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ANTIDOTE TO DEISM.
THE
DEIST UNMASKED;
OR
AN AMPLE REFUTATION OF ALL THE
OBJECTIONS OF
THOMAS PAINE,
Againſt the CHRISTIAN RELIGION; as contained
in a Pamphlet, intitled, The Age of REASON;
addreſſed to the CITIZENS of theſe STATES,
By the Reverend UZAL OGDEN,
RECTOR of TRINITY CHURCH, at NEWARK,
in the State of New-JERSEY.
To which prefixed, REMARKS on BOULANGER'S
CHRISTIANITY UNVEILED.
And to the Deist UNMASKED, is annexed a
SHORT METHOD with the Deists. By the
Reverend CHARLES LESLIE.
O
If this age be ſingularly productive of INFIDELS, I
ſhall not, therefore, conclude it to be nore know-
ing, but only more preſuming than former
ages;
and their conceit, I doubt, is not the effect of
the exerciſe of the powers of reaſon.
MINUTE PHILOSOPHER.
In Two VOLUMES-VOL. I.
NEWARK, PRINTED BY JOHN WOODS.
M.DCCXCV.
(Copy Right ſecured, according to Law.)

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GEORGE WASHINGTON, EsQ
PRESIDENT
Of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA ;
The PATRON of SCIENCE ;
The real PATRIOT ;
The FATHER of his COUNTRY,
And the fineere CHRISTIAN ;
This DEFENCE of DIVINE REVELATION,
As a TESTIMONY
OF ESTEEM and RESPECT,
Is INSCRIBED by
THE AUTHOR.
壓​吹吹​嗎
​曾​系​兰
​
AM
Henry Vogden
116.42

ADVERTISEM E N T.
ITA
TTALY and FRANCE, may juſtly be regarded
as the parents of DEISM. And as infidelity,
at the preſent moment, predominates, in a conſide-
rable degree, in France, (though it is believed,
notwithſtanding the wiſe and virtuous decrees of
the national convention againſt CHRISTIANITY,
assorasia
* It is noticed here, with pleaſure, that ſince
writing the above, the author hath been in-
formed, the unjuſtifiable malignity and rage
of the national convention againſt chriſtian-
ity, have very conſiderably abated. This is man-
ifeſt from their decree (the reading of the report
of which, was " frequently interrupted by warm
applauſes”) “for aſſuring the freedom of religious
opinions and worſhip, paſſed Feb. 21, 1795. The
Xth article of which, is in the following words.
"Whoever fhall diſturb by violence, the cere-
monies of any worſhip, or inſult the objects of it,
ſhall be puniſhed according to the law of correc-
tional police. The convention, indeed, decree,
that they will not afford any pecuniary aid for
the fupport of religion ; and certain it is, that
chriſtianity demands not ſuch aſliſtance ; nor does
its exiſtence, or proſperity require it. Its ftate
was more proſperous when diſcountenanced, and
even perſecuted by earthly powers, than in fuc-
ceeding ages; and, perhaps, a greuter evil could
pot have happened to the chriſtian church, than
the honors and emoluments which were laviſhed on
it, by Conftantine the great! +
+ See Mofheim's eccleſiaſtical hiſtory, vol. I.
A 2

Vit
This circumſtance, it is hoped, will occaſion
the learned and judicious reader, to behold with
a more favorable eye, ſuch imperfections as he
may perceive in this publication.
TO SUBSCRIBER S.
I
T was propoſed, that to The Deiſt Unmaſked,
io's prejudices deſtroyed ; a fhort method with
the deifts ; a ſermon on II. Pet. i. 16; an ad-
dreſs to deifts; and alſo, an addreſs to the pro-
feffors of chriſtianity in theſe ftates.
But as The Deiſt Unmaſked hath been very con-
ſiderably extended beyond the limits originally
contemplated, it hath been thought adviſeable, to
omit all the pieces intended to have been added
to it, except the ſhort method with the deifts, and
to have the performance thus enlarged, neatly
bound and lettered, in two volumes.
In this form it is now offered, at the price of
three fourths of a dollar, each volume. If any
fubſcriber, however, ſhall not approve of this al.
teration, and enlargement of the publication, he
is at liberty to regard his fubfcription to be of
no cfficacy.
Newark, State of New Jerſey, May 3, 1795
SINCE writing the above
, the author, in
fome degree, perceives his conjecture already ver-
ified, that Mr. Paine would be ſucceeded by other

deiftical writers from France. Mr. Boulanger, **
as a ſecond GOLIAH from that country, has lately
arrived here, and raiſes his impious voice to re-
vile and blafpheme the nature and revelation of
the living God, and to propagate his licentious
ſyſtem of infidelity! A ſyſtem that wholly rejects
the doctrine of the immortality of the ſoul, or a
future ſtate ; that teaches that men can only ſin
by injuring each otber ; that their conduct, how-
ever impious, cannot offend God, and declares
that the whole duty of men conſiſts in their being
good members of civil ſociety ; and adviſes, that
they ſhall be made fo, either by the allurements
of temporary rewards; or che infliction of tempo-
rary puniſhments.t
This admirable fyftem of DEISM, ſo grateful
to libertines, differs but little from that of Tho.
mas Paine, except that he profefles to believe he
hall exiſt hereafter ; but inerely, it is probable,
levereras
naudas
* The author of a pamphlet, entitled " chriſo
tianity unveiled.”
+ Mr. Boulanger appears to be the entire po-
litician, though, in reality, an extremely weak one;
his views are wholly confined to this world; he
ridicules piety, and treats with contempt, the
idea of future rewards and puniſhments.
But when libertine POLITICIANS quit their
Sphere, and, like the ancient pagans, take upon
them to form Gods and religions, it is not furpri-
ſing that the work of their hands, ſhould be “ al-
together like unto themſelves !”

becauſe at the time he publiſhed his creed, the na-
tional convention of France, had reſcinded their
decree, that the ſoul periſhes with the body, and
declared it to be immortal !
It is reaſonable to conclude, that Mr. Boulan-
ger's pamphlet was written before that of Mr.
Paine, as the ſcheme of religion of the former,
does not perfectly agree with that, at preſent, em-
braced by the national convention of France.-
But however this may be, it is certain, that the
CLAMOUR made by one of theſe perſons againit
chriſtianity, is but little elſe than the ECHOE of
the other; and, therefore, in refuting the pam-
phlet of one of them, the other alſo, in ſubſtance,
hath been refuted. *
Had Mr. Boulanger duly regarded the fact,
(which is fully eftabliſhed in this performance)
that divine revelation commenced antecedent to
the exiſtence of paganiſm, or that the mythology
of the ancients is but a groſs corruption of reveal-
ed religion ; and had he alſo, duly underſtood, and
attended only to the real genius and deſign of
ehriftianity (which are exhibited in this publica-
tion) as contained in the ſcriptures, and not to its
sasorararana
* Notwithſtanding the pretenſions of ſome
modern deifts to philoſophy, it is certain that
their faculries have been extremely ſterile with
reſpect to the invention of new objections to chrif-
tianity ; even Lord Bolingbroke quoted deiſtical
objections againſt the truth, from the twentieth
hand ? See a treatiſe of Sir John Hill, entitled
Thoughts concerning God and Nature, p. 5652

I. Cor. l. 14, I 6.
adulterations, and the unjuſtifiable conduct of ſome
of its profeſſors, his virulent and profane invective
againſt the chriſtian religion would have been
Spared,
It is likely, that, with Mr. Paine, he keeps no
bible. It is, however, an undoubted truth, that
he is either extremely ignorant of the ſcriptures,
or wilfully endeavors to miſrepreſent them, or he
would not, for inſtance, have confidently aſſerted,
that Saint Paul would not permit baptiſm to be
adminiſtered to the Corinthians ! 6 Although
chriſtian divines, ſays he, conſider baptiſin neceſ-
ſary to falvation, we find Paul would not ſuffer
the Corinthians to be baptized.”*
But where did this prohibition, attributed to
Saint Paul, originate, but in the imagination of
this deiſtical writer ? Saint Paul was baptized ;t
he in the moſt unequivocal manner approves of the
inſtitution of baptiſm, f and he himſelf mentions,
that He baptized ſome of the Corinthians. ||
The primitive chriſtians, poſſeſſing the real
Spirit of CHARITY, fo forcibly inculcated on them
by the divine author of chriſtianity, frequently-
but always freely-diſpoſed of their property to
relieve the wants of the indigent and diſtreſſed
sosiasaan
* Chriſtianity unveiled, page 114
+ Acts ix. 18. Rom. vi. 34. Ephef.
Col. ij. 12
Acts xix. 32 5. I. Cor. xii.
13. Gal. iii. 27.

$212
members of the church.* But two perfons--
and two only that we are informed of, of the mul.
titude of believers--who -profeſſed to make this
voluntary oblation, through the fuggeſtions of
fatan, acted with deceit; they did not, agreeable
to their profeſſion, offer the whole amount of
the ſale of their land. For ſuch diſſimulation, one
of them, Ananias,was thus reproved by Saint Peter.
«Why hath ſatan filled thine heart to lie to the
Holy Ghoſt, and to keep back part of the price of
the land ? Whiles it remained was it not thine
own ? And after it was ſold, was it not in thine
own power ? Why haft thou conceived this thing
in thy heart? Thou haſt not lied unto men, but
unto God ?"+ For ſuch facrilege, avarice, hypo-
criſy and falſehood, and to deter others from ſim.
ilar impiety, theſe offenders, by divine juſtice,
were ſmitten with death,
But on this relation of ſcripture, what ſays Mr.
Boulanger? How flagrant is his miſrepreſenta-
tion of the facts ? « It is known, ſays he, that in
this infant fect, the aſſociates held their goods in
common. (Such of them only as inclined fo to
do.) This dury appears to have been rigorouſly
exacted; for by the command of St. Peter (by an
iammediate act of God) two new chriftians were
(mitten to death for haviug withheld part of their
own property.??
More examples might be adduced of ſuch
diſingenuity of Mr. Boulanger ; but an inſtance
oranasan
วว
* Acts iv. 32-37
•

X111
only ſhall be produced of his folly and wickedneſs,
in attempting to palm on the world, an expref-
fion of his own, incompatible with juſtice, as a
text of the bible.
It is remarked by him, that “Saint Auſtin fays,
that of right divine, all things belong to the juſt.”
(Saint Auſtin, however, never made this aſſertion,
in the ſenſe underfood by this writer.) “A
maxim which is founded on a paſſage in the
Pſalms, which ſays, the juſt ſhall eat the fruit of
the labor of the unrighteous." +
Why did not Mr. Boulanger refer to the
Pfalm, that contains this extraordinary expreſſion?
For a very evident reaſon ; becauſe the Pſalms
contain no ſuch text. The Pfalmift, indeed, de-
clares, That bleſſed is every one that feareth
the Lord ; that walketh in his ways. For thout
fhalt eat the labor of thine hands ; happy ſhalt
thou be, and it ſhall be well with thee."* And
no pallage, from the writings of Saint Auſtin can
be produced, that contradicts this righteous pro-
mife, or that founds a maxim of injuſtice from
any text of fcripture.
It is preſumed, that common prudence, will
dictate to the third champion of infidelity, from
France, who fhall obtrude himſelf upon us, if he
wiſhes to have the leaſt attention ſhewn him, and
not to be treated with ſovereign contempt, the
propriety at leaſt, of exhibiting the charms of novela
ty, and not to be a meagre fpectre, a mere fha-
crocorarerosoras
+ P. 267
* Pſal. cxxvi. 1, 2.
A 3

xiy
dow, or a very ECHOE of thoſe who preceded
him ; as ſtale deiftical objections againſt chriſtian-
ity, already begin to be extremely diſguſtful to
ſuch of the citizens of theſe United States, as ho-
nor the publications of deiſts with a peruſal! And
it is imagined, he need not be informed, that yet
they keep the hible, and are acquainted with it ;
that, on them, deiſtical miſrepreſentations of fcrip.
ture cannot be impoſed; that by them, deiſtical af-
ſertions cannot be received as divine revelation;
and that ſuch is their knowledge of chriſtianity ;
that fo highly do they eſteem it; that ſuch are
their habits of reaſoning, their capability of dif-
tinguiſhing truth from error; their love of vir:
tue and deteftation of vice, that dogmatiſm and
fophiftry they will not revere as truth; and that
the RELIGION of wiſdom and virtue which they
have received from God, they will not exchange
for a ſyſtem of INFIDELITY, of vice and folly
from FRANCE; though by buman artifice, but to
the inſult of common ſenſe, it is called REASON and
PHILOSOPHY *
ororororors
* It hath been juſtly remarked by an eminent
writer, that men fhew a zeal for what they term
reaſon and philofophy, as their beſt guides in reli-
gion, that they may more freely indulge their
finful lifts and paſſions. Jackſon on human reek
fo.1, p. 39

XV
CONTENTS of the Deist UNMASKED.
13:
14:
VOLUME 1.
INTRO
Page.
INTRODUCTORY remarks,
Diviſion of this publication into three parts,
MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS.
Various probable reaſons which induced Mr.
Paine to write his age of reaſon, ib.
Libertine conduct and conceit of deiſts, Note, ih.
Inferior in abilities to many chriſtians, ib.
Deiſm hath never reformed the morals of one
of its converts, N.
16.
The effects of deiſm in France, N.
ib.
Weakneſs, depravity and impertinence of Mr.
Paine, N.
ib.
Blind and prepoſterous zeal of deifts, N. 17.
Mr. Paine's book devoid of reaſon,
Religion neceſſary to government, N. ib.
Groſs ignorance of Mr. Paine,
ib.
Varlo's phyſical ſkill, K.
ib.
Mr. Paine infults the underſtanding of Ame.
ricans,
19.
Deiſts generally ignorant of chriſtianity, N. ib.
Recent inſtance of rudeneſs, folly, impiety
and confuſion of a deist, N.
ib.
The preſent an age of changes and novelties,
and, with reſpect to religion, of error
and
deluſion,
Men idolize the words reaſon and philoſophy, ib.
Caprice of the National Convention of
France, N.
Chriſtianity friendly to the rights of men, and
conſonant to reaſon, N.
An encomium on the United States, N.
A quotation in their favor from Mr. Coxe, N. ib.
Good morals neceſſary to good government, 22.
Chriftianity only, capable of promoting the
preſent and future happineſs of
men, 2.3:
20-
20.
21.
22-

24
34
m 63
The laws of nature inſufficient to inform us
of our duty, N.
ib.
Excellence of chriſtianity,
Deiſm infipid,
ib.
An addreſs to the deity, in favor of deifts, 25
Conceſſions in favor of chriſtianity, by Lord
Herbert, Tindal, the moral philofopher,
Mr. Chubb, Lord Bolingbroke, Rouſ-
ſeau, Gibbon and Paine,
ib.
And alſo of Mahomet, N.
Mr. Paine had not the fagacity to diſcern the
natural conſequences reſulting from his
conceſſions,
33
Genuine patriotifin fhould poffefs every hu-
man breaſt, N.
ib.
Voltaire and Paine quote fcripture in favor
of their political ſyſtems, N.
The goſpel in favor of patriotiſm, N.
Lord Bolingbroke and Humne diſeſteem reaſon, 38.
Reaſon a noble faculty of the foul,
A juſt inference from Lord Bolingbroke's
idea of the inſufficiency of reaſon, N.
ib.
Picaſon, how it ſhould be exerciſed,
40
Soame Jenyns's idea of reaſon, N.
Mr. Jenyns's converſion from deiſm to chrif-
tianity, N.
Reaſon capable of deciding on the eviden-
ces in favor of chriftianity,
ib
Various cauſes of infidelity, N.
The cauſe, in Lord Bacon's opinion, of al-
moſt all the errors in the ſciences, N.
Chriſtianity dreads nor inveſtigation, but fuf-
fers for want of due examination into
its nature, and the evidences of its truth, 450
A quotation from Dr. Young, N.
ib
Gratitude of an heathen philoſopher, N.
of a chriftian, N.
The bleſſings of chriftianity, N.
"Vretchedneſs of deiſm, N.
39
ib.
46.
ib:
50

Xvi
56.
Important to enquire whether chriſtianity be
true or falſe,
ib.
In what manner it ſhould be inveſtigated, 51.
This inveſtigation, probably, never made
by Mr. Paine,
52
Mr. Paine's ignorance of the mythology of
the ancients, and of chriſtianity,
ib.
In politicks only, he reaſons with any degree
of propriety,
53
Egypt the parent of idolatry and fables, as
well as the arts and ſciences, N.
ib.
A remark of Democritus, applied to Mr.
Paine, N.
iba
Chriſtianity did not proceed from paganiſin,
but is of divine origin, N.
ib.
Whatever excellence pertains to paganiſm,
derived froin divine revelation, N.
Groſs ignorance, or great impiety, of Mr.
Paine, N. His creed,
ib.
Inferior to many other ſyſtems of deiſm, 57
No improvements in deiſm,
ib.
Origin of deiſm, N.
ib.
Lord Herbert's ſcheme of deiſm, N.
Imagined he had a revelation from heaven
in favor of it, N.
50.
The works of creation evince the being of a
God,
Lord Herbert's ſcheme of deifm and Mr.
Paine's, contradict each other,
ib.
The evidences in favor of chriſtianity reſt not
on ſo feeble a baſis, as does the fancied
teſtimony of Lord Herbert, in fupport
of his ſyſtem of deiſm, N.
St. Paul's converſion miraculous, N.
ib.
Reaſons which induced pagan philoſophers
to believe there is a God, N.
Remark of a deiſt, that the light of nature is
not ſufficient to teach the unity of God, 64.
58.
60.
63
AA

XVIL
67
ains, N.
But few heathens entertained juſt percepti-
ons of the deity,
65.
Their vices,
ib.
Contraſt of chriſtian and heathen morals, N. ib.
Imperfect fyſtems of morality of pagan phi-
loſophers,
66.
Men, unable by the light of nature only,
practically to believe in God,
Revelation only can enable them to do thus, 68.
Some principles of true religion, obtained by
tradition, among almoſt all the nations
of the world, N.
69.
Depravity of the Chineſe, N.
72
Mr. Paine would not have believed in the
unity of God, had he not been educated
in a chriftian country,
739
But moſt probably have bcen an idolater, iba
Idolatry and depravity of the ancient Brit.
74
Happy effects of chriſtianity in Britain, ib.
Probable conſequences, Should chriſtianity
be aboliſhed in Britain, N.
75
Deiſts enemies to mankind,
ib
Some ſavages in fouth America, have no idea
of God and religion, N.
Savage barbarity, N.
77:
Deiſts and pagans indebted to divine revela .
tion, for whatever excellence pertains
to their fyftems of religion,
ib.
Character of Tertullian, N.
79.
No heathen nation that believed the exif-
tence of a God, but worſhipped him, 80
Tertullian's converfion to chriſtianity, N.
ib.
From a potent enemy, he becomes an able
advocate for chriſtianity, N.
815
He ridicules the heathen cuitom of making
Gods,
Tiberius propoſes Chriſt to be enrolled a-
ib
inong the heathen Gods,
Mr. Paine regards prayer to be impious,
82-
76.
ib.

XIX
ib.
84
83
Account of the facrifices and prayers of the
ancient pagans, N.
ib.
Rite of ſacrifice, of divine inſtitution, N.
Idolatry,a corruption of the true religion,
Mr. Paine believes not in providence,
He devotes no time to religious inſtruction
and improvement in virtue,
Neceſſity of prayer,
N.
ib.
Reaſon inſufficient to inſure mercy to a
penitent,
ib
Penitence for ſin and fanctity of heart, no
part of Mr. Paine's creed,
86.
Young and Milton, on the juſtice of God, N. ib.
Various defects of Mr. Paine's creed, 87.
Explanation of Micah vi. 8. N.
ib.
Lord Bolingbroke contends, that the great
principle implanted in the breaſt of man,
is ſelf-love,
88.
Carneades denies that men are obliged to re-
vere the principle of juſtice,
89
Neceſſary that the duties of juſtice and mer-
cy ſhould be explicitly enjoined on men,
by divine authority, N.
ib
Pagans in general, and many deiſts, maintain
the doctrine of implacability and re-
venge,
The ancient Romans deficient in the virtues
of placability and mercy,
N.
ib.
Natural religion inſufficient to influence the
morals of the heathen world, at preſent, 91.
Morals of the ancient Greeks and Romans,
contrafted with thoſe of chriſtians,
at the preſent period, N.
92
Contradictory ſentiments of deiſtical writers, 94-
Barbarity of heathen ſacrifices, N.
95
Deiftical contradictions, evince the neceſſity
of divine revelation, N.
The earl of Shaftſbury believed that the ſouls
of men, after death, inhabit the ſtars,
The nefarious tendency of deiítical creeds, N. ib.
90
97
98.

100.
IOI
Impious boaſt of the diſciples of Epicurus, ib.
The belief of the immortality of the ſoul, of
the utmoſt importance, with reſpect to
moral and religious practice,
ib.
The light of nature did not teach men that
the foul is immortal,
99.
The foul's iminortality not made an article
of faith by any nation, before Chrift, N. ib.
Mr. Gibbon acknowledges, that philoſophy
cannot aſſure us of a future ſtate,
Heathen philoſophers unable te prove the
immortality of the ſoul,
Chriſtianity hath eſtabliſhed this important
truth,
105
Alnoſt all the articles of Mr. Paine's creed,
which can be approved of, purloined
from the ſcriptures,
1053
Pagans and deifts indebted to revelation for
religious principles, N.
106.
Heathens believe in providence, N.
Commendations of chriſtianity, by the author
of the lettres Juives, and Baron de Mon-
teſquieu, N.
View of chriſtianity,
ib.
Encomium of Baron Bielfeld on the morals
taught by Chriſt, N.
The inſtitutions of public inſtruction and wor-
ſhip, judicious and benevolent, N. 112
Mr. Paine diſregards theſe inſtitutions, N.
ΙΙΑ.
Proteftation of Machiavel, N.
115
Excellence, truth, and falutary effects of
chriſtianity,
Juſtin Martyr's teſtimony of the happy ef-
fects of chriſtianity, N.
Chriſtianity approved by men of genius,
learning and piety, in every age,
118.
But traduced and blaſphemed, by a libertine
deiſt,
ib.
TO
III-
116.
1174

121.
1226
123"
124.
Reaſons why the ſtudy of the latin and greek
languages ſhould not be aboliſhed, 119-
Mr. Paine's account of the folar fyftem not
correct,
His puerilities and egotiſms,
Ρ Α R T TI.
Containing a refutation of Mr. Paine's objec-
tions to the credibility of the ſcriptures.
A divine revelation poſſible,
Allowed by deifts, ib. Neceſſary,
But two modes by which a religion can be
communicated to the world,
ib
Inſufficiency of human reaſon to give men
juſt perceptions of religioa, N.
ita
Lerd Herbert and Mr. Hobbs, renounce de-
iſm and embrace chriſtianity, N. 125
Penitence of Ariſtotle, N.
ib.
Remarks on deiſts, by Mr. Bayle, N. ib
Various arguments demonſtrating the neceſ-
fity of divine revelation,
125
Arguments on this ſubject, by Hooker, Mr.
Bryant, Tertullian, Bp. Watſon, Mr.
Knox, Mr. Jenyns and Dr. Smith,
1330
Hemarks of Dr. Smith, on the French nati-
on, with refpect to religion, N.
Mr. Pope declares the deity of the Mefliah,
the bleſſings derived from him, and the
illumination of the human mind by the
light of revelation,
145
Obſervations of Sir John Hill, on the ne-
ceffity of the chriſtian revelation,
Different kinds of revelations,
Several modes of communicating revelation, ib:
The fcriptures,
149
Poſitive evidences in favor of their truth,
I. Moſes the moſt ancient hiſtorian, 1 50
Porphyrius, in vain, endeavored to diſcover
fome author as ancient as Moſes, N. 1545
143
146,
148

2.1
159
tures, N.
ibe
II. The antiquity of the jewiſh religion,
VII. The jews, before the appearance of
Chriſt, had among then the books of
the old teſtament,
IV. Theſe books, when Chriſt appeared,
genuine,
160.
V. The old teſtament, as now extant in the
kaebrew, hath been preſerved uncorrupt, 163,
Care of the Maßorites to preſerve, in its ori-
ginal purity, the text of the jewiſh fcrip-
165
VI. Many important facts recorded in the
old teſtament, mentioned by ancient
heatheir authors,
VII. The importance and excellence of the
moſaic hiſtory of the creation, 169.
Traditional opinions of the moſt ancient na-
tions and Greek philoſophers,evince that
feveral ideas of the moſaic account of
the creation obtained among them, N. 171.
Various hypotheſes of the origin of the world, 172-
They are contradictory, puerile and abſurd, ib.
VIII. Miracles,
ib.
Mr. Hume's ſophiſtical arguments againſt
the truth of miracles, refuted by Dr.
Adam's, Dr. Campbell & Dr. Price, N. 180.
Dr. Price's remarks on the oppoſition of de-
ifts to chriſtianity, N.
ib.
IX. Propheſy,
185.
X Completion of propheſies reſpecting hea.
then nations,
192
XI. Predictions fulfilled in Chrift,
193
XII. Predictions of Chriſt,
XIII. The preſent ftate of the jews, a ſtrik-
ing evidence of the truth of prophefy
and the chriſtian religion,
XIV. Excellence of the morality of the old
teftament,
205
XV. Divine providence,
198.
201.
208.

219
2430
XVI. At the time of Chriſt's appearance,
the expectation of an illuſtrious perſon
was general,
212
XVII. There was ſuch a perſon as Jeſus Chriſt, 216
XVIII. The ſtate of religion among jews
and gentiles, when Chriſt made his ap-
pearance,
XIX. Chriſtianity publiſhed in a learned
age,
224
XX. Great numbers of learned and illuſtri.
ous men embraced chriſtianity, 226
A platonick philofopher converted to the
chriſtian faith, N.
2282
XXI. The rapid propagation of the goſpel, 231.
XXII. The goſpel hiſtory genuine,
236
Teſtimonies of Mr. Hobbs and Lord Bo.
lingbroke, in favor of the ſcriptures, N. 239.
XXIII. The books of the new teftament
have not been corrupted,
Divers eccleſiaſtical authors of the three first
centuries, who refer to the books of the
new teitament, N.
XXIV. Various hiſtorical facts, evidences of
the truth of the goſpel hiſtory, 2514
XXV. The teſtimonies of adverſaries and
heathens, to divers facts mentioned -in
the new teſtament,
253
XXVI. The perfe& example of Chriſt,
Celſus, Porphyry and Julian, acknowledge
the reality of the miracles recorded in
the goſpels, N.
259
Mr. Chubb's teſtimony in favor of Chriſt, N. 264.
XXVII. Excellence of the doctrines of the
new teſtament,
266.
XXVIII. The morals of the goſpel moſt
worthy of God,
2.72
XXIX. Excellence of the moral character
of the apoſtles,
281
Integrity of the apoſtles, poetically expreſſed,
by Dryden, N.
2823
246.
2593

XXIV
287.
30&
Wiſdom of St. Paul, N.
286.
XXX. The poſitive inſtitutions of chriftiani.
ty, in favor of its divine original,
XXXI. The goſpel enforced by divine au-
thority
280.
XXXII. Chriſtianity compatible with reaſon
and philofophy,
2914
Reflections on true philoſophy, by the Abbe
le Blanc, N.
ib.
Imperfection of human knowledge, N.
2974
Men unable to comprehend inaterial objects, N. ib.
Utility of philoſophy to religion, N.
300
Sixty three topicks in favor of chriſtianity, with
references to various authors who treat
on them, N.
3045
Abſurdity of the polition, that a revelation
can be a revelation only to the perſon to
whom it is immediately made,
Refutation of the objection, that the word of
God cannot exiſt in written language, 319.
Inſufficiency of the works of creation, to
teach men the religious knowledge ne-
ceſſary to be known,
320
Refutation of the idea, that the works of cre-
ation are ſufficient to teach men the arts
and ſciences,
3214
Ferocity and ignorance of ſome nations, N. ib.
Various cauſes of the origin of the arts and
ſciences,
322
Chance taught men the art of grafting,&c.N. 323.
Erroneous, or abſurd principles, often ex-
pofe men to deriſion,
324
Idle conceit of Mr. Paine, N.
ib.
Several nations, for ages, were ignorant of
the exiſtence of fire, N.
Some nations, at preſent, ignorant of its
ufe, N. 326.
Impious abfurdity of Mr. Paine,
326.
327

von
5 so
secara
aroronoun
T H E
DEIST UNM ASKED, &c.
РА
AINFUL is it to a benevolent mind, to
expoſe an individual to public obloquy on
account of the impropriety of his conduct. The
intereſts, however, of virtue and religion; the
good of human ſociety, and various other particu-
lars, often render fuch a meaſure, not only juſti-
fiable, but neceſſary.
Mr. Paine, during the American Revolution,
by his patriotic writings and ſervices, juftly ob-
tained our eſteem and applauſe ; and it was hoped,
he having returned to Europe, that we ſhould ever
have had occafion to have revered his
name. But
this hope vanilhes on his preſent paper appearance
among us as an apoſtle of DEISM, to effect a revo-
lution in our RELIGION; or, in language more
pertinent, he having himſelf rebelled, to excite us
to join in a REBELLION againſt God; to perfuade
us to renounce the divine ſyſtem of chriſtianity,
which alone can dignify and bleſs human nature,
and to embrace his falacious, gloomy and uncom-
fortable ſcheme of deiſin ;-a ſcheme, which, if
adopted, would eventually rob us of virtue and
happpineſs ; plunge us into ignorance and error;
fuperitition and idolatry, and fix on us the fetters
of ſlavery
B.

( 14 )
To attract attention, and to captivate our hearts,
Mr. Paine affects to appear in the enchanting dreſs
of REASON; but as, in fact, he is attired in the
deſpicable garb of vice and FOLLY ; IGNORANCE
and IMPERTINENCE, it becomes a duty, that the
unwary may be preſerved froin ſeduction, to di-
veſt this deiſtical ENTHUSIAST and INCENDIARY
of his MAGK, and to exhibit him in his genuine
character
The deſultory objections contained in his
pamphlet against divine revelation, may be metho-
dized and reduced to the following particulars.
FIRST, his objections to the credibicity of the
Books of the Holy Scriptures:
SECONDLY, to fome things contained therein :
and
THIRDLY, mifcellaneous objections to chriſ.
tianityo-
Theſe objections shall be refuted, in the order
they have been mentioned, under diflinct heads,
or parts; but previoully, the author begs leave
to make ſome detaclred obſervations ; eſpecially
on certain paſſages in Mr. Paine's performance,
which cannot be conſidered as objections to the
chriſtian religione
M
R.PAINE's Pamphlet was written, it ſeems,
at Paris, and in prifon. It is quite immaterial
whether, in his delicate ſituation, this priſon pro-
duction was fabricated to ingratiate himſelf with
the National Convention of France, by pablicly de-
claring he was at leaſt, as good a Deift as any
them, and therefore, perfe&tly French and Par
triotic, with regard to his religious opinions,

( 15 )
Equally unimportant is it, whether he com:
menced Deiſt becauſe the refulgent light of Di.
vine Revelation, gave too much pain to his
reddened Eyes of intemperance ;* and, therefore,
in hopes of obtaining eaſe, cloſed them againſt the
ſun-beams of the goſpel. +
osvorsora
* This expreffion alludes to a well known
fact, that, unhappily, Mr. Paine is a drunkard.
+ It hath been frequently remarked, that
DEISTS in general, are men of libertine conduct ;
or poffefſed of a vain conceit of their abilities,
and pride themſelves in rejecting what they deng-
minate vulgar prejudices.
With reſpect to their abilities, who of them are
equal to Bacon, Boyle, Locke, Newton, and many
others who might be mentioned, who have done
fo much honor to human nature, to ſcience and
to chriſtianity ?
But what are the things which theſe unbeliev-
ers call vulgar prejudices ? What but the SCOURGE
of divine TRUTH which fo lacerates them for the
impiety of their conduct ?
Several of theſe gentlemen, however, have,
ineffectually, fought for peace of mind and a
fanction to follow their evil propenſities, under the
covert of INFIDELITY. They have been com-
pelled to flee froin the deluſions of Deiſin, and to
ſeek for happineſs and ſafety in the Goſpel of
CHRIST ; and ſome of them, it is hoped, (and
particularly Lord Rocheſter) have not fought the
bleſſings of this diípenſation of mercy in vain.
The licentiouſneſs, however, of Deifts; their
pride and evil views in rejecting Divine Revela-

( 16 )
Or whether he began his deiſtical career, even
at ſeven years old, when the profundity of his
knowledge and unequalled fagacity, cauſed him
to diſcover the fraud of chriſtianity and to be diſa
gufted with it. $
Or of as little conſequence is it to us, when he
wrote his piece, whether he was impelled by ain-
caravanas
tion, and penitential return of ſome of them, to
the arms of chriſtianity, are not mentioned as teſ-
timonies, on which any ſtrefs is laid, in favor of
the goſpel; they are, notwithſtanding, evidences
in its fupport, far ſuperior to what Deiſm can
boaſt of, with reſpect to its effects on the moral
practice of any of its proſelites ; for, in all the
annals of Deiſm, is there the leaſt trace of evi.
dence, that it hath reformed the morals even of
ONE of its converts ? But, on the contrary, is it
not manifeft, that many converts to infidelity,
have become « feven fold more the children of
Satan,” than they were before !
And yet DEISM, the preſent rage of the French
nation (the benign effects of which, in many re-
fpects, they ſo happily experience, eſpecially in
Preſerving men from aflaffinations, ſuicide, maſ-
facres, and the power of the guillotine) Mr. Paine,
in the goodneſs of his heart, wiſhes to be the Re.
ligion of Americans !
To an enlightened people, profeſſing chriſtianity,
and enjoying its happy effects, it is not eaſy to de-
termine, whether his addreſs to us, on this occa-
fion demonſtrates which is the moſt confpicuous ;
the weakneſs of his intellects, the defravity of his
mind, or the impertinence of his conduct !
Age of Reaſon, p. 106.

( 17 )
bition ; influenced by deluſion or actuated by blind
Certain, however, it is, that his perform
Zeal. *
sororororororo ว
* Not only blind, but prepoſterous is the zeal of
Deiſts to propagate the principles of Infidelity.
Their conduct, in this inſtance, to an attentive
obferver, exhibits a phenomenon of which no
rational account can be given.
We may, in fome degree, account for a man's
being impelled, by the violence of his paffions,
to do that which his mind difapproves and con-
demns. But that any perſon, with deliberation,
fhould take pains to releaſe men from all reſtraints
of religion and conſcience, and thereby, as far as
is in his power, attempt to diſolve the bands of
ſociety and good government, in conſequeuce
of which he himſelf might be a fufferer, is ſuch
conduct as cannot be accounted for on any prin-
ciples of common ſenſe or found policy, but muſt be
regarded as hoſtile to liberty and patriotiſm.
When the reſtraints of religion are diſſolved,
what can be expected, but that men ſhould aban-
don themſelves to the impulſe of their paſſions
?
Human laws and penalties will be inſufficient to
reſtrain men from licentiouſneſs, where there is
no juſt tenſe of the Deity ; no regard to a future
ftate, or to the due puniſhment of vice, and the
rewards of virtue hereafter.
In proportion as a neglect, or contempt of re-
ligion obtains, diſſoluteneſs of morals will prevail ;
and when a people, in general, become diffolute,
probity and virtue, public ſpirit and a generous
concern for the interefts of the nation, will be
extinguiſhed. Certainly then, all who wiſh well
to civil ſociety and the happineſs of mankind,
ſhould be anxious, that genuine chriftianity, in
B 2

( 18 )
mance, as far as it is oppoſed to Divine Revela-
tion, is devoid of REASON; except low wit and
invective ; fophiftry and dogmatiſm, be denomi-
nated reaſon. Notleſs true is it, that his publication
evinces, in ſeveral parts of it, his profound igno-
rance of the chriſtian religion ; particularly, where
he mentionsf the people called QUAKERS as
profeffing a religion diſtinct from chriſtianity • *
covorare ancora
principle and practice, might generally prevail ;
and that vice and infidelity, ſhould not predonia
nate.
ment.
It was juſtly obſerved by lord Bolingbroke,
that " the good effects of maintaining, and bad
effects of neglecting religion, were extremely vi-
Gble in the whole courſe of the Roman govern-
That though the Roman religion eftab-
liſhed by Numa, was very abſurd, yet by keep-
ing up an awe of a ſuperior power, and the belief
of a Providence, that ordered the courſe of events,
it produced all the marvellous effects which Ma-
chiavel, after Polybius, Cicero and Plutarch, af-
cribes to it.” He adds, that the "negle&t of
religion was the principal cauſe of all the evils which
Rome afterwards fuffered. Religion decayed,
and the ſtate decayed with it." Works, vol. IV.
po 428.
+ P, 108
* This inſtance of Mr. Paine's profound know-
ledge in divinity, reminds the writer of an exam-
ple us profound of phyſical ſkill, diſplayed by a
Mr. Varlo, in his attempt to account how fat is
formed in animals.
This learned and ingenious perſon ſuppoſes,

( 19 )
Moſt true alſo it is, that Mr. Paine is extremely
wanting in decorum, and highly infults our under
ſtandings, when he attempts to obtrude on us his
varararararana
that when the food is received into the body, the
oily parts of the nouriſhment, evaporate, adhere
to the carcaſe, and become conſolidated into fai!!
“ Juſt, ſays he, as if we were to burn a great
deal of tallow in a cloſe room ; for want of vent,
the room and walls thereof would quickly be co.
vered over with foot, which is no other than tal-
low itſelf, only that it has undergone a change
in the nature and colour"!!! And this admirable
diſcovery, is termed “ a piece of PHILOSOPHY"!!
Varlo's NEW SYSTEM of huſbandry, vol. I. page
174
Ignorance of the real genius of chriſtianity, is a
diſtinguiſhing characteriſtic, it is believed, of moſt
Deifts. This is manifeſt from their writings,
and frequently appears from their converſation.
But one inſtance ſhall be related, out of many
which might be adduced, to confirm this aſſertion.
But very recently, a French Deift, in the ſtate
of New Jerſey, was very politely, in a circle
of chriſtians, uttering invectives againſt their re-
ligion. A gentleman prefent, fhocked by his
wickedneſs ; deſpiſing the indecorum of his con-
duct, and holding in contempt his ſenſeleſs
prat-
ing, took the liberty to aſk him, “if he thought
himſelf acquainted with the religion of the goſpel ;
if he underſtood the ſacred Scriptures?”—The
Deiſt bluſhed, was covered with confufion, and
frankly confeſſed, “ That he had never read half
a page in the Bible”!
It is probable, that nothing more than a witti.
ciſm or ſarcaſm of Voltaire, or ſome other deif-

( 20 )
fyftem of Deilm, in oppoſition to that religion
which we have every rational and, neceſſary, evi-
dence to believe is froin Heaven,
The preſent, in his eſtimation, is the AGE OF REA-
SON; but, unhappily, in France at leaſt, it is not an
age
of much uſeful invention and ſound philoſophy,
(though it is hoped the age will terminate in the
enjoyment, by the French nation, of genuine reli-
gion and real liberty) but an age of CHANGES
and NOVELTIES, and as far as RELIGION is con-
cerned, of ERROR and DELUSION.
Men idolize the words REASON and PHILOSO-
PHY ; uncomprehended by them, they blindly of-
fer incenſe at their fhrines,* and Mr. Paine would
sonoraronarara
tical writer, againſt chriſtianity; or the mere
prevalence of faſhion, had been ſufficient to de-
tach this gentleman from chriſtianity, and pro-
ſelite him to the preſent polite and eaſy religion
of his country: And this religion it is not irra-
tional to conclude, he is as well acquainted with,
as with the Bible!
Before the author concludes this note, he con-
ceives it his duty to mention, in honor to fuch
Frenth Gentlemen as he hath been acquainted with
in this country, that he hath but very ſeldom ob-
ſerved among them ſuch an inſtance of rudeneſs,
folly and impiety, as this above recited.
* At one period, we perceive many in the Na-
tional Convention of France, receive with burſts
of applauſe, a declaration of ftupidity, “ That
there is no God!
At anather period, we find the Convention fo-
lemnly decreeing, There is a God!

( 21 )
prevail with us to add ourſelves to the number of
their votaries, and to adore his ſcheme of INFIDEL.
ora orcionar
Now this enlightened body (the author means
with reſpect to religon) wholly influenced by
reaſon and philoſophy, which, infallibly, are to lead
them into all truth, ſagely determining, « That
death is an everlaſting ſleep !”
They ſoon, however, reverſe the decree, and
announce to their conſtituents, that, however
guilty, polluted and wretched, any of their fouls
may be, they (though to them unwelcome the
truth) are immortal!
And thus the faith of about twenty-five inillion
people, philoſophers and peaſants; the virtuous
and the vicious; the orthodox, and the heter-
odox, and generations yet unborn, is to be deter-
mined by the caprice (vainly denominated rea-
fon and philoſophy) of a ſet of POLITICIANS !
Men who ſo loudly declaim againft all religious
eſtabliſhments, and who, in juſtice, have not the
leaſt authority, thus to lord it over the conſciences
of their fellow-citizens !
O REASON! unaided by revelation, but debil-
itated by paffion, and warped by prejudice, how
erring thy dictates; how feeble thy power to con-
duet men into the path of truth !
How amiable is CHRISTIANITY! How friendly
to the rights of human nature ! How conſonant to
the dictates of REASON! Deſigned to inſtruct the
ignorant; to reclaim the vicious ; duly to regu-
late the morals of mankind and to promote their
beſt intereft, it is unconnected with the politician ;
it needs not his cid for its ſupport, and its divine
author, in language moſt audible, folemnly pro:

( 22 )
ITY! A ſyſtem untried by France; or as far as it
hath been experienced, inauſpicious to the morals
of the Republic
Indubitably true it is, that good government can-
not ſubſiſt without good morals, and that the fim-
ple light of nature, unaided by divine Revelation,
is inſuficient for the moral and religious govern-
ment of niankind ;* much leſs is it capable to en
carabicara.
claimed this important truth, (however diſregard-
ed by many profeffing chriſtianity) when he ſaid,
** My kingdom is not of this world !" John
xviii. 36.
In all governments, real reaſon and true philo-
ſophy, will revere this doctrine ; while it will be
rejected by ignorance and error, by pride and am.
bition! In this reſpect, no people whatever, have
ſo regarded this tenet of chriſtianity, as the citia
zens of theſe United States; and herein they ex-
hibit to the world, an example of wiſdom and
virtue, moft worthy of imitation !
“ The people of the United States, ſays Mr.
Coxe, have exploded thoſe principles, by the
operation of which religious opprefſions and re-
Jérictions, of whatever deſcription, have been
impoſed upon mankind ; and rejecting mere toler.
ation, they have placed upon one common
and equal
footing, every church, fect or ſociety of religious
men." View of the United States of America,
p. 427, juſt publiſhed, by Tenche Coxe, Eſq;
of Philadelphia.
* If the laws of nature, ſays a judicious auther,
were ſtifficiently clear, thoſe of ſociety, in caſes

( 23 )
fure to us a future ſtate of bleſſedneſs and to qua-
lify us for the enjoyment of it.
Chriſtianity alone is calculated to advance the
preſent and future happineſs of men; and, with
Groronornaroror
entirely moral, are unneceſſary to inform us of our
duty; and were they fufficiently enforced, fo-
ciery would have no occaſion to inſtitute penalties
of
greater cogency, that they may be obferved.
Indeed, if the laws of nature, with reſpect to
their clearneſs, authority and obligation, were per-
feet and fufficient, the laws of ſociety would be
altogether needleſs. Men would obſerve juſtice
and practice beneficence towards each other, with-
out adventitious obligations,
A lover of liberty would not incline to enter
into ſociety to become ſubject to magiſtrates ; to
fupport expenſive conſtitutions, if convinced he
could live independent, fafely converſe and traf-
fic with mankind, in a ſtate of nature:
The argumens drawn from the ſuppoſed ſuf-
ficiency of reaſon and nature, to invalidate the
neceility of revelation, equally prove that fociety
is unneceſſary. If the laws of nature are able to
effect their end, and that end is moral inſtruction
and obligation, there can be no occaſion for other
laws, either divine or human.
It is, however, of importance to conſider, when
ther che evil diſpoſitions and vices of men, do not
compel them, for their mutual advantage, to enter.
into fociety; and whether civil ſociety, conſider-
ed in itſelf, is able to remedy the evils mankind
wiſh to avoid, by entering into this ſtate
With regard to the laws of nature, were they

( 24 )
impiety to reject it, is not only to ſin againſt God,
but alſo againſt ourſelves !
May I not defy, ſays an eminent writer, * all
the philoſophers and founders of religious fećts in
the heathen world, and all the infidels of modern
times, to produce ſuch a fyftem of religion as is
contained in the goſpel ; adorned with ſuch glo.
rious internal characters of truth and divinity ; ſo
worthy of God; ſo well adapted to the relief and
benefit of men ; originating from ſuch a founder,
or recommended to the world by ſuch rational
and eſſential marks of divine authority !
How great is the blindneſs of the human un-
derſtanding, that cannot diſcern the viſible cha-
racters of divinity which ſhine, with unequalled
luſtre, in the holy fcriptures; and that can ſtupid.
ly prefer the dry philoſophy of a Seneca, or the
more taſteleſs opinions of a Deift, to the grand,
ſublime, conſiſtent and divine religion exhibited
in the new teftament!
How great is the pride and preverſeneſs of the
human mind, that will pretend to a light which
it has not ; and will not humble itſelf to receive
inſtruction, even from God himſelf, although at-
tended with the brighteſt evidence of its truth!
wheceunincsechua
ſufficient to render men honeſt and virtuous in
fociety, there would be no neceſſity for thein to
affociate ; becauſe theſe laws could effect the
ſame purpoſes without ſociety, which adds nothing
to moral knowledge or obligation.
* The Rev. Mr. Knox,

( 25 )
Lord do thou diſpoſe their minds (adds this
amiable divine) to the love of thy truth ! Preſerve
us from the foolish councils and proud imagina-
stions, of theſe unhappy mnen! and while we deteft
their principles, help us to pity them above all
others of the human race, and earneſtly to pray
that they may be turned from darkneſs to light,
and from the power of Satan to thee the living God!
Do thou fline into their hearts, and give
them the light of the knowledge of thy glory, as
it is unveiled and made manifeſt, in the face of Je-
fus Chriſt, who is the brightneſs of thy glory, and
expreſs image of thy perſon !
Bring them to know thee the only true God,
and the Son of thy love, whom thou haſt ſent,
and whom to know aright, is eternal life !"
IT
T is not unnfual with Deifts, while they would
wholly fubvert the chriftian religion, to paſs
encomiums upon it Lord Herbert, for inſtance,
ſtiles it “ The beſt religion, and acknowledges
that all its doctrines, ordinances, precepts and ſa-
craments, aim at the eſtabliſhment of thoſe five
important articles, in which he makes all religion
to confift. *
Tindal confeſſes, that “Chriſtianity itſelf, ftrip-
ped of all additions which policy, miſtake, and the
circumſtances of time have made to it, is a most
holy religion.”+
agraranasional
* Herbert relig. laici. page 9, 10,
+ Chriſtianity as old as the Creation, p. 382,
Edit. 8vo.
C

( 26 )
The Moral Philoſopher frequently expreiſes
himſelf to the ſame purpoſe, and Mr. Chubb ad.
mits, that Cliriſtianity, if it could be ſeparated
from every thing that hath been blended with it,
affords a much clearer light, and is a more ſafe
guide to mankind, than any other traditionary re-
ligion, as being better adapted to improve and
perfect human nature. I
Lord Bolingbroke repreſents Chriſtianity as a
moft amiable and uſeful inſtitution, and ſays, that
“No religion ever appeared in the world whole
natural tendency was ſo much directed to promote
the peace and happineſs of mankind.”
After having obſerved, that “beſides natural
religion, there are two other parts into which
chriſtianity may be analyſed; duties fuperadded
to thoſe of the former, and articles of belief, which
reafon could neither diſcover nor comprehend."?
He acknowledges, that + Both the ducies ree
quired to be practiſed, and the propoſitions re-
quired to be delivered, are conciſely and plainly
expreſſed in the original goſpel, properly ſo call-
ed, which Chriſt taught and his four evangelifts
recorded ; but ſuppoſes they have been alike cor,
rupted by thcology,"*
Of the chriſtian facraments of baptiſm and the
Lord's Supper, he ſays; “ No inſtitutions can be
imagined more fimple, por more void of all thoſe
aasision
+ Chubb's Pofth. Works, vol. II. p. 370.
Vol. IV. p. 281, 282.
* Vol. IV. 2949

( 27 )
pontpous rites and theatrical repreſentations which
abounded in the religious worſhip of the heathens
and jews, than theſe were in their origin. They
were not only innocent, but profitable ceremo-
nies, becauſe they were extremely proper to
keep up the ſpirit of true natural religion, by keep-
ing up that of chriſtianity ; and to promote the
obſervation of moral duties, by maintaining a re-
ſpect for the revelation that confirmed them.”+
He declares that“ He will not ſay, the belief that
Jesus was the MESSIAH, is the only article of
faith neceffary to make men chriſtians. There
are other things, doubtleſs, contained in the re-
velation he inade of himſelf, dependent on and
relative to this article, without the belief of which
chriſtianity would be very defective. He ob-
ferves, that the fyftem of religion that Chrift
publiſhed, and his evangeliſts recorded, is a com-
plere fyftem to all the purpofes of religion, natu-
ral and revealed; that it contains all the duties
of the former ; that it enforces them by aſſerting
the divine mifion of the publiſher, who
proved
his aſſertion, at the fame time by his miracles ;
and that it enforces the whole law of faith, by pro-
miffing rewards and threatning puniſhments, which
he declares he will diſtribute when he ſhall come
to judge the world.»*
And he afterwards repeats it, that "Chriſti-
anity, as it ſtands in the goſpel, contains, not
only a complete, bat a very plain ſyſtem of religion.
It is in truth, the ſyitem of natural religion, and
crosanciara
† Ib. p. 301, 302
* Ib. p. 304

( 28 )
† lb. p. 316.
fnch it might have continued, to the unſpeakable
advantage of mankind, if it had been propagated
with the faine fimplicity with which it was origi-
nally taught by Chriſt himſelf.”+
On obſerving that “ The political views of
Conſtantine in the eſtabliſhment of chriſtianity,
were to attach the fubjects of the empire more
firmly to himſelf and his ſucceſſors; and the feve-
ral nations which compoſed it, to one another,
by the bonds of a religion common to all of them;
to foften the ferocity of their armies ; to reform
the licentiouſneſs of the provinces, and by infuſ-
ing a ſpirit of moderation and fubmiſſion to go-
vernment, to extinguiſh thoſe principles of ava.
rice and ambition, of injuſtice and violence, by
which ſo many factions were formed, and the
peace of the empire ſo often and fo fatally brok-
en ;” he declares that “No religion was fo well
calculated as chriſtianity ſeemed to be, to effect all
theſe purpoſes.”
He allows that “ The goſpel is, in all caſes, one
continued leſſon of the ſtri&teft morality, of juſ-
tice, of benevolence, and of univerfal charity.”
He mentions “ Chriſt's blaming his diſciples for
being willing to call for fire from Heaven againſt
the Samaritans. And that the miracles wrought
by him, in the mild and beneficent ſpirit of chriſ-
tiarity, tended to the good of mankind.”
He profeſſes a great concern for true chriſti-
anity, in oppoſition to theology, and ſays, that
genuine chriſtianity was taught of God.?
Moronararanas

( 29 )
Me pronounces that the chriſtian ſyſtem of faith
and practice, was revealed by God himſelf, and
that it is abſurd and impious to affert, that the dia
vine LOGOS revealed it incompletely or imper-
fectly. And that its fimplicity and plainneſs
Thewed, it was deſigned to be the religion of all
inankind, and manifeſted likewiſe the divinity
of its original.”*
"I conſeſs, ſays the ſceptical Rouſſeau, that the
majeſty of the ſcriptures ſtrikes me with admi-
ration, and that the purity of the Goſpel hath its
influence on my heart !
Peruſe the works of our philoſophers, with
all their pomp of diction ; how mean, how con-
temptible are they, compared with the ſcriptures!
Is it poſſible that a book, at once fo ſimple and
ſublime, ſhould be merely the work of man?
Is it poſſible that the ſacred perſonage, whoſe
hiſtory it contains, ſhould be himſelf a mere man?
Do we find that he aſſumed the tone of an en-
thuſiaſt or ambitious feetary?
What ſweetneſs, what purity in his manners!
What an affecting gracefulneſs in his delivery!
What fublimity in his maximns ! What pro-
found wiſdom in his diſcourſes! What preſence
of mind; what fubtlety, what truth in his replies !
How great the command over his paſſions ! Where
is the man, where the philoſopher, who could ſo
live and ſo die, without weakneſs, and without
oftentation?
When Plato deſcribed his imaginary good
man with all the ſhame of guilt, yet meriting the
cenasaraaa
* Ib. p. 349
С 2

( 30 )
higheft rewards of virtue, he gave a deſcription
of the character of Jeſus Chriſt; the reſemblance
was ſo ſtriking, that all the chriſtian Fathers per-
ceived it.
What prepoßeffion, what blindneſs muſt it be,
to compare Socrates, the fon of Sophrcnicus, to
Jeſus, the ſon of Mary! What an infinite dir-
proportion is there between them!
Socrates, dying without pains or ignominy,
eaſily ſupported his character to the lait ; but if
his death, however eaſy, had not crowned his
life, it might have been doubted whether Socrates,
with all this wifdam, was any thing more than a
vain ſophiſt.
He invented, it is ſaid, the theory of morals.
Others, however, had before put thein in practice;
he had only to ſay, therefore, what they had done,
and to reduce their examples to precepts. But
where could Jeſus learn, among his competitors,
that pure and ſublime morality, of which he only
hath given us both precept and example ?
The death of Socrates, peaceably philofophiſing
with his friends, appears the moſt agreeable that
could be withed for ; but that of Jeſus, expiring
in the midft of agonizing pains, abufed, inſulted,
and accuſed by a whole nation, is the moſt horri-
ble that could be feared !
Socrates, in receiving the cup of poiſon, bleſſed
the weeping executioner who adminiſtered it ;
but Jeſus, in the midſt of excruciating tortures,
prayed for his mercileſs tormentors! Yes! if the
life and death of Socrates were thoſe of a Sage 3
the life and death of Jeſus were thoſe of a GoD !

( 3 )
Shall we ſuppoſe the evangelical hiſtory a mere
fiction ? Indeed it bears not the marks of fiction
on the contrary, the history of Socrates, which
no one preſumes to doubt, is not ſo well atteited
as that of Jeſus Chrift.
It is more inconceivable that a number of
per-
fons ſhould agree to write ſuch an hiſtory, than
that one only thould furniſh the ſubject of it. The
Jewiſh authors were incapable of the diction, and
Strangers to the morality contained in the Gofpel,
the marks of the truth of which are fo ftriking and
inimitable, that the inventor would be a more
aſtoniſhing character than the Hero.'' ||
The prevalence of the Chriſtian Religion, ſays
Mr. Gibbon, was “ Owing to the convincing evi-
dence of the doctrines itſelf, and the ruling provi-
dence of its great author :"* And “Every privi-
lege,” ſays this celebrated writer, “ that could
raiſe the profelite from earth to Heaven ; that
could exalë his devotion ; ſecure his happineſs, or
even gratify that ſecret pride, which, under the
ſemblance of devotion, inſinuates itſelf into the
human heart, was ſtill referved for the members
of the chriſtian Church.”+
Mr. Paine himſelf, admits the poſlibility of a divine
rorororororores
|| The author is indebted for this quotation from
Rouſſeau, to a ſenſible pamphlet, publiſhed in Lon-
don and re-publiſhed here, entitled,
“The Age of
Infidelity :" in anſwer to Thomas Paine's Age of
Reaſon, by a Layman.
* Hiſtory of the decline and fall of the Roman
Esapire. Vol. I. p. 536.
+ IL-P- 542

( 32 )
revelation ; I he allows, that in the Pfalms and
the book of Job, there is a great deal of elevaied
ſentiment, reverenţially expreſſed, of the power
and benignity of the Almighty ; and that the
proverbs, ſaid to be Solomon's, are an inſtructive
table of ethics. He believes that Jeſus Chriſt
exifted ; that he was crucified; that he preached
moſt excellent morality, and the equality of man, li
and ſays that the great trait in his character was
philanthrophy. +
anaraaraiare or
I p. 13. § p. 39
11 p. 22
* p. 50. It may not be improper to mention here,
that even Mahomet, bears teſtimony in favor of
fome books of the holy ſcriptures and of Chriſt.
“ The Pentateuch, the Pſalms and the Goſpel,
faid he, were fucceflively delivered by God to
Moſes, to David, and to Jeſus.” Sale's Prelim.
Diſcourſe to the Koran. p. 97-
Mahomet taught the doctrine of a general re-
ſurrection at the laſt day, and that then rewards
or puniſhments, would be diſpenſed to mankind
according to their actions in this life. Ib. p. 103;
and he allowed that Chriſt was an apoſtle ſent by
God.
In the Vth Chap. of the Koran, entitled the
Chapter of the Table, we have the following ex-
preſſions.
“We ſent, after many prophets, Jeſus the Son
of Mary, who confirmed the ancient ſcriptures.
To him we gave the goſpel full of light, to con-
duct the people in the right way, with a confir-
mation of the Old Teſtament, a guide and in-
{tructor to the righteous.

(33)
Theſe and many other expreſſions of Deiffs,
in favor of chriſtianity, extorted by the force of
truth, or uttered from motives of policy, clearly
evince, that ſuch writers reflect not on the con-
cluſions fo favorable to the chriſtian religion,
which follow their conceffions, and, therefore that
moſt irrational and abſurd is their continuance in
unbelief.
The fame authority, for example, that con-
vinces Mr. Paine, that Jeſus Chriſt was crucified ;
that he taught moſt excellent morality, and the
equality of man,* and that he was highly diſ-
asororona dior
ona
Divers other expreſſions there are in the Koran
of a ſimilar nature; and Mahomer frequently bor-
rowed his ideas and expreſſions from the holy
fcriptures.
Thus, for inſtance, ſpeaking of charity, he ſays,
" It will cover many fins ;” (Chap. II. of the
Cow. p. 21) which are the words of Saint Peter,
1 Epiſtle. IV. 8.
Mahomet (Chap. VII of priſons, p. 157) makes
uſe of our Lord's metaphor, Matth. xix, 24-
* Of a camel's paffing through the eye of a needle."
And when Mahomet treats of a future ftate,
and of the Aaraf, or ſeparation between the
righteous and the wicked, he alludes to theſe
words of Abraham to Dives, Luke xvi. 26, “Be-
tween us and you there is a crear gulf fixed.”
* EQUALITY. Genuine patriotiſm ſhould cer-
tainly pobleſs every human breaſt; as it is the
will of God that mankind ſhould be bleft with the
enjoyment of FREEDOM, in its greateſt perfection,
both civil and religious

( 34 3
tinguiſhed for his philanthropy, fully teſtifies,
sacramena
Natural liberty, in its utmoſt latitude, was the
free gift of God to man ; and the deſign of good
government, is to preſerve to men the enjoyment
of their natural rights, which they cannot diveſt
themſelves of without guilt ; nor can others ty-
raniſe over them, without incurring the diſplea-
fure of God, who wills the happineſs of all his
creatures.
It muſt be the with of every good man, that
pavery fhould be banilhed the earth, and that
freedom ſhould be enjoyed by all the world. Mr.
Paine appears to be a zealous advocate for Equality
and the Rights of Mana The writer is not diſ-
poſed to cenfure, but to applaud, his Political
Creed, if by it he means the uncontrouled en-
joyment of freedom, political and religious without
licentiouſneſs, or injury offered to others.
It is, however, pleaſant to obſerve gentlemen of
deiftical character, quoting the ſacred feriptures,
whoſe authority, without reaſon, but with great
impiety, they reject, in ſupport of their political
Syftems ! Thus, for inſtance, the penetrating
Voltaire fancied, that he diſcovered the REPUB-
LICAN SPIRIT in the Chriſtian. Religion ! (See
Warburton's Divine Legation of Moſes, Vol. II.
p. 48. note.)
And the fagacious Mr. Paine, is
perioaded, that Chriſt inculcated the doctrine of
EQUALITY
Other Deifts, however, have entertained a
different ſentiment. They bave objected, that
* Zeal for the public, or love to a man's country,
which was fo much inculcated by ſome ancient
philoſophers and moralifts, is paſſed over in the
Goſpel." But, in this reſpeit, Mr. Paine appears

( 35 )
among other facts, his divine million ; that he
sororororonova )
to be more orthodox than theſe gentlemen, as
their objections are not juſtly founded.
To have recommended, by divine authority,
what the Romans, generally underſtood by love
to their country, namely, a ſtrong paflion for the
glory of it, and which often occaſioned them to do
great injuſtice to other nations, would have been
incompatible with a revelation which was deſign-
ed for the general good of mankind, and to pro-
mote univerſal benevolence : and if the divine
author of chriſtianity had exhorted the Jews in
the name of God, to a zeal for the liberties of
their country, ſuch conduct, conſidering the dif-
poſition they then poſſeſſed, would have been
regarded as exciting them to tumults and inſur,
rections
But of love for our country, as it fignifies a
real and affectionate concern for the public good,
Chriſt afforded an admirable example ; and his
example, agreeable to the chriſtian fyftem, hath
the force of a precept:
This is evident from the affection he manifeſted
to the Jewiſh nation ; the benevolent concern he
exprefled for the miſeries he foreſaw were ap-
proaching them, and the endeavors he uſed to
freſerve them from deſtruction,
The ſame obſervation may be made with
reſpect to the apoſtles and firſt publiſhers of
chriſtianity, after Chriſt's refurrection,
If, in
the name of God, they had urged it upon the
Jews and Gentiles, among whom they preached
the Goſpel, to be zealous for the enjoyment of
freedom, and had promiſed divine rewards for
patriotic virtue, this would have been conſidered
as an attempt to excite diſturbances in the flate.

