ple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." (Acts v, 41, 42.)

There is something in the picture which the first chapters of the Acts of the Apostles draw of the rising church, upon which the mind dwells with singular satisfaction. The simplicity of her doctrines, the faithfulness of her pastors, the subordination of her members, the strictness of their unity, the fervour of their charity, and the purity of their conversation, exhibit the true nature of Christianity. If the scoffer reproach us with the divisions, and disorders, and corrup tions of the Church and her members, we will refer him back to this account of what Christianity once was, and we will bodly assert, that this it still is and ever will be, so far as it is in reality received. Our own minds may be perplexed and confounded when we enter into the subtle and endless wranglings of after times, and our own hearts sicken at the prostitution of sacred things to every wicked inclination of man, but we will revive ourselves by turning back to drink at the pure fountain of truth and holiness.

The means of propagating the faith have ever been the same. The history of the Church demonstrates that success has accompanied the preaching of the Gospel, in proportion as the Ministers of the Church have held forth the doctrine of the Cross with fidelity and fervor, and her members have adorned it by their charity and purity. And if "the kingdoms of this world" are to become "the kingdoms of our God and of his Christ," we must expect it will be accomplished in the same manner. The true obstacle to the propagation of the Gospel is the state of the Church; and out of her present state of discord and defilement she, perhaps, is not to be brought but by "the spirit of judgment, and the spirit of burning." (Is. iv, 4) But whatever may

be necessary to prepare her as a fit instrument for evangelizing the world, and whatever her true members may suffer while she is in the furnace of trial, still they will continue daily and earnestly to pray. "Thy kingdom come!" Christ. Observ. vol. 1. p. 1-6.

The foregoing view of the establishment of Christianity, and its immediate progress among the Jews, sufficiently prepares the way for an account of its rapid and astonishing prevalence among the Gentiles through the exertions of the respective Apostles, their contemporaries, and early successors. As Mr. Burder has extracted (chiefly from "Millar's

History of the propagation of Christianity,") a very brief account of the labors of the Apostles, their companions, and followers, what follows respecting them is borrowed from him.

"Peter. It is evident, from the Acts of the Apostles, that God honored the Apostle Peter as the happy instrument of converting multitudes both of Jews and Gentiles. There is reason to believe that he travelled in Greece, Thrace, the Lesser Asia; to Babylon and the East; and gained a great harvest among them, even to the day of his death.

"Paul. Paul has been justly styled "the Apostle of the Gentiles." He preached the Gospel at Antioch, in Cyprus, in several parts of the Lesser Asia; at Derbe and Lystra; Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus; in Malta, and at Rome for two whole years. Clemens, a contemporary of the Apostle, tells us that he preached the Gospel both in the East and West; he taught righteousness to the whole world, and went to the utmost bounds of the West (by which some understand Britain;) and having suffered martyrdom, he departed to a happier place, leaving the greatest example of patience.

"Andrew. Some of the ancients affirm that the Apostles decided by lot, to what part of the world they should direct their labors. Scythia, and its neighbouring countries, were thus awarded to Andrew. He passed along the Euxine Sea, and returned to Byzantium, since called Constantinople, where he preached with great success. He travelled afterwards over Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, Achaia, and Epirus.

"James. Jerom informs us that he preached to the dispersed Jews, by whom he probably means, the Jewish converts dispersed upon the death of Stephen. As he continued some years at Jerusalem, where he suffered martyrdom, it is not probable that he travelled much.

"John. This favored disciple of Jesus is thought to have resided at Jerusalem, till the death of our Lord's mother, in the year 48; after which he applied himself to the propagation of the Gospel in Asia, and especially at Ephesus. He is said also to have preached in Parthia; and some writers say that the Bassora, a people in India, affirm that he planted the Gospel among their ancestors. He lived at Ephesus to the age of 98, and died there in peace.

"Philip, The Upper Asia appears to have been the scene of his labors. He planted Christianity in Scythia. In his latter days he labored in Hierapolis, in Phrygia, where he died a martyr.

"Bartholomew. It is generally admitted that Bartholomew extended his labors as far as India (on this side the Ganges.) When Fantænus travelled thither, he found the Gospel of Matthew, written in Hebrew letters, which had been left there by Bartholomew, who had preached there. He also instructed the people in Lycaonia, and afterwards at Albanople, in Armenia.

"Maithew. The Apostle Matthew, or Levi, preached in Judea for eight years at least after the ascension of Christ; after which, Ethiopia is said to have been the province in which he labored. Metaphrastes says, he went first into Parthia; and having successfully planted Christianity there, he thence travelled into Ethiopia, that is, the Asiatic, situated near India, where he suffered martyrdom.

