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author: Gundert, HermannandMögling, Hermann [?]

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LIFE OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

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-

THE

LIFE OF SAMUEL HEBICH:

BY TWO OF HIS FELLOW-LABOURERS.

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY

COLONEL J. G. HALLIDAY,

WITH A PREFACE

BY THE REV. GEORGE TOWNSHEND FOX, M.A.,

VICAR OF ST. NICHOLAS, DURHAM,

SEELEY, JACKSON & HALLIDAY, 54, FLEET STREET,

LONDON, MDCCCLXXYV]I.

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§

HBING

[E

PREFACE.

Sayvvuer HesicH was unquestionably a very remarkable man,

and his memoir is one of much more than ordinary interest.

To attempt to criticize his character is hardly necessary,

for it is so thoroughly exhibited in the following pages, as to

speak for itself. Ome of the merits of the authors of this

volume is their singular candour ; there is nothing of hero-

worship, but a plain, unvarnished tale, in the course of which

the faults of every one that comes before them, and especially

of the subject of the memoir, are laid bare and exposed. It

is far better that we should see men as they are, than be

furnished with biographies which present a false, because

a partial, onesided view of human character. Scripture

biographies are singularly free from this fault, where we have

|

the sins of God’s people carefully recorded for our learning :

the sins of Noah, Abraham, David, Jonah, Peter, Thomas,

and many others, are all laid bare.

In like manner the authors of the following pages never

hesitate to expose the peculiarities, eccentricities, mistakes,

and faults of the subject of this memoir.

There are those who seem to think that when a man is

Vi

PREFACE.

renewed by the Spirit ‘of God, all his natural propensi-

ties and peculiarities must be entirely lost in his new nature.

They make no allowance for the diversities of natural tem-

perament, and would form a sort of Procrustean bed, mould-

To revert to the sacred

ing all after one and the same type.

records of the Saints of God, we do not find it so with them.

The characters of Moses and David, of Peter and John, were

very different by nature, and remained different after they

were renewed by divine grace.

There is an analogy herein,

There is

between the works of God in nature and in grace.

diversity even in the leaves on the same tree ; still more so

in the bodily frame and features of men.

In like manner,

when a sinner is renewed by grace, he retains the character-

istics of his original nature, which are sanctified and made

subservient to the glory of God.

The patience of one,

the tender heart of another, the impulsive ardour and

physical energy of a third, all serve in various spheres to

honour God.

Nor is this only so, but the peculiarities of men still show

themselves after they have been born again, even in the sins

they commit and the errors into which they fall. Not merely

does this prove a source of trial, so that the man who has by

nature a fiery and passionate temper, has far harder work

in subduing his passions than one of a mild and peaceful

disposition ; but it serves also to explain, what sometimes

stumbles and offends others, how a man, who is unquestion-

ably a devoted servant of God, can say or do things which

appear to the looker-on inconsistent with the Christian

character.

The offender, owing to his peculiar idiosyncracy,

does not regard his acts in the same light, and will even vin-

dicate them as right and proper.

‘We may trace a good deal

PREFACE.

V1L

of this in Hebich, who, with much humility and love in his

composition, so as to have won the affection and confidence

of most of those amongst whom he laboured, had unquestion-

ably certain eccentricities of character, which were drawbacks,

and of which he probably was himself unconscious.

He was

possessed of considerable administrative power ; but, in early

life, it must have been very difficult to have co-operated with

him. One of his highest merits— or, rather, one peculiarity

of faithfulness—which distinguished his character, was the

plain, direct appeals he made to the individual conscience, of

which there are many striking illustrations in the following

pages ; but they were not unfrequently accompanied with

some unseemly language or eccentricity, which tended need-

)

lessly to increase ¢ the offence of the cross ;

a stumbling-

block quite sufficient in itself, to most carnal hearts, without

its being increased by a want of judgment in the manner,

Notwithstanding this

style, or acts of him who preaches it.

drawback, there are few Christians who may not take shame

to themselves when contrasting their own timidity, or want

of zeal, with Hebich’s persistent and never-flagging energy,

in availing himself of every opportunity that came in his way,

of applying Christ to individual consciences, frequently with

eminent success.

An illustration of this zeal untempered with judgment,

which led him to give offence, by the use of language which

no doubt he considered it right and proper for him to em-

ploy, will be found (page 341) in the record of his preaching

at the Church of St. Leonard’s, Basle, when he spoke with

such pungency as to create a riot, and cries of ¢ Pull him

down I” “Kick him out ! began to be heard. If this had

been purely the offence of the Cross, there would have

Vi

PREFACE.

been nothing for which to censure him ; but I fear that a

needless crudity and asperity of language, if not coarseness,

furnished a handle.

As years advance, the Christian character generally mellows

and ripens, and we see many proofs of this in Hebich’s last

days. Even a heathen poet seems to expect this process, by

asking—

‘¢ Lenior et melior fis accedente senects ?”

And hence I am under the impression that Samuel Hebich,

so far from regarding his severity of style and demeanour a

fault, considered it his duty thus to reprove sin; and that it

was his natural peculiarity, and want of judgment, which

caused him at times to speak and act in a way that led to a

misunderstanding of his motives and character.

It may be asked, if there were such glaring defects in this

man’s character, why write his memoir ?

Surely only those

who rise above the average standard of Christian attainments

are entitled to such distinction ?

The answer to this question is simple ; the defects of cha-

racter, and eccentricities of nature to which we have referred,

were but as spots on the sun’s disc when compared with the

grandeur and brightness of his long career of devotedness and

fidelity to Christ, in his faithful, self-denying labours. More-

over, his career was one of eminent success, whether amongst

the natives of India, or Europeans.

For five-and-twenty

years he remained at his post, organizing a new mission-field ;

carrying on steady missionary work ; gathering together a

Church in the wilderness ; giving ample proof of his adminis-

trative ability, the singleness of his eye, and the devotedness

of his heart to Christ.

PREFACE,

1X

Nor were his efforts exclusively confined to the natives :

5,

he acted on the principle of dealing with men’s souls, where-

ever he met with them, and whoever they might be.

The

IS

result of which was that his influence over Kuropeans was

st

great, and the troops quartered at Cannanore furnished him

J;

with the opportunity of winning many souls to Christ.

Officers and their wives, as well as soldiers in the ranks, came

under the power of his influence, for which many of them

will have to praise God throughout eternity.

!

Would we inquire what was the secret of this man’s suc-

cess ; what it was that kept him for a life-time on the heated

plains of India ; what it was that drove him out periodically

to encounter the stoning and violence of the natives ab their

annual festivals, whilst he preached to such an unwilling

audience the gospel of Christ ?

‘We must trace it up to the

power, the depth, the reality of his original conversion.

His

religion was not that tame, common-place, hereditary thing,

which satisfies so many.

He had been born again ; deep convictions of sin had over-

whelmed his soul ; but, on the 13th of June, 1821, it pleased

God, who had called him by His grace, to reveal His Son in

him, that he might preach Him among the heathen ; and im-

mediately he conferred not with flesh and blood. The result

of this revelation of Christ to his fainting soul was, that

“ the burthen of his sins was taken away, and with the eye

of faith he found courage to look upon his Saviour” (page 6).

These were the foundation-stones, on which was afterwards

crected the labour of a long life of devotedness to Christ

amongst the heathen,

This work of spiritual regeneration, by which he became

a new creature in Christ Jesus, was of divine origin, and

X

PREFACE.

hence abiding :

o 0

very different from those transient emotions

which spring from the stirring of human feeling, and which

pass off, like the mountain stream after a summer shower,

leaving the channel as dry as ever.

Not only was his heart changed, but the eyes of his under-

standing were enlightened, qualifying him to impart distine-

tive views of Gospel truth to the souls with which he dealt.

And it is to the depth of his own personal experience that

we must trace the faithfulness and directness which he

showed in dealing with souls, and his utter fearlessness.

e

This prominent feature in his character is well worthy

of being noted and imitated, for it is one in which many

et S A

Christians are very deficient ; and to it he owed much of

his eminent success.

The following will" serve as an illus-

tration :—Going to Captain Dobbie’s house one afternoon,

after a few introductory words of friendly greeting he sud-

denly turned to the Captain’s wife with the abrupt ques-

tion—

“ Have you given your heart to Jesus?’

Mrs. Dobbie : “1T hope s0.”

Hebich : “1 do not want to know what you hope.

I have

asked you a very simple question : have you given your heart

to Jesus ¥’

Mrs. D.: “1think I have.”

H. : “Hoping and thinking! all this is not what I ask

about.”

(Then with a sudden change of manner)—¢ Have

you breakfasted %’

Mrs. ' D. : “ Oh, yes I

H., very earnestly : ¢ You self-confident woman, you! You

should not venture to answer ‘yes,” but ‘1 hope,” or 1 think,’

that I have breakfasted !

If we can be certain in so small

PREFACE.

XX

)1

a matter, how much more necessary to be so in what is of

ch

If we have given up our hearts

the very utmost importance.

61y

to Jesus, for Him to keep them for us, because it is impos-

sible for us to keep them for ourselves; and if He, by His

ol

Spirit, dwell and rule in them, it is not possible but that we

1C:

must know it very well.

No !

¢ The Spirit witnesses with

i

our spirits that we are children of God.””

3

“ Then followed an explanation of his favourite ¢ Heart-

he

book,” which made a deep impression on both husband and

wife.

38,

The impression was abiding.

Every assertion of He-

bich’s was tested by the word of God. Things went on

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smoothly for three months.

Then, however, some expres-

of

sions used by Hebich, which seemed quite shocking to all

her ideas of conventionalities and good manners, determined

l,

Mrs. Dobbie never to speak to him again.

Accordingly,

when he next visited the house, she long refused to come

i

S

out of her room. After a while, however, her husband urged

her to give in, and she felt that she was refusing to hear the

message of Jesus.

All opposition gave way from that mo-

ment ; seating herself as a poor sinner, she was able at once

to accept and rejoice in her Saviour, and to speak of Him to

b

all her friends and acquaintance.”

In this anecdote we have an illustration of his great fidelity,

plainness, and earnestness in dealing with souls, tinctured as

it was by his peculiarities ; notwithstanding which, he won

two souls abidingly to Christ.

Shall we find fault with the

angler who brings his fish safe to shore, though he may dis-

card the landing-net, or other conventionalities of piscatorial

usage ?

Another source of interest connected with the following

pages is this: we are introduced into a new mission-field, of

X11

PREFACE.

which it is probable the majority of readers have never before

fa

heard, and we have a very graphic picture of its history for

more than a quarter of a century, the trials and difficulties,

the hopes and fears, the triumphs and failures with which its

chequered career is marked. The whole record is distin-

I

guished by the truthfulness of eye-witnesses, who might say

al

f

of themselves, “ Quorum pars magna fui;” the result of which

1s, that whilst on the one hand we have no fancy sketch, such

as the ardour of ill-informed enthusiasm will sometimes pic-

ture to itself,—on the other hand the false slanders of those

f1

enemies of Christian missions, who delight periodically in

f

displaying their ignorance by making attacks on missionaries

in the columns of the Z%umes, are thoroughly refuted.

With respect to the missionaries themselves, we find them

for the most part devoted men of God, with more faith and

zeal than the average of ministers of religion at home ; but

still, as Paul said of himself at Lystra, “Men of like

passions” with us, with infirmities of temper and judgment,

and, in more than one case, hypocrites or backsliders, who

had to be expelled the mission.

Such is the mixed character of the agents of Christ, under

the present dispensation.

Then, with respect to results, the delusions of romance,

which distance is apt to foster, are speedily dispelled, and

we come into close contact with plain, common hard work,

such as we have at home in any densely-populated parish of

ignorant poor, where schools, house to house visitation, and

i

preaching the Gospel, engage the time and labours of the

1

clergyman, the city missionary, or Scripture reader.

If we are to believe the “ 7%mes correspondents,” to whom

I have referred, then we must conclude that all the un-

PREFACE.

X1i#

e

wearied labours of our various missionaries are a complete

for

failure.

65,

But these men, though they have resided in the country

ifs

where the missions are carried on, being for the most part

11

irreligious Indian officers, are as ignorant of what missionaries

iy

are doing as I am of the winning horse at the Derby, and, for

ch

the same reason, utter indifference ; and hence their testimony

ich

is worthless.

)G

Moreover, these men do not believe in the power of God's

036

truth, and against their unsupported assertions we may set

jiil

the word of Jehovah—* My word, that goeth forth out of

€8

My mouth, shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accom-

plish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing

whereto I sent it.”

The following pages are an illustration of the fulfilment of

d

uf

this gracious promise, and furnish abundant proof of the

ke

vitality and divine power which accompany the word of God,

and of the blessing from on high which is vouchsafed when-

ify

ho

ever it is faithfully preached.

It would, perhaps, rather

stagger those unbelievers in the results of missions to be in-

e

formed that there are at this moment more Christians in the

world, now living, who once were heathens and Mahomme-

dans, the result of the last half century’s missionary enter-

J

prize, than there were in all the world at the end of

the first century of the Christian era; notwithstanding the

gl

advantages then enjoyed from Apostolic power and wisdom,

)i

¢ diversities of gifts, working of miracles, prophecy, discern-

ing of spirits, divers kinds of tongues.”

We are living under an eclectic dispensation ; there is no

town, village, street, or even house, where all the inhabitants

are real Christians : our dispensation is still what it was when

X1V

PREFACE.

characterized by our Lord in the following terms—¢ Then

shall two be in the field, the one shall be taken and the

other left ; two women shall be grinding at the mill, the one

shall be taken and the other left.”

This principle applies to missionary enterprize as much as

it does to evangelistic labours at home ; but, if a comparison

be drawn between the results of home and foreign missions—

between the results of the parochial clergyman’s work and that

of the missionary to the heathen, based upon facts, we must

assign to the missionary the palm of success ; and this, not-

withstanding the enervating effects of climate, the difficulties

of a foreign tongue, the prejudices of the natives, and the va-

rious impediments caused by idolatry, caste, and the low

standard of heathen morals.

And I shall conclude these

prefatory remarks by expressing my own conviction that if

Samuel Hebich, the honoured subject of this memoir, had

lived and laboured in his native land, he would in all human

probability have gathered fewer souls into the fold of Christ,

than he was permitted to do on the plains of India, as a

devoted Missionary of the Cross.

G. T. FOX;

DurEAM,

Now. 8, 1875.

hen

the

0ne

| 88

son

§=—

CONTENTS.

%hat

it

not-

CHAPTER

PAGE

I.

HIS YOUTH AND CONVERSION

-

Ities

II.

DESIRE FOR MISSION WORK

-

10

) Va-

III.

IN THE MISSION COLLEGE

-

119

low

IV.

SENT FORTH TO THE MISSION-FIELD

-

-

28

686

V.

THE SETTLEMENT IN MANGALORE

-

-

35

,if

VI.

THE FIRST MISSION TOUR, AND BEGINNING OF

1ad

-

-

o

PREACHING

-

-

43

-

-

DA

VIL

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE

-

54

VIII.

-

nif,

FIRST-FRUITS FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE

66

S &

IX. THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.—HEBICH VISITS

DHARWAR

-

-

-

-

-

72

X.

HIS SEVEN MONTHS TOUR

-

o

-

82

XI.

LAST YEAR IN MANGALORE

-

-

-

90

XII.

CANNANORE

-

-

-

-

-

95

XIII.

THE FOUNDING OF THE STATION

-

-

107

XIV.

EXTENSION OF THE WORK

-

-

-

118

XV.

HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS HIS FELLOW-WORKERS

126

XVIL

ESTABLISHMENT OF OUT-STATIONS

-

-

137

XVII. THE DOMESTIC ECONOMY OF THE MISSION-HOUSE

147

XVIII.

VISITS TO THE HEATHEN FESTIVALS

-

-

160

XIX.

-

-

EUROPEAN ASSISTANTS

-

167

XX,

A REVIVAL

-

-

-

-

-

175

XXI. THE WORK AT ANJERAKANDI

-

-

188

XV1

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

PAGE

XXII.

BEGINNING OF THE WORK AT PALGHAT

-

197

-

XXIIT.

A WORTHY SON -

-

-

-

202

XXIV.

HEBICH PRESIDENT OF THE GENERAL CONFER-

-

-

-

-

-

ENCE -

214

XXV.

-

-

THE VISITATION

221

XXVI.

THE OUT-STATION OF PALGHAT

237

XXVIL

TALIPARAMBU

-

-

-

247

XXVIII.

MALIAPOORAM AND “ HEBICH'S OWN ”

253

XXIX.

A PATUSE.

FIRST CONFLAGRATION

268

XXX

THE SECOND CONFLAGRATION

-

283

XXXI.

SCATTERING SEED BY THE WAY

289

XXXII.

CARES ONAACCOUNT OF HIS FELLOW-LABOUR-

ERS

-

-

-

-

-

-

300

XXXIIT.

A WHOLE CHURCH TRANSPLANTED

-

-

313

XXXIV.

THE MUTINY

-

-

-

-

319

XXXV,

LAST LABOURS IN CANARA

-

322

Tag

XXXVI.

THE LAST YEAR IN INDIA

-

328

fhis

XXXVIL

FAREWELL TO INDIA

-

-

333

17!

-

XXXVIIIL.

THE EVENING OF LIFE -

340

It

XXXIX.

HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH

354

We

g

ber

be

shor

DIHHJ

Bl

By

i y

e

of o)

Tue I

b {

Xﬁi\(h

:

LQ!

PAGE

197

202

24

21

Pl

U7

253

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

268

28

289

CHAPTER I

300

HIS YOUTH AND CONVERSION.

313

319

Freperick CrmArrEs HesicH, the father of the subject of

)

38

this Memoir, who was born at Ulm on the 6th of March,

1748, and at first co-pastor of Langenan, became afterwards

35

340

[1799—182T7] pastor of the insignificant village of Nellingen,

was altogether an original,

He rejoiced greatly that his ener-

34

getic helpmate presented him only with sons, seven in num-

ber, of each of whom the father could boast that he grew to

be taller by a head than himself. But if this worthy was

short of stature he did not lack strength and activity, as

many a Irench officer quartered upon him could witness.

Ecclesiastic though he were, he had retained ever since his

Erlangen University days a great taste for the sword exercise,

and was ready enough to try a pass with any of these foreign

guests, so that his study not seldom resounded with the clang

of cold steel, till the Frenchman was driven into a corner.

The peasantry were proud of their manly pastor, who, in this

evil time of war, feared not the face of any man, but was

ready to do fight on behalf of his flock.

Looked at spiritually we confess there is not much to hoast

1

2

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

§

of in his pastorate.

He had a deep feeling in favour of free-

dom, virtue, all that is great in the natural man ; he was par-

iy

ticularly fond of the classics, and it is said of him that in his

hed

80th year (on the Christmas Day of 1827) he fell asleep with

resul

Horace on the bed.

ot

7

Samuel, his fourth son, was born on the 20th of April,

and

1803.

The father undertook the lad’s education in a peculiar

bt

fashion of his own.

The elder sons as they grew up took up

1ot

their position as men of business, or as officers; but of this

the (

youth, who by his peaceful disposition differed so widely from

comf

his brothers, the father would gladly have made a preacher.

Iiself

86

But the means to send him to a public school were lacking,

10la

s0 he kept him at home, imparting to him the most requisite

Sste

elements of Latin, French, religion, &c.

But for the most

1ng, |

part all consisted of mere efforts of memory, never any ex-

{hir

planation unless it were specially asked for.

Such an educa-

Ll)”

tion never aimed at a systematic development and strengthen-

o

400

ing of the intellectual powers.

Thus, striking passages from

i

the classics and stray scraps of information were much more

o

readily seized upon by the lad than the more earnest lessons

Sel

of the father. In the Bible the old clergyman preferred the

4

Psalms and the Prophets ; the son never remembered having

?({l

read anything in the New Testament with his father.

i

Yet, whenever the name of Jesus was mentioned, the old man

il ¢

would reverentially raise his cap, a circumstance which hap-

(uf\

pily made a deeper impression upon young Samuel than a

g

conversation of which he one evening overheard snatches be-

Lege

tween the old village pastor and one of his elder sons, and

e

from which it seemed to be implied that the Bible was of

ney P

course not to be believed throughout, but yet for the sake of

Th

the common folk it was well to keep to the old teaching.

(“e

The boy was at first a good deal disturbed by what he had

Wl

heard ; but he soon made up his mind that he must have mis-

understood the drift of their remarks.

fa

bﬁ\s

HIS YOUTH AND CONVERSION,

3

[ free-

Samuel wrote later concerning this period of his youth,

3 Pal-

“my worthy father was now old and soon fatigued, so that

in his

he did mnot feel inclined to carry my education very far, the

) with

vesult being that my acquirements gathered at Nellingen were

of the narrowest.

From my youth up I was quiet and mild,

Aprd,

and rejoiced in the love of all men.

My young soul would

ouliar

at times yearn for the heavenly joy of some higher life, not

ok up

rightly understood, but which led me to see such a beauty in

of this

the clear blue sky as mightily stirred me.

But of true soul

y from

comfort I knew nothing.

I had an inner craving which lost

eacher,

itself in vain longings; especially, oh! how I wished, in our

ycking,

isolated household, that I might have the company of a little

quisite

sister ! till at length evil obtained quite the upper hand in

o mosh

me, and the lust of the world spotted my innocency. I was

ny ex-

thirteen years of age wher my brother Max, fourteen years

edluca-

my senior, and who was established in business at Lubeck as

He invited me to join him,

othen-

a confectioner, lost his first wife.

s from

if T and my parents would consent to the arrangement, in

order, as he said, to have one honest soul about him, for his

h more

Jossons

servants cheated him very much.

The invitation was ac-

ed the

cepted, but it was decided that I should be confirmed before

having

leaving home,

I was impatient for the time to come, flatter-

ing myself that once away from Nellingen, there would be

|d man

an end to the drudgery of learning.

At length, on the 4th

) hap-

of May, 1817, I was confirmed, along with thirteen others.

than. &

My preparation for this important transaction was butb

hes be-

meagre ; nor at that time did any solemn feeling of higher

need press upon me.

My thoughts ran only upon the jour-

IS and

a8 Of

ney and the happy future before me.”

ake of

The confirmation ceremony over, the father said to his son,

ching:

“Well, now you are a man,” and gave him the present of a

o bad

tobacco pipe !

v‘e miS'

Samuel writes: ‘On the 8th of June I started by coach,

by way of Geislingen and Stuttgart, and on the 28th I

1—2

4

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

reached Lubeck, to me so dear!

I was most cordially wel-

conf

comed by my brother and by his second wife, whom he had

Juid

recently married ; both cared for me with the tenderness of

ook

parents. Provisionally I entered my brother’s business, and

dive

set myself diligently to learn it, but the hours of evening

Sam

were left free to me to be used in making up for the defi-

hen

ciencies of my school learning. My brother also arranged for

me to have private tuition, of which I zealously sought to

hims

be'a, t

make the best use, for I began to discover how ignorant I

Some

was

This went on for three years, till I had gathered the

T

information expected from apprentices. My brother’s inten-

TWas

tion was to make a merchant of me, and my own inclination

Seler

quite coincided. He succeeded in getting me into the count-

God

ing house of an experienced merchant, Schmidt and Co., to

to fe

which firm I was bound for four years at Easter, 1820.

tual

“But all this time much was passing in my inner soul ; for

£0us

I sought—yea, sought with tears—but my heart found not

fron

what it sought.

The constant work at my brother’s, which

pla

did not even spare the Sundays (at least the forenoon thereof s

st

together with my private studies, left me no leisure for amuse-

il

ment.

But most of all I lacked a friend to whom I could

th

have imparted my deepest feelings; this lack pressed more

s

and more heavily upon me.

True, my brother loved me cor-

g

dially, but the difference of age came between us ; my young,

Thig

sentimental heart could not sympathise with the man ripe in

¢lght

years, or with his acquirements : thus it was that I sought, and

aug

sought in vain, a friend who could quite feel with me. Much

With

combined to drive me deeper and deeper into black melan-

choly ; if ever I chanced upon an unoccupied hour, bitter

ang ;

Woul

tears were my meat. Well might I have cried out, though

frony

as yet I knew him not, ‘Where is He whom my soul loveth ¥

langu

(Cant. iii.) ; but the watchmen had not seen him, nor could

they direct me to him.”

ftare)

The elder brother, thinking that it must be the effects of

Ay

liy;

"HIS YOUTH AND CONVERSION,

5

7 wel-

16 had

confinement and over study which so oppressed the youth,

laid himself out to bring him more into company. Once he

1088 of

took him out shooting, to see if field sports could furnish

g, and

diversion ; but when, following the directions given him,

vening

Samuel had brought down a bird, he wept bitterly, for had

o defl

he not been instrumental in cutting short a life, happier, may

oed for

be, than his own? In those days, much as Bunyan says of

1oht fo

himself, he would often gladly have changed conditions with

omant [

some of the animals he saw around him.

od the

To let him again speak for himself. He writes: “Oh, it

Infen-

was a hard time!

By sin I had earned eternal death; con-

mation

science condemned me, nor left me any peace, for the law of

count-

God confirmed the condemnation.

And now my soul began

Co, to

to fear and tremble, for I saw no hope of ever finding effec-

tual consolation. My heart recognized the holiness and right-

] for

eousness of the great God and Creator, and my eyes, estranged

1d 10t

from Him by sin, dared no longer look up towards His holy

which

place.

An awful darkness came over me ; sun, moon, and

ereot)y

stars withdrew their shining, and with trembling anxiety I

AI0use-

cried out, ¢ Ye mountains, fall on me!

Thou earth, open

[ could

thy mouth and swallow me up! for the iniquity of my

d more

sin was revealed before the holy God; and who shall hide

16 C0I-

me from His awful presence—from His all-piercing eyes ?

y’OHHg,

This time of utter destruction and darkness lasted for about

ipe i

eight days.

I do not think I could have longer endured it

1 ad

and lived, but that my Creator and Saviour held me up

Much

with his mighty hand.

Satan kept suggesting ¢ Kill thyself,

and make an end of it all.’

Had I listened to him, what

melat-

Ditter

would then have become of my soul ?

¢ Whither shall T flee

from Thy Spirit ¢ where hide myself from Thy sight ¥ was the

hough

|Ve th ?’

language of my heart.

But the Father, whose love is un-

could

searchable, whose tenderness passes all thought, who bears

all the sons of Adam on his heart, would not leave me help-

ocls of

less in my sore need, and was not ashamed to make Himself

6

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

of

known fo me a great sinner. So He caused the light to shine

Inéan

in my darkness; and exceeding great though that darkness

pon

had been, He found out a way by which His tender love could

the |

reach me, yea, to come with power to my desolate heart, and

i

11

that without man’s instrumentality, and so that I could still

endure life.

11108

“Just at the moment when I was in the greatest extremity,

my ¢

DA

took

and there was none to help, it so fell out that on some general

The

popular festival in 1821, I went out, with my brother’s con-

sent, for an evening walk. My heart was still troubled, though

who

e

it had been somewhat relieved by a flood of tears.

Leaving

abot

the house, I passed, quite pre-occupied with my own thoughts,

through the erowd, and, hardly noticing whither I went, I

and

came to a quiet open cabbage-field.. There I once more ven-

shy

tured to lift my sinful glance to the Holy Oneand Pure ; then,

ihe

falling on my knees, literally in the very dust, I prayed to Him

Was

Lo

whose Holy Spirit was even then overshadowing me. The

burden of my sins was taken away, and with the eye of faith

ha

h

I found courage to look upon my Saviour.

It was for an

earthly friend that I had been searching: lo! I had found

that everlasting, heavenly Friend whom I had not sought,

Il

th

and who is my God.*

“From that moment I was comforted—the burden was

a8y

gone. Nevertheless T was inwardly assailed by a whole swarm

‘It

1]

of doubts and difficulties, because my understanding was not

firmly established.

But God had reserved it to Himself;

he d

to teach me fully according to the riches of His grace in

of 0

Christ Jesus, in His own good time.

Lt

A tender sensibility

(i

* Afterwards, in India, by a comparison of dates, Hebich was able

Hiny

to fix that this, his spiritual birthday, was on the 13th of June.

He

iy

says, ‘It was one Wednesday, the principal day of the rifle shooting ;”

U

and he first commemorated the day in 1847, when it fell upon a Sun-

day ; and he mentioned it to his two congregations, the Native and

3

hﬁay

the Furopean.

Loy

HIS YOUTH AND CONVERSION

7

) shine

of conscience was formed and nourished in me by sundry

Tkness

means—especially by the Scriptures, which I ever looked

At one moment I read

y could

upon as the infallible Word of God

the holy Law of God, as given by Moses—that which spake

t, and

].d bull

eternal damnation to my conscience

Then, again, God

himself brought his own comfort to my heart, and I found

Gy

my greatest delight in the study of Scripture, which I now

took in hand by regularly reading the Old Testament through

gener

' COI

The while I was very severe upon myself, seeking to rule my

whole conduct by the Bible

thoug

£AVIN

“Thus I continued, still in no little trouble till, somewhere

about February, 1822, I came under the preaching of my dear

ought

ent, |

and fatherly friend, Pastor Geibel

Hitherto I had been very

shy of the Reformed Church, to which he belonged ; but in

Ie Vel

the preaching which I heard in the Lutheran Church, there

then,

was nothing but Law and Morality. But from Mr. Geibel

o Him

I constantly heard something that was new to me, which I

The

i

had mnever before known; but it was especially his prayers

of faith

which absorbed all my attention, for he ever addressed the

for an

Lord Jesus Christ, whom I did not as yet spiritually know

] found

This offended me at first, and long I doubted about it, but

sough

the remembrance of my father’s lifted bonnet helped to re-

assure me

and at length a voice seemed to say within me

en Was

¢ That is that same Jesus in whom thy sins are forgiven.

gwarm

“Then at length it was first mac e clear to me that man can

728 10U

be delivered only by the sufferings, the death, the resurrection

hin flf

of our Lord and Saviour, who, in order to be a Saviour to us

1]’109 1

left the glory which He had with the Father before the foun-

]slblh

dation of the world, and in the fulness of the times took upon

Him our flesh and blood, entered entirely into the ranks of

7as able

ankind. being found in all things as a man, and who, in

e, He

utmost self-denial. rendered the most entire obedience to His

ot

g

189

un

heavenly Father, so as to earn for Himself the right to be both

tive and

Lord and Saviour of all intelligent beings

I learnt that the

8

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH,

i

result of his perfect and ever effectual freewill offering of

o

Himself, must be that, by the grace of the Holy Ghost,

fth

heart and understanding should be brought into most devout

whi

and entire submission. For whosoever thus accepts Him in

faith, and will let him work to entire sanctification from all

od

sin, has found life and immortality. To such He gives the

said

power to become the sons of God. Thus, by the word which

He has so graciously given to us, and also by the ministry of

that

man, the whole counsel of God touching salvation became

phof

clear to me; and by His good Spirit condescending to me, I

fathe

10w

advanced from light to light, from grace to grace. I now also

found my way into the company of Christian people, and

af th

very often, in midst of a despised company of believers, I

Iyt

found the edification that I needed.”

) sh

But Samuel’s brother was not a little put out at finding

A

him spending every available quarter of an hour in poring

ang

over the Bible. He said he would not put up with all this

the

hypocrisy, and there was a great to-do in the house,

Nor

haw

was the father less displeased ; amongst others, he wrote him

this

once what this son calls a terrible letter : “Son, thou hast

tiox

chosen the downward path,” &c., and finished by subscribing

Chy

himself, faithfully your father, a respected Lutheran clergy-

e

man, neither a tailor nor a cobbler,”

Samuel, who dearly

UL

loved his father, had now been parted from him for four

quich

years, and was on the point of returning home. As he read

that

this letter, all that he had received from God seemed in a mo-

Penily

ment gone, a heavy weight oppressed him, and the language

thap |

of his heart was, “You foolish lad, you! Barely twenty

Chrigt

years old, while your father is over seventy, a learned and

s g

experienced clergyman, your brother held in universal esteem,

can it be that both these are mistaken and you only right ?

if s

Surely not I’ He adds’: « Sorely I grieved, the day was wild

Youg

and stormy, I could yet show the spot where, on my way

oy

home through the market-place, I seemed to hear a voice,

HIS YOUTH AND CONVERSION.

9

0 of

¢If thou lovest father or mother more than Me, thou art not

worthy of Me.’

At once I knew what I had to do; all my

host,

vout

father’s and brother’s reproaches fell off from me like the rain

g

which was then falling.”

nall

In 1823 he was allowed once more to visit his grey-headed

s the

old father in the old home ; when again parting, the old man

hich

said he had narrowly watched him, and was glad to testify

that he was true to his convictions, and walked worthy his

1y of

Come

profession : adding, that if he continued thus to walk, his

father could not maintain his opposition.

This therefore he

me, [

now set before himself asa purpose in life.

At the beginning

IR

, and

of the following year Samuel found himself luckily absolved,

by the lot, from military service, and so was able more freely

o,

to shape his future career.

At this time he used to practise a good deal in English,

ding

and in that language he imparted to one of his young friends

o1ing

the news of his conversion.

Little as Samuel seemed to

this

Nor

have of poetry in his composition, it is certain that about

this time he wrote a good many verses; true, the versifica-

p him

| hast

tion halts a little here and there, yet his new found joy in

Christ, and his constant and simple looking to Him, shine out

ribing

in every line.

About this time he noticed that the regular

Jergy

presence of a certain handsome stranger at church seemed to

Jeatly

It took him some time to find out

four

quicken his devotion.

that this apparent increase of spirituality in fact covered a

read

No sooner did he see this

2 100

perilous dividing of the heart.

than he prayed for freedom from all dependence on any bub

guage

Christ.

ety

He was heard, and from that time he knew (to use

his own words), “how wonderfully holy a thing it is to fall

d a-nd

in love !”

He had never exchanged a word with the object

feem

of his admiration, and began to doubt whether marriage

jght!

would ever be the right path for him. Other circumstances

yild

followed to impose upon him bachelorhood.

j way

Y0ICEs

Is

I

sell

sho

my

Ti0]

1

Ino

%1

CHAPTER 11,

{

DESIRE FOR MISSION WORK.

{he

i

(s

‘WE again allow him to speak for himself.

||

Lea

“I now became acquainted with the Lubeck Missionary

Ing

Association, of which T became a member.

I enjoyed read-

The

;[;

51111]

ing the reports, and found them particularly animating.

the

more deeply I was taught in the wealth of God’s Word,

Lo

T

and the closer I was brought into communion with Him, so

T

much the holier had my walk to be; and I sought that my

f(l’f

whole course of life should be as in the sight of Him who

Ix(

had loved me even unto death. T felt also a strong desire to

th

impart to all mankind the blessedness which I myself enjoyed ;

Ter

especially those of my fellow men were laid upon my heart,

d(?ﬂi

who, as yet, knew absolutely nothing of God or a Saviour, but

ME\

who were altogether in error and in sin, destitute of truth as

d

ek

of comfort, walking in the shadow of death in this poor evil

oy

world. Seeing that I, coming as a poor sinner, was allowed

ad |

to taste the salvation that is in Jesus, an indescribable long-

tml

ing sprung up within me to preach to my poor brethren

‘]

among the heathen that Gospel which is a power of God

unto salvation to every one that believeth. The wish grew

(f -Xp

Dy

into an earnest yearning too strong to find expression in

Ok

iy

words, it could find vent only in tears.

‘When this yearning

Qlay

was at its highest, and was forming itself into a fixed resolve,

Inlx

‘DESIRE FOR MISSION WORK.

11

T spoke of it (in 1823) to my dear friend Pastor Geibel : he

laid before me the vast importance of such a step, and coun-

selled me to wait till, in the Lord’s leadings, every other path

should be shut before me; meanwhile, by remaining true to

my high calling, and walking worthy of it, I might still be

working in the Lord’s vineyard ; adding, ¢stay but quiet, and

if the Lord will have you for His more especial work, then

most assuredly, even as He led Moses, so will He lead you

as to leave no other path open.’

“T followed the advice of my dear friend, for whom I had

the highest esteem, and though for nearly six months it

caused me much suffering, yet I resisted the yearning of my

heart : eventually a quiet longing still smouldered deep within

nary

me, but withal fearing lest I should in such a matter be

read-

simply following my own will, I attended industriously to

The

the business of my calling, the while crying with tears to the

Vord,

Lord that He would not suffer me to spend my life in vain ;

im, §0

but, if it might be according to His will, yet to open a way

gb Iy

for me to declare among the poor heathen the unsearchable

riches of Christ.

il 17ho

Then, after another interval of six months;

the yearning returned with all its force, but I did not again

qe f0

joyed

venture to speak of it.

At Easter, 1824, the term of my in-

heart,

dentures expired, and I then entered into the employ of

1, bﬂt

Messrs. J. L. Brehn and Sons, of Lubeck, as correspondence

clerk and bookkeeper, and also as traveller.

The offer came

ath a8

[1)8 e'vi‘

from themselves, and they settled it with Messrs. Schmidt

and Co., who would willingly have kept me in their own

Towed

o long-

employ.

“ My first commercial journey was undertaken on the 5th

pethre

f God

of April, 1825.

I went by sea to Revel, thence through St.

Petersburg to Finland, returning in safety to Lubeck by the

) grew

j0 !

25th of August.

During this first journey I made the ac-

quaintance of that eminent Christian lady, Madame Lefren.

oarning

Ies()l‘v'ef

In 1826 I again travelled in Sweden, and once more on the

12

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH,

28th of November, 1827, I was at Carlshamn, whence,

traversing the whole of Sweden, I went by Tornea to Fin-

land. Somewhere about the Easter of 1828, on arrival at

Bjonsborg, I found a number of letters awaiting me, one of

§

which gave me the news of the death of my good father.

h

After six whole months passed in constant travel, I found

myself worn out body and spirit (especially in spirit), so I

Ll

determined to pay the above-named lady a visit, so as to get

for a few days in her house the refreshment of Christian in-

tercourse.

I was most hospitably received, and before long,

she made to me a proposal which on consideration I accepted.

U

As the owner of considerable landed estates she offered me a

«

fh

fine field where to work for God ; I thought that the Lord’s

approval was here, that on these estates he would give me the

[

hc

opportunity of trading with #ie pound entrusted to me—that

thus, in answer to my many prayers, He would let me work

fe

for the extension of His kingdom, though not exactly among

the heathen.”

In this journey of his, the young man met with sundry

adventures, tending to fix in him, firm as a rock, the as-

?

surance that if he kept near to God, God would keep near to

him. However careful and circumspect he was in all his

1

t

mercantile business, seeing to everything himself, and never

above taking advice, yet he would allow none of the con-

st

ventional considerations of business men much influence on

ihe.

his inner life.

For instance, on one occasion he had the

ol

disagreeable task of exculpating himself to a Swedish firm,

10

for a serious error in his last year’s accounts.

Having sought

Wh

strength in prayer, he went direct to the head of the firm,

Cany

and in simple words stated the whole case to him; but the

aye

Swede, who was not in the best of humours, seemed to think

('pp[

it an easy way to come up thus, afterhand, and say, “ Oh! it

)

[

was but an oversight.”

Hebich sought still more to humble

himself, saying, ¢ with the best intentions we are all liable to

an

DESIRE FOR MISSION WORK.

13

make mistakes;” this only seemed to make the man the

.

harder ; then the traveller “ begged to be forgiven this fault as

af

Jesus Christ had forgiven us;’ the merchant broke out

violently against “all such humbug;” instantly Hebich fell

of

¥

on his knees, and commenced praying, * Lord Jesus! Thou

seest he will not believe me ! convince Thou him that I am

nd

01

speaking the truth ! Thou knowest me! Thou knowest what

we all are! speak Thou! say whether I be a hypocrite

!),

o6

10

At first the merchant was silent, then he said, ¢ Come, that

will do, stand up; but once on that track, Hebich went on

g

ol

praying ; the Swede clapped him on the shoulder, and said,

« All right; I believe you; all was done in honesty,” and

16 &

»rd’s

then, presently, his own heart brake, and he added, tenderly,

“T pray you forgive me ! I am very sorry that I should thus

the

Not till then did Hebich

hat

have pained a Christian brother.”

rise from his knees ; they did not part without a mutual in-

otk

terchange of heart experience. "By such lessons he learned to

ong

gain courage, and to go at once to the heart of those with

whom he had to do, without beating about the bush ; whether

iy

it was taken in good part or otherwise signified little to him.

a5

Once more he journeyed to Moscow, returning to Lubeck

7 f0

in August, 1828. It seems to have been on this occasion

s

that, owing to some informality in his passport, Hebich was

yer

stopped by the police at St. Petersburg, just as he was on

0L

the point of embarking: neither prayer, nor entreaty, nor

on

scolding availed. The mnext morning, being released with

fhe

manifold excuses for the detention, he hastened down to the

it

wharf, only just in time to see the vessel, which was to have

joht

carried him as a passenger, disappearing from view.

How

i,

awestruck he was when, on arriving in Lubeck by another

the

opportunity, he learned that that ship had gone down with

juk

all hands! I again take up his own words.

(B

«The Lord had carried me safely through my journeyings,

phle

and so helped me that I was rewarded with the full confidence

o t0

14

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.,

of my principals.

I remained in Lubeck till October, 1829,

and then set sail, in the name of God, for Helsingfors, where

Ins

I landed safe, after a perilous voyage, and travelled on to the

i)

you

Hattanpda estate, near Tamerfors ; there I settled down from

the 8th of November, desiring, after the example of the

chil

of t

apostle, to earn my bread by the labour of my hands, and

thus to be able to make the Gospel to be without charge to

Teer

those among whom I had to labour.

My duties were to

oudi

superintend one of the largest estates in Finland, including a

toh

paper factory employing some fifty hands.

Who

“ By-and-by, however, it seemed very clear that this was

suff

not the right place for me.

In order to watch for the divine

lifp

guidings, I remained quiet for a whole year ; disciplining myself

Hin

severely that I might learn to know the voice of the spirit ;

only

the only result being the fuller assurance that God had some-

TODI

thing very different in store for me.*

Qew

sely

“ Again then, bursting forth from a thousand perplexities,

the resolution rose up mightily within me, never to rest till

T

e

I should be brought into the mission-field among the heathen.

Should God, however, absolutely bar the way to this desire

th

of my heart ; then, when I had satisfied my conscience by

bp]

taking every step towards it in my own power, I would

hOJ

humbly and peacefully return to my old business.

My

har

earnest and faithful prayer to God was ever, that of his grace,

6Xay

he would allow me only to attain to what was in accordance

it

with his own heart.

Having thus made up my own mind, I

OWD’

informed good Mrs. Lefrén of my resolve : but I had no in-

the ]

tention of leaving Hattanpda till God should have made

1ndeg

some path quite clear before me ; which did not occur till I

IBSI)E(

had kept up an active correspondence on the subject for a

ey

whole year.”

Ly

ey

* 1t may be noted here that some were seeking to engage him in a

marriage which would have shackled him for life,

1y g

Lang

DESIRE FOR MISSION WORK.

15

1829,

His first letter, dated 27th December, 1830, was to

here

Inspector Blumhardt of the Basle Mission Institute.

¢ Most

0 fhe

respected friend in Christ ! allow me to open my heart to

from

you, and to beg for your love.

I am of the number of the

[ the

children who feel themselves unworthy of the boundless love

, and

of the Father which is in Christ J esus, but who having once

108 £0

been made to taste of His grace, can find no more rest in the

e t0

ordinary easy-going life of this world, but whose heart burns

ding &

to be able to do somewhat in return, somewhat to His praise

who first loved us, and poured out His holy life, an ever

i5 as

sufficient sacrifice for us: who is the only comfort, hope, and

divine

life of His children, God over all, blessed for ever, Amen.

mself

Him they desire to proclaim as the light of the world, as the

pirit;

only way to the Father who will have all men to be saved.

sore-

To Him, in return for all that He has dome, they desire to

devote their lives in His especial service, acknowledging them-

yities,

selves His alone, and upheld only by His gracious hand.

ot il

This is also my greatest wish. Oh ! that it may also prove to

be according to the will of Him, who understandeth our

oathen,

destre

thoughts long before.” He then gives a varied sketch of his

nce by

spiritual history, and proceeds, “having then fully and

would

honestly considered the step I am taking; the inevitable

My

hardships, sufferings, and sacrifices which it involves ; having

examined my own heart narrowly, as before God, and com-

Ju

rdance

mitted to my dear Saviour my cause, which is in truth His

own, I take now the liberty to entreat you to receive me into

n'md; I

the Missionary Institute.

0 I

I have no means of my own ; and

indeed I do not know the rules of the Institution in this

o made

rtﬂ”

respect ; my desire is, that at the cost of the society I may be

educated and fitted to become thoroughly furnished for the

p for &

missionary work ; in return for which I would submit myself

unreservedly to its requirements ; ready on the completion of

jim i

my studies, to receive from it my destination, and so, in God’s

name, to enter npon my work.

My travelling expenses to

16

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

[

Basle I can, I think, meet.

My dear friend, the Pastor Geibel,

for

will give you all necessary information about me ; and may I

beg you to address to that friend’s care, your answer to this

Jetter, and that with the least possible delay. Then, so soon

as the ice clears and the water is open, that is in May or

June, I shall be prepared to start.

If you inquire what

countryman I am ?

I am an honest Swabian, born at Nel-

lingen, etc., ete.

7088

May God, and the Lord Jesus Christ guide

next

your decision in this matter.

Amen.”

Geibel received this letter in February, but did not pass it

ab il

fort

on till April, knowing that the city of Basle was then in

sore distress.

In sending it on, he expressed a hope that

also

the delay would not act tothe prejudice of the petitioner,

9068

adding,

befoy

“ Hebich is an earnest Christian, and every way trust-

A0}

worthy; the desire to devote himself to mission work has long

thog

self

been intense in him : at first I kept him back, knowing how

often in young men this arises from very mixed motives, and

thi

pus

ill-considered resolves. But in this case, so far as I can judge,

it 1s not so.

He has many invaluable qualifications for the

1

thy

work, e.¢. an open bright friendliness of disposition, which

commands the confidence of those with whom he has to do,

‘H

eIy

and even attracts those who oppose his convictions : he is

healthy, intelligent, and not luxurious, able to make the best

i

of circumstances.

and

‘Whether he has any marked facility in

acquiring foreign tongues I am not sure, but think it probable

eudo

°

in his former employments he has proved faithful

kuoy

and energetic, winning the approval of all his employers.

i

litle

it be the Lord’s will to send him forth, a messenger to the

auq |

heathen, He will surely prepare the way. Your Institute

1913

has doubtless, with others, felt the pressure of these very

————————

fOT e

terrible times ; look only to Him ;

He sits at the helm, and

Sﬁy f(

steers Iis ship safe through the raging billows.

Hlani

ork

. DESIRE FOR MISSION WORK,

17

oibel,

“With hearty and brotherly love, and earnest intercessions

for yourself and for your Institution,

y [

thig

“I am, yours,

“J. GEIBEL,

soon

y o

¢ Pastor of the Reformed Church.”

what

- Nel-

At first the reply was, that, for want of means, it was im-

possible for the Society to entertain the proposition.

So he

guide

next very humbly begged to be allowed to pursue his studies

at the expense of Mrs. Lefréen, who assigned 1600 roubles

ags 1t

en 10

for the four years that were necessary. He said that he had

also a sufficient wardrobe to last for that period, and then

o thab

Tonet,

goes on, “during a whole year I have proved myself, keeping

before me the aim of becoming a servant of the Lord Jesus

frust-

among the heathen, and I am sure that Christ is mighty in

those who have no strength. I do not build upon my own

s long

self; Christ alone is my strength, and in Him I can do all

how

things.

Such is my hope in Him who has once redeemed

g, and

me, and who will, if I hold fast the faith, one day receive

judge,

me up into the assembly of the righteous.

He has so done

or the

the unspeakably great work that the allimportant question,

which

¢How can the sinner be justified and sanctified ¥ now re-

to d01

ceives a most positive answer.

It is true that I still fail in so

he 5

many ways, that I shall stand much in need of the patience

6 hest

and tenderness of the brethren.

It has been God’s will to

by in

endow me with but moderate natural talents, and my acquired

hable

knowledge is but scanty. Besides Swedish I can speak some

jithl

little French and English, and as a boy I also began Latin

g I

and Italian.

But I have no wish to become a scholar, feeling

fo the

very confident that God will give me the necessary capacity

difute

for learning what is requisite for my work, or rather I would

, very

say for His work. Tle was pleased at first to found Chris-

), mld

tianity, and to establish the Word of His grace by unlearned

workmen, strong in His might; and in these our days also,

2

18

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

He will furnish to His messengers among the heathen a due

portion of His might to the praise of His own glory; for is

He not the living God, watching over His own cause ? ;Ifhis

is my faith and my prayer.

“Now do you put it to the proof, acting as He shall direct

your heart.

If it is not to be in Basle I will ask my friends

in Lubeck to apply to the London Missionary Society for me.

Indeed, to day I am writing to see if that Society will have

me, but if you will kindly receive me, I had much rather

come at once to you, unless in the meantime the London

Society should have elected me.”

(Mr. Geibel notes that

from some uncertainty about the address, this letter to Lon-

don was never sent.) Hebich was so urgent for an early

Oyt

answer because in those days communication by sea remained

tion

open only till the beginning of September.

Houg

‘With thankfulness he received, on the 28th of September,

Singy

His letters

the “loving consent” dated the 31st August.

)

evinced such a ripeness of missionary spirit, that the com-

st

mittee unanimously resolved to call Samuel Hebich for one

nay

year’s probation, and Mrs, Lefrén was informed that her gift

due

would be thankfully accepted as a general one to the Mission

(13 “

cause. Hebich found out that God had yet to lead him through

brof

dark ways into a deeper insight into His mercy, and would

amy,

prepare him, as by fire, for His great work ; and he experienced

(du) i

that He who had first given the will would also work out

0ur oy

the accomplishment, to the praise of His holy name: he felt

f"W ap

himself bowed to the dust, and begged for the prayers of

el |

Churistian friends.

On account of the cholera, no vessel was

Loy Al

then sailing direct for Germany, therefore he thought of going

Stlldem

by way of Revel, but at Helsingfors he fell in with a Dane

IHSpect

who undertook to pass him to Copenhagen ; the result being

lng on,

a twenty days’ quarantine.

Wi

Simple

the oth

g Qe

for 1

This

Jirect

riends

0T e,

| have

tather

ondon

CHAPTER IIL

g that

IN THE MISSION COLLEGE.

o Lon-

. catly

Ox the evening of the 24th of December the usual distribiw-

nained

tion of Christmas gifts was taking place at the Mission

House.

Assembled in the dining-hall, the students were

singing, when an important-looking traveller, in cloak and fur

mber,

Tetters

eap, walked straight in, inquiring for the Imspector, who at

first greeted him in a courteous but somewhat ceremonious

6 Com-

for one

manner, then heartily kissed him on both cheeks, and intro-

duced him to the assembly as our nmew brother Hebich.

yor i

Mission

“We are just observing our Christmas Eve festivities, dear

brother ; the Lord be with you, and bless this day of your

hrough

yrould

arrival in our midst; but I am in the habit of using ¢thou”

(dii) in addressing our students, you must understand it is

rienced

tk o0t

our manner here, and see, there is a plate for thee also !”

A

few apples and walnuts were offered to the new pupil.

The:

he felf

aged Blumhardt then prayed, remembering in his prayer the

yers of

new arrival, then another hymn was sung, after which each

:SSel s

student took up his' plate of apples and nuts, thanked the

of going

Inspector and his wife, and walked out.

Hebich stood look-

) Dane

ing on, not quite knowing what he had to do.

“Will you—

1 heing

wilt thou also, dear brother, take away thy plate? it is our

simple custom.”

He took up the gift, attempted to imitate

the others in their thanks, but it was awkwardly done, and

2—2

20

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

I

then his place was assigned to him in one of the halls of

study. Now he might look around him at his leisure.

The

far

(43 TO-—

far

following entry was made in the record of the week.

day Samuel Hebich arrived from Finland, may the Lord

lec

the

sanctify his coming to us all, to himself, and to the benefit of

many poor heathen.

May his whole life’s work be prospered

an

he

, / y 774

in the )éight of the Lord.”

This then was the Mission Home ! the object of so many

cah

It was not

of his thoughts by day, of his dreams by night.

Tas

exactly as he had fancied it: all so small.

Among the thirty-

thi

three pupils he wag, with the exception of the Russian, Borling,

He

the eldest, and they all appeared to him very undeveloped.

19

Remembering all his own experience, it was not easy to humble

visi

himself to a level with these lads who had as yet seen so

the

little of the world, who scarcely knew their own hearts; who

ar

yet, with greatest assurance maintained the dogmas of some

lear‘

particular Christian sect, in the midst of which they hap-

103

pened to have grown up. Then again the confined space

e

within which all were crowded together, the very limited at-

1

tendance, so that each one, almost as in a monastery, had to

st

bear his share from day to day in menial offices.

There were

of

some hard times for Samuel, and he was sometimes perplexed

de

at the way by which he was being led. For the first time in

fon

his life he now had some of the roughest experiences of

Iy

school life ; but it was of real value to him, so that even to

litt

the last years of his Indian career he spoke of the great value

dryg

of this life in common, saying to one who from a mercantile

taug}

training had entered upon missionary life without any such

53l

experience or discipline: “Ah! if you had but passed omne

all o

short year in the Mission House ! that is the place to have

I ey

the rust rubbed off, the place in which really to learn hu-

Then the constant succession of the lectures had

burg

mility !”

In

also its difficulties.

At that time the licentiate in theology,

oy,

‘Werner (presently succeeded by Mr. Straud), and Mr. Blum-

i

s

IN THE MISSION COLLEGE.

21

Is of

hardt himself, taught most of the classes: the Inspector

The

taught Bible classes and sacred history ; President Falkeisen

‘(T0~

taught pastoral theology and exegetics ; the Rev. Von Brunn

Lord

lectured on one or other of the books of the New Testament;

fif of

then the lectures of Professor Hagenbach on Church history

pered

and theological science were also attended. Determined though:

he was to learn, yet he found at his age the acquiring of vo-

many

cables and of grammatical forms, hard drudgery. Still harder

25 106

was it, as each fresh task came before him, to believe that all

hirty-

this was really needed for the vocation that was before him.

orling,

He had had many an inward conflict about this when, on the

19th of July, 1822, Mr. Spleiss, one mighty in the spirit,

Joped.

mmble

visited the Mission House, and during three hours expounded

S0 §0

the Christian’s Armoury (Eph. vi.).

His heart was drawn to-

55 ho

wards this man, and his comforting assurance that to be sure

' gome

learning was not the main thing, that though he might not

y hap-

make very rapid progress, yet quiet perseverance and obedience

would help him to add daily somewhat to his store, encou-

| space

ited at-

raged him to work on. Then, when he was introduced to the

study of Hebrew, he began to perceive that some knowledge

, had fo

10 WeIo

of both Greek and Hebrew would conduce to the right un-

derstanding of the Divine mind, as revealed in the original

plexed

time 12

tongues.

His subsequent regret was that he had made so

little progress, and that, for lack of constant attention, that

nees of

even 10

little was so ready to fade from his memory. Yet this hard

drudgery was not quite without useful results in him, for it

i value

taught him to value good theologians, and to acknowledge the

assistance which they could be to him; and very often, when

0y such

all other books had been cast aside, he would still refer to

Ssed OI} (¢

Meyer’s “ Bible Translation and Notes,” and to the “ Berlen-

burg Bible.”

) DU

In other respects, also, he was not very successful as a stu-

res Do

dent.

His teacher’s report of him was—‘ Hebich has little

Teologys

, Bl

aptitudé for grammatical studies; probably he would pick

22

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH

up languages more readily, colloquially ; he ‘shows, howéver,

the

much maturity of spiritual judgment, and his conduct and

ol

demeanour are excellent.”

1ah

It was not long before ample opportunity was afforded for

facl

the exercise of these latter qualities, when, in consequence of

how

the strife between Basle town and country, Confederate troops

whi

occupied the canton. On one occasion (it was in May, 1832,)

an(

a number of the military visited the Mission House, when

Doy

Hebich undertook the duty of showing them the museum,

tha

taking the opportunity for speaking earnestly to individuals,

or to parties of them. The warlike complications of those

past

days served to bring out in a new light the character of this

4@ SC

inapt pupil

‘When there was talk of an expedition, with

86t

which the inspector, in deference to the authorities, was

bl

minded to send some of the students, Hebich resisted most

i

determinedly all persuasions, saying he was not going to incur

and

danger in all this miserable, paltry business

life and limb

He

belonged to the Lord, who alone had a right to him ; gladly

oLl

would he risk all for the heathen, but for the town of Basle

il

“not a drop of his blood !”

V]

During any short trip he eagerly availed himself of every op-

he

portunity that offered for preaching the Word ; for instance,

W

at Konigsfeld, and again at Christmas-time, in Alsace

His

QpH

first holiday trip was taken in the summer of 1832, and was

Chu

into Irench Switzerland. He writes at the time—¢ After

ho

we had both sung and praised the Lord from the bottom of

alliy

our hearts, not only that He daily loaded us with mercies,

oy

but that he had now allowed us a special season of refresh-

Vet y

ment, we set forth joyfully on our way, committine to Him

logy

all guidance, and praying Him to use us in some way to His

A

praise, and to the good of His children, for His name’s sake.”

%po

At Grandval they were kindly welcomed by the pastor Gag-

Geny

nebin, and by old Mrs. Gobat

He writes—¢ There all is

zeal, love, and humbleness of heart for the Lord’s cause

On

thq

C0ngt

IN THE MISSION COLLEGE.

D)

ol

3

Ve,

the 24th of July we went, accompanied by our fellow-student,

and

Gobat, to the Weisenstein, to admire the grand works in

nature of our great God; and truly it is an elevating spec-

101

tacle! At Tavannes we visited a deeply-tried Baptist, who,

o of

however, has not yet a firm hold upon that blood of Jesus

00pS

which alone can give peace, and victory over death and hell ;

332,)

and the sight was so sad as to make us feel how utterly

vhen

powerless we are in ourselves.

¢Oh, Lord ! what is man,

g,

that Thou takest knowledge of him ¥ ”

uals,

At Neuchatel the wanderers were lovingly greeted by. the

those

pastor, who, however, regretted being unable to lodge them.

this

“So we went to a man of the name of M

, lately

with

set up as a shoemaker, who had very little spare accom-

]

Was

modation, but who very joyfully lodged us in the Lord’s

most

name. What a beautiful thing is the simplicity of Christ !

neur

and how well pleased must He be with such loving souls!

Jimb

He to whom all belongs! My soul was bowed within me ;

and I think I may say that I desire not to find any plea-

adly

Basle

sure apart from this humbleness of the spirit, for I feel

what a power of God is in it.

This M. is a separatist, but

he loves all who love the Lord, and my soul loves him also.

1y 0

We avoided doubtful questions, yet it seems to me that the

stanc?,

spirit of separation is not of the Lord ; for there is but one

His

td was

Chureh and one Spirit.

At Corcelles we found two house-

holds of faith, from which testimony to the word of recomn-

After

om of

ciliation sounded forth to very many. Thus again at Couvet,

though the place was disquieted by the spirit of revolution,

1016,

efesh

yet we found friends who held to the communion ‘of the bre-

thren.”

i

At Yverdon the two travellers availed themselves of an

fo His

opportunity of preaching the gospel in a private room to the

ake.”

German residents ; which was indeed their practice wherever

1 Gag-

they went, when it could be done.

Hebich felt himself here

, all 18

.constrained to visit the leaders of the new Apostolic Church

o, (1

=

D)

4

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

(Irvingi\tes). He writes concerning this visit—¢The Apostle

fo

of

Landon was absent, but we found Dr. Develey busy superin-

tending some building operations ; he received us civilly, but

declined all discussion, saying he was no teacher, and referring

he

us to Mr. R., tellingus, however, plainly, that our Mission House

an

was of the devil. We left him, without defending ourselves.

r

When we arrived at Mr. R.’s house we found Dr. Devely

1

there before us : he came up frankly to excuse himself for his

800

very thoughtless expression, confessing that he had not been

wise.

I smiled, andfbegged him not to disturb himself on

tou

that account—we had not taken it amiss—we were all but

§p0

feeble human beings—easily led wron

O J

o

whereupon the Pro-

wh

phet went out hurriedly.”

Ih

Then they visited that man of God, Mellet,” at Thierrens,

thy

and had an opportunity of preaching to the Germans at Mou-

U

don. They found the mission-house at Lausanne in mourning,

JIE

the eldest pupil having just died. Hebich noted that the

Basle Institute™was not held in very high repute here for

[0

learning.

In Geneva they heard the preachers Bost and

il

Malan. The latter, at the close of the sermon, came up to

Hebich, and inquired —“Who are you? Why do you wish

to join us at the Lord’s table ? Do you love the Lord Jesus?’

Il

To which Hebich replied— The Lord Jesus is my only hope,

out

my all in all.”g Whereupon Malan took him by the hand,

fell

saying—* Be thou heartily welcome, brother!” and kissed

o0

him. Hebich continues—* We afterwards spent three hours

I\

with him, in intimate conversation : we spoke of the only

the

foundation of all our blessedness, and enjoyed sweet com-

Heny

munion of spirit.

The believers of Geneva have done

Jl]ake

quite right in separating from the national church, for the

rulers (or, which in this case is the same thing, the state

4 gon

I

clergy) had forbidden them to preach the Divinity of our

dear Lord. On the steamer I found many opportunities of

Ei&geg

Wihe

testifying for the Lord ; and He gave power to His own word

bal&?o]

9

IN THE MISSION COLLEGE.

-

5

stle

to put the adversaries to shame. A student complained to me

[0

of the great differences of opinion that prevailed, saying that

bub

if one could not conscientiously agree to everything, one was

g

held as altogether reprobate.

I was glad to mention all this,

use

and much of the same character, to Mr. Malan ; and by secur-

Ves

ing to this very interesting young man an introduction to

vely

Mr. R., I brought him within the reach of that Christian

r his

society which he seemed to need.”

heen

‘We cannot follow them through each step of their further:

f on

tour, through Vevey and over the Simplon.

From this last.

| hub

spot Hebich writes— We spent the night in the monastery,

where the monks entertained us very kindly. During supper

Pro

I had an opportunity of testifying to the life-giving power

that is in Jesus, by narrating my own conversion.” Then

onS,

fou

over the Grimsel to the glorious Rhone glacier, and on to

Meyringen. On the top of the Wengern Alp Hebich records

1ng,

Then

j the

—<«T was able to acknowledge my Lord and Master.”

on to Berne, and so back to the beloved mission-house.

Of

¢ 1

or

; and

the whole journey he writes—¢“ 1 can testify to the praise of

His grace, that during this little tour my inner man has been

up to

wish

much refreshed by meeting so many beloved disciples.

Throughout French Switzerland we seldom left a house with-

SUS !

out prayer, and were made to feel how delightful it is to have

hope;

fellowship in spirit and in the truth with precious redeemed

hand

souls.”

issed

The following year he took a similar holiday trip round

hours

the Lake of Constance, of which his travelling companion

, ouly

Henry Frey has given a delightful account, from which we

, (ol

make some extracts.

“ Onece we came to a hill on which was.

done

a gentleman’s house.” Hebich said, * we must go up there

!7,'

i the

I tried in vain to prevent him. There were horses and car-

it

ate

f oul

riages about the entrance, but Hebich told the servants he

wished to see the wview, and asked to be taken on to the

{168 of

balcony. Once there, and paying no heed to my nudges he

26

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

[

asked whether he could not see the master of the house. This

gentleman came out for a moment, Hebich addressed him

il

il

politely, and we were invited in to take some refreshments.

Hebich drew me, somewhat against my inclination, into the

b

D

room ; sat down, and began to speak very unreservedly to

the company assembled, soon commanding their attention.

to

Then he said he should like to read something, took out his

New Testament, and read a portion ; then he said quietly,

spf

He

“let us pray !” and knelt down, several at once went out into

the garden, but he prayed heartily with as many as remained.

mo

After all this the owner of the place dismissed us with

!

warmest thanks, saying that he himself also loved the Lord ;

talr

Jear

and had been longing all the morning that the day might be

made somehow useful to his company, and now could thank

Hel

God for having led us to his house.

During his stay in the Mission-house the recurring occa-

o

g

sions of the sending forth of brethren for the Mission work

fhe

were always times of intense interest to him : nor was he

LA

1a

less interested by the receipt of letters from those engaged in

distant fields of labour, and by the visit of sundry men of

i

note. For instance, on the 18th of October, 1832, the French-

th

American Quaker Grellet addressed the brethren in English,

par

in a very impressive manner.

Again on the 20th October,

il

1833, Dr. Steinkopf discoursed on the subject of true

Tt}

humility, warned against highmindedness; and urged to

Opinj

that courage which should ever inspire us, all these being

Tng,

things especially needful to a missionary. Aud on the 7th of

to the

November, 1833, the brethren were pleasantly surprised by a

tant (

sudden visit from Dr. Gobat from Abyssinia.

Over ¢

On the 2nd of August, 1833, whilst the greater part of the

little

pupils were away for the vacation, there was a sudden rumour

the y,

that on the morrow a sortie was to be attempted from the

T

town, and each one began asking his neighbour, ““are you

Cfyy

going also ¥ Then the principal medical officer of the troops

IN THE MISSION COLLEGE.

27

his

came ; and, in the absence of the Inspector, made an arrange-

1m

ment with Mr. Buchele, his locum tenens, that six volunteers

1ts,

from among the students should accompany him, to tend the

the

wounded. Six of the brethren went accordingly, on that

to

unhappy 3rd of August ; and, in spite of the hail of bullets

1011

to which they had been exposed, they returned unhurt.

i}

But the news of the peril to which the town was exposed

Aly,

spread far and wide, and all the students who were absent,

Once

nto

Hebich among them, hastened their return thither.

ned

more Bernese troops occupied the town, and he often found

opportunities of working for the Lord among them. A cap-

with

ard ;

tain, who first, like Nicodemus, came to him by night, soon

learned to love the Lord, and later, in quieter times, invited

t he

hank

Hebich to his residence at Rheinfelden.

By the 15th of August the Inspector returned from London :

00Ca-

his words of greeting to the brethren were, ¢ Ah, my friends !

though all be confusion here, yet it is sweet to come Zome,

otk

even as the dove hastes to the dove-cote when the storm

S he

rages.”

He had been to England to discuss with friends the

;ed in

e of

plans for a Mission to India.

During his stay in London,

the Act for the renewal of the Charter of the East India Com-

rench-

pany had passed through Parliament, granting the right of

glsh,

entry into and residence in India to JEuropeans of all nations,

tobe,

' frue

with the privilege of holding land. The growth of public

opinion in favour of the evangelization and colonization of

10

helng

India, had obliged her statesmen to remove the last obstacle

to the establishment of a German Mission in the most impor-

i of

dbye

tant dependency of the British crown.- Blumhardt rejoiced

over this with all the simple-heartedness of a child, making

s

little of the difficulties and hardships that were still in

the way.

;umout

n the

This was the opening of the door to Hebich for his qua;"ter

century’s work in India.

o JOU

) fro0p®

ofh

£on,

yen

fl

161

ﬂl€3

Ind

1el

8101

dist

1§

CHAPTER 1V.

SENT FORTH TO THE MISSION-FIELD.

an

d

0§

0 ¢

A sHORT time before the period at which we have arrived, the

Basle Committee, still hesitating as to the proper course, had

this

Al

been much encouraged by an offer from Prince Victor of

Schomberg, to help materially towards the founding of a

hag

ont

school for catechumeni, in India.

On the 12th of February

1834, a promise of ten thousand thalers was made by this

fl

)

e

Prince, in order, to the sending out of three missionaries, to

India, who were to devote themselves both to preaching and

Sl

0c

to education ; and by the next day the news ran through the

house that the brethren Hebich, Lehner and Greiner had been.

do

wh

selected to open up this new field. A month later, on the

16th of March, they were ordained at Lorrach.

The twenty-

D

seven months which Hebich had passed in the Institute had

t0 g

certainly not made a scholar of him : but all the more was

tan

expected from his fervent zeal : the other brethren could

the pl

supplement his lack of methodical work

and patient

Posg]

learning.

hood,

At a solemn service in the Church of St. Martin, on Palm

Cang

Sunday the 23rd of March, the brethren were set apart for

ithog

their work and sent forth to it.

Hebich spoke from the

teek

Psalmist’s words, “ Thou art fairer than the children of men,”

H]dnm

when his earnest declaration that he desired to know none

Of ﬂ‘u

SENT FORTH TO THE MISSION-FIELD.

29

other name than that of Jesus made a deep impression.

The

congregation consisted of at least sixteen hundred souls : the

venerable minister Von Brunn spoke the benediction over

them with words of fervid prayer.

On the following day

these three first messengers of the Basle society to far-off

Hitherto

India set forward on their journey, full of hope.

neither the friends, nor the directors of the Basle Mis-

sionary Society had any very distinct knowledge of that

distant land.

Earnestly as the committee had tried to fix upon some

spot as most suitable for a first station, it had been unable to

do so. Their earnest desire was to found a station somewhere

in the vicinity of the successful Tinnivelli Mission.

‘With

, the

had

this view, and in order that the brethren might on their first

arrival obtain some native helpers from it, communications

or Of

of

had been opened up with that Mission : the hope being also

entertained that ultimately the brethren might in return for

Aty

this benefit, be helpful in educating native helpers for Tinni-

y fhis

NE————

velli,

But the principle was impressed upon the new mis-

s, 10

sionaries that they were carefully to avoid any station already

g and

occupied by the workers of any other Christian Mission :

i) the

doubts also were entertained as to the selections of towns in

] heen

which Europeans were resident in large numbers.

)il the

So the three Pioneer Brethren went forth with instructions

renty-

to seck about for any suitable opening offering on the borders

) had

of any of the older Mission Districts in South India ; to seek

) WS

the advice of the Tinnivelli Brethren in this matter ; and, if

could

possible, to learn the language prevailing in their neighbour-

gatient

hood, whether that should prove to be Tamul, Telugu,

Canarese, or Malayalam.

Next, by the establishing of

) Pﬁlm

schools, they were to seek access to the people; and so to

ot for

seek to found an Evangelical Lutheran Mission in such a

il the

manner as to carry forward the work commenced by the zeal

:, men,"

of the Brethren from Halle, whose field, it was supposed,

[ 1006

30

* MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

b

owing to the little appropriate title of Malabar Mission,

adopted by them, extended very much farther towards the

il

i

West Coast than was really the case.

Hebich took what proved to be a final leave of his aged

L)

mother at Ulm: on parting, she said, “ You have ever been

a dutiful son to both father and mother.”

‘While journeying

q

In

towards London he found not a few opportunities of working

in the interests of the Mission.

In Cassel he met with a

lig

number of law-students, who were not ashamed of Christ ;

they were members of the flock of a Rev. Mr. Lange, whom

are

hi

he describes as a simple-hearted and humble man.

At

Hanover a Mr. Abt had formed a Mission association, which

\()

(ou

even the unbelieving clergy had joined, holding that the

capital ought not to be behind other places in this respect.

i

g

He found Pastor Petri, and the Consistorial Assessor

Niemann, earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to

h

the saints.

A judge with whom he met he found to be

T

rather inclined to extreme Lutheranism, ¢ yet our hearts had

fh

much in common.”

8

At Bremen, Hebich put up with the beloved pastor Mallet,

il

bl«

and visited all the members of the Mission Association there,

and many faithful ministers of the gospel, who manifested

B

Bag

much interest in the cause. He makes the following remark :

“We halted for a day in Lubeck, but scarcely any notice

8y

fomn

was taken of us. I do not mention this as though I myself

were somewhat, yet this was an occasion in which, if there

He

had been love in a church, it would surely have declared it-

“

self. Everything in the path of faith has been arranged by

thepg

God in such a wonderfully human scale, that men can won-

heay

drously refresh one another.”

and ¢

He wrote this twenty-one years later, when his heart had

On

been much rejoiced by the friends in Lubeck sending out a

B gy

bell for the Cannanore chapel.

In Hamburg he was the

1ity

guest of Licentiate in Theology Pehméller, who would gladly

Sulty

i

SENT FORTH TO THE MISSION-FIELD.

31

i

have accompanied the Missionary band; and who, indeed,

the

three years later, went to the Cape of Good Hope, as Super-

intendent of the Berlin Mission.

ged

On the 28th of April Hebich reached London, his two

2913

companions having remained for a while in Dartmouth as a

ying

quieter place where they might get a little into the way of

king

English speaking,.

th a

Hebich attended the May meetings of many of the Re-

ligious Societies, and it was a sight which stirred him

rist

hom

greatly ; indeed, all these new interests seem to have occupied

him much more than the necessary preparations for the

At

hich

voyage which was before him. We find him in close inter-

course with Mr. D. Coates, Secretary to the English Church

the

|

ect

Missionary Society, who, indeed, as early as the 30th of April

had offered him the use of a room in the Islington Institute,

3501

d

t0

which offer was gladly accepted. A sad strife, which it took

long years to heal, had broken out between Mr. Rhenius and

o be

had

the Church Missionary Society, which led Mr. Coates to

strive to separate this new German Mission from the Tamul

allef,

i

Mission Field ; the only result being that Hebich and his

brethren felt the more drawn towards their countrymen.

here,

osted

%

Both sides very earnestly addressed the Committee of the

Basle Society on this point, the result being more explicit in-

ark

structions to the three Pioneers, to fix upon “some healthy

of

106

town, between Cochin and Bombay.”

)aelf

Hebich did not at all object to this arrangement.

here

“The Lord’s will be done,” he exclaims, “though we are

ed it

thereby sent forth upon a rough way, and not cast up ! with

od by

heart and soul we wish in all things to follow His guidance,

om:

and to be used as He shall appoint.”

On the 12th of July the three Brethren embarked from

had

Portsmouth on the Malabar, a brand new ship, and on the

oub &

15th they sailed. Shortly before embarking, Hebich in con-

s the

sultation with Mr. Coates, had decided upon Mangalore as

Jadl

D)

3

rel

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

their first point where to learn the Canarese language, and

Tav

upon the town of Karikal, lying inland from thence, for their

Jede

first Mission Station (not till 1872, however, did the town

4 (a

of Karikal receive a resident missionary).

They found kind

of e

friends among their fellow-passengers, especially the Mis-

hut

sionary, B. Bailey, and Mr. Sullivan, of the Madras Civil

dail

Service,

who were on their return to India.

The ship,

this

pausing

for a couple of days off Madeira, sped on her way

hear

without much of adventure, towards the Malabar coast of

Chri

India.

In

Whilst his companions were below, reading and studying,

magt

Hebich was usually on deck, seeking to go among the sailors,

Ther

to speak to them of eternal things, and to distribute tracts

iy

among them, but he found it an ungrateful soil.

After long

ligy

seeking in vain to gain their attention, he said to them one

Whic

day, “Friends ! T am the servant of Christ, and have a com-

stere

mission to tell all men of the way of life in Him—to tell

e

you among other men.

I must clear my conscience, lest, in

that great day, any of you might be able to say, ¢ Thy servant

i

neglected us, he sailed in the ship with us, but he held his

tim

peace,” so, now, I will preach the word to you, for who can

alve

tell whether you have another week to live ; then, at least, I

There seemed still no inclination

by

shall have done my part.”

to listen, so he retired, sorrowful, to his cabin ; but one of the

ﬂ]illg

1ore

men hurried after him to say that they were all ready to hear

iag

what he had to say. Hebich writes, “I went at once, in the

80 oy

name of the Lord ; and now, having once begun, I can go on

with them.

Sometimes, they are attentive, and I scatter

ey

h&blt y

the seed among them in hope ; at other times, they prefer to

sleep, and I have to come away. If nothing comes in the

JE

wallq

way, 1 give Gospel instruction regularly for three hours a day.

In the first hour it is to a man from French Switzerland, who

4 god

Uty

has led a strange life, and who, of his own accord, asked me

for Christian instruction, as he was ill at ease in his soul.

I

bodily

¢oulq )

SENT FORTH TO THE MISSION-FIELD.

3

9

53 4

and

have the sweet hope that he will attain to a life-giving know-

their

ledge of Christ.

In the second hour it is a youth of sixteen,

fown

a cadet, from Scotland ; he came to me, driven by the pricks

kind

of conscience ; he tries me a good deal by his thoughtlessness,

Mis-

but has also seasons of convietion.

At all events, he comes

Civil

daily to learn. In the third hour it is the mate, who redeems

ship,

this time from sleep; God’s spirit is at work in this man’s

T WAy

heart, and I have great hope of him, unless the reproach of

«

asth of

Christ prove too much for him.”

In later years, when this mate had become himself the

{ying

|

master of a ship, he used to visit Cannanore twice a year,

sallors,

when he always gave Hebich the opportunity of carrying on

tracts

his work, dealing with men, officers, and passengers on board

r long

his vessel up to the last moment. And in that form of prayer

m 0né

which, though unwritten, had become by force of usage as

3, COm-

:stereotyped to him, almost, as a liturgy, Hebich always re-

10 fell

‘membered that ship every Sunday.

Jest, 10

Hebich, who had shaved his beard off on entering the

servanh

Mission House, now began to let it grow again, and so con-

eld his

tinued to his latest days.

A certain lady once thought to

rho cal

give him a hint of what she considered the proprieties of life

by making him the present of a razor; but she gained no-

Jipation

thing by her device.

Till the wearing of the beard became

more common, about the time of the Crimean war, Hebich

i Of the

f0 heat

was distinguished by his from the generality of Europeans,

50 much so that it earned him the nickname of #he man with

) n the’

n g o

the beard.

