THE NESTORIANS.
1867-1870.
The annual convention of helpers and representatives of the
Nestorian churches occupied three days of October, 1867. Ninety
members were in attendance. Mar Yohanan was elected moderator, and
Priest Yoosep of Dizza Takka, the former moderator, preached the
opening sermon. The aged preacher lamented the prevailing
worldliness of the church, and earnestly enforced the duty of prayer
as the great remedy. He alluded feelingly to the destruction, by a
Koordish chief, of one of their oldest and best churches, which
dated back more than a thousand years. A part of the materials had
been used to construct a fort, and a part to build a mosque upon the
site of the church. The recent increase of wine drinking, among some
of the communicants, received a faithful rebuke. Carefully prepared
papers were presented on practical subjects, such as education,
benevolence, temperance, family worship, and the means for promoting
the spiritual efficacy of their body as a communion, and these were
followed by free and animated discussions. The duty of assuming more
fully the support of the gospel and of schools among the entire
people, was earnestly enjoined; and during the discussion the spirit
of self-denying benevolence rose to an unusual pitch. Several
pledged a tenth of their income, and the contributions on the plain
rose higher than ever before.
There were pleasing episodes during these deliberations,--in the
reports of Deacon Yâcob, a seminary graduate, of two and a half
years' colportage in Russia, and of Deacon Eshoo concerning his
successful labors for some years in Tabriz. Deacon Yâcob reported
the sale of nineteen hundred Bibles and Testaments, and many other
books and tracts, in Modern Russian, German, and other languages. He
also spoke of revival scenes, resulting in the hopeful conversion of
several adherents to the Greek Church. The Emperor of Russia, he
said, encouraged the circulation of the Scriptures in the spoken
language, allowed free passports to colporters, and exacted no
duties for the largest sales.
"The subject of wine drinking," writes Mr. Cochran, "the greatest
bane of the people in the wine-making districts, was discussed with
vigor, and, with one or two exceptions, in the spirit of a
determined purpose to urge forward a reform. It was manifest that,
on the whole, there had been a decided growth of conviction, that
total abstinence is the only safe remedy for the evil. It was
gratifying to hear no complaints of the use of stronger drinks,
except among those outside of our communion."
Several churches, as well as the seminaries, had enjoyed special
seasons of revival. A sunrise prayer-meeting of an hour was held
each day of the session, was well attended, and characterized by
much fervor and importunity in prayer, and the last evening was
spent in devotional exercises. The burden of prayer seemed to be for
the outpouring of the Spirit on the churches and the conversion of
souls, and many of the congregation were at times deeply moved.
Deacon Yâcob was ordained in the month following, that he might be
able to administer the ordinances to the converts among the Malakans
of Russia. Mr. Shedd wrote of him as "a man whom we delight to have
among us, so full is he of the Holy Ghost and of faith." One other
person was also ordained as an elder or priest, and four as deacons,
in connection with meetings of district conferences composed of
preachers and delegates.
In the first week of 1868, the "week of prayer," Mr. Labaree made a
tour in five villages, and never passed that interesting season more
delightfully, finding in each village cheering evidence of the
special presence of the Lord. The Christians were induced to pray
and labor earnestly for the unconverted around them. In each village
two meetings were held each day, and were attended by considerable
numbers outside of the church. Indeed that week was observed,
generally, among the evangelized Nestorians, and there were
indications of a blessing in the two seminaries, and in several
villages.
It is an important step towards the support of religious
institutions, when a people have once acknowledged such support to
be their duty; and this admission will be the more effectual when
organizations exist that can attend to the performance of the duty.
In the progress of events there had grown up four ecclesiastical
bodies, called _Knooshyas_, that is, assemblies, three on the plain,
and one in the mountains; which had their confession of faith and
rules of discipline. The local assemblies sometimes met together as
one body. As in kindred bodies among the Armenians, the missionaries
were admitted for counsel, but not to vote. At a meeting of one of
these bodies, the duty of self-support was fully acknowledged, and
the desire was strongly expressed to show their gratitude to the
American churches by assuming the entire support of the gospel among
themselves, and sending it to regions beyond, as did their fathers.
