totally unlike all human compositions whatever; and this fuperiority and diffimilarity is still more strongly marked by one remarkable circumstance peculiar to themselves, which is, that whilst the moral parts, being of the most general use, are intelligible to the meanest capacities, the learned and inquifitive throughout all ages, perpetually find in them inexhaustible discoveries, concerning the nature, attributes, and difpenfations of providence.

"To fay the truth, before the appearance of christianity there existed nothing like religion on the face of the earth; the Jewish only excepted: all other nations were immersed in the groffeft idolatry, which had little or no connection with morality, except to corrupt it by the infamous example of their imaginary deities: they all worshipped amultiplicity of gods and dæmons, whose favour they courted by impious, obfcene and ridiculous ceremonies, and whofe anger they endeavoured to appeafe by the most abominable cruelties. In the politeft ages of the politest nations in the world, at a time when Greece and Rome had carried the arts of oratory,

poetry, history, architecture, and sculpture to the highest perfection, and made no inconfiderable ad vancés in those of mathematics, natural, and even moral philosophy, in religious knowledge they had made none at all; a ftrong prefumption, that the nobleft efforts of the mind of man, unaffisted by revelation, were unequal to the task.

Some

few indeed of their philofophers were wise enough to reject these general absurdities, and dared to attempt a loftier flight: Plato introduced many fublime ideas of nature, and its first cause, and of the immortality of the foul, which being above his own, and all human discovery, he probably acquired from the books of Mofes or the converfation of fome Jewish rabbies, which he might have met with in Egypt, where he refided, and studied for feveral years: from him Aristotle, and from both, Cicero, and fome few others, drew most amazing ftores of philofophical science, and carried their refearches into divine truths as far as human genius alone could penetrate. But these were bright conftellations, which appeared fingly in several centuries, and even these with all this know.

ledge, were very deficient in true theology. From the visible works of the creation they traced the being and principal attributes of the creator; but the relation which his being and attributes bear to man, they little understood; of piety and devotion they had scarce any sense, nor could they form any mode of worship worthy of the purity and perfection of the divine nature: they occasionally flung out many elegant encomiums on the native beauty, and excellence of virtue: but they founded it not on the commands of God, nor connected it with a holy life, nor hung out the happiness of heaven as its reward, or its object. They fometimes talked of virtue carrying men to heaven, and placing them amongst the gods; but by this virtue they meant only the invention of arts, or feats of arms: for with them heaven was only open to legiflators and conquerors, the civilizers, or deftroyers of mankind. This was then the fummit of religion in the most polished nations in the world, and even this was confined to a few philofophers, prodigies of genius and literature, who were little at

tended to, and lefs understood by the generality of mankind in their own countries ; whilft all the reft were involved in one common cloud of ignorance and fuperftition.

"At this time chriftianity broke forth from the east like a rifing fun, and difpelled this univerfal darkness, which obfcured every part of the globe, and even at this day prevails in all those remoter regions, to which its falutary influence has not as yet extended. From all thofe which it has reached, it has, notwithstanding its corruptions, banished all thofe enormities, and introduced a more rational devotion, and purer morals: it has taught men the unity, and attributes of the Supreme Being, the remiffion of fins, the refurrection of the dead, life everlasting, and the kingdom of heaven; doctrines as inconceivable to the wisest of mankind, antecedent to its appearance, as the Newtonian system ́ is at this day, to the most ignorant tribes of favages in the wilds of America; doctrines, which human reafon never could have difcevered, but which, when difcovered, coincide with, and are confirmed by it; and which, though beyond the reach of all the learning

and penetration of Plato, Ariftotle, and Cicero, are now clearly laid open to the eye of every peasant and mechanic with the bible in his hand. Thefe are all plain facts too glaring to be contradicted, and therefore, whatever we may think of the authority of thefe books, the relations which they contain, or the inspiration of their authors, of thefe facts no man, who has eyes to read, or ears to hear, can entertain a doubt; because there are the books, and in them is this religion."

PROPOSITION III.

"My third propofition is this, That from

Y

this book, called the New Teftament, may be collected a fyftem of ethics, in which every moral precept, founded on reafon, is carried to a higher degree of purity and perfection, than in any other of the ancient philofophers of preceding ages; every moral