Sketch of Antonio Bishallany

Front matter

SKETCH

OF

ANTONIO BISHALLANY,

Chapter 1

ANTONIO BISHALLANY,

A SYRIAN OF MOUNT LEBANON

CHAPTER I.

Antonio Bishallany was born August 22, 1827, in the village of Salima, on mount Lebanon. This mountain is said to be three hundred miles in circumference, and its loftiest peak not less than ten thousand feet high; some parts of it being covered with perpetual snow. Its sides and the valleys lying between its various ridges are remarkable for their fertility, and abound in fruit and trees of beautiful shape and foliage. The almond-tree, the fig, the olive, the mulberry, and the vine grow luxuriantly, and yield their delicious products in abundance. Here also is seen a peculiar tree resembling somewhat in appearance the apple-tree, though more bushy and thickset, with darker and longer leaves. It is called the kharub, and bears a pod which is used as a food for swine, and with which, it is said, the poor prodigal would have filled his belly. Here too grows the sycamore-tree, not the one which bears that name with us, commonly called the button-wood, but a tree bearing several crops of figs during the year, usually planted by the wayside, and easily climbed; so that Zaccheus found a convenient position among the branches of the sycamore, to wait for the passing crowd and catch a sight of the great Redeemer. Travellers speak too of groves of pines, the box, the fir-tree, and the myrtle—rich evergreens, that are pleasant to the eye, and give to the mountain its deep verdant tinge and velvet richness, when gazed upon with delight by those who visit the holy land and behold the goodly Lebanon.

The mountain is especially celebrated for its large and valuable cedars. But of these noble trees comparatively few remain. To them the psalmist compares the Christian. "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon." The sacred Scriptures often speak of Lebanon. Some of Isaiah's most elegant imagery is derived from its scenery; and how must Moses have conceived of its beauteous aspect, when he prayed the Lord that he might be permitted to pass over Jordan, that he might "see the good land beyond, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon."

A little village on this celebrated mountain was the birthplace and early home of Antonio. Here his young mind unfolded amid the boldest of nature's works, and acquired that vigor and independence of thought for which he was afterwards distinguished. And here, among flowers and trees and fruits, he gained the first conceptions of that great and benevolent God whom he so ardently loved when, in after-years, he beheld him in the light of revelation.

Antonio's father was a dresser of the vine and olive. The vine was extensively cultivated in Lebanon, and in other parts of Palestine. We read of the grapes of Eshcol, which the men who went to spy out the land of Canaan brought back; and as one cluster was carried by two men on a staff, we presume it was very large, and that the grapes of that country attained an uncommon degree of perfection. The Saviour, when on earth, often drew his illustrations from the vine.

The wine it produced was also well known in the holy land, and furnished the scriptural writers an expressive figure by which to represent the rich provision of the gospel. Hence the prophet cries, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."

What were the character and disposition of Antonio during his boyhood, the writer has no means of learning. He was probably of sprightly disposition, active in his movements, and possessing in a high degree the playfulness and ardor usually characteristic of that period of life. Not unlikely he often accompanied his father and brothers in their customary occupation, and either watched them as they prepared the soil or trained and pruned the vines, or aided them in the pleasing employment. And we may readily sup- pose that he wandered occasionally among the hills, climbed the trees, and gathered the fruits that hung in ripening clusters in the vicinity of his home. At one time he might probably have been seen sitting beneath one of the tall cedars of his native forest, and at another standing upon a projecting rock, and looking out upon the blue Mediterranean, while its freshening breezes fanned his face and strengthened his opening manhood.

His parents were poor, but honest and industrious, and gained a humble subsistence by their daily toil. Although originally of Arab lineage, Antonio was not a Mussulman, but a devotee of the Maronite or Romish church, which in Syria contends with the Greek for supremacy, while both are in perpetual danger from the inroads of the Mohammedan pashas, who lord it over the mixed races that now occupy the glorious land of Palestine. Antonio's earliest recollections were of hard labor, scanty fare, and constant danger. First the ruling pasha, then his horde of underlings, and lastly the Romish priest, had to be paid their dues, legal or illegal. In this way the hard earn- ings of Antonio's father were consumed, and his family kept in poverty.