When once any such peculiarity had become a

[ qoatfer

habit with him, neither jest nor earnest could make any im-

pression upon him. No criticism about such external things

pl‘EfEY o

ab all disturbed him. Nevertheless, the old observation makes

s 110

s 8.0y

a good rule for the conduct of Christians.

“They are mnot

md7 o

accustomed to adopt any differences from others in external,

ghed 2t

bodily matters.”

Hebich made a mistake if he thought he

SOUL I

could be an exception to this.

Once, when reproving some

9

<)

34

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEIL HEBICH.

ladies for some womanly vanities, they were able fairly to

parry the thrust by calling attention to the carefully-kept

beard of their would-be censor.

Again, he sometimes found

it difficult to restrain the ill-judged enthusiasm of his ad-

mirers, in imitating or even caricaturing these outward pecu-

Harities.

On the 12th of October the first tops of the cocoa-nut

palms of the Laccadive Islands were seen by our voyagers ;

next morning the chain of the Western Ghauts came in sight,

and by evening the anchor was dropped off Calicut, the chief

town of the district of Malabar.

Heartfelt prayers went up

to heaven that night, that the entry of these messengers of

the Gospel into that region might be blessed to themselves,

Ui

in that they might be made useful to the eternal welfare of

Yea

the populations among whom they had arrived.

Glﬂ}

iy

t‘he

m

al

hg

B

st

(]

oy

per

Man;

of ]1

Seeu

Tals

[ocy

tlogy

HOW(

Whig

the

{0

xept

ind

ad

eCu-

I

e1s

joht

CHAPTER YV,

chief

f up

THE SETTLEMENT IN

MANGALORE.

15 0f

[ves,

Mgr. NEeLsoN, then judge at Calicut, was a pious man; some

6 0f

years later he gave up his lucrative post in order the more

emphatically to protest against the support afforded to idola-

try by the East India Company. ZXarly in the morning of

the 14th of October, 1834, he heard that a ship had arrived

in the roads from England.

Thinking that she might have

among her passengers some missionaries from Kurope, he

hastened down to the landing-place.

He at once invited the

Baileys and the three German brethren to his residence,

situated on a hill at a little distance from the native town of

gji

Calicut ; he had tents pitched for their accommodation, and

proved himself a most hospitable host.

He would fain have:

persuaded the Basle brethren to remain in Malabar, but as:

Mangalore was their destination, he wrote to a young friend:

of his there, Mr. Findlay Anderson, the sub-collector, to

secure his good offices for them ; explained to the new arri-

vals the state of things in the Canara district, and at once

procured for them from Madras the expensive Canarese dic-

tionaries and grammars which they needed for their studies.

However much inclined they were to accept an invitation

which reached them from the Tinnivelli brethren to go in

the first instance to them, Hebich and his companions were

3—2

36

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

obliged to decline it.

As Mr. F. Anderson responded in a

very loving spirit to Mr. Nelson’s communication, a pattimar,

or large native coasting-boat, was engaged for them, in which

the three brethren embarked, and thus made their first expe-

rience of one of the wearisome modes of travel in India.

After six days, during which the voyagers had grown weary

of counting and counting again the many holes in the huge

sail, they accomplished the one hundred miles or so of dis-

tance to the chief town of Canara, and on the 30th of Octo-

ber they were welcomed with open arms by the excellent

Mr. F. Anderson.

]

This true friend, who for more than twenty years continued

a main support of the Mission, was now of the greatest as-

)

sistance to the new arrivals.

The cause of the kingdom of

dl

God being very dear to him, he was just at that time trying

to secure the services of a fit man to employ as colporteur in

st

()

the distribution of Christian tracts, but nowhere could he

find one suited to the work. Great joy was it to him there-

b

1

fore to receive under his roof no less than three missionaries

come out from Kurope expressly to devote their lives to the

1

cause that was dear to him.

He had much to tell them about

the country and its inhabitants.

The whole coast from Bom-

|

bay to Cochin was as yet unoccupied by any messenger of

i (

Christ ; and looking inland, Bangalore, Bellary, Belgaum

were the nearest stations, each between one and two hundred

[t

Yet as all these three stations were within

DI

miles distant.

the Canara-speaking district, they at once opened a corre-

Car

lang

spondence with the brethren of the London Missionary

Society who were stationed there.

Greatly did they rejoice

l'npl

ay,

over the cordial letters of welcome, and over the first Cana-

rese tract'received from those stations in reply.

10 {]

They found so great a mixture of races in the district im-

BT

engl

mediately around them, that it soon appeared necessary to

master a second language besides Canarese, especially as they

Ty

1§

THE SETTLEMENT IN MANGALORE

37

hoped that ere long reinforcements would follow them from

home, when a second station might be occupied. So it was

resolved that Lehner should study Konkani, the language of

the Roman Catholics and local tradespeople, while the other

i

two brethren were to persevere at their Canarese studies

In

y

December they entered upon a sepdrate hired house, on 2 hill

0g

1

open to the sea breezes; and there, more undisturbed than

when with Mr. F. Anderson, they worked away with two

to

native teachers, one a Brahman, the other a Roman Catholic.

nf

They soon saw it would be a mistake to fix their first station

in the interior—the population was at its thickest near the

ed

coast

The population of Canara at that time was estimated

as

46°20.000 Roman Catholics, 651,000 Hindus of various castes

of

The English in the

and sects, and 46,000 Mahomedans

ng

station itself numbered about eighteen: they were visited

mn

twice in the year by a chaplain from Cannanore

so they

he

beaoed to have divine service instituted on Sundays

The

1616

missionaries made the attempt, and as the English gentry

a1e5

showed their appreciation, they continued to preach by turns

he

in English every Sunday

hou

Hebich very soon felt himself quite at home in this new

Bom

world

He writes: “We can feel quite satisfied that hitherto

e Of

the Lord has guided our every step, and here in His name we

1 dm

take our stand ; but this is an utterly uncultivated soil, a

dred

spiritual wilderness.

In His name we have mastered the

fhn

Clanarese and Konkani tongues—the first as the principal

coIe:

lancuace of the district ; the second, as the one next to it in

jonary

importance

Then there is another important race here who

have a primary claim that the Word of Life should be brought

reJOle

(Jana

to them—the aboricinal cultivators of the soil, whose languace

;s Tulu ; but we need an acquaintance with Canarese first to

These

o 10

enable us to learn their hitherto unwritten tongue

ary ¥

Tulu people have nothing to do with the English, nor

is there one of them who understands Inglish. They lie

s they

38

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

much on our hearts.

The Word of Life will have to be

translated and preached to them ; from all this you see how

many hands are needed. In any selection of brethren whom

you might be able to send out to us, we can only urge you

to look for men whose habit it is to look to the crucified

One alone.

Hitherto we have been richly supplied with all

things.

I have had very much more of hardship and of trial

of spirit in my former journeyings.

However, in this country

work of all kinds is done very slowly ; it has cost me no

Little trial of patience to set our modest household going.

We think we can get on with the one hundred and twenty-

five pounds a year which you promise us. 'We shall certainly

{

have to buy a house, which is much better than building

.

But now to turn from these temporal matters, which are of

/)

least concern, as by the Holy Spirit of God we work upon

0

many spirits, so do these re-act upon us; and if our souls be

not diligent in drawing from the well-spring of the Eternal

1L

Spirit of God, we shall soon become very like those whom

we have to conquer in the power of the Holy Ghost.

Keep

us in mind, for only so far as we are kept walking in the

Spirit can we be fruitful branches in the eternal kingdom

1

of our God.”

This was written on the 31st December,

I

1831,

€X

As the brethren beheld the multitudes around them,

i

wholly given to idolatry, and laid their necessities to heart,

ZEI¢

they might well long for the gift of tongues, so as to be able

1‘€p1

to go ab once among them, and to lead them in the right way.

de

Yet, when an experienced missionary brother wrote to them

Caug

from Bangalore, “Do not begin anything for two years ;”

Hebich, looking at his own progress in the language, was

thiy

0

forced to acknowledge that he was right; adding, “but my

ang

heart and patience are sorely tried !”

In the heat of April

y

and May it was hard work ; but gradually he was able to

of in

understand the people, especially his Brahman Munshi, who

Peop

THE SETTLEMENT IN MANGALORE.

39

mﬁderstood a little English,

He could not refrain from

he

W

urging this man, in love, towards the Divine truths of salva-

tion.

But let us hear his own description of the state in

m

i

which this people seemed to him to be.

“ 8o utterly under

the power of Satan !

If at one moment my Brahman, taken

ol

by surprise by the truths of the gospel, is forced by the voice

s'dl

of conscience to a half-unwilling assent, he goes home, and

ial

try

the next day, not only is all impression gone, but a greater

hardness of unbelief seems to have sprung up within him.

no

g

Again a whole day spent in reading the word seems some-

what to move him ; and the next day it is the same thing

by

over again !

Their superstition surpasses all comprehension :

1y

for instance, he once argued that to murder one hundred

of

children is not nearly so great a sin as to kill a single

COW.

pon

“ Lately T had a two hours’ conversation with three Brah-

ts be

mans : we discussed the question, ‘Who is your god, Brahma,

mal

Vishnu, or Seeva? The characters and actions of these, as

hom

they are described in the Shastras, were adduced, and I asked,

Ceep

¢ Can that be God ¥ They answered, ¢ But in your Bible also

the

it is written, that God calls himself the God of Abraham, of

dom

%‘

Isaac, and of Jacob; pray who are these three? When this was

ety

explained to them, they seemed to give up their three gods,

whom they had represented on a sheet of paper by three

fiem,

learty

zeros, and now remained only one great zero which was to

represent the primary cause, from which the other three

able

derived their being.

¢But who,” I asked, ‘is this great first

; WB‘Y'

cause? They pointed to the wall of the room, ¢Heisin every

them

thing I' “Men,” Isaid, ‘you have actually no God;’ and I sought

oalS }”

to make it clear that the God who has created the heavens

Was

and the earth cannot be, in His essence, in a brick wall, or

WY

in wood, but must be a personal God

but sharpness

Aprﬂ

of intellect is of little use, for it is mnot #ruth which this

ble 10

people seeks : so that they remain utterly unmoved. What is

,

40

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH

j

51

needed is much long-suffering patience, and nothing can

encourage us to persevere but the hope of awakening in them

some little longing after truth

Our Munshi

who acted

as Interpreter, was the next day just as unbelievin

Just as

superstitious

“The translating of Wilson’s ¢Hindoo Pantheon

into

Canarese, by brother Greiner, with the Munshi’s help, was

the occasion of many visits from Brahmans ; for the poor

Munshi blushed at the deeds ascribed to *hose Imaginary

beings whom he called “his gods; and inquired among his

better-informed colleagues, whether these things were really

$0: this stirred them all up ; and in this way many a word

of truth got in among the Brahmans

If they got warm in

discussion, the book was shown them, and they knew not

what to say

“ One evening I was surprised by a visit from two Brah-

mans, of whom one, a remarkably subtle man, was as yet a

1;

stranger to me

I asked them into our verandah, where we

sat down

He said he wished to know what ¢ God’s word’

was

I showed him the Hebrew Bible and Greek New

Testament, and said that was the original text : he looked at it

with great wonder,

I then showed him the Canarese Bible

telling him it was but one of the one hundred and sixty ver-

sions already existing of this book

t

The people often think

tl

that the book was composed at Bellari

but in this instance

an

the sight of the original seemed to make all so plain that

Wl

there was no room for dispute. I gave him Matthew’s Gospel

I

and the Epistle to the Romans, and recommended him to

prove them to the uttermost, and so we parted on very good

Tor

an

terms; I inviting him to repeat his visit

Such visits we are

contmually recelving, but generally what they really wish for

L01

LU

is a recommendation to our friend Mr. F

Anderson, or some

money. They are not at all so clever and sharp as I had ex-

(A

pected, but exceedingly dull and indolent

s

Da

THE SETTLEMENT IN MANGALORE.

4%

Iii

“The day before yesterday, my Munshi made a remarkable

assertion ; namely, that we should not succeed in converting

d

Brahmans ; but that the lower classes, whom we¢ do not

~

1S

instruct, will gladly accept the gospel if we turn our atten-

tion to them.

These have no idols, and hardly ever give a

0

thought to God, unless it be perhaps that in a case of sick-

as

ness or other calamity they may go to some devil'’s temple ;

01

and make their complaint to the wooden image, vowing

Iy

perhaps a cocoa-nut or so in case of recovery.

hl\

“There is another difficulty that we have to encounter

lly

in this land, and that is the morally evil and physically

u

unclean life of the native Christians (Roman Catholics),

m

whereas among the Brahmans everything has to-be so well

0t

ordered and cleanly ; so that the thought cannot but present

itself to

¢Shall I associate with

these

their minds,

-

filthy evil livers ¥

This man (the Munshi) brought all this

o

before me, and there is truth in it, but grace can effect that

which is contrary to mnature.

Oh! to be able soon to

¥e

ul

perform the office of evangelists, with intelligence !

Brother

Lehner seeks access to the poorer people by means of his

il

g 16

homoeopathy, and not altogether without success.

ihle,

“The Roman Catholics are in a truly deplorable condition :

Ter-

they are still divided into four castes, have retained most of

jink

their heathen customs, and attend the festivals, firing off guns,

and fireworks.

On Good Friday I saw how they represent the

nee

thab

whole scene of the Crucifixion, and carry their image about in

procession with drums and trumpets. The Bible is absolutely

‘gpel,

m tﬂ

forbidden to them.

One man from among them, however—

good

an aged Portuguese, named Pingo—has been brought to the

o 416

Lord by reading the Secriptures.

Our hopes are especially

Some to whom we had given books

h for

upon the younger lads.

came to us again.

Many of the books are brought back to

500

‘We must wait

des

us, but some have been burnt by the priests.

patiently till the Lord give us some of these lads.

4

9

o

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

“We partake of the Lord’s Supper every fourth week (old

Pingo uniting with us) in our own house ; and our friend, Mr.

Anderson, has also asked to join us on these occasions.

He

helps us in every way in his power.

Once every week he

<ines with us; we then take a walk together, and close the

evening with singing, Seripture-reading, and prayer.

Thus

we spend our lives in our solitude, very happy, and the Lord

is with us, filling our hearts with joy ; and we are very gra-

L

clously preserved from misunderstandings and discord.

have already baptized three children, among them a half-caste

boy, whose grandfather was a scholar of the beloved Schwartz.”

Hebich felt very deeply the storm which swept over Tinni-

il

velli, in consequence of the separation between Rhenius and

the English Church Missionary Society. He exclaims—¢ Oh !

Iis

lor

when will Zion cease to destroy herself for the sake of human

ordinances ?

This most sad event warns us to be the more

8

earnest in supplications for all the dear missionary committee,

W

It

that by grace they may be preserved from such mistakes.

Amidst it all we have the firm assurance that, spite all real or

apparent confusion, the kingdom shall be turned to our God

and to His Christ.”

:

Let me here note that on the 14th of September the anx-

jously-longed-for letter from DBasle reached them, fixing

8]

Dharwar as a future station to be taken up. Soon the ser-

Jleg

vice of steamers was established on the Red Sea, so that com-

st

munications with home became gradually more regular.

(|uip

the

\\’as}

ay |

18

her

( tfﬁC(

oy

)il

3l

he

he

WS

ord

i

CHAPTER VI.

ste

.

THE FIRST MISSION TOUR, AND BEGINNING OF PREACHING.

itk

Hesicr had long corresponded with the brethren in the Eng-

and

Jish mission-stations within the Canarese country, and he

h!

1)

longed to see their work. The oldest missionary in that whole

region was Mr. J. Hands, at Bellari.

He had translated the

1016

whole Bible from the Tamul and English versions into Cana-

e,

rese, but otherwise had been allowed to see but little fruit of

ks,

his labours.

He just now found himself necessitated to re-

gl 1

visit Europe for a season; and in order mot to miss him,

(rod

Hebich started rather sooner than he had anticipated, towards

the end of the monsoon.

Mr. Anderson, in his true friend-

anx

ship, undertook all the expenses of the tour, and made all

g

necessary arrangements, such as the posting of bearers at the

, Sel-

usual stages.

coD:

On the 30th of October, 1835, Hebich got into his palan-

quin, and after twenty-nine hours’ travel arrived at Cannanore,

the large military station on the western coast, and which

was, some years later, to be the principal scene of his mission-

ary labours.

The chaplain was absent, but his wife welcomed

the traveller very cordially. The next day he accompanied

her to the English service, which was conducted by a pious

officer.

This service having been concluded by a read ser-

mon, Hebich turned to his next neighbour, and said—*Sir!

44

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Ilike pointed questions,—are you a child of God ?” The reply

was a Joyful ¢ Yes;” and then nine other officers joined them,

to whom he expressed his joy at finding hearts beating for

';I

the Lord, under their red jackets.

They all sat down again,

il

there in the chapel, and three or four hours slipped by like

so many minutes, in happy converse and interchange of expe-

I

rience.

There were many points about Church order to be

il

considered, for a ¢ Plymouth Brother” had wrought some con-

b/

fusion among these believers.

I

From thence he hastened on his way to Mysore, where he

L

wished for an interview with Colonel Fraser about the Pro-

I

vinee of Coorg

to})

which had been conquered in 1834. The

ac

colonel had invited Protestant missionaries to enter the little

an

hilly district, but as they had not “come directly to his

lat

piping,” he had settled a Roman Catholic priest there. How-

i

ever the colonel was absent on a journey. It was not till the

Q

year 1853 that an evangelical mission was established among

il

the Coorgs.

Hebich could not quite make up his mind whe-

ther the city of Mysore, the residence of a native rajah, would

be a desirable place for a mission-station : it seemed to him

i

that at all events it would need more faith and grace than

Ol

most other places.

th

His way led beyond this over the almost waste plateau to

the

the great military station of Bangalore. Two native Christians

be

came out from thence for some little distance to meet him.

feng

The sight of these first Canarese Christians he had ever met,

Reig

and their loving greeting to him as a messenger of the gospel,

moved him to tears.

culis

He was welcomed with brotherly cor-

he}

diality by the brethren of the London Missionary Society,

hiS ,‘

and found grand opportunities for preaching the Word. He

writes—¢“ Instead of the usual Sunday congregation of some

Bl

M

thirty, at least one hundred and fifty souls assembled on the

Mo

Ist of November, drawn partly by the curiosity to hear a

conq

German preach in broken Engl?sh. I also got introduced to

i

THE FIRST MISSION TOUR.

45

ly

those in high places, to whom I was able to speak from my

)m’

heart to theirs !

Brother Campbell said that, were he to ven-

for

ture to speak such plain truths to the resident, he feared he

in,

would be kicked out of the house.”

He was agreeably sur-

ke

prised to find the extent of a Divine work among the English

pe

residents in India ; how He was raising up from among those

) be

who for so many years had been but a scandal to the heathen,

01

zealous co-workers towards the evangelization of the land.

Mr. Campbell transferred to him a catechist, the weak but

hie

well-meaning Brahman, ¢ Malachi,” who, however, remained

Pro-

but a short time connected with the Mangalore mission, on

The

account of the misconduct of his wife.

He did not find that

ttle

any great progress had been made by either of the societies

his

labouring in Bangalore—the London Missionary Society or

oW

the Wesleyans : yet each had already gathered small congre-

the

gations, which could reckon true servants of Christ among

100¢

them.

whe-

A further four days’ journey brought Hebich to Bellary.

ould

The venerable Mr. Hands had founded the frst Canarese

him

mission here in 1810, and was now just about to leave with-

than

out having baptized as yet more than one Canarese family as

the fruit of all his faithful labour.

The Tamul congregation

there numbered some hundred souls.

Hebich found much to

i 0

be done among the English, who repaid his exertions with

Hans

tenderest affection.

Jim.

He met there a missionary named J.

Reid, who died very early ; and he was able to show him pe-

e,

OSPeL

culiar kindness. A certain Nawab, who, on the day on which

he had ascended: the throne, had with his own hand cut off

y ()i

\Cietﬁ

his sister’s head, was at that time a state prisoner in the

Bellari Fort.

Hebich visited him, but did not find that the

He

§ome

Mahomedan took any interest in the words of eternal life.

More happy was he in a visit to another prisoner, a German,

)i the

condemned to imprisonment for life for something very like

eal &

murder : this man not only attended, but appears to have been

ed 10

46

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

converted by Hebich’s instrumentality, and continued to show

himself a humble child of God. Hebich spent three very

h

happy weeks there, and then pursued his way towards Harri-

har, a place which had been recommended to him as suitable

h

for a mission-station ; but Hubli, where he was on the 18th

of December, pleased him much better on many accounts. It

W

is a clean and prosperous Canarese town, healthily situated,

th

with about thirty thousand inhabitants.

He judged it to be

B

a place, destined in due season to be “a spot of blessing.” In

th

the neighbouring station of Dharwar, he preached again to

toc

the English residents, but without producing any marked

st

effect.

Le

From the time of his leaving Bangalore, Hebich had em‘—,'

Ko

braced every opportunity that offered for preaching to the

the

Canarese people ; he records his experience thus: “in some

(a

places the word is joyfully listened to, and one cannot speak

%)

too much to the people: while in others one cannot gain a

L

single ear to attend.” Now that he was on his return journey

a8

to Mangalore he resolved to devote himself each day to some

lo

preaching to the natives.

At Yellapur he had some rough

b

encounters with the Brahmans.

He had appointed the

il

catechist Malachi to meet him at the border of the Canara

hir

District ; from thence he traversed the whole coast region,

of ¢

on foot, preaching the word.

“ Malachi,” he says, “knows

Gath

how to conduct a regular argument, but he allows himself

too easily to be drawn into their foolish reasonings, and then

being

from

finds himself on slippery ground.

A little opposition soon

taing

discourages him ; while at home he had rather be cooking

of ap

than reading the Bible.

However, I must tell you that he

has often carried me over the water on his back —what an

L)

Engl

interesting sight !”

At Kundapur he met the two brethren

Dlegg

from Mangalore who were also out on their first mission tour;

Tagte

this was on the 20th of January, 1836.

After a visit to the

ADgyye

holy city Udapi, and pursuing his work in Mulki, he found

00 geg

THE FIRST MISSION TOUR.

47

10

himself safely back at Mangalore on the 27th of January.

61y

Though many a tract or a Scripture portion distributed by him

-

had been torn up before his eyes, yet he felt that a beginning

hle

had been made towards the evangelization of the district.

8th

“We must go out among the people,” was now the watch-

i

word., With this view they gave up the pleasant house on

ted,

the hill, in February, and one much lower down and near the

0 be

Bazaar was chosen for the Mission residence, from whence

Meanwhile Greiner

In

they might daily preach to the people.

) t0

took up his abode at Kundapur, devoting himself to the

ked

study of Tulu, the language of the cultivators.

Again

Lehner visited North Canara, in order to perfect himself in

en

Konkani ; but he found such a spirit of opposition among

the

the people that he returned and gave his time exclusively to

Canarese.

ome

Hebich encouraged him in this, because his

earnest wish was that their small forces should not be split

geak

For a while he was laid

m &

up by undertaking too much at once.

aside by a painful inflammation of his feet, the result of his

ey

§ome

long journey on foot; recovering from this he took to frequent

bazaar-preaching, in which he met with violent opposition

ough

from the Mahomedans.

| §

he

It was not long before he found

himself so fully occupied on all hands that all further study

AnaId

of the language was thrown aside.

He thought he had

il

gathered quite a sufficient vocabulary already ; an addition

101S

mself

being now and then made to it by some expression caught up

from some of his hearers; the result being that he never at-

then

5000

tained to a good style of speech, or even to any correctness

of grammar.

Exercising only his office of Evangelist as

oking

af be

herald of the simplest truths of salvation, his experience in

English work proved to him very amply how the Lord could

ab b

bless his efforts; the English language also he had never

flred

mastered thoroughly ; yet his very limited vocabulary in it

) fout

answered all his purpose.

A lieutenant had been suspended

fo the

on account of drunkenness, he was able to reach him in his

found

48

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

humiliation, and though speaking with faltering lips, to win

1

him for the Lord. A circumstance like this opened many

5

doors of usefulness among other officers.

The lady of highest

al

rank on the West Coast was, by his means, brought to a

sense of her self-righteousness, and humbled herself before

SCH

God. Again, it so happened that the military surgeon who

plo

had once or twice attended Hebich when he was suffering

VI8

from inflammation in his feet, himself fell ill. Hebich thought

W

he had now an opportunity of repaying the kindness he had

the

received ; and though “?#he padre” was refused admittance

the

again and again, still he called.

Sen(

One afternoon the patient said, “I am too weak to speak

m

much ;” but as Hebich rose to go he asked, “Is there indeed a

all

hell?” “Certainly, unless God’s own word lies,” said Hebich,

foe

After

following up his words with some appropriate texts.

Tane

this he was six times refused admittance; still he persevered ;

e

on the seventh, having been allowed access to the sick man,

fon

he said, “Oh! I am not so great a sinner but that I may

a8

hope for pardon !” to which Hebich replied, “ But I am so

cla

great a sinner that without a Redeemer I must go to hell.”

Sen

Then at last the sick man unburdened himself to him, and the

exp

ice was broken. The very next day his exclamation was,

294

“What a black sinner I am, it is almost too late !” but he

Misg

passed away with praise and thankfulness for the long-suffer-

Cafe]

ing of God, which had provided a Saviour for him. All this

f&mﬂy

needed no great excellency of speech.

He writes, “ What a joy it is, when we feel all the diffi-

thoug

Chiooge

culties of our way, to remember that it leads heavenwards.

of the

In all the press of work that comes upon us, all seems at

Tomy

times only darkness before me, but I press on in the Lord’s

to then

name, and lo! a ray of light shines through my night, and

Tulesg

with that light come strength and courage for the contest.

by

Many consider me a fool or an enthusiast; others say, nay,

hel‘e,” |

but I am a pious man,

But what avails the judgment of

al‘ies 2

THE FIRST MISSION TOUR.

49

Win

men’ unless we have the seal of God, the witness of His

ALy

Spirit in ourselves? The Lord acknowledges my weak efforts,

hest

and that humbles me.”

0 &

The next step in the work was the opening of a Canarese

fore

school in a house built for the purpose.

Timmappa was em-

who

ployed in this, one of the few Tulu peopls who by repeated

11y

visits proved that the Gospel had attractions for him,

It

ught

was but a small beginning

)

.

it was opened with four boys on

had

the 9th of May, 1836.

Hebich took especial pains to visit

ance

the people in their houses, and most humbly to beg them to

send their children to the school.

At length the number of

pupils was swollen to twelve, when they were suddenly almost

speak

ed &

all dispersed by a report sent about, that they would bhe forced

bich,

to eat flesh, and so made Christians:

But patient perseve-

Affer

rance was rewarded, so that before the end of June they

ered;

were able to open a second school.

From the 28th of June

0L,

forward the school-houses were moreover used in the evening

as preaching-stations, where willing hearers of the Jower

[ may

am 80

classes, especially DBillavars or palm-climbers, readily as-

sembled.

To these the Canarese Bible had to be patiently

el

nd the

explained, almost word by word. Moreover on Sunday, the

29th of May, Hebich began the first Canarese service in the

) Wi

bt it

Mission-house, the congregation consisting mainly of the

catechist’s family and a Tamul servant-girl employed in that

suﬂbl’-

] this

family. They did not as yet venture to sing in Canarese ;

though they had already three or four hymns from which to

o diffi-

choose.

The next Sunday at eleven the brethren partook

of the Lord’s Supper.

Four English, three Canarese and

o 16

Tamul, and one Portuguese had joined them; and this seemed

to them already such a number as to encourage them to thank-

Tord’s

fulness.

y, aud

It was sharp work in the bazaar.

“We do not want you

here,” said once a high and mighty Brahman to the mission-

)i s

aries ; and pelting with stones or with filth became almost a

nenf 0

4

50

MEMOIRS

OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

matter of course, till one day Hebich roundly rebuked a lazy

L)

policeman who was looking on unconcerned ; and after much

)

_consideration Mr. Anderson gave a hint to the police that

M

tur

when they happened to see such disorderly conduct they

were to put a stop to it.

It would have been too unreason-

(e

101

able to tell the police that they were to be on the look-out

for such disorders.

‘When the Brahmans asked whether

Q

aff

government had ordered them to preach, Hebich replied

“No! but the God of heaven and earth alone has commis-

(at

sioned us to it.”

Was

Then a Brahman held up four nails which

he happened to have at hand, exclaiming, “ A God who was

him

nailed to a cross with nails like this!” a piece of wit which

thoy

was rewarded by loud applause from the crowd. But when

sef

Hebich, in full earnest, threatened them with the wrath of

expe

God, telling them that they were deceivers of the people, and

Clen

calling heaven and earth to witness that he was only speaking

gy

the truth; which they themselves would also have one day to

puy

acknowledge, when perhaps too late—these wiseacres and wit-

t{’,at

lings slunk away home.

In July an attempt was made to

be

vV

W W)"

get nearer to the Brahmans.

A certain taciturn man of that

fing

class was employed to open a school for their children, but

Teg

the attempt was foiled by the Brahmans at once establishing

no less than five rival schools.

they

e

From this time forth, however, a certain intimacy was

established between the Missionaries and the inhabitants of

Week]

il

Mangalore.

They were freely visited by men of the highest

ﬂle o

b(

castes, and on the other hand they found their way into the

GOSpe

cottages of the poor palm-climbers and fishermen.

In view

bﬁlaar |

of an expected addition to their number from home, the

kgy

le

Brethren were anxious to become the owners, and no longer

86 i

merely the tenants, of the house they occupied. It was well

ik {

situated, and admitted of being enlarged for the purposes of

the seminary they hoped to found.

e fav

I(I

Accordingly the purchase from the Parsi owner was duly

deep y |

THE FIRST MISSION TOUR,

51

a1y

«completed on the 1st of December; the sum of four thousand

1ch

rupees being advanced for the purpose by their true friend

hat

Mr. Anderson.

This gentleman was just then planning to

ey

turn his furlough to account by a visit to Christians in

01

Germany, France, and Switzerland. Something new was

b

now constantly occurring ; in November, Mr. Nelson had sent

her

up from Calicut a fisherman of the name of Manju, who,

after elementary instruction received there from a Tamul

lied

mis-

Catechist, had expressed a desire for baptism. As Mangalore

hich

was his native place, Mr. Nelson had thought it best to send

as

him there.

Hebich recognized in him an upright man,

though weak ; and hoped that he might eventually become

hich

vhen

useful as a teacher of his own people.

As they found by

h Of

experience that the schools would mnot get into real effi-

, and

clency so long as they confined themselves to Canarese, and

many were asking for an English school, they determined to

king

day to

meet the request, and wrote to Madras to obtain a suitable

teacher ; but it was not till long after, that the scheme could

Ld Wi‘ﬁ‘

ade 0

be satisfactorily carried out; at first it seemed impossible to

find even a tolerable teacher,

Meanwhile, the English

)f that

1, but

residents induced Hebich to undertake a new line of work ;

they had a poor-fund, with a monthly income of about eighty

Jishing

This involved a

rupees, of which he became the manager.

weekly distribution of rice to paupers; and the care of a

gy a8

nts of

number of lepers and eripples, gathered in a poor-house near

the gaol; these opportunities were used for preaching the

pighest

Gospel to them.

Hebich divided his evenings between

bazaar-preaching and the schools; thus, as much as his

I vieW

knowledge of Canarese would allow him, dealing in the one

16, th@

case with those still far off, and in the other, by lamp-light,

) longer

with those who had already been drawn somewhat nearer.

728 Weu

He says of his work at this time :

Poses of

“I often find much joy in it, but at other times I am

duly

deeply bowed down ; my theme is one which I must only in-

Was

4—2

52

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

tr

sist on the more earnestly, however much the people rage.

The power of the Lord must bring it before them. It is

i

a8

always hardest to begin ; we are like soldiers entering upon a

battle ; the old nature resists, and writhes like a worm ; but

thi

the

once begun, things prove not quite so bad as they had seemed.

Sometimes, when, Malachi being otherwise engaged, I have

ab

to go forth alone, my foolish heart whispers, Oh! not now,

U

some other day will do as well!” then, at length, in all my

ma

felt weakness, in fear and trembling, T make up my mind in

EAR

the name of the Lord ; T make my way to the thickest of the

ofg

market-place, take my stand on some spot that offers, take off

0n

my straw hat, and cover my face, to offer up to my crucified

(0m

Saviour one more agonized cry for His help, lay down my

Jome

long bamboo-stick (my constant companion) by my hat, open

oy F'h

my Canarese Testament, and read, say, in Hebrews ix., ‘It is

for

appointed unto men once to die, but after that the judgment ;"

hin

and from that text I declare the truth of God, and his holy

10

Gospel.

The accident that the following day was the feast of

i

Ganapatti had once collected an unusual number of people, so

that I had a larger crowd around me than ever before.

In

my weakness, the Lord was strength to me.

As T left, one

voice was raised in derision, but the rest at once silenced it ;

so I was allowed to depart with honour.

Sometimes, how-

ever, the shouts and derision prevail, and follow me for some

distance, as I retreat pelted with sand and stones.”

Sometimes, serious as the matter was, circumstances would

occur at which he could not but smile.

Once, for instance,

he had been warning of an open hell, when a smart boy asked

him very politely, ¢ Will not you then be kind eﬁough to put

the lid on ?’

It is little to be. wondered at if, amid all these manifold

labours, a certain peculiarity of Hebich’s became somewhat

prominent. Like the late Pastor Gossner, whom he resembled

in many points, he seemed born to work alone.

Loving and

THE FIRST MISSION TOUR.,

53

age:

trusting his fellow-labourers, and never intentionally conceal-

b s

ing anything, he fancied himself to be as fully beloved, and

na

as simply trusted by them, Full of impetuosity when some-

hut

thing had to be done, he was often already at work, while

ned.

they, perhaps, were still waiting to be consulted by him

about it.

have

Hebich, like Gossner, lacked the gift of speaking

10V,

-out unreservedly in council.

The result being, that his

True

| my

manner often gave his colleagues a good deal to bear.

d

as was his affection, it seemed at times to assume too much

f the

of a parental character, and all parties were more at ease when

on separate Mission-tours, than when all assembled in the

o off

cified

common home.

All this caused notes which sometimes

il

Jjarred on the one side ; sometimes on ‘the other. It is to be re-

gretted that these peculiarities were not resisted and overcome;

open

Tt 18

for though at first they did not work any very serious

hindrance, they were sure to become more prominent and

ent !

holy

more mischievous as the personnel of the Mission was

increased.

sash of

)ple, §0

o, In

ff, 00

el 1F;

g hOW‘

T 016

| \\'0“ C‘(

psfancey

)i agkﬁd

1o put

yanifo d

}mewhat

3Sembled

ing and

a

fo

of

L

Ia

Va

for

all

CHAPTER VIL

th

dia

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE.

{0

By the 8th of November, 1836, the reinforcements so anx-

(00

iously longed for were already in India; for on that day the

ing

missionary, H. Mogling, a licentiate in theology from Wur-

uf

temberg, along with three brethren educated in the Basle In-

‘ﬂp(

sl

stitute, landed in Bombay. The well-known Scotch mission-

ary, Dr. Wilson, received them all cordially, and two of them

(6

be

were received into the house of the Honourable Councillor

Farish. The Germans felt themselves uncommonly well off

S0(

among these brethren:

It struck them that Anglo-Indian

Christians were ¢ indifferent about denominational questions,

S up

so long as the one spirit be manifested ; full of lively brotherly

by

love, zealous for the Word of God, diligent in prayer, and

perts

firmly set against worldliness: in a word, lights which, were

slong

it not for the great distance between the rulers and the sub-

b

ject-races, would surely do much to dissipate the darkness

ﬁnd 0

prevailing in this land. The ungodly lives of the mass of the

gy

European residents tends to increase the darkness.”

The

I

captain of the ship which brought out the four missionaries,

Siongy

had undertaken to land them at Cannanore ; he therefore sent

—

coulq

two of them—J. Layer and I. Frey—down the coast in a

o

four

coasting vessel, which landed them at Mangalore on the 23rd

han

of November; while the other two, Mogling and Lésch,

but §

55

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE.

accepted the invitation of the Bombay brethren to spend a

fortnight with them, thus not reaching Mangalore till the 6th

of December. They found the long-bearded senior alone, for

Lehner and Greiner were out on a preaching tour; but they

hastened home so soon as the news reached them of the arri-

vals from urope.

There was at this moment a matter of some importance be-

fore the missionary body for discussion.

Not only had their

allowance of £125 a head per annum proved sufficient to the

three elder missionaries during the two years experience of In-

dian life which they had now had, but they had been enabled

from the aggregate to refund two hundred pounds to the home

committee, with the express object of helping towards the send-

Dk

ing forth more men.

They had considered it to be but their

y the

duty; but on the other hand, they thought they could rely

Wur

upon the generosity of the home committee to come to their aid,

o In-

should they in subsequent years find their personal wants in-

sslon-

crease. Hebich had felt it his duty to put in a word betimes on

' fhem

behalf of his two compeers.

For instance, he wrote home—

neillor

¢ For myself, I do not expect to draw more heavily on the

oll off

society than just what is absolutely needed for my personal

[ndian

support ; for by God’s grace I have no intention of ever mar-

3st10115y~

rying ; but this is a point which each brother must be left

hetly

perfectly free to decide upon for himself. As it is, other mis-

»1" aH(J.

sionaries have expressed surprise that not one of us is married ;

| ere:

but in truth, he who is not provided with a wife will hardly

1 sub-

find one in India.” Now it so happened that the Independent

kness

missionary, A. N. Groves, had paid a visit to Basle in March,

y of the

1835, and had strongly expressed his opinion that if mis-

1 The

sionaries in India would but consent to live more simply they

mrieﬁa

The

could get on much more economically than at present.

ool

four new brethren had cheerfully assented to Inspector Blum-

ash B

hardt’s proposal that they should receive no stated income,

ho 3

but simply draw what was necessary for their subsistence

Lisely

<)

-~

6

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

from the society ; it being understood that their mode of life

]

was to be as simple as possible, conforming, whenever they

1l

could do it, to the habits of the natives of the country. Of

n

all these new turns of opinion Hebich was not informed. He

§

thought it part of his duty to take as much care as he could

il

of the brethren ; and finding it often difficult to procure good

[l

butcher’s meat, he had bought a couple of sheep, intending to

a4

feed them upon the mission-premises, for use when wanted.

all

Greatly astonished was he to find the new comers refuse all

hi

the fare he provided for them, except curry and rice.

Bo

This led to discussions as to how the financial concerns of

§0

the mission were in future to be conducted. The elders con-

4l

sidered that the way in which they had hitherto been manag-

lit

ing was the best in every respect, but the younger ones would

s

not at all agree to it; whereupon the new arrivals thought

0

they would separate themselves, go to Dharwar, and there try

Bl

to gain their own experience, in living according to their own

W

fancy.

Dharwar being scarcely forty miles from Belgaum,

Il

Hebich had already inquired of the London Missionary So-

0f

ciety’s missionaries there, whether they objected to its being

of

taken up as a station by the Germans.

They had urged him

ih

to occupy it, either himself or by any of his coadjutors.

He

T

determined, accordingly, to go there with Mogling to make a

Sl

beginning, while the other three of the mew arrivals should

1ap

spend their time in Mangalore in the study of the language,

”Mn

and in teaching English to some of the boys.

he y

Accordingly, on the 12th of January, 1837, Hebich and

lingg

Mogling started by boat for Goa,

These two men, destined

to impress upon the German missions on the west coast of

)\

0f 4]

India the stamp of their own characters, were in many re-

10

spects fundamentally different.

Both had experienced a re-

Al

markable conversion, almost sudden in its effect.

Each one

PUht\

had given himself up unreservedly to mission-work; and each

hOSp‘

one recognized the special qualifications and fitness of the

501(&

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE.

D

life

other. Yet there was something disturbing to the elder and

more matter-of-fact worker in the manifold intellectual acquire-

they

0f

ments of the young licentiate ; in his readiness to recognize

He

spiritual yearnings of every kind, wherever he found them ;

ould

in his active mind, full of device ; in his liveliness of disposi-

good

tion : while, on the other hand, Hebich’s habit of oracular

g 10

assertion, strangely mixed with a certain mercantile cunning,

nted,

and sharp-sightedness to perceive and seize an advantage, made

o all

him an interesting psychological study to the younger man.

Both, however, were optimists, in the best sense of the word:

ns of

so on the whole they enjoyed one another’s society in great

) GO0~

good temper, without the while letting pass unimproved any

little incident which might serve each to study and under-

nag-

ould

stand his companion. At first, though each one was meditating

on his special scheme for the most perfect carrying on of mis-

ught

e iy

sion-work, the subject was kept in the background. The one,

while believing in sudden inspirations, had yet a strong confi-

! OWL

dence in the manner of working that had beenhithertotried ; the

iy

7 S0-

other indulged dreams of general awakening, and drawing out

of powers now slumbering within the heathen nations, which

being

d hiIIl

dreams use alone could perfect into well-grounded theories.

Yet both were striving to the same end, or rather, fully con-

He

nake &

seious of his own utter insufficiency, humbly prayed for it—

namely, the true conversion of heathen souls ; that God would

Jould

grant to them at least one spiritual child, in whose new life

guage,

he might rejoice, as a natural father joys to recognize his own

lineaments in his child.

ﬂl 3ﬂd

fined

Not finding any available lodging in Goa, they made use

of an introduction, which Hebich had obtained from one of

gt of

ny ¢

the officers at Mangalore, to the military Governor, of the

name of De Mello.

He at once received them with much

date

ch one

politeness, invited them to stay with him, and proved a

hospitable host for three days. De Mello was an old, one-eyed

d each

He had

soldier, who had served under Napoleon the First.

of the

58

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

f

lately deposed the real Governor, and seized the reins of

administration himself ; for which act, some months later, he

0)

Hebich had recourse to his

fl

was sent a prisoner to Portugal.

knowledge of French, and used it to good purpose to preach

W

to him till late at night. Their host accompanied them to old

Goa, acting as their interpreter, even in a nunnery ; and in-

vited sundry persons to meet them, with whom Mogling had

he

the opportunity of conversing in Latin.

Nearly everywhere

he

they found absolute infidelity. But their fat good-tempered

of

hostess accepted a Portuguese Bible, and some others followed

i

her example.

From Goa the Governor sent them up the

hai

river in his own boat, to the foot of the mountain-pass, which

th

they walked up. Here they met Mr. Beynon of the London

Pl

Missionary Society, who had come out two days’ journey to

hi

meet them ; and with him they reached Dharwar on the

fy

25th of January. A pious young officer, Lieutenant St.

>

had just prepared his house to receive, as he thought, his

bride ; but as the wedding, from some cause, did not take

)

place, he took in the German brethren ; and also sent a press-

t

ing invitation to those who had remained at Mangalore, to

a

come up also.

tt

Mr. Mogling finding doors everywhere opening before him,

0f

judged it expedient to begin at once the formation of the

I

Mission station in force ; so he urged the brethren who had

his

accompanied him from Europe to hasten up to Dharwar. On

He

the whole, however, it was thought well to mark the abiding

Leip

unity of action and of aim between the two stations, by

Som

leaving one of the new labourers, the schoolmaster Losch, at

of §

Mangalore ; and by the end of February Messrs. Layer and

forh

Frey made the best of their way to Dharwar, and there they

lll](r’

established their household on the very simplest scale pos-

sible ; hoping thereby to encourage the Home Committee to

lllﬁn:

favg

send out ““a dozen more brethren” shortly.

&boy

Meanwhile, Hebich, accompanied by Mr. Beynon, visited

gtap

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE,

59

g of

the large military station of Belgaum, where from the 31st

he

of January till the 10th of March, he worked from morning

) hiz‘»

till night, preaching to high and low ; from the General com-

ach

manding, to the private soldiers in the barracks, and also to

old

women and children ; and that with such good effect that

| 1n-

many hearts were opened.

He never asked any one whether

had

he was willing to hear ; but made his way from house to

here

house, with his Testament in his hand. Many made excuses,

erel

others tried to get out of his way, but that was not easy.

wed

There was hardly an European in the station, before whom he

| the'

had not set life and death. And he won the respect of most,

hich

though his English was defective enough—though he spoke

ndon

plain truths in the roughest manner, called people liars (the

bitterest term for British ears), and, from the pulpit, charac-

y to

the

terized a proposed ball, as “a Devil’s festival.”

Among the earliest awakened was a Lieutenant of

, s

Engineers ; and many others were brought to seek salvation.

No little sensation was caused, because several ladies refused

take

press-

to go to the ball ; and because it was found that the worthy

and cheerful chaplain was quite of one mind with Hebich in

19, £0

this matter. The pious officers wete so well pleased that they

offered to provide entirely for Hebich if he would devote

, b,

f the

himself to work among Europeans : but he quite agreed with

his fellow-labourer in thinking this to be out of the question.

) had

On

He was induced to pay a visit of a few days’ duration to the

neighbouring station of Kaladghi, from whence he returned

oid'mg

somewhat disappointed. Yet, he was made the instrument

1, b}r

Some of the residents at Dharwar

b, 46

of stirring up some life.

forbade him their houses.

Much of the above is from Mog-

r and

ling’s accounts of Hebich’s doings : but he himself also had

) they

many interesting circumstances to relate of his visit to the

Jo pos-

favoured Belgaum, with its excellent climate. Nor was he

iop 10

above being refreshed, as he himself tells us, with the peaches,

Tt struck him that the two mis-

yised

grapes and strawberries.

60

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

sionaries, stationed there, lived too much apart from the

b}

people ; regretting also that when in the bazaars they only

conversed familiarly with the natives, while he thought that

the word ‘ preached with authority” would be much more

likely to bear fruit.

Yet God could bless either system, and

al

any way it must ever be a fight !

al

Short as was his visit to Kaladghi, only from the 24th to

Il

the 28th of March, there is somewhat to relate about it.

ft

He was received into the house of Lieutenant Davidson, the

adjutant of the regiment there.

This young officer had been

th

converted two years before, and by means of his letters home

e

to Scotland he had been used to win to the Lord, his

i

mother, and several sisters.

In his regiment he still felt

(U

himself to stand alone.

Hebich reports: “I visited all the

oy

Europeans there, according to their rank ; and as the General

ihe

was just then expected on his tour of inspection, I had the

an

opportunity of speaking with all ; as but for this expected

L

inspection, some would have been absent from the place.

Jo

On the other hand the bustle of preparation for their review

left them less leisure for my purposes.

On Easter Sunday I

W

de

conducted public worship, and preached, but it is long since

I have had so drowsy and inattentive an audience.

Had the

fo

Je

people shown any joy in the Lord, or interest in His word,

I should have remained there a fortnight ; as it was, I hurried

he

away : testifying to all, however, that I had come among

Tor

them in the name of the Lord, but that as they had mno

heart for my message, I must travel farther.” Later it came

as

to Hebich’s knowledge that his abrupt departure had aroused

an

the attention of the people.

Mzr. Layer, who visited the

disty

:

station in October, states that he found evident tokens of life

to(

among the fourteen English, more than half of their number

had .

being spiritually awakened. Twenty-three years later, Hebich’s

and

host, then Major Davidson, declared how greatly his regi-

Ap

ment profited by that three days’ visit of the German mis-

hag 5

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE.

61

the

sionary who ’ﬁruly had, and made us all feel that he had,

nly

his whole heart in his Master’s work ; by that alone leaving

hat

behind him a rich savour of his visit !”

1016

On his return to Dharwar, Hebich busied himself to collect

all the most trustworthy information about the new station

and

and its neighbourhood. He then, accompanied by Messrs.

h £0

Mogling and Frey, visited Hubli, the largest mnative city of

t it

the district.

They all came to the conclusion that eventually

Hubli must become the centre of their mission work above

the

heen

the Ghauts.

During his stay there on the 8th of April, he

0me

was surprised at seeing a captain, with a company of Sepoys,

hs

marching through the place, who informed him that he was

)

ordered with all haste to occupy Sirsi, as an insurrection had

felt

the

broken out in Mangalore.

He says—“ We were as those

that dream.” The two brethren returned at once to Dharwar,

eral

the

and Hebich set out alone to travel slowly towards Mangalore,

octed

preaching to the heathen by the way. He received a letter

from the collector of Dharwar, warning him of possible dan-

lace.

oIV

ger, and begging him to be very guarded in his intercourse

with the natives ; but he did not allow this to hinder him in

fay 1

delivering his message.

The collector in his letter urged him

since

to be particularly careful not to speak of the vanity of the

d the

His comment upon this was—* Poor fellow !

qrord,

heathen gods.

he knows nothing about what I preach; but I have God’s

ied

word to declare, arid I dare not keep silence. . Amen.”

nong

The insurrection, which report had so greatly magnified,

d 10

(g

was by that time well nigh suppressed. On the 30th of March

an insurrectionary movement had taken place in the lowland

gusel

districts which had been separated from Coorg and annexed

] the

to Canara.

Feebly resisted by the authorities on the spot, it

of hfe

had rapidly spread to Mangalore, whence all the civilians fled,

et

and the missionaries followed their example.

On the 20th of

3bich’5

April these latter returned there from Cannanore, where they

; TGk

had sought refuge.

They found all the mission property safe,

p S

62

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

except that their own servants had made off with some money

left there for housekeeping purposes.

ple

As soon as he had reached Sirsi, on his return journey, what

he heard there had quite set Hebich’s mind at rest about the

$01

TS

outbreak, but he still passed on towards Mangalore.

From

Honawar he took boat, and landed at Mangalore on the 2nd

the

tha

of May. He heard from those who met him on the beach

that the mission-house was still standing, and could hardly

by

ASSC

believe his eyes, as he entered the garden, to find everything

just as it had been left!

He could only praise and thank

abo

al

God. It was some time before the excitement produced by

e

the outbreak quite subsided.

0§

Now that there were two separate stations, almost two dis-

Tgg

tinct missions, dependent upon the home committee for their

Tefer

luy

Tk

further supplies of men, each had to seek to commend itself

to the committee by making as rapid advances as possible, and

ol

by strict economy. Hebich therefore sought to do things as

4

cheaply as possible ; that, in the matter of expenditure, Man-

Al

o5

galore might not compare unfavourably with the more northern

station.

With this view he debited the home accounts, for

I}

I

¢

the flight of the brethren to Cannanore, only with the sum

their journey had actually cost, £3 5s. 8d., saying—* So that

his,

acty

W

ey also may sympathize with our alarm, and feel for the

peril of life to my three brethren.

As to the money which

Iy

has been stolen, the committee shall not bear it, but we must

Ol

make it good in the best way we can by saving.” Moreover, in

I,

the course of the year he was able te save £141 out of the

thoye.

allowance for the keep of himself and three fellow mission-

upam

aries.

This sum he credited to the home committee, writing

de@lﬁl‘h

—¢Be pleased to receive this as from the Lord, and so that,

in case of pressing need, you may be able to help us from it.”

Aq

The thought which he had in mind in thus speaking of need,

bt §,

was the marriage of his brethren.

They had sought permis-

a1, §

sion for this, and he, always declaring himself to be neutral

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE.,

63

ney

in such a question, had supported their petition with all the

pleas he could urge.

that

Constant care for economy has sometimes quickened, and

In our modern

the

sometimes deadened, Christian enterprise.

10m

missions, questions of expenditure have again and again pressed

themselves into notice from the most diverse causes.

More

Ind

than once missions have been shaken to their very foundation

each

rdly

by questions about celibacy or marriage and family life ; about

associating with Europeans, about walking or using palanquins,

hing

jank

about drinking wine and beer, &c., about smoking.

Hebich,

always feeling that no hard and fast rule could be laid down

1 by

-on these matters without damage to the real interests of the

s

mission, ever urged an amount of freedom being allowed with

reference to them. Mogling himself also felt that danger

their

el

lurked in the questions which were now cropping up. He

wrote once to a friend—*I love and respect Hebich, as truly

, and

a man of God. Were I alone with him, I would strive to

05 88

submit myself entirely to him ; but where so many are inter-

Man-

thern

ested, this cannot be.

As it is, some think that I go too far

in my consideration for his indisputable mental preponderance.

5, for

They fear lest he should be trying to win me over entirely to

) S

i

his side, in order to domineer unchecked.

I must therefore

o thab

:

act with great circumspection.

All these things are evil, and

o th@

I wonder that, in spite of all this misunderstanding among

whidl

ourselves, the Lord still shows so much love to us.”

st

.

In spite of the “misunderstandings” hinted at in the

ey, 10

above letter, and which were beginning to exist, Hebich kept

()f the

up a most lively correspondence with the Dharwar brethren,

jssion-

declaring he had ‘“the most perfect assurance that our cause

iting

Amen,”

will yet be seen to be a right€ous cause.

0 th&t,

A commission had been appointed to try the leaders in the

Onl lt "

late insurrection.

One of the gentlemen composing it was

£ otd

ixi

a Mr. S., a judge from Malabar. At first he seemed only just

pernlb

to put up with Hebich’s visits, and the other missionaries

11611t131

64

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEP HEBICH.

pointed out to him the unadvisability of repeating his calls ;

hit)

saying that the keen-witted well-read man of the world looks

the

But soon God’s Word

upon us all as only a pack of fools.

ber

found entrance even into his heart also, and as he himself

but

later expressed if, he first learned from the rude German

adn

what prayer really means.

This Judge became a warm friend

hay

of the Mission, helping much by his pecuniary gifts in the

An

extension of the work towards the south.

mal

Hebich wrote on the 9th of January, “Just now, Manga

yan

lore is quite full of soldiers. Lieutenant C. lives with us ; he is

four

sick, body and mind, his drinking habits will certainly ruin

frui

his prospects in the service.

Then we have also received into

10f.

our house Dr. P. (who is also of intemperate habits), and his

hut:

wife and child ; they had been taken prisoner by the Coorgs.

i

On Sundays the English come to us for Divine service, but

Iy

the state of things among them is sad; for instance, two

fhe

Bombay officers fought a duel. Then Lieutenant S. (and he

Tal

an awakened man too!) in the heat of passion cut down one

Wh

of his men, and runs the risk of being hung.

[N.B. He got

4y

off, however, with two and a half years’ imprisonment.] Then

another lieutenant killed his servant.

he;

Meanwhile, the Pre-

1if]

tender, Kaliar Swamy, has been hung in chains, and others,

alloy

they say, will follow.”

fours

Amid such circumstances Hebich became only the more

il .

convinced of his call to declare God’s Word to English as

well as to natives.

Mzr. Mogling communicated to him some

Jear ¢

Hebich

qu j

thoughts on this point, of a man of some note.

replied, in November, 1837, ¢ There is much that is good in

what C. has written, but he is grossly mistaken on the main

point.

Am T a servant of God for the heathen only, and not

Had T ever

rather for all men to whom God shall send me?

thought of taking up an exclusive position, I should have

I feel that the British

ceased to be my Master’s servant.

have claims upon me ; first, because our way is opened to the

REINFORCEMENTS

ARRIVE.

65

s

natives by the fact that God has committed this country to

00ks

them ; secondly, because God bestows upon us unnumbered

ord

benefits through their rule.

‘We may shut our eyes to this,

el

but it is most unfair to look only at the weak points of their

man

administration.

Thirdly, because our Mission could never

iend

have attained to its present state but for their liberality.

| the

How re-

And shall nothing be done for them in return?

markably the Lord has prospered whatever labours I, His ser-

angs

vant, have bestowed upon them. In their case it has been

heis

found true that we ourselves have been the first to enjoy the

Sun!

Our God does

fruits brought forth by our own kindness.

| mfo

not allow the work of any one of us to go without its reward,

Yea! He is

xd hl~

but repays us just in proportion to what we do.

015,

a righteous and faithful God. Try the matter only by look-

, but

ing at it in this light, and you will see plainly enough that

two

the man is mistaken.

Yet we may well thank him for his

d he

warning against all wandering in by-paths.

If, at a station

m 0N

where there is no chaplain, we missionaries give the English

If the

To gob

a weekly service, it is no more than we ought to do.

Then

heathen have a mind to be saved there is no lack of opportu-

nities for them to hear the Word, Of course we must not

0 Pre-

othets,

allow such occasional services to keep us back from preaching

tours.

For myself, and so far as I can perceive the Master’s

more

will, I should not grudge to give up a month or two every

ish 88

year to work among the English.”

Further experience has

1 S0Me

quite justified the opinion which Hebich thus expressed.

ehich

good n

Lﬂd IlUt

Tevel

| have

sl

140 the

St

ma

tha

@ (4

be

fine

A

Seer

van

T

CHAPTER VIIIL

had

FIRST-FRUITS FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE.

suite

AR

ON the 1st of December, 1836, a drummer of the name of

Ol

Kolb (whose father had been a German soldier) gave over to

1]

e

Hebich his son, a lad nine years of age: as he calls it, “the

a0V

earnestly-longed-for gift of first-fruits to our seminary.”

i

Presently a second lad was added, a relative of the first can-

har

didate for baptism, and as there were sundry Hindu youths

he

who wished to learn English, Mr. Losch was able to begin at

fur

ult

once his work of imparting an European education to a fair

number of pupils.

Gradually the number increased, both of

ho;

113

children absolutely committed to the missionaries for training,

and of lads from the town anxious to avail themselves of the

1elp

o

advantages ‘of the teachin

o)

and it was found quite necessary

He

to have an appropriate building for what was at first indif-

¢hang

ferently called the seminary or the orphanage.

This building

1ep01

for the English school was likewise to serve as a chapel.

810D, -

Hebich was suffering at the time, but he undertook the super-

SCLoo,

lioo

vision of the work of building, during the rainy season of 1837.

H

By great exertions the buildings were completed before the

bl’cthl

following monsoon set in.

f

16 1)

On the 16th of September he baptized the old fisherman

Hong

Manju (before mentioned), giving him the name of Abraham ;

nyg N

This old

his little daughter was baptized at the same time.

Degey

FIRST-FRUITS FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE.

67

man at once began with joy to witness for the Lord, and all

that had been known of his course up to that time had been

a cause of joy to his teacher.

But the same testimony cannot

be borne to his subsequent career.

Abraham, in part in-

fluenced by a bad wife, did not prove whole-hearted.

Another source of hope opened up at this time which

seemed to hold out more promise.

In 1822 a Tamulian ser-

vant had been converted in Bangalore, and baptized by the

TFurasian missionary S. Flavell.

Some years later this man

had come to Cannanore, and, as they could find no one better

suited for their purpose, some officers had employed him as

eatechist to minister to a small knot of Tamulian native

16 of

Christians.

‘When the German Mission was established on

the coast, it being thought that he would do better at a station

er to

“the

at which he could work under an European missionary, he was

sent to Mangalore.

At that time Aaron, for such was his

ary.”

f can-

name, could speak a little Canarese, though the only language

he could read was his native Tamul.

Hebich entertained

ouths

him, hoping that some of his seven clever children might

gin ot

ultimately prove of great help to the Mission, and in this

o fair

oth of

hope he was not disappointed ; though Aaron himself, with

his deep-rooted self-righteousness, was never any very great

g

help.

of the

Hebich remarks, “All things here are so uncerfain, so

essaly

changeable, that one might well shrink from making any

ndit

report.

Yet though we labour under great spiritual depres-

ilding

Both of our

sion, we hope the Lord will be with us still.

;hapel f

schoolmasters are still utterly carnal.”

supel-

Hebich was now busy with his building operations; the

1897,

brethren absent preaching in the country places: Lehner to

e the

the north-west, where he remained, foundig a new station at

Honawar ; Greiner to the southward and eastward. In the

hemal

midst of all his work Hebich had the joy, in the month of

)rah&m

December, 1837, of getting hold of so many boys for the

s old

5—2

63

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

D

Orphanage that the number rose at once from four to twenty-

two

This was what he and his fellow-workers had been

f]

50

longing for for three years.

The drawback was, that as most

of these boys were Tamulians, they had to begin by learning

D

Canarese.

$0

At first they slept in the sitting-room of the Mis-

sion-house, and took their meals in the verandah. He writes

he

al

of them, “They are still wild beings, some almost like ani-

he

mals, and cost a deal of trouble, though they fill the heart

fh

with joyful hope.

I interfere with them as little as possible,

that they may become accustomed to the place and to one

e

(a

another, seeking all the while gradually to improve their

manners.

My only way of subduing them is to let them

1y

hunger while I lift up my heart to the Lord for them. So

1

He has at last allowed us to make a beginning of our Semi-

€A

nary ; we rather prefer calling it our Orphanage. We are just

b

li

now expecting Mr. Pfander and Mr. Kreiss from Persia ; how

we should rejoice if these veteran soldiers could remain with

s

us !’

1

The above two brethren, ‘the Mission in the Caucasus

I)«

having been abandoned, had turned their thoughts towards

India.

After a circuitous journey of five months’ duration

10

116

from Shushi they arrived in Mangalore on the 19th of March,

1838.

For a while they hesitated as to whether they could

de;

0

not open up some fresh work there ; but at last Pfander’s de-

sire to be among Mahomedans, with whom he could turn his

10 4

profound knowledge of Persian to account, determined them

He

to make their way towards Northern India.

thﬁu‘g

Hebich found that he had need of a loving, patient spirit

Tia] |

in dealing with the boys.

Differences of age, of disposition,

Sﬁ)le

and of parentage caused frequent strife and discord. It was

1,

found necessary to cut all their hair short off, as the only way

With

to keep their heads clean.

Immediately some of the Indo-

W

Britons, and even some of the Hindus, were removed by their

Was ¢

relatives ; the one because they would not give up the Euro-

fo th

FIRST-FRUITS FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE.

69

pean fashion of wearing the hair; the others, for the sake of

fy

eel

the caste top-knot.

It happened that Pfander had brought

some salt beef with him from Bombay ; one day the cook (a

1086

postulant for baptism), being of an economical turn, used

ing

some of it in preparing the food of the lads; this no sooner

\i

became known than it caused wide-spread alarm. Hebich

ritels

allayed this by having the food thrown away as soon as he

ant

a1t

heard of the misunderstanding.

These are but samples of

the many difficulties constantly springing up. At domestic

hle,

0neé

worship Hebich; prayed sometimes in English and then in

Canarese, getting Aaron also to pray in Tamul, that every one

therr

might understand something.

No less than eight different

them

languages prevailed among these boys, but in such sort that

So

each one generally understood two or three different tongues.

V-

The school teaching was divided between Losch, Greiner and

; just

Timmappa ; Mr. Losch having also to carry on the more ex-

: how

clusively English school in the new building appropriated to

it

1t

At length, on the 22nd of July, to the great joy of Hebich,

1¢asus

both the Canarese teachers and three palm-cultivators, asked

jwands

for baptism, and broke caste. They had much to suffer not only

mtion

from their relatives, who day and night bemoaned them as

Mﬂl‘Chv

dead, but also from other classes of the community, who would

- gould

not sell anything to them. This went so far that Hebich had

s de-

to apply to the collector for the protection of the converts.

m Jis

He did more than this;—not unnaturally and yet rather

them

thoughtlessly, he undertook to be responsible for their mate-

rial support, tenderly relieving their wants before it was pos-

sible to be quite sure as to the purity of their motives.

ositiony

Mr. Greiner undertook their preparatory instruction in Tulu,

Tt was

with a view to baptism.

ply il

We have spoken of the old Portuguese, Pingo.

‘When he

o Inde-

was at the point of death, Hebich one day found his way

to the old man, obstructed by a number of strangers ; he con-

ey

W

70

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH,

sequently begged the collector to accompany him officially, to

b

ascertain whether the sick man desired to die a Protestant ;

and that, should this be his desire, the Roman Catholics

§

might be ordered to leave him in peace. After long suffering,

old Pingo fell asleep, joyful in the Lord. About the same

0o

tl

time, or a little earlier, an old English maid-servant also died ;

Hebich expressing good hopes of meeting her again in the

kingdom of Christ,

Let us now turn for a while to the correspondence

which was being carried on with the station of Dharwar.

Hebich had reason to fear that the young and enthusiastic

brethren there were too much inclined to a kind of asceticism,

not sufficiently considering bodily health. Thus once, when they

were thinking of purchasing a certain house, he urged against it

that it was not healthy for Europeans,—a point never to be

vsesSes—-—

lost sight of. Then again, when they had resolved to build,

and the plans were under discussion, he writes; “ I would

certainly not do without the verandah ; and especially do not

cramp yourselves too much for room, it will only be a loss in

the end. I have learnt some lessons from my own experi-

ence in building ; I often wax warm over it ; but when my

courage is ready to fail, the Lord lifts me up again, and the

work goes on all the more cheerily. Even in such dull work

He ever makes me “ more than conqueror.”

Again, “I hear

that you deny yourselves the Lord’s good gifts, such as butter,

milk, sugar, etc. Now I do not mean to lord it over you; do as

you judge right ; let me only say, be wise, enjoy with thankful

hearts any refreshment you can fairly attain to; our Master

1s not so poor as to grudge these things to his servants; in

India a more strengthening diet is needed than in Xurope : I

write thus only out of affection, so forgive me !”

The further correspondence was principally on the subject

of the Orphanage, for which the Dharwar brethren sent

several lads, hoping to receive them back, trained for work..

Iod

FIRST-FRUITS FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE.

{

Ii

0

Then the question arose whether Dharwar could not have a

For months much corre-

nt

similar institution of its own.

Lics

spondence thus passed between the elder and the younger

Ing,

brethren, and all were led to feel the need, in the interests

Ame

of their work, of drawing more close the bonds that united

16C.

them.

the

ence:

¥

Wal,

astic

IS0,

they

§6 16

0 be

pild,

,'0\11!).

0100

% 10

et

) 1y

] the

work

[ Jiear

ptter,

doas

el

aster

85 il

pe: L

ubject

) seal

ok

al

0

fo

bl

It

i

10

X

CHAPTER IX

il

of

THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.—HEBICH VISITS DHARWAR

el

AND now came news from Basle of five new brethren about

He

to be sent out for the Dharwar station : and all the more

(1g

ling

those engaged in the work felt the need of establishing the

closest unity, seeing that the Mission labourers were to be so

14l

e

largely increased. The Dharwar brethren deputed Mogling

as their representative.

Discussions took place between the

th

25th of July and the 26th of August, which resulted in the

th

formulating of a simple and convenient constitution for the

fog

management of the Mission.

With reference to pecuniary

1t

matters it was settled that each missionary should draw from

lai

a common fund what he absolutely needed. These arrange-

to {

ments were made, when the introduction of steam-navigation

pres

had practically reduced to one-third the great distance which

the 3

formerly separated India from Europe; but when the mis-

00§ |

sionaries had not yet realized how this fact must alter their

relations to the Home Committee.

ang

Hitherto it had only

Just ¢

exercised a general supervision from afar ; now, if so inclined,

it could assume the direction of all the most trivial details.

Dlace

he

Actmcr under this feeling the missionaries constituted a

“ Greneral Conference ” to which was to belong the ordering

Soul 4

T

of the whole work. But the illness and death of In-

tlat

spector Blumhardt, on the 19th of December, 1838 brought

lﬁmu

73

THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.,

about changes which rendered the above arrangements in-

operative.

In establishing this ¢ General Conference” it was con-

fessedly hoped that thereby the preponderating influence of

individual brethren would be restricted.

As it was ex-

pressed, ¢ Hebich, thanks to his great practical ability, to-

gether with his zeal and his impulsive mode of action, seems

to have assumed the whole management of the Mangalore

Mission ; he is not given to consulting with others and acting

in concert ; but remarkably gifted as he is for a peculiar kind

of work, he will be invaluable to us, if he can but bring him-

R

self into the new order of things.”

It was arranged that

Hebich should proceed to Dharwar for the purpose of

hout

more

organizing the new station to be established at Hubli ; Mog-

ling to remain the while at Mangalore in charge of the Semi-

the

e 50

nary, and for the purpose of helping the newly-arrived

brethren in Canarese.

The idea of this arrangement was

gling

n the

that thereby the controlling elements of each station would be

the better mingled, so as eventually to flow more cordially

in the

o the

together.

Mogling’s removal to Mangalore both brought him

into easier commgni(:a"gion with Inspector Blumhardt, and

Aty

7 from

laid also the grouhd for obtaining that further increase of help”

to the Mission which was so sorely needed. Hebich thus ex-

Tange-

presses himself on the subject; « My chief anxiety was that

igation

the right man should be found for the Seminary; walking

hich

one day with brother Mogling I opened my heart to him,

) 1S

and then, by a happy inspiration, I exclaimed, ‘You are

their

just the man ! stop here at Mangalore, and I will take your

| only

dlined

place at Dharwar.” It was a blessed hour: we agreed about it;

the matter was considered settled ; but it has cost me nearly

efalls

ated

soul and body.”

The General Conference invited Mr. H. Gundert, a licen-

qd@ﬂﬁo’

of I

tiate in theology, who had hitherto been working in the

ool

oht

Tamul country, to join the Basle Mission. He accepted. the

74

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

call ; arriving, with his wife, at Mangalore on the 2nd of

November.

He was able to establish the first girls school in

th

on

the Mission, and in other ways to extend the work.

First,

however, let us accompany Hebich to Dharwar.

m

He arrived there in October, and finding the collector, Mr.

a0

(1

Mills, amicably disposed, invoked his help in obtaining a suit-

able site at Hubli.

This Mr. Mills was one of the noblest.

SII

fai

specimens of the Anglo-Indian Christian ; humble-minded,

full of brotherly love, rich in faith. He saved nothing from

(0L

e

his large income, but every month expended among evangeli-

cal workers in different parts of India the overplus, above his

the

own personal necessities, of his salary. It was nothing un-

tha

usual for him to give as much as a thousand rupees at a

fem

time.

A close friendship was soon established between him

and the German missionaries.

Thanks to the assistance of so

the

influential a friend Hebich had only to make choice of the

five

very best situation, and the government-grant for it was

g

obtained without difficulty. A year before this, the assistant

who occasionally resided at Hubli had made difficulties about

a(

the establishment of the missionaries there; on which occa-

W

sion Hebich wrote : “It is certainly a troublesome check,

ha

but not enough to keep us away altogether ; I fully under-

hix

stand the gentleman’s feelings; so long as they are them-

M

selves unconverted the officials think that the result of mis-

gk

sion-work among the natives might be a rebellion ; and as

SI'OD;

there are no military in Hubli, he would not feel safe with

ch)"

missionaries for his next-door neighbours.

But anyhow I

Pilgy

think Hubli is the most suitable place for us, and I hope the

Satlo

Lord will help.”

Now, however, all mention of objections

ki

ceased. 'Whilst at Dharwar Hebich preached every evening

buﬂd

in the bazaar, accompanied by Mr. Layer, and found that the

ey

people listened more quietly than in Canara ; a circumstance

Fely

which, however, never awakened any special hopefulness in

cluge

him,

mg 0

t.

THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.

7

D

d

of

At first, in order not to throw hindrances in the way of

oL In

the selection of the site, he did mnothing in Hubli.

But

I

one day in December, at noon, he suddenly felt himself

b

in the humour to visit that bazaar also.

He says, “1 went

accordingly with inward prayer; and was attentively lis-

A

st

tened to by a large crowd, while I declared to them their

blest

sins, and urged upon them repentance towards God, and

faith in our Lord Jesus.

ded,

On my way back, too, I got into

from

conversation with many young and old, so that I was quite

ngeli-

wearied when, at night, I came back to the tent which

%

the collector had lent us.”

Hubli has rewarded the hope

re 1S

; un-

that was cherished with regard to it; but it was long de-

ferred.

ab &

him

Between the 12th and 17th of December, Hebich visited

of 0

the remote shrine of the goddess Yellama, at a distance of

five or six miles from. Sandddi.

f the

Her festival was being cele-

brated at the time.

§ WaS

Like every one else he had to camp out

istant

in the open field ; and established himself under the shade of

ahou

a couple of tamarind trees ; the hills around him were crowded

with the votaries.

0000

He lived there among the people as he

had never done before.

Soon the chilly dews of night gave

check,

him a severe cold, which made preaching very hard work.

unde-

Many visited him in his bivouac, acknowledged that he was

then-

right, and excused the obscene doings at their huge proces-

)f I]]iS'

sion, as being derived from the filthy stories of their mytho-

nd 8

logy.

On his way back, among the crowds of returning

yith

pilgrims, he had many opportunities for profitable conver-

ow 1

sations.

Pe the

Finding that Mr. Frey was quite able to superintend the

ofions

building of the Hubli Mission-house, Hebich was able to

yening

devote the time from the 18th of January to the 25th of

jah the

|

February, 1839, to a more extended Mission tour.

IL’; con-

stance

i

cludes his narrative of this journey with the words, “A feel-

2658 i

ing of sadness ever comes over the poor missionary when he

{

6

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICII.

has to make a report of his work, feeling himself always in

In

danger of saying either too much, or too little.

Quiet as his

le

work may be, it often causes no little stir; yet he would far

rather pass it over in silence, and often it would be better for

th

him to do so.

But as necessity is laid upon me to do so, I

Rh

furnish my report.”

He first went to Sandddi, where he

na

Joined the collector Mr. Townsend, who wished for his com-

v

pany during his official tour ; that while himself engaged in

pec

his revenue duties the missionary might preach to the people.

J U

He had so bad a horse that he sold it, and continued his

dist

Journey on foot, “which,” he says, ¢“is in many circumstances

A

the best way, though at times it causes an amount of fatigue

cher

which stops work.” He had some tough encounters with the

of |

Brahmans. He spent some time at Kaludghi, but missed the

Max

beloved Davidson, who was now obliged to travel about the

after

Sholapur District, where he also would have been glad of the

missionary’s company if it had been possible.

Hebich was

put

gtk

on this occasion able to confirm and carry on the good work

pepj

which had been begun in the station two years before ;

War

several were awakened and some converted.

He spent a

g

couple of weeks at Bagalkhot, entirely among the heathen.

silk,

The preaching took so much effect that many very interesting

slon

visits were paid to him ; at the same time bitter opposition

was stirred up.

News of the illness of Mr. Layer made him

Propy

he ex

hasten back to Dharwar; here fresh work and new experiences

officiy

awaited him.

in

First he was greeted with the news that the five young mis-

Darad

sionaries had landed at Mangalore on the 15th of January.

F Tank

In order that they might be as soon as possible fitted to enter

upon work, either in new stations or in those already ex-

Philay

& Cate

isting, they were diligently studying Canarese there under

Mogling’s guidance.

They were all of them full of courage

JOT

“and of hope, yet each of them was destined to but a short

8Secls

Obta

HEBICH VISITS DHARWAR.

i

B

Indian eareer, so that in thirteen years the last of them had

s

left the country.

far

Secondly, brother Gundert had received a request from

for

the Tinnivelli brethren to seek out a certain catechist, whom

g, 1

Rhenius had sent into Malabar, at the request of an English-

o he

man who wished to employ him in the civilization of the

COM

wild labourers on his plantation.

This plantation had a

d m

peculiar history ; it had been established as a private enter-

ople

prise by the first officials employed by the British in the

1 s

district after its conquest in 1792, and was situated at

ANces

Anjerakandi, about ten miles from the coast towns of Telli-

tigie

cherri and Cannanore. A Scotch ad\/f‘@ntufer of the name

h the

of Brown, who had first established a German factory at

] the

Mangalore under the auspices of the Emperor Joseph IL., and

j the

afterwards removed to the French settlement of Mahe, was

f the

put in charge of the adventure.

This man bought and

) VS

gathered together a number of slaves, for the cultivation of

ok

pepper, the staple product of the district.

To this he after-

efore ;

wards added cinnamon, in which hitherto Malabar had been

unable to compete with Ceylon ; also coffee, arrow-root and

pent )

athen,

silk.

Gradually the concern passed entirely into the posses-

sion of this enterprising man.

As the only European landed

psting

;osition

proprietor during the monopoly of the Kast Indian Company

he exercised a great influence in North Malabar ; Christian

o bim

Jicnces

officials thought that here if anywhere a desirable spot

in this beautiful land might be turned into an earthly

lg miS‘

paradise.

It was the successor of this first proprietor (Mr.

Frank E. Brown, who died in 1868,) inspired with modern

m\lﬂf}".

o entet

|

philanthropic feelings, who had asked Rhenius to send him

a catechist ; and since 1835 the catechist had accordingly

121dy ex

) mnder

been employed, instructing the children of the slaves, and

preaching the gospel to the adults, in a chapel built for their

courage

especial use. Michael (that was the man’s name) had soon

) ShOl‘t’

%;

obtained so much influence among the young that several had

78

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

the

begged for-baptism : bub just at this time the proprietor was

absent on a visit to Europe (1837) and his locum tenens was

<oul

unfriendly to the catechist’s proceedings, and put difficulties

walt

in his way.

Lord

Gundert visited this plantation according to the request

aloy

that he had received from Tinnivelli, and what he saw there

Furo

and in the towns on the coast convinced him that, could they

a8 Wi

but establish a station in the distriet, much was to be done

parta

in Malabar. But the missionarggdid not feel that they could

filled

o this on their own responsibility. Just at this coincidence

wok,

Mr. S

the judge of the District, who had been

By

awakened by Hebich’s ministry, offered to the missionaries

manif

the use of a house which he had just completed for himself

likely

at Tellicherry : and being soon after obliged to leave the

to for

station on account of health, he made over the property

the xj

unconditionally to the Mission.

The only question remain-

that ¢

ing to be settled was, how to establish the station there ; and

Judge

it was also suggested that Calicut, the chief place in the

Sidery

District, should be furnished with a missionary from Telli-

noug

cherry. These were matters which the General Conference

in thy

would have to consider.

the

Hebich, therefore, and Layer proceeded to Mangalore,

that

where also brother Lehner, recently married, joined them

began

from Honawar.

On the evening of Maunday Thurs-

hithey

day the missionaries, already amounting to the goodly

Plaugih

number of eleven, united in partaking of the Lord’s Sup-

per.