( 36 )
was the ſon of God ;* that in the moſt public
manner, he wrought a ſeries of the moſt afto.
nararararara
Exhortations of ſuch a nature, as things were
then circumſtanced, could have been productive
of no good conſequences, but, in all probability,
che reverſe.
If by patriotiſm is meant the public good,
the real welfare of the community, certain it is,
that chriſtianity is moſt friendly to it, and is moſt
happily calculated to advance the intereſt of civil
ſociety.
Where the chriſtian religion is fincerely em-
braced, it hath a manifeſt tendency to cauſe thoſe
entruſted with the powers of government, to act
with probity ; and the people to be peaceful in
their demeanor ; conſcientious in all their actions,
and diligentin the diſcharge of the duties of their
ſeveral itations,
Unqueſtionably that religion which requires us
to poſleſs ſo noble a ſpirit of diſintereſted benevo-
lence, as to be ready to " Lay down our lives for
the brethren, (I. John iii. 16.) would animate us,
if neceflity required it, to ſacrifice our lives for
the good of our country f
A virtuous regard for public happineſs, and the
contributing, as far as is in our power, to promote
it in our ſeveral ſtations, is a part of that amiable
and meritorious conduct, which it is the deſign
of chriſtianity to promote, and which, according
to its divine promiſes, ſhall be crowned with a
glorious reward!
* Matt. xxvii. 43. Mark i. 1 Luke i: 35°
John xi. 4. xix. 7. XX. 31.

( 37 )
nifhiag miracles ;t that he roſe from the dead;
that he aſcended into Heaven ;ộ that again he
will deſcend to earth, raiſe the dead|| and judge
the world; reward the righteous with immortal
happineſs, and puniſh wilful and perverſe unbe-
lievers and unholy chriftians, with everlaſting
miſery. * And as theſe particulars are connected
with, and, indeed, are eſſential parts of that di-
vine ſyſtem of religion which he promulged, what
competent reaſon can be aſſigned why theſe truths
fhould not alſo be acknowledged?
Is it thus that Mr. Paine treats the grecian and
roinan hiſtories? Does he, through mere caprice
approve of a few, but reject the greater part, of
the eſſential and important facts contained in theſe
hiſtories? -Or ſhould ſuch be his conduct, would
theſe hiſtories be deemed leſs authentic by men of
knowledge and diſcernment?
But it becomes Mr. Paine alſo to conſider,
that Jeſus Chriſt, if an impoſtor, muſt have been
the moſt impious of men; regardleſs of truth and
virtue ; guilty of deceit, falſehood and even blaf-
phemy. If thus, what could have tempted him
to have taught morals ſo pure; to have been ſuch a
friend to the EQUALITY OF MAN, and to have ex-
erciſed ſuch PHILANTHROPY ; eſpecially, as he
propoſed not to himſelf any wordly honors nor
emoluments, but voluntarily ſacrificed his life to
perfect the ſyſtem of religion which he taught?-
weergeven
+ Matt. iv, 23, 24. XV. 29. Luke vii. 11.
John xi.
39
Matt. xxviii. 5, 6, 7. Mark xvi. 9. John
XX. 27
♡ Luke xxiv. 51. | John v. 25, 28, 29.
* Matt. XXV. 31.
D

( 38 )
Certainly no one, except an idiot, or a phrenetic,
could thus have acted; and truly miraculous would
it have been for ſuch a character to have formed
fo incomparable a fyftem of religion as is Chriſ-
tianity, and ſucceſsfully to have introduced it into
the world; notwithſtanding the oppoſition it met
with from the ignorance, prejudice and obftinacy
of the Jews; the wit and learning; fuperſtition
and idolatry; depravity and love of vice of the
Gentiles!
But theſe natural conſequences, reſulting from
Mr. Paine's conceffions, he had not the ſagacity to
difcern! Happy will it be, if candor and a love of
TRUTH, ſhall yet permit him to beſtow on thele
concluſions that ſerious attention they ſo juſtly
merit!
TR. PAINE profeſſes himſelf to be under
REASON, and ſays* that
“Reaſon is the moſt formidable weapon againſt
errors of every kind.”
Lord Boling broke ſeems to have entertained but
a contemptible idea of the uſe of reaſon, with
regard to moral practice, t and Mr. Hume regards
osaanaasia
Sentine P. 6
+ “Reafon, ſays he, muſt be willedinto dElion,
and as this can rarely happen, when the will is al-
ready determined by affections, and paffions, ſo
when it does happen, a ſort of compoſition ge-
nerally takes place between theſe two principles:
And if the affections and paſſions cannot govern
abſolutely, they obtain inore indulgence from
reaſon than they deſerve ; or than the would ſhew
them if the wasentirely free from their influence."

( 39 )
+ Al thoſe to be fools who reaſon, or who believe
any thing."
REASON, however, is a noble faculty of the
human foul; “ It is that power of the mind, ſays a
chriſtian writer, t by which we hold, as it were,
the light of clear and inconteſtible truths to dark
and diſputable queſtions, and endeavor, by that
means, to diſcover on which fide of the latter we
ought to fix our aſſent.
He whoſe ideas, he adds, of things repreſent
their objects in true and determinate lights, and
whoſe faculty of reaſon is ſtrong and clear, is
called a judicious man. When this faculty is
properly exerciſed on a knowable propoſition, the
reſult ſhould be denominated right reaſoning, ra-
ther than right reaſon.
As the office of reaſon is not to ſupply the
mind with ideas, but to judge of the connection
coaianaranasan
He expreſsly declares, that “ The appetites,
paffions, and the immediate objects of pleaſure,
will be always of greater force to determine us
than reaſon.” And that, “amidſt the contin.
gencies which muſt ariſe from the conftitution of
every individual, it is unneceſſary to prove that
the balance will always preponderate on the fide
of appetite, from which affections ariſe; and as
they grow up afterwards into habit, reaſon can-
not always fubdue them in the ſtrongeſt minds,
but is by them always ſubdued in the weakeſt.'
Works, vol. V. p. 150, 267, 268, 479.
This inſufficiency of reaſon, which his Lordſhip
ſo juftly deſcribes, night, on reflection have
* See Reid's Effays, vol. II. p. 404-
The Rev. Mr. Skelton.

( 40 )
or diſagreement between thoſe already received,
it can only exerciſe itſelf on ſuch materials as
thoſe other faculties which hold' intelligence
with objects, ſupply it with. This latter is
the function of the ſenſes only, which, for that
purpoſe, are external, and ſet open, as ſo many
avenues and inlets, to the ingredients of all our
knowledge. It is therefore in vain to ſay we have
any proper or immediate idea of ſpirit and its ope-
rations; or that we have any other ſource of no-
tions than ſenſation."
If this reaſoning is juſt, how vain is it in men to
attempt to reaſon on objects they cannot compre-
hend, or on which the faculty of reaſon cannot be
exerciſed? And how prefumptuous is it to rejet
doctrines as erroneous, and which, in their nature,
are inexplicable, merely becầuſe they are incom-
prehenſible p*
obecuperegolaseeran
taught him the neceflity of fupernatural aid, or
divine graçe, to enable mankind duly to govern
their paſſions; and alſo, to perform the duty that
God requires of them ; and entertaining ſuch an
idea, he could not but have admired, if not have
embraced the chriſtian religion.
* “ Reaſon, ſays Soame Jenyns, Eſq. is indeed,
the gift of God, as much as Revelation; but if it
is our duty and intereſt to exert our reaſon in any
degree, it is not leſs ſo, to confine the exerciſe of
it within its proper boundaries.
If, like the jewiſh law-giver, reaſon can be
made fubſervient to the gracious deſigns of Hea-
ven, in emancipating us from vulgar errors, and
in conducting us in the affairs of life, let us be
thankful for this gift of God; but let us not diſ-
dain to ſubmit to revelation, which reaſon itſelf

( 41 )
The evidences, however, in favor of chriſtianity,
are not of this nature; they are objects on which
enerareoracion
approves, and which affords us the faireft prol-
pects of the land of promiſe, and is ordained to
guide us into the poſſeſſion of ſublime truths and
everlaſting felicity.” Lectures addreſſed to Ed.
ward Gibbon, Eſq. Lecture V.
Mr. Jenyns was a gentleman of learning and
abilities; he, however, renounced chriſtianity,
and moved, many years, in the faſhionable, though
dark and unſatisfactory circle of Deifm. What
but the due exerciſe of his powers of reaſon re-
claimed him from error, and cauſed him to return
to the path of peace and truth?
The account he gives of his converſion from
infidelity to chriſtianity, is in the following words.
“The well-atteſted miracles, ſays he, by which
God hath borne witneſs to the veracity of his fer-
vants, and to the truth of doctrines delivered by
the completion of prophecy, and the pre-
ſent daily fulfilling of ſome prophecies, which were
delivered many hundred years ago, are no incon-
fiderable evidences on the ſide of revelation.
But the internal evidence of the chriſtian religion,
I have confeſſed, t carries with it an authority that
has influenced my mind more than all the exter-
nal evidences. It was that which bore down iny
prejudices, and drove from my heart the infidelity
that, for many years, I had unhappily cheriſhed.»
Ibid. Lecture V1.
The cauſes of infidelity, mentioned by Mr.
them;
+ Mr. Jenyns publiſhed an excellent tract, en-
titled, “ A View of the Internal Evidence of the
Chriſtian Religion.”
D 2

( 42 )
our reaſon can be exerciſed; and as men are in-
vited to make uſe of their rational powers before
wiosararanasan
Jenyns, juſtly merit the ſerious and candid atten.
tion of deiſtical characters.
“ If any one is attached to a favorite pleaſure,
or eagerly engaged in worldly purſuits, incom-
patible with the precepts of chriſtianity, he muſt
continue thoſe purſuits with uneaſineſs, if he be-
lieves the goſpel; but if he ſhall determine nei.
ther to repent nor reform, he will perſiſt in them
with diſſatisfaction and remorfe. Such, therefore,
generally commence unbelievers in their own des
fence; for the moſt unſurmountable, as weil as
the moſt uſual obſtacles to our belief, ariſe from
our paſſions, appetites and intereſts.
Let the evidence of chriſtianity be ſuppoſed to
be ten thouſand times stronger than they are;
let it be fuppofed, that, inſtead of appearing to his
diſciples, after his reſurrection, Chriſt had ap-
peared to the Jewiſh Sanhedrim, and to the Ro.
man Senate; and that thefe gentlemen, ſo attached
to the world, ſhould actually ſee miraculous cures
performed on the ſick, or even the dead raiſed to
life, however they might be affected for a time,
they would not be effectually perſuaded to believe;
for we have power over the eye of the mind, as
well as over that of the body, to ſhut it againſt the
ſtrongeſt rays of truth and religion, whenever
they become painful to us.” Ibid. Lecture H.
See an illuſtration of the truth, that human
depravity is a great ſource of infidelity, by the
Rev. Dr. Edwards, in the IV vol. of the Ameri.
can Preacher.
For various cauſes of infidelity, its unreafen-
ableneſs and folly, fee Dr. Hammond's Works,
vol. I. p. 181, 188,194, et ſeq. Hooker's Eccle-

( 43 )
oranasiassa
they embrace the chriſtian religion, happy would
it be for thein if they would not reject it without
sobre
fiaftical Polity, Book V. p. :91. Mr. Locke's
Works, vol. II. p. 437; Dr. Barrow's Works,
vol. 11. p. 3, et ſeq. and the Rev. Dr. Linn's
Diſcourſes, juſt publiſhed in New-York, on the
Signs of the Times," p. 19, et ſeq.
The following are ſome of the cauſes of infi-
delity, illuſtrated by the learned and judicious
Doctor Barrow.
1. Negligence, or a total indifferency about
religion.
2. Sloth; an indiſpoſition to examine into the
arguments in favor of chriſtianity.
Stupidity, dullneſs of apprehenſion, ariſing
from the miſts of prejudice, and the gratification
of finful paſfions.
4. Imbecility of judgment, occaſioned by pre-
judice, and partial inclinations to falſehood.
5. Perverlty of will, which prevents men from
embracing ſentiments, oppoſed to their evil dif.
poſitions.
6. Hardneſs of heart.
7. Perverſeneſs of temper, that forbids the re-
ception of every truth that cannot be fully com-
prehended.
8. Pride, accompanied with vanity, and an af-
fectation of ſuperior wiſdom.
9.
Pufillanimity, or the want of fortitude, to
embrace and practice religion.
10. Hatred of truth, when oppoſed to the in-
dulgence of vice.
11. Impatience of reſtraint; a determination
not to be controled by the dictates of reaſon and
religion.
12. Blind zeal, founded on prejudice and error,

( 44 )
the due exerciſe of their reaſon, through preju.
Brocardiacardi
13. Corruption of the heart, through the
prac.
tice of evil.
Every man, ſays Doctor Barrow, under this
head, is unwilling to entertain a bad conceit of
himſelf, and to paſs on himſelf a ſentence of con-
demnation. The profligate, therefore, will reject
that doctrine, which, ſhould he believe, would
caufe him to acknowledge himſelf to be a perſon of
folly, and in a ſtate of wretchedneſs. He cannot
love that truth which he apprehends is ſo great
an eneiny to him ; which treats him with ſo little
ceremony; which perfecutes him with fuch fe-
verity, and which declares to him a meſſage fo
unwelcome!
It is obſerved by Lord Bacon, that " The cauſe
of almoſt all the errors in the ſciences is, that
while men falſely admire the force and abilities
of the human mind, they are not ſolicitous to ob-
tain the alliſtance it requires.” Bacon Nov.
Organ. Scientiar. aphor. 9.
What this eminent philofopher ſeems here to
have principally in view is, that the learned, in all
ages, form too high an opinion of the extent of
their genius ; have been inclined to depend on
ſchemes and hypotheſes of their own formation,
without a due attention to experiments, and thoſe
aids alſo, which might have furniſhed them with a
more perfect knowledge of the nature of things.
Thus it hath often happened, that through an
immoderate conceit of their abilities, men have
deſpiſed and neglected the affiftance afforded them
by divine revelation; or they have not adhered
to its iuſtructions; they have affected an air of
ſuperior wiſdom, as Doctor Barrow, in a paſſage
above cited, juſtly obſerves, and, therefore, have

( 45 )
dice, the love of guilty pleaſure, ambition, pride,
or ſome other evil principle !*
great ſource
As chriſtianity originated from the
of truth and reaſon, it dreads not inveftigation.
It is, however, to be deplored, that the intereſts of
this divine fyftem, are often injured through the
want of a due examination of its nature and the
evidences in its favor. Our modern infidels, who
would be thought to be reaſonable beings, act
moſt unreaſonably with reſpect to chriſtianity:
Without a proper enquiry into the genius and
truth of this religion, they take upon them not
only to diſclaim, but to revile it, and commence
perfect ſceptics;t or, without reflection, moſt
о orasaranasan
treated mankind, in general, with fupercillious
contempt; or they have attempted to be wiſe above
what is written; " Intruding into thoſe things
which they have not ſeen, vainly puffed up by their
Aeſhly minds. Col. ll. 18.
* “ Wrong not the chriſtian, think not reafore
yours ;
Tis reaſon our great maſter holds ſo dear : 2
Tis reaſon's injured rights his wrath reſents ;
'Tis reaſon's voice obey’d, his glories crown.
Through reaſon's wounds alone thy faith can die.99
YOUNG.
+ A certain heathen philoſopher, bleſſed the
gods for the enjoyment of three privileges ;-
that he was not a brute, but a rational being :-
that he was born, not in barbarous climes, but in
Greece ;---that he lived not in the more unculti-
vated ages, but in the time and under the tuition
of Socrates.

( 46 )
credulouſly adopt a fyſtem of Deiſm! A religion
oronaroroonara
With a mind ſo ingenuous, what gratitude, in all
probability, would he have expreſſed, had he en-
joyed the light of the Goſpel; the teachings of
Chriſt ; teachings which fome of our Deiſts,
through the wickedneſs of their hearts, calum-
niate ; a light which, through vice and igno-
rance, they endeavor to extinguiſh!
Their ingratitude and guilt, while they expoſe
them to reproach and punishment, may, however,
excite our pity! How worthy of their attention
is the following language of a popular and judi-
cious writer!
" I bleſs the diſtinguiſhed goodneſs of provi-
dence, ſays he, that has caſt my lot not at Athens
but in Emanuel's Land! I ſay with wonder and
gratitude, why did not my exiſtence commence
in thoſe æras of religious dotage? Why was not
my portion confined to thoſe regions of barba-
rifm and deluſion? Why am not Ī burning incenſe
to Idols; paying ſenſeleſs adoration to ſculptured
ſtone; or worſhipping, with deteſtable ceremo-
nies, a ſet of laſcivious, debauched and ſcandalous
Deities???
This ingenious author, thus beautifully expreſſes
himſelf on the bleſſings derived from the Goſpel;
bleſſings, however, never to be enjoyed by unbea
lievers.
" In other climes, let myriads of curious in-
ſects fpin the delicare thread, that ſoftens into
velvet, ftitfens into brocade, or flows into the

( 47 )
they apprehend, that will indulge them in their
ciaorsiaransi
gloffy fattin, which reflects a lovelier glow on the
cheek of beauty. We are preſented with infi,
nitely finer robes, in the imputed righteouſneſs
of our Redeemer, and the inherent fanctification
of his ſpirit, which beautify the ſoul and prepare
it for the illuſtrious afſembly of ſaints in light, of
angels in glory!
Let eaſtern rocks ſparkle with diamonds, and
give birth to geins of every dazzling tincture.
We have, hid in the field of our ſcriptures, the
pearl of great price ; the white and precious ſtone
(Rev. II. 7.) of perfect abfolution; a diadem that
will ſhine with undiminiſhed luſtre, when all the
brilliant wonders of the mine ſhall fade, be extin-
guiſhed and loft!
Let richer foils nouriſh the nobleſt plants, and
warmer funs concoct their exquiſite juices; the
lemon, pleaſingly poignant; the citron, more
mildly delicious; or that pride of vegitable life
and compendium of all the blandiſhments of taſte,
the pine apple. We enjoy far more exalted dain-
ties, in having acceſs to the tree of life, whoſe
leaves are for the healing of the nations; (Ibid
xxxii. 2.) whoſe boughs are replenished with a
never-failing abundance of heavenly fruits ; and
the nutriment they difpenfe is bliſs and iminor-
tality!
Let iberian vines fwell the tranſlucent cluſter,
and burſt into a flood of generous wine ; let the
tuſcan olive extract the fatneſs of the earth, and

( 48 )
'
vices, without control, and alſo, without punilhe
ment !
songsorseas
melt into a ſoft mellifluous ſtream. We ſhall nei:
ther envý nor covet theſe inferior gifts, fo long
as we may draw water out of the wells of falva-
tion; ſo long as we may receive that unction froni
the holy one ; (I John ii. 20.) thoſe influences
of the comforter, which not only make a chéarful
countenance, but gladden the heart; imparting
ſuch a refined ſatisfaction, as the whole world can-
not give ; fuch permanent enjoyments as 110 ca-
lamities can deprive us of ! to
Let äthiopian mountains be ribbed with mar-
ble, and peruvian mines be emboweled with gold,
We want neither the impenetrable quarry, nor
the glittering ore ; having in our adored Meſſiah,
a ſure foundation for all our eternal hopes, and an
inexhauſtible fund of divine treaſures !
Be it fo that our ifis is but a creepiug drap;
and the thames itſelf no more than a ſcanty ri-
ver, compared with the magnificent ſweep of the
ganges, or the ſtupendous amplitude of rio de
la plata. The wretched natives, while on the
banks of theſe ſtately rivers, are at a diſtance from
all the isrings of true conſolation. Whereas we
have a fountain, a river that illurs from the ocean
of eternal love! With incomparable dignity, and
with equal propriety, it is filed the river of life!
(Rev. xxii. 1-) Ic vilits the houſe of mourners
and revives the ſpirits of the forrowful! It makes
glad the city and confers happineſs on the
ſervants
of our God! It ouickens even the dead, and every
humanbeing that drinks of its water, lives forever!

( 49 )
It is not eafy to prevail with men to reaſon at-
soveroriscono
Let the aſiatic iſlands boaſt their mountains of
myrrh and hills of frankincenſe. Let arabian
grove's, with a ſuperior liberality, diſtil their heal-
ing gums, and ripen, for vigorous operation, their
vital drugs. We have a more ſovereign remedy,
than their moſt powerfulreſtoratives, in the great
Mediator's atoning blood ! We have a more re-
freſhing banquet than all their mingled ſweets, in
commemorating his paſſion, and participating of
his merits !
In ſhort, we have an equivalent, far more than
an equivalent, for all thoſe choice productions
which bloom in the gardens or balk in the orch-
ards of the fun! We have a GOSPEL, rich in pre-
cious privileges, and abounding with ineſtimable
promifes ; we have a Saviour full of forgiving
goodneſs, and liberal of renewing grace! At
whoſe auſpicious approach, fountains ſpont amidſt
the burning defart ; under whoſe welcome foot-
ſteps, the ſandy waſte ſmiles with herbage, and
beneath his potent touch, the wilderneſs buds and
bloſſoms as a roſe ! (Ifai. XXXV. 1.)
Or, to ſpeak more plainly, the deſolate and
barren foul brings forth thoſe fruits of the ſpirit,
which are infinitely more ornamental than the
filken gems of ſpring ; infinitely more beneficial
than the falubrious ſtores of autumn !
We have a SAVIOUR, tell it out among the
heathen, that all the nations of the earth may
partake of the gift, whoſe radient eye brightens
tentively on fiuch a ſubject as this, who are under
the domination of their ſenſual affections and
appetites; who are pofTeffed by indolence ; devo-
E

( 50 )
tentively on ſuch a ſubject as this, who are under
the domination of their ſenſual aifections and
appetites ; who are poſſeſſed by indolence; devo-
ted to amuſements, or who are the llaves of am-
bition or avarice. But, unqueſtionably, if the
zoice of reaſon is worthy of regard ; if there is any
thing that merits ſerious attention, it is, whether
chriſtianity be true or falſe !
2
croissessora
the gloomy ipathi of afliction! Whoſe efficacious
bleding niakes all things work together for the
good of his people ! (Rom. viii. 28.)
DEATH, gilded by his propitious ſmile, even
DEATH itſelf, looks gay! Nor is the CRAVE, un-
der his benign adminiſtration, any longer a den
of deſtruction, but a ſhort and ſhady avenue to
thoſe ina ortal manſions, whoſe foundations are
laid with ſaphires ; whoſe windows are of agate ;
the gates of carbuncle, and all the borders of plea-
fant Tiones !” (Iſai: liv. II, 12.)
But what are the bleſſings of DEISM? What
foundation doth it afford for happineſs, here or
hereafter? The deift, in wretchedneſs and blind-
neſs, gropes his way through this world of time,
and, at length, ſtumbling on death, he plunges in-
to eternity, with extreme uncertainty wherher he
fall exiſt or not, beyond the grave; or if he ihall
not be annihilated by death, without any rational
hope, that he ſhall enjoy felicity ! How ſtrange is
it, therefore, that there ikould be even a ſingle
perfon, bleft with the exerciſe of his reaſon and
and defirous of happineſs, who ſhould incline to
prefer deiſm to chriſtianity ; darkneſs to light;
pain to pleafure; death to life!

( 51 )
If this ſyſtein of religion is divine, how will
thoſe to whom it is publiſhed, and who, when in
their power, neglect a due enquiry into its authen-
ticity, and yet diſclaim it, be enabled to juſtify their
conduct before the great ruler and judge of the
world? And does not ſuch conduct evince thoſe
chargeable with it, to be wholly influenced by
folly and deſtitute of all pretenfions to readon ?
All that chriſtianity requires, with reſpect to
its validity, is a perfect examination ; whether the
facts on which its divine authority is ſupported,
are not ſuch as could reaſonably be deſired, ſup-
poſing them to be true, and which would be
deemed ſufficient in any other caſe?
Whether the original records of chriſtianity
have not all the characters of genuine fimplicity,
integrity and a fincere regard for truth; and
have not been tranſmitted to us with an evidence
fuperior to what can be produced for any writ-
ings whatever
Whether the idea this religion gives us of the
deity is not ſuch as tends to render him, in our
eſteem, moſt amiable and venerable ; to impreſs
our hearts with ſuperlative love to God, and with
an holy awe of him as the wife and righteous go-
vernor of the world; a lover of order ;
the re-
warder of virtue and the puniſher of vice?
Whether the precepts of the goſpel are not
perfectly pure, and calculated to exalt our na-
tures to an high degree of moral exceilence ?
Whether the manifeſt deſign of this difpenfa-
tion of mercy, is not to promote the honor of
God, the happineſs of mankind, and the impor-
tant intereſts of virtue and piety ; to excite us to
worſhip God with pure devotion ; to exerciſe

( 52 )
graciouſ-
juſtice, equiry and benevolence to each other
to fubdue our finful paſſions and affections, and
to promote in as humility and meekneſs ; (incer-
ity, temperance, chaſtity and every other virtue?
And whether any motives, more engaging, could
poſlibly be exhibited than thoſe of chriſtianity ?
Doth it nor propoſe the moſt perfect pattern,
even God himſelf, in his imitable moral excellen-
cies, for our imitation ?
Doth it not diſplay all the attractions of re-
deeming love to allure and captivate our hearts ?
Does not the goſpel afford the greateſt
encou-
ragement for the moſt finful of men to repent,
and to forſake their evil ways, and moſt
ly promiſe them aid in the performance of their
duty ?
Does not this divine fyftem, excite in us the
most glorious proſpects and the moſt ſublime
hopes ? Does it not propofe fuch rewards as are
ſuitable to affect rational and generous minds, and
to produce not a ſervile fpirit, but :rue greatneſs
of ſoul ; to wit, an happineſs conſiſting in the
perfection of our natures, in a conformity to God,
and the eternal enjoyment of him; and in the
refined pleaſures reſulting from the ſociety of an-
gels of purity and the ſpirits of juft men made per-
fect?
But ſuch inveſtigations into the nature and de-
ſign of the chriſtian religion, it is moſt probable,
were never made by Mr. Paine ! His knowledge
of religion, in general, appears to be extremely
Superficial. What, for inftance, but his igno.
rance of the mythology of the ancients, could
cauſe him to affert, that, “all the Gods of the
heathen mythology, except Saturn, were of ig-

( 53 )
is it,
dern invention ;"* and that chriſtianity origina-
ted from paganiſm.t
It is in politicks only that Mr. Paine appears te
oranasrasina
* Egypt, after the deluge, may juſtly be re.
garded as the parent of idolatry and fables, as
well as of the arts and ſciences.
Diodorus Siculus, who, with great attention,
collected the Egyptian traditions, mentions, that
their great Gods were eight in number, and that
the ſun and vulcan were prior to ſaturn. So true
“ that all the Gods of the heathen mytholo-
gy, were of modern invention, except faturn !"
See the mythology and fables of the ancients, by
the Abbe Banier, Vol I. p. 48, 69, 73, 105, 492,
495
It is remarked by Democritus, that “ truth
lies at the bottom of a well.") Froin the above
recited inſtances only of Mr. Paine's ignorance
and error, the reader may form a tolerable idea,
how far he hath penetrated into the well of ſacred
truth and knowledge !
+ Divine revelation commenced in the infancy
of the world. A Saviour was promiſed to Adam
in theſe memorable words ; " I will put enmity,
ſaid God to the ſerpent, between thee and the
woman, and between thy ſeed and her feed; it
ſhall bruiſe thy head, and thou ſhalt bruiſe his
heel.” Gen. iil. 15.
This promiſe was renewed to Abrahamn, (Ib.
xii. 3.) to Iſaac (Ib. xxiv. 4.) and to Jacob (Ib.
xxviii. 14-) Under the Moſaic difpenfation, the
character of the Meſſiah was deſignaated; his titles,
E 2

( 54 )
reaſon with any degree of propriety. It is in this
sororororororo
offices and divine million were expreſſed; he was
exhibited as the Saviour of men, under various
types and figures, and numerous prophecies were
uttered concerning him ; particularly, with re.
fpect to his birth ; the nation, tribe and family he
was to deſcend from ; the period in wbich he
fhould make his appearance ; the reception he
fhould meet with in the world; ſome of the mi-
racles he ſhould perforin; the ſufferings he ſhould
endure; the death he fliould die ; and alſo his.
reſurrection from the dead and afcenſion into hea.
ven. Indeed, the jewiſh diſpenſation was only
preparatory to the chriſtian ; the former is the ba-
fis of the latter, and is inſeparably connectedi
with it.
The divine Saviour of men appeals to the
writings of the old teftament for the truth of his
million. ** Search the fcriptures, ſaid he to the
Jews, for in them ye think ye have eternal life,
and they are they which teſtify of me." John
V. 19
" There is one, he adds, that accuſeth
you, even Moſes, in whom ye truſt. For had ye
believed Moſes, ye would have believed me,
for
he wrote of me.” And " all' things, ſays he,
muſt be fulfilled which were written in the law of
Moſes, and in the Prophets, and in the Pſalms,
concerning me.
Luke Xxiv. 44
The apoſtles alſo, refer to the old teftament to
prove that Chriſt was the Saviour promiſed to the
jenih ration. “The Apoſtles, we read, mightily
convin ed the Jews, fhewing by the feriptures,
that Jeſus was the Chrilt.” Acts xviii. 28. * AR-

(55
field alone he ſeems capable of gathering laurels
ter the way which they call herefy, ſaid Saint
Paul, fo worſhip I the God of my fathers, be-
lieving all things which are written in the law and
the prophets. I continue witneſſing both to ſmall
and
great, ſaying none other things than thoſe
which the prophets and Moſes did ſay should
come ; that Chrift thoald ſuffer, and that he
thould be the first that ſhould riſe from the dead."
Ib. xxiv. 14. xxvi. 22, 23. And “thoſe things,
faid Saint Peter, that God before had fhewed, by:
the mouth of all the prophets, that Chriſt ſhould
fuffer, he hath fulfilled. Ib. iii. 18.
By attending to thre tenor of the facred writ-
ings, we perceive, through a tract of time not leſs
than four thoufand years, the rays of divine re-
veiatión, firft ſhining on Adam, but, in ſucceflive
ages, glowing with greater ardor, and all concene
tered in Jesus Christ, and perfected by hin !
Moſt juſt, therefore, was the declaration of an
apoſtle; that “God at fundry times, and in divers
manners, ſpake in times paft unto the fathers by
the prophets, but, that in theſe laſt days, he hath
fpoken unto us by his Son, whom he appointed
heir of all things, and býr whom be made the
worlds." Heb. i. 1, 2. And moft true it is,
that under the legal difpenfation, the beams of
heavenly truth illumed, animated, and conſol-
ed the faithful Ifraclites; for “they all died in the
faith, nor having received the promiſes, but hay.
ing-feen them afar off, were perfuaded of them,
and embraced then, and confeffed that they

( 56 )
When he attempts to foar into the fublime regi-
ons of religion, we foon ceaſe to behold Mr. Paine,
and he as ſoon lofes fight of COMMON SENSE!
As
S Mr. Paine exhibits his deiſtical creed, for
our acceptance, it may not be improper to
beſtow on it a little attention.
" I believe,” fays he, “ in one God and no
more; and I hope for happineſs beyond this life.”
nonciaronorer
were ſtrangers and pilgrims on earth, and there-
fore ſought a better country, even one that is
heavenly.” Ib. xi. 13, 16.
Theſe things being conſidered, we perceive,
that chriſtianity is of divine origin ; that it is alto-
gether unconnected with the mythology of the
ancients, and therefore that the ailertion of Mr.
Paine, that it took its riſe from it, is a ſtriking
evidence, either of his groſs ignorance of the chrif-
tian religion, or the great impiety of his heart !
So far, indeed, was chriſtianity from deriving
even the leafi aid from the heathen mythology,
it is an indubitable truth, that whatever excellence
pertains to any ancient pagan ſyſtem of religion,
it was derived from divine revelation ; as is clearly
manifeſt from hiflory. See weekly miſcellany,
vol. I, p. 275 to 204. Ramſay's philoſophical
principles, vol. 1. p. 8 to 111. Jones's diſquiſie
tions, p. 71. Rollin's belles lettres, vol. 1. p.
334, et feq. iv. På 148 et ſeq.

( 57 )
* I believe the equality of man, and I believe
that religious duties conſiſt in doing juſtice, loving
mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow crea-
tures happy."*
This is the whole of Mr. Paine's belief. How
conciſe ! But how imperfect ! How much inferior
to ſeveral other deiſtical creeds; particularly
the ſyſtem of deiſm, embraced and published by
Lord Herbert, more than an age ago!
Whatever progreſs hath been made in the arts
and ſciences, in this age of reaſon, it is certain that
DEISM remains in STATU QUO, or hath no accef-
fion of knowledge and excellence to boaſt of ! But
Mr. Paine's creed, ſuch as it is, thall now be no-
ticed. +
wie
* P. 9
+ The name of deift is applied to thoſe who
reject divine revelation. It is ſaid to have been
firſt affumed about the middle of the ſixteenth
century, by ſome gentlemen in France and Italy,
who were defirous to cover their oppoſition to
the chriſtian religion, by an appellation more hon
norable than that of atheiſts.
a
The firſt author that inentions them is Viret,
divine of eminence among the firſt reformers;
who, in the epiſtle dedicatory prefixed to the ſe-
cond volume of his inſtruction chretienne, which
was publiſhed in 1963, notices fome perſons, at
that time, who called theinſelves by a new name,
that of deififa

( 58 )
He « believes in one God and no more." The
- Wolte cheesecrecioneve
Theſe, he ſays, profeſſed to believe in a God,
but ſhewed no regard to Jeſus Chriſt, and confi-
dered the doctrines of the apoſtles and evangeliſts,
as fables. He adds, that they ridiculed all religion ;
though ſome of them profeſſed to believe in the
immortality of the ſoul; others were of the epi.
curean opinion, in this point, and alſo reſpecting
the providence of God.
Modern deiſts are diſtinguiſhed by ſome of their
own writers, into two claſſes, mortal and immor-
tal. (See oracles of reaſon, p. 99.) The
latter acknowledge a future ſtate ; the former
deny it, or, it leaſt, repreſent it as very uncertain.
Lord Edward Herbert, may juftly be regarded
as the moſt eminent of deiſtical writers, and, in ſe-
veral reſpects, ſuperior to all who have ſucceeded
him, and who, in their ſentiments, are perpetually
at varience with each other.
His firſt publication in favor of deiſm, was in
1624. He was the firſt that formed deiſin into a
Softem, which he reduced to the following heads.
1. That there is one fupreme God.
2. That he is chiefly to be worſhiped.
3. That piety and virtue are the principal part
of his worſhip
That we muſt repent of our fins; and, if
we do ſo, God will pardon them.
5. That there are rewards for good men, and
puniſhments for bad men, in a future ſtate.
His lordſhip obſerves, that “ all the doctrines

( 59 )
immenſe fabric of the univerfe could be the pro-
verseascarcisen
taught in the ſcriptures, aim at the eſtabliſhment
of theſe five catholic articles ; that there is no
facrament, rite, nor ceremony enjoined in the ſa-
cred writings, but what aims, or ſeem to aim, at
the eſtablishment of the ſaid articles." (See his
reaſons at the end of his religio laici.) And he
expreflly declares, in that treatiſe, (p. 28) that
"it was far from his intention to do harm to the
beft religion, as he ſtiles chriſtianity; or the true
faith; but rather to eſtablith that and the religion
of nature."
He, however, inveighs promiſcuouſly, as many
deiſtical authors have done fince, againſt all pre-
tenſions to revelation, without making a diſtincti-
on between that which is true and that which is
falſe.
Though Lord Herbert diſclaimed all preténces
to divine revelation made to others, ſo enthufiaftic
was he, that he ſeems to have been perſuaded that
a manifeſtation from Heaven was made to himſelf
in favor of deiſm?
His book de veritate, was his favorite work
but being doubtful whether he ihould Tuppreſs it
or not, he addreſſed himſelf to the deity, for in-
formation on the ſubject.
“Being thus doubtful, ſaid he, in my chamber,
one fair day in the ſummer, my caſement being
open towards the South, the fun ſhining clear and
no wind ſtirring, I took my book de veritate in
my hand, and kneeling on my knees devoutly ſaid.

(60)
dadion only of that Being of all Beings, wiiom
voronararen
theſe words. thou eternal God, author of
this light which now fhines upon me, and giver of
all inward illuminations; I do beſeech thee, of
thine infinite goodneſs, to pardon a greater re-
queſt than a finner ought to make. I an hat fatish
fied enough whether I shall publiſh this book; if
it be for thy glory, I beſeech thee igive me some
fogn from heaven; if not, I ſhall ſuppreſs it.
I had ſo ſooner fpaken theſe words, he adds,
but a loud, though yet gentle noiſe, came fortlı
from the heavens (for it was like nothing on
carth) which did fo chear and comfort me, that I
took my petition as granted, and that I had the
fign demanded ; whereupon I reſolved to publishi
niy book.
Mr. Paine, it ſeems, was not ſo conſcientious
before he publiſhed his age of reaſon; and as this
book and Lord Herberts effentially contradict each
other, they cannot both be true; and, doubtleſs,
Mr. Paine muſt regard his lordſhip to have been
a great enthufiaft!
Happy is it that the evidences of the truth of
chriſtianity, reſt, not on ſo feeble a baſis as does
this fancied teſtimony of Lord Herbert, in favor
of his ſcheme of deiſmı !
Saint Paul's converſion to the chriſtian faith
was fudden and miraculous, and how very differ-
ent is the teſtimony in favor of his converſion, from
the evidence that Lord Herbert ſuppoſed he liad
in behalf of his deiſtical book?

( 61 )
we denominate God; he alone was capable of
snararangalana
His lordſhip ſought a ſign from heaven; he
ardently deſired it, and it is not unreaſonable to
believe, that he really deemed that to be a fign
which was not fo, but produced by diftant thun-
der or ſome other natural cauſe ; for as prepoſ-
jeffed as his imagination was, he heard no voice,
no articulate language declaring the divine will
nor was there any but himſelf to witneſs the ini-
aginary atteſtation in his favor.
3
But Saint Paul expected no ſign from heaven
in favor of the religion of Jeſus ; on the contra-
ry,his mind was replete with prejudices againſt it;
he was then going to Damaſcus, with a commif-
lion from the high prieſt, to ſeize the diſciples of
Chriſt, to have them puniſhed, and was perſuad-
ed that it was his duty thus to act.
The reſplendent light from heaven that fhone
round about him, was diſcerned by his companions,
who heard alſo the ſupernatural voice that addreſſ-
ed the apoſtle.
Struck blind with the glory of the appearance,
he was obliged to be led to Damaſcus, and it was
only by the laying on of the hands of Annanias,
in the name of Jeſus, that St. Paul received his
fight.
Inſtantaneous and great was the change in his
ſentiments and diſpoſition ; without human inſtruc-
tion, he became, as in a moment, perfectly ac-
quainted with the chriſtian religion ; which occa.
F

62)
railing this ſtupendous fyſtem; the heavers de-
clare his glory, and the filent voice of unnumber-
siasaanna
fioned him to ſay, in his epiſtle to the Gallatians,
(Chap. I. 12, and which was written about twen-
ty-three years after this event) " That the goſ-
pel he preached, he did not receive of man ; nei-
ther was he taught it, but by the revelation of
Jeſus Chrift.
Saint Paul was endued with the moſt extraordi-
nary gifts of the Holy Ghoſt, and had a power of
communicating theſe gifts to others, by the impo.
fition of his hands in the name of Jeſus; and in
this ſacred name he was alſo enabled to perform
the moſt ftupendous miracles.
Theſe were matters of fact, in which he could
not be deceived himſelf, and to which there were
many wiinilles: And he gave the higheſt poflible
proof of the fincere belief of his converſion, by his
inviolable adherence to chriſtianity ; though he
thereby expofed himſelf to the ſevereſt perſecu-
tions; to the loſs of all worldly honors and emol.
uments, and to the greateft labors and ſufferings ;
which he endured with invincible conftancy, and
even with a divine exultation ; he having been
fupported by the teſtimony of a good conſcience,
and the hope of a glorious reward in the world
above.
Such an evidence in favor of chriſtianity, would
be ſufficient, one would imagine, to enforce con-
viction on e n'sy mind in queſt of truth, or that was
not inflexibly refolved to perſevere in infidelity !

( 63 )
ed ſtars and planets, ſpeak in the ear of enlight:
ened reaſon, that “The hand that inade us is
divine.”+
anarcisio arena
+ Pagan philoſophers were induced to believe
in the exiſtence of Gods, or of a God, from vari:
ous conſiderations.
Cleanthes, for inftance, ſaid, “That the notions
of God were imprinted on the minds of men from
four cauſes.
Firſt, from divination ; for the Gods afford us
ſigns of future things, wherein, if there be any
miſtake, it is not from their part, but from the
error of human conjecture.
The ſecond is from the multitude of good things
we receive by the temperature of heaven, the fer-
tility of the earth and many other benefits.
The third, from the terror of thunder, tem-
peſt, rain, ſnow, hail, devaftation, peſtilence and
prodigies.
The fourth and greateſt cauſe, is the uniformi-
ty and revolution of the heavenly bodies; the ſun,
moon and ſtars ; their diſtinctions, variety, beau.
ty, and order, the very appearance of which de
clares, that they were not made by chance."
“ If there is ſomething in nature, ſaid Chry.
fippus, which the mind, reaſon, power and facul.
ties of man could not make, that which made it is
better than man ; but celeſtial things, and all thoſe

( 64 )
The voice, therefore, of reaſon, as well as re.
velation, proclaims aloud the exiſtence of a DEITY.
But though the light of nature is ſufficient to
teach men there is a Gon, hath it been ſufficient
ſo to impreſs on the minds of men a ſenſe of the
unity of God, as to prevent their acknowledge.
ment of a multiplicity of deities and of offering
them homage?
A celebrated deiſtical writer juſtly obſerves,
that “ Though the firſt of men could no more
doubt of a cauſe for the world, than of its exiſta
ence, yet the ignorance and inexperience of man:
kind, muſt have occaſioned them to have enter.
tained much doubt and uncertainty concerning
the firſt cauſe.
The variety of phenomena which ſtruck their
ſenſe, would occaſion them to imagine a variety
of cauſes. Accordingly, he adds, polytheiſm and
idolatry prevailed almoſt every-where, and ſeems
aaralanararara.
whoſe order is ſempiternal, could not be formed
by man; there is, therefore, ſomething which
made them that is better than man, and what is
that but God?
If there is no God, what can there be in nature
better than man; for in him only is reaſon, than
which nothing is more excellent? But for a man to
think there is nothing in nature better than him-
felf, is great arrogance ; there is therefore, fome-
thing better, and, conſequently, there is a God."
Stanley's lives of the philoſophers, pari viii.
p. 115

( 65 )
more conformable to hunian ideas, abſtracted from
the firſt appearance of things, and better propor-
tioned, by an analogy of human conceptions, to
the uncultivated reaſon of mankind, and to un-
derſtandings not ſufficiently informed.
He alſo adds, “ That polytheiſin, and the con-
ſequence of it, idolatry, were avowed and taught
by legiſlators and philoſophers; and that they
prevailed more eaſily, becauſe they were more
conformable to the human mind, than the belief
of one firſt intelligent cauſe, the ſole creator, pre-
ſerver and governor of all things.”
But a very ſmall number of the heathen world,
in
any age, appear to have entertained juſt per-
ceptions of the deity, but have lived in the grolleft
ignorance and idolatry; worſhiping the fun,
moon, ſtars, birds, beaſts, fiſhes, plants, inſects
and reptiles. And, as a conſequence of this ig-
norance of the true God, they have lived in the
moſt unnatural and deteſtable vices; a catalogue
of which is recorded by Saint Paul, in the firſt
chapter of his epiftle to the Romans. I
oronarssnoraron
† An early father of the chriſtian church, con
trafts the morals of chriſtians and pagans; after
having mentioned ſome of their deteſt able vices,
and the oppoſite virtues of chriſtians, he thus pro-
ceeds.
“If we contend about moderation, with reſpect
to worldy greatneſs, behold Pythagoras affecting
tyranny at Thurium and Zeno at Priene ! But a
chriſtian has not the ambition to aſpire, even to
the office of an ædile.

( 66
And even thofe few heathen philoſophers who
arrived at the greateſt eminence in the knowledge
of religion, gave but extremely defective fyftems.
of morality, and inculcated very unworthy ideas of
God.
If we compare equanimity, remember Lycurgus
deſtroyed himſelf, becauſe he was unable to en-
sure the thought, that the Lacedemonians cor-
rected the ſeverity of his laws ; but a chriſtian,
after condemnation, is able to return thanks to
thoſe who have condeinned him.
If you vie with us in fidelity, fee your Anaxage.
ras who had not fidelity fufficient to reſtore the
Strangers the goods they committed to his truft ;
but a chriſtian has the name of faithful, even a-
mong the enemies of his faith.
Do we diſpute about humility? Conſider that
Ariſi otle could not enjoy himſelf till, with pride, he
compelled his friend Hermias, to fit below him
3
but that a chriſtian is not arrogant, but modeft and
humble, even towards an enemy, when in his
power.
Ariſtotle was a groſs flatterer of Alexander
and Plato flattered Dionyfius; but chriftians flaża
1er not.
Ariſiippus in his purple, and under the great-
eft fhew of gravity, was an arrant debouchee; but
temperance and fobriety mark the chriftian charac-
ter.” Reeve's apologies of the fathers, vol. I.
p. 334, 335

67 )
Cicero, for example, who wrote a book aboạt
the nature of the Gods, ſays nothing of a world
to come.
Senaca tells “ thoſe to worſhip God who know
him," and ignorantly and preſumptuouſly fays ;
" let philofophy make me equal with God."
Varro enumerates not leſs than two hundred
and eighty-cight opinions concerning the chief
good, and in not one of theſe does he fuppoſe it to
conſiſt in the eternal enjoyment of God.
" It is not eaſy, ſays Jamblicus, to know what
God will be pleaſed with, unleſs webe immediate.
ly inſtructed by him, or by foine perſon he has
converſed with.” And Epictetus ſays, “ every
one muſt facrifice according to the cuſtom of his
country.”
Moſt of theſe philoſphers juſtified ſelf-murder,
and ſeveral unnatural vices. But few of them
acknowledged the unity of God, and thoſe who
did ſo were reputed to be atheiſts.
It may be afferted as a ſerious truth, that the
ftrongest natural abilities ; the moſt profound
learning; the moſt ſubtle reaſonings on moral
truth, and the deepeſt reſearches into metaphyſics,
are inſufficient to perſuade men practically to be.
lieve in GOD.
The niataphyſical proofs of God, as Mr. Paſcat
juſtly obierves, are « ſo very intricate, and ſo far
removed from the common reaſonings of men,
that they ſtrike the inind with but little force
or, at beſt, the impreſſion continues but a fhort

( 68 )
period, and mankind, the very next hour, fall
back into their old jealouſies, and fears and ſuſpi-
cions of being deceived.
All the arguments of this abſtract kind are not
able to conduct us farther than a ſpeculative know-
ledge of God; and to know him only thus, is, in
effect, not to know him to any valuable purpoſe.
All who ſeek God, without Jefus Chrift, can
never attain ſuch light in their enquiries, as will
afford then true fatisfaction, or be of real utility.
For either they advance not ſo far as to know that
there is a God ; or, if they are convinced of this
truth, they form to themſelves a mode of commu.
nicating with the deity, independent of a median
tor, and therefore, unavoidably become deifts.”
was
A practical knowledge therefore of the deity ;
and the acknowledgement and worſhip of the one
living and true God, can only be derived from di-
vine revelacion. How neceffary then
it for the almighty to reveal himſelf to the jew-
ith nation ; to declare, that “ he is the firſt and
the laſt and that belide him there is no GOD ;'*
and to preſerve them from the idolatry of the
nations around them, expreſſly to enjoin them to
# have no other God but himſelf ;” and to pro-
hibit their " making any graven image and wor-
shipping it, of the likeneſs of any thing, in the
heaven above, the earth beneath, or in the water
under the earth ?" +
arooraa ororo
* Iſai. xliv. 6.
+ Exod. KX. 4, 5

(69)
As no nation (unenlightened by divine rêves
lation)* except the jews, previous to the pronul-
osorarararara
* The Chevalier Ramſay proves, from the
writings of the ancients, that ſome principles of the
true religion, obtained, by tradition, among almoſt
all the nations of the world ; and, in particular,
that ſeveral nations acknowledged the true God,
though they had great numbers of fubordinate
deities. See his philoſophical principles of natu-
ral and revealed religion. Vol. H. Chap. I.
“ Adam, (ſays he) Noah, all the antediluvean
and poſt-deluvian patriarchs, knew the great prin-
ciples of natural and revealed religion, and, there.
fore, could and ſhould have taken: all meaſures
poſſible to tranſmit this ſaving knowledge to their
pofterity. It would have been unbecoming the
prudence and fanctity of theſe holy pátriarchs,
not to have choſen fome furer method for tranf-
mitting theſe facred truths, than by oral tradition,
which is much more ſubject to falſification, than
written tradition.
G
The moſt ancient, expreſſive and palpable way
of writing, was not by arbitrary naines and al-
phabetical letters; but by fymbolical engravings,
which repreſented intellectual ideas by corporeat
images; and this way of writing was particularly
confecrated to the uſe and tranſmiſſion of divine
things to pofterity, as the word hieroglyphic in
dicates.
Accordingly, as the world increaſed and was
peopled, after the deluge, the ſons and grand.

( 70 )
gation of chriſtianity, acknowledged and worfhip-
Bio osoaiaren
children of Noah, copied and carried thoſe ſacred
fymbols of religion, to the different places of the
earth, whither they went to inhabit with their
families; thus, theſe fynbolical characters were
tranſported from country to country, over almoſt
the whole of the terreiirial globe ; and for this
reafon it is, that the ſymbols, images, itatues, re.
preſentations, traditions, fables and mythologies,
about the gods and goddeffes and religion, are
much the ſame in all heathen nations.
By fucceſſion of time, the true, original fenſe
of the ſacred fymbols and hieroglyphics was for-
gotten. Men attached themſelves to the letter
and to figns, without underſtanding the ſpirit and
thing ſignified, rand thus fell, by degrees, into the
groffeſtidolatry and ſuperſtition. They explained
the facred fymbols according to their fancy, and
ſe turned all the ancient traditions into fables,
fictions and mythologies, where, though the cir-
cumſtances were different, yet the fund was the
fame.
Notwithſtanding all theſe degradations, adul.
terations and miſrepreſentations of the original
fymbols and traditions, there ſtill remain ſome
hints, rays and veſtiges of divine truths, in the my-
thologies and religions of almoſt all nations from
eaſt to weit, from north to ſouth, in Aſia, Europe,
Africa and America.” Ibid. Introduction p. 25,
26, 27
In treating of the Chineſe, with refpect to the

( 71 )
ped but one God, we may juftly conclude, that
avaianason
DEITY, this learned author obſerves, that the
origin of this people goes back very near to the
time of the deluge ; that they have five original
or canonical books, called KING, which, in their
language, fignifies a ſublime, ſacred, immutable
doctrine, founded upon unſhaken principles. Theſe
books were eſteemed to be of very remote anti-
quity in the time of Confucius, who lived about
fix hundred years before our Saviour. All the
other books, of any note, in China, are commen-
taries upon theſe five, which are held in great
veneration.
In theſe books, God is called CHANG-Ti, or
the ſovereign emperor; and TIEN, the fupreme
Heaven, the auguſt Heaven, the intelligent Hea-
ven, the ſelf-exiſtent unity, who is preſent every
where, and who produced all things by his power,
Chang-t, or the Sovereign Lord, is repreſented
as jult and good, full of mercy and love for his
creatures; and in the book ſtiled CHI-KING, the
doctrine of Divine Providence is maintained, in the
following words.
Mankind, overwhelmed with afflictions, feem
to doubt of providence; but when the hour of
executing the decrees of Chang-ti ſhall come, none
caa reſiſt him. He will then ſhew, that when he
puniſhed, he was juſt and good; and that he never
acted by vengeance and hatred.” Ibid. p. 40,
41, 42, 43

(72)
this part of Mr. Paine's creed, “ there is one God,
orcionararanaia
But however juſt were the principles, or good
the norals of the ancient inhabitants of China,
the preſent ſtate of religion among the Chineſe is
truly deplorable.
an.
“What their learning is now, ſays the Rev.
John Weſley, I know not. But notwithſtanding
their boaſt of its antiquity, it was certainly very
contemptible in the laſt century, when they were
fo altoniſhed at the ſkill of the French Jeſuits,
and honored them as beings almoſt more than hu-
And whatever progreſs they may have
made ſince in the knowledge of aſtronomy, and
other ſciences, it is certain, they are ſtill utterly
ignorant of what it moſt of all concerns them to
know. They know not God any more than the
Hottentots; they are all idolaters; and fo tena-
cious are they of their national idolatry, that even
thoſe whom the French millionaries called converts,
continued, without exception, to worſhip Con-
fucious, and the ſouls of their anceſtors.
How depraved are their morols! Are pride and
ſloth good ingredients of ſocial virtue? But can
all Europe equal either the lazineſs or pride of
the Chineſe nobility and gentry? They are either
too lordly or too indolent, to put even the meat
into their own mouths! And yet, they are not too
proud nor too ſlothful to oppreſs, to rob, to defraud
to the utmoit of their power!
What flagrant inſtances of their fraud and in-
juſtice do we perceive, even in Lord Anſon's voy-

(73)
and no more," would never have been embra-
ced by him, had he enjoyed only the light of na-
ture, or not been educated in a chriſtian country.
Is it not moſt reaſonable to believe, had Mr.
Paine been born among the Britiſh ſaxons, but
twelve centuries ago, he would have embraced a
creed that acknowledged the exiſtence of many
Gods ; and that, in particular, he would have done
homage to the idol, RUGYVITH, who had ſeven
faces ; to POREVITH, who had five heads; and to
mararanasana
age to that country ; which perfectly agrees with
the accounts given by all our countrymen who
have traded in any part of China ; as well as with
the obſervations made by a late writer in his
geographical grammar.
* Trade and commerce, ſays he, or rather
cheating and over-reaching, is the natural bent
and genius of the Chineſe. Gain is their god;
they prefer this to every thing. A ſtranger is in
great danger of being cheated, if he truſts to his
own judgment. And if he employs a Chineſe
broker, it is well if he does not join with the mer-
chant to cheat the ſtranger. Their laws oblige
them to rules of certain civility in their
words and actions; and they are naturally a fawn.
ing, cringing generation, but the greateſt hypo.
crites on earth.'
And
yet
the Chineſe, adds Mr. Weſley, are be-
yond all degrees of compariſon, the beſt and wileſt
of all the heathens in Ala."
gai lin, p. 43, 44
Treatiſe on origi-

( 74 )
PORENUTH, who had four faces pertaining to
his head, and one face to his breaſt I *
onsororororen
* See Sammes's antiquities of Britain, p. 454.
This author, in treating of the Gods of the ancient
Britains, mentions, among other things, that they
facrificed human beings to their idols.
“ They made, ſays he, a ftatue or image of a
man, of vaft proportion, whoſe limbs confitted of
twigs wove together in the nature of baſket-
ware : Theſe they filled with live men, and then
fer it on fire, and conſumed them in the flames.”
Ib. p. 104
" To Pluto and Proſerpina,” this hiſtorian
adds, “ the nocturnal facrifices of the Britains
were performed; in theſe ſolemnities they com-
mitted very ſtrange and enormous villanies; the
blood of facrifices, mixed with wine and milk, they
poured on the ground to their infernal deities,
and made merry with the fleſh and remaining
wine, provoking one another to horrid and unna-
tural lufts; by the frequent uſe of theſe facrifices,
they, at length, thought it not criminal, for the
father, fon and brother, promiſcuouſly, to pofleſs
one woman." Ib. p. 138.
How different is the appearance of religion and
morals, civilization,cuſtoms and mauners, arts and
ſciences, in that iftand at the preſent period? But
to whut are the Britains indebted for this pleaſing,
this aſtonishing change. To what but chriſtiani-
ty! It was this that demoliſhed their idols their
{acrifices of barbarity ; that ſoftened the rugged

( 75 )
Had Mr. Paine received his exiſtence among
the favages of the Natchez, in South America, it
cannot be doubted, but that, with them, he would
have worſhiped the ſun.* Had he been born
among the Indians called Manacias, what reaſon
arresaarvertonin
nature of the inhabitants ; that humanized their
minds ; that poliſhed their manners; that became
a nurſery for the arts, and the parent of liberty,
and, indeed, the ſource of all their real happinefs !
Demoliſh chriſtianity in Britain, and what
would be the conſequence? In all probability, its
inhabitants, in a few ages, would revert to the
ſame ſtate of wretchedneſs they were in before
their converſion to the chriſtian faith!
What enemies then are thoſe to the happineſs
of mankind, as before hath been noticed, who en-
deavor to aboliſh the chriſtian religion, and to
fubſtitute in its ſtead, what they denominate the
religion of nature; the light of which ſhone as
bright, but to no good purpoſe,on the ancient Britains
and the whole pagan world, as on the deifts of
the preſent day?
Happy for themſelves would it be, if they ſhould
ceaſe to revile that divine religion, they appear
ſo unworthy of; but for their rejection of wbich,
they muſt be amenable to the God of JUSTICE
as well as MERCY !
*Robertſon's hiſtory of America, vol. II. p. 139.

( 76 )
can be offered, why, with them, he would not
have done homage even to the Devil himſelf!t
Or had Mr. Paine's nativity been among fome
other of the Indian tribes, on this continent,it can-
not be queſtioned, but that, with theſe tribes, he
would have entertained no idea whatever, of a
fupreme being ; nor have had any rites of reli-
gious worſhip ; but have lived as inſenſible of God
and religion as the brute creation !*
eresearcheron
+ See a relation of the miſſions of Paraguay,
p. 32
*“ Several tribes,fays Doctor Robertſon, have
been difcovered in America, who have no idea,
whatever, of a ſupreme being, nor any rites of
religious worſhip
Inattentive to that magnificent ſpectacle of beau.
ty and order preſented to their view ; unaccuf-
tomed to reflect either upon what they themſelves
are, or to enquire who is the author of their exiſa
tence, men, in their favage ftate, paſs their days,
sike the animals around them, without knowledge
or veneration of any ſuperior power.
They have not in their language, any name for
the deity ; nor have the moſt accurate obſervers
been able to diſcover any practice, or inſtitution,
that ſeemed to imply, that they recognized his
authority, or were folicitous to obtain his favor.”
Hiſtory of America, vol. II. p. 135.
It might have been added above, that had Mr.

( 77 )
So inſufficient would have been Mr. Paine's
powers of reaſon to have formed even this part of
his creed now under conſideration !
It cannot juſtly be controverted, but that
whatever excellence pertains to any fyſtem of
deifm,or paganiſm,deifts and pagans have been in-
debted for it to divine revelation ; though they have
not been ſo ingenuous as to acknowledge the fact. *
On this ſubject, with reſpect to heathens, Ter.
tulljan, a venerable father of the chriſtian church,
Becerreconcora
Paine been a father in ſome of the favage tribes
of Perue, he might have begotten children on
purpoſe to have fartened and eaten thein.
“ In ſome provinces in that country, we are
informed, that the Indians had ſo keen an appe-
tite for human fleſh, that they had not patience to
ſtay 'till the breath was out of the body, but
would fuck the blood as it ran from the wounds
of the dying man. They had public ſhambles of
human fleſh, and their love of it was ſo great,
that they ſpared not their own children whom
they had begotten on ftrangers taken in war; for
they made their female captives their miſtreffes,
and carefully nouriſhed the children they had by
them, until they were about thirteen years old,
when they butchered and ate them.” Locke's
Works, vol. II. p. 121.
* See, on this particular, wih regard to de.
ifts, Dr. Benſon's reaſonableneſs of christianity,
vol. II. p. 302, 303•
G

in his apology for chriſtianity, addreffed to the
proconful and governors of Africa, thus expreffes
hinſelf.
“ Which of your poets, or ſophiſters, have not
drank from the fountain of the prophets ? It is from
this ſacred fource, that your philofophers alſo
have allayed their thirſt for knowledge. From
hence it is, that philofophy has been proſcribed in
ſome countries, as Thebes, Sparta and Argos, for
the monſtrous iſſue fhe produced from the adulte-
rous mixture of divine truths with human in-
ventions
Theſe philoſophers were in queſt of worldly
glory only; accordingly, if they found any thing
in our divine digeſts which ſtruck their fancies, or
might ſerve their hypotheſes, they took it and
made it fubfervient to their wiſhies.
Not conſidering theſe writings to be ſacred,
nor underſtanding their ſenſe, which was then
veiled froin their càrnal minds, as it is, at this
day, from the very jews to whom they were ap-
propriated.
For if, in any place, truth appeared in its na-
tive fimplicity, without the diſguiſe of type ar
metaphor, worldly wiſdomn, inſtead of ſubmitting
her faith, blended the certainties of revelation
with her own puilofophic uncertainties.
naroroonana
* Juſtin Martyr, in his firſt apology, enume-
rates ſeveral inſtances, wherein Plato borrowed
ideas and facts from Mofes.