The following resolution was adopted, namely: "That it is the duty
of every member of the church, as he has received spiritual benefits
from his pastor, to aid in the temporal support of the same; and
also to aid in meeting the necessary expenses of the church
according to his ability."
It was recommended that pastors preach on the subject of these
resolutions; and that the pastor and lay-delegates, on their return
home, use their influence with the brethren and congregations of
their respective villages to bring the people up to their duty in
these matters.
The following reflections by the venerable Dr. Perkins, written
about this time, will be refreshing to the reader: "The progress of
our work," he says, "is steadily onward, and is probably as rapid as
would consist with its highest prosperity. This progress is not
always in a uniform current. It often resembles a succession of
circling eddies, caused generally by obstacles in the stream, but
sometimes by the accelerated speed of the current, which, but for
these self-regulating checks, might bring upon the work serious
disaster. Such eddies are often our best missionary regulators,
correcting mistakes or undue haste, and giving to our converts
occasion and time to examine the foundations of their faith."
Miss Nancy Jane Dean joined the mission in October, 1868, to labor
in the female seminary. Miss Rice and Mrs. Rhea had left Oroomiah in
the previous May, with Dr. Perkins, and arrived at New York in
August. Miss Rice had been connected with the female seminary
twenty-two years, and her good influence was felt in hundreds of
Nestorian homes on the broad plain and in the wild glens of the
mountains. Mrs. Rhea's return was due to her children, but, like
that of Miss Rice, it was a sad loss to the mission circle, and to
the women of Persia. The return of Dr. Perkins, the father of the
Nestorian mission, seemed like a removal of the foundations. "It is
difficult," wrote Mr. Shedd, "to over-estimate his labors, continued
now for more than a third of a century, or the value of his
experience. It is a gratification to him, and to us all, that he can
leave us in the atmosphere of revivals; and that, after he is gone,
the many works from his pen will continue to speak to the people
whom he loved. But many will sorrow at his leaving Persia, and most
of all that they shall see his face no more."
Dr. Perkins had seen much accomplished in the thirty-six years of
his connection with the mission. From eighty-five centres, and to
congregations averaging nearly two thousand four hundred, the gospel
had come to be proclaimed, by more than a hundred native helpers, of
whom fifty-eight were fully recognized preachers; and more than nine
hundred persons had professed their faith in Christ, of whom seven
hundred and twenty were then connected with the evangelical
communion. The seminaries had educated hundreds of youth, whose
influence was seen in the general social and moral elevation of the
people. In the common schools there were more than a thousand
pupils; and from the press more than half a million of pages had
gone forth in the year preceding his departure; making an aggregate
of nearly nineteen millions (18,996,450) from the beginning.
The mission was commenced with the expectation that the revival of
gospel light and influence among that people would rekindle their
ancient missionary spirit. Extreme oppression and poverty have made
the development of this spirit very difficult. But we have already
seen among them as fine specimens of it, probably, as there ever
were in the olden times. Witness the venerable Bishop Elias, Tamo of
Gawar, Guwergis of Tergawer, Isaac of the Patriarchal family, Joseph
the translator, Priest Eshoo of the Seminary, Oshana of Tehoma, and,
more recently, Yâcob, among the Malakans of Russia, and Deacon Eshoo
in the commercial capital of Persia. These were really missionary
men; and there seems also to have been even a greater development of
the genuine missionary zeal among the Nestorian women. There were,
and doubtless there are now, men and women, who would have
resolutely carried the gospel into Central Asia, had the door been
open.
The time had now come, when it could be no longer safe for the
reformed Nestorian churches to defer entering upon incipient foreign
missions. The healthful reaction of such missions had become as
indispensable as it was when the churches at the Sandwich Islands
were providentially led to send missionaries to Micronesia and the
Marquesas. The churches at the Islands, living under a free
constitutional government, were indeed able to support their
missionaries, and the oppressed and impoverished Nestorians are not;
but it was a great thing to have messengers go forth from among
themselves to make the gospel known to less favored peoples.
