that the native inhabitants, by whom Mr. Swartz was so justly revered, may be permitted and encouraged to view the monumeni, after that it shall have been erected, and that translations be made of the inscription into the country languages, and published at Madras, and copies sent to Tanjore, and the other districts in which Mr. Swartz occasionally resided, and established seminaries for religious instruction. On this splendid and appropriate monument, the following elaborate inscription is engraved. SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF THE REV. CHRISTIAN FREDERIC SWARTZ, And in the same character by the Society in England "We were much gratified by learning that his excellency the Rajah of Tanjore had also been desirous of erecting a monument to the memory of Mr. Swartz, in the church which was built by Mr. Swartz himself in the inner fort of that capital, and had sent directions accordingly to this country, in consequence of which a monument has been exe-But cuted by Mr. Flaxman. We shall give directions for its being received on board one of our ships In him Religion appeared not with a gloomy aspect free of freight, and we desire that you will afford every facility towards its conveyance to Tanjore." In the monument thus sent out to Madras by the Directors of the East India Company, the eminent artist, who, from his well known character as a sincere Christian, doubtless executed it with feelings of peculiar gratification, thought proper, as Flaxman had also done, to describe the closing scene in the life of the apostolic missionary. The principal compartment of the monument is occupied with an alto-relievo, representing Swartz surrounded by a group of his orphan pupils, to whom he afforded an asylum in his house, and by several of his fellow-laborers, who attended him in his last moments. One of the children is embracing his dying hand, and one of the missionaries is supporting his head; but the eyes of the departing saint are directed, and his hand is raised, towards an object in the upper part of the bas-relief, namely, the cross, which is borne by a descending angel; implying, that the death of Christ, the grand subject of his ministry, was now the chief support of his soul. Over the bas-relief is the ark of the covenant, which was peculiarly the charge of the priests, and was a striking emblem of the constant theme of his preaching. Under the bas-relief are further emblems of the pastoral office-the crosier, the gospel trumpet, with the banner of the cross attached to it, and an open Bible, on which is inscribed our Lord's commission to his apostles, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." spect and attachment towards the memory of the venerable friend and guardian of his late father, which cannot but be deemed highly honorable to his own character, as well as hopeful with regard to the interests of Christianity in Tanjore. It is as follows: "REVEREND SIR: "I had the pleasure to receive, in due time, your letter of the 20th January, 1834, together with your valuable present of a Memoir, in two volumes, of the Reverend Father Swartz; and most heartily thank you for the same. Manifesting, in respect to himself, the most entire Or forbidding mien, But with a graceful form and placid dignity. Among the many fruits of his indefatigable labors Was the ERECTION OF THE CHURCH AT TANJORE. The savings from a small salary were, for many The Christian Seminaries at Ramanadporam and in Rendered highly beneficial in the public service. THE POOL AND THE INJURED Looked up to him as an unfailing friend and THE GREAT ANL POWERFUL Concurred in yielding him the highest homage ever THE LATE HYDER ALLY CAWN, In the midst of a bloody and vindictive war with To permit the venerable Father Swartz fested towards him, as well as of his pious and phi- "Captain Baker, the late commandant of the resident's escort at Tanjore, was, at his own request, furnished by me with copies of a few letters of the Reverend Mr. Swartz to my father, in order to be sent to a friend of his, who, he mentioned, was preparing his memoir. As I think they were required for you, I regret that they have not reached you in time to be available; but you have spared no labor to make your work as complete as could be wished for. "I remain, "Though indeed a faithful and detailed narrative of the life of that apostolic missionary must prove highly interesting to the public at large; yet I beg to assure you, that you could not have seiected a person who would have received such a present from you with a greater avidity than I have done. My perusal of this work has awakened many a most grateful recollection of incidents which my respected father was in the habit of reciting most enthusiastically, as indubitable instances of the disinterested affection that the venerable Mr. Swartz had entertained, and on several occasions mani-edition. "Reverend Sir, Tanjore, 20th August, 1834.” These are probably the letters inserted in this Particularly those of indigent parents, whom he gra- discourse which he preached and printed on this interesting occasion, he may be considered not only as speaking with the full approbation of the East Indian government, but as appealing, on the spot, to those who were themselves witnesses of the truth of his assertions. "The man," observes this truly Christian preacher, "who follows the injunctions of his Saviour, 