Page:The Greek and Eastern churches.djvu/410

384 that came out of the bitter, the honey from the lion's mouth. The Russian Church was never more fruitful in winning converts to the gospel than when so many of her sons had fled from before the oppressor, not to rest in peace, but to take up new work, and utilise their exile in the service of their Lord. Thus the dreadful Mongol invasion, which on the surface appeared to be nothing but a curse to the Church as well as to the nation, proved to be the unintentional stimulus of wide-spreading missionary activity, and indirectly the means of transmitting the greatest benefits to unknown tribes by the northern seas.