England and India, an essay on the duty of Englishmen towards the Hindoos

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CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

Preface

I have written this book because something of this kind was wanted.

One hundred and thirty-two millions of our fellow-subjects in India — not to speak of forty-eight millions in the allied States — are dishonoring God, and are themselves in great danger. Of these, one hundred and twelve millions of Hindoos are worshipping obscene idols instead of God, in total ignorance of the Lord Jesus Christ ; and twenty millions of Mahommedans, while they misrepresent God, hate the Lord Jesus Christ: yet we have done almost nothing to convert them.

Over thirty-six millions of these we have ruled a hundred years, and many millions of them have not to this day once heard from us of God or of Jesus our Saviour.

IV PREFACE.

Christians being not their own, but bought with a price, should glorify God with their bodies and their spirits, which are His (1 Cor. vi. 19, 20). Yet millions of professed Christians in England, who have among them wealth, talent, education, and leisure, have seen God shamefully dishonored by our fellow-subjects, without doing any thing to remove that dishonor. Christians live to the Lord Jesus Christ, because they belong to Him (Rom. xiv. 7-9). Yet these professed Christians have done almost nothing to preach Him to the Hindoos, who never heard of Him ; or to the Mahommedans, who hate Him. Idolatry is fatal to the Hindoos,* and the hatred of Christ to the Mahommedans.f Yet these professed Christians have done nothing to save these Hindoos and Mahommedans, though they were under their Master's express orders to preach the gospel to every one of them (Mark xvi. 15), and " to pull each one out of the fire " (Jude 23). This indifference to the honor of God, to the commands of Christ, and to the salvation of our fellow-subjects, I have endeavoured to lessen.

Opinions are entertained by influential persons respecting our relations with India, which seem to

PKEFACE. V

me false and mischievous. Not satisfied with the official impartiality which should distinguish both the Government and its servants, they wish to make Christians in India neutral between truth and falsehood, between Christ and a licentious impostor, and between God and idols who are like the devil. Thus they would hinder eight hundred and eight civilians,* and a larger number of military officers, from honoring God, from serving Christ, and from converting some of the Hindoos. " They please not God, and are contrary to all men : forbidding us to speak to the heathen that they might be saved " (1 Thess. ii. 15, 16). Ascribing, too, the mutiny to wrong causes — such as the abolition of the suttee, the law which allows widows to marry, the Government system of education, and the favor shown to missionaries; instead of to the true causes — the magnitude of the Bengal army, the number of high-caste and Mahommedan soldiers in it, their complete ignorance of Christianity, and their fears of being tricked out of their caste by the greased cartridges ; these gentlemen would perpetuate the mistakes which have caused the mutiny, and, learning nothing from the dismal events through which we have passed, would lead us, after a little while, through the old errors

* De Valbezen, Les Anglais et l'lnde, p. 42. 3d Edit.

VI PREFACE.

to new and greater calamities. These opinions I have combated.

Finally, as we" are all much less earnest for the honor of God and for the salvation of India than we ought to be, I have set before such of my fellow- Christians as may read this book some facts which are adapted to increase our zeal and charity.

Christian Reader, may God lead us to know and do our duty !

Contents

INTBODUCTION.

PAGE

I. THE CONFESSION OF CHRIST BY THE EAST INDIA GOVERNMENT . 3

II. THE OBJECT OF BRITISH RULE IN INDIA . . .24

Part First. Duties Arising Out Of The Mutiny

I. THE PUNISHMENT OF THE MUTINEERS . . .45

II. THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE NATIVE ARMY . . .82

Part Second. Of Things To Be Removed Or Amended By The East India Government

I. ON PUBLIC IMMORALITIES . . . . .107

II. ON THE SANCTION AND SUPPORT OF FALSE RELIGIONS . .139

III. ON THE SANCTION AND SUPPORT OF CASTE . . .170

IV. THE TRADITIONAL POLICY OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY . 1 88

Vlll CONTENTS.

PAET THIED.

SOME THINGS WHICH THE EAST INDIA GOVEKNMENT OUGHT TO DO.

PAGE

I. GOOD MEN SHOULD BE PROMOTED .... 209

II. NATIONAL EDUCATION ..... 228

III. OF EAISING THE OPPEESSED CLASSES OF INDIA . .266

PAET FOUETH.

OF THE DUTIES OF INDIVIDUALS.

