wrath, "contradicting and blaspheming." Remarks upon the Turks and the Nominal Christians. It is a great grief to us, that we can do nothing, directly, to diminish the political evils of this country; nothing to insure protection for the innocent, or to bring the guilty to justice; nothing to abate national guilt, by being instrumental in promoting a national reform. In this respect our circumstances are widely different from those of our brethren at the Sandwich Islands, or among the Indian tribes of the west, whose labors have a direct and efficient bearing on the body politic, and an influence more or less powerful on the minds of those, who enact laws, and who control the opinions and practices of others. The Turks do, indeed, in some respects, exhibit more good traits of character than the nominal Christians of this country. They will sometimes do an honorable action, or rather, will sometimes not do a dishonorable one. The universal testimony of Frank merchants in the Levant is, that there is more honesty, more fair dealing, and more punctuality to engagements, among the Turks, than among the Christian sects; and my own experience perfectly coincides with this testimony. But, after all, the government of this country, like the fourth beast in Daniel's vision, "is diverse from all others" in the world, and is "exceedingly dreadful." Injustice, bribery, oppression and treachery-these are as regular occurrences, as though they were the immoveable corner stones on which it rested. Justice is almost as much to be bought and sold, as any commodity in the country. When one Christian has a spite against another, he makes a representation of real or feigned injuries to the Turks, who are usually glad of a pretence to extort money; but, should they manifest a reluctance, he blinds their eyes with a gift. Should the person accused have the good fortune to escape out of their hands, his friends must frequently be the sufferers. Such a thing as a prosecution from love of justice, seems to be entirely unknown. Certainly nothing appears ordinarily to be thought of, but retaliation and revenge. Such being the state of things in Turkey, where almost every one is in his turn oppressed, it will be no matter of surprize, should those, who begin to read, and especially to believe and obey the holy Scriptures, be called, in Consequence, to suffer oppression and wrong through the false accusations of nominal Christians. The following relation is strongly illustrative of character, but of character sunk too low in ignorance and moral perversion, we would hope, to be general among the members of the different sects. To shew how many feel in regard to us, I relate the following fact. A Christian made the remark in one of our families, that if Asaad Shidiak had have been better, than to have adopted adopted the Mussulman faith, it would the protestant; because Mussulmans pay greater respect to the virgin Mary, than do protestants. But what is the respect, that Mussulmans pay to the virgin? It is this, that, according to a Mussulman tradition, Mary had no child except Jesus, in order that she might be preserved chaste and pure to be one of the wives of Mahomet in Paradise! O this baptized paganism!-exclaims Mr. Goodell. There is scarcely a religious notion, or a religious ceremony here, which is not perfectly loathsome to my soul; and which does not seem as unlike the pure Gospel, as midnight is unlike day, or earth unlike heaven. Persecution experienced, or threatened. The change, that has taken place in the religious opinions of Asaad Jacob,* which I have mentioned in a former communication, has exposed him to the ridicule and contempt of many. But as he is in my service, and they can consequently do no more to him than call him by some opprobrious appellation whenever he goes abroad, they have, by a manouver which they understand perfectly well in this country, instigated the Turks (without assigning the real cause,) to oppress the father on the son's account, while the father is as innocent of this change in his son, as the most perfect opposition to that change can make him. A Turk, however, in the city takes Asaad's part against the revilings of his acquaintance, congratulates him on his having chosen the best religion in the world, and exclaims, in the presence of Turks and of Christians of all sects, "I will myself embrace the religion of the protestants. And if they send me to my brethren, as Wolff was sent to the Jews, I will go through the streets of the city, and with uplifted hands cry, with a loud voice, There is no religion like the protest * The reader will remember, that this youth is only about 13 of years age.-Ed. ant religion! There is no religion like || place in Syria for those, who are guilty the protestant religion!'' But this instance of oppression, though it be sufficiently grievous to young Asaad's mind, is trifling, compared with another, which I am about to relate. What still more deeply affects us, and more deeply concerns this mission is, that the Armenian patriarch at Constantinople has at length succeeded, by money, in ob aining from the Grand Signor a firman to seize upon Jacob Aga, and upon the two Armenians who are with me. Jacob Aga is more particularly designated in this firman; and he, being agent for the English consul, would have the best, not to say ample protection, had not the English ambassador at Constantinople, written to have him removed from office. It will be a cause of great lamentation throughout all protestant christendom, if the agents, dragomen, and servants of English consuls, merchants, and travellers in Turkey, must be papists; and if, on one's becoming a protestant, he must be dismissed from service,* and be given up to his enemies, to be starved, drowned, poisoned, or