Chnp. VI. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. ^6s 



viour came to the world.— TChe days of ignorance were then every 

 as St Fau! has /aid in his fpeech to the Athenians. — An acconnt 

 given of that fpeech. — // contains the fyfem of pure T'hcifn, and 

 gives a defcription of the true God. — Of this God even the vulgar, 

 among the Athenians^ appear at that time to have had fame idea. 

 — St Paul fays nothing of the particular do&rines of Chrlfianity, 

 except in one verfe, ivhere he jpeaks of the refnrredion of Jefui 

 Chri/i. — This laughed at by the Athenians. — though probably the 

 Egyptians believed in the refurrcElion of the body. — St Paid would 

 explain to his Converts the fundamental doEfrines of Chrifianity, 

 as I ft, The dotlrine of the Trinity., of which an explanation is al- 

 ready given in this chapter. — 2do, Ihe doElrine of the eternal ge- 

 neration of the Son of God ^ — of which an explanation is here given. 

 3tio, The incarnation, which is likewife here explained. — Another 

 important doctrine of Chriflianity is, that we viufl not believe that 

 we can be happy in this life, but mufl look forward to the next. — 

 This inculcated by our Saviour. — He has alfo provided for our hap- 

 pinefs in this life, if we witl obey the laf precept he gave his Dif- 

 ciples, to love one another. — The Chrtjlian Religion, more a Reli- 

 gimr. of Love than any other; — yet by the abufe of it, has produced 

 more dijfenticns among men, and more crimes than any other Reli- 

 glon. — Of the end of this World, and the refloration of things, — 

 This a doElrine of Antient Philo/ophy, with which the revelation 

 by Jefus Chrifl agrees. — According to it, that new World is not at 

 a very great diflance. — This to be proved in the /equel of this work^. 

 by fo owing that not only .the minds and bodies of men are degenerat- 

 ed, but their numbers decreafed. — Thus is proved that our Saviour 

 came to the ivorld in the fulnefs of time, when it was proper he 

 fhould come. If he had come fooner, and in the days of ignorance, 

 his doctrine could not have been received. — This proved by the exr- 

 ample of barbarous nations, who cannot be converted to the Chrtjli- 

 an Religion J — and of the Jews thcmfdvcs, — %he fingular circum-r- 



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