S 22 CHRIST 
Shores of Britain. All their great atchievements, and all 
their fplendid events, the boldnefs of their enterprifes, 
and the frequency of their I'uccel's, uniformly pointed to 
tire fulnefs of time when the Son of God was to be made 
manifeft, and were fo wifely regulated as to prepare the 
way for the more eafy progreis, and more ready reception, 
of the Chriftian religion. 
A late writer, however, Mr. Gibbon, whofe elegance of 
ftyle Seems to have conferred a very alarming popularity 
on the lieentioufnefs of his opinions, has affigned the re¬ 
ception of Chriftianity to five accidental caules ; each of 
which he has reprefented, as in reality unconnected with 
any divine interpolition. Firit, “ the inflexible and in¬ 
tolerant zeal of the firit Chriltians, derived from the Jews, 
but purified from that unfocinl fpirit, which had deterred 
the Gentiles from embracing the law of Moles.” Now 
zeal, which is at once intolerant, and purified from any 
unfocial fpirit, is a quality which we leave to the ad¬ 
mirers of this writer to conceive and explain. But we 
deny the raft, that any kind or any degree of intolerance 
exilted among the primitive Chriltians; and as to their 
zeal, we maintain that it did not bear the flighted: fimili- 
tude to the fiercenefs and bigotry of the Jews. It was 
derived from very different caufes, and aimed at far no¬ 
bler ends. It was not the narrow and temporal interefts 
of one nation, but the general reformation, and the Spi- 
ritual happinefs of the whole world, which the teachers 
of Chriftianity were anxious to promote. That firmnefs, 
which may be mifconitrued into intolerance, and that 
activity, which we are content to call by the name of 
zeal, had, in the ufual courfe of human affairs, a ten¬ 
dency to retard, rather than to facilitate, the propagation 
of the gofpel. The Chriftian, inftead of falling into the 
fafliionable and popular intercommunity of worlhip, dis¬ 
dained, amidlt the terrors of impending death, to throw 
incenfe on the altar of Jupiter; he boldly pronounced the 
whole fyftem of pagan mythology impofture, and charged 
the whole ritual of its external devotions with groveling 
fuperftition and profane idolatry. 
A fecond caul'e he finds “ in the doctrine of a future 
life.” Such a doctrine, doubtlefs, is congenial to the na¬ 
ture of man, as an accountable and moral agent; it is 
repeatedly infilled upon in the-goSpel, and mult ultimate¬ 
ly, and in a favourable ftate of things, have increafed its 
efficacy.. But the future life taught by the apoftles, had 
few recommendations in the fight of the heathen world. 
It was oft'enfive to the Epicureans by the punifhments it 
threatened; it was not attractive to the vulgar by the 
very rewards which it propofed. The pride of the phi- 
lofbpher was fhocked by the doftrine of a reSurreftion, 
the mode of which he was unable to comprehend; the 
imaginations of other men were feebly imprefled by the 
reprefentation of a future ftate, which did not hold out 
the Serene Iky, the verdant garden, and the luxurious en¬ 
joyments, of an elyfium. 
A third caufe he finds in “the miraculous powers 
afcribed to the primitive church;” and then proceeds, in 
a ltyle of the molt bitter derilion, to inlinuate that thefe 
powers were never pofl’efl'ed. Now, the hardieft adverSa- 
ries of the gofpel, a Porphyry, a Celfus, and a Julian, do 
not deny the exiftence of thofe miracles; and Chriftianity 
has little to fear from the improbable caufes to which thele 
writers impute them. It is, however, worthy of remark, 
that when Chriftianity was publiihed, a general prejudice 
in the people, and a very Severe fpirit of SuSpicion in the 
government, prevailed againlt the belief of miracles. 
