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it in Samaria and Damascus ; and by the end of that period churches, that is assemblies and societies of Christians, were multiplied throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria.

It is worth observing likewise, that there is reason to believe this is far from a full and complete account of the spreading of Christianity; for although the work from which we fetch our information be called the Acts of the Apostles, it is not, nor was intended to be, a history of all the apostles; only of a few of the most remarkable transactions of Peter, and the travels and the persecutions of Paul, which after his conversion chiefly indeed employ the history. It is not credible, nor is there the least reason to suppose, that the other apostles, of whom little or no mention is made in this history, were idle all the while, or that their labors wanted success.

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Hitherto the preaching of the gospel had been confined to the Jews or Jewish proselytes, and to the Samaritans. It was not known, except to the apostles, that they ought to propose it to any others, or admit any others into their religion. That great mystery, as St Paul calls it, and as it then was, was imparted first to Peter, in the case of Cornelius, afterwards to Paul, upon various occasions, and by the report of the preaching to the Gentiles, and God vouchsafing to accompany the preaching by miracles, it came to be known at length to the other apostles and the whole company of disciples, that God to the Gentiles also granted repentance unto life.' This being understood, and the way being thus opened, the progress of the gospel became rapid and extensive. It was about seven years after the, ascension of Christ that the gospel was first preached to the Gentiles at Cæsarea. Acts x. 44. A year after this, a great multitude were converted at Antioch, as you read in the eleventh chapter; and at Herod's death, which happened in the next year, the word of God grew and multiplied. Two years afterwards, great multitudes, both of the Jews and Gentiles, were converted at Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, as you read in the fourteenth chapter. Three years after this, which brings us to the fourteenth after the ascension, the apostles sent a letter from Jerusalem to the Gentile converts in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, through which countries Paul travelled, and found the churches established in the faith, and increasing in numbers daily. Two years after, great numbers of devout Greeks were arrested at Thessalonica and Berea, and the next year at Corinth. See the eighteenth chapter of the Acts. Five years after this, and twentytwo after the ascension, we find Demetrius complaining at Ephesus, that not only there, but

almost throughout Asia, Paul persuaded and turned away much people. Besides these, notice is incessantly made of converts at fifteen of the principal cities in the ancient world. This is the third period; and sets off in the seventh year after the ascension, and ends at the twentyeighth, and includes nearly nineteen or twenty years, during which there was hardly a city or place in the most populous and flourishing part of the Roman empire which the gospel had not visited, and where it had not converted 'great multitudes,' a 'great number,' 'much people;' for these are the expressions almost constantly made use of.

Now lay these three periods together, and see how the matter stands. The institution which began after its author's removal from the earth with one hundred and twenty disciples, assembled in a small room at Jerusalem, by the end of thirty years had spread itself much throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria; now passing over amongst the Gentiles, and, amongst them, converting numbers, and continually spreading at Iconium, Lystra, Derbe; in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia; at Thessalonica, and Berea; persuading and turning away much people from the religion of their ancestors, at Ephesus, and throughout all Asia; founding churches or regular societies of professed Christians in Alexandria, Athens, Cyprus, Cyrene, Macedonia, Philippi, Perga, Phoenice, Ptolemais, Puteoli, Rome, Lydda, Saron, Tyre, which were all considerable cities, and accounts of converts at all these occur in the Acts of the Apostles, though, as observed above, this book contains little besides the history of Paul, and a small part of Peter's. Six of these societies, it may be presumed, were considerable, as St Paul addressed an epistle to them. Seven ancient churches are also distinguished, or accosted by name, in the book of Revelations; so that St Paul might truly say, as he did about this period, that the gospel had been preached to every nation under heaven, that is, throughout every part of the Roman empire, by themselves or others.

First, then, the scriptures cannot well be suspected of exaggeration in these matters; for they never profess to set off, or even describe, the extent of the religion, but are led to mention these particular incidents; such as St Paul's coming to a place, and finding the converts ordaining elders, or comforting and establishing the churches, or on some such occasions. Besides that, it would have been a fruitless imposture to have published epistles to christian churches which never existed, or accounts of the establishment of Christianity in places where it had never been heard of.

The scripture history of the propagation of Christianity is followed up, as might be expected, by corresponding accounts of succeeding writers. Clement, of Rome, having known St Paul, and been mentioned in St Paul's epistles, speaking of that apostle, says, 'In the East and West he became a preacher of the word, instructing the whole world in righteousness, and penetrating to the extreme regions of the West.' This author wrote about sixty years after Christ's ascension. Justin Martyr, who wrote just about one hundred years after the ascension, has these remarkable words; There is not a nation, either Greeks or barbarians, or of any other name, even of those who wander in tribes or live in tents, amongst whom prayers and thanksgivings are not offered to the Father and Creator of the universe by the name of the crucified Jesus.'

