I could scarcely fancy he would hear me; but he has felt
HENEY WATSON FOX. 157
the infirmities and temptations of man, and from thence I derive
great comfort."
" There is a very interesting case here. There is a little boy
about fourteen years old, in other respects a nice little boy, and one
whom I was rather fond of: but, the other day, in talking with him,
I discovered he never read his Bible ; in short, he knew nothing of
the Christian religion. I have been endeavouring to impress on
him the awfulness of his state, but he seems scarcely to care whether
he is lost or saved. He understands neither heaven nor hell, nor
that he is born for any other state than this, — that is to say, he does
not feel it to be the case : he has apparently been completely neg-
lected at home with respect to religious matters. Now I want to
know how to proceed with him, — how to open his mind, — for I
think when he once perceives in his heart how wicked he, together
with all others are, that he will be more able and willing to under-
stand the truths of the gospel."
In a subsequent letter he speaks of his "little pupil," as improv-
ing. Another boy with whom he conversed excited hopes which
proved illusory. The self-denials of a Christian life were too much
for his inclinations. " I was the more disappointed in him," Henry
writes, "as I had before found him willing in the general, but when
I came to particulars, and he saw he must give up certain pleasures
if he would give himself entirely to God, then he thought he had
gone far enough and I had gone too far: for God tells us to go as far
as we can."
So he evidently sought to press forward, and to this end made
very diligent use of the means of grace. "I always find the Sun-
day," he writes, "too short for what I want to do on it. I therefore
intend to make some other day during the week like a second Sun-
day, and, except my lessons, read and think of nothing save God
only. Many others here think as I used to do formerly, that Sun-
day is too long, and therefore spend two or three hours in bed longer
than usual, and spend the day in listlessness, or perhaps worse, never
thinking what a blessing they are throwing away. I feel now
as you told me you did, that the Sabbath is quite a rest from
the worldly thoughts of the other parts of the week. Last Sun-
day was a most beautiful day, and I took a walk by myself into
the country, and never felt so happy before. I continued for more
than an hour praising and praying to God, and thanking him. I
shall never neglect it again. I felt it as a preparation for heaven."
i58 HENRY WATSON FOX.
His progress, as may be supposed in one so young, was slow and
sometimes tentative, but generally sure. "What I have till now
found my greatest difficulty," he writes, a few weeks after, "has been
prayer. I could offer up words, but as I could have no idea of God,
I felt I could not offer up my heart to him: but lately, on thinking
and at last feeling, that God is always present in my inmost soul, I
can heartily ask for what I need, and often, and continually through-
out the day, keep my thoughts on him, which I used to find almost
impossible. I derive the very greatest advantage from this, for
whilst I am continually keeping my heart with God, it is contrary
to my very nature to commit sin against him ; that is, at least, known
sin. I feel and know that this has not been through my own means,
but through the grace of God alone." And a month later he says :
"I feel so happy now; I have at last been able to overcome my
greatest temptation, viz: of lying in bed too late; and in examin-
ing myself in an evening, I generally find that God has enabled me
to overcome every known temptation during the day." His con-
ceptions were still indistinct on some important subjects, but he was
in "the path of the just," and the light shone "brighter and brighter
unto the perfect day."
On reaching the "sixth form," he found himself invested, by
virtue of his standing, with the dignity of " praeposter." By thus
committing to the older boys a share in the discipline of the school,
Dr. Arnold sought to develope the more sober and manly qualities,
and while this custom, and their privilege of " fagging" their juniors,
which Dr. Arnold kept in full force, involved some risk of tyranny
on the part of bad boys, yet the sense of responsibility, the con-
sciousness that on them the discipline, and consequently the credit
of the school, largely depended, exerted a valuable influence on
members of "the sixth." "I find a very difficult point to manage
in my duty as praeposter," Henry wrote, "namely, to draw the line
between ' official ' and * personal ' offences, — to discover where I feel
revenge, and where I do anything to enforce the power that properly
belongs to me. I think I may learn from this not to desire earthly
power, as it only increases our difficulties and temptations."
The profession to which he was originally destined was the law,
but other desires were gradually awakened. These he expressed in
a letter to his sister, of April 13, 1835: "I feel every day an increas-
ing desire of becoming a clergyman. I desire to be always employed
in more immediately serving God, and bringing many souls unto
HENRY WATSON FOX. 159
salvation. I am aware that we can do our duty and a great deal
of good in every station of life ; but I think that a clergyman is
more particularly appointed to do good, being a light set upon a
hill. I have hitherto, and I know you have at home also, looked
forward to my going to the bar, but it is not so now, — it can scarcely
ever be too late to change my prospects. If it is particularly the
wish of my father and mother and you all that I should fulfill the
original proposition, I willingly acquiesce; but if it is indifferent, or
of no great importance to you, I should prefer very much to enter
the service of the church." It was not long before his thoughts
went still further. In August he writes: "I have been reading the
life of Henry Martyn, and I have derived the most instructing les-
sons from it. I found how much the enjoyment of things of this
world has hold on me, and when I considered his state of giving
himself up to be a missionary, and asked myself, could I give up
home and the pleasures and happiness I enjoy from worldly objects,
to do this laborious work for the Lord's sake? I found the weak-
ness of my love to God, and my need of constant prayer that I
may set my affections on things above, and not things below ; that
I may confide my present as well as my future happiness to my
heavenly Father, and make God my all in all, my desire, my hap-
piness and my hope."
To do every thing "for God's glory," he repeatedly speaks of as
his constant aim. His liveliest apprehensions and most constant
jealousies of himself were awake on this point. In studies, recrea-
tions, efforts to do good, the dread of acting from selfish or worldly
motives, led to continual watchfulness. In a letter of April 17, 1836,
he says: "I feel a very great temptation attacking me now, in the
form of a love of this world, which has come upon me from the
prospect of the examinations at the end of this half-year: for these
are constantly before my eyes, on account of my preparation for
them, and I am led to look forward to them as the end to which all
my present labours are to be directed, instead of doing all things
directly for God's sake ; — this necessarily brings a great darkness
over me, since I am tempted to have another object in view instead
of Christ; but yet with the temptation God gives a way to escape,
and I trust and pray, that by His grace I may not only come out
of this trial unhurt, but improved by it. I read in Dr. Arnold's
sermons to-day, that * if we have truly tasted that the Lord is gra-
cious, our only reason for wishing to remain on earth must be to
160 HENRY WATSON FOX.
further his kingdom/ and I thought how very true, and yet how
many other motives do we allow to come in the way; — how many
other ties to earth do we make for ourselves!"
The thought of a missionary life was more vividly excited by an
address on that subject. "We had a very nice meeting here about
a week ago," he writes, June 13 ; " Baptist Noel was present, and
gave a very interesting account of missions in the east, especially
of an entrance into China; he made me remember Henry Martyn."
— "It was very refreshing and useful to me, and may perhaps be
the cause of still more good; for what Mr. Noel spoke so earnestly
about, — the want not of funds merely, but of missionaries, — has
much more than even before led me to think seriously of so em-
ploying the talents which God has given me."
At midsummer of this year he bade adieu to Eugby, the scene of
so much enjoyment and profit, and to his venerated instructor, of
whom he ever spoke with expressions of gratitude and admiration.
He had intended to offer himself for a scholarship in Wadham Col-
lege, Oxford, and was preparing to go up to the examination, when
a sudden illness detained him at Eugby. In explaining the deten-
tion to his friends, he wrote : " This has happened at an unfortunate
time, as we call things unfortunate; but as it was not in our own
hands, but in His who has knowledge and power infinitely beyond
ours, we have no more reason to call it unfortunate than the con-
trary ; it is not our own will or good we seek, — and He knows the
best, both what is best for us, and how we may be the better enabled
to work to His glory ; that was to be the only end of my gaining
the scholarship." — "Now I am only afraid lest my father should be
much disappointed; though for my own sake I would rather that it
should be as it is, than that I should have tried for it and failed, as
that, I think, would have disappointed him still more."
Mr. Fox began his residence at Oxford in October, 1836. His
course at Eugby had been honourable to him as a scholar, awaken-
ing high expectations of success at the university, while his moral
and religious principles were more firmly established than in most
young men of his age. But he was yet overcome in a measure by
the temptations incident to life at Oxford, and his course disappointed
his own hopes and the anticipations of his friends. A spirit of self-
indulgence and carelessness in the disposal of his time, which the
rigid discipline of school had repressed, relaxed his exertions in
HENKY WATSON FOX.
161
study. An incautious choice of associates, and a love of exciting
amusements, especially of boat-racing, aggravated these dispositions,
and caused a declension from his former religious ardour. So that
although his deportment was exemplary and his standing as a
scholar respectable, he failed of those distinctions which seemed
within his reach, and, what most grieved him in the retrospect, fell
backward from the high spiritual standard towards which he had
so bravely borne himself while at Eugby. The tractarian move-
ment, the development of which has seemed so much to abridge the
distance and facilitate the journey between Oxford and Borne, was
then in its beginning. Fox, like many others, was somewhat daz-
zled with the show of devotion made by the leaders in this effort to
" unprotestantize the Church of England," but was happily unshaken
in his faith, and was not long in discovering the tendency of things.
Years afterwards, in India, when a brahmin refused to' take a copy
of St. Luke's Gospel, with the plea that he could not understand it
on account of the intended obscurity of all " sacred writings," he
exclaimed, "Who would have expected the principle of tract No. 90
to have been forestalled in an obscure Hindoo village!"
But during the third year of his university course his mind and
heart appeared to recover their tone. He became more active in
the discharge of his religious duties, struggled with and overcame
his besetting temptations. In connection with this quickening of
his spiritual affections, the desire to become a missionary was rekin-
dled. He took his degree in December, 1839, but resided for some
months after at Oxford, during which time he decided to offer him-
self for the foreign service of the church.
This decision was not made on any hasty impulse, nor was it
resisted by any of those excuses which are always at hand when
sought for. He considered the subject deliberately, anxiously
weighing reasons and testing his motives, with earnest prayer and
the advice of experienced friends. If he did not much dwell on
the personal sacrifices he must make, it was from no stoical insensi-
bility, for his affections were strong ; but it was because he sought
something higher than his own present enjoyment. Compared with
the question, "by what (life or) death he should glorify God," every
thing else was laid out of view, not without "some natural tears,"
but with more than heroic, — with Christian fortitude.
In January, 1810, he writes ; " I must be a missionary. My reasons
11
162 HENRY WATSON FOX.
are simply these : that there is an overwhelming call for missionaries
to the heathen, and we, the Church of England, have been drawing
down punishments on our heads by our neglect in not hearing the
call ; and thus some one must go, and if no one else will go, he who
hears the call, (peculiarly adapted for the service or no) must go. I
hear the call, for indeed God has brought it before me on every side,
and go I must." — " As often as I turn the question in my mind, I
can only arrive at the same conclusion, and weak and earthly as are
many of my present motives for going, (for I am full of romantic
fancies,) yet I see reasons far beyond these motives, and pray that
my heart may be filled by more worthy motives, and a pure and
single love of men in Christ; and I know that when I enter on my
labours such fancies will be driven away like chaff." In his journal
about the same time he says: "My great desire now is, that my
heart may be made single, so that my motive for going or staying
may be simply the saving of souls, to Jesus7 glory; but at present
they are mingled with a thousand feelings of romance and heroism.
And 0! my Grod, my God, men are perishing, and I take no care!"
As the time for final decision drew near, his anxieties deepened.
His conclusion is thus stated in his journal of March 27: "To-day
I have come to my final decision to be a missionary ; I am well sat-
isfied and convinced as to this being my true course of duty, and I
thank God for making it so plain to me. Emeris sat with me during
the evening, and we prayed together for guidance, and help, and
comfort in our absence." — "I am willing and thankful to give myself
up to do God's service, by preaching to the heathen, and leaving
father and mother, brothers and sisters, home and friends; yea, and
if it please Him, life itself. It is an honour too great for me. Oh !
may grace be given me to serve Him in it!"
He attended the anniversary services of the Church Missionary
Society in May, which seem to have stirred his heart not a little,
and in a letter to a friend he gave utterance to his thoughts and
emotions in language of more than usual strength and solemnity:
"I am more and more daily assured in my heart (my head used to
tell me so before) that any object but that of glorifying God is not
only vanity and vexation, but must fail to satisfy, and cannot be
blessed: I wish to strive to do all to his glory who has died for us
that we might come freely to him for salvation; and having been
taught by his Spirit to know, myself, the liberty and joy of being
his. I would wish (but daily have to mourn for falling so short even
HENRY WATSON FOX. 163
in my wishes,) to be given up to preaching and urging on others
the glorious truth. If I have not to die in so doing, I hope I may
live to do so, and live in doing so. Do try to look on life as a great
energy for doing good to others ; the source of such energy to spring
from God, and to be obtained by prayer continually, and a pure
devotion of the heart to him; seek rather to cast away such objects
as bettering one's condition in the world, or earthly happiness ; these
are very well as means, but as ends they are quite unsatisfactory."
In the same letter there is an unexpected and beautiful disclosure
of tender feeling at the thought of bidding adieu to England : " This
afternoon we had a very heavy rain ; but about five it cleared up,
and there was an hour or two of ' clear shining after rain ' peculiarly
brilliant in its lights and what scenes the light fell on : — all over to
Bath was still overshadowed by the storm, the air thick up Ashton
Yale ; to the west all was brilliant. I walked out on the Downs, and
sat on the look-out point for half an hour, to the influences of
shapes and sounds and shifting elements surrendering my whole
spirit. The air was soft and balmy, and perfectly calm ; the smell
was as of fresh grass ; the sounds were of * two or three thrushes '
and the shouting of the cuckoo: the sights were the lovely Lea
Woods and Nightingale Yalley, all in the tenderest, softest green, half
hid in dazzling light, half lying in quiet shade, and the gray rock
shining through and against them. I must leave them all ; the greeix
woods, the balmy air, the birds' song, the English homes and green
lanes, the little cottages and their gardens, the children with their blue
eyes and flaxen hair, are all soon to be seen for the last time; but
I am thankful to say, I never so much as feel a wish to stay, though
I feel a regret at going. We need much strength which is not in
ourselves to bear our trials, and not repine or shrink from going
through them; it is truly through much suffering that we must
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but it bears its fruit even at
present, for God has promised spiritual blessings which shall more
than compensate for the loss of relations, and friends, and home."
He was ordained by the Bishop of London, December 21, 1840,
and on the thirtieth was married. He had been previously appointed
by the Church Missionary Society to labour among the Teloogoos
in southern India. It happened that Kev. Eobert T. Noble, of Sid-
ney Sussex College, Cambridge, had his mind drawn to the same
work, among the same people, and he and Mr. Fox, unknown to
each other, offered themselves and were accepted at the same time.
164 HENRY WATSON FOX.
From one painful trial that not unfrequently saddens the departure
of a missionary Mr. Fox was spared, — the opposition of near friends.
Both his parents cordially assented to his wishes, and even counted
themselves happy in having a son willing to devote himself to so
good a work. They responded heartily to the appeal which he
addressed to his mother, an appeal which, more than almost any-
thing that came from his pen, shows how much strength was mingled
in a character of so profound tenderness: "I have to thank both
you and my father for giving consent to my plan of being a mis-
sionary; and a hundred times have I had cause to thank you in my
heart for it, and to feel the comfort of it; but I wish, and it is for
your own sake that I wish it, that you gave your consent and now
concurred more willingly and heartily ; not merely allowing me to go,
but with zeal sending me forth : and I wish this, not because you
should destroy the feelings which cause pain at the prospect of my
departure, nor because I think it a light thing that you should have
given even a half-willing consent, but because our gifts to God should
be given with the whole heart; for 'God loveth a cheerful giver;'
and if such be the spirit in which we should give our gold and silver,
how much more should it be that in which we should give our own
flesh and blood. Nor is it only a yielding to a fancy of mine, or to
my judgment that the missionary sphere is the one most needing
assistance, that I ask of you to give both liberally and cheerfully, but
I ask of you heartily to acquiesce in the guidance of God's providence.
I believe from the bottom of my heart, with that strong sense of
certainty and assurance which is only given to us on important points,
that the missionary course of life on which I am about to enter, is my
peculiar mission and work for which I was brought into this world ;
and that, unless I was to follow the course so providentially and
clearly pointed out to me in my heart, I might, so far as my peculiar
work of life is concerned, as well be in my grave." His parents showed
themselves worthy of such a son. None could more keenly feel the
disruption of the ties of nature, and nothing but an entire subjection
to the claims of duty, and a large measure of the spirit that animated
him, would have enabled them to make such a sacrifice. " The separa-
tion about to be made," says his brother, " was at that time looked upon
as final, and my brother's character was so endearing, that it seemed
to all as if we had given up the choicest member, him whom our hearts
could least afford to spare ; yet surely when making an offering to God,
it should not be the maimed or the lame, but the choicest of the flock."
HENEY WATSON FOX. 165
On the 6th of March, 1841, he was parted from them in London,
whence he and his wife proceeded to Gravesend, but were detained
till the 8th, and then embarked for Madras, where they arrived
July 5th. From Madras they proceeded to Masulipatam, or Bunder,
three hundred miles northward, and began preparations for their
labours. It was arranged that Mr. Noble should undertake a school,
while on Mr. Fox alone devolved the duty of preaching, — in a city
of eighty thousand people, and among a nation of ten millions.
His first care was naturally the acquisition of the language, in
which he made such progress by the next summer, as to b# able to
commmunicate some religious instruction to the servants in his
house. The romantic feelings of which he accused himself while
his mission was prospective, — if they really existed, and were not
rather brought to view as something possible, to be anticipated and
vigilantly repelled, — did not long survive contact with life in India.
Shortly after he was settled at his work he wrote: "It is no sinecure
to be a missionary. I do not mean anything regarding any work
I have at present to do, for my present is just like the work I have
had in past years, — language-learning, — and our movements and
changes have hitherto prevented this from coming in any sufficient
quantities to prove a weight to me; but I mean that a missionary
life does not deliver me from spiritual trials, such as used to beset
me of old. There are just the same temptations to indolence and
love of ease, which have been my besetting sins all along; just the
same reluctance to prayer and the reading of the Scriptures; in fact,
I see nothing but the grace of God to prevent a missionary from
being as cold and dead a Christian as ever vegetated in an English
parish." — "It is one thing to give up home, country, friends, &c. ;
to be a misionary is another, — to take up our cross, forsake all, and
follow Christ. For that all which is to be forsaken has followed me
here; it is not without, but within; a man may travel, and yet not
bear his cross ; all this I knew and expected ; now I experience it.
It does not dishearten me. I never expected that the being a mis-
sionary was to work any such wonderful change which belongs to
the work of the Spirit alone."
In reference to some difficulties arising from the diffusion of tract-
arian errors by certain missionaries, which the Church Missionary
Society took prompt measures to guard against, he wrote: "I was
much grieved to find that such sad opinions had spread into the
donary field, and I feel very thankful that our society has been
166 HENKY WATSON FOX.
enabled to act so decisively. I have heard of similar opinions
among some Propagation Gospel Society missionaries in Bengal,
who go among the native Christians, telling them they cannot be
saved unless baptized by, and living under the ministry of apostoli-
cally- descended episcopal clergy ; which has often reminded me of
those Pharisees who came down to Antioch, requiring the converts
to be circumcised. It is evil enough at home, but it appears to me
even more destructive in missions, to set the form before the spirit;
and futile must be the attempt to win souls to Christ, by any other
means than by himself."
Before Mr. Fox had gained entire command of the language, he
was admonished of the uncertainty of all human purposes by a
decided prostration of health. His constitution was apparently
strong and his health in England robust, but in the exciting and
enervating climate of India, "the very redundancy and fulness of a
healthful temperament," his brother remarks, "seems to have proved
a bane." A nervous debility unfitted him for labour, and he was
advised to remove with his wife and their little son to Oolocamund,
on the Neilgherry hills, two hundred miles inland, where he enjoyed
a salubrious climate and the most delightful and romantic scenery.
He was accompanied on this journey by Mary Paterson, an East
India girl, whose history was afterwards associated with his most
pleasing recollections. She was the daughter of an English physi-
cian, who on his death left her to the guardianship of Eev. J. Tucker,
of Madras, but before the protracted legal proceedings in the matter
were brought to a close, her mother, a Teloogoo woman, had brought
her up to the age of fourteen in confirmed heathenism. Mr. Tucker
now committed her to the care of Mr. and Mrs. Fox, who undertook
the arduous task of eradicating the effects of evil education, and
implanting the principles of Christianity. She was wild and uncouth
in her manners, slovenly in her habits, entertained debasing notions
of religion, and it required the most patient effort to subdue her to
better habits of thought and behaviour. But in the course of two
years they had the satisfaction of seeing an entire transformation,
and in no long time after, she gave delightful evidence of true
Christian character. Great interest was excited in all who observed
the beautiful development of her mind under the influence of judi-
cious literary and spiritual culture, when she was suddenly removed
by death, at the age of nineteen, to that higher life for which she
had been visibly maturing.
HENKY WATSON FOX. 167
After a residence on the hills for nearly two years, Mr. Fox
returned with his family to Masulipatam in October, 1844, his health
completely restored, and entered with ardour upon his ministerial
labours: "I go out among the people," he writes, "and get a little
talk with them, so lamely and poorly on my part as to appear wholly
inefficient: and the people either dispute and oppose, or listen with
indifference, and were it my own word I had to tell them I should soon
get out of heart; but I know the sword of Grod, clumsily handled
though it be, must reach the hearts of some of them ; so I come away
quite joyfully from the midst of the opposition or the sluggishness."
It must have required great faith to maintain a stout heart in a
struggle so arduous and so lonely. In a letter urging the need of
help, he says: "I am alone in the work of preaching and general
evangelizing in the town and villages : and what can I do ? I am
lost and bewildered in the multitude of work." — " There lies before
me the crowded population of this large town of sixty to ninety thou-
sand inhabitants : these are to be preached to, to have an impression
made on them. If I go to one part one day, and to another part
another day, my time and labour are dissipated. If I keep myself to
one portion, my labour is swallowed up in the great flood of heathen-
ism : it is like trying to clear a spot of ground in the centre of a
luxuriant jungle, — the roots of the surrounding trees fill up the spot
I am at work on, faster than I can clear. Again, there are the
villages in the suburbs, fine populous villages. Again, there are the
numerous villages and still more numerous hamlets studding the
country all round about. Where to begin I know not."
The labours of his colleagues in the school, being directed con-
stantly to a limited number, were more encouraging. The pupils
were making good progress in their studies, and their minds, he
says, were "rapidly rising above the ordinary style of that of the
natives." Nor were they without success in more important respects.
"In the first class are two very nice young men, members of
wealthy and most respectable families, whose hearts seern much
touched with the gospel. The eldest of the two is much troubled
with his sins, and says he has often risen at night, and walked about
for hours, troubled with the sense of them. He prays. I believe.
He is a peculiarly amiable, loving and loveable young man, and I
feel for him much of the affection of a brother. Should it please
God to convert him, he would have much to give up in his family
and connections.
168 HENEY WATSON FOX.
"On the last Sunday of the year I baptized our Ayeh (nursery
maid) in the little native congregation meeting at Mr. Noble's house:
she walks consistently, and seems to drink in with eagerness all
spiritual truth we teach her. My servants, ten or twelve in num-
ber, are an interesting congregation every morning; two of them
are now baptized; about two others, I feel much interest, hoping
the spirit is working in them, though it is only stirring up the mud."
In the spring of this year he was able to substitute preaching to a
small congregation for discursive "essays to do good" in the streets
and bazars. "A regular in-door meeting," he says, "is much more
suitable for instruction. I shall now be as it were in the school of
one Tyrannus, alias disputing weekly in the house of one Lewis. I
begin to understand St. Paul better, in his requests, that his friends
would pray for him: — 1st, That a door might be 'opened for him;
2d, That utterance might be given him ; and 3d, That he might be
enabled to speak boldly the mysteries of the gospel."
To his brother Robert, in prospect of ordination, he wrote an
earnest letter, July 9, stirring him up to activity in his profession:
"It is no light or shallow matter to be a soldier of Christ; the cross
taken up daily, the sturdy bending of the whole man into the one
object of the glory of God; the viewing the unseen world of God,
(not of philosophy) instead of the visible things of time. This
cannot be a shallow matter, it must be deep or not at all; Christ
altogether or not at all ; no halves, no ' dilettanti ' work in such a
business as this; and yet how many hang about, calling themselves
earnest Christians, taking up the profession, and in some measure
the approbation of Christ's service, and yet are never heart- worship-
pers at all; never get beyond the approval of reason or the likings
of the mouth." — " When it pleases God to make you a minister, you
must be just like an Oxford eight-oar at the races : — up to now you
have been waiting, training, and are ready to start, but the moment
you are started you must be oif, straining every nerve in your
work till the end. A minister is never oif duty." — "Be a working
clergyman; you have been long preparing; now work, work, work,
for the salvation of souls, for the extending of Christ's kingdom;
water your own field first, then every body else's/'
An all-wise Providence suddenly interrupted his own whole-
hearted, never-resting work. In the autumn of 1845 the health of
Mrs. Fox so rapidly declined that a change of climate appeared
HENKY WATSON FOX. 169
indispensable. He accompanied her to Madras to arrange for her
departure to England, with the intention of himself returning to his
station. But in the opinion of their medical advisers the probability
of her recovery under the most favourable conditions of climate
were so slight, that he decided to embark with her. She was con-
veyed on board ship in the evening of the 30th of October, intend-
ing to sail the next day ; — but before sail was set for the voyage she
had entered a more secure haven ; she died suddenly from the burst-
ing of an abscess in the liver, causing suffocation. Thus early was
she removed from a work on which her affections were most strongly
fixed, and in which she had been greatly useful, leaving a husband
afflicted in no common measure, and three orphaned children, the
objects of her wise and affectionate care.
After the burial of his wife at Madras, Mr. Fox and his family
pursued their desolate voyage. The youngest of the children soon
sickened and died, and was buried at Cuddalore, where the vessel
put in for that purpose. These repeated blows carne heavily upon
the father's heart, the more because there was no one on ship board
to whom he could utter his feelings. But this very circumstance was
for his good. It drove him more exclusively to that Friend whose
sympathy is all-sufficient, and so fully was divine consolation
imparted, so greatly was affliction sanctified to his spiritual profit,
that under the utmost pressure of grief he could feel the impulses
of a profounder gratitude. "I do thank Him," he wrote, "for my
own sake, that he has laid this burden upon me; in very faithful-
ness he has afflicted me, and for my own sake I am unable to wish
that this sorrow had not corne ; for I could not without it have had
such experience of Christ's tender love, of his powerful support and
rich consolations. I do not know how those who are without Christ
can go through such a sorrow: it seems to me as if it would have
driven me out of my senses at times, if I had not had, not only the
comfort of divine truth in my mind, but the strength of Christ given
me immediately from himself.77 During the voyage he laboured
actively for the religious benefit of his fellow-voyagers, and had the
delightful evidence that with respect to some his efforts were not
in vain.
He remained in England six months, during which time he exerted
himself by every means in his power to awaken an interest in his
field of labour, and particularly to obtain an increase of missiona-
ries. He was indefatigable in urging personally on young men at
170 HENRY WATSON FOX.
the universities the duty of consecrating themselves to the work.
In this he found much to discourage, few ready to respond as he
desired to his appeals, but he left no means untried to effect some-
thing for India. As the time approached for his return, the thought
of parting from his two children was very bitter to his soul ; but he
was able, with a good degree of cheerfulness, to leave them, under
Providence, to the same faithful guardianship to which his own
childhood was so largely indebted ; and on October 20th, 1846, he
took passage at Southampton, in the Ripon steamer for Madras, by
the "overland" route. He arrived at Ceylon on the 6th and at
Madras on the 10th of December.
His return to these too-well-remembered scenes, and the entrance
on his work with all of earth that he most prized at such a distance
from him, brought a fresh trial to his spirit, but we soon see him
surrendering all his powers to the ministry in which his soul
delighted. His journal for the following year shows him in the most
active exercise of his powers, proclaiming the truth at all times and
in all places, in season and out of season, wherever he could find
ears to hear. To cavilling brahmins who pertinaciously denied first
principles, to besotted sensualists, to the worldly and indifferent, he
daily proclaimed the words of eternal life. At heathen festivals, in
the streets of cities, in the numerous villages scattered through the
country, he spoke boldly and hopefully, against opposition, which
grieved, but could not discourage him.
When first setting out as a missionary, he felicitated himself on
the prospect of being "a pioneer in a land in which he hoped and
believed the Christian church will hereafter be triumphant." A
change took place in his views, and during this period of his work
his letters show that he had adopted the millenarian doctrine, that
the setting up of the kingdom of Christ on earth is to be by his
personal coming and reign. But this did not slacken, it rather
increased his activity, for he held that before that event can take
place the gospel must be preached to all nations. He writes: "I
think I have, for the last two or three years past, at least, ceased to
expect, as unauthorized by the prophecies, an universal or general
conversion of the nations to Christ. Some may become professedly
so or not, but one object of a missionary is to be engaged in calling
Christ's sheep out of this naughty world and gathering them togethei
to wait for him. But my strong motive of late, has been the prom-
ise, that when the gospel has been preached (it does not say received
HENKY WATSON FOX. 171
or not) among all nations, then shall the end come : so that when I
go and tell the people of Christ, — whether they listen or not, — one
of the two grand objects of my mission is already completed." The
other object, — the conversion of individual souls, — was fulfilled to
a limited extent: a few cases afforded him a present reward.
Though he sowed the good seed mainly with the hope of its future
germination, he was permitted to gather some of the first fruits.
What he might have accomplished, had he been spared to con-
tinue through many years of activity in India, cannot be conjectured.
But his time was short. Like him whose brief and brilliant career
stirred within him his first desires of missionary work, he was early
withdrawn from it. But, unlike Martyn, he was privileged to end
his days among his kindred, and to find a grave where he had been
early taught the resurrection and the life.
Toward the close of the year 1847 he was reduced by repeated
attacks of dysentery, which compelled him to try the sea air. He
sailed along the coast, but without material improvement, and on
repairing to Madras was decidedly advised by physicians that he
could not endure the climate of India, and must resign all further
prospect of missionary labour. The disappointment was extreme,
and he often spoke of it as the sorest trial of his life, but there was
no alternative, and he submitted himself to the divine disposal. He
arrived in England in March, 1848, just in time to witness the
peaceful close of his father's life. He revisited his college, but the
beauty and interest of those long-remembered scenes did not minis-
ter to his enjoyment. " They make me think," he wrote to his sister,
" of all that has passed since — my five years with dear Elizabeth, and
my missionary life in India ; and till I go down to the grave myself,
and till I am called away from all work on earth, these two recollec-
tions cannot but contain much that is bitter. My cessation from
missionary work is still a fresh grief, and at times it is very hard to
bear; I knew it would be a trial, but I did not know how great a
one, and sometimes I begin to think of going back again, but am
checked by the strong assurance that I have, that I should return
to India, — but not to active work. How little do men know the
real state of the case, when they think that the trial consists of going
to be a missionary ! for with all its palliations of returning to Eng-
land— to home, friends, family, and children — it is the coming from
>eing a missionary which is the real sorrow : and beautiful as are
172 HENRY WATSON FOX.
our green fields and hedge-rows, they make me sigh to be back at
dear Bunder, even in the midst of this burning May."
His health was rapidly restored, and he began to consider in what
way he could be useful in England. The Church Missionary Society
offered him the post of assistant Secretary, which was so congenial
to his feelings from its relation to the cause he had most at heart,
that he promptly accepted it, and entered on its duties with an energy
that excited the best hopes in the friends of the society, but which
proved too great for his strength. It was a time of unusual interest,
— the jubilee of the society was to be celebrated on the first of
November, the fiftieth anniversary of its formation. To this occasion
he looked forward with lively satisfaction, but before it arrived he
was not, — for God took him. A relapse of his Indian complaint
arrested his labours, and he visited Durham in September to gain a
few weeks of recreation. He reached home on the 14th in a feeble
condition, but notwithstanding officiated twice on the ensuing Sab-
bath at South Shields, addressed a missionary meeting on Monday
at Bishop Wearmouth, and another on Tuesday evening at Durham.
Though much weakened, no danger was apprehended, but the ensu-
ing two days he kept his room, and thenceforth his bed. He grad-
ually sunk under his disease, and after lingering for nearly three
weeks, in near prospect of eternity, and with increasing desire to
depart, giving full testimony of hope and joy, of unshaken faith
and patience,
" Life so gently ceased to be,
It lapsed in immortality.*
It was a blessed end of a life such as it is not often given to human
pens to record: — an eminently useful life ; but if it had accomplished
less by direct action, the example of so pure, and noble, so simple,
ingenuous and unselfish a character, would still have been by itself
an invaluable bequest to the world. In the most emphatic sense of
a word not to be lightly uttered, he was a godly man. The aim, and
the consummation, of his earthly existence was, "to glorify God
and ENJOY HIM FOR EVER."
(S^JOS,
THOMAS COKE.
THOMAS COKE, whose name is identified with, the early progress
of Wesleyan Methodism in England and America, and with the
foundation of several of the missions that have been so efficiently
sustained by that large and growing communion, was born at Bre-
con, in Wales, September 9. 1747. His father, an eminent surgeon,
died in his son's infancy, leaving his education to the care of his
mother, by whom he was placed at a suitable age under the instruc-
tion of Rev. Mr. Griffiths, master of the grammar school at Brecon.
At the age of seventeen he was entered at Jesus College, Oxford.
Here he was exposed to the companionship of persons who openly
professed infidelity, and signalized their skepticism by all that licen-
tiousness of manners which is its natural fruit. Unhappily his
early training had not been such as to fortify his mind against their
sophistry or his heart against their vicious seductions. He had a
general, traditionary belief in the divinity of the Christian faith, and
the doctrine of a superintending Providence, but of the grounds or
the extent of that faith and its demands upon the conscience, he
had no very definite notions. His moral training had been by no
means rigid. Though not profligate or offensively dissolute, he was
habitually gay and careless, and strongly addicted to dissipating
amusements, in which his fine person and attractive demeanour
made him a leader. He now gradually yielded to the evil influences
of his associates, and while preserved from the grosser forms of
vice, his principles, — if such vague impressions as he brought with
him to Oxford, deserve the name, — were overcome by a skepticism
that even began to question the existence of God.
In this condition his conscience, though unenlightened, yet not
wholly stupefied, would not suffer him to remain. The hearing of
a sermon from a respectable clergyman in Wales gave new force
to his misgivings. The preacher, on being spoken with, avowed to
young Coke that he did not believe a word of the doctrines he
defended, a confession of hypocrisy, that moved his contempt with-
out at all shaking his purpose of serious inquiry. The discourses
174 THOMAS COKE.
of Bishop Sherlock dissipated his doubts. From a conviction of
the truth, he set himself to studying the doctrines of Christianity,
and a treatise of Dr. Witherspoon on regeneration inclined him to
the evangelical scheme. It is unnecessary to say that he turned
away from his former companions. He led a serious and studious
life, with a resolution to devote himself to the ministry.
On leaving the university he was chosen, at the age of twenty-
one, common councilman in the borough of Brecon, and at the age
of twenty -five was placed at the head of the municipality, discharg-
ing the duties of the office with credit to himself and to the satisfac-
tion of the people. Brecon is a parliamentary borough, returning
one member of the House of Commons. At this time, and till the
passage of the Keform Act in 1832, the privilege of election was
vested in eleven burgesses, and Mr. Coke's official position gave
him great influence in disposing of the seat. An election now
taking place, the successful candidate promised Mr. Coke, as a proof
of his gratitude, a prebend in "Worcester cathedral, or other valua-
ble preferment in the church. Similar encouragement was given by
a person of rank ; but he had abundant leisure to reflect on the value
of political promises. After amusing himself with these flatter-
ing assurances for three years, he obtained the curacy of South
Petherton, in Somersetshire, and in 1775 took his degree as Doctor
in the Civil Law, at Oxford.
The period during which he waited on the great for spiritual
promotion was not, as may be imagined, marked by any decisive
religious progress. Content to be an evangelical Christian in theory,
and a moral man in practice, he glided along with the stream of
quiet worldliness. He was in that very common state, in which
"truths," to borrow the expressive words of Coleridge, "the most
awful and mysterious, come to be considered as 50 true, that they
lose all the powers of truth, and lie bed-ridden in the dormitory of
the soul, side by side with the most despised and exploded errors."
Satisfied with the soundness of his creed and the uprightness of his
conduct, no question as to his personal religious duty agitated his
conscience.
He began his ministry at Petherton as might have been expected.
The doctrines of Christianity were proclaimed in his discourses, in a
manner combining general soundness of statement with the earnest-
ness of sincere conviction. Large congregations were attracted to
his church, to hear preaching so much more animated than they
THOMAS COKE. 175
were accustomed to. It was not possible, however, that he should
give diligent study to truths so weighty, without gaining wider
views of their relations, arid feeling their pressure on his conscience.
He found the need of a more thorough conformity of his heart to
the doctrines that engaged his mind. As his impressions deepened,
the fervour of his preaching increased, and with it his congregation,
till the church was insufficient to contain all who flocked to hear
him. He requested the parish to erect galleries for their accommo-
dation, but being refused, provided them at his own cost. This act
was thought sufficient to confirm the suspicion already started, that
Dr. Coke was a "methodist," — a word used extensively in England
as a cant term to describe all zealous evangelical Christians, and
not, as in this country, restricted to a particular sect.*
* The term "Methodist," when used without qualification — especially by writers
not aspiring to technical accuracy — has in England this wide significance; and when
applied to the sect founded by Mr. Wesley is limited by the prefixing the title
" Wesleyan." The distinction is not unimportant, for too many in this country,
from not comprehending it, imagine that every thing that is said in the popular liter-
ature of England about Methodists is aimed at a single denomination. The famous
articles of Rev. Sydney Smith on Methodism, — so exquisitely witty, that the sternest
religionist must perforce relax his facial muscles in their perusal, but so unjust, that
in their composition the author satirized himself worse than the humblest object of
his ridicule,— are every year quoted, even by well-informed writers, as referring spe-
cially to the Wesleyan Methodists. But he himself defines the term as including
both Cahinistic and Arminian Methodists, and the evangelical portion of the Church
of England. The same comprehensive term he applied to Baptists. The best com-
ment on the scoffing of this popular writer is to be found in the splendid eulogy
upon the same "patent Christians," published in the same Review a few years since,
from the pen of Sir J. Stephen.
Perhaps we have no right to be surprised at the contempt of many Englishmen in
high life for all dissenters, of whom they know little more than they do of the
inhabitants of the moon, granting to that satellite the possession of any inhabitants.
Because the universities are closed against non-conformists, such men seem to think
that the excluded sectaries are absolutely cut off from all access of knowledge. The
clerical wit just quoted, in all his writings, never alludes to dissenting preachers,
except as coarse and ignorant men. As late as 1829, Lord Eldon, when taunted
with the presentation of petitions to the House of Lords from the Wesleyans of
Newcastle, replied that from reading the provincial papers, "he had been astonished
at the ability and knowledge manifested by the ministers of the Wesleyan Method-
ists!" His lordship seems never before to have conceived of dissenting ministers
able to speak and write English with propriety. The late learned and excellent Dr.
Arnold sometimes shows the same species of ignorance. He repeatedly laments
that the office of Deacon, as, in his view of the New-Testament, originally estab-
lished, has been wholly lost. He might have found, we presume, in the town of
176 THOMAS COKE.
Those who were so swift to bring this accusation had little fore-
sight of the consequences. The rumour spread till it reached the
ears of a Wesley an preacher in the neighbourhood, who sought the
acquaintance of Dr. Coke, and in successive interviews did much to
enlighten his mind on the subject of his earnest inquiries. Another
dissenter was of similar service. The reading of Alleine's Alarm
increased his anxiety, which did not subside till he was led to a hearty
dedication of his affections and a subjection of his purposes to the
truths that had not heretofore penetrated deeper than the percep-
tions of the natural understanding.
No sooner had be become partaker of the peace that waits on
simple faith, than he began to preach with increased power. As his
parish was large, he set up evening meetings for the accommodation
of those unable to appear regularly at church. Not being able to
restrain the fervour of his thoughts within the limits of closet elo-
quence, he commenced the practice of extemporaneous preaching.
These proceedings, together with the introduction of hymns into
the church service, dissatisfied the genteel part of his people, and
excited the displeasure of neighbouring clergymen, a little sharpened,
perhaps, by his drawing away many of their hearers. Add to this
the shrinking of both the self-righteous and the profane at his direct
application of unwelcome truth to their consciences, and it is no
matter of surprise that opposition was excited. Application was
made by the disaffected to the bishop of the diocese, but he declined,
for prudential reasons, meddling with the doctor. The Bishop of
Bath and Wells was next appealed to, but he contented himself
with a letter of admonition. There was still another and a final
power to be invoked. Dr. Coke was but a curate, serving during
the pleasure of the Eector. He, upon complaint of the dissatisfied
• parishioners, promptly dismissed the "methodist" from his pulpit.
By this act Dr. Coke found himself in a doubtful position. Hav-
ing a comfortable estate, he was under no compulsion to preach for
Rugby, among his dissenting neighbours, just such deacons as he supposed the New-
Testament to describe, judging from the hints on that point in his correspondence.
So Mr. Ruskin, whose works on art have made so strong an impression, has elabo-
rated some essays on the constitution of the church, and seems to suppose himself
a discoverer of new truths. But his most essential principles — whether true or
false — have been clearly apprehended, ably defended, and put in actual practice by
different dissenting bodies in England for more than a century and a half. Other
specimens might be given, had not this digression been already carried to an
extreme length.
THOMAS COKE. 177
a livelihood, and though encouraged as before to look for preferment
in the established church, he indulged no sanguine expectations of
it. While waiting to discern the will of Providence in relation to
his course, he fell into the company of Mr. Wesley, at Taunton.
From him he gained a knowledge of the polity of Methodism ; he
had already imbibed the theological opinions maintained in that
connection ; and in no long time he came to the conclusion to cast
in his lot with them.
He first attended the Methodist Conference in 1777, at Bristol,
and was designated to labour in London. The story of his conver-
sion and of his dismissal from Petherton had spread widely, and
caused great expectation among the Wesleyans in the metropolis.
His place of worship was crowded beyond its capacity, and he
preached. frequently in the open air. His ministry was not only
popular, but eminently useful. In 1780, he was appointed to pre-
side over the London circuit, and about the same time undertook
to assist Mr. Wesley in his itinerant labours. It had been Mr.
Wesley's rule to visit annually all his societies, but their great
increase made this impracticable. He therefore appointed Dr. Coke
to visit those in Ireland alternately with himself, and to make such
visitations in England as his convenience would admit. This ser-
vice was undertaken about the year 1780, from which period till
his death Dr. Coke was almost continually travelling, by land or
water, planting or superintending the numerous stations from which
the light of piety was radiated into the surrounding regions. In this
work, particularly in England and America, his proceedings were
subjected to frequent criticism, and he was charged with claiming
and exercising undue authority. The large discretion to which he
felt himself entitled as Mr. Wesley's personal representative, cer-
tainly gave him scope for excesses in this direction, and the warmth
and energy of his nature may have rendered him liable to trans-
gress now and then the limits which a scrupulous sense of propriety
would have imposed on minds differently constituted; but by the
lapse of time the question has lost much of the interest that once
surrounded it.
The establishment of Wesleyan societies in America was com-
menced about the year 1767, and at the breaking out of the
revolutionary war they numbered some thousands of members.
Unfortunately Mr. Wesley felt called upon to publish an address
condemnatory of the colonists, and his preachers, with nearly the
12
178 THOMAS COKE.
sole exception of Mr. Asbury, echoed his political as well as theo-
logical doctrines. They were compelled, of course, to withdraw
from the country, and Mr. Asbury alone remained to keep alive the
interests commended to his care. The independence of the United
States severed the Episcopal churches from the church of England,
and as Mr. Wesley had never contemplated or encouraged dissent
from that communion, his followers were left without the ordinances
of the church, or any recognised authority to ordain ministers. In
this emergency, to prevent the societies from being dissolved, some
decisive action was needed. Upon careful study, he came to the
conclusion that the exclusive claims of diocesan episcopacy were not
warranted by the Scriptures or by authentic church history; and
calling to his aid some of his associates, who were like himself pres-
byters of the Church of England, he set apart Dr. Coke by the
imposition of hands as a superintendent of his societies in America,
and gave to him and to Mr. Asbury jointly a commission under his
hand and seal to exercise episcopal authority.*
Acting under this commission, Dr. Coke proceeded to the United
States, informed Mr. Asbury of the steps taken by Mr. Wesley,
secured his cooperation* in the enterprise of organizing the church,
and summoned a conference for this purpose at Baltimore on Christ-
mas eve, 1784. By this conference the plan proposed was ratified,
and Dr. Coke proceeded to the ordination of his colleague as bishop,
and to the ordering of presbyters and deacons. To vindicate his
course he preached a sermon, which was published, and excited an
unpleasant controversy. Charles Wesley disapproved the assump-
tion of power on the part of his brother, with whom he had heartily
cooperated, but chose to attack him indirectly through Dr. Coke.
A pamphlet embodying severe strictures on the doctor's sermon is
commonly attributed to his pen.f The two bishops also addressed
General Washington in the name of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
professing their loyalty to the United States. This step, so appro-
priate in itself, was rather unreasonably treated by Mr. Wesley as
an unwarrantable impeachment of his political opinions, as if Dr.
* We are aware that Mr. Wesley made some objection to the assumption by Mr.
Asbury of the title of bishop; but as he sanctioned the office, the name is of little
moment, — or, rather, it seems most proper to employ — as we have chosen to do —
the name which by general usage, as well as by that of the Methodist church in this
country, is regarded as descriptive of the office.
f Drew's Life of Coke, chapter vi.
THOMAS COKE. 179
Coke was not entitled to have any opinions, — or as if any opinion
on the propriety of the revolution could impair the duty of loyalty
to a government whose independence was acknowledged by the
British crown.
The emigration of loyalists from the United States to Nova Sco-
tia, with a considerable number of negroes who were declared free,
called for the sending of preachers to that province, and two were
despatched thither by Dr. Coke as soon as circumstances would
admit. He also collected money for founding a college about twenty-
five miles from Baltimore, which was opened in 1787 by the name
of Cokesbury college. It flourished about five years, when the
building was destroyed by fire, and as the institution was not incor-
porated, it had no basis for permanent duration. It was opened
again in a building procured for the purpose in Baltimore, but a
second conflagration led to the abandonment of the enterprise.
Dr. Coke's first visit to this country terminated in June, 1785.
After travelling extensively, meeting with many perils in his jour-
ney, including the vindictive opposition of men to his religious
enterprise, and having laid durable foundations for the growth and
prosperity of the church, he embarked for England. He met with
an equivocal reception from Mr. Wesley, and his name was omitted
from the minutes of conference for one year, but he seems to have
acted with Mr. Wesley very much as before. During his sojourn
in America his thoughts had been turned toward the establishment
of missions in Asia, but the enterprise appeared impracticable, and
was deferred to a more propitious season. He therefore continued
his labours in different parts of Great Britain, and in 1786 established
a Methodist Society on the island of Guernsey.
Meanwhile, the necessities of Nova Scotia, which had been only
partially met, occupied his attention, and he made collections with
a view to a more complete supply. He secured the services of three
preachers, with whom he prepared to sail a second time for America.
They embarked at Gravesend on the 24th of September, 1786, but
were tossed by an adverse storm that nearly wrecked them till the
30th, when they took shelter at St. Helen's. The continuance of
the storm detained them on the coast four or five days. Eesuming
their voyage, they got off the Land's End on the 14th of October,
and encouraged themselves with the hope of a comfortable passage;
but on the 17th, they discovered a leak which could not be repaired
at sea, but in such a part of the vessel that in favourable weather it
180 THOMAS COKE.
did not much endanger them. Favourable weather, however, was
denied them. A furious tempest set upon them, which had nearly
proved the destruction of the vessel, and compelled the master to
direct his course for the West Indies. After almost unprecedented
perils, they came to anchor in the harbour of Antigua, December 25,
and by this providential deviation from his plans Dr. Coke was
made the instrument of establishing the Wesleyan Missions in those
islands, building, however, on the foundation laid by two laborious
pioneers.
About twenty-six years previous, the gospel had been proclaimed
in Antigua by Mr. Nathaniel Gilbert, a magistrate of the colony,
who had been brought to a knowledge of the truth from the preach-
ing of Mr. Wesley. By his labours a society of about two hundred
persons, chiefly negroes, was gathered, but his death left them with-
out a teacher, and they were much scattered, some of them returning
to the ways of sin. In 1778 Mr. Baxter, a shipwright, renewed the
work, and in 1783 a chapel was erected for their worship, and on
the arrival of Dr. Coke nearly two thousand persons were joined
in society.
Dr. Coke prevailed on Mr. Baxter to relinquish his worldly calling,
and devote himself exclusively to the work of the ministry, in which
he laboured till 1805. The doctor preached immediately on his
arrival, and was much pressed to remain there. He visited the
islands of St. Vincent's, St. Christopher's, Dominica, Nevis, and St.
Eustatius. With the exception of the last-mentioned island, which
was under the Dutch government, he was welcomed wherever he
went, and received such encouragement that the missionaries who
accompanied him on his voyage with- the design of settling in Nova
Scotia, were stationed in this field thus providentially opened to
them. One of them settled at Antigua, one at St. Vincent's, and
one at St. Christopher's; and Dr. Coke collected such information
concerning the other islands as served for a basis of future action.
He sailed in February, 1787, for Charleston, where he arrived after
a pleasant passage of eighteen days. He travelled through different
states, noticing the rapid progress of the church, attending several
conferences, and gathering such facts as should prove serviceable to
his associates in £rreat Britain. His testimony against slavery and
the slave-trade had edited great indignation against him, which rose
to such a pitch that his liberty and even ^ life were threatened-;
but his fearlessness, tempered by discretion, raised him above the
THOMAS COKE. 181
reach of harm. In May he sailed for Dublin, where he arrived in
twenty-nine days, and found the Irish conference in session, Mr.
Wesley presiding.
The statements he made of the providential circumstances that
led him to the West India islands, and of the moral condition of the
people, especially of the slaves, were listened to with interest, and the
duty of sending additional missionaries thither was promptly recog-
nised. From Dublin he proceeded to attend the English conference
at Manchester, where measures were adopted to carry the plan into
effect. Missionaries were sought for this service, and after a brief
visit to the Norman islands Dr. Coke undertook to solicit funds for
their support. In this work, preaching in the principal towns, and
making appeals to individual liberality, he continued after the con-
ference of 1788, when three missionaries were designated, and placed
under his supervision. With these he sailed in a vessel bound for
Barbadoes, an island he had not before visited.
Here they found in the regiment stationed upon the island one or
two pious soldiers, who had not been wanting in efforts to instruct
their fellow-men, and were kindly received by a gentleman who had
heard Dr. Coke preach in the United States. One of the missiona-
ries was stationed here, and the others proceeded to St. Vincent's,
whither Dr. Coke followed them as soon as he had completed
arrangements for the prosecution of the work in Barbadoes. At
St. Vincent's he visited the district inhabited by the Caribs, the
aborigines of the island, for whose instruction Mr. Gilbert had left
Antigua, but had found so little encouragement that he was about
to abandon the undertaking. He was persuaded, however, to per-
severe, and Mr. Gamble, one of the new missionaries, was appointed
to labour at Antigua. Dr. Coke then sailed for Dominica, where
he was cordially received, and preached several times with good
effect. A society of twenty-four persons was organized, some of
whom had heard the gospel on the other islands. He next repaired
to St. Christopher's and Antigua, where the work was found to be
prospering.
The Dutch island of St. Eustatius, which he had before visited
unsuccessfully, was the scene of persecution. A slave named Harry,
imported from the United States, whose mind had been enlightened,
felt a desire to communicate the truth to his fellows, and under the
protection of a benevolent gentleman had done so with considerable
effect. About the time of Dr. Coke's first visit, the magistrates had
182 THOMAS COKE.
forbidden him or any other person to preach, with which prohibition
he complied, but ventured to pray with his brethren, not apprehend-
ing that any offence would be taken. For this act, however, he was
prosecuted, barbarously flogged, and removed from the island. Dr.
Coke subsequently met him in the United States, where he was free,
and found him still zealous in the cause of religion, and a useful
member of the church.
Notwithstanding these- unfavourable circumstances, Dr. Coke, de-
termined to visit St. Eustatius, to discover if any way was open
to renew the work so harshly interrupted. He found the authorities
inflexible, and was obliged to take leave of the sorrowful disciples,
who numbered, under all the restraints of law, over two hundred
persons. The vessel in which he sailed was manned by a drunken
crew, and after meeting with extreme danger they succeeded in get-
ting back to St. Eustatius. Dr. Coke now thought himself called to
bear a public testimony to the truth, and preached to a large and
attentive congregation. The governor forthwith ordered him to leave
the island, on pain of prosecution for the violation of law he had
openly committed, a command which was of course complied with.
The governor of the island of Saba, belonging to Holland, was
more friendly, and consented to the establishment of a mission there.
But the governor of St. Eustatius, who was governor-general of the
Dutch colonies, promptly interfered, and prohibited the mission.
Thus foiled by the pertinacity of the Dutch authorities, Dr. Coke
directed his way to Santa Cruz, a Danish island, where he was
received with respect and kindness. The only remaining missionary
available for this field was appointed to divide his labours between
Santa Cruz and Tortola. Thus provision was made for preaching
the gospel in ten of the West India Islands, having together about
two hundred and sixty thousand inhabitants, nearly four-fifths of
whom were in a state of heathenish ignorance. Though they had to
contend with many difficulties, from intolerance and the occasional
casualties incident to the tempestuous climate, calling for the exercise
of great patience and self-denial, yet the fruits of these missions
have a thousand-fold repaid the sacrifices they have demanded.
From Tortola Dr. Coke directed his course to Jamaica, where he
preached several times, and gathered such information as led to the
establishment of a mission on that important island. He then pro-
ceeded to the United States, arriving at Charleston in February, and
travelled through several states till June, 1789. Embarking at New-
THOMAS COKE. 183
York, lie was landed at Liverpool on the 10th of July. During this
voyage his studies were directed to the state of heathen nations,
particularly those of the South Sea islands, for whom he felt a deep
sympathy, and longed to do something for their relief; but for the
present this appeared to be out of his power.
Immediately on his arrival he hastened to the meeting of the con-
ference, to make report of his doings, to communicate information
on the openings for evangelical labour that invited their care, and
plead the cause of the destitute. The means of the conference
were limited, but the emergency was pressing, and it was resolved
to go forward. The ensuing six months were occupied by him in a
tour through the kingdom, soliciting contributions for the enterprise,
and on the 16th of October, 1790, he sailed from Falrnouth with two
additional missionaries for the West Indies. Here he found the
several stations generally prosperous, though at Barbadoes the
society had been injured by riotous proceedings, which the magis-
trates seemed to wink at. He visited St. Eustatius with the hope
that a new governor would be found more placable, but met with a
hostile, reception and a prohibition of preaching. Several exhorters,
however, had kept up the society with considerable success, and he
contented himself, therefore, with a private interview, for the pur-
pose of giving them advice and encouragement suitable to their
circumstances. But he determined, on his return to Europe, to lay
before the government of Holland a statement of the case, and
endeavour to procure toleration for religious worship in these
colonies.
A preacher had been some time settled at Jamaica, but the peo-
ple had effectually broken up all meetings by riotous demonstrations,
which the law was powerless to redress. The magistrates favoured
the mob, and when the rioters were prosecuted, they were acquitted
against all law and evidence. Dr. Coke was able, however, to preach
without serious interruption, and he took occasion publicly to declare
that, averse as he was to such proceedings, the law would be invoked
for the protection of their rights as a religious community, and that
if the administration of the island would not do justice in the matter,
he would appeal to the home government. His calm determination
seemed to produce some effect upon the people for a time, and a
measure of quiet was produced.
During this voyage a mission was established on the island of
Grenada, favoured by the rector, a pious clergyman, under whose
184 THOMAS COKE.
ministry a small number of serious persons had been gathered. On
the 27th of January, 1791, Dr. Coke sailed for Charleston. The
Voyage was a perilous one, and after riding out a severe gale, the ves-
sel struck aground, and stuck fast in a sand-bank not far from Edisto
island, about fifty miles south of Charleston. The passengers were
landed, and the captain and crew finally deserted the ship. It went
out to sea, and was brought into port by the crew of an American
vessel, who sent Dr. Coke's baggage after him to Charleston. Pro-
ceeding northward, he was arrested by the intelligence of the death
of Mr. Wesley. This event deranging his plans, he made prepara-
tion for an immediate return to England, and sailed from New-Cas-
tle, Del., on the 14th of May.
On his arrival in England, he had to meet some jealousies and
suspicions to which his conspicuous position in the Wesleyan Con-
nection made him unavoidably liable at such a crisis. On the
proceedings of the approaching conferences of England and Ireland,
it depended whether that connection should fall into anarchy, and
expire with its founder, or be kept in harmony and strength, to the
maintenance and diffusion of piety at home and abroad. The spirit
of unity and concord prevailed, and the conferences went forward in
their work without material obstruction.
Mr. Wesley had committed his manuscripts to the care of Drs.
Coke and Whitehead and Mr. Henry Moore, and it was ordered
that a biography should be prepared by them. But before Dr.
Coke's arrival, Dr. Whitehead had obtained possession of the papers,
undertaken the work, and refused to surrender the materials, except
on terms which the conference deemed onerous and unjust. Happily
no worse effects followed than the preparation of rival works, one
by Dr. Whitehead and one by Messrs. Coke and Moore, both of
which were circulated by the conference.
The French revolution had disposed Dr. Coke to think with favour
on a project of establishing a mission in Paris, and for this purpose
he visited France, taking with him a preacher from the island of
Jersey. On his arrival at Paris he sought for two English school-
masters, who had written to England, recommending such a mission,
and by their advice hired a suppressed church, and commenced pub-
lic services. But it was impossible, in the political excitement that
prevailed, to secure a congregation, and the attempt was abandoned.
He returned to England, and was chiefly occupied, in conjunction
Avith Mr. Moore, in preparing their life of Wesley, which was pub-
THOMAS COKE. 185
listed in 1792. On the completion of this work, the conference
requested him to prepare a commentary on the Scriptures, fuller
than the notes published by Mr. Wesley, but restricted to three
quarto volumes, that it might avoid the prolixity of preceding com-
mentators, and come within the reach of men of moderate means.
This he undertook, but various avocations prevented its completion
till fifteen years afterwards, when it was found to have much exceeded
in dimensions the limits first agreed upon. He was required to
abridge it, as a condition of its acceptance and publication by the
conference, but he refused to do this, and issued it on his o\vn
account. It was extensively circulated, and regarded with favour at
the time, but later works have to a great extent superseded it.
At the termination of the conference of 1792, he sailed again for
the West Indies, taking with him an additional missionary. At St.
Eustatius the gospel was still under the ban of government. At
Dominica no missionary had laboured for some years, and the little
flock there were without the ordinances of religion. At St. Yin-
cent's an act had been passed forbidding all preaching, except by the
rectors of the parishes, and by persons first licensed for that purpose.
No license was granted to the missionary, Mr. Lumb; he had
preached without regard to unrighteous statutes, and was lying in
prison for his contumacy. His spirit was not broken by this severity,
and the interest excited among the people to hear Methodist preach-
ing showed that intolerance was reacting upon its authors. The
preachers held their conference at Antigua, where it appeared that
upon ten of the islands, under the superintendence of twelve
preachers, there were more than six thousand five hundred members
in society. Dr. Coke touched at Barbadoes, where he found the
mission, though moderately successful in respect to the number of
converts gathered, in other respects efficient and prosperous; and
at Jamaica, where the cause laboured hard under all the discourage-
ments of the general hostility it was compelled to meet, but little
more than two hundred members were reported. From Jamaica
he took passage for England, and arrived, after narrowly escaping a
French privateer, on the 6th of June, 1793.
His first care was to present the case of Mr. Lumb to the govern-
ment. This missionary had remained in prison for the statutory
term, and was then offered his release on paying the jail fees. This
he refused to do, and was threatened with continued imprisonment,
but after one day's detention he was set at liberty. But having no
186 THOMAS COKE.
permission to preach, lie left the island, and the society suffered
much from his departure, many of the members renouncing their
religious profession altogether. The Privy Council, after making
particular inquiry into the character of the missionaries, annulled
the act under which Mr. Lumb suffered.
Dr. Coke now addressed himself to his commentary, but the care
of the missions and his frequent journeys to solicit funds for their
support much distracted his attention. The state of the Dutch West
Indies also engaged his thoughts, and he executed his long-deferred
intention of appealing to the government of Holland for a repeal of
the intolerant edicts of the governor-general of the colonies. For
this purpose he visited that country, and spent considerable time in
soliciting the favourable consideration of the States to his reasonable
request, but without effect. The islands continued closed against
misionary effort more than ten years.
On his return to England, Dr. Coke formed a project for sending a
mission to Africa, composed of pious mechanics, who should instruct
the natives at once in religion and the useful arts. An appeal to
the public was responded to with liberality, several persons were
selected and furnished with a sufficient outfit, and much was hoped
from the enterprise. Unhappily, on their arrival at Sierra Leone,
it appeared that the company had no moral fitness for the work;
their piety was of a very questionable sort, and after quarrelling
among themselves they returned home. The great expense incurred
in the undertaking was wholly lost. But as it had the effect to
excite in the connection distrust of the policy of mingling religious
and industrial missions to the heathen, the pain was salutary. At
the time, however, comments injurious to Dr. Coke were rife, and
somewhat disturbed his equanimity at the next conference. The
result was, that in a visit to this country, which he had made imme-
diately after, in 1796, he promised the American Conference that
he would fix his residence on this side the Atlantic, unless they
should voluntarily release him from the engagement.
During the ensuing spring he made extensive tours in Ireland,
preaching to large congregations. The intimation that this was
probably his final visit much affected the people. He also visited
Scotland. At the English conference, attention was called to the
rumours of his intended settlement in America, and the preachers
urged the retraction of his promise. To this he was somewhat
inclined, particularly from a view of the state of religion in Scotland,
THOMAS COKE. 187
and a desire to undertake more vigorous measures for the diffusion
of piety there. He therefore crossed the Atlantic again, bearing the
request of the English Conference, with his own, that his pledge
might be remitted. The vessel in which he sailed was taken by a
French privateer, but Dr. Coke, after being plundered of his clothes,
was set on shore. He remained in this country about a year. The
Conference heard his appeal and that of their English brethren with
kindness, but declined to give him entirely up. They consented
that for the time being he might return, but with the understanding
that he should be subject to their call whenever they required his
services. This relation to the Methodist church in the Uuited States
he maintained till his death.
Dr. Coke's labours were now divided between his commentary,
the solicitation of funds for the missions, and his customary visita-
tions. Ever revolving new plans of evangelical effort, he soon con-
ceived the design of a mission to the Irish peasantry by persons
speaking their native language, — an enterprise that was crowned
with considerable success. An abortive attempt was made to cement
a close union of the Methodist societies with the established church,
and arrest their inevitable proclivity to dissent. It had the approval
of the attorney-general (afterwards Lord Chancellor Eldon), with
whom Dr. Coke was acquainted at Oxford, but was rejected by the
bishops. These, and other matters relating to the internal interests
of the connection, with his literary labours, occupied him till the latter
part of 1799, when he made his eighth voyage to America, and
remained there through the great part of the year 1800.
From America he proceeded to Ireland, where societies had suf-
fered from the late rebellion, in common with every other interest
of the community; but by his provident arrangements previous to
its breaking out, those evils had been mitigated, and he found things
in an encouraging state. Letters from Bermuda informed him that
a missionary had been imprisoned under an intolerant act of the
local legislature. His energetic interference was promptly followed
by a royal veto of the offensive enactment, by which religious lib-
erty was established in those islands. He made arrangements for
the preaching of the gospel in Wales, by men qualified to use the
Welsh tongue, which proved efficient and useful.
The years 1801-2 were occupied in raising funds for the missions,
a task that rested almost exclusively upon him, and in the pre-
paration of his commentary, of which that on the Old Testament
188 THOMAS COKE.
appeared in 1801. The entire work was not issued till 1807. In
1803 he made his ninth and last voyage to the Western Continent,
remaining in the United States about a year. While at Washington
he preached in the capitol. Soon after his return to England he
despatched a missionary to Gibraltar, whose death by yellow fever
soon after arriving at his post put an end to the undertaking for the
present. It was successfully renewed four years after.
Li 1805, Dr. Coke was married to a lady of excellent character,
possessed of an ample fortune. His own property had been nearly
all expended in his missionary enterprises, and his wife was happy
to contribute liberally to the same pious purposes. She died in 1811,
in the 49th year of her age. In the same year, 1805, an extended
system of home missions was instituted by Dr. Coke, the expense
of which he largely bore. From this period till 1809 he was chiefly
engaged in literary labours, in addition to his ordinary itineracies.
The important mission in Jamaica was now threatened with sup-
pression. The colonial legislature passed an act in 1808 imposing
severe penalties on all worship other than that of the Church of
England. Apprehending adverse action on the part of the home
government, the application for the royal approval was delayed as
long as the law would admit, and meanwhile the meetings were
strictly repressed. Eight months elapsed before the act was laid
before the council, and an agent of the colony came to enlist all
possible influence in its support. Appealing as it did to strong
ecclesiastical prejudices, and having powerful interests in its favour.
Dr. Coke, though confident that the king's government were gen-
erally disposed to favour tolerant measures in the colonies, had some
fears for the result. He made earnest representations to the privy
council, and had the satisfaction of seeing this measure of persecution
annulled.
A mission was undertaken in 1811 to the French prisoners of
war, of whom thousands were collected on board prison-ships at the
several naval depots. A question arising about the expense of the
effort, Dr. Coke offered, with his accustomed boldness and generosity,
to defray the whole charge, and trust to public liberality for its
reimbursement. The early return of peace put an end to it. Mis-
sionaries were also sent to Sierra Leone at his private cost. Toward
the close of this year he married a second time, but the union was
dissolved by the death of his wife in one year.
THOMAS COKE. 189
Although, far advanced in life, Dr. Coke now meditated a new
enterprise, — the establishment of a mission to India. Hitherto he
had acted as a superintendent and director of missions ; he now was
disposed to leave England, with the expectation of labouring the
rest of his days in Ceylon. As early as 1784 he had corresponded
with a gentleman in Bengal on the practicability of founding a mis-
sion there, but from the information he received he regarded the
difficulties at that time insuperable. In 1806 his views were ripened
by personal conference with a gentleman in Cornwall, whose long
residence in India qualified him to impart valuable information on
the subject, but multifarious engagements prevented any action at
the time. Now his way seemed open. His other missions had been
successfully established ; his literary labours were finished, his books
had become the property of the conference; and the death of his
wife left him without domestic ties to bind his heart to England.
By the advice of Dr. Buchanan, Ceylon was fixed upon as the seat
of the mission, and he commenced his preparations.
To the remonstrances of friends with reference to his personal
risks at that period of his life, and the difficulty of adapting his
physical habits and organs of speech to a tropical climate and an
oriental language, he replied, that he was dead to England and
alive to India; that the great number of nominal Christians in Cey-
lon opened an easier field for labour than among the Hindoos; and
that the prevalence of the Portuguese language among them fur-
nished a medium of communication that would be acquired by him
without material difficulty. These opinions regarding the nominal
Christians of India were then very generally entertained, but experi-
ence has not confirmed them, and the Wesleyan missionaries in
Ceylon have from the first laboured among the heathen, in the Cin-
galese and Tamil tongues.
Among his first cares was to provide for the continued support
of the missions already in operation. These had been carried for-
ward, notwithstanding their extent and magnitude, under the charge
of Dr. Coke. Though he reported his doings to the conference, and
had their entire approbation, yet he personally selected the mission-
aries, solicited funds for their support, and when any deficiency of
means existed, made it up from his own purse. By degrees the
cooperation of the conference had become more regular and constant ;
but so much of the responsibility still rested upon him, that without
some new and more definite organization, his death or withdrawal
190 THOMAS COKE.
by any cause from the work must have caused at least a considerable
temporary embarrassment. Auxiliary societies were now planned,
which afterwards ripened into what is now one of the most power-
ful missionary organizations in Great Britain.
At the Conference of 1813, Dr. Coke presented himself, with six
men whom he had engaged to accompany him, stated the plan and"
grounds of his new enterprise, and anticipating objections on the
score of expense, offered to advance the required funds from his
private fortune, to the extent, if necessary, of six thousand pounds.
The conference so far acceded to his proposal as to sanction the
Mission, approve the men selected, and to borrow of Dr. Coke three
thousand pounds. The necessary outfit having been procured,
including a printing-press, the company departed on the 30th of
December in two ships, in a fleet of thirty -three merchantmen, con-
voyed by eight vessels of war. The wife of one of the missionaries
died on the 9th of February. No other important incident occurred
on their passage to the Cape of Good Hope, but on passing the cape
they were exposed to violent gales, in which several sailors were car-
ried overboard and lost. They passed the isle of Bourbon on the
24th of April, — on the third of May, Dr. COKE ivas no more.
During the voyage he had been in excellent health, and nothing
had appeared to warrant the anticipation of his death. On the first
of May he was slightly indisposed ; the next night, on retiring to
rest, he asked for some medicine. Mr. Clough, one of his associates,
offered to sit up with him during the night, but he declined the
proposal as needless. Upon opening his cabin in the morning he
was found extended lifeless upon the floor. The event was ascribed
to apoplexy, and it was conjectured that upon first being conscious
of increasing indisposition, he rose from his bed to procure some-
thing not within his reach, or to call for assistance, and in this state
death met him suddenly.
But though the end of his earthly course was sudden, and the
purposes of his life were arrested while their 'execution was incom-
plete, he had effected no common measure of usefulness. He had
borne a conspicuous part in the foundation of a church whose expan-
sion has been unequalled. To the Methodist Episcopal Church in
America he stood in a relation that approached the paternal charac-
ter. He had personally originated and directed a circle of missions,
whose fruits are abundant, and whose increase is .still unchecked.
THOMAS COKE. 191
For their support lie Lad exhausted his patrimony and sacrificed
personal ease, with a singleness of heart not often paralleled, — "in
journey ings often, in perils of waters, — in weariness and painful-
ness, — and besides those things that were without, that which came
upon him daily, the care of all the churches" he had planted
and watered.
He had given directions in his will that his body should be
conveyed to England, and deposited by the side of his two wives in
the family vault at Brecon, but it was physically impossible to do
this, and with heavy hearts his brethren committed his mortal
remains to the deep. They went on their way, and were received
with abundant sympathy by the missionaries of the Baptist and the
Church of England Missionary Societies, and the work to which
their venerated superintendent had hoped to devote his elastic
energies, was carried forward in his forceful and persevering spirit.
The leading traits in the character of Dr. Coke are obvious at a
glance. The characters of few men have been more legibly written
in their deeds. Boldness, decision, and indomitable zeal, were dis-
played during his whole career. These qualities wielded a more
than commonly fertile and elastic mind, and were under the control
of a high sense of duty. When convinced of the truth of Christianity,
he turned his back on his associates in the university. When con-
vinced of the truth of the evangelical system, he embraced it with
all his powers and yielded his heart to its legitimate authority.
What he believed, he preached, regardless of popular opinion. To
the dissemination of the gospel he devoted his time, talents and
money, without hesitation and without grudging, for thirty-eight
years, and died in harness.
His relations to the missionary enterprise may be briefly stated.
He was not, till his last voyage, a missionary to the heathen, and
Providence did not permit him to execute his eager purpose. Most
of the missions he actually founded were in the possessions of Great
Britain, and among people speaking the English tongue. If he had
any defect, it was in that capital art of "plodding," which we have
seen entered so largely into the elements of Carey's success. The
want of this is visible in his ready discouragement at the failure of
immediate results in preaching to the Indians in this country, and
at the obstacles to effort among the Hindoos. But "there are diver-
192 THOMAS COKE.
sities of gifts" bestowed by "the same Spirit." It would be the
dictate of ingratitude to the bountiful Giver of them all, to object
that they are not distributed to all His servants alike. The qualities
which Dr. Coke brought to his life's work are worthy of all admira-
tion, and the whole-hearted devotion with which he made them bear
upon the grand object of his pursuit will never be forgotten by those
who venerate piety, benevolence and self-sacrifice.
/
ADONIRAM JUDSON.
ADONIRAM JUDSON, junior, was born at Maiden, Massachusetts,
August 9, 1788. Of his childhood and youth little information has
been communicated to the public. It would be interesting, if possi-
ble, to trace the development of powers so capacious and a character
so striking as his long and eventful career displayed. He was grad-
uated at Brown University in 1807, with the highest honour. He
is remembered by college contemporaries as a young man of a spare
but commanding figure, erect and firm, giving evidence of a sound
physical constitution, and a mind of more than common vigour and
self-reliance. His habitual demeanour was grave and circumspect
until near the close of his collegiate course. His ambition having
been gratified by the position he had gained, the constraint of his
manners was then somewhat relaxed, and he showed a more genial
and playful humour. He acquitted himself on the commencement-
day in a manner that attracted much attention and praise, heightened
by his youthful appearance.
The son of a Congregational clergj^man, he had the advantages
of religious culture that such a relation naturally confers, but entered
upon manhood, not only without evidence of personal piety, but
with skeptical views of the authority of Christianity. Soon after
graduating, he began a tour through the United States. While
travelling, he became impressed with the conviction that to cherish
doubts of the truth of Christianity without making an effort to
resolve them, was unreasonable. The importance and solemnity of
the issue were discerned in such a light that it was impossible to
continue his journey. He returned to Plymouth, then the residence
of his father, and commenced the serious examination of the Chris-
tian evidences. He was convinced of their validity, but did not at
first have very distinct views of the nature of religion as a prac-
tical system. In this state of mind, being on a visit to Boston, he
happened to take from the shelf of a private library a work formerly
much esteemed by serious readers,* — " Human Nature in its Fourfold
* In this country many Scottish Christians, it is believed, still highly prize it
13
194 ADONIBAM JUDSON,
State;" by Thomas Boston, minister of Ettrick, in Scotland. From
this he gained new views of the Christian scheme and of his own
relations to it. His mind was profoundly agitated, and all his plans
were merged in anxiety to find peace for a disquieted conscience.
About this time the Theological Seminary at Andover was estab-
lished, and Mr. Judson applied for admission, in order to gain the
advantages it afforded for religious study and instruction. The rules
of the seminary required evidence of evangelical piety before admis-
sion, but the officers, with some hesitation, received him as a mem-
ber. In no long time his inquiries were satisfied ; he clearly saw
and heartily submitted to the truth, receiving a full measure of its
divine consolations. He then turned his attention to the appropriate
studies preparatory to the Christian ministry. But his purposes
were not to find their limit here. In the summer or autumn of 1809,
he met with Buchanan's "Star in the East," the reading of which
suggested to his mind the importance of the missionary work, and
awakened a desire to engage in it. His feelings were communicated
to several persons, who all discouraged him. At length he gained
the assent of Samuel Nott, jr., to his views,* and subsequently found
in the minds of several other young men associated with him in the
seminary, Messrs. Mills, Richards, Rice and Newell, a deep sympathy
in his aspirations, the fruit of meditation and mutual counsel in past
years and distant scenes.f
The state of public sentiment was not such as to furnish encour-
agement that any immediate steps would be taken to secure the
accomplishment of their wishes, and a submission to this delay was
apparently yielded by his associates, with which Mr. Judson was
dissatisfied. Seeing no avenue to the missionary field open on this
side the Atlantic, he conceived the design of offering himself for the
patronage of the London Missionary Society. This he suggested to
Rev. Dr. Griffin, then a professor in the seminary, who undertook to
write on his behalf to London. Some time after, as they casually
met, Dr. Griffin apologized for having failed to write according to
his promise, but expressed his intention to do so immediately. "I
* Memoir of L. Rice, p. 86.
f As the formation of the American Board has been described with considerable
minuteness in connection with the life of GORDON HALL, the present sketch has no
further design in this respect than to exhibit the character and extent of Mr. Judson's
personal agency in the matter. The reader will excuse the repetition of some facts
and dates which are necessary to clearness of statement.
ADONIRAM JUDSON. 195
thank you, sir," Mr. Judson replied with, characteristic promptness,
"I have written for myself."* A letter to the Directors of the Lon-
don Missionary Society, disclosing his views and requesting inform-
ation, received a favourable reply, inviting him to visit England, and
obtain in person the information he sought.
The project was arrested by more favourable indications at home.
Having learned from those of his associates who had mutually
pledged themselves to the missionary work while at Williams Col-
lege, something of the character and views of Gordon Hall, then at
Woodbury, Conn., he addressed a letter to him, which hastened Mr.
.Hall's arrival at Andover.f Mr. Hall's inclinations concurred with
his own. Eenewed consultation led to a decisive resolve, and the
meeting of the General Association of Massachusetts, at Bradford,
in June, 1810, was fixed upon as a favourable occasion for broaching
their designs to the public. Mr. Judson drew up a paper, setting forth
their wishes, and asking the advice of the Association with respect
to the propriety of cherishing, and the proper means of effecting them.
To this paper were first subscribed the names of Messrs. Judson,
Nott, Newell, Hall, Eichards and Eice, but the two latter withdrew
their names, lest so large a number should produce embarrassment
The result was the organization of the American Board of Commis-
sioners for Foreign Missions.
It was Mr. Judson 's expectation that he and his associates would
immediately receive an appointment as missionaries, but the Board
was without the needful funds to send them forth, and contented
itself with approving their purpose, and recommending them to
adhere to it. Mr. Judson thought that this course savoured of
timidity, and was auspicious of no very speedy action. He recurred
to his invitation from England, and suggested the possibility of
gaining the cooperation of the London Missionary Society. At his
request he was authorized to visit London, and ascertain the practi-
cability of a joint management of missions by the two societies. He
sailed for England in January, 1811, and three weeks after was
captured by a French privateer, on board of which he was detained
several weeks, and was then confined in a prison at Bayonne. By
the interposition of an American gentleman he was released on his
* For this, and one or two other facts in relation to Dr. Judson's early life, the
writer is indebted to a correspondent who knew him when in college.
t Memoir of L. Rice, p. 87.
196 ADONIRAM JUDSON.
parole, and at length obtained a passport, and reached England in
May. He found the plan he had in view impracticable, but the
Directors of the London society expressed a readiness to recieve him
and his brethren under their patronage in case they could not obtain
support in America, and gave them instructions to be used by them
at their option.
Eeturning to the United States, Mr. Judson and another of the
candidates for missionary service attended the meeting of the Board
of Commissioners at Worcester in September. The funds of the
Board were scanty, and there was some indication that their enter-
prise might be yet further delayed. Mr. Judson urged immediate
movement, on the ground of impending war with England, which
might cause a long postponement, if not a final abandonment of
missions to the east. After anxious deliberation, the Board adopted
Messrs. Judson, Hall, Newell and Nott, as its missionaries, with a
designation to the Burman empire, recommending, however, that
they should continue their studies for a time.
It happened, by a singular coincidenc, that Mr. Judson was in
Salem a few weeks before, and was there introduced to the late Kev.
Dr. Bolles, with whom he was destined to stand in relations of which
neither could then have formed a conception. In the course of
conversation he casually expressed to Mr. Bolles the hope that the
Baptist denomination in America would follow the missionary
example of their brethren in England. The hint was a seed drop-
ped in a fruitful soil. The Baptists of this country were then weak,
and there was little prospect of independent action on their parts,
but the Salem Bible Translation and Foreign Missionary Society
was immediately formed, a month before the meeting of the Board
of Commissioners at Worcester. Its first object was the contribution
of aid to the Baptist mission at Serampore, but it distinctly contem-
plated the appointment of foreign missionaries from this country, as
soon as circumstances should make such a measure practicable. The
occasion came sooner than was anticipated.
While attending the meeting of the Association at Bradford in
the preceding year, Mr. Judson first met Miss Ann Hasseltine,
with whom he formed an acquaintance that led to an offer of mar-
riage. However such a proposal might have been viewed by her
under ordinary circumstances, coming as it did from one about to
be self-exiled for missionary service, in a distant land, and among a
semi-barbarous people, it was no wonder that she hesitated. With
ADONIKAM JUDSON. 197
qualities that fitted her to move in the choicest society, and sensibil-
ities that might well shrink from the imminent self-denial involved in
an acceptance of the proposal, her devoted piety gave her power to
sympathize with the missionary's spirit. Her decision was deliber-
ately made, to share his sufferings and toils and unselfish joys. In
her Mr. Judson found a most fortunate companion, and the cause of
missions an unrivalled ornament. Together, they were a pair pecu-
liarly qualified for mutual support in founding a mission against
obstacles few would have ventured to encounter, and fewer still
would have had strength to overcome. The future was not indeed
foreseen, but its possibilities were present to their minds. In asking
her father's assent to their union, extenuating nothing, Mr. Judson
frankly asked whether he could "consent to her exposure to the
dangers of the ocean ; to the fatal influence of the southern climate
of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult,
persecution, and perhaps a violent death." The sacrifice was made,
a sense of duty overcame the promptings of parental tenderness,
and the youthful pair, bound together by ties of united duty and
affection, prepared for their departure. They were married on the
5th of February, 1812, and on the day following Mr. Judson, with
his four* colleagues, received ordination at Salem. Messrs. Judson
and Newell with their wives sailed from Salem on the 19th, in the
bark Caravan for Calcutta, and the rest of the company from Phil-
adelphia on the 18th for the same destination.
The Caravan arrived at Calcutta on the 18th of June. The mis-
sionaries were cordially welcomed by Dr. Carey, and invited to await
at Serampore the arrival of their associates. They accepted the
invitation, and were received with marked kindness by the mission
family. Their enjoyment was rudely interrupted. In about ten
days they received a summons to Calcutta. There a government
order was served upon them to return immediately to America.
Their position was embarrassing. The state of the Burman empire,
their original destination, seemed to forbid the present establishment
of a mission there. To leave Calcutta then, was apparently to aban-
don their whole enterprise. They finally asked and obtained leave
to sail to the Isle of France, whither a vessel then in the river was
bound, which was granted. The vessel could take but two passen-
* Mr. Rice had been subsequently appointed.
198 ADONIRAM JUDSON".
gers, and Mr. and Mrs. Newell embarked in her, leaving their com-
panions to follow by the first opportunity. Mr. Judson remained
two months at Calcutta, during which time that change took place
in his views which sundered his present relations as a missionary,
and was made the instrument of enlisting a new agency in the work
of human evangelization.
While on his passage from America, as he was engaged in the
study of the original Scriptures, his attention was drawn to the sub-
ject of baptism. The reflection that he was soon to meet Baptist
missionaries, and that he might be called to defend his faith on the
points of difference between them, — an apprehension which turned
out to be groundless, — led him to study the subject more closely.
Before reaching any conclusion, his arrival at Calcutta and subsequent
difficulties arrested the inquiry. He resumed it after the departure
of Mr. Newell, and ended by adopting the sentiments of the Baptists.
It cost him a severe struggle to arrive at a conclusion that must
sever him from the patronage of the Board that had honoured him
by its confidence, and leave him to the contingency of gaining sup-
port from a communion with whose members, saving two or three
individual exceptions, he had no personal acquaintance. On first
learning the state of his mind, Mrs. Judson was much distressed,
but after a similar investigation her views were conformed to his.
They were baptized on the 6th of September.
Mr. Eice united with Messrs. Hall and Nott in a regretful commu-
nication of this "trying event" to the Board. But his own mind
was excited to a review of his opinions, and in a few weeks followed
the example of Mr. Judson. They resigned their commission from
the Board, and wrote to Rev. Dr. Baldwin, of Boston, and Mr. Bolles
of Salem, appealing to American Baptists for sympathy and aid.
Meanwhile, it became necessary to take immediate measures to find
a refuge from the hostility of the East India Company, which was
heightened by intelligence of war between Great Britain and the
United States, and by the suspicion, from their protracted stay,
that the missionaries designed to remain permanently at Calcutta.
They were peremptorily ordered to take passage for England. In
this emergency they engaged a passage to the Isle of France. They
had gone down the river for two days, when an order came, arrest-
ing the vessel, on the ground that she had on board passengers
ordered to England. All escape now seemed impossible, but after
remaining on shore three days, they received from an unknown
ADONIRAM JUDSON. 199
hand a pass authorizing their passage in the ship they had left. By
two days' hard rowing, a distance of seventy miles, they reached
Saugur, and found the vessel providentially lying at anchor.
They arrived at the Isle of France on the 17th of January. The
hostility of the East Indian government followed them,' — 'the gov-
ernor received a notice to look carefully after them as suspicious
persons. To this he paid no attention, and on the contrary treated
them with much kindness, offering them, if they chose to remain on
the island, his countenance in their work. But it was not a desir-
able field for missionary labour. They thought of Madagascar, but
a mission there appeared impracticable, and it was at last decided to
attempt one on Pinang, or Prince of Wales' Island, for which pur-
pose Mr. and Mrs. Judson embarked for Madras. In the mean time
Mr. Rice returned to America, to effect in person with the Baptists
the needful arrangements for their support. Tidings of the unex-
pected event, that threw upon the sympathies of the denomination
two missionaries already providentially in India, had preceded him,
and he received a cordial welcome. Auxiliary societies were formed,
and a meeting of delegates assembled in Philadelphia, by whom was
formed the Baptist General Convention, more recently reorganized
by the name of the American Baptist Missionary Union. Mr. and Mrs.