And here, to illustrate the high-toned missionary spirit of the
Nestorians of our day, I will quote from the correspondence of
Sarah, a daughter of Priest Abraham, of Geog Tapa. She was a convert
of the first revival in 1846, and one of the earliest graduates of
the female seminary. She seems to have gone, after graduation, to
reside with her father, then laboring at Ardishai, one of the most
wicked villages of the plain; where she persuaded her father to go
and work for Christ. She was afterwards married to Oshana, one of
those named above; and the following letter, written two years after
to Miss Fiske, then in the United. States, will give a good idea of
her spirit. She is giving an account of her visit to Tehoma, with
her husband, Oshana, and her two little children:
"Through the favor of our heavenly Father, I have made a journey
into these mountains, rejoicing in the opportunity to labor for my
people. I am very happy that my father and friends brought me on my
way in willingness of soul. From the day that I left my own country,
in every place that I have entered, until now, my heart has been
excited to praise my Guide and my Deliverer, and I have also been
grateful to my teachers, who brought me to labor in a desolate
vineyard joyfully; I, who am so weak, and such a great sinner. In
all the various circumstances through which I have passed, your
counsels have been of great benefit to me.
"I think you will be glad to know, that the gospel door is wide open
here. You and your friends will pray, that the Lord of the harvest
would send forth laborers into his harvest.
"We left Oroomiah, May 6th, and on May 8th we reached Memikan, and
remained there three days. It was our first Sabbath in the
mountains, and I met that company of women, for whom our departed
Mrs. Rhea used to labor. May 12th we left Memikan, and went up to
the tops of the snowy mountains of Gawar. The cold was such that we
were obliged to wrap our faces and our hands as we would in January.
As we descended the mountain, we found it about as warm as February.
That night we spent in the deep valley of Ishtazin, in the village
of Boobawa, where Yohanan and Guly dwell. The people here are very
wild and hard. Yohanan and Guly were not here, having gone to visit
Khananis. Only a few came together for preaching. The people said,
'Yohanan preaches, and we revile.' May 13th, we left Boobawa, and
soon crossed the river. Men had gone before us, and were lying in
wait there. They stripped us, but afterwards of themselves became
sorry, and returned our things. As we were going along this
wonderful, fearful river, and beheld the mountains on either side
covered with beautiful forests, we remembered Mr. Rhea, the composer
of the hymn, 'Valley of Ishtazin.' And when filled with wonder at
the works of the Great Creator, we all, with one voice, praised him
in songs of joy fitting for the mountains. Here the brethren
reminded me, that our dear Miss Fiske had trodden these fearful
precipices. This greatly encouraged me in my journey. This day we
went into many villages, and over many ascents and descents. At
evening we reached Jeloo, and remained over night in the pleasant
village of Zeer, which lies in a valley made beautiful by forests
and a river passing through it. They showed great hospitality here,
and were eager to receive the word of the Lord. May 14th, we left
Zeer, and went to Bass. It was Saturday night, and we remained over
the Sabbath in the village of Nerik. I shall always have a pleasant
remembrance of the Sabbath we passed there. From the first moment
that we went in till Monday morning, we were never alone, so many
were assembling to hear the words of the Lord. With tearful eyes and
burning hearts, they were inquiring for the way of salvation. They
would say, 'What shall we do? We have no one to sit among us, to
teach us, poor, wretched ones.' Truly a man's heart burns within him
as he sees this poor people scattered as sheep without a shepherd.
May 16th, we mounted our mules, and went on our way. Half an hour
from Nerik we came to the village of Urwintoos. An honorable,
kind-hearted woman came out, and made us her guests. This was
Oshana's aunt. As soon as we sat down, the house was filled with men
and women. They brought a Testament themselves, and entreated us to
read from that holy book. Did not my heart rejoice when I saw how
eagerly they were listening to the account of the death of our Lord
Jesus Christ! When the men went out, the women came very near to me,
entreating for the word of the Lord, as those thirsting for water.
