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not fatisfyed as to the reality of the thing; and he was fure there were many very unreafonable things in it, if those who studyed it moft, and ought to know it beft, the divines, were right in their accounts and explications. They preached fuch doctrines and mysterys as muft for ever render it contemptible to right reason.

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To this it was again replyed, that as the publisher of the chriftian religion distinguished himself in a courfe of years, by declaring the most holy doctrine, and conftantly conformed himself to it without any variation as he performed numerous and mighty works in the name of God, and appealed to them as proofs of his divine miffion; as he acted under much reproach and perfecution, and foretold his rifing again after that death he expected on account of his gospel; as this prediction was fulfilled, and the miraculous powers he promised his difciples after his afcenfion were publicly conferred upon them;

thefe concurring circumftances render it impoffible that Chrift fhould be an impoftor.

And as to the authors of the books contained in the New Teftament, their excellent writings fhew them to be men of character, worthy of regard, and that they were capable of judging of the facts they attested; nor had they the leaft temptation to impose them on the world, if they knew them to be

falfe.

false. Poverty and mifery, contempt and death, what they met with, was all they could expect in this world for preaching their religion; and if it had been a falfhood, they had no hope in reverfion. It is therefore quite incredible, that they would attempt to tell mankind their story, unless they were as fure as they were of their own existence that it was a glorious reality.

Befide, if their report had been falfe, it was not poffible they could gain credit: And yet, against all oppofition they fucceeded. Their gofpel made a rapid progrefs into different parts of the world, and its fuccess was without the perfuafive words of eloquence, or the devices of human art or wit. By inftruments the most mean and obfcure it increafed, and diffused itself in an amazing manner, in oppofition to the paffions, prejudices, and worldly interests of men; and notwithstanding the fecular powers of the world were bent upon its deftruction. Paganism and Judaism funk before it, and it became the public religion of a large part of the world. Is it poffible to account for this, unless the gospel was true, and had auxiliary forces from above? No, Hanmer, our holy religion could not have acquired its extent, and have had its power and influence upon the minds of men, if the great chriftian legislator had not reveled the mind of the univerfal Father;

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Father; and if it had not been fupported by the miraculous gifts and influences of his holy fpirit. This was the truth of the cafe. It carryed rational conviction along with it, it tended to the benefit of mankind, and the hand of the Lord was with the first preachers of the gofpel: Therefore they were able to wrestle not only with flesh and blood, not only with the prejudices and lufts of human nature, but with powers and authoritys, with the rulers of the darkness of this world, with spiritual wickedneffes in heavenly things, that is, both with the fecular and ecclefiafti

cal

powers of Judaism and Heathenifm. The gofpel not only triumphed within the boundarys of the Roman empire, about a hundred years after Chrift, as Juftin Martyr tells us ; but every nation of men, Greeks, Barbarians, the Savages that wandered in clans from one region to another, had learned to offer prayers and thanksgivings to the Father and Maker of all, in the name of Jefus who was crucified (a). And

(a) Juftin Mart. p. 388, Edit. Thirlb.. His works are, Two Apologys for the Chriftian Religion; one of which he prefented to Titus Antoninus, firnamed the Pious, who fucceeded Adrian; and the other to Marcus Aurelius; A Dialogue with Triphon the Jew; Two Treatifes addreffed to the Gentiles: And, A Treatife of the Unity of God. He was born in the firft year of the fecond century, in the reign of Trajan, and fuffered martyrdom the 13th of April, A. D. 166. He had been a Platonic philofopher, and wore the habit to his

death.

And as Pliny, in his 97th letter to Trajan from Nicomedia, fays, the temples of the gods

death. He was an excellent chriftian, and a learned

man.

His writings are pious, fubftantial and judicious; but there is no beauty or eloquence in them. Il avoit une érudition confommée, une connoiffance parfaite de l'hiftoire, mais, fans ordre, fans aucun ornement.

He

despised those things, when he became a chriftian, and regarded only plane truths and ftubborn facts. He was Eborn a Greek. His account of the chriftian worship in his time, in this paffage, is remarkable, and deferves confideration- δεν οις μη, δια το ονομαία το ταυρωθεν» 15. Ιησύ, ευχαι καὶ ευχαρισίαν τω πάλει καὶ ποιήλη των ολων wola. The Greek, the Barbarian, the wandering Savages, are all taught to worship the Father and maker of all, Patri kai poiété tón ólón, and offer prayers and thanksgivings to him, in the name of a crucified Jefus, dia tou anomatos tou ftaurothentos Iêfou.Here was

no trinity in unity in this golden age of christianity:No Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft, all one: No glory equal: No majesty co-eternal: No Athanafian myftery, to offend the few, and make the Turk defpife us: but the most glorious of immortal Beings, one fupreme fpirit, the univerfal Lord, our Father, the nations were then taught to worship, fays Juftin Martyr, as the difciples of the chofen fervant of God, Chrift Jefus; who was crucifyed by a degenerat age for his virtue and integrity; in laboring to reform their manners, and revealing to them the will of his God and Father. This was fimple, heavenly, reli gion. But it was abandoned by prefumptuous and illdefigning men for fpurious fyftem and unintelligible myftery. They multiplyed articles of faith and ceremonys of worship, and fo incumbered and deformed the majeftic fimplicity of the chriftian religion with human innovations and falle ornaments, that the fpiritual building

of

gods were almoft deferted, and the facred rites neglected; by the spread of that fuperstitious

con

of our Lord and his apoftles was quite ruined and hid from the world for ages. We got explications, barriers, pillars, and every thing foreign to chriftianity, that a never-flumbering invention could bring in to the fecond temple of the doctors. We got a fry of mediators, and a queen of heaven. We got hocus pocus, a wa¬ fer divinity, and the creed of Athanafius tips the fpire.

After this, can we wonder, that Mahommedifm fhould spread to wide extent, and encroach on the boundarys of our Lord's kingdom? If the chriftians, at the time of Mahomet's appearance, A. D. 622, (when the Hegyra begins) had greatly corrupted natural religion in the fundamental article of it, the unity of God, and turned the refpect of the world to a treble Deity; a Deity compounded of three diftinct individuals, infinite intelligences or understandings, whofe complex idea is expreft by the term trinity; muft not a religion, that cut off this grofs abfurdity, and cake-worship, and the worfbip of the mother of God; a religion, fays Mr. Sale (in his preliminary difcourfe to the Koran) that is taken up in admonitions to moral and divine virtues, and above all to the worshipping and reverencing one eternal, the only true invifible God, and refignation to his will; among which are many excellent things not unworthy even a chriftian's perufal; must not such a religion be grateful to the common sense of mankind, and prevale very widely; notwithstanding the Romish zeal and piety, took every poffible expedient in favor of their treble Deity, their host and goddess Mary. Mahommedism is preferable to popery.

And need we be furprized, upon a review of the chriftian cafe, in its change from heavenly to earthly, from the truth of God to the inventions of men, that the Jews fhould perfift in their infidelity; and an unconquerable prejudice remain not only in all the infidel nations, but

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