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,'-whose soul is devoted to this one object, who submits to a thousand privations in the discharge of his high calling, who devotes mind and body to the eternal interests of benighted nations, who is exposed to numberless dangers in the course of his journeyings, yet goes on rejoicing to the end; Surrounded by his infant flock, and in the presence-such a man is surely deserving of our high es of several of his disconsolate brethren, Entreating them to continue to make religion the first object of their care, And imploring with his last breath the divine blessing on their labors, He closed his truly Christian career in the 72nd year of his age. THE EAST INDIA COMPANY, Anxious to perpetuate the memory of such transcen- The Madras government cordially responded to the wishes and intentions of the Directors, by the following order. teem, and has the strongest claim on the benevolent feelings of all mankind. "There is a grandeur in the self-dedication of a human being to such an undertaking, which is not to be discerned in the other pursuits of life. Worldin the midst of danger, and in the face of death. In ly ambition has her splendid votaries, seeking honor search of the wealth of this world, we have millions of examples of the most hardy enterprises undertaken, and body and soul are daily sacrificed to this object; but in the persevering effort to call the heathen from their debasing superstitions to the worship of the true God, through Jesus Christ; in the constant endeavor to extend the blessings of civilization, which always accompany the true religion, to a people whom the darkest clouds of ignorance and its thousands of ills overshadow; to labor to emancipate the souls of men from the thraldom of satanic influence, from priestcraft, and from idle or vicious ceremonies-ceremonies calculated to impose on the understanding, and to destroy the finest "REVEREND SIR : feelings of the heart; to be employed, I say, in such "I am directed by the right honorable the Go-pursuits, to follow them up with honest zeal, with vernor in council, to enclose, for your information, the extract of a late letter from the honorable Court of Directors, and to inform you of the wish of his lordship in council, that early measures may be taken for erecting in St. Mary's church the monument which has been transmitted to this place by the honorable Court, as a tribute of respect for the memory of the late Rev. Mr. Swartz. "Public Department. "To the Rev. Dr. Kerr, Senior Chaplain at Fort St. George. "His lordship in council directs me also to express his confidence that your endeavor will be exerted to give every practical effect to the farther suggestions of the honorable Court, with regard to the best means of conveying an adequate impression of the exalted worth of that revered character, and his lordship will be prepared to give every facility to the measures which you may propose on this subject. "Directions will be given to the Board of Trade for holding the monument in readiness to be delivered on your application. "I have the honor to be, 'Your most obedient humble Servant, "G. BUCHAN, "Chief Secretary to Government. "Fort St. George, June 16th, 1807." firm faith in the divine assistance, and the power of the gospel, must be acknowledged, whether we consider the motives which stimulate, or the object in view, to be the most glorious, the most honorable of all undertakings. "When, therefore, we reflect, that such was the office of the man whose virtues we are this day called to celebrate; when we know that he was peculiarly distinguished in the course of this high office; that by the mere effect of Christian virtue, he attracted the love and secured the confidence, not only of the flock which he had called from pagan darkness, and illumined with the blessed light of the gospel, but that he was reverenced far and near by all castes and descriptions of people; that he was even respected by the enemies of our nation, and at the commencement of a bloody war was permitted to preach the doctrines of peace on the very battlements of our enemy; when we reflect on these things, what reverence does it inspire for the man! What a signal testimony does it afford of the power of gospel truth, strikingly evidenced in the faithful practice of a gospel life! And what a convincing proof does it present of the great benefit to be derived from the labors of missionaries, well-directed, and honestly and zealousy prosecuted! averse to display of every kind, has been the virtuons cause why we are not in possession of sufficient materials to give a succinct account of the various and important labors in which he was continually engaged. "It is much to be regretted, that the extraordi The pious and excellent person to whom the pre-nary humility of this most excellent man, ever ceding directions were addressed, was anxious to do justice to the laudable resolutions of the East India Directors and of the Madras government, to honor the memory of the late venerable missionary. For the purpose of obtaining correct information, Dr. Kerr corresponded with his surviving brethren at Tanjore; and, in the following extracts from the Lord William Bentinck, now governor-general of India. Indeed, his mind was so impressed with the just sense of the value of his time, and the necessity for unceasing application in his calling, that he had little leisure for even