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 L I E> RARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 U N IVLRSITY 
 
 or ILLINOIS
 
 ENGLAND'S RELIGIOUS DUTIES TOWARDS EGYPT. 
 
 By the Rev. John Scarth, Hon. Canon of Rochester, 
 Vicar of Bearsted, Kent. 
 
 A Paper read at the Carlisle Church Cofigress, Sep.- Oct., 1884. 
 
 The Church Congress takes a higher standpoint than that of a poHtical 
 platform, and, looking upon a wider horizon, sees further ahead. 
 
 I would, therefore, from our point of view, attempt to show how the 
 highest religious duties towards Egypt are being put in our way, and that 
 some of them are, almost against the will of those who are unconsciously 
 carrying them out, already being done. Par from advocating the with- 
 drawal of England's influence and power, I think, that even if she 
 would, she could not evade grave responsibilities that have arisen, and 
 as I believe in the future prosperity of Egypt as a dependent state, I 
 also hope to see England's influence maintained. My second point will 
 be to prove that, irrespective of what happens in the future, there is a 
 special religious duty that England now owes to Egypt : it is the duty 
 that is nearest to her there. Were England more careful about the 
 religion and conduct of Englishmen in Egypt, she would be strength- 
 ened to accept even greater responsibilities, and the sharpest shafts that 
 Copts or Mahommedans could use against her would lose their power. 
 
 Under present circumstances, how can we make Egyptians under- 
 stand our religion ? 
 
 I have sometimes thought that the regular Sunday service in the 
 Prince of Wales' Nile Boat, where the Prince himself always read 
 prayers, may have done more to show some Egyptians that England had 
 a religion, than did the dark-shadowed glories of Tel-el-Kebir. But 
 how little do we know the value of a victory. The military success 
 over Arabi at Tel-el-Kebir may prove to be as important to the interests 
 of Christianity in the East, and the future welfare of all people there, as 
 did the peaceful occupadon of Cyprus a few years before. Cyprus is 
 the point from which we can look towards the Holy Land, and watch 
 the crumbhng to pieces of the Ottoman power. Egypt is a point from 
 which we may touch and quicken with new life the pieces as they fall. 
 
 It was not until my fourth visit to Egypt that I began to think 
 seriously about England's religious duties there. The time had arrived 
 for her immediate action, but before anything was attempted, Arabi's 
 rebellion began. 
 
 Within a few miles of Tel-el-Kebir, the railway and canal systems of
 
 Egypt concentrate at a point where may, probably, be the future capital. 
 Arabi foresaw this when he placed his forces at Tel-el-Kebir to defend 
 Zag-a-zig. Close to the town are the remains of one of the strangest 
 temples in the world. Before the Christian era, this temple had been 
 forsaken by the Egyptians, but when persecutions were driving the Jews 
 from Jerusalem, the high priest, relying upon a prophecy of Isaiah, 
 begged and obtained the loan of this deserted temple to form a new 
 centre for the worship of God. The prophecy of Isaiah seemed to 
 him to be fulfilled. The Egyptian kings endowed the temple, and 
 worship was offered there by Jews until Herod had beautified and 
 restored the Temple at Jerusalem, the very Temple where our Saviour 
 taught. The prophecy of Isaiah still remains only imperfectly ful- 
 filled ; but we may find that new foundations for the fulfilment were 
 opened out by that victory at Tel-el-Kebir, which gave England a 
 dominant, and, I hope, a permanent influence in Egypt. Part of the 
 prophecy reads thus : — "The Lord shall smite Egypt. He shall smite 
 and heal, and they shall return unto the Lord (Jehovah), and He shall 
 be entreated of them, and shall heal them." In the heading of the 
 nineteenth chapter of Isaiah in our English bibles, the prophecy is 
 mentioned as " The calling of Egypt to the Church."* The whole 
 prophecy claims the closest study, there are various readings, and we 
 must watch for the true in the development of events. The Coptic 
 Christians still number 300,000 in Egypt, but they need the freedom 
 and energy of another race, and a more perfect faith, to raise them from 
 the lethargy and oppression that have kept them down. 
 
 The rising generation of Copts are not without hope, and part of the 
 prophecy may apply to them. " In that day there shall be an altar to the 
 Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border 
 thereof to the Lord. It shall be for a sign and a witness unto the Lord 
 in the land of Egypt, for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the 
 oppressors, and He shall send them a Saviour, and a great one, and He 
 shall deliver them." 
 
 There is a splendid lighthouse at Port Said, casting its light all night 
 far away out to sea to guide the navigators making for the canal. Were 
 there the cross-crowned spire of a church near it, standing like a pillar 
 on the border of the land, the cross shining all day in the constant 
 sunshine, and visible as far as the plain of Zoan, where God worked 
 miracles by the rod of Moses, the grandest, the most hopeful, prophecy 
 about Egypt would seem about to be fulfilled. The land for this Church 
 has already been secured ! It is vested in the Bishop of London. I 
 hold a copy of the title deeds in my hand. When shall the building 
 begin ? 
 
 I suggest another religious duty. 
 
