se 
‘ACCOUNT OF. BOOKS. 
their political or professional duties, 
and is not required from them inthe 
existing state of the world.” 
To infidels and sceptics, of whose 
errors he briefly enumerates the 
causes, he xefers it to be considered, 
whether in so weighty and solemn a 
question as a divine revelation, if it 
be notimprobable, or even not im- 
possible, they are not bound by the 
highest obligations to examine with 
fairness into the validity of its 
claims. ‘He then states the circum- 
stances of the first establishment of 
the Christian faith—the humble 
origin of ‘its author—the difficulties 
he had to encounter, and the pre- 
judices to overcome—the constant 
Opposition he experienced——the in- 
nocent and useful life heexhibited— 
the ignominious death he under- 
went—the firmness and constancy 
of his first disciples, though they had 
nothing to expect for that constancy 
in the present life, and in fact ex- 
perienced nothing but troubles and 
persecutions. Yet from these un- 
promising beginnings did Christia- 
nity make its way so successfully, 
that within three centuries from the 
first preaching of Christ, it pene- 
trated to the remotest extremities of 
the Roman empire. — He concludes, 
that a religion thus destitute of all 
worldly means of support, could not 
haye thus obtained belief and ac- 
Ceptation, if its pretensions had not. 
been founded on irresistible truth. 
For a more detailed account of this 
most important of all inquiries, he 
refers the reader to Mr. Paley’sViews 
of the Evidences of Christianity, Dr. 
Beattie’sTreatise on the same subject, 
and Mr. Paley’s Hore Pauling. 
The plea of those who contend 
against the necessity of a strict ob- 
servance of all the precepts of 
Christianity in the existing state of 
[#185 
the world, he examines both by 
reason and Scripture. 
With respect to the firsthe argues, 
that if custom is to determine how 
far we’must obey the rules of) the 
Gospel, it will follow, that if it 
should be the general custom utterly 
to disregard those rules, no indivi- 
dual would be under any obligation 
to observe them. But an argument 
like this, which strikes directly at 
the root of all religion, cannot be 
maintained by those who believe in 
Christianity. 
From the Holy Scriptures many 
texts are cited, demonstrating the 
necessity of a perfect obedience ; 
and ina long note there is an in- 
genious, and, we think, a just ex- 
position of one text, 2 Kings, ch. v. 
18th and 19th verses, which seems 
to countenance the ‘practice of de- 
viating from the line of strict duty 
in compliance with existing circum- 
stances, but which may be very 
fairly otherwise explained. 
He concludes his work in the fol- 
lowing words : 
‘* It is impossible to conceive that 
e who knowingly deviates from the 
path of moral rectitude and Christian 
duty, because most others in the 
same rank and profession with him- 
self deviate from it, and because, by 
forbearing to deviate, he should 
incur embarrassments and_ losses, 
odium and disgrace, is, in that in- 
stance, acting consistenly with the 
letter or the spirit of the various 
scriptural injunctions which have 
been quoted. Let those, who find 
themselves tempted to such devia- 
tions, consider whether it is not 
probable that the Supreme Being, 
or whose providence the success of 
every undertaking depends, will 
prosper those who scrupulously ob~ 
serve the laws which he has pre-e 
3 scribed 
; 
