William Carey, the eminent pioneer missionary to India, wrote a letter to his son Jabez on the eve of the latter’s launching out on an extremely important ministry venture at the tender age of twenty. The letter brims over with Carey’s sage fatherly advice and provides a sterling example of a Christian parent’s sound, spiritual counsel to an adult child. The missive is beneficial for our own consideration as well, though it was originally written only as a private correspondence.
Here’s the brief backstory to the letter, followed by several paragraphs from the missive. May it prove to be a great blessing to you, as it doubtless was for its original recipient.
Late in 1813, William Carey received a request from the president of the island of Amboyna, part of the Maluka Islands of Eastern Indonesia, to send some missionaries there to superintend their schools. The inhabitants of Amboyna were confessing Christians and Muslims, who lived in separate villages from each other. Each of Amboyna’s forty-two Christian villages had its own church and school, but none had a resident minister. The local schoolteachers, in addition to instructing the children, performed all the duties of a minister to the church, except administering communion and conducting weddings and baptisms.
The missionaries at Serampore, where Carey and his colleagues ministered, were “greatly distressed” at having no one prepared presently whom they could send to Amboyna as a supervising missionary. Then, however, Carey’s next-to-youngest son, Jabez, volunteered himself to serve in that role. He was publicly consecrated to the mission work on January 26, 1814. The British government, at its own expense, provided Jabez and his newlywed wife Eliza with passage to Amboyna. Upon reaching the island, he assumed oversight of all forty-two of Amboyna’s Christian schools.
On January 24, two days before Jabez’s commissioning service, Carey penned his invaluable letter of substantive, savory advice to his son:
“You are now engaging in a most important undertaking, in which you and Eliza have not only my prayers for your success, but those of all who love our Lord Jesus Christ and know of your engagement. I know a few hints for your future conduct, from a parent who loves you very tenderly, will be acceptable, and I shall, therefore, give you them, assured that they will not be given in vain.
“Pay the utmost attention at all times to the state of your own mind both towards God and man. Cultivate an intimate acquaintance with your own heart; labor to obtain a deep sense of your depravity and to trust always in Christ. Be pure in heart and meditate much on the pure and holy character of God. Live a life of prayer and devotedness to God. Cherish every amiable and right disposition towards man. Be mild, gentle and unassuming, yet firm and manly. As soon as you perceive any wrong in your spirit or behavior, set about correcting it, and never suppose yourself so perfect as to need no correction.
“You are now a married man. Be not satisfied with conducting yourself towards your wife [merely] with propriety. Let love to her be the spring of your conduct towards her. Esteem her highly and so act that she may be induced thereby to esteem you highly. The first impressions of love arising from form or beauty will soon wear off, but the esteem arising from excellency of disposition and substance of character will endure and increase. Her honor is now yours, and she cannot be insulted without you being degraded.
“I hope as soon as you get on board and are settled in your cabin, you will begin and end each day in uniting together to pray and praise God. Let religion always have a place in your house. If the Lord bless you with children, bring them up in the fear of God, and be always an example to others of the power of godliness. This advice I also give to Eliza and, if followed, you will be happy.
“Behave affably and genteelly to all, but not cringingly or unsteadily towards any. Feel that you are a man and always act with that dignified sincerity and truth which will command the esteem of all. Seek not the society of worldly men, but when called to be with them act and converse with dignity and propriety. … A gentleman is the next best character after a Christian, and the latter includes the former. Money never makes a gentleman, much less a fine appearance, but an enlarged understanding joined to engaging manners.”
After giving Jabez some pointers on how to commence his responsibilities as superintendent, Carey counseled: “Do not, however, consider yourself as a mere superintendent of schools. Consider yourself as the spiritual instructor of the people and devote yourself to their good. God has committed the spiritual interests of the island – 20,000 men or more, a vast charge – to you. But He can enable you to be fruitful to the trust. Revise the catechisms, tracts and schoolbooks used among them, and labor to introduce among them sound doctrine and genuine piety. Pray with them as soon as you can, and labor after a gift to preach to them … Form them into Gospel churches when you meet with a few who truly fear God, and as soon as you see any fit to preach to others, call them to the ministry and settle them with the churches. You must baptize and administer the Lord’s Supper according to your own discretion when there is proper occasion for it. Avoid indolence and love of ease, and never attempt to act the part of the great and gay in this world.” (All these weighty spiritual responsibilities were to be carried out by a young man of just twenty years of age!)
“Your great work, my Dear Jabez, is that of a Christian minister. … The success of your labors does not depend upon outward ceremony, nor does your right to preach the Gospel or administer the ordinances of the Gospel depend on any such thing, but only on the divine call expressed in the word of God. The church has, however, in their intentions and wishes, borne a testimony to the grace given to you, and will not cease to pray for you that you may be successful. May you be kept from all temptation, supported under every trial, made victorious in every conflict. And may our hearts be mutually gladdened with accounts from each other of the triumphs of divine grace. God has conferred a great favor on you in permitting to you this ministry. Take heed to it, therefore, in the Lord, that you fulfill it. We shall often meet at the throne of grace.”
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This letter is cited from The Journal and Selected Letters of William Carey, collected and edited by Terry G. Carter (Macon: Smyth & Helwys, 2000), pp. 130-132. If you’ve found this blog beneficial, thanks for sharing it with others.
Copyright 2025 by Vance E. Christie
