Another Chapter of the "Teaching."
By Editor
PERHAPS a few of the readers of the SIGNS have not forgotten that wonderful document, "The Teaching of the Apostles," of which we heard so much last year, and which was to effect such a revolution in some of the old beliefs, especially baptism and the Sabbath. It may be remembered that by ingeniously inserting a few words in the translation, and inferring a few things, the "Teaching" was made to do valiant service for the Sunday institution. The "Teaching" itself has already almost passed into oblivion, but Bishop Bryennios, the venerable discoverer of the precious relic, is still working for the same power that was responsible for the counterfeit Sabbath in the first place, and for all the frauds, such as the "Teaching," the "Epistle of Barnabas," etc., by which it has sought to perpetuate that counterfeit. Mr. Pierce, of Bardezag, writes as follows to the Missionary Herald:— In the village of Sardoan, the people are all Greeks. In their business relations with the city of Adabazar, some of them came to know, through converts of the American Board, the doctrines of Protestantism, and a few became earnest Christians. They maintained, however, their relations with the Greek Church, from which they had no thought of separating. They would attend church Sunday morning, and meet together Sunday afternoon for prayer and praise and Bible reading. No missionary had ever visited the village. Recently, Bishop Bryennios visited Sardoan, and, calling on those suspected of being Bible readers, he put such questions as these to them:— " 'What are you?' To the answer, 'I am a Christian,' he returned, 'What kind of a Christian are you? Are you orthodox?' 'Yes, I am orthodox.' 'Are you like me?' 'I don't know what you are.' 'Bring me one of those pictures; will you kiss that picture?' 'No; I can't do that.' 'Then get out of this. You are a Protestant,' etc." In his sermon in the church, he instructed the priests not to baptize the children, nor to bury the dead of any of the Protestants; to turn them out of the church, and to have nothing to do with them. The people should not give them salutations, nor accept theirs; they were bad men, etc. Bryennios is a bishop of the Greek Church, which occupies a closer relationship to the "mother of harlots" than does any other church. It might well be termed an own sister. We are not at all surprised at his latest exploit. It is perfectly in keeping with the power which by "pious frauds" has upheld Sunday as a sacred day. It will be remembered that, in the Bible, changing times and laws, and wearing out the saints, are companion pieces.