370, when Galates, the dying son of the emperor Valens, was baptized by order of a monarch, who swore he would not be contradicted. The age of the prince is uncertain, and the assigning of his illness as the cause of his baptism indicates clearly enough that infant baptism was not in practice."

But the primitive Baptist churches, in process of time, became corrupted with many errors, and with infant baptism among the rest. And when Constantine established Christianity as the religion of his empire, errors, which before had taken root, soon grew up to maturity, the Christian church, as established by law, became a worldly sanctuary, and those who would maintain the gospel in its purity, were obliged to separate from the great mass of professors, and retire to the best refuges they could find.

Pliny, the younger, in a letter written to the emperor Trajan, concerning the Christians, not quite eighty years after Christ's ascension, says to him, "Suspending all judicial proceedings, I have recourse to you for advice; for it has appeared to me a matter highly deserving consideration, especially on account of the great number of persons who are in danger of suffering: for many of all ages, and of every rank, of both sexes likewise, are accused, and will be accused. Nor has the contagion of this superstition seized cities only, but the lesser towns also, and the open country.”

Justin, surnamed the Martyr, who embraced Christianity about the year 132, in his dialogue with Trypho, a noted Jew, (which he wrote about thirty years after Pliny, and 106 after the ascension,) has these remarkable words: "There is no nation, whether of Barbarians or Greeks, or any others, by what names soever they are called, whether they live in waggons, or without houses, or in tents, among whom prayers are not made, and thanksgiving offered up, to the Father and Cre ator of all, through the name of the crucified Jesus."+

Irenæus, who was made bishop of Lyons, in the year of our Lord 179, states, "This preaching of the gospel, and this faith, the church scattered up and down the whole world maintains, as inhabiting one house, and believes it with one heart and soul, teaches and preaches it as with one mouth; for though there be different languages in the world, yet the force of tradition, or of that doctrine that has been delivered to the church, is but one and the same."‡

Tertullian, of Carthage, who flourished about the middle of

*C. Plin. Trajano, Imp. lib. x. ep. 97.

+ Dial. cum Tryph. p. 345.

Adversus Hæreses, lib. 3, cap. 3, pag. an. 39,

"In

the second century, and wrote probably not more than twenty years after Irenæus, gives a larger account, and mentions Britain by name. Quoting the words of David, Psalm 19:4, as applicable to the apostles, “Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." whom," says he, "have all the nations of the earth believed, but in Christ? Not only 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 Lybia and Cyrene, and strangers at Rome, Jews and proselytes, and the other nations; but also the boundaries of the Spaniards, all the different nations of the Gauls, and those parts of BRITAIN which were inaccessible to the Romans, are become subject to Christ." He goes on to say, after enumerating other nations, "In all which the name of Christ reigns, because he is now come; before whom the gates of all cities are set open, and none shut; before whom doors of brass fly open, and bars of iron are snapt asunder; that is, these hearts once possessed by the devil, by faith in Christ are set open.

Origen, who flourished about the year of our Lord 220, speaking of the prophecies which the Jews themselves allowed to refer to the advent of the Messiah, and particularly on the words, "the whole earth shall shout for joy," he says, "The miserable Jews acknowledge that this is spoken of the presence of Christ; but they are stupidly ignorant of the person, though they see the words fulfilled. 'Quando enim terra Britanniæ ante adventum Christi, in unius Dei consensit, religionem ;' when, before the advent of Christ, did the land of Britain AGREE in the worship of one God? When did the land of the Moors-when did the whole globe at once agree in this? But now, on account of the churches, which are spread to the uttermost bounds of the world, the whole earth, with rejoicing invokes the God of Israel." Origen tells Celsus what was the cause of this extensive and rapid spread of the Christian religion: "The first preachers who planted Christian churches, their sermons had a mighty force of persuasion above those who taught the philosophy of Plato, or of any other man endowed only with the power of human nature; but the persua sion of the apostles of Jesus Christ was given of God, persuad. ing men to believe by the efficacy and power of the Holy Spi rit; and therefore quickly and swiftly did their word run through the world, or rather the word of God, by their minis. * Adversus Judæos, cap. 7, pag. m. 92, + Origen Op. vol. —, pag. 370,

try converting many sinners from the evil of their ways, whom no man could have changed by whatever punishments, but the word of God converted them according to the will of God."*

Eusebius, a learned and inquisitive historian, says, "Innumerable multitudes of people, in all cities and countries, like corn in a well-filled granary, being brought in by the grace of God that brings salvation. They whose minds were hereto fore distempered and overrun with the error and idolatry of their ancestors, were cured by the sermons and miracles of our Lord's disciples: so after shaking off these chains of darkness and slavery, which the merciless demons had put upon them, they freely embraced and entertained the knowledge and service of the only true God, the great Creator of the world, whom they worshipped according to the rites and rules of that divine and wisely contrived religion which our Savior had introduced." In the third book of his Evangelical Demonstration, having named Romans, Persians, Armenians, Parthians, Indians, and Scythians, as people among whom the apostles preached the gospel of Christ, he mentions particularly that some of them passed over the ocean to the British islands. That some of the apostles preached the gospel in the British islands, he was probably informed by Constantine himself, to whom he was well known; or received it from some of the emperor's countrymen, who were then in his court; or of the British bishops, summoned to the council of Nice, where, in all likelihood, some of them made their appearance.

