people, and good non-cons., in this country, whose means would admit of it; but the thing is, that a quite different standard is, and resolutely will be applied to a mission family, avowedly acting, and really having acted, on a principle of entire self-devotement to the Christian cause. In consideration of the use that will infallibly and very effectually be made of any even small deviation from this high principle, by the enemies, I have urgently inculcated on Dr. M. the wisdom of excluding at his return, any real excess of show and style."*

CLVIII. TO B. STOKES, ESQ.

December 5, 1829.

MY DEAR SIR,The last time of my being at Worcester, I left you with very irksome feelings, on account of having declined even so much as one instance of compliance with the friendly requests for a public service of any kind. Not exactly that I reproached myself for not having complied, but an indistinct mingled mortification respecting it altogether, as what would appear an unfriendly thing to you personally; for as to the ministers, my acquaintance had been so small as to make it a different case from what it would be with some old familiar friend, like Coles, with whom I had had a sort of social connection for many long years continuously. . . . . It may seem strange enough, and indeed, no good symptom of character, that I should feel such extreme repugnance to such services. And I am perfectly aware that more candor than I could expect from any one but yourself and Mrs. Stokes, would be requisite for allowing any validity to my explanation ;—that, having been so long out of the practice of preaching, I have come to feel very great inaptitude, except for some such thing as an off-hand talk in some of our village meeting-houses-that, from infrequency in part, it is in such places alone that I could feel myself in any degree at ease in such off-hand work-that, having next to no memory at all, it is in vain for me to make any preparation, beyond a few written sentences, of which, as suggestions, I am to make just what I can at the time, and that I can make nothing of them except where much at my ease from the pitch and quality of the auditors—and that, in addition, I have great difficulty, from failure of sight for near objects, to make out even the largely-scrawled lines on my paper-that, therefore, I have everything against me for making anything of the exercise but a cause of mortifi

*"This is matter not reducible to any strict rules of propriety. Our well conditioned and genteelish non-cons would spurn at any such prescriptions and interdictions; but the high and devoted character assumed by the Serampore fraternity, and the very invidious circumstances in which they were placed, rendered it an important and evident law of prudence, to maintain as much as possible of even a puritanic simplicity and unworldliness in their economy.”—Mr. Foster to the Rev. Î. Fawcett, April 24, 1830.

cation to myself, and, as an inevitable consequence, to my friends among the auditors. I have spoken the literal truth about preparation and memory. Even in the Bristol lectures some years back, my preparation did not go one inch beyond the bare written scheme, which might have been read in perhaps a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes. I was long enough in writing those bare schemes-often as much as three days; but even then, under very considerable responsibility, I never could do anything at all in the way of what may be called filling up That would have far more than doubled the time, and besides, such endless labor would have been nearly useless, as I was absolutely certain that I should retain no recollection, to any purpose, of what I might have so prepared. But the consequence was, the constant hazard of failure, which sometimes did take place in a most mortifying degree. So that between such toil and such liability to failure notwithstanding, I was glad to make an end of the service. The truth is, that it costs me -or rather would cost me-more labor than any other preacher alive, to do that which, in one sense, I am able to do, able, that is to say, supposing all circumstances favorable. All this being thus matter of unpleasant experience, I have fully declined all preaching but such little village work as I have mentioned; and even that is now of rare occurrence, in consequence of there being a settled minister now at the place to which I used oftenest to go. In Bristol I believe I shall never preach again. I have told the friends so, in such honest terms, that I am now never applied to, except that I was asked to make one sermon at Broadmead, during Hall's absence, which I refused.

CLIX. TO JOHN PURSER, JUN., ESQ.

1830.

