their weakness, and inconfiftency, let me be indulged with the privilege of vindicating these honest but untutored men, whofe only crime it is, not to have formed an exception to the common lot of mankind. Let me urge in their behalf, the difficulties, the almost insuperable difficulties, arising from early habit, prejudice, fuperftition, reverence to their fuperiours, a defire of worldly good. -But above all, let me plead their undaunted and steady defence of the truth, when at last it made it's way to their hearts -their patient endurance of pain and contumely; distress and danger; and finally, even death itself, for the fake of Christ, and his Gospel. Magnanimous martyrs of Christian truth! If there be adverfaries fo irrational and unfeeling, as to impeach the competence of your understanding, or to queftion the extent of your integrity, on account of the errours and failings, which you have recorded with a candour and ingenuoufnels, fuch as alone fhould exempt you from cenfure, and from fufpicion; let me blunt the keennefs of their reproaches, and arreft the force of their reasoning, by employing the pathetic and forcible apology of a Christian Father in behalf of men, in whose C c whofe errours he had once fhared, and for whom therefore he was enabled to urge the moft extenuating pleas in the most persuafive language. Illi fæviant in vos, qui nefciunt quo cum labore verum inveniatur, et quàm difficilè caveantur errores. Illi in vos fæviant, qui nefciunt quàm rarum et arduum fit, carnalia phantafmata piæ mentis ferenitate fuperare. Illi in vos fæviant, qui nefciunt quantâ difficultate fanetur oculus interioris hominis, ut poffit intueri folem fuum. Illi in vos fæviant, qui nefciunt quantis gemitibus et fufpiriis fiat, ut ex quantulâcunque parte poffit intelligi Deus. Poftremò, illi in vos fæviant, qui nullo tali errore decepti funt, quali vos deceptos videtis*. * Auguftin. apud Grot. ubi fuprà. CHAPTER CHAPTER V. ON THE SCHEME OF THE GOSPEL. Difference, between the mode and extent of Chrift's preaching and that of the Apoftles, ftated.-made the ground of an objection by infidels.-Defign of the Gofpel.-offered to the Jews firft- but intended from the firft to comprehend the Gentiles. -Various proofs of this intention.— Rejection of it by the Jews foretold by our Lord, as well as the deftruction of the Jewish polity.-Difciples acted in conformity with the views and directions of their Master. -If they had made any alteration, it would have been of a very different kind from that imputed to them.-No motive can be affigned for their conduct in this particular, but their well-grounded confidence in the pretensions of Jefus to the title of Meffiah.-Improbabilities of any other fuppofition. IN N tracing the hiftory of the Christian religion through it's first stages, a striking difference is obfervable between the manner and the extent of Chrift's preaching, and that of his Apostles. The falutary labours of the former were confined to Judea; his difcourfes were addreffed to his countrymen, and his miracles, except in three* remarkable inftances, were exclufively wrought for their comfort and conviction. In one of the instances alluded to, he at first feemed to repel the entreaties of an heathen, who fought for an extenfion of his miraculous powers toward her child; and he declared that he was not fent but unto the loft sheep of the house of Ifrael +. He converfed indeed with Gentiles; but he seems to have converted none, if we except Zaccheus‡. In a charge given to his dif ciples, he expreffly enjoined them not to go "into the way of the Gentiles, nor to enter into any city of the Samaritans: but go rather to the loft sheep of the house of Ifrael §." He conformed, upon all occafions, to the Jewish ordinances, and enjoined the people to render obedience to the fucceffors of Mofes. His difciples, however, after his death, not only preached the Gospel in Samaria, but in every Heathen country; admitting the inhabitants to the rite of Baptifm, and to the privileges of the difpenfation which they published, without requiring them previously to fubmit to the yoke of The Centurion, the Syrophoenician woman, and the Samaritan leper. + Matt. xv. 24. ↑ Luke xix. In of the Mofaic law. Indeed they declared by a public edict, that circumcifion was not neceffary to be obferved by their Heathen profelytes; and only required, that they would "abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things ftrangled, and from fornication *." short, the substance of their preaching had the effect of fuperfeding that law, which had so long, and so justly been reverenced by the Jews; a law which a declaration of our Saviour + feemed to profefs his intention. of establishing. THIS difference between the manner, in which the Gospel was first published by Chrift, and that, in which it was taught by his disciples, has furnished some unbelievers with an argument; in the refutation of which I fhall endeavour to fhew, that this very difference conftitutes a strong proof of the truth of our religion. I fhall quote the objections, which have been urged on this point by Mr. Chubb, and by Lord Bolingbroke, and then proceed to reply to them, as well as to state the proper inference from the *Acts xv. 29. See, upon the concluding part of this verfe, Michaelis by Marsh, Voi. I. p. 178. + Matt. v. 17. |