While the red horse of war was prancing in wanton fury on the banks of Britain, trampling on the full ripe blossoms of its youth, and in the glory of its strength-while the sleepless sword was extending its ravages, and while miseries were mul tiplying, without any prospect of a suitable remedy, behold, the feet of them that bring good tidings of great joy, that publish peace and salvation, that say unto Zion thy God reigneth, ad. vance toward the British isle. Yea, behold the heralds of the Redeemer, carrying in their hands the torch of everlasting truth, and in their hearts the zeal of the Lord of hosts, enter Wales, and commence their labors of love in Llanilltyd Vawr, in the vale of Glamorgan,§

* Contra Celsum, lib. 3, p. 129,

+ Hist. Eccl. lib. 2, cap. 3.

Lantwit major, the port where the missionaries first landed and entered on their mission.

A county of South Wales. The vale of Glamorgan is a rich and extended district of the county, proverbially called the garden of Wales.

The names of the missionaries were Illtyd, Kyndaf, and Arwystly. While in Rome as prisoners of war, they were brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God, and be came teachers of the Christian religion.

These missionaries of the cross became instrumental in turn. ing many Britons from their ignorance to the knowledge of Christ; and Druids, not a few, became obedient to the faith.

The supposition that Paul preached the gospel in Britain is not altogether without foundation. About six years ago, a polished stone, of about eight feet in length, was found embosomed eight feet deep in the earth, near Llandilo Vawr, in Carmarthenshire, with this inscription upon it in the Welsh language: "Near this place has the apostle Paul been preaching the gospel-A. D. 64.”

While the missionaries were incessant in labor, and indefatigably exercising their ministrations among their benighted countrymen, some informed the British king that certain persons were spreading a new religion, altogether different from the ancient religion of the country. The king, consequently, summoned the preachers to appear before him and his princes, on a certain day, which summons they obeyed. When the accused made their appearance before the court, the king inquired of them what were their principles, and whence they had been taken. One of them replied, "Ye honorable men, the God of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things, whether visible, or invisible, hath sent us to declare unto you, that he is the only object of worship, and that if you believe in him, and cast away your idols, you shall have eternal life in heaven." Then he proceeded to describe the condition of man by nature, and our salvation by Jesus Christ. Then the king and his princes answered, "We find no fault in your offers, and could we believe that they were true, we would, peradven. ture, submit ourselves to what you require. But we, (praise to the tutelary gods,) live secure by following the religion of the country. And we may be rash and unwise, if we renounce the religion of the fathers and listen to your tales; but as we have been informed that you are intelligent, peaceable men, we declare unto you, that you shall not be in need of support. And as many as you may prevail upon to become proselytes, peace be to them. But we will adhere to the religion of the state." Thus the missionaries were dismissed from the British throne with almost Gallio-like indifference. Yet the British king had no disposition to stop them in their career of benevo lence, but encouraged them in the continuance of well-doing, with a promise of protection and patronage.

Meyric Gwawdrydd, the sovereign of Britain, together with his son Coel, and Arivog, the chief prince of his host, were al most persuaded to become Christians; but still they loved the honor which cometh from men rather than that which cometh from God, by adhering to Druidical superstitions and rejecting the claims of the Christian religion. "Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to con found the wise: and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things that are not to bring to nought things that are." Thus it was in Britain: while the king and many of his princes and nobles were following their heathenish practices, the common people, seeing the miracles wrought, and witnessing the power of divine grace exemplified in the lives of those who had been, heretofore, the most abandoned and desperate characters, were melted into submission to the faith of Jesus Christ, and vast numbers rallied around the standard of the cross; and in contrasting the present peaceful habits of these Christian converts with their former warlike exercises, one might have justly exclaimed, THIS IS THE OUTSTRETCHED ARM of God.

The word of God mightily increased in Britain, by the divine influence which accompanied the preaching of the truth. Such was the rapid march of the gospel, that in the space of a few years nearly all regions of the country heard the "gladly solemn sound." About the year 197, Tertullian, an African divine, makes honorable mention of the Britons by the abun dant success which accompanied the preaching of the gospel. It is true that Tertullian lived at a great distance from Britain, and made these statements from the reports he had received. Nevertheless, the gospel must have taken a deep root in Britain, since the report of its success had extended to Africa.

In the year 180, Lles ab Coel,* the British king, was converted to Christianity. In his conversion we have the first accomplishment of the promise, " And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord, for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me." Lles was the first of all the princes of Christendom that received Christian baptism.

*Lucius. His name in the British language signifies benefit, because of the true benefit which his subjects derived from his Christian benevolence.