has been rehearsed, even when it is imperfectly understood. I once met with a poor Greek, servant in a family at Smyrna, who repeated long passages from the epistles of St. Paul, quite beyond his comprehension, much more accurately than I could have repeated them myself from the English version.

The subjects just treated give an exhilarating view of the Greek Church. The Orientalists, in Turkey at least, have laid hold of the inestimable prize of God's word with so tenacious a hand that it may justly be questioned if any violence, external or internal, shall be able to wrest it from them. Though in some other respects there may be a melancholy conformity with the church of Rome, here there is a most glorious distinction. The Greeks are not guilty of the enormous crime of impeding the communication of divine mercy to a lost world. Many an alarming accusation may doubtless be urged against Romish apostacy. But, perhaps, the most dark and deadly of all its deeds is the prohibition of the study of God's word; since it seals and perpetuates every other error, and excludes, as much as possible all hope of amendment and reformation. If it had been in the power of some mortal to intercept the light of the sun in its progress from heaven to earth-to arrest, in mid course, the rains which were on their way to fertilize the ground— and if he had exerted a power so mighty for a pur

pose so disastrous, turning a fruitful world into barrenness, and destroying its entire population to gratify some sordid interest, would not such a crime as this be too vast to be expressed in human language? What, then, shall we say of a religion which attempts to check the free course of that truth which is the light and life of the immortal spirit; and hence is as much superior to the light of the sun as eternity is to time? God has spoken from heaven: the Roman-Catholic religion attempts to overpower the sound of His voice. God has given the Scriptures as an epistle from himself to mankind. Romanism places a seal upon the volume. God has commanded us to read: Romanism gives orders, "Read not." Thus does popery barricade, as it were, the very gate of paradise. It says to God, Hitherto shalt Thou go, and no further. It would exclude the Deity from his own empire, and despoil man of his salvation.

Happy is it for Greece that she is not stained with guilt so gigantic. She neither insults the Deity, nor wrongs herself, by preventing the free use of the Scriptures. By receiving gladly the word of God, the Greek Church has evinced that it has not linked itself eternally to error. It contains within itself the principle and means of reformation. It may almost be compared to the Ethiopian Eunuch who was engaged in studying the Sacred records on his return from Jerusalem, to whom the

Evangelist was sent to enlarge and correct his views. Who would not venture to expect the divine blessing on a Church which has adopted such a line of conduct? Who would not venture to hope Divine Word shall prosper in

that here, also, the

the thing whereunto it is sent?

CHAPTER X.

CIRCULATION OF TRACTS AND OTHER RELIGIOUS

PUBLICATIONS.

Character of Greek Religious Treatises-Works of the Fathers, in manuscript, abundant in the Greek Monasteries-Writings of Korai-Interview with him at Paris-Publications of Bambas-Welcome reception given to Tracts.

THE facilities afforded by the Press for communicating information have been employed, almost universally in modern Missions. The Church Missionary Society, as well as other kindred institutions, has availed itself of this advantage in the Mediterranean. It has had a printing-press in active operation for some years in the Island of Malta; and under the superintendance of the Rev. W. Jowett, it has been the means of circulating a very large number of religious publications in various languages.

The Greeks have been in the utmost need of this species of instruction. Works which could give clear views of Christian doctrine have not existed among them; and the writings of a religious character, which were in use, were of the most super

stitious kind. If an individual, under concern for his eternal interests, had recourse to the sermons, or Synaxaria (legends), or practical treatises which might fall in his way, instead of discovering and embracing the consolatory truth, that Christ had suffered all that was necessary to atone for his sins, he was usually led to impose upon himself the most rigorous self-inflictions, and to depend, in a considerable degree, on his own sufferings for an entrance into eternal blessedness. I remember meeting with an individual who, by the perusal of such works as these, had performed daily, for a course of years, thousands of "repentances;" had fasted in the most self-denying manner, had given away in alms the pecuniary means which he possessed, had practised many other mortifications, and, thus flattering himself that he had arrived at a high degree of sanctity, had actually attempted the performance of a miracle.

The best works of divinity, which the Greeks have possessed, are the writing of the Fathers. Not only are printed editions to be found amongst them, but in the monasteries numerous manuscript copies of Chrysostom, Gregory, Basil, Epiphanius and others.1 Sometimes they are beautiful specimens of penmanship; being usually written on vellum, and probably of the 14th or 15th centuries. Notwithstanding the

They are known by the generic name Chrysostomics (XpvooσTOμIKÁ.)