Besides matters of business which were to occupy

80 tha -

them, they had now the joy of baptizing six men and two

0Uf the

women on Faster Sunday, 31st March, 1839, from which

With

dates the foundation of the Mangalore native church. They

zlssigned

were mostly Tulu palm-climbers, one an oil-merchant, one a

the 0the

fisherman, and one a Tamulian. Simon and his wife Hanna ;

R — T

LEhIl@l“ |

Abraham the fisherman and his wife ; the others Peter and

Ghayg

Enos, employed as schoolmasters ; Jacob the cook, and John

Y parg

T e =z~

HEBICH VISITS DHARWAR.

9

Was

the house-servant.

The wives of these latter had not the

Was

courage to come forth at once, but thought they would

wait, and see how matters turned out.

In the evening the

Ittes

Lord’s Supper was again partaken of ; and was followed by

uesh

a lovefeast, at which the natives sat on the ground, and the

here

Europeans on the benches from the boys’ school.

The boys,

they

as was natural, whether baptized or not, were quite ready to

done

partake of the feast.

We may imagine the joy which

ould

filled Hebich’s heart, as he copntemplated this result of their

work.

Jence

heen

But when it came to the discussion of business-matters he

.4

manifested an obstructive spirit, as unexpected as it was

jaries

mself

likely to be mischievous.

The rules which had been agreed

, the

to for general guidance clearly gave to all the brethren alike

the right to teke part in the discussions; but he declared

perty

mal-

that the five nmew arrivals from home were not yet fitted to

judge of the circumstances which were to come up for con-

'y 8\1(1

sideration.

‘Was it not

n the

They should abstain from voting.

enough for them to look on, and take part only inwardly

L Telh—

in their hearts?

orence

Of course he did not carry his point—

the young men only laughed at him; but he soon found

that he had thereby set them violently against him.

They

tgﬂlm;

began to criticize unfavourably the manner in which he had

] them

hitherto performed his duties as accountant.

They had

Thurs-

plausible grounds for this. Their professed desire was to cur-

go()(H [

tail all expenditure, especially that of the unmarried brethren,

g Sup-

oeeupy

so that the Home Committee might be encouraged to send

out the sooner, large reinforcements.

A W0

With reference to stations, Tellicherry was taken up, and

| whiCh

assigned to the brethren Gundert and Dehlinger; while, on

They

the other hand, Honawar was abandoned, and the brethren

fon8 &

Tehner and ILosch were attached to the mission above the

Flannd)

Ghauts.

Hebich begged that he might be left unattached to

el al

any particular station ; free to work as an itinerant preacher

i ol

80

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

among both Europeans and Canarese.

The plan which he

proposed for himself seemed too vast to be entertained in its

(4

¢h

fullest extent ; yet, as it was recognized that such a field of

work would well suit his peculiar gifts and powers, and pro-

I

Le

mised well as to results, it was at length unanimously agreed

that he might at least spend the next few months in a mis-

Te

the

sionary journey throughout the Mysore territory.

On this purpose, therefore, he set forth, without at the

hay

Go

same time giving utterance to all the thoughts that were busy

within him. The sequel, however, showed how deeply he

deW

had been wounded by all the debates that had just taken

place.

The younger of the two brethren sent to Tellicherry

fell dangerously ill (he, in fact, never enjoyed a day’s health

till he finally turned his back upon India), and it was thought

that, under the circumstances, the mission in Malabar might

well be strengthened by attaching Hebich to it.

He thought

over the proposition for some days, and then wrote candidly

what he felt about it, to somewhat the following effect—¢ I

must now strike chords which have been sounding a strange

song in my own breast, though hitherto no sound, nor even

murmur thereof, has been heard abroad. I have been well

nigh called a thief to my face; still louder have been the

outcries against my domineering spirit.

On these subjects

the Lord has led me through a fiery furnace of introspection.

I can now look upon myself only as a scurvy sheep, to be

separated from and shunned by the rest. But mark, the Lord

has allowed all this of His grace, and because He loves me ;

and He bears me up with unspeakable tenderness and long-

suffering.

This is all my salvation !

‘What have I to learn

from all this?

That He desires to humble me ; and after He

shall have purged me (John xv. 2.), He will yet gird, and

Just as I

fit me for the special work He has for me to do.

was driven, against my will and by manyhard experiences, into

the Basle Mission-house ; so now I recognize the same power

HEBICH VISITS DHARWAR.

81

h he

driving me to my new calling of an itinerant preacher, I

I ifs

can therefore in no wise make up my mind to go to Telli-

1d of

cherry, where my domineering spirit would only cause fresh

pro

misery. My advice, given in the fear of the Lord, is this—

greed

Let me go, and pray for me. Later on I may be able to pay

, I

Tellicherry a visit, and would then be ready gladly to give

the work of my hands as a menial, so long as it may be worth

t the

having. T commend myself and you to the grace of our great

God and Saviour, and remain, in him, your faithful and

busy

ly he

devoted fellow-worker in the Lord’s vineyard,

“ Samuer. Hgepicm.”

faken

cherry

health

jought

might

hought

andidly

eC‘[’“I

hange

o1 evel

ol yell

een

subjects

spectiol

oD, t0 be

E

|

ghe Lot

O\VQS me :‘

o4 long-

| o Jea?

gt I

| gil’d: a

Jush 8

on0eS it

e pore

lav

sty

o

(Al

v"

&)

of §

to (

chu

CHAPTER X.

D€x|

1nen

HIS SEVEN MONTHS TOUR.

Loxg

the ¢

STARTING as he did on his journey eastward in so much de-

Socie

pression of spirit, it is not surprising that at first Hebich

Resi

felt himself little in tune for preaching.

His first station was

ther,

Puttur, where a married officer was stationed. He records—

of oy

T was not as faithful to them as I should have heen, for I

sible;

only ventured indirectly to hint to them how great the par-

alor

doning grace of the Lord had been towards myself.”

Thence

Inh

he ascended the hills into Coorg, where he writes—At Mer-

a8 of

cara my spirit was refreshed in godly fellowship with Major

Bell, Captain Willis, and their wives.”

His horse fell with

Were.

firgt y

him here; the accident might well have been serious, but from

that moment, even when in suffering, he was able to testify

the ¢

houge

boldly.

His principal opponent was an officer of engineers,

who, denying any free will to man, sought to cast on God all

Aoy

Hehie

the responsibility of sin.

Hebich one day forced him down

into a chair, saying (to convince him that he had the power

Unah]

a the

to sit or to rise), “ Sit you there !”

A lady once said to him,

in the presence of her husband, a surgeon and a philosophist

doul

the L(

—“You do preach such terrible things!” to which the hus-

band remarked—“Well, I am able to laugh at all Mr. Hebich

haye ]

leaVe |

tells us.”

“Yes,” said Hebich ; ¢ you laugh now. Wait till

you come to your death-bed, and then tell me where the

Hebig

alread)

HIS SEVEN MONTHS TOUR.

83

laugh is.”

Thus, in the houses of the gentry he had what he

styles “lively encounters,” but he was also diligent in seeking

to lead the ill-educated half-castes into the doctrine of justifi-

cation, on which important doctrine he says he found all the

people very badly grounded. He had the joy to baptize a few

of these in the regiment stationed there, who had been moved

to earnestness by his ministry, and thus to constitute a little

church, which he put under the care of the apothecary. The

next station visited was Hoonsoor, where was a large govern-

ment tannery, and there he was instrumental in winning to the

Lord the doctor and his wife.

Mysore he found occupied by

the agents of the London and of the Wesleyan Missionary

de-

Societies ; but he spent most of his time in Yelwall, where the

hich

Resident lived, being lodged by Dr. Malgrath, a faithful bro-

WS

ther.

His note is—*The Resident, a formalist, would none

ls—

of my message ; while his wife maintained that it was impos-

for]

sible to know one’s sins forgiven.” Next we find him spending

] par-

a longer time at the military station of French Rocks, or Hirode.

1enee

In his after career he more than once revisited this station ;

Mor-

as often regiments which he had known on the western coast

[ajor

were sent there for their next tour of service.

On this his

with

first visit he found himself among old friends, the colonel of

from

the regiment receiving him joyfully; and he preached from

atify

house to house.

An officer of artillery and his wife believed,

16618,

A young lieutenant had come into the station expressly to see

dall

Hebich, with whom he had a long interview; yet he seemed

Jown

unable to lay hold upon what he needed. In the evening,

at the mess-table, he elected to sit next to Hebich, and all his

pow er

>him,

doubts seemed removed, he exclaiming, “ Now I believe in

the Lord Jesus, and all my sins are forgiven !

But how long

1ophist

8 hug-

have I resisted him !’

An hour later the young man had to

leave the place; but fresh doubts and difficulties arose, and

Tohich

alf fill

Hebich followed him to satisfy them once more.

An officer,

already in earnest, was first brought into the liberty of Christ;

g (e

6—2

84

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

his wife, who already thought herself pious, found it hard to

b

On visiting another lady,

yield up her self-righteousness.

U]

with whom he had previously had a long interview, he found

W

that she had been taken ill and could not see him, but she

R

called out from her sick-room—*¢ Thank you, Mr. Hebich ; my

fo

heart has found out the truth of all you told me.”

€n

Proceeding on his journey he found at Chinnapatam a

ing

detachment of Sappers, employed on the road, under the

1 !

command of a young Christian officer, Lieutenant R. i

He

Hebich spent a week with him, refreshing him in his soli-

10d

tude.

He gathered the non-commissioned officers together

0pe

for religious instruction, and devoted a whole day to another

officer who, in anxiety of soul, had followed him from the

i

French Rocks.

Of his stay in Bangalore, which he next

tray

reached, we might say much. Here for the first time he was

dec

brought into contact with the spirit of Puseyism.

He

didl‘

writes, “ The people willingly forgive me mmch, as being a

Ma

foreigner, and so do not take amiss from me what they might

pla

from others : humbly I seek to use this freedom to the

Vie

saving of their souls.

Among the many questions which I

upo

am in the habit of putting to people, I have on this journey

Tan |

often put this: ‘For what purpose do you think the ten

Commandments were given ;—for life or for death ¥ generally

the

0cea

I get the answer ‘for life.

‘How comes it then,” I ask,

¢that we are all dead ?

If but a soul be willing, and pre-

cepti

With

pared of God, they generally come to the Lord in two or

dston

three days, accept the forgiveness of sins, and rejoice in ever-

With

lasting life.”

Fi

He went down to Chittoor to see Mr. Norris Groves, who

the g

was labouring there in Mission-work unconnected with any

f

society. After a short visit he returned to the Canarese

hya

Some

Plateau, where he spent a few weeks in the hamlet of Tambi-

halli, needing quiet after all this excitement, to gather up his

he €x

Pady

own thoughts, to attend to some matters of accounts incum-

Very {

HIS SEVEN MONTHS' TOUR.

85

fo

bent on him as accountant to the Mission, and also to bring

Iy,

up long arrears of correspondence.

During this time he read

nd

with enjoyment and profit ¢ The Footsteps of Abraham,” by

)he

Roos. We shall not, hereafter, often find him giving his time

Iy

to books.

He says, “I sought to make here a new and

entire surrender of myself in penitence and contrition, apply-

) &

ing myself especially to the consideration of 2 Cor. v. 10, and

the

1 Tom. v. 24,

Oh ! what a holy God we have to do with !

He can suffer nothing that is unholy!

May He not spare His

aOh

rod, and His fire, as He sees I need them ; and of His grace

her

open my eyes ever to see Himself

!77

her

From henceforth his ministry during this tour was to be

the

principally among the natives.

He hired a hullock-cart,

pxb

travelling in which he passed slowly from village to village,

Was

declaring the glad tidings.

In this fashion he reached Nun-

o

didroog, where he was exposed to a peculiar danger. A

ng &

Mahomedan state-prisoner was confined in the hill-fort at this

night

place, who invited Hebich to visit him. During the inter-

) the

view the missionary taxed the Koran with falsehood ; where-

ioh I

upon the Mahomedan first threw his slippers at him, and then

ey

ran at him with a drawn dagger ; a precipitate retreat over

On another

g fen

the slippery granite rocks alone saved his life.

\erally

occasion he was pelted with stones; but these were rare ex-

[ aSk;

ceptions; for the first declaration of the truth generally meb

with a glad hearing ; at times also only with a stare of stupid

] pre-

astonishment.

|‘r0 OT

At two stages in his onward journey he met

Vel

with Europeans.

First at Toomkoor, where he had hoped to have met with

the godly commissioner, but found that he had been replaced

5 o

Hebich attacked this man, and not without

th 88Y

by a worldling.

some apparent effect ; for, as it were to conceal his emotion,

anaresé

Tambi'

he exclaimed, “ Now I do believe you have actually made a

Padre of me !” This gentleman was carried off by cholera a

He also encountered a Cap-

ipoun

very short time subsequently.

86

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

tain A

lately returned from the civil war in Spain, who

inmdammas

seemed to receive the word with gladness. At Harrihar he

was greatly rejoiced to find a little company of believers,

Young in the faith, who were longing for some one to advise

them. He had to spend a fortnight among them. ¢ They

undertook,” says Hehich, « to buy a suitable house at once

if only a missionary could be sent to reside among them ;

but the frequent deaths and sudden changes in the Indian

world teach us, if anything can, just to do with our might

the work of fo-day.”

Looking back upon this journey it

§

was a solemn thing for him to learn that mot less than four

of those to whom he had spoken the word of life had been,

very shortly after he saw them, cut off by cholera ; and he

0

was thankful to feel that in these cases 1t was no uncertain

note that he had sounded in their ears.

(f

Again in the old

“Y

capital city of Bednur, as elsewhere, he diligently performed

it

his office as an evangelist ; and so ultimately, on the 15th of

I]W

November, found himself once more among his brethren in

o

Hubli and Dharwar.

Here he had to learn the details of what had occurred in

Mangalore since he had left it

p

Confusion had increased

tf

there till it threatened the entire overthrow of the whole

0

work. Mogling had exalted notions of what an apostolic

th

labourer should be ; altogether superior to any mere material

considerations ; earnestly he sought to realize it.

The

to:

younger brethren enthusiastically concurred with him ; and

were the more embittered against all the former routine of

lac]

fal

work. These fervid young spirits went so far, that Greiner,

the pastor of the Tulu congregation, took occasion of an in-

hul

Wa

vitation to visit the Nilgherri hills to escape from the tur-

moil.

Mégling took his place, but he found all so different

fo

an

from his ideal of the example of apostolic times ; the newly

baptized ones were so spiritually weak ; the difference so

Wa)

fuy

great between the habits of life of the European labourer,

lant

87

HIS SEVEN MONTHS TOUR.

ho

and the simple habits of the natives; the lack hitherto of any

he

active manifestation of spiritual life in the converts, that it

I,

was quite unbearable to him. Rather would he throw every

156

thing away, rather forego the absolute necessaries of life than

ey

carry on work any longer in this unsatisfactory style! The

1)

three younger brethren were quite prepared to agree with any

1,

thing he might propose, however hasty or ill-judged. They

an

now called the mission-house “a palace,” and as it was not

ght

fit that they should occupy such a building, first the garden,

and then the house itself, was let to the first tenant who

1

o

offered. For their own accommodation and that of the boys,

i

they bought a cheap little tenement in the Bazaar. They

he

could need no furniture beyond a table and a few chairs, for

Al

could they not sleep on the floor as their thirty pupils did,

old

whom they would also join in their meals, three times a

ned

day, composed of boiled rice only? The schools were not very

b of

prosperous, so they decreed that they were at once to be

given up. The new Tulu converts, the schoolmasters at their

) 10

head, were told that in future they ought to provide for them-

selves.

Then an auction was held of everything which they

d

ased

thought they could possibly do without. All this being ac-

complished, they hoped that a life of poverty would bring

hole

tolie

them into closer contact with the foolish common people.

A visit from the missionary Haeberlin brought the brethren

orial

The

to their senses. He pointed out to them, not so much the

lack of wisdom of the new experiment, and that it must needs

an(l

16 Of

fail ; as especially that it had all been an arbitrary act of self-

will, originating in unbrotherly jealousy. While Haeberlin

1ne,

i} -

was still with them, Mogling wrote on the 27th of November

to the two elder brethren, craving forgiveness for the unloving

) fu-

et

and over-hasty proceedings of which he had been guilty to-

wards them, urging their speedy return so as to prevent

Ly

further mischief. The scattered Tulu converts and the postu-

06 §0

lants for baptism gradually recovered from their alarm. But

ourely

88

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Mégling had to pass two long months of fiery trial before first

Greiner and then Hebich returned to the mission-station.

Hebich, still in Dharwar, where, as we have said, all this

I

came to his knowledge, wrote on the 28th of December, 1839,

Bl

calling upon all the brethren to humble themselves together

ah

with him at so critical a juncture.

“Let us rather bear all

dal

things than by any thoughtless act of self-will give occasion

g

to things which we should afterwards have to repent of but

th

be unable to remedy. Years spent in care and anxiety, in

an(

fire, and in the sweat of our brows, teach men to think,

kin

speak, and act very differently. I think that the Churches

tor

of God in our Fatherland may also learn a lesson from

¢hay

us. We are certainly in the latter days of trouble, and

the

unless we gird up our loins and stand together as one man

Seen

for the one cause, I fear that we shall never get healing, but

of F

shall find that our wound is mortal.

May the Lord of His

aroy

grace see to it, enlighten us with His Spirit, and for His

blood’s sake give us grace.”

But soon after this was written, some slanderous letters of

one of the younger brethren, representing him in the darkest

colours, were shown to him, which so confounded him, and

inspired such doubts as to any true repentance on the part of

the actors in the Mangalore business, that he actually began

to make his arrangements for an immediate return to Europe.

Hearing of this, Mogling himself hastened up to Dharwar,

and so soothed his ruffled spirit that they returned together

to Mangalore in February, 1840, praising the chastening yet

healing hand which had as it were finished the malady that

Was consuming them by, a fever, and at length brought about

true unity.

He writes :—“The ferment in the new wine of our Manga-

lore mission has passed off without bursting the bottles ; to

our Saviour alone be all the praise. The sediment is settling

thick and the wine clearing itself, and will now become

HIS SEVEN MONTHS' TOUR.

89

Ist

milder.”

This is his description of a result which the

Hebich

brethren could now contemplate with thankfulness.

hi§

long continued to look back upon this time of sifting with

3,

adoring gratitude.

“He leads me as a Father, with indescrib-

her

able tenderness, allowing me to experience His grace, and to

all

He tries

dare to look even deeperinto His glorious counsels.

o0

us, but suffers none to be tempted above strength. He gives

blhlf}

the cup of healing, and by His wisdom He is able to educate

i

and perfect His own in righteousness and joy for His glorious

kingdom. How bitter that cup seemed to me which He held

hes

to my lips ; but it is nothing but grace!

How soon He can

om

Therefore will I praise

change the bitter draught into balm!

nd

the Lord, and seek all my joy in Him. May He do as

1Ak

seemeth Him right, for He has redeemed me, and His I am :

bu

of His grace He has dissipated the darkness and shed light

His

around me.”

His

s of

rkest

and

it of

)egal

ope.

pwaly

other

; }(’,t

- that

;:

ahout

[angt-

09y to

fHling

ocone

.

{

11

il

fr

th

CHAPTER XI.

In

Su

LAST YEAR IN MANGALORE.

to

‘TaERE was much that might well have disturbed him on his

the

ii

il

return to Mangalore, but with this joy in his heart he passed

over it all.

The mission-house had been rented to a Major,

who would not give it up, so that the brethren had to content

the

themselves with very inconvenient quarters in the outbuild-

by

ings.

Much that he had brought from London had been sold

el

by auction for little or nothing, and could not now be re-

(B

placed. A lesson had been learnt as to what constituted true

ang

economy, and what extravagance.

Henceforth all shrank

the;

from wasting a moment of precious time given to them to

like

work for the Lord, in disputes about economy.

The new in-

spector at home, W. Hoffmann, gave an impulse to mission

get 1

111\6

work which was especially manifest in the more comprehen-

aftey

sive way of looking at questions of first principles.

One re-

The

sult of what had occurred was, that conferences were for some

be A

time looked at with great dislike.

A matter of great thank-

laty

fulness it was, that during all this crisis the health of the

Deng

workers had been most graciously preserved, and in spite of

for

all these shakings the number of applicants for baptism

Conys

steadily increased.

Plent

It struck Hebich that the crazy Brahman-house in the

Some

Bazaar, though utterly unsuited for the seminary, was well

hiuy

LAST YEAR IN MANGALORE.

9l

fitted for a large Anglo-Canarese school.

From morning to

evening he was busied in trying to arrange this, contending

all the time against violent weather (once, for instance, two

cocoa-nut trees were blown down and fell through the roof).

By the close of the hot season he had succeeded in turning it

into a roomy hall, and in roofing it in.

It was opened by a

school examination, at which the most distinguished English

friends were present.

This school prospered, and brought

the most promising Brahman youth of the town within the

influence of the teaching of the missionaries.

Mogling and

Sutter, an energetic school teacher, gave themselves to it and

to the seminary, while Hebich gave his time principally to

n his

the Europeans attached to the two regiments then stationed

in Mangalore.

ased

Whit-Sunday proved to be a joyful festival, for twenty of

Vlﬁi(m

the Tulu people who had been instructed by Greiner were

ntent

A

Juild:

baptized, and there were others anxious for baptism.

LA

petition was received from fifty villages that the inhabitants

il 501(1

{Billawars or palm-climbers) wished to abandon Devil worship

he 2e-

and to serve the one true God; could the missionaries become

] frue

their priests?

Their notion seems to have been something

snank

like this—to build a temple, put the Bible into it, and then

hem 10

get the people to worship it.

It looked as though this caste,

new -

na't/

pission

like the converted Shaftras of Tinnevelli, had begun to yearn

after some purer religion than that received from their fathers.

_)rehen-

The preparation of palm-wine seemed ever more and more to

Jne 16

be an occupation involving too many temptations for these

1 S0I0

native converts.

A good deal of anxious thought was ex-

{hank-

R

pended in looking about for some more fitting employment

for these younger members of the Church. At first the wisest

gte of

course seemed to be to establish a plantation.

There was

baptism

plenty of land available in that thinly-peopled district.

Some Europeans had already begun to settle in the more

i the

hilly parts as coffee-planters, and they naturally suggested

s gell

92

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

the thought.

But though it might have been easy to have

found a spot which would have been healthy for Europeans,

lwv

f

it seemed impossible to hit upon one in which the Tulu

people would not have been subject to the dreaded fever.

So

th

In¢

the next best plan was to found a farm on the coast, and

for this purpose it was thought well that Hebich should visit

n

SCr

that model plantation in North Malabar of which we have

already spoken ; that the Mission might have the benefit of the

hot

In.

experience which had been there gained.

Besides this, Gundert had also invited him to Tellicherry,

hee

to spend some time there in settling certain complications re-

garding the neighbouring station of Cannanore.

All this he

old

plan

undertook gladly, spending the summer of 1840 in North

Malabar.

This trip paved the way to hisultimate destination

1hn

by

to Cannanore, of which we shall presently have much to

relate.

thi

tree

On the 13th of September he returned to Mangalore, where

he found all the brethren in a very happy frame.

Mzr. Blair,

Bt

of t

the new collector, had proved himself a true friend to the

Mission.

The Coorg insurrectionists had burnt down, three

Wha

will]

years before, the government-offices, situated on the hill Bal-

matha, about a mile from the town.

Mr. Blair had bought

being

Work

the ruins, together with the extensive property on which they

stood, including some fertile plots, in order to present the

g

whole to the Mission.

Some sound walls of the old Kuatcherr:

ultin

were still standing, and it was easy, at no great cost, to roof

lishyy

$pace

in the two wings. DBut the land was the most valuable part

of the gift; on the waste parts of it those native Christians

Smal]

who had no homes could build, and in the fruitful parts ex-

shopg

perimental culture of all kinds of plants could be carried on.

tion,

The joy of this month of September was crowned on the

In

20th by the arrival of five brethren: quite an accession of

tu §

useful strength. Most of these five were destined to a long

of the

career of usefulness.

Mr. J. M. Fritz, at present the senior

galoe

LAST YEAR IN MANGALORE.

93

member of the Indian Mission, was of the number, as was

\(7

B Ao

Joseph Miiller, who was to find his grave in Hubli after long

1§,

[

lu

labouring there ; also the gifted Gottfried Weigle, to whom

So

the new version of the Canarese New Testament is so much

indebted, and J. Ammann, who carried through the like labour

nd

is1h

in the Tulu.

Just as he had completed his work the manu-

seript was destroyed in the conflagration of the Udapi Mission

ave

the

house, and he had to begin again.

He was especially useful

in itinerant work.

Hebich now busied himself on the property which had thus

1y,

been given to the Mission.

The ruins were cleared out, the

) 16+

he

old fruit-trees dressed, and two thousand new coffee-bushes

planted. All this he carried out with his usual zeal, though

1th

it involved his spending almost the whole of every day in the

00

burning sunshine for six weeks.

He says:—* In clearing up

L 0

this wilderness we discovered a particularly fine cinnamon

tree ; a bird had perhaps dropped the seed. It is certainly a

here

pity that a missionary should spend his valuable time in work

Blair,

of this kind, but I look upon it as a necessary preparation for

) the

what is certainly to be hoped for; namely, that many able and

three

willing to work with their hands will join themselves to us,

| Bal-

being thus able to earn an honest livelihood. During all this

ought

work of preparation the Lord was graciously present with

) they

It soon began to be felt that this hill would

me in prayer.”

i the

ultimately become the central spot of the whole Mission estab-

o

lishment.

First the seminary, for which there was no longer

) rOOf

space elsewhere, was brought there.

And in course of time a

, patb

small Christian village with its church, and the Mission work-

shians

shops, and other needed adjuncts, found there a suitable posi-

1ig €5~

Rt s s e o

tion.

ed ()1

In November Hebich greeted Mr. F. Anderson on his re-

on the

turn from Europe; and naw, as soon as the financial accounts

oD of

of the year were closed, he could look upon his work in Man-

o long

galore as accomplished.

The Tulu Church had a worthy

geplot

R i SRR Ty

94

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

o

pasfor in Brother Greiner, while the brethren Mo2lin

(=]

, Sutter,

and Weigle cared for the instruction of the young, so that he

was well pleased to receive intimation that the Home Com-

mittee had assigned to him Cannanore as a station.

On the 12th of January, 1841, he lefi Mangalore, humbled

by the recollection of “hundreds of faults which we poor

short-sighted and sinful pioneers in thi§ work, so holy, so

difficult, and so bitterly opposed by the enemy, have fallen

into during these six years; yet extoliing the wisdom and

the grace of the Lord who has ever, when our need was the

sorest, come to our help; has restrained us from being over

venturesome, and has given us the victory in many a fight.”

On one point he speaks out very clearly.

¢ Perhaps too

Cam

much time may have been spent on work among the English;

“1

Kan

but in my inmost heart I am certain this work has not been

the ¢

useless, both as to winning and establishing souls among them,

Nort

and also for the welfare of our German Mission.

After all,

itself

among you all, my brethren, I am the only one who has done

ging

aught in this work. May the Lord lead us, in the missionary

Maly

cause, out of all narrowness into full freedom. These years

founc

have been important ones for us. How different the actual fight

select

has been from what we had pictured it while we were yet in our

from {

native land. I think that if we had known it all beforehand,

the ¢

at least as I have experienced it, and had taken counsel of flesh

Suese:

and blood, none of us would have so readily taken to this

b,

calling.

I shudder as I recollect the thousand-fold ways in

JUi eacb

which the wicked old enemy has brought us, the servants of

Celohpy

the Lord, into sore danger; ever seeking to lead us astray, to

Protest

injure us in soul and in body. Truly I take shame to myself,

The

and I marvel that it is not all up with me.

But oh! our God

lieg g

is a faithful God, yea and Amen is His word in Christ Jesus.

fort,

‘Lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

ﬁshing.

Hallelujah.””

hiteq |

@lle

B,

ho

it

.1ed

000

50

llen

and

CHAPTER XII

the

)Ver

CANNANORE,

t"

f0o

CANNANORE, the town of Kannan, i.e., of Krishna _y(litefally

sh;

Kana = the one-eyed one, an epithet of Krishna's), was ab

eelk

the time of the Portuguese discoveries the principal mart in

o,

North Malabar, and though the pepper trade concentrated

itself at Calicut, yet it remained the chief place of export for

rall

The Rajah of this portion of North

done

ginger and cardamums.

Malabar, called Kallatiri, readily allowed the Portuguese to

naty

found a settlement on the coast; so the first Viceroy, Almeida,

yGﬁFS

selecting the rocky promontory which shelters the little bay

fght

from the northward, built there a fort in 1505. It was called

[0 OUr

the “Franks’ Fort,” and remained in the hands of the Portu-

hand,

guese till, in 1663, with all their other strong placesin Mala-

{flesh

bar, it passed into the hands of the Dutch. Philip Baldceus

0 this

preached the first Dutch sermon there in February, 1663, to

_1}'3 i

e

celebrate the expulsion of the Portuguese, and the triumph of

ofs of

Protestantism.

ay, 10

The little town, with its narrow dirty streets but solid houses,

nysel )

lies along the sandy beach of the bay east and south from the

ol

fort.

Still further to the south are the miserable huts of the

Jesus.

fishing-village of Tai.

The town is for the most part inha-

\\'Ofld'

bited by the peculiar tribe of western-coast Mahomedans

called Mapillas; the principal merchant among whom, the

96

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

head of the Arakal family, has for three centuries claimed

th\

princely rank and authority. This family resided in an old

eI

walled palace, the centre of all Mahomedan interests and

ﬂ]’é

intrigue, and had been of great assistance to Hyder Ali in his

ault

conquest of Malabar in 1766.

It also allied itself closely

Tass

with his son, Tippoo Sultan, who had striven by acts of ter-

wdi

rible violence and oppression to render Islam dominant

fami

throughout the province.

I

In 1687 Kalatirri had granted the neighbouring seaport of

ain

Tellicherry to the English as a factory, and this became a har-

clim]

bour of refuge to the persecuted Hindus.

It served also as

trodd

a base of operations for the British army on the western coast.

Sticee

‘When, at the peace of Seringapatam in 1792, the whole of

had y

Malabar became a British province, Tellicherry continued to

the

be the seat of the civil administration; but Cannanore, as pos-

thege

sessing the only fort, became the principal military station.

rinks

Consequently upon this an extensive esplanade and exer-

and ¢

At one

cise-ground was formed under the guns of the fort.

Vices

end of this, large barracks for the European troops have been

and

erected, commanding the rocky sea-coast ; while towards the

Ml

north and east a new town has sprung up, called the canton-

indeed

ment, containing the long Lines of two Native Infantry regi-

nlegg

ments, and of a detachment of artillery; a parade-ground for

The fis

them, and the gardens and dwelling-houses of the European

There

employ

officers, the whole traversed by broad, well-kept roads.

of the y

is a large bazaar or market, for all the numerous camp-followers

from

and subordinates : a Hindu temple, a Mahomedan mosque for

These

the natives, an Anglican and a Roman Catholic church for the

ther g

Christians, besides which a theatre, Freemasons’ lodge, &c.,

the why

&e., have also been added.

From the active, but very mixed population of the place,

Europey

13§ geng

the higher and more respectable part of the Malayalim people,

Brahman and Nayar, instinctively withdrew ; gathering at

Ygiinepy

Populaty

" Charakal, where, about three miles north of the cantonment,

tlugyg

CANNANORE.

o

ned

the fallen Kalattiri family had its squalid palace and its

old

temples, built around a large artificial tank. Fortunately they

ond

are relieved from the cares of government ; but financial diffi-

g

culties and family quarrels, and endless litigation with former

sely

vassals and subjects, added to the necessity of suitably pro-

e

viding for the numberless Brahman hangers-on, hinder the

nant

family from ever prospering.

In the cantonment the Malayalim population consists

1t Of

mainly of the active enterprising Tiers.

They are palm-

,har-

climbers by hereditary caste, and from being utterly down-

50 48

trodden in olden time, they have, both here and in Tellicherry,

0ast

succeeded in rising to a much better position.

They have

le of

had very little scruple about the means of rising ; becoming

d fo

the servants and minions of the Iluropeans since the influx}of

pos

these latter ; they have undertaken the sale of intoxicating

ol

drinks, and they mainly supply the concubines of the officers

gxel-

and other foreigners, thriving thus, at least in part, on the

vices of nominal Christians.

Next to the Tiers, in number

\f one

y heen

and importance, come the Mahomedans, the proud but pushing

Mapillas; they are the traders by sea and by land, and seldom

Js the

anfon-

indeed is one of this race found in the service of the European,

y regi-

unless it be in the quasi-military office of peon or policeman.

The fishermen of Tai serve generally as palanquin-bearers, an

nd for

ropeaﬂ

employment to which they especially take during those months

of the year in which the severity of the weather precludes them

There

Jowers

from their ordinary occupation at sea.

These are the more permanent inhabitants.

Besides these,

e for

-

o

there are the crowds of relatives of the Sepoy regiments, and

for the

the whole tail of camp-followers ever found in the train of a

8, &y

Furopean regiment in India.

In the native army every Sepoy

has generally his family and relations with him, so that a

) place;

regiment of eight hundred fighting men will often number a

peOPle;

population of some four thousand souls, mostly Tamulians or

1ing i

Telugus, but with a fair proportion of Mahomedans, Brah-

Iod

{

98

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

mans, and Rajputs.

The drummers and bandsmen are gene-

rally native Christians, and men of mixed descent (Indo-

britons).

This shifting military population spend only as

/!

a rule three years in Malabar, and then march elsewhere to

(

spend about the same time in some other military station.

U

On an average, one-third of the whole native army is on the

Bl

march every cold season, in order that neither officers nor men

W

should settle down into indolence from too long a rest.

th

In the first quarter of the present century it would have

(1

been difficult to have found any really Christian element in

¢h

all this multitude, though perhaps some precious soul of the

1e]

Lord’s hidden ones may have lived and loved here.

For in-

Vie

stance, there was an Indo-British Protestant of the name of

Ch

Kirby, a draughtsman in the engineer's office, who lived

il

11

many years in Cannanore.

By his quiet godly behaviour he

ot

even attracted the notice of an old pensioner.

This man, a

ben

Tier by race, had formerly been the chief of an irregular

DI

corps, and was celebrated among his caste fellows for his

g

Madai Kur-

per

many warlike deeds in the old fighting time.

umber, such was his name, asked Kirby about his religion,

iy

hC\

learnt to appreciate and to love it, and even went so far as to

get baptized by the chaplain of the station; but without

Pl@a

Cate

breaking caste.

He built himself an upper room where he

but

could spend Sunday in devotion, separated from his heathen

family, and there he often united in prayer with his Christian

friend.

1839

It is not known whether he ever partook of the

Lord’s supper.

It is certain that his wife remained a heathen;

d\

put

|

she was a Brahmini woman whom he had violently carried

:

off in some former raid ; he used to take great pleasure in the

oyt

]

\

ang ¢

ancient ballads which she sang to him.

He died and was

Long afterwards, till the old

The

buried with military honours.

woman also died, she used to go about singing the many his-

glad

Sight

tories of the gods with which her mind was filled.

At the beginning of the thirties in this century, the new

Zflo

Place

CANNANORE.

99

16

spiritual life which had begun to stir among the officers of

lo

The

the Madras army made itself also felt in Cannanore.

new lights in the army, who ten years before might have been

{0

counted on the fingers, were now numerous and active.

They

00

united for Bible readings and for prayer; sought, where pos-

the

sible, to get hold of messengers of Christ, and to cause the good

NeL

work to spread awong the multitudes.

From the beginning

there had been a large and increasing number of native Tamul

ave

Christians at Cannanore.

The believing officers and the

b 10

chaplain endeavoured to gather them together and to provide

the

religious services for them, and to found a school.

With this

11

view they built a chapel mainly for the use of the native

o of

Christians, but in which also the English soldiery, if so in-

ved

clined, might meet for prayer.

But the constant change,

1 he

both of the promoters of this work and of those for whose

i, &

benefit it was intended, prevented any marked growth of

;gulm’

spiritual life.

Churchmen and Dissenters, Wesleyans, Inde-

I .his

pendents, Plymouth Brethren, Socinians, disputed about doc-

Kur-

trine and worship. There were hypocrites also, to-day Catho-

igion,

lics, who would to-morrow declare themselves Protestants to

g5 10

please some officer.

One after another set himself up as a

ithoub

catechist, undertaking to teach without having first learned,

o e

but unhesitatingly condemning whosoever opposed him.

athen

When Tellicherry was occupied by the Basle mission in

istian

1839, the brethren had also to look after Cannanore ; but for

f the

lack of a trustworthy native assistant they were not able to

jthen;

put things on a very permanent footing.

However, at the

mﬁ'lﬁ[].

P ——

monthly visits there were frequent applications for baptism,

in fhe

and all kinds of people attended the missionary meetings.

NRIE

The very worthy chaplain, Mr. Lugard, would have been

the Oh’l

glad to resign to any competent hand his share in the over-

lny hls’

sight of the mative congregation, and to help in the organi-

zation of something stable before he should have to leave the

place.

So Hebich was invited to come there, if it were only

he 267

7—2

100

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

on a visit for a few months, to reduce the confusion to order.

U

He was reluctant to undertake it, saying, “I know from ex-

8h

perience what unruly characters most of these wandering

B

Tamul native Christians are : the settled inhabitants, such as.

vl

we have to do with at Mangalore, are much more to be relied

on : these fellows wander from place to place, often in the

hel

Sl

service of godless masters, and learn to add foreign vices to-

their own natural wickedness.

However, in dependence

tha

he

upon my faithful Lord, I will undertake the journey in the

middle of the rains.” This visit lasted from the 27th of June

fo

all{

to the 13th of September, 1840.

Nat

“1 was lovingly received by the dear chaplain of Can-

nanore.

‘While I was speaking with him a Major L. came in.

but

Cong

I began at once to speak to him in my own fashion, straight

to the point at once.

The dear man had a kind of dead

to ]

side

Christianity ; my question as to whether he had the forgive-

«

ness of his sins, and the Holy Ghost, started a lively conversa-

com

tion, which lasted three hours.

It had two results.

First,

that he spoke of my new doctrine abroad among all his

Ihy

friends ; and next, that dear Lugard himself, struck at the

fon ¢

lack of intelligence in a man of whom he had thought some-

days

thing, felt the necessity of dwelling upon this most important

oy

Ing {

point both in the pulpit and in private ; so that this one con-

versation occasioned no little stir in Cannanore.

ysfy

“On the first Monday of the month I held our accustomed

Cloug

missionary prayer-meeting.

The dear chaplain lodged and

all o

fed me, and we were together like two brothers.

Just when

a0 Inf

I had taken some medicine, a‘large part of the native congre-

On

gation came to me and wearied me with their want of straight

them 1

forwardness, and so it came about that I had to begin my work

and 9

( VUM

with them in weakness and against my will, before I had re-

OOIn )

turned the visits of the English friends. ‘But as they thus

each (

took me by storm I recognised the Lord’s will in the matter,

b )

and gave myself fully to their wants.

‘Whilst so engaged 1

ey

101

CANNANORE.

“was interrupted by a certain Captain A.; a word of mine had

for,

£x

pierced him the day before, but I only gave him a friendly

shake of the hand, intending to go back directly to my work.

ing

h as.

But he at once attacked not me only but Lugard, and had

-evidently come in a bad spirit; so I gave Lugard brotherly

Tied

the

help, telling the Captain that he was not then standing in the

-spirit of Christ.

This not being enough, I had to say boldly

es 0

ence

that he was a Pharisee, which was indeed the truth, though

he did not accept it.

So with a troubled heart I went back

) the

‘to my natives.

I wished now only to get to know them in

June

all their misery, and if possible to set a daily meeting going.

Naturally, this was difficult, as they are all domestic servants;

Can

‘but I see more and more clearly that to help this poor little

0 0.

congregation at all, there must be an unwearied going again

*aight

to the very foundations of teaching ; so I did not let any con-

dead

siderations alter my plan.

)rg'we-

“The difficulties as to time and place were presently over-

\(DRS

fa ‘L&m\)

-¢come.

Lugard gave over to me a small private house where

Finst,

I had as many of them as I could gather daily, from half-past

ol his

ten till three, for instruction and edification.

For fourteen

ah the

days together I laboured in thus teaching them, by word of

b Some-

mouth, with hands-and feet, with signs and similitudes, striv-

'portaut

ing to get into their hearts and understandings that great

1o 00D~

mystery of our God ; namely, the atonement through the pre-

cious blood of Jesus Christ.

I repeated it over and over till

latomed

.all could explain it.

And all this I had to do by means of

o and

an interpreter.”

£ wheD

One of the devices by which Hebich sought to explain to

congre-

‘them the incarnation of Christ, was to use a large copper coin

stmight’

and a silver rupee of the like size.

He covered the silver

w()l‘k

my

.coin with the copper one, and held it up to view. Naturally

[ hud 26

each one judged that it was copper only, of no great worth ;

hey

but then he slipped the copper aside and showed what was

0 matterr

«underneath it—the silver, the divine nature.

The same coins

mgﬁged

102

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

served also to show the justification ; the sinner's worthless-

th

Then the

ness being covered by the righteousness of Christ.

th

silver only could be seen, the great value of the Divine Nature,

al

though behind it ever was the old copper, the still sinful

and worthless human nature.

And be never rested till the

difh

A.ug

poor obtuse Tamul women, full of notions of the law, and of

0u

their own righteousness, began to see something of the mind

Wit}

and counsel of God.

foll

“There were at first eight candidates for baptism among

0

them, and the number increased. After this fortnight’s work

how

with them some little progress seemed to have been made.

Tan

I then announced that at the end of another week all who

a8 1

truly repented should be admitted to the Lord’s Table, after

heay

which communicants only were to be reckoned members of

lso

the Church. Also that I would baptize all those applicants

that

who were determined to leave the devil’s service and cleave

to the Lord’s.

During that week I had the best of them

Peop

fo t}

with me in the evening also, from seven o’clock till near mid-

ours

night, and sometimes much later.

dom

¢ On the 26th of July, through the Lord’s 1oving-kindness,

it was granted me, first in the morning to join in marriage a

diffe

they

couple who had been living together unmarried, and then to

baptize eight adults and three children; and in the evening to-

fo ki

lead b

administer the Lord’s Supper to thirty-three sonls.

The Lord

was very sensibly present with us.

Thirteen who showed

tions,

no sign of repentance were excluded from the Church. Five

among

new candidates for admission presented themselves.

Of these-

thereh

atfack

thirty-three souls some were drummers and fifers of the 36th

ang |

regiment native infantry, the highest in rank among them

Camg

being the band serjeant ; some were employed in the police,

and some men and women were domestic servants with

Tead

officers.

Was

oy yyg

Brother Gundert had up to this time occasionally visited

the plantation at Anjerakandi.

This place had now to pass

Wo

OCCupy

CANNANORE.

103

59

through a severe crisis. Michael, the catechist there, confessed

the

that he was suffering from disease, the result of his own vices,

¢,

and which made it necessary to dismiss him on the 9th of

ful

August.

Accusations then crowded in against him.

It was

the

Hebich rode

difficult to supply his place in that remote spot.

| of

out there that evening, and at once sought interviews both

flnd

with the master and with the labourers.

His own account

follows.

0ng

“ Next morning I met Mr. John B., who inquired, ¢ Well,

otk

how have you found the people? ¢Like so many wild beasts,’

ade,

I answered.

And then I spake out all that was on my mind

who

as to the holy calling of the Church of Christ, and as to the

frer

I

heavy responsibility resting upon himself as master here.

5 0f

also told him that we would do all in our power for them,

s

that perhaps one of us might come and reside among the

A

people. ¢ Ah, no! hesaid ; ¢ you would never bring yourselves

e

hem

to that.’

¢Oh ! never fear; wherever we are We can make

mid

ourselves at home : our only object is to work for the king-

dom of God. Anyhow, the Church here must be put on a

1SS,

different footing.’

‘Yes,’ said he.

¢Well, I much wish that

a0 &

they should all be baptized together.” Then I had to explain

en f0

to him why this was not possible; for the baptized must

ng 10

lead a new life, especially a moral life in their marriage rela-

Tord

tions.

That at first a good selection must be made from

owed

among them of those really fitted, and the others might be

thereby stirred to emulation.

He agreed to this.

Then I

Five

these:

attacked him personally, and the Lord gave me great grace

and boldness of speech. While thus engaged, his partner

36th

them

came 1in.

He took down a Bible from the bookshelf, and

read out from it.

It seemed to me that a good impression

Poﬁﬁer

! \HtL

was made upon them all, especially on Mr. John B., and in

my ride back I had much to think about with thankfulness.”

visitﬁd

Would that we could have found a man well fitted to

occupy this difficult outpost !

The first choice fell upon the

) P

-

104

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

eldest of the itinerant Bible readers at Cannanore—one

il

Paul, formerly a Roman Catholic fisherman.

He was not

much of a scholar, yet had managed to earn a competency

th

Hebich

by teaching the servants of Christian gentlemen.

e

took him himself to Anjerakandi to introduce him to his work

¢

there.

On this occasion, both during the morning and at an

adult class he held in the evening for catechizing, some of the

il

better instructed persons from the planters’ households came

Ien

in to watch what was going on.

Hebich writes—¢ They got

ang

quite as much to listen to as they were able to digest. It led

ang

to disputings and contradictions, but they came to acknow-

ove

ledge that I was right.

The head clerk came to see me, and

exclaimed—*¢If all this be true, how should our master live?

Sl

Can he ever get to heaven as he is at present

On this I

amo

took him gently by the arm, and led him out, saying, ¢ Well,

jﬂ a

dear fellow, go home now, and remember you have to answer

oy

for yourself before God, and not for your master.

He must

the

answer for himself ; that is no business of yours.” He looked

tho

ashamed, but slipped into the room again, while all his fellow-

Sam

servants laughed at him. Afterwards, at table with the

Hep

masters, I told them of what had happened, remarking that,

Vea

with such sharp eyes upon them among those they employed,

O

they ought to be very watchful among themselves.

‘Yes,

powe

said the youngest of the partners, ‘it was indeed a sharp ques-

L0rg

tion !

adult

“1I cannot help exclaiming again and again, How beautiful

and thriving everything is here, if but God’s word could gain

fOrty.

the W

an entrance ! The two-storied residence, flanked by the

warehouses, is on the banks of the river, by which all the

to g

fOund

produce is carried to Tellicherry. They spin silk, they sort

the pepper, they prepare the cinnamon and a little coffec.

Wome

di\'i[]e

The village of the slaves is on the hill, which is planted with

cinnamon-bushes.

fungg

These poor people are on the very lowest

rung of the social ladder; yet caste exists here as I have

given

CANNANORE.

10

~

3]

0ne

mnever seen it elsewhere.

The charge of such a congregation

1ok

weighs like a stone on the preacher’s heart.

The overseers of

ncy

these slaves are for the most part Mapillas.

They and the

bich

clerks and household servants live apart, where the slaves are

otk

never allowed to enter.

i

al

“T preached to the masters, and prayed with them. They

the

must first become new creatures before anything else can be

Ale

renewed here.

At the close, Mr. John B. pressed my hand

7 aof

and thanked me warmly.

I gave them some English books,

t led

and begged them to have divine service among themselves

NOW

every Sunday. I parted from them with a thankful heart.”

and

Though we must confess that the new catechist did not

ive!

succeed in working any very great spiritual improvement

is 1

among the people, yet there did seem to be some steps gained

el

in advance.

It was noted with thankfulness that it became

nswer

now a usual thing for individuals to beg for baptism.

On

s

the 23rd of August Mr. Gundert baptized six adults; and

though the great mass remained for long years very much the

ooked

ollow-

same, yet the work of God proved fruitful in individual souls.

Hebich had no further intercourse with this place till eight

h the

years later.

g that,

‘

)10)’9(1)

On his way through Tellicherry he preached with much

power to the English residents, and then passed on to Canna-

Tes,

p ques'

nore to complete his work there.

He baptized five more

adults there, and celebrated the Supper with a Church of

qufifil

forty-one members.

He strongly urged the importance of

the women being taught to read as well as the men, and tried

1 gain

to make a beginning, but was soon brought to a stand. He

by the

found the people so filthy, that he had to give most of the

311 the

women a garment in which they might decently appear at

1oy 800

divine service.

- goffee

An English friend supplied the necessary

funds for this.

The chapel, formerly mentioned, was also

ied With

Jowest

given to him for the use of the mission.

It lies at no great

distance from the European barracks.

The chaplain added

g I hm’*?

106

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

the gift of a small school-house.

It was arranged that, under

the supervision of Mr. Gundert from Tellicherry, ‘two cate-

chists, who had been sent from Tinnivelli, were to have the

care of the church and school ; but they were very inefficient,

and had ultimately to take to other employments.

All this had brought Hebich into close contact with the

English, and with the Tamul people at Cannanore ; but, with

one special exception, he had gained no access to the indi-

genous Malayalas.

The second rajah, at the neighbouring

village of Cherikal, a learned man, void of practical wisdom,

but who was ever seeking for some new thing, had picked up

Canarese, and, glad of an opportunity of using it, he fre-

B

quently visited the long-bearded missionary. Hebich devoted

ter

time and pains to this man ; but at their last interview, and

at

when Hebich fancied he had made some considerable impres-

12]

ston, the poor fellow opened his heart to him, saying, “ Sooth

to say, I believe nothing of any invisible world” (though, by

ah

P

the way, he often saw spirits that terrified him not a little).

“ Buddha certainly hit the truth; heaven and earth came

de4

He

into being of themselves; all is illusion.”

Hebich showed

him his watch, saying, “ This also, no doubt, made itself.””

Ing

S

Yet he believed the man to be not only well inclined, but to

be a sincere feeler after some better thing

o2

and he was glad

slog

thir

to think that he had had the opportunity to show him some-

thing of “the sweet root of Jesse.”

a

huyg

This rajah remained friendly to the mission for many years.

We shall meet with him again hereafter.

of §

fath(

Ut

20th

Il

Dast

here

pd

or

e

he

if,

he

ith

i

Ing

CHAPTER XIII.

I,

up

THE FOUNDING OF THE STATION.

16

ReTurNED to Mangalore, Hebich now felt his heart and in-

ed

terest drawn altogether to the southern district. The directors

nd

at Basle also thought that the work he had thus started at Can-

85

nanore should be vigorously followed up ; thus, then, it came

»()th

about, as we have previously stated, that he was directed to

by

proceed thither and take charge of the Church there.

This

i)

decision was made known to him on the 22nd of December.

i

He thus expresses himself on the subject—¢ You have ordered

wed

me to Cannanore, to carry on the Lord’s work there as the

elf.”

Spirit shall enable me.

May He add His amen to this deci-

i to

sion of yours.

So far as my personal feelings go, I do not

olad

think you could have chosen better for me.

Giving me thus

e

a station where I shall be alone, you have removed a heavy

burden from me.

I commit it all to the Lord, who, in spite

Al

of so many failures and sins, has hitherto helped us, as a

father, beyond our thoughts or prayers.

I shall hasten to act

Thus, then, from the

up to your request as soon as possible.”

20th of January, 1841, he belongs to Malabar.

We again let him speak for himself.

“ For these six years

past the devil has never let me take a step unopposed. So

here again I find myself in the midst of a fight; but I hold

up my head, even though a little timidly.”

These are the

108

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

words with which he began his first report of his new station.

The fight he alludes to was about the little chapel which had

been given over to him. During his absence, the new chap-

lain, finding it conveniently near to the barracks, had appro-

priated it for a school-room for the soldiers’ children. Hebich

argued with him, and strove to convince him that ¢ the

Church” had nothing to fear from him. He looked about

N

for a suitable dwelling-house for hire, but could find none at

{

such a rent as he was willing to pay ; all the houses being

1I

occupied by military men.

The home committee had forbid-

Ju

den any building, for they thought that there had already

€y

been too much of it in the mission.

He, however, himself

T

felt quite certain ot the advantage he should gain by living

a4 (

next to the chapel; and as the site had, as we have said, been

ch

on his former visit made over to him, friends advised him to

()

build the small additional accommodation needed. The chap-

lain himself sketched the simple plan for it, the military

ag

Lt

authorities agreed to a small addition to the plot of ground,

il

such as would afford room for a tolerable dwelling ; and the

]

pious Kirby, accustomed to this kind of thing, helped in the

purchase of material.

A low wall was therefore run round

the

the enclosure, and a very simple mission-house added to

the chapel.

doy

Wﬂ}

But in certain quarters all this was watched with no friendly

eyes.

an

One evening, just before the missionary prayer-meet-

také

ing, he received a letter recommending him to pause till his

But

title to the land should be settled beyond dispute. He at once

that

consulted his friends among the officers, who advised him to

alt()(

persevere vigorously. In these ‘““troublous times,” as he called

1

them, he wrote to friends at a distance to see what they

Wis}

thought best, and all those who had previously contributed to

the building of the chapel approved of what he was doing.

mak

4s)

He goes on—*So much for my fight ; the Lord knows all

about it.

As to my little house, it is charming, so that the

Eno}

Went

THE FOUNDING OF THE STATION.

109

“sweat of my brow is amply repaid. As I sit now writing, I

d

can look out first upon the verandah, then a little garden, and

There are two

I catch a peep of the beautiful sea beyond.

[0

rooms, and two verandah-rooms besides at the flanks.

May

ch

the Lord graciously bless it—His it is, and His it shall be

he

Presently a more difficult question came up. There were

ub

so many nominal Christians, Portuguese and Indo-Britons,

ab

“who need help, and whose influence on the people is not

inconsiderable.

”

He felt that his divine commission not only

ng

id-

justified him, but made it incumbent upon him “to save what-

AR R P

dy

ever will allow itself to be saved out of all this population.”

elf

Especially among the Portuguese did the Lord seem to open

a door.

ng

On the other hand, it was maintained that only that

el

church to which they nominally belonged had the right to

care for the souls of the Indo-Britons.

to

A protest was made

2

against his holding a weekly service in English ; because it

ATy

was said that his hearers would be puzzled by doctrinal teach-

nd,

ing in many points differing from what they heard elsewhere.

the

Others complained that Hebich’s English was so deficient

the

that no good effect could be looked for from it.

md

But the more these matters were argued, and the more

1 to

doubts were suggested, the clearer Hebich came to see his

way. In April he writes—¢ I shall probably end by having

an English service regularly. From the wayin which X. has

Indly

et

taken up this question, I fear our fellowship is at an end.

But it is better that I should do what the Lord will approve ;

| his

0nee

that is, seek every possible means of saving souls. I have got

altogether too close to the chaplain.”

In May—¢ Once more

m fo

alled

in X.’s absence I preached to the English church. Captain B.

wishes me to preach twice a week ; but what a stir that would

they

od 10

make !’

In June—-¢ Well, thank you for well-meant advice.

As X. was so affrighted at the thought of my preaching in

Joing,

s al

English, and as the distrust seemed to grow, I struck sail. T

went to the chaplain, and said to him, that if he would but

b he

S e

s

110

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

let me go my course, and hold out to me a helpful hand, I

would no longer preach to the soldiers at the chapel, till he

should receive more grace !

I am quite earnestly desirous of

f

keeping on friendly terms with X., but know not whether I

shall succeed. He made difficulties also about the Indo-

b

Britons ; but when I gave up the English preaching in the

‘chapel, he said no more about them. The devil is bitter in

i

his opposition ; and I certainly cannot always boast of having

i

the wisdom of the serpent.

2

You are quite right to pray for

me

On the 6th of July—¢ Dear X. and his wife were pre-

11

th

sent at the missionary meeting in our chapel last evening. I

was constrained to speak out.

All went in the power of the

I

be

Spirit ; and now I am glad to say that everything is going on

smoothly.

What a blessed reality the communion of saints

fo

of

is I’ In August—“A new question has been brought up. A

short time ago I buried a child belonging to the Tamul con-

((?

al

gregation ; after which I received the following note from the

chaplain: ‘I have felt uncertain for some time past whether,

of

according to the custom of our Church, I should allow any

W

one but myself to bury even a native in the burial-ground.

Jiti

In this instance, as the deceased was an Indo-British girl, it

a

would clearly be a dereliction of duty in me not to undertake

ing

the office” As the chaplain is thus so continually in my way

An

mo

on all hands, I find myself obliged to obtain a burial-ground

for the exclusive use of our Mission.

On many accounts I

the

am disinclined from this step ; but I must only consider what

pre

helps or what hinders the work.

In the abstract, I care

0

little who buries the dead, but the natives themselves attach

Al

Importance to these externals ; and there would be no slight

froy

on

dismay among them if they thought that only a stranger had

the right to bury a member of my flock.”

On the 2nd of

frop

November—*TI had to remove my evening English service to

the chapel from D.’s house, from which the Roman Catholic

1t g

priest turned me out.”

hag

THE FOUNDING OF THE STATION.

111

B

It was not possible for Hebich to remain long in harmony

with the then representative of the Anglican church at Can-

he

5 of

nanore.

His views of Revelation did not tend to soften mat-

ters.

He thus expresses himself ; for to him nothing seemed

1]

do

more certain than that, according to the prophecies of that

the

book, all, the elect alone excepted, would return to Romanism :

I

“The beast of Revelation is exerting its might to heal its

ing

deadly wound. Everything inclines towards Rome. Oxford,

the school of the rising generation of England’s teachers, is

for

infected.

Ie-

Pusey has already sent valiant warriors out into

these regions of the heathen.

It is awful !

Beware, dear

he

Inspector, of the English Church party, for things look very

bad !”

These opinions made it increasingly difficult for him

on

nfs

to conform himself to strict Church forms; while, on the

other hand, he was as violently opposed to re-baptism, &c.

“ That spirit,” he says, “gives too much freedom to the flesh,

0L:

the

and drives the people wild ; it is very much akin, among the

children of God, to the false freedom trumpeted forth to the

her,

world from France.

I cannot help it ; I meet them all in the

any

name of Jesus.”

To what was known as Plymouthism he

nd.

was particularly opposed, just because it held such a bewitch-

] 1t

ing influence over the young officers.

He writes—* All our

ake

Anglo-Indian brethren are drawn into the whirlpool of Ply-

WAy

mouthism, as sure as they go home (i.e., to England).

They

mnd

then cease to feel any interest in mission-work, and take to

51

hat

preaching to one another.” He held the office of the preacher

in very high honour, and would yield none of its authority.

I

About this time, when inviting a friend, who had visited him,

ach

from Tellicherry, to preach in his pulpit, he begged him to put

ight

on the gown.

“The preaching sounds somewhat differently

had

from one so attired, than from one in a white jacket.”

d of

He sought so to preach to the little Tamul church, as that

0 10

it should grow both in inner power and in numbers.

He

golic

had not often the privilege of baptizing any of the Malaya-

112

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

las ; yet from that caste sprang a young Nayer youth named

Krishna, of about eighteen years of age—afterwards his much-

loved Timotheus.

About this time he sent him over to Telli-

cherry for fuller instructions, and afterwards recalled him to

act as his interpreter.

Yet among the inmates of the poor-

house were many Malayalas, to whom he constantly preached,

h

and of whom some were baptized. Of that work, however, he

A Mala-

X

records—‘“ There is nothing there to please men.”

i

yalim school, which was tried, soon filled with one hundred

li

children, or more, and prepared the way for access to the

le

people of the land.

al

A preaching-place was opened in the lines of the 36th

Regiment: he preached the word there every evening,

T

i

standing in the open air in front of the hut of some one

or other of the church-members.

The native Christians stood

ha

immediately around him, and beyond them a crowd gathered

il

of hearers of all classes. Meetings were also held three times

il

le

a week in the house of a friendly-disposed Portuguese family.

te

One of them, lent his spacious hall for this purpose, and acted

as interpretell ; some Indo-Britons and English also attended.

the

“Thus I preach twice or even three times a day, besides con-

versing with individuals at home or abread ; so that, in point

g

fily

of fact, the preaching goes on from morning till well into the

night ; and as I put my whole soul into what I say, a con-

€al

versation often causes me as much physical exertion as a regu-

e

lar sermon preached.

Besides, I need some time for medi-

L

tation, so that I have little enough inclination for letter-

80 ¢

to

writing.

“As to the church, things go on often but sadly. They are

for

‘N

much like so many children : one falls, another rises up ; one

is stiffnecked, and another bows his head ;—jyet, withal, the

We

sweetness of the Son of God, full of grace and truth, mani-

the

fests itself among us.

All those whom I had formerly to

i

exclude have returned repentant, except one who ran away.

1§ 1

Jul

THE FOUNDING OF THE STATION.

113

lod

ch-

¢ Most of them have been reclaimed from drunkenness, and

the devil seeks to bring them again into the old mire.

One

i

{0

couple are undecided. Just now, during the rains, it is only

those most in earnest who come to the services ; so that in all

)0

the rain I have to go round and visit the others.

Thus I

ed,

have no rest.

It is not often that I can manage a connected

he

sermon among them. Ivery now and then I have to help

ol

red

them more fully to understand me, by asking questions. Our

little chapel is simple, but neat.

The women sit on the

the

left hand, on mats; they have their children, who now

and then during service let me hear their little complaining

bth

voices.

nge,

May their cries enter into the ears of their Heavenly

o/

Father! The men sit on benches on the right hand ; farther

)i

od

back, the Indo-Britons.

I stand immediately under the pul-

pit, behind a table covered with white cloth. Aaron on my

M\

mes

right hand renders my Canarese preaching into Tamul ; on my

left hand is the schoolmaster, who leads the singing, as well as

ily.

teaches. I only go into the pulpit when I preach in English.

cted

¢ Another preaching-station is in the Bullock-lines, among

Jed.

the artillerymen.

You must know that in this country the

COI:

guns are drawn by bullocks.

There is among the artillery-

oint

drivers a Unitarian, baptized at Iyderabad. First his wife

the

came to see me, and then she sent her husband to me: I

coL

preached Christ to him, and then also went to see him at his

Egﬂ'

own home.

I found his hut too small to do anything in it,

o

so ab his suggestion I called upon a Roman Catholic. Greatly

fer:

to my astonishment, this man heartily offered me his house

for a preaching-place, inquiring, ‘When will you begin?

are

¢ Now, directly,” was my answer.

And then, in full freedom,

oneé

we made a little beginning with a few people who gathered

the

there, mostly heathen or Roman Catholics, whom the devil

anl-

tries to keep away. DBut work in the precious name of Jesus

10

is never in vain.

I baptized this Unitarian on the 18th of

74y

July.

8

e i

114

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

“T have as yet no success among the Mapillas.

They are-

One of them

Mahomedans, a bold and independent race.

visited me the other day, and I preached to him earnestly.

But as I urged him to become a Christian he has since stayed

away. All he wanted was to get some little employment to-

fill his belly.

“In this place I ought to be able to speak Malayalim,

Tamul, and Portuguese, but I know nothing of any of the

three.

Yet the Lord gives me a tongue by means of others

whom I educate, to answer my purpose.

So we get on fairly

enough, and shall improve.

My time is so fully taken up

with actual work that, with the best will to learn languages,

I do not get beyond the desire.

Besides, my head is already

];

too old for it.”

‘1

Hebich had been warned that his insufficient acquaintance

with native languages would prove a temptation, by inclin-

ing him the more to'devote himself to the English. He fought

against this, striving to throw himself all the more into native

i:

work.

Up to October he had not yet regularly visited among

[

the English officers.

One family only was drawn somewhat

1§

al

nearer to him, that of a “good-natured giant,” a Captain Bell,

who was fond of sitting smoking with the German, while the

R

latter was seeking to bring truth to bear on him. He left the

place presently, very ill, and went to Madras ; where he died

i

alone, but showing signs that he had not listened to Hebich

S

quite in vain, greatly thereby rejoicing his widow, who was

i

very much in advance of him spiritually.

b

We extract again from his reports.

“Some of the brethren

L

are stumbled at my being too precipitate in admitting to bap-

0

¢cism. But I think that where a Church already exists, with

al

its duly recognised pastor, it is by far the better extreme.

1

For, first, it marks at once a distinct position, understood

t}h

among the people.

Secondly, baptism conveys something

(s

beneficial. Thirdly, the Holy Supper conveys something.

fy

THE FOUNDING OF THE STATION.

11

J

»

Fourthly, fellowship conveys something ; and fifthly, it gives

a stronger influence to the preached word. Those who ask

for baptism 1aust be influenced by some motive or other; if

d

this be only flesh, it is soon seen ; but if along with it there

0

be any spiritual desire, however feeble, it should be

If the time is al-

strengthened while yet in its freshness.

Iy

lowed to slip by, the man becomes careless again, halts be-

he

tween two opinions.

A heathen still unbaptized must of ne-

15

cessity keep on friendly terms with his caste; that is, with the

ly

devil, or otherwise he will be put out of caste, and have just

that to suffer which a Christian is called upon to go through,

P

S,

but without the means of grace.

As a natural consequence

he falls back.

It is true that we may make mistakes either

1y

way, but I have myself no doubt as to which is most in ac-

106

cordance with the mind of the Spirit of God. When I see

[

the bitter hatred of the heathen to Christianity, how can I

oht

think otherwise than that those who ask for baptism, weak

178

though they may be, are the elect of God out of this people.”

[On this Mr. Mogling remarks that what is lacking in India

g

hab

is the possibility of intimate fellowship between the missionary

and the baptized.

If only that could be secured you might

ell

the

safely baptize by dozens or by hundreds.]

“J also feel that in dealing with such a people, mostly

i

I3

fed

Tamul vagabonds, often very indigent, and coming out of

such utter degradation that they are hardly worthy of the

}h

10

was

name of men, I must have recourse to the use of temporal

help if I am to obtain any influence at all over them. The

I

e

Lord has laid this necessity very much upon my heart.

preach to them in the name of Jesus the forgiveness of sins,

bap

th

and when they let me see all their misery, guilt, and deep

Wl

necessities, I cannot shut up my bowels of compassion against

e

them.

I mentioned this sore trouble to my dear friend

fo0d

Captain’ Bell, who helped me with two hundred and twenty-

]

I have therefore not credited this

five rupees for this object.

g

8—2

116

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

sum to the general mission accounts. To some I make presents

of clothes, or give them the means of living while they are

under instruction.

Sometimes I grant loans to those whom

T believe to be in great distress.

Naturally these loans are

only repaid slowly, and by very small instalments.

For 1n-

stance, I have a very promising youth with me now who, I

believe, will yet shine as a bright light.

1 ransomed him for

five rupees, and had I not done so he must have gone away.

Of course, many may find fault with such doings, but we have

It

to accustom ourselves to blame when necessity leads us.

is one thing to have opinions about these things, and quite a

different thing to find ourselves actually carrying out the

g

work. But pray for me that I may be light in the Lord, and

f

not myself in darkness.

The enemies to be overcome are

mighty, the resurrection power of Christ alone is equal to

meet, them.

The Master himself exclaims, ¢ And how am I

straitened ! (in the German, ‘sad’).

So pray ye for us all,

that our more feeble faith may not fail.””

ji;

At this time occurred the first of a series of partings from

a

little bands of believers gathered by his ministry, which

G

later became almost yearly events.

They were occasioned by

1l

regiments leaving Cannanore after being stationed there for

a

some years.

In November, 1841, the 36th regiment was ordered to

China.

This at once took away from the little Church, never

f

h

to return, twenty adults and ten children. Some of them

kept up a correspondence with their former pastor as long as

they lived. One of them went away indebted in a small

amount to Mr. Hebich. After the loan had been well nigh

forgotten by the lender, it was repaid with interest. At first,

as was to be expected from such mere babes, hardly estab-

lished in the faith, complaining that now they had no one to

whom they could go as to a parent with all their difficulties

and troubles,—they lacked everything.

Cholera attacked

THE FOUNDING OF THE STATION.

117

them on the march. This taught]them to pray earnestly.

5

Just on their arrival at Vellore a drummer’s wife who had

been baptized by Hebich, died of the disease; but she was

full of peace.

This news caused much joy, bub it was soon

damped by learning that only two days after, the drummer

married a handsome Roman Catholic girl, for whose sake he

Ei

joined the Roman Catholics.

In due time they arrived ab

Ik

Madras, where such of the women as only knew Tamul, at

first sought timidly to join the Vepery Church, but they were

(]

harshly repelled by the ¢ Malabar-caste Christians.” They

[t

were not a little astonished at thus finding out that there

existed Evangelical Christians who still held on to their casfe

as to something sacred. Finding no room there, they next

turned to the London Missionary Society, where they were

|

welcomed with love.

Mr. Leitch, the missionary there at

that time, wrote, in November, 1843, that all the time during

which he had held pastoral charge of the dear Christians in

that regiment, they had much rejoiced his heart, and that God

had, in various ways, magnified his grace among them. After

il

a while they had to move on further, to Vizianagram. We

ch

cannot follow out the history of these little Churches, formed

by

in regiments leaving Cannanore. This is given as an example;

for

and that we may understand the lively interest with which

Hebich’s heart followed them from place to place. Wherever

t0

they might go, he followed them with his prayers and with

er

his letters.

i}

s

pall

jgh

s

fal-

o 10

168

el

e

Eﬁ

g

CHAPTER XIV.

b

EXTENSION

OF THE WORK.

f

[}

Wrire the new year, 1842, Hebich adopted a new plan of

4]

street preaching.

He would go with his assistants regularly

b

through every street and bazaar, spending about half an hour

f

at selected spots, heralding the Gospel. He and his catechists

t

first strengthened themselves at home for this work by song

and prayer.

Every morning was thus employed, and occa-

b

V

sionally also some of the afternoon-hours, till everywhere the

invitation into the kingdom of God had sounded forth.

W

“The people have seemed as attentive as one could wish,

though the enemy has also shown himself.”

Hebich on these

N

fl

occasions would never allow himself to be entangled in dis-

cussions, but always invited objectors to visit him at his own

1

Sl

house, where he would be ready to listen to all they might

have to say. His present object was that every inhabitant of

th

be

Cannanore might have the opportunity of hearing that main

point of the Gospel,—the invitation into the kingdom by re-

hi

he

pentance and faith.

The very first of these bazaar-preachings led to a Tier

W

visiting the preacher at the Mission-house.

The word of

God then declared to him, came home with such power that

i

he determined to remain for further instruction.

After aday

or two his wife came with her children to carry him away.

of

lo

EXTENSION

OF THE WORK.

119

She very contemptuously refused the invitation to become

She came over and over again,

herself a disciple of Jesus.

or sent messages to her husband. One day a message came

This was too

that two of his children were dangerously ill,

much for the man, he went and did not return.

A catechist

who went o see him brought word that he himself was willing

enough to come back, but his fellow-caste people would not

let him.

He was their barber, and they maintained that they

So Hebich himself had to go and

had a right to his services.

see about it. Accordingly, quite early on a Sunday morning,

he went to the village, and found the man sleeping outside

the hut with his little boys by his side.

Hebich awoke him.

“Yes.”

“Then come

“ Have you a mind to follow me?’

along at once.” While he was getting ready his uncle came

Then there was

by and at once tried to detain him by force.

%ﬁ

the wife, silent indeed, but with such anguish in her look

that the poor fellow’s feet well nigh refused their office. She

10

went and called some neighbours to her help. Then there

was a sudden rush made, and the barber’s wife caught him in

16

her arms and held him tight.

Still, when Hebich asked him

whether he wished to come to the Mission-house he an-

swered very decidedly yes. But he could not get free. Hebich

5

thought it better not to augment the anger of the people.

The crowd pulled the man back to his house, and the mis-

sionary left amid the derisive taunts of the people. However,

if

the barber was so persistent in his declaration that he would

f

become a disciple of Jesus, and that they could not hinder

him, that after a few days the opposition wore itself out, and

he succeeded in making his way to the Mission-house.

He

was baptized, along with fourteen other adults, on the 3rd of

(9

i

He was a quiet man, who

April, taking the name of Jude.

of

continued to adorn the doctrine of Christ by a consistent

ab

walk.

He never succeeded in winning over more than one

iy

of his relations; neither his wife nor his children ever fol-

lowed him in the faith.

)

120

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

In the course of these afternoon street-preachings, Hebich

visited the fishing-village of Tai, which appeared to him a

promising corner of Cannanore.

Men and women, old and

young, all gathered round “#he Padre,” and listened eagerly.

The people stood in constant dread of the Mapilla princess,

on whose land their huts were built.

Hebich thought it

would be worth his while tc gain such a footing there as

would counteract her influence.

With much difficulty he

succeeded in obtaining a small house from a Portuguese.

He

thought of establishing in it his Catechist Timotheus, and

)

another Christian family, that they might influence the fisher-

a

men around. But he found that just in proportion as he

drew nearer to these people, who had seemed so promising,

[}

they drew back.

He describes them as “a thoughtless,

(0

cheerful lot, much under the power of drink, and fond of

JL

noisy merry-makings.

They do mnot live in separate, sub-

stantial homesteads, like the rest of the Hindus around, but

I

crowded together in wretched little mat-huts—or, indeed,

one might rather say, in the open street and on the strand.

D

tl

Always carrying on their occupations in crowds, they are

utterly incapable of mental abstraction.

Ie

Many of them were

W

at first attracted by Christianity, and while the excitement

€y

lasted several of them were baptized. But very few of them

01

remained faithful.”

th

He also found plenty of work among the Furopean sol-

diery, and that without seeking it.

Poor fellows, weary of

bis

the service of sin, came in ever-increasing numbers to the

chapel, which was so invitingly near to their barracks.

It

Qe

stood open the whole day, and within its walls any one could.

freg

be sure of finding a quiet nook for reading or for reflection.

ete

Sometimes little companies of them would gather there for

tun

mutual edification.

Many came at first to the services out

tin

of sheer curiosity and idleness, and indulged in a good laugh

S0m

at the strange pronunciation and unusual manner of the

Clss

Were

9

EXTENSION OF THE WORK.

i

-

!

ch

| &

preacher.

But yet many also found an attraction in him—

found that they could learn from him, and be interested in

nd

him. A Scotch woman, a soldier's wife, after hearing him

Iy

for the first time, declared that she had never understood any

SS

minister so well as this German since she had left Scotland..

1t

a8

Men hitherto known only as drunkards and debauchees were

converted, and became changed characters ; and soon Hebich’s

he

name was 1n all mouths.

For some time no one was so much

1o

spoken about in the barracks (either favourably or unfavour-

nd

ably) as he ; and it was often reported that the General was.

I

about to turn him out of the cantonment.

16

In June, the church-authorities having declared that the

o)

burial-ground was becoming so crowded that no further leave

could be granted for the interment of any other than Furo-

of

peans there, Hebich applied both to the General and to the

-

Government for a suitable spot.

A favourable answer was

ub

returned, and a plot of ground assigned to him for the pur-

o,

but when Hebich inaugurated it by the first burial,

pose

il

the natives objected that it was too near their Temple. Iresh

LG

requests and petitions had to be made out, and a whole year

eIe

was spent in anxiety about this matter.

At length, how-

o1

ever, a permanent burial-ground was obtained, and Hebich af

el

once walled it in.

The General ever heard more and more of

this active, untiring preacher, and was able to help him and

ol

his flock over many difficulties.

of

Intercourse among the English officers became more fre-

he

quent.

As accountant to the Mission in general, Hebich had

It

frequently matters of business about remittances, exchange,

id

etc., with the paymasters.

He never let pass such an oppor-

on.

Some-

tunity without putting in a word for his Master.

for

times it was only by the way, almost in a jesting manner,

o

sometimes with more earnestness.

The young officers dis-

g

cussed him over their wine at the mess-tables, and opinions

the

Wwere very various.

Some thought him a dangerous enthu-

¢

12

d

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

¢a

siast; others an honest man, harmless, but a monomaniac.

Others again declared that he was as cunning as any Jew.

th

“We shall see, one fine morning he will make up a good

heavy purse, and be off home.

On my word, he made £600

el

hs

last month; that does not look like honesty !” ete., ete

There lacked not those who, though fighting shy of him them-

off

selves, acknowledged that his constant hard work marked

SU

him out as a man out of the ordinary run.

It has happened

I

that a young officer, after his conversion, has narrated from

all

his diary some of the many bazaar-stories, and barrack-jokes,

that used to pass current at the mess-tables ; all bearing upon

out

it

the name of “ the man with the beard ;” and he would laugh

in comparing his present with his former thoughts about

an(

Hebick.

Wiy

How many of the stories brought to us by travellers

e

who have been in India, or in Africa, and told us about

heg

mission-work, as though they had seen it all with their own

T

eyes, are just as untrustworthy. A little inquiry will gene-

l‘EIT

rally bring out that these critics have never visited a mission

school, nor seen the inside of a mission-house; the whole

ahg

cause was too distasteful to them. All the easier is it to

the

them to speak ill of the work.

onl

;

During all this time of arduous, and often painful work,

ing

the life of prayer became to Hebich as a second nature.

He

1001

never went forth without first kneeling down and asking God

nat

to protect and bless him, and to prosper the work he had in

Side

hand.

He was always loth to undertake any work on the

Imh

spur of the moment, and in his own way, lest, as he said,

Was

“the ass’s ears of the old Adam” should peep out.

No busi-

Sery

ness could be either so pressing, or so much a matter of

Dre;

course, that he would not first take time to ask God to work

with him in it.

Ingt

Particularly when the matter had to do with

thay

work for souls ; for then nothing was to be done without His

I

help.

Then he was accustomed to bring the special need of

SL\; 1

12

EXTENSION OF THE WORK.

a0

-cach soul in intercession before God, and continually urged

W

the same practice upon his brethren.

ol

Child-like as he was in prayer, however, he was manly

Never for a moment did he doubt that he

00

-enough in action.

e

had the thing he had asked for in the prayer he had just

9ilt

-offered.

