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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/30085-0.txt b/30085-0.txt index a0e5f38..639c05a 100644 --- a/30085-0.txt +++ b/30085-0.txt @@ -1,1328 +1,1328 @@ -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30085 ***
-
-MISSIONARY ANNALS.
-(A SERIES.)
-
-
-
-
-LIFE OF HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY TO INDIA AND PERSIA, 1781 to 1812
-
-
-ABRIDGED FROM THE MEMOIR.
-BY
-MRS. SARAH J. RHEA.
-
-
-
-
-CHICAGO:
-WOMAN'S PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF FOREIGN MISSIONS OF THE NORTHWEST,
-Room 48, McCormick Block.
-
-
-
-
-COPYRIGHT, 1888,
-BY WOMAN'S PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF MISSIONS OF THE NORTHWEST.
-
-
-
-
-CONTENTS.
-
- PAGE.
-EDUCATION AND PREPARATION, . . . . . . . . . . . 5
-
-LIFE IN INDIA, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
-
-LIFE IN PERSIA, AND DEATH, . . . . . . . . . . . 29
-
-
-
-
-I hold in my hand an album adorned with pictures of missionaries, my
-brethren and sisters, the ambassadors of the King. On one of the first
-pages is "the tomb of Henry Martyn," given me by Dr. Van Lennep, who
-had just visited the sacred spot and described it vividly. When I turn
-the pages of my album and come to this, I pause with reverence and the
-overflowings of deep and tender emotion, and my mind adds other
-pictures, both terrestrial and celestial, to the one upon the page. My
-own missionary life as the companion of him whom Dr. Perkins called
-"the later Henry Martyn," was spent in Henry Martyn's Persia. They
-were alike I think in many things, these two Persian evangelists, and
-also in their deaths. When they passed out of the Tabriz gate,
-journeying homeward after a course of illness in the fated city, for
-each it was a quick ascent, a painful translation, to the heavenly
-city with abundant entrance and the Master's "well done"--in heaven;
-and on earth, a foreign grave taking possession for Christ, as the
-Nestorians reverently say, with "white stones still speaking out."
- S. J. R.
-
-
-
-
-EDUCATION AND PREPARATION.
-
-
-Henry Martyn was born in England on the south-western coast of Truro,
-February 18, 1781. His father, Mr. John Martyn, worked in the mines.
-He was not educated but was very fond of learning. The miners were in
-the habit of working and resting alternately every four hours. Mr.
-John Martyn spent many of his rest intervals in study, and so by
-diligence and education raised himself to a higher position, and
-became a clerk in the office of a merchant in Truro. When Henry was
-seven years old, he went to school to Dr. Cardew. From his earliest
-years all who knew him considered him a very interesting and promising
-child. Dr. Cardew says his proficiency in the classics exceeded that
-of his schoolfellows; he was of a lively, cheerful temper and seemed
-to learn without application, almost by intuition. But he was not
-robust, and loving books better than sport, and having a peculiar
-tenderness and inoffensiveness of spirit, he was often abused by rude
-and coarse boys in the school. A friendship which he formed at this
-time with a boy older than himself was the source of great comfort and
-advantage to him, and was kept up throughout his whole life. This
-friend often protected him from the bullies of the play-ground. At
-this school, under excellent tuition, Henry remained until fourteen
-years old, when he was induced to offer himself as a candidate for a
-vacant scholarship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Young as he was,
-he went there alone, and acquitted himself so well, though strongly
-and ably opposed by competitors, that in the opinion of some of the
-examiners he ought to have been elected. How often is the hand of God
-seen in frustrating our fondest designs! Speaking of this
-disappointment he afterwards wrote: "Had I remained and become a
-member of the university at that time, as I should have done in case
-of success, the profligate acquaintances I had there would have
-introduced me to scenes of debauchery, in which I must in all
-probability, from my extreme youth, have sunk forever."
-
-He continued after this with Dr Cardew till 1797, and then joined his
-school friend at Cambridge at St. John's College. Here he obtained a
-place in the first class at the public examination in December, a
-circumstance which, joined to the extreme desire he had to gratify his
-father, encouraged and excited him to study with increased alacrity,
-and as the fruit of this application, at the next public examination
-in the summer he reached the second station in the first class, a
-point of elevation which "flattered his pride not a little." At this
-time he appeared in the eye of the world most amiable and commendable,
-outwardly moral, unwearied in application, and exhibited marks of no
-ordinary talent. One exception to this statement is to be found in an
-irritability of temper arising perhaps from the treatment he had
-received at school. On one occasion in sudden anger, he threw a knife
-at the head of another boy, which providentially missed him and was
-left trembling in the wall; but it was a narrow escape, and might have
-proved fatal. Though not a Christian at this time, he was under two
-strong influences for good, one from his religious friend in college,
-the other from his sister in Cornwall, a Christian of a meek, heavenly
-and affectionate spirit. He paid a visit to his home in the summer of
-1799, carrying with him no small degree of academical honor. It may be
-well supposed that to a sister such as we have described, her
-brother's spiritual welfare would be a most serious and anxious
-concern; and that she often conversed with him on the subject of
-religion we know from his own declaration. The first result of her
-tender exhortations and earnest endeavors was very discouraging; a
-violent conflict took place in her brother's mind between his
-conviction of the truth of what she urged, and his love of the world;
-and for the present, the latter prevailed. Yet, sisters similarly
-circumstanced may learn from this case, not merely their duty, but
-also, from the final result, the success they may anticipate in the
-faithful discharge of it.
-
-"At the examination at Christmas, 1799," he writes: "I was first, and
-the account of it pleased my father prodigiously, who, I was told, was
-in great health and spirits. What, then, was my consternation when in
-January I received an account of his death!" Most poignant were his
-sufferings under this affliction, which led him to God for comfort in
-prayer and Bible study. He says: "I began with the Acts, and found
-myself insensibly led to inquire more attentively into the doctrines
-of the Apostles." Writing to his sister, having announced shortly and
-with much simplicity that his name stood first upon the list at the
-college examination of the summer of 1800, he says: "What a blessing
-it is for me that I have such a sister as you, my dear S., who have
-been so instrumental in keeping me in the right way. After the death
-of our father you know I was extremely low spirited, and like most
-other people began to consider seriously without any particular
-determination, that invisible world to which he was gone and to which
-I must one day go. Soon I began to attend more diligently to the words
-of our Savior in the New Testament, and to devour them with delight,
-when the offers of mercy and forgiveness were made so freely; I
-supplicated to be made partaker of the covenant of grace with
-eagerness and hope, and thanks be to the ever-blessed Trinity for not
-leaving me without comfort!" How cheering to his sister it must have
-been to receive at a moment of deep sorrow such a communication as
-this! How salutary to his own mind to have possessed so near a
-relation to whom he could thus freely open the workings of his heart.
-At this time he also received great benefit from attendance on the
-faithful ministry of Rev. Charles Simeon, under whose pastoral
-instructions he himself declares that he "gradually acquired more
-knowledge in divine things." With this excellent man he had the most
-friendly and unreserved intercourse. Mr. Martyn received his first
-impressions of the transcendent excellence of the Christian ministry
-of Mr. Simeon, from which it was but a short step to choose this
-calling for his own, for until now he had intended to devote himself
-to the law "chiefly," he confesses, "because he could not consent to
-be poor for Christ's sake."
-
-In January, 1801, the highest academical honor, that of "senior
-wrangler," was awarded to him before the completion of his twentieth
-year. His description of his feelings on this occasion is remarkable:
-"I obtained my highest wishes, but was surprised to find that I had
-grasped a shadow." So impossible it is for earthly distinction to fill
-and satisfy the mind.
-
-In March, 1802, after another rigid examination, Mr. Martyn was chosen
-Fellow of St. Johns, a situation honorable to the society and
-gratifying to himself. Soon after he obtained first prize for best
-Latin prose composition over many competitors of classical celebrity,
-and this was the more remarkable, as his studies had been almost
-entirely in mathematics.
-
-Henry Martyn's attention was called to the great cause of Foreign
-Missions by some remarks of Rev. Mr. Simeon on the work of Carey in
-India, but more particularly by reading the memoir of David Brainerd,
-who preached with apostolic zeal and success to the North American
-Indians, and who finished a course of self-denying labors for his
-Redeemer with unspeakable joy at the early age of thirty-two. Henry
-Martyn's soul was filled with holy emulation, and after deep
-consideration and fervent prayer he was at length fixed in a
-resolution to imitate his example. Nor let it be conceived that he
-could adopt this resolution without the severest conflict in his mind,
-for he was endued with the truest sensibility of heart, and was
-susceptible of the warmest and tenderest attachments. No one could
-exceed him in love for his country, or in affection for his friends,
-and few could surpass him in an exquisite relish for the various and
-refined enjoyments of a social and literary life. How then could it
-fail of being a moment of extreme anguish when he came to the
-deliberate resolution of leaving forever all he held dear upon earth?
-But he was fully satisfied that the glory of that Savior who loved him
-and gave Himself for him would be promoted by his going forth to
-preach to the heathen. He considered their pitiable and perilous
-condition; he thought on the value of their immortal souls; he
-remembered the last solemn injunction of his Lord, "Go teach all
-nations,"--an injunction never revoked, and commensurate with that
-most encouraging promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end
-of the world." Actuated by these motives, he offered himself as a
-missionary to the society for Missions, and from that time stood
-prepared with childlike simplicity and unshaken constancy to go to any
-part of the world whither it might be deemed expedient to send him.
-
-In the early part of 1804, Mr. Martyn's plans of becoming a missionary
-were dampened by the loss of his slender patrimony, and as his sister
-was also involved in the calamity, it appeared hardly justifiable for
-him to go away. After some delay his friends obtained for him the
-position of chaplain to the East India Company, and so the obstacles
-which detained him were removed.
-
-The time of the delay was spent in zealous service for his divine
-Master. He was associated with Rev. Mr. Simeon as curate and preached
-with great zeal and unction, often to very large audiences, and
-sometimes with such unsparing denunciation of common sins as to awaken
-opposition. He considered it his duty to rebuke iniquity, and on one
-occasion severely reproved a student for shocking levity,--reading a
-play with some young ladies while their father lay dying. He feared
-the result of this might be estrangement from his friend, but prayed
-earnestly that it might lead to his awakening. This prayer was
-answered, and afterwards this very friend became his beloved associate
-in missionary work in India.
-
-In very early youth Mr. Martyn became fondly attached to a young lady
-named Lydia Grenfell. She considered herself his superior in social
-position. The memoirs all speak of her as estimable, and we infer from
-the little that is said that she somewhat indifferently accepted Henry
-Martyn's homage, but she did not wholeheartedly and generously
-respond. What a contrast to the beloved and devoted Harriet Newell,
-who was not afraid to risk all for Christ, and counted not her life
-dear even unto the death! It was Miss Grenfell's greatest honor that
-Henry Martyn would have made her his wife, but she declined the honor,
-and yet gave him encouragement, for their correspondence only ended
-with his life, and his very last writing was a letter to her. He
-begged her with all the eloquence of a lonely and devoted heart to
-come out to him after he had gone to India, arranging every detail for
-her comfort with thoughtful tenderness, and urging and encouraging her
-and lavishing upon her an affection that would have crowned and
-enriched her life. We are left to infer from the history that she did
-love him in her way, but if she had shared his consecration and gone
-with him and taken care of him, and cheered and comforted him, and
-made for him a happy restful home, as some missionary wives have done
-in self-denying foreign fields, what a blessing she might have been,
-and her life, how fruitful, and her memory, how fragrant! As it was,
-she has this distinction, that she was Henry Martyn's disappointment
-and trial and discipline. No one less tender and sensitive than Henry
-Martyn can appreciate all he suffered on this account; but he made it,
-like all the other great sorrows of his life, a cross on which to be
-crucified with Christ.
-
-He writes to his dear sister S.: "When I sometimes offer up
-supplications with strong crying to God to bring down my spirit into
-the dust I endeavor calmly to contemplate the infinite majesty of the
-most high God and my own meanness and wickedness, or else I quietly
-tell the Lord, who knows the heart, I would give Him all the glory of
-everything if I could. But the most effectual way I have ever found is
-to lead away my thoughts from myself and my own concerns by praying
-for all my friends, for the church, the world, the nation, and
-especially by beseeching that God would glorify His own great name by
-converting all nations to the obedience of faith, also by praying that
-he would put more abundant honor on those Christians whom he seems to
-have honored especially, and whom we see to be manifestly our
-superiors."
-
-In spite of Henry Martyn's beautiful humility, honor after honor was
-heaped upon him by his admiring and appreciative Alma Mater. Three
-times he was chosen examiner, and discharged the duties of this office
-with great care and faithfulness.
-
-As the time approaches for his parting from all he holds dear,
-especially the beloved L., our hearts go out to him in irrepressible
-sympathy. He writes, "parted with L. forever in this life with a sort
-of uncertain pain which I know will increase to greater violence."
-
-And these forebodings were but too soon realized. For many succeeding
-days his mental agony was extreme, yet he could speak to God as one
-who knew the great conflict within him. Yet while the waves and
-billows are going over him he writes from these depths, "I never had
-so clear a conviction of my call as at the present. Never did I see so
-much the exceeding excellency and glory and sweetness of the work, nor
-had so much the favorable testimony of my own conscience, nor
-perceived so plainly the smile of God. Blessed be God, I feel myself
-to be His minister. This thought which I can hardly describe came in
-the morning after reading Brainerd. I wish for no service but the
-service of God, to labor for souls on earth and to do His will in
-heaven."
-
-
-
-
-LIFE IN INDIA.
-
-
-On the 17th of July, 1805, the Union East Indiaman conveying Mr.
-Martyn sailed from Portsmouth. Mr. Martyn says: "Though it was what I
-had been anxiously looking forward to so long, yet the consideration
-of being parted forever from my friends, almost overcame me. My
-feelings were those of a man who should suddenly be told that every
-friend he had in the world was dead."
-
-Though suffering much in mind and body throughout the long and tedious
-voyage of nine months, Mr. Martyn seeks no selfish ease. He preaches,
-reads and labors assiduously with officers, passengers and crew, and
-shuns not to declare the whole counsel of God, even the unpalatable
-doctrine of the future punishment of the wicked. He says: "The threats
-and opposition of these men made me willing to set before them the
-truths they hated, yet I had no species of hesitation about doing it.
-They said they would not come if so much hell was preached, but I took
-for my text, 'The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations
-that forget God.' The officers were all behind my back in order to
-have an opportunity of retiring in case of dislike. H., as soon as he
-heard the text, went back and said he would hear no more about hell;
-so he employed himself in feeding the geese. However, God I trust
-blessed the sermon to the good of many; some of the cadets and many of
-the soldiers were in tears. I felt an ardor and vehemence in some
-parts which are unusual with me. After service walked the deck with
-Mrs. ----; she spoke with so much simplicity and amiable humility that
-I was full of joy and admiration to God for a sheep brought home to
-His fold. In the afternoon went below intending to read to them at the
-hatchway, but there was not one of them, so I could get nothing to do
-among the poor soldiers."
-
-What a picture revealing Henry Martyn's character!--the contrasting
-attributes of sternness and gentleness, his martyrlike determination
-to do his whole duty at any cost to himself from suffering and insult,
-the keen shrinking of a nature so refined and sensitive from
-coarseness and abuse, undeviating yet uncompromising, bringing to our
-thoughts the Divine Exemplar. I pass by the incidents of the voyage,
-including mutiny, sickness and death, romantic stay at St. Salvador,
-battles at the Cape of Good Hope, etc., eloquently and vividly
-recorded.
-
-The Friday preceding his arrival in India he spends "in praying that
-God would no longer delay exerting his power in the conversion of the
-eastern nations. I felt emboldened" he says, "to employ the most
-familiar petitions by Is. xii. 6, 7, 'Keep not silence; give him no
-rest,' etc. Blessed be God for those words! They are like a cordial to
-my spirits, because if the Lord is not pleased by me or during my
-lifetime to call the Gentiles, yet He is not offended at my being
-urgent with Him that the kingdom of God may come."
-
-April 21, 1806, the nine months' journey is complete, and they land at
-Madras. Mr. Martyn gives first impressions and description of the
-natives, ending in these words: "In general, one thought naturally
-occurred: the conversion of their poor souls. I am willing, I trust,
-through grace, to pass my life among them if by any means these poor
-people may be brought to God. The sight of men, women and children,
-all idolaters, makes me shudder as if in the dominions of the prince
-of darkness. Hearing the hymn, 'Before Jehovah's awful throne,' it
-excited a train of affecting thoughts in my mind."
-
-"Wide as the world is thy command. Therefore it is easy for Thee to
-spread abroad Thy holy name. But oh, how gross the darkness here! The
-veil of the covering cast over all nations seems thicker here; the
-friends of darkness seem to sit in sullen repose in this land. What
-surprises me is the change of views I have here from what I had in
-England. There my heart expanded with hope and joy at the prospect of
-the speedy conversion of the heathen; but here the sight of the
-apparent impossibility requires a strong faith to support the
-spirits." Ah, how vividly this describes missionary experiences! After
-great peril from storm and illness, passing up the Hoogly from Madras,
-Mr. Martyn arrived at Calcutta, May 14. In this city for years had
-been a band of English Christians faithfully praying for the coming of
-the kingdom in that dark land, and into the home of one of these, Rev.
-David Brown, was Mr. Martyn received with much affection. A pagoda in
-one end of the yard on the river bank was fitted up for him, and the
-place where once devils were worshiped now became a Christian oratory.
-The first experience here was of severe illness from acclimating
-fever, from which he was kindly nursed into convalescence. He then
-applied himself earnestly to the study of the Hindoostanee, having
-engaged a Brahmin as a teacher. Here he witnessed with horror the
-cruel and debasing rites of heathenism. The blaze of a funeral pile
-caused him one day to hasten to the rescue of a burning widow who was
-consumed before his eyes. And in a dark wood he heard the sound of
-cymbals and drums calling the poor natives to the worship of devils,
-and saw them prostrate with their foreheads to the ground before a
-black image in a pagoda surrounded with burning lights--a sight which
-he contemplated with overwhelming compassion, "shivering as if
-standing in the neighborhood of hell."
-
-Mr. Martyn's plain and pungent preaching was a great offense to some
-of the easy-going formalists of the English church at Calcutta, and
-some of the ministry attacked him bitterly from their pulpits,
-declaring, for instance, that to affirm repentance to be the gift of
-God and to teach that nature is wholly corrupt, is to drive men to
-despair, and that to suppose the righteousness of Christ sufficient to
-justify is to make it unnecessary to have any of our own. Though
-compelled to listen to such downright heresies, to hear himself
-described as knowing neither what he said nor whereof he affirmed, and
-as aiming only to gratify self sufficiency, pride and
-uncharitableness,--"I rejoiced," said this meek and holy man, "to
-receive the Lord's supper afterwards;--as the solemnities of that
-blessed ordinance sweetly tended to soothe any asperity of mind, and I
-think that I administered the cup to ---- and ---- with sincere good
-will."
-
-September 13, 1806, Mr. Martyn received his appointment to Singapore.
-A farewell meeting of great interest was held in his pagoda, followed
-by a tender parting from the family who had been so kind to him, and
-two fellow laborers who, following his bright example, had just come
-out from England. The voyage to Singapore was performed in a budgero,
-a small boat with a cabin, in which he studied and translated and
-prayed while making the seventeen or eighteen miles a day of the
-six-weeks' journey. At night the boat was fastened to the shore. His
-journal record of these days is very interesting and very
-characteristic. He says:
-
-"October 27. Arrived at Berhampore. In the evening walked out to the
-hospital in which there were 150 European soldiers sick. I was talking
-to a man said to be dying, when a surgeon entered. I went up and made
-some apology for entering the hospital. It was my old school-fellow
-and townsman, ----. The remainder of the evening he spent with me in
-my budgero.
-
-"October 28. Rose very early and was at the hospital at daylight.
-Waited there a long time wandering up and down the wards in hopes of
-inducing the men to get up and assemble, but it was in vain. I left
-three books with them and went away amidst the sneers and titters of
-the common soldiers. Certainly it is one of the greatest crosses I am
-called to bear to take pains to make people hear me. It is such a
-struggle between a sense of propriety and modesty on the one hand, and
-a sense of duty on the other, that I find nothing equal to it. I could
-force my way anywhere, in order to introduce a brother minister; but
-for myself, I act with hesitation and pain.
-
-"Walking out into a village where the boat stopped for the night I
-found the worshipers of Kali by the sound of their drums and cymbals.
-Invited by the Brahmins to walk in I entered and asked a few questions
-about the idol. The Brahmin who spoke bad Hindoostanee disputed with
-great heat, and his tongue ran faster than I could follow, and the
-people, about one hundred, shouted applause. I continued my questions
-and among other things asked if what I had heard of Vishnu and Brahma
-was true, which he confessed. I forbore to press him with the
-consequences, which he seemed to feel; and then I told him what was my
-belief. The man grew quite mild and said it was _chula bat_ (good
-words), and asked me seriously at last what I thought, 'Was idol
-worship true or false?' I felt it a matter of thankfulness that I
-could make known the truth of God though a stammerer and that I had
-declared it in the presence of the devil. And this also I learnt, that
-the power of gentleness is irresistible. I never was more astonished
-than at the change in deportment of this hot-headed Brahmin.... Came
-to on the eastern bank below a village called Ahgadup. Wherever I
-walked the women fled at the sight of me. Some men were sitting under
-the shed dedicated to their goddess; a lamp was burning in her place.
-A conversation soon began, but there was no one who could speak
-Hindoostanee. I could only speak by the medium of my Mussulman,
-Musalchee. They said that they only did as others did, and that if
-they were wrong then all Bengal was wrong. I felt love for their
-souls, and longed for utterance to declare unto these poor simple
-people the holy gospel. I think that when my mouth is opened I shall
-preach to them day and night.
-
-"October 31. My Moonshee said, 'How can you prove this book (the
-gospel), to be the word of God?' I took him to walk with me on the
-shore that we might discuss the matter, and the result of our
-conversation was that I discovered that the Mussulmen allow the gospel
-to be in general the command of God, though the words of it are not
-His as the words of the Koran are, and contend that the actual words
-of God given to Jesus were burnt by the Jews; that they also admit the
-New Testament to have been in force till the coming of Mohammed. When
-I quoted some passages which proved the Christian dispensation to be
-the final one, he allowed it to be inconsistent with the divinity of
-the Koran, but said, 'Then those words of the gospel must be false.'
-The man argued and asked his questions seemingly in earnest, and
-another new impression was left upon my mind, namely, that these men
-are not fools and that all ingenuity and clearness of reasoning are
-not confined to England and Europe. I seem to feel that these
-descendants of Ham are as dear to God as the haughty sons of Japheth;
-I feel, too, more at home with the Scriptures than ever; everything I
-see gives light to, and receives it from, the Scriptures. I seem
-transported back to the ancient times of the Israelites and the
-Apostles. My spirit felt composed after the dispute by simply looking
-to God as one who had engaged to support His own cause; and I saw it
-to be my part to pursue my way through the wilderness of this world,
-looking only to that redemption which daily draweth nigh. How should
-this consideration quell the tumult of anger and impatience when I
-cannot convince men 'the government is on His shoulders?' Jesus is
-able to bear the weight of it; therefore we need not be oppressed with
-care or fear, but a missionary is apt to fancy himself an Atlas.
-
-"November 2. Walking on shore met a large party. I asked if any of
-them could read. One young man who seemed superior in rank to the
-rest, said he could, and accordingly read some of the only Nagree
-tract that I had. I then addressed myself boldly to them and told them
-of the gospel. When speaking of the inefficacy of the religious
-practices of the Hindoos I mentioned as an example the repetition of
-the name of Ram. The young man assented to this and said, 'of what use
-is it?' As he seemed to be of a pensive turn and said this with marks
-of disgust, I gave him a Nagree Testament, the first I have given. May
-God's blessing go along with it and cause the eyes of the multitudes
-to be opened. The men said they should be glad to receive tracts, so I
-sent them back a considerable number. The idea of printing the
-parables in proper order with a short explanation to each, for the
-purpose of distribution and as school books, suggested itself to me
-to-night and delighted me prodigiously.... A Mussulman, when he
-received one of the tracts and found what it was, was greatly alarmed,
-and after many awkward apologies, returned it, saying that 'a man who
-had his legs in two different boats, was in danger of sinking between
-them.'"
-
-Established at Singapore, Mr. Martyn began upon three different lines
-of work, establishing schools, attaining readiness in Hindoostanee so
-as to preach the gospel in that language, and translating the
-Scriptures and religious books. To his great discouragement he was
-informed by the Pundit that every four miles the language changed, so
-that a book in the dialect of one district would be unintelligible to
-the people of another. Being advised to learn Sanscrit, he took up
-this language with great zeal. The commencement of Mr. Martyn's
-ministry amongst the Europeans of Singapore was not of such a kind as
-to either gratify or encourage him. At first he read prayers to the
-soldiers at the barracks from the drumhead, and as there were no seats
-provided, was desired to omit the sermon. Afterwards more decent
-arrangements being made, the families came in; but taking offense at
-his evangelical plainness, they asked that he should desist from
-extempore preaching. These European members of his flock were jealous
-and angry at his constant efforts for the salvation of the heathen
-natives. They thought it much beneath the dignity of an English
-chaplain to care for these degraded souls. Some of Mr. Martyn's duties
-as chaplain were exceedingly onerous. On several occasions he was
-summoned to distant places involving long and dangerous journeys to
-perform a marriage ceremony. On these journeys he suffered severely,
-and they were a great draft upon his very delicate health; always weak
-and languid, and often alarmingly disordered. Yet through all he
-continued to labor incessantly. Every Sabbath he held at least four
-services: at 7 for Europeans; at 2 for Hindoos, about two hundred in
-attendance; in the afternoon at the hospital; in the evening in his
-own room for the soldiers. In his household were two natives who
-assisted in his studies and translations, the Moonshee and the Pundit,
-with whom he held long disputes and with whom he labored daily, though
-unsuccessfully, to bring them to faith in Christ. He says,
-"translating the epistle of St. John with the Moonshee, I asked him
-what he thought of those passages which so strongly express the
-doctrines of the Trinity and of the divinity of Christ. He said he
-never would believe it, because the Koran declared it sinful to say
-that God had any Son. I told him that he ought to pray that God would
-teach him what the truth really is. He said he had no occasion on this
-subject, as the word of God was express. I asked him whether some
-doubt ought not to arise in his mind whether the Koran is the word of
-God. He grew angry, and I felt hurt and vexed. I should have done
-better to have left the words of the chapter with him without saying
-anything. I went also too far with the Pundit in arguing against his
-superstition, for he also grew angry." If any qualification seems
-necessary to a missionary in India it is wisdom--operating in the
-regulation of the temper and the due improvement of opportunities. Mr.
-Martyn needed the heavenly gift of wisdom also in the management of
-his native schools, five or six of which were supported by himself in
-Singapore. Little by little he succeeded in introducing as a text-book
-a part of the Bible--his own translation of the sermon on the Mount
-and the Parables. He was called to do more and more of this work of
-translating the Scriptures, and was persuaded by the Rev. David Brown
-not only to continue the Hindoostanee, but to superintend the
-translation of the Scriptures into Persian. He engaged in it at once
-with zeal. He writes: "The time fled imperceptibly while so
-delightfully engaged in the translations; the days seemed to have
-passed like a moment. What do I not owe to the Lord for permitting me
-to take part in a translation of His word? Never did I see such wonder
-and wisdom and love in the blessed Book as since I have been obliged
-to study every expression. Employed a good while at night in
-considering a difficult passage, and being much enlightened respecting
-it, I went to bed full of astonishment at the wonder of God's Word.
-Never before did I see anything of the beauty of the language and the
-importance of the thoughts as I do now. What a source of perpetual
-delight have I in the precious Word of God!"
-
-This ecstasy of enthusiasm in most successful and congenial labor was
-suddenly dashed by a great wave of sorrow which came to Mr. Martyn in
-the news of the death of his eldest sister. To missionaries in foreign
-lands such news is especially bitter, and to recover from such a shock
-and sense of irreparable loss seems almost impossible. The mind,
-unsatisfied with details of the sad event, is left in shadow which
-deepens into heavy gloom. Mr. Martyn was all alone and felt it keenly
-and inexpressibly. Some of his most intimate and sympathetic friends
-at this time, realizing how it was not good for him to be alone,
-encouraged him to renew his matrimonial offer to his ever beloved L.
-After her refusal he says, "The Lord sanctify this, and since this
-last desire of my heart is also withheld may I turn away forever from
-the world and henceforth live forgetful of all but God. With Thee, O
-my God, is no disappointment. I shall never have to regret that I have
-loved Thee too well. Thou hast said, 'delight thyself in the Lord, and
-he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.'"
-
-Could sweeter words than these be expressed in any language! Could
-greater depths of submission or heights of consecration be attained!
-They deserve to be recorded on imperishable marble or blazoned on the
-sky in sight of all, and received as the confession of every Christian
-heart, to the honor and praise of Him who gave such glorious victory
-to this tried soldier of the cross.
-
-Providentially for Mr. Martyn's comfort his thoughts were much
-occupied after this by the arrival of his coadjutors in the work of
-translation, one of these, Mirza of Benares, well known in India as an
-eminent Hindoostanee scholar; the other Sabat the Arabian, since but
-too well known both in India and England by his rejection of that
-faith which he then appeared to profess in sincerity and faith. In the
-latter of these Mr. Martyn confidently trusted that he had found a
-Christian brother with respect to the reality of his belief in
-Christianity, although Mr. Martyn immediately discovered in him an
-unsubdued Arab spirit, and witnessed with pain many deflections from
-that temper and conduct which he himself so eminently exemplified;
-yet, he could not but "believe all things and hope all things," even
-while he continued to suffer much from him, and for a length of time,
-with unparalleled forbearance and kindness. Sabat's temper was a
-continual trial and mortification. The very first Sabbath in
-Singapore, imagining he was not treated with sufficient dignity, he
-left the church before service in great anger. Often in the midst of
-the translation he would come to a sudden stop and refuse to go on for
-the most trivial reasons, sometimes for fear that Mirza who would
-review the work might have part of the honor. About this time Mr.
-Martyn was much bereaved by the removal of a family with whom he had
-lived in intimate terms of Christian intercourse. "This separation
-affected him the more sensibly because it was not in every family at
-that station that he met with a kind and cordial reception." He says,
-"I called on one of the Singapore families, and felt my pride rise at
-the uncivil manner in which I was received. I was disposed at first to
-determine never to visit the house again, but I remembered the words,
-'overcome evil with good.'"
-
-In the month of March, 1808, the New Testament in Hindoostanee was
-completed. He says, "I have read and corrected the manuscript till my
-eyes ache; such a week of labor I believe I have never passed. The
-heat is terrible, often at 98 degrees, the nights insupportable." We
-next hear of Mr. Martyn suffering from severe illness with fever and
-vertigo, and pained with the thought of leaving the Persian gospels
-unfinished! So unselfish, so full of zeal! Again at work, mercury at
-102 degrees. "Arabic now employs my few moments of leisure. In
-consequence of reading the Koran with Sabat audibly, and drinking no
-wine, the slander has gone forth that the Singapore Padre has turned
-Mussulman.
-
-"June 6th. To-day we have completed the Persian of St. Matthew. Sabat
-desired me to kneel down to bless God for the happy event, and we
-joined in praise of the Father of lights. It is a superb performance
-in every respect, with elegance enough to attract the careless and
-please the fastidious; it contains enough of Eternal Life to save the
-reader's soul.... My services on the Lord's day always leave me with a
-pain in the chest, and such a great degree of general relaxation, that
-I seldom recover it till Tuesday. The society still meet every night
-at my quarters, and though we have lost many by death, others are
-raised up in their room. One officer, a lieutenant, is also given to
-me, and he is not only a brother beloved, but a constant companion and
-nurse; so you must feel no apprehension that I should be left alone in
-sickness."
-
-In April, 1809, Mr. Martyn removes from Dinapore to Cawnpore. Here he
-met friendship and hospitality. We quote from the graceful pen of Mrs.
-Sherwood: "The month of April in the upper provinces of Hindoostan is
-one of the most dreadful months for traveling throughout the year;
-indeed, no European at that time can remove from place to place, but
-at the risk of his life.
-
-"But Mr. Martyn had that anxiety to begin the work which his heavenly
-Father had given him to do, that notwithstanding the violent heat, he
-traveled from Chunar to Cawnpore, the space of about four hundred
-miles. At that time as I well remember, the air was as hot and dry as
-that which I have sometimes felt near the mouth of a large oven, no
-friendly cloud or verdant carpet of grass to relieve the eye from the
-strong glare of the rays of the sun pouring on the sandy plains of the
-Ganges. Thus Mr. Martyn traveled, journeying night and day, and
-arrived at Cawnpore in such a state that he fainted away as soon as he
-entered the house. When we charged him with the rashness of hazarding
-his life in this manner, he always pleaded his anxiety to get to the
-great work. He remained with us ten days, suffering considerably at
-times from fever and pain in the chest.
-
-"Mr. Martyn's removal from Dinapore to Cawnpore was to him in many
-respects a very unpleasant arrangement. He was several hundred miles
-farther distant from Calcutta and more widely separated than before
-from his friend Mr. Corrie. He had new acquaintances to form at his
-new abode, and after having with much difficulty procured the erection
-of a church at Dinapore he was transported to a spot where none of the
-conveniences, much less the decencies and solemnities of public
-worship, were visible.
-
-"We find him soon after he arrived there preaching to a thousand
-soldiers drawn up in a hollow square, when the heat was so great,
-although the sun had not risen, that many actually dropped down,
-unable to support it."
-
-Yet Mr. Martyn's labors were not abated. Every Sabbath at dawn were
-prayers and sermon with the regiment, and again at eleven at the house
-of the general of the station. In the afternoon he preached to a crowd
-of poor natives, five, to eight hundred, rude, noisy, wretched
-beggars, for whose souls he felt a tender care. Again in the evening,
-the best of the day, he had a meeting with the more devout of his
-flock. These ministrations so earnestly performed were most
-exhausting, yet he knew not how to forego them; at this time, too,
-from England came the sad and sudden news of the death of his sister,
-the one who had led him to Christ.
-
-The alarming state of his health made some change necessary, and Mr.
-Martyn was urged to leave India and make trial of a sea voyage. His
-Persian New Testament had been criticised as unfit for general
-circulation, being written in a style too learned and exalted for the
-comprehension of the common people. He was advised to visit Persia and
-there revise his work and also complete his version in Arabic, almost
-finished. Mr. Brown, his devoted friend, and the Calcutta agent of the
-British and Foreign Bible Society, thus writes: "Can I then bring
-myself to cut the string and let you go? I confess I could not if your
-bodily frame were strong, and promised to last for half a century. But
-as you burn with the intenseness and rapid blaze of heated phosphorus,
-why should we not make the most of you? Your flame may last as long
-and perhaps longer in Arabia, than in India. Where should the Phoenix
-build her odoriferous nest, but in the land prophetically called 'the
-blessed?' and where shall we ever expect, but from that country, the
-true Comforter to come to the nations of the East? I contemplate your
-New Testament springing up, as it were, from dust and ashes, but
-beautiful as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and his feathers
-like yellow gold." His farewell services at Cawnpore were very tender
-and affecting, both with his great audience of natives and Englishmen.
-Of the latter, Mrs. Sherwood says: "He began in a weak and faint
-voice, being at that time in a very bad state of health; but,
-gathering strength as he proceeded, he seemed as one inspired from on
-high. Never was an audience more affected. The next day this holy and
-heavenly man left Cawnpore and the society of many who sincerely loved
-and admired him." Stopping to visit the friends in Calcutta, the Rev.
-Mr. Thomason says: "This bright and lovely jewel first gratified our
-eyes on Saturday last. He is on his way to Arabia, where he is going
-in pursuit of health and knowledge. You know his genius, and what
-gigantic strides he takes in everything. He has some great plan in his
-mind, of which I am no competent judge; but as far as I do understand
-it, the object is far too grand for one short life, and much beyond
-his feeble and exhausted frame. Feeble it is, indeed; how fallen and
-changed! His complaint lies in his lungs and appears to be an
-incipient consumption. But let us hope the sea air may revive him, and
-that change may do him essential service and continue his life many
-years. In all other respects he is exactly the same as he was; he
-shines in all the dignity of love, and seems to carry about him such a
-heavenly majesty as impresses the mind beyond description. But if he
-talks much, though in a low voice, he sinks, and you are reminded of
-his being dust and ashes." Though so infirm, Mr. Martyn preached every
-Sabbath of his visit, and his last sermon on the anniversary of the
-Calcutta Bible Society was afterwards printed and entitled "Christian
-India, or an appeal on behalf of nine hundred thousand Christians in
-India who want the Bible."
-
-
-
-
-LIFE IN PERSIA.
-
-
-From this time a change comes over Mr. Martyn's varied life. We have
-seen him the successful candidate for academical distinctions--the
-faithful and laborious pastor--the self-denying and devoted
-missionary--the indefatigable translator--the preacher of the gospel
-to the heathen; we are now called to admire in him the courageous
-spirit of the Christian confessor.
-
-He says, on his voyage towards Persia: "All down the Bay of Bengal I
-could do nothing but sit listless, viewing the wide waste of water, a
-sight that would have been beautiful had I been well. In my Hebrew
-researches I scarcely ever felt so discouraged. All the knowledge I
-thought I had acquired became uncertain, and consequently I was
-unhappy. It was in vain that I reflected that thousands live and die
-happy without such knowledge as I am in search of.
-
-"Proposed family prayer every night in the cabin--no objection was
-made.
-
-"February 18, anchored off Bombay. This day I finished the thirtieth
-year of my unprofitable life, the age at which David Brainerd finished
-his course. I am now at the age at which the Savior of men began his
-ministry, and at which John the Baptist called a nation to repentance.
-Hitherto I have made my youth and insignificance an excuse for sloth
-and imbecility, now let me have a character and act boldly for God.
-
-"March 5. Feerog, a Parsee who is considered the most learned man
-here, called to converse about religion. He spoke Persian and seemed
-familiar with Arabic. He began by saying that no one religion had more
-evidences of its truth than another, for that all the miracles of the
-respective founders depended upon tradition. This I denied. He
-acknowledged that the writer of the Zendavesta was not cotemporary
-with Zoroaster. After disputing and raising objections he was left
-without an answer, but continued to cavil. 'Why' said he, 'did the
-Magi see the star in the East and none else? from what part of the
-East did they come? and how was it possible that their king should
-come to Jerusalem in seven days?' The last piece of information he had
-from the Armenians. I asked him whether he had any thoughts of
-changing his religion. He replied with a contemptuous smile, 'No,
-every man is safe in his own religion.' I asked him, 'What sinners
-must do to obtain pardon?' 'Repent,' said he. I asked, 'Would
-repentance satisfy a creditor or a judge?' 'Why, is it not said in the
-gospel,' rejoined he, 'that we must repent?' I replied, 'It cannot be
-proved from the gospel that repentance alone is sufficient, or good
-works, or both.' 'Where then is the glory of salvation?' he said; I
-replied, 'In the atonement of Christ.' 'All this' said he, 'I know,
-but so the Mohammedans say, that Hosyn was an atonement for the sins
-of men.' He then began to criticise the translations he saw on the
-table.
-
-"April 23. Moscat, Arabia. Went on shore and met the Vizier. His
-African slave argued with me for Mohammed and did not know how to let
-me go, he was so interested in the business.
-
-"April 25. Gave him an Arabic copy of the gospel, which he at once
-began to read, and carried it off as a great prize, which I hope he
-will find it to be.
-
-"Bushire, Persia. Called on the governor, a Persian Khan. He was very
-particular in his attentions. Seated me on his own seat and then sat
-by my side. After the usual salutations and inquiries the calean
-(pipe), was introduced, then coffee in china cups placed within silver
-ones, then calean, then some rose-water syrup, then calean. Observing
-the windows of stained glass, I began to question him about the art of
-coloring glass, observing that the modern Europeans were inferior to
-the ancient in the manufacture of the article. He expressed his
-surprise that Europeans, who were so skillful in making watches,
-should fail in any handicraft work. I could not help recollecting the
-Emperor of China's sarcastic remark on the Europeans and their arts,
-and therefore dropped the subject. On his calean--I called it hookah
-at first, but he did not understand me--I noticed several little
-paintings of the Virgin and child, and asked him whether such things
-were not unlawful among Mohammedans. He answered very coolly 'Yes,' as
-much as to say, 'What then?' I lamented that the Eastern Christians
-should use such things in their churches. He repeated the words of a
-good man who was found fault with for having an image before him while
-at prayer, 'God is nearer to me than that image, so that I do not see
-it.' This man, I afterwards found, is like most of the other grandees
-of the East, a murderer.
-
-"On the 30th of May, our Persian dresses were ready, and we set out
-for Shiraz. The Persian dress consists of first, stockings and shoes
-in one; next, a pair of large blue trousers, or else a pair of huge
-red boots; then the shirt, then the tunic, and above it the coat, both
-of chintz, and a great coat. I have here described my own dress, most
-of which I have on at this moment. On the head is worn an enormous
-cone made of the skin of the black Tartar sheep with the wool on. If
-to this description of my dress I add that my beard and mustachios
-have been suffered to vegetate undisturbed ever since I left India;
-that I am sitting on a Persian carpet, in a room without tables or
-chairs, and that I bury my hand in the pillar (rice), without waiting
-for spoon or plate, you will give me credit for being already an
-accomplished Oriental.
-
-"At ten o'clock on the 30th our califa began to move. It consisted
-chiefly of mules with a few horses. I wished to have a mule, but the
-muleteer favored me with his own pony; this animal had a bell fastened
-to its neck. To add solemnity to the scene, a Bombay trumpeter who was
-going to join the embassy was directed to blow a blast as we moved off
-the ground; but whether it was that the trumpeter was not an adept in
-the science or that his instrument was out of order, the crazy sounds
-that saluted our ears had a ludicrous effect. At last, after some
-jostling, mutual recriminations and recalcitrating of the steeds, we
-each found our places and moved out of the gate of the city in good
-order. The residents accompanied us a little way, and then left us to
-pursue our journey over the plain. It was a fine moonlight night, the
-scene new and perfectly oriental, and nothing prevented me from
-indulging my own reflections. As the night advanced the califa grew
-quiet; on a sudden one of the muleteers began to sing, and sang in a
-voice so plaintive that it was impossible not to have one's attention
-arrested. Every voice was hushed.
-
-"These were the words translated:
-
- Think not that e'er my heart could dwell
- Contented far from thee,
- How can the fresh-caught nightingale
- Enjoy tranquility?
-
- Oh, then forsake thy friend for naught
- That slanderous tongues can say,
- The heart that fixeth where it ought
- No power can rend away.
-
-"Thus far our journey was agreeable. Now for miseries. At sunrise we
-came to our ground at Ahmedu, six parasangs, and pitched our little
-tent under a tree; it was the only shelter we could get. At first the
-heat was not greater than we had felt in India, but it soon became so
-intense as to be quite alarming. When the thermometer was above 112
-degrees, fever heat, I began to lose my strength fast; at last it
-became quite intolerable. I wrapped myself up in a blanket and all the
-warm covering I could get to defend myself from the external air, by
-which means the moisture was kept a little longer upon the body, and
-not so speedily evaporated as when the skin was exposed. One of my
-companions followed my example and found the benefit of it. But the
-thermometer still rising, and the moisture of the body being quite
-exhausted, I grew restless and thought I should have lost my senses.
-The thermometer at last stood at 126 degrees. In this state I composed
-myself and concluded that, though I might hold out but a day or two,
-death was inevitable. Captain ---- continued to tell the hour and
-heights of the thermometer, and with pleasure we heard of it sinking
-to 120 degrees, 118 degrees, etc. At last the fierce sun retired and I
-crept out more dead than alive. The next day we secured some comfort
-from a large wet towel wrapped about the head and body. At sunset,
-rising to go out, a scorpion fell upon my clothes. The night before we
-found a black scorpion in our tent, that made us uneasy, so we got no
-sleep."
-
-June 9 Mr. Martyn arrived at Shiraz, the celebrated seat of Persian
-literature, and at once began work upon his translation with the
-efficient help of Mirza Seid Ali Khan. In this work he had many
-interruptions, being himself an object of attention and curiosity. He
-received many calls, and unwilling to lose any opportunity of
-benefiting the inhabitants of Shiraz, was never inaccessible to them.
-He says, "June 17, in the evening, Seid Ali came with two Moollahs,
-and with them I had a very long and temperate discussion. One of them
-read the beginning of John in Arabic and inquired very particularly
-into our opinions respecting the person of Christ, and when he was
-informed that we did not consider His human nature eternal nor His
-mother divine, seemed quite satisfied, and remarked to the others,
-'how much misapprehension is removed when people come to an
-explanation.'"
-
-"June 22. The Prince's secretary called to talk about Soofeeism. They
-believe they know not what. He thought to excite my wonder by telling
-me that I and every created being was God.
-
-"June 26. Two young men from the college came, full of zeal and logic,
-to try me with hard questions such as, whether being be but one or
-two? What is the state and form of disembodied spirits? and other
-foolish and unlearned questions ministering strife. At last, one of
-them discovered the true cause of his coming by asking me bluntly to
-bring a proof of the religion of Christ. You allow the divine mission
-of Christ, said I, why need I prove it? Not being able to draw me into
-an argument they said what they wished to say, namely, that I had no
-other proof for the miracles of Christ than they had for those of
-Mohammed, which is tradition. 'Softly' I said, 'You will be pleased to
-observe a difference between your books and ours, when by tradition we
-have reached our several books, our narrators were eye witnesses;
-yours are not, nor nearly so.'
-
-"In the evening Seid Ali asked me the cause of evil. I said I knew
-nothing about it. He thought he could tell me, so I let him reason on
-till he soon found he knew as little about the matter as myself. He
-wanted to prove that there was no real difference between good and
-evil; that it was only apparent. I observed that the difference, if
-only apparent, was the cause of a great deal of misery.
-
-"June 30, Sunday. Preached to the Ambassador's suite on the 'Faithful
-Saying.' In the evening baptized his child. Zachariah told me this
-morning that I was the town talk." Indeed Shiraz was stirred to its
-depth by the presence of Mr. Martyn during the whole year of his stay.
-Men of every kind, especially the learned and zealous, came singly and
-in groups almost every day to argue and dispute against Christ. Now it
-was a party of Armenians, now learned Jews, now a prince, now a
-general, now the very Moojtuhid himself, the professor of Mohammedan
-law. This great dignitary invited Mr. Martyn to his house, where for
-hours he talked on and on, defending his Prophet and showing his
-learning; he was greatly annoyed at any difference of opinion, and
-decided it was "quite useless for Mohammedans and Christians to argue
-together, as they had different languages and different histories."
-But fearing Mr. Martyn's influence he was stirred to write a defense
-of his faith, which was said to surpass all former treatises on Islam.
-He concludes it in these words, addressed to Mr. Martyn: "Oh, thou
-that art wise! consider with the eye of justice, since thou hast no
-excuse to offer to God. Thou hast wished to see the truth of miracles.
-We desire you to look at the great Koran: that is an everlasting
-miracle." Mr. Martyn replied, showing why men are bound to reject
-Mohammedanism; that Mohammed was foretold by no prophet, worked no
-miracles, spread his religion by means merely human, appeals to man's
-lowest and sensual nature, that he was ambitious for himself and
-family, that the Koran is full of absurdities and contradictions, that
-it contains a method of salvation wholly inefficacious, sadly
-contrasting with the divine atonement of Jesus Christ. The Prince's
-nephew, hearing of the attack on Mohammed, said, "the proper answer to
-it is the sword."
-
-Mr. Martyn writes, February 8: "This is my birthday, on which I
-complete my thirty-first year. The Persian New Testament has been
-begun and finished in it. Such a painful year I never passed, owing to
-the privations I have been called to, on the one hand, and the
-spectacle before me of human depravity on the other. But I hope I have
-not come to this seat of Satan in vain. The Word of God has found its
-way into Persia, and it is not in Satan's power to oppose its progress
-if the Lord hath sent it."
-
-The Psalms in Persian was finished by the middle of March.
-
-On the 23d Mr. Martyn writes: "I called on the Vizier. In the court
-where he received me, Mirza Ibraheem was lecturing. Finding myself so
-near my old and respectable antagonist, I expressed a wish to see him,
-on which Jaffier Ali Khan went up to ascertain if my visit would be
-agreeable. The master consented, but some of the disciples demurred.
-At last, one of them, observing that by the blessing of God on the
-master's conversation I might possibly be converted, it was agreed
-that I should be invited to ascend. Then it became a question where I
-ought to sit. Below all would not be respectful to a stranger, but
-above all the Moollahs could not be tolerated. I entered and was
-surprised at the numbers. The room was lined with Moollahs on both
-sides and at the top. I was about to sit down on the floor but was
-beckoned to an empty place near the top, opposite to the master, who,
-after the usual compliments, without further ceremony, asked me, 'What
-we meant by calling Christ, God?' War being thus unequivocally
-declared, I had nothing to do but stand upon the defensive. Mirza
-Ibraheem argued temperately enough; but of the rest, some were very
-violent and clamorous. The former asked 'if Christ had ever called
-himself God--was he the Creator or a creature?' I replied, 'The
-Creator.' The Moollahs looked at one another. Such a confession had
-never before been heard among the Mohammedan doctors.
