in which their ancestors had lived and died, which had been delivered down to them from time immemorial, to make them forfake and despise the Deities which they had been accustomed to reverence and worship, this is a work of still greater difficulty. The prejudices of education and the stubborness of fuperftition feem almost invincible; and therefore the prophet Jeremiah, when he upbraids the people for neglecting their own religion, and embracing the idolatrous worship of their neighbours, obferves that their behaviour in this was not only base and stupid and ungrateful, but new and unparallelled. Hath any nation changed their Gods, which yet are no Gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.

i

But befides the refiftance which fuperstition and the prejudices of education would

i I say, neglecting, rather than forfaking and rejecting. For the people of Ifrael and Judah, even in their worst and most idolatrous times, did never abfolutely and totally renounce the true God; they worshipped falfe Gods with and befides him. But God, who would not fuffer the honour due to him alone to be thus given to others, nor bear a rival, often refents and represents it as no better than apoftafy. See the Commentators on As viii. 42.

form,

form, worldly policy could not fail to dif countenance such an attempt. Changes in religion very often produce changes in the ftate, and, according to the maxims of government, all Princes and Magiftrates look with an evil eye upon teachers of new doctrines, as upon feditious and dangerous perfons.

4. It cannot be denied to be a very ftrange and furprifing thing that persons, whofe circumstances and natural abilities were low and mean, fhould have fucceeded in fo great an undertaking.

It might justly be expected of one who fhould perform fuch a thing, that he should be a victorious and virtuous prince, who fhould make himself both reverenced and beloved, or a philofopher remarkable for wisdom and eloquence, skilled in all the arts of perfuafion, and formed by nature to infinuate himself into the favour of men. But when perfons of mean extraction, of no human learning, poor, obfcure, and friendless, set about it, nothing can follow but fcorn and disappointment, unless the Divine affiftance be added, which can

give

give ftrength to weakness, and wisdom to ignorance, and accomplish its purpose by the most unpromifing means.

5. If these perfons are not only of mean rank and abilities, but exposed to flander and calumny, and greatly hated by the world, there is still less profpect of success. Whofoever would command the attention, the refpect and obedience of men, must ftand fair in their opinion, as one who is difinterefted and who feeks their good. He who, though undefervedly, hath loft his reputation, hath loft many opportunities of doing service to mankind: what comes from him, though commendable and profitable in itself, is often fufpected, flighted, and ill received. I have already fhewed the great hatred which the generality of the Jews and Gentiles bare towards the firft Chriftians, and the causes and effects. of that hatred. Therefore the progress of

* Mirum eft quam parum acuti effent Apoftolorum nonnulli, fed data opera tales a Christo electos fuiffe verifimile eft; ne dum putabant fe intelligere quis effet, quidve moliretur, quidpiam ingenio fuo freti, quod Evangelio noceret, aggrederentur; neve poffent dogmatum, quæ nunciabantur, inventores haberi. Clericus ad Joan. XIV. 7. Vide etiam Valefum ad Conftant. Orat. in Eufebio, cap. II. p. 687.

the

the Gospel, in spite of all the lyes which had been told concerning it, of all the malicious oppofition which its profeffors underwent, can only be afcribed to the prevailing force of truth and innocence, and to the protection of the Almighty.

6. The establishing of Christianity in fo many nations, and amongst perfons of all ranks and conditions, is an argument in favour of it. Never was there a religion which in this refpect can be compared with it; for it united the Jews and Gentiles, that is, perfons in many respects the most oppofite, it brought over rich and poor, learned and unlearned, it spread through barbarous and favage nations, and through the most polite and wife people, and made its progress far and wide.

The Apostles began with the Jews, and though they could not fucceed fo well as to reform the whole nation, though the bulk of them remained incorrigible till destruction overtook them, yet the harvest was by no means contemptible. Twenty years were not paffed from Chrift's refurrection, when St. Paul, coming to Jerufalem, was told by the Disciples, Acts xxi. 20. Thou

feeft,

feeft, Brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe. So mightily did the word of God prevail, even in the capital city of that disobedient people. In other nations the fuccefs was greater, and in less than forty years after Chrift an innumerable multitude of believers were found in most parts of the known world.

A religion which can thus recommend itself to all tempers, and meet with fo wide an approbation, must in all probability be founded on truth, and agreeable: to the dictates of reafon.

7. To convert nations to a ftrict religion from religions which give great indulgences, and are more fuitable to depraved inclinations, is a difficult thing. This was the case in the propagation of the Gofpel; for the Greek and Roman Gentiles were not very rigid in their practical notions of morality, and accounted many things to be either harmless, or small faults, which the Gospel absolutely condemned; and the Jews by their own interpretations had made their religion compliable, and accommodated to

1 Пósa μverades, how many myriads, ten thousands, that is, how great a number.