["Colonial, Foreign and Home News", The Colonial Church Chronicle and Missionary Journal, No. LXXXIX (November, 1854), page 193.]
SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL--On Oct. 25th, a Special Meeting of the Society was held at 79, Pall Mall, to determine on measures for affording additional spiritual aid to our sick and wounded soldiers at the seat of war. The meeting was largely attended for the time of year. The BISHOP OF LONDON, who presided, said that it was of the highest importance that the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel had taken the lead in this movement, and had determined on carrying it out, if proper means were furnished. He was requested to state that the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was unavoidably absent, entirely concurred in the movement, and that it had received the most cordial encouragement from Government. The REV. ERNEST HAWKINS read a statement from the Standing Committee, of its views in recommending the design to the Society, and it was unanimously adopted on the motion of A. J. B. HOPE, ESQ. The CHAPLAIN GENERAL, MAJOR POWYS, and the REV. T. B. MURRAY, also addressed the Meeting. A Committee was appointed, and it was agreed to hold a Public Meeting On Nov. 1, to commence a Special Fund for providing additional Chaplains. It was announced that the
first two Chaplains have been already appointed; and that the Government is ready to pay one-half of their stipends, and to allow them rations and a free passage.
["Colonial, Foreign and Home News", The Colonial Church Chronicle and Missionary Journal, No. XC (December, 1854), page 225.]
ASSISTANT CHAPLAINS FOR OUR SICK AND WOUNDED SOLDIERS.--Our last number contained a brief account of a special meeting which was convened by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, to determine on the proper measures to be taken for affording spiritual consolation and aid to our sick and wounded soldiers at the seat of war. We have now the extreme gratification of stating, that the whole number of Chaplains required by the Government have been appointed, on the recommendation of the Society. We subjoin their names, and believe that nearly (if not quite) all will have sailed before this notice reaches the eye of the reader. We heartily thank the Society for the liberality and promptitude with which they have acted in this emergency.
List of those who have been appointed. Rev. E. Owen, M.A.
Rev. C. E. Hadow, B.A.
Rev. E. Eade, M.A.
Rev. E. G. Parker, M.A.
Rev. R Freeman, M.A.
Rev. H. A. Taylor, M.A.
Rev. L. J. Parsons, M.A.
Rev. T. J. Freeth, LL.D.
Rep. W. F. Hobson, B.A.
Rev. W. Whyatt, M.A.
Rev. D. Winham, M.A.
Rev. G. H. Proctor, M.A.
[Report appended to the above issue of The Colonial Church Chronicle and Missionary Journal.] [1] ASSISTANT CHAPLAINS FOR OUR SICK AND WOUNDED SOLDIERS. (With a List of Subscribers up to 28th November, 1854.)
________AT a Meeting of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, held at 79, Pall Mall, on Tuesday, October 24, 1854,
THE LORD BISHOP OF LONDON IN THE CHAIR,
the following Statement was read and adopted:--
The number of Chaplains attached to the Army in the field, though bearing a considerably greater proportion to the force employed than during any previous war, is still confessedly inadequate to the urgent necessities of the case; and it is impossible for the Government, looking to the constitution of our regiments, to supply this want. The Society, therefore, with the sanction of the proper authorities, has determined to send out, without delay, as many Clergymen as the funds to be placed at its disposal will admit; and it desires gratefully to acknowledge the liberality of Her Majesty's Government in undertaking, not only to provide a free passage, with suitable accommodation and service, for all who may be appointed to this work of piety and charity, but also to make an allowance towards their maintenance.
For the means of carrying out this design, the Society appeals to the countrymen of those who have so freely shed their blood at the call of duty; and when, on the one hand, the peculiar sufferings and anxieties of our gallant Soldiers, as they lie on their hospital beds in a strange land, far away from their home and kindred, are considered; and, on the other, the consolations in anguish, [1/2] and the hope in death, which it is in our power, at a comparatively trifling sacrifice, to afford them; the Society is confident that this Appeal will meet with a hearty, prompt, and generous response.
Recognising the providential opening for the extension of the Gospel, which is afforded by the presence of a British Army in a Mahometan country, the Society cherishes the hope that the practical exemplification of the principles of our Church, on the part of those whom she sends forth on this mission of peace and love, will, under, the Divine blessing, open a way for the Gospel to have free course and be glorified.
The following Resolutions were then unanimously adopted:--
I. "That a Fund be opened for the purpose of maintaining an additional number of Clergymen, to minister, under the direction of the Ecclesiastical authorities on the spot, to our Sick and Wounded Soldiers, at the Seat of War in the East."
II. "That a Special Committee be appointed to carry out the object of the foregoing Resolution; and that it consist of the Members of the Standing Committee, and of the following gentlemen, with power to add to their number:
THE CHAPLAIN GENERAL
LT.-COLONEL GRANT, R.A.
LT.-COL. PORTLOCK, R. E.
LT.-COLONEL MOORSOM.
LT.-COLONEL WILMOT, R. A.
LT.-COLONEL SHORT.
MAJOR THE HON. H. L. POWYS.
CAPTAIN SCOTT, R. E.
CAPTAIN LEFROY, R. A.
CAPTAIN RIDDELL, R.A.
CAPTAIN GLEIG, R.A.III. "That a Public Meeting be held at Willis's Room., King Street, St. James' Square, on Wednesday, November 1st, at Two o'clock, P.M., to direct attention to the duty of sending additional Clergymen to minister to our Sick and Wounded Soldiers."
[3] The Society has much gratification in giving publicity to the following passages, from Letters of Officers in the Army, by whom it was mainly influenced to open a Special Fund for maintaining additional Clergymen at the Seat of War:--
From a Lieutenant- Colonel of Artillery at Dover.
* * * Now our foot is on the Eastern shore, could we not, at once, send a small Mission, say an Archdeacon, and a few Deacons, and others, in the wake of our Army, and show that we have a Church, and that the greatest blessing we have to give them, is Christianity. Before long, the Roman Catholics will be sending a Bishop, and after they are established, we shall think about it. * * * Think of the number of our fellow-Christians who will sink without a minister of our Church to help them! Surgeons are being sent out,--surely some pastors may be found who would make a landing, on the very spot, (I believe,) where now exist caves where Christians hid themselves.
As the Turks cannot but be struck by our forbearance in pillaging, &c., our practice must work favourably. * * * It may be, I may go there myself, and I know the feeling that would be created by the Church of England thinking of her wounded sons, and not leaving them to die without Christian burial. As regards funds, that will follow any faithful band once landed, and the Army would support them, I will answer for it, and be thankful too.
