^ PRINCETON. N. J. '^' 
 
 Purch.ased by the Hammill Missionary Fund. 
 
 BV 3202 .G6 Aj xoo4 
 Gobat, Samuel, 1799-1879. 
 Samuel Gobat, Bishop of 
 Jerusalem, his life and 
 
 T 
 
11. 
 
SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO. 
 EDINBURGH AND LONDON 
 
.^y^t 
 
 
SAMUEL GOBAT, 
 
 BISHOP OF JERUSALEM. 
 
 HIS LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 ^ Btosrapfjical Siftctclj, 
 
 DRAWN CHIEFLY FROM HIS OWN JOURNALS. 
 
 WITH PREFACE BY THE RIGHT HON. THE 
 EARL OF SHAFTESBURY. 
 
 2iaait^ IPortraits anti 3!nu0tration0» 
 
 LONDON: 
 JAMES NISBET & CO., 21 BERNERS STREET. 
 
 MDCCCLXXXIV. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 This volume lias one great merit to begin with. It is 
 short, compact, and very full of the most interesting 
 and useful information. Autobiographies and private 
 journals (specially in modern days) are open to a good 
 deal of suspicion. In autobiographies we cannot gene- 
 rally expect that the writer will disclose what is really 
 descriptive of himself, if it be not to his honour; and 
 in journals, kept during the last forty years (so frequent 
 has become the issue of such things), almost every one 
 who makes his entries, acts, consciously or unconsciously, 
 under an impression that liis thoughts will — certainly 
 in some cases, and possibly in otliers — be revealed to the 
 public. 
 
 But the autobiography of this excellent Bishop Gobat 
 is transparent as glass. He says what he thought, he 
 states what he felt ; he goes through all the various 
 phases of his opinions and actions witli child- like sim- 
 plicity, writing only for himself, and for none other; 
 having nothing that he wishes to divulge, and nothing 
 that he wishes to conceal. All this is striking and in- 
 structive, because it is manifestly true. It shows, too, 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 tlie history of the workmgs of an able and ingenuous 
 mind : its forward and its backward movements, its diffi- 
 culties and its doubts, and how by God's mercy it was 
 kept steady in its course by the one great object he had 
 ever before him, the advent of the kingdom of Christ. 
 
 Not only those who are to go out on missionary enter- 
 prise, but those who are to battle with all the evils of 
 the world at large, may learn a very great deal from the 
 life of this admirable servant of our Lord. 
 
 The Bishop, in pp. 189 and 190 of his Memoirs, 
 makes a comment which in these days is well worthy of 
 special attention. He says : — 
 
 " I remember one circumstance in connection with my work 
 at Malta which would have convinced me, had I not already 
 been convinced, of the Divine inspiration of tlie whole Bible. 
 
 "Whilst translating 'Keith on the Bullilment of Prophecy,' 
 the two chief translators, Phares Shidiak of Mount Lebanon, 
 and the Rev. Mr. Badjer, both very good Arabic scholars, were 
 puzzled continually, not knowing how to render the imagery in 
 which the meaning was clothed in the English original, because 
 that imagery consisted chiefly, or at least in great part, of terms 
 derived from divers kinds of mechanism, the works of men, of 
 which the uncivilised Arabs have no idea, and therefore possess 
 no words to express them, especially when employed in a non- 
 natural or immaterial sense. But the imagery of the Bible is 
 nearly all taken from nature, the work of God, and thus intelli- 
 gible to all, and can consequently be translated into all human 
 languages. However, the pains taken in the translation of the 
 work has rendered it acceptable to the best-educated Moslems ; 
 for of all the works published in modern times by the mission- 
 aries, ' Keith on Prophecy ' is to this day the most highly 
 appreciated among them. My chief part in that translation, as 
 in other ones, was to see that the meaning was correct." 
 
PREFACE. vii 
 
 This is confirmed by wlmt the writer of this Preface 
 heard from a large body of young Indians who had come 
 to England from all parts of Hindostan to study for 
 various professionsj such as medicine, law, engineering, 
 &c. " Many of Dr. Colenso's objections to the Old 
 Testament," said they, " are no objections to us ; nor 
 would they be to any one who lived in the East." 
 
 The later part of the Bishop's life, his career in 
 Jerusalem, has been completed by other hands. It is, 
 however, of real value and importance ; and Bishops, 
 both present and to come, may learn much from his 
 episcopal example. He was a man misrepresented by 
 some, and misunderstood by many more. Eew have 
 had such obstacles to overcome and such trials to 
 undergo. Calumny, and even actual indignity, were 
 heaped upon him. 
 
 Of all this a good deal has been suppressed, and per- 
 haps wisely. Little would be gained by reviving the 
 memory of bitter conflicts when all the parties are dead 
 and gone. He himself, were he alive, would be the last 
 to desire it ; and he would no doubt rest satisfied with 
 the verdict of the public, that the Bishop in the Holy 
 City was not, in wisdom, piety, and truth, inferior to the 
 missionary in Abyssinia. 
 
 SHAETESBUEY. 
 
 October 31, 1884. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAET I. 
 
 FROM CHILDHOOD UNTIL HIS ENTRANCE UPON HIS 
 
 EPISCOPAL FUNCTIONS AT JERUSALEM 
 
 (1 799-1 846). 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 EARLY HOME AND BOYHOOD AT CEEMINE; — CONVERSION TO CHRIST, 
 
 AND COMMENCEMENT OF LABOURS AS TEACHER (1799-1820) . 3 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 PREPARATION IN BASLE, PARIS, AND LONDON FOR MISSIONARY WORK 
 
 (182O-1825) 28 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY TO PALESTINE AND EGYPT (1S26-1S29) . 65 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA ( 1 829- 1 832) .... lOO 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 KETUEN TO EUKOPE — MAEKIAGE — SECOND MISSIONARY TOUR IN ABYS- 
 SINIA — SERIOUS ILLNESS (1834-1837) I5S 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A YEAR OP WAITING— MISSIONARY WORK IN SWITZERLAND ; AMONG 
 
 THE DRUSES ; IN ITALY ; AND AT MALTA (1838-1845) . . 186 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 NOMINATION AND CONSECRATION AS BISHOP — ARRIVAL AT JERUSALEM 
 
 (1846) 207 
 
 PAET IL 
 
 HIS WORK AS BISHOP AT JERUSALEM (1846-1S79). 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 RETROSPECTIVE GLANCE AT THE ORIGIN OF THE EVANGELICAL 
 
 BISHOPRIC AT JERUSALEM 221 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION, AND OP SCHOLASTIC MATTERS UNDER 
 
 BISHOP GOBAT (1846-185 1) 232 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 PROTEST FROM SOME OP THE ANGLICAN CLERGY AGAINST BISHOP 
 
 GOBAT's PROCEEDINGS — THE BISHOP's VINDICATION (1852-I853) 286 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCES OF THE CRIMEAN WAR — GROWING HOSTILITY 
 OF THE MOHAMMEDANS — RESUMPTION OF THE ABYSSINIAN 
 MISSION (1854-1857) 297 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONGREGATION— THEIR PRESERVATION AT THE 
 TIME OF THE MASSACRE OP THE CHRISTIANS IN SYRIA (1859- 
 1860) 322 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 y 
 UNINTERRUPTED WORK — CALAMITIES IN PALESTINE— THE ABYSSINIAN 
 
 WAR (1861-I871) 332 
 
 CHAPTER YII. 
 
 THE bishop's jubilee — THE LAST SEVEN YEARS OF HIS WORK, AND 
 
 HIS ENTRANCE INTO REST (187I-1879) 37O 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 In Peril by Water i8o 
 
 Mosque of Omar, Jerusalem 215 
 
 Street of the Bazaar, Jerusalem, with Mount of Olives 
 
 IN Background 235 
 
 Encampment at Lifta 319 
 
 Bishop Gobat's House ; Christ Church ; David's Steeple 367 
 
 Old Mission-House, Basle ; Bishop Gobat's Tomb ; St. 
 
 Julian's Mission-Hall Malta 390 
 
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PAET I. 
 
 FROM CHILDHOOD UNTIL HIS ENTRANCE UPON HIS 
 
 EPISCOPAL FUNCTIONS AT JERUSALEM. 
 
 (1799-1846.) 
 
 FROM HIS OWN JOURNALS. 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 EARLY HOME AND BOYHOOD AT CREMINE CONVERSION TO 
 
 CHRIST, AND COMMENCEMENT OF LABOURS AS TEACHER. 
 {1799-1820.) 
 
 I WAS born on the 26th of January 1799 at Cremine, 
 a small village in the beautiful Miinsterthal, in the Jura, 
 then under the government of the French Eepublic, but 
 now, since the fall of the first Napoleon, belonging to the 
 Canton of Berne, in Switzerland. 
 
 My father and mother, especially the latter, had from 
 their youth up been religiously inclined. They never, 
 unless compelled to do so, failed to attend divine service 
 on the Lord's day, while they usually passed the re- 
 mainder of that day in reading, together with their chil- 
 dren, the Bible and other good books, particularly the 
 excellent sermons of Nardin. They also had daily family 
 prayer, though during the busy season in the fields this 
 duty was sometimes neglected. They loved each other 
 most tenderly, and I never observed anything like a mis- 
 understanding between them. 
 
 During the days of my infancy and early youth, my 
 mother laboured under an almost continual sense of sin 
 and guilt. Yet deep as was this melancholy conscious- 
 ness, it was not so deep as to deprive her of the hope of 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 making herself fit to receive the Saviour. My father 
 shared her feelings ; and thus, although exemplary in 
 their conduct, they were both destitute of spiritual com- 
 fort. Nevertheless, when I reflect upon the wisdom 
 they displayed in the training of their children, I feel 
 convinced that even at that period they were, without 
 knowing it, under the influence of the Spirit of God. 
 They combined with the most devoted, self - denying, 
 parental love the most untiring, inexhaustible patience, 
 though they on all occasions exacted prompt and implicit 
 obedience. They could bear with childish faults of 
 thoughtlessness without excusing them, but they were 
 uncompromisingly severe towards wilful sins, such as 
 untruth, pilfering, or disobedience. 
 
 Having originally been in easy circumstances, but 
 having, soon after their marriage, lost the greater part 
 of their property through the French Eevolution, they 
 contracted a character of reserve, which, together with 
 a tender conscience, rendered them almost unfit to cope 
 with the world. Their occupation consisted in the cul- 
 tivation of their own estate until the year 1 8 1 8, when 
 my father, burdened with debts, resolved to sell as much 
 land as would suffice to pay off his obligations, so that 
 but little of it remained in his possession. This was 
 very humiliating to the whole family. But the curse 
 which had seemed to rest on all my father's enterprises 
 disappeared with the sale of the property. Thence- 
 forward my parents, though in a lowlier condition, en- 
 joyed peaceful and happy days until they entered into 
 everlasting rest. Spiritual blessings were showered upon 
 us ; and it pleased God in after years to choose several 
 of us as instruments to lead fellow-sinners to that same 
 Saviour, whom to know and to love we had found to 
 be true happiness and Eternal Life. 
 
EARLY HOME AND BOYHOOD. 5 
 
 In my earliest infancy I learned to look up to God 
 for every blessing, and I was happy in the thought that 
 our Lord Jesus, whom I believe I sincerely loved, was 
 ever near me, like a faithful Friend. It was my greatest 
 enjoyment to read the Word of God, especially the Gos- 
 pels, and then to withdraw for secret prayer. In my 
 seventh year I was nearly as well acquainted with the 
 ISTew Testament and the historical parts of the Old as 
 I am now, though there were many passages that I 
 did not understand; and I frequently prayed to God 
 that He would make me a minister of the Gospel, 
 chiefly because I thought that I should then understand 
 everything in the Bible which at that time was obscure 
 to me. 
 
 This early piety, however, proved to be as a cloud of 
 the morning; for in my ninth year I began to doubt 
 about several portions of Scripture. A few years later, 
 my doubts extended even to the immortality of the soul 
 and the divinity of Christ ; and at last, my heart being 
 alienated from Christ and devoid of peace, I tried hard 
 to persuade myself that there is no personal righteous 
 God ; but in this I could never succeed. 
 
 This melancholy state was brought about, as far as I 
 remember, by the following circumstances. 
 
 From my fourth year I had been reading over and 
 over again a book called " Le Berger d'Artois." It was 
 a small controversial work, treating of the discussions 
 between a simple shepherd who had been converted to 
 Protestantism and his Eoman Catholic priest. By means 
 of this book I learned to know all the leading errors of 
 the Church of Eome, her tricks and her cruelty on the 
 one hand, and on the other the essential truths of the 
 "Word of God, as opposed to those errors and practices. 
 This made an impression on my mind against Popery 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 whicli never has been, and I trust never will be effaced, 
 subsequent experience having only deepened it. But the 
 contents of the book had also excited my compassion for 
 the poor deluded Eoman Catholics, and I was seized with 
 the desire to convert them. This brought me into con- 
 tact with a Eoman Catholic priest, who began to come 
 frequently to our house in order to discuss the question 
 with me. But as he was ignorant of the contents of the 
 Bible, and as I would not allow him to bring forward any 
 argument not drawn from the Word of God, I was easily 
 able to silence him, sometimes in the presence of many 
 witnesses, who praised me for my skill in controversy. 
 In consequence of this I grew vain and conceited. 
 
 From that time, when I read my Bible, instead of 
 receiving, as formerly, all that I could understand in 
 simple faith, I began to murmur against God for having 
 caused things to be written which I could not compre- 
 hend; for I still believed, as I believe now, that the 
 whole Bible was the Word of God. I began to read 
 chiefly those parts of the Scriptures which were least 
 intelligible to me, till by degrees I became disgusted, 
 and began to doubt whether the Bible really was the 
 Word of God, and to lose all relish for it ; until at last I 
 fell into complete scepticism. But I must confess that 
 the love of sin had quite as much to do with producing 
 this state of mind as my own ignorance. 
 
 Here it may not be out of place to say a few words 
 respecting my boyhood, though on this head I have but 
 little to relate. 
 
 From the age of about four to fifteen, I went to school 
 for four months and a half in the year, during which 
 time I had the credit of being a good boy, and was never 
 punished but once, and that in part unjustly. It hap- 
 pened thus : — It had for some time past formed part 
 
EARLY HOME AND BOYHOOD. 
 
 of the routine of my class to write from dictation ; and 
 the schoolmaster, who generally made too free a use of 
 his cane, was wont to strike the boys' fingers for every 
 mistake — a very painful mode of correction. Now for a 
 good while I had made no error and received no caning, 
 in consequence of which the master was accused of par- 
 tiality towards me. But on this particular occasion, I 
 had left out one word of five letters, which, according 
 to rule, ought only to have been considered as one mis- 
 take ; now the master counted it as five, which, as I had 
 a strong sense of justice, exasperated me ; therefore, when 
 he prepared to cane me, I received the first stroke sub- 
 missively, but at the second I looked him in the face, 
 and said in a resolute tone, " May God requite you " 
 (Bieio vous le rende), and the same for each of the remain- 
 ing strokes. My next neighbour, who, like myself, had 
 been spared until then, had made a blunder similar to 
 mine ; and when he was to be punished I whispered in 
 his ear, " Do as I have done," which he did ; and from 
 that moment every boy received his caning with an 
 emphatic " JDicic vous le Te7ide!' At last the master threw 
 his cane out of the window, exclaiming in a kind of 
 despair, " No more caning ! If I cannot manage you 
 without a cane, I will cease to be your teacher." On 
 going out of school, we elder boys took counsel, and then, 
 gathering all the children together, we agreed that in case 
 the master kept his word and abolished the cane, we 
 would all be docile and endeavour to please him ; and 
 that if any one should offend him, we would punish the 
 culprit out of school. From that day forward the school 
 was a model of order and good behaviour. 
 
 During the seven months and a half when there was 
 no school, I used, when not required by my parents, to 
 go fishing or to play with other boys, and I forgot much 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 of what I had learned till the school was reopened in 
 November. The only branches taught were reading, 
 writing, arithmetic, and singing, with Ostervald's cate- 
 chism and a little Scripture history. But as, during my 
 last school year, I knew about as much as my master, I 
 was induced by my parents to learn a number of psalms 
 and chapters of the Bible, besides numerous prayers. 
 This plan has proved very useful to me in after years, 
 and is much to be commended, not only for strengthening 
 the memory, but chiefly because it is the means of de- 
 positing in the mind many important truths which may 
 lie dormant for a season, but which will most likely 
 make their power to be felt sooner or later. 
 
 In the course of my boyhood I experienced great 
 deliverances from imminent dangers, which, however, 
 failed at the time to make a due impression upon me. 
 On one occasion, when I was between six and seven 
 years old, I climbed a loose wall of great stones after a 
 lieavy fall of rain. Upon my reaching the top of it, the 
 entire pile fell down with a terrible crash, and I with it. 
 My left hand was crushed and the right seriously hurt ; 
 the bones of two fingers of my left hand were laid com- 
 pletely bare. The surgeon to whom my father took me 
 was not at home, but his wife said that in similar cases 
 her husband was accustomed to wash the wound with oil 
 of vitriol, which must cause very great pain, for strong 
 men to whom it was applied would cry out with all their 
 might. She then asked me if I could bear it without 
 crying out ; to which I answered, that if it would cure 
 me, I would endure it. She accordingly bathed my 
 wounds with that liquid, thereby causing me excessive 
 pain ; yet I kept perfectly quiet. When the surgeon re- 
 turned in the evening and saw my injuries, he declared 
 that if he had been at home, he would not have had the 
 
EARLY HOME AND BOYHOOD. 
 
 courage to apply the vitriol, but would have cut off my 
 hand, or at least several lingers ; but now he hojDed that I 
 should be cured without amputation. For several weeks 
 I went every morning to have my hand dressed, and 
 frequently cried aloud, though the surgeon did all he 
 could to soothe me. Thanks be to God, I was cured. 
 
 I could mention several similar perils from which the 
 good providence of God has saved me, both in my boy- 
 hood and beyond it, when I was most unfit to be removed 
 from this world ; and for this I never can be sufficiently 
 thankful to God my Saviour. 
 
 It had been the original desire of my parents, who at 
 my birth had dedicated me to the service of God and of 
 His Church, that I should study theology. But by the 
 time I was old enough to begin the preliminary course, 
 they had had such a succession of misfortunes that they 
 were no longer able to afford the necessary expenses ; and 
 when, in my eleventh year, a friend of my father offered 
 to defray all the cost of my studies, I was not disposed 
 to devote myself to the ministry of the Gospel. I still 
 cherished the conviction that a minister ought to be 
 pious and self-denying, like the apostles and their com- 
 panions, and for such a mode of life I no longer had any 
 inclination. From that time up to my twentieth year 
 I was an infidel — not an avowed one, because I would 
 not let my parents know it for fear of causing them 
 sorrow. For the same reason my outward conduct was 
 orderly ; so much so, that I was frequently held up as a 
 model to other young men. Still I could not prevent 
 my parents observing that a great change for the worse 
 had taken place in me. 
 
 Meanwhile I worked with my father and mother, but 
 I did so merely to avoid displeasing them ; for I did not 
 like any kind of serious occupation. My heart was full 
 
lo LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 of the love of the vanities of the world. Happily I did 
 not drink wine or any other intoxicating beverage ; hence 
 my control over my outward conduct. But whenever I 
 could escape the eyes of my parents and their friends, I 
 spent my time in frivolities, especially in card-playing. 
 
 During this period several persons in our neighbour- 
 hood had been converted, and among them my eldest sister ; 
 but as she had always been of a retiring and devout dis- 
 position, her conversion did not attract much attention. 
 As for me, notwithstanding my utter destitution of 
 religious faith, I loved and respected the newly-converted 
 as well as other genuinely pious people, although in 
 general I avoided them as much as politeness would 
 allow. When the worldly and profane mocked or spoke 
 evil of them, whether in their presence or their absence, 
 I took their part so warmly that I was sometimes in- 
 sulted for it ; for I respected their sincerity and the 
 harmony between their faith and their conduct, while I 
 despised those who professed to believe the Bible, and 
 yet lived not in accordance with their profession. 
 
 For several years I do not remember having felt the 
 need of a Saviour or any desire after God. The first 
 incident which availed to touch my heart happened as 
 follows : — 
 
 My parents had invited a zealous minister, the now 
 well-known M. Bost, sen., then curate in a neighbouring 
 parish, to come at a certain hour for the purpose of talk- 
 ing seriously with me. I was not apprised of his coming, 
 for as he had the reputation of being very severe, I had 
 always contrived, when he had visited my parents on 
 former occasions, to absent myself from home. He 
 arrived while we were at table, and at the sight of him 
 I became somewhat confused. My mother perceiving 
 this, and fearing that I might find some pretext for 
 
CONVERSION TO CHRIST. n 
 
 withdrawing — supposing also that it would be hazardous 
 to attack my scepticism, which she suspected, in the pre- 
 sence of others — asked me at once to accompany M. Bost 
 on his return home. I divined her object, and replied 
 with alacrity that I would do so with pleasure, and so I 
 remained free from attack for the moment. I listened 
 to the conversation, chiefly on religious topics, with per- 
 fect indifference, and when the time came for M. Bost 
 to take leave, I set off with him, cheerful in appearance, 
 but in reality with an uneasy mind. 
 
 On the way he made several attempts to tell me the 
 truths which my case required, but I contrived to avoid 
 the pointed allusions intended for myself, and to turn 
 them adroitly upon other people. In fact, his task was 
 a dif&cult one. He could not convict me of any gross 
 sin ; and as I had never boasted of my unbelief, he could 
 only suspect me of it. Yet he could not but perceive 
 that I was in a dangerous state of alienation from God. 
 At length I became aware that the faithful man felt ill 
 at ease, for he looked first at me, then upon the ground, 
 in some apparent confusion ; for it was not his custom to 
 use so much gentleness and forbearance when he thought 
 himself called upon to speak to sinners. 
 
 Now, observing that he was about to make a direct 
 attack upon me, and to say with Nathan the prophet, 
 " Thou art the man," and being unwilling to openly oppose 
 him for fear of his giving an unfavourable report to my 
 parents, I abruptly took leave of him under pretence 
 of an engagement. When I had walked some distance 
 homewards, I looked back, and saw the poor man still 
 standing on the spot where I had left him, and wiping 
 his eyes. At that moment I appeared really vile in my 
 own eyes. I told myself that it was love which had 
 brought this man to our house, and that it was for fear 
 
12 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 of ..wounding my feelings that he had tried so gently to 
 reach my heart and conscience, and now he was reproach- 
 ing himself with having been unfaithful. I felt that I 
 had dealt hypocritically with him. From that day for- 
 w^ard — it was in July 1818 — I felt less at ease in my 
 state of spiritual deadness. 
 
 In the beginning of October that same year, my levity 
 of conversation prompted a companion to make a proposal 
 to me at which I shuddered, and for the first time I saw 
 the danger of playing with sinful imaginings. From that 
 day I could not rest. I laboured hard by day, and, 
 unable to sleep, I spent one night after another in some 
 amusement, usually cards, in order to avoid the melan- 
 choly thoughts which pursued and troubled me. 
 
 Matters w^ent on thus until the 20th of that month, 
 which was a Sunday. I had spent the morning at 
 church, which I still attended regularly for my parents' 
 sake, but had slept the hours of devotion away. The 
 afternoon had been passed in dancing, and the evening 
 was to have been spent in play with some young men of 
 my acquaintance. But when, unobserved by my parents, 
 I contrived to slip away, I was suddenly struck with a 
 sense of the presence of God. I went back again into 
 the house, and took up the Bible with the intention of 
 reading it, which I had not done for several years, unless 
 at the request of my parents. But when I had opened 
 it I had not the courage to proceed, for I felt myself 
 under the wrath of God and unworthy to read His Word. 
 All the sophisms on which I had built my unbelief seemed 
 suddenly swept away, and the Bible once more became 
 to me the true and sure Word of God — but, alas ! it 
 became so to my condemnation. 
 
 For fear lest my parents and sisters might observe my 
 emotion, I simply said that I did not feel well, and with- 
 
CONVERSION TO CHRIST. 
 
 drew to my room. This was between seven and eight in 
 the evening. Oh ! what a terrible, and yet what a blessed 
 nig^ht was before me ! When alone, I reflected for a 
 moment on my lost condition, and then began to pray 
 in these or similar words : " my Creator ! I have been 
 taught from my infancy that Thou hast sent Thine only- 
 begotten Son into the world to save sinners. If it be 
 really so, I beseech Thee to reveal Him unto me, for 
 I am a lost sinner. Have mercy upon me ! " 
 
 The more I prayed, the deeper became the anguish, the 
 agony of my soul. I felt as if there had been but one 
 step between me and eternal, irremediable death. AVhether 
 I really saw, or only imagined that I saw, three evil 
 spirits standing before me, of a substance like a spider's 
 web, the central one darker than the two others, I cannot 
 tell ; but this much is certain, that the Wicked One was 
 exciting me nearly to despair. The agony of my soul 
 was so terrible that I filled my mouth with a handker- 
 chief to prevent my crying aloud while pleading for 
 mercy. 
 
 I continued thus praying and crying to God until 
 about three o'clock next morning, when I fancied I saw 
 rays of vivid light coming down from the ceiling of my 
 room and concentrating themselves in an earthen vessel 
 at my right hand. Hereupon the three spirits drev/ 
 back several paces. I instantly summoned all my 
 courage, and exclaimed in the words of Jacob, " I will 
 not let Thee go except Thou bless me ! " At these 
 words the spirits vanished. On a sudden I felt as if the 
 burden of my sins was taken away, and I experienced 
 unutterable delight. I felt the Lord Jesus near me 
 in all the fulness of His love. I felt His assurance, not 
 in words, for I heard no sound, but by a kind of divine 
 power, of my reconciliation with God and of His favour. 
 
14 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT, 
 
 Hitherto I had always prayed to God merely as to the 
 Supreme Being, without any distinct mention of the 
 Son and of His work of redemption ; but from that 
 moment I was enabled to believe that Jesus was my 
 Saviour, my Lord, and my God. The remaining hours 
 of that night were the most blissful of my life. 
 
 Next morning, however, on attempting to rise, I found 
 that I had no strength to do so — I was completely 
 exhausted. When, as it grew late, I heard my mother 
 coming to see me, either Satan or my own wicked heart, 
 or else both combined, suggested that I should say 
 nothing to her of what had happened during the night, 
 lest, in case I should not persevere in following the 
 Saviour, she might consider me as a backslider, in greater 
 danger of perdition than before, and so suffer still more 
 bitter sorrow on my account. But God had prepared 
 an antidote to this temptation. 
 
 As soon as my mother looked at me, she seemed 
 struck with my appearance. "What is the matter with 
 you ? " she asked, with enforced calmness. " Your 
 countenance is altogether changed." And then I re- 
 lated to her faithfully all that had taken place during 
 the night, feeling happy thus to have overcome the first 
 temptation. My mother, for fear, no doubt, of exciting 
 in me feelings of vanity and self-conceit, listened quietly, 
 without betraying any surprise. She went straight to 
 my father, how^ever, and recounted the whole matter to 
 him ; upon which they both came to the conclusion 
 that, notwithstanding their religious exercises and their 
 well-ordered life, they had not yet experienced the par- 
 don of their sins or the joy of salvation ; that, conse- 
 quently, they were not yet truly converted. My mother 
 sank into deep melancholy. She diligently read her 
 Bible ; but her mind being confused about points of 
 
CONVERSION TO CHRIST. 
 
 doctrinei — justification by faith, sanctification, and free 
 salvation, to wit — she dared not apply to herself the 
 promises of the Gospel. 
 
 Now when this state of mind had continued for about 
 six months, she heard of a young person who was re- 
 ported to be mad, suffering under the conviction that 
 she was lost without hope of redemption. My mother 
 was filled with deep sympathy, and resolved at once to 
 go and visit the sufferer. On her way she gathered 
 together from memory a good number of Scripture 
 passages adapted to the case in point. Suddenly the 
 thought darted into her heart, "This young girl's state 
 is just like my own. Why should I not apply to myself 
 these same precious promises and declarations of God in 
 behalf of wretched sinners such as I ? " With this a 
 flood of light was poured into her soul, so that she not 
 only felt able to receive Christ and all His merits by 
 faith, but also obtained, as by a flash of comprehension, 
 a clear view of the difference between justification and 
 sanctification, such as I never observed in any theologian. 
 
 Her first visit to this person did not effect all that she 
 desired, but it broke the spell by which Satan had held 
 her captive, for she could thenceforth pray with some 
 hope of being heard; and in a few days she could 
 rejoice in the Lord her salvation. I believe she after- 
 wards followed Him faithfully to her life's end. 
 
 After my mother had left me on that happy morning, 
 I slept for several hours ; and when I awoke I still 
 rejoiced, though the vividness of my feelings had greatly 
 subsided. My bodily strength was restored, but I felt 
 my moral weakness very keenly ; and I was again 
 assailed by the temptation to conceal the change which 
 had taken place wdthin me, lest a subsequent lapse 
 should expose me to the derision of scoffers. Falling 
 
i6 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 upon my knees, I owned my weakness, and asked for 
 strength to persevere, and boldly to confess the name of 
 my Lord before men. 
 
 On rising from prayer I saw through the window a group 
 of my companions. I at once said to myself, " Now is the 
 time to make use of the grace and strength for which I 
 have jnst been asking. I must go and speak to them." 
 
 Being naturally very shy, I dreaded the idea of ex- 
 pected ridicule ; yet I saw my duty clear before me, and 
 there was no time to be lost. I hastened out to them 
 in the full expectation that my words would be received 
 with a roar of laughter, if not with something worse. 
 Lut what was my surprise on perceiving that their be- 
 haviour had also altered, and that their habitual levity 
 was replaced by a gravity of manner such as rendered 
 it quite easy for me to address to them a few solemn 
 and affectionate words. I reminded them of the reck- 
 less course I had hitherto pursued in their companion- 
 ship, and told them of the change which God had 
 wrought in my heart. I briefly declared that I was 
 steadfastly purposed from thenceforth to serve the Lord, 
 and that I must therefore bid farewell to their society, 
 unless, indeed, any one of them was minded to walk with 
 me in the narrow way. 
 
 A short silence ensued. Then one of the young men, 
 whom we had looked upon as a kind of leader, spoke. 
 " I know that you are right," said he, " but I cannot 
 follow you now." Two years later he forsook his evil 
 courses, and his conversion was so striking that it proved 
 to be the means of an important revival in the neigh- 
 bourhood. 
 
 A few months later I had to pass through another 
 and somewhat similar ordeal. 
 
 Having completed my twentieth year, I became liable 
 
CONVERSION TO CHRIST. 
 
 for the duties of the Lanchvelir, which consisted in per- 
 forming military exercises for about fifteen Sunday after- 
 noons in the year. On the first Sunday I was cited to 
 appear, with all the other young men of the parish, to 
 be drilled. Athough I was determined not to desecrate 
 the Lord's day by drill, I yet repaired to the appointed 
 spot with a trembling but prayerful heart. It was my 
 intention to protest publicly against this profanation of 
 the sacred day, and to declare that I would take no part 
 in it. I did so, with the full expectation of being ridi- 
 culed, most likely insulted ; but again my companions 
 seemed solemnly impressed, even the most light-minded 
 among them. The officer now observed that it was the 
 law that every one should be drilled on that day, and 
 that if I absented myself I must pay the prescribed fine. 
 On this I retired, and paid the fine ^or several successive 
 Sundays. But as each fine exceeded the previous one in 
 amount, the tax told heavily upon my scanty means. I 
 therefore went to the Prefect of the district to ask him 
 to exempt me alike from the duty and the fine. He, of 
 course, tried hard to convince me that I was bound to 
 obey the Government; to which I replied that I was 
 willing to submit in all things not opposed to the law 
 of God. In my efforts to persuade the Prefect of the 
 justice of my arguments on the religious side of the ques- 
 tion, I grew bold — almost too much so, indeed, for my age 
 and position, when I ventured to add that if the Govern- 
 ment persisted in legislating contrary to the Divine law, 
 it would soon fall to pieces ; Little thinking that in twelve 
 years' time, 1830-31, that very Government would fall, 
 never to rise again. " Well, you may be right," said the 
 Prefect at length ; " and as I have no authority to exempt 
 you, I will pay the fines myself." I thanked him and 
 withdrew, praying that God would bless him and his 
 
 B 
 
l8 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 young family — a prayer which I am happy to say was 
 abundantly answered in after years. 
 
 The first year of my spiritual life, 1 8 1 9, was one of 
 rich blessing and of much joy. I can remember only 
 one instance of departure from the right way. It hap- 
 pened in the week set apart by the villagers for hay- 
 making on a mountain belonging to the community. It 
 was the custom to spend the whole week on the moun- 
 tain, without coming down to the valley. That year 
 the weather was wet, and the rain poured down for 
 several days without ceasing. JSTobody could go out, and 
 I therefore was almost compelled to pass the days and 
 evenings in large assemblages of worldly and light- 
 minded people. Some of these persons were very witty ; 
 and I had not courage, at first, to protest against what 
 was wrong in their conversation, although my conscience 
 reproved me for my silence. By degrees I began to feel 
 interested in their pernicious talk, and neglected the 
 opportunity of saying a word in season for my Lord and 
 Master. On the second day I discovered with uneasi- 
 ness that I was losing my relish for prayer and Bible- 
 reading. Yet I still neglected to pray. I do not recol- 
 lect having said or done anything positively wrong; but 
 my heart was already fast straying away from the Good 
 Shepherd. 
 
 On the fourth day I received a very kind letter from 
 a lady, in which the following words occurred : " I 
 frequently ask myself what you may be doing during 
 these cold and rainy days ; to which I answer that you 
 are doubtless praying or reading your Bible." These 
 words pierced my heart like an arrow. I ran out of the 
 house to seek some corner in which to hide my shame. 
 " Vile hypocrite ! " I cried to myself, " while good people 
 are thinking well of you, you are amusing yourself and 
 
CONVERSION TO CHRIST. 19 
 
 playing with sin, forgetting Him whom your sins have 
 nailed to the cross ! " 
 
 I fell upon my knees, confessed my sins, and asked 
 God to forgive me ; which He mercifully did, and restored 
 me to liberty of communion with Him. So far I was 
 cured ; but my wings had been cut and my strength 
 diminished. My natural shyness, which had been gra- 
 dually melting away before zeal for my Lord and love 
 for my neighbour, returned, and led me to shun the 
 society of the worldly ; but it drove me to Him who 
 was able to give me courage to confess His Name and 
 witness for His truth. 
 
 For many months after this I lived in almost uninter- 
 rupted communion with the Lord. Whether in the field 
 or at home, by day and night I felt that He was with 
 me. Whereas formerly I hated almost every kind of 
 work, and was most awkward in performing it, I now 
 delighted to labour hard throughout the day, and used 
 to spend half or two-thirds of the night in prayer and 
 praise, counting as lost the time which I must spend in 
 sleep. 
 
 I had a great-aunt who had been for many years a 
 member of the Moravian Society, and who was in the 
 habit of lending me many good books, among which were 
 some containing descriptions of the happy state of the 
 brethren, living together in the fear and love of God, and 
 rejoicing in His salvation ; as they did, for example, at 
 Herrnhut in the days of Count Zinzendorf. My first 
 idea formed itself into a desire to join the Moravians ; 
 but this soon gave way to another and much deeper 
 impression, namely, a profound, overwhelming, abiding 
 sense of commiseration for all men unacquainted with 
 the Lord Jesus, but especially for those of my own 
 parish to whom He was as yet but a name. Oh ! how 
 
20 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 often did I ascend a certain hill, whence I could survey 
 the four villages in the lovely little valley of Grandval 
 which collectively constituted our parish, in order to 
 pray with many tears that God would revive His work 
 among the inhabitants, and, above all, that He would 
 send them a faithful pastor to lead them amid the green 
 pastures of the blessed Gospel, and to the wells of 
 eternal salvation ! All of which was to be accomplished 
 by His good pleasure in after years. Ere many years 
 had sped, but five indeed from that time, one care- 
 less, faithless shepherd was replaced by another, who 
 laboured there successfully for forty years, to be then 
 succeeded by his son, who was worthy to walk in his 
 father's steps. As a proof of the blessing which attended 
 that good man's ministry, I may mention that for the 
 space of forty years that little parish, numbering less 
 than six hundred souls, all living by the cultivation of 
 their own small patches of land, has, to the best of my 
 belief, never contributed less than fifty pounds a year 
 for missionary works, which sum was divided between 
 the Basle and Paris societies, though of late years a part 
 of it has been sent to me for similar purposes. 
 
 Soon after my conversion I began to read the scanty 
 supply of missionary intelligence then published in the 
 Trench language, which greatly enlarged and softened 
 my heart. I began deeply to sympathise with the poor 
 scattered Jews, as well as with the heathen, who were 
 without God and without hope in the world. I prayed 
 constantly and fervently for them, and became conscious 
 of an awakening desire to devote myself to the missionary 
 cause. At first I sought to dismiss the thought from my 
 mind, not only on account of my love for my parents 
 and my wish to succour them in their old age, but also 
 because I considered mvself altogether unfit for the call- 
 
CONVERSION TO CHRIST. 21 
 
 ing by reason of my scanty education, my natural shyness, 
 and my awkwardness of speech and manner. Still the idea 
 would again and again occupy my mind, as if it had been 
 a call from God Himself. I earnestly prayed that, if it 
 were His will that I should become a missionary, He 
 would so clearly call me to the work that I should have 
 no doubt remaining on the subject. 
 
 One Sunday morning, when there was no service at 
 church, I had been praying most earnestly in a forest for 
 several hours, asking that if it were God's will that I should 
 become a missionary, He would Himself call me through 
 any means He should choose, without my offering myself 
 for the work until I had an inward conviction that my 
 prayer had been accepted. When I returned home I 
 found a lady with my parents who was in correspondence 
 with several members of the missionary institution at 
 Basle, and with whom' I had frequently conversed on re- 
 ligious topics. Most unexpectedly she asked me whether 
 I should not like to become a missionary. I was sur- 
 prised, because I had always avoided speaking to her on 
 that matter, but I simply answered that I was ready, if 
 the Lord should ever call me, provided my parents gave 
 their consent. Hereupon, without asking my sanction, 
 this lady wrote to the committee on my behalf ; and about 
 three weeks later I received a letter from Basle stating 
 that I was accepted, and inviting me to hold myself in 
 readiness to enter the institution when the first vacancy 
 should occur. 
 
 I had to wait nine months before my summons arrived, 
 and this interval passed over tranquilly, bringing much 
 spiritual happiness in its train. I was sensible of my 
 ignorance on many ordinary subjects of education, so 
 that, besides occupying a part of my leisure with the 
 perusal of the Bible and works of piety, I also read what- 
 
22 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 ever historical books I could obtain, and studied the 
 French grammar thoroughly. 
 
 During this interval I found myself called upon to 
 speak at a communal meeting in defence of certain points 
 of doctrine concerning which I had been called in ques- 
 tion. The discussion grew stormy, and the Maire was 
 obliged to interpose. A few days after this circumstance 
 nearly all the fathers of families in the village called 
 upon me and invited me to take charge of the instruc- 
 tion of their children until I should leave for Basle. 
 They stated that the little ones were growing wild and 
 ungovernable, and that they learned nothing under the 
 schoolmaster appointed by Government. 
 
 I saw in this call a favourable opportunity of doing, 
 under the blessing of God, the greatest and most lasting 
 good to my native place before quitting it. I at once 
 accepted it, therefore, with my parents' consent ; for I was 
 well aware that, although the schoolmaster had ten times 
 more knowledge than myself, he was a drunkard, and 
 could gain neither the affection nor the respect of the 
 children. 
 
 I opened the school in the beginning of October, 
 when, to my surprise, all the children, both boys and 
 girls, of the village presented themselves, and continued 
 to attend most regularly, to the number of about forty; 
 so that the Government master was left with three pupils, 
 his two brothers and another boy. He was obliged to 
 resign, for which I pitied him, though he was very bitter 
 against me ; but it will not be out of place here to state 
 that he was afterwards converted and became also my 
 warm friend. I hope to meet him in the kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 The primary school — that is, the school for the mass of 
 the people — was still considered as an institution of the 
 
COMMENCEMENT OF LABOURS AS TEACHER. 23 
 
 Church, wherefore all that was taught in it, save reading, 
 writing, and arithmetic, related to religion, with the 
 exception of grammar. The Bible was read every day, 
 but only as a tedious exercise in reading. The children 
 were made to learn, besides the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, 
 and the Ten Commandments, as many Psalms, and other 
 passages of Scripture, long forms of prayer, and Catechism, 
 as their respective memories could hold, but without 
 any explanation. All was lifeless mechanism; so that 
 the children never thought about the meaning of what 
 they learned, except those whose parents took care to 
 teach them on a more sensible plan at home. But what 
 was worse was the fact that not only in our own parish, 
 but in general, religion was represented to the children 
 as a gloomy thing, consisting solely in a heap of burden- 
 some duties to be fulfilled under fear of the wrath of 
 God. Wherefore their greatest desire and hope was to 
 be confirmed, considering confirmation as an emancipa- 
 tion at once from school and from religion, l^o wonder, 
 then, that all that was expected from young people after 
 their confirmation was that they should go to church 
 once on Sunday, partake once or twice a year of the 
 sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and abstain from gross 
 sins. I knew and deeply felt all this to be ruinous; 
 and I resolved to set my face against the system, relying 
 on Him who said, " Suffer the little children to come 
 unto Me." 
 
 I opened the school myself with prayer, instead of 
 calling upon one of the children to repeat a prayer from 
 memory, as had hitherto been the custom. I then ad- 
 dressed my scholars in simple and affectionate words, 
 endeavouring chiefly to impress upon their minds the 
 great truth that God is Love ; that He loved them ; that 
 the Lord Jesus Christ loved them, and was ready to bless 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 them provided they came to Him ; that His service — 
 religion, namely — is perfect freedom, and that for them 
 it consisted in giving Him their hearts, which He would 
 then fill with joy and peace for ever. I ended by telling 
 them that I had experienced the love of God, and that 
 it was that love which had constrained me to take charge 
 of them until I should be called to go and make known 
 the same love unto the heathen. I asked them whether 
 they were resolved by the grace of God so to behave 
 as to enable me to rule over them by love alone, and 
 was answered with an eager affirmative. I felt that I 
 had their full confidence and love, and the three months 
 which I spent with them were amongst the happiest and 
 most blessed of my life. 
 
 I scarcely ever found it necessary to administer the 
 gentlest reproof to any one of them, and once only was 
 I obliged to punish a boy for an act of disobedience, 
 committed out of school, it is true, but positive dis- 
 obedience notwithstanding. The punishment I inflicted 
 was hazardous, the boy having previously been regarded 
 as unmanageable, and the other children might have 
 made a joke of it. When he entered the room, I took 
 him quietly by the hand and made him sit in my chair, 
 saying softly but solemnly that his wilful disobedience 
 proved that he supposed himself to know better than I 
 did ; wherefore it must be right in his eyes for him to 
 be placed in the master's chair. The rough boy was 
 taken by surprise, yet, looking at his school-fellows, he 
 tried to force a smile to his lips. But to my great joy 
 they all remained perfectly serious, and gazed at him 
 with pity. The boy looked down for some time, but 
 whether from shame or from stubbornness, I could not 
 tell. At length, in the midst of the general silence, a 
 child appealed to me for help. I desired him to apply 
 
COMMENCEMENT OF LABOURS AS TEACHER. 25 
 
 to him who wanted to be master. Of course he did 
 not do so, but the poor culprit's courage broke down, 
 and he burst into tears. I let him weep for some time, 
 until I saw that he was really humbled, and ready to 
 do anything to get out of his unpleasant position. But 
 having never been humbled before, he did not know 
 how to proceed. Perceiving this, I left the room, and 
 made a sign to my mother, who had just entered, to 
 advise him how to behave. When I re-entered the 
 room, he slowly rose from his seat, looked about him 
 trembling, then, coming to me, he fell on his knees, 
 and with sobs sued for pardon. From that time he 
 was one of the meekest lambs of my little flock. 
 
 From the very beginning I almost entirely put an 
 end to learning by rote during school-hours ; all that 
 had to be done at home. Then I made use of cate- 
 chising, to make them understand what they had learned 
 by heart. At first it was hard work, as they had never 
 been led to think for themselves ; but after a few days 
 their minds began to open, and as soon as possible I 
 made them reproduce in writing all that I had taught 
 them. The first attempts were poor and awkward, but 
 as my pupils were convinced that I loved them, they 
 used every endeavour to win my approbation, and soon 
 began to make rapid progress according to their respec- 
 tive abilities. I say according to their respective 
 abilities, for I have ever observed that to task a child 
 beyond his natural capacity is most injurious ; and if 
 persevered in, will make an idiot of a child, who might 
 otherwise have been quite satisfactorily developed. 
 
 Towards the end of the three months, when the time 
 of my leaving was at hand, all the parents, seeing the 
 progress of their children and their improved behaviour 
 at home, asked me, some of them with tears, to accept 
 
26 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 the office of regular schoolmaster, stating that they 
 would take all the steps necessary to have me appointed 
 by the Government. I was so deeply moved that I 
 hesitated for a while, asking myself whether it might 
 not be the will of God that I should accept that office, 
 at least for a season, rather than that of a missionary, 
 for which I felt myself so ill qualified. I again prayed 
 earnestly to God to show me His will so clearly as to 
 preserve me from all false steps. Meanwhile applica- 
 tion was made in my favour to the chief pastor and 
 school-superintendent of the district, the same who had 
 baptized me ; for without his sanction no master could 
 be appointed. He at once declined to allow me to be 
 elected, on the sole ground, he said, that I was a pietist. 
 Thus my way was once more clear before me, and my 
 soul was at rest. 
 
 Xo sooner was this settled than I received an invita- 
 tion to go at once to Basle, in order to learn German 
 there before entering the Missionary College, where all 
 the lessons were given in that language. It was now 
 the last week of 1 8 1 9. When I informed the children 
 of my summons to Basle, and told them that I should 
 have to leave next day, there was such a general crying 
 and sobbing that I was myself too much moved to be 
 able to speak further to them then. I invited them to 
 come to me in the evening, when I addressed them at some 
 length, after which I prayed with them, commending 
 them to God and to the Word of His grace. And so we 
 parted with many tears and lamentations. I started next 
 morning before daybreak, and on reaching the outskirts 
 of the villacre I found all these dear children cjathered 
 together to take leave of me once more. We again prayed 
 and wept together. 
 
 I have thus dwelt upon that short period of my life. 
 
COMMEXCEMEXT OF LABOURS AS TEACHER. 27 
 
 because it was so richly blessed to me and to the children 
 committed to my charge ; wherefore I have often, when 
 in far countries, remembered it with joy and gratitude to 
 God. I may also add, with humble thanks to the Lord, 
 that the greater number of those forty children became 
 by degrees in after years truly converted, as I believe, to 
 God. ^ 
 
( 28 ) 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 PEEPAEATION IN BASLE, PARIS, AND LONDON FOR 
 
 MISSIONARY WORK. 
 
 (1820-1825.) 
 
 A FEW days after my arrival in Basle, I met with an 
 incident which I believe to have been providential, and 
 which has had a great and blessed effect on my after life. 
 
 I was requested to accompany a certain M. Zeller to 
 Zoiingen, in the Canton of Argau. This gentleman was 
 then director of all the schools of the district of Zofingen, 
 and professor at the gymnasium of that town ; but he 
 was afterwards better known as the founder and in- 
 spector of the educational establishment at Beuggen, near 
 Basle. 
 
 We arrived at Zofingen late in the evening, and I 
 remained the night at M. Zeller's house. The young 
 children had already gone to bed, but Mme. Zeller 
 brought them all into the room to welcome their father. 
 As my love for children had greatly increased within the 
 last few months, I took them all on my knee, one after 
 another; among others a lively little girl of six years, 
 who was destined to become in due time my companion, 
 the sharer of my joys and trials, and the mother of my 
 ten children. 
 
 This visit was the beginning of very friendly relations 
 between M. and Mme. Zeller and myself, though neither 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 29 
 
 they nor I thought of the still nearer relationship which 
 was afterwards to exist. But that friendship and mutual 
 confidence were the cause, humanly speaking, of their 
 intrusting to me without hesitation their beloved daughter 
 when, fourteen years later, I asked her to accompany me 
 to Abyssinia, on whose soil perhaps no European woman 
 had ever till then set her foot. But of this hereafter. 
 
 As the study of German was not enough to occupy 
 my time, and as it was considered of great importance 
 that a missionary should understand the art of printing, 
 I was advised to devote as much time as possible to acquir- 
 ing a competent knowledge of that branch of missionary 
 work. I therefore began at once to work in a printing 
 establishment until a new class of students should be 
 received in the college, and this did not take place till 
 the beginning of the following year. 
 
 During the whole course of the year 1820, almost all 
 my days were spent in a somewhat monotonous routiae. 
 Prom five to six o'clock in the morning I had a lesson in 
 Latin from a private teacher, after which I went home, 
 about ten minutes' walk, for breakfast. At seven I went 
 to the printing-office till twelve. From twelve to one I 
 dined and usually took a walk. From one to seven I 
 was again at the office. From seven to eight I had a 
 German lesson and then supper, after which I spent the 
 remainder of the evening in reading and preparing my 
 lessons for the next day. 
 
 I spent about nine months in setting the types, which 
 proved very beneficial both for learning German and for 
 acquiring knowledge of divers kinds. It also proved 
 useful to me many years subsequently, when I was 
 appointed to superintend the translating and printing 
 establishment of the Church Missionary Society at 
 Malta. 
 
30 
 
 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 At first I did not relish the idea of spending so much 
 time in learning this trade ; but, convinced that I had 
 been called of God, and thus providentially placed under 
 the direction of the Missionary Committee, I had already 
 made it a rule for my future life to implicitly follow the 
 advice of my superiors in all things not opposed to the 
 Word of God, reserving nothing to myself but the duty 
 of obedience and the privilege of praying that God would 
 direct them according to His holy will. If my com- 
 pliance on that occasion involved some slight self-denial, 
 it proved to be the means of great blessings, for that year 
 was far from being the least happy and richly blessed of 
 my life. Even in the midst of my work I felt my 
 gracious Saviour ever present with me, and each leisure 
 moment was spent in prayer and intercession. As far as 
 I can recollect, I was almost exempt from temptation 
 that year, probably because my whole time was usefully 
 employed. 
 
 Sundays were a real delight to me. At eight o'clock 
 in the morning I used to attend the ministry of the late 
 M. von Brunn, a man full of love to God and man, and 
 much sought after by all those who desired nourishment 
 for their spiritual life. The remainder of the morning I 
 was wont to spend in reading, chiefly the Bible. In the 
 afternoon I attended another service, visited the old 
 and infirm, partly in order to benefit by their Christian 
 experience, and partly to read to them, not forgetting the 
 poor and the sick of my acquaintance. The evenings I 
 passed with the students of the college. 
 
 About Easter I paid a visit to my parents ; and as 
 there was only one cold and lifeless service at church, I 
 proposed the first Sunday to hold a Bible -meeting in the 
 afternoon at my father's house, to which about twenty 
 persons came. They reported to others what they had 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 31 
 
 heard, and the result was that I was invited to hold 
 similar meetings every evening during the fortnight of 
 my stay. Prom day to-day the number of attendants 
 increased until the house was filled, and notwithstandino- 
 the w^eakness of the instrument, a real revival, under 
 God's blessing, took place. 
 
 Just at that time, the late Eev. Haldane Stuart was 
 travelling with two ladies through the Mlinsterthal. 
 Heariug of these meetings, he resolved to make a little 
 detour to ascertain the truth of what he had been told. 
 He arrived at my father's house at about half-past ten 
 A.M., and said at once that he could only stay about two 
 hours ; but that he should like to address a few words to 
 the persons concerned if they could be brought together 
 for a short time. This was rather a difficult matter, for 
 it was the season of haymaking. It was Monday ; a 
 great quantity of hay had been cut, and every day of 
 the previous week had been wet. Sunday had been 
 hot and beautiful, and it was most important to take 
 advantage of the fine Monday in order to bring in as 
 much hay as possible ; there was consequently little 
 prospect of bringing many people together in the middle 
 of the day to hear Mr. Stuart. However, my parents 
 at once sent boys in all directions to invite people 
 to come, and in less than an hour my father's house 
 was, full of persons hungering and thirsting after the 
 word of life. 
 
 I may here mention that M. Bost having been re- 
 moved from a neighbouring parish, there was no evan- 
 gelical pastor for many miles round, and he who had 
 charge of our parish was not only spiritually dead, but 
 also a scandalous drunkard. My mother mentioned these 
 facts to Mr. Stuart before the meeting began. 
 
 A¥hen Mr. Stuart saw above a hundred people col- 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 lected together under such circumstances, he seemed 
 much moved; and after a short jjrayer, he addressed 
 them for about half an hour in very bad French, so that 
 they could not understand half of what he said. Yet, 
 as the words came from a warm heart, their own hearts 
 were touched, and a deep impression was made, which 
 with some lasted to the end of their lives. As soon as 
 he had finished his address, he hastened to the door to 
 shake hands with his hearers as they went out, saying 
 to each of them with great emphasis, " Dieu vous bless." 
 (Blesser in French signifies to ivound.) Of course they 
 did not know what he meant ; but they were so sure 
 that he desired for them something good, that they all 
 said " Amen." 
 
 When I next met Mr. Stuart, thirty-six years after- 
 wards, he said that he remembered that meeting, and 
 that he felt the influence of the Holy Spirit to be present 
 in that assembly of mostly poor country people. 
 
 I should here remark that in his address Mr. Stuart 
 insisted much on the duty and necessity of his audience 
 praying in common to God that He would send them 
 a faithful shepherd. This made such an impression 
 upon them, that from that day forward they not only 
 prayed for such a pastor, but also believed that God 
 would answer their prayer. In less than two years 
 M. Gagnebin was appointed to the parish, the same 
 faithful minister to whom I have already alluded earlier 
 in this narrative, and who laboured so successfully in 
 my native place for so long a term of years. 
 
 At the beginning of 1821,1 was received as a student 
 at the Missionary College at Basle, with twelve other 
 young men, same from Switzerland, others from different 
 parts of Germany. I had for long anticipated that 
 event with great hope of spiritual enjoyment among dear 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 33 
 
 brethren, and of more rapid increase in the grace and 
 knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. But 
 alas ! for some time at least, my experience was to belie 
 my bright expectations. 
 
 The very first day one of the new students arrived 
 while we were at dinner, dressed in the most fashion- 
 able style, and having left his luggage at the posting- 
 office. After dinner I offered to go with him to fetch 
 his baggage, and as I thought that everything connected 
 with missionary work ought to be done as economically 
 as possible (a view which I still hold), instead of hiring 
 a porter, I hoisted his good-sized portmanteau on to my 
 own shoulder, and seeing that he had no inclination to 
 carry anything himself, I took his carpet-bag in my 
 hand. On the way back I observed that he studiously 
 avoided walking by my side, always contriviug to go 
 either before or after me. I could scarcely resist the 
 conviction that he was a proud man, and, as such, unfit 
 to be a missionary ; but afraid to judge a brother, I was 
 in great perplexity. However, I resolved to watch him 
 for some days before forming any judgment as to his 
 character. But it required only a few hours to know 
 him thoroughly, and to see clearly that although he had 
 felt powerfully the influence of the grace of God, the 
 old man was still very strong within him, especially in 
 the shape of envy, wrath, and extreme vanity. This 
 little experience, added to the fact that the very next 
 day I witnessed a quarrel between two students, iDoth of 
 whom were burning with rage, made me most miserable; 
 so that I felt tempted to leave the college at once. 
 However, a nearer acquaintance with other and pious 
 students reassured me as to my being in the company 
 of true children of God. I was perhaps rash in my 
 judgment of those three candidates, though their subse- 
 
 c 
 
34 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 quent conduct made the same impression upon men of 
 mucli greater experience than myself. As far as I could 
 subsequently ascertain, they proved but indifferent mis- 
 sionaries. However, they have all preceded me to the 
 tribunal of the Judge of the quick and the dead. 
 
 Whether the above experience was the cause, or only 
 the developing agent of a great change in my inner life, 
 I know not. But from that time during the greater part 
 of my stay in college I had to pass through a state of 
 inward darkness and trial such as I had not known 
 before. I am inclined to think that it was my Heavenly 
 Father who in His providence led me through that ap- 
 parently gloomy w^ay, which, in another seose, was light, 
 since it proved to be the means of unveiling to my own 
 eyes the deep corruption of my heart, of which I had no 
 conception before. I had always hitherto retained a 
 lively recollection of the sinfulness of my previous life 
 in unbelief ; but since I had tasted that the Lord is 
 gracious, I had been walking in the light of His counten- 
 ance ; even when I had taken a false step, committed 
 a fault or neglected a duty, and a cloud hid His face 
 from me in consequence, I had only to humble myself, 
 confess my sin, and ask for pardon. I had felt as though 
 treated with the indulgence of a spoiled child, probably 
 because He knew that I had no earthly friend to lean 
 upon. But now that I w^as surrounded by dear brethren 
 and faithful, experienced fathers. He doubtless found it 
 necessary to subject me to a severer discipline. For 
 more than two years I had enjoyed an almost uninter- 
 rupted sense of His presence; but now all this blessed- 
 ness seemed to be gone — all was changed. I prayed, but 
 it was as if the Lord did not hear me. I no longer had 
 the refreshing sense of the Lord's presence ; only from 
 time to time a ray of the light of His countenance pene- 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 35 
 
 trated the gloom in which I was enveloped. I read my 
 Bible, but without being able to taste its sweetness or 
 experience its power. By degrees I fell into a kind of 
 mournful spiritual apathy ; in which state, although I 
 studied very hard, I was assailed by manifold temptations, 
 arising rather from within than without, until I abhorred 
 myself as the worst and most corrupt of men, and often 
 exclaimed, " wretched man that I am ! " 
 
 What puzzled me most was my necessity for struggling 
 against three kinds of inward evils, which seemed to be 
 utterly incompatible with my melancholy state of spiritual 
 depression, namely, an unaccountable ever-flowing levity, 
 of which I had until then felt very little, and which I 
 had always abhorred, even in my unconverted state, in 
 consequence, I believe, of deep and burning impressions 
 made on my mind in my infancy by certain passages of 
 Scripture against uncleanness. I was graciously pre- 
 served from yielding to that temptation, but its very 
 presence made me feel vile. 
 
 Lioht-mindedness was another of these trials. Beincf 
 
 O o 
 
 naturally of a cheerful disposition, I had always enjoyed 
 a good joke ; but now that I was under a deep sense of 
 sorrow for my depravity, I concluded that it was incum- 
 bent upon me to maintain a serious and earnest frame 
 of mind ; and I judged it right, no doubt erroneously, to 
 preserve a sombre, mournful aspect, as a means of moving 
 God to be merciful to me. But behold, daily, chiefly at 
 eventide, when I had been secretly confessing my sin 
 and misery, and praying with many tears to be healed 
 of my spiritual diseases, I would return to the room 
 where the students were, resolved to be serious, but 
 generally, at the very first moment, I would observe 
 something at sight of which I felt an almost irresistible 
 impulse to utter some witticism or sarcasm which would 
 
36 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 excite universal laughter; whereupon I would hasten 
 back to my prayers and lamentations, only to repeat the 
 experience on the next opportunity. 
 
 A third evil, by which I was much longer and most 
 bitterly tried, was pride. I well knew that I had nothing 
 to be proud of, for I was poor, weak, and ignorant, and 
 yet I felt the sting of pride within my heart. I was 
 conscious of possessing the power to acquire knowledge 
 of various kinds, and I felt the desire to be, or to appear 
 to be, something in the eyes of men. But " God resisteth 
 the proud and giveth grace to the humble." The words 
 fell like a thunderbolt on my heart; and in answer to 
 my earnest supplications for true humility, a discipline 
 came upon me which at first I did not understand. One 
 humiliation after another fell to my share, of which I will 
 mention but a few. 
 
 When, for example, I had fairly begun the study of 
 any branch of knowledge, especially Greek and Hebrew 
 (I never liked Latin), I was anxious to apply all my 
 energy to it, and rose early in order to improve every avail- 
 able moment. But after a few days my eyes, which had 
 always been weak, became inflamed, so that I was hin- 
 dered from reading, sometimes for days together, whilst 
 in lonoer intervals I was allowed to read and write for but 
 a few hours daily. This, however, obliged me to think 
 more, so that my time was not lost, though my pride 
 was mortified by observing that the progress of weaker 
 brethren was greater than my own. 
 
 Again, and this was a still greater mortification, in the 
 quarterly examinations I did the paper work pretty well, 
 but when it came to the oral part I never could succeed. 
 While I thought I could answer every question that was 
 addressed to my class-fellows, I was so nervous and con- 
 fused when my own turn came, that I could hardly give 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 37 
 
 a siugle reply. This was humbling enough. But when 
 afterwards some of my teachers reproached me with 
 having brought discredit upon them, or when others, like 
 the Principal, the late excellent Herr Blumhardt, endea- 
 voured to comfort and encourage me by saying that they 
 knew my failure to be caused not by my ignorance, but 
 by my bashfulness, my cup of humiliation was only em- 
 bittered. At last, after many earnest prayers for true 
 humility, I was enabled to perceive that all these succes- 
 sive humiliations were sent to me as an antidote to that 
 very pride against which I had to struggle. I therefore 
 heartily thanked God for them, and suffered no more from 
 humiliation during the remainder of my stay at Basle. 
 
 Of my outward life during the two years and a half 
 of my residence in the Missionary College I have but 
 little to say. It was a monotonous routine of hard work 
 every day, from five o'clock in the morning in summer 
 and six in winter until ten at night, except Sundays 
 and a short interval for daily recreation, half of which 
 I spent in visiting the aged, the poor, and the sick. We 
 had instruction in too many branches for us to make 
 great progress in any one. Of Latin I only learned just 
 enough to learn other languages through its medium, as 
 Arabic and Ethiopia 
 
 I delighted in the study of Hebrew and Greek; and 
 although my knowledge of both was far from complete, 
 yet at the end of my college course I could easily read the 
 Xew Testament in Greek and the Old in Hebrew, with 
 the exception of many passages in the Book of Job and 
 a few in the Psalms and Prophets. I derived great bene- 
 fit from reading in my leisure hours both Testaments in 
 the originals with the late M. Kugler and Dr. Pfander. 
 I also learned enough English to enable me to converse 
 a little and to read English books. 
 
38 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 Besides languages we studied a good deal of exegesis 
 of both Testaments, critical and practical ; Church his- 
 tory, dogmatic theology, &c., both in the College and the 
 University; together with exercises in the composition 
 and delivery of sermons, and in catechising. Yet when 
 I left the College, it was with a deep sense of my defi- 
 ciencies, although I felt that my knowledge of the Bible, 
 acquired from my earliest childhood, gave me an advan- 
 tage over many of my fellow-students. 
 
 I always spent the first part of the five weeks' summer 
 vacation with my parents, much enjoying spiritual con- 
 verse with them, especially with my mother. Her con- 
 versation, and almost all the objects around me, by 
 reminding me of my former life in unbelief, revived my 
 sense of the love of God to me before I sought Him. It 
 was, therefore, with a sense of love and thankfulness to 
 Him, accompanied by deep sympathy with and love to 
 those of my former companions who were still strangers 
 to the love of God in Christ, that I gladly embraced the 
 opportunity of holding Bible-meetings every evening. They 
 were numerously attended ; and the sight of those who 
 had once been my fellows in unbelief and sin always 
 touched me deeply, and gave me an easiness of utterance 
 in which I was usually very deficient. I have reason to 
 hope that each year some, even of the least promising, 
 were added to the number of those that should be saved. 
 
 After spending two or three weeks with my parents, I 
 was wont to take a tour through the country, visiting 
 chiefly those towns and villages where the revival of 
 religion, which had begun some years after the fall of 
 Napoleon I., had flourished and spread. Oh ! how de- 
 lightful was it to come into contact with those people, 
 chiefly the young, who had shortly before been brought 
 over " from darkness unto light, and from the power of 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 39 
 
 Satan unto God/' with now and then an old man or 
 woman who had weathered the storm of the French 
 Eevolution and the season of almost universal godless- 
 ness and infidelity, and had remained faithful to God 
 their Saviour ! They w^ere more or less persecuted, 
 some very severely, chiefly by their near relations and 
 their unbelieving and worldly-minded pastors ; but this 
 kept the true disciples more closely together, and was 
 the means of increasing their love to one another. 
 
 The aged disciples of the faith, having found it diffi- 
 cult enough to maintain their cause, though very edify- 
 ing in private conversation and wise in giving advice 
 when asked, were not aggressive, and very few of them 
 ever ventured to address a meeting. Wherefore I was 
 continually requested to hold Bible or prayer meetings. 
 This I willingly did in the villages for the poor and 
 uneducated ; but in the towns, among people of a higher 
 and better educated class, I was too timid to open my 
 lips in public, and I several times refused to address 
 religious meetings, though my conscience condemned me 
 for my cowardice and want of faith. 
 
 On one occasion, however, I was invited by some 
 noble ladies to visit them ; and after I had accepted 
 their invitation they extended it to a large number of 
 their acquaintances and friends. 'No sooner had I 
 arrived than the house began to fill with people of all 
 classes, and the Bible was placed before me, with the 
 request that I would give a practical exposition of 
 some passage. I was in a measure taken by surprise, 
 and was cowardly enough to decline ; whereupon the 
 same request was made to a minister present, who gave 
 a long and dry explanation of the various parts of 
 Solomon's Temple. Whilst he was speaking, and after 
 he had finished, my heart was burning with remorse. 
 
40 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 self-reproach, and pity for the poor hungry people who 
 had come for bread and were offered gravel. Ashamed 
 of myself, I went home to ask pardon for my want of 
 courage, or rather my unfaithfulness ; after which I 
 made a firm resolution before God never to put myself 
 forward on the one hand, but, on the other, never to 
 refuse to preach the Gospel, in any form, when invited 
 to do so. But oh ! how many heart-beatings and agonies 
 has that resolution since cost me ! 
 
 At Easter of the year 1823 we had a week's holi- 
 day, which I spent with my parents, in company with 
 two fellow-students, and greatly enjoyed. 
 
 While returning to Basle on foot, a distance of thirty 
 miles, we had to cross a mountain. As we were cross- 
 ing the plateau, without trees or other shelter, we were 
 surprised by a heavy storm of cold wind and rain mixed 
 with snow. We could not use our umbrellas on account 
 of the gale, and were completely drenched. We had 
 still twelve miles before us, and no means of changing 
 our clothes. The next day we had each of us a most 
 severe cold, attended with fever. My companions re- 
 mained in bed for three or four days, and recovered 
 fully. But I, who had never known what bodily ail- 
 ment was, relying on my physical strength, would not 
 acknowledge to myself that I .was ill, but studied 
 as hard as I could for several days. But I was soon 
 made to feel that my health was gone. Pain in the 
 chest, palpitation of the heart, languor, and loss of appe- 
 tite were the first symptons, and they gradually in- 
 creased. Yet I kept it all to myself for a while, working 
 as hard as ever, until my outward appearance told my 
 superiors what was going on within, and I was put into 
 the hands of physicians for two or three months. But 
 the symptoms still increased, and at last the committee 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 41 
 
 decided to send me to Geneva to consult the then famous 
 physician, Dr. Butini. 
 
 I set off for Geneva in the beginning of July, travel- 
 ling by short stages, now walking, now riding, and visit- 
 ing many Christian friends on the way, all of whom 
 showed me such tender affection as frequently to move 
 me to tears. 
 
 At Yverdon I visited Pestalozzi's school, but found 
 it a very dreary place, its glory already faded. There 
 were eleven teachers, but they were at war with each 
 other, and good old Pestalozzi was powerless to remedy 
 the evil. Half an hour there was enough to show me 
 that there was no unity in the establishment, and a few 
 years later it fell to pieces. Poor Pestalozzi had built 
 his otherwise excellent system on a wrong foundation, 
 namely, on the supposition that human nature in children 
 is good and only needs a sound development; where- 
 fore it was impossible that in the long-run he could 
 realise his sanguine expectations. Before his death he 
 saw his error, for in 1826 he visited the educational 
 establishment of my future father-in-law, who was teach- 
 ing on the same system, but building on a very opposite 
 foundation. When the good old man had examined 
 everything during his four days' stay at Beuggen, he 
 exclaimed with tears in his eyes, " This is what I have 
 been seeking all my life long ! " 
 
 Prom Yverdon I went to Lausanne, where I spent one 
 day, Sunday. I was asked to hold a religious meeting 
 there in the evening, to which I cheerfully consented. 
 At that period there was a general and most bitter 
 opposition in that town to evangelical religion. About 
 twenty persons met together in a retired house for fear 
 of being observed. We were discovered, however, and 
 yet allowed to read and expound the Scriptures and to 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 pray in comparative peace ; but on leaving the house, we 
 found a mob waiting for our exit to pelt us with stones. 
 So far as I could learn, no one was seriously injured. 
 
 When I arrived at Geneva I was very weak, yet for 
 a few days I was able to pay visits to Christian friends 
 to whom I had letters of introduction. I was every- 
 where kindly received. Two very pious ladies, no doubt 
 deeming it their duty to inform me in a delicate manner 
 that I had not long to live, put into my hand letters 
 wdiich they had just received from friends whom I had 
 met on my way to Geneva. In one of these letters 
 occurred the following sentence : " We have seen M. 
 Gobat most likely for the last time, as his end appears 
 to be rapidly approaching." 
 
 Dr. Butini ordered me to stay in bed, to apply large 
 blisters to my arms and chest, and to take no food but 
 asses' milk, and that in considerable quantities. Upon 
 this regimen I subsisted for nearly three months. 
 
 I kept my bed for a month ; and being in the house 
 of a friend, I was nursed by his wife with all the tender- 
 ness of a mother. I trust that she has been abundantly 
 recompensed of the Lord. 
 
 As I had been given to understand that I was hover- 
 ing between life and death, those four weeks were a time 
 of searching of heart, self-examination, and prayer, but, 
 upon the whole, also of high spiritual enjoyment in the 
 sense of my Saviour's presence. I was also favoured 
 with the visits of many kind friends, among whom were 
 Dr. Gaussen, Celerier, Malan, Empeytaz, Wilson, after- 
 wards Bishop of Calcutta, and Gerard Noel. 
 
 That month expired. I was so far recovered that I 
 could leave my bed, and I was advised to go into the 
 country. I accordingly spent two happy months at 
 Bourdigny, about five miles from Geneva, with two 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 43 
 
 English ladies, Miss Greaves and Miss Milne, after- 
 wards Mrs. P. Gaussen. Their house was the resort of 
 the excellent of the earth. I had the great privilege, 
 the effects of which have been most beneficial to my 
 after life, of enjoying the neighbourhood of Dr. Gaussen, 
 then pastor at Satigny, about a mile from Bourdigny. 
 We met almost daily, and our intimacy grew close and 
 warm, developing into a life-long friendship between his 
 family and my own. Even after his death we were 
 always invited to take up our abode beneath the hospi- 
 table roof of his family whenever we were passing through 
 Geneva. 
 
 As Miss Greaves' house was the rendezvous of more 
 especially Christian society, so Dr. Gaussen's was the 
 centre around which a circle of the dite, not only as 
 regards religious excellence, but also intellectual culture, 
 used to meet for mutual improvement and edification, to 
 my great mental and spiritual benefit. About twice a 
 week we used to read together the Epistle to the Eomans 
 in the original, when my mind was enriched with many 
 critical and practical views through the comments of 
 Messrs. Gaussen, Gerard Noel, T. Erskine, and others. 
 I did not fully agree with the two latter gentlemen, 
 especially with Mr. Erskine ; but as they were thoroughly 
 acquainted with the Greek classics and the Ecclesias- 
 tical Fathers, their observations were most interesting 
 and beneficial, especially as Dr. Gaussen always sub- 
 jected such observations to acute logical criticism. Thus 
 my stay of three months at and near Geneva proved as 
 salutary to my heart and mind as to my enfeebled body. 
 
 My complaint, .which at first was complicated, affect- 
 ing my whole chest and respiration, gradually abated, 
 until there only remained an affection of the heart, or, 
 as my physician said, a disease of the pericardium, for 
 
44 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT, 
 
 which, he added, he knew no remedy but moderation iu 
 diet and in bodily and mental exertion, together with a 
 mild climate. He therefore urged me to avoid spending 
 the winter in Switzerland, and advised me to go at once 
 to Italy, as the October cold had now set in. But as I 
 had at that time an aversion to Italy, though during my 
 illness I had studied the Italian language, I asked him 
 whether there was any objection to my going to Paris 
 instead, as I was desirous of studying Arabic there under 
 the renowned Baron de Sacy. To my great delight he 
 replied that Paris would do as well as Eome. Having 
 been allowed a moderate diet for the past three weeks, 
 my strength had wonderfully returned, so that towards 
 the end of October I was able to return for a few days 
 to Basle, and start thence for Paris at the beginning of 
 November. 
 
 I remained in Paris until the end of October of the 
 following year, 1824. The faithful warnings of my 
 friends at Basle against the moral dangers to which I 
 should be exposed in the French capital rendered me 
 very uneasy in many respects ; but after a severe 
 struggle with my own corrupt heart, and a humble 
 confession of my weakness, I dedicated myself, body, 
 soul, and spirit, to the Lord for ever, and He graciously 
 filled my heart once more with peace and joy. 
 
 Paris was to me a wilderness, especially at first ; but 
 I was abundantly supplied with heavenly manna and 
 the water of life, so that the time spent there was 
 greatly blessed, both to my own soul and, I trust, also 
 not to mine alone. From the earliest days after my 
 arrival, my life and occupations were so uniform, and in 
 some sense monotonous, that I have only a few incidents 
 to relate of that period. My chief occupation was the 
 study of Arabic, of which I knew nothing ; and as De 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 45 
 
 Sacy did not teach the rudiments of that language, I 
 was obliged to take private lessons, which I did daily, 
 except on Sundays, from M. Garcin de Tassi. I rose 
 early in the morning, and worked till late in the evening, 
 partly with the grammar and partly with the dictionary, 
 which just suited the state of my health, as it was a 
 labour of patience and memory, requiring little further 
 exercise of the mind for a good while. My bodily exer- 
 tion consisted in going to and from my teacher's, some 
 distance from where I lodged, and towards evening 
 taking a walk, generally in the garden of the Luxem- 
 bourg, close at hand. I had a full hour's walk three 
 times a week to the Bibliotheque Eoyale, where De 
 Sacy gave his lessons; but, except just at first, I 
 scarcely ever saw anything in the streets through which 
 I passed. I was engaged in mental prayer and praise 
 all the time; and if anything ever did strike me, I 
 usually found it was something calculated to awaken 
 my sympathy, and to incite me to pray more earnestly 
 for the people among whom I was moving, and for the 
 conversion of the benighted inhabitants of the great 
 city. 
 
 My progress in Arabic was very slow at first. It 
 took me several hours to read and understand a single 
 verse of the Koran. But after having overcome the 
 difficulties of the grammar, I advanced rapidly; so that 
 at the end of eight or nine months I could compete with 
 my fellow-students, who had been studying Arabic for 
 three or four years. I could then read and understand 
 the Koran in the original nearly as well as the Bible in 
 my native tongue ; for, supposing that I should be sent 
 to labour among the Moslems, I had made that book 
 my particular study, and committed the greater part of 
 it to memory. De Sacy also did what he could to push 
 
46 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 me forward. On many occasions, once for three weeks 
 at a time, I was alone in the class ; yet he gave me the 
 two full hours which it was his custom to give when 
 twelve or fifteen pupils were present. 
 
 Paris w^as then an extensive moral wilderness, pro- 
 ducing scarcely anything but thorns, thistles, and 
 poisonous herbs of divers kinds. There were, indeed, 
 the learned and pious Herr Stapfer, formerly Swiss 
 envoy to the French court ; Professor Kiefer, and an 
 old pastor, Soulier ; but all the three were aged, living 
 in retirement, and exercising very little Christian influ- 
 ence around them. There was also the excellent 
 Frederick Monod, who, being the youngest of the four 
 Eeformed pastors, used to preach only four times a year 
 at the Oratoire. As he lived far from me and was 
 scarcely ever at home, it being his duty to visit the 
 hospitals, &c., I but seldom had the pleasure of seeing 
 him. The two senior pastors were Eationalists, and 
 the third, M. Juillerat, though he preached the Gospel, 
 did so without life or power. I have frequently heard 
 since that he has much improved. The two Lutheran 
 pastors were orthodox, but without spirituality. 
 
 There is still one man to be mentioned, who in many 
 respects was my mentor. He was the prime mover in 
 the different works of evangelisation which have since 
 been established and carried on in Paris. This was the 
 late Ptev. Mark Wilks, an English Independent minister, 
 a man of weak health but of untiring energy. He was 
 rather a poor preacher ; his chief power lay in influen- 
 cing individuals who were themselves men of influence, 
 and in bringing them together to form committees for 
 various good objects, as, for example, the Missionary 
 and other societies. 
 
 As Mr. Wilks was my neighbour, I saw him several 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK, 47 
 
 times every week, and lie committed into my hands 
 sundry works which I, young, timid, and unknown, 
 could never have initiated. The first was holding 
 monthly missionary meetings at the Chapelle de 
 rOratoire. This institution began with an attendance 
 of six persons ; before I left Paris the re-unions num- 
 bered about three hundred. 
 
 The next was a weekly Bible-meeting. Mr. Wilks 
 lived in a large house, in which there was a superior 
 boarding-school for English and French girls, in about 
 equal numbers. Now before I went to Paris, he was 
 in the habit of assembling these girls together on Sun- 
 day evenings, and reading and expounding the Bible 
 to them. Being but a poor French scholar, he could 
 only do this in English, yet the French girls needed 
 such instruction more than their British companions. 
 Accordingly, soon after my arrival, Mr. Wilks proposed 
 that I should hold these meetings in French on one 
 Sunday, and he in English on the alternate one. This 
 being arranged, he invited strangers to the French 
 meetings. At the first, there was only one lady, Mme. 
 Pelet de la Lozere, besides- the members of the school. 
 The next time she brought the late Baron de Stael and 
 another gentleman with her. The numbers increased 
 from Sunday to Sunday, so that after a few weeks the 
 English readings were given up. Before leaving Paris, 
 I committed the conduct of these classes to the Piev. 
 M. Galland, who had just arrived as first inspector of 
 the French Protestant Missionary Society. Under his 
 successor, M. Grandpierre, those meetings became the 
 nucleus of the congregation of the Chapelle Taitbout 
 still in existence. 
 
 About this time I made the acquaintance of a remark- 
 able and learned man, Professor Kostan. He was a 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 native of Marseilles, and had been for many years a 
 zealous Eoman Catholic ; so much so, that he had made 
 a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But his eyes had been so 
 far opened at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, that lie 
 returned to France convinced that the Church of Eorae, 
 as it then existed, could not be of Divine institution. He 
 had, therefore, begun to study the Bible in the original 
 languages, and, in consequence, had been led to cordially 
 embrace, without knowing it, all the essentials of Pro- 
 testantism. The little he had heard of so-called Pro- 
 testant teaching was mere dead Neology ; wherefore he 
 had not yet openly left the Church of Eome. He told 
 me that he had been induced to seek my acquaintance 
 by having heard me utter the same truths concerning the 
 person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Atonement, &c., as 
 he had found in the Bible. He had been more especially 
 interested in what he had heard me say concerning the 
 cause of the sufferings and dispersion of the Jews, and 
 their future restoration to the covenant of God and to 
 their own land. 
 