 * There are various readings as to the name of the city. It is called the City of 
 the Sun, the City of Destruction, the City of the Lion, the City of Righteousness, 
 and, probably, could at different times in Egyptian history have been distinguished by 
 each. It is one of the five cities in which the language of Canaan is to be 
 spoken. We can scarcely call Hebrew the language of Canaan, although Arabic is, 
 and as Canaan also means merchant, the prophecy may point to its extensive trade. 
 The worship of the lioness, or of the cat, was once famous there, and images still are 
 found. Heliopolis is nearer Cairo, but the temple near Zag-a-zig was, I believe, 
 the chief [ewish Temple.
 
 Between Tel-el-Kebir and Port Said, is the land of Goshen, the greater 
 part is now a desolate waste. " The Sea of Reeds " has encroached 
 upon it, and the waters of the Nile have been turned from places where 
 once populous cities flourished in their pride. Were a freshwater canal 
 made from the Tanic branch of the Nile to Port Said, hundreds of square 
 miles would be reclaimed, prosperity, instead of poverty, would reign. 
 Once let England accept that status in Egypt which her influence and 
 religious duties would justify and permit, and the ruin that has followed 
 upon Turkish misrule would be replaced by prosperity and joy. The 
 embankments that kept out the salt water would rise again out of the 
 desolation, and the fresh waters of the Nile would resume their place 
 and fertilize the land. Having seen what the Chinese have done for 
 the Delta of the Yangtsze-Kiang, I could not but wish, as I wandered 
 about Egypt, that similar industry and skill could be encouraged by 
 England on the Delta of the Nile. If there is a reHgious duty to be 
 done in a poverty-stricken district among a people who have been over- 
 taxed and oppressed, it is to protect them from exactions, and to help 
 them to have water and food on lands that might at last become their 
 own. This is a nobler, a higher duty than that of protecting bond- 
 holders at the expense of the people, and would be better for the bond- 
 holders in the end. 
 
 There are different kinds of slavery ; forced or inadequately requited 
 labour is one, and is a sin not uncommon in Egypt, but it is from 
 Egypt that the worst kind of slavery can be crushed. But how, and 
 by whom shall this be done ? 
 
 England is learning at least one religious duty from General Gordon 
 at Khartoum. It is curious to contrast what he has accomplished with 
 almost nothing but faith, while everything that could prevent failure and 
 ensure success has been demanded, and supplied to another General, 
 who had merely to ask for whatever he desired. Even though a duty 
 may not be counted as religious at the first, a duty faithfully done under 
 most pressing difficulties identifies itself with religion in the end. The 
 famous soldier at Khartoum was glad of our prayers when he got no 
 other help, and in the midst of war his mind was at peace ; he could 
 look for help from the slaves in the Soudan when there appeared to be 
 little prospect of help from home. Some years ago he sent me a rough 
 map of the sources of the Nile, when he was earnestly endeavouring to 
 stop the slave trade there. He said " it was very grey-hair making 
 work," but when he welcomes the expedition that has at last gone out 
 to relieve him, and he sees the fleet of boats and the wonderful supplies 
 that have been lavished to secure the comfort and safety of the men, 
 I can fancy how he will forget all about himself, and say, " This is all 
 that is needed to put down slavery on the Nile ! " 
 
 By fortuitous circumstances, almost against her will, England has 
 been forced to take up positions on the Red Sea, as well as to 
 send this wonderful expedition to the Soudan. The western littoral 
 of the Red Sea is in her power, and by a system of careful registration 
 and guarantees over all native vessels on the coast, and with a restless 
 little fleet of gunboats, the efforts to suppress the slave trade would ulti- 
 mately succeed if there were co-operation on the Nile. Having given 
 help to Egypt without conditions in a warfare to protect the Govern-
 
 ment, surely the protection of \hQ people might be made complete upon 
 condition that the days of slavery are done. 
 
 We play into the hands of the Mahdi when we make England 
 obnoxious to the natives by giving protection to the Turks, whom 
 we will not allow to interfere, but we lay the axe at the root of the 
 selfishness of Mahommedanism when we proclaim, in the interests of 
 humanity, liberty to the slave. 
 
 Let England take this up as a religious duty ; she will meet with 
 encouragement, instead of opposition, from every Christian state, though 
 her zeal might create rivals in such a noble cause. 
 
 It is no part of England's religious duty to interfere in religious 
 differences in other States, therefore, interference with the Mahdi's 
 religious ideas is apart from the subject we discuss. It would be 
 curious, however, if the expedition sent to relieve Gordon and his 
 proteges should be made instrumental in bringing about the freedom of 
 a race. England may find her best allies in the slaves that she sets 
 free. 
 
 I am not speaking of impossibilities — faith is ignorant of the word. 
 I am speaking of religious duties when opportunities and responsibilities 
 come together in her way. The Almighty makes use of our actions, 
 though He leaves independent our thoughts. 
 