* * * A party might go at once to the scene of action, Sebastopol, and others to Scutari; and as for "respect," the passages I send you, in the enclosed, will show you how grateful soldiers are for any attention to their spiritual wants. Believe me, it is a good ground to work on, for there are not many hypocrites. It appears, the Turks are much struck by the ability and attention of the surgeons,--what a handmaid would the Church be to them! and the promise is the same now as it ever was, and conquerors have a prestige which the poor Missionary alone cannot have. The base, (as we call it,) I should think, ought to be the hospital and the camp, extending itself to the Turks incidentally, denouncing drunkenness; [3/4] as at present the Turk is much scandalized, and thinks it is permitted, in the same way as other worse crimes are by them.
Never was there such a noble chance of planting the Cross with the Flag of England; the danger is taken away; hardships are those common to all there: and if there is Providential watching in this war, and if we gain victories, it ought not to be simply to keep the Bear in his cold climate; it must be to extend the blessings of the Gospel over the world. It has been too true, that in India, and other places, our Army has left a sad impression of our religious principles; and why? because no ministers went with our armies, and our poor soldiers were left to themselves. * * *
We have many officers of the Army who have the grand piety of Gustavus Adolphus, and who would be of incalculable use when nationally backed by their Church. If the Scripture Reader, unaided, can plant his foot there, the favoured Church of England need not pause.
Pardon my writing thus; you will hear, I hope, from Col. ------ on the same subject. Believe me, what is wanted, is the "hardness" from the Church of England to work (through God's blessing) little less than miracles in our Army; and through them to the Infidel. One thorough, humbled, faithful soldier on the field, will tell with great power upon the Turk; and many there are now with the Army, whose zeal is consumed in their own bosoms, and which will burst out when it is called forth.
From an Officer of Artillery in Ireland.
MY friend, Colonel ------, told me that he has written a few lines to you, exhorting that some attempt be made to send out a few earnest and devoted ministers (and perhaps laymen also) of the Church of England, to administer to the spiritual wants of our poor soldiers in the hospital at Scutari. I have a brother-in-law lying there, (thank God, not wounded, but of fever,) and he says, "I have been enabled to speak a word to several of the sick officers, and I find that their hearts are much softened, and ready to hear." He does not say much of his men, as these he always feels a part of his charge and flock. Of their sufferings, he says, "A man of my company, with a grape-shot through his leg, has been eight days in [4/5] hospital, and no doctor has been near him to dress his wound. It is a sad sight to see the poor fellows lying there, the passages as well as the wards all full."
It does not, however, require such details as these to point out to Churchmen, who are so deeply interested in them, that here is a truly missionary and fraternal opportunity of bringing the all-prevailing and comforting Name before the suffering and the dying. And I so fully feel with my valued friend ------, that the Church of England is so inadequately "represented," if I may use such an unecclesiastical word, in the Army, and has always been so, that we ought to seize such an opportunity, independently of all other considerations, for showing the value of such ministrations to the soldier. * * * The desire expressed by my friend is not a new one, arising from the exigency of the moment, but a deep and settled conviction that the Army is an extra-parochial and neglected body, presenting a wide field for the labours of devoted men, who shall come accredited from any constituted authority. If such was our conviction in time of peace, how much more when the wounded and the dying are separated from those whose friendly and loving words can alone be expected to bring forward the glad tidings, and cheer the heart and soul as it passes into that Presence where the shouts of no other victory but that of the Lamb are heard! Let an appeal for such a purpose be made through any of the recognised channels of the Church of England, or by any of our Clergy or Bishops, and means would soon be forthcoming, nor would men be lacking, I firmly believe. And what a "residue" would there be of their work, if they could once make anything like a beginning of teaching in such a hostile country, so hostile to the Cross of Christ! * * * In almost every regiment one or more would hold out the right hand of fellowship. But the "Apostle" required is one that feels he is truly "sent," and does not think how he will be received. I can surely testify that there is grain to be gathered into the garner of the Lord. * * * I beg to enclose an order for 5l., which is all that, according to my ability, I am able to offer just now.
______ [6] The following Memorial has been addressed to the Society by some Officers at Woolwich:--
WE are desirous of calling the attention of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to the extreme importance of a further provision being made for the religious necessities of the Soldiers of the Army in the East, than that which appears to exist at present. We trust that the Society will deem no mission more sacred than a mission to the wounded and dying of those British regiments who have so nobly done their duty to their Sovereign and their country. Whatever the Government may have done,--and we do not presume to imply that the Government has been unmindful of this duty,--has been necessarily in reference rather to the ordinary supply of religious services, than to the extraordinary demands for the ministrations of the Church which follow a hard-fought engagement and overflowing hospitals. We, therefore, as individuals deeply sympathising with our comrades abroad, some of us personally interested in the present and the eternal welfare of those who are or may be in a condition to stand in urgent need of the ministrations and the consolations of religion, unite in calling upon the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to take into consideration the vital importance of their ministrations being carried, by the agency of an authorized Clergy, to the bedsides of those who cannot be reached by the limited clerical staff of the Army, or brought to bear upon the last solemn moments of those who do not live to reach the hospitals.
______ How necessary an additional number of Clergymen is, will be plain from the subjoined extract from the Principal Chaplain's letter:--
Heights above Sebastopol, Oct. 3, 1854.
I received your letter this morning, informing me of the increase to be made 'o the staff of Clergy, which will be most acceptable. Poor Mr. Mockler died last night; Mr. Lawless is sick on board a transport; Mr. Campbell has just returned, a convalescent, to his division: in fact, Mr. Halpin, Mr. Eagar, and I, have been the three who, by God's blessing, have been enabled to continue at their [6/7] duty during this trying campaign. I ought to add, that Messrs. Shehan and Webbe (Roman Catholic priests) have carried un their labours without interruption, front their arrival in the East to this moment.
Some few weeks ago a Mr. Hayward, who had been travelling in the Holy Land, applied to be occupied as a Chaplain during the campaign; and as he was well known to Mr. Sabine (our Chaplain at Scutari), and his sister known to me, I thought it my duty to recommend the acceptance of his services. He is doing duty with the sick at Balaklava Hospital, where he has very severe work. We have had a melancholy time of it; and nothing but God's mercy upon us has preserved us during the toil and exposure and sickness of the past sixteen days. The clothes I have on have never left my person since we landed in the Crimea; and till last night, the canopy of heaven was my covering, with dews that wet my clothes through and through.
