And now I ought to begin to write about myself and India: but I
fear you are not so interested about me as you used to be: yet
the Church of God, I know, is dear to you always! Let me speak
of the ministers. The Gospel was preached before the
Governor-General by seven different evangelical chaplains in the
course of six months. Of these five have associated, agreeing to
communicate with each other quarterly reports of their
proceedings. They are Mr. Brown at Calcutta, Thompson at
Cuddalore, Parson at Berhampore, Corrie at Chunar, and myself
here. Corrie and myself, as being most similarly employed,
correspond every week. He gives all his attention to the
languages, and has his heart wholly towards the heathen. He has
set on foot four schools in his neighbourhood, and I four here
along the banks of the Ganges, containing 120 boys: he has
nearly the same number. The masters are heathens--but they have
consented with some reluctance to admit the Christian books. The
little book on the Parables in the dialect of Bihar, which I had
prepared for them, is now in the press at Serampore; for the
present, they read with their own books the Sermon on the Mount.
We hope by the help of God to enlarge the plan of the schools
very considerably, as soon as we have felt the ground, and can
advance boldly.
Respecting my own immediate plans, I am rather in the dark. They
wish to engage me as a translator of the Scriptures into
Hindustani and Persian, by the help of some learned natives; and
if this plan is settled at Calcutta, I shall engage in it
without hesitation, as conceiving it to be the most useful way
in which I can be employed at present in the Church of God. If
not, I hope to begin to itinerate as soon as the rains are over;
not that I can hope to be easily understood yet, but by mixing
familiarly with the natives I should soon learn. Little
permanent good, however, can be done till some of the Scriptures
can be put into their hands. On this account I wish to help
forward this work as quick as possible, because a chapter will
speak plainly in a thousand places at once, while I can speak,
and not very plainly, but in one. One advantage attending the
delay of public preaching will be that the schools will have a
fair run, for the commencement of preaching will be the downfall
of the schools. I have my tent ready, and would set out with
pleasure to-morrow if the time for this work were come. As there
is public service here every Lord's Day, three days' journey is
the longest I can take. This may hereafter prove an
inconvenience: but the advantages of being a Company's servant
are incalculable. A missionary not in the service is liable to
be stopped by every subaltern; but there is no man that can
touch me. Amongst the Europeans at this station I am not without
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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