Translated. 
 
 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 
 
 TO ALL THE MEMBERS OE THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH 
 
 OF ITALY. 
 
 A# _ 
 
 Dearly beloved Brethren in Christ Jesus our Lord, 
 
 We, the undersigned, Members of the XXIst Ge¬ 
 neral Assembly of the Evangelical Church of Italy, 
 gathered together in the presence of God, turn our 
 thoughts to you, and from the depth of our hearts 
 send you our affectionate greeting, using the words of 
 the Apostle Paul to our Roman Fathers and saying: 
 To all you who are in Italy and have communion with 
 us, grace and peace, from God our Father, and from 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, be multiplied. 
 
 You all know, Dearly beloved Brethren, the painful 
 events which have occurred in our midst since March 
 last, events which not only have greatly afflicted our 
 hearts, but which have put in danger the very existence 
 ^(>f our beloved Church. 
 
 You know well that external adversaries of our 
 young Church, entering into a secret and heartless 
 agreement with some of those who were among us, 
 but who were not of us, had decided to destroy us 
 with one single blow. Having, unfortunately, found 
 an easy access to the hearts of these unstable men, 
 they have succeeded in putting in the greatest danger 
 the most vital interests of our Mission, which had been 
 entrusted to their care. So much so that, having made 
 sure that our work was to perish, they had begun 
 already to divide among themselves, not only our pro- 
 
 
perties, but the very members of our poor and betrayed 
 Evangelical Church of Italy. 
 
 We deem it needless to say anything about those 
 who worked from outside in such a shameful way. 
 But what shall we say of those men, who were occupied 
 with the direction of our affairs, and especially of him 
 to whom, with our free votes, we had entrusted the 
 helm of our little Christian vessel, which during the 
 past had been in the hands of our lamented, patriotic 
 and pure-minded Alexander Gavazzi ? If these mei^, 
 had had conscience of their duty, or any sentiment 
 of honour, instead of giving place to the Devil, they 
 would have died rather than betray or desert the Banner 
 of the Church entrusted to them, and which had been 
 Mother to them all. 
 
 Instead of that, they not only passed to another 
 army, with arms and baggage, but did what they could 
 to sell our Church and to bring shame and ruin upon 
 it. In view of such conduct, and the attempt, with 
 unheard-of audacity, to defend their behaviour with 
 pamphlets, in which are violated the most elementary 
 principles of friendship and official confidence, we cannot 
 but say that such men, for having done things hitherto 
 unknown in the annals of any Evangelical Church, are 
 worthy of the greatest blame and of the profoundest 
 pity. So much so, that, leaving them henceforth to 
 the reproaches of their own consciences, we shall pray 
 for their repentance of the evil they have done. 
 
 On the other hand, Dearly beloved Brethren, w<^ 
 are bound to express the sentiments of our deepest 
 gratitude to God, who not only has delivered us from 
 such internal enemies, whom we thought our best friends 
 and worthiest brethren, but also because He permitted 
 that all these things should work together for our 
 good. In fact, as soon as those men, who had tried 
 to kill their Mother Church, had left us, our Heavenly 
 Father sent into His vineyard new labourers, young 
 and old, who, with loving alacrity have filled the va¬ 
 cant places, so that all our Churches are now well 
 provided for. 
 
The benefit of this intervention of Providence is 
 manifest, inasmuch as the body of our Church has been 
 purified of old, deleterious elements and strengthened, 
 by new vital forces, and so rendered better fitted to 
 press forward to its glorious ideal. This happy result 
 is due, not only to the wisdom and activity of those 
 brethren who, having warded off the deadly blow which 
 threatened the very existence of our Church, with cou¬ 
 rage and energy superior to all praise, took up imme- 
 jp^diately its orderly government; but above all to God 
 Himself, who, in His infinite goodness, gave 11s the 
 most manifest proof of his special love and protection, 
 by not only changing all the evil done unto us into 
 a real blessing, but also by granting unto our Church 
 new, rich and unexpected favours. In fact His pre¬ 
 sence, to begin with, was never felt so powerfully 
 among us as in this solemn General Assembly. His 
 light, grace and brotherly love, have been shed abroad 
 upon us all, and many Christian hearts have been moved 
 in deepest sympathy towards us and our work in Italy. 
 So much so that, from many parts of Christendom, 
 have been sent to us expressions of Christian love and 
 real interest. It is also a fact, that some eminent men 
 in other lands who, hitherto, had not known our po¬ 
 sition and work, in view of our present trial and danger, 
 have now come to the rescue, declaring themselves our 
 warmest and most enthusiastic friends. 
 
 All this could not but act most favourably on the 
 ^piind of our greatest friend and constant Benefactor, 
 Rev. Dr. John R. Mac Dougall, who notwithstanding 
 the unworthy behaviour towards him, on the part of 
 these betrayers of the good cause of Christ, seeing 
 our union, our gratitude, our attachment to him, and 
 our resolution to go forward, is now more than ever 
 determined to help us, convinced that we have a great 
 mission to accomplish in Italy, a mission which can 
 only terminate, when all Italians, to the last man, are 
 converted to the Gospel of Christ. 
 
 From all this you may see, Dearly beloved Breth¬ 
 ren, that having passed through this new baptism of 
 
fire, we are now in a better position than before this 
 last persecution took place. A vivifying spirit has 
 breathed upon us all and a new era of blessed success 
 seems to be opening for our Church God is in our 
 midst, in us and for us; and if so, what remains now 
 for us to do but to let ourselves be guided by this 
 Morning Star which has arisen in our hearts, and to 
 push on our work with a new impulse, being enlight¬ 
 ened and strengthened by God Himself, who is opening 
 our hearts to new, gracious hopes of prosperity and*^ 
 success. 
 
 Let us consecrate therefore ourselves to Him, who 
 has entrusted unto us the most noble mission in the 
 world, that of preaching Ills glorious Gospel in this 
 dear, old and classical country of ours. Let us put off 
 the old man with his deeds ; let us put on the new 
 man which is renewed day by day. Let us work hand 
 in hand. Let us be of one mind and of one heart. 
 Let us feel ourselves one in Christ and being united 
 in brotherly love, in mutual confidence and in perfect 
 sympathy, as an army of the living God, let 11s hold 
 aloft the glorious banner of our dear Church, determined 
 to preach the Gospel of Christ to all Italians, from the 
 Alps to furthest Sicily. 
 
 The Lord is our light and our salvation ; in His 
 name we shall be more than conquerors. 
 
 With tills faith, in this hope and with perfect love, 
 these things write we unto you, that your joy may be 
 full, and greeting you again most affectionately, we are/" 
 
 Your sincere brethren in Christ Jesus, 
 
 The 80 Members of the XXIst General Assembly 
 of the 'Evanydiced Church of Italy, etc. 
 
 Florence, 1st November, 1895. 
 
 1 
 
 ■ w 
 
 Printed by G. Barbara.