 He told me that he knew many Jews in Paris, and 
 we finally agreed to invite as many of them as we could 
 to weekly meetings, and endeavour by means of the Old 
 Scriptures to lead them to Christ. We began at once. 
 On the first occasion we had only about half a dozen. 
 We decided that M. Eostan and I should expound 
 alternately any portion of the Old Testament which the 
 Jews themselves should choose, on condition that they 
 would allow us to speak for an hour, did the subject 
 require it, without interruption ; after which they should 
 be free to make any remarks they liked. These meet- 
 ings continued for several months, and were attended by 
 from thirty to fifty Jews, who all behaved very well 
 One evenin;^, when it was M. Eostan's turn to address 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 49 
 
 them, they chose for his text the first cliapter of the 
 Book of Numbers. I could not help strongly suspecting 
 that they had made this selection in order to perplex my 
 friend, as that chapter contains scarcely anything but 
 names and numbers. However, M. Eostan developed 
 it with such pathos, clearness, and power, that many 
 Jewish eyes were wet with tears. In solemn accents he 
 began with the following words, which, after forty-four 
 years, are still fresh in my memory : — 
 
 " My dear friends of the House of Israel ! If the 
 Bible contained only this chapter, it should be enough to 
 convince you that you are fallen from the covenant of 
 God. Look at the good order of your fathers whilst God 
 was with them as their covenanted God. They were 
 indeed one body of many members, and each member 
 knew its proper place, the tribe and family to which it 
 belonged, its privileges, and its duties in the economy of 
 the whole undivided body. ISTotwithstanding their mani- 
 fold failings, they had the consciousness that God was 
 with them, their Guide and their Protector. Now com- 
 pare that model state with your present condition. Dis- 
 persed among all the nations of the earth, like erring 
 sheep without a shepherd, none of you knowing to what 
 tribe he belongs, cast out of the heritage of your fathers, 
 the securing of which to this people was part of God's 
 covenant with Israel ; without Levites, without priests, 
 without sacrifices, almost completely deprived of all the 
 statutes and ordinances which constituted your ancient 
 commonwealth. All this must prove to you that, for the 
 present, God has rejected you from being His people ; and 
 as God is a righteous and holy God, it presupposes some 
 crime of which the whole nation is guilty — some crime 
 worse than all the sins of your fathers in the wilderness, 
 for which God chastened, but did not reject them ; — 
 
 D 
 
50 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 worse than the idolatry and gross immorality of Israel 
 described by the prophets, that were the cause of the 
 Babylonish captivity, which lasted only seventy years; 
 whereas your present captivity has already lasted eighteen 
 centuries. And what can that crime be other than your 
 rejection of Messiah, your lawful King, who had come to 
 save you — Jesus of Nazareth, whom you condemned to 
 die upon the accursed tree ? Do not say that you are 
 innocent of the deeds of your fathers, for every Israelite 
 who rejects, that is, refuses to believe in, Jesus of Naza- 
 reth, and to acknowledge and submit to Him as his Lord 
 and Saviour, identifies himself with those who crucified 
 Him eighteen hundred years ago. 
 
 " But it grieves me," added M. Eostan, " to be obliged 
 to remind you of these things, which are only a necessary 
 prelude to the encouraging words which it is also my 
 agreeable duty to address to you. Hear, then, the good 
 tidings of salvation. God draws good out of evil, and the 
 wrath of man was destined to contribute to His praise. 
 When the brethren of Joseph sold him, they committed 
 a great crime; but by the good providence of God it 
 proved the means of saving them, their families, and 
 thousands of other people. So likewise the selling, re- 
 jecting, and murder of Jesus the Messiah by your fathers 
 was a horrible crime ; but' His atoning death has already 
 proved the cause of salvation to millions ; and oh ! believe 
 it, it will at last prove the source of the salvation and 
 restoration of the whole now captive people of Israel ! " 
 
 As M. Eostan, soon after my departure from Paris, 
 declared himself publicly to be a Protestant, and went to 
 America, where he was ordained a minister of the Gospel, 
 I very soon lost all traces of those Israelites, who had 
 certainly hearkened attentively to the Gospel for several 
 months. 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 51 
 
 My private life in Paris was uneventful. I studied 
 hard, especially in endeavouring to acquire a thorough 
 knowledge of the Mohammedan religion as contained in 
 the Koran. After the Bible, I do not remember having 
 ever read any book with more profit than the Koran. I 
 will say nothing of its linguistic charms ; but, by the 
 blessincT of God, all its contents had the effect of raisiuGf 
 my heart in prayer and thanksgiving. It certainly con- 
 tains a few sublime passages, alike as to style, form, and 
 moral value ; but such are not frequent in that horrible 
 book. It was chiefly the perusal of its masses of non- 
 sense and puerility, its gross immorality, its perversion of 
 the truth, its blasphemies, which moved me to compassion 
 so strong, that often in the midst of my reading I felt con- 
 strained to fall on my knees, and, with many tears, to pray 
 for the millions of deluded and perishing Moslems ; and 
 this again and again renewed in me the sense of com- 
 munion with God my Saviour. 
 
 At the beginning of the summer vacation I was urgently 
 requested by the late Pastor Colani of Leme in Picardy 
 to visit the numerous congregations gathered chiefly by 
 his faithful labours from the Ptoman Catholic Church in 
 Picardy and Flanders. Formerly, there had been great 
 numbers of Protestants in those parts, who, under severe 
 persecutions, had been tempted to join the Church of 
 Eome. They seemed to have retained some love for 
 Scriptural truth ; for when Colani began to go about from 
 place to place preaching the pure Gospel, he found many 
 doors open to him, and people returned to their former 
 faith by hundreds. These formed themselves into con- 
 gregations, and built a great number of small temples at 
 distances of from ten to thirty miles. It was perhaps 
 the most extensive revival of this century, but it took 
 place without noise and unnecessary excitement. 
 
52 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 For several years Colani had been regularly visiting, 
 preaching to, and edifying those dear country people, 
 directing them to search the Scriptures for themselves, and 
 to meet together frequently for that purpose. He also 
 furnished them with a collection of excellent sermons to 
 be publicly read in their churches on the Sundays when 
 he could not be with them. 
 
 But at the time of which I speak, the simple people 
 were in great danger of being led astray from the purity 
 of their faith and from their Christian practice. Poor 
 M. Colani had been ill for two years, during which time 
 some Baptists, who seldom attack Eoman Catholics or 
 infidels, had been ^oinf]^ about amonsj these conojregations 
 •of neophytes, troubling them by telling them that they 
 could not be saved except by adult immersion. Yery 
 few had embraced this doctrine, but many were in doubt 
 as to whether, after all, infant baptism by affusion was 
 valid ; and contentions had begun in several quarters on 
 this subject. M. Colani suffered terribly to see his worlv 
 thus marred, and invited me to q;o and counteract the 
 incipient dissensions. 
 
 I at once decided upon going, and took the diligence 
 the same day for St. Quentin and Leme. But I must 
 have been watched; for that very evening a Baptist 
 preacher took the extra-post, and arrived at Leme before 
 me. It was no time for quarrelling about baptism, nor 
 was I minded to do so, particularly as, from what I 
 had previously heard of liim, I believed him to be a 
 sincere Christian, notwithstanding his opinion on that 
 great doctrine. As he was my superior in age and 
 eloquence, I allowed him the precedence, and decided 
 upon following in his track at an interval of a few days. 
 The next day being Sunday, we both preached at Leme ; 
 for M. Colani judged wisely that, by refusing to allow 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 53 
 
 Liin to preach, he would have given him occasion for 
 doin!:f more mischief. 
 
 I remained at Leme for a few days to receive in- 
 formation and advice from the faithful and experienced 
 Colani, after which I began a five weeks' tour, visiting 
 a great number of congregations, large and small, chiefly 
 in the wake of the Baptist preacher. I conducted ser- 
 vices, after which many members of the different con- 
 gregations usually accompanied me to my lodgings, and 
 remained w^ith me until midnight conversing^ on relioiious 
 subjects. They took so deep an interest in the mission- 
 ary cause that many poor families had given up the use 
 of salt in order to be able to contribute to missionary 
 societies. There was such animation and interest mani- 
 fested in those free conversational meetincjs, that no 
 weariness was felt; and the next morning those who 
 wished to talk with me more privately on matters re- 
 lathig to their soul would present themselves at my door 
 before sunrise. 
 
 The result of my mission to these worthy people was 
 that, with very few exceptions, they resolved to abide by 
 their allegiance to their pastor, Colani, and to follow his 
 advice ; so that I was afterwards informed that all was 
 again in order. 
 
 After my return to Paris I wrote a report of what I 
 had seen and heard in the North, which Herr Blumhardt 
 published in the Missionary Magazine in 1824. The 
 contents of that letter gladdened the hearts of many 
 believers in Germany, though many thought that I had 
 exaggerated. Among the latter was the late Herr Giitz- 
 laff, missionary to China, who was then living at Eotter- 
 dam. He, like many other Prussians, could not believe 
 that a Frenchman could be a Christian. Therefore, on 
 first reading my report, he pronounced it to be a fabrica- 
 
54 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 tion ; but on a second perusal, he found in it so many 
 marks of truth, that he resolved to go to the various 
 places I had mentioned and see for himself. He accord- 
 ingly in 1825 visited all the places I had mentioned, 
 and found that, far from my having exaggerated, I had 
 under-stated the facts. He then walked from St. Quen- 
 tin to Paris in order to make my acquaintance ; and 
 Avhen told that I was in London, he at once started for 
 England, where we formed a pleasant acquaintance with 
 each other. 
 
 During the first few winter months in Paris my 
 health was rather delicate, but without any serious 
 symptoms ; but in the spring I had frequent palpita- 
 tions accompanied by giddiness, which obliged me to 
 lie down at once, no matter where I chanced to be. 
 Whilst moving about in Picardy these attacks became 
 more frequent and more serious, until one day, while 
 walking with a friend, I lost consciousness, and had to 
 be carried to the nearest house, about two miles distant. 
 On the first opportunity I consulted a physician, who 
 bled me, in consequence of which I was free from those 
 alarming symptoms for two months. He advised me to 
 undergo the same treatment whenever the symptoms 
 should return. The first experiment having proved so 
 beneficial, I purchased a lancet, and thenceforth, for the 
 space of nearly ten years, I operated upon myself when 
 necessary ; and, with the exception of these attacks, 
 which happened about four or five times in a year, I 
 enjoyed comparatively good health, without any serious 
 illness. The final cure of my heart complaint was in 
 itself a very painful one, being nothing else but a most 
 severe illness, which prostrated me while in Abyssinia, 
 and lasted two years. 
 
 Towards the end of October 1824 I left Paris and 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. ;;5 
 
 returned to Basle. While there, I was invited to hold 
 religious meetings for the French-speaking population 
 of that town, they being much more scantily provided 
 with means of grace than their German-speaking neigh- 
 bours. I gladly accepted the proposition, and began at 
 once. But when, after three or four weeks, these meet- 
 ings began to be numerously attended, a great outcry 
 arose, as if I were trying to introduce some strange 
 religion. At length, the chief magistrate, himself a man 
 of piety, intimated to me that although he personally 
 approved of my proceedings, he would yet advise me to 
 give them up for the present, on account of the bitter 
 opposition they had excited. After consulting some 
 experienced friends, I adopted his counsel, and reluc- 
 tantly closed the meetings. However, notliing was lost ; 
 for soon after this the newly appointed French pastor, 
 M. Grandpierre, continued the meetings, and conducted 
 them with great success. 
 
 I then spent some delightful and profitable weeks 
 with my parents and a few of their chosen friends, after 
 which I was directed by the committee of the Basle 
 Missionary Society to make a tour of five weeks through 
 Switzerland to visit the friends, especially the clerical 
 friends, of the Society. During this journey I had the 
 privilege of visiting many excellent and pious persons, 
 foremost among whom I would name M. Binder of Ziefen, 
 from whose wise and loving dealing with my youth and 
 inexperience I derived much benefit ; especially as, find- 
 ing that the majority of those with whom I met paid 
 deference to me as the learned pupil of the great De 
 Sacy, I was beginning to be aware of an evil tendency to 
 exalt myself in my own eyes. Perhaps M. Binder had 
 observed this, for he took the opportunity, as soon as we 
 were alone, to catechise me on a great number of subjects 
 
56 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 of which I was ignorant, and upon which I could give no 
 satisfactory answers. I was ashamed and confounded, 
 yet his manner was so gentle and loving that I was able 
 to receive the lesson in all humility. I lost no time in 
 making confession to God of my pride and self-love, and 
 in asking pardon at His gracious hand. Since then, so 
 far as I can remember, I have never again lost the con- 
 sciousness of my ignorance and manifold shortcomings. 
 
 At that time the Missionary Society of Basle had 
 ah^eady begun the practice, which was continued for 
 many years afterwards, of sending annually several of 
 tlieir students to England to be employed by the Church 
 Missionary Society, as the latter institution had more 
 money than men, while the former had more men than 
 money for missionary work. It is much to be regretted 
 that the connection between the two Societies has been 
 discontinued, for it contributed much to develop mutual 
 love and sympathy between Christians in England and 
 their brethren on the Continent. The Basle students 
 were then ordained on the Continent, the Church Mis- 
 sionary Society, in imitation of the Propagation Society 
 in its infancy, never requiring the foreign missionaries to 
 be episcopally ordained. It was only after many years, 
 when most of such missionaries labouring in India had, 
 of their own accord, sought episcopal ordination, that the 
 two Societies came to the friendly agreement that the 
 Basle missionaries should, at the outset, be ordained in 
 England, and no longer on the Continent. Whether 
 that first arrangement was right or wrong it is not for 
 me to decide ; but I hope the Church Missionary Society 
 will never have cause to repent of its abolition, though, 
 at the jubilee of the Society for the Propagation of 
 the Gospel, the Bishop of Oxford exhorted its members 
 to weep for having formerly employed missionaries who 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. S7 
 
 were not episcopally ordained, irrespective of the great 
 success that had attended their ministry. 
 
 On my return from my Swiss tour the committee 
 decided to send me to England. As I had not yet been 
 ordained, though licensed to preach, it was arranged that 
 the rite should take place in the United Church of the 
 Grand Duchy of Baden, where the Lutheran and the 
 Eeformed Churches had been united. I was consequently 
 ordained on the 25th of February, without any previous 
 examination, and with so little solemnity, that if I had 
 not been impressed from within, and by the conversation 
 of my companion, the late celebrated Dr. Stier, with a 
 sense of the importance and responsibility of the office, 
 the ceremony itself would certainly have failed to produce 
 such an impression. 
 
 It was much against my inclination that I was ap- 
 pointed to go to England ; and I was further given to 
 understand that, on account of my knowledge of Arabic 
 and Italian, I was to be subsequently stationed at Malta 
 to help Mr. Jowett in the translation and printing of 
 books and tracts in those and other lanoua^es. Like 
 many people on the Continent, I had strong prejudices 
 against the English, owing to the rude and proud behaviour 
 of many would-be English gentlemen. Yet, being con- 
 vinced that from the first I had been providentially 
 placed under the direction of the Basle Missionary Com- 
 mittee, I had long since resolved to submit myself im- 
 plicitly to their decrees, believing that God would thus lead 
 me by a better way than I could choose for myself. 
 
 Here I may observe, that having acted through life 
 upon this principle of seeking and submitting to the 
 highest guidance, I have never tried to change my posi- 
 tion; yet, from my father's house, from the plough, I 
 have been called and led through Basle, England, Malta, 
 
58 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 and Abyssinia by the Basle and Church Missionary 
 Societies, by the committee of the Malta College, and, 
 lastly, by the late King of Prussia, to my present posi- 
 tion as Bishop of the Church of England and Ireland in 
 Jerusalem. Yet, when the time arrived for me to start 
 for England, and I went to take leave of the individual 
 members of the Basle Committee, I opened my mind to 
 the warm-hearted, venerable President of the Society, the 
 late Herr von Brunn, and told him of my misgivings and 
 fears lest I should not be able to work with my English 
 colleagues. I asked him whether, in case I found my 
 apprehensions justified by the event, he saw any objec- 
 tion to my relinquishing my post, instead of remaining to 
 quarrel, and going on my own account to Abyssinia, there 
 to preach the Gospel, while earning my bread by the 
 labour of my hands. He smiled, and only said, " Com- 
 mit yourself to the Lord, and He will guide you in the 
 right way." 
 
 I should mention that a short time previous to this I 
 had been reading the history of the mission of the Jesuits 
 to Abyssinia in the sixteenth century, and the narrative 
 had excited in me the deepest sympathy and compassion 
 for the poor Abyssinians. This sympathy only took 
 deeper root during my five years' sojourn in their country, 
 and ever since that episode it has grown and increased. 
 I have always cherished the conviction that, notwith- 
 standing the errors, superstition, and immorality of the 
 masses, God must still have a people more or less 
 numerous in Abyssinia; otherwise their Church, de- 
 faced, it is true, by many errors, yet holding such 
 essential doctrines as that of the Trinity, the Divinity 
 and Incarnation of Christ, and the Atonement, could not 
 have been preserved for twelve hundred years, surrounded 
 as it has been by bigoted Moslems and savage heathens. 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 59 
 
 When I spoke to Herr von Brunn, I had not the least 
 idea that any missionary society had ever thought of evan- 
 gelising Abyssinia. What, then, was my agreeable surprise 
 when, a few days later, on my arrival in England, I was 
 asked by the committee of the Church Missionary Society 
 whether I was ready to start for Abyssinia with Herr 
 Kugler. I of course replied with alacrity that I was 
 prepared to go thither. That coincidence confirmed my 
 conviction that the call was from God ; and ever after, 
 in the midst of dangers, temptations, and tribulations, 
 the belief has been an unfailing source of comfort to me. 
 
 It was towards the end of March when I arrived in 
 London, in company with Herr Lieder. On alighting from 
 the stage-coach, we hired a hackney-carriage and were 
 driven for four hours through the streets of the vast, un- 
 known city before we reached Islington. But when we 
 inquired for the Church Missionary College, no one could 
 tell us where it was. We were therefore in the greatest 
 perplexity, having no other address but that of the 
 College, which, having been but recently opened, was 
 not yet known in the neighbourhood. At last I remem- 
 bered the name of the Vicar of Islington, the Rev. Dr. 
 Wilson, afterwards Bishop of Calcutta. We drove to his 
 house, and there we found a guide to take us to the 
 College. 
 
 We were received with brotherly kindness by the 
 students, but with stiffness by the Principal, the late Eev. 
 K. Pearson, who afterwards proved, however, a warm 
 friend and brother to me. At the very first interview 
 lie requested me to write a sermon on Eom. v. i, which 
 was to be presented to and read by the committee on the 
 second day thereafter. It happened to be a text to which 
 I had already devoted considerable thought, aided by 
 some of the best Endish and German commentators, so 
 
6o LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 that I found the task an easy one; and although my English 
 \vas bad enough, the sermon impressed certain members 
 of the committee with a much higher notion of my attain- 
 ments than I deserved. This caused me some uneasiness, 
 for I was afraid that I should sink in their estimation in pro- 
 portion to their closer acquaintance with my capabilities. 
 
 During the seven months spent in England, I much 
 enjoyed the society of Mr. Pearson and his family, and 
 also that of several of the missionary students, especially 
 Cochrane, afterwards Archdeacon of Eupertsland, and H. 
 AVilliams, subsequently Archdeacon of New Zealand. But 
 my chief associate was the gifted and deeply pious Mr. C. 
 Eriend, who died in India on the very threshold of his 
 missionary career. I have maintained cordial relations 
 wdth his family to this day. I also from time to time 
 spent profitable hours with several Christian families in 
 the neiqhbourhood of the College. 
 
 Apart from these associations, my time in London 
 passed in a very monotonous manner, as in a species of 
 solitude. I spent the greater part of my days in my 
 room in study, prayer, and the perusal of edifying books, 
 such as Baxter's " Saint's Best," and Leighton on St. 
 Peter, which latter I enjoyed very much. 
 
 It was evident to me that the committee found it 
 difficult to find properly qualified missionary candidates, 
 for several of my fellow-students were very deficient, not 
 only in knowledge, but also in intellectual capacity and 
 true piety, in humility and self-denial, though their con- 
 duct w^as upright notwithstanding these serious defects. 
 
 It was my privilege to frequently see the Secretaries 
 of the Society, Messrs. Pratt and Bickersteth, whose con- 
 versation was always edifying and encouraging to me. 
 Under their influence my prejudices against the English 
 soon began to give way. 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK. 6r 
 
 My prejudice against the form and the length of the 
 services of the Church of England lasted for a longer 
 time, perhaps because I had permission to attend the 
 German services of the late Dr. Steinkopf. Of this privi- 
 lege I availed myself perhaps too freely. 
 
 I had been about two months in England when a 
 trifling incident happened, which for a time strengthened 
 my prejudice. It was my custom, when I did not go 
 to Dr. Steinkopf's church, to attend St. Mary's ; and the 
 sermons of the vicar always delighted me. But as the 
 church was always very full, T was often obliged, though 
 not strong in health, to stand during the whole service. 
 !N"ow, having observed that the persons who were best 
 dressed were always the first to be conducted to seats, 
 although not seat- holders, I yielded to the temptation of 
 resorting to an artifice. I happened to possess a large 
 and beautiful ring. One Sunday morning I put it on 
 and repaired to church as usual. I stood for a minute 
 or two with other people of divers classes near the door. 
 Then, taking off my glove, I raised my hand with apparent 
 carelessness to my ear, and immediately I was led to a 
 comfortable seat. I thought of St. James ii. 2, 3 ; and 
 this revived for a while my fading prejudice against the 
 EnGflish Church. 
 
 My prejudice, however, was not against her episcopacy 
 or her doctrines, but against the repetitions and the 
 length of her services, together with the dead formalism 
 of many of her members, both lay and clerical, which I 
 had already observed on the Continent. 
 
 As it was ae^ainst the rule for the En owlish students to 
 attend Dissenting chapels, I never thought of infringing 
 that regulation, though I wished to judge for myself of 
 the services of Dissenters. Mr. Pearson, however, him- 
 self advised me on one occasion to attend the service 
 
62 LIFE OF SAMUEL GODAT. 
 
 conducted by a pious and experienced Independent. I 
 went, and on entering the chapel was at once conducted 
 to a seat. This made a iavourable impression upon me. 
 
 The service began with a hymn, after which a portion 
 of the Word of God was read. Then came what was 
 called prayer, the whole congregation standing for about 
 an hour. The minister was evidently under the impres- 
 sion that his prayer must occupy a certain long space of 
 time. He began tcdhiiig to God, telling Him with many 
 details what He is and what He is not, what He has 
 done and what He has not done, though He might have 
 done it, and so forth. It was all true enough, but not 
 calculated to satisfy the cravings of a hungry soul. The 
 second part of the prayer, though wanting unction, was 
 appropriate, containing confessions, petitions, intercessions, 
 and thanksgivings ; but, exhausted by the first part, I did 
 not relish the second, and had no power left to throw 
 my soul into the supplications. I thought I observed 
 the same weariness in my neighbours, who, like myself, 
 had been most attentive to the first part. 
 
 From that day I liked the Liturgy of the Church of 
 England ; and though the morning service may be too long 
 for children and weak people, it is not tedious to those 
 who have communion with God. I soon learned to thank 
 God even for the repetitions of the Lord's Prayer; for 
 whilst the ofhciating minister is reading it, my mind is 
 often absorbed in one petition to the exclusion of the rest. 
 Then, when it is repeated, I endeavour to realise another 
 petition, and so on ; thus it is to me as if in reality it 
 w^ere read only once, and in my opinion this is the most 
 beneficial way of using it. It is as if it were read slowly, 
 with a moment's silence after every clause. 
 
 As during my seven months' stay in London I had no 
 outward duty imposed upon me except that of occasion- 
 
PREPARATION FOR MISSIONARY WORK, 63 
 
 ally holding a German Bible-class for Dr. Steinko^Df, and 
 giving Greek lessons to several students with the exegesis 
 of the ISTew Testament, I spent almost all my time in the 
 study of the Hebrew, Arabic, and Ethiopic languages, 
 under the tuition of the late learned Professor Lee. My 
 dear brother and future colleague, Kugler, shared the 
 Hebrew lessons with me. In the two other languages I 
 enjoyed the entire attention of the professor, wherefore I 
 made considerable progress. AVhen, one morning at break- 
 fast, the Ethiopic grammar, with its alphabet of 209 forms 
 of letters, of which I did not know one, was put into my 
 hand, I remembered with shame that when I began the 
 study of Arabic, a year and a half before, it had taken 
 me several days to learn the alphabet, and I at once re- 
 solved that it should not be so with the Ethiopic. I 
 therefore repaired to my room, shut the door, and wrote 
 upon it, " I will not open thee until I can read Ethiopic." 
 I had calculated that it would take me the whole day ; 
 but, behold ! at the end of two hours I could read pretty 
 fluently. But I lost my appetite and had a severe head- 
 ache for two days afterwards. At an examination about 
 five months later, I could translate the songs of Mary 
 and of Zacharias, with two chapters of Hosea, from the 
 Ethiopic into Latin without the help of any dictionary. 
 
 I had almost forgotten to mention that during my stay 
 in London I followed a course of practical or family 
 medicine, given to several missionary students by a warm 
 friend of missions, Mr. Eernandez. I did not much relish 
 that study, yet the little that I learned proved of great 
 utility to me afterwards, especially in Abyssinia. 
 
 About the beginning of November I received my com- 
 mission from the committee, together with fifteen of my 
 fellow-students. Some were told off for India, some for 
 New Zealand, others for Western Africa, my dear Coch- 
 
64 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 rane for Xortli America (Red Eiver), and five for the 
 Mediterranean (Egypt and Abyssinia). 
 
 The instructions, general and particular, were imparted 
 to us at a larGje meetiuGj at Freemasons' Hall. The 
 scene was a solemn and impressive one. I believe that 
 all of us who were being commissioned deeply felt our 
 weakness, and the weight of the responsibility laid upon 
 us ; but the tone of the instructions, the prayers offered 
 up, and the sympathy of those present with the mission- 
 aries about to enter on their career, all was calculated to 
 comfort and strengthen us, not on that day only, but for 
 years to come. 
 
 The occasion was the more solemn for me, because I 
 had been requested by the committee to speak in answer 
 to the instructions given to us. I was nervous, for it was 
 the first time I had addressed a meetinoj of so hi^h and 
 refined a class of persons, and I was conscious of speak- 
 ing very bad English. But the sympathy to be observed 
 on many faces before me was so encouraging, that I felt 
 quite at home at the time, whilst the remembrance of it 
 has often sweetened the bitterness of the trials through 
 which Providence has led me for many after years. 
 
( 65 ) 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 FIRST MISSIONAEY JOUENEY TO PALESTINE AND EGYPT. 
 (1826-1829.) 
 
 We were now ready to start for Malta. Kugler and 
 Kruse were to proceed- by tlie direct sea-route, while 
 Miiller and Lieder had permission to return to Switzer- 
 land, to take to themselves each a wife. As this in- 
 volved a journey from Switzerland through France to 
 Marseilles, I was requested to accompany them ; for neither 
 of them was acquainted with the French language. 
 
 We halted for two days in Paris, and were on the 
 point of leaving that city to continue our journey, when 
 we received a letter from Herr Blumhardt, written in the 
 name of the Missionary Committee at Basle, strongly 
 advising us to go from Paris straight to Marseilles ; 
 intimating as his reason for this counsel that the com- 
 mittee were adverse to missionaries cjettino: married. But 
 as we had already paid for our places in the diligence, the 
 letter arrived too late, and we proceeded to Basle. 
 
 Almost immediately after our arrival, we were invited 
 to appear before the committee, by whom we were rather 
 coldly received. After a solemn silence of some minutes, 
 the President addressed us in a grave tone, and spoke for 
 about half an hour against marriage in general, and 
 against the marriage of missionaries in particular. As 
 the substance of his speech did not then concern me, I 
 
 E 
 
66 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 was in a position to criticise it with an impartial mind ; 
 and I found in it many good reasons against the mar- 
 riage of missionaries, at least before they have made 
 a fair trial of their calling. As, however, he omitted to 
 mention the reasons in favour of such marriages, his one- 
 sided address failed to convince my two brethren that 
 they were wrong in wishing to be married ; and as his 
 arguments against marriage in general seemed to be 
 taken from his own personal domestic experience, their 
 effect was rather that of sympathy with his misfortune 
 than concurrence in his views. 
 
 When he had finished his harangue, the good old man 
 turned to me and asked me, in a melancholy tone, what 
 I thought of the matter now; to which I answered, 
 rather lightly, that I was only there as interpreter, and 
 had no wish to marry at present. This reply caused 
 visible surprise to the members of the committee ; and I 
 afterwards ascertained that it had been believed among 
 them that I had for a long time past been engaged, while 
 residing at their college and in disobedience to their 
 rules. Their satisfaction was great when I added to my 
 explanation that, even before entering the college, I had 
 resolved not to think of marrying until I had spent a 
 few years in the missionary field. 
 
 The sequel to this little episode was that one of my 
 companions, in the face of Pastor Von Brunn's arguments, 
 married shortly afterwards, while the other discovered 
 that the young lady who had encouraged his hopes had 
 no intention of uniting herself with him, and therefore 
 had to remain a bachelor for thirteen years to come. 
 
 On the 30th of January 1826 I started from Berne, 
 with Mliller and his young wife and Lieder, for Malta ; 
 but it proved to be a long and tedious journey. We 
 travelled first to Lausanne, where, there being no public 
 
FIRST. MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 67 
 
 conveyance from Geneva to Marseilles, we had previously 
 made an agreement with a coachman to take us to 
 Marseilles in twelve days. On reaching the frontier of 
 Savoy, all our books and tracts were taken from us, and 
 we were obliged to send them back to Geneva. Our 
 next difficulty was at Grenoble, where we were arrested 
 on the plea that our passports, visM at Berne, were not 
 in order. We were told that they must be sent to Paris, 
 which would have detained us at least a fortnight at 
 Grenoble under the surveillance of gendarmes. How- 
 ever, we di^overed that it was only a trick to extort 
 money from us ; for after three days our passports were 
 restored to us, and we were allowed to continue our 
 journey. 
 
 At Marseilles we were obliged to wait a long and 
 dreary month before we could find an opportunity of 
 moving towards Malta. At last, finding that there was 
 no hope of any vessel sailing for Malta for a long time, 
 we took passage in a French ship bound for Messina, in 
 hope of finding there an opportunity of getting on to 
 Malta. We had a most wearisome passage, rendered well 
 nigh intolerable by the uncleanness of everything we saw 
 on board. We sailed with a light wind, and in five days 
 reached the neighbourhood of Corsica, when the wind 
 suddenly changed, causing great confusion and sea-sick- 
 ness on board ; and on the following afternoon we landed 
 at Toulon, where we had to spend three long days until 
 the east wind ceased to blow. 
 
 Quitting Toulon, we sailed on for five days ; but on 
 the morning of the sixth day, the wind being fresh, as 
 English sailors would like to have it, our French sailors 
 took refuge at Gaeta, where we were put in quarantine, 
 and kept in harbour for twelve days, until we passengers 
 sent an express to the King of Naples, who in two days 
 
68 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 thereafter sent us the gracious permission to continue 
 our voyage. There was evidently foul play, and we sus- 
 pected that our sailors were engaged in smuggling. 
 
 From Gaeta we sailed in three or four days, with good 
 weather, for Messina, where we were again put in quaran- 
 tine for seven days ; after which we much enjoyed a 
 week's liberty in that beautiful spot. We were, how- 
 ever, greatly annoyed by priests following us in the 
 streets and whispering evil suggestions in our ears, and 
 not only in the streets, but in the very cathedral itself. 
 We were more than once tempted to give them a sound 
 thrashing ; but, remembering the influence they had over 
 a bigoted, ignorant people, we only reproved them in 
 words, at which they laughed. Oh, how we pitied these 
 deceivers and their miserable dupes of Popery, to whom 
 I could only attempt to speak of better things in broken 
 Italian ! 
 
 And now, after all these delays, we found the means 
 of starting for Malta in a Maltese esperonade, a small 
 open boat, in which we five passengers, for there was an 
 English gentleman with us, had scarcely space to stretch 
 ourselves. Two days later we touched at Gozo, and soon 
 after arrived at Valetta, forty-nine days after our depar- 
 ture from Marseilles. 
 
 On landing at a spot called " Mx Mangiare," we had 
 to answer many questions about ourselves, our native 
 land, the object of our voyage, and so forth. This cate- 
 chism ended, we were asked to deliver up our passports, 
 which were examined, we thought, rather too leisurely, 
 seeing that we were standing all the time in the hot 
 April sunshine surrounded by a mob of Maltese beggars, 
 who filled our ears with their cries of " Mx Mangiare." 
 The investigation of our passports completed, we were 
 asked whether we knew any one in Yaletta who would 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 69 
 
 be surety for us ; for without this precaution we should 
 not be allowed to enter the city. 
 
 We mentioned Mr. Jowett, and were requested to send 
 for him, which we hastened to do, and in a shorter time 
 than we had expected, dear Mr. Jowett arrived to our 
 great comfort, not only because his presence was the 
 signal for our release, but chiefly because from the first 
 moment we, or at least I, felt a congeniality of heart 
 and mind with him, which in a few days resulted in an 
 affectionate friendship. This attachment lasted undis- 
 turbed until his death, and I trust it will be renewed 
 to endure throughout eternity. 
 
 My companions did not remain in Malta, but w^ent on 
 at once to join Kugler and Kruse and his wife at Alex- 
 andria. I was detained in the island for four months, 
 correcting Arabic tracts w^hich Mr. Jowett had caused to 
 be translated, and which he intended to have published. 
 It was rather tedious work, but I w^as abundantly com- 
 pensated by the pleasure I enjoyed in association with 
 tlie Jowett family, with whom I lived. 
 
 At the appointed time, after taking a cordial leave of 
 Mr. Jowett and his family, together with a few other 
 Christian friends, I embarked for Alexandria, where I 
 arrived after a stormy and somewhat eventful voyage, 
 on the 26th of August 1826. 
 
 It was my intention to start with my colleague, Herr 
 Kugler, as soon as possible for Abyssinia. Instead of this, 
 we were obliged to remain in Egypt for more than three 
 years (with the exception of a six months' tour in Syria and 
 Palestine), waiting for an opportunity to proceed to our 
 destination. The reason of this trying delay was that the 
 entrance into that country by way of Massowa was univer- 
 sally considered to be absolutely shut against all Euro- 
 peans. Several great travellers had attempted it in vain. 
 
70 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 We had been advised before leaving England to go 
 by way of Nubia, but on arriving in Egypt we heard 
 that the Arabs of Shindy, having murdered Ismael 
 Pasha, son of Mohammed Ali, had taken refuge in the 
 mountains bordering Abyssinia on that side, and would 
 not allow any white man to pass that way. I shall 
 presently state how Providence opened the way before 
 us through inhospitable Massowa. 
 
 When I arrived in Egypt, I found that I could not 
 understand the natives, or make myself understood by 
 them. The reason of this lay partly in my defective 
 pronunciation, but chiefly in the fact that I spoke the 
 language of the Koran, which was only understood by a 
 few of the better educated among them. The four 
 brethren who had arrived some months before me were 
 my interpreters, though they had not even begun the 
 study of Arabic before leaving Europe. They had 
 learned it by practice. I was ashamed of myself, but 
 I soon discovered the importance of a thorough gram- 
 matical study of good authors. Two months later, 
 when I had acquired the vulgar pronunciation, and 
 measured in some degree the capacity of the people, 
 these brethren wanted me as their interpreter in the 
 more important conversations ; and after the space of a 
 year, I could begin to preach every Sunday to from twenty 
 to forty people, almost as easily as in my native tongue. 
 
 After spending a few days at Alexandria, I started for 
 Cairo with Kugler and Lieder, and remained there till 
 the end of January 1827. Scarcely anything worthy 
 of notice happened during that time. Seeing that we 
 could not then proceed to Abyssinia, we sought for some 
 person to teach us Amharic, the vernacular language of 
 that country. After much searching we found a young 
 Abyssinian monk, named Girgis, very ill, lying in the 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 71 
 
 dust at the gate of the Armenian convent. We took 
 him into our house, where he soon recovered, gave him 
 new clothes, and made him our almost constant com- 
 panion. 
 
 He knew only a few words of Arabic, but he pos- 
 sessed extraordinary skill in explaining the meaning of 
 words, and in helping us to construe short sentences. 
 We therefore made great progress under his" tuition. 
 Our only books in Amharic were the four Gospels, the 
 Book of the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistle to 
 the Eomans, which we read with him, and which made 
 a deep impression upon him. After advancing so far 
 as to be able to speak a little, we felt it desirable to 
 have the opportunity of conversing with more than one 
 person. We therefore resolved to visit Palestine, and 
 to spend some time with the thirty or forty Abyssinian s 
 residing at Jerusalem. 
 
 At the end of January we — that is to say, Kugler, I, 
 and our Girgis — accompanied by Mr., afterwards Dr., 
 Smith, of the American Mission, and the Eev. Theodor 
 Miiller, started from Cairo through the desert, by way 
 of El-Ariesh, Gaza, and Ascalon, to Jaffa. Nothing 
 worthy of note happened on the journey, which we 
 enjoyed very much, spending our twelve days on camels, 
 and our evenings under our tent in brotherly Christian 
 conversations. 
 
 The day after arrival at Jaffa, after visiting its sandy 
 environs, which have since been converted into blooming 
 gardens, we embarked in a small open boat for Beyrout, 
 where Mr. Smith was to be stationed with the other 
 missionaries, Messrs. Bird and Goodell, with whom we 
 spent a delightful fortnight. They could then do very 
 little, for want of access to the people. For a short 
 time previously Assaad Shidiac had been imprisoned 
 
73 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 for the truth's sake by the cruel Maroiiite Patriarch, 
 under whose Satanic hatred against the Word of God 
 he died a martyr at the convent of Canobin, after suffer- 
 ing every kind of indignity for several years. The 
 people, therefore, were afraid of the approach of the 
 missionaries. It was only when the night was far 
 advanced that some timid Nicodemus would knock at 
 their door, and spend a few hours with them in religious 
 conversation. 
 
 Towards the end of February we started for Damascus, 
 leaving Messrs. Smith and Mtiller at Beyrout, and taking 
 with us a converted Armenian bishop named Dionysius. 
 The road was at that time very little frequented, espe- 
 cially in winter. We found the way very rough, and 
 had three days of it before reaching Damascus. 
 
 On the eastern descent of Lebanon, as I was riding 
 alone, in advance of our little caravan, down a ravine, I 
 saw the head of an animal lying among the thorns on my 
 left hand, about six yards from me, and about fifteen 
 feet higher than my head. As it was not much larger 
 than the head of a cat, I had no idea of danger, yet I 
 stopped to look at it until my companions came up, not 
 then knowing what I afterwards learned and practised in 
 Abyssinia, namely, that when the human eye has once 
 met the eyes of that animal, it must be fixed until the 
 creature goes away, even though one has to wait thus for 
 hours. However, when that beast saw my companions 
 approaching, it rose quietly to go away ; then I saw that 
 I had been in danger, for it was a large leopard. On 
 reaching Khan-el-Merdj, in the valley of Coelo-Syria, 
 that evening, and relating this incident, we were told that 
 a fortnight previously a man had been killed in that same 
 ravine by a leopard. We therefore heartily thanked God 
 for my preservation. 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 73 
 
 We entered Damascus in brilliant sunshine. In fact, 
 from Cairo to Damascus we had had beautiful weather, 
 with the exception of a slight shower at Beyrout. As a 
 rule, the month of February is very tempestuous in Syria 
 and Palestine. A few hours after our arrival at Damascus, 
 however, the sky grew dark, thunder and lightning began, 
 and continued the whole evening. During the night the 
 latter rain set in, and lasted for a fortnight. This kept 
 us prisoners for the whole time, the streets being impass- 
 able on account of the deep mire, so that we were able 
 to see but little of the ancient city and its inhabitants. 
 We lodged with a Greek family, with whom and with 
 whose neighbours we had some conversations on religion. 
 
 The plague was at that time raging in Damascus, and 
 one morning whilst I was walking alone through a deserted 
 street I heard the groans of a poor woman who was sitting 
 in a corner apparently suffering excruciating pain, and 
 moving her hand over a great swelling about her left 
 shoulder. I had just turned to go and try to do what I 
 could for her, having altogether forgotten the existence of 
 the plague, when a Moslem came out of a neighbouring 
 house, and I, unwilling to be seen near a solitary Moham- 
 medan woman, went away. Two hours afterwards I heard 
 that she had died of the plague. 
 
 As we wished to reach Jerusalem before Easter, we 
 started from Damascus as soon as the weather would allow 
 of our doing so. We travelled in great part along a 
 Eoman road, through an uninhabited country, where we 
 only saw two or three Kurds feeding their sheep, along 
 the base of the Anti-Libanus and Mount Hermon, and 
 crossed the Jordan by the Bridge of the Children of Jacob, 
 half-way between the waters of Merom and the Lake of 
 Tiberias. Thence we went to Safet, in Upper Galilee, 
 where we found the late Mr. Mcolayson, missionary to 
 
74 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 the Jews, with whom we stayed seven days, the greater 
 part of which we spent in conversation with the nume- 
 rous German Jews. 
 
 We visited the tomb of the Prophet Hosea and other 
 places of note, and every day we went to the top of the 
 half-ruined fort, from which we had the most magnificent 
 view, for nearly the half of Palestine can be seen from 
 that spot. I cannot describe the holy recollections, me- 
 ditations, and conversations which that splendid scene 
 suggested. 
 
 At the house of Nicolayson we found a young Maronite, 
 Joseph, a relative of Assaad Shidiac the martyr, whom 
 the Maronite Patriarch had tried to capture and imprison 
 because he was reading the Bible. Joseph had been 
 obliged to fly, leaving his wife behind. He was cast down 
 because he no longer delighted, as formerly, in reading the 
 Bible, though he felt it to be his duty to continue to read 
 it, notwithstanding the consciousness that it now con- 
 demned him. We took him with us to Jerusalem, where 
 for some time he remained oppressed beneath the weight 
 of his sins. One evening, whilst walking with him on the 
 terrace of the house, I related to him the conversion of 
 my mother, and how, whilst intending to comfort another, 
 she had herself found peace by applying to herself the 
 words of Christ, " Come unto Me, all ye that labour and 
 are heavy laden." On hearing this, Joseph abruptly left 
 me and hastened to his room, where he remained shut 
 up for several hours, after which he came to us, Kugler 
 and myself, with a radiant countenance, and said that he 
 had found pardon and peace. He afterwards told me 
 that, although he had read the Gospel of St. Matthew 
 several times through, his attention had never been speci- 
 ally directed to that passage ; but that, on hearing those 
 gracious words of Christ, he had felt as if they were ad- 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 
 
 dressed to him. He had accordingly hastened to his Lord 
 with the whole burden of his sins, and had at once realised 
 the promise. From that day he was happy, and active 
 in endeavouring to lead others to the source of his hap- 
 piness. We subsequently took him to Cairo, where he 
 was employed by Herr Muller as the first Protestant 
 schoolmaster. Later on, Dr. Wolff took a fancy to him, 
 had him ordained, and took him to Smyrna and Greece. 
 They ultimately separated, in consequence of some mis- 
 understanding, soon after which poor Joseph died, I hope 
 in the Lord, Whom he had endeavoured to serve. 
 
 Messrs. Mcolayson and Muller, who had rejoined us at 
 Safet, accompanied us to Jerusalem. We passed through 
 Nazareth, where we found the people very rude, and 
 thence to Megiddo, having heard tliat the road through 
 !N"ablous was not safe. From Megiddo we crossed through 
 a forest between Mount Carmel and the mountains of 
 Jezreel, to the plain of Sharon, as far as Lydda and 
 Eamlah. 
 
 Here we were warned against the old chief, Abu 
 Ghooush, who has given his name to his village, about 
 eight miles west of Jerusalem, and who was then at the 
 height of his lawless power. On approaching the village 
 we saw a horseman with an immense turban, followed by 
 about twenty men, coming through the bushes right in 
 front of our pathway. We at once supposed this per- 
 sonage to be Abu Ghooush. One of our party rode on a 
 little in advance, and when within speaking distance, 
 asked the Sheik if Abu Ghooush was at home. " Why 
 do you ask ? " sternly demanded the horseman. " Because 
 we want to lodge with him," was the reply. ITpon this 
 the sternness of the Sheik's features relaxed. "I am 
 Abu Ghooush," he said, in an amicable tone ; " you are 
 welcome. Come with me ; you have nothing to fear." 
 
76 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 He took us to his house, gave us the best room, and 
 at once ordered a grand dinner, which, however, was not 
 ready until late in the evening. While we were waiting 
 and looking out of the window, we saw him in the dis- 
 tance stopping a caravan of pilgrims and levying black- 
 mail — plundering them, in fact. But to us he behaved 
 very well, and the next day he accompanied us for some 
 distance on our way, and would accept no present. He 
 also visited us several times at Jerusalem, insisting upon 
 our ao'ain visiting^ him when we should return through 
 his village. Although scarcely any Europeans journeyed 
 to Jerusalem at that time, he was very anxious to have a 
 good name among them, among the English especially. 
 
 We arrived at Jerusalem on the 3 1 st of March, and 
 took up our abode in the Greek monastery of St. Michael, 
 presided over by a monk called Joel, a man of middle 
 age. As he was far from being indifferent to the Word 
 of God, we had daily conversations on religious topics. 
 He was evidently anxious to know the truth. He and 
 another young monk named Kaisarios were the only two 
 among the many Greek monks who seemed to take any 
 interest in the Word of God. Kaisarios died not long 
 after this. Joel was in process of time made Archiman- 
 drite, and has always manifested great attachment to the 
 Protestant missionaries. Indeed, I have been told that 
 but for his sympathy with Protestant truth he would 
 have been made a bishop. His conduct was so modest 
 and exemplary that, although he was not respected by 
 his superiors as he deserved to be, yet he was not much 
 molested. He died a few years ago, in firm reliance upon 
 the merits of Christ. When he felt that death was ap- 
 proaching, he sent for me, and after a short conversation 
 on the state of his soul, he called for two young monks 
 and several other persons. When they were assembled 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 
 
 round his bed, he desired them to bear witness that he 
 died in the faith of Christ, Who had died for and redeemed 
 him, miserable sinner though he was. He declared that 
 although his life had been polluted by sin, he yet died 
 without fear, relying upon the merits of his Lord, Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 After making this confession, he sank into a state of 
 exhaustion, from which he rallied for a time, and in the 
 end expired quite suddenly. 
 
 We also made the acquaintance of a Greek priest, 
 Butros, who had translated several tracts into Arabic for 
 the late Mr. Jowett, by which he seemed to have been 
 benefited, for he liked to converse on religious matters, 
 and was opposed to many superstitions of his Church 
 without leaning to scepticism, as many Orientals do when 
 they shake off superstition. It might have been said of 
 him that he was "not far from the kingdom of God." 
 He possessed considerable learning, and yet he was poor, 
 despised, and neglected by his superiors and by the 
 monks, very likely because he had a family. Papa Joel 
 and Kaisarios formed an exception to the general rule of 
 unfriendliness towards this poor priest. While we were 
 at Jerusalem he received a sum of money for some trans- 
 lation that he had prepared. The transaction had been 
 effected as secretly as possible, yet the next night an 
 Effendi came to his house with several slaves and de- 
 manded that very amount. On the poor priest's refusal 
 to comply, he was pinioned and carried a prisoner to the 
 Effendi's house. The next day an appeal was made to 
 the Governor, and the following evening (it was Eama- 
 dan) that functionary ordered both the Effendi and the 
 priest to be brought before him. We, Kugler and my- 
 self, were present, and at first were satisfied with the 
 manner in which the Governor investiirated the affair. 
 
78 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. ' 
 
 particularly when we heard him sharply rebuking the 
 Effendi, calling him a robber, and finally sending him 
 away in apparent disgrace. When he was gone the 
 Governor turned to the priest, and addressed to him a 
 complimentary harangue, which, however, ended in some- 
 thing like the following words : — 
 
 " You see what trouble this business has caused us ; 
 you must therefore pay the costs of the trial." 
 
 And accordingly the unfortunate priest was obliged to 
 pay to the Governor nearly the same sum which the 
 Effendi had demanded. It was supposed that, as in 
 other cases, it was the Governor who had in the first 
 instance instigated the Effendi to the exaction. Let me 
 here observe that the same tyranny and oppression still 
 (1869) characterise the Turkish authorities, though they 
 now exercise these qualities in a more covert and cun- 
 ning way. 
 
 We made it a duty, which proved to be a most pain- 
 ful one, of attending all the services and ceremonies of 
 Holy Week at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The 
 Greeks had no preaching. We saw a Greek bishop wash 
 the feet of twelve monks, after which the water was 
 poured into a large cask already nearly full of clean 
 water, that was placed in a large upper room. In a 
 moment the apartment was filled with pilgrims of both 
 sexes, who jostled one another in the endeavour to be the 
 first to dip his or her unclean handkerchief and arakieh 
 (a white cap which they wear under the tarboosh) in 
 order to squeeze out the water thus obtained into small 
 bottles, to be taken home and used as medicine for every 
 kind of malady. At last there remained nothing but 
 a little thick, greenish matter, which could hardly be 
 called fluid; this a number of invalid pilgrims eagerly 
 swallowed for the benefit of their souls and bodies. This 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 79 
 
 ceremony and the holy fire form the chief parts of the 
 Greek services in Holy Week. 
 
 On Good Friday evening we attended the Eoman 
 Catholic services, which consisted chiefly of sermons in 
 divers tongues. There was a sermon in French on 
 Golgotha, the preacher standing opposite to a wooden 
 crucifix four feet high, which he continually apostrophised, 
 as thouo'h it had been Christ Himself. The sermon was 
 full of empty declamations against the Jews (who to this 
 day are not allowed even to pass near that church). He 
 ended his sermon with these words : " If any man be 
 inclined to crucify afresh this Christ," pointing to the 
 crucifix, "let a thunderbolt hurl him down into hell. 
 Amen." Then they took down the wooden body from 
 the cross, solemnly removing the nails, and carrying it 
 to the so-called stone of unction, laid it down there and 
 anointed it ; upon which a short sermon was preached in 
 Spanish, which I did not understand. Then the body 
 was carried into the small chamber of the so-called Holy 
 Sepulchre, at the door of which another monk preached 
 an Italian sermon with much pathos, the object of which 
 was to depict the atoning sufferings of Mary ! The 
 sufferings of Christ were vividly described, but only to 
 show forth the agony of His Mother in witnessing them. 
 I cannot express the anguish which oppressed me while 
 listening to such blasphemies. My only comfort was 
 that few among the many hearers could understand what 
 was said, with the exception of the monks. 
 
 We spent the night in the church, v/here several 
 hundred pilgrims were lying pell-mell, men, women, and 
 children, talking and quarrelling till midnight. When 
 in the morning we left the church, dozens of them were 
 crying out in chorus that sundry articles of their property 
 had been stolen. 
 
So LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 In the afternoon of Easter Eve we went to witness 
 the scene connected with the Greek -zm-holy fire, which 
 I shrink from describing ; for, considering the place where 
 it is enacted, the actors believing that it is the Sepulchre 
 of Christ, I cannot conceive a more horrible and scanda- 
 lous spectacle. To see five or six thousand nominal 
 Christians deluded into the belief that they were honour- 
 ing the meek Lamb of God by frantic dances half-naked, 
 by howling, pushing, and fighting, is the most melanclioly 
 sight that can be imagined. I could not but weep over 
 those poor, ignorant pilgrims, who were attracted chiefly 
 by the figment of that pretended miraculous light (the 
 Greeks are forbidden to call it fire) to Jerusalem, where 
 their earnings of ten or twenty years are swallowed up 
 by the rich monasteries, to which it is computed that 
 each pilgrim pays on an average about ;^20. 
 
 The following fact will give an idea of how the money 
 is extorted. One evening a modest-looking young man 
 came to us crying, and asking for bread and shelter for 
 the night from our friend Papa Joel. He related to us 
 his experience of the last twenty-four hours as follows : — 
 
 " I arrived yesterday evening with a hundred dollars, 
 and was kindly received. I was accommodated with a 
 good supper and a nice room. This morning, after break- 
 fast, I was introduced to the Bishop, who was very affable, 
 and who told me how much fatigue and trouble have 
 to be undergone by himself and the monks whilst pray- 
 ing night and day, not so much for themselves as for their 
 people abroad w^ho were occupied in worldly concerns. 
 Then he stated what great expenses they incurred for the 
 church and chapels, for the numerous poor, and, above all, 
 on account of the exactions of the Turks. Upon this he 
 looked at me and said, ' You are not rich, I suppose, yet 
 I hope you will give something to the church.' I had 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 8i 
 
 already made up my mind to give twenty dollars," con- 
 tinued the young man, " but I was moved by the Bishop's 
 speech, and offered to give twenty-five. ' That is very 
 good/ said the Bishop, ' but you must see how little it will 
 help our poor and numerous community. Can you not 
 give fifty dollars ? ' I was bashful, and afraid of dis- 
 pleasing him ; I therefore consented to give fifty, where- 
 upon he ordered a monk to go with me to my room to 
 receive the money. I thought I could still accomplish 
 my pilgrimage with the remaining fifty dollars. But, this 
 business transacted, I was asked by another monk whether 
 I did not wish, like other pilgrims, to visit the holy places, 
 chapels, and altars. To this I gladly assented ; and im- 
 mediately a third monk took me successively to eleven 
 altars. At each one of them my guide told me that the 
 pilgrims contributed the money necessary for the main- 
 tenance of the sacred places. At first I gave liberally, 
 supposing that there were but three or four ; after 
 which I observed that I had seen enough. He, how- 
 ever, took advantage of my real want of courage to 
 oppose him, and so constrained me to visit one 
 holy place after another the w^hole day long. On 
 returning to the monastery, my guide disappeared 
 for a moment, when another monk came and asked me 
 whether I had given a present to him for his trouble. 
 He advised me to give him two or three of my few 
 remaining dollars ; upon which my guide reappeared to 
 receive two dollars. I was low-spirited ; but I thought 
 that, as I might remain in my room without expense, I 
 still had enough to enable me to return to my home near 
 Aleppo. But whilst I was thus musing, another monk 
 came to me with his account for my room, supper, and 
 breakfast. These were charged at rather a high rate, and 
 I have just discharged the claim with a heavy heart, and 
 
 F 
 
82 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 have now only a few piastres left. After having paid, 
 the monk told me that my well-furnished room was kept 
 for the reception of pilgrims on their arrival, but only 
 for one night, so that I must look for another lodging. 
 I am therefore come to you to ask for shelter for one 
 night at least." 
 
 Papa Joel received and entertained the young man 
 for several days. Strange to say, the fanatical youth was 
 not yet cured; for he still believed that the holy fire, 
 being supernatural, did not burn. We advised him to 
 apply a lighted candle to some part of his body and test 
 it. He made the trial ; for as soon as he had lighted his 
 candle in the church, he applied it to his beard, half of 
 which was immediately consumed and the skin of his 
 cheek was singed. When the ceremony was over we 
 asked him if he still believed that the fire did not burn ; 
 to which he replied, " It does not burn." " You carry 
 the proof of its burning on your face," said we ; " why 
 do you not confess it ? " To which he naively replied, 
 " If I said that it burns, I should be excommunicated." 
 This digression requires neither comment nor apology. 
 
 That Holy Week was the most melancholy week of my 
 life ; and though I have now been more than twenty 
 years in Jerusalem, I have never seen or wished to see 
 again those abominations practised in the Church of the 
 Holy Sepulchre. 
 
 We had no wish to profane Easter Day by being pre- 
 sent at the ceremonies of that Church. We therefore 
 remained at home, reading the Bible and conversing on 
 the passion and resurrection of Christ, and the blessings 
 flowincj therefrom. 
 
 But my heart was burning within me. On Monday 
 morning I went to the aged Bishop of Petra, called the 
 Bishop of the Light, and remonstrated with him most 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 83 
 
 solemnly, though, I trust, respectfully ; and asked him 
 how he could at the day of judgment give an account 
 for thus wilfully and knowingly deceiving thousands of 
 ignorant people. He shrugged his shoulders and asked 
 mildly, " What shall we do ? If there were no light, 
 the Turks would murder us." The meaning of which 
 was, " If we have no holy fire, no pilgrims would come, 
 and we should be destitute of the money necessary to 
 satisfy the demands of the Turks." 
 
 The practices here described are continued to this day, 
 thou2[h with a little more caution. 
 
 During our three months' stay at Jerusalem we tried 
 to preach the Gospel to Jews and nominal Christians, 
 but w^e found no entrance among either class, for none 
 dared receive the Bible or the ISTew Testament for fear 
 of the Eabbis and the priests. We therefore spent our 
 time chiefly in pursuing the object for which w^e had 
 come to the Holy City, namely, the study of the Amharic 
 language by practice in hearing and speaking, as we had 
 no book but the four Gospels, the Acts, and the Epistle 
 to the Eomans. We passed almost all our time with 
 the thirty and odd Abyssinians, either at their monastery 
 or our house, eating with them or they with us, en- 
 deavourincf, with considerable success, to overcome our 
 disgust at their want of cleanliness. The Abyssinians, 
 like the Coptic monks, think it a merit to be dirty. I 
 once asked the Coptic Patriarch, Botros, why he did not 
 wash his face ; to which he replied that it was unlawful 
 for religious people to wash during Lent or on fast-days. 
 
 We made good progress in Amharic, so that before 
 leaving Jerusalem we spoke it nearly as fluently as our 
 native language. We held daily religious conversations 
 with the monks and three or four nuns, all living under 
 the same roof; and we had good hope that several of 
 
84 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 them, notably the intelligent Eeis or Abbot, and a nun, 
 had been really impressed by the Word of the Gospel. 
 But alas ! four weeks after our departure, the plague 
 visited Jerusalem and carried off all the Abyssinians, not 
 sparing a single one, either man or woman. 
 
 On the 23d of June we left Jerusalem for Jaffa, there 
 to embark for Damietta. On the way I was very low- 
 spirited, as indeed had been the case throughout my 
 travels in Palestine and sojourn at Jerusalem. I was 
 oppressed with grief at sight of the desolation of the 
 land, and the temporal and spiritual misery of its 
 inhabitants, especially the Jews, who then were not 
 permitted even to go to their now well-known place of 
 wailing, to weep over the ruin of their Temple and their 
 nation. To this day I have a vivid recollection of a 
 Jew who, after asking our leave, followed us to that 
 place of wailing; but before reaching it he was seized 
 by some Moselms, who wanted to give him the bastinado 
 for daring to approach the holy place. We could only 
 rescue him by giving a " baksheesh " to the miscreants. 
 
 We embarked at Jaffa in an open boat without a 
 cabin for Damietta, which we hoped to reach in one or 
 two days; but the wind being unfavourable, we were 
 carried the first day to Gaza, and the second day back 
 to Jaffa. Next day, the wind having changed, we again 
 embarked late in the afternoon, in the hope of sailing- 
 early in the evening. But one long hour after another 
 passed, and the Eeis, or captain, did not appear. About 
 midnight he came, to be received by a torrent of abuse 
 from some of the passengers for having kept us waiting 
 so long. " My brother was dying of the plague," he quietly 
 answered, " and I could not leave him till I had closed 
 his eyes. He has just died." Some of the Arab pas- 
 sengers, alarmed at this news, would have disembarked ; 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 
 
 but we reassured tliem, and so we sailed away once more. 
 We sailed to all appearance at random, now right, now 
 left ; and after many vicissitudes, including seven days' 
 quarantine at Cyprus and a fast of forty hours, we 
 reached Damietta, whence w^e immediately started for 
 Cairo, where we arrived in the middle of August. 
 
 Soon after our return to Cairo I was seized with most 
 severe ophthalmia, which threatened to deprive me of 
 my sight. It was so exceedingly painful as to produce 
 delirium of a serious nature. Once, in the middle of the 
 night, when every twinkling of the eyes seemed to be a 
 flash of fire, I fancied there were enemies firing at me. 
 I therefore took my knife in supposed defence of myself, 
 and was on the point of plunging it into my right eye, 
 when a friend who w^as near me, hearing my movements, 
 asked me how I felt, which brought me back to rational 
 consciousness just at the right moment. 
 
 The regular Egyptian ophthalmia begins with a con- 
 tinuous irritation, as if there were sand under the eyelid, 
 upon which first one eye and then the other becomes 
 bloodshot and dry for about twenty-four hours, after 
 which they suppurate for four or five days. On the 
 seventh day, if no great mistake has been made, that is, 
 if the disease has been left to take its natural course, it 
 is all over. But the eyes being then very tender, the 
 least mistake, especially exposure to the evening air, 
 brings on the malady again for another seven days much 
 more severely and painfully, and so on, sometimes until 
 the eyes are destroyed. 
 
 On that first occasion I had three relapses, and it was 
 only on the fourth attack that I discovered exposure to 
 the evening air about sunset to have been the cause of 
 each renewal of the malady. At last I found myself 
 perfectly blind, so that when I looked at the sun it 
 
86 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT.' 
 
 seemed as black as the darkest night. However, by the 
 grace of God, my sight gradually returned, but so slowly 
 that it was six months before I could see as well as of 
 old. I am therefore inclined to think that permanent 
 loss of sight is the effect, not of the ophthalmia itself, but 
 of deleterious remedies. 
 
 Having thus described this dreadful disease, let me 
 mention the simple, and, if applied at the proper time, the 
 infallible remedy for it. A short time after my recovery 
 a friend told me that he had just seen a negro curing 
 himself by putting a pinch of snuff into his eyes, by 
 which he had been instantaneously healed. I had 
 another attack of the disease, and made the trial with 
 wonderful success, for in five minutes I was perfectly 
 well. Since that time I have had many opportunities 
 of applying this simple remedy to myself and to others, 
 always with the same result. The way of using it is 
 this : A person must take a pinch of snuff on his thumb 
 and blow it, if possible, into both eyes at once of the 
 patient. The operator must stand a little distance apart, 
 so that the coarser parts of the snuff may fall to the ground. 
 The immediate effect is sudden pain, followed by a dis- 
 charge of water from the eyes. The cure is then complete. 
 But it is of the utmost importance that it be done the first 
 day, while the eyes are red and dry ; after suppuration has 
 begun snuff will not cure, though it will do no harm. 
 
 One day while travelling from Massowa to Abyssinia, 
 and resting at noonday in the valley of the Shohos, a 
 Shoho Sheik presented himself with about twenty armed 
 men, looking very wild. Alighting from his mule, he 
 came to me and showed me his eyes, red and dry, just at 
 the right moment. While looking at them I suddenly 
 and adroitly blew a pinch of snuff into both eyes at once. 
 The poor man, with a loud outcry, seized his sword, but 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 87 
 
 as he could not open his eyes for a minute or two, he 
 could do me no harm ; but he said something which I 
 did not understand to his men, upon which they all 
 grasped their swords. However, I made a sign to them 
 to wait a moment. In five minutes the Sheik was com- 
 pletely cured, and was so thankful, that instead of levy- 
 ing black-mail, as he had probably intended to do, he 
 obliged me to accept an ox as a token of his gratitude. 
 
 It was during the time of my semi-blindness, mentioned 
 above, that the news reached Egypt of the battle of 
 I^avarino, in which Ibrahim Pasha had been beaten and 
 the Turkish fleet almost annihilated by the combined 
 squadrons of England, France, and Eussia. So great was 
 the consequent panic among the Europeans, that nearly 
 all of them hastened from Cairo to Alexandria, fearing 
 the vengeance of the Moslems; although the great Pasha, 
 Mohammed Ali, had immediately caused a proclamation 
 to be made that all Europeans should be protected. 
 
 I could not move, and should have been left alone, had 
 not a dear brother, Th. Miiller, given up his previous 
 intention of cfoincj to Alexandria in order to remain with 
 me till the supposed danger was over. Kugler had pre- 
 viously gone on business to Alexandria, and also to visit 
 the late Consul-General, Mr. Salt, who was on his dying- 
 bed in a village between Cairo and Alexandria. 
 
 As soon as I was sufficiently recovered from the 
 ophthalmia, though I was still so blind as not to be able 
 to discern objects distinctly, I started for Alexandria to 
 consult with my brother Kugler about the advisability of 
 his going to England to make certain arrangements con- 
 nected with our mission to Abyssinia, in case we should 
 find a way to that sealed land. Shortly before his depar- 
 ture we made a discovery which afterwards proved the 
 means of reopening the door of access to Abyssinia, that 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 land having been closed to Europeans, with the exception 
 of Bruce, ever since the Jesuits had been driven away in 
 the sixteenth century. 
 
 This discovery consisted in the fact that we found a 
 poor Abyssinian lying sick in a dark den, almost in 
 despair, his servant being also ill. In his own country 
 he was the governor of a large district, and he had been 
 sent many months before, by the excellent Saba Gadis, 
 ruler of Tigre, as ambassador to Mohammed Ali, who 
 having but a short time previously received and dismissed 
 another ambassador of the same name, supposed this man 
 to be the identical person, returned with a view to extort- 
 ing more presents. The Pasha consequntly refused to 
 see the new ambassador, vv^ho did not dare to return thus 
 rejected to his master. He fell into a state of despon- 
 dency, which brought on the severe illness from which 
 we found him to be suffering. 
 
 As one evil seldom comes alone, the poor fellow having 
 no friends and knowing but a few words of Arabic, he 
 liad been cheated and robbed; so that if he had been 
 willing to venture to return to Abyssinia, he had no 
 means left to do so. 
 
 We took him and his servant into our house until he 
 was well again. After which, as I was intimately acquainted 
 with the First Minister of Mohammed Ali, Boghos Bey, 
 with whom I used to spend many evenings in reading 
 the Bible, often till past midnight, we found it easy to 
 introduce the ambassador to the Pasha, who, convinced 
 of his mistake, acceded to all the requests and proposals 
 of the envoy, but detained him for several weeks until 
 his answer to Saba Gadis was ready. In the meantime, 
 our new friend wrote to his master, informin<x him of all 
 we had done for him ; in answer to which Saba Gadis 
 commanded him to use all his efforts to persuade us to 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 
 
 go and see him, in order that he might remunerate us. 
 Thus was Abyssinia unexpectedly opened to us, and we 
 might have started on our way thither about the end of 
 1828, had Kugler not been in Europe. 
 
 I spent the winter of 1827-28 at Alexandria, endea- 
 vouring to do something for the neglected, worldly-minded, 
 and, alas ! for the most part, infidel Europeans. There 
 was then a Wesleyan missionary at Alexandria, but his 
 work was almost exclusively amongst the English sailors. 
 He certainly held a service at the Consulate every Sunday 
 morning, but it was not very edifying on account of the 
 Consul walking to and fro in his heavy boots all the time. 
 
 There were but few English, with some of whom I held 
 Bible-meetings on Sunday afternoons. I also held several 
 services, first in French, then in German. In both lan- 
 guages the first service was pretty well attended. But 
 when the people perceived that I preached Christ crucified, 
 in whom, perhaps, not one of them believed, after a few 
 Sundays my hearers ceased to come. 
 
 I was generally oppressed and low-spirited at the sight 
 of the infidelity, worldliness, and immorality with which 
 I was surrounded. Yet there were a few individuals 
 who were seeking the way of salvation. Amongst these 
 were my host, the late Mr. Eobert Tod, and Boghos Bey ; 
 also three English ladies, all of them more or less pious. 
 These latter were, however, so different in respect to class, 
 attainments, and dispositions, and they were so much 
 restrained by the influence of their respective husbands, 
 that I could not prevail upon them to unite more closely, 
 so as to form a nucleus around which some less decided 
 persons might be clustered for their good. 
 
 During my stay in Alexandria I realised two remark- 
 able experiences in very different spheres of action. The 
 first was as follows : — Seeing that I could not collect the 
 
90 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 people to hear the simple Gospel, I hit on an idea which 
 seemed to be wise, but which proved to be foolishness. 
 I made it publicly known by placards that I intended 
 to deliver a series of lectures or sermons in the French 
 language, on the agreement of true philosophy with Scrip- 
 tural Christianity. All who were desirous of attending 
 were invited to come. 
 
 My first subject was " The Excellency of Human 
 ISTature," and my text was Gen. i. 27. My second theme 
 was " What still Eemains of the Original Excellency of 
 Human Nature ;" my third, " The Present Wretched State 
 of Mankind, or the Degeneration of Human Nature ; " 
 my fourth, " The Fall of Mankind from God into Bond- 
 age under an Evil Power." 
 
 I abstained as much as possible from imitating the 
 language of the Bible, making use rather of an argumen- 
 tative style, and showing that my deductions were in per- 
 fect accord with Holy Scripture. I was not satisfied 
 with the assumed garb under which I commended the 
 truth, although my ideas were dominated in my own 
 mind by the Word of God ; but I considered this form 
 of presentment necessary in order to attract hearers, and 
 so far I succeeded. I began with forty, and the number 
 increased to two hundred. 
 
 When I considered them sufficiently prepared to hear 
 of Christ crucified — the history of the Cross in simple 
 Scriptural language — I resolved to preach on the next 
 occasion the full Gospel, including all the essential doc- 
 trines of Christianity, as far as this can be done within 
 the limits of a sermon. I was intending to recapitulate 
 in a few words the facts of the creation, the Fall, the 
 wretchedness of man, and the danger of his being lost 
 eternally. From these fundamental truths I would have 
 proved our urgent need of a Saviour, none other than our 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 91 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom the Father, 
 moved by divine love and compassion, has sent into the 
 world to be its Eedeemer by His incarnation, His life on 
 earth. His sufferings, death, and resurrection. I would 
 have concluded by entreating my hearers to receive this 
 their Saviour by faith, and to give Him their hearts. 
 
 On the Saturday the French and Austrian Consuls- 
 General sent me word to say that they intended to be 
 present on the morrow, so that I expected a large assem- 
 blage. But behold ! I was mistaken. Nobody came to hear 
 me except two Protestant gentlemen and one Greek 
 lady. I could not understand why I was thus deserted, 
 till, after waiting about an hour, I heard that the Eoman 
 Catholic priests had that morning excommunicated before- 
 hand all those who should come to hear me. Although 
 nearly all my audience, nominally Eomanists, made an 
 open boast of their infidelity, yet, frightened by the 
 threatened excommunication, not one of them had the 
 courage to come. Oh ! how I was humbled for my 
 imagined wisdom ! But it was a good lesson, and I re- 
 solved never again to preach the Gospel in words that 
 worldly wisdom teacheth. 
 
 Another incident of my life at Alexandria, the men- 
 tion of which may provoke a smile, is the following : ^ — 
 One of the three Christian ladies recently referred to in 
 this narrative gave birth to a little son, who for a fort- 
 night cried day and night, and refused to take nourish- 
 ment. There were only two women to nurse this poor 
 baby by turns, and they were soon perfectly exhausted. 
 
 * This incident is omitted in the German Life of Bishop Gobat, being 
 probably deemed unsuitable to a published memoir. Yet it so well illus- 
 trates the simplicity of mind, tenderness of disposition, and sound common- 
 sense which distinguished Samuel Gobat throughout his whole career, 
 from the plough to the Episcopate, that it is inserted here without apology 
 for the homeliness of its details. — Eng. Ed. 
 
92 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 The father was utterly helpless. I would most willmgly 
 have offered my services, but, sensible of my awkward- 
 ness, I did not dare to do so. However, my host, Mr. 
 Tod, undertook the business ; but after the first night he 
 was regularly knocked up. One of the two hired nurses 
 was taken ill, and the other could not watch for two 
 successive nights, besides tending the crying infant all the 
 day long. The mother was quiet enough and resigned, 
 but very weak. The father was tearful and inert. What 
 was to be done ? In this extremity I took courage to offer 
 myself for one night to watch and nurse the child, praying 
 fervently that the Lord would give me the necessary skill. 
 
 Before taking the little fellow, I had observed that 
 whenever he had ceased crying for half a minute, he 
 turned his little head about before beginning again. I 
 laid myself down on a sofa with the babe by my side, 
 placing his head in the hollow of my left hand. I then 
 ordered a cup of thin arrowroot to be put within my 
 reach, and requested to be left alone — alone with God 
 and the child. 
 
 Now when he began to move his little head prepara- 
 tory to crying again, I tried to assist his movements ; 
 this kept him quiet, and gave me time to dip my finger 
 in the arrowroot and moisten his mouth. At first he 
 was quite passive, but by degrees he began to suck my 
 finger more and more lustily ; and thus he was kept the 
 whole night without uttering a single cry. So still was 
 he, indeed, that about midnight the mother rose, and 
 came trembling to the door, fearing that her child was 
 dead. I motioned to her that all was well, and she with- 
 drew. In the morning, when the baby was restored to 
 her, she had no further difficulty in feeding the child, 
 and from that moment he was as quiet and good as any 
 other infant. Thus I was more successful in nursing 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 93 
 
 than in preaching. However, these two functions must 
 often be exercised together — vide 1 Thess. ii. y. I have 
 mentioned this circumstance to show how desirable it is 
 that missionaries should practise themselves a little in 
 nursing young children before going abroad ; for I have 
 known some who have lost their babes for want of know- 
 ing how to deal with them. 
 
 Before taking leave of Alexandria, I must mention 
 another incident of a somewhat ludicrous nature which 
 happened to me there, and which was connected with great 
 subsequent events to be mentioned presently. Having 
 been on one occasion invited to spend an evening with 
 Boghos Bey, who lived at a considerable distance from 
 my quarters, and not feeling quite well, I rode on a poor 
 lame donkey, the only one I could find. It was after 
 midnight when I took leave of my host, and he ordered 
 two of his servants to escort me home with torches, not 
 knowing what kind of an animal I had. So I had to 
 ride my lame donkey through the whole city, at the rate 
 of less than two miles an hour, preceded by the torches, 
 which emitted bright flames and lighted up the whole 
 streets. It was thus that Boghos Bey and the Pasha 
 himself were wont to ride through the town by night. 
 Accordingly, people rose from their beds to see what 
 great personage was passing ; and they were not a little 
 amused at seeing a tall man with a long beard seated 
 on a small, lame donkey, which was pushed slowly forward 
 by a donkey-boy. Knowing that nobody recognised me, 
 I mingled my hearty laughter with the merriment that 
 pealed from the windows. My friend Boghos must have 
 heard of it; for ever after that, when I paid him an 
 evening visit, he secretly dismissed my donkey, though 
 it sometimes happened to be a very respectable animal, 
 and lent me his own mule to ride home upon. 
 
94 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 On that evening we had been discussing prophecy, and 
 thought to have discovered that the Turkish empire was 
 soon to be destroyed. I looked at these prophecies with a 
 theological eye — he from a political point of view ; so 
 that, although we seemed to have the same idea, we 
 did not fully understand one another. After leaving 
 Alexandria I thought little more about it, till five years 
 later, on my first return from Abyssinia in 1833, I called 
 upon Boghos Bey. Hearing that I was at the door, he 
 came smiling to meet me, and said at once, " Do you re- 
 member that evening when we conversed upon prophecy ? 
 A few days afterwards I communicated our views to 
 Mohammed Ali, and read those prophecies with him. The 
 consequence was that he immediately resolved upon attack- 
 ing the Sublime Porte ; and this is the origin of our con- 
 quest of Syria." So great a fire may one spark kindle. 
 
 It took me about a week to go by the Nile from 
 Alexandria to Cairo, where I arrived in May 1828, and 
 remained until October 1829, with the exception of a 
 short visit to Alexandria for change of air. Through- 
 out this period my health was very indifferent, though 
 I suffered from no especial complaint, save occasional 
 palpitations, the remains of my illness of 1823; but I 
 was growing w^eak and losing my energy, which was 
 either the cause or the effect of depression of spirits. I 
 had but little appetite, and perhaps lived too low; my 
 expenses for myself, my Abyssinian guest, and my ser- 
 vant, not exceeding £60 per annum, house-rent included. 
 When, upon the strong recommendation of my physician, 
 I began to take wine regularly, my strength returned 
 in some measure before starting for Abyssinia. But 
 what pained me most was the low state of my spiritual 
 life. I very rarely enjoyed a sense of the presence of 
 the Lord. I had no relish for prayer, and my petitions 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 95 
 
 were cold and lifeless. I Lad a clear consciousness of 
 my lukewarmness, and yet I could find no energy to 
 arouse myself. I was also aware that the physical and 
 moral atmosphere in which I lived had much to do in 
 keeping my spiritual life at a low ebb, and yet this gave 
 me no peace ; for my conscience reproached me with 
 many cases of unfaithfulness, of failure in watching and 
 praying, and of conformity to the world, when I ought 
 to have witnessed against its maxims and practices. The 
 contrast between this and my former state of habitual 
 consciousness of being a child of God, of alacrity in con- 
 fessing the name of Christ my Saviour and in witnessing 
 for His truth, contributed to make me more miserable 
 so long as I remained in Egypt ; although the return of 
 my dear brother and colleague, Kugler, revived my 
 drooping spiritual energies a little. 
 
 During that time of spiritual gloom I occupied my- 
 self with the study of Ethiopic, Amharic, and Arabic, 
 endeavouring to improve all opportunities of perfecting 
 myself in speaking the two last-mentioned languages. 
 Immediately after my return from Alexandria to Cairo, 
 I began to seek out the few German and Erench-speak- 
 ing Protestants, inviting them to attend divine service in 
 either tongue; but as they were all either downright 
 infidels or else perfectly indifferent about God and their 
 own souls, and most of them having already ceased 
 attending public worship in their respective native lands, 
 they came, moved by curiosity only, for a few Sundays, 
 and then ceased their attendance. I also preached 
 sometimes before Lord Prudhoe, the late Duke of ISTor- 
 thumberland, who alw^ays invited a number of such of 
 his acquaintances as could understand French to be 
 present ; wherefore, the services were performed in that 
 language. My hearers were partly Protestants and 
 
96 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 partly Eoman Catholics ; but I never observed that the 
 Word made any impression, except upon Lord Prudhoe 
 and his friend, Major, afterwards General Felix, whom 
 many years later I met at Geneva as, I believe, a sincere 
 Christian. 
 
 I also began an Arabic service, preaching regularly 
 every Sunday for a year and a half. Except the first 
 four or five Sundays, I had always between thirty and 
 fifty hearers of both sexes, among whom were invariably 
 some Mohammedans. Alas ! I cannot say that any one 
 was truly converted, though I often observed that the 
 Word made lively impressions on several of them. I 
 attributed the absence of greater success to my own 
 want of si^iritual life, which humbled me deeply. 
 
 I had also many religious conversations w^ith native 
 Christians and Moslems, many of whom seemed, at least 
 for a time, to feel the power of the Word of God ; but 
 the Christians were prevented from yielding fully to its 
 influence through fear of their priests, and the Moslems 
 through fear of being put to death if they embraced 
 Christianity. Here I will venture to mention one case, 
 the particulars of which are still fresh in my mind. 
 
 I once met a Sheik Ahmed, one of the most learned 
 Sheiks or religious teachers at Cairo, who at once 
 showed himself ready to enter into a religious contro- 
 versy, expecting to convert me to Islamism. It was 
 well for me that I was so thoroughly acquainted -with 
 the Koran. At first he looked down upon me with an 
 air of commiseration, as he said that all Christians must 
 go to the fire (of hell), citing a passage of the Koran. 
 To this I replied that the Koran says just the contrary, 
 and quoted a long passage from the second Surat, or 
 chapter of that book, where it is written, " Surely the 
 Jew^s, the Christians, and the Sabaans, all those who 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY, 97 
 
 believe in God and do good works, have nothing to fear ; 
 on the contrary, their reward is with their Lord — gardens 
 in which rivers flow, and in which they shall abide for 
 ever and ever." " Oh," said he, " this passage has been 
 abrogated." (This doctrine of abrogation is a subterfuge 
 under which the Moslems frequently shelter themselves.) 
 " How ? " said I ; "do you not say that the Koran is the 
 Word of God ? Is God like a man, an unrighteous 
 man, who makes a promise and then abrogates it, either 
 because he cannot, or because he w^ill not keep it, thus 
 deceivincr His creatures ? Such a God cannot be the 
 true God." The poor Sheik grew angry and confused, 
 but he did not yield, and left me with an air of dis- 
 pleasure. 
 
