Mr. Martyn arrived at Dinapore, on the 26th November: his principal
objects, besides discharging his duties as chaplain to the English
residents there, were to establish schools for the children of
the natives; to learn to speak Hindoostanee; and to translate the
scriptures and religious tracts into that language, for distribution
among the people. There are so many dialects in India, that it is
a great labour to study the language, so as to be understood by the
inhabitants of different parts of the country. In these employments
he persevered, though meeting with ridicule and opposition, not only
from the natives, but even from his own irreligious countrymen, who
formed his congregation. “Let me labour,” he said “for fifty years,
amidst scorn, and without seeing one soul converted; still it shall
not be worse for my soul in eternity, nor even worse for it in
time.” He continued to translate the parables, with explanations,
and devoted his whole time to preparations for his missionary work;
excepting when he had an opportunity of personally addressing the
natives, who could understand him, and excepting the time spent with
his English congregation, and the sick at the hospital.
We have another proof of the reality of religion, and the truth of
the Divine promises, in the manner in which Martyn was enabled to
persist in his object, in circumstances which would have induced
any other person, than a Christian, to abandon it in despair. There
he stood almost alone, surrounded by idolaters and Mohammedans, who
ridiculed his attempts to enlighten them; and were not moved by
all his arguments for the religion of Christ. The English who were
settled there, were engaged in trade: and it was a great object with
them, that the natives should be kept ignorant, that they might be
more easily managed in business concerns. Of course, they would not
countenance the plans of Mr. Martyn, and scarcely treated him with
respect. So solitary was he, amidst persons so different in feeling
from himself, that happening to meet a poor Jew from Babylon, he
said he “felt all the tenderness of a kinsman towards him, and found
himself, as it were, at home with an Asiatic, who acknowledged the
God of Abraham.” Another source of consolation, known only to the
true follower of Christ, is thus intimated by him: “O how shall I
sufficiently praise my God, that here in this solitude, with people
enough, indeed, but without a saint, I yet feel fellowship with all
those who, in every place, call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I see myself travelling on with them, and I hope I shall worship with
them in His courts above!”
Notwithstanding these obstacles, such was his conviction of the truth
of the gospel, and that it was his duty to persevere, that the time
passed away rapidly. The nature of the support and consolations,
which he received, may be judged of from his own expressions, such as
these:
“I felt more, entirely withdrawn from the world, than for a long time
past: what a dark atheistical state do I generally live in! Alas!
that this creation should so engross my mind, and the author of it
be so slightly and coldly regarded. I found myself, at this time,
truly a stranger and a pilgrim in the world; and I did suppose that
not a wish remained for any thing here. The experience of my heart
was delightful. I enjoyed a peace that passeth all understanding;
no desire remained, but that this peace might be confirmed and
increased. O why should any thing draw away my attention, whilst Thou
art ever near, and ever accessible through the Son of Thy love? O why
do I not always walk with God, forgetful of a vain and perishable
world? Amazing patience! He bears with this faithless, foolish heart,
and suffers me to come, laden with sins, to receive new pardon, new
grace, every day. Why does not such love make me hate those sins
which grieve him, and hide him from my sight? I sometimes make vain
resolutions, in my own strength, that I will think of God. Reason,
and scripture, and experience, teach me that such a life is happiness
and holiness; that by ‘beholding his glory,’ I should be changed
‘into his image, from glory to glory,’ and be freed from those
anxieties which make me unhappy: and that, every motive to duty being
strong, obedience would be easy.”
He established, at his own expense, five schools for the children of
the natives, in Dinapore, and some neighbouring places. We suppose
that these schools were intended to enable the children to read
and write their own language, and to receive instruction in the
Christian religion, so that they might not grow up in ignorance and
idolatry like their parents. There are two great reasons why this
course is, in all cases, the most proper. First, because, if the
mind is enlightened by education, it is hard to persuade a person to
believe in superstitions. And the second reason is, that almost all
the feelings and beliefs that men have, are the same that have been
impressed on them in youth, and have been established in some degree
by the power of habit. It is, therefore, of the highest importance,
that the earliest habits of a child should be good; and that its
instructions should be in the truth; for, in almost all cases, such
a child will, by the blessing of God, retain his good habits and
instructions, and have them, at length, eternally fixed by religion.
