The Litchfield County post. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1826-1829, 1827-02-23
LETTER FROM SYRIA.

aries. in Syria, to the Society Of Inquiry IN
the AUBURN Theological Seminary, dated
BEYRooT, June 16, 1898.
With the AFmenians. an interesting and in
telIigent race, it is now an important crisis
inst beginning 70 awake from the slun1ber OF
ages, and to break away from the customs OF
their fathers, they are in state to receive
powerful and desirable impression from the
example and instruction of able and uo'".cd
Missionaries. They universally spe-A the
Turkish language, and read It Tlth the Arme-
Man character. One of us is devoted to the
attainment of this language; while the other
attends exclusively to the Arabic, which is
spoken by Christians of the Greek, Greek
Catholic, and Maronite rites; by Mussulmen
also, and to considerable extent by Jews.
Christians of the Greek faith, though super
stitious, are yet friendly, receive the Scrip
lures, and do not object to the establishment
of schools among them. The Maronites are
the most hostile to our objects, and avoid, as
much as possible, all intercourse with us !;
and yet all our public controversies have been
with them and the first fruit of the Amerl-
can Mission in Syria, is a Maronite. Should
either of US be removed by death, land the
evidence of God, as well as his word, has
taught us that our life is but a vapour,) the
great and good work in this department
would be almost entirely suspended, till re-
enforcement should arrive from America, and
become prepared, by much study and expe-
rience, to commence the work anew. Mr..
Temple is also entirely alone at Malta, nearly
thousand miles from us !; and in case of his
removal, that mighty engine, the press, VIII I'll
he superintends with great ability, in Italian
and modern Greek, and which has already
put in circulation ten thousands of Religious
Tracts, must lie unemployed, till person
should be sent forth, and become (of course
after the lapse of considerable time,) prepared
to put it again in operations Since the de-
parture of Mr.. King, and the death of our be-
loved brother Fisk, we have found it impracti-
cable to occupy even the important post at
Jerusalem as miss onary station. We look
to the American church for help. We look
to her Theological Seminaries. We look to
you Yes, dear brethren, we look to you.-
Sad indeed shall we be, if Auburn send not
forth her Warrens, and her Newells, and her
Fisks; if high tone of missionary feeling be
not Unidentified with her earliest existence,and
missionary subjects be not inscribed on her
earliest records and her name do not become
associated with the moral puriticEtion of mil
lions in the four quarters of the globe. Breth-
rem, the danger is not that you will imbibe too
much of the spirit of missions, or of Christian
enterprise; nor that you will impress too
much of a missionary character upon your in
FAINT Seminary; nor that you yourselves will
burn with too intense desire to break forth
on the right hand and on the left. Let the
subject, then, be examined prayerfully and
thoroughly, with special reference to your
own duty; and let the question he asked, as a
favor, Why may not mount up as on eage's
wings, and be privileged as an angel of God,
to fly swiftly through the midst of Heaven,
having the everlasting Gospel to preach un-
to them that dwell upon the earth-to every
nation, and kindred,a land tongue, land people 2
The last command of our Saviour is binding
on you at Auburn and we beseech you by
the mercies of Him who hath counted you
worthy,putting you into the ministry that you
act as you would act were you really to hear
the voice of Him g who was dead and is alive
again." saying, " Go We into all the world, land
preach the Gospel to every creature" Go
" bring my sons from far, and my daughters
from the ends of the earth.''
WeStern Recorder.
Since this letter was written, the Rev.
Messrs. Gridley and Brewer have left this
country for the Palestine Mission; and Rev.
Eli Smith, and Mr.. Holman HaIlock, printer
for Malta.