The following correspondence will show distinctly the terms on which the services of Assistant Chaplains are engaged:--
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, 79, Pall Mall,
October 28th, 1854.SIR--The Society having under consideration the insufficiency of the ordinary number of military chaplains to meet the extraordinary demands of an army in the field, and to minister to the sick and wounded soldiers in the hospitals, has directed me to call your attention to the necessity of despatching, without delay, to the seat of war an additional body of clergy, to be placed under the authority of the senior chaplain. I am further directed to say, that the Society will undertake to make an allowance at the rate of 100l. a-year to every such chaplain, provided that the Government will guarantee an equal sum, with free passage, and the ordinary field allowances. The Society is compelled to limit its own undertaking, in the first instance, to a single year.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
(Signed) ERNEST HAWKINS.
The Right Hon. Sidney Herbert.
[8] War Office, Oct. 30, 1854.
SIR,--I am directed by the Secretary-at-War to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 28th instant, representing the necessity of an immediate addition to the military chaplains now ministering to the army in the East, and to convey to you the high sense which the Government entertains of the liberality of the proposals for supplying this want which you have made on behalf of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, as well as of the motives which have dictated them. While informing you that Mr. Sidney Herbert concurs in the arrangements suggested by you for the payment of the Clergy, whom it is accordingly proposed to send out to the Seat of War, I am instructed to state, that an allowance of 100l. a year, together with the usual field and other allowances, will be granted to every such Clergyman recommended for this work by the Society, and whose appointment is approved in this department. A free passage to Constantinople or the Crimea, according to the demand for his services, will also be provided for him at the public expense; and, as you have intimated, during the period of his employment in this capacity, he will be subject to the same discipline, and amenable to the same authority as an army chaplain. I am to add, that Mr. Sidney Herbert considers it highly desirable that six Clergymen should, if possible, be despatched in the course of the next week or ten days. I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
(Signed) B. HAWES.
To the Secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.
Twelve Assistant Chaplains have been already appointed; ten of whom had sailed on Nov. 29.
______ Remittances may be made by Cheque on a London Banker, crossed to "Messrs. DRUMMOND," or Order on the General Post-Office, London, or Draft on a London Banker, payable to "REV. DR. JOHN RUSSELL." If payment be made through a Country Banker, a Letter of advice addressed to the Office (79, Pall Mall, London,) is requested.
["Subscribers", pages 9-12 is omitted.]
[From The Colonial Church Chronicle and Missionary Journal, No. XCI (January, 1855), pages 241-247.]
[241] THE NEW CRUSADE. THE season of Advent has come round again, and this year Advent finds us in the midst of war. Never, we may venture to say--never was a war so long and so earnestly deprecated; never were Statesmen more reluctant to enter upon it; never was a brave and free people so eager in their hope that the scourge might be averted. It has been ordered otherwise. A forty years' European peace has been broken, during which our own land preeminently had her "rest." War is upon us, and before us; God in His wisdom and mercy knows for how long! Politicians say we have "drifted" towards it; other nations, they tell us, are drifting the same way. What politicians see, but do not simply own, let the Church of Christ in this land very humbly and very solemnly confess. The hand of God Himself has led us. He has "lifted up His ensign." He has called us to the terrors and the judgments--yes, and to the blessed opportunities of war.
The Christian's first feeling upon the prospect of such a fearful struggle of nations is, doubtless, one of distress and anxiety. The English Christian goes back in sad remembrance to the last war. He recollects that the glories of our armies went hand in hand, as it were, with the shame of our Church. A great outburst of Deistical unbelief, a great schism in the English communion, a great falling off from primitive faith and primitive holiness--these were the stages, the first, and the second, and the third, which marked the last century. And then how feeble were our Missions! how scant and niggard our alms! What a prostration of all Christian heroism--what a shrinking from all [241/242] spiritual enterprise) Where was the English Christian who laboured in India by the side of the simple-hearted noble Schwartz? Where were the priests of the Church of Christ amongst us, who said to England's soldiers, "Let not your hearts faint; fear not and do not tremble, for the Lord your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you."
But the present is a very different war--and a Christian's feelings are very different as he contemplates it. It is not the lust of empire that lures us on. It is not the ambition of princes, or the madness of the people. No, nor, on the other hand, have we sought to kindle a fierce fanaticism, or ventured, in the presence of a fearful judgment of God, to cloak the passion of conquest under the pretence of a zeal for the faith.
In truth, we hardly dare to avow what none but the most thoughtless can deny--we hardly dare to avow that we, too, have a Mission, and that this war is for the Truth and Glory of God. We are too ignorant or too proud to confess our sins; and so we are--hundreds and thousands of us--perplexed and bewildered, that in spite of all our love of peace, in spite of our approved policy of non-intervention, in spite of all the efforts of our diplomacy, and all the manifold bonds of our commercial interests, we are plunged into a terrible struggle of blood! Amidst all that has been said and written about this most momentous crisis, perhaps this, the most pressing truth of all, has had no full, no sufficient expression. Its very sound is sure to give offence to many. But it may not be suppressed. There is a heavy burden of sin lying at the door of Christendom. The reproach of twelve centuries has to be wiped out; if it may haply be.
In this solemn Advent tide let the Church of Christ remember that she is called to a New Crusade.
A new and a real Crusade! The idea may be strange, the word may be repulsive. Let us see how our own Church, in spite of her caution--in spite of her non-aggressiveness--in spite of her inexperience of the means and appliances of this form of warfare, has been led on wonderfully--almost imperceptibly--all but unconsciously--till she just awakes and finds herself with this "dispensation of the Gospel committed" to her.
A few facts will suffice,--few, and now very familiar, but still very impressive. They mark the preparation for the work.
Our army has assembled in Turkey; it has just landed on those shores of Eastern Europe, which English soldiers had not touched, for long centuries. We are almost startled, while we rejoice, at the news. There was the Holy Communion celebrated. The Bishop of our Church, to whom now for [242/243] twelve years we have assigned the care of our scattered congregations on the shores of the Mediterranean, and the no less important office of witnessing for England's Church to the Greek who mistrusts her, and to the Turk who hardly knows her existence, was, very happily, at his post of high and solemn privilege. It was a Communion surely much to be remembered. Those soldiers of England and Scotland and Ireland--how different from their brethren in the last war;--they listened attentively to God's word, they lifted up their manly voices in the holy hymn, they knelt down, officers and men, a large, and blessed company, some for their first Communion, alas! how many for their last on earth. They knelt in the sight of that city which owns not Christ, in the faith of the Crucified. By a good confession, most calm, and yet most earnest, in the Holy Name, and in a strength not their own, they witnessed in that land of ancient error--they witnessed back to their own land more than they well knew, or we could believe,--that they were Soldiers of the Cross.
