did it much more harm than the profelytes did it good. For the uncomplying Jews were not fatisfied with rejecting christianity themselves; but made it their bufinefs to render it odious, fufpected, and contemptible, to the heathens alfo, in all the corners of the earth, to which they were driven.

The purity of the chriftian morals, and the anfwerable lives of christian converts, did indeed very naturally lead men to admire and value the doctrine of Chrift; but by no means, to come under the yoke of it: for though most men have an efteem for ftrict rules and ftrict livers; yet few care to practise the one, or to imitate the other. And nothing, I think, could be contrived fo effectual (next to the former wife motive from the fufferings of the martyrs) to deter men from christianity, as to tell them, that, when they took it upon them, they must renounce their deareft appetites and paffions, and deny their very felves. And I defire the men, who raise the le objections against the divine originals of the gofpel, to tell us fairly, whether, if they had lived at that time, they would have come in upon this principle? I am fure, they would not; because it is this principle alone [that they muft part with their unlawful fatisfactions and pleasures, if they do] which keeps them out of it now. Therefore, neither can this be any fufficient reafon for the fudden and wide growth of chriftianity.

The analogy of fome myftical truths in the gofpel to the doctrine of Plato, is yet a weaker plea. For this motive is calculated to touch but very few, only the philofophers of the academic

School.

School. And with fuch, it could have no great weight, furely; or, at leaft, not enough to overbalance that fcorn and contempt, with which, on other accounts, they treated the chriftian religion and its promulgers; That for its fhort, unphilofophical way of propofing truths, without demon➡ ftration or reafoning; and thofe, for their ignorance and the meannefs of their education. Ac

cordingly, we find not that the fublime myfteries of our faith made any impreffion on these haughty reafoners: St. Paul was derided at Athens, when he propofed them; nor can we certainly learn that any one philofopher, of note, embraced our religion, till it had been for many years preached and diffeminated, and had taken deep root in the world.

The cafual ceffation of oracles (as it is called) about the the time of promulging the gofpel, was not cafual, but the direct and genuine effect of it: and, we own, had men understood it to be fo then, and imputed the total filence of those oracles to its true caufe, fuch a perfuafion would have been very useful towards bringing in the heathen world to the acknowledgment of Christ. But we deny that they did at all understand, or allow it to be fo. And for a plain proof of this, we refer ourfelves to that celebrated difcourfe in Plutarch, about the reasons of this ceffation; where, among many, which that learned man affigns for it (vain reafons indeed, and fuch as fhew him to have been at a lofs for the true one!), this of the coming of Chrift is not mentioned or hinted at: tho' he gives there fuch an account of things, that a Chriftian might eafily prove, from what he relates, that

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it

it was really the coming of Chrift which effected it. But this is a point of too important and nice a nature to be fettled incidentally, and might well deferve to be confidered in an entire discourse.

Again, neither can any probable account be given of this matter, from the charitable diftribution of their goods, which the firft Chriftians made. For, fuppofing that fome of the poorer fort might be tempted by this motive; yet, furely, those who had wherewithal to fuftain themfelves, and were eafy in their circumstances, did not come in upon it: It will not be faid, I hope, that such as made this diftribution of their goods (which will be found to have been no inconfiderable number) came in themfelves to partake of it. Nor could thefe hopes have any great influence, even on the meaner fort; fince there was fomething in the Chriftian religion, of far more force to frighten them, than this was to allure them; the ftrict rules of honefty and temperance, according to which they were bound to live, and the great calamities and perfecutions, which they were fure to undergo.

Liftly, No weight can be laid, in this cafe, on that contempt, which Heathen princes are faid to have had of the Chriftian religion, and the little care they, therefore, took to reftrain it; for it is not true, that they ftood by unconcerned at its growth; on the contrary, it is certain, that they looked upon it with a jealous eye, from its firft rife; and the early perfecutions of Nero (not to mention thofe of Domitian, which were after the deftruction of Jerufalem) fhew, that he took great

notice of it, and endeavoured to extirpate it. However, let the Roman emperors have been never fo regardless of its increase; yet it is certain, that they did no ways countenance it; and that. every one, who turned Chriftian, was fure by that means to forfeit the favour of his prince, and to be looked upon as an apostate from the religion of his country. And how, even under fuch a preffure as this, could Chriftianity have nade fo rapid and astonishing a progrefs, if He, who is mightier than the mightieít, had not bid it o forth and prefper againft all human difcouragement? Had this counfel or this work, been of men, it would, even without any direct oppofition from the temporal power, have certainly come to nought, as Gamaliel argued; but being of God, nothing could over throw it.

I do not deny, after all, but that every one of thefe particulars might, in a natural way, contribute fomewhat either to the planting or fpreading of the gospel. But, I think, it is evident, fron the fhort hints 1 have fuggefted to you that all of them together were not able to do the thoufandth part of that work which is allotted to them. And, therefore, to refolve this great event into a confpiracy of fecond caufes, as it is called, without any regard to the first, is an abfurd and fenfelefs attempt; and only fhews us, how very strong an inclination and biafs there is in fome minds towards infidelity, which they can be brought to efpouse upon fo very flight grounds.

A man, who fhould fee an acorn put into the earth, and perceive, in a few weeks or months, an oak fhooting up from it to a prodigious height,

and

and fpreading its branches to an amazing extent, fo as to over-top the loftieft mountains, and even to cover the whole field where it grew; might as well fay, that there was a strange confpiracy of natural caufes, an extraordinary degree of warmth, moisture, and fo forth, which concurred to produce this effect; as affirm, that the vaft fuccefs of the gofpel was owing to thofe petty principles, from whence fome men pretend to derive it.

But it must be granted to them, that their thoughts are of a piece, and that this opinion of theirs falls in with the reft of their fyftem. For their account of the new creation by Jefus Chrift, is much like that which they give of the old one. It was a lucky hit of concurring caufes which propagated Christianity. And it was a lucky hit alfo of dancing atoms, which first made the world: and it is the fame lucky hit, which ftill preferves and governs it too. They, who can bring themselves to believe the latter of thefe opinions, may, confiftently enough, be fuppofed to entertain the former: But, certainly, no other creature, but an atheist by complexion, could ever take up with fuch pitiful accounts of things.

Well then, The Chriftian religion, from fmall and weak beginnings, fpread itfelf far and wide after a fudden and ftrange manner; and this it did, against all probability, and contrary to all the rules of fuccefs, which all other rifing opinions have ever fet up with: It had no one of thofe great advantages, fome of which recommend every new fect, that stands and prevails: and, as

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