Page 12 - Good News March 2007 paper

William Carey: Missionary-EvangelistWilliam Carey: Missionary-Evangelist And he prayed. And he pleaded. And
Continued from p. 1
Continued from p. 1 he plodded. And he persisted. And
Carey it was a revelation of human need! He then began he preached - especially his epoch-
to read every book that had any bearing on the subject. initiating message, “EXPECT
This, along with his language study - for at twenty-one GREAT THINGS FROM GOD.
years of age Carey had mastered Latin, Greek, Hebrew ATTEMPT GREAT THINGS FOR
and Italian, and was turning to Dutch and French. His GOD.” The result of that message
shoemaker’s cottage was called “Carey’s College,” for preached at Nottingham, May 30,
as he cobbled shoes, along with his preaching, he never 1792 produced the Particular Baptist
sat at his bench without some kind of a book before him. Missionary Society, formed that Fall
The more he read and studied, the more convinced he at Kettering on October 2, 1792.
was that “the peoples of the world need Christ.” A subscription was started and,
He read, he made notes, he made a great leather globe of ironically, Carey could not contri-
the world and one day, in the quietness of his cobbler’s bute any money toward it except the
shop - not in some enthusiastic Missionary Conference pledge of the profit from his book,
- Carey heard the call: “If it be the duty of all men to ‘The Enquiry’.
believe the Gospel ... then it be the duty of those who are It was in 1793 that Carey went to
entrusted with the Gospel to endeavour to make it India. At first his wife was reluctant
known among all nations.” And Carey sobbed, “Here am to go - so Carey set off to go
I! Send me!” nevertheless, but after two returns
To surrender was one thing - to get to the field was quite from the docks to persuade her
another problem. There were no missionary societies again, Dorothy and his children
and there was no real missionary interest. When Carey accompanied him. They arrived with
propounded this subject for discussion at a ministers’ a dr Thomas at the mouth of the
meeting, “Whether the command given to the apostles Hooghly in India in Nov., 1793. There
to teach all nations was not obligatory on all succeeding were years of discouragement (no
ministers to the end of the world, seeing that the Indian convert for seven years),
accompanying promise was of equal extent,” Dr. Ryland debt, disease, deterioration of his
shouted, “Young man, sit down: when God pleases to wife’s mind, death, but by the grace
convert the heathen, He will do it without your aid or of God - and by the power of the
mine.” Andrew Fuller added his feelings as resembling Word - Carey continued and con-
the unbelieving captain of Israel, who said, “If the Lord quered for Christ!
should make windows in heaven, might such a thing When he died at 73 (1834), he had
be!” seen the Scriptures translated and
But Carey persisted. He later said of his ministry, “I can printed into forty languages. He had
plod!” And he was a man who “always resolutely been a college professor, and had
determined never to give up on any point or particle of founded a College at Serampore. He
anything on which his mind was set until he had arrived had seen India open its doors to
at a clear knowledge of his subject.” missionaries, he had seen the edict
Thus Carey wrote his famed ‘Enquiry Into the passed prohibiting ‘sati’ (burning
Obligations of the Christians to Use Means for the widows on the funeral pyres of their
Conversion of the Heathen’. In this masterpiece on dead husbands), and he had seen
missions Carey answered arguments, surveyed the converts for Christ.
history of missions from apostolic times, surveyed the On his deathbed Carey called out to
entire known world as to countries, size, population and a missionary friend, “Dr Duff! You
religions, and dealt with the practical application of how have been speaking about dr Carey;
to reach the world for Christ! but when I am gone, say nothing
about dr Carey - speak about dr
Carey’s GOD!” That charge was
symbolic of Carey, considered by
many to be a “unique figure,
towering above both contem-
poraries and successors” in the
ministry of missions.
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