Judson were adopted as their missionaries, while Mr. Eice remained
to give his services to the domestic agency of the Convention.
Where the appointed missionaries would labour was not, indeed,
known even to themselves. On reaching Madras they heard of the
order for the transportation of the American missionaries from
Bombay to England. Dreading the like treatment, they made all
haste to escape from the British dominions. There was no outward-
bound vessel in the harbour, except an unseaworthy craft about to
sail for Eangoon, the principal port of the Bur man empire. In
this they took passage, and after braving numerous perils reached
their destination in July, 1813, resolved, if practicable, to remain
there. The trials they had met with providentially overruled the
apprehensions that caused them to shrink from a mission in Bur-
mah, and brought them to the place of their original designation.
The day of their arrival was one of gloom. Uncertain as to the
issue of their enterprise, lonely from the want of Christian society,
and without intelligence from friends at home, they went on shore,
scarcely knowing whither they should go. The health of Mrs. Jud-
Bon, moreover, had suffered from excitement, fatigue and danger, so
200 ADONIRAM JUDSON.
that she was scarcely able to land. They found shelter and the
temporary companionship of Mrs. Felix Carey, in the mission-house
that had been occupied about five years by English missionaries,
but was now to be abandoned for the occupancy of others to whom
the evangelization of Burmah was manifestly committed.
The Burman empire, then including Arracan and the Tenasserim
provinces, of which it has been stripped, and Cassay, a part of which
is now independent, is an absolute despotism. The monarch is
styled the "Master of Life and Death," and his edicts are the unques-
tioned law of the land. The country is divided into districts, each
under the rule of a viceroy, or governor, by whom the imperial
decrees are executed on the whole people.
The religion of Burmah, if such it may be called, is Boodhism, a
superstition which enslaves nearly one-third of the human race.*
It acknowledges no living God or intelligent first cause, but affirms
the eternity of matter. It holds that four Boodhs, or deities, have
successively appeared at intervals of several thousand years, and
have been absorbed into Nicban, a state of entire unconsciousness
or annihilation, which is regarded as the highest reward of virtue.
The last Boodh, Gaudama, appeared about the year B. C. 600,
became Boodh at the age of thirty-five, and forty-five years after
was absorbed. As thousands of years will elapse before the appear-
ance of another, the system is meanwhile one of pure atheism. The
objects of adoration are images and relics of Gaudarna, to whom
numerous temples are erected, served by a large body of priests,
who are bound to celibacy, and subsist by alms. The only religious
pursuit of the people is the acquisition of merit by alms deeds and
austerities.
Boodhism is superior to other forms of paganism, in its moral
features. It does not deify lust, revenge or cupidity. It has five
moral precepts : Thou shalt not kill ; thou shalt not steal ; thou shalt
not commit adultery ; thou shalt not lie ; thou shalt use no intoxi-
* This estimate is of course conjectural. The proportion is sometimes stated as
high as one-half. The system prevails in Ceylon, Burmah, Siam, Anam or Cochin-
China, and China; the immense population of China is necessarily included in the
larger estimate, and a considerable portion of it is required to substantiate the more
moderate computation stated in the text. But no uniform religious belief exists m
China, and it is probable that the body of the people have no definite system. The
Boodhist is the only organized priesthood in the empire, though there are other sects.
ADONIRAM JUDSON. 201
eating liquor. But as it recognises no eternal and supreme Deity,
leaving the universe to the force of a blind destiny, it imposes no
adequate restraint on the depraved passions of its devotees. With
many professions of asceticism, they show all the vices with which
the history of heathen nations is uniformly darkened. The people
are naturally active and energetic, with acute minds, lively imagina-
tions, and a freedom of social intercourse unknown to most oriental
nations, but the debasing influences of an atheistic philosophy and
a tyrannical government have made them indolent, unfeeling,
suspicious and cruel.
More than a year elapsed before Mr. Judson heard of the forma-
tion of the Baptist General Convention. For three years he was
busied in learning the language, which is one of peculiar difficulty,
and undertaken, as it was, without grammar, dictionary or a teacher
speaking English, almost insurmountable. But he had great apti-
tude for philological investigation, and foreign as its idiom is to the
mental habits of western nations, he made the Burmese so much his
own that he ultimately used it with all the freedom of a native.
His first labours were directed to the preparation of a tract, entitled
a Summary of the Christian Religion. He was commencing a trans-
lation of the New-Testament, when he found himself so much
enfeebled by continuous study that he was compelled to suspend his
exertions, and think of seeking a temporary change of climate. The
arrival of Rev. George H. Hough at Rangoon, to reinforce the mis-
sion, caused him to relinquish this purpose. Mr. Hough brought a
printing-press, the gift of the Serampore mission, by which the tract
just mentioned, and a catechism, were soon ready for circulation. A
translation of the Gospel of Matthew was next undertaken, and
printed in the course of the following year.
The tracts were not without effect in calling the attention of the
people to the "new religion." In March, 1817, an intelligent man,
with great seriousness of manner, came to the mission-house as an
inquirer, from whom Mr. Judson caught with grateful wonder "the
first acknowledgment of an eternal God he had ever heard from the
lips of a Burman." It was now resolved to commence public
preaching, and in December Mr. Judson sailed for Chittagong, in
Arracan, to obtain the services of a native Christian as an assistant.
The vessel was driven out of its course, and he was landed at
Madras, where he was detained till the June following. Great anx-
iety was excited at Rangoon by information from Chittagong that
202 ADONIKAM JUDSON.
the vessel had not been heard from. To add to the perplexity of
their situation, the missionaries were startled by a summons, couched
in menacing terms, commanding Mr. Hough's presence at the court-
house. The viceroy had hitherto treated them with respect and
kindness; the change was equally mysterious and alarming. It
afterwards appeared that a royal order for the expulsion of three
Portuguese priests, from the laxity of its terms, had been held to
include all foreign religious teachers. After some days' alarm and
vexation, Mr. Hough was released from arrest, but these events,
together with rumours of a war with the British Indian government,
excited such fear, that he set sail for Bengal, taking with him the
chief part of the printing apparatus. Mrs. Judson at first proposed
to share his flight, and actually went on board the vessel, but finally
determined, though alone, and uncertain whether her husband was
living, to remain at Eangoon, and there await his coming, or the
tidings that should confirm her darkest forebodings. In a few days
her heroic decision was rewarded by Mr. Judson's return, and not
long after, Eev. Messrs. Colman and Wheelock arrived from the
United States to join the mission. Their presence was hailed with
the liveliest satisfaction, but it soon became painfully evident
that neither had the physical strength to endure the toils of mis-
sionary life.
Though foiled in the purpose for which his voyage to Chittagong
was undertaken, Mr. Judson went forward with his design to attempt
public preaching. The comparatively quiet manner in which the
mission had hitherto been conducted screened them from official
jealousy, but with a change of policy this security would be at an
end. Trusting, however, in the divine protection, the decisive step
was taken. A zayat, — a building which in Burmah answers the
two-fold purpose of an inn or caravansery and an edifice for public
meetings, — was erected on an eligible site, and opened for worship
in April, 1819. A small congregation was gathered, and the only
living and true God was for the first time publicly adored, and his
message of mercy proclaimed, in the Burmese language.
The thirtieth of April was a memorable day : Moung* Nau, the
first Burman convert, then made his appearance at the zayat. He
continued his visits daily, till on the 5th of May Mr. Judson recorded
* Moung and Ko, are titles in Burmese applied respectively to young and old men ;
Men and Ma having a like application to women.
ADONIRAM JUDSON. 203
liis confident hope that a soul was truly won. "It seems almost too
much," he says, "to believe that God has begun to manifest his
grace to the Burmans ; but this day I could not resist the delightful
conviction that this is really the case. PKAISE AND GLOKY BE TO
His NAME FOR EVERMORE. Amen." On the 6th of June Moung
Nau presented a written application for baptism, which was admin-
istered on the 27th in "a large pond in the vicinity, the bank of
which is graced with an enormous image of Gaudama." The first
success was gained, the first living stone laid for the spiritual temple
that is to glorify God in Burmah.
Two additional converts were received to the fellowship of the
church in November. Others were inquiring, among them Moung
Shwa Gnong, a learned man and subtle reasoner, who engaged Mr.
Judson in animated discussions for a considerable time. At last he
confessed his belief in the truths of Christianity. The viceroy was
informed that he had changed his religion. "Inquire further," was
his significant order. Moung Shwa Gnong was terrified. The other
inquirers shared his apprehensions, and the zayat was deserted
except by the three Christian Burmans. Under these circumstances,
an appeal to the king appeared to the mission the only resource.
Fear restrained the people, and only a pledge of toleration by the
government, it seemed, would enable them to prosecute their work
with the hope of success.
Messrs. Judson and Colman accordingly set out, on the 22d of
December, to ascend the Irrawadi to Amarapoora, then the capital
of the empire. Mr. Wheelock was no more, having died in August.
They reached the "golden city"* on the 25th of January. On the
27th, the king having signified his willingness to see them, they
repaired to the palace, taking with them the Bible in six volumes
gilded in Burman style, as a present to the king, a revised copy
of the "Summary of the Christian Eeligion for his majesty's inform-
ation, and a respectful prayer for toleration. Moung Zah, one of
the chief ministers, conducted them to a magnificent hall, where
they awaited the royal presence. The "golden foot" approached.
"He came," says Mr. Judson, "unattended, — in solitary grandeur, —
exhibiting the proud gait and majesty of an eastern monarch." — •
"He strided on. Every head excepting ours was now in the dust.
We remained kneeling, our hands folded, our eyes fixed on the
* The epithet "golden" describes every thing royal in Burmah.
204: ADONIRAM JTJDSON.
monarcli. When lie drew near we attracted his attention. He
stopped, partly turned toward us ; — ' Who are these?' ' The teachers,
great king,' I replied. ( What, you speak Burman ? ' " After a series
of questions respecting themselves and their nation, the petition was
read aloud. He took it in his hand, and read it deliberately through.
Without sajdng a word, he returned it, and took the tract. He held
it long enough to read the first two sentences, which affirmed the
existence of one eternal God, and dashed it to the ground. The
present was unfolded, but no notice was taken of it. The minister
interpreted the royal silence in these words: "In regard to the
objects of your petition, his majesty gives no order. In regard to
your sacred books, his majesty has no use for them; — take them
away."
Some further efforts were made to accomplish their purpose, but
in vain. Exhausted with fatigue and excitement, disappointed of
their object, and looking for the certain abandonment of their mis-
sion, they returned to Rangoon. On their way they met Moung
Shwa Gnong, and related the failure of their petition. He showed
less alarm than they expected, and calmly reaffirmed his faith in
Christianity. At Rangoon they disclosed their sad tidings to the
three disciples, and intimated their intention to remove to the border
of Arracan, among a Burman population under British protection.
To their surprise, the disciples, so far from being disheartened, vied
with each other in expressions of courageous zeal. If the missiona-
ries removed, they would accompany them ; if not, they would stand
by them. They earnestly desired that Rangoon might not be
abandoned, — and it was not. Mr. and Mrs. Judson remained where
they were. Mr. Colman fixed his abode at Chittagong, to provide a
retreat for them in case of danger. But his time was short. In a little
more than two years he fell a martyr to the intensity of his zeal.
The missionary pair were alone at Rangoon, but were cheered by
the constancy of the disciples and the visits of inquirers. Three
persons were added to their little church in the spring and summer
of 1820. The health of Mrs. Judson required a voyage to Bengal,
in which it was necessary that she should be accompanied by her
husband. Four additional converts, one of them the learned Moung
Shway Gnong, and another a female disciple, the first of her sex in
Burmah, applied for baptism, and received the rite before their depart-
ure. Thus, against all discouragements, the work went on. They
had acquired the language, a grammer and dictionary were com-
ADONIKAM JUDSON. 205
piled, the Gospel of Matthew and some tracts had been printed, the
Epistle to the Ephesians was translated, public worship established,
and in the face of the royal frown ten persons had made an open
profession of Christianity. After about six months' residence in
Bengal, the missionaries returned to Rangoon in January, 1821.
They were joyfully welcomed by the disciples, who, though without
the regular means of grace, and dispersed through fear of petty
officers, had continued steadfast in the faith, and another was added
to their number in March.
The improvement in Mrs. Judson's health was transient, and in
the summer of 1821 she visited America, where she spent about a
year. The voyage was undertaken alone, as Mr. Judson felt that in
the present state of his work he could not leave Eangoon. By the
publication of a history of the mission, and her personal appeals, she
deepened the public interest for its furtherance, and in her return
was accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Wade, appointed to reinforce
them. During her absence Mr. Judson, besides forwarding the
translation of the New-Testament, had gathered several converts,
making the whole number eighteen. The arrival of Dr. Price, who
joined the mission soon after Mrs. Judson's departure, led to another
visit to the capital, the king having heard of his medical skill, and
ordered him to report himself immediately at court. Mr. Jud-
son accompanied him, with the hope of making a more favourable
impression respecting his missionary labours. For some time no
notice was taken of him, except as interpreter to Dr. Price, who
received very kind attention. After three days' atendance at
the palace, his majesty condescended to ask some questions about
his religion, and put the alarming interrogatory whether any had
embraced it. The evasive answer, "Not here," would not do. "Are
there any at Rangoon?" "There are a few." "Are they Burin ans
or foreigners?" The truth must out. "There are some Burmans
and some foreigners." The king showed no displeasure, but calmly
continued the conversation.
By some of the ministers and officers in the court Mr. Judson
was treated with much consideration, and the claims of Christianity
were freely and candidly discussed. The king was pleased to direct
that the missionaries should remain at Ava,* and land was given
* The capital had been removed from Amarapoora to Ava, where it has since
continued.
206 ADONIRAM JUDSOST.
them for the erection of dwellings. These arrangements having
been made, Mr. Judson returned to Eangoon. Here he completed
the translation of the New-Testament, and composed an epitome of
the Old, to serve the converts till the entire Scriptures could be put
into their hands. On the 5th of December, 1823, he welcomed Mrs.
Judson and Mr. and Mrs. Wade, and immediately removed with
his wife to Ava, "not knowing the things that should befall them
there," leaving Mr. Hough with the new missionaries at Kangoon.
For a little time he preached in the imperial city, but the work was
suddenly arrested, and the persons of the missionaries placed in great
peril, by the commencement of a war with the British East Indian
government. Mrs. Judson had been warned of the probability of
such an event on her arrival at Calcutta from the United States, but
disregarded the advice of her friends to forbear returning to Burmah.
The storm burst sooner than had been anticipated. The encroach-
ments of the Burmans on the terrritories of the East India Company
had been long complained of, but the king, with ignorant vanity,
attributed the remonstrances of the English to fear. He collected
an army to invade Bengal, with instructions to bring the governor-
general in golden fetters to Ava! The English resolved to antici-
pate his movements, and in May, 1824, a force of six thousand men,
under command of Sir Archibald Campbell, attacked Kangoon.
The viceroy forthwith ordered the arrest of every person in town
"who wore a hat." Messrs. Hough and Wade were seized, and con-
demned to instant death, but were reprieved, and after much suffer-
ing were released by the English. They then removed with all speed
to Bengal, where Mr. Wade pursued the study of the language, and
put to press Mr. Judson's Burman dictionary, a work of modest
pretensions, but of no little utility.
For two years no information was received of the fate of the
missionaries at Ava. Whether they were murdered at the first out-
break of hostilities, or worn out by slower tortures, or still lingered
in captivity, could not be conjectured. The suspense was almost
intolerable. And when the silence was broken by tidings of their
safety, the general joy was mingled with inexpressible sympathy,
at the recital of sufferings more dreadful than the pains of death,
visited upon their devoted heads.
The intelligence that Eangoon was taken caused a great sensation
at Ava, but it was regarded as a mere surprise. The only fear
ADONIRAM JUDSON. 207
expressed was, that the English would run away before they could
be sufficiently chastised. Their continued advance toward the capi-
tal excited a strange fear, and the king began to suspect that there
were spies in the country, by whom his movements were communi-
cated to the enemy. Some English merchants were seized, and cast
into prison, it appearing that they had received early intimation of
the probability of a war. The examination of their papers disclosed
the fact that one of them had paid the missionaries large sums of
money. Ignorant of the principles of exchange, this mode of
receiving remittances from America was regarded as proof that they
were connected with the enemy; the money was of course received
from the British government for services rendered. Mr. Judson and
Dr. Price were arrested, hurried to prison, heavily ironed, and sub-
jected to sufferings and privations which words are inadequate to
describe. Their houses were searched and their property confiscated,
but Mrs. Judson succeeded in concealing a quantity of silver, and
prevailed on the officers to spare her a few articles of furniture.
Month after month passed by, and this heroic woman, without
any earthly protector, exhausted every contrivance and all means
of influence to obtain the release of the prisoners. She appealed to
the officers of government, to the jailer, to the ladies of the court;
valuable presents were extorted and evasive promises made, but all
was of no avail, except to keep alive her hopes and prevent her
from sinking into absolute despair. The only mitigation she could
gain was the temporary removal of her husband from the poisoned
air of a crowded dungeon to a little bamboo apartment in the prison-
yard, where she ministered to his necessities, and alleviated his
sufferings. The prisoners were not supplied with food by their
jailors, and were only saved from starvation by her unremitting care,
Though residing two miles from the jail, she went daily on foot to
learn their wants and devise means to supply them. The future
was all dark. "The acme of my distress," she wrote, "consisted in
the awful uncertainty of our final fate. My prevailing opinion was,
that my husband would suffer violent death ; and that I should of
course become a slave, and languish out a miserable, though short
existence, in the tyrannic hands of some unfeeling monster." All
her faculties were concentrated in the contemplation of their present
and possible misery. " Sometimes, for a moment or two, my thoughts
would glance toward America and my beloved friends there, — but
for nearly a year and a half, so entirely engrossed was every thought
208 ADONIRAM JUDSON.
with present scenes and sufferings, that I seldom reflected on a sin-
gle occurrence of my former life, or recollected that I had a friend
in existence out of Ava."
Worse was to come. The wretched prisoners, at the commence-
ment of the hot season, were loaded with additional fetters, and
thrust into the inner prison. The heat and oppressive atmosphere
of the dungeon were too great for endurance. Mr. Judson was
attacked with fever, and must have looked for death as a welcome
relief from his tortures. His wife, driven near to desparation, forced
her way to the presence of the governor, who had forbidden her
admission. The old man wept at her impassioned remonstrance.
"I knew you would make me feel," said he; "therefore I forbade
your application." He declared that he had been repeatedly ordered
to execute the prisoners secretly, which he had refused to do, but
that he could not mitigate the severity with which they were treated,
and must not be asked to. That she might at all events be near her
husband, and know the worst, she occupied a low bamboo hut in
the governor's enclosure, near the prison-gate, and by incessant
application at last gained an order for his removal there.
This relief was transient. Only three days afterward the prisoners
were ordered from Ava. The governor, anxious to spare Mrs. Jud-
son the dreadful sight, sent for her, and detained her in conversation
till it was past. Mr. Judson was stripped of nearly all his clothing,
and with his fellow-sufferers was driven on foot towards the "death
prison " of Oung-pen-la, four miles from Amarapoora. The sun was
insupportably hot, he was without hat or shoes, and his feet were
blistered by the burning sand till the skin was worn off. Had it
not been for the humanity of the Bengali servant of an English
prisoner, who tore in two his own head-dress to wrap his bleeding
feet, (with the other half doing the like service for his master,) and
then bore him on his shoulders, he must have fallen dead by the way.
This fate actually overtook one of their number, at which the officer
in charge halted for the night. The wretch had a wife, who took
compassion on his victims, and sent them some refreshments. As
farther progress on foot was out of the question, the rest of the
journey was performed in carts.
Mrs. Judson, meanwhile, ignorant of their destination, ran from
street to street to find some trace of them. The governor finally
told her they were removed to Amarapoora. "I can do nothing for
your husband," he said; "take care of yourself." Kegardless of
ADONIRAM JUDS01T. 209
herself, slie obtained a passport, and with her infant child, born in the
midst of these overwhelming sorrows, and a faithful Bengali servant,
pursued her desolate way down the river, and at night-fall found
herself in her husband's presence. Half-dead with the tortures of
their march, the manacled prisoners were huddled together under a
narrow projection of a dilapidated hovel, without a roof or any
other sufficient shelter. Men were busy trying to form a partial
covering of leaves. "Why have you come?" Mr. Judson sadly
asked; "you cannot live here."
"With much difficulty she succeeded in obtaining a shelter, such as
it was, in the dwelling of the jailor. The next morning Mary Hassel-
tine, a Burman girl adopted by Mrs. Judson, was taken with the
small-pox, and required all the attention she could spare from her
husband, who, between his fever and his mangled feet, was for
several days unable to move. She immediately inoculated the infant,
knowing the infection could not be escaped, but the precaution was
ineffectual, and the little one soon had the disease it its unmitigated
form, from which it only recovered after three months' sickness.
Anxiety and toil now prostrated the mother. She had just strength
to go to Ava, and bring their medicine chest, which had been left
behind in her flight, and when she returned to the jailer's hut at
Oung-pen-la, fainted upon her mat, from which she rose not for two
months. In this extremity, unable to give nourishment to her babe,
or to procure a nurse, the jailer was bribed to release Mr. Judson
from close confinement, who daily bore the starving child round the
village, appealing to the charity of such Burman mothers as had
young children, to give it sustenance. Thus they awaited the sen-
tence of death appointed to be executed, they knew not when, upon
all the prisoners.
But their doom was suddenly arrested. The officer, by whose
advice the sentence was passed, had proposed to sacrifice them on
occasion of taking command against the English; before his pur-
pose was carried into effect, he was disgraced, and executed for trea-
son. The English forces were much retarded by the difficulties of
their march and the scarcity of forage, but had annihilated army
after army sent to resist them, and were steadily advancing on the
capital. The king discovered that he was not invincible. Orders
came for the return of the prisoners to Ava, and Mr. Judson was
hurried off to the English camp, as translator and interpreter to au
embassy for peace. The negotiation was a tedious one, and during
14
210 ADOJSTIRAH JUDSON.
the months that its slow length trailed between the English head-
quarters and the capital, Mrs. Judson was brought so low by a vio-
lent fever, peculiar to the country, that her life for the time was
despaired of. Once and again the treaty was broken off through
the revulsion of the king from the humiliating conditions imposed
upon him. But the certainty that the " white foreigners " would soon
be in the "golden city" unless their demands were complied with,
tamed his impotent pride. With a very bad grace he agreed to pay
a large pecuniary indemnity, and to cede Arracan and the Tenasse-
rim provinces to the English, stripping himself of the chief portion
of his sea-coast. He also stipulated that the missionaries might
retire in safety to the British provinces, a step which they were quite
ready to take, after their unimaginable sufferings under his author-
ity. They were solicited, indeed — for the negotiation had taught
the king to value their services — to continue at the court, and
assured that they should become " great men." Dr. Price, con-
fident that his medical character would secure his personal safety,
remained at Ava to carry forward the mission. He gathered a
school, including many young men of rank, and preached regularly
to a small congregation. His prospects seemed bright, but pulmo-
nary consumption cut him down while the fruits of his ministry
were yet immature. His associates gladly turned away from Ava,
the one to pursue his life's task among the Burmans under British
protection, the other to rest in a premature grave from sufferings
that had knit them together by no common ties of sympathy, and
added a new page to the history of female heroism.
The little flock of disciples at Kangoon was scattered, and several
of them were dead. The survivors removed with their teachers, in
the summer of 1826, to Amherst, a new town, near the mouth of
the Salwen, in British Burmah. Here Mr. Judson hoped to devote
himself unreservedly to missionary work. But at the solicitation
of Mr. Crawfurd, commissioner of the British East Indian govern-
ment, he accompanied an embassy to Ava for negotiating a commer-
cial treaty, to procure, if possible, the insertion of a guaranty for
religious freedom in the king's dominions. This, which alone recon-
ciled him to so long an absence from his chosen work, and from a
home that claimed his presence more imperatively than he conceived,
entirely failed, and after several months' detention he returned to
Amherst, — to find his house desolate. Mrs. Judson, very soon
ADONIRAM JUDSON. 211
after his departure, had been seized with a fever that her enfeebled
constitution was ill-fitted to resist, and sunk into the grave after an
illness of eighteen days. The dreadful tidings were conveyed to
him at Ava, — the more insupportable because he was wholly unpre-
pared for them, his last intelligence having assured him of her per-
fect health. From the native Christians who surrounded her death-
bed, and the physician, who did all that skill could do for her
recovery, he heard of the celestial peace that sustained her depart-
ing spirit. His only child soon followed her mother, and he was
left a solitary mourner. His cup of sorrow seemed full. The heart
which had sustained all that barbarian cruelty could inflict, was
well-nigh crushed by this total bereavement.
Though the life of Mrs. Judson was, as it seemed, prematurely
closed, it was long enough to exhibit a character which, in some of
its elements, has no parallel in female biography. Capacities for
exertion and endurance, such as few men have brought to great
enterprises, were united to the most engaging feminine qualities,
fitting her at once to cheer the domestic retirement of her husband,
and to share his most overwhelming trials and dangers. The record
of her deeds and sufferings has moved the hearts of myriads in this
and other lands, and her memory is immortal as the sympathies of
our common humanity.
But the bereaved missionary sank not in inconsolable grief.
Looking to the eternal hills for help, he nerved himself anew to the
fulfilment of his appointed ministry. Mr. and Mrs. Wade had
reached Amherst shortly before the return of Mr. Judson from Ava,
and with them Eev. George D. Boardman and wife, who had arrived
in Bengal during the war. Besides the original population of Brit-
ish Burmah, the provinces were the resort of constant emigration,
and Amherst grew rapidly into a considerable town. But the govern-
ment was soon transferred to Maulmain, on the east bank of the
Salwen, about twenty-five miles from its mouth. The mission fol-
lowed in the course of the year 1827, and has since been permanently
established in that city.
There the work went rapidly forward. Schools were set up, two
or three houses of worship were opened, and during the years 1827
and 1828, between thirty and forty converts were added to the
church. The Tavoy station was commenced by Mr. Boardman,
under whose auspices Christianity began to be communicated to the
Karens, among whom it has since made such progress as to astonish
212 ADONIRAM JUDSON.
the Christian world. Dr.* Judson continued at Maulmain till the
summer of 1830. Besides the ordinary duties of preaching and
teaching, he thoroughly revised the New-Testament, and prepared
twelve smaller works in Burmese. In the spring of 1830, Mr.
Wade visited Kangoon, the success of a native preacher having
made the presence of a missionary desirable. His health did not
admit of a residence in that climate, and Dr. Judson, who had not
ceased to cherish a deep interest in the progress of Christianity in
Burmah Proper, repaired thither in May. He found a prevalent
spirit of inquiry, and resolved to penetrate into the interior. He
accordingly went up the Irrawadi to Prome. His boat at every
landing was visited by persons eager for books. Converts whom
he had lost sight of for years greeted him at one or two places as
he passed, and he heard of the conversion of others whom he had
never seen, but who had derived their knowledge of the truth indi-
rectly from his instructions. For a month or two he had numerous
auditors, a few of whom seemed to have cordially received the word.
Then came a sudden and mysterious reaction. The zayat was nearly
deserted. People seemed afraid to converse with him. This state
of things continuing till autumn, he regarded his work in Prome as
finished for the present, and returned to Rangoon, confident that the
now rejected truth would bear fruit in due season. It appeared that
the king had given orders for his expulsion, but that the governor,
under the influence of some unaccountable awe of him, had not
ventured to execute them.
Al/ Rangoon he gave himself to the translation of the entire
Scriptures. He shut himself into an upper chamber, leaving a
native evangelist to receive inquirers, admitting only the most prom-
ising to his own apartment. In spite of the known displeasure of
the king, nearly half his time was absorbed in these interviews.
The spirit of inquiry deepened and widened through all the sur-
rounding country. During the great festival in honour of Gaudama,
held near the close of the following winter, there were as many as
six thousand applications at his house for tracts. Some came from
the borders of Siam or the far north, saying, "Sir, we have seen a
writing that tells about an eternal Grod. Are you the man that
* The degree of Doctor in Divinity was conferred on Mr. Judson by Brown
University in 1823. He subsequently declined the title, but its application to him
was continued, and during the later years of his life was silently acquiesced in,
though he never retracted his original declination.
ADONIRAM JUDSON. 213
gives away such writings? Pray, give us one, for we want to know the
truth before we die." Or some from the interior, who had barely heard
the name of the Saviour, would say, "Are you Jesus Christ's man?
Give us a writing that tells about Jesus Christ." The press at Maul-
main worked day and night, but could not meet the demands from
all quarters.
In the summer of 1831, in consequence of the infirm state of Mr.
Wade's health, he removed to Maulmain, and Mr. Wade, after a few
months' respite, took his place at Eangoon. At Maulmain Dr. Jud-
son prosecuted the work of translation, but still preached in the
city and the jungles. On the last day of Januar}^, 1834, he com-
pleted the task with which he might have rejoiced to seal up his
earthly mission, — the Bible in the Burmese language. No words
can more fitly describe the emotions of that hour than his own:
" Thanks to God, I can now say, I have attained. I have knelt
down before Him, with the last leaf in my hand, and imploring his
forgiveness for all the sins which have polluted my, labours in this
department, and his aid in removing the errors and imperfections
which necessarily cleave to the work, I have commended it to his
mercy and grace. I have dedicated it to his glory. May he make
his own inspired word, now complete in the Burman tongue, the
grand instrument of filling all Burmah with songs of praise to our
great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen." Few, comparatively,
of the myriads in whose behalf the great work was undertaken,
had a thought of the sublime transaction of that hour, and none but
he to whose supreme glory it was dedicated, could fully apprehend
the ultimate issues of the event. The kneeling missionary alone,
with the last leaf of the translated Bible, humbly and gratefully
offering it before the Divine Majesty, has been suggested as a sub-
iect for the pencil. But he must be an artist elevated to more than
a common measure of celestial sympathy, who shall worthily repre-
sent to our senses a triumph so purely spiritual.
In April of this year Dr. Judson was united in marriage with
Mrs. Boardman; who, after the lamented death of her husband,
had given herself with unyielding devotion to the blessed work in
which he so triumphantly passed away, and through all her mis-
sionary career showed a spirit nearly kindred to that of the "minis-
tering angel" to the prisoners of Ava.
For some years he was engaged in the revision of the Scriptures,
214: ADONIRAM JUDSON.
dividing liis time between this and the superintendence of the native
church at Maulmain. The steady increase of the churches in num-
bers and in knowledge was an ample reward for all his toils, while
the reinforcement of the missions, and their extension into Siam and
Assam, filled him with gladness in the prospect of the future. The
arrival of fourteen missionaries in 1836, accompanied by Eev. Dr.
Malcom, who was commissioned by the Board to visit their stations
in Asia, was an occasion of special joy. The conferences held, the
plans devised, the recollections and hopes awakened at this season,
must have made it memorable to them all. Since the lonely pio-
neer landed in doubt and apprehension at Kangoon, more than
twenty years of labour and suffering had passed over his head.
Not one witness of his earlier struggles, not one sharer of his many
fears and sorrows and of their precious compensations, stood by his
side. But a host, comparatively, had succeeded, to carry forward
by their united strength the work begun in weakness, and not less
than a thousand souls redeemed from the bondage of idolatry
attested the divine presence and benediction.
In 1838 his enfeebled health compelled a change of air, and he
visited Bengal. But the ardour of his spirit drove him back to his
station without any visible change for the better. The Board
invited him to visit the United States, which he gratefully but firmly
declined. The revision of the Scriptures was finished in 1840, and
a second edition was put to press. A recent writer in the Calcutta
Be view, understood to be well qualified to pass judgment in this
matter, hazards "the prediction, that as Luther's Bible is now in the
hands of Protestant Germany, so, three centuries hence, Judson's
Bible will be the Bible of the Christian churches of Burmah." In
the summer of 1841 he found it needful, for the sake of his family
and himself, to make another voyage. They went to Bengal, where
he was compelled to bury his youngest child, proceeded to the Isle
of France, and thence returned to Maulmain, where they arrived,
much invigorated, in December.
The next year saw him engaged in another important undertak-
ing,— the compilation of a complete dictionary of the Burmese
language. He was reluctant to be diverted from his ministerial
labours by any further literary tasks, but yielded to the solicitation
of the Board, and to a conviction of the importance of the work.
His plan contemplated two complete vocabularies — Burmese and
English, and English and Burmese. It was interrupted by the illness
ADONIEAM JUDSON". 215
of Mrs. Judson. A voyage along the Tenasserim coast proved inef-
fectual for her recovery, and in the spring of 1845 her helpless state
appeared to demand a visit to the United States. In announcing
this purpose Dr. Judson warned the Board that he must not be
expected to address public assemblies, as the weakness of his lungs
forbade such exertion, and for a reason which shall be stated in his
own words: "In order to become an acceptable and eloquent
preacher in a foreign language, I deliberately abjured my own.
"When I crossed the river, I burnt my ships. — From long desuetude,.
I can scarcely put three sentences together in the English language."*
Taking with him his family, and two native assistants to carry for-
ward his dictionary during his visit, he embarked for Boston on the
26th of April. On arriving at Mauritius, Mrs. Judson was so far
revived that it was thought she might safely proceed without her
husband. The assistants were sent back, and he was about to follow
them, but the day before her reembarkation she suffered a relapse,
which determined him to go on with her. She grew weaker from
day to day, and it seemed that she must find a grave in the deep,
but her life was spared till they reached St. Helena. With an
unclouded prospect of the heavenly felicity, her soul parted serenely
from earth and all earthly ties. Her mortal remains were commit-
ted to the dust on the first of September, and the twice-widowed
missionary tore himself away, to guide his motherless children to
the land of their fathers.
He arrived at Boston on the 15th of October. A thrill of solemn
and grateful emotion was felt in every part of the land, and found
expression in countless forms. On the evening of the third day after
he landed, a large assembly was gathered, and the venerable Presi-
dent of the Board, Kev. Dr. Sharp, addressed him in appropriate
words of welcome. More touching was the hearty embrace of Kev.
Samuel Nott, jr., from whom he had parted more than thirty years
before ; who had privately and publicly attested his unabated Chris-
tian affection since the change that caused their paths to diverge ;
who heard, in his enforced retirement from missionary service, of the
arrival of his youthful associate and honoured colleague, and had has-
tened to greet him. Pressing through the congregation, he made
himself known. Who can guess what thoughts of the past crowded
their minds and subdued their hearts, at this unlooked-for meeting!
* This was, of course, limited to speech, for through his whole life he wrote his
native language in a style of great purity and force.
216 ADONIRAM JUDSON.
Dr. Judson attended a special meeting of the Baptist General Con-
vention, called together in consequence of the separation of the
Southern churches, — his first interview with a body called into
existence by his instrumentality, — and there received a more formal
and memorable welcome. Though forbidden to speak in public, a
proposition to abandon the Arracan mission drew from his lips a
fervent protest, which, seconded by other missionaries present, deter-
mined the Convention to retain all their stations in the east. By
other public assemblies in the principal cities, he was received in a
manner that told how deeply the story of his labours and sufferings
had imprinted itself on the hearts of the people. Thus attracting to
himself the affectionate sympathy of thousands, and kindling higher
by his presence the flame of missionary zeal, refreshing his spirit by
the amenities of friendship, and recalling the memories of youth by
visiting its most cherished scenes, he continued in the land of his
nativity till the llth of July, 1846, when he once more set his face
toward the field of his struggles and triumphs. He went not alone.
A third gentle spirit gave her affections to soothe and her energies
to sustain his soul, in the years of labour and suffering that awaited
him.* This is not the place or the time to do honour to the
living; — may it be long before the pen shall be summoned to recall
into memory the departed! Several new missionaries accompanied
them, and they arrived safely at Maulmain in December.
A revolution having taken place in Burmah, Dr. Judson removed
to Rangoon, the only city in the king's dominions where foreigners
were permitted to reside. He found it impossible to do anything
efficiently unless he could obtain some countenance at Ava, but
having no means at his disposal to undertake the journey at that
time, he was obliged to resign all hope in that quarter, and go back
to Maulmain, and to his dictionary. Besides his literary tasks, he
assumed the pastoral care of the Burman church, and preached once
on a Sabbath. In these pursuits he continued with his wonted dili-
gence, till disease laid its hand upon him in the autumn of 1849.f
* Dr. Judson was married June 2, 1846, to Miss Emily Chubbuck, of Utica, N, Y.
f The English and Burmese Dictionary was finished, and has been printed. The
Burmese and English Dictionary was considerably advanced, and the manuscripts
have been placed in the hands of one of his younger colleagues, Rev. E. A. Stevens,
for completion.
ADONIRAM JUDSON. 217
A severe cold in the month of September was followed by a fever
that prostrated his strength. A voyage on the coast and sea-bathing
at Amherst failed to restore his wasted energies, and he returned to
Maulmairi in a declining state. His sufferings were extreme, but
his mind was peaceful, and his habitual conversation was filled with
the spirit of heaven. " The love of Christ " was his absorbing theme,
and love to his brethren in Christ dwelt on his lips and breathed in
his constant prayers. Though ready to depart, if so it should please
God, he yet longed to do more for Burmah, — to finish the wearisome
toil of literary investigation, and spare a few years for the more
delightful work of preaching to the heathen. For this his exhausted
nature struggled to the last, and when all hope of recovery at Maul-
main was lost, on the third of April, 1850, he bade farewell to his
anxious companion, whose feeble health forbade her to accompany
him, and with a single attendant set out on a voyage for the Isle of
Bourbon. The passage down the river was slow, and he nearly
sunk under the combined force of disease and the suffocating atmos-
phere. Once upon the sea he revived, and the pilot-boat bore back
a message full of hope. The relief was momentary. For three
days he endured indescribable sufferings, that extorted from his lips
the exclamation, "0 that I could die at once, and go directly to
Paradise, where there is no pain!" To the question whether he felt
the presence of the Saviour, he quickly replied, "0, yes; it is all
right, there! I believe He gives me just so much pain and suffering
as is necessary to fit me to die, — to make me submissive to his will."
For the last day and a half his agonies were dreadful to behold. In
this state he continued till a few minutes before the going out of life.
Then he was calm, and apparently free from pain. His last words
were in remembrance of her from whom he had parted in so much
uncertainty a few days before, and a hurried direction for his burial.
Then, gradually sinking, he "fell asleep" on the afternoon of April
12th, and his mortal remains were committed to the deep, thence to
be raised incorruptible, when the sea shall give up its dead.
Dr. Judson combined in his experience the toils and sufferings of
a missionary pioneer, with the amplest rewards of missionary success.
Often have men, in a spirit of heroic courage and constancy, strug-
gled with the first, and departed without enjoying the last. But he
who under cover of twilight baptized the first Burman convert, lived
to see twenty-six churches gathered, with nearly five thousand com-
218 ADOXIKAM JUDSOX.
municants, the entire Bible in one vernacular, and the New-Testament
in others ; and the missions, by the aid of a regular native ministry,
extending on every side. He was not required to look for the con-
firmation of his faith to promise and prophecy alone, but was per-
mitted to enjoy in his lifetime a fullness of success exceeding his
fondest hopes.
So long and fortunate a career developed and displayed a charac-
ter, whose portraiture would have been incomplete had his term of
service been more brief. Had the tortures of Ava and Oung-pen-la
formed the tragic catastrophe of his life, instead of a discipline for
continued action and final triumph, we should indeed have seen in
him the patient and discriminating scholar, the unselfish philanthro-
pist, the death-defying hero, with energy superior to all obstacles,
constancy unshaken by reverses, fortitude immovable by extremest
cruelty. But how attractively the stern features of his character
were chastened by milder graces, — how much beauty mingled with
his strength, how finely gentleness was interfused with courage, and
humility with firmness, — what depths of sensibility lay beneath
heights of more than stoical endurance, — what soundness of judg-
ment was united with ready impulse and imaginative ardour, — and
how solidly his manly enterprise was founded on the elements of
a child-like piety, and guided by aspirations after holiness that kept
his eye ever on his divine Master and Example, — these might have
remained unknown till the last day should reveal them. Happily
for him and for mankind, it was otherwise ordered. Peace set-
tled upon his pathway, which declined gently to the brink of the
deep that hid him from mortal sight. The furnace of affliction
seemed heated for him seven-fold, but the flame only purified his
sterling nature. Clouds gathered darkly about his prime, but the
sun broke through and transfigured them all, to add splendour to
the descending day. The night brought no darkness for him.
Though beyond our visible horizon,
He is not lost, — he hath not passed away, —
Clouds, earths, may pass, — but stars shine calmly on;
And he who doth the will of God, for aye
Abideth, when the earth and heaven are gone.
GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN.
THOSE who were contemporary with the early history of the Bur-
man Mission, will not forget the interest with which tne churches
engaged in its support, hailed the accession to it of two young men
of Boston, of ardent piety, warm Christian zeal, and great promise
of usefulness, nor the universal sorrow which pervaded those
churches at the intelligence of their untimely death. Wheelock,
sinking in consumption, while on a voyage to Bengal in hope of
receiving some benefit from the change of air, in a paroxysm of
delirium threw himself overboard, and perished. Colman was de-
tached from Eangoon, to establish a station in Chittagong, a British
province adjacent to the Burman empire. "Within a few short
months of his entering upon this enterprise, a fever incident to a
sickly clime, in a moment prostrated all the hopes that hung upon
it. ''Colman is gone," was the mournful echo which pierced many
hearts in America: among whom was a young man of talents and
promise, who had, to human eyes, just entered upon a career of
honourable usefulness, as an officer and instructor in Waterville
College, Maine. He heard the sorrowful tidings of the bereavement
of that cherished mission: he heard the call, "Whom shall we send,
and who will go for us?" — and promptly, and from his heart, he
responded, "Here am /, — send me"
GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN, son of Kev. Sylvanus Boardman, was
born in Livermore, Me., February 8, 1801. His opportunities for
intellectual improvement were limited, until 1810, when his parents
removed to North Yarmouth. In the academy at this place he made
rapid progress in study. As early as at twelve years of age, he had
resolved upon a collegiate education. In 1816, he was placed for
a time in the academy in Farmington, where he distinguished him-
self by his proficiency in every branch of study, and secured for
himself the respect and confidence of his preceptor, which he ever
afterwards retained.
220 GEOKGE DANA BOARDMAN.
"From a child, " says his father, "he professed strong passions, but
not turbulent; was fond of pleasure, but more fond of books. His
health, after the age of three or four years, was generally good, and,
till after his close application to study, he bid fair to be very strong
and athletic; but after the age of about fifteen, he grew tall, spare,
and delicate."
In his sixteenth year he commenced teaching, which he pursued
for several years with much success, in connection with his academic
studies. In May, 1819, he entered the Waterville Seminary, (which
about one }^ear later was incorporated as a College) at which, in
1822, he was graduated, and immediatelyappointed tutor.
When young Boardman entered upon his studies at Waterville,
he was regarded as a youth of promising talents, amiable in his
character, ambitious in his feeling, of high aims and purposes, but
of none looking beyond worldly distinction. In the first year of
his residence there, all his aims received a new direction by his con-
version. The progress of his convictions may be seen in the follow-
ing brief extracts from his journal :
"At this time my attachment to Christians became more ardent.
While I witnessed their devotions, I longed to fall on my knees,
and pour out my heart with them in prayer. Soon after, I became
oppressed with fear lest I should be a hypocrite. * * * Christians
began to speak to me in encouraging terms. But the effect was
only to increase my distress, as I now thought that I had deceived
them. I resolved never to hope until I had reason to hope, and
until I could even say, / know that my Redeemer livetli. I now felt
the keenest distress, for I was, in my own estimation, a hypocrite,
and a most heinous sinner. * * * At length, a person whose piety
I could not doubt, related to me his Christian experience. I traced
the progress of his exercises, and wondered at the apparent simi-
larity of his experience and my own. Still I expected to hear him
speak of some more wonderful manifestations of divine things, of
more deep convictions, and the like. And when he came to the
time when he obtained hope, 'What!' thought I, 'is this a Christian
experience?' I have felt nearly all which he has expressed." — Mr.
Boardman's journal and correspondence after this period, however,
indicate a high degree of religious enjoyment, and a rapid progress
in religious development. Soon after his profession of religion,
(which he made in July, 1820,) he writes in reference to it: — "An
awful sense of my total unworthiness would have restrained my
GEOKGE DANA BOAKDMAN. 221
steps, had not the voice of duty called me to go forward. Encour-
aged by the word of the Saviour in whom I trust, I cheerfully
submitted to the ordinance of baptism. In the afternoon I sat down,
unworthy as I am, at the table of the Lord. I never experienced
such a season before. The love of Christ appeared truly incompre-
hensible. My heart throbbed with joy, while my eyes were suffused
with tears. Since that time, I have, in general, enjoyed a sweet
composure of mind, till yesterday, when the discourse from the pul-
pit became so deeply interesting that I almost fancied myself disem-
bodied from the flesh, and desired to depart and to be with Christ."
Yet we do not always find him in the same ecstatic state of mind.
Clouds sometimes obscured his spiritual prospects, and the sense of
indwelling corruption, which is really an index of the indwelling
spirit, awakened in him acute sorrow of heart.
The germ of that ministerial and missionary activity, which
formed the marked trait of Mr. Boardman's subsequent life, devel-
oped itself at college, immediately upon his conversion. During
his residence at Waterville, his labours for the spiritual good of the
surrounding population were assiduous. The feeling which pos-
sessed him from the day of his conversion was, that he belonged to
Christ, and his earliest and constant prayer was, "Lord, what wilt
thou have me to do?" His great desire was to be personally and
directly useful to the souls of men. His thoughts were early directed
to the work of the ministry, upon which they lingered with much
ardour, as a most excellent and desirable work, while yet he instinct-
ively shrank from it, as one for which he feared he was utterly unfit.
And as he could not withdraw his mind from this sphere of Chris-
tian effort, he allowed himself to contemplate the possibility of his
labouring for the spiritual good of the scattered population of fron-
tier settlements, which he flattered himself he might do, without
being specially recognised as a minister of the gospel. But before
lie had reached the close of his college course, his mind became set-
tled in the conviction that God had called him to preach the gospel,
and to this work he solemnly devoted his life.
From the time that Mr. Boardman decided to become a preacher,
he longed to be a missionary to the heathen. Ever after his conver-
sion, this was a subject of great interest to him. At first, his mind
was directed to the North American Indians. Afterwards he
wavered between a mission to the west and one to the east. And
so decidedly was his heart set upon personal missionary work, that
222 GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN.
when graduated he could barely be persuaded, by the earnest soli-
citations of the friends of the college, to postpone his purpose, and
serve them one year as tutor, though, to induce his acceptance, they
pledged him a professorship, and indeed contemplated, (probably
without intimating it to him,) his ultimate elevation to the presi-
dency of the college. But no prospect of literary preferment,
however honourable to him as a scholar and a Christian, could shake
his earnest desire and purpose of being actively and personally
engaged for the salvation of the heathen. After he had accepted
the tutorship for a year, he remarked, "I now calculate upon a year
of misery;" and he wrote subsequently, "I can think of no station
of ease, or emolument, or honour, with which I could be satisfied.
There is not a situation, either civil or ecclesiastical, in America, which
presents to my mind any temptation. My whole soul is engrossed
with the desire to be preaching to the heathen the unsearchable
riches of Christ."
As has been before intimated, his attention was first directed to
the Burman mission by the sad intelligence of the death of Rev.
James Colman, which reached him soon after he entered upon his
duties as tutor. "I knew," he afterwards wrote, "that Arracan was
a most inviting field for missionary labour, and Colman seemed
exactly suited to occupy the place. But, alas ! he is very suddenly
cut off in the very beginning of his career. Who will go to fill his
place? I'll go! This question and answer occurred to me in suc-
cession, as suddenly as the twinkling of an eye. From that moment
my attention became principally directed to the Burman mission,
from which it has never since been diverted.
After a painful and patient scrutiny of the motives which influ-
enced him in his desires, deliberate consultation with judicious
Christian friends, as well as his own family connections, with much
prayer for divine direction, he came to a fixed conclusion that it was
his duty to become a missionary to the East, and in the spring of
1823 offered himself to the Baptist Board. In his note of it he
remarks, "In my offer I said I was willing to be sent whithersoever
the Board should direct, though for some reasons I had a predilec-
tion for being sent to China, Palestine or Burmah. The Board
accepted my offer, and in a few days gave me an appointment to
Burmah. There may I live, labour, and die!" By the direction
of the Board he left "Waterville in June, 1823, and entered upon
a course of Theological study in Andover Seminary, where he
GEORGE DANA BOAKDMAN. 223
remained till about the time of his ordination, which he received at
North Yarmouth, Me., Feb. 16, 1825.
Soon after Mr. Boardman had decided to become a missionary,
he became acquainted with Miss Sarah B. Hall, of Salem, Mass., a
young lady agreeable in person and manners, of ardent and active
piety, of superior talents and literary taste, and of a good education,
which she had acquired by her own energy and perseverance, against
obstacles which, to an ordinary spirit, would have been insurmount-
able. Kefined, gentle, and affectionate, yet of a strong, energetic
spirit, she seemed to possess every quality desirable in the wife of a
devoted missionary. Her heart was set upon missionary life, before
she knew any thing of him to whom she was afterwards united;
and it is a coincidence worthy of notice, that her first aspirations
were to labour among the North American Indians, and that after-
wards the tidings of Colman's untimely death struck a trembling
chord in her breast ; so that when they met, she was prepared to
enter at once into his views and share his labours. Faithfully and
devotedly, as a wife, a mother, and a spiritual guide to the benighted
of her own sex upon heathen ground, she filled up her day of
patient toil. In scenes of trial — of personal peril, of domestic
affliction, as well as in the more quiet and laborious details of a
missionary's home and a missionary life, she proved herself a noble
and beautiful specimen of a Christian woman; and the rock of
St. Helena will be enshrined in many Christian hearts, as the spot
where rests till the morning of the resurrection, the mortal form
of Boardman's widow, the second Mrs. Judson. A fit hand has
given the world a fit memorial of this most estimable and lamented
missionary.
Mr. Boardman and Miss Hall were married July 4, 1825, and
immediately bidding a last farewell to their friends in New Eng-
land, they set out for Philadelphia, whence, on the 16th of the same
month, they sailed for Calcutta. On the 2d of December following
they landed, after a pleasant, but somewhat protracted voyage.
The war at that time raging between the English and Burmese
governments, had broken up all missionary labour in Burmah.
Messrs. Hough and Wade, with their wives, after a narrow escape
from expected violent death, had retired from Eangoon to Calcutta;
while Mr. and Mrs. Judson were enduring horrors, then unimagined
by their friends, and now scarcely imaginable, at Ava. Under these
circumstances they had no alternative but to remain, for the present,
224 GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN.
in Bengal. They therefore immediately joined Mr. Wade's family
at Chitpore, a village near Calcutta, and subsequently took up their
residence in town.
Here they assiduously devoted themselves, as their first and most
necessary employment, to the attainment of the Burrnan language.
They had the assistance of their associates, who had made some
proficiency in it, as well as the more indispensable aid of a native
teacher. This, however, did not prevent Mr. Boardman's making
himself otherwise useful, so far as was consistent with the pursuit
of his primary object. He and Mr. Wade alternately supplied the
Circular Eoad Chapel during Mr. Wade's stay in Calcutta; and
after his departure at the close of the war, Mr. Boardman, in com-
pliance with a pressing request from that church and the Calcutta
mission generally, and with the concurrence of the other members
of the Burman mission, remained with it several months longer,
until some plan of operations should be so far matured as to require
his presence in Burmah. Their stay in Calcutta of fifteen months
seems to have been pleasant to them, and perhaps not more unprofit-
able, in its bearings upon their future usefulness, than if they had
at once proceeded to Burmah. Mrs. Boardman, in January, 1827,
writes to a friend: " Since I bade adieu to my native land, the events
which have transpired in relation to me, have been one series of
mercies. I am blessed with excellent health, a most affectionate
husband, a lovely daughter, and every thing in my outward cir-
cumstances to make me happy. I can indeed say, my cup runneth
over. But when I think of my spiritual privileges, I am still more
overwhelmed. Among these, the near prospect of being actually
engaged in the glorious cause of missions is not the least." Mr.
Boardman also writes, " We are extremely happy in our new place,
and in each other."
In April, 1827, Mr. Boardman joined the station at Amherst.
They found the mission a scene of sorrow. Mrs. Judson had, a few
months before, sunk into the grave. Mr. Boardman's first work in
Amherst, was to construct a coffin for little Maria Butterworth,
whose first cradle was among the chains of the Ava prison, and lay
her by her mother's side. His own family was afflicted with severe
illness ; Mrs. Boardman having been attacked, within two days after
her arrival, by the disease which made her an invalid for many
years, and which finally, after a long interval of health, brought her
to the grave. Their little daughter, Sarah, was even more a sufferer
GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN. 225
than she. Thus in sorrow, Boardman commenced his missionary
career, and from sorrow he was never for any long period exempt,
during its continuance.
The growing importance of Maulmain, the new seat of govern-
ment, made it also an important point for the establisment of a
missionary station, and Mr. Boardman was selected by his associates
foi; this purpose. In the latter part of May he left Amherst, his
wife being still so feeble as to be obliged to be carried in a litter to
the boat which bore them to their new home. The English gov-
ernor very readily presented him with a lot of land sufficiently
large to accommodate the mission, upon which he erected a small
bamboo cottage, and began the work of preaching to the natives.
The hopes which he had so ardently cherished for years, seemed
now about to be realized. He writes about this time: "Although
our prospects are not so settled as we could wish, yet my dear com-
panion and myself feel more than we have ever felt, that we have
reached the scene of our future labours. After nearly two years
of wanderings without any certain dwelling place, we have become
inhabitants of a little spot which we call our earthly home. Our
happiness increases in our new habitation." Mrs. Boardman writes
a few days later: "We are in excellent health, and as happy as it
is possible for mortals to be. It is our earnest desire to live, and
labour, and die, among this people."
Their happiness was soon after interrupted by one of those start-
ling episodes to which missionary life, in a semi-barbarous or
unsettled country, is sometimes incident. Their house stood about
a mile from the English cantonments, in a beautiful, but lonely spot,
on the bank of the Salwen, directly opposite Martaban, a partially
deserted town in the Burman territory, the resort of nocturnal
marauders and banditti who prowled through the neighbouring vil-
lages, plundering houses, and not unfrequently adding murder to
robbery. The English governor, apprehensive of danger in so
lonely a spot, had kindly offered them a site for a house within the
cantonments. They, however, felt it their duty to decline the oifer,
as such an arrangement would have cut off nearly all their inter-
course with the Burmans. So, by no means unaware of the dan-
gers by which they were surrounded, in hope of more successfully
prosecuting their work, they ventured to live alone, in a house
so frail in its construction that, (to use Mrs. Boardman 's words)
t:it could be cut open any where with a pair of scissors," in the
15
226 GEORGE DANA BOABDMAN.
midst of a desolate wood, and at some distance from even a
Bur man neighbour.
The governor's apprehensions proved but too well-founded.
Within a month of their arrival their house was entered at night,
and plundered of every thing of value which it contained. They
awoke in the morning, and found every trunk, box and drawer,
opened and rifled. So stealthily had the marauders effected their
purpose, that the lone and unprotected family were not even dis-
turbed in their slumber. Such a morning scene, taken as a whole,
was well adapted to awaken the consternation which they felt; but
a single feature in it chilled them with horror, two large cuts through
the muslin which curtained their bed, the one at the head, the other
at the foot of the place where Mr. Boardman slept ! Through these
had murderous eyes peered upon them, watching while the rest of
the party secured the booty ! The quietness of their slumber saved
their lives. After the robbery they were furnished by the governor
with a guard of sepoys for a time, and the rapid settlement of the
vicinity soon rendered their situation comparatively secure.
In the midst of these perilous circumstances, other things of a
different character served greatly to encourage them. The prospects
of the mission were brightening, and the number of visitors who,
from one motive or another, came to inquire concerning the new
religion, increased daily. Mr. Boardman writes in his journal in
August: "I have been employed to-day in declaring to a company
of Burmans and Talings, the unsearchable riches of Christ. They
do not dispute, but inquire. They waited and conversed to-day till
I was completely exhausted, and could say no more. A spirit of
inquiry seems to have been excited to a considerable extent. Many
who have visited us, and heard the word, wish to come again, and
obtain a more perfect knowledge of it." A school for boys, and
another for girls, occupied daily a portion of their attention, in addi-
tion to the regular service of the Sabbath and daily conversation
with visitors.
In October following, it was decided by the members of the mis-
sion to abandon Amherst, and concentrate their force at Maulmain.
The growing importance of this place as the civil and commercial
metropolis of British Burmah, unmistakably marked it as the spot
for the central station ; and from this time it became the radiating
point of all the Christianizing influences connected with the Bur-
man mission. Man}7 of the Christian families accompanied the
GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN. 227
missionaries from Amherst, including the female school of Mrs.
Wade, which having been united to that of Mrs. Boardman, the
combined school was prosecuted with very encouraging success,
under the charge of both these ladies. In connection with Messrs.
Judson and Wade, Mr. Boardman continued to prosecute with
increased pleasure and encouragement, the labours which, as the
pioneer of this important station, he had commenced alone.
It is interesting to observe in his correspondence and journal
about this time, the evidence that God was deepening the work of
grace in his heart, and thus preparing him, not only for the early
death to which he was destined, but also for the important work
which was to occupy the remaining years of his life, as the pioneer
labourer in another station, and in one of the most interesting and
successful missions of modern times. In his journal early in 1828,
he thus writes: — "An important defect in any Christian character
consists in not aiming at sufficiently high attainments in holiness.
I am fully convinced that, as a creature of God, I owe him my all,
every thing I am, or can be, or can do; and when I also consider
that I arn a redeemed creature, my obligations seem increased a thou-
sand fold. And yet I hesitate to live — rather to try to live — as holy
as I possibly can the rest of my days! Why do I not press for-
ward, and join those who have taken the highest ground, who live
so near the throne, and are comparatively so blameless in the sight of
God ? Is there any thing in my outward circumstances to prevent
my being as much devoted to God as Edwards, Brainerd, Pearce or
Baxter? I am constrained to say there is nothing. I ask myself
again, am I not under as solemn obligation as these men, to be holy ?
Am I not under the most solemn obligation to be holy as God is
holy? I surely am. He claims from me all that I can give him;
my heart, and soul, and mind, and might, and strength. But a
great difficulty remains. Who can successfully contend with all his
spiritual foes? Who can of himself live as holy as God requires?
My past experience teaches me that I have not the strength requisite
for the desperate undertaking. I fear to engage. Is there a helper
at hand? One on whose strength I can lean, and be supported?
THERE is, THERE is, / thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. It
is written, 'My grace is sufficient for thee.' 'He giveth power to
the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."'
Under a later date he writes: — "This evening I have had an
impressive sense of the holiness of the Divine Being, the excellence
GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN.
of the Scriptures, and the purity of the Blessed Spirit. I have felt
an unusually sweet sense of supreme love to God, as the holiest
and best of beings; indeed, as the only source of true holiness, the
infinite fountain of excellence and goodness. Every thing else has
appeared in its comparative insignificance. I wanted to be with
God, to be like him, and to praise him for ever. Without God I
could have no home, no heaven, no happiness, no holiness, no rest."
In accordance with instructions received from the Board, perfectly
coinciding with the views of the missionaries themselves, it was
decided by the members of the mission to establish a new station at
Tavoy, the chief city of the province of Tavoy, about one hundred
and fifty miles down the coast from Maulmain. Mr. Boardman,
whose qualities as a pioneer had been put to the test at Maulmain,
was selected to commence the establishment. Several circumstances
combined to render this arrangement in a degree trying to his feel-
ings. He had himself founded, and assiduously laboured to improve
the station at Maulmain. He had patiently met and surmounted
the obstacles attending its establishment. He had encountered the
perils, endured the privations, and suffered the losses incident to its
early history, and with much satisfaction had beheld it rising in
comforts and increasing facilities for the successful prosecution of
missionary work. He had here seen the gospel-seed begin to take
root, and the baptism of three heathen converts, and the reception
of four more as candidates for the same rite, were to him the earnest
of larger success yet to come. Besides, if he removed from Maul-
main, his mind had been, even before he left America, directed to
Arracan, the scene of Colman's untimely death. Still, in the spirit
with which at the first he devoted himself to the missionary work,
lie cheerfully yielded all his personal preferences and cherished
anticipations to the opinion of his brethren in the mission.
Mr. Boardman, with his little family, arrived in Tavoy on the 9th
of April, 1828. He was accompanied by a Siamese youth lately
baptized, four boys from his school, and the first Karen convert, Ko
Thah-by u, then a candidate for baptism. He found Tavoy an ancient
city, surrounded by a brick wall, its streets intersecting each other
at right angles, and containing a population of more than nine
thousand. It presented a general appearance of comfort, and even
of rural beauty, being so thickly set with the mango, the jack, and
the magnificent sacred banyan, as to resemble a grove rather than a
city. But it was, and is, a stronghold of the religion of Gaudama,
GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN. 229
abounding with temples, shrines, and images, scarcely affording a
site for a mission-house, not preoccupied by the emblems of idolatry.
Two hundred priests, inhabiting fifty monasteries, at that time
guarded the shrines of Gaudama from desecration, and kept the pall
of ignorance upon the minds of a vast multitude of deluded vota-
ries. A hundred temples, bedizened with oriental decorations, are
filled with images of Gaudama of different sizes, many of them
wrought from the beautiful alabaster, some of one piece and larger
than life, and others of other materials of colossal size. More than
a thousand pagodas, within the city walls, besides a large number in
all the surrounding country which tip every mountain and hill,
surmounted by their gilded iron umbrellas, from which chimes of
little bells depend, rung by the slightest breeze, arrest at once the
eye and the ear of the devotee, and keep the objects of his super-
stition constantly before his mind. The largest of these structures
is fifty feet in diameter and one hundred and fifty feet high. Around
it are others of smaller dimensions, which, with the central one, are
all gilt from the summit to the base. Within and around its sacred
enclosure is a thickly-set grove of banyan and other sacred trees,
intersected with paved foot-paths, filled with large bells to be rung by
devotees, together with thrones, and other idolatrous emblems, which,
with the branches of the trees, are on worship-days loaded with fes-
toons of flowers, the simple offerings of female worshippers.
Mr. Boardman was kindly received and hospitably entertained by
the English commissioner, and in ten days after his arrival he had
taken a house, and commenced receiving visits from the inhabitants.
Early in July the zayat was completed, in which he prosecuted his
labours with devoted zeal, and in full faith of the ultimate triumph
of the cross even in that idolatrous city. He was at first much
encouraged by the number of visitors who called to inquire about
the new religion, among whom were some priests. He indeed sus-
pected that the complaisance and good-feeling manifested by some
of the yellow cloth with whom he had become acquainted, was only
apparent, and that in heart they were meditating how they might
most efficiently array their influence against him. He soon learned
that his suspicions were well-founded. They used their utmost
influence to keep the people from his instructions, and not without
effect. Nevertheless, many visited him, and some avowed their
adoption of Christianity, of whom two were baptized in the course
of the summer.
230 GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN.
Soon after his arrival he had baptized Ko Thah-byu, who nas
been mentioned as the first Karen convert, and as having accompa-
nied him from Maulmain. This man had formerly been a degraded
slave, and owed his freedom to the charity of the missionaries ; and
such was the power of the gospel upon his own heart, and the una£
fected zeal with which he afterwards proclaimed it to his own people,
that he received the appellation of the Karen apostle. His conver-
sion was the initial step of missionary efforts among the race to
which he belonged, the successful opening of which constitutes the
most distinguishing feature of Mr. Boardman's missionary life. This
remarkable people are quite distinct in race, in language, in habits,
in intellectual culture and in religion, from the Burmans, by whom
they are regarded as an inferior race, and oppressed and enslaved.
These oppressions have driven them into the more remote and inac-
cessible parts of the country, where they lead a thriftless and wan-
dering life. Though when first discovered, they were in a degraded
condition, especially addicted to intemperance, there was apparent
among them a peculiar susceptibility to Christian influences. This
may have arisen in part from the fact that they have no established
priesthood or form of worship, while still they have a notion of the
being of God, and of future rewards and punishments, — and in part
from the influence of traditions and prophetic legends long current
among them, pointing to a future emancipation from their degrada-
tion, connected with the advent of white teachers from beyond sea.
But from whatever cause it may have arisen, the success of the gospel
among them is, in every point of view, remarkable, if not unexam-
pled in any modern mission.
The efforts of Ko Thah-byu brought many of his people, who
resided in the city and its immediate vicinity, under the influence
of Mr. Boardman's instructions. From them the intelligence soon
spread to the mountain jungles, that a white teacher had come from
beyond sea, bringing the knowledge of the true God. Parties of
Karens frequently came in, a distance of several days' journey, to
see and hear for themselves. Mr. Boardman found them far more
tractable, and impressible by religious truth than the Burmans. He
describes in his journal an interesting illustration of this trait in
their character, in the facts relative to their deified book. He had
learned from them that, about twelve years before, a man in the
habit of a religious ascetic had visited one of their villages, informed
them that there was one living and true God, directed them to prac-
GEOKGE DANA BOAKDMAN. 231
tice certain religions ceremonies, and in particular to worship a BOOK
which he left with them. They had from that time held the book
as an object of worship, though utterly ignorant of its contents and
of the language in which it was written. The person to whose
charge it was delivered became a kind of sorcerer, wearing a fantas-
tical dress, and flourishing a wooden cudgel for a wand. At Mr.
Boardman's suggestion, the sorcerer, attended by a numerous train,
visited him, bringing with him the mysterious volume. All were
anxious to know his opinion of it, assured that they should gain
correct information of its contents, and receive proper instruction
as to their duty in respect to it. Upon being unfolded from its
multitudinous envelopes, it proved to be a copy of the '''•Book of
Common Prayer, with the Psalms" of an edition printed at Oxford.
"It is a good book," said Mr. Boardman; "it teaches that there is
a God in heaven, whom alone we should worship. You have been
ignorantly worshipping this book ; that is not good : I will teach
you to worship the God whom it reveals." Every Karen counte-
nance was alternately lighted up with smiles of joy and cast down
with sadness ; the one, that they had learned the book to be really a
good one, and the other that they had erred in worshipping it instead
of the God revealed in it. With their consent, Mr. Boardman retained
it, giving them, in exchange, a copy of the Psalms in Burmese. The
old sorcerer, perceiving that his " occupation was gone, n at once threw
away his jogar robe and his cudgel, and became a hopeful inquirer.
From this time a large share of Mr. Boardman's attention was
directed to the Karens; not, however, to the neglect of the Burmans.
In almost every assembly he met, Burmans and Karens were mingled
together. In his efforts for the Burman population, he attached
special importance to schools. He and his efficient consort had
laboured with much zeal in this department from the beginning of
their missionary life, and with some success. The school for girls,
at the close of a year from its establishment, contained twenty-one
scholars, while that for boys had a larger number, of whom the five
oldest had given good evidence of conversion, and been admitted into
the church. The interest which he felt in this department of mission-
ary effort, is shown in the thoroughly matured plans he formed for
the establishment of schools throughout the city and the neighbour-
ing villages. He unfolded them at length, in a communication to the
Board at home, which exhibits a rare combination of liberal views,
a warm Christian zeal, and a sound judgment.
232 GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN.
At the earnest solicitation of numerous parties of Karens, who
had visited him from considerable distances in the interior, Mr.
Boardman resolved on taking a tour into the jungle, and visiting as-
many of their villages as was practicable. Accordingly, on the 5th
of February, 1829, he set out, accompanied by Ko Thah-byu and
another Karen disciple, two of the largest boys in the school, and
a Malabar man to serve as cook; leaving his wife, who had but just
recovered from an illness of four months' duration, with her two
little ones, (the younger a son six months old) and the boys' board-
ing-school. He was absent ten days, in which time he travelled
more than a hundred miles, and preached seventeen times. His
route lay through a wild, rugged, and romantic country, over hills
and mountains crowned with pagodas, across deep ravines and wild
mountain streams almost impassable, through dark forests, the abode
of various wild beasts, from the chattering monkey to the wily and
fierce tiger ; — a route nearly trackless, which could only be travelled
on foot, and which involved great fatigue and personal exposure.
Two nights they were without shelter, in each instance through a
violent drenching rain; and at best they were happy to find a
Karen hut with a mat for a bed and a bamboo for a pillow, which,
miserable as such accommodations were, the hospitable inmates
cheerfully relinquished for them, giving them the best cheer their
simple modes of life afforded. They first directed their course to
the village of the sorcerer, and a chief who had visited the mission-
house at Tavoy, as a promising inquirer. The villagers, who were
expecting them, gave them a joyful welcome, supplied them with
fowls, fish, and rice, and entertained them with the utmost hospi-
tality within their power.
Here Mr. Boardman found a zayat erected for him, of sufncient
size to contain the entire population of the village, some seventy
souls. In the evening nearly half of them assembled, to whom he
preached some of the simplest truths of the gospel, Ko Thah-byu
interpreting for the benefit of such as did not understand Burman ;
and some, in their eagerness to learn, spent the whole night in the
zayat. The next day, (Sabbath,) he preached three times to a larger
assembly. At the close of the day, five persons requested baptism.
He, however, decided to defer them for the present. On his return
he visited several other villages to which he had been invited by
the inhabitants, who treated him with the greatest respect. In one
of them two persons asked for baptism, but he advised them to
GEOKGE DANA BOARDMAN. 233
wait a while, and learn more of the Christian religion. The cor-
diality with which he was every where received, the unaffected
kindness of the villagers, their simple and hearty hospitality, and
their readiness to listen to Christian instruction, all conspired to ren-
der this first tour into the Karen wilderness one of great interest
and promise.
While his hopes were thus raised in respect to the Karens, he
was much depressed with an apparent want of success in his labours
among the Burmans. Here he had to encounter the haughty indif-
ference of the skeptical and conceited Boodhist, an invincible sacer-
dotal opposition, and bitter revilings. "What was still more trying,
two or three cases of apostacy occurred in the little church. Still,
affectionately desirous of them, with patience and hope, this inde-
fatigable missionary laboured on. Conversing with visitors, super-
intending the school, preaching in the city, itinerating through the
neighbouring villages, he sowed beside all waters. Nor was it
without effect. The little church prospered, and received frequent
accessions to its number, notwithstanding apparent reverses.
During the spring and summer of 1829, Mr. and Mrs. Boardman
were visited with a series of severe personal and domestic afflic-
tions. In the previous winter he had experienced an alarming
hemorrhage from the lungs, from which, however, he soon in a
degree recovered. Still, unequivocal symptoms of the fatal disease
which so early terminated his valuable life, continued to show
themselves. Mrs. Boardman was prostrated with severe illness,
and her constitution had become so much impaired that she was
unable to rally as she had before. Their infant son was also in a
critical state. With the hope that a short respite from their accus-
tomed toil, and sea-air and bathing would prove beneficial, two or
three weeks in May were spent in a trip to Mergui. Its effect
was partially such as they desired.
While illness and exhaustion were preying upon the parents and
the youngest born, they were especially delighted with the apparently
excellent health of the eldest born, a very intelligent and promising
child of two and a half years. "Sarah," wrote the mother, "is as
plump and rosy-cheeked as we could wish. 0, how delighted you
would be to see her, and hear her prattle!" Within the month the
father wrote: — "Our first born, our dear Sarah, after an illness of
more than a fortnight, has left us in tears. Our anxieties about her
are now over ; but, 0 how affection still clings to her, and often sets
234 GEOKGE DANA BOAKDMAN.
her ruddy, beauteous form before our eyes! * * * What a void has
her loss made in our little family and in our aching hearts! It
grieves me to think that I was so sinful as to need such a stroke.
George, our only surviving child, is very ill, and we scarcely hope
for his recovery. Mrs. Boardman's health, as well as my own, is
also feeble. However, all is peace within, and I think I can say,
'Thy will. 0 God, be done.'"
Their anxieties in regard to little George had hardly been relieved
by a partial recovery, when another event occurred, scarcely less
trying to themselves, and more detrimental to the interests of the
mission. On the ninth of August they were aroused from their
slumbers at an early hour, by a furious knocking at their doors and
windows, and frantic outcries from their native friends, that Tavoy
had risen in rebellion. They soon ascertained that large parties of
natives in arms had attacked the powder magazine, (fortunately
without success,) the house of a principal native officer in the town,
and the prison ; — the last with such success as to effect a release of
the prisoners, one hundred in number. The utmost alarm pervaded
the city, which was garrisoned only by a small party of sepoys.
To add to the general terror, Major Burney, the civil and military
commandant, was absent at Maulmain, leaving the entire charge
upon Mrs. Burney, then in a delicate state of health, and a young
physician. The mission family was in great personal danger, their
house being in the range of the fire of the belligerant parties, balls
sometimes passing through the house. As soon as possible they
availed themselves of Mrs. Burney 's invitation to take shelter in the
government-house; where, however, they remained but a short
time, as it was deemed best to evacuate the town, leaving it in pos-
session of the rebels ; for though the handful of disciplined sepoys
had repulsed them at all points, it seemed little short of madness to
think of long defending themselves in the midst of a revolted city.
They retired therefore to a wooden building on the wharf, of only
six rooms, where were crowded together between three and four
hundred persons, of different ages, sexes, grades, and nations, with
arms, ammunition, provisions, and baggage, and, — a circumstance not
specially agreeable in some of its possible connections, — six hun-
dred barrels of gunpowder.
For four wearisome and sleepless days and nights, in such a for-
tress, this devoted party sustained the constant assaults of the
tumultuous hosts of insurgents, raging around them like wild waves
GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN. 235
of the sea. At length, on the morning of the fifth day of the siege,
they beheld the steamer Diana coming up the river. " Our hearts,"
says Mr. Boardman, "bounded in gratitude to God." Colonel Bur-
ney was soon among them. Under the direction of a brave and
experienced officer, the worn-out sepoys were inspired with the ardour
of fresh troops, and the entire aspect of affairs was at once changed.
The first care of the commandant was to place the two European
ladies on board the steamer, in whose cabin they enjoyed the luxury
of quiet rest in conscious security for the first time for five days and
nights. They were taken to Maulmain, whither the steamer was
forthwith dispatched for reinforcements. Colonel Burney, however,
without waiting her return, immediately commenced throwing up
a breastwork ; but finding the firing from the wall a constant annoy-
ance, he resolved to scale the wall and dislodge the guns. He was
so successful in this that he was emboldened to make another attack
upon the town, which resulted in the entire defeat of the insurgents,
and the capture of their leaders, four of whom suffered death by "the
summary process of court-martial, while thirty more, among a much
larger number that crowded the prisons, subsequently shared the
same fate, as the award of a more deliberate trial.
When quiet was restored, Mr. Boardman went into the city, where
he found the ruinous effects of the recent events visible on every
side. The mission-house was cut to pieces, books were torn up and
the fragments scattered about, and the furniture was carried off or
broken up. He spent several days in gathering up the relics and
repairing the house; and then taking such of the scholars as were
desirous of going, joined Mrs. Boardman at Maulmain. But those
five days' confinement in that crowded building, with its suffocating
air, wet, dirty floor, and damp walls, added to the seeds of consump-
tion already sown in his constitution. And Mrs. Boardman, in
addition to the other fatigues and exposures of that trying time,
watched her invalid, little George, night and day, with a care which
reacted upon herself. They, however, in a few weeks returned to
Tavoy, and reestablished themselves at their familiar post of labour.
He was now much encouraged to find an increasing number of
inquirers, and larger congregations than ever attending worship with
an increasing solemnity. The school also immediately became larger
than ever before. A numerous company of Karens from the jungle
came in to present the mission family their congratulations on their
safe return. They had all heard of their critical situation at the
Ol*AW J
236 GEORGE DAXA BOARDMAN.
time of the revolt, and felt much anxiety for their safety. Three
of them came for the purpose of receiving baptism, which, as they
had several months before requested it, and gave good evidence of
conversion, it was not thought necessary longer to postpone; they
were baptized and admitted to the communion, which was observed
with much spiritual preparation and solemnity.
He now entered upon a more systematic course of itinerary labour
among the villages around Tavoy. Accompanied usually by some
native Christian, and two or three boys of the school, he visited three
or four villages a-week, teaching from house to house, and convers-
ing with such as he met by the way or in the fields, spending some-
times four or five days. Sometimes he visited the villages on the
margin of the river by means of a boat, but oftener he could better
accomplish his object by the more laborious method of journeying
on foot. On his return he was frequently cheered by finding a
company of Karens from the jungle, all eager to listen to Christian
instruction, and some desirous of receiving baptism ; of whom some
were admitted, and others, with his characteristic prudence, advised
to wait for a time. And as far as possible to supply the call for
Christian instruction among their distant villages, Ko Thah-byu,
with one or two others, were frequently commissioned by him to
preach the gospel to their countrymen, which they did, with much
acceptance and success.
And thus passed the first two years of his missionary life at
Tavoy. His labours had been much interrupted during this entire
period, by sickness and death in his family, by the native insurrec-
tion, and by the repeated recurrence of hemorrhage of the lungs
and other symptoms of consumption. Notwithstanding, he had
performed a great amount of missionary labour. He had gathered
a native church of twenty members; he had carefully instructed
many more in the principles of Christianity, who gave more or less
evidence of conversion ; he had seen more than one village of Karens
abandoning their heathen practices and observing Christian institu-
tions : and he had sowed much seed, in the city, in the villages, and
through the wild jungle, a limited harvest of which he was yet to
gather, but the greater part remained to be garnered by succeeding
missionaries.
In the winter of 1829-30 Mrs. Boardman was brought low by a
most alarming illness. For weeks her husband suspended all mis-
sionary labour, and watched over her with scarcely a hope of her
GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN. 237
recover}^ After the crisis of her disease, she was removed a few
miles from town to a bungalow by the sea-side, for the benefit of
the sea air, where they remained a few weeks. She was partially
restored, but was still an invalid ; and at the suggestion of the Maul-
main missionaries was removed thither for a time. Mr. Boardman,
who had suffered from an incessant cough ever since the revolt, and
was much enfeebled, joined her early in May. He made arrange-
ments with the Karens that if he should be able to visit Tavoy after
the rains, he would meet them at the great pass of the mountains,
where they proposed to build a zayat, and assemble from all quar-
ters. Still they bade him farewell with much sorrow, and many
fears that they should never see him more.
Enfeebled as he was, he could not rest. While at Maulmain, he
preached on the Sabbath twice in English and once in Burman, and
once again during the week in Burman or English; he attended
catechetical exercises every other evening in the week ; he was every
day occupied in correcting proof for the press, in religious conversa-
tion, or in the necessary oversight of the several interests and labours
of the mission, Messrs. Judson and Wade being then absent from
the station. Mrs. Boardman, in Maulmain as in Tavoy, was con-
stantly employed in teaching in the schools, or in conversing with
inquirers of her sex who visited the mission-house. She gradually
regained her accustomed strength, of which she was soon to stand
in the utmost need. Her youngest born, an infant son of eight
months, was snatched from her embrace by death at Maulmain.
But a darker cloud hung over her. To her tenderest earthly friend
no change could bring any relief. His cough was more hollow, and
increasing in severity, and his thin countenance grew more pale.
Death had marked him as his own.
Still he had no heart to rest. After seven months' residence in
Maulmain, they returned to Tavoy, with their only surviving son,
and their scholars who had accompanied them, and resumed their
accustomed and loved toil. They were also accompanied by several
of the native Christians, among them the ordained native preacher
of Rangoon, Moung Ing, and the devoted and indefatigable Ko
Thah-byu, who, in Mr. Boardman's daily declining health, proved a
valuable aid to him. As soon as the tidings of their return reached
the jungle, many of their former visitors came in with expressions
of joy and loaded with presents. The children came back to the
schools, and every circumstance, apart from the health of the mis-
238 GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN.
sionarj, appeared most encouraging. Of the Karens who first came,
five requested baptism, but were deferred till the arrival of a larger
number, which soon came, — a company of forty, including all the
disciples they had not before seen. Eighteen were accepted and
baptized by Moung Ing, Mr. Boardman being unable to administer
the ordinance. One of the scholars in the boys' school was bap-
tized at the same time, the son of a Mussulman, the chief native
officer of Tavoy. At the close of the day Mr. Boardman adminis-
tered the communion to thirty-seven members, mingling his gratitude
with theirs for the auspicious event which had nearly doubled their
number in a single day.
The following touching description of this scene is from a letter of
Mrs. Boardman: "The first three days were spent in examining can-
didates for baptism, and instructing those who had been previously
baptized. Sometimes Mr. Boardman sat up in a chair, and addressed
them a few moments ; but oftener I sat on his sick couch, and inter-
preted his feeble whispers. He was nearly overcome by the glad-
dening prospect, and frequently wept. But the most touchingly
interesting time was the day before they left us, when nineteen were
baptized. Grief and joy alternately took possession of my breast.
To see so many in this dark heathen land putting on Christ, could
but fill me with joy and gratitude; but when I looked upon my
beloved husband, lying pale upon his couch, and recollected the last
time we had stood by those waters, my heart could but be sad at the
contrast. But in the evening, when we came together to receive
from him the emblems of our Saviour's sufferings, my feelings
changed. A breathless silence pervaded the room, excepting the
sound of his voice, which was so low and feeble that it seemed to
carry the assurance that we should feast no more together till we
met in our Father's kingdom."
It was but too evident that the end of his labours was near. The
anxious Karens, fearing that he might not be able to fulfil the prom-
ise made them before he went to Maulmain, to visit them, if possible,
after the next rains, had built a zayat in the wilderness on the hither
slope of the mountains, and offered to come and carry him out in a
litter. He had just decided to yield to these importunities, when
Mr. and Mrs. Mason arrived at Tavoy as auxiliaries to the mission.
No time was to be lost ; and on the thirty-first of January, the party
set out, Mr. Boardman borne in a cot upon the shoulders of the
Karens, Mrs. Boardman and the newly arrived missionaries accom
GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN. 239
panying. At the end of three days they reached the zayat, which
stood on the margin of a beautiful stream, at the foot of a range of
mountains. It was but a rude open structure, a comfortless place
for a dying man, leaving him exposed to the burning sun by day,
and the cold, damp fogs by night. But his mind was happy, and
he would often say, "If I live to see this one ingathering, I may
well exclaim with happy Simeon, Lord now lettest thou thy servant
depart in peace."
But death was rapidly hastening on. " On "Wednesday," — we
quote from Mrs. Boardman, — "while looking in the glass, he said,
*I have altered greatly; I am sinking into the grave very fast — -just
on the verge !' After a few moments deliberation it was concluded
to defer the baptism of the male applicants, and set out for home
early next morning. Nearly all the female candidates had been
examined, and as it was difficult for them to come to town, it was
thought best that Mr. Mason should baptize them at evening." At
the close of the day, just as the sun was sinking behind the moun-
tains, his cot was placed at the river side, in the midst of the solemn
company that was gathered to witness the first Christian baptism
ever performed in that ancient mountain stream. Thirty-four con-
verts, whose examination had been approved, were baptized by Mr.
Mason ; leaving twenty -six, who were examined and baptized a few
weeks later. Mr. Boardman gazed upon the scene with a joy almost
too great for his feeble frame to endure. After the evening meal,
still reclining upon his couch, he whispered to the disciples, who
were gathered around him, a few words of parting counsel, and
bade them a last farewell. Early the next morning they left for
home, proceeding with as much expedition as possible, hoping that
he might survive the journey, and die under his own roof. But the
hope was disappointed. On the following day, a little past noon,
he closed his eyes upon earth, and departed to his everlasting rest.
The death of Boardman deserves to be ranked among the few
instances of exalted heroism in the last moments of life, recorded in
the annals of mankind. Wolfe upon the heights of Abraham, the
elder Pitt in the parliament-house, the younger Adams in the capi-
tol, have often been cited as examples in their death of true moral
sublimity. But while we may well gaze with admiration upon these
death-scenes, the death of Boardman in the jungle is adapted to
awaken an admiration as much higher, as the purpose for which he
lived and died is nobler and purer than that of the warrior, or even
240 GEOKGE DANA BOARDMAN.
the statesman. As an instance of sublime devotion to an all-absorb-
ing purpose, this is not inferior to those ; while as to the purpose
itself, nothing can exceed it in elevation and in purity. Said Dr.
Judson, "He fell gloriously in the arms of victory, — thirty-eight
wild Karens having been brought into the camp of King Jesus, in
little more than a month, besides the thirty-two who were brought
in during the two preceding years. Disabled by wounds, he was
obliged through the whole of his last expedition to be carried on a
litter ; but his presence was a host, and the Holy Spirit accompanied
his dying whispers with almighty influence. Such a death, next to
that of martyrdom, must be glorious in the eyes of Heaven. Well
may we rest assured that a triumphal crown awaits him in the great
day, and 'Well done, good and faithful Boardman, enter thou into
the joy of thy Lord.'"
