clearest arguments. It is a fixed point with them, that the religion which indulgeth their passions, is the best religion, and that which restrains them most, the worst. This is the rule, that is the touchstone, by which they examine all things. The more proofs we produce for religion, the more we prejudice them against religion; because the more forcible our arguments are, the more effectually we oppose their passions, and the more we oppose their passions, the more we alienate them from that religion which opposeth them.

I appeal to experience. The scripture affords us a plain example, and a full comment, in the behavior of the unbelieving Jews who lived in the time of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ preached; he condemned the prejudices of the synagogue; he subverted the favorite carnal systems of the Jews; he attacked the vices of their superiors; he preached against the irregularity of their morals; he unmasked the hypocritical pharisees. These attacks were sufficient to excite their rage and madness; and they being disposed to gratify their anger, examined the doctrine of Jesus Christ only for the sake of finding fault with it. Jesus Christ must be destroyed; for this purpose, snares must be laid for his innocence, his doctrine must be condemned, and he must be proved, if possible, a false Messiah. They interrogate him on articles of religion and policy; but Jesus Christ gives satisfactory answers to all their questions. They examine his morals; but every step of his life appears wise and good. They sift his conversation; but every expression is always with grace, seasoned with salt, Col. iv. 6. and dispensations are not granted to the POOR ; for, not having wherewith to pay, they cannot be COMFORTED.

The zeal of the reformers against the church of Rome ceaseth to appear intemperate in my eye, when I consider these detestable enormities.

None of these schemes will effect their designs. The man, say they, preacheth a new doctrine; if he were sent of God, he would produce some proof of his mission; Moses and the prophets wrought miracles. Jesus Christ performeth miracles, he heals the sick, raiseth the dead, calms the winds and the waves, and altereth all the laws of nature. He operateth more than enough to persuade impartial minds. But their passions suggest answers. This fellow doth not cast out devils, say they, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils, Matt. xii. 24. But Lazarus, who was raised from the dead, and who is now living among you, speaks in favor of Jesus Christ: Lazarus must be made away with; he must be a second time laid in the tomb; all the traces of the glory of Jesus Christ must be taken away; and that light which is already too clear, and which will be hereafter still clearer, must be extinguished, lest it should discover, expose, and perplex us.

This is a natural image of a passionate infidel. Passion blinds him to the most evident truths. It is impossible to convince a man who is determined not to be convinced. One disposition, essential to the knowledge of truth, is a sincere love to it; The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, Psal. xxv. 14. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself, John vii. 17. This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil, chap. iii. 19.

5. We come finally, to the philosophical infidel; to him, who, if we believe him, is neither blinded by prejudices, nor prevented by negligence, nor infatuated by his imagination, nor beguiled by irregular passions. Hear him. He assures you, the

only wish that animates him, is that of knowing the truth, and that he is resolved to, obey it, find it where he will: But after he hath agitated a thousand questions, after he hath undertaken a thousand investigations, and consulted a thousand volumes, he hath found nothing satisfactory in a proof of christianity in short, he says he is an unbeliever only because he cannot meet with any motives of belief. Can it be said to such a man, neither wilt thou be persuaded, though one rose from the dead?

We will reply presently. But allow us first to ask a previous question. Are there any infidels of this kind? Is the man whom we have described, a real or an imaginary being? What a question! say you. What! can a man who devotes his whole life to meditation and study, a man, who hath searched all the writings of antiquity, who hath disentangled and elucidated the most dark and difficult passages, who hath wrecked his invention to find solutions and proofs, who is nourished and kept alive; if the expression may be used, with the discovery of truth; a man, beside, who seems to have renounced the company of the living, and has not the least relish for even the innocent pleasures of society, so far is he from running into their grossest diversions; can such a man be supposed to be an unbeliever for any other reason than because he thinks it his duty to be so? Can any, but rational motives induce him to disbelieve?

Undoubtedly; and it would discover but little knowledge of the human heart, were we to imagine either that such an infidel was under the dominion of gross sensual passions, or that he was free from the government of other, and more refined passions. A desire of being distinguished, a love of fame, the glory of passing for a superior genius, for

one, who hath freed himself from vulgar errors; these are, in general, powerful and vigorous passions, and these are usually the grand springs of a pretended philosophical infidelity. One undeniable proof of the truth of my assertion is his eagerness in publishing and propagating infidelity. Now this can proceed from nothing but from a principle of vain glory. For, why should his opinions be spread? For our parts, when we publish our systems, whether we publish truth or error, we have weighty reasons for publication. Our duty, we think, engageth us to propagate what we believe. In our opinion, they, who are ignorant of our doctrine, are doomed to endless misery. Is not this sufficient to make us lift up our voices? But you, who believe neither God nor judgment, nor heaven, nor hell; what madness inspires you to publish your sentiments? It is, say you, a desire of freeing society from the slavery, that religion imposeth on them. Miserable freedom! a freedom from imaginary errors, that plungeth us into an ocean of real miseries, that saps all the bases of society, that sows divisions in families, that excites rebellions in states, that deprives virtue of all its motives, all its inducements, all its supports. And what, pray, but religion, can comfort us under the sad catastrophes, to which all are subject, and from which the highest human grandeur is not exempt? What, but religion, can conciliate our minds to the numberless afflictions, which necessarily attend human frailty? Can any thing but religion calm our consciences under their agitations and troubles? Above all, what can relieve us in dying illnesses, when lying on a sick-bed, between present and real evils, and the frightful gloom of a dark futurity? Ah! if religion, which produceth such real effects, be a deception, leave me in possession of my deception; 2 M

VOL. II.

You are

I desire to be deceived, and I take him for my most eruel enemy, who offers to open my eyes. But let us give a more direct answer. a philosopher. You have examined religion. You find nothing that convinces you. Difficulties and doubts arise from every part; the prophecies are obscure; the doctrines are contradictory; the precepts are ambiguous; the miracles are uncertain. You require some new prodigy, and, in order to your full persuasion of the truth of immortality, you wish, some one would come from the dead, and attest it. I answer, if you reason consequentially, the motive would be useless, and, having resisted ordinary proofs, you ought, if you reason consequentially, to refuse to believe the very evidence, which you require. Let us confine ourselves to some one article to convince you, suppose, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The apostles bore witness that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. This is our argument. To you it appears jejune and futile,and your undetermined mind floats between two opinions; either the apostles you think, were deceived; or they deceived others. These are your objections. Now if either of these objections be well-grounded, I affirm, you ought not to believe, though one rose from the dead to persuade you.

The apostles were deceived you say. But this objection, if well grounded, lies against not only one, but twelve apostles; not only against twelve apostles, but against more than five hundred brethren; not only against more than five hundred brethren, 1 Cor. xv. 6. but against all, who attested the miracles wrought in favor of the resurrection of Christ all these persons, who, in other case's were rational, must have been insane, had they thought they had seen what they had not seen;