-
-"One Moollah wanted to controvert some of my illustrations by
-interrogating me about the personality of Christ. To all his questions
-I replied by requesting the same information respecting his own
-person. To another, who was rather contemptuous and violent, I said
-'If you do not approve of our doctrine, will you be so good as to say
-what God is, according to you, that I may worship a proper object?'
-One said, 'the author of the universe.' 'I can form no idea from these
-words,' said I, 'but of a workman at work upon a vast number of
-materials. Is that a correct notion?' Another said, 'One who came of
-himself into being.' 'So then he came,' I replied, 'out of one place
-into another, and before he came he was not. Is this an abstract and
-refined notion?' After this no one asked me any more questions, and
-for fear the dispute should be renewed Jaffier Ali Khan carried me
-away."
-
-When we think of the bigotry and intolerance of these people and of
-Mr. Martyn's unflinching courage single-handed and alone, declaring
-the truth and preaching Christ, exposed to the greatest personal
-danger, contempt and insult, but unabashed, he stands before the world
-during his Shiraz residence as one of the bravest and grandest heroes
-that has ever lived. Such a spectacle is thrilling and sublime. God
-was with him to protect him and to inspire his magnificent
-confessions. A figure-head in history! A sight for angels and for men!
-
- Faithful found
- Among the faithless, faithful only he,
- Unshaken, unseduced, unterrified,
- His loyalty he kept, his zeal, his love.
-
-And God was with him to cheer and comfort, and we rejoice to know that
-some of the scenes of his life in Shiraz were quiet and restful. At
-one time a tent was pitched for him in a garden in the suburbs of the
-city.
-
-Living amidst clusters of grapes by the side of a clear stream and
-frequently sitting under the shade of an orange tree, which Jaffier
-Ali Khan delighted to point out to visitors, until the day of his own
-departure, he passed many a tranquil hour, and enjoyed many a Sabbath
-of holy rest and divine refreshment.
-
-He says: "Passed some days at Jaffier Ali Khan's garden with Mirza
-Seid Ali, Aga Baba, Sheikh Abul Hassam, reading at their request the
-Old Testament histories. Their attention to the word and their love
-and respect for me seemed to increase as the time for my departure
-approached. Aga Baba, who had been reading St. Matthew, related very
-circumstantially to the company the particulars of the death of
-Christ. The bed of roses on which we sat and the notes of the
-nightingales warbling around us, were not so sweet to me as this
-discourse from the Persian."
-
-The plain of Shiraz is covered with ancient ruins, and contains the
-tombs of the poets Zaadi and Hafiz.
-
- A vision of the bright Shiraz, of Persian bards the theme;
- The vine with bunches laden hangs o'er the crystal stream;
- The nightingale all day her notes in rosy thicket trills,
- And the brooding heat-mist faintly lies along the distant hills.
-
- About the plain are scattered wide in many a crumbling heap,
- The fanes of other days, and tombs where Iran's poets sleep;
- And in the midst, like burnished gems, in noonday light repose
- The minarets of bright Shiraz,--the City of the Rose.
-
- One group beside the river bank in rapt discourse are seen,
- Where hangs the golden orange on its boughs of purest green;
- Their words are sweet and low, and their looks are lit with joy,
- Some holy blessing seems to rest on them and their employ.
-
- The pale-faced Frank among them sits; what brought him from afar?
- Nor bears he bales of merchandise, nor teaches skill in war;
- One pearl alone he brings with him--the Book of life and death,--
- One warfare only teaches he,--to fight the fight of faith.
-
- And Iran's sons are round him, and one with solemn tone
- Tells how the Lord of Glory was rejected by his own;
- Tells from the wondrous gospel of the trial and the doom,--
- The words divine of love and might,--the scourge, the cross, the tomb.
-
- Far sweeter to the stranger's ear these eastern accents sound,
- Than music of the nightingale that fills the air around;
- Lovelier than balmiest odors sent from gardens of the rose,
- The fragrance from the contrite soul and chastened lip that flows.
-
- The nightingales have ceased to sing, the roses' leaves are shed,
- The Frank's pale face in Tocat's field hath mouldered with the dead;
- Alone and all unfriended midst his Master's work he fell,
- With none to bathe his fevered brow, with none his tale to tell.
-
- But still those sweet and solemn tones about him sound in bliss,
- And fragrance from those flowers of God forevermore is his;
- For his the meed, by grace, of those who rich in zeal and love,
- Turn many unto righteousness, and shine as stars above.
-
- 1851. --HENRY ALFORD.
-
-On the 24th of May, after a year's residence, Mr. Martyn left Shiraz,
-bearing his precious translation to be presented to the Shah. The
-journey was an occasion of disappointment, exposure and suffering.
-
-Arrived at the Shah's camp he says: "June 12th, attended the Vizier's
-levee, when there was a most intemperate and clamorous controversy
-kept up for an hour or two, eight or ten on one side, and I on the
-other. Amongst them were two Moollahs, the most ignorant of any I have
-met in Persia or India. It would be impossible to enumerate all the
-absurd things they said. Their vulgarity in interrupting me in the
-middle of a speech, their utter ignorance of the nature of an
-argument, their impudent assertions about the law and the gospel,
-neither of which they had ever seen in their lives, moved my
-indignation. The Vizier said, 'You had better say, God is God and
-Mohammed is the prophet of God.' I said, 'God is God,' but added,
-instead of 'Mohammed is the prophet of God,' 'Jesus is the Son of
-God.' They had no sooner heard this, which I had avoided bringing
-forward till then, than they all exclaimed in contempt and anger, 'He
-is neither born nor begets,' and rose up as if they would have torn me
-in pieces. One of them said, 'What will you say when your tongue is
-burnt out for this blasphemy?'
-
-"My book which I had brought, expecting to present it to the king, lay
-before Mirza Shufi. As they all rose up after him to go, some to the
-king, and some away, I was afraid they would trample upon the book; so
-I went in among them to take it up, and wrapped it in a towel before
-them, while they looked at it and me with supreme contempt. Thus I
-walked away alone to my tent to pass the rest of the day in heat and
-dirt. What have I done, thought I, to merit all this scorn? Nothing, I
-trust, but bearing testimony to Jesus. I thought over these things in
-prayer and found the peace which Christ hath promised. To complete the
-trials of the day a messenger came from the Vizier in the evening to
-say that it was the custom of the king not to see any Englishman
-unless presented by the ambassador or accredited by a letter from him,
-and that I must therefore wait till the king reached Sultania, where
-the ambassador would be."
-
-Traveling toward Tabriz he writes, June 22: "Met with the usual
-insulting treatment at the caravansarai when the king's servant had
-got possession of a good room built for the reception of the better
-order of guests; they seemed to delight in the opportunity of humbling
-a European--all along the road when the king is expected the people
-are patiently waiting as for some dreadful disaster; plague,
-pestilence or famine are nothing to the misery of being subject to the
-violence and extortion of this rabble soldiery.
-
-"June 26. Have eaten nothing now for two days. My mind much disordered
-from headache and giddiness;--but my heart is with Christ and His
-saints.
-
-"June 27. Passed the third day in the same exhausted state, my head
-tortured with shocking pains, such as, together with the horror I felt
-at being exposed to the sun, showed me plainly to what to ascribe my
-sickness."
-
-Thus in great illness and suffering Mr. Martyn reached Tabriz, and was
-nursed through a fever of two months' continuance at the ambassador's
-residence. This defeated his plan of presenting the Persian New
-Testament to the king--but it was afterwards done by Sir Gore Ouseley
-himself, and publicly received the royal approbation, and still later
-was printed in St. Petersburg.
-
-On leaving Cawnpore, Mr. Martyn had intended returning to England, but
-had willingly remained in Persia to finish the translation, which
-being now disposed of, he reverted to his original intention, and set
-out on his last fatal journey towards Constantinople, September 2. His
-journal is filled with expressions of gratitude for restored health,
-delight in the scenery of Tabriz, descriptions of the country and the
-journey, the Araxes river, the hoary peaks of Ararat, the governor's
-palace, the ancient Armenian church and monastery at Ech-Miazin, where
-he received great kindness from the Patriarch and the monks. He was
-profoundly impressed with the view from an elevated table-land looking
-out upon Persia, Russia and Turkey--a Pisgah vision, which excites in
-later missionaries a strong desire for Christian conquest. Describes
-Cars and Erzroom. September 29, left Erzroom. Was attacked with fever
-and ague.
-
-"September 30. Took nothing all day but tea; headache and loss of
-appetite depressed my spirits, yet my soul rests in Him who is as
-anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, which, not seen, keeps me
-fast.
-
-"October 1. Marched over a mountainous tract; we were out from seven
-in the morning till eight at night. After sitting a little by the fire
-I was near fainting from sickness. My depression of spirits led me to
-the throne of grace as a sinful abject worm. When I thought of myself
-and my transgressions, I could find no text so cheering as, 'My ways
-are not as your ways.' From the men who accompanied Sir Wm. Ouseley to
-Constantinople I learned that the plague was raging at Constantinople
-and thousands dying every day. One of the Persians had died of it.
-They added that the inhabitants of Tocat were flying from their town
-from the same cause. Thus I am passing into imminent danger. O Lord
-thy will be done! Living or dying, remember me.
-
-"October 2. Lodged in the stables of the post-house. As soon as it
-began to grow a little cold, the ague came on and then the fever,
-after which I had a sleep, which let me know too plainly the disorder
-of my frame. In the night Hossan sent to summon me away, but I was
-quite unable to move. Finding me still in bed at the dawn he began to
-storm furiously at my detaining him so long, but I quietly let him
-spend his ire, ate my breakfast composedly, and set out at eight. He
-seemed determined to make up for the delay, for we flew over hill and
-dale to Sherean, where we changed horses. From thence we traveled all
-the rest of the day and all night. It rained most of the time. After
-sunset the ague came on again, which in my wet state was very trying.
-I hardly know how to keep my life in me. About that time there was a
-village at hand, but Hassan had no mercy. The night was pitchy dark,
-so that I could not see the road under my horse's feet. However, God
-being mercifully pleased to alleviate my bodily suffering, I went on
-contentedly to the munzil (stopping-place). After sleeping three or
-four hours Hassan hurried me away, and galloped furiously toward a
-village, which he said was four hours distant, which was all I could
-undertake in my present state; but village after village did he pass,
-till night coming on, and no signs of another, I suspected he was
-carrying me on to the munzil; so I got off my horse and sat upon the
-ground and told him I neither could nor would go any farther. He
-stormed, but I was immovable, till a light, appearing at a distance, I
-mounted my horse and made toward it, leaving him to follow or not as
-he pleased. He brought in the party, but would not exert himself to
-get a place for me. They brought me to an open verandah, but Sergius
-told them I wanted a place in which to be alone. This seemed very
-offensive to them, 'and why must he be alone'? they asked, ascribing
-this desire of mine to pride, I suppose. Tempted at last by money they
-brought me to a stable room, and Hassan and a number of others planted
-themselves there with me. My fever here increased to a violent degree,
-the heat in my eyes and forehead was so great that the fire almost
-made me frantic. I entreated that it might be put out or that I might
-be carried out of doors. Neither was attended to; my servant, who from
-my sitting in that strange way on the ground, believed me delirious,
-was deaf to all I said. At last I pushed my head in among the luggage
-and lodged it on the damp ground and slept.
-
-"October 5. Preserving mercy made me see the light of another morning.
-The sleep had refreshed me but I was feeble and shaken, yet the
-merciless Hassan hurried me off. I was pretty well lodged and felt
-tolerably well till a little after sunset, when the ague came on with
-a violence I had never before experienced. I felt as if in a palsy, my
-teeth chattering, and my whole frame violently shaken. Aga Hosyn and
-another Persian on their way here from Constantinople, came hastily to
-render me assistance if they could. These Persians appear quite
-brotherly after the Turks. While they pitied me, Hassan sat in perfect
-indifference, ruminating on the further delay this was likely to
-occasion. The cold fit after continuing two or three hours was
-followed by a fever, which lasted the whole night and prevented sleep.
-
-"October 6. No horses were to be had, and I had an unexpected repose.
-Sat in the orchard and thought with sweet comfort and peace of my God:
-in solitude my companion, friend and comforter. Oh, when shall time
-give place to eternity--when shall appear that new heaven and earth,
-wherein dwelleth righteousness! There, there shall in no wise enter in
-anything that defileth; none of that wickedness which has made men
-worse than wild beasts, none of those corruptions which add still more
-to the miseries of humanity, shall be seen or heard of any more."
-
-Here abruptly closes the journal, with pantings for the glory and the
-purity of Immanuel's land, into which he was admitted by a blessed
-translation, released from all the sufferings of life on October 16,
-1812, at Tocat, Turkey. The manner of his death is not known, whether
-it resulted from the sickness described, or from the plague, then
-raging. Whether Hassan was cruel and driving to the last, whether all
-his heartless Turkish attendants deserted him or not in his hour of
-final agony, we cannot tell. No relative or friend was there, no
-tender voice of sympathy, no woman's soothing hand, no alleviations
-from medicine. Even the commonest decencies and necessities of
-civilized life were lacking. Earth gave nothing to Henry Martyn in his
-mortal need, but we are sure heavenly consolations were unstinted.
-
- "Jesus can make a dying bed
- Feel soft as downy pillows are."
-
-And Jesus was there! And Henry Martyn was satisfied, and is forever
-satisfied! "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his
-saints." And the most priceless legacy of the blood-bought and
-commissioned church is the memory of a life, so gifted, so unselfish,
-so consecrated.
-
-It is wanting in no element of moral heroism. Our souls confess its
-grandeur. The contemplation lifts us into a higher atmosphere than
-that of mammon, and self, and earth. We rejoice to see a crown so
-rare, so fair, so precious, laid at the feet of Jesus, the King. He is
-worthy. And we long to see the youth of our land and the church
-inspired by Henry Martyn's example, as he was inspired by David
-Brainerd's. And so we would have the apostolic succession continued
-till the millennium, of such as shall not count their lives dear for
-the testimony of the gospel.
-
-It is said that after Mr. Martyn's death one of his earliest and most
-devoted friends, the Rev. Charles Simeon, used always to keep his
-picture before him in his study for help and inspiration. "Move where
-he would through the apartment, it seemed to keep its eyes upon him,
-and ever to say to him, 'Be earnest, be earnest; don't trifle, don't
-trifle,' and the good Simeon would gently bow to the speaking picture,
-and with a smile, reply, 'Yes, I will; I will be in earnest, I will
-not trifle; for souls are perishing and Jesus is to be glorified.'"
-
-Would that Henry Martyn's life might bring such a message to every
-heart, and awaken in every one a similar response.
-
-
-
-
-MISSIONARY ANNALS.
-Price per vol., cloth 30c., paper 18c.
-
-I.
-MEMOIR OF ROBERT MOFFAT
-_BY MRS. M. L. WILDER_.
-
-II.
-LIFE OF ADONIRAM JUDSON
-_BY MISS JULIA H. JOHNSTON_.
-
-III.
-WOMAN AND THE GOSPEL IN PERSIA
-_BY REV. THOMAS LAURIE, D.D._
-
-IV.
-LIFE OF REV. JUSTIN PERKINS, D.D.
-_BY REV. HENRY MARTYN PERKINS_.
-
-V.
-LIFE OF DAVID LIVINGSTONE
-_BY MRS. J. H. WORCESTER, JR._
-
-OTHERS IN PREPARATION. SENT POSTPAID ON RECEIPT OF PRICE.
-
-CHICAGO:
-WOMAN'S PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF MISSIONS OF THE NORTHWEST.
-Room 48, McCormick Block.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Life of Henry Martyn, Missionary to
-India and Persia, 1781 to 1812, by Sarah J. Rhea
-
-*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30085 ***
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30085 *** + +MISSIONARY ANNALS. +(A SERIES.) + + + + +LIFE OF HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY TO INDIA AND PERSIA, 1781 to 1812 + + +ABRIDGED FROM THE MEMOIR. +BY +MRS. SARAH J. RHEA. + + + + +CHICAGO: +WOMAN'S PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF FOREIGN MISSIONS OF THE NORTHWEST, +Room 48, McCormick Block. + + + + +COPYRIGHT, 1888, +BY WOMAN'S PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF MISSIONS OF THE NORTHWEST. + + + + +CONTENTS. + + PAGE. +EDUCATION AND PREPARATION, . . . . . . . . . . . 5 + +LIFE IN INDIA, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 + +LIFE IN PERSIA, AND DEATH, . . . . . . . . . . . 29 + + + + +I hold in my hand an album adorned with pictures of missionaries, my +brethren and sisters, the ambassadors of the King. On one of the first +pages is "the tomb of Henry Martyn," given me by Dr. Van Lennep, who +had just visited the sacred spot and described it vividly. When I turn +the pages of my album and come to this, I pause with reverence and the +overflowings of deep and tender emotion, and my mind adds other +pictures, both terrestrial and celestial, to the one upon the page. My +own missionary life as the companion of him whom Dr. Perkins called +"the later Henry Martyn," was spent in Henry Martyn's Persia. They +were alike I think in many things, these two Persian evangelists, and +also in their deaths. When they passed out of the Tabriz gate, +journeying homeward after a course of illness in the fated city, for +each it was a quick ascent, a painful translation, to the heavenly +city with abundant entrance and the Master's "well done"--in heaven; +and on earth, a foreign grave taking possession for Christ, as the +Nestorians reverently say, with "white stones still speaking out." + S. J. R. + + + + +EDUCATION AND PREPARATION. + + +Henry Martyn was born in England on the south-western coast of Truro, +February 18, 1781. His father, Mr. John Martyn, worked in the mines. +He was not educated but was very fond of learning. The miners were in +the habit of working and resting alternately every four hours. Mr. +John Martyn spent many of his rest intervals in study, and so by +diligence and education raised himself to a higher position, and +became a clerk in the office of a merchant in Truro. When Henry was +seven years old, he went to school to Dr. Cardew. From his earliest +years all who knew him considered him a very interesting and promising +child. Dr. Cardew says his proficiency in the classics exceeded that +of his schoolfellows; he was of a lively, cheerful temper and seemed +to learn without application, almost by intuition. But he was not +robust, and loving books better than sport, and having a peculiar +tenderness and inoffensiveness of spirit, he was often abused by rude +and coarse boys in the school. A friendship which he formed at this +time with a boy older than himself was the source of great comfort and +advantage to him, and was kept up throughout his whole life. This +friend often protected him from the bullies of the play-ground. At +this school, under excellent tuition, Henry remained until fourteen +years old, when he was induced to offer himself as a candidate for a +vacant scholarship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Young as he was, +he went there alone, and acquitted himself so well, though strongly +and ably opposed by competitors, that in the opinion of some of the +examiners he ought to have been elected. How often is the hand of God +seen in frustrating our fondest designs! Speaking of this +disappointment he afterwards wrote: "Had I remained and become a +member of the university at that time, as I should have done in case +of success, the profligate acquaintances I had there would have +introduced me to scenes of debauchery, in which I must in all +probability, from my extreme youth, have sunk forever." + +He continued after this with Dr Cardew till 1797, and then joined his +school friend at Cambridge at St. John's College. Here he obtained a +place in the first class at the public examination in December, a +circumstance which, joined to the extreme desire he had to gratify his +father, encouraged and excited him to study with increased alacrity, +and as the fruit of this application, at the next public examination +in the summer he reached the second station in the first class, a +point of elevation which "flattered his pride not a little." At this +time he appeared in the eye of the world most amiable and commendable, +outwardly moral, unwearied in application, and exhibited marks of no +ordinary talent. One exception to this statement is to be found in an +irritability of temper arising perhaps from the treatment he had +received at school. On one occasion in sudden anger, he threw a knife +at the head of another boy, which providentially missed him and was +left trembling in the wall; but it was a narrow escape, and might have +proved fatal. Though not a Christian at this time, he was under two +strong influences for good, one from his religious friend in college, +the other from his sister in Cornwall, a Christian of a meek, heavenly +and affectionate spirit. He paid a visit to his home in the summer of +1799, carrying with him no small degree of academical honor. It may be +well supposed that to a sister such as we have described, her +brother's spiritual welfare would be a most serious and anxious +concern; and that she often conversed with him on the subject of +religion we know from his own declaration. The first result of her +tender exhortations and earnest endeavors was very discouraging; a +violent conflict took place in her brother's mind between his +conviction of the truth of what she urged, and his love of the world; +and for the present, the latter prevailed. Yet, sisters similarly +circumstanced may learn from this case, not merely their duty, but +also, from the final result, the success they may anticipate in the +faithful discharge of it. + +"At the examination at Christmas, 1799," he writes: "I was first, and +the account of it pleased my father prodigiously, who, I was told, was +in great health and spirits. What, then, was my consternation when in +January I received an account of his death!" Most poignant were his +sufferings under this affliction, which led him to God for comfort in +prayer and Bible study. He says: "I began with the Acts, and found +myself insensibly led to inquire more attentively into the doctrines +of the Apostles." Writing to his sister, having announced shortly and +with much simplicity that his name stood first upon the list at the +college examination of the summer of 1800, he says: "What a blessing +it is for me that I have such a sister as you, my dear S., who have +been so instrumental in keeping me in the right way. After the death +of our father you know I was extremely low spirited, and like most +other people began to consider seriously without any particular +determination, that invisible world to which he was gone and to which +I must one day go. Soon I began to attend more diligently to the words +of our Savior in the New Testament, and to devour them with delight, +when the offers of mercy and forgiveness were made so freely; I +supplicated to be made partaker of the covenant of grace with +eagerness and hope, and thanks be to the ever-blessed Trinity for not +leaving me without comfort!" How cheering to his sister it must have +been to receive at a moment of deep sorrow such a communication as +this! How salutary to his own mind to have possessed so near a +relation to whom he could thus freely open the workings of his heart. +At this time he also received great benefit from attendance on the +faithful ministry of Rev. Charles Simeon, under whose pastoral +instructions he himself declares that he "gradually acquired more +knowledge in divine things." With this excellent man he had the most +friendly and unreserved intercourse. Mr. Martyn received his first +impressions of the transcendent excellence of the Christian ministry +of Mr. Simeon, from which it was but a short step to choose this +calling for his own, for until now he had intended to devote himself +to the law "chiefly," he confesses, "because he could not consent to +be poor for Christ's sake." + +In January, 1801, the highest academical honor, that of "senior +wrangler," was awarded to him before the completion of his twentieth +year. His description of his feelings on this occasion is remarkable: +"I obtained my highest wishes, but was surprised to find that I had +grasped a shadow." So impossible it is for earthly distinction to fill +and satisfy the mind. + +In March, 1802, after another rigid examination, Mr. Martyn was chosen +Fellow of St. Johns, a situation honorable to the society and +gratifying to himself. Soon after he obtained first prize for best +Latin prose composition over many competitors of classical celebrity, +and this was the more remarkable, as his studies had been almost +entirely in mathematics. + +Henry Martyn's attention was called to the great cause of Foreign +Missions by some remarks of Rev. Mr. Simeon on the work of Carey in +India, but more particularly by reading the memoir of David Brainerd, +who preached with apostolic zeal and success to the North American +Indians, and who finished a course of self-denying labors for his +Redeemer with unspeakable joy at the early age of thirty-two. Henry +Martyn's soul was filled with holy emulation, and after deep +consideration and fervent prayer he was at length fixed in a +resolution to imitate his example. Nor let it be conceived that he +could adopt this resolution without the severest conflict in his mind, +for he was endued with the truest sensibility of heart, and was +susceptible of the warmest and tenderest attachments. No one could +exceed him in love for his country, or in affection for his friends, +and few could surpass him in an exquisite relish for the various and +refined enjoyments of a social and literary life. How then could it +fail of being a moment of extreme anguish when he came to the +deliberate resolution of leaving forever all he held dear upon earth? +But he was fully satisfied that the glory of that Savior who loved him +and gave Himself for him would be promoted by his going forth to +preach to the heathen. He considered their pitiable and perilous +condition; he thought on the value of their immortal souls; he +remembered the last solemn injunction of his Lord, "Go teach all +nations,"--an injunction never revoked, and commensurate with that +most encouraging promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end +of the world." Actuated by these motives, he offered himself as a +missionary to the society for Missions, and from that time stood +prepared with childlike simplicity and unshaken constancy to go to any +part of the world whither it might be deemed expedient to send him. + +In the early part of 1804, Mr. Martyn's plans of becoming a missionary +were dampened by the loss of his slender patrimony, and as his sister +was also involved in the calamity, it appeared hardly justifiable for +him to go away. After some delay his friends obtained for him the +position of chaplain to the East India Company, and so the obstacles +which detained him were removed. + +The time of the delay was spent in zealous service for his divine +Master. He was associated with Rev. Mr. Simeon as curate and preached +with great zeal and unction, often to very large audiences, and +sometimes with such unsparing denunciation of common sins as to awaken +opposition. He considered it his duty to rebuke iniquity, and on one +occasion severely reproved a student for shocking levity,--reading a +play with some young ladies while their father lay dying. He feared +the result of this might be estrangement from his friend, but prayed +earnestly that it might lead to his awakening. This prayer was +answered, and afterwards this very friend became his beloved associate +in missionary work in India. + +In very early youth Mr. Martyn became fondly attached to a young lady +named Lydia Grenfell. She considered herself his superior in social +position. The memoirs all speak of her as estimable, and we infer from +the little that is said that she somewhat indifferently accepted Henry +Martyn's homage, but she did not wholeheartedly and generously +respond. What a contrast to the beloved and devoted Harriet Newell, +who was not afraid to risk all for Christ, and counted not her life +dear even unto the death! It was Miss Grenfell's greatest honor that +Henry Martyn would have made her his wife, but she declined the honor, +and yet gave him encouragement, for their correspondence only ended +with his life, and his very last writing was a letter to her. He +begged her with all the eloquence of a lonely and devoted heart to +come out to him after he had gone to India, arranging every detail for +her comfort with thoughtful tenderness, and urging and encouraging her +and lavishing upon her an affection that would have crowned and +enriched her life. We are left to infer from the history that she did +love him in her way, but if she had shared his consecration and gone +with him and taken care of him, and cheered and comforted him, and +made for him a happy restful home, as some missionary wives have done +in self-denying foreign fields, what a blessing she might have been, +and her life, how fruitful, and her memory, how fragrant! As it was, +she has this distinction, that she was Henry Martyn's disappointment +and trial and discipline. No one less tender and sensitive than Henry +Martyn can appreciate all he suffered on this account; but he made it, +like all the other great sorrows of his life, a cross on which to be +crucified with Christ. + +He writes to his dear sister S.: "When I sometimes offer up +supplications with strong crying to God to bring down my spirit into +the dust I endeavor calmly to contemplate the infinite majesty of the +most high God and my own meanness and wickedness, or else I quietly +tell the Lord, who knows the heart, I would give Him all the glory of +everything if I could. But the most effectual way I have ever found is +to lead away my thoughts from myself and my own concerns by praying +for all my friends, for the church, the world, the nation, and +especially by beseeching that God would glorify His own great name by +converting all nations to the obedience of faith, also by praying that +he would put more abundant honor on those Christians whom he seems to +have honored especially, and whom we see to be manifestly our +superiors." + +In spite of Henry Martyn's beautiful humility, honor after honor was +heaped upon him by his admiring and appreciative Alma Mater. Three +times he was chosen examiner, and discharged the duties of this office +with great care and faithfulness. + +As the time approaches for his parting from all he holds dear, +especially the beloved L., our hearts go out to him in irrepressible +sympathy. He writes, "parted with L. forever in this life with a sort +of uncertain pain which I know will increase to greater violence." + +And these forebodings were but too soon realized. For many succeeding +days his mental agony was extreme, yet he could speak to God as one +who knew the great conflict within him. Yet while the waves and +billows are going over him he writes from these depths, "I never had +so clear a conviction of my call as at the present. Never did I see so +much the exceeding excellency and glory and sweetness of the work, nor +had so much the favorable testimony of my own conscience, nor +perceived so plainly the smile of God. Blessed be God, I feel myself +to be His minister. This thought which I can hardly describe came in +the morning after reading Brainerd. I wish for no service but the +service of God, to labor for souls on earth and to do His will in +heaven." + + + + +LIFE IN INDIA. + + +On the 17th of July, 1805, the Union East Indiaman conveying Mr. +Martyn sailed from Portsmouth. Mr. Martyn says: "Though it was what I +had been anxiously looking forward to so long, yet the consideration +of being parted forever from my friends, almost overcame me. My +feelings were those of a man who should suddenly be told that every +friend he had in the world was dead." + +Though suffering much in mind and body throughout the long and tedious +voyage of nine months, Mr. Martyn seeks no selfish ease. He preaches, +reads and labors assiduously with officers, passengers and crew, and +shuns not to declare the whole counsel of God, even the unpalatable +doctrine of the future punishment of the wicked. He says: "The threats +and opposition of these men made me willing to set before them the +truths they hated, yet I had no species of hesitation about doing it. +They said they would not come if so much hell was preached, but I took +for my text, 'The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations +that forget God.' The officers were all behind my back in order to +have an opportunity of retiring in case of dislike. H., as soon as he +heard the text, went back and said he would hear no more about hell; +so he employed himself in feeding the geese. However, God I trust +blessed the sermon to the good of many; some of the cadets and many of +the soldiers were in tears. I felt an ardor and vehemence in some +parts which are unusual with me. After service walked the deck with +Mrs. ----; she spoke with so much simplicity and amiable humility that +I was full of joy and admiration to God for a sheep brought home to +His fold. In the afternoon went below intending to read to them at the +hatchway, but there was not one of them, so I could get nothing to do +among the poor soldiers." + +What a picture revealing Henry Martyn's character!--the contrasting +attributes of sternness and gentleness, his martyrlike determination +to do his whole duty at any cost to himself from suffering and insult, +the keen shrinking of a nature so refined and sensitive from +coarseness and abuse, undeviating yet uncompromising, bringing to our +thoughts the Divine Exemplar. I pass by the incidents of the voyage, +including mutiny, sickness and death, romantic stay at St. Salvador, +battles at the Cape of Good Hope, etc., eloquently and vividly +recorded. + +The Friday preceding his arrival in India he spends "in praying that +God would no longer delay exerting his power in the conversion of the +eastern nations. I felt emboldened" he says, "to employ the most +familiar petitions by Is. xii. 6, 7, 'Keep not silence; give him no +rest,' etc. Blessed be God for those words! They are like a cordial to +my spirits, because if the Lord is not pleased by me or during my +lifetime to call the Gentiles, yet He is not offended at my being +urgent with Him that the kingdom of God may come." + +April 21, 1806, the nine months' journey is complete, and they land at +Madras. Mr. Martyn gives first impressions and description of the +natives, ending in these words: "In general, one thought naturally +occurred: the conversion of their poor souls. I am willing, I trust, +through grace, to pass my life among them if by any means these poor +people may be brought to God. The sight of men, women and children, +all idolaters, makes me shudder as if in the dominions of the prince +of darkness. Hearing the hymn, 'Before Jehovah's awful throne,' it +excited a train of affecting thoughts in my mind." + +"Wide as the world is thy command. Therefore it is easy for Thee to +spread abroad Thy holy name. But oh, how gross the darkness here! The +veil of the covering cast over all nations seems thicker here; the +friends of darkness seem to sit in sullen repose in this land. What +surprises me is the change of views I have here from what I had in +England. There my heart expanded with hope and joy at the prospect of +the speedy conversion of the heathen; but here the sight of the +apparent impossibility requires a strong faith to support the +spirits." Ah, how vividly this describes missionary experiences! After +great peril from storm and illness, passing up the Hoogly from Madras, +Mr. Martyn arrived at Calcutta, May 14. In this city for years had +been a band of English Christians faithfully praying for the coming of +the kingdom in that dark land, and into the home of one of these, Rev. +David Brown, was Mr. Martyn received with much affection. A pagoda in +one end of the yard on the river bank was fitted up for him, and the +place where once devils were worshiped now became a Christian oratory. +The first experience here was of severe illness from acclimating +fever, from which he was kindly nursed into convalescence. He then +applied himself earnestly to the study of the Hindoostanee, having +engaged a Brahmin as a teacher. Here he witnessed with horror the +cruel and debasing rites of heathenism. The blaze of a funeral pile +caused him one day to hasten to the rescue of a burning widow who was +consumed before his eyes. And in a dark wood he heard the sound of +cymbals and drums calling the poor natives to the worship of devils, +and saw them prostrate with their foreheads to the ground before a +black image in a pagoda surrounded with burning lights--a sight which +he contemplated with overwhelming compassion, "shivering as if +standing in the neighborhood of hell." + +Mr. Martyn's plain and pungent preaching was a great offense to some +of the easy-going formalists of the English church at Calcutta, and +some of the ministry attacked him bitterly from their pulpits, +declaring, for instance, that to affirm repentance to be the gift of +God and to teach that nature is wholly corrupt, is to drive men to +despair, and that to suppose the righteousness of Christ sufficient to +justify is to make it unnecessary to have any of our own. Though +compelled to listen to such downright heresies, to hear himself +described as knowing neither what he said nor whereof he affirmed, and +as aiming only to gratify self sufficiency, pride and +uncharitableness,--"I rejoiced," said this meek and holy man, "to +receive the Lord's supper afterwards;--as the solemnities of that +blessed ordinance sweetly tended to soothe any asperity of mind, and I +think that I administered the cup to ---- and ---- with sincere good +will." + +September 13, 1806, Mr. Martyn received his appointment to Singapore. +A farewell meeting of great interest was held in his pagoda, followed +by a tender parting from the family who had been so kind to him, and +two fellow laborers who, following his bright example, had just come +out from England. The voyage to Singapore was performed in a budgero, +a small boat with a cabin, in which he studied and translated and +prayed while making the seventeen or eighteen miles a day of the +six-weeks' journey. At night the boat was fastened to the shore. His +journal record of these days is very interesting and very +characteristic. He says: + +"October 27. Arrived at Berhampore. In the evening walked out to the +hospital in which there were 150 European soldiers sick. I was talking +to a man said to be dying, when a surgeon entered. I went up and made +some apology for entering the hospital. It was my old school-fellow +and townsman, ----. The remainder of the evening he spent with me in +my budgero. + +"October 28. Rose very early and was at the hospital at daylight. +Waited there a long time wandering up and down the wards in hopes of +inducing the men to get up and assemble, but it was in vain. I left +three books with them and went away amidst the sneers and titters of +the common soldiers. Certainly it is one of the greatest crosses I am +called to bear to take pains to make people hear me. It is such a +struggle between a sense of propriety and modesty on the one hand, and +a sense of duty on the other, that I find nothing equal to it. I could +force my way anywhere, in order to introduce a brother minister; but +for myself, I act with hesitation and pain. + +"Walking out into a village where the boat stopped for the night I +found the worshipers of Kali by the sound of their drums and cymbals. +Invited by the Brahmins to walk in I entered and asked a few questions +about the idol. The Brahmin who spoke bad Hindoostanee disputed with +great heat, and his tongue ran faster than I could follow, and the +people, about one hundred, shouted applause. I continued my questions +and among other things asked if what I had heard of Vishnu and Brahma +was true, which he confessed. I forbore to press him with the +consequences, which he seemed to feel; and then I told him what was my +belief. The man grew quite mild and said it was _chula bat_ (good +words), and asked me seriously at last what I thought, 'Was idol +worship true or false?' I felt it a matter of thankfulness that I +could make known the truth of God though a stammerer and that I had +declared it in the presence of the devil. And this also I learnt, that +the power of gentleness is irresistible. I never was more astonished +than at the change in deportment of this hot-headed Brahmin.... Came +to on the eastern bank below a village called Ahgadup. Wherever I +walked the women fled at the sight of me. Some men were sitting under +the shed dedicated to their goddess; a lamp was burning in her place. +A conversation soon began, but there was no one who could speak +Hindoostanee. I could only speak by the medium of my Mussulman, +Musalchee. They said that they only did as others did, and that if +they were wrong then all Bengal was wrong. I felt love for their +souls, and longed for utterance to declare unto these poor simple +people the holy gospel. I think that when my mouth is opened I shall +preach to them day and night. + +"October 31. My Moonshee said, 'How can you prove this book (the +gospel), to be the word of God?' I took him to walk with me on the +shore that we might discuss the matter, and the result of our +conversation was that I discovered that the Mussulmen allow the gospel +to be in general the command of God, though the words of it are not +His as the words of the Koran are, and contend that the actual words +of God given to Jesus were burnt by the Jews; that they also admit the +New Testament to have been in force till the coming of Mohammed. When +I quoted some passages which proved the Christian dispensation to be +the final one, he allowed it to be inconsistent with the divinity of +the Koran, but said, 'Then those words of the gospel must be false.' +The man argued and asked his questions seemingly in earnest, and +another new impression was left upon my mind, namely, that these men +are not fools and that all ingenuity and clearness of reasoning are +not confined to England and Europe. I seem to feel that these +descendants of Ham are as dear to God as the haughty sons of Japheth; +I feel, too, more at home with the Scriptures than ever; everything I +see gives light to, and receives it from, the Scriptures. I seem +transported back to the ancient times of the Israelites and the +Apostles. My spirit felt composed after the dispute by simply looking +to God as one who had engaged to support His own cause; and I saw it +to be my part to pursue my way through the wilderness of this world, +looking only to that redemption which daily draweth nigh. How should +this consideration quell the tumult of anger and impatience when I +cannot convince men 'the government is on His shoulders?' Jesus is +able to bear the weight of it; therefore we need not be oppressed with +care or fear, but a missionary is apt to fancy himself an Atlas. + +"November 2. Walking on shore met a large party. I asked if any of +them could read. One young man who seemed superior in rank to the +rest, said he could, and accordingly read some of the only Nagree +tract that I had. I then addressed myself boldly to them and told them +of the gospel. When speaking of the inefficacy of the religious +practices of the Hindoos I mentioned as an example the repetition of +the name of Ram. The young man assented to this and said, 'of what use +is it?' As he seemed to be of a pensive turn and said this with marks +of disgust, I gave him a Nagree Testament, the first I have given. May +God's blessing go along with it and cause the eyes of the multitudes +to be opened. The men said they should be glad to receive tracts, so I +sent them back a considerable number. The idea of printing the +parables in proper order with a short explanation to each, for the +purpose of distribution and as school books, suggested itself to me +to-night and delighted me prodigiously.... A Mussulman, when he +received one of the tracts and found what it was, was greatly alarmed, +and after many awkward apologies, returned it, saying that 'a man who +had his legs in two different boats, was in danger of sinking between +them.'" + +Established at Singapore, Mr. Martyn began upon three different lines +of work, establishing schools, attaining readiness in Hindoostanee so +as to preach the gospel in that language, and translating the +Scriptures and religious books. To his great discouragement he was +informed by the Pundit that every four miles the language changed, so +that a book in the dialect of one district would be unintelligible to +the people of another. Being advised to learn Sanscrit, he took up +this language with great zeal. The commencement of Mr. Martyn's +ministry amongst the Europeans of Singapore was not of such a kind as +to either gratify or encourage him. At first he read prayers to the +soldiers at the barracks from the drumhead, and as there were no seats +provided, was desired to omit the sermon. Afterwards more decent +arrangements being made, the families came in; but taking offense at +his evangelical plainness, they asked that he should desist from +extempore preaching. These European members of his flock were jealous +and angry at his constant efforts for the salvation of the heathen +natives. They thought it much beneath the dignity of an English +chaplain to care for these degraded souls. Some of Mr. Martyn's duties +as chaplain were exceedingly onerous. On several occasions he was +summoned to distant places involving long and dangerous journeys to +perform a marriage ceremony. On these journeys he suffered severely, +and they were a great draft upon his very delicate health; always weak +and languid, and often alarmingly disordered. Yet through all he +continued to labor incessantly. Every Sabbath he held at least four +services: at 7 for Europeans; at 2 for Hindoos, about two hundred in +attendance; in the afternoon at the hospital; in the evening in his +own room for the soldiers. In his household were two natives who +assisted in his studies and translations, the Moonshee and the Pundit, +with whom he held long disputes and with whom he labored daily, though +unsuccessfully, to bring them to faith in Christ. He says, +"translating the epistle of St. John with the Moonshee, I asked him +what he thought of those passages which so strongly express the +doctrines of the Trinity and of the divinity of Christ. He said he +never would believe it, because the Koran declared it sinful to say +that God had any Son. I told him that he ought to pray that God would +teach him what the truth really is. He said he had no occasion on this +subject, as the word of God was express. I asked him whether some +doubt ought not to arise in his mind whether the Koran is the word of +God. He grew angry, and I felt hurt and vexed. I should have done +better to have left the words of the chapter with him without saying +anything. I went also too far with the Pundit in arguing against his +superstition, for he also grew angry." If any qualification seems +necessary to a missionary in India it is wisdom--operating in the +regulation of the temper and the due improvement of opportunities. Mr. +Martyn needed the heavenly gift of wisdom also in the management of +his native schools, five or six of which were supported by himself in +Singapore. Little by little he succeeded in introducing as a text-book +a part of the Bible--his own translation of the sermon on the Mount +and the Parables. He was called to do more and more of this work of +translating the Scriptures, and was persuaded by the Rev. David Brown +not only to continue the Hindoostanee, but to superintend the +translation of the Scriptures into Persian. He engaged in it at once +with zeal. He writes: "The time fled imperceptibly while so +delightfully engaged in the translations; the days seemed to have +passed like a moment. What do I not owe to the Lord for permitting me +to take part in a translation of His word? Never did I see such wonder +and wisdom and love in the blessed Book as since I have been obliged +to study every expression. Employed a good while at night in +considering a difficult passage, and being much enlightened respecting +it, I went to bed full of astonishment at the wonder of God's Word. +Never before did I see anything of the beauty of the language and the +importance of the thoughts as I do now. What a source of perpetual +delight have I in the precious Word of God!" + +This ecstasy of enthusiasm in most successful and congenial labor was +suddenly dashed by a great wave of sorrow which came to Mr. Martyn in +the news of the death of his eldest sister. To missionaries in foreign +lands such news is especially bitter, and to recover from such a shock +and sense of irreparable loss seems almost impossible. The mind, +unsatisfied with details of the sad event, is left in shadow which +deepens into heavy gloom. Mr. Martyn was all alone and felt it keenly +and inexpressibly. Some of his most intimate and sympathetic friends +at this time, realizing how it was not good for him to be alone, +encouraged him to renew his matrimonial offer to his ever beloved L. +After her refusal he says, "The Lord sanctify this, and since this +last desire of my heart is also withheld may I turn away forever from +the world and henceforth live forgetful of all but God. With Thee, O +my God, is no disappointment. I shall never have to regret that I have +loved Thee too well. Thou hast said, 'delight thyself in the Lord, and +he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.'" + +Could sweeter words than these be expressed in any language! Could +greater depths of submission or heights of consecration be attained! +They deserve to be recorded on imperishable marble or blazoned on the +sky in sight of all, and received as the confession of every Christian +heart, to the honor and praise of Him who gave such glorious victory +to this tried soldier of the cross. + +Providentially for Mr. Martyn's comfort his thoughts were much +occupied after this by the arrival of his coadjutors in the work of +translation, one of these, Mirza of Benares, well known in India as an +eminent Hindoostanee scholar; the other Sabat the Arabian, since but +too well known both in India and England by his rejection of that +faith which he then appeared to profess in sincerity and faith. In the +latter of these Mr. Martyn confidently trusted that he had found a +Christian brother with respect to the reality of his belief in +Christianity, although Mr. Martyn immediately discovered in him an +unsubdued Arab spirit, and witnessed with pain many deflections from +that temper and conduct which he himself so eminently exemplified; +yet, he could not but "believe all things and hope all things," even +while he continued to suffer much from him, and for a length of time, +with unparalleled forbearance and kindness. Sabat's temper was a +continual trial and mortification. The very first Sabbath in +Singapore, imagining he was not treated with sufficient dignity, he +left the church before service in great anger. Often in the midst of +the translation he would come to a sudden stop and refuse to go on for +the most trivial reasons, sometimes for fear that Mirza who would +review the work might have part of the honor. About this time Mr. +Martyn was much bereaved by the removal of a family with whom he had +lived in intimate terms of Christian intercourse. "This separation +affected him the more sensibly because it was not in every family at +that station that he met with a kind and cordial reception." He says, +"I called on one of the Singapore families, and felt my pride rise at +the uncivil manner in which I was received. I was disposed at first to +determine never to visit the house again, but I remembered the words, +'overcome evil with good.'" + +In the month of March, 1808, the New Testament in Hindoostanee was +completed. He says, "I have read and corrected the manuscript till my +eyes ache; such a week of labor I believe I have never passed. The +heat is terrible, often at 98 degrees, the nights insupportable." We +next hear of Mr. Martyn suffering from severe illness with fever and +vertigo, and pained with the thought of leaving the Persian gospels +unfinished! So unselfish, so full of zeal! Again at work, mercury at +102 degrees. "Arabic now employs my few moments of leisure. In +consequence of reading the Koran with Sabat audibly, and drinking no +wine, the slander has gone forth that the Singapore Padre has turned +Mussulman. + +"June 6th. To-day we have completed the Persian of St. Matthew. Sabat +desired me to kneel down to bless God for the happy event, and we +joined in praise of the Father of lights. It is a superb performance +in every respect, with elegance enough to attract the careless and +please the fastidious; it contains enough of Eternal Life to save the +reader's soul.... My services on the Lord's day always leave me with a +pain in the chest, and such a great degree of general relaxation, that +I seldom recover it till Tuesday. The society still meet every night +at my quarters, and though we have lost many by death, others are +raised up in their room. One officer, a lieutenant, is also given to +me, and he is not only a brother beloved, but a constant companion and +nurse; so you must feel no apprehension that I should be left alone in +sickness." + +In April, 1809, Mr. Martyn removes from Dinapore to Cawnpore. Here he +met friendship and hospitality. We quote from the graceful pen of Mrs. +Sherwood: "The month of April in the upper provinces of Hindoostan is +one of the most dreadful months for traveling throughout the year; +indeed, no European at that time can remove from place to place, but +at the risk of his life. + +"But Mr. Martyn had that anxiety to begin the work which his heavenly +Father had given him to do, that notwithstanding the violent heat, he +traveled from Chunar to Cawnpore, the space of about four hundred +miles. At that time as I well remember, the air was as hot and dry as +that which I have sometimes felt near the mouth of a large oven, no +friendly cloud or verdant carpet of grass to relieve the eye from the +strong glare of the rays of the sun pouring on the sandy plains of the +Ganges. Thus Mr. Martyn traveled, journeying night and day, and +arrived at Cawnpore in such a state that he fainted away as soon as he +entered the house. When we charged him with the rashness of hazarding +his life in this manner, he always pleaded his anxiety to get to the +great work. He remained with us ten days, suffering considerably at +times from fever and pain in the chest. + +"Mr. Martyn's removal from Dinapore to Cawnpore was to him in many +respects a very unpleasant arrangement. He was several hundred miles +farther distant from Calcutta and more widely separated than before +from his friend Mr. Corrie. He had new acquaintances to form at his +new abode, and after having with much difficulty procured the erection +of a church at Dinapore he was transported to a spot where none of the +conveniences, much less the decencies and solemnities of public +worship, were visible. + +"We find him soon after he arrived there preaching to a thousand +soldiers drawn up in a hollow square, when the heat was so great, +although the sun had not risen, that many actually dropped down, +unable to support it." + +Yet Mr. Martyn's labors were not abated. Every Sabbath at dawn were +prayers and sermon with the regiment, and again at eleven at the house +of the general of the station. In the afternoon he preached to a crowd +of poor natives, five, to eight hundred, rude, noisy, wretched +beggars, for whose souls he felt a tender care. Again in the evening, +the best of the day, he had a meeting with the more devout of his +flock. These ministrations so earnestly performed were most +exhausting, yet he knew not how to forego them; at this time, too, +from England came the sad and sudden news of the death of his sister, +the one who had led him to Christ. + +The alarming state of his health made some change necessary, and Mr. +Martyn was urged to leave India and make trial of a sea voyage. His +Persian New Testament had been criticised as unfit for general +circulation, being written in a style too learned and exalted for the +comprehension of the common people. He was advised to visit Persia and +there revise his work and also complete his version in Arabic, almost +finished. Mr. Brown, his devoted friend, and the Calcutta agent of the +British and Foreign Bible Society, thus writes: "Can I then bring +myself to cut the string and let you go? I confess I could not if your +bodily frame were strong, and promised to last for half a century. But +as you burn with the intenseness and rapid blaze of heated phosphorus, +why should we not make the most of you? Your flame may last as long +and perhaps longer in Arabia, than in India. Where should the Phoenix +build her odoriferous nest, but in the land prophetically called 'the +blessed?' and where shall we ever expect, but from that country, the +true Comforter to come to the nations of the East? I contemplate your +New Testament springing up, as it were, from dust and ashes, but +beautiful as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and his feathers +like yellow gold." His farewell services at Cawnpore were very tender +and affecting, both with his great audience of natives and Englishmen. +Of the latter, Mrs. Sherwood says: "He began in a weak and faint +voice, being at that time in a very bad state of health; but, +gathering strength as he proceeded, he seemed as one inspired from on +high. Never was an audience more affected. The next day this holy and +heavenly man left Cawnpore and the society of many who sincerely loved +and admired him." Stopping to visit the friends in Calcutta, the Rev. +Mr. Thomason says: "This bright and lovely jewel first gratified our +eyes on Saturday last. He is on his way to Arabia, where he is going +in pursuit of health and knowledge. You know his genius, and what +gigantic strides he takes in everything. He has some great plan in his +mind, of which I am no competent judge; but as far as I do understand +it, the object is far too grand for one short life, and much beyond +his feeble and exhausted frame. Feeble it is, indeed; how fallen and +changed! His complaint lies in his lungs and appears to be an +incipient consumption. But let us hope the sea air may revive him, and +that change may do him essential service and continue his life many +years. In all other respects he is exactly the same as he was; he +shines in all the dignity of love, and seems to carry about him such a +heavenly majesty as impresses the mind beyond description. But if he +talks much, though in a low voice, he sinks, and you are reminded of +his being dust and ashes." Though so infirm, Mr. Martyn preached every +Sabbath of his visit, and his last sermon on the anniversary of the +Calcutta Bible Society was afterwards printed and entitled "Christian +India, or an appeal on behalf of nine hundred thousand Christians in +India who want the Bible." + + + + +LIFE IN PERSIA. + + +From this time a change comes over Mr. Martyn's varied life. We have +seen him the successful candidate for academical distinctions--the +faithful and laborious pastor--the self-denying and devoted +missionary--the indefatigable translator--the preacher of the gospel +to the heathen; we are now called to admire in him the courageous +spirit of the Christian confessor. + +He says, on his voyage towards Persia: "All down the Bay of Bengal I +could do nothing but sit listless, viewing the wide waste of water, a +sight that would have been beautiful had I been well. In my Hebrew +researches I scarcely ever felt so discouraged. All the knowledge I +thought I had acquired became uncertain, and consequently I was +unhappy. It was in vain that I reflected that thousands live and die +happy without such knowledge as I am in search of. + +"Proposed family prayer every night in the cabin--no objection was +made. + +"February 18, anchored off Bombay. This day I finished the thirtieth +year of my unprofitable life, the age at which David Brainerd finished +his course. I am now at the age at which the Savior of men began his +ministry, and at which John the Baptist called a nation to repentance. +Hitherto I have made my youth and insignificance an excuse for sloth +and imbecility, now let me have a character and act boldly for God. + +"March 5. Feerog, a Parsee who is considered the most learned man +here, called to converse about religion. He spoke Persian and seemed +familiar with Arabic. He began by saying that no one religion had more +evidences of its truth than another, for that all the miracles of the +respective founders depended upon tradition. This I denied. He +acknowledged that the writer of the Zendavesta was not cotemporary +with Zoroaster. After disputing and raising objections he was left +without an answer, but continued to cavil. 