The career of Boardman was a brief one. He died at the early
age of thirty. But it was preeminently an active one. From the
day of his conversion to the close of his life, activity for Christ, and
for souls, was the distinguishing trait of his character. Work, toil,
constant and unremitted, bore him on, on, not merely to the verge
of the grave — for there he seemed to be, months before his labours
closed — but full up to the very barrier of time, the threshold of
eternity. Ever an invalid, he gave himself no time to be sick — no
time to die ; though he was always ready to obey the summons,
when it should come.
And yet he was patient, quiet, modest, humble, and self-distrust-
ful. He had none of the spirit of him who said to Jonadab the son
of Eechab, Come see my zeal for the Lord. Singularly spiritual in
his constitution, he possessed a refined and highly sensitive nature.
His personal and domestic afflictions were sore trials to his spirit.
He felt keenly every discouraging circumstance connected with his
missionary work, and severely chid himself, lest he were, in some
way unconscious to himself, the cause of them ; though few mission-
aries or ministers any where, were ever more successful than he was,
for the short period of his missionary life.
What intellectual greatness he might have achieved in a different
sphere, had time and opportunity been given him, we know not.
Those who knew him best in his youth, felt that he had within him
intellectual and moral elements that would have borne him to a high
and honourable distinction in his own land, had he directed his
energies to the attainment of such an end. They had indeed already
GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN.
241
marked out such a career for him, and pressed him to enter upon it
before they knew whither the warm desires of his soul were urging
him. But the great Master had determined a different course for
him, and to Him he had given himself. Faithfully he fulfilled that
course, and finished it with joy. He has left behind him a name
fragrant as ointment poured out; a rich legacy to the youthful
Christian, a bright example of consecration to the honour of Christ
and the salvation of men.
16
ROBERT MORRISON.
EGBERT MORRISON, the first Protestant missionary to China, was
born at Morpeth, in the county of Northumberland, England, Jan-
uary 5, 1782. His parents removed in 1785 to Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
where his early life was spent. His father was a last and boot-tree
maker, of an honourable Christian character, for many years an elder
of a Scotch church in Newcastle, and brought up his family with great
strictness and fidelity. Robert received his early elementary instruc-
tion from a maternal uncle, a schoolmaster at Newcastle, and though
his progress was not rapid, he showed an unusual delight in study.
He was remarkable for the retentiveness of his memory, in proof
of which it is related, that in his thirteenth year he repeated one
evening the whole of the one hundred and nineteenth psalm in the
Scotch version. At an early age he was set to learning his father's
occupation, in which he showed commendable diligence.
His religious advantages were unusually good. Besides the careful
training, and pure example of his parents, he enjoyed the instructions
of a faithful minister, Rev. John Hutton, to whose catechetical
exercises he afterwards recurred with lively and grateful interest.
But his youthful conduct was marked by some irregularities. He
became, as he says, "somewhat loose and profane/7 and was once
intoxicated; though the affectionate obedience he ever yielded to
his parents, and his perfect ingenuousness of character, proved that
their care of his moral development had not been in vain. Indeed,
it was the revulsion of his own mind at the consciousness of wrong
doing, more than anything else, that led him at the age of sixteen
to repentance. The instructions of his childhood thronged into
memory and pierced his conscience, and he was led directly to a
change of life, which corroborated to others the testimony of his own
consciousness, that he had met with a radical change of heart. This
was accompanied by no very striking circumstances without or
within. He had an intelligent perception of "the truth as it is in
Jesus," and gave it a cordial reception. He became a member of the
2-14 EGBERT MORRISON.
church under Mr. Hutton's charge, and honoured his profession by
an humble, self-denying and active piety.
It has been often remarked that religion, at the same time that it
quickens and purifies the affections, has a direct tendency to expand
the mind. No man can become a true Christian without much
thought and self-knowledge, while the high themes it offers to con-
templation task the intellect and give it strength. So it was with
Morrison. The acquisition of useful knowledge became a leading
object. His means of gratifying this desire were scanty, but he
made the most of them. He studied early and late, and to facilitate
his investigations and economize time, he immediately learned a
system of short-hand writing. Arithmetic, astronomy, botany, and
the evidences of Christianity, are enumerated as successively engaging
his attention. Biography and ecclesiastical history also interested
him, but devotional works chiefly engaged his mind, and above all
the Bible, which he studied daily and nightly. His physical consti-
tution was not strong ; he complained of frequent head-aches, which
indeed affected him through life , and his manual labour occupied
him from twelve to fourteen hours a-day: but his eager spirit was
not to be diverted from the delights of knowledge by the self-
denial it cost. At the same time he was much in Christian society,
and found leisure to do good, by visiting the poor and instructing
the ignorant.
At first he does not seem to have conceived the design of
changing his pursuit in life, but in the summer of 1801, he began
the study of Latin with the view to prepare for the Christian min-
istry, and, as was afterwards disclosed, with a partiality for a
missionary life. But of this last, his prospects were naturally indefi-
nite. The expense of his tuition was saved out of his earnings,
and he was obliged to redeem time from sleep to carry on his
studies. He made rapid proficiency, for, when . eighteen months
after he was entered at Hoxton Academy, he had mastered the
rudiments of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. His preceptor, Eev. W.
Laidler, appreciated his character, and encouraged his desire of the
ministry, a desire which was not entertained without the most serious
scrutiny into his motives and fitness for the work, as his journals
abundantly testify. An intimation of his desire for the missionary
work startled his mother, who, though a woman of unquestionable
piety, shrunk from parting with her favourite son, while her grow-
ing infirmities made a strong appeal to his filial piety. He promised
KOBEKT MOKKISON. 245
tliat lie would not leave the country during her life. This pledge,
however, was unexpectedly terminated by her death, in 1802.
He commenced his studies at Hoxton Academy, since known as
Highbury College, near London, in January, 1803. He was scarcely
settled there when he received a pressing invitation to return
home, on account of the feeble state of his father's health, which
made it impossible for him to give adequate attention to his busi-
ness. But his purpose was fixed, and he affectionately, but firmly,
declined. His friends were at first dissatisfied with what they
deemed his neglect of them, but ultimately acknowledged that his
course was clear and his decision right. His affections were warm,
and during his academic course he continually evinced by his cor-
respondence, an ardent interest in the welfare of his friends, particu-
larly in their spiritual prosperity.
His course at Hoxton showed, not, indeed, remarkable talents,
but great powers of application and an unusual degree of perse-
verance. Always diligent and striving to excel in his studies, he
was at the same time unremitting in his religious duties, ever mind-
ful of his sacred calling, and cultivating those affections, without
the exercise of which, the work of the ministry becomes a task
rather than a delight. He was a member of the church under the
charge of Dr. "Waugh, under whose ministry he sat when not other-
wise engaged, but he preached frequently in the neighbouring
villages for the Itinerant Society. His preference for missionary
service increased, and at length ripened into a decision. His father
and friends gave their assent with much reluctance. The tutors
and treasurer of the academy did not make positive objections, but
represented to him the difficulties of the foreign service, and the
opportunities of extensive usefulness at home, and advised him to
act with care and deliberation. Among other inducements to
remain, he was offered the advantages of a course in one of the
Scottish universities. But on deliberation he felt it to be his duty
to go abroad, and in May, 1804, he offered himself to the Directors
of the London Missionary Society as a candidate for their service.
The missionary committee examined him. and were so well satisfied
that a second examination, contrary to custom, was dispensed with.
He was accepted by the Directors, and sent immediately to the mis-
sionary academy at Grosport, under the care of Kev. Dr. Bogue,
where he prosecuted his studies till August, 1805.
Mr. Morrison's temper had little apparent enthusiasm. He was
246 EGBERT MORRISON.
•
calm and resolute, but underneath all there lay a deep earnestness.
While at Gosport he meditated his enterprise, and laid himself out
for hard labour. Mungo Park's project for penetrating the interior
of Africa, and making an English settlement at Timbuctoo, sug-
gested to his mind the thought of accompanying him. But he fixed
his eye more steadily on China. He used to express the desire
"that God would station him in that part of the missionary field
where the difficulties were the greatest." He had his desire. The
Directors of the Missionary Society decided to send him to China.
Efforts were made to obtain one or two suitable colleagues, but
without success.
The attitude of seclusion maintained by the Chinese empire made
it impracticable to think of preaching to the people in the custom-
ary manner. The directors contemplated only a preparatory work,
the acquisition of the language and the translation of the Scriptures,
leaving further operations to the developments of Providence. For
this work Mr. Morrison was fitted by his power of steady and unre-
mitting industry, and he set about his preparation.
On leaving Gosport, he resided in London for the purpose of
studying astronomy and medicine. He also pursued the study of
the Chinese language by the aid of Yong-Sam-Tak, a native of
some education residing in England; and transcribed a Chinese and
Latin dictionary, and a Chinese manuscript containing a Harmony of
the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and all the Pauline Epistles
except that to the Hebrews. These works were in the British
Museum, and their authors were unknown. He found them valu-
able in his subsequent labours, but his study of the language proved
of little practical utility. He found and embraced many opportuni-
ties for preaching and doing good in other ways during his residence
in the metropolis, which continued to the close of the year 1806.
After visiting Newcastle, and taking leave of his friends, he made
immediate arrangements for his departure. He had, some years
before, made a matrimonial engagement, but the lady declined
accompanying him to foreign lands, and he set out alone.
It was the intention of the directors that he should sail for
Madras, and thence to Canton, to ascertain whether a residence
there was practicable, but the hostility of the East India Company
to all missionary enterprises defeated the plan, and he accordingly
took passage for New- York on the 31st of January, having received
ordination on the 8th. Two missionaries for Hindostan accompanied
ROBERT MORRISON. 247
liim across the Atlantic, whence their ways pa/ted. He wrote solemn
and affecting letters of farewell to his friends and relatives. To his
father he wrote: "Your last letter, dear father, comforted me much.
I hope that the Lord Christ will own me as his servant, and that
you will have cause to rejoice in his work prospering in my hands.
I am persuaded that you will not cease to pray for me. Be com-
forted in the humble hope that I am serving Jesus, and never think
it hard if I fare as he did. l The disciple is not above his master, nor
the servant above his lord. It is enough that they be as their master.' "
After leaving Grravesend, the vessel was detained several days in
the Downs, waiting a favourable wind, and did not get under way
till the 26th of February. During the interval, she rode out a
severe gale which placed the passengers in imminent peril. Con-
trary winds retarded their passage after they made the Banks of
Newfoundland, so that they only reached New- York on the 20th of
April, after being at sea an hundred and nine days. Mr. Morrison
remained in this country till the 12th of May, enjoying the society of
Christian friends for whom he expressed the most grateful regard.
He obtained passage in a vessel for Canton, and was furnished with a
letter from Mr. Madison, then Secretary of State, to the American
consul at Canton, to favour his design as far as possible, without
compromising the interests of the United States. The ship-owner,
in whose vessel he embarked, after settling for his passage, turned
from his desk, and said, with a sarcastic expression; "And so, Mr.
Morrison, you really expect that you will make an impression on
the idolatry of the great Chinese empire?" "No, sir," he replied,
with characteristic firmness, "I expect GOD will."
A voyage of an hundred and thirteen days brought him into
Macao Roads, and on the 7th of September he arrived in Canton.
The chance of his remaining there was dubious, and still more
doubtful was it whether he would be able to prosecute his work.
The East India Company were not likely to shelter him, and he
was told that Chinese were forbidden, under penalty of death, to
teach their language to foreigners. He therefore obtained apart-
ments in the American factory,* and after some difficulty engaged
the services of Abel Yun, a Chinese Roman Catholic from Pekin,
as a teacher. Thus provided, he sat down on the threshold of that
vast empire, single-handed, not so much to wield, as to prepare for
* A word nearly equivalent to a counting-house, but including the dwelling of
the merchant.
24:8 EGBERT MORRISON.
others, "the sword of the Spirit," with which to overcome the ancient
and mighty idolatry that enslaves nearly half the human family.
It would be difficult to discover a more interesting, and at the
same time more difficult, missionary field than China,' — the oldest
and most populous civilized empire in the world. Its annals extend
back of all authentic profane history, carrying the mind upward to
the patriarchal age, before the exodus from Egypt — a time when
Eome was not, when dubious legends alone tell of ancient Greece,
when "great Babylon" must have been in the infancy of its splen-
dours. From the heights of such a dim antiquity, successive dynas-
ties have kept the unity of the Chinese empire unbroken to the
present day. The mariner's compass, long before its use had been
revealed to Europe, and made the discovery of the western continent
possible, guided the Chinese junk, and a rude semblance of the
printing art perpetuated the maxims of Confucius when as yet the
Bible existed only in manuscript. While the military and feudal
spirit of western nations kept social arts in a depressed state, internal
improvements, rude and unscientific, and of course demanding pro-
portionally greater labour and enterprise, had been made, — grand
canals,* mountain highways rivalling Napoleon's Alpine roads, and
the great wall, " the only artificial structure that would arrest atten-
tion in a hasty survey of the globe."
These facts, together with the exclusiveness that so long denied
to foreigners all the usual intercourse of nations, are stimulating to
the curiosity ; but the circumstance that a population of nearly four
hundred millions, having so many titles to admiration, are literally
without God, and thronging into eternity in that state of darkness,
is fitted to strike a deeper chord of sympathy in the Christian heart.
Unlike most nations, including those professedly Christian, there
is no established religion binding upon the people, and it is not easy
to define their religious belief. What is termed the state religion,
is a mere pageant. It has no doctrines, offers no promises, and pre-
scribes no duties, except a certain ceremonious homage periodically
paid by the emperor and his officers of state to heaven and earth,
the sun and moon, and the elements of nature, spirits of deceased
emperors, gods of land and grain, mountains, rivers, seas, the north
* The greatest of these, called the "Transit River," six hundred and fifty miles in
length, was completed in the fourteenth century, and with the rivers it connects, fur-
nishes a medium of continuous navigation from Pekin to Canton.
ROBERT MORRISON. 249
pole, and many other things. The emperor is himself an object of
religious homage.
The teachings of Confucius are not a religion. He was merely a
moral philosopher, and his writings consist of moral, economical and
prudential maxims. He has nothing definite to say of gods or
superior powers, or of the future destiny of the soul. The learned
men of the empire treat him and his works with extraordinary ven-
eration, and worship his tablet. But as departed spirits in every
household are objects of adoration in like manner, these ceremonies
cannot be said to imply divine honours, and the great mass of the
people have little to do with them. Office-holders and office-seekers,
the literary classes and "leading men " are their chief patrons. The
study of the classical writings is more general.
Another class, of great pretensions, but small in number and
influence, are the Rationalists, whose writings deify Reason as the
source of all things, and prescribe retirement and contemplation as
the means of obtaining happiness and wisdom. But the votaries of
Reason have degenerated from these heights of abstraction to the
pursuit of astrology, necromancy, and quackery. The only priest-
hood of much authority with the people is that of Boodh, and
Boodhism is regarded as the dominant faith among the great body
of Chinese. In general, however, and using the word with propri-
ety, they have no religion. They have no conception of a supreme
Deity, and no distinct ideas of the life after death. But unable to
nullify the constitution of human nature, they fear while they do not
know, and are ready to propitiate by sacrifices any superior power.
Their dark imaginations conceive an infinite number of spirits in the
earth, the air and the waters, gods of the mountains and valleys, of the
house and the way-side, of the day and night, of knowledge, indus-
try and art. Especially do they revere the spirits of deceased ances-
tors. Every grave is an altar, and daily household prayer goes up
to invoke the favour of departed parents and remoter kindred. This
custom, so hallowed by affection, like the invocation of saints and
intercession for the dead in the Romish church, perverts the deepest
sympathies of nature to the support of a soul-destroying idolatry.
The state worship of nature, the writings of philosophers, the
abstractions of the rationalists, the gross atheism of the Boodhists,
together conspire to banish the knowledge of God, while all that is
refining and elevating in fallen humanity is enlisted to sanctify the
worship of the creature.
250 EGBERT MORRISON.
The Chinese do not adore deified sensuality or cruelty. Human
sacrifices, bloody tortures, polluting rites, that have done so much
to degrade heathen nations in ancient and modern times, have no
place in their system. Like all pagans they are vicious, but they do
not justify, much less reward and honour, vice. Not having the
law, they are a law unto themselves, by which they are condemned.
Compared with other heathen, they are worthy of much admiration,
but all their power and progress only give new emphasis to the
exclamation of the sage poet :
" * * Unless above himself he can
Erect himself, how poor a thing is man!"
In view of the uncertainty that rested on his prospects, arising
from the hostility of both English and Chinese at Canton, and of
the Portuguese at Macao, Mr. Morrison advised against sending any
more missionaries. He lived retired, and passed as an American.
Quiet movements appeared to be the only practicable ones. But
he recommended an exploration of Malacca and Penang, with refer-
ence to the Chinese settled there, and also to the Malays. Toward
the close of 1807 he found that the American gentlemen who pro-
tected him were a little uneasy at his identification with them. To
remove difficulty from this source, and at the same time increase
his familiarity with the language and people, he boarded himself,
assumed the native costume, dined with his teacher, and associated
almost exclusively with the Chinese. But he found that this course
was prejudicial to his health, without increasing his usefulness or
aiding his object, and subsequently abandoned it. However mis-
taken his policy might have been, it was a mistake on the side of
self-denial, and showed his readiness to become all things and
endure all things, if so he might advance the important interests
committed to his charge.
As he made progress in his studies, the English residents at Can-
ton began to show more sympathy and respect for him, and by
procuring books and in other ways, endeavoured to aid him. His
absorption in study made it impossible for him to attempt preach-
ing or any other direct missionary work, but he taught his servants
to observe the Lord's day, and then instructed them, so far as his
knowledge of the language permitted, and as he could gain their
attention in the truths of Christianity. But close application to
study, extreme economy which he practised to save to the society,
ROBERT MORRISON. 251
as much as possible, the great expense of living at Canton, and
anxiety with respect to the chances of his being permitted to remain
there, preyed upon his health, and in a great degree unfitted him
for labour. By medical advice he removed to Macao in the sum-
mer of 1808, where he remained three months. His health was
much improved, and he returned to Canton, but the English were
all ordered from that city, and he again took refuge at Macao. The
trouble originated in the sending of a squadron by order of the
East India Company, to defend Macao against an expected attack
of the French. Macao is held by the Portuguese, not as an inde-
pendent possession, but at the will of the Chinese government.
This fact was either not known or not duly considered by the gov-
ernor-general in sending the expedition ; the Chinese resented the
imputation, that they could not defend their territories against the
French, and all commerce with the English was suspended till the
troops were withdrawn.
At Macao, he plodded on in his studies with unyielding industry
and the most watchful circumspection. That he might perfect him-
self in the language, he used it as much as possible, so that even his
secret prayers were uttered in broken Chinese. Under the Portu-
guese dominion, he had to guard against the hostility not only of
the Chinese, but of bigoted Romanists, For this reason, he ven-
tured out of doors as little as possible. The first time he walked
in the fields near the town, was on a moonlight night, escorted by
two Chinese. This mode of living injured his health, so that at
last he could hardly muster strength to walk his room with com-
fort. Under all these disadvantages, aggravated by his loneliness,
he yet made encouraging progress. At the close of 1808, he had
prepared a Chinese grammar, had commenced a dictionary, and pre-
pared a part of the New-Testament for the press.
In the beginning of 1809, he formed the acquaintance of Dr.
Morton, a gentleman from Ireland, who, with his family, resided at
Macao. Their society was a great relief to his mind, and was con-
nected with an important change in his life. He found the son of
Dr. M. much interested in the subject of religion, and with Miss
Morton, the eldest daughter, he contracted an intimacy that led to
their marriage, a union the more endearing because she was his
spiritual child. The difficulty of residing at Macao was so great,
that he was contemplating a removal to Penang, when he was
appointed by the factory of the East India Company their Chinese
252 ROBERT MORRISON.
translator, at a salary of five hundred pounds per annum, a nigh
compliment to his attainments, and a security against Disturbance
in his work from any quarter. At the same time, it removed from
his mind the harassing anxiety which the expense of his mission to
the society had hitherto occasioned. By this event, the permanence
of his labours and of his usefulness became secure, and the remain-
der of his life was rendered comparatively easy. There still
remained, indeed, the disheartening toil of acquiring such a lan-
guage as the Chinese, a "never-ending, still-beginning" task; a
language most ingeniously combining an almost hopeless complex-
ity, with the utmost barrenness, requiring years to master its use,
and furnishing but a sorry medium for the communication of spirit-
ual truths when mastered. And there was the yet more hopeless
effort (to the eye of man) to supplant the hostility of idolaters,
aggravated by their supercilious contempt and narrow hatred of ail
foreigners. But what he could not do by himself, he believed,
as he told the skeptical merchant of New-York, that God would
do for him.
Besides instruction in the language, his assistants undertook to
read with him the four books of Kung-fu-tsze, or Confucius, of
whom he expresses the following judgment: "He appears to have
been an able and upright man; rejected, for the most part, the
superstitions of the times, but had nothing that could be called
religion to supply their place. On the relative duties between man
and man, he found himself able to decide ; and on these, his dis-
ciples say, he dwelt: respecting the gods, he was unable to judge,
and thought it insulting to them to agitate the question, and there-
fore declined it. All his disciples now affect to despise the two
religious sects of Foh (the Boodhists), and Tau (the nationalists), yet
feeling the defect of the cold system' of Kung-fu-tsze, they generally
practise the rites prescribed by one or both of these sects." These
studies were prosecuted with great secresy. The Chinese govern-
ment are watchful to prevent foreigners from possessing their
books, and whenever visited by the viceroy or any of his officials,
the precious volumes were required to be hidden. The lack of
Christian friends, after the departure of his parents-in-law, con-
curred with other causes to make his situation lonely. Mrs. Morri-
son spoke Portuguese, but the Roman Catholics of Macao shunned
them. The clergy dissuaded the natives under their influence
from visiting the "heretical missionary." One of them replied to
ROBERT MORRISON. 253
such a caution, that "he saw nothing bad about the missionary; the
only remarkable thing about him, was his strictness in keeping the
die dominica,"" — the Lord's day. Even the English residents did
not find in the elevated piety of Mr. Morrison, much to attract
them, and he mingled little in their society.
The office he held had its advantages, but was also the source of
many trials. It interrupted his labours, and broke in upon his
domestic life, when to leave his home was doubly hard. His wife
was afflicted in the year 1810 with a disease that was pronounced
incurable, but she gradually recovered a measure of health. Their
first-born son was laid in the grave during the same period. During
this year, he became satisfied that the version of the Acts of the Apos-
tles, which he had transcribed in London, was sufficiently accurate to
justify its publication, with a few amendments. This he effected, and
an edition of one thousand copies was printed. In the course of the
next year, he prepared a version of Luke, and a tract, entitled,
"The Divine Doctrine of the Kedemption of the World." His
Chinese Grammar was forwarded to Bengal, to be printed at the
expense of the East India Company, but for some reason it remained
in manuscript three years. A catechism was also compiled, and he
continued his preaching on Sundays to the natives in his own house-
hold, who listened "with decency and seriousness." Amid his toils
and hardships, he looked to his friends in England with earnest
sympathy, but without envy or repining. "From our solitary
exile," he writes, "we look on our native country, and rejoice to
hear of all the busy and useful labours of happy Christians there.
We would not envy you, but rejoice in your joy. We long for
some of your happy society. But whilst I express these wishes of
my heart, I do not repine against the disposals of our Lord. No,
I bless his holy name, that he has called me to the field of labour
in which I am placed. My only source of regret is, that I , cannot,
or rather that I do not, serve him better."
The Chinese government, excited, probably, by some movements
of the Jesuits, — for of Mr. Morrison's proceedings they could have
had no knowledge, — issued an edict in 1812, denouncing death on
propagators of Christianity, and banishment or imprisonment on
such as should embrace it. In communicating this to the Mission-
ary Society, Mr. Morrison remarked: "You will see, that to print
books on the Christian religion in Chinese, is rendered a capital crime.
I must, however, go forward, trusting in the Lord. We will scrupu-
254 ROBERT MORRISON.
lously obey governments, as far as their decrees do not oppose what
is required by the Almighty : I will be careful not to invite the notice
of government." The directors encouraged this determination, and
further to strengthen him, appointed Rev. W. Milne, as a colleague
in the mission. The threats of the government did not prevent the
occasional distribution of Scriptures and tracts, which were read
with avidity, and in one instance he learned that a very vicious
man, who had formerly professed the Roman Catholic faith, wholly
reformed his life, from the casual perusal of a tract which he had
picked up ; and his little domestic congregation, eleven in number,
gained so much knowledge of the truth, as to become perceptibly
ashamed of idol- worship. By degrees, two of them began to mani-
fest a deeper interest in the truth and in the family- worship, and in
November, one of them, named A. Fo, professed his belief in Christ,
and desired baptism, but in private. Though Mr. Morrison did not
clearly see it to be his duty to comply with the request, yet the cir-
cumstance was a most grateful encouragement to his feelings.
Mr. and Mrs. Milne arrived at Macao on the 4th of July, 1813,
and their presence was to the lonely missionary family a source of
great present and anticipated happiness, but it was soon dissipated.
The Portuguese authorities were under the absolute dictation of
the Romish bishop and clergy ; these had already taken umbrage at
Mr. Morrison's proceedings, but his position in the employ of the
East India Company made it impossible to meddle with him. No
such defence existed for Mr. Milne, and he was ordered to leave
Macao in eighteen days. Mr. Morrison thought that the agents of
the Company treated him unkindly in declining to put forth their
influence to allow him an associate, but in truth they had barely
tolerated his missionary efforts, which they deemed hardly consist-
ent with the duties of his appointment, and were at no pains to aid
or countenance them. Mr. Milne removed to Canton, where he could
communicate with his colleague occasionally, and pursued the study
of the language.
Mr. Morrison completed the translation of the New-Testament
in September. During the autumn he was depressed in spirit at
the seal which was put on the free proclamation of the truth. "It
is my heart's wish," he wrote, "to go away to a more comfortable
residence, where freedom may be given to communicate fully and
publicly 'the good tidings.7 I have a strong impression on my
mind that Java would be a better place than this for our mission. ''
ROBERT MORRISON. 255
The more active hostility of the government, in the following year,
led to the further consideration and the partial adoption of this
policy. The hong merchants disclosed his name to the government,
with the fact that he had acquired the language, and that all the
official commnications of the English were prepared by him. The
arrest of his assistants was ordered, and he was obliged to send
them away. The printing of the New-Testament was carried for-
ward with the utmost secresy, and he spent four months at Canton,
instructing Mr. Milne in the language, at the expiration of which an
exploration of the Chinese Archipelago was decided on, that ulti-
mately resulted in founding the mission at Malacca. Mr. Milne was
dispatched on this errand with a quantity of books for distribution,
and having accomplished the main objects of his voyage, returned
to Canton in September, 1814. During his absence, Mr. Morrison
prepared and published in pamphlet form an outline of the Old-
Testament history, and a small collection of hymns for the purposes
of worship. An edition of the New-Testament in duodecimo form
was also resolved upon, not only for greater convenience of distri-
bution, but also for the security of a second set of blocks, to guard,
against the contingency of the loss or destruction of the other. The
expense was borne by a bequest from W. Parry, Esq., of the East
India Company's Factory at Canton.
From his first arrival, Mr. Morrison had in view the preparation
of a Chinese dictionary, and had prosecuted the work from time to
time as occasion served. The magnitude and expense of the publi-
cation placed it beyond the compass of his individual means, and
made its assumption by the Missionary Society a matter of doubtful
propriety. The East India Company, with a liberal appreciation
of its value to the public, offered to print it, and a press was sent
out for this purpose. Mr. Thorns, the superintendent of the press,
was able, and showed a readiness to render aid to the mission in the
publication of scriptures and tracts. This year was made memora-
ble by the evident conversion of the first Chinese under Mr. Morri-
son's labours, Tsae A. Fo, previously mentioned, a man twenty-seven
years of age, who had been six years under the influence of Chris-
tian instruction, but was more especially impressed by reading the
New-Testament, the printing of which he superintended. Mr. Mor-
rison thus notices the event in his journal: "July 16, 1814. — At a
spring of water issuing from the foot of a lofty hill on the sea-side,
away from human observation, I baptized, in the name of the
256 ROBERT MORRISON.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the person whose character and pro-
fession has been given above. 0 that the Lord may cleanse him
from all sin in the blood of Jesus, and purify his heart by the influ-
ences of the Holy Spirit! May he be the first-fruits of a great
harvest; one of millions who shall believe and be saved from the
wrath to come!"
The book of Genesis was translated and printed in the beginning
of the year 1815. It was now decided that the very limited oppor-
tunities of usefulness enjoyed by Mr. Milne at Canton were insuffi-
cient to justify his continuance there, and he proceeded to Malacca,
at which station the residue of his valuable life was spent in for-
warding the mission among the numerous Chinese emigrants that
inhabit the Malayan peninsula. Another separation, more painful
still, embittered this year. Mrs. Morrison had been for some time
indisposed, and a change of climate became necessary. She accord-
ingly embarked for England with her two children, leaving her
nusband, whose sensibilities, though never paraded before men or
on paper, were very tender, to spend six years alone, labouring
without earthly support or sympathy nearer than the opposite
hemisphere.
The publication by the Missionary Society of Mr. Morrison's
determination to continue his religious labours, notwithstanding the
imperial edict against Christianity alarmed the Directors of the East
India Company. Losing sight of the fact, or perhaps not having at
all understood that Mr. Morrison was unknown to the government,
whose decree had direct reference to the Koman Catholics, the only
Christians known to the authorities, they dreaded the effect of hav-
ing a missionary identified with the Company's service, and ordered
his dismissal, with the payment of four thousand dollars as an
acknowledgment of their indebtedness to him during the term of his
engagement. But the Company's agents at Macao, while making
no open resistance to the orders they received, felt so strongly their
need of his assistance, that they continued to employ him confiden-
tially, and he was of essential service in some perplexing negotiations
with the provincial government. He also received an appointment
from the British government as secretary to Lord Amherst, commis-
sioned on an extraordinary embassy to the court of Pekin. He
went to the capital in the suite of the ambassador, and enjoyed the
opportunity of extending his acquaintance with the character and
manners of this extraordinary people.
ROBERT MORRISON. 257
The embassy came to nothing, for a reason that curiously illus-
trates the fashion in which the emperor is imposed upon by his
ministers. Lord Amherst and suite arrived at Pekin after travelling
all night, and was summoned to an immediate interview with the
emperor, but excused himself on the ground of extreme fatigue, and
begged that the audience might be postponed. The minister, per-
haps fearing that the true excuse would not be satisfactory, improved
upon it by averring that the ambassador was so ill as to be unable
to move. His majesty was concerned at this information, and sent
his physician forthwith to examine and relieve the patient. Of
course no such serious indisposition was ascertained. The emperor
thought himself imposed upon by the foreigners, refused to permit
an interview, and though he punished the guilty minister on dis-
covering the facts, thought it beneath his dignity to retract his
refusal. Lord Amherst was very respectfully and ceremoniously
bowed out of the "middle kingdom," the only atonement that was
made for the rudeness of his original repulse.
In 1817, Mr. Morrison thus reviewed the labours of ten years:
u To learn the language, and by degrees render the sacred Scriptures
into Chinese, was the object which we immediately contemplated.
Your mission to China now possesses considerable knowledge of the
country, — the character of the people and the language. It is fur-
nished with instruments with which to begin the more spiritual part
of its labours. The New-Testament is rendered into Chinese, has
been in part put into circulation, and will, we trust, produce salu-
tary effects, for the { word of the Lord shall not return to him void.'
An important and promising branch of the mission has been estab-
lished at Malacca ; and from thence divine truth has, by means of
the press, been diffused amongst those who read and speak Chinese,
to a considerable extent. Two persons have renounced idolatry,
and professed faith in our Lord Jesus. Let us not be ungrateful.
We, or our successors, shall see greater things than these if we faint
not." Besides the works enumerated, some progress had been made,
in the translation of the Old-Testament, in conjunction with Mr.
Milne, the morning and evening prayers of the church of England
were translated, together with the tracts heretofore mentioned. Con-
cerning these prayers, he remarks that the natives needed helps to
social devotion, and adds: "The Church of Scotland supplied us
with a catechism, — the Congregational churches afforded us a form
17
258 KOBERT MORRISON.
for a Christian assembly, — and the Church of England has supplied
us with a manual of devotion, as a help to those who are not suffi-
ciently instructed to conduct social worship without such. aid. We
are of no party. We recognise but two divisions of our fellow-
creatures, — the righteous and the wicked, — those who fear God, and
those who do not; those who love our Lord Jesus Christ, and those
who do not. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus
Christ in sincerity. Amen and Amen ! "
A detailed review of the first ten years of the mission, enlarged
by Dr. Milne, was printed at Malacca. Mr. Morrison also published
a work entitled "Horae Sinicae," upon China and its literature, and
made some progress with his dictionary. These labours attracted
the attention of learned men in different countries, who opened a
correspondence with him on philological and other subjects in the
sphere of his researches, and prompted the University of Glasgow
to confer upon him the merited honour of Doctor in Divinity. The
foundation of the Anglo-Chinese College at Malacca was a consum-
mation devoutly rejoiced in by Dr. Morrison, who contributed from
his own slender means one thousand pounds towards the erection of
the building, and one hundred pounds per annum for five years
towards its support, besides valuable books for the library.
On the 25th of November, 1819, Dr. Morrison had the happiness
of writing: "By the mercy of God, an entire version of the books
of the Old and New Testaments, into the Chinese language, was
this day brought to a conclusion." Of this work, twenty-six books
of the Old Testament were prepared by himself, the residue by Dr.
Milne ; the New-Testament, except the book of Acts and the Epis-
tles of St. Paul, which were revised from the version by an unknown
hand in the British Museum, was his own production. He was
aware that no single scholar could make a standard version, and
contented himself with the humble confidence that his work was
sufficiently exact to be intelligible, and the hope that, like the early
translations of Wickliffe and Tyndale into English, with which he
compared it, his version might be the forerunner and a valuable aid
to future and more perfect editions. With this and his dictionary,
the most necessary and important part of which was completed, he
might have felt that his duty was accomplished, but he was not the
man to retire into ease or idleness, while life and strength were given
him to persevere in efforts for the evangelization of China.
ROBERT MORRISON. 259
His family rejoined him, after an absence of six years, in August,
1820. But their reunion was but for a brief interval. Mrs. Morri-
son died suddenly in June of the following year, and his children
were sent to England, leaving him once more solitary, his loneliness
made all the more oppressive by its contrast with the domestic and
religious enjoyments he had experienced during so many years,
interrupted, it is true, by absence, but ever cheered by the hope of
their renewal. The next year another bereavement, and one in
which the entire Christian community deeply sympathized, fell on
the mission, — Dr. Milne was no more. He felt the loss more deeply
than he could express, and received the affliction as a call to gird
himself for more active exertion in the work they had prosecuted
in common, with such unity of spirit. But difficulties between the
English and Chinese withdrew him in a greater measure to the irk-
some duties of an official interpreter, and before these were brought
to a conclusion, a great fire, more destructive, he remarks, than that
of London in 1666, devastated a large section of Canton, consumed
the foreign factories, and greatly hindered him in his labours.
He took an early opportunity to visit Malacca, to examine the
state of that branch of the mission. The expedition occupied the
first six months of 1823, and in the course of the voyage he assisted
in laying the foundations of an institution at Singapore, similar to
the college at Malacca. Liberal aid was given by the government,
and he himself gave a considerable sum towards the object, but after
three or four years of mismanagement, it was suspended, and the
investment lost. At Malacca he was abundant in labours, preaching
teaching, consulting with his colleagues, and making valuable sug-
gestions on the conduct of the mission. After his return to Canton,
he found himself so much reduced by exhausting toil, that he decided
on accepting the invitation, extended some time before by the Direct-
ors of the Missionary Society, to visit England. He accordingly set
sail in December, 1823, and arrived once more in his native land in
the following March.
His reception was more enthusiastic than he could have hoped.
Not only the various benevolent societies, whose almoner he had
been, but other public bodies and distinguished personages, united
to testify their veneration for the translator of the Bible into the
language of nearly half the human race. The king received him
with marked attention, and when he preached in Newcastle, his
native town, crowds thronged to hear him, and multitudes found it
260 ROBERT MORRISON.
impossible to get within the sound of his voice. But he came home
for other objects than merely to be caressed and to make a sensation.
He visited Scotland, Ireland and different sections of England, to
excite and deepen interest in his mission, published several essays
on Chinese literature, and gave special attention to the formation
of the Universal Language Institution, — intended to teach all the
languages of the earth as far as teachers and books could be procured,
as auxiliary to the different missionary organizations. It was com-
menced under favourable auspices, but was short-lived. The public
interest in it declined, and its failure was one of the first items of
intelligence he received after his return to his duties abroad. The
disappointment was great, but the opinion is now settled, that the
acquisition of any language can be best secured among the people
who speak it, — an opinion which it is strange Dr. Morrison should
have missed of, — considering his own slender success in studying
Chinese in London. Various circumstances protracted his stay in
England till the spring of 1826, during which period he married a
second time. Before his return, he asked of the Directors of the
East India Company, according to official etiquette, permission to
resume his residence at Canton, and to take his two children with
him. The Directors, in that narrow spirit which generally charac-
terized their dealings with him, though chequered by frequent acts
of impulsive liberality, refused leave to take the children, and lim-
ited his service to three years. The first of these resolutions was
retracted, so that he was spared a separation from his family; and
the second, like a former determination of the same kind, was ulti-
mately disregarded, his services being altogether too valuable to be
dispensed with.
From his arrival at Macao in September, 1826, to the conclusion
of his labours, there was little to diversify the course of his life.
The advent of two fellow-labourers from the United States, in 1830,
was a source of peculiar gratification. He had corresponded on the
subject, and it was at his instance that the American Board took
measures for founding their mission in China. The obstacles in the
way of oral instruction were still in force, and the most efficient
means of evangelization were necessarily postponed till a later period,
when the opening of the ports of China to the commerce of the
world, with a guaranty for the toleration of Christianity, gave to
the Christian world free access to those benighted millions. Morri-
son "died without the sight" of this auspicious event, but he was
EGBERT MORRISON. 261
assiduous in that department of effort which remained open to him,
the circulation of books. He composed tracts, and gave particular
attention to a commentary on the Bible, portions of which were pub-
lished in four volumes, under the title of the "Domestic Instructor."
He also did much, as he found opportunity, for the welfare of
European and American residents, especially seamen, to whom he
preached as regularly as circumstances admitted. In 1833 the Por-
tuguese were offended at some of his publications, and prohibited
further printing in his house, but happily there was a sufficient stock
of publications already on hand to enable the distribution to go on
during the suspension of the press. Thus he continued, cheerfully
tasking his energies in every work that promised benefit to his fel-
low-men, regardless of his own infirmities, till the summer of 1834,
when he found himself much weakened by his toils. The expiration
of the charter of the East India Company, and its renewal on terms
that involved a radical change in the conduct of affairs at Canton,
gave such an aspect of instability to all his arrangements, that he
again sent his family to England. The British government required
of him the same service that the Company had done, multiplied by
the changes that took place in administration. He executed his
augmented duties with cheerfulness, with evidence of increasing
weakness, though without apprehensions of immediate danger. But
a fever set in, which baffled medical skill, and on the first of August
1834, he breathed his last. His body was followed to its last resting-
place by the European residents with every testimony of respect
which the occasion demanded. A monument with an appropriate
inscription commemorates his labours and virtues. A more suitable
memorial exists in the "Morrison Education Society," formed after
his death, with a liberal endowment, which still exists, to diffuse the
savour of his example, and to do its part in the work of elevating the
people for whose welfare he spent his laborious life.
To spend twenty-seven years in laying a foundation without the
hope of seeing a superstructure, — in forging weapons which must be
bequeathed to others for use, — would seem to be an arduous and
disheartening lot. Such was Morrison's. He knew that such it
would be when he first entered upon it, but was not discouraged at
the prospect. He felt its hardships very sensibly in its progress,
but, though sad, never fainted. It was, as it seemed, the post of
duty, and he was content to wait for his reward when the fulness
of time should come, if he might see it in time, and if not, when
262 ROBERT MORRISON.
eternity should reveal it. And he gained more than he had reason
to hope. He was permitted to gather into the Christian church ten
sincere converts, to ordain one of these to the work of the ministry,
and to rejoice in the assurance that his work had an indestructible
vitality communicated by the Spirit of the Lord. For such an
enterprise he had rare mental and moral aptitudes. With nothing
brilliant or showy, he possessed a strong and sinewy intellect, unu-
sual powers of concentration and perseverance, a calm and sagacious
judgment. He could labour strenuously without discouragement,
to the end which his judgment had determined, and if his projects
failed, it was never through his own default, but for want of cooper-
ation. His piety was deep, thorough, all-pervading, — the guiding
principle of his life, which was singularly pure and blameless. It
was a good providence that gave such a pioneer to the enterprise of
Protestant missions in China, and whenever the millions of that idol-
atrous empire are brought into subjection to the only living God, it
will be acknowledged by all, that of human agency in their redemp-
tion, the first place belongs to MORRISON.
WILLIAM MILNE,
WILLIAM MILNE was born in the parish of Kennethmont, Aber-
leenshire, Scotland, in the year 1785. His father died when he was
ut six years of age, and he was brought up by his mother in humble
(rcumstances. He received the education common to those of his
Cidition in Scotland, and had a noticeable predilection for books,
bt his religious culture was neglected, and his habits were far from
exrnplary. "In profane swearing and other sins of a like nature,"
he\ys, in the narrative he gave of his early years, "I far exceeded
mo; of my equals, and became vile to a proverb. I can remember
the 'me when I thought that to invent new oaths would reflect
hon<r on my character, and make me like the great ones of the
eartl' This self-accusation was confirmed by one of his neighbours,
who >oke of him as "a very deevil for swearing." A habit so unu-
sual long the Scottish peasantry must have been acquired from
such -peat ones" as have too often represented England on their
traveland made profane oaths among the first rudiments of the
Englisjanguage mastered by French and Italian boys. He read
the Bil reluctantly and from constraint, and learned the Assem-
bly's C^chism by heart, from a desire to be equal with his neighbours
and to aid the displeasure of the parish clergyman. He sometimes
said his-ayers at night, "for fear of the evil spirit," against whose
influence believed his prayers to be an effectual security. Yet it
is plain, m his account of himself, that his mind apprehended and
his conscice felt the truths of the Bible, while he was outwardly
defying tn. As early as his tenth year, when alone in the fields,
the thougof eternal punishment for sin struck him with such force,
that he w,;onstrained to pray, and form resolutions of amendment.
These impsions wore off, and his resolutions were forgotten. He
aspired to come a leader in vanity and gayety, hoping to attain
this distinci before his sixteenth year.
Better tlrs were designed for him. At the age of thirteen, a
partial chai was effected in his deportment by the reading of
264 WILLIAM MILNE.
religious books, the example of two pious persons in the family
where he resided, the dread of death, and the impressions produced
by vivid representations of the sufferings of Christ in sacramental
addresses. Though he had very inadequate ideas of his own char-
acter and duty, the change was manifestly for the better. He was
led to the practice of secret prayer, the reading of the Scriptures,
and more diligent improvement of the means of grace. By attend-
ance at a Sabbath-school, his knowledge of evangelical truth, aid
his conviction of its importance, were increased. He began family
worship in his mother's household, and held meetings for pray^?
with his sisters and other children. There was an element of se-
righteousness in all this, of which he was not immediately conscioi,
but he was not permitted to be long in darkness. At the age f
sixteen, the time he had fixed for the consummation of his aspirg
folly, he was providentially removed to a place where he had <e
privilege of conversing with pious persons, who exerted themsetes
to direct his attention more intelligently to his religious interes
One of these deserves particular mention, as the chief instruct
of his conversion. Adam Sievwright was a poor basket-makej-)ut
had a wealth of spiritual knowledge, which imparted to his chapter
and to his humble dwelling a more than earthly dignity, \ the
hour of family devotion he was accustomed to make some
on the passage of Scripture read, to prepare his children'
for the solemnity of prayer. To young Milne, who was sordines
present, the pious cottager uttered seasonable exhortation; The
beauty and excellence of religion, as exhibited in this
captivated his heart. His occupation as a herdsman gave
opportunity to read while in the field tending his flocks. 0 of his
favourite books was "The Cloud of Witnesses," an accoujof the
persecution of the Scottish Covenanters. "Often," he says have I
sat on the brow of a hill, reading the lives of the martyrs,imiring
their patience and fortitude in suffering; and seeing them c£rccme'
their enemies by the blood of the Lamb and by the ( worof their
testimony,' I longed that God would, some time or oth/ honour
me thus to confess his name, and bear my testimony to t truth."
From these dreams he was shortly awakened. His vene^e friend
recommended to him the reading of Boston's " Fourfc ;Sta:e."*
* We have seen in the life of Judson the same work, in another (sphere, the
instrument of bringing to the knowledge of the truth one whom Gfad selected
as " a chosen vessel to bear his name before the Gentiles."
WILLIAM MILNE. 265
He had scarcely begun it, before liis real character and condition
were revealed to him, and he was filled with anxious concern.
"Under the weight of these feelings he prayed, as often as ten or fifteen
times in a day, attended meetings for prayer, and sought spiritual
conversation. A clear exhibition of the gospel, not long after, in
a sermon by Kev. Mr. Cowie, of Huntley, opened to his view the
way of reconciliation, and he earnestly devoted himself, thenceforth
and for ever, to the service of God. His religious growth was visibly
rapid. A change of residence brought him into a family where
religion was not honoured, but he "witnessed a good confession."
By his influence family-worship was established, and he had reason
to hope that his master and mistress became true followers of Christ.
A person who visited there occasionally, being rebuked by him for
profaneness, received impressions that never left him till he was led
to embrace and profess the gospel.
In the activity with which the young shepherd-boy, in humble
poverty, but with the simplicity and fervour of true piety, laboured
for the salvation of others, was manifest the spirit that afterwards led
him to devote his life to missionary service. He took an active part
in Sabbath-school instruction, and, to qualify himself for his duties,
cultivated a profoundly devotional spirit, the power of which was
felt by his pupils and by all who knew him. He established prayer-
meetings in destitute neighbourhoods, and went from house to house
in company with a few young men who partook of his spirit, con-
versing and praying with the poor. He was habitually about his
Master's business, and was thus qualified, when the way was provi-
dentially opened for a wider and more commanding sphere of use-
fulness to mankind.
At the beginning of the present century, the missionary spirit
had less influence in Scotland than in England. The established
church lent no cordial approbation to the enterprise, and some of
the Presbyterian Seceders were prejudiced against it. Young Milne
was connected with a congregation of the body known as the Anti-
burghers, who entertained a strong aversion to the London Mission-
ary Society. Happily, the church at Huntley, under the care of Mr.
Cowie, was in truth what it was called by way of reproach, "a mis-
sionary church." Its members were scattered among many parishes,
through which they diffused the spirit cherished by their pastor at
the cost of his influence and ultimately of his denominational stand-
ing. Milne thus became familiar with what was doing by various
266 WILLIAM MILNE.
bodies of Christians for the world's conversion, and, as might be,
expected, felt a lively interest in the subject. At first, the idea of
engaging personally in the work did not occur to him, — how should
it? His condition in life authorized no sober expectation, however
it might be fitted to nourish dreams, of such high achievement.
About the twentieth year of his age, however, he was one day
conversing with a Christian friend, who remarked that his brother
contemplated engaging in missionary service. The information
awakened in his breast such queries as these: ""Will this man's sal-
vation be a greater wonder than mine? Or can his obligations to
the riches of redeeming grace be greater than mine, that he should
desire thus to honour God, while I continue satisfied in a state of
inglorious ease at home?" The questions of his fitness and his call to
the work caused him much perplexity, but after prayerful delibera-
tion and consulting with judicious friends, he offered himself, in 1808,
to the London Missionary Society. The Directors appointed a com-
mittee of ministers at Aberdeen to examine him, and decide on his
qualifications. Having laid before him the nature of the missionary
work, with such detail as to aid him in forming an intelligent deter-
mination, they gave him further time to consider. Their first
impression was that he would not do, and one minister proposed to
him that he should go out as a mechanic rather than as a preacher.
To this Milne promptly replied, "Anything, anything, — if only
engaged in the work. I am willing to be a hewer of wood or a
drawer of water, in the temple of my God." They decided to
accept him, and he was sent to the Missionary Academy at Gosport,
under the direction of Eev. Dr. Bogue.
The rules he drew up for his own guidance while at Gosport indi-
cate his eminently devout, conscientious and diligent spirit. First
assigning ample time for his own personal improvement by study
and prayer, then setting apart seasons for religious exercises in
behalf of his friends, not forgetting the care of his bodily health, he
further resolved to seek opportunities of usefulness, — to his fellow-
students by conversation, to families in the neighbourhood by visits
for prayer and exhortation, and to friends at a distance by corres-
pondence. There is evidence that these resolutions were not incon-
siderately made, in the first flush of a new pursuit, to be neglected
when the novelty of his situation wore off. In truth, they were
but the application in his present circumstances of principles
which had guided his conduct in other scenes,' — the same princi-
WILLIAM MILNE. 267
pies which directed his strenuous labours after he entered on
missionary work.
The decision and energy with which he carried his plans into
effect were blended with humility and jealousy of self. In a letter
to his mother, he says: "I have been sent out twice to preach. 1
hope you will not spread that abroad, unless to particular friends who
will 'help together by prayer for me.' I love the work with all my
heart, but I feel myself unworthy of it and unfit for it." The con-
cern he manifested lest the spirit of study should expel the spirit of
piety may also be noted. "I find — that it is very difficult to main
tain a lively sense and impression of the truth on m}7 heart in the
midst of study." "I find, by experience, that it is not change of
place nor employment that increases a Christian's spirituality of
mind; but fresh, and confirming, and sanctifying discoveries of the
greatness and glory of the Truth." " Pray for me — that I may have
grace to think for God, — to speak for God, — to write for God, — to
live only and die only for God. May this be your portion also ! "
But his piety did not, as we have seen, expend itself in contempla-
tive devotion. Among other labours undertaken by him, the Koss-
shire militia being stationed at Gosport, as he found among them
some pious persons, he set them to form a congregation, and preached
with such effect that Dr. Bogue was privileged to welcome fifteen to
a public profession of faith.
While thus solicitous for his moral and spiritual improvement, he
pursued his studies with diligence, and made very rapid progress in
the learned languages. At the close of his studies, he was recom-
mended by Dr. Bogue, and appointed by the society as the colleague
of Dr. Morrison in the China mission. So greatly, as his course in
that responsible station more abundantly showed, did those men
misjudge who feared that he "would not do" for ministerial service.
He was ordained in July, 1812, and sailed in September of the same
year. He was married in the interval to Miss Eachel Cowie, daughter
of Charles Cowie, Esq., of Aberdeen, a lady possessed of excellent
sense and discrimination, a cultivated mind, earnest piety, and devo-
tion to the missionary work. They reached the Cape on the 1st
of December. During the pause in their voyage, they took the
opportunity to visit the Moravian mission, and Mr. Milne made
some inquiries concerning Madagascar, with a view to the establish-
ment of a mission there. From the Cape they sailed for Mauritius.
Being unable to preach much on board ship, Mr. Milne spent his
268 WILLIAM MILNE.
time chiefly in studying Chinese from an elementary work by Dr.
Marshman, of the Serampore mission. At the Mauritius he prose-
cuted his researches with reference to Madagascar, and drew up the
original plan on which the society afterwards founded their mission
to that island. During the remainder of the voyage, finding himself
unable to effect much in the unassisted study of the language, he
turned his attention to the character of the people, and it is the tes-
timony of Dr. Morrison that "'few have made such rapid progress
in a comprehension of the opinions of the Chinese."
On arriving off Macao, a view of the shores of China led him to
renew his appeals to his friends in Scotland on behalf of the mission.
But with his habitual desire for immediate usefulness, he made it
his first duty to write a fervent farewell letter to the mate of the
vessel, a young man for whose spiritual welfare he had felt con-
cerned, and whom he could not leave without a final appeal to his
conscience and heart. Soon after landing, he found that his
expected association with Mr. Morrison would not be permitted.
The Portuguese governor of Macao, in his zeal for the Church of
Koine, peremptorily ordered him to depart, and he was obliged to
go to Canton, leaving his wife in the family of Mr. Morrison. He
was permitted, however, to visit Macao when his affairs required it,
without impediment from the governor or the people. At Canton
he pursued the study of the language, though under disadvantage,
without the expected aid of Mr. Morrison, yet with such success
that in three months he was able to speak and write it a little. He
also preached on Sundays to a few English and Americans, "the
first English preaching, I suppose," he remarks, "that was ever
at Canton."
At the close of the year 1813, Mr. Morrison having completed a
version of the New-Testament in Chinese, and several tracts, it was
resolved to print an edition of the former, a catechism and a tract,
and to despatch Mr. Milne on a voyage to the principal Chinese
settlements in the Malay Archipelago, to circulate these works; to
procure such information as to the Chinese population of these colo-
nies as would aid in directing efforts to introduce Christianity among
them; to inquire what facilities existed in Java and Pinang for
printing in Chinese; and to seek out a secure retreat where the
chief-seat of the China mission could be fixed, so as to place its
most important operations beyond the interference of a hostile gov-
WILLIAM MILNE. 269
ernment. The enterprise was an embarrassing one to him, for lie
had spent not more than six months in the study of the language,
and could only speak it imperfectly. He committed to memory a
volume of dialogues in Chinese and English, prepared by Mr. Mor-
rison, which he found of great benefit. With this imperfect prepara-
tion, and a teacher who knew nothing of English, he set sail in a
vessel bound to Java. There were four hundred and fifty Chinese
emigrants on board, among whom twenty -five copies of the New-
Testament and some tracts were distributed. At Banca, where many
Chinese were employed in the tin mines, some tracts and Testaments
were circulated, and others left with the British Kesident for distri-
bution. On arriving at Batavia, he was received with great kindness
by the governor, Sir Stamford Baffles, and other gentlemen. Gov-
ernor Baffles furnished him with the means of travelling at the
expense of the government through the interior and eastern part of
the island, and gave him letters to the principal British officers and
native princes in the settlements through which he would pass.
Boxes of books were sent round by sea to the chief eastern ports,
and a quantity taken in his carriage for distribution in the small
Chinese settlements in his way. He visited the principal towns
where most of the Chinese reside, and passed over to the adjoining
island of Madura, where there were several of their settlements.
Leaving Java, he proceeded to Malacca, where he remained a week.
He took pains to put the books he brought with him in a train for
thorough circulation, and had printed at Java and Malacca eighteen
hundred copies of the first chapter of Genesis, three hundred
copies of a tract and one thousand of a handbill, besides a farewell
address of his own composition. He likewise forwarded some Tes-
taments and tracts to Pinang and other islands, which he was unable
to visit. It was not supposed that any immediate effect would be
produced by this distribution of books, but if only a few were
enlightened by their perusal, it was thought that the labour would
be repaid. Having accomplished the main purposes of his visit, he
returned to China, where he arrived on the 5th of September, 1814,
with some reason to hope that his being prohibited from remaining
at Macao would, contrary to its intended effect, "turn out for the
furtherance of the gospel."
During the greater part of the following winter Mr. Milne remained
at Canton, pursuing the study of the language. He likewise com-
posed a treatise on the Life of Christ, which was printed in Februar}^,
270 WILLIAM MILNE.
1815, and widely dispersed. He speaks of the style as inferior, but
he was gratified to find that it was understood by the lower classes,
and read with interest.
As it was impossible for him to remain at Macao for any length
of time, and it was uncertain how long his colleague would be toler-
ated there, — considering, also, the difficulty of carrying forward the
printing and other important departments of labour in security, — it
appeared necessary to fix on a new station. Malacca was selected,
as a favourable point for communicating both with Canton and with
the most important places in the Chinese Archipelago, and as a cen-
tral station from which to plan and execute missionary enterprises
in all the region lying between Bengal and the China Sea. The
authorities there were well disposed toward the mission, and though
the station must be established on a small scale, and advance very
gradually, it was determined to occupy it at once. Mr. Milne accord-
ingly made immediate arrangements to remove thither. The plan
on which the station was projected was large and comprehensive.
It was resolved to establish a Chinese free school, with the ultimate
purpose of founding a higher seminary to train pious natives for the
Christian ministry ; to issue a Chinese periodical, combining the dif-
fusion of general knowledge with that of Christianity ; to commence
the printing of the Scriptures and other religious books, with such
publications in English as might tend to aid the progress of the
missions. Though the design had primary reference to the Chinese,
it was not limited to them, but provision was made for the Malays
and other tribes inhabiting the extensive region commanded from
the station.
To part from their friends at Canton was painful to Mr. and Mrs.
Milne, but the call of duty was imperative. Taking with them a
supply of Chinese books, printing paper, a teacher and several
workmen, they embarked on the 17th of April, 1815. The voyage,
of thirty-five days' duration, was to Mrs. Milne a season of great
distress and peril, but her life and the lives of her infant children
were mercifully spared. They were very cordially received by
Major Farquhar, the British Kesident; and the Protestant Dutch
church, having lost their minister by death, invited Mr. Milne to
assume the pastoral care over them. But believing himself specially
sent to the heathen, he felt bound to decline acceding to their request.
He promised to render them all the aid possible till they should
WILLIAM MILNE. 271
obtain a pastor, and to this end commenced a stated service on the
Sabbath. This labour was less satisfactory to himself and less
useful to the congregation, from their very partial acquaintance
with the English language. Still, the influence of the truth, visible
occasionally in an individual case, encouraged him; and as the
people failed to secure a pastor, the service was continued. The
government paid him a small salary, which for two years was
sufficient for his support.
The first object attempted by Mr. Milne was the founding of a
free school. A Chinese teacher was employed for a small stipend,
with the promise of an increased salary, graduated by the number
of scholars secured, thus inducing him to labour for the school, in
the absence of higher motives, from self-interest. A small house
was fitted up with seats, and notices were posted in different parts
of the town, announcing a school for poor children. The people had
never heard of such a thing, and distrusted the scheme. Their
supreme selfishness made them for twelve months incredulous.
They believed that pay was expected, and would be finally demanded.
But the teacher, for obvious reasons, was active in canvassing for
pupils, to fill the school-house and replenish his purse, and fifteen
were gradually collected. He was unwilling to commence on any
other than a "lucky day," — a superstition that universally enslaves
the Chinese, — or without giving the children each a "kae sinping,"
a cake supposed to have a magical power to expand their minds.
Unwilling to risk the existence of the school by running counter to
their heathen prejudices upon the threshold of his undertaking, Mr.
Milne thought it best to let him have his own way, and to take a
future occasion to show its folly, — a complaisance which it is not easy
to justify, however we may sympathize with the motive that prompted
it. A request to permit the setting up of the images of Confucius,
and Wau-chang (the god of letters), and the burning of incense
before them, though equally important in the estimation of the ped-
agogue, was of course inadmissible. It was evaded, on the ground
that the house stood on land belonging not to a Chinaman, but to a
foreigner.
These obstacles having been surmounted, the school began with
five scholars, gradually increased to fifteen. They were taught
reading, writing and arithmetic. With some difficulty the master
was induced to teach them a catechism, at first on Sundays, and
subsequently at intervals on other days. As Chinese youth usually
272 WILLIAM MILNE.
commit to memory everything they learn at school, they read-
ily got the catechism by heart. Cautiously and by degrees its
meaning was explained to them, and thus a regular catechetical
exercise was introduced on Sabbath afternoons. To avoid offence,
other exercises were combined with it, as teaching the common
forms of salutation, — of parents, teachers and superiors. This
pleased the parents, as these accomplishments had not been taught
in their own schools.
Worship in Chinese had already been conducted with some
domestics brought from China. The schoolmaster, seeing them
attend, was induced to follow their example, and the children came
with them. Thus a small company were brought under the influ-
ence of religious instruction and worship. Doubtless they imper-
fectly comprehended the nature of either, but this instrumentality,
however humble, included the most important means of grace, and,
though aware that much time might elapse before any sensible
effect was produced, it was a promising beginning, and Mr. Milne
rejoiced in it. The liberality of two gentlemen in Bengal defrayed
the expenses of the school for two years.
The next thing in order, was to set the press in motion, that read-
ing Chinese, who could not be easily reached by personal instruc-
tion, might have the truth brought under their notice. The Chinese
"Monthly Magazine," devoted primarily to the promotion of Chris-
tianity, but designed to include information and discussions on such
general subjects as would give variety to the work, and tend to
arouse and improve the mind, was established, and the first number
appeared on the fifth of August, 1815. It was not found practi-
cable to publish as much on miscellaneous subjects as was originally
intended, and the magazine was in a great degree limited in its
scope to religious and moral subjects. A few essays on astronomy
and history, notices of the most important events, and instructive
anecdotes, were introduced. Anecdotes, proverbs, and the like,
were favourite vehicles of instruction with Mr. Milne, and he
embraced frequent opportunities to put them into circulation. The
work was not larger than a small tract, and was distributed gratis.
It was circulated by travellers and others through all the Chinese
colonies; also, in Siam, Cochin-China, and some parts of China itself.
In this way, five hundred copies monthly were disposed of, and in
four years the edition was doubled. An imperfect acquaintance
with the language, and defective printing apparatus, gave to the
WILLIAM MILNE. 273
earlier issues a certain rudeness, both of style and typography,
which continued study and enlarged means enabled the editor to
improve, but they were intelligible to persons in the habit of read-
ing, and it was believed they were not without a measure of utility.
These means were properly regarded by Mr. Milne as but
auxiliary to what constitutes the most important work of a Chris-
tian missionary, — preaching, or the oral communication of the
truth. He was so situated, however, that though he desired this
privilege, it was impossible to secure it to any great extent. The
necessity of prosecuting the study of a language the most difficult
in the world, and the absorption of his mind in the work of trans-
lating the Scriptures, without which the natives could not be "built
up " in the faith, even if they embraced it, together with his other
occupations that weighed heavily on his mind, gave scanty oppor-
tunity for more direct evangelical labour. But what he could, he
did. Every morning the Chinese workmen, domestics and pupils,
met for worship, when a portion of the New-Testament was read
and expounded. On Sundays, this service was held at noon, and
was longer, something more nearly approaching the character of a
regular sermon being added. The catechetical exercise with the
children followed, and an hour was commonly spent about town,
distributing tracts and conversing with the people. At eight o'clock,
evening service was attended. Few were present, — sometimes two
or three, sometimes more, drawn in through curiosity, or the hope
of gaining employment. The regular hearers did not exceed eight;
the others, as soon as their curiosity was satisfied, or their expecta-
tion of gain disappointed, came but seldom. Opportunities of con-
versing with the heathen, and explaining to them the principles of
Christianity, offered themselves occasionally. Sailors and passen-
gers in Chinese junks from Siam, Java, and other places, called to
get tracts, and were visited on board their vessels. Mr. Milne also
visited the people in their houses and shops, reading to small groups
a tract, or verses from the New-Testament, with short explanations.
The circulation of Scriptures and tracts was effected, not only in
the settlement, but by passengers of native vessels, in China and
all her colonies. By these mute messengers, that could travel with-
out danger from persecution or disease, the good seed was widely
scattered, in the trust that it should be found after many days.
Serious difficulties impeded these labours. The variety of dia-
lects spoken by the people, was a hindrance to the correct under-
18
274 WILLIAM MILNE.
standing of the truth by those whom he addressed. The Fohkien,
the dialect of the majority, he had no means of learning; that of
Canton, used by a considerable number, he spoke imperfectly; and
the Mandarin, or court language, with which he was most familiar,
was understood by few. The written language, being everywhere
the same, gave the press a decided advantage. In China, an
acquaintance with one dialect will give the missionary access to
hundreds of thousands; but in the colonies it is necessary to know
two or three, in order to preach successfully. The literary labour
and numerous cares imposed on Mr. Milne, prevented him from
doing this, except to a very limited extent, and it was not till 1818
that he had a colleague able to turn his attention to the Fohkien
dialect. The difficulty of the language was aggravated by the
inter-marriages of the Chinese with Malay women. No females
ever leave China. The men, therefore, marry natives of the coun-
tries where they settle. Their children naturally first learn the
language of their mothers, and many of them are scarcely able to
understand Chinese at all. Here they commonly spoke, in Malay,
and read exclusively in Chinese, but their reading was often so
limited as to be of little use to them. It is easier to describe than
to conceive the impediments to missionary labour, arising from
these causes.
Had it been possible to overcome these obstacles, there would
still have remained the problem — how to get a congregation? The
Sabbath was of course not observed, and it was no easy task to
induce men to quit their business for the sake of hearing about a
foreign religion. The Chinese spend their days in hard labour, and
their nights to a great extent in gambling. Scarcely ten persons
could be got together, and as the chances were that these came
only because they were idle, they were not the most promising of
hearers. It was hard to fix their attention. Some talked and
laughed, some smoked their pipes, and others were continually
passing in and out. As they show no more reverence in the tem-
ples of their own gods, there was nothing surprising in their conduct.
Those who attended regularly, soon became very decorous and atten-
tive, but this could not be expected at first. To these untoward
circumstances must be added the pride, falsehood, and singularly
compounded superstition and skepticism of the Chinese charac-
ter, enough of itself to damp the ardour of missionary labour,
unless sustained by an uncommon measure of faith.
WILLIAM MILNE. 275
In September, 1815, the Rev. C. H. Thomsen arrived at Malacca,
to commence a mission among the Malays. These are Mohammed-
ans, and are peculiarly inaccessible, not only from the characteristic
bigotry of all Mussulmans, but from their notion of the sacred ness
of the Arabic language. They neglected their own language, as
unfit for religious uses, while not one in a hundred could compre-
hend preaching or reading in Arabic. Mr. Thomsen commenced
the study of Malay, made preparations to open a school, and pro-
jected a new version of the New-Testament, to supersede a defect-
ive version then in use. About this time, a mission library was
founded, which was destined to become of great value. Its begin-
ning was humble, — ten small volumes of European books and a few
in Chinese. The following year, a lot of land was procured, for the
more permanent establishment of the mission, and a Malay and
English school commenced ; but the illness of Mrs. Thomsen com-
pelled her husband to accompany her on a voyage to Java. The
Malay branch of the mission was suspended by this event for fifteen
months, during which time, Mrs. T. was released from her suffer-
ings, by a triumphant departure into her heavenly rest, and her
bereaved husband returned to his post in December, 1817. The
Chinese school, which was taught in the Fohkign dialect, had by
this time increased to about fifty-seven pupils, and another was
opened in the Canton dialect, numbering twenty-three pupils. The
want of a convenient manual of religious instruction, led Mr. Milne
to compose "The Youth's Catechism," which was published in 1816.
It was composed in circumstances of personal affliction, and with an
impression, happily not verified, that it might be his last service.
Two new tracts were composed and printed, and a translation of
the book of Deuteronomy was completed in July of that year.
Up to this time the labours of the mission had been prosecuted
with reference to future and perhaps distant effects, toils such as the
beginnings of the enterprise naturally demanded, but which are
fitted to try faith and patience. It is not easy to struggle year after
year, waiting for fruit hereafter. But in this year Mr. Milne received
into the communion of the visible church a Chinese convert, a printer
for the mission, named Leang-kung-fa. He had never been much
given to idolatry, but lived in a state of indifference to all religion.
He now professed a desire to follow Christ, and after much instruc-
tion made profession of his faith November 3d. His demeanour
was not very promising at first, but he proved an efficient Christian.
276 WILLIAM MILNE.
After spending four years at Malacca he returned to China, where
he composed and began the printing of a tract, for which he was
imprisoned and beaten. His stripes did but make him the more
self-denying in his efforts for the salvation of his countrymen, and
lie shortly had the joy to witness the conversion of his wife. He
subsequently studied under Dr. Morrison, by whom he was ordained
to the ministry, and became eminently useful, indefatigable in prop-
agating the gospel, and the instrument of bringing a number of his
friends to receive the word of life.
A printing-press was set up in the autumn of 1816, with the view
of doing something in the Malay, but the absence of Mr. Thomsen
and the cares that unduly pressed on Mr. Milne prevented this. The
workmen could not be dismissed without a breach of faith, and they
were employed on two works in English for circulation among Eu-
ropean residents in India, — Bogue's "Essay on the New-Testament,"
and Doddrige's "Rise and Progress." Some copies were subscribed
for, some purchased for distribution by a benevolent gentleman,
others placed on sale in different parts of India, and the balance
sent to different missionary stations for gratuitous circulation. The
publication of a periodical in English, to disseminate information
relative to the Indo-Chinese nations and the progress of Christianity,
which had been contemplated from the first, was commenced in May,
1817. It was entitled the "Indo-Chinese Gleaner," and was issued
quarterly.
Mrs. Milne having been attacked with an alarming illness, was
obliged on becoming convalescent to make a voyage to China for
the reestablishment of her health. Her husband, having no assistant
in the mission, could not accompany her, but the subsequent arrival
of Rev. W. H. Medhurst, whose name has since become familiarly
associated with the mission in China, enabled him to escape for a
season from his overwhelming toils, and he followed his wife to
Macao. Previous to his departure he had finished the translation
of the Book of Joshua, and while there translated Judges, as also an
exposition of the Lord's Prayer, and a tract on the folly of idolatry.
He returned with his wife to Malacca, their health much improved,
in the following February. There they found Mr. Thomsen once
more at his post, and were also cheered by the presence of Rev. J.
and Mrs. Slater, who had been sent out further to reinforce the
mission, followed by Messrs. Milton, Beighton, and Ince, who arrived
in September.
WILLIAM MILNE. 277
In November was laid the foundation of the Anglo-Chinese College.
It was organized with a view to give instruction to Europeans in the
Chinese language, and to natives in English, for which purpose an
ample library, competent English professors and Chinese tutors
were to be provided. The edifice was completed and the institution
opened in the autumn of 1820. During 1818 Mr. Milne completed
the translation of both books of Samuel and the two books of Kinge,
and prepared three new Chinese tracts.
He was soon after summoned to part with Mrs. Milne, who died
March 20, 1819. It was a severe blow, for he had found her a "help "
especially "meet" for him, her fine mental endowments and amiable
temper having been crowned by a consistent and scriptural piety.
Her sympathy in all his pursuits, from their first designation to the
missionary work, had lightened his burdens and strengthened his
hands, and he commemorated her worth in the most touching expres-
sions of grief, subdued by the consolations of his assured faith.
From this time Dr. Milne continued indefatigable in his labours
of preaching, translation, and the general supervision of the station,
with little to diversify the course of his life, to the end, which was
nearer than any thought, though vigilant friendship had found cause
for concern. Neither increasing infirmities, nor a series of calumnious
attacks that about this time found their way into several publications,
slackened his efforts or tamed his steadfast zeal. The Directors of
the Missionary Society authorized him to undertake a voyage for the
invigoration and prolonging of a life so valuable, but a temporary
renewal of strength induced him to decline it. Early in the year
1822, it having become apparent that he could not bear the severe
draft upon his physical resources, he sailed to Singapore for rest,
and, if possible, restoration. Obtaining no sensible relief, he pro-
ceeded to Pinang. A few days' experience showed that no amend-
ment could be expected there, and he returned to Malacca with the
intention of trying a voyage to the Cape of Good Hope. But it was
too late. He had exhausted himself, and had only time to reach the
scene of his toils, and to die. He landed at Malacca on the 24th of
May in a state of extreme weakness, and entered into rest on the
2d of June. A conviction that he was near his end had gained
strength during his last voyage. On one occasion he prayed, "0
God, prepare me for life or death!" adding with emphasis, "but
death, — death! that is the thing!" During his last hours his mind
278 WILLIAM MILNE.
was peaceful, but without the transport which sometimes animates
the dying. He repeatedly said that "he had no hope of salvation
but through the merits of Jesus." "The closing scene of this good
man's life," says Dr. Morrison, "was peace, but not joy. Those who
have comparatively much knowledge, understand best how ignorant
the wisest men are, and those who have thought most on the awful
realities of eternity, are likely to meet death with the greatest awe.
It is a serious thing to die. To stand before the judgment-seat of
Christ is an awful anticipation. And, as it is not every good ship
that enters its final haven with a fair wind and under full sail, so it
is not given to every good man to have a joyful entrance into the
spiritual world. In that haven there is indeed eternal rest; but
clouds and tempests are below, and sometimes gloom at the entrance.
Of the good man, the last end shall assuredly be peace, but that
peace may not be felt till he has passed the bourne."
The career of Milne was comparatively short, and it had nothing
in its outward circumstances to dazzle the imagination, even had he
at all thirsted for admiration. Doubtless it was any thing but the
fulfilment of those youthful dreams that enchanted his fancy while
tending his flocks. It called into exercise the truest benevolence,
the most unwavering industry and patience, with the utmost breadth
of understanding and soundness of judgment. His conscientious
diligence, sober wisdom, and purity of purpose, fitted him at once to
assume grave responsibilities when labouring alone, and to cooperate
fraternally with others. His temper was ardent, and his standard of
effort exacting; but as he asked nothing of his brethren which he
was not more than ready to do himself, his relations to them partook
equally of the commanding and the winning. His discretion was
not at fault when he was compelled to rely upon it ; his readiness
to receive, as well as to impart counsel, made him invaluable as an
associate. No better testimony could be given to the excellence of
his character than was afforded by the affectionate confidence with
which his colleagues regarded him while living, and the sorrow
they manifested at his early death. His chief services to the mission
were in the department of translation. He shares with Morrison the
honour of giving the entire Bible to China. The educational and
general operations of the mission to Malacca had less permanence
than was hoped, not from any want of adaptation to the ends sought,
but through the great providential change that has since opened
WILLIAM MILNE. 279
China to direct missionary effort, and transferred to that empire the
strength that had been gained in the colonies.
It is to the praise of Milne that his moral discrimination was not
warped by contemporary opinion. The opium-trade, which has
fixed an enduring stain on the history of British relations with China,
was denounced by him as early as 1820, when he stood alone in its
condemnation. He saw, what is now manifest to all, how fearful an
obstacle it is to the progress of .Christianity, and what sure destruc-
tion it is working among the millions of China. It sadly darkened
in his view the prospects of the enterprise on which his life was
staked, and from his grave comes a perpetual protest against one
of the most appalling crimes that stains the British name.
WALTER MACON LOWRIE.
WALTER MACON LOWRIE, the third son of Walter and Amelia
Lowrie, was born in Butler, Penn., on the 18th of February, 1819.
His early years were principally spent under the care of an excel-
lent and faithful mother. He was naturally cheerful, frank, kind,
and obedient; and a general favourite among his playmates. At
an early age, he manifested those powers of mind which shine so
conspicuously in the latter part of his life. He passed with credit
through all the preparatory stages of his education, and entered
Jefferson College in October, 1833. Like so many other of the
most eminent servants of God, he was the fruit of a college revival.
During the second year of his course, Jefferson College and its
vicinity were blessed with a powerful revival of religion. Many of
the students were brought to Christ — some of whom have since
devoted themselves to the work of the ministry. Among these
was the subject of this memoir, and the lamented Lloyd, who has
also gone, with his bosom-friend, to rest in the favour of God. Mr.
Lowrie frequently refers to the 29th of December, 1834, as the
memorable day when he was brought to Christ, and received him
as his Saviour. His conversion was not marked by any violent
emotion or change. Neither his sorrow nor his joy were such as
many experience, in the time of their passing from death to life.
Still he could say from the first, "Though I as yet see little ot
Christ and his exceeding love to me, in my lost and ruined condi-
tion, yet, what little I do see, fills me with love and peace, and an
earnest desire to see more and more of him, and to lay myself down
and give up my soul at the foot of his cross." His early training
had been religious, and as in most such cases, the light seemed to
break upon him gradually, but it was increasing more and more
unto the perfect day. He was sometimes tried with doubts and
fears ; yet in the main, his piety was trustful and cheerful, and he
has left us this record, "that after applying every test in my power,
282 WALTER MACON LOWBIE.
to examine the sincerity of my heart, I am enabled to say, though,
still with fear and trembling, that Jesus is mine and I am his."
From the first, his views of Christ and the gospel were singularly
clear and scriptural. He felt deeply the hardness and sinfulness
of his heart; his inability to save himself: and he came cordially
to Christ for salvation. He knew that his only hope was in Christ,
in his perfect righteousness and atoning blood; and accordingly
Christ became at once the object of his supreme love. He recog-
nised his will as the law of his life.
The most striking thing which characterized his religious expe-
rience— as it is perhaps the most striking peculiarity of his mind — •
was the great maturity and soberness of his views. His earlier
productions bear the mark and character of ripe years. This shows
itself in his mode of settling questions of duty. As soon as the
love of Christ became the ruling passion of his soul, we find him
deciding upon the choice of a profession — and then upon the field
of labour. He decided at once, and yet with caution and a clear
view of the reasons for and against so early a decision. He thus
states them to his father: "If I now decide upon my profession, I
may lay my mind more ardently to being prepared for it; I may
the more readily make all my pursuits subservient to this; and
secondly, if I now decide to be a minister, it may conduce to per-
sonal piety and a closer walk with Grod. On the other hand, there
may be objected, first, my youth; second, my inexperience of my
ownself and others ; third, the fickleness of my temper, and, fourth,
circumstances may occur, which may render it obligatory for me to
change my views. I regard myself in this light. I profess to be,
and hope I am, a servant of Christ; the command is, "Go work."
The first question is, how shall I work? the second, where?
With this full view of the question, we find him, September, 1835,
already determined upon the ministry as his calling. The question
of personal consecration to the missionary work, had been before
him from his first experience of a hope in Christ, and he met it with
the same clearness in his views; the same deliberation and prayer,
and the same decision, as the previous question of his calling. In
a letter to his father, he says: "This question has, as you are aware,
long been before my mind. This session I felt it to be important to
know what I should do, and what time I could spare was devoted
to the examination of the question. It never seemed to present any
great difficulties to my mind • and I don't know that I could give any
WALTER MACON LOWKIE. 283
particular account of the reasons which led me to believe that it was
my duty to spend my life among the heathen. The question always
seemed, though a very important one, to be, Can I do more abroad
than at home? There were no providential hindrances to prevent
me from going. Providence seemed rather to point to the heathen
as the proper place. My own inclinations and feelings pointed the
same way." He made this determination with a full sense of his own
weakness : but once made, he never shrank from carrying it into
effect. He knew no regrets ; and from henceforth all his energies
were bent to the preparation for that work.
This determination was formed about the middle of January, 1837,
and in September of the same year he completed his college course
with the highest honours of his class.
On leaving college Mr. L. returned to his father's family, then
residing in New- York. His constitution being weak it was thought
best by his friends that he should not enter immediately upon his
theological course. He spent the winter therefore in New- York. In
May, 1838, he entered the theological seminary at Princeton, and
joined the class regularly formed in September following. His course
in the seminary was not marked by any peculiar circumstances. He
was faithful in all his duties, " and never absent from a single recita-
tion." He entered with zeal into the study of the original Scriptures;
so necessary to a successful missionary, and in which he was emi-
nently useful in after life. He, however, kept his main end in view,
and every thing was made subservient to this. The fire which wa&
kindled in his soul never died out. He was rapidly maturing in
principle and faith. His religion was taking on more and more the
cast of his mind. In his correspondence with Lloyd and Owen he
lays open to us his feelings and views. He refers to his college
experience: "It seems to me that we all lived too much by excite-
ment, not enough by simple faith. Our religious societies were pre-
cious and profitable, and I should be sorry to give them up, but
perhaps we depended too much upon them, without remembering
that it is God alone who can give the increase, and depending on
these means (at least in my own case) was productive of a spirit of
action more resembling the crackling of thorns than the steady
intense flame that consumed the Jewish sacrifices. On this subject
there is danger of making great mistakes, and because we do not
enjoy religion, of thinking that we are not as engaged as we were then.
284: WALTER MACON LOWRIE.
The truth I suppose is, that we are not to measure our piety by our
enjoyment so much as by the steadiness of our purpose of self-conse-
cration to God." "Our feelings are important, but I find it often
necessary to go against them. They are like perfumes that sweeten
the gales which waft us on our course ; and at times they may even
be compared to the gales that assist the galley-slave as he toils at
the oar. But we are rowing up stream, and it will not do for us to
lie on our oars every time the breeze lulls. — The flame was now that
intense steady flame of deep-seated principle. His reliance upon
the divinely appointed means of grace, was consistent, as it always
must be, with the most ardent and genuine feeling. He warns his
friend against excitement or romance, and yet in the very next sen-
tence addresses him with questions like these: "What is the state
of missionary feeling now among you ? Do you yet hear the cry,
'Come over and help us/ as it rises from the death-bed of the Hin-
doo, and borne along across the waste of waters reaches our ears both
from the east and west, swelled as it is and heightened and prolonged
by the addition of innumerable others? Oh! does the cry of the
nations, echoed and reechoed from the distant mountains, still sound
among you? or does it die away among the crumbling ruins of
heathen temples, unheard and unheeded, save by the infidel and
Deist? Oh, who is there to come up to the help of the Lord against
the mighty ! There is nothing in all my course for which I reproach
myself so much as that I did so little to excite a missionary spirit
in college."
While in the seminary his mind was occupied with the choice of
a field of labour. He had long since determined to spend his life
among the heathen, but where he should labour now became a ques-
tion of importance. His mind was soon fixed upon Western Africa,
though the prospect of living there was very uncertain. His
feelings were enlisted warmly for that injured and benighted land;
and his judgment went with his feelings, as to his personal duty.
In a letter to Lloyd, he says: "Let me whisper in your ear, for I
don't want it known, that I look to a field nearer home than China,
or even Northern India — I mean Western Africa, the white man's
grave." With this determination he offered himself in December,
1840, to the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church,
expressing a decided preference for Western Africa as a chosen field
of labour, but still submitting himself cheerfully to the decision of
the Committee. No objection to this preference was made by his
WALTEK MAC ON LOWKIE. 285
friends, and for several months the question was considered as fully
settled. The mission was, however, at that time '*just commencing,
and encompassed with many difficulties." It had also been severely
tried. Most of those who had been sent there had been removed
by death or ill-health. "In these circumstances, and having no
other suitable man to send, it seemed clear that .China was the proper
field of labour for Mr. Lowrie. It was believed also that from the
tone of his piety, his cheerful temper, his thorough education, his
natural talents, and untiring industry, he was peculiarly fitted for
the China mission." He yielded cheerfully to the judgment of the
Executive Committee and his friends. It was not, however, from
any sense of the danger to life in Africa. He was unwilling himself
to assume the responsibility of going to any other country; but he
left himself at the disposal of the Board, viewing their decision as the
call of God.
He was licensed to preach the gospel by the Second Presbytery of
New York on the 5th of April, 1841. The larger part of the following
summer was spent in the service of the Board in Michigan and
among the churches in Western New- York. He was ordained on
the 9th of November, and on the last Sabbath of that month received
the instructions of the Board.
During his college and seminary courses Mr. Lowrie was a most
zealous and successful labourer in the Sunday school. He won the
affections of his scholars, and inspired the teachers with his own
fixed purpose and ardent spirit. The deep interest which he took
in these schools, grew out of, or at least gathered strength from their
close connection with a right missionary feeling in the churches. In
a letter to a friend in the ministry, he writes: "I am becoming more
and more convinced that it is in vain to expect the present genera-
tion of Christians to do their duty in the work of missions ; I do not
say this in a spirit of censoriousness, but from a growing conviction
that unless the subject of missions is early impressed on the minds
of children ; unless habits of self-denial and liberality for and to the
heathen are encouraged in them, it is vain to expect that they will,
when they grow up, perform in any tolerable measure the duties to
the heathen that may be expected from them. Hence, it seems to
me, if I were a pastor, I would commence at once, or as soon as I
dared in my Sabbath school. If the superintendent could not, or
would not, I would as often as possible give the children some ideas
of the state of the heathen, their superstitions, their spiritual pros-
286 WALTEK MACON LOWRIE.
pects, &c., and by degrees I would get them in the habit of giving
their pennies to the missionary society. This would require constant
attention and labour on the part of the pastor, but the result would
repay the labour." It was from this conviction that he afterwards
wrote that admirable series of missionary letters to children, since
published and circulated widely among the churches.
After a long delay he left New- York in the ship Huntress, January
19, 1842. In the midst of that most severe trial — the parting with
relatives and long-cherished friends — his mind was calm and peace-
ful. "The conviction that I was in the path of duty; and the felt-
presence and sustaining influence of an-all-gracious Saviour, upheld
me, and carried me safely through a scene that I had dreaded almost
as much as death itself."
The voyage was a prosperous one. The whole number of persons
on board the vessel was thirty-one, and to these Mr. Lowrie preached
every Sabbath with the exception of two. The attention was good.
The seed was sown, and left to germinate and bring forth its fruit
under the fostering care of the Spirit of God. He landed at Macao
on the 27th of May, and closes his journal with that expression
which he so often repeated, as if significant of his own melancholy
end, — "What a blessed place heaven will be, where there is no
more
At the time of his landing, hostilities still existed between Great
Britain and China. The five ports were not yet open to the gospel.
