The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1875-10-20

with the glad tldings, ana be also recels
the truth, and rejoiced in the salvation Of
Christ. Without communicating with any
foreign missionaries, they became mission
aries themselves. They gathered their
friends together and told them of the true
light that had shined into their hearts,
Others soon embraced the truth and rejoiced;
and now, after several years, these two priests
had come to Constantinople, not 80 much to
tell what God had done for them and for
their brethren and friends at Nicomedia, ds
to ask that prayer might be offered for those
who were still in darkness.
One of these priests spent a night at the
house of DR.. Goodell, and communicated to
him the first tidihgs he had received of the
work of grace that had been SO quietly go
ing on in Nicomedia, and of the means which
God had used for its commencement-the
tract he had once given to a boy on the
street. 1t was the first time also that this
Armenian priest had learned BY whose hand
God had sent the message to his city and to
himself. A great part of the night vas
spent by the priest and the missionary in
joyful communion on heithings.of tho k1rg
dom of Christ In noting down these facts,
DR.. Goodell wrote in his journal:
"What sweet comment on the text,
Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou
shalt find it after many days. and on this
also, In the morning SOW thy seed, and in
the evening withhold not thy handF Oh,
how many beautiful plants may, with the
blessing of God, hereafter spring up unob-
served from the good seed which is scattered
here and there May l be encouraged in
future to SOW beside all waters y"
These two priests, Vertanes and Harutun,
afterward removed to COnstantinople, and
were placed over church in one of the vii
lagos on the BOSphorus, where they were
permitted to publish the true Gospel of
Christ. And when the time of trial came
aud they were called to suffer for the truth,
they cheerfully took the spelling of their
goods, and endured persecution, even to ston-
ings and Imprisonment, for the sake Of
Christ, rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer shane for His name"
The influence of this single tract, dropped
casually at Nicomedia in 1882, has
spreading wider and wider. The
grace then begun extended to
villages, and the fruit Of this hanf
scattered as it were upon tbs
mountain, will continue to shall
non, until the great harvest of tt
be gathered.
While preparing these memoit
penning the above, the writer h
an incident relating to this
which strikingly illustrates the
that "the foolishnes8 of God is wiser the,
men," An American traveller, DR.. j. r.
DeKay, of New York, who was in Constan-
tinople in 1881, and was intimate with the
family of Mr.. Goodell, published, on his re-
turn home, volume entitled Sketches in
Turkey. in which he. made the following
criticisms upon the'chafacter OF the publlca'
tons prepared by missionaries for the reli
gious instruction of the Orientals:-
According to an official statement 49,
pears that from the year 1922 e -
were issued from the Malta
$1,000 copies of various re
containing more than ten N
in Greek, Italian, and Turl
man characters. 1t is a
that such benevolent effoi
have taken WI
Nearly forty thousand DOLE
pended upon works which {
BILE to the Greeks or Turks
would be to 'Split Leg
Hawk The remedy, no
Instead Of translating
Daughter, and other tt
character, let the miSSions
to compose on the spot So
with local illusions, and mar
out of the scenes and manners
Let them write something in the,
Arabian Nights.' ALWAYS, hoWet !,