'Why' said he, 'did the +Magi see the star in the East and none else? from what part of the +East did they come? and how was it possible that their king should +come to Jerusalem in seven days?' The last piece of information he had +from the Armenians. I asked him whether he had any thoughts of +changing his religion. He replied with a contemptuous smile, 'No, +every man is safe in his own religion.' I asked him, 'What sinners +must do to obtain pardon?' 'Repent,' said he. I asked, 'Would +repentance satisfy a creditor or a judge?' 'Why, is it not said in the +gospel,' rejoined he, 'that we must repent?' I replied, 'It cannot be +proved from the gospel that repentance alone is sufficient, or good +works, or both.' 'Where then is the glory of salvation?' he said; I +replied, 'In the atonement of Christ.' 'All this' said he, 'I know, +but so the Mohammedans say, that Hosyn was an atonement for the sins +of men.' He then began to criticise the translations he saw on the +table. + +"April 23. Moscat, Arabia. Went on shore and met the Vizier. His +African slave argued with me for Mohammed and did not know how to let +me go, he was so interested in the business. + +"April 25. Gave him an Arabic copy of the gospel, which he at once +began to read, and carried it off as a great prize, which I hope he +will find it to be. + +"Bushire, Persia. Called on the governor, a Persian Khan. He was very +particular in his attentions. Seated me on his own seat and then sat +by my side. After the usual salutations and inquiries the calean +(pipe), was introduced, then coffee in china cups placed within silver +ones, then calean, then some rose-water syrup, then calean. Observing +the windows of stained glass, I began to question him about the art of +coloring glass, observing that the modern Europeans were inferior to +the ancient in the manufacture of the article. He expressed his +surprise that Europeans, who were so skillful in making watches, +should fail in any handicraft work. I could not help recollecting the +Emperor of China's sarcastic remark on the Europeans and their arts, +and therefore dropped the subject. On his calean--I called it hookah +at first, but he did not understand me--I noticed several little +paintings of the Virgin and child, and asked him whether such things +were not unlawful among Mohammedans. He answered very coolly 'Yes,' as +much as to say, 'What then?' I lamented that the Eastern Christians +should use such things in their churches. He repeated the words of a +good man who was found fault with for having an image before him while +at prayer, 'God is nearer to me than that image, so that I do not see +it.' This man, I afterwards found, is like most of the other grandees +of the East, a murderer. + +"On the 30th of May, our Persian dresses were ready, and we set out +for Shiraz. The Persian dress consists of first, stockings and shoes +in one; next, a pair of large blue trousers, or else a pair of huge +red boots; then the shirt, then the tunic, and above it the coat, both +of chintz, and a great coat. I have here described my own dress, most +of which I have on at this moment. On the head is worn an enormous +cone made of the skin of the black Tartar sheep with the wool on. If +to this description of my dress I add that my beard and mustachios +have been suffered to vegetate undisturbed ever since I left India; +that I am sitting on a Persian carpet, in a room without tables or +chairs, and that I bury my hand in the pillar (rice), without waiting +for spoon or plate, you will give me credit for being already an +accomplished Oriental. + +"At ten o'clock on the 30th our califa began to move. It consisted +chiefly of mules with a few horses. I wished to have a mule, but the +muleteer favored me with his own pony; this animal had a bell fastened +to its neck. To add solemnity to the scene, a Bombay trumpeter who was +going to join the embassy was directed to blow a blast as we moved off +the ground; but whether it was that the trumpeter was not an adept in +the science or that his instrument was out of order, the crazy sounds +that saluted our ears had a ludicrous effect. At last, after some +jostling, mutual recriminations and recalcitrating of the steeds, we +each found our places and moved out of the gate of the city in good +order. The residents accompanied us a little way, and then left us to +pursue our journey over the plain. It was a fine moonlight night, the +scene new and perfectly oriental, and nothing prevented me from +indulging my own reflections. As the night advanced the califa grew +quiet; on a sudden one of the muleteers began to sing, and sang in a +voice so plaintive that it was impossible not to have one's attention +arrested. Every voice was hushed. + +"These were the words translated: + + Think not that e'er my heart could dwell + Contented far from thee, + How can the fresh-caught nightingale + Enjoy tranquility? + + Oh, then forsake thy friend for naught + That slanderous tongues can say, + The heart that fixeth where it ought + No power can rend away. + +"Thus far our journey was agreeable. Now for miseries. At sunrise we +came to our ground at Ahmedu, six parasangs, and pitched our little +tent under a tree; it was the only shelter we could get. At first the +heat was not greater than we had felt in India, but it soon became so +intense as to be quite alarming. When the thermometer was above 112 +degrees, fever heat, I began to lose my strength fast; at last it +became quite intolerable. I wrapped myself up in a blanket and all the +warm covering I could get to defend myself from the external air, by +which means the moisture was kept a little longer upon the body, and +not so speedily evaporated as when the skin was exposed. One of my +companions followed my example and found the benefit of it. But the +thermometer still rising, and the moisture of the body being quite +exhausted, I grew restless and thought I should have lost my senses. +The thermometer at last stood at 126 degrees. In this state I composed +myself and concluded that, though I might hold out but a day or two, +death was inevitable. Captain ---- continued to tell the hour and +heights of the thermometer, and with pleasure we heard of it sinking +to 120 degrees, 118 degrees, etc. At last the fierce sun retired and I +crept out more dead than alive. The next day we secured some comfort +from a large wet towel wrapped about the head and body. At sunset, +rising to go out, a scorpion fell upon my clothes. The night before we +found a black scorpion in our tent, that made us uneasy, so we got no +sleep." + +June 9 Mr. Martyn arrived at Shiraz, the celebrated seat of Persian +literature, and at once began work upon his translation with the +efficient help of Mirza Seid Ali Khan. In this work he had many +interruptions, being himself an object of attention and curiosity. He +received many calls, and unwilling to lose any opportunity of +benefiting the inhabitants of Shiraz, was never inaccessible to them. +He says, "June 17, in the evening, Seid Ali came with two Moollahs, +and with them I had a very long and temperate discussion. One of them +read the beginning of John in Arabic and inquired very particularly +into our opinions respecting the person of Christ, and when he was +informed that we did not consider His human nature eternal nor His +mother divine, seemed quite satisfied, and remarked to the others, +'how much misapprehension is removed when people come to an +explanation.'" + +"June 22. The Prince's secretary called to talk about Soofeeism. They +believe they know not what. He thought to excite my wonder by telling +me that I and every created being was God. + +"June 26. Two young men from the college came, full of zeal and logic, +to try me with hard questions such as, whether being be but one or +two? What is the state and form of disembodied spirits? and other +foolish and unlearned questions ministering strife. At last, one of +them discovered the true cause of his coming by asking me bluntly to +bring a proof of the religion of Christ. You allow the divine mission +of Christ, said I, why need I prove it? Not being able to draw me into +an argument they said what they wished to say, namely, that I had no +other proof for the miracles of Christ than they had for those of +Mohammed, which is tradition. 'Softly' I said, 'You will be pleased to +observe a difference between your books and ours, when by tradition we +have reached our several books, our narrators were eye witnesses; +yours are not, nor nearly so.' + +"In the evening Seid Ali asked me the cause of evil. I said I knew +nothing about it. He thought he could tell me, so I let him reason on +till he soon found he knew as little about the matter as myself. He +wanted to prove that there was no real difference between good and +evil; that it was only apparent. I observed that the difference, if +only apparent, was the cause of a great deal of misery. + +"June 30, Sunday. Preached to the Ambassador's suite on the 'Faithful +Saying.' In the evening baptized his child. Zachariah told me this +morning that I was the town talk." Indeed Shiraz was stirred to its +depth by the presence of Mr. Martyn during the whole year of his stay. +Men of every kind, especially the learned and zealous, came singly and +in groups almost every day to argue and dispute against Christ. Now it +was a party of Armenians, now learned Jews, now a prince, now a +general, now the very Moojtuhid himself, the professor of Mohammedan +law. This great dignitary invited Mr. Martyn to his house, where for +hours he talked on and on, defending his Prophet and showing his +learning; he was greatly annoyed at any difference of opinion, and +decided it was "quite useless for Mohammedans and Christians to argue +together, as they had different languages and different histories." +But fearing Mr. Martyn's influence he was stirred to write a defense +of his faith, which was said to surpass all former treatises on Islam. +He concludes it in these words, addressed to Mr. Martyn: "Oh, thou +that art wise! consider with the eye of justice, since thou hast no +excuse to offer to God. Thou hast wished to see the truth of miracles. +We desire you to look at the great Koran: that is an everlasting +miracle." Mr. Martyn replied, showing why men are bound to reject +Mohammedanism; that Mohammed was foretold by no prophet, worked no +miracles, spread his religion by means merely human, appeals to man's +lowest and sensual nature, that he was ambitious for himself and +family, that the Koran is full of absurdities and contradictions, that +it contains a method of salvation wholly inefficacious, sadly +contrasting with the divine atonement of Jesus Christ. The Prince's +nephew, hearing of the attack on Mohammed, said, "the proper answer to +it is the sword." + +Mr. Martyn writes, February 8: "This is my birthday, on which I +complete my thirty-first year. The Persian New Testament has been +begun and finished in it. Such a painful year I never passed, owing to +the privations I have been called to, on the one hand, and the +spectacle before me of human depravity on the other. But I hope I have +not come to this seat of Satan in vain. The Word of God has found its +way into Persia, and it is not in Satan's power to oppose its progress +if the Lord hath sent it." + +The Psalms in Persian was finished by the middle of March. + +On the 23d Mr. Martyn writes: "I called on the Vizier. In the court +where he received me, Mirza Ibraheem was lecturing. Finding myself so +near my old and respectable antagonist, I expressed a wish to see him, +on which Jaffier Ali Khan went up to ascertain if my visit would be +agreeable. The master consented, but some of the disciples demurred. +At last, one of them, observing that by the blessing of God on the +master's conversation I might possibly be converted, it was agreed +that I should be invited to ascend. Then it became a question where I +ought to sit. Below all would not be respectful to a stranger, but +above all the Moollahs could not be tolerated. I entered and was +surprised at the numbers. The room was lined with Moollahs on both +sides and at the top. I was about to sit down on the floor but was +beckoned to an empty place near the top, opposite to the master, who, +after the usual compliments, without further ceremony, asked me, 'What +we meant by calling Christ, God?' War being thus unequivocally +declared, I had nothing to do but stand upon the defensive. Mirza +Ibraheem argued temperately enough; but of the rest, some were very +violent and clamorous. The former asked 'if Christ had ever called +himself God--was he the Creator or a creature?' I replied, 'The +Creator.' The Moollahs looked at one another. Such a confession had +never before been heard among the Mohammedan doctors. + +"One Moollah wanted to controvert some of my illustrations by +interrogating me about the personality of Christ. To all his questions +I replied by requesting the same information respecting his own +person. To another, who was rather contemptuous and violent, I said +'If you do not approve of our doctrine, will you be so good as to say +what God is, according to you, that I may worship a proper object?' +One said, 'the author of the universe.' 'I can form no idea from these +words,' said I, 'but of a workman at work upon a vast number of +materials. Is that a correct notion?' Another said, 'One who came of +himself into being.' 'So then he came,' I replied, 'out of one place +into another, and before he came he was not. Is this an abstract and +refined notion?' After this no one asked me any more questions, and +for fear the dispute should be renewed Jaffier Ali Khan carried me +away." + +When we think of the bigotry and intolerance of these people and of +Mr. Martyn's unflinching courage single-handed and alone, declaring +the truth and preaching Christ, exposed to the greatest personal +danger, contempt and insult, but unabashed, he stands before the world +during his Shiraz residence as one of the bravest and grandest heroes +that has ever lived. Such a spectacle is thrilling and sublime. God +was with him to protect him and to inspire his magnificent +confessions. A figure-head in history! A sight for angels and for men! + + Faithful found + Among the faithless, faithful only he, + Unshaken, unseduced, unterrified, + His loyalty he kept, his zeal, his love. + +And God was with him to cheer and comfort, and we rejoice to know that +some of the scenes of his life in Shiraz were quiet and restful. At +one time a tent was pitched for him in a garden in the suburbs of the +city. + +Living amidst clusters of grapes by the side of a clear stream and +frequently sitting under the shade of an orange tree, which Jaffier +Ali Khan delighted to point out to visitors, until the day of his own +departure, he passed many a tranquil hour, and enjoyed many a Sabbath +of holy rest and divine refreshment. + +He says: "Passed some days at Jaffier Ali Khan's garden with Mirza +Seid Ali, Aga Baba, Sheikh Abul Hassam, reading at their request the +Old Testament histories. Their attention to the word and their love +and respect for me seemed to increase as the time for my departure +approached. Aga Baba, who had been reading St. Matthew, related very +circumstantially to the company the particulars of the death of +Christ. The bed of roses on which we sat and the notes of the +nightingales warbling around us, were not so sweet to me as this +discourse from the Persian." + +The plain of Shiraz is covered with ancient ruins, and contains the +tombs of the poets Zaadi and Hafiz. + + A vision of the bright Shiraz, of Persian bards the theme; + The vine with bunches laden hangs o'er the crystal stream; + The nightingale all day her notes in rosy thicket trills, + And the brooding heat-mist faintly lies along the distant hills. + + About the plain are scattered wide in many a crumbling heap, + The fanes of other days, and tombs where Iran's poets sleep; + And in the midst, like burnished gems, in noonday light repose + The minarets of bright Shiraz,--the City of the Rose. + + One group beside the river bank in rapt discourse are seen, + Where hangs the golden orange on its boughs of purest green; + Their words are sweet and low, and their looks are lit with joy, + Some holy blessing seems to rest on them and their employ. + + The pale-faced Frank among them sits; what brought him from afar? + Nor bears he bales of merchandise, nor teaches skill in war; + One pearl alone he brings with him--the Book of life and death,-- + One warfare only teaches he,--to fight the fight of faith. + + And Iran's sons are round him, and one with solemn tone + Tells how the Lord of Glory was rejected by his own; + Tells from the wondrous gospel of the trial and the doom,-- + The words divine of love and might,--the scourge, the cross, the tomb. + + Far sweeter to the stranger's ear these eastern accents sound, + Than music of the nightingale that fills the air around; + Lovelier than balmiest odors sent from gardens of the rose, + The fragrance from the contrite soul and chastened lip that flows. + + The nightingales have ceased to sing, the roses' leaves are shed, + The Frank's pale face in Tocat's field hath mouldered with the dead; + Alone and all unfriended midst his Master's work he fell, + With none to bathe his fevered brow, with none his tale to tell. + + But still those sweet and solemn tones about him sound in bliss, + And fragrance from those flowers of God forevermore is his; + For his the meed, by grace, of those who rich in zeal and love, + Turn many unto righteousness, and shine as stars above. + + 1851. --HENRY ALFORD. + +On the 24th of May, after a year's residence, Mr. Martyn left Shiraz, +bearing his precious translation to be presented to the Shah. The +journey was an occasion of disappointment, exposure and suffering. + +Arrived at the Shah's camp he says: "June 12th, attended the Vizier's +levee, when there was a most intemperate and clamorous controversy +kept up for an hour or two, eight or ten on one side, and I on the +other. Amongst them were two Moollahs, the most ignorant of any I have +met in Persia or India. It would be impossible to enumerate all the +absurd things they said. Their vulgarity in interrupting me in the +middle of a speech, their utter ignorance of the nature of an +argument, their impudent assertions about the law and the gospel, +neither of which they had ever seen in their lives, moved my +indignation. The Vizier said, 'You had better say, God is God and +Mohammed is the prophet of God.' I said, 'God is God,' but added, +instead of 'Mohammed is the prophet of God,' 'Jesus is the Son of +God.' They had no sooner heard this, which I had avoided bringing +forward till then, than they all exclaimed in contempt and anger, 'He +is neither born nor begets,' and rose up as if they would have torn me +in pieces. One of them said, 'What will you say when your tongue is +burnt out for this blasphemy?' + +"My book which I had brought, expecting to present it to the king, lay +before Mirza Shufi. As they all rose up after him to go, some to the +king, and some away, I was afraid they would trample upon the book; so +I went in among them to take it up, and wrapped it in a towel before +them, while they looked at it and me with supreme contempt. Thus I +walked away alone to my tent to pass the rest of the day in heat and +dirt. What have I done, thought I, to merit all this scorn? Nothing, I +trust, but bearing testimony to Jesus. I thought over these things in +prayer and found the peace which Christ hath promised. To complete the +trials of the day a messenger came from the Vizier in the evening to +say that it was the custom of the king not to see any Englishman +unless presented by the ambassador or accredited by a letter from him, +and that I must therefore wait till the king reached Sultania, where +the ambassador would be." + +Traveling toward Tabriz he writes, June 22: "Met with the usual +insulting treatment at the caravansarai when the king's servant had +got possession of a good room built for the reception of the better +order of guests; they seemed to delight in the opportunity of humbling +a European--all along the road when the king is expected the people +are patiently waiting as for some dreadful disaster; plague, +pestilence or famine are nothing to the misery of being subject to the +violence and extortion of this rabble soldiery. + +"June 26. Have eaten nothing now for two days. My mind much disordered +from headache and giddiness;--but my heart is with Christ and His +saints. + +"June 27. Passed the third day in the same exhausted state, my head +tortured with shocking pains, such as, together with the horror I felt +at being exposed to the sun, showed me plainly to what to ascribe my +sickness." + +Thus in great illness and suffering Mr. Martyn reached Tabriz, and was +nursed through a fever of two months' continuance at the ambassador's +residence. This defeated his plan of presenting the Persian New +Testament to the king--but it was afterwards done by Sir Gore Ouseley +himself, and publicly received the royal approbation, and still later +was printed in St. Petersburg. + +On leaving Cawnpore, Mr. Martyn had intended returning to England, but +had willingly remained in Persia to finish the translation, which +being now disposed of, he reverted to his original intention, and set +out on his last fatal journey towards Constantinople, September 2. His +journal is filled with expressions of gratitude for restored health, +delight in the scenery of Tabriz, descriptions of the country and the +journey, the Araxes river, the hoary peaks of Ararat, the governor's +palace, the ancient Armenian church and monastery at Ech-Miazin, where +he received great kindness from the Patriarch and the monks. He was +profoundly impressed with the view from an elevated table-land looking +out upon Persia, Russia and Turkey--a Pisgah vision, which excites in +later missionaries a strong desire for Christian conquest. Describes +Cars and Erzroom. September 29, left Erzroom. Was attacked with fever +and ague. + +"September 30. Took nothing all day but tea; headache and loss of +appetite depressed my spirits, yet my soul rests in Him who is as +anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, which, not seen, keeps me +fast. + +"October 1. Marched over a mountainous tract; we were out from seven +in the morning till eight at night. After sitting a little by the fire +I was near fainting from sickness. My depression of spirits led me to +the throne of grace as a sinful abject worm. When I thought of myself +and my transgressions, I could find no text so cheering as, 'My ways +are not as your ways.' From the men who accompanied Sir Wm. Ouseley to +Constantinople I learned that the plague was raging at Constantinople +and thousands dying every day. One of the Persians had died of it. +They added that the inhabitants of Tocat were flying from their town +from the same cause. Thus I am passing into imminent danger. O Lord +thy will be done! Living or dying, remember me. + +"October 2. Lodged in the stables of the post-house. As soon as it +began to grow a little cold, the ague came on and then the fever, +after which I had a sleep, which let me know too plainly the disorder +of my frame. In the night Hossan sent to summon me away, but I was +quite unable to move. Finding me still in bed at the dawn he began to +storm furiously at my detaining him so long, but I quietly let him +spend his ire, ate my breakfast composedly, and set out at eight. He +seemed determined to make up for the delay, for we flew over hill and +dale to Sherean, where we changed horses. From thence we traveled all +the rest of the day and all night. It rained most of the time. After +sunset the ague came on again, which in my wet state was very trying. +I hardly know how to keep my life in me. About that time there was a +village at hand, but Hassan had no mercy. The night was pitchy dark, +so that I could not see the road under my horse's feet. However, God +being mercifully pleased to alleviate my bodily suffering, I went on +contentedly to the munzil (stopping-place). After sleeping three or +four hours Hassan hurried me away, and galloped furiously toward a +village, which he said was four hours distant, which was all I could +undertake in my present state; but village after village did he pass, +till night coming on, and no signs of another, I suspected he was +carrying me on to the munzil; so I got off my horse and sat upon the +ground and told him I neither could nor would go any farther. He +stormed, but I was immovable, till a light, appearing at a distance, I +mounted my horse and made toward it, leaving him to follow or not as +he pleased. He brought in the party, but would not exert himself to +get a place for me. They brought me to an open verandah, but Sergius +told them I wanted a place in which to be alone. This seemed very +offensive to them, 'and why must he be alone'? they asked, ascribing +this desire of mine to pride, I suppose. Tempted at last by money they +brought me to a stable room, and Hassan and a number of others planted +themselves there with me. My fever here increased to a violent degree, +the heat in my eyes and forehead was so great that the fire almost +made me frantic. I entreated that it might be put out or that I might +be carried out of doors. Neither was attended to; my servant, who from +my sitting in that strange way on the ground, believed me delirious, +was deaf to all I said. At last I pushed my head in among the luggage +and lodged it on the damp ground and slept. + +"October 5. Preserving mercy made me see the light of another morning. +The sleep had refreshed me but I was feeble and shaken, yet the +merciless Hassan hurried me off. I was pretty well lodged and felt +tolerably well till a little after sunset, when the ague came on with +a violence I had never before experienced. I felt as if in a palsy, my +teeth chattering, and my whole frame violently shaken. Aga Hosyn and +another Persian on their way here from Constantinople, came hastily to +render me assistance if they could. These Persians appear quite +brotherly after the Turks. While they pitied me, Hassan sat in perfect +indifference, ruminating on the further delay this was likely to +occasion. The cold fit after continuing two or three hours was +followed by a fever, which lasted the whole night and prevented sleep. + +"October 6. No horses were to be had, and I had an unexpected repose. +Sat in the orchard and thought with sweet comfort and peace of my God: +in solitude my companion, friend and comforter. Oh, when shall time +give place to eternity--when shall appear that new heaven and earth, +wherein dwelleth righteousness! There, there shall in no wise enter in +anything that defileth; none of that wickedness which has made men +worse than wild beasts, none of those corruptions which add still more +to the miseries of humanity, shall be seen or heard of any more." + +Here abruptly closes the journal, with pantings for the glory and the +purity of Immanuel's land, into which he was admitted by a blessed +translation, released from all the sufferings of life on October 16, +1812, at Tocat, Turkey. The manner of his death is not known, whether +it resulted from the sickness described, or from the plague, then +raging. Whether Hassan was cruel and driving to the last, whether all +his heartless Turkish attendants deserted him or not in his hour of +final agony, we cannot tell. No relative or friend was there, no +tender voice of sympathy, no woman's soothing hand, no alleviations +from medicine. Even the commonest decencies and necessities of +civilized life were lacking. Earth gave nothing to Henry Martyn in his +mortal need, but we are sure heavenly consolations were unstinted. + + "Jesus can make a dying bed + Feel soft as downy pillows are." + +And Jesus was there! And Henry Martyn was satisfied, and is forever +satisfied! "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his +saints." And the most priceless legacy of the blood-bought and +commissioned church is the memory of a life, so gifted, so unselfish, +so consecrated. + +It is wanting in no element of moral heroism. Our souls confess its +grandeur. The contemplation lifts us into a higher atmosphere than +that of mammon, and self, and earth. We rejoice to see a crown so +rare, so fair, so precious, laid at the feet of Jesus, the King. He is +worthy. And we long to see the youth of our land and the church +inspired by Henry Martyn's example, as he was inspired by David +Brainerd's. And so we would have the apostolic succession continued +till the millennium, of such as shall not count their lives dear for +the testimony of the gospel. + +It is said that after Mr. Martyn's death one of his earliest and most +devoted friends, the Rev. Charles Simeon, used always to keep his +picture before him in his study for help and inspiration. "Move where +he would through the apartment, it seemed to keep its eyes upon him, +and ever to say to him, 'Be earnest, be earnest; don't trifle, don't +trifle,' and the good Simeon would gently bow to the speaking picture, +and with a smile, reply, 'Yes, I will; I will be in earnest, I will +not trifle; for souls are perishing and Jesus is to be glorified.'" + +Would that Henry Martyn's life might bring such a message to every +heart, and awaken in every one a similar response. + + + + +MISSIONARY ANNALS. +Price per vol., cloth 30c., paper 18c. + +I. +MEMOIR OF ROBERT MOFFAT +_BY MRS. M. L. WILDER_. + +II. +LIFE OF ADONIRAM JUDSON +_BY MISS JULIA H. JOHNSTON_. + +III. +WOMAN AND THE GOSPEL IN PERSIA +_BY REV. THOMAS LAURIE, D.D._ + +IV. +LIFE OF REV. JUSTIN PERKINS, D.D. +_BY REV. HENRY MARTYN PERKINS_. + +V. +LIFE OF DAVID LIVINGSTONE +_BY MRS. J. H. WORCESTER, JR._ + +OTHERS IN PREPARATION. SENT POSTPAID ON RECEIPT OF PRICE. + +CHICAGO: +WOMAN'S PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF MISSIONS OF THE NORTHWEST. +Room 48, McCormick Block. + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Life of Henry Martyn, Missionary to +India and Persia, 1781 to 1812, by Sarah J. Rhea + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30085 *** diff --git a/30085-h/30085-h.htm b/30085-h/30085-h.htm index 979950c..1a236cd 100644 --- a/30085-h/30085-h.htm +++ b/30085-h/30085-h.htm @@ -1,1377 +1,1377 @@ -
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-<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30085 ***</div>
-
-<h2>MISSIONARY ANNALS.</h2>
-<center><small>(A SERIES.)</small></center>
-<br>
-<hr width="150" align="center">
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<h4>LIFE OF</h4>
-<h1>HENRY MARTYN,</h1>
-<h4>MISSIONARY TO INDIA AND PERSIA,</h4>
-<h4>1781 to 1812</h4>
-<br>
-<hr width="150" align="center">
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<center><small>ABRIDGED FROM THE MEMOIR.<br>
-<br>
-BY</small></center>
-<h4>MRS. SARAH J. RHEA.</h4>
-<br>
-<hr width="150" align="center">
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<center>CHICAGO:</center>
-<center><small>W<small>OMAN'S</small> P<small>RESBYTERIAN</small> B<small>OARD OF</small> F<small>OREIGN</small>
-M<small>ISSIONS OF THE</small> N<small>ORTHWEST</small>,<br>
-Room 48, McCormick Block.</small></center>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<center>C<small>OPYRIGHT</small>, 1888,<br><br>
-<small>BY<br><br>
-W<small>OMAN'S</small> P<small>RESBYTERIAN</small> B<small>OARD OF</small> M<small>ISSIONS<br>
-OF THE</small> N<small>ORTHWEST</small>.</small></center>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<h3>CONTENTS.</h3>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-<br>
-
-<p><a href="#chap1">E<small>DUCATION AND</small> P<small>REPARATION</small></a></p>
-
-<p><a href="#chap2">L<small>IFE IN</small> I<small>NDIA</small></a></p>
-
-<p><a href="#chap3">L<small>IFE IN</small> P<small>ERSIA, AND</small> D<small>EATH</small></a></p>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<p>I hold in my hand an album adorned with pictures of missionaries, my
-brethren and sisters, the ambassadors of the King. On one of the first
-pages is "the tomb of Henry Martyn," given me by Dr. Van Lennep, who
-had just visited the sacred spot and described it vividly. When I turn
-the pages of my album and come to this, I pause with reverence and the
-overflowings of deep and tender emotion, and my mind adds other
-pictures, both terrestrial and celestial, to the one upon the page. My
-own missionary life as the companion of him whom Dr. Perkins called
-"the later Henry Martyn," was spent in Henry Martyn's Persia. They
-were alike I think in many things, these two Persian evangelists, and
-also in their deaths. When they passed out of the Tabriz gate,
-journeying homeward after a course of illness in the fated city, for
-each it was a quick ascent, a painful translation, to the heavenly
-city with abundant entrance and the Master's "well done"—in heaven;
-and on earth, a foreign grave taking possession for Christ, as the
-Nestorians reverently say, with "white stones still speaking out."</p>
-<div align="right">S. J. R. </div>
-<br><a name="chap1"></a>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<h3>EDUCATION AND PREPARATION.</h3>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-<br>
-
-<p>Henry Martyn was born in England on the south-western coast of Truro,
-February 18, 1781. His father, Mr. John Martyn, worked in the mines.
-He was not educated but was very fond of learning. The miners were in
-the habit of working and resting alternately every four hours. Mr.
-John Martyn spent many of his rest intervals in study, and so by
-diligence and education raised himself to a higher position, and
-became a clerk in the office of a merchant in Truro. When Henry was
-seven years old, he went to school to Dr. Cardew. From his earliest
-years all who knew him considered him a very interesting and promising
-child. Dr. Cardew says his proficiency in the classics exceeded that
-of his schoolfellows; he was of a lively, cheerful temper and seemed
-to learn without application, almost by intuition. But he was not
-robust, and loving books better than sport, and having a peculiar
-tenderness and inoffensiveness of spirit, he was often abused by rude
-and coarse boys in the school. A friendship which he formed at this
-time with a boy older than himself was the source of great comfort and
-advantage to him, and was kept up throughout his whole life. This
-friend often protected him from the bullies of the play-ground. At
-this school, under excellent tuition, Henry remained until fourteen
-years old, when he was induced to offer himself as a candidate for a
-vacant scholarship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Young as he was,
-he went there alone, and acquitted himself so well, though strongly
-and ably opposed by competitors, that in the opinion of some of the
-examiners he ought to have been elected. How often is the hand of God
-seen in frustrating our fondest designs! Speaking of this
-disappointment he afterwards wrote: "Had I remained and become a
-member of the university at that time, as I should have done in case
-of success, the profligate acquaintances I had there would have
-introduced me to scenes of debauchery, in which I must in all
-probability, from my extreme youth, have sunk forever."</p>
-
-<p>He continued after this with Dr Cardew till 1797, and then joined his
-school friend at Cambridge at St. John's College. Here he obtained a
-place in the first class at the public examination in December, a
-circumstance which, joined to the extreme desire he had to gratify his
-father, encouraged and excited him to study with increased alacrity,
-and as the fruit of this application, at the next public examination
-in the summer he reached the second station in the first class, a
-point of elevation which "flattered his pride not a little." At this
-time he appeared in the eye of the world most amiable and commendable,
-outwardly moral, unwearied in application, and exhibited marks of no
-ordinary talent. One exception to this statement is to be found in an
-irritability of temper arising perhaps from the treatment he had
-received at school. On one occasion in sudden anger, he threw a knife
-at the head of another boy, which providentially missed him and was
-left trembling in the wall; but it was a narrow escape, and might have
-proved fatal. Though not a Christian at this time, he was under two
-strong influences for good, one from his religious friend in college,
-the other from his sister in Cornwall, a Christian of a meek, heavenly
-and affectionate spirit. He paid a visit to his home in the summer of
-1799, carrying with him no small degree of academical honor. It may be
-well supposed that to a sister such as we have described, her
-brother's spiritual welfare would be a most serious and anxious
-concern; and that she often conversed with him on the subject of
-religion we know from his own declaration. The first result of her
-tender exhortations and earnest endeavors was very discouraging; a violent conflict took
-place in her brother's mind between his conviction of the truth of
-what she urged, and his love of the world; and for the present, the
-latter prevailed. Yet, sisters similarly circumstanced may learn from
-this case, not merely their duty, but also, from the final result, the
-success they may anticipate in the faithful discharge of it.</p>
-
-<p>"At the examination at Christmas, 1799," he writes: "I was first, and
-the account of it pleased my father prodigiously, who, I was told, was
-in great health and spirits. What, then, was my consternation when in
-January I received an account of his death!" Most poignant were his
-sufferings under this affliction, which led him to God for comfort in
-prayer and Bible study. He says: "I began with the Acts, and found
-myself insensibly led to inquire more attentively into the doctrines
-of the Apostles." Writing to his sister, having announced shortly and
-with much simplicity that his name stood first upon the list at the
-college examination of the summer of 1800, he says: "What a blessing
-it is for me that I have such a sister as you, my dear S., who have
-been so instrumental in keeping me in the right way. After the death
-of our father you know I was extremely low spirited, and like most
-other people began to consider seriously without any particular
-determination, that invisible world to which he was gone and to which
-I must one day go. Soon I began to attend more diligently to the words
-of our Savior in the New Testament, and to devour them with delight,
-when the offers of mercy and forgiveness were made so freely; I
-supplicated to be made partaker of the covenant of grace with
-eagerness and hope, and thanks be to the ever-blessed Trinity for not
-leaving me without comfort!" How cheering to his sister it must have
-been to receive at a moment of deep sorrow such a communication as
-this! How salutary to his own mind to have possessed so near a
-relation to whom he could thus freely open the workings of his heart.
-At this time he also received great benefit from attendance on the
-faithful ministry of Rev. Charles Simeon, under whose pastoral
-instructions he himself declares that he "gradually acquired more
-knowledge in divine things." With this excellent man he had the most
-friendly and unreserved intercourse. Mr. Martyn received his first
-impressions of the transcendent excellence of the Christian ministry
-of Mr. Simeon, from which it was but a short step to choose this
-calling for his own, for until now he had intended to devote himself
-to the law "chiefly," he confesses, "because he could not consent to
-be poor for Christ's sake."</p>
-
-<p>In January, 1801, the highest academical honor, that of "senior
-wrangler," was awarded to him before the completion of his twentieth
-year. His description of his feelings on this occasion is remarkable:
-"I obtained my highest wishes, but was surprised to find that I had
-grasped a shadow." So impossible it is for earthly distinction to fill
-and satisfy the mind.</p>
-
-<p>In March, 1802, after another rigid examination, Mr. Martyn was chosen
-Fellow of St. Johns, a situation honorable to the society and
-gratifying to himself. Soon after he obtained first prize for best
-Latin prose composition over many competitors of classical celebrity,
-and this was the more remarkable, as his studies had been almost
-entirely in mathematics.</p>
-
-<p>Henry Martyn's attention was called to the great cause of Foreign
-Missions by some remarks of Rev. Mr. Simeon on the work of Carey in
-India, but more particularly by reading the memoir of David Brainerd,
-who preached with apostolic zeal and success to the North American
-Indians, and who finished a course of self-denying labors for his
-Redeemer with unspeakable joy at the early age of thirty-two. Henry
-Martyn's soul was filled with holy emulation, and after deep
-consideration and fervent prayer he was at length fixed in a
-resolution to imitate his example. Nor let it be conceived that he
-could adopt this resolution without the severest conflict in his mind,
-for he was endued with the truest sensibility of heart, and was
-susceptible of the warmest and tenderest attachments. No one could
-exceed him in love for his country, or in affection for his friends,
-and few could surpass him in an exquisite relish for the various and
-refined enjoyments of a social and literary life. How then could it
-fail of being a moment of extreme anguish when he came to the
-deliberate resolution of leaving forever all he held dear upon earth?
-But he was fully satisfied that the glory of that Savior who loved him
-and gave Himself for him would be promoted by his going forth to
-preach to the heathen. He considered their pitiable and perilous
-condition; he thought on the value of their immortal souls; he
-remembered the last solemn injunction of his Lord, "Go teach all
-nations,"—an injunction never revoked, and commensurate with that
-most encouraging promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end
-of the world." Actuated by these motives, he offered himself as a
-missionary to the society for Missions, and from that time stood
-prepared with childlike simplicity and unshaken constancy to go to any
-part of the world whither it might be deemed expedient to send him.</p>
-
-<p>In the early part of 1804, Mr. Martyn's plans of becoming a missionary
-were dampened by the loss of his slender patrimony, and as his sister
-was also involved in the calamity, it appeared hardly justifiable for
-him to go away. After some delay his friends obtained for him the
-position of chaplain to the East India Company, and so the obstacles
-which detained him were removed.</p>
-
-<p>The time of the delay was spent in zealous service for his divine
-Master. He was associated with Rev. Mr. Simeon as curate and preached
-with great zeal and unction, often to very large audiences, and
-sometimes with such unsparing denunciation of common sins as to awaken
-opposition. He considered it his duty to rebuke iniquity, and on one
-occasion severely reproved a student for shocking levity,—reading a
-play with some young ladies while their father lay dying. He feared
-the result of this might be estrangement from his friend, but prayed
-earnestly that it might lead to his awakening. This prayer was
-answered, and afterwards this very friend became his beloved associate
-in missionary work in India.</p>
-
-<p>In very early youth Mr. Martyn became fondly attached to a young lady
-named Lydia Grenfell. She considered herself his superior in social
-position. The memoirs all speak of her as estimable, and we infer from
-the little that is said that she somewhat indifferently accepted Henry
-Martyn's homage, but she did not wholeheartedly and generously
-respond. What a contrast to the beloved and devoted Harriet Newell,
-who was not afraid to risk all for Christ, and counted not her life
-dear even unto the death! It was Miss Grenfell's greatest honor that
-Henry Martyn would have made her his wife, but she declined the honor,
-and yet gave him encouragement, for their correspondence only ended
-with his life, and his very last writing was a letter to her. He
-begged her with all the eloquence of a lonely and devoted heart to
-come out to him after he had gone to India, arranging every detail for
-her comfort with thoughtful tenderness, and urging and encouraging her
-and lavishing upon her an affection that would have crowned and
-enriched her life. We are left to infer from the history that she did
-love him in her way, but if she had shared his consecration and gone
-with him and taken care of him, and cheered and comforted him, and
-made for him a happy restful home, as some missionary wives have done
-in self-denying foreign fields, what a blessing she might have been,
-and her life, how fruitful, and her memory, how fragrant! As it was,
-she has this distinction, that she was Henry Martyn's disappointment
-and trial and discipline. No one less tender and sensitive than Henry
-Martyn can appreciate all he suffered on this account; but he made it,
-like all the other great sorrows of his life, a cross on which to be
-crucified with Christ.</p>
-
-<p>He writes to his dear sister S.: "When I sometimes offer up
-supplications with strong crying to God to bring down my spirit into
-the dust I endeavor calmly to contemplate the infinite majesty of the
-most high God and my own meanness and wickedness, or else I quietly
-tell the Lord, who knows the heart, I would give Him all the glory of
-everything if I could. But the most effectual way I have ever found is
-to lead away my thoughts from myself and my own concerns by praying
-for all my friends, for the church, the world, the nation, and
-especially by beseeching that God would glorify His own great name by
-converting all nations to the obedience of faith, also by praying that
-he would put more abundant honor on those Christians whom he seems to
-have honored especially, and whom we see to be manifestly our
-superiors."</p>
-
-<p>In spite of Henry Martyn's beautiful humility, honor after honor was
-heaped upon him by his admiring and appreciative Alma Mater. Three
-times he was chosen examiner, and discharged the duties of this office
-with great care and faithfulness.</p>
-
-<p>As the time approaches for his parting from all he holds dear,
-especially the beloved L., our hearts go out to him in irrepressible
-sympathy. He writes, "parted with L. forever in this life with a sort
-of uncertain pain which I know will increase to greater violence."</p>
-
-<p>And these forebodings were but too soon realized. For many succeeding
-days his mental agony was extreme, yet he could speak to God as one
-who knew the great conflict within him. Yet while the waves and
-billows are going over him he writes from these depths, "I never had
-so clear a conviction of my call as at the present. Never did I see so
-much the exceeding excellency and glory and sweetness of the work, nor
-had so much the favorable testimony of my own conscience, nor
-perceived so plainly the smile of God. Blessed be God, I feel myself
-to be His minister. This thought which I can hardly describe came in
-the morning after reading Brainerd. I wish for no service but the
-service of God, to labor for souls on earth and to do His will in
-heaven."</p>
-<br><a name="chap2"></a>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<h3>LIFE IN INDIA.</h3>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-<br>
-
-<p>On the 17th of July, 1805, the Union East Indiaman conveying Mr.
-Martyn sailed from Portsmouth. Mr. Martyn says: "Though it was what I
-had been anxiously looking forward to so long, yet the consideration
-of being parted forever from my friends, almost overcame me. My
-feelings were those of a man who should suddenly be told that every
-friend he had in the world was dead."</p>
-
-<p>Though suffering much in mind and body throughout the long and tedious
-voyage of nine months, Mr. Martyn seeks no selfish ease. He preaches,
-reads and labors assiduously with officers, passengers and crew, and
-shuns not to declare the whole counsel of God, even the unpalatable
-doctrine of the future punishment of the wicked. He says: "The threats
-and opposition of these men made me willing to set before them the
-truths they hated, yet I had no species of hesitation about doing it.
-They said they would not come if so much hell was preached, but I took
-for my text, 'The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations
-that forget God.' The officers were all behind my back in order to
-have an opportunity of retiring in case of dislike. H., as soon as he
-heard the text, went back and said he would hear no more about hell;
-so he employed himself in feeding the geese. However, God I trust
-blessed the sermon to the good of many; some of the cadets and many of
-the soldiers were in tears. I felt an ardor and vehemence in some
-parts which are unusual with me. After service walked the deck with
-Mrs. ——; she spoke with so much simplicity and amiable humility that
-I was full of joy and admiration to God for a sheep brought home to
-His fold. In the afternoon went below intending to read to them at the
-hatchway, but there was not one of them, so I could get nothing to do
-among the poor soldiers."</p>
-
-<p>What a picture revealing Henry Martyn's character!—the contrasting
-attributes of sternness and gentleness, his martyrlike determination
-to do his whole duty at any cost to himself from suffering and insult,
-the keen shrinking of a nature so refined and sensitive from
-coarseness and abuse, undeviating yet uncompromising, bringing to our
-thoughts the Divine Exemplar. I pass by the incidents of the voyage,
-including mutiny, sickness and death, romantic stay at St. Salvador,
-battles at the Cape of Good Hope, etc., eloquently and vividly
-recorded.</p>
-
-<p>The Friday preceding his arrival in India he spends "in praying that
-God would no longer delay exerting his power in the conversion of the
-eastern nations. I felt emboldened" he says, "to employ the most
-familiar petitions by Is. xii. 6, 7, 'Keep not silence; give him no
-rest,' etc. Blessed be God for those words! They are like a cordial to
-my spirits, because if the Lord is not pleased by me or during my
-lifetime to call the Gentiles, yet He is not offended at my being
-urgent with Him that the kingdom of God may come."</p>
-
-<p>April 21, 1806, the nine months' journey is complete, and they land at
-Madras. Mr. Martyn gives first impressions and description of the
-natives, ending in these words: "In general, one thought naturally
-occurred: the conversion of their poor souls. I am willing, I trust,
-through grace, to pass my life among them if by any means these poor
-people may be brought to God. The sight of men, women and children,
-all idolaters, makes me shudder as if in the dominions of the prince
-of darkness. Hearing the hymn, 'Before Jehovah's awful throne,' it
-excited a train of affecting thoughts in my mind."</p>
-
-<p>"Wide as the world is thy command. Therefore it is easy for Thee to
-spread abroad Thy holy name. But oh, how gross the darkness here! The
-veil of the covering cast over all nations seems thicker here; the
-friends of darkness seem to sit in sullen repose in this land. What
-surprises me is the change of views I have here from what I had in
-England. There my heart expanded with hope and joy at the prospect of
-the speedy conversion of the heathen; but here the sight of the
-apparent impossibility requires a strong faith to support the
-spirits." Ah, how vividly this describes missionary experiences! After
-great peril from storm and illness, passing up the Hoogly from Madras,
-Mr. Martyn arrived at Calcutta, May 14. In this city for years had
-been a band of English Christians faithfully praying for the coming of
-the kingdom in that dark land, and into the home of one of these, Rev.
-David Brown, was Mr. Martyn received with much affection. A pagoda in
-one end of the yard on the river bank was fitted up for him, and the
-place where once devils were worshiped now became a Christian oratory.
-The first experience here was of severe illness from acclimating
-fever, from which he was kindly nursed into convalescence. He then
-applied himself earnestly to the study of the Hindoostanee, having
-engaged a Brahmin as a teacher. Here he witnessed with horror the
-cruel and debasing rites of heathenism. The blaze of a funeral pile
-caused him one day to hasten to the rescue of a burning widow who was
-consumed before his eyes. And in a dark wood he heard the sound of
-cymbals and drums calling the poor natives to the worship of devils,
-and saw them prostrate with their foreheads to the ground before a
-black image in a pagoda surrounded with burning lights—a sight which
-he contemplated with overwhelming compassion, "shivering as if
-standing in the neighborhood of hell."</p>
-
-<p>Mr. Martyn's plain and pungent preaching was a great offense to some
-of the easy-going formalists of the English church at Calcutta, and
-some of the ministry attacked him bitterly from their pulpits,
-declaring, for instance, that to affirm repentance to be the gift of
-God and to teach that nature is wholly corrupt, is to drive men to
-despair, and that to suppose the righteousness of Christ sufficient to
-justify is to make it unnecessary to have any of our own. Though
-compelled to listen to such downright heresies, to hear himself
-described as knowing neither what he said nor whereof he affirmed, and
-as aiming only to gratify self sufficiency, pride and
-uncharitableness,—"I rejoiced," said this meek and holy man, "to
-receive the Lord's supper afterwards;—as the solemnities of that
-blessed ordinance sweetly tended to soothe any asperity of mind, and I
-think that I administered the cup to —— and —— with sincere good
-will."</p>
-
-<p>September 13, 1806, Mr. Martyn received his appointment to Singapore.
-A farewell meeting of great interest was held in his pagoda, followed
-by a tender parting from the family who had been so kind to him, and
-two fellow laborers who, following his bright example, had just come
-out from England. The voyage to Singapore was performed in a budgero,
-a small boat with a cabin, in which he studied and translated and
-prayed while making the seventeen or eighteen miles a day of the
-six-weeks' journey. At night the boat was fastened to the shore. His
-journal record of these days is very interesting and very
-characteristic. He says:</p>
-
-<p>"October 27. Arrived at Berhampore. In the evening walked out to the
-hospital in which there were 150 European soldiers sick. I was talking
-to a man said to be dying, when a surgeon entered. I went up and made
-some apology for entering the hospital. It was my old school-fellow
-and townsman, ——. The remainder of the evening he spent with me in
-my budgero.</p>
-
-<p>"October 28. Rose very early and was at the hospital at daylight.
