d over the whole universe, not by His bulk,
but by His power and virtue; Him they call the Father of All, and
acknowledge that the beginnings, the increase, the progress, the
vicissitudes, and the end of all things come only from Him; nor do they
offer divine honours to any but to Him alone. And indeed, though they
differ concerning other things, yet all agree in this, that they think
there is one supreme Being that made and governs the world, whom they
call in the language of their country Mithras. They differ in this, that
one thinks the God whom he worships is this supreme Being, and another
thinks that his idol is that God; but they all agree in one principle,
that whoever is this supreme Being, He is also that great Essence to
whose glory and majesty all honours are ascribed by the consent of all
nations.

By degrees, they fall off from the various superstitions that are among
them, and grow up to that one religion that is the best and most in
request; and there is no doubt to be made but that all the others had
vanished long ago, if some of those who advised them to lay aside their
superstitions had not met with some unhappy accident, which being
considered as inflicted by Heaven, made them afraid that the God whose
worship had like to have been abandoned, had interposed, and revenged
themselves on those who despised their authority.

After they had heard from us an account of the doctrine, the course of
life, and the miracles of Christ, and of the wonderful constancy of so
many martyrs, whose blood, so willingly offered up by them, was the
chief occasion of spreading their religion over a vast number of
nations; it is not to be imagined how inclined they were to receive it.
I shall not determine whether this proceeded from any secret inspiration
of God, or whether it was because it seemed so favourable to that
community of goods, which is an opinion so particular as well as so dear
to them; since they perceived that Christ and His followers lived by
that rule, and that it was still kept up in some communities among the
sincerest sort of Christians. From whichsoever of these motives it might
be, true it is that many of them came over to our religion, and were
initiated into it by baptism. But as two of our number were dead, so
none of the four that survived were in priest's orders; we therefore
could only baptize them; so that to our great regret they could not
partake of the other sacraments, that can only be ad