Some months passed by. The army had been supplied with a larger number of Chaplains than had ever been sent on such an expedition before. Still they were insufficient. At home and in the camp, soldiers asked for an unwonted reinforcement. Something whispered in brave hearts that this was no common war, and that those who held their lives in their hand ought to have God's minister to speak to them of mercy in battle, and of consolation in death. At once the call was answered. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel instinctively felt that in this army there was a work which she was hound to assist--which was hers. She has the reward of her promptitude and her wisdom. Twelve Clergymen of the Church of England, selected under her auspices, are now labouring in the hospitals of Constantinople, or are ministering to our forces in the Crimea. The holy vows offered on that eve of the great campaign will be kept in remembrance. The Christian soldier will have, we trust, through this terrible ordeal that he has to pass, the "shield of the" true "faith," and the "preparation of the Gospel of peace."
There is a third fact; it is even more significant and impressive. The rejoicings over the first victory were sadly mingled with the cries of distress from the wounded and the untended. These cries went to the heart of Christian England. Another aid was wanted in this great war; for the first time England supplied it, but without hesitation, without controversy, without any idle talk or timid prejudice, at once she supplied it. Some of her own noblest daughters offered themselves in the work of mercy, for the Mission of Christian love. It was not enough that England's bravest blood should gush forth in [243/244] torrents upon that distant land, and in this great cause of the weak and the suffering; some of her gentlest hearts must "spend and be spent" in a noble self-sacrifice and a divine charity. Christian purity and Christian tenderness and compassion must be "visibly set forth" in a new form, and in a blessed contrast, before those who know not yet that woman as well as man has received a Mission from the very foot of the Cross.
The thoughts which this war should suggest to us should be sober thoughts; all exaggerated language is unsuitable; all confident predictions are manifestly vain and irrational. We know too little of the first elements of the question to speculate with any probability upon the future. Whether Mohammedanism be destined to receive now its death-blow; whether it be likely to have its decline accelerated; or whether, on the contrary, it really be declining, whether it may not have in Turkey, as it has had elsewhere, its revival:--again, whether the general result of our interference on their behalf will open to us a door of access to the Mohammedan world, or whether it will stimulate their fanaticism, or only confirm their apathy:--all these questions are beyond our power; they are beyond the duties of the present.
It is enough that God has spoken to us in the fearful voice of one of His great judgments: enough that He has united us in a wonderful alliance with our former rivals and enemies: still more, that He has united almost the whole British race at home and in our colonies as one man, to set their seal of solemn unanimous approval upon the great and sacred struggle--as we believe it--in behalf of violated justice and offended truth.
This is enough to make us sober and resolved; enough to rally brave spirits to our armies, and to stay thoughtful minds with confidence in our counsels. But it is not enough for Christian faith; it is not enough for the unquenchable love, which year after year sighs, and prays, and yearns for Him who is to come.
Our very ignorance of Mohammedanism is our deep reproach, even if there were no other. Still we find that it is professed, some say, by 150 millions of souls; still we are startled by meeting it almost wherever we open a new mission, or set our foot on a heathen land. The Crescent is continually before the Cross. Alas, alas! sometimes, even in our own days, it seems again to have mocked and trampled on it. Feeble and effete in India, it still laughs at our puny efforts and our irregular assaults. Five or six converts seem to be all that our two Church Societies can report in the space of nearly the last two years. At the Cape of Good Hope it has been asserted that before the recent revival of religion there, since the foundation of the See of [244/245] Capetown, some Christians had actually lapsed to the arch misbelief; in Borneo the Malays, it has been recently affirmed, have nearly all become Mohammedans by direct conversion. Further, we have been told that the assertion recently made of the total and universal apathy of Islam as to what we should call Missionary enterprise, is refuted by a great work amongst the negroes of North Africa and the heathens of New Guinea.
Surely it is time to gird ourselves up, and throw off that shameful Christian apathy, which has so long patiently or rather heedlessly endured, that the False Prophet of Mecca should still deceive and debase a tenth part of the population of the world. Surely it is time to inquire what has been at work in the mind of the Mussulman during these long ages, in which he has ceased to draw his sword for conquest, and apparently to lift up his thoughts any more in the pursuits of literature or science. Is the Koran still livingly believed? How far have the sects within the bosom of Islam, of which we hear in India, corrupted it, or by introducing a sceptical spirit, undermined its influence altogether? Is Mohammedanism now-a-days tolerant, or persecuting? If it persecutes, what portion of the truth does it profess to condemn? Again, how has the Mussulman ever had the truth presented to him? Has he, after all, ever seen it in any tolerable degree of purity? Does the Greek Church witness before him with any sufficient force and faithfulness now? Again, is his modern degeneracy rather local and partial, the result of climate or mis-government, or does it necessarily follow from his misbelief? Is it true alike of the Turk and the Arab, of the Egyptian and the Malay? Once more, what classes form that great yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, which a recent writer has estimated at 60,000 worshippers from all quarters of the Mohammedan world? Does the air of the Desert still keep pure, and keen, and fresh, the simple and majestic faith, that "there is One God?" And is the miserable corruption, the sensuality, and the oppression of which we read, rather the vice of courts, the result of irresponsible power, the symptom of a deep-seated disease, but one which is found amongst professing Christians, as well as misbelieving Turks?
These are some of the questions which need to be calmly and patiently investigated; but there are others also. Is not this great religion of Mohammed, with its wide-spread historic fame, its vast populations, and its mighty tradition of wonderful deeds, a challenge to Christendom, even bolder and more peremptory than it was in the days of Urban, or of Innocent? Is not its mere endurance, the mere tenacity of its convulsive life, down to the middle of this nineteenth century, a portent worthy to be noted by all thoughtful men, and to the Christian a sign full of [245/246] deepest, saddest, most thrilling interest? Can that great and sovereign truth of the Unity of the Eternal God be so strong a bond, and so sustaining; and shall not the faith of Jesus be accepted yet, and be found in blessed consistency with it? Shall that stern composure, and proud resignation of Islam, have stood unshaken the awful reverses of more than a decad of centuries, and must the hope be excluded that it may yet be transfigured into the calm serenity of Christian trust, and the "patient waiting for Christ?"