 History repeats itself. The history of the Mamelukes — the word 
 means slaves — shows how slaves have more than once assumed their 
 freedom in Egypt. Under their sway Egypt attained prosperity nearly 
 equal to that of her ancient days. When Napoleon was in Egypt he 
 marched an army into the Holy Land. He was urged to go to 
 Jerusalem, but answered, " Jerusalem is not in the order of my 
 campaign." He went forward to Acre, and met with a repulse that made 
 him return to Egypt. He soon withdrew his army, and his influence 
 there was gone ! If religious duties are not in the order of our 
 campaign, our forces may again be withdrawn, all our opportunities 
 in Egypt may be lost, and the Soudan become again the slave market, 
 until slaves can conquer it for themselves. It is indeed a hopeful sign 
 that one result of the troubles in Egypt is that a treaty has been signed 
 by England and Abyssinia to prevent slavery. Can we leave this as a 
 religious duty for the Abyssinians, and neglect it ourselves, when we 
 have Gordon in the Soudan ? 
 
 About a year before the rebellion of Arabi, I was led to make in- 
 quiries into the religious condition of the English in Egypt, especially at 
 those points where the greatest number come. Under proper authority 
 I went out. At Port Said the discomfort of the sailors in the Egyptian 
 hospital was deplorable. There was no Church of England clergyman at 
 either Suez or Port Said. I remained until committees were formed at 
 Port Said for church and hospital, the free grant of land, worth fully^3,ooo, 
 was obtained ; a year ago a chaplain was sent out. His chief work is 
 ministering to the sailors on board ship and in hospital. ;£i,ooo have 
 been collected for a British Hospital, and £2>^o subscribed towards the 
 church. The fittings of a Hospital, founded with much care at Cairo, 
 but from economical considerations it was ordered to be closed, when 
 tens of thousands of pounds were being expended in less useful ways, 
 have most generously been transferred by the founder for the use of the
 
 British Hospital at Port Said when it is built. A British Hospital at 
 Port Said might become, if there were a dispensary attached to it, 
 the central point whence blessings might flow through the Eastern 
 Delta, and the hospital itself would be the greatest boon that could 
 be granted to our sailors, who are so apt to be maimed in the pres- 
 sure of speed, the grand desideratum of the day. One hundred* and 
 ninety-nine English sailors had to be sent into the miserable Egyptian 
 hospital last year. I could tell sad stories of the sorrows there, and I 
 plead with all my soul that the people of England will accept it as a re- 
 ligious duty to provide, not only a Hospital, but a Church upon the land 
 that has been obtained at that part of the world which separates, or 
 rather, I might say, which now unites, England with her Imperial pos- 
 sessions in the East. It is a most important place, and were England to 
 accept the Congress motto, " Be just, and fear not," the principle that 
 '• righteousness exalteth a nation " would guide her path in the way of 
 peace, and, instead of being harassed by many Uttle wars, she would 
 gain influence, not only in Egypt, but even through the wild regions of 
 Arabia, and among the hills and valleys of the Holy Land. 
 
 Medical Missions in various districts would prove our charity and 
 good-will. The gift of healing is not really lost to the Church when she 
 brings it as a blessing to the afflicted and the poor. By efforts which 
 England could encourage, misery could be alleviated, lives could be 
 saved in that same Egypt where so many wounds have been made, so 
 many lives have been taken, among the very people who scarcely know 
 what to think of the friendship the English profess. 
 
 The religious interests that are inseparable from Egypt are so 
 important we should not let them pass away when we hear of some 
 little successes. England should not assume the passive expression of 
 the Sphynx when there are active duties to be done. It may be the 
 fashion of the day for the Church to watch and wait, but surely the 
 time has come to move forward, and where there is work to be done for 
 the good of others let her lead the way. 
 
 I shall never forget visiting a number of Jews at Suez, who had been 
 driven out of the southern part of Arabia, and had come by Egypt on 
 their way to the Holy Land ; there were their priests, their wives, and 
 their children, and as they sat calmly in the Khan Hstening to the 
 reading of the Law, as one after another went up to read a portion, 
 coming events seemed to cast their shadows before. These people 
 passed through the canal that has become the highway of the world ; 
 they were making for that same goal which the Israelites made for 
 under the guidance of Moses, but they were going another way. Shall 
 the Church remain passive when there is much to be done where 
 England's influence might be so strong. The opening out of Egypt 
 may lead to new discoveries that will quicken the energies of explorers 
 after the history of the past, but religious duties lead us rather to look 
 for opportunities in the present to clear the way of every obstacle that 
 might hinder the spread of Christ's kingdom in the world. 
 
 Let us beware lest we take more interest in, and spend more money 
 upon, excavating old temples in Egypt than in building and founding 
 new churches there. There is much to be discovered that is open to 
 our view, and if we accept the Scriptures as our guide in preference to
 
 imaginations, we shall find more truths to quicken our interest in the 
 land which still contains people who are in a bondage that is tighter 
 than that of Pharaoh, for it has possession of the mind. 
 
 The subjects I have touched upon are of more than National impor- 
 tance. I have pointed to what England might eventually do, but I have 
 also shown that works have already been begun in which every English- 
 man may help who wishes to fulfil his religious duty towards Egypt now. 
 
 REPRINTED FROM THE OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE CHURCH CONGRESS BV 
 BEMROSE AND SONS, DERBY; AND 23, OLD BAILEY, LONDON.
 
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