{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 59,
  "chapterName": "1793. Wilberforce’s Proposals during Charter Revision Debate",
  "pageFrom": 70,
  "pageTo": 70,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 70,
      "ocrText": "70\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nthat we could spend more time among them. Things would then\nsoon assume a more promising appearance. We preach to high\nand low, that Jesus Christ is our wisdom, our righteousness, our\nsanctification, and our redemption.'.\nThe judicious manner in which Swartz treated this difficult and\ndelicate point, is another proof of his wise and just conception of\nthe liberal and tolerant spirit of Christianity; and the happy\nconsequence of his mild and forbearing conduct was, that the\ndistinctions of the caste among his converts, were gradually dis-\nappearing and would probably, in time, have been entirely forgotten.\nThe rash and intolerant spirit, however, of some of his younger\nsuccessors revived and exasperated the feelings of the native Chris-\ntians upon these painful distinctions; and at the period when the\nmission was visited by Bishop Middleton, and afterwards by Bishop\nHeber, an appeal was made to them upon this subject. Both these\neminent prelates concurred in considering the feelings in question\nas partaking more of a civil than a religious nature, and in recom-\nmending mutual forbearance and kindness to the converts; at the\nsame time enjoining on the missionaries a recurrence to the princi-\nples and practice of their admirable predecessor, Swartz, in allow-\ning the distinction of castes in the church to continue, provided\nthat due care were taken to teach the congregations that they are all\nnaturally, and in the light of Christianity, equal.\n59. WILBERFORCE'S PROPOSALS DURING CHARTER\nREVISION DEBATE (1793 A.D.)\nThe charter of the East India Company was renewed by the\nBritish Parliament every twenty years. When the new provisions of the\ncharter were being debated in 1793, the Evangelicals, under the\nleadership of William Wilberforce attempted to make the Company\nresponsible for educational and missionary work in India, as the\nfollowing clause they wished inserted and the resolution moved by\nWilberforce indicate. The motion was defeated and the clause was\nnot inserted. Cited in J. Richter, A History of Christian Missions\nin India, pp. 149-150.\nIt is the opinion of this House that it is the peculiar and bounden\nduty of the British Legislature to promote by all just and prudent\nmeans the interest and happiness of the inhabitants of the British\ndominion in India, and that for these ends such measures ought\nto be adopted as may gradually tend to their advancement in useful\nknowledge and to their religious and moral improvement.\nRESOLVED, that the court of Directors of the Company shall be\nempowered and commissioned to nominate and send out from time\nto time a sufficient number of skilled and suitable persons, who\nshall attain the aforesaid object by serving as school masters,\nmissionaries, or otherwise.",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}