her home; and when she found him inflexible, she declared she would never stir out of the house unless he went with her. To all this Asaad replied, "To what purpose would it be, that I should go home? You wish me to go, you say, that people may be convinced that I am not mad. But you, who come hither, and see, and converse with me, say, after all, that I am mad. How can it be expected that I should convince others that I am not mad, when my own mother will not believe it. Or do you think that if I once get out among you, the air of Hadet will change my opinions, or induce me to be silent? All these are vain expectations. I see no object to be gained. If I should go to Hadet, and be constantly disputing with the people, and telling them, that you are all going astray; that you are worshipping idols instead of the living God; that I could wish to tear down every picture in your churches; that the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper are not Jesus Christ; that I believe the pope to be the beast in the Revelation, whose business is to deceive the people and ruin their souls-by all this I should injure your feelings, enrage the people, excite the opposition of the emirs, and bishops, and patriarchs, and then return here just in the state I am in now. The youngest brother, Phares, who accompanied his mother, conversed freely and in good temper, and listened with attention to all Asaad's arguments, by which he endeavoured to justify his views and determinations. But no argument or evidence could convince the disconsolate mother. Asaad had repeated the name of Christ, and the word of God so often, that * When he first came to Beyroot, this same sentence was dictated to him, and it appeared in his eyes so much like' blagphemy, that he refused to write it. she at last, in a fit of impatience exclaimed, "Away with Christ, and the word of God; what have we to do with them!" and when we pointed out to Asaad some text of Scripture, which we thought applicable in any case, she would endeavour to close the book, or catch it from him, as if it taught paganism, or witchcraft. During her stay we dined, and as Asaad took the meat upon his plate, and ate it without a scruple, in this season of Lent, it was remarked with what a gaze of wonder she regarded him. She seemed to say in her heart, "All is over-my son is lost!"9 After some hours of troublesome expostulation and entreaty, during which Asaad once said he could bear it no longer, and rose, and shook my hand to go, it was finally settled that the mother should go home without him, but that to save the family from the insupportable shame which threatened it, Asaad should give her a paper, stating, in effect, that he was not a follower of the English. When the paper was finished, 66 Now," said Asaad, "go to your home in peace ;" and walked away but suddenly recollecting himself, he called his brother back, and said, "Phares, I wish you fully to understand, that I love you; and I have one request to make of you, which is, that you will take the New Testament, and read it attentively."—"Give me a New Testament," said Phares, quickly. We gave him the book, and he went his way, evidently affected and softened by the interview. 9, 1826. The shekh before mentioned (p. 218) communicated to Asaad, through the medium of a priest, the offer of his daughter in marriage, on condition he should leave the English. 10. Set apart a day of fasting and prayer on Asaad's account. He was observed not to be in a happy temper. Towards evening he spoke of going home. I hoped he would finish writing the statement we had requested of him, "for,” said I, "if you go home, I shall not see you again for "No," said he, "per months." haps not for years." ner was very peculiar. came in with a cane, and began cudgelling me, without stopping to inquire at all into the merits of the case, calling out, Will you leave off your heresy, and go to church like other people, or not?" Mansoor not finding Asaad presHis manent, as he seemed to have expectI knew ed, went to Asaad's chest which not what was the matter, till, in stood near me, seized all the the evening, after a long conver-books he had received of you, sation on the evidences of inspira-Hebrew, Syriac, Italian, and Aration, he said, "I have been in bic, tore them, one by one, in deep darkness to-day. My heart pieces, and strewed them on the has been full of blasphemy, such as I have scarcely ever known. I have even doubted the existence of God. But now I am relieved." Visits his relatives at Hadet. floor. "In the course of the day, I came down near where the soldiers of the emir are encamped, and passed the night in company with my brother Galeb This morning he returned, with a line 17. Four of the relatives of from me to Asaad, and I came off Asaad came down, and succeeded to Beyroot, with the full determiin persuading him to accompany nation never to go home again. them home. He said he could And now I will either go to some not believe, after all that has been place in this country where I can said, that they would do him enjoy my liberty, or I will take violence, and he strongly expect-ship, and leave the country altoed that his visit at Hadet would gether." do good. A majority of us