particularly mentioned, the church was annihilated. At Nagasaki, a Dutch writer relates that in 1626, he found forty thousand Catholics. Three years after, he was unable to hear of a solitary Christian left. A form of recantation was subscribed by all, in which they declared their belief, that the "law of the Christians" was an invention of the devil, and consented, should they ever embrace it again, to be burned alive, themselves and their families.

In short, Christianity was uprooted and driven out of town after town, and state after state, till it collected itself for its last struggle, sword in hand, in the kingdom of Arima. The rebels, for they now openly assumed that character, took possession of the town of Simabara, where they were besieged by Xongun, in 1638, with eighty thousand men. They defended themselves with the courage of desperation, but against odds. both of numbers and arms, which left them no chance of escape.

The Dutch, who have been the opprobrium of Protestantism in Japan, assisted the emperor in the reduction of this stronghold. They were the rivals of the Portuguese in trade, their enemies in religion. They themselves had suffered through a long and dreadful war all the atrocities of Catholic vengeance. They thought it right to help extinguish in Japan that remorseless fanaticism, whose tender mercies they had experienced in Europe. Certainly it was a grievous and cruel error, but it was only an humble imitation of a great Romish example. The Pope himself had, not many years before, sent his own mercenaries across the Alps, to aid in the slaughter of the French Protestants, expressly charged to grant no quarter.

Still these brave defenders of the last hold of Catholicism were not Spaniards or Portuguese, but simple native converts driven into revolt by outrageous persecution. It was as disgraceful to Dutch manhood, as it was to Protestant Christianity to throw the weight of European cannon on the side of the oppressor; and what makes it worse is, that the prevailing motive seems to have been baser than a vindictive hatred of Romanism. It was a mere mercenary calculation of profit, looking to the increase of Dutch trade as the fruit of compliance with the Sjogun's wishes. "The Dutch, as friends and allies of the

emperor, were requested to assist the Japanese in the siege of Simabara. M. Kockebecker, who was then director of the Dutch trade and nation, having received the emperor's orders to this purpose, repaired thither without delay, on board a Dutch ship lying at anchor in the harbor of Firando; and within a fortnight's time battered the old town with four hundred and twenty-six cannon balls, both from on board his own ship, and from a battery planted on shore. This compliance of the Dutch, and their conduct during the siege were entirely to the satisfaction of the Japanese; and although the besieged seemed in no manner of forwardness to surrender, yet as by this canonnading they had been greatly reduced in number, and their strength greatly broken, M. Kockebecker had leave at last to depart, after they had obliged him to land six more of his guns for the use of the emperor.

The place was still too strong for Xongun to venture an assault, but provisions began to fail, and the besieged had only a choice of deaths. They knew there was no hope of mercy, and resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible. In a desperate sally they cut their way into the enemies' camp, and after having slain great numbers, were themselves overpowered and cut to pieces. The defenceless town was then taken, and the women and children, with the sick and wounded butchered in heaps. The dead were thrown together in a huge pile, and over their remains the following absurd and impious inscription was set up: "So long as the sun continues to shine, let no Christian presume to set foot in Japan. Let all know that the king of Spain himself, or the Pope, or the Christian's God, if he violates this command, shall pay for it with his head."

Thus fell to the ground in irretrievable ruin the very last fragment of the fabric reared by Jesuit energies in Japan. The enterprise failed through over confidence and extravagant zeal. Portuguese rapacity and insolence aroused the just alarm of the government. The people welcomed Christianity, as we believe they will be found prepared to do now. The Cubos, who were bending their efforts to destroy the religion of the country and

* Kämpfer, quoted by M'Farlane, p. 46.

its formidable priesthood, would have welcomed the gospel too, had it come in its unalloyed simplicity, rendering to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's. But the missionaries would not be contented without laying the empire at the feet of the Pope. Their well known character for political intrigue gives great probability to the charge of their having conspired to effect the overthrow of the government. Here, as everywhere else, the craft and ambition of the Jesuits recoiled upon themselves. They lost by mismanagement the most brilliant conquest ever within reach of the Romish church. It is impossible to give the Jesuits too much praise for heroic courage and constancy. All they want in order to make perfect missionaries, is goodness and simplicity of purpose, with a knowledge of the true nature of the gospel. Several desperate efforts they made in and after the year 1639 to recover their lost ground, only resulted in a useless sacrifice of the lives of those concerned. From the time Xavier landed at Kangosima, till the last forlorn hope of the company expired in the fosse at Nagasaki in 1643, was just ninety-four years.