( 79 )
Having for example, found in the holy fcrip.
tures, that there is no other God but one, they divi.
dedintovarious fpeculations about the divine nature;
fome aſſerting it to be incorporeal ; others cor-
poreal, as the platonicks and ſtoicks ; fome coni-
poſing him of atoms ; and others of numbers, as
epicurus and pythagoras ; and ſome of fire, as
heraclitus.
The platoniſts maintain his care and providence
over his creation ; on the contrary, the epicure-
ans make him inactive and wholly inattentive to
his works. The ſtoicks place hiin without the
world, turning it about, like a potter the thing he
forms, fetting without his wheel; the platoniſts
fix him within the world, like the pilot who
ſteers the veſſel that contains him. In the fame
manner theſe fages were at variance about the
world itſelf
;
whether it was made or un-
made ; whether it would be diffolred or last for-
ever ; and with regard to the ſoul, fome con-
tended that it was of a divine, immortal nature ;
others that it was corruptible ; every one infer-
ring from the ſcriptures and reforming accor-
ding to his views and inclination. **
* See Reeves's apologies of the fathers, vol. I.
P. 337-343
Quintus Septimus Florens Tertullianus, was
the ſon of a Centurian, and born in Africa in the
He was of heathen parentage and
received an heathen education. His extenſive
genius foon enabled him to traverſe the circle of
human ſcience. He penetrated into the ſecrete
year 160.

( 80 )
Hiſtory furniſhes no inſtance of any heathen
cavaraa
ef
geometry and phyfic, and was extremely well
verſed in the writings of the poets and philoſo-
phers ; he was perfectly acquainted with hiſtory,
and profoundly learned in the Roman laws. (Eu-
febius's eccleſiaſtical hiſtory, book II.)
He poſſeſſed great brilliancy of fancy and poig.
naney of wit, which, he confeſſes, he had often ex-
erciſed againſt the true God, and the chriſtian re-
ligion
While a pagan, he copied but too nearly, after
the Gods he worſhipped, and acknowledges, that
he attained to a diftinguilhed eminence in vice,
and
was, in all reſpects, an accompliſhed ſinner.
(See his book of penitence, p. 148.)
No perſon ſeems to have made greater profi-
ciency in the myſtery of iniquity ; in the know-
ledge of the riſe and progreſs of ſuperſtition, and
in the fashionable abominations of the age in which
he lived, than Tertullian,in his gentile ſtate ; and
what, it may be aſked, but the PƠWER of ſacred
TRUTH, and the energy of divine GRACE, could
have cauſed him to have relinquiſhed the religion
of his parents and his country; to have renounced
vices, which, by long indulgence, had almoſt ſub-
dued him to their control; and to have become
a convert to a deſpiſed religion, which demanded
the ſtricteft virtue, mortification and ſelf-denial,
and expoſed him to inſults and reproaches; to fuf-
ferings and to death?

( 81 )
mation or people, who acknowledged the exiſtence
sonoraranasan
As before his converſion, he was a potent ad-
verſary of chriſtianity ; foon einbracing the chrif.
tian faith, no man, perhaps, was better qualified
than himſelf, to expoſe the ignorance, fuperftiti-
on and idolatry of the Gentiles, and to declaim
againſt their vices ; as is manifeſt from his apolo.
gy, which was written about the year 200. In
this excellent performance, he thus expreſſes
himſelf on the ſubject of the formation of Gods by
the heathen.
“ But to ſee the raſhneſs and injuſtice of the
laws againſt us, let us behold their original, and
we ſhall perceive a decree whereby the enaperor
himſelf was diſabled from conſecrating a new God,
without the approbation of the ſenate ! M.
Æmilius learnt this, to his great unhappineſs, in
the caſe of his God Alburnus. It redounds not a
little to the honor of chriſtianity, to ſee the hea.
then in conſultation about making Gods ! And if
the God, when made, is not ſuch a deity as they
eſteem, he is not to be their God! Strange infatu.
ation! The God is firſt to pray the man to be
propitious, before the man will allow him to be a
GOD!
By virtue of this old decree it was, that Tibe.
rius, in whoſe reign chriſtianity was first promul.
gated, having received intelligence from Judea,
reſpecting the miracles of CHRIST, propoſed to
the ſenate, that he fhould be enrolled among the
number of their Gods. Though the ſenate re-
fuſed the propoſal, as they had not maturely dea

( 82 )
of Gods, that did not offer them ſacrifices and in.
voke them by prayer. *
But Mr. Paine regards
liberated on his qualifications for a deity, yet Cæ.
far remained inflexible in his reſolution, and iſſued
forth ſevere penalties againſt all thoſe who ſhould
accuſe the worshippers of Chriſt.”
* For a particular account of the ſacrifices and
prayers offered by the ancient pagans to their
deities, ſee the mythology of the ancients, by the
Abbe Banier, vol. I. book III. chap. X.
“ Every God, ſays this learned writer, had his
favorite animal, tree, or plant.
Among the animal kind, the lion was conſe-
crated to vulcan; the wolf to apollo and mars; the
dog to the lares & mars ; the dragon to bacchus and
minerva ; the griffin to apollo ; the ſerpents to
eſculapius; the ſtag to hercules; the lamb to
juno ; the horſe to mars ; the heifer to ilis.
Among the birds, the eagle was ſacred to jupi-
ter ; the peacock to juno ; the owl to minerva ;
the vulture and wood-pecker to mars ; the cock
to mars, eſculapius, apollo and minerva ; the
dove and ſparrow to venus ; the king-fiſher
to tethys; the phenix to the fun, and the ci-
cada, a ſort of flying infect, to apollo." Ib.
pe 264
" The forins of prayer made uſe of by them,
they believed were indicted by the Gods them.
felves, and were careful to pronounce them with

( 33 )
prayer to be impious; he worſhips not the GOD
worrororocard
an audible voice, and without tranſpoſing a ſingle
word ; as they were perſuaded the ſacrifice would
be ineffectual, if there was the leaſt deviation from
the preſcribed form." Ib. p. 276.
Sacrifices were of divine inſtitution, and enjoin-
ed on mankind in the firſt age of the world.
Cain offered to God the fruits of the earth, and
Abel facrificed to him victims taken from his
flocks, Gen. iv. 3, 4. And Noah, when he came
out of the ark, offered to God ſacrifices of
every
clean beaſt and fowl. Sb. viii. 20.
As idolatry is a corruption of the true religion,
it cannot reaſonably be doubted, but that the
heathen borrowed their facrificial rites from this
fource. Accordingly, the Egyptians, in ancient
times, made their offerings to their Gods in great
fimplicity ; not of incenſe and perfumes, but of
green herbs, which they gathered and preſented
as the firſt productions of nature.
(Banier's my-
thology, vol. I. p. 254•)
At length, the practice obtained of offering in
facrifice to their Gods, not only living animals,
but human beings, (Ib. p. 258) and, in all proba-
bility, the latter were offered as victims, through
an imperfect knowledge of Abraham's offering of
his ſon lfaac. Gen. xxii.
" In the phoenician antiquities, ſays a learned
writer, we may inveſtigate the origin of human
facrifices. Their records preſerve the remena

84 )
whom he acknowledges. He recognizes nof, by
devotion, his being and perfections; he believes
not in divine providence, and, therefore, depre.
cates not thoſe evils to which he is expoſed ; foli.
cits not the divine favor, nor does he expreſs his
gratitude for the mercies he has received.
Expoſed to temptations, he prays not for ability
to retain his integrity. * He dedicates no part of
ororrororonor
3
brance of Abrahum's offering his ſon Iſaac in fa-
crifice, though under different names and
hence the imitation and cuſtom derived to them,
and migrated into almoſt all other heathen na-
tions.
The inference is obvious, that as all human
victims took their riſe from the ſuppoſed actual
facrifice that Abraham made of his ſon, the intent
and efficacy of that facrifice muſt have been
enquired into, and upon that perſuaſion, the
practice muſt have been eſtabliſhed and propaga-
ted by example.
Thus they believed a ſingular virtue of propiti.
ation in theſe inhuman rites, which belief ſup-
ported, for ſo great a length of time, a barbarous
cuſtom among the moſt civilized nations, after the
grand intention of this firſt typical human obla-
tion, was entirely obliterated from the memory."
Weekly miſcellany, vol. I. p. 289.
* Are we aſſaulted, fays the Rev. Mr. Her-
vey, by temptations ; or are we averfe to duty ?
Philoſophy may attempt to parry the thrust, or to

(85)
his time to the attainment of religious inſtruction
and improvement in virtue.
Though under the moſt forcible obligations to
love God, he doth not profeſs it to be his duty to
give him his heart. Though he hath frequently
finned againſt him, he prays not for forgiveneſs ;t
- 1990 boscos Programa
red once
ftir up the reluctant mind, by diſcloſing the de
formity of vice, and urging the fitneſs of things,
Feeble expedients ! Juſt as well calculated to ac-
compliſh the ends propoſed, as is the flimſy for,
tification of a cobweb, to defend us from the ball
of a cannon; or, as are the gentle vibrations of a
lady’s fan, to make a wind bound navy fail !
seThe bible recoinmends no ſuch incompetent
facceus. My grace, ſays its almighty author, is
ſufficient for thee.” 2 Cor. xii. 9,
Sin ſhall not
have dominion over you.” Rom. vi. 15. The
great JEHOVAH, in whom is everlaſting ſtrength,
“ He worketh in us both to will and to do, of his
good pleaſure.” Phil. il. 13. Dialogues, vol.
I. p. 34.
at Should a deift be even penitent for his ſins,
and ſupplicate the divine forgiveneſs, what ration-
al aſſurance hath he, that his fins will be for-
given?
Is
any one convinced of guilt, (ſays the amiable
divine, mentioned in the preceding note) as pro-
voking heaven and ruining the ſoul? Let him alk
reaſon to point out a means of reconciliation, and
a refuge of ſafety. Reaſon heſitates as fhe re-

( 86 )
penitence for ſin, and ſanctity of heart, are no
part of his creed.
Nonstorp
catalana bosilopoft
on ob silo!
plies; the deity may, perhaps, accept your ſuppli-
cations and grant forgiveneſs. viering ban
But the fcriptures leave us not to the ſad uncer.
tainty of conjecture. They ſpeak the language
of clear aſſurance. God has 66 ſet forth a propi.
tiation.” Rom. iii. 25. He does " forgive our
iniquities.” Pral. cii 3. "He will remember
our lins no more.” Heb. vii. 12. - Dialogues,
vol. 1. p. 34, 35
Is it not for the honor of the divine majef-
"ty, to exerciſe juſtice as well as mercy? Or can
it be proper for us ſo extravagantly to magnify the
amiable as to deprecate, nay, even annihilate, the
teroful attributes of the deity ?
This, fays a poet, is the theology, not of chrif.
tians, but of infidels. Soos
~ Who ſet at odds heaven's jarring attributes,
And with one excellence, another wound
Maim heaven's perfection, breakoits equal beams,
Bid mercy trilimph over-God himſelf,
Undesfied by their opprobrious praiſe;
A God mercy, is a GoD unjuſt."
YOUNG
“ Die inan, or juflice muft : unleſs for him
Some other able, and as willing, pay
The rigid fatisfaction, death for death.Biz
MILTON

( 87 )
to
He apprehends he may fin, with impunity; that
he is not obligated to practice the virtues of humi-
lity and temperance ; ſobriety and chaſtity, nor in-
deed to diſcharge any duty to God, to mankind,
nor to himſelf, except with reſpect to men,
do juſtice, to love mercy, and to endeavor to make
them happy.”
Adinirable ſyſtem of ethics ! Worthy of this AGE
OF REASON! The delight of the ſenſualiſt and
debauchee ! Wonderfully calculated to ſubdue the
ſinful paſions of men ; to dignify human nature ;
to procure the favor of God, and to prepare men
for the enjoyment of his preſence !
The phraſe "to de juſtice and to love mer.
cy," appears evidently to be borrowed froin fcrip-
ture'; * but left it should be thought ſo ; or be-
Labai baseiab baz: 05193
saracen sharanas nila да
Micah vi. 8vo". He hath fhewed thee, O
Man, what is good ; and what doth the Lord re.
quire of thee but to do juſtly; and to love mercy ;
and to walk humbly with thy God?"
It is feared this text hath, by ſome chriſtians,
been miſapprehended; Juſtice, mercy and humility,
are;j indeed, cardinal virtuess but ſhould they,
(in the common acceptation of the words) be poſ-
feſſed by us, we might, notwithſtanding, be de.
fective in our duty ; be the ſlaves of vice ; be pol.
luted by fin, and devoid of the Almighty's afa
fection.
. A perſon may be merciful, juſt and humble,
while he continues in a fiate of INFIDELITY;

nature.
cauſe it is no article of Mr. Paine's religion to
“ walk humbly with God," the latter part of the
fentence was ſuppreſſed, and the former was rront
quoted, by reaſon it declares that God had 's flewn
to' man what is good?' ? 1937 i 1 "ION
So bas, o svo! sillni ob
However clearly Mr. Paine may be in opinion,
that it is his duty to “do juſtly and to love mer-
cy,” he is unable, it is imagined, to prove that
theſe duties are enjoined on him by the law of
FREDA OD 202 botuit
It is declared by a celebrated deiſt,that the
great principle which nature has implanted in the
of miscelaria toni ant
9
rejects the diſpenſation of the goſpel, is deſtitute
of fobriety ; temperance and chaſtity, and indula
ges himſelf in many vices:
The phraſe, therefore, to walk humbly with
God,” is very comprehenſive; and is deſigned to
include here, the whole of our duty; except our
“ doing juſtice and loving mercy ul. 03 bas
Agreeable to the fenór of the ſacred swritings,
can it be ſaid, that we st walk humbly with God,
perform
all our duty, or are entitled to falvation,
unleſs we give our allent to the truths of divine)
revelation ; are penitent for our fin's rely on the
merits of Chriſt, for the pardon of our offences
revere all the divine precepts, to the utrnoſt of
our ability, and are poſſeſſed of all the graces anek
virtues of chriſtianity ; holineſs, RENOVATION of
HEART, and a meetneſs to participate of teleftial
enjoyments Hef 50 doo)

( 89 )
breaſt of man, is ſelf-love, * which is incompatible
with univerfal benevolence, and oppoſed to that
part of Mr. Paine’s code, which requires hina to
2 endeavor to make his fellow creatures happy;"
aoduity, derived from the goſpel precept, that re-
quires us to “love our neighbors as ourfelves;" or
from the apoſtolic injunction to do good to all inen."
The perſon who is actuated by the principle of
ſelf-love, is regardleſs of the happineſs of others,
and if he believes that an act of injuſtice will con-
tribute to his good, he will not fcruple to commit
it, unleſs detered from it by the dread of preſent
or future puniſhment; and the latter, according
to Mr. Paine’s principles, he need not fear !
There have been thoſe who have denied that
men are under any obligations to revere the prin-
ciple of juſtice. Thus, for inſtance, Carneades
argues, that" either there is no ſuch thing as juf-
tice, or it would be extremely fooliſh ; becauſe that
in providing for the good of others, the juſt would
injure themſelves.”+ And it ſeems to have been
the ſentiment of Lord Bulingbroke, that there is
no natural ſenſe of right and wrong ; of moral
beauty and deformity, implanted in the human
hearter
How neceſſary therefore is it, that the great du.
ty of Justice, as well as MERCY, ſhould be ex-
plicitly enjoined on nen by divine authority? For
certain it is, that the heathen world have not
been taught theſe duties from the law of nature.
wronorerarrara
* * Lord Bolingbroke, works, vol. V.p. 820
* Ibid p. 103
H 2

When Plató introduces Socrates, in his crito,
faying excellent things concerniog the forgivenefs
of injuries for the exerciſe of mercy, and againtt
the retirning injury for injury, he acknowledge's
that what he taught was contrary to the opinion
of the generality of mankindó ösvot ot20p
itoudog, at
Mr. Bayle fcruples not to declare, that the pre-
cept, prohibitiog revenge, though delivered in the
goſpel, is contrary to the law of nature. The
ſame fentiment hath been entertained by many
deiſts, particularly by II indal, bwho regards the
doctrine of the forgiveneſs of injuries, as ait obi
jection to the morality of the golpelo
The doctrine of implacability and revenge, the
ancient pagans reduced to practice. Saint Paul,
in his defcription of their grofs vices and immo
ralities, mentions, among other things, that they
were “ full of envycand iaurder,' that they wene
** defpiteful ; without natural ailection; implaca:
ble and unmercifal."*
tonces nocessoires
* Rom. I. 29, 30, 31. That the ancient Rod!
ns were extremely defective in the virtues of
placability and mercy, cannot be denied.
They were, ſays the Rev. Mr. Weſley, In-
placable and unmerciful. Witneſs one or two in-
ſtances, of ten thouſand which might be mentioned.
The venerable Hannibal, (whom, very proba-
bly, had we any other accounts of, than from his
bittereit enemies, we thould have reverenced as
one of the moſt amiable, as well as moſt valiant,

( 91 )
- And how infuficient is natural religion to influe
endeothe morals of the heathen world, at preſent?
What little fenſe-do they entertain of God and
to tary bas Viilidestqai se olen
of all the ancienti heathens) was he not hunted
from nation to nation, and never quitted, 'till he
fell by his own hand?
--Witneſs alſo, the famous fuffrage, “Delenda
eft Carthagocslet Carthage be deſtroyed. But
wherefore to It was Imperii sąmula s. the rival of
the Roman glory. Theſe were open, undeniable
evidences of the public, national placability and
mercy of the Romans !
IS
ti
Need inſtances of a more private nature be ad,
ded? Behold then, out of many which might be
adduced, that glory of Rome, that prodigy of
virtue, the great, the celebrated CATO !
3. Gato the elder, when any of his domeftics had
worn themſelves out in lis ſervice, and were de.
crepit, conſtantly turned them out of his dwelling
to ſtarve, and was inuch applauded for this ex-
ample of frugality !
But what mereyi was this? Perfectly ſuch as,
that which dwelt in-Cato of Utica; who repayed:
the tenderneſs, of, his ſervant, when endeavoring
to ſave his life, by ſtriking him on the face with
fach violence, as to fill his mouth with blood !
Theſe are thy Godis, 10 deilm! Theſe the ipat-
terus ſo zealoully recommaended to our imitation !" :
Weſley, on original fin, p. 28 299

( 92 )
religion? How groſs is their ignorance ; how fla-
grant are their vices? Among innumerable other
crimes, are they not, with the ancient heathens,
juſtly chargeable with implacability and want of
mercy ?
" What, ſays a judicious author, are the difpe-
fitions and behaviour of the Hottentots between
man and man? Are they eminent for juſtice, for
mercy or truth? As to mercy, they know not
what it means, for they continually live in the ex-
erciſe of the greateſt barbarity towards each
other
3 and as to juitice, they are entirely devoid
of it."
” The ſouthern Indians of America, he adds,
are implacable; they never forgive an injury, nor
are they ſatisfied with any thing leſs than the life
of the offender. They are alſo unmerciful; as
they put to death the priſoners whoin they take
in war, with the moſt exquiſite tortures ; and,
frequently, children murder their parents, when,
through age, they are unable to provide for their
ſupport.**
del secondizionario
* Ib. p. 35, 39. Doctor
Beattie, in his evidences
of the chriſtian religion, (Philadelphia Ed. p. 125)
contraſts the wiſdom and virtue of the ancient
Greeks and Romans, in their moſt civilized ftate,
with the manners and literature of the chriſtian
world.
16 Tt cannot be pretended, ſays he, on this ſub-
jed, that in any chriſtian country, a father may
either adopt his new born infant (if I may uſe the

( 93 )
adThus unable is natural seligion to reftrain the
w pilit nisi olla mia ball tourziv to
onsororono
expreſſion) or abandon it to famine and beaſts of
préyrs that ther maſſacre of flaves is part of a fu-
neral ſolemnity, in honor of great men deceaſed ;
that horrid obſcenities form any part of religious
worſhip; that the moſt uunatural crimes are not
only practiſed without: Shame, but celebrated by
poets, and cooly mentioned as cuſtomary things,
even by the graveſt writers ; that, for the a-
muſement of a few. young ſoldiers, two or three
thouſand poor, unarmed, inoffenſive men, may
be murdered in one night, with the corinivance,
nay, by che authority
of the láw; thatºthe most
worthleſs tyrants are flattered with
divine honors
when alive, and worſhipped as Gods when dead,
that priſoners of war are enſlaved, impaled or cru-
cified; for having fought irr defencer of their coun-
try, and in obedience to their lawful rulers flahat,
captive kings afid hatians are publicly infulred by
their conquerors, in thoſe barbarous folemnities,
which of old, were callede triumphs';t that merr
are trained up for the purpoſe of cuttingtone ane-
ther to pieces, by thouſands and ten thouſands; in
a month,* for the diverſion of the public ; that,
as the father of the gods and men, a king of Crete
is worſhipped, whom, even his worſhippers believe
nooilaz o stationer sau la waive
** Lipfius affirms, (Sat. B. 2. chap. 1 2») that the
Gladiatorial dhows,
ſometimes coft Europe twenty
or thirty thouſand lives in a month ; and that not
only men, but even women, of all ranks, were
påſtionately fond of theſe fpectaclese SeeBishop
Ponteus?s dirteenth ſermony od Istovane

94 )
vices of men and to conduct them into the paths
of virtue !+ And thus alſo it is, that deiſtic wri.
asrorogorara
to el Bats Suiciti ti robusds to oraz
to have been guilty of innumerable crimes of the
moſt infamous nature, while, among the other
objects of divine worſhip, are to be reckoned
thieves, drunkards, harlots, fuffians; to ſay nos
thing of chofe inferior idols whole functions and
attributes it is not decent, even to naine.it son
гар эрто зіі і пыта
They who are ever ſo little acquainted with
ancient Greece and Rome, know, that I allude
not to the depravities of individuals only, but to
the avowed opinions, and fafhionable practice, of
thoſe celebrated nations.
qaltrow Lub svile nel
10 osisat bongo masclirer at
Certainly,o modern manners, cenſurable as we
confeſs thein tabe, in many reſpects, are regula-
ted, in the chriſtian world, by principles very dif-
ferent. And were they conducted as they ought
to be, by the pure - principles of the goſpel, we
need not heſitate to affirin, that the virtue of
Chriſtians, would as far tranſcend that of the
Greeks and Romans, as the arts and literature of
England, ſurpaſs thoſe of New Zealand, or the
land of the Hottentots: 19 goloanimowa
# For a view of the wretched ftate of religion
in the heathen world ſee Dr. Doddridge's lectures,
po 219, 2200- The Rev. Mr. Weſley's treatiſe on
original fin, p. 9 to 48. ton banka 70
For the origin of pagan idolatry, fee Boffuet's
univerſal hiſtory, vol. de pe 20721 Harnmond's

( 95 )
ters, claff in their opinions- reſpecting moral du-
119.1 Sie
10
orangnan anggaranslatot lion
works, vol. I. p. 337 et ſeq. Stackhouſe's body
of divinity, vol. I. p. 510 et ſeq., 2010
m
And for the barbarity of heathen ſacrifices, ſee
Bofluet's univ, hift. vol. I. p. 208. Jones's dif-
quiſitions, p. 92, 93, and Potter's antiquities of
Greece, vol. 1. p. 218.
Dei iuti
1 « It was not lawful to facrifice oxen only, ſays
the learned writer laſt mentioned, but alſo -inen.
Examples of this ſort of inhumanity were very com-
mon in moſt of the barbarous nations. With reſpect
to thoſe who bordered on the jews, as well as the
jews themſelves, when
they began to imitate their
neighbors, we find ſeveral teſtimonies in the fa-
cred fcripturesoon
Cæſar witneſſeth the ſame of the Gauls; Lu-
can, in particular, of that part of Gallia, where
Maffilia is ſituated, and Tacitus of the Germans
and Britains.
In latter ages, the cuſtom of offering human
victims in ſacrifice, was inore common and fami-
liar,
Ariſtomenes, the Meſſenian, facrificed three
hundred inen, among
whom was Theopompus,
one of the Kings of Sparta, to Jupiter, of Ithome.
Themiſtocles, to procure the alliſtance of the
Gods against the Perſians, facrificed ſome cap.
tives of that nation.

ties, datiesabf the firſt inportance, nand which
they would perſuade the world, are written in
moit legible characters, in the treat law of na-
ture ! I
ybod scorbu pat 19 TEC Ilay 20w
Theſe, however, are not the only particular's
in which men of this character diſagree. Though
they all unite in their endeavors to ſubvert re.
vealed religion; they cannot agree what to fubfein
toited in its fteaditsio bus
Though they often profefs to adhere cloſely to
the eternal reaſon and nature of things ;"! and
declare, that theỳ highly eſteem what they call
" the uncorrupted religion of reaſon and naa
ture,"?|| yet when they attempt to explain them-
“ nad situatia stdiagnose
Bacchus had an altar in Arcadia, upon which
young damſels were beaten to death with bundles
of rods.
Something ſimilar to this, was practiſed by the
Lacedæmonians, who fcourged the children (and
ſometimes to death) in honor of Dianna Or.
gee om os
To the Manes and infernal Gods, ſuch facri.
fices were frequent. Polyxena was ſacrificed to
Achilles; and Homer relates that this here
butchered twelve trojan captives at the funeral of
Patroclus. And Æneas, whom Virgil celebrates
for his piety, is an example of the ſame practice.”
Si Bolingbroke's works, vol. V. p. 92, 153, 196.
| Chubb's poſthumous works, vol. II. appendix

( 97 )
Telves, it is not eaſy to diſcern what are their fer-
timents reſpecting natural religion,
Some have imagined, that it inculcates the belief
of God's univerſal and particular providence ; his
moral government of the world ; the obligations
we are under to pray to him; the natural differ-
ences between moral good and evil, and the free
agency of men; others deny theſe truths
3
and
in various other reſpects, do chefe infidels differ
in opinion-
Some, for inſtance, believe that the world was
created; others, that it is eternal ; fome, that
our ſouls are parts of God; others, that they are
created fpirits ; fome believe there are angels
and devils; others deny their exiſtence
; fome
found moral obligation upon the perfections of
God; others, on the eternal differences and rela.
tions of things independent of God; fome, on
the moral ſenſe, or the dictates of conſcience ;
others, deny that there is any morality, virtue or
vice among men; some maintain, that virtue is
its own reward, and vice its own puniſhment ;
others ſupport an oppoſite ſentiment ; fome be-
lieve in the immortality of the ſoul and future re-
wards and puniſhments; others belive the ſoul is
mortal and periſhes with the body. *
croroorocorana
* From theſe contradictory ſentiments of de-
ifts, may we not molt rationally infer, that divine
revelation was neceſſary, to teach men the doc-
irines they are to believe and the duties they are
to practife, as well as to afford fufficient incentives
to virtue and diffuaſives from vice?
I

( 98 )
Mr. Paine muſt be nuinbered with thoſe deiſts
who believe in the immortality of the foul; he
however* " troubles not himſelf about the man-
ner of his future exiſtence ;” but the ingenious
earl of Shaftſbury was more inquiſitive with re-
gard to his future ftate, zud having imbibed the
principles of aftrology, he was perfuaded, that the
ſouls of men, after death, inhabit the STARS !+
It is unqueſtionable, that the belief of the im-
inortality of the foul, is of the utmoſt in portance
with reſpect to moral and religious practice. But
corrorororororo
The manifeſt tendency of deiſtical creeds, is to
render unſtable the foundations of true religion,
and to introduce univerſal
ſcepticiſm and indiffer.
ence to all goodneſs; and when ſuch aſſuming
mortals proclaim themſelves the benefactors of
mankind, we are reminded of the boaſts of the
epicureans, who ſpeak, in exalted terms, of the
obligations of the world to their great maſter Epi:
chrus, for undertaking the glorious work of reſcu-
ing mankind from the unſufferable yoke of ſuper-
Sition, by freeing them from the fear of God;
the apprehenſions of providence and a future ſtate
of retribution !
* P. 150.
+ Burnet's hitt. of his own times, vol. I. p. 1324
† The belief of the immortality of the ſoul is
the ſpring of virtue and heroic actions. Without
a knowledge and perſuaſion of this doctrine, the
State of men in the world, would be a state of vi
elence and brutality

( 99 )
hath the din light of nature been ſufficient to
diſcover to mankind, this momentous truth? It is
preſuned not ; but that to divine revelation we
are indebted for the comfortable affurance, that
we ſhall exiſt hereafter, and, if religious, in a ſtate
of unceaſing felicity.*
coronararosion
An afiurance that we ſhall exiſt in a future
ftate, and that therein virtue ſhall be rewarded
and vice puniſhed, neceſſarily impels us to good-
neſs ; diffuades us from evil; elevates the foul in
a contempt of death, and cauſes us with chearful-
neſs, if neceſſary, to throw away a life which we
are certain again to find, and moſt happily improved.
Weekly miſcellany, vol. 1. p. 276.
* See, on the inmortality of the foul, Dr. Bar-
row's works, vol. II. p. 378. Dr. Watts's plai-
lofophical eſſays, effay vii. Dr. Doddridge's lec.
tures, p. 205, et ſeq. And Mr. Locke's works,
vol. II. p. 536, 537•
66 Before our Saviour's
time, ſays Mr. Locke, the doctrine of a future
ftate, though fome pagans, by tradition, had ob-
ſcure conceptions of it, was not clearly known in
the world; no nation publicly profelled it, and it
was no where made an article of faith, and princi.
ple of religion ; of Jeſus Chriſt, therefore, it may
be truly ſaid, that he brought life and immortality
to light. And he not only taught the doctrine of
the foul's immortality, but hath given us an unqueſ-
tionable aſſurance of It, by raiſing the dead, and
alſo by his own reſurrection and aſcenſion inte
heaven.
How hath the revelation of this ſingle truth

( 100 )
This truth, many ſceptical writers have beer
foingenuous as to acknowledge; particularly a ce-
lebrated hiſtorianı, of the preſent period, who af.
ferts, that “The inoſt ſublime efforts of philoſophy
can extend no further than to point out the deſire,
the hope, or at moſt, the probability of a future
itate ; that there is nothing except a divine reve-
lation, which can aſcertain the exiſtence, and def-
cribe the condition of the inviſible country that is
deſtined to receive the ſouls of men after their
ſeparation from the body.”+
changed the appearance of things, and given the
advantage to piety over every conſideration that
could either tempt men to its practice, or deter
them from it ! The view of heaven and hell, will
caufe us to difeſteem che momentary pleaſures and
pains of the preſent life, and give attractions and
encouragements to virtue, which reaſon and in-
tereſt, and a concern for our happineſs, cannot
but approve.
Upon this foundation, and upon this only, mo-
rality ſtands firm and defies all competition !
This cauſes religion to be ſomething more than a
name ; a ſubſtantial good, moſt worthy of our
purſuits and endeavors !"
+ Gibbon's hiſtory of the decline and fall of
the Roman einpire. Vol. I. p. 468.
For the truth, that unaliſted reaſon is inſuffi-
cient to demonſtrate the immortality of the ſoul,
ſee a treatiſe intitled, Deiſm Revealed, vol. I. p.
174, et ſeq. and Leland's view of deiſtical writers,
vol. II. p. 29.

f 101 )
" There are no arguments, ſays a writer of
genius and literatnre, (who, by the power of
truth, was compelled to renounce his principles
of deiſm and to embrace chriſtianity, *) in favor of
any opinion more inconclufive,than thoſewhich are
produced, by philoſophers, to prove the immor-
tality of the foul. If this aſſertion ſhall appear
too forcible, let it be recollected, that Cicero,
who wilhed to believe that the ſoul is immortal,
and had thoroughly ſtudied the opinions on the fub-
ject of preceding philoſophers, found himſelf
per-
plexed and undetermined.”
( With all his proofs out of Plato ; with all
the arguments which his vaſt reading and great
abilities could furniſh him with, for the truth of the
immortality of the foul, he was fo little ſatisfied;
ſo far from being certain ; fo far from entertaining
anopinion that he had proved, or could prove it, that
he repeatedly profefſes his ignorance and doubt of
the fact.'+
cercegocorose
And for the knowledge which the heathen world
poſſeſſed, reſpecting the future exiſtence of the
foul, ſee Grotius, on the truth of the chriſtian relia,
gion, p. 74, 75, 76, and Rapin's critical works,
vol. II. p. 430.
" It was Plato, ſays the author laſt mentioned,
that firſt rectified the doctrine of the immortality
of the ſoul, which Socrates learnt from Pythagon
ras, Pythagoras from the Egyptians, and the
Egyptians from the Hebrews >>
Soame Jenyns, Eſq. ſee his third lecture, ad-
dreſſed to Mr. Gibbon.
* Mr. Locke.
12

( 102 )
If the ſentiments which ſome pagans have ex-
preſſed of the imınortality of the ſoul, had been
impreſſed on their minds by the power of God
himſelf, it is rational to conclude they would have
been more diſtinct, uniforin, and agreeable to
truth
It is not fufficient to account for the religion of
the gentiles, to ſay, that nature cries aloud through
all ber works, there is a God , fince it is indubi-
tably true, that mankind either cannot, or will
not, hear this voice. Was it ſo clear and audible,
as is pretented by ſome, why is it not underſtood
by all nations?
Had mankind been influenced by it, their relia
gious practices would not have been fo inconfift-
ent with each other and contradictory to this di-
vine inſtructor ; nor would the literati ſo
Tally have indulged ſceptical and atheiſtical ſpec
ulations
gene.
The doctrine of facrifices, and of the immorta-
lity of the ſoul, which obtained in the heachen:
world, and the whole chaos of opinions, in what
is termed natural religion, can be no other than
the reſiduum of a very early and great corruption
of divine revelation.
The nearer we approach to the times in which
revelation was made to meny. or to the place
where it was preſerved, we perceive the right of
facrifice, which was a great object of revelation,
to prevail ; and the farther we recede from the
time and place of revelation, we obſerve moral
darkneſs to increaſe, 'till we arrive to thoſe who
have not in their language, any word expreſſive

( 103 )
of the deity, nor the leaſt idea of facrifice or ins
mortality.
The firſtphiloſophers madenoble efforts to eſtab.
liſh fome falutary doctrines ; they had, however,
no foundation upon which they could proceedom
The ſtoicks, in particular, obferved, that there
was a fitneſs and beauty in virtue, and forcibly
recommended its practice. But they were una
ble to aſcertain its principles, and, therefore,
eould not place it on a proper
baſis.
They were obliged to contend, that virtue is
its own reward, which was pleaſing in theory,
but diſguſtful in practice® They often faw virtue
debaſed, and vice triumphant ; for ſuch events
they could aſſign no reaſons, and againſt ſuch
evils they could apply no remedies ; the conſe-
quence was, they were filled with doubt and del.
pair. Hence Cato ſlew himſelf, and Brutus follow-
ed his example ;* who declared when he died,
that he followed virtue, as a reality, though it
was but a mere illuſion. Such was the uncertain-
ty that prevailed among ſome of the most en-
liglitened nations.
In conſequence of this mental obſcurity, many
who admitted the inmortality of the foul, feem
rather to have maintained, that it did not imme.
diately periſh, when ſeparated from the body,
than that it will exiſt forever.
Agreeable to the opinion of Seneca, the foul
corone sterenovas
* Dion Caſs. 1. xlvii. p. 525.

( 104 )
could continue in exiſtence, during a certain time
only ;t for a period, it was apprehended, would
arrive, when a general conflagration would take
place, and all things he reduced to their primitive
chaotic ftate.
The region of departed ſouls was fuppoſed
to have been beneath, in the depths of the earth,
where thoſe who had practiſed virtue had elyfium
for their portion ; but that thoſe who had been
influenced by vice, were conſigned to puniſhment
in Tartarus. But the permanence of the ſitua-
tion of thefe ſouls, in happinefs or miſery, was
not determined ; and as the opinion of their fu-
ture exiſtence was founded on no authority, and
accompanied with extravagant fables, many fects,
therefore, of philoſophers rejected this doctrine,
and believed that the foul died with the body.
This fentiment was inculcated in ſome beautiful
lines by Catullus,
* The fun may ſet and riſe again ; but we
Soon as our thort-lived taper is extinct,
Sink in a deep, and everlaſting ſleep,
And no more awake to day.'
The poet Mofchus, expreſſes himſelf to the
fame purpoſe, in his epitaph upon Bion.
+ Soine faid, that afrer death, the ſoul was dif-
fipated and left. Others, that it remained for a
and ſome, that it would never ceaſe to
be. Cicero tuſo, queſt, l 1 19.
Seafon ;

( 105 )
* Alas ! the mallow in the garden fair,
And herbs and flowers may fade ; but they
again
Riſe up to life, and have their birth renewed,
the
great, the powerful, and wife,
Soon as we link oblivious, there enſues
A deep, a deadly, ever-during ſleep,
From whence we wake no more."
But we,
Seneca, in the troades, makes a perſon fay,
"* There is nothing in death, and death itſelf is
nothing." And Cæſar, in his ſpeech on occaſion
of Catiline's conſpiracy, declared, that “ To thoſe
who live in forrow and miſery, deach is a repofe
from their calamities, nor a torment; that it puts
an end to all the evils mortals are fubject to, and
that beyond it, there is no place left for anguiſh
or joy," *
The doctrine of a life hereafter, and of future
rewards and puniſhments, having been ſo obſcure-
ly made known, and ſo partially maintained in
the gentile world, proved a great impediment to
virtue, and incentive to vice ; but, happily, this
defect is remedied by chriſtianity, which ex-
preſſly teaches, that there is a life after this
3
that there will be a refurrection of the body, and a
day of public retribution, of everlasting happi-
neſs, or miſery, according to our preſent actions.
It is thus manifeft, that the articles in Mr.
Paine's creed, which can be approved of, are al-
moſt entirely, though it is probable he is inſenſi-
மக்ககமகமக
* Apud Sallute Bel. Catilin. cap. 51.

( 106 )
ble of it, purloined from the holy ſcriptures** But
oooorrar
* For the truth, that pagans as well as deifts,
are indebted to divine revelation for whatever
excellence is contained in their religion, (which
fact hath before been noticed) ſee Stackhouſe's body
of divinity, vol. I. p. 519,520. Shukford's connec-
tion, vol. I. p. 157. Bishop Gibfon's II. paſtoral
letter; p. 66, &c.
The notions, ſays Mr. Rollin, (belles lettres,
vol. I. p. 337, 338) which the heathens had of a
providence that governs and preſides over all
things, even the ſmalleſt events, and conſequent-
ly condeſcends to take cognizance of every par-
ticular circumſtance, was the effect of a tradition
as old as the world, and derived from revelation.
The good fhepherd Eumeus aſcribes the happy
ſucceſs of his cares to the protection of God,
94 who bleſſed his labor and every thing commit-
ted to his truit."*
Ulyſſes owns, that it « was God who had ſent
him plenty of game." +
santo nodded
Thag fate, or providence, was thought to ex-
tend its care to animals, may be deduced from a
principle that prevailed in Homer's time, Speak-
ing
of a dove, he ſays, that « fate would not ſuf-
fer it to be taken."I 21 metod on to
We muſt not therefore be farprized, that How
Od. xiv. 650 # Ib. ix. 158. * Ib. xxi, 495.

( 107 )
when diveſted of its impieties, how contrasted is
ها تا پایه ها حتما بنا
mer ſhould make all the events which happen to
mankind to depend upon providence, even to the
expreſs moment when they fhall take place, as in
the inſtance of the continuance of Ulyfies in the
caſtle of Ogygia ; “ from whence he was not to
depart, until the time fixed by the Gods for his
return to Ithaca.99*
There is nothing wherein chance-feems fo
much to prevail as in caſting of lots. Yet the de-
ciſion was afcribed to jupiter, ſince prayers were
offered up to him for the ſucceſs of it; as when
the lots were calt, who ſhould fight with Hec,
tort
Homer, in an admirable manner, deſcribes this
watchful care of providence over mankind, by the
ingenious fiction of two urns, to fhew that provi.
dence alone directs and diſpenſes good and
evil.
"Man is born to bear ;
Such is, alas ! the Gods ſevere decree,
They, only they are bleft, and only frce,
Twe urns by Jove's high throne have ever
ſtood,
The fource of evil one, and one of good ;
From thence the cup of mortal men he fills,
Bleſſings to theſe, to thoſe diſtributes ills;
* Od. i. 17.
+ Ib. vii. 179

( 108 )
his ſcheme of religion? How much inferior ta
orginoonora
To moſt he mingles both : the wretch decreed
To taſte the bad unmixed, is curſt indeed ;
Purſu'd by wrongs, by meagre famine driven,
He wanders outcait both of earth and heaven.
POPE .
The poet by a second fiction, not leſs poble
than the firſt, thews that this diſpenſation of good
and evil, is conducted with the moſt perfect equi.
ty, by putting ſcales in the hands of jupiter,
wherein he weighs the fate of mortals ;* which
denotes that it is providence that preſides over
all events, diftributes corrections and rewards ;
determines the time and meaſure, and alſo, that
its decrees are always founded on juſtice
" The eaſtern nations, fays a learned author,
were famous for their excellent moral maxims,
derived by tradition, from the moſt ancient times,
This is obſervable of the ancient wiſe men among
the Perfians, Babylonians, Bactrians, Indians and
Egyptians. The celebrated Chineſe philoſopher
and moraliſt, Confucious, did not pretend to be
the author of the moral precepts he delivered, but
to have derived them frorn men of greater unti.
quiety; particularly, from Pung, who lived near
a thouſand years before him : and who alſo pro-
feded to follow the doctrine of the ancients, and
especially of Tao and Hun,who were eminent Chi.
ncſe legiſlators: Navarett's hift. China, pa
123
* Ib. viii. 69. xxii, 209

( 109 )
chriſtianity ? * The facred writings inform us of
മകശകശക
* See on the advantages and excellence of
chriſtianity, Dr. Hammond's works, vol. I. p.
196, et ſeq. Mr. Locke's works, vol. II. p. 530,
et feq. Grotius, on the truth of the chriſtian re-
ligion, p. 97, et ſeq. Biſhop Gibſon's II paſtoral
letter ; Dr. Fides's II fermon ; the xxvi ſermon
of Mr. Stern, and the works of Soame Jenyn's,
Esq. vol. II. p. 106, 238, et ſeq.
Among numerous teſtimonies which might be
adduced, by other laymeu, in favor of chriſtianity,
mention shall here be made of two gentlemen on-
ly, of diftinguiſhed literary talents, and who were
far from being addicted to ſuperſtition and bigotry.
The author of the lettres Juives, in the perſon
of a jew, acknowledges, that “The firſt naza-
rene doctors preſcribed a doctrine ſo conformable
to equity, and ſo uſeful to ſociety, that their
great-
eft adverfaries now agree, that their moral pre-
cepts are infinitely ſuperior to the wiſeſt philoſo-
phers of antiquity.” Lettre 142.
« We are informed by good authority, ſays
Monf. de Maupertuis, in his elogy Out Baron de
Monteſquieu, that he declared with his dying
breath, to thoſe around him, and particularly to
the Dutcheſs D’Auguillon, that the morality of
the goſpel is a moſt excellent thing, and the moſt
valuable prelent that poſſibly could have been re-
ceived by man from his creator."
The baron, in his celebrated work, the ſpirit of

( 110 )
the being, nature and attributes of God; that he
is a ſpirit, without body, parts or paſſions, eter-
bal, immutable, omnipotent, omnipreſent, omnil-
cient, of infinite purity, wiſdom, juſtice, mercy,
goodneſs, truth, and poſſeſſed of every poſſible
perfection ; of the unity of God, and of the tri-
nity of perſons in the godhead, the father, ſon
and holy ghoft, of one ſubſtance, power and eter-
nity ; of the nature and ſtate of angels, good and
evil; of the creation of the heavens and the
earth; of the formation of man; his original
ſtate of honor, happineſs, and moral excellence ;
of the law firſt impoſed on him ; of his apoſtacy,
degradation and miſery ; of his reſtoration to dig.
nity, holineſs and bliſs, through the power,
ceffion and merits of the fon of God ; of divine
providence; of all the various duties we owe to
God, our neighbor and ourſelves; that with ref.
peet to God, we are to revere his name; to ren,
der him the oblation of our hearts ; to offer him
our worſhip, publicly ; in our families alſo, and in
our cloſets; that we are to put our truft in him;
to be religned to all the diſpenſations of his pro-
vidence; to be perſectly obedient to his will, and,
in all our actions, to endeavor, to the utmoſt of
our ability, to promote his honor and glory; that,
with reſpect to our neighbor, we are to love him
as ourlelves; not only to forbear injuring him in
his reputation, perſon and property, but to requite
inter-
ororonoarera
laws, paſſes ſeveral encomiums on the chriſtian re-
ligion ; particularly in book xxiv. chap. II. “How
admirable, ſays he, is the chriſtian religion, which,
while it ſeems only to have in view the felicity
of the other life, conſtitutes the happineſs of this !"

( 121 )
good for evil; if an enemy, to miniſter to his
wants, if in neceſſity ; to entertain no paſſion of
anger, hatred, envy, malice, or revenge to any ;
but to all to be placable, humane, courteous, af-
fectionate, peaceable, juft ; and, in all caſes, to do
to others, as on a change of circumſtances, we
ſhould wiſh they would do to us; and, as far as
poſſible, by every rational means in our power, to
promote the preſent and future happineſs of man.
kind;* and, with regard to ourſelves, to diſclaim
overcosuoneeseener
* “ To produce the greateſt poſſible effects by
the leaſt efforts, faysthe truly learned and ingenious
Baron Bielfeld, is the higheſt perfection in nature,
and, at the ſame time, the true characteriſtic of
divinity
God has given to all the beings which compofe
the univerſe, one ſimple principle alone, by which
the whole and every part, is connected and per-
petually ſupported, and that is LOVE. The at.
traction of celeſtial bodies, as well as thoſe of
which our globe is formed, is a ſpecies of love, a
mutual tendency towards each other.
This is the true minium, the true fyftem of the
lçaft action, which includes ſomething ſo divinea
It appears to be the will of God to eſtabliſh, by
the mouth of the MESSIAH, the ſame ſimple prin-
ciple in morality, in the rule of human actions, by
ſaying, love. It was his will, in the conduct of
mankind, as in every other part of nature, there
ſhould be no other principle than that of love.
JESUS CHRIST has alone taught mankind perr

( 112 )
every vice ; duly to govern our paſſions; to in-
dulge no diſpoſition nor thoughts of evil; to be
induſtrious in our avocations; to be poſſeſſed of
huinility, modeſty, temperance, ſobriety, chaſti.
ty, purity of heart, and of every grace and virtue.
Chriſtianity requires us alſo, properly to dir-
charge all thoſe ſocial and relative duties we owe
to each other as meinbers of civil ſociety ; magiſ-
trates ; miniſters of religion ; parents; children ;
maiters and ſervants ; it affords every neceſſary
means of religious inſtruction,* and every neceſ-
robou
Cristian
feel morals, by deducing them from this true
principle. Every principle ſhould be fimple, com-
prehenſive and univerſal in its effects. Every
principle whoſe effects are limited, is imperfect.
God himſelf is univerſal in his principle, and infi-
nite in his effects. His law ſhould be the fame.
Jeſus Chriſt has made known to mankind this prin-
ciple, fimple and unriverfal. He has, therefore,
been, in this ſenſe alſo, the true ſaviour of the
world. He has preached to mankind, and his
doctrine has been that of love." Bielfeld's ele.
ments of univerfal erudition, vol. I. p. 52, 53.
* Moft judicious and benevolent are the inſti-
tutions of public inſtruction and public worſhip.
That youth inay be initiated into the princi-
ples of ſcience, is it neceſſary, that, for ſeveral
years, they ſhould give their attendance at ſemi-
naries of learning? As the untaught mind is per-
fectly ignorant of religious knowledge; as what
are deemned the principles of natural religion haye

( 113 )
fary aid to enable us to comply with its requiſi-
Granarosan
not, in any tolerable degree of perfection, been
difcovered even by the fages of antiquity, but by
long and laborious inveſtigation, is it then unne-
ceſſary to afford mankind the aids of religious in-
ſtruction ?
If left to obtain divine knowledge to the uſe
of their unaf ſted reaſon; or without the miniſ-
tration of the divine word, how deplorable would
be their ignorance of religion ?
As by nature they are prone to evil, to ite-
claim them from vice, and to excite them to vir-
tue, is it not neceſary, that moral and religious
practice ſhould frequently be inculcated ; that they
Ahould have line upon line, and precept upon
precept>”
As ſuch is the imbecility of human nature, that
unaffifted by divine grace, we are incapable of re-
ligious practice ; unable to reſiſt temptations and
to diſcharge our duty, how important to our mo-
rals, muſt be our devotions, (whereby we receive
the aids of the divine ſpirit) eſpecially public
worſhip ; which duty is forcibly enjoined on us in
the holy fcriptures, and, with a gracious affur-
ance, that our united fupplications to God fhall
be indulged with his particular favor? Matte
XV11]. 20
Were men to " reſtrain prayer before God,”
how hardened would be their hearts in vice
how unſuſceptible to good impreſſions ; how en
K 2

(114)
tions. When duly embraced, it illumes the mind
with divine knowledge ; givès confolation to the
breaſt of guilt ;- reconciles us to God; renovates
the heart; fanctifies our affections, and renders
our wills obedient to the divine will.
Chriſtianity offers the moſt alluring incentives
to virtue, and the moſt ſerious diffuaſives from
vice; moderates our enjoyments; preſerves us
from arrogance in proſperity ; deſpondence in ad-
verſity, and is a ſource of confolation againſt all
the ills of life.
sel
Chriſtianity is admirably calculated to promote
the good of ſociety; to maintain public peace, faith
and juſtice ; gives peace and contentment to the
mind; is productive of rational and ſatisfactory
happineſs ; affures us of the immortality of our
fouls; the reſurrection of our bodies ; the diffo.
oor naaa
ſtranged froin Cod, how contaminated by ini.
quity ?
But Mr. Paine, in his fyſtem of religion, ad-
mirs of no fabbath for public inftruction ; of no
religious worthip! In his great wiſdom and piety,
be diſcards theſe ancient, uſeful and divine in-
Ritutions !
Prayer, indeed, he conſiders to be impious !
And declares, * that as his MIND only is his
CHURCH !” A church, it is feared, of horror and
darkneſs ! or pollution and vice ! Of milery and
wretcheeneſs !
P.

( 115 )
lution of the world, the formation of a new hea.
ven and a new earth, wherein thall dwell righte-
oufneſs; of a day of future retribution, of uncea-
ſing punishments to the guilty and impenitent; of
eternal and ineffable rewards to the righteous and
obedient.
Indeed; it is the benevolent deſign of chriſtiani.
ty to counteract all the effects of Gin, and to reſtore
man to even more than his priftine ſtate of honor,
purity and bleſſedneſs.*
associaio
* The celebrated Machiavel, to exculpate him.
ſelf from the charge of infidelity, delivered the
following excellent proteſtation, (which may be
regarded as exh biting a ſummary view of re-
vealed religion) reſpeeting his belief of chriſ-
tianity:
“ As I undoubtedly hope, favs he, by the me.
rits of Chriſt, and by faith in tim, to attain eter-
nal falvation ; fo I firmly believe the chriſtian
profeſſion to be the only true religion now in the
world.
Next, I am fully perfuaded, that all divine
virtues, which God deſigned to teach the world,
are contained in the books of the holy fcriptures,
as they are now extant and received among us.
From them I underſtand, that God created
man in purity and innocence, and that the fieft
of our ſpecies, by their frailty, loft at once their
integrity and paradiſe, and entailed fin and mife
ry upon their poſterity : That Almighty God

( 116 )
Such, (though inperfect the deſcription) is the
nature of chriſtianity; a religion that comiends
itſelf to our acceptance, by all the charms of rea-
fon and truth; wiſdons and goodneſs; intereſt and
moral excellence!
A religion whoſe authenticity hath been ſane-
tioned by numerous acts of providence; by the
fpirit of prophecy; by the power of miracles; by
its aſtoniſhing propagation ; by its rendering abor-
tive all the attempts of enemies for its deſtruction,
and alſo, by divers other teſtimonies in its favor !
A religion that gives no countenance to facri.
fices of cruelty; to rites of obſcenity ; to ſuper,
sition and fallhood, to error and vice ; but is in
every reſpect worthy of God and adapted to the
state and nature of man 1
A religion that hath been productive of the
moſt ſalutary effects ;* that juſtly demands our
onorotondaraan
nepair this loſs, did out of his infinite mercy, and
with unparalleled grace and goodneſs, ſend his
only begotten ſon into the world to teach us new
truths ; to be a perfect example of virtue, good
neſs and obedience ; to reſtore true religion, de-
generated among the jews inte fuperftition, for-
mality and hypocriſy; to die for the ſalvation of
mankind; and, in fine, to give us the holy ſpirit
to regenerate our hearts, ſupport our faith, and
lead us into all truth.” Machiavel's vindication,
Numerous are the teſtimonies in the ſacred

( 117 )
gratitude to heaven; that is the moſt invaluable
brancorentemente vid ibat
{criptures, and in church hiſtory, which might be
quoted to teſtify the happy effects of chriſtianity,
on the lives of many of its profeſſors; but for the
ſake of brevity, a ſingle paſſage only from Stet
Jnitin's firſt apology for the chriſtian religion,
wrote in 150, fhall be cited.
This learned father was converted to chriſtian-
ity on the fulleſt conviction of its truth, after ha.
ving thoroughly inveſtigated it, and alſo the re-
ligions of the Stoicks, the Pythagoreans and Pla-
toniſts, and he ſealed his faith with his blood. bor
After having ſhewn, that in embracing chriſ-
tianity he was influenced by reaſon; and having
expoſed the injuſtice of condemning chriſtians to
death, merely on recount of their name ; declar--
ed that the profeſors of chriſtianity fought not
an earthly, but an heavenly kingdom ; and ex-
plained the chriſtian doctrine, he dwells on the
moral effects of chriſtianity upon thoſe who re-
ceived it.
“ Heretofore, ſays he, we delighted in debau-
chery ; but now, we love nothing but purity;
we who made uſe of magical arts, now give up
ourſelves entirely to the wiſdom of God; we
who only fought the means of enriching ourſelves,
now liave our goods in common, that others may
partake of them; formerly, we hated one ano-
ther, even to death ; but ſince the coming of
Jeſus Chri, we live in friendſhip and pray for
We endeavor to convert One
Our enemies..

( 118 )
meaſure which men can poffefs, and which by
genius, learning and piety, hath been approved
of and highly eſteemed in every age!
But, to the reproach of human nature, a reli.
gion that hath been traduced and blafphemed by
a libertine deift, who would wiſh to extirpate it
from the earth, and to fubſtitute iis its ſtead, a
religion (when ſeparated froin the articles it hachi
derived from revelation) of ignorance and me
lancholy ; of doubt and uncertainty ; of miſery
and wretchedneſs; of vice and folly !
A religion as much inferior to chriſtianity, in
excellence, as is an atom to the earth in magni-
tade ; or the light of a taper to the effulgence of
the fun in its meridian ſplendor!
IT
cannot be neceffary, in this publication, te
notice Mr. Paine's expreſſion of wiſdom, * that
asiaaaaaa
perſecutors, that they, living according to the
preceprs of the goſpel may enjoy the ſame hope
in God that we poffefs. We can produce many,
who, by aſſociating with us, from having been
violent and paſſionate, have become hum-
ble and meek,” &c. Apology, p. 61. See
Fleury's eccleſ. hift. vol. 1. p. 198, 295, 424.
Cave's primitive chriſtianity ; and a diſcourſe on
the ſtate of religion, during the firſt ages of
chriſtianity, annexed to the II. vol. of the lives
af the fathers of the firſt four centuries.
* P. go

( 119 )
it would be advantageous to aboliſh the ſtudy of
the latin and greek languages in our ſeminaries
of learning
As he is wholly unacquainted with theſe langua-
ges, it is moſt probable, that he is ignorant of
their utility in giving us proper conceptions of
our own tongue ; of their peceffity and advan-
tage to gentlemen of the liberal profeſſions ; of
the refined pleaſures derived from reading the
latin and greek clafficks in their original languages;
and alſo of the aid afforded by them, when
thus read, in forming an elegant tafte in compo.
Sition, *
oraramononara )
* Various other reaſons may be urged againſt
aboliſhing the ſtudy of the latin and greek lan-
guages.
Particularly, let it be obſerved, that there are
many valuable treatiſes in theſe languages, not
tanſlated into Engliſh ; that the latin tongue is the
medium of communication among the literati of
Europe, and the common language of the Euro-
pean courts ; and alſo, that as the latin is a dead
language, it is not in a ſtate of fluctuation, but
faithfully tranſmits, in their native purity, the
writings of inen of genius and learning, from age
to age.
This confideration has not only induced many
authors to write in latin, but it has alſo occa-
fioned ſome who wrote in their vernacular tongue,
(particularly Lord Bacon) to have their works
tranſlated into elegant latin,

! ( 120 )
Ignorance of theſe things muſt be his apology
oradas craies
It is highly probable, that the firſt verſion of
the facred books of the old ceſtament into Greek,
is what is called the ſeptuagint ; faid by Ariſteas
to have been effected at the inſtance of Ptolemy
Philadelphus, in the year of the world 3727.---
This tranſlation was ever held in great efteein
and veneration by the jews ; it was not only
uſed by them in their difperfion through the gre-
cian cities, but was approved of by the grand
Sanhedrim at Jeruſalem, and always referred to
by our Saviour and his apoſtles, when they ap-
pealed to the holy fcriptures.
As the knowledge of the Greek language is
neceſſary to underftand this valuable tranſlation
of the ancient books of ſcripture, and alſo the
books of the new teſtament, all of which (except
Saint Matthew's goſpel) were written in Greek,
how. injudicious would it be to aboliſh the ſtudy
of a language fo neceſſary to the due underſtand
ing of the ſacred writings?
A knowledge of the original languages in
which the firiptures were written, is, among
other things, of fingular advantage iv obviating
many of the objections of infidels againſt the bo-
ly ſcriptures. Of this truth they are ſenſible, and
therefore it is, that ſome fabrile deiſts winu that
the Greek language thould no longer be itudied
by us ; that hereby the intereft of chriftianity may
be injured.
But with theſe fubtile gentlemen, Mr. Paine

( 121 )
for this advice to us; and fortunate will it be
for him, if his ignorance of religion ſhall be ad-
mitted as an extenuation for the inſults he hath
offered it, and his endeavors to aboliſh it!
Nor is it of importance to attend to the deſcrip-
tion Mr. Paine gives of the ſolar Syſtem.* It is
hot minute nor correct. He ſhines not in divini.
ty nor aſtronomy
He tells us, for inſtance, that mercury's diſ-
tance from the ſun is thirty-four million miles
Sir Iſaac Newton, however, calculates the dif-
tance to be but thirty-two million; that venus
is fifty-ſeven, inſtead of fifty-nine million miles
from this luminary. And thus, in each of the
fix planers, Mr Paine diſagrees with this pro-
found aſtronomer in his calculations of their diſ-
tance from their common centre.
two.
Mr. Paine ſays the earth is ninety-five million
miles diſtant from the fun ; Sir Iſaac, only eighty.
Mr. Paine, that mars is one hundred and
thirty-four million ; Sir Iſaac, one hundred and
twenty-three. Mr. Paine, that jupiter is five
hundred and fifty-ſeven million ; Sir Ifaac, four
hundred and twenty-four. Mr. Paine, that fa-
turn is ſeven hundred and fixty-three million ;
Sir Iſaac, ſeven hundred and ſeventy-ſeven-
Theſe errers, however, of Mr. Paine, are very
tools..no,
cannot juſtly be claſſed : as he appears to be ca.
pable only of retailing their ftale objections againſt
the chriſtian religion.
* P. 115, et ſeg
L

122)
barmleſs; though they do him no great honor as
an aſtronomer!
He has not noticed the four ſatellites of jupiter ;
the five moons, nor ring of faturn; nor yet the
planet lately diſcovered by Herſchel ; and unleſs
better qualified, it was undoubtedly wiſe in Mr.
Paine not to attempt a calculation of the periods
which the planets ſeverally require to perform
their revolutions round the fun.
Altogether undeſerving attention are Mr.
Paine's puerilities and egotiſms. Of what polli.
ble conſequence can it be to the citizens of iheſe
United States to be informed,* that “ his father
was a Quaker;" that Mr. Paine “ had an ex-
ceedingly good moral education," (but unhappi.
ly mifimproved it ;) that he did not learn lat-
in,” nay, that he “ had no inclination to learn
it;" that he “ keeps no bible," + and of ſeveral
other articles equally inſignificant ?
But every objection that he hath urged againſt
chriſtianity, that ſhall be thought to merit the
leaſt attention, however unſupported even by an
appearance of argument, and in whatever lan-
guage of buffoonery, fcurrility and blaſphemy
expreffed, thall be duly refuted; though theſe
pages thall not be diſgraced and contaminated by
the repetition of fuch opprobrius and impious lan-
guage.
wiatricaraa
* P. 101, 102 + P. 71,

( 123 )
PART
I.
EFUTATION of Mr. Paine's OBJECTIONS
R
to the credibility of the SCRIPTURES.
But previous to the entrance on this ſubject,
it may not be improper, in this age of infidelity, to
eſtabliſh, in a fummary manner, the authenticity
of the ſacred writings.
A DIVINE REVELATION POSSIBLE.
« THE poſſibility of ſuch a revelation, fays an
eminent writer, cannot be diſputed. Men by
words and geſtures, make known their ſentiments
to each other. And certainly, the father of ſpirits
can have ſuch an immediate acceſs to human ſpi-
rits, which are his offspring, as to give them a re-
velation of his will."*
Indeed, deiſts, in general, admit this truth,
and it is expreſſly granted by Mr. Paine, who,
without being chargeable with folly itſelf, could
not have controverted it. “No one, ſays he,
will deny, or diſpute the power of the Almighty to
make ſuch a communication, if he pleaſes." +
otrocaroracore
RE
Diſcourſes on the truth of revealed religion,
by the Rev. Hugh Knox, vol. I. p. 13.
+ P. 13

7 124 )
A Divina REVELATION NECESSARY,
VARIOUS arguments have already been occan
fionally introduced in favor of this truth; but as the
fubject is extremely important, fome attention
thall here be paid to ita
There appears to be but two methods by which
God can communicate a religion to mankind ; ei-
ther by the deductions he has enabled men to
inake, by the force of the natural reaſon he has
imparted to them; or by an extraordinary inter-
poſition of divine revelation.
From the firſt of theſe, nothing perfect can be
expected.* Our reaſon is unſtable in its founa
sorororororo
* Lord Bolingbroke having obſerved, that
" the precepts of the law of nature are general,
and that reaſon muſt be employed to make pro-
per
and neceſſary deductions from thoſe precepts,
and apply them to every caſe that concerns our
duty to God and man,” he adds, that “human
reaſon being at beſt falliable and having been but
little informed by experience in the earlier ages,
a multitude of falſe deductions, and wrong appli.
cations, could not fail to be made.” Works,
vol. V. p. 154
Theſe obſervations do honor to this deiſtical
writer ; they, however, loudly proclaim the necef-
fity of divine revelation, and add to his reproach
by having perſevered in infidelity. How feldom
does the pride of man permit him to retract his
errors ! How forcibly do finful enjoyments
operate againft the reception of precepts of
virtue !