How wonderful the purposes of divine grace! In this family, thus poor and oppressed by civil and ecclesiastical power, in the obscure recesses of an eastern mountain, where ignorance and superstition held their sway, and the members of that family were all in gloomy vassalage to a false religion—even there, amid circumstances so unfavorable to piety, God had his chosen child in the person of poor Antonio the Syrian Arab, who, though then himself a bigoted Maronite, was yet to be enlightened by the gospel, and become a faithful friend and advocate of the truth of Christianity. The Lord hath his hidden ones. Like the precious gem, they may now be imbedded in the gross material of earth, and their value be unknown; but in his own time He will apply the instruments of truth and grace, and so divest them of their outer covering of depraved habits, and so polish and brighten the inward graces of their hearts as to render them brilliant stones in his holy temple. Thus God illustrates his wisdom and grace, and makes manifest that in the conversion of souls "it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."

Syria has always been occupied by different tribes, who have their different religions. Sectarian prejudices and animosities prevail between them, and often they become involved in civil war. The Moslems or Turks are the ruling class, and number eight hundred thousand. Besides these are the Greeks, the Armenians, the Nusairîyeh, the Maronites, and the Druzes, with other smaller tribes, making in all a population of more than 1,610,000. In addition to these are the Arabs, who roam over the deserts, the descendants of Ishmael of whom it was predicted, "He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him."

The Maronites, with whom the Bishallany family were connected, were a numerous sect on mount Lebanon, comprising, it is said, between two and three hundred thousand souls. They derived their name from John Maro, an ecclesiastic who lived in the character of a monk in the famous convent of Saint Maro, upon the borders of the Orontes. For some centuries this people were excluded from the Romish church, for holding the doctrines of a sect called Monothelites. But renouncing this heresy, they were readmitted in the year 1182 to the communion of the Roman church, and became again subject to the Pope. They have a patriarch who resides in the monastery of Cannubin, on mount Lebanon, and assumes the title of Patriarch of Antioch, and the name of Peter, as if desirous of being considered the successor of the apostle. Antonio could speak from his own experience of their exclusive and persecuting spirit, of the wall of separation existing between them and Protestant Christians, and of the impossibility of any Maronite renouncing his faith without incurring the severest anathemas.

The Druzes are about 100,000 in population, and live chiefly in villages in the higher parts of Lebanon. Their religion is a mixture of idolatry with fanciful speculation, transplanted from Egypt to Syria by Derazy, from whom the sect derived its name. The most celebrated of their sacred places is on the top of a hill just above Hasbeiya. Druze Khulwehs, as their sacred places are called, have nothing of the appearance of places of worship, and are hardly distinguished from common dwelling-houses. Cleanliness, simplicity, and quiet are their distinguishing characteristics; and the visitor is received with a hospitality so urgent, that it is generally impossible, without absolute rudeness, to make even the shortest call without tasting something. Intoxicating drinks and tobacco, however, are never offered. These articles are banished from every Khulweh, and the initiated by their vow of initiation are the strictest teetotalers.

Between the Druzes and the Maronites, to whom the Bishallany family belonged, there existed a strong aversion, leading to occasional feuds and bloody conflicts. One cause of this ill-feeling was the circumstance of the Druzes of Wady et Teim having joined their brethren of Hauren in a rebellion against Ibrahim Pasha, the Turkish governor. The pasha called to his assistance the Christians of Lebanon: namely, those connected with the Greek church, and the Maronites. A decisive battle was fought near Shiba, in which the Druzes were defeated. As a consequence, the old and celebrated Khulwehs were plundered; the sacred and secret adytum was entered, and the contents of several chests of books were scattered through the country and over the world. The Druzes of course were deeply exasperated by this treatment, and when they subsequently obtained the ascendency, they made the Christians pay dearly for this trespass upon the rights and property of their neighbors. The governor disarmed the Christians; and then, backed by 1,800 Druzes, he exacted indemnities for what they had lost by plunder, and imposed a heavy fine upon all who had been known to take a book. The result is, says a missionary writer from whom we have derived these facts, a deep-seated enmity between the two sects, which has descended into the heart of every man, woman, and child.

The Bishallany family were destined to share in the infuriated vengeance of the Druzes; for however humble and inoffensive they were, nothing could shelter them from the wrath of an enemy still burning with resentment. Like angry wolves, these bold and cruel mountaineers fixed their eyes upon this quiet little flock, and were eager for their prey.

In 1837, when Antonio was about ten years of age, the family were startled by the shouts of the enemy now rushing upon the premises with overpowering numbers. To resist was useless, and the only alternative was to escape for their lives. Terrified and dismayed, they forsook their home, and avoiding the murderous weapons of their bloodthirsty foes, they hastened to some place of security. In the meantime the Druzes set fire to their dwelling-house, and laid waste and destroyed the vineyard and olive gardens, which Antonio's father and brothers had so carefully cultivated, and on which they depended for a humble support.

