JUDSON, ADONIRAM.
IN MEMORIAM.
REV. ADONIRAM JUDSON.
BORN AUG. 9, 1788,
DIED APRIL 12, 1850.
MALDEN HIS BIRTHPLACE
THE OCEAN HIS SEPULCHRE.
CONVERTED BURMANS, AND
THE BURMAN BIBLE,
HIS MONUMENT.
HIS RECORD IS ON HIGH.
This tells the story; indeed it tells the story of all of us. We are
born, we die, and the years which are counted in between the two dates,
filled with the work we do, whether we do good or evil, make up our
record, and stand as our monument, or if we have not built well lie as a
tumbling mass of ruins.
The inscription which I have copied is cut upon a marble tablet erected
in the church in the town where the Missionary Judson was born. If we
had only that record our imagination would fill it out. But we are not
left to fancy him growing up an earnest Christian, going out in his
young manhood to a heathen land preaching and translating the Gospel and
at length dying on shipboard. We have a complete record of his life and
we learn that he was the son of a New England clergyman. That he was an
unusually bright boy and learned to read the Bible when he was three
years old! One incident of his boyhood is rather amusing. He was very
fond of solving riddles and puzzles; and on one occasion when he had
worked some time over a newspaper puzzle and succeeding in solving it,
had copied out his answer and carried it to the post-office. But the
postmaster gave the letter to the boy's father, fearing that some
mischief was brewing. The father with his accustomed courtesy and sense
of propriety would not break the seal, but commanded his son to open and
read the letter. The father called for the newspaper containing the
puzzle and studied the boy's work. But he said nothing then or ever
after either of reproof or commendation, but the next day he informed
Adoniram that as he was so apt at solving riddles he had purchased for
him a book of puzzles, and that as soon as he had solved all it
contained he should have one more difficult. The boy was delighted; what
boy who delights in riddles and puzzles would not be delighted with a
new book of puzzles! But imagine if you can the boy's disappointment
when he discovered the book to be a school text book on arithmetic!
Well, arithmetic sometimes proves a puzzle, even to bright boys. He was
always a faithful student. He graduated at Brown University with the
highest honors, being the valedictorian at commencement. So exemplary
was his course while in college that the college president wrote to his
father a letter of congratulation upon having such an amiable and
promising son.
A year after graduation young Judson entered a theological seminary. At
the time when he dedicated himself to the service of God, he consecrated
himself to the work of preaching the Gospel. But it was some time
afterwards that he began to think about being a missionary. A printed
missionary sermon preached in England was the means of turning his
thoughts to the heathen. One day while walking alone in the woods
meditating and lifting his heart to God in prayer for direction, the
command "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every
creature," came to him with a new power and meaning, and he then
resolved to obey the command. I suppose you have all heard the story of
the haystack prayer-meeting, when four young men consecrated themselves
to the work of carrying the Gospel to the heathen. About the time that
Mr. Judson gave himself up to the work, he was thrown into the society
of these four young men and together they planned as to ways and means
of carrying out their purpose.
There were many and great difficulties in the way of carrying out their
scheme. You may wonder why the way should have been so difficult; there
was at that time no foreign missionary society in America to send them
into heathen lands. You must remember that it was seventy-five years ago
that these young Christians were fired with the spirit of missions, and
though it may seem strange to you, it is a fact that the Christian
people of our land had not yet had their attention turned to the work of
foreign missions. The command "Go into all the world," had not reached
their hearts; though the words of Christ had stood in their place in the
record of our Saviour's life, yet their meaning had not yet dawned upon
the hearts of his followers. And I fear that even now in our own day
there are many Christians who overlook the words or read them without
thought of their full meaning.
It was when the desire of these students was brought before the
association of Congregational churches of Massachusetts that the matter
was considered by that body, and as the result the board of
commissioners for foreign missions was organized. In weakness and with
many misgivings this "mother of American foreign missionary societies"
was organized, but it has grown to be a power in the world of missions.
Afterwards Mr. Judson became a Baptist, and together with a Mr. Rice set
in motion events which led to the formation of the American Baptist
Missionary Union, another society in the interests of the foreign work.
At length after many trials and a long wearisome journey Mr. Judson and
his wife found themselves in Burmah, which was to be the field of their
labors. For nearly forty years this devoted man labored to light up that
dark country with the Gospel light. Perhaps the most important work of
his whole life was the translation of the Scriptures into Burmese. In
his autobiographical notes are two brief records which stand for years
of hard labor:
"1832, December 15, sent to press the last sheet of the New Testament in
Burmese;" and, "1834, January 31, finished the translation of the Old
Testament."
While the work of translation was going on, when the New Testament was
about completed, Doctor Judson was at Ava, the capital of the Burman
Empire; war had broken out between Burmah and England, and as a
foreigner, Doctor Judson was arrested and thrown into prison. At first
he was put into the death prison, but afterwards was removed to an outer
prison, but was kept heavily ironed. Mrs. Judson, alarmed for the safety
of the manuscript, buried it under the house.
But at length she was permitted to see her husband, and fearing that the
dampness of the soil would destroy the manuscript they devised means for
its preservation. Mrs. Judson made a sort of pillow, not at all
luxurious, lest some one should envy him and take it away; but she sewed
the manuscript up in matting, and for months Doctor Judson slept with
the precious pillow under his head. At one time when the prisoners were
thrust again into the inner prison, everything was taken from them and
the missionary feared that he should never again see his beloved
manuscript. But the pillow proved so hard that the jailer threw it back
into the prison, doubtless thinking that if the prisoner could find any
comfort in that, he was welcome to it. Once again the precious package
was taken from him and this time thrown away. But the Providence that
watches over all the interests of his children put it into the heart of
a Burmese convert to pick it up as a souvenir of his beloved missionary
teacher whom he supposed was about to be put to death, never dreaming
that it contained anything of value; and months afterwards he restored
it to Doctor Judson. And in due time it was printed and given to the
Burman world as a precious legacy from one who loved them more than
life.
In all the years of his missionary labor Doctor Judson visited his
native land but once. He brought three children to America to be
educated and himself after a short sojourn returned to his work. But his
arduous labors, together with his intense sufferings during the period
of imprisonment, had enfeebled his constitution, and three years after
his return he died on shipboard as he was taking a short voyage in
search of health, and was buried at sea.
Doctor Judson's life of consecration, his self renunciation, can but
influence the hearts of all who make it a study. I have heard of a young
man who was so impressed upon reading the life of this wonderful man,
that he went out into a field and there alone with Christ gave himself
up to the service of the Lord. The era of foreign missionary work began
with the hour when the few Christian students at Williams and Andover
gave themselves to the work.
A conscientious decision may revolutionize the world.