The missionaries who were already in the field, were labouring at
Singapore and Macao, rather as a preparative for the great work,
than in the work itself. Still, all "were looking for the time when
God should, in his providence, break down these barriers, and open
that populous nation to the gospel. Different branches of the, church
had sent out small and feeble bands, to be ready to enter the field,
when God should throw it open to Christian effort. The instruc-
tions of Mr. Lowrie made it his duty to inquire into the practica-
bility of establishing a station at Hong- Kong or some point on the
coast farther north; and then proceed to Singapore, and consult with
the brethren there as to the propriety of removing the mission and
concentrating the whole force in China. After instituting these
inquiries in company with the Rev. S. L. McBryde, he sailed from
Macao on the 18th of June, for Singapore. He took passage in a
British vessel manned with Lascars ; and after beating about for four
WALTER MACON LOWKIE. 287
months, in unavailing efforts to reach that place, returned to Hong
Kong. It was during this voyage that he met so much suffering
and danger, and realized more fully than before the blessedness of
heaven, where there is no more sea. Indeed the whole voyage was
but one scene of trial and disaster. He left in the hope of having
a rapid passage, and of soon returning with his brethren, and enter-
ing upon the work in which his heart was engaged. His own views
were clear as to the propriety of removing the mission at once.
There were many obvious advantages in labouring nearer at hand
if possible. The people were more intelligent. The time and
exposure of going and returning would be saved ; and the mission
would be better situated to take advantage of the issue of the war,
if God in his providence should thus open that country to the gos-
pel. With these hopes and views, he left Macao. But God ordered
it otherwise than he hoped, and took the decision of that important
question into his own hands. For fifty-three days he was driven up
and down the China Sea by an adverse Monsoon. The vessel was
finally compelled to put into Manilla for fresh supplies. These days,
however, though lost apparently to his work, were not lost to him-
self. He was acquiring rapidly, by this adverse experience, that
habit of resignation to the will of God, so preeminently important
to the missionary; that confidence in the wisdom and goodness of
God's providence; and a better understanding of that promise which
was ever afterwards his stay: Lo, I am with you always. Though
alone, separated entirely from Christian society, and surrounded
constantly by scenes of great wickedness, yet Christ himself was
near, and this silent personal communion with him was the thing
which he needed. He expresses himself; "Perhaps, on the whole,
this voyage will be one of the most profitable I have ever made.
It gives opportunities for solitude, which I have not had for months
past — teaches me how to value privileges I do not now enjoy — dis-
closes myself to myself, and forces me to rely not on human, but
divine strength; and I generally enjoy great peace of mind, though
at times I am in heaviness through manifold temptations." — His
Journal abounds with expressions of his increasing attachment to
Christ, and his growing strength in the faith of God's promise and
providence.
On the 18th of September he left Manilla for Singapore, with
every prospect of a short passage. The vessel was a fast one and
the wind was fair. For a few days every thing was favourable ; but
288 WALTER MACON LOWKIE.
on September 25, while the passengers were all in high spirits of
soon reaching the port, "the ship suddenly struck against some
obstacle with tremendous violence. It impeded her onward motion
in a moment. We started to our feet; again she struck, and again
she reeled like a drunken man. The deck quivered beneath our
feet ; and on going out we found the men running about, the officers
giving their orders, and the terrified steward groaning and wringing
his hands at the cabin-door. The ship soon struck again ; — the water
gained rapidly, though four pumps were kept constantly going; and
it was soon evident to all that she must sink. A few clothes
and valuables were packed as closely as possible. It was arranged
that twenty-one, including the captain and passengers, should go
in the long-boat, and the mate and seven men in the jolly-boat"
"The two boats were manned, and in the midst of a drenching rain,
a heavy, rolling-sea, — with but one oar, and four hundred miles from
land, we commenced our perilous voyage. About midnight, the
wind abated, the clouds dispersed, and we kept slowly on to the
north. On Monday we rigged a couple of masts, and a respectable
able foresail and mainsail, using our whole oar and one of the broken
oars for yards. A man and a boy were taken in from the jolly-
boat, which made our whole number nineteen men and four boys
in a boat twenty-one feet long and eight broad. We soon ascer-
tained that there was only eight or ten gallons of water. Monday
was a tolerable day, and we made some progress on our course,
and began to cherish some hopes of reaching land. But Tuesday
there was not a cloud in the sky ; scarcely a breath of wind, and the
hot sun of the torrid zone beating down upon us with scarcely a half-
pint of water to quench our thirst. A fresh breeze, however, sprang
up soon after dark, which lasted, with showers of rain, through-
out Wednesday. Thursday morning the wind rose and the sea
began to run high, and frequent squalls of wind and rain darkened
the heavens and drenched us to the skin. We began to think of
other things than of seeing land. Conversation ceased, and scarcely
a word was uttered in all that time, except the orders from the
captain to the helmsman. Many a longing, anxious look did we
cast before us, to see if there were any signs of land ; but still more
to the west, to see if the gale gave signs of abating."
"Death never seemed so near to me before. An emotion of sor-
row pressed through my mind as I thought of my friends at home,
and of regret, as I thought of the work for which I had come ; but
WALTER MACON LOWRIE. 289
for myself, my mind was kept in peace. I knew in whom I had
believed, and felt that he was able to save ; and though solemn in the
prospect of eternity, I felt no fear, and had no regrets that I had
perilled my life in such a cause."
"The day thus wore away, and the wind was now so strong, and
the sea so high, that it was with the utmost danger that we could
hold on our coarse. Besides, by our calculation, we could not be more
than thirty or forty miles from land, but to attempt to land in such a
sea, in the dark, would be madness itself. To remain where we were,
even if it were possible, seemed to be remaining in the jaws of death.
It was, however, our only hope, and accordingly preparations were
made for heaving the boat to. This was a most perilous opera-
tion, for had a wave struck her, while her broadside was exposed
to it, all would have been over with us. For awhile the result was
uncertain, but the plan succeeded admirably. The wind howled
past us with a force which made every plank in the boat quiver;
the rain fell in torrents ; and we could hear the great waves as they
formed and rose away ahead of us, and then rushed toward us
with a sound like the whizzing of an immense rocket. There we
lay, packed together so closely that we could scarcely move, while
every now and then a dash of spray came over us, covering us
with pale phosphoric sparks that shed a dim and fearful light around
us. Oh! it was a dreadful night. There was distress and perplex-
ity, the sea and the waves roaring, and men's hearts failing them
for fear. For myself, I know not that my mind was ever in a
calmer state ; and though I could not feel those clear convictions of
my safety I have sometimes had, yet my faith was fixed on the
Eock of Ages, and death, which then appeared near and certain,
seemed to have but few terrors for me. The morning dawned : but
as it dawned, the wind and sea increased. As soon as we could
see, we commenced again our perilous course ; and when the morn-
ing had fairly dawned, we saw the land stretching along right
before us, about ten miles off. Supposing it to be the entrance to
the Manilla Bay, we steered directly for the land. Meanwhile, the
sea rose again ; and to our sorrow we found that we had mistaken
the land. But it was too late to turn back, the squall was upon us,
and though the rain fell so fast that we could not see more than
twenty yards, yet on we must go. We were in the midst of break-
ers ; but we were directed in a channel between them, and, rounding
a projecting point, we saw a little cove as smooth as an inland lake.
19
290 WALTER MACON LOWKIE.
Soon our boat touched the bottom, and we were safe. It was a time
of joy. With one consent we gathered together under the trees,
and offered up our thanksgiving to God. It was well we came in
when we did, for it was then high tide, and a few hours later, the
channel through which we passed was itself one mass of breakers."
The island upon which they had landed was the island of Luban.
There to their great joy they found the crew of the other boat, with
the exception of four men, who had been drowned.
Arrived at Manilla, Mr. Lowrie found kind friends, who supplied
his wants. He was, however, still at a loss what to do, but thought
it best to return to China. He reached Hong- Kong on the 17th of
October, just four months after he had left Macao for Singapore, and
closes his journal with that beautiful and appropriate passage from
Psalms: cvii. 21-30.
" During the time spent in these disastrous voyages, the providence
of God had made the question plain on which the missionaries were
seeking light. The war between Great Britain and China had been
terminated by a treaty of peace, by which five cities on the coast
were opened to the commerce and enterprise of Western nations,
and to the labour of the Christian missionary. The time was fully
come when the labours of the church of God, in behalf of China,
needed no longer to be carried on at a distant out-post."
Mr. Lowrie now took up his residence at Macao, and entered
upon the study of the Chinese language ; preaching on the Sabbath
to the American and European residents at that place. The cir-
cumstances of the mission, then new, and having few with whom he
could consult, threw upon him heavy responsibilities. His progress
in the language was rapid. He writes to his brother: "My impres-
sions of China as a field of labour are much improved since I came out
here ; and after we once get free access to the people I do not think
the language will be a very formidable obstacle. It will always be
difficult, but I am inclined to think its difficulties have been greatly
overrated." After six months of study, he was able to read in easy
Chinese and to carry on a conversation with his teacher.
As it was thought best that some one from the mission should
visit the northern ports, on the last of August Mr. Lowrie left
Macao for Amoy and Chusan, calling at Hong-Kong. During his
voyage up the coast, he passed the three great opium depots. The
number of vessels employed in this traffic is very great. The laws
WALTER MACON LOWRIE. 291
which forbid its introduction, are a dead letter. The officers con-
nive at its sale, and the people will part with, any thing to secure
it; and its use is most deleterious. It is one of the strongest chains
in which Satan has bound that nation, and one of the chief obstacles
to the progress of the gospel. Owing to an unnecessary delay in
their departure, and an ill-provided crew, they were not able to
reach Chusan before the northern monsoon set in, and were com-
pelled to land at Amoy. Mr. L. here found Mr. Abeel and other
missionaries engaged in their work. While at Amoy, Mr. Abeel
and Mr. L. made an excursion to the city of Chang-Chow — lying
some forty miles in the interior. The impressions from this journey
are thus stated in his journal: "We were struck at the amazing
populousness of the country. From seven o'clock to two we passed
four cities, as large as the first class cities in the United States, sur-
rounded by two hundred villages. I am astonished and confounded,
and even after what I have seen, can scarcely believe the half of
what must be true respecting the multitudes — multitudes of people
who live in China, and who are perfectly accessible to the efforts of
the missionary. The great mass of these people are poor in
the strictest sense of the term. You see it in the coarse clothing
they wear, the food they ea,t, the houses they inhabit, the furniture
they use, and the wages they receive. Let the missionary who
comes to China bear this in mind. The brightest talents are needed
in preaching to the poor, — but especially will he need the graces of
humility and self-denial, of faith and patience in his efforts to instruct
the people. This people are still more degraded by the use of
opium. The amount of capital embarked in this trade is enormous,
and the eagerness of the Chinese to secure it, almost surpasses
belief. Every man who can afford to buy it, uses it, and I have
seen common beggars, too poor to buy an opium-pipe, smoking it
out of a little earthen vessel, which they had made to answer
the purpose of a pipe. But these poor degraded multitudes are
accessible. China is open to the gospel; and though there is no
hope for such a people but in God, yet his hand is not shortened
that it cannot save, nor his ear heavy that it cannot hear."
Mr. L. knew well the wickedness of the human heart, and the
serious obstacles which must be encountered in any attempt, to bring
such a people under the power of the truth. And yet his hopes,
stayed upon the promise of God, never failed. His faith kept him
cheerful in the midst of the most arduous labours. He counted the
292 WALTER MACON LOWRIE.
cost, and then set about the work manfully and hopefully. "Writing
to the students of the seminary at Princeton, he says: " Chinese
missionaries must expect trials. "We have a great work to perform,
if this people is to be converted to God; but when was it ever
known that any great work was accomplished, without labour and
toil, self-denial and sacrifice, and oftentimes the acutest mental
anguish? Has not every work that has been performed in the
world for God, been watered by the sweat, and the tears, and the
blood of his servants? And can we expect that the conversion of
the most populous nation of the globe, shall be accomplished with
ordinary efforts and ordinary sorrows? General experience is
against it: the experience of the missionaries in China is against it:
and the example of the Son of God, in the redemption of the world,
should teach us not to expect it." On returning from Amoy to
Hong-Kong, he was again in great danger. They had scarcely put
to sea, when the rudder of the vessel gave way, and they were left
at the mercy of the waves. The wind and current, however, drifted
them on in their course ; and they succeeded in fitting up the rud-
der so as to control the vessel, just as they were about entering
the China Sea, when their only hope would have been to have been
picked up by some passing vessel.
Mr. L. returned to Macao, and prosecuted the study of the Man-
darin ; still uncertain at which of the five ports opened by the British
treaty, he should be stationed. During the following year, the mis-
sionary force was much enlarged. The location of the brethern was
a subject of much delicacy; and a large share of the responsibility
fell upon Mr. L., as the oldest missionary upon the ground. But
after consultation and prayer, Mr. L. with four of his brethren were
stationed at Ningpo, one of the most northern ports. He did not,
however, remove until February, 1845.
In the mean time, he was much occupied with the experiments
necessary to complete the process of printing the Chinese with
metallic type. "Every thing was new, and the entire arrangement
of the characters devolved upon him. After months of labour, the
difficulties were surmounted, and the press went into successful
operation, June, 1844." This extra labour interfered greatly with
his Chinese studies ; and he was longing for the time to come when
he could speak of Christ to the nations.
The year 1845 was an important one in the history of China,
and particularly in the history of the Presbyterian mission among
WALTER MACON LOWRIE. 293
that people. It was during this year that those remarkable docu-
ments were published, " giving full toleration to the exercise of the
Christian religion without distinction and without obstruction."
During this year, the missions of the Presbyterian church began to
assume a more settled form. Early in the year, the missionaries
reached their stations, and commenced their work under favourable
auspices. In fixing upon the field of labour, Mr. Lloyd and Mr. L.
were separated. This was a great disappointment to these intimate
friends, but it seemed clearly the will of Providence: and after
seeing each other for two weeks, they parted to meet no more, until
they meet around the throne above. The sacrifice was cheerfully
made, as a part of that necessary trial in the great work of bringing
this people back to God.
On the 21st of January, 1845, Mr. L. bade farewell to Macao, and
turned his face to the north. He had witnessed great changes
during his residence in Macao. He found China closed; now five
large cities were open to the gospel. The only missionary on the
ground, from his own church, had been called home by ill-health,
and he had welcomed eight others to a share in this work. In
other missions, sad changes had taken place. Some had gone to
their rest, some had returned to their own land, not to return, and
some had gone to recruit their wasted energies. It had been a time
of change and trial.
He was detained at Hong-Kong nearly a month ; and then left in
a fast-sailing vessel, but with adverse winds. After a rough voyage
of twenty-three days, he landed near the city of Shanghai, the most
northern city open to the missionary. He reached Chusan on the
1st of April, and Ningpo on the llth. At Chusan he opened his
books, and found them sadly injured. "Some utterly ruined, three-
fourths defaced, or seriously damaged." This was a heavy loss to a
scholar far from libraries and the facilities for repairing the injury.
"The city of Ningpo lies in the centre of a large plain, sur-
rounded on all sides by mountains, and intersected by innumerable
canals, which serve the double purpose of irrigation and travelling."
It has a wall some fifteen feet in height. There are two lakes and a
canal within the city, communicating with those outside by water-
gates. The city is about six miles in circumference, and contains
from three to four hundred thousand inhabitants. Here, with Dr.
McCartee, Mr. Culberston, and Mr. Way, he began to enter fully
upon the great work for which he lived. He located himself in a
294 WALTER MACON LOWRIE.
monastery, just within the north gate of the city. Here, with his
teachers, and with occasional walks into the surrounding villages
and country, he spent the remainder of this year.
Although Mr. L. had now been in China between two and three
years, yet, owing to frequent interruptions, he had not been able to
devote more than about half that time to the acquisition of the lan-
guage. His attention, moreover, had previously been turned to the
Mandarin or court dialect, and to the written language. In these he
had laid a broad foundation, which was afterwards of great use, and
had his life been spared, would have made more eminently useful.
He was, however, beginning to use the spoken language with con-
siderable fluency. In a letter to his father, he gives his views thus:
" After a good deal of thought, I am about settling down to the
opinion, that I ought to aim at a pretty full knowledge of books
and writing in Chinese. In a mission so large as ours, and where
we have a press, there must be some one tolerably at home on such
points. I have been so circumstanced as to turn my thoughts much
that way. I have laid such a foundation of acquaintance with the
written language, as enables me to go on with some ease, and such as
the other brethren can hardly be expected to do in some time. My
education and previous habits are also such as fit me more for this,
than mingling with men, unless actually obliged to do so. I pro-
pose, therefore, not to neglect the colloquial, but to lay out a good
portion of my strength in reading and writing Chinese; keeping in
view, chiefly, the translation of the Scriptures and works explana-
tory of them, and perhaps the preparation of elementary books,
and it may be, a dictionary, a thing greatly needed." There was
the more need that some should devote themselves to this study, as
the question of a new translation was now a prominent one among
the missionaries. "Morrison's translation was not adapted to gen-
eral use. The same was true of Marshman's. The new translation
of Medhurst was much better, but still far from . perfect. It was
felt by all, that a new translation must be made."
In accordance with the plan above delineated, Mr. L., without
forgetting the great work of preaching, had prepared a work on
Luke — the text accompanied with notes, explaining the historical
allusions, geography, customs, &c., &c. He had also prepared a small
tract upon the Sabbath, with the second and fourth commandments.
In a letter to the Society of Inquiry, at Princeton, near the close
of this year, Mr. L. states his impressions of the field and prospects
WALTER MACON LOWRIE. 295
of the mission: "Few have any idea of the extent of the ground
that is opened and opening to our labours. This country is a world
in itself, and the thought has often occurred to me, in traversing its
beautiful plains and crowded streets, what a world has here been
revolving, of which Christendom knows nothing. And this vast
teeming population must have the gospel or must perish. Books
will not do the work. It is the living teacher who must speak unto
them the words of life. Such is the field we cultivate. As to our
prospects, you have them in the concluding verses of Psalm cxxvi. :
They that sow in tears,
With shoutings shall gather the harvest.
Going, he shall go, even with weeping, burdened with the seed to be sown.
Coming, he shall come, and with shouting, burdened with his sheaves.'"
The year 1845 closed with these labours.
In the course of the year 1846, Mr. L. began to preach. At first
his attempts were not much to his satisfaction. He describes his
service October 4th: "To-day commenced a Chinese service in my
house, inviting Choo-pang- Yew and all the friends to come and hear.
About the hour, my servant went to the door, and invited the
passers-by to come in. Some came in with their burdens, some
looking half-afraid, some ran right out again ; some stood up, some
sat down, some smoked their pipes, some said what is the use of
staying? — he is a foreigner, and we do not understand foreign talk.
The attention was none of the best, and it required all my courage
and presence of mind to keep going, and the people feeling quite
free to make remarks, I got along no better than I had anticipated.
I was not discouraged, though by no means flattered, with the result
of this first day's experiment."
He thus describes his mode of preparing and preaching: "I write
a sermon every week, some eight pages, not so large as a letter-paper
sheet, This I look over several times on a Sunday; put up a notice
on my door that there will be preaching. I commonly commence
as soon as there are five or six present, and if the weather be fair
I am pretty sure to have from fifteen to forty hearers. As the
people keep coming and going, I preach the same sermon over again
on the same afternoon; and in this way I reach from fifty to one
hundred on the Sabbath." This opportunity of preaching to such
audiences and under such circumstances was the matter of his high-
est joy and thankfulness.
296 WALTER MACON LOWRIE.
In September of this year Mr. L. commenced the work of pre-
paring a dictionary of the four books, and the five classics. These
books contain the body of the Chinese language, and would have led
him eventually to form a complete dictionary of the language. His
plan was to give each of the characters with its pronunciation in
Mandarin, and each of the dialects of the five ports. Then to give
the etymology of the word ; then to give the different significations ;
and quotations from native authors to illustrate each signification.
"As the whole of the ancient history, geography, &c., is contained
in these classics, I want my work to be a sort of Classical Dictionary
on these points. Hence I prepare short biographical, historical, and
geographical sketches, under the appropriate characters, with refer-
ences to native and foreign authors." This was an interesting as
well as difficult work; and he devoted himself to it with all his
accustomed energy and perseverance. He had made large progress
towards its completion when called away from his labours here.
Another work which occupied his attention \Yas the translation
of the Shorter Catechism. Owing to the condensed style in which
the catechism is written, and the want of equivalents to many
of its terms, this was a laborious undertaking. He finished it
May, 1847.
He contributed some papers to the "Chinese Eepository," on the
word to be used in translating the name of God into Chinese.
These were among the first papers advocating the choice so ably
sustained since by Bishop Boone and Dr. Bridgman.
During this year he compla'ins, with many of his missionary
brethren, of a low state of piety, and a want of consecration to God.
"God is showing me of late, in a very painful way, that in myself I
am nothing; can do nothing, and am utterly sinful and vile. There
has been much strangeness between God and my soul for many
months past, and often a great reluctance to a close and faithful deal-
ing with myself; so that I have lost the savour of spiritual things,
and the perception of the beauties of the Bible, and seldom draw
nigh to God. I seem to satisfy myself with very faint services. Oh,
Lord God, give me wings, and enable me to breathe the pure and
spiritual atmosphere of heaven! But I trust I am one of God's
people, and have not wholly forsaken his service. I have sought
happiness in my study, books, correspondence, business, friends;
and with a half heart to them and a half heart to God, how misera-
bly have I gone on I Oh Lord, unite my heart to fear thy namel"
WALTER MACON LOWRIE. 297
There are Christian hearts even on Christian ground who will find
no difficulty in reading their own experience here.
In reference to the trials of a missionary life, Mr. L. speaks thus
in a paper found among his manuscripts after his death: "The first
trial is commonly in the language he has to learn. He is astonished
and almost sickened by the sights of idolatry which he now sees
with his own eyes. His heart is overflowing with the desire to tes-
tify against the sins he sees, and burning with zeal to urge upon the
people repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus
Christ. Alas ! my brother, your mouth is closed and your tongue
tied. Restraining your zeal as you may, you sit down to your books,
your teacher at your side, and work away in a hot climate sustained
by hope. But we will suppose this first difficulty overcome. You
have your first sermon prepared. You have studied it carefully.
You have prayed and wept over it. You open your doors, and
with a heart not wholly calm wait for your hearers. After getting
something like order established, you commence to talk with
them. Some few give a fixed attention. The most, however, stare
vacantly, and while delivering your most earnest exhortations, two or
three get up and walk out; or one man commences an audible con-
versation with his neighbour, another smokes his pipe, and another
takes nuts out of his pocket, and deliberately employs himself in
munching them. You soon begin to observe that few of your hear-
ers come the second time. You find too that they are utterly igno-
rant of the first principles of the oracles of God. You see no result
of your labours. In the midst of all these discouragements it will
be very strange if, after a few months, you do not feel the thought
rising up, — 'Well, there is no use in talking to a people like this.'
Then there is that sense of loneliness. Our congregations are dead.
We have no Christian families to visit. It is not pleasant to go
through the crowded burial-grounds here or look out over the plains.
Death reigns. An idol temple pollutes every scene. The air is
loaded with the smoke of incense offered to devils. The breezes
waft sounds of idolatrous worship to our ears. We look over a
region where there are thousands and myriads of people, and we
feel that we are alone here. Oh, the loneliness, the utter desolation
of soul. I have sometimes felt, in walking through these crowded
streets, the very dogs barking at me for a foreigner, and not one
among all these thousands to whom I could utter the name of Jesus
with any hope of a response. Dry bones! very dry! We are walk-
298 WALTER MACON LOWRIE.
ing among decaying skeletons, and grinning skulls, and death, reigns.
THIS is LONELINESS. We have temptations like yours, perhaps
worse. We have to look on idolatry and vice as common things,
and accustom ourselves to see, with comparatively little concern,
things that would deprive you of your rest. We must also more or
less feel the influence of the public sentiment of these heathen lands ;
which, like the hot blasts of summer, that weaken our bodies, blows
over our souls with its sickening influences, like the poisonous breath
of Ill-praise in the 'Holy War.' Forget not to pray for those who
are often troubled on every side, though not distressed; perplexed,
though not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down,
but not destroyed."
The missionaries at Ningpo were encouraged by the hopeful con-
version of three persons to Christ ; they were enabled to close their
report with thanksgiving for the past and hope for the future: "In
the midst of idolatry and superstition, and the accompanying degra-
dation in morals and character, much has been gained. We have
a knowledge of the disposition, habits, and modes of thought of the
people; we have laid the foundation of such a knowledge of the
language, as will enable us to declare intelligibly the whole counsel
of God ; we have begun to be favourably known among the people,
many have become acquainted with our object in residing among
them ; and not a few have attained a considerable knowledge of the
doctrine we teach ; sufficient to lead them to a Saviour, were it not
for an evil heart of unbelief. On the other hand, the state of society
affords us many grounds of encouragement. There are no walls of
caste. There are no titled aristocracy. We are in the midst of a quiet,
peaceful people. We may preach the gospel with the same freeness
and boldness as in America, and the fields are white to the harvest."
The early part of the year 1847 was spent in much the same
method: preaching on the Sabbath; correcting proofs for the press;
carrying on a large correspondence ; and pressing on with his trans-
lations and his dictionary. His plans were constantly enlarging
as he advanced with his work. He was gaining rapidly an insight
into the genius and meaning of the language, and also in ability to
express himself in public discourses.
"Having been appointed one of the delegates for the revision of
the translation of the Bible, he reached Shanghai early in June, and
when his colleagues were assembled, took part in that important
work. The other delegates were Drs. Medhurst, Boone, Bridgman.
WALTER MACON LOWRIE. 299
and Mr. J. Stronach. He had supposed that the convention would
not sit more than six or seven weeks, but it was soon found that a
much longer time would be required. After a week's labour, the
convention were arrested by the question, what is the proper word
for God in the Chinese? Morrison and Milne had adopted the word
81iin, as meaning God or divinity in general. Medhurst at first
used the same word; but afterwards chose the term Shangti, which
means Supreme ruler. Mr. Gutzlaffdid the same; and under their
influence the latter term was the one in common use among the
missionaries. It was, however, objected to: first, as being the title
of the national deity ; and secondly, because it is not a general term,
and cannot be used in such passages as 'Jehovah our God.' Dr.
Medhurst and Mr. Stronach took decided ground for Shangti, and
Drs. Boone and Bridgman and Mr. L. for Shin" The controversy
as to which should be chosen, lasted for a long time.
At Shanghai, Mr. L. continued his Chinese studies much as at
Ningpo. On Saturday the 14th of August he received a letter from
his brethren at ISTingpo, requesting him to join them immediately.
On Monday the 16th, with two of his servants, he set out by canal to
Chapoo. They reached that place on the 18th. A regular passenger-
boat to Ningpo was engaged, and early on the 19th they set sail.
The wind was contrary, and they were compelled to beat. They had
scarcely gone twelve miles, when suddenly a vessel was seen bearing
down upon them very rapidly. The boatmen and passengers were
much alarmed; but Mr. L. endeavoured to allay their fears. As the
vessel came near, he showed a small American flag; bur they still
came on. It proved to be a piratical vessel. As soon as they came
alongside, they boarded the boat, with swords and spears; and
began to beat and thrust all in their way. They inflicted no injury,
however, upon Mr. L. He was seated on a box, and remained quiet.
When they were breaking open a trunk, he took out the key and
gave it to them. They continued stripping the Chinese of every thing,
but touched nothing of Mr. L. Before they had finished plundering,
however, something seemed to have awakened a fear in their minds,
lest when he reached Shanghai, they should be reported to the
authorities. They debated for a time whether they should kill him
or throw him alive into the sea. They hastily determined upon the
latter, and two men seized him, but being unable to effect their pur-
pose, another came to their assistance, and he was thrown overboard.
While the pirates were ransacking the boat, he was engaged reading
300 WALTER MACON LOWRIE.
his Bible ; and when they drew him on deck, he still had it in his
hand. As they were casting him into the sea, he turned partially
around, and threw his Bible upon the deck. He was seen several
times as if he would struggle towards the boat; but as one of the
pirates stood ready to strike him, if he should approach, he desisted,
and soon sank. Such was the end of that beloved man. His work
was done, and God took him to his rest.
"We have no room to quote the pious expression of his missionary
brethren, which this sudden death called forth. He was regarded
by every one as eminently qualified for the work in which he was
engaged. His disposition was amiable ; his talents were of a high
order; he was in earnest in what he undertook; his energy and
perseverance were remarkable; his piety was cheerful, "enlightened
and profound." He was well fitted to meet and overcome the
difficulties which he himself so truthfully and eloquently describes.
"No one in China," says Bishop Boone, "promised to do more for
the cause of our Divine Master than he. Just called by his breth-
ren's choice to a participation in the work of revising the transla-
tion of the Scriptures, this call was having the happiest effect in
overcoming his disposition to modest retirement, and making him
feel the necessity that was laid upon him, to take a more prominent
stand among those whose attainments in the language qualified
them to participate in all of a general character that was doing to
advance the Saviour's cause. He was daily growing in power, and
the field of usefulness was continually opening wider and wider
before him; but God had work for him above this vale of tears,
and now leaves us mourning and sorrowing, to do the great work
without his aid. Dearly as I know he was loved by the mission
with which he was connected, yet I believe no one in China mourns
his loss as I do. We were together daily for two months and a
half — labouring together in what we both believed to be the most
important matter connected with our Master's cause in China, with
which we had ever been connected. We had promised each other,
if my life was spared, to do much together to set the plain doctrines
of the cross, by means of tracts, before this people; but, alas! he is
not, for God has taken him."
DAVID ABEEL.
PLEASING as may be the task of him whose duty it becomes to
chronicle the acts of the Christian Missionary, a serious drawback
is often felt in the paucity of materials from which to give a true
record of the daily life of such an one, during the most active and
useful portion of his existence.
The existing biography of Mr. Abeel, prepared by his nephew,
is, in fact, but little more than a collation from his private diary
and correspondence. As in the case of most missionaries who spend
their lives in foreign lands, there are none to tell us of their labours
and their daily warfare with trials and discouragements, or of the
absolute result of their self-denying labours — these can only be seen
by an Omniscitent God. A glance, however, at the character of
such a man as Mr. Abeel, is not without its uses, even though we
are unable to follow him through all his course of toil, and to wit-
ness those conflicts and victories over sin, which are ever incidental
to the life of the faithful Missionary of the cross.
DAVID ABEEL was born in the city of New-Brunswick, in the
State of New-Jersey, June 12th, 1804. His grandfather, James
Abeel, was of Dutch descent, his family having originally came from
Amsterdam, in Holland. He was himself a resident of the city of
New- York, and was for some time a deputy quarter-master in the
Continental Army. David Abeel, senior, father to the subject of
our notice, was a brother of the Eev. John N. Abeel, (well known
as a pastor of the Dutch Keformed Church,) and was himself an
officer in the United States' navy, during a considerable portion of
the Revolutionary War. His character was that of an upright, wor-
thy and strictly moral man ; — and so distinguished was he for his
intrepid bravery during the war, that he was included among the
few who received the special thanks of Congress for their zealous
and patriotic devotion to the service of their country. He married
Jane Hassert, of New-Brunswick, the mother of our subject, a
woman of peculiar excellence of character, and deeply imbued with
all the Christian graces.
302 DAVID ABEEL.
The mind of young Abeel seems to have partaken, even in child-
hood, of the character of both parents, and hence we find his boyish
traits to have been a fondness for field sports and manly exercises, a
* high sense of honour, great generosity, and strong attachment to his
friends. His buoyancy of spirits and cheerfulness were also notice-
able, and became of great service to him in after-life, in meeting the
various trials and discouragements to which he was exposed.
As might naturally be expected from his early mental associations
and general tastes, he early conceived a predilection for the profes-
sion of arms, and when fifteen years of age, he made application for
admission to the Military Academy at "West Point. Happily for the
cause to which he has proved so bright an ornament, obstacles were
interposed to his success in this attempt, and he was induced to
withdraw his application, though bitterly disappointed by the neces-
sities of the case.
Having been led to relinquish his favourite plan, Mr. Abeel
commenced the study of medicine as a profession. Up to this
period, we have no evidence that he had been the subject of any
marked religious impressions, or that his mind was particularly
directed to the great truths of salvation. After having pursued his
medical studies for nearly a year, however, the appeals of the gospel
found their way to his heart, and his soul became filled with all the
horrors which proceed from the chidings of an awakened conscience.
His agony became insupportable,' and his convictions were so power-
ful that he at one time feared he had committed the unpardonable
sin against the Holy Ghost. Long and sadly he groped in darkness,
thick clouds surrounded him, and it was only by slow degrees that
light broke in upon his troubled soul, and his doubts and perplexi-
ties receded under the clear radiance of gospel truths and par-
doning grace.
Of the change which took place in the character of Mr. Abeel at
the period of his conversion, his friends bear abundant testimony.
Then it was that he commenced to live, and evinced his desire, by
an unreserved consecration of himself, to put on the whole armour
of God, 'and spend the remainder of his days in His service. From
that moment the chief desire of his heart seems to have been to
know the will of his Heavenly Father, and how he might best pro-
mote his cause. The path of duty seemed at length to reveal itself
to him, and with conscientious promptness he entered upon it, and
commenced the study of theology. In the autumn of 1823 he
DAVID ABEEL. 303
entered the Theological Seminary at New-Brunswick, and pursued
his studies with unremitting industry for the customary period of
three years. While in the Seminary he laboured much for the
spiritual welfare of the sick and poor in the neighbourhood, and
especially at the alms-house, where he was wont to spend much of
his leisure time, labouring by prayer and exhortation for the good
of the inmates.
Of his religious progress while pursuing his studies we learn from
his diary, his constant and unwavering devotion to the great pur-
pose of his existence, and his longings after great holiness. The
following resolution with his signature attached was made during
this period, and subsequently found among his papers :
"Conscious of the importance of making an unreserved surrender
of myself to Him, under the service of whose banner I have enlisted,
I would solemnly determine [not in my own strength, but by the
cooperation and restraining influence of the Spirit of God, in whom
alone I trust,] on this 15th of September, 1825, henceforth to
renounce every known sin, though it cost me the pain of plucking
out an eye, or cutting off a hand, and of living, as far as possible, a
life consistent with my high vocation. May the Lord grant me his
strength, and the glory shall be given to him!"
On the 20th of April, 1826, Mr. Abeel was licensed to preach,
and the entries made in his journal at this time show with what
misgivings and self-distrust he entered upon the work of the minis-
try ; and his fervent invocations of Divine aid in the arduous work,
clearly indicate alike a sense of his own weakness and his strong
confidence in the sustaining power of God.
About the 1st of June, of the same year, he was settled as the
pastor of a church in the town of Athens, Greene county, N. Y.,
and for two years and a half he continued to labour here for the
welfare of souls, with a zeal and energy commensurate with the
weight of responsibility which he felt to be resting upon him. From
the first of his settlement in Athens he was impelled onward in the
discharge of his duties by a burning, resistless desire for an out-
pouring of God's spirit upon the people of his charge.
Of his faithfulness and untiring devotion to the work of his
Master, much might be said, but a single remark, made by one in
whose house he resided while at Athens, must serve to illustrate his
manner of life: "I never knew him to sit with the family, or even
to pass through the room in which they were engaged, without
304 DAVID ABEEL.
making some remarks of a religious character — saying something
to impress the mind with its importance."
One thus devoted to his Master's service could hardly fail to
receive some tokens of his approbation, and accordingly we find an
almost continuous spirit of inquiry among his people during the
whole period of his ministry, and constant accessions to his church.
It is a highly gratifying and somewhat remarkable fact, that of the
large number gathered in under the labours of this faithful pastor,
not a single instance occurred of a return to the things of earth, but
in every case they were sustained in the Christian course they had
thus begun.
It should have been before stated that in October, 1826, five
months after his settlement at Athens, Mr. Abeel was ordained as
an Evangelist by the Classis of Rensselaer, and his labours were by
no means confined to his own people, but he visited neighbouring
congregations, and whenever there were any unusual indications of
the work of God's Spirit, his presence was eagerly sought and
highly appreciated.
Such unremitting labours could not fail to produce an unfavour-
able effect on a physical system as frail as his, and he was at length
compelled, by the inroads of disease, to leave the people of his
charge, and seek in change of scene and labour relief for his weak-
ened and debilitated frame. But this he would not do until he had
found a successor who should supply his place, and watch over those
to whom he could himself no longer minister. Having performed
this duty in a manner satisfactory to all concerned, Mr. Abeel
bade adieu to his charge, and at the instance of several of his
friends, he embarked for the island of St. John's, West Indies,
with the view of spending the winter there in recruiting his health,
and at the same time preaching to the inhabitants of the island. A
government order, however, prevented the execution of the latter part
of his plan, except for a few weeks, and he returned to New- York the
following spring, where he spent a short time in preaching to the con-
gregation of the Protestant Reformed Dutch Church in Orchard street.
It was at this juncture that Mr. Abeel received a proposition
from the Seaman's Friend Society, and the American Board of
Commissioners for Foreign Missions, that he should go out to Can-
ton, to see what could be done in behalf of sailors visiting that port:
and also in behalf of that portion of the native population residing
either in that port, or other accessible ports of the country.
DAVID ABEEL. 305
The subject of Foreign Missions was by no means a new one to
the mind of Mr. Abeel. He had pondered much upon it while a
settled pastor, and had even shown a strong interest in the cause.
A desire had existed in his heart to labour in the Holy Land; but
his was a mind ever open to what he considered the indications of
Providence, and this proposition, taken in connection with the
appearance of certain obstacles to his entering the field of his choice,
induced him, in common with his friends, to feel that his next duty
was to China. This decision was not hastily or unadvisedly formed
— the subject had been one of much earnest prayer, meditation, and
self-examination; and with the sincere desire to know and do his
Master's will, he set about preparations for his errand of love.
On the 14th of October, 1829, he sailed from New- York in the
ship Roman, accompanied by Mr. Bridgman, a fellow- missionary.
During the voyage, the attention of Mr. Abeel was greatly absorbed
in his efforts for the conversion of the officers and seamen connected
with the vessel. He held private personal interviews with each,
furnished them with suitable religious reading, and held religious
services on the Sabbath. His health during this period was exceed-
ingly precarious, and he was frequently oppressed with doubts as to
his duty in view of it. Indeed, he was so disheartened at one time at
the prospect of reaching China, only to be a burden to the Socie-
ties that had employed him, that he had nearly resolved to stop at
the Cape of Good Hope, and retrace his steps in a homeward direc-
tion. He determined at length, however, in accordance with the
advice of Mr. Bridgman, to proceed, and leave the result in the
hands of God. They reached Canton on the 25th of February,
1830, and were kindly greeted by Dr. Morrison, who, for upwards
of twenty years, had been labouring almost unaided in this field,
and whose heart overflowed with joy at this accession of aid to the
cause in which he had been so long engaged.
Mr. Abeel, it will be remembered, was primarily engaged in the
service of the Seaman's Friend Society, with the understanding,
however, that he was ultimately to be transferred to the service of
the American Board. Accordingly, immediately on his arrival at
Canton, he commenced his duties as seaman's chaplain. After
a course of labour, of nearly a year's duration, he closed his
engagement with the Seaman's Friend Society, and entered upon
his engagement under the American Board. Pursuant to his
instructions, he sailed from Canton upon an exploring tour to Java,
20
306 DAVID ABEEL.
Malacca, Siam, and the islands of Eastern Asia. He was directed
to examine, so far as his means would allow, the wants and condi-
tion of these countries, in a religious point of view, and to report
upon the feasibility of establishing missionary stations among them.
In a letter written to his parents, about this time, Mr. Abeel thus
endeavours to cheer their minds, concerning the dangers to which
he was soon to be exposed: "Pray dismiss your fears about my
welfare. I am in the hands of One who is more interested in my
happiness than all of you, and who will protect me from all dan-
gers, until he sees proper to remove me beyond their influence.
What more could you desire, if you really desire my best interest?
Oh, how we mistake on these points! We can trust our senses
farther than our God; and every calculation we attempt, proceeds
on the unwarranted principle, that the continuance of mortal life is
more desirable than the enjoyment of heavenly perfection and bliss.
We can ask no more — we can possibly desire nothing so much, as
to meet in the presence of God, and spend an eternity in admiring
and praising the exceeding compassion and grace of Him who has
redeemed us with his own blood, and made us kings and priests
unto God! Though I should be, as you may suppose, delighted to
meet you all again on earth, it appears a matter of the least import-
ance, if we dwell together for ever."
In this confiding, hopeful spirit, Mr. Abeel continued his labours,
intent alone upon the work allotted him. Although the nature of
his instructions did not permit him long to labour in any one place
at this time, yet the united testimony of his Christian brethren, in
those places where he was permitted to tarry, clearly indicates the
healthful and cheering influence he every where exerted. It was
well remarked of him, that "he was Catholic in his spirit, and
though attached to his own church, he was a friend to all of every
name who loved Jesus. He laboured for all, and he prayed for all."
About two years and a half were thus passed by Mr. Abeel in the
prosecution of his investigations. This time was divided between
Batavia, Siam, and Singapore, together with repeated journeys to
the several islands of the Eastern Archipelago, whither he was led
in part by his desire for missionary intelligence, and partly with
the view of recruiting his failing health. The limits of this brief
sketch will not allow of an extended notice of these labours, and a
single remark in regard to his own religious state must suffice. He
was during this period often sadly depressed in his spirits, as his
DAVID ABEEL. 307
diary would indicate, on account of the hidings of God's counte-
nance. He often groped in darkness, and mourned over his spirit-
ual trials, but never for one moment did he falter in his desire to
know and to do his whole duty, and to spend his all in the work
of the Lord.
On the 25th of May, 1833, having become much prostrated by
disease, and being directed by the Board to return home, he
embarked for England, and arrived the following October — much
improved in health and strength. Here, and upon the Continent, he
passed nearly a year by the advice of his medical friends, travelling
through France, Germany, Holland, and Switzerland, procuring mis-
sionary information, and endeavouring to awaken a spirit of coopera-
tion among the evangelical churches in behalf of the cause of missions.
He sailed for America in August, 1834, and on his arrival at once
set himself about the advancement of the missionary cause, by every
means in his power. He went about from place to place, through
various sections of the United States, visited theological institu-
tions, attempting to infuse the missionary spirit into the minds of
professors of religion, ministers, theological students, and, indeed, of
all he might meet, of every name. Many evidences exist of the good
results which attended this part of his labours, and many still remem-
ber the healthful impulse given by his presence to the progress
of religion in those institutions among which he divided his time.
Having never abandoned the intention of returning to China, when-
ever his health would permit, the succeeding two years were spent
by him in alternate hope and fear, lest his physical infirmities should
preclude his further labours.
At length, however, he was permitted by his medical advisers
to try the experiment of a return, and in October, 1838, he sailed
again for Canton, in company with other missionaries, and arrived
in February, 1839, after an absence of eight years. After a short
period of labour at Canton and Macao, an unexpected impediment
to all missionary efforts arose, in the difficulties which occurred at
this time, between the Chinese and British Government, on the
opium-trade. The war which grew out of these difficulties, how-
ever beneficial it may have proved in its results, in opening a more
free and unrestrained passage for the spread of the gospel among
the Chinese, was, at this time, a source of much hindrance and
ernbarassment to the cause, and compelled the missionaries almost
wholly to suspend their labours.
308 DAVID ABEEL.
Pursuant to his instructions, Mr. Abeel now turned his attention
to the religious interests of the Eastern Archipelago. He visited
Borneo, Malacca, Java, and also spent some time at Amoy, Ko-
longsoo, and Singapore. His time was chiefly taken up in visiting
these and other places, that gave promise of affording facilities for
the introduction of the gospel.
During a stay of some months at Singapore, he acted as chaplain
to the English chapel; and also preached every Sabbath in the Chi-
nese language. His labours here as in other places were highly
valued by those who witnessed them, and were most salutary in their
effect. At Kolongsoo and Amoy, his labours were great and unceas-
ing. Although compelled by feeble health to such a frequent change
of plan, his journeyings were always made in some way subservient
to the great work in which his whole soul was engaged; thus we
find him occupied in his wanderings in the distribution of religious
books, and in personal conversation with individuals when he was
unable from circumstances to address a large number together. For
a period of five years he was permitted to labour thus in the field
of his choice ; but at length exhausted nature could do no more, and
the stern mandate of necessity compelled him to abandon the work,
and seek again the land of his childhood before the last sands of
his fading life should be wholly exhausted.
He embarked for New- York in January, 1845, "doubtful," as he
remarks in his diary, "which home I should reach first.11 His home
was changed. During his absence, both father and mother had been
removed from earth, and there was much of sadness that mingled
with the pleasure of being surrounded once more by surviving
relatives. His bodily infirmities were great, and at times his suf-
ferings were hardly to be borne. His time was chiefly passed inl
devotional exercises, and he seemed but little affected by any
worldly considerations.
As the close of his life drew near, his sufferings increased, and in j
like proportion his hopes grew brighter. His death was regarded j
by him with perfect composure, and spoken of as freely as any other]
topic. He made a perfect disposition of all his affairs, and arranged]
every thing, even to the spot where his remains should be interred.]
Shortly before his death, his agony became excruciating, so much sol
that he would permit no one of his friends to be present in his room!
except his physician. Calmly he awaited the final moment in close
communion with his Maker. "His last wish was to be left undis-J
DAVID ABEEL. 809
turbed. Before his death, his sufferings ceased, and he lay as in a
gentle slumber till he died. No groan or sigh was heard. He fell
asleep in Jesus."
The last record in his diary, made about ten days before his death,
is worthy of preservation, as it exhibits the peaceful state of mind
which it is the exclusive privilege of the Christian to enjoy as he
looks upon his approaching end:
"August 20, 1846.— Wonderfully preserved! With a kind and
degree of disease that generally has a speedy issue, I live on. All
things are mine. God sustains me through wearisome days and
tedious, painful nights. Simple faith in his word keeps my mind
in peace, but he generously adds strong consolation. When I
embarked for home, the latter part of the fifth chapter of Hebrews
was blessed to the production of the assurance of hope or something
a-kin to it. I have not lost it. Death has no sting. Oh, may the
Conqueror continue with me to the close! and then "
Thus the diary closes, and we have reason for the belief that the
prayer of the dying saint was fully answered, and that the Holy
Comforter was with him to the last. His death occurred September
4th, 1846, at the age of forty -two years.
It is a pleasant and a profitable thing to study the character of
such a man as David Abeel, for we may draw from it a lesson use-
ful to all. In the ordinary acceptation of the term, Mr. Abeel was
not a great man. Although possessed of talents of no mean order,
his genius was not a towering one, and his attainments were not
superior to those of many other men who would rank far below him
in point of usefulness. Sound judgment, and the power of mental
application, he had to an eminent degree, and his steady, inflexible
perseverance alone carried him through the great amount of literary
toil to which he was subjected in the study of the various languages
he acquired to a greater or less extent during his life. What he
lacked in brilliancy of intellect was abundantly compensated for in
its strength and force, and the clearness and accuracy of his reason-
ing gave ample proof of his powers of discrimination. He had a
critical acquaintance with several languages, and of the Chinese he
acquired a command that has fallen to the lot of very few, except
natives of the country. The Siamese and Malay languages he also
learned, so as to use them with much fluency and ease. He used to
310 DAVID ABEEL.
say that much of his success in learning the Chinese language was
attributable to the correctness and delicacy of his musical ear, and
he remarked frequently that no one ought ever to attempt the
study of this language who had not a nice ear, and the power of
distinguishing with accuracy between similar sounds. When it is
remembered, in connection with what he accomplished, how feeble
was his health, how many were the obstacles he encountered, and
how few the advantages he possessed, it will be obvious that nothing
but a vigorous determination and an indefatigable industry could
have sustained him. His writings are distinguished for their clear-
ness and simplicity, partaking much of the character of his mind, and
exhibiting forcibly its leading characteristics.
The chief of his published works are a description of life in China
and other parts of Asia, published in 1835, and a volume entitled
"The Claims of the World to the Gospel." Kev. Dr. WyckofF, in
his funeral discourse on Mr. Abeel, remarks: "His 'Residence in
China' discovers a quick apprehension and a just perception of the
beautiful and repulsive in nature and in morals. His 'Discussion on
Missions' bespeaks close discrimination, accurate representation, with
candid and powerful argumentation."
His sermons, his biographer remarks, were prepared with much care,
it being his practice to select his subject on the first day of the week,
and to meditate upon it much before presenting it to his hearers, that,
understanding and feeling more deeply its force, he might the better
bring it home to the hearts of others. His preaching was eminently
practical and direct. His manner was highly prepossessing, and cal-
culated to fix the attention ; at the same time there was an utter
absence of all affectation, and the listener could not but feel that
the rich, mellow voice to which he was attending did indeed speak
forth "the words of truth and soberness."
He preached during the greater part of his life abroad every
Sabbath, and acted, as stated above, as chaplain at Singapore and
Canton, as well as at Kolongsoo. His ministrations were uniformly
received with favour, and his deep earnestness of purpose and sin-
gleness of heart won for him friends wherever he was stationed.
But the key to his success, not only as a preacher of the everlast-
ing Gospel, but also in his other undertakings, was his deep and
ardent piety. Few probably enter upon the Christian course with
a higher standard of personal holiness, or more extended views of
the nature of true sanctification. God's Holy Word, and this alone,
DAVID ABEEL. 311
was the test by which he sought to measure every thought, word
and deed. Not content with the limited attainments of common
Christians, he aimed to adopt as his only criterion the example of
his Saviour, and to make His life and character his only model for
imitation. To this end he was wont to spend much time in the
critical study of the Bible. "He studied it," says his biographer,
"on his knees, with a teachable spirit. For days he would pore over
some precious passage or chapter until his soul was filled with its
spirit. He would often peruse it in many different languages, that,
to use his own expression, he might perhaps find some beauty or
striking thought in one translation or version, which was not in
another.
"Wherever he went, the Bible was his companion, and as often
as opportunity offered in his journeyings, he would refresh and
strengthen his soul by its perusal, and thus preserve himself from
the power of worldly influence. In his hours of sickness it was his
delight to comment on different portions of the Word while some
person would read it to him slowly. And after his strength failed,
the study of the Bible was the chief source of his consolation."
Of such an one it might be safely predicated that he lived near
to God, and that the place of secret prayer would be constantly
sought by him. This was indeed the case, and of no one could it
be more truly said, that "he was a man of prayer."
His strict views of Christian responsibility brought him to a deep
sense of his dependence on Divine assistance in the daily trials of
life, and be loved to recognise his highest privilege in his daily
intercourse with his God. His were not the hurried prayers and
the slighted devotions of a few grudged moments taken perforce
from the pursuit of more genial avocations ; but the appointed sea-
sons were hailed with peculiar delight; when he might withdraw
himself from the surrounding world, and in the stillness of his closet
commune alone with Him who seeth in secret. When a student in the
Theological Seminary, it is related of him that in a wood adjacent
to the institution, in a retired spot, he prepared a place to which he
might repair for prayer and self-examination unmolested by distrac-
tions calculated to divert his mind from contemplation. Here would
he spend hours in close communion with God and his own heart,
in deep abasement on account of his short comings, and in humble
renewal of his vows of consecration. He loved his closet, for it was
after such seasons of wrestling with God that he would come forth,
312 DAVID ABEEL.
his countenance radiant with light from above, and his heart imbued
with a portion of that love that passeth all understanding. Thus it
was that obstacles vanished before him, his mind was strengthened,
his hopes revived, and he could with renewed energy press forward
in the work of the Lord. Truly did he recognise, in the fulness of
its force, the injunction, "that men ought always to pray, and not
to faint."
With a mind so thoroughly imbued with a sense of dependence
on a superior power, and a heart so fully alive to the duty of self-
exertion, it is not surprising that Mr. Abeel should have been the
holy man that he was, or that with a faith like his, he should have
been sustained through trials and obstacles that would have made
stronger men to quail before them; but his was that faith that
entereth within the vail, and trials and difficulties were of little
moment to him, while he could feel that he was leaning on the arm
of an all-sustaining Grod. His example furnishes us with a new
illustration of the power and willingness of our Heavenly Father
to preserve unto the end those whom he has appointed to serve
him. It shows us how moral strength can triumph over physical
weakness, and how much a spirit of self-devotion and persevering
energy can do to atone for the disabilities of a feeble frame and
precarious state of health. It furnishes us with another example
of exalted piety, faithful diligence in the path of duty, and unfal-
tering trust in the promises of a Divine Eedeemer. It shows us
the converting and sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, in reclaim-
ing to the service of God a weak and sinful child of Adam, and in
leading him by mysterious providences through a useful life and a
triumphant death, to a place amid the throng of angels and spirits
of the just made perfect, that chant the song of redeeming love
around the eternal throne.
MUNSON AND LYMAN.
THE union of these men in labours, and in death, as well as the
affectionate harmony which uniformly bound them together in life,
and blended their active career inseparably into one, are sufficient
reasons for their juxtaposition in this sketch.
SAMUEL MUNSON was born in New-Sharon, Maine, March 23,
1804. He was the subject of careful religious instruction in child-
hood, and his conscience, naturally tender, responded to the truth,
at times with no little energy. At ten years of age he lost both
his parents, and was received into the family of a friend, where his
amiable temper and exemplary good conduct greatly endeared him
to those who had so befriended him in his orphanage. A frank and
winning deportment, strict integrity, mild decision, and an aptitude
for steady application, made him a favourite alike with his teachers
and playmates. At nineteen he gave satisfactory evidence of piety.
No detailed account of his religious impressions at that time has
been preserved. His hopes at first were mingled with many fears,
but his character bore the evident impress of a thorough Christian
experience, and he was admitted to the communion of the church
in September, 1823.
His mind was very soon directed to the work of the ministry, and
to the exercise of his ministry among the heathen. But he had no
pecuniary resources, and knew not how to proceed. He was received
under the patronage of the Maine branch of the Education Society,
but its funds were scanty, and the amount he received from that
source was entirely insufficient to defray the expense of a liberal
education. A clerical friend gave him gratuitous instruction for a
few months, and he succeeded in borrowing the necessary books.
He taught common schools at intervals, and between leaving Farm-
ington and entering Bowdoin College laboured for a time on a farm.
Through his whole college course he suffered from pecuniary embar-
31-i MUNSON AND LYMAN.
rassment, and unwilling to draw unnecessarily on the funds of the
Education Society, his wants were always under-stated. He under-
went many privations, which he bore with the greater cheerfulness,
in view of his desired sphere of labour. Still, discouragement some-
times overtook him. " Nothing now lies before me," he writes, "but
a dreary, dubious struggle. "Were it not that I am persuaded the
hand of God has brought me thus far, and still points onward, I
should seek a refuge in the bosom of my friends."
Mr. Munson was not distinguished in college for quickness of
perception or ease in acquiring knowledge. But he was a patient
scholar, with a solid and accurate judgment, and a temper habitually
cautious. He was comparatively slow in forming a decision, and
tenacious in adhering to it. Hence, though not of a superior stand-
ing as a scholar, he thoroughly comprehended his studies as far as
he went, and commanded a high degree of respect. The turn of
his mind was contemplative, his sensibilities were tender, but the
main-spring of his conduct was not in moods and feelings. A sense
of duty made him active in every good work, and besides the con-
scientious discharge of his academic duties, he was often found
in the abodes of disease and want, and gathered a Sabbath school
that grew and prospered under his faithful superintendence.
On the termination of his college course in 1829, he entered the
Theological Seminary at Andover, Mass. The diligent and system-
atic habits he had formed, enabled him not only to pursue, with
uncommon thoroughness, the stated branches of biblical and theo-
logical study, but to enrich his mind by continued application to
studies that are very generally relinquished after leaving college,
and by independent investigations in every accessible department
of useful knowledge. Such were his ideas of the ministerial and
missionary work, that he would have been unfaithful to his sense
of duty had he neglected any possible means of mental and spiritual
culture. He gave daily proof of sterling, unaffected, all-controlling
piety, combined with sober good sense, exhibiting a symmetrical
union of zeal and discretion, — shrinking from every thing ostenta-
tious, but from nothing, however arduous, that legitimately appealed
to his conscience and judgment.
The associations connected with Andover, as the scene of those
counsels out of which American missions to the heathen directly
sprung, could not fail to quicken those desires which had impelled
him from an early period in his religious history. But in nothing
MUNSON AND LYMAN. 315
is the sobriety of his character more strikingly manifest, than in the
discriminating view he took of this subject as respected his personal
duty. "There is a novelty," he remarks, "connected with the mis-
sionary life, — a voyage across the ocean, — a tour perhaps among the
ruins of ancient Greece, or a visit to the land which was the theatre
of our Saviour's mission, and the city over which he wept, — or per-
haps an abode in some remote, yet beautiful island in the Pacific,
where nature has lent all her charms to give elegance and enchant-
ment to her luxuries : such prospects, connected with the success that
has attended the missionary effort, and the urgent call for more
labourers, have at times so wrought upon my feelings, that I have
thought I could stay here no longer. Yet such a spirit is as differ-
ent from the true missionary spirit as light from darkness. It would
wither before toils and sufferings, like the blighted blossom in the
noon-day sun. It is the ardour of youth, instead of the spirit of
Christ. It is a creature of self, instead of that which seeketh not
her own. Such feelings then must be banished.
"It is sometimes supposed that if an individual has a willingness
or desire to devote himself to the missionary work, it is of course,
his duty. If he could be satisfied that the desire originated from
the special providence of God, he might safely yield to it. If an
inclination to become a missionary is of itself sufficient evidence of
duty, then the want of such an inclination will, with equal certainty,
excuse one. But it is often said to theological students, * You dare
not examine the subject, lest you should be convinced that it is your
duty to go to the heathen.' There can be no doubt there are minis-
ters settled in New England who, had they impartially examined
the subject, would now have been in heathen lands; and perhaps
others among the heathen, had they done the same, would now have
been in New-England. Not that a warm attachment to missions is
to be disregarded ; but it is not of itself a satisfactory evidence
of duty."
His own decision was based on something more solid than sympa-
thetic yearnings after labours to which distance lent enchantment.
It was not formed without a careful consideration of the different
spheres of Christian benevolence, of their respective claims, and of
his relative fitness for them. He finally chose the foreign field, and,
his election once made, all his plans and purposes became blended
with it. His heart ratified the decision of his judgment, and his
active powers were steadfastly directed to its accomplishment. The
316 MUNSON AND LYMAN.
greater part of the year, after leaving Andover, was spent at Boston
and Brunswick, in the study of medicine. He received his appoint-
ment from the American Board, was married, and prepared for his
departure to the East in the summer of 1833. Just before his
embarkation he preached a sermon, which was published by the
Board for circulation. As he was thenceforth inseparably united
in life and death with his colleague, Mr. Lyman, before proceeding
with the narrative of events that blend the two in the memory of
the churches, let us trace the providential and gracious dispensations
that gave him such a companion.
HENRY LYMAN was born at Northampton, Mass., November 23,
1809. When very young a dangerous sickness seized him, and
while his life hung in suspense, his father made a solemn dedication
of him to the Lord, and resolved, in case his life was spared, to edu-
cate him with a view to the Christian ministry. As health returned
to his infant frame, this resolve was not forgotten. He was carefully
instructed in the doctrines and duties of religion, and during child-
hood showed a spirit of cheerful, filial obedience, and an unusual
love of neatness and order. After completing his elementary stu-
dies, he prepared for college in compliance with his father's wishes,
but contrary to his own inclinations. His temperament was active,
his mind partial to commerce, agriculture, or almost any thing,
rather than scholarship. It might have been foreseen that strong
restraints of principle could alone make a college course useful to
such a mind, and unfortunately such restraints did not bind him.
The pious influences of home, combined with the direct teachings
which parental fidelity imparted, had been insufficient to keep his
restless spirit within the limits of moral propriety. Keligion, though
no stranger to his intellect, had no lodgement in his affections, and
in the early part of his course he became a leader in dissipation,
neglecting his studies, and signalizing himself by profaneness and
impiety.
A revival of religion that profoundly agitated the college in 1827,
found in him its most conspicuous opposer, — and its most conspicu-
ous subject. The conflict between the claims of religion and his
untamed impulses toward sin was long and severe, but his resistance
was at length overcome. All his ardour was thenceforth directed
to the diffusion and exemplification of Christian principles. His
influence was actively exercised to reclaim those whom he had
MUNSON AND LYMAN. 317
encouraged to stray from the paths of righteousness. Eemissness
in study was succeeded by a conscientious industry. But the loss
of time and of intellectual discipline already suffered; could not
wholly be repaired. It was no easy matter to unlearn the habits
which mental dissipation had induced, and to replace them by those
severer and more orderly processes which are essential to thorough
scholarship. What could be done by watchful exertion Lyman did,
and attained to a respectable standing in his class.
How soon the influence of a missionary spirit was felt by him is
not recorded, but it seems to have mingled with his earliest and
most elementary religious experience. When once entertained in
his breast, it partook of his impulsive energy. His impressions of
the misery of the heathen, and his longings to go for their relief,
were strong, at times vehement. At Andover, whither he resorted
in 1829 for theological training, much of his reading, aside from the
prescribed course of study, was upon the condition of pagan and
Mohammedan countries. He did not decide hastily to offer himself
for missionary service ; he sought advice, and meditated long, but it
was plain which way the balance would incline. There are motives
that might urge even a lukewarm mind towards the foreign field,
looked at in some of its relations, but indifference was foreign to
Mr. Ly man's temper. His heart was fixed, his judgment assented;
he offered himself, and was accepted by the American Board as a
missionary to South-eastern Asia, jointly with Mr. Munson.
The instructions of Messrs. Munson and Lyman directed them to
proceed to Batavia, and thence to explore Pulo Nias, an island west
of Sumatra ; to extend their observations, if possible, to the Battas
in the northern part of Sumatra, and to survey Amboyna, Timor
and Borneo. For such service they seemed happily paired. The
ardour of the one and the cautious prudence of the other were both
needed. The ship in which they sailed was fitted out on temperance
principles, and with intoxicating liquors, profane language was easily
banished. The captain threw no obstacles in the way of effort for the
religious benefit of the sailors; Mr. Munson, however, was disquali-
fied from exertion much of the time by sea-sickness. A hundred
days' sailing brought them in sight of "Java Head," and in three or
four days after, they were landed safely at Batavia, and cordially
welcomed by Mr. Medhurst of the London Missionary Society.
They immediately commenced the study of Malay, and Mr. Mun-
son began the Chinese. Mr. Lyman was greatly concerned for the
818 MUNSON'AND LYMAN.
health of his wife, who was threatened with symptoms of fatal pul-
monary disease, but these yielded to medical skill. Scarcely was
this grief averted, when he received tidings of the death of his father.
"For once," he wrote to his mother, "I wished myself at home. I
felt distressed that I could not have been there at the time. I then
felt how good was prayer. E. and I knelt at the throne of grace,
and commended you to the care of Him who has promised to be
the widow's God, and a father of the fatherless. We remembered
the promises; they were sweet."
The distribution of tracts and attendance upon the sick were means
of usefulness that could be employed at once, and occupied their
attention to a considerable extent, besides preaching on board ships,
and occasionally relieving Mr. Medhurst in the services of his chapel.
The ulterior objects of their mission were delayed by the necessity
of gaining the assent of government before attempting them, — the
regulations of the Dutch East India Company forbidding foreigners
to reside or travel within their jurisdiction without express leave.
The necessary papers were procured after some delay, and in the
month of April, 1834, they left Batavia, — never to return. The
day before their departure was an occasion of solemn interest. It
was the Sabbath, and they had the consolation of receiving the
Lord's Supper; fifteen communicants were present. As they were
retiring from the chapel, Mr. Munson signified to his wife an appre-
hension that he might be taking a final leave of her and their infant
son. But he was not moved in his determination to press forward
in the way prescribed for him. On the 7th they set sail in a bark
having on board ninety souls, speaking twelve languages.
Their route led them along the coast of Sumatra, and at the
various ports and islands they visited, they made careful inquiries
respecting the character and pursuits of the inhabitants, especially
the Nyas, with reference to whom they were primarily instructed.
They also distributed tracts to Malays and Chinese, arid, as far as their
imperfect knowledge of the language permitted, conversed with the
people. The Malays, treacherous and cruel in the extreme, excited
feelings of aversion, but the Nyas made a more favourable impression.
They found their character, as Americans and missionaries, a surer
passport than any favour from the Dutch, whose rule was hated, and
whose patronage of the slave-trade made them dreaded by the natives.
At Nyas, the island of their first destination, they found a state of
hostility among the people unfavourable to residence there for the
MUNSON AND LYMAN. 319
present. But careful inquiries were made on all points, and several
of the rajalis showed themselves friendly to their proposed mission.
Leaving Nyas, they made their way to Tappanooly, where they
arrived, June 17th, having suffered not a few hardships and priva-
tions. From this point they set out on the 23d, to explore the Batta
country, with guides, interpreters and servants, in all a company of
fourteen persons. On the second night after their departure, a rajah
who hospitably entertained them advised them to remain a few days,
while he sent forward to ascertain the disposition of the people
towards them. But conceiving that they were not likely to be dis-
turbed in a peaceable errand, they went forward. Their journey was
difficult, passing over steep hills and through abrupt ravines, covered
with forests and dense thickets. The people of the villages they
passed treated them with a familiarity approaching to rudeness, but
with no demonstrations of violence. But on the 28th they found
themselves unexpectedly within a hundred yards of a fort, occupied
by a number of men, armed with muskets and other weapons. The
interpreter went to the fort to parley with the garrison, when they were
partially surrounded by an armed company of about two hundred
men. Most of the servants threw down their baggage, and made
their escape. The interpreter and a servant who was with him, seeing
the aspect of affairs, managed to effect their escape. The missionaries
were armed, for their protection against wild beasts, but that their
pacific intentions might not be misinterpreted, they immediately gave
up their arms. To use them, would have been of no avail against such
a host, even had they been disposed to repel force by force. But their
interpreter was gone, and the multitude were too eager for blood to
mind the significant gestures that supplied the place of unutterable
words. Mr Lyman fell by a musket shot, and Mr. Munson was
thrust through with a spear. One of their servants was also killed ;
the rest of the company returned to tell the sad tidings.
In communicating the fatal issue of their expedition, the Dutch
post-holder at Tappanooly took special pains to represent that they
went into the interior against urgent warnings from himself and
others, and were thus guilty of rashness. The worthy magistrate was
undoubtedly solicitous, lest blame should be attached to him, — of
which there was not much likelihood, and may have made these
warnings somewhat more fervent in the recapitulation at this junc-
ture, than at first. But the missionaries acted on their best judg-
ment on the representations of different parties; the tenor of which,
320 MUNSON AND LYMAN.
and the circumstances under which they were made, are very imper-
fectly known to us. When the people of the country learned that
the men slain were Americans, who had come to do them good,
they fell upon the inhabitants of the village to which the murderers
belonged, and inflicted a bloody retaliation for their crime. Far
other was the return meditated by the friends whom the sad event
wounded. " I am so far from sorry, that I parted with Henry to be a
missionary," said the widowed mother of Mr. Lyman, "that I never
felt so strong a desire that some of my other children should engage
in the same cause. 0, how much do those poor creatures who mur.
dered my son, need the gospel 1"
From the view which has been given of the brief missionary career
of these men, there is seen enough to justify the sorrow which their
early removal caused. They were persons of unusual promise,
each, by a peculiar discipline, fitted for great usefulness. The one
active and ardent, taught by bitter experience the evil of his own
nature, and driven by the memories of the past to more vehement
exertion ; the other deliberate, thoughtful, thorough, decided, never
idle, never in haste ; both consecrated with no common measure of
zeal to the work of missions, and profoundly interested in the field
they were exploring; their death was not only a blow to their
respective circles of friends, but to churches that hoped much from
their life. But He who called them to go up higher, had a different
service for them to undertake, and reserved their earthly field
for others.
JOHANNES THEODORUS VANDERKEMP.
JOHANNES THEODORUS YANDERKEMP, the son of a clergyman of
the Dutch Church, was born at Eotterdam, in the year 1748, and at
an early period of his life, was entered a student at the university
of Leyden, in which his brother was afterwards Professor of Divin-
ity. Here he made extraordinary attainments in the learned lan-
guages, philosophy, divinity, medicine, and military tactics, and on
the conclusion of his university course entered the army, where he
served for sixteen years, and rose to the rank of Captain of Horse,
and Lieutenant of the Dragoon Guards. He quitted the army in
consequence of a quarrel with the Prince of Orange, and, resigning
the prospects of distinction which he there enjoyed, he resolved to
devote himself to the medical practice, for which he had already no
inconsiderable qualifications, but spent two years at the university of
Edinburgh, to perfect himself in his profession. At the conclusion
of his studies, having received the degree of Doctor of Medicine,
he returned to Holland, and settled as a physician in Middleburg,
where he practised for a time with great success, and gained a wide
reputation for science and skill. He afterwards removed to Dort,
where he engaged chiefly in the pursuits of literature and rural
amusements.
Soon after entering the army he had imbibed infidel sentiments,
then prevalent in Europe, especially on the Continent, and, the
restraints of a religious education once broken through, he became
addicted to habits of vice. These evil courses affected his pious
father with such grief, that it is believed to have shortened his life.
Marriage and subsequent retirement from the army, reclaimed him.
from some of his irregularities, but at Edinburgh he became a con-
firmed deist. He says of his views at that time :
"Christianity appeared inconsistent with the dictates of reason, —
the Bible, a collection of incoherent opinions, tales, and prejudices.
As to the person of Christ, I looked at first upon him as a man of
21
322 J. T. VANDERKEMP.
sense and learning, but who, by opposition to the established eccle-
siastical and political maxims of the Jews, became the object of
their hatred and the victim of his own system. I often celebrated
the memory of his death, by partaking of the Lord's Supper: but
some time after, reflecting that he termed himself the Son of God,
and pretended to do miracles, he lost all my former veneration. I
then prayed that God, by punishing my sins, would prepare me for
virtue and happiness; and I thanked him for every misfortune.
But the first observation which I made was, that although often-
times severely chastised, I became neither wiser nor better. I
therefore again prayed to God that he would show me, in every
instance, the crime for which I was punished, that I might know
and avoid it. Finding this also vain, I feared that I should per-
haps never be corrected in this life by punishment; still I hoped
that I might be delivered from moral evil after death, by a severer
punishment. Yet, reflecting that punishment had proved utterly
ineffectual, to produce even the lowest degree of virtue in my soul,
I was constrained to acknowledge that my theory, though it seemed
by a priori reasoning well founded, was totally refuted by experi-
ence; and I concluded that it was entirely out of the reach of
my reason to discover the true road to virtue and happiness. I
confessed this my impotence and blindness to God, and owned
myself to be like a blind man who had lost his way, and who
waited in hope, that some benevolent person would pass by, and
show him the right path; so I waited upon God, that he would take
me by the hand, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Dr. Yanderkemp was thus brought to see the real result of skep-
ticism— that instead of light, it brought darkness ; instead of higher
truths, the denial of all knowledge ; instead of better hopes than
those of religion, a hopeless narrowing of sight to the present, and
total ignorance in points where certainty is most necessary to the
mind. It was hardly possible that a mind so ingenuous should
long remain in this state of doubt, but he was roused by an event
that gave a shock to all worldly enjoyment, and concentrated his
powers in the contemplation of Him, whose wise and sovereign
providence inflicted the blow. On the 27th of June, 1791, as he
was sailing with his wife and daughter on the river, near Dort, a
sudden and violent squall upset the boat. Mrs. and Miss Yander-
kemp instantly perished, and the doctor, who clung to the boat,
J. T. VANDERKEMP. 323
was carried down the stream nearly a mile, no one venturing from
the shore to his relief. A ship in the port being driven from her
moorings, was drifted towards that part of the channel of the river
where the doctor was ready to sink, and the sailors rescued him.
This memorable affliction, and equally memorable deliverance, it
would seem, gave a decided shock to his skeptical views. His
mind, exhausted in the vain endeavour to resolve by unaided
reason the problem of his moral life, was quickened to the investi-
gation of the claims and offers of Christianity with new interest.
The truths he had before rejected with scorn, now commended
themselves to his judgment and to his heart. In a letter referring
to this period of life, he says: "I am compelled to admit, that in
many instances my knowledge was very imperfect: — taken up with
the love of Christ, I had little or no experience of the strugglings
of unbelief, of the power of sin, of the assaults of Satan, of the
depth and extent of the misery in which I had been, of the guilt
from which I had been delivered, of my natural enmity against
God, nor even of my own ignorance." But in proportion as his
mind was enlightened, his heart was but the more settled in the
obedience of faith.
During the war between Holland and France, in 1793, a large
hospital was erected near Kotterdam, of which Dr. Vanderkemp
was appointed director. Here his skill and benevolence united to
win for him a large measure of esteem. Nor, while studious of
the order of the hospital and the comfort of the patients, did he
neglect the advancement of piety there. A catechist was employed
to instruct the inmates twice or thrice a- week, and on every Sunday
they were regularly led to public worship. But the subsequent
invasion by the French, put an end to his usefulness by breaking
up the hospital, and he returned to his literary pursuits at Dort.
Here he was particularly engaged in the study of oriental litera-
ture, and in composing a commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
The formation of the London Missionary Society, in 1795,
attracted his attention, and excited in him a warm interest for their
great enterprise. He procured a copy of the discourses preached
at the organization of the Society, with a view of publishing a
Dutch translation, to excite a missionary spirit in the churches of
his own country. The reading of these productions awakened a
desire to undertake some direct personal service in this cause.
324 J. T, YANDERKEMP.
"Here am I, Lord Jesus," was his language upon his knees; "thou
knowest that I have had no will of my own, since I gave myself up
to thee, to be spent in thy service according to thy pleasure ; pre-
vent me only from doing any thing in this great work in a carnal
and self-sufficient spirit, and lead me in the right way, if there yet
be any way of wickedness in me." To the Directors of the Mis-
sionary Society he addressed a letter, expressing "a desire to be
sent, if it be the will of God, to the heathen ; or to abide in this
country, endeavouring to serve my Lord, in stirring up the too
languid zeal of my countrymen."
The directors replied to this communication by an invitation to
visit London, which was at once complied with. Dr., Yanderkemp
remained there several months, and commended himself as a suit-
able person to commence and superintend a mission to South Africa,
an enterprise he had himself proposed. This appointment he
accepted, and directed his attention to every accessible means of
informing and qualifying himself for the work. Among other
things, it occurred to him that an acquaintance with the art of
brick-making might prove useful in his efforts to promote the civili-
zation of the people, and for this intent he employed himself for
some time in a brick-yard near London. Eeturning to Holland to
settle his affairs, he took with him an address from the Missionary
Society, which was translated and widely circulated. He succeeded
in organizing a society in Kotterdam; another was formed in East
Friesland, and Rev. Mr. Kicherer, a minister of the Dutch Church,
accompanied him to England, as a candidate for missionary service.
To this service, Dr. Yanderkemp was ordained in the Scots' Church,
London, and on the 23d of December, 1798, in company with Mr.
Kicherer and Messrs. Edmund and Edwards, set sail for the Cape
of Good Hope, in the Hillsborough, government transport, bound for
Botany Bay. The Duff, with missionaries for the South Sea Islands,
sailed in company, but parting, was captured by a French privateer
More wretched, depraved, and abandoned persons than the con-
victs on board the transport, could hardly have been collected.
Their turbulence threatened the lives of some of the officers before
leaving the harbour. The doctor was warned not to trust himself
among them, but his benevolent darin'g proved the truest wisdom
and prudence. He conversed freely and kindly with them, soothed
their agitation, and procured, in consequence, the removal of some
severe restraints which their mutinous behaviour had rendered
J. T. VANDERKEMP. 325
necessary. They listened with respectful attention to his advice
and instructions, to their manifest improvement and the hopeful
conversion of some. Disease soon made its appearance among
them, and raged with fatal effect in their crowded quarters. The
heat, the effluvia, the inexpressible misery of the hospital, made
attendance on the sick and dying, a hazardous office, but the
missionaries gave themselves intrepidly to it, and the infection
was not permitted to harm them. This calamity was succeeded by
a storm, which for three days placed them in extreme peril. In
their prayers they did not forget the Duff. "Lord," said Dr. Yan-
derkemp, with quaint simplicity, "Thou hast given them a little
ship, and they are with us in a great storm; we pray that thou
wouldst give them great faith." The danger was averted, and they
gave thanksgivings for their deliverance. After a passage of about
fifteen weeks, the Hillsborough came to anchor at the Cape, March
31, 1799. The missionaries were received with much kindness by
pious colonists, and a South African Missionary Society was formed.
Missions in South Africa have had to contend with the same diffi-
culties that obstruct all efforts for the improvement of aboriginal
races, pressed upon by unscrupulous colonists, but in a more than
ordinary measure. The colony of the Cape was founded by the
Dutch in 1650. The Hottentots, a simple people, generally honest,
and of course confiding, were induced to sell a considerable tract of
land and a stock of cattle, in which their wealth alone consisted, for
a few trifling presents and a quantity of ardent spirits. By degrees,
the colonists seized their territories, without the trouble of offering
an equivalent, reduced many of the people to servitude, and drove
those who could not be at once subdued into the mountains, where
they lived a hunting and marauding life. The increase of colonists
called for an increase of slaves, and they went without remorse to
hunt down the wild Hottentots or Bushmen, murder the men, and
carry their families into captivity. In 1774, an order was passed
for the total extermination of the Bushmen, an enterprise that was
warmly approved by the Boors, or farmers of the colony, and car-
ried into effect with considerable zeal. How many were murdered,
there is no way of ascertaining. Organized bands marched for that
purpose, and the Boors chased and shot Bushmen like any other
game. The sport was interrupted, — perhaps because the sportsmen
got tired of it, and wanted some new excitement.
326 J. T. VANDERKEMP.
The Dutch did not neglect the instruction of the natives in Chris-
tianity, but found no very docile scholars. Men who must become
slaves in order to come within the reach of Christian truth, will
be apt to restrain their hankering after a knowledge of good and
evil in which the last element is so prominent. Those who were
already enslaved had gained a pretty distinct insight into the merits
of colonial theology and morality, and needed no further lessons
from that source. The Moravian mission, recommenced, after a
long interval of exclusion, in 1792, was more successful. The hum-
ble, patient, self-denying benevolence of the United Brethren, to
whom the colonists rendered the best service they could, — hostility,
sometimes open and sometimes dissembled, — was instrumental in
bringing not a few of the Hottentots to the love of the truth, to a well-
ordered social life, and the enjoyment of many comforts of a civilized
state. The mission was at length in danger of being entirely broken
up by an insurrection of the Boors, when the capture of the colony
by the British, in 1795, gave it temporary protection, and on the
final conquest by which the Cape became British territory, missions
became objects of protection and encouragement. Not that the
British government has abstained from those wrongs which civil-
ized nations, under whatever varied pretences, uniformly inflict
upon uncivilized races with whom they come in conflict in the pro-
gress of colonization. Less openly violent in their policy than the
Dutch, and avoiding the sanguinary cruelty that distinguished their
whole proceedings, the English have not always been scrupulous of
the rights of the natives. The interests of the colony outweigh
higher considerations when they come into opposite scales; but
individual oppression has been discountenanced, the Hottentots are
no longer slaves, and, with some inconstancy, the government has
shown a degree of consideration for the welfare of the natives, that
their predecessors never professed.
The British possession of the Cape commenced about the time
that the Missionary Society sent out its first mission. Dr. Yander-
kemp and his coadjutors, however, had no intention to settle within
the colony. Their views were directed to the Caffres, an independent
nation inhabiting the territory eastward of the colonial boundaries, —
a people greatly superior to the Hottentots. Of a commanding stat-
ure, noble features, a dark-brown complexion, approaching the
Asiatic, with a remarkable energy and fearlessness of character,
they presented promising materials for the rise of an enterprising
J. T. VANDEKKEMP. 327
nation. They were far from the savage state, having a regard for
rights of property and the force of law, — rude and imperfectly
defined, it is true, but not the less real, — widely distinguishing them
from most of the African tribes before discovered. They were
addicted to agriculture, and though somewhat turbulent, and less
tractable to instruction than the Hottentots, were likely to reward
all the labour bestowed on them.*
On their arrival at the Cape the missionaries intended going
immediately into Caffraria, but a delegation from the Bushmen on
the Zak river, four or five hundred miles from Capetown, having
come with a request to have teachers sent among them, it was thought
best to detach a part of the company to a region thus providentially
opened to them. Mr. Kicherer and Mr. Edwards, therefore, decided
to go with the Bush-chiefs, while Dr. Yanderkemp and Mr. Edmond
should execute their original purpose. They made their way with
some difficulty into the Caffre country, and were assigned by the
king a place of settlement, but the state of the country was such
that it .was impossible to prosecute their labours. On the frontier
there was continual disturbance. The British jurisdiction in the
colony was then recent, and might be only temporary; it was not
easy to keep order. The king was jealous of foreigners, as he had
reason to be, and Dr. Yanderkemp was no exception, — though he
might have been, had not evil-disposed persons taken every oppor-
tunity to excite groundless suspicions against him. After about
sixteen months of labour, which, though ineffectual as regarded the
Caffres, was useful to some Hottentots, Bushmen and fugitive colo-
nists who were harboured there, he reluctantly removed within the
colony, and settled at Graaf Keinet, where he was joined, on the
14th of May, 1801, by two fellow-labourers, Messrs. Yanderlingen
and Eead.
At Graaf Reinet, the missionaries immediately gathered a congre
* If these prospects have not been realized in subsequent labours among the
Caffres; if repeated wars, growing out of an imperious and encroaching policy on
the part of the British colonists have interposed insuperable obstacles to the desired
consummation; and if the result of these unhappy struggles shall be the subjection
and ultimate extinction of a people worthy of the most considerate culture, let an
aggressive civilization, godless and inhuman in its progress, wear the shame. The
old plea that " savages cannot be reclaimed," with which the strong have continually
sought to veil their injustice toward the weak, is unavailing as against the appeal of
the Caffres.
328 J. T. VANDEEKEMP.
gation of Hottentots, and commenced a school for instructing them
in reading and writing. This attempt to elevate the condition of
the oppressed natives, roused the anger of the Boors, which had all
the sullen malignity that commonly marks the hatred of men
towards those whom they have injured. Favours shown to the Hot-
tentots by British authority were made the pretext of a Dutch
insurrection. The motives of the insurgents plainly appeared, when
they made the mission at Graaf Keinet their first object of attack.
They finally laid down their arms without any bloodshed, but at
the invitation of Governor Dundas, the missionaries removed, with
the people under their charge, to a more eligible location near
Algoa Bay, called Beta's farm, the governor supplying them with
provisions for one year. The buildings on the farm were sufficient
for a dwelling-house, a church, a school and a printing office.
Instruction was immediately commenced, and the prospect seemed
fair for a prosperous mission, but it soon appeared that the spot was
by no means healthy. Agues and other diseases became prevalent
among the people, and Dr. Yanderkemp was confined to his bed for
eleven months with rheumatism. But he was not to be discouraged.
He went forward, diligently seeking the spiritual and temporal good
of the people. He gained both the confidence of the Hottentots
and the hatred of the Boors, which alike attested his ability and
integrity. Governor Dundas employed him in negotiating a treaty
with the Hottentot chiefs. He succeeded with one of them, on
which the others directed their hostility against him. Dr. Yander-
kemp's hopes of peace were blasted by the breach of faith on the
part of the governor with the chief who had entered into treaty.
His representations were overruled in consequence of calumnious
charges against him, and at last he was forbidden to receive any
more Hottentots into his settlement. A war broke out with the
Hottentots and Caffres, aggravated by insurrections of the Boors.
At this crisis the peace of Amiens restored the colony to the
Dutch, and the British withdrew. The governor urged Dr. Yan-
derkemp to remove to the Cape, and postpone his labours till more
quiet times. This was declined. He then proposed to the mission-
aries, for their own security, to remove their quarters to Fort Frederic,
in the immediate neighbourhood, which was to be evacuated by the
troops. This was also declined as inexpedient.
"Within eight days the settlement was attacked at midnight by a
band of marauding Hottentots. Compelled to fire in self-defence,
J. T. VANDEKKEMP. 329
one of the Hottentots belonging to the station fired at random ; the
shot took effect fatally on the chief of the attacking party, and the
enemy dispersed. The next night the plunderers returned to the
charge, but finding the place barricaded and the cattle secured,
retired. A third attack was made in the day-time, two wood-cut-
ters were killed, and all the cattle driven off, but the people rallied
in pursuit, and recovered them. The missionaries had all along
taught their people that a Christian could not justly save his prop-
erty by deadly force, and that nothing but the necessity of personal
self-defence could justify the sacrifice of life. It was not so easy,
however, to make them appreciate the distinction, and in the unset-
tled state of the country, they feared to become involved in blood-
shed. The settlement was accordingly removed into the fort. The
colonists interpreted this act as indicating an intention to unite with
them in hostilities against the native tribes, and encouraged the
removal ; but when they found that the missionaries still discounte-
nanced all their proceedings, they exerted themselves to render their
efforts as far as possible fruitless. The weak and half-taught Hot-
tentots were some of them seduced into vices that could not be
tolerated in a missionary settlement, and the company — that at Beta's
Place numbered three hundred — was considerably reduced. But
among the remnant there was evidence that the preaching of the
gospel had its appropriate effect in the awakening and conversion
of those who heard.