giving those details which were expected from him by the societies under whose direction he had entered upon his mission- | gospel, he looked only to the diffusion of divine ary labors, and they were often indebted to others for information regarding the important services of their faithful Swartz.' After briefly mentioning the commencement of his career in India, his success in the conversion of many of the natives, and in exciting a spirit of inquiry among the Brahmins, his establishment of schools, and his various benevolent and charitable labors, Dr. Kerr thus proceeds : truth, and the glad tidings of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. The same principles which raised him in the public estimation, he continued to cherish in every stage of his elevation. Uncontaminated by the venality and corruption which, from various quarters, it is well known assailed his virtue, he continued his missionary life, carrying his cross, and following the steps of his divine Master to the end of his earthly being." Such was the testimony borne by this zealous chaplain of the East India Company to the various and exalted excellences of the revered and lamented missionary, in the presence of the governor and council and principal inhabitants of Madras, as yet gratifying occasion of introducing to public notice the monument thus munificently erected to his memory. It may be doubted whether any equal or similar honor was ever paid to so humble though eminent an individual, shrinking, as he invariably did, with the most genuine and unaffected modesty, from all public acknowledgment of his services, and anxious only, as he was in all that he achieved, to ascribe the glory to Him to whom alone all glory is due. This just and spontaneous tribute to his virtues was equally honorable to Swartz, and to the distinguished persons by whom it was so wisely and liberally offered; and is at once a proof of his extraordinary merit, and of the sure and signal reward which awaits such a life as his, even in the present world. "Such a course of life, zealously pursued for a long series of years, and accompanied with that sweetly social disposition for which he was remarkable, gained him many friends, and thousands of admirers. The blessing of the fatherless and widow came upon him, and his hope was gladness.-sembled in the presidency church, on the solemn, He rejoiced evermore in witnessing the divine effects of his honest endeavors; and, if he did not make converts of all with whom he associated, he seldom failed to make friends of those with whom he happened to communicate. Not that he ever compromised a paramount duty from any false politeness, or deference to superior station; for he decidedly and openly declared the condemnation of all who boldly and openly set gospel rules at defiance, as often as an opportunity for the purpose occurred. His reproof, however, was tempered with so much good-nature; the desire of doing good to the offenders was so obviously his intention; that he seldom provoked the smallest ill-will by the strong but fatherly remonstrances, which irreligious conversation and conduct frequently drew from him. Indeed, he seemed peculiarly gifted by di- One other document remains to be added, in ilvine Providence with a happy manner, which en- lustration of the character of this devoted missionabled him to turn almost every occurrence, whether ary, and that is his last will with respect to the disgreat or trivial, to the praise and glory of God. posal of his temporal property: and it will be found, "Sensible that no trifling efforts could be pro-as might justly pe expected, beautifully correspondductive of any good purpose in the missionary cause ing with the disinterested and truly Christian tenor in any country, but most particularly in India, he of his life. It is as follows:determined that nothing should draw him aside, either to the right hand or to the left. With this view," as it has been already observed, "he early resolved on a life of celibacy. With the same view, he accustomed himself to the most frugal and temperate system of diet; for many years of his life being accustomed to give ten pagodas* at the beginning of each month to his servant, to provide for the expenses of his table, and giving himself no trouble as to the manner in which it was supplied; and, except when objects of charity reminded him of his poverty, he considered the wealth of this world as the dust of the earth." "In the name of God. "Into thine hands I commend my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, thou faithful God! Wherein I have sinned, (and I have often and greatly sinned against thee,) forgive it graciously for the sake of the reconciliation-sacrifice of Christ Jesus my Lord, and let me find mercy. Grant me, for Christ's sake, a blessed departure out of this sorrowful, and a blessed entrance into that joyful, life. Amen. "As I know not how soon God may call me hence, I therefore make this my last will in the presence of God, and with full deliberation. Dr. Kerr next refers to Swartz's celebrated mis- "As the house in the greater fort, as well as that sion to Hyder Ali, the death-bed scene of Tuljajee in the little fort, together with the church, and cerRajah, his influence with the natives, and other re- tain houses in the garden without the fort, were markable illustrations of his character, which are erected out of the money which