 The next day he came again, and at once confessed 
 that our conversation of the preceding day had troubled 
 him, and excited doubt in his mind. But, he added, 
 " If the Koran be not the Word of God — the truth — 
 where is the truth to be found ? " And, resuming the 
 offensive, he continued — " You Christians say that the 
 Bible is the Word of God ; and yet the Bible says in one 
 place that God is One, and in another place it says that 
 Eisa, Jesus, is the Son of God, and Himself God. Is not 
 that a contradiction ? " 
 
 "ISTo," said I, "it is not a contradiction, but it is a 
 mystery ; a mystery which God has plainly revealed in 
 His Holy Word ; and I could prove to you from the 
 Bible that both declarations are true ; namely, that God 
 is One, and that in the Godhead there are three Persons 
 of one substance, the Father, the Son Jesus, and the 
 Holy Ghost. But as you do not believe in the Bible, and 
 accuse the Christians and the Jews of having falsified it, 
 my first duty must be to prove to you that such falsifica- 
 tion is an impossibility, and that, therefore, the Koran, 
 
 G 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 which affirms such an absurdity, must be false. Let us 
 then, if you please, read the Bible and the Koran together, 
 and compare the one with the other." 
 
 The Sheik accepted this invitation, and for more than 
 a month he came twice or three times a week, till by 
 decrees he besjan to confess his doubts about the contents 
 of the Koran, and at the same time to own his sense of 
 his sinfulness and guilt before God. I sought to draw 
 his attention to the work of redemption by the life, 
 sufferings, and death of Christ, which could not avail for 
 us if He were merely a man, even though a holy man and 
 a prophet. 
 
 When we had reached this point, for several days he 
 came every day, till at last one morning before sunrise 
 he appeared with tears in his eyes and exclaimed, " I 
 am undone ! What must I do to be saved ? I could 
 not sleep last night; the burden of my sins weighs 
 too heavily upon me, and I can find no comfort in the 
 Koran." 
 
 I preached the Gospel to him as well as I could, with 
 deep emotion and with prayer, and for more than an 
 hour he seemed to drink in every word. On leaving, he 
 promised to come again on the morrow. 
 
 I was much encouraged by the hope that for once a 
 learned and influential Moslem was ready to receive and 
 to acknowledge Christ as his Saviour and his God ; but 
 I was most painfully disappointed. He never returned 
 to me. For about three months I could discover no trace 
 of him. Then I met him one day in the street. I asked 
 him why he had not called for so long a time ; to which 
 he naively replied, " The last time I was with you I felt 
 that if I went to you again I should be convinced of 
 the truths of Christianity, and be consequently obliged to 
 avo'v myself a Christian, for which I should have been 
 
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 99 
 
 killed. I therefore resolved to see you no more until my 
 heart should be hardened against your arguments." 
 
 And, indeed, he proved so hardened, that though I saw 
 him several times after that, I could make no impression 
 upon him. 
 
 This was the greatest disappointment of my long life. 
 
( 100 ) 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 
 (1829-1832.) 
 
 At last, the season of great heat being nearly over, we 
 were able to start from Cairo for Abyssinia. 
 
 On the 20th of October 1829, after having made an 
 agreement with the camel-drivers that they should bring 
 us twenty-two camels early next morning, we packed all 
 our things, even our bedding, with a view to starting 
 betimes. But we were doomed to exercise patience — 
 such an amount of patience as sometimes causes actual 
 fever to Europeans travelling in the East. 
 
 On the 2 1 st we rose early, and were quite ready by 
 daybreak ; but we vainly w^aited for a long time in ex- 
 pectation of our camels and their drivers. At length, 
 between ten and eleven o'clock, one driver came with 
 about a dozen camels, saying that the other drivers 
 and their animals would soon arrive. However, they 
 did not present themselves until four o'clock in the 
 afternoon, and then the head-driver was nowhere to be 
 found. In his absence nothing could be done, notwith- 
 standing our remonstrances. Night came on, and the 
 camels had to be driven to feed. Next morning, about 
 nine o'clock, the creatures returned, but two of them 
 were missing, so that a couple of drivers had to go and 
 seek for them in the desert. About noon they were 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. loi 
 
 brought back, but then the drivers discovered that they 
 had forgotten to bring the necessary ropes. They must 
 go to the market to purchase them. This took about two 
 hours. 
 
 And now they began to distribute the packages and to 
 load the camels, so that at sunset we were ready to start. 
 But we accomplished only about two miles, and spent 
 the first night near the monuments of the Mamelukes 
 before Baab-el-jSTasser. Thus ended the trial of our 
 patience for this time. 
 
 On the morning of the 23 d, not very early, our 
 caravan was again set in motion. It consisted of Herr 
 Kugier, a German carpenter whom Kugler had brought 
 from Wtirtemberg, the Abyssinian ambassador, and his 
 servant. I was the oldest of the company ; and yet 
 (oh, the patience of God with me !) I am the only sur- 
 vivor. We had four drivers and twenty-two camels, 
 and we carried a goodly number of Amharic and Ethiopic 
 books for distribution in Abyssinia. We made our first 
 halt at Heliopolis, and journeyed from thence for three 
 days until we came to Suez, where we were kept for a 
 fortnight in expectation of a boat to sail for Jidda. 
 
 Suez was then a most miserable place, with nothing 
 green in its neighbourhood except a few palm-trees. I 
 believe that it did not contain a single glass window ; 
 scarcely anything was to be found in the market besides 
 rice, and the water was brackish, thousjh wholesome. 
 
 At last we engaged the cabin of a boat laden with 
 pilgrims going to Mecca ; but the cabin was so small 
 that it could only contain two persons, Kugler and my- 
 self. It took twenty days, if I mistake not, to sail from 
 Suez to Jidda. At Tor, a small village of the peninsula 
 of Sinai, we took in fresh water, which we much enjoyed 
 for two days ; but as the Arabs never cleanse their large 
 
102 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 \vater-jars, by the third day it was already rendered cor- 
 rupt by the small worms which the rain-water had bred, 
 and which had died and become decomposed. Still we 
 encouraged one another to drink it till we reached Yanibo 
 on the coast of Arabia. There we again found good 
 water, but our dirty Arabs mixed it with what remained 
 from Tor, so that in two days it was worse than the first 
 supply, and at last it became so bad that its putrid smell 
 reached from one end of the boat to the other. We were, 
 nevertheless, obliged to drink it, or else die of thirst, 
 until it was exhausted. Then we were without water 
 for two days, and were still two days' sail from Jidda. 
 
 I was ill, but I hardly noticed my own ailments, for 
 the poor women and children pilgrims seemed actually 
 dying of thirst in that sultry atmosphere. Suddenly a 
 small cloud arose. It increased rapidly in bulk, and as 
 we were, as usual, not far from land, our Arab sailors 
 hastened to a creek where they cast anchor. In a few 
 minutes more we were in a storm of wind, thunder, 
 lightning, and pouring rain. We hastened to spread out 
 all that we had ready in the shape of cloths, sheets, and 
 towels to catch the water. Some of the pilgrims had 
 cowhides, on which they slept, and these also were spread 
 out ; so we obtained the necessary supplies of water for 
 the two following days. 
 
 We arrived at Jidda late in the afternoon of a sultry 
 day, and immediately went to the Governor, who was at 
 the same time English Consul, to whom we had letters 
 of introduction both from the British Consul at Cairo and 
 from the Pasha Mohammed Ali. He received us at first 
 with civility, but when we asked him for a place to live 
 in for a few days, he coldly ordered a servant to conduct us 
 to a square room about twelve feet in diameter, in which 
 there was absolutely nothing but animated dust several 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 103 
 
 inches deep. The living portion of this very scanty 
 furniture speedily began to feed on our nether limbs. 
 We at once perceived that there was no room for our 
 luggage, but before we had time to speak our guide had 
 disappeared, and we had no alternative but to hasten back 
 to the Governor-Consul and ask for a better lodsfinor. 
 
 o o 
 
 Whilst walking along the streets weary and downcast, 
 and gazed at by the fanatical Moslems, who cast at us 
 their favourite expressions of Xelb and Kdfir, dog and 
 infidel, a kind Armenian merchant, Khawadja Yoosoof, 
 the only Christian resident at Jidda, stopped us, and 
 invited us to take up our abode in his large house. We 
 most thankfully accepted, and lived in great comfort as 
 his guests for the fortnight that we stayed at Jidda. 
 Almost every evening we received the visits of some of 
 the greatest Sheiks of Mecca, to whom we preached the 
 Gospel in the form of conversation, they being much 
 better instructed in history and geography and less 
 bigoted than any of the Sheiks with whom we had met 
 in Egypt and Syria, though they were not free from 
 scepticism. 
 
 I may here mention that the Governor-Consul having 
 been detected by us in extortionate and fraudulent trans- 
 actions, application was made to Bombay for another 
 Consul, and upon our recommendation our good host, 
 Yoosoof, was appointed. He held the office for a num- 
 ber of years, and made the English name to be respected 
 at fanatical Jidda. 
 
 We sailed from Jidda to Massowa in an Arab boat, 
 which had much better accommodation than the one 
 in which we travelled from Suez, and it was, moreover, 
 clean. We spent our time on board chiefly in reading 
 and conversing in Amharic with the Abyssinian am- 
 bassador, Ali, who w^as most willing to make us ac- 
 
I04 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 quainted with the character, views, prejudices, and 
 customs of the Abyssinians. We afterwards found his 
 information most valuable. 
 
 I was unwell all the time till we reached Massowa, 
 a little before Christmas. Our faithful Ali being known 
 at Massowa as an officer of Saba Gadis, the ruler of 
 Tigre and Lasta, who had much influence there, we 
 were well received by the Governor, and consequently 
 by all in . authority. This was contrary to their usual 
 behaviour towards the few Europeans who had pre- 
 viously visited the place and asked in vain for permis- 
 sion to proceed to Abyssinia. The Governor allotted 
 to us the best house on the island, and issued orders 
 that no one was to molest us. Immediately after our 
 arrival, Ali sent messengers to Saba Gadis to inform 
 him of the fact. 
 
 In the meantime I was seized with severe dysentery, 
 and for some days my life was despaired of; the more 
 so that we had recently read in Bruce's Travels that Mas- 
 sowa was called in his time " the grave of Europeans." 
 However, by the goodness of God, I recovered in time 
 to start when all else was ready. 
 
 Before leaving Massowa we witnessed a very touching 
 scene. A lady of rank in Germany had given money 
 to Herr Kugler to redeem an Abyssinian female slave, 
 either in Egypt or Arabia ; and through the help of 
 our friend Yoosoof at Jidda we had discovered and 
 purchased one who, a few months previously, had been 
 caught with her little boy, and with him sold into 
 slavery. The boy could not be traced, but we had 
 brought the woman, deeply mourning the loss of her 
 son, to Massowa, with the intention of restoring her 
 to her family in the neighbouring district of Hamassion. 
 We had, therefore, requested several persons to give 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 105 
 
 Tis notice if they sliould see any Christian from that 
 district. 
 
 One day a man brought us the news that three men 
 from Hamassion were coming. All our people went 
 to the door to see them. The poor woman, having 
 already learnt the practice of Arab women, covered her 
 face so as to see without being seen. On perceiving 
 the three men, she was seized with hysterics and sank 
 into a corner. As we could not speak to her, she 
 knowing only the Tigre language, with which we were 
 unacquainted, we had not intimated to her our purpose 
 of restoring her to her husband, whom she had just 
 recognised as one of the three who had passed our 
 door. Fearinsr lest, if she told us that she had seen 
 her husband, we might not allow her to see him again, 
 she said nothing until she could speak privately with 
 Ali, and beg him to intercede for her. Her intention 
 was not, indeed, to ask us to let her go free, for although 
 we had already told her, through Ali, that she was so, 
 she did not believe it. Her request was that, as her 
 husband was not rich, we would undersell her to him. 
 
 The worthy Ali, before mentioning the case to us, 
 sent for her husband, who came while he was explain- 
 ing the matter to us in her presence. The poor man 
 was very shy, and when he had looked at his wife for 
 a moment to assure himself that his eyes did not deceive 
 him, he began to tremble, not daring to approach her. 
 Her eyes were fixed upon the ground. When Ali told 
 them in our name that the woman w^as free, the husband 
 remained motionless for a moment, evidently doubting 
 whether he had heard aright, till one of us took him 
 by the hand to lead him to his wife, who was also 
 motionless. They just looked straight at one another, 
 and then falling into each other's arms, they wept for 
 
io6 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 joy long and loudly. All present wept with them. Then 
 they left, after asking God's blessing upon us. 
 
 A few days after this incident an answer arrived 
 from Saba Gadis, inviting us to go to him without 
 delay. The message was brought by a high ofhcer, 
 accompanied by about forty soldiers, who also bore an 
 order to the Governor of Massowa to have all our lug- 
 gage carried through the district of the wild Shoho to 
 the foot of the high mountain Shumfeito, farther than 
 which the camels could not go. Saba Gadis had like- 
 wise sent us mules to ride. 
 
 Acting on All's advice, we delivered all our effects 
 into the hands of the second officer of Saba Gadis, who 
 promised to restore the whole to us in good condition at 
 Adigrad, the residence of Saba Gadis. 
 
 We started for Adigrad at the end of March, and 
 arrived there on the 14th of February. It proved to 
 be a very pleasant tour, as we were exempted from all 
 care about luggage, and only rode for five or six hours 
 a day, so as never to get fatigued. We only regretted 
 not being able to speak of the one thing needful to the 
 people travelling with us. 
 
 Arrived at the foot of the Shumfeito, near the Taranta 
 of Bruce, our camel-drivers left us to return to Arkiko, 
 near Massowa. Next morning the men of Halai, the 
 first village of Abyssinia, came down early, and, with the 
 soldiers whom Saba Gadis had sent, hoisted our luggage 
 upon their shoulders and began to ascend the high and 
 steep mountain. A little before sunset we all arrived 
 safely at Halai. 
 
 It was a solemn moment for my colleague and myself 
 when for the first time we saw stretched around and 
 beneath us the vast expanse of land, the field which we 
 had been sent to cultivate. We deeply felt our insufti- 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 107 
 
 ciency, and prayed that the Lord would give us light, 
 strength, and wisdom to testify to the Gospel of the 
 grace of God in that benighted region, and that He 
 would accompany the words of our testimony with the 
 influence of the Holy Spirit, to the salvation of many 
 souls. 
 
 We spent two days at Halai, and as it contained a 
 few individuals who spoke Amharic, we conversed with 
 them on divers topics. Having heard the roaring of 
 lions at Shumfeito, we took occasion to ask about wild 
 beasts, and how we ought to act if we encountered any. 
 The following rules were imparted to us unanimously by 
 those whem we questioned : — 
 
 Never turn your back to a hyena ; that animal never 
 attacks a man from the front. When you see a leopard, 
 never cease fixing him with your eyes until he quits his 
 ground ; he only attacks those who, having seen him, turn 
 their eyes away from him. 
 
 When you meet a lion, keep your self-possession ; he 
 only attacks those who fear or threaten him. 
 
 The people repeated these maxims in a kind of rhyme, 
 as if they were well-known proverbs. I had previously 
 heard something similar from some negroes in Egypt. 
 They added with respect to the lion, that being proud, 
 he must be treated with indifference, as if he were un- 
 worthy of notice. 
 
 The very next day I had an opportunity of testing the 
 value of these sayings. After leaving Halai, and while 
 travelling through a wild district, I diverged from the 
 path with a view to shooting some guinea-fowls or par- 
 tridges for our dinner. After a while I thought I heard 
 a partridge behind a large bush. I crept cautiously 
 towards it, in order to get as near as possible to my 
 game ; but when I was about six paces from the spot, a 
 
io8 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 lion slowly emerged, and nonchalantly stretched himself, 
 as if he did not see me. 1 imitated his indifference, and 
 continued to walk very slowly towards the bush, looking 
 to the right and left as if I did not observe him, yet 
 keeping the corner of my eye upon him, and holding my 
 gun in readiness to discharge it into his mouth if he 
 should come towards me. Otherwise, having only small 
 shot, I did not dare to fire at him. However, after 
 stretching himself, he went quietly away. 
 
 After quitting Halai, we journeyed for four days 
 through the now well-known district of Senafeh to 
 Behaat, the district of our friend Ali, and for his sake 
 we rested for one day at his house. It was thronged the 
 whole day with people bringing presents of sheep and 
 honey to welcome him on his return home. We amused 
 ourselves with his lovely children. 
 
 From Behaat we travelled for two days to Adigrad, 
 where we found all our luggage safely bestowed in the 
 best house of the place, which Saba Gadis had had as 
 well prepared as was possible in poor Abyssinia. 
 
 That prince received us with open arms, as if we had 
 been his brothers, and as lon^^ as he lived he was most 
 kind to us, because, as he more than once said, we had 
 come to teach the Gospel in his country. 
 
 Having some Shoho blood in his veins, Saba Gadis 
 had been very wild, daring, and sometimes cruel, in his 
 youth, when hunted by the jealous, though otherwise 
 mild and moderate, Eas Walda Selasse, after whose death 
 Saba Gadis had waded through streams of blood to the 
 throne of Tigre. But he was now mild, charitable, and 
 benevolent. He had felt the sting of sin with excru- 
 ciating remorse long before our arrival, and had tried in 
 many ways to atone for his sins. He was punctual in 
 fulfilling what he understood to be his religious duties, 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 109 
 
 and by being just yet mild in his rule, so that he was 
 highly esteemed and beloved, not only by the people of 
 Tigre, but throughout Abyssinia. He had dismissed 
 with rich presents all his wives save one ; he had been 
 diligent in almsgiving, rising frequently at night to carry 
 i7icognUo succour to widows and orphans. 
 
 All this had prepared him for receiving the good 
 tidings of the Gospel. Unhappily we had no language 
 in common, as he knew only the Tigre and Shoho 
 dialects, of which we were ignorant. We were therefore 
 obliged to converse through the medium of an interpreter, 
 which is always a drawback in preaching the Gospel ; 
 and yet he seemed from the beginning to receive the 
 Word with joy. My dear brother Kugler remained with 
 him for nearly eight months, and made great progress in 
 the study of the Tigre language, so that he could at last 
 speak freely with him, and unfold the precious truths of 
 the Gospel. The effect of this was, as we are thankful 
 to believe, that before his death, which took place in less 
 than a year after our arrival in Abyssinia, he was a truly 
 converted man. 
 
 Before reaching Adigrad we had resolved that I should 
 undertake, without delay, a tour into the interior, for the 
 purpose of disseminating the portion of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures printed in Amharic, consisting of the four Gospels, 
 the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistle 
 to the Ptomans. But when we mentioned this project to 
 Saba Gadis, he would not hear of it at first, saying that 
 there were too many dangers, against which he could 
 afford us no protection, though he must consider him- 
 self answerable for our safety. Bat during the ten 
 days which I spent at Adigrad there arrived a high 
 officer of Eas Marujeh as ambassador to Saba Gadis, 
 accompanied by about a hundred soldiers. This gave us 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 the opportunity of reiterating our request that one of us 
 should be permitted to start for the interior under the 
 safe escort of that officer, Belata Darcopti. Saba Gadis 
 finally consented, commending me most warmly to the 
 officer's care. He also gave me one of his own officers 
 to accompany and take care of me, at least as far as 
 Gondar, and there to commit me into faithful hands. He 
 was evidently most anxious for my safety, and made me 
 promise to return to him as soon as I could. 
 
 Having made the necessary preparations for the jour- 
 ney, and agreed with ten men, besides two servants, to 
 carry the books for distribution, I started for Gondar on 
 the 25th of February, accompanied for a little while by 
 my two brethren, Kiigler and Aichinger. On that day I 
 began my "Journal of a Three Years' Eesidence in 
 Abyssinia," published in 1833 by the Church Mission- 
 ary Society. The object of that journal was to give to 
 the Committee of that Society a clear sketch of the reli- 
 gious views and morality of the Abyssinians, in order 
 that the Society might judge how far it was their duty 
 to continue and enlarge their mission to Abyssinia, or 
 whether it would be desirable to withdraw it. I shall, 
 therefore, in the present pages avoid as much as possible 
 entering into these details, and simply record some inci- 
 dents of my long life, and my experiences of the dealings 
 of my gracious and merciful God and Saviour with me. 
 His unworthy servant. I will just quote the first few 
 words of that diary, written in the evening of the first 
 day of my journey : — 
 
 " I never experienced a deeper sense of desolation and 
 weakness than at the moment of taking leave of my two 
 missionary friends, Kugler and Aichinger. As I rode 
 slowly on, I confessed my sins to God, implored His 
 guidance, and entreated Him to go with me, and pre- 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. in 
 
 serve me from the dangers of the way, especially from 
 sin, and to bless my journey to the salvation of some 
 souls." 
 
 Throughout the whole of that month, we made our 
 halt for the night between two and three o'clock in the 
 afternoon. The reason for choosing that hour was, that 
 it was the season of Lent, when all Abyssinians fast ; 
 at least, with very few exceptions. They are so strict, 
 that they do not even drink a drop of water before three 
 o'clock P.M. As Belata Darcopti, though very strict in 
 fasting, had a good appetite, he liked to have his dinner 
 ready punctually at that hour of the day. After dinner 
 it was my custom to gather together all who wished to 
 hear the Gospel, and to read to them for about two 
 hours. Before long the whole company of my fellow- 
 travellers formed my attentive audience. 
 
 Having been repeatedly warned by the late Mr. Salt, 
 then Consul-General in Egypt, against the prejudices and 
 errors of the Abyssinians, as, for example, the merit of 
 fasting, the worship and invocation of saints, especially 
 the Virgin Mary, and of angels, the Archangel Michael 
 in particular, I abstained at first, in these readings, from 
 making any other comment than a simple, practical 
 explanation of what I read, in the hope that, in propor- 
 tion as they became acquainted with the truth, they 
 would discard their errors. !N"ot that a mere intellectual 
 assent to the truth often avails to root out old errors 
 from the heart, as I had often had occasion to experience. 
 My hearers soon began to question me, however, asking 
 why I did not fast, why I did not kiss holy pictures, 
 or pray to the Virgin. This gave me the opportunity 
 of directing their attention to the love of God, the work 
 of redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ ; the justification 
 of guilty and sinful man by the free grace of God 
 
112 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 through faith in the merits and the person of Christ, 
 and by degrees I discovered that I could speak on all 
 religious subjects as freely as I could have done in 
 England. 
 
 On one occasion, I had been reading the fifteenth 
 chapter of St. Luke, and was deeply affected by the fact 
 of my being surrounded by so many erring sheep and 
 prodigal sons. This led me to recapitulate the whole 
 chapter in a simple practical way ; and when I had 
 finished, I observed that many of those rough soldiers 
 had tears in their eyes. One near me said, " I am the 
 prodigal son ; " to which several added, " And so am I." 
 Oh ! how earnestly did I pray that the Holy Spirit might 
 deepen that impression ! But here I must say that in 
 general the Abyssinians are easily impressed; being 
 ignorant and light-minded, however, such impressions 
 seldom last long. 
 
 On another occasion I met with a very touching incident. 
 We had encamped near a large village on the top of a 
 mountain, and I was surrounded, as usual, after our frugal 
 meal, with a great number of the inhabitants, young and 
 old, to whom I read and expounded the Gospel, according 
 to my custom. The next morning, feeling the need of 
 solitude, I had withdrawn to pray and write a little in 
 a neighbouring thicket. On returning to the camp, I 
 found that the whole company had left, my own people 
 supposing that I had gone on in advance, as I had 
 several times done before. 
 
 While descending the hill and passing through a dark 
 forest, I all at once heard a noise behind me ; and on 
 looking back, beheld from fifteen to twenty black boys 
 running after me. The idea struck me that, supposing a 
 Hack man to be found alone by so many white boys 
 in some European forest, he would have nothing very 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 113 
 
 pleasant to expect. Nor were my anticipations agreeable 
 at that moment ; but I had no choice, and so was obliged 
 to continue my way. The boys overtook and passed me. 
 Having done so, they all stopped with one accord, turned 
 round, and falling on their faces, asked me to bless and 
 pray for them. I acceded to their request with deep 
 emotion. I never again passed through that forest, but 
 may I not hope to meet some of those boys among the 
 blessed of the Father at the right hand of Him who 
 died for them as well as for me ? 
 
 The day before reaching Gondar, I had been riding 
 and walking for hours under a hot sun, with no food 
 but a little barley-bread and garlic. (I was obliged to 
 eat the latter in self-defence, as my travelling com- 
 panions made such plentiful use of the highly odorous 
 vegetable.) I had suffered much from thirst all the 
 afternoon, being feverish and tired, so that I could 
 hardly sit upright on my mule. When we arrived at 
 our halting-place for the night on a wide plain in the 
 neighbourhood of Tshambelga, I was completely ex- 
 hausted, and could neither stand, sit, nor eat, though 
 I had partaken of no food since the morning. I was 
 in a burning fever, which within an hour or two brought 
 on delirium. A thunderstorm broke, and I thought I 
 was in the midst of a battle. At last a pouring tropical 
 rain began to fall, which so far restored me to conscious- 
 ness as to make me feel most miserable. 
 
 I was lying upon a carpet under the open sky. I 
 desired my servant to cover me with a mattress, and 
 stretching myself on the grassy ground, I once more 
 fell into a kind of delirious slumber, which lasted for 
 about two hours. I was startled and again aroused to 
 consciousness by water trickling into my ear. My head 
 was aching severely, I was in a burning heat, and the 
 
 H 
 
114 LJFJ^ OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 rain was pouring still. Looking around, I saw my 
 companions squatting, almost one upon another, under 
 some cowhides. There were two houses upon an emi- 
 nence not far off, but no other shelter for miles. I 
 told my servant to go and ask if I could be taken in 
 at either of them, promising to pay well ; but after a 
 little while, which seemed long to me, he returned with 
 the news that I could not be received at any price. 
 I then asked my man to place a stone under my head 
 to prevent the water running into my ear ; and in a 
 kind of despair, yet committing myself into the hands 
 of my Saviour, I fell asleep, and slept until sunrise 
 in about three inches of water. When I awoke, my 
 fever was gone, and I felt so well that I at once 
 mounted my mule and rode about thirty miles that 
 day, till I reached Gondar at sunset, hungry and 
 thirsty, but in excellent health, on the 30th of March 
 1830. 
 
 Gondar had been much reduced since Bruce's day, 
 sixty years previous, when it contained sixty thousand 
 inhabitants. It now numbered barely twenty thousand; 
 but it was still the capital of Abyssinia, with its poor 
 old kinf]^ livinoj in a hut beneath the shadow of the 
 ancient palace, without a court, and destitute of the 
 least influence. It, however, continued to be the centre 
 of ecclesiastical authority, and the headquarters of the 
 Etchega, the head of all the monks, and, in the absence 
 of a bishop in the land, the chief of the whole Abys- 
 sinian Church. Being a sacred asylum, it formed the 
 refuge of many members of the ruling families now 
 in disgrace, but who might in a few months to come 
 occupy the most powerful positions in the land. I 
 therefore at once felt the necessity of my weighing 
 all my acts and all my words, and prayed that I might 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 115 
 
 have vouchsafed to me the wisdom of the serpent and 
 the harmlessness of the dove. 
 
 This was the more essential because, although I only 
 proclaimed myself to be a simple minister of Christ, 
 people would insist upon making a great man of me, on 
 account of the honour paid me by Saba Gadis, the most 
 powerful among the chiefs. It thus became necessary, 
 after waiting upon the Etchega, to make the acquaint- 
 ance of all the refugees of rank. This was a most 
 delicate affair ; for it would have been imprudent, on 
 the one hand, to make them my friends, and so expose 
 myself to the suspicion of their enemies then in power, 
 or, on the other hand, to allow them to become my 
 enemies, which, in case of their being restored to power, 
 w^ould have laid me open to their revenge. In order 
 to remain neutral until I should become better ac- 
 quainted with their characters and circumstances, I 
 began to speak to them through an interpreter, who, 
 in all indifferent and temporal matters, translated cor- 
 rectly. But when religious topics were in question, 
 and I happened to say anything opposed to Abyssinian 
 prejudices, I could not make him repeat it, though he 
 knew that I understood him. I was soon obliged to 
 silence him, and to speak for myself in Amharic. This 
 proved to me how useless it must be to try to preach 
 the Gospel through the medium of unconverted inter- 
 preters. 
 
 My books had all been seized at the custom-house, 
 and heavy duty was demanded. I had no mind to pay 
 this, and so establish a precedent. I therefore appealed 
 to the Etchega for help, and thereby unexpected benefit 
 sprang from what I at first regarded as a difficulty. The 
 Etchega, having no idea of any but religious books, con- 
 sidered the action of the custom-house as an interference 
 
ii6 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 with his authority, and ordered my property to be de- 
 livered to me at once. He was at the same time flat- 
 tered by my having asked his assistance, and thus gave 
 me a fair opportunity of presenting him with a copy of 
 my books (the Amharic editions of the Gospels, the Acts, 
 and the Epistle to the Eomans). He had never seen 
 them before, and accepted them readily. A few days 
 later he told me that he had read them, and that they 
 were very good. In the meantime I had offered copies 
 of the same portions of Scripture — which, for convenience, 
 I will call collectively the Gospel — to several persons, 
 who had refused to accept them lest they might contain 
 errors. As soon, therefore, as the Etchega had expressed 
 his approval, I gave him six copies, with the request that 
 lie would distribute them among the heads of the most 
 celebrated churches, coupled with a recommendation from 
 himself. He at once complied ; and from that day for- 
 ward my house was beset with people, first from the 
 neighbourhood, and, by degrees, from all parts of the 
 country, who came to ask for copies of the Gospel, 
 and to hold religious conversations with me, chiefly on 
 subjects then agitating their Church. After a few weeks 
 my house was daily filled with people of all classes, and 
 among them were always some of the best educated, who 
 came to consult me. Their inquiries most frequently 
 related to a controversy concerning the unction of Christ, 
 which had been a subject of dissension in the Abyssinian 
 Church for the past three hundred years or more, and 
 which still divides it into two parties. The extremes of 
 these parties are, on the one hand, the ultra-Mono- 
 phy sites, who pretend that Christ, being God, was from 
 all eternity united with the Holy Spirit, had never been 
 anointed by Him, and had never received Him. They 
 further hold that, although Christ became incarnate, He 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 117 
 
 became so by His own power, and He so completely 
 absorbed human nature into the Divine, that the human 
 ceased to exist. The practical consequence of this is 
 that the example of Christ is nothing to mankind, as He 
 was not a real man. 
 
 The other extreme is nearer the truth with respect to 
 the doctrine of the two natures in Christ, though the 
 form is evaded, the language having no term to express 
 the word nature in the sense of the orthodox Church. 
 This party admits that Christ was very God and very 
 man, and they call themselves the party of the Three 
 Births, i.e., they say that Christ was born in eternity 
 from the Father, and that in due time He was born of 
 the Virgin Mary by the influence of the Holy Ghost ; 
 thirdly, that he was born of the Holy Spirit at His bap- 
 tism in Jordan. 
 
 Some of them connect the unction {vide Acts x.) with 
 His conception, and some with His baptism. The chief 
 error of this system consists in calling the unction of 
 Christ, or His reception of the Holy Ghost, " Christ's 
 second birth through baptism." 
 
 I need not say how trying it was to me to be daily 
 discussing these interminable, and in themselves unprofit- 
 able, points of dissension ; and yet I was persuaded that 
 both wisdom and charity required it of me. However, 
 it gave me daily opportunities of protesting against many 
 current errors, and of preaching Christ crucified ; of pre- 
 senting Him to these poor people in His various offices 
 as Prophet, Priest, and King, and as " The Lamb of God 
 which taketh away the sin of the world." 
 
 All this went on while my house was filling. When 
 it was full, I contrived to bring the conversation to. a 
 close. I then was in the habit of reading a portion of 
 the Word of God. and of addressing the people for a 
 
ii8 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 short time, exhorting them to search the Scriptures, to 
 repent, and to believe ; upon which I dismissed them in 
 order to make room for those who were standing waiting 
 at the door. Tliis went on several months daily, from 
 sunrise to nightfall, so _that I had no time to take any 
 refreshment until nearly eight o'clock in the evening. 
 New hearers continually came from all parts of the 
 country, so that the Gospel was preached to many thou- 
 sands, and it seemed to produce, in numerous cases, a 
 deep impression before my audience turned homewards 
 aG^ain. 
 
 I may here observe that the Abyssinians do not believe 
 in the doctrine of the immaculate conception of the 
 Virgin Mary, but they hold that before the conception 
 she was made clean and free from all sin. 
 
 One of the most delicate questions in a country like 
 Abyssinia is that relating to the priesthood, the priests 
 exercising great influence over the people. Many of 
 them were opposed to the Gospel being read in the ver- 
 nacular, and they were almost my sole opponents from 
 the bei^innins]^, until a circumstance soon to be mentioned 
 completely shut their mouths. 
 
 I had determined at the outset to speak as little, 
 against the priests as possible until I had become per- 
 sonally acquainted with a good number of them. I met 
 with many, though a decided minority, who were most 
 pious, conscientious, upright, and self-denying, for whom 
 I could feel cordial respect, notwithstanding their ignor- 
 ance of the way of salvation. This fact proved very 
 useful ; for in testifying against the errors, the corrup- 
 tion, and the immorality of the great mass of the priest- 
 hood, I was able to bear witness to these laudable excep- 
 tions of priests fearing God, and seeking to do good to 
 their people according to their knowledge. !N"ow, as my 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 119 
 
 experience on this point was that of the generality of 
 the people, they always acquiesced in what I said, except 
 some of the priests themselves, and their opposition was 
 frequently the result of ignorance rather than of malice. 
 
 Of this I can recall a striking example. ' I was once 
 speaking to about two dozen persons concerning the way 
 of salvation, when a respectable-looking young priest 
 several times interposed remarks which seemed to militate 
 against what I was saying, "My friend," said I, "let 
 us not quarrel : rather read a chapter of the Gospel for 
 the benefit of these ignorant people." With this, I put 
 a copy of the Amharic Gospel into his hand. 
 
 On opening it, he remarked that he could not read 
 Amharic, but that he understood Geez (Ethiopic). 
 
 Upon this I gave him an Ethiopic Psalter and repeated 
 my request. 
 
 He, knowing the Psalms by heart, began to read as 
 fast as his tongue could articulate. 
 
 " This is not the way to read the Word of God," said 
 I ; " here, translate the 1 9th Psalm for the benefit of 
 the assembly." 
 
 He then began fluently to talk in Amharic, as if he 
 had been translating, 
 
 " Stop," cried I, " that is not the meaning. Translate 
 this first line." 
 
 He was mute for a moment, and then said with great 
 simplicity, " I do not understand the meaning." 
 
 I turned to the small congregation. "Behold, my 
 dear friends," said I, " in what danger you are of perish- 
 ing in your ignorance, by intrusting your souls to the 
 guidance of ignorant priests. Our Lord says that if the 
 blind lead the blind, they shall both fall into the ditch." 
 Then turning to the priest, I solemnly addressed him 
 thus: 
 
I20 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 " How dare you take upon yourself the care of immortal 
 souls, and, through your ignorance, expose them to the 
 risk of eternal perdition ? How will you be able to give 
 an account to God at the day of judgment ? " 
 
 " Be so good as to teach me," was his naive reply. 
 
 I gave him the Gospel, and asked a friend to teach 
 him Amharic. When, about two months later, I saw 
 him again, he had not only learned to read fluently, but 
 had also made himself perfectly acquainted, if not with 
 the letter, at least with the substance of the four Gospels 
 and the Acts of the Apostles, and he asked the interpreta- 
 tion of several passages in the Epistle to the Eomans. 
 
 I made the acquaintance of a goodly number of Abys- 
 sinians, both priests and laymen, who were well acquainted, 
 not only with the Bible, but with the writings of the 
 Eastern fathers of the first four centuries, as well as with 
 the chief questions which disturbed the Church during the 
 third and fourth centuries. I found many acute and 
 subtle reasoners, who delighted in metaphysical niceties 
 rather than in practical investigations. They frequently 
 put questions to me, to which I was obliged to answer, " I 
 do not know." But this humble confession, which no 
 Abyssinian servant ever makes, proved to be very much 
 in my favour ; for the hearers concluded that when I did 
 positively affirm anything, it must be true ; the more so 
 because I always endeavoured to prove my assertions by 
 passages from the Bible. This again commended me alike 
 to the learned and unlearned ; ior, with all their faults, 
 that which has ever given me hope for the Abyssinians is 
 the fact that they hold the Word of God in the highest 
 esteem. 
 
 Being of a retiring disposition, I never sought popu- 
 larity, yet, after a few months' residence at Gondar, my 
 name was known all over Abyssinia, and people came from 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 121 
 
 every province to see and hear me ; many with the object 
 of obtaining a copy of the Gospel. By degrees, people of 
 all classes began to speak of getting me appointed Bishop 
 of Abyssinia, instead of sending for an ignorant and 
 passionate Coptic bishop like the last, who, in a fit of 
 wrath, killed a boy. 
 
 One day I paid a visit to the Etchega and found him 
 in conversation with several of the most influential priests 
 and Debteras (learned laymen), with all of whom I was 
 on friendly terms. They had just been speaking of the 
 necessity of appointing a bishop. Hitherto there had been 
 a general division of opinion as to whether they should 
 have a Copt, as heretofore, or an Armenian. As soon as 
 I was seated, they proposed that I should be chosen, ob- 
 serving that the large majority of the people would gladly 
 receive me. 
 
 Here the Etchega began to speak in Ethiopic. 
 
 " I have seen much of this man, and have great confi- 
 dence in him ; but remember that our forefathers had the 
 same confidence in the Frengees." 
 
 ]Nrot willing to hear what was not intended for me, I 
 interrupted him by saying that I knew the history of the 
 Jesuits in Abyssinia. He was evidently surprised at my 
 knowing Ethiopic, their ecclesiastical language, with which 
 by far the greater number even of the priests are un- 
 acquainted; but I could see that my interposition had 
 made a favourable impression. We then spoke of the 
 troubles which the Jesuits had caused in Abyssinia in the 
 sixteenth century, and I gave a sketch of the Church of 
 Eome and of the reformation in Europe about the same 
 time. Erom that time I began on all suitable occasions 
 to speak of the necessity of reforming the Abyssinian 
 Church. 
 
 I must confess that I often met with much opposition, 
 
T22 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 or at least contradiction, in the discharge of my missionary 
 duties, and, as I afterwards discovered, sometimes with no 
 other object on the part of my opponents than to exhaust 
 my patience and excite my anger. 
 
 Some person having once observed in my absence that 
 I was different from all the white men he had ever seen, 
 whether Copts, Greeks, or Armenians, who always lost 
 their temper when contradicted, several of the most 
 learned men of Gondar agreed together that they would 
 try to arouse my impatience and wrath by putting intri- 
 cate questions and violently opposing all that I should 
 say. This they did for some days, either two by two or 
 all together, in the presence of many other persons. 
 
 This really afflicted me deeply ; the more so as I had 
 had, until then, a good opinion of them all, as not being 
 far from the kingdom of God. But my sorrow on their 
 account, instead of movinc^ me to angler, excited me to 
 earnest prayer. They must have become aware of this, 
 for after a few days they came in a body to ask my 
 pardon, confessing the unworthy motive of their conduct, 
 and owning^ their conviction that I soudit their real G[Ood, 
 even their salvation. 
 
 As to the actual fruits of my work in Abyssinia, I 
 cannot say much ; all will be revealed hereafter. All 
 that I can say is, that many Abyssinians changed many 
 of their views for the better, and that I observed numerous 
 individuals on whom the truths of the Gospel had made 
 a deep impression, but I knew only four or five whom I 
 could consider as truly converted. 
 
 I found such medical skill as I possessed a powerful 
 auxiliary in gaining the attention and respect of the 
 people. One of the most noted of my patients was 
 the brother of the most distinguished lady of Abyssinia, 
 Oizoro Tekleet, who by her influence virtually governed 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 123 
 
 Gondar and its neighbourhood. I received a pressing 
 invitation from this lady to visit her relative, who was 
 said to be possessed by an evil spirit. For three months 
 past she had appointed all the priests of Gondar to watch 
 him and pray for him. There were always about a dozen 
 of them in his room, but he had not improved, being still 
 as furious as ever. 
 
 I had no wish to undertake such a task, but I could 
 not refuse without giving offence. As it was on Sunday 
 morning that the lady's request arrived, I sent her word 
 that I did not pay visits on the Lord's Day, but, if it 
 pleased God, I would go on the morrow. It would not 
 have been against my conscience to visit a sick person 
 or a madman on Sunday, but I wanted to gain time to 
 inquire into the case and to ascertain some particulars 
 respecting the habits of the madman. I learned that 
 he was a great eater and drinker and very stout. I 
 felt sure that my grandfather, a very skilful surgeon, 
 would have bled him, and I decided to adopt that mode 
 of treatment; not, however, without first obtaining his 
 consent. I had heard that he was so fierce as to have 
 killed one of his sisters not long before ; they had 
 supposed him to be a little better, and had set his right 
 arm at liberty. 
 
 When I entered his room on Monday morning, he 
 cast a savage look at me. " Come, Gebts," he cried 
 (Gebts means any white person), " let me see whether 
 you are a liar like these priests, who say that I am 
 possessed of a devil. What do you say ? " 
 
 " You must not be angry with them," I mildly replied ; 
 " they see that your eyes are red, and therefore they 
 think that you are possessed ; but if you will allow me 
 to bleed you, your eyes will become white again, and 
 they will perceive that you are not possessed." 
 
124 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 He was delighted, and begged that his arm, which 
 was chained to his leg, might be set free. I resolved 
 to let the blood flow until he should faint, hoping there- 
 by to produce a crisis ; but this did not happen until he 
 had lost between five and six pounds of blood. I then 
 ordered the attendants to lay him on his bed, and pro- 
 mised to return after two days. 
 
 When I entered his room on the third day, he smiled 
 gently at me, and said, " Come near ; you are my only 
 friend. But you did not tell me that I was deranged." 
 (He did not use the expression possessed.) " I was so, and 
 I am not yet fully cured ; you must bleed me again." 
 
 That was just what I wished to do, that he might be 
 fairly enfeebled. I again took sufficient blood to make 
 him faint (I made him stand, that the desired effect 
 might be produced with a less copious loss of blood), and 
 said I would return on the third day. On my next visit 
 I found him perfectly sensible — in fact, cured ; so that I 
 did not hesitate to order the chains to be removed from 
 his arms and legs. This cure gave me a great name, so 
 that no priest dared to say anything against me, because 
 the people would retort that I had cast out an evil spirit 
 which had defied all the priests of Gondar. 
 
 But this celebrity was also the cause of much trouble 
 to me ; for from that time all those who were ailing 
 thought that I could cure them. And, indeed, my 
 success far exceeded my expectations ; but my stock of 
 medicine was soon exhausted, and there remained nothing 
 but the lancet, which, however, did wonders, even when 
 I did not expect any good result. I was so much urged 
 to use it, that my great care was not to do harm with 
 it. In the case of an old man of eighty, and in that of 
 a young man between five-and-twenty and thirty years 
 of age, the one utterly powerless to walk, the other 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 125 
 
 suffering from palsy to such a degree that he could neither 
 move a limb nor articulate a sound, the use of my lancet 
 produced such amazing results, that I could only attribute 
 the cures to the blessing of God and the faith of the 
 patients and their friends. 
 
 I did not fare so well when I myself fell ill, a few 
 days later. I had for some time previously been hold- 
 ing intercourse with Falashas, the black Jews of Abys- 
 sinia, visiting them in their villages, and receiving visits 
 from them. Now all the Talashas were considered by 
 the Abyssinian Christians as Booda, that is, sorcerers or 
 witches, endowed with the faculty of transforming them- 
 selves into animals of different kinds, especially into 
 hyenas. What is worse, they are believed to have the 
 power to eat by slow degrees the inward parts of man and 
 animals until death ensues, if the ravages be not checked. 
 
 Among my numerous Falasha visitors was an elderly, 
 strongly - built, intelligent, and resolute woman named 
 Mareet, whom I was inclined to call a mother in Israel, 
 though she opposed all my arguments in favour of Chris- 
 tianity with reasonings partly, I believe, of her own in- 
 vention. This woman was well known, and considered 
 by the Christians as the queen of the Boodas, and when 
 they saw her approaching my house, they all used to run 
 away. I had often endeavoured to cure them of this 
 absurd and dangerous superstition, now in solemn earnest, 
 now in simple jest ; but all to no purpose. 
 
 A peculiarity of the hyena is that it emits a double 
 sound or voice, the most frequent one resembling the 
 roar of a lion, while the other is exactly like the laughter 
 of a woman. One evening this loud, sudden laughter 
 was heard in the street, quite near to my house. It was 
 clearly the voice of a hyena ; but I called aloud " Mareet ! " 
 as if it had been my friend transformed into a wild beast. 
 
126 ' LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 I meant it as a joke, but ten or twelve persons present 
 took it in earnest and were frightened. 
 
 The next day I had a severe attack of illness, and in 
 a few minutes the rumour went all over Gondar that I 
 had fallen under the nefarious power of poor Mareet, and 
 that she was already gnawing at my vitals. Immediately 
 the house was filled by sympathising people, each of 
 whom had some Booda story to relate, with the view of 
 proving that I was under the malign influence. What- 
 ever was said to the contrary was considered as a proof 
 of the truth of their assertion. Likewise every one had a 
 remedy to propose ; and some of these suggestions were so 
 ridiculous, that, notwithstanding my depression and acute 
 pain, I could not help laughing ; which again was taken 
 as proof of my being a prey to the Booda. Amulets 
 were the most popular specific, which, after much con- 
 sultation, they agreed to apply to different parts of my 
 suffering body. But as I had often protested against the 
 use of amulets, on account of the purchase of them being 
 the ruin of many poor families, I positively declared that 
 I would not allow one to be brought near my bed ; this 
 declaration was, however, deemed the expression of the 
 very Booda, speaking through my lips. Upon this several 
 of the bystanders drew near to hang the amulets on my 
 arms and neck ; my efforts to push them away were of no 
 avail. Some of them were moved to tears of pity, and 
 said that my life was so precious that it would be a crime 
 to let it be destroyed by the Booda when it was in their 
 power to save it. With this, and encouraging one 
 another, they seized my hands and feet in order to hang 
 heavy amulets upon them. 
 
 I had a strong servant, who had already given up 
 many superstitions, but who till then had done nothing 
 to help me, evidently from fear of being brought into 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 127 
 
 contact with the Boodas, for he was otherwise a man of 
 great courage. I told him in the most peremptory tone 
 that if he allowed the people to touch me with a single 
 amulet, I would dismiss him that very day. Upon 
 this, being greatly attached to me, he successfully resisted 
 my would-be benefactors, and ordered them to leave the 
 room for a while. 
 
 I had been inwardly praying for them all the time, 
 and I could scarcely refrain from tears of pity, being 
 convinced that they were actuated solely by love for me 
 and by a sense of duty. 
 
 After a while they re-entered my room, and offered 
 to apply other remedies, to which I consented, rather 
 than exhaust my strength in disputes, only declining to 
 swallow any remedy which was strange to me. 
 
 They accordingly covered my bed and filled my mouth, 
 nose, and ears with various kinds of herbs. It was now 
 evening, and I made that a pretext for begging these 
 oppressively kind people to leave me to rest. So they 
 left me, after expressing all the good wishes they could 
 think of. When alone with my servant, I ordered him 
 to let no one come near me next day, save one or two 
 discreet friends whom I named, in order that these few 
 might assure all inquirers that the Booda had not yet 
 consumed me. The next day I suffered much less, and 
 in a short time I was able to resume my work. 
 
 When I started from Adigrat for the interior, I had 
 taken with me twelve men to carry my books for dis- 
 tribution, intending to dismiss them soon after my 
 arrival at Gondar. But just before reaching Gondar I 
 met Oubea, the ruler of Samene, with his army, return- 
 ing from a marauding expedition in some province 
 belonging to Eas Marieh, who was pursuing him. closely 
 w^th a larger army. All the passes between Gondar 
 
128 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 and Tigre were occupied, and the way effectually blocked 
 against all travellers for the space of three months. 
 "When Oubea at last surrendered, the rainy season had 
 set in and the rivers were swollen, so that nobody 
 thought of travelling. Thus I was obliged to keep 
 my twelve bearers and my servant all the time of my 
 absence from Tigre, at a season of quasi- famine. I had 
 only taken with me enough money for the maintenance 
 of myself and my servant during the three or four 
 months of my intended absence; therefore, when I 
 found myself shut up in Gondar with thirteen persons 
 to support, I economised as much as possible ; and yet 
 before three months were over all my money was gone. 
 It was a trying moment when I sent my last dollar to 
 the market ; for there were still four or five months to 
 be provided for ere I could start for, or receive any 
 remittance from, Tigre. 
 
 I felt this predicament the more strongly because, 
 when a child, I had once seen my father shed tears 
 because he had no means at hand to pay a pressing 
 debt. I had there and then made a solemn vow never 
 to incur any debt without making sure of being able to 
 repay it within a few days, and this vow I have, with 
 God's help, kept to this day. 
 
 I had also frequently and publicly reproved the 
 Abyssinians for their begging propensities, and exhorted 
 them to pray to God, in faith, for their daily bread, 
 assuring them that if they believed, God would grant 
 their requests. Of course they did not believe me, 
 but I was bound to act in accordance with my own 
 teaching. But what was to be done ? I asked God's 
 help and guidance, and waited. Soon after this, I heard 
 accidentally that there was an abundance of game a 
 few miles distant from Gondar. The next day I took 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 129 
 
 my old gun and several of my men, and went towards 
 the hills where the game was said to exist. I shot a 
 gazelle and some partridges, and instructed my men 
 as to what they were to do when I was not with them. 
 From that day I was free from care for several months. 
 
 I had no need to go myself to the hunt. About 
 half my men went daily, except on Sundays, to the 
 hills, and never returned empty. Sometimes they 
 broucrht as much as two laroje gazelles and a number 
 of guinea-fowls, so that I could exchange half my meat 
 for bread, vegetables, and other necessaries. Our sup- 
 plies were so plentiful that I was enabled to feed 
 several poor people every day, as w^ell as beggars, 
 whom I reproved while I helped them. I learned 
 to make tolerably good gunpowder, so that I felt quite 
 independent. 
 
 At the beginning of October, the rainy season being 
 over and the river Tacazze fordable, the time for my 
 leaving Gondar for Tigre had arrived. As soon as it 
 became known that I was about to leave, people of all 
 classes came flocking to my house in such numbers that 
 both house and court were filled from morning till night. 
 Avoiding as much as possible all controversy, I insisted 
 upon the necessity of individual conversion and faith in 
 the Lord Jesus Christ ; and 1 laid great stress upon the 
 need for reformation of their Church as the only means 
 of raising the people from their degraded state. In 
 consequence of this last recommendation, some of the 
 most influential men, both lay and clerical, convened a 
 large meeting to consider what could be done to restore 
 the country to peace and happiness, and to inquire how 
 far Great Britain might be disposed to help them. They 
 all admitted the necessity of reforming their Church as 
 the first step towards reforming the nation; but they 
 
 I 
 
130 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 "were not all agreed as to the extent of the requisite 
 reform. Knowing that they were not prepared to make 
 essential changes in the more difficult and weighty points 
 of doctrine, I suggested preliminary steps ; for example, 
 the establishment of superior schools or colleges for the 
 training of a new class of clergy, as I considered the 
 ignorance and corruption of the priests to be at the root 
 of all the evils under which the country had gone to ruin. 
 I also proposed that thenceforth no man should be 
 ordained who was not thoroughly acquainted with the 
 whole of the New Testament and part of the Old. To 
 this they all assented, but observed that they could not 
 do it effectually without help from abroad ; upon which 
 I replied that, if they were in earnest, my friends in 
 England would gladly send them teachers and otherwise 
 help them. 
 
 I next proposed that, in place of sending but a few 
 boys to the monasteries to learn to read in a dead lan- 
 guage, they should establish schools everywhere, in order 
 that their children of both sexes might learn to read the 
 Word of God in their own vernacular ; and I promised 
 that England should supply them with books, especially 
 Bibles. At this they were all as delighted as if the 
 proposal were already realised. 
 
 I further laid before them the proposal to have several 
 learned and godly native bishops, instead of having but 
 one, often ignorant, Coptic bishop, and that they should 
 have less pomp and power than that enjoyed by the 
 present prelate. To this they all agreed. But when I 
 added that the bishops and clergy should be free to 
 marry, there was a division ; though a small majority 
 agreed with me. 
 
 The removal of pictures from the churches was my 
 next proposition (they have no carved or molten images). 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 131 
 
 To my great surprise I found that the greater part of the 
 assembly were of my opinion on the subject, though it 
 provoked a long discussion. Some asserted that the 
 pictures were merely reminders of the virtues of the saints 
 and holy personages whom they represented, and not 
 objects of worship ; while others admitted that, although 
 the better instructed view them in this light, yet the 
 mass of the people do worship them, and thus incur 
 the sin of idolatry ; for which guilt they own that 
 the more enlightened portion of the community were 
 answerable. 
 
 After this I mooted the abolition of the invocation 
 of the Virgin Mary, of the Archangel Michael, of angels 
 and of saints, pointing out that there is but one Mediator 
 between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus. 
 
 Here a small majority was against me, but I was again 
 astonished to find that a considerable minority was with 
 me ; and this I attributed, as in the former case, also to 
 the effect of my previous teaching. 
 
 We touched upon many other points of doctrine and 
 practice, and all went on peaceably, without any angry 
 feelincr. 
 
 At the conclusion of the conference they thus addressed 
 me : — " You are now leavin^^ us with a full knowledge of 
 our wretched state and the ruined condition of our country, 
 from which we have no means of raising ourselves. Com- 
 mend us to the English people, that they may have com- 
 passion on us and come to our assistance." 
 
 I took an affectionate leave of them, and prepared to 
 start the next day. 
 
 It was my intention soon to return to Gondar, there to 
 settle, perhaps with my dear brother Kugler, or else with 
 some other missionary whom the Church Missionary 
 Society might send to our aid ; but this w^as not to be. 
 
1^2 
 
 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 When I reflect upon my stay and work at Gondar, the 
 most active part of my missionary life, and the wide door 
 which Providence had opened to the preaching of the 
 Gospel there, I am confounded. Is it in any way my 
 fault ? I have enough to reproach myself with and to 
 humble me when I recall my failures in faith, love, and 
 .self-denial ; when I look back upon my self-complacency 
 when I met with success, and my despondency when I 
 met with none ; when I think of instances of my neglect, 
 of coldness in prayer. And yet I have the witness within 
 myself that I endeavoured to preach and testify to the 
 Gospel of the grace of God, the word of reconciliation by 
 Jesus Christ. Or was it the result of some mysterious 
 judgment of God that the opened door should be shut 
 unto this day against the Gospel of peace ? I do not 
 know. But since that time I have ever prayed for the 
 salvation, the peace, of Abyssinia. 
 
 Many years later I made another effort to introduce 
 the Gospel into that country, and not altogether without 
 success. 
 
 A few days before starting from Gondar, Saba Gadis 
 sent me a sum of money, for which I was exceedingly 
 thankful ; for although I bad not actually borrowed money, 
 I had incurred obligations to several persons, and the idea 
 of leaving without paying what I considered as debts had 
 previously oppressed me. One good old man, for example, 
 hearing that I was short of money, just before my last 
 few dollars were gone, had sent me twenty dollars as a 
 gift, while others had sent me more or less valuable pre- 
 sents. I therefore looked upon it as a gracious providence 
 that I was thus enabled to pay all my debts; and although, 
 after doing so, but one dollar remained in my possession, 
 my confidence in God had been so much strengthened 
 that I could in this state of poverty cheerfully begin a 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 133 
 
 journey of thirteen days with fourteen persons for whom 
 I must provide. 
 
 For several weeks before my leaving Gondar I had ob- 
 served a young man named Gabrow, who came daily to 
 spend hours at the door of my room, paying the greatest 
 attention to all that was said, but without speaking a word 
 himself. When he heard me rebuking the people for 
 begging, and telling them to pray to God, who would give 
 them all things needful, he afterwards confessed to saying 
 within himself that it was all very well for a rich man like 
 me to talk so, but he would like to see whether, if I were 
 destitute like many of the poor people around me, I would 
 act as I preached. However, when he heard that I was 
 about to leave Gondar, he came to me trembling, and 
 asked me to take him into my service, not for wages, but 
 on condition that I should teach him. I accepted his 
 offer, as he seemed very intelligent, and hoped that he 
 would not only be benefited himself, but become the 
 means of blessingj to others. 
 
 On the evening before our departure he came to me to 
 suggest that, as we were about to travel for many days 
 through a country devastated by war, where there was 
 neither food to be bought nor game to be shot, it would 
 be well to lay in a stock of provisions before beginning 
 the journey. His surprise was great when I told him 
 that I had nothing but a little flour, which I had bought 
 with my last dollar. 
 
 We travelled the same way as that by which we had 
 come six months before ; but it was now, in consequence 
 of the war, little more than a desolate wilderness. 
 When in the vicinity of the high, bare rocks of Silky, 
 my provision of flour being all but exhausted, I saw 
 about a dozen rock-goats, as large as a good- sized stag. 
 It is a rare animal, even in Abyssinia, and when full 
 
134 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 grown has black horns, four or live inches in diameter 
 at the roots, and from eight to nine feet long, nearly 
 in the shape of a semicircle, the points passing between 
 its hind-legs. If I could have killed one, we should 
 have had food for our whole party for a couple of days. 
 But having been hunted by the soldiers, they had grown 
 very shy. My hunt, by no means devoid of danger 
 among crags and precipices, ended unsuccessfully, and 
 I returned to the camp tired and hungry enough to 
 relish my share of unleavened cake, the last remnant 
 of our provision. This was a crisis in which Gabrow 
 secretly watched to see whether I should verify my 
 words to the beggars, and whether God would really 
 send me bread in answer to my prayers. 
 
 Next morning, having still a small cup of butter, we 
 melted it, and every one of the party received a small 
 spoonful of it for his breakfast. About mid-day, when 
 we made our halt, I sent one of my men, according to 
 the custom of the country, to salute an influential lady 
 who lived about six miles out of our line of march, and 
 to whom I had once sent a copy of the Gospel at her 
 own request. My servant had not been gone more than 
 a quarter of an hour when we came to a man sitting 
 by the roadside with a large basket of loaves and a jar 
 of beer, which he asked me to accept, with, a message 
 from that very lady to the effect that, having been in- 
 formed that I was to pass that way on that particular 
 day, and knowing that no food was to be had on the 
 journey, she had therefore sent me the bread and beer. 
 I accepted it thankfully, and it proved sufficient to 
 satisfy my whole party, with half-a-dozen poor people in 
 addition, who had followed us for safety's sake. 
 
 The next day we started at daybreak, and travelled 
 the w^hole day through the valley of Telenit without 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 135 
 
 food until sunset, when we found a spring of clear water 
 in a forest. I told my people that we would stay there 
 for the night, and ask God to bless the water to the 
 satisfying of both hunger and thirst, which recommenda- 
 tion they took in good part. I may here mention that 
 I have often travelled for a whole day, once for two 
 days and a half, without tasting any food ; and yet I 
 have never suffered from hunger, but very often from 
 thirst. 
 
 AYe had set up our encampment hardly ten minutes 
 when we saw two horsemen coming towards us. They 
 alighted a little way from us in token of friendship, and 
 approaching, told us that their master, the Governor of 
 the district, having heard that a white man who had 
 distributed the Gospel at Gondar was to pass that way, 
 had sent them to look for him and bring him to their 
 master. They offered me a horse to ride, and though 
 the distance was five miles, and I and my people were 
 very tired, we at once arose and went. When we 
 arrived, we found that our host was ill in bed ; but he 
 had caused an ox to be killed and a sumptuous supper 
 to be prepared, with plenty of wine and beer, so that 
 some of my young men drank too much. 
 
 On the morrow, while my people were getting ready to 
 start again, the Governor sent for me to go and see him. 
 I found him ill and low-spirited, and in great care about 
 his soul. I unfolded to him the treasures of the grace and 
 love of God, as revealed in the life, the teachings, the 
 sufferings, and the atoning death of Christ, and exhorted 
 him to repentance and faith. After spending about an 
 hour with him, I left him greatly comforted. A few months 
 after this I learned that Oubea had had his feet and hands 
 cut off, and that he had survived but a few hours. 
 
 My people had started in advance of me, except Gabrow, 
 
135 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 who was to show me the way. Shall I confess that, when 
 I found myself on the verge of the valley of the Tacazze, 
 about 4000 feet deep, a howling wilderness inhabited only 
 by wild beasts and poisonous reptiles, a doubt mingled 
 with my accustomed prayer for ''daily bread"? "Can 
 God furnish a table in the wilderness ? " The experience 
 of the two preceding days and my own conscience rebuked 
 me, and asking pardon for my want of faith, I began the 
 steep descent, which took me four or five hours. On 
 arriving at the bottom of the valley, I found that our host 
 had secretly sent out two servants before daybreak with 
 meat, bread, and wine, to await us near the river. There 
 was enough not only for that day, but for the next also. 
 
 The river was still much swollen and full of alligators. 
 Our meal was seasoned by many a story of men having 
 fallen a prey to those creatures ; but all agreed that the 
 monster never attacks his victims where they are wont 
 to cross, but waits a little farther down to catch such 
 men and animals as are carried away by the current. 
 
 The heat was so intense in the lower part of the valley 
 that my sealing-wax, packed away in the very centre of 
 my little portmanteau, was completely melted. 
 
 A question arose as to how we should cross the river, 
 and it was arranc^ed that the tallest and stronc^est should 
 carry the shortest and weakest. I alone proved to be a 
 coward, for I had courage neither to carry nor be carried ; 
 and so I contrived to ford the current by taking a heavy 
 stone on my shoulder, to prevent my being lifted off my 
 feet by the volume of water and borne down the stream 
 to the crocodiles. We encamped that night in a lovely 
 grassy spot, and rested in peace, notwithstanding the 
 roaring of lions and hyenas which were prowling in the 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 Soon after this we emerged from the wilderness into a 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 137 
 
 well-cultivated country, through which I had passed eight 
 months before, and the people, knowing that I was in 
 favour with their great ruler, Saba Gadis, invited me 
 daily, during the last few days, to lodge in their villages. 
 All my -wants were supplied without my having to ask 
 for anything. On the last evening, at Axum, they made 
 a kind of feast for me, which gave me an opportunity of 
 speaking to the assembled people about the one thing 
 needful. 
 
 Wlien I arrived the next day at Adowa, I heard that 
 Saba Gadis was there with his army, and that he had 
 just sat down to dine with about a hundred of his chief 
 ofi&cers. Before I had time to inform him of my arrival, 
 he sent an officer to invite me to dine with him. I went 
 direct to the diuing-hall, and found it no easy matter to 
 make my way through the crowd of officers and servants 
 to my princely entertainer. When I reached him, I took 
 his hand to kiss it in sign of submission, but he would 
 not suffer me to do so until he had kissed mine. He 
 then made me sit beside him on his throne or bedstead, 
 by way of commending me to his subjects. Thus from 
 the depth of poverty I was exalted to sit with the prince 
 of the people. The next day he started on his march 
 against Mareyeh and Oubea, who were conjointly pre- 
 paring to invade Tigre, and I saw him no more. That 
 same evening I had the great pleasure of welcoming my 
 dear brother and colleague. Christian Kugler, who arrived 
 from Adigrad. 
 
 The short time, less than a month and a half, which I 
 was permitted to spend with Kugler at Adowa was a 
 period of spiritual refreshment, but also of trial. As 
 almost all the men had followed Saba Gadis to the war, 
 and the rest were ignorant of Amharic, while I was 
 unacquainted with the Tigre dialect, I could do but little 
 
138 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 missionary work, except in the way of conversation with 
 a few lay and clerical individuals. Gabrow also took 
 occasion to open his heart to me, and this was the begin- 
 ning of what I believe to be his sincere conversion. 
 During the year following he witnessed powerfully for 
 the truth of the Gospel. At last his elder brother took 
 him by force to Amhara, and I never had any trust- 
 worthy tidings of him after. But I hope to meet him 
 again in a better land. 
 
 I suffered much from my eyes at this period, but I 
 enjoyed, nevertheless, many blessed hours of conversation 
 with my colleague, he relating his experience with the 
 humble and teachable Saba Gadis during my absence at 
 Gondar, and I recounting my experiences of the last eight 
 months, and making plans for the future, which, however, 
 were not to be realised. He practised medicine with much 
 success, which gave him many opportunities of preaching 
 the Gospel in private houses, as he had learned the lan- 
 guage while I was at Gondar. 
 
 One day, December loth, being both of us not well, we 
 took a ride on the banks of a rivulet which in some places 
 was very deep. In one of these watery hollows we saw 
 what we in the distance took for a crocodile. 
 
 "Which of us will go and kill that monster?" I ex- 
 claimed. 
 
 " I will go," returned Kugler, with some hesitation, not 
 at all natural to him. 
 
 On drawing near, he thought the animal was a hippo- 
 potamus, and fired on it ; but the gun burst, and inflicted 
 several wounds on his left arm, of which he at first made 
 light. But a few days later the danger fully appeared, 
 as I find from my Journal of December 23 d. 
 
 " To-day Kugler sustained a great loss of blood from 
 the largest of his wounds, upon which fever set in. I am 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 139 
 
 struck with his daily references to his approaching dis- 
 solution. More than a month ago, indeed, when I myself 
 was ill and he quite well, he said to me with much 
 solemnity, ' If I should soon be called hence, of which 
 I have a strong presentiment, write to all my friends, 
 telling them that I love them, and that if I have offended 
 any among them, I ask their pardon.' " 
 
 I will not enter here into the details of the anxiety, 
 anguish, and consolation of the ensuing days, as they are 
 described in my published Journal; but the following 
 extracts I cannot refrain from giving : — 
 
 " Dece77iher 2gth. — Yesterday evening the pains of my 
 dear brother were so excruciating that a heart-rending 
 cry escaped his lips ; but immediately after he said, ' It 
 is the will of the Lord that I should suffer ; I will there- 
 fore bear it patiently.* At the same moment he fainted, 
 but soon recovered. 
 
 " In the meantime a good number of people had as- 
 sembled in the room, to whom he spoke most earnestly 
 for a good while in their Tigre dialect ; and, to my con- 
 sternation, he ended by saying, ' I am on the point of 
 leaving this world.' When the people were gone, he 
 remarked to me, 'I had almost forgotten my suffering 
 while speaking, but now it is so terrible that it seems to 
 consume all my bones.' Yet he passed a fairly good night. 
 
 " Dccemher 2,0th. — It is with the deepest sorrow that 
 I describe the event of last evening. Yet the Lord has 
 hitherto sustained me, and I trust He will further help 
 me. Yesterday evening, while we were quietly speaking 
 of the furtherance of the kingdom of God, a torrent of 
 blood burst from my dear brother's wound, and he sank 
 exhausted into my arms. "When he could again speak, 
 his first words were, ' I am dying. I should have liked 
 to live longer to preach the Gospel to these poor people. 
 
I40 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 but the Lord's will be done.' Upon this he prayed, 
 * Lord Jesus ! bless and be gracious unto me. Take me 
 to Thyself.' 
 
 " When his voice began to falter he said to me, ' I can 
 no longer speak ; but tell these people (present) that Jesus 
 is my portion, and that they must not weep for me when 
 I am dead.' Then to me, ' Speak to me of the Saviour.' 
 I could not yet believe that he was dying ; my heart was 
 so full that I could with difficulty utter the words, ' Be 
 of good cheer; the Lord will be with you in life and in 
 death.' ' I know it,' he responded in a firm tone ; ' He has 
 never forsaken me,' and with these words he fell quietly 
 asleep in Jesus. 
 
 " As soon as I said, ' He is gone,' the numerous men and 
 women present began to lament as if each one had lost an 
 only son. I let them weep and cry for a little while, and 
 then ... I addressed a few words to them in Amharic 
 on I Thess. iv. i 3, to which they hearkened with great 
 attention. A Mohammedan present said, ' I have wit- 
 nessed the last moments of many dying persons; four 
 have died in my arms. But I have never before seen 
 how faith can be victorious over death.' 
 
 " I had much difficulty at first with the priests, who 
 objected to any one being buried in the churchyard who 
 had not confessed to or received absolution from them 
 before his death, but when they were told that Kugler 
 was a holy man, . . . they yielded the point, on condition 
 that they should say a mass for his soul, to which I 
 positively objected. But I should never have finished 
 with them if it had not been for a young prince of the 
 ancient royal family, Tecla Georgis, with whom I was 
 daily reading the Word of God, who took the matter into 
 his hands with great decision, so that at last all went on 
 well in accordance with my wishes. 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 141 
 
 ''January Jtli, 1831. — The man whom I had sent to 
 Saba Gadis ... to inform him of Kugler's death came 
 back and told me that when Saba Gadis heard the sad 
 news, he covered his face and wept loud, and called for 
 several of his highest officers to come and weep with 
 him ; but soon after he bethought himself and said, ' I 
 had forgotten in what circumstances we are. It is better 
 that I weep alone secretly; for if my enemies were in- 
 formed that we are weeping together, they might suppose 
 that we are mourning for some high officer, and refuse to 
 make peace.' He then covered his face, and for . . . two 
 hours he did not say one word to any one. He then 
 inquired about the burial of Kugler, whom he called his 
 friend, his brother; and when he heard that the priests 
 had made difficulties, he got very angry and threatened 
 to punish them severely." 
 
 A few days after these events, the young prince, 
 who visited me almost every day, met his confessor 
 at my house ; and I believe it was on account of 
 this latter circumstance that he at once began to put 
 questions to me as to how sinners can be justified 
 before God, about saving faith, prayer to the saints, 
 and so forth. With respect to the last point he 
 said, " Your faith is better than ours ; you pray direct 
 to God, and you are sure that He hears you ; while 
 we pray to the saints without being sure that they 
 hear us. We worship them without knowing whether 
 we are doing right or wrong." 
 
 Here his confessor interrupted him, saying, " We wor- 
 ship neither the saints nor their pictures." 
 
 " I beg your pardon," replied the prince ; " we do 
 worship them." 
 
 " I do not worship them," cried the priest with im- 
 patience. 
 
142 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 " Then why do you teach me to worship them ? " 
 retorted the prince. 
 
 The priest was somewhat confused. 
 
 '' I will not worship them any more," he conceded ; 
 " I will only worship God and the Virgin Mary." 
 
 " If you do not worship the saints," said the prince, 
 " why should you worship the Virgin Mary ? Was she 
 not also a mortal like as we are ? " 
 
 The poor priest could not answer him. 
 
 My time at Adowa passed very tediously. Every day 
 I heard new and contradictory tidings of the two armies 
 on both sides of the Tacazze, who remained inactive for 
 three months. 
 
 At last Eas Mareyeh and Oubea crossed the Tacazze, 
 and a great and bloody battle was fought, in wliich 
 Eas Mareyeh was killed, but his troops were victorious. 
 Saba Gadis was taken prisoner ; and as he was an inde- 
 })endent prince, he • expected, according to precedent, to 
 be treated as such. But the numerous sanguinary Gallas 
 of Mareyeh's army imperiously demanded that he should 
 be killed in atonement for the death of their chief ; and 
 Oubea was suspected of willingly yielding to their 
 clamour, in the hope of bringing the whole country under 
 his own rule, as he was decidedly the most powerful of 
 Mareyeh's officers, and had for several years ruled inde- 
 pendently over Samene and Walkait. Tor two months 
 Oubea ravaged a great part of Tigre, whilst the sons of 
 Saba Gadis, who had been almost adored by the people, 
 were collecting an army in the neighbourhood of the 
 Shoho country towards the Eed Sea. They succeeded so 
 far that Oubea was driven back across the Tacazze ; but 
 they fell into strife among themselves about the suc- 
 cession, and finally Oubea defeated them, and ruled in 
 Tigre for several years. 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 143 
 
 When the news reached Adowa that the army of 
 Tigre had been beaten, the wildest confusion prevailed. 
 Then came the news that hostile soldiers were at hand, 
 plundering and marauding. All the inhabitants fled, 
 except a few old women who remained behind, screaming 
 on the terraces of the houses. I was at first undecided 
 whether to fly or to trust to Oubea's protection, my name 
 being so well known in all the country. But at that 
 critical moment the thought struck me that the marauders 
 would arrive long before any one in authority to whom 
 I could appeal would reach the spot. I therefore re- 
 solved to seek a place of safety, together with my dis- 
 ciples, six young men whom I was instructing. 
 
 I hastily removed my books and all my little property 
 into the nearest church, which was considered to be a 
 safe asylum (though it was shortly after burnt down by 
 accident, and all was destroyed), and fled, taking with me 
 only the barest necessaries. 
 
 As I was very weak, I rode on my mule the whole 
 day, except when, from time to time, I lent it to one or 
 other of the party who was nearly fainting from fatigue. 
 We went on as fast as we could, as every now and then 
 we were overtaken by horsemen bringing the tidings that 
 marauding parties were close upon our rear, nor stopped 
 until it was quite dark, when we laid ourselves down 
 upon the grass. We were so tired that we had not 
 energy enough to kill a sheep we had brought with us, 
 or indeed to eat anything. Of course, we dared not 
 kindle a fire. When we awoke in the morning, we 
 found that a hyena had eaten our sheep, and we were 
 therefore obliged to start fasting, as we had done the 
 day before. 
 
 We marched the whole day with nothing to eat, as 
 prudence led us to avoid human habitations, but met 
 
144 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 with several rivulets of good water, which seemed to feed 
 as well as to quench our thirst. 
 
 On the third morning we met Walda Michael, one of 
 the sons of Saba Gadis, who told me of his father's death, 
 and made me promise to be his friend for his father's 
 sake ; he was the eldest son, and expected to succeed. 
 Meanwhile his people were engaged in killing an ox, of 
 which he gave me a large portion, sufficient for myself 
 and my young men. I enjoyed it much in its natural 
 warmth, having already accustomed my palate to the 
 taste of raw meat. After advising me whither to go for 
 safety, Walda Michael departed, leaving me one of his 
 men to accompany and protect me. Being now out of 
 danger, we rested for the remainder of that day. At 
 night we had a terrible thunder-storm, with much rain, 
 quite out of season. But I was already an Abyssinian 
 in my apparel and furniture, and instead of a mattress I 
 had a large tanned cowhide, which served the further 
 purpose of protecting me against the weather in case of 
 need. I dug a ditch round about my resting-place on 
 the grass, arranged my cowhide, remained perfectly dry, 
 and slept soundly all night. 
 
 In two more days we reached Behaat, near Senafeh, 
 where I had a faithful Moslem friend, who begged me 
 to instruct his son, a boy of nine years, who some years 
 afterwards was baptized by the Eev. C. Isenberg, and 
 who subsequently became famous in King Theodore's 
 reiofn under the name of Samuel. 
 
 CD 
 
 I remained about three months at Behaat, till that 
 place became too hot for me, a number of wild Shohos 
 having agreed to attack and spoil my house. By the 
 advice of Walda Michael I took refuge at Adigrad, from 
 which I was several times forced to fly for the same 
 reason as I had fled from Behaat, and finally found an 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 145 
 
 asylum at the almost inaccessible monastery of Debra 
 Damo. I spent one year and nine months in this part 
 of the country, which was still claimed, though only half 
 protected, by the sons of Saba Gadis. 
 
 Those were long months, during which I could do very 
 little, chiefly because I did not know the language of the 
 people ; and though by degrees I learned a little of it, it 
 was not enough to enable me to make any impression 
 on the indifferent, ignorant people. 
 
 My principal occupation was teaching my six pupils, 
 without any book but my j)olyglot Bible. I was obliged 
 to teach general history, church history, geography, &c., 
 from memory. I had also frequent opportunities, botli 
 at Adigrad and Debra Damo, of preaching the Gospel in 
 Amharic to individual priests and laymen who visited 
 these localities, and in one case, at least, not without 
 success, as I shall relate hereafter. 
 
 I was seldom well, and suffered much from my eyes. 
 Nevertheless, I was generally in good spirits, being en- 
 couraged by the love and obedience of my pupils, though 
 I cannot say that more than two of them were really 
 converted wlien I left them. 
 
 After the first year, my position became critical from 
 another point. I had only as much money left as I 
 thought would suffice for returning to Egypt, and I had 
 no means of obtaining any. While at Behaat and Adigrad 
 I had adopted an expedient by which I was enabled to 
 support myself and my family of ten persons for several 
 months. After teaching my young men in the morning, 
 I used to take them in the afternoon to the uncultivated 
 parts of the neighbourhood to seek for a root, the bark of 
 which is essential to the preparation of good hydromel, 
 or honey-wine. It was easy to exchange this root for 
 wheat and other necessaries, sometimes even for money. 
 
 K 
 
146 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 But when at last I was obliged to remove to Debra Damo, 
 this source of income ceased, and I was obliged to en- 
 croach upon my travelling money. However, I contrived 
 to live entirely upon barley and water with my young 
 men, who were all satisfied to share my fare for about 
 one dollar per month. 
 
 When I was at Adigrad I had an old woman to cook, 
 and a younger one to grind the corn, fetch wood, and 
 carry water. The wood had to be brought from a forest 
 at a considerable distance. None but women will perform 
 labours of this kind in Abyssinia, unless on a journey. 
 One day we had no wood in the house, and the younger 
 woman was not well. I therefore told my young men 
 to go and fetch some fuel from the forest ; they shrugged 
 their shoulders. 
 
 " We are not afraid of the work," said they, " but it is 
 a shame for men to carry wood." 
 
 As I well knew that prejudices cannot be eradicated 
 by mere force of authority, I did not insist, but withdrew, 
 and went to the forest myself secretly and alone. After 
 a while they observed that I had disappeared, and began 
 to inquire after me. They were told that I had been seen 
 going towards the forest. They all ran off in pursuit of 
 me, and when they found me, I had already collected a 
 bundle of wood, which each one wanted to carry home. 
 
 "No," said I mildly, "let me carry it, since it is a 
 shame for you to do it ; I do not want to put you to 
 shame." 
 
 However, they implored me so earnestly that I was 
 obliged to yield ; and though it was beginning to get 
 dark, each of them gathered a load, and insisted on carry- 
 ing a good-sized log. 
 
 A few days afterwards, when only one day's supply 
 was left, I rose early in the morning and directed my 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 147 
 
 steps to the forest ; but they were on the watch, and 
 came running after me, begging me not to trouble myself, 
 and saying cheerfully that they would bring enough 
 wood. I said jestingly that I would go with them and 
 bear their shame while they bore my wood. From that 
 day forward I never had to remind them ; they them- 
 selves took care to keep the household well supplied. 
 
 ISTow these young men were better behaved and better 
 instructed than any others in that district, and were 
 highly respected. A number of the men of Adigrad 
 met together in consequence of these incidents, and after 
 some consultation came to the conclusion, that if such 
 learned people were not ashamed to carry wood, neither 
 should they themselves be ashamed to do the same. 
 Before three months were over there was no more sendino- 
 of wives and daughters to the forest, at the risk of being 
 stolen and enslaved by Shohos, as had frequently been 
 the case ; and the men congratulated themselves upon 
 their own change of domestic discipline. 
 
 It now only remains for me to describe Debra Damo. 
 It is an isolated, perpendicular rock, on the top of a hill. 
 There is only one spot where a particular path might be 
 cut in it. The inmates of the monastery are drawn up 
 and let down by a rope a height of sixty feet ; and I 
 confess that it was not without some misgivings that I 
 confided my more than usual weight to that rope grasped 
 by the monks, especially the first time. 
 
 The story received by the Abyssinians relates that 
 Frumentius, the Apostle of Abyssinia in the fourth cen- 
 tury, wishing to establish a monastery on Debra Damo, 
 and finding no means of ascending the rock, asked God to 
 help him. He had no sooner finished his prayer than he 
 beheld an immense serpent, which at once threw its head 
 on to the top of the rock. Frumentius hastened to take hold 
 
148 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 of its tail, by which he was drawn to the summit ; hence 
 he is called Aragavee, the Ascender. 
 