The Boors looked forward to the restoration of Dutch authority
with ill-dissembled satisfaction, as to an event that should give them
power to renew their oppression of the natives. They did not even
wait for the installation of the new authorities at the Cape, but forth-
with began murdering Bushmen and kidnapping their children, as
if the old bloody code were already reenacted. Governor Jansen,
however, the new chief-magistrate, had known Dr. Yanderkemp
familiarly in former years, and was, moreover, too enlightened and
humane to think of renewing the atrocities on which the colonists
were resolved. But his sympathy with Yanderkemp 's religious
character, and with the objects he had at heart, were rather faint.
Although he treated the venerable missionary with much respect,
and promised justice to the natives, he imbibed from the colonists a
prejudice against them, and a jealousy of the missions that led
to a hesitating policy; sometimes apparently benevolent to the
Hottentots and confiding towards their teachers, and again making
330 J. T. VANDERKEMP.
concessions to the Boors that threatened the very existence of
the missions.
Leaving the Cape on a tour of inspection, the governor visited
Dr. Yanderkemp, and conferred with him at some length. He
admitted the utility of missions, and that some objections he had
entertained against them were invalid, but it was not easy to eradi-
cate his prejudices against the natives. It being necessary to remove
the mission from the fort, a tract of land about seven miles to the
northward was assigned. The governor requested Dr. Yanderkemp
to name it, with the suggestion that he was not partial to scriptural
names. The doctor, recollecting that he had preached on the pre-
ceding Sabbath from Genesis xxxv. 2, 3, quietly proposed Bethels-
dorp, — the village of Bethel, — to which Governor Jansen assented.
The next day he found out the joke, and owned that the laugh was
fairly against him.
The station was not the most favourable, but it was entered upon
with energy, land was laid out and sown, a church erected and a
village commenced. Owing to the lateness of the season when they
arrived, the first crops turned out badly, heavy rains inundated
them, and the settlement was retarded in its beginnings. These diffi-
culties were partially overcome, schools were begun, and the mission
seemed in a fair way to become prosperously established. The
arrival of two new missionaries still brightened the prospect, when
the enterprise was threatened with entire destruction through the
perverse policy of the governor.
Having no very clear notions of the design of the missionaries,
and little sympathy with their methods, he saw enough of their
character and of the immediate results they secured, to inspire per-
sonal respect. The enlistment of a corps of Hottentot soldiers, many
of whom were drafted from the Moravian and English mission insti-
tutions, and gave full proof of their superiority to their ruder
brethren, confirmed this good opinion. He began to look on mis-
sions, therefore, as an excellent aid to the government, and as only
needing a little amendment by his own politic counsel to become an
important engine of state. His excellency does not seem to have
entertained a moment's doubt of his capacity to regulate all these
matters, in which he was by no means singular. The possession of
power seldom makes men modest. His plan aimed at nothing less
than the reconciliation of missions and the policy of the colonists,
by a compromise. All new missionaries must establish themselves
J. T. VANDERKEMP. 331
in "the interior of the Cape," beyond the limits of the colony, and
were inhibited from teaching any native having residence within
those limits, without express leave obtained of the governor. The
three stations already established within the limits were tolerated,
but they were restricted to the teaching of wandering Hottentots. At
the same time they were not allowed to enter Caffraria. No instruc-
tion in writing was permitted, and public prayer for any government,
except that of Holland and the colony of the Cape, was forbidden.
The missionaries were required to make frequent report of the state
of their institutions, and to give instruction on certain topics sug-
gested by the governor's wisdom.
This absurd attempt to please the colonists, by making the degra-
dation of the natives within the colony perpetual, and keeping the
exterior tribes from rising above the possibility of subjugation, and
at the same time to gratify his mixed sentiments of good- will and
suspicion towards the missionaries, — might have entirely destroyed
the efforts for the civilization of South Africa, if it had been per-
mitted to exist for any considerable time. Dr. Yanderkemp obeyed
as far as he could, but it was not possible that a minister of Christ
should consent to abdicate the commission which sent him to "teach
all nations." A Caffre chief committed a son to his care, and another
offered two sons for instruction. They were received, to the great
clamour of the Boors, and in violation of the governor's edict. Dr.
Yanderkemp and Mr. Kead were summoned, in April, 1805, to
appear at the Cape, and answer for their conduct. During the pre-
ceding three months thirteen hopeful converts had rewarded the
toils of these brethren, and they were naturally reluctant to leave
their charge at such a time. Two missionaries had recently arrived
at Bethelsdorp, and to their care the interests of the station were
committed. A journey of five weeks brought them to Capetown.
It was performed with more lightness of heart in consequence of
meeting still another missionary, who had gained permission from,
the governor to settle at Bethelsdorp.
At the Cape they were detained eight months, unable to obtain a
trial, or leave to return to Bethelsdorp, to found a new station, or
even to pass through the colony in order to reach some tribe beyond
the Dutch jurisdiction. In this state of things Mrs. Smith, a widow
lady m her fifty-fifth year and in a feeble state of health, disposed
of her property, and gave up ease and social consideration for the
welfare of the mission. She gathered the children into a school,
332 J. T. VANDEKKEMP.
taught the women useful employments suitable to the sex, and
laboured to introduce both the principles of religion and the decen-
cies of life among them. In short, she did for the mission what only
feminine benevolence could do, the want of which had been a serious
drawback upon its progress.* So that the eight months of inactivity
to which the two missionaries were condemned proved the occasion
of great good to the people of their charge. But they were long
months to men who so loved their work. Wearied out by the delay,
Dr. Yanderkemp began to think of a mission on the east coast of
Africa, and also in Madagascar. The outline of such a project was
drawn up and sent to Europe, but within a month the trial of their
faith was terminated by the final capture of the Cape by the British,
January 8, 1806. Sir David Baird, the English commander, treated
the missionaries with great respect, permitted them to return to their
station, and gave them the free occupation of a tract of land belong-
ing to the government.
Dr. Yanderkemp, amid the cares of his principal employment,
found time to complete his work on the Epistle to the Komans,
which he sent to Europe for publication, under the title of "The
Theodicy of St. Paul." In the year 1808, the population of Beth-
elsdorp amounted to from six to seven hundred souls, who showed
an increasing spirit of industry. The interests of religion among
them were prosperous. The schools flourished. "In short,'1 Dr.
Yanderkemp wrote, "after six years' labour, it has attained such a
degree of solidity, that it may be committed to the care of another
missionary, which will enable me to devote some subsequent days
of my far-advanced age to God's service, among some of the nations
hitherto ignorant of the way of salvation." With these feelings, his
thoughts again turned towards Madagascar, but a menace of apoplexy
warned him that his work was nearly done.
In the year 1810 there were nearly one thousand inhabitants at
Bethelsdorp. Yarious branches of industry were introduced, to the
profit of the people in more than one respect; and a rapid advance
towards civilization was apparent. Fields, lately a barren wilder-
ness, were covered with cattle. The manufacture of salt was
* Many have doubted whether missionaries, as a general rule, should be married.
It is certain that women are needed to assist them in departments which they alone
are qualified to fill; whether these should be the wives of missionaries it is not
necessary here to inquire.
J. T. VANDERKEMP. 333
encouraged. The evidence was clear that in spite of adversities
with which it had been compelled to struggle, the village was fast
repaying by its prosperity the care bestowed upon it.
But the venerable man who had founded and watched over it was
permitted but a short time to continue or to review his earthly work.
He abode at his post till near the end of the year 1811, when he was
suddenly arrested by a fever. His disorder made rapid progress,
and nearly deprived him of the power of speech. A sort of lethargy
subdued his faculties to such an extent that his attention was not
easily gained. To the question "what was the state of his mind?"
he said, "All is well." Being again asked, "Is it darkness or light
with you?" he briefly but emphatically responded, "Light 1" And
so he fell asleep.
Dr. Vanderkemp entered upon the missionary work late in life,
and his course was necessarily brief, as compared with the length of
days during which some of his contemporaries were permitted to
toil. Nor was that the only or the chief disadvantage arising from
this circumstance. A man beginning an entirely new course of life
when nearly fifty years old, is liable to fail in the power of adaptation
to his new circumstances. His habits are fixed : the flexibility, the
vigour and the elasticity of youth, have been long left behind.
These things were against Dr. Yanderkemp, and made his great
gifts less useful to the mission. Those gifts were indeed extraordi-
nary. Men of greater natural powers, and of equal piety, have
doubtless offered themselves for this service, but seldom have the
acquisitions of half a common life-time, spent in liberal profes-
sional pursuits or in studious leisure, been laid so cheerfully upon
the altar.
The most distinguishing trait of his character was an ingenuous
simplicity. Naturally frank and decided, when reclaimed from infi-
delity he was eminently a whole-hearted believer, and received the
truth " as a little child." His disregard of some of the conventional-
ities of life, in part due to his seclusion as a missionary from refined
society, gave him an appearance of singularity to those who met him
in Africa. Dr. Litchenstein, who visited him at Bethelsdorp in
company with Governor Jansen, mentions, with a perceptible sneer
running through his whole description, that when the venerable
missionary met them, instead of the common form of salutation, he
solemnly invoked the divine blessing upon them. In some men
this would seem affected, but in Vanderkemp it was the spontaneous
334 J. T. VANDERKEMP.
out-flow of a truly religious benevolence to which his whole nature
was subdued. To use his own expression, he felt that he "had no
will of his own," distinct from that of the Master he served. In this
spirit he lived and died, leaving to others "an example, that they
should walk in his steps."
LATE MISSIONARY TO WEST AFRICA,
WILLIAM G. CROCKER.
THE Baptist mission in Liberia, after the death of Lott Gary, lan-
guished. One missionary, a little before that event, had been sent
out, but fell a victim to the climate in six months. Another followed,
and met the same fate. The little churches in the colony prospered
in the meanwhile, but the Board were chiefly concerned for the
native tribes, and in view of the fatal effects of the climate upon
white men, sought in vain for coloured persons qualified to under-
take the mission. Year after year the claims of Africa were pre-
sented, but "there was no answer, neither any that regarded," till in
1835 two young men offered themselves for the perilous service, one
of them the subject of this sketch.
WILLIAM G. CROCKER was born at Newburyport, Mass., February
10, 1805. He was religiously educated, and in his early years gave
diligent heed to the instructions of his parents, toward whom he
ever behaved himself as a dutiful and affectionate son. At the age
of fourteen he was the subject of profound religious impressions, the
influence of which abode upon his mind, though he indulged no
confident hope, nor professed his faith till twenty years of age, when
his heart, after a prolonged struggle, was settled in a peaceful con-
sciousness of reconciliation with God, and he united with the First
Baptist Church of Newbury.
The circumstances of the family gave him slender facilities for the
improvement of his mind, but these he improved to the utmost.
Though obliged regularly to spend half a day with his father on a
shoe-bench, his teacher remarked that he made greater progress in
the moiety of his time, than a majority of his school-mates. Dis-
couraged at the slowness of his progress, he apprenticed himself to a
printer at the age of nineteen, with the hope of enjoying more ample
opportunity for acquiring knowledge. Here he remained two years.
But after the more complete establishment of his religious hopes, he
became increasingly anxious to improve his mind. He felt a desire
336 WILLIAM G. CBOCKEE.
for the Christian ministry, yet shrank from the solemn responsibil-
ities of that calling. Unwilling, however, to give it up, he resolved
to pursue his studies as far as his circumstances admitted, leaving
the future to the determination of Providence. With this view he
left his printing office in the autumn of 1826, and commenced study-
ing at home, replenishing his means by teaching a public school for
two successive winters, and a private school for one year.
In the spring of 1827 he disclosed to his pastor the desires he
entertained for the ministry, who laid the matter before the church.
A regular license was not granted, but he received a certificate that he
possessed talents " which promised usefulness to the cause of Christ,"
and authorizing him " to exercise his gifts wherever Providence might
call him." This rather vague testimonial, in connection, perhaps,
with some verbal information, he interpreted as a virtual denial of his
request. It caused him more pain than he was willing to express,
and he continued three years unable to engage heartily in any secular
employment, but regarding his way to the sacred office as closed
against him. At length, on the advice of two clergymen, his case
was again presented to the church, and he was unanimously advised
to prepare for the ministry. He now went forward with alacrity, was
taken under the patronage of the Northern Baptist Education Soci-
ety, and connected himself with the academy at South Reading. In
entering upon this course of study, he expressed a profound anxiety
with reference to his moral and spiritual qualifications for the duties
to which he looked forward. "I have now one great object before
me," he writes, "for the accomplishment of which I wish to concen-
trate all the energies of my body and soul. May I ever feel that
my sufficiency is all of God ! Never has life appeared more desira-
ble than it now does. I wish to live, simply that I may do something
for the cause of Grod before I go hence to be here no more. If ever
I am able to do this, it will be all through his grace, and to him be
all the glory."
After spending a year at South Eeading, Mr. Crocker entered the
Newton Theological Institution. While watchful over his own
affections and attentive to his biblical and theological studies, he
was studious of immediate usefulness. Besides occasional preach-
ing, the Sabbath school, the social meeting, and other spheres of
Christian activity engaged his attention, and called forth his efforts
to do good. It was during his first year at Newton that his thoughts
turned to the missionary work, with particular reference at first to
WILLIAM G. CROCKER. 337
Burmah. It had long been his prayer, he remarks, that he might
employ his talents "where they would be most useful. On every
hand I see a want of labourers in the vineyard of God. Even in
highly-favoured New-England, many churches are calling for one
to break to them the bread of life. The broad valley of the Missis-
sippi presents powerful claims upon the sympathy and efforts of this
part of our country." But though some had gone to Burrnah, he
was oppressed by the thought of their fewness. " Nothing," he says,
"seems so pleasant as the thought of labouring for Christ in that
benighted land. The state of my health at the present time seems
rather unfavourable, but I hope by exercise and temperance, or
rather by the blessing of God on these means, to gain strength suf-
ficient to warrant the undertaking."
The matter occupied his thoughts for several months. He counted
the cost, weighed well the responsibilities of the work, and the qual-
ifications for attempting it, earnestly seeking the divine direction.
Foreseeing that his friends might interpose obstacles to his purpose,
in case he decided on foreign service, he avoided communicating
with them on the subject till the question was settled. He decided
that it was his duty to go to the heathen, and in a letter dated Jan-
uary 16, 1833, announced the decision to his parents. After some
general remarks on the duty of labouring cheerfully "where God
would have us be," he went on to say: "I hope the Lord has given
and is giving me increasing evidence that he intends to send me to
Burmah; though I can hardly persuade myself that he will bestow
on me this abundant honour. I should have mentioned the subject
when I last saw you, but for the thought of giving you pain. How-
ever, as I do not intend to go for two years, some unforeseen event
may prevent the accomplishment of my wishes. I choose to leave
the whole matter with Him who best knows what to do with me."
"For myself, I feel very unworthy and ill-qualified for this service.
But He who has said, 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the
gospel unto every creature,' has also said, 'My grace is sufficient/
Having settled the question, Is it my duty ? we have only to go
forward, leaning on all-sufficient grace. Our motto should be, What
ought to be done, can be done. Let our prayer be that God would
give us grace to do and suffer all his will with cheerfulness."
As he feared, his friends received the announcement with great
pain, and remonstrated strongly against his expressed intention.
§e circumstance affected him deeply, but did not affect his views
22
338 WILLIAM G. CROCKER.
of duty, nor, of course, his resolution. In reply, he wrote: "I can
hardly think that, after calmly reflecting, and earnestly seeking
divine illumination, you would wish to dissuade me from the great
and glorious work to which, I trust, the Lord has called me. I
.Know that your affection for me is great. Of this I have had abund-
ant evidence. Surely, then, if the Saviour has given me a disposi-
tion to carry the joyful tidings of salvation to the heathen, and some
evidence that he has called me to the work, you would not deprive
me of the honour of being thus engaged in his service. Much less,
I trust, would you induce me to swerve from the path which, after
much prayerful examination, I deem it my duty to follow." — "You
will perhaps say, If we knew it was your duty to go to heathen lands,
we would not object. But you are aware that upon a question like
this you would hardly be prepared to decide impartially. Your
inclinations are all on one side. Besides, it is a question which I
am required to decide for myself. No other person can have half
so deep an interest in the decision. It is certain that in obedience
to the command, Preach the gospel to every creature, some are
required to leave home and friends, and why not myself? All that
I can say is, that so far as I have been able to ascertain the mind
of the Spirit, it is my duty to carry the gospel to the heathen. I
rejoice that God has given me a disposition to go; but, alas, how
exceedingly unqualified am I for the high and holy employment!"
In accordance with the views so energetically expressed, he offered
himself on the 20th of May to the Board of the Baptist General
Convention as a candidate for missionary service.
Regarding his future course as settled, he gave himself with
renewed ardour to the work of preparation, but unlooked-for obsta-
cles arose that threatened to defeat his purpose. In the following
January his health became so far reduced by over-exertion, that he
was compelled to leave the seminary. An absence of three months
restored his impaired energies; but scarcely had he resumed his
studies and his hopes, when he received an intimation that the Board
were not inclined to confirm his appointment, on account of some
instability in matters of religious doctrine. Both these checks had
a common origin, the review of which is instructive.
His mind had been led to a consideration of the subject of personal
holiness. From much meditation on this theme be carne to adopt
higher views as to the standard, and the attainable degree, of con
WILLIAM G. CROCKER. 339
formitj to the divine law than lie had heretofore done, a change of
opinion and feeling which he described as second only in magnitude
to that which was effected in his conversion. He conceived of faith
as the condition, and of Christ as the all-sufficient source, not merely
of justification, but of entire sanctification. He had larger views of
the promises, of their fulness and of their certainty, and was embold-
ened to seek for their fulfilment with an assured confidence. "The
Saviour," he observes, "has said, * Whatsoever ye shall ask in my
name, I will do it.' 'Whosoever will, let him come and take of the
water of life freely. ' Whosoever and whatsoever, — what blessed words !"
And in his journal he says: "The Lord has been very gracious to
me of late, in granting me the light of his countenance, and helping
me to plead for entire sanctification. By his grace assisting me, I am
determined to make holiness of heart my grand object of pursuit.
To what high attainments may I not be permitted to aspire ! The
promises of God are full and without limits."
It had been well if, while thus solicitous for moral perfection, he
had been mindful of his physical imperfection. Unlike the prom-
ises, the strength of the human body and its capacities for endurance
have limits, and in his case those limits were easily overpassed. He
lost the vivid sense of the desirableness of life, with which, as we
have seen, he commenced his studies, and he was equally unmindful
of the bodily discipline he had more recently resolved upon in view
of a missionary life. His devotions were protracted by the willing-
ness of his "spirit," beyond the power of his "flesh," to sustain.
Sometimes he continued five or six hours, and once a whole after-
noon and the succeeding night, in prayer. Such vigils, at the
expense of a constitution naturally delicate, were as plainly a viola-
tion of moral duty as any of the spiritual sins he so sedulously
sought to eradicate. They had a speedy retribution. His body
languished, his mind lost its tone, and even his memory was pain-
fully affected. From the facts stated by his biographer, confirmed
by his own testimony, it is abundantly manifest that both mind and
body suffered grievously from his inconsiderate zeal.
While this process was going forward, his mind became uneasy
upon doctrinal points. He suspected that he had relied too much
on the opinions of other men, and too little on the teachings of the
Scriptures, and determined to investigate for himself. "How differ-
ent," he remarks, "to take for granted all that we have been taught,
from what it is to come to the word of God, and search out for our-
340 WILLIAM G-. CROCKER.
selves, all that we need to know respecting the doctrines of grace !
A large portion of the community form their creed from that of
others, rather than from the Bible." There is some truth here, but
there is more independent and conscientious study of religious doc-
trine, after all, than many people imagine. Neither is the rejection
of creeds and systems a self-evident duty. Though not altogether
just, the shrewd comparison by Dr. Emmons, of the Bible, to the
planetary and stellar systems, has some grains of wisdom, and it
may be as reasonable to pay respect to those conclusions of scholars
and divines that have obtained general acceptance in the church, as
it is to give credit to the ascertained astronomy, and forbear the task
of doing over again the work of Copernicus, Kepler and Newton.
It is granted, that as moral truths are not, like those of physical sci-
ence, susceptible of demonstration, there is a wide difference in the
degree of deference to be paid in those two departments of investi-
gation; but, whatever may have been the case with Mr. Crocker, it
may fairly be questioned whether an excess of independence in
these matters is not sometimes the fruit of pride, rather than of
humility.
Yet there can be no doubt that he who aspires to be a teacher in
the church is called to exercise peculiar vigilance in regard to the
grounds of his belief, and more especially is this the duty of one
who contemplates a service that may make him the founder of
churches within the domains of heathenism. It is no light matter
to undertake that work. Mr. Crocker, however, was hardly in a
state of mind or body to conduct such an investigation temperately,
and the eagerness with which he pursued it, still further impaired
his power of discrimination. He shortly confronted the mystery of
the Trinity, and stumbled. And here, where his original precau-
tion to submit to the arbitrament of the written word, without
recourse to human standards of opinion, was most needed, he
strangely abandoned it, and commenced reading a controversial work
against the doctrine. Thick-coming doubts perplexed his mental
vision. The conflict which ensued completed the physical prostra-
tion which his imprudent ardour in devotion had done so much to
effect, and compelled the suspension of his studies.
Happily for his peace of mind, he sought recreation, rather than
inaction, and found that which was more especially needful to restore
the tone of his spiritual constitution. He found on reaching his
home a revival of religion in progress, which called into healthful
9 WILLIAM G. CROCKER.
exercise those devotional sentiments to which solitude had imparted
a morbid quality. He emerged from the thorny mazes of meta-
physical inquiry into the sunlight of practical religious duty, and a
view of the doctrines of grace, not as they confronted his struggling
understanding, but as they wrought on the hearts of awakened men,
stirring a genial sympathy in his own breast, gave new vigour to
his faith. He felt their truth. They were enforced by the "demon-
stration of the Spirit." From this time to the end of his theological
course he walked in the light, with singleness of eye and lightness
of heart. His prospects were clouded, but his faith in the wisdom
and kindness of Providence was unshaken. Soon after leaving
Newton, he again offered himself to the Board, and was accepted, his
appointment to take effect, however, only after the lapse of six
months. He was ordained at Salem in September, 1834, and spent
the next winter and spring in attendance on medical lectures at
Boston, and at Brunswick, Maine.
During this period a change took place in his destination as a
missionary. In a conversation with Dr. Bolles, the Secretary of the
Board, the claims of the African mission were suggested. He had
hitherto looked for an appointment to Burmah, but now a more
urgent call awakened new inquiries. He had felt and expressed a
deep interest in the African race, and here was an emergency that put
it to the test. His heart was true to the occasion, and responded to
the claim. He chose Africa for his field of labour, and signified his
willingness to be so designated, if it were the pleasure of the Board.
They were anxious to procure a missionary for that service,- but on
account of the perils of a residence in the climate of West Africa,
they declined the responsibility of advising him to undertake it, and
referred the question entirely to his own decision. After carefully
considering it, he adhered to his proposal, and in accordance with it,
received an appointment.
In company with Eev. W. and Mrs. Mylne, his associates in the
mission, Mr. Crocker embarked for Africa on the llth of July,
1835. Eev. Mr. Seys and wife, missionaries of the Methodist
church, and Dr. Skinner, of Connecticut, the father of a deceased
missionary, were passengers in the same ship. In conjunction with
his companions, he maintained regular religious services on board,
and in addition embraced frequent occasions for religious conversa-
tion with the officers and crew. He was scrupulously careful in his
342 WILLIAM G. CROCKER. t
diet, as a preparation for the sickly atmosphere he was shortly to
breathe. "How long the Lord may spare me to labour on the
shores of Africa, " he says, " is a matter of much uncertainty. Should
I be permitted to live, may he grant me grace to stand the trial to
which my faith and patience will undoubtedly be subjected!" —
"Sometimes I feel a degree of confidence that God will spare my
life a few years, that I may labour for benighted Africa. I feel that
in praying for long life, I never was less selfish than when praying
for this blessing in Africa. For it seems nothing less than to pray
that I may endure for years a life of toil and suffering. Still, to be
enabled to live and labour faithfully and successfully for a number
of years in that long-injured and degraded land seems to me very
desirable."
On the 10th of August, approaching the African shore, he writes:
uThis morning I was enabled to plead with some degree of earnest-
ness for the blessing of God to descend on poor benighted Africa.
In view of the fact that Jehovah has revealed himself as the God
of the oppressed, I feel a strong confidence that he will bless her.
The time, I trust, is not far distant, when the shadows will disperse,
and the true light shine upon this land. I may fall, and fall soon,
and those with me may soon go the way of all the earth, yet the
promise of God concerning her, shall not fail." On the morning of
the 12th, the missionaries caught sight of Cape Mesurado, and before
noon the brig dropped anchor in the port of Monrovia. Mr. Crocker
expressed himself as disappointed at the appearance of Monrovia
settlement. "The inhabitants have turned their attention altogether
to trade, so that, as far as the land is concerned, the town presents
all the appearance of uncultivated nature. With the exception of
foot-paths leading to different parts of the village, grass, weeds and
bushes cover the whole ground. I have, however, seen one garden,
in which were growing Indian-corn and beans. The land is said
not to be so good here as further back in the country. It seems
very important that agriculture should receive more attention, as
the colonists are now dependent on foreign markets for articles of
food, for which they pay from sixty to one hundred per cent, higher
than in America."
The missionaries, while going through the hazardous process of
acclimation, and fixing on their future station, decided to remain at
Millsburg, a small settlement, twenty miles up the river. They saw
at their first entrance into Liberia an affecting index of the dangers
WILLIAM G. CEOCKEK. 343
they were braving. "The graves of twenty of our missionary
brethren and sisters in the grave-yard at Monrovia," Mr. Crocker
remarks, "remind us of the importance of having our loins girded
about, and our lamps trimmed and burning." The feeling was
deepened on his arrival at Millsburg, and occupying the late Presby-
terian mission-house, the inmates of which had been called away
from their work. Thoughts of his final separation from his native
land, of the premature death of so many missionaries, of the dan-
gers that frowned before him, for a time depressed his spirit. But
peace speedily followed, as he looked more intently on the work
before him. "It seems a privilege," he says, "to suffer for Christ's
sake. It has long been my prayer that God would not suffer me to
take pleasure in any thing but his service."
The anticipated dangers of the climate were soon brought sensi-
bly to view. On the 7th of September, Mrs. Mylne was seized with
the African fever. On the 19th her body was consigned to the
grave. A month later Mr. Crocker wrote to his parents: "I am
still in the land of the living, though in the midst of the dying.
Three of the eleven who came out together, have gone the way of
all the earth, — two of brother S.'s family and Sister Mylne. Most,
if not all of us, have been more or less affected with the fever. I
had no regular attack till about a fortnight ago." It confined him
only a little more than one day. Immediately on his recovery, Mr.
Mylne was attacked, and was for several days in a dangerous con-
dition. "You will, perhaps, ask," he continues, "if I am not by
this time sorry I came to Africa. I can truly say, No. Every day
I bless God for bringing me hither."
Immediately on his arrival, he commenced learning the language
of the Bassas, to whom the labours of the mission were to be
directed, — a tribe, important not only from their numbers, but from
their connection with another, thousands of whom speak the same
language. It was a barren, and as yet unwritten tongue, and was
acquired slowly and with difficulty. Mr. Crocker attempted, during
this tedious preparatory process, to do something for the benefit of
the colonists, who certainly needed all the exertions he could put
forth. A large part of the adults were unable to read, and teachers
were few. The state of morals was "as good as could be expected
for the class of persons who compose it. It should ever be borne
in mind," he remarks, "that this colony was not settled by persons
like our forefathers, men of enlightened and comprehensive views
344 WILLIAM G. CROCKER.
with minds in many cases highly cultivated, and with characters
decidedly religious. But they are persons whose opportunities for
mental and moral improvement have been very few." The state
of religion was not abundantly promising. Churches existed at
Monrovia; at Caldwell, eight miles distant on St. Paul's river; at
Millsburg, twelve miles further up the same river, the then resi-
dence of the missionaries; at Edina, about seventy miles south-
east of Monrovia, a town having the sea on one side, and a broad
expanse of water formed by the junction of the St. John's and Mech-
lin or Benson rivers; and at Bassa Cove, on the opposite side of the
river. Mr. Crocker was faithful in admonishing professed Chris-
tians who lived inconsistently with their calling, and in rebuking a
spirit of division that appeared in the churches, but with such uni-
form Christian meekness and gentleness, as greatly to win the affec-
tions of the people. His knowledge of medicine enabled him to
be useful to them in sickness; his uniform kindness to those who
were in want, and his disinterested regard for their welfare, made
him a frequent and valued counsellor to those in difficulty or need.
In the autumn of 1835, an encouraging degree of religious interest
appeared in several of the churches.
In January, 1836, Messrs. Crocker and Mylne visited Bassa Cove
and Edina, and purchased a tract of land between Edina and Bob
Gray's Town, in a healthy locality for a missionary station. The
village of Bassa Cove had been not long before destroyed by an
attack of the natives, and the church were without a pastor or a
place of worship. Mr. Crocker preached to them under the shade
of trees, but the rainy season was approaching, and it was thought
necessary that a meeting-house should be erected without delay.
For this purpose, Mr. Crocker went to Monrovia to procure the
needed materials and workmen. The journey was performed
mainly overland, and when he returned, the fatigues and exposure
lie had undergone threw him into a fever, which for a time deprived
him of reason, and confined him several days. "I may, perhaps,
be blamed for exposing myself thus," he writes, "but we cannot
get along here without doing so. We cannot have the conveniences
of civilized countries. If we travel by land, it must be on foot,
either on the sea-coast or in the narrow, crooked paths of the
natives. If we travel inland by water, it must be in canoes, allow-
ing but little change in our position while travelling miles. If we
?
ti
q
WILLIAM G. CKOCKER. 345
go by sea from one part of the colony to another, it must be in
small boats of from six to twenty tons, where we are liable to sleep
out on the deck, exposed to the cold damps sometimes five or six
nights in succession. I would not say this in the spirit of murmur-
ing; I feel no such disposition. I bless God that he has brought
me here, and permits me to suffer a little in his cause."
Desirous of becoming more rapidly acquainted with the language
in which he was to proclaim the truth, and of doing something more
directly for the people, Mr. Crocker went into the interior, to Sante
Will's place, to take up his residence and establish a school. Sante
Will and other chiefs had appeared friendly to his object, and promised
to send some boys to Edina, to a school there, but had neglected to
fulfil their promises, and he concluded to go among them. The
Bassas showed themselves, indeed, unpromising subjects for instruc-
tion, indolent and deceitful ; with no knowlege and little curiosity
concerning a future state, but with unlimited belief in the power of
witchcraft. Mr. Crocker made some progress in acquiring their lan-
guage, which he reduced to writing, and compiled a spelling-book
with simple moral lessons. His residence was a bamboo hut, afford-
ing a poor shelter, and his food was cooked in the native style.
The uncertainty of his continued residence there, prevented the
building of any more permanent dwelling; but his mode of life
did not strengthen his health, which was still more affected by the
exposures he suffered in a journey to Monrovia, to put his first book
to press. Mr. Mylne remained at Edina, preaching to the church
there and teaching a small native school. Mr. Crocker occasionally
visited Edina for the benefit of his health, and laboured with cheer-
fulness against the manifold discouragements he found in the fickle-
ness of the people.
In August, 1837, public worship was for the first time attempted
in Bassa. Having a competent interpreter, about a dozen native?
were assembled together, including Sante Will ; a portion of Scrip-
ture was read and explained, and prayer was offered. Mr. Crocker
then proceeded to give his auditors an account of the creation, the
1 of man, and the deluge. On their desiring to hear more of
God's word, he gave them an account of the way of salvation
through Christ. They seemed much interested, and asked many
uestions. For several Sabbaths the same degree of interest con-
tinued to be manifested, not in itself offering much immediate
346 WILLIAM G. CROCKER.
encouragement, but as a present indication of better things in
the future.
At the close of this year, Messrs. Crocker and Mylne found them-
selves so far reduced by sickness and excessive labour, that a voyage
to Cape Palmas was necessary, on their return from which, they
had the satisfaction to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Clarke, sent out to
reinforce the mission. Mr. Mylne's health continuing feeble, he
returned to America. Mr. Crocker had nearly as much reason to
make the same voyage, but the necessity of caring for his newly-
arrived associates during the period of their acclimation, kept him
at his post. The mission had gained at Edina some slight return
for the labour bestowed, — a native school that made encouraging
advancement in study, the church considerably strengthened, and
several of their pupils giving evidence that the truths of religion had
made a serious impression upon them, one of whom appeared mani-
festly to have experienced a change of heart. Mr. Crocker remained
in the colony, believing that, under the circumstances, he could do
more there for the furthering of the work during Mr. Mylne's absence
than in the interior. The two oldest native boys under his charge
had made considerable progress in learning English, and were able
to render him valuable aid. He also commenced a translation of the
Gospel of Matthew, from the poverty of the language a di fficult task.
The natives at Sante Will's place had promised to erect a larger
and more finished dwelling for his occupation, but were so dilatory
in their operations, that he thought it expedient to resume his resi-
dence among them to hasten the work. Here he had remained
about a year, engaged with his usual assiduity in the labours
assigned him, when he received notice, in the spring of 1840, that
the resources of the Board were so far diminished that the mission
would be compelled to resign their expectation of increased appro-
priations, but must make some retrenchment of their expenditure.
The intelligence was disheartening, and came at a time when it told
most heavily on Mr. Crocker's mind, for reasons expressed in his
reply to the communication: "The prospects of this mission," he
says, "previous to our reception of the letter from the Board, were
more flattering than ever before. "We had begun to collect female
children into the school, with the prospect of a gradual increase."
[A great point gained, for in nothing were the people more pertina-
cious than in opposing female education]. "We saw the prejudices
of the people against education slowly disappearing, the field of
WILLIAM G. CBOCKEK. 347
labour widening, and were looking with eager eye to our beloved
country for additional associates in our labours. Two of the boys
belonging to the school at Edina have been baptized, and some
others have manifested much seriousness." A printing-press was
needed, not only to secure his translations already made, and exist-
ing only in manuscript, from the risk of loss or destruction in
the changes that might come upon the mission by sickness and
death, but to furnish new school-books. "It is true that in this
country the people cannot read. But the press is required to fur-
nish books, that they may learn to read. Our boys, who study the
native language, have read what we have published till they are
tired, and now need some new truth to interest them. We can
teach them to read English, but this does not seem to be the best
course, if we wish the knowledge of God to be generally diffused.
A native boy would probably better understand a book in his own
language, after six months spent in learning to read, than he would
the same book in English in four years. It seems desirable that
boys of great promise should have the stores of English literature
open to them. But the mass of children will probably be obliged
to learn to read their own language, or not learn at all."
No mention was made of his own personal wants. These he had
disregarded from the first, accustoming himself to a mode of living
which in his ascetic moods in America had not been dreamed of.
He denied himself of every thing above the merest necessaries of
life, estimated on the lowest scale that he thought compatible with
health, in order that his savings might be available to the increase
of his schools. His appeal was not long after answered by the send-
ing out of a press and types, but no printer could be procured, and
they were useless to the mission. Meanwhile, Mr. Crocker was-
brought through the deep waters of affliction. He had been united
in marriage, in June, with Miss Kizpah Warren, a lady of devoted
piety, who had joined the mission within a year. A few weeks after,
he was seized with a dysentery, which reduced him to the borders of
the grave. By the affectionate care of his wife, who persevered in
her exertions for his recovery after his life was despaired of, he was
brought up to a comfortable degree of health. Scarcely was he con-
valescent, however, when she was taken with the fever of the cli-
mate, and, after a week's illness, breathed her last. Her character
had seemed to promise extensive usefulness in the mission, and her
loss was deeply felt.
w!8 WILLIAM G. CKOCKEK.
Mr. Crocker having some books ready for the press, and desirous
of reviving his health and spirits by a change of air, repaired to
Cape Palmas. There he remained about four weeks, and had printed
an edition of a new Bassa spelling-book, and a hymm-book. He
returned much recruited by the visit, and resumed his labours. The
attendance on the worship was such as indicated a growing interest
in it. He notes, November 30th: "Had about forty present to-day,
among whom were three head-men. Most of them paid good atten-
tion. I believe there is a growing skepticism among them, in rela-
tion to the power of their grigris and grigri men" (sorcerers). "So
long as they will permit me to declare and reiterate the truth upon
this subject, I have hopes that it will prevail. There seems a little
more regard for the Sabbath than formerly, and the people are more
easily assembled on that day. The head-man also invites females
to come, which he has not done till recently. These seem to be
favourable omens."
To add to the satisfaction thus expressed, two missionary families
arrived on the 2d of December, bringing with them a press and
types, and lumber for a printing-office and a school-house. It
seemed, as Mr. Crocker expressed it, that poor Africa was "not
wholly forgotten." He expressed the liveliest hopes for the future.
But these gratulations were short-lived. In a few weeks one mis-
sionary pair fell under the fever. On the 3d of January Mrs.
Fielding died, and on the 16th her husband followed her to the
grave. This double blow was severely felt, yet faith triumphed
over the calamity. "This event may discourage our friends at
home," Mr. Crocker wrote, " but it does not discourage us. Till we
have evidence that THE LORD has forsaken us, we will not be disheartened.
Some young men, who have been turning their attention to this
country, may be induced to relinquish their object, but it will deter
none who count not their lives dear unto themselves, if they may
but honour their Saviour, and be found in the path of duty."
The trial of his faith speedily became more direct. His own
health began to decline. The voyage to Cape Palmas had revived
him for an interval only, and he soon found his strength failing.
Another trip to Cape Mesurado gave partial and temporary relief,
but it became painfully evident that such palliatives were ineffectual.
Death had no terrors, but the intermission of his loved work, and
its probable cessation at no distant day, gave a pang to his heart,
which faith, however, was able submissively to endure. "Have felt
WILLIAM G. CROCKER. 349
decirous of preparing my translations, &c., for the press before I leave
the world," he writes. "But God knows what is best for his cause,
and in his hands I cheerfully leave myself and all my concerns.
Whether I live longer or shorter, he will do all things well." And
on reaching the conclusion that further labour was then, at least,
out of the question, and being advised by his brethren that a voyage
to America was necessary, he writes: "It is rather trying to my
feelings to be doing nothing where so much needs to be done, but I
cheerfully resign myself into the hands of infinite Wisdom. I may
perhaps be able to do a little more for poor Africa; but it will be
a great gratification to me if I can be the means of inducing others,
more efficient than myself, to join this mission, and thus enable our
brethren here to carry forward what has been so feebly begun."
His residence of nearly six years in Africa had not been unprofit-
able. He had reduced the language of the Bassas to writing, and,
besides preparing school-books, had nearly ready for the press the
Gospels of Matthew and John. Education had been carried forward
with some success, and, as has been seen, souls had been won. A
single circumstance, a hope deferred, gave the greatest bitterness to
his disappointment in being forced from the country at this time.
He had been hitherto under the necessity of addressing the people
orally through an interpreter. Now that he had sufficiently famil-
iarized his organs of speech to the gutteral utterances of their dialect,
as to be able to preach with confidence, he felt keenly the necessity
of leaving them. It seemed that his work was but just begun when
it was cut short by disease. He took passage at Bassa Cove on the
2d of April, 1841, in a vessel bound for America. During a short
detention at Cape Palmas, he remarked with pleasure the progress
of the Protestant Episcopal mission. At Monrovia, where he made
another pause, he was treated with much kindness by Governor
Buchanan. Resuming his voyage, he proceeded to Sierra Leone, and
remained eight days, affording him an opportunity to visit several
villages and some of the schools of the Church Missionary Society.
"The principal good done at Sierra Leone," he remarks, "seems to
be done by the missionaries. The example of white foreigners
residing there is in general very bad. The continual influx of
recaptured natives prevents that progress in all the refinements of
civilized life, which might be expected from the means of instruction
furnished by the Church and Wesleyan Missionary Societies." He
left Sierra Leone, and bade adieu to Africa on the 18th of May.
350 WILLIAM G. CROCKER.
His health was so feeble that at times it seemed doubtful whether
he would live to reach his native land. But strength gradually
returned, and after his arrival he appeared to gain rapidly. His
recovered strength was spent in labours for the spiritual profit of
his friends, and more particularly in pleading the cause of Africa.
The hopeful state of the mission, its many encouragements and
urgent necessities, were his continual theme. Then came a relapse.
A slow fever attacked him, which terminated in dropsy. He was
confined to his bed for more than a year, during a considerable por-
tion of which his death was continually looked for. His condition
permitted him to sleep but little, and the friends who attended him
were greatly privileged in listening to his sanctified conversation.
A radiance as from the excellent glory lit up his countenance, and
his lips seemed touched with a coal from the altar of God. Once,
only, for the space of half an hour, he lost the assurance of faith
and hope that had overcome all fear of death, and then his face was
dreadful to look upon. But the cloud passed, and the full sunshine
of heavenly anticipation again brightened his eye. His anxiety to
return to Africa, which he often expressed in the early part of his
illness, gave way, as all hope of such a privilege receded, to a desire
to depart and be with Christ. He said one morning to his mother,
"I did not expect to see you this morning. I thought I should have
been in heaven before the light of this day. Death has no terrors
for me. I cannot doubt my interest in God's love, nor my title to
mansions of glory."
After lingering in such full view of the sweet fields that invited
him from the further shore of the river of death, to the surprise of
his friends and of himself he was suddenly recalled. His physicians
had ceased to attend, except occasionally, to smooth his slow decline,
when symptoms of unexpected strength appeared. He recovered
slowly, and in October, 1842, he was once more able to go abroad.
The change was at first unwelcome, but he was ready to meet it.
"I know not," he said, "what my Heavenly Father is going to do
with me. It may be he has more work for me to do in Africa. If
so, although to depart and be with Christ seems more desirable, yet
I am willing to go and labour longer. Not my will, but thine, 0
God, be done." As cold weather approached he went southward,
and passed the winter in Savannah. It was impossible for him to
form plans for the future, from the uncertainty that rested on his
prospects of health, and he enjoyed the pleasures of Christian hos-
WILLIAM G. CROCKER. 351
pitality, with tnose divine consolations that no change of scene could
impair, looking trustfully for guidance to the hand that had hitherto
led his feet in paths of righteousness and peace.
The interests of his mission, however, occupied his thoughts and
drew warm appeals from his pen. He knew that the service was
self-denying and hazardous, but felt, also, that it was necessary.
"The time may come," he remarks, "when coloured persons will be
found able to manage all the concerns of the mission, but till then
white persons must be willing to sacrifice health for the benefit of
Africa. And who that loves his Saviour and the souls of his fellow-
men, will shrink from a little bodily suffering, or even from what
will be called a premature grave, if he may but contribute to an
object so glorious as the moral emancipation of Africa? A man's
life is not to be measured so much by the number of his days as
by the amount of good which he is able to accomplish." A defi-
ciency of zeal in doing good, a low standard of piety and usefulness,
appeared to him the characteristic of the great majority of Chris-
tians, and he sought both by precept and example to awaken a bet-
ter feeling. He had long aspired to high moral attainments, but
since his near prospect of the eternal world, the elevation of his
[views was more than ever noticeable.
His health having become so far restored as to open a prospect
of renewed labour in Africa, he once more offered himself for the
service, and was accepted by the Board. All efforts to obtain a
colleague in the ministry, or a teacher, failed. He was not, however,
called to go alone. He was married to one fitted in every respect
to share his lot and to sympathize with his spirit ; who responded to
his proposal in full view of the dangers she tempted, and against the
remonstrances of friends, guided in her decision by a disinterested
sense of duty. They sailed on the first of January, 1844, from
Boston, having for fellow-passengers Eev. Messrs. Bushnell and
Campbell, missionaries of the American Board to the Gaboon. The
voyage was prosperous and agreeable. Mr. Crocker was as usual
solicitous for the spiritual welfare of the seamen, and on one occasion
exerted himself beyond the bounds of prudence, The last Sabbath
before reaching the port, he preached on deck, and as he considered
it his last public address to them, he was desirous that all should be
present. Some of the crew were unwilling to do so. He told them
that he would speak loud enough for them to hear where they were.
Bid so, and with such fervour that they were one by one drawn
•MM!
352 WILLIAM G. CKOCKEB.
around him. But the effort was too much for him, and probably
hastened the climax of the disease which was consuming him more
rapidly than had been suspected. Though sensible of weakness, and
subject to pain at times, he had felt no anxiety for himself. His only
fear was for the health of his wife, on whose account he looked for-
ward to their arrival in Africa with apprehension.
The vessel anchored at Grallinas, six weeks from Boston, and
remained there nine days. On the 25th of February they reached
Monrovia, and the next day being the Sabbath, he preached a short
discourse in the afternoon. He concluded the final prayer, quoting
the words, "I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course;
I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at
that day." The expression was timely. His course was finished.
He began raising blood immediately on the conclusion of the service.
Active remedies were employed, but ineffectually, and on the second
day after, — February 27th, 1844, — he breathed his last. The physi-
cian who attended him said that God must have had a meaning in
bringing him to Africa to die, for "nothing but an almost miraculous
interposition of Providence could have preserved him thus long."
He had fought a good fight. The mission he founded, lives rich
in the promise of good to Africa. One and another have fallen or
been compelled to retreat from a service so dangerous, but a living
church attests the vital force of the movement he commenced among
the degraded Bassas. An intelligent and faithful native preacher
watches over its interests. For its highest welfare the superintend-
ence of an American missionary is needed, and it may be hoped
that men will be found worthy to succeed the daring and self-sacri-
ficing pioneers. But, in any event, we may be assured that He " who
openeth and no man shutteth," by whose providence the gospel has
found entrance among that people, will find fit instruments to do
his work.
Mr. Crocker was not endowed with commanding intellectual gifts,
and that literary culture that enables a mind by thorough discipline
to act with a degree of skill which partly compensates for lack of
strength, was but partially enjoyed by him. But the intensity and
singleness of his zeal had a power to concentrate his faculties, and
enabled him to act with unusual force, in this respect operating
beneficially on both his intellectual and his moral progress. His
religious ardour was kindled from on high and fed by habitual
WILLIAM G. CEOCKEB.
353
communion with truth and with Him who is himself The Truth.
It was not sufficiently alloyed with prudence; had he been con-
tent ^o advance more slowly, he might, humanly speaking, have
advanced further. While, however, his example is not to be com-
mended without qualification — and of whom must not as much be
said? — the spirit he displayed, his unselfish devotion, the purity and
rectitude of his purpose, his manly earnestness and almost feminine
tenderness, form in their combination a character that may be fitly
admired and safely imitated.
23
LOTT CART.
WE have seen more than one who distinguished himself in the
missionary service of the church, like the first promulgators of the
gospel, called into the work from the condition of day-labourers or
from mechanic crafts. The same resolution that raised their spirits
above the level of daily toil, and that nerved them in the steep
ascent towards a more commanding intellectual position, united with
the ardour of Christian philanthropy that directed their energies
to the attainment of the highest objects to which it is possible for
human powers to aspire, furnished impulse at every step of their
progress. The time has been that such men, under the influence of
an erroneous faith, might have been canonized for the religious ven-
eration of after ages. The same force of will, exerted in a worldly
enterprise, would have won the meed of poetic or historic fame.
They stand in need of neither; their record is on high. For our
sakes it is good to commemorate their virtues, and consider well
what they wrought for God and man. But the subject of the present
sketch rose not merely from a life of servile toil. Emancipated from
a condition of hereditary bondage, he became a spiritual benefactor
of his injured race.
LOTT GARY was born in Charles City county, Virginia, about the
year 1780. His father was a pious member of a Baptist church.
His mother shared the same spiritual immunity, though not con-
nected with any church, and their only child, it is presumed, was as
faithfully brought up as the restraints of their condition admitted.
In 1804, he was removed to Richmond, and employed as a common
labourer in a tobacco warehouse. Here he became dissipated in his
manners, given to profaneness and to habits of intoxication, but
subsequently was reclaimed from his evil courses, and, having given
evidence of a radical change of character, was baptized in 1807, and
united with the first Baptist church in Richmond. At this time he
was extremely ignorant, unable to read or write. The hearing of a
356 LOTT GARY.
discourse on the third chapter of the Gospel of John, interested him
so deeply, that he formed the resolution to learn to read, that he
might peruse the narrative for himself. He procured a testament,
tind commenced learning his letters. A young man in the ware-
house assisted him, and in a short time he was able to read the
chapter. He soon after learned to write.
About this time he began to hold meetings with the coloured
people in Kichmond, with such success that the church licensed him
to preach, and his ministrations were valued, not only in that city,
but in all the surrounding country. His leisure time was diligently
improved in the acquisition of knowledge. When not otherwise
engaged at the warehouse, he was always reading. A gentleman
taking up a book which he had laid aside for a few moments, had
the curiosity to examine it; it was Smith's "Wealth of Nations."
With growing intelligence, the value of his services increased. No
man, white or black, showed equal capacity in the business. He
frequently received gratuities in money by way of acknowledge-
ment for his fidelity and promptness, and was allowed to sell some
parcels of waste tobacco for his own benefit. By strict economy,
and the aid of the merchants who had learned to esteem his
uprightness of character while in their service, he purchased his
freedom and that of his children,— his wife had previously died, —
and he was then employed at a liberal salary.
About the year 1815, he became interested in the subject of
missions to Africa, and was instrumental in exciting a similar feel-
ing among the coloured people of Eichmond. The Kichmond
African Missionary Society was formed, and contributed annually
from one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars to the funds of
the Baptist General Convention. In no long time he began to enter-
tain a more personal interest in the subject. Was it not his duty to
do more than contribute of his earnings to send others to the hea-
then? The question was painful, for he had ties of interest and
affection binding him to Kichmond, that were not easily broken.
He had a comfortable income and excellent prospects ahead, was
highly esteemed in his business relations, and both useful and
respected as a preacher. He had the confidence and warm affection
of the entire coloured population. The thought of giving up all
this for a more limited sphere of immediate usefulness, augmented
toil in an unhealthy climate, and the privation of many of those
comforts which habit had made necessary, could not be entertained
LOTT GARY. 357
without severe conflict. But a sense of duty compelled the sacri-
fice, which had, however, one alleviation, — he would escape from
the bondage of caste into a country where his colour was no mark
of ignominy. "I am an African," he said, "and in this country,
however meritorious my conduct and respectable my character, I
cannot receive the credit due to either. I wish to go to a country
where I shall be estimated by my merits, not by my complexion;
and I feel bound to labour for my suffering race/' His employers
endeavoured to reverse his determination by an increase of his salary,
but his purpose was not to be shaken.
The journal of Messrs. Mills and Burgess, agents of the American
Colonization Society for exploring the coast of Africa, which was
published in 1819, with letters from settlers at Sierra Leone to the
coloured people in America, brought Mr. Gary to an immediate
decision. He was accepted by the society as one of their first com-
pany of emigrants, and with Colin Teague, was appointed to a
mission in Africa by the Board of the Baptist General Convention.
The year 1820 was chiefly spent in study, and in January, 1821,
Messrs. Cary and Teague were publicly ordained to the missionary
work. Mr. Gary's farewell sermon was pronounced by a clergyman
who listened to it the most eloquent pulpit address he ever heard ;
it produced an immense effect on a large assembly.
The company sailed on the 23d of January, and arrived at Free
Town, Sierra Leone, after a passage of forty-four days. The Colo-
nization Society had not yet succeeded in purchasing any territory,
and their agents declined to receive Messrs. Cary and Teague in the
character in which they were sent out. They were obliged to serve
as mechanics and labourers till others should arrive. Bat in the
following year the territory of the present republic of Liberia was
acquired, and a colony commenced. The intervening time spent at
Sierra Leone was one of peculiar hardship. Mr. Cary had expended
his own property in his outfit, and the appropriation of the Board
of Missions was insufficient for his support, while his unsettled rela-
tions to the Colonization Society made it impossible to look for
essential aid from that quarter. To add to these troubles, Mrs. Cary,
his second wife, sickened and died, leaving him with a family of
children dependant upon his sole care, — a sad beginning of the years
of his exile.
On the purchase of the territory at Cape Montserrado, in 1822, and
the transfer of the colonists thither, Mr. Cary was appointed health
358 LOTT GABY.
officer and government inspector. The colony was in an exposed
condition; the hostility of the native tribes was so violent that it
was proposed to give up the settlement, and return to Sierra Leone.
Mr. Gary strenuously opposed this, and his resolute decision
emboldened others. His services in the defence of the colony, when
its entire destruction was threatened, were of the most important
character. At one time, when fifteen hundred savages were rushing
in to exterminate the settlers, whose broken ranks were ready to
give way, his courage animated them to renewed exertions and to
a complete victory. Despondency was a stranger to his breast.
Although, as he said, their work was "almost like building the walls
of Jerusalem; we have to carry our axes all day and our muskets
all night;" — he yet wrote to his friends in America, "If you think
of coming out, you need not fear, for you will find as fine a spot as
ever your eyes beheld ; the best for fish that I ever saw. It is cer-
tainly a beautiful place." Besides his other labours, the lack of
adequate medical attendance led him to pay special attention to the
diseases of the country, by which he became a valuable adviser of
the sick, and for the relief of the afflicted and destitute he made
liberal sacrifices of time and property. He was shortly after
involved in some seditious movements, which threatened the author-
ity of the government, and kept the colony in a critical state for
several months. The troubles grew out of some misunderstanding
between the Colonization Society and the settlers. The latter
deemed themselves injured, and Mr. Gary seems to have sympa-
thized with them to some extent, and to have abetted proceedings
which were condemned by the Society. But while acting in some
manner as a mediator between the contending parties, he gave his
influence to restore the full authority of the laws. Mr. Ashmun,
in communicating the transaction, remarked that Mr. Gary's con-
duct was entitled, on account of his eminent services, "to the most
indulgent construction it will bear. The hand which records the
lawless transaction would long since have been cold in the grave,
had it not been for the unwearied and painful attentions of this indi-
vidual, of every description, rendered at all hours, and continued
for several months."
These laborious and embarrassing pursuits, though demanding
no small share of energy and patience, did not divert his mind from
the object which primarily led him to seek an abode in Africa. He
was untiring in efforts to promote the interests of the church which
LOTT CARY. 359
he formed at Kichmond and established at Monrovia, and to instruct
the Africans who had been rescued from slave-ships, and placed
under the protection of the colony. It was his privilege to receive
a considerable number to their fellowship, including two or three
converts from among the heathen. He established a school at Mon-
rovia, and made an effort to commence another at Grand Cape Mount,
about seventy miles distant, but for the present without success. In
1824 he had a more responsible task imposed upon him, that of
physician to the colony. For this he was qualified by his good sense
and careful observation and study, aided by the counsel of regular
physicians who had visited Liberia. These made him a very suc-
cessful practitioner. A thorough knowledge of the diseases of that
climate had been forced upon his mind by causes before alluded to,
and he had occasionally prescribed for the sick, but he was now
their sole adviser, and proved himself equal to the duty.
Of his ministerial and missionary labours he writes in January,
1825: "The Lord has in mercy visited the settlement, and I have
had the happiness to baptize nine hopeful converts ; • besides, a num-
ber have joined the Methodists. The natives are more and more
friendly ; their confidence begins to awaken. They see that it is
our wish to do them good, and hostilities have ceased with them. I
have daily applications to receive their children, and have ventured
to take three small boys. — Our Sunday-school still goes on, with
some hopes that the Lord will ultimately bless it to the good of
numbers of the untutored tribes. The natives attend our Lord's
day worship quite regularly." In April he chronicles the reception
of the first of the converts from the heathen, before alluded to, and
the arrival of sixty colonists from America, on the same day, made
the occasion one of redoubled joy. "Dear brother," he writes to
the Corresponding Secretary of the Missionary Society at Eichmond,
which he had aided to form, and with which he esteemed himself
as more immediately connected, "tell the Board to be strong in the
Lord and in the power of his might, for the work is going on here,
and prospers in his hands ; that the Sunday-school promises a great
and everlasting blessing to Africa; and on the next Lord's day there
will be a discourse on the subject of missions, with a view to get on
foot, if possible, a regular school for the instruction of native chil-
dren." And in June he writes: "I know that it will be a source of
much gratification to you to hear, that on the 18th of April, 1825,
we established a missionary school for native children. We began
360 LOTT GARY.
with twenty-one, and have increased since up to the number of
thirty-two."
In the autumn of this year, Mr. Gary was invited by the Board
of the Colonization Society to visit the United States, believing
that his statements would strengthen their hands, and that his
influence would have a favourable effect upon the coloured popula-
tion of this country. He was desirous of undertaking the voyage,
not only for the purposes contemplated by the society, but to
awaken an increased interest in his missionary plans, and to stir up
the zeal of some whom he believed qualified to be useful as preach-
ers and teachers. Arrangements were made for his departure the
following April, and he was furnished with the most flattering testi-
monials by Governor Ashmun, but the health of the colony, partic-
ularly of the recent immigrants, was not such that his services
as physician could be safely dispensed with. The visit was post-
poned, and finally abandoned. In letters by the vessel in which he
expected to sail, he mentions the dedication of a meeting-house a few
months before, and adds : " Our native schools still continue to go on
under hopeful circumstances. I think the slave-trade is nearly done
in our neighbourhood. The agent, with our forces, has released
upwards of one hundred and eighty from chains since the 1st of
October, which has added greatly to our strength. If the coloured
people of Virginia do not think proper to come out, the Lord will
bring help to the colony from some other quarter, for these recap-
tives are ready to fight as hard for the protection of the colony as
any of the rest of the inhabitants. I mention these circumstances,
that you may look through them to the time foretold in prophecy :
'Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands unto Grod.' We have very
few meetings but that some of the native-born sons of Ham are
present, and they begin to learn to read and sing the praises of
God. I should think that among your large population of coloured
people, if the love of themselves did not bring them out, the love
of Grod would, for here is a wide and extensive missionary field."
The indefatigable and successful exertions he had made for the
welfare of the colony, naturally attracted to him the esteem of the
community, and in September, 1826, he was appointed, with the
general approbation, vice-agent. His familiarity with all their
concerns from the first, the share he had had in the defence and the
improvement of the settlement, and the sterling sense, sound judg-
LOTT GARY. 361
ment, steadfast courage, and public spirit which he had uniformly
displayed, pointed him out as the person best qualified to meet the
present and possible responsibilities of the office. Nor were these
expectations disappointed when, early in 1828, Mr. Ashmun was
obliged by the state of his health to return to the United States,
leaving the entire executive responsibility in his hands.
Before, however, this increase of official duty had come upon
him, to withdraw his attention the more from his missionary work,
he had the satisfaction of succeeding in his long-cherished design
of founding a school at Grand Cape Mount. This was accomplished
in November, 1827. The king and his head men, on being informed
of the purpose of the mission, gave their cordial approbation, fitted
up a school-house, and agreed on the regulations for the school.
Thirty-seven pupils were received. "The heathen in our vicinity,"
he writes, "are so very anxious for the means of light, that they
will buy it — beg it — and, sooner than miss of it, they will steal it.
To establish this, I will mention a circumstance which actually took
place in removing our school establishment up to C. M. I had
upwards of forty natives to carry our baggage, and they carried
something like two hundred and fifty bars;* a part of them went
on four days beforehand, and had every opportunity to commit depre-
dations, but of all the goods that were sent and carried there, nothing
was lost except fifteen spelling-books ; five of them we recovered
again. I must say, that I was almost pleased to find them stealing
books, as they know that you have such a number of them in America,
and that they can, and no doubt will, be supplied upon better terms."
These labours of love, though impeded, were not suspended, by
the arduous duties devolved upon him by the departure of Mr. Ash-
mun. "With the increase of his burdens, his strength seemed to be
the more fully developed to sustain them, and all the interests of
the colony were vigilantly and wisely cared for. But a melancholy
accident put an end to his earthly tasks, in the vigour of his days
and the height of his usefulness. A factory at Digby, a few miles
north of Monrovia, belonging to the colony, was robbed by the
natives in the autumn of 1828, and shortly after was occupied by a
slave-trader. He received warning to quit the place, but persisting
in his defiance, Mr. Gary made preparations to dislodge him. On
the evening of the 8th of November, as he was with several per-
sons in the old agency-house, engaged in making cartridges, fire
* A bar is seventy-five cents.
362 LOTT OAKY.
was communicated to some loose powder on the floor, and exploded
the entire ammunition, resulting in the death of eight persons. Mr.
Gary lingered till the 10th of November, when his life ended, to
the great loss of the colony, that relied much upon his vigour and
fidelity, and the grief of his brethren in America.
The character of Lott Gary was strongly marked. Quickness of
perception and ease of acquisition were united to a thirst for knowl-
edge, that made him as laborious and persevering as if the task had
been far more arduous. It may be questioned, however, — or we
might rather say it is unquestionable, that in whatever degree the
elements of so aspiring a temper may have existed in his nature, they
were mainly quickened and brought to light by the influence of
religious principle. It was when he was animated by a desire to
do good and to honour his Divine Master, elevating him at once
above the low atmosphere of selfish pursuits, that he showed what
he was capable of becoming. The executive power and skill that
he developed, considering how greatly a state of servitude tends to
dwarf this species of capacity, were remarkable. There was a
steady, practical judgment, a faculty of adaptation, a readiness of
resource, that every new exigency brought more clearly to light.
These, united to unusual powers of persuasion, qualified him to act
well his part wherever he might be placed, while an ingenuous
modesty restrained him from overacting it.
The religious affections that gave the chief impulse to his mind,
steadily directed his efforts. It was a missionary spirit that prima
rily sent him to Africa, and if the desire of his own heart had been
gratified, he would have left the secular cares of the colony to the
direction of others, and expended all his energies for the evangeli-
zation of his race. But a wise Providence imposed upon him
duties from which he felt himself not at liberty to shrink, and he
discharged them well. As a physician, though in a great measure
self-instructed, he became the preserver of many lives. And in the
various civil trusts reposed in him, he acquitted himself in a man-
ner that did honour to himself, and proved of eminent advantage
to Liberia in its feeble beginnings. That rising republic is destined,
as we believe, to occupy a distinguished place in the future of
Africa, and it is indebted in no ordinary degree to his agency,
under the blessing of a watchful Providence, for the high promise
of its youth. In its coming greatness, his memory will not be lost
MELVILLE BEVERIDGE COX.
MELVILLE BEVERIDGE Cox, the first missionary sent to Africa
by the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States, was born
at Hallowell, Maine, November 9th, 1799. His parents were in
moderate, and latterly in poor circumstances, but had received more
than average education for their times and station in society. Their
straitened circumstances caused their sons to leave the parental roof
at an early age ; Melville was separated from them at ten years of
age. He had been, however, carefully trained, both mentally and
morally, and the religious instructions of his childhood made an
impression that never left him. He was placed with a farmer, and
continued in his service till his seventeenth year. But the limited
"schooling" he enjoyed was not sufficient to satisfy his love of
knowledge, and with the approbation of his friends he accepted a
place in a bookstore in Hallowell. The stock of the bookseller
was not, it may be conjectured, very extensive, and on the common
principles of "supply and demand," it is likely, not over choice, but
the young shop-boy improved his opportunities to the utmost. Here
ho "completed his education." If it was not sufficiently profound
to entitle him to an academic degree, the aliment it furnished his
mind was acquired with greater eagerness, and was probably more
thoroughly assimilated than if it had been more abundant.
His earliest religious impressions were derived from maternal
instruction, and at different times, from his tenth year forward, they
were peculiarly deep and vivid. In his nineteenth year, after a
considerable period of indifference, they overpowered him. The
immediate occasion of them was the conversation of a cousin recently
converted, as they were walking together after attending the obse-
quies of her father. For three weeks he was in a state of extreme
mental agitation, which he was at special pains to conceal, but at
length found "peace in believing." He showed the reality and
power of his faith by a consistent life, and one of great religious
activity. It is believed that not a few, either here or now with him
364 MELVILLE B. COX.
in Paradise, trace to His faithful endeavours their awakening to a
consideration of their immortal interests.
A circumstance occurred in the year 1820, the narration of which
will be regarded with diverse feelings by different minds, — to some
suggesting nothing higher than the working of a heated imagination ;
to others presenting an aspect of something more mysterious. We
may say — safely enough — in the cautious phraseology of the daily
journalists, that it was a "remarkable coincidence." His brother
James was master of a vessel then on her passage to New Orleans.
Jarnes was a young man of irreproachable morals, but careless of
religion. Melville and another brother frequently united in prayer
on his behalf. One evening, at sunset, they visited their customary
retirement in a neighbouring wood for this purpose, and the exercise
was characterized by unwonted fervour and tenderness. The next
morning their thoughts recurred to the same theme, and to the unac-
customed enjoyment they found in their intercessions the previous
evening. "What do you think?" said Melville to his younger
brother. "I think James has experienced religion" he replied.
"Well," said Melville, "I think HE is DEAD." He made a note of
this impression. In a few weeks came tidings that their brother
died, and on that same evening that witnessed their earnest suppli-
cations for him. It was not till the return of the vessel that they
learned anything to indicate his spiritual condition at the period of
his decease. They were then informed that through the entire voy-
age he showed unusual seriousness, and by his papers it appeared
that the subject of religion pressed weightily on his mind. There
was no written evidence that he enjoyed a comfortable hope of
acceptance with God; but as death approached, the mate said to him,
"Captain Cox, you are a very sick man." "Yes, I know it," he
calmly responded. "You are dying," continued the mate. "Yes,
I know it," he whispered feebly. "And are you willing?" "Yes,
blessed" and he burst into tears, and immediately expired.
About this time Mr. Cox turned his thoughts to the work of the
ministry. In December he attempted his first public discourse, in
a school-house, with fear and trembling at first, but with much
inward satisfaction at the close. The life he now entered upon was
one of peculiar hardship. A Methodist preacher at that time, and
in that section of country, had little to enjoy, except the pleasure
of his work, and there were many things to endure. Mr. Cox bore
his full share of the burden. He first preached as a licentiate under
MELVILLE B. COX. 365
direction of the presiding elder, successively at Wiscasset, Bath and
Hampden, teaching schools a part of the time to mend his scanty
income. The unpopularity of the sect with which he was identified
exposed him to trials harder to bear than any in the train of poverty.
On receiving from the bishop his first appointment as an itinerant,
he was sent to the Exeter circuit, then sometimes denominated "the
Methodist college," a fit arena, it must be confessed, for training a
young man "to endure hardness." The country was then new, the
people generally poor, religion was not abundantly honoured, and
Methodism especially was in low repute. At the sacrifice of per-
sonal comfort, he was indefatigable in his appointed service, and
before he left, things had begun to assume a more encouraging
aspect. On being transferred to Kermebunk, he left many warm
friends to cherish the remembrance of his faithful ministry, and to
smooth the way of future probationers in that scene of discipline.
At Kennebunk he seemed impressed with an uncommon sense of
the shortness of time in which he might be permitted to labour.
With no distinct presentiment of evil days, at first, he yet "hasted
to do his work," and the Master whom he served wrought effectually
through him to do great good in a comparatively short time. By
degrees he became persuaded that his time for active usefulness
would soon end. Nor was the foreboding false. Early in 1825,
within a year of his settlement there, he was prostrated by a disease
of the lungs that disabled him from preaching. His recovery was
slow. In the course of the summer he became able to travel, but
not to speak without difficulty. His old employer in Hallowell
offered to dispose of his stock and "stand" on reasonable terms,
and he entered into the book-trade, but the business was not profit-
able in his hands, and he was obliged to relinquish it. With scanty
means and vague hopes he set his face towards the south, to find a
more congenial climate and an opening for some useful employment.
He fixed his residence at Baltimore, and in February, 1828, married
Miss Ellen Cromwell, daughter of Mrs. Lee, the widow of Thomas
Lee, Esq. The family was wealthy, their estate ample, and here
he lived for a short time, busied in agricultural pursuits, and in the
enjoyment of every earthly blessing. At the solicitation of friends,
he removed into the city, and took charge of a weekly paper, The
Itinerant^ in defence of the principles and polity of his church, which
were at that time rudely assailed. He acquitted himself well, and
did good service to the cause." But the journal was not sufficiently
366 MELVILLE B. COX.
remunerating to be continued without loss, and after sinking a tnou-
sand dollars in the enterprise, he relinquished it. Domestic calami-
ties followed. His wife and child, and three brothers-in-law were
carried to the grave in rapid succession, and sickness brought him
to the verge of life. He was brought very low, but not into despair.
"In her sickness," he wrote to his brother, "I was too sick to afford
those attentions health would have enabled me to show. I could
only kneel by her side, and weep that I could not relieve her; and
at her death, I could not realize that she was gone, nor feel how
great was my loss. But now there is no dreaming, — all is real ; no
mingled fear and hope, — all is stern truth. Ellen is no more. Well,
be it so, my dear brother. Sometimes my path seems a thorny one ;
but God is infinitely better, — yes, I feel that he is infinitely better to
me than I deserve."
His health was sadly broken. The fever that had so nearly
ended his life, left him in great weakness, and his lungs were so
irritable that even conversation was painful. His worldly prospects
were blasted. He thought he must go further south, but knew not
what to do. Secular occupations he could not bring himself to
undertake. He was offered an agency to collect funds in aid of the
Wesleyan University at Middletown, Conn., and actually entered
upon its duties, but he was ill-inclined and ill-prepared for that
species of work. Another newspaper was thought of, and other
plans suggested, but none met his feelings. He now formed a reso-
lution, which was daring even to desperation : " to go and offer myself,
all broken down as / am, to the Virginia Conference. If they will
receive me," he adds, "I will ask for an effective relation. Then, live
or die, if the Lord will, I shall be in the travelling connection. Out
of it I am unhappy; and if not watchful, I may wander from the
simplicity of the gospel."
How far it was proper for him thus to yield to internal impulses,
against what seemed the most absolute providential warnings to
the contrary, it is not needful for us to inquire. The answer is
at hand; the event was decisively against it. Mr. Cox, though able
to satisfy himself at the outset, was at no time free from doubts.
"God requires not murder for sacrifice," he was wont to say. The
Conference accepted him, and in February, 1831, he was stationed
at Raleigh, North Carolina. The first flush of feeling, at finding
himself once more in the ministry, was exhilarating, and the excite-
ment probably gave an unnatural stimulus to his physical energies,
MELVILLE B. COX. 367
but nature is not to be outraged with impunity, and a reaction
speedily commenced. In April, he was forbidden by his physician
to preach longer. Those few weeks had fearfully wasted his already
wrecked constitution. He found numerous friends, who did all that
human kindness could do for one in such circumstances, and he
accepted a cordial invitation to accompany Rev. Mr. Freeman, an
Episcopal clergyman, to the White Sulphur Springs in Virginia.
Much of the time he was obliged to keep his bed, but still he felt
so far relieved as to return to Raleigh — and to his pulpit! He
could die, but could not refrain from preaching. As he was unable
to do any thing else, he thought it was better to die in his ministry
than in idleness. Such a conflict between the spirit and the flesh,
between an unconquerable will and a thrice-vanquished body, is
seldom witnessed on earth.
This last imprudence extinguished his hopes of longer usefulness
there. For three months he was confined to his room, suffering
the extremity of pain. By slow degrees he rallied strength suffi-
cient to travel, and now his fertile brain, still restlessly seeking an
opportunity to fill up his days with profitable labour for his fellow-
men, entertained thoughts of a missionary enterprise. Perhaps, —
so undying hope whispered, — perhaps he might find some climate
where he could live a little longer, and that not in vain. Some-
thing in the state of South America at that time prompted the
suggestion of a misssion there. The plan was suggested to the
bishops, who approved it, and he wrote some articles to urge it
upon the church. The mission was established, but not by him.
In an interview with Bishop Hedding, he conversed on the South
American scheme, when that prelate gave a new direction to his
thoughts, by proposing a mission to Liberia. He pursued this hint
till he reached the conclusion to offer himself for the service.
There was much in his state of health to discourage the attempt,
and it seemed even to himself a dubious undertaking. But he
knew that his life could not be long in America ; though the cli-
mate of Africa had proved so fatal to others, men of firm health, it
was possible that his broken constitution might bear the shock;
and then he might be useful without preaching, in some important
departments of the mission. In a letter to Bishop Hedding, he
says: "If you think me fitted for the work, / will go, trusting in
the God of missions for protection and success. It may cure me, —
it may bury me. In either case, I think I can say from my heart,
368 MELVILLE B. COX.
{ The will of the Lord be done/ I shall go without any of the ' fear
that hath torment/ with a cheerful, nay, with a glad heart." Of his
physical condition, as it affected the question of his personal duty,
he remarked: "1, It is my duty, sick or well, to live or die in the
service of the church. 2, There is a loud call in Providence, at this
eventful moment, for some one to go to Liberia, which ought and
must be heard. 3, There are some indications that this voice
addresses itself to me. 4, A man in high health would run a greater
hazard of life, humanly speaking, than I should. 5, Though my
health does not warrant much in expectation, yet, by the blessing
of God, I may do great good. The race is not to the swift, nor the
battle to the strong. There is much, very much, to be done in a
mission of the kind, which would not tax my voice at all."
His desire was granted. He was appointed to superintend the
mission, and Rev. Messrs. Spaulding and Wright and Miss Farring-
ton were commissioned as his assistants. He visited the north,
stood once more on the soil of his native state, and among the
scenes of his earlier and more hopeful years. The vicissitudes of
joy and sorrow, the deep waters of affliction he had been called to
pass through, had not dimmed his faith or overcome his holy
serenity of spirit. He took leave of his widowed mother for ever,
and bent his course toward Africa. Passing through Middletown,
Conn., he said to a young man, a member of the university, "If I
die in Africa, you must come and write my epitaph." "I will,"
his friend replied; "but what shall I write?" "Write," said Mr.
Cox, "LET A THOUSAND FALL BEFORE AFRICA IS GIVEN UP."
These words have been the motto of more than one aspiring youth,
whose early grave marks the track of missionary enterprise in
Western Africa.
At New-York and Philadelphia he found the cholera raging
around him. He went on to Baltimore, and the epidemic was there.
A short sojourn at Mrs. Lee's hospitable mansion was a happy sea-
son of rest, and the air of the country revived his strength and his
hopes. Being notified that a vessel was to sail from Norfolk for the
Colonization Society, he pursued his way southward. He sailed on
the 6th of November, 1832, with a company of emigrants to Libe-
ria, having for his companions two Presbyterian missionaries. His
colleagues went by another conveyance, and he expected to meet
them on his arrival or shortly after. On his passage he suffered
much from sea-sickness, but his mind was generally cheerful. They
MELVILLE B. COX. 369
made the African coast on the 8th of January, and on the 12th
sailed up the Gambia, and anchored off the English town of Bathurst,
where they remained a week. Mr. Cox made the most of this inter-
val, consulting the governor's chaplain and Kev. Mr. Moister,
"Wesleyan missionary, respecting the character of the people, their
languages, and the methods of missionary work. He commenced
the study of the Mandingo language immediately on resuming his
voyage, though the motion of the vessel disturbed him. They were
driven out to sea by fierce gales that continued a number of days,
but his heart was fixed and his courage unshaken. "My cry to
God," he says, "is that my whole soul may be absorbed in the work
committed to my charge, and that I may do justice to my mission."
"Be the consequences what they may, I never was surer of any-
thing of the kind, than I am that the providence of God has led me
here. I have seen his hand in it, or I do not know it when seen.
0, I trust the result will prove to the world, and to my brethren,
that weak as I am, feeble and worn out as I am, the Lord hath
something yet for me to do in his church."
Something there indeed was for him to do; much, if measured by-
its relations to what followed; but it was to be effected in a very
short time, — shorter than he anticipated, although he could not have
acted with more energy and wisdom if he had certainly foreseen the
end. On the 7th of March the long looked-for land appeared.
"Thank God!" he exclaims, " I have seen Liberia, and live.'1'' On the
8th he landed, and took lodgings with Rev. Mr. Williams, the acting
governor. His appointed associates had not arrived, — and he did
not live to welcome them to their field of labour. He committed
to paper an extended sketch of his observations on the coast, and
transmitted it for the information of his brethren in America. He
selected sites for different stations, contracted for the purchase of
mission premises at Monrovia, an eligible site, obtained at a decided
bargain, and made arrangements for a school. He preached on the
Sabbath, and commenced a Sunday-school of seventy children.
He collected as many of the pious colonists as possible into a regu-
lar organization as the first Methodist Episcopal Church of Liberia,
and settled the terms of their connection with the Methodist Con-
ference of the United States. This was a task of no little difficulty
and delicacy. Many of the colonists had a strong prejudice against
any thing that looked like subjection to "white people," a feeling
natural enough in emancipated slaves. Some of their number had
24
370 MELVILLE B. COX.
been acting as preachers, with very slender qualifications, and some
of them on questionable authority. It was not easy to bring them to
submit their ministerial claims to the cognizance of a regular ecclesi-
astical authority, with a pledge to abide the decision. But his fervent
and persuasive spirit overcame these obstacles, and all was peaceably
settled. A full report was sent by him to America, detailing his acts,
his plans, and the degree of success that had attended him.
In these employments a month passed away. His enfeebled frame
with difficulty sustained the severe drafts made upon it, but he bore
up till the foundations of the mission were solidly laid. Then came
on the "African fever." It seized him on the 12th of April, and
lie kept his bed for twelve days. On the 27th he was able to walk
about his room a little. But he took cold, and was again reduced.
His situation was now desolate in the extreme. The periodical rains
had set in, against which his house afforded but inadequate protec-
tion. The physician was confined by illness, no nurse could be pro-
cured, few of the emigrants, though their jealousy of the "whito
man" had been so far overcome as to admit of the peaceable and
orderly establishment of the mission, felt much sympathy, or gave
him any steady attention. He was mostly alone, and it is not sur-
prising that he felt lonely at times. Without medical aid, the care
of a nurse, or even a comfortable habitation, he felt himself, under
Providence, at the mercy of his disease; and while permitted to con-
gratulate himself on the important results accomplished by his brief
mission, looked forward with near expectation to his heavenly rest.
While his body suffered, his soul was filled with unaccustomed joy.
On the llth of May he says: "For eight years past God hath chas-
tened me with sickness and suffering; but this morning I see and
feel that it has been done for my good. Infinite mercy saw that it
was necessary, and perhaps the only means to secure my salvation.
Through it all I have passed many a storm, many temptations; but
this morning doubts and fears have been brushed away. My soul
was feasted ' while it was yet dark. ' When no eye could see but
His, and no ear hear my voice but His, I had those feelings that
make pain sweet, and suffering as though I suffered not. Yes, I
can never forget this blessed Saturday morning. My soul has tasted
that which earth knows nothing of, — that which the ordinary expe
rience of the Christian does not realize. I have been lifted above
the clouds, and received a blessing that is inexpressible. The Lord
grant that I may hold fast whereunto I have attained!"
MELYILLE B. COX. 371
Some days after this, tie began to feel better; his neighbours
showed him greater attention, having been won by their observa-
tion of his real character, and he received from them many delica-
cies and tokens of affection. The conversion of a lad whose freedom
he had purchased in Baltimore, but whose irregular conduct had
hitherto made him very troublesome, was a peculiarly gratifying
event. The Christian sympathy of Rev. Mr. Pinney, to whom,
though of another denomination, the church was indebted for preach-
ing and the administration of the sacraments, occasionally lightened
his dark chamber. Ever intent on schemes of benevolence, even
when there were so many things to fix his thoughts OD himself
alone, one of his last recorded resolutions was, if God should spare
his life, to adopt the orphan child of a neighbour, just deceased, in
circumstances of destitution. "I pray God," he says, "to help me
to train him up in His fear."
On the 21st of May, Mr. Pinney having decided to return to
America, called to take his leave. Mr. Cox had some questionings
in his mind whether he ought not to go also. His work was too
much for his unaided strength. He had as yet borne up under the
fever, and a voyage home might give him new vigour. But his
colleagues had not yet arrived, and he dared not think of leaving
the mission uncared for. He decided to remain and do what he
could. This was but little. He made some preparations for the
reception of his expected associates. On the 27th, a fresh attack of
fever prostrated him, and his constitution was too far exhausted tc
sustain the shock. His decline was gradual; his hold of life, though
feeble, was not relaxed till the 21st of July, when faintly breathing
out to his Saviour the invocation, uCome! come!" he ceased from
his earthly toil and suffering.
The life of such a man as Melville B. Cox, is a sublime example
of divine strength made perfect in human weakness. In his best
estate he was neither "great" nor "mighty," and during the greater
part of his active career, the time when he did most for the good of
his race, he was struggling hand-to-hand with death. It is not
claimed that he set a perfect example, and how far his religious zeal
led him to outstrip the bounds of a righteous prudence may be
questioned. But it is observable that men are commonly much
more intolerant of excesses in this direction, when the animating
force is religious, than in other cases. William III., of England,
372 MELVILLE B. COX.
is never censured for tasking in war and diplomacy a life which is
described as "one long disease." When death was near, and his
wasted form could scarcely move, his eager passage from Holland
to England, to convoke a parliament and finish the grand alliance
against the House of Bourbon, under the influence of a passion that
broke from his lips even while the prayer for the departing was read
by his bedside, is never ^mentioned to his disparagement. And if a
man of God sees an opening in providence that appears to call for
one to enter, to do a necessary work for the divine glory and for
human welfare, and under the impulse of holy and benevolent
affections offers a broken and almost worn-out frame to bear the
cross through such a passage, it is not always certain that he mis-
takes his duty, whatever cool and worldly minds may conclude.
"Weak as Mr. Cox was, with little of literary accomplishment to
boast, and unfurnished with titles to earthly renown; wrecked as
were his strength and present hopes by the assaults of incurable dis-
ease, his purity of heart, his singleness of purpose, and his unbroken
communion with Him who reveals himself only to the pure in spirit,
gave him power. That power was effectually exerted. It was felt,
and the fruits of his labours are immortal. If those who profess
the same faith and hope, who are endued with the strength that was
denied to him, were all partakers of that measure of disinterested
zeal that made his shattered frame and afflicted soul the instruments
of so much good, the day for whose coming he longed and laboured,
would be hastened.
PLINY FISK.
PLINY FISK was the son of Ebenezer and Sarah Fisk, and was
born at Shelburne, Mass., June 24th, 1792. His parents were worthy,
excellent people, but were in moderate worldly circumstances, sus-
taining themselves by their own industry. From his earliest child-
hood he evinced an amiable disposition, and a somewhat sober turn
of mind, though he was by no means destitute of vivacity and good-
humour. He was particularly distinguished for his untiring perse-
verance ; never putting his hand to a thing of which he did not
witness the completion, if it were at all within the compass of his
ability. His early advantages for intellectual culture were such
only as were furnished by a common district school. These advan-
tages, however, he improved with great diligence, and his progress,
in mathematics particularly, was unusually rapid, as his taste for
that department of science formed a striking feature of his intellect-
ual character.
At the age of sixteen, his mind first received a decided religious
direction. His exercises at the commencement of his spiritual course,
as detailed by himself, evince the most intense consciousness of
guilt, great depth of penitential feeling, and an earnest clinging to
the cross of Christ as the sinner's only refuge. The commencement
of his course gave promise of an unusually active and devoted
Christian life; but it gave promise of nothing more than its progress
and termination most fully realized. He became a communicant
first in the church in his native place under the pastoral care of the
Kev. Dr. Theophilus Packard.
Having now come under the influence of a strong religious
feeling, he became deeply impressed with the conviction that it was
his duty to devote himself to the service of God in the ministry of
reconciliation. His parents, who had previously been little dis-
posed to encourage his aspirations for a liberal education, now with-
drew their objections, and cheerfully offered him whatever aid it
might be in their power to render. He accordingly commenced his
course of study preparatory to entering college, under the direction
of the venerable Moses Hallock, of Plainfield, Mass. In 1811, he
374 PLINY FISK.
became a member of Middlebury college, and was admitted to an
advanced standing.
In college, Mr. Fisk had a respectable, but not an eminent stand-
ing, as a scholar ; and his proficiency in the mathematics was greater
than in any other branch of study. He was chiefly distinguished
for the spirituality of his views and feelings, and his earnest devo-
tion to the great interests of Christ's kingdom. Indeed, he seemed
like a man of one idea — every thing else he regarded as insignifi-
cant and trivial, compared with the great work of advancing his
Eedeemer's glory, and saving the souls of his fellow-men. There is
little doubt that this ruling passion of his spiritual nature interfered
somewhat with his success as a scholar; and he seems to have fallen
into the mistake of supposing that that intense application of ' his
faculties that was necessary to superior scholarship, would lessen
the vigour of his religious affections, and put in jeopardy his Chris-
tian usefulness. In subsequent life he seems to have become sensible
of his mistake; for in one of his communications addressed to the
Society of Inquiry respecting missions at Andover, after he reached
his missionary field, he urges upon them the importance of making
themselves familiar with the ancient languages.