Then I read to them from the Book.
"There are many sad deeds of wickedness among these mountain
Nestorians; and when Christians hear how anxious they are to receive
the words of life, will they not feel for them? We reached Tehoma
May 17th. Now, from the mercy of God, we are all well and in the
village of Mazrayee. I am not able to labor for the women here as I
desired, because many of them have gone to the sheep-folds. It is so
hot we cannot remain here, and we will go there also, soon. I trust,
wherever I am, and as long its I am here, I shall labor for that
Master, who wearied Himself for me, and who bought these souls with
his blood."
Sarah returned to Oroomiah in the spring of 1860, and left in 1861
for Amadiah. During the winter of 1861-62, no messenger could cross
the snow-covered mountains between Oroomiah and Amadiah, and she
thus wrote in March, 1862, to Miss Rice.
"I did greatly long for the coming of the messenger. We were very
sad in not hearing a single word from home. Now I offer
thanksgivings to Him, in whose hands are all things, that He has
opened a door of mercy, and has delighted us by the arrival of
letters. They came to-day. Many thanks to you and your dear pupils!
The Lord bless them, and prepare their hearts for such a blessed
work as ours.
"Give Eneya's salutations and mine to all the school. I think they
will wish to hear about the work of the Lord here. Thanks to God,
our health has been good ever since we came, and our hearts have
been contented and happy in seeing some of our neighbors believing,
and with joy receiving the words of life. Every Sabbath we have a
congregation of thirty-five, and more men than women. For many weeks
only the men came; but now, by the grace of God, the women come too,
and their number is increasing. I have commenced to teach the life
of the Lord Jesus from the beginning. I have strong hopes that God
is awakening one of them. His word is very dear to her. Her son is
the priest of the village, and a sincere Christian. Four other young
men and five women are, we trust, not far from the door of the
kingdom. We entreat you, dear sisters, to pray in a special manner
for these thoughtful ones, that they may enter the narrow door of
life.
"From the villages about us we have a good report. They receive the
gospel from Oshana and Shlemon, who visit them every Sabbath. In my
journeys through these mountains, I have seen various assemblies of
men and women listening to the gospel; poor ones, exclaiming, 'What
shall we do? Our priests have deceived us; we are lost, like sheep
on the mountains. There is no one to teach us.' They sit in misery
and ignorance. They need our prayers and our help. I verily believe
that if we labor faithfully--God help us to labor thus--we shall
soon see our Church revived, built up on the foundation of Christ
Jesus, and adorned for Him as a bride for her husband. With tears of
joy we shall gaze on these ancient ruins becoming new temples of the
Lord. Soon shall these mountains witness scenes that will rejoice
angels and saints. Those will be blessed times. Let us pray for
them, and labor with Christ for their coming."[1]
[1] _Woman and her Saviour in Persia_, pp. 216-221. Similar
illustrations could be multiplied from this remarkable volume, some
of them scarcely less interesting than the above.
Priest Abraham, the father of this excellent woman, died in 1871. He
was one of the first to coöperate with Dr. Perkins, and was faithful
unto the end.
There was the more call for some new missionary movement from the
fact, that, whatever may be affirmed as to the wisdom of the plan
adopted for reforming the Nestorian Church, in the earlier stages of
the mission, experience had shown that the Old Church, as such,
could not be reformed. It was proper that, from time to time, the
favorable facts on this subject should be stated in this history, as
they appeared to the men then on the ground,--to Dr. Lobdell;[1] to
Dr. Dwight;[2] to Mr. Coan;[3] to Dr. Perkins;[4] indeed to the
whole body of the mission. But the experience of six and thirty
years had shown, that the dead Church could not be galvanized into
spiritual life. There was no way for the truly enlightened but to
leave it, and form reunions on the Apostolic basis.
[1] Chapter xxvii.
[2] Chapter xxix.
[3] Chapter xxix.
[4] Chapter xxviii.
The necessity had become obvious, but it was a trying process. It
was too much for Mar Yohanan. He must be spoken of kindly, for he
had long stood in friendly relations with the mission, though the
evidence of his piety was never entirely satisfactory.
