and actions exhibit the purity of Paradise. That such a state, as far as the imperfection of human nature would allow, can exist, we trust that the lives of many Christians, not only of the primitive but of subsequent times, can attest. Surely such a system must be transcendent in excellence, and bears within itself the marks of a divine origin.* The revealed will of God is the proper source of moral obligation. It gives life and vigour to the performance of every duty, and without it all systems of morals are dry, uninteresting, and founded upon no fixed principle of action. How jejune and tedious are the Ethics of Aristotle, and the Offices of Cicero, the writings of Puffendorf and Grotius, of Whitby and Hutchinson, when compared with the short rules, illustrated by the most pleasing similies, and animated by the most striking examples, with which the Gospel of Christ abounds! His divine lessons touch the heart by the affecting combination of practice with theory, and even engage the passions on the side of virtue. Men who are distinguished by great and extraordinary talents are remarked to have usually a peculiar "From the New Testament may be collected a system of Ethics, in which every moral precept founded on reason is carried to a higher degree of purity and perfection, than in any other of the wisest philosophers of preceding ages; every moral precept founded on false principles is totally omitted, and many new precepts added peculiarly corresponding with the new object of this religion." Soame Jenyns, p. 9. "In morality there are books enough writ both by ancient and modern philosophers; but the morality of the Gospel doth so exceed them all, that to give a man a full knowledge of true morality, I shall send him to no other book, but the New Testa ment." Locke on Reading and Study, vol. ii. p. 407. mode of thinking and expression. Whoever examines the discourses of our Lord with care, will find in them a certain character which discriminates them from the lessons of all other moralists. His manner at once original and striking, clear and convincing, consists in deriving topics of instruction from objects and circumstances familiar to his hearers. He affects the passions, and improves the understanding through the medium of the senses. His public lessons to the people, and his private conversations to his disciples, allude perpetually to the place where he was, to the surrounding objects, the season of the year, or to the occupations and circumstances of those whom he addresses. When he exhorted his disciples to trust in Providence for the supply of their daily wants, he bade them behold the fowls of the air, which were then flying around them, and were fed by divine bounty, although they did not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns. He desired them to observe the lilies of the field which were then blooming, and were beautifully clothed by the same power, and yet toiled not like the husbandman, whom they then saw at work. When the woman of Samaria was surprised at his asking her for water, he took occasion to represent his doctrine under the image of living water which flows from a spring. When he approached the temple, where sheep were kept in folds to be sold for the sacrifices, he spake in parables of the shepherd, the sheep, and the door of the sheep-fold. At the sight of little children, he repeatedly described the innocence and simplicity of true Christians. When he cured the man who was born blind, he immediately referred to himself, as the light of the world. He often alluded to the occupation of some of his disciples, whom he appointed fishers of men. Knowing that Lazarus was dead, and should be raised again, he discoursed concerning the awful truths of the general resurrection, and of life eternal.* "Many writers upon the subject of moral philosophy divide too much the law of nature from the precepts of Revelation; which appears to me much the same defect, as if a commentator on the laws of England should content himself with stating upon each head the common law of the land, without taking any notice of acts of Parliament: or should choose to give his readers the common law in one book, and the statute law in another. When the obligations of morality are taught, (says Dr. Johnson in the Preface to the Preceptor) let the sanctions of Christianity never be forgotten; by which it will be shewn that they give strength and lustre to each other; religion will appear to be the voice of reason; and. morality the will of God." From this view of the subject appears the excellence of the morality of the Gospel, and consequently how unnecessary it is to resort to any other scheme of Ethics for a rule of action. The various plans of duty, which have been formed exclusive of Christianity, seem not to propose any motives sufficiently cogent and permanent, to withhold men from the gratification of vicious desires, and the indulgence of violent passions. They must therefore give place to a more perfect law, which has the best claims to general reception, because Matt. vi, 26, 28. John iv, 10, * Jortin's Discourses, p. 229. Mark ix, 37. John ix, 39. xi, 25. For some very pleasing remarks on our Lord's manner X, I. of teaching, see Dr. Townson's Discourses, p. 279. Paley's Preface to his Moral and Political Philosophy. it is founded on the express Revelation of the Will of the Creator, and Governor of the world, to his dependent and accountable creatures. VI. THE RAPID AND EXTENSIVE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL AT ITS FIRST PREACHING. Of all the proofs, which are adduced to establish the truth of Christianity, there is no one more splendid, than that which arises from the rapid and extensive propagation of the Gospel; and this proof will appear very strong if it be considered as the fulfilment of a long train of Prophecies. Far from being intimidated by the opposition, the enmity, or even the most severe and bloody persecutions of a hostile world, the Apostles' readily obeyed the commands of their Divine Master, and declined no hardships, and avoided no danger, in order to make proselytes to the faith. The effect of their labours was in a very short time visible in every country, to which they directed their steps. The rich and the poor, the learned and the illiterate, the polished natives of Italy and Greece, as well as the rude inhabitants of the most uncivilized countries, enlisted under the banner of the Cross. The most ancient and most popular establishments of religion, which had ever been known in the world, gradually gave way to the new faith. The Greek, the Roman, and the Barbarian forsook their temples, consecrated by the veneration of ages to idolatrous worship, and repaired in crowds to the Christian churches; and at the close of only three centuries from its origin, the faith of the lowly Jesus of Nazareth was embraced by Constantine, the Sovereign of the Roman world, and throughout the wide compass of his dominions it was raised to the ho nours of a triumphant church, and to all the privileges and security of an established religion. For the clearest proofs of these facts we may appeal not only to the animated details of those early Christian Writers, commonly called the Fathers of the Church, who expressed themselves in terms of great exultation at the prospect of this wide diffusion of the faith; but to a number of Pagans who were strongly prejudiced against the Christian cause, or were enemies to its advancement in the world. The successive accounts of Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Eusebius and Chrysostom, who were all eminent writers in the Church, are confirmed by the express declarations of Suetonius, Tacitus, Pliny, Lucian and Porphyry, all of whom were Pagans, and lived within three centuries from the time of Christ. If the circumstances of discouragement and danger, under which the faith of Christ made so extraordinary a progress, be more distinctly enumerated, we shall more properly estimate the value of the argument drawn from the rapid propagation of Christianity, when it was first proclaimed to the world.* Most of the Apostles were not only persons of low education, ignoble birth, and destitute of every distinction to recommend them to the notice and favour of the world; but were exposed to the slander and malice * Paley's Evidences, vol. i. p, 30, vol. iii, p. 94 For a concise and accurate account of the progress of Christianity, and the labours of its first preachers, see Paley, vol. i, c. 4, 5. He institutes a comparison between the first preachers of Christianity, and the modern missionaries: from the slow and inconsiderable progress made by the latter, in comparison with the rapid and extensive success of the former, he proves the divine origin of their religion. This argument is fully stated, and urged with peculiar strength and perspicuity, vol. iii, p. 50, sec. 2. |