ory. The first meeting was on the Sabbath, in a
retired garden, where they sat four successive hours, in the middle
of a circle of hungry souls, expounding to them the Gospel. After
partaking of some refreshment, they sat three hours more in an
adjacent house. Later in the day, they spent three hours in the same
manner, in another garden; making in all ten hours of preaching and
conversation in the course of one Sabbath; besides an hour more in
their own room, with transient visitors from abroad. Many of the
questions asked were of a highly practical nature. During this
visit, a stranger called upon them, whose curiosity had been excited
by the Patriarch's letter of warning against the American
missionaries. He, in common with many of his brethren, was anxious
to know more about this new way. Considerable time was spent with
him in needful explanations, and with these, and a copy of the New
Testament in modern Armenian and several tracts, he departed highly
delighted. It was thus that a knowledge of the Gospel was first
carried to Adabazar where this man resided, twenty-seven miles east
of Nicomedia.

The papists took advantage of the religious interest awakened in the
Armenian Church; and there was reason to apprehend, that dark,
dissatisfied minds, if not made acquainted with the Gospel, were in
danger of falling into the iron embrace of the Romish Church. The
papal missions had been roused to activity in all the Levant, and
their numerous adherents enabled them to come extensively into
contact with the native mind. Nor were they scrupulous as to their
manner of exciting the jealousies of the people against Protestant
missionaries. There is evidence also, that, after the Greek
revolution, they took advantage of the fact that nearly all the
dragomen of foreign ministers at the Turkish court were Roman
Catholics.

The obstacles in the way of preaching the Gospel at Broosa, became
so great as to make it a question whether the preachers ought not to
go elsewhere. Just then there began to be indications of the
presence of the Holy Spirit. Individuals came to Mr. Schneider,
almost every Sabbath, deeply affected by the truth, and there were
several hopeful conversions. Not only there, but elsewhere and
especially at Constantinople, during the year commencing May, 1840,
there was a manifest reaction, caused by the persecutions of 1839,
which became more and more decided during the year. Minds were
awakened, which, but for