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another account , the honour of being the first publisher of the gospel in this island , is given to the apostle Sim on Zelotes ,
or the Canaanite ; by another to Philip ; by another ( especially among the Caledonians ) to Andrew ; by another to Peter > to which some popish writers are inclined to give no small credit ; by another to Paul , which has had some very respectable advocates , who seem to deem it of all others the mbst probable . By another . account , this same honour has been givefl to Aristobulus , mentioned in Rom . xvi . 10 . The faint or remote resemblance between this name and Arwystli , is perhaps the best reason that can be offered in favour of this tradition , though It is not known that its advocates have ever thought of that . But of all the accounts of this interesting event that have yet appeared , no One has been given more circumstantially , or with an air of greater confidence and solemnity than that which ascribes it to Joseph of Arimathea ; a sketch of which shall be here given , for th £ reader ' s amuaeinent : he will deem it curious , far as he may be from thinking it probable or credible .
This story , or tradition states ( according to William of Malmsburyj that Philip ( the apostle , as it is supposed ) visited France , where he preached and converted many ; and being desirous to spread the knowledge of Christ still farther , chose twelve ( others say ten ) of his disciples , and having devoutly laid his hands on each of them , sent them to preach the word of life to the Britons , under the conduct of his dear friend Joseph of Arimathea . Having arrived here , A . D . 63 , they entered upon their work ,, and preached with great zeal and diligence . The barbarous king of the country , however , and his subjects , rejected their doctrine , and would not abandon their own superstition . But as Joseph and his companions had come from a very distant country , and behaved modestly , he granted then ) a certain island , called Iniswitrin , for their residence ^ Two other pagan princes
granted them successively twelve hides of land for their subsistence . While they lived in that wild place , they were admonished by the angel Gabriel to build a church to the honour of the blessed Virgin Mary , the Mother of God .
lo this angelic admonition they were not disobedient , but presently set about the work , and built a small chapel of wattles ' , at a pla ^ e which had been previously pointed out to them . This being the first Christian church in these regiotis , the Son of God himself did it the very singular honour of dedicating it to the honour of his Mother * .
* Gul . Malm , Je ant . Gliut . Eccl . apud Gal . torn . i .
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The first Introduction of the Gospel into Britain . 291
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1807, page 291, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2381/page/3/
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