Page:Christianity in China, Tartary, and Thibet Volume I.djvu/300

288 288 CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA, ETC. " To the Excellent and Magnificent prince Abaga, the illustrious king of the Oriental Tartars, may he walk in the way of truth ! " The holy Roman Church is thrilling with joy in the Lord, for the happy news that the messengers of your magnificence have reported both verbally and in writing to our predecessor Pope John and our brethren the cardinals. These letters say that if a Christian army should disembark in the Holy Land, you promise to provide for its wants, and to assist it in person to the utmost of your power, against the enemies of the Christian faith. You declare at the end of these letters that we may put entire confidence in what these envoys may say to us on your behalf, and they have told us things pleasing to God, and pleasing to our prede- cessor and our brethren, amongst whom I then fulfilled the functions of cardinal. What happy news are these, and how worthy to be received with holy rapture, since they involve the salvation of so many souls ! We speak of the intelligence thus conveyed to us, that our dear son in Jesus Christ, your uncle Kublai, Grand Khan, Emperor and Moderator of all the Tartars, has been baptized, and solicits the Church of Rome to send him some qualified persons to instruct you, your children, and your people in the Christian religion. " Let our mother Church rejoice that by the merciful clemency of Jesus Christ her spouse, it is given to her to regenerate so many children in the waters of baptism. Let the pastor of the Church rejoice that in his day Chris- tianity has received an addition to the flock of countless nations ! What gladness will there be in the celestial courts, at the safe return of so many lost sheep, since, according to the gospel, there is more rejoicing there