-Waited there a long time wandering up and down the wards in hopes of
-inducing the men to get up and assemble, but it was in vain. I left
-three books with them and went away amidst the sneers and titters of
-the common soldiers. Certainly it is one of the greatest crosses I am
-called to bear to take pains to make people hear me. It is such a
-struggle between a sense of propriety and modesty on the one hand, and
-a sense of duty on the other, that I find nothing equal to it. I could
-force my way anywhere, in order to introduce a brother minister; but
-for myself, I act with hesitation and pain.</p>
-
-<p>"Walking out into a village where the boat stopped for the night I
-found the worshipers of Kali by the sound of their drums and cymbals.
-Invited by the Brahmins to walk in I entered and asked a few questions
-about the idol. The Brahmin who spoke bad Hindoostanee disputed with
-great heat, and his tongue ran faster than I could follow, and the
-people, about one hundred, shouted applause. I continued my questions
-and among other things asked if what I had heard of Vishnu and Brahma
-was true, which he confessed. I forbore to press him with the
-consequences, which he seemed to feel; and then I told him what was my
-belief. The man grew quite mild and said it was <i>chula bat</i> (good
-words), and asked me seriously at last what I thought, 'Was idol
-worship true or false?' I felt it a matter of thankfulness that I
-could make known the truth of God though a stammerer and that I had
-declared it in the presence of the devil. And this also I learnt, that
-the power of gentleness is irresistible. I never was more astonished
-than at the change in deportment of this hot-headed Brahmin.... Came
-to on the eastern bank below a village called Ahgadup. Wherever I
-walked the women fled at the sight of me. Some men were sitting under
-the shed dedicated to their goddess; a lamp was burning in her place.
-A conversation soon began, but there was no one who could speak
-Hindoostanee. I could only speak by the medium of my Mussulman,
-Musalchee. They said that they only did as others did, and that if
-they were wrong then all Bengal was wrong. I felt love for their
-souls, and longed for utterance to declare unto these poor simple
-people the holy gospel. I think that when my mouth is opened I shall
-preach to them day and night.</p>
-
-<p>"October 31. My Moonshee said, 'How can you prove this book (the
-gospel), to be the word of God?' I took him to walk with me on the
-shore that we might discuss the matter, and the result of our
-conversation was that I discovered that the Mussulmen allow the gospel
-to be in general the command of God, though the words of it are not
-His as the words of the Koran are, and contend that the actual words
-of God given to Jesus were burnt by the Jews; that they also admit the
-New Testament to have been in force till the coming of Mohammed. When
-I quoted some passages which proved the Christian dispensation to be
-the final one, he allowed it to be inconsistent with the divinity of
-the Koran, but said, 'Then those words of the gospel must be false.'
-The man argued and asked his questions seemingly in earnest, and
-another new impression was left upon my mind, namely, that these men
-are not fools and that all ingenuity and clearness of reasoning are
-not confined to England and Europe. I seem to feel that these
-descendants of Ham are as dear to God as the haughty sons of Japheth;
-I feel, too, more at home with the Scriptures than ever; everything I
-see gives light to, and receives it from, the Scriptures. I seem
-transported back to the ancient times of the Israelites and the
-Apostles. My spirit felt composed after the dispute by simply looking
-to God as one who had engaged to support His own cause; and I saw it
-to be my part to pursue my way through the wilderness of this world,
-looking only to that redemption which daily draweth nigh. How should
-this consideration quell the tumult of anger and impatience when I
-cannot convince men 'the government is on His shoulders?' Jesus is
-able to bear the weight of it; therefore we need not be oppressed with
-care or fear, but a missionary is apt to fancy himself an Atlas.</p>
-
-<p>"November 2. Walking on shore met a large party. I asked if any of
-them could read. One young man who seemed superior in rank to the
-rest, said he could, and accordingly read some of the only Nagree
-tract that I had. I then addressed myself boldly to them and told them
-of the gospel. When speaking of the inefficacy of the religious
-practices of the Hindoos I mentioned as an example the repetition of
-the name of Ram. The young man assented to this and said, 'of what use
-is it?' As he seemed to be of a pensive turn and said this with marks
-of disgust, I gave him a Nagree Testament, the first I have given. May
-God's blessing go along with it and cause the eyes of the multitudes
-to be opened. The men said they should be glad to receive tracts, so I
-sent them back a considerable number. The idea of printing the
-parables in proper order with a short explanation to each, for the
-purpose of distribution and as school books, suggested itself to me
-to-night and delighted me prodigiously.... A Mussulman, when he
-received one of the tracts and found what it was, was greatly alarmed,
-and after many awkward apologies, returned it, saying that 'a man who
-had his legs in two different boats, was in danger of sinking between
-them.'"</p>
-
-<p>Established at Singapore, Mr. Martyn began upon three different lines
-of work, establishing schools, attaining readiness in Hindoostanee so
-as to preach the gospel in that language, and translating the
-Scriptures and religious books. To his great discouragement he was
-informed by the Pundit that every four miles the language changed, so
-that a book in the dialect of one district would be unintelligible to
-the people of another. Being advised to learn Sanscrit, he took up
-this language with great zeal. The commencement of Mr. Martyn's
-ministry amongst the Europeans of Singapore was not of such a kind as
-to either gratify or encourage him. At first he read prayers to the
-soldiers at the barracks from the drumhead, and as there were no seats
-provided, was desired to omit the sermon. Afterwards more decent
-arrangements being made, the families came in; but taking offense at
-his evangelical plainness, they asked that he should desist from
-extempore preaching. These European members of his flock were jealous
-and angry at his constant efforts for the salvation of the heathen
-natives. They thought it much beneath the dignity of an English
-chaplain to care for these degraded souls. Some of Mr. Martyn's duties
-as chaplain were exceedingly onerous. On several occasions he was
-summoned to distant places involving long and dangerous journeys to
-perform a marriage ceremony. On these journeys he suffered severely,
-and they were a great draft upon his very delicate health; always weak
-and languid, and often alarmingly disordered. Yet through all he
-continued to labor incessantly. Every Sabbath he held at least four
-services: at 7 for Europeans; at 2 for Hindoos, about two hundred in
-attendance; in the afternoon at the hospital; in the evening in his
-own room for the soldiers. In his household were two natives who
-assisted in his studies and translations, the Moonshee and the Pundit,
-with whom he held long disputes and with whom he labored daily, though
-unsuccessfully, to bring them to faith in Christ. He says,
-"translating the epistle of St. John with the Moonshee, I asked him
-what he thought of those passages which so strongly express the
-doctrines of the Trinity and of the divinity of Christ. He said he
-never would believe it, because the Koran declared it sinful to say
-that God had any Son. I told him that he ought to pray that God would
-teach him what the truth really is. He said he had no occasion on this
-subject, as the word of God was express. I asked him whether some
-doubt ought not to arise in his mind whether the Koran is the word of
-God. He grew angry, and I felt hurt and vexed. I should have done
-better to have left the words of the chapter with him without saying
-anything. I went also too far with the Pundit in arguing against his
-superstition, for he also grew angry." If any qualification seems
-necessary to a missionary in India it is wisdom—operating in the
-regulation of the temper and the due improvement of opportunities. Mr.
-Martyn needed the heavenly gift of wisdom also in the management of
-his native schools, five or six of which were supported by himself in
-Singapore. Little by little he succeeded in introducing as a text-book
-a part of the Bible—his own translation of the sermon on the Mount
-and the Parables. He was called to do more and more of this work of
-translating the Scriptures, and was persuaded by the Rev. David Brown
-not only to continue the Hindoostanee, but to superintend the
-translation of the Scriptures into Persian. He engaged in it at once
-with zeal. He writes: "The time fled imperceptibly while so
-delightfully engaged in the translations; the days seemed to have
-passed like a moment. What do I not owe to the Lord for permitting me
-to take part in a translation of His word? Never did I see such wonder
-and wisdom and love in the blessed Book as since I have been obliged
-to study every expression. Employed a good while at night in
-considering a difficult passage, and being much enlightened respecting
-it, I went to bed full of astonishment at the wonder of God's Word.
-Never before did I see anything of the beauty of the language and the
-importance of the thoughts as I do now. What a source of perpetual
-delight have I in the precious Word of God!"</p>
-
-<p>This ecstasy of enthusiasm in most successful and congenial labor was
-suddenly dashed by a great wave of sorrow which came to Mr. Martyn in
-the news of the death of his eldest sister. To missionaries in foreign
-lands such news is especially bitter, and to recover from such a shock
-and sense of irreparable loss seems almost impossible. The mind,
-unsatisfied with details of the sad event, is left in shadow which
-deepens into heavy gloom. Mr. Martyn was all alone and felt it keenly
-and inexpressibly. Some of his most intimate and sympathetic friends
-at this time, realizing how it was not good for him to be alone,
-encouraged him to renew his matrimonial offer to his ever beloved L.
-After her refusal he says, "The Lord sanctify this, and since this
-last desire of my heart is also withheld may I turn away forever from
-the world and henceforth live forgetful of all but God. With Thee, O
-my God, is no disappointment. I shall never have to regret that I have
-loved Thee too well. Thou hast said, 'delight thyself in the Lord, and
-he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.'"</p>
-
-<p>Could sweeter words than these be expressed in any language! Could
-greater depths of submission or heights of consecration be attained!
-They deserve to be recorded on imperishable marble or blazoned on the
-sky in sight of all, and received as the confession of every Christian
-heart, to the honor and praise of Him who gave such glorious victory
-to this tried soldier of the cross.</p>
-
-<p>Providentially for Mr. Martyn's comfort his thoughts were much
-occupied after this by the arrival of his coadjutors in the work of
-translation, one of these, Mirza of Benares, well known in India as an
-eminent Hindoostanee scholar; the other Sabat the Arabian, since but
-too well known both in India and England by his rejection of that
-faith which he then appeared to profess in sincerity and faith. In the
-latter of these Mr. Martyn confidently trusted that he had found a
-Christian brother with respect to the reality of his belief in
-Christianity, although Mr. Martyn immediately discovered in him an
-unsubdued Arab spirit, and witnessed with pain many deflections from
-that temper and conduct which he himself so eminently exemplified;
-yet, he could not but "believe all things and hope all things," even
-while he continued to suffer much from him, and for a length of time,
-with unparalleled forbearance and kindness. Sabat's temper was a
-continual trial and mortification. The very first Sabbath in
-Singapore, imagining he was not treated with sufficient dignity, he
-left the church before service in great anger. Often in the midst of
-the translation he would come to a sudden stop and refuse to go on for
-the most trivial reasons, sometimes for fear that Mirza who would
-review the work might have part of the honor. About this time Mr.
-Martyn was much bereaved by the removal of a family with whom he had
-lived in intimate terms of Christian intercourse. "This separation
-affected him the more sensibly because it was not in every family at
-that station that he met with a kind and cordial reception." He says,
-"I called on one of the Singapore families, and felt my pride rise at
-the uncivil manner in which I was received. I was disposed at first to
-determine never to visit the house again, but I remembered the words,
-'overcome evil with good.'"</p>
-
-<p>In the month of March, 1808, the New Testament in Hindoostanee was
-completed. He says, "I have read and corrected the manuscript till my
-eyes ache; such a week of labor I believe I have never passed. The
-heat is terrible, often at 98 degrees, the nights insupportable." We
-next hear of Mr. Martyn suffering from severe illness with fever and
-vertigo, and pained with the thought of leaving the Persian gospels
-unfinished! So unselfish, so full of zeal! Again at work, mercury at
-102 degrees. "Arabic now employs my few moments of leisure. In
-consequence of reading the Koran with Sabat audibly, and drinking no
-wine, the slander has gone forth that the Singapore Padre has turned
-Mussulman.</p>
-
-<p>"June 6th. To-day we have completed the Persian of St. Matthew. Sabat
-desired me to kneel down to bless God for the happy event, and we
-joined in praise of the Father of lights. It is a superb performance
-in every respect, with elegance enough to attract the careless and
-please the fastidious; it contains enough of Eternal Life to save the
-reader's soul.... My services on the Lord's day always leave me with a
-pain in the chest, and such a great degree of general relaxation, that
-I seldom recover it till Tuesday. The society still meet every night
-at my quarters, and though we have lost many by death, others are
-raised up in their room. One officer, a lieutenant, is also given to
-me, and he is not only a brother beloved, but a constant companion and
-nurse; so you must feel no apprehension that I should be left alone in
-sickness."</p>
-
-<p>In April, 1809, Mr. Martyn removes from Dinapore to Cawnpore. Here he
-met friendship and hospitality. We quote from the graceful pen of Mrs.
-Sherwood: "The month of April in the upper provinces of Hindoostan is
-one of the most dreadful months for traveling throughout the year;
-indeed, no European at that time can remove from place to place, but
-at the risk of his life.</p>
-
-<p>"But Mr. Martyn had that anxiety to begin the work which his heavenly
-Father had given him to do, that notwithstanding the violent heat, he
-traveled from Chunar to Cawnpore, the space of about four hundred
-miles. At that time as I well remember, the air was as hot and dry as
-that which I have sometimes felt near the mouth of a large oven, no
-friendly cloud or verdant carpet of grass to relieve the eye from the
-strong glare of the rays of the sun pouring on the sandy plains of the
-Ganges. Thus Mr. Martyn traveled, journeying night and day, and
-arrived at Cawnpore in such a state that he fainted away as soon as he
-entered the house. When we charged him with the rashness of hazarding
-his life in this manner, he always pleaded his anxiety to get to the
-great work. He remained with us ten days, suffering considerably at
-times from fever and pain in the chest.</p>
-
-<p>"Mr. Martyn's removal from Dinapore to Cawnpore was to him in many
-respects a very unpleasant arrangement. He was several hundred miles
-farther distant from Calcutta and more widely separated than before
-from his friend Mr. Corrie. He had new acquaintances to form at his
-new abode, and after having with much difficulty procured the erection
-of a church at Dinapore he was transported to a spot where none of the
-conveniences, much less the decencies and solemnities of public
-worship, were visible.</p>
-
-<p>"We find him soon after he arrived there preaching to a thousand
-soldiers drawn up in a hollow square, when the heat was so great,
-although the sun had not risen, that many actually dropped down,
-unable to support it."</p>
-
-<p>Yet Mr. Martyn's labors were not abated. Every Sabbath at dawn were
-prayers and sermon with the regiment, and again at eleven at the house
-of the general of the station. In the afternoon he preached to a crowd
-of poor natives, five, to eight hundred, rude, noisy, wretched
-beggars, for whose souls he felt a tender care. Again in the evening,
-the best of the day, he had a meeting with the more devout of his
-flock. These ministrations so earnestly performed were most
-exhausting, yet he knew not how to forego them; at this time, too,
-from England came the sad and sudden news of the death of his sister,
-the one who had led him to Christ.</p>
-
-<p>The alarming state of his health made some change necessary, and Mr.
-Martyn was urged to leave India and make trial of a sea voyage. His
-Persian New Testament had been criticised as unfit for general
-circulation, being written in a style too learned and exalted for the
-comprehension of the common people. He was advised to visit Persia and
-there revise his work and also complete his version in Arabic, almost
-finished. Mr. Brown, his devoted friend, and the Calcutta agent of the
-British and Foreign Bible Society, thus writes: "Can I then bring
-myself to cut the string and let you go? I confess I could not if your
-bodily frame were strong, and promised to last for half a century. But
-as you burn with the intenseness and rapid blaze of heated phosphorus,
-why should we not make the most of you? Your flame may last as long
-and perhaps longer in Arabia, than in India. Where should the Phoenix
-build her odoriferous nest, but in the land prophetically called 'the
-blessed?' and where shall we ever expect, but from that country, the
-true Comforter to come to the nations of the East? I contemplate your
-New Testament springing up, as it were, from dust and ashes, but
-beautiful as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and his feathers
-like yellow gold." His farewell services at Cawnpore were very tender
-and affecting, both with his great audience of natives and Englishmen.
-Of the latter, Mrs. Sherwood says: "He began in a weak and faint
-voice, being at that time in a very bad state of health; but,
-gathering strength as he proceeded, he seemed as one inspired from on
-high. Never was an audience more affected. The next day this holy and
-heavenly man left Cawnpore and the society of many who sincerely loved
-and admired him." Stopping to visit the friends in Calcutta, the Rev.
-Mr. Thomason says: "This bright and lovely jewel first gratified our
-eyes on Saturday last. He is on his way to Arabia, where he is going
-in pursuit of health and knowledge. You know his genius, and what
-gigantic strides he takes in everything. He has some great plan in his
-mind, of which I am no competent judge; but as far as I do understand
-it, the object is far too grand for one short life, and much beyond
-his feeble and exhausted frame. Feeble it is, indeed; how fallen and
-changed! His complaint lies in his lungs and appears to be an
-incipient consumption. But let us hope the sea air may revive him, and
-that change may do him essential service and continue his life many
-years. In all other respects he is exactly the same as he was; he
-shines in all the dignity of love, and seems to carry about him such a
-heavenly majesty as impresses the mind beyond description. But if he
-talks much, though in a low voice, he sinks, and you are reminded of
-his being dust and ashes." Though so infirm, Mr. Martyn preached every
-Sabbath of his visit, and his last sermon on the anniversary of the
-Calcutta Bible Society was afterwards printed and entitled "Christian
-India, or an appeal on behalf of nine hundred thousand Christians in
-India who want the Bible."</p>
-<br><a name="chap3"></a>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<h3>LIFE IN PERSIA.</h3>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-<br>
-
-<p>From this time a change comes over Mr. Martyn's varied life. We have
-seen him the successful candidate for academical distinctions—the
-faithful and laborious pastor—the self-denying and devoted
-missionary—the indefatigable translator—the preacher of the gospel
-to the heathen; we are now called to admire in him the courageous
-spirit of the Christian confessor.</p>
-
-<p>He says, on his voyage towards Persia: "All down the Bay of Bengal I
-could do nothing but sit listless, viewing the wide waste of water, a
-sight that would have been beautiful had I been well. In my Hebrew
-researches I scarcely ever felt so discouraged. All the knowledge I
-thought I had acquired became uncertain, and consequently I was
-unhappy. It was in vain that I reflected that thousands live and die
-happy without such knowledge as I am in search of.</p>
-
-<p>"Proposed family prayer every night in the cabin—no objection was
-made.</p>
-
-<p>"February 18, anchored off Bombay. This day I finished the thirtieth
-year of my unprofitable life, the age at which David Brainerd finished
-his course. I am now at the age at which the Savior of men began his
-ministry, and at which John the Baptist called a nation to repentance.
-Hitherto I have made my youth and insignificance an excuse for sloth
-and imbecility, now let me have a character and act boldly for God.</p>
-
-<p>"March 5. Feerog, a Parsee who is considered the most learned man
-here, called to converse about religion. He spoke Persian and seemed
-familiar with Arabic. He began by saying that no one religion had
-more evidences of its truth than another, for that all the miracles of
-the respective founders depended upon tradition. This I denied. He
-acknowledged that the writer of the Zendavesta was not cotemporary
-with Zoroaster. After disputing and raising objections he was left
-without an answer, but continued to cavil. 'Why' said he, 'did the
-Magi see the star in the East and none else? from what part of the
-East did they come? and how was it possible that their king should
-come to Jerusalem in seven days?' The last piece of information he had
-from the Armenians. I asked him whether he had any thoughts of
-changing his religion. He replied with a contemptuous smile, 'No,
-every man is safe in his own religion.' I asked him, 'What sinners
-must do to obtain pardon?' 'Repent,' said he. I asked, 'Would
-repentance satisfy a creditor or a judge?' 'Why, is it not said in the
-gospel,' rejoined he, 'that we must repent?' I replied, 'It cannot be
-proved from the gospel that repentance alone is sufficient, or good
-works, or both.' 'Where then is the glory of salvation?' he said; I
-replied, 'In the atonement of Christ.' 'All this' said he, 'I know,
-but so the Mohammedans say, that Hosyn was an atonement for the sins
-of men.' He then began to criticise the translations he saw on the
-table.</p>
-
-<p>"April 23. Moscat, Arabia. Went on shore and met the Vizier. His
-African slave argued with me for Mohammed and did not know how to let
-me go, he was so interested in the business.</p>
-
-<p>"April 25. Gave him an Arabic copy of the gospel, which he at once
-began to read, and carried it off as a great prize, which I hope he
-will find it to be.</p>
-
-<p>"Bushire, Persia. Called on the governor, a Persian Khan. He was very
-particular in his attentions. Seated me on his own seat and then sat
-by my side. After the usual salutations and inquiries the calean
-(pipe), was introduced, then coffee in china cups placed within silver
-ones, then calean, then some rose-water syrup, then calean. Observing
-the windows of stained glass, I began to question him about the art of
-coloring glass, observing that the modern Europeans were inferior to
-the ancient in the manufacture of the article. He expressed his
-surprise that Europeans, who were so skillful in making watches,
-should fail in any handicraft work. I could not help recollecting the
-Emperor of China's sarcastic remark on the Europeans and their arts,
-and therefore dropped the subject. On his calean—I called it hookah
-at first, but he did not understand me—I noticed several little
-paintings of the Virgin and child, and asked him whether such things
-were not unlawful among Mohammedans. He answered very coolly 'Yes,' as
-much as to say, 'What then?' I lamented that the Eastern Christians
-should use such things in their churches. He repeated the words of a
-good man who was found fault with for having an image before him while
-at prayer, 'God is nearer to me than that image, so that I do not see
-it.' This man, I afterwards found, is like most of the other grandees
-of the East, a murderer.</p>
-
-<p>"On the 30th of May, our Persian dresses were ready, and we set out
-for Shiraz. The Persian dress consists of first, stockings and shoes
-in one; next, a pair of large blue trousers, or else a pair of huge
-red boots; then the shirt, then the tunic, and above it the coat, both
-of chintz, and a great coat. I have here described my own dress, most
-of which I have on at this moment. On the head is worn an enormous
-cone made of the skin of the black Tartar sheep with the wool on. If
-to this description of my dress I add that my beard and mustachios
-have been suffered to vegetate undisturbed ever since I left India;
-that I am sitting on a Persian carpet, in a room without tables or
-chairs, and that I bury my hand in the pillar (rice), without waiting
-for spoon or plate, you will give me credit for being already an
-accomplished Oriental.</p>
-
-<p>"At ten o'clock on the 30th our califa began to move. It consisted
-chiefly of mules with a few horses. I wished to have a mule, but the
-muleteer favored me with his own pony; this animal had a bell fastened
-to its neck. To add solemnity to the scene, a Bombay trumpeter who was
-going to join the embassy was directed to blow a blast as we moved off
-the ground; but whether it was that the trumpeter was not an adept in
-the science or that his instrument was out of order, the crazy sounds
-that saluted our ears had a ludicrous effect. At last, after some
-jostling, mutual recriminations and recalcitrating of the steeds, we
-each found our places and moved out of the gate of the city in good
-order. The residents accompanied us a little way, and then left us to
-pursue our journey over the plain. It was a fine moonlight night, the
-scene new and perfectly oriental, and nothing prevented me from
-indulging my own reflections. As the night advanced the califa grew
-quiet; on a sudden one of the muleteers began to sing, and sang in a
-voice so plaintive that it was impossible not to have one's attention
-arrested. Every voice was hushed.</p>
-
-<p>"These were the words translated:</p>
-
-<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem1">
- <tr><td><small>Think not that e'er my heart could dwell<br>
- Contented far from thee,<br>
- How can the fresh-caught nightingale<br>
- Enjoy tranquility?<br><br>
- Oh, then forsake thy friend for naught<br>
- That slanderous tongues can say,<br>
- The heart that fixeth where it ought<br>
- No power can rend away.</small></td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<p>"Thus far our journey was agreeable. Now for miseries. At sunrise we
-came to our ground at Ahmedu, six parasangs, and pitched our little
-tent under a tree; it was the only shelter we could get. At first the
-heat was not greater than we had felt in India, but it soon became so
-intense as to be quite alarming. When the thermometer was above 112°,
-fever heat, I began to lose my strength fast; at last it
-became quite intolerable. I wrapped myself up in a blanket and all the
-warm covering I could get to defend myself from the external air, by
-which means the moisture was kept a little longer upon the body, and
-not so speedily evaporated as when the skin was exposed. One of my
-companions followed my example and found the benefit of it. But the
-thermometer still rising, and the moisture of the body being quite
-exhausted, I grew restless and thought I should have lost my senses.
-The thermometer at last stood at 126°. In this state I composed
-myself and concluded that, though I might hold out but a day or two,
-death was inevitable. Captain —— continued to tell the hour and
-heights of the thermometer, and with pleasure we heard of it sinking
-to 120°, 118°, etc. At last the fierce sun retired and I
-crept out more dead than alive. The next day we secured some comfort
-from a large wet towel wrapped about the head and body. At sunset,
-rising to go out, a scorpion fell upon my clothes. The night before we
-found a black scorpion in our tent, that made us uneasy, so we got no
-sleep."</p>
-
-<p>June 9 Mr. Martyn arrived at Shiraz, the celebrated seat of Persian
-literature, and at once began work upon his translation with the
-efficient help of Mirza Seid Ali Khan. In this work he had many
-interruptions, being himself an object of attention and curiosity. He
-received many calls, and unwilling to lose any opportunity of
-benefiting the inhabitants of Shiraz, was never inaccessible to them.
-He says, "June 17, in the evening, Seid Ali came with two Moollahs, and
-with them I had a very long and temperate discussion. One of them read
-the beginning of John in Arabic and inquired very particularly into
-our opinions respecting the person of Christ, and when he was informed
-that we did not consider His human nature eternal nor His mother
-divine, seemed quite satisfied, and remarked to the others, 'how much
-misapprehension is removed when people come to an explanation.'"</p>
-
-<p>"June 22. The Prince's secretary called to talk about Soofeeism. They
-believe they know not what. He thought to excite my wonder by telling
-me that I and every created being was God.</p>
-
-<p>"June 26. Two young men from the college came, full of zeal and logic,
-to try me with hard questions such as, whether being be but one or
-two? What is the state and form of disembodied spirits? and other
-foolish and unlearned questions ministering strife. At last, one of
-them discovered the true cause of his coming by asking me bluntly to
-bring a proof of the religion of Christ. You allow the divine mission
-of Christ, said I, why need I prove it? Not being able to draw me into
-an argument they said what they wished to say, namely, that I had no
-other proof for the miracles of Christ than they had for those of
-Mohammed, which is tradition. 'Softly' I said, 'You will be pleased to
-observe a difference between your books and ours, when by tradition we
-have reached our several books, our narrators were eye witnesses;
-yours are not, nor nearly so.'</p>
-
-<p>"In the evening Seid Ali asked me the cause of evil. I said I knew
-nothing about it. He thought he could tell me, so I let him reason on
-till he soon found he knew as little about the matter as myself. He
-wanted to prove that there was no real difference between good and
-evil; that it was only apparent. I observed that the difference, if
-only apparent, was the cause of a great deal of misery.</p>
-
-<p>"June 30, Sunday. Preached to the Ambassador's suite on the 'Faithful
-Saying.' In the evening baptized his child. Zachariah told me this
-morning that I was the town talk." Indeed Shiraz was stirred to its
-depth by the presence of Mr. Martyn during the whole year of his stay.
-Men of every kind, especially the learned and zealous, came singly and
-in groups almost every day to argue and dispute against Christ. Now it
-was a party of Armenians, now learned Jews, now a prince, now a
-general, now the very Moojtuhid himself, the professor of Mohammedan
-law. This great dignitary invited Mr. Martyn to his house, where for
-hours he talked on and on, defending his Prophet and showing his
-learning; he was greatly annoyed at any difference of opinion, and
-decided it was "quite useless for Mohammedans and Christians to argue
-together, as they had different languages and different histories."
-But fearing Mr. Martyn's influence he was stirred to write a defense
-of his faith, which was said to surpass all former treatises on Islam.
-He concludes it in these words, addressed to Mr. Martyn: "Oh, thou
-that art wise! consider with the eye of justice, since thou hast no
-excuse to offer to God. Thou hast wished to see the truth of miracles.
-We desire you to look at the great Koran: that is an everlasting
-miracle." Mr. Martyn replied, showing why men are bound to reject
-Mohammedanism; that Mohammed was foretold by no prophet, worked no
-miracles, spread his religion by means merely human, appeals to man's
-lowest and sensual nature, that he was ambitious for himself and
-family, that the Koran is full of absurdities and contradictions, that
-it contains a method of salvation wholly inefficacious, sadly
-contrasting with the divine atonement of Jesus Christ. The Prince's
-nephew, hearing of the attack on Mohammed, said, "the proper answer to
-it is the sword."</p>
-
-<p>Mr. Martyn writes, February 8: "This is my birthday, on which I
-complete my thirty-first year. The Persian New Testament has been
-begun and finished in it. Such a painful year I never passed, owing to
-the privations I have been called to, on the one hand, and the
-spectacle before me of human depravity on the other. But I hope I have
-not come to this seat of Satan in vain. The Word of God has found its
-way into Persia, and it is not in Satan's power to oppose its progress
-if the Lord hath sent it."</p>
-
-<p>The Psalms in Persian was finished by the middle of March.</p>
-
-<p>On the 23d Mr. Martyn writes: "I called on the Vizier. In the court
-where he received me, Mirza Ibraheem was lecturing. Finding myself so
-near my old and respectable antagonist, I expressed a wish to see him,
-on which Jaffier Ali Khan went up to ascertain if my visit would be
-agreeable. The master consented, but some of the disciples demurred.
-At last, one of them, observing that by the blessing of God on the
-master's conversation I might possibly be converted, it was agreed
-that I should be invited to ascend. Then it became a question where I
-ought to sit. Below all would not be respectful to a stranger, but
-above all the Moollahs could not be tolerated. I entered and was
-surprised at the numbers. The room was lined with Moollahs on both
-sides and at the top. I was about to sit down on the floor but was
-beckoned to an empty place near the top, opposite to the master, who,
-after the usual compliments, without further ceremony, asked me, 'What
-we meant by calling Christ, God?' War being thus unequivocally
-declared, I had nothing to do but stand upon the defensive. Mirza
-Ibraheem argued temperately enough; but of the rest, some were very
-violent and clamorous. The former asked 'if Christ had ever called
-himself God—was he the Creator or a creature?' I replied, 'The
-Creator.' The Moollahs looked at one another. Such a confession had
-never before been heard among the Mohammedan doctors.</p>
-
-<p>"One Moollah wanted to controvert some of my illustrations by
-interrogating me about the personality of Christ. To all his questions
-I replied by requesting the same information respecting his own
-person. To another, who was rather contemptuous and violent, I said
-'If you do not approve of our doctrine, will you be so good as to say
-what God is, according to you, that I may worship a proper object?'
-One said, 'the author of the universe.' 'I can form no idea from these
-words,' said I, 'but of a workman at work upon a vast number of
-materials. Is that a correct notion?' Another said, 'One who came of
-himself into being.' 'So then he came,' I replied, 'out of one place
-into another, and before he came he was not. Is this an abstract and
-refined notion?' After this no one asked me any more questions, and
-for fear the dispute should be renewed Jaffier Ali Khan carried me
-away."</p>
-
-<p>When we think of the bigotry and intolerance of these people and of
-Mr. Martyn's unflinching courage single-handed and alone, declaring
-the truth and preaching Christ, exposed to the greatest personal
-danger, contempt and insult, but unabashed, he stands before the world
-during his Shiraz residence as one of the bravest and grandest heroes
-that has ever lived. Such a spectacle is thrilling and sublime. God
-was with him to protect him and to inspire his magnificent
-confessions. A figure-head in history! A sight for angels and for men!</p>
-
-<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem2">
- <tr><td><small>
-
- Faithful found<br>
- Among the faithless, faithful only he,<br>
- Unshaken, unseduced, unterrified,<br>
- His loyalty he kept, his zeal, his love.</small></td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<p>And God was with him to cheer and comfort, and we rejoice to know that
-some of the scenes of his life in Shiraz were quiet and restful. At
-one time a tent was pitched for him in a garden in the suburbs of the
-city.</p>
-
-<p>Living amidst clusters of grapes by the side of a clear stream and
-frequently sitting under the shade of an orange tree, which Jaffier
-Ali Khan delighted to point out to visitors, until the day of his own
-departure, he passed many a tranquil hour, and enjoyed many a Sabbath
-of holy rest and divine refreshment.</p>
-
-<p>He says: "Passed some days at Jaffier Ali Khan's garden with Mirza
-Seid Ali, Aga Baba, Sheikh Abul Hassam, reading at their request the
-Old Testament histories. Their attention to the word and their love
-and respect for me seemed to increase as the time for my departure
-approached. Aga Baba, who had been reading St. Matthew, related very
-circumstantially to the company the particulars of the death of
-Christ. The bed of roses on which we sat and the notes of the
-nightingales warbling around us, were not so sweet to me as this
-discourse from the Persian."</p>
-
-<p>The plain of Shiraz is covered with ancient ruins, and contains the
-tombs of the poets Zaadi and Hafiz.</p>
-
-<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem3">
- <tr><td><small>A vision of the bright Shiraz, of Persian bards the theme;<br>
- The vine with bunches laden hangs o'er the crystal stream;<br>
- The nightingale all day her notes in rosy thicket trills,<br>
- And the brooding heat-mist faintly lies along the distant hills.<br>
- <br>
- About the plain are scattered wide in many a crumbling heap,<br>
- The fanes of other days, and tombs where Iran's poets sleep;<br>
- And in the midst, like burnished gems, in noonday light repose<br>
- The minarets of bright Shiraz,—the City of the Rose.<br>
- <br>
- One group beside the river bank in rapt discourse are seen,<br>
- Where hangs the golden orange on its boughs of purest green;<br>
- Their words are sweet and low, and their looks are lit with joy,<br>
- Some holy blessing seems to rest on them and their employ.<br>
- <br>
- The pale-faced Frank among them sits; what brought him from afar?<br>
- Nor bears he bales of merchandise, nor teaches skill in war;<br>
- One pearl alone he brings with him—the Book of life and death,—<br>
- One warfare only teaches he,—to fight the fight of faith.<br>
- <br>
- And Iran's sons are round him, and one with solemn tone<br>
- Tells how the Lord of Glory was rejected by his own;<br>
- Tells from the wondrous gospel of the trial and the doom,—<br>
- The words divine of love and might,—the scourge, the cross, the tomb.<br>
- <br>
- Far sweeter to the stranger's ear these eastern accents sound,<br>
- Than music of the nightingale that fills the air around;<br>
- Lovelier than balmiest odors sent from gardens of the rose,<br>
- The fragrance from the contrite soul and chastened lip that flows.<br>
- <br>
- The nightingales have ceased to sing, the roses' leaves are shed,<br>
- The Frank's pale face in Tocat's field hath mouldered with the dead;<br>
- Alone and all unfriended midst his Master's work he fell,<br>
- With none to bathe his fevered brow, with none his tale to tell.<br>
- <br>
- But still those sweet and solemn tones about him sound in bliss,<br>
- And fragrance from those flowers of God forevermore is his;<br>
- For his the meed, by grace, of those who rich in zeal and love,<br>
- Turn many unto righteousness, and shine as stars above.<br>
- <br>1851.
-
-
-
- —H<small>ENRY</small> A<small>LFORD</small>.</small></td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<p>On the 24th of May, after a year's residence, Mr. Martyn left Shiraz,
-bearing his precious translation to be presented to the Shah. The
-journey was an occasion of disappointment, exposure and suffering.</p>
-
-<p>Arrived at the Shah's camp he says: "June 12th, attended the Vizier's
-levee, when there was a most intemperate and clamorous controversy
-kept up for an hour or two, eight or ten on one side, and I on the
-other. Amongst them were two Moollahs, the most ignorant of any I have
-met in Persia or India. It would be impossible to enumerate all the
-absurd things they said. Their vulgarity in interrupting me in the
-middle of a speech, their utter ignorance of the nature of an
-argument, their impudent assertions about the law and the gospel,
-neither of which they had ever seen in their lives, moved my
-indignation. The Vizier said, 'You had better say, God is God and
-Mohammed is the prophet of God.' I said, 'God is God,' but added,
-instead of 'Mohammed is the prophet of God,' 'Jesus is the Son of
-God.' They had no sooner heard this, which I had avoided bringing
-forward till then, than they all exclaimed in contempt and anger, 'He
-is neither born nor begets,' and rose up as if they would have torn me
-in pieces. One of them said, 'What will you say when your tongue is
-burnt out for this blasphemy?'</p>
-
-<p>"My book which I had brought, expecting to present it to the king, lay
-before Mirza Shufi. As they all rose up after him to go, some to the
-king, and some away, I was afraid they would trample upon the book; so
-I went in among them to take it up, and wrapped it in a towel before
-them, while they looked at it and me with supreme contempt. Thus I
-walked away alone to my tent to pass the rest of the day in heat and
-dirt. What have I done, thought I, to merit all this scorn? Nothing, I
-trust, but bearing testimony to Jesus. I thought over these things in
-prayer and found the peace which Christ hath promised. To complete the
-trials of the day a messenger came from the Vizier in the evening to
-say that it was the custom of the king not to see any Englishman
-unless presented by the ambassador or accredited by a letter from him,
-and that I must therefore wait till the king reached Sultania, where
-the ambassador would be."</p>
-
-<p>Traveling toward Tabriz he writes, June 22: "Met with the usual
-insulting treatment at the caravansarai when the king's servant had
-got possession of a good room built for the reception of the better
-order of guests; they seemed to delight in the opportunity of humbling
-a European—all along the road when the king is expected the people
-are patiently waiting as for some dreadful disaster; plague,
-pestilence or famine are nothing to the misery of being subject to the
-violence and extortion of this rabble soldiery.</p>
-
-<p>"June 26. Have eaten nothing now for two days. My mind much disordered
-from headache and giddiness;—but my heart is with Christ and His
-saints.</p>
-
-<p>"June 27. Passed the third day in the same exhausted state, my head
-tortured with shocking pains, such as, together with the horror I felt
-at being exposed to the sun, showed me plainly to what to ascribe my
-sickness."</p>
-
-<p>Thus in great illness and suffering Mr. Martyn reached Tabriz, and was
-nursed through a fever of two months' continuance at the ambassador's
-residence. This defeated his plan of presenting the Persian New
-Testament to the king—but it was afterwards done by Sir Gore Ouseley
-himself, and publicly received the royal approbation, and still later
-was printed in St. Petersburg.</p>
-
-<p>On leaving Cawnpore, Mr. Martyn had intended returning to England, but
-had willingly remained in Persia to finish the translation, which
-being now disposed of, he reverted to his original intention, and set
-out on his last fatal journey towards Constantinople, September 2. His
-journal is filled with expressions of gratitude for restored health,
-delight in the scenery of Tabriz, descriptions of the country and the
-journey, the Araxes river, the hoary peaks of Ararat, the governor's
-palace, the ancient Armenian church and monastery at Ech-Miazin, where
-he received great kindness from the Patriarch and the monks. He was
-profoundly impressed with the view from an elevated table-land looking
-out upon Persia, Russia and Turkey—a Pisgah vision, which excites in
-later missionaries a strong desire for Christian conquest. Describes
-Cars and Erzroom. September 29, left Erzroom. Was attacked with fever
-and ague.</p>
-
-<p>"September 30. Took nothing all day but tea; headache and loss of
-appetite depressed my spirits, yet my soul rests in Him who is as
-anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, which, not seen, keeps me
-fast.</p>
-
-<p>"October 1. Marched over a mountainous tract; we were out from seven
-in the morning till eight at night. After sitting a little by the fire
-I was near fainting from sickness. My depression of spirits led me to
-the throne of grace as a sinful abject worm. When I thought of myself
-and my transgressions, I could find no text so cheering as, 'My ways
-are not as your ways.' From the men who accompanied Sir Wm. Ouseley to
-Constantinople I learned that the plague was raging at Constantinople
-and thousands dying every day. One of the Persians had died of it.
-They added that the inhabitants of Tocat were flying from their town
-from the same cause. Thus I am passing into imminent danger. O Lord
-thy will be done! Living or dying, remember me.</p>
-
-<p>"October 2. Lodged in the stables of the post-house. As soon as it
-began to grow a little cold, the ague came on and then the fever,
-after which I had a sleep, which let me know too plainly the disorder
-of my frame. In the night Hossan sent to summon me away, but I was
-quite unable to move. Finding me still in bed at the dawn he began to
-storm furiously at my detaining him so long, but I quietly let him
-spend his ire, ate my breakfast composedly, and set out at eight. He
-seemed determined to make up for the delay, for we flew over hill and
-dale to Sherean, where we changed horses. From thence we traveled all
-the rest of the day and all night. It rained most of the time. After
-sunset the ague came on again, which in my wet state was very trying.
-I hardly know how to keep my life in me. About that time there was a
-village at hand, but Hassan had no mercy. The night was pitchy dark,
-so that I could not see the road under my horse's feet. However, God
-being mercifully pleased to alleviate my bodily suffering, I went on
-contentedly to the munzil (stopping-place). After sleeping three or
-four hours Hassan hurried me away, and galloped furiously toward a
-village, which he said was four hours distant, which was all I could
-undertake in my present state; but village after village did he pass,
-till night coming on, and no signs of another, I suspected he was
-carrying me on to the munzil; so I got off my horse and sat upon the
-ground and told him I neither could nor would go any farther. He
-stormed, but I was immovable, till a light, appearing at a distance, I
-mounted my horse and made toward it, leaving him to follow or not as
-he pleased. He brought in the party, but would not exert himself to
-get a place for me. They brought me to an open verandah, but Sergius
-told them I wanted a place in which to be alone. This seemed very
-offensive to them, 'and why must he be alone'? they asked, ascribing
-this desire of mine to pride, I suppose. Tempted at last by money they
-brought me to a stable room, and Hassan and a number of others planted
-themselves there with me. My fever here increased to a violent degree,
-the heat in my eyes and forehead was so great that the fire almost
-made me frantic. I entreated that it might be put out or that I might
-be carried out of doors. Neither was attended to; my servant, who from
-my sitting in that strange way on the ground, believed me delirious,
-was deaf to all I said. At last I pushed my head in among the luggage
-and lodged it on the damp ground and slept.</p>
-
-<p>"October 5. Preserving mercy made me see the light of another morning.
-The sleep had refreshed me but I was feeble and shaken, yet the
-merciless Hassan hurried me off. I was pretty well lodged and felt
-tolerably well till a little after sunset, when the ague came on with
-a violence I had never before experienced. I felt as if in a palsy, my
-teeth chattering, and my whole frame violently shaken. Aga Hosyn and
-another Persian on their way here from Constantinople, came hastily to
-render me assistance if they could. These Persians appear quite
-brotherly after the Turks. While they pitied me, Hassan sat in perfect
-indifference, ruminating on the further delay this was likely to
-occasion. The cold fit after continuing two or three hours was
-followed by a fever, which lasted the whole night and prevented sleep.</p>
-
-<p>"October 6. No horses were to be had, and I had an unexpected repose.
