IN A CHRISTIAN COUNTRY. 595

especially, being so very remote, and so difficult to send troops
thither for its defence; for we had yet above two thousand miles
to Muscovy, properly so called.

After this, we passed several great rivers, and two dreadful
deserts, one of which we were sixteen days passing over, and which,
as I said, was to be called No Man’s Land; and on the 18th of
April we came to the frontiers of the Muscovite dominions. I
think the first city, or town, or fortress, whatever it might be
called, that belonged to the Czar of Muscovy, was called Argun,
being on the west side of the river Argun.

I could not but discover an infinite satisfaction that I was soon
arrived in, as I called it, a Christian country, or at least in a country
governed by Christians; for though the Muscovites do, in my
opinion, but just deserve the name of Christians, yet such they
pretend to be, and are very devout in their way. It would cer-
tainly occur to any man who travels in the world as I have done,
and who had any power of reflection—I say, it would occur to him
to reflect what a blessing it is to be brought into the world where
the name of God and of a Redeemer is known, worshipped, and
adored; and not where the people, given up by Heaven to strong
delusions, worship the devil, and prostrate themselves to stocks and
stones, worship monsters, elements, horribly shaped animals, and
statues, or images of monsters, Not a town or city we passed
through but had their pagods, their idols, and their temples, and
ignorant people worshipping even the works of their own hands.

Now we came where, at least, a face of the Christian worship
appeared, where the knee was bowed to Jesus; and whether igno-
rantly or not, yet the Christian religion was owned, and the name
of the true God was called upon and adored; and it made the very
recesses of my soul rejoice to see it. I saluted the brave Scots
merchant I mentioned above, with my first acknowledgment of this;
and taking him by the hand, I said to him, “ Blessed be God, we
are once again come among Christians!” He smiled, and answered,
“Do not rejoice too soon, countryman; these Muscovites are but
an odd sort of Christians; and but for the name of it, you may
see very little of the substance for some months further of our
Journey.”