known to all nations for the
obedience of faith," Rom. 16:25, 26.

The first converts to the faith, comprised "Parthians, and Medes, and
Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia,
in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of
Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and
Arabians," Acts 2:9-12. When the Jews contradicted and blasphemed, "Paul
and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God
should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and
judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the
Gentiles," Acts 13:46. Afterwards Paul, in writing to the Colossians,
refers to the gospel as that "which was preached to every creature which
is under heaven," Col. 1:23.

This gospel was to be preached to those who dwell on the earth, and also
to all nations. The symbolic earth of the Apocalypse, being generally
admitted to be the Roman empire under a quiet government, its fulfilment
would require an early introduction of the gospel there. Accordingly we
find, within thirty years after the crucifixion of Christ, a flourishing
church existing in the metropolis of the Roman empire, to which Paul
addressed one of his most able letters. In it, he thanks God that their
"faith is spoken of throughout all the world," Rom. 1:8. The apostle had
then "fully preached the gospel of Christ" from Jerusalem "round about
[the coast of the Mediterranean] unto Illyricum," (Rom. 16:19);--a country
on the Adriatic, or Gulf of Venice. He afterwards visited Rome, and is
supposed to have preached the gospel as far west as Spain. The apostles
spread Christianity throughout the Roman empire. Palestine, Syria,
Natolia, Greece, the islands of the Mediterranean, Italy, and the northern
coast of Africa, contained societies of Christians in the first century.
In the second century societies existed, and Christ was worshipped, among
the Germans, Spaniards, French, Celts, and Britons, and many other nations
in Europe, and almost throughout the whole east. In the fourth century
Christianity had become the prevailing religion of the empire.

In later times the gospel which began to be preached at Jerusalem, has
been extended to more distant countries, and is still finding its way to
every tribe and people that have not before heard its joyful sound. Thus
has the light of the gospel nearly encircled the globe, having