for our faith, that in so short time the sacraments of Christ's great name are diffused over the world? that there is no nation so barbarous and cruel, that has not laid aside its rudeness, and become meek and docile? that orators, grammarians, rhetoricians, lawyers, physicians, and philosophers, now love our religion, despising those things wherein before they trusted? that servants endure torments from their masters, wives submit to be separated from their husbands, children are content to be disinherited by their parents, rather than abandon the Christian faith?

"Pliny, writing to the Emperor Trajan, about the year 106, admits that the Christians had become very numerous: "The number of culprits (as he calls them) is so great, as to render serious consultation necessary. The contagion of the superstition has spread not only through cities, but even villages and the country. Not that I think it impossible to check and to correct it. The success of my endeavours forbids such desponding thoughts: for the temples, once almost desolate, begin to be frequented; the sacred solemnities, which had been long intermitted, are attended afresh; and the sacrificed victims are now sold every where, which once could scarcely find a purchaser.' The hopes, however, of the philosopher, and the efforts of successive persecutors, were disappointed; so that the more the Christians were oppressed, the more they grew.

"Irenæus, who flourished about the year 179, says, the churches in Germany agree in the faith with those in Spain, France, Egypt, and Lybia.

"Tertullian, who resided at Carthage, speaking of the wide extent of the Gospel about the year 200, numbers among those who had previously received it, many of the Getuli, many of the Moors, the utmost bounds of Spain, various nations of Gaul: and he adds, those parts of Britain, which were inaccessible to the Roman arms (probably meaning Scotland,) have yielded subjection to Christ. He mentions also, the Sarmatians, the Dacians, the Germans, and the Scythians, as having embraced the Gospel.

Some further testimonies of the early diffusion of the Gospel, are thus quoted by Mr. Gillies in his "Historical Collections."

"Justin Martyr tells Tryphon, the Jew. That howev

*Burder's Missionary Anecdotes, p. 82-89.

er they might boast of the universality of their religion, that there were many nations and places of the world, where they nor it ever came; whereas there was no part of man. kind, whether Greeks or Barbarians, or by what name soever they be called, even the most rude and unpolished nations, where prayers and thanksgivings were not made to the great Creator of the world, through the name of the crucified Jesus.'

"To which, add another passage of Arnobius; he, when speaking of the success of the Gospel, says, 'We may enumerate these things done in India among the Persians and the Medes; and also in Arabia, Egypt, Asia, Syria, Galatia, Cappadocia, among the Parthians, Phrygians, in Achaia, Macedonia, and Epirus; and in all isles and provinces that the rising or setting sun shines upon, even at Rome itself, the empress of all, where men, educated in king Numa's arts and ancient superstition, have forsaken the same, and heartily embraced the truth of the Christian religion." Gillies Hist. vol. i. p. 2, 3.

Mr. Gillies mentions among the things which contributed to the spread of the Gospel in the first two or three centuturies, the indefatigable zeal used in the propagation of it.

"Every method was essayed to reclaim men from error, and bring them to the acknowledgment of the truth. The teachers of the primitive church preached boldly, and prayed heartily, for the reformation of mankind, solicited their neighbors, who were yet strangers to the truth, instructed and informed new converts, and built them up in their most holy faith. Those who were of greater parts and eminency erected schools, where they publicly taught such as resorted to them, in the principles of the faith, affording them antidotes both against Heathens and Heretics. Among us, says Tatian, 'not only the rich and wealthy, but even the poor are freely instructed: for the doctrine concerning God is greater than can be recompensed with gifts; therefore we admit all who are willing to learn, whether old or young.' And a little after, he says, 'All our virgins are sober and modest, and use to discourse of divine things, even sitting at their distaffs.' No pains, no travel nor hardships, were counted insuperable to enlarge the bounds of the gospel church. The divine and admirable disciples of the apostles, says Eusebius, built up the superstructures of the churches, the foundations whereof the apostles had laid, in

all places where they came; they every where promoted the preaching of the Gospel, sowing the seeds of heavenly docrine through the whole world. Many of the disciples then alive, distributed their estates to the poor; and leaving their own country, did the work of evangelists to those who had never yet heard the Christian faith, preaching Christ, and delivering the evangelical writings to them. No sooner had they planted the faith in any foreign countries, and ordained guides and pastors, to whom they committed the care of these new plantations, but they went to other nations; assisted by the grace and powerful working of the Holy Spirit. As soon as ever they began to preach the Gospel, the people flocked universally to them, and cheerfully worshipped the true God, the Creator of the world, piously and heartily believing in his name.' In the number of these evangelical missionaries, were Silas, Sylvanus, Crescens, Andronicus, Trophimus, Marcus, Aristarchus, and afterwards Pantænus, Pothinus, and Irenæus, with many others mentioned in the histories and martyrologies of the church, who counted not their lives dear to them; so that they might finish their course with joy." Gillies Hist. vol. i, p. 4, 5.

