To the Rev. Dr. Baldwin.“Rangoon,August26, 1817.“Rev. and dear Sir: I am at present wholly absorbed in the dictionary. I hope to have it finished by the time that brother Rice arrives. The rains make it difficult for me to go out much; and, for the same reason, we have not many Burman visitors in our insulated situation. Even those who have visited us frequently, and acquired some knowledge of our religion, and manifested some spirit of inquiry, are deterred from prosecuting their inquiries by fear of persecution. I do not mean to imply that all persecution is to be dreaded, but that persecution which would effectually prevent the useof the means of grace certainly is. It is true that God will call those whom He has chosen; but since He has made means necessary to the end, since it is by the Gospel of His Son that He calls His people, it is certainly as much the duty of His servants to endeavor to avert such persecution as would effectually prevent the use of means as it is to use any means at all; and we may reasonably conclude that, when God has a people whom He is about to call, He will direct His servants in such a course.“I have no doubt that God is preparing the way for the conversion of Burmah to His Son. Nor have I any doubt that we who are now here are, in some little degree, contributing to this glorious event. This thought fills me with joy. I know not that I shall live to see a single convert; but, notwithstanding, I feel that I would not leave my present situation to be made a king.”
To the Rev. Dr. Baldwin.
To the Rev. Dr. Baldwin.
To the Rev. Dr. Baldwin.
“Rangoon,August26, 1817.
“Rev. and dear Sir: I am at present wholly absorbed in the dictionary. I hope to have it finished by the time that brother Rice arrives. The rains make it difficult for me to go out much; and, for the same reason, we have not many Burman visitors in our insulated situation. Even those who have visited us frequently, and acquired some knowledge of our religion, and manifested some spirit of inquiry, are deterred from prosecuting their inquiries by fear of persecution. I do not mean to imply that all persecution is to be dreaded, but that persecution which would effectually prevent the useof the means of grace certainly is. It is true that God will call those whom He has chosen; but since He has made means necessary to the end, since it is by the Gospel of His Son that He calls His people, it is certainly as much the duty of His servants to endeavor to avert such persecution as would effectually prevent the use of means as it is to use any means at all; and we may reasonably conclude that, when God has a people whom He is about to call, He will direct His servants in such a course.
“I have no doubt that God is preparing the way for the conversion of Burmah to His Son. Nor have I any doubt that we who are now here are, in some little degree, contributing to this glorious event. This thought fills me with joy. I know not that I shall live to see a single convert; but, notwithstanding, I feel that I would not leave my present situation to be made a king.”
Extract from Mr. Judson’s Journal.“One malicious intimation to the king would occasion our banishment; and banishment, as the Burmans tell us, is no small thing, being attended with confiscation of all property, and such various abuses as would make us deem ourselves happy to escape with our lives.“We feel encouraged by the thought that many of the dear children of God remember us at the mercy-seat. To your prayers I desire once more to commend myself—the weakest, the most unqualified, the most unworthy, and the most unsuccessful of all missionaries.“November 26.On taking our usual ride this morning to bathe in the mineral tank, we were accosted, on one of the pagoda roads, by the Mangen teacher, and peremptorily forbidden to ride there in future on pain of being beaten.“Our business must be fairly laid before the emperor. If he frown upon us, all missionary attempts within his dominions will be out of the question. If he favor us, none of our enemies, during the continuance of his favor, can touch a hair of our heads. But there is a greater than the emperor, before whose throne we desire daily and constantly to lay thisbusiness. O Lord Jesus, look upon us in our low estate, and guide us in our dangerous course!”
Extract from Mr. Judson’s Journal.
Extract from Mr. Judson’s Journal.
Extract from Mr. Judson’s Journal.
“One malicious intimation to the king would occasion our banishment; and banishment, as the Burmans tell us, is no small thing, being attended with confiscation of all property, and such various abuses as would make us deem ourselves happy to escape with our lives.
“We feel encouraged by the thought that many of the dear children of God remember us at the mercy-seat. To your prayers I desire once more to commend myself—the weakest, the most unqualified, the most unworthy, and the most unsuccessful of all missionaries.
“November 26.On taking our usual ride this morning to bathe in the mineral tank, we were accosted, on one of the pagoda roads, by the Mangen teacher, and peremptorily forbidden to ride there in future on pain of being beaten.
“Our business must be fairly laid before the emperor. If he frown upon us, all missionary attempts within his dominions will be out of the question. If he favor us, none of our enemies, during the continuance of his favor, can touch a hair of our heads. But there is a greater than the emperor, before whose throne we desire daily and constantly to lay thisbusiness. O Lord Jesus, look upon us in our low estate, and guide us in our dangerous course!”
