82 DIFFERENT OPINIONS. 



more enlightenment has been vouchsafed since to 

 this benighted Church. Speaking of the procla- 

 mation of the Emperor Socinios restoring to the 

 Abyssinians their ancient faith, after an unsuccessful 

 attempt to establish the Roman Catholic religion 

 among them, this author remarks, " This liberty 

 threw them into many errors; for being un- 

 certain what to believe, some of their monks 

 affirmed, that Christ was the Son of God, 

 only by grace; others, that the divinity died 

 with him on the cross, but that he had two 

 divinities, one of which died, and the other 

 survived; others said, one person was com- 

 posed of the two others, confounded the Divine 

 nature with the human; and others, being quite 

 puzzled, cried, 4 Christ is true God, and true man, 

 and it is enough to know that.' Nor was there 

 less division about consecrating the cup, some 

 contending it could not be done with any liquor 

 but wine ; others, that it should be water dis- 

 coloured with six or seven raisins. At length, they 

 agreed it should be done as was used at Alexandria ; 

 and finding no abler person to inquire of, they put 

 the question to an Egyptian carpenter, who told 

 them, it was done there in wine ; yet they resolved 

 it should be with water and raisins." 



This quotation appeared so apt and so true a 

 picture of the present state of Christian belief in 

 Shoa, that I have not hesitated to introduce it here. 

 I should be happy, indeed, to see demonstrated 



