for the future to conform their actions to this rule, which they owned to be just and right. This way of reconciliation, this hope of atonement, the light of nature revealed to them. And the revelation of the gospel having said nothing to the contrary, leaves them to stand and fall to their own Father, and Master, whose goodness and mercy is over all his works. I know some are forward to urge that place of the Acts, chap. iv., as contrary to this. The words, verses 10 and 12, stand thus: 'Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man [that is, the lame man restored by Peter] stand here before you whole. This is the stone which is set at nought by you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, in which we must be saved.' Which, in short, is, that Jesus is the only true Messiah ; neither is there any other person but he given to be a mediator between God and man, in whose name we may ask and hope for salvation.

165. It will here possibly be asked, Quorsum perditio hæc? What need was there of a Saviour? What advantage have we by Jesus Christ? It is enough to justify the fitness of any thing to be done, by resolving it into the wisdom of God, who has done it, though our short views and narrow understandings may utterly incapacitate us to see that wisdom, and to judge rightly of it. We know little of this visible, and nothing at all of the state

of that intellectual world, wherein are infinite numbers and degrees of spirits, out of the reach of our ken or guess; and therefore know not what transactions there were between God and our Saviour, in reference to his kingdom. We know not what need there was to set up a head and a chieftain, in opposition to the prince of this world, the prince of the power of the air,' &c. whereof there are more than obscure intimations in Scripture; and we shall take too much upon us, if we shall call God's wisdom or providence to account, and pertly condemn for needless, all that our weak and, perhaps, biassed understandings cannot account for.

166. Though this general answer be reply enough to the forementioned demand, and such as a rational man, or fair searcher after truth, will acquiesce in; yet in this particular case, the wisdom and goodness of God has shown itself so visibly to common apprehensions, that it hath furnished us abundantly wherewithal to satisfy the curious and inquisitive; who will not take a blessing, unless they be instructed what need they had of it, and why it was bestowed upon them. The great and many advantages we receive by the coming of Jesus the Messiah, will show that it was not without need that he was sent into the world. The evidence of our Saviour's mission from heaven is so great, in the multitude of miracles he did before all sorts of people, that what he delivered cannot but be received as the oracles of God, and unquestionable verity; for the miracles he did were so ordered by the divine Provi

dence and wisdom, that they never were, nor could be denied by any of the enemies or opposers of Christianity.

167. Though the works of nature, in every part of them, sufficiently evidence a Deity, yet the world made so little use of their reason, that they saw him not, where even by the impressions of himself he was easy to be found. Sense and lust blinded their minds in some, and a careless inadvertency in others, and fearful apprehensions in most, (who either believed there were, or could not but suspect there might be superior unknown beings,) gave them up into the hands of their priests, to fill their heads with false notions of the Deity, and their worship with foolish rites, as they pleased; and what dread or craft once began, devotion soon made sacred, and religion immutable. In this state of darkness and ignorance of the true God, vice and superstition held the world; nor could any help be had or hoped for from reason, which could not be heard, and was judged to have nothing to do in the case; the priests everywhere, to secure their empire, having excluded reason' from having any thing to do in religion. And in the crowd of

But by false pretenders to religion reason is still in a great measure proscribed. The sketch that follows of paganism is scarcely correct: in many countries of antiquity the priests gained very little by their false religion which they might not have gained by the true one. Priests, moreover, were far less numerous in antiquity than in modern times, and their gains were infinitely smaller. The religion they taught, also, was better than none; and, though it is customary to abuse priests, perhaps, if we would be just, we should acknowledge that, even in pagan times, there was considerable utility in their establishments, which kept alive, in many places, the flame of piety, and was always more or less favourable to virtue.-ED.

wrong notions, and invented rites, the world had almost lost the sight of the one only true God. The rational and thinking part of mankind, it is true, when they sought after him, found the one, supreme, invisible God; but if they acknowledged and worshipped him, it was only in their own minds. They kept this truth locked up in their own breasts as a secret, nor ever durst venture it amongst the people, much less the priests, those wary guardians of their own creeds and profitable inventions. Hence we see that reason, speaking never so clearly to the wise and virtuous, had never authority enough to prevail on the multitude, and to persuade the societies of men that there was but one God, that alone was to be owned and worshipped. The belief and worship of one God was the national religion of the Israelites alone; and, if we will consider it, it was introduced and supported amongst that people by revelation. They were in Goshen, and had light, whilst the rest of the world were in almost Egyptian darkness, without God in the world. There was no part of mankind who had quicker parts, or improved them more; that had a greater light of reason, or followed it further in all sorts of speculations, than the Athenians; and yet we find but one Socrates amongst them, that opposed and laughed at their polytheisms and wrong opinions of the Deity; and we see how they rewarded him for it.' Whatsoever

1 Nevertheless, among the Greek philosophers, the unity of God was clearly enough expressed in their writings; and it is supposed, with considerable probability, that this was the true secret revealed in the mysteries, the knowledge of which was supposed to secure happiness in a future state. Aristophan. Σιρηνη, 375. Βατραχ. 454. et Brunck. ad loc.

Plato and the soberest of the philosophers thought of the nature and being of the one God, they were fain, in their outward worship, to go with the herd, and to keep to the religion established by law; which what it was, and how it had disposed the mind of these knowing and quick-sighted Grecians, St. Paul tells us, Acts, xviii.: Ye men of Athens,' says he, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious: for as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription,,To the unknown God. Whom, therefore, ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world, and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth unto all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all the nations of men, for to dwell on the face of the earth; and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitations; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel him out, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.' Here he tells the Athenians, that they and the rest of the world (given up to superstition) whatever light there was, in the works of creation and providence, to lead them to the true God, yet they few of them found him. He was everywhere near them; yet they were but like people groping and feeling for something in the dark, and did not see him with a full clear daylight; but thought the godhead like to gold, and silver, and stone, graven by art and man's device.'

168. In this state of darkness and error in re