Priest John, of Geog Tapa, gave unquestioned evidences of piety in
early life. But in 1868, if not earlier, his gold had become dim,
and his proceedings and their consequences must have a place in this
history.
Becoming extravagant in his habits, and thus involved in debt, he
was disaffected because the mission could not accede to exorbitant
demands, and relieve him from pecuniary embarrassments. So he went
abroad to collect money for this purpose, and made his way to
England, where he succeeded in interesting several of the
dignitaries of the Established Church. Returning home in the autumn
of 1869, he made such a report of his visit, and excited such
expectation of the coming of Episcopal clergymen, and large
patronage for ecclesiastics and civil protection for all classes,
that many of the simple-hearted people were carried away. The
mission had been hoping to get some of the evangelical churches, ere
long, upon a self-supporting basis; but the hopes thus excited of
their burdens being assumed by the Church of England, put back for a
time this work of self-support.
The narrative is continued in the language of Mr. Cochran: "Priest
John returned from England flushed with the apparent success of his
mission. At Geog Tapa, the next Sabbath after our communion, at
early dawn he baptized fifteen children with much display. More than
two hours were spent in reading the English Liturgy, chanting
Psalms, and explaining and vindicating the usages of the English
Church. He announced his intention to give the communion to all who
desired it. This innovation upon the evangelical usage of more than
a dozen years (though he had once previously practiced
indiscriminate baptism), was not inappropriately followed by the
suspension of the Sabbath-school and preaching service, and the
turn-out of the whole village, headed by Malek Yonan and Priest
John, to meet the son of the master of their village, who happened
to return on that day from a long absence in the army. In the delay
of the young Khan's arrival, a young deacon, more zealous than
discreet, proposed a service by the roadside, but many voices cried,
'We have become Episcopalians, and don't want any more preaching.'
This public and flagrant violation of the Sabbath, headed by the two
leading Christians of the village, painfully illustrates the
material found there, and sadly contrasts with the better days of
the excellent and lamented Malek Agha Beg and Mar Elias.
"We have heard nothing from friends in England, but from other
sources infer the probability of at least a visit of Episcopalians
to Mar Shimon, and possibly to Oroomiah, the coming spring. Priest
John states, that Dr. Perkins did him harm in England by his
published statement, that he (Priest John) had come, not as an
accredited agent to secure Episcopal interference, but rather on a
private and personal begging expedition (the truth of which is well
known in Oroomiah, and confirmed by a written stipulation lodged
with friends here, that his companion should receive one third of
the avails of the excursion). To destroy the force of Dr. Perkins'
statement, Priest John has secured the signature of a large number
of names, including Patriarchs, Bishops, Maleks, and principal men
among the people. The paper was circulated privately, but we learn
that only one of our employees, and very few, if any, of our
communicants, could be persuaded to sign it.
"If asked, what is the true state of feeling among our communicants,
an extensive and familiar acquaintance with them enables me to
testify with great confidence, that, with the exception of a very
small high-church party, headed mainly by Mar Yohanan, I discover no
special tendency to Old Churchism of any kind, and if let alone,
they are more than satisfied with the gospel simplicity and
spontaneity of worship."
Under date of January 10th, 1870, Mr. Cochran adds, "Geog Tapa
continues to witness novel scenes under the eccentric and reckless
Priest John. At the close of the fast of the nativity, the communion
was administered to the whole village, and numbers from surrounding
villages were also invited in. Many who had not communed for from
ten to thirty years, as well as the more superstitious and the
lowest rabble, participated. Four priests, all of whom are of
doubtful piety (though two were in our communion), officiated,
clothed in white. The whole Old Church service was read in ancient
Syriac, and long Psalms were chanted in the same. The baser sort
were exultant, but the thoughtful, even of those not with us, were
sad. Every artifice was used to draw in our communion, but we were
rejoiced to find that all except ten,--consisting of the family of
Priest John, and the priests and deacons who officiated,--refused to
partake with them.