L THE DUTY OF THE SERVANTS OF THE EAST INDIA GOVERNMENT

TO PROMOTE THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST AMONG THE HINDOOS 285 II. ON CHRISTIAN MISSIONS IN INDIA '. . . .311

III. ON CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN INDIA . . . .325

IV. CHRISTIAN BOOKS FOR INDIA . . . . .378 V. OF A CHRISTIAN MISSION TO OUDE . . . .411

Introduction

I. THE CONFESSION OF CHEIST BY THE EAST INDIAN GOVEENMENT,

The divine nature of Jesus Christ our Lord is plainly declared by God in His Word. To Him David, speaking by the Spirit of God, said, " Thy throne, 0 God, is for ever and ever" (Ps. xlv. 6). Isaiah said of Him, "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God" (Isa. ix. 6). Micah said, " His goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah v. 2). Malachi said of Him, "Jehovah, whom ye seeh, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of ilie covenant" (Mai. iii. 1). He is thus described by John, " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Tlie same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him ; and without Mm was not anything made that was made" (John i. 1-3). And Paul speaks of Him thus, " Being in the form of God, he thought it not robbery to be equal with God ; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Phil. ii. 6, 7). "By him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or poivers ; all things were created by him, and for him ; and he is before all things, and by him all things consist" (Col. i. 16, 17). "Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. iii. 16). Not less decisive are the following statements which Jesus made of

4 THE CONFESSION OF CHRIST BY

himself: — " God so loved the world that he gave his only hegotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should, not perish, but have everlasting life" (John iii. 16). " The bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world" (John vi. 33). "I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me" (John vi. 38). " Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am" (John viii. 58). "I and my Father are one" (John x. 30). "Now, 0 Father, glorify thou, me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was" (John xvii. 5).

He descended from heaven, led a holy life, spoke as never man spoke, exercised power over all nature, filled the land with His wonders from Csssarea Philippi to Jerusalem, and died saying, "I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself: I have 'power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" (John x. 17, 18). Then He ascended; and finally He sent down His Spirit, as He said He would (John xiv. 16, 26; xv. 26; Acts ii. 4, 33).

From that time a Christian church was formed at Jerusalem of thousands of Jews ; where the twelve Apostles testified to the life, miracles, resurrection, and ascension of their Master in the presence of His enemies, and wrought miracles in His name. Thence they spread their faith over the Eoman empire, and formed churches of Christians, which have lasted to this hour and multiplied.

He has given the clearest revelation of God,, and a perfect moral law; He has set an example in which all human virtues were blended with divine powers; He has formed by His doctrine, authority, and spirit, the most exalted characters which the world has ever known; He has civilised many nations; He has specially blessed and exalted the poor; and teaching the Christian husband to love his wife with a tender, self-denying, warm, and constant affec-

THE EAST INDIAN GOVEKNMENT. 5

tion, like His own to the Church, has raised woman to virtue, dignity, and happiness. But He has secured for us greater blessings than these. By atoning for the sins of men, He has brought pardon to the guilty, adoption to the outcast, purity to the depraved, wisdom to the foolish, benevolence to the selfish, and heaven to the heirs of hell. Through Him thousands have gone to glory, and thousands more are going thither. He is now watching over His disciples with never-failing sympathy, and pleading their cause before God (Heb. iv. 14-16; vii. 25); where two or three meet in His name He is there (Matt, xviii. 20) ; He answers all their prayers (John xiv. 13, 14); He gives them all needful grace (Kom i. 7; 1 Cor. i. 3; 2 Cor. xii. 9); and at death He welcomes each of them to Himself (2 Cor. v. 8 ; Phil. i. 2, 3). At length He will come again in all the splendor of Deity (Matt. xxv. 31 ; Eev. xx. 11), attended by His angels (Matt, xxv. 31), when His voice will wake the dead (John v. 28, 29), to stand before Him as their judge (Matt. xxv. 31, 32; Acts xvii. 31; 2 Cor. v. 10; Eev. xx. 11, 12); and then, with omniscient wisdom, with perfect justice, and with Almighty power, He will assign to each one of all the millions of mankind, his place in heaven or in hell (Matt. xxv. 31-46; John v. 29).

