MISSIONS. 



577 



M ISSIONS. In this article, we propose to give a 

 general view of the attempts made by the Protestant 

 churches for the propagation of Christianity among 

 heathen nation^ : Of Me principal missions e:-tal)li-.|ied 

 by the Churcn of Koine, some account may be found 

 in our history of tho-e countries which were the scene 

 of them. See ABYSMMA, vol. i. p. 61 ; ANGOLA, vol. ii. 

 p. 11<); CALIFORNIA, vol. v. p. 254.; CANADA, vol. r. 

 p. 321 ; CHINA, vol. vi. p. 2o4; JAPAN, vol. xi. p. 615, 

 fit: 



In 1559, the celebrated Gustavus Vasa, king of Swe- 

 Jen, sent a mi-sinnary of the name of Michael into Lap- 

 land, with the view of extending Christianity in that 

 country ; for though it had been introduced some ages 

 before the Reformation, yet most of the inhabitants 

 were still little better than Pagans. But though it is 

 now nearly three centuries since the Swedes began to 

 extend the gospel in Lapland, it has hitherto made 

 small progress. The inhabitants, indeed, are professed 

 Christian* ; but the Christianity of most of them is 

 merely nominal, and among ome of them the form of 

 it may be sought in vain. 



In 1716', Frederick IV. king of Denmark, sent two 

 missionaries into Norwegian Lapland ; and, according 

 to the accounts which are given of that part of the 

 country, the inhabitant* are better provided with the 

 means of Christian instruction than tho-e of Swedish 

 Lapland ; but we suspect religion has made no great 

 progress among them. 



In 1802, the Edinburgh Missionary Society" sent 

 the Rev. Henry lirunton and Alexander Tatcrson on 

 an exploratory mission to the countries lying between 

 the Black and the Caspian Seas. The Russian govern- 

 ment favoured the undertaking, and afforded them 

 every assistance and encouragement. This mission now 

 consists of three bran.hu, Karass, Astrachan, and 

 Orenburg ; and it is in contemplation to establish a 

 fourth in the Crimea. Besides writing a number of 

 small works in the Tartar language, Mr. Brunton trans- 

 lated into it the New Testament ; and a version of the 

 Old Testament is now carrying on by the other mis- 

 sionaries. Of these, large editions were printed, and 

 extensively circulated through the regions of Tartary. 

 Several of the natives have embraced Christianity ; and, 

 among others, one of the sultans of the country, a 

 young roan of highly respectable talents, and who is 

 connected with some of the principal families in the 

 EMC 



In 1705, Frederick IV. king of Denmark, tent Bar- 

 tholomew Ziegenbalg and Henry Plutscho to Tran- 

 quebar, with the view of converting the Hindoo* to 

 the Christian faith. Though the undertaking met with 

 much opposition and obloquy, particularly from the 

 Europeans and Roman Catholic* in India, yet it was 

 fostered with parental care by his majesty, and finally 



triumphed ovrr every obstacle. This mission now con- Missions.^ 

 sists of four branches, Tranquebar, Vepery near Ma- "*" ""Y "* 

 dras, Tritchinapoly, and Tanjore. Since its com- 

 mencement, about 54,000 of the natives, as nearly as 

 we can estimate them, have been baptised or received 

 by the missionaries. It is a common idea that the 

 converts consist almost entirely of the race of Pariars ; 

 but though this was the case in the first years of the 

 mission, the state of things is now materially altered. 

 At Tranquebar, Vepery, and Tanjore, more than two- 

 thirds of them are of the higher casts ; and even those 

 of the lower order are so much improved, that were a 

 stranger to visit their places of worship on the Sabbath, 

 he would be surprised at the cleanliness of their ap- 

 pearance, and might even mistake them for the higher 

 class of Hindoos. It has often been alleged, that any 

 attempt to convert the inhabitants of Hindostan to 

 Chri-tianity would alarm their prejudices, and even en- 

 danger our dominion in the East; but the missionaries 

 on the coast of Coromandel have pursued their peace- 

 ful labours for upwards of a century, without ever ex- 

 citing the slightest commotion among the Hindoos or 

 Mahomedans, and have even acquired, in a remarkable 

 degree, their resp>ct, and confidence, and love. On 

 the monument erected by the East India Company to 

 the memory of Mr. Swartz, who died about twenty 

 years ago, it is stated that the late Hyder Ally, in the 

 midst of a bloody and vindictive war with the Carna- 

 tic, sent orders to his officers " to permit the venerable 

 Father Swartz to pass unmolested, and shew him re- 

 spect and kindness, for he is a holy man, and means no 

 harm to my government." Such, indeed, was the 

 high estimation in which he was hekl by all classes of 

 the natives, that Colonel Fullarton assures us, that 

 " the knowledge and integrity of this irreproachable 

 missionary had retrieved the character of Europeans 

 from the imputation of general depravity." (Fullar- 

 ton's V\n o/' Enoitth Interests in India, p. 183 ) Be- 

 sides compiling various works of a philological and re- 

 ligious nature, the missionaries translated the whole 

 Bible into the Tamil) and Telinga languages ; the Old 

 Testament into that dialect of Portuguese which is spo- 

 ken in India ; and the New Testament, together with 

 some parts of the Old. into Hindostanee. 



In 1793, the Baptist Missionary Society sent the Rev. 

 William Carey and Mr. John Thomas to Bengal, with 

 the view of attempting the conversion of the Hindoos 

 in that part of India. For several years they laboured 

 without any apparent success ; but since the com- 

 mencement of the present century they have baptised 

 a considerable number of the natives ; and though 

 some of these afterwards relapsed into Paganism, yet 

 the great body of them remained stedfast to their Chris- 

 tian profession : their character was on the whole ma- 

 terially improved by Christianity, and was in many re* 



The following i< a lut of the principal inititutioiu among the Protestant churches, which have supported minions among the heathen : 

 The Corporation for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England, and the adjacent parts of America, erected 1649. Of this Society 

 the Hoo. Mr. Boyle was about SO rears the governor. 



The Society (in Ixmdon) for promoting Christian Knowledge, instituted 1698. 

 The Society for the Propagation of the Ciospel in Foreign Parts, incorporated 1 701. 

 The Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge, incorporated 1709. 



..yl Danish Minion College. 

 lite Moravian* or United Brethren, 1 7:J?. 

 The Method* Missionary Society, 1786. 

 The Baptist Missionary Society, instituted 1798. 

 The I-ondon Missionary Society, imtituied 1794. 



The Kdinburgh (now the Scottish) Missionary S-naety, instituted 1 796. : 

 The Church (of England) Miwiooary Society, instituted 1799. 



American Board of Commissioners for Foreign MUMINM. instituted 1810. 

 The Baptist American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, instituted 181*. 

 VOL. XIV. PART II. 4. D 



