Letter to a Relative by H. Martyn; N. W. Allen

California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists · Oakland, Cal. · Nov 12, 1874

Letter to a Relative.

By H. Martyn; N. W. Allen

“We should consider it a sign of good when the Lord reveals to us the almost desperate corruption of our own hearts. For, if he causes us to groan under it, as an insupportable burden, he will, we may hope, in his own good time, give us deliverance. The pride which I see dwelling in my own heart, producing there the most obstinate hardness, I can truly say, my soul abhors. I see it to be unreasonable; I feel it to be tormenting.

“When I sometimes offer up supplications, with strong crying to God, to bring my spirit into the dust, I endeavor calmly to contemplate the infinite majesty of the most high God, and my own meanness and wickedness. Or else I quietly tell the Lord, who knows the heart, that I would give him all the glory of everything if I could. But the most effectual way I have ever found, is to lead away my thoughts from myself and my own concerns, by praying for all my friends, for the church, the world, the nation; and especially, by beseeching that God would glorify his own great name, and that he would put more abundant honor on those whom he seems to have honored especially * * and it is certain, that not only will a good principle produce a good act, but the act will strengthen the principle. But even after doing all this, there will often arise a certain self-complacence which has need to be checked; and in conversation with Christian friends, we should be careful, I think, how self is introduced. Unless we think good can be done, self should be kept in the background and mortified. We are bound to be servants of all, ministering to their pleasure as far as it will be to their profit.

“We are to look, not at our own things, but at the things of others. Be assured that, night and day, making mention of you in my prayers, I desire of God to give you to see the depth of pride and iniquity in your heart, yet not to be discouraged at the sight of it; that you may perceive yourself deserving to be cast out with abhorrence from God’s presence, and then may walk in continued poverty of spirit, and the simplicity of a little child. Pray, too, that I may know something of humility. Blessed grace! how it smooths the furrows of care, and gilds the dark paths of life! It will make us kind, tender-hearted, affable; and will enable us to do more for God and the gospel, than the most fervent zeal without it.”—Memoirs of H. Martyn, page 94, 95.

Cambridge, England, Sept. 18, 1804.

Will the Wicked, when Resurrected, find Room to Stand on the Earth?

This question was among the first to come to my mind when I began to think of the resurrection as a physical event; and the other day I asked one that I knew had thought considerably on the subject, how he solved the problem.

He answered my question after true Yankee style—by asking me if I had given it much thought, or had made any calculation on the subject.

I found from the American Encyclopedia that there are now upon the earth about thirteen hundred million (1,300,000,000) inhabitants.

According to the best statistics, a generation now lives, on the average, 33 years. In olden times they lived much longer lives. And after the creation, for hundreds of years, the number of men must have been very much less than now; also the same for a long time after the flood.

But allowing the utmost in the bounds of reason—that every generation from Adam down has had thirteen hundred millions (1,300,000,000) in it; and that this vast number came upon the earth and passed off every thirty-three years, or that for every 100 years there have lived three times that number, which any one will admit is a large estimate, we would have as the total number of human beings that have lived upon the earth in the six thousand years of its existence, two hundred and thirty-four billion (234,000,000,000). Or we will take it another way: It is estimated that now there is, on the average, one born every second. And to make it as large as possible, allow that in every second since the creation of Adam, one individual has come into the world, we would have at the outside, less than one hundred and ninety billions (190,000,000,000). And this is very much less than we allowed before.

So, now, allowing that there have been two hundred and thirty-four billions, let us see how much ground would be required for this vast multitude to stand upon.

We will allow each one a square yard.

There are three millions, ninety-seven thousand, six hundred (3,097,600) square yards in one square mile. Hence that number of persons can stand on one square mile. So it will take as many square miles for this multitude as 3,097,600 is contained in 234,000,000,000, which is seventy-five thousand, five hundred and forty-two times. So they could all stand on 75,542 square miles.

Now the State of California contains more than twice that amount of ground. Nebraska would hold them, with room to spare! So also would Kansas, Oregon, Nevada, Minnesota, and other States. More than three times the number could stand in the State of Texas.

And you notice, too, we have made no deduction whatever for the millions of righteous that have lived. N. W. ALLEN.