J A Shurman ~ Time line

Mission Report

March 1839, India
  • 9
    Benares --
    W. Buyers, J.A. Schürmann, W. Penman Lyon; 3 Nat. As.; Mr. and Mrs. Lyon arrived in March of last year: Mr. Mather removed to Mi zaporo in the beginning of May -- Preaching to both Christians and Hindoos has been maintained, as usual, in places set apart for that purpose, and is the markets and streets of the city: six or seven Services have been generally held weekly in the both seasons, and more in the cooler.
    The Communicants were 18. Two conversions have taken place: one was of a young Chinese. One female communicat has departed this life.
    In the Boarding School for Orphans and the children of Native Christians, 21 Orphans are supported: satisfied, that, in this method alone, Young Men and Women can be kept altogether free from  contamination, 100 more boys will be received: these have been collected when famine has been raging, in the neighbourhood of Agra. The Girls’ Bording-School, under Mrs. Mather, having been removed to Mirzapore, a new School has been opened by Mrs. Lyons. The sum of 3£. per annum will support an Orphan.
    A monthly publication, entitled "The Friend of India," for the use of the Natives, has been begun by Mr. Mather. Mr. Buyers and Mr. Schürman have completed the Ooordoo [Urdu] Translation of the N. T.  Mr. Mather has translated Grotius on Christianity into Hindoostanee.1 ]
    Visits have been paid to many Villages. In a journey to the south-east of Benares, Mr. Mather found an improved state of mind in the people on the subject of Christianity, and friendly demeanor toward the Missionaries: the state of the Mussulmans much interested him. At the great Mela at Allahabad, the Gospel was preached to thousands, and thousands of Tracts were distributed: many persons promised to go with Mr. Schürmann to Benares: one Young Man only actually went; but when he saw that the Missionaries had "fair wives and fine children," as he expressed himself, he appeared astonished; and left them, as he had thought them, when he saw them in the Mela, holy men, who from morning till evening did nothing but contemplate on the Deity and the Way of Salvation —Pp. 158, 159,175; and see, at p. 330, notices or the Kind of Preaching best suited to the Natives, Objections of the Natives, and the Manner of answering their Objections. [Pirltawardli Web].2 ]
  1. Grotius, Hugo & Martin Opitz. 1631. Von der Wahrheit der Christlichen Religion. [Google Books].  English: 1814 [Google Books]. -- Hugo Grotius (10 April 1583 – 28 August 1645), ... was a jurist in the Dutch Republic. With Francisco de Vitoria and Alberico Gentili he laid the foundations for international law, based on natural law. He was also a philosopher, theologian, Christian apologist, playwright, historiographer, poet, statesman and diplomat. [Wikipedia]. [ ▲ ]
  2. Missionary Register, Volume 27, 1839. Pages 150-151. [ ▲ ]

For reference:

Administrator. J A Shurman ~ Time line :: March 1839 - Mission Report, in: Pirltawardli Research Website. Adelaide 2024.
(Created: 05.02.2015. Last updated: 05.02.2015.)
Direct URL: <www.grweb.org/cpo-pirltawardli/en/detail.php?rubric=other_ShurmanJA_timeline&nr=1092&PHPSESSID=g49vd4pmkn8sdu8p04otqf2kk6>. Viewed 29.03.2024.