During his visit to England in 1819 and 1820, William Ward spoke at an anniversary meeting of the Baptist Missionary Society and surprised everyone present with the following statement: “Many of you imagine that all the good which has been done in India, has been done by the Baptists; but that is quite a mistake—the most successful Missionary that has yet appeared in India, was Henry Martyn.” ( “Theological Review: An Elegy to the Memory of the late Rev. Henry Martyn; with Smaller Pieces. By John Lawson”, New Evangelical Magazine and Theological Review, 10 [1824], 252-253).
These words endeared Ward to the reviewer who recorded this statement—and to us many years later. They bear witness to a humility and an evangelical catholicity that are both truly admirable.