He laid hold of the promises in a way that often

ked

surprised more cautious Christians.

He also added fasting to

ned

Pprayer.

01

The English soldiers once asked him to preside at their

kes,

anniversary temperance meeting.

He thought this marked

)01k

out his duty, to forego himself the use of beer and wine.

It

1oh

must be remembered that he often had to do with drunkards;

ouf

and he found that in their case total abstinence was the only

way to keep them from backsliding. He also strongly recom-

lers

mended his ¢ children,” whether officers or privates, not to

hout

hesitate about giving the only example that could be easily

understood in this matter. He kept to this rule so long as he

0wl

1Y

remained in India, and found the advantage of it.

In May, 1842, Hebich writes—¢The chaplain has been

S0

hole

absent now for fully four weeks, so that I had to preach to

the English on Sunday evenings.

High and low came, many

it

to

only out of curiosity ; but thus they have the chance of hear-

ing a word that may take hold of them.” very Sunday

otk

He

morning now, from eleven till one o’clock, he preached to the

natives ; in the evening, from half-past six to eight, to a con-

(od

dm

siderable English congregation, consisting of officers, soldiers,

On Monday evenings there

Al

10

Indo-Britons, and Portuguese.

said

was a missionary meeting. Tuesday and Friday again English

busk

service; Thursday and Saturday, Tamul and Portuguese

fi of

preaching.

The candidates for baptism had daily two hours

instruction.

“ Thus am I bound, like a watch-dog ; but,

work

th

thank God, His word is not bound !”

) WL

4 s

In September the chaplain found himself obliged to take

six months’ leave, and this still further enlarged the sphere

ol 0F

124

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH,

of Hebich’s work. He always threw himself into all this work,

M

not only with gladness, but with the fullest energy. So far

ti]

as in him lay he was ready to give spiritual advice to any one

of

desirous of asking him. But many good Anglicans shook

fie

their heads, and thought that Hebich had contributed not a

(01

little to the illness of the chaplain, by his unwise mode of

(on

acting.

At last he gave up the use of the English prayer-book

flue

in his chapel-services, and says that now he felt himself “free

Ih

as never before.”

It was a fine thing now for white and

It

black to partake together of the Lord’s Supper: it brought

6]

the people into more freedom, they became less bound by con-

per

ventional forms.

He writes—¢ Christ Jesus alone, He the

of €

All my time is taken up with the Lord’s

only object. Amen !

il

work. I see no one, visit no one, but preach three times a

40

week to the English, and then as many as like, have an oppor-

0ng

tunity of seeing and hearing me.

So I gain time, which

I so much need.”

1\m

VAR

But meanwhile, work did not stand still among the Tamul

Besides drunkenness

:

and other followers of the regiments.

hoy

among these people, nothing gave him more trouble than the

Of

(‘e\

immoral, irregular connections existing among them.

course the heathen were the worst in this respect, but even

amg

of t

nominal Christians were not free from this blot.

He spared.

neither time nor trouble to correct these disorders.

In some

Cat

flue

exceptional cases he even resolved upon questionable steps,

which might well have involved him in legal proceedings.

For instance, in the case of the divorce of a woman from her

former husband, who was, and for years had been, in prison,

and his marrying her to the man who was the father of her

children.

His rule was, even in the most doubtful cases,

always to make up his mind, and to act.

Naturally he had

o

to be very watchful in dealing with such a cunnin

(<]

, artful

race.

The missionary G. Weigle, visited the mission-stations in

EXTENSION

OF THE WORK.

1

d

9

b

york,

Malabar about this time.

He thus records his impressions—

0 far

«T passed a very happy time in the South. Hebich’s style

one

of working is powerful, but very peculiar. He has a fine

hook

field. I preached in Canarese to a very attentive Tamul

0t &

de of

congregation. The two languages are so nearly identical in

construction, that a catechist was able to interpret very

Took

Then also, for the first time in my life,

“freg

fluently as I spoke.

T had the pleasure of preaching to an assembly of Portuguese.

and

Tt was in a private house, ‘the master of which (who 1s a

ought

respected official), turned my English into the melodious

7 GOD-

periods of a tongue, which, alas ! so seldom servesas a vehicle

5 the

of God’s truth. Then I had the privilege of making acquaint-

ord’s

ance of English Christian friends. These also are attached, as

es &

a Church, to dear Hebich. The fine old fellow has at least

g

one meeting every day, and preaches, or something of the

which

kind, besides his other work with Catechumeni, schools, ba-

zaar-preaching, etc.

Tomul

The Portuguese gathering,

This was in September, 1842.

NI

however, gradually broke up. The Catholic priest worked in-

an the

cessantly to undermine it ; but the chief cause was dissensions

, Of

among themselves. They gave Hebich quite a new experience

b evel

of the corruption and party spirit existing among these Roman

gpared

Catholics in India. Within a year after Weigle’s visit, all in-

D SOIE

fluence gained among the Portuguese jvas at an end.

: Stepsl

pdings.

om et

Pl‘ison;

Of hel'

| casty

ho Jad

s 2

1

v

t

{

8]

W

S0

CHAPTER XV.

al

HIS

ATTITUDE TOWARDS HIS FELLOW-WORKERS.

Y0

10

In May, 1842, the mission was extended to Calicut, a step

1

1

in which Hebich was much interested. Mr. Fritz, hitherto

stationed at Tellicherry, was the missionary chosen to occupy

I

the chief town of the province.

With very energetic co-

operation from Hebich, he soon succeeded in obtaining a site

1

[{

well adapted for the mission-premises. Mr. H. V. Conolly was

at that time Collector of Malabar; he proved a warm friend

of the undertaking, which he supported with all his great in-

ai

fluence.

He had already been in correspondence with the

h

mission, in the interests of a race called Naiadis—a small

y1

tribe, scarcely above the brutes in the scale of civilization.

)’\

Mz. Conolly felt that the British government was bound to

0]

attempt the redemption of these poor savages from their de-

gradation ; as, however, he failed in getting the duty recog-

¢!

nized and acted upon, he made it his own care, but did not

h

live to see the result of his endeavours.

fl

At the very starting of the Calicut Mission, the missionary

03

had the joy of witnessing the conversion of a member of the

ag

proud Nayer caste.

The man was under sentence of death

fir

for murder : he eagerly drank in every word of the Gospel,

Te

and at his execution he confessed his entire trust in Jesus.

Te

In the Tellicherry station Mr. Fritz’s place was supplied by

Ca

-

_HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS HIS FELLOW-WORKERS.

127

LY

Charles Trion. This missionary often humorously told the

tale of his first interview with Hebich. Hearing of the arri-

val of a new fellow-soldier of the Cross in this heathen land,

the old warrior seized his first leisure moment to ride over

from Cannanore to greet him; it was in February, 1842.

He took

the mnew comer for a walk,

explaining the

sundry strange things which they fell in with by their

way. Finally they sat down in an old ruined battery on the

solitary hill of Nettur, a relic of the last siege of Tellicherry,

and there the whole conversation was limited to the endea-

vour to get Mr. Irion to acknowledge that he knew absolutely

He was not at all inclined to make the admission.

nothing.

step

Hebich fancied that so many strange sights all around him

1610

must quite overcome him. How hard the task in this heathen

land to keep even our own heads clear, and our feet steady !

ay

© 0

But the task hefore them was yet greater, to attack the devil

3 e

in his own strongholds, and to deliver the prey from him.

y as

Do you not find that all you have hitherto learnt is simply

useless ?

Surely you must feel that you have now to begin

end

But

g 10-

at the very threshold of all really useful knowledge ?’

he did not succeed, though Mr. Irion used to say that, as

) the

small

years went on, he often was made to wish that some of the

tion.

younger missionaries had come out to India with that sense

nd 0

of ignorance which Hebich had sought for in him.

r de-

Visits were now frequently interchanged between Telli-

cherry and Cannanore.

When Hebich felt some burden

R00g-

| not

heavy upon him he would often ride over, sometimes even in

the night, to talk matters over.

More frequently he sent

onary

over boys and girls who had come under his influence, for the

advantage of the Tellicherry educational establishments.

At

)f fhe

Leath

first he had not been careful to add schools or any means for

regular education to his own station.

Then he looked to the

OSpelv

Tellicherry schools to furnish brides for his young men.

fostis,

Cannanore had the advantage of being a more stirring place.

q by

1

“

9

8

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

The Tellicherry missionaries found refreshment from their

more monotonous work in visits to the lively military station,

and intercourse with the newly-converted officers or soldiers.

In May, 1842, Hebich writes: “On all hands the load

You well know what it is to feel

presses heavily upon me.

oppressed. The matter of my house has been settled by the

General, and so is for the present all right ; but who believes

it?

But enough of these Hottentot stories.

I am just now

anxious about gaining a footing in the fishing-village of Tai.

I have bought a house, but there is no getting all the sellers

O e S oy

together to settle the matter.

Add to this that my Bapu (a

servant of whom we shall hear again) is sick. Otherwise

everything is beyond our prayers or wishes; to God be the

!

praise !

The Lord works wonders.

He is ever Jesus the

Lord.

I am sorry that I have been so long unable to write.

You must put all the blame upon the heavy burden I have

S-;

to bear.

My heart and my prayers are with you in all things.

So He but live in us, we can joyfully bear the weight of every

burden from without. But thisisa hot climate ; the heart is

soon parched if the Lord do not cause His fountain to flow.

May He bless your association, and refresh your spirits with

His own self, giving you withal a loyal mind.”

The Committee was just at this time considering the plan

of lightening the burden which he felt so heavily by sending

him an assistant.

But at the bare mention he was not a little

affrighted.

«“ Ah !’ he exclaimed, “how we rejoiced at the

arrival of new brethren in 1836, and how sadly it all turned

Eé

He therefore wrote in the

€]

out; burnt children dread the fire!”

following terms, in order to avert the promised help, “ Con-

il

So long as the Lord

L

tinue to pray for me in this hot work.

gives me health I am very glad to carry it on with the help

W

of the native assistants He raises up for me.

I have reason

to believe that He will yet raise up such for me more abun-

ha

dantly., Take comfort in this, and think no more of me in

the

HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS HIS FELLOW-WORKERS.

129

Iy

this matter, but think rather of the places that are calling

h

aloud to you for evangelists.

I wish you might occupy Vin-

gorla or Mercara.”

‘When he communicated all this to Mog-

d

ling he was advised to express his meaning more clearly.

ol

Méogling wrote to him, “You might find advantage in a

16

brother who should be ready to serve in the very humblest

S

capaciby, not as standing on an eminence.

But if you want

to be understood at Basle you must speak plainly, or they will

1L

miss your drift, and send you some little fellow such as some

IS

of those you have already had to deal with.”

Hebich made

3

the mistake of letting the matter remain unsettled.

In November Mogling paid him a visit, and asked him to

i -

©

join them in Mangalore in celebrating the arrival of eight

16

sistérs, the largest party that had yet been sent out from

Basle.

The occasion was one for which he had to make up

16

his mind once more to visit his old station.

The expected

party landed safely at Mangalore on Sunday morning, the

18

Iy

27th of November.

They were welcomed by the boys of the

Institute singing German melodies ; they had then the choice

1§

\if

of attending the Tulu service or the English. This latter

Hebich undertook, and he preached also in Canarese in the

th

afternoon, between whiles throwing in some German that his

country folk might also have some benefit.

The English and

an

g

native Churches united for the Lord’s supper.

Many of the

new comers wept for joy.

Hebich, writing to the Home

e

he

Committee of this occurrence, exclaims, “Beloved fathers and

brethren, what would I not give if you could be with us in

ed

the

enjoying such a sight !

But eight years ago all was dead,

now behold a little company of believers rejoicing in the

0B

Lord Jesus.

ol

This is His doing, to Him be the glory and the

worship, for ever and ever.”

ey

00

The next day he united his friend Greiner to the bride who

had just come out from Europe for him. They then, all in

1

il

that house on the Balmatha hill, sat down, a happy party, to

9

1

9

]

0

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

a social meal, some bottles of wine from the dear old Father-

There were toasts and

land even appearing on the table.

speeches, and perhaps a little danger of some of the party

being carried rather too far in the excitement of the moment,

when Hebich, standing up and seeming half sorry to disturb

them, said, “But listen, dear friends, are we not a set of

thoughtless louts?” then proceeding so as to lead the joy into

a more serious channel.

Presently the party had to break up,

Hebich starting to travel all night on his return journey to

Cannanore.

He was presently followed there by the simple-hearted

Swiss, J. Huber, who had been appointed to be his fellow-

worker,

He arrived one evening, just as the Church was

gathering together, and was thus able at once to commend

himself to their sympathy and prayers.

Two other brethren,

F. and Christian Miiller, had at the same time newly joined

the Tellicherry station.

Hebich thought it well that Huber

should go over and join them in their preliminary studies of

the language.

He then utters, almost with a sigh, the words,

“Oh! may the Lord make him to be fully in earnest! may

he learn to carry on God’s work in the fear of the Lord, in

this world, so full of disorder.

Amen.

The work here is no

In this land,

slight matter, and is ill suited to a mnovice.

where the devil has much power, things are different to what

they are at home.”

Hebich would have much preferred the assistance of a

subordinate to that of one standing on the same level with him-

self as a fellow-labourer. He did not find even the elder cate-

chists as submissive as he wished them to be, and consequently

not as useful to himself as younger men.

He wound up the

year with the holy Lord’s Supper, on the night of the 3lst

of December, on which occasion he had one hundred com-

municants.

He then closes his narrative of the year's ex-

periences in these terms :—

HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS HIS FELLOW-WORKERS.

131

“In June and July I was severely tried, for some went

back to the service of the devil.

This bowed me very low ;

but such things must be.

I am now comforted ; and since

then have had at least thirty souls under instruction.

I was

able to baptize but nine of these, for most of them went off

to the right hand, or to the left.

The Wednesday evening

service has now taken the form of a prayer-meeting, at which

I call upon one or another to lead in prayer.

These prayers,

offered up in all simplicity, have strengthened my own heart

and faith. But during those sad months the Lord especially

sustained me by the ministry of one of my boys, who was

greatly stirred up. This lad, named John, has given himself

up entirely to the Lord’s work. May He preserve him to

His own glory, and to eternal life.

Amen

!’7

This refers to one of three brothers, John, Joseph, and

David Jacobi, sons of a Tamul servant in the employ of a

pious medical officer.

Hebich used to call them his “ pet

boys.” John had been to England, and was to be brought

up to the medical profession.

Joseph was at that time pre-

paring for service in the English Church. This last was the

only one of the three who survived. In 1868, when he was

a deacon, at Kodakal, he wrote an interesting account of

Hebich’s mode of dealing with such youth, in order to fit

them for the self-denying work of the Kingdom. He fol-

lowed them unwaveringly till he had conquered them. At

first he held them in with a tight hand, setting them even to

the humblest tasks, such as watering his garden ; but always

took them with him to the street-preaching, to visit the sick

and dying, or to any such work. He was permitted to see

wonders of grace wrought in them, so that they eounted it

;33

all joy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus.

Hebich used to declare, ¢ With the Hindu, whatever at all

tends to lift up, makes even those with the best endowments

barren and unfruitful.

What we want in our assistants is a

9—2

13

ey

15

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

manly character, the fear of God, and zeal for His service.

And indeed in the European the same qualities mark the true

missionary. Thus it was the Lord at first chose fishermen ;

afterwards He called a Paul, and used an Apollos.

In these

missions to the heathen, the herald must be fitted for his

work in the might of the Lord, starting with the fisherman’s

poverty of spirit.

Thus the Lord will carry out His own

work.”

We can understand from this what kind of an assistant in

his work he wished for ; but when one was sent him from

Europe, it went against him to speak out so plainly to him.

He says, “I was doubtful how to make brother Huber under-

stand that I did not want any help in the Cannanore station ;

and felt T must take time to do so.”

Huber, in the mean-

while, without any misgivings, was diligently studying the

language with his friends at Tellicherry, longing for the day

when he might begin his labours in the station assigned %o

him. Hebich paid him a visit, and tried to make him per-

ceive how impossible it was for a second person to work in so

peculiarly constituted a church; it could only make con-

fusion.

“T answered him,” says Huber, “that I had no

wish to interfere in this work ; I could find an ample field in

looking after the schools, and preaching in the neighbourhood.

He met me here also, by saying that there were no villages in

I won-

the neighbourhood, but only scattered homesteads.

dered at his saying this, but did not allow it to interfere with

So on the 8th of March, 1843, I returned to

my intentions.

Cannanore, and, while continuing my studies, began to visit

the schools, speaking to the boys of the wondrous works of

God. But in April Hebich told me, in a quite fraternal

spirit, but plainly and positively, that he had never asked for

an assistant, and could make no use of one.”

Hebich now set himself to convince the Home Committee

not only that he and his native helpers were quite enough

HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS HIS FELLOW-WORKERS.,

133

for so peculiarly-constituted a station, but that he could even

extend his line of work—was he not even doing so at this

moment in the direction of the fishing village of Tai?

In

so0 confined a field a second missionary would find it hard to

work by his side.

For his part, he was now so bound in

spirit to these dear souls, that he could no longer undertake

distant journeys.

Should he die at his post, one of the elder

brethren should take his place.

A novice would never get

on in work among the mob in this place.

“ Now all goes on

well here, according to the mind of the Spirit ; it is not those

who are whole who come to seek me out, but the miserable,

the lost, the outcast.

Means being so limited, and so many

places needing to be taken up by the mission, Cannanore

should never be occupied by two missionaries.”

As may be supposed, the Home Committee was hard to

persuade by such reasonings.

It was patent enough that he

)|

0

had never seriously attempted to introduce his colleague to

i

the work ; and that the remembrance of past experience, still

50

rankling at his heart, had been the real cause of all he had

I

expressed. The Committee, however, contented itself with

00

the assertion, in reply, of its undoubted right to occupy each

i}

of the mission-stations as to it might appear advisable. How-

ever, he was left to work on alone for six more years.

His

d

action in this matter caused no little discord in the missionary

body ; but Hebich bore it all very resignedly.

“ God knows,”

1:

th

he writes, ¢ that it is true I have no need of an assistant in

my work. He also knows that I certainly did not wish to

fo

sib

hurt brother Huber.

The whole matter is a burden to both

of us—perhaps heavier to me than to him.”

In August,

of

ol

1843, Huber was removed to another station.

Mzr. Mogling

wrote on this subject to Hebich: “You have a failing ; you

for

do not know how to come out of yourself, and to put your-

self in the place—to enter into the feelings—of other brethren.

o0

gh

The cause of all your trouble is that you cannot bring your-

134

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

self, even for a moment, to think and feel as they do.

You

have too much of the hardness of #he man, not enough of the

gentleness of #he woman.

You have great gifts for being a

leader, but whenever you have to stand as an equal among

your peers, you fail altogether.”

However, the changes and chances of the mission-life soon

afforded opportunities for the manifestation of that love to

the brethren which was really in his heart.

If any one of

them, at all within his reach, was called upon to pass through

any furnace of affliction, he was soon at his side, comforting,

helping, sympathizing, till the victory was won.

Once a

young soldier of the cross, giving way to despondency, was

nearly driven from the field. Hebich was ready with the

exhortation, “ You look upon things just as though the Lord

Jesus were dead again ! but He is risen from the dead. Why

only yesterday” [N.B. This occurred on an Easter Monday.]

“T was able to declare it !”

And then he goes on with words

caleulated to encourage the most timid.

Once again : One of the missionary band had shown so

much insubordination, that the resolution had been come to

to dismiss him. Hebich obtained a penitent letter from the

transgressor, which he sent home, backed by a petition from

himself, beginning with these words—*I have read the en-

closed, and I cannot resist the impression it produces of being

the expression of true penitence and contrition.

I feel my-

self constrained to bow myself down to the very dust before

you in your committee-meeting, and to beg that our beloved

N. may be forgiven and received back to favour.

I do this

in the name of Jesus, crucified for our sins, and in whose ser-

vice you are.

Ah'! could you but believe me, I myself feel

much more deserving of being dismissed ; so you may judge

how unworthy I esteem myself to intercede with you for

¥ R T P e

another. .

You may be quite sure that he will work in

future far more faithfully than he did before he thus failed.

2

135

HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS HIS FELLOW-WORKERS.

And since the angels in heaven so greatly rejoice over one

sinner that repenteth, can we do better than rejoice with

them? When there is joy in heaven, there can be no ban,

no curse, but only blessing.

Were it not so, dear sirs, your

mission would long ago have ceased to exist.

I do but

magnify the grace and the mercy of the Lord. Amen. If I

have hitherto been making requests on behalf of others, I now

also beg your favour to myself, such a poor sinner as L. am.:

but I am washed, I am sanctified, I am justified in the name

of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. To Him

Amen.”

be the glory, for ever.

His intercession was not written in vain.

It may be con-

ceived how such instances of love unfeigned knit the hearts

of the brethren to him ; and what influence they lent to his

admonitions as senior member of the Mission.

In any dis-

couragement, each one could feel so sure that, however much

reproach might have been deserved, he would abstain from it,

or from disagreeable reminders of former warnings given.

There are occasions when even many true friends cannot

quite resist the malicious pleasure of saying, “Did I not

0

16

tell you so?”’—but even on such occasions each felt that

he might confidently unburden himself to Hebich.

On the other hand, none was more ready to rejoice with

those that rejoice. In September, 1844, a peculiar opening

DU’

for usefulness on the coast south of Mahé was occasioned by

y

the baptism of one Paul Chandran (now a Deacon). Hebich

16

ed

rode over to Tellicherry one afternoon to congratulate the

brethren on this event ; but he found the house empty, they

his

had all gone to Chombala to visit the neophyte, and to

el

prepare his family also for baptism. He at once made up

oel

his mind also to visit these peopie who had so lately joined

dge

s o b

themselves to the Mission.

To be sure it was now night,

for

No matter, lantern in

and he could not procure a horse.

1

hand he walked the nine miles to Chombala.

He reached

ol

136

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

”

the cottage just as a fierce storm was bursting. There was

no more thought of sleep ; first all the dear family must be

introduced to him; and then there was so much to talk about!

Presently the roof began to leak so badly that they had to

shift their position more than once.

But the night seemed

very short. His continual song of praise, varied in every

possible way, was, “ How glorious it is with our King !” and

each heart responded in joyful thanksgiving. The earliest

streak of dawning day found him fresher than any one else

of the company, as he started homewards for another hard

day’s work.

t]

i

SI(

S;;J

CHAPTER XVI.

;

ESTABLISHMENT OF OUT-STATIONS.

Hesion had now entered upon the tenth year of his work,

and though in sound health, he yet found that each day’s

labour left him more and more exhausted. Gradually he

wrote less and less, and, to quote his own words, “ confined

himself as much as might be to what was absolutely neces-

sary. DBesides, in this land everything is so uncertain, that

often, with the most honest desire to report only trustworthy

facts, I find all changed by the time my report has gone to

Europe. And wait but a little, all is forgotten, because some-

thing else new and remarkable has turned up. But my strength

ig for lively preaching.

”

Pray bear with me and sympathise

with me in this.

He no longer entered into detail about his trials. One of

these trials was caused to him by his old Catechist Paul.

In

December 1843, this man left Anjerakandi without leave or

warning ; returned to Cannanore, and setting himself up as

a Missionary in connection with the Anglican Church, sought

to draw away some of the Tamul Christians, who, though

SR B e

still desirous of having Divine service, refused to submit to

the strict dicipline which Hebich imposed on them.

But in

the end this turned out rather to the advantage of the Mis-

sion ; for Hebich, who was now gaining more and more in-

138

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

fluence among the indigenous population of the district, was

glad to devote less of his time to the unsatisfactory and un-

ruly Tamul people.

The result was that by degrees the

Tamul services entirely ceased, and were replaced by

Malayalim services,—a Church being gathered from that

people.

It was not till the beginning of 1843 that Hebich suc-

ceeded in securing a small house in the fishing-village of

Tai

He settled Timothy there, ‘“his first-born from among

the boys.”

Henceforth he was accustomed to spend every

Saturday there ; and he often preached from the evening to

well into the night.

The village youth were very glad to

take advantage of the school.

But though the adults were

friendly enough in manner, they kept obstinately to their old

habits of drinking toddy (Palm-wine) and smoking hemp.

%

Their only religion was Devil-worship. But in their pride

they liked to draw over it the veil of a kind of pseudo-

philosophy.

There was but one great first eause, they said,

Parabrahm ; and sin committed in the flesh could not reach

the spirit to defile it.

But whenever there was an epidemic

of cholera it was sure to rage, especially in the reeking filthy

R

huts of this fishing-village, and then they all trembled. In

the monsoon of 1843, the village Devil-priest had ventured

to prophesy that cholera would not visit them that year.

)

Another man, however, stood up in opposition to him, declar-

(

ing that he himself was the spirit of cholera.

He put the

th

people into a great fright, and raised a rich harvest from their

(i

gifts, promising them in return, as he took himself off to

other villages, to keep them free from the plague for eight

Je

months.

k

But lo ! the disease broke out almost immediately.

Ui

The impostor returned to find two of his relatives taken with

fu

it, and though he declared they would recover, they both

a4

died the same day. He was, however, not to be abashed ;

fl

he declared this was not Ais cholera, but a plague sent by

139

ESTABLISHMENT OF OUT-STATIONS.

some one else ! In spite of all their sacrificings many died ;

but the medicine which Hebich distributed, accompanied

by words of comfort, of warning, and of exhortation, pro-

duced a good effect. One family at least was drawn towards

him

“ A fine fellow from among them,” writes Hebich, on the

22nd of February, 1844, “the village barber, named Kuttan,

TG

stands by us.

Surely, in time, God’s grace will enable him

to witness a good confession.”

It was, however, not till the

time of his death that the hope thus expressed was realized.

The first-fruits of Tai was the village schoolmaster.

He was

baptized on the 3rd of November 1844, along with his

family.

Hebich writes, “my fine fellow was also to have

Qe A < - T AT RS s S

been baptized at the same time; but alas, his wife and

children have as yet prevailed. He is ashamed, now, to look

| e e 4

<«

me in the face.

But I hope that he will yet come forth,

when the right time comes.

[N.B. The time did come, in

]

1868]. His mother has a mind to be soon baptized.” The

ch

conversion of the schoolmaster broke up the school, and

110

caused bitter opposition.

Alas ! this schoolmaster did not

by

stand fast in the truth ; but the hope expressed about Kuttan’s

In

mother was gloriously fulfilled.

el

Towards the close of 1843, a small, intelligent-looking

Al

Malayalim man came to Hebich.

He gave his name as

[

Constantine, the son of a former Rajah of Cochin, stating

he

that he had been baptized by the Missionary Ridsdale, at

el

Cochin, in 1835. After his baptism he had studied for three

' {0

years in Madras.

Afterwards a Syrian friend (later well-

known as Bishop Athanasius), induced him to start with him

bt

ol

on a journey to Jerusalem. Constantine, however, got no

further than to Belgaum, where he served for three years as

mith

hoth

a catechist. From this employment he was dismissed, having

fallen into sin ; but when sent away he was especially recom-

he

i

b

140

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

mended, should he ever visit the Western Coast, not to fail

to find out Hebich.

He was cordially welcomed, but at once tested as to

whether he would endure humbling. Hebich from the first

refused to know him by what he called “the fatally royal

name of Constantine,” calling him simply Jacob. He writes,

‘1t 1s unfortunate that so often a great fuss is made about

the conversion of people of such high caste ; the poor fellows

cannot stand 1t ; their heads get turned ; and then they have

to pass through a time of bitter penitence.”

He frequently

made somewhat similar remarks. For instance, when he once

again visited Mangalore to see Mogling who was in indifferent

health. e came there to see the happy results of the work

and to rejoice with his brother worker.

He writes of what

A b SIS ey

he saw, “We have actually caught four Brahmans in the

net

Even that caste has not been proof against God’s word,

But we

though used by such poor instruments as we are.

must not make too much of this, lest it turn out a misfortune

after all. God is no respecter of persons.” He thought it a

mistake to send young natives to Europe for education, and

protested vigorously against its being done.

Mogling, on the

other hand, while acknowledging the danger, thought it better

;

for them to go through the trial, as being more valuable to

them than any amount of study.

To return to Jacob Ramavarma.

Hebich soon found that

a}{ b

he had in him “the most simplesminded and best qualified of

his assistants.”

He employed him first in the instruction of

his “pet boys,” who thus learned to speak very beautiful

Malayalim.

It then occurred to him that there would be

(13]

great advantage in sending him to work among his own coun-

trymen.

For this purpose he built a small house near the

weaving village of Cherikal ; and having first, on the 11th

of February, 1844, married him to a very simple-hearted

sk

Tamul maiden, Le established him there, in the near neigh-

Hlé

ESTABLISHMENT OF OUT-STATIONS.

141

bourhood of the family of the former local princes, and of

their numerous Brahman hangers-on.

He says on this

0

oceasion—

«The people thereabouts are still superstitious, and we shall

i

have trouble from the evil influence of the Rajah’s household.

But the gospel must be preached to all, and the only way

Xa’

i

effectually to do that is by getting among the people. I there-

fore hope in the Lord that the experiment will be successful.

S

\(¢

T can ride out there in about twenty minutes ; while to reach

Tai takes me only ten. So everything in that way is very con-

ly

08

venient. Juda, being quiet and gentle, is a very suitable asso-

ciate for Jacob. Of course, in order to the mneighbonrhood

nf

ik

being properly visited and cared for, I have to go out there

myself. Meanwhile this building keeps me occupied. May

b

I write about things not

the

the Lord’s blessing be upon it all !

perhaps quite to the purpose; but so it happens when one

d,

We

takes up the pen.”

Hebich dedicated the buildi

ng, as it was his cuétom to do,

ne

on the 1st of May, 1844. Brethren were invited from Telli-

iha

cherry for the occasion, and the bulk of the Cannanore con-

and

gregation went out there also.

He says, ¢ Many of the sur-

the

rounding heathen came also, to hear us three preach in turns.

efter

}:

Then we had a common meal for all the Christians, and en-

6 f0

One result was that the heathen

joyed a day of real blessing.

around keenly discussed our proceedings, and many were in-

that

duced to come and visit us.”

ed ‘Of

The Rajah had given the ground, but on the condition that

on of

no kine were to be slaughtered there. He was a man of some

qfifil

experience and education ; but in his old age had found out

1d be

the vanity of all his learning, and had devoted himself ex-

cou

clusively to the worship of the thirty-five tutelary deities of

ar the

He had ever

his house, with the most minute ceremonial.

[t

shunned intercourse with Europeans.

He shuddered at hear-

teaﬁed

ing from his nephew, the second Rajah before mentioned, that

gl

142

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

the English were actually printing the Vedas, of which he had

himself seen the first volume at the mission-house.

This

second Rajah, however, welcomed into his neighbourhood a

well-educated man like Jacob, and seldom allowed any of the

objections urged by others to keep him from daily intercourse.

This intercourse did not, however, win him any nearer to

Christ.

Hebich had thus conquered two footholds for work among

the Malayalims.

In Malabar, if we except the unapproach-

able Mapillas, and other trading classes, it is generally only

the weavers and the fishermen who have gathered into vil-

lages. These last have their villages on the bare sea-beack ; the

former, generally at some spot rather removed from the prin-

cipal highways, shaded by ficus and palm-trees.

The two

classes of fishermen and weavers have this in common, that

they are much addicted to drink, and never appear very pros-

perous, _The industrious and sober Mapillas surpass them in

every respect. In these two out-stations, then, the one south

and the other north from Cannanore, schools, in which the

catechists taught, served to diffuse some knowledge of the

gospel. Through these schools access was gained to the neigh-

bouring inhabitants.

They are now glad and refreshing days which Hebich spends

in his out-stations.

Saturday had long been fixed upon as

his day for Tai. He can never ride there without passing

through those streets of Cannanore which are occupied by the

Mapillas.

They jeer at him as he passes, shouting after him

scraps gathered from his preaching—*¢ There is but one God !’

“ Behold the Lamb of God,” &e. Arrived at the village he

first inquires how each one is going on ; then at noon the little

church gathers, and he preaches to it. Any one from among

tl’

the heathen, if so inclined, may come and listen to the preach-

i

ing. From five to seven he goes about the village from house

1

to house, while the people are busy with their trade, selling

0u

ESTABLISHMENT OF OUT-STATIONS.

143

i

their fish, or laying it out to dry; he invites all who have ears

15

to hear, into the kingdom of God. Sometimes he has only

women for his audience. Again at night, when the lamps are

in

lit, he gathers the church for preaching.

Once an old fisher-

Y

man threatened to complain of him to the general if he per-

fo

sisted in preaching to the women.

Hebich answered—“1

preach to men and to women, to all who have ears to hear,

g

so now I will preach to you also!”

All this work is mof

ch

always without encouragement and hope. The fine fellow,”

1ly

the village barber, has been mentioned ; his mother was one

of those who refreshed the missionary. ¢ Cunning, yet stupid,”

nevertheless, in a time of trouble she opened all her heart to

t'he

the servant of God. And this old Eunice got a new heart ;

WO

from the day of her baptism, the 26th of January, 1845, to

ot

her end, she continued manifesting the grace of God.

}YOS-

A year later, in January, 1846, there was a festival in the

110

village ; the fishermen sat opposite to their idols. Hebich

outh

writes—¢ I went in among them, and said, ¢ Now, for these

the

three years I have been preaching unto you Jesus, the resur-

the

rection and the life, both publicly and from house to house,

yet here you sit before these dumb idols. Be sure God will

eigh-

visit it upon you.’” In February, cholera broke out. ‘Then

my schoolmaster and I had constant work, day and night, in

onds

the huts of these poor creatures. Omne poor woman, abandoned

n &

of all her relatives, came to us, preferring to die with us.

Y

Patras and Eunice, ever ready for any work of kindness, had

ly )ﬁhe

to watch by her all night. The next evening death appeared

r him

to her very near. Eunice preached Jesus to the poor patient.

od!

She begged for immediate baptism.” Hebich consented, giving

g0 he

her, at her own request, the name Vishwasi (= faithful). He

; htﬂ@

thought her end so near that, on leaving the hut, he gave

oD

directions for her grave to be prepared during the night, and

reacl

in the morning sent certain of the native brethren to carry

Tous

out, as he supposed, her corpse to burial. But she was still

selling

-

144

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

alive, and all marvelled to hear with what a strong, clear

th

voice she was able to praise God. TFunice herself took the

R S

th

disease ; when Hebich went to see her at midnight, she was

i

full of joy at the prospect of * going home.” Throughout the

jul

day he frequently asked her, “ Pulle (= child), do you believe

at

on the Lord Jesus?’ She would put her hand upon her heart,

She did

raise herself, and answer very decidedly, ¢ Yes.”

o

not listen when he prayed, but kept sighing for her son

le

Kuttan. This dear soul entered into her rest on the morning

e

of the 10th of February ; she had fallen a victim to her care

(eI

for Vishwdsi, and was buried in the grave which had been

Tas

prepared for this latter woman.

Hebich adds—“ A be-

Iy

lieving youth (unbaptized) also died. His father would not

R A LD

Aft

allow me to see him. A black Jew from Cochin followed

)

him in death ; he expressed a desire to rest in J. esus, and gave

De

over to me his two children.

o e

I buried him, though he had

hi

delayed being baptized. It was a sad time.

The evenings,

lat

formerly so full of stir, were now so silent, disturbed only by

he

the cry of ‘ Rama! Rama ! of some poor terrified one.

My

als

medicine was of no avail ; a deadly blast seemed to blow over

Ch

the whole village.

be

*“Vishwési returned to her own village, almost before she had

faf

regained her strength, and declared that Eunice had bewitched

ha

her, denying also her baptism. She was ready enough to

die among us, but not to live with us.

deg

The old priest was

1fs

the first to die. Since his death the spirit has possessed’no

<o

one else. A petition was sent to the Rajah, begging him to see

Pro

to this, but as yet he has not succeeded. I am still full of

hope for the interesting inhabitants of that village.”

you

The conversion of an old woman, eighty years of age, more

Wag

than twenty years later, in 1868, proved that good seed had

sfill

been sown, and not in vain, during that time of visitation.

Visit

This aged widow had a dream, in which she saw Eunice, now

the )

among the blessed, beckoning to her. She sent her son to call

4 Ch,

ESTABLISHMENT OF OUT-STATIONS.

145

lear

the missionary. When he came he was surprised to find how

- the

thoroughly informed she was on all the subjects on which he

) Was

§ the

spoke to her.

She was baptized in her own house, in the

presence of many of the fishermen, who were much impressed

liove

at the eircumstance.

1645,

In the same year, 1868, Kuttan, now sixty years of age,

did

joined the missionaries at Tellicherry. He had long been a

§01

leading man in Tai, often heading the opponents of the cross ;

Pming

yet during those twenty-two years he had always retained a

[ CAI6

certain love and respect for the word of God. In secret he

heen

At

was ever drinking in spiritual instruction from its pages.

he

length he abandoned his old home and settled in Tellicherry.

| nof

After a while he asked for baptism.

He was eager in his

owed

preparation, and the task was not difficult.

On the 13th of

#

| gave

December he made his confession of faith, with childlike sim-

o had

|

plicity, tears rolling down his furrowed cheeks. A few days

ning%

later a son of his, named Unni, arrived from Bombay, where

he had been with one of his relatives.

It was found that he

ly by

M

also was acquainted with the Scriptures, having formed some

He

7 Over

Christian friendships during his absence from home.

begged to be prepared for baptism, and, to the joy of his

Thus

o had

father, he was baptized on the 14th of March, 1869.

itehed

had Eunice drawn after her her son and her grandson.

Tne

i

]gh to

deed, long after Tai had been abandoned as an out-station for

sf; A

its unhealthiness, the-labour that had been bestowed upon it

E

ed 'm0

continued to bear fruit—an earnest of the abundant harvest

promised to the earnest sower of good seed.

o 60

full of

And Cherikal was also soon fo produce its first-fruits.

A

young Nayer from the south resided there with his uncle, who

was a clerk in the collector’s office.

‘While the house was

, 0K

o Jal

still being built there, this young man had more than once

visited the catechist Jacob, and declared his intention, should

fation.

g, 207

the place be permanently occupied by the mission, of becoming

a Christian.

A tract had impressed upon him the sinfulness

10 ul

10

146

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

of idolatry. He opéned his mind to Jacob, who brought him

into Cannanore.

He was baptized on the 29th of December,

This man laboured faith-

1344, and named Paul Ittirarijen.

fully till his death, rendering abiding service to the cause of

Christ.

In 1869 his father also was converted.

In the beginning, however, Paul’s conversion proved a

serious blow to the school.

The relatives were minded to

complain to the magistrate, but that one of them who was in

government employ assured them it would be useless to do so.

A letter written by Paul’s father is still in existence,in which he

curses his son for leaving “the noble caste,” and then demands

as compensation one hundred rupees yearly for the family,

and fifty for himself.

If this be not complied with, then

Inth

may sickness, leprosy, penury, misery of every kind, fall on his

took

¢ have determined,” he continues, ““ to kill

misguided son.

Was

myself before your eyes; but first there are a few things I

mon

must set in order, then, after a month or two, I will come to

lows

Cannanore to die.”

But a better fate awaited him.

In 1850

lor

his son, accompanied bysome Christian friends, visited him, and

lows

began to proclaim the Gospel message in the paternal home.

goln

Hebich soon perceived that these out-stations were destined

preg

to become centres of light to the surrounding country.

He

ab I¢

now went regularly on Thursdays to Cherikal, first to see after

the’

the Christians, and then to preach in the villages.

He writes,

and

“ By means of my catechists I am able to spread my influence

cont

abroad, and to set a burning light in the midst of thick dark-

self

ness.

All my care is to keep the light bright, to increase its

The catechists need constant encouragement and

he )

splendour.

Who]

comforting.

However well they may walk when all goes

0ng ¢

smoothly, they are sure to move but heavily if ever so small a

and

hindrance arises. They are then at once as though Jesus were

e

Desg

dead. The very best of them would soon give in, were it not for

Chajg

the missionary. But it is useful to put converted young men

ang

at once to work from which we hope to obtain good results.”

pl'elye;

him

nbet,

faith-

e of

red &

ed fo

ya§ i

doso.

CHAPTER XVIL

ichhe

nands

THE DOMESTIC ECONOMY

OF THE MISSION-HOUSE.

mily,

then

Ix the beginning of the year 1843 the 25th regiment of foot

on his

took the place of the 94th regiment at Cannanore.

There

to kill

was soon a good work among the new comers.

In the first

ings |

month thirty of the soldiers were converted, mostly noble fel-

ome t0

lows.

They would gather among themselves thirty rupees or

Hebich writes as fol-

y 1850

more a month for the mission purposes.

m,oud

lows concerning his experience with the men.

“When all was

home.

j

going on grandly there came a time of sifting.

The teaching

estined

preparatory to the Lord's supper occasioned it all.

I preached

e

at least a dozen times from John vi.

At lastit was as though

Eee after

the Lord himself had been present with me.

Many went back

ILEes,

|

and walked no more with us ; the excitement and discontent

fluence

:’

continued to grow for two months.

The chaplain mixed him-

k darke

self up in the affair, and when the discontent was at its height,

oase 1f8

he preached expressly against Luther and the Lutherans.

The

whole congregation was on the point of being broken up ; so

enf and

all goes

one evening I took the Prayer-book with me into the pulpit,

|

i snlﬁn b

and read out two passages from it: first, the call to thankful-

ness ‘for that He hath given His Son, our Saviour Jesus

qus ere

ot fr

i

Christ, not only to die for us, but also to be our spiritual food

|

and sustenance in that holy sacrament ;- and secondly, the

png 17

]

ol

?

prayer ‘so to eat the flesh of Thy dear Son Jesus Christ and

Py

i:

10—2

148

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

to drink His blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean

I

by His body, and our souls washed through His most precious

blood, and that we may evermore dwell in Him, and He in

H

f

us

I then asked them if they had ever heard any other

i

teaching from my lips? had I ever spoken to them any word

either of transubstantiation or of consubstantiation ?

Still it

¥

was quite certain that the Holy Supper is not simply a com-

memoration, but in very truth a meal, in which, according to

They went

what is written, the Lord [gives Himself to us.

()

away ashamed of themselves, and since then have learnt some

d

truth if the spirit.

80

“But the main shock came after this.

It came about thus.

Je

A poor fellow, who for the last nine months had been attending

T

our assemblies, shot himself.

He had occasionally come to

G

see me, and during the past month he had complained of

blasphemous thoughts springing up in his heart, though he

0

The last time I

always spoke with some degree of reserve.

saw him was when I had just returned, through the burning

i

4]

sun, from Cherikal ; he then made the same complaints.

told him to laugh to scorn such an evil spirit, and not to lis-

W

ten to it, but still to believe in the Lord who had redeemed

1

him. This he could not do, but went away murmuring, ‘I

W

have only myself to thank for it all’

I accompanied him to

be

the porch with words of comfort and encouragement, saying,

&

¢ No sparrow falls to the ground without our Father’s will, and

the hairs of your head are all numbered ; take heart and

to

believe.’

I then urged him to come back with me that we

hi

might pray together, but he excused himself on the plea of

1

some duty he had to attend to, shook me three times by the

hand, and went away. Returned to his barracks, he arranged

the

a few little matters, wrote some letters, among others one to

his commanding officer, in which he said he had read too

Md«

Wa)

much of the Bible.

Next morning, while the rest of the

nat)

regiment was ouﬁ on drill, he blew his brains out in his bar-

evil

THE DOMESTIC ECONOMY OF THE MISSION-HOUSE

149

it

rack-room. A couple of the brethren came and told me at

s

once of all this, and told me that all the men were loud and

10

violent in accusing me as the cause of this tragedy. But the

1T

il

devil was not able to carry the matter much further; by-and-

by all calmed down, and the brethren perceived how the

1

enemy had sought by a masked attack to gain an advantage

over them

to

ot

“Thus it is, where He grants life there is ever the bitterness

of opposition

Then there followed a period of comparative

me

Here and there a

dulness, but now life is increasing again

soul is brought to the knowledge of the living God in Christ

us

Jesus, and then they rejoice in their new-found treasure.

ng

These dear men gave four hundred rupees for the mission

10

cause during 1844.”

| of

And now scarcely an hour passed W1thout intercourse be-

1]

16

tween the soldiers and the missionary or his catechists ; the

e ]

men showing the greatest interest in the progress of the work

110G

and in the prosperity of the native Church

He writes in April, 1844, “The native Church is now some-

) lla

what stronge spiritually, though far indeed from being what

med

it should be, and might have been

Nor, alas, am I myself

L

what I should be

)

We are now being sown in dishonour, to

m 0

be by-and-by raised in honour

The Lord has given me

Itias at

vmg)

grace to stand out of self, and to roll all upon Him

and

first hard to see souls that did run well turning

back again

and

to their old ways

I have now experienced this among

f wWe

high and low, rich and poor, and as I find in the Word that

ed Of

it must be so, I seek courage and comfort ever and only in

the Lord.”

Y the

mﬁed

He often in his preaching said the Lord dearly loved the

18 to

black ones—the beloved in Canticles was black ; and he al-

] 00

ways seeks to impress upon all, that he himself is there for the

f the

natives, and not for the Europeans

‘With those that were

y ot

evil-disposed and contentious he was ever very patient, pray-

150

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

ing “that we may do our part, not to destruction, but to edi-

€0

fication.”

n

Sometimes all seemed to fall into such confusion as is hard

h

d

to describe.

On the night of the 5th of June, 1844, Hebich was robbed.

1t

During the evening service the thought had occurred to him,

al

and much strengthened him, that at that moment the annual

festival was being observed in Basle, and no doubt much

prayer was being offered up for him.

Suddenly, however, the

feeling of encouragement was replaced by one of deep depres-

sion.

m

On leaving the pulpit and returning to his room, he

found that his writing-table had been broken open, and some

v

four hundred rupees carried off. The table itself had been

e

The matter

it

carried into the garden, and then broken open.

was a painful one, principally on account of the talk it occa-

1

sioned, and the suspicions which it originated. Hebich felt

that “to be unjustly suspected is in itself an injustice,” and

1

recommended his people to keep silence; but there had already

been only too much talk about it.

He used often to say, “Just when all seems serene, the

storm suddenly bursts upon us.

As soon as I am about to

have some baptisms the devil plays all manner of tricks.”

This circumstance brought out prominently the feebleness of

character of the young Christians, and of the candidates for

%

baptism.

On the Sunday morning each one had something

to be after.

Some declared their determination to go away ;

nothing could please them.

The brother and sister of Timo-

theus, still unbaptized, and but a short time under instruction,

were especially excited. Some of meaner extraction had ex-

pressed suspicions about them which stirred all the pride of

g

their Nayer blood. Hebich succeeded, by speaking during the

service and otherwise, in calling back most of the Christians

to their sober senses.

But it was otherwise with the candi-

D

dates for baptism, with whom he had a violent scene, in the

{0

THE DOMESTIC ECONOMY OF THE MISSION-HOUSE.

151

0 e

course of which he lost patience, and exclaiming, “ You have

insulted my Lord,” he struck three of them (hurting his own

s hard

hand). He thus writes about it : There was quite a scene

in the verandah, but full of life, and it was of the Lord, for

bhed,

it brought us to an understanding, and each one spoke out

) him,

what was really in his heart. The people humbled themselves

nmual

and gave up their golden ornaments, which were sealed up in

We then went

mueh

a box.

All were astonished at the result.

o, the

into the room to prayers, and there found the joy of the Lord.

Hallelujah ! T hope in Him that He will yet further work

opres-

m, he

in these poor souls, for the devil had carried them very far

01me

away !

This life of a missionary i1s a strange one.

Well,

So long as the Lord liveth we

een

dear brethren, good-night.

may boldly venture onwards, and the victory is ours.”

matter

{ 00d-

This scene is certainly not narrated as being Worthy of

imitation, nor to excite amusement, but only to complete the

felf

picture of that work to which the Cannanore Church owed

" and

its existence.

Patient as ¢ Father Hebich” generally was, he

Iready

And 1t was

was sharp enough in action at critical moments.

je, the

surely only because his whole purpose was so clearly the sal-

vation of souls, that those who were really in earnest sub-

out 10

mitted to his blows.

But it is remarkable in him that he

rcks.”

could afterwards look back upon it all so calmly as though all

ness of

had been inspired from heaven !

tes for

On the 15th of the same month the thief was detected.

othing

It was a wandering vagabond who had spent three months

away;

with Hebieh, and then decamped with some other booty.

Timo-

He complained against a female accomplice who betrayed

qcfion,

him ; but the money was all gone.

« Thanks be to the

ad ex-

Lord,” says Hebich, “I am at all events now relieved from

ride of

all uncertainty about it.”

ngthe

On the 8th of January, 1845, just as Hebich was in

pstians

prayer with some inquirers, his man Joseph burst into the

cndi

goom with the ery of “Tire !”

Hebich sprang out, and saw

1 the

15

-

)

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

the thick black smoke and the flames of a conflagration in

gy

the close neighbourhood. He quickly pulled on his boots ;

dal

then knelt down and said, ¢ Ah, Lord ! look on us with Thy

1

grace, and give us a token for good, that it may be well with

fac

us!” Then, calm in the Lord, he was able to give the neces-

“Q

sary directions, the fire all the while increasing in violence.

Wi

The soldier brethren were soon on the spot, and, as the flames

fon

were rapidly approaching, they lost no time in carrying ouf

Bre

to the open parade-ground all the moveable property of the

the

mission-house. Suddenly the wind changed, and the mission

mis

premises were safe ; but in three or four hours one hundred

riey

and fifty habitations had been consumed. He says—* The

tow

Lord be praised for this gracious preservation ; for the mem-

offer

bers of our congregation were also all spared.”

had

Afterwards, walking through the scene of the conflagration,

WIS

Hebich noticed, with something like a feeling of envy, that

ent

all the tiled buildings had escaped comparatively uninjured,

Co1r

while all the thatched ones had perished. All his buildings,

her

the chapel alone excepted, were thatched. This palm-leaf

]um

thatching, besides being as combustible as so much tinder,

mof

caused constant trouble, having to be renewed every year.

18

He thought that, were it not for the heavy cost, he might, for

dea;

greater security, seek to remedy this. But he had acquired

(K“X

a habit of living on from day to day in quiet waiting upon

40

the Lord ; and it so happened that it was some years, and not

the i

till two disastrous fires had raged through the station, that he

’1\

was able entirely to carry out this great improvement.

i)

He was not the only inhabitant of the premises ; there

e1th

were the servants, the catechists, and many other Christian

Wag

families, till not a corner remained unappropriated. In order

he ¢

to greater economy in the keep of all these people, their food

W1

Id

was all prepared in common. At first this was very dis-

and

’J

tasteful to some who had been accustomed to greater comfort

Compy

ab home ; but Hebich knew how to win them over to it,

0

U

il

THE DOMESTIC ECONOMY OF THE MISSION-HOUSE.

153

L 1D

giving them charge over the younger ones,—over the candi-

0ot

dates for baptism, etc.

This peculiar kind of common life

Thy

involved some economical complications; but it was greatly

with

facilitated by two individuals, endowed with a peculiar

16085~

“spirit of service.”

One was a Mrs. Jaeger, the Tamul

B108:

widow of a soldier (of partly German extraction). She had

anes

formerly been nick-named the Mother of the Regiment.

y 0uf

Brought to the Lord in March, 1842, when her relatives left

f the

the station, she proposed to be allowed to settle down in the

5100

mission-compound, rather than live more apart from her new

dred

friends ; and, having enough for her own wants, she offered

“The

to undertake, simply for love, any little service that might

DEM

offer,

Though already advanced in years, this “ Elizabeth”

had still a good deal of strength for service, and no little

fion,

wisdom and experience.

Her generous spirit was very differ-

hat

ent from that tendency to intrigue and petty peculation so

ured,

common among the people of her nationality. She made

lings,

herself useful in many ways, especially constituting herself a

-Jeaf

kind of matron for the young, upon whom she bestowed

nder,

motherly care. She died of dysentery, on the 12th of July,

year.

1851, after a worthy life.

To almost every question this

dear sister answered, ¢ A little.”

“Do you suffer much %’—-

fy for

“A little.”

1uired

“Do you hold fast the faith ?’—“ A little.”

“ Can you pray ¥’—“ A little.”

“ Have you a firm hope of

upOD

the inheritance above ¥’—¢ A little.”

d nob

at he

The household servant was, if possible, even more zealous

in his work.

He was not, as is usual with Indian domestics,

either head-servant, or table-attendant, or cook, etc., but he

there

ishian

was everything in one.

Bapu was his name when, yet a Tier,

he entered Hebich’s service, who says * he was more like a

ader

food

wild beast than a Tier” (a play upon the words Thier — beast

and Tier). A short, thick-set, active man, so hairy that he was

i

,mfort

commonly nick-named ¢ the bear.”

A great drunkard and

f0 m}

ghﬁb”on, whom Hebich had more than once to bail out of

154

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

prison,’ and whom he often felt much inclined to send about

his business. - Yet the two did not part.

The man was ever

respectful and submissive, and the great patience of his

master made him often feel ashamed of himself.

At length

the love of God laid hold upon his heart ; he earnestly re-

i’;;

pented, and, in March, 1843, grace made a new man of him.

Thereafter this factotum, under the name of Peter, became

|

an indispensable member of the mission household. He made

many attempts to learn to read, but always unsuccessfully, and

his acquired knowledge continued to be narrow enough, ¢ be-

§t

cause he always had so much to do.”

Hebich says of him,

at

“ No words can tell the faithfulness with which he served

pe

me

Without my saying a word, he always saw what had to

At

be done.

If I were unwell, that man, by nature so rough,

would nurse me with the tenderness of a mother : unnoticed

by me, he would sleep on the floor in the room next to mine

—though I think he passed most of the night awake. Once,

1

though suffering at the time from inflammation of the lungs,

¢

he helped in the thatching of the house, sharply urging on

He

‘the lazy coolies, that it might be done before sundown.

f;

was caught away, as in a whirlwind, on the 26th of April,

a

1850—so quickly, that he could only just utter the name of

W

Jesus.”

W

The order of Hebich’s days was something like this :—He

i

rose at gun-fire—that is, at five in the morning—and would

[

then take a walk, always glad to have the company of some

W

officer, or perhaps making a new acquaintance.

Returned

S

home, he visited every corner of his small, crowded com-

aw

pound, satisfying himself of how it fared with young and

old.

]

Then he drank his coffee, sitting in the verandah with

Int

his English Bible.

He devoted at least an hour to private

prayer and meditation on the Word. Then either the cate-

ti

-chists, or some one of the flock, would come with some busi-

ingf

ness, or some trouble; or else there were candidates for

Jou

155

THE DOMESTIC ECONOMY OF THE MISSION-HOUSE

ahout

baptism to be instructed. He had perhaps to conduct ser-

§ Vel

vice, or to visit the schools

If he had to go abroad, there

f his

was his pony, or, during the very hottest hours of the day,

length

bullock-coach of the ordinary pattern of the country.

He

ily e

had no fixed hour for his simple dinner; whenever he hap-

f him

pened to come in, he would eat whatever Peter had pre-

)CAILe

pared for him. = Then for a few minutes’ rest ; after which he

o made

was up again, fresh for any further evangelistic work. On

y, and

the three evenings of the week on which there was English

he

service, some one or more of the officers who had been present

f him

ab it were accustomed to stop to tea with him, and after a

served

period of happy, but serious social intercourse, the evening

had to

was closed with prayer.

1ough

Then there were almost daily letters from some of the many

noticed

who looked upon Cannanore as the place of their spiritual

0 IIne

birth

and, of course, these letters had to be answered

For

(nce,

instance, a major describes how, on a march to Secunderabad

Jungs

eholera had raged, carrying off eight hundred out of a camp

p[pg 00

numberine three thousand, adding, ¢ Our little church stands

e

fast by grace, lovingly and gratefully remembering all your

{ Apr

admonitions

Christ crucified, the sum and substance of the

Another

naIme of

whole divine counsel, is still our hope and joy

writes, ¢ Never shall we forcet Cannanore ! the good seed of

the Word which was there sown is not lost.”

_He

Yet another,

¢ I can never repay what I owe to the mission

Oh ! that

J“Md

of some

we had a Boanerges here, like yourself, to wake the people

Some, who had returned to England, invited him to pay them

etunned

ed (oM

visit in their home, where they promised him he would be

a most welcome guest ; or perhaps begged for some missionary

intelligence for their Sunday-schools

jah it

) pm

In this correspondence there were also chords struck, at

times, that sounded more discordant in his ears

One, for

ho ¢&

instance, writes

“T have named my little boy Samuel, after

me DI

you; but I do not have him baptized, as infant baptism is

156

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

are

nowhere enjoined.”

Another, “ Ah ! how the devil scatters

Hi

the flock ! N. has just returned from England, fitted with ||

164

High-Church notions about Apostolical Succession ; while

On

some others will not go to any church where the preacher

lad

stands in a pulpit, instead of on the floor, because every be-

¢lp

lLiever is a priest.”

And again another writes of a friend,

i

“ He walks no longer with us, if even he has not altogether

ang

returned to his old ways.”

o

Just as multifarious was the correspondence with native

hyn

brethren who had left.

For instance, A. writes from Bellary,

G:Hh

after a disastrous march, in which cholera had been very

hear

fatal, especially among the young : ¢ It is through you that

Prea

my eyes have been enabled to behold the light of His Word ;

v

and, though I be among the least of His disciples, yet do I

s ¢

hope to reach heaven with the whole company of the re-

And this

(o

deemed, where there shall be no more partings.

hey

hope is not on account of any righteousness of my own, but

on account of His righteousness on whom all my sins were

Wi

laid.”

The writer of the above, a woman, then goes on to

S80I

describe the first Lord’s Supper in their new station :—* We

wished to have b

amiong the firt, but after the sermon N.

by

bea

told me she felt soill that she must go home, and I had to ac-

Tror

company her from church. When we got out on the road, she

sank down in a faint.

the

An officer who happened to pass got

her a hospital-dooly. She died the same evening, with these

ag]

He

words on her lips, ¢God be merciful to me a sinner; my

trust is in Jesus.’

Next day H. died ; he was taken ill at

lett;

the

night, while on guard. He also departed in the joy of the

Tord.”

800

144 Th

There were deaths also in his own neighbourhood, and

among his own people, which moved his sympathies. On one

Who

that

occasion he writes, “1 was sent for to speak a word to Lieu-

tenant M., but he was already senseless, and died soon after

Who {

I arrived. Thus we are constantly reminded how near we

We gh

?

THE DOMESTIC ECONOMY OF THE MISSION-HOUSE.

157

fters

are to death !

Yet, if Christ be our life, and we be found in

Him, let it come when it will!

Oh, for grace to be ever

with LV

192

ready for the Master of the house whenever he may come

.

hile

On the 8th of July, 1846, Hebich buried the first European

cher

lady ever laid in the mission cemetery.

She was a true dis-

r ber

ciple of Jesus, and filled with His life ; the daughter of a

end,

missionary, and wife of Captain B. He gathered the native

ther

and European congregations at the house of mourning, for

prayer and singing.

Then, on the way to the burial-ground,

tive

hymns, alternately in English and in Tamul, were sung. The

lary,

General, and others of distinguished position, followed the

Ve ry

hearse.

Never, perhaps, was there more power in Hebich’s

that

preaching than in the words that he spoke over t);erf open

il ;

grave] on “ Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of

do 1

his saints” (Ps. exvi. 16) ; and his words served not only to

g 16

comfort the mourners, but to bring light also into some dark

this

hearts.

) bub

Of course, Hebich became known and talked about far and

ee

wide.

As early as in May, 1844, a Madras newspaper had

n 10

some patronizing remarks on ¢ that indefatigable man, who

1 er

by his affability makes substantial progress, while the haughty

m N,

bearing and reserve of most missionaries serves but to estrange

t0 4¢-

from them the hearts of the heathen.”

On the other hand,

, she

there was no lack of unfavourable criticisms, to guard him

3 got

against the danger of being puffed up by over-much praise.

these

He never hesitated to apply, either by word of mouth or by

1y

letter, to any whom he thought at all able and likely to help

il ab

the work by their contributions.

Of course, he received much

f the

good advice and many suggestions in return.

He writes,

¢ The work of the Lord is ever being ecriticised ; and those

| and

who look on at it from a distance easily persuade themselves

ié

) 006

that they know better how it should be managed than those

Liet-

who are engaged in it.

Let them but try their hands at it;

after

we should soon hear their lamentations.

A colonel to whom

ar W

1568

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

I applied for help, answered me with his wisdom instead os

101

out

his money, telling me that we should never undertake any

work for which we have not the means in hand. Useful ad-

il

vice, no doubt !

I attacked him, in my ordinary manner,

tal

the

personally. However, since then he has contributed his hun-

be

dred rupees a year. The cause is the Lord’s. = Left to one’s

tin

own wisdom, one may easily find one’s self “going too fast.

Wa

Generally military men have not much money to spare for

mission-work.

It is the civilians who should give large

pilll

sums.

1o

But, whether civil or military, a man must first be

brought, himself, into a right position with the Lord ere he

SIX

the

i

can put his hand in his pocket to any pnrpose.”

pra

}

|

4 «‘Tw\» In this matter also he had very anxious experiences. Once

V

a major sent him five hundred rupées as a thank-offering, for

ol

|

e

four members of the same family having been converted in

the mission-chapel. And this same major seemed never able

AA.

th

to do enough to show his love and gratitude.

Hehich indeed

remarked that, in proportion to their means, it was the less

ho

wealthy Europeans who gave most liberally. He says—-

m

Ial

“Their gifts of love are astonishing : a congregation, number-

ing from eighty to a hundred members, raises annually from

ebp

two to three thousand rupees.

But the best of it is to find

00D

them so diligent in prayer for us and for the natives.

In

trar

order to encourage this habit in them, I keep them informed

they

lam

of all my anxieties.

Nearly the whole day I hear the sound

of their prayers and hymns in the chapel-—sweeter music in

hea

my ears than the song of nightingales.

I once separated the

Cou

Europeans from the natives for the Lord’s Supper, in order to

Peo

save time : but after a few months they begged that the two

congregations might unite in this service, which was thereby

IV

all the grander.

So now they are again united.”

He often

grudged having to devote the whole of November in each

year to the preparation of the general statement of the ac-

counts of the mission.

During that period, the ordinary ses-

L {,».«

")

THE D?B[IISTIC ECONOMY OF THE MISSION-HOUSE.

159

\d 0

sions of divine service went on as usual; but all preaching

any

outside to the heathen had to be suspended. As this time, to

| ad-

him so tedious, when, as he expressed i, “he had to serve

ne,

tables,” was drawing near, he would beg his Church to redouble

hun

their prayers and watchings on his behalf, that so he might

be helped through with his work. They generally had special

Qne'§

fust,

times of prayer during that season. Then, when the wearytime

o for

was over, the accounts finished and despatched, he gave a

large

month to redoubled effort in preaching tothe heathen. Taking

t he

morning and evening together, he would spend from four to

/6 he

six hours daily in preaching in the streets and market-places ;

the brethren being the while helping with him by united

prayer in the chapel. Just about this time a well-to-do young

nce

)

for

man suddenly disappeared from his home.

His friends im-

1 1

mediately concluded that he could only be ¢ with the padre.”

able

A mob burst into the little house at Tai, and, not finding

deed

their relative there, made their way at once to the mission-

house at Cannanore.

No assurances could satisfy them ; they

Joss

must search these premises also.

Every hole and corner was

j5--

ransacked in vain.

At length an uncle of the young truant

nbet-

from

espied a trunk which, being locked, he thought must surely

contain his nephew.

All Hebich’s declarations to the con-

find

trary went for nothing ; he had to open the trunk and show

In

them that he was not hidden there.

rmed

But he says—* The

lamentation of these poor folk at their loss nearly broke my

ound

heart with sympathy with them. What would I not have given,

io 10

1 the

could I but have led the whole crowd of these interesting

people to salvation !”

Jor. £0

o 10

o1ehy

often

each

g 40

e

IV

A

L

fan

the

of

pla

he

e

Th

affi

Wib

014,

CHAPTER XVIIIL

meg

first

VISITS TO THE HEATHEN FESTIVALS.

One

a1

THERE is a peculiarly venerated temple and place of pilgrim-

-age in North Malabar, “and a chief devil’s nest,” as he called

1

Hebich had visited it as

nan

it : it is the temple of Taliparambu.

-early as in December, 1844.

He preached four times in the

sihl

flon

bazaar, surrounded by hundreds of Mapillas and heathen.

The Brahmans would not allow him to take up his quarters

Was

in the village they occupied, so he went To that occupied by

1nd

weavers and potters.

The-result of this; however, was only

that he was able to proclaim the word the more freely to all

184

around. With the exception of the poor degraded Pulliars,

hin

the wretched serfs who cultivate the rice-fields, who ran away

n ]

.and took to the river as soon as ever he approached their

n g

hamlet, he found everywhere willing hearers.

This he attri-

ju

‘buted in great measure to the prayers of his church, to whom

B

he had especially commended himself on starting on this ex-

Ul\l

pedition.

Encouraged by this first experiment, he resolved

il

to take with him a selected band of helpers, and to penetrate

thin

farther into the interior, to a forest shrine at Payavoor, where

adi

he hoped to preach to the crowds of pilgrims, buyers, and

Sent

sellers, resorting thither at the annual festival.

There is no

lmpI

village there ; but in the month of February, whole streets of

oy

leaf-huts or booths are run up near the temple, and a kind of

Warn

VISITS TO THE HEATHEN

FESTIVALS.

161

fair, in which the products of the coast are exchanged against

the cattle of the hill-people, is associated with the ceremonies

of the pilgrimage.

He borrowed a tent and went out to this

place.

He found great enjoyment in preaching there: when

he himself was exhausted, one of his assistants took his place.

Thus they continued working for four days, morning and

afternoon, while during the day-time the tent was crowded

with visitors from far and near.

These visitors were espe-

cially amused at watching

him eating ;

O )

some also begged for

medicines.

Of course there was no lack of disturbers; at

first he was pelted with sand ; by-and-by it came to stones.

One of these hit a Brahman who was standing by.

¢ That

¢ Never

T1m:

was intended for me,” said Hebich, sympathizing.

iﬂled

mind,” said the man, rubbing his head. Generally a police-

118

=

o

man followed the preacher about, to prevent as much as pos-

1 the

sible, breaches of the peace:

All the while, a brisk distribu-

S

‘While he

then.

tion of tracts and of Scripture portions went on.

irters

was absent on this tour, one of the brethren from Tellicherry

i by

undertook the servicesa‘c Cannanore.

Hebich spent a longer time at the Taliparambu festival in

only

to all

1845, namely, from the 6th to the 17th of March. This gave

him a better opportunity of reaching the upper classes, whom,

liars,

avay

in Malabar generally, it is not usual to find gathered together

in any numbers, except on the occasion of such festivals. But

thelr

Once the

attr-

just on that account the opposition was the fiercer.

Brahmans raised a wild cry of “murder.” The Mapillas plotted

shom

I§ 6X-

giving the “padre” a thorough good thrashing, but one of their

number dissuaded them, saying, “It is of no use, he takes every

olved

ofrate

thing so quietly!” A Nayer, who had come on pilgrimage from

a distance of ten days’ journey, and who happened to be pre-

there

ji

sent the very first time the word was preached, was so deeply

- and

)

;

impressed, that to Hebich’s great joy he found him from that

i5 10

moment assoclating with the Christians.

The missionary

;ets Of

warned him that, should he decide for Christ, he might have

ind of

E

11

162

MEMOIRS

OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

to lay down his life. “Ah!” he said, “I care not; they may

cut me to pieces, so my soul be but saved !” Two other Nayers

also appeared interested, and promised to come back by-and-

by to hear more about this way.

But they came not.

And

the one who spoke so boldly about suffering, after remaining

for a month among the Christians, also returned to his friends.

“ He might perhaps have allowed himself to be pulled to

pieces with iron pincers ; but there was something even harder

than that, which proved too much for him—namely, to give

up his own self-will.”

From this time forward, and till the last year of his mis-

sionary labour, Hebich made a point of visiting these two

é

great festivals in order to preach the gospel. His perseverance

at length overcame in a measure the opposition which he had

at first met with.

In the year 1846 he had to order some

troublesome fellows out of his tent ; on which they attacked

his water-carrier, who happened to be approaching ; and, not

content with knocking the water-pot from his head, they

E

stabbed him in the arm with his own knife—‘a specimen of

I

the kind of spirit by which they are actuated.”

f

In the year 1849 they tried to drive the missionary away

a

with elephants.

Hebich thus describes the occurrence—

“Tirst, while we were standing to preach on a low mud wall,

the chief man came right down upon us, mounted on a small

th

elephant.

The animal hesitated, the rider trying to force it

nearer to us. I raised my voice and rebuked him loudly; the

De

elephant took fright, ran up against the wall, and then moved

Dr

slowly past me.

The next day four very large elephants ap-

be

peared on the scene of action; one of them was without a

of

rider, and appeared so violent that every ome ran away.

0

The animals moved in our direction: two of them were

easily driven off, but the other two still came on, and pressed

the

us hard. 'We trembled, but the Lord gave us grace o stand

sud

our ground, and our firmness favourably impressed the people.

1ngt

VISITS TO THE HEATHEN TEMPLES.

163

The proprietor of the temple and of the elephants then asked

S

me if T had been sent by government, as in that case he would

not oppose me.

But he said, ¢ Government respects me, and

d

my god, which you call a stone! My coming regularly for

10

these five years past had, he said, caused him a yearly loss of

5

two hundred rupees ; he would lay a complaint before govern-

to

ment, praying that I might be forced to reimburse him this

e

thousand rupees.”

Of course, the only answer he got from

(¢

Hebich was that he was sent, not by the government, but by

the King of kings.

IS

The Chief Brahmans at Taliparambu were just as loud in

70

their complaints.

They must be on their guard, they said, or

ce

Hebich’s preaching would lose them both the reverence that

ad

they commanded, and the profits of their festival.

There 1s

e

no doubt that his vigorous declamation against these deceivers

el

of the people served somewhat to lay open their roguery. It

so happened that the man who, a year before, had been elected

nob

ey

chief of the temple, squandered all the sacred treasures; the

result was two whole nights spent in fierce disputes, so that

) of

the procession was delayed in a way very distasteful to the

assembled pilgrims.

He writes, “ Here also a small elephant

may

e’

was sent to disturb us, but it did not cause us much alarm.

The elephant-driver afterwards visited me.

He told me that

vall

Next

mall

they could only master these animals by incantations.

morning he found his poor elephant dead, whereupon the

9 16

the

people began to say among themselves, ¢If the idol cannot

preserve his own elephant at his own festival, the Padre must

0\»’8(1

g ap-

be right after all in calling him but a stone god.’” The case

of this elephant was long remembered, and often quoted with

b &

iy

i

good effect by the Christians.

There was always one particular day of the ten during which

ele

assed

the Taliparambu festival lasted, on which the heathen became

suddenly excited, and generally took to throwing stones. For

gand

instance, on the 13th of March, 1846, the Chief Brahman

301)1@.

b

11—2

164

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

suddenly excited the crowds against Hebich, calling out, “At

SO o

him ! and forthwith from all sides a shower of sand, of stones,

of mud, of cow-dung.

“We all had our share of it,” he

writes ; “but Joseph carried off the most honourable scar—

his eyebrow was cut by a stone.

Afterwards, in a place a

very little further on, I was able to preach with renewed

strength. We all felt this to be a day of praise and of prayer.

I have never seen my lads more overflowing with joy; the

whole day they were singing praises to God, or praying.”

There was yet a third great pilgrimage festival of North

Malabar, at which Hebich sought to gain a hearing for the

gospel.

At a place called Cherukunu, near the high road to

Mangalore, a steep hill, crowned by a temple dedicated to

Kali, rises out of an extensive plain.

On the 15th of April,

1846—thatis, just in the hot season—Hebich, having sent on

his servants to pitch his tent during the night, arrived there.

He was suffering much from boils at the time.

The early

devotions of the little Christian band were disturbed by angry

shouts.

A man came, and angrily declared that Hebich had

no business to pitch his tent on the sandy spot which had

been chosen for the purpose ; it was his property. The head

man of the village was sent for to settle this dispute, but he

could nowhere be found. It was with difficulty that the

peace was kept till mid-day.

Afterwards, when Hebich,

standing under a tree, began to preach, the youth of the

place tried to drown his voice with their yells.

They next

began to pelt him with sand ; then, suddenly, the whole crowd

rushed at the tent, cut the ropes, and tried to trample it and

the Christians it sheltered in the dust.

With difficulty the

tent-pole was held upright, while the crowd without were

shoving and striking it.

This combat around the tent lasted

for two hours.

At six o’clock the tom-tom sounded, and

some guns were fired, calling to the great sacrificial proces-

sion.

An elephant took fright and shied at the tent, and

VISITS TO THE HEATHEN FESTIVALS,

165

Af

the crowd went off after him. But Hebich had had enough of

65,

1t

No sooner thus left to himself than he packed up hastily,

he

and made the best of his way home to Cannanore, where

he arrived at eleven o’clock at night.

He truly rejoiced in

) 8

bearing the cross. Though, as he called himself, ““a dull and

red

unskilful and sinful scholar in the school of Christ,” he

¢

counted it all joy to be allowed to suffer shame for the Holy

he

One

However, he never again visited this “devil’s place.”

Once, in 1847, while Hebich was praying, preparatory to

rth

preaching during a minor festival at Cherikal, the people

he

attempted to drive the village cattle violently against him ;

fo

but they failed in their effort, the cattle running off in all

directions.

to

The collector of Malabar, at that time, was a

i,

noble-minded man, anxious to prepare the way of the Gospel ;

on

though also, and naturally, anxious to do so with all caution.

1

Hebich spoke to him about all these interruptions, saying,

ly

that should he even be killed during his ministry he did not

4

personally wish that any one should be held responsible for

ad

it ; that none of the collector’s police could prevent this, un-

ad

less God himself restrained the people.

All that he desired

ad

was that the ringleaders should be sharply cautioned ; for, in

he

all these cases, it was invariably one or two rascals who,

exciting the mob, were really to blame.

This the collector

he

h,

consented to do, and, thanks to a few private hints to the

lower officials, things went on much more quietly at the prin-

he

xb

cipal festivals.

Experience has taught us that the preaching at these festi-

r‘d

1d

vals resulted in a wide-spread knowledge of the Word of

God. Indeed, it had so much effect that latterly many went

he

10

to the festivals who, but for the opportunity of hearing “the

man with the beard,” would have stayed away. He was

ol

id

expected there as a matter of course; and many would come

and visit him and his people, and renew the acquaintance of

05

1d

former years. It has even happened that some witty fellow

166

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

has taken to mimicking the missionary, standing up in the

crowd, and calling out, “Jesus Christ, your brother, is the

Son of God, Oh! ye foolish children, why do you pray to

idols of stone, come to him !”

And these words, perhaps

repeated in many a distant cottage, have haply amused

and surprised the hearers for a moment, but also aroused

some thought. The notion prevailed that the missionary was

seeking to work out some personal merit with his God, by all

his zeal and his suffering; and the earnestness with which he

availed himself of every opportunity made a deep impression.

They could not also but perceive that his assistants were men

of note, learned in all Indian wisdom, and animated by the

same spirit as himself,

And they began to think that the

W

new faith might find acceptance, perhaps not among- them-

of

setves;—but-an the hill-country mere-inland.

b

A hhavit

a8

Sl

€

ol

k

it

1

b

h

Wi

18

al

th:

acf

ﬂﬂ:

Ty

the

the

j to

1978

1sed

15ed

Was

pall

She

100,

CHAPTER XIX.

nen

EUROPEAN

ASSISTANTS.

the

the

WE again allow Hebich to speak for himself. “On the 23rd

of April, 1845, old Aaron died ; he was a worthy man who

had long been very useful to me ; but who latterly had gone

astray amid worldly pursuits, and become a great burden to

me

But for his children I would have sent him away.

Towards the end he acknowledged that he had never paid

sufficient heed to my warnings ; but I did not see as full

contrition as I could have desired. Certainly, the Lord

chastised him enough; but the poor fellow, even when ac-

knowledging the Lord’s hand with the mouth, never fully

understood 1it.

«T must confess that even the best catechists do very

little. They have not as yet sufficient courage, or push, to go

boldly among the heathen, or even to visit them in their

houses. The natives have a rough manner, as though they

would devour the catechist ; and will not listen to him, so he

is at once silenced. Yet, keen and unscrupulous as the natives

are in the things of this world, no sooner are they converted

than they stand as frightened helpless sheep. It is only the

actual presence of the missionary that gives a native catechist

any courage. My people can speak quite as well as I do

myself, For the first time I got them to do so openly at the

168

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Xl

Payawoor festival, but only occasionally, because the people

were So boisterous.

of

i

“You ask, of what use are they then to ybu? Well, they

exhort members of the congregation, pray with them, conduct

ha

Cr

morning and evening devotions, speak with inquirers, and

also attend to the schools.

In this way we could not do

all

ar

without them; for it would not be possible for the missionary,

unassisted, to do everything.

To me they are especially

Wi

th

useful as my mouthpiece, rendering into the various languages

what I can only preach in one.

So I value them as a good

S

gift from the Lord, and ask him graciously to give me

yet more of them. Jacob is in some respects an exception

t)

to the rest—he does gain some freedom of spirit.

b

“ But if ome tries to use them in that for which they are

He

not yet fitted, they become a burden rather than a help: A

o

fear that more time has been given to the seminary’than

be

{11t is worth. Suppose we start with ten boys to be trained ;

W]

after all the labour bestowed upon them, two may per-

th

haps turn out really useful, the rest are only fit to earn a

be

living by the labour of their hands. The Word is not enough

to

carried among the people.

