The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-08-04
Syria.

AIRY Ainus CEom tn0 ''EBbeDllBne0 Cnurcn
.. down to the newest phase of Evangelism
!. they are all on tip-toe with eagerness 70
the gospel fray. Methodists, Presby terians
Bsptists, ongregationalists, Universalists
Unitarians, Trinitarians, Sabbatarians
enbOrgians, Spirituslists, Huxleyites
Darwinites, ETC., etc, all are nightly
moved with zeal for proselyting. Som.
never before was 80 glorious an opportu
nifty presented to the missionary and that
the scenes of the Apostolic days of the
Church may be expected to renew them
| selves. The most uninterested locker. on
could hardly fail to wonder, just here, w here
the new apostles were going to be found.
Shall 1t be Sankey and Moodyf But the
Asia Minorites and Persians and Tartars
will hardly figure up we'll as contributing
! Christians, and 30 the above named lpart-
nership cannot be expected to extend it's
operations in that direction.
No, no! Our friends will have to fall
back on the same spawned Bishop, the
same consumptive young ministers without
congregations but with enterprisipg wives,
the same two-bit colporteurs or evangelic
tramps, who have been heretofore carrying
the war into heathendom. And with the
same result. That is, when they fall upon
lot of pure savsges as in the Sandwich
Islands, they manage pretty we'll, under
cover of a man of war ia the ofiing, to bull
doze some of them into kind of servile
subjection, but whenever they bring their
impertinence among astute Asiatics and in
contact with the remnants of an old civili- |
cation, they are coolly snubbed into insig- |
ni6cance. In Asia Minor, in Persia and |
even among the Tartar hordes, these new
Apostles will 60 just as far as their money
will carry them no farther.
But for all that, the apostles did leave
Observation-Disclosures in all ages, even in |
the present age-to all of whom, those of
to- day as well as those of Peters day, it
was said: "Do not possess gold, nor silver,
nor money in your purses: No scrip for
your journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor
q staff" These men are commissioned by
the master of this vineyard to 60 without
money and where money could not carry
them, and to penetrate far beyond the
range of floating artillery and beyond the
march of pioneer armies.
Still it is not to be denied that, in the
mysterious workings of Providence, the
prowess of Christian arms is often an agent
lu opening the way to Christian faith, The
Church is not dependent on such support,
for in the first ages of Christianity every
government was it's enemy and it had to
conquer the great Roman empire without
soldier. On our own continent number
Of French Jesuits invaded the Northern
forests and successfully planted the cross
of Christ in wilde where the flag of France
could not save them from the stake. On
the other hand Spanish missionaries ad-
vanced into Mexico and South America
along roads cut by the swords of Cortez
and Pizarro. For though at fret the
Church had nothing to rely on but the
blood of her martyrs, it does not follow
that she should always be left in the same
extremity and never permitted to pref by
the Influences which success would patu-
rally bring to her aid.
And SO we concur with our dissenting
brethren in expecting much of good to the
Church from recent political changes in
the East, though not in the way intended
by them. The gate will truly be opened
to vast region hitherto jealously guarded
by the Evil One. The flag of civilization
a partially Christian civilization-will now
claim respectful consideration in that whole
region of death, and the powers of dark
ness however they may gnash their teeth
in rage, must bow before it. Burning
priests and converts in one common holo-
caust will hereafter be the subject of un-
comment and will probably pro-
duce disagreeable complications. Even in
Asiatic Turkey, where persecution unto
death has not latterly prevailed, the pros
pect will be found greatly frightened, for
the persecution of unlimited rapine is
nearly as repressive as that of blood.
1t takes no prophet to say that the Cath
olic Church will be the actual reaper of the