Life of William Carey by George Smith - The Jesus Army

than be accessory to a misunderstanding, or the perpetuating of one. ‘Let that mind be in you
which was also in Christ, who made himself of no reputation.’ I hope what I have said will induce
you to set in earnest about a reconciliation with Brother Fernandez, and to spare no pains
or concession (consistent with truth) to effect it.”
William had applied to be transferred to Serampore.
“3rd August 1811.--The necessities of the mission must be consulted before every other consideration.
Native brethren can itinerate, but Europeans must be employed to open new missions
and found new stations. For were we to go upon the plan of sending Europeans where natives
could possibly be employed, no subscriptions or profits could support them. We intend to commence
a new station at Dacca, and if you prefer that to Cutwa you may go thither. One of the
first things to be done there will be to open a charity school, and to overlook it. Dacca itself is a
very large place, where you may often communicate religious instructions without leaving the
town. There are also a number of Europeans there, so that Mary would not be so much alone,
and at any rate help would be near. We can obtain the permission of Government for you to
settle there.
“I ought, however, to say that I think there is much guilt in your fears. You and Mary will be a
thousand times more safe in committing yourselves to God in the way of duty than in neglecting
obvious duty to take care of yourselves. You see what hardships and dangers a soldier meets in
the wicked trade of war. They are forced to leave home and expose themselves to a thousand
dangers, yet they never think of objecting, and in this the officers are in the same situation as
the men. I will engage to say that no military officer would ever refuse to go any whither on service
because his family must be exposed to danger in his absence; and yet I doubt not but many
of them are men who have great tenderness for their wives and families. However, they must be
men and their wives must be women. Your undertaking is infinitely superior to theirs in importance.
They go to kill men, you to save them. If they leave their families to chance for the sake of
war, surely you can leave yours to the God of providence while you go about His work. I speak
thus because I am much distressed to see you thus waste away the flower of your life in inactivity,
and only plead for it what would not excuse a child. Were you in any secular employment
you must go out quite as much as we expect you to do in the Mission. I did so when at Mudnabati,
which was as lonesome a place as could have been thought of, and when I well knew that
many of our own ryots were dakoits (robbers).”
William finally settled at Cutwa, higher up the Hoogli than Serampore, and did good service there.
“1st December 1813.--I have now an assistant at College, notwithstanding which my duties are
quite as heavy as they ever were, for we are to receive a number of military students--I suppose
thirty at least. The translation, and printing also, is now so much enlarged that I am scarcely
able to get through the necessary labour of correcting proofs and learning the necessary languages.
All these things are causes of rejoicing more than of regret, for they are the very things
for which I came into the country, and to which I wish to devote my latest breath... Jabez has
offered himself to the Mission, a circumstance which gives me more pleasure than if he had
been appointed Chief Judge of the Supreme Court... Your mother has long been confined to her
couch, I believe about six months.”
The following was written evidently in reply to loving letters on the death of his wife, Charlotte Emilia:
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