The life of Rev. Henry Martyn

by John Hall; John Sargent

“The old soldier also, and his wife and son, have cast in their lot with us.

“The school to-day increased to ten, expressly under the idea that it is a Christian institution.

“June 12th.—The whole city seems moved with this new thing which is come unto them; but not a tongue stirs in opposition. As a proof of this, the Mooftee of the court, whose father is Khazee ol Kazat, or Native Chief Justice of the Company’s head court in Calcutta, sent to beg that Abdool would forget the attempt that had been made by his relatives in Calcutta, to procure his imprisonment, and would visit him, (the Mooftee,) and be friends with him.

“It would be no easy task to record all the interesting discussions which have taken place, during these two days, between Abdool and the principal Mohammedans in the city. One of them observed, that Abdool was so provided with armour, that none of their weapons (arguments) could reach him.

“June 18th.—To-day, Abdool was informed, that the kazee (judge) is taking pains to prevent the children from coming to school, and the people from visiting him. Some of the children said to him, on his forbidding them to go to school to Abdool, ‘Will you then instruct us gratis, as he does?’

“June 25th.—Yesterday, as Abdool was reading and explaining Acts iv. at his house in the city, an extraordinary instance of Divine power attending the Word, appeared. A youth about fifteen, a Brahmin of the Gour caste, had come, among others, to see and hear this new thing. Abdool observed him very attentive; and as he proceeded, and was explaining verse 12, ‘Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name given among men, whereby we can be saved,’ the lad seemed greatly agitated, and breaking off his Brahmin’s cord, threw it away. All who were present observed what he did, but no notice was then taken. After the congregation went away, the lad remained; said he would embrace the Christian religion, and, in short, of his own accord ate with Abdool, and came home with him in the evening.”

“July 6th.—To-day the Rajah Ram Narian passed most of the day here. He is son of the brother of the well known Cheyt Sing, Rajah of Benares, who was finally set aside from the rajahship by the Honourable Company, on the murder of Mr. Cherry, and the present family placed on the musnud, who are of the female line. On June 9th, this Rajah Ram Narian called upon me, (Rev. Mr. Corrie.) He had passed the greatest part of a day at Cawnpore, with the late Mr. Martyn, with whom I was then an inmate. Since then, he has been visiting about among the Mahratta princes and on arriving here, and hearing of my being here he came to call upon me. After some time, he entered into a detail of the misfortunes of his family. I heard him out, and then endeavoured to show him, that all worldly expectations were thus deluding; and that, though we should gain our end in the world, we must leave it, and go to give account to God: whilst those, who know and love the true God, have a never-failing portion. Abdool, who was present, took up the subject. The young man was roused to attention, came to see us day after day, and expressed very freely in public his approbation of the Gospel, becoming daily more serious and earnest in his religious inquiries. At length, he became suspected of an inclination to Christianity. Crowds, both of Hindoos and Mussulmans, visited him daily, to dissuade him from associating with Abdool. On the 2d inst., he took up his abode with Abdool, in the city; and now, the whole city seemed moved. Day and night, he was beset by people, many of whom had never seen him, or heard of him until now; and the agitation of mind occasioned thereby, made him quite unwell. To-day he is much indisposed, yet came out to see me. After some previous conversation, I said to him, ‘If your intention of embracing Christianity be sincere, I do most heartily invite you to occupy these rooms,’ in which we were sitting, ‘and in all respects, to consider me as a brother: only I am anxious that no worldly motive should enter into your resolutions, and that no one should be able to say, you were influenced by temporal considerations.’ He answered, very distinctly and deliberately, ‘Sir, in respect of name, what can I propose to myself by the change? My family is the chief among the Hindoos, being Brahmins, and lords of the holy city. In respect to provision, you know how I have lived, and could still live:’—he told me before, that he could collect 400 rupees a month, and subsistence for three or four hundred followers among the Mahratta princes:—‘What earthly end can I have in view? But, among the Hindoos or Mohammedans, I never heard of any whose birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, can be compared with Jesus. I perceive he is the only Saviour, and I see I may obtain remission of sins through him.’

