to it's utmost Pitch. We are now confidering the different Degrees of Virtue, which may be supposed to have actually exifted, before and fince the Coming of Chrift. And here surely is no Room for Comparison.-I will but touch very flightly, first on Jewish, and then on Gentile Righteoufnefs. Whatever the Jews might have known, their Notions, in Fact, seem to have been miferably deficient. They neither understood their Maker, nor their Fellow Creatures; neither the spiritual Worship, which was acceptable to the former, nor the Univerfal Benevolence, which was due to the latter-Amidst this general Depravation both of religious and moral Sentiments, we can hardly fuppofe that particular Perfons, however honeft and well-difpofed, would be able to procure a right Information. The Thing at least must be extremely difficult, confidering the Force of Prejudice and the Contagion of Example. And fo long as they continued in this Ignorance; it was little lefs than impoffible, to make any confiderable Proficience in Virtue. But now fo great is the Alteration introduced by the Gofpel, that, upɔn these capital Points, it is fcarce poffible for a Chriftian to judge amifs. Not, I mean, without a wilful Inadvertence, or a criminal Partiality. From whence it follows that a Jew, by embracing Chriftianity, put himself into a Capacity of arriving at greater Perfection in Good

ness;

ness; and, by confequence, of obtaining a larger Share of Bliss and Glory in a Future State.

IF fuch was the Condition of the chofen People of God, what shall we think of those, who were Strangers to the Covenant? Amidst all the Errors and Corruptions of the Jews, at the Time of our Saviour's Appearance, Idolatry however could find no Place. The Belief and Worship of the one God had been carefully and religiously preferved among them, ever since their Return from the Babylonian Captivity. Whereas the Heathens not only erred in the Kind but in the Object of their Devotions; and this too almoft without Exception. The wifeft as well as the weakest concurred with one Confent in the Worship of a Multitude of imaginary Deities, and the Neglect of the True God.-Whatever then may be faid of the Perfection of Natural Religion, if it be true at all, it is true only in Theory. If we form our Judgment from Fact and Experience, we shall find that simple, unaffifted Nature had either left Men without any Religion at all, or engaged them, at best, in a false Religion. I do not at prefent recollect one Inftance of a Perfon not utterly irreligious, who refused to join in the Idolatry of his Country. If they did this against their Confcience; they wanted the Motives of Christianity, to draw them back to their Duty:

Duty: but if, as we are fuppofing, Men were Idolaters upon Principle; they then wanted the Doctrines of Christianity, to remove their Errors, and fet them into a right Way. In either Cafe they were faved by Faith; because, through Faith in Christ, they were recovered from the groffeft Superftition and Folly, to the Love and Fear of Almighty God.

To pursue these Reflections through every Part of Moral Duty would perhaps be going too far. I fhall content myfelf with obferving that the Heathens in general feem to have had no Notion of that unlimited Benevolence, and that unspotted Purity, which are the Marks and Badges of the Chriftian Profeffion.Leaving this Obfervation to fupport itself, I fhall now venture to conclude, from what has been faid, that a Good Chriftian is many De-. grees fuperior to a Good Heathen; and therefore that Faith in Chrift contributes in an eminent Degree to the Improvement of our Future Happiness.

IT may be of Ufe to reflect a little on what has been faid, that the entire Force of the Argument may be taken in at one View.-I undertook to prove that the Faith of a Chriftian conduces both to the Security, and the Improvement of our Happinefs in a Life to come. For this Purpofe it was neceflary to fhew, First, that a Chriftian is of all Men the most likely to be fincere in the Discharge of his

Duty:

Duty Secondly, that fuppofing him fincere, he will arrive at the greatest Degree of Perfection in Virtue. The former fecures; the latter improves his Reward. Each of these Points I have confidered in two different Lights: for first I have fhewn the Advantage of Faith, preferably to the highest Attainments of natural Reafon; and fecondly in Comparifon of the actual State of the World before the Coming of Chrift. In the former Senfe Faith is a Means of Salvation to us, and to all Chriflians. The latter more peculiarly' belongs to thofe Perfons who were converted to Christianity in the first Ages of the Gospel. And it is most frequently in this latter Sense, that Men's Salvation is in Scripture ascribed to Faith. But thefe, as well as many other Declarations in the New Teftament, tho' more emphatically true of the firft Chriftians, are yet in fome Senfe to be extended to all the Followers of Chrift in all Ages.

IT is no fmall Confirmation of the Reafoning I have used, that Experience and Hif tory feem to be on the fame Side. The great Change of Manners, which was ufually effected by Men's Converfion to Chriftianity, is a ftrong Proof of the Extent of it's Influence. And for the Reality of fuch a Change, we have the concurrent Teftimony of Friends

and

and Enemies. * The very Perfecutors themfelves, at least in the earliest Ages, could not forbear acknowleging their Virtue, while they condemned their Religion.-But our own Writers represent a Saint and a Chriftian as, generally speaking, the fame Thing: and, notwithstanding a few groundlefs Calumnies, they boldly affert their Freedom from the prevailing Vices of the Age, and challenge their Adverfaries to find a Man among them, who was guilty of any one notorious Crime. Paffages to this Purpose in Justin and Tertullian are too well known to be cited.-In the New Testament itself, Faith and Repentance are always confidered as Things infeparably connected, and mutually productive of each other. In fhort a Profelyte to the Gof pel was a Profelyte to Virtue, and therefore intitled to the Reward of Virtue.

The

AFTER what has been faid, I shall add but a very few Words with regard to the Sufficiency of Chriftian Faith. If it only produce thofe good Effects, which it is naturally fitted to produce, it will certainly be able to fave our Souls. But if thefe Effects are prevented by our Carele nefs or Obftinacy; we cannot be faid to fail of Salvation through the Infufficiency

It would be Lofs of Time to infert Paffages that have been fo often quoted. Let me juft obferve that Pliny and Lucian (de Mort. Peregr.) are unexceptionable Witneffes; the former being a Perfecutor, the latter a Derider of Chriftianity.