government of the Sultan. As a consequence, French
diplomacy was decidedly in the ascendant, and lent its influence to
promote Papal schemes. "The Armenians," writes a well informed
missionary, "accept a declaration of the Bible as ultimate, and as
the Protestant missionaries made the Bible the basis of all their
work, and accustomed the people to refer to it for authority in all
spiritual matters, the Papists have been shut up to the use of
political measures to gain adherents. This they have done by
espousing the cause of any party in litigation on condition that he
should register himself a Roman Catholic. This influence was very
powerful throughout the country, as it was supported by the
intervention of the French embassy, and led to violence and
persecution in various parts of the empire, especially at Mardin,
where the papal power was comparatively strong."

Anticipating the history, it may be said, that the Franco-German war
changed all this. The Turkish government then no longer feared the
French, and hence no longer lent itself to Papal intrigues. The
dogma of the Papal Infallibility has been also a severe blow to the
Oriental Papacy.

No one was more competent than Dr. Dwight to testify concerning the
state of religious opinions among the Armenians of the metropolis.
Writing in February, 1860, he said it would be hard to find an
intelligent Armenian in Constantinople, unless among the
ecclesiastics, who did not acknowledge that there were many errors
in the Armenian Church, and that the evangelical system was the
best.

About the game time, he found a great change for the better at
Rodosto, on the northern shore of the Sea of Marmora. The
evangelical brethren had suffered many indignities from the
Armenians, but now even the magnates were disposed to cultivate
friendly relations with them. This he attributed, in great measure,
to the wise and yet firm demeanor of Apraham, the native preacher,
who afterwards became pastor of the Rodosto church. He was a native
of the place, and was once a deacon in the old Armenian Church, and
a candidate for the offices of vartabed and bishop. His first
knowledge of the truth was gained while in the Armenian monastery at
Jerusalem. From thence he came to Bebek, where he studied theology.
He was an exception to the rule, that a prophet has no honor in his
own country, for without compromising the truth, he had gained the
respect of all. He showed his missionary friend a l