Mr. Fisk was admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Arts in
August, 1814. As he had depended mainly upon his own exer-
tions for the means of his education, his parents being in a situa-
tion to render him but little assistance, he had accumulated a debt
during his college course, which it was his first object, after leaving
college, to cancel; and it was only on this account that he did not
at once connect himself with some Theological Seminary. In Sep-
tember succeeding his graduation, he commenced the study of
Theology under the direction of his pastor, Dr. Packard, and in
January, 1815, was licensed to preach by the Franklin Association
of Ministers. The record which he has left of his feelings and reso-
lutions in connection with this interesting epoch of his life, shows
that while he was oppressed and well-nigh overwhelmed with a sense
of his responsibility, he sought and found encouragement and sup-
port in the promise that Christ's grace should be sufficient for him.
Within a few weeks after he was licensed to preach, he was
invited to supply a vacant pulpit in "Wilmington, Yermont; and his
labours here seem to have been attended with a double blessing —
first in causing a somewhat distracted and divided church to become
as one with itself, and next in being instrumental of an extensive
PLINY FJSK. 375
and powerful revival of religion. Here he found himself in his
appropriate element; and while the service which he performed
was one for which his whole previous course had been a continuous
training, it was no less a preparation for still higher degrees of use-
fulness in the yet more important field which he was subsequently
to occupy. He consented to a second engagement with the people
after the first had expired; but with the express stipulation that he
should not be considered as in any sense a candidate for final settle-
ment with them in the ministry.
Mr. Fisk had, not long after his original purpose to study for the
ministry was formed, resolved to devote himself to a mission among
the heathen; and of this high resolve he never lost sight for a
moment in any of his subsequent arrangements. With a special
view to this, he determined to avail himself of the advantages of a
thorough course of theological education, and accordingly in Novem-
ber, 1815, he became a member of the Andover Seminar}^. Here
his mind and heart were open to all the benign influences which
surrounded him, while both mind and heart were put in requisition
to the utmost for the benefit of all to whom his influence might
extend. In his intercourse with the professors he evinced all due
respect and deference, while yet he discovered a manly independ-
ence in the prosecution of his theological inquiries. In his inter-
course with his fellow-students, he was cheerful and agreeable, and
sometimes indulged in innocent humour, but never in this way passed
the limit of the strictest Christian decorum. It was apparent to
all who saw him that the tendencies of his spirit were upward; that
he was constantly holding communion with the invisible and the
spiritual; that in every plan and purpose, as well as every import-
ant act of his life, he looked beyond the world ; in a word, that he
counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus. He felt the importance of training himself to a regu-
lar habit of bodily exercise ; and with a view to this he often solicited
the company of one or more of his fellow-students on a walk;
but he was always careful that the walk should accomplish some-
thing beyond the mere exercise — he would see that some edifying
and useful conversation was kept up, and not unfrequently he would
make it in his way to visit some afflicted person, and administer con-
solation, or some vicious person, and administer reproof, or else
possibly he might make it the occasion of projecting some new plan
of benevolent effort. No man was more ready than he to welcome
376 PLINY FISK.
the word of admonition, if, in any instance, he was tempted to a
momentary aberration from the path of Christian circumspection.
It is recorded of him that on one occasion, while he was sitting in
his room with his door open, he was heard by an intimate friend to
say, "I was provoked with Brother because he continued to
speak after the Professor had given his opinion." His friend, calling
to him by name, he replied, "What do you want?" His friend said,
"The sun will go down by and by." He answered, "Very well."
In about fifteen minutes, he came to the room of the brother who had
thus gently admonished him, and, taking him by the hand with great
cordiality, said, — "I am ready now to have the sun go down."
The studies included in his theological course engaged his constant
and earnest attention, and he made exemplary progress in each of the
various departments. He had not the reputation of possessing a very
brilliant mind, or a mind of uncommon energy, nor yet a remarkably
cultivated taste ; but his powers of analysis and accurate investigation
were considered as much above mediocrity. It was his moral power
then, as in after life — particularly the power of an earnest and all-
pervading piety — that constituted his most distinctive characteristic.
Notwithstanding Mr. Fisk had had a general purpose of devoting
himself to the missionary work from the period that he determined
to enter the ministry, yet his purpose does not seem to have been
so fully matured but that he was still seeking direction on the sub-
ject, until within a short time previous to his leaving the seminary.
He was for a while somewhat embarrassed by the fact that his
respected professors had expressed an opinion, if not decidedly
adverse to his going abroad, yet much in favour of his remaining
at home, as an agent of charitable societies, and as a domestic mis-
sionary; but notwithstanding his high respect for their judgment,
and his perfect confidence in their friendship, he felt constrained,
after the most mature examination of the question of duty, to decide
in favour of a foreign mission. Accordingly he addressed a com-
munication to the American Board of Missions, offering himself to
be employed under their direction, in any part of the Pagan world
they might choose to designate. In September, 1818, the class of
which he was a member, finished its prescribed course of study, and
on the day that the public examination was held, the Palestine mis-
sion was established, at a meeting of the Prudential Committee of
the American Board, and Mr. Fisk, together with his intimate friend
and classmate, Mr. Parsons, was appointed to that important station.
PLINY FISK. 377
It was deemed expedient by the board that Mr. Fisk, before pro-
ceeding to the field of labour assigned him, should visit the South-
ern part of ttfe United States, for the two-fold purpose of diffusing
missionary intelligence and soliciting pecuniary contributions in aid
of the missionary cause. He accordingly received ordination in the
Tabernacle church, Salem, November 5th, 1818, and shortly after
sailed from Boston for Savannah. On his arrival at the latter place,
he was received with great kindness and hospitality, and from no
one did he meet a more cordial welcome than from Dr. Kollock,
who was then at the zenith of his popularity and usefulness. He
quickly found, however, that there was likely to be but little sym-
pathy manifested for the object of his mission ; — partly on account
of a great pecuniary pressure incident to a partial stagnation of
business; but chiefly from a deep-seated prejudice which existed
against Northern agents. Mr. Fisk, however, having, after a while,
become considerably known and personally popular among the
people of Savannah, it was determined by the managers of the Mis-
sionary Society there that they would become responsible for his
support as a missionary to Asia, the mission being under the more
particular direction of the American Board. The same society voted
to defray the expense of his agency in that part of the country for
six months. From Georgia he proceeded to Charleston, S. C., where
also he was cordially welcomed by many Christian people; and he
collected in aid of the missionary cause, there and in the neighbour-
hood, upwards of fifteen hundred dollars. At Savannah and
Charleston, and various other places, he established societies whose
object was to support schools for the education of heathen children.
After spending a few weeks in South Carolina, he set his face towards
the North, stopping at various places, and especially at Washing-
ton City, where he had an interview with John Quincy Adams,
then Secretary of State, who kindly offered to furnish him with let-
ters that might be useful to him on his intended journey. He
reached his native state in the month of July, and went immediately
to Andover, with a view to continue his studies at the Seminary,
till the time of his embarkation for Asia.
The arrangements for his departure being nearly perfected, he
went, towards the close of October, to Shelburne, to make a farewell
visit to his widowed father and other relatives and friends who
resided there. On a day previously appointed, he delivered an
affectionate and solemn valedictory address, on which occasion he
378 PLINY FISK.
took leave of the people, with the confident expectation of meeting
them no more on earth. The next morning he parted with his near-
est relatives, and proceeded to Boston. On the succeeding Sabbath
evening he preached in the Old South Church, from Acts xx. 22.
"And now, behold I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem, not
knowing the things that shall befall me there." It was an exceed-
ingly well-adapted and impressive discourse, and was listened to by
a large audience with earnest attention. On this occasion the
instructions of the Prudential Committee, prepared by the Eev. Dr.
Samuel Worcester, were read to him and his colleague in the mis-
sion, Mr. Parsons. The next evening (Monday) he met a large
assembly at the monthly concert of prayer; and this was his last
public meeting with Christians on American shores. On Wednes-
day morning, November 3d, 1819, he embarked with his colleague
on board the ship Sally Ann, Captain Edes, for Smyrna.
During the passage Mr. Fisk wrote numerous letters to his friends,
all of which breathe the same high devotion to the great cause to
which he had consecrated himself. After a favourable voyage, the
ship in which he sailed entered the harbour of Malta on the 23d
of December; but on account of the strictness of the quarantine
regulations, he was allowed but little intercourse with persons who
were on shore. He, however, made the acquaintance of several indi-
viduals, among whom was the Kev. Mr. Jowett, author of the
"Researches," who manifested great interest in his mission, and
communicated to him much valuable information. After remaining
at Malta a little more than two weeks, the ship proceeded on her
voyage, and on the 15th of January reached Smyrna, the place of
her ultimate destination. As the next day was the Sabbath, Mr.
Fisk and his colleague did not leave the ship until Monday.
The reception which he met on his arrival at Smyrna was pecu-
liarly grateful to him, after the solitude and monotony of a long
voyage. His introductory letter secured for him every attention
he could desire, and several of the individuals with whom he was
thus made acquainted, evinced a deep interest in the great object
which had carried him thither. On the first Monday in February
he and Mr. Parsons united with the Rev. Mr. Williamson, an Epis
copal minister resident there from England, in observing the
monthly concert of prayer — supposed to have been the first meeting
of the kind ever held in Turkey.
Having spent several months at Smyrna, chiefly in the study of
PLINY FISK. 879
languages, tie determined to spend the summer at the island of Scio,
that he might have the advantage of the instruction of Professor
Bambas, who was not only an eminent scholar and teacher, but of
decided evangelical views, and withal highly favourable to the mis-
sionary cause. On his arrival there, he found in Professor Bambas
all that he had expected; and while he advanced rapidly under his
instruction, he devoted a part of his time to the distribution of tracts
and to other services designed to diffuse around the light of a pure
Christianity. He remained at Scio about five months, and during
this time put in circulation thirty-seven thousand tracts, and forty-
one copies of the Sacred Scriptures. He returned to Smyrna in the
latter part of October.
In November of this year (1820) Mr. Fisk, in company with Mr.
Parsons, made a tour of about three hundred miles for the purpose
of visiting the places on which stood the "seven churches of Asia."
This was a journey of great interest, not only from the hallowed
associations of the past, but from the fearful desolations of the pres-
ent. The diary which Mr. Fisk kept during this period, while it is
full of interesting incident, shows that the one great object of his
mission was always in his eye, and that nothing venerable in anti-
quity or curious in history, could, for a moment, render less engross-
ing the sacred work of blessing and saving his fellow-men.
After long-continued and mature deliberation, it was concluded
by Messrs Fisk and Parsons that the object of their mission would
be most effectually promoted by their temporary separation from
each other — Mr. Parsons proceeding immediately to Syria on a tour
of observation, with a view to ascertain the most eligible place for a
permanent missionary establishment, and Mr. Fisk remaining at
Smyrna, to prosecute his studies and carry forward his work in the
best way he could. In accordance with this arrangement, the two
friends, who had never before been separated for a night since they
left America, parted from each other on the 5th of December, 1820,
Mr. Parsons taking a vessel with a view to go to the Holy Land.
Mr. Fisk now little anticipated what trials awaited himself during
the period of their separation. Early the next spring, the revolt of
the Greeks from the Turkish dominion at various points roused the
jealousy and the wrath of the Turks to such a pitch, that they seemed
well nigh ripe for glutting their vengeance by a universal massacre:
assassinations became so frequent in Smyrna that a single day would
sometimes number several hundreds. Mr. Fisk witnessed many of
380 PLINY FISK.
the most tragical scenes, but was himself mercifully preserved amidst
all the dangers by which he was surrounded. He continued his
studies so far as was practicable, and lost no opportunity of admin-
istering instruction or consolation to the terror-stricken people
around him. He was rendered not a little anxious by the intelli-
gence that his friend Mr. Parsons was lying dangerously ill on the
island of Syra ; and he almost reproached himself that he had not
accompanied him, in view even of the possibility of such an exigency.
His friend, however, was mercifully spared, and on the 3d of De-
cember, 1821, after being separated nearly a year, they had a joyful
meeting at Smyrna. In the course of the same month, as the Eng-
lish chaplain returned home, Mr. Fisk was invited, as he had been
on one occasion before, to take his place in the chapel. In connec-
tion with this service he continued as before to distribute Bibles and
tracts as he had opportunity, and not unfrequently held discussions
with Koman Catholics in respect to some of the fundamental princi-
ples of Protestant and Evangelical Christianity.
Notwithstanding Mr. Parsons' health seemed to be in some meas-
ure restored, yet it was found, on his return to Smyrna, that he was
too feeble to perform missionary service, and it was thought that he
might be materially benefited by a change of climate. By the
advice of his physician, he resolved to make a journey to Egypt,
and Mr. Fisk being unwilling that he should attempt the journey
alone, resolved to accompany him. Accordingly they embarked in
an Austrian brig from Smyrna, on the 9th of January, 1822 ; and
after a boisterous passage of five days, they reached Alexandria.
"Within less than a month after their arrival there, the earthly pil-
grimage of Mr. Parsons was closed, his friend watching around his
bed, and ministering to his wants to the last, with all the affectionate
assiduity of a brother.
Mr. Fisk remained at Alexandria but a few weeks after the death
of Mr. Parsons, and his missionary labours during this period were
confined chiefly to the Jews. In March succeeding his bereavement,
he proceeded up the Nile to Cairo, intending to make a journey
through the desert to India, or to Damietta and Jaffa. At Cairo he
heard of the arrival of Mr. Temple at Malta, and for reasons which
he deemed sufficient, he hastened thither with a view to meet him.
These reasons were that the warm season which was then approach-
ing was unfavourable to visiting Judea; that on account of the dis-
turbed state of political affairs in Turkey, probably few pilgrims
FLINT FISK. 381
would venture to visit Jerusalem ; and that it seemed desirable that
he should confer with the missionary friends at Malta in regard to
future movements.
Mr. Fisk reached Malta in April, where he was obliged to perform
a quarantine of thirty days. Here he continued labouring in various
ways till the beginning of the next year; and in the mean time he
was joined by the Rev. Jonas King, who had arrived from Paris,
in compliance with a request which Mr. Fisk made to him soon after
the death of Mr. Parsons. They sailed together for Egypt early in
January, 1823, in company with the celebrated Wolff, who had some
years before been converted from Judaism. They carried with them
a large quantity of Bibles and tracts. After a week's passage they
arrived at Alexandria, where they spent some ten days, chiefly in
reasoning with the Jews out of their own Scriptures. They then
proceeded to Rosetta, thence to the mouth of the Nile, after which
they made their way to Cairo. Here they spent a week, distributing
Bibles and tracts, and endeavouring to convince the Jews, to whom
they had access, that Jesus is the Christ.
From Cairo they proceeded to Upper Egypt, and in twenty-two
days arrived at Thebes, where they were not a little interested in
visiting the temples and the tombs of a remote antiquity. They
visited various interesting points in Egypt, and remained in the
country about three months; during which time they distributed
nearly four thousand tracts, and about nine hundred copies of the
Bible, selling a part, and giving away a part, as circumstances seemed
to dictate.
On the 7th of April, 1823, Mr. Fisk started, in company with Mr.
King and Mr. Wolff, for Jerusalem. They passed through the great
desert which was the scene of the forty years' wanderings of the chil-
dren of Israel, and after a dreary, but yet most interesting journey,
arrived at Jerusalem on the 25th of the same month. Mr. Fisk in his
diary, as well as in various letters written to his friends about that time,
records the deep and sacred emotions which were awakened within
him on his arrival in the Holy Land, and especially in the Holy
city. His descriptions of what he saw are alike vivid and faithful ;
and though the scenes and objects have since been rendered com-
paratively familiar by the numerous books of travels which have
been put forth, we scarcely know any thing more graphically
descriptive than this account given by Mr. Fisk nearly thirty years
m. In the first few weeks he confined his labours and researches
382 PLINY FISK.
chiefly to Jerusalem and the immediate neighbourhood; but subse-
quently he made excursions to more distant places, distributing
every where, as he could find opportunity, Bibles and tracts, while his
spirit was constantly revelling amidst the most hallowed associations.
As it was Mr. Fisk's intention to extend his Christian researches
through the most interesting parts of Syria, before he should make
a permanent settlement, he resolved to go by way of Tyre, Sidon
and Beyroot, to Mount Lebanon, and there to remain during the hot
season. Accordingly he left Jerusalem in company with Mr. King
on the 27th of June, 1823, and reached Mount Lebanon on the 16th
of July. He took up his residence for the summer at a place called
Antoura, while his associate, Mr. King, went to reside at Der El
Kamer, a place about equi-distant from Beyroot and Sidon. On
the 2d of September he observed the monthly concert of prayer in
company with three others, which he represents as having been to
him a most joyous and refreshing service.
In the course of this month, the Rev. Mr. Jowett having arrived
from Egypt, Mr. Fisk went to Beyroot to welcome him; after which
they went together on some excursions among the mountains, and
subsequently travelled in company to Jerusalem. Here Mr. Fisk
made his head-quarters, occasionally visiting other parts of the
country, for about eight months. He then returned to Beyroot, and
towards the close of June set out, with Mr. King and Mr. Cook, an
English Wesleyan missionary, on a journey to some of the principal
cities in the North of Syria. After visiting Damascus, Aleppo,
Tripoli and various other places, he went back to Beyroot, with an
intention of passing the winter at Jerusalem. But instead of pro-
ceeding immediately to that station, he and Mr. King took up their
residence at Jaffa, where they arrived on the 29th of January, 1825.
Here they continued till about the close of March ; and when they
reached Jerusalem on the first of April, they found the city in a
state of great consternation from the desperate outrages which were
constantly committed by the Pasha's soldiers. Mr. Fisk, however,
not at all disheartened by this alarming state of things, kept quietly
and steadily at his work, having fall confidence in the protection of
his Master, as well as in the ultimate success of his cause. At length,
however, he became satisfied that he could labour to better purpose
in some other place, and resolved to return to Beyroot, notwith-
standing, owing to the disturbed state of the country, the journey
must be attended with some hazard. The Sabbath preceding his
PLINY FISK. 383
departure — the last that he ever spent in the Holy city — he preached
in Greek, and had among his hearers ten priests of the Greek
order. They left Jerusalem on the 9th of May, and after encoun-
tering some slight molestation on their journey, from the Arabs,
they reached the mission family at Bey root on the 18th of May.
Here Mr. Fisk continued, prosecuting his studies, and making,
occasionally, missionary excursions in the neighbourhood, till the
close of his earthly career.
The season after Mr. Fisk's return to Beyroot was more than com-
monly unhealthy, a malignant fever prevailing, to which a large
number fell victims. On the llth of October, Mr. Fisk first spoke
of being ill, though for several days there was nothing to excite
apprehension in regard to the issue of his disease. It turned out,
however, that he had the prevailing fever, and the case at length
began to assume an alarming aspect. As there was no physician
at hand, they sent for one at Sidon, in whom Mr. Fisk had
expressed some confidence; but the disease was probably an over-
match for any medical skill. Each successive turn of fever greatly
diminished his strength, while it produced a sort of convulsive
effect upon his whole frame. It was thought proper at length that
he should be apprized of the fact that his case was regarded as
hopeless, and he received the intelligence without the least sign of
agitation. He dictated various letters to his friends, which breathed
the most entire resignation to the Divine Will. At the mention of
his aged father, his feelings, for a moment, seemed almost uncon-
trollable; but he quickly regained his accustomed composure, and
remarked that God would enable him to bear it. For two or three
days, life was trembling on the point of extinction, while his spirit
was lifting itself for its final glorious flight. At three o'clock on
Sabbath morning, October 23, 1825, he had finished his education
for the world of immortality. His death produced a great sensa-
tion, not only in the missionary family from which he was taken,
not only among all friends of Christian missions whom the intelli-
gence reached, but among the poor Arabs, who, in all their ignor-
ance and degradation, had learned to look upon him as a friend and
benefactor. His funeral was attended the next day ; and at his
grave, a part of Paul's noble discourse on the Resurrection was
read in Italian, and a prayer offered in English. His remains were
deposited in a garden belonging to the missionary family. He died
at the age of thirty-three.
384 PLINY FISK.
In this brief sketch, it has been impossible to do more than just
to trace this lamented missionary through different parts of his
field of labour, without attempting to show what he actually
accomplished. As he had to do the work of a pioneer, it were not
to be expected that his labours should have been followed by any
immediate splendid results; but there is no doubt that he had a
primary agency in preparing the way for whatever has since been
accomplished in propagating a pure Christianity in that country by
other instrumentalities. During the six years of his missionary life,
he had acquired four foreign languages, so as to be able to preach
the gospel readily in each of them. He had formed an extensive
acquaintance, including persons of various nations, and of every
character, ranging from the extreme of refinement to the extreme of
degradation ; and this acquaintance he always endeavoured to ren-
der subservient to the great work to which he had devoted himself.
It is easy to imagine the extensive service which he might have
rendered to the cause, had he been spared to prosecute his labours
till the present time; but it is delightful to reflect that he was dis-
missed from his labours at the time that Infinite Wisdom saw best,
and that he served his Master long enough on earth, to receive
through grace a glorious crown in heaven.
Mr. Fisk, as we have already intimated, could not be considered
as possessing any extraordinary intellectual powers; but he pos-
sessed highly respectable powers, and he made the most of them.
His perceptions were clear, his judgment sound, and his knowl-
edge of the human heart deep and accurate. He had also an earn-
est, loving, trusting spirit, that qualified him for warm friendships
and high enterprises. And more than all, he had a spirit of devo-
tion, a love for the souls of his fellow-men, a confidence in the
providence and grace of God, an utter oblivion of self in his blessed
vocation, that at once rendered the missionary work delightful to
him, and gave him mighty influence as a missionary. It was but
for a few brief years that he was permitted to speak for his Master
here upon earth; but ever since he was laid in his grave, he has
been speaking through the word of what he was and what he did,
to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity ; and so he will
continue to speak, till that grave shall give up its dead, and he shall
ascend from the land which the prophets and apostles once occu-
pied, to that better country, even an heavenly, which is to be the
final home of all the ransomed and glorified.
LEVI PARSONS.
LEVI PARSONS, the second son of the Eev. Justin and Mrs. Electa
Parsons, was born in Goshen, Mass., July 18th, 1792. During the
period of his childhood he was exceedingly fond of home, and by his
uncommonly amiable disposition, became a great favourite in the
circle of his relatives and acquaintance. His parents were greatly
desirous that he should not only become the subject of a genuine
conversion, but that he should devote himself to the Christian minis-
try ; and in the hope that this might actually be the case, they sent
him abroad to school. He was not without his seasons of tempo-
rary anxiety in respect to his soul's salvation, during his childhood
and early youth; but it was not till a revival of religion which
occurred in the year 1808, that he gave evidence of being renewed
in the temper of his mind, and made a public profession of religion
by uniting with the church under his father's pastoral care.
In 1810 he became a member of Middlebury College, his father
having, in the mean time, removed with his family to Whiting, Yt.,
and become the pastor of the Congregational Church in that place.
During a revival which occurred in Middlebury, the year after he
entered college, his mind became deeply agitated in regard to the
genuineness of his own previous religious experience; and for a
considerable time he was tossed on the billows of painful doubt,
not to say of absolute despair. After a somewhat protracted season
of anxiety and suffering, he emerged from the cloud into the clear
light of a joyful confidence in his Kedeemer; and from this baptism
of fire and of the Spirit, he seems to have received the elements of
a stronger faith, a more entire consecration to the service of his
master. Though at the time he fully believed that he had never
known the power of regenerating grace, yet, at a subsequent period,
when he could examine his exercises more calmly, and compare dif-
ferent states of mind with each other, he was rather inclined to the
opinion that the commencement of his spiritual life dated back to
the period at which he had originally fixed it.
25
386 LEVI PARSONS.
The period of his college course was signalized by several revivals
of religion in Middlebury, in which the college had a liberal share,
and in which he was himself eminently active and useful. As he
was somewhat straitened in his worldly circumstances, he spent some
of his vacations in teaching school ; and here also, while he was
most assiduous in cultivating the intellects of his pupils, he looked
well to their moral and spiritual interests, and laboured, according
to his ability, for the promotion of religion in the several neigh-
bourhoods in which he resided. In each place, he left behind him
a most grateful savour, and some individuals there is reason to
believe, who were permanently benefited by his faithful counsels
and instructions.
In the autumn of 1813, just at the commencement of his Senior
year in college, he accepted an invitation from the people of Lewis,
Essex county, K Y., to instruct a school and aid an infant church
in the devotions of the Sabbath. As he was crossing Lake Cham-
plain in the evening, on his way to Lewis, he had a narrow escape
from death. The schooner in which he was crossing being about
half-way over the lake, the ferryman blew a trumpet as a signal for
having a light placed on the opposite shore. They soon heard a
voice, which was instantly followed by a musket-ball, which passed
within two feet of Mr. Parsons. The ferryman then halloed, but
got no response; and he remarked that they were undoubtedly pre-
paring to give them a broadside. But instead of a broadside, there
quickly appeared a skiff, with a number of armed men, approaching
them with great speed, determined apparently to do a destructive
work. After making a few inquiries, however, they became satis-
fied that all was right, and withdrew without attempting any injury.
Such is the fact, as recorded by Mr. Parsons in a letter to his
parents — the explanation of it doubtless is, that he was in a frontier
part of the country, and that this was the time of our last war with
Great Britain.
Mr. Parsons had a highly respectable standing as a scholar, and
was graduated with honour in 1814. He pronounced, at the com-
mencement, a eulogy on the character of John Knox; a subject into
which he entered with great enthusiasm, and which not only brought
into vigorous exercise his intellectual powers, but quickened and
elevated his moral and religious aspirations.
Within a few weeks after he graduated, he joined the Theological
Seminary at Andover. He had for years been silently agitating the
LEVI PARSONS. 387
question whether it might not be his duty to give himself to the
work of foreign missions; but it was not till some time in the year
1816 that he came to a definite determination on the subject. He
then wrote out his reflections at length, weighing carefully every
consideration that seemed to have a bearing on the main subject;
and the result was a full conviction that he was called, in the provi-
dence of Grod, to occupy a place in the missionary field. His
journal during his connection with the Seminary shows that he not
only lived in the fear of God all the day long, but that he had
attained to a rare measure of spirituality and heavenly -mi ndedness.
He was particularly careful and earnest in exploring the labyrinths
of his own heart, and had the deepest sense of his own remaining
corruption, and the humblest appreciation of his own Christian
attainments. His vacations now, as when he was in college, were
sacredly devoted to doing good ; and he accounted it a great privi-
lege when he was permitted to labour, as he was in two or three
instances, in connection with a revival of religion. He passed
through several scenes of affliction during the period of his connec-
tion with the Seminary, and was especially tried by the death of a
beloved sister; but he manifested the most unqualified submission
to the Divine will, and seemed chiefly concerned that those who
shared with him the bereavement, might be improved by it, as well
as comforted under it.
Mr. Parsons was licensed to preach at Salem, by the Salem Asso-
ciation, the last week in April, 1817. He read on the occasion a
somewhat extended summary of Christian doctrine, as containing
the substance <of his belief, which was fully in accordance with the
accredited orthodoxy of New-England. About the time he was
licensed, he was appointed an agent of the American Board of Com-
missioners for Foreign Missions, to solicit pecuniary contributions for
the society. Having accepted this appointment, he immediately
repaired to Yermont, and entered upon his agency. Here he spent
several weeks, making earnest and effective appeals to a number of
the churches, communicating much valuable missionary intelligence,
and forming societies in different churches for the education of
heathen children. When he had accomplished this agency, he
returned to Andover, and in September following took his leave
of the Theological Seminary, having gone through the prescribed
course and term of study.
On the 3d of September, Mr. Parsons was ordained to the work
388 LEVI PARSONS.
of a minister and a missionary, in Park-street church, Boston, at
the same time that the Eev. Sereno E. Dwight was ordained as
pastor of that church, and several young men were set apart as mis-
sionaries. The sermon on the occasion was preached by the Rev.
Dr. Lyman Beecher. It was his celebrated sermon, entitled — "The
Bible a code of laws."
Mr. Parsons had a strong desire to do something more, before
leaving the country, for the spiritual interests of the people of Ver-
mont— the state in which a considerable part of his life had been
spent, and with which were associated many of the most interesting
scenes through which he had passed. He therefore accepted an
invitation to labour, for a while, in the service of the Yermont Mis-
sionary Society. He visited various towns, chiefly in the northern
part of Yermont, preaching for a longer or shorter period in each
place, and witnessing in some instances the most favourable results
from his labours. At the close of September, 1818, in the antici-
pation of being soon called to enter upon his foreign field, he signi-
fied to the Trustees of the Society in whose service he had been
engaged, that he could continue their missionary no longer, as his
time would all be needed to make the necessary preparation for
leaving the country. Subsequently to this, however, the Pruden-
tial Committee of the American Board thought proper to detain
him awhile as an agent for the Board in the state of New- York;
and he accordingly, in the early part of November, left Boston to
fulfil this new and somewhat unexpected appointment. He visited
nearly all the more important towns in northern and western New-
York, and though he met with some opposition, he was generally
received with much favour, and succeeded in many instances in
giving a fresh impulse to the missionary cause. One of the most
interesting circumstances that occurred in connection with his mis-
sion, was his meeting with the Stockbridge Indians, then under the
care of the missionary, John Sergeant. He preached to them when
he was in a state of great weariness and exhaustion, but still spoke
with uncommon fervour, being inspired by the thought that pos-
sibly his audience might be the descendants of Abraham. When
the sermon was over, the Indian chief, a fine, princely-looking
fellow, delivered an address to Mr. Parsons, in the best style
of Indian oratory. He thanked God that He had sent his ser-
vant among them, and had commissioned him to deliver to them
"a great and important talk." He thanked the preacher also for
LEVI PAKSONS. 389
his excellent counsels, and expressed the wish that they might
answer the purpose for which they were designed. He then pro-
ceeded to read a "talk" in Indian and English, which he desired
Mr. Parsons to deliver to "the Jews, their forefathers, in Jerusalem."
The Indians then contributed nearly six dollars and two gold
ornaments in aid of his object; after which he was invited to the
mission-house, where he received from them several presents, and
among them an elegant pocket lantern, containing on the bottom
of it the following inscription :
" This to illumine the streets of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is my chief joy."
In the latter part of July, Mr. Parsons returned to Andover,
after an absence of about eight months, and spent most of his time
in that neighbourhood until he left the country. On the loth of
October, he attended the organization of the missionary church at
Boston, which was destined to carry the light of gospel truth to the
Sandwich Islands. The next day he set out to make his farewell
visit to his relatives in Vermont. Here he had a most affecting
interview with his beloved parents — the last, as it proved, on earth ;
but he was enabled to sustain himself with the composure and dig-
nity of a Christian whose eye was steadily fixed on Heaven.
Mr. Parsons sailed from Boston for Smyrna, in company with his
friend and fellow-labourer, Mr. Fisk, on the morning of the 3d of
November, 1819. The ship arrived in the harbour of Malta towards
the close of December ; and though they were urged by Mr. Jowett
and other English missionaries there to remain some time, particu-
larly on the ground that there were better facilities for learning the
Italian and Arabic languages than they would find at Smyrna, yet
view of the instructions of the Prudential Committee, and some
ther considerations, they determined to proceed in accordance with
their original plan. Accordingly they continued their voyage, arid
reached Smyrna on the 15th of January, 1820. Here they were
occupied in studying the languages which were to be the future
medium of their instructions, and in performing such missionary
service as they could, until the 10th of May, when they sailed for the
and of Scio, where they arrived in two days. Here they continued,
ursuing their studies, visiting various interesting points, and in
any ways performing labours of love among the inhabitants until
wards the close of November, when they returned to Smyrna.
390 LEVI PAKSO^S.
It had long been one of Mr. Parsons7 strongest desires to visit the
Holy Land ; and the time had now come when it seemed convenient
and suitable that that desire should be gratified. In order to the
carrying out of the object of the mission, it became necessary that
either Mr. Parsons or Mr. Fisk should proceed to Palestine, and
ascertain what arrangements could be made with reference to a per-
manent missionary establishment. It was agreed that Mr. Parsons
should undertake this delightful, though arduous, and in view of
the then existing state of the country, somewhat perilous service.
Having made all due preparations for the voyage, he embarked on
the 5th of December, first for the Isle of Cyprus, where he arrived
after a long and dreary passage, on the 25th of January, 1821.
Here he was received with great cordiality, especially by a Greek
Bishop, who had two hundred churches under his direction, though
only fifty were then open for religious services. He extended to
Mr. Parsons a hearty welcome, not only as a gentleman, but as a
Christian missionary, and expressed his warm approbation of the
tracts which he had brought with him to distribute. After stop-
ping a few days at Cyprus, and being greatly interested in the
various sacred localities that were pointed out to him, he went on
his way to Jaffa, the ship's ultimate destination. Here the Eussian
consul met him with great kindness, and promised him every facility
which it might be in his power to furnish. It was, however, not
without some apprehension, that he learned from two English trav-
ellers with whom he here became acquainted, that in consequence
of the arrival of a new governor at Jerusalem, the country was
rising into a state of revolt; that it was imminently hazardous to
travel in that direction, and that the number of pilgrims who were
to accompany him would afford little security. This intelligence
seemed somewhat startling; but Mr. Parsons, satisfied that he was
in the path* of duty, felt constrained to go forward, and he had a
strong confidence that the arm of the Lord would be revealed for
his protection and deliverance. Accordingly he made the journey
in great security; and though he was often called upon for taxes,
yet in consequence of a letter from the Russian consul, he was
suffered to pass without any expense ; and even where he had anti-
cipated the most serious annoyance, he was heartily cheered on
his journey. He reached Jerusalem on the afternoon of the 12th
of February.
Mr. Parsons remained in the Holy city for nearly three months,
LEVI PARSONS. 391
during which time he enjoyed excellent health, and had every facil-
ity he could desire for prosecuting his inquiries and investigations.
He examined minutely the numerous localities and monuments
which so emphatically form the attraction of Jerusalem at this day,
and visited also various other places in different parts of the country,
which are especially consecrated by Scripture associations. The
bishop and priests generally received him with many expressions of
good-will, and when they parted with him, intimated a wish that he
might return to them in due time. From the time that he arrived
at Jerusalem till he finally left it, he sold ninety-nine copies of the
Psalter; and from the time of his leaving Smyrna, he sold forty-one
Greek testaments, two Persian, seven Armenian, one Italian, besides
distributing gratuitously quite a number in different languages. The
result of his visit at Jerusalem was a full conviction that though a
mission there would have to encounter serious obstacles, yet that,
on the whole, there was an opening to which the attention of the
American Board might very profitably be directed.
On the 8th of May he left Jerusalem for Jaffa, and on his arrival
at the latter place found a vessel bound to Scio, in which he at once
took passage. This he did the rather as he learned that the Greeks
and the Turks were wrought into a deadly hostility towards each
other, and that it would be unsafe for him to remain any longer in
that region. On the 20th of May, the captain having previously
ascertained at Castello Rosso that the Turks designed to seize their
vessel, they noticed a vessel before them, with a flag perfectly black,
with the exception of a white cross in the middle, and a red crescent
beneath it. The captain of the strange vessel immediately came on
board their vessel, ordered their flag to be taken down, and then con-
temptuously trampled upon it, pronouncing a curse on him who should
attempt to raise it. "We do not take your vessel," said they, "nor
do we wish to molest Greek pilgrims, but we seek the blood of Turks.
They have executed our patriarch and our bishops, and we are
determined to stand in defence of our lives and of our religion. All
the Greeks in the Morea and on the islands are in arms. If you are
arrested by a Turkish vessel, you must expect immediate execution."
Having made this astounding communication, they immediately
went in search of another vessel of pilgrims which accompanied
the vessel in which Mr. Parsons was, from Jaffa; and there finding
two Turks and about thirty Jews, they arrested them all, reserving
the Jews for trial, but dooming the Turks to immediate death.
392 LEVI PARSONS.
On the first of June there was another alarming demonstration.
A ship of war approached their vessel, and Mr. Parsons, together
with the captain of the vessel and a Greek priest, were summoned
to appear on board. Mr. Parsons having forgot his passport, the
captain of the ship of war ordered it to be brought, and upon
examining it, pronounced it sufficient ; though he assured him that
he could enter neither the port of Scio nor of Smyrna; that the
school of Scio was closed, and that the learned and excellent Pro-
fessor Bambas, who had been Mr. Parsons' instructor, had fled for
his life.
On his arrival at Samos, Mr. Parsons was invited to take a room
in the house of the English consul ; and he gladly availed himself
of the proffered kindness. Here he was engaged as usual in reading
the Scriptures to those who were willing to hear, and in endeavour-
ing to give them a practical understanding of the truths to which
they listened. He had travelled with considerable companies of pil-
grims both to and from Jerusalem ; and notwithstanding there were
many unpleasant things attending this association, yet he was, on
the whole, more than willing to suffer the inconvenience, for the
sake of the opportunity afforded him of instructing these deluded
beings in the way of life.
Mr. Parsons' health having become considerably impaired, he was
strongly advised to take a short voyage without delay, as a means
of restoring it. In accordance with this advice, he left Samos on
the 29th of June in a Genoese vessel, for Tino; but in consequence
of a violent wind, the captain found it impossible to enter that port,
and laid his course for Syra, an island distant from Tino about
twenty miles. Here they landed the day after their departure from
Samos. Syra was under the special protection of the French flag,
and afforded a safe retreat from the alarm and agitation incident to
the war.
Until the latter part of August, Mr. Parsons, though not in vigor-
ous health, was able to labour pretty constantly, and there was
nothing that led him to apprehend the approach of serious disease.
At this time, however, he became suddenly and alarmingly ill, and
for twenty days, was entirely bereft of reason, and for fifty was con-
fined to his chamber. He was, however, after his reason was restored
to him, favoured with great tranquillity of mind, and perfect confi-
dence in his Heavenly Father's wisdom and goodness in respect to
the issue of his malady, rejoicing in the full conviction that it would
LEVI PARSONS. 393
be overruled for the best interests of the cause on which his highest
regards were concentrated. Having so far recovered his health that
it was safe for him to travel, he sailed from Syra for Smyrna; spe-
cial provision being made in the vessel for his accommodation as an
invalid. He arrived at Smyrna on the 3d of December, where he
had the pleasure of again meeting with his beloved colleague, Mr.
Fisk, from whom he had been separated for a year. Their meeting
was a most joyous one, and each had much to relate to the other con-
cerning the merciful interpositions of providence experienced during
the period of their separation.
It was now but too apparent that disease had made an alarming,
if not a permanent and fatal lodgement in Mr. Parsons' constitution ;
and the physician whom he consulted at Smyrna concurred with Mr.
Fisk and other friends in the opinion that nothing would be more
favourable to his recovery than a voyage to Egypt. Arrangements
were accordingly made at an early period for his departure for
Alexandria; and Mr. Fisk determined to accompany him. They
sailed from Smyrna on the 9th of January, and reached Alexandria
after the remarkable quick passage of five days. His strength,
which was greatly reduced before he commenced his voyage, was
still more reduced when he had finished it; and his letter to his
friends, as well as the records in his journal, show that he was quietly
and patiently waiting to see what Infinite Wisdom designed for him.
After this, his symptoms at times seemed more favourable, but his
disease, which seems to have been a species of consumption, was
making constant and irresistible progress. His heart was full of
peace and holy joy at the reflection that his times were in God's
hand, and even the wanderings of his mind to which he gave utter-
ance when he was asleep, showed that God was in his sleeping not
less than in his waking thoughts. A few days before his death,
he wrote to his brother and sister a letter, informing them minutely
in respect to his condition, and though not speaking of his case as
absolutely desperate, yet leaving them little reason to hope that they
would ever hear of him again as among the living. And thus the
event proved : it devolved upon his excellent colleague to convey,
by the very next opportunity, the sad intelligence, that the places
that had known him on e'arth would know him no more. He died
on the morning of the llth of February, 1822, being within about
five months of thirty years of age. His funeral was attended at
four o'clock on the afternoon of the same day by several English
394 LEVI PARSONS.
gentlemen, the captains of the ships, a large number of the Maltese,
and several merchants from different parts of Europe. As the Mal-
tese understood Italian and not English, Mr. Fisk read to them in
Italian, as they came in a little before the funeral, a portion of
Scripture suited to the occasion ; after which they moved in proces-
sion to the grave, which was about a mile distant. The body was
interred at the church -yard in the Greek convent where the English,
resident at Alexandria, usually bury their dead.
The character of Mr. Parsons had nothing in it of eccentricity —
nothing to attract the popular gaze or to awaken popular admiration ;
but his various faculties were so easily balanced that it was difficult
to say which, or whether either, had the precedence. He husbanded
his time with almost miserly thrift, and was never more impatient
of any thing than of those individuals or circumstances that would
rob him of it. He was never satisfied unless he was acquiring use-
ful knowledge, cultivating his religious affections, or performing
some service that might turn to the benefit of his fellow-men. He
was distinguished for the virtue of prudence; not that worldly
wisdom that is but another name for cunning, but that Christian
discretion that looks calmly at cause and consequences, while it is in
constant communion with the Author of all good counsels. He pos-
sessed naturally an uncommon degree of loveliness — his gentle and
amiable spirit had irresistible attractions ; and it may truly be said
that to know him was to love him. His piety was intelligent, deep,
all-pervading. No one who marked his humble and self-denied
course from day to day, could doubt, for a moment, that the control-
ling purpose of his life was to serve Gk>d and do good to his fellow-
creatures. As a preacher, he was simple and evangelical, instructive
and earnest ; aiming to promote the highest interests of those whom
he addressed. He never fainted or grew weary, or lost his confidence
in Grod, amidst the most discouraging circumstances; when dangers
the most appalling threatened, still his heart was fixed, trusting in
the Lord ; and in the near prospect of death, he was not afraid ; for
the glories of Heaven were beginning to blaze upon his eye. He
had a brief course, but a glorious history; and when the whole of it
comes to be revealed at the judgment-day, how it will shame the
life even of many a man who calls himself a soldier of the cross !
ASAHEL GRANT, M. D.
ASAHEL GRANT, the son of William and Eachel Grant, was born
in the town of Paris, (now Marshall,) Oneida county, N. Y., August
19th, 1809. His parents were natives of Litchfield county, Conn.,
and were both not only exemplary professors of religion, but emi-
nently devoted Christians. He was the second son in a family of
eight children. In his early childhood he was distinguished for great
sweetness of temper, for a ready submission to parental authority,
for a love of books, and for certain tastes which were thought to indi-
cate the probability of his ultimate choice of the medical profession.
At the age of about twelve, he accidentally inflicted a severe
injury upon one of his feet, which occasioned so great a loss of
blood, as to threaten a fatal termination. It was this circumstance,
disabling him in some measure for labouring on a farm, that led his
father to consent to his entering the medical profession ; and but for
this apparently untoward event, there is no reason to believe that
we should have been called to enrol his name on the list of devoted
and honoured missionaries.
He spent nearly a year at an academy, and about the same length
of time at college, devoting himself especially to the study of chem-
istry. When he was only sixteen, he taught a district school, in
which he acquitted himself with great credit. After this he resumed
his academical studies, and having continued them for a while, began
the study of medicine in the office of Dr. Hastings, of Clinton,
Oneida county, attending the usual lectures at the Fairfield and
Pitsneld medical schools. Having nearly completed his course of
medical study, he went to reside with Dr. Douglass, an eminent
surgeon of Utica, and continued with him about a year.
Notwithstanding his early years were stained by no immorality,
and he rendered himself a favourite among his friends by his many
amiable and engaging qualities, it was not till he was nineteen years
of age that his mind was seriously and permanently directed to his
immortal interests. At that time he became deeply impressed with
a sense of his sinfulness, and after a season of great mental distress,
396 ASAHEL GRANT.
was brought to a cordial acceptance of the gospel offer, and found
the peace that passeth understanding. From that period he mani-
fested great interest in the enlargement of Christ's kingdom, and
began to discover a missionary spirit, before he had formed any
purpose of devoting himself to the missionary work.
At the age of twenty, he was married to Miss Electa Loomis, of
Torrington, Conn., a lady of great personal attraction, of excellent
education and devoted piety. But though the morning of their
domestic life seemed bright, their union was destined to be of short
continuance. About four years from the time of their marriage, she
died of typhus fever, leaving two sons, the youngest but five
months old. He was himself seriously ill during the last illness of
his wife, and when she died, it was thought not improbable that he
would quickly follow her.
About a year after his marriage, he received his medical diploma,
and settled as a practitioner in Braintrem, Wyoming county, Penn.
After the death of his wife, so great was his solitude and sadness,
that he settled his accounts, disposed of his property, and returned
with his two motherless children to the home of his early days.
But notwithstanding he felt his bereavement most keenly, he sub-
mitted to it with a cairn and trusting spirit, and it evidently marked
an epoch in his spiritual progress.
In 1829 he commenced medical practice at Utica. Here he was
chosen an elder of the First Presbyterian Church, and discharged
the duties of the office with great fidelity and acceptance. During
one summer of his residence here, the cholera prevailed extensively,
and in its most malignant form; and the doctor, while labouring
night and day, especially among the poor, who found it difficult to
command medical aid, had well-nigh fallen a victim to it himself.
In 1834, the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Mis-
sions, held their annual meeting in Utica. It had been for some
time a matter of great interest with them to find a suitable person
to engage as physician in the Nestorian mission ; and it began to be
impressed on Dr. Grant's mind that possibly this was a providential
opening for him. After deliberating much on the subject, and using
every means within his reach to ascertain his duty, he finally resolved
to devote himself to the work; and accordingly offered himself in
the capacity of a physician to the Board. They cheerfully accepted
his proposal, and he was occupied during the ensuing winter chiefly
in making the necessary preparations for leaving home.
ASAHEL GRANT. 397
In April, 1835, he was married to Miss Judith S. Campbell, daugh-
ter of Dr. William Campbell, of Cherry Valley, K Y. She had long
had a decided predilection for the missionary work, and the event
proved that she possessed qualifications for it of the highest order.
Shortly after their marriage, they took leave of their friends, and
proceeded to Boston for the purpose of embarking for foreign shores.
They sailed in the brig Angola, bound for Smyrna, on the llth of
May, bearing letters of introduction to the missionaries there from
Mr. Van Lennep, then a student in Amherst college, and since a
missionary in the East, and son-in-law to the Eev. Dr. Hawes of
Hartford. They arrived at Smyrna on the 28th of June, after a
passage of fortj^-eight days from Boston. After remaining there
four days, they embarked in an Austrian steamer for Constanti-
nople, where they arrived on the 4th of July, and were cordially
welcomed by Commodore Porter, the Eev. Mr. Goodell and several
other missionaries. They remained here, — part of the time in Com-
modore Porter's family, — about six weeks, and were greatly gratified,
as well by the hospitality which they experienced as by the many
interesting objects and novel usages by which they were surrounded.
From Constantinople they went by a schooner to Trebizond ; and
thence in a caravan they proceeded overland to Kurdistan. The
journey was made not without considerable peril; but it was one of
great interest, and carried them near the base of Mount Ararat.
On their arrival at Ooroorniah, Mr. Perkins, the missionary, did his
utmost to make their situation pleasant, and especially to bring them
acquainted with persons whom it was desirable that they should
know. Almost immediately they had an opportunity of attending
a wedding in company with the venerable Bishop Mar Yohanna,
who has since travelled in this country ; and while they were greatly
entertained by the novel and protracted ceremony, they were most
agreeably impressed by the expressions from the people of good-
will towards them, and of interest in the objects of their mission.
Dr. Grant immediately commenced his labours as a physician,
though with his care for the body he united also a still greater care
for the soul. He had many cases of ophthalmia, and had great suc-
cess in treating them ; so that it was not uncommon for persons who
came to him blind to return seeing.
In the beginning of June, 1836, Mrs. Grant became the mother
of a son, whom they called Henry Martin. In the autumn of the
same year, he was visited with two or three attacks of fever, and,
398 ASAHEL GRANT.
shortly after, was brought to the verge of the grave by cholera. He
had all the extreme symptoms, insomuch that his death was hourly
expected; but a gracious Providence interposed for his restoration.
Mr. Perkins, his missionary associate, was severely ill about the same
time, and continued in a feeble state, after Dr. Grant had so far
recovered as to be able to resume, in some degree, his labours. In
consequence of this, the whole care of the mission, for some time,
devolved upon him.
It was a severe trial to Dr. Grant, in engaging in the mission, to
be obliged to submit to a separation from his two little boys, the
children of his first marriage; but he could not doubt that the prov-
idence of God called him to the sacrifice. They were, however,
continually upon his mind and his heart, and the letters which ho
wrote to them, and to his other friends in respect to them, showed
that the effect of a separation from them was any thing else than to
blunt his parental sensibilities.
In August, 1838, he had to communicate to his friends the news
of the birth of two daughters. At the same time, he informed them
that his own health was precarious, and indeed it had never been fully
restored from the time that he suffered so severely from the cholera
His little boy also was suffering much from the climate, and his
wife had for some time been in an exceedingly dubious state. But
in the midst of all these untoward circumstances, his heart was fixed,
trusting in the Lord. He did not then, nor did he ever, regret for
a moment, his having given himself to the missionary cause; for he
had always the fullest conviction that he had followed the leadings
of Providence, and the most unwavering confidence that his labours
and sacrifices would not be in vain in the Lord.
On the 3d of January, 1839, Mrs. Grant was attacked by one of
the fevers of the country, which, after eleven days, had a fatal issue.
She was greatly sustained by the hopes of the gospel, in the prospect
of her departure, and left the world in full confidence of entering
upon the heavenly rest. Not only was her death most deeply
lamented by the members of the mission family, but the Nestorians
and Mohammedans manifested intense grief, and acknowledged that
they had lost one of their best friends. Her calm and triumphant
death was a matter of surprise, especially to the deluded followers
of the false prophet, who are accustomed to forbear looking at death
as long as they can, and when they see it approaching, to contem-
plate it only with the deepest consternation.
ASAHEL GKANT. 399
In the course of this year Dr. Grant made a somewhat extensive
tour of exploration, in many respects of great interest, and yet
attended with considerable peril. In the city of Mardin in Mesopo-
tamia, he and his fellow-traveller Mr. Homes had well nigh lost their
lives. A company of blood-thirsty Koords killed several of the
chief men of the city, and made inquisition for them also, intending
that they should share a similar fate; but a kind Providence so
ordered it that they had left the city a short time before the com-
motions took place. Finding, on their return, that the gates were
closed, and that there had been a scene of bloodshed in their absence,
they immediately retired to a convent, distant about four miles, where
they were kindly welcomed and entertained by the Syrian patriarch,
with whom they had previously formed an acquaintance. Mean-
while, a large party of Koords were in pursuit of them ; and having
ascertained that they had gone to the S}7rian convent, set out in that
direction, with a determination either to take their lives or to destroy
the convent. As they were on their way to do this desperate work,
it happened to occur to some of them to inquire, what injury the
men whom they were pursuing had done to them; whereupon they
soon became divided among themselves, and one after another left
the party, until the murderous purpose was finally abandoned.
Hoping that they might have returned to the city in the evening,
some of them went to their lodgings that night ; and subsequently
they made a search for their property ; but to no purpose. After
remaining a week with the patriarch, Dr. Grant ventured into the
city, dressed in the native costume, with a view to make preparation
for proceeding on his journey to Mosul, while Mr. Homes returned
to Constantinople.
After this adventure, Dr. Grant's journey, though laborious, was
marked by many circumstances of great interest. The party with
which he travelled was made up of Turks, Arabs, Koords, Nestorians,
&c. ; and as he encamped in the tents of the Arabs, he had an oppor-
tunity of witnessing many fine specimens of pastoral life. Having
remained at Mosul seventeen days, in which time he made a most
interesting visit to the ruins of Nineveh, he set out on the 7th of
October, on a tour in Central Koordistan, or ancient Assyria, with
a view to visit the Nestorian Christians, who dwelt in the almost
inaccessible mountains of the barbarous Koords. This journey,
rhich so European had ever made, he accomplished much to his
itisfaction, and after spending six or seven weeks among the
400 ASAHEL GRANT.
Nestorian mountaineers, and gaining much information which he
regarded as highly important to the missionary cause, he returned to
Ooroomiah in the early part of December. He was generally treated
with great kindness throughout the whole tour, and even the Koord-
ish chiefs welcomed him as a benefactor, and expressed a wish that
he might come and take up his residence among them. Though he
endured considerable hardships, and was obliged to walk several
days in succession on account of the badness of the roads, yet his
health was, on the whole, benefited by the tour.
In January, 1840, Dr. Grant was called to another severe affliction,
in the death of both his infant daughters. One of them died of
influenza on the 13th, the other of measles on the 27th. They were
buried in one grave beside the remains of their mother. The letters
in which he conveyed the sad intelligence to his friends at home,
show at once a deeply stricken and a perfectly submissive spirit.
For some time Dr. Grant had been seriously thinking of a visit
to America, partly from a wish to see his children who remained
here, and partly that he might confer with the Prudential Commit-
tee in respect to his intended labours among the mountain tribes.
The Board having given him permission to return, he left the field
of his labours in the spring of 1840, and taking along with him his
little boy, retraced his overland journey from Ooroomiah to the port
of Trebizond. Here he embarked, stopped for a short time at
Smyrna, and reached Boston after a perilous voyage of seventy days.
As soon after his arrival as possible, he made his way to central
New- York, carrying with him the son who had been born on mission-
ary ground, to meet the two sons whom he had left behind. It is
needless to say that it was an occasion which woke into the liveliest
exercise the sensibilities of the father's heart. He made provision
from his own funds for the education of his children, hoping that they
might ere long become Christian missionaries, and join him in his
labours on the mountains of Kurdistan. He had several conferences
with the Prudential Committee of the American Board, which prom-
ised to result most favourably for the mission in which he was engaged,
and especially for his favourite enterprise in the mountains. He
travelled extensively in different parts of the country, and addressed
many congregations in behalf of his object with great earnestness,
and no inconsiderable effect. He was also very considerably occupied
in bringing out a work, entitled, "The Nestorians, or the Lost Tribes;
containing Evidences of their Identity," &c. ; a work of which critics
ASAHEL GRANT. 401
have entertained different opinions, in regard to the soundness of
its main position, but which all must acknowledge is the result of
extended and laborious research. An edition of it was published
in England, where it attracted great attention.
Dr. Grant, having remained in the country about six months,
embarked for England on his return to his missionary field. He
sailed in the steamer that immediately succeeded the ill-fated "Pres-
ident;" and had it not been for some disappointment which he expe-
rienced in his preparation for leaving the country, he would have
been on board that vessel, and would ever after have been only a
subject for sad conjecture.
After remaining a short time in England, he proceeded on his
journey to Constantinople, thence to Erzroom and Yan, two Turkish
cities, and on the 25th of August, he reached Mosul. The journey
was attended with no small danger from the bands of robbers by
which the country was infested, and in one instance preparation was
making for an assault upon the party, but the robbers were fright-
ened by a false show of strength. He arrived at Mosul just in season
to administer relief to his new missionary associate, the Rev. Mr.
Hinsdale, whom he found suffering from a severe illness, which
would probably have proved fatal, but for the seasonable adminis-
tration of medical aid.
In August, 1842, the Nestorians in the mountains, in whom Dr.
Grant took so lively an interest, were invaded by an army of Koords
and Turks on the north, who partially subdued several of the smaller
tribes, and burned the house of the patriarch. They were subse-
quently besieged by a Turko-Koordish army on the south and west,
which was sent against them by the pasha of Mosul ; but this army
was met with a vigorous resistance and suffered considerable loss in
the repulse. Dr. Grant, however, predicted (and the event justified
the prediction) that the matter would not end there; and that the
sufferings to which the ISTestorians had already been subjected were
only a drop of the full cup that was to be wrung out to them.
In September we find Dr. Grant once more a mountain pilgrim,
and, so far as regards missionary associates, a solitary one. After
traversing the mountains in almost every direction, he selected a site
for a station, purchased a lot, and laid the corner-stone of a mission-
house. He opened schools also on a small scale, engaged the best
£jhers he could, and set himself to dispense with all fidelity
of the glorious gospel. He recorded it at this time, as an
26
402 ASAHEL GRANT.
occasion for great gratitude, that in the midst of so much privation
and exposure, his health was remarkably good. Such was the favour
which he had gained with the chief of the Koords, the patriarch, and
the people generally, that he could engage in an enterprise of this
kind with far more safety than any other person could have done.
All that he was enabled to accomplish, however, he regarded as
merely preparatory of what he hoped was to follow.
But the hostile demonstrations which had been made against the
Nestorians in the mountains were soon found to be only the begin-
ning of evil. The tempest that had been gathering for many months,
at length swept over them with the besom of destruction. Not only
their ancient and venerable churches, but even their quiet dwellings,
were laid low by the ruthless hand of the invader ; hundreds were
cruelly slaughtered, and hundreds more were driven into captivity.
Dr. Grant did every thing in his power for the relief of those who
survived, and even periled his life in their behalf: it was impossible,
however, that he should continue his missionary labours in the
mountains ; but the miserable inhabitants came down into the plains,
wrhere he had still an opportunity of labouring for both their tem-
poral and spiritual well being. Here he gathered the children and
youth into a school, administered medicine to the sick and food to
the starving, and endeavoured, above all, to convince them of their
spiritual malady, and bring them to apply to the Great Physician.
In the early part of 1844, Dr. Grant, by advice of Dr. Anderson,
and in accordance with his own wishes, resolved on another visit to
this country: while he was desirous of looking after the interests of
his children, he was impressed with the idea that, by taking more
time than he had allowed himself on his previous visit, to travel over
the country and communicate information, he might render more
important service to the cause than he could in any other way.
Accordingly, he wrote to his mother towards the close of March,
informing her that his arrangements were made to revisit his friends
in America, and that at no distant period, he hoped to see her face
again. But the expectation which he awakened and that which he
cherished were alike vain. In less than a fortnight from the date of
that letter he was prostrated by a violent disease, and in just one
month he had finished his earthly course.
The disease of which he died was a typhus fever. He was taken
unwell on the 5th of April, but it was not till after two days that
his illness assumed a serious aspect. For several days after that, he
ASAHEL GRANT. 403
was able to converse freely, and to counsel in respect to his own
case, though it was evident that every day the disease was gaining
ground. On the last day that he was able to attend to any business.
or to converse about general matters, he received letters from home,
containing many interesting details in respect to his children. From
this time he declined more rapidly until Sunday morning, the 14th,
when he called a friend to his bedside, and requested that they might
join in a prayer for the mission, which had been thus put back by
the calamities which had overtaken the Nestorians. This was prob
ably his last season of intelligent devotion ; and during the ten days
which intervened between that time and his death, his mind was
constantly in a wandering state. His funeral took place the day
after he died, the service being conducted by Mr. Laurie, a brother
missionary. Several bishops and priests, and the Nestorian patriarch,
were present, and took part in the service. His remains were depos-
ited in the same tomb with those of the Eev. Mr. Hinsdale and Mrs.
Laurie, who had died some time before. There was great lamentation
throughout the neighbourhood occasioned by his death, and the N"es-
torian patriarch, in speaking of it, said, " I have lost my people in the
mountains, and now my dearest friend is gone — what shall I do?"
In this brief sketch, we have purposely omitted all reference to
the causes of the wars between the Koordish chiefs and the patriarch,
which had such a disastrous termination. Dr. Grant alludes to this
subject with great feeling in some of his letters; and the general
facts are doubtless within the recollection of most of the friends of
the missionary cause.
Dr. Grant may be said to have been an uncommonly fine speci-
men of a man, a Christian, and a missionary. In his person, he was
of about the usual size and stature. His features were regular, his
forehead high and shaded with dark locks, and his whole appear-
ance at once attractive and commanding. He had a voice of great
depth, and compass, and melody, and his utterance was uncom-
monly distinct and deliberate. His manners were dignified and
polished, and his general bearing in society every way agreeable.
His intellectual powers also were of decidedly a superior order.
He had a memory at once quick and retentive ; but while he care-
fully treasured up the valuable thoughts of others, they were not
suffered to remain in his mind as a mass of indigested materials,
but were used as a help to independent reflection. From his early
ildhood, he evinced an uncommonly inquisitive mind, and was
I ch
404: ASAHEL GRANT.
sure to gather knowledge from every source within his reach. His
work on the "Nestorians," is the result not only of great research,
but of mature and well-digested thought; and independently of
the theory which it maintains, it must remain a monument to the
honour of the intellect that produced it.
In his moral constitution, he was not less favoured than in his
intellectual. He possessed warm and generous sensibilities, which
were always awake to the story of human want or wo. He had an
affectionate and confiding spirit, that made him a most loving and
valued friend. He was bold, and earnest, and persevering, while
yet he was not impetuous or incautious. He possessed great mag-
nanimity also — never rendering evil for evil, or imputing bad
motives where good ones might be supposed, or refusing to ac-
knowledge true excellence, even though it were associated with great
faults or infirmities.
But it is not easy to distinguish accurately in his case, between the
workings of nature and of grace ; for it cannot be doubted that his
naturally fine moral qualities were all improved and exalted by the
influence of religion. His Christian character was evidently formed
after the highest evangelical standard — with the low standards of
the world he had nothing to do — his single aim manifestly was to
do all things to the glory of God, and reach the fullness of the
stature of a perfect person in Christ. Though his domestic attach-
ments were unusually strong, they were always manifestly kept in
subordination to his attachment to Christ and his cause; and hence,
when he was called to leave his nearest friends, to sojourn in a for-
eign land, with an uncertain prospect of seeing them again; or
when his own dear family were taken from him, one by one, till
his house was left to him nearly desolate, he discovered the most
dignified Christian composure — it was enough for him to know that
Infinite Wisdom had ordained these separations. He could rejoice
in all his tribulation, in the full confidence that all the afflictions he
experienced would work out for him a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory.
And the man and the Christian formed the missionary. It was
a deepT sense of Christian obligation that led him to give himself to
the missionary work; for in doing so he had to sacrifice the most
promising worldly prospects, and could anticipate nothing in ex-
change but a life of privation and hardship ; and from the time that
his missionary career began, or rather the purpose of being a mis-
ASAHEL GKANT 405
sionary was definitely formed, lie was a man of one idea — the burden
of his thoughts, his conversation, his letters, his prayers, his labours,
was the giving of a pure Christianity to the people to whom he was
sent, and their consequent improvement, exaltation and salvation.
His mild and conciliatory and yet dignified manners disarmed pre-
judice and hostility, and in some cases were no doubt, under Prov-
idence, instrumental of saving his life. His labours were always
up to the full measure of his ability, and not unfrequently beyond
the point which prudence would have dictated. When efforts were
made by the professed friends of Christianity to embarrass him in
his work, he discovered nothing of a revengeful spirit, but he looked
at it chiefly as an indignity offered to his Saviour. When he was
driven from one field of labour, he hastened to another' — persecu-
tion might embarrass and annoy, but it could not intimidate him or
keep him idle. The malady of which he died found him actively
engaged in a ministration of charity; and the last intelligent prayer
that proceeded from his lips was in behalf of the scattered and
stricken people whose temporal and spiritual wants he was endeav-
ouring to meet.
The news of the death of Dr. Grant fell heavily upon the hearts
of his friends in this country, and upon the hearts of the friends of
Evangelical missions every where. His peculiar position, in con-
nection with his rare endowments, and perilous but in some degree
successful adventures, had drawn the eyes of multitudes towards
him ; and perhaps, at the moment that he fell, there were few mission-
aries in any field, from whose labours more was expected than from
his. But the Master called him to heaven, when our wishes and
prayers would have detained him on earth ; as if to show us that
the ultimate success of his cause depends upon himself, and that
the most polished and best-adapted instrument may be broken, and
still the great spiritual building which he is rearing may go on, not
less rapidly than if that goodly instrument had been retained.
JOHN WILLIAMS.
JOHN WILLIAMS was born at Tottenham High Cross, near Lon-
don, June 29th, 1796. His early education was limited chiefly to
reading, writing and arithmetic, the accomplishments necessary for
a commercial life, for which he was intended. He learned a little
of the classics, and showed a degree of mental activity and pene-
tration beyond the most of his associates, but the traits by which he
was distinguished in maturer life, were imperfectly developed and
scarcely suspected. The instructions of a pious mother preserved
him from the formation of evil habits, and gave his mind a devo-
tional bent, which had the happiest influence on his conduct in the
most critical period of life.
In his fourteenth year he was apprenticed to Mr. Tonkin, a fur-
nishing ironmonger, an arrangement which introduced him to an
employment which proved excellently adapted to his powers, and
to a pious family by whose influence he was led into the way of life,
and prepared for the distinguished usefulness to which he afterwards
attained. His indenture provided for his instruction only in the
commercial department of the business, the sales and purchases,
without subjecting him to mechanical labour. But he had a decided
partiality for the employments from which he was thus exempted.
"While faithfully attending to his duties at the desk and in the ware-
room, he was ever pleased to stand in the work-shop and observe
the processes of the manufacture. There he set himself, after his
day's task was over, to imitate what he had observed. His master
noticed this with pleasure, as it was done at no expense of his proper
duties. In no long time the ingenious apprentice had acquired not
only a competent knowledge of the business to which he was par-
ticularly directed, but excelled in the mechanical department, and
was at length occasionally requested to execute work that required
peculiar delicacy and exactness of finish. His fidelity and upright-
ness were unimpeachable, his moral character unblemished. During
a considerable part of his apprenticeship he was trusted with nearly
the whole management of the business.
408 JOHN WILLIAMS.
Unhappily the religious promise of his boyhood was obscured
He ceased to take delight in the Scriptures or in public worship.
Though he attended the service of the sanctuary with his parents,
out of filial duty, the Lord's day was a weariness. He showed a
thoroughly worldly spirit, and, as he avers, "often scoffed at the
name of Christ and his religion," — a confession he was too ingenu-
ous to make for effect. His mother marked his progress in the
"broad way " with painful anxiety, which drove her to continual
intercession on his behalf, that those instructions which he so reck-
lessly slighted might be made effectual by divine power to the
renewing of his spirit. He continued unmoved till his eighteenth
year, when his course was arrested, and his feet were turned into
the way of life.
He had formed a practice of spending his Sunday evenings, with
a number of companions in pleasure, at a tavern near his master's
residence. An appointment had been made for the evening of Jan-
uary 30th, 1814, which his associates failed to keep. While waiting
for them near the place agreed upon, and vexed at their tardiness,
he was observed by Mrs. Tonkin as she was on her way to evening
worship at the Tabernacle. She inquired the object of his visit
there, reproved him for such a misuse of the hours of the Sabbath,
and invited him to accompany her. He complied, rather from dis-
appointment at the neglect of his friends than from any desire to
hear preaching. The pulpit was occupied by Eev. Timothy East,
of Birmingham, who preached a weighty discourse from the words,
"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose
his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Its effect upon his mind was decisive. He forsook his evil compan-
ions, gave himself assiduously to the improvement of the means of
grace, and it became evident in no long time that he had indeed
become "a new creature." He was a decided, practical Christian,
never setting his feelings above his duties, nor suffering what he
regarded as the solemn business of life to degenerate into mere
sentiment. He was received into the church in September, and
thenceforth maintained an exemplary profession of his faith.
A society known as the "Youth's Class," consisting of about
thirty members, connected with the Tabernacle congregation, met
weekly for mutual discussion and for devotional purposes, by his
connection with which John Williams made much improvement in
knowledge, especially of Christian truth and duty. He was also a
11
<
JOHN WILLIAMS. 409
faithful and useful Sabbath-school teacher. It was in this capacity
that he made his first public addresses, and gave indications of his
fitness for more extended and public service in the church. In these
and other religious and benevolent agencies he was active and inde-
fatigable. While thus engaged, he began to receive impressions
concerning the state of the heathen world that forbade him to con-
tent himself with the measure of Christian usefulness whereto he
had attained. The Tabernacle Auxiliary to the London Missionary
Society was in a flourishing state, and its meetings, which were held
quarterly, did much to diffuse among the congregation an intelligent
sympathy with the cause. The mind of John Williams was too
active and ardent to be the last in such a work, and before long he
felt a desire to go himself into the dark places of the earth. He
concealed it in his own breast for some time, then cautiously dis-
closed it to intimate friends, and finally consulted his affectionate
pastor, the Rev. Matthew Wilks. Mr. Wilks satisfied himself that
the youthful applicant was a fit person to undertake the service, and
received him among a circle of students for the ministry, whom he
instructed gratuitously. He made rapid progress, and by the advice
of his kind teacher offered himself to the Directors of the Mission-
ary Society in July, 1816, by whom he was unanimously received
as a missionary. His imperfect preparation made it exceedingly
desirable that his departure should be delayed till he could complete
a more thorough course of study. But the society was pressed by
calls for labourers from all parts, especially from South Africa and
Polynesia. The case was so urgent that it seemed better to send
men insufficiently trained than to wait for the termination of their
studies. On this view they acted. Mr. Tonkin was induced to give
up his apprentice, whose term had several months to run, and Mr.
Williams was given only about four months in which to complete
his arrangements. He would gladly have pursued his studies longer,
ut felt the force of the reasons that led the directors to deviate
from the policy which experience has shown to be generally essen-
tial to the most efficient conduct of missions, — the employment of
thoroughly educated missionaries. He diligently improved the
limited opportunity afforded him, not only to prosecute his literary
and theological investigations, but to make himself acquainted with
different departments of industry. It was his settled purpose to
accompany religious teaching with such instruction in the useful
arts as should contribute at once to the moral and social improve-
410 JOHN WILLIAMS.
ment of the islanders to whom he was sent. He was married in
October, to a woman admirably fitted to be his companion in mis-
sionary labours, as she had been in the sphejres of usefulness in which
he walked so steadily at home. He was ordained, with his three
colleagues, Messrs. Darling, Platt and Bourne, and four others desig-
nated for the South African Mission, and on the 17th of November.
1816, the company embarked for the South Seas. Mr. Williams
took leave of his friends tenderly, yet cheerfully, and set out full of
hope on his errand of mercy.
A fine run of five weeks brought the vessel to Rio Janeiro. After
remaining three weeks, they sailed for New South Wales. In con-
sequence of a detention of five weeks at Hobart's Town, they did
not reach Sydney till May 12th, 1817, and here they were obliged
to wait till the following September for a passage to Tahiti. They
set sail on the 4th, and in eight days came in sight of New-Zealand,
but before reaching anchorage a heavy gale drove them three hun-
dred miles out of their course. Eleven days after, they had retraced
their course, and were sheltered in the Bay of Islands. Here they
enjoyed for nineteen days the society of the missionaries, who were
just beginning to perceive some effect of those labours which have
since done so much for the New-Zealanders. Taking leave of these
brethren, they departed for their destination, and arrived on the 17th
of November, just twelve months after their original embarkation.
The missions in Polynesia are among the most interesting that
have been undertaken in modern times. The discovery of such an
immense number of islands before unsuspected, the strange charac-
ter of their inhabitants and productions, with all the romantic tales
engendered of maritime adventure in those regions, produced a pro-
found sensation in England; and it is not to be wondered at that
those who survey the world with an eye instructed by the word of
God, looking intently for providential tokens to guide the enterprises
of Christian benevolence, should have recognised such a token in
these discoveries. Among others, the Countess of Huntington was
greatly affected in view of the condition of the people inhabiting
the Pacific isles. She longed to see the gospel conveyed to them,
and on her death-bed charged her chaplain, Rev. Dr. Haweis, not to
lose sight of this object.
When the London Missionary Society was organized, in 1795,
and the question arose, to what part of the worlcl their efforts should
JOHN WILLIAMS. 411
be first directed, Dr. Haweis was requested to prepare a memoir on
this subject, and while mindful of the claims of other heathen, the
magnitude of which so far transcended the means at the disposal of
the society, concluded that the South Seas should be the first object
of attention. Commercially or politically considered, it may be that
his decision would be disputed, though even in this aspect recent
events have given to Polynesia an importance not imagined at that
time. But if the primary object of missions has regard, as it surely
has, to a kingdom which is not of this world, the absence of political
greatness, which has done so much to fetter and resist the progress of
Christianity, was a circumstance not altogether unfavourable. Keep-
ing in mind the chief end just indicated, if the claims of a people are
to be measured by their need, the degradation of the islanders made
an urgent appeal to the churches ; if the absence of exterior obstacles
to evangelization were an inducement, no fairer field than those that
deck the South Pacific could be sought ; and if it were desirable to put
the power of the gospel to the severest test, its contact with savages
so debased was the very test required. The stupidity of the Hottentot,
the cruelty of the Malay, the effeminacy of the Hindoo, presented noth-
ing more hopeless than such a combination of sensuality, superstition,
and unnatural cruelty, as the first missionaries of this society encoun-
tered— and overcame "by the word of their testimony."
Tahiti, the first scene of their efforts, together with some other of
the Society Islands, at the time of Mr. Williams' arrival, had already
begun to give proof of the energy which resides in the gospel, when
preached in faith and in dependence on the Spirit's effectual working.
Idolatry was abolished. The people, though not generally Chris-
tians except in name, were eager for instruction, and some were
gathered in church-fellowship, for which their consistent lives
demonstrated their fitness. Public, social and family worship were
attended regularly to a considerable extent. Compared with what
had been observed on the commencement of the mission and for
years afterwards, it might be truly said that the desert was blossom-
ing like the rose. Mr. Williams' first impressions were of the most
pleasing kind. A view of the neat chapel at Eimeo, the island on
which he was first stationed, the sound of praise going up from every
dwelling around it, morning and evening, and the general decorum
which marked the people, all conspired to awaken admiration and
gratitude. It seemed incredible that he was on heathen ground.
He hardly thought he was needed there. Further observation chas-
412 JOHN WILLIAMS.
tened these feelings. It was clear that a large majority of the peo-
ple, while attached in no common measure to the missionaries, as
persons to whom they were greatly indebted, and though to some
extent interested in learning the truth, were by no means subjected
to its power. They were still slaves to their depraved passions,
"lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of Grod." Enough had been
accomplished to reward the exertions already bestowed on the field,
to show the vitality of the seed sown and the fertility of the soil, to
stimulate to increased and persevering industry, and to confirm the
faith in which the sowers had gone forth to sow.
Mr. Williams remained some months at Eimeo, assisting the mis-
sionaries arid acquiring the language. His first work, however, was
of a mechanical kind, in the building of a small vessel for more
convenient communication between the several islands. He executed
the iron work, and in ten days she was completed and successfully
launched. In the study of the language he placed little reliance on
grammars or lexicons, but went about familiarly conversing with
the people. A power of nice and rapid observation and a retentive
memory made him more successful in the application of this method
than many would have been. Within ten months from his arrival
at Eimeo, to the surprise of his associates, he was able to preach
intelligibly. His first sermon was delivered on the island of Hua-
hine, one of the Leeward Islands, to which he was borne by one of
those providential agencies so often noted in the history of missions,
testifying the facility with which Divine sovereignty overrules the
wrath of man to the praise of God.
A rebellion against the government of King Pomare in Tahiti
had summoned a number of the chiefs of Huahine to aid in restoring
the royal authority. After their work was successfully concluded,
there was a marked increase of interest in religion, in which these
chiefs participated. They remained for a considerable time, unwill-
ing to return without further light. The missionaries naturally
regarded them with special attention, and gladly seized on an oppor-
tunity to extend the triumphs of the truth. It was determined to
establish a mission in Huahine, and Mr. Williams was despatched
on the 18th of June, 1818, in company with Eev. Messrs. Ellis and
Orsmond and their families, the chiefs and an interpreter. They
were joyfully welcomed by the people, who did every thing they
could for their comfort. The arrival of the missionaries was soon
made known through Huahine and the other islands of the group.
JOHN WILLIAMS. 413
Numerous visiters came, some prompted by curiosity and some by
worthier motives. Among them was Tamatoa, the King of Raiatea,
who came with his principal chiefs to solicit missionaries to reside
among his people. Mr. Williams was much interested in the inci-
dent, and sent to his older colleagues to advise in the matter. Others
not being ready to go, he decided to leave Huahine, with its fair
promise, and to commence still another mission. To this he was
moved by a particular consideration of the relation of Raiatea to
the other Society Islands.
Raiatea is the largest and most central island of the group, about
fifty miles in circumference, encircled by a reef with inlets admitting
the largest ships to a lagoon that offers safe anchorage. Its moun-
tainous character makes it remarkable among the lower and more
beautiful isles, in the midst of which it rises with sombre magnifi-
cence. Though fertile and attractive, the population had been
reduced by war and the cruelties of superstition to about thirteen
hundred. Its importance as a missionary station was by no means
to be measured by the number of its inhabitants. It had been the
centre of political and religious influence to a large circle. Its
kings had long received homage and tribute of the chiefs both of
the Society and Georgian islands, and had even been the objects of
religious veneration. It was, moreover, the capital of superstition
to a large part of Polynesia, — their Mecca, or Rome. The abomina-
ble rites, whose pollution and cruelty have devastated "the island-
world of the Pacific," went forth from Raiatea. This was the fortress,
the very citadel of the enemy, and it is no matter of surprise that
Mr. Williams was eager to enter it, the more so as his way was
already prepared. Two years before, a vessel having on board
King Pomare, nine Tahitians and Mr. Wilson, one of the missiona-
ries, was driven by a violent gale to Raiatea. They were hospitably
received, and remained three months. During this time the gospel
was for the first time spoken in the ears of that people. They list-
ened with wonder, many turned away from the message, but some
were attracted to it. Among them were King Tamatoa and a num-
ber of his chiefs. They renounced their superstitious usages, and
when the Christian company to whom they had been so far indebted
left them, they erected a place of worship, observed the Lord's day,
and met together to converse on the precious truths they had par-
tially learned. They now came to ask for men who should teach
them "the way of the Lord more perfectly."
414 JOHN WILLIAMS.
Taking with him as an associate Mr. Threlkeld, Mr. "Williams
proceeded in September to Eaiatea, and met a most hearty reception
from numbers of the people. Their kindness to the missionaries
was not indeed very intelligent. They called themselves Christians,
because Tamatoa had made it the national religion, and frequented
the place of worship in their neatest attire, listening to the preach-
ing with an air that would impose on a stranger. But a near
acquaintance speedily repressed the first admiration. Their idle-
ness was invincible, and their moral state unutterably debased.
Practices which it is not good to describe even by insinuation met
the pitying eyes of their teachers daily. Argument was lost upon
them. Added to the moral obstacles that impeded all effort for
their improvement, they were sparsely scattered over so wide a sur-
face that much time and wearisome toil were consumed in seeking
them out from place to place. A bold attempt was made to remedy
this evil. A general meeting of the inhabitants was convened. The
missionaries explained to them the advantages of a more compact
settlement. Various difficulties were made, but all objections were
so successfully met that the plan was adopted with general unanimity.
A site on the leeward side of the island was selected, a temporary
chapel and school-house were built, and vigorous measures were
taken to clear the ground for the occupation of the people.
Mr. Williams, in making preparations for his own residence,
determined to erect a good house in the English style, not so much
for his personal satisfaction as to stimulate the natives to improve-
ment. Their dwellings were mere thatched huts, each having only
a single apartment, where the inmates without distinction of sex
were huddled together on a carpet of dry grass, not always of the
cleanest quality. To change their habits for the better, to introduce
a style of houses suited to domestic comfort and morality, he knew
could be best undertaken by way of example. Such, a building as
he erected was never before seen in Raiatea. He had the work to
do for himself, as the people were incompetent to do more than aid
in collecting the materials. Great was the astonishment and admi-
ration excited by a framed house, sixty feet by thirty, plastered
within and without, the interior walls of a gray and orange colour,
the area divided into seven apartments, well lighted, and shaded by
Venetian blinds. A flower and kitchen garden, each handsomely
laid out and well tended, a poultry -yard, and other useful and orna-
mental accompaniments, completed a picture of rural beauty and
JOHN WILLIAMS. 415
comfort worthy of any land. The furniture equally attested his
taste and skill. The effect was decided. The people were roused
from their indolence, and beset him with solicitations to do or explain
for them some process to which they were incompetent. Though it
withdrew him from more important matters to some extent, he
regarded his own building and his mechanical instructions as neces-
sary and useful. It would have been no difficult matter to content
himself with a hut one or two removes from the character of the
native hovels, but, as he expressed it, "the missionary does not go
to barbarize himself, but to elevate the heathen ; not to sink himself
to their standard, but to elevate them to his."
Still he was by no means neglectful of the great purpose that sent
him there. During the utmost pressure of secular cares he worked
diligently at his spiritual calling. He attended the school daily,
preached every week, and, to prevent distraction, worked on his
house only three days out of six. His sitting-room was every even-
ing filled with persons seeking information, proposing difficulties
or asking advice. In a year from his arrival he was able to report
that a settlement of a thousand people had been gathered, their
dwellings ranging about two miles along the beach. Several neat
houses had been built in a civilized style, and improved social habits
had begun to take root. A place of worship had been erected on
the island of Tahaa, ten miles distant, within the same reef that
encloses Raiatea. Industry, thrift and neatness were turning the
desert into a garden. All this, however, would have been impossi-
ble but for the powerful motives drawn from the gospel, with which
the people were assiduously plied. By the school, the ministrations
of the sanctuary, and unwearied private instruction and admonition,
the minds of all were more or less impregnated with the life-fraught
truth. In aid of these efforts the printing-press, which had been
set up at Huahine, did wonders. Eight hundred copies of the Gos-
pel of Luke, and a supply of elementary books, were sent over, and
excited among the people a general desire to read. Nearly all the
adult inhabitants attended the school, and men with grey hairs might
have been seen mastering the alphabet in company with the young-
est children.
It was obvious that without some reform in the government, the
improvement of the people could not be permanent. Security of
person and property and an equal administration of justice were
indispensable. Yet it was not easy to see how the chiefs were to be
416 JOHN WILLIAMS.
induced to give up their despotic prerogatives. The business was
a delicate one, but was successfully undertaken. Stories about Eng-
land always found attentive listeners, and the missionaries took
occasion to relate, as far as they could intelligibly do so, some-
thing of the laws, polity and jurisprudence of their native land.
Their words sunk into the hearts of their auditors, and at length
the chiefs voluntarily assembled, sent for the missionaries, and asked
their aid in framing more righteous and equitable laws. One of the
worst abuses was the frequency of divorces on the most frivolous
causes, or more frequently from no motive but personal caprice.
This was at once arrested, and some twenty couples who had sepa-
rated in this manner were commanded to reunite. They complied,
and most of them lived very happily together, to the manifest
increase of social harmony and good order. The missionaries were
freely accused by their enemies, — more especially by seamen who
found their licentious indulgences checked by the new order of
things, — of having interfered arbitrarily with the government. Sup-
pose they had ; their power being exerted to eradicate immorality
and crime, could only have been obnoxious to those who made the
ignorant islanders the prey of their corrupt passions. But the
charge is absurd. Three or four men, without military force, can-
not revolutionize a nation, even of so few as thirteen hundred souls.
It would have been an easy matter to make the intruders food for
fishes, or for a cannibal banquet, had the people not been won by
their affectionate and disinterested teachings.
For a considerable time the chiefs continued their political delib-
erations, which resulted in the digest of a code of laws, the settling
of a judicial system including trial by jury, the appointment of
judges and executive officers. All was publicly discussed in a gen-
eral meeting of the inhabitants. No law or official appointment was
passed without first being freely canvassed and approved by the
Assembly. So that, though nominally monarchical or aristocratic,
the government bore a near resemblance to the " fierce democratic"
of Athens in its actual administration. The throne of Tamatoa
might be said, with more literal truth than it was said of Louis
Philippe's, to have been " surrounded by republican institutions."
These important measures, except the one last mentioned, were
completed within the first year of the existence of the mission. Its
success had been striking and immediate beyond all previous exam-
ple, though subsequent events in the Pacific have somewhat famil-
JOHN WILLIAMS. 417
iarized the Christian public to the spectacle of rapid transformations
in the people of Polynesia. It must not be supposed that the reli-
gious progress of the Kaiateans corresponded with their outward
advance. A stranger would have been charmed at the aspect of the
Sabbath congregations, the schools, the dress and dwellings of the
people, their growing skill in the useful arts, and the general deco-
rum that reigned among them. But, with few exceptions, they knew
little of the truth or the spiritual power of the gospel. They had
renounced their old religion, and had adopted the profession and the
forms of Christianity en masse. They saw the temporal benefits of
Christian institutions, and had some dim notion of its promised bless-
ings in respect to other worlds than this. With a prompt benevo-
lence that attested the simplicity of their "little faith," they formed
(also within the eventful first year of the mission, an appropriate
close of such a season) an auxiliary missionary society, to aid in
giving the gospel to others. King Tamatoa was at the head of this
association, and both by precept and example encouraged the mem-
bers to liberality. At the same time he warned them against
neglecting their own salvation while working for other^'. He
reminded them that many who helped build the ark may have been
drowned in the flood. "Let us not," he exclaimed, "be like the
scaffolding, which is useful in building the house, but is afterwards
thrown into the fire."
