tolerance on the other hand is, according to its principles, not only to afflict men with civil punishments on account of mere matters of religion; to compel them to renounce their religion; or to put them to death for the fake of it but also, to refuse refidence in a country, together with the free exercife of their religion to religious focieties, whofe tenets are not pernicious to any principles of civil right; and, in fhort, to withhold from any one, fimply on account of his articles of faith, those charitable fervices which are in our power. And this intolerance, according to its doctrine, is fin; a renunciation and dishonouring of Chriftianity and its fundamental principles; is the deftruction of one of its effential laws, the love of our brethren; and even a crime against z Rom. xiv. ■ Luke ix. 23. 52-56. Tim. vi. 1-6, the the injured majefty of God. When, therefore, as early as the fourth century, men, who bore the name of Chriftians, began to perfecute those who differed in religious opinions from. themselves, and to confider and to punish what they called herefy as a civil crime; when Auguftine placed this religious perfecution among the Chriftian doctrines; when men, in the eighth century, began to propagate the Christian religion (as they erroneously named it) with fire and fword; when fhortly afterwards the term Heretic became a magic word which transformed thousands of men into tigers; when we read of the chriftian crufades against heretics and unbelievers; and when, laftly, the inquifition became established in the very bofom of Chriftendom, that moft terrible of all tribunals, which nevertheless was named Rom. xiv. 1-13. BB 4 d See above, p. 90. the the holy, and in the name of Chrift and of God murdered, burnt, defolated Triftius haud illa monftrum, nec fævior ulla Who can lay thefe abufes or even the least part of them to the charge of Chriftianity? Sooner might we reject all the arts of medicine, because ignorant pretenders to skill in that science have robbed men of their health and lives; fooner condemn all civil society, because tyranny, riot and anarchy have often arifen out of it; fooner call reafon, that preeminent quality of man, the peft of humanity, because the Alexanders, Cæfars, Neros, and Buonapartes use it for the devaftation of the earth-than call Christianity intolerant on account of the abominations of fuch difgraces to humanity, who apply to themselves its name! Christianity which firft introduced among men a tolerance as unlimited as enlightened and charitable ! СНАР. CHAP. III. Parallel between the Propagation of Christianity, and of the Religion of Mahomet. THUS Chriftianity established itself in the world, never perfecuting, but inceffantly perfecuted; under various difficulties from within; and infinite oppofitions, perfecutions, and cruelties from without; entirely through itself, through its own doctrines and laws; and spread itself over every part of the globe! It is true, the religion of Mahomet likewife extended itself with moft aftonishing rapidity and facility over the face of the earth. Scarcely had ten years elapfed fince his flight from Mecca, (the Hejra) when he had brought all the tribes of the Arabians under the yoke of his religion and fovereignty; and a fhort time afterwards his religion had fwallowed up the numerous and flourishing churches in the Eaft; overflowed the Weft; and was become the terror of united Chriftendom. This event is truly astonishing; and the enemies of Christianity have not failed to make ufe of it as an argument to fhew that there was nothing miraculous in the extenfion of the religion of Jefus *. But in this they have either not known, or have anxiously fuppreffed, the connections and means of affiftance which favoured Mahomet, and which leave nothing wonderful in the fuccefs of his doctrine.-Mahomet came into the world exactly at the time proper for his purpofes. Religion in Arabia Felix, the paternal country of his new system, was then in the most deplorable state. e Boulainvilliers, Vie de Mahomed, avec des reflexions fur la religion Mahomedane, et les coutumes des Mufulmans. Amfterdam. 2d edit. 1731, in 8vo. P. 442. The |