At the close of the year 1871 the churches among the Americo-Liberians and the missions among the natives were all more or less connected with the Protestant churches of the United States. The Methodist Episco- pal Churcli, which sent her first missionary to Liberia in 1832, has subsequently organized the Liberia INlission into an Annual Conference, with a missionary bishop (in 1872 John Wright Koberts) at its head. In 1872 the mission had 24 missionaries (embracing 8 supplies — supernumeraries and assistant preachers on native stations), 15 assistant missionaries (including 5 school- teachers among the natives), 87 local preachers, 2065 members, 174 probationers, 15 day-schools, with over 400 scholars, 1425 Sunday-school scholars, 26 churches, of an aggregate value of $22,907, and 7 parsonages, valued at $3991. The Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States likewise supports at the head of its mission a missionary bishop. The mission, in 1871, contained 10 Liberian and 14 native stations, 13 clergymen (2 foreign, including the bishop, 8 Libe- rian, and 3 native), 6 camlidates for holy orders (3 Li- berian and 3 native), 9 churches and 1 chapel, 64 other preaching-places, 231 Christian families and 595 persons attending church, 93 infant and 22 adult baptisms, 453 communicants, 102 Simday-school teachers and 1104 scholars, and 22 teachers and 301 pupils of vernacular schools. The number of marriages was 31, and of bur- ials 38. The missionary bishop, John Payne, after having labored upon the coast of Africa for thirty-three years, resigned his jurisdiction at the meeting of the Board of Missions held in October, 1871. At the same meeting a special committee of the Board on the Organ- ization of the Church in Africa, which had been ap- pointed in 1870, recommended as a suitable plan, which the Church should put into operation at the earliest practical moment, the appointment of three missionary episcopates, one whose centre shall be Cape Palmas, to carrj' on important operations already begun in that neighborhood and near the Cavalla Eiver; one whfise centre shall be Cape JNIount, to enter into the remarkable openings for Christian missions among the interesting tribes to the north and north-east ; and one whose centre shall be Monrovia, and whose jurisdiction shall com- prise the countries of ^Mcsurado, Bassa, and Sinoe. The Baptist churches in Liberia have mostly been organized by the Southern Board of American Baptists. Tlieir work was suspended during the war, and the American Baptist Missionary Union commenced their work in Liberia with the understanding that the Southern Board would not resume the work ; but in 1870 the Southern Baptists sent an agent to Africa with a view of renew- ing their labors there. The Missionary Union contin- ued, however, to give a partial support to several pas- tors. In March, 1868, the Baptist churches of Liberia organized the " Liberian Baptist Missionary Union" for '• the evangelization of the heathen" within the borders of the Republic of Liberia, "and contiguous thereto." At this first meeting of the union ten Baptist churches were represented, and twelve fields of missionary labor were designated and commended to the care of the nearest churches. The Baptist churches have a train- ing-school for preachers and teachers at Virginia. The Presbyterian Cliurch of the United States has congre- gations at JMonrovia, Kentucky, Harrisburg, Greenville or Sinou, Marshall, Robertsport, and a few other places, with an aggregate membership of about 250. The Li- berian churclics in union with those of Gaboon and Co- risco form the presbytery of Western Africa. The Alexander High-school is intended to be an academy of high grade, conducted under the supervision of the Presbytery, and designed especially to aid young men preparing for the ministry. It is situated on a farm of
LIBERIUS
414
LIBER PONTIFICALIS
about twenty acres, eighteen miles from ]Monrovia, near the St. Taurs liiver. The American Lutherans have one station in Liberia. See Newcomb, Cyclopmdia of Missions ; Annual Reports of the Board of Foreign Mis- sions of the Presbi/terian Church ; Baptist Missionary Magazine, July, 1872; Proceedings of the Board ofjifis- sions of the Protestant Episcopal Church, October, 1871 ; Annual Reports of the Missionary Society of the Meth- odist EpiscojKil Church; Grundemanii, Missionsatlas ; Stockwell, The Republic of Liheiia (New York, 1868) ; I'lyilen (professor in Fourali Bay College, Sierra Leone, ^^'. A.), The Republic of Liberia, its Status and its Field {Jfeth. Quart. Rev. July, 1872, art. vi). (A. J. S.)
Liberius, St., pope of Kome, M-as a native of the Eternal City. He succeeded Julius I May 22, 353. The Serai- Arians, countenanced by the emperor Constantius, had then the ascendency ; and both the Council of Aries (353) and that of IMilan (355) condemned Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria. As Liberius, together with some other Western bishops, refused to subscribe to this con- demnation, he was aiTested by order of the emperor, and taken to IMilan, where he held a conference with Con- stantius, which terminated in a sentence from the em- peror deposing Liberius from his office, and banishing liira to Beroea, in Thrace. Felix, a deacon at Rome, was consecrated bishop. A petition was presented to the em- peror by the principal ladies of Rome in favor of Liberius, but it was not till 358 that Liberius was restored to his see. The assertion that Liberius, during his continement at Bercea, a])proved in several letters of the deposition of Athanasius, and subscribed to the confession of faith drawn up by the coiu-t party at the Council of Sirmium, is a matter of great improbability, and depends chiefly upon the genuineness of his correspondence with Atha- nasius. The dependence of Liberius on the emperor had a mischievous influence upon many of the Italian bishops, and we need not wonder that at the Council of Kimini Arianism was openly countenanced. It is not true, as asserted by some, that Liberius subscribed the Rimini confession of faith. He ended his career in or- thodoxy, and died in 3(i(J. He was succeeded by Da- masus I. Liberius is said to have built the Basilica on the ]]s((uiline IMount, which has been called Liberiana, from his name, and is now known by the name of Santa iMaria Maggiore. He is commemorated in the Romish Church Aug. 27, and in the Creek Church Sept. 23. See ( ifrijrer, Kirchengesch. II, i, 254—285 ; Hefelo, P. Liberius, in the Tilb. theol. Quarfalschr. (1853), ii, 2tJl sq. ; and < 'onciliengesch. i, 626-714 ; Herzog, Real-Encyklop. viii, 372.