in their Master's steps; "they laid not the arguments " and proofs of their miffion before their difciples, " but insisted constantly on the ready acknowledge" ment of their doctrines, without any conceffion of " time for doubt or deliberation. Of the terms of the "covenant, one declaration was often thought fuffi"cient.-Not to accept them, was to reject them; and " the least standing off gave up the unbeliever to repro"bation."-For conveying deliberate and rational in. struction, the tells us the apostles were ill qualified; "they had neither leisure nor qualifications for fuch a " method; they could have no time to spare, if they " were so disposed; their commission required them " to keep stirring; they could not afford to attend to " impertinent queries, and lose their precious mo"ments in controverfies, and therefore it was abso,

lutely requisite, from their circumstances, that " their hearers should come in at a short warning, "to snatch the critical opportunity; that they should " be expeditious in their motions, and comply " without the least hefsitation."

Such are the general outlines of this author's plan, and if his facts were true his inference would be undoubtedly well-founded; but I am compelled by the force of truth, combined with the interest of religion, to affert (what I think the following work will prove) that his statement of facts is untrue, founded on a gross misrepresentation of the gospel history; and I have quoted his assertions to enable my readers to

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compare them with the statements of the following work, and with the scripture itself, that they may thence learn diffidence and caution, when studying the writings of the adverfaries to Christianity, and pot without a due enquiry rely on the strongest afsertions as to the plaineft facts, when irreligion and sophistry direct the pen.

It is not my intention to detain my reader, by enumerating the various grounds of doubt and objection advanced on this fubject, by Collins and Woolfton, Chubb and Bolingbroke. Thefe writers, as well as those, whose objections I have quoted, have been indeed fo fairly and fully answered, that it might have been hoped this objection would not again have been brought forward; but at this time, which unhappily may be characterized as peculiarly productive of levity, scepticism and profaneness, there is no objection to the gospel, however obsolete and plainly refuted, which has not been revived with zeal and preffed with confidence. Nor is this difficult to account for. When the fcriptures are least studied, objections against them will ever appear moft plaufible, and where the restraints of the divine law are least regarded, its evidence will always be attacked with mest zeal and most success. Even ignorance itself will encrease the confidence of the ob jector; for in every extensive scheme, fupported by

* Ib. p. 38, 39. Vid. Infra, chap. ii. fect. 5.

historical evidence, doubts and difficulties float upon the furface, their solutions cannot be found without a deeper search, and the exercise of sober enquiry and patient attention. To superficial enquirers every objection is new, and the answer to every objection is unknown: hence old difficulties are revived when their folutions are forgotten, and the writers who discussed them, sleep undisturbed in the deepest receffes of our libraries. Thus it has fared with the fubject of the following essay: Monfieur Boulanger, whose works are diftinguished with the title of the Philofophic Library, and were published from the Philofophic Press in Switzerland in 1791, has employed one volume in unmasking (as he terms it) Christianity, and another, in a critical examination of St. Paul, and has retailed every objection of the English Deistical writers with the fullest confidence, without once deigning to notice any of the anfwers given to them; amongst these, that of enthusiasin holds a diftinguished place. A few extracts will shew the warmth of this writer's zeal, the unrestrained freedom and wide extent of his affertions. In his preface he tells us, " that wherever we turn our ob" servation we fee the study of the objects most im"portant for man totally neglected. Morality, " under which I comprehend the science of policy, " is almost totally neglected in European education;

* Boulanger, tome 7, p. 22, 23, 24. Vid. in answer, if indeed it requires an answer, infra, the third and fixth chapter. I have been careful to translate this author literally.

English

" the only morality which is taught to Christians is "that enthusiastic, impracticable, contradictory, un" certain morality, which we see contained in the " gospel, which is only fitted (as I believe I have "proved) to degrade the spirit, to render virtue "hateful, to form abject flaves, to break the spring " of the foul, or, if it is implanted in warm tempers, " it produces nothing but fanatics capable of over" turning the foundations of fociety. Yet in spite " of the inutility, and the perverseness of that mora"lity in which Christianity trains men, its defenders " prefume to tell us, that without religion one can "not preserve morals; but what is it to preserve " good morals in the language of Christians? It is to "pray without ceasing, to frequent churches, to do

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penance, to live in abstraction and retirement. "What good can refult to fociety from such practices " as these, which one can observe without having "the shadow of virtue? If morals of this kind lead "to heaven, they are most uselefs upon earth. If "these are virtues, we must admit that without religi

on it is impoffible to preserve virtue; but, on the other " hand, one may observe strictly every thing which "Chriftianity recommends, without having any " one of those virtues which reason points out to us " as neceffary to sustain political societies. We must "therefore carefully diftinguish religious morality " from focial morality; the first makes faints, the " other citizens: the one renders men useless, or even " mischievous, to the world; the other ought to have

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" for its object to form for society useful, active " members capable of ferving it, who may fulfil the "duties of husbands and fathers, of friends, and affo"ciates, however different their metaphysical opini " ons may be, which, whatever theology may fay, " are much less certain than the invariable rules of " good fenfe.

In another " place he tells us, that " it is impoffi "ble to follow the precepts of a reasonable morality, " under a religion which makes a merit of zeal, of " enthusiasm, of fanaticism the most destructive; he "attributes to Christianity, perfecution, intolerance, " fomenting sedition and regicide in favour of religi " on. * To love our neighbour as ourselves to love

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our enemies to refift not evil-all these he attri" butes to fanaticism. It may be afferted, says he, " in general, that fanaticism and enthusiasm are the " foundation of the morality of Christ. -The virtues "which he recommends tend to isolate men from " each other, to plunge them into a gloomy humour, " to render them pernicious to their fellow-crea"tures." Faith and hope he ridicules, charity he pronounces difficult, if not impossible, in Christianity. Christian humility is, according to him, " only pro