opposed his going, with all we could say; but he thinks he knows the people here better than we do. He left us towards evening, expecting to be absent only a few days. Their Violence, and the consequent 24. Phares Shidiak came to my house to-day, and wished to speak with me in private. As he wished my advice, I counselled him neither to go from the country, nor from his home, but to return, and at least make a further trial of doing good to his relatives, and bearing their persecutions. He, however, continued inflexible. In the space of a few hours, Galeb came in search of Phares, with a letter from Asaad, of which the following is a copy. Asaad's Letter to his Brother "To my beloved brother Phares; the Lord Most High preserve him. "Yesterday morning," said he, "as I was in my room reading the New Testament, my brother Mansoor entered, drew a sword he had, and gave me a blow upon "Your departure caused me great the neck. I continued with the grief. First, because you were book in my hand, until one snatch-impatient when trial and persecued it from me. Mansoor after-tion came upon you. It is a thing wards drew up his musket, threat-we are regularly to expect, that if ening to shoot me; but my moth- we hope in God in this world, we er interfered to prevent him. My shall give universal offence. But brother Tannoos, hearing a bustle, we have another city, for which we hope. Do no lose your cour-brothers, as they had done Phares age, for you have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. Remember, we cannot share in the glory of Christ, if we share not also in his sufferings. Therefore, rejoice whenever you are tried; rejoice, and never be sad; for our faith is sure. But and Asaad, we went to Phares, Phares informed us of three or four Bibles and New Testaments, that we had given at different times to individuals in Hadet, which had lately been destroyed by order of the bishop. This "Secondly, I was grieved because you gave me no information where you were going, and what you intended to do. Now, it is not becoming that we should do any thing rashly, that is, till we have prayed to God for direction.news, together with a discovery Come home, then, and let us set we yesterday made in the neighapart a season of fasting and pray- bouring houses of two covers of er to God, and do what is most the New Testament, whose conagreeable to him. Perhaps it is tents had long ago been torn out, best to let our works preach in shows us anew, if new evidence silence, in these evil days. were wanting, that if the gospel is ever introduced again in its power and purity into this country, it will be with a desperate struggle. 6 "You must know, that if you fail to come home, you will give us great pain, and this, you know, would be inconsistent with love. Jesus says, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.' You well know how much joy and consolation it would give us to see you do not then deny us this pleasure, but come at all events. If you do not come, it may be an injury both to yourself and me. I wish to see you, if it be only to say to you two words, and then act your pleasure; for not every word can be said with paper and pen. Farewell. "Your brother, and companion in tribulation. ASAAD." Two brothers of Phares, Mansoor and Galeb, came to converse with him anew. We saw them seated together on the ground, at a little distance from the house, but afterwards saw them no more. * 28. Having heard nothing directly from Asaad since he left, especially since the affair of the books, I yesterday sent him a line, and to-day received the following reply. Letter from Asaad to Mr. Bird. I "Dear Sir,-After expressing imperfectly the love I bear you, Galeb took me aside, and beg-and the desire I have to see you ged me to urge his brother to go in all health, I have to say, that in home. I said I had already ad-due time, your letter came to hand, vised him to do so, but that I and I read and understood it. could not force him to go-that if You ask respecting our health. he found he could not enjoy lib-answer, I am in a state of anxieerty of conscience, and the privi- ty, but not so great as some days lege of reading the word of God, ago. in Hadet, he was welcome to stay with me as long as he pleased. After some further conversation on the wickedness of treating * We afterwards ascertained, that Phares was decoyed off to a distance, as if for a walk; and when he would have returned, was prevented by force. "On Thursday last, having "If you can find a vessel setting off for Malta, in the course of four or five days, send me word; if not, pray for your brother ASAAD." We were disposed to send off a messenger this very evening, but Phares said it would not be neces come home from a visit to the emir "Here I am, in a sort of imprisonment, enemies within, and enemies without. "All my concerns I commit into the bands of God, who created me. Through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, I hope that all my distresses will be for the best. 66 "I accept with pleasure all your kind wishes, and send you many salutations in the Lord, and pray for you length of days. Yours, &c. "March 27, 1826." ASAAD." Had some serious conversation with Phares, in which I exhorted him