en; trodden down by a people who never heard the name of Christ; and who, in fact, punished the Jews, without knowing their crime: this I say, hath appeared to me an awful completion of the divine

sentence.

4. Another monument of the Christian religion in the east, is the state of the Syrian Christians, subsisting for many ages a separate and distant people, in the midst of the corruption and idolatry of the heathen world. They exist in the very midst of India, like the bush of Moses, burning and not consumed; surrounded by the enemies of their faith, and subject to their power, and yet not destroyed. There they exist, having the pure word of God in their hands, and speaking in their churches that same language which our Saviour himself spake in the streets of Jerusalem.

We may contemplate the history of this people existing so long in that dark region, as a type of the inextinguishable Light of Christ's religion: and in this sense it may be truly said, "We have seen his Star in the East."

The probable design of the Divine Providence, in preserving this people, appears to be this: That they should be a seed of the church in Asia: that they should be a special instrument for the conversion of the surrounding heathen, when God's appointed time is come; a people prepared for his service, as fellow-labourers with us; a people, in short, in the midst of Asia, to whom we can point as an evidenceto the rest, of the truth and antiquity of the Christian faith.

And this shall suffice as to the testimonies of the general truth of christianity existing in the east.

II. We proposed, in the second branch of the discourse, to lay before you some evidences of the Divine power of the Christian religion exemplified in

the

east.

да

To say that christianity has been propagated in the east, as other religions have been propagated, is to say nothing. It is little to say that thousands have adopted the name, and that it pervades populous provinces. For three centuries past, the Romish church has diffused the name of christianity throughout the east; and this success demonstrates how practicable it is to "propagate our religion," (in the common sense of this expression,) throughout all nations of the world. Providence seems to have ordained this previous labour of the Romish church, to facilitate the preaching of the true gospel at the appointed time; for christianity is found even in its worst form to possess a moral and civilizing efficien

cy.

But it is in the east, as in the west-all are not Christians who are called Christians. "He is not a Christian, who is one outwardly; neither is that baptism which is outward in the flesh." The fact was, the Romish church preached Christianity in the east, without the Bible.

Let us now enquire what has been the consequence of sending the Bible to the east. It is nearly one hundred years since the Bible was sent to the Hindoos; but not by our country This honor was given to the protestant churches of Denmark and Germany. It was sent to a certain nation in the south of India; for there are many nations in Hindostan. What then was the effect of giving them the Bible? It was the same as that which followed the giving the Bible to us, while we lay in almost Hindoo darkness, buried in the ignorance and superstition of the church of Rome. It gave light. and knowledge; God blessed his own word to the conversion of the heart, and men began to worship him in sincerity and truth.

That province in India; which was blessed with the Bible, has since "seen a great Light." During nearly the whole of the last century, multitudes of

Hindoos (both heathens and Roman catholicks) became members of the protestant church, one generation after another; and amongst them there has ever *been found, according to the records of the mission,* such a proportion of serious piety, as you might expect to find, when the gospel is preached with faithfulness and zeal..

During the whole of the last century, Providence favored them with a succession of holy and learned men, educated at the universities of Germany :among whom was the venerable Swartz, called the Apostle of the East; and others not much inferior to him; men whose names are scarcely known in this country, but who are as famous among the Hindoos, as Wickliffe and Luther are amongst us. The ministry of these good men was blessed in many provinces in the south of India, and the bounds of their churches are extending unto this day. The language of the country is called the Tamul; and the first translation of the Bible in that language, was made, as we said, about one hundred years ago. Like Wickliffe's Bible with us, it became the father of many versions, and, after a succession of improved editions, it is now considered by the Brahmins themselves (like Luther's Bible in German) as the classical standard of the Tamul tongue.

A Jubilee has lately been celebrated in India, in honor of the Gospel. In the month of July, 1806, a jubilee was observed by these Hindoo churches, in commemoration of the arrival of the two first protestant missionaries on the 9th of July, 1706. The year 1806, being the hundredth year (or the second fiftieth) since the gospel first visited their land, was to them "the year of jubilee," The happy occasion had been long anticipated, and was marked with demonstrations of joy and gladness. The people, as we are informed, walked in proces

*The records are published in upwards of 30 vols, think 4to,

To say that christianity has been propagated in the east, as other religions have been propagated, is to say nothing. It is little to say that thousands have adopted the name, and that it pervades populous provinces. For three centuries past, the Romish church has diffused the name of christianity throughout the east; and this success demonstrates how practicable it is to "propagate our religion," (in the common sense of this expression,) throughout all nations of the world. Providence seems to have ordained this previous labour of the Romish church, to facilitate the preaching of the true gospel at the appointed time; for christianity is found even in its worst form to possess a moral and civilizing efficiency.

But it is in the east, as in the west-all are not Christians who are called Christians. "He is not a Christian, who is one outwardly; neither is that baptism which is outward in the flesh." The fact was, the Romish church preached Christianity in the east, without the Bible.

Let us now enquire what has been the consequence of sending the Bible to the east. It is nearly one hundred years since the Bible was sent to the Hindoos; but not by our country This honor was given to the protestant churches of Denmark and Germany. It was sent to a certain nation in the south of India; for there are many nations in Hindostan. What then was the effect of giving them the Bible? It was the same as that which followed the giving the Bible to us, while we lay in almost Hindoo darkness, buried in the ignorance and superstition of the church of Rome. It gave light. and knowledge; God blessed his own word to the conversion of the heart, and men began to worship him in sincerity and truth.

That province in India; which was blessed with the Bible, has since "seen a great Light." During nearly the whole of the last century, multitudes of

Hindoos (both heathens and Roman catholicks) became members of the protestant church, one generation after another; and amongst them there has ever 'been found, according to the records of the mission,* such a proportion of serious piety, as you might expect to find, when the gospel is preached with faithfulness and zeal.

During the whole of the last century, Providence favored them with a succession of holy and learned men, educated at the universities of Germany :. among whom was the venerable Swartz, called the Apostle of the East; and others not much inferior to him; men whose names are scarcely known in this country, but who are as famous among the Hindoos, as Wickliffe and Luther are amongst us. The ministry of these good men was blessed in many provinces in the south of India, and the bounds of their churches are extending unto this day. The language of the country is called the Tamul; and the first translation of the Bible in that language, was made, as we said, about one hundred years ago. Like Wickliffe's Bible with us, it became the father of many versions, and, after a succession of improved editions, it is now considered by the Brah-mins themselves (like Luther's Bible in German) as the classical standard of the Tamul tongue.

A Jubilee has lately been celebrated in India, in honor of the Gospel. In the month of July, 1806, a jubilee was observed by these Hindoo churches, in commemoration of the arrival of the two first protestant missionaries on the 9th of July, 1706. The year 1806, being the hundredth year (or the second fiftieth) since the gospel first visited their land, was to them "the year of jubilee." The happy occasion had been long anticipated, and was marked with demonstrations of joy and gladness.The people, as we are informed, walked in proces

The records are published in upwards of 30 vols, thick 4to.