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posed of particles from the eight guardian deities of the world: he, consequently, surpasses all mortals in glory. Like the sun, he burns eyes and hearts; nor can any human creature on earth even gaze on him. A king, even though a child, must not be treated lightly from an idea that he is a mere mortal: no, he is a powerful divinity who appears in human shape.* Brahmins are declared to be the basis, and Cshatryas the summit of the legal system. The military class cannot prosper without the sacerdotal, nor can the sacerdotal be raised without the military: both classes, by cordial union, are exalted in this world, and in the next."+

2. It is easy to read the characteristics of these various modifications of imposture: they constitute the safe internal evidence, by which a system of interested deception may be traced and detected and known. No such characteristics, however, mark the Christian religion as developed and set forth in the written word of the new covenant. Honesty and disinterestedness shine conspicuously throughout the entire code. We can discover no base pandering to the evil lusts and passions of our degenerate species; no artful contrivance, by which religion may be turned into gain, by which a false prophet may ac quire sovereignty and dominion, by which a venal priesthood may heap up to itself riches and honours and privileges. Lust and murder, persecution and rapine, are not allowed and justified and sanctified under the name of religion. No compromise is made with unholiness: no bartering is visible between profligacy and ritual observances. The rule is absolute,

unbending, universal.

"Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, vari

* Institutes of Menu, chap. v. § 96. chap. vii. § 4-7.

Ibid. chap. xi. § 84.

Ibid. chap. ix, § 322.

ance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's, have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.* Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God, for a sweet-smelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolator, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for, because of these things, cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them, For it is a shame even to speak of those things, which are done of them in secret."+

Such is the Christian rule of action: and in strict accordance with it is the disinterestedness of the Gospel.

Let the canonical books of the New Dispensation be examined with the most scrupulous accuracy; and nothing can be detected, which may excite the most distant suspicion that either Christ or his apostles sought their own temporal advantage or aggrandizement. If, at a subsequent period, evil men, their suc

Galat.

V. 16. 19-25.

Ephes. v. 1-12.

cessors, have dishonestly taught, that to give largely to the church is the most certain mode of expiating sins and of acquiring favour with God; if a towering edifice of gainful superstition and worldly domination has been erected upon the personal declaration to Peter, that he should be the rock upon which Christ would build his Church, whether composed of Jews or of Gentiles (a declaration accomplished in the remarkable circumstance, that by this honoured apostle the first fruits of each denomination were introduced into the communion of the faith*); if such deeds have at any time disgraced the followers of the lowly Jesus, they cannot impeach the unsullied integrity of his religion itself. Paul foretold, that, after his departure, grievous wolves should enter in among his spiritual children, not sparing the flock:† and it were a strange mode of reasoning to argue backward, to the worldly and self-aggrandizing character of Christianity, from the predicted and strongly reprobated secularity of a future generation. Would we judge of the spirit of the Gospel, we must turn to the written word. Christianity must be allowed to speak for herself, not in the actions of a degenerate priesthood, but from her own authenticated documents. The Gospel must be studied in the Gospel.

3. What then is the result of the preceding comparison, which has been instituted between Christianity on the one hand, and certain acknowledged impostures on the other hand? The result is this.

If the characteristics of those impostures form the internal evidence, that they are indeed nothing better than base and interested fabrications; then the charaeteristics of Christianity, being of a directly opposite description, must needs form a strong internal evidence, that it is in truth a religion sent down from God and, by parity of reasoning, the more forcibly

*Matt. xvi. 18, 19. Acts ii. 14-41. Acts x. See Bp. Horsley's Sermon on Matt. xvi. 18, 19, in Sermons, vol. i. P. 305. Acts xx. 29,

one set of characteristics evince imposture; the more forcibly also must the other set of characteristics evince genuineness. For direct opposites cannot bring out the same conclusion. Whence if the characteristics of Paganism and Mohammedism bring out the conclusion of fraud, the opposite characteristics of Christianity cannot but bring out the opposite conclusion of truth. The infidel, however, has persuaded himself, that direct opposites may bring out the same conclusion; for he deems Paganism, Mohammedism, and Christianity, to be alike impostures. Can he be acquitted of illogical reasoning and blind credulity?

SECTION VIII.

RECAPITULATION AND CONCLUSION,

BEFORE the present discussion is finally closed, it may be useful briefly to recapitulate the several difficulties with which deistical Infidelity has been found to be encumbered.

1. The difficulties in question are as follows.

1. The grounds and reasons of Infidelity, when fairly examined in six several points, involve such an extraordinary mass of contradictions, that in truth it is more easy to admit than to deny the existence of a divine revelation. For a revelation from heaven is neither, in the nature of things, abstractly impossible; nor is it so improbable an occurrence as to beggar all credibility; nor are the evidences for such a revelation so weak and unsatisfactory, that they are insufficient to command our reasonable assent; nor are the objections and difficulties such, that they cannot be removed; nor is there any solid foundation for the crude fancy, that, because some theological systems are acknowledged impostures, therefore every theological system is a mere human fabrication; nor yet is our unassisted reason so potent, as to exclude the very necessity of a divine revelation. On none of these points are the arguments of Infidelity conclusive and satisfactory: on the contrary, they are vague, illogical, and insufficient. *

2. Infidelity, when not degraded into absolute brutish atheism, specially claims to itself the appellation of Deism. Yet without the aid of revelation, we

* See above Sect. i.

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