( 125 )
dations, and uncertain in its concluſions. Our
Some exainples, however, there are to the
contrary. Lord Herbert renounced his deiſtical
fyftem; embraced chriſtianity, and ſolicited the
reception of the holy ſacrament of the Lord's
Supper. See weekly iniſcellany, vol. I. p. 342-
Thomas Hobbs, alfo, rejecting his infidel princi-
ples, coveted the bleſſings of the goſpel, and ſeven
ral times, with much apparent devotion, in his
laſt illneſs, received the communion. See Col-
lier's memoirs of Mr. Hobbs ; Bayle's di&tionary,
under the article Hobbs, and Wood's athenæ ox-
onienſes, vol. II. p. 646.
And of Ariſtotle, it is ſaid, that “ in his laſt mo-
ments, he vented his heart in a torrent of tears,
and with a mixture of hope and fear, moſt ar-
dently implored the mercy of the firſt cauſe. And,
touched with the conſciouſneſs of not making the
beſt uſe of the lights which were offered him by a
learned jew, with whom he converſed, he, with
great earneſtneſs, teftified his approbation of ſome
verſes he cited from Homer, pronouncing it not
unbecoming an immortal God to aſſume human
nature, to reclaim mankind from their errors?
Weekly miſcellany, vol. I. p. 287.
That deifts act contrary to their principles in
time of danger, hath been remarked by Mr.
Bayle in the enſuing paſſage ; in which he alſo
notices their want of fincerity ; their ignorance ;
oftentation and vanity.
“ This inclines me to believe, ſays he, that
L2

( 126 )
lives are extremely ſhort, and our progreſs in ſci-
ence is tedious, and retarded by nuinberleſs ob-
Itacles. Much of our time is employed in obtain-
ing ideas, and much alfo in acquiring language to
expreſs then.
To form any tolerable fyftem of religion ormo-
rals, from human reaſon, requires the efforts of
many generations. Froin all thoſe which have
paſſed,
how little of religious truth and informati-
an can we collect ? And yet, much of that little,
hath been derived froin revelation; which fome
men are inclined to think unneceſſary, froin the
very affiſtance they have received from it; like
the countryman who was inſenſible of the bleſ-
fings of the fun, becauſe it ſhone in the day !
We fee but a very ſmall part of the great
whole
libertines, like Des Barreaux, are not greatly per-
fuaded of the truth of whiat they ſay. They have
made no deep examination; they have learned
fome few objections, which they are perpetually
making a noiſe with ; they ſpeak from a principle
of oftentation, and give themſelves the lie in the
time of danger-
Vanity has a greater ſhare in their diſputes,
than conſcience ; they imagine that the fingular-
ity and boldneſs of the opinions which they main-
tain, will give them the reputation of men of
parts. By degrees, they get an habit of holding
impious diſcourſes; and if their vanity is accom-
panied by a voluptuous life, their progreſs in that
road is the ſwifter." Dict. art. Des Barreaux.

( 127 )
of nature, and perceive that ſmall part ſo imper.
fectly, that we comprehend not the eſſence of any
thing; neither of body nor fpirit ; of ſpace nor
time ; of infinity nor eternity; and leaſt of all
have we juſt perceptions of the nature of God and
ourſelves; and, therefore, it is not ſurprizing that
all religions proceeding from the ſource of unar-
fifted reaſon only, ſhould be fo replete with errors
and abfurdities.
But were it poſſible for a few perfons, of ſupe.
rior talents and application, to diſcover, by the
force of reaſon, all the religious knowledge ne-
ceſſary to be known, this diſcovery would be ina-
dequate to the end defired ; becauſe merely by
their own efforts, without the affiftance of mira-
cles and grace, they could not so propagate the
knowledge they had obtained, as to prevail with:
mankind to receive it.
All men need the aids of true religion,to render
them truly happy ; but as no man can attain to
real religion by the mere light of nature, eſpeci-
ally in the midſt of violent appetites and obftinate
prejudices, it is, therefore, evident, if the happia
neſs of mankind is confulted, that a divine revela
tion was abſolutely neceflarya
It may be remarked, that revelation was alſo
neceſſary, that men might have a competent know-
ledge, even of natural religion.
Of this ſentiment were the moſt eminent of the
heathen ſages, who made their knowledge of God
to depend, not on philoſophical enquieries, but on
tradition.
Plato hath many reflections to this purpoſe,

( 128
and not imagining the traditions he was acquaint-
ed with ſufficient, he diſcourſes on a future inſtruc-
for to be ſent from God, to teach the world a
more perfect knowledge of religious duties.
“ The truth is," ſays he, treating in his firſ
book De Legibus, concerning future rewards and
puniſhments, “to determine or eſtabliſh any thing
certain about theſe matters, in the midſt of ſo many
doubts and diſputations, is the work of GoDonly.”
In his phædon, one of the ſpeakers addreſſing
himſelf to Socrates, reſpecting the immortality of
the ſoul, ſays ; “ I am of the ſame opinion with
you, that, in this life, it is either abſolutely iin-
poſſible, or extremely difficult, to arrive to a clear
knowledge in this matter,"
In the apology he wrote for Socrates, he cauf-
es him thus to expreſs himſelf, on the ſubject of
the reformation of manner se “ You may deſpair
of finding out a fufficient expedient for this pur-
poſe, if God, in his providence, ſhall not ſend
you ſome other inſtrućłor,"
And in his epinomis, he ſays ; " let no one
take upon him to teach ſacred truths, unleſs aided
by God.”
In the book de mundo, aſcribed to Ariſtotle,
there is a remarkable paſſage to this effect ;“ it is
an old tradition, almost univerſally received, that
all things proceeded froin God, and ſubſift through
him ; and that no nature is felf-ſufficient, or inde-
pendent of God's protection and alliſtance."
In his metaphyficks, he aſcribes the belief, that

(129)
the deity incompaſſes and comprehends all nature,
to a traditionary habit of ſpeaking, conveyed down
from the firſt men to later agesa
Cicero, in his treatiſe concerning the nature
of the Gods, introduces Cotta cenſuring thoſe
who endeavored, by argumentation, to prove
there are Gods, and affirming, that this only fer-
ved to render the fact doubtful, which, by the
inſtructions and traditions of their forefathers,
had been fufficiently made known to them and
eſtabliſhed
Plutarch, noticing the worſhip paid to a certain
ideal divinity, whoſe exiſtence his friend had cal.
led in queſtion, ſays, “ It is ſufficient to believe
agreeable to the faith of our anceſtors, and the
inſtructions communicated to us in the country
where we were educated ; beſides which, we can-
not invent any argument more to be depended
ona 9**
Where men have enjoyed only the light of nature,
how extremely imperfect have been their concep-
tions of what is called natural religion ! Is it pof.
fible for the moſt diftracted imagination, even
though pofleffed by a demon, to invent a more
monftrous, abſurd or wicked code of principles,
than hath been received for true religion, in all
ages, and among all nations, who have not been
bleſt with the light of divine revelation ? How
could reaſon, fo extolled by fome deifts, have
given
birth to ſuch hedious forms of fuperftition ? Or,
had they eriginated from prieſt-craft or power,
* Plut. de Amat.

( 130 )
how could they have been embraced by reafon?
How could reaſon have ſuffered them to have
taken entire poffeffion of the politeſ nations in the
world?
It is an happy truth, that the moſt unlettered
chrifiian has a more perfect knowledge of God, of
the principles of true religion and moral obligatia
on, than the moſt profound heathen philoſopher of
antiquity ; and it is reaſonable to believe, that a
modern ſceptical philoſopher would not heſitate to
adore Plato or Cicero, could he find ſuch a leclure
of divine knowledge, in either of their writings,
as a chriſtian parent, though of inferior abilities,
is capable of delivering to his children !
But was the religion of nature perfectly under-
ſtood by mankind, this circumſtance would not
have rendered a revelation from God to nran ſu-
perfluous. For the religion of nature was
adapted only to man in his original ſtate of na-
ture, or innocence ; it affords not the neceſſary
remedy for him in his ftate of depravity; but to
recover him from his ſtate of degradation and mil-
ery, divine revelation was neceſſary, and it is no
inconſiderable argument in favor of chriſtianity,
that, when fincerely embraced, it is perfeaily ad-
equate to effect this important end !
Natural religion hath a neceſſary dependence on
revelation. Religion is but a name, when uncona
nected with a well grounded hope of immortality,
which men could not fully have enjoyed, unleſs
it had been revealed to them. But, if, from the
light of nature, they could have had the fulleſt af
ſurance of this doctrine, how wretched would it
have rendered mankind, as all men have finned,

( 131 )
and are obnoxious to puniſhment, if, through an
atonement for evil, they had no certainty of the
forgiveneſs of their offences ?
Letit be further remarked, by the term, divine
revelation, we may underſtand ſuch religious in-
formation as we could not have attained a know-
ledge of, by the mere force of our natural abili-
tits; or the diſcovery of ſuch ſacred truths as
mankind, in general, were ignorant of, previous
to this diſcovery ; whether the cauſe of their ig-
porance was neglect, or incapacity.
With regard to the incapacity of mankind, by
the aid only of their powers of reaſon, ſucceſsful-
ly to inveſtigate the principles of true religion, it
is unneceſſary, it is preſumed, to add here, more
arguments on this ſubject ; but with reſpect to
the neglect of thoſe means, if ſuch means there
are, which natural religion only afforded men to
attain this important end, it hath been ſo great
and univerſal, as to cauſe inſtruction to be as ne-
ceſſary, as it would have been, had men not been
favored with theſe means,
This truth, it is imagined, muſt be acknow-
ledged by thoſe who entertain favorable ſenti-
ments of deilm, if they conſider how few deifts
there are ; and alſo the novelty and imperfection
of their religion.
If men, therefore, have ſuch a propenſity to
cloſe their eyes againſt the light of nature, they,
unqueſtionably, need ſomething ſuperior to natural
religion, to teach them, what from nature, they
either cannot, or will not receive.

7:132 )
If ſuch poſitive inſtitutions as the fabbath, the
Sacraments, and a miniſtry to inſtruct men, are
highly conducive to this end, the neceſſity of a
divine in:erpofition, without which theſe means
could not be effectually inſtituted, muſt be
granted
It was the noble ſentiment of an ancient
philoſopher,* that “
every dependent nature,
muſt be governed by a fuperior nature ;” and
from a thorough knowledge of mankind, he
juſtly concluded, that men muſt be governed
by the Supreme Being,"
But if men are enſlaved to wickedneſs, through
the corruption of their nature, it is not ſufficient
that they are acquainted with the law of God,
which, of themſelves they are unable to revere;
they muſt, to a due obfervance of this law, receive
aſſiſtance froin God, fufficient to counterbalance
the prevalence of their evil diſpoſitions and to make
thern free.
As the blindneſs of the human underſtanding re-
quires divine inſtruction ; fo the perverſity of
the human will demands the aid of divine grace
to render it obedient to the di&tates of virtue.
To controvert this fact, would be to deny, that
the paſſions and appetites of men have a power
ful influence on the will, or that they are cor
rupt and violent; which are facts, it is appre-
hended, too ſenſibly experienced by all, to be
45. Lowongan
. Plato

(133)
diſputed. A divine revelation, therefore, was
neceſſary, that mankind might be informed of their
duty, and enabled to practiſe it.
" The light of nature, ſays the judicious Hook-
er, diſcovers no other way, whereby we niay ob-
tain the reward of bliſs, but by a perfect obſer Vu
ance of all the precepts of righteoufneſs. O
From falvation, therefore, by the law of nature
all are excluded, as all are ſinful. But the good-
neſs of God hath revealed a lupernatural way of
falvation. A way wherein his wiſdom and love
fhine conſpicuouſly, and fin is amply puniſhed.” *
“If,ſays Mr. Bryant, there were any innate ide.
as ; any moral ſenſe and original truths, iinpreſſed
on the minds of men, we ihould, moſt probably,
find them genuine and unſophiſticated, among re-
mote and undiſciplined favage tribes. Buti of this
we meet with
no inſtance. Have then theſe ideas
been effaced ? Certainly not; for they could not
loſe what they never poſſeſſed. We are told
that they are incapacitated to receive religious in.
ſtruction, until they fhall be humanized, and by
gradual civilization, be prepared for the reception
of ſacred truths.
If this be the ſtate of fome parts of the world,
at this day, and if this intellectual darkneſs was
anciently ftill more prevalent, and attended with
the moſt horrid and flagiticus practices, it clearly
shuoneeseenoor
* Ecclef. Polity, book I.
p. 93•
M

ľ 134 )
thews. the neceſſity of revelation for the benefit
of mankind. *»)
" The chriſtians, ſays Tertullian, in the forty-
fifth chapter of his apology, are the only harmleſs
people among you. And is this ftrange? It can-
not, indeed, well be otherwiſe, conſidering our
education. For the innocence we are taught, we
are taught by God; we eſteem this leſſon to be
that which is revealed to us by the maſter of all
perfe&tion ; and we obſerve it, faithfully, as the
command of an all-feeing lawgiver, who, we are
aſſured, is not to be deſpiſed by us, but at the ba-
zard of eternal happineſs.
Whereas your fyftems of virtue, are but the
donjectures of human philofophy; and the powere
that conímands obedience is merely human. Nei-
ther the rule, therefore, nor the authority is in
difputable, and, conſequently, the one is too im-
perfect to inftruct us fully; and the other too
weak to command us effectually; the contrary,
however, is manifeſt, in both theſe inſtances, in
the revelation we have received froin God.
Where is the philoſopher who can fo demon-
ſtrate the true good, as to fix the ſentiment with.
out diſpute ? And what human power is able to
extend to the conſcience, and reduce this ſentiment
to practice? For human wiſdom is as fabject to
error, as human power is to contempt!
As our law is more perfect in its precepts
awarenerechten
Bryant on the truth of chriſtianity, P. 24.

( 135
than yours, ſo it is more cogent in its penal
ties. Reflect
upon the ſhortneſs of human puniſh-
ment, which always terminates with this life. For
this reaſon you perceive how little Epicurus fear-
ed any kind of torment, by adopting this maxim
of comfort ; that a little pain is contemptible, and
a great pain is not lafting.
But we who are convinced that, for our actions,
we muſt be accountable to God, who diſcerns the
very thoughts of the heart; we who are aſſured
that the obdurate finner will be puniſhed eternal-
ly; we, who have a revelation of theſe truths, it
may rationally be concluded, that innocence and
pirtue ſhould be ours; and that we ſhould be in-
pelled, rather to revere the commands of our om.
mipotent and omniſcient lawgiver, than the unjuſt
authority of the proconful; though we ſhould be
condemned to death for our veneration for the
deity."?
Biſhop Watfon, in his apology for chriſtianity;
addreſſed to Edward Gibbon, Eſq. thus expreſſes.
himſelf, in an addreſs to deiſts. *
" Suppoſe, fays he, the mighty work accom-
pliſhed; the croſs trampled upon; chriſtianity
every where profcribed, and the religion of na.
ture, once more, become the religion of Europe ;
what advantage would you derive to your country,
or to yourſelves, by the exchange
You anſwer; you will have freed the world
P. 112

136
from the hypocriſy of prieſts, and the tyranny of
ſuperſtition. No; you forget that Lycurgus and
Numa, and Odin, and Mango-Copac, and all the
great legiſlators of ancient and modern ſtory,
have been of opinion, that the affairs of civil ſoci.
ety could not be well conducted without ſome reli.
gion ; you muſt, of neceſſity, introduce a prieſte
hood, with, probably, as much hypocriſy ; a reli-
gion, with, aſſuredly, more fuperftition, than that
which you now reprobate with ſuch indecent and
ill.grounded contempt.
But let me inform you from what you will have
freed the world. You will havé freed it from its
abhorrence of vice, and from every powerful incen-
tive to virtue : you will, with the religion of na-
ture, have brought back the depraved morality of
paganiſm; you will have robbed mankind of their
firm aſſurance of another life ; and thereby you
will have deſpoiled them of their patience ; of their
humility; of their charity ; of their chaſtity; of all
thoſe mild and ſilent virtues, which (however
deſpi-
cable they may appear in your eyes) are thoſe only
which meliorate and fublime our nature; which pa-
ganiſm never knew; which ſpring from chriſtianity
alone; which do, or might, conſtitute our comfort
in this life ; and without the poſſeſſion of which,ano-
ther life, if after all there ſhould happen to be one,
muſt (unleſs a miracle be exerted in the alteration
of our diſpoſition) be more vicious and more miſer-
able than the preſent.
Perhaps you will contend, that reaſon ; the
truth and fitneſs of things, are of themſelves fuf-
ficient to exalt the nature, and regulate the man.
wers of mankind.

( 137 )
Will you never ceaſe urging this groundleſs com.
mendation of natural law 9 Look into the firſt
chapter of St. Paul's epiſtle to the Romans, and
you will ſee the extent of its influence over the
gentiles in thoſe days; or, if you diſlike St. Paul's
authority, and the manners of antiquity, look into
the more admired accounts of modern voyagers;
and examine the influence of reaſon over the pa-
gans of our own times; over the ſenſual inhabits
ants of Otahite ; over the cannibals of New.
Zealand, or the remorſeleſs favages of America!
But theſe men are barbarians, you will ſay.
Your law of nature, however, extends even to
them.
But they have miſafed their reaſon, you add,
They have then the more need of, and would be
more thankful for, that revelation, which you with
an ignorant and faſtidious ſelf-ſufficiency, deem
uſeleſs !"
« The moſt celebrated philoſophers and law,
givers, ſays Lord Bolingbroke, enforced their
doctrines and laws, by a divine authority, and cal.
led in an higher principle to the aſſiſtance of philo-
fophy and reaſon.” He inſtances, in “ Zoroafter,
Hoaitanes, the Magi, Minos, Numa, Pythagoras,
and all thoſe who formed religious and common
wealths, who paſſed for men divinely inſpired." *
" What, ſays Mr. Knox, in his addrefs to per-
olarararararaan
* Works, vol. V. p. 480.
м2.

( 138 )
fons of deiſtical character, can unbelievers deſign
by their writings againſt chriſtianity, but its urter
extirpation ? And fuppoſing your endeavors fnc-
ceſsful, do you really believe that the inhabitants
of Chriſtendom would be better men; better
members of ſociety ; that they would be more
pure, peaceable, chatte, honeft, virtuous, and ina
duftrious if they were infidels? Or, being ſuch,
that the intereſts of ſociety would be more pro-
moted; public peace and ormer better maintain-
ed ; trade, commerce, arts, fciences, and manu-
factures, flouriſh more than at preſent? What,
if by endeavoring to bring back the chriſtian
world to the religion of nature, you ſhould reduce
the greatest number of them to univerſal ſcepti-
ciſm, or abſolute atheiſm ; and by alienating their
minds from the principles of chriſtianity, you
fhould leave them without any kind of religious
principles?
Certainly this conſequence niuſt be ſhocking to
every mind of wiſdom and virtue ; and yet, is it
not juftly to be apprehended? When nen come
to be perſuaded of the falſeliood of a religion that
hath been deemed {acred, not only by the com-
monality of mankind, but by the wifeſt and belt
men in all ages; the truth and divinity of which
are ſo clearly demonstrated, by a multitude both
of external and interval proofs; fupported by the
voice of antiquity ; hated by the vicious and
phane; loved by the good and virtuous; when
men, I ſay, are brought to regard ſuch a religión
to be an impoſture, will they not be prone to
Houhr the truth of all religion, and become licentia
aus in their practice ?
Pro.
I could with that esperienze itſelf did not coul-

(139)
tenance this fufpicion; that there were not ſo inany
living examples of men, who, having abandoned
the principles of chriſtianity, have alſo, with them,
loſt all ſenſe of moral obligation, and renounced
alınoſt every principle of natural religion !
Were men to renounce chriſtianity, the religi.
on of nature would be found too fubtile and ab-
ſtracted for their minds, and, therefore, having
none to lead their devotions; no ſtated ſeaſons
for public worlhip; no public inſtruction ; 110
means to cheriſh and promote in them knowledge
and devotion, they, unavoidably, would, by de.
grees, ſink into the gro/eft ignorance, ſuperſtition
and idolatry, and return to the deteſtable and
ridiculous polytheiſin of ancient Egypt, Greece
and Rome; and the fabulous age of nymphs, fa-
tyrs, genii, heroes, idolatrous prieſts, and hainau
facrifices, would, in all probability, again re-
turn *
“ Some men, ſays Mr. Jenyn's, have been ſo
bold as to ſtrike at the root of all revelation from
God, by aſſerting, that it is incredible becauſe
anneceſſary; and unneceſſary, becauſe the reaſoa
he hath beſtowed on mankind is fufficient to di!.
cover all the religious and moral duties he re-
quires of thein, would they attend to its precepts,
and be governed by its admonitions.
Mankind have, undoubtedly, at various times,
from the remoteſt agts, received ſo much know-
ledge, by divine communicaiions, and have ever
oracioro ooo
* Knox's diſcourſes, vol. I. p. 2&is

( 140 )
been ſo much inclined to impute it all to their OWN
fufficiency, that it is now difficult to determine,
what human reaſon, unaffifted, can effect ; unleſs
we turn our eyes to thoſe remote regions of the
globe, to which this fupernatural aſliſtance hath
not extended. But there we ſee men endued with
ſenſe and reaſon, not inferior to our own, ſo far
from being capable of forming Syſtems of religion
and morality, that they are, to this day, totally
unable to make a nail or an hatchet! From whence
we may be affuredly convinced, that reaſon alone,
is ſo far from being fufficient to offer mankind a
perfect religion, that it has never been able to
lead them to any degree of culture or civilization,
whatever.
Theſe have uniformly flowed from that great
Fountain of divine communication opened in the
eeft, in the earlieſt ages, and from thence diffuſed,
in ſalutary ſtreams, through various regions of the
earth. Their rife and progreſs, by ſurveying the
hiſtory of the world, may eaſily be traced back-
ward to their ſource ; and wherever theſe have
not, as yet, been able to penetrate, we there find
the human fpecies, not only devoid of all true reli-
gious and moral ſentiments, but not in the leaſt
emerged from their original ignorance and barba-
rity; which facts demonftrably prove, that though
human reaſon is capable of progreffion in ſcience,
yet the foundation muſt be laid by fupernatural
inſtructions. For certainly no other probable cauſe
can be aſſigned, why one part of mankind ſhould
have made ſuch an amazing progreſs in religious,
moral, metaphyſical, and philoſophical enquiries ;
ſuch wonderful improvements in policy, legiſlati-
on, commerce and manufactures, while the other
part, formed with the ſame natural capacities,

( 141 )
fhould remain, during the ſame number of ages,
in a ſtate little fuperior to brutes, without govern-
ment; without laws and letters, and even with-
out cloaths and habitations; murdering each other
to fatiate their revenge, and devouring each
other to appeaſe their hunger; I ſay, no other
cauſe can be aſſigned for this aſtonishing differ-
ence, except that the firſt have received infor-
ination from thoſe divine communications record-
ed in the ſcriptures; and the latter have never
yet been favored with ſuch aſſiſtance.
This remarkable contraſt affords an unanſwera.
ble proof of the neceſſity of revelation ; and a fos
lid refutation of all the arguments againſt it,
drawn from the ſufficiency of human reaſon."*
" The goſpel of Chriſt, ſays the learned and
ingenious Doctor Smith, is the moſt precious gift
which God hath beſtowed on mankind. Without
it, this world would be a gloomy vault in which we
fhould wander blind, or only engaged in the purſuit
of unreal phantoms; a miſerable priſon in which
we ſhould groan a few days and be no more. Hun
man reaſon had for ages ſought in vain for a clear
and fimple law of duty that ſhould be intelligible
to all, and by its certainty poffefs ſufficient autho-
rity to impoſe its obligation on the conſciences
In vain it endeavored to penetrate the veil with:
which God had covered the myſteries of futuritya
It met with nothing in its reſearches but eternal
diſappointment ; a diſmal uncertainty ſtill reſted
upon death. And the iniſeries of life preſſed the
C concanavarsiaran
* Works, vol. II. p. 267 — 269

( 142 )
heavier upon mortals, as they had no ſolid hopes
of a future and better exiſtence. Chrut hath
revealed a law of duty fo perfeát, that reaſon,
though compelled to approve, could never have
reached it ; fo funple, that the humbleft under-
ſtanding can conceive it, and pofleffing ſuch evi.
dence and authority as to give it the firmeft hold
on the heart. Chafing from the human mind the
frivolous or the gloomy fuperftitions with which
it had been filled, the goſpel imparts to it the
moſt fublime diſcoveries of the divine nature
Raiſing it to a pure and rational piety towards the
father of the univerſe, it becomes to it the fource
of the ſincereſt and the nobleſt pleaſures. But it
diſplays its excellence and power chiefly on two
ſubjects on which reaſon has been always moft
embarraſſed, and on which it has drawn its dubi-
dus concluſions with the greateſt diffidence ; the
forgiveneſs of fins, and an imniartal exiſtence. It
offers to the penitent the only folid ground
of
peace of conſcience by revealing the atonement;
and by affuring him of the promiſes of divine mere
To the pious it confers on life its higheſt en
joyment, by the hope of living forever; and its
calamities it alleviates by enabling them to look
forward to the period, not far remote, when
« God ſhall wipe away all tears from their eyes ;
and there ſhall be no more death, neither forrow
nor crying ; neither fhall there be any more
pain ; for the former things are paſſed away
Precious ! ineffable confolation under all the anx-
ieties and ſorrows that prey upon the humax
99*
* Rev. xxi. 4.

( 143 )
keart, and which, without this, would often make
us weary of being !+”
+ See a diſcourſe, p. 29-31, on the ſubject of
national gratitude, delivered in the third preſbyte.
rian church in Philadelphia, 19th February, 1795,
recommended by the Preſident of the United
States, as a day of general thankſgiving and pray
er. By Samuel Stanhope Smith, D. D. vice-pre-
ſident and profeſſor of moral philoſophy and divin-
ity, in the college of New Jerfey.
« Lately, ſays the Doctor, p. 34, 35, of this
excellent diſcourſe, there has ſprung up a feet of
political empirics who pretend to deny the neceſ-
fity or utility of religion, and who would wil-
lingly diſcard it from the ſtate, as they have erad.
icated it from their hearts. The fyftem of infi-
delity which was once thought to be cold and
gloomy, has at length ſhewn itſelf to be furious
and inflamed. In one nation, where it could act
out its ſpirit, we have ſeen the apoſtles of atheifm
more fanatical than the diſciples of Omar, who
endeavored to deſtroy all the monuments of art
and genius, and more bloody than the votaries
of Molock who worſhipped their infernal idol in
the blood of men. Blaſpheming the living and
éternal God, have they not conſecrated their im-
pious temples, dedicated to a falſe and miſguided
reaſon, with hecatombs of human victims? I may
now ſpeak freely on this ſubject. Thoſe of
my
humble and imitative countrymen who adopt their
opinions implicitly from this nation, and who ſo
flexibly bend after every revolution of party in
its capital, will not now deem it profane to uy-

( 144 )
While Mr: Pope, in the following extract from
ornanonaronarar
nicche Danton, Briffot, Robertſpierre, or to drag
Marat from his pretended Godſhip in the panthe.
on, where madneſs and folly had placed him.-
Theſe men, diſdaining the principles of other ages
and mad with rage againſt religion, endeavored
to extirpate it from the republic. The more ef.
fectually to inſult its worſhip, they inſtituted a
farce in the temple of reaſon. Was it God, the
eternal reaſon, who framed the univerſe, whom
they meant to adore under a new title? No-
God did not form a part of their fyftem. The
people were not able to comprehend fo multiforın,
and abſtracted an idea. But filled with admiration
of their own wiſdom, it was this which they canon-
ized in their heated imaginations. Each man car-
ricd his ridiculous deity in his own brain. Twas
its viſions and whimſies that he deified. 0. E-
gypt ! The ſcorn of ages for the contemptible
worſhip of reptiles and monſters ! did thy temples
ever contain ſo mauy monſters, fuch fantaſtic and
reproachful mockeries of divinity, as did theſe
Strange temples of reaſon !
Bleſſed Saviour ! are theſe the ſubſtitutes which
infidelity invents for the purity and glory of thy
holy religion? Are theſe the works of thoſe
ſtrong and ſuperior minds who affect to deſpiſe
thy humble birth ; thy innoceut and inſtructive
life! the condeſcentions of thy mercy! the facri-
fice of thy croſs! the hopes of immortality which
thou haft revealed, and which thou haft verified
by thy refurrection ! The errors of the human im-
agination, when it departs froin thee, are among

( 145 )
his Meiliah, in harmonick numbers, declares the
DEITY of the Saviour of the world, and the bleſ-
fings derived from him, he particularly notices
the illumination of the human mind by the light
of divine revelation.
" Hark! a glad voice the lonely defert cheers ;
Prepare the way! a God, a God appears :
A God, a God! the vocal hills reply ;
The rocks proclaim th' approaching deity.
Lo earth receives him from the bending ſkies !
Sink down ye mountains, and, ye vallies, riſe !
With heads declin'd, ye ceders, homage pay ;
Be ſmooth, ye rocks; ye rapid floods give ways
The Saviour comes ! by ancient bards foretold;
Hear him, ye deaf! and all ye blind, behold!
He, from thick films, ſhall purge the viſual ray,
And, on th' fightleſs eye-ball, pour the day!
*Tis he th' obſtructed paths of found ſhall clear,
And bid new muſic charm th' unfolding ear!
The dumb ſhall fing; the lame his crutch forego,
And leap, exulting, like the bounding rơe !
No figh, no murmur, the wide wurld ſhall hear ;
From ev'ry face he wipes off ev'ry tear !
In adamantine chains fhall death be bound,
And hell's grim tyrant feel th' eternal wound !
See heav'n, its ſparkling portals wide diſplay,
And break upon thee in a flood of day!
No more the riſing ſun ſhall gild the mora
Nor evening cynthia fill her ſilver horn ;
conosconocido
the ſtrongeſt proofs of the truth and excellence
of thy goſpel! Ever, may we cherifh it as the
deareft, the moſt facred treaſure that heaven has
conferred on mortals !»
N

f 146
But loft, diſſolv'd in thy ſuperior' rays,
One ride of glory, one unclouded blaze
O'erflow thy courts : the light himſelf fhall ſhine
Reveal'd, and God's eternal day be thinë !
The feas fhall waſte; the ſkies in ſmoke decay ;
Rocks fall to duft, and mountains melt away ;
But fix'd his word; his faving power remains :
Thy realm forever laſts ; thy own MESSIAN
reigns !"*
The following expreſſions of Sir John Hill, on
the neceſſity of the chriſtian revelation, are ex-
tremely juſt, and merit the attention of deilis.
« The old teftament, ſays he, poſſeſſes every
mark of an inſpired writing. No other book, the
new teſtament excepted, could ever be pretended
to be ſuch, with any appearance of reaſon; and
For numerous other arguments on this inter-
efting ſubject, the neceffity of divine revelation,
the inquiſitive reader is referred to Hooker's ec-
cleſiaſtical polity, book 1. p. 94, 95. Book Il. p.
101, IIC. Locke's works, vol. II.
&c.
P. 530,
Barrow's works, vol. II. p. 147, &c. Stack-
houſe's hift. bible, apparatus, p. 9; and body of
divinity, vol. 1. chap. iii. Doddrige's lectures, p.
20. prop. xcii. Watts's treatiſe on the ruin and
recovery of mankind, p. 206, &c. Jenkins's rek.
fonableneſs and certainty of chriſtianity, vol. I.
chap. I. Winder’s hift. of knowlege, vol. ).
221. Biſhop Gibſon's I. paftoral letter, p. 9, and
11. p. 38, &c. Beatties' evidences of the chriſtian
religion, chap. 1. Jenyni's lectures, III. IV.-
And Bryant's treatiſe on the truth of chriſtianity,
p. 18, &c. 177, &c. lately published.
p.

( 147 )
for the divine origin of the old teſtament there
are ſo many diſtinct proofs, and each proof fo con-
cluſive, that it can be perverſeneſs only that doubts
its truth.
Upon the old teftament, Lord Boling broke con-
feffes, depends the chriſtian revelation. It does
fo, indeed, and more than he ſeems to be ſenſ.
ble of. He spoke from the tenor only of one paf-
fage of it ; but a meſſiah is promiſed in numerous
paſſages.
The jews underſtood that a redeemer was to
appear, who ſhould reſtore to mankind what they
loft by the apoſtacy of Adam, and who fhould
communicate to them a perfect revelation. It was
foretold that the meſfiah ſhould be born at a cer-
tain time ; and at that very period. Jeſus was
born. Divers circumſtances attended his birth,
which had alſo been predicted ; and his life, his
miracles, and his doctrine, all confpired to evince,
that he was the promiſed redeemer.
In the old teſtament, we are informed of the
creation of the world, and the firſt state of man.
God placed him in an elevated and happy fitua-
tion, and demanded of him obedience. Man diſ-
obeyed, and was degraded. A Saviour was pro.
miſed in theſe writings, who ſhould reinſtate man
in purity and bliſs, and atone for his guilt. The
redeemer has been ſent, as promiſed; but by an
OBSTINACY more ſtrange than the firſt diſobedia
ence, there are thoſe who refuſe to accept of the
bleſſings he offers !" *
* See his treatiſe, entitled, thoughts concern-
ing God and nature, p. 614-

( 148 )
As a divine revelation was neceſſary, the good,
neſs of God indulged the world with this inebis
mable blelling.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF REVELATION.
Saint Paul, in a few words, expreſſes the di-
verſity of revelations which Gad made to men,
“ God,” fays the apoſtlé, “ who at fundry times
and divers manners, ſpake in time paſt unto the
fathers by the prophets, hath, in theſe laſt days,
fpoken unto us by his fon ; whom he hath ap-
pointed heir of all things and by whom he made
the worlds.”+
All the revelations, therefore, may be reduced
to two periods of time ; thoſe which were made
to the patriarchs, to Moſes and the prophets, un.
til the appearance of the promiſed meliah ; and
thoſe which were made by the ſon of God him-
felf.
The revelations of the old teſtament, may be
diſtinguiſhed into four diſtinct periods ; from A-
dain to Abraham ; from Abraham to Moſes; the
time in which the law was given to him ; and
from the death of Moſes to the incarnation of
Chrift.
The ſeveral modes which the Almighty made
uſe of to reveal himſelf to mankind, were by an
articulate voice, and by internal inſpirations. He
hath ſometimes taken upon himſelf external
es
oran
+ Heb. i. 1, 2

( 149 )
forms, and ſpoken to men himſelf; he hath love.
times ſpoken by angels ; ſometimes by prophets,
and at other times he hath communicated his will
to men, by ſigns and viſions.*
THE SCRIPTURES,
THAT inankind in all
ages
and countries, might
have the communications which God made to the
world, explicitly and faithfully declared, they
were committed to writing ;t and theſe writings
are ſtiled, divine books ; holy writ; holy fcrip-
tures, or ſimply, the ſcriptures. And the old and
new teſtaments, are called the holy bibliotheque,
or the bible.
The evidences in favor of the truth of the
Scriptures are numerous ; the reader's attention is
folicited to the following particulars.
nordssono
)
* On this ſubject, fee Baſnages continuation of
the hiſt. of the Jews, p. 339; Du Pin's canon of
fcripture, vol. I. chap. II; Smith's ſelect dif-
courſes, chap. II-XIII ; Jenkins's reaſonable-
neſs of the chriſtian religion, vol. II. chap. II,
IX; and Stackhouſe's hift. bible, vol. I. chap.
III.
+ For the fact, that the ſcriptures were writ-
ten by the command of God; and for the advan-
tages of having divine revelation committed to
writing, ſee Hooker's eccleſ. polity, book I. p.
95, 96. Jenkins's reaſonableneſs of chriſtianity,
vol. 1. p. 33, 34
N 2

( 150 )
I. MOSES THE MOST ANCIENT HISTORIAN
“ SACRED hiſtory, ſays Mr. Rollin, is very
different from all other hiſtory. The laſt con-
tains only human facts and temporal events, and
often full of uncertainty and contradiction. But
the other is the hiſtory of God himſelf, the Su-
preme Being ; the hiſtory of his omnipotence, his
infinite wiſdom, his univerſal providence, his ho-
lineſs, his juſtice, his mercy, and all his other at-
tributes, ſet forth under a thouſand forms, and
diſplayed by abundance of wonderful effects.
The book which contains all theſe wonders is the
moſt ancient book in the world, and the only one
before the coming of the meſſiah, in which God
has fhewn us, in a clear and certain manner,
what he is, what we are, and for what ends de-
figned.
Other hiſtories leave us groſſly ignorant in all
theſe important points. Inſtead of giving a clear
and diſtinct idea of the godhead, they render it
obſcure, diſhonor and disfigure it by numberleſs
extravagant fables, differing only from one ano-
ther in a greater or leſs degree of abfurdity.-
They give us no inſight into the nature of the
world we inhabit, whether it had a beginning,
by whom or for what end it was created ; how it
is ſupported and preſerved, or whether it ſhall
always fubfift; we learn nothing what we are
ourſelves, what is our original, nature, deſign,
or end.
Sacred hiſtory begins with clearly revealing to
us, in a few words, the greateſt and moſt impor-
tant truths. That there is a God, pre-exiſting
before all things, and conſequently eternal; that

( 151 )
the world is the work of his hands; that he made
it out of nothing by his word alone, and that thus
he is almighty. In the beginning God created
the heaven and the eartbe*
It then repreſents man, for whom this world
was inade, as coming forth from the hands of his
creator,
and compounded of a bedy and a foul-
a body made of duſt, the proof of its weakneſs
and a foul, breathed into it by God, and conſe-
quently diſtinct from the body, fpiritual, intelli-
gent, and from the very ſubſtance of its nature
and conftitution, incorruptible and immortal.
It deſcribes the happy condition in which mana
was created, righteous and innocent, and deſtined
for eternal happineſs, if he had perſevered in his
righteouſneſs and innocence; his fall by fin, the
fatal ſource of all his misfortunes, and the twofold
death to which he was condemned with all his
poſterity ; and laſtly, his future reſtoration by an
all-powerful mediator, which was even then pro-
miled and pointed out to him for his confolation,
though at the diſtance of a remote futurity ; all
the circumſtances and characters whereof are af-
terwards deſcribed, but under the ſhadows of fi-
gures and fymbols.”+
" When Plato, ſays Juſtin Martýr, in his apol-
ogy, declared,' that the blame lies at his door,
who wills the fin, and that God wills no evil;' he
borrowed the expreſſion from Mofes, who is older
than any of your Greek writers ; and with re-
sororesororora
* Gen. 1. I, + Rollin's belles lettres, vol. II!
P. 80, 81.

( 152 )
ſpect to your ideas concerning the immortality of
the foul ; punillments after death, and your di-
vine theories, your philoſophers and poets evi-
dently took their hints of theſe things from the
prophets, which they conſulted ; and by theſe
means the principles of divine truth were, in ſome
degree, diffuſed through the world ; but it is
inanifeſt that your poets and philoſophers did not
underſtand the truths they tranſcribed from the
fcriptures, from the many contradictions in opin-
ion, which prevail among them."*
“One forcible argument for the authority of
the ſacred writings, ſays Tertullian, in his apolo.
getick, is the greatneſs of their antiquity. Before
any of your public monuments and infcriptions-
before any of your forms of governnient, and the
oldeſt of your books; and, indeed, before the
very being of your Gods, your teinples, your
oracles, and your ſacrifices, were the writings of
one of our prophets extant; which are the trea.
fury of the jewiſh, and, conſequently, of the
shriſtian religion.
Avioſes, the prophet, lived about five hundred
years before Homer ; the other prophets were of
later date than Moſes, yet the lateſt of them,
were cotemporaries with ſome of your firſt ſages,
lawgivers and hiſtorians.
It would not be difficult to prove theſe things,
though it would ſwell this diſcourſe beyond the
bounds of an apology ; for it would be neceſſary
vracaraisiaisia
Juftin Martyr's firſt apology, $ lvii.

( 153 )
to ſearch a great number of volumes ; to unlock
the archives of the moſt ancient people, the E-
gyptians, Chaldeans, and Phænicians ; to appeal
to the writers of thoſe countries who obliged poſ-
terity with the knowledge of theſe facts; to Ma-
nethon, the Egyptian ; Beroſus, the Chaldean
Iromus, the Phænician ; Ptolemy, of Mendes ;
Menander, the Epheſian; Demetrius Phalereus ;
King Juba ; Appion and Thallus ; and alſo Joſe-
phus, a writer of jewiſh antiquities. It would
likewiſe be requiſite, to compare the regiſters of
Greece, to learn what tranſactions took place and
at what periods. But all this, in ſome meaſure, I
have effected ; and, in ſome degree, proved,
what I have afferted, by bringing to your view
theſe authors, in whoſe writings you may find the
proefs at large."*
“ Having premiſed theſe few rules of candid
and fair criticiſm, fays the learned Doctor Win-
der, in his compariſon of ancient pagan writers
with Moſes, which may be juftly required to be ob-
ferved, in our judging ef any writing of very
great antiquity, we muſt proceed to examine the
books of ſuch antiquity, by the application of theſe
critical rules, not only the ancient monuments of
pagarriſm, but thoſe alſo of Moſes ; and to coma
pare
them with his writings, who appears to be
the father of hiſtory.
But here, I am at a loſs to fix on any thing pre-
perly ancient in profane hiſtory, for this kind of
examination and compariſon. We certainly have
( annaroonian
* Tertullian's apology, chap. xix.

( 154 )
mot any ancient records of any nation which could
have been compoſed about the time when the
primitive facts took place. Nor have we any
pagan author who profeſſeth to extract from them
that can juſtly be called ancient, in compariſon
with Moſes. For he wrote about five hundred
years before the eldeft heathen authors, even if
Sanchoniathon be allowed to be genuine; and a
thouſand years before Herodotus and Ctefias;
and a ſtill greater diſtance of time before Berofus
and Manetho."*
II. THE ANTIQUITY OF THE JEWISH RELI-
GION, WHICH WAS FOUNDED BY MOSES A-
BOUT SIXTEEN HUNDRED YEARS BEFORE
CHRIST.
THAT there was fuch a people as the jews a
ooooooo
* Winder's hiſtory of knowledge, vol. II. p.
72; who purſues this ſubject with great ability.
See Jenkins's reaſonableneſs and certainty of
the chriſtian religion, vol. I p. 98. Grotius on
the truth of the chriſtian religion, book I. $ xv,
xvi. Du Pin's eccleſ. hiſt. vol. 1. p. g. Sir
John Hill's treatiſe, entitled, thoughts concerning
God and nature, p. 27, 51.
Porphyrius, a platonick philoſopher, who flou,
riſhed about the concluſion of the third century,was
the moſt potent and fubtile adverſary of chriftiani,
tv. He was well verſed in the writings of anti-
quity, and applied himſelf, with great diligence,
to diſcover ſome author as ancient as Moſes, but
in vain. See Euſeb. præp. evang. book X. chap.
vii, p. 285.

( 155 )
the commencement of the chriſtian era, then tri-
butary to the Romans, and who, in attempting to
emancipate themſelves from the Roman yoke,
were vanquished by Vefpafian and Titus, are
facts ſo apparent from the hiſtory of Tacitus
and Suetonius, as well as many other ancient
writers and monuments, that no one hath ever
queſtioned them.
Philo and Joſephus, authors of high reputa-
tion, who flouriſhed in the age wherein chriſtian-
ity was publiſhed, as well as many other jewiſh
authors, before and ſince that period, expreſſly
allert it, as a notorious fact, that Mofes was the
author of their religion and polity ; and that he
founded their religion, at the time abovemen.
tioned.
Several heathen authors expreſſly declare, that
Moſes was the lawgiver of the jews.
Manetho, Cheremon, Appollinus and Lyfima-
chus, beſides fome other ancient Egyptians and
Greeks, whoſe hiſtories have periſhed, are quoted
by Joſephus, as extant in his days, and paſſages
are ſelected from them, which agree in aſſerting,
that Moſes was the leader of the jews when they
departed from Egypt, and the founder of their
laws. *
Euſebius cites paſſages to the fame purpoſe,
veronesenation
Joſ. againſt Ap. book I. p. 1352-1354–
1357-1360.

( 136 )
from Eupolemus and Artapanus.t Strabo,
gives an account of the law of Mofes as prohie
biting images, and limiting divine worſhip to one
inviſible, or univerſal being; and in conſequence
thereof, bears an honorable teſtimony to the jews
as a pious and righteous nation. ||
Celfus refers to this paſſage of Strabo, and fre-
quently mentions Moſes and other perſons, re-
eorded in the jewiſh hiſtory.
Juſtin, from Trogus Pompeius, relates, that
Mofes was driven out of Egypt; that he led the
other exiles; that he encamped at Mount Sinai,
and that he conſecrated the ſeventh day as a ſa-
cred folemnity. +
Pliny the elder, notices Moſes, as eminent
among the Magicians; referring, moſt probably,
to his power of working miracles. *
Tacitus mentions Moſes as one of the exiles
from Egypt, who perſuaded the other exiled
jews to follow him as a celeftial guide ; and no-
tices their having been conducted by him through
the wilderneſs; by him relieved, in a fupernatu-
ral manner, in their thirft ; and alſo, their having
worden
op
XXIX
+ Euſeb. Præp. Ev. book IX. chap. xxvi-
| Geog. lib. xvi.
| See Warb. div. leg. vol. 1. p. 417, 418.
Leland against Morgan, p. 212, 213.
of Juft. hiſt. book xxxvi. chap. II.
* Plin. nat. hift- book xxx. chap. I.

( 157 )
received from him a code of laws; of which he
gives a large, though an imperfect account.
Juvenal mentions Moſes as the author of a vo-
lune that was preſerved, with great care, among
the jews ; by which the worſhip of images and
the eating of ſwines fleſh were forbidden ; cir-
cumcifion and the obſervation of the ſabbath,
Strictly enjoinedit
Longinus cites Mofes as the lawgiver of the
jews, and a perſon of eminence; and remarks,
zhat he has given a ſpecimen of the true ſublime,
in his account of the creation of the world. I
Numenius, as quoted by Eufebius and Origin,
notices Muſavs, meaning, in all probability, Moſes,
as a leader of the jews, who, by his prayers,
brought great calamities on Egypt ; whom Jamnes
and Jambres, thoſe celebrated magicians, were
not able to refift.
Chalcidius ſpeaks of Moſes as a perſon of emi
nent wiſdom, and as one who prerended to divine
revelation.f
* Tacit. hiſt. book V. chap. III - V. Gordo
tac. vol. IV. p. 476 482
+ Juv. fat. XIV. ver. 96 -- 106.
4 Long. de fub. p. 50.
| Eur. præp. ev. book IX. chap. VIII. book
21. chap. X. orig. againſt cell. book IV. p. 198,
199.
☆ Budæi phil. hiſt. chap. IV. § 22.
o

( 158 )
Diodorus Siculus, in his catalogue of thoſe law.
givers, who pretended to have received their laws
from fore deity, mentions Moſes, as afcribing his
laws to that God whom he calls Jaoh, which, it
is probable, is a corruption of Jehovah. *
And in an extract from his fortieth book, which
is preſerved by Photius, he gives a large, but, in
ſome refpects, an erroneous account of the jews ;
in which he mentions Moſes as a man of diftin.
guithed prudence, who ſettled the jews in the
land of Canaan; inſtituted their religion and laws;
forbad them images; divided the people into
twelve tribes, and eſtabliſhed a prieſthood among
then with judicial authority.t
Juſtin Martyr relates, that moſt of the hiſtori.
ans, poets, lawgivers and philoſophers of the
Greeks, inention Moſes as the leader and prince
of the jewiſh nation ; and, particularly, enume-
rates Polemon; Appion, of Poffidon ; Ptolemy
Mendefius; Hellanicus; Philocorus; Caftor ; Thal-
las, and Alexander Polyhiſtor ; and adds, what
is moft worthy of attention, that they received
their account of Moſes, not from the jers, but
the egyptian prieits; from whom, it is well known,
they collected moſt of their learning. I
garanciaoran
* Diod. fic. 1. I.
+ Diod. fic. ap. phot. bib. No. 244. p. 2051,
2052.
† See Juli. cohort. ad gent. p. 9-11.
Huet.
dem. Pr. IV. C. II. p. 49, &c. Calm. dict. vol.
p. 335--238.

( 159 )
III. THE JEWS BEFORE THE APPEARANCE OF
CHRIST, HAD AMONG THEM THE BOOKS OF
THE OLD TESTAMENT.
THESE books are ſtill extant in the Hebrew
and Chaldee languages, with ſuch marks of ori-
ginality, as prove them to be very ancient.
They were tranſlated into Greek, as before
hath been obſerved, * at the requeſt of Ptolemy
Philadelphus; and the tranſlation was depoſited
in the Alexandrian library.t
Onkelos publiſhed his Chaldee paraphraſe on
the law ; and Jonathan his paraphraſe alſo, on
the prophets, antecedent to the time of Chriſt. I
Joſephus gives a catalogue of theſe books ;||
which, ſince the publication of the goſpel, have
been regarded as genuine, both by jews and
chriſtians
The quotations made from the old teſtament in
the new, are numerous ;+ and ſeveral ancient
Correasonaraveni
* P. 119, Note. .
+ See Prid. con. vol. II. p. 38 et feq. Joſ.
ant. book XII. chap. II. Euſeb. ecclef. hiſt. book
V. chap. VIII.
Calm. dict. in Onko and Jonath. Prid. con.
| Jofe againſt Appion, book I. p. 1036.
+ Theſe quotations, and the expreſs references
in the new teſtament to the old, are computed to
be about ſix hundred.
vol. IV. p. 755

( 160 )
writers, particularly Melito, Gregory Nazianzen,
Origin, Athanafius, Hilary, Epiphanius and Je-
rom, have tranſmitted to us catalogues of theſe
books, *
IV. THE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
POSSESSED BY THE JEWS, AT THE APPEAR-
ANCE OF CHRIST WERE GENUINE.
As Moſes was the lawgiver of the jews, it is
moſt reaſonable to conclude, he would write his
inſtitutions, as ſuch a neafure would have been of
great importance to the jewiſh nation; and feve-
ral authors mention Moſes as a writer, as well as
a lawgiver
It is very probable, that in the polity founded
by Moſes, occaſions of writing hiſtories and laws,
would frequently have occurred; and that the
prophets would not only commit their prophecies
to writing, but by writing alſo, as well as by their
eloquence, endeavor to enforce on mankind the
practice of religion.
The perſons to whom the books of Moſes, and
fucceeding writers, were firſt delivered, were
competent to determine, whether they were genu-
ine or not; and it is rational to believe they would
not have received them, with fuch profound ven-
eration, had they not been fully perſuaded of their
truth. When it is conſidered, how highly theſe
books were eſteemed by the jews in general, and
arriorocarbona
* Du Pin's canon of fcrip. vol I. chap. I.
III.

( 161 )
the intimate connection theſe writings had with
their civil polity, it is abſurd to ſuppoſe that any
material alteration 1hould have been made in
thein, without its having been detected and reject-
ed, with the utmoſt indignation.
Many of the facts recorded in the old teſta.
ment are of a nature ſo public and extraordinary,
that if the books which gave an account of them
had been forged, the circumſtance of their hay-
ing been before unknown, would have prevented
the reception of theſe books.
Several of the inſtitutions contained in the
jewiſh laws were ſo burthenfome, (though deſign-
ed to anſwer very important purpoſes) that
forged books, containing ſuch ordinances, it is
inoſt reaſonable to imagine, would have been
rejected with diſpleaſure.*
The
great diverſity obſervable in the ſtile of
theſe books, renders it improbable that they
ſhould have been compoſed by one perſon ; and
their unity of deſign, that they should have been
the invention of impoſtors, fubſiſting in different
ages. +
The proviſion that was made for the public
reading of the law every ſeventh year, at the
olararorasiaan
* See Bennet on ſcript. p. 72-74. Sher-
Tock on proph. diſs. IV. Warb. div. leg, vol. II.
P. 462, 463
+ See Millar's prop »
vol. I. p. 98.

( 162 )
feaſt of tabernacles,* and the injunction that re-
quired the king to “tranſcribe the law with his
own hand, and to read therein all the days of his
life,”?+ muſt have had an happy tendency to have
preſerved the law from corruption ; and theſe
circumſtances afford an evidence in favor of the
orasanaroroon
* Deut. xxxi. 9 - 14." And Moſes wrote
this law, and delivered it unto the prieſts the fons
of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of
the Lord; and unto all the elders of Iſrael. And
Moſes commanded them ſaying ; at the end of
every ſeven years, in the folemnity of the year of
releaſe, in the feaſt of tabernacles, when all Ifrael
fhall come to appear before the Lord thy God, in
the place which he ſhall chooſe; thou shalt read
this law before all Ifraelin their hearing. Gather
the people together, men, and women, and chil-
dren, and thy ftranger that is within thy gates,
that they may bear, and that they may learn, and
fear the Lord your God, and obſerve to do all
the words of this law ; and that their children
which have not known any thing, may hear and
learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye
live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to
poffefs it."
+ Deut. xvii. 18--19." And it ſhall be when
he fitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that
he ihall write him a copy of this law in a book,
out of that which is before the priefts the Levites;
and it ſhall be with bint, and he ſhall read therein,
all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear
the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this
law and there itatutes to-do tliem,"?

( 163 )
authenticity of theſe books, much greater than cam
be urged in behalf of any other ancient writing.
The charge alſo that was given to private per-
fons, to become intimately acquainted with the
contents of the law, and to teach it to their chil.
dren,* muſt greatly have contributed to have
preſerved it in its original purity ; and the falu-
tary effect of this ineafure hath been noticed by a
jewiſh writer of reputation. +
V. THE OLD TESTAMENT AS NOW EXTANT IN
THE HEBREW, HATH BEEN PRESERVED TO
US UNCORRUPT, SINCE THE COMMENCE-
MENT OF CHRISTIANITY,
SINCE the promulgation of the goſpel, the
jews, had they been ſo diſpoſed, could not have
corrupted theſe writings, without having been
detected by the chriſtians ; nor could the chriſtians
mara
* .
Deut. vi. 6 to 10.
66 And theſe words
which I command thee this day, ſhall be in thy
heart: And thou ſhalt teach thein diligently unto
thy children, and thalt talk of them when thou
fertelt in thy houſe ; and when thou walkeſt by
the way; and when thou lieft down, and when
thou riſeft up.
And thou ſhalt bind them for a
ſign upon thine hand, and they ſhall be as frontlets
between thine eyes. And thou faalt write them
upon the poſts of thy houſe, and on thy gates."
+ See Millar's prop. vol. 1. p. 1, &c. Nich.
Conf. vol. IV. p. 17, &c. Jeukins's chriſtianity,
vol. I. p. 169, &c.

( 164 )
have falſified the text of the old teftament, had
ſuch been their defire, without the notice of the
jews. Thus the chriſtians and jews, ſeverally
holding the books of the old teſtament in the
higheit veneration, and regarding them to be of
the utmoſt importance, were a mutuel check
(though, it is preſumed, an unneceſſary one,) to
the preſervation of theſe books unadulterated.
About the beginning of the chriſtian æra, the
old teſtament was tranſlated into the Chaldee,
and alſo into the Jeruſalem language, which was
half Syriac. Theſe tranſlations were ſucceeded
by ſeveral Greek verſions ; the verſion of Aquila ;
that of Symmachus, and the Theodotian ; which
Origin, and other ancient authors, compared with
the Septuagint, and perceived they were authen-
tic
;
and theſe verſions are ſtill extant.
Philo flouriſhed in the reign of Caligula, and
Jofephus lived 'till the days of Veſpaſian. Each
of theſe writers quoted paffages from the hebrew
text of the old teitament ; which agree with the
hebrew bible of the preſent period.
Great numbers of the firſt profeſſors of chriſ-
tianity were hebrews, and many chriſtians, in the
early ages of the church, ftudied the hebrew lan-
guage; but ſo far were they from charging the
jews with corrupting the text of the old teftament,
that they bear teſtimony to its purity in the peri-
ods in which they lived :* And the Maforites
( aaraonaranan
* See Da Piu's canon, vol. I. chap. IV. 111
VII Jones's crit. lect. chap. IV. $ 70-74. Chap.

( 165 )
were fo fedulous to preſerve the copy of the jew,
ith ſcriptures free from corruption, that they num,
bered even the lines, words and letters in each
book.+
VI. MANY IMPORTANT FACTS, RECORDED IN
THE OLD TESTAMENT, ARE MENTIONED BY
VERY ANCIENT HEATHEN AUTHORS.
SEVERAL heathen nations, particularly the
Phoenicians, Indians, Egyptians, Greeks and Ro-
mans, had a tradition concerning the original of
COาวราช 5 รายการ
XIII-XVIII. M. S. Turret, vol. I queft. x. Ø 5
-13. Walton's prol. to polyg. bib. Stackh. hift.
bib. appar. P. 35
Grotius on the truth of the
chriſt. relig. p. 174. Boluet’s univ. hift. vol. II.
p. 148. And Bryant, on the truth of the chriſtian
religion, p. 28.
+ The Majorites were certain jewiſh doctors,
who were wholly employed to examine and
criticiſe upon the true orthography of the canon.
ical books of ſcripture; to determine, to pre-
ſerve, and to tranfiit to paſerity, the genuine
reading and pronunciation of the hebrew, by af-
fixing to it proper accents and vowel points.
Dr. Lightfoot obferves, that " they fummed
up all the letters in the bible, to hew, that not a
ſtroke of that ſacred book hath periſhed ; and,
therefore, had we no other proof of the truth
of the text of the old teſtament, the labors of
theſe men would be ſufficient to convince us of
its validity.” Works, vol. I. p. 999 .

