9.8.2011 HENRY MARTYN 1781-1812

this man was one of the first to go to india. he went as a chaplain paid by the king of england. educated at cambridge, he produced a first rate hindustani new testament and was a brother in the work to william carey and his group. they all had a far flung vision for reaching all asia for Christ, doing, as they were so led, as much as possible to get the bible into as many languages as possible. this is drawn from a book by constance padwick who draws heavily upon martyn's journal.

in what is reported of him he seems to have functioned most effectively by reasoning with those in the opposition. (i have noted the same exact thing in carey but not with quite the sweetness, it seems, as was martyn's way.) he ended his life alone in the midst of muslims in persia while seeking to produce a first rate persian new testament. the incident shared here occurred in persia and i was struck by and very much attracted to how he handled himself. many sought him out privately and he was treated royally from an official perspective while considered publicly as a persona non grata and had boys throw rocks at him as he would go out on his horse.

padwick notes that 'martyn's serenity, his friends soon learned, was never the calm of an unfeeling deadness. they could touch him to the quick by anything that concerned the honor of his Lord', and follows from his journal, 'mirza seid ali told me of a distich (couplet) made by his friend in honour of a victory over the russians. the sentiment was that prince abbas mirza had killed so many christians that Christ from the fourth heaven took hold of mahomet's skirt to entreat him to desist. i was cut to the soul at this blasphemy. mirza seid ali perceived that i was considerably disordered and asked what it was that was so offensive? i told him that "i could not endure existence if Jesus was not glorified; it would be hell to me, if He were to be always thus dishonoured". he was astonished and again asked "why?" "if any one pluck out your eyes", i replied, "there is no saying why you feel pain; - it is feeling. it is because i am one with Christ that i am thus dreadfully wounded."

i noticed that martyn used an 'i' statement rather than a 'you' statement and that there was no attack upon the position of the other. although i have unfortunately not conducted myself in this vein regularly i remember very special times at the arab festival in dearborn, michigan and the muslim day parade in new york city several months later in october 2010 where God very definitely led in the same way. the result was that He opened up many very special opportunities to lift up the name of Christ. my prayer is that i would become more like henry martyn as, i believe, he was like Christ. blessed be His humility, His meekness and gentleness, though He is King of all.