pretext of this religion to trouble the world and gratify their paffions. What is there upon honour to difapprove in the morality contained in the decalogue? If there was in the gofpel, only this fingle precept, "Therefore all things, whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even fo to them," we fhould be obliged to acknowledge that these few words contain the quinteffence of all morality; and were not the forgiveness of injuries, charity, and humanity, preached by Jefus in his excellent fermon on the mountain? He should not have confounded the law with the abuse; things written with things that are practiced; the genuine chriftian morals with those which the priests have degraded. How then can he charge the chriftian religion itself with being the cause of depravation of morals? But the author might accuse the ecclefiaftics with fubftituting faith to the virtues of fociety, external ceremonies to good works, frivolous expiations to the remorfe of confcience, the indulgencies which they fell, to the neceffity of reformation. He might reproach them, with abfolving from oaths, of constraining and tyrannizing confciences. Thefe criminal abufes deferve that we should oppofe fuch as introduce, as well as thofe who authorize them.

Pofthumous Works of Frederick III. King of Prussia.

THE SUBJECT CONTINUED.

It is related, that one day Mr. Beauzet, a member of the French academy, went to fee Diderot, one of the

champions of infidelity, and found him explaining a chapter of the gospel to his daughter, as seriously, and with the concern of the most christian parent; Mr. Beauzet expreffed his furprise. "I underftand you," faid Diderot, "but in truth where could I find, or what better leffon could I give her ?"

Barruel's Hiflory of Jacobinifm. D'Alembert, another French infidel, fpeaks respectfully of Jefus Chrift, deferibes him as a philofopher and reformer; the foe of fuperftition and perfecution; one who taught benevolence and juftice; and who reduced all law to the love of our neighbour, and the adoration of God in spirit and truth. Such, he fays, was the primitive state of christianity, which is now fadly debased. He gives it as his decided opinion, that reducing it to its primitive flate, would be rendering effential fervice to mankind.

Lord Bolingbroke, a celebrated English deift, obferves, that, fuppofing chriftianity to have been an human invention, it has been the most amiable invention that ever was impofed on mankind for their good; that chriftiani-. ty, as it came out of the hand of God, was a most fimple and intelligible mode of belief, worship, and manners; and that the gospel is in all cafes one continual leffon of the ftricteft morality, of justice, of benevolence, and of univerfal charity. Bolingbroke's Works.

Gibbon, the celebrated deiftical hiftorian, has obferved, that "the chriftian religion contains a pure, benevolent, and univerfal fyftem of ethics, adapted to every duty, and every condition in life."

Hiftory of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

SECTION XXV.

The Hiftorical Evidences for the Genuineness, Truth, and Divine Authority of the Scriptures, do not Diminish from Age to Age, but it may be prefumed that they rather Increase.

IT is fometimes alleged as an in

direct objection to the chriftian religion, that the evidence for facts done in former times diminishes with the diftance of time and place, and confequently that the evidence of the truth of chriftianity will be fo inconfiderable as not to claim our affent, even allowing that it does so now. To this I anfwer,

First, That printing has fo far fecured all confiderable monuments of antiquity, as that no ordinary calamities of wars, diffolutions of governments, &c. can deftroy any material evidence now in being; or render it lefs probable in any difcernible degree, to thofe who fhould live five hundred or a thoufand years hence.

Secondly, As many new evidences and coincidences have been discovered in favour of the Jewish and christian histories, fince the three great concurring events of printing, the reformation of religion in these western parts, and in the restoration of letters, as in fome measure to make up for the evidence loft in the preceding times, and fince the improvement in the hiftorical evidence is likely to contin

ue, there is reason to hope that they will grow every day more and more irrefiftible to all candid inquirers.*

Thirdly, That it is our business to weigh carefully the evidence which appears at prefent, leaving the care of future ages to Providence; and that the prophetical evidences are manifeftly of an increafing nature.

Hartley on the Chriftian Religion.

* A late writer obferves, that," As the laft century is remarkable for having furnished an unprecedented number of attacks on revealed religion, through the medium of science, so it is no less remarkable for having discovered much fupport to revelation, from the inquiries of philofophers, and the observations of travellers. Many of the difcoveries made in mechanical and chemical philosophy, during this period, have ferved to illucidate and confirm various parts of the chriftian fcriptures. Every fober and well directed inquiry into the natural history of man, and of the globe we inhabit, has been found to corroborate the Mofaic account of the creation, the fall, the deluge, the difperfion, and other important events recorded in the facred volume. To which we may add, that the reports of voyagers and travellers have no lefs remarkably ferved to eluftrate the facred records, and to confirm the faith of chriftians, Never was there a period of the fame extent, in which fo much in favour of revelation were drawn from the inquiries of philofophy, as that of the eighteenth century; nor was it ever rendered fo apparent, that the information and the doctrines contained in the facred volume, perfectly harmonize with the most authentic discoveries, and the foundest principles of fcience." Millers' Retrofpect of the Eighteenth Century

END OF THE SECOND PART.

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