The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-03-17
so THEY ARE WITHO UT
EXCUSE.

that Christianity in ancient times was not
proclaimed outside of the limits of the
Roman Empire. We suspect that the
Gospel was more widely preached even
in Apostolic times than has been gene
rally supposed. We must not imagine
that Christ had never been heard of in
India and China until the modern Chris
tlan missionaries visited these countries.
We know that there were Christians in
India as early as the sixth century; be-
cause Cosmas Indicopleustes found there
large number Of Christian congregations,
with bishop who was ordained in Persia.
Their territory extended from the south
ern point of the peninsula of Malabar to
within few miles of Calicut Gin south
western India), and from the defles of
the Chats as far as the sea. An Armen-
ian or Syrian merchant, Thomas Cauna,
re-arrangedi In the 9th century the polit-
ical and ecclesiastical affairs of these
Christians. They were by no means few
in numbers, for we know that they were
sufficiently powerful to establish an indie
pendent kingdom, which, however, was
OF short duration. These Christians were
encountered in 1893 by the Portuguese
who landed in the port of Calicut under
Vasco de Cana. In an entirely different
part of the country, namely, in Central
India, on the banks of the Godavery, near
Nirmul, about halfway between HYDRA
bad and Nagpore, Mr. Mulheran, who
was attached to the Trigonometrical Sur
vey of India, found great group of
cromlechs' or stone-graves, by the side
of which heavy stone crosses are erected
about ten feet in height, each consisting
Of a single stone. These crosses are un-
doubtedly Christian, and are referred by
Ferguson to period between the 9th
and 18th centuries.
Arnobius, in the Sd century, mentions
the Ceres in China, who are generally
held to have been Christians. The Mes
torians, driven out of the Roman Empire,
took refuge in Persia at the close of the
9Th century, and Mosheim tells us that in
the 7th century they labored to propa-
gate Christianity from Persia, Syria and
India among the barbarous and savage
nations inhabiting the deserts and the re-
hottest shores of Asia" "In particular,
he remarks, {" the vast empire of China
was enlightened by their zeal and their
industry with the light of Christianity.
That Christianity and Buddhism came
in contact as early as the 4th century, is
proved by the development of monasti-
cism about this time in the Church, which
undoubtedly originated with Buddhism
(for there were monasteries in India be-
fore the Christian era The resemblance
between the institutions of the Buddhists
and Roman Catholics have often been
pointed out. A distinguished writer.
who is one of the most learned archeolo-
gista Of the present day, remarks: That
the two systems are identical no one has
doubted, and no one, indeed, can enter
now Buddhist monastery in the East and
""OOl CiO 9hdF0H pIleSJS III Jnelr yellOW
robes at mathis, or at vespers, issue from
their cells and range themselves on either
side Of a choir on whose altar stands an
image of the Queen Of Heaven, or of the
three precious Buddhas, and listen to
their litanies, chanted in what to them is
a dead or foreign tongue, without feeling
that he is looking in the East on what is
externally the same as he had long been
familiar with in the West If he follows
these monks back to their cells and finds
them governed by, mitred abbot, and
subordinated as deacons, priests, and neo-
Phytes, learns that they are bound by
vows of ceibacy, live by aims, and spend
their lives in dull routine of contempla,
ton and formal worship, he might almost
fancy he was transported back into some
Burgundian convent in the middle ages '
Canonization Of saints is another feature
Of Ruddhiqro az IL paIio ,r,o,.,L; - ~