THE
BAPTIST MAGAZINE.
MAY, 1835.
Missionary to the Chinese Empire.
BY AN INTIMATE FRIEND OF THE DECEASED.[A]
The Rev. Dr. Morrison was born at Morpeth, Jan. 5, 1782, but was earlyremoved to Newcastle-upon-tyne. His parents, though in humblecircumstances, were industrious and pious members of the Scottishchurch; and they educated their family in the fear of the Lord. When aboy, he was, with other young persons of the congregation, frequentlycatechised by the Minister; and this has inadvertently led to anerroneous report, that he was originally a Sunday School scholar. He wasafterwards taught a mechanical trade, which he diligently followed tillhe left home. I believe he "feared the Lord from his youth;" and thatthe pious instructions of his father's house, and the faithfulministrations of his pastor, were so blessed to him, that at the age ofsixteen he solemnly devoted himself to God. When engaged in his secularcalling, his mind, thirsting for knowledge, sought its own improvement,first by general reading, and, after a few years, by diligentlyacquiring the rudiments of Latin. He used to steal hours from rest, andoften to work with his book raised before him, so that his eye couldcast a rapid glance on its pages, while his hands were actively employedat his daily labour. Thus he at once prepared his lesson for theMinister who kindly instructed him, and discovered the first indicationsof that diligence and talent for the acquisition of a foreign language,which laid the basis of his future fame.
At this time, in consequence of his manifest love of study, and hisardent desire for usefulness, his mother entertained many fears, thatshe should soon be deprived of the object of her affections, by hisremoval from her: but her fears, so far as she herself was concerned,were groundless; for she was called to her rest, the year before he lefthome for the[Pg 166] Academy. Thus she neither felt the pain of his anticipatedabsence, nor rejoiced in the participation of his subsequent honours.
On entering Hoxton Academy, January, 1803, I found that Mr. Morrison hadarrived a few days before me; and as we both regularly attended, withour friends, the ministry of that eminent servant of God, the Rev. A.(afterwards Dr.) Waugh, we were very soon intimately acquainted witheach other: the result was an indissoluble friendship of nearlythirty-two years, during the whole of which period, we frequentlyinterchanged our joys and our sorrows, and reciprocated ourcongratulations and our sympathies; while fidelity and affectionmutually tendered, when necessary, admonition and reproof. His characterwas even then distinguished by those qualities which sub