It should be sown among them

oh

broad-cast, early and late. 'When we can count converts by

he

the thousand, it will be quite time enough to pick out the

most promising and truly-converted youth in order to give

We

them a more thorough education.

And even then, the pos-

P

session and use of a truly missionary spirit will be of more

ing

value to their teacher than much learning. A spirit of burn-

ter

ing zeal for the honour of Jesus, and bhowels of mercy in the

23

love of the Father towards lost souls, are what is needed.

the

“ The right sort of people are much more likely to come to

an

us out of the mass of the population than out of orphanages,

hag

the inmates of which are often of a bad stock. And when

80 (

such come to us, we can bring them forward Just as we need

to]

them, and so come to know their true capacity. I wouldnot

too

EUROPEAN

ASSISTANTS.

169

eople

exchange my boys for the pupils of any institute that I know

of. My desire is that less of missionary strength should be

they

spent upon children, of whom we can never feel sure before-

\duct

hand how they will turn out.

I am always afraid of seeing

and

creeping into our mission more of a seeking after learning,

t do

and a high standard of education, than of a desire for the one

1aly,

great end of our mission-work. I do not mean to weary you

with my complainings, but just to lay bare my heart to you,

jally

1ag6s

that you may understand where the shoe pinches.

So, dear

sirs, for Jesus’ sake, take nothing amiss.”

g0l

me

In order that the reader may understand what had espe-

fion

cially called forth these expressions, at this time, from Hebich,

it is necessary here to mention a certain Brahman youth,

Hermann Kandinya, converted at Mangalore.

The ques-| W

ane

e

tion had been raised whether this young man might not

be advanced to greater wusefulness.

He was endowed

than

ned ;

with great natural gifts; and English friends, desiring that

these gifts might be made the most of, had undertaken to

e

0 4

bear the expense of sending him, for a thorough education,

to Kurope along with Mr. Mogling, who just then was

ugh

hem

obliged to return there for the restoration of his shattered

health.

sb)

the

Let us go back in thought to the November of 1843 ; it is.

well worth while.

Mogling, who had been absent on a long

give

preaching-tour, accompanied by the lads whom he was train-

pOb

ing for catechists, returned to Mangalore very ill with dysen-

1010

il

tery. DBut joy came in the midst of his feebleness.

On the

23rd of November he wrote to Hebich—¢ The first pupil of

the

the Inglish school, a lad of eighteen, named Anandarao, came

o 10

and opened his heart to me. We prayed together ; he said he

had long been praying.

He wept and laughed by turns, and

0%

hen

so did I; my heart still burns for him. Brother, help me

to pray, but do not talk of this case abroad, lest, if we exult

oed

nob

too much, the devil might gain some advantage over us.” On

170

MEMOIRS

OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

)

the 5th of December he writes—* Dear Anandarao is going

on very satisfactorily. Two other Brahman lads offered them-

fhe

selves yesterday for the private Bible-class which A. teaches.

It is possible that these also may come out.

Dear elder bro-

he

oV

ther, lift up heart and hands, and join your prayers with

mine for a victory over our enemy.”

In January, 1845—

0cC

“ Now shout Victory in the name of Jesus ! the three young

Jec

men have joined us, have taken off their Brahmanical thread,

Fu

and given up caste.

On Sunday afternoon we were set upon

Qpl

by a mob of Brahmans and others who wanted, by force, to

she

it

carry off the three neophytes.

But we put them to flight,

though only a few against some hundred or more.

Now re-

tos

g

joice with us, and, if possible, come and divide the spoil.”

Hebich accepted this invitation as soon as possible, urged

il

9

Biths

besides by concern for Mogling, in whom the great excite-

ment had been followed by a deathlike stupor.

Forthwith

the

he felt the greatest interest in the lad dedinya, but would

have had him trained for work in his own peculiar fashion ;

dea

while Mogling and other friends advocated a more thorough

It

1

80 (

grounding in education ; hoping that, in due time, a converted

Hindu might stand among them as a fellow-labourer, equal

gL

But old

e

both in training and in position to themselves.

Hebich thought this was going too fast; he set himself against

a8,

dier

the project with all his might, advancing the example of the

English government, which found that natives could only be

hup

Vice

employed safely in the most . subordinate posts, civil or mili-

tary; declared it must ever be so till the degradation of moral

an(

character, the result of thousands of years of oppression,

We ¢

should have been overcome.

However, in 1845, in spite of

«

the disapproval of the senior of the mission, Kandinya accom-

fo er

panied Magling to Europe. Yet when, in 1851, Kandinya [

and |

returned to India an ordained missionary, Hebich acknow-

live

ledged himself well pleased ; and, somewhat later, he himself

Enol

ordained his Jacob, and with a brotherly kiss welcomed him

1g

EUROPEAN ASSISTANTS.

17t

g

as a co-equal fellow-labourer.

It at once became apparent

it

that an important step in advance had been gained.

65,

It is not without interest to note how very small was the

10

help which Hebich derived from such catechists as he had

ith

even up to the year 1846.

But suddenly a new thought

)_..

occurred to him, in a manner the antithesis of Mogling’s pro-

1ng

ject.

If Mogling was about to turn an able native into a

ad,

European, why should not he seek out Europeans of a suitable

i

spirit, and turn them into natives? If the grace of God

fo

should so work in a soul as to incline one, out of love to the

ht

natives, to go down to the very deepest humiliation in order

Ie-

to serve them, might not the example serve as a blessed stim-

ulus to the native church-members, stirring them to increased

Ill 1

ool

devotedness? might it not also have a blessed effect upon the

natives outside ?

iite

Be that as it may, he carried out his idea.

Of some of those whose conversion had rejoiced Hebich in

yith

uld

the summer of 1846, he thus writes— Among them, two

dear souls stand out prominent among the English believers.

o1}

u(l'h

The Lord has given them to me for His own work : He has

so ordered it, that two soldiers, full of faith, who had already

1

od

given themselves to the Lord two years ago, announced to

qual

me their wish to serve him in the same position as the native

old

assistants.

inst

The first necessary step was that each of these sol-

diers should buy his discharge: The sum averages about one

the

hundred and fifty rupees, varying according to length of ser-

i be

vice already performed. In consideration of human weakness,

mill

and in order that we might perfectly understand one another,

uoral

we entered into the following agreement :—

01,

“ Entirely of my own free will, I resolve, by God’s grace,

fo of

to enter into the service of the German Evangelical Mission,

COI:

and to remain in it all the days which God may give me to

Jiny L

live.

(2.) Even in case of sickness I will never return to

10w

England, or go elsewhere, but will die where God has placed

sel

me

(3.) I shall be ready, not only to obey you personally,

| him

Iod

1

{

2

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

€001

but any missionary who may be placed over me.

(4) I will

never entertain the ambition of raising myself above the posi-

and

lish

tion of a simple catechist.

(5.) I will marry a wife from

among the native sisters. (6.) I will content myself with the

and

same clothing and food which Jacob and Timotheus now

0f

have.”

the

- The two soldiers who entered into this singular agreement

for

were, an Englishman, Joseph Searle, and an Irishman, George

clar

O’'Brien. Hebich testified of them that they had led a blame-

An

less life under his observation for three years ; and during the

last two years had proved themselves faithful helpers among

Was

their comrades, manifesting a truly missionary spirit.

For a

Iabot

year past the thought had troubled Hebich that he was

if th

allowing the Europeans to absorb too much of his time.

But

4 10

then he took comfort in observing that the spiritual life and

Sort

vigour of the European church reacted very favourably upon

to 1

the natives.

He noted also a continually increasing interest

I

In mission-work among the Europeans, which had now culmi-

£ gl’é

nated in his gain of two such efficient helpers.

wan

On the 30th of August he paid downtwohundred and ninety-

seni

three rupees for their discharge.

Three days afterwards,

keen

clothed in native fashion, with sandals on their bare feet, and

Veri

turbans on their heads,he sent them to Cherikal, ¢that there

Tnise

they might pick up Malayalim from Jacob.”

There were

matt

many other things they had to learn ; among others, to sit on

Sidey

the ground and to eat with their fingers.

They were soon en-

Tnist;

gaged to two young mieces of Timotheus, “and seemed to

Th

infuse fresh life and vigour into the native brethren.”

Sear]

The home-committee expressed a very decided opinion that

Weng

it would have been wiser to wait till the Lord had, in His pro-

Senge

vidence, set these people free from their military service, but

Gospe

Hebich felt quite sure that he had acted rightly. Whether the

Long,

helpers in our mission-work be men selected from among new

4 tiy

converts, or lads brought up in our seminaries, we have long

feeh'né

ECROPEAN

ASSISTANTS.

1

Iod

{

3

I will

enough to wait for them, and, at best, the natives are weak

and half-hearted.

B Pos-

He knew that he might draw on his Eng-

o fiom

lish congregation for such helpers just when he needed them,

iththe

and, according to his new plan, they cost no more than natives.

5 N0W

Of course, he must napafally pay for their discharge. Had not

these his “goldier-children ” been in the habit of bringing him

eement

for years past, on each pay-day, all their spare coin?

He de-

George

clared that he would have at least to engage two more such.

hlame-

And so it fell out.

ing the

Looking back upon his experiment, we must confess that it

One of the four soldiers is still

among

was not quite successful.

Fora

labouring earnestly and faithfully for the mission.

Another

he was

of them did good service for a time ; though later on he sought

. But

a more healthy sphere of work among his own countrymen as

life and

Scripture-reader. The other two were never of any real value

to the mission.

ly upon

intepest

If ever Hebich trusted human being, it was his stately

“grenadier Searle.”

¢ culmi-

But this very confidence only showed a

want which was very marked in the character of our worthy

| pinety-

senior. Manly as he was in brave action, patient in suffering,

er\val‘dS,

keen-sighted in some respects, in other respects he was the

oot and

veriest child—as, for instance, in weighing evidence and pre-

af there

mises, and from them arriving at a sound conclusion, and

10 WeLe

matter-of-fact opinion.

Though he generally showed a con-

siderable knowledge of character, yet, if he had once made a

to sif 00

s000 e

mistake in his estimate of any one, he could not correct it.

That there had been a true and deep spiritual work in

emed 0

)

i

Searle’s heart, is not to be doubted. Hebich’s preaching

went home to the mark ; he was smitten down with a deep

s

sense of sin, and eagerly drank in the consolations of the

His pl‘O‘

Wice, b

Gospel.

He at once zealously entered upon work for the

Lord. DBut brave as the grenadier seemed to be, he had yet

ether the

jong 26V

a timid heart ; but he was too proud to acknowledge the

feeling of fear that at times seized him. Under a very mar-

ave 102§

174

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

tial bearing, he had much the same characteristics of feeble-

ness of moral character and half-heartedness which Hebich so

bewailed in the natives of the country. Moreover, he allowed

himself no time for introspection.

Thus from the very first

there seemed to be an impure mixture in his profession of

Christianity, which made him more anxious to please man—

shat is, in his case, to please Hebich)—than God. He set

Hebich before his mind’s eye as his model in all things,

adopted all his opinions, at last caught most remarkably his

peculiarities, his modes of speech, his very gestures. To hear

Searle pray, one might fancy it was Hebich, so closely was

tone and accent imitated. He even wished to let his beard

We

grow, and Hebich with difficulty succeeded in laughing him

out of this whim, which would have made of him a bad car-

(ish

sl

ricature of the original. To give all the subsequent history

of this poor fellow would carry us too far. He finally slan-

tot

hon

dered the dear old missionary in the most unworthy manner ;

and, being found out in dishonesty, had to be dismissed in

able

1855.

0

!

Teste

agai]

Who

die

.

gave .

it

I

D6 |

Past,

the T

hayiy

In

Chey

JUE

eeble-

ich 50

lowed

7 first

jon of

n—

Te set

hings,

ly hns

J

CHAPTER XX.

0 hear

y Was

A REVIVAL.

beard

Wz go back to the summer of 1347.

Hebich was greatly

r him

d car-

disturbed by peremptory orders for an entire revision of the

scale of expenditure of the mission, which was to be reduced

istory

to the narrowest limits.

This was occasioned by a failure at

y slan-

home, which threatened to greatly diminish the funds avail-

et ;

sed In

able for India.

How to provide for the general wants of the

mission, and how for his own station, tried his faith not a

little.

Upon him, as general cash-keeper, this burden mainly

rested. He says he strove with a loyal mind to bear up

against these money difficulties ; “in all, it is still the Lord

who is gracious to bless our work, and to whom we live or

die. Amen.”

Amid these troubles his English congregation

gave him much joy. He writes, “ They are instant in prayer,

lifting up holy hands for myself, and for the native church.

Tt is very affecting, but also strengthening, to see their readi-

ness to give up to me all that they have.

For some years

past, now, these dear children have caused me much joy in

the Lord.”

He considered the events, now to be narrated, as

having been mainly brought about in answer to their prayers.

In August he had gathered black and white together in

Cherikal, when the Europeans had been so moved by the

preaching of the native catechists, that many were in tears.

176

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

On the 16th of September, which Hebich was spending at

‘Re

Cherikal, David Jacobi, the most unimpassionable of his lads,

Non

came of his own accord to him, confessing his sins.

Often,

Wi

earnestly and openly in the congregation, had he interceded

tert

for this particular lad.

The following day he mentioned the

you

occurrence to the two congregations, and it made a deep im-

pression.

thei‘

Eight days later, on his next visit to Cherikal,

Y

another of the boys came running to him, crying out bitterly,

this

“Woe is me !

Whither can such a sinner as T am flee?

i

Ran

am lost.

I have neglected the Lord—despised and ridiculed

his ¢

His servant !

Even in the very house of God I have stolen

Prete

and lied !

Woe is me !

I have even denied Jesus, and said

to foc

that all the padre’s teaching is but a deceit.”

Hebich drew

Hebi

him to himself, and begged him to speak freely and calmly.

self,

He confessed all his sins, and when the Lamb of God was

himg

declared to him as the sin-bearer, he was soon able to lay hold

prea

on Him by faith.

His younger brother followed, with much

the same confession.

fosse

Hebich allowed these boys to confess

guilg

their sins and their faith before the Cherikal congregation, in

actlo

which there was scarcely a dry eye.

1ano

The preaching of the Word seemed just as powerful in

Cannanore.

1t we

He took his text from Isaiah Ixvi. 2, and, in-

still

sisting on the history of Christ’s passion, he pressed upon all

Soon neither

His {

no longer to hold the truth in unrighteousness.

Into

natives nor Europeans could refrain from the open confession

of their sins.

longe

Some did it with loud ecries, others very

In t

quietly ; the European brethren in their united prayer-

such :

meetings, the natives more generally to the missionary him-

told |

self, to whom they came in large numbers.

It seemed as

Open |

though suddenly a way had been opened to get rid of every

less |

burden, and to be renewed in an instant.

look 1

Hebich became greatly excited. He writes, ¢ On Saturday

morning, as I rode towards Tai, my heart seemed filled with

hiS i)

fire

Hay

As T drew near to the village, I called out aloud,

£t b

A REVIVAL.

197

ing af

‘ Repent ! repent ! repent ! the day of the Lord is at hand !”

s lads,

None dared look me in the face, and all were silenced.

Often,

‘When I arrived at the catechist’s house, I called out on en-

rceded

tering, ¢ Who will repent? when, lo ! all came to me, old and

od the

young, even to little maidens of five and six years, confessing

ep i

their sins and praying.”

erikal,

‘We have had ample opportunity of gauging the result of all

ittetly,

this spiritual excitement on those who were sincere.

Jacob

ol 1

Ramavurma has given a very simple and honest account of

Tieuled

his own experience.

From the first he had to act as inter-

stolen

preter at Cherikal ; he says it made him tremble from head

d said

to foot, his heart beat, and his tongue failed him ; so that

drew

Hebich told him to go into the next room and recover him-

almly.

self. He sat there awhile, weeping, and then commanded

i was

himself sufficiently to continue interpreting to the end of the

iy hold

preaching.

Afterwards, he also humbled himself, and con-

) much

fessed his sins, though keeping back the blackest part of his

confess

guilt.

He felt as one intoxicated, unable fully to control his

jon, In

actions.

Afterwards, when it came to the preaching in Can-

nanore, he felt as though a fire burnt in his bones—as though

tful in

it were already hell-fire.

At length the service was over; but

nd, -

still Hebich was not alone ; some officers remained with him.

His food was ready, so he sat down to it, putting his hand

‘p()n all

neither

into the dish of rice; but then he could bear himself no

fogsion

longer ; without even staying to wash his hands, he sprang

g VeIy

in to the missionary, exclaiming, “ I am lost !

I committed

Pra,yer—

such and such sins when at Belgaum.

I resisted justice, and

i hin-

told lies in hypocrisy.”

But no sooner had he thus made

med 8

open confession, than he found peace in the sense of forgive-

f erelf

ness in Christ.

After the lapse of years he can still joyfully

look back upon that moment, as to the birth of a fresh life in

funday

his soul.

i vith

Having now heard so many confessions from others, Hebich

On the

aloud;

fglt himself constrained to open his own heart also.

12

178

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

]

6th of October he hurried over to Tellicherry, and finding

lig

Wi

the three brethren together, he said to them, with deep emo-

tion, that as the Lord had poured out such a spirit upon his

9]

th

Church, he felt constrained to confess his own sins.

They

S

did not much like it ; yet, after breakfast, they all knelt down

a

together with him, while he, utterly broken-hearted, went

]lez

over the whole history of his life, as it then appeared to him.

sol

The others followed with a similar general confession, and it

In the after-

of

was noon before they rose from their knees.

noon the Church assembled, and Hebich preached from

ot

ua

1 Timothy, v. 24, treating the passage, as was common with

him, without the slightest regard to the context.

He urged

Inaj

that, as every hidden thing must be brought to light, it was

el

better that it should be now than hereafter, referring very im-

side

pressively to what had just occurred in Cannanore.

He was

listened to with marked attention.

He then took a loving

Chy

leave of all, and returned to his station.

That evening the

30 ¢

acts

same movement commenced at Tellicherry, and a week later

at Calicut.

All the missionaries had work lasting till well

alto

Wer

into the night.

At the same time a spirit of unusual anxiety

showed itself among the heathen.

All supercilious mocking

hate

was hushed ; yet they kept away as much as possible from

the believers.

Some who did come within reach were seized

lang

by the same spirit.

Hebich baptized some twenty souls on

Bagle

the 10th and 17th of October; but they did not all stand

W3, )

fast in the truth.

Seat];

The short and disconnected accounts of this awakening,

freq

which reached other missionaries at a distance, produced

Ande

Hebich wrote

rather an unfavourable impression upon them.

of th

in a happy strain to his old friend, Mr. Lehner ; but he re-

Wit

plied, T tried to rejoice with you, but cannot do so. Doubts

He

arise as to whether all this be indeed the Lord’s work.

At

Dlexiy

such times we have to be more guarded than usual, for if the

’SH[I, :

wicked one gain an entrance under the guise of an angel of

Wher

A REVIVAL.

179

ding

light, the mischief done to the cause of our adorable Redeemer

€mo-

ij

will be incalculable.”

This letter went to Hebich’s heart like

a knife.

s

If such was the judgment of God’s children, he

They

thought he would never more be able to discern light from

darkness.

down

went

Mbogling had just returned from a long journey when he

him,

heard 1t all.

He rejoiced with trembling.

“If you keep

;%f

sober,” he wrote, ¢ you will indeed be a highly-favoured man

nd 1t

after-

of God. But if not, woe to yourself and to the souls around

from

you !

May the God of our salvation keep you safe, and

with

guard you from every wicked spirit, that so the name of Jesus

mged

may be magnified, and the souls of His redeemed may be

helped by your ministry.”

b Was

Such words of caution were worthy of consideration. Con-

7 i0-

sidering the low standard of knowledge of the bulk of the

S

Church, there was great danger of wild extravagance.

It 1s

loving

0 the

o easy to be taken up with the consideration of some specific

acts of open sin, while the depravity of the whole heart is

- lafer

] well

altogether lost sight of. It soon became apparent that some

were quite ready to confess sin who had no real desire to

xiety

hate and forsake it.

ocking

At that time there was an honest Scotchman in the Can-

, from

nanore Church, a Captain Y.

Attached as he was to the

seized

Basle Mission, in the midst of which he found himself, he

ls 00

was, if possible, still more so to that of the Free Church of

stand

Scotland in Madras.

He had been the means of a prefty

frequent correspondence between Hebich and Mr. John

eningy

Anderson, in Madras.

The latter rejoiced in what he heard

oduced

of this fresh manifestation of life, but did not hesitate to

wofe

write his thoughts on the subject very freely to Captain Y.

he 1¢-

He said : “ This question of the confession of sins is a per-

Doubts

plexing one.

Nothing is more apt to be turned to a wrong

i A

No doubt

end, and so to give the enemy an advantage.

»if the

wherever there is a true work of God, a spirit of humiliation

ngd of

12—2

180

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

[

and confession will accompany it, leading to a deep sense of

the exceeding sinfulness of sin.

But that is a very different

I

thing from spreading out before all a black catalogue of

specific sins.

At Pentecost we read of a cry for grace, and of

the speedy application of the true remedy: but there is no

hint that such a method of relieving the burdened heart was

g

resorted to.

What a mighty power confession has become in

the Papacy, and how perilous for the penitent ! the more so:

h

because of the false peace which it procures.

And the open

4

confession of specific sins before the whole congregation is

4

not one whit less perilous than the pouring of it into a priest’s

ear

We pray for you all,-especially for your pastor, that a

double portion of His Holy Spirit may rest upon you all—

J

that you may not err from the footsteps of that flock whereof

fa

He is the Shepherd.”

W

¢l

Many rumours now began to spread of Romish tendencies

and practices.

One kind friend asked whether it was true

All

that Hebich had had a confessional built in the chapel.

this disturbed him very little, as from the first he had never

D

cbntemplated recelving private confessions. Presently, how-

I

ever, it so happened that some of the higher classes preferred

h

unburdening their hearts to Hebich himself rather than to the

tl

gathering of those of their own standing.

He soon found

out that this assumption of the relation of a ¢ Father Con-

fessor” gave him a power over consciences of which he had

{

little dreamt. One gentleman, who at first had thus confessed

Y

to Hebich, found the dependence into which it brought him

i

so galling and unbearable, that he left India in order to break

fo

1t

Then the practice led others into such a leaning upon

h

mam, that they seemed to merge their own individual respon-

Wi

sibility in that of their pastor.

he

Hebich over-estimated the results of this revival.

On the

6]

17th of October, when the two congregations were gathered

€X|

for the Lord’s Supper, and he saw an increase of from forty

A REVIVAL,

181

of

to fifty new communicants, he rejoiced over them as “truly

1

renewed ;—as altogether a new creation before the Lord.” Yet

of

he adds, “ After such rich grace we shall certainly be sifted.

of

That, though, must not prevent the acknowledgment of what

10

‘God hath wrought.

May He keep us all faithful unto

L3

death 1’

1

The sifting-time came soon enough. A Tamul catechist

§0

had confessed that he had never before been truly converted,

o

and seemed now to have really given himself up to follow the

18

Lord fully.

Yet, before the year was out, he was again

s

“¢ halting between two opinions.”

o

The lads who were being trained for mission-work under

=

Jacob at Cherikal were not going on satisfactorily. Jacob

reof

taught them faithfully enough ; but he lacked the energy

which would have enabled him truly to educate the whole

.character, moral and intellectual.

Searle obtained a great in-

01es

frae

fluence over them ; and, as he thought but slightingly of

book-knowledge, and quiet plodding work, he urged them to

All

eVer

pray aloud, and to speak of their experience.

All this was

how-

most unhealthy.

Then, as though really knowing their

hearts, Searle would not hesitate to pronounce as to their

onted

When his old friend, Mr. Findlay

o the

actual spiritual standing.

Anderson, wrote to him, praising the seminary at Mangalore,

ound

(on

as what seemed to him the very perfection of an institution

combining religious teaching with the cultivation of all natural

) had

fossed

gifts and talents, and training in industrial pursuits, recom-

mending him to adopt a similar model, Hebich could not but

f him

feel that there was something lacking in his own system. But

reak

he tried to comfort himself with the thought that his people

A

were all the more living an exclusively spiritual life : the fact

pspol-

being that the indolent and less talented were left to them-

selves instead of being helped on.

Moreover, after all this

On the

thered

.excitement, it became very difficult to carry out any healthy

p forty

182

MEMOIRS ©F SAMUEL HEBICH.

[

discipline.

Some even ran away from him, to lead a freer

life elsewhere.

W

This remarkable period closed in a way that was very

1)

humbling to Hebich personally. He had a great deal of cor-

0]

ju

respondence on the subject of the revival; but his own soul

e

did not find the greefi” pasputes wherein to liedown. His old

friend and earliest fellow-worker, Lehner, had found his

D

health and strength failing him so entirely, that he was

S

obliged to take a final leave of India.

Hebich resolved to

4

pay him a farewell visit in Mangalore, and to take the oppor-

of

tunity to confess what he called his ¢ Mangalore sins” before

R

the brethren there. .

leg

If he had expected by this act to produce the same kind

i

of impression which he had two months before produced at

i

Tellicherry, he was sadly disappointed.

From the first mo-

hi

ment Lehner showed plainly how distasteful the whole sub-

ject was to him,

Ard so many questions and complications

W

W

affecting others depended upon his individual confession, that

Hebich soon saw the matter would not be so quickly ended.

Wi

He felt it very keenly that any misunderstanding should

Ll

cloud his parting with Lehner.

But, with child-like sim-

i)

plicity, he comforted himself with the thought that, at all

he

events, he had done his part.

He was asked why he should

T

confess at Mangalore the errors and wilfulness that had

of §

marked his dealings as general treasurer, instead of to that

Son

Home Committee which he had so often assured of his

ag

faithfulness ?

He at once caught at the notion, and wrote

o

home to the Committee a very penitential letter, “in order,”

the

as he expresses it, “ that they might see into all the corners

bre

of his money-dealings.”

About this time many questions were raised as to the

mjf

defectiveness of Hebich’s doctrine.

Mogling wrote to him

Wal

once, ‘I cannot help thinking that you preach much more

ger:

about the devil and unclean spirits than is at all necessary ;

Hyl

183

A REVIVAL.

i

especially as, whether from Scripture or our own experience,

we know so very little of these mysteries.

I fear lest a dis-

Iy

proportionate importance given in our thoughts or teaching to

I

one seb of subjects, may lead to the very evil result of an

il

undue neglect of what in any right scheme of doctrine must

ever be more important ones.

If the devil occupy a dispro-

1d

118

portionate place in our preaching, we at once fail of the mea-

You

il

sure of the teaching of our Lord and His Apostles.

t0

appear to me to be too much drawn away by certain flashes

[t

of truth which have at times shone out in your teaching.

Remember that though such flashes may at times succeed in

016

leading to the light, they also very frequently fail, and go out

in absolute darkness.

A teacher is surely bound to labour

nd

at

in thought, and in the sweat of his brow, or he will mislead

N0:

his pupils instead of helping them.”

But Hebich was not to be persuaded, though his defence

ub-

008

was feeble enough.

“He thought with the will,” he said,

which, if it meant anything, only meant that he was taken

hat

Jed.

with the sort of impression which strong words seem to make

Besides, for him Luther's

uld

upon the generality of hearers.

faith was the very type of what true Scriptural faith should

si-

n

all

e

and had not Luther seen and spoken with the devil?

Everything short of that was but the outcome of the spirit

ould

of Sadducecism of this age.

Once in his preaching he let fall

had

that

some unguarded expressions, to the effect that noxious insects,

and the obscene carrion-crows so common about the burning

f s

rofe

grounds and sacrificial places of India, were the creation of

the devil ; but it was with the utmost difficulty that his

e,

brethren brought him to see that this was rank Manicheism.

e

It was some months before the remarks of the Home Com-

mittee on all that had been occurring reached India.

They

) the

] Jim

warned, in very solemn language, of all the spiritual dan-

gers inseparable from the very unusual character which

o

Hebich had imparted to his work : pointing out that should

Q1

;%

184

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

any unforeseen change take place in the personel of the station

1t would put all the work there to a very severe test. And

they begged that all the missionaries in the Malabar district

would meet in conference, to devise the best step to guard

against evil consequences.

The sug

=]

o

estion being, either that

a coadjutor should be added to the Cannanore station, or that

some branches of the work should be separated from that

station.

Accordingly, on the 29th of November, 1848, a meeting

was held in Tellicherry. All were anxious to consult Hebich’s

wishes as much as possible, but he himself had little to say

beyond this, that he did not want any brother missionary to

come and over-see his working : that the bringing in of a

coadjutor, unless he himself felt the need of such help, would

only work confusion ; but, if it were decided to separate some

of the branches of his work—such as, for instance, the train-

ing of the young pupils—he would also give up the general

charge of the mission accounts, from which, unless some very

forcible reason existed to the contrary, he would be glad to

§

be relieved. He even suggested that we should allow him to

t

sever himself from the mission, hoping, by means of the mahy

i

Anglo-Indian friends he had made, to be able to carry on his

1]

work independently.

Others must consider whether his

I

separating himself would benefit the mission generally. It

i\

was a poor reward for fourteen years hard and successful work

8

to have all his weak points thus sought out and exposed. For

)

himself, he thought it would be best that he should continue

1

to work in his own way, untrammelled by any official con-

nection with men.

1y

Joi

On their part, the assembled brethren were quite prepared

N

to make allowances for what was exceptional in the case of

ag(

Cannanore as a station.

They did not see any urgent neces-

sity for introducing sudden changes; but yet pointed out

Fe

that the very fact of Hebich’s unwillingness to admit any

ag)

A REVIVAL.

185

coadjutor in his work implied a defect in his system of work-

ing.

Hebich’s health had already begun to decline—so much

so that a medical opinion had even recommended a tem-

) MR Ry T

porary absence in Europe ; so they thought that it was not

h

impossible that ere long he might himself ask assistance from

i

some one of his fellow-workers.

b

The Home Committee had hinted that he might perhaps

This was

be willing to associate Gundert in his work.

10

pointed out to him, on which he talked the whole matter

S

carefully over with him.

The result was, that he agreed to

receive this brother, should the general wish be that he should

)|

0

do so.

However, he stipulated that the new comer should

reside at Cherikal, the mission-premises at Cannanore being

1d

already overcrowded.

When he had once made up his mind,

110

it was not Hebich’s wont to allow matters to drag on un-

settled ; as he expresses it, “ With me things always go by

10

1l

bounds.”

A little conversation with Mogling dissipated his

remaining scruples, and, all at once, he was fully persuaded

1y

to

that the watter was of God’s ordering, and God would cer-

1o

tainly not bring confusion inte His own work, but rather re~

freshment to the overtaxed worker.

So now he not only

iy

his

urged Gundert to hurry his movements as much as possible,

but himself set energetically to work to make the most of the

his

It

two months yet to be counted upon before the rains should

ok

set in, to prepare the house at Cherikal for his reception, and

that of the girls’ school, which was to accompany him from

Tor

From

nue

Tellicherry. All his old strength seemed revived.

morning to night he was hurrying about, urging on the tardy

com:

builders, bathed in perspiration under the burning sun of

March and April.

Thus his revival ended by his atb last

ated

accepting a fellow in his work.

0 Of

In

p0es

But there are other things to tell of the year 1848.

February, the British regiment in which he had laboured so

out

assiduously for nearly five years, was moved to Madras.

It

any

186

MEMOII%S OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

took with it a large part of his beloved church. He tells

how “twelve fell into sin, by the way, but by grace they

were restored.” Hebich commended them to the energetic

Rev. J. Anderson, who gladly undertook the charge; and

who presently wrote, “The soldiers of the 25th Foot, about

fifty in number, besides twenty women and followers, now

attend our church on Sundays and on Thursday evenings.

;;

Nearly all give proof of being truly converted to God, and

full of love to the Lord Jesus.

They, have prayer together

B

every morning and evening, either in the fort, or in our

place. God has opened the hearts of many of them in prayer.

Ll

On Friday evenings we have a prayer-meeting for the women

at our house.

i

It is truly refreshing to note how they pour

Vi

out their hearts in prayer, and what a savour of Christ they

shed all around them.

0

In spite of the extra labour it in-

tl

volves, I find this new charge most refreshing to my spirit.

Amid all the deadness, indifference and sinfulness all around

d

one, they bring back the fervour of the first love!

Truly

the Lord Jesus works gloriously in these souls, spite of all

the power of sin, and the temptations of Satan to hinder it.”

Ul

U

A lively and profitable interchange of letters between Can-

il

nanore and Madras now ensued. Presently the Missionary

Mr. Braidwood had to report the death of one of the soldier

2

Iy

brethren, who passed, full of hope and joy, to the everlasting

an

mansions.

Then he remitted the collected gifts of the

brethren.

They had at first wished to give them to Mr.

Anderson for his work ; but he advised their being still sent

to him who was their father in the faith, as a token of their

continued remembrance.

One of these soldiers, a Scotchman, James Duncan, when

he had obtained a free discharge on completing his time of

service, returned to Cannanore, to walk in the footsteps of

his friends Searle and O’Brien.

Hebich very gladly received

him into the service of the Mission, in September, 1848. He

187

A REVIVAL. "

was put under Jacob, to fit himself for work by the study of

the language.

He adopted the native costume, and in

October married a sister of Timotheus’. However, it soon

became evident that it was not easy for him to descend to so

low a level as was expected of him. His wife learnt English

sooner than he picked up Malayalim. The proud heart of

the Scotchman felt keenly every rebuke, and, ¢ found it

d

hard to get into God’s ways.”

He left the Mission in order

H\

to re-inlist, in April, 1851, having only caused trouble, and

IT

never having been of any real help. O’Brien, on the contrary,

was soon able to preach to the natives, and was remarkable

il

for his painstaking zeal, in going round to the neighbouring

ur

villages, preaching, in company with Daniel.

They were

ey

once driven out of a village, and pelted for some miles along

10

the road, but were nowise discouraged thereby.

!

Of this same year 1848, Hebich writes, “The Lord sud-

nd

denly opened a door for me, of usefulness among the drum-

uly

They all

mers and musicians of the 43rd regiment, N. L

all

united themselves to me, and for two months I was able to

lt "

preach in the streets of their lines, going there early each:

Al

morning.

Some of them are truly converted. The work

Ay

goes on more slowly in the 12th regiment, N. I. commanded

dier

by my old friend Colonel Coffin, but among them also one

fing

u(f

and another comes out, seeking the Lord. Hallelujah !”

ff

16

M

\ellt

the

(918

il

pen

e

06 Of

s of

gived

He

CHAPTER XXI.

THE WORK AT ANJERAKANDI,

By the 21st of May, 1849, the building at Cherikal had

advanced enough for the new occupants to enter upon it.

With our sister Mrs. Gundert, and Miss Mary Kegel, a

schoolmistress, came a little flock of school-girls, who, united

to those girls who had hitherto been cared for at Tai, came

T Rl (UMY o SRR [ o AN L o RN T Sl QRN il v R L S (R S

(

up to about fifty souls.

Every Sunday the whole company

went to Cannanore for Divine service; remaining there

through the afternoon. Hebich, as heretofore, made a weekly

trip to Cherikal every Thursday, to watch over the affiliated

church there.

Iy

This opened many fresh interests to him ; he

had acquired the habit of weaving new elements into the

tr

hy

warp of his Cannanore work. His main desire was ever to

be entering into closest relationship with as many new minds

and hearts as possible.

Owing to an affection of the throat

i

from which he had long suffered, his new fellow-labourer

Dr. Gundert was unable to preach, and had several times to

1

seek relief from change of air.

This interfered with the

)

plans that had been at first formed for a division of labour.

C

But personally this seemed not much to affect Hebich, who

at

proved sufficient for all emergencies, and for the ever-in-

tn

creasing demands of the enlarged station.

He was glad that

(i

his companion should relieve him from desk-work. The Ger-

thy

189

THE WORK AT ANJERAKANDI.

man sisters were able to take up many lines of service that

had been hitherto neglected.

The out-station of Anjerakandi had been detached from

Tellicherry and united to Cannanore.

Though he could only

pay them short visits, and that upon week-days, the poor

He obtained

Pulaiars there were much on Hebich’s heart.

the consent of the planters to certain hours of cessation from

The catechist there at this

labour for these poor people.

time was a worthy man of the name of Timotheus (second of

the name) and sometimes he was helped by some of the best

men from the Cannanore Mission.

The church at Anjera-

kandi numbered now fifty baptized ; they were invited occa-

1ad

sionally to visit Cannanore, especially on Communion-Sun-

1

days. It was something altogether new for members of this

down-trodden slave caste, to be admitted to Communion with

a

Tamul and Malayalim Christians; yea, with European soldiers,

ted

ladies and gentlemen.

It stirred some of them up with a

e

desire to raise themselves morally to a becoming level. Some

any

here

quite gave up drinking toddy, which had hitherto been their

only enjoyment ; others restricted their allowance to a single

Ky

measure before retiring to sleep. They seemed to desire to

ated

be more truthful ; more measured in their speech. They

he

‘Some of those who had

the

tried to please their catechist.

hitherto remained indifferent, now asked for baptism.

1 £

A class of about thirty of them was formed for further

inds

instruction. They seemed sincerely to mourn over the sins

1086

jurer

of stealing, witcheraft, and incontinence, which had marked

their heathen life.

Almost the whole body working on the

5 10

plantation obtained two days leave, at the new year, to visit

| the

Cannanore. Twenty-five were baptized at that new year, and

hous

at the Lord’s Supper there were 178 communicants. It was

who

truly a festal time.

Hebich’s earnest prayer was, ¢that each

il

disciple might enjoy such close fellowship with Jesus Christ,

that

that everything contrary to Him and to His cross might be

(er

190

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

laid aside. And that we all, being knit together in His

Spirit, may be made bold to fight side by side, till death ;

striving together for the honour of the Son of God. And

that we may be fitted to carry the gospel to the thousands of

souls for whom He shed his blood.”

He himself was <o

lifted up, that he was enabled to help many whose souls

had hitherto cleaved to the dust, to attempt a flight towards

higher things.

But this time of rejoicing was followed by a time of severe

trial.

The party from Anjerakandi were Jodged at Tai.

It

so happened that there were two cases of small-pox, in a

solitary hut there. Hebich had not liked to postpone beyond

the new year, a festival which had been so long looked for-

ward to, and thought he had taken every mecessary precau-

tion to guard against contact with the sufferers.

Soon after

the labourers had returned, with joy in their hearts, to the

plantation, the disease broke out among them.

Fifty of

them were soon stricken with it.

Timotheus, who had some

little knowledge of medicine, tended them with the tender-

ness of a mother, and the most earnest assiduity.

He fell a

victim to his self-denying faithfulness; he took the disease,

and died on the 31st of January, 1850. The greater number

of those first attacked, ultimately recovered ; but in spite of

the precautions taken by the planters, who sent all the sick

to the other side of the river, the contagion spread, and the

whole village was soon like a pest-house.

The few who re-

tained their health, abandoned their huts, and built new ones

nearer to the river.

The loss of so many hands, just as the pepper crop was

ripe for picking was a sad blow to the planters.

Hebich

visited them, and was greeted with the words, ¢ All this comes

of your Cannanore new-year’s feast.”

He could only humbly

admit it. But he had not gone there merely to exculpate himself,

e —————————— R

d

nor was he alone ; O’Brien and Juda, and the devoted wife

THE WORK AT ANJERAKANDI.

191

of the latter, Hagar, had volunteered for the care of the sick.

They performed the office with so much patience and love,

that the name of Christ was thereby honoured. That an

if

European should give himself to the nursing of poor sick

slaves, struck them with astonishment.

Then the memory

also of Timotheus was dear to the new converts; had not he

sacrificed himself in his care of them ?

The disease wore itself out, after more than one hundred

persons had suffered from it. It wasnot till the Good Friday

of 1850 that they were once more able to visit Cannanore

About ten had died

and to join at the table of the Lord.

during the visitation.

Another Timotheus took up the post

of catechist at Anjerekandi: he soon had an opportunity of

proving his devotedness, for now cholera broke out, and car-

ried off many victims.

But some of these poor slaves died

4

so peacefully in the Lord, that fresh encouragement sprang

f

out of the trial.

Some old men and women, hitherto dull

0

of intellect and hard to move, now repented with tears.

Timotheus had succeeded in winning the confidence of most

of the younger lads ; with their help he made a very success-

)

ful effort against their drinking habits.

Places where they

)

had been accustomed to drink secretly were broken up, and

of

many drinking vessels, of cocoa-nut shell, or joints of bamboo

were given up, a spoil over which Hebich rejoiced with child-

7

like glee on his next visit to Timotheus.

The elder planters nobly seconded this effort for the moral

improvement of their labourers.

¢ May the Lord bless them

)

for it in their own souls!” says Hebich. Progress began

to be manifest.

a5

The younger people learnt to sing; and

b

now while labouring in the plantation they often raised their

(%)

Christian songs, not, perhaps, quite to the satisfaction of the

heathen overseers.

Whereas they had formerly gone about

11}'

RSN

If

almost naked, they now sought to provide themselves with

16

192

MEMOIRS ' OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

fl

decent clothing.

Jacket and trousers came into vogue

among the men, and the women adopted a more snitable

)

¢

costume than heretofore. All this did not prevent the higher

castes despising them as much as ever.

Even within the

9

bounds of the plantation many of what we should consider

3(

among the most ordinary rights of a common humanity were

denied them.

Right of way was not conceded to them upon

every path. IEntrance within the limits of the Tier villages

was of course interdicted ; nor were they allowed to supply

Je

If their con-

P

their wants by purchase at the village shops.

W

version had been to Mahomedanism, they would have been

P

readily admitted to all such rights; but, in spite of the fact that

the rulers of the land professed to be Christian rulers, baptism

gl

availed in their case less than circumcision would have done.

If one of these native Christians ventured to approach the

Once

§

shop of a Mapila, he was driven off with blows.

indeed, in such a case, a poor man was beaten nearly to

fi

death. He did venture to lodge a complaint, but the very

slight punishment inflicted on the offender by a heathen

tl

magistrate had no very great deterrent effect.

The shop-

keepers maintained that, if they allowed them to come to

il

their shops all the higher castes would stay away ; and the

planters did not venture to run counter to old-established

he

1(

custom. Nevertheless the masters certainly looked favour-

ably upon the improvements.

Hebich preached there in

W]

English once a month, and not without results.

One of the

Al

proprietors who had befri ided the church there for half a

0]

century, testified on his death-bed that his dependence was on

S0]

{ ¢ TY P 9_;,3‘,4;

the blood of Jesus only.

for

Hebich was very happy at this time. On the 3rd of April,

of

1850, he writes to the Home Committee : ¢ 1t is now just a

Int

year since it pleased you, and the Lord, to send my dear fel-

chy

chy

low-workers to my station. Upon that followed the acquisi-

THE WORK AT ANJERAKANDI.

193

4

tion of Anjerekandi, and ever since then my work, my joy

lo

and my health have been remarkably increased. I am more

i

courageous in work, and more confident as to its results, and

16

all my work has been with increase of zeal, assurance and

er

joy. The usual preaching at the heathen festivals was very

7/ [}/}//{41‘2 /

1

greatly prospered ; and in general the utmost freedom was

allowed me. We were only once stoned, and that was at

< /z,lﬁ <L

ty

n

)

Taliparambu when dear Timotheus and Jacob were in some

jeopardy. Still by the great grace of our God everything

ly

passed off satisfactorily ; and my continued freedom there

fiaren

o1l

was not diminished. The word works like yeast among the

at

people.

I have firm hope that the time will come when it

il

shall please the great Master of Assemblies to pour forth His

A

Holy Spirit upon the multitudes.

Anjerekandi has very

10

he

manifestly prospered since it has been brought into close con=

nection with the Cannanore church. Many have forsaken

00

f0

their sins, and been inspirited with fresh life.

A tendency

to moral improvement is very manifest ; here at Cannanore

17

the church gives me much more cause for joy than for anxiety.

en

The white brethren very much help forward the black. Among

)

the soldiers one and another is from time to time won by the

fo

word of truth. The act in favour of liberty of conscience

he

has been a benefit to us: as one result we have now the

ed

novelty, that those soldiers who elect to connect themselves

u

with us,

are

regularly marched to our chapel under

1n

an officer.

This was first done on the 3rd of February,

e

on which occasion we had a great baptismal service.

The

f a

soldier-brethren from the 94th regiment number about

on

forty. Thus on Sunday mornings we have a church full

of people, to whom I preach in English, while Jacob

)Yi];

interprets in Malayalim.

1 am bold to say that our

f 8

church increasingly deserves to be called a missionary

fol

church.”

sl

The 6th of October saw the largest baptismal service that

13

194

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

had yet occurred. Fifty-three souls were added to the church,

lf/

forty-three of whom were women)from Anjerakandi.

The

degraded state of wives among a slave population had

hitherto kept the women back.

But there was also a

Tier from the same plantation, the first of the dominant

caste who had thrown in his lot with the Christians.

His

young daughter Manni, fourteen years of age, was received

into the Cherikal institute for further instruction.

At the

é

same time there were some weavers from Cherikal brought

|

into the church by baptism.

One of the most talented and

f

rising civil servants of the presidency, Mr. W. Robinson,

happened to be present at this baptismal festival.

It

afforded him an opportunity of judging of Hebich’s work,

which impressed him with its important bearing on the wel-

fare of India.

1

But this large baptism was a bitter pill to the heathen.

The Kali festival, securing a holiday to all officials,

b\

happened immediately after it, on the 14th of the same

f)

month. This day was fixed upon as an appropriate one

g

on which to wreak their vengeance.

First the relatives

fi

of the Tier who had been baptized sought to entice his

daughter away. Not succeeding in doing this by stealth,

J0

a mob surrounded the Cherikal premises, demanding that

I

Manni should be given up to them.

They assaulted

th

any stray Christian whom they could find, and threatened

il

to force their way into the house.

Hebich happened to

P

be absent at Anjerakandi.

The police were nowhere to

at

be found, though the riot lasted five hours.

By a happy

Su

chance, a soldier in uniform came out to visit the place, and

the sight of him had some slight restraining influence on

Pa

Vi

the mob. The soldier carried back to Cannanore a report

of what was going on at Cherikal, in consequence of which

beg

a major with some armed men arrived at nightfall, and

Dex

THE WORK AT ANJERAKANDI.

195

th,

raised the siege.

Mr. Robinson inquired searchingly into

he

this riot, and took steps which inspired the unruly mob

ad

with a wholesome fear.

The poor girl who had been the

&

innocent cause of all the uproar had remained the whole

nt

day hidden in the innermost room ; too frightened to eat

s

a morsel.

She now begged earnestly to be baptized at

rod

once, as her best safe-guard.

Her wish was soon grati-

the

fied. A grenadier who was present at the solemn ser-

hf

vice, was so deeply impressed as to date his conversion

9

nd

from 1it.

on,

On the 21Ist of September, 1851, a still larger number

It

of the Anjerakandi people were baptized; no less than

In

1k,

fifty-three being received into the church at once.

rel

sooth it must be confessed that many of them were but

insufficiently instructed.

Others were baptized at the same

1E1

time, and Hebich writes of the circumstance, * This, after

als,

seventeen years labour in this country, is the greatest bap-

Mg

tism I have yet had!

Sixty-eight souls at once !

What

oneé

grace that there is yet room in heaven, and yet time on earth

[es

for poor sinners to repent !

his

At the new year’s festival Hebich had the exceeding

Ith,

joy of seeing one hundred and eighty come into Cannanore

that

from the plantation for the services.

He writes, “When

lted

they arrived in the afternoon, I trembled with holy excite-

ped

ment ; then there were mutual greetings, then singing and

0

prayer.

The two congregations came together as one body,

at night from seven o’clock to midnight, for the Holy Lord’s

» 0

oy

Supper ; and again in the morning from ten o’clock till half

‘We broke up full of joy and with renewed

and

past twelve.

) 01

vigour.”

Hebich eould take things as they came, and would

porb

hich

begin divine service as composedly with a couple of

and

persons present, as with a crowded congregation, yet it

——

196

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

rejoiced him to see a well-filled church.

‘But after these

baptisms, the progress of the Anjerakandi people seemed

to pause. There was no very marked increase of ghurch

membership among them after that.

j(%

(bL)

C

k

0

il

de

fo

hi

i

d

h

CHAPTER XXII.

BEGINNING OF THE WORK AT PALGHAT.

In November, 1850, Hebich wrote, “I yearn more than I

can find words to express, to be going out into the regions

beyond, among the heathen ; and lo! something or other,

correspondence that must not be put off, or business that

must not be neglected, ever comes in the way of actual

aggressive mission-work. I long to go forth, and here am I

held back like a hound in a leash. But by God’s grace my

children the catechists grow stronger for the fight, and they

But whither should they

shall go forth among the people.”

be sent forth ?

For some years he had sought to found an

out-station at Taliparambu, but in spite of all his efforts

there seemed no room for it there.

It was specially the

catechists O’Brien and Paul whom he wished to send forth ;

knowing that they were men to be trusted, and who were

mature in those qualifications needed for a pair of evan-

gelists.

In August the two had gone together to Mudutéla, which

was Paul’s native place.

They found willing hearers among

the Nayers.

Paul’s parents had long looked upon him as

dead to them ; now it is from his lips that the tidings of

forgiveness through Christ are proclaimed in the place of

his birth. His father, at first scornful, at length acknow-

198

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

ledged that he felt himself a sinner ; and he lodged the two

stranger-evangelists.

At the end he said solemnly, “I also

shall yet obtain a share in the salvation of your God.” An

old village pedagogue, eighty-five years of age and leprous,

was full of the tidings that a Redeemer had died for poor

sinners.

He tearfully lamented that he did not under-

stand how to pray ; but rapidly learnt the Lord’s prayer.

A New Testament, and some other books were left in

the village, and there seemed reason to hope that they would

be useful.

Paul’'s mother almost made up her mind to ac-

company her son: but for caste she would have domne so.

The same two catechists undertook other preaching tours in

North Malabar, proving' not only their courage, but their

ability and fitness to stand alone.

Just at that time, Mr.

%

Robinson, whom we have mentioned in our last chapter,

offered to secure a certain yearly contribution, if Palghat

(Palakadu), the head-quarters of his district, a place in the

South FEastern corner of Malabar, were occupied by the

mission.

From that moment Hebich could not get Palghat out of

his thoughts.

He had long resisted the many and pressing

invitations of his spiritual children to visit them in distant

stations, being unwilling to undertake any long journey from

his head-quarters.

But though Palghat was rather out of the

P A O S T i S R B

way, it was at least within the Province of Malabar.

Some

one must see to the establishing of the new station, so he un-

dertook [it himself. On the 2nd of September he embarked

in a patimar, accompanied by Jacob, Joseph, O'Brien, Paul,

and some of the boys.

They sailed down the coast, landing

at Ponani.

With his happy company, singing to beguile the

way, he went on to Mudutéla, hoping to deepen the impres-

d

sion that had already been made there.

Paul’s old mother

t

rejoiced at seeing her beloved son standing once more alive

!

§

199

BEGINNING OF THE WORK AT PALGHAT.

before her.

But her brother, the head of the house, hearing

0

%

the singing, came in hastily to interrupt it.

“The idol of the village school is here : you may stay here,

\n

and even sit down ; but the place is not suited for singing or

5,

praying—the god is much too near !”

)L

er:

Hebich preached to this Nayer till he took himself off,

having had enough of if.

The mother made excuses for him,

saying that if he appeared inhospitable, it was only because he

1

was afraid of what the neighbours would say. For her own

1d

part, she heard the word of God gladly.

The party camped

ac

under a tree, where they cooked their food, singing out of full

80

hearts. Sunday, the 8th of September, was spent at Manien-

culam. Here were a Major of Engineers with his wife and a

eI

couple of other officers.

Hebich joined them at public wor-

\[x

ship. The major began reading from the English prayer-book,

e,

but had some difficulty in finding the places, so that his wife

hat

had to help him. When they had finished, Hebich prayed

the

very heartily, sung with his boys, and wound up with a ser-

the

mon.

Of course he was asked to join them at dinner, when

he took the opportunity to explain the heart-book to them.

of

His companions the while occupied themselves with the sub-

g

ordinates of the engineer's camp. In the cool of the evening

ant

the word was preached in the village bazaar ; and afterwards

(i

Hebich remained in earnest conversation with the officers till

the

,

late into the night.

me

Axrived at Palghat on the 14th of December, Mr. Robinson

u

gave up to Hebich the half of his own house, and conducted

ked

him over the town.

It is a considerable place, containing

’au],

25,000 inhabitants, of whom 400 were Roman Catholics, with 2

Jing

Trench priest. Generally the little group of evangelists found

the

attentive hearers, but not so in the Brahman village, where

-

a dispute arose.

Some books having been distributed, one of

ther

which a Brahman began to tear up, Hebich ook it from him,

Jive

saying, “ Take heed lest my God tear thee in pieces, as thou

ad

)

00

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

hast torn His word.,” The man was quieter, and, in spite of

opposition, they were able hopefully to scatter much precious

seed.

Hebich writes—¢ My heart was quite won to these poor

people.

Daniel’s introductory words were very touching.

He began thus—¢I am one of you, ye black people, and I am

but a lad, yet also a witness of the great love of God in Chuist,

which He has made known to me, a poor unworthy sinner.”

I was exhausted, but, listening to him, a spring of living

water burst up afresh in my heart.

The people seemed spell-

bound. A fine man looked earnestly at me, saying, ¢ By-and-

bye, I, too, must become a Christian.

He frequently visited

us. In the principal bazaar we were surrounded by hundreds

of attentive hearers.

Some from the roofs of houses listened

for hours to our message.

I am certainly the first who has

ever so abundantly preached the glad tidings in the streets of

Palghat. The result was so encouraging that, by the second

evening, my hLeart was burning with love and compassion for

this people. I must now come before you, the Committee,

and plead for a competent missionary to be sent here.” M.

Robinson had early thought about a suitable house to be

bought for the Mission.

Of course he did not fail to call upon the officers of the

regiment stationed at Palghat.

The sister of the colonel

maintained that native Christians had no individuality

in their faith, but were just swayed and influenced by the

opinions of whoever might happen to be providing for them.

Hebich promised to send her some of his own people to judge

by. She had along conversation with them, and arrived at a

jJust estimate.

Meanwhile O’Brien had been much with the

drummers and musicians of the regiment. Hebich was able to

‘rejoice in the hope that he had won two of the officers to the

Lord.

On the return journey a more inland route was followed by

BEGINNING OF THE WORK AT PALGHAT.

201

of

Augadipooram, where he saw the scene of the desperate fight

It}

of the 4th of September, 1849. At that time a band of sixty-

four Mapilas had begun, in their own fashion, a holy war, by

0

(4

massacring some leading Hindus.

‘When first attacked, a

lieutenant and four sepoys had been slain, the rest of*the

I

troops being driven back in confusion.

Subsequently two

l

companies of the British troops had attacked and destroyed

them. One of the soldier-brethren was mortally wounded in

0

this encounter.

The Hindu Rajah of the place built a hand-

I

some monument to the memory of the fallen Englishmen.

d

In all this journey the natives wondered how Hebich was

o

able to keep up with them ; always bright and joyful, seem-

(s

ing to mind neither the length of the way nor the heat of the

o

sun. This proved to be a fresh start in preaching-tours, which

45

had been for some time omitted. Soon after they were en-

of

tered upon both with greater regularity and to greater dis-

tances.

nd

for

ey

[r.

he

he

nel

ity

fhe

il

|oe

i)

the

)t()

the

Iy

CHAPTER XXIIL

A WORTHY SON.

A pETAILED account of many of Hebich’s spiritual children

would be both interesting and profitable. Our limits, however,

forbid more than a few rapid hints.

In July, 1850, a private soldier fell asleep in Bangalore.

He left the half of his little savings to the German Mission,

to which he owed his spiritual life ; the other half between the

Free Church of Scotland Mission in Madras, and the London

Mission in Bangalore, where that life had been subsequently

sustained and nourished.

In 1851, another soldier left all

that he had, seventy-two rupees, to Hebich. In many a re-

'IIE

mote spot some converted officer, surrounded by his heathen

\

dependants, would assemble around him on a Sunday as

many as he could persuade to come, and read and explain to

i

them the gospel, in Hindostani.

Or with the help of some

4

Christian servant, read to them and catechize them in Tamul,

i

which they better understood.

Many distributed tracts and

books.

i

In September, 1850, tllex;e was again a departure of a little

company gathered during the preceding three years. This con-

sisted of twenty-eight persons belonging to the 12th Regiment,

tl

N.I., which proceeded to the French Rocks.

They had a

to

A WORTHY SON.

203

wet and trying march: the water often flowed through the

tents, so that the brethren, gathering for prayer, had to kneel

There was neither chaplain nor missionary

upon their beds.

within accessible distance at their new station, but Captain

Halliday undertook the charge of the little church.

The 16th Regiment took the place of the departed 12th at

Cannanore.

They were destined to receive rich blessing from

the Mission, mainly through the instrumentality of one of the

youngest among their officers.

More than perhaps any other

Englishman, this young officer may be quoted as a true son of

Samuel Hebich. Not a mere copy of the bearded missionary ;

for, whilst drawing all his best spiritual gifts from his father

in the faith, he retained all his own individuality. He was

3l

of Israelite lineage ; his name, Gompertz, betokens a German

,

connection.

Educated at Jersey, one of the Norman

Channel Islands, he was thus a kind of cosmopolite—Jew,

16

German, French, English all in one, as though predes-

tined to a wandering life, and to intercourse with many

o,

he

men, languages, and religions.

His father, whom he lost

early, had, with some other members of the family, professed

on

fly

Christianity.

Other members of the family did not, till

much later, come to the faith of Jesus as the Messiah.

all

16

Though William was a delicate lad, a military career in India

was chosen for him. He was anxious only, as soon as pos-

hen

PN

sible, to help towards increasing the comforts of his beloved

mother in her old age.

At sixteen the lad, having obtained

10

e

an Indian cadetship, parted from his mother, never to meet

her again in this life.

Farnest prayer and longing desire for

ll\ﬂ}

aud

his welfare followed him. He remembered specially an aged

Rabbi, who, at parting, commended him to the loving care of

1

He

a

the God of Jacob. Richly did he experience that care.

ttle

landed in Madras to join the army, and was thence sent to

(0D

the 16th Regiment, N.L., at Quilon. At first he had of course

leﬂt;

to learn his military duties, and to acquire Hindostani; the

da

204

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

language of communication between the European officers and

their polyglot sepoys; but all this did not cost him much

trouble.

Of occupation he had no lack, and he got through

all his work with quiet industry. He continued delicate, and

subject to severe head-aches after any little exposure to the

Indian sun.

For wild and riotous amusements he had no

taste, but could always occupy a leisure hour with solid read-

ing. He had been piously brought up in the Anglican Church,

but still he lacked the one thing needful.

He was a regular

attendant at the services held by the chaplain of the station,

though he felt him too stiff and high-church to suit him.

This chaplain was a clever man, and one who could play well

upon an instrument, but who had little idea of the * gospel

trumpet.”

Just at this time Dr. Dealtry, so long and favour-

ably known by his Christian ministry in Bengal, was Bishop

of Madras.

William Gompertz felt a void in® his heart, and

knew not how to have that void supplied ; so he resolved to

write to the Bishop, as to a man of godly experience.

He

described his feelings, and begged for advice, how a young

disciple was to direct his way. He received in reply a fatherly

letter of kindly advice, in consequence of which he applied

himself the more zealously to the study of his Bible, and to

the painful performance of all official and private duties.

Yet, somehow, instead of lighter, his heart seemed to grow

the heavier.

In the antumn of 1850 his regiment was ordered to Can-

nanore.

Officers and men were delighted at the prospect.

After the quiet of Quilon, the officers anticipated a much

more stirring life in the larger station, where they hoped to

enjoy the balls, the races, and other amusements. The march

was got through without any very marked incident ; and on

the 20th of December the Sepoys took up their abode in the

lines lately vacated by the 12th Regiment, and the officers

in single-storied thatched bungalows, which stand each one in

e St P S

A WORTHY SON.

dd

[5)

05

its own garden, or compound. Then visits had to be paid and

returned, regimental parties were given at the messes, the

bands played, and the jests and gossip of the place circulated as

the young officers sat over their wine.

Many things were told

R e R L ] el o

the new comers about old Hebich ; each witty subaltern had

some good story to tell, or some joke to crack of which he was

the hero.

And certainly, had all been true that was told of

y

him, he must have been a strange fellow.

It was told how

I

every morning, accompanied by a mob of native boys and

l

lads, he would go about the bazaars singing and praying, till

a crowd gathered around him, to whom he would preach. Of

|

course his listeners only mocked, for was it not well known

that all mission-work was a sorry failure ?

Then, in the day-

time, old long-beard would visit the English and East Iudians,

How he would accost

i

behaving in the most uncouth manner.

d

every one he met on the road, whether on horseback or on

Em

foot ; how he was never weary of talking about sins and about

Jesus.

Yea, and forsooth he made it pay, too !

He got many

|

a hundred rupees out of those who were weak enough to listen

to him. How he was the rage among the ladies.

How he

;g

had forbidden a soldier to remit any money home to his old

0

and infirm mother, because all ought to be given to the Lord’s

work.

There was no telling how much money passed through

To

W

his hands : and it was a mystery what became of it all.

be sure he had to supply all the German Mission with means.

But he knew how to manage !

Why his very hand-writing

s

showed that the old Jew was but a tradesman ; yet he pre-

//ru‘b“’

i

Of course he had

sumed to set himself up as a clergyman.

never been ordained ; but the other missionaries were afraid

to expose his deceit.

It was a shame that such a fellow was

allowed to remain in the cantonment.

General X. had taken

n

measures to get rid of him, and right enough too !

Why a

18

soldier, after only talking twice to this Hebich, had gone out

IS

of his mind, and shot himself.

Then latterly old .grey-beard

206

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

had started as father-confessor.

He made all who came near

to him confess, and make a clean breast of it, and thus got

them completely under his thumb. Of course religion was

all right in its due time and place ; thank God the English

had their chaplain; what need was there that this old

German fool should be meddling ?

¢ More knave than fool,”

chimed in some ; but others were inclined to allow that the

man was sincere, but they lamented such an excess of zeal in

a good cause. One quiet voice was heard to protest ; ‘“ perhaps,

when we are all gone and forgotten, he may still be remem-

bered as the apostle of Cannanore.”

As was natural, young Gompertz went to the Anglican

Church ; but the doctrine preached, though in more eloquent

form, seemed to him more decidedly High Church than what

As was his cus-

he had been accustomed to hear at Quilon.

tom, too, Hebich soon called upon the new comers, heartily

greeting all alike, whether old friends or new acquaintances,

and inviting all “to come also to his shop.”

His outward

appearance was grotesque, and not prepossessing ; but, at sight

of his beard, Gompertz was reminded of his old friend the

Rabbi.

One evening Gompertz found his way to the chapel.

5

Two officers of his regiment accompanied him, one of whom,

the senior captain of the battalion, we may call Captain

i

George.

Two of the trio were at once impressed. Hebich,

who had a sharp eye for strangers, noticed from the pulpit

1

the three sitting together.

His sympathies were drawn out

5V VY

%'}M}\

1%

/

to the earnest, gentle-looking youth, and, as he retired from

the chapel, he said to some of his friends, who remained as

1

usual to tea with him, ¢ He is one of us, you may be quite

sure of that

!7’

8

Gompertz had to absent himself immediately after that

night at the chapel, for three months, in order to pass a final

examination at Madras.

But something new was now work-

§

ing within him ; he could not dismiss the thought of what

te

A WORTHY SON.

207

I

he had heard. To be sure the manner in which the Gospel

It

had been set before him was not exactly calculated to please.

1S

Rather fastidiously brought up, the rough, and at times in-

h

correct speech, and the uncompromising way in which certain

Ld

sins were named by one who ever called a spade a spade, was

But it was

likely enough to shock his susceptibilities.

16

abundantly clear that the old man spoke of what he knew in

I

his own experience, and there was life in all his sermon.

Gompertz had never before heard so clear a distinction made

I}

between fhe low and the Gospel.

He prayed, he read, he

searched, the matter was certainly Scriptural ; and, moreover,

)

it was practical.

These thoughts occupied him during the

whole of the journey to and from Madras.

1f

b

After his return from Madras, William Gompertz never

failed to attend the preaching of the German missionary three

[y

times a week. It was the custom for many friends, officers

and others, sometimes even a lady, to adjourn from the chapel

ul

after service to the adjoining room, to take tea with Hebich.

Any one was welcome ; he used to say, “ You get everything

i

10

gratis from me, whether tea, or sermon, or sometimes hard

knocks ; only come in—all is for nothing.” At these meetings

G A AT AN

the subject of the sermon was more fully discussed, or ques-

I

i

tions were asked and answered. Perhaps the arrow shot at

1N

a venture had wounded some heart, and there was need of

b

encouragement and help.

There might be different modes of

1f

expression among the brethren thus assembling, but all had

b

the same object at heart ;' and there was a free and hearty

interchange of thought.

Young Gompertz, though feeling all

s

the unhomeliness of Cannanore life and climate, yet felt

0

quite at home in his father'’s house. There was always the

same happy, placid expression of countenance ; it might be at

af

one time more thoughtful than at another, but never marks of

al

severe conflict and deep sense of sin.

Sometimes his old

teacher feared that his spiritual development was going on all

b

ad

08

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

too quietly. He would seek to stir him ﬁp a little with

of

0

questions : “Did he, so pious and honourable a young man,

who had been kept, as by an instinctive feeling, from any-

f

f

thing common or unclean, indeed feel himself a poor lost

sinner, needing a Saviour ?

Surely such as he needed no re-

fa

§f

pentance !”

William only smiled, and said nothing in reply.

He attended the prayer-meetings of his brother officers, and

C

it was manifest that he grew warmer and more sympathetic.

But he was very backward in speaking about himself. He

by

ds

only longed for more of the spirit of grace and of power. But

11

matters came up in which he was not quite ready to give up

his own will ; especially as to how far separation from the

W

hi

world had to be carried. Once, while looking on at the races,

he was a good deal exercised in mind. On one occasion,

th

as he came in to tea, Hebich said to him, “ I have been look-

W

ing at you from the pulpit ; what is that scar on your cheek ?

ac

S0

That was not got while on duty; have you been out shoot-

ing ¥’

Gompertz coloured ; he had in fact been out snipe-

I

hi

shooting with some of his fellow-officers in the neighbouring

paddy-fields.

Hebich asked, “ Had you any permission to

hi

far

go ¥”’—¢ I need no permission for it.”

‘ No permission ! just

listen to this young man who can do as he chooses !”

Then

he

Gompertz began to see what Hebich was driving at—namely,

an

that even in the smallest matters a disciple should seek to feel

felt

that he acts with God’s permission.

This was his last day’s

a8

shooting.

So

Love to the brethren, not merely to those who are equal

Waf

with ourselves in the abundance of attained grace, but to

80

those also who have as yet attained but little, is a necessary

huf

consequence of the realization of sin forgiven, and of the

tak

spirit of adoption.

The Christian cannot but thus testify to

tha

what he has himself obtained. But yet there is a difference

AIh

of working

Lol

so that many Christians can testify only before a

any

certain class of hearers.

With William Gompertz it was

hro

A WORTHY SON.

209

ith

otherwise ; he believed, and therefore he spoke to all manner

of persons.

As was to be expected, his mind was much in-

a,

L

flueneed by Hebich’s mind, for was not Hebich his spiritual

0st

father? and, as the German proverb says, the apple does not

I¢

fall far from the tree.

The communion-seasons especially

Iy

stirred him ; his heart rejoiced at the realized union and com-

nd

munion, not only with German missionaries and English offi-

e

cers and soldiers, with native Christians of various degrees,

He

but even with the members of the poor slave caste, so lately

i

degraded almost to a level with the brutes, but now rejoicing

in the same Lord in whom he himself rejoiced. The mission

L

e

was his first thought.

He stinted himself to help it with

his pecuniary means.

He prayed for the work, and he prayed

g5,

n,

that he himself might be furnished with a suitable and timely

k

word to speak “in due season” to those to whom he had

access.

k!

Opportunities of usefulness were abundantly vouch-

safed to him ; and, like many another Christian officer in

of

pe

India, when he found official work increasing and absorbing

his time and thoughts, he was exercised as to the propriety of

ng

But the Lord

fo

his entirely devoting himself to mission-work.

taught him that he was just in his right place.

‘Why should

18t

1}

he seek to open doors for himself, when the Lord so abund-

antly opened them before him ?

Indeed, in one respect he

Iy,

ool

felt that his testimony was the more effectual by his remaining

as he was.

Often were the taunts uttered in his hearing, that

J

So-and-so preferred psalm-singing to exercising his company—

was more at home in his Bible than in the Axrticles of War;

al

so he made it his aim to be an officer, not merely of constraint,

fo

but from his whole heart, as to the Lord and not to men : to

Iy

take willingly any amount of work, never to shirk any duty,

he

that at any rate he might never give cause to such reproach.

to

And to no one did the Sepoys go more readily than to him in

106

any little trouble ; nor was any other so ready to help any

04

brother officer needing a word of advice or a helping hand

i

14

—d

10

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

out ¢f some scrape.

His was not the foolish good humour

which cannot say “ No ;” but he was glad at such a price to

purchase the freedom of witnessing openly for the Gospel. No

small share of work was thrown upon this willing horse.

At

one time he was performing all the staff duties of his regiment.

But he was delicate, and his bodily health often threatened to

give way altogether, so that he was early taught the lesson of

husbanding his strength.

In a short life, which was not to

complete thirty years, he became at once a perfect officer and

a perfect missionary.

His mode of working differed widely from that of his

spiritual father : indeed, they seemed almost to have changed

places. The missionary, going to work in right martial style,

laid hold on those who were without ; while the soldier, in

loving, gentle accents, entreated them to enter.

To some,

perhaps, the old man’s words might sound too harsh ; such

might be won by the gentler tones of the younger man.

Thoughtless officers, and hardened soldiers, cunning natives,

and stolid East Indians, all were equally welcome, and none

could put him out of patience.

Without any forcing of the

subject, he came at once to the one thing needful, declaring,

sometimes in a few well-chosen words, sometimes in greater

t

detail, the joy of being safe in Jesus’ arms. The light that

shone in his eyes so testified to the truth of his words, that

dl

often enemies and scoffers had to confess he was right. On

)

one occasion, as he was extolling his Saviour to an old sceptie,

the man pressed his hand, saying, “ You are a most lucky

fellow ; would God that I could believe as you do !”

h

To that of his words he added the testimony of a happy,

0f

simple, childlike walk—not, however, lacking manly firm-

to

ness.

Even unwilling observers were taken with it.

His

comrades would say, almost peevishly, “ We should like well

C

enough to be like you, but it is not so easy for us. With

dll

you, you have but to will, and all goes smoothly.” Yet how

We

A WORTHY SON.

~

9

11

our

to

little did even those who saw most of him really know him,

What knew they of the battles won in the secret of his in-

No

A

most heart ? of the yearning desire ever to stand faithful and

pure before his God, that he might ever present himself as a

0

reasonable sacrifice to his God ?

1o

To such as were truly in his

confidence, he often confessed how pained he was at his own

1 of

inconsistent walk : ¢ Though the world may not perceive it,”

A

said he, I see it every minute that I live.”

and

He carefully avoided intruding upon what appeared to him

only appropriate work for those regularly in the recognized

hla

ministry of the Church. It was only in his later years, and

\(Ted

when circumstances seemed specially to point it out to him,

7le,

that he would hold meetings for edification.

He preferred

n

confining himself to simple reading of the Word and prayer.

e,

In familiar conversation, all flowed from him so simply,

uch

freshly, and affectionately, that no one could accuse him of ser-

111

monizing. If others had so much tosay about horses and dogs,

7S,

about military manceuvres, about politics, why should he have

016

nothing to say about that one subject which was of the greatest

the

importance to himself and to his hearers ?

He seemed by a

Ing

special instinct to find those who were groping towards the

atel

truth, and would encourage them onward and upward. Many

that

a one will thank him through eternity that he so patiently

thab

and perseveringly cared for his soul.

An officer, who began

(On

his military career in Cannanore, writes, I can truly say that

tic,

I never met an officer who maintained so holy and consistent

Lcky

a walk, none who so adorned in all things the doctrine of God

his Saviour, as dear Gompertz.

Under God, he was the means

I have cause

of bringing me to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

i

to thank God, as long as I live, that I ever met with him.”

il

Hlo

It so happened that the regiment only spent two years at

Cannanore.

Even of this comparatively short period William

ell

For a while he

Vith

did not spend the whole at head-quarters.

was absent on detached duty, and subsequently had to go to

how

14—2

212

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

the Neilgherri hills for his health. On the hills he had the

pleasure of meeting an aunt, now well advanced in years.

She was still a Jewess, and gladly would he have testified to

her of Jesus.

But it was precisely this against which she

entrenched herself. If he could do nothing else, he could

pray, and seek by gentleness to win her confidence.

He read

the Old Testament to her, longing that the word spoken of

old to Israel might be effective to her.

During his stay at Ootacamund he had the great pleasure

of seeing Hebich, who, during the progress of a preaching

tour, visited some of his old Cannanore friends of the 12th

Regiment, N. I. at that sanitarium. He immediately busied

himself to help his spiritual father in his work among souls.

As concerns the aunt, however, it struck Hebich that *the

cunning fellow” ever managed to keep him away from her.

He led him to other persons, had always some other house to

suggest, where he thought Hebich might be of use. = Perhaps

he feared that Hebich’s rough manner might do more harm

than good. At all events, the translator of these lines well

remembers how, when accompanying Hebich and Gompertz,

they had reached, on one occasion, the very door of the aunt’s

house. William Gompertz acknowledged that his courage

failed, and, with an unexpected gentleness, Hebich at once

gave up the intended visit.

Gompertz returned to Cannanore with restored health.

It

is believed that the aunt, before her end, rejoiced in Jesus as

the Messiah.

Among many encouraging instances of blessing attending

his work, none was ever more so, or more enduring, than that

It was about

furnished by the case of William Gompertz.

this time that Hebich wrote, * The Lord continues to me

such bodily strength, that the most severe exertion does not

fatigue me ; and, at the same time, He grants such power to

the word of His grace spoken by my lips to those to whom

A WORTHY SON,

213

4

He sends me, that people—yea, godless people—pass from

death unto life at the hearing of the very first sermon.

I

(]

testify, to His honour, that truly His arm is not shortened,

16

But how fast our life passes ! it is as though we were flying !

i

At the end His work alone shall stand, who has so wrought

that all His saints are for ever saved alone in Him. Hal-

d

of

lelujah 1”

I

0

h

d

§

he

)t

fo

DS

yil

oll

tr,

fs

06

0

106

It

as

ng

hab

i

e

ot

fo

om

CHAPTER XXIV.

HEBICH PRESIDENT OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.

As time went on, difficulties were felt from the state of things

which had hitherto been acquiesced in; a co-ordinate authority

in all the missionaries ; each station corresponding direct with

§

the Home Committee ; the Home Committee with each station.

The need was more and more felt of a recognized central

authority in India ; therefore, in January, 1850, the system

of district conferences was once more introduced. A generak

conference was also attempted, but one district kept aloof

from it. However, the Home Board, which felt that a central

authority, responsible for the carrying out of its decisions

0

was needed, settled the matter, by, on the 4th of June, 1850,

I

naming Hebich, president of the General Conference, with

W

Mégling for his secretary. The duties devolving upon each

§

were clearly defined ; but it was with a heavy heart that

\

Hebich entered upon this new responsibility. The prevailing

feeling was democratic.

One brother was just as good as

another. Each station was self-contained, and resented interfer-

ence.

It must be allowed that, while unwilling to allow him-

self to be ruled, each member of the mission was just as little

;;

inclined to assume a position of rule. Then also Hebich’s

I¢

peculiarity of character was little adapted to a rigid system

§

HEBICH PRESIDENT OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.

215

or organization,

He thought that he must himself show a

good example, by holding a weekly station-conference with

his associate, Dr. Gundert.

Instead of only consulting

when occasion arose, he now spent every Thursday at Cherikal

£

in talking over all the affairs of the station.

The matter o

[8

a dustrict conference was more difficult than the stafion one ;

for it is not to be denied that he had been accustomed to

make sundry exceptional innovations in his own station. To

believe him, “everything is quite different in Cannanore

from what it is elsewhere.”

To sit as president of the

General Conference was the hardest task of all.

He was

expected to bring in a certain uniformity of practice, and

was just the last man in the world to be able to do it.

He

was like a Radical, suddenly made Minister of state and

called upon to uphold the conservative interests of unity and

law !

Even at one of the early sessions of the district conference,

the angry remark had been made—“ We will allow ourselves

to be governed by the Home Board, but not by the will of

Hebich and Mogling.”

He only remarked—¢ Let us keep

to the subject before us.”

His secretary was some hundred

miles away from him.

While he was considering how he

could best establish a regular communication with him, he

received the news that Mogling, who had long been ailing,

would probably be forced to return at once to Xurope.

No

sooner did this news reach him, than, though the weather

was most violent and unpropitious, he started at once for

Mangalore to see him.

On this visit, he writes—* On the afternoon of the 2nd of

July I reached Balmatha, and greeted dear brother Mogling.

He looks very pale, and has an anxious expression in the

eyes, and I noticed that he often pressed his hand over the

region of the heart.

After the first words of greeting he

sald that he felt he might die that night, then added—*¢ It is

)

16

<

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH

Just time for the English meeting, you will conduct it.

I

asked who would take it if I did not?

