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the idolatry of the heathen world, or to make ufe of his name to that purpose, who had fo folemnly, in the face of his country, and before the greateft judicature of Greece, borne teftimony to the gods of his country, and the worship paid them?

But to proceed: the city of Athens foon grew fenfible of the injury done to the beft and wifeft of their citizens, and of their own great mistake in putting Socrates to death. His accufers and his judges became infamous; and the people grew extravagant in doing honours to the memory of the innocent fufferer: they erected a ftatue, nay a temple, to his memory; and his name was had in honour and reverence. His doctrines upon the subjects of divinity and morality were introduced into the world with all the advantage that the ableft and politeft pens could give; and they became the study and entertainment of all the confiderable men who lived after him. It is worth obferving too, that from the death of Socrates to the birth of Christ were, if I remember right, near four hundred years; which was time fufficient to make the experiment, how far the wisdom of Socrates, attended with all the advantages before mentioned, could go in reforming the world. And what was the effect of all this? Can you name the place where religion was reformed? Can you name the man who was fo far reformed, as to renounce the fuperftition of his country? No; none fuch are to be found; and how fhould there? fince, the greater the credit and reputation of Socrates were, the more strongly did they draw men to imitate his example, and to worfhip as their country worshipped.

Confider, on the other fide, what was the confequence of preaching the Gofpel. St. Paul entertained the Athenians with no fine fpeculations; but he laid before them, in the plaineft drefs, the great and momentous truths of religion; he openly rebuked their idolatry, and condemned their fuperftition. The Gofpel was published in the fame manner every where. The first preachers of it were enabled to fupport it by miracles; and moft of them shed their blood in defence of its truth. By thefe means they came likewife to have credit and authority in the world. But in these two cafes there was this great difference: the corrupt example of Socrates was a dead weight upon the purity of his doctrine, and tended to perpetuate fuperftition in the world the authority and example of the Apoftles went hand in hand, and united their force to root out idolatry. There was this farther difference too the doctrines of Socrates could go only among the learned: the doctrines of the Gofpel were artless and plain, and suited to every man's capacity.

For near four hundred years the difciples of Socrates had the world to themselves, to reform it if . they could; in all which time there is no evidence remaining that the religion of the world was the better for their wifdom. But in much less time the

Gospel prevailed in moft parts of the known world: wherever it came, fuperftition and idolatry fled before it and in little more than three centuries the empire became Chriftian; which completed the victory over the heathen deities. And, if we may judge by this comparison between the wifeft of the

heathens and an apoftle of Chrift, the doctrine of the text will be fully verified; that the world by wisdom knew not God, and that God by the foolishness of preaching has provided falvation for them who believe.

I have gone through the principal points which the text led me to confider, and fhall add but few. words by way of reflection on the whole.

If then it appears from hiftory, and the experience of the world before us, that men for ages together lived in ignorance of the true God, and of true religion, and that reason was not able to contend against inveterate errors and fuperftitions; let us not be fo vain as to imagine that we could have done more in the fame circumftances, than all or any who lived in the many ages of idolatry. If we confider to what height arts and fciences were carried in those days, and the politeness of Greece and Rome in all parts of learning, we fhall have little reason to imagine that men have grown wifer as the world has grown older. If we have more reason in matters of religion, and undoubtedly we have more, it fhould lead us to confider to whom we are indebted for the happy change, and to give praife to him who set the reafon of mankind free from the chains under which it had been faft bound for together by fuperftition and idolatry.

ages

When we confider the means made ufe of by God for restoring true religion in the world, and pretend to judge of the fitness of them to attain the end proposed, we should be aware of being misled by the conceits of fome who think themselves wife enough to give directions in a matter of fo great

moment.

Some may imagine it might be better, if the Gospel had reafoned more philofophically on the nature of the Deity, or more fully explained the nature of the human foul; and others may wish that other abftruse points of reason and divinity had been cleared to their fatisfaction. But this was not the errand Chrift came on: he came to teach true religion, and to teach it to all men; and therefore what was not fit for all was no part of his business. The Greeks fought after wisdom, and the Jews required a fign: but the preachers of the Gospel had no commiffion to fatisfy the curiofity of one or of the other; but to teach the doctrines of God in fuch a manner, and to prove them by fuch means, as might influence and affect as well the lowest as the higheft. If then the means made use of to introduce the Gospel into the world were fuch as were proper and neceffary to fubdue ancient errors and prejudices; if the truths taught by Chrift are a proper foundation for all the duties of religion in which man can have any concern; if they are left to be supported in the world, and propagated from age to age, by methods which by experience have been found effectual, and which, human nature confidered, must be effectual to preferve the profeffion of religion amongst men: if, I fay, we discover these marks in the Gospel, we fee enough to convince us that the Gospel is the power of God and the wifdom of God unto falvation; which is feeing all that we are concerned to look after, or have any pretence to expect from him who came to fave and to redeem us.

Laftly, fince we have the experience of many ages

before us to fhew us how unable human reason is to ftruggle against the errors and follies of fuperftition, when once they have got poffeffion; fince from our own experience we know how much reafon is indebted to the light of the Gofpel; we fhould be careful to preserve this light, for fear of falling back again into the wretched ftate from which we have been delivered, or into a worse. Reason was once, what the light of the Gospel is now, a fufficient guide in religion: but, when men grew corrupt and vain in their imaginations, fuperftition and error prevailed over the world, and false religion led reason in triumph for ages together. As reason was fubdued, the light of the Gofpel may be; and will be, when the fame caufes meet to work together: a confideration that fhould make men, who have any fenfe of religion, think seriously of the treatment the Gofpel every day meets with. If we use it no better, it may foon leave us; and, when once we get rid of this foolishness of preaching, we know, by fad experience, what is to be expected from the wisdom of the world.

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