Section 165
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134 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. tions. So that, as they were accustomed to speak, one could in no other way escape the rulers of the world, unless by performing his part of obscenity to all. By the aid of such coadjutors, it I uppened, that the spirit of wickedness enslaved those that were le'i astray by them to their own destruction ; whilst to the unbeJieving Gentiles, they afforded abundant scope to slander the truth of God, as the report proceeding from them extended with its infamy to the whole body of Christians. In this way it happened, therefore, for the most part, that a certain impious and most absurd suspicion was spread abroad among the unbelievers re specting us, as of those who had unlawful commerce with mothers and sisters, and made use of execrable food. These artifices, however, did not continue to advance far, as the truth never theless established itself, and in process of time shed abroad its own light more and more. Indeed, the machinations of its ene mies were almost immediately extinguished by the power of truth ; one sect rising after another, the first always passing away, and one in one way, and another in another, evaporating into speculations of many modes, and as many forms. But the splendour of the universal and only true church constantly ad vanced in greatness and glory, always the same in all matters under the same circumstances, and reflected its dignity, its sin cerity, ts freedom tne modesty and purity of that divine life and tempei wmcn it inculcates, to all nations, both Greeks and bar barians. At the same time with the above heresy, were extin guished, also, the aspersions upon our religion. For the doctrine that we hold has alone survived, has prevailed over all, and been universally acknowledged as surpassing all in dignity and gra vity, in divine truths that evince a genuine and sound philosophy. So that no one, down to the present time, has dared to af fix any calumny upon our faith, nor any such slander, such as was formerly so eagerly applied by those that rose up against us. Nevertheless, in those times the truth presented many champi ons that undertook its defence, not only by unwritten argument ation, but, also, by their written demonstrations against the pre vailing heretical impieties.