Inspiring Biography: William Carey (1761 - 1834)

When God has a definite purpose in a man’s life surely his life has great transformations.
There are ever so many people who have become great and famous but the most
important aspect is their life, in connection with the Lord. A shepherd boy elevated
to be a king, fishermen chosen to be the disciples of Son of God, a persecutor of
Christians became a preacher for Christ; these transformations surely speak of God’s way
of choosing people for His purpose as per Corinthians I 1: 26-17. They also clearly
elucidate the mammoth growth, prosperity, and blessings in the life of a person who
clings on to Jesus and remain faithful to him. One such significant transformation is
the life of William Carey, a shoemaker transformed into a missionary, professor,
publisher, social reformer, and so on and so forth. He brought light, the true light, into
the spiritually darkened Indian subcontinent by translating Bible into nearly 11 Indian
languages.

William Carey was born at Paulerspury Northamptonshire as the eldest son of Edmund
and Elizabeth Carey in 1761. His father was originally a weaver, but later he was
appointed as a teacher in the village charity school. After the completion of his formal
school education, due to his family’s financial constraints he was sent to work. As he had
great passion for nature, animal, birds, plants, and gardens, he opted to take up a job in
agriculture. Prolonged exposure to sunlight caused allergic outbreaks on his skin, and so
his father decided that William would be suitable only for indoor jobs, and sent him as an
apprentice to a shoemaker, Clarke Nichols, in Piddington. At the time William was just
14.

William Carey’s early life is similar to that of John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim’s
Progress, marked with swearing, cursing, and mischievous deeds. While at work he had
many conversations regarding his spiritual life with his senior, John Warr, who is also an
apprentice. John warr’s walk and talk attracted Carey to Jesus. Carey found solace and
peace to his soul through the word of God. Soon he started testifying his experiences to
the people of his village. In 1783, he obeyed the Lord in the waters of baptism. John
Ryland who baptized William Carey recalled after many years: “On October 5, 1783 I
baptized a poor journeyman-shoemaker, little thinking that before 9 years elapsed, he
would prove to be the first instrument for the formation of a society for sending
missionaries from England to the heathen world, and much less than late he would
become a professor of languages in an Oriental college and the translator of the scriptures
into 11 different languages.”

Realizing the great commission of Jesus (Mathew 28:19), he started preaching the
Gospel. As he was not formally educated in any of the theological college, the church
did not recognize his pastoral skills. However, in 1785 the Baptist Church identified him
and ordained him as the pastor of a Baptist Chapel at Moulton.

Carey had a burden in his heart to preach the gospel to the unreached parts of the world.
This burden became too heavy and that came out as a sermon in Northamptonshire
Baptist Association Meeting. The key verse of the sermon was Isaiah 54:2-3. Carey’s
burden was shared with the entire people of the association, which resulted in the
formation of a society to send missionaries to heathen lands to spread the gospel. In 1793
William Carey and John Thomas were commissioned to go as the missionaries to Bengal
in India. After an year of stay in India, he brought his wife, Ms. Dorothy Carey, and
children to Bengal from England. He did not get much support from the natives. In
order to support his large family, he worked as an indigo planter. However, after a while
he became jobless as the owner of the indigo estate sold it out. In his loneliness and
sorrowful state he said: “I am in a strange land, alone, no Christian friend, a large
family and nothing to supply their wants. But now all my friends are but one, I
rejoice, however, that he is all-sufficient and can supply all my wants, spiritual and
temporal.” Though he was in much distress, he was not at all shaken. Nothing
separated him from the love of Jesus. In deed, Carey was “educated in the school of
adversity”.

Carey observed about the conditions of India as “I see one of the finest countries of the
world full of industrious inhabitants; yet one-third of it is uncultivated jungles,
abandoned to wild beasts and serpents. If the gospel flourishes here, “the wildness
will in every respect become a fruitful field.” As aptly commented by William Carey
India was a once jungle both spiritual as well as physical aspects. II It was inhabited not
only by real serpents and wild beasts but also by the serpent, the evil one, and it was
under clutches of powers and principalities of darkness as human sacrifices, widow
burning, and other evil practices were flourishing at that time. The people were
spiritually blinded, and sacrificed their children and infants to their deities. They were
not aware that it was not only an inhuman practice, but also compulsorily sending the
souls to hell. The same is evident in the case of widow burning. Carey was really
sorrowful regarding the perishing souls, but he knew the solution for all and that is Jesus,
who could only bring deliverance. He was not only preaching, but also indulged himself
in translating the New Testament into Bengali. He brought the divine light to the
darkened country. His work is greatly commendable. God filled him with enormous
talents. He had spectacular linguistic skills. He channeled his scholarly skills solely to
the translation work, as he was well aware of the importance of work he was involved in.
He set up the India’s first printing press in Serampore, also invented an indigenous paper
for printing. He is the pioneer of Indian printing technology. In 1801, he printed the first
Bengali New Testament. In the later years, he translated Bible into nearly 11 languages.
Thus, William Carey truly lighted the lives of the Indians.

After the death of his wife, Ms. Dorothy Carey, due to insanity in 1808, he married
Ms.Charlotte E. Rumohr. She was extremely helpful spiritually and intellectually to
Carey. After an interim period of happiness, in 1812 he faced another tragedy of the
destruction of his Serampore Printing Press in a fire in which he lost his research
materials, literatures, and his numerous writings of untold value. However, through this
loss God made his humble servant’s name spread far and wide, and God enabled him to
rebuild it far better than the first. In 1818, he founded the Serampore College, the first
university in the Indian history, not only to educate young men and women but also to
lead them to Christ. His childhood passion for nature evolved him to be a founder of
Agriculture and Horticultural Society of India in 1820. In 1821, his wonderful soulmate
passed away leaving him in great sorrow. He continued his work for the Lord in spite of
his suffering and loss of the loved ones. He continued voice against infanticide and Sati,
widow burning, through a journal called Friend of India. Through the united efforts of the
missionaries, British reformers, and Indian reformers the practice of Sati was abolished.
His health declined gradually, he finished his good race in 1834. He was buried in the
Serampore next to his loving wife Charlotte’s grave. Truly, he lived according to his
words, "Expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.” The Indian
Government celebrated bicentenary of the arrival of William Carey in 1993 and honored
him by releasing a commemorative postage stamp.

People may become great through various means. The dangers of becoming great
and famous are innumerable. But the safest way to become great in the sight of God
and Man is by doing God’s Will and being humble. The bible says in Proverbs 22:4,
“By humility and fear of the Lord, are the riches, honor, and life. ” In quest of name
and fame many have lost the essential ones, the fear of God, the humility, and the
life. If anybody fears the Lord he obeys Gods word, which is the Bible. If anybody
is humble, then he must be constantly depending on the grace of the Lord. “He
gives grace to the humble,” says the bible. The grace of the Lord shall make one
great. Self-realization, recollection of our past, and wonderful leading of our Lord
through the wilderness would work out gratitude in our heart for our loving,
gracious savior, which would keep us safely in His grace. Bible speaks of a God who
desires his children to wax great and great. He makes the despised people to be
Eternal Excellency, a joy of many generations (Isaiah 60: 15). This is the work of
the Lord to make His children joyful. We cannot become truly great through our
efforts, but as we seek His kingdom and all its righteousness he makes our name
great. He establishes our families on the face of this earth. God has made William
Carey’s life an inspiration to all of us. He did valiantly through God and for God.
He is not only great in the human history, but also has great rewards stored up for
him in the Kingdom of God.

There is only one life that will soon to pass, but only things done for Christ will last.

Shantha Daniel
comprehensivechristian.com