burnt, at their pleasure. For nothing less than some such horrible death do these Armenians expect, if they are given up to the ecclesiastical authority. Did I really think, that we should be unable to protect them, I should send them immediately to Alexandria, or Malta, till the indignation should be overpast. But we have much hope that God will avert the storm. The house of a Frank, in Turkey, is, by treaty, sacred, and to enter this sanctuary by violence, is a crime of no ordinary magnitude. Mr. Abbot has written to the ambassador, in respect to his agent at Sidon; and we do not cease to pray, that the patriarch, who is now on his way to execute the firman, may experience no less a change than Paul experienced, when he was on his way to Damascus, and drew nigh the city to persecute the Christians. Had these Armenians renounced all religion, or had they connected themselves with any other religious sect in the country, they could easily conceal themselves among their own party; or were they guilty of no greater crimes, than drunkenness, fornication, perjury, theft, robbing churches, and such like, they could find refuge among friends, or strangers, and elude the search of their enemies. But there is no hiding By this remark, I mean no reflection; for it is most devoutly to be hoped, that a proper representation to the ambassador will prevent any similar occurrence in future.-Note by Mr. Goodell. of reading God's blessed book, and of walking agreeably to its holy precepts. It is much to our disadvantage, that there is, at present, a coldness between England and the Ottoman Porte, in consequence of the sympathy and interference of the former in the affairs of the Greeks; and also between the English consul of this place and his own Pasha, in consequence of the resistance of the former to the merciless exactions and dreadful oppressions of the latter. We have great reason for thankfulness, that we have thus far been preserved to such a degree from the insolence of the Turks; but we know not what shall be on the morrow. A man's hat is always more safe in America, than a man's head is in Turkey. When we removed the body of our dear brother Fisk to the ground purchased for the purpose, a neighboring Turk threatened to tear it from the grave. But whatever may become of these our earthly tabernacles, after we shall have put them off, we know, that he, surely find them all again at the resurwhom we serve, is faithful, and will rection of the just. In case of an open war between England and the Porte, we should probably be obliged to leave the country, till peace should be restored; for Mount Lebanon, which would afford a secure retreat for all others, would be the last place we should think of resorting to for safety, in the present state of feeling among the people, priests, bishops, patriarchs, and emirs, towards us. Our hand is against every man, and every man's hand is against "The world shall hate you," said Christ: not a particular sect, or denomination, or country, but "the WORLD." The Bible is in the most perfect opposition to every person, and to every thing, in this country, and therefore neither it, nor its adherents, can expect to find much quarter. But "God is our refuge, and strength, and a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof The Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.' us. But though I have told you only a part of what we sometimes feel and fear, and though our beloved suffering brother Asaad Shidiak is still in the hands of the patriarch, "oft in prison and in stripes," we know not how ex cessive; yet I would by no means make the impression on your mind, that there is an end of doing good here. Encouragements of a General Nature. The state of things among the Maronites of Mount Lebanon is daily assum ing a more interesting character. Mr. Bird remarked yesterday, that, "even on Mount Lebanon, the work of reformation is going on as fast as we can possibly be prepared to meet it.” To show how the more intelligent natives themselves regard the state of things among them, we make the following extract. A priest in Beyroot remarked, that all the people were becoming protestant; and a Maronite Christian from the mountain, declared, that if the patriarch had not imprisoned and beaten Asaad Shidiak, half of the mountain would have been protestant in a few months. Light is certainly increasing in this land, and so also is hatred of it. The cause of benevolence is steadily and surely advancing, and so also is hostility to it. Instead of raising our hands to the Committee to remove us from this scene, we rather raise them, and call with importunity, for additional fellow laborers, and for a great increase of fervency and frequency in your suppli- || cations at the throne of grace in our behalf. The heavens do indeed sometimes gather threatening blackness over our heads; but if we look up, we are always able to discern a "bow in the cloud." The struggle here is doubtless to be a severe one; but though || Gog and Magog be gathered together, "The Lamb shall overcome them." We are not without tokens of our heav enly Father's acceptance of our poor services. At Sidon, the religious inquiry and excitement, since I last wrote, have much increased.† A wide and effectual door does, indeed, seem to be opening to us, and work, more than we can do, to be ready prepared for our hands. God is himself, certainly, overturning, and overturning; and all that we are doing, ap- || pears sometimes so feeble, compared with the mighty results, that we only seem to "stand still, and see the salvation of God." * Only the day after this importunate request was penned, Messrs. Gridley and Brewer embarked at Boston for the Palestine Mission. By this time it is possible they may have arrived at Beyroot.