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 636 MISSAUKEE FOREIGN MISSIONS initiated, and its rich cover was adorned with precious stones. The most ancient known is that of Vercelli, said to have been entirely writ- ten by St. Eusebius, bishop of that city (died about 370). In the 9th century (see LITURGY) all these separate parts were united in one vol- ume, called plenary missal, the use of which was made obligatory in all churches. The evan- gelary, lectionary, and antiphonary have been continued in separate volumes, for the con- venience of the inferior ministers and the choir. The Roman missal consists of three principal parts: 1, the Proprium Missarumde Tempore, containing the formularies for the masses of the Sundays; 2, the Proprium Missarum de Sanctis, containing special formularies of mass for the festivals of several saints ; 3, the Com- mune Sanctorum, containing general formula- ries for classes of saints (as apostles, martyrs, confessors, &c.), serving as an appendix to the second part for such saints as have no special service assigned them. The Ordo Missce, con- taining that part of the mass which is invari- able, is inserted in the first part of the missal between Saturday of Passion week and Easter. (Concerning the Ambrosian, Mozarabic, and Gallican missals, see LITURGY.) Some dioceses and religious orders have in an appendix special formularies for the masses of certain favorite saints ; but the congregation of rites, to which belongs the direction of liturgic matters, dis- countenances everything that tends to lessen uniformity. See the Rev. Daniel Rock, Rie- rurgia (2 vols., London, 1833 ; 2d ed., 1 vol., 1851), and "The Church of our Fathers, as seen in St. Osmond's Rite for the Cathedral of Salisbury " (3 vols., London, 1849). MISSAUKEC, a N. central county of the S. peninsula of Michigan, watered by the Manis- tee and Muskegon rivers; area, 576 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 130. The surface is rolling and well timbered, and the soil moderately fertile. Capital, Falmouth. MISSIMIPPI RIVER. See CHURCHILL. MISSIONS, Foreign. In a theological sense, this term denotes the efforts made by the pro- fessors of a religious creed to propagate their doctrines in countries following other religious persuasions. The disciples of Christ received from their master the command : " Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." In compliance with this call, the apostolic church at once began missionary op- erations on a larger scale than the world had ever seen before. Unfortunately the records of this first brilliant period of the missionary his- tory of the church have been mostly lost ; but enough has been preserved to show that the doc- trines of Christianity were taught by the apos- tles themselves and their disciples far beyond the confines of the Roman empire. Toward the close of the 1st century the heroic missionary efforts of the church had called into existence numerous and flourishing congregations in the towns of Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, the islands of the Mediterranean, northern Africa, India, and probably several other countries. In the 2d and 3d centuries we see the missionaries suc- cessful in parts of southern Germany, Gaul, Ara- bia, and Ethiopia. Under Constantino Chris- tianity became the state church, and the custom was gradually introduced of using coercive measures for the advancement of the Christian doctrines. The missionary zeal seems not to have abated, but it is frequently difficult for the historian to determine what share the missions and what the secular arm had severally in completing the Christianization of the various countries constituting the Roman empire. At the death of St. Patrick in the latter part of the 5th century Ireland possessed numer- ous flourishing churches and monastic schools, which became during the next two centuries nurseries of missionaries for Great Britain and continental Europe. Thus from lona Columba and his companions evangelized Scotland, and his successors sent missionaries and monks to the Hebrides, the Orkneys, and Iceland ; while Columbanus and his followers planted monas- teries and schools in Gaul, Switzerland, north- ern Germany, and Lombardy. England, too, as soon as she had been restored to the faith by Augustin, sent missionaries to Germany, to whose labors Boniface gave unity. After him another great Englishman, Alcuin, guided and encouraged in the same direction Liudger and Willehad, who preached successfully to the Saxons and Frisians, and Arno, who was equally successful among the Huns. Under Louis le D6bonnaire these missionary efforts were kept up by the schools founded by Boni- face at Utrecht and elsewhere. The first seeds of Christianity were then sown in Jutland, the Danish islands, Sweden, and Norway, by Arch- bishop Ebbo, Anscarius, and others. In the East, Iberia, Armenia, and Persia were the most important missionary fields. After the separation of the eastern church from the west- ern, the interest in the missionary cause almost wholly ceased in the former. The progress of Christianity eastward was arrested, while a considerable portion of its own territory was taken possession of by the Mohammedans. The Nestorians continued for a long time to carry on, especially in China and India, successful missionary operations, of which little is now known. The Latin church continued her spir- itual conquests in northern Europe. The Scan- dinavian kingdoms were finally gained over one after another in the 10th and llth centu- ries. Cyril and Methodius opened for Chris- tianity the way to the great Slavic race, by preaching to the Khazars, Bulgarians, and Mo- ravians. Adalbert, bishop of Prague, was mar- tyred in a mission among the Prussians. From Iceland, missionaries accompanied the adventu- rous Norsemen on their expeditions of discov- i ery ; and Greenland is believed to have received from them the first account of Christianity and the first foundation of a Christian church. The extension of Christianity in northern Europe was in some instances procured by