Poor Antonio, how sad must have been his feelings when fleeing from the home of his childhood, where every tree and rock and gushing spring were endeared to him. How his heart must have sickened when, looking back, he beheld the little cottage where he had played and enjoyed so many happy days enveloped in flames, and becoming a heap of smouldering ruins; and with what painful regret must he have thought of the vineyard and olive grounds which had kindly yielded their fruit as the reward of his father's toil, now trodden down and destroyed by the ruthless spoilers. Both to him and to the rest of the family, the disaster that had thus suddenly overtaken them must have seemed truly calamitous, and we cannot think of this exiled, fugitive, houseless family, and especially of the afflicted parents, hastening down the pathway of the mount, seeking a place of refuge and of rest, without emotions of sympathy and sorrow.

We often learn from experience and observation that things which appeared to be adverse and trying, turn to the highest advantage of those who are affected by them. There is a wise and gracious Providence that guides all events. Circumstances that seemed to be accidental, trials incurred through our own imprudence, or inflicted by the instrumentality of others, are controlled by the unseen hand of the Lord, who can bring good out of evil. Men may persecute and injure the Christian, but as in the case of Joseph, while they meant it for evil, God meant it for good. A person may meet with reverse of fortune, be disappointed in the accomplishment of some design, and at the time most deeply lament the occurrence that seemed so unfavorable to his interest; but presently he is impelled by this very failure of his projected plans, to take a step that leads him to prosperity and happiness. A severe affliction comes upon him, but God sanctifies it to his spiritual advantage; a new course is given to the current of his thoughts and feelings; a new purpose of life is formed, and a field of usefulness and happiness is opened, of which he had formed no conception. A young man who has no serious thoughts of God, or of his own soul, volunteers in the service of his country. He is wounded in battle, and carried to a hospital. There he comes under Christian influences. A religious tract is placed in his hand, or a minister of Jesus speaks to him of Christ and the great salvation. The truth finds entrance into his heart. He accepts of offered mercy, devotes himself to the service of God, and goes forth to live a new and holy life. A reckless son who profanes the Sabbath, never visits the house of God, or reads the sacred word, tired of the restraints of home, forsakes his father's house and embarks upon the ocean. The vessel is wrecked, and he is cast upon a foreign shore. There he finds a mission station, and taken kindly by the hand, is induced to go and listen to the gospel message. The Lord opens his heart. He repents and believes, and goes home at length to make his parents rejoice that this their son, who was dead, is alive again; that he who was lost, is found.

Thus it will be seen in the progress of this narrative, that the hand of God directed the trying events that befell Antonio; that he made the wrath of man to praise him, and caused this sudden calamity to be among the "all things" which work together for good to them who love God, and are the called according to his purpose.

Chapter 2

CHAPTER II.

After the Bishallany family fled from their home before the infuriated Druzes, they took refuge in a village on the Lebanon range, not far distant from the city of Beirut. About this time the father died, and the support of the remaining members of the household devolved on the elder brother. Their means of living being very limited, Antonio, not wishing to be a burden to his brothers, was anxious to obtain some situation in which he might be useful, and at the same time procure an honest livelihood. In the providence of God an opening was presented to him by the Italian consul at Beirut, who proposed employing him as his attendant. Antonio was pleased to accept the offer, and engaged with cheerfulness in this service. He was willing to employ his talents in any honest calling, and felt it to be no degradation to serve in a capacity in which he could secure some remuneration without doing violence to his conscience. He was a youth of high-toned feeling and lofty aspirations, and would gladly have acceded to some more advantageous proposal; but the present position being placed within his reach, and being in circumstances of need, he availed himself of a berth which proved to be both pleasant and useful. He was faithful and diligent in the performance of his duties, ever active and obliging, and by his general good conduct gained the confidence and kind feeling of the consul, whom he accompanied to Smyrna and to different islands of the Mediterranean.

Beirut is an ancient city, and was from an early date a place of importance. It became a Roman colony in the reign of Augustus. Agrippa adorned and beautified it with colonnades, porticos, theatres, and other public buildings, the remains of which are entombed beneath the rubbish of the ancient city, or lie at the bottom of the sea in front of the town. Christianity was early planted there, and churches flourished. It was also a seat of learning, and its law school was resorted to by youth of the first families. In the year 551 it was visited by an awful earthquake, which overthrew its churches, temples, and palaces, and buried vast multitudes beneath their ruins. The city was rebuilt, and though it never regained its former magnificence, yet within the last thirty years it has attained a large population, and become distinguished for its wealth and commerce. Its population since 1830 has grown from five to forty thousand. At that period there was scarcely a decent house outside of the walls; now two thirds of the population reside in the gardens, which with hundreds of convenient dwellings, and not a few noble mansions, adorn the charming suburbs. European merchants have selected it for the seat of their operations; and as the foreign consuls settled in this city, the government was led to make it the capital of the country.

