CHAP.
III.

fathers

prove men

A. D. 6.5.

" contains fo perfect a body of ethics, that "reafon may be excufed from that enquiry; "fince she may find men's duty clearer and "eafier in revelation than in herfelf." His authority is decifive on this point; fince he analyfed the human understanding, and was better acquainted with its powers than all the ancient and modern unbelievers. The New Teftament not only points out man's duty, but furnishes powerful motives to the practice of its precepts. Its rewards are fuch as eye bath not feen nor ear beard; and its threats are eminently calculated to terrify offenders. The Gofpels and Epiftles recite the vices which prevail among men, and difcourage from the practice of them by words to this purpose, I tell you before, as I have told you in time paft, that they who do fuch things fhall not inherit the kingdom of Heaven. How infinitely more forcible is this awful threat, than declamations on the beauty of virtue, or fubtle arguments on the moral fenfe or the fitnefs of things, which are totally unintelligible to the bulk of mankind?

Works of The works of thofe Chriftian writers who apoftolical fucceeded the apoftles immediately, were caltend to im-culated to improve the readers in the pracin virtue. tical duties of religion. Clemens Romanus writing to the Corinthians, recommended to wives chaftity and a love of their husbands, and to all peace, patience, charity, forgiveness, humility, honefty, obedience to rulers and reverence to elders. Thus Clement enjoins feveral virtues which are beneficial to fociety; while others oppofe thofe vices that are injuri-, ous to mankind. The venerable Polycarp prohibited the Philippians to render evil for

CHAP.

III.

evil, railing for railing, or a curfe for a curse; and exhorted them to abftain from avarice, injuftice, detraction or falfe witnefs. Ignatius A. D. 103. alfo, in his epiftle to the Ephefians, enjoins many virtues which were dictated by the letter and fpirit of his religion. This pious Chriftian required men to manifeft their faith by their works, to avoid diffenfion and to be charitable to all men. "Though, faith he, we be injured, defpifed and degraded; yet let us oppofe mildness to anger, humility to arrogance, prayers to curfes, truth to error, and "gentlenefs to barbarity."

to exhibit

effects of the Gospel

Having pointed out many happy effects Impoffible which would naturally refult from the Gofpel, all the good let us enquire how far it actually operated on its profeffors, and whether its fruits have been fuch as might reasonably be expected. In the difcuffion of this fubject it will be impoffible to do justice to Christianity, whose fruits must vary according to the difpofitions of the difciple, and the abilities of the teacher. Much depends on the foil on which the seed of the Gospel are fowed; and a great deal on the information, zeal and exemplary conduct of the inftructor. Besides, the genuine fruits of Christianity, are gentleness, patience, benevolence, justice, temperance, purity of manners, and other virtues which are frequently exercised in private without noife or oftenta tion. Chriftianity neceffarily produced good effects on myriads whofe lives are not recorded in ecclefiaftical history; which like other hiftory is for the most part, a register of the vices, the follies and the quarrels of those who made a distinguished figure in the world. It is well obferved by Socrates, in the end of his ecclefiaftical

CHAP. ecclefiaftical hiftory, that if men were honest and peaceable, hiftorians would be undone for want of materials. Individuals in private life feldom engage the attention of the historian; his object is to record the actions of princes, warriors and ftatefmen, whofe conduct has an immediate influence on the welfare of states. "The hopes and confolations of religion," fays the ingenius Paley (b)," its intermixture "with the thoughts by day and by night, the "devotion of the heart, the control of ap"petite, the fteady direction of the will to "the commands of God, are neceffarily invi"fible; yet on thefe depends the virtue and "the happiness of millions. Religion operates "moft upon thofe of whom history knows the "leaft, upon fathers and mothers in their fa"milies, upon men fervants and maid fer"vants, upon the orderly tradefman, the

quiet villager, the manufacturer at his loom, "the hufbandman in his fields. Among fuch "its influence collectively may be of inefti"mable value, yet its effects in the mean time "be little upon those who figure on the stage "of the world." I cannot agree with Dr. Paley (c), that "the influence of religion "is not to be fought for in the councils of

princes, in the refolutions of popular affem"blies, in the conduct of governments towards "their fubjects, or of ftates and fovereigns "towards one another, of conquerors at the "head of their armies, &c." This was my opinion in 1788, when I publifhed the t volume of my hiftory; and was Dr. Paley's opinion in 1794, when he published his evidences. But a deeper refearch into history con

IIL

vinces me we were both mistaken, and that CHAP.
Chriftianity had confiderable influence on the
councils of princes, on the conduct of go-
vernments towards their fubjects, of states to-
wards each other, on conquerors at the head of
their armies, &c. The fruits of the Gospel
have been ordinary and extraordinary. The
latter were its effects on princes or on perfons
exalted above others in piety or moral endow-
ments; the former are a degree of charity to
the poor, a fhare of humility, tho' perhaps
affected or mixed with pride, the forgiveness
of injuries, patience under afflictions, and o-
ther virtues which no hiftorian notices; as
they are daily practiced in fome degree in eve-
ry part of Chriftendom. This work is ne-
ceffarily filent on the ordinary fruits of the
Gospel; but exhibits many of its extraordi-
nary effects for which alone there are materials
in hiftory. Had any ancient author made a
collection of facts like the present to do cre-
dit to Christianity, we fhould no doubt be
furnished by him and by fucceeding writers
on the fame fubject, with feveral inftances of
its happy effects which are not recorded. But
as no author has done fo, we are under a ne-
ceffity of collecting, from a multiplicity of
writers, the particular effects of the Gospel
which they mention but incidentally, and
without thinking of the fubject of the prefent
history.

lumnies

Were there no perfecutions in the early ages Defences aof Christianity, and no accufations against its gainst caprofeffors, we should be ftrangers to the learning and endowments of the apologifts for virtues of Christianity, and to the names and virtues of tians. many pious and good men. Nothing can more

ftrongly

prove the

firft Chrif.

III.

CHAP. ftrongly evince the virtues of the first Chriftians, than the apologies they published against the accufations of unbelievers. These men at first attempted to stop the progress of the Gofpel by open affaults; but, finding fuch attempts fruitlefs endeavoured to prevent its reception, by reviling its profeffors and loading them with calumnies. The Chriftians they accused of fedition, inceft, devouring infants, and other crimes contrary to the letter and spirit of their religion. When a tax was demanded of Chrift, he refufed not to pay it; when arraigned before Pilate, he acknowledged his authority: and the fame fpirit of fubmiffion to political establishments was difplayed for feveral ages by his genuine followers, who never attempted to alter or reform the civil conftitutions of any nation, and were fo free from turbulence, that fome have afcribed the establishment of their religion by Conftantine, to their paffive obedience for 300 years. Here we are enabled to overturn that dangerous pofition of Cardinal Bellarmin (c), that it is lawful to depofe heretical princes; and that the primi tive Chriftians only wanted means to attempt it on Nero, Dioclesian and Julian, who cruelly perfecuted them. The Cardinal did not confider that refolute men who fhewed a contempt of life in other inftances, might easily have affaffinated thofe perfecutors, if they thought it agreeable to the Gospel, or if their confciences allowed them to violate the injunction of St. Paul, who advifed them to o bey Nero, the most cruel of tyrants. "There " is an infamous report", fays an Athenian philofopher (d) and a profelyte to the Gospel,

177.

(c) De Rom. Pontif. v. 7.

(d) Athenagoras Legatio pro Chriftianis. -Vide Korthol "that