nd century, in
his dialogue with Trypho, observed that there was no part of mankind,
whether greeks or barbarians, or any others, by what name soever they
were called, whether the Sarmatians, or the Nomades, who had no
houses, or the Scenites of Arabia Petrea, who lived in tents among
their cattle, where supplications and thanksgivings are not offered up
to the Father, and maker of all things, through the name of Jesus
Christ. Irenaeus, who lived about the year 170, speaks of churches
that were founded in Germany, Spain, France, the eastern countries,
Egypt, Lybia, and the middle of the world. Tertullian, who lived and
wrote at Carthage in Africa, about twenty years afterwards,
enumerating the countries where Christianity had penetrated, makes
mention of the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Armenians,
Phrygians, Cappadocians, the inhabitants of Pontus, Asia, Pamphylia,
Egypt, and the regions of Africa beyond Cyrene, the Romans, and Jews,
formerly of Jerusalem, many of the Getuli, many borders of the Mauri,
or Moors, in Mauritania; now Barbary, Morocco, &c. all the borders of
Spain, many nations of the Gauls, and the places in Britain which were
inaccessible to the Romans; the Dacians, Sarmatians, Germans,
Scythians, and the inhabitants of many hidden nations and provinces,
and of many islands unknown to him, and which he could not enumerate.
The labours of the ministers of the gospel, in this early period, were
so remarkably blessed of God, that the last mentioned writer observed,
in a letter to Scapula, that if he began a persecution the city of
Carthage itself must be decimated thereby. Yea, and so abundant were
they in the three first centuries, that ten years constant and almost
universal persecution under Dioclesian, could neither root out the
Christians, nor prejudice their cause.

After this they had great encouragement under several emperors,
particularly Constantine and Theodosius, and a very great work of God
was carried on; but the ease and affluence which in these times
attended the church, served to introduce a flood of corruption, which
by degrees brought on the whole system of popery, by means of which
all appeared to be lost again; and Satan set up his kingdom of
darkness, deceit, and human authority over conscience, through all the
Christian world.

In the time of Constantine, one Frumentius was sent to preach to the
Indians, and met with great success. A young woman who was a
Christian, be