 The monastery consists of about forty houses or huts, 
 each one inhabited by three monks. The oldest of the 
 three professes to be engaged exclusively in spiritual 
 things, the second has the care of the temporal concerns, 
 and the third is the servant of the two first. It is 
 asserted, and probably with truth, that no female has 
 ever been on the rock. 
 
 The top of the rock is a plateau about half a mile 
 long and a quarter of a mile broad. I used to walk the 
 length of it almost daily to amuse myself with the games 
 and grimaces of a herd of monkeys, about a hundred in 
 number, w^iich rested every day at the same hour for 
 about forty minutes on a grassy spot under the rock. 
 They used to come in the following order : — Five or six 
 of the strongest males walked in front, four or five on the 
 right and on the left, while the younger ones and the 
 females carryiug their nurslings occupied the centre of 
 the procession. 
 
 Just under the place where I stood there was a large 
 flat rock even with the ground, upon which the mothers 
 deposited their young ones ; and, although in perpetual 
 motion, the little creatures never transgressed the boun- 
 daries assigned to them, though their parents were a 
 short distance from them. As soon as the females had 
 deposited the young ones, the males took up their posi- 
 tion in every direction, and beckoned to their mates to 
 come to them, a signal which was instantly obeyed. 
 They then walked in pairs about twenty paces farther 
 and sat down. The females occupied the whole time in 
 divesting their consorts of their parasites. The males 
 w^ould gently pat the females on the shoulders from time 
 to time. 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 149 
 
 Monogamy seemed to prevail ; yet a few males had 
 each two female companions, which both went to them 
 at the first beckoDing. The . male then gave a slight tap 
 on the head of the one which was to follow him, when 
 the other looked down and remained motionless, evidently 
 much displeased. But there were some males which had 
 no helpmate, and these, seeing the neglected females, used 
 to go and sit at a distance of four or five paces from 
 them, looking at, but never touching, them. After a 
 while the bisramist would remember his nedected wife, 
 and go slowly creeping towards her. Perceiving his 
 rival, he would run at him ; but the latter was so fully 
 upon his guard that I never saw one caught. Then the 
 husband would return to his poor, innocent mate, and 
 give her a sound thrashing, but only with his hand, never 
 biting her. 
 
 When the recreation-time had expired, the males 
 resumed their former positions, and the females took up 
 their little ones, and they marched off in the same order 
 as before. I observed that if the march happened to be 
 through rugged and rocky parts, most of the males car- 
 ried the little ones. 
 
 Most of the monks were hostile to me, and manifested 
 this feeling by avoiding me. Only a very few had the 
 courage to dispute with or to oppose me, while three or 
 four were really my friends, especially my aged host, so 
 mild, humble, and pious — I might almost say holy — evi- 
 dently loving God and His Word, with its essential truths, 
 so sincerely, that I considered him as a dear brother in 
 Christ. 
 
 There was another monk, whom, though ignorant, I 
 sincerely loved and respected on account of his humility, 
 benevolence towards all men, and his faithfulness in pro- 
 portion to his scanty knowledge of the truth. He related 
 
I50 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 to me the following fact : — " I was in easy circumstances 
 at Axum, enjoying a most happy life with my faithful 
 wife, when, a few years ago, I became very ill. I was 
 considered to be dying ; but my wife said to me, ' I can- 
 not see you die before my eyes; I will die for you.' 
 So saying, she took a chicken, walked three times round 
 my bed, and killed the bird in my presence. She fell ill 
 that same day, and the next day she died, and I began 
 to recover. I vowed that I would never look at another 
 woman." 
 
 I have myself witnessed a similar case, except that it 
 was a healthy young man devoting himself for his ap- 
 parently dying master ; and instead of killing a chicken, 
 he broke an egg, and died two days later, while his master 
 got well. The young man was my servant, and he did 
 it for my unworthy self. How to explain such facts I 
 know not ; but they prove at least that Abyssinians are 
 capable of devotion and self-sacrifice. It was therefore 
 not difficult for my ignorant friend to believe in and to 
 rely on the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 About three weeks before my leaving Debra Damo I 
 received a visit from Walda Selassia, the most learned 
 Abyssinian I have ever known. He had travelled a dis- 
 tance of more than three hundred miles to see me, and 
 he introduced himself by saying that he had heard of 
 what I had been preaching at Gondar, and his mind 
 had become troubled and his views unsettled upon many 
 points. He liad therefore resolved to come and consult 
 with me. 
 
 He began at once by asking what were my views upon 
 some of the religious and metaphysical questions which 
 were continually under discussion among the learned. 
 As I had done at Gondar, I just answered his questions, 
 and then tried to lead the conversation to more practical 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 151 
 
 subjects, but lie contradicted all that 1 said. He came 
 and spent with me several hours of every day, to my 
 great annoyance, for he persisted in opposing all that I 
 said, although I saw that more than once my words had 
 made a deep impression upon him. 
 
 At length, on hearing that the sons of Saba Gadis had 
 surrendered to Oubea, and that consequently the war and 
 anarchy were at an end, I perceived that the time for 
 my departure had arrived, and prepared to start at 
 once. I took leave of Debra Damo on the 27th of 
 November, and many of the monks accompanied me to 
 the spot whence I was let down from the rock ; several 
 descended after me. On parting from them, I again 
 gently exhorted them to give their hearts unreservedly 
 to our Lord Jesus Christ, and to trust in His grace for 
 everything. 
 
 Suddenly Walda Selassia burst into tears, and in the 
 presence of all the monks he thus addressed me : " Now 
 that you are leaving, I ask your forgiveness for all the 
 trouble I have caused you. I had heard of you at 
 Gondar after you had left there, and I resolved to come 
 here to see you, and to hear by what proofs you maintain 
 your doctrine in opposition to ours. I resisted you with 
 all my might, several times even when convinced of the 
 truth of your words ; but it was for the sake of obtaining 
 stronger proofs of your doctrine. Now that we are 
 about to part, perhaps for life, I ought to be frank and 
 candid with you. You have opened my eyes ; I will 
 treasure up your instructions in my heart, and will 
 publicly avow myself your disciple. You are my 
 father." 
 
 On saying these words he again wept bitterly, and I 
 left him leaning against a rock bathed in tears. 
 
 It seems that after some years this x^oor man became 
 
I ',2 
 
 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 troubled in his mind ; for, nearly ten years later, he went 
 to Jerusalem in search of me, and being told that the 
 year previous I had been on the Lebanon and at Damas- 
 cus, he went thither, and made out by means of the little 
 Arabic he had learned that the " Inglees " lived in India, 
 He accordingly started for India, but not finding me 
 there, he returned to Abyssinia. After that I could 
 obtain no tidings of him for nearly twenty years, when, 
 in 1 86 1, I saw the Eev. Mr. Stern on his return from 
 his first visit to Abyssinia. He told me that he had 
 met with the same Walda Selassia at Gondar, and that he 
 was the only really converted Abyssinian he had known. 
 
 On leaving Debra Damo I w^ent to Behaat, where 
 Oubea w^as encamped with his army. When I ap- 
 proached his tent, the guard frowned at me and made 
 no haste to introduce me. The prince at first received 
 me with civility ; but after a little while he put on a 
 fierce expression of countenance, and demanded in harsh 
 tones, " Why did you not come to me when I twice sent 
 to Debra Damo to invite you ? " " Because," I answered, 
 " you were then the enemy of these my friends " (two 
 sons of Saba Gadis then present) ; " but now that you are 
 reconciled, I am glad to see your face again." Oubea 
 turned to his officers. " This is the only man in Abys- 
 sinia who speaks the truth," he observed. After this he 
 was very kind, and gave me opportunities of speaking a 
 word in season. 
 
 Wlien I took leave he gave me thirty dollars towards 
 my travelling expenses. I proceeded through Senafeh, 
 Adee Kie, &c., to Halai, where I found one of the Sheiks 
 of the Shohos, whom I had formerly seen almost starving 
 in the stocks at Massowa, and to whom I had given a 
 dollar. He at once off'ered to be my guide and protector 
 through the wild country of the Shohos, though he was 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 153 
 
 himself afraid of meeting? with members of a neidibour- 
 ing tribe at war with his own. He led me and my two 
 lads, Hadara and Keedan, through thorny bypaths, and 
 after passing the more open country around Hamhamo 
 at nightfall, he led us into the bushes, where we dared 
 not kindle a fire for fear of beiog discovered by the 
 enemies of our guide. Having travelled since before 
 daybreak, we were exceedingly tired, and lying down, we 
 at once fell asleep. After a while I was roused by the 
 roaring of a hyena at a distance of about ten yards ; and 
 when I prepared to rise and drive it away, I heard a 
 leopard on the other side. Having been told that the 
 leopard never attacks men unless they have seen it, I 
 again lay down and covered my head. When I awoke 
 early in the morning, I heard no more of the hyena, but 
 the leopard was still in the same place ; and when we 
 rose and continued our journey, it followed us at a distance 
 of fifty yards for two hours, until daybreak. However, 
 I learned afterwards that there had been no real danger ; 
 for the leopard and the hyena hate and fear one another 
 to such a degree, that they Vvdll stand on opposite sides 
 of a carcase for two or three days, neither having the 
 courage to attack it for fear of the other. 
 
 On the following day I reached Massowa, where there 
 was only one boat ready to sail in two or three days for 
 Jidda, the little cabin of which had already been secured 
 by the Governor of Massowa for himself and his harem. 
 
 Whilst waiting for the sailing of the boat, I had a 
 controversy with a number of Mohammedans. One of 
 them made an assertion which led me to tell him that he 
 was an unbeliever, when I ought to have used the word 
 gJiairmoomin ; but not having spoken Arabic for three 
 years, I called him by mistake a kaafir, " infidel," a word 
 which no Christian dare apply to a Moslem under pain 
 
154 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 of death. No sooner had the word passed my lips than 
 they all cried, " He is worthy of death ! " And laying 
 hold of me, they dragged me along the street to throw 
 me into the sea. Now, among the insults which they 
 were heaping upon me, one said that I and all other 
 Christians would be cast into hell-fire. Makinor a strong^ 
 effort, I forced them to stand still, and looking steadfastly 
 at them, I asked whether this was their belief. Several 
 of them replied in tlie affirmative. I then said that I 
 had been mistaken in calling one of them haafir, but that 
 now I had a right to call them all hofaar, because they 
 did not believe the Koran ; and I quoted that passage 
 from the second Surat of which I had made use when 
 disputing with the Sheik at Cairo. " Surely the Jews, 
 the Christians, and the Sabeans, all those who believe in 
 God and do good works, have nothing to fear, for their 
 reward is with their Lord," &c. Upon this they grew 
 calm for a moment, till one said that such was not the 
 meaning, and another declared that the passage had been 
 abrogated. They resumed their hold upon me and were 
 dragging me onward, when a learned Sheik, revered as a 
 saint, was observed coming towards us. Fearing lest they 
 might put into his mouth what they wished him to say, 
 I called to him by his name and title from a distance, 
 and asked him whether the passage had been abrogated. 
 " No, God forbid," he answered. I inquired its meaning, 
 and he replied with a smile, " It means that you may be 
 saved." Hereupon they all dispersed, and let me go my 
 way. Thus the Lord delivered me out of their hands. 
 
 We embarked for Jidda, and found the boat laden with 
 ghee or butter, contained in large jars, and a large number 
 of negro and Abyssinian pilgrims. Each passenger had 
 his place measured, about five feet and a half long by 
 two feet broad, over the tops of the jars, or rather between 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 155 
 
 them ; and in this rather disagreeable position we had to 
 abide twenty-one days, exposed to the burning sun. The 
 excessive crowding, contact with my neighbours, and the 
 invasions of their minute and all too numerous attendants 
 effectually banished rest. Moreover, in addition to the 
 usual hatred felt by the natives of Massowa and Arabia 
 for all Christians, the sailors had an especial grudge against 
 me on account of the controversy mentioned above. They 
 therefore not only abused me in words, but, when going 
 to and fro among the people stretched between the jars, 
 they contrived to jump upon me, often inflicting great 
 pain. 
 
 Yet with all this I was in good spirits. I felt myself, 
 as it were, secure in the arms of my Saviour, and could 
 sincerely pray for the benighted people around me ; and 
 besides this, I felt heartily thankful to God when I re- 
 membered that three years previous, while sailing in the 
 opposite direction, I was suffering from severe illness, 
 whereas now I was in perfect health. 
 
 At last, on the 2d of January 1833, I landed at 
 Jidda, where I met with the officers of a surveying ship, 
 who had just been surveying the neighbourhood of Mas- 
 sowa, and who, on hearing that I was there, had gone to 
 Massowa itself on purpose to take me to Jidda, but found 
 that I had left two days before. They had made the 
 voyage in four days. They were all very kind to me, 
 especially the first lieutenant, Mr. Powell. 
 
 On arriving at Jidda, I was hospitably received, with 
 my two young Abyssinians, by my former host, Moallem 
 Yoosoof, now British Consul. He had already made the 
 English to be respected by the following bold act. 
 
 A few weeks before my arrival an English ship had 
 been wrecked near Suakim, and the people of the place, 
 with the Governor at their head, had plundered its contents 
 
156 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 and its debris. On hearing this, the Consul had obliged 
 the Governor of Jidda to bring over his subaltern, the 
 Governor of Suakini, to Jidda, to have him bastinadoed, 
 and then led bound through the streets by a man crying, 
 "This is the punishment due to those who injure the 
 English ! " And, indeed, I found the people more civil 
 than they had been three years previously. 
 
 I took advantage of my month's stay at Jidda to con- 
 verse almost every evening on religious subjects with 
 several Sheiks of Mecca, whom I found less bigoted and 
 much better instructed, particularly in ancient and modern 
 history, than any I had met with in Egypt and Syria ; 
 they were also more anxious to inquire and to learn. 
 When, too, in the course of controversy, I felt it my duty 
 to speak against the nonsense, the errors, and the immo- 
 rality of the Koran and Mohammed, they never lost their 
 temper. I fancied that one of them had a leaning to 
 Christianity ; but he never came alone, and was therefore 
 not at liberty to express himself openly. 
 
 I had also much encouraging conversation with my 
 two Abyssinians, until I was obliged to leave them be- 
 hind when I embarked for Suez en route to Cairo, which 
 I reached on the 1 6th of February. They were to follow 
 me in a native boat; and the time of waiting, and the 
 tedious voyage of over forty days to Suez, was much 
 blessed to their souls. The following fact may serve as 
 a proof of the reality of their conversion. When I 
 quitted Cairo for Europe, I left them with the late Herr 
 Isenberg, partly as his servants, and partly as his in- 
 structors in the Amharic language. One day they met 
 in the street a man who had once sold them into slavery. 
 Their former enemy was now in the deepest destitution. 
 Instead of having him punished, as it was in their power 
 to have done, they not only forgave him, but for a whole 
 
SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA. 157 
 
 year maintained him out of their scanty wages, until he 
 died, a deeply penitent and believing man. 
 
 Hadara himself died in 1838, the most consistent, 
 sincere, humble, and zealous Christian I have ever 
 known. 
 
( 158 ) 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 KETUKN TO EUROPE — MARRIAGE — SECOND MISSIONARY TOUR 
 
 IN ABYSSINIA — SERIOUS ILLNESS. 
 
 (1834-1837.) 
 
 About the end of April I left Egypt for England by way 
 of Alexandria, Trieste, Venice, Milan, the St. Gothard, 
 and Switzerland. I spent one day at Berne with my 
 wise and experienced sister, and one at Cremine, where I 
 addressed a large meeting in presence of my dear parents, 
 to whom I owed so much. Thence I went to Basle, 
 where I also spent a happy day, and finally arrived in 
 England early in July, to be most kindly received by the 
 Committee of the Church Missionary Society. 
 
 I remained only about two months in England, living 
 the greater part of the time with the late Baptist iSToel at 
 Walthamstow, where, after many years of comparative 
 solitude, I again enjoyed the delights and blessings of 
 Christian family life, as well as the stimulating conversa- 
 tion and beneficial counsels of Mr. and Mrs. Noel. I 
 frequently accompanied Mr. Noel to town in the morning 
 to confer with the Secretaries of the Church Missionary 
 Society, and to visit my friends, especially Dr. Steinkopf, 
 returning in the afternoon to Walthamstow. This was 
 indeed a period of rest and refreshment for both body 
 and soul. 
 
 It must have been a great disappointment to the 
 
RETURN TO EUROPE. 
 
 Committee of the Church Missionary Society to find 
 that they could make no use of me to visit their auxi- 
 liary Societies and stir up a missionary spirit in the 
 country ; but during the last eight years I had almost 
 forgotten the little English I had formerly learned. It 
 was only towards the end of my stay that I was invited 
 to attend a missionary meeting at the house of the late 
 Samuel Hoare at Hampstead. But when I arrived, I 
 found that I was to be the only speaker, under the presi- 
 dency of the local clergyman. This perplexed me very 
 much. Instead, therefore, of trying to make a speech, I 
 proposed at the opening of the meeting that the clergyman 
 should put questions to me, and I would answer as well as 
 I could in my broken English. This was done for a little 
 while, but perceiving that the worthy man was at a loss 
 to put proper questions, on the one hand, and observ- 
 ing, on the other, that I was understood, I spoke un- 
 questioned for about an hour. I was comforted by being 
 told afterwards that the meeting had been a success, and 
 the collection a very good one. 
 
 This experience encouraged me so much, that when, 
 two or three days later, Mr. Baptist Noel invited me 
 to address a missionary meeting at his chapel in Bedford 
 Eow, I accepted the invitation, and succeeded better 
 than I had expected. I even venture to believe that 
 the bread then cast upon the waters was found after 
 many days; for thirty-four years later, in 1867, I was 
 sitting at table and looking at a gentleman opposite to 
 to me whom I did not know. He presently addressed 
 me, and proceeded to relate that he happened one day 
 in 1833 to be in the company of some light-minded 
 young men like himself, when one of the party observed 
 that a missiojiary from Abyssinia was about to address 
 a meeting at Baptist Noel's chapel, and proposed that 
 
i6o LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 they should all go and hear what he had to say. " We 
 went," continued my interlocutor, " and this proved the 
 first step of my conversion to God." This gentleman was 
 Lord C. 
 
 Having now attained all the objects of my visit to 
 Enofland save one, of which more hereafter, the Com- 
 mittee having agreed to all my proposals and allowed 
 me an extra credit for the sum of ;^5oo in case I should 
 require it, it was now time to start for the Continent 
 again with a view to returning to Abyssinia. It only 
 remained for me to receive the instruction of the Com- 
 mittee for my further missionary operations. 
 
 The day and hour w^ere fixed, and I went at the 
 appointed time to the Church Missionary House in Salis- 
 bury Square, where were assembled many friends of the 
 Society. After a short prayer, the (on that occasion) 
 too humble Edward Bickersteth, who had been appointed 
 to deliver the instruction, rose. "My dear friends," he 
 simply said, " I feel altogether unfit and unworthy to 
 give an instruction to our brother Gobat, and am con- 
 scious that we all need his instruction. I will now 
 request him to impart it to us before he takes his leave." 
 
 I was thunderstruck by this unexpected turn of 
 affairs ; but crying inwardly to God for help, I began 
 to address my superiors, the Committee and the meeting, 
 scarcely knowing what I was to say. I never knew, in 
 fact, what I did say ; I only remember thanking God 
 afterwards for not permitting me to be confounded. 
 Thus I left England with the blessing and good wishes 
 of many dear friends. 
 
 I alluded just now to one object which I had not 
 attained in England. I had not found a help-meet, not 
 only for myself, but for Abyssinia. As already stated, 
 when I entered upon the missionary career, I had re- 
 
MARRIAGE. i6r 
 
 solved not to think of marrying before I had spent at 
 least two years in the mission-field. Consequently, 
 having been detained by the will of Providence eight 
 years, instead of two, between Egypt and Abyssinia, I 
 did not know one person upon whom I could set my 
 affections. In fact, for several years I had been often 
 on the point of determining never to marry. But after 
 I had passed my thirtieth year, I was, as it were, haunted 
 by the idea that I might die childless. From that time 
 I had cherished the anticipation of marrying whenever 
 Providence should give me the opportunity of doing so ; 
 and even before my arrival in England I had asked and 
 obtained the consent of the Committee. 
 
 But after these preliminaries, my case was most delicate 
 and difficult, on account of my being, in a sense, wedded 
 to Abyssinia. For myself I wanted a person of good 
 education and refined feelings; whilst for Abyssinia I 
 desired one who would be able to accommodate herself to 
 the rough Abyssinian life. I knew, or at least I supposed, 
 that these two sets of qualities rarely meet in one and 
 the same person, although, as followers of Christ, all 
 Christians ought to possess them. 
 
 I had no choice but to commit my case unto the Lord, 
 who had hitherto so mercifully guided my steps. After 
 beseeching Him to lead me the right way, I resolved, first, 
 not to rely on my own judgment alone without the advice 
 of some competent person ; secondly, not to ask the 
 advice or help of anybody ; and, thirdly, to weigh together 
 as much as possible the advice which any experienced 
 Christian might be led to offer me unasked. 
 
 Now, although I always avoided mentioning the sub- 
 ject, almost all my friends had taken it for granted that 
 I wished to be married, and they did not fail to advise 
 me ; but they failed to place themselves fully in my posi- 
 
 L 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 tion. One suggested a friend of his or hers on account 
 of her experience ; but she was too old to change all her 
 habits. Another had been brought up too delicately ; 
 another was strong and healthy, but her education had 
 been neglected. Another possessed the requisite qualities, 
 but she happened just then to be ailing. Several months 
 passed without my having made any progress, when 
 several very good friends agreed to recommend what they 
 called a very pretty and pious girl of twenty, who had 
 more than once expressed her wish to become a missionary. 
 I had known her parents many years previously. 
 
 I accordingly went to call on the family, and was most 
 kindly received. Soon after luncheon I was left alone 
 with this charming young lady, when I made a point of 
 speaking of Abyssinian life, and of showing its darker 
 side. She twice interrupted me by saying naively, " That 
 is just what would please and attract me." 
 
 This was indeed charming, and greatly enhanced her 
 personal attractions. I was inclined to think that I had 
 now attained my object ; the more so, because, during the 
 course of the conversation, she had said that she was in 
 the habit of going out at four o'clock to visit the sick and 
 the poor of the neighbourhood. 
 
 But what was my consternation when, at four o'clock, 
 I saw a sumptuous coach and two beautiful horses 
 stop at the door to carry the young lady to her sick 
 and poor ! " This," I said to myself, " will not do for 
 Abyssinia ; " and I took the earliest opportunity of leav- 
 ing the house. 
 
 From that time my marriage became, apparently, of 
 secondary importance ; for the Committee of the Basle 
 Missionary Society requested me to visit their auxiliary 
 branches, and to address meetings in many of the most 
 important localities, such as Basle, Zurich, Berne, Neu- 
 
MARRIAGE. 163 
 
 chatel, &c., where, until then, but little interest in Christian 
 missions had been apparent. But seeing that everywhere 
 the name of Abyssinia, and the numerous facts and anec- 
 dotes with which I contrived to season my addresses, were 
 attracting many hearers, and occasionally gaining the good- 
 will of the authorities, who till then had been opposed to 
 missionary work, the same Committee invited me to make 
 a tour in Wiirtemberg, wdiere they had by far the greater 
 number of friends and supporters. I cheerfully consented, 
 I trust with a hearty desire to advance the cause of Chris- 
 tian missions, but also, I confess, in the hope of meeting 
 with a companion suitable for myself, and for my dear 
 Abyssinia ; for I expected to come in contact with many 
 disciples of Christ in richly-blessed Wurtemberg, 
 
 I resolved to start for Basle in the last week of the 
 year 1833. The day before that fixed for my journey, I 
 was conversing with a valued friend about the route w^hich 
 I was to take, and he advised me to go through Strasburg, 
 where there was a pious family, among the three daughters 
 of which I might find the person suitable for me. I had 
 almost resolved to follow this advice, when my friend's 
 wife, a most pious, wise, and prudent lady, who had 
 know^n me intimately for many years, came forward and 
 spoke to me as follows : — " I have twice helped to promote 
 marriages, both of which have proved unhappy ; where- 
 fore I had resolved never again to interfere. But now 
 my conscience forbids me to be silent, for I am con- 
 vinced that Fraulein Marie, the second daughter of Herr 
 Zeller of Beuggen, is exactly the person most suitable for 
 you and for Abyssinia." 
 
 On hearing the name of Fraulein Marie Zeller, I could 
 not help smiling, for in my mind she was still the little 
 girl who had sat on my knee at Zofingen fourteen years 
 before. Yet, trusting in the wisdom and good sense of 
 
i64 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 my adviser, and, above all, perfectly confident in the 
 uprightness of Herr Zeller, I was sure that out of the 
 treasure of his experience and profound knowledge of 
 human nature he would give me the best possible advice. 
 I changed my plan, and decided upon going direct to 
 Beuggen the next day. I had been on very friendly 
 terms with them for years, yet I doubted whether Herr 
 Zeller and his dear wife would consent to send their 
 beloved daughter to barbarous Abyssinia, though I was 
 sure that, if they believed it to be the will of God, they 
 would make any sacrifice. 
 
 The next day I started for Beuggen alone. I was in 
 a very solemn mood, and prayed most earnestly that God 
 would graciously direct the whole matter in such a way 
 that I might have the most perfect assurance that I was 
 doing His will before taking the most important step 
 of my life. I even ventured to ask for a sign that He 
 approved my object ; and the sign I fixed upon in my 
 own mind was that Herr Zeller should begin to speak to 
 me of marriage. I did not know then, what he told me 
 afterwards, that, having several daughters, he had previ- 
 ously resolved never to mention the subject of matrimony 
 to unmarried missionaries. 
 
 I spent the first evening at Beuggen in friendly con- 
 versation with Herr and Frau Zeller. The next day I 
 was requested to hold a missionary meeting, and in my 
 address I made a point of describing, as far as time 
 would permit, the dangers and difficulties of missionary 
 life and work in Abyssinia. There were about half-a- 
 dozen young girls in Herr Zeller's institution, whom I 
 watched the whole day long as narrowly as I could 
 without myself attracting observation. But I saw only 
 one whose appearance and behaviour told me that I could 
 be happy with her, but I did not know her name. Tlie 
 
MARRIAGE. 165 
 
 day thus passed without my ascertaining which was 
 Marie, and I was to start early the next morning for 
 Schaffhausen. 
 
 After supper I happened to mention to Herr Zeller a 
 plan which I had for Abyssinia, when he unexpectedly 
 remarked, " But for this you ought to be married to a 
 lady of mature age and experience." I wondered at his 
 observation, remembering my prayer of the previous day ; 
 but I only replied that experience is not to be measured 
 by years. 
 
 At that moment Frau Zeller came in, and we con- 
 tinued the conversation until it was nearly time to sepa- 
 rate. All the while I was tempted to ask which of the 
 girls was Marie ; but I could not bring myself to utter 
 the question, partly through shyness and partly on prin- 
 ciple. I prayed, nay, I cried inwardly, to the Lord, 
 asking Him to remove my doubts, and to let me know 
 before I started whether the young person who had touched 
 my heart was the one whom He had appointed to be my 
 companion for life. Suddenly Frau Zeller opened the 
 door and called for Ifarie, who came in quite innocently ; 
 and behold, it was she whom I had admired, not for her 
 beauty, but for her frank and ingenuous expression and 
 her unaffected manners. I could not speak then, though 
 my heart was filled with thankfulness to God. 
 
 I started at two o'clock next morning. It was very 
 cold, but I was scarcely conscious of it, being lost in 
 prayer and communion with God. At last I felt per- 
 fectly convinced that Marie Zeller was the person He 
 had chosen and prepared to be the sharer of all my 
 concerns. 
 
 At mid- day I stopped at Waldshut to take some 
 refreshment, and just as I was entering the inn a carriage 
 drove up from the opposite direction, and out came my 
 
i66 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 old and most intimate college friend, Count Zaremba, 
 who had been labouring as a missionary at Shusha, on 
 the frontier of Persia. We embraced each other and 
 dined together. 
 
 During dinner I opened my whole case to him, and 
 asked him, as he was going to Beuggen, to be my Eliazar 
 with Herr and Frau Zeller and their daughter, to which 
 he very readily consented. He performed the duty so 
 well, that seven days later I received the news that the 
 parents had given their consent, though the daughter had 
 asked for a few days for deliberation. Six days after 
 this I received full permission to call her mine. 
 
 During my tour I addressed many numerously attended 
 meetings, four in particular, where the attendance in each 
 case numbered at least two thousand. At Kirchheim I 
 spent an evening with the pious Duchess Louis of Wiirtem- 
 berg, who shed many tears when I related some of my past 
 troubles. She gave me letters of introduction to her two 
 daughters, the Queen of Wtirtemberg and the Margravine 
 of Baden, whom I saw a few days later, and who continued 
 warm friends of Christian missions until their death. 
 
 Our missionary meetings were conducted in a more 
 solemn manner than is usually the case in England, and 
 they were generally held in the churches, though there had 
 formerly been a Government prohibition preventing the 
 churches being used for this purpose. I obtained a con- 
 cession on this point in my favour, and since that time 
 all the churches in Wiirtemberg have ever been open for 
 missionary meetings. The effect of this has been that 
 the little kingdom of Wiirtemberg, though not rich, has, 
 up to the present time, contributed more in proportion 
 of men, money, and I believe of prayers also, than any 
 other country in the world. 
 
 I quitted Wiirtemberg on the 13 th of February, and 
 
SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 167 
 
 returned to Beuggen to improve the acquaintance of my 
 future wife. Our first meeting was very solemn and 
 rather stiff, for we had never exchanged one word before. 
 Yet we both had the assurance that we were in God's 
 way, and in a few days we felt that we were one in love 
 and could pray together without constraint. 
 *- We wished to be married directly after Easter, but our 
 respective Governments required so many formalities, that 
 it was not until the 23d of May that we were united in 
 my native parish. I spent the intervening three months 
 partly with my parents, partly at Basle, and partly at 
 Beugjqen. 
 
 And now the time had arrived for starting again for 
 Abyssinia. On June the 7th we left Beuggen, after a 
 solemn service, and not without many tears on the part 
 of my wife and her family. After visiting many Chris- 
 tian friends on the way, foremost among whom were my 
 dear parents, we reached Marseilles on the 29th of June, 
 where I preached several times, and embarked in a sail- 
 ing vessel on the 14th of July for Alexandria. We were 
 accompanied by Fraulein Gering, who had travelled with 
 us from Basle to be married to my future colleague, Herr 
 Isenberg, which event took place on the fourth of that 
 month. 
 
 After about a week at Alexandria we all journeyed 
 together to Cairo, where we remained about three months, 
 waiting for the arrival of a parcel of books for distribu- 
 tion in Abyssinia. I employed the time chiefly in teach- 
 ing my young wife Amharic, which study we had already 
 begun on the voyage from Marseilles, and we afterwards 
 continued it on the Eed Sea, with such success, that by 
 the time we reached Abyssinia she could speak it fluently. 
 In expectation that thenceforth I should have but little 
 time for reading, I made it a duty to read solid books as 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 I 
 
 much as my weak eyes would permit, and wheu they were 
 tired, my dear wife read for us both. 
 
 We arrived at Suez on the 25 th of October. Our 
 party consisted of the Isenbergs, the two young Abys- 
 sinians, two Germans, and ourselves; and our cortege 
 included thirty-eight camels, and two donkeys for the 
 ladies to ride upon. Our luggage consisted of a little 
 furniture, for we expected to spend our lives in Abyssinia, 
 personal effects, provisions, and sixteen camel-loads of 
 Amharic books, amongst which were two thousand Bibles, 
 New Testaments, and separate portions of Scripture. As 
 we were all in good health and excellent spirits, we en- 
 joyed the pure air of the desert exceedingly. 
 
 At Suez we embarked in an Arab boat full of pilgrims, 
 in which, however, we bad a pretty little cabin for our- 
 selves, and arrived at Jidda in the middle of November. 
 Here the two ladies were obliged to adopt the Arab 
 costume, closely veiling themselves to the eyes. 
 
 We were very kindly received by my old friend Consul 
 Yoosoof, who gave us rooms at the top of his house with 
 a terrace, where we could take the fresh air after the 
 great heat of the day. 
 
 We were detained twenty-five long days at Jidda by 
 stormy south winds, which terminated with a thunder- 
 storm, such as I have never witnessed even in tropical 
 and mountainous Abyssinia. It lasted from one o'clock 
 P.M. till four the next morning ; the thunder rolling, and 
 lightning flashing among the mountains, and the rain 
 falling in torrents. When night came on, the scene was 
 superlatively grand and solemn, and for several consecu- 
 tive hours the whole atmosphere was like a sea of daz- 
 zling light, with hardly any intermission between the 
 flashes. When bedtime came, the rain was already 
 falling through the roof, and we had to fold up our bed- 
 
SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 169 
 
 ding and sit upon it under an umbrella for several 
 hours. 
 
 As far as Jidda, our travelling by land and water had 
 been prosperous and cheering ; indeed, it had been one 
 long honeymoon. But now began a series of trials and 
 sufferings, the remembrance of some of which still makes 
 me shudder. 
 
 After spending a few days at Jidda I began to be 
 aware of some internal disorder, but as the pain at first 
 was not excessive, I did not make much of it. Yet I 
 consulted a clever German physician, an old friend, who 
 happened to be at Jidda just then, and he attributed 
 my ailment to a cause which was soon afterwards com- 
 pletely removed without producing any amelioration in 
 my condition. 
 
 On the 9th of December we embarked for Massowa, 
 where we arrived on the 20th. I suffered much on the 
 voyage, which was very distressing to my poor wife. 
 From divers untoward circumstances we were obliged to 
 spend eleven weeks at Massowa, and during the whole 
 time I was very ill, sometimes suffering excruciating pain, 
 though with intervals of occasional ease. By degrees my 
 illness took the form of chronic dysentery, sometimes so 
 violent, with choking oppression on the chest, that those 
 around me, as well as I myself, thought that I was on 
 the point of dying. 
 
 As the way opened for our starting for Abyssinia, the 
 question was whether I should proceed or go back. We 
 had very little hope of my recovery, and no medical 
 assistance beyond the homoeopathy of which Herr Isenberg 
 was enamoured, and of which medicine he administered 
 to me a great quantity of various kinds without the least 
 effect. 
 
 I could not bear the idea of turning back, and in this 
 
I70 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 I admired the behaviour of my sympathising wife, who 
 never tried to influence me in that direction, but con- 
 tinually prayed for my recovery with a confidence which 
 was only shaken when I seemed to be actually dying. 
 I reflected that there was as much likelihood of my dying 
 if I tried to return as if I tried to proceed to Abyssinia ; 
 while I thought there might be some hope of my recovery 
 if I could reach the high land and pure, cool air of that 
 country. Above all, I was anxious to introduce my 
 colleague to some of my Abyssinian friends, that he 
 might continue the work which was so promising when 
 I lefc Gondar four years before ; after that I could be 
 content to lay down my head in death. 
 
 As w^e continued to travel my health seemed somewhat 
 to improve, and seeing the rest of the company well and 
 cheerful, and observing the lively interest taken by my 
 wdfe in the strange birds, plants, and other objects so 
 new to her, I almost enjoyed some parts of the journey. 
 
 I must here mention an incident which may interest 
 the disciples of Mr. Darwin. 
 
 One of our party happened to kill a monkey ; where- 
 upon the wild Shohos, who were accompanying us and 
 driving a herd of oxen to carry our luggage up the steep 
 Shumfeito, moved towards us in a body, declaring with 
 menaces that they must avenge their brother. Of course 
 it was a jest ; but the Shohos have their own philosophy, 
 and really believe that monkeys are degenerate men. 
 Whether they get this from the Koran, which mentions 
 something of the kind, or whether they hold a theory of 
 evolution, I do not know. 
 
 When we reached the foot of the Shumfeito I felt 
 very comfortable, and cherished hopes of a speedy re- 
 covery ; but there I experienced a relapse which lasted 
 for the next twenty months. As I w^as the only man 
 
SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 171 
 
 of the company who could speak to the Shohos, partly 
 in. Amharic and partly in Arabic, I had to make all the 
 arrangements for the transport of our things to the top 
 of the mountain. We had to employ forty of their oxen 
 to carry several camel-loads. Most of our property had 
 been left at Massowa. The demands of the Shohos were 
 so exorbitant that I had to bargain with them from 
 morning till night for two whole days before a fair price 
 was agreed upon. I was often tempted to give up the 
 argument much sooner ; but I well knew that the terms 
 then fixed would become a precedent for the future, and 
 so I persevered. But when the bargain was concluded 
 I was thoroughly exhausted, and suffered considerable 
 pain, which did not again leave me for more than a year 
 and a half. 
 
 We stayed at Halai two days, then proceeded to Behaat, 
 where I suffered much, morally and physically, from the 
 tantalisincj behaviour of the Governor of the district. I 
 was obliged to send a message to Oubea, who was at a 
 distance, asking him to help us to reach Adowa; and he 
 at once gave orders to one of his superior officers to take 
 us to Adowa under his protection. We travelled through 
 rocks and thorns, and arrived on the fourth day at a 
 small village called Ebn Harmas (Stone of the Elephants), 
 on the border of a wilderness much frequented by those 
 animals, as well as by lions and other formidable 
 beasts. Here Oubea's officer left us, explaining that 
 there were rebels, i.e., robbers, before us, and that there- 
 fore he could not take us farther on account of our luggage. 
 As, however, it was very necessary that Erau Isenberg 
 should reach some more settled place, he yielded to our 
 entreaty, and sent her and her husband forward with a 
 small escort ; but my wife and I were obliged to remain 
 quietly where we were for the next three weeks. 
 
172 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 The simple folk of the village, who had never before 
 seen a European, were very kind ; but we found it diffi- 
 cult to procure the necessaries of life. Yet, after a few 
 days' rest, I began to feel better, so that I was able, with 
 my wife's assistance, to walk a little each day. It was a 
 time of great spiritual blessing to us both. We were in 
 good spirits, and very thankful to God for His having so 
 far preserved my wife in good health, notwithstanding 
 the roughness of the way, the coarse and scanty food, 
 and above all, her mental sufferings on my account. 
 Until then we had scarcely ever been alone since we 
 were married. If we neither knew nor loved each other 
 when we were engaged to be made one flesh, we were 
 now the more thaukful and happy to feel and confess 
 that we were not only one flesh, but one in heart, in 
 reciprocal love and respect, the Lord being with us. 
 
 But the improvement in my health did not continue, 
 and I was very unwell when we reached Adowa, May 
 II, 1835, after ten weeks of painful travelling from 
 Massowa. 
 
 My plan had been to go directly to Gondar ; but my 
 strength was exhausted, and I was glad to have a com- 
 paratively good house, with one room for my dear wife 
 and myself, and there to rest until it should please God 
 to strengthen me for proceeding farther. 
 
 I had hoped to get better at Adowa, but God had 
 willed it otherwise, for during the very first week all the 
 symptoms of my illness returned, with great and con- 
 tinuous pain. I also experienced a great disappointment ; 
 for my friend, Habeta Salasseh, on hearing that I had 
 reached Massowa, had come with other friends from 
 Gondar, about two hundred miles, to meet and escort me ; 
 but my weakness and acute sufferings hardly allowed me 
 to say a few words to them. However, a few days later, 
 
SERIOUS ILLNESS. 173 
 
 hearing that Oubea and his army had pitched their 
 tents about fifteen miles from Adowa, and knowing that, 
 according to Abyssinian usage, in order not to lose his 
 favour, one of us should go and salute him and place 
 ourselves under his protection, I asked Isenberg to go, 
 but he refused, on the ground that he was still ignorant 
 of the language. One day, therefore, feeling a little 
 better, I started to pay my respects to him ; but on the 
 way I was seized with almost intolerable pain and op- 
 pression, so that, on reaching the camp, I was obliged to 
 lie down under my little tent for two full days unable to 
 move, or even to speak more than one word at a time. 
 I suffered mentally, also, for I had left my wife in the 
 midst of a severe fit of illness, and led her to hope that 
 I should return the same day. 
 
 When able to enter the tent of Oubea, he received me 
 most kindly, showed much sympathy with my sufferings, 
 and ordered a supply of provisions to be given us suffi- 
 cient to last for a long while. 
 
 On leaving his tent, I mounted my mule to return to 
 Adowa, and was again detained on the way by excruciat- 
 ing sufferings. It was night when I reached home, and 
 was glad to find my wife better than I had expected, 
 though still far from well. We fell on each other's 
 necks and wept like little children for a long while. We 
 had been married just one year. 
 
 From that day I was confined to my bed for nine 
 long months, and for the most part restricted to one 
 position. I became so reduced that I could clasp my 
 arm with my thumb and middle finger from wrist to 
 shoulder, excepting the elbow, and my lower limbs were 
 in proportion. But although my bones almost protruded 
 from the skin, there were no abrasions, for the cuticle got 
 thick and tough, like that of the sole of a man who 
 
174 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 always walks barefoot. I do not think that, throughout 
 the whole of those nine months, I enjoyed natural sleep 
 more than ten times, and when I did fall into a delirious 
 doze, it never lasted for more than a quarter of an hour 
 at a time. Even thus I was disturbed by troublesome 
 dreams. 
 
 Formerly, when I had heard of men w^eeping, or when 
 I read of the Psalmist washing his bed with his tears, I 
 thought it merely a form of speech for expressing deep 
 sorrow; but I now learned that a man of mature age 
 may have his heart so softened as to enable him to shed 
 an abundance of tears. My tears were, however, far 
 oftener those of joy than of sorrow, either when I reflected 
 on the love of God, or contemplated all that my poor 
 wife was doing for me. Then if, after a long and sleep- 
 less night, I heard an anxious, affectionate inquiry ad- 
 dressed by some person from without, tears of gratitude 
 would gush from my eyes at the simple idea that I was 
 not forgotten in my misery. 
 
 I must confess with shame that I was sometimes 
 selfish and exacting, and perhaps increased the burthen 
 of my devoted wife by refusing to receive either food or 
 drink from any hand but hers — a not uncommon feature 
 in the idiosyncrasies of illness. 
 
 My malady continued to increase in intensity until it 
 assumed almost all the symptoms of cholera. My hands 
 and feet frequently became as cold as ice, and none of 
 the usual remedies would restore natural warmth. At 
 last we accidentally hit on a very simple one. On one of 
 the first occasions of the kind, feeling cramps in my icy 
 feet, I desired my servants to rub them as hard as they 
 could with their hands. After about an hour of this 
 treatment the warmth came back and the cramps ceased. 
 This remedy proved efficacious in my most virulent 
 
SERIOUS ILLNESS. 175 
 
 attacks ; and I have often thought since that it might 
 save many lives in times of cholera. 
 
 In the midst of my illness, on the 2d of August, my 
 wife gave birth to our eldest child, a little daughter. 
 We were painfully circumstanced, for we had no one at 
 hand to help us. It is true that Frau Isenberg was near ; 
 but although she had undergone a similar experience but 
 two months before, her infant died on the day of its 
 birth, and she was therefore ignorant of what was re- 
 quired in such cases. I heard the earliest cry of my 
 first-born with deep emotion, and breathed a word of 
 thanksgiving to God ; yet the idea of soon leaving my 
 child alone with her mother in a country like Abyssinia 
 drew tears from my eyes. I was the more grieved 
 because I was too weak to take the babe into my arms. 
 But God dealt very graciously with us, and I was much 
 comforted by observing the deep interest which our dear 
 Abyssinians took in both mother and daughter, especially 
 a young prince, Georgis, of the ancient royal family, who 
 stood sponsor at the baptism. 
 
 The time of my illness brought another and a heavier 
 trial than any I have yet described. This was a deep 
 religious depression which fell upon me and plunged my 
 soul in gloom. The whole of my past life, with all its 
 sins, negligence, and unfaithfulnesses, seemed to rise up 
 in judgment against me and to condemn me. The mercy 
 of God was as if obscured. I realised that I was alto- 
 gether corrupt; "from the sole of the foot even unto 
 the head, there was no soundness in me." In my dire 
 extremity I could only cast myself as lost and undone 
 at the feet of Him who " came to seek and to save that 
 which was lost " by giving Himself a ransom for all. 
 There I found, not for the first time, but in greater 
 power, pardon, joy, and peace unspeakable in the sense 
 
1-6 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 of the love of God. From that time I could look at 
 the grave, which in hours of half delirium I continually 
 saw open before me, without dismay. Nay, I could not 
 only endure my sufferings with resignation, but frequently, 
 even in seasons of the most intense pain, I felfc con- 
 strained to say, " Oh, my God and Saviour ! if it be for 
 my own and my brethren's greater good or for Thy glory, 
 increase my sufferings. I am ready to bear all." 
 
 Of course, I had gloomy hours after this ; but I had 
 always liberty to cast myself and all my cares upon God, 
 and He always " restored unto me the joy of His salvation." 
 
 Towards the end of those nine months, in March 1836, 
 I had some respite in my illness. Its symptoms did not 
 cease, but they became comparatively bearable. I gained 
 a little strength, so that I even hazarded an occasional 
 short ride, and I much enjoyed the sight of all that sur- 
 rounded me. But it did me no other good, for I always 
 felt worse afterwards. It was then that I could take my 
 child in my arms for the first time and rejoice in being a 
 father. 
 
 This amelioration in my condition was brought about, 
 humanly speaking, by the following remedy, at which the 
 reader may smile or shudder. 
 
 After having exhausted all the means at our disposal 
 without sensible benefit, I was told that an old man who 
 had come to Adowa had said that he would cure me if I 
 w^ould try his remedy. A drowning man will catch at a 
 straw, and I allowed the stranger to prescribe for me. 
 His recipe was as follows : — Take three pounds of milk, 
 three pounds of butter, two pounds of honey, one pound of 
 garlic, and (I believe) three ounces of spices of divers kinds. 
 Boil the whole together for some time, then divide it into 
 three doses, the doses to be taken on three successive days. 
 
 I resolved to try the remedy, and though I could not 
 
SERIOUS ILLNESS. 177 
 
 take nearly the whole of a dose at one time, I made it 
 my sole food, with the exception of a little bread, for ten 
 days ; even then I could not finish it. From that time 
 I began to improve, though I still had great sufferings 
 before me for several months. 
 
 In the May of that year cholera raged at Adowa, and 
 for about three weeks the daily number of deaths averaged 
 from thirty-six to forty in a population of about three 
 thousand. My wife caught the disease, but by taking 
 at once the remedy which had proved beneficial in many 
 cases when promptly applied, namely, camphor dissolved 
 in spirits of wine, she soon recovered. About a month 
 later, when it was supposed that the scourge had com- 
 pletely disappeared, she was suddenly seized with a most 
 severe attack. It began about eleven o'clock at night, 
 and when I saw her at daybreak, she looked almost like 
 a corpse. Her face was livid, her eyes without the least 
 brilliancy, and she had already lost the power of speech 
 and movement. It was one of the most painful moments 
 of my life. Neither of us could stir or speak audibly, 
 and we lay alternately looking at our child in a cradle 
 between us, at each other, and then up to heaven, mean- 
 ing by this sign to encourage each other to look up to 
 God for help and comfort. This lasted about an hour ; 
 for we were alone in a hut which had only one room, 
 and neither of us had strength to rise and open the door 
 to call for help. 
 
 At length a female servant came in, and when she saw 
 in what state we were, she ran to call Isenberg, who came 
 at once with Dr. Wolff, who had just arrived. When the 
 former saw my wife, he at once concluded that it was too 
 late to try homoeopathy. But Dr. Wolff said that when 
 he was in India in time of cholera, he heard that many 
 people had been cured by the application of very hot iron. 
 
 M 
 
178 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 For want of any other remedy, and thinking it might 
 prove beneficial, I ordered a piece of iron to be heated 
 and wrapped in a quantity of cloths. When it was 
 brought in, Dr. Wolff insisted on applying it himself. 
 Now the good Doctor was excessively awkward, and let 
 the almost red-hot iron fall on the bare skin of the 
 patient. I heard it burning the skin, and my wife 
 uttered a piercing cry. A profuse perspiration followed, 
 and the cholera was broken ; so that, humanly speaking, 
 I attribute my wife's recovery to Dr. Wolff's awkward- 
 ness. However, it took several weeks to heal the burn, 
 and for many years my wife suffered from the effects of 
 the terrible malady. 
 
 We had frequently consulted about the advisability of 
 our leaving Abyssinia ; but at first, hoping that I should 
 recover, I was opposed to the measure, and afterwards 
 because I thought I could not bear the fatigue, and in 
 case of my dying on the way, my wife and child would 
 be obliged to travel without proper protection through 
 the country of the Shohos, one of whose trades it was to 
 steal young women and children and sell them as slaves. 
 But when Dr. Wolff, seeing that he could not penetrate 
 farther into the interior, had resolved to return to Mas- 
 sowa, I made up my mind to return with him. As I was 
 too weak to ride, I had a kind of litter made that I 
 might be carried by men. 
 
 After commending ourselves to the protection and help 
 of our gracious and merciful God, we started from Adowa 
 on the 1st of September 1836. 
 
 The road being very rough and uneven, and my bearers 
 being unaccustomed to the work, I suffered very much 
 all the way to Halai. On the day before we reached 
 Halai, while resting at mid-day, I was so exhausted by 
 terrible pain that it seemed impossible that I could sur- 
 
SERIOUS ILLNESS. 179 
 
 vive the steep and long descent of the Shumfeito the 
 next day. I therefore dictated something like my last 
 will to my weeping wife. I cannot describe the hun- 
 dredth part of what she suffered at that moment, and 
 indeed almost uninterruptedly for a year and a half, in 
 that strange land, almost without comfort, save what she 
 received from God in answer to her prayers, and that 
 which she derived from the enjoyment of nursing her 
 lovely baby. 
 
 We rested one day at Halai, and then came the ques- 
 tion as to how I was to descend the Shumfeito. The 
 way down that mountain was so steep and narrow, often 
 between rocks and precipices, and with many steps three 
 feet or more in depth, that it was from the first taken for 
 granted that I could not be carried by men. My walk- 
 ing down was out of the question. Dr. Wolff seriously 
 proposed that I should be packed in a cowhide with 
 plenty of straw round me, and dragged down ; but that 
 would not do. The only question remaining was whether 
 I could venture to ride down, which, it was said, no one 
 had ever done. I decided to try this method, and when 
 I was fastened upon my mule I felt perfectly calm, and 
 resigned to whatever might happen. 
 
 I made the start in good spirits, and soon perceived 
 that my mule was used to rough ways ; for whenever 
 there was a deep step, the thing I had most feared, she 
 bent her knees, so as to come down almost insensibly, 
 without any shock; and this encouraged me greatly. 
 And oh ! with what surprise and thanksgiving to God 
 did I observe that, after having descended less than 2000 
 feet, my sufferings, instead of increasing, were diminish- 
 ing. This improvement continued till I reached the 
 bottom of the mountain, when I stretched myself under 
 a high rock, almost free from pain, though very tired. 
 
i8o LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 But it was hard work for my poor wife to walk down 
 that high and rugged mountain ; and her fatigue was 
 much increased by the very kindness of good Dr. Wolff. 
 Seeing how tired she was, he insisted upon giving her his 
 arm ; but in his mental abstraction he contrived always 
 to walk in the very narrow path himself, while she had 
 to struggle through thorns and shifting stones. However, 
 on reaching the resting-place, she almost forgot her fatigue 
 when she saw how comfortable I was. 
 
 The next night I slept soundly for two hours, and on 
 the next and following days I was able to ride a little ; 
 and so we arrived at Massowa. 
 
 At Jidda Dr. Wolff left us. During the three days of 
 our stay there all my sufferings returned, so that we 
 hastened to leave it. We embarked in an empty boat 
 with a low cabin ; and when at daybreak the boat began 
 to move seawards, I fell into a sound sleep. When I 
 awoke, my first words were, " Thank God, I am cured ! " 
 I felt such a change in my whole body that it seemed as 
 if I had never been ill ; and the alteration was so real, 
 that by the time we reached Cosseir (in twenty-eight 
 days), I had recovered so much flesh that I was as stout 
 as I had been when we started for Abyssinia two years 
 previously. Yet our food was such that I am sure the 
 description of it would not excite the appetite of the least 
 fastidious of my fellow-men. 
 
 Our voyage was not accomplished without some very 
 real dangers, owing to the bad seamanship of our sailors; 
 but we arrived in safety at Cosseir, after many hindrances 
 and delays. 
 
 Cosseir was then a most miserable place ; yet, as we 
 were accustomed to frugality, we found the only pro- 
 curable provisions, rice, onions, and coarse biscuits, suf- 
 ficient for our needs. But as for moving through the 
 
IX PERIL BY WATER. — Por/e iSo. 
 
SERIOUS ILLNESS. i8i 
 
 desert, we found absolutely nothing but the bare-backed 
 camels, except a very rough machine called sJmcJcdaf, 
 consisting of two most primitive cases placed pannier- 
 wise on the animals. These might have answered if we 
 had had plenty of cushions, but we had none. Yet we 
 tried it for a couple of hours, feeling as if all our bones 
 were breaking. We found it impossible to continue this 
 mode of locomotion. We tried to walk in the sand, but 
 as both my wife and myself were still very weak, we 
 could only accomplish a few paces. 
 
 And now what was to be done ? We had not found 
 a single saddle ; but we had two portmanteaux, and 
 happily a small mattress. We placed the portmanteaux 
 on a camel, and spread the mattress upon them. Upon 
 this hard seat Madame Gobat had to sit bolt upright for 
 six long days, exposed to a hot sun, without bonnet or 
 umbrella, all having been torn to pieces by the Abys- 
 sinian thorns. This w^as within two months of the birth 
 of our second child. She had not even the comfort of 
 carrying our little daughter ; for the latter had fallen ill 
 on the very first day of our journey, and could not bear 
 the movement of the camel. We had three servants 
 with us, but two of them were also ill, and had enough 
 to do to keep themselves on their camels. In this emer- 
 gency our dear Hadara, whom I intended to place in a 
 college in Switzerland, carried the child on foot through 
 the greater part of the desert. 
 
 Ophthalmia was the ailment which first attacked our 
 little girl ; but this soon developed into inflammation 
 of the brain, and every step of the way became more 
 trying and painful, especially to her mother, who could 
 not bear to hear her groans, and yet could not endure the 
 little sufferer to be far from her. The trials of the 
 whole party were much increased by the scarcity of 
 
1 82 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 water, which the wastefulness of the Arabs reduced to 
 a still smaller quantity. Before long we found our- 
 selves absolutely without it. 
 
 One part of this journey in particular I can scarcely 
 look back upon without shuddering and tears. We were 
 still a long day's journey from the valley of the Nile, 
 where water was to be found. Our strength was ex- 
 hausted, and we were all more or less unwell. I begged 
 that one of our Arabs would go and fetch us water, but 
 they all refused, although I offered to pay almost any 
 amount; and so we were obliged to start early in the 
 morning. Our child had grown worse in the night, and 
 seemed to suffer great pain ; her groans and cries pierced 
 the heart of her mother, who was frequently obliged to 
 take her in her arms and soothe her, though she herself 
 was quite exhausted. 
 
 Already in the forenoon my wife asked me to allow 
 her to alight and rest, but I, myself very tired, tried to 
 encourage her by reminding her that we had no water, 
 and that if we rested we should not be able to reach 
 water that day. But about noon, when the sun was 
 burning and the child crying, Madame Gobat was utterly 
 cast down, and said in a decided, almost desperate tone, 
 " Now we must rest ; I can bear it no longer." It 
 nearly broke my heart ; but I was sure, from former 
 experience, that if we rested in that state of discourage- 
 ment and excessive fatigue, without a drop of water to 
 reanimate us, we should have preferred to die on the 
 spot rather than remount our camels in time to reach 
 the well. I therefore hardened myself to the utmost of 
 my power and replied firmly, " No, we must go on ; " 
 but I turned aside to hide my abundant tears. 
 
 Oh, it was a hard task for me to be obliged to be so 
 harsh to her who had so patiently and faithfully nursed 
 
SERIOUS ILLNESS. 183 
 
 me through the first two years of our married life. My 
 dear wife, who could not see my heart, thought me very 
 inhuman, and grew angry ; it was hardly in human nature 
 to feel otherwise. But the excitement of angry feeling 
 gave her strength, and she said to herself, " Very well, I 
 will go on till I drop dead." And so she continued, her 
 inward emotion making her almost forgetful of fatigue. 
 
 I had not the courage to go near her ; but oh I how 
 earnestly did I pray for more than an hour ! At length 
 we reached an elevation whence we could see the whole 
 green breadth of Egypt stretched beneath our eyes, and 
 water not far off, the remains of the last inundation. I 
 now ventured to ride near my wife, whom I found bathed 
 in tears of repentance for having allowed herself to give 
 way to anger ; though she was not yet convinced that it 
 was my duty under the circumstances to speak with an 
 accent of authority, which, though it sounded harsh, was 
 really the expression of my deepest sympathy. I do not 
 think that she ever was convinced that I was in the 
 right, but we amicably agreed to differ in our respective 
 views of the case. 
 
 A little before sunset we reached the longed-for well 
 of pure water, where we hoped to rest that night in the 
 shadow of an old wall. As we had only one short day's 
 ride to the Nile over cultivated land, we thought that the 
 worst was over ; but it was not so. 
 
 The night was very cold, and our coverings very inade- 
 quate ; moreover, the malady of our child reached the 
 climax of its intensity. From the beginning of the night 
 until daybreak she uttered piercing shrieks without respite. 
 At daybreak the screams ceased and the child fell asleep ; 
 but consciousness had fled, only to return for a moment 
 next day, to revive in us a fading hope. 
 
 On arriving at Kena, on the Nile, we hastened to 
 
i84 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 engage a boat to take us to Cairo, where we hoped to find 
 medical aid; but it was two days before the boat was 
 ready. We then sailed day and night for eight days, 
 during which time the child was unconscious, sleeping 
 most of the time, till it pleased God to take her early on the 
 eighth morning, three hours before we reached Old Cairo. 
 
 I hastened to the town to procure a teskery (permission) 
 from the Consul, and found that almost every European, 
 at least all of my acquaintance, had either died of the 
 plague or fled the country. There remained only Herr 
 Lieder of the Church Missionary Society. I went to his 
 house, but he was not at home, and nobody could tell me 
 where he was. I had to wait for two hours in great agony 
 of mind, mourning for my first-born and grieving for my 
 wife's sorrow. 
 
 At last Herr Lieder came, went with me to the Consul, 
 and thence to a carpenter's to have a coffin made at once. 
 This done, we proceeded to Old Cairo, and hastened to 
 bury in the Coptic burial-ground the remains of the 
 child, which her mother had held upon her lap during 
 the whole of that solitary day. It was a most trying 
 time for us ; but, blessed be God, it was the term of our 
 prolonged and unusual troubles. It was night when we 
 arrived at Cairo, where we were quartered in the comfort- 
 able furnished house of our old and intimate friend, the 
 Eev.Theodor Mtiller,now vicar of a parish in Somersetshire. 
 
 The period which followed was a season of rest and 
 of many spiritual and temporal enjoyments. Our health 
 was comparatively good, though we still felt, and have 
 for many years, the effects of our sufferings in Abyssinia. 
 We were in strong hopes that a year or two in Europe 
 would restore us so far as to enable us to return to our 
 field of labour in Abyssinia ; but that anticipation was 
 never to be realised. 
 
SERIOUS ILLNESS. 185 
 
 On the 3 I st of December my wife gave birth to a 
 strong and healthy boy, whom we called Benoni, in remem- 
 brance of our past sorrows. We had no female assistance 
 except that of a young Abyssinian girl, who had no idea 
 how to handle a new-born babe. A German physician 
 was present at the crisis, and helped me to perform the 
 baby's first toilette ; but after that the entire duties of a 
 nurse devolved upon me alone. To my wife there was 
 something laughable in the sight of her tall, long-bearded 
 husband, in ample Arabian costume, pacing the large 
 room, and singing, badly enough, to the infant in his 
 arms ; but to me it was delightful. 
 
 On the 13th of February 1837 we left Cairo and 
 travelled by boat to Alexandria, where we stayed two 
 days. As I had no desire to appear in Europe with a 
 long beard and in Oriental attire, I withdrew on the 
 second day to a private room to shave and assume a 
 European dress ; but when I returned to the apartment 
 in which my wife was sitting, she took me for an imperti- 
 nent intruder, nor did she recognise me till I burst into 
 laughter at her perplexity. 
 
 We sailed for Malta in the " Blazer," the first steam 
 vessel, I believe, which ever went so far as Alexandria ; 
 and although we met a tremendous gale, we arrived 
 safely in five days, and once more set foot on European 
 soil. 
 
( i86 ) 
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 A YEAR OF WAITING MISSIONAEY WORK IN SWITZERLAND ; 
 
 AMONG THE DRUSES ; IN ITALY ; AND AT MALTA. 
 (1838-1845.) 
 
 We arrived at my home on the iith of May. Great 
 was the joy and thanksgiving at my father's house, for 
 many reports of my death had reached my family. For 
 a long time my mother would not credit them, saying, 
 that when she prayed for me she had a conviction that 
 she was praying for some one still living in this world. 
 But at last the rumour of my death was so positive that 
 her confidence was shaken, and she began to mourn for 
 me, though not as those who have no hope. 
 
 Now there was a certain devout, sober-minded, elderly 
 Christian friend, who was in the habit of traversing a 
 distance of six miles at least once a week to spend an 
 evening with my parents. This man occasionally had, 
 when he prayed, the gift of seeing things and events at a 
 distance, both as to space and time. One evening my 
 mother told him that she was at last forced to believe 
 the news of my death, as tidings had ceased to reach her 
 from Abyssinia. " Do not believe the report," was her 
 friend's reply, " neither mourn for your son, for he is 
 alive, and you will see him." "How do you know?" 
 asked my mother. '•' I was praying for him the other 
 
A YEAR OF WAITING. 187 
 
 day/' was the answer, " when I suddenly saw him and 
 his wife alighting at your door with their little boy " — 
 (the boy was not yet born at that time) — " and I have 
 not the least doubt that the thing will happen as I have 
 seen it." " This time," returned my mother, " I cannot 
 believe you; for they have a little girl, but no boy." 
 Upon which he repeated with unmoved assurance, " You 
 will see your son and his wife with their little boy." 
 
 This conversation was often repeated between my 
 mother and her friend, but the former could not be con- 
 vinced. However, when we alighted and presented our 
 little son to my parents, they exclaimed with astonish- 
 ment, " The vision of the Maire de Eoche is verified ! " 
 and they mingled thanksgivings to God with their joyful 
 greetings. 
 
 From Cremine we went to Beuggen to visit my wife's 
 parents. We made it our resting-place for a season on 
 account of its convenient proximity to Basle. Before our 
 arrival at Beuggen, I had received a most kind letter 
 from Mr. Coates, Secretary of the Church Missionary 
 Society, advising me to consult the best physicians, and 
 to follow their advice without regard to expense. We 
 accordingly consulted a man of high reputation. Dr. 
 Sttickelberg, who recommended the water of Kreuznach, 
 in those days but little known, the healing qualities of 
 the water having been but recently discovered. We 
 there spent three months, from June to September, very 
 agreeably, and were benefited, but not wholly cured. 
 We returned to Basle by way of Frankfort and Wlirtem- 
 berg ; and at Frankfort I received the news of the death 
 of my mother, at the age of sixty-seven. I was the 
 more deeply affected by this event because I had spent 
 only a few days with her after our return from Abys- 
 
LirE OF SAMUEL GOD AT. 
 
 siiiia ; but on her own account I could rejoice and thank 
 God for having taken her to Himself from a world in 
 which slie had lonc^ felt herself a strancfer. She died of 
 a most painful illness, which she suffered patiently, say- 
 ing frequently, " I cannot think of or feel anything but 
 excruciating pain ; but I know in whom I have believed, 
 and I am safe in His hand until He takes me to Himself 
 for ever." 
 
 For my father, then over seventy years of age, I felt 
 very deep sorrow, remembering that of late years he had 
 grown more and more dependent on the sound judgment 
 and resolute character of my mother, both with respect 
 to things temporal and things spiritual. Though I knew 
 that my brother would take the most tender care of him, 
 I hastened home as quickly as circumstances would 
 permit. I found him in profound grief, but thankful to 
 God for having delivered my mother from her sufferings 
 and taken her to rest. Durincj the ensuin*? winter, 
 1837-38, I frequently visited my father, but spent 
 the chief part of my time at Beuggen, refreshing my 
 memory by reading nearly the whole of the Bible 
 through in the original, and conversing much with my 
 learned and experienced father-in-law. 
 
 In the spring of 1838 the Committee of the Church 
 Missionary Society invited my wife and myself to go to 
 England for further medical advice, and we spent the 
 entire summer in London, greatly enjoying the society of 
 many old and new friends, but not benefiting by the 
 medical treatment which we underwent. My wife fell 
 ill, and remained so for a long time, while I was never 
 well. If I exerted myself I at once became ill, and when 
 I rested I reproached myself with being a useless burthen 
 to the Society. This produced a depressing effect on 
 
A YEAR OF WAITING. 189 
 
 my mind, especially as it convinced me more and more 
 that I could never return to Abyssinia, where my heart 
 still tarried. 
 
 In the winter of 1838—39, my third child, Hannali, 
 now married to Herr Zeller, missionary at Nazareth, was 
 born at Beuggen. This, for the most part, uneventful 
 time was spent by me in preaching, giving missionary 
 addresses, and in writincj a short sframmar of vubar 
 Arabic, with an appendix of three short dialogues, con- 
 taining about two thousand of the most common words. 
 
 In December 1 8 3 8 I had the great sorrow of witness- 
 ing the death of our dear Hadara, who had bidden fair 
 to become a most useful missionary. If he had been 
 the only fruit of my work in Abyssinia, I should still be 
 thankful to have been employed as an instrument to lead 
 him to the Saviour of sinners. 
 
 In the autumn of 1839, after another visit to Kreuz- 
 nach, the Committee of the Church Missionary Society 
 sent me to Malta to assist their missionary, Herr Schlienz, 
 with the revision of the Arabic Bible. 
 
 Soon after our arrival there, the health of my co- 
 adjutor gave way, and he left Malta never to return 
 thither. I was then put in charge of the large trans- 
 lating and printing establishment of the Church Mission- 
 ary Society, and I did not find the work above my 
 strength. 
 
 I remember one circumstance in connection with my 
 work at Malta which would have convinced me, had I 
 not already been convinced, of the Divine inspiration of 
 the whole Bible. 
 
 Whilst translating " Keith on the Fulfilment of Pro- 
 phecy," the two chief translators, Phares Shidiak of 
 Mount Lebanon, and the Eev. Mr. Badger, both very 
 good Arabic scholars, were puzzled continually, not 
 
I90 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 knowing bow to render the imagery in which the 
 meaning was clothed in the English original, because 
 that imagery consisted chiefly, or at least in great part, 
 of terms derived from divers kinds of mechanism, the 
 works of men, of which the uncivilised Arabs have no 
 idea, and therefore possess no words to express them, 
 especially when employed in a non-natural or immaterial 
 sense. But the imagery of the Bible is nearly all taken 
 from nature, the work of God, and thus intelligible to 
 all, and can consequently be translated into all human 
 languages. However, the pains taken in the transla- 
 tion of the work has rendered it acceptable to the 
 best-educated Moslems ; for of all the works published 
 in modern times by the missionaries, " Keith on Pro- 
 phecy " is to this day the most highly appreciated among 
 them. My chief part in that translation, as in other 
 ones, was to see that the meaning was correct. 
 
 The summer of 1840 was a very trying season for 
 us, owing to the prolonged and dangerous illness of my 
 wife. It was in that year that our fourth child and 
 second son was born, but he only survived thirteen 
 months. 
 
 In 1 84 1 the Committee of the Church Missionary 
 Society requested me to visit the Druses, chiefly on 
 Mount Lebanon, to inquire whether it would be practi- 
 cable to begin the work of a Christian mission among 
 that strange and interesting people, or at least to 
 establish schools for their children, in which the Bible 
 might be freely taught. I started early in July and 
 returned towards the end of September. As it was so 
 difficult to find means of distributing Arabic books and 
 tracts, of which we had a great quantity at Malta, I 
 took eight boxes full of them. I travelled with two 
 EDglishmen as far as Bey rout, where we met with a 
 
AMONG THE DRUSES. 191 
 
 very interesting clergyman, Mr. Eowland, who had just 
 come from Damascus. He was enthusiastic as to the 
 civility and kindness he had met with on the part of 
 the Greek clergy; and related that, having given an 
 Arabic copy of the Book of Common Prayer to the most 
 learned priest of Damascus, named Yoosoof, the right 
 hand of the Patriarch, the priest had coupled the ex- 
 pression of his warm thanks with an earnest aspiration 
 for a reunion between the Greek and English Churches. 
 
 Of course all this passed through the mouth of a 
 dragoman. This report determined me to accept the in- 
 vitation of my two travelling companions to accompany 
 them to Damascus, and thither I went. On the very 
 first day I distributed a goodly number of Bibles and 
 other books ; but they were all brought back to me the 
 next day, because the Patriarch had excommunicated all 
 who should accept any of my books. That dignitary had 
 also forbidden his people to visit me, with the exception 
 of one priest, who was esteemed a master of controversy. 
 
 In a discussion which we had about the adoration of 
 saints and angels, I cited, among others, the example of 
 St. Peter and Cornelius (Acts x.), and of the angel with 
 St. John (Eev. xix. and xxii.), to prove the unlawfulness 
 of such adoration. To both cases he answered that the 
 respective parties were equal in degree, and therefore 
 needed not to worship each other ; that is to say, 
 Cornelius occupied the same grade in the Emperor's 
 service as St. Peter occupied in that of Christ ; and the 
 degree of the angel was the same in heaven as that of 
 St. John upon earth. He added that the case is alto- 
 gether different with those who occupy a lower position 
 in relation to those of a superior degree. 
 
 The conduct of the Greek Patriarch had not been such 
 as to encourage me to pay him a visit, as I had intended 
 
192 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 to do ; but meeting his chief priest, Yoosoof, above 
 referred to, in the street, I accosted him. But he 
 addressed me very rudely. " What do you mean," he 
 demanded, " with all your books ? We do not want 
 them. A few days ago one of your priests made me a 
 present of your Prayer-Book. Did he suppose that I 
 would make any use of it ? We have plenty of better 
 books." 
 
 I was about to reply, but he abruptly went on his 
 way, as if afraid to be seen talking to me. 
 
 The next day I was seized with a severe attack of 
 my old malady, which I knew to be most dangerous at 
 Damascus at that season of the year. I at once re- 
 solved to leave the next morning, which intention I 
 stated in the presence of my host and of several mem- 
 bers of the Greek Church. In less than two hours I 
 received a most kind message from the Patriarch, in- 
 viting me to pay him a visit that same afternoon, men- 
 tioning that he and his clergy, whom he would call 
 together, wished very much to make my acquaintance. 
 
 I went at the given hour, and found the Patriarch 
 surrounded by about a dozen priests, all of whom showed 
 me the greatest kindness, as to a representative of the 
 Church of England. (I was not at that time formally a 
 member of that Church, though I took a hearty part in 
 all her services, because they are Scriptural.) The 
 Patriarch extolled the English Church, and expressed his 
 regret, in common with his clergy, that the English and 
 Greek Churches were not re-united, adding that the 
 Pope of Eome was the only hindrance to this measure. 
 Upon this they all joined in abusing the Church of 
 Eome. Finally, they all expressed their regret that I 
 was leaving so soon. How far that expression of regret 
 was sincere it is not for me to judge; but I should have 
 
AMONG THE DRUSES. 193 
 
 been better pleased if they had asked for some copies of 
 the Word of God, of which they, especially the Patriarch, 
 were very ignorant. 
 
 The day after my return to Beyrout I started for the 
 district of the Druses, and spent about a month among 
 them, going from one place to another at intervals of 
 a few days. Besides visiting their families, I attended 
 several large meetings of their chiefs. 
 
 At that time they were expecting that England would 
 do great things for them ; wherefore I found them all 
 very friendly. I discovered that very few of them had 
 any clear knowledge of their religious, or rather, au fond, 
 irreligious system, a chief item of which is that all the 
 Druses were created simultaneously, and have ever since 
 remained the same in number. When a Druse dies they 
 believe that his soul enters the body of an unborn Druse 
 child, — a transmigration which goes on from generation to 
 generation. I consider this belief to be the cause of their 
 utter indifference to all religion. 
 
 When I spoke to them on religious subjects they were 
 perfectly apathetic ; but on my mentioning the establish- 
 ment of schools for their children they manifested visible 
 interest, and some of them asked if I were ready to open 
 the schools at once. But they usually began by inquir- 
 iniT what was to be taught in such schools. When I told 
 them that the object would be to communicate as much 
 secular knowledge as possible, but that the Bible would 
 also be taught every day, they seemed well pleased with 
 the first part of the sentence, but at the mention of the 
 Bible they became serious and taciturn for a while. 
 Then, after a pause, one of them would ask in a soft, 
 kind voice — for the Druses of the upper classes are very 
 polite — " Do you intend to make oar children Christians ? " 
 To which I always answered that it was our desire that 
 
 N 
 
194 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 both they and their children might become truly Chris- 
 tian, believing that to be the only way of obtaining 
 eternal salvation; adding that the English are a free 
 people, who desire that all men should be free ; conse- 
 quently, we would teach the contents of the Bible to 
 their children, but would leave them perfectly free either 
 to embrace Christianity or to remain Druses. 
 
 Upon this two or three used to say, " Then you 
 will not oblige our children to become Christians ? " 
 " Assuredly not. On the contrary, if any one tried to 
 do it, we should be the first to oppose him." At this 
 they always expressed their perfect satisfaction, and 
 repeated their request that the work might be begun as 
 soon as possible. 
 
 At that time these people were persuaded that, having 
 been created Druses, not one of their sect could ever be 
 persuaded to adopt any other religion; but when they 
 heard that no constraint would be used, they had no 
 objection to their children being taught from the Bible. 
 More than this, they asked for the Bible and other books ; 
 and when they had received them, they used to retire to 
 some corner to read. On my visiting their hhalweh (a 
 retired place for their religious meetings) at Deir-el- 
 Ivamer, I found a Bible on the table in the middle of the 
 room. 
 
 I only met with two Druses who seemed to be attracted 
 towards Christianity. Both were of noble family, and 
 aJcaal, that is, intelligent. Besides five noble families to 
 whom all Druses yield a willing and absolute obedience, 
 the tribe is divided into two classes — the AJcaals, or 
 intelligent, and the Djahaals, or ignorant. The latter 
 generally seemed to be mere animals, without any know- 
 ledge of their religion, or of anything but what relates to 
 the body and the present life, and they are addicted to 
 
AMONG THE DRUSES. 195 
 
 many vices. The Akaals are really educated, that is, 
 they are not only instructed in the mysteries of their 
 religion, but they are also taught to rule their own 
 passions, feelings, and inclinations, and, above all, to keep 
 secrets inviolable ; hence the difficulty of discovering what 
 their religion really is. 
 
 Having previously read the work of De Sacy, " La 
 Religion des Druses," I could ascertain many points on 
 which they agree with or differ from its founders, the 
 disciples of Hakem ben Amr Allah, who lived about the 
 year 1000 a.d. But I cannot here enter into this 
 subject. Suffice it to say, that most of the Akaals are 
 really intelligent, polite, and moderate. They neither 
 smoke nor drink intoxicating liquors ; and, so far as I 
 could observe, they govern their families better than do 
 most Arabs, and behave kindly to their wives and their 
 dutiful children. But there is one terrible drawback to 
 their morality, as taught in their works. Whilst they 
 are enjoined to be moderate, truthful, and kind towards 
 each other in every relation of life, they may commit 
 any crime against non-Druses, provided they do it so 
 secretly as to bring no disgrace upon their community. 
 
 I have said that I only met with two Druses who 
 seemed to be attracted towards Christianity. I heard not 
 long afterwards that one of them — he, I believe, who had 
 placed the Bible in the Khalweh of Deir-el-Kamer — had 
 died, it was supposed of poison. Of the other, a Sheik 
 of the Hauran, I have an interesting anecdote to relate. 
 
 It seems that one of the books which I had distributed 
 at Damascus had immediately found its way to the Hauran, 
 and fallen into the hands of the Sheik in question, who 
 read it attentively. It was "The Companion to the 
 Bible," with the title in Arabic, '' Morshed et Talibeen," 
 " Guide to Inquirers." The Sheik found it interesting ; 
 
196 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 and as it continually referred to another book (the Bible), 
 he concluded that the other book must be of the more 
 importance, and therefore spared no pains to obtain a 
 copy. Having been told that his book had been brought 
 from Damascus, he hastened thither. But there he was 
 told that the man who had brought both books had left 
 for Balbec. So to Balbec he went ; but arrived so far, 
 he learned that I had gone to Beyrout. At Beyrout he 
 was informed that I had gone to Deir-el-Kamer. With- 
 out inquiring whether he could get a Bible at Beyrout, 
 he hurried to Deir-el-Kamer, where he found me, and 
 related to me his adventures, ending by an entreaty that 
 I would give him the book to which the " Companion to 
 the Bible " referred. 
 
 I had only one copy of the Bible left, and this I 
 thought I needed in my religious conversations with the 
 people ; but if I had had a heart of stone I could not have 
 refused it to his supplications. After expressing his grati- 
 tude with a beaming countenance he became very serious, 
 and asked me to advise him how to use the book most 
 beneficially. We had an extremely interesting conversa- 
 tion of several hours' duration, after which he left me 
 with his two books. I have never since had any tidings 
 of him, but I have often prayed that God might bless 
 His own Word to that Sheik's salvation. 
 
 Whilst I am now relating my experiences among the 
 Druses more than thirty years ago, it may not be out of 
 place to mention that, within the last two years, I have 
 had two Druses baptized here, one of whom has been an 
 efficient teacher in my Orphanage, and whom I have just 
 appointed catechist at Eamleh. The other was baptized 
 four weeks ago. 
 
 My work among the Druses was now done. I had 
 held conversations, both in public and private, with all 
 
AT MALTA. 
 
 197 
 
 their men of influence, and could report that the door 
 was open for the establishment of schools. But the next 
 year the income of the Church Missionary Society had 
 fallen so low, that, instead of enlarging their work, they 
 were obliged to curtail it; and so my mission to that 
 quarter remained without visible result. 
 
 Not long after my return to Malta I received a very 
 kind letter from Mr. Coates, then Secretary of the Church 
 Missionary Society, in which he intimated to me in the 
 most delicate manner that I might do well to apply for 
 episcopal ordination, by asking me if I did not think that 
 such a step might enlarge the sphere of my activity. 
 
 It was a delicate question for one in my position ; 
 wherefore I thought it my duty to give him in my 
 answer a detailed account of my views with regard to 
 that subject. I deem it no less my duty to insert here 
 an abstract of the contents of that letter. I know that 
 my views do not agree with those of many of my 
 brethren ; but I hope they will bear with me, as I am 
 ready to bear with them. 
 
 " I like Episcopacy ; and if, when I was about to be 
 ordained, I had been providentially guided, or if I had 
 had a choice, I should most likely have been led to seek 
 episcopal ordination ; although I consider Episcopacy, 
 as a distinct order, to have been introduced providen- 
 tially to answer to the requirements of the age, but dis- 
 tinct from the divinely appointed ministry in general. 
 So that, under other circumstances, a Church may, also 
 providentially, be led to constitute herself a Christian, 
 Scriptural, and Apostolic Church without Episcopacy, 
 provided she place herself under the ministry appointed 
 by God (see i Cor. xii. 28, and Eph. v. 11); and pro- 
 vided also that she abide in lively communion with the 
 Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostles 
 
198 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 "Wherefore the Protestant Churches of the Continent 
 must be considered, like the Church of England, as true 
 branches of the universal Church of Christ." 
 
