第 43 节
作者:垃圾王      更新:2021-02-24 22:51      字数:9322
  ry names。  Let me have the birds alive; and when you have got a good boat…load send a small boat down with them under charge of a careful person; and I will pay the expenses。  Spare no pains to get me seeds and roots; and get Brother Robinson to procure what he can from Bhootan or other parts。
  〃Remember me affectionately to Sebuk Ram and his wife; and to all the native brethren and sisters。〃
  〃5th February 1810。Were you hunting the buffalo; or did it charge you without provocation?  I advise you to abstain from hunting buffaloes or other animals; because; though I think it lawful to kill noxious animals; or to kill animals for food; yet the unnecessary killing of animals; and especially the spending much time in the pursuit of them; is wrong; and your life is too valuable to be thrown away by exposing it to such furious animals as buffaloes and tigers。  If you can kill them without running any risk 'tis very well; but it is wrong to expose yourself to danger for an end so much below that to which you are devoted。。。
  〃I believe the cause of our Redeemer increases in the earth; and look forward to more decided appearances of divine power。  The destruction of the temporal power of the Pope is a glorious circumstance; and an answer to the prayers of the Church for centuries past。。。
  〃I send you a small cask of rum to preserve curiosities in; and a few bottles; but your best way will be to draw off a couple of gallons of the rum; which you may keep for your own use; and then put the snakes; frogs; toads; lizards; etc。; into the cask; and send them down。  I can easily put them into proper bottles; etc。; afterwards。  You may; however; send one or two of the bottles filled with beetles; grasshoppers; and other insects。〃
  In the absence of Mr。 Fernandez; the pastor; William had excluded two members of the Church。
  〃4th April 1810。A very little knowledge of human nature will convince you that this would have been thought an affront in five instances out of six。  You would have done better to have advised them; or even to have required them to have kept from the Lord's table till Mr。 Fernandez's return; and to have left it to him to preside over the discipline of the church。  You; no doubt; did it without thinking of the consequences; and in the simplicity of your heart; and I think Mr。 Fernandez is wrong in treating you with coolness; when a little conversation might have put everything to rights。  Of that; however; I shall say no more to you; but one of us shall write to him upon the subject as soon as we can。
  〃The great thing to be done now is the effecting of a reconciliation between you; and whether you leave Sadamahal; or stay there; this is absolutely necessary。  In order to this you both must be willing to make some sacrifice of your feelings; and as those feelings; which prevent either of you from making concessions where you have acted amiss; are wrong; the sooner they are sacrificed the better。  I advise you to write to Mr。 Fernandez immediately; and acknowledge that you did wrong in proceeding to the exclusion of the members without having first consulted with him; and state that you had no intention of hurting his feelings; but acted from what you thought the urgency of the case; and request of him a cordial reconciliation。  I should like much to see a copy of the letter you send to him。  I have no object in view but the good of the Church; and would therefore rather see you stoop as low as you can to effect a reconciliation; than avoid it through any little punctilio of honour or feeling of pride。  You will never repent of having humbled yourself to the dust that peace may be restored; nothing will be a more instructive example to the heathen around you; nothing will so completely subdue Brother Fernandez's dissatisfaction; and nothing will make you more respected in the Church of God。
  〃It is highly probable that you will some time or other be removed to another situation; but it cannot be done till you are perfectly reconciled to each other; nor can it possibly be done till some time after your reconciliation; as such a step would be considered by all as an effect of resentment or dissatisfaction; and would be condemned by every thinking person。  We shall keep our minds steadily on the object; and look out for a proper station; but both we and you must act with great caution and tenderness in this affair。  For this reason also I entreat you not to withdraw yourself from the church; or from any part of your labours; but go on steadily in the path of duty; suppress and pray against every feeling of resentment; and bear anything rather than be accessory to a misunderstanding; or the perpetuating of one。 'Let that mind be in you which was also in Christ; who made himself of no reputation。'  I hope what I have said will induce you to set in earnest about a reconciliation with Brother Fernandez; and to spare no pains or concession (consistent with truth) to effect it。〃
  William had applied to be transferred to Serampore。
  〃3rd August 1811。The necessities of the mission must be consulted before every other consideration。  Native brethren can itinerate; but Europeans must be employed to open new missions and found new stations。  For were we to go upon the plan of sending Europeans where natives could possibly be employed; no subscriptions or profits could support them。  We intend to commence a new station at Dacca; and if you prefer that to Cutwa you may go thither。  One of the first things to be done there will be to open a charity school; and to overlook it。  Dacca itself is a very large place; where you may often communicate religious instructions without leaving the town。  There are also a number of Europeans there; so that Mary would not be so much alone; and at any rate help would be near。  We can obtain the permission of Government for you to settle there。
  〃I ought; however; to say that I think there is much guilt in your fears。  You and Mary will be a thousand times more safe in committing yourselves to God in the way of duty than in neglecting obvious duty to take care of yourselves。  You see what hardships and dangers a soldier meets in the wicked trade of war。  They are forced to leave home and expose themselves to a thousand dangers; yet they never think of objecting; and in this the officers are in the same situation as the men。  I will engage to say that no military officer would ever refuse to go any whither on service because his family must be exposed to danger in his absence; and yet I doubt not but many of them are men who have great tenderness for their wives and families。  However; they must be men and their wives must be women。 Your undertaking is infinitely superior to theirs in importance。 They go to kill men; you to save them。  If they leave their families to chance for the sake of war; surely you can leave yours to the God of providence while you go about His work。  I speak thus because I am much distressed to see you thus waste away the flower of your life in inactivity; and only plead for it what would not excuse a child。  Were you in any secular employment you must go out quite as much as we expect you to do in the Mission。  I did so when at Mudnabati; which was as lonesome a place as could have been thought of; and when I well knew that many of our own ryots were dakoits (robbers)。〃
  William finally settled at Cutwa; higher up the Hoogli than Serampore; and did good service there。
  〃1st December 1813。I have now an assistant at College; notwithstanding which my duties are quite as heavy as they ever were; for we are to receive a number of military studentsI suppose thirty at least。  The translation; and printing also; is now so much enlarged that I am scarcely able to get through the necessary labour of correcting proofs and learning the necessary languages。  All these things are causes of rejoicing more than of regret; for they are the very things for which I came into the country; and to which I wish to devote my latest breath。。。Jabez has offered himself to the Mission; a circumstance which gives me more pleasure than if he had been appointed Chief Judge of the Supreme Court。。。Your mother has long been confined to her couch; I believe about six months。〃
  The following was written evidently in reply to loving letters on the death of his wife; Charlotte Emilia:
  〃4th June 1821。MY DEAR JONATHANI feel your affectionate care for me very tenderly。  I have just received very affectionate letters from William and Brother Sutton (Orissa)。  Lord and Lady Hastings wrote to Brother Marshman; thinking it would oppress my feelings to write to me directly; to offer their kind condolence to me through him。  Will you have the goodness to send five rupees to William for the Cutwa school; which your dear mother supported。  I will repay you soon; but am now very short of money。I am your very affectionate father; W。 CAREY。〃
  Of the many descendants of Dr。 Carey; one great grandson is now an ordained missionary in Bengal; another a medical missionary in Delhi; and a third is a member of the Civil Service; who has distinguished himself by travels in Northern Tibet and Chinese Turkestan; which promise to unveil much of the unexplored regions of Asia to the scholar and the missionary。
  Thus far we h