( 166 )
the world, in ſome reſpects ſimilar to the Moſaic
account of the creation.
The diviſion of time into weeks obtained very
anciently, not only among the inhabitants of
Greece and Italy, as we are informed by Joſe.
phus, Philo Byblius, Clemens Alexandrinus and
Lucian, but alſo among the Celtæ and Indians, as
Philoftratus, Dion Caffius, and Juſtin Martyrre-
late; and of this truth we have a further evidence
from the ancient names given to the days of the
week. +
Diodorus Siculus, Plato, Dicæarchus, Calanus
che Indian philoſopher, and ſeveral other writers,
mention man in a ſtate of innocence, and alſo his
apoſtacy1
The many years which men lived in the early
causearenduse
more
* See Cumberland's Sanchoniathon, p. I-
23.
Burnet's archæol. book I. chap. I-VI. book
II. chap. I. Ray's III diſc. Grotius on the truth
of the chrift. relig. book I. chap. XVI. univ. hift.
vol. I. p. II — 17.
+ See Grotius, p. 41, 42. Rollin's hift. vol.
IV. p. 416. Selden de Jure N. & Gent. lib. III.
cap. XVI-XXIII. præf. cap. XVI, XIX.
— fol.
† See Grotius, p. 42, 43. Burnets archäol.
book II. chap. II, III. Rev. exainined with
cand. vol. I. p. 80, 81. Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol.
II. p. 246. Still, orig. ſac. p. 516. Owen on
ferp. diſs. IV. V.

( 167 )
many other
ages
of the world, are noticed by Beroſus, Mane.
tho, Hiromus, Helanicus, Hefiod and
writers. *
Beroſus, Abidenus, Plutarch, Lucian, Mela,
Nicholas Damafcenus, and alſo many of the hea-
then poets, mention the deluge. +
Alexander Polyhiſtor quotes Artapanus and
Eupolemus, as mentioning the Tower of Babel;
Abydenus alfo and Heftiæus mention the ſame
building, and ſome of the circumſtances which at-
tended the diſappointment of that enterprize. I
Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, Tacitus, Pliny and
Solinus, mention the deſtruction of Sodom and Go-
morrah, and the cities in their vicinity, much in
the ſame manner as is related by Moſes; the truth
of whoſe account, is, in ſome degree, confirmed
by what modern travellers, of credit, have re-
ported with regard to the phænomenon of the
dead ſea.*
erara aroroon
* See Grotius, p. 44• Joſ. ant. book I. chap.
III. SIX.
† See Grotius, p. 47 — 52. Ray's III diſc.
Saurius' diſs. vol. I. p. 131 - 134. Still, orig.
fac. lib. III. cap. IV.S VIII. Univ. hiſt. vol. I.
p. 112. fol.
I See Euſeb. praæp. evan. lib. IX. cap. XIV,
XV, XVIII.
* See Tacit. hiſt. lib. V. cap. VII. Whitby's
cert. of the chriſtian faith, p. 36- 39. Pliny's
nat. hiſt. lib. V. cap. XVI. Lib. XXXV. cap.
XV. Solinus, cap. XXXVI. Grotius, p. 58, 59.
Maundrel's travels, p. 83 - 85. Univ. hiſt. vol.
I. p. 576, 577, fol.

(
( 168 )
Beroſus, Alexander Polyhiſtor, Damafcenus,
Artapanus, and other ancient hiſtorians, make
expreſs and honorable mention of Abraham and
his family; and ſome of theſe writers, relate his
interviews with Melchizedeck. To which may be
added, the account that Trogus Pompeius gives
of Abraham; and the declaration of Jofephus, that
Hæcatæus wrote the life of this patriarch.*
· Eupolemus and Dius, mention many circumſtan-
ces reſpecting Divid and Solomon, which corref-
pond with the old teſtament; and Heroditus
has a remarkable paſſage concerning the deſiruc-
tion of the Allyrians, in the reign of Hezekiah, in
which Sennacherib is expreflly mentioned. +
Not any thing is more common to be met with,
in ancient writers, than the faripture account of
Nebuchadnezzar, and fome of the ſucceeding kings
of Babylon, and alſo of Cyrus and his ſuccellors. I
okolo
* See Tof. ant. lib. I. cap. VII.5
II. Juft. lib.
XXXVIII. cap. II. Mill. prop. of chriſtian, vol.
1. p. 114, 115. Euſeb. prar, evan, lib. IX. cap.
XVII-XXIII.
See Euſeb, præp. evan. lib. IX. cap.
XXXIV, & XXXIX -- XLI. Jof. ant. lib.
VII. cap. II. Ib. contra app. lib. 1. p. 1340.
Millar prop. of chriſtian. vol
. I. p. 123 - 127
Prido con. vol. 1. p. 25. Herod. hiſt. lib. II.
Cap.
# For many other particulars, on this fubject,
ſee Grotius, book I. XVI. Book III. r XVI.
Jenkins's chriftianity, vol. I. p. 95-107. Stacks
hiit. bib. appar. p. 18.

( 169 )
VII. THE IMPORTANCE AND EXCELLENCE OF
THE MOSAIC HISTORY OF THE CREATI.
ON.
The hiſtory of the creation by Moſes, is form-
ed on a religious ſcheme. The doctrine of the
unity and infinite perfections of God, is eſtabliſh-
ed as the firſt principle. “ In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth.” The
great-
nefs of the work demonſtrated the fuperior per-
fections of the divine architect.
" In the beginning” God exerted his power
and will to give exiſtence to heaven and earth;
or to bring all things into being. Moſes here in-
timates the eternity of the creator, and his uncre-
ated independence, while he forcibly afferts that
every other thing was made in time. He aſcribes
all the great effects in the viſible and inviſible
worlds, to the power of God; which is afcribing
them to the only adequate cauſe.
This firſt verſe, therefore, in the book of Gen-
elis, may be regarded as a general preface to the
whole hiſtory ; in which the ſacred hiſtorian ex-
hibits, as in an exordium, this general truth,
that one God created the whole univerſe, and eve-
ry ſpecies of beings.
This account is intelligible and creditable ; for
we behold theſe things which Moſes relates to
have been made. We have clear perceptions of
his ſubject; and we ſee theſe, material beings
acted upon, agreeable to their ſeveral natures ;
not theſe material things transformed into intelli-
gences, and becoming Gods by their own power ;
who were only matter, and, antecedently, had no
P

(
170)
intelligence; as they are repreſented in the cof-
mogonies of peganiſin; nor do we obſerve thoſe
other fabulous beings, ſuch as ſatyrs, nymphs,
furies and fawns; which exiſted only in the ima-
gination of heathen writers !
But we behold multitudes of material beings,
placed in ſuch ſituations by the creator, where,
by his omnipotent will and act, they are made
uſeful, without aſcribing to them thought and
deſign.
We behold the rays of the fun ſhining forth,
and imparting light and heat. By the operation
of heat upon oceans, and on the ſurface of the
earth, we behald vapors and inits ariſe ; collect
into clouds, and remain ſuſpended in the atmoſ-
phere, until they deſcend in dews and flowers ;
and hereby we perceive the air cleanſed from thoſe
groſs, heterogeneous particles, exhaled from dif-
ferent foils, and which would have rendered the
air inſalubrious.
But theſe vapors and milts, and dews and
hhovers, are not emerging and deſcending Gods,
or intelligences, & onerated out of material princi-
ples, in an atheiſiicel and unphilofophical theogo-
ny ! But the effects of the operations of one
God upon matter, according to its proper na-
ture.
I his divine narrative of Moſes was written in
a plain, popular ſtile ; adapted to the information
aid edirication of all men. The fair book of
nature, which all may read in its preſent exil-
tence and excellence, is opened, and its original
lines are logiuk; ſo that its beauties inay not be

( 171 )
concealed from view ; nor the humble inquirer
be led aſtray in his reſearches concerning the
author of this great volume of nature, and its
uſe.
It is declared to have been made in time ;
not jumbled together by chance, but formed by
infinite wiſdom and power.
The infinite be
nignity alſo of the creator is manifeſt; ſince this
immenſe fabric is evidently deſigned to anſwer
many uſeful ends. Here, therefore, we diſcern
the foundation of our pious and devout homage to
the omnipotent and beneficent CREATOR! What
excellent lectures then of virtue, piety and univer-
ſal benevolence, may be deduced from this ach
count of the origin of the univerſe ! *
conosciorarsiaran
* See Winder's hift. of knowledge, pref. p.
7, 8. vol. II. p. 91, 92.
Dr. Winder dwells,
with great propriety, on the Mofaic account of
the creation, and ſhews that it is not inconſiſtent
with true philoſophy. Ib. p. 93 -- 102.
See, on this ſubject, thoughts concerning God
and nature, chap. VI. Barrow's works, vol. II.
P.
Stackh. bod. div. vol. 1. chap. IV.
Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. II. chap XI. Rain.
fay's philoſophical principles, vol. 11. chap. IV.
And Bosuit's univ. hift. vol. I.
p. 187.
The learned Sir John Hill, in his treatiſe above
mentioned, entitled, thoughits concerning God
and nature, exhibits the traditional opinions of the
moſt ancient nations ; the Egyptians'; the Chi-
neſe ; the Babylonialis ; the Indians; the Japa-

( 172 )
VIII. MIRACLES.
« To fix the certainty of revelation, ſays an ex-
saracaciones
neſe, and the Utrurians; and alſo the ſentiments
of the various Greek philoſophers concerning God
and the origin of the world ; and evinces that
ſeveral ideas of the Moſaic account of the creation,
(eſpecially among the nations of the remoteſt an.
tiquity) obtained among them. Book I. chap,
XXI ---- XXVIII. Book II. And he alſo fhews,
that“ it was a departure from the Moſaic doctrines,
that gradually led to Atheiſm.” Book III.
Various hypotheſes have been formed by men,
in different ages, of the origin of the world; and
ignorance, pride and folly, have occaſioned ſome
perſons, eſpecially, in modern times, to cenſure the
Moſaic account of the creation and to deem it un-
philoſophical. But theſe ſyſtems of the creation
of the world are contradictory, puerile and abſurd,
and ſhould teach us to be grateful for that account
of the origin of the univerſe, which the almighty
creator hath been pleaſed to communicate to us in
the holy ſcriptures.
A learned and judicious writer, on this ſubject,
remarks, that all the hypotheſes which have been
invented, cannot afford a rational and an inquiſitive
mind any ſatisfaction. That they ſeem to have
been written through variity and oftentation ; to
diſplay wit, rather than to demonſtrate truth; and
have, therefore, but little or no foundation for
their ſupport, except what hath been derived from
a fruitful invention. And, indeed, as he juftly

( 173 )
cellent writer, and eſtabliſh religion upon a firm
srooiassora
remarks, how could it be otherwiſe?--As the par-
ticular manner of the origination of things is ſuch
a matter of factmas is not within the limits of hu-
man diſcovery, muſt not men neceſſarily be igno.
rant of it; or have as imperfect conceptions reſ-
pecting it, as a blind man hath of colours, unleſs
they receive information on the ſubject by the al-
mighty creator of the world, who alone is compe-
tent to give it ?
Suppoſe, it is added, in a country abounding
with ſcholars, of various fects of philoſophy, but
unacquainted with mechanical engines, a curious
artiſt, (to diſcover their ſpeculations) fhould leave
in a field or forreſt, an ingenious piece of mechan-
iſm, a watch, forinſtance, with the configurations of
the various phaſes of the moon; the motion and
place of the fun in the ecliptick, and feveral other
indications of celeſtial motions, as well as thehours
of the day, accurately expreſſed ; and let it alſo
be ſuppoſed, thatthis mechanical production ſhould
be diſcovered by ſome of theſe philoſophical ftu-
dents in their ambulations; how erroneous would be
their opinions reſpecting this phenomenon ?
The epicurean, for inſtance, agreeable to his
hypothefis, would affirm, that this watch was only
an accidental concretion of utoms, which, having
happily fallen together, by a little innate motion,
and fortunate chance, formed the index, the wheels,
the balance, and every other part of the machine!
The Carteſian agrees with him, in the principle
P 2

( 174 )
foundation, it pleaſed God to give it two forts of
on which his affirmation is founded ; but imagin-
ing he has not fufficiently explained, how the
watch received its motion, he largely expatiates on
a certain fubtile matter, that pervades it, and gives
motion to its moveable parts; which conſiſt of cer-
tain globular atoms, that poſſeſs an aptitude for
motion !
A third philoſopher, cenſures the epicurean and
carteſian, and, with confidence, affures them, that
he has a more evident folution of the phenome-
non; namely, the univerſal foul of the world;
which, having formed ſuch a variety of infects,
with ſo many organs and faculties, and ſuch a
congruity, in their whole compoſition, made this
admirable automaton alſo !
But an ariſtotelion, being diſatisfied with all
their folutions, peremptorily aſſures them, that
they are miſtaken; that their hypotheſes are fala-
cious, and the frimſey cobwebs of their own ima.
ginations; and pronounces the machine to be eter-
nal, and alſo all its motions ; for as a circular motion
has neither beginning nor ending, this motion,
both in the index and wheels, is eternal ; it had
no beginning, nor will it have an end !
While theſe philofophers were thus expreſſing
their various and oppoſite fentiments, the artiſt of
the watch makes his appearance; and having been
informed of their wiſe debates, he is willing to al-
low them to be poſſeſſed of great
fertility of inven-
tian, but explicitly aſſures them, that all their opi-

( 175 )
proof, which were, at the ſame time, ſuited to
the capacities of the moſt ſimple, and ſuperior to
all the ſubtleties of the incredulous, and which
viſibly bore the character of omnipotenice.
Theſe two forts of proof were miracles and
prophecies.
The miracles were public and notorious ;
expoſed to the eyes of all the world, infinitely mul .
tiplied and diverſified ; long foretold and es.
pected, and continued for a long ſeries of days
and ſometimes years. They were evident facts,
wanancon
nions are erroneous, for that he himſelf made the
machine ; and, for their fatisfaction, demonſtrates
the progreſs of his operations,
This plain diſcovery, might juſtly cauſe theſe
philoſophers to bluſh for their confidence, igno-
rance and vanity, and renders their ſpeculations
perfectly ridiculous!
In like manner, adds this writer, the plain, and
unatjected narrative of the original of the world,
communicated to us by the great creator of all
things, through the medium of Moses, isforational,
that it affords us juſt ideas of this great myſtery:
ſhould cauſe ignorant and conceited men to be co.
vered with ſbame, who have obtruded on the pub-
lic, their falſe and contradictory theories of the
origin of the univerſe! Theories which loudly pro-
claim their vanity and folly, and, in ſome degree,
their criminality! See Stackh. bod, div. vol. I,
p. 179, 180.

( 176 )
memorable events, of which the dulleſt unders
ſtanding could not but be fenfible ; where of the
whole people were not only ſpectators and wit-
nelies, but themſelves the matter and object;
they reaped the advantages of them and perceiv-
ed the effects, and had their own happineſs or
miſery depending on them.
The family of Noah could not forget the dea
fruction of the whole world by the deluge, af-
ter the continued menaces of an age ; nor the
miraculous manner in which they alone were
preſerved in the ark. The fire that came down
from heaven upon the unrighteous cities ; the
whole kingdom of Egypt puniſhed at different
times by ten terrible plagues ; the ſea opening a
paffage to the Iſraelites, and cloſing to over-
whelin Pharaoh and his army; the people of
Ifrael fed with manna for forty years, and drink-
ing of the brooks which flowed out of the ſtony
rocks; covered with a cloud from the heat of
the day, and enlightened by night with a pillar
of fire; their clothes and their shoes not worn
out in the courſe of ſo long a journey; the
ſtreams of Jordan ceaſing to flow, and the fun
ftanding ſtill to ſecure a victory ; an army of
hornets going before the people of God, to drive
the Canaanites from their poſſeſſions ; the clouds,
at ſeveral times, converted into a ſhower of
hail-ftones to overthrow the enemy; the nations
in league againſt Ifrael diſperſed by a vain terror,
or exterminated by a mutual flaughter in turning
their arms againſt one another; an hundred
fourſcore and five thouſand ſtruck dead with
thunder in one night under the walls of Jeruſa-
Jem; all theſe prodigies, and many others of
a like nature, whereof ſeveral were attefted by

( 177 )
ſolemn feafts, eſtabliſhed to perpetuate their men
mory, and by ſacred ſongs, which were in the
mouths of all the Ifraelites, could not be un-
known to the moft ftupid, nor called in queſtion
by the moſt incredulous." *
« The miracles related in the books of the
new teſtament, ſays Mr. Harwood, are ſo cir.
cumſtanced as to preclude all reaſonable doubt
of their reality, and add the ſtrongeſt confirma-
tion to their divine authority. They are ſuch
operations as tranſcend all human power to effect
them, or any foppoſed art of magic or impofture
to perform. Curing the moſt inveterate diſor-
ders by a fingle touch or a ſingle word, and in-
ſtantaneouſly reſtoring thofe whoſe maladies had
baffled all the power of medicine, to perfect
health in a moment. Giving fight to thoſe born
blind ; expelling obſtinate leprofies ; making thoſe
who wanted a limb, perfect; thoſe who were
bowed double, ſtraight; thoſe who ſhook with the
palſy, robuit; nerving the withered arm with
ſtrength ; reſtoring the infane to reaſon and the
dead to life.
Thefe fupernatural operations were not
wrought in a few inſtances, with heſitation and
diffidence, but every week and every day were
witneſſes to numerous inſtances of them, for a fuc-
ceflive ſeries of years ; ſothat all fufpicion of human
management, compact and deceit, was for ever
precluded. Nor were thefe aftoniſhing actions
performed in fequeſtered cells and folitudes, cau-
orarara
care
* Rollin's belles lettres, vol. III. p. 84, 852

( 178 )
tiouſly ſhunning the light of truth, and the ſcru.
tiny of officious enquirers. They were exhibited
in the face of day,-before infinite multitudes,-
and ſubmitted, without any parade and oftenta-
tion, to their calm and deliberate examination).
The ſcene of them was laid in the villages, towns,
and metropolis of Judea,--they were wrought on
the moſt public theatre, before immenſe numbers
that crowded from all parts,---friends and enemies
indiſcriminately. Thouſands attended who would
have rejoiced to have detected the impoſture of
them, and ſcrutinized them, and the perſons on
whom they were wrought, with the niceſt fubt-
ilty and ftricteſt accuracy, to explore the falſe.
hood and fallacy of them. The perſons who had
experienced theſe miraculous effects, and had
been cured of blindneſs, of the leprofy, of the
palſy, or raiſed from the dead, lived many years
afterwards the public monuments of thein car.
rying about with them, in their own perſons, the
foll conviction of theſe amazing operations.
They were wrought in profeſſed atteſtation to
the divine miffion and character of thoſe by whom
they were performed, and in confirmation of the
doctrine they delivered. They were not vainly
and oftentatiouſly laviſhed to ſatisfy an idle curiofi.
ty, and to catch the vain breath of popular ap-
plauſe. The power with which they were en-
dued was not employed in performing dexter-
ous feats of idle ſkill, to amuſe and aftoniſh a gas
zing populace. They were all exerted in works
of humanity and beneficence'; in freeing the diſ-
eaſed from long and incureable diſtempers, and
reftoring them to eafe, and enjoyment. Neither
were they wrought in confirmation of the popular
religion ; to exalt a national eſtabliſhment, and
aggrandize the country that profeſſed it, but in
;

( 179 )
direct oppoſition to it, and contrary to all the in-
veterate prejudices and warm prepoſſeſſions of
the illuſtrious and great, as well as the whole be-
dy of the people. The adverſaries, alſo, of this
religion, who lived in, or near theſe times, never
once attempted to invalidate or diſprove them ;
they allowed, they were forced to allow, their re-
ality. The facts they did not deny, but labored
to account for them from the art of magic, and a
pretended confederacy and compact with Beelze-
bub the prince of the demons. Another circum-
ſtance too, which confirms the truth and validity
of theſe miracles is, that great numbers of per-
fons, who were ſpectators of them, were convin.
ced by thein, notwithſtanding the ſtrongeſt pre-
judices they had formed againſt the religion theſe
atteſted; and in conſequence of their conviction,
embraced the goſpel from the moſt indubitable
perfuafion of its truth ; inviolably adhered to the
profeffion of it, and ſealed their belief of it
with their blood. The perſons who delivered
to us the accounts of theſe miracles, who were
eye
witneſſes of them, who
were endued
with a
power of effecting them, and were
enabled to communicate this power to others,
were men of the greateſt probity and integrity :
gave all the proofs and evidences that rational be-
ings can do, of their conſcientious fincerity ; per-
fifted in their teftimony to the divine authority
and truth of the goſpel with inflexible conſtancy,
and met perſecution and death itſelf, in all the
horrors with which bigotry and ſuperſtition could
clothe them, with a heroiſin and greatneſs of foul
that human philoſophy never equalled."*
siosaisio
* Harwood's introdnction to the new teſta.
ment, vol. I. p. 39 -- 43

( 130 )
Several deiſts have exerted their abilities to
deſtroy the credibility of miracles, but in vain
their flimſey objections againſt this moſt rational
and ſenſible evidence, in favor of divine revela-
tion, have been frequently and fully confuted.--
To ſuch characters, Mr. Knox thus addreſſes
himſelf.
10 onorailasanara
* Among theſe deifts we may juftly number
Mr. Hume, whoſe ſophiſtical arguments, in his
eſſay on miracles, are, in a maſterly manner, re-
futed by Dr. Adams, in his efſay on miracles ;
by the author alſo of the criterion, or miracles
examined ; by Dr. Campbell, in his diſſertation
on miracles; and likewiſe by Dr. Price, in his
IVth diſſertation.
great ſervice.
This eminent writer remarks, that the oppoſi-
tion hitherto made to chriſtianity, hath done it
" It hath been the means, ſays
he, of cauſing it to be better underſtood ; of
ſhewing, in a clearer light, on what foundation
of evidence it ſtands, and of removing from it
many incumbrances and adulterations which, for
many ages, have, unhappily, diſguiſed and de-
baied it. We may reaſonably hope for more and
more of theſe good effects, as unbelievers go on
io exert their ſtrength againſt divine revelation.
Let no one, therefore, be diſquieted, on account
of their writings. Much leſs, let any one think
of calling in the aid of civil authority to ſilence
them. As chriſtianity is of God, we may be al-
ſured, that it will endure any trial, and in the
end prevail.” Diſſertations, p. 365, 366.

(181 )
*** INFIDELS, ſays he, tell us, that miracles are
impoſſible, ſeeing God has eſtabliſhed the courſe
of nature invariably from the beginning, and will
not alter it; and, therefore, the chriſtian revela-
tion, which is pretended to be eſtabliſhed by mira-
cles, muſt be a fable !
This opinion of infidels muſt proceed, either
from a notion that God himſelf, who has eſtab-
liſhed the order and courſe of nature, cannot va-
ry from it ; or that God is determined in all his
actions, either by fome external neceſſity (and this
is Hobbs's doctrine of neceſſity above the Gods);
or elſe, by an eternal fitneſs of things, abſolutely
independent on his will; both of which are ab.
furd and extremely injurious to the character of the
deity! For the will of God, directed by the dic-
tates of his own wiſdon and goodneſs, muſt be
the cauſe of all his works; otherwiſe he is not a
free and independent being, and to ſuppoſe this,
deſtroys the very notion and idea of a God! If,
therefore, God is an infinitely perfect and free be-
ing, he is able to do whatſoever does not imply a
contradi&tion. But what contradiction does it
imply, to ſtop that fun a few hours over the val-
ley of Jehoſaphat, which he firſt put in motion?
Or to raiſe the dead, to whom he firſt
he firſt gave life?
Or to turn water into wine? Or to reftore health
to the ſick ; or fight to the blind; or hearing to
the deaf; or ſpeech to the dumb ; who at firſt
gave life, and ears, and eyes, and tongues to all
perſons ? Was it impoſſible for God to alter the
laws he made, or to perform things without
the help of natural cauſes, who formed nature
itſelf? Eſpecially when theſe miraculous works
were performed for the moſt neble, neceſſary and
Q

( 182 )
beneficent end, namely, to give credit and au-
thority to a divine revelation.??*
" Miraculous facts, ſays Doctor Beattie, are not
to be ranked with impoſſibilities. There was a
timre, when the matter that compoſes my body
was as void of life, as it will be when it ſhall have
lain twenty years in the grave ; when the elemen.
tary particles, whereof iny eye is made, could
110 more enable a percipient being to ſee, than
they can now enable one to ſpeak; and when
that which forms the ſubſtance of this hand was
as inert as a ſtone. Yet now, by the goodneſs of
the creator, the firſt lives, the laſt moves, and by
means of the fecond, I perceive light and co-
lours. And if almighty power can bring about
all this gradually, by one particular fucceflion of
cauſes and effects, may not the fame power per-
form it in an inſtant, and by the operation of
other cauſes to us unkown? Or will the atheilt
fay (and none who believes in God can doubt the
poffibility of iniracles) that he himſelf knows eve-
ry polfible cauſe that can operate in the produc-
tion of any effect? Or is he certain that there
is no ſuch thing in the univerſe as almighty
power
To raiſe a dead man to life : to cure blindneſs
with a touch ; to remove lamenels, or any other
bodily imperfection, by ſpeaking a word, are all
miracles; but muit all be as ealy to the author
of nature, or to any perſon commiſſioned by him
for that purpose, as to give life to an embryo,
cornerstones
* Knox's diſcourſes, vol. I. p. 75, 76.

( 183 )
make the eye an organ of ſight, or canſe vegeta.
bles to revive in the ſpring. And, therefore, if a
perſon, declaring himſelf to be fent of God, or
inveſted with divine power, and faying and doing
what is worthy of ſuch a commiſſion, thould per-
förın miracles like theſe, mankind would have the
beſt reaſon to believe, that his authority was re-
ally from heaven.
As the common people have neither tine nor
capacity for deep reafening ; and as a divine reve-
lation of religion muſt be intended for all forts
of men, the vulgar as well as the learned, the
poor as well as the rich, it is neceſſary, that the
evidence of ſuch a revelation thould be of that
kind which may command general attention, and
convince men of all ranks and characters, and
fhould therefore be level to every capacity.??*
et It hath been often aſked, ſays Mr. Bryant,
as there have been accounts of miracles in all
ages, how are we to diftinguiſh between the true
and the falſe ? By what rule can we proceed in
order to make a proper eſtimate ? Let the mira.
cles of our faviour be laid down for a rule, by
which others may be meaſured, and fee, if thoſe
others will abide that teſt. See, if there was a
due call for the divine interpofirion , if the ob-
jects were worthy of that influence, which is af.
forded by the holy, fpirit. Did they tend to
the good of the foul, as well as the health of the
body, and were they attended with that internal
ricerccrcicios
* Beattie on the evidences of the chriſtian re-
ligion, p. 26 – 28a 1974 sex analnost

( 184 )
evidence, with which thoſe of our faviour were
accompanied? And were they authenticated by
ſuch external evidence, as thoſe in the ſcriptures
are known to have been; and had they multi-
tudes, who witneſſed to their truth? For, as the
apoſtle fays, of the operations of Chriſt, Theſe
things were not done in a corner. From hence,
we may obtain a criterion by which we may diſ-
tinguiſh between truth and falſehood; and not
be miſguided by legendary fictions.
I have mentioned that multitudes were witnef.
fes to the miracles of Chriſt. Undoubtedly ma-
ny thouſand could have given atteſtation to their
being performed. This proves to a demonſtra.
tion, there is in their hiſtory no fiction ; but that
theſe wonderful works were certainly accompliſh-
ed, and believed. For the evangeliſts wrote pri-
marily for the jews : and St. Matthew's goſpel
is particularly faid to have been written in He.
brew, for the ſake of the people in Judea. Had
there been no truth in theſe operations ; if Chriſt
did not feed the five thouſand ; nor raiſe the
dead ; nor give fight to the blind ; theſe thou-
fands would have riſen up againſt the apoſtles,
and convicted them of a moſt groſs forgery. It
was impoflible for the diſciples of Chriſt to have
publifhed to all the inhabitants of Judea, a pre..
tended ſeries of wonders, which would have been
contradicted in every inſtance, and univerſally
exploded. They would have ruined their cauſe
by the very means which they adopted for its
ſupport. But the fact was impoſſible. How can
we ſuppoſe that a few men of Galilee, obnoxious
and of no eſteem, could perſuade a whole nation,
that they beheld, what they never ſaw; and that
they heard what was never told them? Such an

( 185 )
impoſture could not have been conceived a much
leſs carried into execution. They would never
havė dared to have mentioned, that there was
darkneſs over the whole land at the crucifixion,
if no ſuch darkneſs had prevailed. The goſpel
therefore was not founded on fiction ; its rapid
progreſs ſhews the contrary; and the miracles
are, paſt controverſy, confirmed by the numbers
of the jewish nation, who ſubſcribed to theſe
truths."*
IX. PROPHESY. 10
“One of the ſtrongeſt evidences for the truth
of revealed religion, ſays Biſhop Newton, in the
introduction to his diſertations on the prophecies,
is that ſeries of propheſies which is preſerved in
the old and new teitament; and a greater fer-
vice, perhaps, could not be done to chriſtianity,
than to collect the ſeveral predictions of ſcripture,
with their completions, to ſhow how particularly
things have been foretold, and how perfectly ful-
filled. A work of this kind was defired by Lord
Bacon, in his advancement of learning; he enti.
tled it the hiſtory of propheſy; and therein would
have " every propheſy of the feripture forted,
Lorenzorion
* Bryant on the truth of the chriſtian religion,
p. 107 -- 110. See, on the fubject of miracles,
Burnet on the XXXIX articles, p, 77, &c. Jen-
kins's chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 26, &c. Doddridge's
lectures, prop. XC. Grotius, book V. \ II, HI.
Boffuet's hilt. vol. II. p. 129. Bp. Warfon's,
apology, p. 52, &c. And Soame Jenýns's works,
vol. II. p. 218, 219.
Q 2

( 186 )
with the event fulfilling the fame, throughout
the
ages of the world; both, for the better con-
firmation of faith,” as he faith, and for the bet.
ter illumination of the church, touching thoſe
parts of prophefies which are yet unfulfilled.”
Such a work would, indeed, be a great con-
firmation of our faith, it being the prerogative
of God alone, or of thoſe who are commiſſioned
by him, certainly to foretell future events ; and
the conſequence is ſo plain and neceſſary, from
the believing of propheſies to the believing of
revelation, that an infidel hath no way of evading
the concluſion, but by denying the prerniſes.
But why fhould it be thought incredible for God,
upon ſpecial occaſions, to foretell future events ?
Or how could a divine revelation be better
attefted and confirmaed than by propheſies?
It is certain that God hath perfect knowledge of
futurity, and foreſees all things to come as well
as comprehends every thing paſt or preſent. It
is certain too, that as he knoweth them perfectly
himſelf, ſo he may reveal them to others in what
degrees and proportions he pleaſeth ; and that
he actually hath revealed then, in ſeveral in-
ftances, every man muſt ackuowledge, who com-
pares the ſeveral prophefies
of fcripture with the
events fulfilling the ſame.
But ſo many ages have paſſed ſince the ſpirit
of propheſy hath ceaſed in the world, that ſome
perſons imagine, that no ſuch thing ever exiſted,
and that what we call predictions, are only hifto-
ries written, after the events had happened, in a
prophetic ſtile and manner : which is eaſily faid,
indeed, but hath never been proved, nor is there
one argument to prove it.
On the contrary,

( 187 )
there are all the proofs and authorities, which
can be had in caſes of this nature, that the pro-
phets propheſied in ſuch and fuch
ages,
and the
events happened afterwards in ſuch and ſuch ages :
you have as much reaſon to believe theſe, as
you have to believe any ancient matters of fact
whatever ; and by the fame rule that you deny
theſe, you may as well deny the credibility of all
ancient hiſtory.
But ſuch is the temper and genius of infidels !
They underſtand neither what they ſay ; nor where
of they afirm, and ſo betray their own igno-
ranice, rather than acknowledge the force of di-
vine truth ; and aſſert things without the leaſt
fhadow of proof, rather than admit the ſtrongeſt
proofs of divine revelation! It betrays ignorance,
indeed, altogether unworthy of perſons of liberal
education, not to know when fach authors flou-
riſhed, and fach remarkable events happened ;
and it muſt be ſomething worſe than ignorance to
aſſert things without the leaſt appearance of
proof, contrary to all the marks and characters
by which we judge of the truth and genuineneſs
of ancient authors; contrary to the wliole tenor
of hiſtory both ſacred and profane, which, in this
refpect, give much light and alliftarice to each
other; and yet theſe are the men, who would be
thought to lee farther and to know more than
other people, and will believe nothing without
evident proof and demonitration !
The faets, ſay they, were prior to the predic-
tions, and the propheſies were written after the
hiſtories. But what if we ſhould be able to
prove the truth of propheſy, and conſequently the
truth of revelation, not by an induction of par-
tịculars long foretold and fulfilled, the predictions

( 188 )
whereof you may therefore ſuppoſe to have been
written after the hiſtories ; but by inſtances of
things which have confeſſedly many ages ago
been foretold, and have in theſe latter ages been
fulfilled, or are fulfilling at this very time ; ſo that
you cannot poſſibly pretend the propheſies to
have been written after the events, but muſt ac-
knowledge the events, many ages after, to cor-
reſpond exactly with the predictions many ages
before? This province we will now enter upon,
and we will not only produce inſtances of things
foretold with the greateſt clearneſs in ages pre-
ceding, and fulfilled with the greateſt exactneſs
in ages following, if there is any truth in hiſtory,
facred or profane ; but we will alſo (to de-
ſtroy the objection entirely) inlift chiefly upon
ſuch prophefies, as are known to have been writ-
ten and publithed in books miny ages ago, and
yet are receiving their completion, in part at leaſt,
at this very day.”
Many propheſies, ſays Mr. Jenkins, are of
fuch a narure, that none but God could be the
author of them; and there, in their accomplith-
ment, muft afford an indiſputable evidence in favor
of divine revelation.
Such are the predictions of things to be fulfilled
in fucceeding ages, and which, in their completion,
depend on the counſels and actions of free agents.
It is, indeed, beyond the capacity of the human
underſtanding to conceive how it is poſſible events
thould be foreſeen ſo many ages, before even the
agents of the events had an exiſtence. But when
God foretells things of this nature, by his pro-
phets, is it not a certain mode to atteſt the truth
of divine revelation. It is the prerogative of that

( 189 )
almighty being, 'who formed the mountains and
created the winds, to declare unto man what is
his thought."* The falle Gods of the heathen,
were challenged, by a prophet, † to “Shew things
to come, that it might be known they were Gods.?!
“ In the facred hiſtory, ſays a writer of diſtina
guiſhed eminence, we perceive a multitude of in.
fpired men, who do not ſpeak doubtfully, with
heſitation, or by conjecture, but with an affirma-
tive voice, loudly and publicly declare, that ſuch
and ſuch events thould certainly happen in the
time and place, and with all the circumſtances that
theſe prophets expreſs. But what events ? The
moſt particular, the moſt perſonal, and ſuch as
moſt nearly concerned the intereſt of the nation,
and at the ſame time were the moſt remote from
all outward appearance. Under the flouriſhing
reigns of Uzziah and Jotham, when the ſtate en
joyed peace and plenty, and luxury in eating,
building, and furniture was carried to exceſs,
what likelihood was there of the terrible famine
and ſhameful captivity,|| Iſaiah then threatened
the ladies of the greateſt diſtinction with; or what
probability of the extreme miſery which actually
befel them in the following reign ?
When, ſome time after, Jeruſalem, inveſted by
the numerous army of Sennacherib, was reduced
to the laſt extremity, without troops, without pro-
vifions, or any hopes of human alliſtance, eſpecia
recensenter
* Amos iv. 13. + Ifai. xli. 23. I Jenkins's
chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 21, 22-
*
i Ifai. jii. 16, 26, &c.

( 190 )
ally after the army of the Egyptians had been
cut to pieces, was the prediction of Iſaiah credible,
that the city ſhould not be taken; that it ſhould
not be beliéged in form; that the enemy thould
not calt an arrow againſt it, and that this formida-
ble
army ſhould be exterininated at once, without
any human concurrence, ang its king put to
flight?
The entire deſtruction of the kingdom of the
ten tribes; the carrying Judah away captive to
Babylon, after the conqueſt and overthrow of Je-
ruſalem; the expreſs terin of ſeveirty years fet for
the duration of their captivity; their glorious re-
turn into their own country; their deliverer fpe-
cified and called by his proper name, above two
hundred years before he was born; the ſurpriſing
and till then unheardof manner, in which this fa-
mous conqueror was to take Babylon; could all
theſe things have been the effect of human fore.
fight, or was there the leaſt appearance of them,
when foretold by the prophets ?
Theſe predictions, however, illuſtrious as they
were, ſerved only as a preparation to others of far
greater importânce, to which the accompliſhment
of the former was to give a' degree of authority
and credit, ſuperior in ſtrength to all that human
underſtanding could imagine or deſire, for the
gaining of a full conviction and an unchangeable
belief. It is plain, I mean the predictions relating
to the Melliah, and the eſtabliſhment of the chriſ-
tian church. Theſe are ſo clear and circunftan-
tial, that they ſurpaſs all imagination. The
pro-
phets have not only fpecified the time, the place,
and the manner of the Meffiah's birth, the prin-
aipal actions of his life, and the effects of his

( 19 )
ofreaching; but they forefaw and foretold, the moſt
particular circumſtances of his death and refurrec-
tion, and have related them with almoſt as much
exactneſs as the evangeliſts themſelves, who were
eye-witneſſes of them.
But what fhall we ſay of thoſe great events,
which conſtitute the fate of mankind, take in the
extent of all ages, and at laſt happily loſe them-
ſelves in the eternity, which was their end and
deſign; the eſtabliſhment of the church upon earth
by the preaching of twelve illiterate men; the
reprobation of the whole body of the jewiſh nati-
on; the vocation of the gentiles, to be ſubſtituted
in the place of a people once ſo dearly beloved and
favored with ſuch high privileges; the deſtruction
of idolatry throughout the world; the diſperſion
of the jews into all parts of the earth, to ſerve as
witneſſes to the truth of the holy fcriptures, and
the accounplifhment of the propheſies; their fu-
ture return to the faith of Chriſt, which will be
the confolation of the church in the latter day:
and, laſtly, the tranſlation of this church, after
many trials and dangers, from earth to heaven,
there to enjoy eternal peace and felicity ?»* *
asoaracrora.
* Rollin's belles lettres, vol. III. p. 85 -- 87.
See, on propheſy, Du Pin's canon. vol. 1. chap.
11. Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. I. chap. IL V.
Barrow's works, vol. Ili. p. 358. Smith's ſelect
diſcourſes, chap. 1 —- XIll. Grotius, p. 68. Dod.
dridge's lectures, prop. CXI. Stackh. hiſt. bib.
apar, p. 25. Barnet on the XXXIX articles, p,
114, &c. Bryant on the truth of the chriftian
religion, p. 27 – 86. American preacher, fermon
LXIV, LXV, by the Rev. Mr. Hinſdale.

( )
19219
X. COMPLETION OF PROPHESIES RESPECTING
SOME HEATHEN NATIONS.
« CONCERNING Babylon, ſays Doctor Clark,
it was particularly foretold, that it ſhould be fout
up and beſieged by the Medes, Elamites, and Ar-
menians ; that the river should be dried up ;
that the city Should be taken in the time of
a feaſt, while her mighty men were drunken ;
which accordingly came to paſs, when Bellíhaz-
zar and all his thouſand princes, who were drunk
with him at the feaſt, were ſlain by Cyrus's fol-
diers. Alſo it was particularly foretold, that
Cod would make the country of Babylon a poffeffion
for the bittern and pools of water ; which was
accordingly fulfilled by the overflowing and
drowning of it, on the breaking down of the
great dam in order to take the city. Could the
correſpondence of theſe events with the predictis
be the reſult of chance ?
OS,
Concerning Egypt, was the following pre-
diction forged after the event ? Or can it, with
any reaſon, be aſcribed to chance ? Egypt ſhall be
a baſe kingdom : It ſhall be the baſeft of king doms,
neither ſhall it exalt itſelf any more above the nu-
tions : For I will diminiſh them, that they ſhall no
more rule over the nations,
Concerning. Tyre, the prediction is no leſs
remarkable : I will make thee like the top of a
rock; thou ſhalt be a place to ſpread nets upon ;
thou ſhalt be built no more. Thou ſhalt be no more ;
the merchants among the people shall hiſs at thee ;
thou ſhalt be a terror, and never ſball be any more.
All they that knotu thee among the people, ſhall be
aftoniſhed at thee.

( 193 )
The deſcription of the extent of the domin-
ion of that people, who were to poſſeſs Judea in
the latter days; was it forged after the event?
Or can it reaſonably be aſcribed to chance? He
ſhall come with horſemen, and with many ſhips, and
Shall overflow and paſs over : He ſhall enter alſo
into the glorious land, and ſhall plant the taberna-
cles of his palace between the ſeas in the glorious
holy naountain, and many countries ſhall be over.
thrown. But theſe ſhall eſcape out of his hand, even
#dom and Moah and the chiefs of the children of
Ammon. He shall ſtretch forth his band alſo upon
the countries, and the land of Egypt ſhall not eſcape.
But he shall have power over the treaſures of gold
and of ſilver, and over all the precious things of
Egypt; and the Lybians and Ethiopians ſhall be at
his ſteps.
When Daniel, in the viſion of Nebuchadnez-
zar's image, foretold four great fucceflive monar-
chies; was this written after the event? Or
can the congruity of his deſcription with the
things themfelves, reaſonably be aſcribed to
chance?»*
XI. PREDICTIONS FULFILLED IN CHRIST.
" THE goſpel hiſtory, ſays Doctor Beattie, is,
in many particulars, an accompliſhment of certain
propheſies, preſerved, as ſacred, by the jews them-
( oroiaaroorarsi
* Clark's works, vol. II. The evidences of
natural and revealed religion, p. 720, &c. See
this ſubject purſued in the II. vol. of Newton's
diſertations on the prophecies, p. 396, &c.
R

( 194 )
felves, and committed to writing ſeveral hundred
years before our faviour was burn.
In the hiſtory of the old teſtament, it appears,
that, from the earlieſt ages, an expectation had
prevailed, among the jews and their forefathers,
that an extraordinary perſon, called by ſome of the
prophets, the MESSIAH, that is, the ANOINTED,
or the CHRIST, would, at one time or other ap-
pear on earth, and bring about a very important
change in the condition of the jews, and of all
other nations.
Soon after the fall, it was foretold, of this great
perſon, * that he ſhould be, in a peculiar ſenſe, the
ſeed of the woman; that, from the malignity of the
devil, he ſhould be a ſufferer, but that he ſhould
bring deſtruction on that evil ſpirit. Two thou-
fand years after, it was foretold to Abraham, that
this perſon fhould be of the poſterity of Iſaac, and
a bleſſing to all nations; and it was afterwards
pre-
dicted, that he ſhould be of the tribe of Judah,
and family of David, and be born of a virgin in
the town of Bethlehem. It was foretold, by the
patriarch Ifrael, that, till he thould come, the jew-
government ſhould not be ſubverted; and by
the prophet Daniel the exact time of his death was
foretold. It was predicted, that this Meffiah, this
triumphant prince and ſaviour, fhould die a violent
death, as a malefactor, not for any fi of his own,
but for the ſins of mankind; and that ſoon after
his death, the city and temple of Jeruſalem would
be deſtroyed : but, notwithſtanding this ignomi-
orciona acara
* Geneſis III. 15. Gerard's ſermons, 4, 5, 6o

( 195 )
mious death, his dominion ſhould be over all nati-
ons, and without end; that he ſhould ſpeak peace
to the heathen, and introduce a new diſpenſation
of things, tending to, and terminating in, peace
and happineſs eternal.
It was foretold, that he ſhould preach good
tidings to the poor, and perform many miracles
for the alleviation of human infirmity ; particu-
larly, that he ſhould give fight to the blind, ſpeech
to the dumb, hearing to the deaf, and the perfect
uſe of their limbs to the lame. It was foretold,
that he ſhould be ſold for thirty pieces of ſilver,
and that with this money a potter's field ſhould be
bought; that he ſhould be fcourged, buffeted, and
ſpit upon; that he ſhould be meek and ſilent bę.
fore his accuſers; that his hands and his feet
ſhould be pierced; that his bones ſhould not be
broken ; that gall and vinegar ſhould be offered
him to drink ; that lots ſhould be caſt for his
ments; that he fhould be buried in a rich man's
ſepulchre ; and that he ſhould riſe again without
ſeeing corruption. How far theſe predictions
were verified in Jeſus, no perſon need be inform)-
ed, who has read the new teſtament. And in
him alone they were verified, and in no other
man that ever appeared on earth,”*
On this ſubject, Mr. Harwood thus expreſſes
himſelf.
gar-
** MANY expreſs propheſies, ſays he, clearly
orasarostoran
* Beattie's evidences of the chriſtian religion,
p. 43 --- 46.

196)
predicted the coming of Chrift, and received
their accompliſhment in him. Theſe predictions
were delivered at various times, and in divers
manners, as feemed beſt to the divine underſtand-
ing, to animate the faith and hopes of his diſtir-
guiſhed people, and to chear their minds with the
happy proſpect of that glorious æra. A clearer
and clearer intimation is given of this illuſtrious
period, the moft illuſtrious in the annals of the
world, through all the intermediate ages from
the creation to the redemption of mankind. “ God
hath an immenſely large progreſſive ſcheme, ar-
ranged in a regular beautiful ſeries, by his all.
comprehenſive mind, conſiſting of many interme-
diate parts, before the plot unravels, and finally
terminates in one great and conſiſtent whole.”—
Adam is not expelled from Paradiſe, without the
aſſurance, not obfcurely hinted, of a deſcendant
from him, who in future times would reſcue the
human race from the now incurred penalty of
death. The illuſtrious patriarchs, in fucceffive
time, were divinely aſſured, that in their feed all
the nations of the earth ſhould be bleſſed. In follow.
ing ages, Mofes, under a divine afflatus, declared
to Ifrael that God would raiſe up for them a pro-
pbet like unto him, and folemnly adjured them to
embrace and obey him ; denouncing the heavieft
calamities which would involve their nation, if
they rejected this divine meſſenger. In ſubſequent
times the prophets were authoriſed and fent, one
after another, proclaiming to the jewiſh people
the glad tidings of this approaching event. Lan-
guage they exhauſt in ſublime deſcriptions of the
bleſſedneſs of thoſe happy future days ; in cele-
brating the exalted dignity of the Meffiah's per-
fon ; the felicity of thoſe who ſhould fee him ;
the empire of righteouſneſs he ſhould eſtablifing

( 197 )
and the triumphs his goſpel would ſpread in all
the regions of the world. No hiſtorical records,
which could have been drawn up forty or fifty
years after the crucifixion of CHRIST, could
have given a more accurate and juſt account of
his perſon and character ; the nature of his
religion; the fublimity of his doctrine ; the
ignominy of his death; the propagation of his
goſpel, and the deſtruction of Jeruſalem, than
theſe propheſies, though delivered ſeveral hundred
years before the events happened to which they
referred. None of the apoſtles and companions
of CHRIST could have compoſed a more faithful
compendious abridgement of the life, and death
and reſurrection of Jesus, and the fubſequent
promulgation of his goſpel, than what is contain,
ed in the fifty-third chapter of Iſaiah. No ſooner
did Philip give the true explication of this very
propheſy to the Eunuch, who was reading it, and
interrogate him concerning its meaning ; and
fhow its exact and fole accompliſhment in the life
and character of the late crucified Jesus, but he
was convinced of the truth of chriſtianity, and was
baptized into the profeſſion of it. The predic-
tions of Daniel are ſo far from being wrapped up
in the ambiguity of propheſy, that they ſeem to
be a plain hiſtorical narrative. All theſe various
propheſies, delivered in various revolving peri-
ods, concentered in JESUS CHRIST, and the in-
creaſing light of thein, from age to age, was
like that of the juft man, which ſhone with greater
and greater luſtre, until the perfect day of the
chriſtian diſpenſation, at laft, burit in all its hea-
venly fplendor, upon a benighted world !!*
encensoren
Harwood's introduction to the new teſta-
P. 2

7 198 )
XII. THE PREDICTIONS OF CHRIST.
The predictions of Chriſt add the ſtongeſt con-
firmation to the divinity of his miſſion, and the
truth of his religion. It is evident to every one
who reads the life of Chriſt, in the four evangel-
Mts, with what circumſtantial exactneſs he pre-
diEted his own fufferings and death; his being
treacherouſly delivered into the hands of the
jews who thirſted for his blood, by one of thoſe
he had ſelected to be his familiar friends and com-
panions, by an act of the baſeft perfidy ; his be-
mg apprehended ; abufed with every wanton
inſult; mangled with ſcourges ; fpit upon; nailed
to a croſs, and that the third day after his ignomin-
jous tragical exit, he ſhould be raiſedtolife. Hemen-
tioned by name, the perſon who ſhould perpetrate
this attrocious deed, long before he himſelf had
formed his infernal purpoſe.
Chriſt predicted the moſt improbable thing in the
world, at that time, that a number of illiterate
Galileans and obſcure fiſhermen,ſhould be brought
before kings and princes, and deliver apologies ir.
favor of their religion before the moſt illuſtrious
and dignified perionagesa
recich
ment, vol. I. p. 15 — 17. On this ſubject, ſee
Juſtin Martyr's firſt apology, $ XXXIX - XL.
Mede's works, p. 284, &c. Barrow's works,
vol. III. p. 358, &c. Doddridge's lectures, p.
301, &c. Sharp’s. II. argument, p. 65, &c.-
Burnet on the XXXIX articles, p. 114,
&c.
Grotius, p. 234, &c. Fides's diſcourſes, p. 270,
&c. And Bryant's evidences, p. 31 - 61
.

( 199 )
Upon Peter's openly declaring his full perſua-
fion that Chriſt was the Meſſiah, he declared, that
upon him, as a firm and immoveable rock, he
would erect the chriſtian church, and the gates of
bell should not prevail againſt it. He predicted
what we have feen fully verified, though at the
time it was ſpoken, it would almoſt have exceeded
all the power of credulity to have believed ſuch
an event poſſible, that a religion taught by a poor
and deſpiſed jew, attended by a poor and deſpiſed
coinpany of illiterate peaſants, ſhould overturn
the two greateſt religious eſtabliſhments the
world ever beheld, and {pread its triumphs to
the utmoſt boundaries of the earth.
His diſciples, to whom he diſcloſed his heart;
who were the companions of his private retire-
ments; whoſe affections were knit to him by the
firmeſt ties, and who made the ſtrongeſt proteſ-
tations, that though they ſhould be devoted to
certain death with him, they would never aban-
don him, notwithſtanding all their repeated af
feverations, dictated at that time by the greateſt
fincerity and love, yet he plainly told them
they would all deſert, him by a precipitate
fights
He expreſſly predicted his own reſurrection,
after laying in the grave three days; his going
into Galilee after that event ; his, aſcenſion into
heaven, and the ſubſequent effuſion of the holy
fpirit upon them, to endue them with miraculous
gifts and ſpiritual powers, and to enable them to
propagate his religion in the world. He foretold
the exit which Peter would inake, and that John.
would ſurvive the deſtruction of Jeruſalem-

( 200 )
But the moſt illuſtrious of our Saviour's pro-
phelies, and which will remain a monument,
through all future ages, of the truth of the
chriſtian religion, is his minute and circumſtan-
tial prediction of the deſtruction of Jeruſalem ;
the total fubverſion of their civil and eccleſiaſtical
polity, and their conſequent diſperſion into all
nations. In all the annals of hiſtory there is not
a more remarkable paſſage than this propheſy of
our Saviour, concerning the miſerable fate of
Jeruſalem, and the tragical cataſtrophe of his
country. Though delivered forty years before
the dire event, it preſents the reader with a mi-
nute hiſtorical detail of the future invaſion of fu-
dea by the Romans; the rapidity with which this
ſhould be done,deſiribed by lightning darting from
une extremity of heaven to the other, in a mo-
ment; the providential eſcape of the chriſtians
from theſe overwhelming calarities ; the beſieg-
ing of Jeruſalem, caſting up a trench, drawing
lines of-circumvallation around it; the dreadful
famine that raged in the city, the mutual maſſa-
cres and aſſaſſinations of the citizens ; the total
demolition of the temple, the dreadful ruin of
Jeruſalem, and the miſerable captivity of the
jews, Uttering at the ſame time he ſpoke this
prediction, a declaration the inoit improbable to
be verified in fo fort a time, as the jews were
then happy in the friendſhip and protection of
Rome, that the preſent generation would live to ſee
his words fully verified. And he who carefully
reads this moſt diſtinguiſhed propheſy of our
Lord, and afterwards diligently compares it with
the account that the jewiſh hiſtorian hath left us
of the fiege and deftruction of Jeruſalem, would
be almoſt tempted to believe, that Joſephus was a
chriſtian; and, as he was a ſpectator of theſe tra-

( 201 )
gical events, that he publifhed a faithful hiſtorical
commentary on our Lord's propheſy, for the con-
firmation of all ages in the truth of the chriſtian
religion.*
XIII. THE PRESENT STATE OF THE JEWS, A
STRIKING EVIDENCE OF THE TRUTH OF
PROPHESY AND OF THE CHRISTIAN RELI-
GION
The preſent ſtate of the jews is a permanent
miracle, t perpetuated through a ſeries of many
concessionario
* See Harwood's introduction, vol. I. p. 43,
&c. Mede's works, p. 34, &c. Newton's dif..
fertations on the prophefies, vol. 1. diſs. XVIII.
vol. II. Ib. XIX XXII. Boſſuit's hiſt. vol.
&c. Doddridge's lectures, p. 312, &c.
Grotius, p. 149, &c. Beattie's evidences, pa
&c. Deiſm revealed, vol. II. p. 253, &c.
Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 255, &c. And
Leſlie's truth of chriſtianity demonſtrated, pe
.
II. p. 77,
35. &c.
74, &c.
+ The learned and ingenious Biſhop Newton,
thus expreſſes himfelf. " The preſervation of
the jews is one of the moſt ſignal and illuſtrious
acts of divine providence. They are diſperſed
among all nations, and yet they are not con-
founded with any. The drops of rain which
fall, nay the great rivers which flow into the
ocean, are foon mingled and loft in that immenſe
body of waters : and the ſame, in all human
probability, would have been the fate of the
jews, they would have been mingled and loft in

(202)
fucceffive ages, to our times. The Alyrians,
orannanana )
the common maſs of mankind ; but, on the con.
trary, they flow into all parts of the world ; mix
with all nations, and yet keep ſeparate from all.
They ſtill live as a diſtinct people, and yet they
no where live according to their own laws; no
where elect their own magiſtrates ; no where
enjoy the full exerciſe of their religion. Their
folemn feafts and facrifices are limited to one cer-
tain place, and that hath been now for many
ages in the hands of ſtrangers and aliens, who
will not ſuffer them to come thither. No people
have continued unmixed ſo long as they have
done, not only of thoſe who have ſent forth colo
nies into foreign countries, but even of thoſe who
have abided in their own country. The north-
ern nations have come in ſwarms into the more
fouthern parts of Europe ; but where are they
now to be difcerned and diſtinguiſhed ? The
Gauls went forth in great bodies to foreign parts;
but what traces or footſteps of them are now re-
maining any where? In France, who can ſepa-
rate the race of the ancient Gauls frem the vari.
ous other people, who from time to time have
ſettled there? In Spain, who can diſtinguiſh be-
tween the firſt poſſeſſors the Spaniards, and the
Goths, and the Moors, who conquered and kept
pofſeflion of the country for fome ages? In Eng-
land, who can pretend to ſay with certainty which
families are derived from the ancient Britons,
and which from the Romans, or Saxons, or Danes,
or Normans? The moſt ancient and honorable
pedigrees can be traced up only to a certain peri-
ed, and beyond that there is nothing but conjec-

( 203 )
Babylonians, Carthaginians, Macedonians, are now
no more. Their names have long ſince been
ſwallowed up and confounded with thoſe of their
conquerors. But in this diſtinguiſhed inſtance,
we ſee the vanquiſhed for many ages ſurvive the
viflors, and remain a diffinĉz ſeparate community
and body among all the various nations into
which they are ſcattered. We know this people
to fubfift in very conſiderable numbers, in almoſt
all the nations of the world, though the uni-
verſal derifion and contempt of every nation
though plundered and perſecuted by almoſt eve-
ry nation in which they ſojourn, yet every where
exiſting as a large, opulent, and flouriſhing body.
We ſee them retain the ſame veneration for
coronararanasaran
ture and uncertainty, obſcurity and ignorance ;
but the jews can go up higher than any nation ;
they can even deduce the pedigree from the be-
ginning of the world. They may not know from
what particular tribe or family they are defcend-
ed, but they know certainly that they all ſprang
from the ſtock of Abraham. And yet the con-
tempt with which they have been treated, and
the hardſhips which they have undergone, in al-
moſt all countries, ſhould, one would think, have
made thein deſirous to forget or renounce their
original, but they profeſs it, they glory in it;
and after ſo many wars, mafſacres, and perfecu-
tions, they ſtill fubliſt ; they ftill are very nunie-
rous; and what, but a fupernatural power, could
have preferved them in fuch a manner as no
other nation upon earth has been preſerved ?"
Diſſertations upon the propheſies, vol. I. p.
216.

( 204 )
the ancient lawgiver and his laws, they ever re-
tained, and practiſing the peculiar rites and cere-
monies of their religion, with the ſame punctilious
and ſcrupulous exactneſs they ever obſerved.
The au-
The author of our religion expreſſly declared,
that Jeruſalem ſhould be trodden under foot of
the Gentiles; and both ancient and modern hifto.
ту
ſets its feal to the truth of the account, and
aflures us it hath lain in this deplorable condition
for above feventeen hundred years.
thor of our religion predicted, that, after the de-
ſtruction of Jeruſalem by the romans, the jews
ſhould be diſperſed into all nations- We ſee the
diſperſion of this people, otherwiſe unaccounta-
ble, and cannot but acknowledge, that the evi.
dence of a religion which contains ſuch a pro-
pheſy, made at a time when there were no ap-
pearances of ſuch a diſperſion, much lefs of its
ſubſiſting for ſo long a ſeries of ages, is con-
tinually increaſing, and receiving acceffion to
its credentials, from the accumulation of every ad-
ditional period of revolving years.
How can we account for this melancholy ſtate
of the once favorite and diſtinguiſhed people of
God? They have now experienced, not ſeventy,
but ſeventeen hundred years of captivity! They
have now no divine mellenger, as formerly, to
conſole their ſorrows; no prophet to give them
an happy proſpect of their return; no deliverer
to reconduct them to the land of their anceftors;
they continue as unſettled vagrants, the jeft and
proverb of the world!
There muſt be ſome ſignal event, from which
ane muft date theſe remarkable calainities; fome

( 205 )
horrid national crime, which purſues them and
their children ; and ſome future cataſtrophe to
which this remarkable preſervation of them, as a
diſtinct people in all the nations of the world,
muſt refer, and which providence deſigned ſhould
unravel this perplexed and intricate plot!
And he, who conſiders how exactly the pre-
dictions of Jeſus were fulfilled in the deſtruction
of Jeruſalem, and the extermination of the jews ;
who ſees his propheſies now fulfilling in the
world, with regard to the preſent ſtate of this
reinarkable people ; who alſo reflects that there
will come a time when all Ifrael will be ſaved, and,
according to the propheſies, return to their
country,
and that whenever this event ſhall hap-
pen, there ſhall be nothing to detain them; no
poſſeſſions to retard them a moment ; no civil
and ſocial connections with other nations to fix
them in any country ; muſt collect from what
hath been already accompliſhed, and is now ac-
complilhing, the ftrongeſt external proof in fa-
vor of the truth of the chriſtian religion ; and,
with equal aſſurance, perfuade himſelf, from the
predictions already verified, that the other
parts
of them will, in due time, receive their accom-
pliſhment !*
XIV. EXCELLENCE OF THE MORALITY OF
THE OLD TESTAMENT.
With reſpect to the morality of the old teſta-
* See Harwood's introduction, vol. I. P. TOI,
& Newton's diſſertations on the prophefies, vol.
11. diff. XIX-XXI. Benſon's chriſtianity, vol.
1. p. 64, &c.
S

( 206 )
ment, which is the principal part of the revelation,
and that for the ſake of which all revelations were
given by God, and every external obſervance of
religion inſtituted, (it being the primary deſign of
all religion to bring mankind to a right moral tem-
per and conduct) it is certainly moft excellent,
having its foundation in reaſon; in the perfections
of the deity, and the conſtitution and circumſtan-
ces of human nature. We have the ſum and fub.
ſtance of it comprehended in ten ſhort precepts,
delivered to the children of Iſrael from mount
Sinai.* And we have a ftill more compendious
ſummary of it delivered by our ſaviour :+ Hear,
o Ifrael, the Lord thy God, is one LORD; and
thou ſhalt love the LORD thy God with all thy
hourt, and with all thy ſoul, and with all thy mind.
This is the firſt and great commandment. And the
ſecond is like unto it ; thou ſhalt love thy neighbor
as thyſelf. On theſe two commendments, ſays Chriſt,
hang all the laru and the prophets. Such are the
fundamental principles of the old teftament mo-
rality, which are occaſionally explained, enforced,
and applied through all the ſacred books, every
page containing fome divine precept or maxim of
this heavenly philoſophy.
The ſcripture sthics, it may be remarked, are
not laid down in a ſystematical manner, and ſup-
ported by human reaſonings; but they are deli-
vered in a way much better calculated for obrain-
ing their iinportant end. How few are affected
with dry and formal precepts? And how much
cosiasiassa
* Exod. xx. + Matth. xxii. 37 - 40. Mark
xii. 29. compare Deut. vi. 5. Lev. xix. 18.