“July 8th.—In consequence of the above visit, the friends and adherents of the Rajah became quite violent with him, and threatened, by some means or other, to put an end to his life. They threatened Abdool also, who quietly, but resolutely answered, ‘If you should accomplish my death, it would be a cause of joy to me, as bringing me at once to Him whose I am; but, be assured, your lives would be forfeited to the law, and at the throne of God, you would find Raim,[17] or any other you depend upon, quite unable to save you from the guilt of murder.’ They were dismayed at his resolution, and have kept aloof from him since; but have persuaded the Rajah to make a journey to Gualier, where another widow of Cheyt Sing’s is, and of a brother of his own. He says he will come back alone shortly; appears in deep distress; and said to-day, ‘I go with them because I fear they will otherwise murder me; but I know, if I do not become a Christian, I shall go to hell with my eyes open. My faith is in Jesus Christ alone, and beside him there is no Saviour.’ A Mohammedan in the service of the Rajah has been the chief opposer, and has tried to get others to say that Abdool wished to compel people to become Christians. A Molwee, who lives near, and to whom he first addressed himself, told him at once he lied, and was an infidel for opposing an idolater who wished to believe in revelation, though not in Mohammed. The Hindoos to whom he applied, said he was mad; that they saw and heard all that passed in Abdool’s house, and saw no violence offered to any one. One Hindoo said, ‘I hear him forbid people to kill, or to commit adultery, or to steal, or to tell lies; if this be Christianity, it is a good religion; there are no such good words even in the Sanscrit books.’

“July 11th.—A man from a neighbouring village was present to-day, who has been a constant attendant for some time. He was asked why he had expressed a wish to become a Christian? He answered, ‘For the sake of salvation.’ What had he heard, that should induce him to hope for salvation in Christianity? He said, ‘He had never heard of any whose birth corresponded with that of Christ; that to raise the dead, and himself to rise from the dead, proved him to be the Son of God, and able to give remission of sins. He to-day took his meal with the Christians, by which his caste is gone.

“July 24th.—To-day a Mohammedan from Berthpore came, who is physician to the Rajah’s family. He had long ago perused the Pentateuch in Arabic, lent him by a Roman Catholic priest, who lived with General Duboin. About two years ago, it came into his mind to search for truth. The irreconcilable contradictions among the different Mohammedan sects, struck him powerfully, and convinced him that truth was not with them. He read in the Koran, that Christ is the Spirit of God. This gave him a high idea of our Saviour. He took an opportunity of coming to Agra soon after that time, when he visited Mr. C. the Baptist missionary, who urged him to an immediate profession of Christianity. This he was not prepared for, but took a copy of St. Matthew and St. Mark, in Persian, translated by Sabat, and went back to Berthpore. There he has been until the present time, fully persuaded of the truth of Christianity, and the divinity of Christ, from the perusal of the above translation, but desirous of meeting with some of his own countrymen, who could inform him further; he at length heard of Abdool, and of the kindness and inoffensiveness of his manners. ‘This,’ said he, ‘is the way of that religion.’ And on Monday, he came over on purpose to meet with Abdool. He was led to the house of a Molwee, who teaches our Christian boys Arabic, and who is very favourable to the truth; so that his introduction to Abdool was thus made easy. He now wishes to be baptized; seems less than any native whom I have seen, to consult with flesh and blood; said he desired only to be great in the sight of God, and, if it were his will, to be among the first fruits of Hindoostan; for he is sure that all the land will become Christian, and he desires to give himself to labour to spread the Gospel. He has a son eighteen years old, whom he has made acquainted with the change passing in his mind; and who, he says, is, equally with himself, disposed to embrace the Gospel. He has gone back to bring this son, and what property he has, that he may give himself wholly to the work of the Lord.