-Est. The letter, to which Mr. Goodell alludes, as describing a religious excitement at Sidon, has not yet been received.-Ed. Particular Converts, or Inquirers. The first to be noticed is the same, we suppose, with Yooseph Leflufy, who was mentioned in the preliminary remarks. The bishop's procurator for the Greek Catholic church at Sidon, has renounced publicly ali connexion with his church; and, with the Bible in his hand, has sustained an important controversy with the people, the priests, and the bishop; the last of whom has at length ceased to make any reply to his communications. We have had much intercourse and conversation with this man, have also maintained a correspondence with him by letter, and are much pleased with the seriousness of his deportment, and with the constancy, with which he adheres to the truth. He appears convinced, not only of the corruptions of the church, but of the corruptions of his own heart; and seems really to be preparing, under the guidance of the holy Spirit, for usefulness, and for heaven. He is brother to the wife of Signor Wortabet; and it was by reason of this connexion, that he was introduced to our acquaintance. Signor Wortabet, we hope, is one of God's dear children. He is no longer that vain, thoughtless youth, who appeared never to have permitted one || solemn_reflection to enter his mind. There is a perceptible change in his deportment and conversation. He speaks of his spiritual hopes and fears, and makes inquiries on Christian experience, like one who has indeed been converted, and become like a little child. We watch over him with a godly jealousy, when we remember the deceitfulness of the heart; but judging from present appearances, we do hope he has passed from death unto life, and has an inheritance among them that are sanctified. This change in his feelings was previous to the intelligence of his danger from the Armenian patriarch; and is such, as causes us to exclaim with joy and gratitude, "What hath God wrought!" A little light, in the midst of all this darkness, is precious; a few drops in a desert, are reviving indeed. The above, in relation to the young Arme nian priest, was written in the middle of last September. A month later, Mr Goodell thus remarks on the zeal of the new convert. Signor Wortabet appears more and more like one, who has "put off the old man, and put on the new man,' having new hopes, new desires, new pleasures, new aversions, new motives. With Christian faithfulness, tenderness, and zeal, he warns his friends of their danger, reads and explains the word of God to them, and endeavors to bring them to the knowledge of the truth. His labors for the good of his father-in-law, have been worthy of imitation; and they have been blessed, if not to the renewing of his heart, yet to the softening down of his prejudices, and to the apparently entire changing of his religious views. The following remarks on the archbishop Dionysius, or Signor Carabet, were written on the 3d of Jan. 1826. Signor Carabet baptised his child on Christmas day, in the presence of those who assemble to hear our exposition of the Scriptures. He composed a prayer for the occasion, made a few suitable remarks, and performed the whole with decency and seriousness, in a manner calculated to do good, and without any of the superstitions and ridiculous ceremonies of all the oriental churches. He was very anxious, that I should baptise the child, and I had several very affecting and solemn conversations with him on the subject. Though there has been a great change in him, though his moral character is unexceptionable, though he is able and zealous in enforcing the doctrines of the Gospel, attentive, to religious duties, and takes the Bible as a sufficient, and as the only, rule of faith and practice; yet the evidence is not perfectly satisfactory, that he has been transformed by the renewing of his mind into the image of Christ. There is no positive evidence to the contrary, but there appears to be wanting positive evidence in favor. I should be pleased to hear him express more humbling views of himself for sin, and to see him more anxious to repair, if possible, the injury which he has done to the souls of men, by the bad examples he has set, and the erroneous doctrines he has inculcated. But perhaps we are expecting too much from one, whose education has been so unlike our own, whose heart has been so long blinded and hardened by sin, and whose eyes have never beheld, nor his mind conceived, the holy tendency of Christian example and Christian effort. But, though he is reserved in speaking of his own feelings, he frequently expresses an abhorrence of his former course of life. On one occasion, when we were feeling and lamenting our want of elementary books, he exclaimed, "O how I have misspent my life! No, less than twenty years, I was writing, night and day, to the patriarch of Constantinople about the foolish concerns of the convent; and how much good I might have done, had I been all this time engaged in making dictionaries, grammars, &c. But alas! in all these convents, every effort to improve and enlighten mankind is discouraged, and every sober inquiry after truth, is frowned upon." On another occasion, when one made a remark on his diligence in business, he replied, "I am grieved, when I think how much of my time has run to waste; and how I have employed all the vigor of my life and wasted my strength in that wherein is no profit." and interesting man. I think of nothing As it respects this venerable, useful, more suitable to recommend to you in than that he may know what it is to your intercessions at the throne of grace, fall down deep in the dust before God; and what it is to have the spirit of adoption sent forth into his heart, crying, 'Abba, Father." Nearly a year