-Sat in the orchard and thought with sweet comfort and peace of my God:
-in solitude my companion, friend and comforter. Oh, when shall time
-give place to eternity—when shall appear that new heaven and earth,
-wherein dwelleth righteousness! There, there shall in no wise enter in
-anything that defileth; none of that wickedness which has made men
-worse than wild beasts, none of those corruptions which add still more
-to the miseries of humanity, shall be seen or heard of any more."</p>
-
-<p>Here abruptly closes the journal, with pantings for the glory and the
-purity of Immanuel's land, into which he was admitted by a blessed
-translation, released from all the sufferings of life on October 16,
-1812, at Tocat, Turkey. The manner of his death is not known, whether
-it resulted from the sickness described, or from the plague, then
-raging. Whether Hassan was cruel and driving to the last, whether all
-his heartless Turkish attendants deserted him or not in his hour of
-final agony, we cannot tell. No relative or friend was there, no
-tender voice of sympathy, no woman's soothing hand, no alleviations
-from medicine. Even the commonest decencies and necessities of
-civilized life were lacking. Earth gave nothing to Henry Martyn in his
-mortal need, but we are sure heavenly consolations were unstinted.</p>
-
-<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem4">
- <tr><td><small>"Jesus can make a dying bed<br>
- Feel soft as downy pillows are."</small></td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<p>And Jesus was there! And Henry Martyn was satisfied, and is forever
-satisfied! "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his
-saints." And the most priceless legacy of the blood-bought and
-commissioned church is the memory of a life, so gifted, so unselfish,
-so consecrated.</p>
-
-<p>It is wanting in no element of moral heroism. Our souls confess its
-grandeur. The contemplation lifts us into a higher atmosphere than
-that of mammon, and self, and earth. We rejoice to see a crown so
-rare, so fair, so precious, laid at the feet of Jesus, the King. He is
-worthy. And we long to see the youth of our land and the church
-inspired by Henry Martyn's example, as he was inspired by David
-Brainerd's. And so we would have the apostolic succession continued
-till the millennium, of such as shall not count their lives dear for
-the testimony of the gospel.</p>
-
-<p>It is said that after Mr. Martyn's death one of his earliest and most
-devoted friends, the Rev. Charles Simeon, used always to keep his
-picture before him in his study for help and inspiration. "Move where
-he would through the apartment, it seemed to keep its eyes upon him,
-and ever to say to him, 'Be earnest, be earnest; don't trifle, don't
-trifle,' and the good Simeon would gently bow to the speaking picture,
-and with a smile, reply, 'Yes, I will; I will be in earnest, I will
-not trifle; for souls are perishing and Jesus is to be glorified.'"</p>
-
-<p>Would that Henry Martyn's life might bring such a message to every
-heart, and awaken in every one a similar response.</p>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<h3>MISSIONARY ANNALS.</h3>
-<center>Price per vol., cloth 30c., paper 18c.</center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-
-
-<h3>I.<br>
-MEMOIR OF ROBERT MOFFAT</h3>
-<center><i>BY MRS. M. L. WILDER</i>.</center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-
-<h3>II.<br>
-LIFE OF ADONIRAM JUDSON</h3>
-<center><i>BY MISS JULIA H. JOHNSTON</i>.</center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-
-<h3>III.<br>
-WOMAN AND THE GOSPEL IN PERSIA</h3>
-<center><i>BY REV. THOMAS LAURIE, D.D.</i></center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-
-<h3>IV.<br>
-LIFE OF REV. JUSTIN PERKINS, D.D.</h3>
-<center><i>BY REV. HENRY MARTYN PERKINS</i>.</center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-
-<h3>V.<br>
-LIFE OF DAVID LIVINGSTONE</h3>
-<center><i>BY MRS. J. H. WORCESTER, JR.</i></center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-<br>
-<center>OTHERS IN PREPARATION.<br>
-SENT POSTPAID ON RECEIPT OF PRICE.</center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-<br>
-<center>CHICAGO:</center>
-<center><small>W<small>OMAN'S</small> P<small>RESBYTERIAN</small> B<small>OARD OF</small>
-M<small>ISSIONS OF THE</small> N<small>ORTHWEST</small>,<br>
-Room 48, McCormick Block.</small></center>
-<br>
-
-<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30085 ***</div>
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+ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> + +<html> +<head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"> + <title>The Project Gutenberg e-Book of Life of Henry Martyn, by Sarah J. Rhea</title> + <style type="text/css"> + <!-- + body {margin:10%; text-align:justify} + h1 {text-align:center} + h2 {text-align:center} + h3 {text-align:center} + h4 {text-align:center} --> + </style> +</head> + +<body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30085 ***</div> + +<h2>MISSIONARY ANNALS.</h2> +<center><small>(A SERIES.)</small></center> +<br> +<hr width="150" align="center"> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<h4>LIFE OF</h4> +<h1>HENRY MARTYN,</h1> +<h4>MISSIONARY TO INDIA AND PERSIA,</h4> +<h4>1781 to 1812</h4> +<br> +<hr width="150" align="center"> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<center><small>ABRIDGED FROM THE MEMOIR.<br> +<br> +BY</small></center> +<h4>MRS. SARAH J. RHEA.</h4> +<br> +<hr width="150" align="center"> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<center>CHICAGO:</center> +<center><small>W<small>OMAN'S</small> P<small>RESBYTERIAN</small> B<small>OARD OF</small> F<small>OREIGN</small> +M<small>ISSIONS OF THE</small> N<small>ORTHWEST</small>,<br> +Room 48, McCormick Block.</small></center> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<center>C<small>OPYRIGHT</small>, 1888,<br><br> +<small>BY<br><br> +W<small>OMAN'S</small> P<small>RESBYTERIAN</small> B<small>OARD OF</small> M<small>ISSIONS<br> +OF THE</small> N<small>ORTHWEST</small>.</small></center> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<h3>CONTENTS.</h3> +<hr width="100" align="center"> +<br> + +<p><a href="#chap1">E<small>DUCATION AND</small> P<small>REPARATION</small></a></p> + +<p><a href="#chap2">L<small>IFE IN</small> I<small>NDIA</small></a></p> + +<p><a href="#chap3">L<small>IFE IN</small> P<small>ERSIA, AND</small> D<small>EATH</small></a></p> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<p>I hold in my hand an album adorned with pictures of missionaries, my +brethren and sisters, the ambassadors of the King. On one of the first +pages is "the tomb of Henry Martyn," given me by Dr. Van Lennep, who +had just visited the sacred spot and described it vividly. When I turn +the pages of my album and come to this, I pause with reverence and the +overflowings of deep and tender emotion, and my mind adds other +pictures, both terrestrial and celestial, to the one upon the page. My +own missionary life as the companion of him whom Dr. Perkins called +"the later Henry Martyn," was spent in Henry Martyn's Persia. They +were alike I think in many things, these two Persian evangelists, and +also in their deaths. When they passed out of the Tabriz gate, +journeying homeward after a course of illness in the fated city, for +each it was a quick ascent, a painful translation, to the heavenly +city with abundant entrance and the Master's "well done"—in heaven; +and on earth, a foreign grave taking possession for Christ, as the +Nestorians reverently say, with "white stones still speaking out."</p> +<div align="right">S. J. R. </div> +<br><a name="chap1"></a> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<h3>EDUCATION AND PREPARATION.</h3> +<hr width="100" align="center"> +<br> + +<p>Henry Martyn was born in England on the south-western coast of Truro, +February 18, 1781. His father, Mr. John Martyn, worked in the mines. +He was not educated but was very fond of learning. The miners were in +the habit of working and resting alternately every four hours. Mr. +John Martyn spent many of his rest intervals in study, and so by +diligence and education raised himself to a higher position, and +became a clerk in the office of a merchant in Truro. When Henry was +seven years old, he went to school to Dr. Cardew. From his earliest +years all who knew him considered him a very interesting and promising +child. Dr. Cardew says his proficiency in the classics exceeded that +of his schoolfellows; he was of a lively, cheerful temper and seemed +to learn without application, almost by intuition. But he was not +robust, and loving books better than sport, and having a peculiar +tenderness and inoffensiveness of spirit, he was often abused by rude +and coarse boys in the school. A friendship which he formed at this +time with a boy older than himself was the source of great comfort and +advantage to him, and was kept up throughout his whole life. This +friend often protected him from the bullies of the play-ground. At +this school, under excellent tuition, Henry remained until fourteen +years old, when he was induced to offer himself as a candidate for a +vacant scholarship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Young as he was, +he went there alone, and acquitted himself so well, though strongly +and ably opposed by competitors, that in the opinion of some of the +examiners he ought to have been elected. How often is the hand of God +seen in frustrating our fondest designs! Speaking of this +disappointment he afterwards wrote: "Had I remained and become a +member of the university at that time, as I should have done in case +of success, the profligate acquaintances I had there would have +introduced me to scenes of debauchery, in which I must in all +probability, from my extreme youth, have sunk forever."</p> + +<p>He continued after this with Dr Cardew till 1797, and then joined his +school friend at Cambridge at St. John's College. Here he obtained a +place in the first class at the public examination in December, a +circumstance which, joined to the extreme desire he had to gratify his +father, encouraged and excited him to study with increased alacrity, +and as the fruit of this application, at the next public examination +in the summer he reached the second station in the first class, a +point of elevation which "flattered his pride not a little." At this +time he appeared in the eye of the world most amiable and commendable, +outwardly moral, unwearied in application, and exhibited marks of no +ordinary talent. One exception to this statement is to be found in an +irritability of temper arising perhaps from the treatment he had +received at school. On one occasion in sudden anger, he threw a knife +at the head of another boy, which providentially missed him and was +left trembling in the wall; but it was a narrow escape, and might have +proved fatal. Though not a Christian at this time, he was under two +strong influences for good, one from his religious friend in college, +the other from his sister in Cornwall, a Christian of a meek, heavenly +and affectionate spirit. He paid a visit to his home in the summer of +1799, carrying with him no small degree of academical honor. It may be +well supposed that to a sister such as we have described, her +brother's spiritual welfare would be a most serious and anxious +concern; and that she often conversed with him on the subject of +religion we know from his own declaration. The first result of her +tender exhortations and earnest endeavors was very discouraging; a violent conflict took +place in her brother's mind between his conviction of the truth of +what she urged, and his love of the world; and for the present, the +latter prevailed. Yet, sisters similarly circumstanced may learn from +this case, not merely their duty, but also, from the final result, the +success they may anticipate in the faithful discharge of it.</p> + +<p>"At the examination at Christmas, 1799," he writes: "I was first, and +the account of it pleased my father prodigiously, who, I was told, was +in great health and spirits. What, then, was my consternation when in +January I received an account of his death!" Most poignant were his +sufferings under this affliction, which led him to God for comfort in +prayer and Bible study. He says: "I began with the Acts, and found +myself insensibly led to inquire more attentively into the doctrines +of the Apostles." Writing to his sister, having announced shortly and +with much simplicity that his name stood first upon the list at the +college examination of the summer of 1800, he says: "What a blessing +it is for me that I have such a sister as you, my dear S., who have +been so instrumental in keeping me in the right way. After the death +of our father you know I was extremely low spirited, and like most +other people began to consider seriously without any particular +determination, that invisible world to which he was gone and to which +I must one day go. Soon I began to attend more diligently to the words +of our Savior in the New Testament, and to devour them with delight, +when the offers of mercy and forgiveness were made so freely; I +supplicated to be made partaker of the covenant of grace with +eagerness and hope, and thanks be to the ever-blessed Trinity for not +leaving me without comfort!" How cheering to his sister it must have +been to receive at a moment of deep sorrow such a communication as +this! How salutary to his own mind to have possessed so near a +relation to whom he could thus freely open the workings of his heart. +At this time he also received great benefit from attendance on the +faithful ministry of Rev. Charles Simeon, under whose pastoral +instructions he himself declares that he "gradually acquired more +knowledge in divine things." With this excellent man he had the most +friendly and unreserved intercourse. Mr. Martyn received his first +impressions of the transcendent excellence of the Christian ministry +of Mr. Simeon, from which it was but a short step to choose this +calling for his own, for until now he had intended to devote himself +to the law "chiefly," he confesses, "because he could not consent to +be poor for Christ's sake."</p> + +<p>In January, 1801, the highest academical honor, that of "senior +wrangler," was awarded to him before the completion of his twentieth +year. His description of his feelings on this occasion is remarkable: +"I obtained my highest wishes, but was surprised to find that I had +grasped a shadow." So impossible it is for earthly distinction to fill +and satisfy the mind.</p> + +<p>In March, 1802, after another rigid examination, Mr. Martyn was chosen +Fellow of St. Johns, a situation honorable to the society and +gratifying to himself. Soon after he obtained first prize for best +Latin prose composition over many competitors of classical celebrity, +and this was the more remarkable, as his studies had been almost +entirely in mathematics.</p> + +<p>Henry Martyn's attention was called to the great cause of Foreign +Missions by some remarks of Rev. Mr. Simeon on the work of Carey in +India, but more particularly by reading the memoir of David Brainerd, +who preached with apostolic zeal and success to the North American +Indians, and who finished a course of self-denying labors for his +Redeemer with unspeakable joy at the early age of thirty-two. Henry +Martyn's soul was filled with holy emulation, and after deep +consideration and fervent prayer he was at length fixed in a +resolution to imitate his example. Nor let it be conceived that he +could adopt this resolution without the severest conflict in his mind, +for he was endued with the truest sensibility of heart, and was +susceptible of the warmest and tenderest attachments. No one could +exceed him in love for his country, or in affection for his friends, +and few could surpass him in an exquisite relish for the various and +refined enjoyments of a social and literary life. How then could it +fail of being a moment of extreme anguish when he came to the +deliberate resolution of leaving forever all he held dear upon earth? +But he was fully satisfied that the glory of that Savior who loved him +and gave Himself for him would be promoted by his going forth to +preach to the heathen. He considered their pitiable and perilous +condition; he thought on the value of their immortal souls; he +remembered the last solemn injunction of his Lord, "Go teach all +nations,"—an injunction never revoked, and commensurate with that +most encouraging promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end +of the world." Actuated by these motives, he offered himself as a +missionary to the society for Missions, and from that time stood +prepared with childlike simplicity and unshaken constancy to go to any +part of the world whither it might be deemed expedient to send him.</p> + +<p>In the early part of 1804, Mr. Martyn's plans of becoming a missionary +were dampened by the loss of his slender patrimony, and as his sister +was also involved in the calamity, it appeared hardly justifiable for +him to go away. After some delay his friends obtained for him the +position of chaplain to the East India Company, and so the obstacles +which detained him were removed.</p> + +<p>The time of the delay was spent in zealous service for his divine +Master. He was associated with Rev. Mr. Simeon as curate and preached +with great zeal and unction, often to very large audiences, and +sometimes with such unsparing denunciation of common sins as to awaken +opposition. He considered it his duty to rebuke iniquity, and on one +occasion severely reproved a student for shocking levity,—reading a +play with some young ladies while their father lay dying. He feared +the result of this might be estrangement from his friend, but prayed +earnestly that it might lead to his awakening. This prayer was +answered, and afterwards this very friend became his beloved associate +in missionary work in India.</p> + +<p>In very early youth Mr. Martyn became fondly attached to a young lady +named Lydia Grenfell. She considered herself his superior in social +position. The memoirs all speak of her as estimable, and we infer from +the little that is said that she somewhat indifferently accepted Henry +Martyn's homage, but she did not wholeheartedly and generously +respond. What a contrast to the beloved and devoted Harriet Newell, +who was not afraid to risk all for Christ, and counted not her life +dear even unto the death! It was Miss Grenfell's greatest honor that +Henry Martyn would have made her his wife, but she declined the honor, +and yet gave him encouragement, for their correspondence only ended +with his life, and his very last writing was a letter to her. He +begged her with all the eloquence of a lonely and devoted heart to +come out to him after he had gone to India, arranging every detail for +her comfort with thoughtful tenderness, and urging and encouraging her +and lavishing upon her an affection that would have crowned and +enriched her life. We are left to infer from the history that she did +love him in her way, but if she had shared his consecration and gone +with him and taken care of him, and cheered and comforted him, and +made for him a happy restful home, as some missionary wives have done +in self-denying foreign fields, what a blessing she might have been, +and her life, how fruitful, and her memory, how fragrant! As it was, +she has this distinction, that she was Henry Martyn's disappointment +and trial and discipline. No one less tender and sensitive than Henry +Martyn can appreciate all he suffered on this account; but he made it, +like all the other great sorrows of his life, a cross on which to be +crucified with Christ.</p> + +<p>He writes to his dear sister S.: "When I sometimes offer up +supplications with strong crying to God to bring down my spirit into +the dust I endeavor calmly to contemplate the infinite majesty of the +most high God and my own meanness and wickedness, or else I quietly +tell the Lord, who knows the heart, I would give Him all the glory of +everything if I could. But the most effectual way I have ever found is +to lead away my thoughts from myself and my own concerns by praying +for all my friends, for the church, the world, the nation, and +especially by beseeching that God would glorify His own great name by +converting all nations to the obedience of faith, also by praying that +he would put more abundant honor on those Christians whom he seems to +have honored especially, and whom we see to be manifestly our +superiors."</p> + +<p>In spite of Henry Martyn's beautiful humility, honor after honor was +heaped upon him by his admiring and appreciative Alma Mater. Three +times he was chosen examiner, and discharged the duties of this office +with great care and faithfulness.</p> + +<p>As the time approaches for his parting from all he holds dear, +especially the beloved L., our hearts go out to him in irrepressible +sympathy. He writes, "parted with L. forever in this life with a sort +of uncertain pain which I know will increase to greater violence."</p> + +<p>And these forebodings were but too soon realized. For many succeeding +days his mental agony was extreme, yet he could speak to God as one +who knew the great conflict within him. Yet while the waves and +billows are going over him he writes from these depths, "I never had +so clear a conviction of my call as at the present. Never did I see so +much the exceeding excellency and glory and sweetness of the work, nor +had so much the favorable testimony of my own conscience, nor +perceived so plainly the smile of God. Blessed be God, I feel myself +to be His minister. This thought which I can hardly describe came in +the morning after reading Brainerd. I wish for no service but the +service of God, to labor for souls on earth and to do His will in +heaven."</p> +<br><a name="chap2"></a> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<h3>LIFE IN INDIA.</h3> +<hr width="100" align="center"> +<br> + +<p>On the 17th of July, 1805, the Union East Indiaman conveying Mr. +Martyn sailed from Portsmouth. Mr. Martyn says: "Though it was what I +had been anxiously looking forward to so long, yet the consideration +of being parted forever from my friends, almost overcame me. My +feelings were those of a man who should suddenly be told that every +friend he had in the world was dead."</p> + +<p>Though suffering much in mind and body throughout the long and tedious +voyage of nine months, Mr. Martyn seeks no selfish ease. He preaches, +reads and labors assiduously with officers, passengers and crew, and +shuns not to declare the whole counsel of God, even the unpalatable +doctrine of the future punishment of the wicked. He says: "The threats +and opposition of these men made me willing to set before them the +truths they hated, yet I had no species of hesitation about doing it. +They said they would not come if so much hell was preached, but I took +for my text, 'The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations +that forget God.' The officers were all behind my back in order to +have an opportunity of retiring in case of dislike. H., as soon as he +heard the text, went back and said he would hear no more about hell; +so he employed himself in feeding the geese. However, God I trust +blessed the sermon to the good of many; some of the cadets and many of +the soldiers were in tears. I felt an ardor and vehemence in some +parts which are unusual with me. After service walked the deck with +Mrs. ——; she spoke with so much simplicity and amiable humility that +I was full of joy and admiration to God for a sheep brought home to +His fold. In the afternoon went below intending to read to them at the +hatchway, but there was not one of them, so I could get nothing to do +among the poor soldiers."</p> + +<p>What a picture revealing Henry Martyn's character!—the contrasting +attributes of sternness and gentleness, his martyrlike determination +to do his whole duty at any cost to himself from suffering and insult, +the keen shrinking of a nature so refined and sensitive from +coarseness and abuse, undeviating yet uncompromising, bringing to our +thoughts the Divine Exemplar. I pass by the incidents of the voyage, +including mutiny, sickness and death, romantic stay at St. Salvador, +battles at the Cape of Good Hope, etc., eloquently and vividly +recorded.</p> + +<p>The Friday preceding his arrival in India he spends "in praying that +God would no longer delay exerting his power in the conversion of the +eastern nations. I felt emboldened" he says, "to employ the most +familiar petitions by Is. xii. 6, 7, 'Keep not silence; give him no +rest,' etc. Blessed be God for those words! They are like a cordial to +my spirits, because if the Lord is not pleased by me or during my +lifetime to call the Gentiles, yet He is not offended at my being +urgent with Him that the kingdom of God may come."</p> + +<p>April 21, 1806, the nine months' journey is complete, and they land at +Madras. Mr. Martyn gives first impressions and description of the +natives, ending in these words: "In general, one thought naturally +occurred: the conversion of their poor souls. I am willing, I trust, +through grace, to pass my life among them if by any means these poor +people may be brought to God. The sight of men, women and children, +all idolaters, makes me shudder as if in the dominions of the prince +of darkness. Hearing the hymn, 'Before Jehovah's awful throne,' it +excited a train of affecting thoughts in my mind."</p> + +<p>"Wide as the world is thy command. Therefore it is easy for Thee to +spread abroad Thy holy name. But oh, how gross the darkness here! The +veil of the covering cast over all nations seems thicker here; the +friends of darkness seem to sit in sullen repose in this land. What +surprises me is the change of views I have here from what I had in +England. There my heart expanded with hope and joy at the prospect of +the speedy conversion of the heathen; but here the sight of the +apparent impossibility requires a strong faith to support the +spirits." Ah, how vividly this describes missionary experiences! After +great peril from storm and illness, passing up the Hoogly from Madras, +Mr. Martyn arrived at Calcutta, May 14. In this city for years had +been a band of English Christians faithfully praying for the coming of +the kingdom in that dark land, and into the home of one of these, Rev. +David Brown, was Mr. Martyn received with much affection. A pagoda in +one end of the yard on the river bank was fitted up for him, and the +place where once devils were worshiped now became a Christian oratory. +The first experience here was of severe illness from acclimating +fever, from which he was kindly nursed into convalescence. He then +applied himself earnestly to the study of the Hindoostanee, having +engaged a Brahmin as a teacher. Here he witnessed with horror the +cruel and debasing rites of heathenism. The blaze of a funeral pile +caused him one day to hasten to the rescue of a burning widow who was +consumed before his eyes. And in a dark wood he heard the sound of +cymbals and drums calling the poor natives to the worship of devils, +and saw them prostrate with their foreheads to the ground before a +black image in a pagoda surrounded with burning lights—a sight which +he contemplated with overwhelming compassion, "shivering as if +standing in the neighborhood of hell."</p> + +<p>Mr. Martyn's plain and pungent preaching was a great offense to some +of the easy-going formalists of the English church at Calcutta, and +some of the ministry attacked him bitterly from their pulpits, +declaring, for instance, that to affirm repentance to be the gift of +God and to teach that nature is wholly corrupt, is to drive men to +despair, and that to suppose the righteousness of Christ sufficient to +justify is to make it unnecessary to have any of our own. Though +compelled to listen to such downright heresies, to hear himself +described as knowing neither what he said nor whereof he affirmed, and +as aiming only to gratify self sufficiency, pride and +uncharitableness,—"I rejoiced," said this meek and holy man, "to +receive the Lord's supper afterwards;—as the solemnities of that +blessed ordinance sweetly tended to soothe any asperity of mind, and I +think that I administered the cup to —— and —— with sincere good +will."</p> + +<p>September 13, 1806, Mr. Martyn received his appointment to Singapore. +A farewell meeting of great interest was held in his pagoda, followed +by a tender parting from the family who had been so kind to him, and +two fellow laborers who, following his bright example, had just come +out from England. The voyage to Singapore was performed in a budgero, +a small boat with a cabin, in which he studied and translated and +prayed while making the seventeen or eighteen miles a day of the +six-weeks' journey. At night the boat was fastened to the shore. His +journal record of these days is very interesting and very +characteristic. He says:</p> + +<p>"October 27. Arrived at Berhampore. In the evening walked out to the +hospital in which there were 150 European soldiers sick. I was talking +to a man said to be dying, when a surgeon entered. I went up and made +some apology for entering the hospital. It was my old school-fellow +and townsman, ——. The remainder of the evening he spent with me in +my budgero.</p> + +<p>"October 28. Rose very early and was at the hospital at daylight. +Waited there a long time wandering up and down the wards in hopes of +inducing the men to get up and assemble, but it was in vain. I left +three books with them and went away amidst the sneers and titters of +the common soldiers. Certainly it is one of the greatest crosses I am +called to bear to take pains to make people hear me. It is such a +struggle between a sense of propriety and modesty on the one hand, and +a sense of duty on the other, that I find nothing equal to it. I could +force my way anywhere, in order to introduce a brother minister; but +for myself, I act with hesitation and pain.</p> + +<p>"Walking out into a village where the boat stopped for the night I +found the worshipers of Kali by the sound of their drums and cymbals. +Invited by the Brahmins to walk in I entered and asked a few questions +about the idol. The Brahmin who spoke bad Hindoostanee disputed with +great heat, and his tongue ran faster than I could follow, and the +people, about one hundred, shouted applause. I continued my questions +and among other things asked if what I had heard of Vishnu and Brahma +was true, which he confessed. I forbore to press him with the +consequences, which he seemed to feel; and then I told him what was my +belief. The man grew quite mild and said it was <i>chula bat</i> (good +words), and asked me seriously at last what I thought, 'Was idol +worship true or false?' I felt it a matter of thankfulness that I +could make known the truth of God though a stammerer and that I had +declared it in the presence of the devil. And this also I learnt, that +the power of gentleness is irresistible. I never was more astonished +than at the change in deportment of this hot-headed Brahmin.... Came +to on the eastern bank below a village called Ahgadup. Wherever I +walked the women fled at the sight of me. Some men were sitting under +the shed dedicated to their goddess; a lamp was burning in her place. +A conversation soon began, but there was no one who could speak +Hindoostanee. I could only speak by the medium of my Mussulman, +Musalchee. They said that they only did as others did, and that if +they were wrong then all Bengal was wrong. I felt love for their +souls, and longed for utterance to declare unto these poor simple +people the holy gospel. I think that when my mouth is opened I shall +preach to them day and night.</p> + +<p>"October 31. My Moonshee said, 'How can you prove this book (the +gospel), to be the word of God?' I took him to walk with me on the +shore that we might discuss the matter, and the result of our +conversation was that I discovered that the Mussulmen allow the gospel +to be in general the command of God, though the words of it are not +His as the words of the Koran are, and contend that the actual words +of God given to Jesus were burnt by the Jews; that they also admit the +New Testament to have been in force till the coming of Mohammed. When +I quoted some passages which proved the Christian dispensation to be +the final one, he allowed it to be inconsistent with the divinity of +the Koran, but said, 'Then those words of the gospel must be false.' +The man argued and asked his questions seemingly in earnest, and +another new impression was left upon my mind, namely, that these men +are not fools and that all ingenuity and clearness of reasoning are +not confined to England and Europe. I seem to feel that these +descendants of Ham are as dear to God as the haughty sons of Japheth; +I feel, too, more at home with the Scriptures than ever; everything I +see gives light to, and receives it from, the Scriptures. I seem +transported back to the ancient times of the Israelites and the +Apostles. My spirit felt composed after the dispute by simply looking +to God as one who had engaged to support His own cause; and I saw it +to be my part to pursue my way through the wilderness of this world, +looking only to that redemption which daily draweth nigh. How should +this consideration quell the tumult of anger and impatience when I +cannot convince men 'the government is on His shoulders?' Jesus is +able to bear the weight of it; therefore we need not be oppressed with +care or fear, but a missionary is apt to fancy himself an Atlas.</p> + +<p>"November 2. Walking on shore met a large party. I asked if any of +them could read. One young man who seemed superior in rank to the +rest, said he could, and accordingly read some of the only Nagree +tract that I had. I then addressed myself boldly to them and told them +of the gospel. When speaking of the inefficacy of the religious +practices of the Hindoos I mentioned as an example the repetition of +the name of Ram. The young man assented to this and said, 'of what use +is it?' As he seemed to be of a pensive turn and said this with marks +of disgust, I gave him a Nagree Testament, the first I have given. May +God's blessing go along with it and cause the eyes of the multitudes +to be opened. The men said they should be glad to receive tracts, so I +sent them back a considerable number. The idea of printing the +parables in proper order with a short explanation to each, for the +purpose of distribution and as school books, suggested itself to me +to-night and delighted me prodigiously.... A Mussulman, when he +received one of the tracts and found what it was, was greatly alarmed, +and after many awkward apologies, returned it, saying that 'a man who +had his legs in two different boats, was in danger of sinking between +them.'"</p> + +<p>Established at Singapore, Mr. Martyn began upon three different lines +of work, establishing schools, attaining readiness in Hindoostanee so +as to preach the gospel in that language, and translating the +Scriptures and religious books. To his great discouragement he was +informed by the Pundit that every four miles the language changed, so +that a book in the dialect of one district would be unintelligible to +the people of another. Being advised to learn Sanscrit, he took up +this language with great zeal. The commencement of Mr. Martyn's +ministry amongst the Europeans of Singapore was not of such a kind as +to either gratify or encourage him. At first he read prayers to the +soldiers at the barracks from the drumhead, and as there were no seats +provided, was desired to omit the sermon. Afterwards more decent +arrangements being made, the families came in; but taking offense at +his evangelical plainness, they asked that he should desist from +extempore preaching. These European members of his flock were jealous +and angry at his constant efforts for the salvation of the heathen +natives. They thought it much beneath the dignity of an English +chaplain to care for these degraded souls. Some of Mr. Martyn's duties +as chaplain were exceedingly onerous. On several occasions he was +summoned to distant places involving long and dangerous journeys to +perform a marriage ceremony. On these journeys he suffered severely, +and they were a great draft upon his very delicate health; always weak +and languid, and often alarmingly disordered. Yet through all he +continued to labor incessantly. Every Sabbath he held at least four +services: at 7 for Europeans; at 2 for Hindoos, about two hundred in +attendance; in the afternoon at the hospital; in the evening in his +own room for the soldiers. In his household were two natives who +assisted in his studies and translations, the Moonshee and the Pundit, +with whom he held long disputes and with whom he labored daily, though +unsuccessfully, to bring them to faith in Christ. He says, +"translating the epistle of St. John with the Moonshee, I asked him +what he thought of those passages which so strongly express the +doctrines of the Trinity and of the divinity of Christ. He said he +never would believe it, because the Koran declared it sinful to say +that God had any Son. I told him that he ought to pray that God would +teach him what the truth really is. He said he had no occasion on this +subject, as the word of God was express. I asked him whether some +doubt ought not to arise in his mind whether the Koran is the word of +God. He grew angry, and I felt hurt and vexed. I should have done +better to have left the words of the chapter with him without saying +anything. I went also too far with the Pundit in arguing against his +superstition, for he also grew angry." If any qualification seems +necessary to a missionary in India it is wisdom—operating in the +regulation of the temper and the due improvement of opportunities. Mr. +Martyn needed the heavenly gift of wisdom also in the management of +his native schools, five or six of which were supported by himself in +Singapore. Little by little he succeeded in introducing as a text-book +a part of the Bible—his own translation of the sermon on the Mount +and the Parables. He was called to do more and more of this work of +translating the Scriptures, and was persuaded by the Rev. David Brown +not only to continue the Hindoostanee, but to superintend the +translation of the Scriptures into Persian. He engaged in it at once +with zeal. He writes: "The time fled imperceptibly while so +delightfully engaged in the translations; the days seemed to have +passed like a moment. What do I not owe to the Lord for permitting me +to take part in a translation of His word? Never did I see such wonder +and wisdom and love in the blessed Book as since I have been obliged +to study every expression. Employed a good while at night in +considering a difficult passage, and being much enlightened respecting +it, I went to bed full of astonishment at the wonder of God's Word. +Never before did I see anything of the beauty of the language and the +importance of the thoughts as I do now. What a source of perpetual +delight have I in the precious Word of God!"</p> + +<p>This ecstasy of enthusiasm in most successful and congenial labor was +suddenly dashed by a great wave of sorrow which came to Mr. Martyn in +the news of the death of his eldest sister. To missionaries in foreign +lands such news is especially bitter, and to recover from such a shock +and sense of irreparable loss seems almost impossible. The mind, +unsatisfied with details of the sad event, is left in shadow which +deepens into heavy gloom. Mr. Martyn was all alone and felt it keenly +and inexpressibly. Some of his most intimate and sympathetic friends +at this time, realizing how it was not good for him to be alone, +encouraged him to renew his matrimonial offer to his ever beloved L. +After her refusal he says, "The Lord sanctify this, and since this +last desire of my heart is also withheld may I turn away forever from +the world and henceforth live forgetful of all but God. With Thee, O +my God, is no disappointment. I shall never have to regret that I have +loved Thee too well. Thou hast said, 'delight thyself in the Lord, and +he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.'"</p> + +<p>Could sweeter words than these be expressed in any language! Could +greater depths of submission or heights of consecration be attained! +They deserve to be recorded on imperishable marble or blazoned on the +sky in sight of all, and received as the confession of every Christian +heart, to the honor and praise of Him who gave such glorious victory +to this tried soldier of the cross.</p> + +<p>Providentially for Mr. Martyn's comfort his thoughts were much +occupied after this by the arrival of his coadjutors in the work of +translation, one of these, Mirza of Benares, well known in India as an +eminent Hindoostanee scholar; the other Sabat the Arabian, since but +too well known both in India and England by his rejection of that +faith which he then appeared to profess in sincerity and faith. In the +latter of these Mr. Martyn confidently trusted that he had found a +Christian brother with respect to the reality of his belief in +Christianity, although Mr. Martyn immediately discovered in him an +unsubdued Arab spirit, and witnessed with pain many deflections from +that temper and conduct which he himself so eminently exemplified; +yet, he could not but "believe all things and hope all things," even +while he continued to suffer much from him, and for a length of time, +with unparalleled forbearance and kindness. Sabat's temper was a +continual trial and mortification. The very first Sabbath in +Singapore, imagining he was not treated with sufficient dignity, he +left the church before service in great anger. Often in the midst of +the translation he would come to a sudden stop and refuse to go on for +the most trivial reasons, sometimes for fear that Mirza who would +review the work might have part of the honor. About this time Mr. +Martyn was much bereaved by the removal of a family with whom he had +lived in intimate terms of Christian intercourse. "This separation +affected him the more sensibly because it was not in every family at +that station that he met with a kind and cordial reception." He says, +"I called on one of the Singapore families, and felt my pride rise at +the uncivil manner in which I was received. I was disposed at first to +determine never to visit the house again, but I remembered the words, +'overcome evil with good.'"</p> + +<p>In the month of March, 1808, the New Testament in Hindoostanee was +completed. He says, "I have read and corrected the manuscript till my +eyes ache; such a week of labor I believe I have never passed. The +heat is terrible, often at 98 degrees, the nights insupportable." We +next hear of Mr. Martyn suffering from severe illness with fever and +vertigo, and pained with the thought of leaving the Persian gospels +unfinished! So unselfish, so full of zeal! Again at work, mercury at +102 degrees. "Arabic now employs my few moments of leisure. In +consequence of reading the Koran with Sabat audibly, and drinking no +wine, the slander has gone forth that the Singapore Padre has turned +Mussulman.</p> + +<p>"June 6th. To-day we have completed the Persian of St. Matthew. Sabat +desired me to kneel down to bless God for the happy event, and we +joined in praise of the Father of lights. It is a superb performance +in every respect, with elegance enough to attract the careless and +please the fastidious; it contains enough of Eternal Life to save the +reader's soul.... My services on the Lord's day always leave me with a +pain in the chest, and such a great degree of general relaxation, that +I seldom recover it till Tuesday. The society still meet every night +at my quarters, and though we have lost many by death, others are +raised up in their room. One officer, a lieutenant, is also given to +me, and he is not only a brother beloved, but a constant companion and +nurse; so you must feel no apprehension that I should be left alone in +sickness."</p> + +<p>In April, 1809, Mr. Martyn removes from Dinapore to Cawnpore. Here he +met friendship and hospitality. We quote from the graceful pen of Mrs. +Sherwood: "The month of April in the upper provinces of Hindoostan is +one of the most dreadful months for traveling throughout the year; +indeed, no European at that time can remove from place to place, but +at the risk of his life.</p> + +<p>"But Mr. Martyn had that anxiety to begin the work which his heavenly +Father had given him to do, that notwithstanding the violent heat, he +traveled from Chunar to Cawnpore, the space of about four hundred +miles. At that time as I well remember, the air was as hot and dry as +that which I have sometimes felt near the mouth of a large oven, no +friendly cloud or verdant carpet of grass to relieve the eye from the +strong glare of the rays of the sun pouring on the sandy plains of the +Ganges. Thus Mr. Martyn traveled, journeying night and day, and +arrived at Cawnpore in such a state that he fainted away as soon as he +entered the house. When we charged him with the rashness of hazarding +his life in this manner, he always pleaded his anxiety to get to the +great work. He remained with us ten days, suffering considerably at +times from fever and pain in the chest.</p> + +<p>"Mr. Martyn's removal from Dinapore to Cawnpore was to him in many +respects a very unpleasant arrangement. He was several hundred miles +farther distant from Calcutta and more widely separated than before +from his friend Mr. Corrie. He had new acquaintances to form at his +new abode, and after having with much difficulty procured the erection +of a church at Dinapore he was transported to a spot where none of the +conveniences, much less the decencies and solemnities of public +worship, were visible.</p> + +<p>"We find him soon after he arrived there preaching to a thousand +soldiers drawn up in a hollow square, when the heat was so great, +although the sun had not risen, that many actually dropped down, +unable to support it."</p> + +<p>Yet Mr. Martyn's labors were not abated. Every Sabbath at dawn were +prayers and sermon with the regiment, and again at eleven at the house +of the general of the station. In the afternoon he preached to a crowd +of poor natives, five, to eight hundred, rude, noisy, wretched +beggars, for whose souls he felt a tender care. Again in the evening, +the best of the day, he had a meeting with the more devout of his +flock. These ministrations so earnestly performed were most +exhausting, yet he knew not how to forego them; at this time, too, +from England came the sad and sudden news of the death of his sister, +the one who had led him to Christ.</p> + +<p>The alarming state of his health made some change necessary, and Mr. +Martyn was urged to leave India and make trial of a sea voyage. His +Persian New Testament had been criticised as unfit for general +circulation, being written in a style too learned and exalted for the +comprehension of the common people. He was advised to visit Persia and +there revise his work and also complete his version in Arabic, almost +finished. Mr. Brown, his devoted friend, and the Calcutta agent of the +British and Foreign Bible Society, thus writes: "Can I then bring +myself to cut the string and let you go? I confess I could not if your +bodily frame were strong, and promised to last for half a century. But +as you burn with the intenseness and rapid blaze of heated phosphorus, +why should we not make the most of you? Your flame may last as long +and perhaps longer in Arabia, than in India. Where should the Phoenix +build her odoriferous nest, but in the land prophetically called 'the +blessed?' and where shall we ever expect, but from that country, the +true Comforter to come to the nations of the East? I contemplate your +New Testament springing up, as it were, from dust and ashes, but +beautiful as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and his feathers +like yellow gold." His farewell services at Cawnpore were very tender +and affecting, both with his great audience of natives and Englishmen. +Of the latter, Mrs. Sherwood says: "He began in a weak and faint +voice, being at that time in a very bad state of health; but, +gathering strength as he proceeded, he seemed as one inspired from on +high. Never was an audience more affected. The next day this holy and +heavenly man left Cawnpore and the society of many who sincerely loved +and admired him." Stopping to visit the friends in Calcutta, the Rev. +Mr. Thomason says: "This bright and lovely jewel first gratified our +eyes on Saturday last. He is on his way to Arabia, where he is going +in pursuit of health and knowledge. You know his genius, and what +gigantic strides he takes in everything. He has some great plan in his +mind, of which I am no competent judge; but as far as I do understand +it, the object is far too grand for one short life, and much beyond +his feeble and exhausted frame. Feeble it is, indeed; how fallen and +changed! His complaint lies in his lungs and appears to be an +incipient consumption. But let us hope the sea air may revive him, and +that change may do him essential service and continue his life many +years. In all other respects he is exactly the same as he was; he +shines in all the dignity of love, and seems to carry about him such a +heavenly majesty as impresses the mind beyond description. But if he +talks much, though in a low voice, he sinks, and you are reminded of +his being dust and ashes." Though so infirm, Mr. Martyn preached every +Sabbath of his visit, and his last sermon on the anniversary of the +Calcutta Bible Society was afterwards printed and entitled "Christian +India, or an appeal on behalf of nine hundred thousand Christians in +India who want the Bible."</p> +<br><a name="chap3"></a> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<h3>LIFE IN PERSIA.</h3> +<hr width="100" align="center"> +<br> + +<p>From this time a change comes over Mr. Martyn's varied life. We have +seen him the successful candidate for academical distinctions—the +faithful and laborious pastor—the self-denying and devoted +missionary—the indefatigable translator—the preacher of the gospel +to the heathen; we are now called to admire in him the courageous +spirit of the Christian confessor.</p> + +<p>He says, on his voyage towards Persia: "All down the Bay of Bengal I +could do nothing but sit listless, viewing the wide waste of water, a +sight that would have been beautiful had I been well. In my Hebrew +researches I scarcely ever felt so discouraged. All the knowledge I +thought I had acquired became uncertain, and consequently I was +unhappy. It was in vain that I reflected that thousands live and die +happy without such knowledge as I am in search of.</p> + +<p>"Proposed family prayer every night in the cabin—no objection was +made.</p> + +<p>"February 18, anchored off Bombay. This day I finished the thirtieth +year of my unprofitable life, the age at which David Brainerd finished +his course. I am now at the age at which the Savior of men began his +ministry, and at which John the Baptist called a nation to repentance. +Hitherto I have made my youth and insignificance an excuse for sloth +and imbecility, now let me have a character and act boldly for God.</p> + +<p>"March 5. Feerog, a Parsee who is considered the most learned man +here, called to converse about religion. He spoke Persian and seemed +familiar with Arabic. He began by saying that no one religion had +more evidences of its truth than another, for that all the miracles of +the respective founders depended upon tradition. This I denied. He +acknowledged that the writer of the Zendavesta was not cotemporary +with Zoroaster. After disputing and raising objections he was left +without an answer, but continued to cavil. 'Why' said he, 'did the +Magi see the star in the East and none else? from what part of the +East did they come? and how was it possible that their king should +come to Jerusalem in seven days?' The last piece of information he had +from the Armenians. I asked him whether he had any thoughts of +changing his religion. He replied with a contemptuous smile, 'No, +every man is safe in his own religion.' I asked him, 'What sinners +must do to obtain pardon?' 'Repent,' said he. I asked, 'Would +repentance satisfy a creditor or a judge?' 'Why, is it not said in the +gospel,' rejoined he, 'that we must repent?' I replied, 'It cannot be +proved from the gospel that repentance alone is sufficient, or good +works, or both.' 'Where then is the glory of salvation?' he said; I +replied, 'In the atonement of Christ.' 'All this' said he, 'I know, +but so the Mohammedans say, that Hosyn was an atonement for the sins +of men.' He then began to criticise the translations he saw on the +table.</p> + +<p>"April 23. Moscat, Arabia. Went on shore and met the Vizier. His +African slave argued with me for Mohammed and did not know how to let +me go, he was so interested in the business.</p> + +<p>"April 25. Gave him an Arabic copy of the gospel, which he at once +began to read, and carried it off as a great prize, which I hope he +will find it to be.</p> + +<p>"Bushire, Persia. Called on the governor, a Persian Khan. He was very +particular in his attentions. Seated me on his own seat and then sat +by my side. After the usual salutations and inquiries the calean +(pipe), was introduced, then coffee in china cups placed within silver +ones, then calean, then some rose-water syrup, then calean. Observing +the windows of stained glass, I began to question him about the art of +coloring glass, observing that the modern Europeans were inferior to +the ancient in the manufacture of the article. He expressed his +surprise that Europeans, who were so skillful in making watches, +should fail in any handicraft work. I could not help recollecting the +Emperor of China's sarcastic remark on the Europeans and their arts, +and therefore dropped the subject. On his calean—I called it hookah +at first, but he did not understand me—I noticed several little +paintings of the Virgin and child, and asked him whether such things +were not unlawful among Mohammedans. He answered very coolly 'Yes,' as +much as to say, 'What then?' I lamented that the Eastern Christians +should use such things in their churches. He repeated the words of a +good man who was found fault with for having an image before him while +at prayer, 'God is nearer to me than that image, so that I do not see +it.' This man, I afterwards found, is like most of the other grandees +of the East, a murderer.</p> + +<p>"On the 30th of May, our Persian dresses were ready, and we set out +for Shiraz. The Persian dress consists of first, stockings and shoes +in one; next, a pair of large blue trousers, or else a pair of huge +red boots; then the shirt, then the tunic, and above it the coat, both +of chintz, and a great coat. I have here described my own dress, most +of which I have on at this moment. On the head is worn an enormous +cone made of the skin of the black Tartar sheep with the wool on. If +to this description of my dress I add that my beard and mustachios +have been suffered to vegetate undisturbed ever since I left India; +that I am sitting on a Persian carpet, in a room without tables or +chairs, and that I bury my hand in the pillar (rice), without waiting +for spoon or plate, you will give me credit for being already an +accomplished Oriental.</p> + +<p>"At ten o'clock on the 30th our califa began to move. It consisted +chiefly of mules with a few horses. I wished to have a mule, but the +muleteer favored me with his own pony; this animal had a bell fastened +to its neck. To add solemnity to the scene, a Bombay trumpeter who was +going to join the embassy was directed to blow a blast as we moved off +the ground; but whether it was that the trumpeter was not an adept in +the science or that his instrument was out of order, the crazy sounds +that saluted our ears had a ludicrous effect. At last, after some +jostling, mutual recriminations and recalcitrating of the steeds, we +each found our places and moved out of the gate of the city in good +order. The residents accompanied us a little way, and then left us to +pursue our journey over the plain. It was a fine moonlight night, the +scene new and perfectly oriental, and nothing prevented me from +indulging my own reflections. As the night advanced the califa grew +quiet; on a sudden one of the muleteers began to sing, and sang in a +voice so plaintive that it was impossible not to have one's attention +arrested. Every voice was hushed.</p> + +<p>"These were the words translated:</p> + +<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem1"> + <tr><td><small>Think not that e'er my heart could dwell<br> + Contented far from thee,<br> + How can the fresh-caught nightingale<br> + Enjoy tranquility?<br><br> + Oh, then forsake thy friend for naught<br> + That slanderous tongues can say,<br> + The heart that fixeth where it ought<br> + No power can rend away.</small></td></tr> +</table> + +<p>"Thus far our journey was agreeable. Now for miseries. At sunrise we +came to our ground at Ahmedu, six parasangs, and pitched our little +tent under a tree; it was the only shelter we could get. At first the +heat was not greater than we had felt in India, but it soon became so +intense as to be quite alarming. When the thermometer was above 112°, +fever heat, I began to lose my strength fast; at last it +became quite intolerable. I wrapped myself up in a blanket and all the +warm covering I could get to defend myself from the external air, by +which means the moisture was kept a little longer upon the body, and +not so speedily evaporated as when the skin was exposed. One of my +companions followed my example and found the benefit of it. But the +thermometer still rising, and the moisture of the body being quite +exhausted, I grew restless and thought I should have lost my senses. +The thermometer at last stood at 126°. In this state I composed +myself and concluded that, though I might hold out but a day or two, +death was inevitable. Captain —— continued to tell the hour and +heights of the thermometer, and with pleasure we heard of it sinking +to 120°, 118°, etc. At last the fierce sun retired and I +crept out more dead than alive. The next day we secured some comfort +from a large wet towel wrapped about the head and body. At sunset, +rising to go out, a scorpion fell upon my clothes. The night before we +found a black scorpion in our tent, that made us uneasy, so we got no +sleep."</p> + +<p>June 9 Mr. Martyn arrived at Shiraz, the celebrated seat of Persian +literature, and at once began work upon his translation with the +efficient help of Mirza Seid Ali Khan. In this work he had many +interruptions, being himself an object of attention and curiosity. He +received many calls, and unwilling to lose any opportunity of +benefiting the inhabitants of Shiraz, was never inaccessible to them. +He says, "June 17, in the evening, Seid Ali came with two Moollahs, and +with them I had a very long and temperate discussion. One of them read +the beginning of John in Arabic and inquired very particularly into +our opinions respecting the person of Christ, and when he was informed +that we did not consider His human nature eternal nor His mother +divine, seemed quite satisfied, and remarked to the others, 'how much +misapprehension is removed when people come to an explanation.'"</p> + +<p>"June 22. The Prince's secretary called to talk about Soofeeism. They +believe they know not what. He thought to excite my wonder by telling +me that I and every created being was God.</p> + +<p>"June 26. Two young men from the college came, full of zeal and logic, +to try me with hard questions such as, whether being be but one or +two? What is the state and form of disembodied spirits? and other +foolish and unlearned questions ministering strife. At last, one of +them discovered the true cause of his coming by asking me bluntly to +bring a proof of the religion of Christ. You allow the divine mission +of Christ, said I, why need I prove it? Not being able to draw me into +an argument they said what they wished to say, namely, that I had no +other proof for the miracles of Christ than they had for those of +Mohammed, which is tradition. 'Softly' I said, 'You will be pleased to +observe a difference between your books and ours, when by tradition we +have reached our several books, our narrators were eye witnesses; +yours are not, nor nearly so.'</p> + +<p>"In the evening Seid Ali asked me the cause of evil. I said I knew +nothing about it. He thought he could tell me, so I let him reason on +till he soon found he knew as little about the matter as myself. He +wanted to prove that there was no real difference between good and +evil; that it was only apparent. I observed that the difference, if +only apparent, was the cause of a great deal of misery.</p> + +<p>"June 30, Sunday. Preached to the Ambassador's suite on the 'Faithful +Saying.' In the evening baptized his child. Zachariah told me this +morning that I was the town talk." Indeed Shiraz was stirred to its +depth by the presence of Mr. Martyn during the whole year of his stay. +Men of every kind, especially the learned and zealous, came singly and +in groups almost every day to argue and dispute against Christ. Now it +was a party of Armenians, now learned Jews, now a prince, now a +general, now the very Moojtuhid himself, the professor of Mohammedan +law. This great dignitary invited Mr. Martyn to his house, where for +hours he talked on and on, defending his Prophet and showing his +learning; he was greatly annoyed at any difference of opinion, and +decided it was "quite useless for Mohammedans and Christians to argue +together, as they had different languages and different histories." +But fearing Mr. Martyn's influence he was stirred to write a defense +of his faith, which was said to surpass all former treatises on Islam. +He concludes it in these words, addressed to Mr. Martyn: "Oh, thou +that art wise! consider with the eye of justice, since thou hast no +excuse to offer to God. Thou hast wished to see the truth of miracles. +We desire you to look at the great Koran: that is an everlasting +miracle." Mr. Martyn replied, showing why men are bound to reject +Mohammedanism; that Mohammed was foretold by no prophet, worked no +miracles, spread his religion by means merely human, appeals to man's +lowest and sensual nature, that he was ambitious for himself and +family, that the Koran is full of absurdities and contradictions, that +it contains a method of salvation wholly inefficacious, sadly +contrasting with the divine atonement of Jesus Christ. The Prince's +nephew, hearing of the attack on Mohammed, said, "the proper answer to +it is the sword."