to continue reading the New Testament, and take particular notice of the general spirit of it; and then to judge, if all this deceit, confining, beating, and threatening to kill, was consistent with that spirit. We observed, that we supposed the patriarch and the bishop were well pleased with all the violence that Mansoor had used in this affair. "Yes," said Phares, priest Hanna Stambodi, at Ain Warka, told me yesterday, that none of us had any religion, except Mansoor. In a subsequent part of his journal, Mr. Bird records the following particulars respecting Asaad, during his last visit to Hadet, and when about to be violently removed from thence. They were received from Phares. After Mansoor, in his Catholic zeal, had torn up and burned all his Bibles and Testaments, Asaad could not remain without the Scriptures, but sent and obtained His Relatives deliver him up to the a copy from the little church, Patriarch. which he daily read, marking the most striking and important pas sages. 31. Information is received, that Asaad has been taken away When his relatives, to the numagainst his will, to the patriarch. ber of twenty or more, had asApril 4. Phares Shidiak arriv- sembled, and Asaad perceived ed here in the evening direct from they were come to take him to the Der Alma, and said he had accom- patriarch by force, he began to expanied Asaad to that convent a postulate with Tannoos, and beweek ago, that Asaad was still sought him to desist from a step there, and that the patriarch, hav-so inconsistent with fraternal love. ing in the morning set off for Cannobeen, would send down for Asaad after a few days. He then handed me the following line from Asaad. He besought in vain. Tannoos turned away from him with a cold indifference. Affected with his hardness, Asaad went aside, and wept and prayed aloud. The evening before he was taken away, he said to those who had assembled, "If I had not read the gospel, I should have been surprised at this new movement of yours. But now it is just what I might have expected. In this blessed book, I am told, the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and a man's foes shall be they of his own household. Here you see it is just so. You have come together to fulfil this prophecy of the gospel. What have I done against you? What is my crime? Allowing that I do take the Bible as my only and sufficient guide to heaven, what sin is there in this?"-During the evening, he laid himself down to sleep, as he was to set off early in the morning. But he was often interrupted; for, whenever he caught a word of false doctrine from the lips of those who continued their conversation, he would rise up, refute them, and again compose himself to rest. One of his uncles, speaking of his going to the patriarch, said in a great rage, "If you don't go off with us peaceably, we will take your life." Asaad replied, "Softly, softly, my dear uncle, don't be hasty. Blessed are the meek." Phares wrote a letter this evening to Asaad, in a hand that had been agreed on between them, saying, that if he would come to Beyroot, he need not fear, and that it might be a matter for further consideration whether he should leave the country. the district for further examination. They then asked him some questions about the English and assured him that after eight days Asaad would no longer be a living man. Thus were our hopes of a second deliverance of this sufferer of persecution, for the present blasted. After all the threats, which have been thrown out without being put in execution, we rather hope, that this last will prove like the rest; yet we cannot tell how far their hatred of the truth may, with the divine forbearance, carry them. We leave all with him, in whose hands our life and breath are, and whose are all our ways, with the humble hope, that light may yet arise out of darkness, and that much glory may be added to his name, from this evident work of Satan. May 10. A messenger, whom we sent to Cannobeen, returned with the report, that he was denied the privilege of seeing Asaad, under pretence that he was going through a course of confession, during which the rule is that the person so confessing, shall pass his time, for a number of days, alone, and see no company. 14. We were, to day, credibly informed, that Shidiak is still firm in his adherence to the Gospel, but that he was kept under rigid inspection, not being permitted to step out of his room without an attendant. Asaad is cruelly treated. 5. The letter of Phares was 27. The messenger, who went sent off by a moslem, who return-before to Cannobeen, had set out ed at evening, saying, that when to go for us a second time, and he arrived at the convent, he was accosted by two or three men, inquiring his business, telling him he was a Greek, and had letters from the English. They then seized him, and took the letter by force, and, had he not shewn them that he was a moslem, would have probably sent him to the emir of this morning early returned with the following story.-Being met by a man near Batroon, whom he suspected to be from Cannobeen, he inquired him out, and found him to be a messenger sent by Asaad himself to his uncles and other connexions, to beg them to come and deliver him. Asaad |