was assigned me recorded in the preceding pages. He then conti-monthly by the Company, so I look on them, as I ever have regarded them, namely, to be the houses of the mission. nues: "Amidst such great public undertakings, and the high degree of consideration attached by all ranks of people in this country to Mr. Swartz's character, every road to the gratification of ambition and avarice was completely open before him. Courted by the prince of the country in which he resided; reverenced almost to adoration by the people at large; confidentially employed by the English government in objects of the first political importance, to his great honor it must be recorded, that he continued to value these things only as they appeared likely to prove subservient to his missionary work, as they made friends to assist him in the building of his churches, or the establishment of his schools over the country. With the single eye of the About £4 sterling. The reader will remember Mr. Chambers' account of his early simplicity and self-denial. "All moveables and books shall be assigned over to my successors for the good of the mission, to be all used as long as they are serviceable, and not to be sold. "As I have not spent my monthly salary from the Company, but (except what I have devoted to the erection of several buildings) have suffered it to accumulate, and assigned it over to my two trustees, namely, my beloved brother, Mr. Gericke, and my friend, Mr. Breithaupt, of Madras, so such sum shall also be employed for the benefit of the mission; but in such manner that my successor here at Tanjore, and the missionary who shall carry on the work of God for the conversion of the heathen at Palamcotta, shall receive for themselves the annual interest of one hundred pounds sterling, (that is to say, fifty pounds each,) because the fifty pounds, which they each receive yearly of the ho The fund thus generously provided for the mission at Tanjore, and its branch in Tinnevelly, by their revered benefactor, amounted to between eight and ten thousand pounds sterling; a sum which, combined with the allowances from the British go norable Company, is barely sufficient. Should they, however, receive of the Company a monthly augmentation, then they have no right to receive also the fifty pounds bequeathed by me. This is in that case to fall into the mission or the poor chest. "It is hereby my earnest desire, that those mis-vernment, from the Rajah of Tanjore, and from sionaries who take upon themselves the work of God in Tanjore and Palamcotta, should employ the interest which remains to assist and help themselves, as they find it necessary. Perhaps the Tanjore mission may employ two thirds, and that at Palamcotta one third of the interest, for the use of the schools and churches. "As my relations have no claim on what I devise and have set apart to the mission; therefore I bequeath to them one hundred star pagodas, as a testimony of my affection, which the children of my sister are to divide among themselves in equal por tions. "The two gold watches that have been given me, shall be sold, and the money be distributed to the poor. "As a token of my affection, I bequeath to Joseph, my former servant, thirty star pagodas. With respect to the garden without the fort, belonging to the mission, I wish that, if possible, the gardener may be supported out of the income. What remains over, can, without further reckoning, fall to the missionaries, and the school children. "The few utensils of silver which I possess, I leave to Mr. Kohlhoff, as a token of my hearty love. "As my former servant Joseph, on account of his ill conduct, ought not to receive the thirty star pagodas destined for him, I bequeath them to the servant who shall be in my service at the time of my death, provided he behave himself tolerably well. "CHRISTIAN FREDERIC SWARTZ. "Subscribed and sealed in the presence of "JOSEPH DANIEL JOENICKE, The principal features of this interesting document, containing the record of the venerable missionary's latest earthly views and feelings, are in perfect unison with all that preceded it. Piety, humility, simplicity, mark its spiritual expressions; the purest principles, and Christian charity of the most enlarged and exalted nature, dictated the rest. What the frugality and self-denial of nearly half a century had enabled him to accumulate, after all that he had in the course of that long period expended upon similar purposes, was devoted to the promotion of the sacred work to which his life had been so uniformly and so successfully dedicated. "The cause of Christ," as he intimated on his death-bed, was his heir." Upon the subject of this final bequest, Mr. Gericke, a few months after the death of his revered friend, communicated the following particulars to Professor Schultz. other sources, was sufficient during many years to support the charities, and to defray the ordinary expenditure of the mission; and though a part of it was afterwards sunk by the imprudence of a missionary long since departed, it still continues to contribute towards those Christian and important objects, and to form a lasting memorial of the disinterested zeal and love of its pious and munificent founder.