This is the sense of the saying of Solomon—“Train up a child in the
way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
We find the following reflections in Martyn’s diary of the 1st of
January, 1807:
“Seven years have passed away since I was first called of God. Before
the conclusion of another seven years, how probable is it, that
these hands will have mouldered into dust! But be it so: my soul,
through grace, hath received the assurance of eternal life, and I
see the days of my pilgrimage shortening, without a wish to add to
their number. But O, may I be stirred up to a faithful discharge of
my high and awful work; and, laying aside, as much as may be, all
carnal cares and studies, may I give myself to this ‘one thing.’
The last has been a year to be remembered by me, because the Lord
has brought me safely to India, and permitted me to begin, in one
sense, my missionary work. My trials in it have been very few: every
thing has turned out better than I expected; loving-kindness and
tender-mercies, have attended me at every step: therefore, here will
I sing his praise. I have been an unprofitable servant but the Lord
hath not cut me off: I have been wayward and perverse, yet he has
brought me further on the way to Zion: here, then, with seven-fold
gratitude and affection, would I stop and devote myself to the
blissful service of my adorable Lord. May he continue his patience,
his grace, his direction, his spiritual influences, and I shall at
last surely come off conqueror! May he speedily open my mouth, to
make known the mysteries of the gospel, and in great mercy grant that
the heathen may receive it and live!”
In February 1807, Mr. Martyn finished the translation of the
Episcopal Prayer-book into the Hindoostanee; and on Sunday, March
15th, used it in public worship for the first time, concluding with
a short address in that language. About this time, he also completed
his translation and explanation of the Parables of our Saviour, which
he intended, principally, for the use of the schools, but postponed
for a while, lest it should excite so much prejudice as to break up
the schools entirely. Every Sunday, he held divine service at seven
in the morning for the English people, and at two in the afternoon
for the natives; after which he visited the sick in the hospital,
and held a prayer-meeting at his own house in the evening, for some
soldiers of the army, who were willing to attend. These plans were
pursued under much discouragement; the following is the diary of one
Sunday:
“The English service, at seven in the morning. I preached on Luke
xxii. 22. As is always the case when I preach about Christ, a
spiritual influence was diffused over my soul. The rest of the
morning, till dinner time, I spent, not unprofitably, in reading
scripture, and David Brainerd, and in prayer. That dear saint of God,
David Brainerd, is truly a man after my own heart. Although I cannot
go half-way with him in spirituality and devotion, I cordially unite
with him in such of his holy breathings as I have attained unto. How
sweet and wise, like him and the saints of old, to pass through this
world as a serious and considerate stranger. I have had more of this
temper to-day than of late, and every duty has been in harmony with
my spirit. The service in Hindoostanee was at two o’clock. The number
of women not above one hundred. I expounded chapter iii. of St.
Matthew. Notwithstanding the general apathy with which they seemed
to receive every thing, there were two or three who, I was sure,
understood and felt something. But, beside the women, not a single
creature, European or native, was present. Yet true spirituality,
with all its want of attraction for the carnal heart, did prevail
over the splendid shows of Greece and Rome, and shall again here. A
man at the hospital much refreshed me, by observing, that if I made
an acquisition of but one convert in my whole life, it would be a
rich reward; and that I was taking the only possible way to this end.”
There were, however, some of the officers, who evinced serious
feelings; and one was brought to embrace the offers of salvation.
Martyn longed for the time when he should be qualified to go into the
midst of the Hindoos with the gospel. “O,” said he, in a letter to
Mr. Corrie, missionary at another station, “that the time were come
that I should be able to carry the war into the enemy’s territory.
It will be a severe trial to the flesh, my dear brother, for us
both;—but it is sufficient for the disciple to be as his master, and
the servant as his Lord. We shall be ‘accounted as the filth of the
world, and the off-scouring of all things.’ But glory be to God, if
we shall be accounted worthy to suffer shame for the name of the Lord
Jesus.”