"I have preached there three times since. Yesterday was our
communion. The house was crowded at both services. It was judged
that seven hundred were inside, and not less than one hundred and
fifty outside. I preached in the morning on the spiritual character
of a true church, and newness of life as the condition of admission,
and that the ordinances belong exclusively to the church, and not to
those outside. All listened attentively, though a disturbance was
feared. In the afternoon I 'fenced' our communion fully, but Priest
John had the effrontery to partake. I have since learned that had it
been withheld, he, with the rabble, would have taken it by force. A
perfect separation seems called for, and with it a casting out of
unworthy members from the church. But the heart of the body is
right, and will, I trust, stand by the truth."
"Enlightened villagers," adds Mr. Shedd, under date of January 20,
1870, "besides members of the evangelical communion, did not
partake. It shows the movement for high-church aid in its true
colors. Such aid on the part of the English bishops is nothing more
nor less than salarying Mar Shimon and his ecclesiastics, for
reading their old prayers and using their dead forms and rites, as
they have done for ages past. We rejoice in so simple an issue, and
are sure it can do no injury to vital Christianity."[1]
[1] _Missionary Herald_, 1870, p. 190.
The time having come for separate and independent church
organizations, these painful occurrences seem to have been
providentially designed to promote that result.
Mr. Cochran thus writes: "The progress of the gospel and
providential occurrences, are bringing us into many new relations to
the old Nestorian Church, and grave questions, affecting the purity
and future growth of our churches, are now forcing themselves upon
us. So long as the Old Church did not oppose evangelical labors, so
long as she freely opened her doors to our services, consenting to a
separate administration of the ordinances for the hopefully pious,
and silently tolerating many ecclesiastical and social reforms, and
an abandonment of the liturgical service; in short, so long as we
could see, under the preached gospel, the hold on the old
superstitions steadily lessening, and the masses being leavened with
evangelical truth, we were more than content to labor on without a
separate church organization.
"But experience in other fields, as well as our own, has proved that
such labors can only be prosecuted for a time. From year to year we
have found the old ecclesiastics more restive under their loss of
support, and more jealous of the progress of spiritual life. Mar
Shimon, as you are informed, has for years openly opposed the
gospel, and now so intimidates the interior mountain districts under
his immediate control, that it seems preposterous to attempt to
prosecute labors there, unless on a separate foundation. And we now
find the opposition on the plains, and all over the field, not less
positive, and daily becoming more concerted and potent.
"Mar Yohanan has also, for years, secretly, and often openly and
most offensively, opposed spiritual and reformatory labors. Priest
John, a most untiring and reckless man, is arousing a furor of zeal
for Old Churchism,--a fanaticism that will not be likely to subside
with the spasmodic efforts he may make. He and others are now
administering the communion every few weeks to the whole people,
without distinction of character. They also enjoin the fasts and
saints' days, resume the use of the liturgy in ancient Syriac, burn
incense daily, bow before the altar, and make the sign of the cross;
though some, as yet, refuse to come into all these measures.
"With the return of these old superstitions, there is also a painful
throwing off of moral restraint, and intemperance and kindred vices
have greatly increased.
"In these circumstances the question has arisen, first in Geog Tapa,
and subsequently in other places; Can 'the evangelicals' further
unite in the morning and evening service conducted by priests--and
there happen to be five or six in that village--who are reviving
these superstitions? Almost the whole church are surprisingly united
in the decision to withdraw. This has been done for the last two
months, and we find upwards of one hundred members there, who are
firm, and daily waxing stronger in faith and opposition to the old
superstitions."
These and other distractions seriously hindered the spiritual growth
of the churches in the winter of 1869 and 1870. But in the spring, a
very thorough work of grace was enjoyed at Degala, and it was
believed that there were more than twenty genuine conversions,
mostly among the aged and middle-aged. The church in that place paid
half the salary of its pastor, and was expected soon to pay the
whole. Mar Yooseph, the young bishop at Bootan, wrote that his
congregation had increased to one hundred and fifty, and that, for
much of the time, Christ and his salvation formed the only theme of
conversation. He had hopes concerning considerably more than a score
of new converts. Deacon Toma, who had spent a year in the Seminary,
was with him as a helper, and promised to become another Deacon
Guwergis.
