" Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath " great recompence of reward. For ye have great need " of persisting or perseverance;" (for so the Greek word signifies here, which our translation renders " patience." Vide Luke viii. 15.) " that after ye have done the will of " God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little " while, and he that shall come will come, and will not " tarry. Now the just shall live by faith. But if any " man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." The examples of faith, which St. Paul enumerates and proposes in the following words, chap. xi. plainly show, that the faith whereby those believers of old pleased God, was nothing but a steadfast reliance on the goodness and faithfulness of God, for those good things, which either the light of nature, or particular promises, had given them grounds to hope for. Of what avail this faith was with God, we may see, ver. 4, " By faith Abel offered " unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain; by " which he obtained witness that he was righteous." Ver. 5, " By faith Enoch was translated, that he should " not see death: for before his translation he had this " testimony, that he pleased God." Ver. 7, " Noah " being warned of God of things not seen as yet;" being wary, " by faith prepared an ark, to the saving of his " house; by the which he condemned the world, and " became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."
And what it was that God so graciously accepted and rewarded, we are told, ver. 11, " Through faith also " Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and " was delivered of a child, when she was past age." How she came to obtain this grace from God, the apostle tells us, " Because she judged him faithful who " had promised." Those therefore, who pleased God, and were accepted by him before the coming of Christ, did it only by believing the promises, and relying on the goodness of God, as far as he had revealed it to them. For the apostle, in the following words, tells us, ver. 13, " These all died in faith, not having received " (the accomplishment of) the promises; but having " seen them afar off: and were persuaded of them, and " embraced them." This was all that was required of The Reasonableness of Christianity, them; to be persuaded of, and embrace the promises which they had. They could be " persuaded of" no more than was proposed to them; " embrace" no more than was revealed; according to the promises they had received, and the dispensations they were under. And if the faith of things " seen afar off;" if their trusting in God for the promises he then gave them; if a belief of the Messiah to come; were sufficient to render those who lived in the ages before Christ acceptable to God, and righteous before him: I desire those who tell us, that God will not (nay, some go so far as to say, cannot) accept any, who do not believe every article of their particular creeds and systems, to consider, why God, out of his infinite mercy, cannot as well justify men now, for believing Jesus of Nazareth to be the promised Messiah, the King and Deliverer; as those heretofore, who believed only that God would, according to his promise, in due time, send the Messiah, to be a King and Deliverer.
There is another difficulty often to be met with, which seems to have something of more weight in it: and that is, that " though the faith of those before " Christ (believing that God would send the Messiah, <( to be a Prince and a Saviour to his people, as he had " promised), and the faith of those since his time (be-" lieving Jesus to be that Messiah, promised and sent " by God), shall be accounted to them for righteous-" ness; yet what shall become of all the rest of man-" kind, who, having never heard of the promise or news " of a Saviour; not a word of a Messiah to be sent, " or that was come; have had no thought or belief con-" cerning him?"
To this I answer; that God will require of every man, " according to what a man hath, and not according to " what he hath not." He will not expect the im provement of ten talents, where he gave but one; nor require any one should believe a promise of which he has never heard. The apostle's reasoning, Rom. x. 14, is very just: " How shall they believe in him, of whom " they have not heard?" But though there be many who being strangers to the commonwealth of Israel, as delivered in the Scriptures. 133 were also strangers to the oracles of God, committed to that people; many, to whom the promise of the Mes siah never came, and so were never in a capacity to be lieve or reject that revelation; yet God had, by the light of reason, revealed to all mankind, who would make use of that light, that he was good and merciful. The same spark of the divine nature and knowledge in man, which making him a man, showed him the law he was under, as a man; showed him also the way of aton ing the merciful, kind, compassionate Author and Fa ther of him and his being, when he had transgressed that law. He that made use of this candle of the Lord, so far as to find what was his duty, could not miss to find also the way to reconciliation and foregiveness, when he had failed of his duty: though, if he used not his reason this way, if he put out or neglected this light, he might, perhaps, see neither.
The law is the eternal, immutable standard of right. And a part of that law is, that a man should forgive, not only his children, but his enemies, upon their re pentance, asking pardon, and amendment. And there fore he could not doubt that the author of this law, and God of patience and consolation, who is rich in mercy, would forgive his frail offspring, if they acknowledged their faults, disapproved the iniquity of their transgres sions, begged his pardon, and resolved in earnest, for the future, to conform their actions to this rule, which they owned to be just and right. This way of reconci liation, this hope of atonement, the light of nature re vealed to them: and the revelation of the gospel, having said nothing to the contrary, leaves them to stand and fall to their own Father and Master, whose goodness and mercy is over all his works.