Beirut is the seat of Christian missionary operations. Many years since, the American Board selected this metropolis of Syria as the centre of religious light and influence. They planted there the standard of the gospel, and men of talents and piety have long been occupied in preaching the word, translating the Scriptures, instructing the young, and thus bringing the truth to bear upon the ignorance, superstition, and vice of this benighted country. How affecting it is that Syria and Palestine, where the Redeemer lived and taught in the streets, and where the apostles proclaimed the news of salvation and planted churches, and where Christianity gained its earliest and noblest triumphs, should have sunk into darkness, have their candlestick removed from its place, and be trodden down by Turkish tyranny, and deluded by the errors and superstitions of false religions. And yet, again, how interesting that the light of the gospel, which originally emanated from the East, and in the progress of years shed its illuminating rays upon the western world, should now return from this favored land to enlighten and bless those who once enjoyed the light, but are now sitting in darkness and the shadow of death.

The providences which brought Antonio to Beirut at the age of fourteen, brought him also within the reach of missionary influ- ence. We know not whether he frequented any of the places where the missionaries gave instruction, or held intercourse with any one of these devoted servants of Christ; but he came within reach of the Bible, that holy book, whose blessed pages these Christian laborers had translated into the Syrian tongue, and which now could intelligibly convey to the minds of Jews and Turks, Arabs and Maronites, the way of salvation by Jesus Christ. And as this holy book was destined to exert a remarkable influence on the heart and life of Antonio, its discovery and subsequent perusal, as well as the circumstances that led to this result, were so many links in the chain by which the Lord guided this interesting youth in the way of truth, safety, and happiness.

On a Sabbath several years later, as Antonio was walking through the streets of Beirut, he met a person offering for sale Bibles in the Arabic language, and published by the British and Foreign Bible Society. He inquired the price, and was answered, Fifty cents. The lowness of the price measured to him the value of the book. He compared it in his mind with a copy of the Arabian Nights, which he possessed, and for which he paid the sum of ten dollars. He went away in disgust, thinking that a book that could be bought at so small a price must be of very little value. But Antonio's interest in that blessed volume was not to terminate here. His curiosity was awakened; his thoughts were occupied by that book; he longed to know its contents. At length yielding to the impulses of his heart, he went in search of the Bible-seller, and secretly purchased a copy. He knew it was a prohibited volume; that the authorities of the church would not allow him to read it; and if it were discovered that he had been guilty of so great an offence, he would be visited with a severe penalty. But he could not understand why the Bible should be prohibited, and yet other books, that were impure and injurious in their tendency, should be allowed. He was curious to ascertain whether it contained worse words than the Arabian Nights; the priests of his church—the Maronite—permitting the reading of the one, and forbidding the perusal of the other. This work, he remarked, is extremely immoral far beyond any conception we can form from our translations "Surely," he said to himself, "the Bible cannot be worse than the Arabian Nights."

Let it be observed that Antonio could read the Arabic language. At an early period when at home he manifested a strong desire for knowledge, and in some manner, probably from one of the priests, learned to read and write: no mean acquirement in a country where it is the policy of the rulers, lay and clerical, to keep the people in ignorance. Familiar therefore with his native tongue, he found no difficulty in reading the Scriptures in Arabic.

Entering upon their perusal, he soon came to passages he could not reconcile with the doctrines and practices of the Romish church. "Now," said he to himself, "I know why the priest does not wish me to read the Bible. It is contrary to the church; it condemns the church." But as he thought the church infallible, he concluded that whatever was inconsistent with it must be wrong. He had been brought up under the impression that the Bible is to be tested by the church, and not the church by the Bible. Thus impressed, when he came to the twentieth chapter of Exodus, and read, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, nor any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, … thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them," his rage burst all bounds, and he tossed the book from him in indignation. It was at variance with the practice of the Maronite church, to which he had been trained from childhood. He regarded it as a fable, and resolved to commit it to the flames. But pausing a moment, he said to himself, It will cost me but little time to destroy this volume, but how great must have been the time and labor which it cost to make it. Arrested by this thought, he relinquished his purpose, and renewed his readings, determined to know what it did contain. Frequently he would throw down the book, and with all the impetuosity of his eastern nature, reproach and utter maledictions against the deceivers that published it as the word of God. Sometimes he would go for days without looking at it, but always found reason for returning for another inspection. The subject pressed upon his mind, and he found himself unable to keep his thoughts from it.

