TUMULTS AND THREATS.
Education work grew fast and increased, as the banyan-tree sends down
shoots that themselves grow to be trees. Before Dr. Duff had reached
the age of forty, there were three colleges and many schools belonging
to the Scottish mission. Many indeed were the learners, but it is only
now and then that one is found bold enough and faithful enough to come
out openly and declare what he believes in his heart. Such a one was
Umesh Chander Sirkar.
For two years the Bible teaching in the college had deeply impressed
the soul of the young Hindu. His friends in alarm, advised him to study
"infidel" writings; they would rather have him devoid of all religion
than a believer in Christ! They would rather, as it were, put out
his eyes, than let him fix their gaze on the Saviour! But what Umesh
Chander read made him but the more firmly a Christian. He was youthful,
only sixteen; he longed to keep with him his sweet child-wife, then
only ten years of age. For two years the young couple in the dead of
night studied the Scriptures together; at no other time could they have
been safe from interruption. It was a sight to make angels rejoice when
the youth, his own heart glowing with holy love, taught the child-wife
to look to Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life! Umesh Chander's
words dropped like seed on a rich soil, the little Hindu wife showed
herself worthy of her husband.
At last Umesh Chander put into the girl' hand that wonderful allegory,
the "Pilgrim's Progress." The quick mind of the little Hindu grasped
the meaning of the parable. When the girl of twelve read the
description of Christian's flight from the City of Destruction, she
exclaimed, "Is not this exactly our condition? Are we not now living in
the City of Destruction? Is it not our duty to act like Christian, to
arise, forsake all, and flee our lives?"
The brave child's words seem to have brought her husband to a decision.
The next idol-festival gave an opportunity for flight.
It was a Sabbath evening; a meeting for prayer had been held with
native converts. After it, Dr. Duff had retired to his own room. It
was to him a time of great anxiety and trial. News from Scotland had
troubled him greatly. Dark clouds seemed to be gathering round; even
his brave heart was oppressed with care. Such seasons come to try the
faith of the most devoted Christians. Dr. Duff was wondering how God
would interfere to deliver His people from their distresses, when his
sad thoughts had a delightful interruption.
Suddenly Umesh Chander with his brave little wife, and Jugadishwar, a
convert who had aided their escape, appeared before him! In the joy of
his heart the Missionary exclaimed, "The Lord be praised!"
But a terrible tumult was to follow. Not even Gopinath's conversion had
excited such a commotion. Umesh Chander's father was a man of great
power as well as bigotry; he was the treasurer of the Mullik family who
possessed enormous wealth. The Mulliks and Sirkars with their numerous
followers besieged the house of Dr. Duff, the place of refuge which
had been sought by the youthful pair. The mob attempted violence, they
were full of wrath and fury. Dr. Duff had to keep his door fast closed
to prevent the fugitives thronging in and carrying off his guests by
force. Finding that they could not rush in, the Hindus changed their
mode of attack. The scene was changed to a court of justice. Umesh
Chander's father, boldly lying, declared that his son was but fourteen
years of age, and that Dr. Duff was keeping him in his house by force
and against the boy's own will! What must that religion be which needs
the prop of falsehood!
The Chief Justice appeared on the Bench, the case was investigated at
once. The convert was proved to be really upwards of eighteen years of
age. No question was raised about the wife; the brave child was allowed
to remain with her husband. Both were baptised together, two youthful
pilgrims starting hand in hand on their journey to the Heavenly City.
Oh! Tie of marriage how close and how blessed when husband and wife are
"one in the Lord!" This was the first instance in Bengal of a wedded
Hindu pair receiving baptism together.
It is some time since Umesh Chander Sirkar reached his celestial home,
but it is interesting to know that his wife still survives, and works
amongst Hindu girls! May she win many to enter on the same blessed
flight from the City of Destruction!
About a week after the double baptism, the tumult was repeated; another
Christian convert had dared to confess his faith! Baikunta Nath Day
took refuge with Dr. Smith from the storm which his conversion had
raised. But the protection of this house proved less effectual than
that of Dr. Duff's had been. While the Missionary was absent, the
poor fugitive was torn by force from the dwelling, carried off to a
relative's house, and "imprisoned in chains!" And actually Baikunta's
family were wicked enough to try to bind him in the yet stronger chains
of "vice!" If they could make him utterly vile, they thought that he
would be unfitted to become a Christian. What cared they for the ruin
of his soul, so that the family were not disgraced by his adopting the
religion of the pure and spotless Jesus!
But the dear lad was strengthened to resist all the temptations which
man or devil could bring to drag him down to perdition. And the Lord
delivered Baikunta not only out of temptation but out of his chains.
The place of his confinement was discovered, and the law obliged his
tormentors to give up their prey. The Rev. Baikunta Nath now preaches
the Gospel of Christ.
The Hindus exerted themselves to the utmost to ruin the work of
Christian education. Their efforts at first seemed to have great
success. The number of Dr. Duff's pupils had risen to above a thousand
in daily attendance, but he lost three hundred youths in one week!
Nor was this all that tried the Missionary. More baptisms fanned the
flame of bigotry into farther fury. Four more Koolin Brahmans had
confessed the Saviour. A violent anti-Christian meeting was held.
Actually a plot was formed to get rid altogether of the great opponent
of idolatry, Dr. Duff. If his eloquent persuasive tongue could be
silenced in no other way, it could be silenced in death. How easy to
hire ruffians to waylay and attack him.
Dr. Duff received kindly warnings of his danger. One person wrote,
"There is, I hear, a conspiracy amongst the wealthy Baboos to hire some
ruffians to maltreat you. If you treat it (the report) with contempt,
you will go on us usual; on the contrary if you think the report to be
true, you will avoid going out at night, or rather never go the same
road twice together."
Another wrote, "I have been credibly and seriously informed this day
that there is, or is to be, a plot by which some ruffians of the baser
sorts are hired to assault you . . . pray do not at least go out by
night &c."
The brave soul of Dr. Duff was not to be moved by personal fear. He
published a paper headed "A word of faithful and firm yet kindly
admonition to some of the Calcutta Baboos." This paper is too long to
be inserted in full, but an extract will show the writer's spirit.
"As to the rumour of threats regarding myself, I shall continue to
regard them as an idle tale. Amongst the Calcutta Baboos there are
those whom I respect and esteem, and to whose keeping I would at any
time entrust my life, in the most perfect confidence of friendship
and protection. If others, who do not know me personally, should in
ignorance of my principles and motives, entertain unkindly or hostile
feelings towards me, the fact would be in no way surprising. Even if
the alleged threats were real, and not the progeny of lying fiction, I
should not be in the least moved by them. My trust is in God."
And towards the end of his paper, Dr. Duff alluding to the well-known
saying that "the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church," thus
shows his calm confidence that even his murder could do no real injury
to the cause of God and His truth.
"The first actual missionary martyrdom that shall be enacted in
this heavenly cause may do more, under the over-ruling Providence
of God to precipitate the inevitable doom of Hinduism, and speed on
the chariot of Gospel triumph, than would the establishment of a
thousand additional Christian schools, or the delivery of ten thousand
additional Christian addresses throughout the towns and villages of
this mighty empire."
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