Now let me burn out for God!" exclaimed Henry Martyn when he arrived in Calcutta in April, 1806. But he probably had little idea how fast the blaze would consume him. He died six years later at the age of 31. Eager to devote his life to the Lord's work in India, with an incredible determination and unselfish dedication, Martyn compressed a lifetime of service into those six years.

Born in 1781 in Cornwall, England, Martyn had planned to study law, but while at Cambridge, Pastor Charles Simeon of Holy Trinity Church stirred Martyn's interest in the Far East with stories of William Carey's work in India. The shoe cobbler Carey had gone to India in 1792, and within ten years had established a strong gospel witness in the region of Bengal. Martyn was also deeply moved by reading the journals of David Brainerd, the Puritan missionary in North America who passionately labored among the Native Americans in the cause of Christ.

More interested in profits than eternal souls, the British East India Company didn't want missionaries in their territories upsetting the population and trade. Charles Simeon, however, quietly worked with Charles Grant on the East India Company board to have evangelical men appointed as chaplains to the East India Company. While ministering to the English in India, such men could also take advantage of their opportunities to spread the gospel among the natives! Henry Martyn became one of several of Pastor Simeon's young men who went to India as East India Company chaplains.

As if Every Friend was Dead
Sailing from England, Henry left family, friends, and Lydia, the woman who had captured his heart. He shed tears and thought of the roaring seas, which would soon be rolling between me and all that is dear to me on earth .... My feelings were those of a man who should suddenly be told, that every friend he had in the world was dead. It was only by prayer for them that I should be comforted; and this was indeed a refreshment to my soul, because by meeting them at the throne of grace, I seemed to be again in their society.

Once in India, Martyn spent the first five months in Serampore, waiting for his assignment. He lived with the Rev. David Brown and his family. Another protégé of Simeon's, Brown was chaplain of Fort William in Calcutta and a Hebrew scholar who encouraged Bible translation into the many Oriental languages. William Carey's Baptist missionary group was also at Serampore, and Martyn was able to meet the "Father of Modern Missions." Carey was delighted with Martyn and declared that wherever Martyn was, no other missionary would be needed. Martyn's zeal for the gospel, humble spirit, and facility with languages made him a natural missionary.

Henry Martyn ministered as a chaplain in India from 1800 to 1810, first in Dinapore, then in Cawnpore. During that time he translated the New Testament and the Anglican Book of Common Prayer into Hindustani. At his own expense he established numerous schools for the native population. He became an able preacher to the natives, though often under threats of personal violence. Martyn also translated the New Testament and Psalms into Persian. Persian was spoken at the Moslem courts in India and was the language of judicial proceedings under the British government in Hindostan. Understood from Calcutta to Damascus, it seemed that a quarter of the globe could then understand the Persian language. Martyn's New Testament was the first translation into Persian since the fifth century.