The next year, besides the enactment of the new code of laws,
witnessed the erection of a new church and court-house, both under
one roof, making the entire structure one hundred and ninety-
one feet by forty -four ; about forty feet of the length was partitioned
off for the temple of justice, leaving the church about one hundred
and fifty feet long. It was, like Mr. Williams' dwelling, made in
the European style as far as it could be, and in the excellence and
completeness of its interior arrangements it was superior to any
previous architectural achievement in the South Seas. Mr. Williams
likewise set up a sugar-mill, the sugar-cane being indigenous, regard-
ing it as a business that might be advantageously and steadily
pursued by the people. They had already become so expert in
mechanical labour, that he had none of the more laborious work to
do, though they had not attained to much beauty of finish. The
settlement was alive with lime-burning, sugar-boiling, boat-building,
house-building, joinery and furniture-making, and iron-craft of dif-
Krent kinds ; women were equally busy in employments proper to
27
418 JOHN WILLIAMS.
their sex. The school was flourishing, and the missionaries had
abundant opportunity for proclaiming divine truth to attentive audi-
tors. A few, as was natural, found no happiness in the altered state
of things. They hated the restraint on their evil passions, and went
so far as to plot the murder of Tamatoa and the missionaries. Bu*
their designs were discovered; the conspirators were sentenced to
death, but at the intercession of the missionaries, the sentence was
commuted to banishment to an uninhabited island. In their advice
upon the code, the missionaries had not taken the responsibility of
recommending capital punishment, and forbore suggesting any law in
regard to murder or treason. The chiefs and people, without waiting
for advice, now promulgated a statute making those offences capital.
The opening of the church was signalized by the anniversary
meeting of the auxiliary missionary society. The contributions
were eleven thousand bamboos of cocoa-nut oil, which brought on
sale, after deducting freight and other charges, £500. The excite-
ment of novelty, a spirit of ostentation, and other exceptionable
motives, undoubtedly swelled the contributions out of all proportion
to the degree of Christian benevolence possessed by the donors ; but
after making all necessary deductions, the fact is one of rare interest.
The same month witnessed the first public profession of Christian
faith, — the admission of seventy persons to the initiatory rite of
Christianity.* A small church was soon after constituted.
Much as had been accomplished, Mr. Williams began to be dis-
satisfied with his position. The smallness of the population, which
was still diminishing yearly, contrasted with the myriads who were
destitute of the word of life, made his sphere seem contracted. It
looked like a needless expenditure of men and means to keep three
* How many of these were regarded as true converts, giving evidence of regenera-
tion, it is not possible to state. The church numbered in 1822 thirty persons. Mr.
Williams, in defining "the principles on which we baptized them," says: "We admit
all who appear cordially to receive the gospel, who regularly attend divine ordi-
nances, and in whose conduct there is nothing immoral." It may be remarked, in
passing, that the diversity of practice in this matter needs to be continually borne in
mind, in considering reports of missionary success. American missionaries, except
those sent out by churches that adopt the contrary course at home as well as abroad,
are very generally agreed in admitting no adult to either of the sacraments until
good presumptive proofs of a spiritual change appear. Hence the report that a cer-
tain number " were baptized," in most cases, signifies much less in reports of many
English missions than the same phraseology would do when uttered by the majority
of American missionaries.
JOHN WILLIAMS. 419
missionary families busied on a population of little more than a thou-
sand souls. He was only twenty -four years old, and might hope to
be useful many years in another country. These feelings he frankly
communicated to the Directors, and was near committing the impro-
priety of breaking his engagements by quitting his station without
their assent. But the departure of one of his colleagues, leaving the
care of the mission exclusively in the hands of himself and Mr.
Threlkeld, gave him more occupation, and an event shortly after
occurred which opened a new enterprise to his view.
The island of Rurutu, about three hundred and fifty miles south
of Eaiatea, was visited by a very fatal epidemic. Two chiefs, with
as many of their followers as they could take with them, set out in
boats to flee to some happier isle, from an infliction which they all
attributed to the anger of their gods. They reached the island of
Tubuai, where they recruited their strength and courage. Attempt-
ing to return, they were overtaken by a storm, in which one party
perished. The others were driven for weeks they knew not whither,
and, after suffering greatly from hunger, were cast on one of the
Society Islands. Here they were hospitably received, and learned
what changes had taken place among that people. Desirous of seeing
the foreign teachers" who had brought such strange and excellent
doctrines among them, they set out for that purpose, and found their
way to Raiatea. The wonders of that island astonished them. They
placed themselves at once under instruction. During three months
that they remained there, the chief Auuru and several others learned
to read and write. An English vessel offered them a passage home,
which they gladly accepted; but the chief desired that teachers
should accompany them. He was unwilling, he said, to return to
" their land of darkness without a light in his hand." Two mem-
bers of the congregation offered to go, and were set apart for that
purpose. With some elementary books, copies of the Gospels, and
a few necessary mechanical implements, they departed on their mis-
sion. The people of Rurutu received them gladly, and in a little
more than a month they transmitted to Raiatea, as trophies of their
first victory, the rejected gods of Rurutu. Idolatry was abolished.
This event led Mr. Williams to dismiss all thoughts of forsaking
his station. It assumed a new importance as a centre from which
the truth might be radiated far into the surrounding darkness. He
proposed the plan which has proved so successful, of a missionary
420 JOHN WILLIAMS.
ship expressly to convey missionaries and teachers from island to
island, facilitating intercourse between the several Christian commu-
nities and the means of communicating with others. The continued
liberality of their congregation in contributing for missionary pur-
poses confirmed his views, and he shortly revoked his application
for leave to withdraw. A severe sickness threatened to compel him
to go, just when he felt most desirous to remain; happily he was
spared the pain of such a separation from his work. The tidings of
his mother's death reached him about this time, an affliction which
he felt more than his bold and steady demeanour and constitutional
cheerfulness would permit a casual acquaintance to suspect before-
hand. The sensitiveness of his nature was really exquisite, and he
gave vent to his emotions in words surcharged with grief.
A return of his malady compelling a voyage home, or at least of
some distance, he repaired to Sydney, New South Wales, taking
with him teachers for the island of Aitutaki, of which he had heard
from Auuru. These were well received by the people, to whom he
explained the purpose of their visit. At Sydney he made arrange-
ments for the cultivation of sugar and tobacco as articles of com-
merce, and purchased a variety of useful articles that he wished to
introduce among the people. He also purchased the "Endeavour/7
a vessel of from eighty to ninety tons. The Society's agent at first
declined sanctioning such a purchase, but a ship he was determined
to have, if necessary on his own pecuniary responsibility. By the
death of his mother he inherited a small property, and this he was
ready to sacrifice for an object so desirable. The agent finally agreed
for the society to share the responsibility. Having accomplished
his plans, he set out on his return, and was once more at Eaiatea, with
health and hopes invigorated, on the 6th of June, 1822. During his
absence a plot, entered into by a few persons to overthrow the gov-
ernment, had been discovered, and ten conspirators were convicted
of treason ; but the punishment of death, at the intercession of Mr.
Threlkeld, was commuted to hard labour during life.
The year 1823 saw Mr. Williams embarking in those enterprises
which are so intimately associated with his name, and which his
own vivacious pen has perpetuated. We have observed that the
mission to Kurutu gave to his mind a new impulse, which subse-
quent events strengthened. The introduction of the gospel into
Aitutaki, one of the Hervey Islands, suggested the possibility of
JOHN WILLIAMS. 421
evangelizing the whole by similar agencies, and of extending the
process to other groups. In his intercourse with Auuru he heard
much of Rarotonga, an island thirty miles in circumference, and
containing from six to seven thousand inhabitants. It had escaped
the search of Captain Cook, and its situation was not accurately
known, though often mentioned on the other islands, and as it
appears once or twice visited by European vessels. All that he
heard, made him exceedingly desirous to discover and enlighten the
Rarotongans. Tidings now came that several of them were at
Aitutaki, had there embraced Christianity, and desired to communi-
cate it to their countrymen. The chiefs offered him the use of their
vessel ; and as the health of Mrs. "Williams, which was feeble, seemed
to solicit an excursion to a more temperate climate, he set out on his
first expedition to extend the reign of the gospel. With Mr. Bourne
and six native teachers, he sailed for Aitutaki on the 4th of July. Ar-
rived on the 9th, they learned that the people had so generally made
profession of Christianity that scarcely an idolater was to be found ;
the Sabbath was strictly observed, and divine service punctually
attended by the whole population, and that a chapel, two hundred feet
long, was just ready to be opened. The change was marvellous.
"Eighteen months ago," Mr. Williams observes, "they were the wild-
est people I had ever witnessed : now they had become mild and do-
cile, diligent and kind." They had been in fact cannibals, but were now
learning, as fast as their circumstances would admit, the law of love.
From Aitutaki he proceeded in search of Rarotonga, but after
sailing five days was obliged to give up the enterprise, and make for
some other port. The island of Mangaia was first visited. The people
were shy, and made hostile demonstrations. After some parleying,
the native teachers went on shore, but were immediately seized,
plundered of every valuable article in their possession, stripped
nearly naked, and placed in imminent peril, from which they were
rescued with difficulty. Postponing further efforts on their behalf,
the company next sailed to Atiu. Here they met with a more favour
able reception, and idolatry was abolished both there and in neigh-
bouring islands of Mauke and Mitiaro. Roma-tane, the principle
chief of Atiu, was able to give more definite intelligence as to the
direction of Rarotonga, and they set out once more on their voyage
of discovery. They were baffled by contrary winds for several days,
and beat about till their provisions were nearly exhausted. An
Iur was fixed, within which, if the island was not discovered, they
•
422 JOHN WILLIAMS.
were to turn back. In half an hour the clouds that hid its towering
heights from their eyes were dispersed, and the object of their search
was distinctly visible. Exultation at his success, admiration of the
rocky mountains and luxuriant valleys that lay before him, and
pity for the degraded savages who dwelt there, contended for mas-
tery in the missionary's breast; and doubt as to the reception they
might meet with, awakened no little solicitude in the minds of all.
They "wondered and held their peace, to wit whether the Lord
would make their journey prosperous or not."
First appearances were favourable. Two teachers, accompanied
by one of the Rarotongans, went ashore, and communicated to a large
assembly the wonders that had been wrought at Tahiti and the other
islands, and told them they had come to instruct them in the same
beneficent truths. All said it was well, and so cordial was the wel-
come they received from a people dreaded as among the most cruel
and debased in the Pacific, that all the teachers with their wives
were landed, Mr. Williams remaining on board till the next morning.
Early in the morning the company returned with a sad tale. The
chiefs were quite ready to be taught, but claimed the wives of the
teachers to adorn their wretched harems. The women had a narrow
escape, not without suffering some personal violence, from the brutal
licentiousness that assaulted them. With hopes quite cast down at this
confirmation of what had been told them of the ferocity and degra-
dation of the Rarotongans, they were about to turn away, when one
of the teachers offered to remain there alone, provided a coadjutor,
whom he named, might be sent from Raiatea. With nothing but
his clothes and books he was landed, in company with the natives
who had been at Aitutaki, and who now professed Christianity.
The island was visited about a year after by Messrs. Tyerman and
Bennett, the deputation sent out by the society to report on their
missions in the South Seas. The people had renounced idolatry,
and were then engaged in building a large church.
Laden with the spoils of Aitutaki, her rejected gods, Mr. Williams
returned to Raiatea, displayed his trophies, and narrated the triumphs
they had witnesed. His zeal for the extension of the work into
other abodes of superstition and cruelty was heightened, but just at
this point his hopes received a serious blow. Commerce with New
South Wales was annihilated, by a prohibitory duty laid on all the
productions of the Leeward Islands, at the instigation of some mer-
chants at Sydney, whose prior monopoly of trade was infringed by
JOHN WILLIAMS. 423
the competition of men from whom till lately they had feared nothing.
All his schemes for promoting native industry and enterprise were
crushed at once. A great motive for owning a vessel, that which
could alone prevent the purchase from being a total pecuniary loss,
was now at an end. It was laden with as choice an assortment of
produce as could be stowed, and sent to Sydney, with orders to sell
vessel and cargo on the best terms that could be got. To complete
his embarrassment, the Directors of the Missionary Society censured
his proceedings in this matter as entangling himself with "the affairs
of this life" to an unsuitable degree. It was, to be sure, a bold
measure, but the circumstances of the case required bold measures.
The missionaries represented to the society that without a ship it
was impracticable to visit in safety their outward stations, and of
course to go to the islands beyond that were otherwise inaccessible.
And unless this could be done, Mr. Williams could not content
himself in the field he occupied. A missionary, he said, was never
designed to gather a congregation of one or two hundred, and si'i
down contented, while thousands within a few miles were eating
each other's flesh and drinking each other's blood. "For my own
part, I cannot content myself within the narrow limits of a single
reef: and, if means are not afforded, a continent would to me be
infinitely preferable; for there, if you cannot ride, you can walk;
but to these isolated islands a ship must carry you." — "Separately
considered, and compared with other spheres, no one of these islands
is worthy of the sacrifice of life and property devoted to it ; but the
whole of them, considered collectively, are worthy of your utmost
efforts." It was further represented, that by owning a ship, the
islands would be independent of trade with ordinary merchant ves-
sels, and so be spared the mischiefs, the profligacy and tumult, that
abandoned foreigners have occasioned at nearly every mission sta-
tion in the Pacific. But his appeals were not responded to. The
society could not spare the sum necessary to purchase a vessel, and
thought an appeal to the public at that time unadvisable. He
therefore gave himself with fresh energy to his work at Raiatea,
The congregation was large ; about six hundred had solemnly pro-
fessed Christianity, of whom nearly sixty were exemplary communi-
cants, An American vessel, laden with ardent spirits, tried in vain
to sell or give away any part of the baleful cargo.
tBut their settlement had proved ill-chosen, exposed to furious
rrns that laid waste their improvements continually. This circum-
424: JOHN WILLIAMS.
stance, with the stagnation of their incipient commerce, exerted a
depressing effect on the people. The missionaries saw with concern
the tendency of things. Dreading a relapse into old habits of indo-
lence they were gratified at hearing a new settlement suggested.
This was carried into effect after careful deliberation, an excellent
site was chosen on the windward side of the island, and the hum
of busy industry soon resounded along that hitherto deserted shore.
Mr. Williams was in his element. The new village was almost
as great an advance on the old as that had been on any thing before
known in those regions. Great exertion was necessary to prevent
the educational and religious institutions of the community from
suffering under such circumstances, but they were successful ; every
thing went forward with more than accustomed order. The auxil-
iary missionary society flourished, and what was infinitely better,
the number of communicants, admitted with the most cautious
fidelity, increased to about one hundred and fifty.
In this state of prosperity, Mr. Williams, on whom by the depart-
ure of his colleague, Mr. Threlkeld, the cares of the station rested,
most heartily rejoiced, as a fullness of reward beyond his best
expectations. Good news, too, from Kurutu, Atiu, Aitutaki and
Earotonga, deepened his gratitude and strengthened his conviction
that his designs for distant islands were practicable and important.
The other missionaries and the deputation that had lately visited
them concurred in his views, and the society authorized the char-
tering of a vessel for an annual voyage to the distant stations. The
first voyage was made in the autumn of 1825, by his colleague, Mr.
Bourne. Toward the close of the year he welcomed Mr. and Mrs.
Pitman, who had been sent to occupy Earotonga. Some time elapsed
before they could complete their preparations, and then, in conse-
quence of Mr. Bourne's absence, Mr. Williams had no one to supply
his place at Eaiatea. But his anxiety to visit Earotonga overcame
other considerations; leaving the congregation in charge of a native
preacher he set out upon his joyful errand on the 26th of April, and
on the 5th of May reached the desired haven. He was greeted by
a great multitude, who were attracted by the news of his arrival.
They all insisted on the privilege of saluting him in the English
manner by shaking hands. As they considered "that the sincerity
of their affection was to be expressed by the severity of the squeeze
and the violence of the shake," he was in no danger of forgetting the
ceremony, for some hours at least.
JOHN WILLIAMS. 425
The people had abolished idolatry, and were attentive to instruc-
tion, but had made comparatively little progress. The difference
between their language and the Tahitian was sufficient to impede, if
not to prevent free communication of thought, and none had learned
to read. The quick ear of Mr. Williams soon detected the peculiar-
ities of their dialect. He drew up an elementary work, and trans-
lated some portions of Scripture. When these were printed, the
Rarotongans proved as rapid learners as any Tahitians. Here he
remained nearly a year, indefatigable in teaching, taking the lead in
building and other departments of useful industry, superintending
the erection of places of worship, rousing by every means the ener-
gies of all. His cheerful, kind and transparently frank character
won rapidly on the natives. Their confidence in him was unbounded.
Seldom, if ever, has one man so rapidly obtained the absolute sway
over a community that Mr. Williams wielded at this time in Raro-
tonga. So many demoralizing usages prevailed, that he did not
hesitate to propose a reform in the government. The Raiatean code
was expounded ; it met with general approbation, a general assembly
confirmed it, and it has since been the established constitution.
But it was impossible to forget Raiatea or to think of it without
apprehension. The news that the man to whom the oversight of
the congregation was committed had died, leaving the charge in the
hands of a colleague far less competent, would have hastened Mr.
Williams' departure if any conveyance could be procured. Vessels
scarcely ever touched at this remote island, and he was driven by
necessity to build one himself. The attempt was characteristic. He
knew nothing of the art, and had no proper materials or implements.
But he was equal to the task. A bellows was first constructed,
covered with goat skins. The rats, about as numerous as the frogs
that on a time vexed the Egyptians, soon made the labour useless.
As a substitute, he made a couple of boxes, with a loaded piston in
each lifted by levers. A pipe and the necessary valves being
attached, it was easy to keep up a succession of blasts by working
the two alternately.* A stone anvil was erected, and the iron work
was soon successfully under way. Planks had to be split and hewn
from logs, wooden pins supplied the place of iron fastenings, the
material for which was scarce. Cocoa-nut husk, native cloth and
ward
* This ingenious contrivance, though original, was not new. Mr. Williams after-
1s found a similar machine in operation in a manufacturing district of England.
426 JOHN WILLIAMS.
other substances answered very well for oakum, and sails were made
of native mats. Cordage was prepared of the bark of the hibiscus,
and blocks turned from the aito, or iron-wood, for which processes
a rope machine and turning-lathe had to be set up. Under all these
disadvantages, the vessel was completed in fifteen weeks, a craft of
seventy or eighty tons, named the " Messenger of Peace." Its sailing
qualities having been satisfactorily tested in a trip to Aitutaki, one
hundred and seventy miles distant, Mr. and Mrs. Williams prepared
to return to their home. Before they departed, Mr. Buzacott arrived
as an associate with Mr. Pitman at Earotonga, a much needed and
valued reinforcement.
Great was the curiosity at Tahiti when the "Messenger of Peace"
made its appearance. It was literally "a strange sail," and excited
strange suspicions. After a few days' pause, its course was turned
towards Kaiatea, where the missionaries arrived on the twenty-sixth
of April, 1828, after an absence of just a year. This exploit in
ship-building, rivalling in its actual detail the best contrivances
imagined in Robinson Crusoe, excited so much admiration in Eng-
land, and indeed was received by many with such incredulity, that
Mr. Williams was led to insert in his "Missionary Enterprises," a
full account of the whole process. For himself, so intent was he on
the ends to be secured by it, that the work, romantic as it seems in
the description, hardly occupied his thoughts after it was completed.
His immediate object was to get back to his station, but he saw in
this rude structure the means of accomplishing his long-cherished
designs to carry the gospel to distant islands. "My ship," he writes,
"is about to convey Messrs. Pritchard and Simpson to the Marque-
sas ; after which, I purpose taking a thorough route, and carrying as
many teachers as I can get, down through all the Navigators, Fee-
jees, New-Hebrides, New-Caledonia, &c. . . . My hands, my head
and my heart are more full of missionary work than ever. My grasp
is great and extensive, and the prospect of success encouraging.
I'll get help from my brethren, if I can; if not, nothing shall deter
me; I will work single-handed."
To the important enterprise on which his heart had been so long
set, it was not possible to turn at once, but after about two years
spent in his customary employments at Raiatea, he equipped his
vessel, and departed for the Samoan, or Navigator's islands. Thence-
forth his settled connection with the Society Islands ceased. He
JOHN WILLIAMS. 427
occasionally came there, but more as a visitor than as an inhabitant.
Had his missionary life closed here, it would have been a glorious
one. Kaiatea had been of itself an enduring monument to his piety
and wisdom. The entire community had been transformed ; brutal
savages had become intelligent and virtuous men and women ; indus-
try, peace and social order had refreshed the desert long wasted by
malignant passions ; and nearly three hundred — a much larger pro-
portion of the people than in Christian America — were exemplary
Christians, united in church-fellowship. Had Williams consulted
personal ease and enjoyment, he could have«found the purest happi-
ness in sitting down amid this paradise he had planted and watered
through more than eleven years. But he gladly left it, to convey the
same blessings to other tribes still perishing for lack of knowledge.
With several pious natives, set apart for missionary service, Mr.
and Mrs. Williams bade adieu to Kaiatea, May 24th, 1830. Visiting
the Hervey Islands, they found the stations in the full tide of suc-
cessful progress, except at Karotonga, where a pestilence was sweep-
ing off multitudes of the people; yet it was plain that their hearts
were steadfast, and that so soon as the calamity should be overpast
they would press forward in the way they had entered. From
Karotonga the Messenger of Peace visited Savage Island, but met
with so hostile a reception that it was not deemed prudent to venture
on shore. They next reached Tongatabu, one of the Friendly Isles,
occupied by Wesleyan missionaries, with whom Mr. Williams had a
most pleasant visit. As they had decided to evangelize the Fejee
Islands, (where they have since met with the most gratifying suc-
cess,) he cheerfully relinquished his designs for that field. Intelli-
gence from the New Hebrides that the people, always ferocious,
were then particularly hostile to Europeans, made it necessary to
postpone attempts in that quarter. But a chief from Samoa was at
Tongatabu, and gave so friendly an invitation to the missionaries,
that they steered for that group, pausing at two intermediate islands.
On reaching Savaii, the most important of the Samoan Isles, they
were surprised at its extent. It was larger than Tahiti, and Mr.
Williams became satisfied, after a more careful survey, that the
Samoan was the largest and most populous group in the Pacific,
except the Sandwich Islands. The death, just at this time, of a chief
who had exercised almost boundless sway as a political and religious
potentate, made the introduction of Christianity much easier than
it would otherwise have been.
428 JOHN WILLIAMS.
The people were generally not so tall or strong as the Tahitians,
and they were, at first view, less comely, but exceedingly symmet-
rical and agile. They were also milder, the politest people of the
Pacific, — a distinction of which they were conscious and notably
vain. No organized priesthood existed to make gain of their super-
stitions, which, though gross, were less cruel and debasing than
those of other islanders. This circumstance, together with the
absence of image-worship, — their devotions being offered exclu-
sively to natural objects, — had gained for them the epithet of "god-
less." They received the missionaries and teachers with the most
gratifying kindness, and when Mr. Williams left them, after a sojourn
of three days, it was with the most triumphant anticipations of suc-
cess, and devout thanksgivings for the beneficent providence that
had directed his way thither at so propitious a season.
On once more reaching Eaiatea he was compelled by the state of
Mrs. Williams' health to entertain the design of visiting England.
More favourable symptoms obviated the necessity for the time, and
it was a timely relief. A chief had succeeded to the government of
the neighbouring island of Tahoa, who asserted some hereditary
claims to the lordship of Raiatea. Tamatoa and his people dreaded
war, and tried every means to avert it short of submission. The
good old king was taken away before the storm burst. Chiefs from
Tahiti arrived to mediate between the parties, and succeeded in
making a temporary peace, during which Mr. Williams sailed to
Rarotonga, thence intending to visit Samoa. While there, a hurri-
cane desolated the settlement, and uprooted so many of the trees on
the island that a famine was apprehended, and he sailed to Tahiti to
procure a supply of provisions. While there, he learned that hos-
tilities had been resumed in the Leeward Islands, bringing in their
train all the distress which is the customary incident of war. Moral
restraints had been relaxed, distilleries had been set up, and the state
of Raiatea had painfully retrograded. He hastened to the spot;
some members of the church, who had dishonoured their profession,
were excluded, and after considerable exertion, order was restored.
As the Raiateans were the victors in the war, a fair promise of con-
tinued quiet was obtained.
Returning to Rarotonga with a valuable cargo, he remained only
long enough to prepare for his expedition to Samoa. The Mes-
senger of Peace was under way on the llth of October, 1832, and
on the 17th, after a delightful sail of eight hundred miles, Manua,
JOHN WILLIAMS. 429
the most easterly of the Samoan group, was visible. Though two
huDdred and fifty miles from the residence of the teachers, the peo-
ple were professed Christians, and informed him that very many
of the inhabitants of Savaii and Upolu, the two largest islands, had
embraced the truth. Such was the fact. The teachers had strug-
gled with the most serious difficulties, and overcome them ; they had
secured the confidence of several chiefs, and of the body of their
people. Of course they had communicated but little spiritual
instruction, and their disciples had exceedingly crude ideas of Chris-
tianity; but a work was begun, which has since proved among the
most glorious wrought in those seas.
After visiting two or three other islands, the Messenger of Peace
was under sail for Rarotonga. A dangerous leak made it necessary
to put into Tongatabu for repairs, and after a detention of thirteen
days Mr. Williams resumed his voyage, reaching Rarotonga early
in January. Here he continued six months, completing the transla-
tion of the New-Testament and in evangelical labour. A church
was formed, and a pleasing degree of attention to personal religion
became visible, demonstrating the presence of the Divine Spirit.
In July the Messenger of Peace was sold, and he went to Tahiti to
arrange for his visit to England. After a short excursion to the
Leeward and the Hervey Isles, he set sail, via Cape Horn. The voy-
age was very beneficial to Mrs. Williams, and on the twelfth of June,
1834, they found themselves once more in the land of their fathers.
They left the missions in an unpropitious state, as compared with
the bright promise of former years. The efforts of men who are
the disgrace of Christian lands to introduce ardent spirits into the
islands had been too successful, and the mission churches were almost
literally tried by fire. Not a few had fallen, and though sobriety
was resuming its sway, and the walls of the sanctuaries, broken by
the enemy, were once more becoming strong, yet the chequered pic-
tures of alternate despondency and hope, had in England abated the
public interest in the South Sea Missions. Mr. Williams was little
known except to the Directors of the Missionary Society and the
few more immediately concerned in their work, and he came before
public meetings with nothing to commend him in advance. But the
directors called him out, and in a series of addresses, delivered in
London and the provincial towns, he won an extraordinary popu-
larity and excited an intense interest in the mission. Besides these
efforts, he conferred with the directors on important plans for
430 JOHN WILLIAMS.
strengthening and extending their work in the Pacific. He super-
intended the printing of the Rarotonga New-Testament, and prepared
a number of books and tracts. In the intervals of other duties, he
prepared his Narrative of Missionary Enterprises, a work which was
received with unprecedented favour by the public. About thirt}7-
eight thousand copies were disposed of in five years, besides editions
in this and other countries, and it is still a book of standard value.
By presenting copies to members of the royal family and some of the
more distinguished nobility and gentry, many handsome donations
were received, and an unwonted interest in his efforts was excited
in circles to which the claims of missions had seldom penetrated.
Encouraged by these favourable indications, he made a fresh effort
to procure a missionary ship. Believing that the commercial public
were deeply interested in the enterprise on which his heart was set,
he ventured to apply to the admiralty for the grant of a vessel.
This was declined, for reasons which would have spontaneously
suggested themselves to any man less ardent than Mr. Williams,
and which he was not dull in appreciating when they were offered.
He next made an appeal to the public liberality, with the most com-
plete success. In no long time, enough was contributed to purchase
and equip a vessel amply sufficient for the service. The fate of his
application to the admirality did not prevent him from trying his
powers of suasion on the Lord Mayor and Corporation of London,
with such effect that five hundred pounds were voted in aid of his
object.
The health of Mrs. Williams, which had continued to be feeble,
and long threatened to form an insuperable barrier to her husband's
return, at length recovered its usual tone. His mind was now at
rest. The "Camden," his "missionary ship," was fitted for sea, a
large edition of the Rarotonga Testament and other books had been
printed, several new missionaries were ready to accompany him,
among them his eldest son, who was designated for Samoa, and
he joyfully made ready to renew his delightful toils. The great
interest felt for him, was manifest by the eager liberality with
which gifts of all kinds were lavished upon him. Every article of
comfort and even of luxury, suited to a long voyage, was freely
contributed. Rich and poor vied with each other in the labour of
love. The ship-builder who repaired the Camden declined all com-
pensation for work worth four hundred pounds. A pious man, who
earned his living by furnishing ships with filtered water, carried off
JOHN WILLIAMS. 431
twenty tons to the Camden, as lie said, for "the pleasure of giving
a cup of cold water." A pilot applied for the privilege of taking
the vessel out to sea gratuitously, a service for which he was enti-
tled to not less than twenty pounds. The llth of April, 1838, was
fixed for the day of departure. On the 4th, valedictory services
were held at the Tabernacle, Moorfields, where Mr. Williams and
his brethren addressed a vast assembly. As if with a prophetic
vision of what awaited him, he spoke of the dangers to which he
might be exposed from the ferocity of savages. Alluding to a cele-
brated actor, who assigned as a reason for retiring that he felt there
must be a gap between the stage and death, he remarked: "Now
the missionary wants no gap between his work and his death : there-
fore, should God call us to suffer in his cause, we trust that we shall
have grace to bow with submission to his will, knowing that others
will be raised up in his providence to carry into effect that work
which we have been employed to commence."
On the evening of the 8th, he united with his associates in the
solemn commemoration of the Lord's death, at Barbican chapel, and
on the next day, at a meeting of the Board of the Society, they were
solemnly committed to the divine protection. Two days after, in
the presence of an immense multitude that thronged the wharves
and the eastern parapet of London Bridge, the missionary company,
having parted from their near friends, bade farewell to England.
Mr. Williams was nearly overcome by the first separation, but when
he boarded the steamer that was to convey him to the Camden, his
usual cheerfulness seemed to return. One more bitter sorrow awaited
him, the separation from his youngest son, who accompanied him to
the vessel ; but this past, his spirits rose with elastic energy. He
was not without apprehension as to the future, and he felt the
responsibility that attached to his mission, but these shadows only
temporarily dimmed his vision. Three days after they weighed
anchor, unfavourable winds compelled the captain to seek shelter in
Dartmouth roads. It being Sunday, Mr. Williams went on shore,
and preached for Eev. Mr. Stenner, who, with his people, was
delighted at his unexpected appearance. The missionaries were
etained here till the morning of the 19th, when Mr. Williams took
is last look of England. During the voyage, the new missionaries
ere busily engaged in studying the Tahitian and Rarotongan lan-
uages, and on the 3d of May, a church was organized, composed of
the missionaries, the pious captain and mate, and several of the crew,
432 JOHN WILLIAMS.
in all twenty-six persons, who united in the communion-service with
great interest and solemnity. At Capetown, where they remained
nearly three weeks, they found much to enjoy in the society of Dr.
Philip and his associate in that mission. At Sydney they received
tidings of the most cheering character from the South Seas; and
these were confirmed when, on the 23d of November, they arrived
in the harbour of Pangopango, at the island of Tutuila, one of
the Samoan group. Most of the people had renounced heathen-
ism. Of the entire population of the group, estimated at sixty or
seventy thousand, nearly fifty thousand were under instruction.
Wars had ceased, immense numbers had learned to read, family and
public worship were generally observed. Mr. Williams fixed his
residence among them, on the island of Opulu. After a season spent
in active labour, he left Mrs. Williams at their new home, and pro-
ceeded to Earotonga, to convey the five thousand Testaments he had
brought with him. The books were received with unutterable joy,
and eagerly purchased. A school was established for the education
of native preachers. He next visited Tahiti, and other islands,
arriving at his Samoan home in the following May. Here he con-
tinued six months, abundant in spiritual labours. A church was
organized, and the first hopeful converts of this interesting mission
united in the Lord's Supper.
November 3d, 1839, was the last Sabbath Mr. Williams spent at
Samoa. He was going forth with a company of native teachers to
plant the standard of the cross in regions where it had been unknown.
Though no presentiment of the fatal result appears to have been dis-
tinctly present to his mind, an unusual melancholy seemed to rest
on his spirits. This was in part due to anxiety concerning the issue
of his enterprise. Formerly, when the work was new, and prose-
cuted, on his own responsibility, with slight encouragement, his
spirits were buoyant. But his previous successes and the admira-
tion they had excited in England, the knowledge that high expecta-
tions were formed of him, and a consciousness of his personal
inadequacy, weighed upon his mind with painful force. But he
was also — and it seemed afterwards a very memorable thing — much
occupied with thoughts of the frailty of life. His frequent allusions
to this theme were noticed by his friends. The last sermon he
delivered was from Acts xx. 36-38. So tenderly did he dwell on
the expression, "sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake,
that they should see his face no more" — that the congregation wept
JOHN WILLIAMS. 433
without restraint, and for a considerable time nothing but sighs and
sobs were heard throughout the assembly.
Two days after, the Camden commenced her voyage. They
touched at Rotuma with the view of landing some teachers there,
but the cool and suspicious behaviour of the chiefs repelled them ;
two finally remained at the urgent entreaty of a subordinate chief,
and the company proceeded to the New-Hebrides. On the 17th of
November they reached Fatuma, and had such communications
with the people as encouraged the hope that they would welcome
missionaries, should they be sent. On the 18th they made the
island of Tanna, where two teachers were kindly received, and con-
cluded to settle. The next day they reached Erromanga just at
evening. Mr. Williams spent a sleepless night. His survey of the
important islands thus far visited, had strongly impressed him with
their importance as a missionary field, and he was full of anxiety
as to the issue of his present attempt to evangelize them. On the
morning of the 20th he landed, and attempted to converse with the
natives, but their language was unintelligible. He made them pres-
ents, and thought they appeared friendly. In company with Mr.
Harris, a gentleman on his way to England with a view to future
missionary service, and Mr. Cunningham, he went for a little dis-
tance out of sight of his companions, who remained in the boat. A
moment after, Mr. Williams and Mr. Cunningham appeared run-
ning, pursued by several natives. Mr. Cunningham escaped. Mr.
Williams reached the water's edge, when he was knocked down
with a club, — another person stabbed him with several arrows.
Every attempt to save at least his murdered body was ineffectual.
His remains were dragged inland; the murderous crowd that
thronged the beach was too numerous to be dared by the crew of
the Camden. The captain immediately sailed to New South Wales,
and a vessel of war was at once despatched to secure the remains
of Mr. Harris and of the martyred missionary. The wretched
Erromangans confessed that they had eaten the bodies, and that
only the skulls and some of the bones were left. These were gath-
ered up, and borne to Opulu. The tidings reached Mrs. Williams at
midnight, with what effect words cannot describe. But the calam-
ity, the grief, were shared by multitudes. The people were roused
from their beds, and in the morning twilight gathered in groups,
listening to the tragic tale. A general cry of lamentation resounded
throughout Samoa. At Rarotonga, Tahiti, and the other islands,
28
4:34 JOHN WILLIAMS
the intelligence called forth similar demonstrations of grief. And
throughout Christendom, wherever the story of his life had gone,
the story of his untimely and cruel fate caused many a heart to swell
with unutterable sorrow at thoughts of the Martyr of Erromanga.
Did the limits of this work admit of a narrative sufficiently
extended to bring more intimately and particularly the various
incidents of Mr. Williams' life before the reader's eye, we might be
spared the effort at a formal delineation of his character. In few
words, with the ample aids furnished by the full memorials left
from his own pen, and the grateful testimonials of friendship, we
may note some of his most striking peculiarities. Physically, he
was built on a large scale, robust, and capable of energetic and sus-
tained exertion. His countenance was at first view wanting in
mobility and expressiveness, but the impression vanished when it
was lighted up by the fire of his ever-cheerful, quick, and sympa-
thetic spirit. His mind was not specially distinguished for depth or
subtlety, neither was he endowed with much imaginative power.
He could never have been a poet, though he wrote verses in his
youth, — nor a distinguished theologian, skilled in fine distinctions
and sharp logic, — nor a philosopher, piercing through the deeps of
abstract speculation, to take hold on the elements of being. But he
had uncommon quickness and justness of observation, a retentive
memory, sound judgment, great fertility of resource. He was in
all points a man of action. His plans were broad, but never too
extended to be grasped in their detail. Though he looked far, his
eye took in every intervening object. Hence, though the defects
just alluded to caused him to fail when he wandered from his appro-
priate sphere to more speculative pursuits, he seldom made the mis-
take, and seldom erred in his judgment.
His temperament was warm, and his affections ardent. He was
whole-hearted. With quick susceptibilities and much tenderness,
the prevailing sentiment of his life was hopeful and even sanguine.
Entering into all his plans with ardour, concentrating his utmost
energy upon them, he never feared failure, or permitted any obstacles
to shake his purposes. These traits were consecrated by fervent
piety to make him the instrument of untold benefits to mankind.
His piety manifested itself in harmony with his mental character-
istics ; — a sure proof of its genuineness, as something not imposed,
but implanted ; not cramping and clipping the developments of his
JOHN WILLIAMS. 435
nature in the manner that a now defunct class of landscape gardeners
tortured trees into fantastic shapes, but nourishing continually fresh
growths that rose in forms of spontaneous beauty. It was a cheer-
ful, manly, practical piety, void of sentimentalism and morbid mel-
ancholy. He kept no diary to perpetuate his moods and humours,
— and his defective analytical power would have made a private
journal from his pen little else than this. Strong, introspective, and
thoroughly disciplined intellects, may preserve such autobiographi-
cal records with much profit to themselves and to others, but he
could never bring himself down from the post of observation, or
withdraw from the field of action, merely to study and dissect him-
self. Yet he was eminently devout, much in prayer and study of
the Scriptures. His faith in God was humble, self- abasing, and
always firm. He indulged no doubts about his own personal accept-
ance. That matter was settled once for all, and his affections and
purposes were fixed with such disinterested ardour on works of faith
and labours of love, that he was never inclined to withdraw into
himself in the indulgence of fears and doubts. From the day of
his conversion to that morning when he was "offered," he went
ever onward, subordinating all things to the Divine Glory, trusting
himself to the guidance of Divine Providence, seeking not his own.
He had his afflictions, sharp to unaided nature, but to his faith, light
in comparison with the glory to be revealed, for which he patiently
waited. As a missionary, the works he did testify of him. They
do follow him in a procession that reaches into eternity. How
clearly he saw the necessities of the field to which he was sent,
with what practical wisdom he planned his enterprises, and with
what directness, force, and indomitable perseverance he executed
them, has been seen, in a measure, as we have followed him from
island to island, preaching, teaching, exciting, restraining, ready to
embrace every occasion, to employ every lawful means, and to suf-
fer any required self-denial, to make the objects of his compassion
better and happier. He had a more than common reward on earth,
and laid up a vast and enduring treasure in heaven.
WILLIAM RICHARDS.
WILLIAM KICHAKDS was born at Plainfield, Massachusetts, August
22, 1793. His parents were not in affluent circumstances, but they
were able to give their children a treasure of pious instruction,
enriched by a corresponding example. At the age of fifteen, Wil-
liam became the subject of renewing grace, and three years after
united with the church in his native town. The thought of becom-
ing a minister of the gospel and a missionary, became fixed in his
mind very soon after the dawning of his Christian hope. At that
time, his eldest brother, James Eichards, so honourably known to
the Christian public as one of the little band whose prayers and
counsels led to the formation of the American Board of Foreign
Missions, was near the close of his college course. Wear the time
of his graduation, he disclosed to William his intention to be a mis-
sionary, awaking in his younger brother a desire to follow in his
footsteps. It was not, indeed, a settled purpose, but he could not
forget it. While engaged in labour, he felt as if it would be a
pleasure to live for the conversion of the world as his direct pursuit.
The way was at length opened; he pursued his preparatory studies
under his pastor, Rev. Moses Hallock, and entered Williams College
in 1815.* After graduating, he pursued his theological studies in
the seminary at Andover.
Previous to the close of his theological studies, he had definitely
decided to go to the heathen, and as it was in contemplation to
* The "mountain towns," as they are called, of Hampshire, (the old county of
that name, from which the counties of Hampden and Franklin have been separ-
ated,) it is believed, have furnished to the professions, and particularly to the minis-
try, a larger number of young men than almost any section of the country, in
proportion to their population. Perhaps New-Hampshire may dispute the claim.
Those elevated and comparatively rude regions of New-England suggest the descrip-
tion of ancient Numidia, arida nutrix leonum. In defect of academical institutions,
the pastors of churches did much to prepare young men for college, and in this way
trained up not a few of their youthful parishioners for usefulness in the church and
the world.
438 WILLIAM RICHARDS.
reinforce the mission to the Sandwich Islands, which had been com-
menced two years before, he offered himself, on the 2d of Febru-
ary, 1822, to the American Board for that service, as one for which
he judged himself more especially fitted. The offer was accepted.
He received ordination on the 12th of September, was married in
the following month, and embarked at New-Haven on the 19th of
November, in company with two other ordained missionaries, a
physician, three assistant missionaries, and four pious islanders who
had been receiving instruction in this country. On the evening
preceding, Mr. Eichards preached an appropriate sermon from Isa.
Ix. 9: "Surely the isles shall wait for me." After hearing the part-
ing instructions of the Board, the missionaries, with more than six
hundred of their fellow-Christians, participated in the communion
service. A great company of spectators thronged the wharf at
which they embarked. The hymn,
"Wake, isles of the south! your redemption is near,'*
written for the occasion by William B. Tappan, was sung with thrill-
ing effect; the missionary band were commended in prayer to
Him who "rides on the whirlwind," and took their departure for
their island-home. The voyage was pleasant, their relations with
the officers and crew entirely harmonious. A Bible class for the
sailors was organized in connection with their Sunday services.
Several of the crew were remarkably serious and attentive to the
instructions they received, and some appeared to have received
saving benefits, though not all maintained their steadfastness after
reaching port.
On the 24th of April, 1823, they descried Hawaii. A boat was
sent on shore the next morning to make inquiries, and several
natives came off to see the missionaries, with whom they seemed
much pleased. The vessel proceeded to Oahu, and on Sunday, the
27th, came to anchor off Honolulu, where the company received a
joyful welcome from their associates and from several chiefs. The
only regret expressed was, that there were not more of them. In
the distribution of the new labourers, Mr. Kichards and Rev. C. S.
Stewart were assigned to the station of Lahaina, on the island of
Maui, where they took up their residence in May. " We are liv-
ing," Mr. Richards writes, "in houses built by the heathen and pre-
sented to us. They are built in native style, and consist of posts
driven into the ground, on which small poles are tied horizontally,
WILLIAM KICHARDS. 439
and then long grass is fastened to the poles by strings which pass
round each bundle. We have no floors, and no windows except
holes cut through the thatching, which are closed by shutters without
glass." These arrangements of course were temporary. " The field
for usefulness here is great; and I have never, for a moment since
I arrived, had a single fear that my usefulness on these islands will
be limited by any thing but my own imperfections. If I can be
useful anywhere, I can be useful in Lahaina. Our work is,
indeed, a pleasant one. I envy no one his employment, though he
may be surrounded with a thousand temporal comforts of which I
am deprived. It is enough for me, that in looking back I can see
clearly that the finger of Providence pointed me to these islands ;
and that in looking forward, I see some prospect of success and of last-
ing usefulness. All my anxiety arises from the fear that the whiten-
ing harvest will not be gathered. Thousands, indeed I may say,
nearly every adult on the Sandwich Islands, is waiting to receive
instruction, and many are waiting with high hopes."
The state of the people, as mentioned by Mr. Eichards, was
indeed most encouraging, and in connection with the remarkable
events that preceded the establishment of the mission, can never
cease to be regarded as a most providential invitation to the churches
of America. From their first discovery by Captain Cook, in 1778,
the importance of the Sandwich Islands was clearly perceived. The
largest and most populous group in Polynesia, and occupying a
convenient position to be visited by whaling vessels and ships
engaged in the China trade, American merchants began to reside
there as early as the year 1786. The islands are of volcanic form-
ation, composed of rocky and barren mountains, some rising fifteen
thousand feet above the level of the sea, and separated by frightful
chasms, but with valleys of great fertility, and enjoying an agreeable
climate. The inhabitants are of the same race with those of the Soci-
ety and most of the other islands that lie east of the one hundred and
eightieth degree of longitude. The body of the people were held in
absolute subjection to the king and chiefs, and more sadly enslaved by
a cruel and debasing superstition. War, infanticide, human sacrifices,
polygamy, and the most revolting licentiousness were hastening the
process of depopulation, aided by vices greedily received from for-
eigners. The whole nation, indeed, had so far physically degener-
ated, that they have not yet recovered, and the possibilit}^ of saving
them from entire extinction is doubted. That they have not been
44:0 WILLIAM KICHARDS.
still more degraded, and even blotted out of existence, must be attri-
buted to the timely introduction of Christianity.
The way for the missionaries was prepared before them. Kame-
hameha, a chief of uncommon capacity, had made himself the abso-
lute monarch of all the islands. He was ready and showed himself
able to avail himself of the advantages to be derived from inter-
course with civilized nations. He raised and drilled an army in
the European fashion, supplied them with fire-arms, built forts and
mounted cannon, and created something of a navy. The keel of
his first ship was laid by Captain Vancouver in 1792. In a few
years his fleet amounted to twenty vessels ; he grew rich by com-
merce, and encouraged the mechanic arts. Several of the chiefs
acquired a knowledge of the English language. But the uncon-
trolled despotism of the government and superstition of the people
made it impossible for the mass to rise. Soon there came tidings
of wonderful changes wrought in Tahiti by a new religion. Henry
Obookiah and others had gone to the United States, and received a
Christian education ; the fact was interesting, and caused some spec-
ulation. But Kamahameha was high-priest as well as king, and
while he upheld idolatry, nothing could be done. He died in 1819,
about seventy years of age. On his death-bed, he desired an
American present to tell him of the Bible and of the Christian's
Grod, but received no response, and died in ignorance of the truth.
His son Eihoriho, who succeeded him, after consulting with the
chiefs, abolished their whole system of superstition. The maraes
or sacred enclosures, with the idols they contained, were burned,
and an earnest desire was expressed for the arrival of missionaries.
These were on their way. The first company sailed less than a
month before from Boston. They arrived in March, 1820, and
were met with intelligence that the idols were utterly abolished.
There remained, indeed, ignorance and depravity, the consumma-
tion of centuries of darkness, to resist their efforts and put their
faith to a severe test, but they were hospitably received, and the
utmost readiness was shown to receive instruction and forward all
the interests of the mission. The king and chiefs were the first
pupils, and though his majesty was a somewhat unsteady scholar
and capricious patron, the progress of improvement was visible and
decided, so much so as to excite at a very early period the hostility
of profligate foreigners, whose opportunities for vicious indulgence
were sensibly diminished under the new order of things. By the
WILLIAM KICHAKDS. 441
establishment of a printing-press education went rapidly forward,
and the people began to gain clearer ideas of the nature of true
religion. Some were serious, and a few gave indications of piety,
slight, indeed, but, as afterwards appeared, real. The king, by the
influence of foreign residents, was kept from the full influence of
the truth, prevailed on to absent himself from public worship, and
even led into intoxication, notwithstanding his repeated determina-
tion to reform. He visited England in the autumn of 1823, and
died in the following July. Though in a Christian land, he had
little intercourse with religious people. The men who had so stren-
uously resisted all efforts to enlighten his conscience gained their
end ; he died, in every thing but the name, a heathen.
Mr. Richards addressed himself to his duties at Lahaina with zeal,
from his first arrival. Although he had not acquired the language
so as to converse intelligibly in it, he was able to commence teach-
ing at once, as it was easy, the alphabet once learned, to read
mechanically with perfect accuracy, and he had a number of pupils.
As soon as he was able to preach, he found "the hearing ear," and
had not to wait long for " the understanding heart." In the spring
of 1825, a remarkable spirit of religious concern was manifested.
It began among the women, for whose benefit a female prayer-meet-
ing was instituted with the happiest effect. But soon there were
men so anxious to learn the way of life, that on more than one
occasion Mr. Richards was awaked in the night to answer their
pressing inquiries. Under date of April 19th, he writes: "As I
was walking this evening, I heard the voice of prayer in six differ-
ent houses, in the course of a few rods. I think there are now not
less than fifty houses in Lahaina, where the morning and evening
sacrifice is regularly offered to the true God. The number is con-
stantly increasing, and there is now scarcely an hour in the day
that I am not interrupted in my regular employment, by calls of
persons anxious to know what they may do to be saved." Several
places of worship were erected, and about eight hundred persons
were under instruction in schools in the different parts of the island.
A similar state of things existed at the other stations.
It was impossible that so great a change could take place with-
>ut stirring up a spirit of resistance, and it is a dismal feature of
'olynesian missions, that the most desperate resistance to the pro-
of righteousness has come uniformly from the natives of
442 WILLIAM RICHAKDS.
Christian lands. The leader on this occasion was Captain Buckle,
of the English whale-ship Daniel. An order had been promulgated
by the chiefs, forbidding women to visit ships in the harbour. This
embargo upon licentiousness was more than the seamen would bear.
The crew of the Daniel, to the number of thirty or forty, came on
shore armed, and threatened the lives of the missionaries. It was
found necessary to surround Mr. Richards' house with a guard. The
same outrages were perpetrated at Honolulu, under the lead of
Captain Buckle, by both English and American sailors. The chiefs
however, were firm.
The next year similar assaults on the laws and morals of the
islands were committed at Lahaina. At Honolulu, through the vio-
lence of Lieutenant Percival, of the United States' armed schooner
Dolphin, countenanced by the British and American consuls, the
lives of the missionaries were placed in imminent peril, much prop-
erty was destroyed, and the chiefs were intimidated into a relaxation
of the law. Vice made fearful inroads, and in four months, mis-
chief was done that required long and painful efforts to repair.
Complaint was made to the Secretary of the Navy, and Lieutenant
Percival was made to answer for his conduct before a court of inquiry.
The result of the investigation was never published, a sufficient
proof that he did not succeed in vindicating his conduct.
During the pendency of these violent proceedings the condition
of Mr. and Mrs. Richards was particularly perilous. They were
alone with the natives, and dependant on them for protection. The
masters of American vessels would do nothing in his support, while
Captain Buckle encouraged his men, and offered them arms with
which to enforce their evil designs. Mrs. Richards had been for
several days too ill to leave their house, but she was not moved by
the threats of those who first came to demand the repeal of the laws
against prostitution. "I am feeble," she said, "and have none to
look to for protection but my husband and my Grod. I might hope
that in my helpless situation I should have the compassion of all
who are from a Christian country. But if you are without compas-
sion, or if it can be exercised only in the way you propose, then I
wish you all to understand that I am ready to share the fate of my
husband, and will by no means consent to live upon the terms you
offer." The unlooked-for spirit and firmness of the people, who
appeared to act with the most perfect unanimity, proved for the
time an effectual security.
WILLIAM RICHARDS. 443
From the commencement of their labours the missionaries had
shown singular forbearance towards foreign visitors and residents.
For whatever aid and countenance they received, they publicly
expressed their gratitude ; and when aggrieved by hostility, which
they had done nothing to provoke, beyond what they were bound as
Christians and philanthropists to do for a people whom they came
expressly to save from the degradation of sin, they contented them-
selves with very general and regretful allusions to the subject. But
events like these just related imposed on them the necessity of
appealing to the tribunal of public opinion against the lawless and
brutal men who were so infamously conspicuous in the work of evil.
Mr. Richards transmitted to Boston a full account of Captain Buckle's
conduct, which was published, and found its way into the newspa-
pers. In process of time the printed narrative arrived at Honolulu.
The excitement was of course unbounded. The discovery that the
Sandwich Islands were no longer secluded from the observation of
the world, and that men could not revel in vice without the risk of
exposure at home, was more than the guilty could bear. They
threatened to take the life of Mr. Richards and to destroy Lahaina.
A difficulty with Captain Clark, who had openly defied the laws, and
was, in consequence, detained on shore for some hours, by Hoapili,
the native governor of Lahaina, was also made the subject of com-
plaint by the British consul. The chiefs called a council to hear
complaints against the missionaries. The complainants were re-
quested to reduce their charges to writing, but declined, and on Mr.
Richards being sent for to confront them, hastily retired. The chiefs
passed laws against murder, theft and adultery, to be in force in all
the islands ; Hoapili laid in a quantity of cannon and ammunition
at Lahaina, to be prepared against any future attacks, and this spe-
cies of annoyance ceased. It was reserved for a great nation, the
boasted centre of the world's civilization, to bring its irresistible
power to bear on the weakness of the islanders, that French priests
and French brandy might be forced on a people who loathed the one
and dreaded the other.
Chagrined at the issue of their contest with the chiefs, the foreign
residents relieved their feelings by publishing slanderous accusations
against the missionaries, a custom which has not yet ceased. Every
now and then some voyager touches at Honolulu, hears the old story,
and publishes it to the world. These tales have been refuted as fast
as they have appeared, but the old proverb of "a lie well stuck to/'
444 WILLIAM RICHARDS.
though coarse, is just, and applies with full force to the ever-recur-
ring fictions vented by men who hate the missionaries because their
own evil deeds are rebuked by them.
In 1828 a season of great religious interest was enjoyed, which
continued for two or three years. At the close of 1829 the commu-
nicants numbered one hundred and eighty-five, and one hundred
and twelve were added during the next year. The progress of the
schools was rapid, and in other respects the improvement of the
people was manifest. Undismayed by the past, the government not
only reenacted the penal code, but, notwithstanding the unworthy
threats of the British consul, extended it over the persons of for-
eigners resident within the jurisdiction. This movement was sanc-
tioned by a communication to the king from the President of the
United States, expressing the hope that "kindness and justice will
prevail between your people and those citizens of the United States
who visit your islands, and that the regulations of your government
will be such as to enforce them upon all"
Eeligion and morals, however, must have a firmer support than
the authority of the municipal law. For several years, multitudes
had outwardly conformed to the requirements of Christianity through
the power and influence of the chiefs. Had they gained a sufficient
hold on the people to dispense with such supports ? This was tested,
when, in 1833, the young king threw off the restraints of a regency,
which had subsisted since the death of Rihoriho. He repealed a
part of the criminal code, including' the laws against the sale of
intoxicating liquors, associated with dissolute persons, absented him-
self from worship, and in other ways gave the weight of his authority
and example against religion. For a time there was a marked
relapse. But faithful instruction, with the Divine blessing, proved
stronger than the king, and he himself was checked in some degree
by his conscience, and held back from the worst of his designs. It
was manifest that the vital truths of the gospel had been truly grafted
into many hearts, and were extending their hold on the people. The
process has since gone forward, interrupted only by the interference
of nations too powerful to be resisted by the government, against
laws needed to preserve the body of the people from temptations
they had not acquired the moral strength to resist. The history of
this work, including those revivals that have multiplied converts
by thousands, with all the impulses to social advancement developed
from time to time, is too extended to be recited here, and too well
WILLIAM RICHARDS. 445
known to require repetition. In the religious and educational labours
which were the mainspring of the movement, Mr. Kichards bore
nis full part till the year 1837, when his health and the state of his
family required hirn to visit the United States. Having provided
for the care 'and education of his six children, one of whom died
not long after, he immediately repaired to his post.
But his direct missionary work was over. The king and chiefs
felt the need of a more thorough reform in their government, and
the need of instruction in the principles of political science. They
had requested the Board to send a teacher for this purpose, but it
was aside from the objects of their organization, and was declined.
On Mr. Richards' return, in the spring of 1838, they requested him
to become their chaplain, teacher and interpreter. With the consent
of the Board he accepted the trust, and resigned his appointment
as a missionary, which he had held and discharged with singular
fidelity and success for about sixteen years. And though his past
studies and pursuits may seem, at first view, to have been as foreign
as possible from those of a jurist or a statesman, it must be remem-
bered that an average New-Englander is in possession of enough
political knowledge to instruct the most forward Polynesian chief;
besides, that Americans seem to be endowed with a kind of instinct-
ive faculty for government, or what Mr. Carlyle sneeringly calls
"reverence for a constable's staff," that emboldens them to impro-
vise constitutions and construct durable administrations, with a
facility and success marvellous to more fat-witted people. But Mr.
Kichards did not so far presume on his national birthright, or on the
docility of his royal and noble pupils, as to do his work extempore.
Whatever he attempted, was undertaken with cautious forethought
and the most thorough investigation his circumstances admitted.
His success justified the wisdom of the attempt.
It is pertinent in this connection to allude to the contradictory
complaints that have been freely made against the missionaries to
the Sandwich Islands in respect to their civil relations. Formerly
they were accused of intermeddling with the government, and, as we
have seen, Mr. Kichards was more than once threatened with per-
sonal violence by foreigners who held him responsible for laws at
which they chose to take offence. The accusation was unfounded,
though, if it had been true, there was nothing wrong in counselling
446 WILLIAM RICHARDS.
laws to protect the morals of the people. The persons who were
loudest in their complaints were continually interfering with the
proceedings of the chiefs, and it is not easy to see on what ground
they could reasonably claim a monopoly in the business of giving
advice. Their counsels were surely not more disinterested than those
of the missionaries. Mr. Richards and his colleagues did what they
were bound to do as ministers of religion, and no more. They were
the moral and spiritual guides of the people. When a chief made a
profession of Christianity, he naturally sought advice of the mission-
ary in matters of personal duty. But as a chief he owed duties to
the people under him. Many of the civil and social customs of the
nation, that had grown up in their heathen state, were flagrantly
opposed to Christian principle; and was a minister of Christ to
sanction them through fear of exceeding his province? Faithful-
ness to the souls committed to his charge, whose responsibilities
before God were not to be varied by distinctions of earthly rank,
surely forbade. Beyond this, and the faithful exhibition of scrip-
tural morality, they never went, as missionaries. When more was
asked of them, as was asked of Mr. Richards, the Board, we have
seen, decided that it was incompatible with missionary relations.
Of late, the successful working of a constitutional government
has excited a very different complaint. Some of those who consider
republicanism an essential part of the gospel, or rather, something
so transcendent as to outrank everything else in heaven and earth,
have blamed the mission for not constraining the king and chiefs to
abdicate their hereditary functions, and set up a democratic govern-
ment. Now this was a matter in which they had no concern, as a
mission, and if they had attempted such a revolution the probability
is that it would have put an end to their enterprise. They con-
sidered their spiritual work their most important, their exclusive
work, and were not likely to sacrifice it to gain inferior objects.
The whole duty of man does not consist in voting and being voted
for. It was possible, as has been abundantly proved, to bring the
king and chiefs under such restraints of principle as should lead
them to exercise their power in a spirit of justice and equity, with
a scrupulous regard to the personal rights and happiness of their
subjects, securing to all the utmost liberty of speech and of action
that any well-ordered community enjoys, restraining violence and
corruption, and throwing the safeguards of impartial law around the
most defenceless. The divine law, — supreme love to God and the
WILLIAM RICHARDS. 447
equal love of our neighbour, — and the golden rule of perfect reci-
procity, enforced by the motives of the gospel, and by the sanctions
of conscience enlightened from the Bible, are more powerful than
the best balanced constitution human wit has framed. It is not
claimed that the government of the Sandwich Islands reached a
perfect ideal standard ; the imperfections of human nature in its best
state forbid this, and the state of the Hawaiian people was many
degrees below the best; but most of those who have found fault
with their laws belong to a class whose standard of moral action
would hardly bear comparison with that of the people they despise.
Mr. Richards did not at first hold any political office, but as chap-
lain and interpreter was expected to attend on the king and chiefs,
and as a teacher, to give them information on the general principles
of civil government recognised by civilized and Christian states.
He did not set up for a jurist or political economist. Probably he
was able to do more for his royal and noble pupils than if he had.
He steered clear of technicalities and " binding precedents," of forms
venerable only because they are old, and maxims assented to out of
reverence for great names. He took the moral law as his stand-
point, and to this brought all municipal laws for comparison.
Whether the subsequent introduction of a more artificial system
has been for the best good of the nation may be doubted.
On the regular organization of a responsible government, Mr.
Richards was for a time a member of the cabinet, and was despatched
as an ambassador to England and other foreign courts. These
appointments indicated the high confidence his probity and his dis-
interested devotion to the welfare of the islands had justly inspired,
but he was never formed by nature for a diplomatist, and his suc-
cess was not distinguished. He was a better keeper of the royal
conscience than of the "great seal," more likely to be useful as an
adviser than as a responsible minister, and more at home in the
Hawaiian than in any European court.
In the year 1841, the American Board resigned their common
schools on the islands to the government, which was able to sup-
port them, and very properly regarded them as a national concern.
The oversight of them was committed to Mr. Richards. In Septem-
ber, 1846, this branch of public service was recognised as a distinct
department of administration, at the head of which he was placed,
with the title of Minister of Public Instruction. He continued in
e exercise of his official duties about a year, but his health was
448 WILLIAM RICHARDS.
enfeebled, and it became evident that his career was nearly ended.
He died November 7, 1847, in the fifty-fifth year of his age.
Mr. Kichards was not distinguished by originality of genius or
brilliancy of talent. But he was plentifully endowed with that which
is better than either, — sound judgment. When he had a good
object before him, one that commended itself to his moral judgment,
he could work for it, and work till it was accomplished or was proved
to be impossible. His character was eminently fitted to inspire con-
fidence, true and frank, and always decided. He was "upright and
downright." With his clear-sighted and single-minded integrity
was naturally allied an absolute fearlessness. How important these
qualities are in a missionary, especially among savages, — and such
were the Sandwich Islanders, in spite of the barbarian precocity of
Kamehameha I., — needs only to be stated. Clearly, all depends on
gaining their confidence, if possible their affection. This Mr. Rich-
ards did in an eminent degree. When his life was endangered by
ruffian violence, they were ready to stake their lives for his. In
those critical circumstances, when the garden the missionaries had
enclosed with such pains from the wilderness was in danger of being
broken open and laid waste, had a timid man stood in his place, in
all human probability the spoilers would have consummated their
purpose. Had he not proved himself worthy the most devoted
attachment of the people, they would have abandoned him to the
fury of those who sought his life. And it may be remarked, in
passing, that he was blessed in having a wife whose spirit was as
unconquerable as his own, one who strengthened his hands and con-
firmed him in the right, when feminine weakness might have been
pardoned for yielding to the promptings of fear. The foundations
of his moral strength were strongly laid in the principles of religion.
His piety was robust, because it "grew with his growth." It was
implanted at an early age, before time had been given for the tempt-
ations of youth to confirm evil habits, and to ingrain those dark traits
in the soul which so often prove the canker of Christian enjoyment
through a life-time.*
After all, some may suggest, the object of his mission to the Sand-
* The writer regrets that his efforts to procure the materials for a more vivid per-
sonal portraiture of Mr. Richards were unsuccessful, compelling him to depict his
public, to the exclusion in great part of his personal and domestic life.
WILLIAM KICHAKDS. 449
wich Islands is not likely to be accomplished. The Hawaiian race
is doomed to extinction, the government is a prey for France or
some other power, arid not a vestige will be left of the language, the
literature or the institutions he contributed to form and strove to
establish. It may be so. The progressive decrease of the popula-
tion looks dark for the future of that interesting race. France has
.repeatedly interfered with cowardly force to dictate the legislation
of a community whose weakness should appeal to the magnanimity
of a great nation ; and to compel the admission of that liquid fire
which unrestrained will most surely consume the people. Yet it
may be otherwise. In the agitations of the present time, the great
powers are likely to find something more important to attend to
than the worrying of a handful of poor islanders, whose most hein-
ous offence is hostility to French brandy. With their steady increase
in knowledge and the arts of life, the decay of population may be
arrested. But all such questions leave out of sight the primary pur-
pose of the mission. It was established to gain subjects for a king-
dom not of this world, the kingdom of Him who was despised and
rejected of men. Though not a visible vestige should be left of what
they wrought, God working with them, in the isles of the Pacific,
the souls that have been there raised up from the death of sin to the
life of righteousness are all safe. They have been, or will be, pre-
sented "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding
joy." That from such a mass of savage degradation a Christian
nation like the Hawaiian kingdom should have risen within a quar-
ter of a century, is a great fact. That they should be unable to
recover from the effects of a progressive deterioration, extending
through centuries, is no drawback to the admiration which such a
spectacle justly claims. Least of all is it an objection that they
cannot resist a power like France. But as the heaven is high above
the earth, so the true result of the missionary work rises sublimely
above all material and national distinctions, in the eye of Him before
whose face the heavens and the earth shall flee away ; and the eye
of faith cannot be diverted from the glory that is to be revealed.
29
ARD HOTT.
THE American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, very-
soon after its formation, was called to the subject of missions among
the Indian tribes of North America by a request from the Delawares,
communicated through the Hon. Elias Boudinot at the annual meet-
ing in 1814, that missionaries might be sent among them. On this
memorial the Board voted that in their opinion, '.'independent and
unevangelized Indians, occupying their own lands, whether without
or within the limits stated in the treaty of peace between the United
States and Great Britain, are, with other objects, embraced by the
act of their incorporation." In 1816 Rev. Cyrus Kingsbury visited
the Cherokee country, having received from the Secretary of War
assurances that the United States' government would be at the
expense of erecting school-houses and dwellings for teachers, and
furnishing implements of agriculture and the domestic arts for the
pupils that should be gathered. He was received at a national coun-
cil, attended by General Jackson on the part of the United States;
the plans he proposed were favourably responded to by the chiefs,
and a mission was commenced in the following year. The Moravi-
ans had commenced their labours in 1801, and maintained a school
at Springplace at which forty or fifty persons were taught. The
church contained two Cherokee members, one of whom, Mr. Charles
R. Hicks, was said to be the second in rank and the first in influence
among the chiefs. Operations had also been commenced among the
same people by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church,
at the instance of the Rev. Gideon Blackburn, who undertook the
establishment of schools. One was founded in 1804 and another
in 1807, having about seventy-five pupils. Both had ceased to exist
when Mr. Kingsbury visited the nation, having probably been broken
up by the war of 1812. The Cherokee nation contained in 1810
twelve thousand three hundred and ninety-five Indians, and three
hundred and forty-one whites, — one hundred and thirteen with In-
dian wives. They were making progress in agriculture and domestic
4.52 AKD HOYT.
manufactures, and had within two years organized a regular consti-
tution of government. Their territory, with that of the Choctaws,
originally extended over the northern parts of the states of Georgia,
Alabama, and Mississippi, including, also, parts of North Carolina
and Tennessee. Tracts were ceded from time to time to the United
States ; but a considerable section of country still remained in their
undisputed possession, which they occupied, in the enjoyment of
political independence, and in the exercise of an enterprising spirit
that promised and rapidly achieved an almost unexampled growth
in civilization.*
Mr. Kingsbury commenced his mission in January, 1817. To
promote the physical improvement of the Indians, a farm was pur-
chased, a dwelling-house, school-house, grist-mill, and other necessary
buildings were erected, and Mr. Kingsbury was able to commence
teaching and preaching. He had been joined in March by two mis-
sionaries, Messrs. Hall and Williams, one of whom took charge of the
school and the other of the farm. The station was prospered both
in its secular and its religious interests. In November Mr. Kings-
bury was privileged to report the hopeful conversion of three Chero-
kees, one of whom, a girl of eighteen, was Catharine Brown, the
daughter of half-breed parents, whose name has been long familiar to
persons interested in the progress of Christianity among the abori-
gines of this continent. About this time the mission was reinforced
by the appointment of the Eev. AKD HOYT, who arrived with his
family in the Cherokee country on the last day of the year, and
reached his station at Brainerd, January 3d, 1818.
Of the early life of Mr. Hoyt but little information can be here
given. He was born at Danbury, Connecticut, October 23, 1770.
He was not educated for the ministry, but was drawn from secular
pursuits in the prime of life to devote himself to that service, and
at the time of his engagement as a missionary was settled in the
pastoral office at Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania. The tidings that
reached him of the movement to Christianize the Cherokees warmly
interested himself and his family, and they united in an offer of their
services to the Board. Mr. Hoyt was then forty-six years of age ;
he had a son in the junior class of the College of New Jersey, at
Princeton, and two daughters, all pious, and ready for the enterprise.
Mr. William Chamberlain, a young man studying with a view to
*Tracy's History of the American Board.
ARD HOYT. 453
missionary service, and at that time an inmate of his house, joined in
this proposal, which was accepted. Mr. Hoyt obtained a dismissal from
his congregation, and acted for a short time as an agent of the Board.
He was notified to set out for the Cherokee country in November.
The household were ready. They received the notice on a Saturday,
and the Monday following saw them on their way. There is some-
thing peculiarly pleasant in the contemplation of a united household,
animated by a common attachment to a common cause of philan-
thropy, moving together into the wilderness. The Christian public
followed "Father Hoyt," (as he was styled in the mission journal,
probably to distinguish him from his son, but yet suggestive of the
affection that reigned in their circle,) with more than common inter-
est in his journey southward, so happily accompanied. It was a
spectacle that had both a patriarchal and a Christian aspect, the
characteristics of which were brought into stronger relief by the
frank simplicity that marked all Mr. Hoyt's communications.
Yery soon after his arrival he was gratified by a visible proof of
the productive character of the work in which he had so cordially
embarked. The mission church held its first meeting for the exami-
nation of candidates for admission on the 21st of January. Three
Cherokees, one of them Catharine Brown, already mentioned, were
approved and received. Three days afterward Mr. Hoyt, in com-
pany with Mr. Hall, a colleague at the station, went out to visit
among the people. At night he held a meeting for preaching with
the aid of an interpreter. Several Indians were present, and listened
with seriousness. One woman said she had always believed that
the good would be rewarded, and the bad punished after death, but
had never heard of any way by which the wicked could become
good and happy. She had been so alarmed on account of her sins
that she had fled from her own house to hide in the woods. On the
1st of February two Cherokees were admitted to the church. A
man who was present accepted of an invitation to remain with the
missionaries all night. He said he did not understand what had
been said and done that day, but he had heard that the missionaries
could tell him some way by which bad people could become good
and be made happy after death ; he was himself bad, but wanted to
become good, and had come to learn the way. It must be pleasant
to preach the gospel to those to whom it is indeed good tidings, and
such was the happiness of the labourers among the Cherokees.
Some difficulties were indeed experienced, arising from the agita-
454 ARD HOYT.
tion felt by the people in view of projects to remove them beyond
the Mississippi. The apprehension of such a fate discouraged their
efforts to improve themselves and to educate their children. Parents
who ardently desired for their children the advantages of the mis-
sion-schools withheld them, saying that very likely they would be
driven westward before they could learn enough to do them any
good. The assurances they received that their teachers would
accompany them wherever they went quieted this feeling in a meas-
ure, and a treaty with the United States in 1819, confirming their
possession in perpetuity of the territory they occupied, restored
their confidence. The evil day was only postponed. The people,
trusting in the good faith of our government, made such advances
in all the arts of life as immensely aggravated the sacrifice they were
afterwards compelled to make, from which they have never fully
recovered.*
In the face of all difficulties, and with a force insufficient for the
discharge of all the duties pressing on them, the mission persevered
in their labours of love. Mr. Hoyt, as superintendent of the station,
found himself at length unequal to his burdens, and was laid aside
by a severe sickness for several weeks. It was apparently a pulmo-
nary attack, which weakened him rapidly, and was accompanied by
much acute pain. The mission was largely reinforced within the
succeeding two years. On the 4th of January, 1823, five years
having elapsed since he came with his family to Brainerd, he was
able to look back on displays of providential and gracious benefits
enjoyed by them, which awakened the liveliest gratitude. Thirty-
six adults had been received to church fellowship at two stations,
* The writer is aware that numerous and plausible arguments for the removal of
the Cherokees have been made, by men whose disinterested regard for the welfare of
the aboriginal races entitles their advocacy to great consideration; and that many
others who originally condemned the measure, since it has been irrevocably accom
plished, have arrived at the conclusion that it was necessary and expedient. But it
is a noticeable trait of our people, first to acquiesce in, and finally to approve, what-
ever is enacted, no matter how odious it may have been before it was engrossed on
parchment, or sanctified by the application of sealing-wax. Resignation to the fate
of others, moreover, is always easy. We have no wish to enter into the question
here, but it was impossible to avoid mention of the subject, and equally impossible,
while so doing, to repress our unchanged conviction, that the policy of removal was
unjust and injurious, — injurious to the morals, and doing violence to all those senti-
ments which are essential to the progress of any people, even if there was not pecu-
niary loss; which may be doubted. The act is now irremediable, but that is no
reason for giving it an ex post facto approval.
ARD HOYT. 455
the schools were full, and answered every reasonable expectation,
the scholars were attentive to instruction and susceptible to religious
influences, and several in the congregation, not members of the
church, gave pleasing proof that they were truly pious. The
Moravian, the Baptist, and other missions within the bounds of the
nation, had met with the like success, so that though the field was
large and imperfectly cultivated, there was the fairest promise of a
fruitful harvest.
In the following year a great change took place in the manage-
ment of the mission. The station at Brainerd had been formed and
managed on an extensive scale, to include the cultivation of a farm,
the promotion of mechanical arts and other civilizing processes.
Such a plan required the concentration of a large and somewhat
incongruous missionary force, for whose agreement on the detail of
plans frequent and protracted discussion was sometimes necessary.
Secular cares impeded the more direct aims of the mission, and at
the same time the expense incurred in supporting such an establish-
ment, it was thought, would do more for the good of the people if
more widely diffused among them. The number employed there
was reduced about one-half, the persons detached being appointed
to superintend other stations. Mr. Hoyt was one of these. He was
designated to Willstown. He was not able to enter upon his new
sphere at once, having again been prostrated with weakness, which
intermitted his labours for three months. He removed in the sum-
mer, and on the 10th of October organized a church at Willstown,
composed of nine Christian Cherokees, one of whom, it being a
Presbyterian church, was appointed an elder. The congregation
was serious, and there were encouraging cases of inquiry. A general
increase of interest in religion seemed to follow the dispersion of the
heathen and their nearer contact with the people. More than fifty
converts were, added to the several churches.
Preaching had hitherto been chiefly performed by the aid of an
interpreter, a process that was felt to be a serious hindrance to
effective eloquence. Some educated Cherokees had done what no
others could do so well, and their ministerial labours in aid of the
missionaries had been much valued. But it was still felt to be import-
ant that the Indians should have the Scriptures, and to learn them
English was impracticable, in the lifetime of one generation at least.
While efforts were making to reduce the language to writing, a native
Cherokee anticipated the learned men in their own line, by inventing
456 ARD HOYT.
an alphabet, so simple in its analysis of sounds that no difficulty was
experienced in learning to read in two or three days. It is indeed
a phonetic alphabet, the perfection of which must rank its inventor,
George Guess, among philological geniuses. The year 1825 saw a
printing-press and types in operation, by means of which a transla-
tion of the New-Testament, made from the Greek, by David Brown,
a Cherokee scholar, was given to the people in their new language.
.A newspaper followed, and hymns, and it was evident that a decided
step in advance was at once made by the nation.
Mr. Hoyt was too feeble in health long to perform his accustomed
amount of labour. For several years he had borne the weighty
charge of superintendent of the mission, adding to these cares the
frequent preaching of the word, which had a marked effect on his
auditors. At Willstown this was his chief, and, as his strength
declined, his only employment. He fulfilled the public duties of
the Sabbath, and during the week received at his house all who
sought advice. The number was not small, for the Indians regarded
him as a father and friend. The members of the church more espe-
cially felt a warm attachment to him as their spiritual guide and
counsellor. But it was plain that he could not be long with them.
He saw himself to be nearing the confines of eternity, and his mind
looked forward into the state of untried being, with the steady gaze
of an assured faith. He once said in conversation that "his thoughts
were not much on death, but rather on what is beyond it. The
Christian's progress appeared to him like one continued course ; and
though the step from earth to heaven is greater than any other step,
yet to the faithful it would be easy."
Still he was not looking for a sudden departure. The summons
came "at midnight," but he was ready. On Sunday, the 17th of
February, 1828, he preached for the last time, from the words, "Let
the same mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." The
next day he read in his worship the twelfth chapter of St. Luke,
speaking with animation of the preciousness of the promises. He
retired to rest apparently in his usual health. At half-past ten he
suddenly rose, dressed, and raised a window, exclaiming, "I want
breath !" Unavailing efforts were made to relieve him. His time
had come. Lifting his eyes to heaven with a look of rapture, he
said, "I'm going!" After a pause, he again looked upward, with
a still more triumphant expression, and repeated, "I'm going!" — -
ARD HOYT. 457
then bowed his head with a smile of unalloyed satisfaction, and
"fell asleep."
Mr. Hoyt was an unpretending man, possessed of a good under-
standing, and more than common sagacity and judgment. His temper
was frank and communicative, and with his power of just observa-
tion made him, indirectly as well as directly, of excellent service to
the cause that enlisted his warmest interest. His journals, some-
times minute, always picturesque and vivid, were read with avidity,
and did much to quicken public sympathy for the mission. His
heart was drawn out towards the Indians, not in a poetical or roman-
tic, but in a practical benevolence. He did not live to see the full
confirmation of the faith that prompted effort for their elevation
into a civilized and Christian society, or to view with ineffectual
sorrow the wrongs they suffered. But he aided in casting in the
leaven which has since wrought with such transforming power on the
nation, — in sowing the seed which has since been multiplied in the
reaper's hands, — in originating a movement incapable of arrest, save
by the extinction of the people whom it is bearing onward toward
the farthest goal of human progress. His works do follow him.
CYRUS SHEPARD.
IN the missionary enterprise, as in other evangelical labours,
"there are diversities of operations." Besides the ministry of the
gospel, which is the chief agency honoured by God in the conversion
of the heathen, there is room for the intervention of lay agency,
conducting departments of effective labour auxiliary to the main
process. It is well to bring into remembrance some of those who, in
such spheres of effort, have vied in self-denying toil with any of the
more honoured leaders of Christian enterprise, though less regarded
by those who observe the progress of evangelization. Such a man
was the subject of this brief .notice.
CYRUS SHEPAKD was born at Acton, Massachusetts, August 14,
1798. When he was very young, his parents removed to Phillipston,
where he grew up to manhood. His father was a revolutionary sol-
dier, and died on the morning of Independence-day, 1831. At an
early age the son became deeply engaged in study, and adopted the
profession of a common school-teacher. He was exemplary in his
deportment, and sound in his moral and religious principles, but was
a stranger to experimental religion till he had entered on the twenty-
eighth year of his age. Previous to this time he had been punctual
in attendance on the means of grace, and his profession as a teacher
brought him often under the more immediate personal influence of
clergymen and other religious men. His private journal shows that
he was not without frequent impressions concerning his religious
duty. In January, 1826, these convictions, long postponed, were
urged upon his conscience with a force he had formerly been a
stranger to, at a Methodist meeting, the first he had ever attended.
He was shortly enabled to cherish a good hope of salvation, though
at first with trembling. The course he afterwards led abundantly
proved the genuineness of his conversion. It was not brilliant, but
steady. He was obedient in all things, as the way of duty was made
known to him. He made no attempt to evade "one of these kast
460 CYRUS SHEPARD.
commandments," — a spirit which invariably leads to a breach of the
greater, — but diligently sought to be blameless, and this from no
constraint but that of love.
The duties of a common school-teacher in Massachusetts at that
time demanded less literary preparation than is now exacted by the
advanced state of public opinion, and as supply is generally gradu-
ated by demand, there is no reason to suppose that Mr. Shepard's
acquisitions in this respect would now be considered eminent, but
they were fully up to the standard then required. He was .consci-
entiously diligent in the pursuit of every branch of study he had to
teach, and his skill in imparting instruction made him a valued pre-
ceptor. He had unusual tact, a ready insight into character, and a
faculty of adapting his instructions to the capacity of his pupils.
He was able to gain their esteem and confidence in an unusual
degree ; they not only respected, but learned to love him, — a harder
thing to gain than admiration, and to a generous mind far better.
He loved his work, and he felt a deep and affectionate interest in
his pupils. This led him to cherish a constant feeling of responsi-
bility for the manner in which he discharged his duty. Indeed, his
solicitude on this point was a chief means of fastening in his mind
the conviction that he needed divine help in his employment, and
was a remote occasion of that tenderness of conscience which led to
his conversion and so distinguished his character as a Christian. It
may well be inferred that such a man would not be content to let
slip the opportunities he had of inculcating that heavenly wisdom
which is most needful for the soul. He exerted a constant and val-
uable religious influence, the effect of which was visible to some
extent, but can be fully known only when it shall be revealed at
the last day.
In 1829 Mr. Shepard removed to Lynn, where a new and more
striking development of his character appeared. He was here called
upon to exercise a wider religious activity than he had done, by the
existence of a deep and extensive religious interest in which several
churches participated. He was not licensed as a preacher, nor was
he forward in any labours of a public character; but in little circles
for prayer and religious conference, and more especially by familiar
and faithful conversation with persons in whose welfare he felt inter-
ested, he became the instrument of great good to many, particularly
young men.
But it was chiefly his connection with the Sabbath school that dis-
CYRUS SHEPARD. 461
closed those traits which marked him out as a missionary. A short
time previous to his removal to Lynn, the Sabbath-school had been,
reorganized on an efficient plan. A teachers' class had been formed,
with a good library, containing many standard books of reference.
Mr. Shepard was always punctually present to participate in the
examination of the lesson they were to teach, though his modesty
did not permit him to become specially prominent in the discussions
of the class. But he soon gathered round himself a lesser circle of
teachers, who met regularly to consider the topics of instruction, the
state of their respective classes, their encouragements and their hin-
drances, studying to strengthen their hands by mutual counsel and
supplication. He was a successful teacher; his diligence in prepar-
ation gave him power. His whole heart was in the work. More-
over his opinions, in regard to the expectations of success teachers
may be permitted to form, were in advance of those held by most at
that time, and by too many now. He believed in labouring for the
conversion of children ; that children, who are old enough to sin,
are old enough to repent, and to exercise Christian affections. His
efforts were not vain.
At how early a period his mind was turned to the subject of mis-
sions it is not easy to determine, but it was cherished among his
first and strongest Christian affections. It was the fruit of an earn-
est love of souls, that overstepped all local and accidental distinctions,
and fastened itself on the great facts that equally concern all men,
as the guilty subjects of one moral government, heirs in common of
immortality, and bound to the same judgment-seat. His views were
large ; he looked abroad among the nations, and the evidence that
" the whole world lieth in wickedness " painfully oppressed his spirit.
The conviction eventually fastened on his mind that he was person-
ally called to engage in the work of evangelizing the heathen, but
he did not immediately press forward to offer himself for the service.
He waited for a more decisive providential confirmation of his views.
Meanwhile, he was active in manifesting his interest in the cause
and enlisting others. He always attended the monthly concert of
prayer for the world's conversion, an appointment he greatly loved.
He contributed liberally for the promotion of the object of his
prayers. The teachers' class became a missionary society, each
member collecting the voluntary gifts of his pupils, and, with his
own, paying them over to their common fund. During the first
tree years of its existence the school collected three hundred dol-
462 CYRUS SHEPARD.
lars, which was at first given to the Methodist mission among the
Indians in Canada, and subsequently to the support of a school
among the Oneidas. A translation of the Wesley au Catechism No.
I. was also printed for the use of this school at their expense, and
was dedicated to " the members of the Sabbath-school of the Meth-
odist Episcopal Church at Lynn Common."
Africa was first present to Mr. Shepard's mind as a field of mis-
sionary effort. He did not aspire to the ministry, but pleased himself
with the thought of gathering the young about him, as had been his
wont, and teaching them the elements of divine wisdom. On one
occasion he said to a friend, smiling, "0 brother, I have had a most
delightful dream. Would that I could realize it! I set sail for
Africa with our missionaries, and our noble ship dashed finely on
towards that distant and neglected land, while my heart leaped
within me for joy. I had gathered around me already the sable chil-
dren of the missionary school, teaching them the word of life, when
I was hurried back to know that I have yet to wait for that time.
But it will be" he added with emphasis; "I shall yet labour in a
heathen land. The Lord has called me, and I have laid my plans."
If his plans had definite relation to Africa, they were disap-
pointed. There was work for him to do elsewhere. A letter was
published, to the effect that a company of Flathead Indians, delegated
for that purpose, had come from beyond the Rocky Mountains to
St. Louis, a journey of two thousand miles, to inquire concerning
the Grod of the white man, and to request teachers of His religion
for their people. This report was very much exaggerated, but there
was enough in the unadorned facts to move Christian sympathy.
They came on no such errand, but on their way, or after their arri-
val, heard that the white men had a book sent from God, and called
on the Indian Agent at St. Louis to make inquiry as to the truth of
the story, and to learn something of the contents of the revelation.