( 207 )
fewer underſtand abſtracted reaſonings? There.
fore it hath pleaſed God, in condeſcenſion to hu-
man weakneſs, to give the ſcripture morality a
form quite different from that of the heathen fa-
ges. The chief reaſoning by which it is fupport-
ed is, thus faith the LORD; an argument equally
obvious to every capacity, and which, when con-
firmed by miracles, affords irreſiſtible conviction.
It is fufficient to prove a precept good, and wife ;
equitable and beneficial, that God is its author ;
and that God is its author is ſufficiently proved, if
thoſe who have delivered it have been enabled to
work miracles in confirmation of their commiſſion
to do ſo. The ſcripture morality, therefore, is
built on a furer foundation, than any human rea-
ſonings poſſibly can be; for huinan reaſonings
may deceive and miſlead us, but God cannot.
Hence it appears to be extreme raſhneſs and im-
piety in any,to arraign and condemn any ſcriptural
principle of morality, at the bar of their own rea-
fon ; ſince God, the author of every fuch prin-
ciple, muſt be an infinitely better judge of the
nature and fitneſs of things, and of his own will,
than the moſt enlightened human underſtanding.
When, therefore, it is proved, that a revelation
is derived from God, whoſe underſtanding is the
only true judge of moral fitneſſes, and whoſe will
is the only proper foundation of moral obligation,
it argues great preſumption in mortals to diſpute
the goodneſs and equity of ſuch moral precepts,
as ſuch a revelation contains.
The ſcripture morality, inſtead of being reduc-
ed to a regular fyftem of dry precepts and max-
ins, is every where interſperſed through the re-
velation and interwoven with it; illuſtrated by
examples; recommended by promiſes, and en-

( 208 )
forced by threatenings. In the decalogue, and
fome other parts of the Moſaic writings, it is en-
joined under the form of commands; in the Pſalms
it appears in a devotional dreſs; Solomon delivers
it in maxims of ſelf-government and human pru-
dence; and the prophets cloath it with the orna.
ments of rhetorick, and apply it in a popular man-
ner for the purpoſes of conviction, exhortation and
reproof. Moſes teaches morality as a ſcience ;
David converts it into meditation, ſoliloquy, con-
feffion, prayer and praiſe; Solomon applies it to
the economy of human life; and the prophets
preach it to the conſciences of the people, and ufe
it as the great engine of converſion and reforina:
Mon of manners.
XV. DIVINE PROVIDENCE.
It cannot but be a matter of anxious inquiry,
with every conſiderate perſon, how far he has
reaſon to think well of that world in which he
exiſts, and of its laws and adminiſtration. If re-
fpecting theſe no ſatisfaction can be obtained, there
will be an end of all the chief comforts and hopes
of reaſonable beings. The courſe of events muſt
be viewed with fuſpicion, and the world contemp-
lated with diſguſt and pain ; the doctrine of pro-
vidence, therefore, is plainly of the higheſt im-
portance
whereasacos
* See Barrow's works, vol. I. p. 493, &c.
Stackh. bod. div. vol. I. p. 26. Leland's view
ef deiſtical writers, vol. I. p. 461, &c. And Knox's
diſcourſes, vol. I. p. 192, &Go

( 209 )
If it can be proved, that the deity adminiſters
all the affairs of the world, and extends his care
to every created being, in ſuch manner that no.
thing hard or oppreffive ; nothing inconſiſtent with
rectitude and wiſdom in the government of cvents
ever comes to paſs ; or, in other words, if it can
be proved," that all the occurrences in nature are
under perfectly wiſe and good direction;" then
the doctrine of providence, in the higheſt and
ftricteſt ſenſe of it, will be eſtabliſhed.
We have the beſt reaſons for afcribing to the
deity all poſſible excellence; or for conceiving
of the firſt cauſe as a being abſolutely per-
fect. In the idea of abfolute perfection is im-
plied infinite power, wiſdom and goodneſs; and
in theſe, ſuch a providence over all things as has
been mentioned. The deity cannot be an indif-
ferent fpectator of the ſeries of events in that
world to which he has given being. His good-
neſs will as certainly engage him to direct them
agreeably to the ends of goodneſs, as his wiſdona
and power enable him to do it in the moſt effec .
tual manner Thus we muſt conclude,according
to our ideas of theſe attributes. Could we call
that being good who would refuſe to do any good
which he is able to do without the leaſt labor or
difficulty ? God is preſent every where. He
ſees all that happens ; and it is in his power, with
perfect eaſe,to order all things for the beſt. Can hę
then poſſeſs goodneſs, and at the ſame time not do
this ? A God without a providence is undoubt-
edly a contradiction. Nothing is plainer than
that a being of perfect reaſon will, in every in-
ftance, take ſuch care of the univerſe as perfect
reaſon requires That fupreme intelligence and
S2

( 210 )
love which are preſent to all things, and from
whence all things originated, muſt govern all
occurrences, and exclude from the conſtitution of
mature all real ill and diſorder.
Theſe conſiderations, it Chould be obſerved,
prove what has been called a particular in oppofi-
tion to a general providence. We cannot con-
ceive of
any reaſons that can influence the deity,
to exerciſe any providence over the world, which
are not likewiſe reaſons for extending it to all
that happens in the world. As far as it is confia
ned to generals, or overlooks any individual, or
any event, it is incomplete, and therefore unſuita-
ble to the idea of a perfect being
« REASON, ſays Mr. Jenyns, teaches us that the
revolutions of the vaſt and innumerable celeſtial
orbs, through immenſe fpaces ; or the delicate
moveients in animal and vegetable bodies, can
never poflibly be performed by any principles
originally impreſſed on matter by attraction, cohe.
fion, elaſticity, or electricity ; becauſe they act in
contradiction to them all, and, therefore, they
muft be effected by the continual direction of ſome
omnipotent hand ; it affures us, that the moral,
as well as the material world, muſt be under the
continual influence of the fame power; becauſe,
without it, the great deſigns of providence could
never be accompliſhed. The moſt important e.
vents in life are derived from the operations of
matter and will, peace and war, plenty and fa-
mine, on thefe depend our health and diſeaſes,
our fafety and deſtruction. No plan, therefore,
could be purfued, if theſe were all left to the
blind movement of the one, or the capricious e-
lections of the other ; but happily for us, they

( 211 )
as
are both under the controul of an omniſcient and
omnipotent governor, who conducts, them
feeins beft to his infinite wiſdom; and this he can
do by a perpetual though inviſible influence,
without the expence of any miracle ; for, if his
interference in any event conſtitutes a miracle,
every event is a miracle in nature, becauſe there
can be no event without it.
The whole tenor of the ſcriptures implies the
conſtant fuperintendence of the Creator over all
his works ; his continual attention to the moſt
inconſiderable, as well as to the moſt important
events; to the fall of a ſparrow and to the fall
of an empire ; to ourſelves, our behaviour, our
happineſs and ſufferings, our enjoyments, and
our wants; thele are all reprefented as the effects
of his will, and therefore the objects of his know-
ledge and care; and on this principle we are every
where enjoined to love him, to fear him, to praiſe
him, to adore him, to obey his commands, to im.
plore his forgivenefs, to thank him for his inercy,
and to deprecate his wrath.
Experience teaches us the ſame leffon ; and a
man muſt be poſſeſſed of very little obſervation,
and leſs faith, who does not recollect daily inſtan.
ces of the apparent interpofition of providence in
the detection of crimes, the puniſhment of guilt,
and the protection of innocence, which fall with-
in the circle of his own knowledge, and are re-
corded in the moſt authentic hiſtories of all a-
gesa?
norocorar
Jenyns's works, vol. II. p. 314-316

( 212 )
« Nor will, ſays Mr. Boyle, the arguments
which have been urged in favor of God's Special
providence be eluded by ſaying, with ſome deiſts,
that after the formation of the univerſe, all things
were effected by the ſettled laws of nature. This
affertion, though made with confidence, affords
me not the leaſt ſatisfaction ; for I eſteem a law
to be a moral, not a phyſical cauſe; to be, indeed,
only an ideal thing, according to which an intel-
ligent and free agent is to regulate his actions.---
But inanimate bodies are altogether incapable of
underſtanding a law, or what it enjoins ; or
when they move in conformity or not, to its in-
junctions ; the motions, therefore, of inanimate
bodies, which cannot controul themſelves, are
produced by real power, not by laws."'*
XVI. AT THE TIME OF CHRIST'S APPEAR-
ANCE, THE EXPECTATION OF AN ILLUSTRI-
OUS PERSON WAS GENERAL.
ABOUT that period, there was an univerſal
oronararanara
Chriſtian virtuoſo. See, on providence,
Bacon's wifdom of the ancients, p. 74, 75º. Bar-
row's works, vol. 1. p. 101, &c. Grotius, p.
17, &c. Addiſon's evidences, p. 141, &c. Len
land's view of deiſtical writers, vol. II. p. 209,
&c. Ray on the wiſdom of God, p. 54, &c.---
Burnet on the XXXIX articles, p. 38, &c. For
opinions of providence adopted by theiſtical phi-
loſophers, fee Warburton's legation, vol. II. p.
193, &c. And for refutations of objections to
providence, Hammond's works, vol. I. p. 201,
&c. Price's diſſertation on providence, p. 7
&c. And Knox's diſcourſes, vol. I. P, 179,
&c.

( 213 )
expectation of the illuſtrious advent of a great
prince. The atteſtation of Suetonius is very ex-
preſs. “There prevailed over all the eaſt an
old and conſtantly received opinion, that it was
decreed by the fates, that ſomebody, about that
time, ſhould proceed from Judea, and obtain uni-
verfal empire."* In almoſt the ſame words
Tacitus, when inentioning the deſtruction of Je.
rufalem, cites this propheſy.
“ Moſt of the jews were firmly perſuaded that
there was an expreſs declaration in the ancient
books of their prieſts, that at that very time the
eaſt ſhould gain the aſcendency, and ſomebo-
dy from Judea acquire univerſal dominion. And
he obſerves, that this illuſtrious prediction had
taken fuch poſſeſſion of the common people among
the jews, that they were not compelled to reſign
their dependance on this prophefy but by a ſeries
of calamities.”
The ancient books of the prieſts, which this
hiſtorian mentions, were undoubtedly the facred
writings of the old teſtament, which contain
theſe expreſs predictions, which at that time ex-
cited univerſal attention. A clear proof this,
from the atteſtation of pagan writers, how gene-
ral and ardent the expectation was of the ſpeedy
advent of the Meffiah. Joſephus bears teſtimony
to the prevalence of this perſuaſion among thejews.
" What principally excited them, ſays he, to
interesencavevosen
* Suetonius in veſpaf. p. 735.
+ Tacitus Hiftor. lib. V. p. 401. vol. III.

( 214 )
this war, was an ambiguous oracle found in their
ſacred writings to this purport. That about that
time a certain perſon ihould ariſe from their
country and rule over the univerſe.''*
It appears from the new teſtament how preva-
lent the expectation at that time was, that there
would very ſpeedily ariſe an illuſtrious prince to
fway the ſceptre of univerſal monarchy.t This
was what they expected, who waited for the con-
Solation of Iſrael, and for redemption in Jeruſalem.
This was what incited the jews to flock, with ſuch
eager and impatient ſteps, to John's baptiſm, in
ſuch prodigious crowds, from all parts of Judea.
This was what engaged the jews alſo to interrogate
him with ſuch ardent hopes and vehement ear-
neftneſs, whether he was the great Meffiah, the
Chrift of God, whoſe appearance they fo paffionately
expected. We fondly imagined, ſaid the diſci-
ples who were going to Emmaus, funk in dejec-
tion and deſpair, that this was the perſon who
ſhould have redeemed Ifrael, that is, have redeem.
ed Judea from its ſubjection to the Romans, and
made Jerufalem the feat and center of univerſal
empire.
This national perſuaſion had taken ſuch uni-
orararararanara
* Joſephus de Bello Jud. p. 1283.
+ Says St. Paul: Now I ſtand, and am judged
for the hope of the promiſe made of God unto our
fathers : unto which promiſe our twelve tribes, in-
ftantly ſerving God day and night, hope to come.
Acts xxvi. 6, 7. For the HOPE of Iſrael, am I
bound with this chain. Ib. xxviii. 20.

( 215 )
yerſal poſſeſſion of their minds, that after Chriſt's
reſurrection, they were tranſported to think that
now he would certainly deliver his country from
its fervitude to Rome, aſſume the regal title, and
erect a grand and glorious kingdom. Lord! wilt
thou at this time reſtore the kingdom to Ifrael?
Theſe big hopes in the jewiſh nation were all
kindled, and this general expectation at this period
was excited, by the predictions of the ancient pro-
phets, ſome of whom had accurately declared the
preciſe time in which this illuſtrious perſon would
make his appearance. Particularly the period of
Daniel's ſeventy weeks, or 490 years, was now
complete, which, reckoning from the ſeventh year
of Artaxerxes Longimanus, who iſſued the decree
to rebuild the temple, to the birth of CHRIST,
makes the period of years mentioned. It is not
ſtrange, therefore, that from the calculation of
theſe weeks, in particular, the jews at that very
time, ſhould found their expectation of this great
event, and wait the appearance of their Meffiah,
(whom they erroneouſly concluded would be a
temporal prince) with all the ardor of the fond-
eft national hopes; indulging their imaginations
with the warmeſt deſires of his perſon and go-
vernment, and antedating the bliſs and felicity of
that magnificent empire they thould fee fo foen
erected and eſtabliſhed. *
anasiassa
* See Lightfoot's works, vol. I. p. 551, &c.
Prideaux's connection, vol. IV. p. 893, &c.--
Stackh. hiſt. bib. vol. II. p. 1227. Leſlie's
truth of chriſtianity demonſtrated, p. 55,
&c.
Newton on the propheſies, vol. 1. p. 106. Bp.
Gibſon's firſt paſtoral letter, p. 16. &c. And

( 216 )
XVII. THERE WAS SUCH A PERSON AS Jesus
CHRIST
THAT in the Augufitan age there fleuriſhed in
Judea an extraordinary perſon called Jeſus Chriſt,
is a fact better ſupported and authenticated, than
that there lived ſuch men as Cyrus, Alexander,
and Julius Cæfar. For there are more historical
monuments to atteft his exiſtence and character,
and infinitely more numerous and inconteſtable
veftiges in the preſent day to prove that there
was ſuch a perſon as Chriſt, than that there ever
lived in paft ages fuch potent monarchs and illuſtri-
ous conquerors. As certainly as chriſtianity is
now exiſting in the world, to certainly did its
founder and publiſher ſometime exiſt.
The public inonuments, which the renowned
Heroes of antiquity left behind, are long ſince
per
ihed ; the magnificent palaces they built, the ſu-
perb ſtructures they reared, the grand temples
and mauſoleums they erected, the opulent cities
they founded, are now no more. Few remain-
ing viſible traces are left of the battles they
fought, the empires they eſtabliſhed, the ſyſtems
of laws they compiled, and the univerſal devaſta-
tion they once ſpread around them. The king-
doms they once conquered, have, by the inſtabil.
ity of human things, undergone many revolu-
tions, have repeatedly loft and repeatedly gained
their liberty, and experienced all thoſe reverſes
to which terreftrial glory is fubjected. The cu.
onoraranarosan
Bryant on the truth of the chriſtian religion, p.
115, &c.

( 217 )
rious traveller explores large regions in ſearch
of ſtanding records of the greatneſs of former
princes, traverſes immenſe countries, once the
ſeat of ſcience and liberty, now the abode of bar-
bariſm and flavery ; once ſwarming with inhabi-
tants, and variegated with unnumbered towns and
villages, now a dreary and inhoſpitable folitude,
and even ſearches, but in vain, for cities and tem-
ples and palaces, in the very ſituation where they
once ſtood :
Babylon is now fallen! Perſepolis and Ecbatana
are no more ! --and travellers have long diſputed,
but not been able to aſcertain, the ſite of ancient
Nineveh, that exceeding great city of three days
journey! Few are the preſent ſignatures, in minor
Aſia, and India, of Alexander's victorious arms ;
few are the ſtanding memorials in Gaul and Brita
ain to evince that there was ſuch a perſon as Ju-
dius Cefar, who fubdued the one and invaded the
other !
But that there was ſuch a perſon as Jeſus
Chriſt, who lived, died, and roſe again, and
founded a ſpiritual empire of religion, the pre-
fent ſtate of the republics and kingdoms in Eu-
rope demonſtrates.
The cuſtoms and uſages,
that obtain in every nation, neceſſarily imply a
cauſe and reaſon, to which they owe their origin,
and ſuppoſe a date, from which they commenced.
Religious inſtitutions univerſally regarded ; reli-
gious folemnities univerſally celebrated, lead the
enquiring mind through paſt ages to the period
at which they began to the perſon or perſons whoef-
tabliſhed thein, and to the ſources from which they
flowed. All national uſages are public monu-
ments of facts, and are ſtanding proofs, through
T

( 218 )
all ſucceſſive times, that the perſons, whoſe mem-
ory they thus einbalm, and the events, whoſe im-
portance they this record, once actually ex-
ited.
We fee great numbers of valt and populous
kingdoms, all unanimouſly agreed in baptiſing
their offspring in the name of the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit; in commemorating the author
and finiſher of their faith by the memorials of
bread and wine ; in worſhipping the deity through
à mediator ; in appropriating the firſt day of the
week to religious worship, and in folemnizing the
nativity, death, reſurrection and afcenfion of the
aurhor of their religion. How ſhall we account
for inſtitutions and uſages thus univerſally receive
ed, and univerſally practiſed by all the various
churches, fects and dexominations every where ex-
iſting? They were not inſtituted in the preſent
age; we can trace the ſacred ſtream even beyond
its fource into ages, when no ſuch cuſtoms pre-
vailed; when there was no ſuch religion as chrifti.
anity, and when pagan idolatry and judaiſm uni-
verſally reigned.
As certain, therefore, as the preſent ſtate of
the jews ; their tenets ; their cerenienious ob-
fervances; their peculiar cuſtoms; their diſper-
fion into all the nations of the world, yet reinain-
ing a diſtinct ſeparate body through all the infi.
nite changes and revolutions which affect king-
doms and communities, is an inconteſtable proof,
that there was ſuch a legiſlator as Mofes ; fo
certain is the conclulion from the ſtated folemn
rites, which now univerſally obtain in all chriſtian
countries, that there once flouriſhed ſuch a law-
giver as Jeſus Chriſt, who founded that religion

( 219 )
fo many nations have adopted, and who inſett-
ted thoſe folemnities and cuſtoms we ſee univer-
ſally obſerved by all who profeſs his goſpel.*
XVIII. THE STATE OF RELIGION AMONG
JEWS AND GENTILES, WHEN CHRIST MADE
HIS APPEARANCE.
PROFANE as well as ſacred hiſtory informs us,
that the age in which chriſtianity made its ap.
pearance, was enormouſly impious, profligate and
corrupt. The jews, at that time, were great liy.
pocrites. Such was the unexampled oftentation
and hypocriſy of their doczors and rabbies, that
they made public proclamation, by the found of a
trumpet, when they diſtributed charity, and
would kneel at the corners of crowded ſtreets, and
there perform their devotion, with no other vi w
but to attract the eyes of the ſuperſtitious multitude,
and make themſelves adınired and applauded as
patterns of heavenly-mindedneſs. Their ultimate
object, in all their acts of religion, was to be ſeen
of
men,
and to obtain the vain breath of popular
applauſe. For this purpoſe their great men
lengthened the fringes of their garments to an
enormous ſize ; wore their philacteries moſt of.
tentatiouſly broad; paraded in the market and
in all places of public concourſe in long flowing
robes; regaling on the fumes of incenſe which ſer-
creator omsheeran
ovoca
* See Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 232, &c.
Grotius, p. 83, &c. Weekly miſcellany, vol. I.
p. 343, &c. Stackh. bod. div. vol. I. p. 32, &c.
Doddridge's
man’s religion, p. 20, &ca
,

(220)
vile adulation offered, and ſwelling with the
pompous titles with which they were addreſled.
The whole nation ſeems to have been inflated
with ſpiritual pride. They ſacrificed every thing
to ſhow and pageantry. They would devour
widows houſes, deprive the friendleſs widow
and the deftitute orphan of their juſt property,
and yet aſſume the moſt mortified appearance ;
disfigure their faces that they might appear to
men to faſt ; nfe affectedly long prayers, and,
though they would not heſitate to infringe the
ſtrongeſt moral obligations, juſtice, judgment,
mercy and tru:h ; they would obſerve, with the
moſt ſcrupulous and punctillious exactneſs, all the
little ceremonious forms about the titbe of mind,
aniſe and cummin, and the ridiculous traditionary
inaxims of their rabinical anceftors. Every thing
among them was venal. The high-prieſthood
was ſet to fale. Nothing but hypocriſy and
felf-intereſt governed them.
A moſt hideous and horrid picture preſents ita
felf to our view, when we ſurvey the ſtate of the
heathens at that time. It is impoſſible to con-
ceive human nature more degraded and debafed.
The deities they worſhipped were monſters of
cruelty, luſt and drunkenneſs.* Their Jupiter
is repreſented as a compound of luſt and luxury,
omnipotence and revenge; to be inſtigated by
fury which nothing could placate, and by libidi-
nous deſires which nothing could fatiate.t Riot
assoras
* Clom. Alex. p. 20, 22, 23. Theophilus ad
Autol. p. 86, 118, and 122.
+ Clein. Alex. p. 20. Theoph. ad Autol. p. 214.

( 221 )
How many
and revel in honor of bacchus were publicly coun-
tenanced. How many infants did the Carthagin.
iuns* ſacrifice to their implacable god Molock !
human victims in times oft public dan-
ger, did they immolate to appeaſe the reſentment
of the offended Gods! And what was the moſt
deplorable conſequence with regard to morals,
mankind, as is natural, imitated the objects of
their worſhip in what they eſteemed their excel.
lencies ! They juſtified the moſt criminal and at-
trocious exceſſes by the example of their Gods,
and vindicated the practice of debauchery, luxu-
ry, fraud, and intemperance, by the lives and
actions of the eſtabliſhed objects of their adoration,
They believed in the exiſtence of many co-ordi-
nate deities.
Tertullian tells us their jupiters
amounted to three hundred.I The number of
their inferior Gods was infinite. There were
deities, according to their vulgar eſtimation, that
prefided over every diſtinct nation, every diftinct
monetan ere
* Plato. Politicus, vol. II. p. 315. Minucius
Felix, p. 311. Tertullian. cap. IX. p. 1O. This
horrid culton the Carthaginians derived from
their anceſtors the Phænicians, of whom we
read that they made their children paſs through
the fire to Molock. See Levit. xviii. 21. Deut.
xviii. 10. Jerem. vii. 31.
+ Lactantius, lib. I. p.94 See many affecting
inftances of human facrifices collected by Clem.
Alexandrinus, p. 27, and by Minucius Felix, p.
312, 313; 314
# Apoh p. 16.
$
Clem. Ales. p. 17.

( 222 )
city, every inconſiderable town, every grove,
every river, every fountain.||
Athens was full of ſtatues, dedicated to different
deities. Rome, from political principles, adopted
all the Gods, whom all the various nations re-
Ipectively worſhipped, and thought to eternize her
empire by crowding all the immorral powers into
the capital. They erected temples and fanes to
all the* pafſions, diſeaſes, fears, and evils which in-
feft human life. The Epicureans, who taught
that the world was formed by a caſual concourſe
of atoms; that the government of the world was
infinitely beneath the dignity of God, and that
ſenſual pleaſure was man's chief good, were the
moſt flouriſhing ſect, had the greateſt number of
noble and dignified perfonages who eſpouſed it
as among the Jews, the Sadducees, whoſe diſtin-
guiſhing tenets were that there was nofuture ftate,
angel, nor fpirit, but that the foul periſhes with
the body, had by far the greateſt number of the
illuftrious and opulent, who adopted this fyfo
temo
Conſiderable numbers, alſo, of the philoſophers
and
great men among the heathens, about the
tine of the publication of the gofpel, courted the
gloom of fcepticiſin ; profeffed to doubt of every
siciansacrales
1. In the fields, Satyrs, and Pans in the
woods, Creads and Hamadryads ; in the waters,
rivers, and fountains, Naiads ; and in the ſea,
Nereids. Clem, Alexand. p. 30.
* Cicero de. Nat. Deor. Lib. C. XXV. p.
314

(223)
thing; denied that there was any ſuch thing as
certainty attainable from any moral reaſonings,
and that it was abſolutely impoflible to determine
on which fide, not truth, for they did not pretend
to inveſtigate and diſcover truth, but even on
which fide the greateſt probability lay. Great nun-
bers made the notion of an over-rnting and par-
ticular* proeidence the ſubject of their ridicule,
and derided the opinion of a futuret fate; and
thofe, who believed the immortality of the foul,
made its happineſs confiit in gratifications and in-
dulgences, infinitely unworthy a rational ſpirit.
In thefe times of error and depravity, it
was alſo very cuſtomary tof expoſe children, and
to ſuffer thofe who were|| maimed or illegiti-
mate, to periſh with hunger on mountains and in
foreſts, or to be devoured by birds or beofts of
prey. It is furpriſing that Plato deems this
inhuman cuítomt proper and lawful in particular
caſes. Debauchery was the* predominant vice
and ſuicide was faſhionable.
In all the paſt annals of the world, never,
therefore, was there a fitter feafon for the divine
caroracoronarse
* Min. Felix, p. 38. Cicero de Nat. Deor.
lib. III. $. 32, 33, 327
† Lucretii, lib. III.
† Minucius Felix, p. 151. Juſtin Martyr. po
71• Athenag. p. 161.
|| Dion. Halicar. p. 85. vol. I.
Plato de repub. lib. V. Tom. II. p. 461.
* See a faithful but horrid deſcription of the
debauchery of that age in Clem. Alexand, p. 40,

(224)
interpoſition to reform and reclaim mankind
to recover them from their polytheiſin, idolatry,
and wickedneſs, and to give them a pure and per-
feet ſyſtem of religion and morals. *
XIX. CHRISTIANITY PUBLISHED IN A LEARN.
ED AND INQUISITIVE AGE.
It was a providential circumſtance for the ho.
nor and credit of the chriſtian religion, that the
in which it was promulgated, was not bar-
barous and uncivilized. Had chriſtianity been
nurſed in times when the God of dulneſs and
darkneſs held univerſal empire; when Gothic and
Vandalian ignorance reigned triumphant ; when
erudition and learning, and a taſte for knowledge
and enquiry were held in univerfal diſrepute and
contempt, in future more enlightened ages, it might
have been decried as a cunningly deviſed fable
and fiction, that owed its origin and eſtabliſhment
to nothing but the fabulous times in which it firſt
made its appearance, and to the credulity of an
ignorant group of kings, and prieſts, and peo-
ple.
But the Auguſtan, was the moſt learned and
polite age the world ever faw. The love of
arts and ſciences, and literature, was the univer-
fal paflion. The
many celebrated
ans, and philoſophers, who then flouriſhed, had
poets, histori.
oooooooo
* See Harwood's introduction, vol. I. p. 108,
&co Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. II. p. 402
Stackh, bod. div. vol. ). p. 512, &c. II. p. 703,
Langhorn's ſermons, vol. II. p. 20, &c.

( 225 )
diffufed an ambition for mental improvement,
and circulated a taſte for literature among all or-
ders and claſſes of men in all the provinces of that
vaſt empire. They vied with each other, who
could carry philoſophy to the higheſt perfection,
and cultivate the powers of the human mind with
moſt ſucceſs.
peace, fo
Another happy circumſtance was, that peace
had now extended her olive branch over the
world; on which account, in the long reign of
Auguſtus, a literary intercommunity was eſtab.
lished through all the provinces of his immenſe
dominions, and the moſt favorable opportunity
afforded for the fucceſsful ftudy of philoſophy
and the inveitigation of truth. This happy dif-
tinguiſhed æra of univerſal concord and
favorable to the males, faw genius produce all its
ftores ; the human mind diſplay all her am-
ple powers, and the nobleft" monuments of
fame begun and finiſhed, that ever adorned the
republic of letters. And it is to the everlaſting
honor of chriſtianity that it roſe, flouriſhed, and
eſtabliſhed itſelf in this learned, inquiſitive, and
diſcerning age ; amidſt that univerfal paſſion,
which then prevailed, for philoſophy and know-
ledge, and made a moft rapid and amazing pro-
grels through that immenſe empire, to its re-
moteſt limits, at a time when the world was in
its moſt civilized ftate, and in an age that was
more univerſally diſtinguiſhed for ſcience and
erudition than any other, prior or ſubſequent to
it. *
nenorororororen
* See Harwood's introduction, vol. I. p. 50,

( 226 )
XX GREAT NUMBERS OF LEARNED AND IL.
LUSTRIOUS MEN EMBRACED CHRISTIANI
TY.
THAT in the firſt ages, in which chriſtianity
was publiſhed, fuch numbers of eminent and
learned perſons embraced it, is a ſtrong collateral
evidence of its credibility and truth. Greece and
Italy were then the feats of learning and ſcience,
and a love of literature and philoſophy was be-
come generally fashionable. Notwithſtanding this
reigning paffion, chriſtianity made an aſtonishing
progreſs in theſe learned and civilized countries,
and in a few years eſtabliſhed itfelf in all the
cap-
ital cities and towns ſo celebrated for the ſtudy
of wiſdom, and the improvement of the polite
arts. Antioch, Theſſalonica, Corinth, Athens, ſaw
chriſtianity flouriſhing among all the fects and
fyftems of their renowned philoſophy. Nor could
imperial Rome, the feat and center of univerſal
monarchy and univerſal learning, exclude it. It
formed itſelf in her bofom, and penetrated into
the very palace of the emperor.
Nor can it be ſaid that it was only the un-
taught vulgar, and the credulous ſuperſtitious
multitude, who caught and ſpread the contagion ;
for fome of the moſt eminent perſons, diſtinguiſh-
ed for their rank both in the ſtate and in the re-
public of letters, were convinced by its evidences,
and publicly embraced it; though by embracing
ara sa anos
&c. Laws theory of religion, p. 126. Benſon's
chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 237, &c. Deiſm revealed,
vol. I. p. 33, &c.

(227
ir they were conſcious they ſhould incur the cen-
fures and reproaches of the world; be deemed
to have fixed an indelible itain upon the luſtre of
their birth, and the ſplendor of their families and
ſtations, and forfeit many worldly privileges and
emoluments. No doubt perſons of their fagacity,
penetration and diſcernment, would explore the
evidences of this novel religion with the greateſt
acuteneſs and preciſion, prejudiced in its disfavor,
as it had all external appearances, from the igno-
minious exit of its author, and the poverty and
wretchedneſs of its preachers, to rivet their pre-
judices. But great is the force of truth in what-
ever garb it attires itſelf! Upon every virtuous
and well diſpoſed mind it hath power irreſiſti-
ble !
It is to the everlaſting honor and credit of the
goſpel, that it can name aneng the liſt of its ear-
ly converts, fach men as Sergius Paulus, proconful
of Cyprus; Dionyfius a member of the ſenute of
Areopagus ; Eraſtus, treafurer of Corinth, and
even the emperor's doineſtics.
And in Judea,
the ſacred hiſtorians inform us, that great num-
bers of the moſt eminent and illuſtrious of that
nation, believed Jeſus to be a divine meſſenger,
though they did not chooſe publicly to avow their
belief ; that an illuſtrious meinber of the jewiſh
Sanhedrim was not only convinced himſelf, but
endeavoured to convince others, and that many of
the jewiſh prieſthood aſſented to the truth of
chriſtianity.
The conduct of theſe illuſtrious perſons, who,
by their eminent ſtation and learned education,
were in the beſt manner qualified to judge of its
evidences, and who profeſſed their full conviction

( 228 )
of its truth, when it had not the ſanction of any
civil authority to eſtabliſh it, nor any allurements
of riches and power to recommend it; nor any
thing to offer them, but public diſhonor and dir-
grace, reflects an eternal luftre both upon their
characters who eſpouſed it, and upon the creden-
tials which ſupported it.
In proceſs of time great numbers of the moſt
diſtinguiſhed rank and eminence for their dignity
and abilities, notwithſtanding they had been edu-
cated in other religions ; notwithſtanding the in-
veterate prejudices they had once conceived
againſt the chriſtian religion ; notwithſtanding
the facrifice they were obliged to make at its altar,
of all their former ſenſual gratifications and in-
dulgences, and notwithſtanding the immediate
forfeiture of the affedtions of their friends and
families, and the infamy and reproach they incur-
red, yet, to their immortal honor, being open to
conviction, and overcome by the power of truth,
relinquiſhied their former erroneous fyftems; de-
ferted the national ſuperſtition ; diſpelled their
former prejudices ; tore themſelves from the
pleaſures and profits of the world, and in every
country embraced chriſtianity, and were after-
wards both in reſpect of learning and virtue, its
diſtinguiſhed ornament and glory.
Many of the ancient apologiſts were perſons of
ſcience, and well acquainted with the heathen wri-
ters, and the heathen philofophy. The account
they give of themſelves is, * that they were
croinsiarancia
* Juſtin Martyr was once a platonic philofo-
pher. Apoloy II. p. 30. Tatian in his addreſs to

( 229 )
brought up in the belief of that religion which
was tranſmitted to them by their anceſtors ; that
they had entertained the ſtrongeſt prejudices in
favor of paganiſm and the principles on which this
ſyſtem was erected; that being educated in the
ſchools of philoſophy and in early life imbued with
the love of truth and inquiry, being habituated
to this exerciſe, they had carefully canvaſſed and
examined the nature, doctrine, and tendency of
the goſpel; and upon ſuch deliberate and impar-
tial examination, were firmly perfuaded it was a
divine revelation.
Juſtin Martyr, whoſe paſſion for truth was
boundleſs, and who had carefully examined all
the various opinions and principles of all the fects
of philoſophy, upon a diligent inveſtigation of the
evidences and excellence of the goſpel, received
the fulleſt conviction of its divine authority, and
in a flood of tranſport exclaimed: This,have I found
to be the only true and uſeful philoſophy!
assassone )
the Greeks tells them, “ That he had travelled
through many countries; had been an admirer of
the Greek philoſophy; had ſtudied the arts and
ſciences, and lived in Rome ; but that now he had
bidden an everlaſting farewell to the oftentation
of the Romans, and to the frigid and viſionary re-
veries of the Athenians, and embraced that form
of philofophy they affected ſo much to deſpiſe."
Tutiani Oratio ad Græcos, p. 123; and at p. 142,
he ſays, that he was firſt inſtructed in the Pagan
religion, but afterwards in that doctrine he now
publicly profeſſed.
U

(( 230 )
Athenagoras, an Athenion philoſopher, had en-
tertained ſo unfavorable an opinion of the chriſti-
an religion, that he was determined to write a-
gainſt it; but upon an intimate inquiry into the
facts on which it was ſupported, in the courſe of
his collecting materials for his intended publicati.
on, he was convinced by the blaze of evidence in
its favor, and turned his deſigned invečlive into
an elaborate apology.*
Arnobius, a man of great learning and excellent
judgment, who embraced chriſtianity in the reign
of Dioclefian, ſpeaking of the amazing rapidity
with which the chriſtian religion ſpread its tri-
umphs in the world, obſerves, That “perfons of
the firſt abilities and learning, orators, profeſſors
of the belles lettres, rhetoricians, lawyers, phy-
ficians, who had penetrated all the ſecret recef-
fes of philoſophy, defpiſing the principles in which
they had once confided, took up their reſt in the
philoſophy of Jeſus." +
Undoubtedly perſons of their erudition and dil-
cernment, would have been able to have detected
and expoſed any errors in its original facts and
evidences, were it poſſible any ſuch could have
been difcovered ; and perſons of their integrity
and probity, would have diſcarded it with horror
bizia
* See Dr. Lardner's credibility of the goſpel
hiſtory. Part 2d, vol. I. p. 401. Article Athe-
nagch us.
+ Arnobius adverſus Gentes. lib. II.
p. 44.
It
is all to the honor of chriſtianity that ſo fine a
genius as Minucius Felix profeſied and defended ito

( 231 )
and contempt, if upon bringing its credentials to
the teit of truth and hiſtory, it fhould have ap-
peared to them to have been ſupported on
nothing better than credulity and enthuſiaſm; and
upon ſcrutinizing and ſifting its nature and ſtory,
it ſhould have evinced itſelf to be nothing but a
cunningly deviſed fable, invented by an artful im.
poftor in the wilds of Judea, and propagated in
the world by a company of deluded enthuſiaſts !
But chriſtianity, approving itſelf to theſe eminent
philoſophers in thoſe ancient times, as it hath
done, in modern days, to the Bacons, the Boyles,
the Lockes, the Newtons, the Seldons, the Paſ-
cals, the Addiſons, and many others diſtinguiſhed
for genius and learning, to be the cauſe of God,
and the wiſdom of God, is a public monument,
that chriſtianity will bear the fevereftfcrutiny ; that
it is founded on truth, and that the more acenz-
rately it is viewed, in every light, in which learn-
ing and genius can view it, the more ſtrong and
ſtriking will the force of all its united evidences
appear !*
XXI. THE RAPID PROPAGATION OF THE GOS-
PEL
THE-rapid and aſtoniſhing progreſs that chriſ-
tianity made in the world, in a very few years
after its publication, is an irrefragable argliment
of its divine authority and truch. According to
accrornarerara
* See lives of the fathers, vol. II. p. 628.--
Addiſon's evidences, § III, IV, V. Stackh. bod.
div. vol. I. p. 37. Harwood's introduction, vol.
I. p. 86, &c. Gentleman's religion, p. 22. And
Bp. Watſon's apology, p: 61, 62, 87.

( 232 )
the common courſe of things, how incredible was
it, that the religion taught by an obſcure perſon,
in an obſcure ſtation, in an obſcure country, ſhould,
in ſo ſhort a time, have ſo univerſal a diffuſion,
and penetrate to the utmoſt boundaries of the
Roman empire ! According to all preſent appear-
ances, how romantic and viſionary would the
aſſertion of a private jew ſeem to a philoſopher, who
ſhould declare, that the principles of the ſect he
had founded, ſhould be preached to every creature
under heaven!
That a few fiſhermen, from a country that was
deſpicable to a proverb, without learning, and
without intereft, thould penetrate into the heart
of ſo many various nations ; fhould eſtabliſh their
tenets in the boſom of the largeſt cities, and gain
converts to their principles in the courts of ſo-
vereigns and princes, is a truth not to be account-
ed for on any principle but that of a ſignal divine
interpoſition in their favor! Many illuſtrious
miracles, undoubtedly, they performed ; but the
amazing propagation of religion by ſuch inſtru-
ments, was the greateſt of miracles that ever was
effected ! Jewiſh and Pagan ſuperſtition were con-
federated to cruſh their cauſe in its birth; the ax
of the civil magiſtrate, abetted by the hierarchy,
was every where uplifted againſt them ; the
pop-
ulace, inviolably attached to the national worſhip,
ftood armed with all their collected force and
fury to extirpate chriſtianity from the world ;
but notwithſtanding all this oppoſition ; though
it was every where ſpoken againſt, yet hundreds
and thouſands were converted by a* fermon,
sasarassa
* There were added, the ſame day, about 3000

(233)
and this deſpiſed religion, propagated by ſuch def-
piſed inſtruments, flew from one country to ano-
ther, throughout the whole extent of the Roman
dominions, with the rapidity almoſt with which
lightning darts through all the intervening ſpace,
from one extremity of heaven to another !*
How few and inconſiderable were the number
of converts whom Socrates, Plato, Cicero, or
Seneca made! Their tenets were circumſcribed
within the narrow circle of their diſciples, their
ſele& friends, and a few diſtinguiſhed geniuſes
of refined taſte, of great leiſure, and poſſeſſed of
a turn of mind congenial to philofophic inquiry,
and metaphyſical ſpeculation. What influence
had the tenets of theſe eminent ſages upon the
bulk of mankind? A ſingle city, a town, a village,
they never brought over to their diſtinguiſhing
principles, nor engaged them to live conformably
to their doctrine.
Notwithſtanding the ſhining treaſures of know-
ledge and erudition they poſſeſſed; notwithſtand-
ing all the powers of eloquence with which they
adorned and enforced their principles, and not-
withſtanding all the intereſt and influence they
enjoyed, both from the ſuperiority of their own
perſonal authority and dignity in the ſtate, and
asaranarono
fouls! Acts ii. 41. The previous cauſes which
contributed to bring into the church this immenſe
harveft of converts in one day, ſee excellently re-
preſented by Dr. Lelond in his remarks on chriflia
anity not founded on argument. Letter II. p. 29.
* Matt. xxiv. 27 •
U 2

( 234 )
from the countenance of the moſt illuſtrious and
powerful men who lived in the age in which they
flouriſhed, yet what Night and partial effects did
all their united learning and eloquence produce
among men ! How far were they from promoting
any general reformation in the world ì *
How far from deriving any conſiderable bene-
fit upon the minds, tempers, and morals of the
multitude ! How ſlow alſo were theſe ſeveral
Species of philoſophy in their progreſs ; far from
meeting with any conſiderable reception in the
age, in which they were publiſhed, and migrating
from country
to country with tardy Reps,
gaining only admirers among the philofophic
few.
But the religion of Jeſus, like the city Rome,
from the loweſt beginning, very ſoon increaſed
to an immenſe magnitude, and the ſame age, which
ſaw it confined in the narrow limits of the finalleit
province, ſaw it fill the whole amplitude of the
Roman territories ! The apoſtles and their fellow
laborers, before their deceaſe; and it ought to be
remembered, to have a proper idea of the aſton-
iſhing velocity with which chriſtianity advanced,
that few of its firſt publiſhers died a natural death ;
eftabliſhed ſocieties of chriſtians in Judea, Sama.
coidosiana
* Zeno, Plato, Socrates, and many others en.
deavored to introduce a new courſe of life, but
in vain; whereas Jeſus Chriſt not only taught,
but ſettled a new polity, or way of living over all
the world. Dr. Lardner ex Chryfoft. vol. X.
Credibility goſpel hiſtory, p. 367-

( 235 )
ria, Crete, Cyprus, Italy, Greece, Macedonia,
Minor Aſia, Pontus, Galatia, Capadocia ; in the
cit'es, Cæfareu, Rome, Athens, Corinth, Theffaloni-
ca, Philippi, Antioch, Epheſus, and in many other
regions, towns, and cities.
In all this immenſe tract of country, which
they travelled, they every where declared that
the perſon, whoſe religion they taught, had been
deſpiſed by his own country-men and crucified by
the Romans ! And what is more even than this,
their preaching a religion, and meeting with won-
derful ſucceſs in preaching it, that was contrary to
the pleaſures and paſſions of mankind ; that in-
diſpenſably required from its profeffors, tempe-
rance, felf-denial, an inviolable purity and fancti-
ty of manners, and was diametrically repugnant
to the prevailing principles and maxims of thoſe
times !
It is wonderful, beyond all example, that a few
illiterate Galileans, iſſuing from an obſcure cor-
ner of a diſtant Roman province, unlearned and
unſupported, ſhould, in a few years, overturn the
two greateſt eſtabliſhments which ever u ere erect-
ed in the world, and triumph over all the con-
federated powers of thoſe nations, which aſſo-
ciated to oppoſe them!
Such an aſtoniſhing and ſudden revolution in
the religious and moral ſtate of the world, pro-
duced by fuch agents, could be effected by noth-
ing leſs than a nott fignal interpoſition of God,
enduing theſe his meſſengers with ſupernatural

(236)
powers, and viſibly ſupporting them in the cauſe
in which they were engaged !*
XXII. THE GOSPEL HISTORY GENUINE.
US.
We have, at leaſt, as good reaſon to believe
that the evangeliſts have given us as a true hifto-
ry of the life and tranſactions of Jesus, as we
have to believe that Xenophon and Pluto have giv-
en us a faithful and just narrative of the character
and doctrines of Socrates. The facred writers
were, in every reſpect, qualified to give a real
circumftantial detail of the life and religion of the
perſon whoſe meinoirs they have tranſmitted to
They were the ſelect coinpanions and fa-
miliar friends of Chriſt. They had free and lib-
eral acceſs to him. They attended his public
diſcourſes, and, in his moments of retirement, he
unbofomed his whole foul to them without diſ-
guiſe. They were daily witneſſes of his fincerity
and goodneſs of heart. They were ſpectators
of the amazing operations he performed, and of
the ſilent unoitentatious manner in which he
per-
formed them. In private, he explained to them
the doctrines of his religion, in the moſt familiar
endearing converſe, and gradually initiated them
ocororoorocar
* See Tertullian's apology, chap. XXXVII.
Eufeb. eccles. hiſt. p. 20,
21. Fleury's ecclef.
hiſt. vol. I. p. 222, 272, 423. Jenkins's chriſti-
anity, vol. 1. p. 113, &c. Benſon's chriſtianity,
vol. 1. p. 98, &c. Doddridge's le&tures, p. 320,
&c. Newton on the prophefies, vol. 1.
p. 409,
410. Lard. cred. vol. X. p. 182, 366 : And
Harwood's introduction, vol. I.p. 80, &c.

( 237 )
into the principles of his goſpel, as their jewiſh
prejudices admitted. Some of theſe writers were
his inſeparable attendants, from the commence-
ment of his public miniſtry to his death, and could
give the world as true and faithful a narrative
of his character and inſtructions, as Xenophon was
enabled to publiſh of the life and philoſophy of
Socrates.
No writers have enjoyed more propitious, few
have ever enjoyed ſuch favorable opportunities,
for publiſhing juſt accounts of perſons and things
as the evangeliſts. Moſt of the Greek and Ro.
man hiſtorian's lived long after the perſons they
iininortalize, and the events they record. The
ſacred writers commemorate actions they ſaw ;
diſcourſes they heard ; perſecutions they ſupport-
ed; defcribe characters with which they were
familiarly converſant, and tranſactions and ſcenes
in which they themſelves were intimately inter-
eſted.
The pages of their hiſtory are impreſſed with
every feature of credibility. An artleſs fimplici-
ty characteriſes all their writings. Nothing can
be farther from vain oftentation and popular ap-
plauſe. No ſtudied arts appear to dreſs up a
cunningly deviſed fable! No vain declamation
is manifeſt after any miracle of our Saviour they
relate! They record theſe aſtoniſhing operations
with the ſame diſpaffionate coolneſs, as if they
had been common tranſactions. They give us a
plain unadorned narration of theſe amazing acts
of fupernatual power ; ſaying nothing previouſ-
ly to raiſe our expectation, nor after their per-
formance, do they break forth into any exclama.

( 238 )
tion, but leave the reader to draw the cona
cluſion.
The writers of theſe books are diſtinguiſhed
above all the authors who ever wrote accounts
of perfons and things, for their fincerity and in-
tegrity. Enthufiafts and impoſtors never pro-
claim to the world the weakneſs of their under-
ſtanding, and the defects of their character. The
evangeliſts honeſtly acquaint the reader with the
lowneſs of their ſtation ; the indigence of their
circumſtances; the inveteracy of their national
prejudices; their dulneſs of apprehenſion ; their
weakneſs of faith; their ambitious views, and
the warm contentions they agitated among
themſelves. They even tell us how they baſely
deſerted their maſter, by a ſhameful precipitate
flight, when he was ſeized by his enemies. А.
faithful picture this, held up to the reader, to
contemplate the true features of the writer's
mind!
Such men were as far from being deceived
themſelves, as they were incapable of impoſing
a fallhood upon others. The ſacred regard they
had for truth appears in every thing they relate.
They mention, with many affecting circumſtances,
the obſtinate unreaſonable incredulity of one of
their aſſociates, not conviticed but by ocular and
feaſible demonſtration. They might have cozia
cealed from the world their own faults and fola
lies; or, if they had choſen to mention them,
might have alledged plauſible reaſons to ſoften and
extenuate them. But they related, without diſ-
guiſe, events and facts juſt as they happened, and
left them to ſpeak their own language. To re-
ject, therefore, a hiſtory thus circumſtanced, and

( 239 )
rimpeach the veracity of writers furniſhed with
thefe qualifications for giving the juſteft accounts
of perſonal characters and tranſactions, which they
enjoyed the beſt opportunities for accurately ob-
ſerving and knowing, is an affront offered to the
reaſon and underſtanding of mankind ; a foleciſm
againſt the laws of truth and hiſtory, and which
would, with equal reaſon, lead men to diſbelieve
every thing related in Herodotus, Thucydides, Din
odorus Siculus, Livy and Tacitus ; to confound all
hiſtory with fable and fiction ; truth with fallhood,
and veracity with imposture, and, indeed, not to
credit any thing how well foever atteſted ; that
there have been ſuch kings as the Stuarts, or that
there are even ſuch places as Paris and Rome,
becauſe we are not indulged with ocular conviction
of them !*
Loneso
norar
*. It is acknowledged by Mr. Hobbs, " that
the writings of the new teſtament are as ancient
as the times of the apoſtles, and that they were
written by perſons who lived in thoſe times, ſome
of whom ſaw the things which they relate.” Lea
viath. p. 204
© It is out of diſpute, ſays Lord Bolingbroke,
that we have in our hands the goſpels of Mat-
thew and John, who gave themſelves out for eye
and ear-witneſſes of all that Chriſt did and taught.”
This writer confeſles, that " two channels were
as fufficient as four, to convey thoſe doctrines to
the world, and to preſerve them in their original
purity. That the manner in which theſe evan-
gelifts recorded them, was much better adapted to
this purpoſe, than that of Plato, or even of Xen-
ophon, to preſerve the doctrines of Socrates,

(240)
“No hiſtories, ſays Mr. Bryant, have been
tranſmitted with ſuch inconteſtable marks of truth
as the evangelical writings. There is nothing
in them fuperficial, and unneceſſary. On the
contrary, they are fraught with intelligence, and
matter of great moment, and abound with wiſ.
dom, which maketh wiſe to ſalvation. They are
artleſs in their compoſition, and conciſe ; yet are
attended with a degree of conviction, ſuch as no
art can afford. It was the ariſtotelian opinion,
that the rudeſt block of marble contains in it a
latent ftatue ; and within that other figures,
which want only a little art and induſtry to bring
them forth to day. Analogous to this notion,
the ſacred writings abound with hidden truths,
enveloped in the ſame matter, which due care
and attention will readily diſcloſe. They may
be
looked upon as containing the richeſt mine, that
ever exiſted ; a mine abounding with precious
ore,
which no labor can exhauſt. They
കുകുകുകുക
are
es encarare
The evangeliſts, it is added, did not content them.
ſelves with giving a general account of the doc-
trines of Jeſus Chriſt in their own words ; nor
preſume, in feigned dialogues, to make him deliv.
er their opinions in his own name. They re.
corded his doctrines in the very words he taught
them ; and they were careful to mention the ſe-
veral occaſions en which he delivered them to
his diſciples or others. If, therefore, Plato and
Xenophon tell us with a good degree of certainty
what Socrates taught, the two evangelifts ſeem
to tell us with much more certainty, what the Sa-
viour taught and commanded them to teach.".
Works, vol. IV. p. 390.

( 241 )
written with the utmoſt impartiality ; the great
purpoſe of the writers being only to tranſmit a
true character of their maſter, and an account of
his goſpel. The ſpirit of truth breathes in eve-
ry line of this ſacred hiſtory; and every line af-
fords matter of edification to the fincere and in-
telligent inquirer."*
" If we conſider the facts, ſays Biſhop Gibſon,
contained in the goſpel hiſtory, and the tendency
of them, we ſhall perceive they are ſuch as mili-
tated againſt the religion, both of jews and gen-
tiles, and, therefore, could not have eſcaped the
ſtricteſt ſcrutiny. As there were conſiderable
numbers who afterwards undertook to atteſt and
publiſh theſe facts, it is incredible, if they had not
been true, that not one of them ſhould have been
prevailed upon, either through hope or fear, to
have diſcovered the impoſture; and next to an
impoſſibility to ſuppoſe, that all of them ſhould
have ſubmitted to the fevereſt tryals, and many of
them, even to death itſelf, in its inoſt terrific form,
rather than deny theſe truths.”+
" THE hiſtorical part of the new teſtament, ſays
Doctor Beattie, was written by men, who were
eye-witneſſes of many of the facts they relate, and
had the reſt from the authentic information of eye-
witneſſes. Thoſe men either DID NOT BELIEVE
what they wrote, or DID BELIEVE IT.
If they did not believe what they wrote, they
so orarios
* Bryant on the truth of the chriſtian religi-
on, p. 128, &c.
+ Biſhop Gibſon's III. paſhoral letter, p. 14.
X

( 242 )
were impoſtors, and wanted to deceive the world.
But men never forin a plan of that nature, unleſs
with a view to gain ſome end; that is, to obtain
fome good, real or imaginary. For it is incon-
ceivable, that a rational being, thould give him.
felf the trouble to invent an impoſture, and fup-
port it through life; a work of great difficulty,
and, in a cafe like that before us, of the greateſt
danger, to draw down miſchief upon himfelf ;
and it is not more probable, that he thould do this
by chance, and without any purpoſe or intention.
CERTAIN it is, that when their Lord left thein,
they could no longer expect to advance their tem-
poral intereſt, by adhering to his cauſe. On the
contrary, they were told fi om the first, and, after
his death, they knew and believed, that perſecu-
tion and martyrdom would be their lot in this
world; and as their jewiſh education muſt have
taught them that God is juſt and holy, they
knowing themſelves to be deceivers, could enter-
tain no hope with reſpect to the next. And this
muft equally have been the ſtate of their mind,
whether with the Phariſees they believed a fu-
ture life, or with the Sadduces denied it. Cer-
tainly the affured proſpect of perſecution here,
with no hope of reward, or with the apprehenſion
of puniſhment, hereafter, can never be the mo-
tive that tempts men to falſify! Preſent gain
might tempt the covetous; preſent power the
ambitious, or preſent pleafure the ſenſual , and a
deluſive hope of future pleaſure or power might
tempt the enthufiaft. Bat, where none of theſe
temptations exifted ; and with reſpect to the 2-
poſtles, it is certain, that none of them did or
could exiſt; what was there in nature, or in the
human imagination, that could induce them, in

( 243 )
ſupport of a falſhood, to encounter a life of pain
and poverty, perſecution and reproach! All the
impoitors who ever appeared on earth, aimed at
the acquiſition of temporal advantages, of plea-
fure, wealth, or power; and indeed it is hard to
conceive, what other motives could induce a ra.
tional being to become an impoſtor. But with
theſe allurements in view, we too often find
that men can harden themſelves, for a time, at
leaſt, againſt the terrors of a life to come. *"
XXIII. THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
HAVE NOT BEEN CORRUPTED.
When theſe books were firſt publiſhed, it is
natural to conclude, that the chriſtians would en-
tertain the higheſt eſteem and reverence for writ.
ings which delivered an authentic hiſtory of the
life and doctrines of Jeſus, and for records which
contained a divine revelation. Every one would
be deſirous of pofleffing ſuch an invaluable trea,
fure, and of tranſcribing it with the greateſt accu.
more
* Beattie's evidences, p. 53-55. The whole
IId. chapter of this excellent treatiſe, is devoted
to this important ſubject, the truth of the goſpel
hiſtory. And on this topic, fee Du Pin's canon,
vol. I. chap, 1.8 VI. Doddridge's lectures, p.
286, &c. Grotius, p. 142, &c. Addiſon's evi-
dences, $ VI. Jenkins's chriftianity, vol. 1. p.
278, &c. Weekly miſcellany, vol. I. p. 353, &c.
Stackh. bod. div. sol. I, p. 39. Benſon's chriſti-
anity, vol. I. p. 116, &c, Leland's view of de-
lítical writers, vol. 1. p. 452, &c. and Knox's diſ.
courſes, vol. I. p. 84, &c.

( 244 )
racy and utmoſt fidelity. Copies of theſe books
would ſoon be multiplied without number; uni-
verſally difſeminated in the whole extent of the
chriſtian world, and appear in as many tranſlations
as there were languages ſpoken by its profeſfors.
So that it would very ſoon be rendered abſolute.
ly impoffible that theſe books ſhould be corrupted
and adulterated in any one important palage, or
even in any one important word or phraſe. For
theſe ſacred records being univerſally regarded as
the fupreme ſtandard of truth, and the criterion
of all religious opinion's, it would be impoflible
that any man, or body of men, ſhould corrupt
and falſify them in any fundamental article ;
Thould introduce into them even a fingle expref-
fion to favor their peculiar doctrines, or eraſe from
them any fentence, without being detected by
thouſands. A book, juftly efteemed fo venera-
ble and ſacred, by every individual of ſuch an ima
menſe body as the chriſtians foon formed, was, leaſt
of all, obnoxious to frauds, and to be tampered
with by the raſh and profane hand of feet and
fyftem, to ſerve a cauſe. It could not be, at any
time, that the ſmalleſt additions fhould be made,
or the ſmalleſt words ſuppreſſed, without being
diſcovered. For to theſe books men were con-
inually appealing ; theſe books all chriftians were
continually peruſing and conſulting ; theſe books
all ſocieties publicly read and privately regarded as
the Supreme infallible rule of faith and doctrine.
ondonaronarara
* See this argument well repreſented by Dr.
Benſon, in his reaſonableneſs of the chriſtian religion,
vol. I. p. 122 - 130.

( 245 )
Upon the firſt promulgation of chriſtianity, there
foon aroſe various fees, who formed themſelves
into different focieties, under their reſpective lea-
ders, which always regarded each other with a
jealous eye. Theſe ſeveral parties watched over
the ſcriptures, to which they all mutually appeal-
ed, with an ever-wakeful vigilance and penetra-
tion, which not the leaſt alteration in thern could
poſſibly have eſcaped. Theſe religions diſputes
and conteſts, have proved an happy means of pre-
ſerving the ſcriptures in their original purity, in-
corrupt and unadulterated; for it is impoſſible
that in any one âge, the whole chriſtian world could
have combined to new-model and adjuſt theſe
books to their ſentiments, becauſe there never
was an age in which all the chriſtians were unan-
imouſly agreed in the ſame ſyſtem of doctrine and
articles of belief. Different opinions have always
prevailed, and ever will prevail, and every dif-
ferent denomination hath ſtudied, and will fora
ever ftudy, to juſtify its mode of faith by the
common fupreme ſtandard of fcriptural infallibil,
ity.
The citations made from theſe writings, in all
the religious books which have been compoſed
by different men in different centuries of the
church, from the firſt ages of chriſtianity through
all the intermediate times to the preſent period,
perfectly agree and harmonize with the facred
original in our hands, and are an inconteſtable
proof that this divine volume hath been tranſmit-
ted to us in its primitive purity and original in-
tegrity. The citations from the new testament,
in the writings of the primitive chriſtians in the
firft centuries are ſo numerous, that froin the van
rious ſcattered paſſages in their books, if col-
X 2

246)
lected, there would be formed almoſt the whole
body of the goſpels and epiſiles; which circum-
ſtance clearly densonſtrates, how pure and fincere
theſe ſacred monuments have always been pre-
ferved. *
aroonaararana
* The following are among the eccleſiaſtical
authors of the chriſtian church, of the three firſt
centuries, who, in their writings, refer to the
books of the neru teſtament,
Barnabas, cotemporary with the apoſtles, and
who is mentioned, Acts iv. 36. xi. 22. xiii. I. Cor.
ix. 6. He wrote a general epiſtle in Greek.
Clemens Romanus, mentioned Phil. iv.
3.
He
wrote an epiſtle to the Corinthians about the
year
96.
Hermas, alluded to, Rom. xvi. 14. He wrote,
it is ſaid, the book, entitled, The Paſtor.
Ignatius, biſhop of Antioch, who ſuffered mar-
tyrdom in 116. He wrote ſeveral epiſtles.
Polycarp, biſhop of Smyrna, who, probably,
was alluded to, Rev. ii. 8, under the appellation
of “ The angel of the church of Smyrna ;" and
was martyred in 169. He was the author of ſe-
veral epiftles.
Papias, who died about 115; he was a compa-
nion of the apoſtle John, and wrote five books,
entitled an explication of the oracles of our Lord.
Jufiin Martyr, who wrote two apologies, and
his dialogue with Trypho the jew; he ſuffered
death about 163
Dionyfius, of Corinth, who flouriſhed in 170 ;
he wrote ſeven epiſtles.
Tatian, who lived in 170. He wrote an har-

( 247 )
As the almighty deſigned the goſpel ſhould
Derevasionerades
mony of the four goſpels; and, allo, an elegant
oration againſt the greeks.
Hegelippus, a jewiſh convert, who wrote the
hiſtory of the chriſtian church, in 170.
Melito, biſhop of Sardis; in 170, he wrote an
apology to Marcus Antonius, and many other
books; and, in particular, a commentary on the
revelation of St. John.
Irenæus, biſhop of Lyons. About 178, he wrote
ſeveral books, and, particularly, five, on the fub-
ject of hereſy.
Athenagoras. About 178, he wrote an apolo.
gy for chriſtianity, and a diſcourſe on the reſur-
rection.
Miltiades ; he wrote an elegant apology, about
180.
• Theophilus, biſhop of Antioch; he wrote three
books to Autotyeus, about 181. He wrote a book
againk Hermogenes; and alſo one againít Mar-
cion ; he likewiſe wrote an harmony of the evan-
geliſts.
Pantanus, who had been a ſtoic philoſopher,
and who was preſident of the catechetical ſchool
of Alexandria ; about 182, he wrote commenta.
ries on the ſcriptures.
Clemens Alexandrinus, who ſucceeded Pantænus
in the ſchool of Alexandria ; he wrote his peda-
gogue and ſtromata ; his admonition to the Gen-
tiles, and an homily on the ſalvation of the rich,
about the concluſion of the ſecond century.
Polycrates, biſhop of Epheſus, who wrote an
epifile about the ſame periode
Tertullian, preſbyter of Carthage; he was co-

( 248 )
conſtitute the faith and hope of ſuch infinite nun-
bers of the human ſpecies, and at last become the
religion of the whole world, it is rational to be-
lieve, that he would never ſuffer the divine beau-
ty and celeſtial form of chriſtianity, to be totally
obfcured in the depravity or darkneſs of any age
or nation, but that he would preſerve it in every
eſſential and fundamental article of doctrine and
duty, from being altered or corrupted, and,
therefore, that by his almighty power and gra-
cious fuperintendance, he would even cauſe che
facred truths of ſcripture, to be perpetuated
from age to age, until the final conſummation of
all things ; unadulterated by irrational enthuſi-
aſm and mercenary fuperftition; and uncontami.
nated with the admixture of earthly politics and
human inventions.
temporary with Clemens Alexandrinus. Ter-
tullian wrote many books ; and it hath been ob.
ferved, that there are more quotations in his writ-
ings, from the ſcriptures of the new teſtament,
than are to be found in the writings of Tully, from
all the books which he cites. The ſame obferva-
tion hath been made with regard to the writings
of Irenæus and Clemens Alexandrinus.
The names only of Serapion, Quadratus, Arif
tides, Claudius Appolinaris, and Symachus, of the
fecond century, ſhall be mentioned.
The third century was productive of many chrif-
tian authors of eminence; eſpecially, Minutius
Felix, Origin, Cyprian, Arnobius and Novatian ;
whoſe works abound with quotations from the books
of the new teſtamente

( 249 )
The pagans
16 The books of the new teſtament, ſays a cel-
ebrated writer, were tranſlated by great num.
bers of people, of different countries, as ſoon as
they appeared ; they have been read in public
aſſemblies, in almoſt all nations in every age; and
yet no one ever charged them with being forged ;
neither jews, nor pagans, nor hereticks, who were
greatly intereſted to oppoſe them. The
were as unable to controvert the facts they con.
tained as the jews. Celfus, Porphery, Julian the
apoftate, Plotinus, and other philoſophers, who
oppoſed chriſtianity with all imaginable ſubtlety,
were conſtrained to acknowledge the authenticity
of theſe books ; and were we to go back from
age to age to the time of Chriſt, we ſhould be
hold chriſtians and jews; greeks, romans, and
barbarians, all concurring in the acknowledgement
of the ſame truth.» *
" Theſe books, ſays a learned author, have
been tranſmitted to us with the utmoſt fidelity,
and it concerns thoſe who call in queſtion this fact,
to fhew that any other book, has ſo many evident
and convincing teftimonies of a faithful tranfinis-
fion, as the new teſtament ; left in the exertion of
their zeal againſt chriſtianity, they ſhould involve
themſelves in the abſurdity of rejecting all ail-
cient writings whatever.
Had the chriſtians in the firſt ages of the
church, even of a whole nation, been inclined to
have corrupted theſe books, how vain would
have been their attempt ; as not only copies of
ooooooo
* Ramſay's life of Fenelon, p. 233, 234.

