of Paganism, who mixed with the votaries of Venus, or wallowed in the filth of Bacchanalian feftivals.

But though we are thus far agreed, with respect to the inflexibility and intolerance of Chriftian zeal; yet as to the principle from which it was derived, we are toto calo di vided in opinion. You deduce it from the Jewish religion; I would refer it to a more adequate and a more obvious fource, a full perfuafion of the truth of Christianity. What! think you that it was a zeal derived from the unfociable spirit of Judaism, which inspired Peter with courage to upbraid the whole people of the Jews in the very capital of Judea, with having delivered up Jefus, with having denied

him in the prefence of Pilate, with having defired a murderer to be granted them in his fiead, with having killed the Prince of life? Was it from this principle, that the same Apostle in conjunction with John, when fummoned, not before the dregs of the people, (whose judgments they might have been fuppofed capable of misleading, and whose resentment they might have defpifed,) but before the rulers and the elders and the fcribes, the dread Tribunal of the Jewish nation, and commanded by them to teach no more in the name of Jefus ; boldly answered, that they could not but Speak the things, which they had feen and heard? they had feen with

their eyes, they had handled with their

hands

you

hands the word of life; and no human jurifdiction could deter them from being faithful witneffes of what they had seen and heard. Here then you may perceive the genuine and undoubted origin of that zeal, which afcribe to what appears to me a very infufficient caufe; and which the Jewish rulers were fo far from confidering as the ordinary effect of their religion, that they were exceedingly at a lofs how to account for it;-now when they faw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled. The Apostles, heedlefs of confequences, and regardless of every thing but truth, openly every where profeffed themselves witneffes of

the

the refurrection of Chrift; and with a confidence, which could proceed from nothing but conviction, and which pricked the Jews to the heart, bade the house of Ifrael know affuredly, that God had made that fame Jefus, whom they had crucified, both Lord and Chrift.

I mean not to produce thefe instances of apostolic zeal, as direct proofs of the truth of Chriftianity; for every religion, nay, every abfurd fect of every religion, has had it's zealots, who have not fcrupled to maintain their principles at the expence of their lives; and we ought no more to infer the truth of Christianity from the mere zeal of it's propagators, than the truth of Mahometanifm from that of a Turk.

Turk. When a man fuffers himfelf to be covered with infamy, pillaged of his property, and dragged at last to the block or the stake, rather than give up his opinion; the proper inference is, not that his opinion is true, but that he believes it to be true; and a queftion of ferious difcuffion immediately prefents itself,-upon what foundation has he built his belief? This is often an intricate inquiry, including in it a vast compass of human learning; a Bramin or a Mandarin, who should observe a miffionary attesting the truth of Christianity with his blood, would, notwithstanding, have a right to ask many questions, before it could be expected, that he should give an affent

to