The immediate foreign mission field of the Nestorians, is among the
Armenians in Russia, and the same people at Tabriz, Hamadan (the
ancient Ecbatana), Teheran, and Ispahan in Persia, with the numerous
villages in the intervening regions; descendants, to a great extent,
of Armenians carried captive, in the year 1605, from the regions of
Ararat by Shah Abbas the Great. They furnish the field
providentially offered to the Nestorians, as the Koords do for the
Armenians in Turkey. Hamadan is about three hundred miles southeast
of Oroomiah, on the great caravan road between Tabriz and Bagdad. On
the 28th of May, 1870, the mission resolved, that they considered it
a duty urged upon them to embrace at once within their efforts the
Armenians and the Mussulman sects of Central Persia, by planting a
station at Hamadan; and they expressed the hope that the Board would
heartily endorse this action, and help them to carry it out without
delay, and also to occupy Tabriz.
The members of the mission, in the spring of 1870, were the Rev.
Messrs. Coan, Labaree, Cochran, and Shedd, and Dr. Van Norden, with
their wives, and Miss Dean, principal of the female seminary. The
mission was now known as the "Mission to Persia," in view of plans
to reach the entire population of the country. To Mr. Cochran was
assigned the superintendence of twenty out-stations in Oroomiah,
Sooldooz, and Tergawer, and the field outlying these, together with
the male Seminary, To Mr. Coan was committed the press, the editing
of the "Rays of Light," care of the treasury, and the oversight of
the city church, and of two out-stations. To Messrs. Shedd and
Labaree, jointly, was given the care of twenty out-stations in
Oroomiah and Salmas, besides Tabriz and Hamadan, with the Armenian
work in general; and, separately, to Mr. Shedd the mountain field,
and to Mr. Labaree the Mussulman work. Dr. Van Norden was to carry
on his medical department, and to translate the Gospel of John into
Turkish.
In the autumn of this year the Mission to Persia was formally
transferred to the care of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign
Missions; reserving, however, the Armenian work in the northern
portion of the field, from its intimate connection with the mission
to the Armenians of Turkey.
It remains only to speak of the honored founder of the mission.
Dr. Perkins lived through the entire connection of the mission with
the American Board, and died at Chicopee, Massachusetts, on the 31st
of December, 1869, when he had nearly attained the age of
sixty-five; having been born on the 12th of March, 1805. He
graduated at Amherst College in 1829, taught the next year in
Amherst Academy; spent the two following years in Andover Seminary;
and was tutor in his Alma Mater for the greater part of another
year. The engagement last named was shortened by his call to
commence the mission among the Nestorians. His life, from the time
of his sailing from Boston, with Mrs. Perkins, in September, 1833,
for six-and-thirty years, is largely the history of the Nestorian
mission.
The careful reader of this history will not need a portraiture of
his character. He was evidently made for the position he so long
occupied. He was an acknowledged leader in the Lord's host; a Moses
and a Joshua, with traits of character resembling those both of
Elijah, and of the Apostle Paul. To idleness, vagrancy, and
drunkenness, besetting sins of the Nestorians, he was the old
prophet; and in his longing desire to make them savingly acquainted
with the gospel, he was the apostle. Their spoken language he
reduced to a written form, and gave them, in their vernacular, the
Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments; with a commentary on
Genesis and on Daniel. Is it too much to pronounce him the Apostle
to the Nestorians? He came to his end as a shock of corn fully ripe;
and glorious results of his self denying, and in some respects
suffering mission, he will assuredly behold in the heavenly world.
Where in his native land could he have labored, with the prospect of
so large a spiritual harvest, taking no account of the widely
reacting influence of his labors on the churches at home? And we
might propose the same inquiry with respect to the departed
Stoddard, and Rhea, and Grant, and Fidelia Fiske, and others, both
among the dead, and the living.