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sober reason (that is before he was converted to Christianity) he was himself a bigot, and a persecutor even unto death. But he was suddenly hurried away, as the objector would suppose, by the frenzy of enthusiasm, and from that moment he became peaceable and gentle, merciful, liberal and tolerant. Gracious God! will men believe all this, and yet persevere to ridicule others for blind, irrational, implicit faith? No. Let us not judge hardly of those who differ from us. But if they judge unfairly of our cause, of the cause of Christianity and benevolence, let us not, as we value truth and piety, let us not yield lightly to their rash opinion. Surely if these characters belong to the morality of the Gospel, and are compared with the natural disadvantages under which its teachers laboured, they plainly bespeak a divine original.

SECTION III.

The speculative Doctrines of Christianity did not originate in Enthusiasm. THE speculative doctrines of Christianity, so far as our present subject leads us to examine them, may be considered perhaps of three different descriptions. 1st. Those which reason might have discovered, or at least when discovered, may perceive to be certainly true, from their connexion with self-evident principles of knowledge. 2dly. Those which reason could only perceive to be probable, not certain, and in which therefore the light of Revelation may be highly important to dispel our doubts, and direct our opinions. And 3dly. Such doctrines as are plainly above reason, which it had no conception of antecedent to the existence of Christianity, and which, after they are discovered, it receives solely on the authority of Revelation, requiring only that they shall not contradict those principles of knowledge, which rest on self-evident demonstrative certainty.

It is foreign from the object of this treatise to enter into metaphysical or abstract discussions, or compare the probability

of controverted opinions. It is desirable, and happily it is easy, to separate such questions from the main proofs which support the Gospel of Christ. And whatever may be the particular profession or the private opinions of an author, he ought not to bring them forward to clog, with unnecessary difficulties, so important an inquiry as that which relates to the origin and foundation of the whole Christian scheme. Under this impression I shall confine myself to such brief observations as the nature of my subject seems necessarily to require.

It will not be questioned that Christianity teaches, in the most clear and express manner, all those doctrines which reason might have discovered, or when discovered can demonstrate to be true, and which are therefore termed the principles of natural religion-the existence of one God, the first Cause of all things, endowed with infinite perfection; the dependence of man on him, and the consequent necessity of obedience to his will, so far as it is known, as the only mode of securing the greatest degree of perfection and happiness to which man can attain. But abstractedly considered, this would not prove that the teachers of Christianity were either divinely inspired, or even free from enthusiasm or imposture. These truths were expressly taught in the Jewish religion, and therefore may have been borrowed from it either by deceivers or fanatics. But when we contemplate the manner in which these truths are taught, and compare it with the national prejudices, the low rank, and the unlearned education of the first preachers of the Gospel, the comparison will, I think, afford a strong presumptive proof of their freedom, either from the artifice of imposture or the weakness of fanaticism. They teach the truths of natural religion with such zeal and earnestness, and at the same time with such simplicity as seem unaccountable, if we suppose them artful, interested deceivers. To love the Lord our God with all our heart, and soul, and mind," they represent as "the first and great commandment;" the temper of mind to exalt and perfect which, the whole discipline of this world, as well as the entire Christian scheme, is stated to be subservient. On this they ground the love of our neighbour as second in the

* Matt. xxii 37,

rank of moral duties. All the attributes of the Divinity are represented in striking, though frequently familiar terms and images, but always so as to promote virtue and purity of heart, justice and mercy to our fellow-creatures, and an entire submission to the will, and trust in the providence of God. The personal interests or prejudices of the preachers never intermix with, or debase this sacred subject. Now, is not all this inconsistent with the character either of interested artifice or deluded fanaticism?

If in addition to this we consider the general state of religious knowledge in the world at the introduction of the Gospel, the difficulty of forming such a just and pure representation of natural religion, will appear so great, as to render it very incredible, that the authors of such a representation should have been weak and visionary enthusiasts.