afterwards, Mr. Goodell speaks of this venerable ecclesiastic in a manner, which cannot but excite the hope that he has become a true minister of the Lord Jesus. expressing his own feelings on experiSignor Carabet is more reserved in mental religion than Signor Wortabet, but it has evidently been with him a season of "great searchings of heart." Wortabet, and gave him judicious adHe occasionally conversed with Signor vice during the anxiety and distress of his mind; and was frequently present in my conversations with him, seldom speaking, but sitting and listening, and weeping, and now and then fetching a deep sigh. His outward conduct has, and whenever we form a church, we for a long time, been unexceptionable; shall probably admit him as a member, with pleasing evidence, that he is one who will hereafter join "the church of the first born, whose names are written in heaven." Respecting the Sidonian archbishop, the notices furnished by Mr. Goodell are very brief. In a recent visit from Signor Jacob Aga, I found him to be more serious, though perhaps from his troubles, than I have ever before known him to be. He now confesses, what he has never confessed before, that he is under the power of sin, and is a Christian only in name; and he appears to be getting some idea of spiritual religion. Having completed his statements with respect to these representatives of the Armenian church, Mr. G. proposes a very interesting inquiry. In correcting the opinions, and in reforming the lives of these venerable ecclesiastics, and especially in bringing all of them to feel the necessity, and some of them, it is believed, to know the power, of divine grace; does not the Great Head of the church intimate to us, that he has important designs of good towards their people and nation? One of the missionaries lately sent to Palestine, Mr. Brewer, is instructed to direct his attention specially to the Jews, and on this account he derives his support from the Ladies' Jews' Society of Boston and vicinity, through the Treasury of the Board. To the members of that Society, therefore, as well as to many others, it will be pleasing to know, that the Jews seem likely to be represented among the converts of Syria. A Jew from the city visits us several times during the week, frequently every day, occasionally bringing with him some of his brethren; and is sure to be present at the service on the Sabbath. He is a Jew outwardly, understanding nothing of the circumcision of the heart, and we cannot tell what fruit may hereafter appear from his frequent interviews with us; but we hope at least a favorable impression has been made upon his mind, and that many of his deep rooted prejudices against the Gospel are removed. Reflections on the Death of Mr. Fisk. A year ago at this time [Oct. 18,] our dear brother Fisk, pining away with a burning, fatal disease, was giving us his dying counsels, and offering his last prayers. When we look back upon the spiritual blessings, that have since descended upon us, we are constrained to believe, that the churches, knowing our feebleness and our deficiencies, have been unusually engaged in striving_together with us in their prayers to God for us, and for this mission. "We are poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon us." Perhaps one reason in the Divine Mind for removing, so early, from his labors, so able and so faithful a missionary, was, that the excellency of the power, which we have since seen exerted here, might appear more evidently to be of God, and not of man. Schools. In his last letter, Mr. Goodell remarks, that their schools, which had been disturbed by the attack of the Greeks on Beyroot, early in the year, were multiplying and prospering; and that in one of them there were fifty-two girls. The average number of scholars in nine of the schools, from January to June inclu sive, was 305. Retrospect of a Year. It is one year to-day [Sept. 15,] since brother King gave us the parting hand. It has been a year replete with eventsa year we shall never forget-a year of weeping and rejoicing-of conflict and triumph--of discouragement and success. GREAT MEETING OF ARMENIANS AT THE following letter from Mr. Goodell, dated Beyroot, Sept. 29, 1826, and addressed to the Corresponding Secretary of the Board, describes one of the most remarkable events of this eventful age. The occurrences reported are, indeed, so wonderful, so beyond what even the friends and supporters of missions had dared to expect, that at first they seem almost incredible. The reader should observe, however, that the letter was written on the 29th of September, that the substance of it was confirmed on the 5th of the following month, and not doubted by the missionaries, on the 18th-at which time, Mr. Goodell wrote to the Corresponding Secretary in the manner following: I wrote you on the 15th, and again on the 29th ult. Should you receive this first, you will do well, perhaps, to make no public use of it, till those previous communications shall have come to hand. Some of the accounts may seem to you strange and contradictory, and indeed they seem so to us. There is a movement upon the minds of many, a "sound in the tops of the mulberrytrees," but what the result will be, what turn the affairs will finally take, will be developed hereafter.-But in the midst of religious inquiry and discussion, and of singular public acts abroad, it demands our gratitude, that there continues around us, in the immediate sphere of our own labors, a spirit of grace,' abasing the lofty, subduing the rebellious, and making solemn the thoughtless and gay. 66 Excitement produced at Constantinople, by Mr. King's Farewell Letter to the People of Syria; with the consequent proceedings. My Dear Sir,-Though it was only yesterday, that I sealed and forwarded |