tian instruction to his flock. O tempora! O mores! During the examination of the witnesses, a characteristic discovery was made, which awakened the astonishment even of our enemies. The witnesses who, with few exceptions, are universally known as incorrigible drunkards, and such like persons, who scarcely know the first rudiments of the Catechism, were required by the prosecutor, on their oath, to give their subjective and objective views of our meetings, and of the doctrines there promulgated; as, if we taught the pure word of God, and the like.'

"In order, we presume, to cool an excessive zeal, it has been so arranged, that the subordinate Clergymen charged have all been removed from the neighbourhood-one even to beyond Tornea. The last mentioned has had full opportunity to reduce his temperature, (if journeying in the open air can do this,) seeing he was ordered, only three months after his arrival at the far-distant Tornea, to attend the sessions at K—; and had to travel two hundred and eighteen miles Swedish, (nearly fourteen hundred English!) to answer to the charge of encou raging, not drinking and dancing assemblies, but meetings for godly edification. Melancholy, indeed, would be the condition of the Heathen, if the rest of the civilized world took the same view of efforts to send the Gospel to the dark places of the earth, which is taken by our lower authorities. Christians, in other hands, think and act differently. The Lord grant them greater success in their endeavours, than we in our father-land have met with! The hope of increasing, by our small contributions, the funds of the Swedish Missionary Society has, for the present at least vanished."

"The religious awakening which has, by the blessing of God, taken place in the north of Finland, has, I am told, been reported sub secreto to the Imperial Senate, as entirely of a political character, and the Clergymen connected therewith have been represented as leaders of an association most dangerous to the public weal. The consequence of such misrepresentations may easily be anticipated. But I am too well acquainted with Acts xxiv. 2-8, to allow myself to feel astonishment or alarm at the most raging storms of Satanic wrath. If God be for us, who can be against us?' General experience testifies, that, when the spirit of darkness is conquered in the theological field, he removes the strife within the political sphere, and fancies he has then reached his proper vantage-ground, in contending against the servants of Christ. The Jews could not obtain the crucifixion of our Saviour as a heretic; but they accomplished their end by charging him with sedition. The case comes on again at Kthe 19th of next month, and the Clergyman, referred to in my last, must anew take his long journey to appear there. He fearlessly continues holding meetings, and collecting for the Missions, to the great surprise of his opponents. May the God of peace strengthen us in our weakness!" "In consequence of an unavoidable journey in another direction, for the performance of official duties, the Clergyman residing at Tornea had it not in his power to be present at the sessions last month. He sent in a Memorial, explaining the reason for his absence, as also containing his defence; but all this was of no avail. The Court, in direct opposition to existing laws, has, de jure, deprived this servant of God of his personal liberty, by ordering that he shall, by legal measures, be brought before the sessions next April. It depends therefore on the Crown Officer of the district, in whose power he is now left, whether or not this Clergyman of the national Church shall as a prisoner, be conveyed to the next meeting of Court. Only Pastor Mhas been charged with promulgating erroneous doctrines. Such as personally know M, a man of good common sense, and richly gifted with spiritual knowledge and wisdom, on the

one hand; and, on the other, the prosecutor, a man sunk into intemperance, and utterly destitute of literary, much more of religious, culture; cannot but consider his attack on M- as most absurd, and unfortunate for his own object. The Lord, whose ways are unsearchable, has so ordered it, that our enemies have ventured upon a field of contest, where they are by no means a match for us. To help the prosecutor out of the dilemma into which he was thrown by the natural question of M—, What are the errors which I am charged with disseminating?' the Court decided that the prosecutor could not state particulars, the general charge being sufficient. Mis therefore charged with heresy, without being informed as to the doctrines deemed heretical."

"The action against the Finnish Clergyman was resumed at the Ksessions, and continued for several days. On the evidence of one hundred and fifty witnesses, we had established the fact, that our meetings had no other object than the instruction of the people in Christianity; the promoters of the scheme perceiving that their gatherings from the political mine were by far too meagre to support the wished-for charge of sedition, turned their attention to another course of proceeding, which they hoped would be more successful. A scrutiny was commenced regarding our private and domestic life; and circumstances, having not the most distant connexion with meetings or Missionary-boxes, were inquired into. All that we have said for years gone by, on any subject, so far as the memory of the witnesses extends, is carefully entered in the minutes of evidence, without any reply being made to our inquiry as to why this is done. The following are among the general interrogations addressed to the witnesses :- Have these Clergymen delivered the pure doctrines of the Gospel? Have they been burdensome to their congregations?' Have they persuaded any to put money in the Missionary-box?'Have you seen what they have in their chests of presses? Have you observed any intolerance in them?' &c. &c. To show whether our doctrine is consistent with the Bible, and the symbols of our Church, and whether our conduct diverges in any respect from that of the multitude, servants are called, and even drunkards from the spirit-shops. Can any one venture to say that the witnesses against us are competent ? Many of them, who are thus examined regarding our orthodoxy, cannot read with any correctness; and they are asked if the defendants are free from erroneous opinions! It would be less surprising if such witnesses as have been present at our meetings, and seen the Missionary-boxes, were allowed to testify to much irrelevant matter; but our amazement knows no bounds when we perceive that many witnesses who have never seen either the one or the other, are allowed, according to the words of one of our opponents, to make general reflections,' all which are inserted in the minutes, whether connected with the charges or not. One of these reflecting friends was a brother Clergyman. His evidence had no immediate reference to any of the persons charged; but he gladly embraced the opportunity of pouring out a flood of invective against all vital godliness, which he designated enthusiasm. During his extended fulminations, one of the defendants was reminded of the prayer of David, 2 Sam. xv. 31. Nor did he lift his soul to God in vain. The witness, in the heat of his zeal, forgot where he was, and the oath he had taken, departing most grievously from the truth. It turned out so, that he cited a certain document in support of his statements, which, by the marvellous arrangements of the God of grace, was actually in the possession of one of the defendants; and the production of which in Court convicted the unguarded witness of perjury. This seemed to operate as a check on our persecutors. The case was, however, again adjourned, to give the prosecutor time for producing further evidence.”

