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higher degree than that which they profeffed, but believed not? As a civil inftitution; it not only fell fhort of theirs, but counteracted all their schemes of Roman grandeur, públic and private. Among the Gentiles, there were many eminent, good, and learned men : Seneca, the Plinys, Tacitus, Plutarch, and Galen: the flave Epictetus, and the Emperor Antoninus, were all of them ornaments to human nature and if, according to the gofpel rule, neither their eminence nor learning fhould be adınitted in fuch a caufe; furely their goodness of heart; their humane and charitable. acts, intitled them to the illumination, and in course, the benefits to be derived from it. But we do not find the Chriftian fect even noticed in the writings of Seneca, the elder Pliny, or Plutarch: the others fpeak of them as perverfe enthufiafts, who exacted an implicit belief of their myfterious doctrine, but did not advance a fingle argument in its fupport that could engage the attention of learned or fenfible men. Would these men have reafoned in this way had the Chriftian religion then appeared, as our divines affirm it now doth-A pure, benevolent, and univerfal system of ethics; taught in a clear, explicit, and intelligent manner, by God himself, in the form of the Son of Man: enforced by promifes of kind rewards, and threats of fevere punifhments in a future ftate, and aided by the most ftupendous miracles? Could thefe men, I afk, R.

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have treated it with neglect, contempt, or derifion? Affuredly not; more efpecially if its then profeffors poffeffed and exhibited fuch miraculous powers. But this laft (as I have remarked *) they knew was merely pretence or impofition. The religion taught, was unintelligible: the miracles adduced in fupport of its divine authority, not properly authenticated, and therefore difbelieved. The belief required, as neceffary to falvation, was beyond their powers of conception or reasoning: and to fum up all, they were told-the obtaining this falvation depended not upon themfelves, but was carried by election. When they faw the most eminent teachers of this new religion defending and propagating its truth, with the arms of deceit and falfehood; they naturally concluded the leaders were knaves, and their followers, fools. The doctrine of furrendering their property to the difpofal of thofe teachers, did not diminish that opinion; and could they have found faith and hope enough to commence faints; charity forebade the leaving their children beggars. Thus circumftanced, it is not at all extraordinary that in the courfe of two or three hundred years, the Christian religion did not make its way among the prudent, learned, intelligent, or higher ranks of people. At length it became a state engine in the hands of an unlettered, cruel, crafty Pa

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gan Chriftian Emperor; and from that period, what it gained in power, it loft in humility, or, as St. Jerome expreffes it-The Chriftian church by that revolution, loft as much of its virtue, as it gained of power and wealth. It is a melancholy reflection that this progreffion of lofs and gain uniformly accompanied each other through ten fucceffive centuries: at the end of which, the church of Chrift; at the expence of every virtue, acquired the highest power, and the most dazling grandeur that dark period could poffibly yield. In those deplorable ages, the defpotic ftandard of the Chriftian church waved' with infolent triumph over the fubdued princes of Europe. Their fubjects, debarred from every method of information, eafily admitted the infallibility of the church; readily fubmitted to its authority; and blindly executed its decrees. Abfolved from their oath of allegience, they readily fought against their natural or lawful prince; unless he fubmitted, not only his fpiritual, but his temporal affairs to the fame authority. Abfolution was an inexhaustable fund of wealth; and the facility with which it was obtained, ftimulated them to every vice under heaven. In those dark ages, if a gleam of light iffued from a mind better informed; it was immediately quenched in the blood of its author. If any man, perchance so informed; questioned the authority of this felfR 2 created

created power, or even doubted the truth of its most abfurd dogmas; to reclaim him by reafoning, in charity and brotherly-love was never thought of; the rack, fword, or fire, was a fhorter and more certain method: by these he must be fubdued; and thus a power obtained by fraud, was fuitably maintained by violence. Our divines tell us that these disorders were occafioned by the natural depravity of human nature, but this I do not admit; I cannot think man is prone to do evil for evil's fake, either naturally, politically, or religioufly they tell us that naturally we certainly are, being by nature born in fin, and the children of wrath to releafe us from this curse, which they call original fin, we are told was the primary object for which Chrift came into the world, and this they call the redemption. Were this the cafe, it must appear extraordinary, that he himself never mentioned this circumftance: nor did his apoflles in all their preachings recorded by St. Luke under the direction of St. Paul, fay one word about it. The latter has indeed mentioned it in four different epiftles (Romans ch. v. 1 Corinthians ch. xv. Ephefians ch. ii. and 1 Timothy ch. ii.) but that I believe is one of the things in Paul's writings of which St. Peter mildly faid, was hard to be understood. Can it be fuppofed that all the defcendants of Adam, who received a natural body by permiffion; and a fu

pernatural

pernatural foul by the bounty of an all-wife and allmerciful Father: received at the fame time, propenfity and power to do evil for which they were to be punished; but neither power or propensity to do good; by which they might obtain mercy? Hard fate indeed were this the cafe; and man, with reafon, might addrefs his maker in the terms pointed out by St. Paul- Why doft thou yet find fault?

For who hath refifted thy will?' Romans ch. ix. v. 19. And after all, What was this fin of Adam's for which his innocent defcendants were thus feverely, and to human reafen it must appear un-. justly punished? He was, by his maker, placed in a fituation delightful to the fenfes, and master of every thing around him but the produce of two trees of thofe, as a trial of his obedience I apprehend, he was forbidden to tafte. Whether he was deceived, or how he was tempted into a breach of this command; may be worth the enquiry if we mean to extenuate the crime: the crime of disobedience fimply, unattended with any other fin, or injury. For this however we are told, he was driven from Paradife; the feat of pleasure, indolence, and plenty obliged to earn a poor fubfiftance by had labour under an inclement fky and fubjected to decay, and death. Punishments, which our ideas of justice tell us, were at least adequate to the offence. His pofterity felt them likewife; and, by comparison, in a greater degree than was neceffary: Adam was imprudent

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