to remove
or to remain, to live or to die. The Lord will quickly come, and then
his power and great glory will be manifested to the joy of his chosen
and the confusion of his enemies.

_Sept. 14._ _Wednesday._--While I feel more convinced every day that a
missionary in these countries, who really would cast himself upon his
Lord, and share in its revolutions and national judgments, has more to
prepare his mind for them previously to his entering upon it than he
can well conceive: yet on the other hand, I feel more confirmed in the
opinion, that amidst this disjointed disorganized state of society,
there are more doors of irregular missionary service open than he can
possibly occupy. For though he can perhaps find few opportunities of
publicly preaching Christ; yet in conversation, and the preparation
and circulation of tracts, I think there are immense opportunities
afforded. Yet for conversation much time will be required in acquiring
a facility in the language by most, till the Lord is pleased to pour
down from on high, his gifts of the Spirit--and as to tracts, at
present we have none. The Turkish Armenian tracts, printed at Malta,
are not clearly understood here; neither do I think the Arabic or
Turkish spoken on the other side of the desert would be so either, if
I may judge from the translations into Turkish and Arabic. In fact, it
would appear desirable if the object of a missionary be to labour in
the east, that he should study on this side the desert if possible;
though the difficulties of a family are great here amidst the constant
succeeding commotion of this disturbed country. There is no retiring
place within at least some hundred miles, at all times by a dangerous
journey, but in such times as these almost impassable. And the
elements of disorder do not arise only from the state of the Ottoman
empire, but from the vicinity of Persia, daily encroaching on this
side, as I have mentioned before, both from religious and political
motives, and this spirit is encouraged by the constant weakening of
the pashalic. About fifty or sixty years ago, commenced the government
of Suliman Pasha the elder, who continued twenty-three years in his
situation and died in his bed. This Pasha raised Bagdad from a place
of little mercantile consideration to be one of the most important
places of traffic in the east, and he allured merchants from all
parts by the equity and firmness of his government. From that to the
present ti