when he checked the intemperate zeal of his followers, who would have called down the fire from heaven on the Samaritans, when they refused to receive him?" He turned and rebuked them, and "faid, ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of; "for the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's "lives, but to fave them." But it is not merely in forbidding and reprobating every species, and every pretext of perfecution that the heavenly wisdom of the gospel appears moft diftinguished. It is ftill more illuftriously confpicuous, in its reprobating every principle and feeling which lead not to perfecution only, but even to difcord, and offence of every kind, and particularly on points of difference in religious opinions and religious conduct. What impetuous and over-bearing fanatic would have dictated fuch admirable precepts as St. Paul has done in language beautiful, because it is the language of a heart overflowing with benignity, with humility, with every pious and dignified principle which can ennoble the heart of man." Him, says he, that is weak in "the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputa"tions. Why doft thou judge thy brother? or why "doft thou fet at nought thy brother? for we fhall "all stand at the judgment feat of God. So then દ every one shall give account of himself to God. "Let us not therefore judge one another any more; "but judge this rather, that no man put a ftumbling

a Luke ix. 55

• Rom. xiv. and 1 Cor. viii. & x.
"block

"block or an occafion to fall in his brother's way. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; "but righteousness, and peace, and joy, in the Holy "Ghost. For he that in these things ferveth Christ, "is acceptable to God, and approved of men. "Let us therefore follow after the things which "make for peace, and things wherewith one may

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edify another. We that are strong ought to bear "the infirmities of the weak, and not to please our"felves for even Christ pleased not himself ; "wherefore receive ye one another, as Chrift also "received us to the glory of God. Give none "offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, "nor to the church of God; even as I please all "men in all things, not, feeking mine own profit, "but the profit of many, that they may be faved: "be ye therefore followers of me, even as I am of "Chrift." Let me appeal to the reafon and the feelings of every man, whether fuch language and fuch fentiments could by any poffibility proceed from a blind and furious enthufiaft. But ftill fur. ther, though an enthusiast might entertain fuch fentiments, and inculcate fuch precepts, we can hardly suppose he would make these the leading principles,

P This last advice of St. Paul to his followers has been advanced by fome in proof of his ambition, and of that being the true principle of his converfion. How erroneously, is ma nifest from the entire paffage here quoted; moral imitation, and not factious adherence of followers to an ambitious leader, was plainly the object of the apoftle.

the foundation and fupport of his whole system of morality, and put forward this peaceableness, this gentleness, this mercy, this tolerance, as preferablefo all other virtues combined; or rather fo effential to the Christian character, that without them no Christian virtue could be fuppofed to exift. Would a fanatic have done this? nay, further ftill, would a fanatic, who we muft fuppofe had worked himself up into a falfe conviction of his being inspired and directed by heaven, because this infpiration and direction had long been the constant object of his wifhes and his prayers, and now formed his happiness and his pride? would fuch a man, I ask, have preferred this mercy, this brotherly love-in one word, this Christian charity, to that very inspiration, to all his apoftolic gifts, to all his miraculous power? yet this St. Paul has done. "Though I fpeak, fays he, with the tongues "of men and of angels, and have not charity, "I am become as founding brafs or a tink❝ling cymbal; and though I have the gift of "prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all

..

knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that "I could remove mountains, and have not charity,

C:

I am nothing." Would an enthusiast have diftinguished between unbounded generofity to the poor; nay, between the firmnefs of martyrdom and this facred principle of Chriftian benevolence? No. Yet St. Paul has fo diftinguished-though I be"ftow all my goods to feed the poor; and though

11 Cor. xiii.

r Ibid.

ર

"I give

"I give my body to be burned, and have not cha"rity, it profieth me nothing." Why? because when this benevolence is wanting, the fource of every virtue is dried up; for from this only can they flow pure and genuine. "Tis" charity only that "fuffereth long, and is kind. Charity envieth not "-is not puffed up is not eafily provoked"thinketh no evil and finally, there abideth faith, hope, charity; but the greatest of these " is charity!"

I have thus confidered a few, and but a few, of those characters of Christian morality, in which it is most strongly and directly contrafted with enthufiafm. Let me now entreat my reader to reflect for a moment, who were the men who poffeffed this wisdom, and whence did they acquire it? Were they the philofophic fages of Greece and Rome? No. Were they politic and experienced legiflators and fenators? No. Were they in the Jewish nation the wife an learned doctors of the law? No-a Jewish peafant, the reputed fon of a carpenter, and who for thirty years had refided with a private and obfcure family, calls together twelve tax-gatherers and fishermen ; they become distracted with fanaticisfin, and the fyftem we have examined, is formed of the ravings of these fanatics collected and preferved :-but there was among them one learned, educated man, St. Paul; he, perhaps it may be faid, connected this admirable fyftem of purity and brotherly love. We admit the

learning and the talents of the apoftle to the Gentiles; but let us not forget what we have already obferved, that his natural temper was impetuous and warm, and that his education, added to his knowledge of Heathen literature the doctrine and traditions of the Pharifees; he was educated in their habits of pride, and bigotry, and intolerance; while in his fober reason he was himself a bigot, and a perfecu tor even unto death; but he was fuddenly hurried away, as the objector would fuppofe, by the frenzy of enthusiasm, and from that moment he became peaceable and gentle, merciful, liberal and tolerant. Gracious God! will men believe all this, and yet persevere to ridicule others for blind, irrational, implicit faith? No. Let us not judge hardly of those who differ from us; but if they judge unfairly of our cause, of the cause of Christianity and benevolence, let us not, as we value truth and piety, let us not yield lightly to their rafb opinion. Surely if these characters belong to the morality of the gofpel, and are compared with the natural difadvantages under which its teachers laboured, they plainly bespeak a divine original.

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