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fables, and therefore grew infufficient for religious purposes, and became weak incitements to virtue.

When natural religion and tradition were thus corrupted, there remained only one human method of retrieving them, and that was philofophy. This method had been tried, and was found deficient.

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For the philofophers themselves were not free from gross mistakes, from many defects both in principles and practice. Befides, the corruption was too general to be cured by philofophy, which was not calculated for the benefit of the common people, nor z understood by them. Add to this, that

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y Grotius on Rom. i. 32. mentions the pernicious doctrines of fome philofophers. Some of them had loofe notions concerning the lawfulness of lying, and of fornication. Whitby on Ephef. iv. 25. v. 6. Theff. i. iv. 5. Grotius on Acts xv. 20. As to practice, fee what Cicero fays of them, Tufc. Difp. II. 4. and the writer of the Clement. Homil. V. 18. and Grotius de Ver. R. C. II. 18. and Whitby on The i. ii. 9.

z Horace tells us that his father used to say to him;

-Sapiens vitatu quidque petitu

Sit melius, cauffas reddet tibi: mi fatis eft, fi
Traditum ab antiquis morem fervare, tuamque,
Dum cuftodis eges, vitam famamque tueri
Incolumem poffim.

Serm. I. 4.

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those learned moralifts used to recommend virtue from its natural beauty and decency, * and to infift chiefly on this motive, which, though it may weigh much with fome well-difpofed minds, yet must have little influence upon the bulk of mankind, who will not be moved, unless their fears or their hopes be strongly affected.

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The philofophers by their endless difputes and divifions darkned many truths, and taught nothing fo effectually as doubt and suspense. Instead of oppofing the vulgar fuperftitions, they often complied with them, and outwardly conformed to the eftablished religions. These and other difad

The reasonings of the Philofophers were jargon to this plain honest man: but he thought it right to follow whatfoever things were of good report.

It is not poffible, fays Strabo, to move the vulgar by philo fophic difcourfes, and to lead them to piety, holiness, and fidelity; but it must be done by fuperftition alfe, and that requires fables and prodigies. Ου γὰρ ὄχλον τε γυναικῶν καὶ παντὸς χυδαίο πλήθος· ἐπαγαγῶν λόγῳ δυνατόν φιλοσόφῳ, καὶ προσκατ λέσαθαι πρὸς ευσέβειαν καὶ ὁσιότητα καὶ πίςιν, ἀλλὰ δὲ καὶ διὰ δεισιδαιμονίας, Τἔτο δ ̓ ἐκ ἄνευ μυθοποιίας, και Telias. Here is fomething right, and fomething wrong. See L. I.

See Mifcell. Obferv. Vol. I. p. 33.
Nimium altercando veritas amittitur.

In Publii Syri Sentent. vantages,

vantages, under which philosophy laboured, fhew that it had little effect towards a reformation of fentiments and manners. What it could do, it had done before the coming of Chrift. It had been tried, and it had been found infufficient.

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6. Lastly, when our Lord came, the most civilized and the most populous parts of Europe and Afia were under one government, and ruled by common laws which in the main were just and good, the times were more quiet and happy than they had been, commerce flourished, and travelling was made eafy and fafe; and this state of things was favourable to Christianity, and afforded opportunities to lay the founda

• Ανέτειλε γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἀυς δικαιοσύνη, καὶ πλῆθος εἰρήνης γέγονεν, ἀρξάμενον ἀπὸ τῆς γενέσεως αυτό, ευτρεπίζοντος 18 Θεῖ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ αὐτὰ τὰ ἔθνη, ἵν ̓ ὑπὸ ἕνα γένηται τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλέα· καὶ μὴ, διὰ το προφάσει τῶν πολλῶν βασιλειῶν ἄμικλον τῶν ἐθνῶν πρὸς ἄλληλα, χαλεπώτερον γένηται τοῖς ἀποςόλοις 78 Ιησε 78 ποιῆσαι ὅπερ προσέταξεν αυτοῖς. Orta eft enim in diebus ejus juftitia et abundantia pacis, idque ftatim ac natus eft. Deus enim, cum gentes ad ejus doctrinam præparatas vellet, providit ut uni Romanorum Imperatori parerent: ne, fi plures effent reges, gentefque effent a fe invicem alienæ, difficilius Apoftoli exfequerentur id quod illis a Jefu præceptum fuerat. Origen contr. Celf. II. p. 79.

tion of it, and to fpread it fpeedily and effectually.

After the refurrection of Chrift, for feveral years, the Romans were disturbed by civil commotions and ruled by bad Emperors, and fo had no leifure to mind the progress of the Gospel and to oppose it, till the Chriftians were become too numerous to be destroyed.

V. The

V.

The teftimony of John the Baptift.

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UR Saviour and his Apoftles often affure us that all the prophets, whofe writings are contained in the Old Testament, have spoken of the coming of the Meffias; and upon this, though not upon this either fingly or chiefly, is founded the truth of our religion; for it ftands in need of no proofs of its divinity from the Old Teftament, which feems to receive rather more confirmation from the Gofpel, than the Gospel receives thence, though they both mutually fupport and establish each other.

The prophecies in general were fo delivered that they fhould not be understood till the event explained them, for which many reafons might be affigned. Hence it comes to pass that after they have been all fulfilled in Christ, and by being compared

together

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