* CHAPTER XXIII. Review of the Character of Swartz. THE character and life of Swartz have now been developed in all their bearings and relations; and it is confidently hoped, that the judgment universally formed of his unrivalled excellence as a Christian missionary, and the high estimation in which he has been so long and so deservedly held both in India and in Europe, will not only be confirmed, but strengthened and enhanced, by the more complete view comprised in the preceding memoirs of his principles, sentiments, and conduct. Substantially, there has never been but one opinion respecting this extraordinary man; but though all who take an interest in the promotion of Christianity in India have thus concurred in ascribing to him the pre-eminence in this sacred and important work, the impression has been, for the most part, general and undefined, rather than the result of clear and enlarged apprehensions of his character and course. * Much surprise has been expressed by several readers of these Memoirs, at the amount of the property left by Mr. Swartz; some being at a loss to account for the accumulation of so large a sum, and others considering it almost as an indication, on the part of the venerable missionary, of some latent and unconscious love of money. To the first class of readers the author would reply, that independently of the personal economy and self denial of Mr. Swartz, which rendered a considerable proportion of his income available towards his mission fund, great numbers of the civil and military servants of the Company were in the habit of entrusting charitable donations to his distribution and management; and that he was accustomed to place such of these sums as were not required for immediate use at the high rate of interest, (twelve, or more per cent.,) usual at that period. The accumulation from these various sources, it will readily be imagined, must in the course of nearly half a century have amounted to a very considerable sum. With respect to the fact of the accumulation it"His temporal property he had already, many self, the author deems it unnecessary, after the reyears before his death, made over to the mission at peated testimonies, native and European, in the preTanjore and Palamcotta, and the congregations and ceding Memoirs, to the perfect and eminent dísininstitutions belonging to them; and for that pur-terestedness of Mr. Swartz, to vindicate his characpose appointed me as trustee, and I had joined Mr. Breithaupt with myself, in the deed. He therefore, in his will, mentions no executor, that it might thereby be known, that the whole was already the property of the mission, and no longer belonged to Mr. Swartz. As he received an allowance from government, from which he was enabled to defray all the expenses incurred at Tanjore and Palamcotta, he allowed the interest, and often his salary likewise, to fall into the mission capital. No one will therefore wonder that he should have been able to accomplish so much towards the outward support of the mission." ter from the slightest imputation of an undue regard to money. The fund which he left behind him was the simple result of a wise and provident anxiety for the permanent support of his mission. He had lived to see the establishment at Tranquebar declining for want of pecuniary resources; and, in point of fact, the provision which he so prudently, as well as liberally, made for that at Tanjore and its dependencies, was the providential means of its continuance and efficiency till the revival, some years afterwards, of a more zealous missionary spirit in England, and the establishment of episcopacy in India. These illustrated as they have been by many public documents, and by a series of private and confidential communications, have now, it is trusted, been fully and satisfactorily displayed. Briefly, therefore, to review the holy and beneficent career of this " man of God," and to point out, more especially to those who may be engaged in similar Christian labors, the force and efficacy of his example, will form no unsuitable or unprofitable sequel to this record of his admirable life. Piety of no ordinary depth and energy formed the basis of his character. Unmarked by the terror and alarm which have sometimes led to peculiarly zealous and self-denying labors in the cause of religion, its origin and nature were calm and gentle as the "still small voice" which opened the heart of Mary and of Lydia to the reception of divine truth, yet not less powerful and efficacious than that which penetrated and subdued the persecuting Saul of Tarsus to the faith and obedience of the gospel. The mind of Swartz was at a very early period of his history deeply and permanently impressed with the ineffable love of God in the work of man's redemption. The great "mystery of godliness,""God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself," not sparing "his own Son," but delivering him up to death for us all, to "the death of the cross"this miracle of mercy, this astonishing proof of divine love, this wonderful and effectual provision for human guilt and misery, brought home to his heart by the powerful influence of divine grace, humbling, consoling, purifying, elevating him, took possession of his soul, absorbed every opposing and every secular thought, and excited. in him, as in the converted apostle, that one simple, predominating, inextinguishable inquiry, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" It is impossible to peruse the letters of Swartz, even from the commencement of his course, without perceiving that the very essence of his religion was