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Excerpt from An Elementary History of the Church in Great Britain
Tun Divine Society which our Lord Jesus Christ founded to be the perpetual embodiment on earth of His Divine Purpose and the channel of His Divine Grace, found ready to its hand the expansive power of the world empire of Rome. As birds carry the seeds to fresh garden ground, so the Roman civilisation spread the Gospel of the Son of God. We do not know when the first Christians landed in Britain, or when the Church first sent its missionaries or set up its organisation. Probably Christianity came first with some converted soldier, or some rich provincial who sojourned in Britain. Probably it came directly from Gaul, indirectly from Rome. There is no sign of Eastern origin about our National Church.
Of any Apostolic mission we have no trace. It was suggested in early times that S. Paul preached to the Britons: S. Peter, too, has been named as a preacher in our land, and an old legend tells that Joseph of Arimathea came to Glastonbury and planted the holy thorn. But these, if they are not impossible, are tales for which we have no credible warranty. For all we know, the Catholic faith was like the grain of mustard seed of a chance planting, yet it grew in Britain till the birds of the air took shelter under its branches.
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