thought. And, indeed, notwithstanding the pretences of some few among our Freethinkers, I can hardly think there are men so stupid and inconsistent with themselves as to have a serious regard for natural religion, and at the same time use their utmost endeavours to destroy the credit of those Sacred Writings, which, as they have been the means of bringing these parts of the world to the knowledge of natural religion, so, in case they lose their authority over the minds of men, we should of course sink into the same idolatry which we see practised by other unenlightened nations. If a person who exerts himself in the modern way of freethinking be not a stupid idolater, it is undeniable that he contributes all he can to the making other men so, either by ignorance or design; which lays him under the dilemma, I will not say of being a fool or knave, but of incurring the contempt or detestation of mankind. SECTION VI. Excellency of the Christian Institution. -Aptissima quæque dabunt dii; Charior est illis homo, quam sibi. Juv. S. 10.1.349. -The gods will grant What their unerring wisdom sees thee want: DRYDEN. It is owing to pride, and a secret affectation of a certain self-existence, that the noblest motive for action that ever was proposed to man is not acknowledged the glory and happiness of his being, The heart is treacherous to itself, and we do not let our reflections go deep enough to receive religion f as the most honourable incentive to good and worthy actions. It is our natural weakness to flatter ourselves into a belief, that if we search into our inmost thoughts we find ourselves wholly disinterested, and divested of any views arising from selflove and vain-glory. But however spirits of superficial greatness may disdain at first sight to do any thing but from a noble impulse in themselves, without any future regards in this or another being, upon stricter inquiry they will find, to act worthily and expect to be rewarded only in another world, is as heroic a pitch of virtue as human nature can arrive at. If the tenor of our actions have any other motive than the desire to be pleas. ing in the eye of the Deity, it will necessarily follow that we must be more than men, if we are not too much exalted in prosperity and depressed in adversity; but the Christian world has a Leader, the contemplation of whose life and sufferings must administer comfort in affliction, while the sense of his power and omnipotence must give them humiliation in prosperity. It is owing to the forbidden and unlovely constraint with which men of low conceptions act when they think they conform themselves to religion, as well as to the more odious conduct of hypocrites, that the word Christian does not carry with it, at first view, all that is great, worthy, friendly, generous, and heroic. The man who suspends his hopes of the reward of worthy actions till after death, who can bestow unseen, who can overlook hatred, do good to his slanderer,-who can never be angry at his friend, never revengeful to his enemy, is certainly formed for the benefit of society; yet these are so far from heroic virtues, that they are but the ordinary duties of a Chris tian. When a man with a steady faith looks back on the great catastrophe of this day, with what bleed ing emotions of heart must he contemplate the life and sufferings of his Deliverer! When his agonies occur to him, how will he weep to reflect that he has often forgotten them for the glance of a wanton, for the applause of a vain world, for a heap of fleeting past pleasures, which are at present aching sorrows! How pleasing is the contemplation of the lowly steps our Almighty Leader took in conducting us to his heavenly mansions! In plain and apt parable, similitude, and allegory, our great Master enforced the doctrine of our salvation; but they of his acquaintance, instead of receiving what they could not oppose, were offended at the presumption of being wiser than they: they could not raise their little ideas above the consideration of him, in those circumstances familiar to them, or conceive that he who appeared not more terrible or pompous should have any thing more exalted than themselves; he in that place therefore would not longer ineffectually exert a power which was incapable of conquering the prepossession of their narrow and mean conceptions. Multitudes followed him, and brought him the dumb, the blind, the sick, and maimed; whom when their Creator had touched, with a second life they saw, spoke, leaped, and ran. In affection to him, and admiration of his actions, the crowd could not leave him, but waited near him till they were almost as faint and helpless as others they brought for succour. He had compassion on them, and by a miracle supplied their necessities. Oh ! the ecstatic entertainment, when they could behold their food immediately increase to the distributor's hand, and see their God in person feeding and refreshing his creatures! Oh, envied happiness! But why do I say envied? as if our God did not still preside over our temperate meals, cheerful hours, and innocent conversations. But though the Sacred Story is every where full of miracles not inferior to this, and though in the midst of those acts of Divinity he never gave the least hint of a design to become a secular prince, yet had not hitherto the apostles themselves any other hopes than of worldly power, preferment, riches, and pomp; for Peter, upon an accident of ambition among the apostles, hearing his Master explain that his kingdom was not of this world, was so scandalized, that he, whom he had so long followed, should suffer the ignominy, shame, and death which he foretold, that he took him aside, and said, "Be it far from thee, Lord! this shall not be unto thee:" for which he suffered a severe reprehension from his Master, as having in his view the glory of man rather than that of God. The great change of things began to draw near, when the Lord of nature thought fit, as a Saviour and Deliverer, to make his public entry into Jerusalem, with more than the power of joy, but none of the ostentation and pomp of a triumph: he came humble, meek, and lowly; with an unfelt new ecstasy multitudes strewed his way with garments and olive-branches, crying with loud gladness and acclamation, "Hosannah to the son of David; blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord!" At this great King's accession to his throne, men were not ennobled, but saved; crimes were not remitted, but sins forgiven: he did not bestow medals, honours, favours; but health, joy, sight, speech. The first object the blind ever saw, was the author of sight; while the lame ran before, and the dumb repeated the Hosannah. Thus at tended, he entered into his own house, the sacred temple, and, by his Divine authority, expelled traders and worldlings that profaned it; and thus did he, for a time, use a great and despotic power, to let unbelievers understand that it was not want of, but superiority to, all worldly dominion, that made him not exert it. But is this then the Saviour? is this the Deliverer? shall this obscure Nazarene command Israel, and sit on the throne of David? Their proud and disdainful hearts, which were petrified with the love and pride of this world, were impregnable to the reception of so mean a benefactor, and were now enough exasperated with benefits to conspire his death. Our Lord was sensible of their design, and prepared his disciples for it, by recounting to them now more distinctly what should befal him; but Peter, with an ungrounded resolution, and in a flush of temper, made a sanguine protestation, that, though all men were offended in him, yet would not he be offended. It was a great article of our Saviour's business in the world, to bring us to a sense of our inability, without God's assistance, to do any thing great or good: he therefore told Peter, who thought so well of his courage and fidelity, that they would both fail him, and even he should deny him thrice that very night. "But what heart can conceive, what tongue utter, the sequel? Who is that yonder, buffeted, mocked, and spurned? Whom do they drag like a felon? Whither do they carry my Lord, my King, my Saviour, and my God? And will he die to expiate those very injuries? See where they have nailed the Lord and Giver of life! how his wounds blacken, his body writhes, and heart heaves with pity and with agony! Oh Almighty Sufferer! look down, look down from thy triumphant infamy: lo, he inclines his head to his sacred bosom! hark, he groans! see, he expires! The earth trembles, the temple rends, the rocks burst, the dead arise: which are the quick? which are the dead? Sure nature, all nature is departing with her Creator.” T.. |