herbs, hath ever been uniform. Every feed produces now the fame fruit ever it did. Every species of animal life is ftill the fame. Could chance continue this regular arrangement? Could any thing continue it, but the hand of an omnipotent God! Laftly, we fee this great truth, the being of a God, witneffed by the general confent of mankind. This general confent muft arife either from tradition, or it must be the refult of men's own reafoning. Upon either fuppofition, it is an argument equally ftrong. If the firft fuppofition be allowed, it will be difficult to affign any fource of this tradition, but God himself. If the fecond, it can fearce be fuppofed that all mankind, in different parts of the world, fhould agree in the belief of a thing, which never exifted. For though doubts have arifen concerning this general belief, yet it is now pretty well afcertained, from the accounts of travellers, that no nation hath yet been difcovered, among whom fome traces of religious worship have not been found. Be it fo, fays the objector; yet still we find fingle perfons, even in civilized countries, and fome of them men of enlarged capacities, who have not only had their doubts on this fubject; but have proclaimed aloud their disbelief of a divine being. We anfwer, that it is more than probable, no man's infidelity on this head was ever thoroughly fettled. Bad men, rather endeavour to convince themfelves, than are really convinced.---But even on a fuppofition, that a few fuch perfons could be found, what is their teftimony againft fo great a majority, as the rest of mankind? The light of the fun is univerfally acknowledged, though it happens, that, now and then, a man may be born blind. But fince, it feems, there are difficulties in fuppofing a divine creator, and preferver of the world, what fyftem of things does the atheist fuppofe attended with fewer? He fees the world produced before him. He fees it hath been created; and is preferved. Some account of this matter must be given. If ours difplease him; let us have his. The experiment hath been tried. We have had many atheistical creeds: none of which hath stood the test of being handed down with any degree of credit into future times. The atheift's great argument indeed againft a Deity, is levelled at the apparent injuftice of his government. It was an objection of ancient date; and might have had its weight in heathen times: but it is one of the bleffings, which attends chriftianity, that it fatisfies all our doubts on this head; and gives us a rational and eafy folution of this poignant objection. What if we observe an inaccurate diftribution of the things of this world? What if virtue be depreffed, and vice triumphant? It is nothing, fays the voice of religion, to him, who believes this life to be an inconfiderable part of his being; a point only in the expanfe of eternity: who believes he is fent into this world, merely to prepare himself for a better. This world, he knows, is intended neither for a reward, nor punishment. Happiness unquestionably attends virtue even here, and mifery, vice: but it is not the happiness of a fplendid station, but of a peaceful mind; nor is it the mifery of low circumftances, but of a guilty confcience. The things of this world are not, in their own nature, connected either with happiness or mifery. Attended fometimes by one, and fometimes by the other, they are merely the means of trial. One man is tempted with riches, and another with poverty; but God intends MORAL AND RELIGIOUS: 49 intends neither an elevated, nor a depreffed pofe him to be a dark malignant being, are Gruation as the ultimate completion of his equally expofed. Here we are informed of will. the omnifcience and omniprefence of God. Indication of God's favour, yet good men Refider, if worldly profperity even was the Here we learn, that his wifdom and power may have failings and imprudencies enough mercy is over all his works. In short, we about them to deferve misfortune; and bad learn from revelation, that we are in the men virtues, which may deferve fuccefs. hands of a being, whofe knowledge we canWhy fhould imprudence, though joined with not evade, and whose power we cannot refift; virtue, partake of its reward? Or the gene- who is merciful and good to all his creatures; purple fhare in the punishment, though and will be ever ready to affift and reward are equalled by his goodnefs; and that his connected with vice? the univerfal creed of nature. But though time, accompanying his mercy, will punish Thus then we fee the being of a God is to his will: but whofe juftice, at the fame could not preferve it from error. Nature his guilt. Eure could inveftigate the fimple truth, the the bold and carelef's finner in proportion to thofe, who endeavour to conform themselves merely takes her notions from what the fees, her gods in the likeness of things in heaven, and things on earth. Hence every part of the creation, animate and inanimate, hath, by turns, been an Gilpin. § 44. On the Creed continued the Belief of Jefus Chrift. After profelling our belief in God, the creed proceeds with a profeffion of our belief tren the moft refined nations, we know, had object of worship. And" in Jefus Chrift, his fon, our Lord." A perfon celebrated as Jefus Chrift was, Profs conceptions on this head. The wifeft we may fuppofe, would naturally find a place in the profane hiftory of his times. It may not be amifs, therefore, to introduce the evidence we are about to collect, with the teftimony of fome of the more eminent of the heathen writers, who have mentioned him. They will at leaft inform us, that fuch a perfon lived at the time we affert; and that he was the author of a new religion.