It has been already suggested, that whatever may be the immediate results of the "Japan expedition," the gates of the empire cannot much longer be kept closed against foreign commerce and residence. This is an unavoidable necessity, to which China has yielded, and Japan, a fortiori, must yield. In bringing about this end, we cannot too earnestly deprecate violence, or outrage of any sort to the national feeling. The Japanese are a brave people, keenly sensitive to insult; and their soil has not been profaned by the foot of an invader within any period known to history. It would be calamitous both. in its immediate, and its remoter consequences, if Christianity should come before them only under the symbol of the wareagle, thunder-bolt charged. We hope an intelligent council at Yeddo have informed themselves of the progress of events, and will conform their policy to the necessities of the age. In this case it will be but a very short time before Japan is open to the introduction of the gospel. The student is perhaps now in some one of our Theological Seminaries, who will be the Morrison of the Japanese mission.

Of all heathendom, Japan, we believe, will be the scene of

the great struggle between Protestantism and the Church of Rome. It may safely be taken for granted that no sooner will the country be open to foreigners, than the followers of Loyola will flock in to reclaim their ancient seats. They have watered the soil freely with their blood, and that of their converts, and will look now for the harvest. They may hope that traditions still survive to predispose the people in their favor. Protestants will not be backward in their efforts to plant there, pure Christianity.

We regard it as interesting and hopeful beyond almost any other field of missionary effort. The people have nothing of that supineness and blank stupidity that characterizes the heathen mind in many parts of the world. They are an intellectual people; acute, inquisitive, and eager for knowledge. The multitude of sects prevailing in Japan has accustomed them to argument on religious questions. In their debates with the Jesuit fathers they often displayed great shrewdness and even wit. The bonzes used these qualities, to be sure, in turning the mysteries of the Catholic faith into ridicule, and will no doubt try the same weapons on the doctrines preached by Protestant missionaries. Still no missionary will hesitate in preferring the acute active-minded Japanese, ever ready to grapple in argument with the truth, to the childish and vacant thoughtlessness of some of the African and Polynesian tribes. Truth cannot create mind; but where it finds mind, it can commend itself to the judgment and conscience.

We must add to this that the Japanese are an educated people. They have a system of common school instruction, on which children of both sexes and all ranks attend. Reading, writing and history are taught, and the child of the humblest peasant is expected to acquire as much as this. Then there are academies and universities, some of them containing several thousand pupils, in which higher branches are pursued.

The Japanese have an extensive literature. They have possessed for many centuries the art of printing on blocks. They cultivate poetry, philosophy, romance and the drama. Their books are liberally ornamented with illustrative cuts. They are fond of reading; persons of both sexes being frequently seen

sitting in the open air, book in hand. These are circumstances eminently favorable to the circulation of the Scriptures, and an evangelical literature.

The language is understood to be difficult beyond most others; yet it presents no obstacles insuperable by ordinary skill and perseverance. The Jesuits were able to converse and preach in it in the course of a few years, though one of them, perhaps less apt than the rest in acquiring tongues, "felt quite certain that the language and the letters had been invented and rendered difficult by Satan himself, in order to perplex poor missionaries, and hinder the progress of the true faith." The Japanese alphabet like the Chinese is a syllabarium, or alphabet of syllables, with a very large number of course, of elementary characters; besides which Japanese writers, it is said, are greatly addicted to mixing up Chinese characters with their own, which increases the confusion. Partly through the labors of the Jesuits however, considerable facilities are now enjoyed for the acquisition of the language. Several grammars exist in Spanish and French, and a learned German, Professor Pfitzmayer is engaged in completing and publishing a dictionary at Vienna. It is somewhat alarming to learn from Mr. McFarlane, that "if continued and concluded on its present ample scale, this work will run to twenty volumes."

We have already alluded to the outward resemblance between Buddhism and Christianity. This might have some influence perhaps in reconciling the mind of a Buddhist to a change of faith, or at all events, might interest him in an examination of the gospel history. But there are besides this certain analogies or correspondences between the two systems. which may convince the disciple of Fo, that he finds in Christianity the perfect complement of his own dreamy and unsatisfying faith. The original principle of the Buddhist taught him to renounce dependence on a priesthood as a necessary medium of communication with the Creator, and to rely on personal union with the Divine, by the communication and indwelling of a divine spirit; a principle which finds its complete realization in the spiritual nature of the Christian service, and that inward. renovation which makes each Christian "a habitation of God through the Spirit." Christianity presents an intelligible and