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to the end of the world, as it is called *? Nay, if God always acts for the good of his creatures, what reason can be affigned why ' he should not from the beginning have discovered fuch things as make for their good; but defer 'the doing of it till the time of Tiberius + ? — Most of the adverfaries to Chriftianity lay the greatest weight on this objection; and accordingly, feveral arguments have been offered to remove it: I fhall felect fome few of them, which seem the most conclufive, and add fuch farther obfervations as may help to fet the whole in a proper light.

When the fulness of the time was come. The apoftle in this chapter is comparing the ages of the world, to the life of man, and its feveral ftages; as infancy, childhood, youth, maturity. If we reflect on this comparison, we shall find it very juft in general; and that the world itself, or the collective body of mankind, as well as each particular member, has from very low beginnings proceeded by a regular gradation in all kinds of knowledge; has been making flow

Heb. ix. 26.

+ Christianity as old, &c. p. 196. 4to.

Porphyry often urges it. V. Hieron. ad Ctesiphon. Ep. 43. Auguftin. Ep. 102. So alfo Celfus. V. Origin. contra. L. 4. C. Blount, [or the author of a letter to him figned A. W. published under the name of Dryden, in the fummary account] was fo very confident of its being unanswerable, that he was willing to reft the whole caufe of infidelity upon it. Mifcell. works, p.210, &c. The author of Chriftianity as old, &c. dwelt very largely on it in many parts of his book; and not to mention Chubb and others, the author of Deism fairly stated, ftill repeats the fame thing over and over again, from p. 87 to 95, as if no answer had been ever made to it.

Or, the proper seasons, KAIPOI IAIOI. Tit. i. 3.

flow advances towards perfection, in its several periods; and received continual improvements from its infancy to this very day*.

And though in both cafes this progrefs be fometimes interrupted, and the courfe of this world and its inhabitants appear, like that of the heavenly bodies, to fuffer fome retrogradations; yet we have reason to believe, that these are fuch, for the most part, in appearance only; that this very lett, where it is real, makes way for a more rapid progrefs afterwards; (like rivers pent up to produce a larger ftream, or rams retreating to return with greater force) which seems to bring matters into the same state upon the whole, as if they had been all the while progreffive: and may itfelf be neceflary, in order to produce an equal or proportionate happiness among the different nations of the earth (g).

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60. 70.

For a general explanation of this, fee Edwards's Survey of all the Difpenfations of Religion, &c. vol. I. p. 396. and vol. II. p.615. -21, &c. Worthington's Effay on Man's Redemption, c. 8, &c. Taylor's Scheme of Script. Div. c. 3, &c. The laft author has made frequent ufe of this comparison, and drawn the following parallel: Ages of Man, 6. 16. 20. 30. 40. 50. Ages of the World, 600.1600. 2000.3000.4000.5000.6000.7000. But that there is no neceffity for carrying on the parallel between thefe, to the decline of each in their old age, is juftly obferved by a late writer. Here it must be obvious, that the cafe of nations, and that of individuals, are very different. The human frame has a general courfe; it has, in every individual, a frail contexture, and a limited duration; it is worn by exercife, and exhausted by a repetition of its functions: but in a Society, whofe conftituent members are renewed in every generation; where the race feems to enjoy perpetual youth, and accumulating advantages, we cannot by any parity of reason, expect to find imbecillities connected with mere age, and length of days.' Ferguson, Hift. of Civ. Society. p. 320. Comp. Prieffley on Government, Introd. p. 5, &c.

(g) Thus there may be fuch a circulation in both the natural and moral circumftances of all conftitutions, as is commonly observed, without

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Farther; every one that looks into the history of the world, must observe, that the minds of

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without any prejudice to the general progrefs in perfection, on the whole; nay, that may become in fome refpects productive of it; a corrupted people fall by their corruptions, and fome new ones better conftituted and difpofed rife upon their ruins. Whenever an exertion of the fame kill and fagacity, politic or œconomical; a dif play of the fame hardy virtues which raised the fortunes of a state or family, viz. courage, induftry, frugality, is no longer efteemed neceffary for its fupport, but gives way to an indulgence of the oppofite qualities; fuch ftate will fink again, and generally become a prey to fome more potent rival, who is in the afcending fcale, and culti vating thofe very virtues by which the other rofe and flourished; till that, going on in the fame course, fuffers likewise the fame revolution: by which means the feat of empire, opulence, fplendor, politenefs, is often changed in every quarter of the world, without any real diminution, even of thofe particular virtues which produce them, on the whole; much less of virtue and happiness in general; but rather with a more universal and equal distribution of the feveral benefits and bleffings among men at large; and the affording each clafs like means and opportunities of improving themselves in these refpects, as well as in the liberal arts, which indeed ufually attend upon each other. The greatest bleffing that can befall a ftate, which is rigid and inflexible in its inftitutions, is to be conquered by a people who have a better government, and have made farther advances in the arts of life. And it is undoubtedly a great advantage which the Divine Being has provided for this world, that conquefts and revolutions fhould give mankind an opportunity of reforming their fyftems of government, and of improving the science of it, which they would never have found themselves. Priestley on the first Principles of Government. p. 135. Were it not for these great shocks,' fays a Royal author, the universe would continue always the fame, and there would be no equality in the fate of nations.' Effay on the progrefs of the understanding in Arts and Sciences. Memoirs of the H. of Brandenburg. p. 294.