 I ended my answer to Mr. Coates' letter by declaring 
 that, as I considered the Church in which I had been 
 ordained as a true, providentially constituted, Christian 
 Church, and myself a minister duly authorised to exer- 
 cise all the offices of the Christian ministry, I could not, 
 without a sufficient reason, seek for or accept episcopal 
 ordination without offending many dear brethren by 
 seeminsj to declare their ordination invalid. I could 
 only conceive one case which might lead me to accept 
 episcopal ordination, viz., if I were nominated to an epis- 
 copal parish, or to any office or position previously declared 
 to be inaccessible to all who were not in episcopal orders. 
 ... I did not expect that such a case would ever 
 happen, and yet it was realised a few years later. 
 
 The year 1842 was one of much sickness in my 
 family ; it was also notable for ns through the birth of 
 our fifth child and third daughter, Dora, now the wife 
 of Inspector H. Eappard, near Basle. 
 
 As already stated, the income of the Church Mission- 
 ary Society had fallen very low in 1842, while some of 
 their more important stations needed to be strengthened. 
 Their books in Italian, Greek, and above all, in Arabic, 
 having been multiplied to an enormous extent, there 
 being then no means of distributing them among the 
 people for whom they had been prepared, except through 
 the agency of the missionaries at Cairo, the Society 
 decided upon giving up their translating and printing 
 establishment at Malta. Now, after an interval of more 
 than thirty years, I am happy to be able to state that 
 the work of the Society at Malta has not been in vain ; 
 for all those books have by degrees been disseminated 
 
IN SWITZERLAND. 
 
 99 
 
 all over the East, and have done much good, especially 
 in Egypt. 
 
 In May 1843, after a long and tedious winding-up 
 of the Society's affairs at Malta, which process included 
 a vexatious lawsuit about the tenancy of the house, I 
 returned with my family to Switzerland. Actiug on the 
 advice of my good friend, Mr. Lillington, I went for 
 the benefit of my health, which was much shattered, to 
 Albisbrunn, in the Canton of Zurich, to try the cold- 
 water system, then a novelty, and in high esteem. At 
 Berne we stayed for the night at the Hotel du Eaucon, 
 where the following incident had taken place a few 
 days previously. Two young Englishmen had engaged 
 rooms in this hotel for one night, and had retired to 
 rest in proper time. Late in the night they rang their 
 bell, and when a waiter answered the summons, they 
 desired him to call his master. The innkeeper, how- 
 ever, did not make his appearance. After a while the 
 bell was again rung, and the waiter desired, as before, 
 to bring his master. This time the host did present 
 himself, and asked what was wanted. " Just put this 
 pair of boots on the chair," was the order given. It 
 was good-naturedly obeyed, and after asking if anything 
 else were required, the innkeeper withdrew. 
 
 Next morning, before departing, the young men called 
 for their bill, which was handed them. All the items 
 were moderate enough except one. " Eor putting a pair 
 of boots on a chair, one hundred francs." Of course the 
 young men refused to pay this ; and when they found 
 their departure prevented, they applied to the British 
 Ambassador for protection. That functionary decided 
 that as the service was extraordinary, it was but just that 
 the payment should be extraordinary also ; and the young 
 travellers were obliged to pay the sum demanded. 
 
200 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 I mention this anecdote, because I have more than 
 once seen similar foolish and offensive behaviour on the 
 part of young British tourists, and because such conduct 
 is the cause of many inconveniences, and, I may add, of 
 expense to respectable English travellers. 
 
 I spent three months at Albisbrunn, and derived some 
 benefit from the treatment, but the root of my complaint, 
 my old enemy, was not removed. 
 
 I then took a cottage at the foot of the Weissenstein, 
 where I spent two long years with my family, in prayer- 
 ful expectation that the Lord would give me work to do. 
 I was soon invited to address missionary meetings in the 
 neighbourhood, and before long was requested by the 
 Committee at Basle to attend the meetings of their 
 auxiliary Societies, so far as my health would permit, all 
 over Switzerland. I have ever since been thankful to 
 God for the great and lasting success with which He 
 blessed my feeble endeavours. 
 
 I went home in September to be present at the birth 
 of my sixth child, Maria, now married at Basle to Herr 
 Kober, the successor of the late Herr Spittler, publisher 
 of that town. 
 
 During the winter of 1844-45 I was obliged to spend 
 much time at home, making only short tours in the Can- 
 tons of Berne and Neuchatel. I had intended to spend 
 a part of the summer of 1845 in the Canton de Yaud; 
 but in the beginning of that year, the Government and 
 the mass of the people had suddenly declared themselves 
 so inimical to religious liberty, and especially to the 
 missionary cause, that no meeting for the furtherance of 
 the latter object was tolerated. However, the good seed 
 had been sown, not only by me, but by many faithful 
 pastors, and is now bringing forth much fruit, particularly 
 in missionary work. 
 
IN SWITZERLAND. 201 
 
 The friendship and love which I everywhere experienced, 
 though not unmixed with occasional insolence on the 
 part of those who were hostile to my work, and the great 
 success which had attended my labours, hindered me for 
 a good while from feeling all the difficulties of my posi- 
 tion. At last, however, my situation became a very 
 painful one; and almost my only comfort lay in the 
 assurance that I was where the Lord would have me to 
 be. I had, in fact, no position. The Church Missionary 
 Society allowed me £ys and £s Jot each of my four 
 children, to which the Committee of the Basle Missionary 
 Society added £2$ per annum. This was amply suffi- 
 cient for the maintenance of my family ; but I had my 
 misgivings as to my relations to both these Societies. 
 After all the means attempted for several years for the 
 re- establishment of my health, my state was such as to 
 leave scarcely any hope to the Church Missionary Society 
 that I could ever again be employed in a foreign mission ; 
 and yet I was not altogether an invalid. I could still do 
 a good amount of work, provided I was free to abstain 
 from time to time, for a short interval, from all exertion 
 of a severe nature, and I was still young. I therefore 
 found it almost intolerable to be obliged to live on a pen- 
 sion from a Society which had already been at consider- 
 able expense on my account, and in return for which I 
 had accomplished so little. 
 
 On the other hand, I had received a hint that the 
 Basle Missionary Committee had held a consultation con- 
 cerning me — one section wishing to appoint me per- 
 manently as their travelling secretary or preacher, while 
 the other members, chiefly calculating merchants, objected, 
 on the ground that I was in delicate health, that I might 
 soon die, and that, in this case, my wife and family of 
 young children would fall upon them as a heavy burthen. 
 
202 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 The thought sometimes occurred to my mind that I 
 ought to offer myself as pastor to some small congre- 
 gation or parish ; but, in the first place, I knew that my 
 health would not allow me to discharge the duties of 
 such a post with regularity ; and, in the second place, I 
 was so sure that I had hitherto been called and guided 
 by Divine Providence, without any interposition of my 
 own, that I was unwilling to emancipate myself from the 
 same passive obedience to such guiding in the future. 
 
 While thus waiting upon the Lord, I received a letter 
 from a dear friend in London, Dr. A. Crawford, with 
 whom, when we were together in Malta, I had had many 
 conversations about the desirability of establishing a Pro- 
 testant College in that island. Dr. Crawford informed me 
 that on his return to England he and his friend Captain 
 Gordon had communicated on the subject with various 
 persons of high standing and influence, the result of 
 which was that a Committee had been formed, and the 
 establishment of the College decided upon. The rules 
 had been framed, and suitable premises had already been 
 purchased, so that it could at once be opened. My 
 correspondent added that he had been requested by the 
 Committee of the College to ask me to accept the office 
 of Vice- Principal, on most favourable terms. A Principal 
 would not for some years be required. Dr. Crawford also 
 intimated that I must be episcopally ordained, in accord- 
 ance with the rules already passed and become valid. 
 
 Now, if the offer in itself appeared to me to be a 
 Divine answer to my prayers, the last clause seemed to 
 be a direct call of Divine Providence ; for it was the very 
 kind of case which I had mentioned several years before 
 to the Secretary of the Church Missionary Society in 
 which I would consent to accept episcopal ordination, 
 but which I never expected to come to pass. I was thus 
 
IN ENGLAND. 203 
 
 able to accept the call without the least hesitation, but 
 with humble thankfulness to the God who heareth prayer. 
 
 I was not altogether easy about the examination to 
 which I expected to be subjected in England, having 
 forgotten much of my Greek and Latin and other items 
 of school-work, but I firmly trusted that the Lord would 
 help me. Provided my health continued as it had been 
 of late, I saw clearly that, with the help of my wife, I 
 could easily fulfil the duties of my future position ; and 
 as for the branches of teaching in which I was conscious 
 of being deficient, I thought I was still young enough to 
 improve in proportion to the rising requirements. 
 
 I started for England in May 1845, and spent about 
 three months, chiefly in London, visiting the members of 
 the Committee and other friends of the Malta College. 
 I was frequently invited, in company with Dr. Crawford, 
 to breakfast parties, and on such occasions was always 
 asked to take the lead in family prayer. I simply did as 
 I had been accustomed to do at home : I read a portion 
 of Scripture, gave a brief exposition, and ended with 
 prayer. Sometimes I was allowed to choose the passage 
 myself, and at others it was chosen for me. By degrees 
 I discovered that it was a kind of examination to which 
 they were subjecting me, but I continued just as before. 
 
 Those three months proved to be of lasting benefit to 
 me, for I made many good and zealous Christian friends. 
 Only two of them, both excellent men and Christians, 
 have since dealt coldly with me in times of trial, just 
 enough to remind me not to put confidence in man. 
 
 In August I was ordained Deacon by Bishop Blom- 
 field, who, besides many other acts of kindness, exempted 
 me from a preliminary examination. After my ordina- 
 tion I accepted an invitation to make a tour in Scotland, 
 where I visited many spots of great interest and beauty. 
 
204 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 such as Loch Lomond, the Pass of Glencoe, Fort St. 
 George, Fort Augustus, Inverness, &c. I was deeply 
 interested in the spectacle of lovely Loch Lomond, wild 
 Glencoe, Ben ISTevis, and other striking localities. But 
 when asked which of the two countries, Scotland or my 
 beloved Switzerland, I considered the more interesting, I 
 always replied that, as there is no real likeness between 
 them, no comparison could be justly instituted. Both 
 are grand and beautiful, but each must be measured by 
 its own standard. 
 
 I arrived with my family at Malta in October. I had 
 been ordered, before leaving England, to make a tour, as 
 soon as possible after my arrival at Malta, in Italy and 
 Sicily, for the purpose of making known among the Pro- 
 testant Italian and English families the existence of the 
 College, and of inviting them to send their boys thither 
 to be educated. I was also instructed to collect funds 
 for the maintenance of the Oriental youths, who were to 
 be educated gratuitously. 
 
 I started towards the end of October, and visited 
 Piome, Naples, Leghorn, Florence, Pisa, and in Sicily, 
 Palmero, Messina, and Catania. I spent nearly three 
 months on this tour, and met, as a rule, with kindness 
 and courtesy, and also with some measure of success. 
 
 I found many opportunities of preaching the Gospel 
 in an informal as well as a formal manner in Italy and 
 Sicily. So far as the people of all classes in the great 
 towns were concerned, my prejudices against the immoral 
 and irreligious character of Italians and Sicilians were 
 confirmed. But with the country people it was different ; 
 for although very superstitious, and infected by the im- 
 morality which always accompanies superstition, espe- 
 cially where the confessional exists, there remains in them 
 a foundation on which an enlightened preacher of the 
 
AT MALTA. 
 
 Gospel may build with a good hope of success. Onlv 
 let such a preacher beware of letting the people know 
 beforehand that he is a Protestant, for that title is with 
 them tantamount to that of an atheist, a willing servant 
 of the devil. 
 
 I have often asked myself how it comes that among 
 sincere Eoman Catholics a sense of sin, as the inward 
 natural corruption of guilt, is more or less kept alive, 
 while among the many members of the Greek Church 
 whom I have known, I could seldom discover anything 
 of the kind. I have come to the conclusion that the 
 chief cause of this difference is the fact that the ceremonies 
 of the Eoman Catholic Church, with their crucifixes, 
 direct the attention of the people more often to Christ 
 crucified; while the Greek Church, when she points to 
 Christ, points to Him as risen and glorified. And it 
 is not on Tabor, but on Calvary, that the nature and 
 enormity of sin is revealed. 
 
 On returning to Malta towards the end of January 
 I 846, I found that my dear wife, with the help of the 
 late Mr. Innes, had purchased all the necessary furniture, 
 and that everything was in readiness for the opening of 
 the College, which ceremony took place on the 3d of 
 February in the presence of a goodly company of friends 
 and about a dozen boy-pupils. 
 
 The next day work began. But what was my surprise 
 on finding how fearfully the boys had been neglected 
 and their parents cheated ! When I asked them whether 
 they had begun the study of Latin, several replied that 
 they had been at it for three or four years, and that they 
 had read " Csesar " through. I opened "Csesar " at random 
 and made them read and translate, which they did most 
 fluently and with tolerable correctness, but not one of 
 them had the least idea of grammar, and they did not 
 
2o5 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 know what declensions and conjugations were ! All that 
 they knew was a matter of mechanical memory. I was 
 obliged to begin to teach them to decline "mensa." Neither 
 had the boys any knowledge of geography or history. 
 
 However, affairs went on very smoothly, and the boys 
 soon became attached both to myself and to Mme. Gobat, 
 who had the management of the house. We were as 
 one family — worshipping together morning and evening, 
 eating at the same table, and taking our walks in common. 
 
 Thus, after many trials, my family and I found our- 
 selves comfortably established ; and we were very thank- 
 ful to God and man for having placed us in so desirable 
 a position. 
 
( 207 ) 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 NOMINATION AND CONSECRATION AS BISHOP — AEEIYAL 
 AT JERUSALEM. 
 
 (1846.) 
 
 The quiet, peaceful days at Malta were not destined to 
 last. One Sunday about the middle of March, when 
 coming out of church, a letter with a large seal was put 
 into my hand. Without examining it, I quietly put it 
 into my pocket and walked home, without the least 
 suspicion as to its contents. Arrived at home, I went 
 into my room to open the epistle ; but on reading the 
 first line, " I have been commanded by my master, the 
 King of Prussia," I allowed the letter to fall to the 
 ground and exclaimed, " ISTo ; never, never ! " 
 
 It was an official communication from Chevalier 
 (afterwards Baron) Bunsen, the Prussian Ambassador in 
 London, informing me that the King, Frederick William 
 the Fourth, had nominated me to the vacant See of 
 Jerusalem, and requesting me to accept the appointment. 
 The Queen of England had nominated the first Anglican 
 Bishop (Alexander), and it was now the turn of the King 
 of Prussia to appoint a successor to the late prelate, subject 
 to the veto of the Archbishop of Canterbury. 
 
 It was a deep sense of insufficiency and unfitness for 
 the important office which prompted the impulsive ex- 
 
2o8 LIFE OF SAMUEX. GOBAT. 
 
 clamation, " Never ! " After reflection, I added, with Moses, 
 " my Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom 
 Thou wilt send." 
 
 In the course of the week I wrote to Chevalier Bunsen, 
 communicating to him my general reluctance, and my 
 first impulse to decline the offer. I laid before him all 
 that had passed through my mind since the receipt of his 
 letter — my scruples, my doubts ; but added that, not- 
 withstanding my utter unfitness, I was ready to accept 
 and follow the call, provided I could reasonably conclude 
 tliat it came from God. I should infer this partly if the 
 Committee of the Malta College should not only give 
 their consent, but positively advise me to accept the 
 offer. I added that I should also desire the advice and 
 consent of the Committee of the Church Missionary 
 Society, with whom I was still in intimate relation. 
 
 Two days after this I received a long letter from tlie 
 late Mr. Coates, Secretary to the Church Missionary 
 Society, who had been my friend and chief adviser for 
 more than twenty years, in which he anticipated all the 
 objections which he supposed I might make, and tried in 
 the most kind and friendly manner to invalidate them, 
 advising, and almost commanding, me to accept the call. 
 
 At the end of that same week I received a letter from 
 Lord Shaftesbury, President of the Committee of the 
 Malta College, in which he not only advised, but desired 
 me to accept the position, to which he believed that God 
 had called me. Now, as I had always considered it my 
 duty, and felt it to be a pleasure, to obey my superiors, 
 so on this occasion I saw my way clearly. I concluded 
 without hesitation that, as God had hitherto directed all 
 my ways without any seeking on my part, so now it was 
 He who, through His instruments, was. calling me to 
 Jerusalem. 
 
NOMINATION AND CONSECRATION AS BISHOP. 209 
 
 By the next mail I wrote to Chevalier Bunsen, inform- 
 ing him that, relying on the gracious help of my Lord 
 and Saviour, I accepted the nomination of his Majesty 
 the King of Prussia, and that I was ready to start for 
 London, if desired, to be consecrated there.* 
 
 A few days later I started from Malta, and immedi- 
 ately upon my arrival in London I called upon Bishop 
 Blomfield. That prelate put into my hand a document 
 which had been addressed, he stated, by influential per- 
 sons to the Archbishop of Canterbury (Howley), and I 
 was requested to answer its contents. It was a protest 
 against my being consecrated a bishop of the Church of 
 England, and contained eighteen folio pages of accusations 
 of heresies, chiefly found, it was alleged, in my " Journal 
 of a Three Years' Eesidence in Abyssinia." 
 
 The chief accusation concerned my views on Baptismal 
 Eegeneration, as I had expressed myself in my conversa- 
 tions with the Abyssinians. All the rest was insignificant; 
 the writers, who had not signed the paper, having drawn 
 the most strange conclusions from words the most simple 
 and innocent. I could not help smiling while reading 
 the paper, and was delighted at the idea of answering it. 
 
 There was only one point which puzzled me. I knew 
 that the Bishop was very decided as to Baptismal Regene- 
 ration, whilst I could not admit that doctrine in the 
 meaning of the word regeneration as I find it in Scripture ; 
 and I thought that if my views were opposed to those of 
 the Bishop, I must be rejected. Wherefore, before be- 
 ginning my answer, I went to the Bishop and asked 
 him what he understood by regeneration. He at once 
 
 1 Chevalier Bunsen's letter of proposal and the Rev. S. Gobat's reply- 
 are to be found in full in " The Protestant Bishopric in Jerusalem ; its 
 Origin and Progress." London : B. Wertheim, Aldine Chambers, Pater- 
 noster Row, 1847. — ^^' 
 
 
 
2IO LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 said, " A change of position ; that is, a passing from an 
 uncovenanted to a covenanted state, by the person bap- 
 tized being thereby introduced into the visible Christian 
 Church." 
 
 To this I had no objection ; I could even have gone a 
 little farther. 
 
 The Bishop of London expressed himself perfectly 
 satisfied with my formal answer. Two or three days 
 later he came to me and stated that my opponents were, 
 upon the whole, satisfied with my explanations ; but that 
 they complained that I seemed to attribute unfairness to 
 them ; he therefore asked me to change a few expressions 
 in my answer. I replied, that as he had himself approved 
 the original, I would willingly make such changes for his 
 sake. 
 
 All difficulties seemed now over ; but this was not so. 
 I was to be ordained priest at a general ordination at 
 St. Paul's ; but a few days before that appointed for the 
 ceremony, the Bishop sent me word that a party (unknown) 
 had appointed a lawyer to protest at the cathedral against 
 my being ordained. His Lordship therefore advised me 
 not to present myself, stating that he would ordain me 
 on another occasion. I learned afterwards that a lawyer 
 had indeed been at St. Paul's watching the ordination. 
 
 A few days afterwards I was ordained at Pulham, 
 with several other candidates, and a few days later I 
 was consecrated Bishop at Lambeth by Archbishop 
 Howley, the late Bishop Wilson of Calcutta preaching 
 the consecration sermon on the text Isa. Ixii. i. In the 
 afternoon of the same day I preached at the chapel of 
 the Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews 
 at Bethnal Green, on the text which I had chosen as the 
 motto of my life, " God forbid that I should glory, save 
 in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
NOMINATION AND CONSECRATION AS BISHOP. 211 
 
 After praying and receiving visits in London, I started 
 for Berlin in obedience to the commands of the King of 
 Prussia, with whom I spent several delightful and in- 
 structive days. I observed with great pleasure that not 
 only was he not ashamed to confess Christ as his Lord 
 and Saviour, but that at table he daily took advantage 
 of my presence to introduce and maintain religious con- 
 versations, asking me questions about localities in Pales- 
 tine connected with some works or sayings of Christ, and 
 then introducing for consideration the most essential facts 
 and truths of Christianity. 
 
 On one occasion I had the misfortune highly to dis- 
 please his Majesty. 
 
 A question having arisen about the Holy Sepulchre, 
 I happened to say that I did not believe that it was 
 the sepulchre of Christ. At this the King became ex- 
 cited, afiirming the contrary. When I tried to reason 
 with him, I perceived that, like other great men, he 
 could not bear to be contradicted. I therefore said 
 simply, " I once spent the entire Holy Week, even 
 several nights of it, in the church of the so-called 
 Holy Sepulchre, and after seeing the abominations 
 practised there, it has always been a comfort to me 
 to think that it is not the sepulchre of my dear Lord 
 which is thus desecrated." 
 
 Upon this the stern expression of the monarch's face 
 relaxed as he said, " I confess this is a strong argument 
 in favour of your view." 
 
 On another occasion, though not in the presence of 
 so many high witnesses, I again had the unhappiness of 
 offending the King by mentioning the dissatisfaction of 
 his subjects and their inclination to rebellion. 
 
 He interrupted me in an angry tone. 
 
 " What ! " he cried ; " do you say that my dear sub- 
 
212 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 jects are rebellious ? No, no ; they love their king as 
 their king loves them." 
 
 " I beg the pardon of your Majesty," I replied. " I 
 may be mistaken, for I am imperfectly acquainted with 
 the Prussian people. But on passing the other day 
 through Magdeburg, I saw a great concourse of excited 
 people ; and, as I frequently do, I passed slowly through 
 the midst of them to listen to their conversation, and 
 I heard many hard and revolutionary expressions, such 
 as have suggested my observation." 
 
 To this the King observed in a milder tone, " I hope 
 there are very few malcontents." 
 
 This was in 1846, two years before the Eevolution, 
 in which he suffered so severely. 
 
 I never can forget the kindness daily shown me by 
 the King and Queen. On taking leave of them, they 
 loaded me with their good wishes, and the assurance 
 of their deep interest in the work intrusted to my hands 
 in Palestine. 
 
 From Berlin I started for Malta by way of Switzer- 
 land, to take, as it proved, the last leave of my aged 
 father. Notwithstanding my serious frame of mind, I 
 was much amused by the naive pride evinced by the 
 people of the Jura, Eomanists and Protestants alike, in 
 that a Jura man had been made a bishop. 
 
 A kind friend at Geneva gave me a /^loo to pur- 
 chase a Protestant burial-ground at Jerusalem. 
 
 I reached Malta at the beginning of September, where 
 one of my first duties was to baptize my seventh child, 
 James Timothy, born during my absence, now a medical 
 practitioner in North Wales. 
 
 My dear wife had already made the necessary pur- 
 chases and preparations for our establishment at Jeru- 
 salem, so that we were quite ready to start; but now 
 
ARRIVAL AT JERUSALEM. 213 
 
 patience was to be exercised to the utmost for the space 
 of three months from the want of facilities for reaching 
 Palestine. There were steamers and sailing vessels 
 going to Alexandria ; but between Alexandria and Syria 
 there was absolutely no means of communication by sea, 
 except the rare opportunities of small Arab boats, which 
 could not have taken us with our furniture, not to speak 
 of the dangers of such a mode of transit. Nor could I 
 think of taking my wife and four young children through 
 the desert. 
 
 At last, on the representation of Chevalier Bunsen, 
 the Government gave me a steamer, the " Hecla," to take 
 us to our destination. We embarked in the middle of 
 December, and after six boisterous days reached Jaffa. 
 Before gaining the shore we had to pass through short 
 but severe trials, from which, however, a most kind 
 Providence delivered us. 
 
 When the anchor was cast, the wind and the waves 
 were so high that there was no possibility of landing ; 
 and the kind and sympathising captain told me that 
 he had received orders, in case of bad weather, to remain 
 twenty-four hours off Jaffa, but no longer ; thence he 
 was to proceed to Beyrout. We thus had the sad 
 prospect of being taken to Beyrout with all our luggage 
 and furniture. However, at mid-day we had a heavy 
 shower, which calmed down the high waves, so that 
 one boat ventured to put out from Jaffa to the steamer 
 to take us. But by the time the little craft had come 
 alongside, the rain had ceased, and the waves were 
 rising again. I therefore hastened to lower my wife, 
 four young children, and three servants into the boat, 
 with a few small and necessary articles, leaving my 
 children's tutor, the Rev. A. Schafter, on board to watch 
 over the furniture, in case of the steamer being taken 
 
214 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 to Beyrout the next day. Each time that the boat 
 was lifted up on the crest of a wave, my children were 
 handed to my wife one after the other. When it came 
 to the turn of the youngest, aged six months, he was 
 about to be placed in the hands of his mother, when the 
 boat suddenly dipped to a depth of ten or twelve feet. 
 The sailor, supposing that my wife had caught the 
 child, loosed him ; and I shuddered as I saw him 
 falling through the air. My wife, however, had the 
 presence of mind to spread out the skirt of her dress 
 to receive him, and he was saved. 
 
 Thus we safely landed, thanking God for His gracious 
 protection, and were hospitably received at the house of 
 an Armenian, which the missionaries at Jerusalem had 
 kindly caused to be prepared for our reception. By 
 eleven o'clock next day all our property was safely 
 brought ashore. 
 
 It was Christmas Eve when we landed, so that we were 
 glad and thankful to celebrate the Nativity of our Blessed 
 Eedeemer the first day after our arrival in His own 
 Emmanuel land. The following day being Saturday, we 
 remained to spend Sunday quietly at Jaffa with the late 
 Eev. J. Nicolayson, who had come the previous day from 
 Jerusalem to welcome us. 
 
 We started for Jerusalem on the 30th of December, 
 and as we approached the Holy City, many members of 
 the small Protestant community, proselytes and others, 
 came out upon the road to meet and welcome us. About 
 two miles from Jerusalem we were met by the English 
 and Prussian Consuls in uniform, accompanied by ladies 
 and gentlemen on horseback. I was so deeply moved 
 that I could scarcely speak, but I prayed inwardly. On 
 reaching the city we went straight to the chapel, where 
 I read the Litany, and then addressed the small congre- 
 
11" 
 
 liiiliiilllllllllllllllli:!; 
 
 iwimi 
 
 lit 
 I 
 
 h i siiiiiHiiiiiJi- 
 
 Ilii 
 
A RRI VAL AT JER USA LEM. 1 1 5 
 
 gation ; after which all retired to their homes, having 
 first expressed their good wishes to us. 
 
 On the 1st of January 1847 I fell ill of fever, which 
 lasted three weeks, during which time I resolved to keep 
 the anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant 
 Bishop (Alexander) in Jerusalem as a day of prayer and 
 thanksgiving, not only for our community on Mount 
 Zion, but for all believers everywhere who take an interest 
 in the welfare of Jerusalem, the conversion and restora- 
 tion of Israel to the covenant of God with His people, 
 and the blessing which will follow for all nations. 
 
 A yearly circular letter has since been published, in- 
 viting all Christian brethren abroad to unite with us 
 before the throne of grace in prayer and praise on every 
 2 1 st of January ; and, blessed be God, that day and the 
 opportunities it affords for self-examination and mutual 
 exhortation has ever proved an occasion of blessing and 
 encouragement to our whole community, and a chief 
 means of keeping the members, originally of different 
 denominations, united, so as to form but one Church. 
 
 I had earnestly prayed that I might be permitted at 
 least to assist at the services of that first day of com- 
 memoration ; and, behold, God did more than I had asked ; 
 for on the day previous the fever left me, so that I could 
 preach freely, though with deep emotion, on the text, I 
 John ii. 28, "And now, little children, abide in Him." 
 
 Till then I had hardly ever enjoyed good health for the 
 space of twenty-three years, but from that time I recovered 
 the vigour of my youth, which I have since enjoyed to 
 this day ; for, with the exception of a few fits of ague, I 
 have had only two serious illnesses during the last twenty- 
 seven years. God be praised for it ! 
 
 Ever since I sat on the knees of my mother, who fre- 
 quently spoke feelingly of the desolation of Israel, and 
 
2i6 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 especially since it pleased the Lord to reveal Himself to 
 my soul, I have always taken a deep interest in the con- 
 version of the Jews. Wherefore, before coming to Jeru- 
 salem, I resolved to labour in brotherly union with the 
 missionaries of the Society for the Promotion of Chris- 
 tianity among the Jews for the spiritual and temporal 
 benefit of the children of Israel, as it has been my 
 privilege to do unto this day. During my residence at 
 Jerusalem we have baptized nearly two hundred adult 
 Israelites and many children. But I knew that it was 
 not the object of those who had appointed and sent me 
 to Jerusalem that I should restrict myself to the work 
 of an ordinary local pastor or missionary to the Jews. 
 Besides, I felt that, like St. Paul (though I am ashamed 
 to mention my own poor name in comparison with his), 
 I was a debtor not only to the Jews, but also to the 
 Greeks and to the barbarians, to the wise and to the 
 ignorant, Greeks, Eomanists, Armenians, Turks, &c., whose 
 wretched condition, spiritual and temporal, had been recalled 
 to me during my visit to Palestine twenty years before. 
 
 I therefore at once began to meditate upon the means 
 to be employed for the spiritual benefit of the ignorant and 
 depraved natives of all denominations. The first idea 
 which presented itself to my mind was to send colporteurs 
 to disseminate the Word of God among the people ; but 
 alas ! that would have been of but little use, for, with the 
 exception of a few merchants and people connected with 
 the corrupt Government, with the mosques, or with the 
 monasteries, who on account of their evil practices, which 
 they were unable to give up, did not care for a book 
 that condemned them, — with these exceptions, there 
 were scarcely any men, and no women, who could read. 
 Scripture-readers were desirable, but for a long time I 
 could find none. 
 
ARRIVAL AT JERUSALEM. 217 
 
 At last I made the acquaintance of a simple man who, 
 several years previously, had received a Bible from an 
 American missionary. He had studied the sacred book 
 attentively, and had found in it so much that was contrary 
 to the teaching of the Eomish Church, to which he belonged, 
 that the priests, failing to bring him back to his allegiance, 
 accused him of forgery. This was a crime punishable with 
 death, but the local Governor or Pasha having no power 
 to pass the capital sentence, he had been sent to Constan- 
 tinople, and there kept in a dungeon for a whole year 
 without a trial. He had there studied his Bible, no 
 longer with a view to finding out the errors of Eome, but 
 of discovering what he must do to be saved. 
 
 The Bishop's autobiography written at Jerusalem during 
 the years 1869 to 1873, and slightly abridged in these 
 pages, ends here somewhat abruptly. 
 
 The second part of the narrative has been written by 
 another hand, but enriched with copious extracts from the 
 Bishop's correspondence. — Eng. Ed. 
 
PART 11. 
 
 HIS WORK AS BISHOP AT JERUSALEM. 
 (1846-1879.) 
 
( 221 ) 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 RETROSPECTIVE GLANCE AT THE ORIGIN OF THE 
 EVANGEIJCAL BISHOPRIC AT JERUSALEM. 
 
 Those readers who have perused with sympathetic interest 
 the charming narrative of our venerable friend in the 
 foregoing pages, will doubtless regret that he laid down 
 his pen at the very commencement of his new and more 
 extended career of usefulness. It has therefore devolved 
 upon certain of the surviving members of his family to 
 take up the thread of the story, and to portray as faith- 
 fully as possible, with the help of existing memoranda 
 and personal recollections, the second half of his life, 
 covering the period of his episcopate. 
 
 The narrative must now assume a different tone ; the 
 sphere of action has become widely expanded ; and it 
 seems to us that it will be no inappropriate prelude to our 
 task if we take a rapid survey of the bishopric from its 
 creation up to the period when Samuel Gobat was in- 
 vited to undertake its responsibility. 
 
 The events of 1840 had a very decided influence 
 upon the condition of Palestine. Mohammed Ali and 
 his son, Ibrahim Pasha, had wrested Egypt, Crete, and 
 Syria from the sovereignty of the Sultan, with the design 
 of founding an independent Mohammedan kingdom. 
 Ibrahim, who had formerly rendered terrible service to 
 
222 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 the Turks in their struggles with the Greeks, subsequently 
 gained a series of victories over the Ottoman power in 
 Syria and Asia Minor. European diplomatists were 
 consequently seized with the apprehension that Turkey, 
 thus enfeebled, would no longer be able to withstand 
 the ascendancy of Eussia, and that the Sultan would 
 throw himself into the arms of the Czar, thereby turning 
 the whole course of recent events to the advantage of 
 the great Northern Power. In order to obviate this 
 result, the other European Powers came to the assistance 
 of Turkey. England and Austria stepped into the 
 breach, declared war against Mohammed Ali, took Said, 
 Beyrout, and the fortress of Ptolemay, the bulwark of 
 Palestine, and obliged Ibrahim, against whom the people 
 of Syria had also risen up, to retreat. The consequence 
 of these martial successes was to place in the hands of 
 the Western Powers the liberation of Jerusalem from 
 the Mohammedan dominion, an object for which the 
 Crusaders of old had made the utmost sacrifices. The 
 liveliest hopes and wishes were now awakened among 
 the Christians of England and Germany. Had not the 
 time now arrived when a Christian kingdom ought to be 
 established in the Holy Land ? Or, if the supremacy of 
 the Porte must absolutely be acknowledged, would it not 
 become the duty of the European Powers to provide 
 for the foundation of a semi-sovereign state under a 
 Christian prince, analogous in position to that of the 
 Danubian Principalities at that epoch ? Or, if not this, 
 could not at least a Christian administrator be placed 
 in Palestine ? The inclinations of the Philhellenistic 
 party were in favour of the Christians of the East. A 
 society at Berlin addressed a petition to Lord Palmer- 
 ston praying for the restoration of the Jews to their 
 own land. Among the Christians of Great Britain, the 
 
RETROSPECTION. 223 
 
 idea began to gain ground that the time of the pro- 
 phesied conversion and restoration of Israel was at hand, 
 and political events seemed to be opening a way for this 
 consummation. But all these fair hopes and aspirations 
 came to nought. The Holy Land was given back to 
 the Grand Turk ; and no Christian prince, no Christian 
 administrator, was established at Jerusalem. Of the 
 return of the Jews not a trace was to be discovered. 
 The sole fruit of events so rich in promise was the 
 founding of the Evangelical Bishopric at Jerusalem. 
 
 This was the work of King Frederick William IV. 
 of Prussia. The plan originated with him ; its realisa- 
 tion was effected in conjunction with the Government 
 and Parliament of England. Evangelical Christians 
 in Turkey had hitherto enjoyed no rights as such, 
 no representation and no protection, while the Greeks 
 were shielded by Piussia, and the Latin Christians by 
 France. Now, however, similar advantages of protection 
 were to be assured to Evangelical Christians by means 
 of a Protestant Episcopate at Jerusalem, which, under 
 the segis of the two great Protestant Powers, England 
 and Prussia, would occupy a position competent to 
 command respect. 
 
 It is true that as yet there were but few Protestant 
 English or Germans in the East, but expectations were 
 entertained of the formation of British and German 
 colonies in Palestine. The Bishop was further to be 
 empowered to take charge of all such missionaries of 
 different denominations labouring in the East as should 
 wish to place themselves under his care. There were 
 already American missionaries actively engaged at Bey- 
 rout, and Anglican ones busy in Palestine, Chaldea, 
 Egypt, Abyssinia, and elsewhere. But above all else, 
 Jerusalem was to be the centre from which the Gospel 
 
224 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 was to be disseminated among the Jews. In addition 
 to this, the King of Prussia cherished views with regard 
 to the Christians in the East. It was the intention to 
 promulgate among them Christian culture. The Bishops 
 of England met the Greek Bishops half way, and it was 
 hoped that in due time the way would he paved for a 
 union between the Anglican and Eastern Churches, on 
 the ground of mutual recognition. Finally, it was 
 anticipated that a more favourable disposition would be 
 engendered among the Mohammedans, who until then 
 had held themselves entirely inaccessible to all Christen- 
 dom, if the plan succeeded of building up within their 
 borders an Evangelical community which should be 
 wholly free from superstitious rites while adorned with 
 Christian virtues. 
 
 Such were the intentions with which Frederick 
 William IV. signed the document for endowment of 
 the new See. He granted half of the necessary funds, 
 to the amount of ;^ 15,000 sterling. The Bishop was 
 to be consecrated in England, and placed under the 
 jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The 
 right of nomination was to fall alternately to the British 
 and the Prussian Crown. Evangelical pastors from 
 Germany were under superintendence of the Bishops, to 
 minister to the German Protestants and celebrate their 
 services, alternately with the Anglican Christians, in the 
 same church. This was the agreement entered into by 
 the State and Bishops of England. 
 
 On the 6th of November 1841, the Act of Parliament 
 for the establishment of an Episcopal See at Jerusalem 
 received the sanction of Queen Victoria.""' 
 
 * Das Evangelische Bistum zii Jerusalem, Geschichtliche Darstellung 
 mit Urkunden, Berlin, 1842 ; and Kheinwald-Repertorium der theolo- 
 gischen Literatur, 1842, S. 368 ff., 1843, S. 85 If. 
 
RETROSPECTION. 
 
 225 
 
 The first Bisliop nominated by the English Govern- 
 ment was a baptized Israelite, Michael Solomon Alex- 
 ander, born in 1799 at Schonlanke, in the Grand 
 Duchy of Posen, and educated as a teacher of the Tal- 
 mud. He afterwards became a Jewish private tutor 
 in England, where he was instructed in Christianity by 
 a clergyman named Golding, and was baptized at Ply- 
 mouth in 1825. He was ordained priest in 1 8 2 7 by 
 the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. Magee. He then worked 
 under the auspices of the Society for the Promotion of 
 Christianity among the Jews, and as Professor of Hebrew 
 and Rabbinical Literature at King's College, London. 
 
 The first candidate proposed for the new See was Dr. 
 M'Caul, of Trinity College, Dublin, and distinguished for 
 Hebraical scholarship. He, however, declined it, on the 
 ground that the Jerusalem bishopric ought to be filled 
 by a son of Abraham ; and it was he who recommended 
 Alexander to the Government. 
 
 The consecration took place on the 7th of November 
 1 84 1. The rite was performed by the Archbishop of 
 Canterbury, and on the 21st of January 1842, Bishop 
 Alexander arrived at Jerusalem. He was accompanied 
 by Ewald, a zealous missionary to the Jews, who was by 
 birth an Israelite, and who had already laboured at Tunis ; 
 by his chaplain, Mr. Williams, and his physician. Dr. 
 MacGowan. They found in the Holy City Missionary 
 Nicolayson of Schleswig, who had been sent out by the 
 English Society for Promoting Christianity among the 
 Jews. 
 
 Their first reception on the part of the Turkish autho- 
 rities was not an unfriendly one. A paternal greeting 
 from the Primate of all England, introducing the new 
 Bishop, was presented to the Greek and Armenian Patri- 
 archs. The Society for Missions to the Jews, presided 
 
226 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 over b}^ Lord Asliley, found means, with the help of a 
 noble-minded benefactress, Miss Cook, for the building 
 of Christ Church on Mount Zion. This was the first 
 evangelical church erected in the length and breadth 
 of the Turkish dominions. 
 
 The beginnings of the united labours of these men 
 were tedious, and without visible results. The building 
 of the church was arrested by a prohibitory decree from 
 Constantinople so early as 1842, the very first year of 
 Dr. Alexander's episcopate ; and it was only after years 
 of effort on the part of the celebrated British Ambassador, 
 Sir Stratford Canning, afterwards Lord Stratford de Red- 
 cliffe, that a firman was obtained from the Sultan, in 
 September 1845, authorising the resumption and com- 
 pletion of the building. But before the end of 1 845 
 Bishop Alexander had already finished his course. He 
 died while on a journey to England. 
 
 Such were the circumstances under which Gobat 
 entered upon his episcopal duties, when he arrived at 
 Jerusalem at the close of 1846. The congregation, 
 which, during the vacancy of the See, had been taken 
 charge of by Nicolayson, numbered only from forty to 
 fifty communicants, and had hitherto assembled in an 
 obscure private building. 
 
 A house belonging to a rich Israelite was taken and 
 furnished for the occupation of the Bishop and his 
 family. There existed a Hebrew seminary under the 
 Rev. Douglas Veitch, who attached himself as chap- 
 lain to the new Bishop, and remained his faithfully 
 devoted friend through life. In this college proselytes 
 were instructed in theology and languages. Indigent 
 Jews found work and instruction in useful handicrafts 
 in a House of Industry established for their benefit. Of 
 other schools there were none. No bishop had ever 
 
RETROSPECTION. 227 
 
 exercised sway over a sraaller community than that 
 which fell to the lot of Samuel Gobat ; yet none had 
 ever been appointed to a wider field of action than that 
 which stretched around him, for it comprehended Pales- 
 tine, Syria, Assyria, Chaldea, Asia Minor, Egypt, and 
 Abyssinia. 
 
 The sentiments of Dr. Gobat's friends when he was 
 called to this important office may be gathered from the 
 two letters here subjoined. One is from his intimate 
 friend Pastor Karl Werner ; the other from his father- 
 in-law. The first sets forth, better than we could do it, 
 the manner in which Gobat had been prepared through 
 the Divine guidance for his vocation. Herr Zeller had 
 at first felt misgivings as to his son-in-law's acceptance 
 of the See. He seems to have felt much as Luther had 
 done on hearing that his friend Staupitz was to be made 
 a bishop. He was shocked ; for it was his opinion that 
 no bishop (as bishops then were) could be saved ; the 
 temptation to worldliness would be too strong. But we 
 shall see how the apprehensions of the worthy inspector 
 were calmed. 
 
 Karl Werner to S. Gobat. 
 
 " Grossheppach, March 30, 1846, 
 
 " Dear Brother, — A letter from good Dr. Barth, 
 received to-day, has brought me such important news 
 concerning you, that I cannot refrain from writing to 
 you without delay, which indeed I ought to have done 
 long ago. He informs me that Bunsen, by command 
 of the King of Prussia, has offered you the Bishopric 
 at Jerusalem. Now, first and foremost, I am delighted 
 that the identical thought seems to have struck his 
 Majesty of Prussia as that which at once occurred to 
 my mind when the episcopal office at Jerusalem fell 
 
228 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 vacant. I said at the time to a couple of trusty brethren 
 that I knew who was the right man for the place, and 
 that was no other than our dear Gobat, who would suit 
 it exactly. ... It is certainly a ticklish position ; I 
 quite see that ; and in your new sphere good times are 
 as little to be expected as they were in your previous 
 pilgrimage, when the Cross has often weighed heavily. 
 But you are not a man who seeks his own ease ; it is 
 rather ' the fellowship of His sufferings ' that you have 
 chosen. The Lord has endowed you with prudence such 
 as enables you to deal successfully alike with the high 
 and the lowly, and to combine in the right way the 
 wisdom of the serpent and the harmlessness of the dove. 
 Moreover, it is not your own but God's glory that you 
 seek ; and therefore you need not fear the snares which 
 beset your path. May He give you grace to bear His 
 Cross where He has borne it before you, and may He 
 rule your heart, that it may not strive against the 
 burthen. 
 
 " And now I must tell you why I believe that you 
 are the fittest man for the post. You have a strong 
 love for the Jewish people ; without nourishing enthusi- 
 astic anticipations, you yet hold fast the hope of Israel 
 in its fullest sense. You are seeking no object of ecclesi- 
 astical ambition, for you hate that anti- Christian spirit 
 which, among Princes of the Church and their partisans, 
 manifests itself in a love of the power to rule over others. 
 You will, therefore, strive to serve, not the exclusive 
 interests of the Church, but the kingdom of Christ 
 itself, which is built up of the lowly and wretched on 
 the earth. You will ever preserve a brotherly heart, 
 walk in evangelical freedom, love, and humility, and 
 make room for others to walk at your side. Remember 
 that many another on whom the choice might fall, in 
 
RETROSPECTION. 229 
 
 case yoa declined it, would act otherwise. This is my 
 first and chief reason. 
 
 '' Then you combine certain qualities which are rarely 
 to be met with united in the same personality. You 
 are allied in nearly equal measure by birth, education, 
 and career to three great and distinct nationalities. 
 By speech a Frenchman, you are a German in sym- 
 pathies, and have become an Englishman by virtue of 
 your connection with the British Mission. These cir- 
 cumstances confer upon you in your position important 
 advantages which many other candidates might fail to 
 possess. To these must be added your reputation in 
 the East and in the West. Your name carries weight 
 in both quarters of the world. This is again a special 
 qualification. 
 
 " Finally, you are master of precisely those languages 
 with which, in such a position, it would be most desir- 
 able for you to be acquainted. In short, dear brother, 
 consider the matter in whatever way I will, I find you 
 entirely calculated to fill up the gap. May the Lord 
 vouchsafe to you freedom of heart and mind to give a 
 ready assent ! 
 
 "I must own that, in that case, I should find the 
 solution to the mystery of your being led to Abyssinia ; 
 for then it would clearly appear that Providence had 
 been guiding you through bypaths to the goal now in 
 view, and preparing you by ways that you knew not. 
 Moreover, your previous ordination in the English Church 
 borrows a more important and significant force from this 
 unlooked-for contingency. 
 
 " But enough said on a subject upon which you must 
 be able to form a clearer judgment than I can do. Only, 
 I could not forbear telling you my opinion ; and I can 
 assure you that all the reasons which I have here enume- 
 
230 LIFE OF SAMUEL GO BAT. 
 
 rated are entirely the result of my own thouglits and 
 convictions, unbiassed by the least hint from any other 
 quarter. Barth certainly said in his letter that I ought 
 to persuade you, but he mentioned no reason for my 
 doing so. ... I am and must ever remain persuaded in 
 my own mind that you are the man for Jerusalem, and I 
 trust that the Lord has guided you also to this belief, and 
 that He will make the matter clear to you. K. W." 
 
 Christian H. ZelUr to his Daughter, Madame Gobat, 
 at Malta. 
 
 " Beuggen, August 26, 1846. 
 
 ^' My dear Maria, — Those were delightful, but, alas ! 
 all too fleeting days of close and intimate converse which 
 we enjoyed with your husband when on his way to 
 London, and afterwards on his return from Berlin. We 
 all observed with joy that he was kind and simple-hearted 
 as ever, and that his promotion to the new episcopal dig- 
 nity had not puffed him up, but that, on the contrary, he 
 had preserved unimpaired his accustomed sincere humi- 
 lity. May God be praised and thanked for that. May 
 He also bless you, dear Maria, with new gifts of His meek 
 and humble Spirit, and with wisdom and grace, . . . 
 that you may become a faithful handmaid of the Lord, 
 and a loving help-meet for your husband in his new 
 position. You will soon learn that his new dignity brings 
 with it new burthens, not only for him, but also for 
 yourself. . . . 
 
 " We are sorry to read in the papers that there is 
 great drought and consequent scarcity in Jerusalem, and 
 that at Safet positive famine had set in. This is no easy 
 beginning for you both. May God support you, and 
 still more the multitudes of poor, with His gracious 
 help ! May He conduct you in the hour of need with 
 
RETROSPECTION. 231 
 
 His mighty arm and angel-guards in safety over sea and 
 land, till He bring you to that country which His holy 
 feet so oft have trodden, and which once so blindly re- 
 jected Him. May the mighty prophecies concerning that 
 city, that land, that nation, be brought to glorious fruition 
 in His own good time, and may your husband's work be 
 so blessed that it may prepare the way of the Lord. May 
 the ninety-first psalm, in especial, be graciously fulfilled 
 for you. The Lord be with you all. Amen. 
 
 " We send you our blessing, and abide in close com- 
 munion with you through love and intercession. Think 
 also upon us, dear Maria, and particularly upon your 
 father in his advancing age. 
 
 " Christiax H. Zeller." 
 
( 232 ) 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION, AND OF SCHOLASTIC 
 
 MATTERS UNDER BISHOP GOB AT. 
 
 (1846-1851.) 
 
 The fount ain-liead of the history of the three- and-thirty 
 years' activity of Bishop Gobat at Jerusalem is to be found 
 in his annual circular letters. On each anniversary of his 
 predecessor's arrival in Jerusalem, the Bishop addressed a 
 " brotherly message " by way of New Year's greeting to 
 distant Christian friends. An English version of these 
 letters appeared in the Record, while a German edition of 
 them was published in the Calwer MissionshlaU, and in 
 the Christian Volksbote. They were only omitted in those 
 years when the Bishop was travelling in Europe, or when 
 he was hindered from writing by illness. 
 
 These are supplemented by documents which have 
 been found among Gobat's manuscript correspondence 
 and elsewhere. A rich source of information concerning 
 the Evangelical Mission in Jerusalem, Syria, Asia Minor, 
 and Egypt is furnished by the valuable periodical en- 
 titled, Neiieste Nachrichten aus dem Morrjenlande,^ and 
 published from 1857 till 1872 by the garrison-chaplain, 
 Herr Friedrich Strauss, and since then by Herr Karl 
 Hoffmann. Gobat himself abstained through delicacy of 
 
 ^ " Latest Tidings from the East." 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 233 
 
 feeling and prudent foresight from the publication of 
 histories of the conversions of persons still living, whereby 
 the work of Divine grace may so easily be hindered and 
 spiritual harm be wrought. In that periodical, however, 
 more individual detail was ventured upon, and many an 
 experience recorded in its pages may serve for the edifica- 
 tion of the reader. 
 
 When Gobat discontinued his autobiography, he did 
 this nob alone through want of time and strength. He 
 had another motive for his silence. As Bishop he had 
 to encounter much hostility, and to battle through many 
 controversies. A lover of peace, he preferred to keep 
 silence on all these points. In the present volume, how- 
 ever, these conflicts cannot be entirely ignored, because 
 the truthfulness of the picture would thereby suffer ; but 
 we shall seek to treat them in the same spirit of conciliation 
 as that which imbued the mind of the departed Bishop. 
 
 The reports of this first period, from 1846 to 1 851, 
 already present a striking picture of Gobat's manifold 
 and increasing labours, of the material and spiritual 
 poverty by which he was on all sides surrounded, and of 
 the opposition which he had to suffer, alike from Jews, 
 Christians, and Mohammedans. His path of duty, as 
 representative of the Evangelical Churches of England 
 and Germany, was occasionally beset with thorns ; and 
 we have high and competent testimony to the manner in 
 which he demeaned himself in this difficult position, and 
 to the general respect which he enforced not only for 
 himself personally, but for the cause which he had to 
 maintain. 
 
 The following extract is taken from the Tl^ochcnhlatt 
 des Johanniterordcns, Berlin, 1880, No. 47; and it was 
 written by Dr. G. Rosen, savant and diplomatist, who, a^ 
 Prussian Consul at Jerusalem since 1852, was a firm 
 
STREET OF THE BAZAAR, JERUSALEJtf, WITH MOUNT OF OLIVES IN 
 BACKGROUND.— Pa^re 235. 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 235 
 
 "If we take into furtlier consideration the fact tliat 
 Gobat's mind had assimilated rich stores of theological 
 learning, while his heart was filled with child-like faith, 
 . . . — that he was almost equally master of the three 
 most important languages of modern culture, German, Eng- 
 lish, and French, — that he possessed the advantage of an 
 agreeable, sonorous voice, and that the effect of his dig- 
 nified, earnest countenance was aided by a tall and im- 
 posing stature ; — it must be owned that he was furnished 
 in an unwonted degree with the weapons necessary to 
 combat the difficulties of his exalted situation. . . . 
 
 " Gobat's presence in Jerusalem was to many people 
 unwelcome ; but . . . thoroughly peace-loving by nature, 
 he lamented the discord awakened in all directions by 
 his activity ; though he was well aware that . . . reform 
 and old routine cannot amicably co-exist. He regarded 
 the actual conflict between the two as inevitable, but he 
 was most careful to avoid visiting it on individuals. In 
 the case of the hierarchies of the ancient confessions, for 
 example, he ever cherished for them the most hearty 
 good-will, notwithstanding the coldly repellant attitude 
 maintained by them towards him." 
 
 So far Dr. Rosen. 
 
 Gobat left behind him an extensive collection of letters, 
 from which we shall here give a selection. The most 
 notable portion of it consists of his correspondence with 
 King Frederick William. Gobat's own narrative has 
 already made us acquainted with some of the particulars 
 of interviews with his Majesty immediately after the 
 former's nomination to the bishopric ; the King himself 
 observed at the time that he had seldom met with any 
 man who had inspired him with such entire confidence 
 as Samuel Gobat. This sentiment is exemplified in the 
 letters above referred to. 
 
236 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 Bishop Gohat to General Hose, Consul- General at 
 Bey rout. 
 
 "Jerusalem, October 13, 1847. 
 
 "My dear Sir, — . . . The subject of your letter has 
 often occupied my thoughts for a long time past ; and I 
 fully agree with you that the combined efforts of French 
 and Roman policy, of which education is the most power- 
 ful auxiliary, are calculated greatly to increase the in- 
 fluence of France in Syria. But the more I reflect on 
 this subject, the more I feel our want of means to coun- 
 teract that influence, either in a political or religious 
 point of view. 
 
 " I do not think, however, that the greatest difficulty 
 will be with the natives ; although in this respect also the 
 French emissaries, whether Jesuits or Sceurs de Charity, 
 have a great advantage over us in the fact that they can 
 begin their operations, wherever they go, with co-reli- 
 gionists, who not only have no prejudice of importance 
 against them, but who have also been accustomed to look 
 to them for protection. We, alike as Protestants and 
 Englishmen, have no such nucleus to begin with ; and 
 it is well known that in every enterprise of this kind 
 the beginning is the most difficult part. But still, it is 
 not the field of operations which presents the greatest 
 difficulties ; with a little patience and perseverance exist- 
 ing prejudices would be removed, and in a short time 
 people would discover that a lay education is better than 
 one essentially clerical. I conceive that the great obstacle 
 lies with us, and consists in our want of means, a difficulty 
 which I already feel in my endeavour to establish an Eng- 
 lish school at Jerusalem. 
 
 " However important other questions on this subject 
 of education in this country may be, whenever I think of 
 it, the religious question is the first that presents itself. 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 237 
 
 as well with regard to the field of operation, as also with 
 regard to the source whence we are to derive support. 
 
 ^' If I were to express my conviction, I would say that 
 / consider education without religion as a j^ositive evil, 
 as the present state of my native country, Switzerland, 
 abundantly proves. But then, with respect to this 
 country, I do not mean by a religious education the 
 teaching of creeds, catechisms, &c., least of all the theo- 
 retical differences existing between different Churches, but 
 the positive, historical, doctrinal, and moral truths of the 
 Word of God, proceeding from a living conviction on the 
 part of the teacher, and interwoven as much as possible 
 with other branches of education. No so-called religious 
 lessons, except the simple reading of the Bible, with 
 short observations in a free conversational or catechetical 
 manner. But I suppose that this view will not meet 
 with any supporter. Pieligion ought to he the salt of edu- 
 cation, seasoning other branches ; never to be adminis- 
 tered alone to children, except in small doses, to correct 
 moral indigestion and to excite appetite. 
 
 " But as far as I am acquainted with the English 
 public, from whom support is to be sought, I must con- 
 sider such a system impracticable. One party will sup- 
 port schools in which a religious education is given, i.e., 
 according to their views, where scarcely anything is 
 taught but religion ; I mean, a knowledge of abstract 
 religious views as developed under a special form of 
 ecclesiastical system. "Whilst others, less generous in 
 action though more so in words, will have no religion at 
 all in schools. Under such circumstances, where are we 
 to get the means of establishing English schools ? If 
 we could show a prospectus of intended schools in this 
 country essentially or exclusively religious, I have no 
 doubt but some religious society would undertake to 
 
238 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 send cheap sclioolmasters, and to maintain them ; but 
 this would not do in this country. The schools would 
 remain empty. On the other hand, if we stated that 
 no religion, or at least as little as possible, should be 
 taught, many people would applaud, while clever but 
 expensive teachers would offer their services. In the 
 latter case, we should be unable to find funds to meet 
 the expenses, and the natives would scarcely be disposed 
 to send their children to schools professedly irreligious. 
 
 ^' If Government were inclined to undertake the matter, 
 the middle course, which I conceive would alone be prac- 
 ticable as likely to prove useful, might be adopted. But 
 will the Government do anything in this direction ? 
 
 "In the year 184 1 I was sent by the Church Mis- 
 sionary Society to ascertain whether the Druses were 
 disposed to have their children educated on a large scale 
 by the agents of that Society. I found them very well 
 inclined in this respect, and willing that the Bible should 
 be taught to their children. But before leaving Syria I 
 received the intelligence that the receipts of that Society 
 being far below its expenses, they could not think of 
 putting that plan into effect ; and since then nothing 
 has been done. 
 
 " I conceive that the chief fault of the British Govern- 
 ment in this country for years past has been to consider 
 the inhabitants of Syria as a nation^ whilst there is no 
 nationality, but only sects. This the French and Russians 
 understand very well, and they both have their parties or 
 sects or centres of influence in the Roman Catholic and 
 Greek Churches. This cannot be changed. 
 
 " I believe that if the British Government would under- 
 take to educate and protect the Druses, it would prove 
 the means of getting a footing in this country similar to 
 that of France and Russia. I should be sorry to see 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 239 
 
 Protestantism, whether episcopal or not, made a means 
 of political intrigue, as is the case with .the above 
 Churches. But, on the other hand, I am convinced that 
 if England were to protect Protestantism, i.e., religious 
 liberty, with a strong hand, such a course would be the 
 means of acquiring within a few years the best-grounded, 
 most just, and probably most powerful influence in this 
 country. ... S. Angl. Hierosol." 
 
 Extract from BisJiop Gohafs Circular Letter of 1847. 
 
 "Jerusalem, November g, 1847. 
 
 *' Samuel Gobat, Evangelical Bishop at Jerusalem, to 
 all the brethren who love the Lord Jesus and look for 
 His kingdom, but especially to those who yearn and 
 pray for the salvation of Israel — Grace and peace. 
 
 " When on the 2 1 st of January, the anniversary of 
 the arrival of the first Evangelical Bishop in Jerusalem, 
 I bent my knee before the throne of grace in grateful 
 remembrance of abundant blessings bestowed in past 
 years, it was my fervent prayer to the God of Israel, 
 in unity of spirit with all the servants of the Lord who 
 earnestly desire the building of Jerusalem, that He would 
 vouchsafe His richest blessing to the growing Church 
 upon Mount Zion. I also gladly formed the resolution 
 to follow the example of my late predecessor, who, 
 through the medium of an annual brotherly greeting, 
 was accustomed to call to your remembrance the present 
 needs and the future hopes of Jerusalem. I would at 
 the same time commend myself and the little flock 
 committed to my care to jouv fraternal and Christian 
 benevolence, to your love, and to your faithful inter- 
 cessions. 
 
 '' While availing myself of this opportunity to express 
 my heartfelt thanks to all those who in past years . . . 
 
240 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 have sliown me so much love and sympathy, I feel con- 
 strained to ask not only your general daily prayers, but 
 also to invite you, in a special manner, to join with us 
 in a spirit of supplication and intercession on the 2 1 st 
 of January 1848, which day has been appointed by the 
 congregation at Jerusalem to be kept as one of prayer 
 and thanksgiving. . . . 
 
 " Since our arrival here at the end of last year, we 
 have enjoyed tranquillity and peace. Each one of us is 
 actively working in his own proper sphere to proclaim 
 the unspeakable riches of Christ to the unhappy sons of 
 Abraham, and not to them alone. As far as we can 
 discover, a lively spirit of inquiry after the truth is 
 abroad among the Jews. I hear from time to time 
 that many Jews are half convinced that Jesus is the 
 Christ ; many there are who secretly read the New 
 Testament. There are but a few who have the courage 
 to open their hearts to the missionaries, or even to visit 
 or receive visits from them ; while very few indeed 
 have the heart to openly acknowledge their belief in a 
 crucified Eedeemer. On the other hand, the difficulties 
 which beset those Jews who believe in the Lord Jesus 
 and desire to confess His Name are almost insurmount- 
 able. They must not only overcome their innate pre- 
 judices, but also see every bond of kinship and affection 
 rent asunder. They must make up their minds at the 
 very outset, that from the moment when they openly 
 declare their belief in Christ, the love and attachment 
 of their nearest relatives and friends will be changed 
 into contempt and scorn and deadly hatred ; and 
 although they are almost all very poor here, they must 
 yet renounce from that hour all the help which they, 
 as Jews, w^ould otherwise receive from their brethren 
 after the flesh in different lands. Still there are a few 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 241 
 
 whose conviction of the truth that Jesus of Nazareth is 
 the Messiah enables them to surmount all these diffi- 
 culties, and that without any prospect of the least tem- 
 poral advantage. 
 
 "But it is a matter of course that, as long as we have 
 a morsel of bread, we will share it with such, and, thank 
 God ! all the members of our little community are of 
 one mind on this subject. 
 
 " In the course of the present year five adult Jews have 
 been here incorporated through baptism with the Evan- 
 gelical Church, among them a youth of seventeen, who 
 had previously suffered persistent persecution and incar- 
 ceration for the sake of the name of Christ, and who, we 
 hope, has hajopily fallen asleep in the Lord. Since the 
 year 1839, thirty-one adult Jews and twenty-six of 
 tender age have been baptized. This is certainly a small 
 number compared with the multitude of Israelites who 
 are perishing in their unbelief and superstition. But 
 when we consider that one single immortal soul is worth 
 more than the whole world, how can it be asserted, even 
 supposing that half of them are faithful members of the 
 body of Christ, that success bears no proportion to the 
 outlay and the efforts of the Missionary Society and the 
 missionaries ? Besides, it must not be forgotten that the 
 past and the present time has been and is a season of 
 clearing away difficulties and hindrances, a time of sowing. 
 In the future we shall reap, if we faint not. I must own 
 that these proselytes are still weak, and that they need 
 our daily care, watchfulness, and intercession. On the 
 other hand, I may venture to say, to the honour of God's 
 grace, that some of them do walk worthy of their calling. 
 Several are working as missionaries or assistant-mission- 
 aries in Egypt, Persia, and Palestine, and the blessing of 
 God rests upon their labours. Of those who reside here, 
 
 Q 
 
242 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 I must say that they work hard, and eat their bread in 
 the sweat of their brow ; and although very backward in 
 their spiritual condition, they nevertheless strive to grow 
 in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 " This leads me to the mention of one of our greatest 
 difficulties, which of late has increased in magnitude. It 
 has already been observed that a Jew, as soon as he con- 
 fesses his belief in Christ, as a rule loses at once his 
 means of livelihood. Now so long as isolated individuals 
 come over to Christianity, we do what we can to protect 
 them from hunger and nakedness. But as the Society 
 for the Conversion of the Jews has been compelled through 
 pecuniary embarrassment to give up the Hebrew College, 
 and to materially reduce the industrial establishment or 
 refuge for proselytes — as, moreover, the missionaries 
 only receive about 8 00 florins annually in aid of pro- 
 selytes, it is clear that if our work meets with wider 
 success we shall be placed in a most embarrassing 
 position. 
 
 " At the present moment we have two candidates for 
 baptism, who enjoy regular instruction and seem very 
 promising. For these we must provide until their bap- 
 tism a few months hence. But we have heard of several, 
 of whole families indeed, who shortly intend to present 
 themselves ; and if they do so, we shall thereby find our- 
 selves in very straitened circumstances, unless Christian 
 brethren possessed of means come to our aid. 
 
 " I must therefore appeal to all the faithful, and 
 remind them of their obligations ; for in proportion as we 
 promote the preaching of the Gospel among the Jews, 
 so do we incur the duty before God of succouring accord- 
 ing to our worldly means those Israelites who, in conse- 
 quence of their acceptance of the Gospel, are exposed to 
 utter want of all life's necessaries. 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 
 
 243 
 
 " I were almost tempted to beseech you, dear brethren, 
 to refrain from causing the Gospel to be proclaimed to 
 the Jews, unless you are at the same time prepared, in 
 case of their conversion, and of their being therefore 
 ' naked and destitute of daily food,' to do more than to 
 say, ' Depart in peace ; be ye warmed and filled.' 
 
 " But what is to be done ? Should God hear out and 
 your prayers, so that many of them might be converted, I 
 know not how we should provide for them ; and yet it is 
 our duty to do so. It is clear to me that so long as our 
 converts here are undergoing preparatory instruction, 
 that is, previous to their baptism, they must be entirely 
 supported by Christian beneficence ; afterwards they must 
 be taught to earn their bread themselves ; but this 
 again will cost both time and money. And I repeat 
 that if those among the faithful who do possess means 
 will not come to our assistance, the mission in Palestine 
 and Jerusalem cannot thrive, the exertions of the mission- 
 aries will become crippled, and the congregation cannot 
 increase. 
 
 '' This is prosaic, but I cannot help it. Duty urges 
 me to cry aloud to you all that the Lord shall ' arise and 
 have mercy upon Zion ; for the time to favour her, yea. 
 the set time is come ; ' and whether you come forward 
 or not to aid in furthering the Lord's pleasure. He will 
 yet gather together the people of His covenant, convert, 
 feed, and clothe them, to the confounding of those who 
 turn their backs upon them in the time of their need. 
 
 " No one can wish more earnestly than I to see the 
 Jews delivered from every oppression which weighs upon 
 them and rescued from all their misery. But to shower 
 benefits upon the Jews, even were it with a view to lead 
 them by such means to a belief in the Gospel, while the 
 poor converted Israelites are neglected and abandoned to 
 
244 L^FB OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 their fate, may perhaps be philanthropic, but it certainly 
 cannot be called a Christian mode of procedure. 
 
 " In the course of the year now nearly expired, our 
 services have been held with regularity and free from 
 disturbance of any kind. On Sundays we have three 
 services, two in English, which language is understood 
 by the majority of our congregation, proselytes included, 
 and one in the German tongue for the remaining converts 
 and the six or eight Germans resident here. Every morn- 
 ing a Hebrew service is held. We celebrate the holy com- 
 munion on all the great festivals, and on the first Sunday 
 of every month. As several Arabs have attached them- 
 selves to us, and others seem to be so inclined, we are 
 thinking of soon establishing a regular Arab service. 
 
 " In consequence ... of the recent conversion of a 
 Druse at Beyrout, we have received a fatuct (written 
 declaration) from the Mufti of Beyrout, wherein it is 
 expressly stated that it is permitted to the Jews and 
 Druses, subjects of the Porte, to become Christians ; and 
 that all members of the various Christian congregations 
 may migrate at will from one Church or party to another. 
 This will certainly prove, like all the friendly firmans of 
 the Porte, of little practical importance in the first in- 
 stance. But we may, nevertheless, regard it as a further 
 step towards the desired religious liberty in this country ; 
 and we may hope that good fruit may result, to the glory 
 of God and salvation of men. This fatua is founded upon 
 the Mohammedan axiom that there really exist but two 
 religions, namely, that from God, which leads to God, 
 and that from the devil, which leads to perdition. Now, 
 seeing that all the unbelieving, i.e., non-Mohammedans, 
 belong to the religion of Satan, it must be a matter of 
 perfect indifference with which sect or party of this re- 
 ligion they ally themselves. 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 245 
 
 " The friendship and good- will which formerly arose 
 between our community and the heads of the Armenian, 
 Coptic, and Syrian Churches has uniformly continued, 
 while the Greek Patriarch and his clergy hold themselves 
 as much aloof from us as possible. The Patriarch does 
 not even respond to ordinary courtesies. We have, how- 
 ever, come into no collision with them, any more than 
 with the Latin Christians ; whereas the Latin and Greek 
 monks are in continual warfare with each other, so that 
 on high festivals it is necessary to post one or two com- 
 panies of Turkish soldiers in the Church of the Holy 
 Sepulchre to prevent combats taking place between the 
 two parties. No later than a week ago the monks at 
 Bethlehem fought so fiercely that it was feared for several 
 days after that the Greek Bishop would die of the 
 wounds he had received. 
 
 " The people in general are kindly disposed towards 
 us. They seem to perceive more and more clearly that 
 a Church which rests upon the Word of God alone has 
 juster claims than the superstitious communities of which 
 they are passive members. 
 
 " A spirit of inquiry after the truth continually mani- 
 fests itself among the members of the various Churches. 
 Many who but a few years ago were in the habit of 
 assembling for play, or to hear or relate marvellous 
 stories, now meet together to read the Word of God or 
 to discuss religious questions. A few months ago, there- 
 fore, I appointed an intelligent, well-read young man as 
 Bible-reader ; he has not formally seceded from his own 
 Church, the Greek-Catholic, but he knows and loves the 
 truth. He seeks to keep alive this spirit of inquiry, and 
 to lead the people to the truth of the Gospel, without 
 mixing himself up in Church matters, or in the least 
 degree trying to proselytise. If, however, individuals 
 
246 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 become persecuted by the communion to whicli they 
 formerly belonged on account of witnessing for the truth, 
 then we receive them. 
 
 "This inquiring tendency has revealed itself not in 
 this city alone, for many petitioners have begged me to 
 send teachers and preachers to the country-folk. Only a 
 few days ago the Sheik of a large Christian village came 
 as a deputation from his congregation to request me, in 
 the name of the whole community, to send to them a 
 teacher, and to assure me that if I granted their prayer, 
 they would immediately build a church and a school. 
 As I have at present no means to enable me to meet 
 their wishes, I must content myself with laying the fact 
 before the Christian public, and leaving it for their 
 further conscientious consideration. 
 
 " Another Bible-reader has been appointed to visit the 
 Arabs beyond Jordan, and he finds a promising opening 
 among them. 
 
 " I have also placed a converted Jew, Hershon, who 
 has been trained in the Hebrew College, as evangelist 
 among the Jews of Jerusalem, and they prefer talking 
 with him on religious subjects to conferring with the 
 missionaries. He will form an essential, and I hope a 
 useful, bond of union between the missionaries and the 
 Jews, and is at the same time active in promoting the 
 growth of religious knowledge among the rest of the 
 converts. We have two Bible repositories, one here and 
 one at Jaffa, under the superintendence of two converts, 
 who discharge their duty faithfully and well. 
 
 " The need of a school in connection with our Church 
 has long been felt, but now the desideratum is to be 
 supplied. A house furnished with all requisites stands 
 in readiness to receive twelve poor children, who will be 
 cared for in every way ; and to this institution will be 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 247 
 
 joined from the very beginning a day-school. An English 
 mistress arrived a few days ago, while for the boys a 
 pupil of the Hebrew College has been appointed. To- 
 morrow, if it please God, the school will be opened with 
 about ten children. We have reason to believe that the 
 number will soon increase. . . . We wish this school to 
 benefit Jewish children primarily, but not exclusively. 
 
 " May the God of Israel be gracious unto you, and 
 grant His blessing to all who pray for the peace of 
 Jerusalem. Your friend and brother, 
 
 '' Samuel Gobat." 
 
 Bisliop Gobat to Herr von Bunsen in London. 
 
 •' Jerusalem, March 4, 1848. 
 
 " You spoke of passages in my letter to the Jewish 
 mission which ' might be politically open to the charge 
 of proselytising.' Now, I confess that I am somewhat 
 inexperienced in politics, never having, even in Abyssinia, 
 met with difiiculties on that head ; and the want of ex- 
 perience of this kind in the past appears to me as a 
 sort of guarantee for the future. 
 
 " As for prosel^^tising, it is not so much my object as 
 you seem to fear. My general principle is the following. 
 It is the duty of every Christian, on the one hand, to 
 confess the truth of the Gospel with prudence, but freely 
 and openly, and if he meet with opposition, to give a 
 reason for the hope that is in him ; on the other hand, 
 he is bound to warn his brethren, even though they may 
 belong to other confessions, of the paths which lead to 
 destruction. It is, however, the especial obligation of all 
 the clergy, and particularly of a bishop, as the servants 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, to proclaim, to the extent of 
 their opportunities, the Gospel with wisdom and freedom 
 to every creature, no matter to what party any individual 
 
248 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 may belong ; and I pray unto God to grant me tlie will 
 and tlie ability to do this. 
 
 " In following out this principle, nevertheless, it ought 
 never to be the preacher's aim to convert people to this 
 or that Church, but to lead them to the source of all 
 truth and life, even to the Lord Jesus, and to teach them 
 to yield themselves to His guidance. This having been 
 effected, let them remain in their respective Churches, and 
 there confess their Saviour and His truth. If they are 
 able to do this, then I do not wish a single one of them 
 to come over to our Church. 
 
 " But if individuals are persecuted for their love to 
 their Lord and their confession of the truth — if they are 
 anathematised and cast out by their own Church, and 
 thereupon present themselves to us with the request that 
 we would receive them, I do not see how we could refuse 
 admittance to such without rejecting the Lord Himself, 
 and in such a case no human consideration can avail. 
 
 '^ You will no doubt approve this principle, irrespec- 
 tive of the serious difficulties which are inseparable from 
 its practical application, and therefore I need not enter 
 into details. Moreover, .as the Catholics here proselytise 
 from the Protestants under our very eyes, I cannot see 
 why we, at all events, where they are concerned, may 
 not claim the same right, and you know that the Uniate 
 Greeks are Catholics. That there can be no question of 
 proselytising among the Moslems is a matter of course. 
 Most respectfully, &c., &c. S. Angl. Hieros." 
 
 Extracts from Bishop G6ha£s Circular Letter for 1848. 
 
 " Jerusalem, October 30, 1848. 
 ^' Whilst we were beholding from a distance the storm 
 which was raging throughout Europe, the rod of the 
 Almighty was stretched out over our own heads for a period 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 249 
 
 of several months. Thousands and tens of thousands, on 
 our right and on our left, in Egypt, Syria, and Palestine, 
 have fallen beneath the scourge of the cholera. . . . 
 Thank God, Jerusalem has been spared, and we still live 
 to praise the name of the Lord. 
 
 " Another ground of thankfulness, which will doubtless 
 be shared by many Christians, is the reconciliation and 
 mutual recognition of the three Patriarchs — the Greek, 
 the Latin, and the Armenian — which took place at the 
 beginning of this year. And although the motives of 
 the Pasha who brought about this desirable state of 
 matters are unknown to me, I nevertheless rejoice over 
 the results of this reconciliation ; for, with the exception 
 of a few encounters between the Greek and Latin monks, 
 the Christians have ever since avoided those ugly dis- 
 plays of hatred which in former years brought so much 
 disgrace upon the name of Christian. 
 
 ^' For ourselves, we enjoy the increasing respect, good- 
 will, and confidence of all parties. With regard to the 
 heads of the various Churches, everything remains as it 
 was a year ago. The Greek Patriarch and his clergy 
 hold themselves as much aloof from us as possible. Be- 
 tween the Latin Patriarch and myself is a gulf which 
 neither he nor I have created ; but at least neither of us 
 can complain of hostility, although the former began by 
 warning the people against us. He held it to be his 
 duty to do so, and was not very bitter. With the Arme- 
 nian, and even with the Greek-Catholic Patriarch, as also 
 with the Syrian Bishop, I stand upon a friendly footing. 
 
 " Our new Christ Church upon Mount Zion could not 
 be consecrated, as we had hoped, upon the 1 9th of April, 
 on account of unexpected causes of delay which inter- 
 intervened, but I now know of no further hindrance, so 
 that the consecration can soon take place. 
 
250 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 '' During the past year we have been quietly carrying 
 on our work, each according to the gift he has received. 
 We have had much intercourse with the Jews, many of 
 whom, in the time of emergency and need, seem to look 
 upon us as their best friends, which indeed we endeavour 
 to be. 
 
 " The Jewish Hospital is a standing source of temporal 
 blessing to thousands ; and it has been so organised this 
 year, that I venture to hope that it will become a means 
 of spiritual blessing also to many sons and daughters of 
 Abraham. 
 
 " Althouorh we have ao^ain had numerous difficulties to 
 contend against this year in providing for sundry Jews 
 who are seeking after Christian truth, as well as in 
 affording needful help to the poorer converts, we have 
 yet been enabled, through the beneficence of many 
 friends of Israel, ... to relieve the most pressing 
 cases of distress. And here I may gladly remark that 
 through the generosity of the English Mission to the 
 Jews an Industrial House will immediately be opened, 
 from which I expect, with God's blessing, the best 
 results. 
 
 " We have at the present time fourteen persons who 
 have separated themselves from the Jews, and who are 
 now being instructed preparatory to being baptized. 
 Five of these have no means of subsistence ; in accord- 
 ance, therefore, with my resolution to baptize no able- 
 bodied man who is not willing to earn at least a portion 
 of his daily bread, I have apprenticed them to artisans 
 to learn each a trade. . . . Two others I declined 
 to baptize, owing to their refusal to learn some handi- 
 craft. They both went eastwards, one to Constantinople 
 in search of some one who would baptize him on other 
 conditions ; the other, Eabbi Jacob, has returned re- 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 
 
 pentant, and is now learning the trade of a tailor. So 
 I hope that from henceforth the Jews will understand 
 that he who is, or who wishes to become, a Christian, 
 must earn his bread by the sweat of his brow. 
 
 " I must here take occasion to observe that the 
 German artisans who come here do not, on the whole, 
 set a good example ; for even when work is offered to 
 them, the majority of them would rather live by begging 
 than by honest labour. We have had swarms of such 
 people here this year ; and as many of them have fallen 
 sick and are completely destitute, we find it at times no 
 easy matter to provide them with necessary travelling- 
 expenses, &c. If we fail to do this, they add their 
 quota to the disgrace of the nation to which they belong, 
 and to the religion which they all, to some extent, pro- 
 fess. And while on this subject, I must express my 
 especial thanks to friends in Berlin, who, by their sub- 
 stantial support, have enabled me to give something to 
 each German artisan towards the further expenses of 
 his journey. But why to each one without distinction ? 
 it may be asked. I do make a distinction in favour 
 of the neediest, and sometimes of the most respectable. 
 But as they are one and all in distress, and the deepest 
 physical and spiritual misery speaks plainly from almost 
 every eye, each one must be helped. 
 
 " From the foregoing remarks it must become clear 
 to every one how desirable it is that a hospice should 
 soon be established for the reception of such travellers, 
 to aid them in their want and des^radation. Then it is 
 not fair that Protestant artisans should absorb the alms 
 of Roman Catholics. ... If we had a German hospice, 
 we could not only judge more correctly of the deserving- 
 character of the applicants, and be enabled to treat them 
 accordingly, but we could also influence them for good, 
 
252 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 which it is almost impossible to do under existing cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 '' I have during this year again employed three 
 evangelists or colporteurs, one among the Christians, 
 one among the Jews at Jerusalem, and one among the 
 scattered Arab population. I am expecting a fourth 
 to arrive from Beyrout in a few days. This work has 
 not been without success, especially in dissipating the 
 prejudice of the Jews and Christians in Jerusalem. 
 
 " When one of these evangelists, a simple-minded, 
 faithful Arab, was at Nablus about a year ago, several 
 men began to read the Scriptures together and to inves- 
 tigate. At Easter a few of them came hither in order to 
 see and hear our service, and returned home again with- 
 out having spoken much with us. Some weeks afterwards, 
 however, I received a letter from Nablus, signed by eight 
 or ten men, wherein they announced to me that they 
 had resolved to leave the Greek Church (or, as they 
 called it, the Church of the Patriarch), for if they re- 
 mained any longer within its pale, they and their chil- 
 dren must go to destruction through ignorance, &c., and 
 they had, therefore, decided to constitute themselves an 
 Evangelical congregation, to take the Word of God as 
 their sole rule of conduct, and to place themselves under 
 my guidance. 
 
 " I answered that I was ready to do my utmost to aid 
 them in their search after Evangelical truth, but that I 
 could not countenance them in forsaking their Church. 
 The only counsel that I could give them would be that 
 they should continue to read God's Word with diligence 
 and prayer, to make it their guiding rule of life, and so 
 to remain in their Church until they were excluded from 
 it, if matters should ever come to such an extremity. 
 