I do not know whether you saw much of Dr. Marshman in his visit (there were, I think, two visits) to Dublin. . . . . Uniformly, and in all places, we have observed him indisposed in an uncommon degree, to magnify or dilate upon his own services. I never knew a man who had done half so much who would admit to it half so little. I was struck with the fact, and have often mentioned it, that days and weeks might have passed away in conversational companies (in which the subject of Serampore was not formally, and by express requisition of the party, made the matter of discourse), without any person's being made aware that Dr. M. had ever done anything in the least remarkable. He would talk largely of India in all its relations, but what he had done there would uniformly be the very last thing of which he would speak. Often, in such companies, he would not speak of it at all, unless in answer to some direct inquiry. When he did speak of Serampore, as led to it formally and necessarily by the object and intention of the meeting, it was always in the most moderate terms as respecting him

self. He habitually merged himself in the partnership-" the union;" and in all ways, and on all occasions, without the least sign of affectation, gave the precedence to Dr. Carey. One of the most marked characteristics of pride is high-toned contempt, or indignant reaction to imputations, reproaches, depreciations, &c. Now I never saw so little of this in any other mortal man, who was the object of censure, injustice, and abuse. The contrary temper in him was so remarkable, that I used to be curious to discover wherein it consisted; how much of it was a Christian patience and quietude, and how much an unsensitiveness of natural constitution. I thought there must be much of the latter, from the uniformity, nearly, of the phenomenon. I have myself used more rough language to him, and quite in serious driving earnest, than I ever did to any other man in all my life, and have been amazed how he could take it all without bristling into anger, an effect which I never witnessed but in one instance; in which I doggedly, and, I believe, fiercely, traversed and contradicted him, in a particular explanation. I have often thought exactly this-that he had not pride enough to give him a dignified and manly bearing, to make himself be treated with anything like the due deference and respect. Ward I know, and Carey I believe, would have allowed no such liberties as were taken by Dr. M. without reaction, and with perfect impunity. Really, I was sometimes ashamed for his tameness, as letting him down from the proper degree and tone of manly dignity and respectability. And often enough I wondered, reflectively, how it could be that I could, involuntarily, be so divested of respectful feeling, and of the appropriate manners and language, toward a man, whose excellence and practical services I rated, with the most perfect conviction, so eminently high. And a chief cause I still found to be, his want of a certain manly assumption, which partakes of the noli me tangere, and the nemo me impunè lacessit.

There are other things in the case certainly. His manners are some what uncouth; his theological language is of the humblest old school; his intellect is not vigorous or acute ; and he has, in regard to the affairs and persons in a state of hostility, a dread, carried to excess, of direct, bold, uncompromising conflict. To effect things by management; to carry a purpose without firmly avowing it; to persist in a design (for he is very pertinacious) under a silence which might have led opponents to imagine he had relinquished it; to assign but in part his reasons for it; to endeavor to frustrate an opponent's design in the quietest way possible; to raise an obstacle from circumstances, rather than to make a direct, bold opposition or attack; to wear out the time, instead of putting an affair promptly to hazard; to prefer, in all cases, caution to boldness; to temporize sometimes to a fault; such I can well believe to have been, in India, the policy which has brought on him such a violence of censure and opprobrium. . . . . Such is the policy which Dr. Carey himself is cited as having (in a letter of old date) denominated "crooked," but with no emphasis of disapproval, as is manifest from his firm, unal

terable attachment to his colleague from first to last. He did not like this policy, it was not quite agreeable to the plain straightforwardness of his own character; but he did not at all regard it as vicious in principle, only an unlucky peculiarity of character in a man who was upright in his motives and objects; a man who was devotedly and disinterestedly faithful to the great cause, and whose services to it were important, incessant, and indefatigable. In that very same letter of Dr. Carey, the paragraph describing the said "crooked policy was immediately followed by an expression, in strong terms, to this effect:-" notwithstanding any such faults in my colleague, my best wish for the mission is, that may never want a Marshman."*