( 250 )
them were diffuſed almoſt through the whole
world, but as their originals were preſerved, with
the greateſt care, in the archives of feveral
churches founded by the apoſtles ; and to theſe
archives Terullian refers, as being open to inſpec-
tion, thoſe perſons whoſe heretical ſentiments he
refuted ? *
But what could have tempted the primitive
chriſtians to have corrupted books on which they
founded all their hopes of preſent and future hap-
pinefs, and for which they were ready to ſacrifice
their lives? Books which they preſerved with ſo
much care, and deemed ſo facred, that if any
chriſtian; through the fear of tortures, refig ned
them to his heathen perſecutors, he was doomed,
by the church, to endure a ſevere penance.!
Many ancient written copies of the firſt tranſ-
lations of theſe books, and alſo of the original
greek, have been preſerved to our times, and
procured, by learned inen, from the ſeveral coun.
tries in Europe, Aſia and Africa, where chriſtiana
ity was propagated in the moſt early ages ; and
ſuch copies have been found, upon the firicteft
collation, to agree with thoſe now uſed in the
chariftian church.”+
cosanolaroroon
* Tertul. de Præſcript. adv. læreticos
+ Biſhop Gibſon’s thisd pastoral letter, p. 626
65 See Du Fin's canon, vol. II. chap. 1, $. IV.
chap. III. $. 1. King on the prim. ch. part 11.
chap. I. Doddridge's lectures« prop. CIII.-
Stackh. bod. div. vol. I. p. 55. Lard. cred. vol,
1. p. 384. Ille pi 282, Bica. VII. p. 246, &c.

( 251
)
XXIV. VARIOUS HISTORICAL FACTS, EVI«
DENCES OF THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL HIS-
TORY, SC
The public tranſactions which the authors of
theſe books record, and which might eaſily have
been refuted and diſproved, had they been falſe,
are the following.
Herod the great was the fovereign of Judea,
when the promiſed Meſſiah waş uſhered into the
world. A number of eaſtern philoſophers came
to Jerufalem, defiring to be informed of the place
that would be honored with his birth. Herod
convened the Sanhedrim, where, in public coun-
çil, its learned members deliberated upon this
queſtion. The bloody maſſacre of all the infants
in Bethlehem. Archelaus, Herod's ſucceſſor, is
mentioned. Auguftus then filled the imperial
throne. Quirinius was governor of Syria ; Ju-
dea a province of Rome. An edict was iſſued by
the emperor, that all Judea ſhould be enrolled.
Simeon taking the infant in his arins, publicly in
the temple, and in a tranſport of joy, before all
the people, paſſionately wiſhed for his own imme-
diate diffolution, now his eyes had ſeen the ſalva.
tion of Ifrael, and the light of the world. The
orororongroian
VIII. p. 197, &e. Grotius, p. 160, &c. Jen-
kins's chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 278, &c. Addiſon's
evidences, $. VI. Leſlie's truth of chriſtianity
demonſtrated, p. 119, &c. Weekly mifcellany,
vol. I. p. 353, &c. Deiſm revealed, vol. II.
31, &c. And Sharp's firſt argument, p. 85
166.

( 252 )
public converſation of Chriſt with the rabbies in the
temple, when he was twelve years old. The
commencement of John's public miniſtry is fixed
in the fifteenth year of Tiberius, Pontius Pilate
being then governor of Judea ; Herod, tetrarch
of Galilee ; his brother Philip of Iturea and Tru-
chonitis ; Lyſanias of Abilene, and Annas and Ca-
iphas, high prieſts. The inceſtuous marriage of
Herod with Herodias, his brother Philip's wife ;
the impriſonment of John for his remonftrances
againft this adulterous commerce ; the behead.
of the baptiſt, and the circumſtances of it are
ſpecified. The trial, condemnation, and cruci-
fixion of Chriſt. The darkneſs from twelve to
three in the afternoon, that enveloped the whole
land of judea, and an hiſtorical account of which,
publiſhed in the very age in which it happened,
and which would have been an infult upon the
world if it had been falſe, was a public appeal to
all mankind for the truth of this event; which
hath never been contradicted.
ing
The written accounts of theſe princes, who
were cotemporaries with Chriſt, and of theſe
public tranſactions which happened in his time,
are an inconteſtable proof of the hiſtorical truth
of theſe records, and an uncontrovertible monu-
ment of the veracity and faith of this hiſtory. It
was a public theatre on which our Lord's actions
were diſplayed. In the face of day; at the moſt
frequented felti vals; in the capital ; in the tem.
ple; before Herod and Pontius Pilate witreffing a
good confeffion. Add to this that the accounts of
theſe tranſactions were publiſhed very near the
times in which they happened, but were never
fhexo to be inaccurate nor falſe,

( 253 )
The national acts and illuftrious perſons only,
mentioned in the writings of the four evangeliſts,
kave been noticed; were we to include the ex-
ternal evidences of this kind of the truth of the
goſpel hiſtory, recorded in the acts of the apoſtles,
they would form ſuch a cloud of witnefes to the
truth of chriſtianity, as muít, one would think,
be irreſiſtible to every attentive and intelligent
mind. *
XXV. THE TESTIMONIES OF ADVERSARIES
AND HEATHENS, TO DIVERS FACTS MEN-
TIONED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
To the innocence of our Saviour's character,
we have an illuſtrious atteſtation in Judas, and it
is not without its juft intended fignification, that
the evangeliſts have related this remarkable cir-
cumſtance, who, when he ſaw his maſter capitally
condemned, an event he never expected, ruſhed
like one diſtracted into the temple, threw down
the wages of corruption before the prieſts and
rulers, and with great emotion publicly told them,
he had betrayed INNOCENT blood ! This is the
teſtimony of an enemy, and ought much to be
regarded. It is of great moment alſo with re-
fpect to the irreproachable character of Chrift,
that his judge, when fitting on the tribunal, took
water and publicly waſhed his hands before all the
multitude, folemnly declaring, I am innocent of the
blood of this juſt perſon!
orororonorerano ว
* See Harwood's introduction, P. 47,
&c.
Y

( 254 )
Suetonius inentions Chriſt by name,* and ſays
that Claudius expelled from Rome thoſe who ad-
hered to his cauſe. Tacitus records the progreſs
the chriftian religion had made ; the violent
death its founder had ſuffered ; that he flouriſhed
under the reign of Tiberius ; that Pilate was then
procurator of Judea, and that the original author
of this profeſſion was Chrift.t
66. It
Pliny, who lived in Trajan's reign and attained
ſome of the higheſt honors in the ſtate, in one of
his letters to the emperor, written not above for.
ty years after the death of St. Paul, exhibits an
amiable picture of the doctrine of the chriſtians,
and the purity and fanctity of their manners.
was their cuſton, ſays he, to meet before light,
on a ſtated day, and mutually to recite an hymn
fo Chriſt as a God, binding themſelves by a ſo-
lemn oath, not for the purpoſe of any thing wick.
ed, but on the contrary, never to be guilty of
any fraud, of any theft nor of any debauchery :
never to falſify their word ; never to withhold a
truit when they were called upon to deliver it
After which it was their cuſtom to ſeparate,
and then meet again to eat in common an harm-
leſs meal."
The ſame honorable teſtimony Celſus gives of
programera
Suetonius, Edit. var. p. 544.
+ Taciti Annal. lib. XV.f. 44. p. 286. vol.
II. Edit. Dublin.
Plinii Epilt. lib. X. Epift. 97, p. 724. Edit.
var. 166g. Compare Tertulliani. Apol. p. 2, 3,
Edit: Rigalt.

( 255 )
the chriſtians, and acknowledges, that there were
modeft, temperate, and intelligent perſons among
them.* The ſame perſon, who flouriſhed in the
ſecond century, ſpeaks of the author of the chriſ-
tian religion as having lived but at very few years
before his time, and mentions the principal facts
in the goſpel hiftory relative to the birth, life,
doctrine, miracles, death and reſurrection of
Chriſt, declaring he had copied the account from
the writings of the evangelifts. He quotes theſe
books, and makes extracts from them, as having
been compoſed by the diſciples and companions
of Jeſus, and under the names they now bear.
He acknowledges the miracles which Jeſus
wrought, by which he engaged great multitudes
to adhere to him as the Meffiah ; that they
were really performed he never diſputes, but
attributes them to our Saviour's profound ſkill in
the magic art, which he learned in Egypt. I
Julian, who flouriſhed about the iniddle of
the fourth century, produces no counter evidence
in refutation of the truth of the goſpel hiſtory,
though he mentions the names of all the four
· evangeliſts ; he never attempts to diſprove the
authenticity of their writings, nor to deny the
reality of our Saviour's miracles. Jefus did
nothing, ſays he, worthy of fame; unleſs any can
imagine that curing the lame and blind, and ex-
orciling dæmons in the villages of Bethfaida and
assoronarara
* Origen contra Celfum, Lib. I. p. 22. Edit.
Cantab. 1677.
+ Ib. p. 211 # Ib. p. 30.

( 255 )
Bethany are ſome of the greateſt works ;* and
the greateſt works they certainly are, infinitely
ſurpalding all human power and abilities, and de-
monſtrating the perſon who perforins ſuch ſuper-
natural operations, to be divine. He acknow-
ledges that Jeſus had a ſovereign power over
impure fpirits ; that he walked on the furface
of the deep; and expelled dæmonsat
That the power of working miracles and ef-
fecting ſupernatural cures was enjoyed by Jeſus
Chrift, the jews never deny, but, with folly, at-
tribute the poileffion of this fecret to the right
pronunciation of the ineffable name, which they
ſay, he clandeſtinely ftole out of the temple ;)
or, they impute it to the magic art, which he
escorcolare
* Vid. Cyrill. contra Julian. Lib. VI. p. 191.
Edit. Spanheim.
+ Ib. po 273:
| The ſtory is in Toledoth Jeſhu, and is as
follows. " In that time there was Shem-ma-
phoreſch (the ineffable name of God) engraved in.
the holy houſe (temple) upon the foundation-
fone. For as King David dug the foundation,
he found there a ſtone over the mouth of the
abyfs, and upon it was engraved the name; and
he took it up and depoſited it in the holy of holies,
And he (Jeſus) entered the temple, and learned
the name of the holy le:ters, and writ the name
upon paper, and pronounced the name that it
should not hurt him, and he cut open his fleſh,
and hid the paper with the name." See Sharpe's
firft argument, P. 33, 34-

( 257 )
learned in* Egypt, and exerciſed with greater
dexterity than any other impoſtor ever did.
Lampridius informs us, that Alexander Severus
would have erected a temple in honor of Jeſus
Chriſt, had not ſome of the ſenators remonſtra-
ted againſt it.t In Nero's time, which was but
little more than thirty years after our Saviour's
crucifixion, Tacitus ſays there was af great mul
titude of chriſtians in Rome, and he gives a cir-
cumſtantial account of the ingenious torments,
and excruciating deaths, to which they wereç
fubjected. Even Lucian bears teſtimony to
the influence the goſpel principles had in making
its profeſſors deſpiſe death, and ſays that Chrift,
an illuſtrious perſon, who was crucified in Pa
leſtine, was the original publiſher of this new re-
ligion. 11
Thus the inveterate enemies of chriſtianity
unite in giving an honorable fuffrage to the char-
acter of Chrift ; to the reality of his miracles; the
authenticity of the writings of the evangelifts,
and to the rapid progreſs of the chriſtian reli.
gion.
" The evidence of our Saviour's miſſion froin
heaven is ſuch, ſays Mr. Locke, through the mul-
titude of miracles which he wrought before all
anaoonoraranan
* The fon of Satda (Jeſus Chrift) brought
with him magic arts from Egypt, inſerting them
in his fleſh. Ib. p. 41.
+ Auguſt. hiſtor. tom. I. cap. 29. 43. edit. var.
† Taciti. Annal. 15. IId. vol. p. 286. Dub-
lin.
Ibid.
|| Lucian. Mors Peregrini.

( 258 )
forts of people, (which divine providence fo or-
dered, that they never were, nor could be denied,
by any of the enemies of chriſtianity) that what he
delivered cannot but be received as the oracles of
God, and of unqueſtionable verity ?
“ LET it be fuppoſed, ſays Mr. Addiſon, that
an heathen philoſopher, who flouriſhed within
fixty years of our Saviour's crucifixion, after
having ſhewn that falſe miracles were generally
wrought in obſcurity, and before few or no wit-
neſſes, treating on the miracles of Chriſt, ſhould
have thus expreſſed himſelf.
< But the works of Chriſt were always ſeen,
becaufe they were true; they were ſeen by thoſe
who were healed, and thoſe who were raiſed from
the dead. Many of the perſons who were thus
healed and raiſed, were feen, not only at the
time the miracles were wrought on them, but
many years afterwards. They were ſeen, not
only while Chriſt was upon earth, but after his
afcenfion; nay, ſome of them were living in our
days !
I am confident
you would regard ſuch a teſti-
mony as highly favorable to chriſtianity. But this
evidence, in fact, we have, in behalf of our reli-
gion ; for theſe were the words of Quadratus, an
athenian philoſopher, who lived at the period above
mentioned. But a convert, you ſay, to chriſtiani-
ty! Reflect a moment. Does not this very cir.
cumſtance give efficacy to his atteſtation ? Had he
continued a pagan philofopher, the world would
assianaona
* Reaſonableneſs of chriſtianity, p. 256.

( 259 )
have doubted the fincerity of his relation. But te
had ſo thoroughly examined our Saviour's hiſtory,
and the excellence of the religion he taught ; and
was ſo perfectly convinced of the truth of both,
that he became a proſelite to the chriſtian faith,
and to it died a martyr.”*
XXVI. THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF CHRIST.
A GREAT recominendation of chriſtianity, is the
t oiseassosie
* Addiſon's evidences, p. 21, 22.
See Du
Pin's canon, vol. II. chap. 1. $VI. Stackh. bod.
div. vol. I. p. 41. Sharpe's I. argument, p. 39--
77. Addiſon's evidences, ø II, III. Bryant on
the truth of the chriſtian religion, p. 112, 131-
176. Knox's diſcourſes, vol. I. p. 97,
&c. Har
wood's introduction, vol. I. p. 52, &c. And Bi-
ihop Watſon's apology, p. 134•
« Three men of diſtinguiſhed al ties, ſays
the author laſt inentioned, roſe up, t different
times, and attacked chriſtianity, with every ob-
jection which their malice could ſuggeſt, or their
learning deviſe; but neither Celfus, in the ſecond
century ; nor Pophery in the third ; nor the em.
peror Julian himſelf, in the fourth, ever queſtioned
the reality of the miracles related in the goſpels,
Grant us, ſays he, (while thus addreſfing him-
ſelf to deiſts) what theſe men, who were more like-
ly to know the truth of this matter of fact than
yourſelves, granted to their adverſaries, and we
will very readily let you make the moſt of the
magick, to which, as the laſt wretched fubterfuge,
they were obliged to attribute theſe miracles."

( 260 )
life and character of its author. The very beſt
inſtructions which ever were delivered, and the
nobleſt ſyſtem of religious and moral duty which
ever was compiled, muſt neceffarily fall into con-
tempt, if the life of the author is a fatyr upon his
own precepts. If a public teacher ſhall not exem-
plify, in his own practice, the virtues he enjoins
upon others, both his perfon and ſyſtem will uni-
verſally and moſt deſervedly be deſpiſed.
Of what avail is a judicious ſyſtem of ethicks,
if they do not ſhine in the life and converſation of
the moraliſt! Cicero's complaint is well know11.
" Who is there of all the philoſophers, ſays he,
whoſe practical principles, temper, and conduct,
were conformable to right reaſon ? Who ever
regarded his philoſophy as a law and rule of life,
and not rather as an oftentatious diſplay of his abi-
lity and learning? Who ever obeyed his own in-
ſtructions, and made his precepts the model of his
own daily practice? So far from this, that many
of them were ſlaves to luſt, many to pride, many
to avarice.”* And if the lives of theſe profeſſed
inſtructors were thus immoral and profligate, their
rules and directions, however folemnly delivered,
or pleaſingły written, muft neceffarily loſe all
their influence.
It is to the glory of the chriſtian religion, that
the life of its author was a faithful commentary
upon his own inſtructions. His temper and difpo-
fition were the brighteſt illuſtration of his own
orororonorarono
Tufcul. Qucfi. Lib. ii. p. 116. Edit. Davis,
Cantab. 1723

(265)
precepts. He exhibited to the world, in his own
character, what an amiable and divine fcheme
chriſtianity is, when it hath taken full pofleffion
of the heart, the ſource of action, and actuates all
the principles and affections of the human mind.
The fun, in his daily courfe, ſaw him indefatiga-
bly employed in working beneficent miracles and
delivering divine inſtructions ; and the ſtars, in
the ſilent watches, beheld him devoting the whole
night in prayer to God! Often he would, in his
daily benevolent offices, and amidſt his pious la.
bors, pour forth a fervent ejaculation to God.
Father, I thank thee, that thou hajt hid these things
from the wife and prudent, and haſt revealed them
ta babes ; even so, Father, for
ſo it ſeemed good in
thy ſight?
His love to mankind was without bounds. Stu-
dying their beſt intereſts ; diſpelling their errors;
freeing their bodies from painful maladies ; admi-
niſtering conſolation, and communicating uſeful
and ſaving inſtruction, was the fupreme ambition
and fole felicity of his life. This was his divine
character; it is comprized in a few words; he
went about doing good.
The life of Chriſt is fullied with no blemiſh ;
ftained with no fault nor foible; but pure and fa-
cred as heaven ; ſpotleſs and immaculate as inno-
cence, breathing nothing but devotion to God,
and benevolence to man. He was actuated by no
ambition, but the godlike ambition of doing good;
he aſpired after no diftin£tion, but the diſtinction
of being uſeful ; he deſired to establish no empire,
but the empire of truth and righteoufnefs.
Humble in his deportment ; meek and modeſt

( 262 )
in his converſe; entering the pooreſt cottage to
free a poor parent, child, or ſervant, from an in-
curable diſtemper. Infinitely above the meanneſs
of pride, and the grovelling pallions of worldly
glory and oftentation. Deſtitute of the comforts
and elegancies of life, and content to be fo. Ne-
ver murmuring and repining at the diſpenſations
of providence, but cheerfully acquiefcing in the
divine allotments. Calm and ſerene under the
moſt abuſive and contumelious treatment;
when
he was reviled, not reviling again ; when he ſuf.
fered, not threatening, but committing himſelf to
HIM who judgeth righteouſly. Ever expreſſing
the tendereſt pity and the moſt generous com-
miſeration for the frailties and imperfections of
our nature ; pouring out his ſympathetic forrow
for the hardneſs of men's hearts; their averſion
to truth, and their indiſpoſedneſs to conſult and
fecure their everlaſting welfare. Tearing off the
hypocrite's malk with holy rage and indignation,
and exhibiting to the world, in his own perſon, a
ſincerity, candour, and greatneſs of ſoul, illuſtri-
ous beyond all example.
Thus our Saviour lived, eminently diftinguiſhed
for his dutifal ſubjection to his earthly parents;
diftinguiſhed for his love and affection to his native
country, which he ſtrove to reclaim and convert,
and expreſſed tiis generous grief, in a flood of tears,
that their obſtinacy had defeated his merciful de.
figns; diſtinguiſhed for his heavenly mindednefs
for his benevolence; for his contempt of worldly
grandeur; for his ambition to do good, fer ſelf-
government, moderation, affability, meekneſs, pa-
tience, and every virtue that can adorn human
nature and form a perfect character.

( 263 )
Nor did this confummate perfection of charact-
er, merely ſhine forth in the common ſcenes of
public and private life, but in his laſt ſufferings
and death they appear moſt conſpicuous. View
him in the garden of Gethſemane, with the full
immediate proſpect of the impending ſtorm ; hu-
inan nature overwhelmed at the approaching
ſcenes, and feeling all the horrors of mental ago-
ny and dejection ; ſweating, as it were, great drops
of blood ; yet in this dire diſtreſs, repoſing a per-
fect fubmiſſion in God, and expreſſing this fub-
miſſion in terms, which no heart can read without
emotion. Father, if this cup may not paſs fronz
me except I drink it, thy will be done !
Patiently ſubmitting to be apprehended by a
band of ruffians; to be dragged before an unjuft
tribunal; to be abuſed with every cruel inſult; to
be ſpit upon; arrayed in robes of mock royalty ;
torn with ſcourges, and nailed to a croſs between
two thieves. Ainidſt all this ſcene, not uttering
one repining thought; ſuſtaining all the ignomi-
ny, inſult, and torture, that the malice of his per-
fecutors could inflict, with ſerene unmoved com.
poſure ; perfectly reſigned to God, and volunta-
rily ſurrendering his life a victim in the cauſe of
truth, and ſealing his religion with his blood !
Chearfully embracing ſuch a death with all its
horrors, if by ſuch a death he could atone for hu-
man guilt; give a public witneſs to the truth, and
bý ſpontaneouſly ſacrificing his life in the cauſe of
his religion, thereby give a public ſanction to its ve-
racity, and ſtamp that divine fyftem, he had been au-
thoriſed to teach men, with its complete and ulti-
mate confirmation. Such an amiable, conſiſtent,
and abſolutely perfect character, conjoined with

( 264 )
fuch a fair and faultleſs model of theology and mo-
rals, mutually
illuſtrate each other, and reflect the
greateſt ſplendor and dignity upon each other,
with which we can ſuppoſe any rules of human
duty to come recommended and enforced. *
“ I cannot omit obſerving, ſays Mr. Jenyns,
that the perfonal character of the author of chrif-
tianity, is not lefs new and extraordinary, than
the religion itſelf, who ſpake asi never man
fpake,' + and lived as never man lived.
He is, for inſtance, the only founder of a reli-
gion, in the hiſtory of mankind, that is wholly-un-
connetted with human policy and government.
acidicidioidla
The following teſtimony to the character of
Chriſt, is the teſtimony of a deift. « In Chriſt we
have an example of a quiet and peaceable fpirit
of a becoming modefty and fobriety; juſt and
honeſt, upright and fincere, and, above all, of a
molt gracious and benevolent temper and beha-
viour.
One who did no wrong, no injury to
any man ; in whoſe mouth was no guile; who
went about doing good, not only by his preaching
and miniſtry, but alſo in curing all manner of
diſeaſes among the people. His life was a beau-
tiful picture of human nature when in its native
purity and ſimplicity ; and thewed at once what
excellent creatures men would be, when under the
influence and power of that goſpel he preached
unto them."
Chubb's true goſpel, 4. VII. p.
55, 56
+ Johu vii. 46.

(265)
Nama, Mahomet, & all others, blended their relia
gious inſtitutions with their civil, and thereby ob-
tained dominion over their reſpective adherents ;
but Chriſt neither aimed at, nor would he accept
of ſuch power
.
Many enthuſiaſts and impoſtors have endeavor-
ed to impoſe on the world pretended revelations ;
but doth hiſtory afford an example of one who made
his own fufferings and death a neceſſary part of
his original plan and eſſential to his miſſion ? Bue
fuch was the conduct of Chriſt ; he foretold his
fufferings; the neceflity of them, and endured
them with reſignation and fortitude.
If we ſeriouſly contemplate the divine leſſons ;
the perfect precepts ; the beautiful diſcourſes,
and the conſiſtent conduct of this wonderful per-
fon, we cannot poſſibly imagine that he was an
idiot or a madman ; and yet, if he was not what
he pretended to be, he can be conſidered in no
other light; but even, under this character, he
would deferve fome attention; becauſe of ſo fub.
lime and rational an inſanity, there is no other in-
ſtance in the hiſtory of mankind !”+
Brunerea
+ Works, vol. II. p. 231, 232- See Chap-
aman againſt Morgan, vol. I. p. 241.
Barrow's
works, vol. III. p. 20. Grotius, p. 123, &c.-
Weekly miſcellany, vol. 1. p. 349, &com Stackh.
bod. div. vol. I. p. 32. Knox's diſcourſes, vol.
1. p. 220, &c. Bryant's chriſtian religion, p.
122, &c. And Harwood's introduction, vol. I.
po 64, &c.

( 266 )
XXVII. EXCELLENCE OF THE DOCTRINES OF
THE NEW TESTAMENT.
The aſſurances and diſcoveries which this fa-
cred volume compriſes, are preſumptive eviden,
ces of its being a divine revelation. To inſtance
in a few particulars.
What ſyſtem of human philoſophy ever taught
ſo clearly the doctrine of an univerſal and parti-
cular providence, comprehending at once the
boundleſs immenſity of the univerſe, yet fuperin-
tending every diftinez feparate being in the
whole extent of the creation ? A chriſtian cannot
but deteſt the impiety, and lament the ignorance
of the heathens when they talk on this ſubject.
The affurance of God's placability, and his re-
972 (ſion of attrocious guilt upon repentance, is an-
ocher doctrine in favor of the truth of chriſtianity.
By conſulting the books u hich are written by
thoſe who only enjoyed the light of reaſon, we
fiud how perplexed and embarraſſed they were
in their reaſonings on this article ; how far re-
pentünce would avail to reinitate perſons in the
divine favor. An beuthen prince is introduced by
the prophet Micah, overwhelmed with a penetra-
ting ſenſe of his attrocious crimes ; diſtracted
With the dire thought that the divine judgments
were deſervedly impending over his devoted
head ; anxious to avert God's anger; dubious in
1 hat way he can appeaſe it; at laſt breaking forth
into this pallionate exclamation, the language
conſcious guilt and gloomy deſpair ; Wherewith
Mall I conie before the Lord, and bow myſelf before
the high God ? Shell I come before him with burnt
offerings, muith caires of a year old ? Will the Lord
of

( 267 )
be pleaſed with thouſands of rams, or with ten thous
ſands of rivers of oil ? Shall I give my firſt borne
for my tranſgreſſion, the fruit of my body for the
(in of my ſoul? This is the language of unin-
{tructed, uncultivated reaſon under theſe unhap.
py circumſtances. Thefe are the ſentiments of a
guilty gloomy mind, ominouſly forboding the
wretchedneſs of its future deſtiny ; a ſtran-
ger to that tranſporting aſſurance in which chriſ-
tians are ſo happy, the total abſolution of all paſt
guilt, upon genuine repentance and reformation
of life!
How far the divine forgiveneſs would extend,
was a queſtion in the ſatisfactory deciſion of which
the heathens were greatly einbarraſſed. Some
aſſerted that great enormities often repeated and
perſiſted in, left a total inaptitude and inability
upon the mind for virtuous practice and virtuous
pleaſure, and conſequently would never be for-
given. Others as Plato, and Virgil, declared,
that though men repented of the'r vices in this
life, yet it was neceſſary they ſhould undergo a *
fevere diſcipline on account of them in an inter-
mediate ſtate of correction ; be hung up to the
winds to take out the moral ſtains their ſouls had
contracted, or diſciplined in the fire to purge and
purify all the remaining bleiniſhes; and when,
after theſe wholeſome temporary feverities, they
came forth, from this windy and fery trial, pure
and immaculate, they were then admitted to the
complete bleſſedneſs of the Elyſian fields-
sonorasoaia
* Æneid. lib. vi. V. 736.

( 263 )
How far the divine clemency would extendi;
whether the whole collective ſum of vice would
at once be expunged, cr only part of it; whea
ther, in particular, thoſe vices would be totally
forgiven which had prematurely impaired and de.
ſtroyed the noble fabric of God the human body
or had totally debilitated the mind for virtue,
were ſubjects which human reaſon could not deter-
mine. It is, therefore, a favorable preſumption that
the chriſtian religion hath the infinitely good and
merciful God, for its author, which publishes to
every ſincere penitent, through faith in the a.
tonement of Chriſt, the abſolute entire remiffion
of his former tranſgreſſions, how heinous, atroci-
ous and aggravated ſoever.
The reader will have a full conception of the
happineſs of ſuch a grateful aſſurance as this, and
conſequently how worthy it is of the compaffion-
ate father of the univerſe to proclaim to the world
in any revelation he is pleaſed to give to mankind,
if he conſiders what a ſcene of melancholy diſtrets
and gloom the preſent life would be, without a
full perſuaſion of the divine forgiveneſs of our
crimes; and how diſmal our proſpects muſt be into
futurity. But under the goſpel ſcheme, all theſe
perplexing difficulties vanilh. Ten thouſand talents,
the greateſt ſum of guilt fuppoſable, are at once
generouſly forgiven, and the immenſe debt for
ever cancelled!
With every rational intelligent perſon it muſt
alſo greatly recommend this religion, to conſider
the divine al ſtance it offers to human virtue.
One of the greateſt encouragements that any
fcheme of religion can offer to its votaries, with
regard to the ſucceſsful practice of morality, is

(269)
the full perſuaſion that if we ſtudy to cultivate and
improve our rational intellectual powers; and to
acquire the pleaſures and habits of virtue, we
ſhall certainly enjoy the divine concurrence. In
this fundainental article the ſyſtem of heathen mo-
rals was greatly defective. Some of their wiſe
men taught the world to expect no divine ailiitan-
ces in the practice of virtue. The virtuous man,
it ſeems, had * no occaſion for them, and the low
illiterate vulgar were infinitely unworthy the ex-
pence of divine interpofitions. Man muft derive
virtue from himſelf. Man was felf-ſufficient to
his own felicity. Their wiſe and perfect man had
no wants and defects about him ; he was equal to
jupiter himſelf in the all-fufficiency and conſum-
mate happineſs of his nature !
The religion of Jeſus teaches us to form more
modeſt and diffident, and conſequently more rati.
onal and juft, notions of human nature, and fhews
us our intimate dependance on the deity for all
the functions and enjoyments of natural and moral
life. This divine philoſophy teaches us, what the
principles and dictates of reaſon teach us, that we
are not ſelf-ſufficient to our own virtue and to our
own happineſs; that we are frail and indigent ;
ſurrounded with temptations, and expoſed to for-
rows and ſufferings; that in theſe exigencies God
will not deſert a fincere mind to the weak efforts
of its own imperfect virtue, but will, by his gra-
cious concurrence, guard it from vice and error ;
obia aasiala
Cicero de
* Horat. lib. 1. epiſt. 18. V. II 2.
nate deor. lib. 3• $ 36. p. 3359 336.
22

(270)
illuminate it with heavenly light; kindle devoue
affections; invigorate its powers; ſuggeſt holy
reſolutions, and, by his divine agency and co-
operation, confirm and eſtabliſh it in the princi-
ples and practice of virtue.
Such a doctrine is wortliy of God, and worthy to
form a neceffary article in any religion which
claims a divine original ! Such an aſſurance as this
is a moſt powerful incentive to the reſolution of
ainendment, and to the practice of all virtue, and
muſt have all its weight upon the ingenuity of
every rational being! For if in the undertaking
of any work of confiderable labor and difficuliy,
we efteem it a great happineſs to be aſſured
shat we ſhall be allilled in the execution of it by
wiſe and benevolent perſons, whoſe aid and en-
deavors concurring with our own will enſure fuc-
ceſs, how much more muſt
it incite and encourage
us to engage and perſevere in a religious life, to
be affured, that God will co-operate with our vir-
tuolis reſolutions ; enable us to furmount every
impediment; carry us through the difficulties and
dangers which infeft our path ; confirm us in the
habits of piety, and holineſs, and finally crown us
with eternal life and bleiledneſs? Such is the
ſtrength of chriſiian principles, and the perfe&ion
of chriftiaz doétrine !
The clear revelation of a future frate is a very:
krong argument in favor of the divine authority
and credibility of the chriſtian religion. Con-
cerning a future flate we find a great variety of
opinions among thoſe who had only the light of
reaſon to aid their inquiries. The moſt learned
and eminent philoſophers, the heathen world ever
produced, expreſs themſelves, in general, with

( 271 )
great heſitation and diffidence on this momentous
fubject. *
What heathen virtue always wanted to give it
its juſt weight and efficacy with mankind, our Sa-
viour hath given it. Every ſyſtem of religious
and moral truths muſt be defective in a very eflen-
rial point, that either makes no mention of a future
ftate, or mentions it in obſcure, dubious, and ambia
guous terms Chriſtianity is the perfection of all
religion, for by bringing immortality to light it
hath completely given all thoſe additional ſancti.
ons to the practice of virtue, which all former fyrir
tems of philofophy wanted to
udalone 295
* The concluding words of the apology of So.
erates are attectingly expreſſive of this great man's
uncertainty. And now it is time to depart-I to
death, you to life-but whether I or you are returnu
mg to greuter happinefs, God only knows! Platon.
apol. edit. 2. Forſter, oxon, p. 122 Cicero tells
us that while he was peruſing Plato's diſcourſe on
the immortality of the ſoul, his arguinents convin-
ced him ; but no ſooner did he lay aſide the boolt
and carefully revolve thoſe arguments in his mind,
but all his former conviction vanilhed. Ciceron.
Tufcul. queft. p. 22. lib. I. § 11. Edit. Davis,
cantub. 1723
# See Chillingworth's works, p. 53. Benſon's
chriſtianity, vol. 1. p. 34, &c. Doddridge's lec-
bures, prop. CXIV. Jenyns's works, vol. II. p.
232, &c. Harwood's introduction, vol. I. p. 25,
&c. Bryant's chriſtianity, p. 113, 11.4. And Beas
sie's evidences, p. 80, Szcz

( 272 )
XXVIII. THE MORALS OF THE GOSPEL MOST
WORTHY OF God.
The goſpel enjoins on us the love of God as
the firſt and great commandment; it teaches
us that this great principle thould poſſeſs all our
powers,
and influence the whole of our conduct ;
that we ſhould aſpire after the neareſt conformity
to the deity our imperfection can attain, and in-
itate him in doing good. It repreſents him as
continually preſent with us, the ſpectator of our
conduct, and the intimate witneſs of the princi.
ples which actuate us. It teaches us the great
duty of refignation to him from every argument
and motive that can affect an ingenuous depend-
ent creature, by informing us, that all the diſ-
penfations of God to us are founded in infinite
wiſdom and goodneſs ; that his corrections are
falutary; that all afflictions are his meſſengers ;
that he knows what allotments are beſt for us,
and will finaly prove moſt perfective of our vir-
tue and happineſs. Piety to God, therefore, as
taught in the goſpel, is a moſt amiable, engaging,
rational, venerable principle, worthy of ſuch a be-
ing as man to pay to the divinity.
The worſhip chriſtianity preſcribes, hath a no-
ble ſimplicity in it worthy of the deity, and the
adoration, love, and imitation of God which it
enjoins, are ſuch as greatly exalt the human char-
acter, and ennoble and dignify the heart of the
rational worſhipper:
The relative and ſocial duties the goſpel incul.
cates are ſuch as neceffarily refult from our natural
and civil connections, and ſuch as reaſon tells us any
fyftem of morality, eſtabliſhed by the fanction of

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a divine authority, muſt contain. Man is a ſocial
being, and his happineſs is dependent on the vir-
tuous exerciſe and diſcharge of the focial duties.
To give us the compleat fruition of this happi-
neſs, the goſpel lays us under the ſtrongeſt obli.
gations to be good parents, good children, good
neighbors, good maſters, good ſervants, good
citizens and members of ſociety. It teaches us
to conſider ourſelves as intimately allied to all
our fellow-men by the endearing bonds of one com-
mon nature. That in the love of God and our
neighbor is virtually compriſed the whole moral
law. That we are not to confine our benevolent
regards to the narrow circle of our friends, rela-
tions, and acquaintance, or ſolely to that party
and community to which we belong, but to dif-
fuſe them to the utmoſt limits of God's rational
creation
In the parable of the Samaritant, we are taught
to look upon every one as our neighbor who is in
diftreſs, however he may differ from us in reli-
gious ſentiments, and whatever unhappy prejudi.
ces, on account of nation, party, or opinion, we
may have entertained againſt him.
Chriſtianity enjoins ſtrict juſtice in our dealings
with others, to do to others as we ourſelves ſhould
expect, were we in their circumſtances and they in
ours ; to make reſtitution when we have injured
them, and generouſly to forgive thoſe who have
offered us injurious and contumelious uſage. It
recommends benevolence and charity as the per.
fection of virtue, the glory of human nature,
and
the diſtinguiſhing badge of its profeſſors.
Its
tendeney is to extirpate from the human heart en-
vy, pride, malice, revenge, malevolence, and eve.

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fy principle and paffion deſtructive of the harmoz
ny and happineſs of human life, and ſubverſive of
the noble fatisfactions of true ſelf-enjoyment.
To ſuch a degree of perfection does it tend to ex-
alt our nature, and carry human virtue, that it
commands us to love even our enemies, and inſtead
of revenging an injury, to forgive the authors,
and pray that God would forgive theme
The morality of tlie goſpel therefore is, in eve:
ry inſtance, ſo pure and ſublime ; fo perfective of
the harinony and happineſs of domeſtic, focial,
and civillfe ; ſo worthy of the great and good pas
tent of all rational beings, that our ideas cannot
form any revelation from God to contain a more
excellent and perfect ſyſtem of conjugal, parental,
filial, relative, ſocial duties, than what the new
teftament comprizes, and enjoins as the great
rule of life, and ſtandard of our moral beha-
vior and conduct.
Chriſtianity tends allo to improve and exalt hu.
man nature, with regard to the exerciſe of ſelf.
government and perfonal virtue. Its grand ob-
ject and aim is to poſleſs us with real goodneſs of
heart and to give us all the fruition flowing from
this invaluable poffeflion. It is the ſtudy and am-
bition of its great author to purify the human
foul, from every corrupt affection, and to make
us affert the ſuperiority of the rational and intel
lectual over the animal and ſenſual part of nature;
to make reaſon prefide and the inferior appetites
obey ; to purge the mental eye from the films
oſ vicious prejudices and paſſions ; and to poſleſs
all its powers with the facred love of holineſs and
virtue.

( 275 )
Temperance, chaſtity, ſelf-government; mode.
ration in our deſires; contentment in our ſituations;
ſubmiſſion to God in our afflictions ; an unruffled
tranquility and mildneſs of diſpoſition ; an unaf-
fected humility ; a mutual condeſcenſion; an
amiable probity and candor of mind ; a ſimplicity
of manners, and a conſcientious rectitude and in-
tegrity of principle, are the great duties it enfor-
ces and recommends by every motive and argu.
ment; by every inſinuating form of addreſs; and
by every conſideration that can excite us to cul-
tivate and improve what is truly excellent and
amiable ; to adorn our minds with the nobleſt at-
tainments, and to purſue and ſecure the ultimate
dignity and perfection of the rational character,
Thus is the morality of the goſpel worthy of God
to publiſh,and, when ſhining in a living character,
evinces itſelf to be the ſupreme glory and felicity
of human nature. The pagan ſyſtems of morality
were defective in many capitaland eſſential articles,
They wanted alſo many arguments and motives
to enforce the practice of their duty. The offices
taught in theſe deficient erroneous ſyſtems, were
not urged from conſiderations of the omnipre-
ſence, fear, and love of God; nor preſſed upon
the conſcience by arguments derived froin the
awful folemnities of future retributions. The gof-
pel is the only fcheme that hach given morality its
final perfection, by the additional fanctions which
it hath annexed to it, and by all its cogent motives
and powerful incentives.
What conſtitutes the ſupreme excellence and
glory of the goſpel, is its pure and perfect morali.
ty, tending to make human nature what God de-
ſigned it ſhould be ; leading us to the initation
of God in his rectitude and holineſs, and fitting

( 276 )
us for the eternal fruition of him in thoſe facred
manſions, into which nothing that is impure and de-
Filed will be admitted.
The views of the heathen moraliſt, ſays ari
excellent writer, extend not beyond this world;
thoſe of the chriſtian are fixed on that which is to
come. The former was concerned for his own
country only, or chiefly; the latter takes concern
in the happineſs of all men, of all nations, condi-
tions and capacities. But a few, of the ancient
philoſophers, ſpoke of a future ſtate of retribution
as not improbable ; revelation ſpeaks of it as cér-
tain ; and of the preſent life, as a frate of trial,
wherein virtue or holineſs is neceſſary, not only
to entitle us to that ſalvation, whichi, through
the mercy of God, and the merits of his ſon,
chriſtians are taught to look for ; but alſo to pre-
pare us, by habits of piety and benevolence, for
a reward, which none but the pure in heart, can
receive, or could relish
THE duties of piety, as far as the heart is con-
cerned, were not attended to, by the heathen
law-giver. Cicero coldly ranks them with the
focial virtues, and ſays very little about them.
The ſacrifices were inere ceremony. And what
the itoicks taught of reſignation to the decrees of
fate, was ſo repugnant to ſome of their other te-
nets, that little good could be expected from it.
But of every chriftian virtue, piery is an eflential
part.
The love and fear of God muft every mo-
ment prevail, in the heart of a follower of jeſus;
and whether he eats of drinks, or whatever he
doth, it muſt all be to the glory of the Creator-
How different this froin the philoſophy of Greece
and Rome!

(277)
The heather morality, even in its beſt form, as
two or three of their beſt philoſophers taught it,
amounts to little more than this : Be uſeful to
yourſelves, your friends, and your country ; fo
thall ye be reſpectable while ye live, and honored
when ye die . The language of the chriſtian
lawgiver is different. The world is not worthy
of the ambition of an immortal being. Its ho-
nors and pleaſures have a tendency to debaſe the
minds, and diſqualify it for future happineſs. Set
therefore your affections on things above, and
not on things on the earth. Let it be
Let it be your fu.
preme deſire to obtain God's favor ; and by a
courſe of diſcipline, begun here, and to be com-
pleted hereafter, prepare yourſelves for a re-ad-
miſlion into that rank which was forfeited by the
fall, and for again being but a little lower than
the angels, and crowned with glory and honor
everlaſting !
WHAT an idea is here! Is there any thing like
this in the writings of Xenophon or Plato; of
Cicero, Seneca, or Epictetus ? " Whence had
this man theſe things ? What wiſdom is this that
was given him?" Surely man gave it not ; for
man had it not to give. This is an idea, which
never occurred to human imagination, till it was
taught by Chriſt and his apoſtles ; to the native
dignity, and undeniable degeneracy of human
nature, no other moral theory was ever ſo well
adapted; and no other has ſo direct a tendency
to promote the glory of God, and the real good
of mankind. Is it poſſible to explain this upon
the principles that uſually regulate human affairs ?
Is it poſſible for us to believe, that teachers ſo
holy, fo benevolent, and ſo pious ; ſo ſuperior to
the world, and ſo thoroughly diſengaged from its
Аа

( 278 )
allurements, were not taught of God? As eaſy
almoſt it is to believe, that this world was not
made by him. Is it poſſible for us to imagine,
that perſons of ſuch a character could have em.
ployed their lives in the promulgation of a lie,
and willingly encountered perſecution and death
in ſupport of it? As well may we imagine, that
an evil tree brings forth good fruit, and that men
gather grapes from thorns, and figs from thiſ.
tles ! *
A JUDICIOUS author, on the fubject of the
morals of the goſpel, remarks, that another pre-
cept, equally new and no lefs excellent, is for-
giveneſs of injuries : “ Ye have heard,” fays
Chriſt to his diſciples, “ Thou ſhalt love thy
neighbor, and hate thine enemy; but I ſay unto
you, love you. enemies, bleſs them that curfe
you, do good to them that hate you, and pray
for them which deſpitefully uſe you, and perfe-
cute you.”+ This was a leſſon ſo new, and ſo
utterly unknown, till taught by his doctrines, and
enforced by his example, that the wiſeft moral-
siſts of the wifeft nations and ages, repreſented
the deſire of revenge as a mark of a noble mind,
and the accompliſhment of it as one of the chief
felicities attendant on a fortunate man. But how
much more magnanimous, how much more bene-
ficial to mankind, is forgiveneſs! It is more mag,
nanimous, becauſe every generous and exalted
difpolition of the human mind is requilite to the
practice of it ; for theſe alone can enable us to
i sinondisco
* Beattie's evidences, p. 80 – 82.
+ Mart. l. 43

( 279 )
bear the wrongs and inſults of wickedneſs and fol-
ly with patience, and to look down on the per-
petrators of them with pity, rather than indigna-
tion ; theſe alone can teach us, that ſuch are but
a part of thoſe ſufferings allotted to us in this
ſtate of probation, and to know, that to overcome
evil with good, is the moſt glorious of all victo-
ries. It is the moſt beneficial, becauſe this amiable
conduct alone can put an end to an eternal fuc-
cefſion of injuries and retaliations ; for every re-
taliation becomes a new injury, and requires ano-
ther act of revenge for ſatisfaction. But would
we obſerve this falutary precept, to love our ene.
mies, and to do good to thoſe who deſpitefully
ufe
us,
this obſtinate benevolence would at laſt
conquer the moſt inveterate hearts, and we should
have no enemies to forgive. How much more
exalted a character therefore is a chriſtian nartyr,
fuffering with relignation, and praying for the
guilty, than that of a pagan hero, breathing re-
venge, and deſtroying the innocent! Yet, noble
and uſeful as this virtue is, before the appearance
of this religion, it was not only unpractiſed, but
decried in principle as mean and ignominious
though ſo obvious a remedy for moſt of the miſe-
ries of this life, and fo neceifary a qualification for
the happineſs of another !*
به ر به ته ما را به
* Jenyns's werks, vol. II. p. 246 — 248. See
Juſtin Martyr's firſt apology, $. XVII
--XXIII.
Saint Cyprian's works, folio, p. 199, &c. Ham-
mond's works, vol. 1. p. 196, &c. Locke's
works, vol. II. p. 534, 535. Barrow's works,
vol. II. p. 172, &c. Grotius, p. 106, &c. Ba-
ron Bieldfield's elements, vol. I. p. 52. Har-

(280)
XXIX. EXCELLENCE OF THẾ MORAL CHARAC.
TER OF THE APOSTLES.
The character of the apoſtles and firſt pub-
lifhers of the goſpel, is a ſtrong preſumptive ar-
gument of the truth of the chriſtian revelatioii.
If the writings of an author are the faithful picture
of his heart, theſe books have all the features of
veracity that truth can impreſs. If one inay
judge from their hiſtory, the apoſtles, of all mer,
ſeem leaſt to have been actuated by a ſecular ſpi.
rit, the love of pleaſure, of riches, and wordly
diſtinction Avarice and intereft could not ſway
them, for they voluntarily abandoned all their
temporal connections, and embarked in a cauſe,
which the world regarded to be in the laſt degree,
wretched and deplorable. They exiled them-
ſelves from the protection and bofom of their na.
tive foil, left all the charities of father, ffter, bro-
ther, and openly eſpouſed a religion that was eve-
ry where ſpoken againſt ; to cruſh which in its
infancy, all the principalities and powers of the
world ſtood armed; the magiſtrate, in every re-
gion,uniheathed his fword ; popular prejudice and
ſuperſtition collected all their fury, and the whole
pagan and jewiſh hierarchy ſtood ready to over-
whelm it with the whole accumulated weight of
their authority and vengeance.
They might have lived happy in their humble
orororonararare
wood's introduction, vol. I. p. 18, &c. Benſon's
chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 36, &c. Leland's view of
deiſtical writers, vol. I. p. 468, &c. And Tur-
ner on the practice of religion, chap. III.

( 281 )
retreat in a ſequeſtered and obfcure receſs, fol.
lowing the occupation of their anceſtors, far
from the malice and perſecution of the world ;
but the force of truth and the power of convic-
tion, impelled them to bid an everlaſting fare-
well to the world ; to diſſolve all the bonds of
the tendereſt union, and tearing themſelves at
once from the embraces of their neareſt and dear-
eſt relatives, and from all the endearments of
conſanguinity and country, to proclaim to man-
kind the evidences and doctrines of the chriſtian
religion, though bonds, impriſonments and death
in every region awaited them! How can theſe
things be accounted for, but from the force of
truth, and the fulleſt perſuaſion, that the cauſe,
in which they were engaged, was the cauſe of
God, and that they were acting under a divine
authority and commiſſion !*
What encomiums do we find, in their writings,
upon fimplicity and godly ſincerity! What folemn
appeals to God for their integrity and veracity!
And what denunciations of divine vengeance pro-
wisissaras
* This argument is well expreſſed by a cele
brated poet.
Whence, but from heaven, ſhould men unſkill }
in arts,
In different nations born, in different parts
Weave ſuch agreeing truths ? Or how? Or why?
Should all conſpire to cheat us with a lie ?
Unaſk'd their pains, ungrateful their advice,
Starving their gains, and martyrdom their price?
DRYDEN
A 3

( 282 )
nounced againſt inſincerity and diffimulation ;
againſt thoſe who are ſwayed by filthy lucre ;
who adulterate and corrupt truth, and handle the
word of God deceitfully !
3
And could all theſe pathetic exhortations to fin-
cerity and probity; all theſe proteſtations of a
ſacred and inviolable love for truth all this
vehemence againſt hypocriſy, flow from an heart,
whoſe whole ſtudy it was to palm a pious fraud
upon mankind, and who only aſſumed this fpe-
cious diſguiſe the better to deceive and dupe the
world? Was there ever ſuch an amiable, uniform,
virtuous conſiſtency in the character of impoſtors?
Did ever an impoſtor expoſe his perſon to fuch
imminent dangers; exchange worldly reputation,
competence and eaſe, for diſgrace, contempt and
death ; and ſolely acted by the love of God and
truth, traverſe ſuch an immenſe tract of country,
reviled, abuſed, inſulted, in every town and vil-
lage, in which he delivered his credentials ?
Impoſture is ever upon the reſerve ; courts
gloomy retirement.; cautiouſly fhuns the rays of
truth and inquiry, and deals in artifice. Where-
as truth openly invites the inſpection of the world;
comes forth into the light that its nature and
deeds may be made manifeſt, and publicly exhi-
bits herſelf in the face of day in an artleſs undiſ-
guifed manner!
The bleſſed apoſtles, with liberal and undaupt-
ed fortitude, delivered their testimony before
kings and princes; prieſt and magiftrate ; before
the moſt illuſtrious and dignified perforages; not
aſhamed of the cauſe they had efpouled, but
openly ſubmitting its evideixes to a free and im-

( 283 )
partial examination! Their minds were fo pene-
trated with a conviction of the truth of the gol.
pel, that they eſteemed it their diſtinguiſhed ho-
nor and privilege to ſeal their atteitation to it by
their ſufferings, and bleſſed God that they were
accounted worthy to ſuffer reproach and frame
for their profeſſion ! Paſſing through honor and
diſhonor ; through evil report and good report ; as
deceiver's and yet true!
Never dejected ; never intimidated by any
forrows and ſufferings they endured ; but when
ftoned, impriſoned and perſecuted in one city, fly-
ing to another, and there preaching the goſpel
with intrepid boldneſs and heavenly inſpired
zeal! Patient in tribulation ; fervent in ſpirit ;
rejoicing under perſecution ; calm and compoſed
under calumny and reproach; praying for their
enemies ; when in dungeons chearing the filent
hours of night with hymns of praiſe to God !
Meeting death itſelf in the moſt dreadful forins
with which perſecuting rage could dreſs it, with
a ſerenity and exultation the foic philoſophy
never knew !
In all theſe public fcenes, flowing to the world
an heart infinitely above what men vulgarly
ftyle great and happy ; infinitely remote from
ambition, the luit of gold, and a paſſion for popu-
lar applauſe; working with their own hands to
raiſe a ſcanty fabfiitence for themſelves that they
might not be burdenſome to the ſocieties they
had formed ; holding up to all, with whom they
converſed, in the bright faithful mirror of their own
behaviour, thel amiableneſs and excellence of
the religion they taught; and in every ſcene
and circunſtance of life, diftinguillied for their

(284)
devotion to God ; their unconquered love of
mankind; their facred regard for trath ; their
felf-government, moderation, humanity, finceri-
ty, and every divine, ſocial and moral virtue that
can adorn and exalt a character !
no
Nor are there any features and characters of
enthufiaſm in the writings they have left us. We
meet with no frantic fervors indulged; no mon-
kiſh abftraction from the world recommended;
no maceration of the body countenanced
unnatural inſtitutions eſtablished; no vain flights
of fancy cheriſhed; ne abſurd and irrational doc-
trines taught ; no diſobedience to any forms of
human government encouraged; but all civil ef-
tabliſhinents and ſocial connections are ſuffered to
remain in the ſame ſtate they were before christi.
anity. So far do they appear from having been
actuated by a blind, undiſtinguiſhing, mechanical
impulſe of enthuſiaſtic heat and rapture, that
their writings have all the marks of a mind that
was under the influence of found reaſon, and
cool deliberate judgment; and are eminently diſ-
tinguiſhed for the necellity of good works the
improvement of the mind; the uſe of reaſon ; the
inveſtigation of truth; the careful examination of
the evidences of religion, and the abſolute con-
nection between our preſent moral conduct and
our future reward.
So far were the apoſtles from being enthuſiaſts,
and initigated by a wild undifcerning religious
phrenzy to ruſh into the jaws of death, when they
might have honorably and lawfully eſcaped it,
that we find them, when they could, without
wounding their conſciences, legally extricating
themſelves from perſecution and death, taking

( 285 )
advantage of adventitious circumſtances, as St.
Paul ingeniouſly did at Athens, * pleading their
privileges as † Roman citizens, and appealing to
Cæſar's fupreme jurifdi&tion.
Thus lived, wrote and died the apoſtles; prop.
warenessereinion
means.
* There was at Athens a law, which made it
capital to introduce or teach any new gods in
their ſtate. Therefore when Paul was preach-
ing Jeſus and the refurreélion to the Athenians,
fome of them carried him before the court of Are-
opagus, the ordinary judges of criminal matters,
and in a particular manner entruſted with the
care of religion as having broken this law, and
being a fetter forth of ſtrange gods. In this cafe an
impoſtor would have retracted his doctrine to have
ſaved his life, and an enthufiaft would have lost.
his life without trying to ſave it by innocent
St. Paul did neither the one nor the o-
ther ; he availed himſelf of an altar which he had
found in the city, inſcribed to the unknown God,
and pleaded that he
did not propoſe to them the
worſhip of any new God, but only explained to
them one whom their government had already
received ; whom therefore ye ignorantly worſhip,
him declare I unto you. By this he avoided the
law, and eſcaped being condemned by the Areo-
pagus, without deparring in the leaſt from the
truth of the goſpel or violating the honor of God.
An admirable proof of the good ſenſe with which
he acted, and one that ſhews there was no mix.
ture of fanaticiſm in his religion. Lyttelton on the
converſion of St. Paul, p. 73, 74•
+ As St. Paul did, Acts xvi. 37. ch. 22, 25

( 286 )
agating what they were convinced, upon the ful.
lect evidence, was truth, with indefatigable in
düſtry, exemplifying the principles and tendency
of the goſpel by all the charms of a perſonal con.
duct, and by their illuſtrious piety ; their diſinter.
eſtedneſs, and their contempt of death ; ſhowing
that the chriſtian religion was from God, and
publicly ſealing its ſacred truth and divinity with
their blood ! +
XXX. THE POSITIVE INSTITUTIONS OF
CHRISTIANITY, IN FAVOR OF ITS DIVINE
ORIGINAL
It is much to the honor of chriſtianity, that
its poſitive rites are ſo few, and ſo obvious to the
meaneſt capacitiesChriftianity is not a religion
that is loaded with ſuperſtitious ornaments and
oftentatious decorations. It is not like the pagan
fuperftition, full of external parade and pageant-
ry; diſplay ing a pompous glitter and glare of em-
belliſhment and ſhow. The church, which Chrift
erected, is not like the ſpacious magnificent domes
in ancient times, filled with pompous facrifices,
with hecatombs of victims ; having hundreds of
prieſts employed; fome in dedicating the animal
ſome in ſlaying it, according to the forms pre-
oralararoasa
272
+ See Gaſtrel's chriſtian rev. p. 250
More's theological works, p. 223, &c. Baxter's
works, vol. II. p. 110 — 113. Ditton on the
reſurrection, part III. $. XXI - XXXIV. Fol-
ter againſt Tindal, po 108. Grotius p. 146.-
And Harwood's introduction, vol. I. p. 72, &c•

( 287 )
fcribed; others in inſpecting the entrails, and
prognoſticating happy or unhappy events to the
votary ; others in burning parts of the victim
upon the facred altar, and placating the reſent-
ment of their offended deities by a thouſand wild
and enthuſiaſtic extravagancies.
A beautiful elegant fimplicity of worſhip cha-
racteriſes the goſpel. It is a religion that is di-
veſted of all vain pomp and pageantry ; requiring
from its votaries no facrifice but that of a good
heart and a good life. The goſpel is like its founde
er, plain and unaffected ; it hath, like its author,
nothing external to dazzle and aſtoniſh ; it re-
commends itfelf by its internal native goodneſs
excellence and worth. As God is a fpirit, the
goſpelrquires a ſpiritual worſhip. The chriſtian's
God requires not to be appeaſed by coſtly obla-
tions ; expenſive offerings and clouds of fragrant
perfume, as the Gods the ancient heathens wor-
ſhipped required, and as the Gods which are now
worfhipped in the populous countries of India,
Tartary, and China, require from their votaries.
The religion of Jeſus is deftitute of all this fan-
taftic ornament. The yoke of this mild inſtitution
is eaſy, and its burden is light. The poſitive rires
it ordains are only four, Baptiſm, the Lord's Sup-
per, the inſtitution of the Sabbath, and worſhipping
God through a mediator,
The firſt is a ſimple initiation into the ſociety
of its profeſſors, by the expreſſive emblem of wa-
ter, which denotes purity. The ſecond is a plain
fymbolical commemoration of the death of its
founder, on the baſis of which event its whole fa-
bric is fupported. The third inftitutien is every

( 288 )
way fitted to keep alive in our minds a conſtant
animating ſenſe of our obligations to God and
Chrift, and of our duty to ourſelves and others,
by calling our minds from the diſtraction of ſecu-
lar cares, and poſſeſſing them with an affecting
ſenſe of their everlaſting intereſts. The fourth
appointment tends to inſpire us with the moſt
venerable ideas of the majeſty and goodneſs of
God, and of the love and benevolence of that ex-
alted being, through whom we are permitted
this free and liberal acceſs to the deity ; and is
deſigned as a means to repleniſh our hearts with
grace, and to impart to us thoſe bieſlings we
need.
Theſe inſtituted rites and appointments con-
ſpire to add a ſuitable dignity and glory to the
chriſtian religion ; recommend it to our accept-
ance as a moſt mild and merciful diſpenſation ;
eaſy in its performance ; worthy the ſpiritual na.
ture and perfections of the divinity, and contain-
ing the beſt moral means for accompliſhing the
wiſeft and noble ends.
Other re-
* There is not, ſays Doctor Price, a more
ſtriking recommendation of chriſtianity than its
fimplicity ; or its freedom from the incumbrances
of fuperfluous rites and ceremonies.
ligions are loaded with theſe, which have a ten.
dency to hurt the intereſts of morality, by turn-
ing the attention of men from it, and leading them
to ſeek the favor of God more by an exactneſs in
outward forms, than by a virtuous temper
and
practice.
Chriſtianity condemns, in the ſtrongeſt lan-
guage, this dangerous fuperftition; alluring us,

(289)
that thoſe whº are chargeable with it ſhall é te
ceive the greater damnation ;' that God re-
quires mercy, and not ſuch ſacrifice ;' and that
true religion conſiſts, not in ariy ritual ſervices,
but in righteouſneſs, and peace, and joy in the
holy ghoſt.?*
XXXI. THE GOSPEL ENFORCED BỲ DIVINE
AUTHORITY
The authority by which the goſpel was enfor.
ced, was moſt facred, ſuch as was neceſſary duly
to ſanction its injunctions. When our Saviour
had ended his fermon on the mount, it is obſer-
ved, that the multitude was aſtoniſhed at his doc-
trine ; and the reaſon of this effect is alledged,
becauſe he taught them as one having authority)
cloathed with a divine commiſſion, and folennnly
addreſſing them in the name and authority of
God!
All the precepts and leſſons of inſtruction the
wifeſt ancients ever delivered, in a great degree
lost their efficacy, in the reformation of mankind,
as they had no other authority to ſeal and confirm
them than what was merely human. t Socrates
menterian
weswrenentatorer
* Price's diſſertations, p. 370, 371. See Hock-
ter's eccleſ. pol. p. 214. Earrow's works, vol. Ia
p. 57, 408, 483: vol. III. pi 255. Prid: con. vol.
p. 562. Weekly miſcellany, vol. I. p. 73, &ca
Deiſm revealed, vol. II. p. 86, &c. Benſon's
chriſtianity, vol. 1. p. 41, &c And Harwood's
introduction, vol. 1. p. 36, &c.
† See this argument moſt excellently repre-
ВЬ

(298)
was lo convinced of this, that he paſſionately
withes for a future meſſenger from heaven, au-
thorized with proper credentials, to teach men
morality with greater efficacy than he had done. *
A well atteſted divine authority was greatly want-
ing to give the doctrines of human philoſophy
their proper fanction. The Platonic, the Peripan -
tetie, the Stoic, the Epicurean philofophy widely
differed, Where inuft the common people, in
heathen countries,
go for inſtruction? Their wife
and eminent fages were divided their affertions
and names did not give their reſpective ſyſtems
any proper validity. Some of their ſyſtems were
atheiſtical ; fome, viſionary and remantic, What
power had theſe philoſophers to reclaim and re-
form the world? What authority could they
plead, except the authority of their ſpeculative
dreams and ideal reveries, to enforce, their doc-
trines, and gain theni a general reception among
men? What good effects did the philoſophy of
Socrates, Plato, Cicero, and Antoninus produce in
the lives and morals of inankind ?
We find that moſt of the philoſophers and
കകഥാകഥശശക
ſented and largely diſcuſſed by Mr. Locke, in
his reaſonableneſs of the chriſtian religion, works,
vol. II. p. 575-579.
* Platonis Aleib, vol. II. p. 150; edit
Serranzia A declaration ſimilar to this, concern-
ing the reaſonableneſs of believing that the Gods
wonld deſcend from heaven to inſtruct mankind,
Ariſtotle made a little before his death. Vida
fabricii bibl. tom. II. lib. III. p. 166. Bayle's
dict, art. Ariitotle, and Stanley, vit. phil.

