The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-03-17

ancient traditions of the Church. The
Apostle Thomas, according to one tradi-
ton, preached the Gospel in Parthia ac-
cording to another (cited by Jerome and
others) the scene Of his labors was in In
dia. Bartholomew, according to Fuse
bus preached Christianity in India
Judas, Called Lebb@hs according to the
tradition of the Western Church, preach
ed in Persia, and according to Nicephorus,
in Arabia.
These traditions may or may not be
true, but they indicate the belief of the
early Church to the effect, that Christian
ity was proclaimed in the first century
in these distant countries At all events
it is true that Christian missionaries must
have crossed the Hindoo Kush or the
Suleiman Mountains, and penetrated far
to the east of the Caspian, at very early
period.
We are reminded of these facts by an
article from the Missionary Herald, pub
lished by us in this paper; on 1.-The Mol
okans of Russia" 1t appears from this
article that in Eastern Russia and Sibe-
ria, four hundred miles north of the
Caspian Sea, quite numerous body Of
Christians have been recently discovered,
who have preserved, or who, at least,
have revived, in very great degree the
doctrines and practices of Primitive Chris
tianity. They are of the same race as
the orthodox members of the Greek
Church, and are conjectured to number
" hundreds of thousands" For ecclesi-
astical organization they take as their
model the early apostolic church, having
no hierarchy and no paid clergy, but only
presbyter and two assistants in con
gregation. They hold that the Bible is
the only rule of faith and conduct, and
on Sundays they meet in private houses
for prayer, and psalm-singing, and sead-
ing the Scriptures, for they are not al
lowed to build churches
If we had the space, we might 90 on.
and call attention to the remarkable fea-
lures found in the religions of the ancient
populations of MEXICO and Central Amer
lea and Peru. The traditions of the Del
uge and the Tower of Babel and the Con
fusion OF Tongues are met with in the myths
OF several of these nations; and, more as
'onlshlng still, it is said that Baptism and
other Jewish or Christian rites prevailed
among them. In Yucatan and Mexico
Las Casas and Lord Kingsborough insist
that a considerable portion of the history
of our Lord was incorporated in the pop
ular religion. We do not pretend to en-
dorse this last opinion, but that these
American races had some of the Old Tes-
lament traditions there is not a doubt
And so, if we had the space, we might
go on and show by the recent Assyrian
discoveries how it has been proved that
the primitive Babylonians and Assyrians
had the same revelation which is pre-
served in the early chapters of Genesis /:
and we might follow this into Persia, and
point out the wonderful similarity be
tween the Patriarchal Religion and that
of the ZendAvesta; and so we might
pass into India, and show how in that
country we find the legends of Paradise
and the Flood, and knowledge of God
in the Vedds which reminds us of the
Psalms of David
What then? Why, simply this, that
such facts as we have detailed 90 to show
that Christianity or the Religion of the
Old Testament Patriarchs has been pro
claimed far and wide through the earth.
and that the common allegation is no,
true, that the heather were left for age,
in Ignorance of God.
but I say, Have they not heard
Yes, verify their sound went into al.
the earth, and their words unto the end.
Of the world"
Of course we do not mean to i'm
ply by this line Of remark that tie
heather would have been excusable if
Christianity had not been preached to
them. By no means. God was not bound
to tender any offers of pardon to any Of
the human race after they sinned, any