we may fairly conclude, that nothing lefs than the irrefiftible evidence of his own fenfes, clear from all poffibility of doubt, could have overcome his unbelief.

Vanity, or felf conceit, is another circumftance that for the most part prevails in the character of an enthusiast. That St. Paul was as free from vanity as any man that ever lived, is evident from all we fee of his writings, or know of his life. In his Epiftle to the Ephefians, he calls himself less than the leaft of all faints. And to the Corinthians, he says he is the leaft of the apostles, and not meet to be called an apofile, because he had perfecuted the church of God. He calls himself the chief of finners, in his Epistle to Timothy. And he prefers in the ftrongest terms univerfal benevolence to faith, prophecy, and miracles. Is this the language of vanity or enthusiasm? Did ever a fanatic prefer virtue to his own religious opinions, to illuminations of the spirit, and even to the merit of martyrdom?

Having thus fhewn that St. Paul was neither an impoftor nor an enthufiaft, it remains only to be inquired, whether he was deceived by the fraud of others; but this inquiry need not be long, for who was to deceive him? A few illiterate fishermen in Galilee. It was naturally impoffible for fuch men to conceive the thought of turning the most enlightened of their opponents, and the crueleft of their perfecutors into an apostle, and to do this by fraud, in the very instant of his greatest fury against them and their Lord. But could they have been fo extravagant, as to conceive such a thought, it was phyfically impoffible for them to execute it in the manner in which we find his converfion to have been effected. Could they produce in the air a light at noonday, which was brighter.

than the fun? Could they make Saul hear words from out of the light, which were not heard by the rest of the company? Could they make him blind for three days after the vision, and then make scales fall from his eyes, and reftore him to fight by a word? Or could they make him, and those who travelled with him, believe that these things had happened, if they had not happened? Moft certainly no fraud was equal to all this.

Since then St. Paul was neither an impoftor, an enthufiaft, nor deceived by the fraud of others, it follows that his converfion was miraculous; and therefore that the christian religion is a divine revelation.

Lyttleton on the Converfion of St. Paul.

SECTION VIII.

The Purity and Perfection of the Moral Precepts of Christianity an Argument for its Divine Original.

AN account of Jenyns' Internal Evi

dence of the Chriftian Religion has been given in the sketch of his life, in Part 1. The following extract is an abridgement of the third propofition contained in that work, which is as follows, viz.

That from this book, called the New Teftament, may be collected a fyftem of ethics, in which every moral precept founded on reafon, is carried to a higher degree of purity and perfection, than in any other of the antient philofophers of preceding ages.

Moral precepts founded on reafon, are fuch as enforce the practice of those duties that reafon informs us must improve our natures, and conduce to the happiness of mankind fuch as piety to God, benevolence to man, juftice, charity, temperance, and fobriety, with all thofe, which prohibit the commiffion of the contrary vices, all which debase our natures, and by mutual injuries, introduce univerfal diforder, and confequently universal misery.

Let us now examine what are the new precepts in the christian religion, peculiarly corresponding with the new object of it, that is preparing us for the kingdom of heaven. Of those, the chief are poornefs of fpirit, for

givenefs of injuries, and charity to all men ; to thefe we may add repentance, faith, self abasement, and a detachment from the world; all moral duties peculiar to this religion, and abfolutely neceffary to the attainment of its end.

Blessed are the poor in fpirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; by which poornefs of fpirit is to be underftood a difpofition of mind, meek, humble, fubmiffive to power, void of ambition, patient of injuries, and free from all refentment. This was fo new, and fo oppofite to the ideas of all pagan moralifts, that they thought this temper of mind a criminal and contemptuous meannefs, which muft induce men to facrifice the glory of their country, and their own honour to a fhameful pufillanimity; and fuch it appears to almoft all who are called chriftians, even at this day, who not only reject it in practice, but difavow it in principle, notwithstanding this explicit declaration of their master.

Another precept, equally new and no lefs excellent, is that forgiveness of injuries, which our Saviour enjoins in Matt. v. 23. This was a leffon fo new, and fo utterly unknown, till taught by his doctrines, and enforced by his example, that the wifeft moralifts of the wifeft nations and ages reprefented the defire of revenge as the mark of a noble mind, and the accomplishment of it, as one of the chief felicities attendant on a fortunate man. But how much more magnanimous, how much more beneficial to mankind is forgiveness! It is more magnanimous, becaufe every generous and exalted difpofition of the human mind is requifite to the practice of it; for thefe alone can enable us to bear the wrongs and infults of wickedness and folly with patience, and to look down on the perpetrators

of them with pity, rather than indignation; thefe alone can teach us, that such are but a part of those sufferings allotted to us in this ftate of probation, and to know, that to overcome evil with good, is the most glorious of all victories. It is the most beneficial, because this amiable conduct alone can put an end to an eternal fucceffion of injuries and retaliations, for every retaliation becomes a new injury, and requires another act of revenge for fatisfaction. But would we obferve this falutary precept, to love our enemies, and to do good to those who defpitefully use us, this obftinate benevolence would at laft conquer the most inveterate heart, and we should have no enemies to forgive.

A third precept, first noticed and firft enjoined by this inftitution, is charity to all men. What this is, we may beft learn from the admirable description in 1 Corinthians xiii. 4. Here we have an accurate delineation of this bright conftellation of all virtues, which confifts not, as many imagine, in the building of monafteries, endowment of hofpitals, or the diftribution of alms, but in fuch an amiable difpofition of mind, as exercises itself every hour in acts of kindness, patience, and complacency to all around us; and which alone is able to promote happiness in the prefent life, or render us capable of receiving it in another. And yet this commandment is declared to be new by the author of it. See John xiii. 34. This benevolent difpofition is made the great characteristic of a chriftian, the teft of his obedience, and the mark by which he is to be diftinguished. Yet was this commandment entirely new, when given by him who so entitles it, and has made it the capital duty of his religion, because the most indispensably neceffary to the attainment of its great object, the king