 " After some further interchange of letters, a mis- 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 253 
 
 sionary went with our local evangelist to inquire more 
 closely into the matter; and they found, as was to be 
 expected, that the people had only a very imperfect 
 knowledge of Scriptural truths, a deficiency which, how- 
 ever, the dear people themselves deeply felt. They 
 learned also that several heads of families, who, with their 
 respective wives and children, amounted to seventy out of 
 the four hundred Christian souls at Nablus, had signed a 
 mutual promise to hold together in their searching and 
 following of the Holy Scriptures, and especially to do 
 their utmost to obtain for their children an education 
 based upon the principles of the pure Word of God. The 
 document also intimated that there were other persons 
 like-minded with themselves, whose signatures to the 
 engagement they, from motives of prudence, had not 
 solicited. 
 
 " To be brief, I shortly received a petition subscribed 
 by twelve householders, and conceived in a humble, Scrip- 
 tural spirit, in which they informed me that they would 
 follow my advice, and abide in the communion of the 
 Greek Church. But on that account they besought me 
 yet more earnestly to procure for them the means of 
 giving to their children a purely Biblical training, the 
 want of which they so painfully felt with regard to 
 themselves. 
 
 " As I had by that time weighed all the circumstances 
 of the case, I determined quietly to buy a good house, 
 large enough for a boys' and girls' school, and to accom- 
 modate a teacher and his family. I installed an intelli- 
 gent, most promising young man, a native of Nazareth, 
 but resident at Xablus, as master, under the supervision of 
 two influential men of the Society. At the same time, while 
 everything was as yet quiet, I obtained from the Pasha 
 here, and from the Governor of Nablus, a written promise 
 
254- LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 to protect my school and my agents, namely, the school- 
 master and his two overseers. The latter precaution was 
 justified by the result ; for as soon as the affair became 
 bruited abroad, my chief correspondent and agent was 
 brought before the tribunal. He was not only bitterly 
 reproached for consorting with the foreigners, but was 
 also accused by an influential Sheik of blasphemy against 
 Islam. The matter was taking such an evil turn, that 
 my poor friend was already expecting his sentence of 
 death ; when the Governor, who had just received my 
 letter and that of our local Pasha, appeared on the scene 
 and challenged the Sheik, who had probably been bribed, 
 to name his witnesses on the spot. ' I will fetch them,' 
 said the Sheik. ' Yes, you are going to bribe scoundrels,' 
 replied the Governor ; ' not so, but name them instantly, 
 and we will prove them before they see you.' Then the 
 Sheik was forced to own publicly that he had lied, and 
 the Governor made him kiss the Christian's beard, and 
 ask his pardon before everybody. 
 
 " On the 5th of September the school was opened with 
 one-and- twenty boys (there are now five-and-twenty). 
 But on the very next Sunday an anathema-breathing 
 excommunication was read in the church in the name 
 of the Greek Patriarch against all those who should 
 continue to send their children to the English school. 
 This intimation was coupled with the threat that, even 
 though they should afterwards repent, they could never 
 again be received into the Church. 
 
 " I have reason to believe that the Patriarch knew very 
 little of the contents of this bitter document of cursing, 
 because he is only very imperfectly acquainted with 
 Arabic ; but why does he not learn the language of his 
 flock? 
 
 " The effect of this anathema, which, in fact, was only 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 255 
 
 aimed against God's Word, which alone is taught in the 
 school, proved to be quite different from what was ex- 
 pected ; for on the following day several persons met 
 together with our friends, and asked leave to send their 
 children to the same school. 
 
 " Immediately after these occurrences, cholera suddenly 
 broke out at Nablus, and the correspondence was almost 
 entirely cut off. I hear, however, that the school has 
 gone on quietly, although several boys, the schoolmaster's 
 father, and two other of our friends, have died. Sundry 
 Christian inhabitants of the villages in the mountains of 
 Samaria have decided to migrate to Nablus, in order to 
 associate themselves with our friends, and chiefly in order 
 to be able to send their children to a Christian school. 
 We very often have to send Bibles to that neighbourhood. 
 
 " I mentioned last year that we were about to open a 
 school at Jerusalem which was to be a kind of rescue- 
 institution for poor children, w^ho were to be committed 
 to the care and instruction of an excellent English lady. 
 This school was inaugurated on the loth November 
 1847. We now have the names of twenty-six children 
 on our books, but have never been able to secure more 
 than eighteen at a time. The reason of this is that 
 Jewish parents, who would willingly have their children 
 instructed, send them for one, two, or even four months, 
 till they are persuaded by their friends and by the Rabbis 
 to withdraw them again. But as this always happens 
 against the will of the children, I hope that the impres- 
 sion which they take away with them will not be lost, 
 and that some of the seed will bear good fruit. 
 
 "As yet we have only been able to take girls as 
 boarders, and of them we have never had more than five 
 at once, because the Jews do not like their children to 
 eat the food of Christians. But that we may keep the 
 
256 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 boys in proper order and have them under supervision 
 the whole day long, and also because they are almost all 
 poor, we give them their dinner. 
 
 " After endeavouring for several years to obtain per- 
 mission from the Turkish Government to purchase a 
 Protestant burial-ground, we have at last succeeded in 
 our design, chiefly through the efforts of the English 
 Consul-General, Colonel Eose ; and last spring I acquired 
 for this purpose a large and beautiful piece of land on 
 the southern declivity of Mount Zion, a few steps to the 
 south-west of David's tomb. The graveyard will be, to 
 the great annoyance of the Moslems, surrounded by a 
 strong wall. . . . 
 
 " It will cost in all about ^3 50 sterling, of which the 
 English Government has already promised me ^100, 
 and English private individuals ^50. As, however, the 
 burial-place is intended for Germans as well as for Eng- 
 lish, I should be glad if the former would purchase a 
 right in it by their subscriptions, which, moreover, must 
 be done soon, for in a few months it may be too late. 
 
 " A year ago I sought to advocate the cause of the poor 
 converts, and, thank God, not in vain. I must now come 
 forward on behalf of the eight to ten thousand poor Jews 
 who are in danger of perishing during the coming winter 
 in the city of David from hunger and nakedness. I 
 must therefore entreat the Christian public to arouse the 
 compassion of the wealthier Jews in favour of their suffer- 
 ing brethren in Palestine, and Christians and Jews alike 
 to hasten to send help to those who are standing on 
 the brink of the grave. Your faithful brotlier in Christ, 
 
 ''S. GOBAT." 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 257 
 
 Bisliop Gohat to Inspector W. Hoffmann at Basle. 
 
 "Jerusalem, March 21, 1849. 
 
 " Dearly Beloved Brother, — I have written to tlie 
 Hessians what I said to dear Spittler years ago : If there 
 were no difficulty with the Government or in the pur- 
 chase of the land, I could nevertheless maintain no colony 
 which was not strong enough to count at the least 500 
 well-armed fighting men. Since I wrote to you an 
 occurrence has taken place about three weeks ago which 
 must convince every one of the soundness of my opinion. 
 In the very neighbourhood which Spittler as well as the 
 Hessians has in view a ship was wrecked. There were 
 about eighty or one hundred persons on board, of whom 
 several perished in the water ; but the greater number 
 succeeded in saving themselves on planks and pieces of 
 the ship, and they even rescued boxes and a very large 
 sum of money. The inhabitants of the coast were, how- 
 ever, gathered together, and stole everything that had 
 been saved, even all the clothes of the passengers, who 
 lay about the shore naked and exhausted in the rain and 
 the cold, till several of them died, whilst others, who 
 refused to give up their last garment, were beaten to 
 death. One wore a finger-ring; without more ado, the 
 finger was hewn off. They broke the arm of a sturdy 
 monk who refused at the first word to give up his monev. 
 The Governor of Kaifa certainly took some of the ring- 
 leaders prisoners, but he released them next day on 
 receipt of a gratuity ; and before help could arrive from 
 Beyrout on the summons of the Consuls, the robbers had 
 plenty of time to place their booty in safety, and the 
 ringleaders to hide themselves until the inquiry had 
 blown over. 
 
 " And it is among such people that it is proposed to 
 send poor, ignorant, unprotected German peasants ! To 
 
 R 
 
258 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 be sure, they would not be robbed and maltreated every 
 day ; but, on the other hand, they would not enjoy a day's 
 safety unless they were strong enough to defend them- 
 selves. Our good people certainly say that we must 
 venture it in faith, and that the Lord is able to protect 
 them ; but — ' Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.' " 
 
 "S. A. HiEROSOL." 
 
 Extracts from Bishop Gohafs Circular Letter for 1849. 
 
 "Cairo, Nov. i, 1849, 
 
 ..." Although we have been preserved from the 
 sword, which has devastated various parts of Europe, and 
 from the pestilence with which it has pleased God to 
 visit the East, the past year has nevertheless been fruitful, 
 in many cases, in painful experiences, but I trust also 
 in salutary humiliations. In addition to a deficiency in 
 spiritual life and in thoroughness of Christian culture 
 among some of our converts, it has happened that two 
 of them, too high-minded to listen to the faithful admoni- 
 tions addressed to them, have not made their appearance 
 in the house of God for several months past, and have 
 rejected all Christian counsel. 
 
 " Several candidates for instruction have also conducted 
 themselves in such a blameworthy manner that we have 
 been obliged to cease our operations in their behalf, and 
 to withdraw our efforts in their favour. All this com- 
 bined with the frequent derelictions (faults of weakness, I 
 hope, rather than of wickedness) of those whom I con- 
 sidered as really converted and believing, has often filled 
 my heart with sorrow and my eyes with tears. . . . 
 
 " There is, however, a brighter side to the picture. It 
 has been vouchsafed to us to detect indubitable evidences 
 of the grace of God working in the heart and life of several 
 of our proselytes ; to say nothing of the fact that, not- 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 259 
 
 withstanding the want of spirituality lamented above, the 
 greater number of our baptized Israelites have striven to 
 walk worthy of their profession. It will doubtless move 
 the friends of Israel to thankfulness when they hear that 
 in the course of last year nine adult Jews have been 
 received into the Christian Church. . . . 
 
 " In the external development of our mission, that is 
 to say, in respect to the means of reaching Jews, prose- 
 lytes, and others with the Word of Truth, sundry im- 
 portant steps have been taken. The first of these has 
 been the consecration, after much opposition, of our Christ 
 Church on Mount Zion, which took place on the 21st of 
 January in the presence of a Palestinian Bishop, several 
 priests, and a number of Jews and others. On the same 
 day two Jews were baptized in the newly-consecrated 
 church. . . . 
 
 " Secondly, an Industrial House for converts was opened 
 on the 2d of December under very favourable circum- 
 stances, and placed under the superintendence of a prose- 
 lyte who has been trained in the Hebrew College. It is 
 for the reception of Jews who are already persuaded that 
 Jesus is the Messiah, but who desire further teaching 
 from us. They receive lodging, clothing, board, and 
 general care during the time of instruction until their 
 baptism, and after that event until they have learned a 
 trade. During their residence in the house they are 
 apprenticed to handicraftsmen who belong to our Church 
 — tailors, shoemakers, watchmakers, silversmiths, &c. — 
 and every evening they are instructed in reading and 
 writing, English and German (the majority of them are 
 German Jews), in arithmetic, and the like, but above all, 
 in the Word of God. There are now eight of them, all 
 with one exception young men, whose orderly conduct, 
 diligence, and obedience afford us much encouragement. 
 
26o LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 Five of tliem were baptized last year, two of them are 
 still unbaptized. This institution, which is now being 
 maintained solely from the interest of a fund which a 
 pious lady, Miss Allix, has devoted to it, places us in a 
 position to provide much more easily than before for the 
 wants of other converts, and of such as are thirsting for 
 the truth. 
 
 " Thirdly, in the Jewish Hospital there is now a copy 
 of the New Testament in Hebrew placed in each room 
 for the free use of the patients, and daily prayer has been 
 held through the past year, in which all might take part. 
 The number of patients has not diminished in the least 
 in consequence of this. Two of them are now receiving 
 further instruction. . . . 
 
 " The needy Jews received some help last summer from 
 Sir Moses Montefiore, who visited Palestine, but thou- 
 sands of them are still in great misery. 
 
 " The Diocesan School has prospered to an extent 
 hardly to have been looked for under existing circum- 
 stances. It has, however, suffered considerably through 
 the illness of an excellent mistress ; but as an assistant- 
 mistress is expected, I doubt not that the school will con- 
 tinue to be a blessing to many a lost lamb of the House 
 of Israel and of other nations. The number of the chil- 
 dren, almost all of Jewish origin, who have hitherto been 
 received into the school amounts in all to about fifty ; in 
 the last few months twenty-nine has been about the 
 average. . . . Almost all of them are making encourag- 
 ing progress in their acquaintance with the Word of 
 God. 
 
 " The school at Nablus has also been in a very thriv- 
 ing condition through the past year, and has attracted 
 the attention of the natives of all the neighbouring dis- 
 tricts, so that they have repeatedly invited me to establish 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 261 
 
 * Bible schools,' as they call them, in their villages and 
 towns. I believe there are few schools in Europe where 
 the Bible is better known and understood ; and through 
 the boys a knowledge of the sacred volume reaches almost 
 all the adult Christians in Nablus. Although the Sama- 
 ritans, wlio had sent their children for a time to the 
 school, have been obliged by the Mussulmans to take 
 them away again, the school nevertheless counts more 
 than forty pupils, including a few girls. 
 
 " I have recently opened a similar school also in 
 Tiberias, which already at the end of last week numbered 
 twenty-two boys. 
 
 " There was a school of older foundation at Salt, which 
 I had made over, in the interests of peace, to a priest 
 of that place ; but as it did not answer, I have estab- 
 lished another in the course of the summer, under a 
 more efficient master. The Greek Patriarch has taken 
 upon himself to defray the entire cost, and has further 
 promised to retain the master chosen by me, and to 
 admit no other books besides those which I had pre- 
 scribed ; only the natives were not to call it an English 
 school ! 
 
 "I deemed this the first step to approximation between 
 the Patriarch and myself, and saw with pleasure that 
 my first efibrts had incited him to establish in Jerusalem 
 a model school under a very clever, and I believe very 
 worthy, man. Unfortunately, I have since heard that 
 the latter was to leave Jerusalem this month. In other 
 respects the Greek Patriarch and I have remained as 
 alien from each other as ever ; but with the Armenian 
 Patriarch and the Syrian Bishop I am on pacific, and 
 even friendly terms. 
 
 '' Of the Christians of the different Churches in Pales- 
 tine and Syria I will not say much this time. I cannot 
 
262 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 omit mention of the fact, however, that from Aleppo to 
 Jerusalem an almost universal excitement prevails. It 
 is by no means exclusively of a religious nature, but 
 still it has its source in the conviction of the people 
 that they have hitherto lived in ignorance and error, 
 that their Churches have degenerated, that their clergy, 
 namely, of the higher orders, do not trouble themselves 
 as to the spiritual condition of the flock, and that the 
 latter must therefore look about for another Church or 
 form of religion. 
 
 " The sense of a certain want oppresses them, but of 
 its nature they can render no account. Two important 
 decrees emanating from the Sublime Porte have recently 
 been made known, in one of which the Sultan re- 
 proaches the higher orders of the clergy with the guilt 
 of heinous transgressions, while in the other he pro- 
 claims to all his Christian subjects liberty to em- 
 brace any form of Protestantism, with promise of his 
 protection. 
 
 " In consequence of this, I fear that before long great 
 multitudes of people will set up a religion of their own, 
 a sort of unbridled Protestantism, so soon as they get 
 sufficient encouragement from without. Under these 
 circumstances, all that I can do will be to spread the 
 Word of God by every possible means ; the j^eople read 
 it much more willingly than they used to do. I must 
 also, to the extent of my power, establish schools in 
 which the Bible shall be taught to the exclusion of all 
 other religious books. 
 
 " I am writing this from Cairo, where I have been 
 staying for some days past. In Alexandria I saw two of 
 our Jewish proselytes, one of whom is already baptized ; 
 and I was rejoiced to hear from several persons that 
 they walk agreeably to their profession, and that to the 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 263 
 
 best of their capacity they witness for the truth in 
 Christ in the presence of other Jews. 
 
 "There is in Cairo a small English congregation under 
 the care of the missionaries of the Church Missionary 
 Society. I was glad to make the acquaintance of the 
 energetic lay missionary of the English mission to the 
 Jews, Mr. Lauria. I visited several Jewish families in 
 company with him, and found that he was everywhere 
 respected and beloved. From what I have heard from 
 him and from others, I believe that there is among the 
 five thousand Jews at Cairo an open and most promising 
 mission-field. . . . Your humble servant, S. Gobat." 
 
 BisJiop Gobat to King Frederick William IV. 
 
 " Jerusalem, July 30, 1850. 
 
 " Your Majesty will pardon me if I take the liberty of 
 recalling myself most humbly to your gracious remem- 
 brance. 
 
 " It has often been the wish of my heart, after my 
 correspondence with Herr von Eichhorn . . . was ter- 
 minated by the sad events of 1848, to write to your 
 Majesty, in order to express the heartfelt interest taken 
 by myself and the little congregation here in the painful 
 trials and tribulations to which you have been subjected 
 by misguided men, and also in the consolation and the 
 manifest mighty help which God has graciously vouch- 
 safed to your Majesty. 
 
 " It was with shuddering horror that we finally heard 
 of the frightful crime of a blinded instrument of him who 
 was a murderer from the beginning, who made your 
 Majesty the object of his bloodthirsty rage ; but we were 
 simultaneously impelled to thank our God for His gracious 
 protection of your Majesty, and this we did with deep 
 emotion publicly in the church immediately after receipt 
 
264 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 of the tidings. ... It is to tlie prince of darkness that 
 so many people, even in our beloved German Fatherland, 
 have sold themselves through unbelief and a carnal mind, 
 and he it is who seeks to destroy all order, and with it all 
 true light and fear of God. As God has called and chosen 
 your Majesty to be an honoured instrument in His hand 
 to uphold His people and His truth, we cannot wonder 
 that the dart of the evil one is especially aimed against 
 your person and office. . . . Thank God, your Majesty 
 still reigns by His grace ; and so long as this is the case 
 in actual verity as well as in accordance with the heraldic 
 motto, your kingdom will subsist in honour. May God 
 grant it ! Amen. 
 
 " If, among the manifold great and important affairs 
 and difficulties with which you have to contend, your 
 Majesty could yet find time to think of the earthly 
 Jerusalem, some information might not be unwelcome 
 concerning the present condition and the slow develop- 
 ment of the Protestant Bishopric. . . . 
 
 "We have on Sundays as yet but two services, an 
 English one in the morning, and in the afternoon a Ger- 
 man one. . . . On the first Sunday of every month we 
 celebrate the Holy Communion at the English service ;■ 
 but the words of administration are always said in the 
 language of the communicant, whether English, German, 
 French, Italian, or Arabic. This, so far from having a 
 disturbing effect, is most edifying. At every service, 
 whether English or German, we pray for your Majesty, 
 her Majesty the Queen, and for all the Royal Family, 
 also for the ruler of this realm. ... I have always 
 hitherto avoided mingling in the affairs of other Churches. 
 ... A year ago I daily received petitions and deputa- 
 tions from all parts of the country, entreating me to take 
 the people under my guidance and to give them teachers. 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 265 
 
 Of course I could not do so, but I exhorted tlie people to 
 persevere in reading the Word of God and to remain 
 in their Churches, seeking at the same time to purify 
 them. I believe that many have followed my advice ; 
 but thereupon a new difficulty has arisen. They know 
 that it is a sacred duty to receive the Holy Communion, 
 but the priests render it impossible for them to do so, 
 because they will only administer it to those who have 
 confessed ; and when they know that any one reads the 
 Bible, they require him either to kiss a picture and kneel 
 down before it, or to invoke the Holy Virgin or some 
 other saint, or else to promise not to read the Bible any 
 more. He who refuses to comply is excommunicated. 
 
 " There are some conscientious people who on that 
 account have for the last year or two been unable to 
 receive the Communion, and now they are imploring my 
 help, begging for clergy who will administer to them the 
 Lord's Supper. 
 
 " And now what am I to do ? I have never wished 
 to make converts from the old Churches, but only to lead 
 to the Lord and to the knowledge of His truth as many 
 as possible. From henceforth, however, I shall be obliged 
 to receive into our communion such as are excluded for 
 Bible-truth's sake from other Churches ; and I trust that 
 in doing so, even though men should blame me for it, the 
 Lord will grant His blessing upon the proceeding. . . . 
 
 '' S. A. H." 
 
 The prayers introduced by Gobat, and mentioned in 
 the foregoing letter, are as follows : — 
 
 Prayer for the King and Royal Family of Prussia. 
 
 '' Lord God Almighty, who hast graciously put it 
 into the heart of his Majesty, Frederick William, King 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 of Prussia, Thy servant, to favour Thy Church and pro- 
 tect Thy people in this land ; vouchsafe, we beseech 
 Thee, to replenish him with the grace of Thy Holy 
 Spirit, that he may alway incline to Thy will and walk 
 in Thy way. Endue him plenteously with heavenly gifts ; 
 grant him in health and wealth long to live ; protect 
 him against all his enemies ; and favour him with wise 
 and righteous counsellors, that he may reign in righteous- 
 ness, in Thy fear and love, ever confiding in Thy name ; 
 and that finally after this life he may obtain the crown 
 of eternal glory. Bless her Majesty the Queen and all 
 the Royal Family with health, peace, and godliness, and 
 lead them by Thy Spirit to Thine everlasting kingdom, 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Prayer for the Sultan. 
 
 Lord God Almighty, who rulest over all the king- 
 doms of the nations, in whose hand is power and might ; 
 give Thy grace and Thy blessing to his Majesty the 
 ruler of this empire, under whose sceptre we are gra- 
 ciously permitted to serve and worship Thee in peace and 
 quietness ; grant him long to live in happiness, and to 
 govern the nations subject to his rule with benignity, 
 wisdom, and righteousness. Lead him into the way of 
 peace, that we and all Thy people in his vast empire 
 may continue to lead a quiet and peaceful life in all 
 godliness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Extracts from Bishop Gohafs Circular Letter for 1850. 
 
 "Jerusalem, Oct. 26, 1850, 
 
 " Beloved Brethrex, — . . . I feel cod strained to ask 
 
 your especial prayers on behalf of the following subjects : — 
 
 " I. For the clerical and lay missionaries. Of the 
 
 former class we have but two here at the present moment ; 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 267 
 
 of tlie latter, we have two sent direct by tlie London 
 Society, and a Bible-reader under my orders, but main- 
 tained by the same beneficent English lady who has 
 already done so much for the mission at Jerusalem. . . . 
 
 " I can confidently assert that every one does his duty 
 to the best of his knowledge and ability ; but although 
 we pray, preach, exhort, warn, and argue, we labour, 
 alike among proselytes and others, frequently, nay, gene- 
 rally, without any visible success. . . . 
 
 " 2. The proselytes have occasioned us during the past 
 year much distress, anxiety, and trouble. A few of the 
 younger ones among them have indeed satisfied us upon 
 the whole by their humble, steadfast, and teachable 
 behaviour, and by their eagerness to acquire a more 
 extended knowledge of Christianity. With regard to 
 the majority, however, I have most reluctantly arrived at 
 the conclusion that, although they possess an historical 
 belief in Jesus the Messiah, they yet are strangers to the 
 living, justifying faith in Christ which alone can enable 
 them to overcome the world. . . . 
 
 " But that which has saddened us most is that several 
 of them have fallen into gross sins of various kinds ; one 
 in especial, from whom we had hoped for better things, 
 but who has, I am thankful to say, expressed deep sorrow 
 for his transgression, and, as I believe, sincere repentance. 
 
 " In this respect we have sustained an irreparable loss 
 through the departure of the missionary, Ewald, whose 
 love to his brethren after the flesh, and whose accurate 
 knowledge of their mode of thought and peculiar charac- 
 teristics, opened to him so direct an avenue to their 
 understandings, hearts, and consciences, that he was 
 able to exhort, warn, reprove, counsel, and console them 
 with a degree of success to which not one of us who 
 remain behind can ever hope to attain. 
 
268 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 " When, therefore, beloved brethren, I invite you to 
 pray for the proselytes, forget not, in the first place, 
 to make supplication for those who are truly converted, 
 in order that the Lord may keep them in His Name and 
 preserve them from the evil ; then for those who have 
 the name of living, but who are spiritually dead ; and 
 finally, for such who, although they confess God with 
 their lips, yet deny Him by their works. 
 
 " 3. The Industrial House for converts promises to 
 become an instrument of rich blessing and real advance- 
 ment to its inmates, while it at the same time affords us 
 an opportunity of forming a judgment as to the sincerity 
 and general character of the candidates for baptism. . . . 
 
 "4. The Jewish Hospital has been full throughout nearly 
 the whole year, and has proved rich in blessing to many 
 poor Jews during this season of unusual drought. I 
 have heard more than once that this method of showing 
 Christian charity and goodwill has brought about among 
 the Jews a more favourable opinion of Christianity. 
 The Christian faith is not obtruded upon them ; kind 
 treatment, and here and there a hint that such is the 
 result of true Christianity, must have the most powerful 
 effect. 
 
 " The New Testament is to be found in every ward ; 
 but it is left to the Jews' free option whether they will 
 read it or not ; only at times conversation upon religious 
 subjects is introduced, if, namely, they show themselves 
 inclined for it. . . . 
 
 "5* The Jews are becoming more and more acces- 
 sible, and conscious not only that we love them ' and 
 seek their best interests, but also that we conscientiously 
 avoid the employment of all unlawful and equivocal 
 means. When, for example, a few months ago, the 
 Rabbis forbade their people to work for the converts, to 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 269 
 
 employ them as workmen, or to hold any intercourse 
 with them whatsoever, we made it known that if this 
 prohibition were carried out, we should be obliged to 
 equalise matters, and give no more work to any Jew. 
 Their answer was, 'Your conscience would not allow 
 you to put in execution any such plan, which would be 
 the ruin of many poor Jews.' . . . 
 
 '' In the course of this year only two persons have 
 been baptized, an old man and an old woman. Six 
 other persons, chiefly young men, are receiving pre- 
 liminary instruction. . . . The poverty and temporal 
 misery of the Jews continues unchanged, and this 
 places a formidable obstacle in the way of the reception 
 of the Gospel among them, because their impoverished 
 condition renders them entirely dependent on the tender 
 mercies of the cruel Rabbis. The latter have more 
 actively opposed the Mission this last year than during 
 several preceding ones ; this may, however, be taken as 
 a further proof that our labour is not wholly in vain. 
 
 " 6. The Diocesan School continues to justify en- 
 couraging hopes for the rising generation. . . . 
 
 ''7. My school at Nablus has been and still is a 
 blessing, as well for the parents as for the children. It 
 has enjoyed a peaceful career, and the number of pupils 
 is about the same as last year. 
 
 " I rejoice to be able to observe here that when, not 
 long ago, some Greek monks stigmatised the English 
 as heretics, the Greek Bishop of the diocese in which 
 Nablus lies reproved them for it. In the presence of 
 several bishops and many monks he declared that when, 
 two years ago, I opened the school at Nablus, he had 
 his own suspicious thoughts and prejudices ; but that 
 since then he had narrowly scrutinised all my steps, 
 direct and indirect, and became convinced that my only 
 
270 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 aim was that of doing good. He further admitted that 
 much good had been wrought in Nablus. Those present 
 called him a semi- Protestant ; upon which he replied, 
 ' You say that as an epithet of opprobrium ; I count it 
 an honourable designation.' 
 
 " The school which, as I mentioned in my last letter, 
 I had established at Tiberias, was soon afterwards forcibly 
 dispersed by the Uniate Greek Bishop of Acre and the 
 Latin Bishop of Nazareth. They could give their flock 
 no better satisfaction for this action than the consolatory 
 assurance that as they were all poor, their children did 
 not require any education. 
 
 '' Besides the Bible-reader for the Jews of this locality, 
 I have two at work among the Christians ; the one 
 travels about the country, while the other, who is at 
 the same time my secretary, labours in Jerusalem. . . . 
 
 " The great agitation among all classes of Christians 
 in this country, to which I referred last year, and which 
 indicated a seeking after better things than those to be 
 found in their Churches, is at present less apparent, 
 except in Nazareth, from whence I receive letter after 
 letter containing the request that I would send them a 
 schoolmaster and a clergyman. Many of these people 
 have, since reading the Bible, forsaken the Greek and 
 Latin Churches, and are now entirely without a leader. 
 
 '' On the other hand, the Word of God is quietly 
 making its way into the hearts of isolated individuals 
 among the mountains of Samaria, at Cana of Galilee, and 
 at Nazareth. They assemble themselves on Sundays in 
 small companies in order to read their Bible and pray 
 in common, on which occasions they make use of the 
 English Liturgy translated into Arabic. May the Good 
 Shepherd ever watch over them ! . . . 
 
 " I have posted a well-instructed young man among 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 271 
 
 the Druses, and have directed him to establish schools 
 for that people. Colonel Kose has promised him his 
 support. He has experienced a good reception from the 
 Druses ; they converse with him frankly on religious 
 topics ; but the time is as yet too short for us to be able 
 to speak of results. 
 
 " At the beginning of this year I received letters from 
 the King, from the Reis, and from several influential 
 priests of Abyssinia, begging me to take their cloisters 
 and their people here under my superintendence. I have 
 since had many opportunities of preaching the Gospel to 
 them, and they regard me indeed as their father and 
 protector. I have placed over them a superintendent, 
 a worthy man whom they themselves have chosen, as 
 they are very numerous (about 100). I have given 
 them several Amharic Bibles, and advised them to meet 
 together morning and evening for the purpose of reading 
 the Bible in their mother tongue. They have adopted 
 this plan, and assemble themselves daily three times. 
 The greater number of them have recently returned to 
 Abyssinia, several of them impressed for good, and carry- 
 ing with them the conviction that no one can improve 
 the condition of their country except the English with 
 the Bible. 
 
 " This affair has brought me into unpleasant contact 
 with the Armenians, whose Patriarch, my friend, is now 
 dead ; it has, however, at the same time procured for 
 me a glimpse at the abominations of the monasteries. . . . 
 Your servant and brother in the Lord, S. Gobat." 
 
 Xing Frederick William IV. to Bishop Gobat. 
 
 "Sans-Souci, July 23, 1851. 
 
 " Most Honoured Lord Bishop, — I avail myself of the 
 pilgrimage of the Pastor of Witbrietzen (not far from 
 
272 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 Potsdam) ... to discharge in some measure a long- 
 standing debt of thanks for your kind and interesting 
 letters and communications from the Holy Land. I can 
 recommend to you the bearer of these lines. ... He has 
 changed an unruly, intractable set of people into a godly 
 congregation amenable to Christian teaching. I there- 
 fore wish him well, and have favoured his journey to the 
 East. His name is Liebetrut, a very old German-sound- 
 ing patronymic. 
 
 " If you have time, most honoured Bishop, to write to 
 me by Liebetrut, or by any other trustworthy messenger, 
 I request you to do so. According to what Pastor 
 Pliedner has told me concerning the state of things around 
 you, it appears that the dreaded influences emanating 
 from myself against the evangelical life which seemed to 
 have been reviving in the bosom of the old, dead Churches 
 in the Holy Land are beginning to assert themselves. 
 I trust that you will not allow your courage to sink. 
 Your idea of building up small national Churches from 
 out of those communions, in place of compelling the 
 awakened Greeks, Syrians, Copts, &c., to become Anglican, 
 Lutheran, or Swiss-Reformed, is a glorious, heaven- 
 inspired, and truly Catholic one. You mtist not let it go. 
 You will certainly summon into the lists both Pope and 
 Emperor through this stirring up of fresh life in the 
 ancient Churches ; . . . but the King who rules over 
 the one and the other will be on your side. 
 
 " One item of intelligence has especially interested me, 
 because at the moment of its reaching me I was seeking 
 a relief from unspeakable sorrow of heart by plunging, in 
 my few intervals of leisure, into the ritual of the ancient 
 Churches. The intelligence was namely this : I was 
 informed that one of those men who are inclined to Evan- 
 gelicalism had undertaken an evangelical revision of the 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION, 273 
 
 Greek Liturgy. The remark which I would venture to 
 make to you, ... in case that work should be carried 
 through, is founded upon the well-known fragment of 
 St. Irenffius on the Eucharist. 
 
 " In all the Liturgies of the ancient effete Churches, the 
 Eucharist is the indisputable central-point in the Com- 
 munion, representing, indeed, the repetition of the one, 
 eternal, atoning sacrifice, just as in the Popish Mass. 
 Irenseus teaches us, 1st, that in those days the Eucha- 
 rist was offered according to the direction of the Apostles ; 
 2dly, that the Eucharist is the ' spiritual,' and therefore 
 ' pure,' fulfilling of the prophecy which announces for the 
 time of fulfilment the universal j)resenting in all the earth 
 of a ' pure offering ; ' 3dly, that this presentation (of this 
 offering) is the sjmHtual sacrifice of thanksgiving ; 4thly, 
 that the sacrifice was essentially distinct from communion 
 and consecration ; 5thly, that it preceded both these, but 
 as an essential and necessary part of the Communion 
 Ofiice — (it seems to me, indeed, to be the most necessarv 
 preparation for the Sacred Supper, according to the pas- 
 sage in the Psalter : ' Whoso offereth praise glorifieth 
 me ; and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will 
 I show the salvation of God ') ; 6thly, that the spiritual 
 offering of the Eucharist was made at the moment when 
 the elements of the Supper — bread and wine — were 
 solemnly converted from being the possession of those 
 who had contributed them, into the exclusive and undi- 
 vided property of God. 
 
 " The Greek Church notoriously imitates the Jews in 
 framing her ritual. She never abolishes a tittle of what 
 she has once received, be it holy tradition, or rubbish out 
 of the dark ages. I had long been struck with the extra- 
 ordinarily prominent position accorded in her Liturgy 
 to the Trisagion ; for during the singing of this hymn 
 
 S 
 
274 ^^P^ OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 nothing is going on in the ' sanctuary ' which could 
 justify the importance with which it is introduced and 
 uttered in reference to the ' voices of the four living crea- 
 tures ' of the Apocalypse. I have now arrived at the 
 conviction that the Trisagion indicates the point at which, 
 in the Primitive Church, the spiritual sacrifice of the 
 Eucharist was made by the congregation, and that the 
 ^ Holy, Holy, Holy/ is the mode of expressing the un- 
 speakable, that is, the deepest spiritual thanksgiving for 
 such an immeasurable, everlasting blessing as the Re- 
 demption and the Sacrament. 
 
 " As all hope of seeing the offertory, and its complement 
 the Eucharist, restored to their right significance and 
 proper place in the Communion service, either in the 
 Protestant West or in the Romish Church, has now 
 vanished, I would ask you, Eight Reverend Bishop, whe- 
 ther your own persuasion would allow you, in connec- 
 tion with this evangelical revision of the Oriental Litur- 
 gies, to take Irenseus as your guide, and to attempt the 
 re-establishment of the primitive rite ? The question is 
 borne in upon my mind. Who knows whether God will 
 not permit the proper amplification and completion of the 
 Protestant Liturgies to be brought about through the 
 evangelical revision of the rites of the old Churches of 
 the East ? 
 
 " 1 fear . . . you will deem me demented for having 
 ventured to intrude upon a Doctor of Divinity with such 
 theological lucubrations. But, believe me, you would but 
 increase my high respect for you if, in your answer, you 
 were to take me roundly to task, and set me right as 
 to my absurdities, or even my heresies. 
 
 " I pray God from the depth of my soul that He will 
 further the work of your hands, and pour out His richest 
 blessing upon your head and upon all that you have at 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 275 
 
 heart. Remember me in your prayers. — I remain, with 
 truest and most cordial respect, most honoured Bishop, 
 your faithful friend, Frederick William, R." 
 
 Extracts from Bishop Gohat's Circular Letter for 1 8 5 i . 
 
 " Jerusalem, October -^o, 1S51. 
 "... In the course of this year a new branch of activity 
 has been developed. Seeing that last year epidemic illness 
 raged so fiercely for several months that there was scarcely 
 one family free from dangerous illness, and as no suitable 
 nurses were to be had, I wrote to Pastor Fliedner at Kaisers- 
 werth, and begged him to send two deaconesses to tend our 
 sick, to visit systematically our women converts, and if 
 possible to take the place of our female teachers in cases 
 of illness. In April came Herr Fliedner himself, bringing 
 with him four deaconesses, two of whom are maintained 
 by a Prussian women's association, and the two others by 
 myself. They are to nurse our converts and also other 
 patients. They live together, and receive into the house 
 such patients as require special care and attention. Besides 
 this, they visit regularly among our poor, more particularly 
 the female converts and those who are anxiously seek- 
 ing the truth. . . . Good results are already visible. I 
 expect much beneficial effect to follow upon their labours 
 here ; for their quiet, humble, kindly, and thoroughly 
 Christian behaviour must make an impression upon the 
 hearts and consciences of many Jews and Gentiles. Dr. 
 MacGowan has kindly offered his gratuitous professional 
 services to the hospital. 
 
 " The number of Bible-readers whom I have sent out 
 this year is the same as last year. One of them . . . 
 who is also my secretary, works chiefly among the better 
 classes of Christians, and corresponds with various per- 
 sons at a distance who are inquiring about the truth. 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 He is at tliis present time engaged, under my direction, 
 in a most interesting interchange of letters witli the 
 priest of the Samaritans, who is reading the New Testa- 
 ment very carefully, and bringing before us in a highly 
 sensible, and, I believe, sincere manner, objections and 
 difficulties which occur to his mind. For instance, in the 
 speech of St. Stephen (Acts vii.) he found sundry state- 
 ments which did not seem to agree literally with those in 
 the Books of Moses ; he was satisfied, however, with our 
 explanations. 
 
 " This priest has recently applied to me for help in 
 establishing a school for the benefit of his people, as the 
 Mussulmans will not allow the Samaritans to send their 
 children to my school. He has at the same time pro- 
 mised to have the whole of the Old Testament read in 
 this school, though it is well known that the Samaritans 
 look upon the Pentateuch as the only inspired Scriptures. 
 I have made the condition that the New Testament is 
 also to be read, and do not despair of his consent to this 
 stipulation. 
 
 " This, my second Bible-reader, has been the means of 
 awakening a spirit of inquiry among a considerable num- 
 ber of priests ; they are, however, so sharply watched 
 that it were not prudent to give a more detailed account 
 of it here. I will only mention that a little while ago 
 one of them, who could not quite conceal his attachment 
 to the Gospel, was suddenly placed in confinement, and I 
 have not yet been able to ascertain whither they have 
 taken him. . . . 
 
 " Although, in my last letters, I said that the prevail- 
 ing excitement of the public mind had considerably abated, 
 a door has nevertheless been opened in this country for 
 preaching the Gospel to the native population ; and I 
 rejoice to be able to state that the Church Missionary 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 277 
 
 Society has resolved to send missionaries into this wide 
 field of labour. One of them, Missionary Klein, has 
 already been here two months, and is busy studying the 
 Arabic language in order to qualify himself for the charge 
 of the Protestant congregation at Nazareth. Another, 
 who is well versed in modern Greek and Turkish (Dr. 
 Sandrezki), is to arrive here in few days, and will in the 
 first instance find his sphere among the thousands of 
 ignorant pilgrims who annually flock to Jerusalem. 
 
 '' In Jerusalem itself there are many, Latins, Greeks, 
 and Armenians, who are more or less earnestly seeking 
 the truth ; but they are nearly all poor, and their de- 
 pendence on the monasteries is a terrible hindrance. . . . 
 Not long ago, two families, who formerly belonged to 
 the Latins, were suddenly turned out of their house — 
 forcibly ejected, in fact — because they would not deliver 
 up their Bibles to be burnt. When people are thus 
 forced, for the sake of the Gospel which we preach and 
 publish, to quit their dwelling-places, it would be too 
 cruel if we did not seek to provide a shelter for them, 
 whether they have up to that time given full proof of 
 thorough heart-conversion or not. I usually pay house- 
 rent for such, as long as they conduct themselves well 
 and require my aid. ... If I have been mistaken in 
 one or two cases, I yet can say with thankfulness to God 
 that these poor Protestant Arabs, namely, the six or 
 seven communicants, behave well upon the whole. As 
 long as their health is good, they claim hardly any help 
 from me beyond their house-rent, and by their indus- 
 try, frugality, and gratitude set a good example to our 
 Jewish converts. 
 
 " With regard to Nablus, I should have to write whole 
 volumes if I wished to relate all the intrigues, briberies, 
 repeated promises, and threats of which the Bishops and 
 
278 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 monks of the Greek convent have made use in order to 
 hinder, and, if possible, destroy, the good work there. 
 On the other hand, I should need the same fertile pen 
 to describe the singleness of heart, good sense, and 
 wisdom with which the Evangelical Christians, by the 
 grace of God, maintain their ground, and whereby they 
 have frustrated all the cunning and keen machinations of 
 their adversaries. . . . 
 
 " When the monks perceived that the people asked 
 counsel in all things of our emissary there, they tried 
 every device to bring him on to their side ; flattery, 
 direct and indirect promises, and threats, everything was 
 set in motion to draw him into their net. But in the 
 midst of it all he acquitted himself as a man who sub- 
 mits to be guided by Divine wisdom. I did not fear 
 much from their threats, though all his friends most 
 earnestly entreated him to beware of poison ; but I 
 dreaded their promises. . . . 
 
 " At last, seeing that nothing was to be done with 
 him at Nablus, the monks invited him to Jerusalem. 
 He came, and for a whole month they tried every pos- 
 sible snare to entrap him. They finally summoned him 
 to the convent, where, in the presence of the Bishops and 
 monks, a document, drawn up by the chief secretary of 
 the Pasha, whom they had bribed, was placed in his 
 hand. This he was required to sign if he did not wish 
 to incur their displeasure. 
 
 " He perused the document, and then, gazing earnestly 
 at the superior of the convent, ^ Is this your religion ? ' 
 he asked ; ' and do you suppose that for money I will 
 become your Judas ? ' A silence ensued. He put the 
 paper in his pocket, and came to me downcast and sad. 
 I am now in possession of the document. It is a kind 
 of contract, in which the convent promises to give my 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 279 
 
 agent ;^8o sterling per annum if he will hinder the 
 children of the Greeks from attending my school, and if 
 he will undertake the superintendence of their school. 
 The cloister authorities offered him a present of ii^iOO 
 if he would promise to raze my school-house to the 
 ground within the next three months. 
 
 " However, when they saw plainly that neither threats 
 nor promises were of any avail, they became uneasy lest 
 a great number of persons might leave them to declare 
 themselves Protestants. Accordingly, the Bishops wrote 
 a friendly letter to Nablus, begging the people to be at 
 one, and not to say the one, ' I am of Apollos,' and the 
 other, ' I am of Cephas.' 
 
 " Since then everything has remained quiet ; but my 
 agent has had a long and dangerous illness in conse- 
 quence of these attacks. I may mention that although, 
 through his open-handedness, he is a poor man, and 
 although he receives from me barely enough to cover 
 his extra expenses for the school, the attempts at bribery 
 seemed not to produce the slightest effect upon him. 
 
 ^' In consequence of the tyrannical treatment and per- 
 secution formerly suffered by the people of Nazareth who 
 read the Bible, about twenty families were brought to 
 the resolution of seceding from their Church and uniting 
 themselves into a Protestant congregation. They now, 
 as such, enjoy the recognition and protection of the 
 Government. The step was nevertheless a premature 
 one, and I sliould not like to assert that these Pro- 
 testants are really converted people. Missionary Bowen 
 has spent some months at Nazareth this summer, and he 
 has discovered that a large admixture of pure and impure 
 motives were at work in the matter. Still he is con- 
 vinced that there are among them people who are ear- 
 nestly inquiring after saving truth ; and at all events, 
 
28o LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 it affords a good opportunity for preaching the Gospel in 
 Galilee. ... S. Gobat." 
 
 King Frederick Williara IV. to Bishop Gohat. 
 
 " Potsdam. November 29, 1851. 
 
 " Most Honoured Bishop, — I commend to you the 
 bearer of this letter, Pastor Valentiner, a Holstein man, 
 whom the iniquity of the present Danish Government has 
 driven out of his Schleswig parish, which he ruled most 
 successfully, and without ever mingling in politics. 
 
 " I should like him to take charge of the few German 
 members of your Church at Jerusalem, . . . and I wish 
 with all my heart that you may find him worthy of the 
 office. ... It is to be hoped that fresh ordination, 
 according to the Anglican rite, will not be exacted in 
 the case of Valentiner. He has received ordination from 
 the hands of the Superintendent-General of Schleswig, 
 Dr. Nielsen. . . . Now it is well known that the Super- 
 intendent-Generals of the two German Duchies in Epis- 
 copal Denmark are on a footing of equality with the 
 Bishops of the kingdom, and officiate as such at the 
 royal anointing and coronation. According to the 
 principles which were received as fully valid in the 
 English Church down to the first decade of this cen- 
 tury, it seems to me, dear Gobat, that there could be 
 no obstacle to his admission as member of your Church 
 and pastor under your jurisdiction. I have conversed 
 at great length with Valentiner, and if I associate the 
 impression he has made upon me with the fair reputation 
 he enjoys, I think I may venture to hope that you will 
 congratulate yourself upon this acquisition. . . . 
 
 " I hope that Valentiner will write to me soon after 
 his arrival in Jerusalem. In that case please to send 
 me messages by him concerning the state of the ancient 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 281 
 
 Churclies in the Holy Land, . . . and more especially 
 as to the progress of your relations, personal and ecclesi- 
 astical, with your old royal friend of Abyssinia and his 
 Church. 
 
 " My prayers and ardent wishes are ever with you, . . . 
 and with the beloved Church of Jerusalem. The Queen 
 sends you her cordial greetings, and most sincere thanks 
 to your wife for the pretty and curious articles which 
 she transmitted through Pastor Fliedner, and which have 
 afforded my wife the liveliest pleasure. 
 
 " May that blessing and prosperity which the Lord 
 alone can give rest upon your rule, upon all your actions, 
 and especially upon jour relations with Valentiner. 
 
 " I commend myself heartily to your prayers and 
 blessing, honoured Bishop, as your faithful and devoted 
 
 " Frederick William, E." 
 
 Bishop Gdbat to King Frederick William IV. 
 
 " Jekusalem, Dec. 29, 1S51. 
 '' . . . Your Majesty commands me to write. As, 
 however, I sent to Herr von Bunsen at the beginning of 
 this month a detailed report of the present state of things 
 in this country in connection with the bishopric, and as 
 I doubt not that gentleman will communicate to your 
 Majesty whatever particulars of interest it may contain, 
 I have nothing further to say upon this head, except that 
 the Christians of Salt beyond the Jordan have again sent 
 a Sheik to me to request that I would take them under 
 my care. They wish no longer to remain connected 
 with the Greek clergy, who not only do nothing for their 
 instruction and improvement, but who have also destroyed 
 the school which I had opened for their children. There 
 are about 1 1 00 Christians at Salt ; and beyond that 
 place are little groups entirely given over to wildness 
 
282 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 and ignorance. They have several times applied to me 
 for assistance. I am sorry for the poor people. They 
 are aware of their own ignorance and helplessness, but 
 they do not know what they really need ; they only have 
 a dim idea that the thing of chief importance is want- 
 ing to them — the Word of God, and the means to use it 
 aright. I ought to have a Glitzlaff or a Krapf to send 
 to them ; such men as they are would, with God's help, 
 work wonders. Mediocre missionaries could do no good 
 at all. 
 
 " Your Majesty remarks that I shall ' certainly sum- 
 mon into the lists both Pope and Emperor through this 
 stirring up of fresh life in the ancient Churches.' Now, 
 whether or not such august personages would consider it 
 worth their while to condescend to look down upon the 
 work which is being carried on among the poor people of 
 this land, in great weakness in every way, but in firm 
 reliance on the Almighty, I know not ; but the spirit 
 which actuates those institutions of which they are the 
 heads is at all events very busy. I cannot say that, as 
 yet, this activity is directed against me personally, but 
 against the good work which I endeavour in faith to 
 promote by means of God's Word. For when the Greek 
 clergy here write to Nablus to warn the poor folk there 
 against the wolf which, through the teaching of God's 
 Word, is alienating their children from their Church and 
 sacred traditions, they were obliged to admit, in answer 
 to the questions of the simple creatures, that they know 
 no evil of me. The Roman Catholic Patriarch, who 
 returned from Europe a few days ago, is in too hot 
 conflict with the monks respecting the question of meum 
 and tuum to be able to think much about me at present ; 
 but after a while no doubt we shall not fail to come into 
 serious collision. . . . 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 283 
 
 " Be it so, then. I fear not those mighty, open 
 adversaries, but rather rejoice in the strife ; for in pro- 
 found consciousness of my own weakness and impotence, I 
 yet steadfastly believe that, as your Majesty says, ^ the 
 King who rules over the one and the other will be on 
 my side.' 
 
 " I hardly dare enter upon the principal points of your 
 Majesty's letter, because I am too imperfectly acquainted 
 with the subject. My work has hitherto lain too much 
 in the direction of evangelising ignorant people, for me 
 to have been led to the especial study of ritual and the 
 Liturgy. . . . 
 
 " My idea of appointing the Greek Liturgy, purged of 
 its errors, for the use of Christian congregations in this 
 land, simply originated in my personal experience. I 
 was not only brought up in the Eeformed Church of 
 Switzerland, but within its bosom I learned to know my 
 Lord, and to find life and truth. I knew no other 
 Liturgy than her own, meagre enough indeed, and I was 
 edified by it, as soon as I had found life eternal, in child- 
 like faith. It is now nearly thirty years since I quitted 
 Switzerland, and during that interval I have known and 
 used several Liturgies, which my reason pronounced to 
 be indisputably better than that of my youth ; and yet, 
 whenever I enter a church in which that Liturgy is in 
 use, I find in it more edification and nourishment for my 
 spiritual being than in any other. Therefore I consider 
 it our duty to leave to the people of this country all that 
 is good in what they have been accustomed to from their 
 youth up, and, when possible, in the familiar form. 
 
 " Concerning the Eucharist, my view of it for years 
 has coincided with that of Ireneeus, supported by Justin 
 Martyr, namely, that the Eucharist was already in very 
 early ages called a sacrifice offered to the Lord God ; 
 
284 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 but at tlie same time I never could accept the doctrice 
 that, after the atoning sacrifice of Christ once offered, 
 there could be in the Christian Church any universal 
 sacrifice whatever, save the spiritual sacrifice of thanks- 
 giving. And as all lively members of the body of Christ 
 have equal access to the throne of grace, i.e., are priests 
 of God, it follows that the sacrifice must be of such a 
 nature that they are all alike competent to offer it ; that 
 is, it must be purely spiritual. 
 
 " The gifts made at the offertory on behalf of the poor 
 and of the ofiicers of the Church, and pre-eminently the 
 elements of bread and wine for the impending Com- 
 munion, are suitable outward signs of thanksgiving ; they 
 might also be regarded as a part of the sacrifice, but not 
 essentially so, not being purely spiritual, and being, 
 moreover, out of the power of many to offer. 
 
 "According to the view of Irenaaus, the Holy Com- 
 munion seems to me to be a free gift of the grace of 
 God, as is so clearly set forth in the Preface, and this in 
 close connection with the spiritual sacrifice offered by 
 His priestly people. This sacrifice of thanksgiving, if it 
 is to be a pure one, includes the yielding up of ourselves 
 to God, which is ' our reasonable service ; ' and therein 
 lies the cardinal condition of true and Christian com- 
 munion. That saying here becomes true in a special 
 sense and also collectively for a whole congregation, 
 which at other times may be applied with reference to 
 individuals ; namely, if we give ourselves up unreservedly 
 to God, He gives Himself to us. In other words, ' Whoso 
 offer eth praise glorifieth ]\Ie ; and to him who ordereth 
 his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God.' 
 
 " And now, if I have rightly understood your Majesty's 
 analysis of the passage from Iren^eus, I can gladly answer 
 in the affirmative your Majesty's question as to ' whether 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 28 5 
 
 my own persuasion would allow me ... to take Irenseus 
 as my guide, and to attempt tlie re-establishment of the 
 primitive rite ? ' My answer is founded on the hope 
 that while the Eucharist, the thank-offering, as an essen- 
 tial part of the Communion Office, is explained to the 
 people as the only sacrifice which the people of God can 
 offer, so every idea of an atoning sacrifice or satisfaction 
 may be eliminated from the sacrament. For the rest, I 
 cannot, as I have already said, make any practical use at 
 present of this view of matters. What is positively per- 
 nicious and erroneous in the Greek Liturgy I could, with 
 the help of the person who has already on his own respon- 
 sibility begun something of the kind, undertake to separate 
 from it, and I could have the Greek Liturgy, thus cur- 
 tailed, brought into use on the first opportunity. But 
 with my slight acquaintance with liturgical lore, I would 
 hardly venture to attempt anything new, or, what is 
 nearly the same thing, to essay a radical reformation in 
 this direction, without the help of one or more competent 
 men. . . . 
 
 " And now I beg your Majesty to pardon the length 
 as well as the unsatisfactory character of this letter, and 
 to graciously accept at this season my most heartfelt wishes 
 for the temporal and eternal wellbeing of yoar Majesty, 
 of her Majesty the Queen, and of your whole kingdom. 
 — From your Majesty's most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 '' S. A. H." 
 
( 286 ) 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PROTEST FROM SOME OF THE ANGLICAN CLERGY AGAINST 
 BISHOP GOBAT'S PROCEEDINGS THE BISHOP'S VINDI- 
 CATION. 
 
 (1852-1S53.) 
 
 We have already learned from Gobat himself that his 
 nomination and consecration as Bishop in succession to 
 Dr. Alexander had met with considerable ojDposition in 
 England. The most serious attack, however, took the 
 form of injurious aspersions upon Gobat's character and 
 behaviour while in Abyssinia. The matter was brought 
 before the Archbishop of Canterbury ; and the result of 
 a thorough investigation was to prove Gobat blameless, 
 and to put his accuser to shame. 
 
 But although personal slanders were silenced almost 
 as soon as uttered, prejudices of another kind continued 
 to grow, and to increase the difficulty of the Bishop's 
 position from the moment of his entrance upon his 
 episcopal duties. 
 
 That position was not an easy one. The difference 
 between the Episcopal Church of England and the 
 Churches of Germany, which only recognise the pas- 
 toral office, and have delegated to the temporal ruler 
 a portion of the functions properly j^ertaining to the 
 episcopate, is a fact which may be deplored, but which 
 can neither be set aside nor treated as insignificant. 
 
OPPOSITION TO THE BISHOP. 287 
 
 There existed at Jerusalem a kind of alliance between 
 two independent Christian communities, one English, 
 the other German. The same Bishop ruled over both. 
 He was the head of the espiscopally ordained clergy, 
 who were pledged to the XXXIX. Articles, and exclu- 
 sively bound by the forms of the Book of Common 
 Prayer. He was at the same time chief pastor over 
 the Prussian clergy, who have subscribed to the Con- 
 fession of Augsburg, who had been ordained in Germany, 
 and who used in their German services the Book of 
 Prayers and Hymns drawn up by Bunsen for the 
 Prussian Embassy at Eome, and containing, for use at 
 the celebration of the Lord's Supper, Lutheran and 
 Reformed Prayers, to be selected at the discretion of 
 the officiating pastor. It must be owned that the 
 Bishop's position was a highly embarrassing and thorny 
 one. 
 
 Gobat was pre-eminently qualified to surmount these 
 difficulties. His large heart was full of brotherly love 
 for the truly devout among the German and Swiss 
 Evangelicals. He was also filled with reverence for 
 the ancient, firmly-established ordinances of the Epis- 
 copal Church ; a state of feeling which his office ren- 
 dered obligatory, and his humility made easy. It was, 
 nevertheless, impossible for him to satisfy all claims and 
 to prevent every conflict. 
 
 Did he desire to ordain priest of the Church of 
 England some candidate from Switzerland who had 
 already received a quasi ordination at home, the step 
 was disapproved at Berlin. Did he permit a non- 
 episcopally ordained functionary to preach in Christ 
 Church, this was turned to his reproof in other quarters. 
 He thus stood between two fires. For the Germans he 
 was too Anglican, for the Andicans he was too German. 
 
288 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 He strove to meet these difficulties with patience and 
 gentleness. He respected every conscientious convic- 
 tion, and knew that there was something to be said in 
 support of both sides. He was also aware that the 
 fears of each party had some claim upon his attention. 
 The Anglicans dreaded the stealthy inroads of German 
 Neology, a fear which found its justification in Bunsen's 
 increasingly obvious endeavours to introduce into Eng- 
 land the Rationalism of the school of Schleiermacher ; 
 while the Germans were tenacious of the honour and 
 riofhts of the German Reformation. 
 
 A second difiiculty in which the Bishop was involved 
 arose out of the demands and expectations of the Jewish 
 Missionary Society and the friends of Israel in England. 
 At the very outset there was preferred against him in 
 that quarter the singular complaint that he had no sym- 
 pathies for the Jews — a reproach which was afterwards 
 repeated with striking acrimony. This is to be explained 
 by the too sanguine, or, as Gobat expressed it, the poetical 
 hopes entertained concerning the speedy and wholesale 
 conversion of the ancient people. An idea was current 
 among many that the return of the Jews to Palestine, 
 their settling there, and the rebuilding of the Temple, 
 would precede their acknowledgment of our Saviour as the 
 Messiah. The return of the Jews to the land of their 
 fathers was supposed to be near at hand, and the believers 
 in this event sought to hasten it by framing plans for 
 Jewish colonisation. An Agricultural Society was formed 
 for the benefit of the Jews in Palestine. It was in con- 
 templation to establish a hospital for Israelites, from 
 which, in the first instance, the New Testament was to 
 be excluded, so that the Jews might not be frightened 
 away from it. 
 
 For such undertakings Gobat, as a Christian Bishop, 
 
OPPOSITIOX TO THE BISHOP. 
 
 would assume no responsibility, neither vrould he extend 
 to them a helping hand. 
 
 He was forced to see the frightful degradation of the 
 local Jews in Jerusalem. He stood firm in the resolve 
 to require the true conversion of the heart as a condition 
 of baptism. He maintained that converts, who until 
 then had lived as beggars, ought, if their conversion were 
 a reality, to learn some handicraft whereby they migrlit 
 in future earn an honest living. He insisted upon the 
 pure. Scriptural principle that the Israelite by birth^ 
 when once baptized and received into the bosom of the 
 Christian Church, can claim no special privileges above 
 other Christians. He had had many sad experiences 
 on the score of baj^tized Jews ; and he once said, '• I 
 tremble whenever the missionaries send me a convert, for 
 either he is insincere from the beginning, or, if he com- 
 mences by being honest and in earnest, he will soon be 
 spoilt by the flattery of the friends of Israel in England." 
 
 Gobat's heart was full of love for the Jews, but he 
 possessed a remarkable degree of knowledge of human 
 nature, and he eschewed false sentiment. His true feel- 
 ing manifested itself in the vast scale on which he aided 
 the Jews in the famine and cholera time, as well as in 
 his paternal care for the hospital in which the sick of 
 that nationality were tended gratis. These noble works 
 are certainly the most important achievements of the 
 Jewish Mission. 
 
 A third difficulty, and this was the greatest of all, 
 sprang from the antagonism of the two great parties in 
 the Church of England, the High and the Low. The 
 former holds that the Church is grounded upon the 
 Episcopate, and considers the Greek, Eoman, and Angli- 
 can communions as the three branches of the One Holv 
 Church of Christ. The Low Church party agrees with 
 
 T 
 
290 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 Luther in viewing justification by faith alone as the 
 article of the standing or falling Church, and regards all 
 who fight under this banner, Presbyterians, Calvinists, 
 and Evangelical Dissenters, as their brethren in the 
 closest sense of the word. Gobat's sympathies were with 
 the Evangelical section, and yet he was by no means a 
 party man. 
 
 Hiofh Churchmen could not be reconciled to the 
 Papacy, as it now exists, but they were all the more 
 strongly possessed with an ideal notion of a union be- 
 tween the Anglican and the ancient orthodox Greek 
 Churches. The work of Williams, formerly chaplain to 
 Bishop Alexander, " The Holy City," and of John Mason 
 Neale, ^' The Holy Eastern Church," are the most memor- 
 able productions of this school. And who would not 
 share this noble aspiration, if the ancient hereditary 
 privileges of the Greek Church be taken into considera- 
 tion ? Her doctrines, founded upon the decrees of the 
 great Councils and the writings of the Fathers ; her 
 Liturgy, dating from Chrysostom and Basil ; the ancient 
 rites which she has preserved, and the inexorable stead- 
 fastness wherewith she confessed Christ in the most 
 terrible days of Arab and Ottoman tyranny ! How 
 glorious would it be, did but the existing reality and 
 the present state of the Greek Christians in Turkey 
 correspond with the orthodox system ! Unhappily this 
 is not the case. 
 
 When, like Gobat, we behold matters in close proxi- 
 mity, we see an entirely different side of the question. 
 The old, venerable walls, the institutions of Primitive 
 Christianity, are still there, but the spirit and the feeling 
 of the early Christians no longer dwell therein. The 
 fabric is overgrown with grotesque and spurious accre- 
 tions ; the superstitious worship of pictures, the invoca- 
 
OPPOSITION TO THE BISHOP. 291 
 
 tion of saints, and, lastly, the profound ignorance of the 
 laity and inferior clergy, produce a sadly discouraging- 
 impression. Despotism, especially Oriental despotism, 
 ruins the character. The tyranny of a single individual 
 is less pernicious than that of an entire nation, which 
 tramples upon the neck of an enslaved people bereft of 
 all their rights. The weak become the prey of the 
 strong, and there arises the temptation to gain legitimate 
 ends by false and corrupt means. It is from these evils 
 that the Eastern Christians suffer. The majority of them 
 do not know, or have forgotten, the alphabet of Christian 
 morals. 
 
 The Anglican admirers of the Greek Church reflected 
 too little upon this side of the question when they fixed 
 their hopes upon a speedy union ; but such persons as 
 were on the spot stumbled at every step against insuper- 
 able hindrances. 
 
 These fair hopes were touched upon in the Document 
 of Foundation, dated December 7, 1841 ; and the com- 
 mendatory letter written by Archbishop Howley, and 
 presented by Bishop Alexander to the Greek and Arme- 
 nian Patriarchs, was conceived in such harmonious terms, 
 that one might have supposed that there was no conflict 
 to be feared, and as though the Anglican and Oriental 
 Churches would immediately clasp hands on the common 
 ground of equal rights, and in token of perfect fraternal 
 fellowship. But assuming that this mutual acknowledg- 
 ment was made in earnest, what would be its practical 
 issue ? Firm stands the axiom, " Whosoever is admitted 
 there must also be admitted here ; and whosoever is ex- 
 communicated there must likewise be excluded here." 
 
 Here, then, appears at once the hard and insolvable 
 difficulty which could not fail to render the position of 
 the Evangelical Bishop a truly painful one. If persons 
 
292 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 were shut out from the Greek Church because they refused 
 to kiss pictures and to surrender the Bible, were they to 
 be debarred from admission into the Anglican Church, 
 which rejects the worship of pictures, and founds its 
 doctrines and its rites upon the Bible only ? 
 
 We know the course pursued by Gobat in such cases, 
 and it would be difficult to say how he could have acted 
 otherwise. 
 
 But we can well understand the agitation into which 
 the Anglican admirers of the Greek Church were plunged 
 when it became known in England that Bishop Gobat 
 was establishing Protestant congregations in various parts 
 of Palestine, composed of those who had left the Orthodox 
 Church. How did this proceeding agree with the declara- 
 tions of the Document of Foundation ? What was to 
 become of the hoped-for union of the Churches ? Every 
 prospect of such a consummation seemed to be frustrated 
 by these events. 
 
 Gobat's friends saw the storm gathering, and tried to 
 avert it. Dr. Adair Crawford, Secretary to the Jews' 
 Mission Society, and editor of the Record^ repaired in 
 June 1 849 to Jerusalem to warn the Bishop against a 
 split between himself and the Greek Church ; but once 
 on the spot, he soon found that it was easier to give such 
 advice than to follow it. Sir George Pose, formerly 
 president of the Church Missionary Society, wrote in 
 great anxiety in December 1 8 5 I to Dr. M'Caul. The 
 greatest prudence, he affirmed, was imperative. The 
 Emperor of Russia might be provoked by Gobat's prose- 
 lytising, and he would then forbid the Church Missionary 
 Society to carry on its operations within his dominions. 
 
 In this dilemma Gobat chose the straightforward 
 course. He appealed for counsel and help to his superior, 
 Archbishop Sumner of Canterbury. He received in an- 
 
OPPOSITION TO THE BISHOP. 293 
 
 swer, on the 8tli of November 1850, a remarkable docu- 
 ment. The Archbishop and Chevalier Bunsen had drawn 
 up and signed at Lambeth an official " Explanation " of 
 the 7th Article of the Deed of Foundation, which con- 
 ferred freedom of action on the Bishop. It expressed 
 the expectation that he would assume no hostile attitude 
 towards the Greek Church, neither initiate any polemical 
 war against her. But, on the other hand, the declaration 
 was firm upon this point : ''If Greek Christians, dissa- 
 tisfied with the state of their Church, desire scriptural 
 fellowship, and are imbued with the belief that the 
 Anglican Church in doctrine and constitution doth an- 
 swer to this condition, it were unreasonable to forbid 
 the Bishop to afford to such Christians his help and 
 countenance. It were desirable, indeed, that congrega- 
 tions formed under these circumstances should be shep- 
 herded by like-minded priests of their original communion ; 
 if, therefore, the charge were undertaken by Anglican 
 clergymen, this was to be looked upon merely as a 
 measure of expediency, in order to preserve the seceders 
 from complete spiritual destitution." 
 
 Unfortunately, this declaration was not made public ; 
 whether from mistaken prudence or not, it is hardly for 
 us to decide. Gobat, at all events, was not responsible 
 for its suppression. His position with regard to the 
 High Church party remained as difficult as ever, so long 
 as he was not permitted to make use of the declaration 
 in his own defence. 
 
 At last, in September 1853, the celebrated protest 
 against Gobat's proceedings, addressed to the Patriarchs 
 and Synods of the Greek Church, and signed by more 
 than a thousand members of the Anglican Communion, 
 was put forth. 
 
 Against this serious attack, the most formidable that 
 
294 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 Gobat had ever liad to endure, the four AngUcan Arch- 
 bishops, by a declaration dated November i, 1853, 
 extended to him their protection. They were able to 
 appreciate the difficulty of his position, and they justly 
 observed that those who accused him of acting without 
 authority, were themselves acting, in the case in question, 
 on their own responsibility, and independently of authority. 
 
 In concluding this account of events which we would 
 willingly have omitted from the biography of so eminent 
 a lover of peace as Samuel Gobat, had we not deemed 
 it but just to the Bishop's memory to briefly recapitulate 
 the outline of the history, we may remark, that, in the 
 matter of the protest, the Greek Patriarchs and Synods 
 observed the same line of conduct as that pursued by 
 them from the first in reference to the Evangelical See. 
 They simply ignored it. The official proclamation of the 
 four Metropolitans exonerated the Bishop, and no further 
 unfavourable consequences ensued. 
 
 The whole affair awakened much sympathy for the 
 Bishop, a sympathy which found vent in declarations 
 of confidence and in generous gifts. When his school- 
 house was completed, he might truthfully have said that 
 it had been built for him by his adversaries. 
 
 The maintenance of the Bible-schools and Bible- readers, 
 and the carrying on of the various institutions at Jerusa- 
 lem, demanded a very large expenditure. There was no 
 regular fund for these objects, and Gobat found himself 
 compelled from time to time to visit Europe to arouse 
 sympathy and interest by means of lectures. He ac- 
 complished the first of these journeys in 1 85 2. 
 
 Concerning domestic events, we may add that two 
 children were born to Gobat at Jerusalem — Samuel 
 Agenor, in 1848, who in after years studied at Oxford, 
 became first his father's assistant at Jerusalem, and then 
 
OPPOSITION TO THE BISHOP. 295 
 
 a beneficed clergyman in England ; and Blandina, in 
 1850, who eventually became the wife of the Kev. 
 Theodor Wolters, missionary of the Church Missionary 
 Society at Jerusalem. The youngest child was born in 
 1852 at Beuggen, and received, in compliment to an 
 august sponsor, the names Frederick William ; but he 
 died in early infancy. 
 
 We deem it not unfitting if we end this chapter with 
 a copy of the manifesto of the four Archbishops. 
 
 Declaration of the Four Metropolitans of the United 
 Church of England and Ireland. 
 
 " Whereas certain clergymen have addressed a memo- 
 rial to the Oriental Patriarchs and Synods, in which the 
 Anglican Bishop at Jerusalem is accused of having ex- 
 ceeded the proper objects of his mission, and of intro- 
 ducing schism into the Eastern Churches. 
 
 " And whereas some of the names affixed to the said 
 document are the names of persons who hold oflficial 
 stations in the United Church of England and Ireland ; 
 and it might be supposed, at least in foreign parts, that 
 a censure of the Bishop, as having acted without due 
 authority from his Church, would not be made by per- 
 sons who were themselves acting without such authority : 
 Therefore we, the Metropolitans of the United Church 
 of England and Ireland, deem it expedient to make 
 this public declaration, that the said memorial does not 
 in any manner emanate from the said Church, or from 
 persons authorised by that Church to pronounce decisions. 
 
 " We are induced to take this step, first, in order 
 to guard against the danger which might arise to our 
 own Church from the example of the irregular and un- 
 authorised proceedings of the memorialists ; and further, 
 
296 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 because we sympathise with our brother, the Anglican 
 Bishop in Jerusalem, in his arduous position, and feel 
 assured that his conduct, under the circumstances in 
 which he is placed, will be guided by sound judgment 
 and discretion. 
 
 (Signed) '' J. B. Caxtaur. 
 
 T. Ebor. 
 
 John G. Armagh. 
 
 KiCHARD Dublin. 
 
 '' Novemher i, 1853." 
 
( 297 ) 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCES OF THE CRIMEAN WAR GROWING 
 
 HOSTILITY OF THE MOHAMMEDANS RESUMPTION OF 
 
 THE ABYSSINIAN MISSION. 
 
 (1854-1857.) 
 
 Whilst tlie Revolution of 1848 and 1849 made all 
 Europe tremble as witli the shock of a mighty earth- 
 quake, dwellers in the East enjoyed tranquillity ; Pales- 
 tine remained untouched by those portentous events. 
 But when in 1854 the Czar Nicholas made his onslaught 
 upon Turkey and lighted up the Crimean War, the state 
 of matters changed. 
 
 What was the position in which the Evangelical 
 Bishop at Jerusalem found himself at the outbreak of 
 that terrible struof^le ? We learn from his well-known 
 letter of the 20th of May 1 8 54, that, on the part of 
 himself and his friends, one point of view alone drove 
 all other considerations into the background. Under 
 the feeble but benevolent sway of the Sultan, Abdul 
 Medschid, who had every reason to show consideration 
 for England, missionary efforts in Palestine were carried 
 on entirely free from molestation ; but it was feared 
 that this freedom of action would be checked as soon 
 as Russia usurped the dominion of the East. The Sul- 
 tan was prayed for at Christ Church, Jerusalem, as it 
 is the duty of all Christians to pray for and to seek 
 
298 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 the welfare of the ruler of the land in which they live, be 
 that ruler Christian or heathen. Thus political events 
 brought in their train a moral question very difficult of 
 solution for Christians in the Turkish dominions. 
 
 In such cases, true wisdom enjoins upon the servants 
 of Christ silence concerning political questions and the 
 war of rights. Unfortunately, the Bishop's expressions 
 in the letter above referred to were taken in the sense 
 of a political and party manifesto. 
 
 But if the Turcophiles reckoned upon Gobat as a 
 partisan, they found themselves very much mistaken. 
 He knew the real state of Eastern affairs too well ; he 
 was too enlightened as to the respective essential char- 
 acteristics of Christianity and Mohammedanism to believe 
 in the ennobling of Islam, in the possibility of a good 
 government in the Turkish empire, or in the civilisa- 
 tion of the East apart from conversion to Christ. 
 
 The result of the war, which had cost such frightful 
 sacrifices, was laid down in the two memorable docu- 
 ments, the Hatti-Humayum, that is, the decree of the 
 Sultan, signed with his own hand, dated January 26, 
 1856, and the Paris Treaty of March 30, in that same 
 year. The Conference of French, English, and Austrian 
 diplomatists, in which Lord Stratford played the leading 
 part, had drawn up the outline of the Hatti-Humayum, 
 and the Sultan was obliged by his position of dependence 
 upon the European Powers to adopt it. 
 
 This document assured to Christians living under 
 Turkish rule unrestricted freedom of conscience, equal 
 rights of citizenship with the Mohammedans, and eligi- 
 bility for all offices of state. Mixed, that is, Mohamme- 
 dan-Christian, tribunals were to settle all disputes be- 
 tween Mohammedans and Christians, and the latter were 
 made liable for military service. 
 
THE CRIMEAN WAR. 299 
 
 By means of these and kindred " reforms," tlie Turkish 
 empire was at one coup to be transformed into a modern 
 civilised state, and a sort of cosmopolitan system of citi- 
 zenship, embracing manifold nationalities and religions. 
 Splendid fictions, in which no one who was acquainted 
 with the circumstances could place any faith. The high 
 value (!) of the Hatti-Humayum was proved by its fatal 
 codicil, which declared that in no case were the said 
 Powers to be allowed to interfere in the relations between 
 the Sultan and his subjects, or in the interior administra- 
 tion of his dominions. 
 
 Bishop Gobat was one of those who were not to be 
 deceived by the fallacies and emptinesses of diplomatic 
 promises. His circular letter for 1857 and his general 
 correspondence show that the position of matters was not 
 improved, but rather made worse than before. The great 
 war undertaken on behalf of Turkey had the most preju- 
 dicial effect upon the temper of the Mohammedans. Their 
 pride was flattered by the favourite interpretation attri- 
 buted to events by the Turks themselves ; for the version 
 of matters promulgated from Stamboul ran much as 
 follows : " The Muscovite Giaour had the temerity to 
 menace the Padisha. "Whereupon the Caliph ordered 
 his vassals, the English Giaour and the French Giaour, to 
 come and conquer them. They obeyed the command, 
 and drove the Muscovite Giaour back." 
 
 Deeper-seeing Moslems beheld in the whole transaction 
 the real humiliation of the Turkish power ; they foresaw 
 its approaching dissolution, and their wrath flamed high. 
 " If the foreigners intend to take from us our land, they 
 shall find nothing but a desert." The prophecy of far- 
 sighted Europeans, who foretold that the proclamation of 
 equal rights between Christians and Moslems would be 
 the signal for sanguinary insurrection, had its sad fulfil- 
 
300 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 ment. In several places the Hatti-Humayum was not 
 made known at all. At Nablns its publication on the 
 4tlL of April 1856 excited a riot. Redress for the 
 wrongs inflicted by the Moslems on the Christians was 
 less to be hoped for than ever ; for as (in the document) 
 the separation of Church and State had been declared, 
 the European Consuls, as civil officials, had nothing to 
 do with religious disputes. According to the provisions 
 of the Hatti-Humayum, the testimony of Christian against 
 Moslem was to be received as valid ; but as a rule the 
 Kadi would hear nothing of it, and simply consulted his 
 Koran. The Christian's liability for military service, 
 ostensibly an honour and a ratification of the equality of 
 rights, became, as the practice of buying off grew cus- 
 tomary, a welcome pretext for endless pecuniary extor- 
 tions on the part of the Turkish authorities. A Moham- 
 medan who had received baptism could no longer, after 
 the letter of the law, be brought to justice and con- 
 demned to death ; but any Moslem who chose could with 
 impunity shoot him dead in the open street. '' Cer- 
 tainly," observes Dr. Rosen, '' matters have improved since 
 then. Progress, if slow, has been made by the nations 
 of the Levant, more especially by the Christian peoples ; 
 but it has not been in consequence of pompous fir- 
 mans or of the exertions of the Ministers of the Porte, 
 but as a necessary result of intercommunion among the 
 nations." 
 
 It was at this period that the Abyssinian Mission was 
 revived. After the enforced retirement of Gobat through 
 severe illness at the end of 1836 from that field, the 
 work had for some time been continued in Tigre by 
 Missionaries Isenberg and Blumhardt ; but on the 9th 
 of March 1 838, these men, together with the newly 
 arrived Missionary Krapf, were banished by Prince 
 
THE ABYSSINIAN MISSION. 301 
 
 Oubea, and missionary work soon came to a complete 
 stand- still in that region. 
 
 Gobat had ever borne the welfare of the Abyssinians 
 in his heart, and the Abyssinians in their turn pre- 
 served a faithful remembrance of him. The confidence 
 which Gobat had earned from that people moved Eas 
 Ali to the request, in I 850, that the Evangelical Bishop 
 would assume the superintendence and protection of 
 the Abyssinian monks and pilgrims, a task which Gobat 
 fulfilled with many blessed results. 
 
 In consequence of a great political change in Abys- 
 sinia, the way seemed smooth for a renew^ed effort of 
 missionary activity. That kingdom, formerly ruled by 
 one sovereign, had since 1780 been divided until the 
 year 1855, when the whole country became re-united 
 under one king. Our readers will probably remember 
 mention being made in the autobiographical portion of 
 this work of a savage Abyssinian grandee whom Gobat 
 had successfully treated for fits of madness. This man's 
 son, Casai, then a boy, was now grown up, and had 
 distinguished himself under different princes as a bold 
 and daring leader. He contrived to act a similar part 
 to that played by Clovis among the Frankish princes. 
 He became the son-in-law of Prince Eas Ali, whom he 
 afterwards conquered and dethroned. He overcame his 
 mighty adversary, Oubea, and caused himself to be 
 crowned, February 5, 1855, "king of kings," under 
 the name of Theodore II. The then Abuna, Salama, 
 performed the ceremonies of unction and coronation. 
 
 Theodore was a remarkable man, possessed of kingly 
 qualities. He had been from his youth favourably dis- 
 posed towards the mission, and he was desirous of raising 
 his people by means of European education. 
 
 The Missionaries Krapf and Flad, sent by Gobat, 
 
302 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 appeared before the King and the Abuna at Gondar, 
 and presented the Bishop's letter of introduction, April 
 14, 1855. ^1^^ gives his impression of King Theodore 
 in the following words : — 
 
 " The King was friendly in his demeanour towards 
 me, and had various questions to ask about Europe and 
 upon religious matters. He decided all judicial cases 
 himself, and daily gave audience to dozens of petitions 
 and complaints. Criminals were sentenced and executed 
 on the spot. Numberless messengers received the royal 
 orders for the Government officials. He could not write; he 
 dictated sometimes two or three different letters at the 
 same time, and for the slightest mistake the scribe was 
 chastised with blows or with a great whip. Even officers, 
 generals, ministers, received the same kind of punishment. 
 
 " The King was usually seated, in the simplest possible 
 attire, on a carpet spread upon the ground ; he wore 
 neither head-covering nor shoes. He was of medium 
 height, powerful frame, and moderately dark complexion. 
 In the expression of his countenance there was some- 
 thing half savage, insincere, and crafty. His eyes were 
 fiery, his nose strongly aquiline ; when he was angry 
 his face assumed a darker hue, and the three plaits of 
 hair bristled upon his head. At such times I felt very 
 uncomfortable in his vicinity." ^ 
 
 Introduced into the presence of this Oriental despot, 
 the two missionaries stood in apprehensive expectation. 
 
 "Is Gobat well?" asked the King. "His letter 
 pleases me, and I wish him to send me three artisans, 
 namely, a gunmaker, a palace-builder, and a book- 
 printer. I do not intend to interfere in matters of 
 faith ; that is the business of the Abuna." 
 
 * Flad, Zwolf Jahre in Abyssinien, oder Geschichte des Konigs 
 Theodores II., 1869, S. 4 fif. 
 