All men living are bound to become Christians, because they have evidence that Jesus is the only Saviour, given by God the Father, to rescue from punishment, and to receive to eternal happiness all who believe in Him. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that-v>hosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but

6 THE CONFESSION OE CHRIST BY

he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God " (John iii. 14-18). " This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day " (John vi. 40). " Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life" (John vi. 47). Those who own their sins, depend for salvation upon His merit and mediation, and so take His yoke, becoming His servants, are saved ; and those who are too proud to own their sins, too self-righteous to trust in Him for salvation, and too self-willed to take His yoke, will perish. Thus, all men are bound to believe in Him that they may be saved. On the other hand, those who believe in Him must confess His authority. "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. x. 32). "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation " (Rom. x. 9, 10). liGod also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. ii. 9-11). If any man is a Christian, he confesses openly before the world, that Jesus is Saviour and Lord; and if any man does not so confess Him, he is no Christian. We are called as Christians to confess Him to be " God manifest in the flesh," "Immanuel" the Saviour of lost sinners, our Saviour, our Lord, our Judge, before the ignorant, before unbelievers, and before His enemies. We ought to do it from a regard to truth, because as we believe Him to be our Saviour, it is hypocritical to lead others, by our silence, to think we do not believe it ; and we ought to do it, because He is so good, that He is worthy of all the honor we can give Him. No one else could or would have saved us; but He by His unexampled humility, by His long and severe sufferings, by His kindness, which in all. its circumstances is unparalleled, has done it, and not to confess Him before men would be base ingratitude. His death to redeem us has filled heaven with admiration. There, ten thousand times ten thousand beings, loftier and wiser than we are, express their admiration of Him by saying, " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing" (Eev. v. 12), and none but depraved natures can be inclined to despise their homage.

Even if gratitude did not urge us to confess Him, we ought to do it from obedience to His will, for He " has all power in heaven and earth" (Matt, xxviii. 18). God has exalted Him for this purpose, that men should confess Him to be the Lord of all (Phil. ii. 9, 11) ; and He claimed this respect Himself, when He said, " Whosoever therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. x. 32). To be silent is the disobedience of the soldier to his commander, and of the subject to his king. We know Him to be our Lord, then why not obey His orders'? " Wliy call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which L say?" (Luke vi. 46.) " Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you " (John xv. 14). Then we should remember how much we need Him. If any think that they are safe enough without a Saviour, and mean to venture into the eternal world trusting to their own virtues for eternal life, it is intelligible that they should give Him no honor ; but Christians know their need of Him. We are pardoned through His atoning sacrifice (John iii. 16, 36; Matt. xx. 28; Eom. iii. 23, 24;

8 THE CONFESSION OF CHRIST BY

2 Cor. v. 21; Gal. iii. 10, 13). We are saved through His intercession (1 John ii. 1; Hebrews vii. 25). He is our wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor. i. 30). We need Him to take care of us, for we are weak and ignorant ; and we shall need His favor when we stand before Him as our Judge (John v. 22; Acts xvii. 31; Eom. ii. 16; 2 Cor. v. 10, &c, &c.) Since, therefore, we are sure to be saved if He undertakes our cause, and as sure to be lost if He rejects us, it is wise to give Him some respect, by acknowledging openly in the world what we know to be His real dignity, goodness, and power. Besides, we should do this on another ground. Of those who live to please themselves, not Him, He has told us, that, in the hour of judgment, He means to say to His attendant officers, "Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. xxv. 30) ; while to each of those who openly and faithfully served Him He will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant ; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will inalce thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (Matt. xxv. 23). The results of that welcome are so important, that no man should slight them ; but they become more momentous when viewed in conjunction with the consequences of the opposite conduct. If any persons, from fear or false shame, or any other cause, deny that Jesus is the Saviour of sinners, the Lord of all, their own Saviour and Lord, He will deny them to be His followers or friends before the whole world.

If any, without going the length of denying Him, will conceal His claims, not acknowledging Him to be their Saviour and their Lord, their reception will be similar to that of the deniers ; for He has said, " Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels" (Mark viii. 38). And this is manifestly just: for of what a contemptible hypocrisy are those guilty, who know Him to be the only Saviour of sinners, and dare not own it ! and with what ingratitude are those chargeable, who say, among His disciples, that they hope to be saved by Him ; and then will publicly before the world dishonor Him by their silence and neglect ! Are they His followers who disobey* His plain and peremptory orders 1 Can they expect to be owned, and blessed, and saved by Him who do Him dishonor 1 He will acknowledge and reward those who confessed and served Him ; but how can they expect anything but exclusion from His presence, who valued the applause -of men more than His approbation, and who feared their frown more than His displeasure % If Peter wept bitterly because he had in one weak hour disowned Him, how will those be confounded who disowned Him all through their lives ! " The fearful shall have their part in the lake which burnetii with fire and brimstone" (Rev. xxi. 8). To be ashamed of the Son of God, of our Redeemer and Saviour — of Him who bore shame that we might have glory — of Him who endured sorrow that we might be happy — who is the witness of our conduct, our almighty and omniscient Judge — is a contempt so base, so cowardly, so ungrateful, so depraved, that the whole universe will applaud the authoritative decision, which sentences all guilty of it to shame and everlasting contempt.