Surely, whatever be the answer to these questions, this war opens a great, a wonderful opportunity. The indifference of the Christian and the Mohammedan, both of them, is solemnly rebuked of God. They are once again brought near to one another,--in the alliance of arms. By a marked dispensation, the largest of British armies, and no contemptible firstfruits of a Christian Mission, have been planted amongst them. Many a brave heart doubtless, amidst the anxieties and sufferings of war, has mused upon the destiny of that beautiful capital--the City of Constantine. Many a thoughtful spirit has asked whether those earliest scenes of the triumphs of his own faith shall ever be refreshed again with the voice of Christian praise. Oh! for that "Great Heart," as St. Chrysostom calls him, which once poured itself forth in tenderest love for Thessalonica and Philippi! Oh! for that soul, truly called "Divine," which rose so pure, so calm, so majestically simple, so nobly true above all the mysticism of Asiatic error, which taught those Seven Churches of the Apocalypse "to repent and do their first works," "If not, I will come to thee quickly, and remove thy candlestick out of its place except thou repent;" which said to all, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God."
It is surely a thought for all--it is specially a thought, or rather a prayer--an Advent prayer for the Church amongst us, "Shall these dead bones live?" Blood has been shed in terrible profusion. Christian bodies of our best and bravest lie in those distant lands. We are fighting for the weak and the oppressed. But that "battle of the warrior, with its confused noise, and garments rolled in blood," cannot save those whose "whole head is sick, and whose whole heart is faint." Victory may be complete--peace may be restored, but the statesman's traditional difficulty will remain what it was. There is no regeneration for the Mussulman in mere European arts and refinements. Only one can "break the yoke of his burden and the rod of his oppressor"--only the Lord Christ. Oh! Christian England--oh! Church of our Fathers--oh! follow on, where, of themselves, thy brave sons and thy noble-hearted daughters have led the way; not with the old fierceness--not with the old intolerance [246/247]--not to divide another and a weaker Church, but to strengthen it by a more faithful example. Not by violent railings against falsehood and error, but by a meek, patient, loving ministry of the truth--not by a few hasty irregular efforts, but by the presence of a communion of saints, and the irresistible strength of thy full panoply--thy daily prayers, thy weekly fast, thy more lively oracles, thy sustaining sacraments--lift up the Cross. Lift up the light, and the love, the unspeakable charm of thy King in His beauty. Thou canst not fail Thou canst show a great people what "they ignorantly worship;" thou canst show them the living reality of that religion, of which they have only one noble fragment and a few imperfect shadows. Thou canst not fail. Even the Koran begins its every lesson, "In the name of the most merciful God."
Advent, 1854. W.
[From The Colonial Church Chronicle and Missionary Journal, No. XCII (February, 1855), pages 306-309.]
[306] SCUTARI AND THE CRIMEA. Extracts from Letters of Assistant Chaplains recently sent by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to the Seat of War.
"SCUTARI BARRACKS, Dec. 7th, 1854.
"FIRST, I will tell you that I am happier and happier in my work every day; and I cannot thank you sufficiently for pointing me to this portion of God's vineyard, where in the most literal sense, the harvest is plenteous, but the labourers have been and still are very few. For my first ten days here, it was incessant toil and hard work from morning till night, and sometimes through the night too; for there were none to help me, poor Sabin, who had had two months of such labour, being laid up a few days after my arrival.
Owen went on to the Crimea, and so I had three thousand dying and sick men to tend. At the end of the month, Freeman and Eade came to my relief (both earnest, hard-working men); and it was well they did, for, shortly after their arrival, I had such an attack of sickness and diarrha, that I was ordered out of this foul atmosphere by Dr. Mac Gregor, and slept for two nights in the town. He promised me a fever or cholera; but, thank God, I got over it, and was at work again the next day, and am now as strong as a lion. I believe myself it was only the seasoning to this unaccustomed work; for, though at first I could not stand the stench of corrupt wounds, I can now live and sleep in the hospital as well as in my snug lodgings at Crayford, in the garden of England. With regard to the work of directing these dear fellows to their Saviour, its blessedness far exceeds my expectations. The value of the Word of God--the perfection of the salvation offered us in Christ crucified--and the power of prayer in His name--come out more and more clearly every day. The most stupid being in God's creation, with the least spark of love to Christ in his soul, could not but work for Him here, and in labouring feel himself useful. I am persuaded now of what I was not persuaded once, that the best school for eloquent and forcible preaching is at the bedside of the sick and the dying, and that the best sermon notes are composed there. The earnest eyes with which these brave men watch for us and welcome us, and the eager ears with which they drink in the glad tidings of the Gospel, bring more ample satisfaction to the heart of a Christian minister, than the most perfect and polite attention of a crowded church can possibly do. In a word, it is the school which, above all others, I especially needed, for it gives me great boldness in speaking the 'truth as it is in Jesus,' and confirms my own faith in Him.
There is one truth especially, the inestimable value of which is called forth repeatedly by the scenes I witness daily,--I mean the perfect humanity of our blessed Lord. I never saw human beings so utterly worn with fatigue and privation as many of these soldiers, and I remember that He was weary; I never was among men so cut off from their friends and relations, and I remember that He was forsaken; I never witnessed such humiliation as that to which the most noble [306/307] and strongest among the sons of men are subject here, and I remember the condescending humility of the Captain of our Salvation; I never looked on such agony of soul as is expressed, in the words and the gestures of many among them, and I call to mind His agony in the garden; I never saw bodies so torn and lacerated, or limbs so racked with pain as here, but the Cross of Christ comes distinctly before me; I never contemplated the fact of dying in torture till I saw men die here, and then the astounding fact of the Death upon the Cross fills one's soul with wonder and with love. To be brief, notwithstanding all my fellow-creatures suffer here--I do not think man could point to a scene of such multiplied suffering in any other part of the world notwithstanding this, the sufferings of Christ in our human body always mount above them, and I am able to direct the minds even of the most wretched and miserable to that adorable fact, as a proof of His love to their souls.
You must know there are two hospitals,--one called the 'General Hospital,' containing 1,500; my hospital, Scutari Barracks, containing 3,000; and two hulks, containing about 600 sick and wounded."
________ From another Assistant Chaplain in connexion with S. P. G., just arrived at Scutari.
"Dec. 24th.
"After breakfast, and before service, I visited the hospital at Scutari; went over the wards, which were very comfortable. The men expressed themselves very grateful that so much was done for them. Miss Nightingale and the nurses are of very great use. An oath or profaneness is seldom or never heard.