-İ shall quote only Suetonius, Tacitus, and Pliny. of them indeed, by obferving the wonders of creation, could clothe the Deity with wifdom and power: but they could go no farther. The virtues of their heroes afforded them the gheft ideas of perfection: and with thefe dey arrayed their gods; mixing alfo with eir virtues, fuch vices, as are found in the characters of the best of men. For juft notions of the Deity, we must have recourfe then to revelation alone. Revelation removes all thefe abfurdities. It difpels the tonds of ignorance; and unveils the divine majefty, Suetonius*, tells us, that "the emperor Claudius drove all the Jews from Rome, who, at the inftigation of one Chrift, were contias far as it can be the object of hu-nually making disturbances. contemplation. The lax notions of li- Tacitus +, fpeaking of the perfecution of bertinafin, on one hand, which make the De-christians, tells us, that the author of yan inobfervant governor; and the gloomy Sea of fuperftition, on the other, which fup that name was Chrift, who was put to death by Pontius Pilate, in the reign of Tiberius." Pliny's teftimony is more large. It is contained in a letter, written to the emperor Trajan, defiring his inftructions with regard to chriftians. He blames their obftinacy in refusing to facrifice to the Roman deities but from their own confeflion can draw nothing, but that they affemble, on a certain day, before fun-rife-that they pay divine honours to Chrift as a God-that they bind themselves by a facrament not to steal, nor to commit adultery, nor to deceive-and that, after the performance of thefe rites, they join in one common meal. Nay, he examined, he fays, two of them by torture: yet still he finds nothing obnoxious in their behaviour, except their abfurd fuperftitions. He thinks, however, the matter fhould be inquired into: for christianity had brought religion into great difufe. The markets were crowned with victims, and fcarce a purchaser came near them. Thefe writers afford us fufficient teftimony, that Jefus Chrift lived at the time we affert; and that he was the author of a new religion. They had opportunities of being well informed; could have no intereft in falfifying; were no converts to the new feet; but talk of Christ, only as they would of any fingular perfon, whom they had occation to mention. Their teftimony therefore is beyond cavil. Let us now proceed a step farther, and examine the fcripture evidence of Chrift, which proves not only his exiftence: but that he is our Lord, or the Meffiah-and not only that he was the author of a new religion; but that this religion is true. • Lib. 10. Upon examining the grand fcripture evidence on this head, we find the greatest stress laid upon miracles and prophecies: both of which are direct appeals to God, by a claim to fupernatural power. And though both thefe inodes of evidence are calculated as well for us who live in remoter times, as for those who lived in the earlieft; yet the evidence from miracles feems more particularly addreffed to them; as that from prophecy is to us. They were the eye-witneffes of the miracles of the gospel, of which we have only the evidence at fecond-hand. Whereas prophecy is a mode of evidence, which increates through every age. The carly christians had it in part; but to us this amazing web is ftill more unfolded; and more of its wonderful texture displayed.-Let us examine each in its order. Among the eye-witneffes of the gofpel miracles, were many learned men, as well as unlearned. The former had opportunity and abilities to examine the works before them; to trace out fraud, if any fuch were latent; and did unquestionably receive them with all that circumfpection which was due to fuch wonderful exhibitions, before they embraced the chriftian faith: while the most ignorant fpectator was a competent judge of matter of fact; and many of our Saviour's miracles were fuch as could not poffibly, from the nature of the facts themfelves, be coloured with fraud. It had a ftrange found to the prejudices of mankind, that a crucified malefactor was the Saviour of the world; and we cannot fuppofe, that any man, much less that a multitude of men, would embrace fuch a belief without clear conviction: efpecially as no worldly advantage lay on the fide of this belief; and the convert even renounced the world, merld, and embraced a life of profecution.- acquainted with grief-though defcribed to be Let us confider the fingle miracle of Chrift's without fin, he was to be numbered with tranfrefurrection. Jefus had frequently mention-greffors-his hands and his feet were to be ed it before his death; and the thing was fo pierced he was to be made an offering for a in general credited, that the fepulchre was fin-and was never to fee corruption." fealed, and an armed guard appointed to Thefe prophecies were published many hunwatch it. We may well fuppofc, therefore, dred years before the birth of Chrift; and that his favourers would naturally, upon this had been all along in the hands, not only of cafion, reason thus: "Jefus hath now put the Jews, but of all men of letters.