¢ Otherwise I must

do it myself,” said he

Under such circumstances I of course

He

consented, only asking him to choose the hymn

looked up one on the subject of death, I began at once,

preaching from the text for the day ; but all this depressed

nie

Dr

Foulis recommends Mogling’s proceeding to

and he feels himself

Europe on account of heart-disease

that rest may be beneficial to him. I remained at Mangalore

till the 9th, devoting most of my time to the dear invalid

We prayed together, and spoke unrestrainedly about our

work

of the past and of the future

We both felt thank-

ful that we had this opportunity of being together

The

two congregations appear to me to be flourishing. Mogling

does not himself at all wish to return to Europe

He

seemed to improve during my stay

He hopes that by

travelling slowly to Bangalore he may get all the refresh-

ment he realiy needs without leaving this country. In the

meanwhile, brother Wiirth will take charce of the catechist

classes

Gundert will now have to come here in order to

be for some months under Dr

Foulis’ care

His coming

here interests me closely, because if he does not decidedly

Jmprove, he will have to go to Europe

May the Lord do all

things well

Yea, He ever doeth all well

I am in vicorous

health, full of faith and rejoicing in the redemption of my

Cod, which I magnify before all men

On the whole Hebich proved to be not a very despotic

ruler.

He certainly had a peculiar way of his own of bearing

on his heart the interests and welfare of the general body of

missionaries ; but-he shrank from violent measures

His

advice to the Home Board was, not to expect too much from

General Conferences, and such systematic organizations

His

own favourite motto for India was *slow and sure !

He

writes—* I feel quite sure that the time has not yet come for

217

HEBICH PRESIDENT OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.

us to be circumseribed by rules and formularies.

What we

s

do need is a revival from above, by the operation of His

0

The devil robs us of our Divine Life—and

Holy Spirit.

o

then mnothing remains but the offensive (stinking) natural

b

man, full of fine words and wisdom, of course, but in

d

which Jesus is no longer the beginning and ending. Hence

For God’s sake help us

arise all our complainings out here.

If

to obtain more of the divine life ! I truly wish to forget all

former attainments, and to learn obedience ; but I pray you,

tie not my hands, let it be the Cracified One whom I obey.

L

Here, in this Babylon, He alone is stable, and he becomes

daily more and more to me, for He is still the Saviour of

e

sinners. Oh ! how precious their souls are to him ! And

oh ! how beautiful those souls are into which he enters !

13

Io

What a precious office is mine, to have to lead souls to him!

by

"We have the Lord’s Supper to-day, Sunday, 18th of August,

and three new souls join us, European grenadiers.

On the

h

he

last occasion, 28th of July, six joined us, a gentleman and

his lady, a soldier, an East Indian clerk and his wife, and a

15

to

Tamul woman.

All are anew refreshed by His Holy Spirit.

g

Then again at Cherikal three young men have come out and

joined us, one of whom has desired to do so for the last four

ly

all

years. Bear patiently with me yet a while, forgive me every-

thing that is not right, if too much has been spent, &e., for

us

Amen.”

Iy

Jesus Christ’s sake.

An interval of twelve years had elapsed since the last

The one now held, in January, 1851,

tie

(General Conference.

served in some measure as introductory to those greab

I3

of

changes in the constitution of the Mission which the Inspector,

Josenhans, inaugurated at his visitation.

Hebich became in-

Jis

creasingly engrossed in the general interests of the Mission.

il

Disinclined as he had been to undertake the duties of Presi-

I8

dent, his warm heart was soon interested in each individual

o

for

],

9

18

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH,

0

gt

station,—in each individual missionary. Occasionally, when

it

some neophyte or candidate for baptism appeared not to go on

quite satisfactorily, the experiment was tried of sending him

for a while to Cannanore.

Once it was a confirmed opium-

smoker, otherwise well inclined ; once a clever young fellow,

eaten up with vanity, who had exchanged locks of hair with

il

)

all the young Christian girls of his station ; or a fallen wo-

man, to be cared for at Cherikal.

In all these cases Hebich

o

C(

took the liveliest interest, glad to help a brother missionary

in any difficulty, without for a moment expecting any return.

d

“And whether in money or in other matters, he had enough to

i

¥

do ere each station had all its wants supplied. Once, for

greater security, he lodged the Mission cash-chest under the

care of the government paymaster.

One morning in June,

1861, he received a note from him to say that white ants had

;

eaten through it. They had not only eaten the bags in which

the coins were, but two government treasury-notes for large

sums. Luckily, the portions left proved sufficient for identi-

fication !

It would have been a great help to him if he could have

y1

Vi

induced each station to send him, by the end of October,

a regularly-drawn and balanced annual statement ; but few

th

could be induced to do it.

They trusted all to him, both

W]

the will and the power to set all to rights.

Once, even,—to

W

be sure it was from a station where there had been very much

th

sickness,—he received nothing but a bundle of digjointed me-

€N

moranda,

All this necessitated increase of correspondence

(e

with the stations; but while asking business-questions, he

took the

opportunity of giving a little spiritual food, or of

fr

asking a stirring question : for instance—-

fo

“Can you not advise me how to bring it about that we

S

may be all rejoicing together and working harmoniously to-

3

gether in the spirit of Christ?”

Once when, having made out his clear and neatly-written

¥

HEBICH PRESIDENT OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE. 9219

91}

general statement, he gavé utterance to the desire of his

0n

heart on the matter, by circulating it, with the remark

i}

written on it—

¢If we were all in earnest to help in the matter, the making

W

up of the accounts might be much facilitated. In looking

th

through this, you will see that some of the brethren have their s

{1

vouchers quite correct. Copy this out as a form for general

adéption, and follow their example, so that all may be equally

ch

Iy

correct next year. As it is, I have terrible work, up and

down, backwards and forwards, in my attempts to bring

1)

to

things into shape. Dear friends, will you not have mercy on

your aged brother, and help him somewhat ?’

()¢

ho

This touching appeal resulted in some improvement.

The visitation was now impending, and Hebich had to

e,

ad

prepare for it.

He sometimes waxed a littlehot, but Mog-

ling, with his calm way of looking at things, helped to quiet

ch

06

him

“The general interests of the whole mission,” he wrote to

fl

him, “will depend more upon your general conduct now than

(5

you imagine. Those who are inclined to prefer their indi-

vidual interests to those of the whole body will plead you as

Jl,

their excuse.

If I were the Home Board, I might say, ¢ We

A4

will not worry old Hebich even if he cannot quite accept our

h

o

ways, but will leave him to work on in his own manner as

the Lord may teach him, and as best suits his past experi-

h

But he must be the only ex-

9

ence and long-formed habits.

ception ; all the rest must submit to a common order.” Bub

(6

10

T am not the Home Board ; so would it not be best, dear old

friend, to bear in mind the general interests, and that there-

of

fore you should seek to be an example to all in your

submissiveness ?

That would be conduct worthy of a true

0

captain.”

He had been required to disperse his boys, sending some to

Mangalore and some to Tellicherry, where it was thought

)

220

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH

they could be better taught, leaving him at the same time

freer for a wider scope of work, It went to his heart ; but

knees.”

all that he could say to it was, “It drives me much to my

P . 5 otk i gty S SRR g AT e Sl e R

i

0

P T i Sy e R

t

h

me

buf

ny

CHAPTER XXYV.

THE VISITATION.

A rrriop of seventeen years had made great changes, won-

derful growth, in the Indian Mission of the Basle society ;

and the Managing Committee felt a desire to become more

intimately acquainted with the actual working than had

hitherto been possible.

Mzr. Josenhans, the Inspector of the

Mission House, was therefore sent out to visit all the stations.

Accompanied by a number of new missionaries, he arrived in

India in the autumn of 1851, and remained in the country

till May, 1852.

The party landed at Mangalore on the 15th

of October.

After the great baptismal service which, as already noticed,

had been held on the 21st of September, Hebich had eleven

months’ general accounts to wade through and write up before

he could well proceed to Mangalore to meet the Inspector.

He therefore made use of the post to convey his greetings,

writing—

¢““Welcome, dear Inspector, in the name of Jesus, at last

to Indian soil! Welcome to yourself and to all your dear

This

companions !

Especially do I greet my beloved Diez.

is the chosen land for our labours, where we have the privi-

lege of helping in gathering in the travail of the soul of the

Crucified One.

Hallelujah !

Nor labours nor suffering can

222

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

be too great for His sake, for He is worthy of it all. = So,

courage !

Let us be faithful unto death. Amen.”

In explanation of the special greeting sent above, “To my

beloved Diez,” it may be mentioned that at the meeting of

i

the General Conference, there had been a good deal of dis-

cussion as to the advisability of supplying Hebich with a

He then

special assistant in the keeping of the accounts.

wrote to the Home Board, which had also mooted the ques-

ion :—

“ Now in answer to your question, which is especially per-

sonal to myself, as to whether I would consent to have asso-

§

ciated with me a brother who should be a man of business, I

must beg leave to say decidedly that I do not want such an

one at all. If I wanted any one, it would be a preacher. I

gi

had far rather have no one, than a person who cannot be

with me in every branch of work.”

i

In spite of this protest, however, it had been settled that

Ernest Diez, who had formerly been a merchant, was to go

out as Hebich’s assistant.

He and the new recruit did not

meet till the 24th of October, when the young man at once

took to the lively “senior.”

On the evening of that 24th of

October, just as we were sitting down to tea at Balmatha, the

q

1

TInspector called” attention 'ty a strange figure with a long

40)

stick, a broad-brimmed white hat, and a prodigious shirt-

collar falling over his shoulders, approaching at a rapid pace.

loc

b)

“In a moment he stood before me,” writes Mr. Josenhans,

“truly a noble figure, great and strong, his head almost bald,

ad

but a long grey beard down to his chest.

0

He greeted me

earnestly, modestly, yet with a certain child-like simplicity,

with a few scripture words.

But no sooner did he turn to-

al

wards the brethren than the fire seemed to kindle within him,

Yo

and all was life and animation throughout the mission-house.

Mr. Hebich has come,” passed from mouth to mouth, and all

hﬁl

0uf

ha_stgned up to welecome him. Soon, however, with the air

TR

VISITATION.

223

of a commander, he formed the young catechist class into a

3,

semicircle, and gave out a hymn to be sung.

He then sat

down with us to tea, and entered into lively conversation.”

0y

Mr. Josenhans now devoted six days exclusively to Hebich

of

and Mogling, and the impression produced on him was favour-

{1

| &

able.

Special details of business were soon settled. Hebich

was now appointed special trustee for all the Mission property.

31}

But some questions, such as the allocation of the various mis-

§:

sionaries, the prescribing their circles forwork, and the adoption

of a general and uniform Church order offered greater difficul-

el

ties. He admitted that it was a good thing to have a recognized

50

head, but also felt that too much was being put upon him as

that head.

The interior work of his own station was to him

an

of the utmost moment ; and yet even the abstracting of the

general accounts took him away from that work for a whole

he

He bluntly said—

month of each year.

¢« The object of my life is to maintain life in the Mission,

hat

%;

but I cannot undertake to rule everything; however, I will

00

.obey orders.”

106

The introduction of a liturgy he did not at all relish. By

106

long habit he had, as it were, formed a liturgy to himself.

of

He said, “ As we have God’s own word, I object to the intro-

the

In the

duction of man’s inventions into Divine service.

ng

course of a century or so, these human things come to be

i

looked upon as of divine authority. I say nothing against it

06

for those whom it may suit ; some, perhaps, may use it with

1§,

advantage ; but if T am expected to take it up I had rather

I,

go away altogether.

What would my English people say if

me

I began to read out an absolution? They would run clean

fy,

away from me !”

f0

The Inspector was bent upon getting the flower of Hebich’s

1

young men drafted into the Mangalore catechist class, which

150

had become a more important institution than ever. He held

all

out the prospect of his receiving in return some of the young

ak

Sl

-~

)

24

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.I

men who had been educated in the seminary.

Hebich,

who knew that this would be demanded of him, had already

passed through his inner conflict on the subject ; so his only

answer was—

“T am ready for everything ; but still, having chosen ¢/Zhe

one thing meedful’ must ever be of more importance for a

catechist than any amount of training.

I must have them

back as soon as they have finished their course.

Surely when

we have been privileged to quicken souls into spiritual life,

they are a special gift to us from the Lord. However, I will

gladly accept two of these new men.

I prefer receiving to

giving up.”

Accordingly, two promising lads, Diego Fernandez and

S TR Tt a )

Sebastian Furtado, were allotted to him.

Then he suggested

that as the catechist-class had their holidays in February,

they might as well accompany him to the heathen festivals.

Both here, and afterwards at Cannanore, the Inspector

watched this most original man with keen interest, noting

ALy =t = Py

much of what was admirable and peculiar in him.

Mr

o

Josenhans was able to give Hebich the latest accounts of his

mother ; that old lady, at 82 years of age, living on the

W

fourth flat, still tripped up and down the long flights of stairs

)

with the activity of a girl ; while one of his brothers, having

il

fought his way through life, was now settled down at Ulm, a

fc

pensioned captain of the French army. Hebich, in return, had

anecdotes to communicate about two other brothers, one still

P

living in Lubeck, but one since dead, who had been deco-

7

rated for once parrying with his arm a thrust made by a

He read

Frenchman at the Crown Prince of Wiirtemburg.

out to the Inspector the original letters of his father, or nar-

rated his many journeys, or talked over his experiences while

i

at the Mission-house.

Mr. Josenhans gives in the following

i

words the estimate he had formed of him :—

« Hebich is an earnest, zealous missionary, full of heroic

)

|

THE VISITATION.

225

\h,

«courage, but withal manifesting a truly childlike and noble

dy

soul.

It is harder for him than for most of us to put himself

Iy

in the place of others, or to take up a new idea: but bring

him to it in a loving way, and he is ever ready to give up

h

his own notions as far as possible, and the evidences of a

broken spirit are always manifest in him. Preaching is a

i

perfect passion with him.

He is never troubled as to not

el

doing it well enough, nor ever at a loss what to say.”

fe,

On the 30th of October Mr. Hoch was married. At the

ill

Hoch had

marriage-feast one feature gave special pleasure.

to

placed a scripture-text upon each plate.

Hebich, beginning

with his next-hand neighbour, took each text in succession,

nd

and applied it lovingly, but wittily, to the one to whom it had

ed

been given.

‘When he had done, I took up his text, and

T,

applied it with the same freedom to himself.

It was worth

noticing how lamb-like the lion sat, and allowed himself to be

jor

preached to.

Then Hebich, taking the Inspector by the arm,

15

and with joy beaming in his face, led him out into the veran-

:%é

dah to see the rows of Tulu Christians seated there, partaking

Ir

i

of their share of the feast, rolling up balls of rice and curry

he

with their fingers, and cramming them into their mouths.

1S

Mr. Josenhans found the sight so little attractive, that he left

18

the old missionary to enjoy it, and to season the poor people’s

feast with sundry spiritual remarks.

, &

I&d

After this Hebich hastened back to his own station, with a

promise from the inspector that when he had finished his

Llﬂ

(0

work in the more northerly stations, he would pay him a visit

there towards the end of the year.

Other work had to be

al

done ; accommodation must be provided for his new assistant ;

two additional rooms must be built.

The inspector having

ol

ule

ganctioned this building, Hebich and his young assistant

g

departed together.

He felt that the work was entering upon

a new era, and besought the Lord, with tears, both in private

Ny

e e

and in the congregation, ““that of His free grace He would

15

-

9

6

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

pity us, making us all partakers of true repentance and of

His Holy Spirit.

As for me, I will make it my object to

please Him who has accepted me, and I am sure He will do

all things well.

Hallelujah ! Amen.”

On arrival at the station, ¢ the recruit” soon found himself

under a hot fire of engagements.

He had to work hard at

English and at Malayalim, at the same time to oversee the

building and sundry domestic arrangements.

Diez felt satis-

Yet there were difficulties.

He

fied that all would go well.

says, “ If Hebich fancied he detected aught of unbelief or

of questionable habits, he would attack me at once, and

sharply too, with the word of God. With holy earnestness,

yet in a loving tone, he would say, ¢ Take care, you fellow,

or I will kill you !

Then, taking up the English Bible, he

would turn up text after text, exclaiming, ¢ There, do you see,

you rogue ?

Rogue that you are, read that!

Ah! you are

%

Then

all Hottentots, regular infidels—that is all humbug

again, he would inquire whether I made a habit of prayer ?

—whether I studied the Word ?

If there was anything par-

ticular that I wished to ask him about ?

If I had anything

on my mind ?

All his fatherly ways, his care for my comfort

and health, drew my heart to him.

I felt my position a very

L

happy one.

Hebich specially commended me to the prayers

of the Church for help in my work.

Yea, before I ever left

0o

Europe I had already had the benefit of the intercessions of

by

this praying company. Occasionally I took offence at some-

0

thing or another, and especially if I had been negligent in

prayer, or unwatchful, my temper would get the better of me.

Then he would keep aloof from me for a while ; or if during,

I(

it may be, our morning walk together, I would speak out a

f

little warmly to him, he would humble himself in a way that

L

at once put me to shame.

Then, the atmosphere once cleared

al

again, he would say, ‘ Now do not behave to me again like

fr

of

that ; be g good lad to me !”

i

THE VISITATION,

227

of

The Andjerakandi Christians came in full force to Can-

to

nanore for the new year’s festival of 1852 ; but the Inspector,

do

whom they hiad hoped to have seen, was unable to come at

the time appointed. He did not reach Cherikal till the 10th

olf

of January, and Hebich rode over there early, as he had much

ab

to speak about.

Mr. Josenhans had, from the moment of his

the

arrival, an experience of the peculiar state of society prevail-

1S

ing in Malabas.

On the 6th there had been an outbreak of

He

the Mapilas near Andjerakandi.

Thirteen poor wretches,

0r

stirred up to 1t by their priests, had vowed to commence the

md

holy war, and exterminate the infidels.

They attacked the

%,

house of a rich Brahman, ill-used and murdered about twenty

W,

of the inhabitants, and set the house on fire.

The European

he

troops sent against the insurgents soon rendered a good ac-

38,

count of them ; but the excitement in the neighbourhood was

4Ie

slow in subsiding.

It was rumoured that the Messrs. Brown

hen

were to he the next vietims.

All were in a state of sleepless

watchfulness.

The Christians were hastily armed with pikes,

er!

p‘ll’

and were set to patrol the neighbourhood, and to guard the

ing

planters’ house.

Hebich sent out some of his people to en-

fort

courage the catechist, and prepared to go out there himself,

with Mr. Josenhans.

jery

The 11th of January was a Sunday, and the feeble tones

}'61’3

Jotb

of the bell, afterwards replaced by a much finer one, sent out

by friends in Lubeck at Mr. Josenhans’s suggestion, called the

sOf

e~

congregation together.

The Inspector thus describes the

day :—

{10

me

¢ Hebich first gathers the catechists together in his own

room, where they sing and pray.

He then goes out to meet

riﬂg;

b

the women and girls coming from Cherikal, and directs them

to their seats.

that

‘While they are assembling, a catechist reads

aloud, either in Tamul or Malayalim, some chapters of Scrip-

aed

ture.

Jike

Officers and ladies arrive in carriages, or riding ; a squad

of soldiers, in red jackets and white trousers, is then marched

16—2

228

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

The

in, and they occupy the higher benches at the back.

q

natives sit more to the front, on benches, the children squatted

1

on mats quite in front, the smallest nearest to the preacher.

Hebich now enters in his gown, and kneeling at the table,

t

which is covered with a white cloth, utters the opening sen-

tence, ¢ Our beginning be in the name of the Father, and of

Then the natives

the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.’

sing a verse of a hymn, next the English sing, and so on till

The old man then kneels down

there has been enough of it.

1

again, and prays in a most childlike manner for nearly an

hour.

He mentions at least fifty names of persons or of

places in his prayer.

The special need and present danger of

i

the Andjerakandi Church is mentioned in a peculiarly feeling

manner.

Then, also, the Inspector is remembered, his wife,

his children, friends at home, particular members of the con-

gregation.

Then also for the colonel at that time in com-

"1

mand, and for his wife, that the Lord would open their eyes

and convert them.

‘What he says in English, Jacob, who is

kneeling by his side, interprets.

It is the same with the

'v

preaching ; by the time Hebich has taken breath, his last sen-

§

tence is rendered into Malayalim. If amore difficult sentence

fi

than usual makes the interpreter hesitate, he can sometimes

8

administer a smart reproof, so as to bring tears into the poor

man’s eyes. Then a short concluding prayer, another verse is

0o

sung, the congregation still on their knees, and that finishes

i

the service.

I

“This Church is certainly one of the phenomena of our

1

Mission.

There is much spiritual life manifest, but the form

is just Hebich’s own—much, indeed, to admire, but also much

that rather startles.

a

What mean that small rod, and longer

cane, on the table by the side of the English, the Tamul, and

the Malayalim Bibles ?

Well, it is soon made evident.

If,

¥V

during the prayer, the little children, who kneel just in front

4

of Hebich, forget themselves and begin to play or fidget, he is

0)

§‘

;

THE VISITATION.

Z9

ho

up in a moment, and, having restored order by the adminis-

od

tration of a smart cut, kneels down again as though nothing

E;

L

had happened.

I remonstrated with him on this, as being

Afterwards

I,

quite contrary to all ecclesiastical propriety.

1l

these peculiar ¢ church ornaments’ disappeared.”

of

The Inspector recommended as a better method that a Sun-

/63

day school should be adopted for the children, which was at

ill

once done, and by the very next Sunday it was in full work-

i}

ing order.

an

Mr. Josenhans continues—¢ Hebich’s demeanour towards

of

his flock is affectionate, and they testify to his love and pa-

of

tience. A happy state of things exists among them, especially

ng

in a religious point of view.

In preaching, he brings all his

bodily strength into play. I am surprised how he stands it.

fe,

01l

One special source of his attractive power is, that he is never

)i

RPN

weary of showing forth the sufferings and death of the Lord

Jesus Christ. Thus it is that, living himself in Jesus, he has

yes

15

counsel and comfort for the worst of sinners.

It inspires one

with new life to hear him speak of the tender mercies of his

he

el

Saviour.

When the brethren gather round him, he has little

166

to say about the concerns of every-day life ; but there is ever

16§

some text of Scripture upon his lips.

0OI

¢ But his housekeeping is peculiar, and partakes somewhat

of the roughness of barrack life. Ihave recommended, and all

b 15

hes

the brethren concur, that his habit of having all the catechists

living together in common should cease. No community can get

into a truly healthy state with this barrack-life.

Everything

our

il

depends upon Hebich’s individuality ; were he to die, it would

all go to pieces.

Tt is true that he has the advantage that his

ch

I

men are always at hand, ready for any sudden emergency ;

gt

but then there is no home or family life, nor do they learn the

ind

value of money or of true habits of economy. Hebich is

i

ool

afraid of allowing his catechists to own anything, but in the

ordinary course it must come to that.

The station rests on

13

230

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

no sure foundation, so long as the Church consists only of

those employed about the Mission, with the officers and ser-

vants, and none occupied in their own business pursuits.

“On the 14th of February we proposed going to Andjera-

kandi, as the disturbers of the peace were all either slain or

captured, though friends warned us that we might still be in

o

some peril.

The following evenin

to}]

while I was preaching,

the drums beat to arms, and the English brethren had to leave

the chapel.

Hebich also went out to gather the news, and T

began to fear that T must give up the hope of seeing Andjera-

kandi.

But he came back with the intelligence that it was

only that a detachment was to be sent to Tellicherry to guard

the prisoners, as a rescue was apprehended. So we deter-

mined to pay our visit to the plantation. We continued busy

with the catechists till midnight, were up again at four, and

an hour later we—that is, Hebich, Miiller, and I—rode forth.

By nine o’clock we reached an abattis, behind which men,

armed with spears and firelocks, were standing to resist any

attack that might be made by the Mapilas.

They were

Christians, by whom we were gladly welcomed. They accom-

panied us to their chapel, which was built on the top of a hill,

surrounded by their cottages.

The masters had granted a

holiday to the members of the flock, so they were all there,

1

Then we had

and greeted us with the singing of a hymn.

1

to shake hands all round, after which we entered the chapel,

where I addressed them, brother Miiller interpreting for me.

They were invited to gather again at noon for a regular ser-

vice.

“ Passing down the hill and through this first Christian

village, we went to the planter's house on the banks of the

river.

There we were received by Mr. John Brown, now

growing old, and by three younger planters, and we had

breakfast with them. They seemed very cautious and un-

§

willing to say much, yet readily allowed that in the late

;%

9

THE VISITATION.

aod

31

of

Mapila outbreak, the Christians had proved much more trust-

SeI:

worthy than the inhabitants of their Teir village.

Hebich

?

asked leave to preach in this Teir village, and was told that

1%

eventually they might perhaps sanction it.

He pressed upon

| (T

them the responsibility they incurred by keeping the sound

11

of the Gospel from these Hindus, who were so immediately

10,

0!

dependent upon them. After breakfast we were taken over

Ve

the works, and saw the preparation of the cinnamon and of

i1

the pepper, the winding of silk, and other industries.

14

“We then made our way up the hill again to the Christian

Afterwards,

fas

Palayers, to whom I preached for an hour.

il

while Hebich was introducing them individually to me, he

-

suddenly caught sight of a man in the crowd, to whom he

immediately pushed his way, and, taking him by the arm,

g

nd

brought him up, introducing him as one of the only three

th

who still continued heathen.

He also brought up the other

el

two, who seemed rather less morose and forbidding than the

first.

We then had some talk with individuals, and especi-

ny

e1e

ally with the catechist Timotheus, who does his utmost to

keep order amongst his somewhat rude flock. When we

)il

il

took our leave, the boys gave us an English song at parting.

“ We dined with the planters, and then crossed the river

i

Ie,

in a boat, calling out parting salaams as we drifted across;

mounted our ponies, and rode in to Tellicherry. I shall never

ad

forget the impression made upon me by those parting words

el

called out over the water te those simple-hearted folk. The

1

oI

men stood nearest the bank of the river, cheerful and bright:

a little further back the women were grouped, not so shy as

heathen women are ; further back, many heathen of various

A

castes were also standing, apparently not without sympathy

he

¥

in the scene.

T think that if their masters would sanction

W

ad

preaching to them, they might also be won over to the

Lospel.”

i

fo

This hope has not been fulfilled. The planters were them-

232

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH

selves too much entangled in the customs of the country, to

care to have those customs broken throuch in the families of

s

those most closely dependant upon them

During the further course of this visitation-tour. Hebich

and the Inspector met yet once or twice

The next occasion

was 1n Calicut

where a District Conference was holden

from the 3rd to the 5th of February. On this occasion M

Josenhans remarked how very much he had been impressed

with the lively piety, and spirit of brotherly love and

mutual help which he had found prevailing in the Canna-

nore church

He was especially gratified at the unity

natives

which had there been attained between Furopeans and

It allowed the missionary to work on so much

| ST EREN - U Y SISt iy et R i © SRy S e St S e e

more unconstrainedly than is often the case where he has to

lead a kind of amphibious life ; presiding over tiwo different

a

church forms

A happy result is produced, in that first the

natives learn their common birthright, and the Europeans

]

gradually lay aside their spirit of caste exclusiveness

He also approved of the plan of the various social classes

having each a prayer-meeting in his own circle.

Certainly,

8]

though Hebich might be the eldest among the missionaries,

i

he was one of the most vigorous, and best prepaled to go fur-

a8

ther afield, should opportunity offer.

(i

“Yet,” said he, “there are still some points there, which

may be improved

For instance it is desirabie that the form

U

of divine service should be gradually brought into con-

al

formity with that which obtains at the other stations.

The

Home Committee considers that the introduction of a liturgy

h

will be a first and important step g

gained towards a most

U

desirable uniformity ; and I much wish to see it done

Heb1ch could not be brought to promise more than as follows :

di

“TI am not given to much reading ;

I will endeavour to learn

€0

the form enough to enable me to adhele to 1t substantially

th

from memory.”

thy

233

THE VISITATION.

)

About his orphan boys Hebich had a tough fight.

He

of

had seen reason to abandon Tai as an out-station, both on

account of its unhealthiness, and of the impracticable cha-

h

racter of the fishing-population : and therefore he had col-

!

lected the orphan lads in his own compound. Though he

1

wished some change made in this respect, he yet did not wish

b

them taken entirely out of his own care ; but the remaining

o

members of the Conference were unanimous in favour of

1t

1

sending them to the District Orphanage at Tellicherry.

&

was pointed out to him that the distance was so inconsiderable

)

that he might continue to watch over them, and visit them

(L

from time to time.

At last he gave in, saying, “If 1t be

]

necessary I will give up my orphans.”

On the other hand, his request to be allowed to occupy

w0

I

as out-stations Taliparambu and Palghat was granted. Had

he

the society been richer, Palghat would have been gladly

15

adopted as a separate station for an independent missionary.

N

Mr. Josenhans thought that perhaps some one of Hebich’s

catechists might be fitted to hold the higher post of an as-

05

T,

sistant missionary.

However, : }H felt that it was foolish

to think of occupying the whele country, cutting it up

63,

T

as it were into parishes, each occupied by a German mis-

sionary.

After this Conference, the Inspector continued his tour by

ch

proceeding to the Nilgherry mountains; and Hebich seb

i}

about his preparations for visiting the heathen festivals.

He

I

he

writes concerning them, “I go there with my life in my

hand ; and I can only ascribe to God’s loving care that in

)

Oat

previous years I have not been slain there. And then, among

i

my own people, there are ever so many disorders to be reme-

died ; so much of what I call ¢devil’s business,’ that it be-

5

comes well-nigh impossible for me to lead them out against

yil

the enemy. For unless we be ourselves every one of us in

lly

the Lord Jesus, how dare we face the devil in his strong-

234

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

b

holds? Hitherto the Lord has had mercy on us and on the

people, and has ever given us cause to rejoice.”

¢

It was only questions like this, as to the spiritual state of

his own people, that made it at all difficult for him to visit

I

the festivals, for questions of political expediency never

troubled him.

Sl

Yet this was a time of unusual ferment in Malabar.

The

@

Arab Tpangal (or headman) of Condavetti, had been the open

Cf

instigator of rebellion under the guise of a Jehad or holy

war, and to be true to its responsibilities, the government

must attack him. The movements of the authorities were

fl’\

so closely watched, so quickly betrayed, that there seemed

i

no little risk that the holy war might burst forth before the

de

English Government had gathered sufficient force in hand

)

to strangle it.

The Tungal tried to terrify the Collector by

marching on Calicut at the head of some thousands of

1

armed Mahomedan fanatics, giving out that he was coming

n

to find out what the Government wanted of him,

But Mr.

b

Conolly tock his measures so well that the Tungal himself

Wi

took fright, and suddenly expatriated himself, embarking,

a(

in March, in a native vessel, on pilgrimage to Mecca.

Once

il

there the Turkish authorities managed to detain him, and he

Th

was only able to do mischief in Malabar, by the influence he

fut

exercised over the pilgrims who, from that province, visited

of

Mecca, and by his letters.

e

Three years later it became clear that, absent though

a

he were in body, he had still, by such means power for

his

evil,

At first on his departure, quiet seemed restored, and

that uneasy upheaval which had begun to manifest itself

We

throughout the province, seemed to subside.

In February

act

Hebich went to the festival at Payawur.

It happened to be

Teg

just at that time that the Tungal was threatening Calicut,

Wh

and he found the festival but thinly attended.

After-

hi

wards, taking with him the two new catechists who had

14 Y

¢

THE VISITATION.

235

he

been assigned to him from Mangalore, and the new catechist

class, he went on to the Taliparambu festival.

of

Here he at last succeeded in doing what he had sought in

It

vain to manage for the past five years.

He found a plot of

Ver

land for sale—small, and dear enough, certainly, but well

situated. He says, ¢ We were this time a stronger body than

[he

ever, and our singing proved very attractive.

However, as

pen

my new heroes did not yet understand my manner of pro-

ceeding, they rather increased my work.

My own catechists

oly

ent

preached with much power.

It was there that I had to part

(I

from my dear lads, who accompanied Mogling towards Man-

ned

galore.

It was a hard parting for me.

I cannot describe how

the

deep in my heart have sunk the memories of those blessed

times which we enjoyed together in 1847.”

and

by

Mr. Josenhans’ visitation-tour was wound up by the hold-

3

ing of a General Conference at Mangalore.

Hebich was also

o

in his place at it.

He brought before it a matter which had

ing

M

been for some little time working in his mind ; namely, his

wish to receive another British soldier as a catechist.

It was

self

a certain Charles Stocking, whose period of service had well-

ing,

nigh expired, and from whom Hebich expected great things.

nce

The permission was granted, but with the proviso that in

| he

o 1o

future no European was to be so received, except after a period

of probation.

Tt was then also settled that Hebich’s inter-

ited

preter, Joseph Ramavurmah, should for a while study German

and theology under Dr. Gundert, with the ultimate view of

ugh

his ordination.

for

B T s e s D Lt

Hebich was in a hurry to take his leave, for the conferences

and

swere never much to his mind, and he longed to be back at his

\tself

active work. DBefore Mr. Josenhans’ embarkation, in May, he

1Ay

received a hearty letter from Hebich, dated from Palghat, in

) be

|

which, in most childlike simplicity of language, he expressed

1c\1t’

il

his great thankfulness for the happy results of the visitation,

i

ol

|

“You know now more both of our sorrows and of our joys.

fad

i

%

236

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

After these eighteen years I do not feel that y/c/o;rs/e igyetb

Irun

So far as it depends upon me, my oWn salvation still

hangs as by a thread. The Lord Jesus, who was dead, and

is alive for evermore, is alone the author and the finisher

of our faith. Therefore, dear brother, as you are truly His

servant, look up to Him, and hold up to Him your hands. In

Him alone is living hope, joy, victory. To look at ourselves,

or at our own doings, is but vanity and vexation of spirit.

Amen.

I know of nothing better to write to you about, and

it is what all the children of God know.

Happy they who

practise what they know! As I 101/8 you in-the truth, so

grant me your love !”

Mr. Josenhans’ judgment concerning him is as follows :—

1)

“ Though Hebich be no scholar, he is a practical worker.

ch

‘What others elaborate at their desks, he brings forth in his

life.

0

A preacher of the Cross, he holds his banner joyfully

€0

aloft, and presses on, through storm and terror, into the very

al

head-quarters of the foe.

There he gains a footing, and

bravely repels every fresh assault of the adversary.

Hebich

i}

U]

is, above all, a Christian, and that is the main thing.

From

the first moment of meeting him, one feels that the Lord lives

n

th

in his soul ; that he is one of those humble souls, poor in

spirit, to whom the Lord grants ¢ grace for grace.’

This is

st

Tb \

the secret of the success of his labours, and that the Lord

off

allows him to succeed in so many of his enterprises.”

sl

S01

th

1

to

&

lo

{Jc

jeb

fill

nd

her

His

In

V65,

11h

nd

CHAPTER XXVI.

ho

§0

THE OUT-STATION OF PALGHAT.

Ox the 21st of March, 1852, Hebich presented the two cate-

{6l

chists, George O’Brien and Daniel, before the Church, to be

le

solemnly set apart for the work at Palghat.

He especially

illy

commended them to the prayers of the sisters. Immediately

eIy

after this impressive service they starte«f to take up their post.

nd

They readily found a suitable residence, and at once entered

ich

upon work.

Hebich himself soon paid them a visit, arriving

{1}

in Palghat on the 19th of April

He looked around him

iv'eS

there for opportunities, preaching morning and evening in the

il

streets, and, as he expressed it, “led his people under fire.”

sis

Then, seeking out the nominal Christians residing there, he

od

offered them the advantage of pastoral care, if they would

submit to be ruled.

This was a hard matter to settle ; yet

some of the drummers of the 20th Regiment, N. I., declared

themselves willing to give up drink, and to become Christians

indeed.

On the 29nd he received all those Christians who consented

to come to him.

The men came, of course, with their long

¢ caste locks,” the women with their ornaments. He laboured

long to make them understand the ¢ birth from above”

(John iii.). They then declared themselves prepared to accept

238

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

him as a servant of the Lord’s; whereupon he proceeded to

cut off the caste locks, and to relieve the women’s ears and

(i

noses of their many rings.

A couple, who had been living

together without that sanction, were united in wedlock.

Afterwards, at the administration of the Lord’s Supper, twelve

of these Christians were present, Tamuls and Iast Indians.

1I

Though they could hardly be called permanent residents, yet

they formed the nucleus of the Palghat Church. After this

1l

he spent a week in a missionary tour in the neighbourhood.

The inhabitants, a mixture of Tamul and Malayalim people,

seemed mostly well-disposed, and inclined to listen—as 1s,

indeed, generally the experience of missionaries on their first

il

I¢

visit to any region in India, before the heathen have quite

perceived what it all really means.

A number of books were

th

distributed during this tour.

From thence he passed on to Coimbatore, an elevated and

healthy station, which had been occupied for many years by

it

the London Missionary Society. The missionary, Mr. Addis,

with whom he especially desired to be on friendly terms, re-

ceived him cordially, and invited him to preach in his church.

il

He took for his text John xiv. 21, in connection with Psalm

vl

0f

He told the people that their pastor had hitherto

spared them as much as possible, though quite agreeing with

hi

i

the preacher ; and he urged upon them to prove their love

to their pastor, and rejoice his heart by cutting off their top-

1

€0

knots and discarding their ornaments.

He himself thought

that his discourse had impressed some of them, but his inter-

T

preter, Joseph, thought that the devil had snatched away

It

whatever of real good they might have derived from it, by

tEJ

filling their minds with talk about locks of hair and jewels of

C

gold. THebich had always a great repugnance to these things,

as being, as they no doubt are in India, associated with

W

heathen customs and superstitions, and ever tried to impress

upon the European ladies who came under his influence that

I

THE OUT-STATION

OF PALGHAT.

239

fo

by indulging in a use of ornaments, which to them might be

nd

comparatively harmless, they put a stumbling-block in the

mg

way of their native Christian sisters, and an additional diffi-

ek,

culty in the way of the missionary. Any good impression

lve

produced at Coimbatore was also lessened by the German and

JIN

his companion continuing their journey on the Sunday even-

yeb

ing, which was not a hallowing of the Sabbath in the manner

this

in which they had been taught to understand it.

0d

They travelled through that night to the foot of the Nil-

ple,

gherry hills, which they ascended early next day. On those

hills he found much to occupy and to interest him, in all of

¥

which he was efficiently helped by the missionary brethren

uite

resident there. He had been a little disinclined to enter upon

(i

this new field of work. He writes—

“TI had to silence many doubts before I could make up my

and

mind to go up the mountains. At length, however, I thought

by

that, after eighteen years of labour in the heat of the plains, I

might well allow myself the enjoyment of a little cooler air ;

055,

16

being thankful, too, that it was not ill health which brought

me there, but only the ordinary course of work.”

el

gl

The week that he spent in that beautiful region was a time

of much enjoyment to him. He scarcely felt the cold, which

erfo

yith

his poor companion Joseph suffered from very much. He

first went to Kaity, where he accompanied the missionary

love

Metz to the Badagas (an agricultural hill-tribe, speaking a

fopr

corrupt Canarese), to whom he preached with all his might.

ol

el

Thence he passed on to Ootacamund, the principal hill-station.

It was just at the time when, as mentioned in a former chap-

oy

Iy

ter, young William Gompertz was there, as were also Colonel

Coffin and the translator of this memoir, and many other of

Jg I

his old and loving friends.

Captains Dobbie and Selby,

iﬂg%

whom he had formerly known in Cannanore, he sought to

yith

introduce to other earnest-minded Christians.

He was almost

)i

the whole day visiting from house to house and holding meet-

}hﬂf

D]

o

40

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH..

ings, which proved to many seasons of great refreshing.

He

had there an unexpected meeting which interested him much.

Entering the post-office, he came face to face with a man whom

he at once recognized as a fellow disciple.

This was old Mr.

=, &~ N, =

Norris Groves, long looked upon as the leader of Plymouth

Brethren in India.

He was now sore tired, and drawing near

to a death which, if it was one of great suffering, was yet

also one of joy in the Lord.

I

4]

Very touching was it to see the meeting of these two men,

in many respects so different in character and in judgment,

VI

and yet united by a bond which is more close than any such

bl

difference can overcome; very touching to see the affec-

tion that beamed in their faces, as, with eyes suffused, they

W1

long held one another by both hands, though not many words

ju

were spoken; and they parted, never to meet again here

below.

b(?]

hjt

Every opportunity was taken during his stay to exalt his

8

Saviour.

The missionary Morike accompanied Hebich to

G

Coonoor, where he made the acquaintance of the aged General

W

Kennett, an interesting monument of bygone times, linking,

€n

as it were, a past generation with the present.

He explained

his favourite “heart-book” to the old General, who, when he

P1£i4

came to the serpent, was about to run away, but yet allowed

Das

himself to be persuaded to hear it out.

Hebich wound up

hop

with prayer, and was then heartily thanked by the old

!

General.

Y

After a visit to Koﬁéghiry, the easternmost of the hill

atfe

stations, Hebich had to wend his way again to the plains.

hap

After his return to the coast he thus writes :

bug]

“I sat all the evening of the 11th of May at Sispara,

ongg

warming myself by a good fire, and was there able calmly to

the

look back upon all the events of my visit to the mountains.

rra(

I felt thankful that I had undertaken it.

The light invigor-

ating hill airand the beautiful scenery have refreshed me, and

Stﬁtlt

THE OUT-STATION AT PALGHAT.

ey

0

41

.:%

e

T have also much enjoyed the work among so many and such

ch

different people at the larger stations ; as also the solitude of

om

the last places, where I had leisure for reflection.

Once more

[x

down here on the hot coast, I still feel the benefit of it all.”

thh

Mzr. Morike writes concerning this period :—

caT

“The visit of beloved brother Hebich has done us all good.

yeb

Though he spent so few days among us, he has kindled many

little fires up here ; many retain a happy remembrance of him,

1,

and his whole mode of life gave us much to think of His

iy

visit was also useful in stirring many to help the Mission

uch

with their money.”

fec-

He descended the mountain-pass on foot, passing safely by a.

hey

wild elephant ; but it made him runthrough the steamybamboo-

s

jungle rather faster than he had perhaps ever run in his life

before.

Of those who met together during that memorable

et

visit, how many have passed away !

Not only Hebich him-

self, but also Mr. Norris Groves, and Mr. Addis, Mr. Morike,

his

) fo

‘General Kennett, foully murdered, Colonel and Mus. Coffin,

William Gompertz, and many more whom we cannot here

yeral

qng,

enumerate.

On his homeward way he paid a visit to Maliapooram, a

ned

)i} he

place of which we shall say more in a future chapter.

Then

passing rapidly through Calicut ; he thus describes his return

owed

d up

home :—

“On the evening of the 18th of May I rode into Canna-

) Old

nore, arriving just as brother Diez had finished his first

attempt at preaching extempore in English.

We

had a

il

Jains,

happy meeting after an absence of more than a month. The

building operations were all nicely finished, and I was able

spal’ﬂ,

once more to occupy my old rooms, now freshly done up, and

the roof raised by two feet.

Thanks be to God for all His

tains

grace [”

Everything had gone on prosperously at the head-quarters

lvigGI"

) d

station, bubt at Anjerakandi he found a little deadness pre-

16

24

ey

)

_MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH..

vailing.

The excitement there had rather stirred passions

1

among the labourers, and there had resulted some sharp quar-

1

rels.

But some happy death-bed scenes had exerted a hal-

1]

lowing influence. The heathen overseers had ceased accusing

D

the Christians of the robberies of crop which now and then

tl

took place.

As a means of strengthening life among them,

Cl

Hebich now had a selection made of five of the elders, whom

D

he appointed deacons.

He was perfectly satisfied with the

il

selections made for this object, of men full of faith, whe

h

faithfully supported the labours of their teacher Timotheus.

1t

At Taliparambu, building operations had been so far ad-

il

vanced, that the approach of the rainy season caused no more

anxiety.

fi

On the 31st of May, just as Hebich had returned wearied

hi

from a visit to the out-stations, and had lain him down to

th

sleep, one of the soldier-brethren who happened to be on

ha

duty at the neighbouring guard-house, awoke him with the

th

news that the fishing village of Tai was in flames.

He

¢l

writes, ¢ The fire seemed to be raging furiously, and by the

ur

time that Diez and I had got half-way, I thought that

nothing could remain of the village.

Yet strange to say, no

an

one was moving to their assistance !

The reason of this was,

whi

that shortly before, when the Mapilla quarter was on fire, a

had

company of soldiers that had gone down to help in extinguish-

ing it, had been pelted by the Mahomedans, so it had been

ar

determined to send no more help in such cases.

I found

they

that our catechists’ house had remained uninjured, but sixty-

Pleg

five dwellings were destroyed. The woman in whose house

pul

the fire had originated, came and fell down at my feet, weep-

Tesg

ing in great distress. I tried to soothe her in her sorrow, bub

to 1

could not forbear saying to the people around, ¢For these last

neg

ten years we have declared to you the blessed gospel, and ye

Cong

will none of it, but continue your drinking and evil ways,

Mal

I pray you mnow to repent!

All the poor women were in

ang -

THE OUT-STATION

AT PALGHAT.

243

It

tears ; but a mob of Mapillas, followed us about from house

AL

to house, jeering, and turning everything that I said into

1al-

ridicule, till a Mahomedan official who was present, losing

ing

patience, caught up a piece of wood, and violently drove

en

them off, calling them ¢children of the devil’

This pro-

i

cured us a little quiet.

There was reason to believe that the

01

The

place had been purposely fired by some Mapillas.

the

destruction of their houses caused the more misery to

¥ho

these poor folk, as the season was so far advanced that

eus

it was impossible to rebuild them before the burst of the

monsoon,”

ad

1016

There was now some apparent softening among the poor

fishing population ; but this did not induce him to alter

ried

his determination of giving up Tai as an out-station.

This,

0 o

the oldest of his out-stations, and the one nearest at hand,

) 00

had been so often desolated with pestilence, and with fire,

the

that it was judged better not to continue it ; especially as the

He

claims of places at a greater distance seemed much more

,T the

urgent.

tha

O’Brien and Daniel were working efficiently in Palghat,

v, 10

and Hebich felt more and more interest in the place, to

which he paid another visit in August.

Mr.

Robinson

as

16, &

had been succeeded by a young civilian of the name of

D

Sandeman, a Scotchman.

He attached himself very

rulah

heen

warmly to Hebich. O’Brien had quite established himself

there, and was welcomed by high and low.

Hebich was

found

sixtyr

pleased to notice that this warm-hearted and somewhat im-

house

pulsive Irishman of his was able to find admission without

reserve in all circles. 'With nice tact he attended scrupulously

weep

_"blt

to the minutie of Malayalim etiquette ; using in his ad-

o lash

dresses to the higher classes, those titles to which each rank

considered

itself entitled.

These honorific titles, from

nd 7

Maharajah downwards, are established by a nicely graduated

L]

and well-defined prescription.

At the village of Coduwayoor

16—2

244

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH

O’Brien had established a friendship with a Nayer, whose

father, a Tahsﬂdar or subordinate magistrate, had lately been

This Menon had got so far as to

killed by the Mapillas.

renounce idol-worship, and to pray to the Lord Jesus

He

even became so demonstrative once, as to embrace O’Brien

but his brother declared that should he become a Christian he

would kill him. Hebich visited this wealthy young man

and prayed with him

At that time all appeared very pro-

mising with him ; but his ardour of first love gradually cooled

down, without his ever coming for baptism. Hebich had a

happy time there, preaching in the neighbourhood ; uniting

with sixteen new converts in the Lord’s Supper, and ex-

pending also some efforts upon the English at Coimbatore

He then returned northwards, full of joy

He made another

visit to Palghat before the close of the year, namely from the

13th to the 26th of December, when he made choice of a well-

situated house, as permanent mission premises, for which in

the following March he paid down 1200 rupees

He thus

could think of the station as properly established

O’Brien worked the station as well as could possibly be

wished. He was indefatigable, travelling about from market-

town to market-town, to preach to the inhabitants

He was

however, not sufficiently careful about his own health. During

the first year of his stay at Palghat, he had to be invalided to

the Coimbatore hospital, for liver complaint. His desire was

80 strong to be out among the thousands who were still ignorant

of Christ, that he was slow to adopt the necessary precautions

%

As the congrecation consisted

against an Indian climate

largely of Tamul domestic servants, he learnt that language

from his brother-in-law, to be able the better to minister

among them. He quite won the affections of the drummers

One of the officers tried to

and musicians of the regiment

counteract this, by

etting up a cricket-club ; but this had

only a very partial success. He even gained access among the

I

THE OUT-STATION AT PALGHAT.

Ld

9

45

Roman Catholics.

From his childhood he had been familiar

with Romanism ; but meeting one day a procession, carrying

Z)

an image of St. Sebastian, to avert an outbreak of cholera,

he was stirred to protest vehemently against the undisguised

idolatry of Romanism in India. Of course the priests warned

their flock against associating with the heretic ; yet not a few

from their fold appreciated the better pastures to be found

1

in the interdicted pages of the New Testament.

The two catechists made an interesting expedition to the

[0

Anamalle (or Elephant Mountain) range of hills, which run to

the south of Palghat and reach an elevation of about 8000

feet.

This trip was a welcome change to them after the en-

grossing work of establishing the new mission station. The

16

hills are inhabited by a wild race called Kaders; expert moun-

taineers, and clever at climbing the tall trees of their forests.

|

In February, 1853, O’Brien was guided thither by seven of

I}

their chieftains, to whom he had declared the gospel.

They

It

listened attentively ; and gave the following account of them-

selves, “We never tell lies, and we put all adulterers to death.

he

We do not pray to idols, but we worship certain birds, and

o

We live on what our forests produce, feeding mainly

as

goats.

on bamboo rice. To be sure we do not know how to read, bub

03

t0

we are quite willing to hear your message, and to learn what-

ever you will teach us.” O’Brien was greatly taken with their

05

it

simple uprightness of character ; and hoped at some future

time to repeat his visit to them ; but his brother-in-law re-

DI

turned from the mountain expedition, with a fever which

ol

very nearly laid him in his grave; so they thought it more

g6

prudent to restrict their preaching tours to the more densely-

ter

peopled plains.

I8

Hebich’s fifth visit to Palghat, in August and September,

t0

1853, was a particularly happy time to him. He preached

had

earnestly to large numbers, and especially to the family and

the

relatives of Paul.

He writes, “On this occasion we visited

246

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

the weekly markets, which furnish a more valuable opportu-

nity to the preacher of the gospel than even the heathen

festivals ; because the people, not being excited by their idol

worship, listen quite quietly. These markets are so arranged

that we can daily visit a different one, and they seem a

peculiarity of this Palghat district. 'We visited nine of them,

preaching at each place from three to five times.

We were

four of us, and took it in turn to speak in succession.

Hun-

dreds listened with marked attention.”

|

i

16

CHAPTER XXVIL

TALIPARAMBU.

Tue town of Taliparambu, with its renownea temple, lying

quite off the highway, is a striking contrast in every respect

to a busy place like Palghat, on the boundary of two dis-

tricts, on the direct and only high road from east to west ;

with its fort, and its varieties of races,—English, East Indian,

In this remote

and Hindus of many various languages.

spot of old Malabar, one seemed carried back to have a

The ruins of a fort of the

glimpse at long past ages.

ancient Kola Kings, crown a lofty hill ; and at the foot of this

hill, and imbedded among rocky eminences is a large -tank,

on the banks of which are built the temples and the

residences of the Brahmans. Devastated by Tippoo Sultan,

they have been but shabbily restored. A little on one side

is a row of shops, kept by Mapillas, with,their unfailing

commercial instinct.

Farther off again are the separate

villages inhabited by the weavers, and the pot-makers ;

all around, each one in its own separate enclosure, are the

homesteads of the proud Nayers.

Except during the

annual festivals strangers were seldom seen there. Yet the

place was the chief town of a Taluk or subordinate dis-

¢rict.

On the 14th of February, 1852, Mr. Hebich had purchased,

248

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

on behalf of the Society, a little plot of stony ground, close

to the court-house and Taluk offices.

As a first step he had

had a well sunk on this new property. The Home Committee

allotted three hundred rupees to found a settlement on it; but

this would not have sufficed for more than the' most humble

tenement. Hebich therefore brought the matter before his

Cannanore Church, pointing out how desirable it was that

in so important a place they should appear not as absolutely

paupers. An English gentleman lately converted to the

Lord, at once promised him six hundred rupees. The building

was therefore put in hand, but was not completed till the

setting-in of the rains.

The place was occupied by a new labourer, Charles Stock-

ing, an English soldier who had served in the 94th Foot ;

a man not wanting in mother wit,

He first entered ¢ God’s

House” in July, 1848, a poor lost sinner thirsting for grace.

Two days later Hebich went through the “ Heart-book ” with

him. Those contrasted pictures, first of the heart filled with

all manner of evil beasts, and again of the sam

fied and

e heart puri-

sanctified, haunted him, till at last he also was able,

for himself, to apprehend the forgiveness of

Jesus.

sins through

Once Hebich was preaching on Galatians iii. 1, and

as, speaking of Jesus crucified by us and Jor us, he pointed

with the finger, saying, “Thou art the man,” the soldier

I am the

man

could not but answer in his heart, “Yes, truly,

.:1

Presently he began to speak to his comrades, but the

only response was, that they threatened to fight him. Still

the thought once aroused within him, that even he might be

a witness of the love of J esus, never slept. He could read,

but was no scribe 5 so he got a pious comrade to give him

writing lessons,

‘When Hebich went forth to the heathen festivals in his

calling as a fisher of men, Stocking was among the most

earnest in prayer for him. And the more he prayed, the more

F-3 -~ Lo S Nl

TALIPARAMBU,

249

the desire was stirred within him to be engaged in similar

work. In December, 1851, Hebich proposed to him to be-

come a catechist.

He gladly adopted the notion ; entering

into the same covenant that his predecessors had done.

As

soon as he had served for his discharge, he came to the mis-

sion premises, and began the study of Malayalim. He chose

for his wife the most able of the scholars at Cherikal ; a girl

who, for the sake of her parents, because her father had died

a leper, had declined several offers of marriage, so that she

began to be looked upon as an old maid. With tears of joy

she accepted an offer which appeared to her a great honour.

She died, however, full of peace and joy, during the first year

of her married life.

The 19th of September, 1852, was a

communion season, at which Hebich commended to the

Church the catechists Paul and Stocking, their families, and

another couple of Malayalim Christians, as destined for the

work at Taliparambu.

They took up their abode in the par-

tially completed building, and entered upon a very difficult

work, of which they could not hope to see any results for a

very long period.

Hebich was peculiarly thankful to enter thus at length

upon a place where he had endured so many perils, and for

which he had so long prayed. Nowhere had Hebich endured

He used

more sharp inward conflicts than at Taliparambu.

to speak of them with a certain humour, without ever losing

sight of their serious side.

He found by experience that the

15th of March seemed to be the regular date for him to be

received with a shower of stones.

Describing that day in

1851 he writes, “The devil wanted to make me very cun-

ning, suggesting, ¢ You have already preached much ; just stop

at home and rest among your own people to-day. You will

be able to go some other day.” I had an awful inclination to

agree, but prayed for guidance as to the right path. The only

answer in my heart was, ¢ Happen what may, you must go.’

0

-

50

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

But I had no mind to it; it was like going to one’s death.

All was dark

After a quiet sleep I rose at four o’clock.

within, and my people filled with terror.

However, we got

Lo! all was

ready, went out, and preached on the hill-side.

perfectly quiet.

But what next?

Must I go farther down

the hill?

We went down with a firm step, but my heart

trembled. Fearful yells greeted us. The adversary suggested,

ik

Did I not warn you not to go down among the people?

took my post upon a low mud wall.

A great strong fellow,

the Rajah’s son-in-law, came on to the attack, shouting, ‘Let us

crush the Padre !’

The police peon hearing this, struck him,

the Nayer returned the blow, then a furious scuffle in which

others joined on both sides, till all the crowd seemed engaged

The peon seemed to have lost his head. I said

in the fight.

to him, ¢ Draw the fellow into the neighbouring temple where

the officials are.’

He succeeded in doing it, the young noble-

man being carried off by the crowd of peons, like a cock-chafer

by a swarm of ants.

The Tahsildar sentenced him to some

days’ imprisonment.

I was, however, able to preach unmo-

lested, and to my heart’s content.

On my way back I was

80 overcome with the feeling of the graciousness of the Lord,

that I had by an effort to restrain myself from shouting aloud,

¢ Oh, what love! how shameful in me to fear and doubt?

However, another day brought the stones raining about our

heads.”

He had a strong conviction that the richest harvest from

among the Malayalim people would be gathered in at Talipa-

rambu.

The heathen felt that he was gaining ground. One

day a Brahman, after standing awhile watching the progress

of the new building, exclaimed to the catechist, ¢ Well, we

have stirred up everything to oppose your padre, but he has

conquered. But now if you come to live here among us we

will meet you on friendly terms, and deal fairly by you, but

you must not tell us to become Christians.”,

TALIPARAMBU.

251

When the little band first took up their abode there, the

As this a

movelty attracted many visitors of different castes.

little wore off, Paul was able to visit the neighbourhood and

Stocking was a good

o proclaim the Word in all directions.

deal discouraged at the slow progress he made in learning the

language, but his courage revived whenever he met any one to

whom he could speak freely in English. The two catechists in

their out-station had abundant experience of the bitterness of

the prevailing enmity against Christianity. Foralong time they

had to draw their supplies even of the commonest necessaries

of life from Cannanore. They were openly insulted. Some said,

“Now that the padre has come among us there will be no more

chance of cure in small-pox ; or, our fields will now no longer

yield their crops.”

Once a Mapilla said to Paul, I should

but purchase heaven if I were to hew you to pieces!” Among

;z

the most hopeful of those with whom they had to associate,

I

was a young native official, who had received his early educa-

tion in Hebich’s school.

In his seventeenth year he had re-

solved to confess Christ openly; but his relatives coming to

15

hear of his intentions, married him off-hand, and procured

}

some small appointment for him at a distance, as they thought,

from missionary influence.

Yet even here he had retained

|

"

his love of the Bible, and strove to act honestly amid all

L

the petty intrigues and peculations of Indian native official-

dom. From the first moment of the establishment of the out-

I

station at Taliparambu he was of the greatest assistance,

i3

striving by deed and counsel to support the catechists. Often

his mere presence shielded them from mischief.

06

35

Occasionally more distant tours were undertaken to the

region beyond ; in one of these, in a north-westerly direction,

e

45

the catechists came in contact with a strange tribe of hill

people, mere savages, known as Mayvilars.

Their only cover-

e

i

ing was a few leaves tied round the loins, and they declared

that if they should attempt to wear other more suitable cloth-

oA

oo

-

9

52

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

ing it would be the death of them. They were too utterly

degraded to value any kind of instruction. That long-tried

friend of the Mission, Mr. F. Anderson, wished that efforts

should be made at his expense to spread the Scriptures widely

through South Canara by means of colporteurs.

Stocking

was among those who more than once co-operated in this

work, but the result was not very great.

Hebich could now feel that he had a home at Taliparambu,

whether he visited the place at the time of the annual Temple

festival or at other seasons.

He narrates how on one of the

“pelting days” (15th of March, 1853), a stone rebounding

from Joseph’s umbrella cut open the upper lip of a Mapilla

who was standing behind him ; another stone whistled past

Hebich’s head, hit the tree under which he was standing, and

glancing from it, struck a Nayer in the forehead, so as to draw

blood and make the whole head swell.

A fellow threw a

cocoa-nut husk at Jacob ; hitting him so hard in the chest as

almost to knock him off the low stone-wall on which he was

standing.

Two of the delinquents were apprehended, and

were to be sent up to the magistrate for punishment ; but He-

bich interceded for them, and got the native subordinate to

let them off with a trifling fine within his own competency to

inflict, and with a warning.

CHAPTER XXVIIL

MALIAPOORAM AND ‘ HEBICH'S OWN.”

THE constantly recurring disturbances among the_ turbulent

Mapillas needed to be kept down by the strong hand of the

military.

Government, with this view, determined on keep-

ing a detachment of Sepoys at Maliapooram, some thirty

miles inland from Calicut.

Eventually barracks were also

built there for two companies of Dritish infantry. Among

the Europeans sent there were some of those who had been

converted at Cannanore.

The place had not much attraction

for them, and they repeatedly urged Hebich to come and

pay them a visit there.

The surrounding scenery is fine ;

there were high hills, over which at that time no road fit for

wheeled conveyances existed ; but the men were harassed by

the ever-recurring risings of the fanatics, or rumours of conspi-

racies ferreted out by the police, or sometimes imagined by

them. Palm wine (toddy) was but too abundant for those men

On the other

who were inclined to indulge drinking habits.

hand, any man inclined to pray or meditate had no difficulty

in finding some quiet nook among the rocks where he could

be undisturbed. Till they had some prisoners to guard,

the duties of the little post itself did not press heavily upon

the men.

There was one serjeant in the detachment whose

heart had been touched by one of Hebich’s solemn appeals at

the time of the Lord’s Supper.

254

MEMOIRS

OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Among the officers at Maliapooram, was the beloved Gom-

pertz, and faithfully did he witness among his fellow-officers

and among the men, till ill-health obliged him to go to the

Nilgherries for six months.

In May, 1852, Hebich deter-

mined, in consequence of the many urgent invitations he had

received, to consider this place within the regular beat of

those to be visited. A chapel was erected, and he visited

the little flock of believers and of awakened ones two or three

times a year, preaching the word there.

Sometimes his visits

were hurried ; bubt of the full results it is mot possible to

speak certainly. The day shall declare them.

It is well known that certain regiments in the army list

have titles of honour of which they are justly proud. ILet

us here mention a Sepoy regiment, the 39th M.N.I., which

One of the

acquired the nickname of Hebich’s Own.”

captains of the regiment, Robert S. Dobbie, had made He-

He was a man of

bich’s acquaintance in December, 1851.

marked and peculiar characteristics, and Hebich’s originality

rather attracted him. He invited a visit at his own house,

which Hebich was not slow to avail himself of. Going there

one afternoon, after a few introductory words of friendly

greeting, he suddenly turned to Isabella, the captain’s very

excellent wife, with the abrupt question—*‘ Have you given

your heart to Jesus?’

Mrs. Dobbie : I hope so.

Hebich : I do not want to know what you hope.

I have

to Jesus?

asked you a very simple question : Have you given your heart

Mrs. D. : I think I have.

H.: Hoping ond thinking! all this is not what I ask

about.

(Then with a sudden change of manner)— Have

you breakfasted ?

Mrs. D. : Oh, yes !

H., very earnestly : You self-confident Wwoman you! You

MALIAPOORAM AND * HEBICH'S OWN.”

255

should not venture to answer ¢ yes, but ¢ I hope, or ¢ I think,’

that I have breakfasted !

If we can be certain in so small

a matter, how much more necessary to be so in what is of

the very utmost importance.

If we have given up our hearts

to Jesus, for Him to keep them for us, because it is impos-

sible for us to keep them for ourselves; and if He, by His

Spirit, dwell and rule in them, it is not possible but that we

No'!

must know it very well.

“ The Spirit witnesses with

our spirits that we are children of God.”

Then followed an explanation of his favourite ¢ Heart-

book,” which made a deep impression on both husband and

wife.

The impression was abiding.

Every assertion of He-

bich’s was tested by the word of God.

Things went on

smoothly for three months.

Then, however, some expres-

sions used by Hebich, which seemed so very shocking to all

her ideas of conventionalities and good manners, determined

Accordingly,

Mrs. Dobbie never to speak to him again.

when he next visited the house, she long refused to come

out of her room. After a while, however, her husband urged

her to give in, and she felt that she was refusing to hear the

message of Jesus.

All opposition gave way from that mo-

ment ; seating herself as a poor sinner, she was able at once

to accept and rejoice in her Saviour, and to speak of Him to

all her friends and acquaintance.

Another officer of the same regiment, Captain Sweet, was

also with the detachment at Maliapooram. He had long been

proud of his many virtues, but one December night, Hebich

so drove him into a corner, that he was at last forced te

abandon all his selfrighteousness, and accept Jesus only.

No sooner had he seen Jesus as the Lord his righteousness,

than Sweet, at once and most earnestly, wrote to two other

b

young captains in his regiment, who were his closest friends

and comrades.

The one of these was a sprightly Irishman,

Archibald Kerr, by name, a fellow of rare wit and humour,

256

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Clever at caricature, inimitable in acting ; good-temper itself,

he was a general favourite,

Yet he had a heavy burden to

bear, for his wife was mentally deranged. The first sicht he

ever caught of Hebich, was one day when he was playing

cricket on the regimental parade-ground, and the uncouth

figure of the German missionary riding past was too much

for him ; he threw himself at full length on the grass, in a

fit of uncontrollable laughter.

Yet he had spiritual wants

and cravings which he could not conceal from himself : he

would hold fast by his Church,—he would impress upon his

servants that they were never to allow Mr. Hebich to enter

his house ; yet he would also venture to try whether he

might not learn something that would meet those wants,

from Gompertz or from some others of the brethren.

The

other of his comrades to whom Sweet wrote, was Captain

Hart, afterwards shot; generous, somewhat reserved, but

altogether whole-hearted.

The scene takes us back to Cannanore.

On the morning

of New Year’s Day, 1853, Hebich is walking by the sea-side,

where he met the general, who at first seemed inclined

to avoid him, but afterwards allowed himself to be accosted -

“ Good morning, general : I most heartily wish you a happy

new year ! from my heart I wish you new life, new faith,

new power, new everything !”

The elderly gentleman at-

tempted to take up the same tone, replying, “May we de-

serve these blessings !”

Hebich, on his way home, kept re-

peating, ““ Deserve blessings I” what he longed for was unde-

served blessings.

The year he had thus entered upon was

to be richer in them than any year that had gone before,

especially as regards conversions among ladies and gentle-

men

He soon had to part from about one hundred brethren in

the 94th regiment, which was moved from Cannanore to

Bangalore and Madras. Then the 16th regiment, N.I., which

\

MALIAPOORAM AND ‘ HEBICH'S OWN.”

257

was sent to Aden, took away eight members of the Church.

William Gompertz, who accompanied it, was unable to take

the last farewell of Hebich as he had wished. He had, in-

deed, sent on his groom to wait for him at the mission-house,

but he writes: “I could not pass Kerr’s house without going

in once more to urge him to dig for gold in the true mine ;

to seek the light he had so long avoided. While talking

with him, I was surprised by the gun, the signal to embark,

so I had to hurry to the boat without again seeing you. Ire

going off to the steamer, I once more pressed dear Young’s

hand. For two hours I was so busy that I could not sit

down to dinner with the rest.

By half-past five the whole

force was on board. Then S—— of the 39th, with whom the

Lord seems to be working, and Hart, came to bid us farewell.

’:

There was much to be done ere all were properly berthed,

so that by evening I was thoroughly weary; but the sea-

breeze refreshed me as I sat on the deck, looking at Canna-

nore, and thinking of you all ; who were just at that time

gathering together to pray for us.

The captain had some

supper got ready for us.

I was much pleased with Mr.

Cousin, who at once began to speak about the word of God.

(This man shortly afterwards left his sea-faring life, and be-

came a missionary.) My heart yearns over the fifty seamen,

who seemed to vie with one another.in recklessness and evil

language.

Many of the officers seemed to take pleasurein all

this evil, and looked at me now and then, as though expect-

ing me to join in their laughter and jokes. The poor Sepoys,

who had just parted from their families, were glad when at

nine o’clock the steam-engine at length went to work and we

were off from Cannanore.”

Gompertz still loved to call Cannanore ‘ Head-quarters,”

and kept up a lively correépondence from Aden, but we can

but glance at the matters he writes about.

They had rich

blessings, both in the conversion of officers and of European

17

258

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

soldiers, and even in the awakening of Sepoys and other

Hindoos. Only two of these were actually baptized at Aden ;

but the seed of the Word took such effect, that even the

Mahomedan Munshi of the regiment taught his daughter the

New Testament.

The confidence of the Sepoys in their

Christian officers increased. May it not be that, during the

fiery trial of the Mutinies, so soon to follow, the Madras

Presidency and army reaped the benefit of some of these

silent influences?

Gompertz called those converted soldiers

at Aden, who had never seen Hebich, his grand-children ;

and was struck with the earnestness, almost exceeding his

own, with which these men bore him on their hearts in

prayer.

He writes: “ It is most touching how they pray for

your work ; and quite as a matter of course, they send their

monthly gifts through us, though we had never suggested

their doing so.”

The very day after Gompertzs departure, Captain Kerr,

and a Lieutenant H. and his wife decided fully for the Lord

Jesus.

Kerr had first to pass through a fierce struggle with

evil thoughts ; and then early on the morning of Sunday the

6th of March (Communion Sunday) he went hurriedly over

to Robert Dobbie’s to ask, did not Hebich teach transubstan-

tiation? because, much as he wished to join, he could do

nothing against his censcience.

It was only on Dobbie’s

quieting assurance that he made up hkis mind to join the

church. Captain Hart soon followed his Irish brother-officer;

Hebich had two long discussions with him lasting till mid-

night. Hebich writes : ¢ These richer brethren are now as it

were the crown of our congregation; their conversion has

drawn much attention, and given rise to much talk ; they

are all full of zeal, and bring fresh life among us.”

There

was opposition to be encountered, for the general was un-

friendly to the whole work.

In May, Dr. Foulis, who had

been long known and beloved, joined the fellowship of the

MALIAPOORAM AND ‘ HEBICH'S OWN.”

)

2

59

mission-church. In the short period of two years, he was to

close a life which-had-lattertybeen. devoted to the service of

the Lord and of the brethren.

Isabella Dobbie’s letters show how much she rejoiced in

all this work of grace.

She can think of nothing else ; at

times can hardly believe that such great things should have

happened in her husband’s regiment !

By-and-bye, the sur-

geon of the regiment, a great fat good-natured man, was to

cause her especial joy. Hebich was suffering from an obsti-

nate eruption ; he wished for the surgeon’s medical advice,

and sent his own bullock-coach to bring him to the mission-

house: had it not been thus professionally, this mission-house

was certainly the most unlikely place for him to have found

his way to.

Hebich went to the porch to meet him, and

could not help laughing ; for the narrow dimensions of the

humble conveyance were barely sufficient for their corpulent

Hebich

-occupant !

How to get him out now he was in!

had to help him ; and then followed a conversation which at

first did not seem to promise much by way of results;

except that it opened a way for Hebich to visit the doctor’s

house, where he was welcomed by the wife, and large family

of children.

On the 1st of July, 1852, Hebich received a mnote from

the doctor, to the effect that he had been now twenty-one

years in India, and had never given anything to mission-

work ; he sent now a first gift for the work.

By-and-bye as

time went on, he came at times to the chapel. Witnessing the

work in others stirred him to desire the like blessing.

At

length he also gave up his heart to Jesus.

In April, Hebich made another tour in a south-easterly

direction.

Since his last visit to Palghat, a new regiment,

the 3rd Light Infantry, had arrived there from Aden.

There was much to be done in if.

True, not much that

was encouraging among the men.

They declared flatly

17—2

260

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

that if drinking and debauchery were the road to hell, they

would gladly form part of the large company that. must be

on the way thither.

However, even among that reckless

1t

crew, careful search discovered one Christian family.

was a family which had been baptized by Mr. Layer at

Dharwar, and especially the wife rejoiced at being once

more brought within the sound of the gospel.

Among

the officers, one ID——, who had lately lost his young wife

by cholera, had a heart prepared to embrace the con-

solations of the gospel.

He left shortly for Europe, but

before going he joined the little native church at the Lord’s

table.

This young officer mentioned a case, as within his own

experience, on active service.

A comrade of his, a fine noble

fellow, lay desperately’ wounded.

The surgeon who was

dressing his wounds was a pious man ; the patient said,

¢ Doctor, pray for me, as it is a business I myself do not

understand much about.”

The surgeon prayed, and notf

only did the wounded man unexpectedly mend from that

moment, but what is better, he thenceforth quietly sought

the Lord, or rather the Lord was seeking him. On his

visits among the officers, Hebich had to deal with some

whom he characterizes as “quite awful fellows.”

For

instance, there was a Lieutenant B.: who had been one

of a party of thirteen on a shooting expedition.

They

spent the night in one of those deadly feverish spots so

common among the beautiful hills and jungles of Western

India ; the result being that twelve of the party died.

Yet

he, the thirteenth, would not recognize God’s goodness.

He

declared it was not God he had to thank for his immunity ;

every one had his destined moment to die, and for himself

that moment had not yet struck.

Exposure to the burning heat and glare of the April sun

brought on a painful ophthalmia, which for a while laid He-

MALIAPOORAM AND ‘ HEBICH'S OWN.”

261

bich aside from active work. He had been planning a length-

ened preaching-tour, but his medical attendant forbade if,

recommending, instead, a short visit to the Blue Mountains.

On his way thither, and, as it happened, on his 51st birth-

day, he fell in with an officer, in the jungles, who hospitably

provided him with a breakfast.

For eight years this man,

who was living with a native woman, had never entered any

place of worship.

“Qut of gratitude for his hospitality,”

says Hebich, “ I preached the Gospel to him, very earnestly.”

Whether that message found an entrance into his heart is not

stated.

Arrived on the Nilgherries, many doors were as usual

opened to him, and many troubled souls comforted by him,

He enjoyed much intercourse with, and was refreshed by the

preaching of the worthy chaplain of Ootacamund, the Rev.

G. Knox.

He once more visited the aged General Kennett,

declaring to him the free forgiveness of sins, but left him

with the words, ¢ He resists the light.”

Meanwhile, a truly pious chaplain, the Rev.

Me Aluodk,

had come to Cannanore.

It was not without misgivings that

he came there, so much had he heard about the anti-church

spirit of Hebich.

But in the short period of his intercourse

with the brethren there, extending only to May and June, he

became so attached to them, that on his removal to Madras,

Hebich begged him to take the especial oversight of ¢ his

children ” in the 94th Foot.

But the arrangement came too

late : confusion and discord had crept in among them, which

he was unable to remedy.

On this subject one of the soldier-brethren wrote :——

“We are all scattered !

I was at first in hospital, and

while there heard much about various churches.

‘When I

recovered I found the brethren cut up into parties ; some held

by the Free Church of Scotland, some by the Church of

England, some by the Wesleyans.

You may imagine the

262

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

confusion !

I ‘'must add what is yet more sad—that some

held only by the Cantine.

One had gone off to Aus-

tralia to the gold-diggings ; two had been promoted to be non-

commissioned officers.

Many are weary of the position in

which God has been pleased to place them. Oh! that I

could fly back to Cannanore!

Many grow cold. One goes

as earnestly to the girls’ school to choose a wife as he used to

go to chapel.

Then there are some who would like to be

kept at the expense of the missionaries, but who have no

mind to labour honestly for their keep.”

Mr. Anderson was at that time in so feeble health that he

was unable to look after the soldiers as assiduously as formerly.

Therefore, on the arrival of the regiment, Hehiehk told the

[

men that ifany felt they could get more benefit in the Church

of England from the ministry of Dr. Powell, or among the

Wesleyans from that of Mr. Hardy, they should seek it, in-

stead of resting satisfied with his own ministry and that of

his three native assistants.

The result was, that thcse who

should have been kept together were scattered, being guided

often more by the influence of old associations than by spi-

ritual discernment.

Among the officers of the regiment, there was but one—the

Quartermaster Fitzgerald—who had, when in Cannanore, at-

tended Hebich’s chapel.

In Madras he joined the English

‘Church.

His wife, long sickly, died on the 1st of June.

In

her last illness she was sustained and comforted by Dr.

Powell’s faithful pastoral visits.

In her diary she had

marked the Kaster Sunday of 1851, as the day of all others

most blessed to her soul.

This 1s an extract :—

“Then, in the mission-chapel at Cannanore, the Lord

opened out to me all His love.

How close He was to Mary,

who yet knew Him not, but thought He was the gardener ;

how close He was to me, and yet I knew it not. Oh, how I

thank Thee that Thou hast rescued my soul from hell. I

MALIAPOORAM AND ‘‘ HEBICH'S OWN.”

263

found I could not work to any purpose; so, for fear of losing

the joy I had at length attained, I went to our beloved

pastor, by whose ministry the Lord had so blessed me.

He

taught me that I had now to follow the Lord, and fight my

way through an evil world, and he prayed very earnestly with

me

Throughout the week I learnt daily more and more how

I had to watch my deceitful heart.”

She was not in quite so happy a frame during her last illness;

but her thoughts were much in Cannanore, and she begged

for the prayers of the brethren there.

A few days after her

death, Dr. Powell was suddenly cut down in the height of

his strength. Mr. Alcock, who ever continued to speak

lovingly of Hebich, succeeded him. He attempted to bring

about a real union among the soldier-brethren, despite of di-

versities of form ; but it came to nothing.

Even those whom

One

Hebich had constituted leaders fostered the separation.

of them said that it seemed strange to him to be advised to

go back to the English Church after all the praise that Hebich

used to bestow upon the Free Church of Scotland. If he

now followed the advice, it must be final; even should the

regiment return to Cannanore, he would « stick fo his Church.”

He was tired of being leader, and tired of soldiering ; would

leave them both, only desiring to hold fast to the Lord. The

other leader, however, was inclined to follow Hebich’s advice

that they should all attach themselves to Mr. Alcock ; for,

unless they all clung together, there would be an end to all

discipline, and on any little jealousy starting up, each ome

But

would be saying, “I will go to this church, or to that.”

the end of it all was that the brethren were scattered, and

many went back to the world which was ever ready to wel-

come them. Hebich could only pray for them.

Things went somewhat better in the wing of the regiment

e

which was quartered at Bangalore.

Their leader was a man

of the name of Bennie, a very superior man.

