his will; fince He has connected with certain modes of conduct either falutary or pernicious confequen.es, and beftowed Reason on man to enable him to difcover them. And yet it is evident, that He does not compel men to comply with this revelation.-Religion cannot operate like a charm or a medicine; we may study and practice it, or not. Agreeably to the moral nature of man, it produces no effects otherwife than through the understanding. And admitting that God had intended to compel men by his Omnipotence to the practice of a certain religion; of what use then would have been an immediate written revelation? Either, therefore, there is no immediate written revelation of God; or the very existence of fuch a revelation proves, that it is God's will to deal with us, not according to his Omnipotence, but in a moral manner, and to leave it entirely to our free-will, whe ther ther we will follow what He has clearly revealed or not. Indeed the opponents of Christianity labour to deftroy the miracle of its propagation, by producing a variety of natural caufes, through which they endeavour to explain it. But the greater part of thefe pretended caufes are forged; and even if we unite them all together, this event remains incomprehenfible, unless we take into the account a higher fupport. 1ft. What they fay, in the firft place, of Fanaticifm, is amply refuted in page 280 f. -2d. The pretext of univerfal Tolerance under the Jews and Romans is evidently contradictory to hiftory *.2d. And the fame may be faid in answer to the affertion, that the first supporters of the chriftian religion were exclufively fimple and mean people'.Bolingbroke has chofen ftill another See above, p. 363. 1 See above, p. 342. mode. mode. He supposes this to have been the caufe of its rapid and extenfive progrefs, that the Apoftles used the artifice of receiving into the pale of Christianity all, without exception, both Jews and Gentiles". But what af fiftance could that give to a religion which afforded not the leaft temporal advantage, but, on the contrary, placed its firft fupporters in danger of lofing every thing they poffeffed in this world, nay even life itself? Suppose a poor, defpifed man, who could fcarcely find fupport for himself, were to publish a declaration, that he would receive every one without diftinction into his fervice; is it probable that a fingle perfon would be induced to enter into it? Another affertion, that a community of property was introduced in the earliest ages of the church, is ftated as a moft powerful caufe of the propa m Works, vol. iv. p. 306. gation of Chriftianity". Should we grant, as his Lordship pretends without any foundation and in oppofition to history, that fuch a common stock exifted in the primitive church; this very circumftance would have rather hindered the rich and powerful from embracing the religion. fertion is evidently falfe. But the af Such a com munity of property existed only in the beginning, and indeed only in the parent-community at Jerufalem. The converts from Paganifm, who compofed the far greateft part, were restrained from leaving their former condition and calling; that through their diligence they might obtain fupport for themselves, and a trifle for the affiftance of the neceffitous; but were by no means allowed to afford nourishment n Works, vol. iv. p. 422. • Acts v. vi. P 1 Cor vii. 17-24. 30, 31. Tit. ii. 9, 10. 9 Ephef. iv. 28. to to the indolent'. And the Apostles themselves followed this precept; they never once permitted the communities to maintain them, but themselves procured their own fupport*. Once more:-When we thus obferve Christianity arifing in the world, continuing and extending itself during eighteen hundred years, continually wider and wider; when we see that neither the idolatry, fuperftition, and infidelity which furrounded it on all fides; nor the united power of the world, which fought to extirpate it; nor the heretics, who deformed it; nor the wretches, who betrayed it; nor even its unworthy followers, who, particularly fince the fourth century, fcandalized it by their vices; nor, laftly, time, the great deftroyer of all human things, have ever been in a condition, I will not fay to annihilate, but even to alter it; we cannot but recognise the $ 2 Theff. iii, 6—12. 2 Theff. iii. 7—9. traces |
