tedious are the Ethics of Ariftotle, and the Offices of Cicero, the writings of Pufendorf and Grotius, of Whitby and Hutchefon, when compared with the short rules, illuftrated by the meft pleafing milies, and animated by the most striking examples, with which the Gofpel of Christ abounds!" His divine leffons touch the heart by the affecting combination of practice with theory, and even engage the paffions on the fide of virtue.

Men who are diftinguished by great and extraordinary talents are remarked to have ufually a peculiar mode of thinking, and expreffion. Whoever examines the difcourfes of our Lord with care, will find in them a certain character which difcriminates them from the leffons of all other moralifts. His manner at once original and ftriking, clear and convincing, confifts in deriving topics of inftruc tion from objects and circumftances familiar to his hearers. He affects the paffions, and improves the underftanding, through the medium of the fenfes. His public leffons to the people, and his private converfations to his difciples, allude perpetually to the place where he was, to the furrounding objects, the seafon of the year, or to the occupations and circumstances of thofe whom he addreffes. When he exhorted his difciples to truft in Providence for the fupply 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 fow, nor reap, nor gather into barns. He defired them to obferve the lillies of the field

which were then blooming, and were beautifully clothed by the fame power, and yet toiled not like the hufbandman, whom they then faw at work. When the woman of Samaria was surprised at his afking her for water, he took occafion to reprefent his doctrine under the image of living water which flows from a fpring. When he approached the temple, where theep were kept in folds to be fold for the facrifices, he fpake in parables of the fhepherd, the sheep, and the door of the fheep-fold. At the fight of little children, he recommended their innocence and fimplicity as the qualities neceffary to adorn the candidates for his kingdom of hea ven. 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 fome of his difciples, whom he appointed fishers of men. Knowing that Lazarus was dead, and should be raised again, he difcourfed concerning the awful truths of the general refurrection, and of life eternal".

"Many writers upon the fubject of moral philofophy divide too much the law of nature from the precepts of Revelation; which appears to me much the fame defect, as if a commentator on the laws of England fhould content himself with ftating upon each head the common law of the

"Jortin's Difcourfes, p. 229. Mat. vi. 26, 28. John iv. 10. x. 1. Mark ix. 37. John ix. 39. Matt. iv. to. xiii. 47. John xi. 25. For fome very pleafing remarks on our Lord's manner of teaching, fee Dr. Townfon's Difcourfes, p. 279.

land, without taking any notice of acts of Par liament: or fhould choose to give his readers the common law in one book, and the ftatute law in another. When the obligations of morality are taught, (fays Dr. Johnfon in the Preface to the Preceptor) let the fanctions of Chriftianity never be forgotten; by which it will be fhewn that they give ftrength and luftre to each other; religion will appear to be the voice of reafon; and morality the will of God *.

From this view of the fubject appears the excellence of the morality of the Gofpel, and confequently how unneceffary it is to refort to any other fcheme of Ethics for a rule of action. The various plans of duty, which have been formed exclufive of Chriftianity, feem not to propofe any motives fufficiently cogent and permanent, to withhold men from the gratification of vicious defires, and the indulgence of violent paffions. They must therefore give place to a more perfect law, which has the beft claims to general reception, because it is founded on the exprefs Revelation of the Will of the Creator, and Governor of the world, to his dependent and accountable @reatures.

* Pale's Preface to his Moral and Political Philofophy.

VI. The

VI. The rapid and extenfive propagation of the Gospel at its first preaching.

Of all the proofs, which are adduced to eftablifh the truth of Chriftianity, there is no one more fplendid than that which arifes from the rapid and extenfive propagation of the Gofpel; and this proof will appear very ftrong if it be confidered as the fulfilment of a long train of Prophecies. Far from being intimidated by the oppofition, the enmity, or even the moft fevere and bloody perfecutions of a hoftile world, the Apostles readily obeyed the commands of their Divine Master, and declined no hardships and avoided no dangers, in order to make converts. The effect of their labours was in a very fhort time vifible 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, enlifted under the banner of the Crofs. The moft 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 forfook their temples, confecrated by the veneration of ages to idolatrous worship, and repaired in crowds to the Christian affemblies; and at the close of only three centuries from its origin, the faith of the lowly Jefus of Nazareth was embraced by Conftantine, the Sovereign

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Sovereign of the Roman world, and throughout the wide compafs of his dominions it was raised to all the privileges and dignity of an established religion.

For the cleareft proofs of thefe facts we may appeal not only to the animated details of those early Christian Writers, commonly called the Fa thers of the Church, who expreffed themselves in terms of great exultation at the prospect of this wide diffufion of the faith; but to a number of Pagans who were ftrongly prejudiced against the Chriftian caufe, or were enemies to its advancement. The fucceffive accounts of Juftin Martyr, Tertullian, Eufebius and Chryfoftom, who were all eminent writers in the Church, are confirmed by the exprefs declarations of Suetonius, Tar citus, Pliny, Lucian, and Porphyry, all of whom were Pagans, and lived within three centuries from the time of Chrift.

If the circumftances of difcouragement and danger, under which the faith of Chrift made fo extraordinary a progrefs, be more diftinctly enumerated, we fhall more properly eftimate the value of the argument drawn from the rapid propagation of Chriftianity, when it was firft proclaimed to the world'.

Moft

y Paley's Evidences, vol. i. p. 30. vol. iii. p. 94. For a concife and accurate account of the progrefs of Chriftianity, and the labours of its firft preachers, fee Paley, vol. i. c. 4, 5. He

makes