His journal of a trip to Monghir, about a hundred miles distant,
shows the distress he felt, because his zeal was not greater, and
because he was not so holy and spiritual as he desired to be. He had,
no doubt, just reasons for lamenting many neglected opportunities for
doing good, and for deploring the many wanderings of his heart from
God; but we are not to understand that he was outwardly wicked or
careless, when he speaks of his condition in such strong language.
“After finishing the correction of the parables, I left Dinapore to
go to Monghir. Spent the evening at Patna, with Mr. G——, in talking
on literary subjects: but my soul was overwhelmed with a sense of my
guilt, in not striving to lead the conversation to something that
might be for his spiritual good. My general backwardness to speak on
spiritual subjects before the unconverted, made me groan in spirit
at such unfeelingness and unbelief. May the remembrance of what I am
made to suffer for these neglects, be one reason for greater zeal
and love in time to come.”
“_April 19th._—A melancholy Lord’s day! In the morning, at the
appointed hour, I found some solemnity and tenderness: the whole
desire of my soul seemed to be, that all the ministers in India might
be eminently holy; and that there might be no remains of that levity
or indolence, in any of us, which I found in myself. The rest of the
day passed heavily; for a hurricane of hot wind fastened us on a
sand-bank, for twelve hours; while the dust was suffocating, and the
heat increased the sickness which was produced by the tossing of the
boat, and I frequently fell asleep over my work. However, the more I
felt tempted to impatience and unhappiness, the more the Lord helped
me to strive against it, and to look to the fulness of Jesus Christ.
Several hymns were very sweet to me—particularly,
‘There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
‘The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
O may I there, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away!
‘Dear dying Lamb! thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power,
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved, to sin no more.
‘E’er since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
‘But when this lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave,
Then, in a nobler, sweeter song,
I’ll sing thy power to save.’
“After all the acquisitions of human science, what is there to be
compared with the knowledge of Christ, and him crucified!—Read much
of the scripture history of Saul, and the predictions in the latter
end of the Revelation.”
“_April 21st._—Again the love and mercy of the Lord restored me to
health and spirits. Began to write a sermon on walking in Christ,
and found my soul benefited by meditation on the subject. In the
afternoon went on with translations. Arrived at sun-set at Monghir.”
“_April 22d._—Spent the day at ——’s. Found two or three opportunities
to speak to him about his soul. —— threw out some infidel sentiments,
which gave me an opportunity of speaking. But to none of the rest
was I able to say any thing. Alas! in what a state are mankind
every-where—living without God in the world.”
“_April 23d._—I left Monghir, and got on twenty-three miles toward
Dinapore: very sorrowful in mind, both from the recollection of
having done nothing for the perishing souls I have been amongst, and
from finding myself so unqualified to write on a spiritual subject,
which I had undertaken. Alas! the ignorance and carnality of my
miserable soul! how contemptible must it be in the sight of God!”
“_April 24th._—Still cast down at my utter inability to write
anything profitable on this subject; and at my execrable pride and
ease of heart. O that I could weep in the dust, with shame and
sorrow, for my wickedness and folly! Yet thanks are due to the Lord
for showing me, in this way, how much my heart has been neglected of
late. I see by this, how great are the temptations of a missionary
to neglect his own soul. Apparently outwardly employed for God, my
heart has been growing more hard and proud. Let me be taught that the
first great business on earth is to obtain the sanctification of my
own soul: so shall I be rendered more capable also of performing the
duties of the ministry, whether amongst the Europeans or heathen, in
a holy and solemn manner. Oh! how I detest that levity to which I am
so subject! How cruel and unfeeling is it!—God is my witness that
I would rather, from this day forward, weep day and night, for the
danger of immortal souls. But my wickedness seems to take such hold
of me, that I cannot escape; and my only refuge is to commit my soul,
with all its corruption, into the hands of Christ, to be sanctified
and saved by His almighty grace. For what can I do with myself? my
heart is so thoroughly corrupt, that I cannot keep myself one moment
from sin.”