The wing had

P4

ry)

64

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

a tedious march, with much rain ; but during it all, Bennie

kept up a brisk correspondence with Hebich. He thought

Bangalore would be “a fine place for the old fellow ” (t.e. the

natural man) ; plenty of temptations in the shape of pic-nics.

“Then, again, some have itching ears, and are drawn away,

nor is there any Mr. Hebich to go after the wanderers.

But

¢ Halt” 15 thewoerd~ Whoever will come, let him come, and

whoever will stop away may do so.

Two of the brethren mé&t a Wesleyan missionary, who in-

quired why they did not join his society. They replied that

it was of less importance what place of worship they fre-

quented, than whether they kept close to Jesus, and that their

pastor had commended them to the care of the missionaries

of the London‘Soeiety.

The Wesleyan answered—°¢All

right ; but you shall be welcome whenever any of you wish

to join us.” Now this is no trifle ; for should any little con-

tention spring up among us, we should at once be threatened

with divisions. May the Lord ever keep us more and more

one in Him.”

Bennie was for some months in hospital, suffering from

palpitations. He was surprised that, in spite of manifold

temptations, the brethren held so well together.

Of the new British regiment, the 25th Borderers, Hebich

complained that things did not go on very well.

‘““The

brethren are all sleepy, and little is to be made of them.” In

August, he allowed them to select from among themselves

six leaders. The choice was such as to give him satisfaction;

yet he had reasons to complain of a want of warmth and

heartiness among them generally. ¢ Still,” he writes, ‘ many

unbelievers come to our forenoon service, where they hear

the Gospel preached. May the Lord look favourably upon

us I’

Meanwhile, as opportunity offered, he continued his efforts

among the officers at Palghat.

The conversion of H., the

pee)

[5)

65

MALIAPOORAM AND ‘“ HEBICH'S OWN.”

adjutant, especially rejoiced him. Hebich prayed with him

on the 11th of September, and it was then that light broke

in upon him.

He felt it almost too much to believe that

But he was sur-

God would hear such a sinner as he was.

prised to find that he could not speak to his friend J. on those

things which were now nearest to his heart. ¢ Here we are,”

said he, ¢ chums, who have lived together for thirteen years,

sharing everything ; and yet we cannot speak to one another

of the things of God.”

But Hebich helped him to break the

ice, by speaking himself to J. in H.’s presence.

The conver-

sation thus begun, lasted till late into the night, and at length

J. was also made willing to give himself up to the Lord.

Hebich had also hopes of one P., though he resisted in many

ways. Especially on one occasion, as he himself declared a

year later, when Hebich remarked that “wife and children

were not the first thing to be thought of,” he felt inclined to

knock down the rude speaker.

Indeed, the prospect seemed so to brighten, that he began

to hope for as great a blessing in this new regiment as he had

been allowed in the 39th.

That favoured regiment had, in

Colonel R. Budd, a believing commander ; the major’s wife

heartily joined the Church; while among drummers and

others he had obtained such influence, that twenty-six of them

regularly attended the mission chapel.

But a parting time

was at hand. In December, 1853, ¢ Hebich’s Own” marched

for the * French Rocks.”

Just before their leaving, he very

earnestly commended this branch Church to the Lord in

prayer.

He was soon able to pay them a visit in their new

station.

i

In reviewing the year, he writes: “This year, 1853, has

i

been especially fruitful in the conversion of officers and

ladies ; perhaps it has been the most remarkable, in this

SR mcs s

way, of any year of my ministry. Some were won to the

0

Lord only on their passage through the place ; as, for in-

266

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

stance, a lady passenger in the ship Owen Glendower, while

the ship lay at anchor in our roads.

Then a lady (Mrs. S.)

was, with her two daughters, awakened by the sudden death

of her husband. The reports from ¢French Rocks’ sound

well. During a visitation of cholera, the brethren engaged

one of our people to preach constantly in their own chapel

and in the streets, so as to take advantage of the solemnizing

impression while it lasted. Counting the drummers, there

are thirty-eight of them, and all in the fervour of their first-

love.

I hope to pay them a visit, and it is a joy to me in

the Lord that I have the prospect of doing so. What a com-

fort to know that the cause is His !

Let us not grow weary

or faint, fer-at-goes-on splendidly.”

When the Bishop of Madras (Dr. Dealtry) visited “ French

Rocks,” he was agreeably surprised at the life and activity he

found prevailing in the Church and in the school.

He had

imbibed no little prejudice against Hebich and his doings.

He had been told that Hebich called the Church of England

a ‘“ Devil’s Church.”

(This originated in Hebich’s manner

of characterizing as “ the Church devil,” that spirit which he

found in so many, which, under cover of a certain churchiness,

resisted the simple following of Christ.) Invited to the mess

dinner, he found that, spontaneously and quite naturally, the

conversation took a religious turn.

Even those officers who

were unconverted, respectfully gave in to the prevailing

tone.

At the close of the evening a Bible was laid before

the bishop, with the request that he would read the Scrip-

tures and pray with them.

He asked whether this was

always done, and was surprised to learn that it was the

regular custom.

With a beaming face, he exclaimed—

“This is indeed something quite mew, in any part of

India.”

This little regimental church survived for about ten years.

MALIAPOORAM AND ‘‘ HEBICH'S OWN.”

267

By that time, such of its members as still lived were

The chief ones among

scattered widely in diverse lands.

them, however, had ere that ended their course, after having

shone as bright lights, confessing Jesus in many stations.

é

2

CHAPTER XXIX.

FIRST CONFLAGRATION.

Happy had been the results of Hebich’s labours among

Europeans ; many earnest believers from among them had

been added to the Church, and their influence and example

could not fail to tell favourably upon the native brethren.

Yet, true as all this is, there was an apparent want of success

among the natives.

And not merely a pause in the work, for

when the Reports of the Stations were read out at the anni-

versary meeting at Basle, on the 5th of July, 1854, the fact

had to be stated and lamented, that, during 1853, the Native

Church at Cannanore had suffered diminution.

‘While a

marked increase in most other stations furnished cause for

congratulation, Cannanore had gone down by forty-five souls.

This seemed to indicate something wrong in that station;

that the Lord was humbling it. The Committee was invited

to take more active interest in the progress of the work there.

Hebich acknowledged both the falling off, and his own in-

ability to hinder it ; but he felt that he must strike the iron

||

wherever it happened to be hottest ; whether among those

afar off or near ; whether among black or white. He could

not undertake to give his undivided attention to the Native

Church,

The Anjerakandi Church pressed heavily upon him, Old

FIRST CONFLAGRATION.,

269

sins kept cropping up anew.

Discontent prevailed among

them, owing to a diminution of their wages. The party of the

heathen seemed to gain renewed influence ; he felt that it

was like wild boars breaking into a well-tilled and cultivated

enclosure.

Somewhat later, he wrote : “The sifting process

is still going on, and there seems to be no earnestness among

them, but only death.”

But when trial came, in the shape

of a visitation of cholera, some manifested the power of

simple faith to sustain. At that time old and young were en-

S —

abled to die, rejoicing in the Lord, and He still was favour-

able to them, for the proportion of deaths to numbers was

less among them than among their heathen neighbours.

There was one touching instance of a right spirit of testimony,

;‘l

in the case of an old man, a heathen, who had been a known

drunkard ; he too was taken with the terrible disease, and at

once was abandoned by all his relations.

In his hour of

need, it was the Christians who tended him to the last.

Before January, 1854, Hebich had an unusual pressure of

business to work up, such asleft him little leisure.

Once that

all was disposed of, he again took to preaching in the bazaars,

streets, and neighbouring homesteads.

This preaching was

for a while interrupted by the meeting of the General Con-

ference, which he had to attend at Mangalore.

Of that Con-

Z?

ference he writes joyfully :—

“We held it in harmony and with blessing.

Our affairs

begin to progress more regularly. But I am concerned, especi-

ally for brother Diez’s sake, at the ever-increasing demand on

my time and attention made by the offices of General Ac-

countant and Agent for the Mission.

These things keep me,

in great measure, from my blessed work ; and they are occu-

0

I feel

pations in which Diez cannet~be associated with me.

to be in a continual tr@fadmﬂl, and it is sometimes more than

[

my own soul can stand ; yet it is work which must be done.

I beg of you to relieve me from it all, by appointing some

i

9

ad

70

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

able and trustworthy man, probably a layman, to give him-

self exclusively to it.”

The request so expressed was acceded to.

In 1855, Mr. G. Pfleiderer, an experienced business-man,

was received into the service of the society. He undertook

all the financial arrangements, and was thus enabled very

The missionaries

considerably to lighten Hebich’s burden.

generally rather regretted this arrangement.

Hebich had

been so tenderly careful of all their individual cases and cir-

cumstances, that they thought no one else could well take his

place.

Experience, however, soon convinced them that it

was a step of progress in the right direction.

When the time came round again for the yearly visit to

the great Temple Festivals, Hebich determined to try whether

it would not be better to demand a small price for the books

he distributed, instead of giving them gratuitously.

At first

the crowds seemed not to approve of the change.

The cry

arose that the padre had turned hawker !

However, some

books were bought, amongst others by a certain Brahman,

who for some years had always been willing to receive the

gift of Christian books, and who remarked—¢1I know well

that my gods are only stone idols !”

During the absence of Hebich with all his catechists, at

the Taliparambu festival, which lasted from the 6th to the

18th of March, 1854, a terrible fire broke out at Cannanore.

A drunken soldier, in one of the neighouring houses, set fire

to his wife’s clothes; quicker than thought the thatched roof

was 1n flames. DBrothers Diez and Gundert, who were sitting

together, hearing the crackling of the burning bamboos—a

very unmistakable sound when it has been once heard—ran

out, to behold the fierce flames rising already high above the

neighbouring cocoa-nut trees.

Just at that time labourers

were engaged on the mission-premises, at the yearly business

of renewing the thatch.

Gundert immediately set them to

FIRST CONFLAGRATION.

271

work to pull down a roof here and there, and by this means

was able, in a measure, to check the advance of the conflagra-

tion. Sparks, carried by the wind, spread the mischief, how-

ever, to some distant houses ; but, very wonderfully, a large

stack of straw, which had been prepared as provender for the

cattle during the coming rainy season, escaped the fire, though

the foliage of some plaintain-trees around it was completely

scorched. Officers and soldiers all hastened to the rescue.

The principal buildings of the mission were saved, but four

of the outhouses, with looms and other property in them,

were destroyed.

Beyond the mission-premises, eighteen

houses were burnt down in about twenty minutes.

It was felt to be necessary to adopt tiled roofs for all the pre-

mises—a work which would cost both time and money. An

active, clever man—a native Christian from Tinnivelli—who

had proved himself useful in many ways, though he turned

out to be utterly untrustworthy, had managed, by question-

able means, to accumulate some wealth, which all perished in

the flames.

This man had to be dismissed from the mission

service ; but this brought a heavier burden upon Brother

Diez, who, while complaining that he had hitherto been too

much disturbed in his studies of the language, &c., had now

to undertake a share of the superintendence of the industrial

work. Hebich had to assist him, by adding to his own share

of the work.

Diez went bravely to work in assisting towards the repairs

of the damage done by the fire.

For the native looms which

had been destroyed he substituted uropean looms, obtained

from Mangalore.

He established a bakery, to employ some

of the native converts; a forge for others; and finding that

there were funds in hand for stocking it, he started a retail

é;

shop. On the 22nd of January, Diez preached for the first

time in Malayalim; and in May, when at the out-station

of Taliparambu, he made his first attempt at street-preaching.

272

MEMOIRS

OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Hebich was now about to undertake one more of those long

He was

journeys which he knew how to make so profitable.

away from the beginning of April till the 23rd of June, 1854.

Leaving Cannanore by boat, he was in some danger from a

sudden storm ; he, however, landed safely at Calicut, from

whence he passed to Maliapooram and Palghat, where he

baptized four converts from Hinduism ; and so on to Coonoor

and Ootocamund. At this latter place he preached every

afternoon in a spacious auction-hall, and paid visits {rom

morning till night.

As an example, take the diary of his birthday. He rises

with the presentiment of a really happy day before him.

At

six in the morning he visits a certain Captain G., and, early

as the hour is, finds himself not an unwelcome visitor.

Of

this officer and his wife, while expounding the Heart-book, he

discovers that as yet they know mnothing of ke law : he en-

deavours to make it clear to them.

Among other matters, he

asks them whether they ever contribute anything to the

Lord’s work.

Captain G. Very little.

Hebich. Ah! you must do that if you desire a full blessing

for your own souls.

Look at Malachi iii. 10.

Captain G. ;\Vell, then ; I will give you something.

Hebich. N 0 ; that is not what I came here for.

Captain'G. Wife, write out a cheque.

What is your

name ?

?

VVhereupoﬁ he received a cheque for thirty rupees for

mission-work. Then he had prayers and breakfasted with

them.

I

After the meal he went joyfully forth, aud next called upon

{

a dragoon officer.

This is a man who laughs at everything,

and who declares that, at all events, he will be no hypocrite.

I

ti

He is brought to the Scriptures, and from them shown upon

what a sandy foundation he is building.

And as the uncere-

b

FIRST CONFLAGRATION

ot

)

73

monious messenger is leaving, he very heartily shakes his

hand

A couple of days before this, a certain colonel, as he passed

him on the road, had called out—

¢TI cannot at all accept your creed.”

To which Hebich cheerily replied—

¢“T shall be glad to come and see you

He

Accordingly, his next visit isto this Colonel’s house

thus describes what took place :—

Colonel. 'Will you come in, please ?

Hebich

Yes, sir

if you please

Whereupon the gentleman, opening the sitting-room door

said, ¢ There are two ladies

and he himself slipped away

One of the ladies was palnting

She laid aside her pencil

and, in a pleasant voice, asked—

¢« What is it in your creed to which the Colonel cannot

aoree 1’

Hebich

I fancy he refers to our meeting at Cannanore

some two years back, when upon my asking him pointedly,

“ How is it with your soul I” he went off, angrily

1}

Lady, loughing : Oh'! is that all !

And the conversation assumed a jocular tone, from Wh1ch

Hebich was unable to bring it back to serious things

Yet

being invited to repeat his visit, he did so, on which occa-

Ir

sion he found four officers playing at cards

To his question

¢« Can I come in?’ the lady who paints replied from an inner

0

room from whence she came forward, ¢ Oh certainly, pray

th

come 1n

Then turning to the card-players, she added

¢« What an awful set you are!” upon which they laid down

il

their cards, and the Colonel, as usual, disappeared. The two

ladies sat down, and again there was nothing but laughing ;

:

f,

till Hebich said seriously, “May I now come to my proper

business

Il??

As Hebich was explaining the ¢ Heart-book ” to

0l

16

18

Mt

274

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

the ladies, the officers fidgetted, going and coming.

One of

v~

fer

~them looked over Hebich’s shoulder and said, “I thought

et

the devil was a handsome fellow, not like that picture I"—

whereupon he took himself off.

Then one of the ladies narrated how she and her husband

had seen an apparition. It at all events somewhat solemnized

her.

So that he was able to go on quietly with his message,

all listening quietly. Just at that moment one of the ladies

rubbed a diamond ring that she was wearing ; and the

Colonel, coming in just then cried out, ¢ See, Mr. Hebich,

what a vain woman she is !’

To which Hebich: ¢ Oh! she

‘could easily get over that, if she were but to put the ring

”

into some mission-box ;

upon which all the younger

ones of the party laughed, exclaiming, “ Ah! he has an eye

to her ring!”

The lady sighed, saying, “I should need a

great change indeed, before I could do that.”

Some of the

company acknowledged that all that Hebich had told them

was true ; but the Colonel wound up the conversation with

the words, “ So now you have satisfactorily sent us all down

Hebich could but ex-

to hell ; yourself alone excepted.”

claim, “ Ah! what a world is this !” as, with a secret prayer

for the one soul that seemed a little hopeful, he went further

Ji

on his way.

h

During the time of this visit of his to the hills, there

G

were some cases of cholera, which tended to solemnize men’s

d

minds.

That hard-working missionary, Biihler, whom he

W

met now for the last time, was himself carried off by the

dl

disease a couple of months later.

Hebich had also inter-

b

views with a man of great talent, who had long been

N

striving to make himself better.

His repeated failures

1

and continual backslidings drove him to despair, and to

b

the very verge of infidelity.

He listened earnestly to

Hebich’s message, and afterwards said to a dear clergyman,

I

< Do learn something from Hebich’s way of working.

FIRST CONFLAGRATION.

275

f

fear you waste time in making approaches to the souls you

1o

intend to besiege.

It is often much better to startle people

up at once, and make them open their eyes.”

Hebich spent a happy time with his “own” regiment at

1(‘[

«“French Rocks,” from the 16th to the 23rd of May. He

o]

found that spiritual life had grown among them.

In April,

6

Sweet, who was their leader, had been seized with cholera,

e

and was nigh unto death. He had the brethren gathered

h

They

around his bed that he might take his leave of them.

were kneeling in prayer, when the doctor, rising from his

ho

knees, said, ¢ You will not die ; the Lord has heard our sup-

13

plication,” and so it proved. This circumstance produced a

0eT

deep impression upon all around.

Y6

From the 24th of May to the 11th of June, was given

[ 3

to Bangalore.

Hebich made his rounds of visits here as

His desire was

the

diligently as he had done at Ootacamund.

e

to refresh the souls that were longing for salvation, and to

One of his visits was

ith

arouse the careless and backsliders.

to an old general officer, seventy-eight years of age, and

W1

ex:

blind ; who still thought he might safely put off for a while

«“this kind of business.”

But he also saw young people,

\yer

|

Der

in all the vigour of life; their hearts full of the peacock, as

Also he sees a deaf lieutenant, who was

he calls vanity.

careful to take him into an inner room, and to close the

here

(9103

doors, lest his neighbours should overhear the loud voice in

which the missionary delivered his message.

Next, he sees

th

the

an officer, who was not quite in his right mind; this poor

ntel

man insists upon half-starving himself because he is on the

sick list, and unable to work, and it is written, “If any

heen

s

man will not work, neither shall he eat.” He found his way

to Mootoocherry, where a colony of Kuropean pensioners,

l 10

their wives and families, were being faithfully ministered to

Y 10

Il

Dy

by some pious ladies, widows of officers. e is also busy

18—2

il

276

MEMOIRS

OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

among the native Christians attached to the missions; some

of them are glad to see him, but others take amiss his

rough speech, especially on the subject of their drinking

habits.

On his visit to the children of some schools, he

persuaded them to give up to him some packs of playing

cards.

Besides all this he preached every evening in the London

Mission Chapel.

At a breakfast, at which he met all the

missionaries of the station, and many like-minded, he got

rather hot in argument.

There were many questions on

which they pressed him rather closely.

There were ques-

tions, as for instance, of Apocalyptic interpretation, on which

he could give no satisfactory answer. Or again, such as these:

‘Why would he allow no method of working but just his own ?

‘Why speak so much about the devil?

Why say the devil

is in heaven? or in the air?

Why insist upon it that God

has a bodily shape?

The Personality of God was a favourite theme with him.

He quoted such expressions as, the mouth, the eyes, the

hand, the feet, the nostrils, the bowels of God, which are

j(

all Scriptural, and when the missionaries kept repeating

“figurative language,” they seemed to him to be abandoning

ol

the firm ground of Scripture, for what he considered an

of

unsubstantial (or smoky as he called it) philosophy.

Had

hi

not God created man in his own likeness? must it not

he

follow, then, that in the form of man we see something

corresponding with God?

To maintain that Spiri¢ implies

i

the absence of all form, is to make of God an abstraction.

L

But when he came to speak of the Son, as the express

il

image of the invisible God; finding Him everywhere in

tc

the Old Testament, as the manifestation, and the Word of

it

Him that dwelleth in darkness ;

yea, finding Him as

Jehovah himself, though desiring to keep to the very words

€s

of Scripture, he was soon entangled in contradictions.

ho

FIRST CONFLAGRATION.

27

&

He was rather unpleasantly astonished when he was. shown

the near approach of his modes of expression to the Sweden-

borgian and Mormon heresies on the subject of God.

But,

?i

thought he, perhaps this is just the devil's cunning, to trick

out false doctrine with some elements of truth ?

Enough

of this peculiarity of the excellent man.

The believers in

Bangalore, in spite of all these things, thankfully acknow-

4

ledged that they were indebted to him for many essential

benefits.

it

)ii

He says—¢“1 laboured daily, from six in the morning

till eleven at night, and everywhere the Lord opened doors

h

for me, so that I found it necessary to postpone my depar-

ture more than once.

Spiritual life had sunk rather low ;

and most of them were glad to be stirred up.

Twenty,

Y]

il

thirty, as many as thirty-eight persons assembled to take

ol

tea together after each evening service ; we spent thus from

eight o’clock till eleven together, and it was like a second

When

at last he did leave he

il

preaching to them.”

he

was urgently pressed to repeat his visits abt least once a

axe

year.

No one rejoiced more over these preaching-tours than his

ng

ing

old friend Mogling, who had now entered upon a new field

of work among the Kurgs.

Many of his friends testified to

an

Jad

him of the benefit derived from the labours of the old

bearded missionary.

not

He wrote to Hebich as follows—¢I rejoice to think

ing

s

that you have thus found out the way in which your

peculiar gifts can be used to best advantage.

I have long

101,

1685

thought that, in your abundant labours, you ought not

to be tied down to the limits of any one station, but

) 1D

] of

rather in these long evangelistic tours to proclaim the

gospel widely among the Europeans and natives.

God has

8

especially endowed you for this kind of work, I think it a

o8

hopeful sign that you resist any inclination to gather

Iy

278

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

together new churches.

Your work is that of an evange-

list.

When souls get quickened through your preaching,

He will surely care for all the rest without your seeking

to be a founder of churches.

I neither think that you have

the gift for founding churches, nor that you require them.

Let each one use his own gift.

Then the glory shall be the

Lord’s, when His servants least hinder Him, in His own

working.

I very heartily rejoice in your success, and wish

you a still larger portion of it.

I hope soon to have the op-

portunity of showing you my little beginning of mission-

work here.”

Hebich travelled accordingly, to Kurg, passing through

Hunsur, where he found work to do.

He thus writes :—

“ After sending Searle to French Rocks to serve there as

catechist, I at last joined dear Mogling at Almanda.

On

the 22nd of June I preached the first sermon in the little

chapel he had just completed. We were very happy to-

gether.”

From thence he hastened back to Cannanore, where

tokens of blessing had again been vouchsafed during his ab-

sence.

Probably the most noteworthy event of the year was the

conversion of Munshi Mulil Ramotti. Before Hebich’s arrival

in Cannanore a tract had fallen into his hands, from which

he had learnt the Ten Commandments.

He was then but a

mere lad, but they made such an impression upon him,

that he hoped some day to become a Christian.

He had a

considerable knowledge of heathen literature; and now, in

Hebich’s mission-school, he found the opportunity of gaining

some acquaintance, through Malayalim, with the Christian

Scriptures. ‘He rendered good service, as a teacher of the

This

languages, first to Mr. Diez and then to Stocking.

thorough-going soldier attacked him very sharply, but with-

out ';nanifééting much love,

[4

27

¢

J

FIRST CONFLAGRATION.

At the beginning of 1854 Ramotti made up his mind to

embrace Christianity. He gradually conveyed all his books

and valuables to the mission-house.

But he had a wife, to

%

whont he was deeply attached, and who had just presented

him with their second child. She was the daughter of a

moble house, and he was still kept back by her declaration

that she could not follow him. On the 8th of April he joined

Brother Diez in prayer, and declared he would come finally

at Whitsuntide.

But each time he took the resolution his

ATV B B [ o] R et e

heart failed him. Then he declared he would wait for He-

bich’s return, hoping that, in the storm which he well knew

he had to expect, he should find a firm prop in him. But on

the 13th of June he could resist no longer: he kissed his

)

wife and children, bade her return to her father’s house ; for

n

himself, he must be free—he must seek the salvation of his

lo

soul. Then, without trusting himself to look back, he hast-

ened over to the mission-house. Once there, he spoke to Mr.

0

Diez and prayed with him, allowed his caste-lock to be cut

10

off, and spent that first night almost entirely in prayer to

God

b

On the following day he was visited by his elder bro-

ther, the head of his house, who tried in vain to turn him

the

val

from his purpose. Finding his endeavours fruitless, he left,

saying—

ich

«Tn former years there was no great dishonour in turning

1'ta

Christian, for there was then no cutting off of the top-knot,

m,

da

and no breaking of caste; and when you came to die you

were honoured with a volley of musketry, and a fine granite

10

tombstone over your grave.

But now, for following the

g

Padre’s advice, may God curse you with rottenness in your

tian

body while you live, and with the burial of a dog when you

the

die.”

[his

The hundreds of Tiers who now crowded round the mis-

ith

sion-house were not so easily got rid of. Astonished and

280

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH

disheartened, they looked at the man who had been the

pride of their caste. He spoke to them, patiently and gently,

answering the many questions that were put to him, and

he was listened to without tumult

Many even acknow-

ledged that they should be glad if they could break through

the trammels of custom

It was clear that he had it in

him to become a powerful herald of the salvation that is in

Christ

One of his nephews, a young mason, said to his mother—

‘I shall also join the Christians, for the truth is with them

He carried out his resolution on the 25th of the same month

first burning his magical books

A few years later his mother

~as also converted

Then an aged aunt of his had a mind to follow her Ramotti

But she was corpulent and unwieldy: how should she ever

succeed in passing, unopposed, the distance that separated

her house from the mission-grounds? Hebich had now re-

turned refreshed from his evangelistic trip. It was arranged

that, at a preconcerted moment, he should drive in his bullock-

coach to the corner of ‘the Tierhouse.

The old lady slipped

herself down from the wall, got into the bullock- coach, and

thus, hiding her face, and more dead than alive with alarm

and excitement, she safely reached the mission-house on the

10th of July

Once there, she acted the part of a good mother to the

younger Christian women

Hebich himself undertook to im-

part to these new-comers the needed preliminary instruction

and on the 6th of August he baptized them (along with

twenty-five others) by the names of Abraham, Isaac, and

?:

Elizabeth.

!

It was a day of blessing

; but just as a fierce thunderstorm

suddenly bursts forth amld beautiful summer weather, it was

v

followed by a terrible outburst of cholera.

The first fruits

from among the Tiers, the faithful Juda, was, with many

FIRST CONFLAGRATION.

281

others, carried off. Brother Diez and Mrs. Gundert both sick-

ened, but recovered.

¢“These are terrible times, yet the Lord

(el iy

is God,” exclaims Hebich.

During this visitation many/

/ /4[(/%

seemed to be impressed with the truth, who afterwards re-

ot fom!

lapsed into carelessness.

Malil Abraham was further carefully instructed by Gun-

dert, and promised to be a useful worker among his own

countrymen.

He was now thirty-five years of age. He spent

his time very happily between studying the Word, with which

he was already better acquainted than many Christians, and

The station had never had so

proclaiming it far and near.

bold and so able a Malayalim preacher.

He had no know-

ledge of English; but this signified the less, owing to the

remarkable independence and unselfishness of his character,

while he had also much more energy than the best-taught

pupils from the schools.

Even Anjerakandi, which had so often caused sorrow,

began to awaken.

Things were certainly better than they

had been two years before, and at the communion-service of

1

the 14th of August there was much to encourage.

d

From the beloved Gompertz, far off at Aden, came glad

tidings.

An aged Tamulian, of seventy-three winters, named

6

Chetty Fakira, and a younger man, were baptized there, and

many of various classes had been awakened. From French

10

Rocks came news of the conversion of a young officer, who

at once began witnessing for Christ ; also an old drummer of

0y

sixty years, who had been a great drunkard, turned to the

Lord. To the wonder of many, this man kept stedfast, and

th

1

walked consistently till his death. The news from Palghat

was also joyous.

O’Brien, and the zealous Captain Hoedson,guAlain

I}

had to tell from thence of the conversion of a hardened bully,

a5

who died a few wecks later with the happy words on his lips

1t

— s Alllias well

1

If it must be acknowledged that the Cannanore congre-

282

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

getion did not gain much in numbers, yet were there

blessed tokens that the Spirit of God was working in it

and 1n its various offshoots.

Hebich had scarcely ever felt

If there were causes of humiliation—

stronger in his life,

and they were not lacking—he had learnt to use them as

means for a heavenly education.

CHAPTER XXX

THE SKCOND CONFLAGRATION.

Qx the bth of January, 1855, old Mr. John Browne, of An-

jerakandi died. In what spirit the Plantation which he had so

long ruled would now be carried on could not be foreseen ; and

indeed it seemed more than probable that the Church, which

had been cathered with so much care and watchfulness during

the last sixteen years, was threatened with dispersion

This

induced Hebich to hid for a plot of land, just then put up

It was an elevated spot, a

for sale by the civil authorities

few miles from Cannanore, and he hoped, by means of funds

at the disposal of the Cannanore Church, to turn 1t gradually

into a plantation

Some huts were built upon it, and some

families of the old slave population removed there from An-

jerakandi. A catechist was putin charge of them, and thence

ultimately sprung up the out-station of Chowa. It was rather

a hasty step; no inquiry having been made as to the capabili-

ties of the soil, or as to the existence of any conflicting titles

to the land.

The burden of outdoor work resulting from

this enterprise fell mainly on Mr. Diez.

Just when Hebich was preparing for his annual visit to the

heathen temple feasts, he was troubled by serious complaints

and charges against Searle, received from French Rocks,

where. it will be remembered, he had left him as catechist.

et

284

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Mzr. Mogling, who just then paid a visit to the coast, brought

the latest and most unsatisfactory accounts of this poor man.

His pride and vanity had become quite unbearable.

He set

himself up as the pastor of the flock, and made extortionate

demands on the pockets of the brethren.

He scouted, as

absurd, the notion that Hebich was his spiritual father.

On

the contrary, he unsettled the minds of the poor drummers,

whom he should have instructed, by his continual represent-

ations of the bad and niggardly treatment he had received

from Hebich.

It was felt to be necessary to act at once.

The letters which Searle himself had written to Cannanore

were submitted to the officers, and proved a tissue of false-

hoods.

Just before his own departure for Taliparambu,

Hebich informed Searle of all that had come to light ; di-

rected him at once to resign the charge of French Rocks, and

to return to Cannanore, urging most solemnly upon him * to

have done, once for all, with these devilish lies.”

All this weighed heavily upon the missionary as he went

forth to the heathen festival.

“It acts like an emetic,” says

he

“and I can think of nothing else.”

Poor Searle’s cha-

racter was a curious mixture; he was at once humbled to

the dust.

‘Writing, full of shame and contrition, he begged

Hebich not to spurn him; he would start at once on his

f

reburn to Cannanore, and submit to any punishment that

might be inflicted.

o(

It may be that all the sorrow and anxiety connected with

)

this business tended to rob Hebich of his usual cool judg-

1¢

ment.

Be that as it may, we must narrate what now

k

took place.

Towards the end of the festival, a Tier girl,

twelve years of age, who had on several occasions visited

{

the catechists, came to them, declaring her wish to be re-

ceived permanently into the mission premises.

Hebich and

his party were occupying the travellers bungalow, which

g

stands on an eminenge; the girl was brought there to him,

THE SECOND CONFLAGRATION.

d

)

85

and once more she expressed her wish to be received ; she

complained that she was beaten and ill-used at home, and

that her father had been killed by means of sorcery. Instead

of recommending one so young to return, at least for the

night, to her mother, he sent her to the head man of the vil-

lage.

This official ascertained from her her desire to become

a Christian, and then, as it was late, directed that she should

come to him again in the morning, with her mother.

Early

on the morning of the 17th of March, when Hebich was pre-

paring to go out to preach, he was surrounded by an excited

Y A

crowd of the friendsand relatives of Chiji (such was the girl’s

name).

He quieted them, and bade them wait till he had

done his preaching, when they might all accompany him to

the head man’s, there to talk the matter over.

But the vil-

lage magnate could not be induced to attend to the matter

till the afternoon.

At length he drew up a statement, to the

effect that, in spite of all her mother’s protestations, the girl

if

positively declined to return home, and declared her wish to

remain among the Christians.

But the relatives, who had

!

been wearied by all the delays, had only become more ex-

cited, and refused to accept and put their names to this docu-

0

d

ment.

Upon this, the head man went away, and took no

further trouble.

15

ab

No sooner was he gone, than a threatening mob of Tiers

Messengers were sent to

gathered round the bungalow.

bring the head man back again, but they did not await his

th

o

return before making an attack on the bungalow, and vio-

lently assaulting Hebich and his companions.

In the midst

OW

1l

of the uproar, the official returned, whereupon the assailants

desisted. The girl had, meanwhile, hidden in an inner room,

ed

The

16

and now accompanied Hebich to the head man’s office.

angry mob, however, took advantage of their absence, to again

nd

attack the bungalow, beating the Christians whom they found

ich

there, some of whom were badly wounded, and destroying

11y

A

b5)

86

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

whatever they could lay hands upon.

Having glutted their

vengeance there, they moved on to the head man’s office, which

they also threatened.

Hebich got so alarmed at all this, expecting a night attack

from all the thousands of pilgrims and worshippers gathered

to the feast, that he despatched a messenger to Cherikal,

On re-

begging that military aid might be sent out to him.

ceipt of this alarming message, the friends in Cannanore

talked the matter over, and it appeared to them so very un-

desirable to appeal thus for protection to the military arm, that

they sent Hebich word rather to retire quietly under cover of

But even such retreat was unnecessary.

Hebich

the night.

-

was able to spend another day, the last day of the festival,

unmolested. And a few days later, the girl came of herself,

and unhindered, to the Cherikal Institution. Probably, after

all that had taken place, the village” authorities thought it

better to favour her going over to the mission.

The 29th of March, 1855, was signalized by a second

disastrous fire.

In spite of former warnings, Hebich had

allowed & iarge stack of straw to be stored in the confined

premises.

Suddenly, at nine o’clock at night, it burst into

flames.

The soldier brethren were soon on the spot, and by

strenuous efforts they saved the dwelling-house and the

chapel.

Poor Searle’s untrustworthy character was once

more manifested. A soldier, who was busy removing valuable

property from the danger, gave into his charge the bag of

money from Hebich’s writing-table. A considerable sum was

found to have been abstracted. Hebich spoke most seriously

to poor Searle about it, but he only protested his innocence.

The case was so flagrant, that he had to be dismissed from

the mission employ. Six years afterwards, in a letter which

reached Hebich after his return to Europe, the unhappy man

confessed his guilt.

1

Besides the additional work which it entailed upon those

€

THE SECOND CONFLAGRATION.

287

?

who were already so fully employed, this fire cost the mission

fully three thousand rupees in cash. The fire was certainly

the work of enemies, and the Tiers now and then boasted of

it, but it was impossible to bring it home to any one in par-

ticular.

The most serious mischief, however, seemed to be

caused at Taliparambu. The heathen were full of triumphant

boast and of exaggerated stories ; they declared that Hebich

had kidnapped and bewitched the girl Chiji; threatened to

burn down the catechist’s house also ; till the poor man, who.

had never boasted of much courage, lost the little he had,

and was fairly terrified at all his neighbours’ plots !

The poor

)

old missionary, returning at once, discouraged and dejected,

:

from Taliparambu, exclaimed :

“ Would that we could work backwards for a while !”

)

T

It took, indeed, all his straightforward honesty of purpose,

1t

and a considerable lapse of time, before confidence was quite

restored. At length the mother was induced to visit her

d

daughter at the institution.

At the succeeding temple-feasts.

id

all again passed off kﬁeacefully as could be wished.

As a curious turn in events, this same girl, who had been

ol

0

the occasion of all this turmoil, now named Julia, veturned

to Taliparambu as the wife of the evangelist Arangaden. She

by

:hue

wrote then an affectionate letter to Hebich, in Europe, re-

minding him of the conflict in which he had rescued her

06

ble

from this stronghold of Satan ; told him of her husband and

children, and declared her determination that, as for her and

0l

it

her house, they would serve the Lord, till the last victory

should be won.

lbl\

She longed for a word of encouragement

from her grey-headed spiritual father.

Thus the mistakes of

16

Jom

His servants, though they had to be purged as with fire, and

though they led at the time through a path of humiliation,

jich

were not unowned of God.

AR

The aged servant of the Lord

loved to recognise such tokens of His Father’s tenderness

Hebich cared not to

hose

even while using the rod of correction.

d

€

88

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

speak much about these events, and especially never sought

to justify his own mistakes.

Of the events of this period, he thus writes home :

¢ Oh, this constant loss of time! this ever throwing us

back again ! teaching us that we must still patiently bear the

burden.

How it pains us!

Yet, in all our trials, the dear

Lord still vouchsafed many tokens of His love.

At the fire,

another moment would have destroyed the dwelling-house and

our chapel.

But the soldiers most wonderfully succeeded in

saving them ; officers worked with the men, and as hard as

the common soldiers.

Then the Lord has raised up many

friends, who are bent upon having the building better se-

A

cured, the roofs all tiled, and everything better protected

from fire.

‘We have now reason to hope that our beloved

8

Home Committee will not have to bear all this heavy loss.

1

May the Lord abundantly bless all these dear ones, who in

|

this great fire of affliction have so nobly and affectionately

f

come forward to help and comfort us.”

X(

la

)

it

S

Iiy

0

hi

Re

W

Sy

Usg

ha\r

con

Deg

heg]

:‘E

;i

l

S

CHAPTER XXXL

SCATTERING SEED BY THE WAY.

At this time, several very true friends of the mission were

d

i

suddenly called away by death—trials sent, if to chasten, yet

to purify. 'We must tell of the young civilian, Mr. Sande-

10

man, who, taken with jungle fever while out in the dis-

Iy

trict on duty, was brought in to Cannanore to die, sur

rounded by the brethren, on the 29th of January. He had

latterly rejoiced in more than one opportunity of sanctioning,

by his presence, the humble preaching of the catechists to the

natives at Taliparambu. Then also of the beloved Dr. Foulis,

snatched away by cholera on the 10th of April. While he

lived, his great professional skill had ever been at our service,

His affection had laid the mission under untold obligations ;

his last words were a joyful testimony to his faith in the

Redeemer.

Next, most suddenly, our dear fellow-labourer

Weigle was called away.

His last words, of solemn import,

sunk into all our hearts—“T die as a poor sinner: nor do I

use the words lightly ; for how many opportunities of blessing

have I let slip!”

These words are the more striking, as

coming from one of Weigle’s sobriety of mind and earnest-

ness.

And now Hebich’s favourite Joseph was sadly failing in

health. His younger brother David had been summoned to

19

d

D)

90

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL VHEBICH.

his side from the Mangalore seminary, and Hebich took them

both with him, in May, to the Nilgherries, by way of Calicut,

From this last station he sent

Maliapuram and Coimbatore.

forward his native companions, while he himself was occupied

with an interesting family, which he had met with in the

journey. Following after, he overtook the brothers at Metd-

paliam, at the foot of the mountains, to find, to his great sur-

prise, David already at the term of his earthly pilgrimage.

This was a terrible time for himself and for Joseph. When

David saw his old missionary friend, he exclaimed—“Oh ! T

have been praying that you might come,

Now that you are

here I can rejoice.” Then, while they were all busy with the

sufferer, the groom, who had most faithfully helped to the

utmost of his power, was also taken with cholera.

Tiet He-

bich himgself describe the scene :—

“It happened that there was a medical officer there—a

passing traveller, sleeping in the bungalow. I called him up.

He gave the two patients some medicine from his travelling

medicine-chest.

It took effect upon the groom, who ulti-

mately recovered. But with David, already worn out with

the fatigues of the previous journey, it was already too late.

The Doctor recommended my losing no time in sending him

back to Coimbatore. ¢ Will he come round ¥ Iinquired, again

and again.

The only answer I got was, ¢ You can do him no

)

good. Get out of this place yourself, and up into the hills as

]

fast as you can.’

But how could T make up my mind to send

it

him back with Joseph alone —dJoseph, who himself was so

20

More than once I asked

ill as to need help and comfort !

th

the dying lad whether he believed in the Lord Jesus. ‘Ah,

€X

yes ! said he; ‘Jesus is my all in all.” Once or twice he

i

repeated some German lines, with rapture, and then whis-

th

pered, ‘The Lord killeth, and maketh alive.’” Divided be-

10

tween hope and despair as to his recovery, I hired a bullock-

Wi

cart to take him back to Coimbatore.

It was eight ‘in the

Iy

SCATTERING SEED BY THE WAY.

)

o

91

morning ere we started, the sun terribly hot.

I was nearly

)

burnt up, but he was almost in a state of collapse ; and about

I

It

half way, at near two in the afternoon, he passed away.

il

was eight in the evening when we reached the house of the

16

dear Addises.

I felt sorely troubled at coming there thus

unexpectedly, and with the corpse of one who had just died

I

of cholera ; but those dear people received us most lovingly,

{9

set themselves at once to comfort Joseph and me, would not

el

hear of my taking any further trouble—they would under-

take all needful arrangements.

Nor was 1t only words ; they

were even better than their words.

Ao

the

¢ Early next morning, after an address, and prayer from

the

Mr. Addis, we laid my beloved David in the silent grave.

e

‘When he was about to enter the Training Institute I remon-

strated with him, pointing out to him that he was perhaps

—0

not long for this world—would it not be better to labour at

once for Christ?

1

It is remarkable that just before his death

ling

he seemed to be better and stronger than I had ever seen him,

i

He was just twenty-four.

Oh that we had many such for

th

the work !—there are not many his equals.

But the Lord

Wl

Jafe

knows what is best ; He hath done all things well.

His will

be done, both now and through eternity

17,

him

oAl

The death of her beloved son was such a shock to David’s

mother, that she followed him to the grave within four months.

m 10

[ls as

Mr. Weigle had been particularly attached to this young

man, and was deeply affected on hearing the news that he had

) B

end

58 80

gone to the home above.

He had also a strong presentiment

that he himself would follow him ere long. His prayer, as

ﬂ\l\ed

Al

y

expressed at the time, was—¢ The Lord grant us but grace to

stand firm in that which alone is of importance—to endure to

lc[l, he

the end ; that thus, when we reach the goal, we may rejoice

s

in looking back upon the rough and steep way along which

o 0e:

i1

we have so often stumbled.” By the 7th of June, dear Weigle

L

[lock

had himself reached the goal !

11 ﬂle

19—2

292

MEMOIRS

OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

After the funeral Hebich continued his journey towards

the hills—sorrowful, yet rejoicing. He sorrowed especially in

sympathy with Joseph, who could not be persuaded to leave

him. On the hills he remained from the 2nd of June to the

9th of July, finding, as usual, no lack of openings for blessed

work. At Jakatalla (since called Wellington) he found many

converted men among the soldiers of the 74th Highlanders.

At Ootacamund he caused quite a revival among the believers,

and had a communion-season, of which he records that it was

a time of refreshing beyond anything he had ever before ex-

perienced.

In July and August he was at the French Rocks, among

his beloved children of the 39th N.I.

His own description

of what he found there is given in the following words :—

¢ One dear sister, whom I had commended unto the Can-

nanore Church as being near unto death, I found most won-

derfully restored. No words of mine can express the comfort

which I have from this little Church in the regiment.

They

have a place set apart in which they gather for worship at all

the same hours through the week at which we are accustomed

to gather at Cannanore.

Besides this, they have built a

prayer-house for the use of the East Indians and Drummenrs.

There is also a chapel for the Anglican Church, in which the

Colonel reads the prayers and a sermon once every Sunday.

This the brethren all attend, though their principal assembly

for worship is held in their own special gathering-place.

Each one of the officer-brethren is a zealous preacher of

righteousness. The bond of love and peace has, as yet, kept

them together, so that they are full of good works. For the

native Christians they conduct a service in Tamul.

‘When-

ever the English Jesuit comes round on his [stated visits, he

tries to get hold of and destroy all evangelical ;books, and

warns his hearers to beware of our doctrine, as they would of

the plague.

I have daily a congregation of about one hun-

4]

SCATTERING SEED BY THE WAY.

293

dred, black and white, to whom I speak in English, which

Joseph translates into Tamul, which is the language the

Drummers best understand.

“They very much wish for an able and trustworthy Tamul

catechist. On this visit I have baptized a head servant and

his three children, and have admitted into the Church some

Yomanists, and also a Socinian Drummer, who had previously

been a great enemy of the Lord’s work, and had been living

with two wives.

He gave up the book from which he drew

his damnable heresies, which I at once burnt. Would that I

could supply this little Church with a faithful catechist, who

would accompany them wherever the regiment might be sta-

1

tioned. I feel it especially incumbent upon me to do all I

can to supply the need of this Church, as the Lord has been

1l

pleased to work such a gloriqus work among them by my

means.”

i

In the preceding May, a native of good caste had been

ey

converted under the teaching of one of the sisters ; this man

al

had to endure no little reproach from the Sepoys.

Captain

ed

Kerr was on detachment-duty at Hassan, where he was much

&

pleased to find his two drummers glad to come to him daily

IS

for reading and prayer.

Captain Hart had been sent to

the

England for his health. He found work to do for the Lord

lay

there also, and was soon surrounded by a little flock, from

bly

==

which he found it hard to part.

Soon after his return to his

ace

regiment, he was shot dead by a fanatical Sepoy. Hebich

1()t

also records : «“ Of course I did not omit a visit to the Pal-

kept

halli sugar-factory ; the brethren there entertain a Tamul cate-

the

chist to work among their hundred or more dependants.

hen

And all seem full of spiritual life.

“The Bangalore brethren had arranged for me to pay them

5, he

: and

& visit, and had gathered the necessary money for my journey.

ot

The Lord opened so many doors of usefulness for me there,

J:

and provided me with so much work, that when the time

294

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

came for me to leave, many engagements, which I was sorry

to neglect, were unfulfilled. On this visit the missionaries

wished to have me with them. I kept myself principally

with those of the London Missionary Society, with whose

spirit I feel T have more in common.

I, however, preached

once in the Wesleyan Chapel.

I had very often to preach

three times a day ; besides which, I was at work till midnight

—generally with considerable gatherings; for instance, with

European pensioners, then with their wives ; then with the

drummers and bandsmen of the 6th N.I., among whom such

an interest was excited, that even the Romanists came.

Alas ! that there was no one at hand fitted to carry on the

work among them, after I left.

“ It is strange how little there is to be found of life in God

in this large station ! = Orthodoxy and the black gown ; the

tasteful adornment of their houses, and all that is gentle-

manly, is never lacking ; but as for the Lord Jesus and His

kingdom, who cares?

On Sunday to Church and the Lord’s

Supper, on Monday to a ball or a picnic ; no wonder if the

devil has them in his leading-strings !

But one of the chap-

lains is a brother beloved in the Lord ; my people attend his

He came with

church ; I first met him at French Rocks.

me to church, and then I went with him, and we all received

ft

the Lord’s Supper from him.

“ A gentleman and his wife were newly converted to the

b

W

Lord ; T asked them if they had ever yet prayed together.

“¢Oh, yes! we pray together; I read the prayers while

my wife kneels by me.’

1. That is not what T amean,

Do you, sir, pray from

Y

8

your heart, with your wife ? and do you, wife, pray from

your heart, with your husband ¥

“ He. *No, we have never done that.

“IL ¢Very well, that is what you must do !

t]

“Upon this their faces grew long, and there was no an-

1

295

SCATTERING SEED BY THE WAY.

swer. The following day I was with them again ; the first

words that greeted me were : ¢ We have prayed together, as

you recommended, and are so happy ! And on a subsequent

visit, they told me that they prayed thus together three times

During the half of

a day, and were more and more happy.

my visit, I was the guest of Adjutant Sim ; for the other

half, the dear Campbells would take no denial, I must needs

go to their house ; but as they live too far away for my work,

I still had to be very frequently at the Sim’s.

« T was then also invited to Tumkoor, and worked there in

= < L aad R %)

my usual way, but the time was too short. I had to deal

there with a Tamul catechist, to whom I refused the Lord’s

16

Supper, because of his holding caste, though otherwise his

conduct was good. These Christians, who retain their caste-

Otl

he

lock, are so tied by caste considerations, that the Lord Jesus

is to them nothing by comparison.

At Bangalore, I met

le

with one of these fellows who boast great things: he was a

{b

man who went from house to house, singing the Gospel, for

s

money. No Brahman was ever more bitter against me !

the

« Botween the 20th and 26th of August, I passed through

i)

Mysore, Yellwal, Hunsur, Frazerpett, and Mercara. I could

hlo

afford to spend but one day at each of these places, yet I

pith

found in each so much and such important work to do, that

el

I felt extremely thankful for even these rapid visits. Had I

bubt a little more time at command, more marked results

the

would be apparent.

At Mercara I found my well-beloved

Boswell. This canny Scot had spent two and a half years

¥ hlle

at Cannanore, and at first I had a good deal of disputation

with him.

(The officer thus mentioned, a truly guileless

from

soul, entered into his eternal rest in June, 1857.)

from.

« Ryil tidings made me hasten with all speed from Mer-

cara to Mangalore. I preached, there for the first time in

the English Church, and my friend, Mr. F. Anderson, took

me expressly to the English School, where I addressed the

10 Al

)

9

96

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

heathen scholars for two hours and a half, opening and

alleging from the Scriptures that Jesus Christ is indeed the

Son of God. I had great enjoyment in this, and earnestly

prayed that of His free grace, the Father would reveal His

dear Son in the hearts of these interesting youths.”

It is worthy of record that the young Brahman pupils of

this school, carefully educated and intelligent lads, but with

%

all the natural opposition to the preaching of the Cross, came

afterwards to their teacher, Mr. Hoch, and declared that

the mystery of the Trinity in unity had never seemed so

clear to them before. Now, certainly, Hebich’s forte was not

in logical demonstration.

But it is an instance how a

powerful and simple testimony, sanctified by love and by

prayer, is worth more than a whole heap of fine-spun argu-

ments,

é

On his return to Cannanore, where he arrived on the 1st

of September, he found that there had been no increase of

members ; indeed, so far as concerns the Native Church, there

had been a falling off. Among the faces which welcomed

his return, those of Stocking’s second wife, of the well-beloved

;fk

Jacob (a weaver, by caste), and of others of his most trusted

ones, were missing.

He says :

Ol

“Seven dear souls entered upon their eternal rest, and this

ty

is a fact which may well rejoice and encourage a poor sinner

00

such as T am! I need not grow weary, for is it not true

ob

that ¢there remaineth a rest for the people of God! The

Wl

Sunday-morning service has now been replaced by two sepa-

St

rate services. Gundert conducts the service for the natives,

Ve

in the school-room at the corner, while I preach to the men of

Wi

the 74th Highlanders, in English. Most of these men are

S

unconverted, but they prefer our form of service to that of

1§

the English Church. It came about in this way ; a certain

i

Captain F. was converted, and by his means, in spite of oppo-

il

sition from some of those in authority, about sixty men are

o

SCATTERING SEED BY THE WAY.

ded

9

97

marched down to our chapel for divine service, and so I have

6

them from ten to eleven o’clock. Hallelujah

!”

At Taliparambu a better spirit showed itself. The ring-

15

leader in the fierce attack, narrated in an earlier chapter, had

been sentenced to three months’ hard labour.

Some appre-

f

hension was felt as to his influence on his return to the vil-

h

lage, after completion of his sentence, but no evil ensued.

16

Paul, the catechist, stationed there, had paid a four weeks’

i

visit to his old deaf father, and had succeeded in instilling

s0 much of Gospel truth into his mind, that hopes of his con-

of

version were entertained.

At Andjerakandi a spirit of dis-

cord seemed to rage.

Many thought that God made no dis-

I

tinction between the evil and the just (Mal. ii. 17); so that

the catechist was not a little discouraged in his work of pa-

tience among such a people.

Suddenly very sad news was received from Calicut.

Mz,

s

of

Conolly, the collector, who had just been appointed a mem-

ber of Council, was sitting on the evening of the 11th of Sep-

I8

d

tember, reading aloud Gibbon’s ¢ Decline and Fall of the

i

Roman Empire” to his wife.

Suddenly five Mapilla fanatics

d

burst into the room, upset the table and lamp, and almost

cut poor Mr. Conolly to pieces.

With life ebbing from

15

twenty-seven wounds, he just exclaimed, “ Jesus, have mercy

The murderers’

el

on me,” and sank in less than half an hour.

object was revenge for the banishment of their high-priest, of

16

10

which we have previously spoken.

They did not succeed in

stirring up their co-religionists to a Jehad, or holy war ; and

A

S

vengeance overtook them within six days.

Exceptional laws

were adopted for this troublesome province, which were so

of

16

successful in maintaining quiet, that even during the year

1857, when so much excitement prevailed all over India, no

of

Hebich wrote at

disturbance of any kind took place in it.

once a letter of condolence to the widow, expressing all the

0

10

gratitude he felt for the uninterrupted kindness of so many

298

MEMOIRS O¥ SAMUEL HEBICH.

years : urging her also to look to Jesus as the one who alone

can comfort In our severest trials.

As soon as possible, he

went to see her before her departure for Europe.

In one of his letters home, written about this time, we

find the following words, “ At six o’clock in the morning of

the 13th of October, I had completed twenty-one years in

this country. After such a length of service a DBritish sol-

dier has served his full time and is entitled to his pension.

I certainly do not wish for that, but my wish is still to serve

Him wherever I may be, and yet to win for Him, souls for

which He has laboured and suffered so much. Praised be

His name for that He has allowed me to remain so long at

my post, with unbroken health. To serve an earthly master

g

for so many years might well make one feel proud. But to

I

have served Him, the heavenly, good, Holy One !

Oh'! it

i

makes me feel humbled indeed, according to that word of

His

¢When ye have done all, say we are unprofitable ser-

vants.’

Because while all that is

{

But why unprofitable ?

good in the servant is of His inworking, that which is

evil comes naturally enough from oneself; and in these

il

many years upon which I look back, how much that is evil

has been.”

In now taking a retrospect of all his work, and comparing

the results of his labours in a mission-station, with those

obtained in itinerating, little inclined as he was to select

his own path of work, yet he could not help acknowledging

that his itinerant work had been by far the most blessed,

and the richest in results for God. Yet while acknowledging

this, he also felt that he had no longer the ability to be con-

stantly on the move. He now felt often weary and unstrung ;

so that after each journey, rest seemed the more welcome.

Probably he was right in ascribing the unusual way in which

his bodily health had been upheld, to his frequent changes

of air and of scene.

His brethren in the mission-work were

SCATTERING SEED BY

THE WAY.

.

)

99

¢

also conscious that he often accomplished more for the Lord

6

when travelling, than when residing at any of the fixed

stations.

The final result of all his thoughts on this sub-

{#

of

ject was, that he resolved to consider himself no longer as

bound to any ome station; but rather to give himself to

n

preaching in different places as opportunity should offer;

)t

and to go after individual souls as God might guide.

This

it

resolve could however, only be fairly carried out if satis-

0

factory arrangements could be come to for the pastoral care

for

of his old station.

But just then directions were received

he

from the Home Committee, for Dr. Gundert to move to Man-

ab

galore to fill the vacancy caused by Mr. Weigle’s death. Two

ter

more years had thus to pass before Hebich’s wish in this

to

respect could be fully carried out ; when Mr. Miiller was sent

B

to him and proved to be just such a coadjutor as he needed.

of

‘When the year 1859 at length brought with it leisure for

el

the much-longed-for preaching tour, his strength was well

18

nigh exhausted ; worn out by many sore troubles occurring

) 18

in the various stations of the mission, which came upon him

hese

most unexpectedly.

evil

ng

hose

;elect

Jomg

3356‘17

dgung

0ol

g ;

come:

yrhich

gt

[ ewe

E

f

I

f

I

CHAPTER XXXII.

8

W

CARES ON

ACCOUNT OF HIS

FELLOW-LABOURERS.

Asour the new year’s tide of 1856, the heaviest trials

f

J

crowded upon the mission generally. The new mission-

house at Udapi was burnt down on the night of the 15th of

af

8

December.

This circumstance drew the attention of all to

this head-quarters of idolatry in Canara.

Hebich knew

al

W

better than most, the bitter enmity of the Brahmans.

From

thenceforth he was more than ever earnest in prayer for the

0c

e

safety of the more exposed out-stations ; and reproached him-

self that he had failed to sympathize with the trials and

e}

sorrows of his brethren, from being too much absorbed in

his own projects.

A few weeks later he received a petition

ver

e

from the senior Christians of that district, begging him to

come and enquire into most grave charges made against a

heg

€ay

fellow-labourer hitherto held in high esteem. He had just

undertaken a fresh course of street-preaching in Cannanore,

Con

1y

but this blow, which came upon him like a thunderbolt, in-

terrupted it.

He hastened off, through Mangalore and

bei

ang

Mulki to Udapi, seeming the while like one panting for the

air and light of life.

He says, ¢ It was not merely the very

Wh

to {

hard work we had there, but it was that our hearts seemed

ready to break.”

e

8007

Occasions like the ome which now engaged him, ever

CARES

ON

ACCOUNT OF HIS FELLOW-LABOURERS.

301

brought out most wonderfully Hebich’s knowledge of the

deceitfulness and sinfulness of the human heart.

He put

himself so thoroughly in the place of the poor fallen one

that he seemed in him to see only a reflex of himself. He

kept saying, “and thus would it have been with me, but

for grace.”

Gladly would he have avoided all judging and

reproaching : far more ready was he to help, and to lift up

the fallen one.

Yet he was so clear that there could be mno

restoration without true repentance and unconditional confes-

sion, that he was preserved from undue leniency in dealing

with those that had fallen into sin.

From this journey to the north, resulted a General Con-

ference of missionaries, lasting from the 20th to the 24th of

als

January.

It was marked by a spirit of deepest self-condemn-

01

ation.

Fach one felt that by his want of watchfulness, he

of

shared in the guilt of the’terrible evil which had crept in.

| 10

among them, and yet which had remained so long before it

16W

was brought to light.

And he felt deeply what a terrible

[0I

occasion had been given to the enemy. There was more of

the

weeping and of prayer, than of regular proceedings and

i

framing of documents.

and

As two missionaries had to be dismissed, and a third was

]

very seriously ill, Hebich had himself to undertake for some

fion

weeks the Mangalore church. Many unconverted ones had

0

been all too easily received into it, resulting in a felt want of

st @

earnestness and Christian life.

Some of the members were

just

confirmed tipplers ; some were taking to the use of opium ;

note,

many of the professing Christians saw nothing unseemly in

, 10

being present at cock-fighting.

Sharp dealing was needed,

and

and zealous home dealing with those who were already sleepy ;

r fhe

while at the same time a helping hand was promptly held out

The church

ey

to those who honestly sought for better things.

561119‘1

recognised that Hebich was really seeking their good, and

soon showed signs that his help was appreciated, and was

eyer

T

g

)

02

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

operative for good. The women, especially, rejoiced Hebich’s

1

heart by readily abandoning the finery in which they had

been indulging.

During this visit to Mangalore, Hebich saw for the last

time there his long-trusted friend, Mr. F. Anderson.

He

was about fo leave a province which he had tended during

the best years of his life.

From the founding of the Manga-

lore Mission-station he had stood by it as a true friend ; help-

el ARSI S Ry =

ing it in its troubles, sorrowing in its sorrows, and participa-

ting in its successes.

If this distressed Hebich, he was on

the other hand rejoiced to hear that the 16th regiment N. L

was to spend some years at Mangalore,

The event proved

that at no time during his short but happy life, did Gompertz’

spirituality shine out so brightly as during this period at

Mangalore.

Once more to let Hebich speak for himself :—¢ As so many

ey v R I R SO R S A A

and various evils were being brought to light, and there

seemed to be no one to look after the Mangalore Church, the

General Conference wished me to remain there for two months ;

b~

but it was impossible for me to agree to this, as it seemed to

e

=

be most important that I should visit the heathen-festivals;

ye

more especially as the adversaries had spread the report that,

a8

as I had been ill-used the previous year, I should never dare

to appear at them again ; moreover, it was said that even the

Ll

Government had forbidden me to go.

I felt therefore that

ha

were it to cost me my life, I must not fail to be there.

an

“T therefore returned to Cannanore on the 6th of February.

80,

Mogling had been officiating for me there during my absence.

1

On my arrival Gundert showed me your letters, directing

fo

him to proceed to Mangalore. I felt this very hard—indeed, I

“

felt that it should not have been done.

Yet I was so im-

1

pressed with the miserable state of Mangalore, that I said to

him, ‘If you must go there at all, go at once; that so what

80

I have been able to do for the Church there may not be quite

1

303

CARES ON ACCOUNT OF HIS FELLOW-LABOURERS.,

lost, or turned upside down.

I cannot find it in me to

N

d

detain you.

Mr. Diez was engaged to be married to an English teacher

56

in the girls’ school.

Their marriage was therefore somewhat

T

hastened (on the 11th of February), that the newly-married

10

couple might assume Mr. Gundert’s place at Cherikal. After

!

which Hebich hastened off to the heathen festivals, of which

p

he thus writes ;—

“The chief people at Payawur were at first so very inimical

D

0n

that they would not allow my people to pitch the tent at all ;

But at Taliparambu every-

but I was able to appease them.

ol

thing was so quiet and peaceful that it was a real season 'of

refreshment to me after all I had gone through.

I sold two

it

ab

rupees’ worth of books.

Formerly I used at these feasts to

have everything to do ; but now things are so far altered that

the catechist brethren relieve me of the greater part of the

1y

work, and that in so satisfactory a manner, that I am con-

116

the

strained to think that, after all, they do the work better than

I can.

And also the inquirers who come to us from among

hs;

] t0

the heathen, would formerly not be satisfied unless I con-

versed with them ; now they seem to prefer to go to my

al

D)

assistants.”

hat,

Thus what used to be the heaviest burden of the whole year

dt

a1e

was at length lightened to him. He considered that the time

fh

had now come to establish an English school at Taliparambu,

that

)

and an influential official very considerately helped him to do

SO

a1

The Educational Despatch of 1855 had given a mighty

impulse to education throughout British India, and Hebich

I

folt that he also must do more in that direction. He writes—

o

¢« Hitherto we have not been able to manage it, but we must

ol 1

now aim at having both better and more numerous schools.”

) 1

One was at once established at Chowa, and in November a

AL

good English school for Cannanore was brought info being ;

what

not that Hebich took any share himself in actual teaching.

qulte

2 Y

304

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Though the work at the Mission-station and its out-stations

had much increased, Hebich could not consent to forego his

usual tour during the monsoon.

He left Diez to get on as

well as he could for a few months, while he himself (and for

the last time) went to wvisit old friends, and to seek fresh

opportunities at a distance.

From the 15th of May to the

9th of August was spent in visiting all those places which

have been so frequently named, with the exception of Banga-

lore.

He first visited Kurg, where, on the 21st of May, he

united Mogling, who had been such a confirmed old bachelor,

to Weigle’s widow.

Next, to French Rocks, where he was

once more busied with his own regiment, the 39th N.I.

His

|

When

old and kind friend the Colonel was no longer there.

he had been removed, the officers, instead of the customary

farewell dinner, had given him a large family Bible, where,

he said, he might long find food enough. The others had been

!

led through varying experiences.

Hebich found one young

i

officer, Wilson, just converted, and in all the warmth of his

first love.

tl

A Naigue (or Sepoy corporal), a man well read

i

in' Tamul literature, had also been converted. Captain Dobbie

W

had baptized an aged native on his death-bed. This officer

W

had also taken measures to sell a number of Canarese Bibles

He

in the neighbourhood—seed sown in hope.

But since the

In

departure of the Colonel, the additions to this little regimental

Cely

Church gradually ceased.

Hl

On the Nilgherries, Hebich found more to do than ever in

Sloy

the four stations of that sanatorium. Doors seemed ever more

and more to open before him. Major Sweet, of ‘“his own”

CIOy

regiment, who was suffering from his eyes, and that trusty

10 {

friend who had for so many years stood by Hebich in Canna-

the

nore, Major Young, were at that time together in Ootaca-

mund.

On every occasion of Hebich’s visiting the hills, so

Hly

much trouble was experienced in finding a suitable place for

his preaching, that these friends had conceived the_plan of

Ty,

CARES ON

ACCOUNT OF HIS FELLOW-LABOURERS.

305

building a little chapel, which would be always available,

and at the same time could ever be used by some one or other

of the various evangelical missionaries of many societies, who

I

were driven to the hills in quest of health.

The plan was

L

carried into execution; and though Zion Chapel was not

ready for Hebich’s meeting on this particular visit, yet he had

h

the privilege of opening it before the end of the year.

&

In August he returned to the plains, finding work to do at

16

Palghat, Maliapooram, and at Sakhyakannu.

At this|last-

I,

named place, where the works for the new railway were in

a5

progress, a pious engineer who was conducting them, pro-

is

vided him with a fresh field of labour.

And so at length he

ek

came safely back to Cannanore.

Iy

It has been mentioned that Diez had been left alone at tha

18,

chief station : he had been almost overwhelmed with the burden,

1}

and was longirg for Hebich’s return.

He complained that,

ne

at Cannanore, the English were absenting themselves from

his

the chapel, while at the out-stations he had been scarcely able

al

to afford the needful supervision.

But now, at last, help

was at hand.

u])ie

At the last General Conference, Jacob Rama-

cer

vurma had been examined and recommended for ordination.

les

He especially attached himself to the Cannanore Schools.

the

In due time the sanction of the Home Committee was re-

ital

=

ceived to his being ordained a missionary of the Society, and

Hebich at once fixed the day, which was to be the first mis-

710

sion-festival for the Province of Malabar.

1010

On the 3rd of September, 1856, the mission-chapel was

m'

crowded with a congregation of all kinds of people. Previous

sty

to the day appointed, Hebich had called upon the Colonel of

the 79th Highlanders.

Jnd

tacé-

“I know what you want,” said the Colonel; “you want

my men to be sent to your chapel.”

5, 50

p for

Hebich. No; they will come fast enough without any

arrangement ; but I want to invite you.

| Of

20

306

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEEICH.

Colonel. Invite me! what to?

Do you give champagne

or only good beer ?

‘What am I to have?

Hebich. At my place you only get matter for the ears.

However, I invite you; and if you will come you will not

regret 1t.”

The Colonel would not promise anything; however, he

came.

Then there was another Colonel C., a man well-disposed.

Also the Brigadier P. Thompson, an earnest Christian, a Ply-

mouth Brother, but who, from his previous connection with

the 39th Regiment, N.I, felt no little interest in Hebich.

And there were many others of various denominations, while

the verandah was full of Roman Catholics, Heathen, and even

Mahomedans.

There must have been at least eight hundred

persons present.

Just as the service had begun came the

palanquin of the Rajah of Cherikal, attracting all eyes by the

parade of the bearers, and the gaudy covering of gold-embroid-

cred, erimson silk.

Hebich conducted the Rajah to a seat of

The former Rajah having died, had

honour in the chapel.

been succeeded by his nephew, the good-natured philosopher

h

mentioned in an earlier chapter.

He had always felt much

affection for the refined son of the Rajah of Cochin, in spite of

15

his profession of Christianity. He now sat a little apart,

te

0,

Jooking on at the mixed assembly.

Hebich reviewed the twenty-two years of evangelical mis-

to

sion-work on the coast, rehearsing the results of that work.

to

da

At Mangalore, a converted Brahman was actually a recognized

preacher of the Gospel; another converted Hindu was pre-

an

paring for ordination at Basle; and now they had gathered

e

I

together for the purpose of receiving as a preacher a brother

who had already done good service as a catechist during

o

54

thirteen years.

All this was promise that converted natives,

ch

entering into the ministry of the Gospel, would help to carry

Wl

on that work to which the European missionaries had devoted

la}

CARES ON ACCOUNT OF HIS FELLOW-LABOURERS.

307

their lives.

And finally, whether they like it or not, all

gainsayers will have to acknowledge that ¢Jesus is Lord over

all, to the glory of the Father.”

b

“ Hear it, all of you ! and thou also who resistest so stiff-

neckedly !

You must yet bow the knee before him, calling,

16

¢ Lord, Lord !

As yet the world is all indifference concern-

ing that great salvation which Jesus has procured with His

bloody passion.

Yet we can already see many little signs

All these heathen races

:

that it must presently be otherwise.

around us date their letters A.n. 1856.

But what means this

h

Anno Domini, but the period which has passed since our Lord

Should not each one

1o

came to this earth to bring salvation ?

pause and ask himself, Have I accepted that salvation which

(1]

Am I redeemed ?

ed

was sent from heaven ?

And next, What

have T done for Jesus? What for the hallowing of His name?

the

for the bringing in of His kingdom ?

How much do I pray,

the

And when

id-

work, endure for the holy cause of His kingdom ?

we faithfully put to ourselves such questions, they cannot but

bof

result in contrition.

If I have to speak of myself I shall be

had

her

surely ashamed—how much do I yet find in me of the werld,

how much that is evil!

How much of evil-surmising there

-mch

How

TS ————

is yet in the hearts of the most devoted Christians !

o f

terrible it should seem to each of us to hear of the curse

part,

coming upon all who do not love Him? Yetis He pleased

to send forth such poor, imperfect creatures as His servants

s

.'..

V

o invite others in.

Be ye reconciled to God.

Thus even I

0LK.

dare to invite you all in ; to say once more to each one, Come,

pized

and make experience of what His love can accomplish. And

; pI‘G‘

ye, who call yourselves Christians, remember your baptism

hored

Tach one in his baptism has made the solemn vow (the DBri-

other

gadier was here noticed to drum nervously on the arm of his

g

chair) to deny the world and the Devil. Now at length fulfil

tives,

what ye have thus undertaken. Ye are careful for yourselves,

ey

labouring and suffering.

Oh ! think how little you have

3\'(Jted

20—2

308

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

yet done for Him—yea, how much you have hindered, and

how much you have given occasion to the adversary; and

from this hour begin with a holy walk, with true repentance,

with earnest prayer, with joy and with your might to gather

for the Lord where you have hitherto scattered, and to live

for etérnity. Prepare to render an account of your steward-

ship; and oh! think you what a reproach it will be to us

white people, that a black man like this one should have got

in advance of us

!”

After Jacob had given a sketch of his life, with sundry

practical applications, Hebich ordained him according to the

formulary in use with the Church in Wurtemberg ; the wit-

nesses uniting in the laying-on of hands, in token of their

desire to call down upon him needed blessings.

The service

was concluded with prayer and singing, and then the mis-

sionaries welcomed their new fellow-worker with a brotherly

kiss.

The brigadier was much stirred up. Hebich thanked the

colonel of the 79th Highlanders for the unexpected honour

of his presence, on which he remarked :

“ I thought you said that two others were to speak, where

are they ?”

Hebich pointed to the other missionaries present, but said

he thought three hours was a long enough time for most of

D

the hearers.

il

But the colonel said rather complainingly, ¢ Let them get

9

up into.the pulpit and go on.”

I

The rajah sought to conceal the impression made upon him,

(

saying all religions came te much the same in the end. His

followers urged him to come away, and he excused himself,

1l

smiling the while, that as it was the fourth day of the moon’s

age, he must hasten home, as it was wrong for him to be

¢

abroad while the moon was so young.

He pressed Jacob’s

1

hand, congratulated him and expressed good wishes on a day

L

CARES ON

ACCOUNT OF HIS FELLOW-LABOURERS.

309

s0 honourable to him, and away he went, to wash off con-

tracted impurity in his tank, and to hide himself in the dark

)

recesses of his palace.

T

A certain Captain T. was so pleased at the whole festival,

e

that he sent his first gift to the cause that same afternoon.

d

He said he felt greatly humbled at the thought that hitherto

I

he had done so little for the extension of the kingdom of

0f

{hrist.

Hebich fanned the flame with such effect, that ere

long he was able to consider that officer and his wife as won

Iy

for the Lord.

he

ﬂ

To Jacob was now assigned the oversight and pastoral care

1f

of the Cannanore Christians, together with the Sunday cate-

But

el

chizing and other services, even to English preaching.

his main aim was directed to the five schools, his attention

i‘ce

His career of service on earth

115

to which was most beneficial.

was a short one, but it was granted to him, however, to see

1y

living fruit gathered from one of these schools ere his life

closed.

he

ur

On the 25th of October an additional fellow-worker for

the Cannanore Mission-station, whose coming had been so

long and so anxiously looked for, landed. Mr. J. Strobel

3

had, of course, first to study the language, but yet, as he was

able at once to enter upon work in the English School, his

said‘

f ol

presence enabled Hebich to pay another visit to Palghat,

{from the 26th of October to the 12th of December.

The

060

opportunity was made the most of for preaching in the sur-

rounding market-towns.

And he also paid a short visit to

Qotacamund ; where one frosty morning his old friend, Major

i

His

Young, took him to stand on Doddabetta, the highest point

in Southern India.

On the 3rd of December he opened Zion

ISQH»

E

Chapel, which, as stated above, friends had built especially

for use on his visits to the hills.

From this tour his insepa-

) be

rable friend Joseph came back in so very weak a state of

b’

lealth, that it seemed as though this must be his last journey.

day

310

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Alas, it was another of his helpers whose thread of life was

to be first and suddenly snapped !

Jacob had been so true and earnest in enforcing scriptural

teaching on the pupils of the English School, that they took

a violent dislike to him.

They thought that they were there

to gain secular knowledge and not to be preached to.

One

of these pupils, however, sprung of a respected Tier family,

on reflection, felt ashamed at this hatred. About the same

time, a young Nayer, of Cherikal, over whom Jacob had long

yearned, was impressed.

These two lads both came to the

mission-house on the 27th of December, resolved to confess

Christ.

Hebich joyfully welcomed them, and cut off their

caste-locks.

It was a new experience, and a very touching

one to the new Missionary Strobel, who was of a most sen-

sitive heart, to see the mother of the young Nayer, weeping,

entreating, threatening her boy, throwing herself on the

ground, striking her head against the stones; while the lad,

though his heart was evidently wrung, kept repeating to her,

¢ No, I cannot forsake the Lord !”

In January, 1857, a dear young man of the Mullil family

was taken ill with small-pox.

Rather unwisely Jacob was

sent to visit him ; not by Hebich, however, who well knew

the fear this tender-hearted man had of that terrible disease.

Jacob went, however, unhesitatingly, and faithfully acted as

a kind nurse, but he took the infection.

He at once said :

:E(

“ I shall not get over this sickness ; but I am ready to go or

g

to stay, as shall please the Lord, and I rejoice in the hope of

a glorious eternity.”

He fell asleep on the 11th of February,

in the arms of his loving and faithful wife.

A friend wrote : “ May God comfort the poor widow ! for

seldom were a couple more tenderly attached ; they were like

a pair of turtle-doves.”

All combined to do him honour;

many of the officers of the garrison even following him to the

cemetery.

311

CARES ON ACCOUNT OF HIS FELLOW-LABOURERS.

This was a great blow to Hebich. He writes: “I can

a

hardly make others understand what a treasure I have lost.

al

Tor these last fourteen years he has been as my mouth ab

Cannanore, at the heathen-festivals, where he ever stood hard

1)\8

16

by my right hand, and in all the country round. Since his

ordination, I have noticed that dear Ramavurma was increas-

ne

RS A

Praised be the

ingly earnest and zealous in his purposes.

Iy,

me

Lord of all grace, forall that He has done in and through my

beloved Jacob. Amen.”

ng

Small as

the

Jacob’s kindly figure was missed on all hands.

he was in body, he was in many respects a complement of

8§

Hebich’s character.

He softened and moderated ; he diffused

eIl

joy : he brought regularity and method into the ordering of

ing

the Church ; and so, with all submissiveness, was most help-

51l

ful to true progress,

ng,

Tt may be well to give here a rapid sketch of the career of

the

the two lads, to whose conversion Jacob Ramavurma had

lad,

been instrumental.

They were baptized on the following

her,

Good Friday, and then sent, for their education, to the

newly-established school for catechists at Tellicherry. Samuel

nily

entered early into rest, in 1861.

But the Nayer, Jacob

s

Jamautcherry, has proved to be a worthy son of his spiritual

new

father’s, and is still actively working for the Lord; a na-

6ase.

tural son of the rajah, by a maid-servant, his youth had

48

He had long been an

been passed in the Cherikal Palace.

d

admirer of Jacob Ramavurma, attracted to him first by the

g0 or

fact of his also being a rajah’s son, and then also by his

pe Of

learning and intellect.

He had been present at the ordina-

1alf,

tion, carrying his father’s shield. Once when in peril in 4

boat, he had made a vow that he would profess Christ. He

| for

repeated the vow when once suddenly brought in danger of

And for a third time he renewed

o like

infection from small-pox.

nour 5

it when once he himself lay dangerously ill.

o the

Tt was in December that he came to Cannanore, and

312

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Jjoined the believers.

His father, the rajah who had shown

so much sympathy with Jacob Ramavurma on the day of his

ordination, soon followed him to the grave, carried off by the

same terrible disease.

During his illness he caused a hun-

dred rupees a day to be devoted to distributions of sugar and

water to all comers, but this did not avert his fate.

A death

by small-pox was to him a terrible calamity, as his body

would not be burnt with the customary honours, but buried

in some spot of waste ground. It was rumoured, afterwards,

that a brother of his had bribed his Brahman cook to get

him out of his own way.

If such was the case, his vicious

successor, who died only a year and a half later, would seem

to have fared no better.

The long and patient labours of

Hebich and of Jacob Ramavurma among the members of

this royal family remained, with the single exception of the

lad Jacob, of whom we have Just spoken, without apparent

results.

EI

t

{

i

D

D

I

(Y]'

Ce]

llOJ

15

10

il

h

Iy

o]

3

CHAPTER XXXIII.

e

S

A WHOLE CHURCH TRANSPLANTED.

o

of

ix January, 1856, the owner of Anjerakandi estate, who had

of

been absent-in Europe for nineteen years, returned to his

he

plantation.