THE ABYSSINIAN MISSION. 303 
 
 The latter functionary expressed himself in favour of 
 receiving into Abyssinia persons who would disseminate 
 the Scriptures in the language of the country. In the 
 letter addressed by the King to Gobat, and intrusted 
 for delivery to Krapf and Flad, his Majesty observed, 
 " Thou knowest the circumstances of this country. . . . 
 "VVe were formerly divided into three parties, but I have 
 now, with God's help, established unity in my dominions. 
 Priests who would destroy our faith must not come, in 
 order that love may not grow cold." 
 
 The King had banished the Jesuit Father Jacobis, 
 who, according to Flad's testimony, was a pious and 
 humble-minded man, besides sundry other Eomish mis- 
 sionaries who had gained some adherents in the north- 
 east quarter of the kingdom, because they had occasioned 
 a division. 
 
 These hope-inspiring invitations coincided with the 
 wishes and plans of Herr Spittler at Basle, an indefa- 
 tigable, enterprising man, ever active in the cause of true 
 charity. The Bishop was highly satisfied with the Chris- 
 chona Brethren, whom Herr Spittler had sent to Jerusa- 
 lem ; and he dispatched four of them — Flad, Bender, 
 Maier, and Kinzler — after careful preparation and with 
 excellent instructions, to Abyssinia, December 7, 1855. 
 
 Herr Spittler afterwards devised a bold project in con- 
 nection with the revival of the Abyssinian Mission. He 
 coDceived the grand idea of establishing twelve mission 
 stations in Egypt and Nubia, on the highway to Abys- 
 sinia, each station to be called by the name of one of the 
 Apostles, and the whole to be collectively designated '^ The 
 Apostolic Way." By this means a regular line of com- 
 munication with that distant land was to be maintained. 
 This plan was, however, but imperfectly realised. 
 
 With wise precaution, Gobat abstained from ordaining 
 
304 J-^FE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 any of tlie bretliren. They were to discharge no ecclesi- 
 astical functions, nor were they in any way to interfere 
 with Church order, but simply to confine themselves to 
 the duty of disseminating the Bible and of spreading 
 Christian knowledge. The Abyssinians were to remain 
 in their own Church, and it was hoped that that Church 
 would, by degrees, become reformed from within. It 
 was expected that, in time, King Theodore would favour 
 such a measure. 
 
 The scheme was not devoid of dangerous elements. 
 Many Christians looked upon the Bishop's compliance 
 with the King's demand concerning the gunmaker as a 
 hazardous step. It is true that the blacksmith, Schroth, 
 who accompanied the second detachment of the brethren, 
 died just as he had reached the Abyssinian frontier, but 
 several of the brethren found themselves obliged by the 
 King's order to labour at the task of repairing not only 
 roads and waggons, but also guns, cannons, and bombs. 
 The air of the court is an unhealthy element in Abyssinia 
 as well as in Europe, and royal patronage is at all times 
 dangerous to true Christianity. 
 
 The emissaries at first enjoyed so high a degree of the 
 King's favour, that he exalted them to the rank of 
 nobility, and endowed them with land. But he had at 
 the same time tried to make them subservient to his 
 temporal views. Gobat suffered great anxiety lest pride, 
 vanity, avarice, and disunion should creep in among them, 
 causing them to neglect their proper occupation of dis- 
 seminating the Bible. These evangelical messengers 
 found themselves, in point of fact, in a golden slavery. 
 But ere long the King's mind changed, and his displea- 
 sure conduced to greater faithfulness in the fulfilling of 
 their mission. 
 
 After the conclusion of the Crimean War, Gobat made 
 
THE ABYSSINIAN MISSION. 305 
 
 a tour in Europe, visiting Basle, Berlin, and London. It 
 was tlien tliat lie received tlie remarkable proposals of tlie 
 King of Prussia, who invited him to consecrate as bishops 
 certain German pastors. His Majesty thought by this 
 means to transplant the episcopate into Prussia, and to 
 pave the way for union with the Anglican Church. 
 
 Frederick William lY. had a just conception of the 
 burthen and responsibility which rested upon him in his 
 double position of King and supreme head of the Evan- 
 gelical Church of Prussia. He was clearly persuaded of 
 the anomaly of this arrangement, and of the advantages 
 of the episcopal constitution. He cherished the inten- 
 tion of creating in his dominions dioceses of moderate 
 extent, each one containing about 50,000 souls, and of 
 placing at their head approved Christian ministers in- 
 vested with jurisdiction. These men were to be chief 
 pastors, curates in the original sense of the word, and 
 fatherly friends to the inferior clergy and Christian com- 
 munity ; they were to form, in short, an episcopate of 
 the primitive type. 
 
 The intention was good, but the plan was not practi- 
 cable. The simple, straightforward scheme proposed by 
 Gobat would have been preferable. But the whole thing 
 fell through owing to the opposition of public opinion 
 and the disinclination of the men selected by the King 
 to accept the episcopal office designed for them. ^The 
 theologians of Germany failed to recognise the right 
 principle which lay at the root of the King's wishes. 
 Our men of learning have no appreciation of the de- 
 ficiencies and injurious practical working of this unhappy 
 Church system, in which the temporal power assumes the 
 highest spiritual functions. 
 
 U 
 
3o6 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 Bishop Gobat to Herr Spittler, 
 
 "Jerusalem, Sept 7, 1854. 
 
 "Dear Brother in the Lord, — . . . The affair of 
 the Abyssinian Mission seems to be now arranged, so 
 that I need write very little on the subject. I do not 
 think that I should meet with success were I now to 
 attempt to form a committee for this mission ; I shall 
 not be able to do so until I have an opportunity of 
 revisiting England. I must in the meanwhile undertake 
 the matter on my sole responsibility, under the two 
 conditions which you have . . . accepted, in the name of 
 the Chrischona Committee. 
 
 " I am doing this in faith, for until my new school- 
 house is finished, towards the end of the year, my coffers 
 will be quite empty, unless Providence sends me special 
 help, which He has never hitherto permitted to fail me. 
 You must therefore send the six brethren to Jerusalem 
 next month, and provide for their maintenance here for 
 about twelve months. I hope that they will use this 
 interval in such a manner that they will be able to begin 
 work at once on their arrival in Abyssinia. 
 
 " Towards the end of September of next year, I intend 
 to let them start from here with about ;^400 for the 
 expenses of the journey and for their first establishment 
 in Abyssinia. I shall then try to arrange for them at 
 Jidda or Massowa a moderate credit for future needs ; 
 for even if they labour with their hands, they will still 
 require extraneous help for some years to come. 
 
 " With regard to the perils, ghostly and bodily, which 
 will beset them, our dear brother Krapf has drawn them 
 faithfully, though in somewhat darker colours than they 
 appeared to me. , . . 
 
 " The dangers which come from within are, in my 
 
THE ABYSSINIAN MISSION. 307 
 
 opinion, by far the more important. I do not refer to 
 tlie ordinary hazards to which each one in this world is 
 exposed ; . . . but I mean the one great danger, pecu- 
 liarly mischievous in such an undertaking and transcend- 
 ing all others, namely, disunion among the brethren. 
 For even here, where the two brethren, otherwise well 
 conducted, are in comparative obscurity, as much harm 
 is done by their discords as good is wrought by their 
 presence. How then would it be in Abyssinia, where the 
 whole population will subject the brethren to the strictest 
 scrutiny ? Should, therefore, any one of the candidates 
 show signs of obstinacy, self-seeking, or pride, I would 
 rather you did not send him. I shall, at all events, 
 reserve to myself the right, if any of them manifest a 
 spirit of contention while at Jerusalem, of refusing to 
 allow such to proceed to Abyssinia. . . . 
 
 '' I also deem it necessary that on all occasions lulicn 
 in ptohlic they shall treat one of their number as their 
 chief, . . . who, in his turn, must undertake no enter- 
 prise or form any important decision without the con- 
 currence of the others. 
 
 "They need not take many books with them; but 
 those which they do take must be good, and worth read- 
 ing several times over. They must not only be thoroughly 
 and intelligently acquainted with the text of the Bible, 
 but also know, as a rule, whence the passages which they 
 quote are taken ; for they cannot generally have their 
 Concordance with them. A good knowledge of history 
 and geography will be of great importance, and will form 
 a means of attraction for young and old. But the chief 
 thing, after the Bible, is a competent knowledge of the 
 history of the Church, and especially of the history of 
 dogma, during the first four or five centuries. Mechanical 
 skill is very requisite. 
 
3o8 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 " Your communications respecting the purchase of a 
 steamboat, &c., combined with what I hear from Germany, 
 England, and America touching plans for the colonisa- 
 tion of this country — schemes already in partial operation 
 — fairly bewilder me ; and I am at a loss to know what 
 I am to say to all these enterprises. But I must own 
 that I feel uneasy and anxious when I think of them. 
 No immigrant ought to dream of the vicinity of Jerusa- 
 lem. In Jaffa there are already a few German and 
 American families. The latter are handsomely subsi- 
 dised from America, and by that means not only are 
 they well off, but able to reduce the poor Germans to 
 servitude ; they make them work all Sunday, and keep 
 Sabbath on the Saturday. . . , 
 
 " In short, the time for immigration into this country 
 is not yet come. . . . 
 
 " I am afraid you will think me over-cautious, and 
 yet I must add one clause. You say that your steam- 
 boat is to transport pilgrims free of cost. To this I can 
 only say, that if it is to transport them from here to 
 Germany, we shall be for ever grateful to you ; but the 
 converse of this arrangement will, with very few excep- 
 tions, be most unwelcome. 
 
 " I nevertheless hope that success and a blessing may 
 attend your enterprise; and I remain ever faithfully 
 yours, S. Angl. Hierosol." 
 
 Extracts from Bishop Gohafs Circular Letter for 1854. 
 
 "Jerusalem, Novemlier 6, 1854, 
 " The past year has been one of great trial and suffer- 
 ing in this country. We have experienced but little 
 effect from the war, . . . with the exception of a few 
 trifling disturbances at Jaffa and Beyrout. 
 
AFFAIRS IN PALESTINE. 309 
 
 " The land has, however, been visited by two severe 
 scourges — pestilence in the shape of smallpox, and if 
 not actual famine, at least an extraordinary rise in the 
 price of bread. During the past winter the smallpox 
 has carried off about the tenth part of the population 
 of Jerusalem. . . . 
 
 '' Last spring the Jews seemed to be deeply touched 
 by the charity shown them on the part of the Christians, 
 and their prejudices in that quarter appeared to be 
 melting away. European Jews became alarmed for the 
 possible consequences of this Christian charity, and they 
 collected large sums of money, a part of which was to 
 be applied for the immediate relief of the poor. The 
 greater portion of the sum was destined for the founding 
 of institutions similar to our own, in order that the bond 
 which, in a certain sense, united many Jews to our 
 mission, should thereby be snapped. 
 
 " The bearer of this money, who arrived in July 
 from Paris, immediately proposed to establish a Jewish 
 Hospital, to counteract the influence of that belonging 
 to the English Mission to the Jews. Schools and a 
 kind of Industrial Institute were also to be set up for 
 the benefit of young Jews and Jewesses, in opposition 
 to our own. The Jews were, moreover, urged in no 
 measured terms to make themselves independent of the 
 ' Foreigners.' ... Of course, all this called forth great 
 excitement and still greater party spirit." 
 
 Extracts from Bishop Gohafs Circular Letter for 1855. 
 
 *' Jerusalem, November 24, 1S55. 
 " At present the country is quiet ; but during the 
 summer there have been great disturbances, attended 
 with bloodshed and murder, in Galilee, the mountains 
 
3IO LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 of Samaria, and the district of Hebron. All this is tlie 
 consequence of a bad, or rather of a weak, government ; 
 for it is universally believed that these riots are the 
 result of a foreign influence. These circumstances, 
 tosrether with the war and rumours of war, have told 
 unfavourably upon the mission. Another obstacle to 
 the spread of the Gospel is the difficulty of obtaining 
 the necessaries of life for the people ; for although the 
 harvest was not a bad one, the price of every kind of 
 food is high, in consequence of the exportation of the 
 corn. Under these circumstances, the Jews, who almost 
 all of them subsist upon alms, suffer most. Even in 
 the summer and autumn thousands of them have suffered 
 terrible privation. It is heart-rending to see the attenu- 
 ated fathers and mothers, and to hear of the want which 
 they and their children suffer. The little which we are 
 able to do for them is like a drop in the ocean. . . . 
 No later than a few days ago a sickly Jew brought to 
 me his favourite child, a sweet little girl of eight years, 
 and wanted to give me the child to keep, as he had no 
 food for her. The little girl attends my school, and I 
 was able to help her ; but from all sides 1 receive from 
 parents similar offers of their children. 
 
 " ' It is better to trust in the Lord than to put con- 
 fidence in man.' 
 
 " ' It is better to trust in the Lord than to put con- 
 fidence in princes.' 
 
 *'But as the poor Jews in their blindness have rejected, 
 and do still reject, the Lord, they cannot in sincerity put 
 their trust in Him ; hence their unwholesome propensity 
 to put their trust in man, although such trust has often 
 been put to shame. Our poor Jews here have recently 
 experienced this truth in a very bitter manner. 
 
 ^' Having in the foregoing spring read in the news- 
 
AFFAIRS IN PALESTINE. 311 
 
 papers and elsewhere repeated announcements that Sir 
 Moses Montefiore was about to visit Jerusalem, bringing 
 with him ^30,000 to be expended for their benefit, 
 their expectations were raised to the highest pitch. 
 Several times did the rumour spread that Sir Moses 
 was on the way from Jaffa to Jerusalem, and the road 
 to Jaffa was immediately thronged with Jews and Jew- 
 esses eager to greet him as their saviour. 
 
 '' Had he given it out that he was the Messiah, they 
 would have believed him, and obeyed his every behest. 
 Their confidence became so assured that many of them 
 began to throw off their characteristically downcast air, 
 to carry their heads erect, and to look down with con- 
 tempt upon other people. Nay, more ; I know some 
 poor families who spent all that they had, in the certain 
 anticipation that they would receive it back again from 
 Sir Moses in manifold proportion. 
 
 '' How great, then, was the shock when they heard, 
 on his arrival, that he was not come, as on former 
 occasions, to distribute alms, but with the intention of 
 founding institutions, buying land, and placing within 
 their power the means of earning their own bread. 
 ' To-day, to-day ! ' they nearly all exclaimed in despair. 
 ' We want instant succour for ourselves and for our 
 children ! ' 
 
 " In the meanwhile Sir Moses offered to many the 
 value of a yoke of oxen if they would only till the land. 
 A few accepted the gift, but by far the greater number 
 rejected the proposal ; and when the masses saw that 
 Sir Moses would not read their begging petitions, or 
 allow them to approach him to beg, they were for the 
 most part seized with despair. After one of them had 
 been beaten and cast into prison for having begged too 
 clamorously, many Jews began to compare Sir Moses 
 
312 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 with the missionaries. ' When the missionaries cannot 
 help us,' said they, 'they at least give a patient ear to 
 our complaints; but this man will not even listen 
 to us.' 
 
 '' The position of Sir Moses must have been a very 
 difficult one ; for he could not have helped observing 
 the profound misery stamped upon the features of so 
 many of his brethren after the flesh ; and yet the money 
 which he had brought with him was not intended for 
 the relief of their immediate necessities. Then he knew 
 from previous experience that if he had divided among 
 them the whole sum, it would only have assisted them for 
 the moment. 
 
 Sir Moses Montefiore certainly means well ; and his 
 plans for founding almshouses, hospitals, boys' and 
 girls' schools, and industrial homes, and for purchasing 
 land, in the hope that the Jews will learn to live by 
 agricultural labour, are in truth the best schemes that 
 can be humanly imagined ; but nevertheless I cannot 
 expect from them any material improvement in the 
 condition of the Jews in Palestine, because there is 
 under the surface a tide of alienation from God, and 
 of immorality, conscious or unconscious, which threatens 
 to swallow up the intended blessing, or to change it 
 into a curse. I am more and more convinced that it 
 is the duty of all believers to do their utmost to help 
 the poor outcast Israelites in their deep need, not be- 
 cause they are worthy (though, humanly speaking, many 
 individuals among them are estimable), but because they 
 require it, and because we all owe a large debt to their 
 nation. But all that we can do is to alleviate their 
 suffering ; we cannot make them happy, for it is evi- 
 dently God's will that they should be unhappy so long 
 as they reject Him in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
KING OF PRUSSIA'S PROPOSAL. 313 
 
 " This visit of Sir Moses Montefiore has had another 
 prejudicial effect upon the poor Jews. Many of them 
 have distant relatives and friends, who were formerly in 
 the habit of sending them assistance, but this year these 
 friends, having read in the papers what sums of money 
 Sir Moses has brought to Palestine, have sent them, in 
 place of the customary remittances, merely the verbal 
 expression of their joy that so great a prince of wealth 
 has visited Jerusalem. . . . 
 
 " Such is the present condition of the Jews. Provisions 
 are nearly three times as dear as formerly, and winter is 
 at the door ; when that season comes on, everything will, 
 according to present appearances, be much dearer. . . . 
 
 " S. AnGL. HlEROS." 
 
 Bishop Gobat to the ArMishop of Canterbury. 
 
 "London, June 21, 1856. 
 
 ^'My dear Lord Archbishop, — Having received the 
 important communication, which I mentioned the other 
 evening, from Dr. Hoffmann, one of the chaplains of his 
 Majesty the King of Prussia, written by order of his 
 Majesty, I beg to lay the contents of that letter before 
 your grace, and to ask your advice on this delicate sub- 
 ject. The letter runs thus : — 
 
 " ' It is well known that the King desires to introduce 
 an episcopal constitution into Prussia, to which he has a 
 perfect right. He wishes to take advantage of your pre- 
 sence (at Berlin), as the sole Prussian Bishop now living, 
 in order to have several men consecrated as bishops, with 
 a view of having afterwards the fountain of further con- 
 secration in the land. And since three bishops are neces- 
 sary to a canonically valid consecration, the King intends 
 to ask the assistance of two bishops of the Moravian 
 
314 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 Church.' After this Mr. HofFmann puts the following 
 question, and asks me to answer it, viz. : — 
 
 " ' Will a bishop thus consecrated by you and two 
 Moravian bishops be fully acknowledged (as such) in 
 England and America ? ' After this Mr. Hojffmann con- 
 tinues thus : — 
 
 '' ' But the doctrine of our Church (Prussian) is de- 
 cidedly against the Eomish view of three orders. We 
 know only of two orders (deacons and presbyters), and 
 the bishop is merely a presbyter, but he is 'primus inter 
 pares 'presbyter. Wherefore an ordination of a bishop by 
 the imposition of hands is not to take place, but only a 
 consecration by means of the sign of the cross and giving 
 the right hand of fellowship.' 
 
 '' Now comes the second question. 
 
 ^' * Is it lawful for an English bishop so to consecrate as 
 to avoid all appearance of ordination, and without any 
 distinct or indistinct appearance of succcssio apostolica ? 
 
 ^' ' We must remember that the plan of the King will 
 make an immense sensation as soon as it is realised. The 
 King thinks of realising it when you come. Wherefore 
 you must be clear about what is to be done. It is because 
 I see how difficult it will be that I write this before- 
 hand, that you may have time and opportunity to ask 
 the advice of the dear head of the Church of England. 
 
 " ' I wish also to know without delay your resolution 
 and answer on this subject, that I may communicate 
 them to the King before your arrival, in order to avoid 
 the excitement of unpleasant feelings abroad. 
 
 " ' We must consider that the step which the King 
 wishes to take is generally regarded here with abhorrence, 
 as a step towards the Church of Rome, and that the 
 Supreme Ecclesiastical Council, 'the Consistories and the 
 ministers, are against it, and that the Crown Prince will be 
 
KING OF PRUSSIA'S PROPOSAL. 315 
 
 found in the ranks of the strongest opposition. May the 
 Lord graciously direct you. I have ah^eady expressed 
 my doubt, and now the decision depends on your answer.' 
 ^' ' Now please to consider this matter before the Lord, 
 and to send me a clear and unequivocal answer, even 
 though it should be a decided No, that I may communi- 
 cate it to my gracious master. . . . 
 
 (Signed) W. Hoffmann.' 
 
 " Now, my dear Lord Archbishop, I should like exceed- 
 ingly to oblige the good King of Prussia, but it seems to 
 me impossible to accede to his present request ; and be- 
 sides, I think that at the present moment even such a 
 consecration as he wishes would not be acceptable in 
 Prussia. But yet I fear to answer the above letter in 
 any way without your Grace's opinion and advice. I have, 
 therefore, thus laid the whole case before you, humbly 
 begging that you will give me the necessary advice and 
 direction. 
 
 " It seems to me that, with the King's earnest desire 
 to introduce Episcopacy into Prussia while he reigns, the 
 best way for him would be to follow the example of the 
 United States, and seek to have three or more men sent 
 from Prussia to be consecrated in this country. 
 
 " But your Grace is much better qualified to give the 
 best advice, which I earnestly solicit ; and in expectation 
 of which, I have the honour to remain, my dear Lord 
 Archbishop, your Grace's obedient humble servant, 
 
 ''S. A. H." 
 
 Extracts from BisJiop Gohafs Circular Letter for 1857. 
 
 "Jerusalem, Nov. 24, 1857. 
 " On the whole, the hatred of the Moslems against the 
 
3i6 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 Christians, whether Europeans or natives of this land, 
 has during the past year increased ; and since the out- 
 break at Nablus in April 1 8 5 6, it is no uncommon thing 
 to hear them speak of an entire extermination of the 
 Christians. About three months ago many Christians in 
 Jerusalem closed their shutters for two whole days, and 
 locked themselves into their houses, in expectation of 
 a sudden attack by the Moslems, because two Koman 
 Catholic Christians had slain a Moslem, and afterwards 
 fled, with the help of the Latin Patriarch. A relative 
 of the murdered man, an influential Effendi, held back 
 the rabble, who were ready to fall upon the Christians. 
 After the riot at Nablus, where an inoffensive old Chris- 
 tian was murdered and others were seriously wounded 
 (the greater number had hidden themselves), my school- 
 house was not only plundered, but partially destroyed ; 
 and among others, the house of the English agent was 
 sacked. But all this is not to be wondered at; for 
 although the rioters were frightened at first, yet now 
 that they have seen that no one has punished them, and 
 that to this day we English subjects have received no 
 compensation for such of our property as they have stolen 
 and destroyed, they have assumed an intolerably insolent 
 and threatening attitude throughout the country. 
 
 "With respect to our Church at Jerusalem, it is my 
 melancholy duty to announce that on the 6th of October 
 1856 it pleased the Lord to take unto Himself . . . the 
 oldest missionary of this station, H. J. Nicolayson. It 
 was a great loss in many ways. . . . We all loved and 
 esteemed this servant of God, not only on account of his 
 manifold attainments and his experience in missionary 
 work, but especially for his gentleness and piety. . . . 
 His successor in the incumbency of Christ Church is Mr. 
 Henry Crawford." 
 
FAMILY LIFE. 317 
 
 It may prove an agreeable variety if we close this 
 record of so many sad and serious occurrences with a 
 charming idyll, a reminiscence of Bishop Gobat's family 
 life at his country encampment, a sketch for which we 
 are indebted to one of his daughters. 
 
 " My late father," says M. K. G., " was extremely 
 gentle in his intercourse with us children, yet without 
 ever derogating from his own proper position. On the 
 contrary, although we knew that he very seldom actually 
 punished us, yet his whole personality inspired us with 
 such reverence, that we were perhaps less inclined to 
 grieve or disobey him than we should have been had 
 we stood in dread of bodily chastisement. He was ex- 
 tremely loving towards us, and manifested his tender- 
 ness in the joy which he felt in giving us pleasure. 
 Of an equable disposition in general, he showed himself 
 especially so in his association with us. We could rely 
 upon him implicitly, repose in him our entire confidence, 
 and in later years open our inmost hearts to him in all 
 tha.t most nearly concerned us. With us children he 
 could be as a child, although his whole manner and 
 appearance, as far back as I can remember, had always 
 an air of dignified solemnity. I still have a lively recol- 
 lection of how, in the twilight hour, he used to play 
 with us younger children in his study, enter into our 
 games, and even take an active part in them himself; or 
 how he would allow us to accompany him in his otherwise 
 solitary walks, and would seek, with a degree of interest 
 apparently equal to our own, the first green arum in the 
 crevice of a rock, or direct our attention to the scarlet 
 anemone blooming in the meadow. 
 
 " But above all, I remember those cosy winter even- 
 ings, when we children, some of us on papa's knees, 
 others on the carpet at his feet before the blazing fire, 
 
3i8 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 were never weary of listening to his stories of the 
 wonderful deliverances and answers to prayer expe- 
 rienced by him, varied by his comical adventures in 
 Abyssinia, or by reminiscences of his childhood and 
 youth. 
 
 " In summer our parents were in the habit for many 
 years of spending a few months for health's sake entirely 
 in tents, near the little village of Lifta, about an hour 
 and a half's journey from Jerusalem. Those were de- 
 lightful times for us children. We had no holidays, it 
 is true, but our school-room was formed by the shade 
 of a great carob-tree, under which a stone bench had 
 been placed. Maps were hung upon the branches, and 
 object lessons in natural history could be given whenever 
 a great black lizard or a chameleon fell from the tree. 
 
 '' Every morning my father rode to the town to attend 
 to business affairs ; he returned about four o'clock in the 
 afternoon, and made one of our circle, looking on at 
 our merry open-air games. Sunday afternoons were 
 bright spots in those times. Our father then returned 
 from the town about half-past one ; and when the cool 
 of the evening set in, we repaired with our parents either 
 to a neighbouring olive-tree, called by us the Sunday- 
 tree, or to our yet more favourite resort, the great fig- 
 tree on the slope of the hill, directly opposite to the 
 mountain, on the summit of which is situated Nebi 
 Samuel, the ancient Ramah of the Prophet Samuel. 
 Around this fig-tree lay great and small masses of rock, 
 from among which each one of us selected a seat. We 
 then had a children's service with our parents. We all in 
 turn recited a hymn, or chose one to be sung. Then our 
 father examined us upon some text or in Bible history, 
 after which our mother read aloud something for our 
 instruction. In the intervals of our sacred occupations, 
 
!ilillli"i 'I' ''' iliilli f 
 
 4 ^ 
 
FAMILY LIFE. 
 
 319 
 
 our eyes would roam over the lonely rock-strewn valley 
 at our feet, or upwards to the dreamy heights of the 
 sublime mountain of the Prophet Samuel ; and ineradi- 
 cable impressions, hardly clear as yet to our under- 
 standings, were stamped upon our hearts, and all was 
 penetrated and sweetened by the blissful consciousness 
 of being encompassed with tender parental love. 
 
 " Melancholy reminiscences are also connected with 
 that stately fig-tree — reminiscences which can never be 
 forgotten by us children. One Sunday afternoon, late 
 in the summer of 1857, we were seated upon this our 
 favourite spot. All were there ; not one was wanting, 
 not one beloved member. Father, mother, the seven 
 brothers and sisters, all were there. Yet a deep sadness 
 had fallen upon us. In a few days Benoni, who had 
 been at home for a visit of several months, was again to 
 leave us in order to pursue his studies in England, and 
 the approaching farewell weighed heavily upon us all. 
 At last our father said, ' Children, this year the Lord 
 has for the first time vouchsafed to us to meet together 
 an unbroken circle ; I feel that it will also be the last 
 time.' And so it proved. That which we had all un- 
 consciously foreboded really came to pass. We children 
 subsequently became so widely separated, that we never 
 again were completely reunited, and now many of us 
 have already hastened in advance to the Heavenly Jeru- 
 salem, the city of meeting after lifelong pai*ting. Oh, 
 in that abode may not one of us be wanting ! 
 
 " In the year 1857 we took up our summer residence 
 in tents for the last time. One reason for this might 
 have been that in the autumn, just before our projected 
 return to the city, we were molested by robbers. Two 
 watchmen were posted ; but whether they betrayed their 
 trust, or how it happened, we know not. Thieves broke 
 
320 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 in one night, and entering tlie very tent in which a night- 
 light was burning, stole money, clothes, &c., without, 
 however, personally attacking any one of the party. This 
 was due to the manifest protecting love of God, which 
 hindered any one from awaking and calling for help. A 
 proof that murder was contemplated by the robbers lay 
 in the circumstance that they had hea^Ded sharp stones 
 in front of each tent, wherewith any one might easily 
 have been killed, and they themselves were armed with 
 swords, which they brandished wildly at their pursuers. 
 It was most remarkable that an otherwise extremely 
 watchful little dog, who slept in our parents' tent, did 
 not stir even while the robbers were plundering that very 
 tent. If it had barked, of course our father and mother 
 would have awoke, and what then might have happened 
 cannot be conjectured. The manner in which, in similar 
 cases, justice is dispensed by a Turkish Pasha, can be 
 exemplified by this event. It was supposed that the 
 robbers belonged to a certain Mohammedan village in the 
 neighbourhood, whence sick persons had been wont to 
 come to my mother with petitions for medicine. Without 
 further investigation, the whole of the men of the village 
 were imprisoned ; whoever made a present of money to 
 the Pasha was set free ; the greater the sum the speedier 
 the release ; so that the only consequence of the whole 
 affair was the filling of the Pasha's purse. 
 
 " Our father was always happiest in the family circle. 
 When we were no longer little, ... he always looked 
 forward with us to the evenings, when we had a great 
 deal of reading aloud. I can still picture him to myself 
 in his comfortable arm-chair beside the fire, listening with 
 wrapt attention when his weak eyes no longer allowed 
 him to read in the evening, while we took each our turn 
 to contribute to the general entertainment j and he never 
 
FAMILY LIFE. 321 
 
 forgot, amongst it all, to maintain tlie cheerful blaze. If 
 we ever went out in tlie evening without him, he would 
 always say that we need not fear his becoming weary 
 when thus left alone. In imagination he would make 
 long journeys — would visit his absent children, relatives, 
 and friends — would try to fancy himself in their place, 
 and would always have much to say to his Heavenly 
 Father on their behalf Thus employed, he could pace 
 his room or the terrace of the house by the hour together, 
 and then we knew that he was praying. Yea, truly, 
 that was ever the favourite occupation of his lonely 
 hours." 
 
( 322 ) 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONGREGATION THEIR PRESERVATION 
 
 AT THE TIME OF THE MASSACRE OF THE CHRISTIANS IN 
 
 SYRIA. 
 
 (1 859- 1 860.) 
 
 The years 1859 and i860 were a period of prosperity 
 for the Bishop and his flock at Jerusalem. Henry Craw- 
 ford and Yalentiner worked together with their Diocesan 
 in the most cordial unity, and a new mission station was 
 founded in Bethlehem. 
 
 But while matters stood thus peacefully at Jerusalem, 
 horrible events were taking place. The great massacre 
 of Christians took place in the Lebanon and Damascus. 
 Atrocities were committed which evoked throughout the 
 length and breadth of Europe a feeling of horror and of 
 the strongest sympathy for the victims. The newspapers 
 of that period are filled with the records of these occur- 
 rences, the memory of which has not yet faded from the 
 minds of surviving contemporaries. The most trustworthy 
 reports are those contributed by Dr. Sandreczki to the 
 Augsburger AUgemeinen Zeitung. We may here quote 
 some passages from the communications of Pastor Kramer 
 at Beyrout to the Ncuesten Nachrichten oms dem Morgen- 
 land (i860, iii. Quartal.) : — 
 
 " To the various factors which combined to produce the 
 outbreak of the late hostilities, we must add one which, 
 according to our belief, was the sole cause that rendered 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 323 
 
 the last war an unbroken chain of the most hideous and 
 sanguinary cruelties — a persecution of the Christians and 
 a war of extermination in the literal sense of the word. 
 Reference has already been made in former communica- 
 tions to the fermentation which was disturbing the various 
 provinces of the Turkish empire ; mention has been made 
 of the bond which connected the butcheries of the Chris- 
 tians at Gaza, Tripoli, Aleppo, and elsewhere. This bond 
 is the increasingly apparent hostility of Islam to Chris- 
 tianity. As, on the one hand, the victorious power of 
 the Cross had become apparent for the past two years 
 in conversions from Islam, especially at Constantinople, 
 so, on the other hand, Islam tried to excite the fanaticism 
 of its adherents against the Christians. That this hatred 
 had a political motive at its root can by no means be 
 denied ; but it is in itself inadequate to move the great 
 mass of the people. For this purpose religious fanaticism 
 alone can suffice. That religious fanaticism was the 
 mightiest lever of the Indian rebellion is now universally 
 admitted ; that the same cause was at work in the Syrian 
 persecution of the Christians is also becoming more and 
 more widely acknowledged. Maronites and Druses have 
 often been in hostile relation to each other, and barbari- 
 ties have been practised on both sides ; but such a war 
 of extermination, such a total annihilation of the pro- 
 fessors of Christianity, has never before been witnessed. 
 
 ''On the 29th of May i860, the Pasha repaired to 
 the mountains ; and at a spot near Hasmieh the devasta- 
 tions with fire and sword began before his very eyes. 
 For a whole week we saw the smoke by day and the 
 reflection by night of the burning villages, of which over 
 a hundred were reduced to ashes. The towns which 
 offered a more protracted resistance were surrounded, 
 starved out, or surrendered through the treachery, false 
 
324 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 promises, and faithlessness of the Turkish authorities ; all 
 the male population, from the greybeard to the suckling, 
 were slaughtered, and the towns plundered, then destroyed 
 by fire. At length the Christians of Damascus were 
 attacked, burnt in their own houses, or driven upon the 
 knives of the Druses or the bayonets of the soldiery. 
 The number of slain is computed at from seventeen to 
 twenty thousand ; of those who were despoiled of every- 
 thing but life, at over seventy thousand. 
 
 "... Shame, eternal shame upon a Government . . . 
 whose only endeavour is to annihilate through faithless- 
 ness and treachery its Christian subjects ! Yet greater 
 shame upon the Christian diplomatists whose incapacity, 
 self-interest, and jealousy have strengthened the so-called 
 
 sick man for such deeds ! We say it with full 
 
 and deliberate conviction ; the Syrian persecution of the 
 Christians is the consequence of the Peace of Paris." 
 
 Jerusalem and the Evangelical community there expe- 
 rienced, even at the time of greatest danger, a marvellous 
 immunity. They had a presentiment of a coming storm, 
 but Gobat was resolved to remain at his post as a faithful 
 shepherd with his flock. His wife was then at Nazareth. 
 While the Mohammedans were attacking the Christian 
 quarter at Damascus and murdering the inhabitants, a 
 secret emissary was on his way to Jerusalem to stir up 
 similar horrors there. But he fell ill at Tiberias and 
 was laid prostrate. Thus it happened that the enemies 
 at Jerusalem missed the right moment. In the mean- 
 while, English marines, who had landed at Jaffa, marched 
 in. Soreya Pasha, the Governor of Jerusalem, was also 
 amicably disposed, and promised to keep the peace. On 
 the morning of the 20th of July, when the outbreak was 
 hourly expected, Gobat was praying with his people, 
 " If we must be chastised, Lord, let us fall into the 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 
 
 hand of God ; let us not fall into the hand of man ; " and 
 so it came to pass. The peril was providentially averted, 
 but on the evening of that same day Gobat was attacked 
 with dangerous illness. 
 
 As at Beyrout benevolent institutions were established 
 for the Syrian Christians and their children, so also at 
 Jerusalem the now flourishing Syrian Orphan Asylum of 
 Schneller was opened under Gobat's patronage. 
 
 The French expedition to Syria, the tribunal erected 
 at Damascus by Fuad Pasha for the punishment of the 
 recent outrages, and the installation of a Christian chief 
 in Lebanon for the prevention of future disturbances, are 
 sufficiently well-known historical facts. 
 
 The Syrian massacre had calamitous consequences in 
 the subsequent persecution of the Arab Protestants at 
 Nazareth by the Mohammedans and their Kadi, with 
 the co-operation of the Latins, in i860 and 1861. At 
 that juncture. Lord Dufferin, the new British Ambassa- 
 dor at Constantinople, successfully espoused the cause 
 of the Protestants, as his predecessor. Lord Stratford, 
 had done. 
 
 In 1 86 1 Bishop Gobat made a prolonged tour in 
 Europe, which lasted from the middle of April until 
 late in December. 
 
 During the Bishop's absence the charge of the English 
 community at Jerusalem was committed to Dr. Joseph 
 Barclay, who had replaced Mr. Crawford on the 3 1 st 
 of March 1 8 6 1 , and been nominated by the Society for 
 the Promotion of Christianity among the Jews incum- 
 bent of Christ Church and superintendent of the Mission 
 to the Jews. He it was who, in after years, became 
 Bishop Gobat's successor in the See. Born in Ireland 
 in 1 83 1, he was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, 
 and proceeded in 1858 to Constantinople in the service 
 
326 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 of the Mission to the Jews. The diary of his missionary 
 travels exhibits him in the most favourable light. He 
 was pre-eminent among his fellow-missionaries for ripe 
 theological learning, and some fruit of his studies was 
 his translation of the treatise Middoth and an essay on 
 the Talmud. 
 
 While at Jerusalem he tried to keep aloof from the 
 bitterness of party spirit, and yet his relations with the 
 Bishop were hardly cordial. Dr. Barclay possessed the 
 self-esteem of the EngHshman and the Churchman. He 
 did not believe that a foreigner, who never had held an 
 English cure, could be fully capable of discharging the 
 duties of a Bishop. He considered that the English 
 community was neglected, and that Gobat was too 
 closely wedded to German interests. He was, however, 
 studious to maintain becoming respect ; and with Pastor 
 Yalentiner he was on friendly terms. "^Mien, nine years 
 afterwards, he retired from his post and returned to 
 England, he did so in consequence of his deep dissatis- 
 faction with the measures adopted by the Committee of 
 the Society for the Promotion of Christianity among the 
 Jews. 
 
 Extracts from Bishop Gohafs Circidar Letter for i860. 
 
 "Jekusalem, Decembers, i860. 
 " The past year has been one of great trial for our 
 missions here, but especially for our labours among the 
 Jews. We have not been able to accomplish much work. 
 The late indefatigable ^Miss Cooper was called hence at 
 the very time of my writing my last circular letter. 
 Then our beloved Dr. MacGowan sickened, and was 
 summoned to enter into the joy of his Lord on the 6th 
 of February. He has left a wide and painful gap ; for 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 
 
 he was not only an instrument of blessing and consola- 
 tion to thousands of poor Jews and others in his medical 
 capacity, but also, as a humble-minded, fervent Chris- 
 tian, a pillar of our little Church. We feel his loss all 
 the more as his excellent wife was obliged to return to 
 England. 
 
 " A few days after his departure, Missionary Hefter 
 left us for a necessary holiday, and only returned in the 
 middle of November. Crawford, the chief missionary 
 of the Society for the Promotion of Christianity among 
 the Jews, was out of health all through the winter, but 
 hoped for restoration at the return of warm spring 
 weather. But as his anticipations proved vain, and 
 his illness increased, he also was forced to leave this 
 country. 
 
 " You will see from these details how, in a short 
 time and in different ways, some of our most faithful 
 fellow-workers have been taken from us. Dr. Atkinson, 
 who was appointed to succeed Dr. MacGowan, left us a 
 fortnight ago, having been called to another sphere of 
 labour. 
 
 " I had intended to visit Europe in the course of last 
 spring, partly on account of my health, and partly to 
 stir up, with God's help, fresh interest in the work which 
 has been intrusted to me ; for I have very small means 
 wherewith to maintain my schools, the orphanage, Bible- 
 readers, &c. I decided, however, to remain here, the 
 mission being in such a weak state. But I was taught 
 that God needed not my poor work ; for he laid me low 
 upon a bed of sickness, and brought me even unto 
 death's door. 
 
 " Tet notwithstanding all these trials and hindrances, 
 the Lord has not left our work unblessed. The services 
 in the Church, and the various meetings for edification 
 
LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 and instruction, have been continued without interrup- 
 tion, and even in times of sickness were pretty well 
 attended. 
 
 " We have baptized eight adult Israelites, three of 
 whom were brought up in our schools, and whom we 
 find on the whole to be satisfactory. 
 
 '' Missionaiy Bailey, whose special duty it is to in- 
 struct the sons of our converts, has also preached in 
 English almost every Sunda}^, while his wife has a school 
 for the smaller children, both boys and girls. The insti- 
 tution founded by Miss Cooper for the instruction and 
 employment of poor Jewish women is being carried on 
 by Miss James ; and in the same house is a school for 
 the daughters of Jews and proselytes, zealously taught 
 by Miss Buckmaster. The Industrial Home, which during 
 the past year has had to pass through heavy and depress- 
 ing trials, continues to afford an opportunity of thor- 
 oughly investigating the characters of those who apply 
 for baptism. 
 
 " Of the working of the Church Missionary Society 
 here there is not much to be told. Their chief object, 
 that of converting the Mohammedans, is at present un- 
 attainable, as all the Mohammedans are in a very ex- 
 cited state, and filled with fanatical hatred against the 
 Christians. 
 
 " Missionary Klein is working as pastor of the Pro- 
 testant Arab congregation here, and also occasionally 
 visits the stations at Eamleh and Nablus, where little 
 congregations have been formed. Dr. Sandreczki has of 
 late been principally occupied in literary pursuits. 
 
 " Missionary Kruse, at Jaffa, preaches every Sunday 
 in English and in Arabic, and affords medical relief to 
 hundreds of poor sufferers. Catechist Gruhler is working 
 with diligence and faithfulness at Ramleh, Lydda, and 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 329 
 
 Jaffa ; the little Protestant congregation at Ramleli is 
 thriving under his care. He also helps in the school, 
 which now numbers over forty children. At Nazareth 
 and the adjacent stations of Cana, Yafa, and Reneh there 
 is an encouraging appearance of life among the Christians. 
 The danger, on the brink of which they were hovering 
 in the summer, seems to have had a good effect upon 
 them, and Missionary Zeller is very busy ; but it is too 
 soon as yet to calculate upon the fruits of this present 
 hopeful condition of things. 
 
 " The Institution of Prussian Deaconesses is working 
 prosperously. Their hospital is open to all, but especially 
 to Jewish and native Protestants. In their teaching 
 department girls are instructed, clothed, and cared for, 
 while the poorer pupils are at the same time trained for 
 the position in life which they are eventually to fill. 
 An Orphanage has been opened here by the Chrischona 
 Brethren, in which a number of unfortunate boys, whose 
 parents have fallen by the swords of the Mohammedans 
 and Druses at Damascus and in the Lebanon, are received 
 and educated. This institution is to be supported by 
 subscriptions from Basle. Pastor Valentiner continues to 
 work and pray in unity of spirit with us. 
 
 ^' Of the special work which, I confidently believe, has 
 been intrusted to me by God Himself, and which I am 
 carrying on independently of all societies, I will not say 
 much. I am firmly persuaded that a more or less pro- 
 found knowledge of the Word of God is an indispensable 
 preliminary to the conversion of sinners, and I have 
 therefore endeavoured to post as many Bible-readers in 
 this country as I can find men suitable for that employ- 
 ment. Mere colporteurs are of little use among a popu- 
 lation ignorant of the art of reading. 
 
 " Several travellers who have visited this land have 
 
330 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 remarked witli astonisliment how much Biblical knowledge 
 is now to be met with in many places where a few years 
 ago the Word of God was entirely unknown. 
 
 " From Abyssinia and the seven Chrischona Brethren 
 I rarely receive news, owing to the very unsettled state 
 of that country. . . . King Theodore has recently con- 
 quered Tigre and made peace with Oubea, the former 
 Governor of Samene. He has also taken to wife Oubea's 
 daughter, so that we hope that the country will soon be 
 tranquillised ; and that if the King remains true to his 
 old love for the Word of God, mission work can be pro- 
 secuted in good earnest. 
 
 " As to the fruit of all these various efforts, I can 
 humbly say that much Biblical knowledge has been 
 spread abroad both far and near; that a considerable 
 number of our people have begun to long for something 
 better than the vanities of the world ; and that some few 
 have been really converted to the Lord. But the main- 
 tenance of the various institutions has been throughout 
 this year, and especially during my severe illness, a source 
 of great anxiety. About two months ago, my physician, 
 in consultation with another medical practitioner whom he 
 called in, advised me to proceed to Europe with as little 
 delay as possible, that being the only hope for my restora- 
 tion to health. But I could not go, for in that case I 
 should have had to suspend all my work, upon which I 
 trust God has vouchsafed His blessing. Besides this, the 
 dismissal of my agents would, in these dear times, have 
 plunged their families in want and misery. For even 
 after greatly anticipating my private pecuniary means, I 
 should, especially if my family accompanied me, have 
 had nothing left over for them. But God has verily 
 shamed our fears, for He has not only preserved me in 
 life, but has also fortified my health in so great a degree 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION. 331 
 
 as to encourage ttie hope that I shall soon be perfectly 
 convalescent. For the future I am comforted by the 
 precious promise, ' The Lord will provide.' 
 
 " With the prayer that the Lord will have mercy upon 
 all men, and that He will abundantly bless you, beloved 
 brethren, I remain, your humble fellow-servant and 
 brother, S. Angl. Hierosol." 
 
( 332 ) 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 UNINTERRUPTED WORK CALAMITIES IN PALESTINE THE 
 
 ABYSSINIAN WAR. 
 (1861-1871.) 
 
 The tranquillity of the East was but little disturbed by 
 the great political events of this decade, and the mighty 
 tumult of excitement aroused by the Austro-Prussian 
 war in 1866, the fall of Napoleon III. in 1 870, and the 
 establishment of the German Empire in 1 87 1, found only 
 a faint echo in the remote regions of Jerusalem and its 
 vicinity. The Germans of Palestine felt themselves 
 exalted and secure since the name of Fricssiani had come 
 to be feared by the Turks. A peace celebration was 
 held in the Evangelical Church, and a German national 
 demonstration took place outside the gates of Damascus. 
 
 Gobat's peaceful work daring these ten years was only 
 interrupted by his journeys to Europe in 1862, 1864, 
 1867, and 1869. The first of these tours furnished 
 him with the opportunity of re-establishing his health at 
 the watering-place of Rippoldsau. While there he was 
 invited to be present at the baptism of the Princess of 
 Baden (now Crown-Princess of Sweden). On this occa- 
 sion he was presented to King William of Prussia and 
 to the Crown-Prince. 
 
 In 1867 the Bishop assisted at the Pan- Anglican 
 
COLONISATION OF PALESTINE. 333 
 
 Synod at Lambeth. In 1869 Madame Gobat met with 
 the serious accident described elsewhere, 
 
 The distress in Palestine increased during this period. 
 To the calamities which have already been so touchingly 
 described was added a fresh source of misfortune. 
 
 In his circular letter of 1866, Gobat was moved to the 
 following complaint : " Whilst the British Government 
 is sending help to the starving Hindoos, the Turkish 
 administration is trampling upon her famishing subjects 
 here. A new tax, ^ Alms for the Sultan,' has been levied. 
 The peasants are now even poorer than the Jews." 
 
 Nevertheless, in the midst of these gloomy times, 
 benevolent institutions were being multiplied. In 1866 
 the training-home " Talitha Cumi," for a hundred girls, 
 was founded by Pastor Fliedner. In 1867 the House of 
 Refuge for lepers was opened. 
 
 The long-wished-for colonisation of Palestine was now 
 attempted. The first experiment had certainly an un- 
 fortunate issue. A number of Americans settled at 
 Jaffa in 1866. They were misled by supposed spirit- 
 voices, and by a deceiver in the flesh as well, and the 
 colony broke up again in 1868. They were succeeded 
 by the ^'Friends of the Temple," who arrived in 1868 
 under the guidance of Christoph Hoffman and Hartegg. 
 Their colonies at Jaffa, Haifa, and Jerusalem flourished. 
 The spirit of enterprise and the honest labours of these 
 settlers have been crowned with success. 
 
 About this time the number of European visitors to 
 Jerusalem began to increase. The Prince of Wales 
 arrived there in 1862. The Turks vouchsafed to him 
 the distinguished honour of visiting Abraham's tomb in 
 Hebron, a privilege never before accorded to a Christian. 
 Prince Arthur followed his illustrious brother in 1865; 
 his suite made a favourable impression by the Christian 
 
334 ^^^^ OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 propriety of their behaviour. In 1869, at the opening 
 of the Suez Canal, the Crown-Prince of Prussia visited 
 the Holy Land, and the same privilege was conceded to 
 him as to the Prince of Wales ; he was permitted, in 
 company with his interpreter. Dr. Sandreczki, to look 
 into the grave of Abraham. The acquisition of the old 
 Hospital of the Knights of St. John and the prospect of 
 the opening of a separate German Church contributed to 
 the motives of this visit, which Gobat missed, he being 
 then in Germany. 
 
 In 1866 Pastor Yalentiner returned to Schleswig 
 Holstein, after fourteen j^ears of faithful co-operation 
 with the Bishop. Sundry other changes also took place 
 in Gobat's staff of fellow- workers. 
 
 It is now time to resume the interrupted history of 
 the Abyssinian Mission. Martin Flad, the tried and 
 faithful missionary, devoted himself, agreeably to Gobat's 
 wishes, to the black Jews of Abyssinia, the Felashas of 
 the region of Gondar, and found among them a blessed 
 field of labour. He was aided in his efforts by the 
 Chrischona Brethren, Steiger and Brandeis ; and by 
 degrees the number of baptized Jews amounted to sixty- 
 five. These conversions were subject to the depressing 
 condition of baptism administered by Abyssinian priests, 
 and incorporation into the Abyssinian Church. From 
 a moral point of view, the Felashas already stood higher 
 than the majority of Abyssinian Christians ; and it must 
 have been a diflScult task for them to conform to a Church 
 which maintains so many usages bordering upon idolatry. 
 
 Gobat had placed great hopes upon King Theodore ; 
 but the time came when he was fain to lament over the 
 depths to which this man subsequently fell ; and upon 
 this moral degradation followed the tragic catastrophe 
 of his career. 
 
LETTER TO KING THEODORE. 335 
 
 We may here insert a letter written at an early period 
 ot tlie labours of the Chrischona Brethren in King 
 Theodore's dominions, when, as yet, all was amity and 
 confidence. 
 
 Bishop Gobat to King Theodore. 
 
 "Jerusalem, June 13, 1863. 
 
 "Your Majesty will be grieved to hear of all the 
 wrong that is done to your subjects, the Abyssinian 
 priests and pilgrims in Jerusalem. . . . The Copts and 
 the Armenians have already taken the chapel belonging 
 to your Majesty, and now they want to take the whole 
 convent by force. . . . Formerly the English Consul 
 protected the Abyssinians, but now there is a new 
 Consul, who has no order from the Queen of England 
 to protect them. If your Majesty would send and 
 request the Queen of England to give orders to her 
 Counsul at Jerusalem to protect your subjects, he would 
 willingly do it. 
 
 " I am very glad and thankful to hear that your 
 Majesty continues to protect and to be kind to the 
 men whom I have sent to your country — Bender, Wald- 
 meyer, Kienzler, Mayer, Saalmtiller, and Flad ; they 
 all praise your Majesty's kindness to them, and am 
 glad that your Majesty finds them useful in many 
 things. 
 
 '' When I was in Abyssinia, the Abyssinians were very 
 kind to me, and I loved them much ; but I grieved to 
 see that they were very ignorant, both of the Word of 
 God and of the arts and trades of civilisation, and 
 therefore very poor ; and what is worse, very corrupt, 
 living in many sins, . . . and walking on the way to 
 hell and eternal perdition. The priests were ignorant, 
 
336 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 and tauglit all kinds of false doctrine to the people, . . . 
 and yet I found many who wished to know the Truth 
 and to be saved. Wherefore, I always prayed for 
 Abyssinia, and wished to do good to your people, after 
 that sickness had obliged me to leave your country ; but 
 I did not know how to do it, until I heard that it had 
 pleased God to give the empire of Abyssinia to your 
 Majesty, and that your Majesty loved and read the 
 Word of God. 
 
 " Then, with the permission of your Majesty, I twice 
 sent Bibles and New Testaments to Abyssinia through 
 Mr. Flad, and eleven men to work for your Majesty, 
 and to teach your people to work in iron, wood, and 
 stone, as well as one clever man to found cannon and 
 other firearms. But he, with his son, died on the 
 frontier of your country, leaving a widow and four 
 orphans. 
 
 " Now I rejoice to hear that your Majesty is pleased 
 with these working-men, and that God has blessed my 
 undertaking ; for I learn that many Felashas have read 
 the Word of God, and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ 
 unto salvation ; as also two or three Mohammedans, and 
 that they have all been baptized in the Name of the 
 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. . . . 
 I have heard with much pleasure that your Majesty 
 allows Mayer and others to instruct the poor people in 
 that Holy Word. May God reward you for it. . . . 
 He has intrusted the people to your care, that, by your 
 example as well as by precept, you may lead them into 
 the way of eternal life. 
 
 " I am getting old and my health is weak ; where- 
 fore I am constrained to beseech your Majesty to seek 
 first of all the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 
 that you may find the pardon of all your sins, for Christ's 
 
THE ABYSSINIAN WAR. 
 
 337 
 
 sake, who died for you. . . . That He may give year 
 Majesty grace to serve Him faithfully is the prayer of 
 your Majesty's most devoted servant, 
 
 " S. Angl. Hierosol." 
 
 The degeneracy of the King was favoured by the 
 possession of Oriental unlimited power ; for the de- 
 lusion that a monarch stands above, not under, the law 
 is fatal in its effects. The mental equilibrium is lost, 
 and the despot sets himself up at last, not above human 
 law only, but above the Divine. Theodore's retro- 
 gression towards the savage state was accelerated by 
 perpetual civil wars. Pretenders and rebels rose up 
 against him in different quarters. In these conflicts he 
 lost the two best men who at first had stood by him ; 
 they were the British Consul Plowden, and the Irish- 
 man John Bell. In order to avenge the death of these 
 his frietids, the King gave orders for the slaughter of 
 700 (according to some reports 1 700) prisoners; and 
 this was the beginning of a series of barbarities. Martin 
 Flad, in his ''History of King Theodore" (Basle, 1869), 
 has described the course of these events, of which he 
 was an eye-witness. 
 
 " Queen Tauabetsch," he informs us, '' who could tame 
 the wrath of Theodore by her affection, and Mr. Bell, the 
 protector of the Europeans and the faithful, shrewd 
 counsellor, were both dead. Young people flocked to the 
 court, and crowded out the old officials. Luxury and 
 revelling were the order of the day. The first predis- 
 posing cause of the King's downfall was a tendency to 
 excessive drinking. Formerly he had never touched 
 any spirituous beverage until the business of the day had 
 been completed ; he now began to intoxicate himself 
 almost every day with honey-wine and brandy. Formerly 
 
338 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 he had been the helper of the poor; he had rendered 
 justice to every one, encouraged agriculture and trade, 
 abolished the slave traffic, diligently read the Bible, and 
 striven to regulate his life by it ; he had promoted the 
 spread of the Gospel in his dominions, protected the 
 missionaries from the Abyssinian priesthood, and placed 
 himself as a pattern at the head of his people by discard- 
 ing polygamy and living with one wife, in whose com- 
 pany he received the Holy Communion. 
 
 " He now began to oppress everybody and to diminish 
 the property of his subjects. He put a clog upon com- 
 merce by means of excessive imposts, allowed the slave 
 trade to be carried on with impunity, the Bible was no 
 longer read, prayer was neglected, sacred things were 
 profaned ; towards the missionaries he was first indifferent, 
 then hostile ; and instead of one, he had many wives. 
 And now, because he had rejected God, God also rejected 
 him, even as He had rejected King Saul, and permitted 
 an evil spirit to come upon him, who transformed him 
 into the greatest and most cruel tyrant known to history." 
 (Only Ivan the Terrible of Russia can be compared to 
 him.) " No rank, no profession, no age, and no sex was 
 secure from the violent and blood-stained hand of the 
 sovereign. All alike trembled before him, and every 
 soul was filled with apprehension for the future ; yet this 
 was only the beginning of sorrows. 
 
 " He entered upon a successful war against the pre- 
 tender Negusieh in Tigre, who sought safety in flight, 
 disguised as a peasant. He and his brother were re- 
 cognised by the country people and delivered up to 
 Theodore, who had their feet and hands chopped off, and 
 then ordered them to be exposed naked to the heat of 
 a tropical sun by day, and to the alpine cold of Abyssinia 
 by night. It seems that both victims survived for several 
 
THE ABYSSINIAN WAR. 339 
 
 days, until they were finally consumed by fire. Negusieli's 
 officers had taken refuge in the free town of Axum. 
 The King granted them an amnesty ; but when they gave 
 themselves up, the faithless despot had them all butchered 
 in the most barbarous manner."* 
 
 Until then the King had treated the German and 
 English missionaries well, but his conduct now became 
 altered by political and personal motives. A new Eng- 
 lish Consul, Cameron, had arrived, and with him a French- 
 man, Bardel, a most mischievous fellow. Theodore was 
 then at the summit of his power, and contemplated the 
 cementing of relations with Queen Victoria, and also with 
 the Emperor Louis Napoleon. He intrusted to Cameron 
 a letter for the Queen, to Bardel a document for Napoleon 
 III. Whilst he was awaiting answers to these missives a 
 contretemps happened concerning the proselyte Heinrich 
 Stern from Hesse. This man, a missionary to the Jews, 
 of mediocre merit, had offended the King by the want of 
 tact which had characterised his demeanour on two occa- 
 sions when he had audience of Theodore. He was on that 
 account beaten by royal command, wounded, and thrown 
 into fetters. His papers were examined, and the sus- 
 picions of the King extended to the other missionaries ; 
 he believed himself to have been despised and contemned 
 by them. On the 20th of November 1863 he held a 
 great public judicial inquiry ; the accused were threatened 
 with death, but the King received conflicting advice, and 
 the transaction was without result. 
 
 At the same time the English Government perpetrated 
 a great blunder, the cause of which has never yet been 
 explained. There came no answer from the Qaeen to 
 Theodore. He imagined that she scorned him. Bardel 
 
 * riad, Hist. K. Theodore, pp. 26, 27. Cf. also Theophil Waldmaier, 
 Erlebnisse in Abyssinien. Basle, 1869. 
 
340 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 whispered insinuations into his ear that the English were 
 the friends of the Turks. Cameron was seized, and 
 Bardel did not escape imprisonment, for the King con- 
 sidered himself to have been insulted by Napoleon also. 
 At first the number of prisoners was eleven ; it increased 
 by degrees. The arrest lasted, with fluctuating fortunes, 
 for five years and a half. For a time the Germans were 
 set free and made to work again for the King. Gafat 
 was allotted to them as their place of abode, and they were 
 not allowed to leave it without special permission. Then, 
 at the caprice of the tyrant, some of the prisoners were 
 again tortured. Part of the time they were at the royal 
 head-quarters, but finally they were secured in the fortress 
 of Magdala. The wisdom with which Gobat interested 
 himself for the captives, and the earnestness with which 
 he sought to work upon Theodore's conscience, are exem- 
 plified in the following letter : — 
 
 Bishop Gdbat to King Theodore. 
 
 " Jerusalem, November 28, 1865. 
 
 " Sire, — Having heard from time to time of your 
 Majesty's kindness to the men whom I sent to you some 
 years ago to teach your people useful arts and knowledge, 
 ... I take a favourable opportunity of thanking you for 
 such kindness, and of sending you my blessing, with the 
 assurance that I continually pray for your Majesty, that, 
 as God has made you a mighty king on earth. He may 
 give you grace to rule in His fear and love, in justice 
 and mercy, in order that you also may obtain mercy, 
 through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, at the great 
 day of judgment. 
 
 " The bearer of this letter is my friend, Theodore Beke, 
 whom I commend to your gracious attention and protec- 
 
THE ABYSSINIAN WAR. 341 
 
 tion. He has seen tlie distress of the wife and young 
 children of Mr. Stern, and of the relatives of the English 
 prisoners in your country, especially that of Consul 
 Cameron's mother, who has just died of grief before Mr. 
 Beke left England. Moved by compassion, the latter has 
 freely undertaken to go to Abyssinia to supplicate your 
 Majesty to be merciful to Messrs. Stern, Cameron, Rosen- 
 thal, and their companions, and to forgive them their 
 offences, as you pray that God may forgive you, and to 
 set them at liberty that they may bless you. 
 
 " Mr. Theodore Beke has nothing to do with the Queen 
 or with her Government ; it is from Christian love and 
 benevolence that he undertakes this long and perilous 
 journey, relying on the goodness of God and on your 
 Majesty's magnanimity for a free pardon. Wherefore I 
 cordially unite with him in entreating your Majesty, for 
 my sake, as a servant of God, nay, for the sake of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, to show mercy to those prisoners, and 
 to let them go free, that the cry of their poor relatives 
 and children may not ascend to heaven against your 
 Majesty. The greatest glory of a king is to show mercy 
 and to dry the mourner's tears. 
 
 " Again commending my friend, Theodore Beke, to 
 your Majesty's favourable and gracious attention, I re- 
 main. Sire, your Majesty's most dutiful, most humble, 
 and most obedient servant, S. Angl. Hierosol." 
 
 At last the sky seemed to clear when, on the 28th of 
 January 1 2>66^ an English embassage arrived at Theodore's 
 court, consisting of Mr. Rassam, an Armenian, who had 
 been British Consul in Syria, Lieutenant Prideaux, and 
 Dr. Blanc ; they brought with them presents and an auto- 
 graph letter from Queen Victoria. By these means the 
 British Government sought to redeem the past and to 
 
342 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 bring about the release of the prisoners. An order to 
 that effect was in fact given by Theodore. All prepared 
 joyfully for departure, when a mysterious turn of affairs 
 occurred. On the way they were every one of them 
 captured afresh. Another tribunal was held under the 
 canopy of heaven, the captives were brought forward in 
 chains, but released again the next day. They asked 
 forgiveness, and the King did the same ; he begged 
 pardon prostrate before his late victims. This singular 
 scene is hardly to be regarded as a farce ; it seems rather 
 that Theodore was really in a frame of mind resembling 
 that of Saul, who threw the javelin at David one day, 
 and who could say on the next, " My son, thou art more 
 righteous than I." 
 
 The captivity continued notwithstanding, and even the 
 ambassador, Rassam, contrary to the law of nations, was 
 detained ; he was to serve as a hostage for the good faith 
 of the British Government. Martin Flad, who of all 
 Europeans deservedly possessed the largest share of 
 Theodore's confidence, was sent to England to ask for 
 engineers, tools, and machines for the King. During his 
 absence, which lasted more than a year, terrible things 
 took place in Abyssinia, as may be learnt from the diary 
 of Madame Flad, who remained behind in captivity. The 
 power of the King was on the wane, and he practised the 
 greatest cruelties upon those whom he suspected on poli- 
 tical grounds. For example, the relatives of a fugitive 
 official were burnt alive. The same fate overtook a num- 
 ber of deserters from the army. The hacking off of hands 
 and feet became a common incident, whole provinces were 
 devastated, the capital itself was plundered and set on 
 fire, and even those provinces which had remained faith- 
 ful to the King were ravaged, whilst he, like Belshazzar 
 of old, held his revels. 
 
THE ABYSSINIAN WAR. 343 
 
 Such was the nature of this tyrant, and we may judge 
 from these particulars what was the position of the pri- 
 soners, who were like so many tennis-balls in his hands. 
 Fladj who had had an audience of Queen Victoria at 
 Osborne, came back with a very serious letter from her 
 Majesty to Theodore. It contained a just reproof to 
 the sable despot touching his conduct to Cameron and 
 Rassam ; there was but little confidence to be placed in 
 him after his faithlessness ; the desired engineers, &c., 
 were to be sent to him, but not until he had dispatched 
 every European who wished to leave Abyssinia under 
 safe escort to the frontier of his dominions. This mes- 
 sage vexed the tyrant beyond measure. He clearly per- 
 ceived that matters were becoming serious, but he trusted 
 to the presumably impregnable fastnesses of his highlands. 
 Whilst the disaffection in his kingdom increased, he gave 
 way to still more abominable cruelties. Country people 
 were burnt together with their houses ; children, sick 
 people, delicate women, and aged men were not spared ; 
 deserters from the army were captured to the number of 
 over a thousand, and their throats were cut. More than 
 two hundred soldiers who had intended to desert were 
 condemned, with their wives, to be starved to death, their 
 throats made fast with wooden forks. Several lived in 
 this condition from ten to twelve days. 
 
 The engineers sent from England had already arrived 
 at Massowa. They were there detained by Colonel Mere- 
 wether, who demanded before all things the surrender of 
 the captives. It was perhaps a blunder that he did not 
 also send on the presents. Meanwhile, an English army, 
 with cannon, elephants, and provisions, had landed from 
 India under command of Sir Robert Napier. There were 
 twelve thousand combatants, of whom one-third were 
 British, two-thirds Indian troops. 
 
344 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 The preparations for scaling those terrible mountains, 
 with which we are already familiar from Gobat's descrip- 
 tions, were carried on with the greatest foresight and 
 energy, with the co-operation of Werner Munzinger, 
 English consul at Massowa. Dr. Krapf was to accom- 
 pany the army as interpreter. 
 
 And thus the storm of retribution gathered over Theo- 
 dore's head. Slowly but surely the English moved from 
 the north ; onward they came against the mountain- 
 fortress of Magdala. The prisoners, who expected each 
 moment to be their last, were in a state of indescribable 
 suspense. On Palm Sunday, 1868, the King spoke with 
 Eassam at Magdala, and declared for decisive battle. 
 On Holy Thursday evening, irritated by an insolent word, 
 he ordered three hundred and eight Abyssinian prisoners 
 to be slain, and the bodies, together with several living 
 jDeople, to be thrown over a vast precipice. 
 
 On Good Friday, April the loth, 1868, the battle took 
 place. The ill-fated, poorly-armed Abyssinians fell in 
 troops before the sharp fire and rocket-practice of the 
 English. Sir Eobert demanded that the King should 
 surrender himself to the Queen of England, and bring 
 all the Europeans into the English camp. In return, he 
 and his family were to be honourably treated. At this 
 decisive moment a wonderful dispensation of Providence 
 was manifested. Theodore, who might have all the 
 prisoners slaughtered at the cost of a single word, experi- 
 enced at the last moment a noble revulsion of feeling. 
 While his Abyssinian counsellors were advising him to 
 put the captives to death, he set them at liberty with the 
 words, " Let them go ; these people have done nothing 
 amiss." They descended from the rock of Magdala 
 unhurt into the British camp, fifty-nine persons in all, 
 counting the children. 
 
THE ABYSSINIAN WAR. 
 
 34i 
 
 To surrender and submit to be a prisoner of war, 
 Theodore refused. His troops were utterly dispersed, 
 and they laid down their arms before Sir Eobert. The 
 King wanted to continue the struggle with the little host 
 of followers who had remained faithful to the last. On 
 Easter Monday, after a bombardment which lasted two 
 hours, the English stormed the walls and took the fortress. 
 When Theodore saw that all was lost, he killed himself 
 by a pistol-shot through the head. A few minutes 
 previously he had said to his arms-bearer, " I believed 
 hitherto that God was with me, and I thought that I 
 was fulfilling His will in all that I did. I now see that 
 it was not God, bat the Devil, who was with me, and 
 urging me to be so cruel." 
 
 Magdala was plundered by the wild Indian troops ; 
 even the graves were robbed, and finally the fortress was 
 set on fire. Then the English commenced the retreat. 
 The Abyssinians breathed freely, and marched, with their 
 priests at their head, to meet the English, whom they 
 greeted as their deliverers, and they sang in their old 
 Ethiopian dialect the triumph-song of Moses the man of 
 God over the destruction of Pharaoh and his host. 
 
 The English evacuated Abyssinia, and did nothing 
 further for that unhappy country. On this occasion they 
 had no intention of making conquests ; they had only the 
 twofold object, to rescue the captives and to maintain 
 the prestige of British power in the East. 
 
 A son of King Theodore, eight years of age, was 
 brought to England to be educated, but he died some 
 time after his arrival. 
 
 The Protestant Mission in Abyssinia came to a stand- 
 still in consequence of the events just narrated. Sir 
 Robert showed no further interest in it. The missionaries 
 returned to Gobat at Jerusalem, leaving behind them 
 
346 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 anarchy and confusion. So early as October 1868, the 
 Bishop ventured to send two of the brethren into Ethiopia. 
 
 A second Casai, who had rebelled against Theodore in 
 Tigre, favoured the English during their campaign, and 
 was rewarded by Sir Eobert with a considerable present 
 of arms. With these he succeeded in subduing Abyssinia, 
 and in January 1872 he had himself crowned at Axum, 
 under the title of the Emperor John II. The manner in 
 which he won over the Abuna to his interests is charac- 
 teristic. He placed a pistol at the breast of that func- 
 tionary with the words, " Dear father, give me thy 
 blessing ! " 
 
 Roman Catholic and Protestant missionaries are labour- 
 ing for access to John, and also to Menelek, to whom in 
 all probability the succession will fall. Intercourse be- 
 tween Europe and Abyssinia is on the increase ; and 
 there is a danger that among that ancient Christian 
 people the pernicious influences of a civilisation devoid 
 of Christianity may find an entrance. May God grant 
 that Christian culture, such as Samuel Gobat sought 
 to disseminate, may find an abiding-place among the 
 Abyssinians ! 
 
 Queen Elisabeth of Prussia to Madame Gobat. 
 
 "Sans Souci, S>e^t, 24, 1863. 
 "I have received your letter of the 14th of July, and 
 read with sincere pleasure and sympathy the information 
 it contained concerning the condition and progress of 
 mission-work at Jerusalem — of work which is identified 
 with the noble task of re-kindling and reviving the light 
 of the Gospel and the knowledge of salvation on the very 
 scene of the manifestation and redeeming work of our 
 Lord, where they had been overshadowed and eclipsed 
 
LIFE IN PALESTINE. 347 
 
 in successive centuries by the abomination of desolation. 
 My \Yliole soul is filled with the grand and exalted 
 thought of this enterprise; it swells in harmony with 
 him who, in joyful trust and ardent love to his Saviour, 
 has now finished his course, and of whom you make 
 mention in your letter with such touching and affectionate 
 appreciation. May God continue to bless this noble and 
 sacred work, and may He with His Spirit and His 
 strength ever abide in you and in all your fellow- workers 
 mightily and with quickening power. Eest assured of my 
 lasting and lively sympathy for you all, of my prayers, 
 and of my hearty good- will, which latter I hereby 
 emphasise with especial reference to yourself and to the 
 Lord Bishop, your excellent husband. Elisabeth." 
 
 Bisliop Gdbat to Pastor Sarasin- For cart at Basle. 
 
 "Jerusalem, June 1865. 
 
 " I spent the evening of the 1 1 th of May among the 
 Protestant men of Eamleh (there were about fourteen of 
 them), in edifying conversation. . . . 
 
 " On the 1 2 th, I took an early ride to Jaffa, where 
 I met the steam-packet, and took passage in it for Haifa, 
 where, the wind being contrary, I did not arrive until 
 nine o'clock in the evening. There met my son-in-law, 
 J. Zeller. 
 
 " On the 13th we started betimes for Xazareth ; but 
 had scarcely ridden half an hour before we encountered 
 a messenger from that place, who brought us the tidings 
 that on the previous day the Eoman Catholics had 
 mustered in great force and had attacked the Protestants ; 
 they would have killed the native catechist if he had 
 not had just time to fly. The Turkish Governor took 
 part with the Eoman Catholics, because not long before 
 
348 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 Zeller had refused to bribe hira with a present ; and yet 
 the Cadi declared that the Protestants were in the right. 
 . . . Since the persecution at Constantinople a year ago, 
 there is no more justice for Protestants under the 
 Turkish Government ; and whilst the French and Eussian 
 Consuls are always ready, the one to protect the Eoman 
 Catholics, the other to defend the Greeks, even when 
 they are in the wrong, the Protestant, and particularly 
 the English Consuls, dare not say a word in favour of 
 their co-religionists. 
 
 " During my thirteen days' sojourn in Galilee every- 
 thing was quiet. Indeed the Governor of Nazareth came 
 to Zeller to apologise ; but four days after my departure 
 the Koman Catholics, with a Syrian monk at their head, 
 renewed the attack. I do not yet know what has hap- 
 pened since." 
 
 "Jerusalem, July 13, 1865. 
 
 "On the 27th of May, after having visited the ruins 
 of Sebaste (Samaria), among which I counted more than 
 a hundred pillars, though few of them were of marble, 
 we traversed the fruitful valley up to Nablus. The valley 
 was swarming with locusts, which had already devastated a 
 great number of olive-trees, besides other vegetation. The 
 whole population of the adjacent villages was employed 
 in driving them away ; it was one universal shrieking 
 and howling to frighten the locusts and drive them to 
 perpetrate their ravages elsewhere. For nearly an hour 
 as we passed along, the roads and trees were quite covered 
 with these creatures, and the air of the entire valley was 
 so full of them that we could hardly descry the neigh- 
 bouring mountains, and the sun could give but half its 
 light. That was a sad sight, worse than hail. 
 
 "On Sunday the 28th we had divine service at eight 
 
LIFE IN PALESTINE. 349 
 
 o'clock in tlie morning. The large room, which serves 
 as a chapel, was thronged with men, and an adjoining 
 apartment with women, who were all attentive and de- 
 vout, although many of them were not Protestants. 
 Zeller preached a thoroughly evangelical, practical ser- 
 mon on the words, ^ Because I live, ye shall live also.' 
 After service I examined the school children, who assem- 
 bled in another room, which does duty as a schoolroom ; 
 and it was a pleasure to me to see how heartily and 
 correctly they answered all my questions, not only upon 
 Bible history, but also upon doctrine. . . . The school- 
 room was afterwards filled with inquiring Protestants, 
 Greeks, and Samaritans, with whom I conversed until 
 one o'clock, chiefly about the Word of God and the car- 
 dinal truths of Christianity. I found even among the 
 Greeks a very fair knowledge of Holy Scripture. 
 
 ''I learned that not only Protestants, but also several 
 Greeks have for some years past had family prayer in 
 their houses, at which the Bible is daily read and extem- 
 poraneous prayer offered, when they do not use a transla- 
 tion of the English Liturgy. Moreover, the priests of 
 Nablus seem much more tolerant of late towards those 
 who repudiate the errors of their Church, out of simple 
 fear least the people should become Protestant. ... At 
 three o'clock in the afternoon we had service again, and 
 the worshippers were as attentive and almost as numerous 
 as in the morning. A convert, who had formerly been 
 a Greek priest, preached a Scriptural, telling sermon on 
 the necessity of renouncing all that is vain and sinful, 
 and clinging to Christ. Zeller, to whom this man had 
 hitherto been a stranger, was quite prepossessed with him ; 
 he accompanied him next day to his village in the neigh- 
 hood of Sebaste, and spent the night under his roof. 
 This further acquaintance only tended to increase Zeller's 
 
350 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 respect and regard for this humble -minded and zealous 
 man. 
 
 " This priest had had an extraordinary career. About 
 sixteen years previously I had made his acquaintance, 
 and discovered that he possessed absolutely no knowledge 
 of the Word of God. I spoke v^ith him seriously, gave 
 him a Bible, and exhorted him to read it diligently and 
 prayerfully. When I saw him again, after the lapse of 
 some years, I found him well versed in the whole Bible, 
 and especially in the New Testament, whereby he had 
 already detected many of the errors of his Church. He 
 was then minded to leave the Greek Church, although no 
 one had encouraged him to do so. Yet even then there 
 was more light in his intelligence than life in his heart. 
 He would have liked to discuss matters with his supe- 
 riors, but they were unwilling to allow this, and knocked 
 him down instead. One Bishop placed his foot upon his 
 neck, and forced him to promise that he w^ould remain a 
 priest of the Greek Church. At the same time, as the 
 man was poor and had a family, this Bishop lent him a 
 sum of money, with the observation that if he remained 
 true to the Greek Church the capital would never be 
 claimed, but if the recipient failed to fulfil this condition, 
 the return of the sum would instantly be demanded, 
 with heavy interest. A¥ith this the priest was dismissed 
 from the interview. 
 
 " After this he began to have a sense of his misery 
 and sinfulness. He seemed to himself like an apostate, 
 and yet he was bound with golden chains, and could not 
 free himself, for he had paid other debts with the Bishop's 
 money. And so he languished for some years. He fre- 
 quently visited the Protestants of Nablus, as being like- 
 minded with himself ; and whenever one of my catechists 
 visited his village he invited him to preach in his church. 
 
LIFE IN PALESTINE. 351 
 
 He himself began, by little and little, to read the Scriptures 
 in his church, and often to testify against the errors of 
 the same, till at last he was found out, and placed under 
 the ban by the Patriarch. (He had in the meantime 
 cleared himself from his debt.) 
 
 " He then went to the governor of Nablus and declared 
 himself a Protestant. His congregation sided with him ; 
 but when they heard that the Patriarch had declared all 
 those who should follow the seceder to be under the ban, 
 the majority of them drew back for a time. 
 
 " I have lately appointed him evangelist in the moun- 
 tains of Samaria, and he is now going from village to 
 village preaching the Gospel amid shame and persecution. 
 But he bears everything with deep humility and love. 
 
 " On the two Sundays that I spent at JSTazareth we 
 had two Arabic services, with about sixty worshippers 
 in the morning, and fifty in the afternoon. After the 
 services the greater number of them came to me, and we 
 had long conversations, in the course of which I perceived 
 with joy that most of them were well acquainted with 
 the Scriptures. . . . 
 
 " I also visited the smaller congregations in the neigh- 
 bouring villages, upon each of which occasions we partook 
 of an Arab repast in a numerous company. Eice and 
 sour milk formed the staple of the banquet. I was at 
 Yafa, Pteneh, and Kefer-Kana. At Eeneh, an hour's 
 journey from Nazareth, the Protestants have a nice school- 
 house, which also is used for a chapel. It was built, 
 with the help of a few private contributions, by Zeller 
 and Huber. 
 
 "On the 1 8th I rode with Zeller to Shef-Amar, a 
 large village four hours' ride west of Nazareth, where I 
 have for some years had a capital catechist and a congre- 
 gation of five-and-thirty men, who have remained stead- 
 
352 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 fast, various discouragements notwithstanding. Unfor- 
 tunately they have no school-house, and they assemble on 
 Sundays, and also in the week, in a dark and gloomy 
 chamber, incapable of holding many persons. ... I was 
 much pleased with these people, although their conversa- 
 tion continually turned uj)on the necessity of building a 
 school-house, for which they have no funds. They wanted 
 me to undertake it, to which I would consent with all 
 my heart had I but the means to do so. 
 
 " S. Angl. Hierosol." 
 
 Extracts from BisJwj) Gohafs Circular Letter for 1865. 
 
 "Jerusalem, November 13, 1865. 
 
 " ' When Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabi- 
 tants of the world will learn righteousness ' (Isa. xxvi. 9). 
 
 "With the fervent desire that the truth of the Divine 
 Word may be abundantly realised in this land, and sur- 
 rounded as I am by the dead and dying, by poor widows 
 and orphans who have lost their sole earthly stay, I 
 address these lines to you, in order to commend Jerusa- 
 lem to your remembrance and to your Christian sym- 
 pathy, and to invite your prayers for us during these 
 days of trouble. In the course of this year the Lord 
 has visited this country, and Jerusalem in particular, 
 with heavy judgments. 
 
