THE SYRIAN MISSION.

MANY enquiries have been addressed to us on the subject treated of in the following letter; and as we doubt not that the parties referred to can satisfactorily answer our correspondent's queries, we insert this as a summary of all the rest. Individually we know nothing more of the mission than that it is under the direction of some whose names and characters we know to be an ample guarantee alike for their judgment and fidelity in this and in every other good work, and our pages are open to any reply that they may wish to give.

As to the Orthodox Greek Church," we know but of one Greek church, between which and Romish Popery there is as little to choose, in a scriptural point of view, as there was between the heathen mythological systems of ancient Rome and Greece, identical as they were. On this point we trust our correspondent is mis-informed.

MADAM,

I have to request from you, or one of your correspondents, information on a subject which has lately been pressed upon our notice, but which, from our great ignorance of its nature and tendencies, has excited among us very opposite opinions. Assaad the Syrian has lately appeared in the West of England as the deputation from a society styled in

its printed bills, "Church of England Society for promoting Christian education in Syria." The very guarded nature of this title suggested various questions-what is its object! is it to send out Church of England ministers as instructors-is it to establish schools where the pure truths of Christianity were taught? we could not tell, but of course Assaad was expected to inform us in his addresses at the two meetings-did he inform us? He gave us interesting illustrations of Scripture-amused us by personal anecdotes of himself-tickled our ears by his foreign accent and address-our eyes by his handsome person and national costume, and obtained the object for which he came-a collection. But of the intentions and efforts of the Society he told us scarcely anything-we could but just understand that our aid was demanded for the Greek and not for the English Church in Syria. But of that church he told us nothing-of its darkness, its corruptions, its false doctrines, nothing,—of the means the Society were using to enlighten it, nothing, or at least nothing definite. We knew indeed that there were young Syrians educating in England on sound Scriptural principles, with the intention of returning to their native land-we knew that there were some sort of schools in Syria to be assisted in some sort of way; but as to any definite information, we were left to acquire that as best we might, and the extent of our ignorance may be estimated by the fact, that after meetings were over and Assaad gone, those who were dissatisfied with his statements or rather with his silence, had nothing but their ignorance ou which to rest their doubts, and those who were satisfied had nothing to urge against those doubts, but the well

known names of the gentlemen who composed the committee of the Society. In short it was a question of authority on one side, and ignorance on the other; sound information being equally absent on both sides.

But Assaad's speeches were not all we had to depend upon. He brought with him the third report of the Society, which I read, in the hope of enlightening myself; but whether it is owing to my ignorance or to the cautious nature of its statements, I must confess myself more puzzled than ever, partly by what it says, and partly by what it does not say. From it, I find, that Assaad began his career in Syria as the Society's paid agent in 1840. That he formed a school near his own residence, and during two years had no less than twenty-two children under his immediate care,' who were afterwards transferred to the large native school at Beyrout on account of Assaad's coming to England.' But the chief object of the committee being, to educate in England certain native youths, several of these were sent over in 1841 and 1842, and five are now under proper instruction. It is probable that several of the youths will return as surgeons or medical practitioners; others will be educated with a special view to their becoming masters of schools, and it is very probable that more than one may be admitted to holy orders in the orthodox Greek Church.' Of Assaad's labours during the three years he spent in Syria (from 1840 to 43) the report thus speaks :— 'There are several schools in Syria established and maintained entirely by the natives-to those in connection with the Greek Church of which Assaad is a member, he has endeavoured to gain access. It is

difficult to say and perhaps more prudent not to state how far he may have improved, or brought his influence to bear upon those schools.' ('See Appendix m.'-in which there is a letter from a native schoolmaster thanking Assaad for the books he had sent, being 100 Psalters, nine Bibles, and seven New Testaments.) These schools are in a very low condition as to religious teaching.'The New Testament and Psalms are used, and there is a gradual introduction of books calculated to raise the tone of moral and religious instruction.' To them, the agent of the Society' may with the permission of the Bishops, gain admittance, and exercise that influence which his superior knowledge will be sure to give him. More than this, the committee think it not expedient to state.' Now I must confess, this puzzles me exceedingly-I cannot understand this guarded silence and reserve. Why is it not expedient to state what Assaad is doing? Why does the Society ask for our assistance to support a paid agent, and yet keep us in ignorance of the nature and extent of his agency? And then, as if their silence was not enough to perplex us, the committee have inserted in their report, without comment or contradiction, a letter of Mr. Herschell, in which he says explicitly, that he found no schools at Beyrout, 'except those of the American Missionaries, but such as are in full connection with the Greek Church, and of these only one very small school professing to receive any aid from Assaad.' Now I must ask, how are we in our ignorance, to reconcile Mr. Herschell's assertions with the cautious statements of the committee's report relative to Assaad's agency?

But this is my least embarrassment, for until this

gentleman called our attention to the subject, I had never been accustomed to believe that in essential points of doctrine and practice, there was much to choose between the Romish and the Greek Church. I had always understood the latter to be corrupt, not merely by the absence of spirituality, but by the reception and belief of glaring error, so much so, that though differing in many minor particulars from the Romish Church, it is almost as pernicious in its doctrines, and quite as dark in its ignorance, as low in its practice, and as debasing and superstitious in its rites.

Supposing this opinion to be correct, there are two things which exceedingly astonish me in the statements I have quoted from the Society's report, 1st. that a school of twenty-four children which for two years had been under Assaad's immediate care, could, on his coming to England be transferred to the native school at Beyrout-at which school to use Mr. Herschell's words, 'the worship of the Virgin, and all the errors of the Greek Church, are taughť'that Assaad's scholars could be transferred to such a school without an immediate collision between their teaching and his, is a fact that astonishes me exceedingly-can truth and error amalgamate so easily? 2nd. That a youth educated in the doctrines of the Church of England, could wish or be wished to take orders in the Greek Church is a still more startling fact. For unless that church differs from every other, I presume it to possess a formulary of its doctrines (analogous to our thirty-nine articles) to which every priest in its communion must sign his adherence. Could a youth, educated in the English faith, do this with a clear conscience?