29.1
lawgivers of antiquity were obliged to have re-
courſe to pious frauds, and to falſify and counter -
feit the authority of ſome of their deities, to
give their laws and injunctions weight with the
people.
How infinitely, therefore, hath the chriſtian
religion the advantage of theſe heterogeneous
bodies of human philoſophy, which is fealed with
the ſignet of God, and ratified
and confirmed by
the inoſt venerable and ſacred authority of him
who came from heaven, inveſted with a divine
commiſſion to reform and inítruct the world! *
XXXII. CHRISTIANITY COMPATIBLE WITH
REASON AND PHILOSOPHY.T
PHILOSOPHY, ſays the learned Baron Biela
loop ooo,
* See Locke's works, vol. II. p. 353, 354.
Harwood's introduction, vol. 1. p. 60, &c. Hann-
mona'and Burkett on Mart. VII. 28, 20.
+ The following reflections on true philofophy,
and the danger of truſting too much tot oar
faculties, extracted from the Abbe Le Blanc's
letters on the English and French nations, letter
XLIX, will not, it is imagined, be unacceptable
to the reader
«
There is nothing, ſays he, „fo improperly
made uſe of as the name of philoſopher. It is
en to many perſons who are unworthy of it ; and
many boldly affume it, without having the leaſt
title to it. He who ſpends his life in doing noth-

( 294 )
feld, is intimately connected with chriſtian theolo-
branca
oorlooien
ing; and he who labors hard in doing things
which amount to nothing, equally ſtyle themſelves
philoſophers, and have, indeed, an equal title to
the name ; but he, whoſe morals are fcandalous,
frofanes this name when he attributes it to him-
felf !"
Philofophy is not a ſyſtem of libertiniſm, that
abandons us to alt forts of vice ! On the contra.
ry, it is the ſearch after wiſdom ; and what is
wiſdom but the knowledge of true happinefs
And does not reaſon, when enlightened, teach
us, that happineſs cannot be obtained but by fola
fulling our duty ?
There is a philofophy that has nothing leſs
than the whole viſible world for its object, and
which but few people can attain to; there is alſo
a philofophy more advantageous to fociety, and
which every one may arrive at ; it is that which
teaches the huſband, how he fhould live with his
wife ; the father, how he ſhould educate his
children ; the mafter, how he fhould conduct
himſelf towards his ſervants ; in ſhort, it is that
which makes a good parent, a good friend, a good
member of ſociety, a virtuous citizen. If this
philoſophy is as uncommonly, as it ought to be
frequently met with in the world, let us candidly
own that it is to the reproach of human nature !
Theophraftus faid, I that human knowledge,
with the help of the ſenſes, might judge of things
to a certain degree, but mui ftop when it arrived
(293)

The aid, however, of the former, is to be
soronararanasia
at the firſt cauſe, either on account of its inex-
plicable nature, or the narrow limits of the hu-
inan underſtanding. Our modern philofophers
have been too confident. Several of Lord Bacon's
diſciples have loſt themſelves; fome, by leaving
the paths he had cleared for them ; and others,
by daring to penetrate into thoſe abyſſes which
had checked the progreſs of that great philoſo.
pher. Collins, Tindal, and the Earl of Shaftſbu-
ry, loſt themſelves, by endeavoring to go beyond
the limits of human knowledge.
Thus men have run into the greateſt errors,
under the pretence of Joaking off the prejudices of
the age' they live in! Let us not, with the vul-
gar, admire the Cynic in his tub, who endeavored
to acquire the reputation of a wiſe man, by dir-
regarding all the laws of modeſty and decency!
The
rags
he affected to cover himſelf with, were
the livery of his pride ; and his pretended wiſdom,
more ridículous than all the follies he arrogantly
cenſured! When waſhing his cabbage, and ſeeing
Ariſtippus paſs by, he ſaid to him ; ? If you could
live upon cabbage you would not make your court
tö atyrant.” Ariſtippus very juſtly replied ; If you
could live among men you would not waſh cabbage !!
Where does not human reaſon ftray to! Doubt is
the road that leads us to the light of truth ; but
if we do not walk very cautiouſly in it, we are in ex.
treme danger of falling into abfolute ſcepticiſm.!
Is it not ſurpriſing that men ſhould endeavor to
acquire the éſteem of the public, by ſtriving to
B3

( 294 )
employed with caution, and is not to be regarded
as the foundation of the chriftian doctrines, but
enly as a mean by which they inay be explained
and enforced.
The holy ſcriptures conſtitute the true baſis of
revealed theology; philoſophy concurs, notwith-
ſtanding, to prove the exiſtence of the ſupreme
being, and the neceſſity of the creation of the
aurace eves
break the moſt facred band of all ſocieties, in
declaring their opinions to others, that there is
neither virtue nor vice ; truth nor reality ?
Though ſuch as affect to doubt of every thing,
are incapable of demonftrating any thing, their
maxims are, notwithſtanding, of the moſt perni:
cious conſequence to morality,
Mr. Locke remarks, that knowledge is as
grateful to the underſtanding, as light to the
eyes. But in metaphyſics, as well as in natural
philoſophy, there are frecautions which the dem
fects of our organs make neceſſary, to prevent
the inconveniencies our curioſity might expoſe us
There are ſome objects which fatigue us by
too much attention ; and the reſult of all our en-
deavors to comprehend them, is trouble and cona
fufion. And there are objects which blind thoſe
who are obſtinately deterınined to gaze on them.
The man who knows not the ſtrength or pow.
er of his fight, is generally deceived by it. The
great opinion we have of our knowledge, is a prin-
cipal cauſe of our ignorance ; and confidence in
our ſtrength, is the occaſion of our imbecilitz»??

( 295 )
the univerſe hy almighty God. Philoſophy
furniſhes, alſo, plauſible conje&tures concerne-
ing che intention of the Almighty in creating
the world; it proves the neceffity of a per-
petual power to preſerve it; it fuppofes, that
as God could not produce any thing that was
not perfect in its kind, he could not have created
man as he now is; it vindicates the conduct of the
fupreme being in appointing chaſtiſements for
tranſgreſſions, by the wing that moral evil was not
introduced into the world by abſolute necefſity,
but by the abuſe of liberty, the moſt noble prero-
gative of the human ſoul; it approves the necef.
firy of a mediator ; it, in ſome degree, furniſhes ar.
guments for the belief of the immortality of the foul,
and of a filture ſtate that has a relation to the moral
actions of this life ; and it likewiſe contributes to in-
{pire us with love to God, as a being of infinite per-
fection; of gratitude towards him, as our creator
and preſerver, and of ſubmillion to his will, as the
Supreme governor of the univerſe.??*
Though the doctrines of chriſtianity, ſays a
judicious author, may, in ſome inſtances, trunfcend
human resfon, not one of them contradie's it.
That there is a mediator between God and
man, cannot appear contrary to reaſon, nor in
any any degree improbable, when we conſider.
that all the good things we receive, though the
free gifts of God, are conveyed to us by the in-
tervencion of various agents and inſtruments..
moraica.
* Bielfeld's
, elements of univerſal erudition,
vel. I. po 30,30

( 206 )
That the divine diſpenſations with reſpect to
the human racė, ſhould comprehend a long tráin
of effects and caufes, and a long fucceffori of years,
will not feem extraordinary to thoſe who have
-obfers ed; that the growth of plants and animals,
and all the operations of nature, are progreffive
and gradual. The doctrine of the incarnation, is
not to us nyore unintelligible; than the union of
an human body, with an human foulor tota
To atone, voluntarily, for the fins of another,
may be as poſſible to a fuperior being, and as con.
fonant to equity; as, among inferior beings, for
one man, gratuitouſly, to pay the
debts of another.
That the grace of God thould'exért itſelf in ſup.
porting, cherithing, and Lancrifying a real profeſ-
for of chriſtianity, is as eaſily underſtood, as any
other exertion of divine goodneſs. And that
there ſhould be a'reſurrection of the body, is ſuit-
able to many analogies in nature, and, particular-
ly, that alluded to by an apoſtie, of a new and
flouriſhing vegetable, riſing from a buried and
corrupted grain of corn.
When men, indeed, injudiciouſly endeavor to
explain the myſteries of chriſtiarricy, they general-
ly expoſe their folly and embarraſs the ſubject. So
limitted is the human capacity, that both the chril-
tian and philofopher, frequently render them-
ſeives contemprible in their attempts to elucidate
ſubjects, by thêm incapable of being explained or
comprehended. Reaſon, however, inay approve
colorcovorovocoran
* Beattie's evidences, p. 95, 96.
+ Human pride and felly frequently cauſe men

( 297 )
of that which cannot be defined; and as the phi-
loſopher daily gives his affent to facts which to
him are incomprehenſible, it is not derogatory to
crasiaan
to boaſt of their acquiſitions of knowledge; ex-
tremely imperfect, however, is the knowledge ob.
tained by the nift induftrious and ſagacious of
mena
“We know nothing, ſays a judicious ſcholar
and critic, but as in a dream; and, in reality, we
are ignorant of all thingsa And this ignorance
would be the object of our pity, was it not con-
cealed from us by our pride! The moſt frivolous
queſtion divided all the great geniuses of antiqui-
ty, and after a diſputation of three thouſand years,
is ftill undeterinined !
Thales and his followers, to the days of Plato,
denied a vacuum, as Plutarch informs us. Moft
of thoſe who fucceeded them, from Democritus
and Epicurus, to the late reſtorers of atomical
philoſophy, have ftrenuoully aſſerted it, and the
point is ſtill debated with ardor. That degree of
certainty which the academicks fought for,
through a multitude of reaſonings, ſerved only to
be tray them into a general uncertainty. AN
knowledge, merely human, is weak and unſtable
and TRUTH, as well as GRACE, came by Jesus,
CHRIST.” Rapin's critical works, vol. II. p-4959
+ So circumſcribed is the capacity of man, that
to
its molt improved itate, it is altogether unable
fully to comprehend, even a ſingle material obe
jecte

( 298" J
the chriſtian to believe, fruths communicated to
of men.
Doonorison annan
and were to ***
" The moſt common productions of nature,
ſays a writer, appear inconceivable to the wifeft
The ſpider's web ſurpaſſes our under-
ftanding ; the art of the filk worm and the bee,
is fuperior to our apprehenſion"; "the fly and the
ant, are objects we cannot comprehend ; ' man,
indeed, knows nothing perfectly of the works of
creation." Rapin's critical works, vol. 1. p. 495
It is aſſerted, by the beſt writers on the fub-
jedt, that the bbjects received by the eye are in-
Verted. How therefore does it happen, that they
appear uniformly "erect and in their proper poli
tion It is alſo declared, that the eyes of man,
being two, they teceive frøin the thing before
hin a double impreſſion.
By what meatis does the ſame perfon, experi.
mérically,
bellold' but one impreffson from one ob-
peet? Å fatisfactory folution even of theſe queſ
.
tions, is, perhåps, not to be expected froin philoſo-
pliý." And How perfectly liñable are we to com-
prehend the magnetic Húidthe electric, in cēr-
bain conditions; the newly diſcovered metallic
infiuence; tiie living principle of plants and ani-
mals ; featähd light,
in a latent ſtate the cauſe
of gravitation"; and of coheſive'aħd electric at-
tračtions?
And yet vain man, with bold preſumption,
attenipts to ſean tħe truths which God has been
pleaſed to reveal to him, and becauſe by him
they cannot be fully compreñended; to diſcard

(200)
him by divine authority, though theshme above
the comprehenſion of reaſon.
Of this fentiment was that great maſter of rea-
fon, Mr. Locke,
Pse vuil teir wa wiki
-£%. I gratefully.veceive, ſayg hen and rejoice in
the light. of revelation, which affords me ſatisfar-
tion in many things my reaſon could not compre-
hend.?'* And having adopted it as a general
maxim, that " reaſon muſt be our guides in every
thing," he adds, “ I do not mean that we muſt.
conſult reaſon and examine, whether a propoſition
revealed from God, can be explained by naturak
principles, and if not, that it ſhould be rejected.
But conſult reaſon we muſt, and by it examine
whether the propoſition is from God or not
And whatever reaſon perceives to be a revelation
from heaven, it ſhould then embrace, and regard
as agreeable to its dictates." +
Conformable to this opinion, the limits of rea.
ſon and faith are thus defined by the fame author.
** Reaſon, ſays he, as diſtinguiſhed from faith,
I eſteem to be the diſcovery of the certainty or
probability of ſuch propoſitions, which the mind
arrives at by deductions made from ideas which it
has obtained by the uſe of its natural faculties.
Faith is our aſſent to a propoſition, upon the credit
aaralan
them as falſities ! Such is his folly and impiety!
Works, vol. I. p. 573, + Ib. p. 334.

( 300 )
that it proceeded from God, in ſome extraordina-
ry way of communication."*
“Reaſon, it is added, is a natural revelation,
wirereby the eternal father of light, and fountain
of all knowledge, communicates to mankind, thoſe
truths which he has placed within the reach of
their natural faculties. Revelation is naturalrea.
ſon enlarged by new diſcoveries communicated
by God immediately ; of which reaſon deter-
mines the truth by the teſtimonies afforded, that
they came from God. Thus far the dominion of
faith extends, and without any violence offered
to reaſon, which is not injured, but aſſiſted and
improved by new diſcoveries of truth, proceding
from the eternal ſource of knowledge. Divine
revelation, fhould over-rule all our opinions and
prejudices, and be received with full aſſent.
Such a fubmiſſion of our reaſon to faith des
ſtroys not the principles of knowledge ; under-
mines not the foundation of reaſon ; robs us not
of the uſe of our mental faculties, but occaſions
us to exerciſe them agreeable to the will of our
creator.”+
woraronoroi
enorocosio.net
* Ib. p. 329
+ Ib. p. 331.
« The greateſt ſervice, ſays
Mr. Kollin, that philoſophy can be to man,
is to
diſpoſe hiie to receive, whatever is taught by di-
vine revelation, with docility and reſpect. Phi-
lofophy cauſes him to comprehend, that every
thing inult be filent before God, reaſon as well
as fenfe ; as nothing is more reaſonable than to
give ear when God ſpeaks ; that it nult not ſeem

(301)
As reaſon may thus ſubſerve the beſt intereſts
of mankind, it is to be deplored, thar through
vice and folly, it ſhould, at any time, be em-
ployed to their injury ; be exerciſed, vot to fanc-
tion and commend divine revelation ; but to
calumniate and oppoſe it! The following reflec-
tions on the uſe of philofophy, in religion, by an
author of eminence, juſtly merit attention.
« The firſt inſtrument, ſays he, that religion
makes uſe of in eſtabliſhing its laws and maxims,
is reaſon; but reaſon cannot properly exerciſe
itſelf without the aid of philoſophy, which ſupplies
it with principles and reduces them to order. It
therefore, of the higheſt importance that our
philofophy is found, that it may be able to in-
print a juſt character on our underſtanding, and
conduct us into the right path. In this reſpect,
16,
med
suasana
frange to reaſon that it is made to ſubmit to di-
vine authority in ſuch ſciences as are ſuperior to
its comprehenſion ; that as it gives its aſſent to a
thouſand things in nature, which tranſcend the
human underítanding, there is ſtill greater reafon
to reſpect the veil which it has pleaſed God to caſt
over ſome articles of religion.
9
There are leffons which philoſophy affords
not that preſumptuous and vain philoſophy, which
we are cautioned to beware of, and which by ex.
plaining what it believes, often annihilates what
it ought to believe ; but that philoſophy which
is wife and folid, founded upon the actual princi-
ples and pureft lights of natural reaſon.” Belles
lettres, vol. IV. p. 232, 233•
Сс

(302)
as Lactantius obſerves, philofophy, may be of
great advantagę to use
But men tog often ſuffer themſelves to be des
prived of the aſſiſtance they might receive from
philoſophy, by making an ill uſe of it; by ſuffer-
ing
themſelves to be miſguided by pailion or pre-
judice. It was, therefore, remarked by Callides,
in Plato, that religion is always in danger of being
mifapplied by philoſophy, Faith is an holy prin-
ciple that cannot remain incorrupt in a mind tain.
ted with falſe principles of
It is not neceſſary we ſhould be philoſophers be.
fore we ſhall become chriſtians ;; or that the wil.
dom of the world ſhould be the ſtandards of hea.
venly wiſdom ; but that our philofophy, ſhould be
juſt, that we may be preſerved from error.. It
was, therefore, with great propriety, that Saint
Paul exhorted the firſt chriſtians, to ' beware, left
any man ſhould ſpoil them through philoſophy
and vain deceit, after the tradition of men ; af.
ter the rudiments of the world, and not after
Chrift.'
great
The world was then ſo much infected with the
numerous and contradictory, opinions of philofar
phers that a chriſtian was obliged to exerciſe
vigilance and care to prevent his being ſeduced
by vain philoſophy. It is a remark of Tertulliati,
that the great ſource of the firſt hereſies, was the
commerce that the authors of them maintained
with the errors of philoſophy.
The Valentinians, againſt whom Irenæus
urote, originated in the ſchool of Diagenes and
Epicurus , the Gnofticks from the ſchool of Pla .

( 303 )
to, and the Manichees from that of Pythagoras.
Marcion became an herétick by cherilhing the
doctrine of Zeno ; and Manes borrowed his prin-
ciples from a Saracenical philofopher.
Saint Jeroine áſſures us, that it was the moral
philoſophy of the Stoicks, which gave 'rife to the
érrors of the Pelagians. And this unhappy
effect of the ſeeming dependance of religion up-
on philoſophy, which was complained of in the
ancient church, has been too frequent in the mo-
dern. Poſſevinus fays, that it is incredible How.
many infidels have been made in Europe, by read-
îg the works of Averroes. Alphonfus, king of
Caſtile, with great impietý, was led to cell-
ſure the works of Gób, by an acquaftitanice only
with the Arabian philoſophers, and by his con-
verſe with a Spdniſh jew, who diſcourſed on the
trepidation of the firmament.
Agrippa debauched his underſtanding by read-
ing Porphyry; Proclus and Pleffus ; or, as he
hinſelf confeffed, by the platonick philoſophy.--
Servétus of Spain, and Socinus of Italy, forined
Their Purpiaus innovations in religion upon errone-
ous principles of philoſophy. Nothing, indeed,
tends ſo much to the corruption of the heart, as
the corruption of the undertanding, and not any
thing is ſo initnical to the interefts of true reli.
gion as is the inffuence of falſe philofophy ; for
men do not become the diſciples of TRUTH in
in the ſchool of FALSEHOOD !*
കുകൾക്കും
Rapin's critical works, vol
. II. p. 439 - 493.
See Hammond's works, vol. 1. p. 191, &c. Jenk-

( 304 )
AVING offered theſe conſiderations, which,
it is preſumed,muſt be perfectly ſatisfactory
orororororororo
ins's chriſtianity, vol. II. chap. XI. Deifm reveal-
ed, vol. I. p. 157; Biſhop Gibſon's I pafioral
letter, p. 4; and Benſon's chriſtianity, vol. I. p.
44
As the limits of this publication, will not per:
mit the author to dwell longer on theſe poſitive
arguments in favor of the chriſtian religion, it
may not be unuſeful, to mention here forne
other topics, on this particular, with references to
fome authors who treat on the ſubjects.
1. The importance of divine revelation.
Locke's works, vol. II. p. 530, &c. Du Pin's
canon of ſcripture, vol. I p. 230, &c. Hammond's
works, vol. I. p. 196, &c. Addiſon's evidences,
p. 176 --- 210. Price's diſſertations, p. 361, &c.
Biſhop Gibſon's II paſtoral letter, p. 51, &c. Sir
Richard Bulltrode's efſays, p. 310, &c. Turner on
the practice of religion, chap. IV. V. Beattie's
evidences, ch. I
II. The moſaic hiſtory fuperior to any mon-
uuments of heathenifm. Tertullian's apology,
chap. XIX. Du Pin's ecclefiaftical hiſtory, vol.
I. p. 9. Winder's hiſtory of knowledge, vol. II.
chap. XVII. Grotius on the truth of the chriſtian
religion, p. 23, &c. Boſſuet's univerſal hiſtory,
vol. II. p. 145
III. The Pentateuch the only ancient and
authentic hiſtory of Egypt. Winder's hiſtory

(305
)
to every ingenuous mind in queſt of truth, in fa-
Sesia
of knowledge, vol. I. p. 205. &c. vol. II. p.
214, &c.
IV. The wiſdom and integrity of Moſes.
Warburton's divine legation, vol. IV. p. iii. &c.
Stackhouſe's body of divinity, vol. I. p. 25.
Winder's hiſtory of knowledge, vol. II. p. 101
V. The excellence and truth of the mofaic
hiſtory.
Du Pin's canon, vol. 1. chap. III.
Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 36, &c. p. 137, &c.
Kidder on the pentateuch, vol. 1. diff. Winder's
hiſt. of knowledge, vol. II. chap. VIII. Stackh.
Bod. div. vol. I. p. 25, 26.
VI. The predictions of Moſes. Juſtin Mar-
tyr's apology FLXXI. Jenkins's chriſtianity,
vol. I. p. 141, &c. Stackh. bod. div. vol. I, p.
27. Newton's propheſies, vol. I. dift. VI. VII.
VII: Miracles of Moſes. Saurin's differta-
tions, diff. XLVI. LXII. Grotius on the truth
of the chriſtian religion, p. 21, &c. Winder's
hiſt. of knowledge, pref. p. 9. Jenkins's chrifti-
anity, vol. I. p. 151, &c. Stackhouſe's hiſtory
of the bible, apparatus, p. 19. and body of divini-
ty, vol. I. p. 27, 28.
VIII. The promulgation of the law on Mount
Sinai. Saurin's differtations, dift. LII. Stack-
houſe's hiſt. vol. 1: p. 42.5; and bod. div. vol I.
P. 44. Dr. Gill's commentary on exod. XIX.
C3

( 306 )
vor of the authenticity of the holy ſcriptures, at-
( ondisionasson
IX. The laws of Mofes could not have been
invented, changed nor falfified by men, Sau-
rin's diſſertations, vol. I. p. 629, &c. Jenkins's
chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 169, &c. Leſlie's truth of
chriſtianity demonſtrated, p. 45, &c. . Burnet on
the XKXIX articles, p. 103, 104, 105.
X. Excellence of the doctrines of fcripture.
Grotius, p. ¢&. Ecco Rapin's critical works, vol.
II. p. 440. Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. I. p• 321,
&c. Stackh. bod. div. vol. 1. p. 56 ; and hiſt.
bib. appar. p. 18. Leland's view of deiitical
writers, vol. I. p. 456.
XI. Excellence of the devotional parts of the
old teſtanjent. Mede's works, p. 285. Light-
fool's works, vol. I. p. 926, &c. Stackh. hift. bit.
vol. I. p. 476. Knox's diſcourſes, vol. 1. p.
196, &c
XII. Facts of the old teſtament well atteſted.
Saurin's diiſertations, vol. I. p. 131, &c. Whit
by's certainty of the chriſtian faith, p. 36, &c.
Jof. ant. lib. I. chap. VII. Examination of can-
didates for holy orders, p. 113, &c. Leland's
view of de ſtical writers, vol l.p. 452, &c. vol.
II. p. 367, &c
XIII. Facts of the new teftament duly 20-
thenticated. Sharpe's I argument, p. 3, &c. p, 25,
&c. Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. I. chap. XVII.
Leſlie's truth of chriftianiry demonſtrated, p. 45,
&ce Biſhop Gibſon's I paffcral letter, p. 21.

( 307 )
tention ſhall now be paid to the futile objections
of Mr. Paine, againſt their credibility.
Leland's view of deiſtical writers, vol. I. p. 452,
453. vol. II. p. 83, &c. Ramſay's life of Fenelon,
p. 233• Maundr. tray. p. 72. Sand. trav.
p. 164
XIV. Excellence and importance of the hifto-
ry of the old teftament. Warburton's divine
legation, vol. IV. p. 344, 345.
P. 344, 345. Winder's hiſto-
ry of kuowledge, vol. II. p. 74, &c. Stackh.
hift. bib. appar. p. 18: and bod. div. vol. I. p.
25. Knox's diſcourſes, vol. I. p. 175 — 204.
XV, Agreement between the jewiſh and fa-
maritan pentateuch. Du Pin's canon, vol. I.
book I. chap. V. Baſnage's continuation of the
hiſtory of the jews, book 11. chap: III. Jenk-
ins's chriſtianity, vol. II. p. 85, &c.
XVI. Succeſſion of true prophets among the
jews. Du Pin's canon, vol. I. book I. chap II.
VIV. Bafnage's hiſtory of the jews, p. 339.
Sinith's ſelect difcourſes, p. 252, &c. Jenkins's
chriſtianity, vol I. p. 199. Stackh. hift. bib.
appar. p. 20; and bod. div. vol. 1. p. 29, 30.
Leland's view of deiſtical writers, vol. I. p. 463.
XVII. Excellence of the doctrines, exhorta-
tions, and reproofs of the prophets. Jenkins's
chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 198.
Stackh. bod. diva
vol. I. p. 31; and hift. bib. appar. p. 2. Ive
XVII. Numerous predictions of the prophetse

( 303 )
1. It hach been already policed, that MF.
seororor
orana
Juſtin Martyr's firſt apology, 5 XXXVIII.
Mede’s works, difcourſe XXXVI. Grotius, p.
Cümberl. orig. gent. p. 427.
Whiſt.
fcript. proph. p. 104, &c. 214, &c. Rev. ex-
am. with cand. vol II. diff. IV. Jackſon's truth
of fcript. p. 156, &e. Sherlock on proph. p.
341, &ër Sy kes's connect. chap, VIII.' Rollin's
aficient hift. vol. II. p. 232, &c. Jenkins's chrif-
tramity, vol. 1. chap. X. Newon's propheſtés,
dift. VIII - XVIII.
XIX. Miracies of the prophets. Saurin's
diſſertations, vol. I. p. 375, 579. Jenkins's chriſti-
amity, vol. 1. chap. X. Stackh. bod. div. vol. I. p.
gy: And hift. bib, appar. p. 22.
XX. The books of the old teftament written
by thoſe whoſe names they beår. Du Pin's ca-
non, vol. I. chap. III : And eccleſ. hift. vol. I.
I. Stackh. bod. div. vol. 1. p. 48, &c.
XXI. The books of the new teſtament written
by thoſe to whom they are afcribed. Du Pin's
canon, vol. II. chap. I. $. II. Stackh: bod. div.
vol. 1.p. 50. Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. II. p.
24; &c. Grotius, p. 140, &c. Weekly miſcella-
ny, vol. I. p. 358, &c. Biſhop Gibſon's third
paſtoral letter, $. III, IV.
XXII. The books of the old teftament written
by a ſuperintendent inſpiration. Nichols's conf.
vol. IV. p. 139, &c• Boyle's ſtile of fcripture,
po 7, &c. Du Pin's canon, vol. I. book I. chape

(309)
Paine acknowledges, the almighty can, if he
onoraronararara.
II. $ V -- VIII. Stackh. hift. bib. appar. p.
24, &c. Spangenberg's expoſition of the doctrine
of the unitas fratrum, p. 35,
&c.
XXIII. The books of the new teſtament writ-
ten by a fuperintendent inſpiration. Du Pin's
canon, vol. I. chap. II. $. V. vol. II. chap. I. p.
VII, VIII. Whitby's preface to Luke. Jones
againſt Whifton, p. 46, &c. Benſon on the prop-
agation of chriſtianity. Appendix, part I. s. I,
II. Lowth on inſpiration, p. 5, &c. Stackh.
bod. div. vol. I. p. 46. Burnet on the XXXIX
articles, p. 106, &c.
XXIV. Impoſſible that the ſcriptures ſhould
have been written by human invention. Jen-
kins's chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 167, &c. Lellie's
truth of chriſtianily demonſtrated, pe 49, &c.
Soame Jenyns's lectures, lect. VI. and p. 146.
XXV. The ſtile and eloquence of ſcripture.
Du Pin's canon, vol. 1. chap. X.5.1. Addiſon's
evidences, p. 210, &c.
Stackh. bod. div. vol. I.
chap. III. f. IV: And hift, bib, appar. p. 39-
XXVI. The fublimity, elegance and dignity
of the ſcriptures. Rapin's critical works, vol. li.
p. 66, &c. Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. II, p. 76,
&c.
Stackh, bod. div. vol. 1. p. 62. Bryant on
the truth of the chriſtian religion, p. II.
Addi-
ſon's evidences, p. 210, &c. Hervey's thereon
and aſpaſia, dialogue I. And the XLII fermon
of Stern

( gro)
pleaſes, make a revelation of Iris will to mankind,
sirenaicos
XXVII. The great reſpect ſie wn to the ſcrip-
tures, in different ages, by nen the moſt diſtin-
guiſhed for genius and learning. Stäckh. hiſt.
bib, appar. p. 50, 51. And Leland's preface to
his reflections on Lord Bolingbroke's letters.
XXVIII. Affinity of the ſcripturés. Light-
foot’s works, vol. 1. p. 383, $61. Grotius, book
HII. f. XHI. Boffuei's univ. hiſt. vol. II. p.
146, 152, 160, 167. Pilkington's evatigelical
hiftory and harmony. Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol.
1. chap. AI. Sharpe's 1. argument, p. 30.4
Stackh. hift. bib. appar. P. 42.
Winder's hift:
of knowledge, preface, p. 11. Biſhop Watſon's
apology, p. 142, &c. Knox's diſcourſes, vol. 1
ap. 222, 237 : And Spangenberg's "expëfition of
the doctrine of the unitas fratrum, p. 32, &c.
XXIX. Completion of the chriſtian revela-
tion. Hooker's eccleſiaſtical polity, book I. p.
97. Du Pin's canon, vol. II, chap. I. §. 1.-
Dr. Gill's commentary on heb. I. 1, 2.
XXX. Sufficiency of feripture for the falva-
tion of men. Hooker's eccleſiaſtical polity, book
1. p. 96. Locke's works, vol. II. p. 448. Bur-
ner on the XKXIX articles, article V1.
XXXI. Perfection of the books of fcripture
Du Pin's cañon, vol. 11. chap. I. F. IV. Jones's
canon, vol. 1. part. II. chap. II. Stackh. bod.
div. vol. I. p. 53: And hift. Dib, appar. f. 31.

( 311 )
but Mr. Paine rejects every thing, as a divine
ornanananananana ติจ
XXXII. Chronology of the ſcriptures. Du
Pin's canon, vol. I. chap. III, vol. II. chap. II ;
and
p. 173, 177; alſo diſſertations prefixed to his
ecclef. hilt. vol. I. p. 185, 186. Jones's canon,
vol. II. IV. Stackh. hift. bib, appar. p.
part
26: And bod. div. vol. I. chap. IV. Harwood's
introduction, vol. I. chap. IV , and p. 319:
XXXIII. Canon of the old teſtament. Dis
Pin’s canon, vol. I. chap. I. Chillingworth's
works, p. 56. Prideaux's connections, vol. II.
p. 473. Stackh. bod. div. vol. I. p. 51. Burnet
on the XXXIX articles, p. 102. Jenkins's chriſ-
tianity, vol. II. p. 82, &c. Deiſm revealed,
vol. II. p. 32
XXXIV. Canon of the new teftament. Du
Pin's. can. vol. II. chap. I. $. IX: And eccleſ.
hiſts prelim. dift. Ø. VI. Jones's can. vol. I,
chap. V - XII. Burnet an the XXXIX arti.
des, p. 98. Stackh. bod: div, vol. I. p. 52–
Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. 1. p. 98, &c. De
iſm revealed, vol. II. p. 32.
XXXV., Chrift-the true meffiah. Haminond's
works, vol. I. p. 182, &c. Biſhop Pearſon on
the creed, p. 79, &c. Lightfoot's works, vol. 1.
p. 331, 535, 670. Barrow's-works, vol. II. diſc.
XVI, XIX, XX. Locke's works, vol. II.
P.
480, &c. Leſlie’s. ſhort method with the jews.
Grotius, book V. f. XIV - XX. Doddridge's
lectures, prop. CXII. Stackh- bod. div. vol. I.
p. 34, &c. vol. II. chap. IV. Fenkins's chriſtian-

( 372 )
revelation, unleſs made immediately to him-
sassararara.
ity, vol. H. chap. XVI. Weekly miſcellany,
vol. I. p. 345, &c. Newton's propheſies, vol.
1. diff. VI. Bryant on the truth of the chriſtian
religion, p. 117, &c.
XXXVI. Dignity of Chriſt before his incarna-
tion. Biſhop Pearſon on the creed, p. 109, &c•
Barrow's works, vol. I. p. 409, &c. Ramſay's
philoſophical principles, vol. II. chap. III.-
Stackh: bod. div. vol. I. p. 119, &c. Clarke on
the trinity, No. 535, 591.
Watts on the glory
of Chriſt, diff. II. Doddridge's lectures, prop.
CXXVI. Sherlock's diſcourſes, vol. IV. difc.
I. part. II.
XXXVII. The omniſcience of Chriſt. Moore's
prop. p. 121, &c. Harris on the meſſiah, p. 137,
138. Biſhop Pearſon on the creed, p. 105, &c.
Burnet on the XXXIX articles, p. 44, &c. Dod-
dridge's lectures, prop. CXXVII. Stackh. bod.
div. vol. 1. p. 113, &c. Ramſay's principles,
vol. II. p. 169, &c. Harwood's introduction,
vol. 1. p. 258, &c.
XXXVIII. Miracles of Chriſt. Saint Cyprian
on the vanity of idols, S. VII. Locke's works,
vol. II. p. 480 493. Leland against Tindal,
vol. II. p. 81. Chapman againſt Morgan, vol. I.
p. 248, &c. Grotins, book II. f. IV, V. Jen-
kins's chriſtianity, vol. I. chap. XIIl. Benſon's
chriſt'anity, vol. I. p. 79, &c. Sharpe's firſt ar.
gument, p. 32, &c. Weekly miſcellany, vol. I
p. 348, &c. Gentleman's religion, p. 26. lh )]
-

( 313 )
felf;* and moſt abſurdly remarks, that a revela-
zona
masacar
Gibſon's firſt paſtoral letter, p. 24. Harwood's
introduction, vol. I. p. 39, &c. Bryant's chrifti-
anity, p. 92, &c.
XXXIX. Types of Chriſt. Barrow's works,
vol. II. p. 288. vol. III. p. 364. Lellie's truth
of chriſtianity demonſtrated, p. 92, &c. Jenkins's
chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 249. Biſhop Gibſon's firſt
paſtoral letter, p. 15. M'Euen on the types.
Newton's prophecies, vol. I. dift. VI.
XL. Prodigies at the crucifixion of Chriff.
Whilton, Sykes, and Chapman, on Phlepon's tél.
timony. Maundrell's travels, p. 72. Boſſuets
univ. hiſt. vol. I. p. 115. Weekly miſcellany,
vol. 1.
p• 352,
&c.
XLI. Reſurrection of Chriſt. Lightfoot's
works, vol. I. p. 734, &c. Hammand's works,
vol. 1. p. 283, &c. Du Pin's eccleſ. hift, vol. I.
p. 23•
Biſhop Pearſon on the creed, p. 252, &c.
Boyfe on the XXXIX articles, p. 22, &c. Bur.
net on do. p. 73, 8c« Barrow's works, vol. I.
{ermon XXIX, XXX. Jenkins's chriſtianity,
vol. ). chap. XIX. Grotius, book II. $. VI,
VII. Deiſm revealed, vol. I. p. 26, &c. Ben-
fon’s chriſtianity, vol. I. p. 83, &c. Leland's view
of deiſtical writers, vol. III. p. 95, &c. Biſhop
Sherlock's trial of the witneſſes ; and diſcourſes,
vol. I. diſc. VII. Bryant on the truth of chriſ-
tianity, p. 184, 185. Weft on the reſurrection
of Chriſt.
* P. 13-
Dd

( 314 )
dion can be a revelation only to the perfon to
v hom it is thus made.
Oversion
ora
XLII. Chrift, after his crucifixion, was worſhip-
ped by learned men. Grotius, book II. $. III,
IV, V.
XLIII. Aſcenſion of Chriſt. Biſhop Pearſon
ôn the creed, p: 269,5&c. Barrow's works, vols
1. p. 452, &c. Stackh. bod. div. vol. II. chap,
III. Burnet on the XXXIX articles, p. 82.
XLIV. Predictions of the apoſtles. Sharpe's
II. argument, p. 97, &c. Deiſm revealed, vol
.
11. p. 255, &c. Newton's propheſies, vol. II,
dim. XXII, XXIII, XXIV.
XLV. Miraculous gifts and powers of the
apoſtles. Barrington's miſcellanea. facra, ellay I.
p. 39 -- 45. II. p: 51–53. Chandler on Joel,
P- 133 --- 147. Stebbing againſt Fofter, II. let
ter, p. 40 – 54. Leland againſt Morgan, vol.
11. p. 225 - 230.
Middleton on miraculous
powers, ap. poſt. works, Jones's jewiſh ant. S.
CCCXVIII -- CCCXXVI. Benſon's chriſtian-
ity, vol. I. p. 92 — 110. vol. II, p. 174 — 183.
Bifhop Gibſon's III paſtoral letter, p. 22 32.
XLVI. The apoſtles wrought miracles and ena-
bled others to do ſo. Jenkins's chriſtianity, vole
1. chap. XVI. Stackh. bod. div. vol. I. p. 41.
Grotius, book III. $. VII.
XLVII. Chriftianity founded on judaiſm. Ca
ve's primitive chriſtianity, p. 22, 23. Du Pin's

( 315 )
· Is the conveyance then of truth from one per-
ninarararara
eccleſ. hift. vol. II. p. 5. Warburton's divine
legation, vol. II. p. 47: Barrow's works, vol.
II. difc. XVIII, XIX, XX. Grotius, book V.
XLVIII. Salutary effects of chriſtianity. Ter-
tul. apol. chap. XXXVII, XXXVIII, XXXIX,
XLII, XLIII, XLV. Cave's prim. chrif. part,
1, p. 58, &c. part II. · Fleury's eccleſ. hiſt. vol.
I.
p. 295, 42.4.- Weekly miſcellany, vol. I.
P.
360, &c. Stackh. bed. div. vol. I. p. 38. Ben-
ſon's chriſtianity, vol. II. p. 258, &c. Harwood's
introduction, vol. I.
p. 92,
&c.
XLIX. The bleſſings of the goſpel proffer
ed to all men. Bilhop fearſon on the creed, p.
348, &c. Stackh. bod. div. vol. II, p. 732.-
Knox's diſcourſes, vol. I. p. 216--220.
L. Perſpicuity of the doctrines of the -goſ-
pel. Stackh. bod div. vol. I. p. 63. Knox's dif-
courſes, vol. I. p. 208 - 217. White's fer.
mons, at Bampton's lectures, a very recent pub-
lication, p. 199.
LI, Certainty of a future ſtate of rewards and
punishments. Biſhop Pearlon on the creed, p.
292 306; 389 – 398. Barrow's works, vol.
1.
p. 456
461; 481 483. vol. II.-
Serm. XXXIII. Stackh. bod. vel. II. chap.
VIII. Ramſay's philofophical principles, vol. II.
p. 176. Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. II. chap.
XXIV. Burnet on the XXXIX articles, art.
Iy. Turner on the practice of religion, chap. II.

( 316 )
ſon to another, by writing, or otherwiſe, impoffi .
wasgenocas
LII. Chriſtianity only, adapted to the ftate of
mane Barrow's works, ferinon XVI. Jenkinsºs
chriſtianity, vol. II. chap. XXI. Grotius, books
II. $. VIII-XVI.
LIII. Evil ſpirits ſubject to the command of
the primitive chriſtians. Tertullian's apology,
chap. XXIII. Saint Cyprian, on the vanity of
idols, $. I. Lactantius, de Juft. lib. V. cap.
XXI.
LIV. Silence of the heathen oracles, on the
publication of the goſpel. Tertullian's apology,
chap. XXII, XXII. Euſeb. præp, evang. lib:
V. cap. 1. XVII. Porphyrius apud euſeb. ib.
Achanafius lib. de incarn. verb, dei. p. 1o, &c.
Cyrillus Alexandra contra Julianum, lib. VI. p.
198. Gregor. Nazianz. ora. III, in Julianum,
p. 01. Theodoritus adverfus Græcos. ferm. X.
De Oraculis. Mede's works, p. 193. Anſwer
to M. de Fontenelle's hiſtory of oracles, pard 11.1
Hamnend's works, vol. I. p IG 1.
LV. Oppoſition that chriſtianity met with,
företeld Weekly mifcellany, vol. 1. p. 370, &c.
Sharpe's II. argument, p. 97, Szc: Deifm reveala
ed, vol. 1. p 255
EVI. Chriftianity could nor ſucceſsfully have
heen propagated by Chriſt and his apoſtles, had
ir been an impofture. Eufeb. demonſtrat. evang.
lib. III. III. Benſon's chriſtianity, vol. II.
p. 235, &c. Beattie's evidences, p. 30,

P 317 )
ble ? Contrary to the ſenſe of the whole world
sosiasiasa 6.
LVII. Chriſtians protected by the wiſeft of the
roman emperors. Tertullian's apology, chap. V.
LVIII. Chriſtianity not chargeable with ſuper-
ſtition. Lives of the fathers, vol. I. p. 167, vol.
II. p. 524. Burnet on the XXXIX articles, p.
296. Moſheim's church hiſtory, vol. I. p. 465.
Beattie's evidences, p. 103.
LIX. Sufferings of chriſtians for their faith.
Eufeb. eccleſ. hiſt. p. 46 — 176; Fleury's eccleſ.
hiſt. vol. I. p. 100, 123, 153, 166, 180. Lives of
the fathers, vol. I. p. 25, 35, 39, 67, 86, 97, 103,
117,128, 145, 154,155, 160. Jenkins's chriſtianity,
vol. II, chap. XXXII. Addiſon's evidences, $.
VII. Bryant's chriſtianity, p. 155, &c.
LX. Chriſtianity hath been rejected, princi.
pally, by perſons of ignorance, prejudice or vice.
Tertullian's apology, chap. V. Barrow's works,
vol. II. p. 9, &c. Jenyns's lectures, lect. II.
LXI. Confutation of paganiſm. Barrow's
works, vol. II. diſc, XIV. England's morals of
the ancients, chap. ult. St. Real, vol. I. Grotius,
book IV. Warburton's legation, vol. III. p.
8, &c. Doddridge's lectures, prop. LXXXIX.
Potter's antiquities of Greece, vol. 1. book II.-
Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. I. book III. chap. I
V. Stackh. bod. div. vol. I. chap. VIII. Leſ-
lie's truth of chriſtianity demonſtrated, p. 122,
&c. Jones's diſquiſitions, p. 92, &c. Jenyns's
works, vol. II. p. 104, &c. Beattie's evidences,
D 3

( 318 )
of mankind, does he controvert the power of
hiſtory to convey a relation of facts from age to
age? Are we to have no faith in hiſtory. But
who ever doubted of the exiſtence of Thales, and
his morali fentences? Of Soion, and his laws ?
Of Socrates, and his philofophy, metaphyficks
and ethicks ? Who ever doubted the truth, that
Philip, King of Macedon, was aſſaſſinated by
Pauſanias? That Philip's ſon, Alexander, con.
fulied the oracle- at. Delphos ; that, at Hiuni, he
aralararooranas
p. 124, &c. Bryant's chriſtian religion, p. 12,
&e. p. 177, &c.
LXII Falſity of the religion of Mahomet.
Barrow's works, vol. II. diſe. XIV. Grotius,
book VI. Addiſon's life of Mahomet. Leſlie's
truth of chriſtianity demonſtrated, p. 125, &c.
Jenkins's chriſtianity, vol. 1. part II. chap.
VI-IX. Bryant's chriſtianity, p. 188, &to-
White's fermons at Bampton's lectures.
LXIIIChriſtianity the only true religion.
Saint Cyprian's treatiſe on the grace of God; on
milie vanity of ideis, and his teftimonies againft the
jewis. Du Pin's eccleſ. hift. vol. IIl. p. 134.
Luigkefest's works, vol. I p. 331, 535, 679.--
Earrow's works, vol. 1 dile XI - XXI.
Loddridge's lectures, prep. CXH - CXIII,
CXIV. Grotius, book 11. 5. IV, V, VI War-
burton's legation, vol. III p. 8, &e. Weekly
mifeellary, vol 1. p. 343, &c. Sharpe's firſt
argument, p. 19, &a Jenkins's chriftianity, vol.
I part H. Knox's diſcourſes, vol. I diſc, III.
Seachth bodi dire vol. 11. chap. IV.

(319)
celebrated public games in honor of Achilles
that he cut the gordian knot; and that in Perfia,
he was .even adored as a God? Who ever called
in queſtion the murders and profcriptions of Sylla ;
the maſſacre of Julius Cæſar, or the ſuicide of
Porcius Cato, the younger? Or what man ever
heſitated to believe, the conqueſt of Lombardy,
by Charles the great, of France ; the ſubjugation
of England, by William of Normandy ; the de.
collation of the Engliſh monarch, Charles the T,
and innumerable other facts of hiſtory? But Mr.
Paine, if he is conſiſtent with himſelf, will believe
no hiftorical fact whatever, without ocular demon-
ſtration of its truth! To him it can be no hiſtory,
becauſe the facts were not tranſacted in his pre-
fence! Such is the abſurd. poſition he advances to
refute the credibility of facred hiſtory; of the
facts of revelation made by God to mankind!
Mr. Paine-grants that a revelation is poſſible,
and ſhould he acknowledge, what hath been fo
clearly demonſtrated in this publication, that a
revelation was neceffary, upon his principles, it
could not be received by the world, unleſs inime-
diately cammunicated by God te every individual
of the human race, in every age and country!
But how unworthy of God would be ſuch con.
duet ; and to, mankind how unneceſſary
But-an objection is made to all written commu-
nications of revelation, becauſe words may change
their meaning - becauſe there is not an univerfal
language, which renders tranſlations neceſſary;
becauſe alſo tranſlations are ſubje&t to errors

(320)
copieſts to miſtakes ; Printers to errata, and the
text to wilful corruptions.*
And yet Mr. Paine, notwithſtanding the prin.
ciple advanced here by him, doubts not the truth
of the moſt ancient hiſtories ; and he gives full
credit to the authenticity of the morals of Ariſtotle;
the Apophthems of Diogenes, and the axioms of
Zeno! It is admitted by deiſts, that theſe heathen
writings of antiquity have been tranſmitted to Lis
uncorrupt; but we have much greater evidence, that
the jewiſh ſcriptures have deſcended to us, ung-
dulterated, and in the language in which they
were originally written ; and alſo the books of
the new teſtament, in their original greek. +
The moſt that can be inferred from Mr. Paine's
objections here is, that there is a poffibility ancient
records may be corrupted; but as it is alſo poſible
that they may be preſerved uncorrupt, we there-
fore perceive, how unfounded in truth is his af-
fertion, that “the word of God cannot exiſt, in
any written or human language."
Mr. Paine urges the ſtale deiſtical plea, that
the works of creation are ſufficient to teach
man
all that is neceſſary for man to know of God.”I
But what leſſons of moral and religious inſtruction
have men been taught by the great volume of na-
ture? Let the hiſtory of all nations, and in all
ages teſtify! Let the extreme ignorance of God;
orararararaan
* P. 47
+ See p. 159 — 165; 243 -- 250; of this
publication I P. 66.

( 321 )
the ftupid idolatry and grofs immoralities of all the
barbarous and favage nations at preſent inhabiting
the earth, bear witneſs of the utter inſufficiency
of the works of creation to give men juft concep
tions of God, and of the duties they owe to him
and each other ! Is there a barbarian in the ear.
tern ; or a favage in this weſtern part of the
world, who is not a living teffinzory to confute
the ill-founded affertion, that“ the creation reveals
to man all that is neceſſary for man to know of
God?"? How juft is the obſervation of Baron
de Menteſquieu, that " man, if left to his own
direction, might every inftant, even forget his
creaton? God has therefore, adds this celebrated:
writer, reminded him af: his duty by the laws of
religion."*
But as the inſufficiency of natural religion, and
the neceffity of divine revelation, have been ſo
fully proved in this performance, it is urneceffary
to dwell here on theſe ſubje&ts. +
But, if poſſible, to depreciate the word, and to
exalr the works of God, iv is afferted, that the
farry heavens are not only ſufficient to teach men
neligion, but alſo the arts and ſciences !!!
But is this affertion confirmed by facts ? Was
ว
oralowane
* Spirit of laws, vol. I. p. 4.
+ See p. 123 --- 148.
I P. 86.
#“ Trvellers inform us, ſays a learned author,
that, even at this day, in foine parts of the world,
they meet with men who are ftrangers to all ſo-
cial intercourſe; of a character fo cruel and fero-
cious, that they live in perpetual war, deſtroying

(322)
it from principles deduced from a kuowledge of
the heavenly bodies, that men were taught the
arts and ſciences? Was it from the contemplation
of the fun, moon and ſtars, that men, for inſtance,
were inſtructed how to cultivate the earth ; to
form grain into bread, and to provide for them-
felves apparel? Was it aſtronomy that taught
mankind ſculpture, metallurgy and medicine ?
However uſeful, in various reſpects, aſtronomy is
to mankind, were there not ancient nations, who
made little or no progreſs in this ſcience, and
who, notwithſtanding, made confiderable im-
provements in divers uſeful arts and ſciences?
Are there not ſeveral nations, even at this day,
tocally unacquainted with aſtronomy, and who
yet have invented many uſeful arts ?
No fast appears more evident, if we cenfult the
hiſtory of the riſe and progreſs of the arts and ſci-
ences, than that they principally owed their birth to
noncorona
and even deveuring each other. Theſe wretch-
ed people, devoid of all the principles of burhanity,
without laws, polity or government, live in dens
and caverns, and differ but very little from the brute
creation. i heir food conſiſts of ſome fruits and
roots, with which the woods fupply them ; for
want of ſkill and induſtry, they can ſeidom pro-
cure more folid nouriſhment. Not having even
the moſt common and obvious notions, they have
nothing of humanity but the figure. Gouget's
origin of laws, arts and ſciences, vol. I. p. 4. , So
capable are " the works of creation to teach men
all that it is neceſſary they thould know of God;"
and alſo " the arts and ſciences !”?

(323)
the wants of men; to chance, * and the founda.
tion of civil government; and their perfection to
long experience and obſervation,
“ The invention and improvement of arts,
ſays the learned Preſident De Gouget, was one
of the firſt and happieſt fruits of the reunion of
families and inſtitution of government. Necefſity
was the firſt preceptor of mankind. Neceffity
taught them how to enıploy the hands which
pro-
vidence had given them, and to uſe the gift of
fpeech which they had received, in preference to
all the other creatures. But theſe firſt diſcove.
ries would never have been brought to any great
perfection, without the reunion of families, and
the inſtitution of laws and government.
By means of theſe, the firſt rude inventions,
the effects of chance or neceffity, were brought to
perfection by degrees. Accordingly we find,
that the diſcovery and improvement of arts, are
aſcribed to thoſe nations who were firſt formed
into regular ſtates and governments. It is by
long experience, and by communicating their
thoughts and obſervations to one another, that
mankind have acquired the knowledge of that great
multitude of arts which civilized nations have
long enjoyed.”+
researchersenen
* Thus, for example, chance taught the an.
cients, the art of grafting ; of dying purple,
and of cutting the diamond: And accident diſco-
vered to the moderns, the telleſcope, the air
pump, and the art of printing.
+ Gouget's origin and progreſs of laws, arts
and ſciences, vol. Iap. 71.

( 324 )
When men adopt erroneous or abſurd princi-
ples, and pertinaciouſly refolve to defend them,
how frequently, by ſuch conduct, do they expoſe
themſelves to deriſion? Thus, for inſtance, Male-
branche indulged the conceit, of “ ſeeing all
shings in God.39* A perſon who pretended to
great erudicion, fancifully imagined, that “ he
found all the arts and ſciences in Homer ;” ane.
ther perſon, equally wife, fantaſtically foppoſed,
that is an exact plan of church government, was
contained in the writings of Virgil ;”+ and Mr.
Paine cheriſhes the chimerical idea, that the ſtar.
ry keavens were deſigned, not only to initrud
men into all religious truths, neceſſary to be
known, but alſo inthe arts and fciences !!
onere
financovancoscenienia
non
See this idea refuted by Mr. Locke, works,
vol. III.
p.
+ See Weekly miſcellany, vol. I. p. 403•
* A more idle conceit than this of Mr. Paine,
hath not perhaps, been indulged by any man.
It is probable, however, he was weck enough
to imagine, that with ſome weak minds, it might
be conlidered as an objection againſt chriſti-
anity
Notwithſtanding the univerfality of the LIGHT
and HEAT of the sun, how many ancient nations
were there, who, for ages, were fo enveloped in
mentel dunkneſs; and fo wholly ignorant of the
principles or larus of nature; fo incapable from
gazing at the " ſtarry heavens,"? to make any
proficiency in the arts and ſciences, that we are
allured, they were altogether unacquainted even

(
325)
But this affertion of Mr. Paine, it is believed,
sorganisasi
with the exiſtence of FIRE ; without the aid of
which, men cannot make ſcarcely the leaſt pro-
greſs in any art or ſcience. And is it not a fact,
that there are fome inhabitants of the world, even
at preſent, ignorant of the uſe of this element?
" Is it not aſtoniſhing, ſays Preſident De Gou-
get, to think that there was a time when a great
part of mankind knew nothing of fire, and were
quite ignorant of its properties and uſe? This,
however, is a truth atteſted by the moſt ancient,
and moſt unanimous tradition. The Egyptians,
Perſians, Phænicians, Greeks, and ſeveral other
nations, acknowledged that their anceſtors were
ence without the uſe of fire. The Chineſe .con-
feſs the ſame of their progenitors. However in-
credible theſe facts may appear, they are confirm-
ed by what ſeveral writers, both ancient and mo-
dern, have declared of nations who were their
cotemporaries, and in this ſtate of ignorance and
barbarity when they knew them. Pomponius
Mela, Pliny, Plutarch, and other ancient authors
treat of nations, who, at the time they wrote,
knew not the uſe of fire, or had but juſt learned
it. Facts of the fame kind, are atteſted by ſeve-
ral modern nations.
The inhabitants of the Marian iſlands, which
were diſcovered in 1521, had no idea of fire.
Never was aſtoniſhment greater than theirs, when
they ſaw it, on the deſcent of Magellan on one of
their iſlands. At firſt, they believed it to be a
kind of animal, that fixed itſelf to, and fed up-
Еe

( 326 )
will do no injury, as nobody but himſelf can have
faith to credit it! The citizens of theſe United
States, it is preſumed, will ſtill retain their ſemi-
naries of learning and preſent mode of inſtruction,
as well as their religion, though in contradi Ezion
to the advice and philoſophy of Mr. Paine !
മകകൃകകക
on wood. Some of them having approached fo
near to the flame that they were burnt; the reſt
were ſo terrified, that they had courage only to
behold it at a diſtance. They were fearful, they
faid, of being bit, or left that dreadful animal
fhould injurë them with his violent breathing;
for fuch were the firſt conceptions they formed,
of the heat and flame.
The inhabitants of the Philippine and Canary
iſlands, were formerly as ignorant as thoſe who
have been mentioned. We are aſſured, that in
the iſle of Los Jordenos, the uſe of fire was late-
ly unknown. The ſame is ſaid of the Amikouans,
a people of South America, diſcovered but a lit-
tle while ago. Africa preſents us, even in our
own days, with ſome nations in this deplorable
State of ignorance. For this reaſon, no doubt,
there were fome nations anciently, as there are
foine at preſent, who eat the fleſh of animals quite
The Egyptians ſay they owe their know-
ledge of fire, to an accident occaſioned by thun-
der and lightning. All nations have carefully ,
preſerved the names of thofe to whom they be-
lieved they were indebted for the diſcovery of
fire.”". Origin of laws, arts and ſciences, yol
1. p. 74, 75
Taw.

( 327 )
But a charge of his, connected with this ſubject,
againſt chriſtianity, is not ſo innocent. He ſays
it is “ a fraud of the chriſtian Syſtem to call the
ſciences human inventions.”*
But where are we to find this charge, except
in Mr. Paine's book ? The phraſe, human inven-
tions, is not in the bible. This ſerious truth,
however, is contained in it, that “God made
man upright, but that he, (through the wicked-
neſs of his heart) hath fought out many ſinful
inventions .'”+
Mr. Paine, it is conceived, is the firſt perſon
who called the principles of nature, human inven-
tions, † and this impious abfurdity, he impiouſly
afcribes to chriſtianity ; though all men, it is
imagined, except this writer, perceives the pre-
priety of ftiling any diſcoveries in the arts or ſci-
ences, by deductions from the works of creation,
or otherwiſe, human inventions.
casadoriesen
ora
* P. 77. + Ecclef. vii. 29. I P. 78.
End of the Firſt Volume.




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THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
DATE DUE
FEB 12 1981
Alion
MAY Uy 1981

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
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