Notice had been given of the Holy Communion for Christmas-day."
At the January Meeting of the Christian Knowledge Society, the following letter from the Rev. S. Kelson Stothert, dated Camp, Balaklava, 11th December, 1854, was read:--
"You have more than once kindly assisted me in recommending the Society to give me books. I have been now appointed Chaplain to the Navy brigade on the heights of Sevastopol. There are now 2,000 sailors under my charge; and, thanks to your most useful Society, we have a certain number of Bibles and Prayer Books for Divine Service. I have been asked very often by the men to lend them books, and it is a matter of strong anxiety to me to be in a position to afford them what they ask for; since perhaps a more valuable opportunity never occurred of doing good. The men are half barbarized by their present employment, but yet are anxious, to a very great degree, to turn their hopes and attention to better things. I venture to predict that any present of books from the Society will reach us very considerably before the campaign is over. Should it not be the case, I will return the books to you at my own expense."
In pursuance of this request, books to the amount of 15l. have been sent to Mr. Stothert. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel have also granted 25l. for books.
Is it not possible, now, for the English Church to do something for the regeneration of the Ottoman empire in the true and best sense of the [307/308] word? Are we to be content with giving the bravest of our sons to die for the independence of the Turks, without attempting to save them from the bondage of unbelief and sin?
Can we not establish an English Church for our countrymen residing in Constantinople? It might then be seen by the Oriental Christians, that while we reject what is erroneous in their system, we retain the same Apostolic Institutions as they do themselves. We should not, as the Romanists do, insist on communion with ourselves as necessary to salvation, nor should we seek to have dominion over their faith. We might thus let our light shine before them, and so we might be instrumental in leading the Oriental Communions to reform and purify themselves.
And again: is it not possible to attempt to evangelize the Mahometans? Can we do our duty to Christ if we neglect to make the attempt? And now there is a door open to us. This has been acknowledged by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. In the statement which the Society have put forth relating to Assistant Chaplains for our sick and wounded soldiers, there occurs the following sentence:--
"Recognising the providential opening for the extension of the Gospel, which is afforded by the presence of a British Army in a Mahometan country, the Society cherishes the hope that the practical exemplification of the principles of our Church, on the part of those whom she sends forth on this mission of peace and love, will, under the Divine blessing, open a way for the Gospel to have free course and be glorified."
And we find from the extracts which the Society has published from the letters of officers, that the same thing has occurred to soldiers:--
From a Lieutenant-Colonel of Artillery at Dover. " . . . . Now our foot is on the Eastern shore, could we not, at once, send a small Mission, say an Archdeacon, and a few Deacons, and others, in the wake of our Army, and show that we have a Church, and that the greatest blessing we have to give them, is Christianity? Before long, the Roman Catholics will be sending a Bishop, and after they are established, we shall think about it.
. . . . As the Turks cannot but be struck by our forbearance in pillaging, &c., our practice must work favourably. . . . It may be, I may go there myself, and I know the feeling that would be created by the Church of England thinking of her wounded sons, and not leaving them to die without Christian burial.
. . . . It appears, the Turks are much struck by the ability and attention of the surgeons,--what a handmaid would the Church be to them! and the promise is the same now as it ever was, and conquerors have a prestige which the poor Missionary alone cannot have. The base, (as we call it,) I should think, ought to be the hospital and the camp, extending itself to the Turks incidentally, denouncing drunkenness; as at present the Turk is much scandalized, and thinks it is permitted, in the same way as other worse crimes are by them.
Never was there such a noble chance of planting the Cross with the Flag of England; the danger is taken away; hardships are those common to all there: and if there is Providential watching in this war, and if we gain victories, it ought not to be simply to keep the Bear in his cold climate; it must be to extend the blessings of the Gospel over the world. It has been too true, that in India, and other places, our Army has left a sad impression of our religious principles; and why? because no ministers went with our armies, and our poor soldiers were left to themselves. . . .
We have many officers of the Army who have the grand piety of Gustavus Adolphus, and who would be of incalculable use when nationally backed by their Church. If the Scripture Reader, unaided, can plant his foot there, the favoured Church of England need not pause.
Pardon my writing thus; you will hear, I hope, from Col. ______ on the same subject. Believe me, what is wanted, is the 'hardness' from the Church of England, to work (through God's blessing) little less than miracles in our Army; and through them to the Infidel. One thorough, humbled, faithful soldier on the field, will tell with great power upon the Turk; and many there are now with the Army, whose zeal is consumed in their own bosoms, and which will burst out when it is called forth."Surely it is the duty of the Church of Christ to endeavour to bring the unbelieving Turks to the faith. To pray for them, as we do, without following up our prayers by action, is to acknowledge our duty without discharging it.
We are informed that the fund which has been raised for Additional Chaplains to the Forces in the East, is more than will be required if it should please God to restore peace to us during the present year. In this case the Society could hardly make a better and more appropriate use of the money entrusted to it, than in establishing a Church and Mission in Constantinople. We might be the means of delivering the Turks from their great enemy and oppressor. We may hope that our Missionaries would now at least be tolerated. And if not, persecution and death should not stop the faithful preacher of the Gospel, the servant of the crucified Redeemer, from endeavouring to save alive the souls of men. What is danger to the soldiers of the Cross? Cannot the Bishop of Gibraltar head this new Crusade? The Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem cannot move in the matter, for by an engagement, which we will not characterise, he is bound "not to meddle with the religious concerns of the Mahometan subjects of the Porte," [1] [(1) See in Colonial Church Chronicle for February, 1854, p. 320, the Earl of Aberdeen's Letter to the Bishop of Oxford.] i.e. be is not to attempt to convert and save them.
National independence has now its martyrs by thousands. Thousands of Englishmen have died for the maintenance of the Ottoman empire;--cannot the Church supply even a confessor for the eternal salvation of the people?
[From The Colonial Church Chronicle and Missionary Journal, No. XCIII (March, 1855), pages 345-348.]
[345] SCUTARI AND THE CRIMEA. Extracts from Letters of Assistant Chaplains recently sent by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to the Seat of War.
"SCUTARI BARRACKS, Dec. 26th, 1854.
