imagine that the purposes of God can be fruftrated. Innumerable methods are ever open to infinite wisdom. for defeating the projects of impotent mortals, when opposed to his determinations. The very means they employ to thwart, he can easily make fubfervient to the execution of his defigns; and the rage and obftinacy of his enemies, he can turn into the brighteft demonftrations of his interpofing power. A ftriking example of this we have in the propagation and establishment of the Gospel. The whole power and policy of the world, armed with the terrors of perfecution and death, and aided by the prejudices and vices of the times, appeared in firm array against Christianity. To combat this formidable oppofition, who were the perfons, and what the inftruments employed? A few illiterate fishermen from Galilee, without authority, or art, or affluence, or learning, or any other natural qualification, except innocence and truth, that could engage the public attention, or afford the leaft probability of fuccefs. And yet, in their hands, and under all these disadvantages, the gospel profpered, and triumphed gloriously over all its enemies. To what caufe are we to afcribe this? To what, but to the cause affigned in the Chriftian records; the supernatural and miraculous powers with which the apostles and first minifters were endowed. The power of God wrought mightily in them and with them, and for them; in them, by imparting the gifts of knowledge and wisdom and fortitude, in an extraordinary degree; with them, by the many figns and wonders they were enabled to perform; and for them, by opening and changing the E the hearts of men, and difpofing outward circumftances and events in a fubferviency to the great object in view. The establishment of Christianity, then, by fuch unlikely inftruments, and in the face of such a powerful combination, hath exhibited a most illustrious display of divine power and wifdom, interpofing and conducting the undertaking; and hath furnished a standing evidence to all fucceeding generations, of its truth and and divine original. The treafure was committed to earthen veffels, that the excellency of the power might appear to be of God, and not of man. Such are the grounds upon which we admit the truth of the Chriftian revelation, and adhere to it as the mean of obtaining eternal life. And what is there in our religion or its evidences that ought to make us afhamed of our hope? We feel the neceffity of the remedy; we fee its fuitableness to our condition and cir cumstances, and we difcern the hand of wisdom and mercy kindly adminiftering it. And shall we be so ungrateful to God, or so regardless of our own happiness, as tamely to refign our faith to the impious fneer of the libertine, or to the vain fophiftry of the infidel? If the Chriftian revelation contains the words of eternal life, then in what light are we to consider the bold and persevering attempts of the unbeliever to tear up the foundations of this excellent religion, and to expose it to general contempt? Can we regard him as the friend of God, of truth, and of the human kind? With a decifive tone, he pronounces the gospel an impofition upon upon the credulity of the world; but what arguments hath he produced in fupport of his affertion? Has he fhewn the Gospel to be unsuitable to the character and neceffities of men, or unworthy of the wisdom and goodness of God; or, in its own nature, inadequate to the end in view? Or has he been fuccefsful in demonftrating the evidences of it to be weak and inconclufive? Or has he pointed out any other fcheme of religiou more worthy of the Deity, better adapted to our prefent condition, fupported by ftronger proof, or more beneficial to the best interests of mankind?-Objections and difficulties without number have been muttered up, and much art and ingenuity displayed in fetting them off to the best advantage. But when laid in the balance against the evidences of Christianity, they are found to be lighter than nothing, and vanity. Does the unbeliever object against the gofpel, because of the mysterious doctrines it reveals? Before we can be moved by this objection, he must prove that God either cannot or will not reveal any doctrine above the investigation or comprehenfion of human reafon; or that we cannot rationally believe the existence of any thing, the effence of which we do not understand; or that we cannot be faved by means, the tendency of which to that end is either not perceptible by us, or not explained. Does the infidel object to the truth of Chriftianity on account of its partial and limited promulgation? Before this objection can be urged with any degree of propriety, he muft fhew that the great Sovereign Sovereign of the world difpenfes the bounties of his providence in equal proportions to all his creatures, that men are as perfect as angels, and that all men enjoy. equal advantages in point of capacity, and the various means of intellectual and moral improvement. Or if the reverfe of this be evident from the general course of providence, he muft affign a fatisfactory reason, why God, in the difpenfation of the gospel, fhould recede from the ordinary rule. The perverfions and abuses of our religion, and its pretended failure in. effecting the purposes for which it was revealed, have been infifted upon with much triumph as an argument against its divine original. But do not thefe mighty advocates for reafon and the religion of nature perceive, that, by this mode of arguing, they deflroy their own foundation, and fink into downright atheism. What now becomes of reafon and natural religion? Have these never been perverted, or have they never failed of fuccefs? Or if they have, does it follow that they were not given us by the Author of our being for the direction of our conduct? This, I fuppofe, no confiftent deift will admit; and if he will not, then why should the gospel revelation be rejected upon a pretence, which operates as forcibly, and in the same manner, against the divine original of the law of nature, as against that of Christianity? After all, it must be acknowledged, that, however much the influence of the gospel hath been obstructed by the paffions and prejudices of men, it hath produced the happiest effects, wherever it hath been fincerely em braced. braced. No nation has been so polished, so flourishing, so happy as those who have paid a strict regard to the laws and inftitutions of Jefus; and none have been lefs fo, than those who either would not fubmit to them, or under a feigned fubmiffion have corrupted and abused them. Since, therefore, the natural tendency of the Christian revelation is to render mankind virtuous and happy, and fince it hath actually produced this effect wherever its divine influences have been admitted and felt, it must furely be as fenfeless as it is unjust, to object to it on account of the vices and corruptions of its profeffors, when they are manifeftly the confequences, not of adhering to it, but of acting in oppofition to its authority. But befides those who have attempted to contra. vert the credibility of the Christian religion, by arguments and objections drawn from the fubject itself, or from the nature of the evidence upon which it refts, there is another class of unbelievers, against whom the Chriftian ought to be equally upon his guard. The perfons I have in my eye are thofe, who, being either too ignorant or too diffipated to be capable of inveftigations of this kind, endeavour to fortify themselves in a habit of indifference about Chriftianity, and to spread the fame indifference among their acquaintances, upon this ground, that it is unneceffary. They affirm, that God hath communicated to every nation and to every individual,`a sufficient measure of light and direction in matters of religion, and that he will judge them at laft by their opportunities and advantages; and confe quently, |