YY and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and Isis APOSTLES, &c. 381 After the bleffed JESUS had left this vale of mifery, and bellowed eminent gifts and miraculous powers on the apoiles, St. Thomas, as well as the reif, preached the gofpel in feveral parts ofJudea ; and, after the difperfion of the Chriflian church in Jerufalem, repaired into Parthia, the pro- vince aligned him for his miniftry. After which, as Sempronius and others inform us, he preached the gofpel to the Medes, Perfians, Caramanians, Hyrcani, Bafarians, and the neighbouring nations. Departing from Perfia, he travelled into Ethiopia, preaching the glad-tidings of the gofpel, healing their fick, and working other miracles, to prove he had his com- milliionfrom on high. And after travelling through thefe countries, he entered the Indian territories. We are toldby Nicephorus, that he was at fire unwilling to enter thefe countries, fearing he fhould find their manners as rude and intractable ás their faces were black and deformed, till encouraged by a vifion, wherein he was allured of the Divine Pre- fence to affili him, he travelled a great way into thefe Eaftern countries, and even vifited the ifland Taprobane, fence called Sumatra, and the country of the Brach- mans, preaching every where with the greaten gentlenefs, and Ming the moi per- fuafive difcourfes, not flying out into in- vectives againi their idolatrous practices, but calmly iniruaing them in the doctrines of Chrillianity, perfuading themby degrees to renounce their follies, well knowing that confirmed habits mull be cured by patience and forbearance, by flow and gentle methods ; and by thefe means he reclaimed the people -from the groffel er- rors and fuperaitions, to an hearty belief and reception of Chriaianity.. The Portuguefe, when they firft vifited thefe countries, after their difcovery of a paffage by the Cape of Good Hope, re- ceived the following particulars, partly from ancient monuments, and partly from con- No. 32. Rant and uncontroverted traditions pre- ferved by the Chriílians in thofe parts : namely, that St: Thomas came firft to Socotora, an ifland in the Arabian fea, and thence to Cranganor, where, having con- verted many from the error of their ways, he travelled further into the EaR: and ha- ving fuereisfully preached the gofpel, re- turned back to the kingdomofCoromandel, where at Malipur, the metropolis of the kingdom, not far from the mouth of the Ganges, he began to erea a place for di- vine worfhip, till prohibited by the idola- trous prief}s, as well as by Sagamo, prince of that country : but after performing fe- venal miracles, the work was fuffered to proceed, and Sagamo himfelf embraced the Chriflian faith, whole example was foon followed by great numbers of his fubjeéls and attendants. The Brachmans were greatly alarmed at this remarkable fuccefs, as they plainly perceived that their religionwould be foon extirpated, unlefs fome method could be found of putting a flop to the progrefs of Chrillianity ; and therefore refolved to put the apofle to death. At a fmall diflance from the city was a tomb, whither St. Thomas often retired for private devotions. Hither the Brachmans and their armed followers purfued him, and while he was intent at prayer, they firft fhot at him a fhower ofdarts, after which, one of the picas ran him through with a lance. His body was taken up by his difciples, and buried in the church he had lately erefed, and which was afterwards improved into a Irately and magnificent fabric. According toSt. Chryfoftom, St.Thomas, who at firft was the weaken and molt in- credulousofall the apoflles, became,through Ca x isT'scondefcenfionto fatisfy hisfcruples, and the power of the divine grace, the molt active and invincible of them all; travelling over molt parts of the world, and livingwith.. out fear in the mica of barbarous nations, for the propagationof the Chriflian faith. q Z St. AND REV',
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