"Thomas. Jerom says that "the Apostle Thomas preached to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Caramans, Hyrcanians, Bactrians, and Magians; and died in the city Calamin, in India." He travelled as far as the island Taprobane (Sumatra, it is supposed,) and even to the country of the Brahmins. When the Portuguese went to India, in the 16th century, they found, from tradition and ancient monuments, that the Apostle had labored in that country. From the early plantations of Christianity there, there appears to have been a continued succession of persons called Christians to this day. Tradition says, that the Brahmins, fearing the total extirpation of their idolatrous religion, murdered him while on his knees at prayer. The Christians of St. Thomas have recently been recognised by travellers of undoubted credibility.

"James. James, usually styled "the Less," or "the Just," is called by St. Paul "the Lord's brother" (Gal. i. 19,) being the son of Joseph, who married the Lord's mother. He appears to have continued at Jerusalem; and, notwithstanding his admirable character for eminent piety, fell a prey to the malice of the unbelieving Jews, 24 years after the ascension, and in the 96th year of his age.

"Simon. This Apostle is also called Simon Zelotes, or the Zealot, from his earnest desire and endeavors to promote the knowledge of the Gospel in the world. Nicephorus

says, "He having received the Holy Spirit, travelled through Egypt, Cyrene, Asia, Mauritania, and Libya; nor could the coldnesss of the climate hinder him from shipping himself, and the Christian doctrine, to the Western Ocean, even to Britain itself, where he preached and wrought many miracles." Dorotheus says "he was crucified and buried in Britain."

"Jude. Jude, or Judas (not Iscariot,) is thought to have been the brother of James, and son of Joseph. He travelled first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria, and Idumea; and also through the cities of Syria and Mesopotamia; and at last came to Edessa, where Thaddeus, one of the seventy, had been before him, and perfected the work which he began. By the consent of many writers of the Latin church, says Dr. Cave, he travelled into Persia; where, after great success, he was cruelly put to death for boldly reproving the superstitions of the Magi.

"Besides the Apostles, it may be supposed that the Evangelists, properly so called, some of the seventy disciples chosen by our Lord, and other zealous men of God, would endeavor to diffuse the knowledge of the Gospel during the first century.

"Eusebius says that Mark was sent into Egypt, by the Apostle Peter, to plant the Gospel there; and that he was very successful, not only at Alexandria, but in other parts of that country.

"Philip, one of the first deacons, "preached Christ" to the inhabitants of Samaria; he also instructed and baptized the Eunuch of Ethiopia; who having returned to his own country, is believed to have preached and propagated the faith there. Jerome says, "he was sent as an Apostle to the nation of the Ethiopians." The traditions of that country add, that by his means Candace, the queen, was converted; and, by her permission, he preached the Gospel in various parts of Ethiopia; till meeting with Matthew, the Apostle, they united in the work, and expelled idolatry from those parts; after which he travelled to Arabia, Persia, and India, till at length in the island Taprobane (now called Ceylon, or in Sumatra,) he sealed his doctrine with his blood.

"Eusebius informs us, that the disciples of the Apostles erected the superstructure of the churches on the foundations which they had laid. Many of those disciples distributed their estates among the poor, and, leaving their own

country, performed the work of Evangelists to those who had never before heard the Christian faith; preaching CHRIST, and delivering the evangelical writings to them.

"No sooner had they planted the faith in any foreign country, and ordained pastors among them, than they hastened to other nations, assisted by the grace and powerful operation of the Holy Spirit.

"Among these excellent Missionaries we find the names of Silas, Sylvanus, Crescens, Andronicus, Trophimus, Marcus, and Aristarchus; and afterwards Pantænus, who went into India; Pothinus and Irenæus, who came from Smyrna and settled in France these, with many others, mentioned in the histories and martyrologies of the church, "counted not their lives dear to them, so that they might finish their course with joy," in making known to the ends of the earth the great salvation of God.

"Further Progress of the Gospel.

"The spread of the Gospel during the first two centuries, appears to have been very rapid. The weapons employed by the primitive Missionaries were not carnal; but, though simple and spiritual, they were "mighty, through God, to pull down the strong holds of the devil" in the heathen world. The doctrine of the Cross, accompanied with the almighty energy of the Holy Spirit, prevailed over obstacles the most formidable, the prejudices, the superstitions, and the interests of idolaters; the learning of the philosophers, the eloquence of the orators, and the influence of heathen emperors.

"We may credit some of the early writers on this head. Origen, writing against Celsus, says that many, both Greeks and barbarians, wise and unwise, contend for the truth of our religion, even to the laying down of their lives: a thing not known to any other profession in the world.'

"Tertullian, addressing the Roman governors in behalf of the Christians, assures them, 'that although Christians are as strangers of no long standing, they had already filled all places of their dominions-their cities, islands, castles, boroughs, councils, armies, tribes; the palace, the senate, and the forum. They had left to the Heathen only their temples.' If we were, saith he, to make a general secession from your dominions, you would be astonished at your solitude.'

"Arnobius (adversus Gentes) says, Is not this an argument