Burmah was then an independent empire, with a population
of about eight millions ; the government an absolute despotism, arbitrary and
most cruel ; the religion Buddhism. Rangoon, near the mouth of the Irrawaddy,
is the natural depot of much of Central Asia, and was a strategic centre for
Christian missions.
It was then a
dirty town of about ten thousand inhabitants, intersected by muddy inlets,
which filled at high tide. Here Judson began his permanent work.
Two languages
were to learn the common Burmese, and the sacred Pali. The younger Carey had
not preached, but had partly made a grammar and dictionary; and Judson at once
began his translation of the Bible, which he finished in 1834. In 1815 Mrs.
Judson had to go to Madras for medical advice. That year their first child was
born, a little boy who died greatly praised for comprehensive and concise
accuracy. Partially recovering, he imported a printing-press from Serampore and
a printer from America, and published his " View of the Christian
Religion," the first of a series of tracts that had a strong influence
with that thoughtful and reading people. Mrs. Judson also published a catechism. These
publications were followed by the appearance of Inquirers, the first one coming
March 7, 1817, and marking an epoch in the work.
With a
deepened sense of the need of evangelistic work, Judson now went to Chittagong
to find some native Christian who could preach and teach in Burmese. He was
unexpectedly detained there seven months, during which his wife, with some missionary
helpers who had joined them, maintained the work under vexatious persecutions, displaying
great endurance and wonderful skill and diplomacy with the native authorities ;
and later going through the trials of an epidemic of cholera. On in infancy. In
1816 Judson seemed breaking down, and hurriedly collected the notes he had made
for a Burman grammar. It was published twenty years later, and his return
Judson built an open sayat, a shed of bamboo, for public evangelization, with a
room for assemblies of worship, and another, opening on the garden, for women's
classes. The zayat was on a main public thoroughfare, under the shadow of the
chief pagoda. Here he conversed with men of different classes, some of profound
Oriental learning, and saw how the skepticism of European philosophy has been
anticipated in the subtler scepticisms of India, which have undermined Oriental faith, and made preparation
for a faith more rational.
The first
regular service was held in the zayat April 4, 1819, Judson having been in Rangoon
nearly six years, and then first venturing to preach in the native tongue. The
27th of the following June he baptized his first Burman convert, Moung Nau.
In November
there were rumors of persecutions, and public services were suspended for
several Sundays, and two new converts were baptized privately ; and greater
interest bringing new threats from the authorities, Judson went to Ava, the
capital, to lay the matter before the king. The journey
and return consumed over two months, and seemed rather to
produce more explicit threats ; and Judson resolved to remove to Chittagong,
under British rule.
But now the
little circle of converts awoke to independent life and courage. They could not
bear to be scattered, but begged that, if the missionaries must go, it would not
be till their membership was increased to ten, and they organized under some leader
to hold them together and help their Christian life. Departure was therefore postponed
; and ten months later the tenth convert and first woman was received into the
church. This was on the eve of Judson's sailing to Calcutta with his wife because
of her ill heath; and through this absence the little church stood steadfast even
under persecution.
Then the
persecution ceased. A girls' school was opened ; and the work took so interesting
a form that, though Mrs. Judson's health compelled her to go to America, her husband
remained at Rangoon. He was now
joined by Dr. Price, a medical missionary, whose remarkable success,
especially in operations for cataract, led to his being
summoned to Ava, to the king ; and here Judson thought it best to accompany him.
This movement
brought the whole missionary work at once under favorable notice of the court.
There was no more talk of persecution, but apparently the largest opening for
greatly enlarged work. Judson came into the presence of the king, and received
the royal invitation to transfer his work from Rangoon to the capital ; and after
Mrs. Judson's return from America with improved health, and with
re-enforcements for Rangoon, they removed to Ava, arriving there in January,
1824.
The court favor
at Ava, however, was clouded over by a change of ministers, almost before their
actual arrival. Many postponements and hindrances impeded their work, in spite
of the favor held by Dr. Price's medical reputation ; and in a few months the
outbreak of war between Burmah and England threw the mission into confusion and
dismay. There was a general suspicion of all persons of English speech; and ere long Judson, Dr. Price, and five others
were arrested and thrown into prison.
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