this heartfelt impression of the grace of God in Christ Jesus, the cordial acceptance of that message of reconciliation which he was commissioned to announce to others, and which was to himself, from the hour in which he first received it "in truth" to the last moment of his existence, the source of inward peace, the principle of ardent gratitude and love, and the motive to self-denying and devoted, yet spontaneous and delightful obedience. Though few, perhaps, could have less to deplore as to any positive and wilful deviations from the path of moral rectitude and virtue, few of those who have been conscious that they had "much to be forgiven," have evinced a more broken and contrite spirit, or have "loved more," than the humble and gratefully devoted subject of these memoirs. Humility, springing, as it did in Swartz, from a deep conviction of the depravity of human nature, and of his own immeasurable distance, even after his highest attainments, from the demands of the perfect law of God, was, indeed, one of the distinguishing features of his character, as it was the foundation of his security amidst many surrounding dangers, and one of the most efficient causes of his excellence and his happiness. He was clothed with humility." of the Saviour himself, and of one of his earliest disciples, and that "simplicity and godly sincerity" which St. Paul declares was one of the sources of his own elevated joy. To him, as to that holy apostle, "to live was Christ." Separate from the attainment of his personal salvation, and from the daily and hourly endeavor to promote that of others, from the exhibition of Christian doctrine and the exemplification of Christian precepts, from the enlargement of the Redeemer's kingdom, and the pursuit of his glory, he had no object, no happiness, no desire. Never did any uninspired man discover more perfect simplicity of purpose, and more patient and persevering labor in accomplishing it.— Except, therefore, as connected with the one grand business of his life, all persons, places, and circumstances, were to him comparatively indifferent. To him, mere worldly pleasure presented no charms, the opportunity of gain no temptation, the pursuits of ambition no attraction. To all such allurements he was habitually and invariably insensible. passed unhurt amidst them all and attained, as we have already seen, the rare distinction of the most unequivocal testimonies to his possession of the purest and most disinterested virtue. Can we wonder, that one so pious, humble, upright, and sincere, should excite the veneration, and conciliate the confidence of all around him; that Hindoo princes, observant and acute, should cultivate his friendship, invite his counsel, and invoke his protection; that Mohammedan tyrants, subtle and suspicious, should respect his integrity and accept his mediation; that European governors and officers, civil and military, should entrust to him the most important concerns, and co-operate with him in all his plans; that by the great body of the people of every class, he should be revered, idolized, and obeyed? He "The late Mr. Swartz," says Mr. Pæzold, "was a man not only endowed with great natural abilities; but also possessed of extraordinary courage and intrepidity of mind. He was adorned with the strictest integrity, and the most genuine piety and unshaken confidence in God. In respect to the cause of missions in our part of the world, he might be justly styled a second Luther. For nearly fifty years he served his divine Master in the barren fields of the heathen world, laboring with indefatigable zeal, cheerfully bearing the burden and heat of the day, and not unfrequently exposing himself to the terrors and dangers of the night.He was the benefactor, friend, provider, and father of thousands of the destitute and forlorn, both among Christians and heathen, in days of prosperity and adversity, in seasons of war and in times of peace. He was honored by all who knew him. All the pecuniary grants made to him by government in grateful acknowledgment of important services most cheerfully and generously rendered by him, were never employed for any selfish purposes, but freely consecrated to the glory of God, for the benefit of the missionary cause, and for the relief of the poor and needy."* "Of Swartz," said Bishop Heber,+ " and his fifty years labor among the heathen, the extraordinary *Since the first publication of these Memoirs, the author has met with a splendid instance of Mr. Combined with this peculiarly Christian princi- Swartz's disinterestedness and charity, so early as ple, was that singular and transparent simplicity, the year 1764, when he generously devoted the sum which so powerfully recommended him to men of of nine hundred pagodas, which had been presentevery rank and every religion, and which was the ed to him by the nabob of the Carnatic, as an acgrand secret of his unparalleled influence and suc-knowledgment of his valuable services during the cess. Under any circumstances, Swartz would have been a man of integrity, and of frank and open manners; but it was his piety which produced in him that "freedom from guile," of which the Hebrew psalmist speaks, and which was characteristic siege of Madura, to the use of the mission at Trichinopoly, where he was then residing, and the support of orphan children of English soldiers who had fallen in that contest. + Journal, vol. ii. p. 461. |
