dies. Several of them were
excommunicated by name, and nearly all belonged to excommunicated
families; so that the sympathies of all were enlisted on the side of
evangelical truth, though only two or three of the older ones were
regarded as hopefully pious. The school was under the charge of Mrs.
Everett and Miss Lovell.

On the 21st of June, 1846, a great feast day in the Armenian Church,
the Patriarch issued a new anathema against all who remained firm to
evangelical principles; and decreed that it be publicly read, at
each annual return of this festival, in all the Armenian churches
throughout the empire. The Protestants were thus cast out forever.
They had no power to organize themselves into a civil community; but
it was clearly their duty to secure for themselves and their
children, as far as they could, the spiritual privileges of the
Gospel. Nothing remained for them but to organize themselves into a
separate church, and this they resolved to do.

They made a written request to the missionaries for aid in this
matter, having themselves no experience. A meeting was accordingly
held in Constantinople of delegates from the different stations of
the Armenian mission. Messrs. Allan and Koenig, missionaries of the
Free Church of Scotland to the Jews, were present by invitation; and
also Dr. Pomroy, of Bangor in Maine, and Mr. Laurie, then on his way
home from Syria. Though the meeting was composed of two or three
different denominations of Christians, there was the most entire
harmony in the discussions, and a plan then drawn up for the
organization of the Evangelical Armenian church, was agreed to by a
unanimous vote.

The evangelical Armenians in Constantinople came together on the
first day of July for the public recognition of the church. After
the reading of the Scriptures and prayer, the plan of organization,
confession of faith, covenant, and rules of discipline, were read,
with such explanations as seemed necessary. Those present were then
requested to rise and give their assent to the articles of faith and
to the covenant. All rose, and the articles were again read, at the
end of which all audibly responded, "We do thus believe." In like
manner they audibly assented to the covenant. The missionaries and
others then rose, and, as the representatives of Protestant
Evangelical Churches, publicly acknowledged them as a true church of
Jesus Christ. Their names were then recorded, amounting to forty,
three of