The origin and history of missions; a record of the voyages, travels, labors and successes of the various missionaries who have been sent forth by the Protestant societies and churches to evangelize the heathen / Compiled from authentic documents ... by John O. Choules and Thomas Smith.

  • Choules, John Overton, 1801-1856.
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The origin and history of missions; a record of the voyages, travels, labors and successes of the various missionaries who have been sent forth by the Protestant societies and churches to evangelize the heathen / Compiled from authentic documents ... by John O. Choules and Thomas Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    torian adds, that on the following night, as the emperor was musing on this remarkable cir- cumstance, our Lord appeared to him with the same figure of a cross, commanding him to use that symbol as his military ensign. How far this story may be correctly stated, is certainly open to opinion. Instead of an actual vision, the whole might probably have been a dream; but, in either case, it is certain that, from the time to which we have alluded, the banner of the cross waved over Constantine’s camp, and lie not only professed to believe in Jesus, but studied the scriptures with apparent seriousness and attention, and publicly countenanced the ministers of divine truth. Having obtained a decisive victory over Maxentius, and made himself master of Rome, Constantine placed a spear, formed so as to resemble a cross, in the hand of the statue erect- ed for him in that city. He also built several churches for the Christians, patronized the meetings of their bishops, and extended his benevolence to their poor members. He after- wards took up arms against his colleague, Licinius, who reigned in the east, with pagan prin- ciples and a persecuting spirit. Licinius wms content to put the truth or falsehood of the new religion on the event of the war, and the result was, that he lost both his dignity and his life. The external splendor of the church was augmented during the remainder of Constantine’s reign, but her.peacc was disturbed by the Arian heresy, which came in like an overwhelming flood ; and, whilst many were carried away by that awful delusion, the friends of genuine truth were almost exclusively employed in defending the faith once delivered to the saints. It is pleasing, however, to relate, that, during this century, the gospel still continued to spread among the nations of the earth’; and some interesting proofs of this important fact will be found in the following particulars. Meropius, a Tyrian philosopher, wishing to explore the interior of Abyssinia, travelled in- to that country with two young lads v/ho understood the Greek language. On their arrival at a certain place, Meropius was attacked and murdered by the natives ; but the boys, whose names were Frumentius and iEdesius, were presented to the king, who not only spared their lives, but took them under his immediate patronage and protection. On the king’s death, Frumentius was made prime minister, and both the superintendence of the government and the education of the young prince were committed to him and his relative by the queen dowager. Re- solved to improve the advantage of so exalted a situation for the extension of gospel 'truth, the premier inquired of some Roman merchants whether they had met with any Christians in Abyssinia; and, having discovered some, he erected a church for their accom- modation, encouraged them to celebrate their religious rites, and had soon the satisfaction of perceiving some of the natives flock to the newly-erected standard of the Redeemer. On the king’s assuming the reins of government, Frumentius solicited permission to return to his owm country ; and, on his arrival at Alexandria, he related his adventures to Athanasius, the bishop of that city, suggesting the necessity of sending out some faithful missionary, and stat- ing the probability of success with which such an attempt might be crowned. After mature deliberation, Athanasius said that none was so fit for the office as him with whom the proposal originated. Frumentius was, therefore, appointed the fir.st bishop of the Axumi; and appears to have labored for the conversion of souls with unremitting zeal and vigilance in the country to which he had been so singularly led, and in which he had been providentially preserved and exalted, for the most important purpose. In the same century, the conversion of the Iberians, a people bordering on the Black Sea, was effected in a very remarkable manner. These ancestors of the modern Russians had, in one of their predatory excursions, taken captive a female Christian of most exemplary piety,