Was this the true Bible? Had he been deceived? How should he find out whether it was true or not? Thus he meditated and reasoned with himself. At length the thought occurred to him, that if he could compare with this the church's authenticated version, then he could satisfy himself. Forthwith he went to the priest, and requested the loan of a Bible. "And what," said the priest, "do you want with the Bible? You have no business with the Bible." "But I only want it a short time; I will bring it back to you again." His request was granted. "And now," thought Antonio, "I will find out if this is an honest and true Bible." He sat down and diligently compared the two together. He found them substantially alike. The passages that he thought taught heresy in the one, he found just the same in the other. He turned from passage to passage, and still they agreed. He closed the book. "Now," said he, "I know why the priests do not wish us to read the Bible; it is because the Bible condemns the church, even the Bible they admit to be authentic." The power of the priest with him was broken. He would no more go to confession; he refused to attend mass; he no longer believed in transubstantiation nor in worshipping images, or the Virgin Mary or the crucifix. One by one he took the doctrines of his church, examined them by the light of God's word, and became convinced that they were wrong. Then he became an infidel, and did not believe any thing; but all the while God's good Spirit kept him drinking at the fountain.

The Bible became the subject of constant reflection and study. During the first year he read the sacred volume twice through, and each time he opened its heavenly pages fresh light seemed to break in upon his understanding. It taught him new truths, truths which he could not fully comprehend. It shook his confidence in the rites of his church, and the teachings of his priests. He planned another perusal; he laid out a year for it; he collated passage with passage.

To ascertain Christ, who seemed to him to be so variously represented as to make it un- certain whether he was an individual or not, he took pen and paper, and beginning with Genesis, he wrote out every passage under specific heads, which heads were the various representations of Christ as God, Man, Prophet, Priest, King, Lamb, etc. "His object," he stated, "was to get both a logical and numerical evidence of who Christ was." This study brought him to a belief in the divinity of Christ, and in the Trinity in unity of the godhead. He formed a body of theology for himself—a pure Bible theology; he embraced the whole system of evangelical truth, and became not simply a theoretical believer, but an experimental Christian.

The truths he learned in the word of God were received in faith, and applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit. That Saviour, whom he discovered to be the chief theme of the Bible, became revealed to him as his Redeemer from sin and death; and spiritually enlightened in the knowledge of his person, he was led to exclaim, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ." Jesus became the supreme object of his affections, and the source of his greatest joy. He rested on him with all the simplicity and confidence of a little child, believed his promises, rejoiced in the hope of his forgiving mercy, and devoted all the energies of his soul to his service. He became a cheerful, happy Christian. His heart swelled with gratitude to God for the wonderful providence that had directed his steps; for his deliverance from papal darkness, and his introduction into the light and liberty of the Protestant faith; for having placed the Bible within his reach, and so blessed the reading of it to his soul as to cause him to be born again through the incorruptible seed of the word. He felt that he was brought into a new world, every object of which filled him with wonder, love, and praise. He was no longer a poor outcast, but a fellow-citizen of the saints and of the household of God. God was his Father, Christ his Saviour and Elder Brother, the Holy Spirit his Sanctifier and Comforter, and heaven his everlasting home. Privileges and hopes so precious filled him with joy.

What a striking illustration is here furnished of the power of the Bible in illumi- nating and converting the soul. Here is a young man reared amid the deepest gloom of ignorance and superstition. He met with a copy of the sacred Scriptures. Without any one to guide him or explain the different passages, or any commentary to aid him in ascertaining its meaning, he simply applied himself to its study with that energy and perseverance which an ardent desire for the truth naturally prompted. He felt his need of divine assistance, and implored the Lord to open his eyes, that he might behold wondrous things out of his law. God, who has said, "The meek he will guide in judgment; the meek will he teach his way," revealed to this humble and anxious inquirer the mind of the Spirit. As he proceeded in his investigations, he beheld at each step the evidences of the Bible being the word of God. He discovered in it doctrines so sublime, precepts so holy, promises so consoling, and a provision of grace through Christ Jesus so adapted to his wants, that he knew it was God who spoke through the written word, and that "holy men of old spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."