</p> + +<p>Mr. Martyn writes, February 8: "This is my birthday, on which I +complete my thirty-first year. The Persian New Testament has been +begun and finished in it. Such a painful year I never passed, owing to +the privations I have been called to, on the one hand, and the +spectacle before me of human depravity on the other. But I hope I have +not come to this seat of Satan in vain. The Word of God has found its +way into Persia, and it is not in Satan's power to oppose its progress +if the Lord hath sent it."</p> + +<p>The Psalms in Persian was finished by the middle of March.</p> + +<p>On the 23d Mr. Martyn writes: "I called on the Vizier. In the court +where he received me, Mirza Ibraheem was lecturing. Finding myself so +near my old and respectable antagonist, I expressed a wish to see him, +on which Jaffier Ali Khan went up to ascertain if my visit would be +agreeable. The master consented, but some of the disciples demurred. +At last, one of them, observing that by the blessing of God on the +master's conversation I might possibly be converted, it was agreed +that I should be invited to ascend. Then it became a question where I +ought to sit. Below all would not be respectful to a stranger, but +above all the Moollahs could not be tolerated. I entered and was +surprised at the numbers. The room was lined with Moollahs on both +sides and at the top. I was about to sit down on the floor but was +beckoned to an empty place near the top, opposite to the master, who, +after the usual compliments, without further ceremony, asked me, 'What +we meant by calling Christ, God?' War being thus unequivocally +declared, I had nothing to do but stand upon the defensive. Mirza +Ibraheem argued temperately enough; but of the rest, some were very +violent and clamorous. The former asked 'if Christ had ever called +himself God—was he the Creator or a creature?' I replied, 'The +Creator.' The Moollahs looked at one another. Such a confession had +never before been heard among the Mohammedan doctors.</p> + +<p>"One Moollah wanted to controvert some of my illustrations by +interrogating me about the personality of Christ. To all his questions +I replied by requesting the same information respecting his own +person. To another, who was rather contemptuous and violent, I said +'If you do not approve of our doctrine, will you be so good as to say +what God is, according to you, that I may worship a proper object?' +One said, 'the author of the universe.' 'I can form no idea from these +words,' said I, 'but of a workman at work upon a vast number of +materials. Is that a correct notion?' Another said, 'One who came of +himself into being.' 'So then he came,' I replied, 'out of one place +into another, and before he came he was not. Is this an abstract and +refined notion?' After this no one asked me any more questions, and +for fear the dispute should be renewed Jaffier Ali Khan carried me +away."</p> + +<p>When we think of the bigotry and intolerance of these people and of +Mr. Martyn's unflinching courage single-handed and alone, declaring +the truth and preaching Christ, exposed to the greatest personal +danger, contempt and insult, but unabashed, he stands before the world +during his Shiraz residence as one of the bravest and grandest heroes +that has ever lived. Such a spectacle is thrilling and sublime. God +was with him to protect him and to inspire his magnificent +confessions. A figure-head in history! A sight for angels and for men!</p> + +<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem2"> + <tr><td><small> + + Faithful found<br> + Among the faithless, faithful only he,<br> + Unshaken, unseduced, unterrified,<br> + His loyalty he kept, his zeal, his love.</small></td></tr> +</table> + +<p>And God was with him to cheer and comfort, and we rejoice to know that +some of the scenes of his life in Shiraz were quiet and restful. At +one time a tent was pitched for him in a garden in the suburbs of the +city.</p> + +<p>Living amidst clusters of grapes by the side of a clear stream and +frequently sitting under the shade of an orange tree, which Jaffier +Ali Khan delighted to point out to visitors, until the day of his own +departure, he passed many a tranquil hour, and enjoyed many a Sabbath +of holy rest and divine refreshment.</p> + +<p>He says: "Passed some days at Jaffier Ali Khan's garden with Mirza +Seid Ali, Aga Baba, Sheikh Abul Hassam, reading at their request the +Old Testament histories. Their attention to the word and their love +and respect for me seemed to increase as the time for my departure +approached. Aga Baba, who had been reading St. Matthew, related very +circumstantially to the company the particulars of the death of +Christ. The bed of roses on which we sat and the notes of the +nightingales warbling around us, were not so sweet to me as this +discourse from the Persian."</p> + +<p>The plain of Shiraz is covered with ancient ruins, and contains the +tombs of the poets Zaadi and Hafiz.</p> + +<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem3"> + <tr><td><small>A vision of the bright Shiraz, of Persian bards the theme;<br> + The vine with bunches laden hangs o'er the crystal stream;<br> + The nightingale all day her notes in rosy thicket trills,<br> + And the brooding heat-mist faintly lies along the distant hills.<br> + <br> + About the plain are scattered wide in many a crumbling heap,<br> + The fanes of other days, and tombs where Iran's poets sleep;<br> + And in the midst, like burnished gems, in noonday light repose<br> + The minarets of bright Shiraz,—the City of the Rose.<br> + <br> + One group beside the river bank in rapt discourse are seen,<br> + Where hangs the golden orange on its boughs of purest green;<br> + Their words are sweet and low, and their looks are lit with joy,<br> + Some holy blessing seems to rest on them and their employ.<br> + <br> + The pale-faced Frank among them sits; what brought him from afar?<br> + Nor bears he bales of merchandise, nor teaches skill in war;<br> + One pearl alone he brings with him—the Book of life and death,—<br> + One warfare only teaches he,—to fight the fight of faith.<br> + <br> + And Iran's sons are round him, and one with solemn tone<br> + Tells how the Lord of Glory was rejected by his own;<br> + Tells from the wondrous gospel of the trial and the doom,—<br> + The words divine of love and might,—the scourge, the cross, the tomb.<br> + <br> + Far sweeter to the stranger's ear these eastern accents sound,<br> + Than music of the nightingale that fills the air around;<br> + Lovelier than balmiest odors sent from gardens of the rose,<br> + The fragrance from the contrite soul and chastened lip that flows.<br> + <br> + The nightingales have ceased to sing, the roses' leaves are shed,<br> + The Frank's pale face in Tocat's field hath mouldered with the dead;<br> + Alone and all unfriended midst his Master's work he fell,<br> + With none to bathe his fevered brow, with none his tale to tell.<br> + <br> + But still those sweet and solemn tones about him sound in bliss,<br> + And fragrance from those flowers of God forevermore is his;<br> + For his the meed, by grace, of those who rich in zeal and love,<br> + Turn many unto righteousness, and shine as stars above.<br> + <br>1851. + + + + —H<small>ENRY</small> A<small>LFORD</small>.</small></td></tr> +</table> + +<p>On the 24th of May, after a year's residence, Mr. Martyn left Shiraz, +bearing his precious translation to be presented to the Shah. The +journey was an occasion of disappointment, exposure and suffering.</p> + +<p>Arrived at the Shah's camp he says: "June 12th, attended the Vizier's +levee, when there was a most intemperate and clamorous controversy +kept up for an hour or two, eight or ten on one side, and I on the +other. Amongst them were two Moollahs, the most ignorant of any I have +met in Persia or India. It would be impossible to enumerate all the +absurd things they said. Their vulgarity in interrupting me in the +middle of a speech, their utter ignorance of the nature of an +argument, their impudent assertions about the law and the gospel, +neither of which they had ever seen in their lives, moved my +indignation. The Vizier said, 'You had better say, God is God and +Mohammed is the prophet of God.' I said, 'God is God,' but added, +instead of 'Mohammed is the prophet of God,' 'Jesus is the Son of +God.' They had no sooner heard this, which I had avoided bringing +forward till then, than they all exclaimed in contempt and anger, 'He +is neither born nor begets,' and rose up as if they would have torn me +in pieces. One of them said, 'What will you say when your tongue is +burnt out for this blasphemy?'</p> + +<p>"My book which I had brought, expecting to present it to the king, lay +before Mirza Shufi. As they all rose up after him to go, some to the +king, and some away, I was afraid they would trample upon the book; so +I went in among them to take it up, and wrapped it in a towel before +them, while they looked at it and me with supreme contempt. Thus I +walked away alone to my tent to pass the rest of the day in heat and +dirt. What have I done, thought I, to merit all this scorn? Nothing, I +trust, but bearing testimony to Jesus. I thought over these things in +prayer and found the peace which Christ hath promised. To complete the +trials of the day a messenger came from the Vizier in the evening to +say that it was the custom of the king not to see any Englishman +unless presented by the ambassador or accredited by a letter from him, +and that I must therefore wait till the king reached Sultania, where +the ambassador would be."</p> + +<p>Traveling toward Tabriz he writes, June 22: "Met with the usual +insulting treatment at the caravansarai when the king's servant had +got possession of a good room built for the reception of the better +order of guests; they seemed to delight in the opportunity of humbling +a European—all along the road when the king is expected the people +are patiently waiting as for some dreadful disaster; plague, +pestilence or famine are nothing to the misery of being subject to the +violence and extortion of this rabble soldiery.</p> + +<p>"June 26. Have eaten nothing now for two days. My mind much disordered +from headache and giddiness;—but my heart is with Christ and His +saints.</p> + +<p>"June 27. Passed the third day in the same exhausted state, my head +tortured with shocking pains, such as, together with the horror I felt +at being exposed to the sun, showed me plainly to what to ascribe my +sickness."</p> + +<p>Thus in great illness and suffering Mr. Martyn reached Tabriz, and was +nursed through a fever of two months' continuance at the ambassador's +residence. This defeated his plan of presenting the Persian New +Testament to the king—but it was afterwards done by Sir Gore Ouseley +himself, and publicly received the royal approbation, and still later +was printed in St. Petersburg.</p> + +<p>On leaving Cawnpore, Mr. Martyn had intended returning to England, but +had willingly remained in Persia to finish the translation, which +being now disposed of, he reverted to his original intention, and set +out on his last fatal journey towards Constantinople, September 2. His +journal is filled with expressions of gratitude for restored health, +delight in the scenery of Tabriz, descriptions of the country and the +journey, the Araxes river, the hoary peaks of Ararat, the governor's +palace, the ancient Armenian church and monastery at Ech-Miazin, where +he received great kindness from the Patriarch and the monks. He was +profoundly impressed with the view from an elevated table-land looking +out upon Persia, Russia and Turkey—a Pisgah vision, which excites in +later missionaries a strong desire for Christian conquest. Describes +Cars and Erzroom. September 29, left Erzroom. Was attacked with fever +and ague.</p> + +<p>"September 30. Took nothing all day but tea; headache and loss of +appetite depressed my spirits, yet my soul rests in Him who is as +anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, which, not seen, keeps me +fast.</p> + +<p>"October 1. Marched over a mountainous tract; we were out from seven +in the morning till eight at night. After sitting a little by the fire +I was near fainting from sickness. My depression of spirits led me to +the throne of grace as a sinful abject worm. When I thought of myself +and my transgressions, I could find no text so cheering as, 'My ways +are not as your ways.' From the men who accompanied Sir Wm. Ouseley to +Constantinople I learned that the plague was raging at Constantinople +and thousands dying every day. One of the Persians had died of it. +They added that the inhabitants of Tocat were flying from their town +from the same cause. Thus I am passing into imminent danger. O Lord +thy will be done! Living or dying, remember me.</p> + +<p>"October 2. Lodged in the stables of the post-house. As soon as it +began to grow a little cold, the ague came on and then the fever, +after which I had a sleep, which let me know too plainly the disorder +of my frame. In the night Hossan sent to summon me away, but I was +quite unable to move. Finding me still in bed at the dawn he began to +storm furiously at my detaining him so long, but I quietly let him +spend his ire, ate my breakfast composedly, and set out at eight. He +seemed determined to make up for the delay, for we flew over hill and +dale to Sherean, where we changed horses. From thence we traveled all +the rest of the day and all night. It rained most of the time. After +sunset the ague came on again, which in my wet state was very trying. +I hardly know how to keep my life in me. About that time there was a +village at hand, but Hassan had no mercy. The night was pitchy dark, +so that I could not see the road under my horse's feet. However, God +being mercifully pleased to alleviate my bodily suffering, I went on +contentedly to the munzil (stopping-place). After sleeping three or +four hours Hassan hurried me away, and galloped furiously toward a +village, which he said was four hours distant, which was all I could +undertake in my present state; but village after village did he pass, +till night coming on, and no signs of another, I suspected he was +carrying me on to the munzil; so I got off my horse and sat upon the +ground and told him I neither could nor would go any farther. He +stormed, but I was immovable, till a light, appearing at a distance, I +mounted my horse and made toward it, leaving him to follow or not as +he pleased. He brought in the party, but would not exert himself to +get a place for me. They brought me to an open verandah, but Sergius +told them I wanted a place in which to be alone. This seemed very +offensive to them, 'and why must he be alone'? they asked, ascribing +this desire of mine to pride, I suppose. Tempted at last by money they +brought me to a stable room, and Hassan and a number of others planted +themselves there with me. My fever here increased to a violent degree, +the heat in my eyes and forehead was so great that the fire almost +made me frantic. I entreated that it might be put out or that I might +be carried out of doors. Neither was attended to; my servant, who from +my sitting in that strange way on the ground, believed me delirious, +was deaf to all I said. At last I pushed my head in among the luggage +and lodged it on the damp ground and slept.</p> + +<p>"October 5. Preserving mercy made me see the light of another morning. +The sleep had refreshed me but I was feeble and shaken, yet the +merciless Hassan hurried me off. I was pretty well lodged and felt +tolerably well till a little after sunset, when the ague came on with +a violence I had never before experienced. I felt as if in a palsy, my +teeth chattering, and my whole frame violently shaken. Aga Hosyn and +another Persian on their way here from Constantinople, came hastily to +render me assistance if they could. These Persians appear quite +brotherly after the Turks. While they pitied me, Hassan sat in perfect +indifference, ruminating on the further delay this was likely to +occasion. The cold fit after continuing two or three hours was +followed by a fever, which lasted the whole night and prevented sleep.</p> + +<p>"October 6. No horses were to be had, and I had an unexpected repose. +Sat in the orchard and thought with sweet comfort and peace of my God: +in solitude my companion, friend and comforter. Oh, when shall time +give place to eternity—when shall appear that new heaven and earth, +wherein dwelleth righteousness! There, there shall in no wise enter in +anything that defileth; none of that wickedness which has made men +worse than wild beasts, none of those corruptions which add still more +to the miseries of humanity, shall be seen or heard of any more."</p> + +<p>Here abruptly closes the journal, with pantings for the glory and the +purity of Immanuel's land, into which he was admitted by a blessed +translation, released from all the sufferings of life on October 16, +1812, at Tocat, Turkey. The manner of his death is not known, whether +it resulted from the sickness described, or from the plague, then +raging. Whether Hassan was cruel and driving to the last, whether all +his heartless Turkish attendants deserted him or not in his hour of +final agony, we cannot tell. No relative or friend was there, no +tender voice of sympathy, no woman's soothing hand, no alleviations +from medicine. Even the commonest decencies and necessities of +civilized life were lacking. Earth gave nothing to Henry Martyn in his +mortal need, but we are sure heavenly consolations were unstinted.</p> + +<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem4"> + <tr><td><small>"Jesus can make a dying bed<br> + Feel soft as downy pillows are."</small></td></tr> +</table> + +<p>And Jesus was there! And Henry Martyn was satisfied, and is forever +satisfied! "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his +saints." And the most priceless legacy of the blood-bought and +commissioned church is the memory of a life, so gifted, so unselfish, +so consecrated.</p> + +<p>It is wanting in no element of moral heroism. Our souls confess its +grandeur. The contemplation lifts us into a higher atmosphere than +that of mammon, and self, and earth. We rejoice to see a crown so +rare, so fair, so precious, laid at the feet of Jesus, the King. He is +worthy. And we long to see the youth of our land and the church +inspired by Henry Martyn's example, as he was inspired by David +Brainerd's. And so we would have the apostolic succession continued +till the millennium, of such as shall not count their lives dear for +the testimony of the gospel.</p> + +<p>It is said that after Mr. Martyn's death one of his earliest and most +devoted friends, the Rev. Charles Simeon, used always to keep his +picture before him in his study for help and inspiration. "Move where +he would through the apartment, it seemed to keep its eyes upon him, +and ever to say to him, 'Be earnest, be earnest; don't trifle, don't +trifle,' and the good Simeon would gently bow to the speaking picture, +and with a smile, reply, 'Yes, I will; I will be in earnest, I will +not trifle; for souls are perishing and Jesus is to be glorified.'"</p> + +<p>Would that Henry Martyn's life might bring such a message to every +heart, and awaken in every one a similar response.</p> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<h3>MISSIONARY ANNALS.</h3> +<center>Price per vol., cloth 30c., paper 18c.</center><br> +<hr width="100" align="center"> + + +<h3>I.<br> +MEMOIR OF ROBERT MOFFAT</h3> +<center><i>BY MRS. M. L. WILDER</i>.</center><br> +<hr width="100" align="center"> + +<h3>II.<br> +LIFE OF ADONIRAM JUDSON</h3> +<center><i>BY MISS JULIA H. JOHNSTON</i>.</center><br> +<hr width="100" align="center"> + +<h3>III.<br> +WOMAN AND THE GOSPEL IN PERSIA</h3> +<center><i>BY REV. THOMAS LAURIE, D.D.</i></center><br> +<hr width="100" align="center"> + +<h3>IV.<br> +LIFE OF REV. JUSTIN PERKINS, D.D.</h3> +<center><i>BY REV. HENRY MARTYN PERKINS</i>.</center><br> +<hr width="100" align="center"> + +<h3>V.<br> +LIFE OF DAVID LIVINGSTONE</h3> +<center><i>BY MRS. J. H. WORCESTER, JR.</i></center><br> +<hr width="100" align="center"> +<br> +<center>OTHERS IN PREPARATION.<br> +SENT POSTPAID ON RECEIPT OF PRICE.</center><br> +<hr width="100" align="center"> +<br> +<center>CHICAGO:</center> +<center><small>W<small>OMAN'S</small> P<small>RESBYTERIAN</small> B<small>OARD OF</small> +M<small>ISSIONS OF THE</small> N<small>ORTHWEST</small>,<br> +Room 48, McCormick Block.</small></center> +<br> + +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30085 ***</div> +</body> +</html> diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. 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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of Life of Henry Martyn, Missionary to India
-and Persia, 1781 to 1812, by Sarah J. Rhea
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-Title: Life of Henry Martyn, Missionary to India and Persia, 1781 to 1812
-
-Author: Sarah J. Rhea
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-Release Date: September 25, 2009 [EBook #30085]
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-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF HENRY MARTYN ***
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-Produced by Ron Swanson
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-
-<h2>MISSIONARY ANNALS.</h2>
-<center><small>(A SERIES.)</small></center>
-<br>
-<hr width="150" align="center">
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<h4>LIFE OF</h4>
-<h1>HENRY MARTYN,</h1>
-<h4>MISSIONARY TO INDIA AND PERSIA,</h4>
-<h4>1781 to 1812</h4>
-<br>
-<hr width="150" align="center">
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<center><small>ABRIDGED FROM THE MEMOIR.<br>
-<br>
-BY</small></center>
-<h4>MRS. SARAH J. RHEA.</h4>
-<br>
-<hr width="150" align="center">
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<center>CHICAGO:</center>
-<center><small>W<small>OMAN'S</small> P<small>RESBYTERIAN</small> B<small>OARD OF</small> F<small>OREIGN</small>
-M<small>ISSIONS OF THE</small> N<small>ORTHWEST</small>,<br>
-Room 48, McCormick Block.</small></center>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<center>C<small>OPYRIGHT</small>, 1888,<br><br>
-<small>BY<br><br>
-W<small>OMAN'S</small> P<small>RESBYTERIAN</small> B<small>OARD OF</small> M<small>ISSIONS<br>
-OF THE</small> N<small>ORTHWEST</small>.</small></center>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<h3>CONTENTS.</h3>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-<br>
-
-<p><a href="#chap1">E<small>DUCATION AND</small> P<small>REPARATION</small></a></p>
-
-<p><a href="#chap2">L<small>IFE IN</small> I<small>NDIA</small></a></p>
-
-<p><a href="#chap3">L<small>IFE IN</small> P<small>ERSIA, AND</small> D<small>EATH</small></a></p>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<p>I hold in my hand an album adorned with pictures of missionaries, my
-brethren and sisters, the ambassadors of the King. On one of the first
-pages is "the tomb of Henry Martyn," given me by Dr. Van Lennep, who
-had just visited the sacred spot and described it vividly. When I turn
-the pages of my album and come to this, I pause with reverence and the
-overflowings of deep and tender emotion, and my mind adds other
-pictures, both terrestrial and celestial, to the one upon the page. My
-own missionary life as the companion of him whom Dr. Perkins called
-"the later Henry Martyn," was spent in Henry Martyn's Persia. They
-were alike I think in many things, these two Persian evangelists, and
-also in their deaths. When they passed out of the Tabriz gate,
-journeying homeward after a course of illness in the fated city, for
-each it was a quick ascent, a painful translation, to the heavenly
-city with abundant entrance and the Master's "well done"—in heaven;
-and on earth, a foreign grave taking possession for Christ, as the
-Nestorians reverently say, with "white stones still speaking out."</p>
-<div align="right">S. J. R. </div>
-<br><a name="chap1"></a>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<h3>EDUCATION AND PREPARATION.</h3>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-<br>
-
-<p>Henry Martyn was born in England on the south-western coast of Truro,
-February 18, 1781. His father, Mr. John Martyn, worked in the mines.
-He was not educated but was very fond of learning. The miners were in
-the habit of working and resting alternately every four hours. Mr.
-John Martyn spent many of his rest intervals in study, and so by
-diligence and education raised himself to a higher position, and
-became a clerk in the office of a merchant in Truro. When Henry was
-seven years old, he went to school to Dr. Cardew. From his earliest
-years all who knew him considered him a very interesting and promising
-child. Dr. Cardew says his proficiency in the classics exceeded that
-of his schoolfellows; he was of a lively, cheerful temper and seemed
-to learn without application, almost by intuition. But he was not
-robust, and loving books better than sport, and having a peculiar
-tenderness and inoffensiveness of spirit, he was often abused by rude
-and coarse boys in the school. A friendship which he formed at this
-time with a boy older than himself was the source of great comfort and
-advantage to him, and was kept up throughout his whole life. This
-friend often protected him from the bullies of the play-ground. At
-this school, under excellent tuition, Henry remained until fourteen
-years old, when he was induced to offer himself as a candidate for a
-vacant scholarship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Young as he was,
-he went there alone, and acquitted himself so well, though strongly
-and ably opposed by competitors, that in the opinion of some of the
-examiners he ought to have been elected. How often is the hand of God
-seen in frustrating our fondest designs! Speaking of this
-disappointment he afterwards wrote: "Had I remained and become a
-member of the university at that time, as I should have done in case
-of success, the profligate acquaintances I had there would have
-introduced me to scenes of debauchery, in which I must in all
-probability, from my extreme youth, have sunk forever."</p>
-
-<p>He continued after this with Dr Cardew till 1797, and then joined his
-school friend at Cambridge at St. John's College. Here he obtained a
-place in the first class at the public examination in December, a
-circumstance which, joined to the extreme desire he had to gratify his
-father, encouraged and excited him to study with increased alacrity,
-and as the fruit of this application, at the next public examination
-in the summer he reached the second station in the first class, a
-point of elevation which "flattered his pride not a little." At this
-time he appeared in the eye of the world most amiable and commendable,
-outwardly moral, unwearied in application, and exhibited marks of no
-ordinary talent. One exception to this statement is to be found in an
-irritability of temper arising perhaps from the treatment he had
-received at school. On one occasion in sudden anger, he threw a knife
-at the head of another boy, which providentially missed him and was
-left trembling in the wall; but it was a narrow escape, and might have
-proved fatal. Though not a Christian at this time, he was under two
-strong influences for good, one from his religious friend in college,
-the other from his sister in Cornwall, a Christian of a meek, heavenly
-and affectionate spirit. He paid a visit to his home in the summer of
-1799, carrying with him no small degree of academical honor. It may be
-well supposed that to a sister such as we have described, her
-brother's spiritual welfare would be a most serious and anxious
-concern; and that she often conversed with him on the subject of
-religion we know from his own declaration. The first result of her
-tender exhortations and earnest endeavors was very discouraging; a violent conflict took
-place in her brother's mind between his conviction of the truth of
-what she urged, and his love of the world; and for the present, the
-latter prevailed. Yet, sisters similarly circumstanced may learn from
-this case, not merely their duty, but also, from the final result, the
-success they may anticipate in the faithful discharge of it.</p>
-
-<p>"At the examination at Christmas, 1799," he writes: "I was first, and
-the account of it pleased my father prodigiously, who, I was told, was
-in great health and spirits. What, then, was my consternation when in
-January I received an account of his death!" Most poignant were his
-sufferings under this affliction, which led him to God for comfort in
-prayer and Bible study. He says: "I began with the Acts, and found
-myself insensibly led to inquire more attentively into the doctrines
-of the Apostles." Writing to his sister, having announced shortly and
-with much simplicity that his name stood first upon the list at the
-college examination of the summer of 1800, he says: "What a blessing
-it is for me that I have such a sister as you, my dear S., who have
-been so instrumental in keeping me in the right way. After the death
-of our father you know I was extremely low spirited, and like most
-other people began to consider seriously without any particular
-determination, that invisible world to which he was gone and to which
-I must one day go. Soon I began to attend more diligently to the words
-of our Savior in the New Testament, and to devour them with delight,
-when the offers of mercy and forgiveness were made so freely; I
-supplicated to be made partaker of the covenant of grace with
-eagerness and hope, and thanks be to the ever-blessed Trinity for not
-leaving me without comfort!" How cheering to his sister it must have
-been to receive at a moment of deep sorrow such a communication as
-this! How salutary to his own mind to have possessed so near a
-relation to whom he could thus freely open the workings of his heart.
-At this time he also received great benefit from attendance on the
-faithful ministry of Rev. Charles Simeon, under whose pastoral
-instructions he himself declares that he "gradually acquired more
-knowledge in divine things." With this excellent man he had the most
-friendly and unreserved intercourse. Mr. Martyn received his first
-impressions of the transcendent excellence of the Christian ministry
-of Mr. Simeon, from which it was but a short step to choose this
-calling for his own, for until now he had intended to devote himself
-to the law "chiefly," he confesses, "because he could not consent to
-be poor for Christ's sake."</p>
-
-<p>In January, 1801, the highest academical honor, that of "senior
-wrangler," was awarded to him before the completion of his twentieth
-year. His description of his feelings on this occasion is remarkable:
-"I obtained my highest wishes, but was surprised to find that I had
-grasped a shadow." So impossible it is for earthly distinction to fill
-and satisfy the mind.</p>
-
-<p>In March, 1802, after another rigid examination, Mr. Martyn was chosen
-Fellow of St. Johns, a situation honorable to the society and
-gratifying to himself. Soon after he obtained first prize for best
-Latin prose composition over many competitors of classical celebrity,
-and this was the more remarkable, as his studies had been almost
-entirely in mathematics.</p>
-
-<p>Henry Martyn's attention was called to the great cause of Foreign
-Missions by some remarks of Rev. Mr. Simeon on the work of Carey in
-India, but more particularly by reading the memoir of David Brainerd,
-who preached with apostolic zeal and success to the North American
-Indians, and who finished a course of self-denying labors for his
-Redeemer with unspeakable joy at the early age of thirty-two. Henry
-Martyn's soul was filled with holy emulation, and after deep
-consideration and fervent prayer he was at length fixed in a
-resolution to imitate his example. Nor let it be conceived that he
-could adopt this resolution without the severest conflict in his mind,
-for he was endued with the truest sensibility of heart, and was
-susceptible of the warmest and tenderest attachments. No one could
-exceed him in love for his country, or in affection for his friends,
-and few could surpass him in an exquisite relish for the various and
-refined enjoyments of a social and literary life. How then could it
-fail of being a moment of extreme anguish when he came to the
-deliberate resolution of leaving forever all he held dear upon earth?
-But he was fully satisfied that the glory of that Savior who loved him
-and gave Himself for him would be promoted by his going forth to
-preach to the heathen. He considered their pitiable and perilous
-condition; he thought on the value of their immortal souls; he
-remembered the last solemn injunction of his Lord, "Go teach all
-nations,"—an injunction never revoked, and commensurate with that
-most encouraging promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end
-of the world." Actuated by these motives, he offered himself as a
-missionary to the society for Missions, and from that time stood
-prepared with childlike simplicity and unshaken constancy to go to any
-part of the world whither it might be deemed expedient to send him.</p>
-
-<p>In the early part of 1804, Mr. Martyn's plans of becoming a missionary
-were dampened by the loss of his slender patrimony, and as his sister
-was also involved in the calamity, it appeared hardly justifiable for
-him to go away. After some delay his friends obtained for him the
-position of chaplain to the East India Company, and so the obstacles
-which detained him were removed.</p>
-
-<p>The time of the delay was spent in zealous service for his divine
-Master. He was associated with Rev. Mr. Simeon as curate and preached
-with great zeal and unction, often to very large audiences, and
-sometimes with such unsparing denunciation of common sins as to awaken
-opposition. He considered it his duty to rebuke iniquity, and on one
-occasion severely reproved a student for shocking levity,—reading a
-play with some young ladies while their father lay dying. He feared
-the result of this might be estrangement from his friend, but prayed
-earnestly that it might lead to his awakening. This prayer was
-answered, and afterwards this very friend became his beloved associate
-in missionary work in India.</p>
-
-<p>In very early youth Mr. Martyn became fondly attached to a young lady
-named Lydia Grenfell. She considered herself his superior in social
-position. The memoirs all speak of her as estimable, and we infer from
-the little that is said that she somewhat indifferently accepted Henry
-Martyn's homage, but she did not wholeheartedly and generously
-respond. What a contrast to the beloved and devoted Harriet Newell,
-who was not afraid to risk all for Christ, and counted not her life
-dear even unto the death! It was Miss Grenfell's greatest honor that
-Henry Martyn would have made her his wife, but she declined the honor,
-and yet gave him encouragement, for their correspondence only ended
-with his life, and his very last writing was a letter to her. He
-begged her with all the eloquence of a lonely and devoted heart to
-come out to him after he had gone to India, arranging every detail for
-her comfort with thoughtful tenderness, and urging and encouraging her
-and lavishing upon her an affection that would have crowned and
-enriched her life. We are left to infer from the history that she did
-love him in her way, but if she had shared his consecration and gone
-with him and taken care of him, and cheered and comforted him, and
-made for him a happy restful home, as some missionary wives have done
-in self-denying foreign fields, what a blessing she might have been,
-and her life, how fruitful, and her memory, how fragrant! As it was,
-she has this distinction, that she was Henry Martyn's disappointment
-and trial and discipline. No one less tender and sensitive than Henry
-Martyn can appreciate all he suffered on this account; but he made it,
-like all the other great sorrows of his life, a cross on which to be
-crucified with Christ.</p>
-
-<p>He writes to his dear sister S.: "When I sometimes offer up
-supplications with strong crying to God to bring down my spirit into
-the dust I endeavor calmly to contemplate the infinite majesty of the
-most high God and my own meanness and wickedness, or else I quietly
-tell the Lord, who knows the heart, I would give Him all the glory of
-everything if I could. But the most effectual way I have ever found is
-to lead away my thoughts from myself and my own concerns by praying
-for all my friends, for the church, the world, the nation, and
-especially by beseeching that God would glorify His own great name by
-converting all nations to the obedience of faith, also by praying that
-he would put more abundant honor on those Christians whom he seems to
-have honored especially, and whom we see to be manifestly our
-superiors."</p>
-
-<p>In spite of Henry Martyn's beautiful humility, honor after honor was
-heaped upon him by his admiring and appreciative Alma Mater. Three
-times he was chosen examiner, and discharged the duties of this office
-with great care and faithfulness.</p>
-
-<p>As the time approaches for his parting from all he holds dear,
-especially the beloved L., our hearts go out to him in irrepressible
-sympathy. He writes, "parted with L. forever in this life with a sort
-of uncertain pain which I know will increase to greater violence."</p>
-
-<p>And these forebodings were but too soon realized. For many succeeding
-days his mental agony was extreme, yet he could speak to God as one
-who knew the great conflict within him. Yet while the waves and
-billows are going over him he writes from these depths, "I never had
-so clear a conviction of my call as at the present. Never did I see so
-much the exceeding excellency and glory and sweetness of the work, nor
-had so much the favorable testimony of my own conscience, nor
-perceived so plainly the smile of God. Blessed be God, I feel myself
-to be His minister. This thought which I can hardly describe came in
-the morning after reading Brainerd. I wish for no service but the
-service of God, to labor for souls on earth and to do His will in
-heaven."</p>
-<br><a name="chap2"></a>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<h3>LIFE IN INDIA.</h3>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-<br>
-
-<p>On the 17th of July, 1805, the Union East Indiaman conveying Mr.
-Martyn sailed from Portsmouth. Mr. Martyn says: "Though it was what I
-had been anxiously looking forward to so long, yet the consideration
-of being parted forever from my friends, almost overcame me. My
-feelings were those of a man who should suddenly be told that every
-friend he had in the world was dead."</p>
-
-<p>Though suffering much in mind and body throughout the long and tedious
-voyage of nine months, Mr. Martyn seeks no selfish ease. He preaches,
-reads and labors assiduously with officers, passengers and crew, and
-shuns not to declare the whole counsel of God, even the unpalatable
-doctrine of the future punishment of the wicked. He says: "The threats
-and opposition of these men made me willing to set before them the
-truths they hated, yet I had no species of hesitation about doing it.
-They said they would not come if so much hell was preached, but I took
-for my text, 'The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations
-that forget God.' The officers were all behind my back in order to
-have an opportunity of retiring in case of dislike. H., as soon as he
-heard the text, went back and said he would hear no more about hell;
-so he employed himself in feeding the geese. However, God I trust
-blessed the sermon to the good of many; some of the cadets and many of
-the soldiers were in tears. I felt an ardor and vehemence in some
-parts which are unusual with me. After service walked the deck with
-Mrs. ——; she spoke with so much simplicity and amiable humility that
-I was full of joy and admiration to God for a sheep brought home to
-His fold. In the afternoon went below intending to read to them at the
-hatchway, but there was not one of them, so I could get nothing to do
-among the poor soldiers."</p>
-
-<p>What a picture revealing Henry Martyn's character!—the contrasting
-attributes of sternness and gentleness, his martyrlike determination
-to do his whole duty at any cost to himself from suffering and insult,
-the keen shrinking of a nature so refined and sensitive from
-coarseness and abuse, undeviating yet uncompromising, bringing to our
-thoughts the Divine Exemplar. I pass by the incidents of the voyage,
-including mutiny, sickness and death, romantic stay at St. Salvador,
-battles at the Cape of Good Hope, etc., eloquently and vividly
-recorded.</p>
-
-<p>The Friday preceding his arrival in India he spends "in praying that
-God would no longer delay exerting his power in the conversion of the
-eastern nations. I felt emboldened" he says, "to employ the most
-familiar petitions by Is. xii. 6, 7, 'Keep not silence; give him no
-rest,' etc. Blessed be God for those words! They are like a cordial to
-my spirits, because if the Lord is not pleased by me or during my
-lifetime to call the Gentiles, yet He is not offended at my being
-urgent with Him that the kingdom of God may come."</p>
-
-<p>April 21, 1806, the nine months' journey is complete, and they land at
-Madras. Mr. Martyn gives first impressions and description of the
-natives, ending in these words: "In general, one thought naturally
-occurred: the conversion of their poor souls. I am willing, I trust,
-through grace, to pass my life among them if by any means these poor
-people may be brought to God. The sight of men, women and children,
-all idolaters, makes me shudder as if in the dominions of the prince
-of darkness. Hearing the hymn, 'Before Jehovah's awful throne,' it
-excited a train of affecting thoughts in my mind."</p>
-
-<p>"Wide as the world is thy command. Therefore it is easy for Thee to
-spread abroad Thy holy name. But oh, how gross the darkness here! The
-veil of the covering cast over all nations seems thicker here; the
-friends of darkness seem to sit in sullen repose in this land. What
-surprises me is the change of views I have here from what I had in
-England. There my heart expanded with hope and joy at the prospect of
-the speedy conversion of the heathen; but here the sight of the
-apparent impossibility requires a strong faith to support the
-spirits." Ah, how vividly this describes missionary experiences! After
-great peril from storm and illness, passing up the Hoogly from Madras,
-Mr. Martyn arrived at Calcutta, May 14. In this city for years had
-been a band of English Christians faithfully praying for the coming of
-the kingdom in that dark land, and into the home of one of these, Rev.
-David Brown, was Mr. Martyn received with much affection. A pagoda in
-one end of the yard on the river bank was fitted up for him, and the
-place where once devils were worshiped now became a Christian oratory.
-The first experience here was of severe illness from acclimating
-fever, from which he was kindly nursed into convalescence. He then
-applied himself earnestly to the study of the Hindoostanee, having
-engaged a Brahmin as a teacher. Here he witnessed with horror the
-cruel and debasing rites of heathenism. The blaze of a funeral pile
-caused him one day to hasten to the rescue of a burning widow who was
-consumed before his eyes. And in a dark wood he heard the sound of
-cymbals and drums calling the poor natives to the worship of devils,
-and saw them prostrate with their foreheads to the ground before a
-black image in a pagoda surrounded with burning lights—a sight which
-he contemplated with overwhelming compassion, "shivering as if
-standing in the neighborhood of hell."</p>
-
-<p>Mr. Martyn's plain and pungent preaching was a great offense to some
-of the easy-going formalists of the English church at Calcutta, and
-some of the ministry attacked him bitterly from their pulpits,
-declaring, for instance, that to affirm repentance to be the gift of
-God and to teach that nature is wholly corrupt, is to drive men to
-despair, and that to suppose the righteousness of Christ sufficient to
-justify is to make it unnecessary to have any of our own. Though
-compelled to listen to such downright heresies, to hear himself
-described as knowing neither what he said nor whereof he affirmed, and
-as aiming only to gratify self sufficiency, pride and
-uncharitableness,—"I rejoiced," said this meek and holy man, "to
-receive the Lord's supper afterwards;—as the solemnities of that
-blessed ordinance sweetly tended to soothe any asperity of mind, and I
-think that I administered the cup to —— and —— with sincere good
-will."</p>
-
-<p>September 13, 1806, Mr. Martyn received his appointment to Singapore.
-A farewell meeting of great interest was held in his pagoda, followed
-by a tender parting from the family who had been so kind to him, and
-two fellow laborers who, following his bright example, had just come
-out from England. The voyage to Singapore was performed in a budgero,
-a small boat with a cabin, in which he studied and translated and
-prayed while making the seventeen or eighteen miles a day of the
-six-weeks' journey. At night the boat was fastened to the shore. His
-journal record of these days is very interesting and very
-characteristic. He says:</p>
-
-<p>"October 27. Arrived at Berhampore. In the evening walked out to the
-hospital in which there were 150 European soldiers sick. I was talking
-to a man said to be dying, when a surgeon entered. I went up and made
-some apology for entering the hospital. It was my old school-fellow
-and townsman, ——. The remainder of the evening he spent with me in
-my budgero.</p>
-
-<p>"October 28. Rose very early and was at the hospital at daylight.
-Waited there a long time wandering up and down the wards in hopes of
-inducing the men to get up and assemble, but it was in vain. I left
-three books with them and went away amidst the sneers and titters of
-the common soldiers. Certainly it is one of the greatest crosses I am
-called to bear to take pains to make people hear me. It is such a
-struggle between a sense of propriety and modesty on the one hand, and
-a sense of duty on the other, that I find nothing equal to it. I could
-force my way anywhere, in order to introduce a brother minister; but
-for myself, I act with hesitation and pain.</p>
-
-<p>"Walking out into a village where the boat stopped for the night I
-found the worshipers of Kali by the sound of their drums and cymbals.
-Invited by the Brahmins to walk in I entered and asked a few questions
-about the idol. The Brahmin who spoke bad Hindoostanee disputed with
-great heat, and his tongue ran faster than I could follow, and the
-people, about one hundred, shouted applause. I continued my questions
-and among other things asked if what I had heard of Vishnu and Brahma
-was true, which he confessed. I forbore to press him with the
-consequences, which he seemed to feel; and then I told him what was my
-belief. The man grew quite mild and said it was <i>chula bat</i> (good
-words), and asked me seriously at last what I thought, 'Was idol
-worship true or false?' I felt it a matter of thankfulness that I
-could make known the truth of God though a stammerer and that I had
-declared it in the presence of the devil. And this also I learnt, that
-the power of gentleness is irresistible. I never was more astonished
-than at the change in deportment of this hot-headed Brahmin.... Came
-to on the eastern bank below a village called Ahgadup. Wherever I
-walked the women fled at the sight of me. Some men were sitting under
-the shed dedicated to their goddess; a lamp was burning in her place.
-A conversation soon began, but there was no one who could speak
-Hindoostanee. I could only speak by the medium of my Mussulman,
-Musalchee. They said that they only did as others did, and that if
-they were wrong then all Bengal was wrong. I felt love for their
-souls, and longed for utterance to declare unto these poor simple
-people the holy gospel. I think that when my mouth is opened I shall
-preach to them day and night.</p>
-
-<p>"October 31. My Moonshee said, 'How can you prove this book (the
-gospel), to be the word of God?' I took him to walk with me on the
-shore that we might discuss the matter, and the result of our
-conversation was that I discovered that the Mussulmen allow the gospel
-to be in general the command of God, though the words of it are not
-His as the words of the Koran are, and contend that the actual words
-of God given to Jesus were burnt by the Jews; that they also admit the
-New Testament to have been in force till the coming of Mohammed. When
-I quoted some passages which proved the Christian dispensation to be
-the final one, he allowed it to be inconsistent with the divinity of
-the Koran, but said, 'Then those words of the gospel must be false.'
-The man argued and asked his questions seemingly in earnest, and
-another new impression was left upon my mind, namely, that these men
-are not fools and that all ingenuity and clearness of reasoning are
-not confined to England and Europe. I seem to feel that these
-descendants of Ham are as dear to God as the haughty sons of Japheth;
-I feel, too, more at home with the Scriptures than ever; everything I
-see gives light to, and receives it from, the Scriptures. I seem
-transported back to the ancient times of the Israelites and the
-Apostles. My spirit felt composed after the dispute by simply looking
-to God as one who had engaged to support His own cause; and I saw it
-to be my part to pursue my way through the wilderness of this world,
-looking only to that redemption which daily draweth nigh. How should
-this consideration quell the tumult of anger and impatience when I
-cannot convince men 'the government is on His shoulders?' Jesus is
-able to bear the weight of it; therefore we need not be oppressed with
-care or fear, but a missionary is apt to fancy himself an Atlas.</p>
-
-<p>"November 2. Walking on shore met a large party. I asked if any of
-them could read. One young man who seemed superior in rank to the
-rest, said he could, and accordingly read some of the only Nagree
-tract that I had. I then addressed myself boldly to them and told them
-of the gospel. When speaking of the inefficacy of the religious
-practices of the Hindoos I mentioned as an example the repetition of
-the name of Ram. The young man assented to this and said, 'of what use
-is it?' As he seemed to be of a pensive turn and said this with marks
-of disgust, I gave him a Nagree Testament, the first I have given. May
-God's blessing go along with it and cause the eyes of the multitudes
-to be opened. The men said they should be glad to receive tracts, so I
-sent them back a considerable number. The idea of printing the
-parables in proper order with a short explanation to each, for the
-purpose of distribution and as school books, suggested itself to me
-to-night and delighted me prodigiously.... A Mussulman, when he
-received one of the tracts and found what it was, was greatly alarmed,
-and after many awkward apologies, returned it, saying that 'a man who
-had his legs in two different boats, was in danger of sinking between
-them.'"</p>
-
-<p>Established at Singapore, Mr. Martyn began upon three different lines
-of work, establishing schools, attaining readiness in Hindoostanee so
-as to preach the gospel in that language, and translating the
-Scriptures and religious books. To his great discouragement he was
-informed by the Pundit that every four miles the language changed, so
-that a book in the dialect of one district would be unintelligible to
-the people of another. Being advised to learn Sanscrit, he took up
-this language with great zeal. The commencement of Mr. Martyn's
-ministry amongst the Europeans of Singapore was not of such a kind as
-to either gratify or encourage him. At first he read prayers to the
-soldiers at the barracks from the drumhead, and as there were no seats
-provided, was desired to omit the sermon. Afterwards more decent
-arrangements being made, the families came in; but taking offense at
-his evangelical plainness, they asked that he should desist from
-extempore preaching. These European members of his flock were jealous
-and angry at his constant efforts for the salvation of the heathen
-natives. They thought it much beneath the dignity of an English
-chaplain to care for these degraded souls. Some of Mr. Martyn's duties
-as chaplain were exceedingly onerous. On several occasions he was
-summoned to distant places involving long and dangerous journeys to
-perform a marriage ceremony. On these journeys he suffered severely,
-and they were a great draft upon his very delicate health; always weak
-and languid, and often alarmingly disordered. Yet through all he
-continued to labor incessantly. Every Sabbath he held at least four
-services: at 7 for Europeans; at 2 for Hindoos, about two hundred in
-attendance; in the afternoon at the hospital; in the evening in his
-own room for the soldiers. In his household were two natives who
-assisted in his studies and translations, the Moonshee and the Pundit,
-with whom he held long disputes and with whom he labored daily, though
-unsuccessfully, to bring them to faith in Christ. He says,
-"translating the epistle of St. John with the Moonshee, I asked him
-what he thought of those passages which so strongly express the
-doctrines of the Trinity and of the divinity of Christ. He said he
-never would believe it, because the Koran declared it sinful to say
-that God had any Son. I told him that he ought to pray that God would
-teach him what the truth really is. He said he had no occasion on this
-subject, as the word of God was express. I asked him whether some
-doubt ought not to arise in his mind whether the Koran is the word of
-God. He grew angry, and I felt hurt and vexed. I should have done
-better to have left the words of the chapter with him without saying
-anything. I went also too far with the Pundit in arguing against his
-superstition, for he also grew angry." If any qualification seems
-necessary to a missionary in India it is wisdom—operating in the
-regulation of the temper and the due improvement of opportunities. Mr.
-Martyn needed the heavenly gift of wisdom also in the management of
-his native schools, five or six of which were supported by himself in
-Singapore. Little by little he succeeded in introducing as a text-book
-a part of the Bible—his own translation of the sermon on the Mount
-and the Parables. He was called to do more and more of this work of
-translating the Scriptures, and was persuaded by the Rev. David Brown
-not only to continue the Hindoostanee, but to superintend the
-translation of the Scriptures into Persian. He engaged in it at once
-with zeal. He writes: "The time fled imperceptibly while so
-delightfully engaged in the translations; the days seemed to have
-passed like a moment. What do I not owe to the Lord for permitting me
-to take part in a translation of His word? Never did I see such wonder
-and wisdom and love in the blessed Book as since I have been obliged
-to study every expression. Employed a good while at night in
-considering a difficult passage, and being much enlightened respecting
-it, I went to bed full of astonishment at the wonder of God's Word.
-Never before did I see anything of the beauty of the language and the
-importance of the thoughts as I do now. What a source of perpetual
-delight have I in the precious Word of God!"</p>
-
-<p>This ecstasy of enthusiasm in most successful and congenial labor was
-suddenly dashed by a great wave of sorrow which came to Mr. Martyn in
-the news of the death of his eldest sister. To missionaries in foreign
-lands such news is especially bitter, and to recover from such a shock
-and sense of irreparable loss seems almost impossible. The mind,
-unsatisfied with details of the sad event, is left in shadow which
-deepens into heavy gloom. Mr. Martyn was all alone and felt it keenly
-and inexpressibly. Some of his most intimate and sympathetic friends
-at this time, realizing how it was not good for him to be alone,
-encouraged him to renew his matrimonial offer to his ever beloved L.
-After her refusal he says, "The Lord sanctify this, and since this
-last desire of my heart is also withheld may I turn away forever from
-the world and henceforth live forgetful of all but God. With Thee, O
-my God, is no disappointment. I shall never have to regret that I have
-loved Thee too well. Thou hast said, 'delight thyself in the Lord, and
-he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.'"</p>
-
-<p>Could sweeter words than these be expressed in any language! Could
-greater depths of submission or heights of consecration be attained!
-They deserve to be recorded on imperishable marble or blazoned on the
-sky in sight of all, and received as the confession of every Christian
-heart, to the honor and praise of Him who gave such glorious victory
-to this tried soldier of the cross.</p>
-
-<p>Providentially for Mr. Martyn's comfort his thoughts were much
-occupied after this by the arrival of his coadjutors in the work of
-translation, one of these, Mirza of Benares, well known in India as an
-eminent Hindoostanee scholar; the other Sabat the Arabian, since but
-too well known both in India and England by his rejection of that
-faith which he then appeared to profess in sincerity and faith. In the
-latter of these Mr. Martyn confidently trusted that he had found a
-Christian brother with respect to the reality of his belief in
-Christianity, although Mr. Martyn immediately discovered in him an
-unsubdued Arab spirit, and witnessed with pain many deflections from
-that temper and conduct which he himself so eminently exemplified;
-yet, he could not but "believe all things and hope all things," even
-while he continued to suffer much from him, and for a length of time,
-with unparalleled forbearance and kindness. Sabat's temper was a
-continual trial and mortification. The very first Sabbath in
-Singapore, imagining he was not treated with sufficient dignity, he
-left the church before service in great anger. Often in the midst of
-the translation he would come to a sudden stop and refuse to go on for
-the most trivial reasons, sometimes for fear that Mirza who would
-review the work might have part of the honor. About this time Mr.
-Martyn was much bereaved by the removal of a family with whom he had
-lived in intimate terms of Christian intercourse. "This separation
-affected him the more sensibly because it was not in every family at
-that station that he met with a kind and cordial reception." He says,
-"I called on one of the Singapore families, and felt my pride rise at
-the uncivil manner in which I was received. I was disposed at first to
-determine never to visit the house again, but I remembered the words,
-'overcome evil with good.'"</p>
-
-<p>In the month of March, 1808, the New Testament in Hindoostanee was
-completed. He says, "I have read and corrected the manuscript till my
-eyes ache; such a week of labor I believe I have never passed. The
-heat is terrible, often at 98 degrees, the nights insupportable." We
-next hear of Mr. Martyn suffering from severe illness with fever and
-vertigo, and pained with the thought of leaving the Persian gospels
-unfinished! So unselfish, so full of zeal! Again at work, mercury at
-102 degrees. "Arabic now employs my few moments of leisure. In
-consequence of reading the Koran with Sabat audibly, and drinking no
-wine, the slander has gone forth that the Singapore Padre has turned
-Mussulman.</p>
-
-<p>"June 6th. To-day we have completed the Persian of St. Matthew. Sabat
-desired me to kneel down to bless God for the happy event, and we
-joined in praise of the Father of lights. It is a superb performance
-in every respect, with elegance enough to attract the careless and
-please the fastidious; it contains enough of Eternal Life to save the
-reader's soul.... My services on the Lord's day always leave me with a
-pain in the chest, and such a great degree of general relaxation, that
-I seldom recover it till Tuesday. The society still meet every night
-at my quarters, and though we have lost many by death, others are
-raised up in their room. One officer, a lieutenant, is also given to
-me, and he is not only a brother beloved, but a constant companion and
-nurse; so you must feel no apprehension that I should be left alone in
-sickness."</p>
-
-<p>In April, 1809, Mr. Martyn removes from Dinapore to Cawnpore. Here he
-met friendship and hospitality. We quote from the graceful pen of Mrs.
-Sherwood: "The month of April in the upper provinces of Hindoostan is
-one of the most dreadful months for traveling throughout the year;
-indeed, no European at that time can remove from place to place, but
-at the risk of his life.</p>
-
-<p>"But Mr. Martyn had that anxiety to begin the work which his heavenly
-Father had given him to do, that notwithstanding the violent heat, he
-traveled from Chunar to Cawnpore, the space of about four hundred
-miles. At that time as I well remember, the air was as hot and dry as
-that which I have sometimes felt near the mouth of a large oven, no
-friendly cloud or verdant carpet of grass to relieve the eye from the
-strong glare of the rays of the sun pouring on the sandy plains of the
-Ganges. Thus Mr. Martyn traveled, journeying night and day, and
-arrived at Cawnpore in such a state that he fainted away as soon as he
-entered the house. When we charged him with the rashness of hazarding
-his life in this manner, he always pleaded his anxiety to get to the
-great work. He remained with us ten days, suffering considerably at
-times from fever and pain in the chest.</p>
-
-<p>"Mr. Martyn's removal from Dinapore to Cawnpore was to him in many
-respects a very unpleasant arrangement. He was several hundred miles
-farther distant from Calcutta and more widely separated than before
-from his friend Mr. Corrie. He had new acquaintances to form at his
-new abode, and after having with much difficulty procured the erection
-of a church at Dinapore he was transported to a spot where none of the
-conveniences, much less the decencies and solemnities of public
-worship, were visible.</p>
-
-<p>"We find him soon after he arrived there preaching to a thousand
-soldiers drawn up in a hollow square, when the heat was so great,
-although the sun had not risen, that many actually dropped down,
-unable to support it."</p>
-
-<p>Yet Mr. Martyn's labors were not abated. Every Sabbath at dawn were
-prayers and sermon with the regiment, and again at eleven at the house
-of the general of the station. In the afternoon he preached to a crowd
-of poor natives, five, to eight hundred, rude, noisy, wretched
-beggars, for whose souls he felt a tender care. Again in the evening,
-the best of the day, he had a meeting with the more devout of his
-flock. These ministrations so earnestly performed were most
-exhausting, yet he knew not how to forego them; at this time, too,
-from England came the sad and sudden news of the death of his sister,
-the one who had led him to Christ.</p>
-
-<p>The alarming state of his health made some change necessary, and Mr.