The intelligence of this incident, coloured as has been described,
created a great sensation, and Rev. Messrs. Jason and Daniel Lee
were engaged by the Missionary Board of the Methodist Episcopal
Church to commence a mission in Oregon. Mr. Shepard's name
had been mentioned in reference to an appointment as a teacher in
Africa, and one of the missionaries, meeting him in Boston, confer-
red with him on the Oregon mission. He was so much pleased with
Mr. Shepard's appearance and conversation that he recommended
him as a member of their missionary circle, and in accordance with
CYRUS SHEPARD. 463
this suggestion the appointment was made. His journal, under date
of December 5th, 1833, records his decision :
"This day brothers Lindsey and Lee came to see me in reference
to my engaging in the Flathead Indian mission. After some con-
versation I agreed to go. It may seem to some that I was precipitate
in making up my mind on this important subject; but it is all known
to myself and my God. For more than seven years my mind has
been exercised on the subject of missions ; and a conviction has been
fixed for years, that duty would ultimately require that I should
give up the comforts of civilized life, and spend my remaining days
in a heathen land, far away from those social endearments which
render earth, in a measure, a paradise to the true Christian. I have
endeavoured to count the cost, and after a careful, and, I think, thor-
ough examination of the privations, difficulties and dangers attend-
ant on a missionary life, even the probabilities of death itself not
excepted, I can say that, by the assistance of divine grace, ' none of
these things move me, neither count I my life dear to me,' so that I
may do the will of my Heavenly Father, and fulfil his work." And
to a friend he wrote, recounting his long-cherished impressions of
duty: "My prayer has been that God would open the way, in his
providence, and that I might be directed in the path of duty. At
times my soul has been on the stretch for the work, and it seemed
as if I could wait no longer: the way at other times has been closed
up in an unexpected manner. Sometimes I have been almost ready
to despair of ever entering into the work which lay so near my
heart, and then again my expectations have revived with increased
vigour. At length the Lord has, I trust, in his own time and man-
ner, opened the way before me, and thus far has smiled upon my
every effort which has been made in reference to the mission. In
him is my trust: I feel I can lay all at his feet, — resign my friends
and every dear privilege enjoyed here in my native land, and go at
his command, trusting in his righteous providence and grace to carry
me through a long and wearisome journey in the wilderness, and to
give success to our enterprise in the place of our destination."
The cheerfulness with which he set out on his errand of benevo-
lence was the effect of anything but insensibility to the sacrifices
he made. Oregon was not then, as now, the resort of enterprising
emigrants. It was fitly employed by our country's greatest poet as
464 CYRUS SHEPARD.
the image of utter solitude.* The Indians peopling the further
slope of the Kocky Mountains, in point of degradation, might vie
with almost any heathen brought within the notice and range of
Christian charity. Mr. Shepard was a man of warm and constant
attachments, both local and personal. The places where his child-
hood and youth had been passed were associated with his purest
recollections; the friends of his youth and manhood he cherished
with a warmth of affection that knew no abatement from time or
distance. To part from his venerable surviving parent, from the
large circle of friendship he had formed in his employment as a
teacher, and, above all, from the Sunday-school that had so long
engaged his efforts and prayers, cost him a degree of pain not easily
to be conceived by minds less delicately attuned to the softest
breathings of human and Christian sympathy. More than once
he found his utterance fail him when he would say farewell, — the
silent tear and warm grasp of the hand expressed what his lips
refused to speak.
Mr. Shepard started for Oregon on the 4th of March, 1834. He
met one of his associates, Kev. Jason Lee, at Cincinnati, and Kev.
Daniel Lee at St. Louis. Here these two remained to make further
arrangements for their journey overland, and to overtake Mr. Shep-
ard at Independence. A company, under command of Captain
Wyeth, was under march for the Columbia Kiver, and the mission
family, consisting of the Messrs. Lee, Mr. Shepard, Mr. Edwards, a
layman from Kichmond, Mo., and Mr. "Walker, who was engaged for
one year to aid in the establishment of the mission, travelled in his
train. Their route, though now rendered familiar to the public, as
a high road of emigration to the Pacific coast, has lost none of its
romance and little of its difficulty. From Independence they pro-
ceeded to the waters of the Kanzas, thence nearly two hundred and
fifty miles to the Platte Kiver, and after journeying along the valley
of the Platte for twenty-one days they struck the Sweetwater, by
whose deep and narrow channel they were guided through the range
of the Kocky Mountains, and descended towards the western ocean.
They reached Haine's Fork, a branch of the Colorado, on the 19th
of June, and rested for twelve days. From this point they trav-
elled along the western slope of the mountains to the valley of the
* Or lose thyself in the continuous woods,
Where rolls the Oregon, and hears no sound
Save his own dashings. — BRYANT, Thanatopsis.
CYRUS SHEPARD. 465
Columbia, and on the 15th of September arrived at Fort Vancou-
ver, the principal establishment of the Hudson's Bay Company,
having travelled one hundred and five days, and rested in camp
thirtv-five days, since their departure from St. Louis.
The original destination of the missionaries, as we have seen, was
to labour among the Flathead Indians. But the tribe was much
smaller than had been supposed, their continual wars with neigh-
bouring tribes having rapidly thinned their numbers, and at the
same time made a residence among them proportionally insecure.
Moreover, their remoteness from every point of communication with
civilized men, involving the necessity of transporting all supplies
for the mission several hundred miles, and the hazard of frequent
destitution, appeared a sufficient reason for deviating from their
original intention. By settling in the valley of the Willamette, they
avoided these inconveniences, and, what was of more importance,
had access to a larger number of Indians. For these reasons the
company selected a station in that valley, leaving Mr. Shepard at
Fort Vancouver to await their preparations for active service. Here
he remained till the spring of 1835.
His residence at Fort Vancouver was anything but a period of
idleness. There was no regular preaching there. The chief factor,
Dr. McLaughlin, being a Koman Catholic, there was a chapel for
occasional worship according to that ritual within the enclosure.
The service of the Church of England was read on Sundays by the
second officer in command. "During Mr. Shepard's wearisome jour-
ney he had contrasted their secluded occasions of social prayer with
the full measure of Christian privileges he gave up at Lynn, but in
the solitude of the fort, with the destitution of congenial society,
his mind reverted sadly to the Sabbaths he enjoyed in camp on the
Kanzas, the Platte and the Columbia. But he gave way to no mur-
murs or repinings. Girding himself with strength in the exercise
of secret devotion, he found occupation for his active powers in
teaching a school of about thirty children, French and Indian half-
breeds. By a singular providence he had also under his charge
three Japanese youth. They had been wrecked, on the coast, and
held in slavery by the Indians, from which they were ransomed by
Dr. McLaughlin. They found means to disclose their situation by
sending to the Fort a drawing on China paper of a junk on the rocks
plundered by Indians, with three persons in captivity. Inquiries
30
466 CYRUS SHEPARD.
were made, the place of their detention was discovered, and they
were brought to the fort.*
No better preparation for his future employment could have been
enjoyed by Mr. Shepard, than these engagements afforded. The
character of his pupils, so different from any he had before taught,
called into exercise much of that patience and sympathy, that tact
and discrimination, so much needed in communicating instruction
to savages. It was an intermediate sphere, by pausing in which for
a time, the abruptness of a descent from a New-England school-room
to his intended labours on the Willamette was sensibly diminished.
The value of this to a mind so sensitive as his is not easily esti-
mated. In a letter to a friend, after recounting some of his trials
in the journey and after his arrival, he says: "When I reflect upon
the sufferings of our Lord in the days of his flesh, to save rebel-
lious man, not having where to lay his head, I blush to think that /
have endured either privation or suffering. I wish to spend the
remainder of my days in doing good, according to the grace of God
given to me. I am as willing my body should lie with that of the red
man in this region, when the spirit shall have returned to God who
gave it, as that it should sleep with kindred dust. The miserable
condition of these poor Indians deeply impresses my heart; and
can I but be instrumental in ameliorating their condition in any
degree, my life shall be cheerfully spent, and my tenement of clay
worn down in their service. I thank God that I have been permit-
ted to come thus far, with a desire for their salvation. I bless him
for having caused me to feel the burden of their souls. It is my
earnest prayer, that my small spark of missionary zeal may be kin-
dled to a flame by the Holy Ghost, and henceforth stimulate me to
more vigorous exertions to save souls."
It ought not to be omitted that by his residence at Fort Vancou-
ver, he did the mission an essential service in attracting to himself
the esteem of the officers of the Hudson's Bay Company. They
appreciated the excellence of his character, and were conciliated
to the object of his pursuit. From their influence over the
Indians, it was in their power, and they showed themselves dis-
posed, to promote the purposes of the mission in various ways.
So that besides the direct influence for good he was able to exert
* The Hudson's Bay Company sent them to England, whence they took passage
lor China, there to await some means of transportation to their native country.
CYKUS SHEPARD. 4.67
during his sojourn there, he had evidence that he was indirectly
advancing his main errand.
While thus occupied, his associates had selected an eligible sta-
tion in the Willamette Yalley, and with much toil had erected a rude
log house for their dwelling and school. Their planks and boards
were riven from logs, the doors swung on wooden hinges, their
window-sashes were whittled out, and their furniture was the work
of their own hands, constructed from the same unpromising mate-
rials. Rude and unsightly as it was, the purposes for which it was
framed gave to the structure a higher beauty than belongs to any
architectural expression, and the spirit in which its occupants toiled,
made its scanty accommodations more satisfying than the most lux-
urious splendours.
Mr. Shepard joined them in the spring of 1835, and addressed
himself to his task. For the first two or three years, much attention
was necessarily given to clearing the land and other secular cares;
but he gathered a school, beginning with five children, which in
two years increased to more than thirty. Some adults also attended
more or less regularly on the Sabbath-school. Several new mis-
sionaries* arrived in 1837, and two new stations were founded.
Efforts were made, with partial success, to induce the Indians to
engage in agriculture and improve their habits of living. But, in
1839, things assumed a more cheering aspect in regard to spiritual
progress. An old Indian doctor came to a gradual perception of
the truths of Christianity, and a great change was wrought in his
character, giving proof that he was made wise to salvation. The
work spread. Inquirers were multiplied, insomuch that all other
labours were interrupted to give needful attention to them, and the
work did not cease till the hopeful converts were numbered by
hundreds, scattered over a large extent of country.
Mr. Shepard was naturally much interested in this success, but
his chief labours were in the school, which claimed from him a
degree and kind of attention that would have been a task to one
less humble and devoted to the good of his pupils. They were a
poor, degraded set of creatures, of coarse features, some of them
wilfully deformed according to the savage customs of the people,
or through disease. Their manners were as coarse as their faces,
* To one of these, Miss Susan Downing, a former acquaintance of Mr. Shepard
in Lynn, he was married, about two months after her arrival.
468 CYRUS SHEPARD.
they were slow to learn, and generally the reverse of interesting.
But if they had been as lovely as the fairest inmates of a New Eng-
land school, they could not have more attracted the earnest sym-
pathy and care of their teacher. Besides their lessons, they had to
be clothed by the mission family, and, indeed, every thing pertain-
ing to personal neatness, and the whole care of their health, their
labours and their recreations, fell upon their benevolent guardians.
Some were Flatheads, their skulls compressed in infancy till they
retreated rapidly to a narrow point, their features distorted, their
whole appearance repulsive; yet Mr. Shepard overcame the feeling.
"We love them very much," he wrote to a former pupil, "and they
love us. Those of them who are full-blooded Indians have very
flat heads. They would appear very strange to you; but we have
become so accustomed to the sight that we do not mind it so much."
For the first two or three years the missionaries endured many
hardships, but they never grudged the care of these poor children.
Their coarse fare and scanty accommodations were shared freely,
and with a cheerful warmth of affection which won the hearts of all.
But the main care was for their spiritual interests, and in this-
respect Mr. Shepard found an ample reward. The first indication
that his instructions were taking root, appeared at the close of the
year 1837, when an unusual interest in personal religion was shown
by several of the children, and six shortly made a good profession
of their faith. Others followed, and the humble school-room was
vocal with prayer and praise. The happiness experienced by those
self-denying labourers, and especially by him to whom the school
was more immediately committed, cannot be described. That which
causes "joy in the presence of the angels," transcends the force of
human language.
To do entire justice to Mr. Shepard's labours and sacrifices, it
should be stated that he struggled continually against bodily weak-
ness. He was much afflicted through life with scrofula, inducing a
general weakness that was naturally accompanied at times by a
morbid despondency. But he had none of the disposition cher-
ished by many Christians, to make his discharge of duty condi-
tioned on the agreeableness of his feelings. It was no part of his
religion to do good merely when it was altogether pleasant and easy
to do it. If it had been, he would never have set foot in Oregon
as a missionary. There were times on his long journey between
the Mississippi and Columbia, when languor and pain depressed his
ti
-
CYRUS SHEPAED. 469
spirit, but though weary and sometimes lonely, he had too long
walked by faith to suffer these things to move him from his stead-
fastness. In 1838, his disease attacked his right knee. His suffer-
ings were acute, and the remedies used were as painful as the dis-
ease, but so long as he could keep from his bed, he was at his post
in the school-room, forgetting himself in his interest for the youth
gathered round him. In the fall of 1839, he was so far prostrated
that he was compelled to give over his work. Still, when he could
o nothing else, he sat bolstered up in bed, and busied his hands in
making caps for the boys. All remedies failing to give relief,
amputation was resorted to. The operation was painful, and the
more difficult to be supported from the shattered state of his gen-
eral system, but he never murmured; patience sealed his lips,
except as they were parted now and then to exclaim, " God is good!"
He lay helpless, but ever ready to utter sentiments of gratitude and
praise, till the morning of New-Year's-day, 1840, when he resigned
his spirit to Him whose he was, and whom he had so faithfully served.
Mr. Shepard, it must not be supposed, attained to the excellence
which his maturer years disclosed, without much exertion and
severe self-discipline. No one ever does. A sensitive mind united
to a frail body, he was quickly susceptible to crosses and disappoint-
ments, and was sometimes prone to hasty words, but he watched
and restrained his constitutional faults — never indulged or palliated
them. His Christian course was a warfare, but it had the promise
of victory, which he lived to win through grace. He was thor-
oughly simple, guileless, transparent, winning confidence by the
plain sincerity always noticeable in his demeanour. His humility
was deep and unaffected, and his faith, in a consciousness of his
own weakness, took the firmer hold on that strength which is made
perfect in weakness. Through faith and patience he inherited the
promises, and he rested on them and felt able to plead them with
assured confidence. Hence, whatever personal trials hedged up his
path at times, he never doubted as to the success of his labours, for
he attempted them in concert with a Power that is irresistible,
prompted by Love all-pervading as the divine essence.
His faith was that which "worketh by love." It was as far as
possible removed from indolent expectation. That Grod wrought
in him, he was well persuaded, and therefore he worked with his
might. What his hand found to do, he did, and he found a great
470 CYRUS S II E P A R I) .
reward. This is the lesson of his life, — that without eminent gifts
or great advantages, — with nothing more of natural or acquired
ability than thousands possess, who are contented to live after the
most commonplace standard admitted by society,' — it is possible to
be eminently useful to the church and the world, to contribute to
the redemption of man, to the happiness of heaven, and to the
glory of the Lord.
AJLBrbdne, sc
WILLIAM HEPBURN HEWITSON.
WILLIAM HEPBURN HEWITSON, a principal actor in a movement
which has been called "the greatest fact in modern missions," — a
distinction, the exact justice of which we will not moot, though a
great fact it undoubtedly is — was born at Culroy, in the parish of
May bole, in Ayrshire, Scotland, September 16, 1812. His physical
constitution was delicate, but that fragile tenement lodged a most
aspiring soul. When a little boy, he used to say that he would be
either a minister or a king. Of royalty he had no distinct notions,
but his early religious education made him more familiar with the
ministerial function, at least in its outward forms, and with the
language of scriptural piety,
Such as grave livers do in Scotland use.
A chair for a pulpit and his sisters for an audience, one of them
acting the precentor, supplied him with the needed apparatus for
experimenting on his alternative object of ambition, and he exulted
in being able to move his little congregation to tears by the energy of
his declamation. After five or six years in England, his father was
appointed in 1825 parochial teacher of Dalmellington, and he returned
to his native Ayrshire. He was a prodigious reader in a desultory
way, but he now gave himself to a more systematic course of study,
in which he made remarkable progress. He went his own way to
work, and made his own way. He gained by solitary and unaided
exertion an unusual mastery of Greek and Latin, pored into Hebrew
and French, and into ancient and modern history.
Feeble health, doubtless aggravated by intense application, pre-
vented him from entering at once on the career he ardently expected,
but in 1833 he entered the university of Edinburgh. The competi-
tion was eager, the combatants for academic honours were the flower
of the principal Edinburgh schools, but at the close of his second
session "the self-taught country lad" distanced all, and bore off the
472 TT. II. HEWITSON.
palm both in the classics and in logic. In both, his attainments were
not only brilliant, but thorough. He was not content to translate,
decline and conjugate the classic authors, but, going beyond verbal
analysis and textual subtleties, he read and digested them. He both
acquired the art and the capacity of reasoning, and showed a force
and fruitfulness of thought that exceeded the expectations of his
best friends. This was abundantly shown after completing, in 1837,
his university course in the arts, by an essay "on the Nature, Causes
and Effects of National Character," a theme proposed for a university
prize. It received the offered award, and Professor Wilson solicited
its publication. A little while before, so flattering a request would
have been complied with at once, but a change had already come
over the student's mind. He was roused from his dreams of fame
by remorse for the Godless, soul-destroying selfishness of his ambi-
tion. He had looked forward through all his course to the Christian
ministry; he felt that he was without the needful preparation of
spirit; nay, that in his insane pursuit of applause, — for such it now
appeared — he had done himself all but fatal injury. Thenceforth
he essayed to enter on a new course, to deny himself and his worldly
desires, and to give himself in all humility to his sacred calling.
In November, 1838, he entered the Divinity Hall of Edinburgh,
then presided over by Dr. Chalmers. With seriousness and gravity,
subduing but not suppressing his scholarly enthusiasm, he gave all
diligence to master the heights of theological and biblical lore.
But with all his earnestness he was yet a stranger to the simplicity
of the gospel, and it was not till the lapse of about two years, and
after severe wrestlings with unbelieving self-righteousness, that he
found the peace and rest of genuine faith. The change was great.
He had been known as a profound scholar, a sober and strict student
in divinity, exemplary in his behaviour, and giving promise of unu-
sual power and brilliancy. He was now, beside and above these, a
devoted servant of Christ, desiring to follow his Lord in all things,
counting it most blessed ato have an ear deaf to the world's music,
but all awake to Him who is ' the chief among ten thousand, and alto-
gether lovely.'" The distinctions he had sought with such ardour,
and which, he believed, were a snare to his soul, he renounced, and
even sold his university medal, — an act which may have been wise,
but we must think was by no means a self-evident duty.
His severe and protracted studies had effected his body as well as
his soul. Indeed, he was imprudent to the last degree, and in the
W. H. HEWITSON. 473
spring of 1841 found it necessary to seek relaxation by going into
Fifeshire as a private tutor. While here, he was laid low by a fever,
soon after recovering from which, symptoms of incipient pulmonary
disease warned him that his hold on life could only be retained by
the utmost care. The now sainted McCheyne had long desired him
as a colleague in the pastoral office, and he desired no better station ;
but it was not so to be. He was licensed in the spring of 1842, and
in June went to Bonn, in Germany, as the invited companion of a
peer who proposed a temporary residence there. An inflammatory
attack brought him to the verge of the grave, and in September he
retraced his steps homeward. Here he remained till the autumn
of 1844, in a state of strict seclusion, unable, in the opinion of his
physicians, to preach with safety, but inwardly strengthening him-
self for what awaited him.* His letters show that he drank deeply
of the wells of salvation, entered more intimately than ever into
the spirit of his blessed Master, and was ripening for most effective
service, should he be permitted to serve in the church, and for the
most exquisite enjoyments of Paradise, should he be soon removed
thither. He was ordained, November 6, 1844, by the (Free Church)
Presbytery of Edinburgh, and appointed as a missionary to the Por-
tuguese of Madeira, a hazardous service, but one from which he was
not the man to shrink. His destination having been incautiously
announced in a newspaper, he thought it best to go first to Lisbon,
where he arrived early in December. With an ease that attests the
native vigour and thorough training of his mind, he mastered the
Portuguese language in about two months, and in February set sail
for Madeira.
This island, from its salubrity much resorted to by invalids, con-
tains a population of one hundred and twelve thousand, of a race
apparently mixed of Portuguese and Moors, — more athletic and
comely than the Portuguese, but ignorant, and, until lately, held
contentedly by a superstition that exerted a stronger repressive force
on the intellect and conscience than on the passions. This, which
is true of Romanism every where, was especially true in Madeira.
* In this process we do not include his millenarian speculations, which he enthusi-
astically prosecuted. Without affirming that such a result is necessary — for it did
not appear in his case or that of Henry Fox — it is certain that in many minds such
opinions cut the sinews of missionary effort, and exert anything but a favourable
influence on Christian character.
474 W. H. HEWITSON.
From the number of foreign residents, an Episcopal and a Presby-
terian Church existed at Funchal, but nothing was done for the
natives till about 1838, when Dr. Kalley, a pious English physician,
commenced distributing the Bible and holding meetings for religious
conference in his house. In 1840 the interest of the people in the
Scriptures had so much increased that many adults went to school
that they might learn to read the Bible. Soon the meetings had
to be held in the open air. For several months in 1842, from one
thousand to three thousand assembled, and once they were reckon d
at five thousand. The great truths of redemption, of peace in
believing and the hope of glory, became in some places topics of
common conversation in the fields and highways.
The ecclesiastical authorities now bestirred themselves. A pas-
toral was issued, describing the Bible as "a book from hell," and
threatening with excommunication all who should read it. An order
was promulgated suppressing the schools, a number of which Dr. Kal-
ley had instituted, that the people might read the Scriptures for them-
selves. Two persons only had openly renounced popery, and received
the communion at the Presbyterian church. They were excommu-
nicated. Dr. Kalley was forbidden to speak on religious subjects,
The order was illegal, contrary to the charter of Portugal, and he
paid no attention to it. Then the people were forbidden to hear him,
and many poor persons were imprisoned or beaten for so doing. A
wealthy gentleman at once broke the order, to test its legality. He
was prosecuted, and the court decided that no person could be hin-
dered from entering another's house with the owner's consent. Dr.
Kalley was prosecuted, but discharged, no illegal act having been
proved against him. The magistrate having left the island, another
functionary arbitrarily reversed the sentence, and he was imprisoned
six months.
In the summer of 1844, as if to make their baseness conspicuous
in the eyes of the whole world, Mrs. Maria Joachina Alves was torn
from a family of seven children to answer a charge of apostasy,
heresy and blasphemy. The test of guilt was simple. She was asked
if she believed "the consecrated host to be the real body and real
blood and the human soul and divinity of Jesus Christ," and assured
that her life depended on the answer. Pausing a moment, she calmly
replied, "I do not believe it." Sentence of DEATH was immediately
passed. The sentence was set aside on account of a technical inform-
ality in the wording of it ; but the court at Lisbon, in communicating
W. H. HEWITSON. 475
tlieir decision, distinctly stated that but for this error of the judge
the punishment would have been certainly executed, — an avowal
of their readiness to shed blood at the dictation of the priesthood,
which is commended to the consideration of those who affirm that
popery has changed with the lapse of time.*
The public papers denounced Dr. Kalley in the most intemperate
manner, even recommending his assassination; it was observed that
the cudgel would be a forcible argument with the country people,
and a repetition of St. Bartholomew's day or the Sicilian Vespers
was hinted at. The authorities took no notice of these threats, and
thus emboldened their authors to perpetrate the worst outrages.
Persons were stoned and cruelly beaten, houses were burned, fami-
lies were refused places of burial except in the highway, and bodies
deposited there were taken up and burned by direction of the police.
In one parish fifty soldiers were quartered, and suffered to go all
lengths in plunder and violence. Twenty -two men and women were
transported to Funchal, and there confined in prison without any
allowance of food. Their sufferings were great, but, like the ''pris-
oners of the Lord" in Philippi, they "prayed and sang praises" in
the midst of their enemies. This was not to be endured, and they
were silenced. Mass, which had never been said for the benefit of
other prisoners, was now observed with carefulness, and these per-
sons were dragged to chapel, and forced upon their knees before the
host. For refusing to perform idolatrous rites, some were thrust into
a filthy dungeon. After an imprisonment of twenty months, they
were tried and acquitted, but not discharged till they paid jail fees
for their inhuman and illegal detention. The narrative of Dr. Kal-
ley is a recital of cruelty and baseness, perpetrated in the name of
religion, to which it is not easy to find a parallel.
The Portuguese government, in clear violation of the charter, took
sides with the persecutors. Dr. Kalley was warned by Lord Aber
deen that he would not be supported by the British government,' — •
a determination not very honourable to his lordship and his col-
leagues; for surely as long as a British subject did not transgress
the laws of Portugal, he had a claim to protection against imprison-
ment and violence. In these circumstances, the opportune arrival
of Mr. Hewitson enabled him to resign the work into the hands of
* Especially when taken in connection with avowals of Archbishop Hughes, of O.
A. Brownson, and leading Romanists in France.
476 W. H. HEWITSON.
one having every qualification for its successful prosecution, and
who was prepared to brave any extremity of danger for Christ's
sake. The peril was indeed extreme, the enemy was thoroughly
aroused, but he had the true spirit of John Knox. He feared not
the face of clay.
At the period of Mr. Hewitson's arrival only twenty-two persons
had renounced popery, but a large number were earnestly searching
the Scriptures and seeking the way of life. He commenced holding
conferences in a private apartment. Small numbers only were
encouraged to come at once, lest an alarm should be prematurely
raised. The converts desired to receive the Lord's Supper, which
was first administered in March, 1845, with great secresy, to thirty-
four persons. The priests detected his proceedings, and became
vigilant. The meetings were discontinued, and instead of them the
people were invited to come by two's and three's. Their thirst for
instruction was affecting, and persons would often anxiously inquire
when their turn would come. It was a most laborious method, try-
ing to the patience and exhausting to both body and mind ; but,
though physically weak, Mr. Hevvitson gave himself to his tasks with
all his heart. The number of communicants soon increased to sixty.
In May the police watched his house so strictly that he was compel-
led to suspend most of his labours for a time. The cloud grew
darker. The Bishop of Madeira avowed a determination to seize
all the Bibles on the island. Several persons were examined by
the magistrates as to his teachings, but enough was not extracted
from them to afford plausible grounds for prosecution, and in Jane
the meetings were resumed, with great caution. Five converts were
imprisoned, however, and notice was given that all persons who
should not appear at church and confession would be proceeded
against.
In August he was formally served with a process prohibiting him
from holding religious meetings. He complied for a short time, and
meanwhile wrote to- the Colonial Committee of the Free Church for
advice. Should the work, which the Lord had so abundantly pros-
pered, be now suspended? "I may have been violating Portuguese
laws," he writes, "but I have been obeying the law of Christ, whose
sole supremacy over the church in Portugal, as well as in Scotland,
and whose prerogatives as King of kings, no human legislature or
court of justice is competent to set aside. The only commission
which the minister of the gospel absolutely requires, is that which
W. H. HEWITSON. 477
bears the seal of Jesus : c All power is given unto me in heaven and
in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations.' Who, in heaven
or in earth, can nullify this commission?". . . "Such considerations
arise in my mind in connection with my present circumstances ; but
I don't yet see clearly what course should be adopted as the most
scriptural. To continue my labours, in any degree, much longer,
will inevitably subject me to the threatened prosecution. Yet I
cannot see it to be my duty, on this account, to abandon them alto-
gether. When the risk of being apprehended is more imminent, I
might flee from the island, but I am not certain that such a step
would be consistent with entire faithfulness to Christ."
He resumed his meetings under cover of night. What his ene-
mies might have done at this crisis is uncertain, but he was seized
with a dangerous illness, which confined him for five weeks, and left
him much weakened for a considerable time. On his recovery, per-
ceiving that dangers thickened round his head, he changed his resi-
dence, and at the same time adopted a new expedient. The good
work, he found, was making a silent progress by the agency of little
meetings, where two or three gathered together for reading the
Scriptures and for edifying conversation. He now gathered a class
of sixteen promising young men, whom he carefully instructed, that
they might be qualified to serve as catechists; so that in case he
was driven from the island, the word of God might not be bound or
the progress of truth seriously hindered. Bat he could not be kept
back from more direct efforts, and preached every week, shifting
his assemblies from place to place, to elude observation. All effort
was, however, vain. The bishop urged the magistrates to action,
perseverance would only precipitate the blow, and he finally decided
to leave the island, hoping that his absence for a few months might
in some measure restore quiet. He accordingly announced his pur-
pose, and remained only long enough to take his class of catechists
through the course of study originally proposed, and in May, 1846.
he returned to Scotland.
The dreaded persecution soon came with unrestrained fury. On
Sunday morning, August 2d, as thirty or forty of the converts
were assembled at the dwelling of an English family to hear a pas-
toral letter from Mr. Hewitson, a mob, instigated by one of the
canons of the cathedral, besieged the house till midnight. By this
time money and liquor had wrought them up to the desired pitch
of excitement, and they began breaking the windows and beating at
478 W. H. HEWITSON.
the door. On being warned of the illegal character of their pro-
ceedings, they shouted, "There are no laws for Calvinists!" and
resumed the attack. The doors were forced and the rabble entered.
The police had remained inactive for hours, and came at last, doubt-
less expecting that the murderous enterprise was accomplished. But
the intended victims had only just been discovered, and one of them
knocked down with a bludgeon. Two of the mob were carried to
prison, and the inmates of the house were left in security.
A week later Dr. Kalley overheard the soldiers who had been set
to guard his house, with some men in masks, concerting his murder
on the morrow. No time was to be lost. Disguising himself as a
peasant, he concealed himself in the house of a friend. Mrs. Kalley,
on her way to the same shelter the next morning, heard their fate
openly talked about in the street. "Those who are in that house,"
said one to another, "will need, to-day, to be sure of salvation."
About noon, at the conclusion of services in honour of "Our Lady
of the Mount," a rocket was fired as a signal for the attack. A
dense crowd surrounded the house, burst the door, and rushed in.
Enraged at not finding their victims, they committed the doctor's
library to the flames, and went away in search for him. Meanwhile,
Dr. Kalley, in female attire and concealed in a hammock, was borne
to the pier. There was just time to get into a boat when the ruffians
arrived at the spot. The boat was speedily alongside the steamer.
Dr. Kalley was safely on board, confronting the immense multitude
that thirsted for his blood.
Then the storm which had been so long gathering burst on the
devoted heads of the "Calvinists." They fled to the mountains,
where they were remorselessly hunted by the hounds of holy church.
One was murdered, others received injuries believed to be mortal,
numbers were beaten sorely to compel them to confess. In despair
of justice or compassion from the government, they decided to emi-
grate. During Mr. Hewitson's labours, he had written to the Colonial
Committee: "I believe — I know it for a fact — that there are some
here who read the Bible in secret and look to Christ alone for salva-
tion, without having boldness enough in the Lord to confess him
openly. Elijah was the only public witness for God in Israel, yet
God had in Israel seven thousand hidden worshippers." But even
he could hardly have suspected the number of these unrevealed dis-
ciples in Madeira. One company after another, despoiled of their
goods and driven from their habitations, took refuge on ship-board,
W. H. HEWITSON. 479
till about EIGHT HUNDRED exiles for Christ's sake were conveyed
to Trinidad and other West-India islands. Truly, a mighty cloud
of witnesses, to give testimony to the power of truth undefiledl
The word of the Lord had proved, in more than one sense, "as a
fire;" — it had swept, during two years, like fire in a prairie. It was
evidently fire from heaven, kindling the flame of holiness, and
making more than ever visible the deformities of that superstition
that with "darkness dared affront its light."
Mr. Hewitson arrived at home about the end of June. Longing
after his brethren in Madeira, his joy and crown, and greatly desir-
ing shortly to be once more with them, though at the hazard of
life, the news of their exile greatly afflicted him. It was proposed
that he should follow them to Trinidad, a suggestion he gladly
adopted, but it was needful that immediate provision should be made
for their oversight. Senhor Arsenio da Silva, a gentleman who
had been an elder of the church at Madeira, but was compelled to
leave before the general dispersion, and was now at Lisbon, was
ordained for this work. Mr. Hewitson continued in Scotland till
January, 1847, when he set sail for Trinidad. He touched at
Madeira, where he found that the good seed was not extirpated. He
was conveyed in a palanquin, shrouded from unfriendly eyes, to the
house of an acquaintance, and there enjoyed some hours of conver-
sation with Christian brethren and inquirers. Thus refreshed in
spirit, he went on his way, and reached Port of Spain, Trinidad, on
the 28th. He found in the neighbourhood three hundred of the
converts, and one hundred and fifty in other parts of the island,
exclusive of some who found refuge in other islands. The number in
Trinidad subsequently rose to seven hundred. It is needless to say
that he met a hearty welcome. He found that the pressure of per-
secution being removed, there was somewhat less of fervent piety
among his flock ; they were no longer driven to walk with God as a
refuge from the fear of man; but nothing was apparent that justified
doubt as to the sincerity of their profession, or the vitality of their
faith. In the absence of pastoral supervision — for Mr. Da Silva had
not arrived as soon as was expected — some divisions had arisen, a
few had become Baptists, other questions agitated them, and caused
a measure of unhappiness which it was his first endeavour to soothe.
He was diligent in his calling, preached to the Portuguese of the
island, as well as to the exiled Madeirenses, and also visited other
-180 W. II. HEWITSON.
islands. His abundant labours, in a tropical climate, enfeebled his
frame, and his stay there was brief. On Mr. Da Silva's arrival, he
resigned to him his beloved charge, and before the end of summer
was once more in Scotland.
In the spring of 1848, he was settled over the congregation at
Dirleton, in East Lothian, about twenty miles from Edinburgh. He
entered on his ministry here with all the ardour of his soul, and
scarcely a month passed without evidence that the word he preached
was blessed to the salvation of some. Decided and uncompromising
in presenting "the doctrines of grace," he preached with a solemn
tenderness that greatly won upon his hearers. And he was not one
of those ministers who suffer their deportment out of the pulpit to
present a broad contrast to their preaching. His presence seemed to
diffuse a vital warmth, the radiance of a love ever freshly kindled
from on high. His conversation was in heaven. Thither he tended,
more rapidly than his friends at first suspected. For pulmonary
consumption, the seeds of which were lurking in his frame during
his whole course, speedily made fatal inroads on his strength, and
brought him to his grave in a little more than two years after his
settlement. He departed on the 7th of August, 1850, having
endured extreme suffering not only with patience, but with such
views of Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, such joyful commu-
nion with the Mediator of the New Covenant, so assured an expecta
tion of soon mingling with the spirits of just men made perfect, —
that it was an inestimable privilege to partake of the solace that
flowed from his lips with increasing fulness till they were sealed
in death.
Mr. Hewitson, as has been abundantly manifest, was a man of
uncommon mental capacity. He had a penetrating insight, a power
of subtle analysis, a ready discrimination, not to be easily baffled or
eluded. He early showed a taste for metaphysical speculation, and
it was from no incapacity to thrid those labyrinthine defiles of
thought that he declined the pursuit. We are inclined to doubt, in
spite of the testimony of his biographer, and of a project for an epic
poem found among his manuscripts, whether he combined a poetical
imagination with gifts so seldom found in company with it. His
industry made him master of much learning, which did not in turn
master him. The charm of his conversation was acknowledged by
W. H. HEWITSOX. 481
all who were privileged to have intercourse with him even for a
few minutes, and time did not dispel the pleasure. But his great
distinction was the unvarying spirituality that shed a discernible
grace over his whole deportment. He was jealous of everything
that should intercept his view of Him who was his life, and whose
"appearing" he most truly loved. Instant in prayer, mighty in the
Scriptures, rejoicing in hope, faithful in rebuke and admonition,
warning every man with tears, redeeming the time for that the day
was far spent, his course on earth was plainly the beginning of a
'nore than common measure of joy hereafter.
GROVER SMITH COMSTOCK.
(TROVER SMITH COMSTOCK, third son of Dr. Oliver C. Comstock,
was born at Ulysses, K Y., March 24th, 1809. He was blessed
with a sound constitution, and under the wise care of his parents,
and with abundant exercise, he grew up to manhood with a remark-
able fulness, strength, and symmetry of physical development, being
six feet in height, well proportioned, and with a countenance and
air of exceeding manliness. His body was an index to his mind,
which was strong and aspiring, eminently healthful and robust. In
boyhood, as might be supposed, he was a leader in the amusements
common to that period of life, in which he showed himself unusu-
ally daring and adventurous. But he was a dutiful son, and exem-
plary in his behaviour, not allowing his love of adventure to
degenerate into idle and aimless pursuits. At school, those who
remarked him foremost in play, were surprised at his unfailing
readiness and accuracy in recitation. He carried the same whole-
heartedness into every thing, his studies and recreations, his indi-
vidual purposes, and the offices of friendship. There was nothing
hollow about him, nothing to awaken distrust. He attracted and
deserved confidence in all his relations. His course as a scholar
was uniformly creditable, from the earliest beginnings to his final
graduation at Hamilton College, in 1827; and while enjoying largely
the esteem of his fellows, his deportment was such, in all respects,
as to command the approbation of his teachers.
Having completed his college course, he commenced the study
of law, under able instructors, and pursued it with diligence for
three years. He was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court
of the State of New- York in July, 1830, and formed a connec-
tion in professional business with a leading barrister in Koches-
ter. His evident ability, the honourable distinction he had won as
a scholar, the purity of his character, and his amiable deportment,
commended him to all, and seldom has a young man entered on
_ife with fairer prospects of reputation and emolument.
484 G. S. COMSTOCK.
But his career in the profession was destined to be brief. For
a few months it engrossed his energies, but the year 1831, memor-
able in the religious history of Rochester, opened to his view
another and a higher field for the exercise of his powers. His
religious culture had not been neglected. From a child, he had
known the holy Scriptures, and if they had not made him wise
unto salvation, it was from no defect of instruction and devout
solicitude on the part of his parents. At this time his mind was
aroused, in common with multitudes, to the serious consideration
of the claims of religion, and was brought to an intelligent and
cordial submission to them. His conduct evinced the sincerity of
his open profession. All his powers were surrendered to the ser-
vice of his Divine Master. He bore full testimony to the excellency
of the gospel, visiting from house to house, distributing tracts,
reading the Scriptures, conversing with any who would accept his
humble efforts for their highest good. It was not possible that one
so singly devoted to the service of religion, should long consent to
divide it with a profession which makes such drafts on the strongest
intellect. He was not the man to shrink from labour, and had he been
satisfied with the rewards of the pursuit, he would most cheerfully
have submitted to "live like a hermit, and work like a horse," —
the course prescribed by a late Lord Chancellor of England, as
necessary to success at the bar. But higher aims, calling for no
less activity and endurance, now filled his vision. Having united
with the First Baptist Church in Rochester, of which his father was
then the pastor, he signified his desire to enter the Christian minis-
try, deeming it his duty, he said, "to occupy that position which
should enable him to do the most good in the world." The church
needed no urging to accept of such a candidate for the sacred office,
and with great unanimity approved of his proposal. He pursued
the study of theology for one year, in the Hamilton Literary and
Theological Institution, (now incorporated as Madison University,)
with all his constitutional energy, nerved by the influences and
guided by the restraints of a simple, scriptural piety.
The recurrence from active life to one of study, indeed, would
not have been in itself pleasing, but he was ever looking forward,
leaving the things that were behind, and fixing his vision on the
great duties for which he was preparing. When thinking of what he
had enjoyed in Rochester, he said, "I experienced a sort of pleasing
melancholy ; but in this there is no profit and no religion, — so away
G. S. COM STOCK. 485
with it." On his past course and present state as a Christian, he
ever spoke with humble self-distrust, as one aiming continually at
higher attainments. "I do believe," he writes to a friend, shortly
after entering on his studies, "that God requires all the services of
his children, that he expects them all to be constantly active in his
service, and that he is willing to bless all the efforts which are made
with a sincere desire to promote his glory." But he complains of
a great distance from such entireness of consecration. "I firmly
believe that unless I am more holy, and have more of the spirit of
my Master, I never can do good in the world. I am as proud as
Lucifer, and constantly forget that I am not my own." The studies
that engaged his mind, enlisted his powers, not more by the force of
sympathy with the pursuits to which they were preparatory than by
their intrinsic worth and excellence, and he seems to have cherished
a most affectionate interest in the companions and the scene of his
brief theological course. In the prospect of its termination, he writes :
"The time when I am to leave these consecrated walls, and the dear
brethren with whom I have been permitted to associate here, hastens
on. The parting hand must soon be taken, and the last look cast
upon those to whom I am united by the strong ties of Christian fellow-
ship and love. These things begin to look like realities, but they
seem to produce very little effect upon my feelings. Nor is it par-
ticularly desirable that they should." Not desirable, certainly, to
any such degree as that they should interfere with the cheerful
discharge of the duties that moved them alike to associate and to
separate, — but no effort of the will could restrain the spontaneous
out-goings of a genuine Christian affection.
The missionary spirit, as it is, in truth, only another name for
that love which is of the essence of evangelical piety, sprung up in
Mr. Com stock's mind in the dawn of his Christian life. His purpose
to consecrate himself to the work had its inception at so early a
period, and was formed so gradually, that he was hardly conscious
of the process. Such at least would be the natural interpretation
of a passage occurring in a letter to a frequent correspondent,* writ-
ten after his appointment as a missionary: "I often think of rny
saying to you one evening, half seriously, that I would be a mission-
* To whom, though not at liberty to allude by name, the editor is bound to
express his obligations for the privilege of perusing a deeply interesting and valuable
collection of Mr. Comstock's letters.
436 G. S. COM STOCK.
ary to Burmah. That was the same fall in which I indulged hope.
You thought me then not very serious in what I said, but still, from
that time, I used to cherish a secret intention of bearing to the
heathen the glad tidings of salvation." During the progress of his
studies, this intention was confirmed and divulged. The missionary
spirit was then, as it has since been, active at Hamilton, prompting
numbers to give themselves to the cause. He writes, under date of
March 1, 1832: "Two of my classmates have written this term to
the Secretary of the Board of the General Convention, offering
themselves as missionaries. Brother Dean had already done so.
May the number be increased! I sometimes think that I am shut
out from this privilege by the requirement of the Board: 'That such
persons only as are in full communion with some regular church of
our denomination, and who furnish satisfactory evidence of yenuine
piety, good talents, and fervent zeal for the Kedeemer's cause, are to
be employed as missionaries.' How unlike my character! I do
not know that I shall ever offer myself to the Board, but I do feel
that it would be an inestimable privilege to tell the story of Calvary
to the perishing heathen." For this privilege, after due deliberation,
he sought by a formal application to the Board within a few months,
and received a favourable answer.
At the close of his theological studies, he entered on a specific
preparation for the field of his appointment. Mr. Wade, of the
Burman mission, had arrived in this country in May, 1833, bringing
with him two of the native converts, Moung Shwa Moung, a Burman,
and Ko Chetthing, a Karen. As eight persons were designated for
that mission, it was thought practicable for them to pursue in this
country the study of the languages in which they were to preach,
under the instruction of Mr. Wade with the assistance of the natives
accompanying him. A school was accordingly opened for this pur-
pose at Hamilton on the 20th of June, and continued nine months.
Mr. Comstock addressed himself to the acquisition of the Burmese
with characteristic perseverance, though dealing with a tongue so
foreign to western modes of thought and speech was adapted to put
his patience to the proof. In a letter dated August 14, he gives a
lively description of his daily employment:
" At half-past eight I go to the school-room, and remain oung-mg,
writing, &c., till noon; then of course comes dinner; at half-past
one, in school again till five, and then tea, exercise, meetings, &c.
G. S. COMSTOCK. 487
You know my motto is, 'variety is the spice of life/ and on the
whole I contrive to get some variety into my daily routine of duties.
In our lessons we vary from wa-swa to yap-pen, from yap-pen to ha-
to; and then again we oung awhile, after which we write, recite, talk,
laugh, &c. So you see there is variety in my pursuits, although
there seems to be so much sameness." — "We are succeeding pretty
well, I think. I don't know but I shall be able after a while to
make something bearing a faint resemblance to the sounds of Bur-
man words. At any rate, I shall not give up the ship yet. I will
labour among the Burmans if the Lord permit." In November, he
says: "Our progress in acquiring the language has been quite satis-
factory, at least to ourselves. We have translated the Gospel of
John, except the first six or seven chapters, and reviewed it to the
sixteenth. We are also succeeding very well in acquiring the
sounds, so much so that Moung Shway Moung sometimes says, after
we have read perhaps two pages, 'Good plenty. '"
As the time for his departure approached, the tone of his feelings
was perceptibly raised. He had commenced his preparation for the
ministry with a lowly sense of his personal fitness for the work and
his dependance on aid from above, and this spirit he cherished. "It
is a fearful thing," he said, as he looked out from the seminary on
the lot assigned him in the world, "for a minister of Jesus Christ
to be left to his own strength and wisdom." But his perception of
the fulness of divine power offered to humble faith grew stronger,
and armed him with a corresponding confidence. In a letter, written
about two months before his embarkation, he says: "I have been
thinking a good deal about that strength in God which it is the
privilege and duty of Christians to possess. We are very weak of
ourselves, I know; we are 'worms of the dust/ 'of yesterday, and
know nothing/ but, after all, we can do all things through Christ
strengthening us. 'In the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength,'
and I believe it is the privilege of Christians to draw on it, and use
it in the service of God. We are exhorted to 'be strong in the
Lord and in the power of his might/ and is not this practicable? I
do not believe the Lord ever designed the saints to be that puny,
inefficient, fearful race which they so generally are. Do you? If
not, let us venture upon the strength of God, and, attempting great
things, expect great things."
The company with which he was associated consisted of Mr. and
488 6. s. COMSTOCK.
Mrs. Wade, with the two native converts, whose presence in this
country had excited a wide and warm interest in the mission of
which they were the visible fruit, and Messrs. Howard, Yin ton,
Dean* and Osgood, their wives and Miss Gardner, — the largest com-
pany of missionaries that had been sent out at one time. On the
29th of June, 1834, on the eve of his embarkation, Mr. Comstock
gave utterance to his feelings in a brief note. " To-morrow," he says,
uis fixed for the day of sailing. Yes, the time has come to sunder
all the tender ties which bind me to parents, friends and country.
And they shall be freely sundered. I rejoice in the work which
God has assigned me. The providences of God have been such
toward me that I cannot doubt my duty. And let us do our duty,
cost what it may." How much it cost him would never have been
more than suspected from his own language, for without any of that
unnatural denial of human sympathies which some persons palm
upon themselves as specially manly, he was not wont to parade his
sensibilities; and in this instance he exercised a little more self-
restraint, as he afterwards intimated, that he might not stimulate the
emotions of his friends by too freely yielding to them himself. But
to his latest hour he never ceased to recur with fond recollection to
the friends whose Christian affection had done so much for his hap-
piness on earth, and had prepared them for more perfect enjoyment
when they should hereafter be reunited.
Nothing in their voyage (except the circumstance of its length)
made it to differ essentially from others. The number of passengers
united in spirit and purpose relieved its tedium, and permitted it to
be profitable to all. Mr. Comstock appears to have enjoyed it, after
getting released from the necessary probation of sea-sickness. In
quiet evening hours his mind found solace, not sorrow, in remem-
brance of the past. "I admire summer sunsets," he writes, "but I
never saw anything on land equal to the gorgeous beauty of some
sunsets which I have recently witnessed. I do delight to take my
seat on the stern of the vessel, and watch the 'king of day' as he
retires majestically to his ocean rest. Often then does my mind
wander to Rochester, and dwell for a season with affectionate inter-
est upon the dear friends I have left for ever. Again, on a clear
moonlight evening, I resume my seat, and the scenes of other days
rush unbidden upon my recollection. Do you ask if anything of
sadness and regret mingles with my thoughts of distant friends and
* Mr. Dean was designated to the Siam mission, and is now labouring in China.
G. S. COMSTOCK. 489
past pleasures? 0, no! I would be grateful that I have ever had
such dear friends as I have left, and experienced those enjoyments
which are now for ever past. God in kindness has granted me rich
blessings, but shall I love the gifts more than the Giver? Shall I
not most cheerfully relinquish them at his bidding? Yes, let me
give up all for Christ, who gave his life a ransom for my soul/'
The vessel arrived at Maulmain in December, where Mr. Corn-
stock remained about two months, waiting for a passage to Arracan,
the destined field of his labours, during which time he greatly
enjoyed the society of missionaries at that important station. He
reached Kyouk Phyoo, the place selected for his solitary toils, his
wife alone sharing them, on the 4th of March, 1835. A suitable
residence was procured, and having some knowledge of the Bur-
mese, he was ready to commence his labours at once.
The province of Arracan, formerly a part of the Burman empire,
but acquired by the English at the conclusion of the war in 1826,
lies on the eastern shore of the Bay of Bengal ; having on the north
the province of Chittagong, which separates it from Bengal and
Assam ; on the east, the Yoma mountains, forming a barrier against
the Burman dominions; and on the south and west, the waters of
the bay. It extends about five hundred miles in length, and is
nearly one hundred miles wide at the northern extremity, but
gradually narrows till it terminates in Cape Negrais with a breadth
not exceeding three miles. Its area is about sixteen thousand five
hundred square miles, inhabited by a population estimated to num-
ber two hundred and fifty thousand. The country has been con-
quered and much oppressed. The people are mostly of a race
called Mugs, but they bear a near resemblance to the Burmans,
only degraded by servitude, speak the same language and profess the
same religion. They are extremely ignorant, superstitious, and dis-
trustful of strangers, — their experience of alien domination having
given them too much reason for such a feeling. It would readily be
conjectured that their moral state was unpromising. The vices
which paganism universally nourishes, had been stimulated by the
political and social degradation they long suffered, giving to their
character an aspect which at once demonstrated their need of- Chris-
tianity, and was fitted to discourage all efforts to communicate it.
Mr. Comstock made a tour very soon after his arrival, to become
acquainted with his extensive parish, in the course of which he
490 G. S. COMSTOCK.
preached and distributed tracts. The novelty of his teachings drew
the people around him in considerable numbers, so that though he
made no perceptible impression on their minds, he found great
delight in making known to such multitudes, for the first time, the
existence of an eternal God, their relations to the divine govern-
ment, and the only Name whereby they must be saved. Keturning
to Kyouk Phyoo, he set up two schools, one in English, and gave
himself to more circumscribed and systematic labour, which he
varied by excursions into various parts of the country. His situa-
tion was one that called into requisition all his natural buoyancy of
feeling and all the spiritual resources his faith could command.
There was no missionary nearer than Akya.b, about a hundred miles
away, and the English residents at Kyouk Phyoo, though never
wanting in courtesy or respect, had no sympathy with his religious
spirit or purposes. He had as little sympathy with the unceasing
effort they felt compelled to make, by dinner parties and other gay-
eties, to kill time and make life endurable. He declined entering
much into their society, on the plea that it would interfere with his
missionary engagements. "They think our course strange," he
remarks, "but I cannot help it. I might occasionally get a very rare
dinner, but the soul would famish in consequence of it." Yet,
though lonely, he could say:
" We are a happy family. 0 that we were holy! My feelings in
reference to personal holiness have been somewhat different during
the last few months from what they ever were before. I am not
holy, dear E., far from it, but I am groaning to be delivered from
the power of sin. I want to be conformed to the image of my
blessed Master. I want to be wholly sanctified. 0, how hateful and
defiling is sin — how desirable is holiness ! And why should we be
the slaves of sin and sense? I am not anxious to fix the precise
limits of Christian attainment in this life, but I am confident that
we may possess such a frame of mind, that the least sin (if the phrase
is allowable) will very soon bring us on our knees before God; and
that we cannot rest without enjoying constant communion with
God." These feelings were unmingled with a particle of spiritual
pride. "Now do not think," he says, very characteristically, in the
conclusion of the letter, "that I have made any very surprising
advances in piety, for I have not."
The sole charge of all departments of the mission pressed heavily
upon the solitary pair. The native school was taught by Mrs. Com-
G. S. COMSTOCK. 491
stock, while her husband divided his attention between the English
school, his necessary studies, preaching and conversing with the
people. The utility of instruction in English, in all such cases, is
prospective rather than immediate. It is designed to raise up a
small class of natives who will be the medium of introducing the
science and literature of Europe and America to their countrymen,
and who, as ministers of the gospel, should the truth "make them
free," will have access to the treasures of theological lore contained
in our language, thus becoming in every respect the intellectual and
spiritual guides of their people. Besides this important work, it was
necessary to devote considerable time to studying the language and
sacred literature of the Burmans, that he might be more familiar
with the popular modes of thought and the superstitions by which
they were bound. But his most engaging task was the proclamation
of the gospel to all who would hear. At his house, in places of public
resort and in occasional tours sometimes to a great distance, he deliv-
ered his message, cornbatted the delusions of the people, silenced
cavillers, and reasoned with such as appeared to be candid inquirers.
"I think the habits of thought which I acquired in my law days,"
he writes to a friend in the profession, "are of great benefit to me
here. In talking with the natives, it is necessary to be as circumspect
as you would be in drawing special pleadings. Everything must be
stated, and in its proper order. If you leave out anything material
to your case, they will quickly perceive it, and if you start anything
irrelevant to it, they will generally remark it. Having learned this,
I try to declare the truth in such a manner that they can find noth-
ing to object to except the truth itself. While the natives admire
this method of argument, and will notice a departure from it in
another, they are very far from pursuing it themselves. They have
been so long accustomed to believe whatever the priests say, or the
sacred books declare, that they think no other evidence is necessary.
It is, too, exceedingly difficult to keep them to one point for any
length of time, and when you have brought them so near to any of
the absurdities or falsehoods of their religion that they see what is
before them, you have to examine and cross-examine as closely as
you would if endeavouring to draw out an important fact from a
witness who is deeply interested in concealing it. They will evade
a direct answer as long as possible, and when evasion is no longer
practicable, they sometimes will not answer at all. However, those
who look on generally see the reason of the man's silence, and laugh
492 G. S. COMSTOCK.
heartily at his embarrassment, but still they do not think that they
are affected by the argument. The heathen cling to their religion
with so strong a grasp, that nothing short of Almighty power can
loosen their hold."
His labours had not been long commenced when he was admon-
ished of the risks incident to an ungenial climate, by a severe attack
of fever and ague that suspended all active labours for two or three
weeks, the recurrence of which afterwards compelled a withdrawal
from this station. From this he suffered but little, and immediately
set about extensive itineracies among distant villages. Aeng, a town
near the frontier of the province on the great pass from Ava to Cal-
cutta, the resort of traders from all parts, gave him an excellent field
for occasional preaching and tract distribution, though its unhealth-
iness made it impossible for Europeans to reside therein safety. He
also travelled southward among communities where a white face
had never been seen before. These journeys were commonly per-
formed in a small native boat, which would convey him to almost
any point where the people were accessible in considerable numbers.
"To protect me from the heat," he says, " and to have a sleeping-
place at night, a part of the boat is covered with leaves, making a
cabin somewhat larger than an American oven. One serious incon-
venience is, that I have to keep a fire all the while for cooking," (a
necessary in a land where hotels were never known) "and very fre-
quently the smoke pours in upon me most unmercifully. Some
days since I went out into the ocean about ten miles to a small island,
and was forcibly reminded of the ' three wise men of Gotham ' who
' went to sea in a bowl.' I believe, however, my mode of travelling
is safe, as the natives all go in the same way, and they are great
cowards. Notwithstanding some little inconveniences which attend
itinerant labour, I like it very much." No personal inconveniences,
however great, affected his mind so much as the moral obstacles he
had to encounter. The mental imbecility and spiritual darkness of
the multitude tasked his powers and moved his sensibilities to their
extremest limit, happily without quenching his resolution. "As
the gospel only can elevate and save them/' he observes, "all we
have to do is to work so much the harder. A great deal of patient
and fatiguing labour is to be performed here, and you know the
Lord has given me a good constitution, very well adapted to hard
work. My health is, generally, quite good, and I delight in the
service which my Master has assigned me.'7
G. S. COM STOCK. 493
This elastic, unyielding spirit, as we have intimated, had to strug-
gle with most painful trials of the sensibility ; so painful, that if he
had possessed no other resources than "a good constitution" and a
cheerful temper, they had been too much for him. They can be
best presented, though the limits of this sketch do not admit of
extended quotation, in his own words. In answer to an inquiry as
to what he suffered, his letters having been very free from allusions
to such matters, he replied: "I write as I feel. Everything is infi-
nitely better in reference to me than I deserve. Besides, the real
trials of a missionary are not easily told. They have no reference
to food, clothing, &c. True, we sometimes come to close quarters
in respect to them, but this is soon over. We are greatly annoyed
by having to deal with lying and cheating natives, but this is
endurable. The most intense and saddest feelings are excited in
view of the situation of the heathen. We sometimes follow an indi-
vidual with the deepest interest for a long time, our hopes are greatly
raised in reference to him, when suddenly they are dashed to the
ground, and the man hates the gospel more than others. At other
times we feel so weak and ignorant, seeing something important to
be done, and not knowing how to do it, that we are vastly perplexed."
And writing again, of the insensibility of the people, he exclaims,
" 0, how I pity them ! and yet I seem to be of no use to them. I
fear the truth I declare will only prove a savour of death unto death
to their souls. Sometimes I feel as if I must go among them, and
pull them by force 'out of the fire,' but this I cannot do. Then I
turn away, and weep and pray; thus my own soul is relieved, but
they are still exposed to all that is fearful in the wrath of God.
What shall I do?"
Sad as was the prospect, he only "worked the harder," as he had
said. Every Sunday morning he spent an hour and a half with his
scholars, Mrs. Comstock at the same time teaching the children
under her immediate charge; and they found great enjoyment in
telling them, thirty in all, of the Saviour. Public worship, including
a sermon, next followed; the auditors besides the school were few.
"It is the day of small things in Arracan," he remarks, "but the
Lord can bless feeble instrumentality to the accomplishment of great
results. After worship, Sarah and I hold a 'class meeting' to relate
to each other our exercises for the week." Then followed an inter-
val of tract distribution and conversation with the people, after which
an evening service was held in English, attended by about a dozen.
494 G. S. COMSTOCK. .
During the week his schools, and a large amount of evangelical
labour in addition, kept body and mind in constant activity. But
his constitution was not strong enough to bear such severe ten-
sion, especially in the hot season. At the close of August he was
prostrated with fever, and obliged to dismiss his schools. He had
scarcely recovered when, on the twenty -eighth of November, a hur-
ricane destroyed his house, together with a large number in the vil-
lage, wrecking several vessels, and causing much loss of life and
property. This calamity was soon repaired, the schools reassembled
and the ordinary course of labour was resumed, but with a percep-
tible diminution of strength. The arrival of Rev. Levi Hall and
wife, in May, 1837, to reinforce the mission, gave him renewed
encouragement, unhappily but for a brief period. Mrs. Hall was
removed by death in July, and her husband followed her to the
grave in September. By this time Mr. Comstock was himself in
such a state of health that he was advised to leave the country.
This he could not consent to do in his circumstances. One of his
pupils had applied for baptism, and others were serious. He there-
fore continued, in loneliness and much weakness, to pursue his
delightful tasks till December, when he was driven to Calcutta with
his family by illness. In the succeeding May he was at Maulmain,
where he had the happiness of baptizing one of his domestic serv-
ants on a profession of faith. Here he remained several months,
engaged in literary labour.
Early in 1839 we find him again at Kyouk Phyoo, but experience
had shown that it was not prudent to continue there, and in March
he had established himself at Ramree, on a large island of that name,
off the coast, — a town of about eight thousand inhabitants, regarded
by the natives as more healthy than Kyouk Phyoo. Its situation,
however, shut in on all sides by high hills, makes the summer heat
intense and exhausting. Mr. Comstock entered on his new sphere
with hopes chastened by experience. "This is, at the best/' he
writes, "a climate inimical to foreigners, and many have found their
graves in Arracan. We hope, to be sure, to labour many years for
the salvation of the dying heathen around us, but we try constantly
to feel that 'Death is narrowly watching our footsteps/ " The atten-
tion given by the people to his preaching, their readiness to be
instructed, and the eagerness with which tracts and books were
read, gave animation to his efforts. Though few acknowledged the
truth, and none seemed to be savingly benefited by it, a considera-
G. S. COMSTOCK. 495
Lie number were unmistakeably thoughtful, and the strength of
Boodhism was clearly giving way. So profoundly ignorant that they
knew, he remarks, "almost nothing," and with a moral sense uso
benumbed and powerless that we almost question whether they have
any," there were yet faint glimpses of dawning intelligence, and
moral life at which he was able to rejoice. This interest was appar-
ently transient, for at a later date he writes: "Though multitudes
hear the 'glad tidings,' not one has embraced the truth, and I know
of none who manifest any interest in it. Did I not feel a very
strong assurance that I am here in accordance with the divine will,
and that the efforts we are making are on the whole the best we
can make, I should of course feel entirely disheartened. As it is,
I am usually enabled to go on in my work with considerable
confidence and delight."
Of his spiritual advantages, as compared with those enjoyed in a
Christian land, he remarks, under date of September 24, 1840 :
"Our situation has its advantages. We are more alone with God
and our own hearts than most Christians are at home; and I can
but think, that did they hear less, and meditate, pray and practise
more, it would be for their souls good, and for the interest of
Christ's kingdom." Yet, in his deliberate judgment, there were so
many things to be set over against these advantages, that a year or
two later we find him writing to a friend: "You express a very
common and I think a very erroneous opinion, that the missionary
has special advantages for growth in grace, and peculiar exemption
from temptations to sin. In my last sermon in Rochester, from
the words, 'Pray for us,' I said that missionaries are peculiarly
exposed to temptations, and therefore have peculiar claims upon
the prayers of Christians. This was then a matter of opinion; it
is now one of experience and knowledge. Pray for us."
He was now led to contemplate one of his severest trials, and
because it is a subject on which harsh and inconsiderate judgments
are sometimes uttered, we may fitly dwell upon it a moment. In his
letter of September, 1840, just quoted, he alludes to the fact that
one or two of the missionaries at Maulmain were about sending
their children to America. "I asked Sarah," he adds, "if she
would not send Lucy. Her eyes instantly filled with tears, and she
soon concluded that Lucy could not go yet. Alas! it will be a sad
hour when we part with our children to send them to America, but
I see no way to avoid it. The missionary's life is one of sacrifice
496 G. S. COMSTOCK.
from first to last, and could the enemies of missions look into our
hearts at times — but I forbear. ' The Lord reigneth, let the earth
rejoice.' Yes, I will rejoice, and make every sacrifice that my
blessed Lord requires. At least, I will try to do so." About a year
later, in October, 1841, he writes: "Our children are making very
little progress in acquiring any useful knowledge, but are learning
much that we are very sorry to have them learn. Lucy and Oily
must go to America next year, / think. We do not know yet,
though, how they will go or where they will live when they get
there. Poor things! perhaps they will feel as Lucy M did
when she said to her mamma, 'Other little girls have their mothers,
and I want mine.' However, I suppose they will feel much less
and for a shorter time than their parents do. Yet what is duty,
must be done."
The sacrifice was made the following year. "0, Saviour! I do
this for Thee!" was the exclamation of the almost heart-broken
mother, as her children were parted from her. On receiving a
sympathetic response from friends in the United States, Mr. Corn-
stock wrote: "Your remarks about the great sacrifice we were com-
pelled to make, in sending our darling children from us, at their
tender age, probably never to meet them again on earth, are such
as one would suppose every kind and Christian heart would sug-
gest. Yet we sometimes hear of very different and most unkind
remarks being made in reference to this subject. "We have, how-
ever, done our duty, trusting in God, and He has not forsaken us.
I hope that you will meet our dear orphans in America, but how or
where I cannot guess."
In the same communication (February 1, 1843,) he records his con-
victions as to the good effect of his labours: "I can plainly see that
the gospel is making way in Arracan. Yery many are convinced
of the folly and hopelessness of idolatry, and several have openly
renounced it. The ideas of an eternal God and of Jesus Christ the
Saviour of sinners, are becoming common, and what we need now
to turn many to the Lord, is a copious outpouring of the Holy
Spirit." He felt keenly and expressed warmly the want of addi-
tional missionaries. These he was not permitted to see, and Mr.
Stilson, who had been associated with him at Kamree, removing to
Maulmain, he was left nearly alone. His sole earthly support was
shortly withdrawn. Mrs. Comstock died on the 28th of April, after
a week's illness. She had been a most efficient helper in the mis-
G. S. COMSTOCK. 497
sion. Besides her arduous labours as a teacher, her domestic cares
and the instruction of her children, she had translated a "Scripture
Catechism," and written "The Mother's Book," both highly useful
works ; she administered medicine to the sick, and was never weary
of telling to the natives of her own sex the way of salvation. All
felt her loss, and the day after her death, men, women and children
crowded to the house. As many as two thousand came during the
day, uttering expressions of the most grateful attachment to her
and of sorrow for her removal. Many called to mind her instruc-
tions, which affected them with new tenderness, as they remembered
that those loving words would no more be heard from her lips. In
July, her two children had followed their mother, and the widowed
husband was left alone.
In a review of these events, some months later, Mr. Comstock
wrote: "My thoughts have been a good deal turned to Christ as a
present Saviour, ever living to intercede, able to save to the uttermost.
I therefore went directly to Him for support and comfort, and he
granted me these blessings beyond all that I had asked or thought.
0, the abundance, and richness, and power of divine grace ! God
has taught me more of his loving kindness by my afflictions, than
I had ever learned or conceived amid the abundant temporal mer-
cies that have heretofore crowned my path." He was soon admon-
ished by severe sickness that his own time was short. In his con-
valescence he says: "Of course I must learn to suffer, as well as
to labour alone. The Lord was nigh to me, and I felt calm, and
quite willing that he should do with me whatever was most for his
glory. .1 have little to live for but to do the will of God, and
should he call me to a higher and purer service, I would not tarry
here. It seems, however, very desirable that I should live till other
missionaries corne to Arracan, but the Lord knows best, and I am
quite willing to leave all to him."
During the winter his health seemed to rally, and increased pros-
perity in his work nerved him to fresh exertion. As his sun went
down, an unwonted brilliancy seemed to light up the sky. His
last letter was one of his most cheerful; several persons had pro-
fessed to feel a personal interest in the truths of redemption, and
he was never more ready to give his utmost endeavours to advance
the blessed work. But the last enemy was soon to be met. He
was providentially at Akyab when seized with mortal illness, and
thus had the company of his former associate, Mr. Stilson, to soothe
32
498 G. S. COMSTOCK.
iiis last moments. His disease was cholera. Medical aid was at once
procured, and the disorder was checked ; but a low fever ensued,
which proved fatal. The day before his death, he said: "I did
desire to live a little longer to labour for God. I hoped to return
to Eamree, and baptize Pah Tau and the boys, (a Burman copyist
and three school-boys,) but if the Lord has no more for me to do,
I can cheerfully leave the world now. I have no earthly cords to
bind me here. My trust is in the Lord. He who has been with
me thus far, will still be with me and take care of me. I have no
fear to die, — my faith is fixed on Jesus. I wish you to state dis-
tinctly to my friends at home, that I have never, in the least,
regretted having come to this country." This was his final testi-
mony. He soon became speechless, but retained his reason, and
his countenance beamed with the serenity of Christian patience and
undoubted expectation of the heavenly rest. His soul ascended on
the 25th of April, 1844, to be reunited with his loved ones so lately
departed, in that state of perfect holiness for which he had long panted.
The imperfect outline we have drawn will convey some partial
impression of Comstock's sterling, manly excellence, his elevated
views, unselfish aims, sturdy strength, and unaffected sensibility. It
will suggest something at least of his religious attainments, which
were above any ordinary standard. But there are many whose
personal recollections will supply traits and incidents, the memory
of which must awaken a painful sense of the inadequacy of this
sketch to do such a man justice. They remember his first entrance
on a religious life, — how boldly he faced about in his career, how
meekly he bent to the Saviour's yoke, and how light he seemed to
find it. They call to mind his unceasing activity in every good work,
and his prompt decision to consecrate his powers and acquisitions
to the ministry of the gospel. His determination to give himself
to the missionary service, expressed and carried out with that
calm energy which neither concealed nor vaunted his self-sacrifice,
comes freshly to their minds. They once more see his tall figure
receding in the distance, and yet once more hear the heavy tidings
that his course on earth and their present communion with his
spirit are ended.
In looking at his missionary career, we are at once struck by the
cheerfulness with which he entered on it. At an early period, when
the conditions of such a work were imperfectly understood, it is
G. S. COMSTOCK. 499
apparent that there might be considerable play of romantic imagin-
ation. But besides that he had little propensity to such airy spec-
ulation, he had special opportunities to know those facts that are its
sufficient cure. He looked on the enterprise, throughout, as one
appealing only to his sense of gratitude and duty ; gratitude to his
Redeemer, and duty to the souls for whom He died. His motives
fully appear in his reply to one who ventured the inquiry, not long
after his arrival in Arracan, whether he was sure he had done right
in becoming an exile from his country. "The subject of labouring
among the heathen has been one of thought, of feeling and of prayer
ever since I indulged hope in Christ. I tried to look at it in all its
bearings. I thought of the value of the soul ; and seeing thousands
and millions doomed to death, ignorant of the only way of escape,
how could I refrain from asking, What can be done for their salva-
tion ? The first answer was, They must hear of Christ ; for how can
they believe on him of whom they have not heard? The next ques-
tion was, Who shall tell them of the Saviour? They are daily
passing by multitudes beyond the reach of mercy. What is done,
must be done quickly. I asked myself, Why may not I go as well as
another ? I knew there were severe trials in the missionary's path,
but should I shrink from them, when Christ had promised to be with
me, and when he had endured so much for me? No, I could not,
and therefore freely said, Lord here am I, send me. You see some-
thing of the way the Lord led me. After leaving R., I had several
opportunities of reconsidering the question of my duty to the hea-
then. When called to leave my only brother, my native village,
and all the friends of my childhood and youth, the question arose,
Is all this sacrifice called for? I could not doubt it. Again, when
standing in the sanctuary of God for the last time in a Christian
land, and mingling joyfully with the saints, I thought of the land
where are no sanctuaries, no saints ; but I felt not the least hesitation
as to duty. When embraced by weeping parents for the last time,
and accepting the farewell greetings of other friends, I was affected,
but faltered not the least in my purpose. Since then, when prostrated
under the influence of distressing sea-sickness ; when sitting in the
filthy huts of the natives; when enervated by a tropical climate;
when alone in my little bamboo cottage, and thinking of the heathen
who refused proffered mercy, and said that the blessed Jesus was an
impostor, I have had opportunities to reconsider my decision, but
I have never regretted it." Very rarely did he suffer himself to
500 G. S. COMSTOCK.
allude in this manner to his self-denials. Except when drawn out
by questions that seemed to require an answer, he bound himself
to silence in respect to them all, apparently regarding them as but
"light affliction, which is but for a moment."
In the same spirit he toiled from year to year, without any token
of good, his energy rising, as the obstacles to success were more
painfully visible. At first view, it would seem that a more barren
result of ten years' incessant labour could scarcely be conceived. At
the time of his death, the church at Kamree consisted of nine mem-
bers. Six or eight others were candidates for baptism. Thousands
had heard the gospel, presented with the utmost skill and enforced
by the most fervid and tearful eloquence. Where were they? But
their insensibility, greatly as it moved his compassion, could not
shake his purpose, for it was founded on a spirit of obedience to
Christ, and drew from His promises unfailing strength. So he went
on, scattering the good seed, and leaving its increase to appear at the
bidding of Him who alone can give it, and at the time when his
wisdom and grace should appoint. Meanwhile, he so laboured that
he might speak to the future as well as the present. To this end, he
studied very thoroughly the character of the people to whom he
was sent — their history, their modes of thought and of faith. The
results of his investigations were embodied, in part, in an elaborate
paper, entitled "Notes on Arakan," published shortly after his de-
cease in the Journal of the American Oriental Society. His tracts
are still widely circulated, and will long be regarded as effective
instruments to diffuse the knowledge of Christ throughout Burmah.
His faith has been amply confirmed. The words he spoke did
not fall fruitlessly on the air. The seed sown in tears is now reaped
in joy. In every part of the field he traversed, succeeding mission-
aries have seen first the blade, then the ear. He expressed the con-
fidence that Boodhism was fatally wounded in Arracan. It is now
testified that the great body of the people are ripe for its rejection.
He seemed to fear at times that his preaching was of no effect in
drawing men to the cross, but they are now coming to bow before
the crucified One, and they confess that it was " Teacher Comstock n
whose voice first woke their slumbering souls to see something of
the excellency of Christ. Nor these alone. Karens; who never saw
him, have been overcome by the truth as he imprinted it on the
mute page to instruct the eyes of the heathen when his own should
have been closed in death. This pleasing testimony has been lately
G. S. COMSTOCK. 501
communicated to the public by Rev. Mr. Stevens of the Maulmain
Mission.* A Burman, afterwards a Boodhist priest, was reading
aloud "The Way to Heaven," one of Comstock's tracts. A Karen
chanced to hear him, and begged that he would come to his village,
and read those words to his neighbours. He did so, and the people
flocked together to listen. They wept as they heard of the Saviour's
love. They urged him to repeat his visit, and though himself uninter-
ested in the theme, this idolatrous Burman went from village to
village reading the tract to deeply affected hearers, who in return
loaded him with gifts. Thus, being dead, the devoted missionary
still speaketh, and in the presence of the angels doubtless rejoices
over repentant sinners whom he knew not on earth, but who will
be his crown in the day when God shall make up His jewels.
* See Missionary Magazine for January, 1852.
JAMES RICHARDS.
JAMES KICHARDS* was born at Abington, Mass., February 23d,
1784. His parents removed to Plainfield, in the same state, while
he was very young, and there he received his early education. He
was brought up in the fear of God, and at the age of thirteen, during
a season of special religious interest, was led to a cordial subjection
to the claims, and the enjoyment of the hopes, of the gospel. His
admission to the church, however, did not take place till nearly six
years from that time. He ardently desired to prepare for the Chris-
tian ministry, but the circumstances of the family did not permit
him to be released from labour till nearly twenty years of age. He
then commenced his preparatory studies, and at the age of twenty-
two entered Williams College. His slender means required him to
submit to many privations, which he bore with manly and Christian
fortitude, sustained by his ardent desire to be useful in the church
and in the world. His* standing as a scholar was good, particularly
in the mathematics, but his highest honour as a member of college
was the steady consistency with which he discharged the duties of
his religious profession, and studied to promote the spiritual inter-
ests of his fellow-students.
Among his most intimate associates at this period was Samuel J.
Mills. To him he first disclosed his desire to engage in a mission to
the heathen. He was one of those who held that memorable confer-
ence in the meadow, at which Mills proposed the enterprise which
his heart had long cherished, and found, with delightful surprise,
that his auditors were already in sympathy with him. At what
time the missionary spirit was kindled in the mind of Eichards, or
* It is proper to state that arrangements were made for a fuller sketch of Mr.
Richards, and one more worthy of his character. But these having failed, at a period
too late to secure such an article as was desired, the editor yet felt that the work
would be incomplete without something more than a passing notice of such a man,
and this brief tribute to his memory was therefore compiled, chiefly from the Mis-
sionary Herald.
504 JAMES EICHAEDS.
by what circumstances it first gained a lodgment there, cannot be
determined, but thenceforth he was a party to those secret consulta-
tions, prayers and efforts that called into being the first general
missionary society in this country. In 1809 he took his bachelor's-
degree in the arts, and immediately entered the Theological Semi-
nary at Andover. Here he was active in diffusing a missionary
spirit among his associates, and when it was decided to memorialize
the General Association on the subject, his name was subscribed to-
the paper presented to that body, in which the youthful company
gave public expression to their long-cherished wishes. But through
fear lest so many applicants might be unfavourably received, he
withdrew his name, and deferred to others, whose seniority in the
seminary seemed to give them precedence. He yielded to none,
however, in the strength of his resolution ; for he had fully deter-
mined, should no other avenue to the heathen world present itself,
to work his passage to some pagan land, and there support himself
by his own toil. "Let me never," was his language, "consider any-
thing too great to suffer, or anything too dear to part with, when
the glory of God and the salvation of men require it."
In September, 1812, he finished his theological studies, and was
licensed to preach. Having been accepted by the Committee of the
American Board as a candidate for missionary service, he spent
nearly two years in Philadelphia, studying medicine, then considered
an essential part of missionary education. There he frequently
preached to destitute congregations, and for a time was employed as
a missionary in the suburbs of the city. In 1814, war with Great
Britain making it impossible for the Board to send him forth, he
was engaged in preaching to a congregation that greatly desired him
to remain as their pastor, but his heart was fixed on other objects,
and he declined their call. He was ordained on the 21st of June,
1815, and on the 23d of October following, in company with eight
brethren and sisters, appointed to the same field, embarked for Ceylon.
When asked how he could refrain from weeping at. his separation
from friends and country, he replied, "Why should I have wept? I
had been waiting with anxiety almost eight years for an opportunity
to go and preach Christ among the heathen. I had often wept at
the long delay. But the day on which I bade farewell to my native
land was the happiest day of my life." A favourable passage of five
months brought them to Columbo. It is worthy of note that two of
the crew were hopefully converted during the voyage.
JAMES KICHAKDS. 505
The mission to Ceylon was commenced in consequence of the
recommendation of Mr. Newell, who found a refuge here for a time
when the British authorities were hunting him and his colleagues
from the continent of India. Having a population of nearly a mil-
lion, it is of itself a missionary field of no small importance, but the
fact that the Tamil people in the Jaffna district, about one hundred
and fifty thousand in number, are identical in race, language and
religion with a large population in the adjacent parts of the conti-
nent, gave it a still higher claim to the attention of the Board. It
was to this district that the mission, though vested with some discre-
tionary powers in selecting their field, were particularly directed.
A station there, it was believed and has since been proved, offered
a starting point of operations among all the Tamil people of India
whenever the government should become favourable to an exten-
sion of their efforts in continental India. The Portuguese had
formerly introduced Komanism into Ceylon, and the Dutch, who
succeeded them in the possession of the island, had in like manner
established a nominal Protestantism. It was easy enough, by the
free exertion of government patronage, to make the people profess
almost any desired religion, and a sort of Christians became very
plentiful for a time, though the propagandists had no great reason
to be proud of their converts. When the island came under the
English dominion, religious freedom was proclaimed. Forthwith
heathen temples, which had been pulled down by the Portuguese
and Dutch authorities, were rebuilt, idols were set up, and the peo-
ple substituted for their Ave Mary's or the forms of the Helvetic
Confession, the orgies of Hindooism or the incantations of Bood-
hism. A few thousand Koman Catholics remained to attest the work
of the sixteenth century under the apostleship of Xavier.
The government received the missionaries favourably, and assigned
them stations in Jaffna, at Tillipally and Batticotta. Mr. Eichards,
who was assigned to Batticotta, commenced his studies at Jaffnapa-
tam, where a temporary residence was obtained till the necessary
buildings should be in readiness. Bat his mission was a troubled
one, and his purpose of preaching to the heathen failed of its execu-
tion in a great measure. He was incapacitated from study by an
inflammation of the eyes, and the means he used for their recovery
proved fatal to his general constitution. Not considering the debili-
tating effect of a tropical climate, he reduced his system so low as
to impair his strength permanently, and is supposed to have thus
506 JAMES RICHARDS.
laid the foundation of the pulmonary disease which subsequently
ended his life. His studies were much interrupted, but he made
himself useful to the mission in various ways, especially by his
medical knowledge. He also preached to the natives occasionally
through an interpreter. These efforts were suspended in the autumn
of 1817, by the weakness of his lungs and general debility that
threatened his early removal from earth. A visit to Columbo, and
a short residence there, somewhat relieved him. One of his col-
leagues, Mr. Warren, being also in impaired health, the two sailed
in April, 1818, for the Cape of Good Hope.
Mr. Warren did not long survive the voyage. He had been
associated with Eichards, Mills and Hall in college, had united with
them in consecration to the work of missions, had taken a dismis-
sion to Middlebury College, for the purpose of kindling a like
flame of Christian benevolence in that institution, and the two had
enjoyed for a season the happiness of labouring together in the
wastes of heathenism. It seemed that they were not to be long sun-
dered from each other. For although during the first three months
that Mr. Kichards remained at the Cape his symptoms improved,
raising some hopes of final recovery, the succeeding month saw him
reduced so low by hemorrhage, that he entirely lost his voice. In
the latter part of November he embarked for Madras, and thence
proceeded to Columbo, and by water to Jaffnapatam. His journey
by land to Batticotta, though a distance of only seven miles, was
performed with difficulty, and for a time he was regarded by his
brethren and by himself as near death. But in August, 1819, he
began to regain strength, and was able to visit the mission schools,
to inspect the studies of the boys, and communicate religious instruc-
tion by means of an interpreter.
This improvement was so rapid that in April, 1820, he had
recovered his voice. Frequent exercise on horseback, with more
nourishing diet, confirmed the healthful tendency that had been
developed, and for a year he made himself highly useful to the
mission by his counsels and active labours. His diligence and fer-
vour, indeed, sometimes exceeded his strength. His efforts were
checked in the following May by their reaction upon his weakness,
increased by the fatigues of medical attendance, which devolved
much on him. But though his active exertions in the cause of
Christ were plainly drawing to a close, he had the satisfaction of
seeing that the work was advancing. A considerable degree of sen-
JAMES EICHARDS. 507
sibility to the claims of religion was manifested, and several hopeful
converts were added to the church; among them a man in Mr. Kich-
ards' service, and six pupils in the girls' boarding-school. The whole
number of native converts in church fellowship at the close of the
year 1821, was fifteen, and others were inquiring, — a small numbe^
it must be confessed, but considered with reference to the character
of the Hindoo mind, and the strength of those influences that retard
and almost forbid the progress of Christianity among such a people,
it was a result full of hope.
Mr. Eichards continued to decline till the twenty-ninth of June,
1822, when he was visited with acute sufferings that he endured till
the end, not only with patience, but with expressions of gratitude.
He said that the long languor of his slow decay had affected his
mind with a degree of depression and imbecility. His severe bodily
sufferings roused him to a higher degree of mental activity. He
gained clearer, higher and more consoling views of the divine char-
acter, with an increase of faith and more earnest desires for the
supreme glory of God. Within a day or two of his death, more
constant and more acute pain cut the last remaining ties which bound
him to earth, and he was greatly desirous to be gone. On the morn-
ing of the third of August Dr. Scudder said to him, "Well, Brother
Richards, it is almost over." "Yes, Brother Scudder," he answered,
with a look of joyful expectation, "I think so, — I hope so. 0 Lord
Jesus, come quickly 1" To subsequent intimation that he might sur-
vive a day or two longer, he replied, with a look of disappointment,
"No — I am just going." He revived somewhat, and was able to
speak more distinctly, but was manifestly near his end. Calling for
his only son James, he took him by the hand, and said: "My son,
your papa is dying. He will very soon be dead. Thou, my son,
remember three things : Be a good boy ; obey your mamma ; and
love Jesus Christ. Now remember these my son." Soon after, he
looked around, saying, "Tell Brother Scudder — going" — and was
speechless. In a few moments he fell asleep.
Although he had been disabled from much active evangelical
labour, Mr. Bichards was valued and esteemed by his brethren, who
regarded his loss as a heavy one. As a companion and a counsellor,
his affectionate interest in all that concerned his associates, whether
personally or officially, his eminently peaceable spirit, and his practi-
cal wisdom, which was strengthened by continual communion with
Him who giveth to all men liberally, according to the measure of
508 JAMES RICHARDS.
their faith, made his presence in the mission a benefit much more
than proportioned to the extent of his labours. His religious char-
acter was the result of a growth begun at an early age, and cultivated
with the most assiduous care. Watchful and jealous of himself,
always circumspect and humble, he had an abiding confidence in
the Divine promises, a tender and reverent regard for the Divine
glory, an ardent desire for inward conformity to the Divine image,
that were not only uttered with the most convincing sincerity, but
were depicted in a life of rare consistency. His whole heart was in
the mission. Both his judgment and his affections were more than
satisfied with his calling. He said that he considered the work of a
faithful missionary, "who is engaged in actually preaching the gospel
among the heathen, the most noble, the most important, and the
most desirable employment on earth." And his greatest affliction
was, that he could not be thus engaged. "To be able," he said, "to
do little or nothing in a field so ripe for the harvest; to see hundreds
ignorant of the way of salvation, and yet unable to speak to them ;
to spend month after month and year after year, in taking care of
myself instead of preaching to the heathen ; has caused many a sigh
and many a groan. But I hope I have been enabled to feel that
rny labours are of little consequence, and that all the glorious pre-
dictions concerning the triumphs of the cross will assuredly be
accomplished, whether I live longer or die soon." It was this con-
fidence in the promises of God that ever buoyed up his mind.
Nothing else would have brought him to Ceylon, or maintained his
serenity of mind when withheld by sickness from the work he had
so longed to undertake. For though there was much in the sight
of the converts that had been gathered as the first-fruit of the mis-
sion to inspire hope, he knew that this and all other flattering
appearances might deceive; that dissensions might scatter the mis-
sionary band, and temptations beguile the men whom they had
gathered from the mass of heathenism into the church of Christ.
But, above all human weakness, and beyond all earthly mutations,
his eye discerned the coming triumphs of his Lord, assured by THE
WORD OF OUR GOD, which SHALL STAND FOR EVER.
<P
THE END.
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