“_April 26th._—In prayer, at the appointed hour, I felt solemnity of
mind, and an earnest desire that the Lord would pour out a double
portion of his Spirit upon us, his ministers in India; that every one
of us may be eminent in holiness and ministerial gifts. If I were to
judge for myself, I should fear that God had forsaken his church;
for I am most awfully deficient in the knowledge and experience
requisite for a minister; but my dear brother Corrie, thanks be to
God, is a man of a better spirit: may he grow more and more in grace,
and continue to be an example to us! Passed the day in reading and
prayer, such as my prayers are. My soul struggled with corruption,
yet I found the merit and grace of Jesus all-sufficient, and
all-supporting. Though my guilt seemed like mountains, I considered
it as no reason for departing from Christ, but rather for clinging
to him more closely. Thus I got through the day, cast down, but not
destroyed.”
“_April 27th._—Left Patna and arrived at Dinapore. The concourse
of people in that great city was a solemn admonition to me to be
diligent in study and prayer. Thousands of intelligent people
together; no Sabbath; no word of God; no one to give them advice: how
inscrutable the ways of God!”
Martyn had made considerable progress in translating the scriptures
into the language of India; he now, at the suggestion of Mr. Brown, a
missionary near Calcutta, applied himself diligently to finishing the
work, and to oversee, also, a translation into Persian. This became a
delightful employment, as his own expressions show.
“The time fled imperceptibly, while so delightfully engaged in the
translations; the days seemed to have passed like a moment. Blessed
be God for some improvement in the languages! May every thing be
for edification in the church! 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; and it is a delightful
reflection, that death cannot deprive us of the pleasure of studying
its mysteries.”
“All day on the translations:—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 any thing of the beauty of the
language and the importance of the thoughts as I do now. I felt
happy that I should never be finally separated from the contemplation
of them, or of the things about which they are written. Knowledge
shall vanish away, but it shall be because perfection shall come.
Then shall I see as I am seen, and know as I am known.”
“What a source of perpetual delight have I in the precious book
of God! O that my heart were more spiritual, to keep pace with my
understanding; and that I could feel as I know! May my root and
foundation be deep in love, and may I be able to ‘comprehend, with
all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height,
and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge!’ And may I
be filled with all the fulness of God! May the Lord, in mercy to my
soul, save me from setting up an idol of any sort in his place; as I
do by preferring even a work professedly done for him, to communion
with him. How obstinate is the reluctance of the natural heart to
love God! But, O my soul, be not deceived; thy chief work upon earth
is, to obtain sanctification, and to walk with God. ‘To obey is
better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.’ Let me
learn from this, that to follow the direct injunctions of God, as
to my own soul, is more my duty, than to be engaged in other works,
under pretence of doing him service.”
“How sweet the retirement in which I here live. The precious word is
now my only study, in the work of translation. Though, in a manner,
buried to the world,—neither seeing nor seen by Europeans,—the time
flows on here with great rapidity: it seems as if life would be
gone before any thing is done, or even before any thing is begun.
I sometimes rejoice that I am not twenty-seven years of age; and
that, unless God should order it otherwise, I may double the number
in constant and successful labour. If not, God has many, many more
instruments at command; and I shall not cease from my happiness, and
scarcely from my work, by departing into another world. Oh! what
shall separate us from the love of Christ! Neither death nor life,
I am persuaded. Oh! let me feel my security, that I may be, as it
were, already in heaven; that I may do all my work as the angels do
theirs; and oh! let me be ready for every work!—be ready to leave
this delightful solitude, or remain in it; to go out, or go in; to
stay, or depart, just as the Lord shall appoint. Lord, let me have no
will of my own; nor consider my true happiness as depending in the
smallest degree on any thing that can befall my outward man; but as
consisting altogether in conformity to God’s will. May I have Christ
here with me in this world; not substituting imagination in the place
of faith; but seeing outward things as they really are, and thus
obtaining a radical conviction of their vanity.”