"THIS Hospital, which has increased in numbers by at least 600 since I last wrote, is now divided between Mr. Halpin, Mr. Sabin, and myself, which reduces my division to 700; but, in addition to these, I have occasional night-work from the other divisions, on account of being in residence. Some of the poor fellows get frightened at night, and meditate more on their spiritual condition then than in broad daylight. I do not often get tired, for, thank God! I have very good health, but when I do, one grand consideration overcomes the disinclination to comply with their requests, viz. the example of Him who never shut His ears to the cry of misery and distress at any time. This additional labour brings with it also its own peculiar solace and encouragement; for I find the men themselves in such cases very ready to open their hearts, and more earnestly desirous to pray to their Father who seeth in secret. Mr. Lewis and Mr. Lawless have under their care 1,000 at the general hospital. Mr. Hobson has just arrived, and is to remain here. I notice this to show you how the other Chaplains whom you sent out have been disposed of; they have all been sent on to the Crimea. Freeman and Eade worked most zealously and efficiently here for a fortnight, but are now in the Crimea. With the exception of the Prayer-books and Bibles which Owen and I brought out from the Christian Knowledge Society, we have had none yet; they were disposed of in a few days; almost every man in my division asks me for a Prayer-book every morning, and I have none to give--indeed, I have only one, and that private, for my own use. Pray send me Prayer-books, Bibles, and a few Hymnbooks, from the Christian Knowledge Society. Whatever tracts are sent out must not be controversial, for our own people are side by side with Roman Catholics, and I have reason to believe that they lend what we give them to their companions. Neither, again, must they be dry and abstract--they must be simple, and well printed. Soldiers are, for the most part, very simple-minded, and very quick of apprehension, but they will not read anything that is very prosy and puzzles them. The Hulks which I mentioned in my last have increased their numbers, and may now amount to 800. We take that duty alternately, as we do the funerals.
There is one circumstance, or rather one fact, which I must [345/346] mention as it reflects great credit on all educational movements in our own favoured land, and especially on that of the army, that I have only found twelve members of the Church of England in my division who cannot read. Most of these plead guilty to the neglect of opportunities, and all desire to learn. Could not some aids, in the way of cards or books, be sent out for such cases? I rejoice to be able to state, that there are to be found among the patients here who are recovering, such tokens of a growing piety and attention to religious duties as too seldom accompany returning health and strength. Thus, though they will not venture to the public services in any great force, they quite fill these quarters on a Sunday evening, when they have Evening Prayers and a Sermon.
I have turned my attention during the last month to a class of men here called "Convalescents," who are separate from the Hospital and from the troops quartered here, and have established a two o'clock service with a sermon for them in the inspection room, kindly lent to me for that purpose. The corporal who has the care of them greatly aids me in this work, and our numbers have now increased from twelve to thirty. A Christian officer, also, in the lower division of the Hospital, has most kindly permitted me to assemble some of the, patients who are able to walk, in his private room, though he is lying on a sick-bed badly wounded. Freeman began the practice, and I promised him, when he left, to carry it on. Our public services on Sundays, which we take by turns, are, parade at nine o'clock, Sacrament and the Litany with a Sermon at eleven, and the Evening Prayers with a Sermon at three in the afternoon. There are also "Evening Prayers in the Nurses' Quarters every week-day. Our public service is held in the kitchen belonging to the Sultan's quarters (the best in the Hospital); but this is attended with much inconvenience, because the place is not devoted to public worship. In the Hospital I have literally to go and collect my congregation.
The books sent out by the War Office for the use of the officers are in great request. I have hung up a catalogue in my rooms, with a request that each officer who borrows them will write his name, the date, and the name of the book, with his place of abode, before he takes what he requires. Thus I get at once a catalogue and an index for those who come to inquire for the abodes of officers."
_______ From the Rev. Robert Freeman. "THE CRIMEA, Jan. 11th, 1855.
"I found at Scutari that there was great want of Clergymen, the number of sick and wounded being vastly more than I had supposed. The Barracks and Hospital were at once apportioned out among the five Chaplains, one of whom, Mr. Sabin, the senior, was unwell, and I was able to take his division as well as my own for a few days. Our numbers averaged 520 men, besides officers. The way we were received was most delightful; and I can only compare the poor fellows who lay there in suffering to a number of Sunday [346/347] scholars, who had been scattered about, and again had met with their Clergyman. 'Oh, Sir, we are glad to see you!' 'Can you lend us a book?' 'Can you get us a Bible or a Prayer-book?' 'Will you come and say a prayer by me?' And much seemed the comfort derived from ministrations feeble in themselves, and necessarily in many cases hurried, from the number of dying men to be seen daily, and from the difficulty in visiting the men one would have wished, owing to the ground actually to be travelled over in the corridors of the Barrack Hospital. There were several instances of the poor fellows in the last stage of illness, after prayer, saying, 'Now I die happy!' several, also, in which the early teaching of Sunday schools seemed so blessed in returning to the mind of men in their last extremity; several, too, who could acknowledge that their severe suffering, and the hardships and privations they had endured, were the kind means in the Lord's hands of bringing them to a sense of eternal things. There were instances of great interest--anxious inquiries; young men desirous to receive instruction regarding the.. Holy Sacrament--others anxious, when themselves convalescent, to be of use in aiding their comrades. I should have organized a system of Scripture reading and book distribution, if I had been permitted to remain. Indeed, we were just approaching some kind of order and regularity when peremptorily ordered up here. I cannot leave this part of my account without remarking on the great advantage to us of the ladies who came out to Scutari as nurses. All praise is due to them for the kind way in which they brought us intelligence of any of the sufferers who seemed awakened to serious thought. The work of those ladies has impressed me much with the conviction of how great good might be effected by a body of Sisters of Charity of our Church.
So much for an imperfect sketch of Scutari. I will not enter on the arduous toil; for any amount of labour, or discomfort, or difficulty, is far more than made up to us, as I feel, by fruits we behold--at any rate, by the good school it is to our own hearts.
When we were ordered here, (myself and Mr. Eade, who is indeed useful,) we came up by the first ship, and reached Balaklava a day or two before Christmas. I am appointed to the cavalry division; but, from the difficulty of getting a tent before the late bad weather set in, I am not yet at my post, though, the camp being only one mile off, I am able in some sort to perform my duties. The poor men in hospital tents suffer sadly. This is a scene of suffering, and it is needful to come here fully to realize the dread curse of war; no description can bring it to your minds. I regret much to see how the health of the Chaplains is failing. We certainly are put to some few hardships; but if it please God to continue my health, I do not intend to think anything difficult to endure.