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The fame obfervation may be applied to religious knowledge; and is fo applied, with a few leading facts from hiftory to confirm it, by Mr. Rotheram, in his Serm. on the Wisdom of Providence.

The fame way of reasoning which is used to prove that each individual attains to a greater fum of happiness upon the whole from low beginnings, from fucceffive alterations, and gradual advances in his feveral ftates; than if he had fet out at firft and continued always fixed even in what is deemed the higheft; viz. from the very nature of intellectual happiness, which is chiefly relative, confifting in the reflection on man's prefent fituation compared with that wherein he once was; or fees others round him now to be: The fame argument may be applied with equal propriety to nations and communities, as being compofed of individuals, all in like circumstances, and

there

men have all along been gradually opened by a train of events, still improving upon, and adding light to each other; as that of each individual is, by proceeding from the firft elements and feeds of science, to more enlarged views; and a still higher growth. Mankind are not, nor ever have been, capable of entering into the depths of knowledge at once; of receiving a whole fyftem of natural or moral truths together; but must be let into them by degrees; and have them communicated by little and little, as they are able to bear it. In this

therefore under the like wife difpenfations of Providence. See note 19 to ABp. King. Orig. of Evil. p. 108-9. 4th Ed.

How gradually improvements were carrying on in most parts of the World through feveral of its darkest ages, by steps opening the way for ftill higher approaches to perfection, may be feen in Robertfon's judicious obfervations. Hift. of Ch. V. Thus abfolutely rude Barbarifm gives way to feudal tenures and a Atanding Militia'; thefe to general Laws and a regular adminiftration of Juftice; to more liberal Communities, p. 30. free Cities, p. 32. and equal distribution of Property. Chivalry and Crufades introduce generofity, a fenfe of honour, and a ftrong fpirit of religion however imperfect and confused. p. 69. To thefe fucceed more polifhed manners, legal fettlements, and more found policy; courts of juftice are fet up, civil and ecclefiaftical conftitutions formed, and jurisprudence reduced to a science: general good is educed out of private evils, or a more pure and perfect ftate raised from a mixed and partial one. Thus did the Roman conquefts civilize and polish Europe: when that unwieldy Empire was corrupted and enervated, it gave way to more barbarous nations, but fuch as brought along with them liberty and independance, and laid the foundation of our prefent more happy and better pois'd conftitutions. From the thick cloud of Popery bursts out a brighter light than ever fhone upon the world fince the firft planting Chriftianity, with the revival of Letters, notwithstanding their defects and abuses; p. 74, 75. We cannot help difcerning their mighty influence on Manners, p.76. and every means of improving the mind of man as well as bettering his condition. Hence the eftablishment of numerous Schools and Univerfities, the extenfion of Commerce with all its beneficial effects, p. 81. the adjusting Property, p. 40. and fixing a Balance of power, p.112. and at length producing the ineftimable bieffing of a Toleration in religious matters, V. 3. 336. Nay even the inftitution of that moft peftilent order of Jefuits is obferved to come attended with benefi cial confequences. V. 2. 455.

this manner does every art and fcience make its way into the world: And though now and then an extraordinary genius may arise, and reach as it were fome ages beyond that in which he lives, yet how very few of his contemporaries are able to follow him, or even understand what he delivers! The generality still go on step by step in gathering up, and digesting, some small portions of that vast stock of knowledge, which he poured out at once; and are for a long time in refpect to him, but mere children. So that, notwithstanding a few fuch extraordinary instances, I think, we may affirm in general, that from the beginning of the world, fcience, or all kinds of intellectual accomplishments, have been found to make very flow, and pretty regular advances among the bulk of mankind; but that upon the whole, advancing they have been, and are.

This, I fay, is generally so in fact; and therefore will to a certain degree, have place in religious, as well as all other truths*, among men either

A more particular proof of this will be given in the IIIa Part. Nor will it on examination be found inconfiftent with the obferva tion of a late judicious writer, [Jeffery. Tracts V. 2. p. 197, &c.] concerning the facred hiftory of religion under the Patriarchs, Jews, and Chriftians, viz. That in every state there is first of all the Inftitution, then the Corruptions, and lastly the Reformation of it; fince (not to mention the occafion of this, which in part arifes from the natural imperfection of its mode of conveyance, as obferved below) we have reafon to believe, that in each thorough reformation of re ligion, there is fomething raifed above the primitive ftandard in the minds of its recipients; that men are generally prepared to enter more fully into the plan and fpirit of it, to arrive at a more clear and complete difcovery of its feveral ends and uses, than at its ori ginal institution. Vid. infra Pt. III. p. 262. Nor do we fay, that every nation has improved in its religious notices, exactly as it does in learning and politeness; or that one of these ought to keep pace

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