That which is the duty of all Christians must be the duty of the members of the East Indian Government, if they are Christians. If any men do not profess to be Christians, they ought not to be sent by professed Christians to govern a heathen people ; because their irreligion must more than neutralise the advantages to be derived from their talent or energy : and if the Governors of India are professed Christians, they should confess Christ. Of governors especially has God said — "All kings shall fall down before him" (Ps.

10 THE CONFESSION OP CHRIST BY

lxxii. 11), and the Governors of India, no less than all other redeemed persons, are commanded openly and without reserve to " confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. ii. 9-11).

They are not called to persecute Mahommedans or Hindoos; because it is the will of Christ that His religion should be extended by instruction, reasoning, and persuasion ; and because man is answerable for --his belief to God alone, so that no man may interfere with another man's creed as long as he does not violate his neighbour's rights, or offend against public decency. They must not, as Christians, prohibit heathen worship, nor interfere with its advocates when they preach or write in its behalf; because truth is always the strongest when it is left to contend with falsehood by itself. If error is silenced by authority, its advocates may always say that it would have conquered by fair play ; but when truth prevails by argument alone, its victory is complete. They are not therefore permitted to bribe heathens to profess faith in Christ, by the offer of office, or by attaching any honors or emoluments to that profession ; for this may create hypocrites but cannot make men Christians. They should not tax the Hindoos for the purpose of maintaining Christian preachers; because this by extorting their money for the purpose of destroying their faith, would exasperate them rather than convert them to Christ ; nor are they called as Christians to pass any laws for the promotion of Christianity ; nor to make any grants of money for this object ; nor to employ any missionaries; for this work is not their office, and they are not fitted to discharge it. But it is their duty to confess Christ, and to serve Him both as individual Christians and as a government.

As individuals, they have received from their Master, by His servant Paul, the following command, " Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus " (Col. iii. 17).

The Governor-General, for instance, should let all men know that Jesus Christ is his Master. If he converses with friends, sees Europeans and others at his levees, or receives deputations from any bodies of men, or speaks in public, he should never be ashamed to own that he is the servant of Christ; that he believes Christ to be the only Saviour ; and wishes all his fellow-men to believe in Him for their salvation. The actions of the Governor-General should no less express his. faith. He should read His Word, and pray with his family in His name ; honor the Lord's day, obey His will, as contained in the New Testament, associate with His most faithful disciples, aid the efforts of His servants to make Him known, contribute from his private purse to societies for the circulation of the Bible, and for the support of missionaries, and show kindness to missionaries before the world. The King of Prussia lately, to his credit, invited to his palace at Potsdam about eight hundred ministers of religion and others, who were come to Berlin to attend the evangelical conference, simply to show his love for the gospel and his faith in Jesus Christ. The Governor-General might do the same.

The East Indian Government, likewise as a government, without taxing their heathen subjects to maintain bishops, chaplains, or missionaries, which the natives would feel to be unjust, may, nevertheless, confess and serve Christ, both by their words and actions. As Mahommedan rulers before them acknowledged Mahommed, they may, in all their laws, proclamations, public papers, and treaties with the native princes, acknowledge themselves to be the servants of Jesus Christ. So all they do should be done avowedly with regard to His authority. Because they are Christians, they should not encourage false religions, nor discourage the servants of Christ, nor dishonor Christ by immoral acts; but rule the people with avowed subjection to His authority, and see that every law that they pass, and every measure which they adopt, should be in harmony with His law.