-The his pretenfions upon a fair iffue. He hath Old Teftament had been early tranflated into told us, he will arife from the dead on the the Greek language; and received into the third day:-here then let us fufpend our politeft libraries of thofe times. dgment, and wait the refult. Three days With these ideas, let us open the New Tefdetermine whether he be an impoftor, or tament, and it is obvious that no picture can thereal Meffiah."It is very natural to fup- be more like its original, than thefe prophecies ple, that the favourers of Jefus would rea-of Chrift in one Teftament, are to his hiftory after his death, in a manner like this: in the other. Here we fee that extraordinary and it is beyond credibility, that any of them virgin-birth unravelled. Here we fee a life would have continued his difciples, had they fpent in turning the hearts of the difobedient found him falfifying in this point. But we to the wisdom of the juft-Here we find the ow they did continue his difciples after prince of his people, a man of forrows, and rinced by this very event, embraced the Lord of righteoufnefs numbered with tranfWe know alfa, that many profelytes, acquainted with grief. Here we fee the chriftian religion.We have all the reafon in greffors-we see his hands and his feet pierche world therefore to believe, that they were ed-we fee him made an offering for fin cient proof of his pretenfions. All can- death without corruption. éd men would have acquiefced, as they did; fndation for our own. It were an eafy matter to carry this comparifon through a more minute detail of circumstances: but I mean only to trace the out in their Again, with regard to prophecy, we ob- lines of this great refemblance. To compleat ve, that the writers of the Old Testament the picture would be a copious work. , in various parts, to characterize fome Befides thefe predictions, which related time to make his appearance in the world. there were many others, which deferve no. radinary perfon, who was in process of immediately to the life and death of Chrift; The marks are peculiar, and can neither be taken nor mifapplied. "He was to be prophecies were thofe of the calling of the born of a virgin-he was to turn the hearts Gentiles, and of the difperfion of the Jews. of the difobedient to the wisdom of the juft tice. Among thefe the two great leading The calling of the Gentiles was one of the Kr, he was to be a man of forrows, and The Jews were distinguished in appearance, though dignified with the characters of a carlieft prophecies of the Old Teftament. feparate from all other people, and yet with Our Saviour's prophecy of the growth of his church, is likewife among the more re markable predictions. He told his difcples that "his religion was like a grain of muf tard-feed, which was the leaft of all feeds but when it grew up, it should become a gre tree, and the fowls of the air fhould lodge in the branches of it." He told them alfo that "the gates of hell fhould never prevai against it.' as the favourite people of God; and they were fufficiently clated upon that diftinction. But if they had attended clofely to their prophets, they might have difcovered, that all the prophecies, which defcribed the happy ftate of the church, had evidently a more distant profpect, than to them. Those early promifes, in particular, which were repeated to the patriarchs, were not merely confined to their pofterity; but included all the nations of the earth."-And when the later prophets, as the great event approached, spoke a plainer, and a more intelligible language, the The Jewish religion was continually en whole nation might have understood, as Si- forced by the idea of a jealous God, watching meon, and fome of the wifeft and most intel-over it, and threatening judgments from hea ligible of them did understand, that a light ven upon every tranfgreffion. The divin was fprung up to lighten the Gentiles." authority was ftamped openly upon it. Th The prophecy of the difperfion of the Jew-people trembled, and worshipped. ith nation is also very antient, being attributed by Mofes to the patriarch Jacob. "The fceptre fhall not depart from Judah, until Shiloh some." Whatever may be the precife meaning of the word fceptre' in the original; and though it may not perhaps properly fignify that idea of regal power, which it conveys to our ears; yet it certainly means fome But in the chriftian religion, nothing badge of authority, that implies a formed and this kind appeared. No temporal judgment fettled government. And as to the word threatened on one hand: no fenfual indu! Shiloh, all commentators, jewish as well gences allured on the other. A few defpond as chriftian, explain it to mean the Methah-ing ignorant mechanics, the difciples of a per The fenfe therefore of the prophecy is plainly this that the Jews thould continue in the form of a fociety, till the time of the Meffiah. Accordingly we find that, foon after Chrift's death, the fceptre did depart from Judah; the Jews loft all form of a political fociety; and are a fingular inftance of a people, fcattered over the whole earth, preferved to this day *Sée Genv xii. 3. xviii. 18. xxii. 18. xxvi. 4. When the impoftor Mahomet fet up for a reformer, he could not indeed enforce hi religion by divine judgments; but he did i by temporal. He drew his fword, and held i to the breafts of his oppofers; while he pro mifed to the obedient a full gratification o their paffions. Ο fon crucified as a common malefactor, were all the parade, with which this religion wa ufhered into the world; and all the humar affiftance which it had to boaft.And ye this religion, which opposed the strongest pre judices, and was oppofed by the greatef princes, made its way in a few years, from remote corner, through the whole Romar empire.--Thus was our Saviour's pro phecy, in oppofition to all human calcula |