William Carey

“ After all, the uncivilized state of the heathen, instead of affording an objection against preaching the gospel to them, ought to furnish an argument for it. Can we as men, or as christians, hear that a great part of our fellow creatures, whose souls are as immortal as ours, and who are as capable as ourselves, of adorning the gospel, and contributing by their preaching, writings, or practices to the glory of our Redeemer's name, and the good of his church, are inveloped in ignorance and barbarism? ”

“ A MAN WISHING TO BORROW MONEY AND A MERCHANT.
Sir, I am fallen into a great difficulty. If you will preserve me, by lending me ten rupees, I shall be safe. Otherwise my landlord will sell my cattle, my wife and children.
How many ploughs have you? How many bighas is your farm? What is your yearly rent? If I don't know these things, how can I lend you money.
I have twenty-five bighas of land, Sir. The whole rent of it is fifteen rupees. Of that I have paid five rupees, and now owe ten. ”

“ Many can do nothing but pray, and prayer is perhaps the only thing in which Christians of all denominations can cordially, and unreservedly unite; but in this we may all be one, and in this the strictest unanimity ought to prevail. Were the whole body thus animated by one soul, with what pleasure would Christians attend on all the duties of religion, and with what delight would their ministers attend on all the business of their calling.
We must not be contented however with praying, without exerting ourselves in the use of means for the obtaining of those things we pray for. ”

“ Woman, your curse will only brush the dust from my left foot. I sacrifice your daughters and sons, and put them under my children's feet. Go, you wretch who beg from house to house, you who clean a little rice for your livelihood. You strumpet, who go through the markets to pick up whatever falls. ”

“ Can we hear that they are without the gospel, without government, without laws, and without arts, and sciences; and not exert ourselves to introduce amongst them the sentiments of men, and of Christians? ”

“ What language being acquired, shall I be able to do the business of this country? Sir, this is Bengal. The Bengal writing, reading, and language, are current here. There will be no objection to your studying other languages afterwards; but first there is a necessity for the Bengalee language, and a knowledge of reading and writing it.
Continuation.
Hear! In how long time shall I be able to do business, if I attend to learning?
Gentlemen are of fertile genius and good understanding; therefore by learning for two years, they may be able to do business. ”

“ The Missionaries must be men of great piety, prudence, courage, and forbearance; of undoubted orthodoxy in their sentiments, and must enter with all their hearts into the spirit of their mission; they must be willing to leave all the comforts of life behind them, and to encounter all the hardships of a torrid, or a frigid climate, an uncomfortable manner of living, and every other inconvenience that can attend this undertaking. ”

“ What can I do, Sir? I have planted half the land. When there is a little more rain, I will plant the whole.
Hear; you are a very idle fellow. Other people's fields are planted, what's the reason that yours is not? ”

“ We cannot say that it is repealed, like the commands of the ceremonial law; nor can we plead that there are no objects for the command to be exercised upon. Alas! the far greater part of the world, as we shall see presently, are still covered with heathen darkness! Nor can we produce a counter-revelation, concerning any particular nation, like that to Paul and Silas, concerning Bythinia; and, if we could, it would not warrant our sitting still and neglecting all the other parts of the world; for Paul and Silas, when forbidden to preach to those heathens, went elsewhere, and preached to others. ”

“ It is readily acknowledged, that whoever undertakes to learn a language, should accustom himself to give an account of every word, in whatsoever connection it may be found. It is on this count that dialogues with translations have been supposed to be useless, if not injurious, furnishing the student with a kind of knowledge gratis, which he ought to acquire by application; while they leave him unacquainted with the principles of the language. ”

“ Men can now sail with as much certainty through the Great South Sea, as they can through the Mediterranean, or any lesser Sea. Yea, and providence seems in a manner to invite us to the trial, as there are to our knowledge trading companies, whose commerce lies in many of the places where, these barbarians dwell. At one time or other ships are sent to visit places of more recent discovery, and to explore parts the most unknown; and every fresh account of their ignorance, or cruelty, should call forth our pity, and excite us to concur with providence in seeking their eternal good. ”

“ Do you think nobody is acquainted with your goings on? You think to cover all, I suppose, by making a great noise.
What you have got in your head can never be, you such an one's wife. Every body has heard of your goings on. ”

“ In the mean time it is a satisfaction to consider that the late defeat of the abolition of the Slave-Trade has proved the occasion of a praise worthy effort to introduce a free settlement, at Sierra Leona, on the coast of Africa; an effort which, if succeeded with a divine blessing, not only promises to open a way for honourable commerce with that extensive country, and for the civilization of its inhabitants, but may prove the happy mean of introducing amongst them the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. ”

“ A Christian minister is a person who in a peculiar sense is not his own; he is the servant of God, and therefore ought to be wholly devoted to him. By entering on that sacred office he solemnly undertakes to be always engaged, as much as possible, in the Lord's work, and not to chuse his own pleasure, or employment, or pursue the ministry as a something that is to subserve his own ends, or interests, or as a kind of bye-work. He engages to go where God pleases, and to do, or endure what he sees fit to command, or call him to, in the exercise of his function. ”