The church there had long looked forward to

il

his return.

Often when the thread of their patience had

been stretched almost to snapping, they had been comforted

with the thought that the ¢ great Sahib” will come back

some day, and he will bring relief. When at length he did

come he found those whom he had left as children, grown up

to manhood, and the men almost all Christians.

Formerly

his word had been law ; but the influence gained by the mis--

sionaries and catechists, bringing God’s word to bear upon

these freed men, had in the meanwhile worked a great change,

their intelligence was enlarged, their conscience sharpened,

their dependence upon a single man modified. If this change

from the former patriarchal state of things had brought in

some disagreeable consequences, yet were they such as a

proprietor with large insight into character need not have

resented. His long absence had served but to nourish the

greatest confidence in him, so that on his return he was re-

ceived on all hands with most enthusiastic honour, and with

hopes, perhaps too great.

As time passed, however, these hopes were rapidly weak-

314

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

ened.

It was a good sign that the proprietor occasionally

attended divine service with his labourers.

It was also

something new, and very pleasant for these poor people to

find how much interest his daughters took in the women and

children ; establishing a sewing-class for them.

But it be-

came even plainer that the planter and the missionary had

widely different views as to the Christian education that was

most desirable.

Then the ever-increasing demands upon

their daily labour caused a general feeling of discontent

which was only fostered by the constant remark,

¢ Who-

ever does not like to stay may take himself off.” The planter

spoke slightingly of the catechists’ preaching, forbade collec-

tions for the mission; and at length brought matters to a

crisis by forbidding the catechist to hold morning service, and

formally superseding and dismissing him.

On the 23rd of December, 1856, Joseph, who was sent out

to fill the place of Timotheus who had thus been dismissed,

gathered the elders of the church to consult with them as to

E

what ought to be done.

They declared that they had no

wish to leave if only their wages were duly paid, and Sun-

day labour with other demands upon the time needed for

]

their spiritual well-being discontinued.

Their requests were

not granted, but on the contrary the fourteen heads of houses

1

j

who had put them forward, were at once discharged, as it

was said, for having made groundless complaints.

Altoge-

al

ther sixty persons were sent off, bag and ba

lale)

009,90

(=]

e, amid the

tears of those who still remained.

These wanderers turned:

il

their steps towards Chowa, where they arrived towards even-

The

d

ing.

Hebich met them with songs and prayer.

elders among them were ¢like those that dream,” the

St

ta

children felt more light-hearted and free than they had long

done.

€]

hi

The rest of the church, who had still remained on the

a

estate were allowed, in accordance with the permission

Tg,

A "WHOLE CHURCH TRANSPLANTED

315

—

oranted in former years, to attend the new year’s festival at

Cannanore

But at the same time came a letter from the

planter to the effect that as the comnection of his people

d

with the Cannanore church produced a marked deterioration

C

W—

in them, he intended from henceforth to sever it.

il

Hebich found himself thus brought f:

ace to face with the

N

question, whether he would allow the band to be broken w hich

i}

had united these people to the mission for well-nigh eighteen

il

years

or whether he would take them and the burden of

0

With

all their worldly cares upon his own shoulders

el

heavy heart he chose the latter alternative

He would

o

gladly have come to a resolve which would have avoided

4

this breach

and have spared himself the very serious

nd

results which it involved

But he did not see his way to 1t

Thus it was that at the new year of 1857, he found him-

U

self burdened with the care, temporal as well as spiritual of

ol

the one hundred and seventy-seven persons (for they were

i

no fewer) who left the Anjerakandi estate ; the burden made

10

all the heavier from the fact that some of them were but half-

Hebich himself found re-

11

hearted and careless Christians

for

lief from this burden occasionally ; but the burden of

el

increased care and labour fell even more heavily upon poor

1

Mz. Diez.

g 1f

By the 27th of May, the rainy season had already set in,

00e:

and Hebich hoped to be able then to undertake one of his

the

more extended tours, and thereby to obtain refreshment of

mind which he felt the need of.

In spite of the heavy

mfﬂ

yel

down-pours he got as far as Palghat, but only to be hastily

summoned’ %y telegram. THis beloved Diez, who had been

The

the

takine untold trouble in the matter of the settlement of ths

emiorants from Anjerakandi, and could yet foresee no end to

long

003

his work, had at length broken down, and was apparently

at death’s door from dysentery. The faithful Major Young

il

(7

§s100

received him into his house, and nursed him with the

g\

316

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

tenderness of a father.

He was distressed to find that his

patient could talk of little besides accounts, buildings, &e.,

without seeminglto perceive that he had to set his own

house in order.

The Brigadier, Major Young, and others

of the English brethren united in prayer for the sick man,

while Mr. Strobel organised prayer-meetings for the same

object among the natives ; and prayer was heard.

By the 12th of June, on Hebich’s return to Cannanore,

he found his brother missionary saved, though utterly weak.

It was essential for the restoration of both mind and body,

so sorely needed, that he should be relieved of the burden

of the mission-station.

Hebich gladly gave up his own

holiday, to make this possible.

He received his brother

missionary back as it were from the dead ; a fresh gift of the

grace of God.

He then records.

“How wonderful! the

D

day after my return I had a conversation of four hours

d

duration with the good Dr. C., who had attended the sick

bk

man ; and he was won for the Lord ;—the first instance after

a long interval, of the conversion of a gentleman at Canna-

§f

nore. He at once separated entirely from the world. He has

now been moved to Calicut.

Oh ! that I had but more faith !

)

I find in myself only sin and misery ; but in Him is all ! all!

by

‘When shall T see Him, and be for ever with Him !”

A result of this time of trial was that Mr. Strobel, of whom

b

we have hitherto heard but incidentally, was drawn very

£]

much closer to Hebich. He had been hitherto busied in

(%

learning the language ; and sundry little circumstances, com-

f

bining with his own timidity, had served to nourish in him

i

rather a feeling of aversion to the old missionary. But now

a

he records, that it seemed to him as though Hebich did no-

L1

thing, since his return to the mission-house, but pray and

a]

preach for one who felt himself so weak ; and this token of

fatherly love stirred in him such joy as would scarcely let

1

him sleep.

t

A WHOLE CHURCH TRANSPLANTED

317

5

Hebich’s return to Cannanore served to originate a plan,

which was not, however, matured till afterwafds

but which:

had for its object the handing over of the AnJerakandL

1S

people to the English Church. Mr. Diez’s mode of dealing

l,

T e AT

with these people had given occasion for a wish for this, not

16

only among those who were least satisfactory, but even among

some of the best specimens of Christians

Under the present

£

circumstances, it appeared best to Hebich to carry out a plan

k

which had before occurred to him, which was, to get Mr

Ty

Christian Miiller to undertake the charge of this new Church

el

while his place at Chombala, where everything was already

Jis

well ordered and quiet, would better suit Mr. Diez’s state of

o)

health and strength

The other missionaries in the district concurred in this

e

he

plan, which seemed the best way of meeting their present

difficulties

while it seemed also the best way of providing

s

ck

as the Home Committee wished, for an able successor to

Hebich in case of his being removed. These changes of

ter

station were carried out in September

0

188

Mer. Miiller introduced Diez to what was thenceforth to be

h!

his new station,and then himself,from the calm waters of Chom-

!

bala, entered upon the rough and unquiet sea of Cannanore

His first care, as soon as the weather permitted, was to

build twenty-one more cottages at Chowa, which very much

om

encouraged the new-comers

He had then enough to do in

ery

caring for the education of the young and the edification of

the adults.

His experience of them was, that there were

Ol

many degraded natures among them—men who, as soon as

i

i

anything went against them, were always ready to threaten

0W

10

to go away——but also “some noble souls, in whom the mercy

and grace of God is magnified.”

and

But other burdens came heavy upon Hebich at this time.

—

p of

There was difficulty about money matters. The political dis- WM{/‘/“"] i

y Jeb

turbances of 1857 on-the continent-of Furope dried up many

?

OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

318

MEMOIRS

sources of supply. Then, just when his countenance svould

have been so valuable, one who, occupying during eleven

years an influential position at Cannanore, had ever shared

every care and every joy with the old missionary, was suddenly

removed. In July, Major Young's health broke down alto-

gether, and it was necessary to send him to Europe at once.

When he left Hebich felt very lonely.

He writes—¢ Thus

goes one friend after another ; but the Lord Jesus remains—

yea, He remains, even in death, the best, the only Friend

!)7

Hebich’s financial necessities were now largely increased,

and he had omitted duly to forewarn the Committee at home

of what his increasing requirements would be.

He had the

mortification to have his estimate for the year disallowed,

and himself held responsible for the overplus.

Though ulti-

mately the matter was cleared up after due explanation and

review, yet was it a cruel blow to him, leading him to ex-

claim—¢ Alas ! the Cannanore station is in truth insolvent.”

He could not fully explain to the Home Committee all the

trouble and expense which had been occasioned by the

Nor indeed had he

founding of the Chowa Church.

spoken openly on this subject to any one.

He now re-

signed the general trusteeship and the financial charge of

his own station, so as to be no longer oppressed with matters

of accounts.

‘When at length, in May, 1858, he had brought

up all the back accounts and statements, so as to be able

to hand them over in proper order, he wrote to the Home

Committee—

Ah'!

“How I rejoice that all this matter is put right.

how blessed it will be when at length we shall be able to lay

down all our tasks, and to enter, as poor sinners, saved by

grace, into all the rest and joy of His kingdom !”

{

It

il

ol

ed

)

0

iy

11§

N

CHAPTER

XXXIV.

;d,

THE MUTINY.

116

he

Ix May, 1857, the terrible Mutiny, which had been long

o,

feared, among the Mahomedans and Brahmans in the Native

i

Army of India, broke out at Merat and Delhi. After a while

nd

the wave of discontent rolled over Southern India, even into

)¢

parts of the Madras Presidency.

§

In August all was still quiet at Cannanore, but it was

otherwise at Palghat.

So many disquieting rumours were

h

h

spread abroad : at one moment it was that all the Europeans

h

on the Nilgherries had been killed ; at another time it was

16

that the few who had escaped from the larger stations in the

of

T —

plains were hastening for safety to the hills.

The native

women at once took off their jewels, and buried their most

98]

oht

valuable possessions.

Some agents of the mutineers were

Lbl(}

apprehended : for instance, a Mahomedan, with a large sum

in gold in his possession.

However, O’'Brien was able to

me

report that the 20th of August, the day set apart for humili-

fi.a

ation and prayer, had been well and earnestly observed.

{h!

lay

¢ ¢The wicked fleeth when no man pursueth ; but, o the

by

contpdry, among us reign peace and joy. Happen what may,

we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

The Lord is in the storm.

All trembled in anticipation of

the 28th of August, but it has passed quietly, and now the

regiment that was here has been withdrawn, without another

320

MEMOIRS

OF SAMUEL HEBICH

being sent to take its place

I preach as freely as before on

the market-places

All rejoiced when, the rainy season being at length over

the

asgault of Delhi raised the spirits of Europeans through-

oub

Z

dia, and large reinforcements had arrived from England

One of the sad recollections of those days is the murder of

I N~ AT o iy o~ o~

the aced General Kennett, at Coonoor

He had served, as

an ensign, at the siege of Seringapatam in 1799

A Maho-

medan servant was robbing him, when the General awoke

and opposed the robber, who thereupon stabbed him in two

places

The old man said he died as one called of the Lord

at the eleventh hour, and that he most heartily forgave his

murderer.

Mr. Metz rejoiced that his prayer for the old

General, at the new-year }&( Son, had been heard, and that

Hebich’s testimony to him had borne fruit.

The good Bricadier felt the strain of these months of

alarm, and went up to Mercara for change and refreshment

Hebich

He died there, suddenly, on the 2nd of December

exclaimed, on hearing of his death—¢ He was a fine man

in all the succession of bricadiers whom we have had here

there was none to equal him

The fear of the spread of the mutinous spirit had now

passed

The Madras Native Army not only resisted all the

intrigues of the Sepoys of Northern India, seeking to draw

them into the conspiracy, but rendered worthy service in the

Among

field, sharing in the victories of the European troops

the forces that took the field from the South were some whom

Hebich followed with loving eyes

Among others, his friend

Major Carr, who went from Mangalore to Upper Bengal with

the Madras Rifle Corps, and the 74th Highlanders who were

ordered from Cannanore and Wellineton to Dharwar

Hebich now felt lonely

His Highlanders were away, and

but few men of the 66th Foot, who relieved them, found

their way to the chapel

Many of his friends in the higher

THE MUTINY.

3

4

)

1

}1&

circles of society went away to Europe; and he found himself

surrounded by a new generation, which did not need his

)|

services. One friend of his, who had long sought the welfare

h

of India, while holding some of the most important offices in

d

the country, in writing to him, thus describes the impressions

of

which the mutiny had produced on his own mind :—

as

“These late occurrences have proved to me that the Gospel

10

et

alone can bring real blessing to this land. India can receive

ke

but lasting benefits from the labours of the missionary body.

YO

May the Lord long preserve you to work for India !”

id

hl»

old

)

b

of

)ut

\ILh

1

18,

]1\\

t

i)

e

0N

101

en(l

i

|

ere

and

»u’l‘1

1))

21

CHAPTER XXXYV.

LAST LABOURS

IN

CANARA.

In April, 1857, Hebich visited all the stations in the Tulu-

speaking districts.

Udapi pleased him best of them all, and

of it he records: ¢ There are some of the right kind of

people.”

There was thete, at the time, an aged evangelist, a

converted Brahman, who fell asleep in 1871, Suvartappa by

name, who gives the following as having made a most lively

impression upon him :

“When he visited Udapi, I was present W/l}éh Mr. Hebich

was instructing the children.

He turned to me, and said :

¢ ¢ Suvartappa, when do we want the grace of God ?

“I answered, ‘At all times, till we die; but perceiving

at once that this answer did not satisfy him, I tried to im-

prove it, by saying, ¢ To all eternity ; but neither did this

do, so I held my peace, rather puzzled.

Upon this, he

turned to my son (at present a teacher in the catechist

seminary), saying,

¢ ¢ Christantuja, when do we want the grace of God ¥

‘“ He answered, ¢ Now /’ and this was the right answer.

W

“ Hebich repeated, deliberately, two or three times, ¢ Yes,

t]

we want the grace of God now /’

b

“T felt K abaghed before Hebich and all the company, in-

LAST LABOURS

IN CANARA

323

cluding my own boy. Afterwards, at home, my son told me

how nervous he had felt, but that answer suddenly suggested

But

itself to him, and he uttered it, he scarcely knew how

that word,

¢ Now we want the grace of God, has rema,med

impressed upon my heart, even to my old age.’

In some other places he found more of a worldly spmt

prevailing.

In some others there was party spirit, fomented

by the influence of some of the men having influence

Among the heathen he found a spirit of inquiry, which he

hoped, if followed up diligently, could not fail to lead to

happy results

At Mangalore he aroused many who seemed

inclined to grow sleepy ; and two hundred communicants

joined with him in a happy remembrance of the Lord’

1l

death.

nd

The president of the Canara Mission being semouqu ill,

of

T —————

Hebich was unanimously invited to come in December, and

fya

spend some months in that district, where he was to guide

\by

and order everything at his own discretion

All the mis-

ely

sionary brethren expressed the fullest confidence in him, and

the obstinate contumacy of one of the churches seemed to

hich

ender his presence absolutely necessary. Two brothers had

become catechists in Mulki, who had gradually, by means of

wide-spread family connections, gained too large an influence

over the rest of the Christian community. On the whole,

ying

) 110

and so far as their own knowledge permitted, they used that

influence well ; but the sad falls into sin of one or two mis-

m

he

sionaries, had occasioned in these men an overweening sense of

self-righteousness ; and, at the same time, a notion repulsive of

st

any guides who were not of their own nationality

The mis-

sionary of the station, who was in delicate health, had borne

e

with them with the most exemplary patience

But at last

Tes

they came to open opposition

On this they were dismissed

but with the obstinacy which seems to characterize the

21—2

A il

324

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Tulu race, they persisted in asserting their right to act as

teachers.

This resulted in the separation of well nigh the whole

community from the mission.

They then proceeded so far,

as to excommunicate those who remained faithful to the mis-

sionaries.

Hebich narrates : ¢ Immediately after my arrival at Man-

galore, I sent Joseph and Sebastian to seek to win back the

separatists.

Shortly afterwards I went myself to Mulki, and

called the Christians together, but they kept me waiting a

long time.

‘When they at length came, I offered my hand

to all the Christians, excepting only the ringleader, who

three times offered me his hand ; but they brought with them

such a host of evil spirits, that I could scarcely bear to be in

their company.

I then proposed prayer; they offered no

opposition, but while I knelt they remained sitting.

Then I

began.

«“T told them how much I pitied the wretched condition

into which they had brought themselves ; and asked them to

come and speak individually with me ; but they had agreed

together only to speak with me collectively. So I had to

declare to them that they had,

as it were, made a com-

pact with the devil; following

a couple of foolish lads,

and forsaking him who really

watched for their souls.

and most of them were

All this lasted ; seven hours,

moved.

“ Then N. had to be sent for

"He had been absent for

the last three days, but was then back again. As he entered,

T exclaimed to him, with tears :

“¢You are misleading all this people; you will have to

give an account of it to the Lord.’

“Then turning to the people, I said, ¢ Who will come

back to our communion %

We are in the Church, you are in

the devil, and dying in this state, you will go to the pit of

e S e S A

. LAST LABOURS IN

CANARA.

3

.

D)

5

<lestruction. Who will come back to the éommunion of

God’s Church ?

“ Most of them began to cry out: ‘I will!" ¢TI will !

y

“But then the most bitterly opposed had their word to

say ; they had written to the Home Committee and would

awalt the answer.

The result of this was that not one

B B

would come forward.

16

¢ They promised me a united answer, but I told them I

d

did not want that, but an individual answer.

¢ ¢ Just what has ruined you is your holding collectively

1

together.

Let whoever has a mind, break through these

b0

trammels, and come.

Whoever will come to Jesus, has to

)il

come as an individual, for himself.’

1

¢ After this they had great consultation together, day and

10

night, in which some accused their leaders of having mis-

1 I

guided them, but others said, ‘The padres are only laying a

trap for us.’

The end of it was that they said they would

01

write again to the Home Committee; and thus the ring-

10

leaders gained a delay of three more months.

So I have not

ool

succeeded in any way, further than to make them clearly

fo

understand that we cannot receive them back as a body,

)il

but only as individuals ; as each one shall come with ‘the

s,

feeling that he is-a poor sinner.

There is no other way

)uIS.

to cast out this evil spirit, but by individual repent-

1

ance.”

Hebich went to Cannanore to be present at the new year

for

season of 1858 ; and then returned to Mangalore.

He had

;Yed:

the pleasure of welcoming, and of introducing to the Church

there, on the 17th of January, a party of newly-arrived mis-

() to

sionary labourers.

One of them describes his manner among

them, as being very affecting and impressive, from the mix-

(o0

ture of winning love with most solemn earnestness.

He felt

1610

thankful to have been able to come thus opportunely to the

help of the Church in which he had first laboured, assisting

lix

326

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

them over a time of difficulty, until the arrival of these new

brethren to watch over their souls.

He had also the joy of

two baptismal services, when fourteen adults were admitted

into the Church.

He visited Mulki again, and found the people there very

much dissatisfied with the position they had taken up. Several

of them made up their minds to come and sit at the door,

as professing to be penitents.

Others gradually followed

their example ; they were much moved by a sudden death

that occurred among them; and confessed that they had

been in grave spiritual peril of eternal death. So it came

about that when, on the 3rd of March, Mr. Ammann read

out to them the earnest exhortations sent by the Home Com-

mittee, all hearts were broken down.

They came with weep-

ing, and were received back again into fellowship, with abso-

lution.

Hebich was not present on that occasion.

Yet in April

he was able to pay a last visit to the Clurch of Canara,

when he mightily moved them.

He seemed to feel that

there was something lacking in this reconciliation ; in so much

as he thought the well-intenfioned people had not been suf-

ficiently impressed with™ the danger which had threatened

them.

Yet he rejoiced to find order evervwhere re-estab-

lished, and a proper relation subsisting between the native

brethren and the missionaries.

On his way back from Mangalore to Cannanore by boat,

he was overtaken by so fierce a storm, that the boatmen con-

sulted him whether to throw overboard the cargo of rice.

But he assured them that his God, to whom he ever prayed

in any necessity, would carry them through. They weathered

Mount Dilly with difficulty, and at that point the boatmen

were about to make an offering of cocoa-nuts, according to

their custom ; but Hebich forbade it.

They complained and

expostulated ; and at last asked him if his God was the only

LAST LABOURS IN CANARA.

327

one ?

He had scarcely answered, “ Yes, indeed, there is

none other god but my God, all the host of your divinities

are but lies,” when a terrific flash of lightning, accompanied

by a resounding peal of thunder, struck them all with terror.

They spent the night baling the water out.

In the morning

he preached the Gospel to them, and found them all atten-

tive hearers.

d

h

t

16

d

P

{I

ik

I3,

A0

ch

u

ed

A

176

at,

0L

100

ved

;fe(l

el

7 0

o

»ﬂl}

CHAPTER XXXVI.

THE LAST YEAR IN INDIA,

Trousr Hebich had consented to neglect much for the

sake of the Canara Mission, he would allow nothing to

hinder his visiting as usual the Payawur festival in February,

and the Taliparambu one in March of 1858. He writes,

“This is the fifteenth time that we have stood among

this people, in order to oppose with the word of truth,

the might of the prince of darkness. We have earnestly

tg

striven to exalt the Saviour to them. Oh ! that they might

come unto Him ; while it is called to-day ?’—This was his

last visit.

81

His young fellow-labourer, Strobel, who had so rejoiced

1

in seeing Hehich safe after the tempest, and who had

he

gladly accompanied him to the festivals, was about to be

th

parted from him. Palghat had been made a regular mis-

Cl

sion station, and Strobel was chosen to take charge of it.

The catechist Paul was left with him as an assistant ;

J

but as soon as new arrangements were completed, O’Brien

0]

came back to Cannanore.

th

On the 10th of May, Hebich, having seen all satis-

th

factorily arranged, left Strobel at Palghat.

He writes:

“ Lately, I have been so occupied with Cannanore and

to

le

Mangalore that I have unavoidably rather neglected Pal-

for

THE LAST YEAR IN

INDIA.

829

ghat,

The older I grow, the more. I seem to myself spe-

cially privileged.

The Home Committee,

which ‘I so

much respect, favours me on évery hand ; and ‘my-brother

missionaries seem to take “special deligl)t/'fﬂ,sparing me.

I ca

t be thankful emough. May God be merciful to

me :

Thus my Palghat work is finished : much precious

seed has been sown there, which will spring up, and bear

fruit.”

And the end of his work in Cannanore was also now at

hand.

The

Committee authorised him to undertake a

lengthy journey through India.

In it the old labourer, now

fifty-six years of age, and after twenty-four years of labour

he

on the western coast of India, hoped to give himself to new

to

opportunities among Europeans.

Ty

Just at this time, Captain Gompertz, who was about to

S,

leave Mangalore, sent to Hebich the little company of sol-

g

diers whom he had gathered around him. He urged them

h,

to go to Hebich, were it only for his sake, in spite of all

ly

that any one might say to them. At the same time he

ht

wrote to Hebich that he had seldom known a company of

1is

men so worthy of love, and that he felt sure the old mis-

sionary would gladly welcome them. At least O’Brien was

od

now present at the mission-house, and he devoted himself

ad

heartily to the work among the European soldiery.

But

there was also much still required, connected with the native

11§

Christians.

A good deal of building was still going on at Chowa. A

it

1t

prayer-house, for instance, for which nine hundred rupees

only had been sanctioned, but which cost two thousand

jen

three hundred. Hebich’s fatherly heart was also wrung at

the distress among his people, when he found they had still

g

08

to subsist upon their old wages, while provisions had at

least doubled in price.

He now spent his Saturdays, which

nd

i

formerly were given to Tai, at Chowa, in the spiritual in:

330

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

struction of the converts. Yet, he could not, in this spiritual

0

work, entirely exclude a good share of the burden of temporal

i

necessities.

4

The Home Committee, after their long years of experience,

had at length come to the determination to relieve the

missionaries themselves from all the responsibility of finan-

cial management ; employing specially-selected laymen, for

the temporal stewardship. These laymen being at the same

E

time instructed to aim at bringing the native churches as

al

early as possible into

(27

o

position of self-support.

The or-

dained missionaries would thereby be able to devote them-

I¢

selves with the fuller freedom to the discharge of their

)

special work. The proceedings of the General Conference,

)

holden at Mangalore in January, 1859, affected Hebich

10

very closely ; for they impressed him with the feeling that

%

the whole mission was entering upon a new era of its

$

existence, in which, valuable as it might be, his own

8]

It

patriarchal mode of work would be no longer acceptable.

B

was therefore with mixed feelings that he received the lay

Ve

brother, Mr. Shlunk, a merchant, who had been nomi-

1‘61

nated for Cannanore; praying him to deal tenderly with

native church-members who had hitherto been so much

ent

tio

helped.

Hebich went to Calicut to ask the collector’s sanction

0ce

to his visiting the heathen festivals as usual; though the

Teg

time was one of much disquiet.

At first the permission

Yol

was accorded, but afterwards he was told it must be with-

drawn.

flog

On his return from Calicut he suffered from a fever,

h()ln

which was but a premonitory symptom of other and greater

allments soon to overtake him.

hay

the

In spite of growing weakness, he roused himself to cer-

A

tain services which were to close his work at Cannanore.

40

On the 20th of February, he united his brother labourer

139

Strobel to his bride, who had but just landed in the

331

THE LAST YEAR IN INDIA.

|

country,

He also had the privilege of baptizing a family

il

from Cherrikunem, which had hitherto been so bitterly

opposed.

g

b

Mr. Shlunk writes, ¢The 19th of March was one of

he

those great days which Hebich knew so well how to arrange.

)i

The chapel at Chowa, which had cost him so much trouble,

for

was to be consecrated.

Only two of the English friends

il

Hebich read the 118th Psalm ;.

were able to be present.

as

eecp—

and recalled the time of trouble, two years before, when the

Or

wandering outcasts from the plantation had first found a

1

refuge there ; pointing out what gracious leadings they had

et

since experienced, till now the colony consisted of well-built

16,

cottages, with a fair chapel in the midst.

Here they had

ich

now the chance of leading ‘a quiet and peaceable life in all

hat

godliness and honesty.’

Yet much as it grieved him to do

1t

s0, he must not pass unnoticed their sins and ingratitude ;.

)WL

sins which had already exposed them to God’s righteous.

It

Jjudgment. In his Saturday visits he had had to lament over

very many. Oh! that God’s goodness might lead them to

itk

la?'

repentance, that thus the new era upon which they were

yith

entering, might find them fore-armed against new tempta-

el

tions.

Then other addresses followed, and altogether this

occasion proved to be quite a missionary festival.”

00

The hot season was now at hand ; and Hebich found it

His

the

necessary to seek refreshment on the Blue Mountains.

0N

voice well-nigh failed him, as he took leave of his weeping

nithe

flock ; of whom many had a feeling that they should never be-

Byl

hold him again, even though to the last moment, while shaking

ealer

hands with those who crowded around him, he expressed

the hope that the Lord would grant them yet to meet again.

) 001

At that time the church counted 243 natives in fellowship ;

40 who were, though adults, excluded from communion, and

01

139 children.

)oul‘el'

After his leaving, this church passed through

ho

33

)

“d

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

a time of severe sifting, so that during a period of twelve

years there was scarcely any increase of numbers.

Hebich’s journal has the following entry, ¢ On the 23rd of

March, 1859, I started with my beloved Joseph, on the jour-

ney towards the hills.

A quarter of a century ago, namely,

on the 23rd of March, 1834, I left Basle on my way to

India.

Hallelujah. Passing through Calicut, I arrived on

the hills on the 1st of April.”

H;

of §

Joic

Pati

iy

hop

con

0;

had

cony

of Ji

Visit

will

fa]

C0mg

hag ]

hep

iIl bi}

8pi

man;

ing,

Stati

\(}

of

IS

1]y,

0n

CHAPTER XXXVII

FAREWELL TO INDIA.

HesicH spent yet one more summer in labour on the hills

of Southern India, during which season his heart was re-

joiced by a fresh token of the grace of God. ILong and

patient work had been bestowed upon the Badagas, the

tribe of cultivators inhabiting those hills, and long had

hope been deferred regarding them ; but now a work of

conversion began to show itself.

Though he bestowed

most of his time upon the! English-speaking population, yet

had he also much refreshment among the newly-baptized

converts of this race.

Mr. Moerike, writing of his manner

of life at this time, says, “ He goes out in the morning to

visit some Europeans or East Indians in their homes, and

will sometimes spend as much as four hours in a single

family ; often not leaving till decision for Christ has been

come to.

Each evening he preaches at Zion Chapel, which

has lately been built, principally for his use.

On Sundays

he preaches also in the morning, and his congregations grow

in numbers from day to day. Knfeebled as he is in body, his

spirit seems as fresh and youthful as ever.

We rejoice, and

é

many with us, at his service, so abundant in spiritual bless-

1ng

Both the Bishop of Madras, and the chaplain of the

station, heartily wish him God speed.”

334

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

It so happened that at this closing period of his Indian

my

career, the chaplain at Ootacamund was that old friend of

Ly

bl

his earliest Cannanore days, Mr. Lugard. Hebich held this

friend of twenty years’ standing in high estimation, and

10¥

always intermitted his own services when the chaplain was to

have service at the church in the evening, so that he might

n

('3"’6

himself enjoy the opportunity of hearing Mr. Lugard preach.

Almost the only record that we have of this period is contained

dail

in a letter which Hebich wrote on the 29th of July, 1859, to

Dle:

a colonel who had just returned from the campaign against

the

the rebels in Northern India.

Tur

“I was just wondering where you might be, when your

beft

letter from Jubbulpoor reached me.

Praised be the Lord,

pec

who has covered your head in the day of battle, shielded you

5o

from all dangers, and now brought you back to a place of

i}

safety ; and what is still better, among some.of His own

Infe

children !

We all, including the younger members of the

o

flock, have prayed much for you.

If they knew that I was

writing to you, they would all send messages of kindly greet-

g

ing.

Fever, coupled with the disappointment of not being

nee

permitted to visit the heathen festivals when all seemed

veady, brought me very low.

Besides this, since you left T

Jesy

have had unusually heavy work among the Natives, both af

for g

Cannanore and Mangalore, so that I had to forego all travel-

you,

ing and intercourse with Kuropeans.

hoy

¢ Now, all the brethren thought it better that I should come

Loy

here.

The beloved Joseph accompanied me, but his state of

Lo

health obliged me to send him back. Since his return to

26y

Cannanore he has improved, thank God ?

I preach six times

Hir

a week here; and on each alternate Thursday from twenty-

Wh

five to forty persons unite with us in the Lord’s Supper, in

Some souls seem to be won to

€on

the pretty little Zion Chapel.

You

the Lord : among others, G., one of your former comrades. I

am writing this in his house.

With

‘When I first came up here,

ing i

FAREWELL TO INDIA.

335

11

my liver and biliousness gave me a good deal of trouble, and

o

I got very thin.

I am better now, but expect to remain here

thlx

at least a couple of months longer.”

and

‘While Hebich, rejoicing in the greater freedom which he

S

fo

now was allowed, was thus working at the hill-station, though

ioht

ever thoughtful for the welfare of his beloved native churches

ach

in the plains, his kindly medical attendant was becoming

ined

daily more and more anxious about his longer stay in a tro-

Jy

fo

pical climate. In August he spoke out decisively; saying that

ingh

the state of his liver was such as to demand a. return to

Europe ; and indeed urged him so to arrange as to reach home

your

before winter, as a further delay might be fatal.

The pros-

ard,

pect of separation from all in which he was so much inter-

you

ested was a great trial: however, he at once made up his

o'of

%

mind to follow the advice so given.

On the very day of his

WL

interview with the physician he set about the necessary pre-

the

parations for his journey. He writes to Mr. Miiller :—

Was

“The responsibility of the mission-station is now on you—

regh

may the Lord of His grace give you the strength you will

‘%;

need, to His own praise and glory !”

heing

emed

He then sends a message to the Church, that the Lord

Joft T

Jesus had seen fit to send him to Europe, as he hoped, only

I

ha

for a short time. “ You will bear in mind all my labour among

you

pavel

And you especially, beloved ones at Chowa, know well

how much care your temporal welfare has caused me.

But

Come

now my health has failed. Oh! see to it that ye live to the

Lord, and rejoice the hearts of his servants ?

The Lord will

o

o of

m to

never forsake you; hope in Him, and do ye never forsake

Him.

Be sure that I bear you all upon my heart.

Think ye

fimes

what sore travail ye have caused to the Lord Jesus.

Oh'!

jenty

continue entirely His purchased ones, for He has redeemed

)©

1, 1

you with His own blood. Pray for me.

The Lord bless you

won 0

s,

with His everlasting blessings, and cause you to be a bless-

ing !”

) herey

336

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

He also wrote a special and very affectionate letter to the

Thim-

catechists.

por

The news that they were to lose their friend and guide

Tl

came like a thunder-clap upon the Native brethren : they

at

the |

could scarcely realize that they were to be sustained no longer

by his courage, nor helped by his tender fatherly comtort

sudd

and care in running their race.

This was of course espe-

ot

cially the case at Cannanore, but not there alone.

His cha-

Talle

racter had so made itself felt in all the stations of the mission,

It

that his departure brought with it the feeling that they were

Trim

losing the best half of the missionary force.

Yea, even many

a R

of the heathen lamented his loss.

Much as there doubtless

ban |

is in the character of the natives of India which is strange,

who

grotesque, eten to absurdity ; yet is there not lacking clear-

and

ness of perception to appreciate real force of character, and

S0me

the influence which it carries with it. Thus it happened that

N

Hebich’s image was deeply engraven on many a heart.

Many

Fug

an anecdote of him, some strange enough, passed from mouth

to mouth. And both Christians and heathen have often

I

attributed to his sayings or doings a meaning of which he had

the

little thought.

his |

In the year 1870, some young reprobates at Tannoor were

thosy

turning a missionary into ridicule, when an old grey-bearded

surp1

Mahomedan took hold of one of them by the shoulder, and

tuds

shaking him, said— Take care! if you mock these people

1?‘(10‘(

you will fall i1l 1”

This led the missionary to ask some ques-

)

tions, from which he learnt that once Hebich had been ill-used

of

in that Mahomedan village ; this had been followed by the place

A

being almost entirely burnt down in three successive years ;

tha

which to this day the people consider to have been in conse-

Eng

quence of the dishonour that had been done to him. Once

lain

he was about to chastise a disobedient pupil of the catechist

V

class, but the lad slipped away, running between the old

missionary’s legs, caring little for the warning which followed

locy

FAREWELL TO INDIA.

337

the

him—“You naughty boy! take care——.this will bring evil

upon you "

ide

This boy left the institution, and returned to his home

hey

at Hubli.

Years passed by, but he could never shake off

06

the impression that Hebich’s curse was upon him. He died

fort

suddenly, owing to the bursting of a gun ; and the impression

pe-

on those about him was, that it still was owing to his having

tha-

fallen under Hebich’s displeasure.

lon,

If to many such half-evangelized minds Hebich presented

Jere

himself almost in the form of a fabulous hero, or even as

i

a Rishi of old Indian mythology, whose blessing or whose

»IE\

ban brought weal or woe, there were others of nobler kind,

1ge,

who could never lose the impression of that love of holiness

ear

and of the brethren, which has shone forth from him in

and

some moments of special spiritual communion.

that

Nor did Hebich leave a less enduring impression upon the

any

Europeans who had known and heard him.

An Indian

uth

paper writes :—

ften

“We have more anecdotes than we can find room for, of

had

the astonishment, the confusion, the awakening, caused by

his bold and direct personal questionings, often addressed to

Often has the

7ere

those whom he casually met for the first time.

ded

surprise thus first awakened grown into the most ardent grati-

and

tude and the warmest love.

How many have had to acknow-

ledge that they owe the first beginnings of their life of faith

ople

1165

to the uncompromising, yet friendly, dealings of this servant

of God’s.”

nsed

lace

An aged chaplain was heard to exclaim—“1I do believe

aIs

that this German has done more for the eternal good of the

1se-

English in India than any dozen of the best of us chap-

Jains.”

Jnce

;hist

When the news of his decease reached India, one of the

dd

local newspapers devoted an article to his memory, closing

22

»Wed

38

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

with the words—¢ We doubt whether modern times have

produced his equal in apostolic characteristics.”

His friend Gompertz wrote to him on the 12th of Sep-

tember ;(—

“T am glad that you are going, as it seems to be the best

thing for you.

Thank God that you have been so long sus-

tained to labour in this dark land. May He bring you back

with renewed strength to the theatre of your joys and of

your sorrows !

I hope that you will be a great blessing on

]

your voyage home, when you will be thrown among people

of such various ‘castes’ as are generally found on board

those steamers to Suez.

I enclose a cheque for thirty

i

rupees—that is all that I can afford just now ; but what the

h

Lord regards is not the amount of the gift, but the willing

e

heart. If He gives me the opportunity, more shall follow. The

fa

Lord bless you abundantly —this is the continual prayer of

one who owes you eternal gratitude.—W. G.”

This was the last letter eyer written by this happy spirit.

a

In the previous January he had arrived with his regiment at

1

the solitary station of Harrihar, just at the time of an out-

W

break of cholera.

On the 18th of January he records—*1

never felt more joy than to-day, when the poor halting W.,

C0)

a drummer’s wife, when dying of cholera, was able, with

e

beaming eyes, to tell all around her of her happiness, because

g

she was going to Jesus.

Catholics and Protestants knelt to-

lag

gether as I prayed with her, and she would not be dissuaded

I

from kneeling also herself. Yesterday eight belonging to the

But T am

9

regiment died, and to-day the number is larger.

i

very happy, and rejoice to be able to manifest to all, in such

)

sifting times, what a blessing it is to have a living and ever-

g

present God in Jesus.”

Of course

P

- Later the colonel of his regiment had a stroke.

Gompertz was sent for.

His first words were—

“ Well, colonel, see how the Lord has humbled you.

You

FAREWELL TO INDIA.

339

()

who were so strong and proud a man, lie there now, quite

powerless.

This is a message to you from God.”

|€P‘

Colonel S. answered—¢ Yes, God has smitten me. Thank

you that you have the manliness to tell it me.

Here is my

est

hand ”

S

Thus, the ice being once broken, the adjutant not only had

the privilege of preaching the gospel to his colonel, but of

aclf

01

seeing him rejuicing in the full liberty of that Gospel before

00

he fell asleep on the 3rd of October.

ple

Abundant in labour and in good works, Gompertz cared too

ard

little for his delicate body. He caught fever in January,

1ty

1860, and on the 3rd of February he left this earth to be at

the

home with the Lord.

It would not be easy to find a subal-

ling

tern officer loved and trusted by high and low as was this

T]l{r

faithful soul !

of

Hebich started from the Nilgherries on the morning of the

13th of September, and, passing through Bangalore, arrived

inif,

at Madras, where he spent a week among friends, old and

1 af

new. On the 28th of September he embarked in the steamer

outr

which was to convey him to Suez

He writes to a friend—

“The ship that is to convey me from this country has just

W,

come in ;—this country in which I leave so many whom I

pith

dearly love.

But the Lord who, by the word of his truth,

ASE

has called them out of death, will preserve them unto ever-

b 10

lasting iife.

T had hoped to see your beloved face once more,

ded

but it was not to be.

Hearty thanks for the latest of your

» ﬂle

gifts of love, which I have good use for, as my native

al

spiritual children still look to me. And now, my dear fellow,

run so as to obtain the crown of life, which the Lord Jesus

ek

el

gives you freely. Comfort your heart in him, and, withal,

pray for me also.”

1186

fou

1N9)

2

o

CHAPTER XXXVIIL

THE EVENING OF LIFE.

Or the homeward voyage we have no record, but Hebich

describes himself, when he landed, on the 28th of October,

1859, at Marseilles, as being in fair ordinary health, but very

liable to take cold; on which account, considering the ad-

vanced season of the year, he was not inclined to venture

immediately further north.

He wrote home to announce his return to Europe, but his

accounts from thence were, that his eldest brother had been

in his grave for a year, the second brother having preceded

him, dying in December, 1857.

His mother had died on

Ten

the 9th of January, 1858, in her eighty-sixth year.

days before her death, on the 31st of December, she had

been able to attend church.

The thought crossed his mind that he also might, ere long,

be gathered to his fathers. Yet he had eight years of blessed

work before him.

Of these, however, we will only narrate

what seems absolutely necessary to complete the picture of

the character, in which we have sought to present him to

On the scene

the reader ; namely, as a missionary to India.

of these last eight years of his life, his memory is still fresh

in the hearts of very many.

He longed to interest the German residents at Marseilles

THE EVENING OF LIFE.

341

in missionary matters, and devoted some evenings to this ob-

ject.

Former Indian friends invited him to Cannes, where

he had no sooner arrived, than he set to work in his old

%

accustomed style.

He met there with many interesting per-

He went on to

sons, Baron Bunsen among the number.

Nice, where, in a yet wider circle, he showed forth all his

pristine zeal for and power in work.

High and low seemed

equally to enjoy his simple testimony. At Christmas he was

among the Germans at Lyons ; and proceeding thence imme-

diately, he once more entered the mission-house at Basle, on

e ———————

the 27th of December.

Twenty-five years had wrought great changes there. Few

ich

of his old friends were still alive.

Altogether, since his re-

hel,

turn to Europe, he felt himself as in a new and strange world ;

YeI’)

but he allowed himself little time for rest or leisure for think-

a

From early morning till quite late he paid

ing about it.

e

visits.

At first he was requested to give addresses at the mission-

115

house, and this was soon followed by invitations to the pul-

een

pits of the churches in the town, and in the neighbouring

ded

country.

Excitement increased ; and the newspaper press

His words

on

began to busy itself with this strange apparition.

Ten

—some, for instance, which he had spoken to some butchers

had

in the public slaughter-houses—became the talk of the town.

But the climax came on the 24th of January, 1860. He

ongy

was preaching in the Church of St. Leonard ; taking for

ssel

his subject the call to repentance of John the Baptist ; when

Cries of “Pull him down,”

pafe

a violent uproar commenced.

0 of

“ Kick him out,” began to be heard. Hebich gave out a hymn,

p 10

after the singing of which he went on: *“ Now is the axe

laid unto the root of the trees,” upon which angry voices

oone

es)

were again raised ; and the growing tumult obliged him to

close the Bible, and finish with a short prayer.

ills

All this led to a good deal of unpleasant discussion ; but

34

ol

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH,

the church was still open to the fearless witness for the

truth.

This led to a motion in the town-council, to the

effect that the executive should take steps to guard against

a repetition of such abuse of the pulpit as had recently

occurred. This came on for debate on the 7th of F ebruary,

when complaints were heard that decency had been outraged ;

that many had been very much offended ; that the preaching

was altogether out of order.

One said, “This Hebich had

to learn the Indian language before hLe could preach to the

natives of India; now let him learn German, and conform

himself to our manners ere he stands up to teach us.”

Others, on the contrary, while admitting that there were cer-

tain peculiarities and unfortunate expressions that might

well be regretted, yet testified to the blessing which such

unusual preaching worked.

The burgomaster himself said that he could not regret that

a preacher should depart from the old conventionalities.

Many who remained unmoved under the old fashion of preach-

ing, might be reached by the new.

The motion was rejected

by forty-four votes to forty-two, and thus Hebich was per-

mitted to complete his course of addresses.

But all this had brought him so into prominence, that it

was no longer possible for him to work on quietly. While

the multitude condemned and rejected him, others héld him

up as something wonderful.

Many young people were un-

measured in their estimation of him—almost worshipping

him. All this made it hard for him to preserve a healthy

moderation,

When the accounts of all that was happening at Basle

reached India, an old friend and associate wrote from thence :

“The committee must take care not to let the grass grow

under his feet,.

The dear old man can do his best work of

arousing any place in a fortnight ; after that he should move

on to some other place, before he and the clergy all fall by

* THE EVENING OF LIFE.

343

18

the ears.

He has an uncommon gift for awakening, but 1s

e

little suited to a permanent field of work ; nor do I think he

1§t

would be long happy in one.

The beloved committee has

Iy

stood by him very bravely.

Hebich is altogether peculiar.

)y

In order, taking the dear old man for all in all, thoroughly

0

to appreciate him, one needs much true scriptural simplicity,

N0

and to abstain from the exercise of the critical faculty. For,

One

il

once begin to be critical, and there is no end to it.

he

altogether like him is a rarity, and I can well understand

that many worthy and faithful men, even men of the same

1

way of thinking as himself, would feel a kind of antipathy

X

0 him on account of his manner.

May the Lord put

ht

aside all that is not according to His own good pleasure, and

ch

so sanctify the clear trumpet-call sounded by the dear old

fellow, that many, now sleepy ones, yea, even dead ones,

ab

may be aroused.”

08,

He journeyed on to other places to which he was invited.

In March he was at Neufchatel, in April at Berne, in August

il

at Zurich, in September at Schaffhausen.

An experienced

labourer in the Lord’s vineyard thus describes his proceedings

ok

in one of these Swiss towns :

1f

“ Hebich’s manner of speaking in church was somewhat

different to what it is at home.

Though he at times allows

e

il

himself to use expressions which go beyond the liberty

usually permitted in the pulpit, yet almost every one heard

il

him with edification.

But at home he gives a freer course to

g

his peculiarities.

He uses the most familiar mode of address,

by

whoever he may be speaking with : is quite ready to call

any one ‘stupid fellow ! When he is cross-questioning he gets

ale

very loud if he does not receive exactly the answer he wishes

for

He makes strong assertions, which he is quite unable to

W

prove : he also makes occasional mistakes ; states doubtful

of

\{

propositions, or even absolutely erroneous ones.

¢ Tt does not sound well when he denounces, without hesi-

)y

344

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL -HEBICH.

tation, all science.

Yet, spite of all these drawbacks and

human weaknesses, his whole conversation manifests him as

a man of God, approved and experienced in God’s ways, ‘a

great man in Israel.’

We all felt drawn to him ; he has won

our hearts.

“In one of our meetings, he began to read out the twenty-

second Psalm.

I felt uncomfortable at this, as I had heard

that his exposition of it was unedifying. But I was most

pleasantly disappointed, as I found how well-grounded all his

assertions were.

He showed us nothing but Christ Himself

speaking in that psalm. And how touchingly he described

from it the sufferings of our Saviour.

I found it most edify-

ing.

His strength is mainly in the rich measure of the

Spirit of which he is partaker.

“He has a special gift in setting forth lovingly, yet with

indomitable earnestness, God’s righteous judgment against

sin, on the one hand, and the freedom of His kingdom of

grace, on the other.

The purity of his motives and entire

self-abnegation prepared the way for the deep impressions he:

made.

With unselfish love he would devote whole hours to

dealing with individual souls, who could not but be touched

by his friendly manner, and by the unmistakable humility

which was proof against rebuffs however rude.

It astonished

me rather that his frequent very marked Anglicisms of speech

and bearing did not give more offence ;* the explanation

seems to be, that his love and simplicity of heart covered

many defects.

“How loving, truly, he was! how condescending with

children ! He would take the little ones on his lap, and

coax them so that, despite the beard which somewhat.

* This excuse for the good man’s marked peculiarities is amusing:

to one who well remembers how often among English people, whose

sensibilities he shocked, the excuse was made for him that he was

a German, and did not fully appreciate the force of certain words he-

used.—Note by the Translator.

e

THE EVENING OF LIFE.

345

i

e —

frightened them, they always took to him. If any one was

S

rude to him, he did not show resentment, but just remained

&

silent.

—

If it appeared that he had spoken too harshly,

i}

he would even beg for forgiveness, and make up by redoubled

kindness.

“He readily accommodated himself to our rules, ever

il

I

showing a becoming pliancy, moderation, and reverence.

N

never heard him wutter an irreverent word against the

11§

ministers of the Church; on the contrary, he would ear-

i

nestly commend them to the respect of others, and would

d

pray fervently for them and for the Church.

Ready as he

F

was to denounce all that was a mere profession in church, he

was quite as ready to denounce sectarianism.

He urgently

pressed the importance of frequent participation in the Lord’s

th

Supper.

156

“ What is to be said of the results of the work of this very

of

exceptional man ?

Of course the seed sown must first be

|16

allowed to take root, and to come to perfection, and many a

he

promising blossom may fall off and disappear.

But there

fo

are results in good fruit yielded, of which we can testify.

ek

And first of all, here in our midst, the thoughts of many

minds were made manifest.

¢ The multitude of the city was

1ty

ied

divided.” (Acts xiv. 4.) In a sense things have taken a

new shape here.

In many, enmity has been increased, but

oh

0

also many who were indifferent are now favourably disposed,

and many believers have had their faith revived. Hebich

el

was able to reach people to whom we, the clergy of the place,

had never yet gained access. He was ready enough to launch

ith

nd

forth a multitude of bold assertions, from which upright

souls gladly accepted what was of God, and were thereby

il

attracted, taking the merely human side of him into the

ing

bargain ; whereas less honest ones, or those still in the fetters

086

ya8

of ignorance, could see the human side alone.

Another

hie

result of his visit is that divine service is more numer-

346

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

ously attended, and many have been stifred to a greater

appetite for the Word of God ; some of the smaller churches

have had an increase of members, and even some new con-

gregations have been gathered.

Only to-day, while visiting

a sick person in a poor neighbourhood, I found of what

.comfort Hebich’s expositions had been.

A family of dis-

tinction has, since his visit, opened its drawing-room for

Bible readings and missionary meetings.

Another result is,

that some who had kept apart in a spirit of solitary sepa-

ratism, have come back to the church. We have had no

disturbances.

The newspaper press abstained from finding

fault, though public opinion was inclined to be hard upon

him.

‘It is not surprising, for it is a common occurrence, if

some were inclined unduly to exalt Hebich, as though he

alone could lead souls into the right path : or if some of his

over-zealous followers were severe in their judgment on the

clergy, looking upon their cautien as only a covered jealousy.

So also, spiritually-minded men there are, who cannot recon-

cile themselves to Hebich’s style and manner, and who there-

fore in their estrangement from him could not conceive that

the church would derive benefit from his visit.

So 1t has

ever been.

Nevertheless, he has brought more of benefit

than of damage, and so we must praise the Lord, that He

sent him among us.

Certainly Hebich would not suit us as

a stated preacher ; probably his uncompromising spirit would

try to cast out of the church, in the schools and in our con-

gregations, much with which the Lord bears patiently ; buf

he is most eminently fitted to arouse, and also to ground in

the truth ; to preach man’s corruption through the fall, and the

power of grace ; to stir up an appetite for the Word of God,

and to prepare the understanding to take it in.

Above all,

his great aim is, the exaltation of our blessed Lord and

e e

Saviour.,

It now remains with us, the clergy, to build upon

Y

THE EVENING OF LIFE.

347

[0y

the foundation he has so successfully laid. The ILord grant

16

that through our remissness the souls that have been

I

impressed may not go off to slumber again, or fall under sec-

N

tarian influences.”

1ab

At last, in October, 1860, he returned to his native place,

is

Ulm, and to the home of his youth. Though there were

exceptions both in town and country places, yet, he was here

for

is

made to experience the truth of the Jewish proverb, that a

prophet has little honour in his own country.

The ecclesias-

pa

10

tical authorities of Wurtemburg pronounced that missionaries

ng

were not authorized to supply the places of the clergy in

0L

regular divine services.

However, when convenient they

might be permitted to occupy the pulpits on extraordinary

if

occasions.

(This decree was issued in February, 1861).

It

he

was held that Hebich’s ministrations might be of use among

his

unlearned country folk, but that the form, or rather absence

the

of form, of his expositions could not but be grating to an

educated audience.

Nevertheless he gave fifteen addresses

S

Ol

in one of the churches of Stuttgart, which were listened to

with the utmost attention.

Most of those persons who had

lre

hat

been emplojed in various ways on these occasions refused all

remuneration, declaring that the benefit they had derived

h9s

efit

from the addresses was quite return enough.

A journal com-

plained, that even ladies approved of Hebich’s preaching,

He

as

adding, “The thousands of our youth should oppose this.”

But he was appreciated ; a country parson, for instance, de-

ld

on

%

clared that with his peculiar mode of preaching on sin and

grace, Hebich had effected more than he himself had been

bt

1

able to accomplish in ten years.

He spent the summer of 1861, recruiting his health at the

the

baths of Dizenbach.

Afterwards he visited North Ger-

of,

many, wishing especially to see once more the place of his

all,

spiritual birth, and the home of two of his younger brothers.

nd

He was gratified by the result of his work at Kiel, though

00

348

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

he found preaching to the students there niore trying thanm

preaching in the Hanseatic towns.

Many expressed thank-

fulness that at last a powerful voice had come to break the

ignoble truce between faith and unbelief. A writer from

‘Whupperthal says,

¢ His drastic and rough

anner was readily put up with,

in admiration for his talent{jand we were specially struck with

the way in which, without accepting persons, he managed to

declare, with love, the one thing needful, and to make it

acceptable.”

He could not bring himself to refuse a pressing invitation

to London, to preach to the Germans there during the exhi-

bition of May, 1862.

But the too minute organization

wearied him, and owing to the great distances he had to go

the work was too much for him. Yet it was a great pleasure

to him to see many friends, and especially some old Indian

ones.

He testified to finding much spiritual life in London,

though withal much pride, vanity, and a sectarian spirit in

the work of the Lord. He caught a severe cold in Exeter

hall, and was glad to get back to the quiet of Dizenbach,

there to recover from it.

In September, the medical adviser of the mission declared

positively that a return to India was no more to be thought

of. His own feelings bore out this opinion.

Truly it was

hard for him to resist the entreaties of his spiritual children

in Cannanore, who wrote to him, “ Oh! how we long that

you could come back among us, were it possible, in all the

old vigour ; but even if it be no longer to undertake much

work, yet to be carried into the midst of our assembly, and

like the servant of God of old, to say to us, ¢Little children,

love one another ; little children keep yourselves from idols ;

and then to close your days in our midst

177

For well nigh three years he had been allowed to go about

at his own will, preaching and working wherever he found

THE EVENING OF LIFE

349

140

opportunity, but it was now felt by the committee at Basle

L

that it would be well to come to a definite understanding as

the

to the relations in which he should henceforth stand to the

mI1sSs101L

A characteristic letter of his, dated from Mergent-

()1}

heim the 18th of July, 186

made this appear the more

«desirable

He writes—

th,

ith

“Durine the leisure of this last bathing-season, I have

fo

by God’s grace again read through the five books of Moses

1t

More than forty years ago, after my conversion, I was in-

clined to judge that dear man of God, Jacob, which is Israel

on account of his vow which he vowed

‘If God will be

101

it

with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will

give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on

then

100

g0

shall Jehovah be my God.’

At the end of his wanderings

¢The God which

e

(Gen. xlviii, 15), he gives glory to God

1A

fed me all my life long unto this day

I, foolish man that

1|

on,

I am, declare that for forty years and mefe I have been at

sea, about this working of Jacob’s heart !

And lo! after

i3

e

He has so wondrously fed me for these forty years (for

when I went forth 1nto the heathen world, I thought that

ch,

I should never be able to earn ‘my daily bread) after He has

brought me safely throacrh so many perils and dangers ;

[6

b

now at last I find that my health will no longer allow of

my working among the heathen, I begin to be worried with

ya

the thought whether Jehovah can still feed me in my old

el

age !

The thought comes up ¢ What will become of me now

hab

I can no longer work ¥ Must it e, that now, in my old age

he

ol

my presumption is to be rebuked, and I am to be obliged to

sSaYy,

‘I mnever understood aricht what Jacob meant that

d

%

morning in Bethel ¥

Alas ! unbelief, yes, shameful unbelief

0n7

is still strong in my heart! Yea, and how many other evil

Yy

things have shown themselves in my heart! just as though

this lower life were never to end ; earthly thoughts ; care upon

b

care!” As long as I was still in India I never thought about

nd

&)

53]

0

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

such things, yea, they never crossed my mind. I was look-

ing forward to soon entering upon His rest, by His mercy.

Oh! what a stupid man is Samuel Hebich !

The Lord have

mercy upon such a poor sinner as I am, and of His grace,

help me into life, into eternal life, for His holy name’s sake.

Amen !

DBear with me, my heart was hot within me

¢ * o o

then spake I with my tongue ! nothing can come out of the

heart, but what is in it.”

The alternative was offered him to become the agent

of the society in England, settling in one of the larger

towns of the kingdom and there seeking to gather and

labour among the German inhabitants, or to accept a pen-

sion,

Hebich no longer felt himself equal to labouring among a

scattered people like the German residents in any part of

England, and therefore, on the 2nd of October, 1862, he

thankfully accepted the offer of a pension, which left him

more freedom of independent action.

None tonld-doubt~

that the welfare of the mission would ever be nearest his

heart, and call forth all the endeavours of which he was

capable.

The resolution conferring a pension upon him, was

accompanied with expressions of the warmest gratitude for

the many services he had rendered during his long and

zealous missionary career.

He soon showed that the furtherance of the mission cause

was still nearest his heart.

Some had been ready to com-

plain that, since his return, he had not been occupied enough

in giving narratives of work among the heathen.

But now

he conducted a series of most interesting missionary meetings,

at Berne. On the first of these evenings he received a gift of

1100 francs.

And, to the end of his days, he continued one

of the most successful collectors for the cause.

On the other hand, he began to produce the impression

upon some that he had outlived his best days.

Just in the

THE EVENING OF LIFE,

351

0K

measure in which opposition to them increased, did he seem

CY

He made more:

to cling more obstinately to his peculiarities.

V6

unmeasured attacks upon the Church and its ministers, and

(e,

g;:

seemed to take less pains to avoid causing excitement or

ke

giving offence.

Thus, for instance, in March, 1863, one

describes his visit to S. :

he

““On this occasion, as formerly, Hebich is bringing bless-

ing.

Greater love to the Word, desire for holiness, and

1f

clearer separation from the world will result from his work.

(9

But the church is not opened to him, and a newspaper has

il

reproached him and his followers for roughness and morose-

ness of manner.

On Ash Wednesday there was a procession

of mummers, in which he was so well mimicked, that you

&

would almost have thought it was he.

The next day the

of

windows of the room, in which his meetings are held, were

broken.

He himself seems to think more of the need of

e

13

separation. He expresses a wish that meeting-halls might be

)y

built everywhere.

His own words are: ¢May the Lord

give us, who really desire to seek His glory only, grace to

13

a5

purify ourselves more and more from all half-hearted ways,

ay

that we may freely and openly proclaim the Prince of Life !

This jumble of the saints with the world, while the masses

0

i

are becoming more bold for Antichrist, and believers more

abjectly timid, are sure signs of the last times.

Under the

g

guise of wisdom, of religiousness, everything being called by

I

a high-sounding title, all is advancing towards the rejection

of Him who hath purchased us with His blood.” ”

i

W

He began, however, to long for a settled resting-place, and

5

sought to find it at Stuttgart, where he preached often,

either in the assembly-room or elsewhere, from August, 1863,

i

¢

to February, 1864, and otherwise sought out opportunities

for spiritual usefulness.

He visited the Rhine provinces, where he was abundant

in labours, resting for a while at the baths of Mergentheim ;

352

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

visiting also Switzerland ; where he was in actual danger

from an uproar among the mob of Schaffhausen, such as

vividly reminded him of the days of hard fight and tumult

at the idol-festivals in India.

This warned him that he must make up his mind hence-

forth to a quieter life ; with which view he settled down at

Stuttgart in 1864 ; declaring that, for the future, he would

be * quite tame.”

He felt also that his days were nearing an

end : hence he made his will.

As he had inherited nothing

from his ancestors, he felt it right to leave what little he pos-

sessed to help forward mission-work among the heathen

nations.

To the last he strove to bring about the founding of an

establishment for the trgimirig of itinerant preachers for the

various Indian and African fields of labour.

He never grew

weary of proclaiming Christ in drawing-rooms and private

houses ; and, whenever a favourable opportunity offered, he

urged the necessity for these itinerant preachings.

Towards the end of 1866 he visited fifty-one churches in

the Grand Duchy of Baden; and in many of the places

80 visited he was privileged to stir up fresh interest in mis-

sion-work, and that on the only safe ground, of a real interest

in the salvation of individual souls.

His last letter, written to Basle, is dated 16th of April,

3

1868.

In it he says :

“ Grace and peace !

I have the happiness to send you a

further remittance, amounting to 368 florins, according to

the enclosed statement, for the work of the mission.

I hope,

ere long, to come myself, and bring a further sum. 1t is all

contributed for native itinerant preachers.

Perhaps it will

el T e R e

be enough for a fifth such itinerant ; and if so, I should pre-

I worked

fer his being appointed for the Palghat district.

hard there with my people for seven years; and there are

S,@I’signs of life there. May the Lord bless and sanctify

E

THE EVENING

OF LIFE,

353

0l

His own work ; and may He accept these gifts of love in

&

|

Amen.

It

His grace.

“You must know that I have been preaching a great deal :

and again I can report that many souls have been won to

Him by the word of His grace; to Him be praise and

ab

1d

thanksgiving.

As to my health, to the praise of His grace

I may say that I am tolerably well ; that I am growing old,

all

however, makes itself felt.

My addresses try me more now

ne

than used to be the case.

Please God, I intend to go to

0§

Carlsruhe on the 7th of May, to complete my work there,

el

and thence, on the 11th, to go to Basle, to spend, as usual,

?

about a fortnight there.

But all this is as it may please the

al

Lord, and as may seem best to you.”

he

The Lord had ordered otherwise.

On the 6th of May

W

Hebich was attacked with severe pain in the liver.

He soon

I

felt, and declared, that his work on earth was at an end.

he

When thus he found himself on his deathbed, he was full

of thankfulness that all the pain he suffered affected his

mn

flesh alone, while the spirit could rejoice in God his Saviour ;

£s

that Saviour who had borne him with long-suffering patience

15

for sixty-six years, and led him so graciously during the last

b

forty-seven of those years.

As his mind wandered at night,

he fancied himself still preaching to the heathen, and to his

1,

last breath he had still many thoughts about India and

Malabar, which he loved so well.

b

He fell asleep, smiling, on the morning of May the 21st,

t0

the Feast of the Ascension.

A vast multitude followed his

£,

funeral to Kornthal, on the 24th of the same month.

1l

According to a wish he had himself expressed, the service at

i

his grave consisted merely of a short prayer.

ol

10

fy

CHAPTER XXXIX.

HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH.

Tar following sketch of Samuel Hebich’s mode of dealing

with the scholars at the Mangalore Bazaar Schoolroom—

written from memory by Colonel George C.—may interest

those who have followed us in the narrative of this remark-

able man’s life.

It is altogether characteristic of the good

man’s manner.

Hebich enters ;—shakes hands with some of the boys, and goes to

the desk.

Let us pray. Oh Thou blessed Lord Jesus, who art the

Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world,

the eternal Son of the Father, be amongst Thy children.

Remember us according to all our wants ;—Father, Scn, and

Holy Ghost in Christ Jesu, Hallelujah. Amen.

Hebich. Read in John, chapter i. and verse 1.

Boy reads. “In the beginning was the Word, and the

‘Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Hebich. Read again, and say properly, “and the Word

And who was the

was God :” there is the emphasis.

Word ?

Answer. God.

Hebich. Yes, God.

‘What God ?

HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH.

355

Answer. Christ.

Hebich. And who was He with?

Answer. God.

Hebich. Yes, God, that’s true ; but what God ?

Answer. The Father.

Hebich. Yes ; so, you see, they are two, the Father and

the Son ; now read on, second verse.

Doy reads. ¢ The same was in the beginning with God :

”

all things were made by Him, and

Hebich. Stop!

By whom were all things made ?

Answer. By the Word.

Hebich. And who is the Word ?

Answer. Christ.

ne

Hebich. Yes, Christ.

Now go on.

osh

Boy reads. “And without Him was not anything made

tk

that was made.”

od

R ——

Hebich. Ha !

Now turn to the 1lst of Genesis, verse 1,

you read, you (pointing to & boy), what is your name?

Answer. Soobiah.

3

Hebich. Well, Soobiah, read on, first verse.

Boy reads. “In the beginning God created the heaven

he

and the earth.”

Id,

Hebich. There you have just the same story. In the be-

Ll

ginning God created the heaven and the earth ; who created

nd

the heaven and the earth ?

Answer. God.

Hebich. Here we have God the same as in the 1st of

the

John, Gop THE SoN spoken of.

Now read in verse 2.

Boy reads. “ And the earth was without form and void,

ol

and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of

the

God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Hebich. Now we come to another thing.

Here we see

!

the Spirit of God.

The Holy Ghost, who never speaks of

Himself ; who only speaks of the Father and the Son.

So

23—2

356

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH. |

here we have God and the Holy Ghost. Now turn to the

26th verse of the same chapter.

Boy reads. “ And God said, let us make man in our image,

7

after our likeness, and——

Hebich. Stop !

That will do ; read again.

(Boy reads the clause again.)

Hebich. Ah'!

Here we see God the Father here speaks

In

to God the Son, “Let us make man in our image.”

whose image are you made ?

Answer. In God’s.

Hebich. Yes; in God’s image.

So see what honour

God has put upon us.

Now we will go on.

So you see

we have here the Blessed Trinity.

God the Father, God

the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.

Tell me,—what is God

the Father.

Answer. A spirit.

Hebich. And what is God the Son?

Amnswer. A spirit.

Hebich. And by whom were all things made ?

Answer. By God.

Hebich. What God ?

Answer. God the Son.

Hebich. Who made you ?

Answer. God the Son.

Hebich. Yes.

God the Son.

And think you how great

was His love to come down and put away His Godhead and

become man for you and for me.

The same God who

created heaven and earth, became a man for me, was crucified

for the sins of the world ; for you, poor sinner, and for me,

poor sinner ! Read verse 10 of the same chapter in St. John.

Boy reads. “He was in the world, and the world was made

by Him, and the world knew Him not.”

Hebich. Ha, ah! here we see it.

Now turn to chapler iii.

verse 16.

Read on.

HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH.

357

&

=

Boy reads. - ¢ For God so loved the “world that He gave

His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him

should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Hebich. “ God so loved the world.”

Who is the world ?

{pointing to Ramappal) tell me, you, who is the world ?

Answer. We all.

Hebich. We all,—you are a very fine man you !

We

all! you are a pillar I suppose ?

Tell me, who is the

world ?

Pause ; no answer.

Hebich. You are the world. I am the world. Now, say

who is the world ?

Answer. T am the world.

[1{)

Hebich. Yes. I, wicked sinner. (ZTurning to one of the men).

Are you a good man ?

Answer. No.

Hebich. And who did God love ?

Answer. Me.

Hebich: Axe you God’s friend ?

Pause ; no answer.

Hebich. Are you God’s friend, say? No you are a sinner,

we are all sinners.

Now answer me again.

‘Who is the

world ?

Answer. All, T, poor sinner.

Hebich. And for whom did God give His only Son ?

Answer. For all.

Hebich. Yes, that is right ; but you must answer me pro-

perly, say, ¢ for me, poor sinner.”

Altogether. For me, poor sinner.

Hebich. How many are there here ?

Answer. Sixty.

Hebich. How many are there in Mangalore? two thousand?

three thousand ? ten thousand—how many ? (4 pause). About

thirty thousand. And do you know how many there are in

358

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

the whole world ? People say there are ten hundred millions.

Think ! the whole world over which God rules, ten hundred

millions. Do you well understand me? I am, you see, that

ten hundred millions.

I am that world.

You see ten

hundred million times one man makes the whole world ; that

is what I want to explain.

You must have the whole God ;

the personal God : there must be a personality. God gave His

only-begotten Son for the world—that is, for me, so I must

have the whole God, I cannot have half a God. I am that

world.

-

If you eat your dinner am 7 filled by that?

take my breakfast are you filled by that? No! You must

eat for yourself. And why did God give His only-begotten

Son ?

Answer. ¢ That whosoever believeth in Him should not

perish, but have everlasting life.”

Hebich. You see God’s love to you here.

He wishes not

the death of a sinner.

He gave His only-begotten Son, and

the Lord Jesus did not hold back His own life ; but He

was obedient unto death. This is the only way for a poor

sinner to be saved. There is no other name given under

heaven.

No!

And do you think I tell you so of myself?

this book, this holy book says so; and this is the Word

of God ; and God cannot lie.

Read on, now, verse 18.

Boy reads. “ He that believeth on Him is not condemned ;

but he that believeth not is condemned already, because

he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son

of God.”

Hebich. Now, how must thou be saved ?

Answer. By believing in the Son of God.

Hebich. And if thou believe it not ?

Answer. I shall be condemned to hell.

Hebich. Not thou wilt be, but thou art condemned already.

Thou art cursed already ; God will not condemn thee because

God wilk

thou art a sinner, however big a sinner you are.

HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH.

359

not condemn thee for that, but because thou believest not

in Jesus.

If thou believest not in the Son of God whab

becomes of thee ?

Answer. T am cursed and shall go to hell.

Hebich (looking around). And where are you now going?

A long pause ; no reply.

If thou diest now

:

Hebich. Thou art all going to hell.

thou wilt go to hell-fire.

I preached here twenty-one years

ago to your fathers, and they all laughed at me and said,

¢ You only know God! you only have brought God with you!”

I .do not know how it is with you, ye fine Brahmin boys

flt;

you. Ye wash your skin in water, but will that make you

clean? Can you wash your heart? Ye bow before a stone,

and say “Swamy.” Every time that ye do that ye are

I

cursed. Ye worship the devil, and his children ye are. Ye

are in his kingdom. Ye are in the power of darkness, and

b

Look at Colossians, chap-

who shall deliver you from this?

ter 1. verse 13.

[}

L

A boy reads. “ Who hath delivered us from the power of

darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His

o

dear Son.”

)|

Hebich. Listen well to this ! who hath delivered?

d

Answer. The Father.

Hebich. And what hath he done ?

;

Answer. Translated us into the kingdom of His dear

e

Son.

)l

:

Hebich. Into, you see ; we are now in this room, not out-

side. And what is to translate ? to take from one place and

put into another. So you see the Son has a kingdom. Read

now verse 12.

Boy reads. “Giving thanks unto the Father who hath

made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints

3

)

in light.”

k4

Iebich. Here is an inheritance ; you all know what that

360

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

18

You people, you are very clever to get one rupee, two

rupees ; you sometimes have an inheritance: some have a

hundred rupees, some a thousand, but they are all perish-

able. If ye die, who gets you? the worms; they are your

brothers, you are a worm ; but this inheritance never perishes.

If you want this inheritance, you must have nothing here.

I came out to you black people.

I left father, mother,

country, all for this inheritance—I have nothing. We Padres

come to you ; and you don’t like that.

You say, these fel-

lows disturb us ; but ye do well to examine and see if the

Padres say what is true. Look for yourselves ; we give you

this book : it is not our own, it is God’s Word. And from

whom got we this! From the Jews, the peculiar people of

God. To them this was spoken. They were believers in the true

God. Jesus was born among the Jews. He was a Jew. They

only knew God ; you and I were all heathen, all warshipped

stocks and stones.

But by-and-by the Jews rejected this

word ; so God gave it to us Gentiles.

We have come a

little out of the way; let us read Hebrews i. verse 3.

Boy reads. “ Who being the brightness of His glory and

the express image of His person, and upholding all things

by the word of his power ; when He had by himself purged

our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Hebich. Of whom is this said ?

Answer. Of Christ, the Son of God.

Hebich. Yes; He only is the express image of the Father,

the heir of all things. The Father gave all into his hands s

and the Son, he was obedient to the Father’s will. This is

the true God ; you people have also a Trinity, ye also have

your gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Seeva : but these gods are

all fighting with one another. Brahma says, If ye worship

Seeva ye are cursed. Seeva says, If ye worship Brahma ye are

cursed. Now this is no god j they have a mouth and cannot

speak, and eyes, but they cannot see ; ye worship dumb idols,

HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH.

361

ye worship a stone which has no life, which God made ; ye

worship, like the Athenians, ¢the unknown God.”

I made

a long tour lately in this country, and have seen many black

people, very fine wise men, but no one knew God, they all

worshipped ¢ the unknown God.” Now I have told you who

God is, tell me, has any one seen God at any time?

Answer (after o pause). No.

Hebich. Turn to Exodus xxiv. verses 9, 10.

Boy reads. * Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and

Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel ; and they saw

the God of Israel,” ete.

Hebich. So you see they saw God. And what God ? Christ

the Son, the express image of the Father.

For no man hath

seen the Father.

And what was this God ?

He was a

Spirit, God the Son, who upholdeth all things by the word

of His power.

If I uphold anything, I must keep it up in

my two hands; or keep it on my shoulders like a burden ;

but the Son of God, He does all by his word. Unto what is

God, this God which they saw, like? (no answer).

Turn to

Ezekiel, chapter i. verse 26.

Boy reads. “ And above the firmament that was over their

heads, was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a

sapphire stone, and upon the likeness of the throne was the

v

likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.”

Hebich. This is the God we preach to you.

The God of

Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob. They walked with Him

on this earth, and talked with Him ; Jacob wrestled with

Him ; Enoch walked with Him, and never died, but was

taken by God. He is the everlasting Son, who was in the

The Roman Catholics

beginning, and who made all things.

say, that Mary is the Mother of God ; can you not see what

fools they are? how can Mary be the Mother of God who

existed before the world was ?

Who made Mary ¢

Answer. The Son of God.

36

d

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Hebich. Yes, that is right ; so the Romans,‘ you see, tell a

big lie.

Mary is just such a poor sinner as you or I'; so also

we have people in our country, who say there is only one

God, like the Mussulmans ; these tell a big lie: if God is a

Father, must He not have a Son ? must He not? answer all !

Answer. Yes.

Hebich. So you see God came down into this world,.and

took incarnation of a woman, and came in our flesh, and was

crucified ; they could not crucify Him in His Godhead, but

in his flesh. He died for you and for me, and then, after he

had purged our sins—what is to purge? you tell—(pointing

one of the boys).

Answer. To clean.

Hebich. Yes, to purify.

We are all vile sinners, and

‘What did He do ¢

must be purified every day, every day.

He purified, purged us; and then sat on the right hand

of God ; not before, but after He had purged our sins, did

he sit on the throne.

He would not sit down on the throne

till he had purged our sins—ye must be purged, ye must be

purified, or ye will go to hell. Are you not a sinner? answer all.

Answer. Yes.

Hebich. So you must all be purged, and who purges your

sins ?

Answer. Christ.

Hebich. No, say not Christ but Jesus.

For Christ means

one thing and Jesus another. Our Lord is God ; in spirit He

was Christ : as the Son of the woman, flesh, He was Jesus,

that man-child, who came down and died for you.

He it is

by whom ye are saved. Jesus Christ ; that means anointed

Saviour ; Jesus means him who came in the flesh.

You

see me, I am in the flesh: so also Jesus the Son of man,

He took upon Him our flesh, and was the same as me, only

without sin.

And Christ again, what does that mean? It

is God. And so Christ Jesus, God-man ; this is a great

HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH

36

J

<

word. Jesus was that man who came into the world, and

the world knew Him not

He walked about in this world

like a common man. He walked up and down in this world,

and no one knew Him. Read you in the four Gospels;—no one

knew him, His disciples knew him, but only after the flesh ;

We see that, as

they knew him not according to the spirit.

when the Lord spoke to Peter and asked what men said about

him; for some thoucht he was John Baptist, and others Elijah

then Jesus asked Peter what he thought, and what said Peter?

See at Matthew, chapter xvi. verse 16

Boy reads. “And Simon Peter answered and said Thou

art the Christ. the Son of the living God.”

Hebich. Read in verse 17

Boy reads. “ And Jesus answered and said Blessed art

thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed if

unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven

Peter could not know

Hebich. Here we have a revelation

that of himself—flesh and blood could not give him that, but

the Father only. That is the great thing

Can any man

know Jesus of himself?

Answer. N

Hebich. Does any man know the Father?

Answer. No

Hebich. “No man knoweth the Son but the Father ; neither

knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whom-

soever the Son will reveal him

Then we see, no man knows

the Son, and no man knows the Father

Who is the way to

|

the Father?

Answer. Jesus

Hebich. Yes, Jesus, He says, “I am the way,” and how

came we to know Jesus?

E

1%

Answer. By the revelation of the Father

Hebich. Ah! that is right

and no man knoweth the

{

Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal

Him. Do ye believe this?

364

MEMOIRS OF SAMUEL HEBICH.

Answer. Yes.

Hebich. You believe it, do you say ? but you believe it not.

You must be born again : ye must have this revelation, then

only will ye believe it.

You must be born of the Spirit ; ye

are born of flesh and blood, but ye must be born from above,

and if ye are mot, ye will go to hell, ye cannot be saved.

Now I have not much time, or I would like to speak more of

these things.

Here is your teacher the Padre (pointing to

Mr. H.) ; he will tell you all these things. I have been very

glad to see you all.

I hope to come here again, and then

you must all tell me what I have told you. Let us now pray.

Hebich prays, then rises to go, says good-bye to all, and

the boys crowd round the door to see the last of him. The

school is broken up for the day. Thus ends an hour's work

in the vineyard of the Lord. May He bless it, “For thou

shalt be his witness unto all men.”

If there are statements in the above sketch, at which sys-

tematic theologians may well take exception, it may yet serve

as an example of the lively way in which, taking them from

Scripture to Scripture, Samuel Hebich could ever interest

and lead on those with whom he had to deal.

THE END.

BILLING AND SONS, PRINIERS, GUILDFORD, SURREY-

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