-Martyn was urged to leave India and make trial of a sea voyage. His
-Persian New Testament had been criticised as unfit for general
-circulation, being written in a style too learned and exalted for the
-comprehension of the common people. He was advised to visit Persia and
-there revise his work and also complete his version in Arabic, almost
-finished. Mr. Brown, his devoted friend, and the Calcutta agent of the
-British and Foreign Bible Society, thus writes: "Can I then bring
-myself to cut the string and let you go? I confess I could not if your
-bodily frame were strong, and promised to last for half a century. But
-as you burn with the intenseness and rapid blaze of heated phosphorus,
-why should we not make the most of you? Your flame may last as long
-and perhaps longer in Arabia, than in India. Where should the Phoenix
-build her odoriferous nest, but in the land prophetically called 'the
-blessed?' and where shall we ever expect, but from that country, the
-true Comforter to come to the nations of the East? I contemplate your
-New Testament springing up, as it were, from dust and ashes, but
-beautiful as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and his feathers
-like yellow gold." His farewell services at Cawnpore were very tender
-and affecting, both with his great audience of natives and Englishmen.
-Of the latter, Mrs. Sherwood says: "He began in a weak and faint
-voice, being at that time in a very bad state of health; but,
-gathering strength as he proceeded, he seemed as one inspired from on
-high. Never was an audience more affected. The next day this holy and
-heavenly man left Cawnpore and the society of many who sincerely loved
-and admired him." Stopping to visit the friends in Calcutta, the Rev.
-Mr. Thomason says: "This bright and lovely jewel first gratified our
-eyes on Saturday last. He is on his way to Arabia, where he is going
-in pursuit of health and knowledge. You know his genius, and what
-gigantic strides he takes in everything. He has some great plan in his
-mind, of which I am no competent judge; but as far as I do understand
-it, the object is far too grand for one short life, and much beyond
-his feeble and exhausted frame. Feeble it is, indeed; how fallen and
-changed! His complaint lies in his lungs and appears to be an
-incipient consumption. But let us hope the sea air may revive him, and
-that change may do him essential service and continue his life many
-years. In all other respects he is exactly the same as he was; he
-shines in all the dignity of love, and seems to carry about him such a
-heavenly majesty as impresses the mind beyond description. But if he
-talks much, though in a low voice, he sinks, and you are reminded of
-his being dust and ashes." Though so infirm, Mr. Martyn preached every
-Sabbath of his visit, and his last sermon on the anniversary of the
-Calcutta Bible Society was afterwards printed and entitled "Christian
-India, or an appeal on behalf of nine hundred thousand Christians in
-India who want the Bible."</p>
-<br><a name="chap3"></a>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<h3>LIFE IN PERSIA.</h3>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-<br>
-
-<p>From this time a change comes over Mr. Martyn's varied life. We have
-seen him the successful candidate for academical distinctions—the
-faithful and laborious pastor—the self-denying and devoted
-missionary—the indefatigable translator—the preacher of the gospel
-to the heathen; we are now called to admire in him the courageous
-spirit of the Christian confessor.</p>
-
-<p>He says, on his voyage towards Persia: "All down the Bay of Bengal I
-could do nothing but sit listless, viewing the wide waste of water, a
-sight that would have been beautiful had I been well. In my Hebrew
-researches I scarcely ever felt so discouraged. All the knowledge I
-thought I had acquired became uncertain, and consequently I was
-unhappy. It was in vain that I reflected that thousands live and die
-happy without such knowledge as I am in search of.</p>
-
-<p>"Proposed family prayer every night in the cabin—no objection was
-made.</p>
-
-<p>"February 18, anchored off Bombay. This day I finished the thirtieth
-year of my unprofitable life, the age at which David Brainerd finished
-his course. I am now at the age at which the Savior of men began his
-ministry, and at which John the Baptist called a nation to repentance.
-Hitherto I have made my youth and insignificance an excuse for sloth
-and imbecility, now let me have a character and act boldly for God.</p>
-
-<p>"March 5. Feerog, a Parsee who is considered the most learned man
-here, called to converse about religion. He spoke Persian and seemed
-familiar with Arabic. He began by saying that no one religion had
-more evidences of its truth than another, for that all the miracles of
-the respective founders depended upon tradition. This I denied. He
-acknowledged that the writer of the Zendavesta was not cotemporary
-with Zoroaster. After disputing and raising objections he was left
-without an answer, but continued to cavil. 'Why' said he, 'did the
-Magi see the star in the East and none else? from what part of the
-East did they come? and how was it possible that their king should
-come to Jerusalem in seven days?' The last piece of information he had
-from the Armenians. I asked him whether he had any thoughts of
-changing his religion. He replied with a contemptuous smile, 'No,
-every man is safe in his own religion.' I asked him, 'What sinners
-must do to obtain pardon?' 'Repent,' said he. I asked, 'Would
-repentance satisfy a creditor or a judge?' 'Why, is it not said in the
-gospel,' rejoined he, 'that we must repent?' I replied, 'It cannot be
-proved from the gospel that repentance alone is sufficient, or good
-works, or both.' 'Where then is the glory of salvation?' he said; I
-replied, 'In the atonement of Christ.' 'All this' said he, 'I know,
-but so the Mohammedans say, that Hosyn was an atonement for the sins
-of men.' He then began to criticise the translations he saw on the
-table.</p>
-
-<p>"April 23. Moscat, Arabia. Went on shore and met the Vizier. His
-African slave argued with me for Mohammed and did not know how to let
-me go, he was so interested in the business.</p>
-
-<p>"April 25. Gave him an Arabic copy of the gospel, which he at once
-began to read, and carried it off as a great prize, which I hope he
-will find it to be.</p>
-
-<p>"Bushire, Persia. Called on the governor, a Persian Khan. He was very
-particular in his attentions. Seated me on his own seat and then sat
-by my side. After the usual salutations and inquiries the calean
-(pipe), was introduced, then coffee in china cups placed within silver
-ones, then calean, then some rose-water syrup, then calean. Observing
-the windows of stained glass, I began to question him about the art of
-coloring glass, observing that the modern Europeans were inferior to
-the ancient in the manufacture of the article. He expressed his
-surprise that Europeans, who were so skillful in making watches,
-should fail in any handicraft work. I could not help recollecting the
-Emperor of China's sarcastic remark on the Europeans and their arts,
-and therefore dropped the subject. On his calean—I called it hookah
-at first, but he did not understand me—I noticed several little
-paintings of the Virgin and child, and asked him whether such things
-were not unlawful among Mohammedans. He answered very coolly 'Yes,' as
-much as to say, 'What then?' I lamented that the Eastern Christians
-should use such things in their churches. He repeated the words of a
-good man who was found fault with for having an image before him while
-at prayer, 'God is nearer to me than that image, so that I do not see
-it.' This man, I afterwards found, is like most of the other grandees
-of the East, a murderer.</p>
-
-<p>"On the 30th of May, our Persian dresses were ready, and we set out
-for Shiraz. The Persian dress consists of first, stockings and shoes
-in one; next, a pair of large blue trousers, or else a pair of huge
-red boots; then the shirt, then the tunic, and above it the coat, both
-of chintz, and a great coat. I have here described my own dress, most
-of which I have on at this moment. On the head is worn an enormous
-cone made of the skin of the black Tartar sheep with the wool on. If
-to this description of my dress I add that my beard and mustachios
-have been suffered to vegetate undisturbed ever since I left India;
-that I am sitting on a Persian carpet, in a room without tables or
-chairs, and that I bury my hand in the pillar (rice), without waiting
-for spoon or plate, you will give me credit for being already an
-accomplished Oriental.</p>
-
-<p>"At ten o'clock on the 30th our califa began to move. It consisted
-chiefly of mules with a few horses. I wished to have a mule, but the
-muleteer favored me with his own pony; this animal had a bell fastened
-to its neck. To add solemnity to the scene, a Bombay trumpeter who was
-going to join the embassy was directed to blow a blast as we moved off
-the ground; but whether it was that the trumpeter was not an adept in
-the science or that his instrument was out of order, the crazy sounds
-that saluted our ears had a ludicrous effect. At last, after some
-jostling, mutual recriminations and recalcitrating of the steeds, we
-each found our places and moved out of the gate of the city in good
-order. The residents accompanied us a little way, and then left us to
-pursue our journey over the plain. It was a fine moonlight night, the
-scene new and perfectly oriental, and nothing prevented me from
-indulging my own reflections. As the night advanced the califa grew
-quiet; on a sudden one of the muleteers began to sing, and sang in a
-voice so plaintive that it was impossible not to have one's attention
-arrested. Every voice was hushed.</p>
-
-<p>"These were the words translated:</p>
-
-<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem1">
- <tr><td><small>Think not that e'er my heart could dwell<br>
- Contented far from thee,<br>
- How can the fresh-caught nightingale<br>
- Enjoy tranquility?<br><br>
- Oh, then forsake thy friend for naught<br>
- That slanderous tongues can say,<br>
- The heart that fixeth where it ought<br>
- No power can rend away.</small></td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<p>"Thus far our journey was agreeable. Now for miseries. At sunrise we
-came to our ground at Ahmedu, six parasangs, and pitched our little
-tent under a tree; it was the only shelter we could get. At first the
-heat was not greater than we had felt in India, but it soon became so
-intense as to be quite alarming. When the thermometer was above 112°,
-fever heat, I began to lose my strength fast; at last it
-became quite intolerable. I wrapped myself up in a blanket and all the
-warm covering I could get to defend myself from the external air, by
-which means the moisture was kept a little longer upon the body, and
-not so speedily evaporated as when the skin was exposed. One of my
-companions followed my example and found the benefit of it. But the
-thermometer still rising, and the moisture of the body being quite
-exhausted, I grew restless and thought I should have lost my senses.
-The thermometer at last stood at 126°. In this state I composed
-myself and concluded that, though I might hold out but a day or two,
-death was inevitable. Captain —— continued to tell the hour and
-heights of the thermometer, and with pleasure we heard of it sinking
-to 120°, 118°, etc. At last the fierce sun retired and I
-crept out more dead than alive. The next day we secured some comfort
-from a large wet towel wrapped about the head and body. At sunset,
-rising to go out, a scorpion fell upon my clothes. The night before we
-found a black scorpion in our tent, that made us uneasy, so we got no
-sleep."</p>
-
-<p>June 9 Mr. Martyn arrived at Shiraz, the celebrated seat of Persian
-literature, and at once began work upon his translation with the
-efficient help of Mirza Seid Ali Khan. In this work he had many
-interruptions, being himself an object of attention and curiosity. He
-received many calls, and unwilling to lose any opportunity of
-benefiting the inhabitants of Shiraz, was never inaccessible to them.
-He says, "June 17, in the evening, Seid Ali came with two Moollahs, and
-with them I had a very long and temperate discussion. One of them read
-the beginning of John in Arabic and inquired very particularly into
-our opinions respecting the person of Christ, and when he was informed
-that we did not consider His human nature eternal nor His mother
-divine, seemed quite satisfied, and remarked to the others, 'how much
-misapprehension is removed when people come to an explanation.'"</p>
-
-<p>"June 22. The Prince's secretary called to talk about Soofeeism. They
-believe they know not what. He thought to excite my wonder by telling
-me that I and every created being was God.</p>
-
-<p>"June 26. Two young men from the college came, full of zeal and logic,
-to try me with hard questions such as, whether being be but one or
-two? What is the state and form of disembodied spirits? and other
-foolish and unlearned questions ministering strife. At last, one of
-them discovered the true cause of his coming by asking me bluntly to
-bring a proof of the religion of Christ. You allow the divine mission
-of Christ, said I, why need I prove it? Not being able to draw me into
-an argument they said what they wished to say, namely, that I had no
-other proof for the miracles of Christ than they had for those of
-Mohammed, which is tradition. 'Softly' I said, 'You will be pleased to
-observe a difference between your books and ours, when by tradition we
-have reached our several books, our narrators were eye witnesses;
-yours are not, nor nearly so.'</p>
-
-<p>"In the evening Seid Ali asked me the cause of evil. I said I knew
-nothing about it. He thought he could tell me, so I let him reason on
-till he soon found he knew as little about the matter as myself. He
-wanted to prove that there was no real difference between good and
-evil; that it was only apparent. I observed that the difference, if
-only apparent, was the cause of a great deal of misery.</p>
-
-<p>"June 30, Sunday. Preached to the Ambassador's suite on the 'Faithful
-Saying.' In the evening baptized his child. Zachariah told me this
-morning that I was the town talk." Indeed Shiraz was stirred to its
-depth by the presence of Mr. Martyn during the whole year of his stay.
-Men of every kind, especially the learned and zealous, came singly and
-in groups almost every day to argue and dispute against Christ. Now it
-was a party of Armenians, now learned Jews, now a prince, now a
-general, now the very Moojtuhid himself, the professor of Mohammedan
-law. This great dignitary invited Mr. Martyn to his house, where for
-hours he talked on and on, defending his Prophet and showing his
-learning; he was greatly annoyed at any difference of opinion, and
-decided it was "quite useless for Mohammedans and Christians to argue
-together, as they had different languages and different histories."
-But fearing Mr. Martyn's influence he was stirred to write a defense
-of his faith, which was said to surpass all former treatises on Islam.
-He concludes it in these words, addressed to Mr. Martyn: "Oh, thou
-that art wise! consider with the eye of justice, since thou hast no
-excuse to offer to God. Thou hast wished to see the truth of miracles.
-We desire you to look at the great Koran: that is an everlasting
-miracle." Mr. Martyn replied, showing why men are bound to reject
-Mohammedanism; that Mohammed was foretold by no prophet, worked no
-miracles, spread his religion by means merely human, appeals to man's
-lowest and sensual nature, that he was ambitious for himself and
-family, that the Koran is full of absurdities and contradictions, that
-it contains a method of salvation wholly inefficacious, sadly
-contrasting with the divine atonement of Jesus Christ. The Prince's
-nephew, hearing of the attack on Mohammed, said, "the proper answer to
-it is the sword."</p>
-
-<p>Mr. Martyn writes, February 8: "This is my birthday, on which I
-complete my thirty-first year. The Persian New Testament has been
-begun and finished in it. Such a painful year I never passed, owing to
-the privations I have been called to, on the one hand, and the
-spectacle before me of human depravity on the other. But I hope I have
-not come to this seat of Satan in vain. The Word of God has found its
-way into Persia, and it is not in Satan's power to oppose its progress
-if the Lord hath sent it."</p>
-
-<p>The Psalms in Persian was finished by the middle of March.</p>
-
-<p>On the 23d Mr. Martyn writes: "I called on the Vizier. In the court
-where he received me, Mirza Ibraheem was lecturing. Finding myself so
-near my old and respectable antagonist, I expressed a wish to see him,
-on which Jaffier Ali Khan went up to ascertain if my visit would be
-agreeable. The master consented, but some of the disciples demurred.
-At last, one of them, observing that by the blessing of God on the
-master's conversation I might possibly be converted, it was agreed
-that I should be invited to ascend. Then it became a question where I
-ought to sit. Below all would not be respectful to a stranger, but
-above all the Moollahs could not be tolerated. I entered and was
-surprised at the numbers. The room was lined with Moollahs on both
-sides and at the top. I was about to sit down on the floor but was
-beckoned to an empty place near the top, opposite to the master, who,
-after the usual compliments, without further ceremony, asked me, 'What
-we meant by calling Christ, God?' War being thus unequivocally
-declared, I had nothing to do but stand upon the defensive. Mirza
-Ibraheem argued temperately enough; but of the rest, some were very
-violent and clamorous. The former asked 'if Christ had ever called
-himself God—was he the Creator or a creature?' I replied, 'The
-Creator.' The Moollahs looked at one another. Such a confession had
-never before been heard among the Mohammedan doctors.</p>
-
-<p>"One Moollah wanted to controvert some of my illustrations by
-interrogating me about the personality of Christ. To all his questions
-I replied by requesting the same information respecting his own
-person. To another, who was rather contemptuous and violent, I said
-'If you do not approve of our doctrine, will you be so good as to say
-what God is, according to you, that I may worship a proper object?'
-One said, 'the author of the universe.' 'I can form no idea from these
-words,' said I, 'but of a workman at work upon a vast number of
-materials. Is that a correct notion?' Another said, 'One who came of
-himself into being.' 'So then he came,' I replied, 'out of one place
-into another, and before he came he was not. Is this an abstract and
-refined notion?' After this no one asked me any more questions, and
-for fear the dispute should be renewed Jaffier Ali Khan carried me
-away."</p>
-
-<p>When we think of the bigotry and intolerance of these people and of
-Mr. Martyn's unflinching courage single-handed and alone, declaring
-the truth and preaching Christ, exposed to the greatest personal
-danger, contempt and insult, but unabashed, he stands before the world
-during his Shiraz residence as one of the bravest and grandest heroes
-that has ever lived. Such a spectacle is thrilling and sublime. God
-was with him to protect him and to inspire his magnificent
-confessions. A figure-head in history! A sight for angels and for men!</p>
-
-<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem2">
- <tr><td><small>
-
- Faithful found<br>
- Among the faithless, faithful only he,<br>
- Unshaken, unseduced, unterrified,<br>
- His loyalty he kept, his zeal, his love.</small></td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<p>And God was with him to cheer and comfort, and we rejoice to know that
-some of the scenes of his life in Shiraz were quiet and restful. At
-one time a tent was pitched for him in a garden in the suburbs of the
-city.</p>
-
-<p>Living amidst clusters of grapes by the side of a clear stream and
-frequently sitting under the shade of an orange tree, which Jaffier
-Ali Khan delighted to point out to visitors, until the day of his own
-departure, he passed many a tranquil hour, and enjoyed many a Sabbath
-of holy rest and divine refreshment.</p>
-
-<p>He says: "Passed some days at Jaffier Ali Khan's garden with Mirza
-Seid Ali, Aga Baba, Sheikh Abul Hassam, reading at their request the
-Old Testament histories. Their attention to the word and their love
-and respect for me seemed to increase as the time for my departure
-approached. Aga Baba, who had been reading St. Matthew, related very
-circumstantially to the company the particulars of the death of
-Christ. The bed of roses on which we sat and the notes of the
-nightingales warbling around us, were not so sweet to me as this
-discourse from the Persian."</p>
-
-<p>The plain of Shiraz is covered with ancient ruins, and contains the
-tombs of the poets Zaadi and Hafiz.</p>
-
-<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem3">
- <tr><td><small>A vision of the bright Shiraz, of Persian bards the theme;<br>
- The vine with bunches laden hangs o'er the crystal stream;<br>
- The nightingale all day her notes in rosy thicket trills,<br>
- And the brooding heat-mist faintly lies along the distant hills.<br>
- <br>
- About the plain are scattered wide in many a crumbling heap,<br>
- The fanes of other days, and tombs where Iran's poets sleep;<br>
- And in the midst, like burnished gems, in noonday light repose<br>
- The minarets of bright Shiraz,—the City of the Rose.<br>
- <br>
- One group beside the river bank in rapt discourse are seen,<br>
- Where hangs the golden orange on its boughs of purest green;<br>
- Their words are sweet and low, and their looks are lit with joy,<br>
- Some holy blessing seems to rest on them and their employ.<br>
- <br>
- The pale-faced Frank among them sits; what brought him from afar?<br>
- Nor bears he bales of merchandise, nor teaches skill in war;<br>
- One pearl alone he brings with him—the Book of life and death,—<br>
- One warfare only teaches he,—to fight the fight of faith.<br>
- <br>
- And Iran's sons are round him, and one with solemn tone<br>
- Tells how the Lord of Glory was rejected by his own;<br>
- Tells from the wondrous gospel of the trial and the doom,—<br>
- The words divine of love and might,—the scourge, the cross, the tomb.<br>
- <br>
- Far sweeter to the stranger's ear these eastern accents sound,<br>
- Than music of the nightingale that fills the air around;<br>
- Lovelier than balmiest odors sent from gardens of the rose,<br>
- The fragrance from the contrite soul and chastened lip that flows.<br>
- <br>
- The nightingales have ceased to sing, the roses' leaves are shed,<br>
- The Frank's pale face in Tocat's field hath mouldered with the dead;<br>
- Alone and all unfriended midst his Master's work he fell,<br>
- With none to bathe his fevered brow, with none his tale to tell.<br>
- <br>
- But still those sweet and solemn tones about him sound in bliss,<br>
- And fragrance from those flowers of God forevermore is his;<br>
- For his the meed, by grace, of those who rich in zeal and love,<br>
- Turn many unto righteousness, and shine as stars above.<br>
- <br>1851.
-
-
-
- —H<small>ENRY</small> A<small>LFORD</small>.</small></td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<p>On the 24th of May, after a year's residence, Mr. Martyn left Shiraz,
-bearing his precious translation to be presented to the Shah. The
-journey was an occasion of disappointment, exposure and suffering.</p>
-
-<p>Arrived at the Shah's camp he says: "June 12th, attended the Vizier's
-levee, when there was a most intemperate and clamorous controversy
-kept up for an hour or two, eight or ten on one side, and I on the
-other. Amongst them were two Moollahs, the most ignorant of any I have
-met in Persia or India. It would be impossible to enumerate all the
-absurd things they said. Their vulgarity in interrupting me in the
-middle of a speech, their utter ignorance of the nature of an
-argument, their impudent assertions about the law and the gospel,
-neither of which they had ever seen in their lives, moved my
-indignation. The Vizier said, 'You had better say, God is God and
-Mohammed is the prophet of God.' I said, 'God is God,' but added,
-instead of 'Mohammed is the prophet of God,' 'Jesus is the Son of
-God.' They had no sooner heard this, which I had avoided bringing
-forward till then, than they all exclaimed in contempt and anger, 'He
-is neither born nor begets,' and rose up as if they would have torn me
-in pieces. One of them said, 'What will you say when your tongue is
-burnt out for this blasphemy?'</p>
-
-<p>"My book which I had brought, expecting to present it to the king, lay
-before Mirza Shufi. As they all rose up after him to go, some to the
-king, and some away, I was afraid they would trample upon the book; so
-I went in among them to take it up, and wrapped it in a towel before
-them, while they looked at it and me with supreme contempt. Thus I
-walked away alone to my tent to pass the rest of the day in heat and
-dirt. What have I done, thought I, to merit all this scorn? Nothing, I
-trust, but bearing testimony to Jesus. I thought over these things in
-prayer and found the peace which Christ hath promised. To complete the
-trials of the day a messenger came from the Vizier in the evening to
-say that it was the custom of the king not to see any Englishman
-unless presented by the ambassador or accredited by a letter from him,
-and that I must therefore wait till the king reached Sultania, where
-the ambassador would be."</p>
-
-<p>Traveling toward Tabriz he writes, June 22: "Met with the usual
-insulting treatment at the caravansarai when the king's servant had
-got possession of a good room built for the reception of the better
-order of guests; they seemed to delight in the opportunity of humbling
-a European—all along the road when the king is expected the people
-are patiently waiting as for some dreadful disaster; plague,
-pestilence or famine are nothing to the misery of being subject to the
-violence and extortion of this rabble soldiery.</p>
-
-<p>"June 26. Have eaten nothing now for two days. My mind much disordered
-from headache and giddiness;—but my heart is with Christ and His
-saints.</p>
-
-<p>"June 27. Passed the third day in the same exhausted state, my head
-tortured with shocking pains, such as, together with the horror I felt
-at being exposed to the sun, showed me plainly to what to ascribe my
-sickness."</p>
-
-<p>Thus in great illness and suffering Mr. Martyn reached Tabriz, and was
-nursed through a fever of two months' continuance at the ambassador's
-residence. This defeated his plan of presenting the Persian New
-Testament to the king—but it was afterwards done by Sir Gore Ouseley
-himself, and publicly received the royal approbation, and still later
-was printed in St. Petersburg.</p>
-
-<p>On leaving Cawnpore, Mr. Martyn had intended returning to England, but
-had willingly remained in Persia to finish the translation, which
-being now disposed of, he reverted to his original intention, and set
-out on his last fatal journey towards Constantinople, September 2. His
-journal is filled with expressions of gratitude for restored health,
-delight in the scenery of Tabriz, descriptions of the country and the
-journey, the Araxes river, the hoary peaks of Ararat, the governor's
-palace, the ancient Armenian church and monastery at Ech-Miazin, where
-he received great kindness from the Patriarch and the monks. He was
-profoundly impressed with the view from an elevated table-land looking
-out upon Persia, Russia and Turkey—a Pisgah vision, which excites in
-later missionaries a strong desire for Christian conquest. Describes
-Cars and Erzroom. September 29, left Erzroom. Was attacked with fever
-and ague.</p>
-
-<p>"September 30. Took nothing all day but tea; headache and loss of
-appetite depressed my spirits, yet my soul rests in Him who is as
-anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, which, not seen, keeps me
-fast.</p>
-
-<p>"October 1. Marched over a mountainous tract; we were out from seven
-in the morning till eight at night. After sitting a little by the fire
-I was near fainting from sickness. My depression of spirits led me to
-the throne of grace as a sinful abject worm. When I thought of myself
-and my transgressions, I could find no text so cheering as, 'My ways
-are not as your ways.' From the men who accompanied Sir Wm. Ouseley to
-Constantinople I learned that the plague was raging at Constantinople
-and thousands dying every day. One of the Persians had died of it.
-They added that the inhabitants of Tocat were flying from their town
-from the same cause. Thus I am passing into imminent danger. O Lord
-thy will be done! Living or dying, remember me.</p>
-
-<p>"October 2. Lodged in the stables of the post-house. As soon as it
-began to grow a little cold, the ague came on and then the fever,
-after which I had a sleep, which let me know too plainly the disorder
-of my frame. In the night Hossan sent to summon me away, but I was
-quite unable to move. Finding me still in bed at the dawn he began to
-storm furiously at my detaining him so long, but I quietly let him
-spend his ire, ate my breakfast composedly, and set out at eight. He
-seemed determined to make up for the delay, for we flew over hill and
-dale to Sherean, where we changed horses. From thence we traveled all
-the rest of the day and all night. It rained most of the time. After
-sunset the ague came on again, which in my wet state was very trying.
-I hardly know how to keep my life in me. About that time there was a
-village at hand, but Hassan had no mercy. The night was pitchy dark,
-so that I could not see the road under my horse's feet. However, God
-being mercifully pleased to alleviate my bodily suffering, I went on
-contentedly to the munzil (stopping-place). After sleeping three or
-four hours Hassan hurried me away, and galloped furiously toward a
-village, which he said was four hours distant, which was all I could
-undertake in my present state; but village after village did he pass,
-till night coming on, and no signs of another, I suspected he was
-carrying me on to the munzil; so I got off my horse and sat upon the
-ground and told him I neither could nor would go any farther. He
-stormed, but I was immovable, till a light, appearing at a distance, I
-mounted my horse and made toward it, leaving him to follow or not as
-he pleased. He brought in the party, but would not exert himself to
-get a place for me. They brought me to an open verandah, but Sergius
-told them I wanted a place in which to be alone. This seemed very
-offensive to them, 'and why must he be alone'? they asked, ascribing
-this desire of mine to pride, I suppose. Tempted at last by money they
-brought me to a stable room, and Hassan and a number of others planted
-themselves there with me. My fever here increased to a violent degree,
-the heat in my eyes and forehead was so great that the fire almost
-made me frantic. I entreated that it might be put out or that I might
-be carried out of doors. Neither was attended to; my servant, who from
-my sitting in that strange way on the ground, believed me delirious,
-was deaf to all I said. At last I pushed my head in among the luggage
-and lodged it on the damp ground and slept.</p>
-
-<p>"October 5. Preserving mercy made me see the light of another morning.
-The sleep had refreshed me but I was feeble and shaken, yet the
-merciless Hassan hurried me off. I was pretty well lodged and felt
-tolerably well till a little after sunset, when the ague came on with
-a violence I had never before experienced. I felt as if in a palsy, my
-teeth chattering, and my whole frame violently shaken. Aga Hosyn and
-another Persian on their way here from Constantinople, came hastily to
-render me assistance if they could. These Persians appear quite
-brotherly after the Turks. While they pitied me, Hassan sat in perfect
-indifference, ruminating on the further delay this was likely to
-occasion. The cold fit after continuing two or three hours was
-followed by a fever, which lasted the whole night and prevented sleep.</p>
-
-<p>"October 6. No horses were to be had, and I had an unexpected repose.
-Sat in the orchard and thought with sweet comfort and peace of my God:
-in solitude my companion, friend and comforter. Oh, when shall time
-give place to eternity—when shall appear that new heaven and earth,
-wherein dwelleth righteousness! There, there shall in no wise enter in
-anything that defileth; none of that wickedness which has made men
-worse than wild beasts, none of those corruptions which add still more
-to the miseries of humanity, shall be seen or heard of any more."</p>
-
-<p>Here abruptly closes the journal, with pantings for the glory and the
-purity of Immanuel's land, into which he was admitted by a blessed
-translation, released from all the sufferings of life on October 16,
-1812, at Tocat, Turkey. The manner of his death is not known, whether
-it resulted from the sickness described, or from the plague, then
-raging. Whether Hassan was cruel and driving to the last, whether all
-his heartless Turkish attendants deserted him or not in his hour of
-final agony, we cannot tell. No relative or friend was there, no
-tender voice of sympathy, no woman's soothing hand, no alleviations
-from medicine. Even the commonest decencies and necessities of
-civilized life were lacking. Earth gave nothing to Henry Martyn in his
-mortal need, but we are sure heavenly consolations were unstinted.</p>
-
-<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem4">
- <tr><td><small>"Jesus can make a dying bed<br>
- Feel soft as downy pillows are."</small></td></tr>
-</table>
-
-<p>And Jesus was there! And Henry Martyn was satisfied, and is forever
-satisfied! "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his
-saints." And the most priceless legacy of the blood-bought and
-commissioned church is the memory of a life, so gifted, so unselfish,
-so consecrated.</p>
-
-<p>It is wanting in no element of moral heroism. Our souls confess its
-grandeur. The contemplation lifts us into a higher atmosphere than
-that of mammon, and self, and earth. We rejoice to see a crown so
-rare, so fair, so precious, laid at the feet of Jesus, the King. He is
-worthy. And we long to see the youth of our land and the church
-inspired by Henry Martyn's example, as he was inspired by David
-Brainerd's. And so we would have the apostolic succession continued
-till the millennium, of such as shall not count their lives dear for
-the testimony of the gospel.</p>
-
-<p>It is said that after Mr. Martyn's death one of his earliest and most
-devoted friends, the Rev. Charles Simeon, used always to keep his
-picture before him in his study for help and inspiration. "Move where
-he would through the apartment, it seemed to keep its eyes upon him,
-and ever to say to him, 'Be earnest, be earnest; don't trifle, don't
-trifle,' and the good Simeon would gently bow to the speaking picture,
-and with a smile, reply, 'Yes, I will; I will be in earnest, I will
-not trifle; for souls are perishing and Jesus is to be glorified.'"</p>
-
-<p>Would that Henry Martyn's life might bring such a message to every
-heart, and awaken in every one a similar response.</p>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<br>
-<h3>MISSIONARY ANNALS.</h3>
-<center>Price per vol., cloth 30c., paper 18c.</center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-
-
-<h3>I.<br>
-MEMOIR OF ROBERT MOFFAT</h3>
-<center><i>BY MRS. M. L. WILDER</i>.</center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-
-<h3>II.<br>
-LIFE OF ADONIRAM JUDSON</h3>
-<center><i>BY MISS JULIA H. JOHNSTON</i>.</center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-
-<h3>III.<br>
-WOMAN AND THE GOSPEL IN PERSIA</h3>
-<center><i>BY REV. THOMAS LAURIE, D.D.</i></center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-
-<h3>IV.<br>
-LIFE OF REV. JUSTIN PERKINS, D.D.</h3>
-<center><i>BY REV. HENRY MARTYN PERKINS</i>.</center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-
-<h3>V.<br>
-LIFE OF DAVID LIVINGSTONE</h3>
-<center><i>BY MRS. J. H. WORCESTER, JR.</i></center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-<br>
-<center>OTHERS IN PREPARATION.<br>
-SENT POSTPAID ON RECEIPT OF PRICE.</center><br>
-<hr width="100" align="center">
-<br>
-<center>CHICAGO:</center>
-<center><small>W<small>OMAN'S</small> P<small>RESBYTERIAN</small> B<small>OARD OF</small>
-M<small>ISSIONS OF THE</small> N<small>ORTHWEST</small>,<br>
-Room 48, McCormick Block.</small></center>
-<br>
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-<pre>
-
-
-
-
-
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diff --git a/old/30085.txt b/old/30085.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9bdb0a9..0000000 --- a/old/30085.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1714 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Life of Henry Martyn, Missionary to India
-and Persia, 1781 to 1812, by Sarah J. Rhea
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
-
-
-Title: Life of Henry Martyn, Missionary to India and Persia, 1781 to 1812
-
-Author: Sarah J. Rhea
-
-Release Date: September 25, 2009 [EBook #30085]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: ASCII
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE OF HENRY MARTYN ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by Ron Swanson
-
-
-
-
-
-MISSIONARY ANNALS.
-(A SERIES.)
-
-
-
-
-LIFE OF HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY TO INDIA AND PERSIA, 1781 to 1812
-
-
-ABRIDGED FROM THE MEMOIR.
-BY
-MRS. SARAH J. RHEA.
-
-
-
-
-CHICAGO:
-WOMAN'S PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF FOREIGN MISSIONS OF THE NORTHWEST,
-Room 48, McCormick Block.
-
-
-
-
-COPYRIGHT, 1888,
-BY WOMAN'S PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF MISSIONS OF THE NORTHWEST.
-
-
-
-
-CONTENTS.
-
- PAGE.
-EDUCATION AND PREPARATION, . . . . . . . . . . . 5
-
-LIFE IN INDIA, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
-
-LIFE IN PERSIA, AND DEATH, . . . . . . . . . . . 29
-
-
-
-
-I hold in my hand an album adorned with pictures of missionaries, my
-brethren and sisters, the ambassadors of the King. On one of the first
-pages is "the tomb of Henry Martyn," given me by Dr. Van Lennep, who
-had just visited the sacred spot and described it vividly. When I turn
-the pages of my album and come to this, I pause with reverence and the
-overflowings of deep and tender emotion, and my mind adds other
-pictures, both terrestrial and celestial, to the one upon the page. My
-own missionary life as the companion of him whom Dr. Perkins called
-"the later Henry Martyn," was spent in Henry Martyn's Persia. They
-were alike I think in many things, these two Persian evangelists, and
-also in their deaths. When they passed out of the Tabriz gate,
-journeying homeward after a course of illness in the fated city, for
-each it was a quick ascent, a painful translation, to the heavenly
-city with abundant entrance and the Master's "well done"--in heaven;
-and on earth, a foreign grave taking possession for Christ, as the
-Nestorians reverently say, with "white stones still speaking out."
- S. J. R.
-
-
-
-
-EDUCATION AND PREPARATION.
-
-
-Henry Martyn was born in England on the south-western coast of Truro,
-February 18, 1781. His father, Mr. John Martyn, worked in the mines.
-He was not educated but was very fond of learning. The miners were in
-the habit of working and resting alternately every four hours. Mr.
-John Martyn spent many of his rest intervals in study, and so by
-diligence and education raised himself to a higher position, and
-became a clerk in the office of a merchant in Truro. When Henry was
-seven years old, he went to school to Dr. Cardew. From his earliest
-years all who knew him considered him a very interesting and promising
-child. Dr. Cardew says his proficiency in the classics exceeded that
-of his schoolfellows; he was of a lively, cheerful temper and seemed
-to learn without application, almost by intuition. But he was not
-robust, and loving books better than sport, and having a peculiar
-tenderness and inoffensiveness of spirit, he was often abused by rude
-and coarse boys in the school. A friendship which he formed at this
-time with a boy older than himself was the source of great comfort and
-advantage to him, and was kept up throughout his whole life. This
-friend often protected him from the bullies of the play-ground. At
-this school, under excellent tuition, Henry remained until fourteen
-years old, when he was induced to offer himself as a candidate for a
-vacant scholarship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Young as he was,
-he went there alone, and acquitted himself so well, though strongly
-and ably opposed by competitors, that in the opinion of some of the
-examiners he ought to have been elected. How often is the hand of God
-seen in frustrating our fondest designs! Speaking of this
-disappointment he afterwards wrote: "Had I remained and become a
-member of the university at that time, as I should have done in case
-of success, the profligate acquaintances I had there would have
-introduced me to scenes of debauchery, in which I must in all
-probability, from my extreme youth, have sunk forever."
-
-He continued after this with Dr Cardew till 1797, and then joined his
-school friend at Cambridge at St. John's College. Here he obtained a
-place in the first class at the public examination in December, a
-circumstance which, joined to the extreme desire he had to gratify his
-father, encouraged and excited him to study with increased alacrity,
-and as the fruit of this application, at the next public examination
-in the summer he reached the second station in the first class, a
-point of elevation which "flattered his pride not a little." At this
-time he appeared in the eye of the world most amiable and commendable,
-outwardly moral, unwearied in application, and exhibited marks of no
-ordinary talent. One exception to this statement is to be found in an
-irritability of temper arising perhaps from the treatment he had
-received at school. On one occasion in sudden anger, he threw a knife
-at the head of another boy, which providentially missed him and was
-left trembling in the wall; but it was a narrow escape, and might have
-proved fatal. Though not a Christian at this time, he was under two
-strong influences for good, one from his religious friend in college,
-the other from his sister in Cornwall, a Christian of a meek, heavenly
-and affectionate spirit. He paid a visit to his home in the summer of
-1799, carrying with him no small degree of academical honor. It may be
-well supposed that to a sister such as we have described, her
-brother's spiritual welfare would be a most serious and anxious
-concern; and that she often conversed with him on the subject of
-religion we know from his own declaration. The first result of her
-tender exhortations and earnest endeavors was very discouraging; a
-violent conflict took place in her brother's mind between his
-conviction of the truth of what she urged, and his love of the world;
-and for the present, the latter prevailed. Yet, sisters similarly
-circumstanced may learn from this case, not merely their duty, but
-also, from the final result, the success they may anticipate in the
-faithful discharge of it.
-
-"At the examination at Christmas, 1799," he writes: "I was first, and
-the account of it pleased my father prodigiously, who, I was told, was
-in great health and spirits. What, then, was my consternation when in
-January I received an account of his death!" Most poignant were his
-sufferings under this affliction, which led him to God for comfort in
-prayer and Bible study. He says: "I began with the Acts, and found
-myself insensibly led to inquire more attentively into the doctrines
-of the Apostles." Writing to his sister, having announced shortly and
-with much simplicity that his name stood first upon the list at the
-college examination of the summer of 1800, he says: "What a blessing
-it is for me that I have such a sister as you, my dear S., who have
-been so instrumental in keeping me in the right way. After the death
-of our father you know I was extremely low spirited, and like most
-other people began to consider seriously without any particular
-determination, that invisible world to which he was gone and to which
-I must one day go. Soon I began to attend more diligently to the words
-of our Savior in the New Testament, and to devour them with delight,
-when the offers of mercy and forgiveness were made so freely; I
-supplicated to be made partaker of the covenant of grace with
-eagerness and hope, and thanks be to the ever-blessed Trinity for not
-leaving me without comfort!" How cheering to his sister it must have
-been to receive at a moment of deep sorrow such a communication as
-this! How salutary to his own mind to have possessed so near a
-relation to whom he could thus freely open the workings of his heart.
-At this time he also received great benefit from attendance on the
-faithful ministry of Rev. Charles Simeon, under whose pastoral
-instructions he himself declares that he "gradually acquired more
-knowledge in divine things." With this excellent man he had the most
-friendly and unreserved intercourse. Mr. Martyn received his first
-impressions of the transcendent excellence of the Christian ministry
-of Mr. Simeon, from which it was but a short step to choose this
-calling for his own, for until now he had intended to devote himself
-to the law "chiefly," he confesses, "because he could not consent to
-be poor for Christ's sake."
-
-In January, 1801, the highest academical honor, that of "senior
-wrangler," was awarded to him before the completion of his twentieth
-year. His description of his feelings on this occasion is remarkable:
-"I obtained my highest wishes, but was surprised to find that I had
-grasped a shadow." So impossible it is for earthly distinction to fill
-and satisfy the mind.
-
-In March, 1802, after another rigid examination, Mr. Martyn was chosen
-Fellow of St. Johns, a situation honorable to the society and
-gratifying to himself. Soon after he obtained first prize for best
-Latin prose composition over many competitors of classical celebrity,
-and this was the more remarkable, as his studies had been almost
-entirely in mathematics.
-
-Henry Martyn's attention was called to the great cause of Foreign
-Missions by some remarks of Rev. Mr. Simeon on the work of Carey in
-India, but more particularly by reading the memoir of David Brainerd,
-who preached with apostolic zeal and success to the North American
-Indians, and who finished a course of self-denying labors for his
-Redeemer with unspeakable joy at the early age of thirty-two. Henry
-Martyn's soul was filled with holy emulation, and after deep
-consideration and fervent prayer he was at length fixed in a
-resolution to imitate his example. Nor let it be conceived that he
-could adopt this resolution without the severest conflict in his mind,
-for he was endued with the truest sensibility of heart, and was
-susceptible of the warmest and tenderest attachments. No one could
-exceed him in love for his country, or in affection for his friends,
-and few could surpass him in an exquisite relish for the various and
-refined enjoyments of a social and literary life. How then could it
-fail of being a moment of extreme anguish when he came to the
-deliberate resolution of leaving forever all he held dear upon earth?
-But he was fully satisfied that the glory of that Savior who loved him
-and gave Himself for him would be promoted by his going forth to
-preach to the heathen. He considered their pitiable and perilous
-condition; he thought on the value of their immortal souls; he
-remembered the last solemn injunction of his Lord, "Go teach all
-nations,"--an injunction never revoked, and commensurate with that
-most encouraging promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end
-of the world." Actuated by these motives, he offered himself as a
-missionary to the society for Missions, and from that time stood
-prepared with childlike simplicity and unshaken constancy to go to any
-part of the world whither it might be deemed expedient to send him.
-
-In the early part of 1804, Mr. Martyn's plans of becoming a missionary
-were dampened by the loss of his slender patrimony, and as his sister
-was also involved in the calamity, it appeared hardly justifiable for
-him to go away. After some delay his friends obtained for him the
-position of chaplain to the East India Company, and so the obstacles
-which detained him were removed.
-
-The time of the delay was spent in zealous service for his divine
-Master. He was associated with Rev. Mr. Simeon as curate and preached
-with great zeal and unction, often to very large audiences, and
-sometimes with such unsparing denunciation of common sins as to awaken
-opposition. He considered it his duty to rebuke iniquity, and on one
-occasion severely reproved a student for shocking levity,--reading a
-play with some young ladies while their father lay dying. He feared
-the result of this might be estrangement from his friend, but prayed
-earnestly that it might lead to his awakening. This prayer was
-answered, and afterwards this very friend became his beloved associate
-in missionary work in India.
-
-In very early youth Mr. Martyn became fondly attached to a young lady
-named Lydia Grenfell. She considered herself his superior in social
-position. The memoirs all speak of her as estimable, and we infer from
-the little that is said that she somewhat indifferently accepted Henry
-Martyn's homage, but she did not wholeheartedly and generously
-respond. What a contrast to the beloved and devoted Harriet Newell,
-who was not afraid to risk all for Christ, and counted not her life
-dear even unto the death! It was Miss Grenfell's greatest honor that
-Henry Martyn would have made her his wife, but she declined the honor,
-and yet gave him encouragement, for their correspondence only ended
-with his life, and his very last writing was a letter to her. He
-begged her with all the eloquence of a lonely and devoted heart to
-come out to him after he had gone to India, arranging every detail for
-her comfort with thoughtful tenderness, and urging and encouraging her
-and lavishing upon her an affection that would have crowned and
-enriched her life. We are left to infer from the history that she did
-love him in her way, but if she had shared his consecration and gone
-with him and taken care of him, and cheered and comforted him, and
-made for him a happy restful home, as some missionary wives have done
-in self-denying foreign fields, what a blessing she might have been,
-and her life, how fruitful, and her memory, how fragrant! As it was,
-she has this distinction, that she was Henry Martyn's disappointment
-and trial and discipline. No one less tender and sensitive than Henry
-Martyn can appreciate all he suffered on this account; but he made it,
-like all the other great sorrows of his life, a cross on which to be
-crucified with Christ.
-
-He writes to his dear sister S.: "When I sometimes offer up
-supplications with strong crying to God to bring down my spirit into
-the dust I endeavor calmly to contemplate the infinite majesty of the
-most high God and my own meanness and wickedness, or else I quietly
-tell the Lord, who knows the heart, I would give Him all the glory of
-everything if I could. But the most effectual way I have ever found is
-to lead away my thoughts from myself and my own concerns by praying
-for all my friends, for the church, the world, the nation, and
-especially by beseeching that God would glorify His own great name by
-converting all nations to the obedience of faith, also by praying that
-he would put more abundant honor on those Christians whom he seems to
-have honored especially, and whom we see to be manifestly our
-superiors."
-
-In spite of Henry Martyn's beautiful humility, honor after honor was
-heaped upon him by his admiring and appreciative Alma Mater. Three
-times he was chosen examiner, and discharged the duties of this office
-with great care and faithfulness.
-
-As the time approaches for his parting from all he holds dear,
-especially the beloved L., our hearts go out to him in irrepressible
-sympathy. He writes, "parted with L. forever in this life with a sort
-of uncertain pain which I know will increase to greater violence."
-
-And these forebodings were but too soon realized. For many succeeding
-days his mental agony was extreme, yet he could speak to God as one
-who knew the great conflict within him. Yet while the waves and
-billows are going over him he writes from these depths, "I never had
-so clear a conviction of my call as at the present. Never did I see so
-much the exceeding excellency and glory and sweetness of the work, nor
-had so much the favorable testimony of my own conscience, nor
-perceived so plainly the smile of God. Blessed be God, I feel myself
-to be His minister. This thought which I can hardly describe came in
-the morning after reading Brainerd. I wish for no service but the
-service of God, to labor for souls on earth and to do His will in
-heaven."
-
-
-
-
-LIFE IN INDIA.
-
-
-On the 17th of July, 1805, the Union East Indiaman conveying Mr.
-Martyn sailed from Portsmouth. Mr. Martyn says: "Though it was what I
-had been anxiously looking forward to so long, yet the consideration
-of being parted forever from my friends, almost overcame me. My
-feelings were those of a man who should suddenly be told that every
-friend he had in the world was dead."
-
-Though suffering much in mind and body throughout the long and tedious
-voyage of nine months, Mr. Martyn seeks no selfish ease. He preaches,
-reads and labors assiduously with officers, passengers and crew, and
-shuns not to declare the whole counsel of God, even the unpalatable
-doctrine of the future punishment of the wicked. He says: "The threats
-and opposition of these men made me willing to set before them the
-truths they hated, yet I had no species of hesitation about doing it.
-They said they would not come if so much hell was preached, but I took
-for my text, 'The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations
-that forget God.' The officers were all behind my back in order to
-have an opportunity of retiring in case of dislike. H., as soon as he
-heard the text, went back and said he would hear no more about hell;
-so he employed himself in feeding the geese. However, God I trust
-blessed the sermon to the good of many; some of the cadets and many of
-the soldiers were in tears. I felt an ardor and vehemence in some
-parts which are unusual with me. After service walked the deck with
-Mrs. ----; she spoke with so much simplicity and amiable humility that
-I was full of joy and admiration to God for a sheep brought home to
-His fold. In the afternoon went below intending to read to them at the
-hatchway, but there was not one of them, so I could get nothing to do
-among the poor soldiers."
-
-What a picture revealing Henry Martyn's character!--the contrasting
-attributes of sternness and gentleness, his martyrlike determination
-to do his whole duty at any cost to himself from suffering and insult,
-the keen shrinking of a nature so refined and sensitive from
-coarseness and abuse, undeviating yet uncompromising, bringing to our
-thoughts the Divine Exemplar. I pass by the incidents of the voyage,
-including mutiny, sickness and death, romantic stay at St. Salvador,
-battles at the Cape of Good Hope, etc., eloquently and vividly
-recorded.
-
-The Friday preceding his arrival in India he spends "in praying that
-God would no longer delay exerting his power in the conversion of the
-eastern nations. I felt emboldened" he says, "to employ the most
-familiar petitions by Is. xii. 6, 7, 'Keep not silence; give him no
-rest,' etc. Blessed be God for those words! They are like a cordial to
-my spirits, because if the Lord is not pleased by me or during my
-lifetime to call the Gentiles, yet He is not offended at my being
-urgent with Him that the kingdom of God may come."
