ཙྩ THE COLLEGES AT GOA. GOA will probably remain the theological school to a great part of India, for a long period to come. It is of vast importance to the interests of Christianity in the East, that this source of instruction should be purified. The appointed instrument for effecting this, is the Bible. This is the salt which must be "thrown into the fountain to heal the waters," 2 Kings ii. 21.. There are upwards of three thousand Priests belonging to Goa, who are resident at the place, or stationed with their cures at a distance. Let us send the Holy Scriptures to illuminate the Priests of Goa. It was distinctly expressed to the Author, by several authorities, that they will gladly receive copies of the Latin and Portuguese Vul. gate Bible from the hands of the English nation. THE PERSIANS. THE Christian Religion flourished very gene.. rally in Persia, till about A. D. 651; when, the Persians being subdued by the Saracens, Mahomedanism gradually acquired the predomi nance. Constantine the Great, addressed a letter to Sapor, King of Persia, which is preserved to this day, (in Eusebius) recommending the Christian Churches in his dominions, to his protection; and a Bishop from Persia was present at the Council of Nice in A. D. 325. It appears also that there was a translation of some portion of the Scriptures into the Persian Language at that period; for we are informed by Chrysostom that, "the Persians, having translated the doctrines of the Gospel into their own tongue, had learned, though barbarians, the true philosophy;" * and it is stated by another author in the following century," That the Hebrew writings were not only translated into the Greek, but into the Latin, Ethiopian, Persian, Indian, Armenian, Scythian, and Sarmatian Languages." + In the beautiful homily of Chrysostom on Mary's Memorial, preached about A. D. 380, in which he enumerates those nations, who, in fulfilment of our Saviour's prophecy, had spoken of the deed of Mary for a memorial "of her," he mentions the Persians first, and Chrysostom, Hom. II. in Johan. Theodoret, vol. iv. p. 555. We have entirely lost sight of some of these versions in the obscurity of Mahomedan darkness. It is not even known what languages are intended by the Scythian, Indian, and Sarmatian. The Christian Church must now retrace her steps, and endeavour to recover a knowledge which she has lost. " "The Persians," the Isles of Britain last. says he," the Indians, Scythians, Thracians, "Sarmatians, the race of the Moors, and the "inhabitants of the British Isles, celebrate "a deed performed in a private family in "Judea by a woman that had been a sin86 ner. He alludes to her pouring an alabaster box of spikenard on the head of Christ, thereby acknowledging him, while yet upon earth, to be God's ANOINTED King, and embalming his body, (as our Lord himself explained it) in anticipation of his burial. Concerning which act of faith and love our Saviour uttered the following prophetic declaration:: Verily, I say unto you, Wheresoever this "Gospel shall be preached throughout the "whole world, THIS ALSO that she hath done. "shall be spoken of for a MEMORIAL of her.". Mark xiv. 9.-The Isles of Britain who were last in the enumeration, are now the first to restore this memorial to the Persians as well as to other Mahomedan nations, who were to * Αλλα και Περσαι και Ινδοί και Σκύθαι και Θράκες και Σαυρομαται και των Μαυρων γένος και οἱ τας Βρετανικας Νήσους οικουντες, Το εν Ιεδαία γενομενον λαθρα, εν οικία παρα γυναικος πεπορνευμένος, quotes. The argument of Chrysostom is this, that nothing could have given so permanent a celebrity to so private an occurrence, but the Divine Word of HIM who foretold it. lose it generally, during the great prophetic period of 1260 years. A version of the four Gospels and of the Pentateuch, in the Persian Language of a former age, remains to this day. It is a faithful translation, and seems to have been made immediately from the Syriac ; but the dialect and orthography are so ancient as to be scarcely intelligible even at Ispahan. The Romish Church has had several Missions in the kingdom of Persia for some centuries past. The Augustinian Mission from Goa commenced in the year 1602," and was permitted by Sultan Murad to build convents in all parts of the Empire." But they went into Persia, as into other countries, not with the design of instructing men in the holy Scriptures, but of teaching them the tenets and ceremonies of Rome. To this day, they have not published, under all the advantages of toleration which they enjoyed, a translation of the Bible, or even of the New Testament, into the Persian Language. It is a reproach to Christians, that the only endeavour to produce a translation of the Scriptures into the language of that extensive kingdom should have been made by the Per *This is the Version of the Polyglot. sians themselves. The representatives of the Christian Churches in Europe of every denomination, may well blush, when they read the following authentic relation of an attempt made by a Persian king to procure a knowledge of our religion. "Towards the close of the year 1740, "Nadir Shah caused a translation of the four "Evangelists to be made into Persian.-The "affair was put under the direction of Mirza "Mehdee, a man of some learning, who, "being vested with proper authority for the "purpose, summoned several Armenian Bi shops, and Priests, together with divers "Missionaries of the Romish Church, and Persian Mullahs, to meet him at Ispahan. As to the latter, the Mahomedan Priests, "they could not be gainers, since the change ❝of religion, if any, was to be in prejudice of "Mahomedanism. Besides, Nadir's conduct "towards them had been severe, to an ex"treme and unprecedented degree; many "of them, therefore, gave Mirza Mehdee large bribes to excuse their absence. Among "the Christians summoned on this occasion, only one Romish Priest, a native of Persia, "was a sufficient master of the language to enter upon a work of so critical a nature. *Mahomedan Priests. |