Extract from a letter to Dr. Baldwin.“Rangoon,December9, 1819.“Rev. and dear Sir: Since my last we have had the happiness of baptizing two more Burmans, whose names are Moung Thah-lah and Moung Byaa; the former a young man of considerable talents and reading; the latter an old man of fifty, who has been learning to read in an evening-school. Moung Nau, the first convert, continues faithfully attached to the cause. Our fourth is a poor fisherman, whose exercises for a few days have been very strong and satisfactory, but he was obliged to go to sea before we thought it advisable to give him baptism. Our fifth is still an inquirer merely, a teacher, of learning and distinction, and possessed of the very first abilities. But soon after he began to manifest an open attachment to us, Satan became unusually disturbed, and sent one of his faithful servants to the viceroy with a complaint that our friend had renounced the religion of the country. The viceroy said, ‘Inquire further,’ and this portentous sentence, implying that a renunciation of the established religion would not pass with impunity, carried such terror to the heart of our poor Nicodemus, that he directly fled to his accuser, made his peace with him, and almost forsook us. This little circumstance, strange as it may seem to one living under a free government, spread dismay among all our acquaintance, and for above a month we have been nearly deserted by all, except those who have actually joined us.“The new king, moreover, has remitted the persecution of his grandfather, and restored the priests of Buddh to their former privileges; so that all the devout throughout the land are quite mad on their idols.“In a word, such is the state of things that though there are many, I am certain, who have some desire to inquire further into the Christian religion, they are afraid to come near us.“Brother Colman and myself have, therefore, concluded to follow your advice, by going up to Ava, and laying our business before the monarch. We have some hope that the Lord will incline him to hold out to us the golden sceptre, like another Ahasuerus, and become a protector of the infant cause. But it is almost too great a favor to hope for. And yet this favor we must obtain, or relinquish some of our dearest and most sacred hopes. Oh, what a trying case! None can know or experience the uncertainty of our present situation. But we sometimes rest on the Saviour and derive sweet consolation from the assurance that ‘our Jesus will do all things well.’”
Extract from a letter to Dr. Baldwin.
Extract from a letter to Dr. Baldwin.
Extract from a letter to Dr. Baldwin.
“Rangoon,December9, 1819.
“Rev. and dear Sir: Since my last we have had the happiness of baptizing two more Burmans, whose names are Moung Thah-lah and Moung Byaa; the former a young man of considerable talents and reading; the latter an old man of fifty, who has been learning to read in an evening-school. Moung Nau, the first convert, continues faithfully attached to the cause. Our fourth is a poor fisherman, whose exercises for a few days have been very strong and satisfactory, but he was obliged to go to sea before we thought it advisable to give him baptism. Our fifth is still an inquirer merely, a teacher, of learning and distinction, and possessed of the very first abilities. But soon after he began to manifest an open attachment to us, Satan became unusually disturbed, and sent one of his faithful servants to the viceroy with a complaint that our friend had renounced the religion of the country. The viceroy said, ‘Inquire further,’ and this portentous sentence, implying that a renunciation of the established religion would not pass with impunity, carried such terror to the heart of our poor Nicodemus, that he directly fled to his accuser, made his peace with him, and almost forsook us. This little circumstance, strange as it may seem to one living under a free government, spread dismay among all our acquaintance, and for above a month we have been nearly deserted by all, except those who have actually joined us.
“The new king, moreover, has remitted the persecution of his grandfather, and restored the priests of Buddh to their former privileges; so that all the devout throughout the land are quite mad on their idols.
“In a word, such is the state of things that though there are many, I am certain, who have some desire to inquire further into the Christian religion, they are afraid to come near us.
“Brother Colman and myself have, therefore, concluded to follow your advice, by going up to Ava, and laying our business before the monarch. We have some hope that the Lord will incline him to hold out to us the golden sceptre, like another Ahasuerus, and become a protector of the infant cause. But it is almost too great a favor to hope for. And yet this favor we must obtain, or relinquish some of our dearest and most sacred hopes. Oh, what a trying case! None can know or experience the uncertainty of our present situation. But we sometimes rest on the Saviour and derive sweet consolation from the assurance that ‘our Jesus will do all things well.’”
Before Mr. Judson and Mr. Colman set out for Ava, the little group of missionaries was thinned by the departure of the Wheelocks. Only seven days after Mr. Wheelock arrived in Rangoon, while engaged in family worship he had a hemorrhage, and on August 7, 1819, he set sail for Bengal. After being thirteen days at sea, during a period of temporary delirium he threw himself into the ocean. While Mrs. Wheelock was engaged in writing, and he apparently lying asleep, she heard the cabin door close. She looked around, saw that he was gone, sprang to the door, opened it, and discovered that he had vanished forever from her sight. The ship was sailing with such speed that no effort could be made to rescue him. The death of this young man was a great loss to the infant mission. His fervent piety, his sweet and uncomplaining spirit, and his devotion to the work of saving the heathen, had endeared him to his missionary associates. After mentioning in one of his letters that he and Mr. Colman had only one room each, he adds: “We preferONEroom in Rangoon toSIXin Boston. We feel that we arehighly blessed.”
20. I am indebted for some of these facts to a thoughtful and inspiring article by the Rev. A. Bunker, inThe Baptist Missionary Magazine, March, 1879.
20. I am indebted for some of these facts to a thoughtful and inspiring article by the Rev. A. Bunker, inThe Baptist Missionary Magazine, March, 1879.
21. SeeAppendix B. Being the first printed statement of Christian truth presented to the Burman mind, it has a peculiar interest.
21. SeeAppendix B. Being the first printed statement of Christian truth presented to the Burman mind, it has a peculiar interest.
22. For this phrase of Dante’s I am indebted to Canon Farrar.
22. For this phrase of Dante’s I am indebted to Canon Farrar.
23. SeeMap II.
23. SeeMap II.
24. The work done through thezayatis described in a sketch by Mrs. E. C. Judson, entitled “Wayside Preaching.” SeeAppendix F.
24. The work done through thezayatis described in a sketch by Mrs. E. C. Judson, entitled “Wayside Preaching.” SeeAppendix F.
25. At the time of writing this, not having heard much of baptism, he seems to have ascribed an undue efficacy to the ordinance. He has since corrected his error; but the translator thinks it the most fair and impartial to give the letter just as it was written at first.
25. At the time of writing this, not having heard much of baptism, he seems to have ascribed an undue efficacy to the ordinance. He has since corrected his error; but the translator thinks it the most fair and impartial to give the letter just as it was written at first.