it

But now after all, as to Dr. M., am I pretending wholly to justify him? no; for one thing, I do not like that same which I have adverted to, as what has been denominated "crooked policy;" though I assuredly oelieve, that his prevailing motive in practising it, has been to serve the good cause, by avoiding collisions and explosions, and getting the work quietly forward. I believe too, that in some critical conjunctures, mischiefs and dangers have been thus evaded, when a different manner of proceeding would, in all probability, have incurred them. For another thing I am convinced, by a comparison of testimonies, that . . . . he has latterly allowed, or more correctly not prevented, as much as he might and should, the growth of a certain stylishness and affectation of genteel life in his domestic establishment. But, not to say how difficult parents are everywhere finding it to dictate discretion and taste to their young folks, and shape their habits to a primitive or philosophic standard, especially if any of them should be of the utmost use and necessity in the establishment; not to insist on this, I believe the show and stylishness in question and in accusation, to be nothing more than what is practised or aspired to by very many of our good Christian people, who are in what are called handsome circumstances. The unfortunate thing is, that this genteel style of life, being admitted into an establishment which was long retained on a system of rigorous economy, and constituted on an avowed and permanently obligatory rule, of strictly "devoting all to God"-obligatory, that is to say, from voluntary pledge and vow-has afforded an occasion (vastly exaggerated in the representation) for making the charge of a dereliction of the original missionary spirit, and a degeneration into worldly character and habits. . . . . But now, after all, look at all this; admit that he has the weakness of such an overweening partiality for his family, as to allow them in some things which he had much better have

"Brother Marshman's excellences are. such that his defects are almost concealed by them; and I believe him to be one of the firmest friends the mission ever had; and I hope the mission may never stand in want of one like him."-Dr. Carey to Dr. Ryland, April 11, 1818. "In point of zeal he is a Luther, and I an Erasmus."-May 24, 1810. ther Marshman, who is naturally a little tortuous, but than whom a more excellent and holy man does not exist." . . . . May 30, 1816. From the

same to the same.

"Bro

restrained; and that the tenor of his policy has not been frank, told, and manly (while, as I feel the most perfect conviction, systematically and honestly intended for the best), what a trifling deduction is this from the merit of more than a quarter of a century of indefatigable labor for the service of Christianity, prosecuted in the oppressive climate of India too, with no view to either emolument or fame! Think of one item, the translation of the whole Bible into Chinese, as but a very minor portion of the quantum of his disinterested labors. I can express the more confidently my exceedingly high estimate of him from the circumstance, that he is not a man to my taste, as to matter of taste. He is not a man of taste, sentiment, imagination, discrimination, play and reach of thought, free speculation, strong understanding, literary cultivation, or manly cast of deportment; it is his substantial, faithful, Christian excellence, on which my estimate and complacency rest.

Believe me, my dear Sir, I am vexed, ashamed, and I know not how many more words I might add, to have been led into this tediousness of observation. I have no knack of despatch. And besides I confess I did wish to contribute something in aid of what I thought a correct opinion in a man of whose judgment I have reason to think so highly as of yours, in reference to a matter which is evidently of some importance, as affecting the character and interests of what will be by far the most memorable missionary adventure of our age. I can have no manner of interest about it, but simply as a well-wisher to a good cause, under present adverse circumstances. It has consumed as much (all put together) as a whole year of my waning life, and while I had many reasons (a pecuniary one not excepted) claiming that I should be very differently occupied. Mine has been a great and gratuitous sacrifice.

No future letter to you will be filled with anything so foreign to friendly correspondence. I could not adjust matters so as to allow at this time the visit to Dublin, which I am willing and gratified to promise myself at a more favorable season, if life continue. I was pleased, not at all surprised, at your coincidence with me in opinion about dissenting ordinations, and also about a widely different matter, the principles of Wellington's policy in the measure so favorable to Ireland. One cannot help suspecting that one of his chief motives was a wish to have the military force of the country more disposable for aid (under possible circumstances), to support that infernal Mahomedan domination in the east of Europe, which one earnestly wishes-all mere political calculations out of the question-to see crushed by the Russian invasion. Under sanction of that old humbug, “the balance of power," and to present some eventually possible inconvenience to our trade to the Levant-that is to say, reduced to plain terms, some pecuniary disadvantage-our government would not scruple to sink the nation a hundred millions deeper in debt. But Ireland again; who would have thought that the session of Parliament, commencing with the beneficial political measure, would pass off without one particle of anything done for the internal relief and im