 " As early as last spring the late rain fell, and we 
 consequently suffered in Jerusalem from oppressive 
 drought. Then came the locusts, which in the months 
 of May, June, and July covered the land from Gaza 
 to Lebanon. Happily they found the wheat and 
 barley too far advanced and too hard for their teeth ; 
 but they devoured, except in a few districts, everything 
 green, all the vegetables and summer fruits, as well as 
 
LIFE IN PALESTINE, 353 
 
 the leaves and tender twigs of the trees. But in the 
 midst of justice the Lord remembered mercy. For 
 althouo-h the locusts had more than once consumed 
 the first tender blades of the Dhurra, which forms the 
 staple food of the country people, the crop recovered 
 itself ; and when in July the locusts suddenly decamped 
 eastwards, it yielded a fair harvest ; so that with this, 
 and with the vegetable crop which was sowed after 
 the locusts left, we have been preserved from famine. 
 But all provisions are very dear; and as, during the 
 last four months, the Government, through fear of the 
 cholera, has prohibited the sale of vegetables in the 
 city, and trade has consequently been suspended, the 
 poor people have been unable to earn anything ; and 
 but for the help which has been sent to me, chiefly 
 from England and Holland, hundreds of the poor would 
 probably have died of want. Thank God ! these charit- 
 able gifts enabled me to provide more than two thousand 
 Jews, within the last three months, with regular supplies 
 of rice and water ; and I was also in a position to render 
 occasional but material aid to Jews, Christians of various 
 denominations, and Mohammedans. 
 
 " But all this misery was as nothing beside the 
 cholera and its terrible consequences. After the locusts 
 had suddenly disappeared in July, the cholera first 
 showed itself at Jaffa, where it has raged frightfully, 
 also at Gaza, ISTablus, and in several villages. In 
 August and September we had daily from one to four 
 deaths from cholera, but fewer cases than usual of other 
 diseases at that unhealthy season. When at the end 
 of September very cool weather set in, we thought that 
 Jerusalem would remain exempt ; but the customary 
 great heat of autumn came in with October, and the 
 cholera assumed a more virulent character ; so that, 
 
 z 
 
354 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 from the ist to the 2ist of that month, we had daily 
 about fifteen fatal cases. During this time thousands 
 of Jews fled to Hebron and Jaffa, but several of them 
 died there. 
 
 "On the 2 2d of October forty-two, and on the 25th 
 a hundred and nine, persons died. From that day for- 
 ward it was forbidden to publish the number of deaths ; 
 but from the data which I have been able to collect, 
 I conclude that the number of deaths reached a daily 
 average of sixty, out of a population of fourteen thousand 
 (not counting the fugitives). From the 6th of this 
 month up till to-day, the disease has rapidly decreased ; 
 and we now hope that in a few days it will have en- 
 tirely disappeared. 
 
 " I have referred to the consequences of the cholera, 
 but it is impossible to describe them, for they are heart- 
 rending. Among the Jews the distress is especially 
 great ; for each burial costs them about eighty francs, 
 which obliges many families to sell all the little house- 
 hold articles they may possess, and this involves end- 
 less poverty. If the father of a family dies, the widow 
 must, in accordance with Jewish customs, throw away 
 all the water that she possesses, and she remains in- 
 active, often with six or eight young children, or else 
 she soon dies of want and misery, because she has not 
 sufficient energy and courage to seek for help. Others 
 do seek for help ; but where is it to be found, now that 
 the greater number of those who could have rendered 
 assistance have fled ? The Consuls of England, Prussia, 
 Russia, and France do what they can, but their re- 
 sources will soon be exhausted. The Jews have cer- 
 tainly received considerable sums of money from distant 
 co-religionists ; but the numerous Rabbis always take 
 the lion's share, so that the portion which falls to the 
 
LIFE IN PALESTINE. 355 
 
 poor is very small. I have appointed three dear, faith- 
 ful brothers to gather information respecting the circum- 
 stances of the poor, and to distribute to the neediest, out 
 of the funds committed to me, supplies of water, wheat, 
 rice, and to the sick and convalescent coffee, tea, and 
 sugar. 
 
 "It is estimated that at least one-tenth of the inha- 
 bitants of Jerusalem have died of cholera since July, 
 chiefly Mohammedans and Jews, but also many Greeks 
 and Latins. 
 
 " I tremble at the prospect of the coming winter in 
 the face of the great dearness of food and the utter 
 failure of employment. 
 
 " Missionary Carabet has travelled much in the course 
 of the year, and has visited the various congregations 
 that have been formed in Syria and Mesopotamia. . . . 
 He possesses a special gift of bringing the Gospel home 
 to the Mohammedans, wherever he may be. . . . While 
 he was in Beyrout last winter, a goodly number of 
 Mohammedans used to assemble every evening to hear 
 him preach the Gospel and refute the Koran. Fifteen men 
 had already decided to openly embrace Christianity, and 
 Carabet was beginning to instruct them previous to their 
 baptism, when two Mohammedans, who had been con- 
 verted some time before, were brought to Beyrout and 
 delivered up to the authorities. One of them was sent 
 forthwith to Constantinople, and nothing has been heard 
 of him since ; the other (a young soldier) was taken to 
 the barracks, and the same night, in the presence of the 
 fifteen, murdered in the most barbarous manner. In 
 consequence of this melancholy circumstance the baptism 
 was postponed. It is remarkable that the Mohammedans 
 in all quarters, in Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Bag- 
 dad, are no longer satisfied with the miserable Koran, 
 
356 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 and that they are beginning to inquire after the truths 
 of Christianity. Had they not the persecution of the 
 Turkish Government to fear, many of them, I am per- 
 suaded, would come over to our sacred faith. Oh, that 
 God would raise up to us at Constantinople a second 
 Lord Stratford de Eedcliffe ! S. Anql. Hiekosol." 
 
 BisJiop Gobat to Queen Elisaheth of Prussia. 
 
 "Jerusalem, July 21, 1866. 
 
 " Most gracious Queen, — Your Majesty will, I trust, 
 allow me to offer my sincere thanks for the most welcome 
 and valued present which your Majesty condescended to 
 send to me by Professor Strauss, namely, the Manual of 
 Communion Prayers, once the property of the illustrious, 
 and to me the ever-beloved King. . . . 
 
 " Truly I needed no outward token to preserve a vivid 
 and grateful remembrance of that incomparable monarch, 
 or to keep alive the sentiments of affection in my heart, 
 upon which his image is distinctly and deeply graven. 
 But none the less is this little book of inestimable worth 
 to me, as also the letters, so full of weighty matter, which 
 were addressed to me by that august personage, and which 
 from time to time I peruse with my dear wife and 
 children, always with fresh edification and profit. . . . 
 
 " Alas ! most beloved and honoured Queen, of what a 
 cup of sorrow has it been your Majesty's portion to drink ! 
 How often, since those memorable days of 1856, have I 
 been with you in spirit, both beside the couch of sickness 
 and in the chamber of death, . . . and cast myself down 
 in supplication before the throne of grace ! 
 
 " Since then I have been four times in Europe (twice on 
 account of my health), but have never had the courage to 
 revisit Berlin. Often during the long illness of his late 
 
LIFE IN PALESTINE. 357 
 
 Majesty have I taken the pen in my hand in order to 
 address some words of sympathy, and, if possible, of con- 
 solation to your Majesty ; but an inward voice would 
 always whisper, ' 'No ; pray rather that both may be endued 
 with patience, resignation, comfort, strengthening grace, 
 and healing by Him who can bestow far beyond what we 
 ask or think ; ' and I feel persuaded that the Lord has 
 heard my feeble prayers, and that your Majesty has 
 realised that the dark path . . . was yet the path of 
 salvation and of peace, and that through the ages of 
 eternity your Majesty will thank and praise Him as well 
 for the sufferings of late years as for the joys of earlier 
 days. Everything must work together for good to them 
 that love God. 
 
 " And now, in the blessed hope of one day meeting 
 your Majesty and the departed King in the mansions of 
 everlasting peace, I remain, in most faithful obedience, 
 your Majesty's most humble servant, 
 
 " S. Angl. Hierosol." 
 
 Bishop Gohat to his Daughter Maria. 
 
 " Benhall Lodge, near Saxmundham, Suffolk, 
 November 8, 1869. 
 
 " My dear Maria, — . . . You will already have in- 
 ferred from the tone of this letter that I am about to 
 impart to you some sorrowful intelligence, and this indeed 
 is my painful duty. . . . 
 
 " Last Saturday we were ready to leave here for 
 London, where I was to preach twice yesterday, . . . 
 when your dear mamma, who had gone up to our room 
 to bring down some little trifling articles, slipped in 
 coming downstairs and fell over several steps. No one 
 was at hand. Mrs. Holland happening presently to pass 
 
358 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 through the hall, found her lying with her head upon the 
 lowest step, and bleeding profusely. I was called to the 
 spot, and beheld your poor mamma lying in a pool of 
 blood. . . . We sent for the doctor, but more than half an 
 hour elapsed before he came, and when he arrived he had 
 not brought the necessary things with him. He had to 
 send for them ; and all that he could do in the meantime 
 was to arrest in some measure the copious flow of blood. 
 
 " When his assistant came with the requisite instru- 
 ments, the wound was probed, and it was ascertained that 
 an artery above the temple had been, not exactly severed, 
 but crushed. A compress and a bandage were made, 
 which took up a considerable time, but all went on well 
 until eight o'clock in the evening, when a fresh effusion 
 of blood burst forth. I'ortunately the physician and his 
 assistant were in the house, and they applied a new 
 bandage, which, up to the present moment — thirty-eight 
 hours afterwards — has proved efficient, so that we now 
 have the best hopes of a happy result, although . . . the 
 danger is not quite over as yet. 
 
 "... Dear Mrs. Holland and her servants are inde- 
 fatigable in doing everything for your mamma in the 
 most affectionate manner. . . . Pray for us, and join us 
 in giving thanks to God. Ever your affectionate father, 
 
 " S. Angl. Hierosol." 
 
 Extracts from Bishop Gohat's Circular Letter for 1870. 
 
 "Jerusalem, October 28, 1870. 
 "This year has been one of great distress throughout 
 the whole country. In consequence of the drought in 
 December, January, and February, the vegetable crops 
 entirely failed, and bread and water were so dear that 
 the poor had to sell their little property, even to their 
 
LIFE IN PALESTINE. 359 
 
 clothes, to buy bread and water, till at last one universal 
 cry of distress arose. ... In the time of greatest need 
 and anxiety, I instructed my chaplain in London, the 
 Eev. Thomas Smith, to insert in the Record an appeal 
 for assistance. The speedy and generous response to 
 this appeal enabled me to assist many hundreds of suffer- 
 ers, and, I believe, to rescue many Jews, Christians, and 
 Mohammedans from death by famine. . . . 
 
 "I continue to employ four missionaries. . . . The 
 Eev. Stephen Car abet lives at Diarbekir, where the 
 members of his congregation built a chapel last year, and 
 they have undertaken the support of the school. 
 
 " . . . 'A member of our congregation,' so writes Mr. 
 Carabet, ' went to Gawendach, to remain there for a time. 
 He gathers the people together on Sundays, and preaches 
 the Gospel to them. A Mohammedan of that neighbour- 
 hood, who wanted to raise a disturbance in the meeting, 
 entered, and stationed himself near the door. When, 
 however, he heard the words of the Gospel of St. 
 Matt. v. 34-48, he became attentive, and requested 
 that they might be read again, for him to hear them 
 once more. This done, he said, ' I came here to inter- 
 rupt you, but when I heard those words I could not help 
 trembling, for they taught me that God's law commands 
 us to love our enemies. Such doctrine I had never 
 heard before. My religion teaches me to kill my enemies, 
 and to seize their wives and their possessions for myself. 
 Oh, forgive me my evil intentions, and allow me, in 
 future, to join your meetings.' 
 
 " ' The brethren heard this with astonishment and joy, 
 and willingly acceded to his request. The Armenians, 
 hereupon, begged the colporteur to preach to them in 
 their church. We went thither, and they collected forty 
 piastres to purchase a Turkish Bible. Their services are 
 
36o LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 held in the Armenian tongue, which the common people 
 do not understand. 
 
 " ' When an Armenian Bishop visited the place, they 
 put the Bible into his hands on Sunday, and requested 
 him to read aloud from it. But he could not read 
 Turkish; and threw the sacred volume upon the floor 
 with the words, ' May God curse this book, and all those 
 who have been concerned in bringing it here ! ' At this, 
 the Mohammedan mentioned above stood up to reprove 
 him, and an instant tumult in the church was the result. 
 Some said that the Bishop's beard ought to be shaven (a 
 mark of the greatest indignity), because he had thrown 
 God's Word upon the ground and cursed it ; others said 
 he ought to be hunted out of the place. The Bishop was 
 ashamed, and asked the Mohammedan to make it possible 
 to apologise before the whole congregation. The colpor- 
 teur then read St. Matt. vii. 13— 23, and after he had 
 expounded it, peace was restored. On that day many 
 souls were won, and they now worship God according 
 to the forms of our prayer-book. They earnestly desire 
 a reformation of their Church.' 
 
 " So far Carabet's report. The Mohammedan has since 
 made a public profession of Christianity. 
 
 " My fourth missionary is my dear brother Megher- 
 ditsch, formerly an Archbishop of the Armenian Church. 
 Por the last five years he has had the charge of the 
 Protestant Episcopal congregation at Aintab, where, I 
 believe, he was born, and where for twelve years he held 
 the office of Bishop. Besides discharging the duties of 
 his pastoral office. Archbishop Megherditsch maintains 
 an extensive correspondence with a great number of 
 priests who are dissatisfied with the state of their own 
 Church, and who, with their congregations, would like to 
 follow his example and join the English Church. . . . 
 
RECOLLECTIONS OF BISHOP GOB AT. 361 
 
 I can now reckon this Archbishop, who for Christ's sake 
 has become poor, among the number of my ordained 
 missionaries. ... S. Angl. Hierosol." 
 
 Extract from Bishop Golat's Circular Letter for 187 1. 
 
 " On my visitation tour, which I recently made 
 through Samaria and Galilee, I consecrated the beautiful 
 Gothic church at Nazareth. The church was filled with 
 devout worshippers, as many native Protestants came from 
 the adjacent villages, ... I ordained three candidates 
 for orders, of whom two were natives of that region ; 
 the third was a German, who has long worked as a 
 catechist at Nablus. After the ordination we celebrated 
 the Holy Communion. S. Angl. Hierosol." 
 
 We will close this chapter with a description of 
 Bishop Gobat's character, sketched by Herr Lie. Super- 
 intendent Karl Hoffmann, who entered into closer rela- 
 tions with him in his later years, and who counts his 
 reminiscences of Jerusalem among the most agreeable 
 of his life. The portraiture refers to the years 1866— 
 1869, and we avail ourselves, with thanks, of the per- 
 mission to insert it here. 
 
 Recollections of Bishop Gohat in the years 1866— 1869, 
 hy Lie. Theol. K. Hoffmann, Superintendent at Franen- 
 clorfj Pomerania. 
 
 " The Bishop, at the time of my appointment as 
 pastor of the German Evangelical congregation at 
 Jerusalem, was already approaching his seventieth year ; 
 but he produced the impression of a thoroughly strong 
 and healthy man, only that he was not so alert in his 
 
362 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 movements as he had been in the earlier years of his 
 eventful life ; for much walking in the heat and on the 
 stony roads about Jerusalem had become irksome to 
 him. Yet he was no infrequent visitor at the Zion 
 School, which was situated beyond the city boundaries, 
 and which was especially dear to his heart. He also 
 appeared on all other occasions, whether anniversary 
 festivals of the different institutions, mission lectures, 
 or weekly prayer-meetings of the united Evangelical con- 
 gregations. Never was his countenance wanting if by 
 any means he could arrange to be present, and he 
 accomplished even the longer distances to the suburbs 
 of the city almost invariably on foot. 
 
 "His missionary activity in the Holy Land had to 
 a certain extent reached its close, in that his work lay 
 more especially in maintaining the various mission 
 schools and other means for the evangelisation of the 
 Arab population already founded by him, and the 
 burthen of which lay almost entirely upon his own 
 shoulders, as well as the continual necessity of collecting 
 pecuniary contributions for their support. 
 
 "Among all the different congregations of the Evan- 
 gelical Mission, any members who had petitions to prefer, 
 but especially those who needed help, went to the 
 Bishop in preference to any one else. Sometimes Arabs 
 would come from Jerusalem and Bethlehem, sometimes 
 converts, or teachers and evangelists from the various 
 schools and mission stations scattered over the country, 
 all seeking counsel and aid; or even Abyssinians, for 
 whom, as it was said of him, he had always retained a 
 certain prepossession. With the greatest calmness and 
 patience he would give audience to even the importunate 
 and intrusive. In many cases, however, his faithful 
 wife was able to relieve him of this burthen and annoy- 
 
RECOLLECTIONS OF BISHOP GOB AT. 363 
 
 ance (for such it often truly was) ; for she was un- 
 wearied in sharing with him the care of the mission, 
 particularly all matters connected with economics, and 
 with the alleviation of poverty and distress. 
 
 " His official apartment in the house opposite to David's 
 Tower was close to the door of entrance, and so imme- 
 diately accessible to all comers. It never was to be seen 
 otherwise than in exemplary order ; just as in all money 
 matters accruing from the Mission he was a man of the 
 most methodical punctuality. 
 
 " In his intercourse with his fellow-men, even with 
 Arabs and proselytes, of whom it is so difficult to form 
 a right judgment, and with whom many well-meaning 
 missionaries have lost their patience, his compassionate 
 love and long-suffering shone most conspicuously. Al- 
 though he was a shrewd observer and a sjood discrimi- 
 nater of character, he never allowed his equanimity to 
 desert him, though he was not exempt from some bitter 
 experiences and disappointments. (The physician. Dr. 
 Chaplain, affirms that he never saw him in a passion.) 
 This equable, quiet, and dignified demeanour seemed 
 natural to him, and was, in my opinion, innate. If any- 
 thing vexed or wounded him, he preferred being silent, 
 and awaiting the proper time when he could talk the 
 matter out. On several journeys through the Promised 
 Land, in which I had occasion to accompany him, his 
 character appeared to me especially remarkable and in- 
 structive. The calm taciturnity with which he used to 
 sit upon his horse and ride at the same deliberate pace 
 until he had reached his destination, in itself gave one 
 the impression that he had long been accustomed to far 
 and tedious journeys. 
 
 " I remember a visit to Eeneh, near N"azareth, where 
 the little Arab-Protestant congregation determined to 
 
364 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 give some outward expression to their joy at the advent 
 of the Bishop. We entered the school, and could see 
 from thence how the Arabs were hastening from the 
 different corners and alleys with dishes and vessels, each 
 family bringing some contribution to the meal which 
 they were anxious to prepare for the Bishop. How well 
 he knew the art of kindly and gratefully accepting, yet 
 without making too much of it. He was also capable, 
 on occasions, of givinsj a sfood lesson to those about him, 
 without expending many words. He had one day re- 
 turned from a journey, and the porters and servants were 
 disputing as to whose duty it was to carry the luggage 
 up the steps. Without a word, the Bishop seized a 
 trunk in each hand and hastened to ascend, whereupon 
 they all rushed after him, vying with each other which 
 should take his load from him. . . . 
 
 "His position in Jerusalem was not always an easy 
 one. . . . Not that the people there are more sensitive 
 and captious than elsewhere; but there are so many 
 different nationalities living not only side by side, but in 
 close relation to each other. The intimate connection 
 that existed among the Protestant congregations at Jeru- 
 salem, or at least among many members of the same, 
 rendering the whole evangelical community more like 
 one large family, and rarely to be met with elsewhere, 
 had its reverse side ; for, owing to the weakness and im- 
 perfection of human nature, it easily led to piques and 
 discord. Great prudence and Christian tact, in things 
 both great and small, were necessary for discerning the 
 right course to be pursued, and Gobat possessed these 
 qualities in an abundant measure. It may be said with 
 truth that all sincere and well-meaning Protestants of 
 every nationality maintained for him an equal degree of 
 affection and respect. 
 
RECOLLECTIONS OF BISHOP GOB AT. 365 
 
 " I always found it in the truest sense of the word 
 edifying when, in the weekly meetings for prayer, he, as 
 a veritable priest, offered up to God the petitions of the 
 people ; or when, at Christ Church, he read those por- 
 tions of the Liturgy, especially of the Communion Ser- 
 vice, which he was accustomed to read in virtue of his 
 episcopal office. The worshippers could not but hear 
 and feel that the solemn words were spoken by him from 
 the very depths of his heart. He occasionally preached, 
 sometimes in English, sometimes in German ; and his 
 manner of addressing his congregation was the faithful 
 mirror of his character ; simple and terse in expression, 
 but rich in Scriptural thoughts and pointed applications. 
 His wide Biblical knowledge here showed itself; and 
 that which spoke most impressively to one's heart, in the 
 pulpit as in the prayer-desk, was the deep and sincere 
 response which he awakened in his hearers. 
 
 " The effect of his sermons was but little impaired by 
 the circumstance that he read them, instead of preaching 
 extemporaneously. He also made use, in his latter years, 
 of his earlier discourses, after he had remodelled them. I 
 mention this because, in his open-hearted humility, he 
 told it to me himself. He said that he felt as he grew 
 old, what he had never experienced in his younger days, 
 the difficulty of having to speak in the various tongues, 
 German, English, Arabic, &c., acquired by him in mature 
 age, and of hardly ever being able to use his mother- 
 tongue. This obliged him frequently to have recourse to 
 previously written sermons. 
 
 " The fact of the French lancruagje havinsj remained the 
 mother-tongue of his old age was often impressed upon 
 my mind when, in his family circle, I heard him recite 
 his native Protestant hymns, of which a great number 
 were stored in his memory, and which he could repeat 
 
366 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 with quite remarkable warmth and vivacity. At the 
 same time, the fluency and facility with which he ex- 
 pressed himself in different languages was very singular. 
 It is true that in the East, where no particular dialect 
 has the predominance, the ability to clothe one's ideas in 
 several of the current tongues is nothing rare ; but this 
 very facility, at first so striking among educated Orientals 
 and Europeans naturalised in the East, is one of the great 
 disadvantages to intellectual life there, and a hindrance 
 rather than a help to sound intellectual development, 
 because all con'versation evaporates in mere surface-talk, 
 and in the endeavour to learn the languages themselves 
 every stimulus to real culture dies away. 
 
 " Gobat's gift, however, was not of this nature. So far 
 as I am in a position to judge, it was his talent to appro- 
 priate from various tongues all that was simple and 
 natural in expresssion, not mere sounding forms of words 
 and phrases. He once happened to give me the key to 
 the secret of his linguistic acquirements. In the last year 
 of my stay at Jerusalem, he invited my wife and myself 
 to spend an evening in each week with his family, in 
 order that we might pursue the study of Italian under his 
 direction. After having learned the elements, we read 
 the psalms in the Italian Bible, and he once profited by 
 this opportunity to explain that the Bible was the best 
 book from which to learn any language. He had studied 
 the language which he had been obliged in later life to 
 acquire chiefly from the Bible, and thereby perceived 
 what a treasury and diversity of thoughts and expressions 
 for all the more important matters and contingencies of 
 life are contained in the Word of God. 
 
 "This reminiscence brings me to his home and his family 
 life. As a regular Sunday-evening guest, I had abundant 
 and memorable opportunities of learning to know him in 
 
RECOLLECTIONS OF BISHOP GOB AT. 367 
 
 the intimate associations of the family circle. At that 
 period there were only two of his children, daughters, at 
 home, so that the substantial-looking house in the square 
 near David's Tower was sufficiently large, though not 
 superfluously so, for his needs. In many books of travel 
 this mansion is erroneously designated as the Episcopal 
 Palace, for it was by no means a palace, and, moreover, 
 it did not belong to the Bishopric. While the English 
 and the German pastors had each a dwelling attached to 
 their cure, the Eishop (after 1862) had to rent a house, 
 the property of a rich Armenian. Frederick William lY. 
 had certainly promised to have a proper house built for 
 the Bishop at Jerusalem, but by reason of the King's 
 sickness and death the intention eventually fell into 
 oblivion, and Gobat was not the man to recall it to 
 remembrance, although he would naturally have liked to 
 have had a settled place of abode. Here, then, in the 
 narrow circle of the domestic hearth, he appeared in all his 
 kindliness and sociability, sometimes relating particulars 
 of his past life, or emulating his daughters in reciting 
 poetry, with which his memory was stored, or perhaps 
 listening to sacred music. 
 
 " He could also be very silent at times, especially when 
 matters were discussed in which he took but little inte- 
 rest. For example, he had no pleasure in the hackneyed 
 questions concerning the topography of Jerusalem, inva- 
 riably debated by strangers. When twilight came on, he 
 was in the habit of mounting to the roomy terrace which 
 occupied the whole of the flat square roof of the house, 
 and was surrounded by a balustrade. On this convenient 
 promenade he would pace up and down for about an hour 
 every evening, generally alone. On Sundays I was often 
 his companion, and it is this twilight hour upon the high 
 terrace, commanding a magnificent view of the whole of 
 
36.8 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 Jerusalem and of the encircling mountains as far over as 
 Moab, that has impressed itself most deeply upon my 
 mind. The solemn silence was only broken by the report 
 of the cannon which announced from David's Tower, 
 about thirty paces distant, the setting of the sun and the 
 Moslem's hour of prayer. At such times one might heatr 
 and learn much from him. He had also watched and 
 studied Nature from this exalted post of observation. 
 He knew at what season and at what hour the great 
 flocks of crows would take their flight from the low lands 
 about the Dead Sea to seek the eggs of the locust ; or he 
 could tell whether a sirocco was on the way, and many 
 similar things which I have forgotten. Experienced also 
 in sea voyages, he could tell the bearings of a ship, and 
 once astonished a fellow-traveller — Pastor Sarasin-Forcart 
 — when sailing the Mediterranean, by remarking in open 
 sea, and out of sight of land, that the ship was not hold- 
 ing a right course. In fact, he had hardly made the 
 observation when the vessel tacked, proving the correct- 
 ness of his assertion. He was, moreover, an acute observer 
 in other directions. When in church he occupied his 
 episcopal chair, it never escaped him if any members of 
 the congregation . . . failed in their attendance, which 
 was happily an exceptional case, and he took the earliest 
 opportunity of remarking upon it. 
 
 " I am indebted to him for many a wise and fatherly 
 counsel. I will mention one rule which he laid down 
 to aid me in my studies and conclusions concerning 
 Oriental life ; it is characteristic of him, and, like much 
 that he used to say, it contains more meaning than at 
 first appears. Many who come to the East, he said, 
 think they will wait until they have become accustomed 
 to their new surroundings before they note down their 
 impressions; others form an immediate judgment upon 
 
RECOLLECTIONS OF BISHOP GOB AT. 369 
 
 what they see. The right plan, however, is to note 
 from the very beginning everything that strikes one as 
 remarkable ; for in proportion as one becomes familiar 
 with Oriental life, one is apt to lose insensibly one's 
 acute perception of its peculiarities as distinguished from 
 conditions of existence in the West. On the other hand, 
 one must not be too ready to jump to a conclusion 
 respecting all that is new. The balance of judgment, 
 and a correct estimate of the whole, can only be learned 
 by experience. 
 
 " ' Swift to hear, but slow to speak,' is a characteristic 
 trait of Christian perfection which especially suggests 
 itself to my mind when I think of the departed Bishop, 
 as I knew him in his latter years. It was not only a 
 natural and happy union of a clear and honest mind 
 and a ripe and deliberate reflection ; it was also one fruit 
 of his God-fearing life and of his rich experience in the 
 service of his Lord." 
 
 2 A 
 
( 370 ) 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 THE bishop's jubilee THE LAST SEVEN YEAES OF HIS 
 
 WORK, AND HIS ENTRANCE INTO REST. 
 (1871-1879.) 
 
 The Bishop had suffered during the past decade from 
 several severe attacks of illness, which seemed to predict 
 the speedy termination of his earthly career. Contrary 
 to expectation, after he had attained his seventieth year 
 he was blessed with a tranquil and protracted eventide, 
 which lasted, with gradual and gentle decrease of strength, 
 until the close of his eightieth year. 
 
 In the few last years of the Bishop's life there was 
 no serious outbreak of the Mohammedan spirit of persecu- 
 tion, but ever-increasing care and anxiety were not want- 
 ing. The labours of Gobat and his helpers in the Bible- 
 schools and Protestant congregations continually took a 
 wider range, and in the same proportion, of course, the 
 responsibilities and pecuniary expenses increased. The 
 See was certainly well endowed, the Bishop and his family 
 were provided for, and he was placed in a position to 
 exercise beneficence on a generous scale ; but still there 
 was wanting that which every Christian country has 
 possessed from time immemorial, namely, an established 
 fund for churches, schools, and the relief of the poor. 
 
THE BISHOP'S JUBILEE. 371 
 
 He himself used to say, in a modest and sorrowful tone, 
 " I am really no bishop ; I am only a missionary." 
 
 The expenses, which grew from year to year, parti- 
 cularly in the years of famine, had to be defrayed by the 
 voluntary offerings of the societies and of private indi- 
 viduals. But these contributions, instead of increasinjz, 
 decreased. The original enthusiasm for Evangelical under- 
 takings in the East declined in proportion as the hopes 
 with which the enthusiasts started seemed to fail of rea- 
 lisation. Hence the painful necessity under which the 
 Bishop laboured, of constantly urging the claims of his 
 diocese upon his Christian brethren in his circular letters 
 and general correspondence, and in sermons and addresses 
 while on his travels. Yet, trusting surely in the living 
 God, and guided by proper feeling, Gobat avoided as 
 much as possible making direct appeals to individuals. 
 But his friends in England, Messrs. Veitch and Smith, 
 who acted for him as his chaplains, and his friends in 
 Wtirtemberg, were forced to adopt such measures. In 
 the course of his later journeys through England and 
 Germany in 1872, 1875, and 1878, the Bishop could 
 not divest himself of the sad impression that among 
 his Evangelical sympathisers love had cooled, faith had 
 waned, and that a certain worldliness had crept into 
 their views. 
 
 In 1876 and 1877 a new Kusso-Turkish war dis- 
 turbed the East. The abuses of the Turkish govern- 
 ment and administration had gone from bad to worse. 
 The commands and challenges emanating from Con- 
 stantinople, and insisting upon just and righteous deal- 
 ing, proved to be a deceitful scheme, just clever enough 
 to silence diplomatists and to appease public opinion in 
 Europe. Pressed by the European Cabinets, Midhat 
 Pasha, the Turkish reformer, in 1870 played off the 
 
372 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 farce of an Osmanli Paiiiament. The insurrections in 
 Herzegovina, Bosnia, and Bulgaria, and the Servian war 
 against the Turks, complicated the position. At this 
 juncture Alexander II. believed that the time was come 
 for him to walk in the steps of his father, Nicholas, and 
 to summon his people to the grand struggle against the 
 Turks, with the ulterior aim of once for all establishing 
 the rights of Christians in the East. A repetition of the 
 Crimean War was by this time impossible. The public 
 mind of England had been too clearly enlightened to be 
 again led astray as in 1854. 
 
 Under these circumstances, the Eussians, though at a 
 terrible sacrifice, succeeded in marching to the very 
 threshold of Constantinople. Before the gates of the 
 capital they halted, held in check by the English fleet 
 and by the warnings of the European Cabinets. The 
 fruits of victory conceded to them by the Porte in the 
 Peace of San Stefano were deprived of much of their 
 value by the Berlin Congress of 1878. A patchwork 
 of provisional arrangements was put together, and the 
 bounds of the Turkish Empire were certainly contracted; 
 yet in essentials the prestige of that power was main- 
 tained, the settlement of the Eastern question was once 
 more postponed, and the position of the Christians in no 
 way assured. Our friends at Jerusalem were witnesses 
 of the frightful misery caused during the war by the 
 forcible raising of levies, and the increase in the rates 
 of taxation. 
 
 Yet, all this notwithstanding, the posture of affairs in 
 Palestine has improved in the last decade, and many 
 evils have been ameliorated. The credit of these marks 
 of progress is not, however, due to the European Powers, 
 but to the mightily increasing intercourse with other 
 nations. . . . Since the opening of the Suez Canal in 
 
THE BISHOPS JUBILEE. 373 
 
 especial, the East has been thrown open to the people 
 of the West ; and as in ancient times, after the conquest 
 of Alexander, Grecian culture pervaded the East, so 
 now, by means of multiplied facilities for cosmopolitan 
 association, the influence of European thought and cus- 
 toms is brought to bear. The highway from Jaffa to the 
 Holy City has been completed, certainly by Pharaoh-like 
 measures of cruel compulsion on the part of tlie Turkish 
 Government, and it has now become an almost perfectly 
 safe enterprise for a traveller, armed with Baedecker's (or, 
 still better, with Socin's) handbook, to wander at will 
 through Palestine. The future rulers of Great Britain, 
 Germany, and Austria, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg- 
 Schwerin, and other Christian princes, have visited the 
 principal localities of the Holy Land, and extorted re- 
 spectful demonstrations of welcome from the Turks. In 
 Jerusalem stately edifices are rising, surmounted by 
 the Ptussian or the Prussian flag. The mosques are open 
 to foreigners. A number of Jewish benevolent institu- 
 tions, never heard of until recently, are springing into 
 existence. In the Greek Church solid theological learn- 
 ing finds here and there an entrance ; the Eoman Ca- 
 tholic Missions in Syria are developing an extraordinary 
 activity. Palestine has become more familiar to us 
 through a great number of excellent accounts of travel; 
 whole hosts of tourist parties traverse the country, and 
 the many-sided archaeological investigations have not 
 been devoid of success. At Jerusalem itself, conferences 
 of German Evangelical preachers take place. There is a 
 German school, an institute for higher education founded 
 by the "Friends of the Temple," a social union of the 
 Germans, and a museum of antiquities arranged by 
 them. . . . 
 
 Bishop Gobat is one of those who, by untiring labour 
 
374 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 and patient waiting, have paved the way for a new order 
 of things. The condition of his schools and missions is 
 evidenced by his circular letters. We venture to borrow 
 the words with which his friend Dr. Eoseu closes his 
 obituary tribute : " Wherever Gobat went he succeeded 
 in making the light of pure evangelical doctrine shine 
 through the darkness of ignorance and superstition. 
 Under his refining influence the Jewish Mission at Jeru- 
 salem became transformed. Many an Arab Christian be- 
 comes convinced of the truths of Scriptural doctrine, yet 
 without breaking the bonds of his hereditary faith. The 
 Cfood seed once scattered abroad, neither storm nor frost 
 can destroy it. It was Gobat's privilege to watch its 
 gradual growth through a long chain of years, until He 
 whom he had served in such immovable trust called 
 the octogenarian to Himself. When, half a century 
 previously, he had begun his missionary career in all his 
 youthful vigour, and was for long detained in Egypt 
 without being able to tread the soil of Abyssinia, the 
 land of his vocation, he wrote in his diary at the end of 
 the first year, ' Annum j^erdidi.' But we can testify at 
 the close of his earthly course, ' Vitam non i^erdidit! " 
 
 One point we should like to refer to and press upon 
 the notice of the reader. It was not alone Gobat's nobly 
 endowed and saintly character whereby he was enabled 
 to carry on such a grand and many-sided work in the 
 East. His dignified official position as Bishop contri- 
 buted to its success. It gave permanence to his work 
 and weight to his words. It imparted a tone of unity 
 to the enterprises of the different societies ; it inspired 
 the Turks and Jews with respect ; it placed him in the 
 position of spiritual pastor and guide to the missionaries 
 and teachers ; it empowered him to be their father and 
 protector. Thus the institution of the Evangelical 
 
THE BISHOP'S JUBILEE. 375 
 
 Bishopric proved itself a benefit ; it ministered to the 
 promotion of God's kingdom. Who would not concur 
 in the hope that this institution will be perpetuated ? 
 The position gained by England in Egypt in 1882 
 furnishes a special reason why she should not pursue 
 the interests connected with money and power only, but 
 should fulfil a higher, more truly philanthropic and 
 Christian destiny. It seems to us that to give up this 
 post at Jerusalem would be equivalent to unfaithfulness 
 to this call. 
 
 Be this as it may, whether the Eastern Evangelical 
 Bishopric survives or not, one thing we hope, — that the 
 seed sown through the agency of Gobat may bear for 
 many imperishable fruit. His labour was not in vain in 
 the Lord, and the remembrance of him is blessed. 
 
 Pastor Weser has furnished us with an interesting and 
 graphic account of the jubilee festival which was held 
 on the 30th of December 1871 at Jerusalem, in honour 
 of the Bishop's having completed his twenty-fifth year 
 of office. 
 
 " Besides the Christmas feast," he writes, " we have 
 just celebrated another day of rejoicing — that of the 
 twenty-fifth anniversary of Dr. Gobat's first entrance 
 into Jerusalem as Evangelical Bishop. . . . Notwith- 
 standing many bitter experiences, it has been the Bishop's 
 successful task to maintain a true Evangelical alliance 
 among Protestants of all denominations, and of German, 
 English, Arab, and Hebrew birth. Next week, the week 
 of intercession, all Protestants will assemble in the Arab 
 chapel, and expression will be given in the most dissi- 
 milar lanCTua^es to one common faith. This circumstance 
 
 O CD 
 
 suggested the idea that on the day of jubilee an address 
 should be presented to the Bishop by the whole united 
 Protestant community in the four languages spoken by 
 
376 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 its respective members. This address was to bear a 
 Latin superscription, and it was to be accompanied by 
 the gift of a model in silver of Christ Church, the first 
 Evano'elical church erected in the land. 
 
 o 
 
 " We waited on the Bishop at his residence in sundry 
 detachments, being too numerous to attend in a body. 
 
 " Every family belonging to our community had sent 
 a representative, for each one felt heartily grateful to the 
 Bishop for his teaching and example during the long 
 period of his episcopate, whether in the sacred precincts 
 of the sanctuary or in the intimate communion of per- 
 sonal association and friendship. 
 
 " In accordance with Oriental custom, two Kawasses, 
 with long staves in their hands and trailing swords at 
 their side, headed our procession from the Consulate 
 through a respectful and unobtrusive crowd of Arabs to 
 Dr. Gobat's dwelling. Arrived there, the proceedings 
 began with a speech from Consul-General Petermann, in 
 the course of which he handed to the Bishop an auto- 
 graph letter from the Emperor William, together with a 
 presentation vase of gilded porcelain, manufactured at 
 Berlin, and enriched on one side with an excellent like- 
 ness of the imperial donor, and on the other a picture of 
 the Emperor's palace at Berlin. 
 
 " With emotion the Bishop expressed his thanks for the 
 honour which the Emperor and his late brother, Frederick 
 William IV., had always paid to the efforts for evangelisa- 
 tion in the East, and, above all, for the sympathetic 
 interest which, on this day, his Imperial Majesty had 
 manifested for the Bishop personally. 
 
 " I then read the address drawn up by the Supreme 
 Church Council at Berlin, and coupled with it the thanks 
 and good wishes of our local community. 
 
 " It was all deeply touching, especially when the 
 
THE BISHOP'S JUBILEE. ^77 
 
 Bishop, in a truly evangelical spirit, laid at the feet of 
 his Lord his thanks for all that he had been permitted to 
 achieve. He only sought to clothe his whole life, so rich 
 in earnest labours, in the grace of God, where alone 
 shelter and forgiveness are to be found ; and he ended by 
 praying that the Divine mercy and the love and inter- 
 cessions of his flock would continue to bear him up in 
 the time of his old age. 
 
 " I further presented to him a written address from 
 the Jerusalem Union, and then each individual offered to 
 the aged, though still vigorous and robust man, his per- 
 sonal congratulations. 
 
 " A supplementary festivity took place on N'ew Year's 
 day, on a more limited scale, at the Imperial Consulate. 
 
 " At a preliminary meeting which preceded the great 
 public demonstration, the Bishop had recently exhorted 
 his people to abide in unity of spirit, in order that each 
 separate person should be a living member of the body 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, imbued with one spirit and 
 joined together in the bond of peace. This was the 
 fervent desire of him who could look down upon his 
 flock as a father upon his children. May he one day 
 be suffered to appear before the throne of the Eedeemer 
 and to say of us all, 'Behold, here am I, and the 
 children Thou hast criven me ! '" 
 
 The Em]peror William to Bishop Gohat. 
 
 "Berlin, Dec. 17, 1871. 
 
 " My deak Bishop Gobat, — It is with sincere pleasure 
 that I express to you my cordial sympathy with the 
 interesting celebration of the day which will complete 
 the twenty-fifth year of your exalted and onerous duties 
 as Bishop of the Protestant Churoh at Jerusalem. You 
 
378 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 have justified in the most honourable manner the con- 
 fidence evinced by my late brother in his nomination of 
 you to the See ; and I add my thanks to those of the 
 German Protestant community at Jerusalem for the 
 faithful care and affectionate sympathy which you have 
 bestowed upon them. I beg you to regard the vase with 
 my likeness upon it, which will be presented to you by 
 my Consul-General in my name, as a token of my personal 
 high respect and esteem. William, I^np. Bex." 
 
 Extract from Bishop Gohafs Circular Letter for 1873. 
 
 "Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 1873. 
 
 " This year has been a season of deep sorrow and severe 
 sickness for my family, and we are still bowed down by 
 the painful blow that has smitten us in the sudden death 
 of my beloved eldest son, immediately after the announce- 
 ment of his preferment from the incumbency of Isycoed 
 (in Wales) to that of Seaforth. . . . We, his parents, 
 cannot choose but weep, yet, so far as he is concerned, 
 our tears have no bitterness ; for, judging from the con- 
 tents of his letters and from the trustworthy reports of 
 friends, we have the certain hope that he has fallen 
 asleep in the Lord. But we are oppressed with the 
 thought of his forlorn widow and his three young chil- 
 dren, whom I would especially commend to the prayers 
 of the children of God. 
 
 " During my seven months' sojourn in Europe in the 
 past year, ... his Majesty the Emperor of Germany 
 granted me an audience at Ems, in which he strongly 
 encouraged me by the interest he takes in the Palestinian 
 Mission. I moreover had an opportunity of communi- 
 cating some particulars as to my work, in the presence 
 of the two English Archbishops." 
 
LAST SEVEN YEARS. 379 
 
 Extracts from Bishop Gohat's Circidar Letter for 1876. 
 
 "Jerusalem, Nov. 17, 1876. 
 
 " On the previous occasions of my addressing you, it 
 has always been a great pleasure to me to be able to 
 inform you of the progress of Church and Mission work 
 in this land; but it is now my unhappy duty to 
 acknowledge that we have in many points retrograded, 
 under the burden of difficulties, opposition, and repression. 
 In consequence of reawakening fanaticism among the 
 Mohammedans, fewer children are sent to our schools. 
 At ^N'ablus, the Pasha has expressly forbidden our 
 missionary there to receive Mohammedan girls into our 
 school, and has further threatened the parents with a 
 fine of 250 francs in case they should dare to send their 
 daughters to it. The Mohammedans at Lydda, instead 
 of, as formerly, sending from thirty-five to forty of their 
 children to my school at that place, now insult my 
 schoolmaster in every possible manner. 
 
 " On the other hand, the Eussians have opened schools 
 at Nazareth and ISTablus ; and as they give money to 
 whatever poor children they can pick up, they have suc- 
 ceeded in enticing many pupils from my school to theirs. 
 However, as many parents are beginning to compare to 
 our advanta^i^e the different modes of teachimx in the 
 respective schools, we hope that this unsatisfactory state 
 of affairs will not last very long. 
 
 " Several of our congregations also, especially those of 
 Nazareth and its dependent branches, have been dis- 
 turbed by the missionaries of a secular society. The 
 main object of this association seems to be that of stir- 
 ring up the poor people against their teachers, the mis- 
 sionaries, and against our Church order, and to introduce 
 
3 So LIFE OF SAMUEL GO BAT. 
 
 amonsf them false and dano^erous doctrines. The Arab 
 congregation at Jerusalem has not escaped this pernicious 
 influence, which aims at the relaxing of all Church dis- 
 cipline and order, to the promotion of carnal liberty and 
 independence. 
 
 " Eespecting our mixed but united community of 
 English people, Germans, and Israelitish proselytes, I 
 believe I may thankfully say that in many ways it could 
 compete with the best communities of Europe. 
 
 " I certainly wish that a higher spiritual tone and 
 greater missionary zeal were to be found among its 
 members ; but, on the whole, they strive to lead an 
 orderly Christian life, they dwell in peace with each 
 other, are always ready to render mutual help, and to 
 avail themselves of all opportunities for edification. 
 
 " The London Society for Promoting Christianity 
 among the Jews has accomplished less than usual in the 
 last two or three years. As their sole missionary, Herr 
 Eriedlander, has spent last summer in Europe, this station 
 has been without any missionary at all. 
 
 " Before leaving the subject of Palestine in this letter, 
 I must not omit to mention the mission station at Salt 
 in Gilead, beyond Jordan. Three years ago I resigned 
 it to the Church Missionary Society. It has a school 
 and cono'reo'ation under the care of a converted Greek 
 priest ; my son-in-law. Missionary Walters, is, however, 
 shortly to be transferred to that charge. There is in 
 that district a great field, apparently ripe unto the 
 harvest. 
 
 " Archbishop Megherditsch and his flock at Aintab 
 have been greatly persecuted for many years, and treated 
 like outlaws, chiefly because a former Armenian prelate 
 stands at their head. 
 
 " The leader of the Independent congregation informed 
 
LAST SEVEN YEARS. 
 
 the Pasha that the Episcopal Church was not Protestant, 
 and that therefore it had no right to the protection ex- 
 tended to Protestant bodies. ]N"ot long ago, when the 
 Archbishop was at Constantinople, the members of his 
 congregation had occasion to write to him ; but when 
 the letter was taken to the post, the post-office servant, 
 himself an Armenian, read the letter and tore it up. 
 When the writers of the document complained to the 
 Pasha, he told them that they had no right to be pro- 
 tected, and he drove them away like so many dogs. 
 They have to pay higher taxes than other Christians, and 
 twice after they had hired a building in which to cele- 
 brate their services, repaired it and paid the rent, they 
 were forbidden, on all kinds of ridiculous pretexts, to 
 make use of it. 
 
 " Finally, I received six years ago from an English 
 clergyman the munificent present of ^looo for church- 
 building purposes. With the help of the English Consul 
 at Aleppo, a suitable site was purchased, and building 
 was at once commenced. But wdien the ground was 
 marked out, and the foundation walls were raised to the 
 level of the earth, all further progress was forbidden 
 under the pretence that the building was planned too 
 near to a Turkish mosque, and that we must first obtain 
 a firman from the Sublime Porte. The firman was re- 
 fused upon the same grounds, and when, after a lengthy 
 correspondence, it was proved that the distance from the 
 mosque gave us a legal right to proceed with the build- 
 ing, other objections were advanced. I have had to fight 
 out this battle for the last four years, but I gave the 
 Ensrlish ambassador no rest until, about three months 
 i\^o, he succeeded in obtainincr the firman which gives 
 US leave to complete the work. Dear Bishop Megher- 
 ditsch has now recommenced building. I have been 
 
382 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 rejoiced to hear that the Independents, who were pre- 
 viously opposed to him, are now working with him." 
 
 Bishop Gobat to his Grandson, Theodore Gohat. 
 
 " Jekusalem, August 8, 1877, 
 
 " My dear Theodore, — To-day we celebrate the anni- 
 versary of your dear father's removal from his tabernacle 
 of clay to his heavenly home; and my first thought 
 when I awoke this morning was about you, your dear 
 mother and your sisters, praying that the Father of the 
 orphan and the Judge (that is, the refuge) of the widow 
 may be very near, in the midst of you this day and 
 always, to comfort and bless you all four, and to give 
 you His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, that He, the Spirit 
 of Truth, may lead you into all truth, and so make you 
 the children of God, that you may throughout your whole 
 life be enabled to cry 'Abba, Father,' and to commit 
 yourselves to His protection and guidance under all cir- 
 cumstances. Oh that you may choose Him especially 
 as the guide of your youth, to preserve you from falling 
 into temptations whilst you are preparing for your 
 future vocation ! Before all things, ' use all diligence 
 to make your calling and election sure ; ' for if you do 
 these things, you shall never fall. For so an entrance 
 shall be vouchsafed unto you into the everlasting king- 
 dom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, there, in the 
 fulness of joy, to meet and be for ever with your dear 
 father, whose absence you surely feel deeply to-day. 
 
 " These expressions of an old grandfather's love will 
 reach you a very few days before your fourteenth birth- 
 day, on which I heartily congratulate you, thanking God 
 for all the good He has hitherto given you — a loving 
 
LAST SEVEN YEARS. 383 
 
 mother and sisters, a healthy body, and, I trust, a sound 
 mind and a loving heart — and also for graciously pro- 
 viding you with the means of receiving a good moral, 
 intellectual, and religious education. And I pray that 
 He may give you the will to duly improve all these 
 tokens of His love and His care for you. May you, 
 on entering into a new year of your existence, give your 
 heart to the Lord, who has redeemed and hitherto blessed 
 you, that He may fill it with His love and the joy of 
 your salvation, that is. His salvation granted unto you. 
 
 " I hear that you are now living with your mother and 
 sisters and your uncle Timothy. I wish you happy and 
 cheerful holidays with them ; and I hope that you will 
 always endeavour to be a comfort to your mother by 
 setting a good example to your dear sisters now, and by 
 not only alleviating her present cares for you, but also 
 by continually remembering that you are her only son, 
 and that, consequently, after due preparation, you are to' 
 be her help, her stay, and her comfort. This thought 
 will stimulate you to activity in your studies, so that 
 you may acquire all the qualifications calculated to make 
 a Qucm of you. I mean a man of God, thoroughly fur- 
 nished unto all good words and works, that you may be 
 a blessing in your generation. 
 
 " But now I fear you are tired of my preaching, 
 which, however, is not intended to prevent your seeking 
 and enjoying all the innocent pleasures and recreations 
 suited to your age. On the contrary, I would remind 
 you of the simple words, well adapted to young and 
 old,— 
 
 * Work while you work, and play while you play, 
 This is the way to be happy and gay.' 
 
 " But I wish you to keep this letter, and always to 
 read it on the 8 th of August and on your birthday. 
 
384 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 " My dear Theodore, my heart beats warmly at the 
 remembrance of you. Of my eighteen grandchildren, 
 of whom two are gone to their eternal home, . . . you 
 are the only 07ie who will bear my name ; wherefore 
 I am exceedingly anxious that you should do well and 
 prosper, walking in the way of your father, in the fear 
 and love of God, and in benevolence towards men. For 
 the present, your chief duty is to acquire knowledge by 
 earnest and persevering study. Blessed be God, who 
 has intrusted you with talents sufficient, if duly im- 
 proved, to raise you at any rate above mediocrity, if 
 not to the top of the ladder. But you must never 
 forget to accompany your endeavours with earnest, 
 believing prayer for God's blessing. . . . We hope 
 next year to leave Jerusalem, ... to go to Switzer- 
 land and England, when I intend, D.V., to pay you a 
 visit at Canterbury, when I should be very glad to find 
 you at the head of the school, so that you might have 
 a well-grounded hope of being sent direct from Canter- 
 bury to Oxford or Cambridge. 
 
 " And now good-bye, my dear boy. May God bless, 
 keep, and prosper you, to the joy of all your friends 
 and relations, and especially to the comfort and joy of 
 your grandfather, 
 
 ^' S. Angl. Hieeosol." 
 
 From Bishop Golafs last Circular Letter. 
 
 " Jerusalem, November 1877. 
 " Samuel, by Divine Providence Bishop of the Church 
 of England at Jerusalem, to all the brethren who call 
 on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in all places, but 
 especially to them who desire the rebuilding of Zion 
 and the raising up of her walls, and who pray for the 
 
LAST SEVEN YEARS. 385 
 
 salvation of Israel — Grace, mercy, and peace from God 
 our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 " Dear brethren, God be praised that while a great 
 part of the Turkish Empire is the scene of war, murder, 
 devastation, and desolation, we have as yet been pre- 
 served in peace, only disturbed here and there by 
 rumours of approaching danger, which have afterwards 
 turned out to be groundless. These very rumours, 
 however, combined with our knowledge of the newly 
 awakened murderous hate of the Mohammedans against 
 the Christians, are calculated to exercise us in watch- 
 fulness and prayer, so that, come what may, we shall 
 be enabled to commit ourselves and our work with 
 entire trust to the mercy of our gracious God and 
 Saviour. In the mean season we endeavour to improve 
 our time and opportunities to sow the Word of Life in 
 the hearts of the blinded men among whom we dwell, 
 and to offer the same to our Protestant congregations 
 and schools. 
 
 " I here repeat what I wrote three years ago, namely, 
 when I compare the present state of the world and of 
 the Church, and particularly the horrible decimating 
 war now being waged in Turkey — when I compare this 
 condition of matters with the word of prophecy, I feel 
 more and more convinced that the time appointed of 
 God for His showing mercy unto Zion, for taking back 
 His ancient people of Israel into His covenant of 
 mercy, and for hastening His kingdom, is near, even 
 at the very door ; which blessed time must be preceded 
 by ' the time of Jacob's trouble,' as foretold by Jeremy 
 the prophet. 
 
 " I therefore feel very deeply and earnestly how much 
 my brethren and I need the grace of the Holy Spirit to 
 enable us to bear witness to these things and to Jesus, 
 
 2 B 
 
386 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 the King of the Jews, according to the will and word of 
 God, before Jews and Gentiles, with power and unction. 
 
 " By reason of the differing tongues, we have now three 
 congregations in Jerusalem, to wit, the German, presided 
 over by Dr. Eeinicke, their pastor, sent from Berlin ; the 
 English, chiefly composed of Jewish proselytes, under 
 the superintendence of the London Society for Promoting 
 Christianity among the Jews ; and the Arabic, under the 
 care of missionaries of the Christian Missionary Society. 
 But, thank God, all these different pastors and congrega- 
 tions dwell together in brotherly love, although small, 
 trifling, personal misunderstandings sometimes arise. 
 
 "In consequence of my advanced age, and because I 
 found increasing difficulty in collecting the necessary 
 means for the carrying on of my work in Palestine, I 
 was very anxious to arrange such plans as would ensure 
 its furtherance on similar principles after my departure, 
 which cannot now be far distant. I have therefore 
 assigned to the Christian Missionary Society nine schools, 
 and my missionary and catechist at Nablus. 
 
 " I cannot refrain from adding a few words concerning 
 the present miserable condition of the inhabitants of this 
 land. Last winter we had very little rain, particularly 
 in Judea and beyond Jordan; the harvest consequently 
 was very scanty, and wheat rose to a high price ; while 
 the heavy imposts, old and new, consume the last resources 
 of the poor ruined people, so that many are hastening 
 on the road to starvation. The Mohammedans are the 
 worst off, as nearly every able-bodied man of them has 
 been pressed into the war in the most outrageous manner. 
 At first, those who could pay 1250 francs {£^0) were 
 exempted from the conscription ; after a short while, 
 when a new contingent became necessary, they could 
 only escape by bribing the medical authorities to certify 
 
LAST SEVEN YEARS. 387 
 
 to their being invalids ; and in the end they were forced 
 to serve if they had no influential patron. The poor 
 people were impressed without ceremony, if they had 
 not already fled to the Bedouins. 
 
 " Of those who had to march to the seat of war, many, 
 deserted on the way, but most of them were recaptured. 
 Even out of the barracks here many contrived, by the 
 help of little bribes, to desert ; but this plunged their 
 poor wives into the greatest misery. It seems that the 
 oflQcials have ill-treated and beaten them, partly by way 
 of punishment for the desertion of their husbands, and 
 partly to force them to point out the deserters' hiding- 
 places. Then the creditors who had advanced money 
 for bribes (perhaps those very officials) demanded their 
 money back again ; and now thousands of poor women 
 and children, whose husbands and fathers are gone to 
 the war, languish in the last degree of misery. Some of 
 us are trying to help them, but what can we do for so 
 many ? Every month new conscriptions take place. At 
 first there was nothing to be heard anywhere but one 
 universal weeping and lamentation from men and women 
 alike ; but now the new recruits are to be seen, often 
 bound together in couples, going forth in dumb despair. 
 I mention this by way of commentary upon the news in 
 the papers that the recruits march to the seat of war 
 with joy and exultation ! 
 
 "... With the help of Christian friends in Europe, 
 I have already devoted more than 7500 francs (;^30o) 
 to the relief of poor Jews and proselytes. But now my 
 purse is empty, just at the beginning of the winter, 
 which will be a terrible time for the poor. I can do 
 nothing except most heartily commend the poor creatures 
 to God, and to your Christian compassion. • 
 
 " The mission at Aintab in Cilicia, so promising but a 
 
388 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 few years ago, lias been, during the last five years, a 
 great load upon my heart. The difficulties with which 
 Bishop Megherditsch had to contend in his church- 
 building have already been mentioned. . . . When at 
 last the requisite firman was obtained, and the walls had 
 reached a height of twelve feet above the level of the 
 ground, the w^ork had again to be stopped through want 
 of funds. Yet the real and chief object of the mission, 
 namely, the spiritual, prospers in and around Aintab ; 
 so that the good, humble-minded Bishop is persuaded 
 that when the church is built at last, it will be too 
 small to contain all those who are prepared to join the 
 congregation. 
 
 " And now, my dear brethren, who have aided me by 
 your prayers and alms in extending the kingdom of God in 
 this land, and in the relief of the needy, I thank you with 
 all my heart for your kindness and confidence. May 
 the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, our beloved 
 Saviour and Ptcdeemer, requite you a thousandfold. . . . 
 Pray, dear brethren, in these days of distress and disquiet, 
 for the peace of Jerusalem, and especially for the ser- 
 vants of the Lord in Emmanuel's land, among whom for- 
 get not to number your servant and brother, 
 
 " S. Angl. Hierosol." 
 
 We are now approaching the closing earthly scene of 
 this long and fruitful life, when the aged Bishop was to 
 be called to his well-earned rest ; and we cannot do 
 better than borrow the touching words of his son Samuel 
 in the followinsj brief record : — 
 
 " The Bishop, now in his eightieth year, feeling that 
 the time of his departure was fast approaching, deter- 
 mined, in May 1878, to visit Europe for the last time, 
 in order, as he said, to see all his children and grand- 
 
CLOSING SCENES. 
 
 children, and his old friends once more ; and then to re- 
 turn to Jerusalem, there to die. Up to September all went 
 well, but in that month, while he and Madame Gobat 
 were staying on a visit at the Castle of Casteln in Swit- 
 zerland, a slight attack of apoplexy, to which he was 
 then subjected, prepared him and his wife and children 
 and friends for the end, which, it was felt, would not 
 now be long delayed. He managed, notwithstanding 
 all weakness of body, to bear the many fatigues of the 
 journey, and he arrived in Jerusalem once more on 
 December lo, 1878. 
 
 " He never rallied from the effects of his first attack, 
 but grew more and more feeble in body, though remain- 
 ing strong and joyful in spirit, and peacefully he awaited 
 his Lord's summons. 
 
 " On Easter Day 1879 he for the last time appeared 
 in Christ Church, and after Holy Communion once more 
 pronounced the benediction. Soon afterwards his illness 
 assumed a new phase, and his strength gradually sank, till 
 early on Sunday morning, May 1 1, 1 879, the Master called 
 His faithful servant home, and he was indeed ' in the 
 Spirit on the Lord's-day.' His end was very peaceful 
 and happy, and his last words, full of power and faith, 
 not only showed his own strong and childlike confidence 
 in his God, but also filled the hearts of those who were 
 with him with gratitude and joy. Thus, e.g., when his 
 son reminded him that he, as a child of God, had no 
 need to be afraid of any evil in the dark valley of the 
 shadow of death, the Bishop smiled and whispered, ' It 
 is not dark.' 
 
 "All Jerusalem and Palestine mourned his loss, and 
 felt that a father in Israel, a good soldier and servant of 
 Christ, one who throughout his long Episcopate of thirty- 
 three years had been a true friend and shepherd to all 
 
390 LIFE OF SAMUEL GO BAT. 
 
 who had been committed to his charge, had gone to his 
 home. 
 
 "Three months after his death, on August I, 1879, 
 his wife, who had earnestly and faithfully laboured with 
 him for forty-five years, followed him, and they were 
 laid side by side under an olive-tree on Mount Zion, 
 there to rest in the Lord, and to await their joyful 
 resurrection." 
 
 The announcement of the Bishop's death, sent by the 
 family, in accordance with foreign custom, to relatives 
 and friends, concluded with a few words expressive of 
 Christian thankfulness for the rich life just withdrawn, 
 and of pious hope for the departed. It bore the follow- 
 ing signatures : — 
 
 Maria Gobat, 7iee Zeller. 
 
 Johannes and Hannah Zeller-Gobat, and family. 
 
 Heinrich and Dora Eappard- Gobat, and family. 
 
 Paul and Maria Kober-Gobat, and their infant son. 
 
 James Timotheus Gobat. 
 
 Samuel Gobat. 
 
 Theodor and Blandina Wolters-Gobat, and their little 
 
 daughter. 
 Dorothea Gobat- Arnott, widow, and family. 
 
 We will conclude this long record of a noble life 
 with a few appropriate reminiscences of the Bishop's 
 faithful and worthy helpmeet, a sketch for which we 
 are indebted to one of the daughters, D. E. G. 
 
 " Our mother was so entirely one with our dear 
 father, that his portrait would be incomplete without 
 hers. She clung with all the fidelity of her heart to 
 the husband to whom the Lord had given her to be 
 
OLD MISSION-HOUSE, BASLE; BISHOP GOBAT S TOMB; ST. JULIANS MISSION-HALL. 
 MALTA.— P«5re 390. 
 
REMINISCENCES OF MADAME GOB AT. 391 
 
 a helpmeet. His work was her work ; she did nothing 
 without his advice and permission, and she was a true 
 daughter of Sarah, who obeyed her husband, calling 
 him lord. Yet when she found it necessary to do so, 
 she could act decidedly, in sincerity and rectitude. Our 
 father in return gave her his fullest and most affec- 
 tionate confidence, and bestowed upon her a fathers 
 tenderest care ; and we children had the happy privi- 
 lege of beholding in our parents the realisation of a 
 truly blessed union, where the supremacy of the hus- 
 band was combined with the most lovinsf consideration, 
 and the submission of the wife with joyful, perfect 
 confidence. The Lord had brought them together, and 
 prepared them for each other ; to Him they gave the 
 glory. 
 
 " Maria Christine Eegine, second daughter of Christian 
 Heinrich Zeller, then director of the educational in- 
 stitution for girls at Zofingen, was born on the 9th 
 of November 1813. When seven years of age she 
 accompanied her parents to Beuggen, the future scene 
 of their valuable labours during a period of forty years ; 
 and there she spent the quiet, happy time of her girl- 
 hood and youth. . . . 
 
 " Under the careful guidance of her mother, Maria 
 grew up in the midst of a large circle of brothers and 
 sisters."^ 
 
 " In matters of food and dress the children of the 
 inspector were treated exactly the same as those who 
 were being trained in the institution, though the father 
 was even more strict with his own children than he 
 was with those of strangers committed to his care, and 
 
 * A sketch of that mother's life has appeared under the title Mutter 
 Zeller, Basle, 1882 ; of the father's under that of Grossvater Zeller s 
 Lehen, Bade, 1876. 
 
392 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 frequently punished them with severity when he judged 
 it requisite to do so. 
 
 ''When Maria was fifteen, she was sent with her 
 elder sister and her cousin, Helene Bertschinger, to 
 spend three years at Locle under the care of a serious- 
 minded and deeply religious instructress. In 1 8 3 i she 
 returned to Beuggen, to be the steadfast, sensible, and 
 ever-cheerful helper of her dear mother. She was uni- 
 versally beloved on account of her conscientiousness and 
 sincerity. One of her little brothers named her, though 
 this was some years later, ' the deputy mother.' 
 
 "She always looked back with pleasure upon those 
 tranquil days, in which, far from the bustle of the world, 
 she could serve God wdth cheerful zeal, and rejoice in 
 communion with Him. In 1833 a cloud came over 
 her spiritual state, and much of the brightness seemed 
 to have fled ; but she learned after a while to under- 
 stand that our peace does not rest upon our changeful 
 feelings, but upon the redeeming work of Christ. Yet 
 the prayers which have been found among her papers 
 after her decease prove that her soul had not seldom 
 to wrestle with gloomy imaginings. 
 
 " Her deeper spiritual experiences seem to have been 
 a providential preparation for the great external change 
 which came into her life in 1833. She was betrothed 
 to Missionary Gobat, who, as he has described the cir- 
 cumstances in his own memoir, received her from the 
 hand of God as his pre-ordained companion for life. 
 Our mother often related to us how surprised she was at 
 the proposal of the missionary, whom she reverenced as 
 a servant of Christ and the friend of her parents. In 
 her betrothal she recognised above all else a call from 
 God, who honoured her by allowing her to labour in His 
 vineyard in Abyssinia ; and the keynote of her feeling 
 
REMINISCENCES OF MADAME GOB AT. 393 
 
 might be expressed in the words which she repeated in 
 all lowliness of heart : ' Behold the handmaid of the 
 Lord; be it unto me according to Thy word.' 
 
 " In the modesty of her retiring disposition our mother 
 had retained a childlike simplicity, which, as we have 
 learned from friends of many years' standing, produced 
 an extraordinarily pleasing impression in the circles to 
 which her new position introduced her. 
 
 " We need not recapitulate the story of the marriage 
 and of the years immediately succeeding that event. 
 Suffice it to say, that from May 1834 to December 1836 
 there was so much privation, difficulty, and suffering 
 crowded into the young life of the missionary's bride, 
 that one cannot think of her without emotion and deep 
 respect. Our father never could speak of the birth of 
 his first child without tears, when he was lying helpless 
 upon his sick-bed, while his young wife, bereft of human 
 aid, must rely solely on the gracious protection of God. 
 And the deep waters surged still higher above their souls 
 when that sweet baby-daughter was recalled after sixteen 
 short months. Our father's illness had violently in- 
 creased, the hope of recovery became dimmer and more 
 dim, and he decided upon starting for Europe, less with 
 a view to his cure than in the desire to see our dear 
 mother nearer to her kindred. The trials of that journey 
 are indescribable. . . . They nearly exhausted our 
 mother's powers, wdiile they cost the delicate infant its 
 life. Still the mother continued to hope on, and did 
 not let the child out of her arms during the entire voyage 
 down the Nile. In the last night a flicker of hope shot 
 up once more, — a certain expression on the face of the 
 dying babe led the mother to believe that the Lord had 
 vouchsafed fresh life. But the father spoke : ' The grass 
 withereth, the flower fadeth ; but the word of our God 
 
394 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 shall stand for ever.' Then the mother knew what he 
 would say, and with hot tears she watched her baby's 
 flight to its Saviour, nor sought to keep it back, well 
 knowing that ' of such is the kingdom of God/ 
 
 "On the 31st of December 1836, during the great 
 earthquake which ruined Safed, and did much mischief 
 in many towns of Palestine and Egypt, the first little 
 son was born, and received, in memory of numerous 
 bitter trials, the name of Benoni — son of my sorrow. 
 
 " During the ten years following, our mother accom- 
 panied our father with ever-fresh courage to the various 
 scenes of his labours. Five children were born in this 
 interval. . . . On several occasions our mother had serious 
 illnesses, which brought her to death's door. Once she 
 became unconscious, and her last hour was supposed to 
 have arrived. Then she was seen to stretch out her 
 hands, as if to lay hold of something ; but she afterwards 
 explained that in that solemn moment she had laid her 
 hands by faith upon the Lamb of God, and committed 
 her sins to Him in peaceful preparation for her call to 
 rest. . . . 
 
 " With our father's appointment to the See of Jerusa- 
 lem in 1846 began an entirely new chapter of our 
 mother's life also. Outward privations decreased in pro- 
 portion as the comforts of civilised European life found 
 their way to Jerusalem. But other difficulties were 
 plentiful. The various hostilities to which our father 
 was exposed affected her deeply. Her own uncompro- 
 mising uprightness gave great offence in some quarters. 
 She had not the art of assuming a friendly manner when 
 at heart she was displeased with anybody. She said 
 everything straight out in all its unvarnished reality; 
 and though she possessed the guilelessness of the dove, 
 she had but little of the serpent's wisdom. This repelled 
 
REMINISCENCES OF MADAME GOB AT. 395 
 
 some people, and yet, strangely enough, they always 
 came back again. The faithful sincerity of her heart 
 became known, and people would say to themselves, * If 
 she does tell us some plain truths now and then, one 
 thing is certain^ she means them for our good.' 
 
 "During the three-and-thirty years of her work at 
 Jerusalem, she was a veritable mother to the community, 
 and it was a matter of course that every one in all kinds 
 of difficulties should go to the ' Lady-Bishop ' to seek 
 counsel and assistance. The members of the Arab Pro- 
 testant congregation well knew the way to her audience- 
 chamber. There she has smoothed many a quarrel, and 
 effected many a reconciliation between aggrieved married 
 couples, or between masters and servants. Tor the poor 
 and needy also her heart was ever open, and many who 
 hesitated to go to the Bishop himself found in her a wise 
 and affectionate mediator. 
 
 " Two sons and a daughter were born after the re- 
 moval to Jerusalem. When the youngest child, born at 
 Beuggen, died there in infancy, the mother was danger- 
 ously ill. Our father perceived from the doctor's manner 
 that he cherished but little hope. He went down into 
 his study, and poured out everything in prayer. His 
 faith was so strong as to enable him to lay hold firmly 
 upon the promise ; and he returned full of trust, and 
 feeling sure that his petitions had been heard. Con- 
 valescence began the very next day, and before long our 
 mother was able to superintend her household as usual. 
 
 " The seven children whom the Lord had preserved to 
 our parents were not often assembled together under the 
 paternal roof. One or another of the boys was almost 
 always away being educated in Europe. So far as we 
 can remember, it only once happened that we were all 
 at home for several months together. And yet we en- 
 
396 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOB AT. 
 
 joyed a full and beautiful family life. The absent ones 
 were daily remembered at family prayer, and once in 
 every fortnight, when the European mail came in, our 
 father would hasten upstairs to our mother with the 
 newly arrived letters, in order that she might read them 
 first to him, and then to us children. 
 
 " Our mother had quite a remarkable gift for narrating. 
 She could relate sacred and secular stories with such 
 vivacity and copiousness of detail, that children were 
 always enchanted by it. Her vocal powers were also of 
 great service in our education, and the numerous hymns 
 which she taught us are an abiding legacy. She was by 
 no means sentimental, and she never found it easy to 
 give expression to her thoughts in language. When one 
 of her children, tormented by doubts, once came to her in 
 great mental distress, she pressed into his hand, with a 
 look of indescribable affection but with a certain bash ful- 
 ness, a slip of paper upon which she had written the 
 words : " Tliis is a faithful saying, and worthy of all 
 acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to 
 save sinners, of whom I am chief." We were more 
 especially struck in her later years by the thoughtful, 
 active love with which she treated every one with whom 
 she came in contact. 
 
 "If she took a long drive, she was certain to know 
 at the end of it every detail concerning the family affairs 
 of the coachman, and was sure to send an extra coin to 
 his sick child, or something of the kind. If at a water- 
 ing-place, she sought to become acquainted with every- 
 body, and to rejoice each one's heart, not only by her 
 sympathy for his sufferings, but most likely also by a 
 little gift from Jerusalem. 
 
 "In her own house she served her fellow-creatures 
 chiefly by extensive hospitality. Sometimes, if rainy 
 
REMINISCENCES OF MADAME GOB AT. 397 
 
 weather set in, and a number of travellers could find 
 no room in a hotel, while they could not well remain 
 in tents, she would invite them, all and sundry, and 
 entertain them for several days. A Bishop who had 
 fallen ill at a hotel, and with whom we were but 
 slightly acquainted, was received into our house, where 
 he lay for three weeks ill of Syrian fever, and remained 
 during three additional weeks of convalescence. One 
 lady writes : — ' How thankful am I to have seen your 
 mother in her later years ! I was more delighted than 
 ever with her kindness, and astonished at the humility 
 with which she spoke of my three months' sojourn 
 under her roof, as if it were she who owed thanks to 
 me.' . . . All this is not set down for her glorification, 
 for of that she would disapprove, but to the glory of 
 God, and as a pattern to many who selfishly disregard 
 the Apostolic injunction : ' Be not forgetful to enter- 
 tain strangers ; for thereby some have entertained angels 
 unawares.' 
 
 " ' Lord,' so runs one of her MS. prayers, ' let 
 me be a mother in Israel, a priestess in Thine house 
 and in my own family. Let me be a true Mary, sitting 
 at Thy feet. Let me be a Mary like unto that hand- 
 maid of Thine who pondered Thy sayings in her heart.' 
 
 "The family circle had gradually become narrower 
 in the pleasant house on Zion. The four daughters 
 were married, two in Jerusalem and two in Switzerland. 
 Benoni, the first-born son, had gone before his parents ; 
 his widow lived in England with her children and the 
 second son ; the youngest was at home. 
 
 "In 1878 our beloved parents made ready once more 
 to visit Europe, in order, as our mother repeatedly said 
 with a cheerful smile, to see their children, relations, 
 and friends for the last time, bid them farewell, and 
 
398 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 then return to Jerusalem to die. Our father, notwith- 
 standing his little less than eighty years, was still fresh 
 and active ; our mother was bent and fragile. The 
 summer of that year brought us much happiness. 
 Amongst other things, a wish cherished for years by our 
 mother saw its fulfilment. She beheld the quiet little 
 village of Haslithal, of which her grandfather Siegfried 
 had been pastor, and where her mother, when a little 
 girl, had narrowly escaped being carried off by a vulture. 
 This would have been the fate of the child had not the 
 valiant pastor shot the bird at the very moment when 
 it was about to pounce upon its intended prey. 
 
 " Our father and mother were preparing for their 
 return to Palestine when the former was attacked with 
 apoplexy. From that time our mother made every 
 exertion to rally her strength in a last effort, in order 
 to be to our father in his last days such a companion 
 and nurse as he needed He recovered rather quickly, 
 and it was considered safe to comply with his- longing 
 desire to begin the journey to Jerusalem. A few days 
 previously he said to one of his daughters, ' To-day I 
 have been passing my whole life in review before my 
 mind's eye (I speak of my life since my conversion, for 
 before that event it was a living death), and I find in 
 it nothing but a continuous chain of the Lord's mercies.' 
 
 "The journey to Jerusalem was accomplished under 
 many difiiculties, though prosperously on the whole ; 
 still our father's strength was broken down. At one 
 time he seemed to be regaining some of his former 
 vigour ; and on Easter Day he re-entered for the first and 
 last time his beloved Christ Church, in order to celebrate 
 the feast of the Lord's Supper with his flock. That was 
 the final act of his life-work. In the following week he 
 became very ill, and it was evident that his Lord was 
 
REMINISCENCES OF MADAME GOB AT. 399 
 
 calling him to a speedy rest from his labours. Early on 
 the morning of the fourth Sunday after Easter, May 1 1 , 
 1879, he fell gently and peacefully asleep. 
 
 " Our mother was now lonely and broken down. She 
 writes : ' My feelings are of a very mixed character. I 
 am thankful to God for all the great mercy which He 
 has shown to your dear papa during his life long ; I also 
 thank Him that I have been permittted to serve Him 
 for five-and-forty years side by side with your father, to 
 enjoy so much tender affection from him and through 
 him, to tend him and watch his peaceful departure, and 
 to feel certain that he is now at home ' for ever with 
 the Lord.' But the feeling of forlornness, of an unspeak- 
 able void, is very oppressive. At first I suffered from 
 bodily illness, so that I was sadly homesick for my dear 
 husband, who was always so sympathetic. Your brothers 
 and sisters are very kind, and do all they can to show 
 their love and sympathy for me. Give my love and kisses 
 to the dear children. I ought to love them doubly now ; 
 yet, as love never faileth, their grandpapa doubtless loves 
 them still. May the Lord be with us all, and may He 
 fill up the great gap. Continue to love and pray for your 
 deeply afflicted and lonely Mother.' 
 
 " But her loneliness was not to be of longj duration. 
 That home-sickness for the one who had gone before 
 affected her whole organisation. She could no longer 
 rouse herself to any continuous occupation, and her 
 memory failed in a marked degree. At intervals she 
 could be very cheerful, perhaps when she was talking of 
 our father's going home, and trying to picture to herself 
 how happy he must now be. But bodily weakness in- 
 creased ; feverish attacks and great prostration super- 
 vened. She allowed herself to be persuaded to remain 
 
400 LIFE OF SAMUEL GOBAT. 
 
 in bed and rest, but it was only for a few days. Eternal 
 rest w^as at band. Her children Hannah and Samuel 
 were with ber wben the last conflict began. For some 
 time she rolled her head from side to side like a child 
 who has inflammation of the brain. Then she became 
 quite still, and the bystanders did not know the precise 
 moment of her departure. On August i, 1879, at half- 
 past nine in the morning, the Good Shepherd took her 
 home in perfect peace. 
 
 " ' Our dear mother,' writes Hannah, ' has expressed 
 no last wishes. When I once told her I hoped she would 
 get better, she said, ' I have nothing more to do here, 
 and I am unable to do anything more.' On the Wed- 
 nesday I read some hymns to her, and she asked for 
 one in particular, but could only remember the subject 
 of it. I found it ; it was one of thanksgiving. When 
 I came to a passage expressing gratitude even for grief 
 and tribulation, she remarked that it was a beautiful 
 hymn, and that it behoves us to be grateful for every- 
 thing. The thought of Dr. Barclay, already named as our 
 father's successor, occupied her thoughts much, and she 
 prayed for him fervently, even in her dreams. 
 
 " ' Owing to the state of the weather, the funeral took 
 place on the evening of the day of departure. The 
 beloved remains were borne from the house at six 
 o'clock. The service was conducted by the Eev. Mr. 
 Hall of Jaffa. Her grave had been prepared beside 
 that of our father, beneath an olive-tree. At the con- 
 clusion of the service. Pastor Eeinicke said a few words 
 on the text, " Charity (love) never faileth." Michael 
 Kawar also spoke briefly in Arabic, and finally Bishop 
 Megherditsch, in somewhat broken English, but out of 
 the fulness of his heart. 
 
 " ' The full moon shone into the open grave, and the 
 
REMINISCENCES OF MADAME GOB AT. 401 
 
 return from the cemetery was extremely solemn.' So 
 far Hannah. 
 
 " Yes, truly ' love never faileth.' God be thanked 
 for such parents, of whom it may justly be said, 
 * Whose faith follow, considering the end of their 
 conversation.' " 
 
 THE END. 
 
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 a wide and prompt circulation." — Record. 
 
 " The author has accomplished his task very thoroughly and successfully in pro- 
 ducing a work full of interest and skilful instruction." — Literary World. 
 
 " A highly interesting account of divers customs and features of Eastern nations 
 and countries, which serve to throw light on passages of the Bible not clearly under- 
 stood by Western nations." — Graphic. 
 
 THROUGH BIBLE LANDS : A Narrative of a Recent Tour 
 in Egypt and the Holy Land. By Philip Schaff, D.D. With Illus- 
 trations. Crown 8vo, 6s. cloth. 
 
 " The attractions of the book are considerably increased by the numerous excellent 
 illustrations." — BelfaM News Letter. 
 
 WILD FLOWERS OF THE HOLY LAND. Fifty-Four 
 
 Plates printed in Colours, drawn and painted after Nature by Hanna 
 Zeller, Nazareth. With a Preface by the Rev. H. B. Tristram, Canon 
 of Durham, and an Introduction by Edward Atkinson, F.L.S., F.Z.S. 
 4to, 21s. cloth gilt. 
 
 "Not the least of the features which will render this volume welcome to -the 
 English reader is the frequent recurrence of some English weed or flower which has 
 long become familiar in our gardens." — Daily Nev:s. 
 
 "The representations of the native flora of Galilee are exquisite." — Morning Post. 
 
 "The fifty-four plates contained in this volume ai-e all gems, delicate in outline, 
 brilliant in colouring ; the eye rests upon each in turn with admiration and pleasure." 
 — Record. 
 
 "A volume of very carefully printed drawings in colour of the very flowers on 
 which the eye of our Saviour must so often have rested iu childhood."— (?m_p/iic. 
 
 LONDON: JAMES NISBET & CO., 21 BERNERS STREET, W. 
 
Ttieological Semma 
 
 Speer Library 
 
 1101 2 01044 4984