INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY INTO MADAGASCAR. 530 



No better illustration of how the great and loving Father rectifies all 

 that is wrong, and satisfies the yearning desires of His people, as from many 

 a heart, and from many a home, as well as from the Church militant, there 

 goes forth the cry, " Thy kingdom come !" than that which is afforded in the 

 results of the Madagascar Mission, to which Dr. Livingstone refers — results 

 which have exceeded the most sanguine expectations of the followers of Christ 

 throughout the world, and given an impetus to the work of the Christian 

 Church, which is bearing blessed fruit, not only in the widespread revival of 

 religion, but more especially in the voluntary consecration of many hundreds 

 of the most promising young men of our Churches to the work of Christian 

 Missions among the heathen. A recent writer gives the following account of 

 the Church in Madagascar, showing very clearly that not only does God 

 make " the wrath of men to praise him," but that however intense the moral 

 darkness which may prevail in any land, the light of the Gospel of the grace 

 of God is sufficient to dispel it : — 



" Upwards of half a century ago Christianity was introduced into Mada- 

 gascar by the London Missionary Society. The missionaries found the people 

 sunk in idolatry, without a written language, and without a literature. They 

 taught the Malagasy men and women the truths of the Gospel, reduced their 

 language to writing, instructed some thousands of their children to read, and 

 gave them the Scriptures in their own tongue. A few consistent converts to 

 the Christian faith were formed into little churches ; and in addition to the 

 Word of God, they were provided with the ' Pilgrim's Progress.' 



" In these circumstances a frightful persecution, instigated by a fana- 

 tical and wolfish Queen, was directed against the poor Christian people. The 

 missionaries were expelled. Persecution raged from 1835 to 1857. The pro- 

 fession of Christianity was treated as a capital offence, and a multitude which 

 no man has ever yet numbered were put to death in the most cruel manner 

 for their adherence to the truth. The Church of Madagascar seemed to those 

 at a distance to disappear from the earth ; but not a few succeeded in conceal- 

 ing themselves and their Bibles from their cruel foes. It is now ascertained 

 that about seventy copies of the Scriptures were preserved ; and these sacred 

 deposits, carefully guarded, became fountains of comfort and life to the per- 

 secuted but faithful remnant. In this way the Church of Madagascar not 

 only survived the persecution, which lasted about a quarter of a century, but, 

 in spite of persecution, gained in numbers and in spiritual strength. 



" The figures which represented roughly the supposed state of matters 

 about eighteen months ago were such as the following : — 



European missionaries . . 30 

 Ordained native missionaries 50 

 Christian workers . . . 3,000 

 Church members . . . 67,000 



Adherents 28,000 



Schools 570 



Scholars 25,000 



Contributions £2,000 