"I referred in a former letter to a religious awakening in the neighbourhood of NC, where a young Clergyman, Mr. O, has zealously endeavoured to fulfil his spiritual engagements. He also has been prosecuted before the Court, and I have now the opportunity of stating the result. The charge against him is, that he has, on seven several Sabbath-days, had meetings of the people, to examine them in the Catechism, and promote their Christian improvement. For this, and no other crime, he is fined two hundred and eighty-eight rubles; and inasmuch as the meetings were held on the Lord's-day, he is fined one hundred rubles eighty kopecks for SABBATH-BREAKING! O having presented a memorial to the Court, demonstrating that it was his unavoidable official duty as a public Teacher, thus in season and out of season to instruct his people, he is fined for this act twenty-eight rubles eighty kopecks. Of the other persons charged, a farmer is fined three hundred rubles; and the others, some fifty, some thirty. The case is carried to the High Court at W- and the Consistory of A

"The examinations against us at K- were continued and adjourned more than once, to afford time for further evidence.' That we may expect a much more severe sentence than O, is clear, inasmuch as we have held more numerous meetings. The general opinion is, that we shall, for our meetings and Missionary-boxes, be fined heavily, and deprived of our clerical office. In the midst of all these storms and hinderances, the work of the Lord proceeds gloriously. With heartfelt joy I can assure you, that the God of love has employed these persecutions as a means of awakening not a few to a concern for their souls. Praised be His gracious name for ever! Many young Clergymen in the north and south of Finland have listened to the call of God, seek eternal life for themselves and others, and conduct regularly such meetings as these for holding which we suffer. Among the students in W -, many have been quickened by the Spirit of God. The mind which was in Christ Jesus, is rooted in many directions, and spreads; so that Satan will require much time, labour, and pains, to darken that sun of righteousness, which has arisen, after a glorious dawning, upon a people sitting in darkness. The Lord help and strengthen us now and ever! Amen.'

"F, September 18th, 1839. "At length, the long-continued and oft-adjourned prosecution against us has been brought to a close at the K- sessions. The prosecutor craved a sentence against the Clergymen charged, condemning them to double penalties, and urged that M, D—, and L-should be deprived of their office, and banished from the country. The Court, in passing sentence, remitted the whole case, as regards the Clergymen, to the decision of the Consistorial Court in A- But the farmers and

others who had either opened their rooms for, or attended, the so-called illegal meetings, were amerced in fines amounting to a total sum of not less than twelve thousand rix-dollars (about £700). Both prosecutor and defendants complained of the sentence, and appealed to the High Court. One farmer was fined fourteen rubles forty kopecks for the crime of having a Missionary-box in his house. A peasant was fined fourteen rubles forty kopecks, because he had sung one of the songs of Zion,' on a Saturday evening, at home in his own house, and an equal sum for Sabbath-breaking; it being carried that the Sabbath begins at 6. P. M. on Saturday. Various articles which had been contributed to the Mission cause, and the proceeds arising from the sale of which would have been transmitted to the Swedish Missionary Society, were confiscated, and ordered to be sold by public auction, for the benefit of the poor of the parish of K

"Is it possible that we live in a Christian land, and experience such things? The Teacher is visited with pains and penalties, because he instructs his hearers; the hearers are amerced in unheard-of heavy fines, because they listen to the instructions of their Teachers! It is now established in our country, that a Crown Officer can set at nought the Clergy's liberty of teaching,-a liberty secured to our forefathers, by the Kings of Sweden, and solemnly pledged to us by the Emperor of Russia. We need not go further in search of the cause of all this, than the truth, that as in the beginning, so now, he that is born after the flesh persecutes him that is born after the Spirit. The original enmity between the Seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent continues to operate. But praised be the God of grace, who has counted us worthy to suffer shame for the name of our Lord Jesus. A time of refreshing from the Lord has certainly been sent to our land. We had deeply-interested hearers at the sessions of K- from numerous and far-distant places; for the most part Ministers of the Gospel, burning with zeal to contend manfully against Satan and his hosts. Pray for us, that we may be faithful unto death."