They were ftigmatized by the opprobrious appellation cf 
magic; and Augultus, it is well known, had publifhed 
very rigorous edifts againft the whole race of prasftigia- 
tors. The peculiar difficulties which obltrufted the re¬ 
ception of Chriftian miracles, have been explained, with 
great acutenefs of reafoning, and equal depth of erudi¬ 
tion, by a modern writer, Mr. Wefton, whofe remarks 
defeat, indeed, the fallacies, but feem to have efcaped the 
notice, of Mr. Gibbon. The Sum of his arguments are, 
I A N I T Y, 
in his own' words, as follows: “ The multitude of popular 
gods admitted amongft the heathens, did, by neceflary 
confequence, occafion Such a multitude of pretended mi¬ 
racles, that they infenfibly loft their force, and funk in 
their efteem. Though the philofophers in general, and 
men of reading and contemplation, could not but dis¬ 
cover the groflhefs and abfurdity of the civil religion; 
yet this could have little effeft on the vulgar, or them- 
fielves; not on the vulgar, becaule it was the bulinefs of 
the wiieft and molt politic heads zealoufly to fupport and 
encourage them in their practices; not on themfelves, 
becaufe, if they delpifed their gods, they muft defpife their 
miracles too.” Now, under thefe circumftances, miracles 
afcribed to the firft propagators of Chriftianity, muft have 
created an immediate and ftubborn prejudice againft their 
caufe; and nothing could have Subdued that prejudice, 
but miracles really and vilibly performed. 
A fourth caufe is, “ the virtues of the firft Chriltians,” 
which are themfelves reduced to a mean and timid re¬ 
pentance for former fins, and to an impetuous zeal in 
Supporting the reputation of the Seft newly embraced. 
But, furely, in the eyes of the haughty and jealous Ro¬ 
mans, fuch repentance and fuch zeal muft have equally 
excited oppofition to Chriftianity. The firft would have 
provoked contempt among perfons of their lingular lelf- 
fufficiency ; and the other would haveawakened the jea- 
loufy of the magiftrate. True it is, that the Chriltians 
had virtues of a nobler kind. It is alfo true, that thole 
virtues did ultimately triumph over the fcorn and malice 
of their foes; and it is true, that a religion producing 
fuch eft’efts on its followers, and deriving SucceSs from 
fuch means, carries with it a prefumptive proof, of which 
impofture never could boaft. 
The laft Secondary caufe mentioned by this writer, is, 
“ the union and difcipline of the Chriftian church.” We 
acknowledge the force of union in fecuring the order, and 
enlarging the interefts, of every fociety ; and we heartily 
wilh that fuch union could be found among the propaga¬ 
tors of the gofpel. But the diftraftions and internal di- 
vilions of the different Chriftian lefts, prelent a very con¬ 
trary profpeft. And if the gofpel Succeeded, not only 
amidlt the furious aflaults of its enemies, but the no lets 
violent contentions of its friends, we muft look for its fiic¬ 
cefs in fome more efficient caufe, than in fuch as this his¬ 
torian has aftigned. In the mean time, it may be well to 
guard the young and unwary Chriftian againft the danger¬ 
ous influence of fuch difingenuous and infidious endea¬ 
vours to undermine the belt evidence of revealed religion, 
and the truths of the gofpel; not by cogent or irrefiitible 
arguments, indeed, founded on faft and experience, but 
merely by the infmuating arts of f'ophiftry, and the cap¬ 
tivating graces of fine language. 
Now, whatever allowances a philanthropic mind may 
make for the ignorance and fuperftition of the vulgar, the 
fame indulgence can Scarcely be infilled upon in behalf 
of educated and enlightened men, who, enamoured of 
the fubtleties of human wifdom, and bewildered in the 
mazes of an abfurd and unintelligible philofophy, are un¬ 
willing to believe that the plainnel's and limplicity of the 
gofpel, could ever be worthy an omnifcient God. Yet 
how many fuch men happily and timely, in the hour 
of death, have contradifted all their wild and extravagant 
ideas, recalled their bold and unavailing charges againft 
the doftrines of Chriftianity, and have died, firm in the 
faith, and comforted in the belief, of a happy immor¬ 
tality l 
Realon informs us, that the prefent is a probationary 
ftate of difcipline ; and, in conformity to fuch a ftate, re¬ 
ligion adapts all her doftrines to faith, all her encourage¬ 
ments to hope, and all her regulations to praftice. Chris¬ 
tianity, holding up to us the profpeft of our future exiifo 
ence, bids 11s now prepare for it by virtuous habits of 
thought and aftion ; and true philofophy will inform us, 
that thofe habits, in a great fcheme of moral government, 
are neither recommended by the Creator, nor acquired 
