are exercised with the fame alacrity, and there are foldiers, lawyers, ftatesmen, patriots, and politicians, juft as if Christianity had never exifted. Thus we fee this wonderful difpenfation has answered all the purposes for which it was intended: it has enlightened the minds, purified the religion, and amended the morals of mankind; and, without fubverting the conftitution, policy, or business of the world, opened a gate, though a ftrait one, through which all, who are wife enough to choose it, and good enough to be fit for it, may find an entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

Others have faid, that if this revelation had really been from God, his infinite power and goodness could never have fuffered it to have been fo foon perverted from its original purity, to have continued in a state of corruption through the courfe of fo many ages, and at last to have proved fo ineffectual to the reformation of mankind. To thefe I answer, that all this, on examination, will be found inevitable, from the nature of

all

all revelations communicated to fo imperfect a creature as man, and from circumftances peculiar to the rife and progress of the Christian in particular : for when this was first preached to the gentile nations, though they were not able to withstand the force of its evidence, and therefore received it; yet they could not be prevailed on to relinquish their old fuperftitions, and former opinions, but chofe rather to incorporate them with it: by which means it was neceffarily mixed with their ignorance, and their learning; by both which it was equally injured. The people defaced its worship by blending it with their idolatrous ceremonies, and the philosophers corrupted its doctrines by weaving them up with the notions of the Gnoftics, Mystics, and Manichæans, the prevailing fyftems of thofe times. By degrees its irresistible excellence gained over princes, potentates, and conquerors to its interefts, and it was supported by their patronage: but that patronage foon engaged it in their policies and contefts, and deftroyed that excellence by

which it had been acquired. At length the meek and humble profeffors of the gospel enflaved these princes, and conquered these conquerors their patrons, and erected for themselves fuch a ftupendous fabric of wealth and power, as the world had never seen: they then propagated their religion by the fame methods, by which it had been perfecuted; nations were converted by fire and fword, and the vanquished were baptized with daggers at their throats. All these events we fee proceed from a chain of caufes and confequences, which could not have been broken without changing the established course of things by a conftant series of miracles, or a total alteration of human nature: whilst that continues as it is, the purest religion must be corrupted by a conjunction with power and riches, and it will also then appear to be much more corrupted than it really is; because many are inclined to think, that every deviation from its primitive state is a corruption. Chriftianity was at firft preached by the poor and mean, in holes

and

and caverns, under the iron rod of perfecution, and therefore many abfurdly conclude, that any degree of wealth or power in its minifters, or of magnificence in its worship, are corruptions inconfiftent with the genuine fimplicity of its original ftate: they are offended, that modern bishops fhould poffefs titles, palaces, revenues, and coaches, when it is notorious, that their predeceffors the apostles were despicable wanderers, without houfes or money, and walked on foot. The apoftles indeed lived in a ftate of poverty and perfecution attendant on their particular fituation, and the work which they had undertaken; this was their misfortune, but no part of their religion, and therefore it can be no more incumbent on their fucceffors to imitate their poverty and meanness, than to be whipped, imprisoned, and put to death, in compliance with their example. These are all but the fuggeftions of envy and malevolence, but no objections to these fortunate alterations in Christianity and its professors ;

which, if not abused to the purposes of tyranny and fuperftition, are in fact no more than the neceffary and proper effects of its more profperous fituation. When a poor man grows rich, or a fervant becomes a mafter, they should take care that their exaltation prompts them not to be unjuft or infolent; but furely it is not requifite or right, that their behaviour and mode of living fhould be exactly the fame, when their fituation is altered. How far this inftitution has been effectual to the reformation of mankind, it is not eafy now to afcertain, because the enormities which prevailed before the appearance of it are by time fo far removed from our fight, that they are scarcely. vifible; but thofe of the moft gigantic fize ftill remain in the records of hiftory, as monuments of the reft: Wars in thofe ages were carried on with a ferocity and cruelty unknown to the prefent: whole cities and nations were extirpated by fire and sword; and thousands of the vanquished were crucified and impaled for having endeavoured only VOL. IV.

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