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Tertullian, a famous writer in defence of Christianity, and who lived about one hundred and fifty years from the ascension, thus appeals to the great men and governors of the Roman empire; We were but of yesterday,' says he, and we have filled your towns and boroughs, the very camp, the senate, and the forum.' He then enumerates the several countries already mentioned as believing in Christ, so far following up the scripture account. To this he adds the Moors and Gætulians of Africa, the borders of Spain, several nations of France, and parts of Great Britain inaccessible to the Romans, the Samatians, Dacians, Germans, and Scythians.

Origen, who wrote about two hundred years after the ascension of Christ, delivers the same account; 'In every part of the world,' says he; throughout all Greece; in all other nations, they are innumerable; an immense multitude, who having left the laws of the country, and those whom they esteemed gods, have given themselves up to the law of Moses, and the religion of Christ; and this not without the bitterest resentment against them from idolaters, by whom they were frequently put to torture, and sometimes to death. And it is wonderful to observe how, in so short time, the religion has increased, amidst punishments, and death and confiscation, and every kind of torture.'

It is a satisfaction also to find that these accounts are confirmed by the testimony of heathen writers, who either knew nothing of Christianity, or were bitter enemies to it. Four principal writers, who were contemporaries of the apostles, complain in their works of the vast increase of Judaism about their age. There is no doubt but that this was Christianity, which they naturally enough confounded with Judaism. Taci

tus, who writes thirty years after the ascension, mentions this superstition,' as he calls it, being repressed for awhile by persecution; then breaking out again, not only in Judea, where it began, but in the very city of Rome itself. But the most memorable testimony to our purpose is a letter from Pliny, the governor of Bythinia, to the Roman governor, requesting his advice how to treat this new sect. 6 • Their number,' says he, 'makes it worthy of advice; for many of every age and order, and of both sexes, are accused of maintaining this religion; for the infection of it has spread, not only in cities, but in villages, and many places. The temples,' says he,' of their gods have been deserted, the sacred rites intermitted, and nothing can we find to offer in sacrifice.' This same governor wrote about seventy years after Christ's ascension. Upon this evidence, the fact itself, of the rapid progress and propagation of Christianity may be depended upon. The circumstances under which Christianity was propagated remain yet to be considered. One reflection, however, is striking; that a handful of men, of no learning, mean in character, obscure and friendless wanderers, should prevail on such numbers to turn from a loose religion to a strict one, from vice to virtue, from indulgence to selfdenial; should persuade them to quit the religion in which they had been educated and were at ease, to forego the enjoyment also of worldly pleasures and convenience, to give up ample fortunes, and oblige their dearest friends and relations to leave their country, to offend rulers and magistrates, to suffer all kinds of temporal evils, and in many cases even the loss of life, and this among Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, savage nations and polished people; that they should do this without having any proof to offer of the truth of what they taught, is altogether incredible. Human nature is undoubtedly the same in every age and in every country; to suppose therefore, that thousands, and tens of thousands, should do then, what no man in his senses would do now, is to set aside every rule of reason and probability.

LXIX.

PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY,

PART II.

2 PETER I. 16.

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

HAVING given some account of the first preaching and spreading of Christianity in the world, and shown from infallible testimony, that the credit it gained, and the progress it made, was rapid and extensive, we will now proceed to consider the circumstances under which the religion was propagated, with a view to prove that its success, under these circumstances, can fairly be attributed to nothing but its truth.

Christianity, in our way of considering it, is a history; for it would be received or rejected, according as those to whom it was proposed thought the history of Christ's life and miracles to be true or false. It will be our business, therefore, to note the circumstances which principally distinguish true history from false, supposing the last to have obtained some credit in the world; and then to observe how these circumstances are applicable to the history of Christianity as contained in the gospel, and published in the very country and days of the apostles and early teachers of the religion.

Now the first important circumstance to be looked for in the history is, that the account be published at or near the time in which the thing related is said to have happened. A celebrated Roman historian, of great reputation for truth and exactness, describes in his history of Rome several prodigies and miracles which attended the first foundation and early ages of that city; but these accounts, notwithstanding the character and abilities of the author, are universally suspected, because those prodigies confessedly happened, some two, others three, and all some centuries before the writer's own time; so that we see the writer of the history could know little or nothing more of the matter than we do. Whatever, therefore, be the integrity of the historian, a very slender deference is due to history so circumstanced; in like manner, was an author of this time of day to publish the original history of one of our

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