I have been much delighted with the quiet earnestness of the Rev. H. Taylor, who has most severe duties, which he performs with a hearty zeal that deserves every commendation. I hope at some future time to give you a sketch of matters here: they are more [347/348] distressing in every way than I can express. We need the prayers of all at home. We feel what a blessing peace would be; and while we all agree in deploring the state of our army, I yet think we see some light through the cloud, and that, under God, these sufferings which He permits will tend to turn many to Him."
We learn with regret that three of the Assistant Chaplains sent by the Society have been already disabled, and obliged to return home: Mr. Parker, Dr. Freeth, and Mr. Winman.
[From The Colonial Church Chronicle and Missionary Journal, No. XCIV (April, 1855), pages 379-381.]
[379] SCUTARI AND THE CRIMEA. Extracts from Letters of Assistant Chaplains recently sent by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to the Seat of War.
From the Rev. W. Whyatt.
"STAFF, 2d DIVISION, BRITISH ARMY, CRIMEA, Feb. 9th, 1855.
"I DO not intend to say anything about the affairs of the Hospital at Scutari, as you will have so good testimony from eye-witnesses. I may, however, say that I was much pleased with all I saw there, and felt assured that all was being done for them that could be done. Such of the soldiers as I inquired from expressed themselves in most grateful language for all their comforts.
Owen was delighted to see me, as his work was so great that he scarcely seemed to do anything, or to make any impression. We looked forward to working together, and hoped to do some good. The duration of our partnership was not for long. In four days he was taken ill, kept his bed for eight or nine days, and, when better, was taken down to ship to go to Scutari. I was exceedingly sorry for him, as being ill in camp is of all places the worst, and it was well that I was up to cheer him and comfort him a little. I think his was an attack of Crimean fever, which is now so prevalent and fatal.
On the same day Mr. Canty, the R. C. priest, living next tent to me, was taken: his merged into typhus, and he died on Thursday, the 1st of this month. He was a fine hearty young man, about thirty years of age, and seemed to have strength for anything. I saw much of him, and was enabled to do many little offices of kindness to him, and, indeed, was up with him for several hours the night he died. This is the second R. C. priest attached to this division who has died.
You may suppose that these things coming together would tend to dispirit me and alarm me; but, strange to say, they have not, except at the time. I am wonderfully preserved, especially in spirits, and can only attribute it to Him who has promised His help to His servants.
I am well received by all, and it would gladden many a Christian's heart to hear in my convalescent huts the hearty manner in which they repeat after me the Confession, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer. I am enabled to come home rejoicing many a time, when you would fancy I ought to be sorrowful, as none can help being to a degree, who sees the awful sights it is my daily fate to see.
The soldier is very child-like in some things; he has been so long accustomed to obey, that he has not been allowed to form notions or have opinions, and thus, he is in a fit state to receive the good news, the glad tidings of salvation: he receives it in simplicity.
[380] I have formed little bands of communicants amongst the privates, and I am meeting them once a-week to keep them together; they are few in number, as death has taken some of them away; however, we hope for an increase, and feel assured we shall get it, if we trust in God, who has promised that His word shall not return unto Him void.
I wish I had books or tracts, as the poor men are so anxious to have something to read. I am constantly asked for Prayer- Books. To whom must I apply for them? [1] [(1) The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel has already sent out several parcels of books, and more will be transmitted immediately. Large quantities of Bibles, Common Prayer Books, &c. have also been sent out by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.]
I am thankful to add, that I am extremely happy in my work, and hope that the Lord will make me a useful minister in this portion of His vineyard."
________ From the Rev. C. E. Hadow. "SCUTARI BARRACKS, Feb. 10th, 1855.
"I have good reason to believe that the reformation which takes place here is more than temporary with the majority. Their attention to religious observances when they are recovered and able to get about again, is most gratifying to the Clergy. If you want to know how Miss Nightingale and her nurses work, and the immense good they do, ask the convalescents who are sent from this place to England; they will bless them to the last moment of their lives, and until this generation of soldiers shall have altogether passed away, her name will be revered in the British army."
________ From the Rev. Dr. Freeth. "KULALIE HOSPITAL, Feb. 15th, 1855.
"I believe I wrote to you a short time since, stating, that I had obtained permission to go to England for recovery of health. I improved so much aboard ship, that I readily responded to Mr. Sabin's kind and urgent appeal to assist Mr. Huleatt in his duties here. I arrived at this place last Monday, and am now engaged as Chaplain to the sick here. I must write more in detail hereafter. My health, thank God, is now excellent, and my spirits good. We have a noble and extensive field of duty before us here."
We record with unfeigned sorrow the death of two of the officiating Chaplains recently sent out by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to minister to our sick and wounded soldiers at the seat of war. The Rev. William Whyatt and the Rev. George Henry Proctor must now be numbered among those who have willingly offered up their lives in the highest and holiest of all causes, that of ministering to their sick and dying fellow-creatures in the name and at the call of their common Master. Surely such men are not less deserving of honourable mention than those who have died in actual conflict with the foe. Nor will the early and touching death of these young men be without its effect both upon the army in the East and the church at home. [380/381] Officers and privates alike will be taught a lesson of the power of that religion which led these exemplary clergymen to leave their English parishes for the camp or the hospital, at the imminent risk, and, as it has proved, to the sacrifice of their lives; while the Church will gain strength and confidence, as in all ages it has done, by the exhibition of the constancy even unto death of its chosen soldiers. "Semen sanguis Christianorum."
Four Chaplains have lately been appointed to supply the places vacant by death or illness. At the last Monthly Meeting of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, the standing Committee was authorized to take steps for enlarging the number of Chaplains, and, if necessary, to pay the whole of their salaries.
At the same Meeting a resolution was passed to the effect, that the Society would undertake the Trusteeship of any funds which may be transmitted to it for the erection and endowment of a Church in the Turkish dominions, an object which has received the approbation of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London. We must not suffer this opportunity to pass away. If we now earnestly and prudently commence a Missionary work among the Mahometans, God may bless our efforts, and may make us the instruments of bringing them to the faith of Christ. And we may also let our light shine before the Christians of Turkey. We seek not to have dominion over their faith. There is no design on the part of the promoters of this scheme to create disunion among them--but we would be helpers of their faith, and if God will, we would lead them, by our example, to a purer light than they now possess.
It may be that for this end--of evangelizing the Turks and of helping the Greek Christians, so far as we can without schismatic intrusion--God has suffered the curse of war to fall upon the world. May He thus bring good out of evil! He has set before us an open door. Let us hope and pray that He will give such grace to our Church, that we may enter in and do His work.