Christianity was also greatly promoted by early translations of the Scriptures.

"The pious diligence and zeal with which many learned and worthy men recommended the sacred writings, and spread them abroad in translations, during the first and second centuries, contributed much to the propagation of the Christian doctrine. Latin versions of these sacred books were multiplied with particular diligence, because that language was more generally known than any other. Among them the version that was distinguished by the name of the "Italic," universally obtained the preference; and was followed by the Syriac, Egyptian, and Ethiopic versions, the dates of which it is impossible to fix with certainty. Origen (in the third century) was remarkably laborious in spreading abroad copies of the Scriptures."-Burder, p. 100.

"Pantænus, whose name appears in the list of primitive Missionaries, and who had been a Stoic philosopher, is said to have gone to India, in consequence of the application made by some ambassadors from that country to Demetrius, bishop of Alexandria, about the close of the second century. Pantænus being chosen to this mission, readily accepted the appointment, and is said to have labored diligent

He lived to return to

ly, and endured many hardships. Alexandria, where he resumed his catechetical office.". Burder, p. 97.

Besides the labors of Missionaries in various parts of those countries into which Christianity had been introduced, and of such preachers as were taken captive in war, it appears that considerable was done for the conversion of the Heathen in the third century.

"About the year 250, the Gospel, which had till then been chiefly confined to the neighborhood of Lyons, and Vienne, was much extended in France. Saturninus was the first bishop of Thoulouse, and at the same time several other churches were founded; as at Tours, Arles, Narbonne, and Paris. The bishops of Thoulouse and Paris afterwards suffered for the faith of Christ; but they left churches, in all probability, very flourishing in piety; and France, in general, was blessed with the light of salvation. Greg. Tours, France, c. 30. Fleury, 13, B. C.

"Germany was also, in the course of this century, favored with the same blessing, especially those parts of it which are in the neighborhood of France. Cologne, Treves, and. Metz, particularly were evangelized.-Burder, p. 101. Missionaries went from Asia, to preach the Gospel to the Goths who were settled in Thrace.

"Their holy lives and miraculous powers were much respected by these barbarians; and many of them, from a. state perfectly savage, were brought into the light and comfort of Christianity.-Sozomen, b. xiii. 11.

"The wisdom and goodness of God so ordered events, that the temporal miseries which afflicted mankind in the reign of Gallienus, were made subservient to the eternal interests of his cruel, blind, and infatuated creatures. The barbarians, who ravaged Asia, carried away with them into captivity several bishops, who healed diseases, expelled evil spirits, and preached Christianity. They were heard in some places with respect and attention, and became the instruments of the conversion of numbers.-Ibid. quoted by Milner, vol. i. p. 510.

"Chrysostom was so zealous for converting the Gentiles to Christianity, that for this purpose he maintained many presbyters and monks in Phoenicia, partly at his own charge, partly by the assistance of pious and well-disposed

persons, whose only work was to instruct the Heathen in the principles of the Christian faith.-Theodoret, H. Eccí. lib. 5, c. 29.

"Origen, defending the Christians from a malicious charge made against them by Celsus, who pretended that if all men were willing to become Christians, they would not admit them, says, The falsehood of this charge appears from hence, that the Christians were desirous of propagating their doctrine throughout the whole world; and, that some of them had undertaken to travel not only to cities, but to towns and villages, to convert the Heathen, and this without any desire of gain, and often without needful accommodations.”—Burder, p. 101-103.

Some notices of the progress of Christianity through the instrumentality of Missionaries and other eminent Christians in the fourth and several succeeding centuries will be given, chiefly from Mr. Burder.

Fourth century. "Many of the learned in this century, undertook translations of the holy Scriptures, but few succeeded in this arduous enterprise. Among the many Latin versions, that of Jerome was the most distinguished. He also took pains to produce a better edition of the Septuagint than had before appeared."-Burder, p. 105.

It appears that Christianity in this century was introduced into Abyssinia, the country of the Iberians, and among the Sabeans in Arabia Felix; and established or more widely diffused in Armenia, and the lesser Asia; among the Saracens, Syrians, Persians, and Goths, and in the vicinity of the city of Edessa.-Burder, p. 103-111.

Mr. Gillies speaking of the proceedings of Constantine, and of the progress of Christianity in the fourth century, says: "He caused pastors to be settled every where in the churches, and advanced Christianity, which had been so much trampled upon, to be the religion of the empire. In his time also the gospel was farther propagated among some remote nations. The Iberians, since called Georgians, sent an embassy to him, requesting, that Christian preachers might be sent among them, which was accordingly done. Bacurius, the king of that country, is said to have been a great friend to true religion. The like success the Christian religion had in other countries, of which Sozomen gives his account; "That the barbarous nations having male sev