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232

PUBLIC MEETING.

it has a copy of the Bible; and American Christians desire that every family in the East may. also receive the Word of God.' He says, 'This is a very good work. Every family of my people also has, or can have the Bible if they wish. They can receive it both in the ancient and modern languages.'

"This was regarded as a most important admission by an Armenian bishop in the presence. of the missionaries-that the Bible should have free circulation among his people.

"In the afternoon a public meeting of the Protestant community was held at the mission chapel. The Rev. Mr. Jones, from England, addressed them in relation to his society, and I, from America, in behalf of the Bible Cause. They were greatly interested in the account of our new Bible House at New York, and all the operations of the Bible Society, of which they had never before heard. And it was most pleasing to receive their warm expressions of gratitude for thus receiving the Bible and the Gospel of Christ at our hands. The next day was the Sabbath. We attended service in the native languages, and then administered the communion of the Lord's Supper to the little church gathered here; and it was an occasion of deep interest to sit around the table of our Lord with these brethren in a strange land.

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commending our way to the Lord. We spent the night at the small Armenian village of Oolash. The priest and chourbagi (chief man of the village) called to see us, and the conversation soon turned upon the Bible and Testament. Our dragoman, who is a zealous Protestant, at once enlisted, and preached the Gospel to the little company for two hours with much earnestness. We trust that some fruit may spring from the good seed sown by the way in that quiet village. In another village where we passed the night, the moodir, or Turkish governor, inquired if we were travelling through the country to make all the people Protestants. We answered, that 'our object was to give the Bible and preach the Gospel to all who were willing to hear and receive it.' To our great surprise he replied, 'This is according to the Sultan's decree.' We were delighted thus to find that such liberal ideas were gradually penetrating into the interior of the empire.

"In four days more we reached Arabkir, a city of gardens in the midst of the mountains. It contains a population of 30,000, of whom 20,000 are Mussulmans, and 10,000 Armenians. There are also 300 enrolled in the Protestant community. This is a most important centre of missionary operations. Twenty-two native helpers are employed; of these, six are preachers, two are en

234

CONVERSATION.

They answer, 'We would be delighted to have a good missionary from America come and live among us, to instruct us in this way of salvation. We are called Protestants by the Koords, and our enemies beat us and drive away our flocks because we will not worship idols as they do.'

"We tell them they must expect to suffer persecution for believing in Christ; but if they are faithful, God will deliver them from the hand of their enemies; that they must return to their village, and preach this same Gospel of Love and Salvation even to their persecutors.

"Inshallah' (God be praised)! they both exclaim. They tell us that 500 others are ready to receive the Gospel with them, but for fear of the savage Koords. We then promised to call and represent their case of persecution to the Turkish authorities, that they might enjoy liberty of conscience to believe in the Bible and Gospel of Christ, as the late firman of the Sultan declares to all the subjects of his empire. Such is the influence of a single unknown Testament, to teach these poor Kuzelbash, in the interior of Asia Minor, the folly of their idol worship, and lead them to believe in Christ as their only Saviour from sin. On the morrow we set out on our journey. The brethren accompanied us some distance on the plain, and then bade us farewell,

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commending our way to the Lord. We spent the night at the small Armenian village of Oolash. The priest and chourbagi (chief man of the village) called to see us, and the conversation soon turned upon the Bible and Testament. Our dragoman, who is a zealous Protestant, at once enlisted, and preached the Gospel to the little company for two hours with much earnestness. We trust that some fruit may spring from the good seed sown by the way in that quiet village. In another village where we passed the night, the moodir, or Turkish governor, inquired if we were travelling through the country to make all the people Protestants. We answered, that 'our object was to give the Bible and preach the Gospel to all who were willing to hear and receive it.' To our great surprise he replied, This is according to the Sultan's decree.' We were delighted thus to find that such liberal ideas were gradually penetrating into the interior of the empire.

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"In four days more we reached Arabkir, a city of gardens in the midst of the mountains. It contains a population of 30,000, of whom 20,000 are Mussulmans, and 10,000 Armenians. There are also 300 enrolled in the Protestant community. This is a most important centre of missionary operations. Twenty-two native helpers are employed; of these, six are preachers, two are en

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gaged at the Bible depôts, two are colporteurs, and twelve are teachers. All are more or less engaged in the work of circulating the Scriptures. There are six schools, containing one hundred pupils, in which the Bible and Testament are made the chief books of instruction. I also visited the Bible shop in the midst of the business bazaars of the city, and found there a large Armenian and Turkish Bible lying open, that any who passed by might read the Word of God. There have been disposed of from thence, within the last five months, eighteen Bibles and one hundred and three Testaments. I likewise visited two of the schools, and found the children diligently studying the Bible and Testament, and learning the way of salvation. Then I called upon the chief vartabed of the Armenian Church. He received me very cordially, and said, 'he taught all his people that they must have the Bible and read it. He had a copy of our Modern Armenian Bible, and would examine it, and if the translation were correct, he would at once recommend it to his people.' He was desirous also to have the Word circulated among the Kuzelbash. It was our duty to endeavor to enlighten and Christianize them. He wishes to preach only what is found in the Bible, and prays that Koords and Mussulmans may all receive the truth as it is in Jesus, and be made happy in the love of Christ.

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