a

often felt. The honours due only to the great Creator, were unworthily tranfferred to the creature: the altars of Jehovah became the feats of fuperftition and idolatry. In the days of Ahab, there remained only feven thoufand in Ifrael, who had not bowed the knee to Baal: and hete. under the impious Jeroboam, while ten tribes followed the gods of Dan and Bethel, two only continued to worship the Lord at Jerufalem.

Instances have never been wanting of men, who from motives of intereft, or for the acquifition of power, have pretended to hold immediate converfe with the Deity; and whofe pretences, from the fagacious artifices of the teacher, or the abject credulity of the people, have been crowned with fuccefs.

Rome furnished a Numa, who gave the highest sanction and authority to the dictates of human prudence and policy, by 21 Kings xix. 18. D 3

deliver

delivering them to his subjects as the exprefs revelations of the immortal gods: and thus firmly established a system, which with fome fubfequent additions, remained entire through the various revolutions of the Roman commonwealth; till at length the religion of Chrift triumphed over Polytheism, and the banner of the cross was erected on the ruins of the capitol,

Nor did the introduction of chriftianity into the world produce any alteration, at leaft in this refpect, in the manner of God's dealings with mankind. Even when it pleased him to employ extraordinary means for an extraordinary end, and to propagate the truth by aids to which the advocates of falfehood could not have recourse, he still dealt with men as with free and rational creatures. They were ftill left at liberty either to embrace or reject what he had revealed: and by some it was actually fo far refifted, as to draw down the juft judgment of infatuation as a punish

b

a punishment for fuch refiftance. Thus was it with the Pharifees, whofe eyes he blinded, and whofe hearts he hardened, left they should fee with their eyes, and underftand with their hearts, and be converted.

Even the final establishment of the gofpel did not totally extirpate error and delufion from the world. Tares were ftill permitted to fpring up, and sometimes even to choak the good feed. The history of the earlier ages of christianity is little more than a melancholy recital of fucceffive herefies and abfurdities; fome of which were either plucked up by the hand of reformation, or left to wither of themselves; while others taking deep root, were fuffered to flourish a long time, and almost to overshadow the church.

But let not the excellency of chriftianity be depreciated, because it failed to do what could not be done, without violence to the whole intellectual and moral con

stitution of its profeffors: let nor the veracity of its author be impeached, becaufe his followers have rushed headlong into those erroneous and impious opinions, which he has himself most explicity foretold, and most pointedly condemned. Take heed, fays he, that no

с

man deceive you : for many shall come in my name, faying, I am Chrift, and shall deceive many. For there fhall arife falfe

Chrifts and false prophets, and shall fhew great figns and wonders, infomuch that if it were poffible, they shall deceive the very

elect.

Thus he foretold; and the event juftified the prediction,

But among all the inftances of audacious and fuccessful impofture, which history has recorded, none has been more widely diffused, or more firmly established, than that of the pretended prophet of Arabia. Born in an obfcure and uncivi

Matt. xxiv. 4, 5.

d Ib. 24.

lized country, entitled to no pre-eminence of power or authority, the grand impoftor, by the mere force of a bold and fertile genius, affifted by a concurrence of circumstances univerfally aufpicious to his defign, was enabled to obtain the most unbounded empire over the minds as well as perfons of a very large portion of mankind; and together with a temporal kingdom, to introduce and fix a religion, which has fubfifted in almost undiminished vigour to the prefent times, through the long period of more than 1100 years.

The rapid propagation of Mahometifm, and the brilliant victories of its Founder, have frequently been urged by his followers as the express teftimonies of heaven to the truth and holiness of their religion to this argument divines of the Romish Communion have given too much countenance, by reprefenting amplitude, duration, and temporal profperity among the characteristic and infalli

See Bellarm. de Notis Ecclefiæ.

ble