26.-AMERICAN MISSION TO THE NESTORIANS AT OOROOMIAH. [The following pleasing account of the American Mission to the Nestorian Churches will, we think, be interesting to our readers. The first extract is from the valedictory address of the Board to the devoted Missionaries previously to their embarkation for Persia. The other portion of the statements speaks for itself.-ED.]

Though you are to reside in the land of the Moslems, your labours will be specially directed to one of the oriental churches, the Church of the Armenians. There are perhaps 200,000 Armenians in Constantinople, and as many as 2,000,000 in different parts of Asia. They originated in the country, not far from the shores of the Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian Seas, which is supposed to have cradled the human race. Many of them are still found in that country; but the nation is widely dispersed, as the result of the wars of Togruhl, Timoor, Shah Abbas, Mohammed II., and other conquerors, in ages long since past; and also as the result of their peculiar fondness for trade and commerce, which has made them the richest, if not the most intelligent, of the Christian sects in the East. The other oriental sects are the Greek, the Coptic or Egyptian, the Jacobite, and the Nestorian. The last two of these, the Jacobite and Nestorian, belong to the Syrian nation, and seceded, in the fifth century, from the church of Antioch, then forming a part of the Greek church ; as its small remnant, found in Damascus and Mesopotamia, now does. It was also in the fifth century, that the Armenians were separated from the Greek church. The differences in doctrine and ritual between these various sects are on no points of vital importance, though regarded, of course, as of serious magnitude by the sects themselves.

The Board, under whose patronage you go forth, has missions among the members of the Greek, the Nestorian, and the Armenian churches. Our missionaries to the Greek church occupy two stations in Greece, three in Asia Minor, two in Syria, and one in Cyprus. Those to the Nestorians occupy a station in Persia, near the eastern base of the Koordish mountains; and a second station is about being occupied on the western side of the same mountains. The Missionaries to the Armenians are at Constantinople, and at three stations in Asia Minor; and a station is about being formed at Erzeroom, within the bounds of the ancient Armenia itself.

The object of our missions to the oriental churches, is first, to revive the knowledge and spirit of the gospel among them; and secondly, by this means, to operate upon the Mohammedans. At the same time, this does

not preclude the idea of direct missions to the Mohammedans themselves, which we also have-one missionary to them being resident in Constantinople, and another in Persia. But to think of exerting much influence upon the Mohammedan mind, while the native Christian churches remain as they are, is out of the question, without such a divine interposition as we are not authorized to expect. The Mohammedans look upon the native Christians as living exemplifications of what Christianity is. They see that these Christians are no better than themselves; they think them to be even worse; and this opinion is said to be correct by the Europeans generally who have resided in Turkey. The consequence is inevitable and unquestionable; the Mohammedan confidently asserts the Koran to be more excellect than the Bible, and his own religion than the gospel. In vain do we reply that the native Christians have lost the knowledge and spirit of the gospel, and that their immoral lives are therefore, in no sense, the effect of the gospel. The Mohammedan has never seen any other effect, and he will not read the Bible to correct the evidence of his senses, and perhaps, too, of his painful experience. He treats that holy book with the contempt he feels for its professed followers. Hence a comprehensive and wise system of efforts for the conversion of the Mohammedans of Western Asia, will embrace a system of efforts for the spiritual preservation of the oriental churches. These churches must be reformed. Lights must be made to burn once more upon those candlesticks that remain. The fire of a pure Christianity must be rekindled upon those Christian altars. In all the professedly Christian communities of Western Asia, there must be living examples and proofs of the holy, happy influence of the religion of Jesus. There must be the warning, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, so powerfully influential in a holy life. In the mind of the Moslem, Christianity must cease to be associated with all that is man and contemptible. It must rise in its proper intelligence and spiritual dignity, and ceasing to act merely on the defensive, must commence aggressive movements on the surrounding empire of darkness and delusion. As the relative position of the Christian and the Moslem, in the social system, is changing every day, and the changes are all in favour of the Christian, the time is near, if it has not come, when this may be done.

The existence of these numerous bodies of Christians among the Mohammedan nations, is one of the most remarkable facts which meets the attention of the religious observer of the world. They constitute more than one-third part of the population of Constantinople, which is believed to exceed a million, and they are found in all the provinces of the empire. They are found in Persia, and in the countries beyond. Their number in the Mohammedan nation is supposed to be five millions. Being so numerous and so dispersed, were the mighty power of God at once to revive the spirit of the gospel in all of them, a flood of light would burst upon almost the whole Turkish empire, and would shine far up on the great central high lands of Asia. The followers of the false prophet would look on with wonder-perhaps with hatred and persecution; but new ideas of the gospel would be forced upon them, and no longer could they boast of the more excellent nature and influence of their own religion. Thus the gospel would at once be proclaimed to them, most convincingly proclaimed, in thousands of places. It would shine upon them from every quarter. It would no longer be a candle under a bushel. It would be a city on a hill, which could not be hid. It would be a "voice crying in the wilderness." It would cry without, and utter its voice in the streets, and in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates. Every where it would cry, to the amazed followers of the false prophet, "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and 3 к

VOL. I.