or embroil himself in the contentions of a nation, however he may be occafionally drawn into them. His foul is much more in its element when breathing after the present and future happiness of a world. In undertakings, both public and private, which tend to alleviate the miferies, and enlarge the comforts of human life, Chriftians have ever been foremoft and when they have conceived themselves lawfully called even into the field of battle, they have not been wanting in valour. But the heroism to which they principally afpire is of another kind: it is that of fubduing their own spirit, doing good against evil, seeking the prefent and eternal wellbeing of those who hate them, and laying down their lives if required for the name of the Lord Jefus.

Such is the "narrow spirit" of Chriftians; and fuch have been their "felfifh purfuits." But these are things which do not emblazon their names in the account of unbelievers. The murderers of mankind will be applauded before them. But they have enough their blood is precious in the fight of the Lord, and their names are embalmed in the memory of the upright.

CHA P. V.

The lives of those who reject the Gospel will not bear a comparison with theirs who embrace it.

No books are fo plain as the lives of men;

no characters are fo legible as their moral conduct. If the principles of a body of men will not bear this.

criterion, we may expect to hear them exclaim against it as unfair, and uncertain; but when they have faid all, they will endeavour to avail themfelves of it if poffible. It is thus that the virtues of idolaters are the conftant theme of deistical panegyric; and all the corruptions, intrigues, perfecutions, wars, and mifchiefs, which of late ages have afflicted the earth, are charged to the account of Chriftians. It is thus that Christian minifters, under the name of priests, are described as mercenary, defigning, and hypocritical; and the lives of hectoring profligates praised in comparison to them.* In fhort, it is thus that Chriftians are accused of fanaticism, affectation, ingratitude, prefumption, and almost every thing else that is mean and base; and men are perfuaded to become deifts, with an affurance that by fo doing they will "live more confistently, and morally, than by any other fyftem."+

But let us examine whether these representations accord with fact. Is it fact that the ancient philofophers of Greece and Rome were virtuous characters? It is true that, like the deifts, they talked and wrote much about virtue, and if the latter may be believed, they were very virtuous. "They oppofed each other," fays Voltaire," in their dogmas; but in morality they were all agreed." After loading each of them with encomiums, he fums it up by affirming, "There has been no philofopher in all antiquity who has not been defirous of making men better." This is a very favourable report; and if well founded, the writer of the first chapter

* Humes Effay's Moral and Political, Effay XXIV.

† Age of Reafon, Part I. p. 21.

Ignorant Philofopher, p. 60.

of the epiftle to the Romans muft not only have dealt largely in calumny, but have poffeffed the most confummate effrontery, to address fuch an epiftle to the citizens of Rome, who from their own knowledge must have been able to contradict him. There are other reports, however, of a very different complexion.

It is no part of my defign to enter minutely into this fubject; nor is it neceffary. Many able writers have proved, from the most authentic fources of information, that the account given of the heathens by the apoftle is not exaggerated. An extract or two from their writings will be fufficient for my purpose.

*

"Epictetus bids you temporize, and worship the gods after the fashion of your country." Pythagoras forbids you to pray to God, because you know not what is convenient.† Plutarch commends Cato Uticenfis for killing himself amidst philofophic thoughts, with refolution, and deliberation, after reading Plato on the immortality of the foul. Cicero pleads for felf-murder. Herein he was feconded by Brutus, Caffius, and others, who practifed it. Many of their learned men applauded their opinion and practice. Seneca thus pleads for it: "If thy mind. "be melancholy and in mifery, thou mayeft put a "period to this wretched condition: wherever thou "lookeft, there is an end to it. See that precipice; "there thou mayest have liberty. Seeft thou that "fea, that river, that well? Liberty is at the bottom of it that little tree? freedom hangs upon

*Enchiridion Cap. 38. pag. m. 56.

† Diog. Laertius.

Plutarch's Life of Cato, near the end.

it: thy own neck, thy own throat may be a re"fuge to thee from fuch fervitude; yea, every ❝ vein of thy body."

"We may find in the heathen philofophers cuftomary fwearing commended, if not by their precepts, yet by the examples of their best moralists, Plato, Socrates, Seneca, and Julian the Emperor, in whose works numerous oaths by Jupiter, Hercules, the Sun, Serapis, and the like, do occur. In the fame manner we fee the unnatural love of boys recommended.+ Ariftippus maintained that it was lawful for a wife man to steal, commit adultery, and facrilege, when opportunity offered; for that none of these actions were naturally evil, fetting afide the vulgar opinion, which was introduced into the world by filly and illiterate people—that a wife man might publicly, without fhame or fcandal, keep company with common harlots, if his inclinations led him to it. " May cc not a beautiful woman be made use of, he afks, "because the is fair; or a youth because he is love"ly? Certainly they may."

If, as Voltaire afferts, it was the defire of thefe philofophers to make men better, affuredly they employed very extraordinary means to accomplish their defire.

What are the lives recorded by Plutarch? Many of them no doubt entertained a high sense of honour, and poffeffed a large portion of patriotism. But were either of these morality? If by this term be meant fuch difpofitions of the mind as are right,

*De ira, Lib. 3. Cap. 15. pag. m, 319.

Juvenal Satyr II. Ver. fo.

Diog. Laertus, Vol. I. pag. m. 165, 166. See in Millar's Hif tory of the Propagation of Ckriftlanity, Vol. I. p. 63-65.

fit, and amiable, it was not. Their fenfe of honour was not of that kind which made them fcorn to do evil; but like the falfe honour of modern duellifts, confifted merely in a dread of disgrace. It induced many of them to carry about them the fatal means of felf-deftruction; and rather than fall into the hands of an adverfary, to make use of them. And as to their patriotifm, generally speaking, it operated not merely in the prefervation of their country, but in endeavours to extend and aggrandize it at the expence of other nations. It was a patriotism inconfiftent with justice, and good will to men. Add to this, that fornication, adultery, and unnatural crimes were common amongst them.

As to the moral state of fociety among heathens, both ancient and modern, we may have occafion to confider this a little more particularly hereafter. At prefent I would inquire, Is it fact that the perfecutions, intrigues, wars, and mischiefs of late ages are to be charged to the account of Christianity?

With regard to perfecution, nothing is more common with our adverfaries than to lay it wholly at our door. They are continually alledging that the heathens all agreed to tolerate each other till Chriftianity arose. Thus writes Shaftesbury,* Hume,† Voltaire, Gibbon, and Paine. That the heathens tolerated each other before the introduction of Christianity, is allowed; and they did the fame after it. It was not against each other that their enmity was directed. In the diverfity of their idols,