History of the Missions of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to the Oriental | Page 5

to.--Opinion of the President. --Justice partially rendered.--Sentence of Banishment revoked. --Opinion of the American Minister.--Favorable Change in the Popular Sentiment.--Temporary Outbreak of the Old Enmity.--Unexpected Citation.--The Judges decide not to proceed.--Co?peration of other Missionaries.--A Revolution in the Government.--Disgrace of Old Persecutors.--New King and Constitution.--Association of Editors. --An Act of Public Justice.--Visit to the United States.--Return to Greece.--Zealous Native Labors.--Conference with the President of the Synod.--Death of Dr. King.--General Reflections.
CHAPTER XIX.
THE NESTORIANS.--1841-1848.
Visit of Dr. and Mrs. Perkins to the United States.--Accompanied by Mar Yohannan.--Schools and the Press.--Improved Type.--Health Station.--New Missionaries.--Dr. Perkins's History of the Mission. --His Return.--Version of the Scriptures.--Religious Influences. --The Jesuits and French Government.--Counteracting Influences.--The Patriarchal Family.--Hostility of the Patriarch.--Dismission of the Schools.--Female Seminary revived.--Boys' Seminary reorganized.--On employing the Higher Clergy.--Mr. Merrick's Connection with the Mission.--Ordinations.--Protection for Native Christians.--The First Revival.--Its First Fruits.--Brother of the Patriarch.--Interest at Geog Tapa.--Interest in the Boys' Seminary.--Estimated Number of Converts.--Modern Syriac New Testament.--Translation of the Old Testament.--Nestorian Hymn Book.--New Missionaries.--Devastation by the Cholera.--Dr. Wright's Visit to Bader Khan Bey.--Wonderful Change in the Mountains.--Homeward Route.--Mar Shimon invited to Constantinople.--Flees to Oroomiah.--Conflicting Influences upon him.--His Apparent Friendship.--Throws off the Mask.--His Power circumscribed.--His Unfriendly Acts.--The Government interposes. --His Combination with the Jesuits.--Prejudicial to Both.--Death of the King.--Providential Interpositions.--Persecution of Deacon Tamo.--Deposition of the Great Koordish Chieftains.
CHAPTER XX.
THE NESTORIANS.--1848-1852.
Mr. Stoddard Visits the United States.--Death of Mrs. Stoddard. --State of the Schools.--Mar Shimon returns to the Mountains.--A Visit to Mosul.--A Second Revival.--Deacon Guwergis.--Third Revival.--Deacon John.--Deacon Jeremiah.--Various Tours.--The Mission Enlarged.--Advance in Female Education.--Village Schools. --Sabbath-schools.--The Monthly Concert.--Preaching Tours.--Deacon Isaac.--Station at Gawar.--A Remarkable Youth.--Adverse Influences. --Persecution of Deacon Tamo.--Intervention of Lieut.-Col. Williams.--Powerful Friends.--Release of Tamo.--Favorable Results. --Modern Syriac Bible.
CHAPTER XXI.
SYRIA.--1845-1856.
Good News from the North.--Mr. Thomson Visits Aleppo.--The People characterized.--Greek Catholic Archbishop.--Visit to Hasbeiya.--Mr. Laurie's Return Home.--Unsuccessful Appeal for Laborers.--Relation of the Druzes to Mohammedanism.--Successful Appeal of the Hasbeiyans to the Turkish Government.--Desperate Resort of the Greek Patriarch.--Formation of a Purely Native Church.--Translation of the Scriptures into the Arabic.--Station of Aleppo.--Visit to Northern Lebanon.--Death of Bedros.--Intelligent Men affected by the Truth. --Another Visit to Hasbeiya.--English Protection.--Seminary at Abeih.--Improved Arabic Type.--The Native Church.--Outrages at Aleppo.--Effect of the Proceedings.--Pupils in the Seminary.--The Church at Hasbeiya.--John Wortabet.--Drs. Bacon and Robinson. --Female Boarding School.--Native Church at Abeih.--Experience in Different Localities.--An Interesting Conversion.--Hopeful Developments.--Opposition and its Effect.--A Church built at Hasbeiya.--Progress of the Arabic Translation of the Scriptures. --The Gospel at Ain Zehalty.--Northern Syria transferred to the Armenian Mission.--Accessions and Bereavements.--General View.
CHAPTER XXII.
THE ARMENIANS.--1845-1846.
The Grand Crisis.--The Persecuting Patriarch.--Mention of Bishop Southgate.--The Patriarch's Mode of Proceeding.--His Treatment of Bedros Vartabed.--Priest Vertanes.--The Chief Persecutors. --Persecution at Erzroom.--Its Effect.--Central Position of Erzroom.--Progress at Trebizond.--Persecutions.--The Patriarch resorts to Excommunication.--Temporal Penalties enforced.--The Patriarch and the First Protestant Pastor.--Appeals of the Persecuted.--Charitable Aid.--Good Resulting from Evil. --Intervention of the Government.--The Patriarch's Subterfuge.--Case of Priest Harit?n.--A Temporary Triumph.--Cruelties at Adabazar and Trebizond.--A British Consul interposes.--Effect of the Persecutions.--Barbarities at Erzroom.
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE ARMENIANS.--1846-1848.
Continued Persecutions.--Interposition of the English Ambassador. --Designation of "Protestants."--A Vizierial Letter.--The Patriarch's Hostility to the Seminary.--Its Effect.--Seminary for Young Ladies.--Perpetual Excommunication of the Protestants. --Consequent Organization of an Evangelical Church at Constantinople.--Choice of Officers.--Ordination of a Pastor. --Public Declaration of Faith.--Other Churches formed.--Early Death of the Pastor.--The Pastor's Wife.--Der Harit?n.--Reformation at Aintab.--Visit of Mr. Van Lennep.--Visit of Mr. Johnston.--Arrival of Dr. Azariah Smith.--Mr. Schneider's Visit.--Trying Situation of the Protestants.--Power of the Patriarch reduced.--Number of the Protestants.--The Churches.--Additional Native Pastors.--Revivals of Religion.

INTRODUCTION.
We may not hope for the conversion of the Mohammedans, unless true Christianity be exemplified before them by the Oriental Churches. To them the native Christians represent the Christian religion, and they see that these are no better than themselves. They think them worse; and therefore the Moslem believes the Koran to be more excellent than the Bible.
It is vain to say, that the native Christians have so far departed from the truth that they do not feel the power of the Gospel, and that therefore the immorality of their lives is not to be attributed to its influence. The Mohammedan has seen no other effect of it, and he cannot be persuaded to read the Bible to correct the evidence of his observation, and perhaps also of his own painful experience.
Hence a wise plan for the conversion of the Mohammedans of Western Asia necessarily involved, first, a mission to the Oriental Churches. It was needful that the lights of the Gospel should once more burn on those candlesticks, that everywhere there should be living examples of the religion of Jesus Christ, that Christianity should no longer be associated in the Moslem mind with all that is sordid and base.
The continued existence of large bodies of nominal Christians among these Mohammedans, is a remarkable fact. They constitute more than a third part of the population of Constantinople, and are found in all the provinces of the empire, as, also, in Persia, and are supposed to number at least twelve millions. Being so