practices in that Church, he commenced a free and full
correspondence with Dr. Smith in Arabic. The result was a treatise,
which was published by the mission. After making the reader
acquainted with his own history, he disproved the supremacy of the
Pope, the existence of any priesthood but that of Christ, or of any
atonement but his. He then showed that there was no authority for
more than two grades of officers in the church, or for the doctrine
of transubstantiation. There were, also, chapters on justification
by faith and the new birth. Dr. Smith declares the treatise to have
been "well and thoroughly argued, sometimes most impressively
solemn, at others keenly sarcastic, and spirited and fearless
throughout."1

1 The _Bibliotheca Sacra_, for October, 1858, contains an account of
Dr. Meshakah by Dr. Thomas Laurie, and a translation of a treatise
by him on skepticism.

Michael Aramon took the place of Butrus in the seminary, and gave
the highest satisfaction both as to his literary and his religious
qualifications for the post. A Hasbeiyan brother, well informed,
upright, "a burning and shining light," taught a school among the
Druzes in the higher part of the mountains. Another, named Asaad
el-Maaluk, exercised a silent influence for good, in a school and
upon the people of another mountain village where he taught. Through
him, a priest in the Greek church of that village, named Elias,
became gradually enlightened. When Asaad began declaring the truths
of the gospel, the villagers appealed to priest Elias, and he
several times endeavored publicly to defend the doctrines and
ceremonies of his Church. Perceiving at length how much the Bible
was against him, and that he could not answer his opponent, he
became angry, and forbade all communication with Asaad. But the mild
and earnest manner of the native brother at length won his heart,
and he came to the conclusion, that nothing in his Church had any
authority, which was not derived from the Bible. This change in his
views he soon declared to his people, and absented himself from the
church. Once and again they forced him to go and say mass. Sometimes
he yielded, and sometimes refused; till, near the end of January,
1849, having performed mass, he went out with the people, locked the
door of the church, threw the key down before the door, and
declared, in the presence of them all, that he was a Protestant, and
could no more act against his conscience by officiating