12 THE CONFESSION OF OHEIST BY

Such being the duty of the East Indian Government, they have, alas, neglected it. "The Government and all its servants have hitherto refused public support and countenance to efforts for converting the natives of India."* May 29, 1807, the Court of Directors declared their sentiments in the following paragraph of a letter to Fort St George, — " In the whole course of our administration of the Indian territories, it has been our known and declared principle to maintain a perfect toleration of the various religious systems which prevailed in it, to protect the followers of each in the undisturbed enjoyment of their respective opinions and usages, and neither to interfere with them ourselves, nor to suffer them to he molested by others."^ This traditional policy referred both to the servants of the Company, and to missionaries. As to the first, Sir J. Malcolm says, " Let the clergymen in the employ of Government, whether as ministers of religion or professors of colleges, be prohibited from using their endeavours to make converts." J And the Government has taken the same view ; for when Mr Fisher, chaplain at Meerut, baptized, in 1819, Prabhu Din, a sepoy of the 25th Native Infantry, Major Brown, then in command of the regiment, reported to the Commander-in-Chief that he had been baptized " without his privity or consent ;"§ upon which the Governor-General answered by the military secretary of the Government, " the Governor-General in Council is disposed to view the matter in the most serious light." A military committee was appointed to examine the circumstances, and Prabhu Din, though an excellent soldier, was dismissed the regiment for becoming a Christian. ||

With respect to efforts made by other Christians to convert the natives, the Court of Directors said further in their

* Sir John Malcolm's Political History of India, ii., 267.

§ Wilkinson's Sketches of Christianity in India, 252. || Ibid., 253, 262.

letter of 1807, "When we afforded our countenance and sanction to missionaries, .... it was far from being in our contemplation to add the influence of our authority to any attempts they might make." * " About this period the attention of the G-overnor-General in Council was called to the public preaching of the missionaries, and the issue from the press of works in the vernacular language of the country, which were highly offensive to the religious feelings of the natives."! The Governor-General in Council, Lord Minto, reporting to the Directors, said, " When publications and public preachings, calculated not to conciliate but to irritate the minds of the people, were brought to the notice of Government, the interposition of the ruling power became necessary to preclude the apprehended effects of these dangerous and unprofitable proceedings."! Lord Minto afterwards added, " It could not be supposed that any former administration would have deemed it consistent with the public safety, or with the obligations of the public faith as pledged to the native subjects of the Company, for the unmolested increase of their religions, to permit the circulation of such inflammatory works as those which had been brought to notice." § Previous administrations had, indeed, been more severe when, " in the close of 1 79 9, four missionaries arrived from England, the harsh and jealous policy of the Company forbad their settling in the British dominions." || " The missionaries desired nothing beyond simple permission to preach the gospel." But this was denied them ; and when they fled to Serampore, " for many years they continued to be watched narrowly, to be viewed with suspicion, and even sometimes threatened with an expulsion from the country ."If "So anomalous was the conduct of Government, that whilst it proscribed the simple unaided dissemination of the gospel, it not only protected idolatry,

|| Life of Carey, by Eustace Carey, 349. *5T Ibid., 352.

1 i THE CONFESSION OE CHRIST BY

but condescended to regulate its rites, and even to profit by some of its practices." * December 5, 17.99,. Mr Brunsdon wrote home, " We find every attempt to go up the country would only irritate Government ; and more, we have it from good authority that the Governor-General in Council said that he woidd send either of us on board ship that should be found in the Company's territory."! "Mr Carey and his companions had no sooner settled themselves at Seramppre, than they had to encounter the opposition of the ruling powers." j September 2, 1806, the missionaries wrote, " Our brethren, Chater and Eobinson, who arrived here last week, went, as is customary, to the police-office to report their arrival; on which occasion some demur arose about permitting them to proceed to Serampore. Brother Carey therefore went to town on Tuesday last, and waited on two of the justices of the peace, Mr Blacquiere and Mr Thoroton, about the matter. As he was leaving the office, Mr Blacquiere called him back, and said that he had been directed by the Governor-General (Sir George Barlow) to express to him his desire that he would not interfere with the prejudices of the natives by preaching to them, instructing them, or distributing books and pamphlets among them; that he would desire his colleagues to observe the same line of conduct; and that we would not permit the converted natives to go into the country to spread Christianity among the people."^ " Souls are perishing on every side, and we are forbidden to administer the remedy which God has put into our hands." || Nov. 18, 1806, Dr Carey wrote, "No communication concerning the mission has been made from Government ; yet several circumstances combine to make me conclude that the removal of it, or even the suppression of it, would not be matter of regret to the Governor-General/'IT