-
-April 21, 1806, the nine months' journey is complete, and they land at
-Madras. Mr. Martyn gives first impressions and description of the
-natives, ending in these words: "In general, one thought naturally
-occurred: the conversion of their poor souls. I am willing, I trust,
-through grace, to pass my life among them if by any means these poor
-people may be brought to God. The sight of men, women and children,
-all idolaters, makes me shudder as if in the dominions of the prince
-of darkness. Hearing the hymn, 'Before Jehovah's awful throne,' it
-excited a train of affecting thoughts in my mind."
-
-"Wide as the world is thy command. Therefore it is easy for Thee to
-spread abroad Thy holy name. But oh, how gross the darkness here! The
-veil of the covering cast over all nations seems thicker here; the
-friends of darkness seem to sit in sullen repose in this land. What
-surprises me is the change of views I have here from what I had in
-England. There my heart expanded with hope and joy at the prospect of
-the speedy conversion of the heathen; but here the sight of the
-apparent impossibility requires a strong faith to support the
-spirits." Ah, how vividly this describes missionary experiences! After
-great peril from storm and illness, passing up the Hoogly from Madras,
-Mr. Martyn arrived at Calcutta, May 14. In this city for years had
-been a band of English Christians faithfully praying for the coming of
-the kingdom in that dark land, and into the home of one of these, Rev.
-David Brown, was Mr. Martyn received with much affection. A pagoda in
-one end of the yard on the river bank was fitted up for him, and the
-place where once devils were worshiped now became a Christian oratory.
-The first experience here was of severe illness from acclimating
-fever, from which he was kindly nursed into convalescence. He then
-applied himself earnestly to the study of the Hindoostanee, having
-engaged a Brahmin as a teacher. Here he witnessed with horror the
-cruel and debasing rites of heathenism. The blaze of a funeral pile
-caused him one day to hasten to the rescue of a burning widow who was
-consumed before his eyes. And in a dark wood he heard the sound of
-cymbals and drums calling the poor natives to the worship of devils,
-and saw them prostrate with their foreheads to the ground before a
-black image in a pagoda surrounded with burning lights--a sight which
-he contemplated with overwhelming compassion, "shivering as if
-standing in the neighborhood of hell."
-
-Mr. Martyn's plain and pungent preaching was a great offense to some
-of the easy-going formalists of the English church at Calcutta, and
-some of the ministry attacked him bitterly from their pulpits,
-declaring, for instance, that to affirm repentance to be the gift of
-God and to teach that nature is wholly corrupt, is to drive men to
-despair, and that to suppose the righteousness of Christ sufficient to
-justify is to make it unnecessary to have any of our own. Though
-compelled to listen to such downright heresies, to hear himself
-described as knowing neither what he said nor whereof he affirmed, and
-as aiming only to gratify self sufficiency, pride and
-uncharitableness,--"I rejoiced," said this meek and holy man, "to
-receive the Lord's supper afterwards;--as the solemnities of that
-blessed ordinance sweetly tended to soothe any asperity of mind, and I
-think that I administered the cup to ---- and ---- with sincere good
-will."
-
-September 13, 1806, Mr. Martyn received his appointment to Singapore.
-A farewell meeting of great interest was held in his pagoda, followed
-by a tender parting from the family who had been so kind to him, and
-two fellow laborers who, following his bright example, had just come
-out from England. The voyage to Singapore was performed in a budgero,
-a small boat with a cabin, in which he studied and translated and
-prayed while making the seventeen or eighteen miles a day of the
-six-weeks' journey. At night the boat was fastened to the shore. His
-journal record of these days is very interesting and very
-characteristic. He says:
-
-"October 27. Arrived at Berhampore. In the evening walked out to the
-hospital in which there were 150 European soldiers sick. I was talking
-to a man said to be dying, when a surgeon entered. I went up and made
-some apology for entering the hospital. It was my old school-fellow
-and townsman, ----. The remainder of the evening he spent with me in
-my budgero.
-
-"October 28. Rose very early and was at the hospital at daylight.
-Waited there a long time wandering up and down the wards in hopes of
-inducing the men to get up and assemble, but it was in vain. I left
-three books with them and went away amidst the sneers and titters of
-the common soldiers. Certainly it is one of the greatest crosses I am
-called to bear to take pains to make people hear me. It is such a
-struggle between a sense of propriety and modesty on the one hand, and
-a sense of duty on the other, that I find nothing equal to it. I could
-force my way anywhere, in order to introduce a brother minister; but
-for myself, I act with hesitation and pain.
-
-"Walking out into a village where the boat stopped for the night I
-found the worshipers of Kali by the sound of their drums and cymbals.
-Invited by the Brahmins to walk in I entered and asked a few questions
-about the idol. The Brahmin who spoke bad Hindoostanee disputed with
-great heat, and his tongue ran faster than I could follow, and the
-people, about one hundred, shouted applause. I continued my questions
-and among other things asked if what I had heard of Vishnu and Brahma
-was true, which he confessed. I forbore to press him with the
-consequences, which he seemed to feel; and then I told him what was my
-belief. The man grew quite mild and said it was _chula bat_ (good
-words), and asked me seriously at last what I thought, 'Was idol
-worship true or false?' I felt it a matter of thankfulness that I
-could make known the truth of God though a stammerer and that I had
-declared it in the presence of the devil. And this also I learnt, that
-the power of gentleness is irresistible. I never was more astonished
-than at the change in deportment of this hot-headed Brahmin.... Came
-to on the eastern bank below a village called Ahgadup. Wherever I
-walked the women fled at the sight of me. Some men were sitting under
-the shed dedicated to their goddess; a lamp was burning in her place.
-A conversation soon began, but there was no one who could speak
-Hindoostanee. I could only speak by the medium of my Mussulman,
-Musalchee. They said that they only did as others did, and that if
-they were wrong then all Bengal was wrong. I felt love for their
-souls, and longed for utterance to declare unto these poor simple
-people the holy gospel. I think that when my mouth is opened I shall
-preach to them day and night.
-
-"October 31. My Moonshee said, 'How can you prove this book (the
-gospel), to be the word of God?' I took him to walk with me on the
-shore that we might discuss the matter, and the result of our
-conversation was that I discovered that the Mussulmen allow the gospel
-to be in general the command of God, though the words of it are not
-His as the words of the Koran are, and contend that the actual words
-of God given to Jesus were burnt by the Jews; that they also admit the
-New Testament to have been in force till the coming of Mohammed. When
-I quoted some passages which proved the Christian dispensation to be
-the final one, he allowed it to be inconsistent with the divinity of
-the Koran, but said, 'Then those words of the gospel must be false.'
-The man argued and asked his questions seemingly in earnest, and
-another new impression was left upon my mind, namely, that these men
-are not fools and that all ingenuity and clearness of reasoning are
-not confined to England and Europe. I seem to feel that these
-descendants of Ham are as dear to God as the haughty sons of Japheth;
-I feel, too, more at home with the Scriptures than ever; everything I
-see gives light to, and receives it from, the Scriptures. I seem
-transported back to the ancient times of the Israelites and the
-Apostles. My spirit felt composed after the dispute by simply looking
-to God as one who had engaged to support His own cause; and I saw it
-to be my part to pursue my way through the wilderness of this world,
-looking only to that redemption which daily draweth nigh. How should
-this consideration quell the tumult of anger and impatience when I
-cannot convince men 'the government is on His shoulders?' Jesus is
-able to bear the weight of it; therefore we need not be oppressed with
-care or fear, but a missionary is apt to fancy himself an Atlas.
-
-"November 2. Walking on shore met a large party. I asked if any of
-them could read. One young man who seemed superior in rank to the
-rest, said he could, and accordingly read some of the only Nagree
-tract that I had. I then addressed myself boldly to them and told them
-of the gospel. When speaking of the inefficacy of the religious
-practices of the Hindoos I mentioned as an example the repetition of
-the name of Ram. The young man assented to this and said, 'of what use
-is it?' As he seemed to be of a pensive turn and said this with marks
-of disgust, I gave him a Nagree Testament, the first I have given. May
-God's blessing go along with it and cause the eyes of the multitudes
-to be opened. The men said they should be glad to receive tracts, so I
-sent them back a considerable number. The idea of printing the
-parables in proper order with a short explanation to each, for the
-purpose of distribution and as school books, suggested itself to me
-to-night and delighted me prodigiously.... A Mussulman, when he
-received one of the tracts and found what it was, was greatly alarmed,
-and after many awkward apologies, returned it, saying that 'a man who
-had his legs in two different boats, was in danger of sinking between
-them.'"
-
-Established at Singapore, Mr. Martyn began upon three different lines
-of work, establishing schools, attaining readiness in Hindoostanee so
-as to preach the gospel in that language, and translating the
-Scriptures and religious books. To his great discouragement he was
-informed by the Pundit that every four miles the language changed, so
-that a book in the dialect of one district would be unintelligible to
-the people of another. Being advised to learn Sanscrit, he took up
-this language with great zeal. The commencement of Mr. Martyn's
-ministry amongst the Europeans of Singapore was not of such a kind as
-to either gratify or encourage him. At first he read prayers to the
-soldiers at the barracks from the drumhead, and as there were no seats
-provided, was desired to omit the sermon. Afterwards more decent
-arrangements being made, the families came in; but taking offense at
-his evangelical plainness, they asked that he should desist from
-extempore preaching. These European members of his flock were jealous
-and angry at his constant efforts for the salvation of the heathen
-natives. They thought it much beneath the dignity of an English
-chaplain to care for these degraded souls. Some of Mr. Martyn's duties
-as chaplain were exceedingly onerous. On several occasions he was
-summoned to distant places involving long and dangerous journeys to
-perform a marriage ceremony. On these journeys he suffered severely,
-and they were a great draft upon his very delicate health; always weak
-and languid, and often alarmingly disordered. Yet through all he
-continued to labor incessantly. Every Sabbath he held at least four
-services: at 7 for Europeans; at 2 for Hindoos, about two hundred in
-attendance; in the afternoon at the hospital; in the evening in his
-own room for the soldiers. In his household were two natives who
-assisted in his studies and translations, the Moonshee and the Pundit,
-with whom he held long disputes and with whom he labored daily, though
-unsuccessfully, to bring them to faith in Christ. He says,
-"translating the epistle of St. John with the Moonshee, I asked him
-what he thought of those passages which so strongly express the
-doctrines of the Trinity and of the divinity of Christ. He said he
-never would believe it, because the Koran declared it sinful to say
-that God had any Son. I told him that he ought to pray that God would
-teach him what the truth really is. He said he had no occasion on this
-subject, as the word of God was express. I asked him whether some
-doubt ought not to arise in his mind whether the Koran is the word of
-God. He grew angry, and I felt hurt and vexed. I should have done
-better to have left the words of the chapter with him without saying
-anything. I went also too far with the Pundit in arguing against his
-superstition, for he also grew angry." If any qualification seems
-necessary to a missionary in India it is wisdom--operating in the
-regulation of the temper and the due improvement of opportunities. Mr.
-Martyn needed the heavenly gift of wisdom also in the management of
-his native schools, five or six of which were supported by himself in
-Singapore. Little by little he succeeded in introducing as a text-book
-a part of the Bible--his own translation of the sermon on the Mount
-and the Parables. He was called to do more and more of this work of
-translating the Scriptures, and was persuaded by the Rev. David Brown
-not only to continue the Hindoostanee, but to superintend the
-translation of the Scriptures into Persian. He engaged in it at once
-with zeal. He writes: "The time fled imperceptibly while so
-delightfully engaged in the translations; the days seemed to have
-passed like a moment. What do I not owe to the Lord for permitting me
-to take part in a translation of His word? Never did I see such wonder
-and wisdom and love in the blessed Book as since I have been obliged
-to study every expression. Employed a good while at night in
-considering a difficult passage, and being much enlightened respecting
-it, I went to bed full of astonishment at the wonder of God's Word.
-Never before did I see anything of the beauty of the language and the
-importance of the thoughts as I do now. What a source of perpetual
-delight have I in the precious Word of God!"
-
-This ecstasy of enthusiasm in most successful and congenial labor was
-suddenly dashed by a great wave of sorrow which came to Mr. Martyn in
-the news of the death of his eldest sister. To missionaries in foreign
-lands such news is especially bitter, and to recover from such a shock
-and sense of irreparable loss seems almost impossible. The mind,
-unsatisfied with details of the sad event, is left in shadow which
-deepens into heavy gloom. Mr. Martyn was all alone and felt it keenly
-and inexpressibly. Some of his most intimate and sympathetic friends
-at this time, realizing how it was not good for him to be alone,
-encouraged him to renew his matrimonial offer to his ever beloved L.
-After her refusal he says, "The Lord sanctify this, and since this
-last desire of my heart is also withheld may I turn away forever from
-the world and henceforth live forgetful of all but God. With Thee, O
-my God, is no disappointment. I shall never have to regret that I have
-loved Thee too well. Thou hast said, 'delight thyself in the Lord, and
-he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.'"
-
-Could sweeter words than these be expressed in any language! Could
-greater depths of submission or heights of consecration be attained!
-They deserve to be recorded on imperishable marble or blazoned on the
-sky in sight of all, and received as the confession of every Christian
-heart, to the honor and praise of Him who gave such glorious victory
-to this tried soldier of the cross.
-
-Providentially for Mr. Martyn's comfort his thoughts were much
-occupied after this by the arrival of his coadjutors in the work of
-translation, one of these, Mirza of Benares, well known in India as an
-eminent Hindoostanee scholar; the other Sabat the Arabian, since but
-too well known both in India and England by his rejection of that
-faith which he then appeared to profess in sincerity and faith. In the
-latter of these Mr. Martyn confidently trusted that he had found a
-Christian brother with respect to the reality of his belief in
-Christianity, although Mr. Martyn immediately discovered in him an
-unsubdued Arab spirit, and witnessed with pain many deflections from
-that temper and conduct which he himself so eminently exemplified;
-yet, he could not but "believe all things and hope all things," even
-while he continued to suffer much from him, and for a length of time,
-with unparalleled forbearance and kindness. Sabat's temper was a
-continual trial and mortification. The very first Sabbath in
-Singapore, imagining he was not treated with sufficient dignity, he
-left the church before service in great anger. Often in the midst of
-the translation he would come to a sudden stop and refuse to go on for
-the most trivial reasons, sometimes for fear that Mirza who would
-review the work might have part of the honor. About this time Mr.
-Martyn was much bereaved by the removal of a family with whom he had
-lived in intimate terms of Christian intercourse. "This separation
-affected him the more sensibly because it was not in every family at
-that station that he met with a kind and cordial reception." He says,
-"I called on one of the Singapore families, and felt my pride rise at
-the uncivil manner in which I was received. I was disposed at first to
-determine never to visit the house again, but I remembered the words,
-'overcome evil with good.'"
-
-In the month of March, 1808, the New Testament in Hindoostanee was
-completed. He says, "I have read and corrected the manuscript till my
-eyes ache; such a week of labor I believe I have never passed. The
-heat is terrible, often at 98 degrees, the nights insupportable." We
-next hear of Mr. Martyn suffering from severe illness with fever and
-vertigo, and pained with the thought of leaving the Persian gospels
-unfinished! So unselfish, so full of zeal! Again at work, mercury at
-102 degrees. "Arabic now employs my few moments of leisure. In
-consequence of reading the Koran with Sabat audibly, and drinking no
-wine, the slander has gone forth that the Singapore Padre has turned
-Mussulman.
-
-"June 6th. To-day we have completed the Persian of St. Matthew. Sabat
-desired me to kneel down to bless God for the happy event, and we
-joined in praise of the Father of lights. It is a superb performance
-in every respect, with elegance enough to attract the careless and
-please the fastidious; it contains enough of Eternal Life to save the
-reader's soul.... My services on the Lord's day always leave me with a
-pain in the chest, and such a great degree of general relaxation, that
-I seldom recover it till Tuesday. The society still meet every night
-at my quarters, and though we have lost many by death, others are
-raised up in their room. One officer, a lieutenant, is also given to
-me, and he is not only a brother beloved, but a constant companion and
-nurse; so you must feel no apprehension that I should be left alone in
-sickness."
-
-In April, 1809, Mr. Martyn removes from Dinapore to Cawnpore. Here he
-met friendship and hospitality. We quote from the graceful pen of Mrs.
-Sherwood: "The month of April in the upper provinces of Hindoostan is
-one of the most dreadful months for traveling throughout the year;
-indeed, no European at that time can remove from place to place, but
-at the risk of his life.
-
-"But Mr. Martyn had that anxiety to begin the work which his heavenly
-Father had given him to do, that notwithstanding the violent heat, he
-traveled from Chunar to Cawnpore, the space of about four hundred
-miles. At that time as I well remember, the air was as hot and dry as
-that which I have sometimes felt near the mouth of a large oven, no
-friendly cloud or verdant carpet of grass to relieve the eye from the
-strong glare of the rays of the sun pouring on the sandy plains of the
-Ganges. Thus Mr. Martyn traveled, journeying night and day, and
-arrived at Cawnpore in such a state that he fainted away as soon as he
-entered the house. When we charged him with the rashness of hazarding
-his life in this manner, he always pleaded his anxiety to get to the
-great work. He remained with us ten days, suffering considerably at
-times from fever and pain in the chest.
-
-"Mr. Martyn's removal from Dinapore to Cawnpore was to him in many
-respects a very unpleasant arrangement. He was several hundred miles
-farther distant from Calcutta and more widely separated than before
-from his friend Mr. Corrie. He had new acquaintances to form at his
-new abode, and after having with much difficulty procured the erection
-of a church at Dinapore he was transported to a spot where none of the
-conveniences, much less the decencies and solemnities of public
-worship, were visible.
-
-"We find him soon after he arrived there preaching to a thousand
-soldiers drawn up in a hollow square, when the heat was so great,
-although the sun had not risen, that many actually dropped down,
-unable to support it."
-
-Yet Mr. Martyn's labors were not abated. Every Sabbath at dawn were
-prayers and sermon with the regiment, and again at eleven at the house
-of the general of the station. In the afternoon he preached to a crowd
-of poor natives, five, to eight hundred, rude, noisy, wretched
-beggars, for whose souls he felt a tender care. Again in the evening,
-the best of the day, he had a meeting with the more devout of his
-flock. These ministrations so earnestly performed were most
-exhausting, yet he knew not how to forego them; at this time, too,
-from England came the sad and sudden news of the death of his sister,
-the one who had led him to Christ.
-
-The alarming state of his health made some change necessary, and Mr.
-Martyn was urged to leave India and make trial of a sea voyage. His
-Persian New Testament had been criticised as unfit for general
-circulation, being written in a style too learned and exalted for the
-comprehension of the common people. He was advised to visit Persia and
-there revise his work and also complete his version in Arabic, almost
-finished. Mr. Brown, his devoted friend, and the Calcutta agent of the
-British and Foreign Bible Society, thus writes: "Can I then bring
-myself to cut the string and let you go? I confess I could not if your
-bodily frame were strong, and promised to last for half a century. But
-as you burn with the intenseness and rapid blaze of heated phosphorus,
-why should we not make the most of you? Your flame may last as long
-and perhaps longer in Arabia, than in India. Where should the Phoenix
-build her odoriferous nest, but in the land prophetically called 'the
-blessed?' and where shall we ever expect, but from that country, the
-true Comforter to come to the nations of the East? I contemplate your
-New Testament springing up, as it were, from dust and ashes, but
-beautiful as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and his feathers
-like yellow gold." His farewell services at Cawnpore were very tender
-and affecting, both with his great audience of natives and Englishmen.
-Of the latter, Mrs. Sherwood says: "He began in a weak and faint
-voice, being at that time in a very bad state of health; but,
-gathering strength as he proceeded, he seemed as one inspired from on
-high. Never was an audience more affected. The next day this holy and
-heavenly man left Cawnpore and the society of many who sincerely loved
-and admired him." Stopping to visit the friends in Calcutta, the Rev.
-Mr. Thomason says: "This bright and lovely jewel first gratified our
-eyes on Saturday last. He is on his way to Arabia, where he is going
-in pursuit of health and knowledge. You know his genius, and what
-gigantic strides he takes in everything. He has some great plan in his
-mind, of which I am no competent judge; but as far as I do understand
-it, the object is far too grand for one short life, and much beyond
-his feeble and exhausted frame. Feeble it is, indeed; how fallen and
-changed! His complaint lies in his lungs and appears to be an
-incipient consumption. But let us hope the sea air may revive him, and
-that change may do him essential service and continue his life many
-years. In all other respects he is exactly the same as he was; he
-shines in all the dignity of love, and seems to carry about him such a
-heavenly majesty as impresses the mind beyond description. But if he
-talks much, though in a low voice, he sinks, and you are reminded of
-his being dust and ashes." Though so infirm, Mr. Martyn preached every
-Sabbath of his visit, and his last sermon on the anniversary of the
-Calcutta Bible Society was afterwards printed and entitled "Christian
-India, or an appeal on behalf of nine hundred thousand Christians in
-India who want the Bible."
-
-
-
-
-LIFE IN PERSIA.
-
-
-From this time a change comes over Mr. Martyn's varied life. We have
-seen him the successful candidate for academical distinctions--the
-faithful and laborious pastor--the self-denying and devoted
-missionary--the indefatigable translator--the preacher of the gospel
-to the heathen; we are now called to admire in him the courageous
-spirit of the Christian confessor.
-
-He says, on his voyage towards Persia: "All down the Bay of Bengal I
-could do nothing but sit listless, viewing the wide waste of water, a
-sight that would have been beautiful had I been well. In my Hebrew
-researches I scarcely ever felt so discouraged. All the knowledge I
-thought I had acquired became uncertain, and consequently I was
-unhappy. It was in vain that I reflected that thousands live and die
-happy without such knowledge as I am in search of.
-
-"Proposed family prayer every night in the cabin--no objection was
-made.
-
-"February 18, anchored off Bombay. This day I finished the thirtieth
-year of my unprofitable life, the age at which David Brainerd finished
-his course. I am now at the age at which the Savior of men began his
-ministry, and at which John the Baptist called a nation to repentance.
-Hitherto I have made my youth and insignificance an excuse for sloth
-and imbecility, now let me have a character and act boldly for God.
-
-"March 5. Feerog, a Parsee who is considered the most learned man
-here, called to converse about religion. He spoke Persian and seemed
-familiar with Arabic. He began by saying that no one religion had more
-evidences of its truth than another, for that all the miracles of the
-respective founders depended upon tradition. This I denied. He
-acknowledged that the writer of the Zendavesta was not cotemporary
-with Zoroaster. After disputing and raising objections he was left
-without an answer, but continued to cavil. 'Why' said he, 'did the
-Magi see the star in the East and none else? from what part of the
-East did they come? and how was it possible that their king should
-come to Jerusalem in seven days?' The last piece of information he had
-from the Armenians. I asked him whether he had any thoughts of
-changing his religion. He replied with a contemptuous smile, 'No,
-every man is safe in his own religion.' I asked him, 'What sinners
-must do to obtain pardon?' 'Repent,' said he. I asked, 'Would
-repentance satisfy a creditor or a judge?' 'Why, is it not said in the
-gospel,' rejoined he, 'that we must repent?' I replied, 'It cannot be
-proved from the gospel that repentance alone is sufficient, or good
-works, or both.' 'Where then is the glory of salvation?' he said; I
-replied, 'In the atonement of Christ.' 'All this' said he, 'I know,
-but so the Mohammedans say, that Hosyn was an atonement for the sins
-of men.' He then began to criticise the translations he saw on the
-table.
-
-"April 23. Moscat, Arabia. Went on shore and met the Vizier. His
-African slave argued with me for Mohammed and did not know how to let
-me go, he was so interested in the business.
-
-"April 25. Gave him an Arabic copy of the gospel, which he at once
-began to read, and carried it off as a great prize, which I hope he
-will find it to be.
-
-"Bushire, Persia. Called on the governor, a Persian Khan. He was very
-particular in his attentions. Seated me on his own seat and then sat
-by my side. After the usual salutations and inquiries the calean
-(pipe), was introduced, then coffee in china cups placed within silver
-ones, then calean, then some rose-water syrup, then calean. Observing
-the windows of stained glass, I began to question him about the art of
-coloring glass, observing that the modern Europeans were inferior to
-the ancient in the manufacture of the article. He expressed his
-surprise that Europeans, who were so skillful in making watches,
-should fail in any handicraft work. I could not help recollecting the
-Emperor of China's sarcastic remark on the Europeans and their arts,
-and therefore dropped the subject. On his calean--I called it hookah
-at first, but he did not understand me--I noticed several little
-paintings of the Virgin and child, and asked him whether such things
-were not unlawful among Mohammedans. He answered very coolly 'Yes,' as
-much as to say, 'What then?' I lamented that the Eastern Christians
-should use such things in their churches. He repeated the words of a
-good man who was found fault with for having an image before him while
-at prayer, 'God is nearer to me than that image, so that I do not see
-it.' This man, I afterwards found, is like most of the other grandees
-of the East, a murderer.
-
-"On the 30th of May, our Persian dresses were ready, and we set out
-for Shiraz. The Persian dress consists of first, stockings and shoes
-in one; next, a pair of large blue trousers, or else a pair of huge
-red boots; then the shirt, then the tunic, and above it the coat, both
-of chintz, and a great coat. I have here described my own dress, most
-of which I have on at this moment. On the head is worn an enormous
-cone made of the skin of the black Tartar sheep with the wool on. If
-to this description of my dress I add that my beard and mustachios
-have been suffered to vegetate undisturbed ever since I left India;
-that I am sitting on a Persian carpet, in a room without tables or
-chairs, and that I bury my hand in the pillar (rice), without waiting
-for spoon or plate, you will give me credit for being already an
-accomplished Oriental.
-
-"At ten o'clock on the 30th our califa began to move. It consisted
-chiefly of mules with a few horses. I wished to have a mule, but the
-muleteer favored me with his own pony; this animal had a bell fastened
-to its neck. To add solemnity to the scene, a Bombay trumpeter who was
-going to join the embassy was directed to blow a blast as we moved off
-the ground; but whether it was that the trumpeter was not an adept in
-the science or that his instrument was out of order, the crazy sounds
-that saluted our ears had a ludicrous effect. At last, after some
-jostling, mutual recriminations and recalcitrating of the steeds, we
-each found our places and moved out of the gate of the city in good
-order. The residents accompanied us a little way, and then left us to
-pursue our journey over the plain. It was a fine moonlight night, the
-scene new and perfectly oriental, and nothing prevented me from
-indulging my own reflections. As the night advanced the califa grew
-quiet; on a sudden one of the muleteers began to sing, and sang in a
-voice so plaintive that it was impossible not to have one's attention
-arrested. Every voice was hushed.
-
-"These were the words translated:
-
- Think not that e'er my heart could dwell
- Contented far from thee,
- How can the fresh-caught nightingale
- Enjoy tranquility?
-
- Oh, then forsake thy friend for naught
- That slanderous tongues can say,
- The heart that fixeth where it ought
- No power can rend away.
-
-"Thus far our journey was agreeable. Now for miseries. At sunrise we
-came to our ground at Ahmedu, six parasangs, and pitched our little
-tent under a tree; it was the only shelter we could get. At first the
-heat was not greater than we had felt in India, but it soon became so
-intense as to be quite alarming. When the thermometer was above 112
-degrees, fever heat, I began to lose my strength fast; at last it
-became quite intolerable. I wrapped myself up in a blanket and all the
-warm covering I could get to defend myself from the external air, by
-which means the moisture was kept a little longer upon the body, and
-not so speedily evaporated as when the skin was exposed. One of my
-companions followed my example and found the benefit of it. But the
-thermometer still rising, and the moisture of the body being quite
-exhausted, I grew restless and thought I should have lost my senses.
-The thermometer at last stood at 126 degrees. In this state I composed
-myself and concluded that, though I might hold out but a day or two,
-death was inevitable. Captain ---- continued to tell the hour and
-heights of the thermometer, and with pleasure we heard of it sinking
-to 120 degrees, 118 degrees, etc. At last the fierce sun retired and I
-crept out more dead than alive. The next day we secured some comfort
-from a large wet towel wrapped about the head and body. At sunset,
-rising to go out, a scorpion fell upon my clothes. The night before we
-found a black scorpion in our tent, that made us uneasy, so we got no
-sleep."
-
-June 9 Mr. Martyn arrived at Shiraz, the celebrated seat of Persian
-literature, and at once began work upon his translation with the
-efficient help of Mirza Seid Ali Khan. In this work he had many
-interruptions, being himself an object of attention and curiosity. He
-received many calls, and unwilling to lose any opportunity of
-benefiting the inhabitants of Shiraz, was never inaccessible to them.
-He says, "June 17, in the evening, Seid Ali came with two Moollahs,
-and with them I had a very long and temperate discussion. One of them
-read the beginning of John in Arabic and inquired very particularly
-into our opinions respecting the person of Christ, and when he was
-informed that we did not consider His human nature eternal nor His
-mother divine, seemed quite satisfied, and remarked to the others,
-'how much misapprehension is removed when people come to an
-explanation.'"
-
-"June 22. The Prince's secretary called to talk about Soofeeism. They
-believe they know not what. He thought to excite my wonder by telling
-me that I and every created being was God.
-
-"June 26. Two young men from the college came, full of zeal and logic,
-to try me with hard questions such as, whether being be but one or
-two? What is the state and form of disembodied spirits? and other
-foolish and unlearned questions ministering strife. At last, one of
-them discovered the true cause of his coming by asking me bluntly to
-bring a proof of the religion of Christ. You allow the divine mission
-of Christ, said I, why need I prove it? Not being able to draw me into
-an argument they said what they wished to say, namely, that I had no
-other proof for the miracles of Christ than they had for those of
-Mohammed, which is tradition. 'Softly' I said, 'You will be pleased to
-observe a difference between your books and ours, when by tradition we
-have reached our several books, our narrators were eye witnesses;
-yours are not, nor nearly so.'
-
-"In the evening Seid Ali asked me the cause of evil. I said I knew
-nothing about it. He thought he could tell me, so I let him reason on
-till he soon found he knew as little about the matter as myself. He
-wanted to prove that there was no real difference between good and
-evil; that it was only apparent. I observed that the difference, if
-only apparent, was the cause of a great deal of misery.
-
-"June 30, Sunday. Preached to the Ambassador's suite on the 'Faithful
-Saying.' In the evening baptized his child. Zachariah told me this
-morning that I was the town talk." Indeed Shiraz was stirred to its
-depth by the presence of Mr. Martyn during the whole year of his stay.
-Men of every kind, especially the learned and zealous, came singly and
-in groups almost every day to argue and dispute against Christ. Now it
-was a party of Armenians, now learned Jews, now a prince, now a
-general, now the very Moojtuhid himself, the professor of Mohammedan
-law. This great dignitary invited Mr. Martyn to his house, where for
-hours he talked on and on, defending his Prophet and showing his
-learning; he was greatly annoyed at any difference of opinion, and
-decided it was "quite useless for Mohammedans and Christians to argue
-together, as they had different languages and different histories."
-But fearing Mr. Martyn's influence he was stirred to write a defense
-of his faith, which was said to surpass all former treatises on Islam.
-He concludes it in these words, addressed to Mr. Martyn: "Oh, thou
-that art wise! consider with the eye of justice, since thou hast no
-excuse to offer to God. Thou hast wished to see the truth of miracles.
-We desire you to look at the great Koran: that is an everlasting
-miracle." Mr. Martyn replied, showing why men are bound to reject
-Mohammedanism; that Mohammed was foretold by no prophet, worked no
-miracles, spread his religion by means merely human, appeals to man's
-lowest and sensual nature, that he was ambitious for himself and
-family, that the Koran is full of absurdities and contradictions, that
-it contains a method of salvation wholly inefficacious, sadly
-contrasting with the divine atonement of Jesus Christ. The Prince's
-nephew, hearing of the attack on Mohammed, said, "the proper answer to
-it is the sword."
-
-Mr. Martyn writes, February 8: "This is my birthday, on which I
-complete my thirty-first year. The Persian New Testament has been
-begun and finished in it. Such a painful year I never passed, owing to
-the privations I have been called to, on the one hand, and the
-spectacle before me of human depravity on the other. But I hope I have
-not come to this seat of Satan in vain. The Word of God has found its
-way into Persia, and it is not in Satan's power to oppose its progress
-if the Lord hath sent it."
-
-The Psalms in Persian was finished by the middle of March.
-
-On the 23d Mr. Martyn writes: "I called on the Vizier. In the court
-where he received me, Mirza Ibraheem was lecturing. Finding myself so
-near my old and respectable antagonist, I expressed a wish to see him,
-on which Jaffier Ali Khan went up to ascertain if my visit would be
-agreeable. The master consented, but some of the disciples demurred.
-At last, one of them, observing that by the blessing of God on the
-master's conversation I might possibly be converted, it was agreed
-that I should be invited to ascend. Then it became a question where I
-ought to sit. Below all would not be respectful to a stranger, but
-above all the Moollahs could not be tolerated. I entered and was
-surprised at the numbers. The room was lined with Moollahs on both
-sides and at the top. I was about to sit down on the floor but was
-beckoned to an empty place near the top, opposite to the master, who,
-after the usual compliments, without further ceremony, asked me, 'What
-we meant by calling Christ, God?' War being thus unequivocally
-declared, I had nothing to do but stand upon the defensive. Mirza
-Ibraheem argued temperately enough; but of the rest, some were very
-violent and clamorous. The former asked 'if Christ had ever called
-himself God--was he the Creator or a creature?' I replied, 'The
-Creator.' The Moollahs looked at one another. Such a confession had
-never before been heard among the Mohammedan doctors.
-
-"One Moollah wanted to controvert some of my illustrations by
-interrogating me about the personality of Christ. To all his questions
-I replied by requesting the same information respecting his own
-person. To another, who was rather contemptuous and violent, I said
-'If you do not approve of our doctrine, will you be so good as to say
-what God is, according to you, that I may worship a proper object?'
-One said, 'the author of the universe.' 'I can form no idea from these
-words,' said I, 'but of a workman at work upon a vast number of
-materials. Is that a correct notion?' Another said, 'One who came of
-himself into being.' 'So then he came,' I replied, 'out of one place
-into another, and before he came he was not. Is this an abstract and
-refined notion?' After this no one asked me any more questions, and
-for fear the dispute should be renewed Jaffier Ali Khan carried me
-away."
-
-When we think of the bigotry and intolerance of these people and of
-Mr. Martyn's unflinching courage single-handed and alone, declaring
-the truth and preaching Christ, exposed to the greatest personal
-danger, contempt and insult, but unabashed, he stands before the world
-during his Shiraz residence as one of the bravest and grandest heroes
-that has ever lived. Such a spectacle is thrilling and sublime. God
-was with him to protect him and to inspire his magnificent
-confessions. A figure-head in history! A sight for angels and for men!
-
- Faithful found
- Among the faithless, faithful only he,
- Unshaken, unseduced, unterrified,
- His loyalty he kept, his zeal, his love.
-
-And God was with him to cheer and comfort, and we rejoice to know that
-some of the scenes of his life in Shiraz were quiet and restful. At
-one time a tent was pitched for him in a garden in the suburbs of the
-city.
-
-Living amidst clusters of grapes by the side of a clear stream and
-frequently sitting under the shade of an orange tree, which Jaffier
-Ali Khan delighted to point out to visitors, until the day of his own
-departure, he passed many a tranquil hour, and enjoyed many a Sabbath
-of holy rest and divine refreshment.
-
-He says: "Passed some days at Jaffier Ali Khan's garden with Mirza
-Seid Ali, Aga Baba, Sheikh Abul Hassam, reading at their request the
-Old Testament histories. Their attention to the word and their love
-and respect for me seemed to increase as the time for my departure
-approached. Aga Baba, who had been reading St. Matthew, related very
-circumstantially to the company the particulars of the death of
-Christ. The bed of roses on which we sat and the notes of the
-nightingales warbling around us, were not so sweet to me as this
-discourse from the Persian."
-
-The plain of Shiraz is covered with ancient ruins, and contains the
-tombs of the poets Zaadi and Hafiz.
-
- A vision of the bright Shiraz, of Persian bards the theme;
- The vine with bunches laden hangs o'er the crystal stream;
- The nightingale all day her notes in rosy thicket trills,
- And the brooding heat-mist faintly lies along the distant hills.
-
- About the plain are scattered wide in many a crumbling heap,
- The fanes of other days, and tombs where Iran's poets sleep;
- And in the midst, like burnished gems, in noonday light repose
- The minarets of bright Shiraz,--the City of the Rose.
-
- One group beside the river bank in rapt discourse are seen,
- Where hangs the golden orange on its boughs of purest green;
- Their words are sweet and low, and their looks are lit with joy,
- Some holy blessing seems to rest on them and their employ.
-
- The pale-faced Frank among them sits; what brought him from afar?
- Nor bears he bales of merchandise, nor teaches skill in war;
- One pearl alone he brings with him--the Book of life and death,--
- One warfare only teaches he,--to fight the fight of faith.
-
- And Iran's sons are round him, and one with solemn tone
- Tells how the Lord of Glory was rejected by his own;
- Tells from the wondrous gospel of the trial and the doom,--
- The words divine of love and might,--the scourge, the cross, the tomb.
-
- Far sweeter to the stranger's ear these eastern accents sound,
- Than music of the nightingale that fills the air around;
- Lovelier than balmiest odors sent from gardens of the rose,
- The fragrance from the contrite soul and chastened lip that flows.
-
- The nightingales have ceased to sing, the roses' leaves are shed,
- The Frank's pale face in Tocat's field hath mouldered with the dead;
- Alone and all unfriended midst his Master's work he fell,
- With none to bathe his fevered brow, with none his tale to tell.
-
- But still those sweet and solemn tones about him sound in bliss,
- And fragrance from those flowers of God forevermore is his;
- For his the meed, by grace, of those who rich in zeal and love,
- Turn many unto righteousness, and shine as stars above.
-
- 1851. --HENRY ALFORD.
-
-On the 24th of May, after a year's residence, Mr. Martyn left Shiraz,
-bearing his precious translation to be presented to the Shah. The
-journey was an occasion of disappointment, exposure and suffering.
-
-Arrived at the Shah's camp he says: "June 12th, attended the Vizier's
-levee, when there was a most intemperate and clamorous controversy
-kept up for an hour or two, eight or ten on one side, and I on the
-other. Amongst them were two Moollahs, the most ignorant of any I have
-met in Persia or India. It would be impossible to enumerate all the
-absurd things they said. Their vulgarity in interrupting me in the
-middle of a speech, their utter ignorance of the nature of an
-argument, their impudent assertions about the law and the gospel,
-neither of which they had ever seen in their lives, moved my
-indignation. The Vizier said, 'You had better say, God is God and
-Mohammed is the prophet of God.' I said, 'God is God,' but added,
-instead of 'Mohammed is the prophet of God,' 'Jesus is the Son of
-God.' They had no sooner heard this, which I had avoided bringing
-forward till then, than they all exclaimed in contempt and anger, 'He
-is neither born nor begets,' and rose up as if they would have torn me
-in pieces. One of them said, 'What will you say when your tongue is
-burnt out for this blasphemy?'
-
-"My book which I had brought, expecting to present it to the king, lay
-before Mirza Shufi. As they all rose up after him to go, some to the
-king, and some away, I was afraid they would trample upon the book; so
-I went in among them to take it up, and wrapped it in a towel before
-them, while they looked at it and me with supreme contempt. Thus I
-walked away alone to my tent to pass the rest of the day in heat and
-dirt. What have I done, thought I, to merit all this scorn? Nothing, I
-trust, but bearing testimony to Jesus. I thought over these things in
-prayer and found the peace which Christ hath promised. To complete the
-trials of the day a messenger came from the Vizier in the evening to
-say that it was the custom of the king not to see any Englishman
-unless presented by the ambassador or accredited by a letter from him,
-and that I must therefore wait till the king reached Sultania, where
-the ambassador would be."
-
-Traveling toward Tabriz he writes, June 22: "Met with the usual
-insulting treatment at the caravansarai when the king's servant had
-got possession of a good room built for the reception of the better
-order of guests; they seemed to delight in the opportunity of humbling
-a European--all along the road when the king is expected the people
-are patiently waiting as for some dreadful disaster; plague,
-pestilence or famine are nothing to the misery of being subject to the
-violence and extortion of this rabble soldiery.
-
-"June 26. Have eaten nothing now for two days. My mind much disordered
-from headache and giddiness;--but my heart is with Christ and His
-saints.
-
-"June 27. Passed the third day in the same exhausted state, my head
-tortured with shocking pains, such as, together with the horror I felt
-at being exposed to the sun, showed me plainly to what to ascribe my
-sickness."
-
-Thus in great illness and suffering Mr. Martyn reached Tabriz, and was
-nursed through a fever of two months' continuance at the ambassador's
-residence. This defeated his plan of presenting the Persian New
-Testament to the king--but it was afterwards done by Sir Gore Ouseley
-himself, and publicly received the royal approbation, and still later
-was printed in St. Petersburg.
-
-On leaving Cawnpore, Mr. Martyn had intended returning to England, but
-had willingly remained in Persia to finish the translation, which
-being now disposed of, he reverted to his original intention, and set
-out on his last fatal journey towards Constantinople, September 2. His
-journal is filled with expressions of gratitude for restored health,
-delight in the scenery of Tabriz, descriptions of the country and the
-journey, the Araxes river, the hoary peaks of Ararat, the governor's
-palace, the ancient Armenian church and monastery at Ech-Miazin, where
-he received great kindness from the Patriarch and the monks. He was
-profoundly impressed with the view from an elevated table-land looking
-out upon Persia, Russia and Turkey--a Pisgah vision, which excites in
-later missionaries a strong desire for Christian conquest. Describes
-Cars and Erzroom. September 29, left Erzroom. Was attacked with fever
-and ague.
-
-"September 30. Took nothing all day but tea; headache and loss of
-appetite depressed my spirits, yet my soul rests in Him who is as
-anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, which, not seen, keeps me
-fast.
-
-"October 1. Marched over a mountainous tract; we were out from seven
-in the morning till eight at night. After sitting a little by the fire
-I was near fainting from sickness. My depression of spirits led me to
-the throne of grace as a sinful abject worm. When I thought of myself
-and my transgressions, I could find no text so cheering as, 'My ways
-are not as your ways.' From the men who accompanied Sir Wm. Ouseley to
-Constantinople I learned that the plague was raging at Constantinople
-and thousands dying every day. One of the Persians had died of it.
-They added that the inhabitants of Tocat were flying from their town
-from the same cause. Thus I am passing into imminent danger. O Lord
-thy will be done! Living or dying, remember me.
-
-"October 2. Lodged in the stables of the post-house. As soon as it
-began to grow a little cold, the ague came on and then the fever,
-after which I had a sleep, which let me know too plainly the disorder
-of my frame. In the night Hossan sent to summon me away, but I was
-quite unable to move. Finding me still in bed at the dawn he began to
-storm furiously at my detaining him so long, but I quietly let him
-spend his ire, ate my breakfast composedly, and set out at eight. He
-seemed determined to make up for the delay, for we flew over hill and
-dale to Sherean, where we changed horses. From thence we traveled all
-the rest of the day and all night. It rained most of the time. After
-sunset the ague came on again, which in my wet state was very trying.
-I hardly know how to keep my life in me. About that time there was a
-village at hand, but Hassan had no mercy. The night was pitchy dark,
-so that I could not see the road under my horse's feet. However, God
-being mercifully pleased to alleviate my bodily suffering, I went on
-contentedly to the munzil (stopping-place). After sleeping three or
-four hours Hassan hurried me away, and galloped furiously toward a
-village, which he said was four hours distant, which was all I could
-undertake in my present state; but village after village did he pass,
-till night coming on, and no signs of another, I suspected he was
-carrying me on to the munzil; so I got off my horse and sat upon the
-ground and told him I neither could nor would go any farther. He
-stormed, but I was immovable, till a light, appearing at a distance, I
-mounted my horse and made toward it, leaving him to follow or not as
-he pleased. He brought in the party, but would not exert himself to
-get a place for me. They brought me to an open verandah, but Sergius
-told them I wanted a place in which to be alone. This seemed very
-offensive to them, 'and why must he be alone'? they asked, ascribing
-this desire of mine to pride, I suppose. Tempted at last by money they
-brought me to a stable room, and Hassan and a number of others planted
-themselves there with me. My fever here increased to a violent degree,
-the heat in my eyes and forehead was so great that the fire almost
-made me frantic. I entreated that it might be put out or that I might
-be carried out of doors. Neither was attended to; my servant, who from
-my sitting in that strange way on the ground, believed me delirious,
-was deaf to all I said. At last I pushed my head in among the luggage
-and lodged it on the damp ground and slept.
-
-"October 5. Preserving mercy made me see the light of another morning.
-The sleep had refreshed me but I was feeble and shaken, yet the
-merciless Hassan hurried me off. I was pretty well lodged and felt
-tolerably well till a little after sunset, when the ague came on with
-a violence I had never before experienced. I felt as if in a palsy, my
-teeth chattering, and my whole frame violently shaken. Aga Hosyn and
-another Persian on their way here from Constantinople, came hastily to
-render me assistance if they could. These Persians appear quite
-brotherly after the Turks. While they pitied me, Hassan sat in perfect
-indifference, ruminating on the further delay this was likely to
-occasion. The cold fit after continuing two or three hours was
-followed by a fever, which lasted the whole night and prevented sleep.
-
-"October 6. No horses were to be had, and I had an unexpected repose.
-Sat in the orchard and thought with sweet comfort and peace of my God:
-in solitude my companion, friend and comforter. Oh, when shall time
-give place to eternity--when shall appear that new heaven and earth,
-wherein dwelleth righteousness! There, there shall in no wise enter in
-anything that defileth; none of that wickedness which has made men
-worse than wild beasts, none of those corruptions which add still more
-to the miseries of humanity, shall be seen or heard of any more."
-
-Here abruptly closes the journal, with pantings for the glory and the
-purity of Immanuel's land, into which he was admitted by a blessed
-translation, released from all the sufferings of life on October 16,
-1812, at Tocat, Turkey. The manner of his death is not known, whether
-it resulted from the sickness described, or from the plague, then
-raging. Whether Hassan was cruel and driving to the last, whether all
-his heartless Turkish attendants deserted him or not in his hour of
-final agony, we cannot tell. No relative or friend was there, no
-tender voice of sympathy, no woman's soothing hand, no alleviations
-from medicine. Even the commonest decencies and necessities of
-civilized life were lacking. Earth gave nothing to Henry Martyn in his
-mortal need, but we are sure heavenly consolations were unstinted.
-
- "Jesus can make a dying bed
- Feel soft as downy pillows are."
-
-And Jesus was there! And Henry Martyn was satisfied, and is forever
-satisfied! "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his
-saints." And the most priceless legacy of the blood-bought and
-commissioned church is the memory of a life, so gifted, so unselfish,
-so consecrated.
-
-It is wanting in no element of moral heroism. Our souls confess its
-grandeur. The contemplation lifts us into a higher atmosphere than
-that of mammon, and self, and earth. We rejoice to see a crown so
-rare, so fair, so precious, laid at the feet of Jesus, the King. He is
-worthy. And we long to see the youth of our land and the church
-inspired by Henry Martyn's example, as he was inspired by David
-Brainerd's. And so we would have the apostolic succession continued
-till the millennium, of such as shall not count their lives dear for
-the testimony of the gospel.
-
-It is said that after Mr. Martyn's death one of his earliest and most
-devoted friends, the Rev. Charles Simeon, used always to keep his
-picture before him in his study for help and inspiration. "Move where
-he would through the apartment, it seemed to keep its eyes upon him,
-and ever to say to him, 'Be earnest, be earnest; don't trifle, don't
-trifle,' and the good Simeon would gently bow to the speaking picture,
-and with a smile, reply, 'Yes, I will; I will be in earnest, I will
-not trifle; for souls are perishing and Jesus is to be glorified.'"
-
-Would that Henry Martyn's life might bring such a message to every
-heart, and awaken in every one a similar response.
-
-
-
-
-MISSIONARY ANNALS.
-Price per vol., cloth 30c., paper 18c.
-
-I.
-MEMOIR OF ROBERT MOFFAT
-_BY MRS. M. L. WILDER_.
-
-II.
-LIFE OF ADONIRAM JUDSON
-_BY MISS JULIA H. JOHNSTON_.
-
-III.
-WOMAN AND THE GOSPEL IN PERSIA
-_BY REV. THOMAS LAURIE, D.D._
-
-IV.
-LIFE OF REV. JUSTIN PERKINS, D.D.
-_BY REV. HENRY MARTYN PERKINS_.
-
-V.
-LIFE OF DAVID LIVINGSTONE
-_BY MRS. J. H. WORCESTER, JR._
-
-OTHERS IN PREPARATION. SENT POSTPAID ON RECEIPT OF PRICE.
-
-CHICAGO:
-WOMAN'S PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF MISSIONS OF THE NORTHWEST.
-Room 48, McCormick Block.
-
-
-
-
-
-
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