It is notorious, that the most polite and learned nations of the heathens, notwithstanding the progress of learning and civilization, had continued for a series of years to accumulate error upon error, and profanation on profanation. They had degraded religion by the grossest idolatry, and corrupted morality by tolerating, and even sanctioning the foulest crimes. Their sages and philosophers made scarce any attempt at all, and never any successful attempt, to check the progress of error, idolatry and vice, amongst the multitude. They confined their instructions to the learned and speculative; and in general talked an obscure and technical language, calculated chiefly for the use of their respective sects. They entertained the most perplexing doubts on the most demonstrable and fundamental truths of natural religion, such as the unity, the perfections, the providence, and even the existence of a God. And very rarely did they attempt to found the practice of virtue on the divine command, or teach men to expect recompence according to their works from the divine sentence. But whatever truths they may have taught, the teachers of the Gospel (St. Paul perhaps excepted) had little opportunity of any access to their instructions, and evidently none of them have borrowed any thing from their systems.

The Jews, it is true, (most of them at least,) maintained the existence, perfections, and providence of God; but almost

every sect of them intermixed with these truths errors and prejudices, which corrupted their genuine simplicity and weakened their practical effect. Some conceived that God might excuse the absence of piety and virtue, if conciliated by ceremonies and sacrifices; others denied a future life, and thus subverted the sanctions of morality; almost all, with the narrow views of bigots, conceived God to be exclusively the God of their own nation, and despised other nations, as unworthy his regard; and they advanced traditions and comments so puerile, extravagant and even immoral, as rendered the genuine word of God of none effect.

Amidst this general corruption of faith and practice arose the first teachers of the Gospel; and though obscure and unlearned, though educated in the midst of Jewish bigotry and superstition, they rescued natural religion from the corruptions of both Jews and Heathens, and taught men every where to worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Does not this render it highly improbable that they were weak deluded fanatics? Nay, does it not even afford a strong presumption of their being really enlightened by that divine Spirit, whose dictates they professed to declare to the children of men?

In the next place, when we direct our attention to those doctrines which the light of nature could but darkly discern, and never certainly demonstrate, we find that Christianity has decided them exactly in that manner which reason admits to be most probable, and which most directly promotes the interest of virtue and the happiness of society. The certainty of a future state; of judgment and retribution in the next period of our existence; of pardon on repentance; of assistance from God in our efforts to improve; the obligation and utility of prayer; the superintendence of divine Providence over all events, whether public or private, minute or important-these doctrines of Christianity are such as the best men have ever wished to find true, though the wisest were never able to demonstrate them. Nor is it merely the doctrines themselves-the manner in which they are proposed and established increases the probability, that the first preachers of the Gospel were far removed from the extravagance and weakness of fanaticism. They are proposed with great plainness and simplicity. They are established, not merely by positive

assertions, nor yet by subtle and intricate reasonings, but by plain facts, proving at once the divine authority of the Gospel in general, and the particular certainty of the resurrection from the dead-that great decisive fact so essential to all our hopes of life and immortality.

If we consider further, that Christianity exhibits this infinitely important scheme of doctrines undebased by those puerile absurdities and wild extravagancies which are perpetually blended with all fanatical systems, our readiness to admit their divine original ought surely to be considerably increased.

Let it then be remembered, that the Christian revelation passes by in silence, or expresses in general and guarded terms many points, which enthusiasts are apt to dwell on with peculiar complacency, and to dress up with a train of fictitious circumstances, which a ready invention supplies, or a heated and deluded imagination mistakes for realities. Examine with this view the accounts which the New Testament gives us of a future state; and how totally unlike it is to the wild visions of fanaticism! We are told that good men shall rise with bodies "glorified and incorruptible." We are taught that the nature of the happiness to be enjoyed in another life, cannot be distinctly apprehended by our present faculties. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what God hath prepared for them that love him." It is declared that men will be rewarded in the next life, according to the use which they make of the * talents with which they are entrusted in this; that those who are here active and faithful, will hereafter be employed in more important trusts, and more extensive activity. We are led to believe that much of our happiness will consist in increased knowledge of God, and of his works; in being "made + like unto him in purity and benevolence;" in enjoying the society of higher spirits, and "just men made perfect." We are assured, that those who drop into the grave with minds sunk in the sordid and base pursuits of this world, and polluted with unrepented crimes, shall not enter into the kingdom of God. Thus every thing necessary to encourage virtue and religion is disclosed, without the intermixture of a

* Vide the parable of the talents, Matt. xxv. + John iii. 2, 3.
1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. Vide also Matt. xiii. 41-49.

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