“ Then how do you think to pay your rent?
What can we think? The king's taxes must be paid. We will do labouring work, and give it by some means.
Can you get so much work to do, as to secure the payment of so much rent?
See, Sir. We are four or five brothers: some will work at the salt works, and some will do other work. ”

“ Or have not English traders, for the sake of gain, surmounted all those things which have generally been counted insurmountable obstacles in the way of preaching the gospel? Witness the trade to Persia, the East-Indies, China, and Greenland, yea even the accursed Slave-Trade on the coasts of Africa. Men can insinuate themselves into the favour of the most barbarous clans, and uncultivated tribes, for the sake of gain; and how different soever the circumstances of trading and preaching are, yet this will prove the possibility of ministers being introduced there ”

“ If there had been a carriage road, I could have gone with pleasure.
It is impossible to go so far in a carriage, there are so many rivers and rivulets to cross, and no place where you could put up at night. ”

“ One of the first, and most important of those duties which are incumbent upon us, is fervent and united prayer. However the influence of the Holy Spirit may be set at nought, and run down by many, it will be found upon trial, that all means which we can use, without it, will be ineffectual. If a temple is raised for God in the heathen world, it will not be by might, nor by power, nor by the authority of the magistrate, or the eloquence of the orator; but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts. We must therefore be in real earnest in supplicating his blessing upon our labours. ”

“ They could never cultivate the land. You know a vast deal. You don't pay more than half the rent that was paid by the former tenant.
How many bighas of land was this farm, Sir?
You pretend not to know how many bighas your land is. What! do you pay rent without knowing that?
I have heard, that all the former land does not now belong to it.
Where did you hear, that formerly there was a quantity of land which is not now in the farm?
I have heard, Sir, that a bruhmutra was given out of this land, and that the river has carried some away.
When was land given to brahmuns out of that farm? ”

“ Thus the apostles acted, in the primitive times, and endured hardness, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ; and though we living in a civilized country where Christianity is protected by law, are not called to suffer these things while we continue here, yet I question whether all are justified in staying here, while so many are perishing without means of grace in other lands. Sure I am that it is entirely contrary to the spirit of the gospel, for its ministers to enter upon it from interested motives, or with great worldly expectations. ”

“ How should the work of any one fail to whom you gentlemen are friendly?
You are a very good man. Your business and the wish of your heart will be completed without difficulty.
The gods have caused the shaving business of to-day to be completed without any failure. ”

“ It is inconsistent for ministers to please themselves with thoughts of a numerous auditory, cordial friends, a civilized country, legal protection, affluence, splendor, or even a competency. The flights, and hatred of men, and even pretended friends, gloomy prisons, and tortures, the society of barbarians of uncouth speech, miserable accommodations in wretched wildernesses, hunger, and thirst, nakedness, weariness, and painfulness, hard work, and but little worldly encouragement, should rather be the objects of their expectation. ”

“ If I can't pay in ten days, I will pay the daily allowance to a peon. There cannot be a delay of ten days. Write, and give a promise for five days.
I cannot, Sir, pay it in five days. What property of that sort have I got? Have mercy, Sir. Let it be ten days.
Hear, you. This fellow is a great hand at making excuses. If he be not well punished, he will not pay his rent.
What you please, Mr. Landlord. I am fallen into great helplessness this year.
Continuation.
Can you get money no where? If you take some advances upon flax or hemp, you may pay the money immediately. ”

“ I trust our monthly prayer-meetings for the success of the gospel have not been in vain. It is true a want of importunity too generally attends our prayers; yet unimportunate, and feeble as they have been, it is to be believed that God has heard, and in a measure answered them. The churches that have engaged in the practice have in general since that time been evidently on the increase; some controversies which have long perplexed and divided the church, are more clearly stated than ever; there are calls to preach the gospel in many places where it has not been usually published ”

“ It has been objected that there are multitudes in our own nation, and within our immediate spheres of action, who are as ignorant as the South-Sea savages, and that therefore we have work enough at home, without going into other countries. That there are thousands in our own land as far from God as possible, I readily grant, and that this ought to excite us to ten-fold diligence in our work, and in attempts to spread divine knowledge amongst them is a certain fact; but that it ought to supercede all attempts to spread the gospel in foreign parts seems to want proof. ”

“ The most glorious works of grace that have ever took place, have been in answer to prayer; and it is in this way, we have the greatest reason to suppose, that the glorious out-pouring of the Spirit, which we expect at last, will be bestowed. ”

“ When a trading company have obtained their charter they usually go to its utmost limits; and their stocks, their ships, their officers, and men are so chosen, and regulated, as to be likely to answer their purpose; but they do not stop here, for encouraged by the prospect of success, they use every effort, cast their bread upon the waters, cultivate friendship with every one from whose information they expect the least advantage. ”