I know some are forward to urge that place of the Acts, chap. iv. as contrary to this. The words, ver. 10 and 12, stand thus: " Beit known unto you all, and " to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus " Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God " raised from the dead, even by him, doth this man " [i, e. the lame man restored by Peter] " stand here be- 134 The Reasonableness of Christianity, " fore you whole. This is the stone which is set at " nought by you builders, which is become the head of " the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: " for there is none other name under heaven given " among men, in which we must be saved." Which, in short, is, that Jesus is the only true Messiah, neither is there any other person, but he, given to be a mediator between God and man; in whose name we may ask, and hope for salvation.
It will here possibly be asked, " Quorsum perditio " hsec? " What need was there of a Saviour? What ad vantage have we by Jesus Christ?
It is enough to justify the fitness of any thing to be done, by resolving it into the " wisdom of God," who has done it; though our short views, and narrow un derstandings, may utterly incapacitate us to see that wis dom, and to judge rightly of it. We know little of this visible, and nothing at all of the state of that intellectual world, wherein are infinite numbers and degrees of spi rits out of the reach of our ken, or guess; and therefore know not what transactions there were between God and our Saviour, in reference to his kingdom. We know not what need there was to set up an head and a chieftain, in opposition to " the prince of this world, the prince " of the power of the air," &c. whereof there are more than obscure intimations in scripture. And we shall take too much upon us, if we shall call God's wisdom or providence to account, and pertly condemn for needless all that our weak, and perhaps biassed, understanding cannot account for.
Though this general answer be reply enough to the forementioned demand, and such as a rational man, or fair searcher after truth, will acquiesce in; yet in this particular case, the wisdom and goodness of God has shown itself so visibly to common apprehensions, that it hath furnished us abundantly wherewithal to satisfy the curious and inquisitive; who will not take a blessing, unless they be instructed what need they had of it, and why it was bestowed upon them. The great and many advantages we receive by the coming of Jesus the Mesas delivered in the Scriptures. 135 si ah, will show, that it was not without need, that he was sent into the world.
The evidence of our Saviour's mission from heaven is so great, in the multitude of miracles he did before all sorts of people, that what he delivered cannot but be re ceived as the oracles of God, and unquestionable verity. For the miracles he did were so ordered by the divine providence and wisdom, that they never were, nor could be denied by any of the enemies, or opposers of Christianity.
Though the works of nature, in every part of them, sufficiently evidence a deity; yet the world made so little use of their reason, that they saw him not, where, even by the impressions of himself, he was easy to be found. Sense and lust blinded their minds in some, and a careless inadvertency in others, and fearful apprehen sions in most, (who either believed there were, or could not but suspect there might be, superiour unknown be ings,) gave them up into the hands of their priests, to fill their heads with false notions of the Deity, and their worship with foolish rites, as they pleased: and what dread or craft once began, devotion soon made sacred, and religion immutable. In this state of darkness and ignorance of the true God, vice and superstition held the world. Nor could any help be had, or hoped for, from reason; which could not be heard, and was judged to have nothing to do in the case; the priests, every where, to secure their empire, having excluded reason from having any thing to do in religion. And in the crowd of wrong notions, and invented rites, the world had almost lost the sight of the one only true God. The rational and thinking part of mankind, it is true, when they sought after him, they found the one supreme, invisible God; but if they acknowledged and worshipped him, it was only in their own minds. They kept this truth locked up in their own breasts as a secret, nor ever durst venture it amongst the people; much less amongst the priests, those wary guardians, of their own creeds and profitable inventions. Hence we see, that reason, speak ing ever so clearly to the wise and virtuous, had never authority enough to prevail on the multitude; and to 136 The Reasonableness of Christianity, persuade the societies of men, that there was but one God, that alone was to be owned and worshipped. The belief and worship of one God, was the national religion of the Israelites alone: and if we will consider it, it was introduced and supported amongst the people by reve lation. They were in Goshen, and had light, whilst the rest of the word were in almost Egyptian darkness, " without God in the world." There was no part of mankind, who had quicker parts, or improved them more; that had a greater light of reason, or followed it farther in all sorts of speculations, than the Athenians; and yet we find but one Socrates amongst them, that opposed and laughed at their polytheism, and wrong opi nions of the Deity; and we see how they rewarded him for it. Whatsoever Plato, and the soberest of the phi losophers, thought of the nature and being of the one God, they were fain, in their outward professions and worship, to go with the herd, and keep to their religion established by law: which what it was, and how it had disposed the minds of these knowing and quick-sighted Grecians, St. Paul tells -us, Acts xvii. 22—29, " Ye " men of Athens," says he, " I perceive, that in all " things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, " and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this " inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom there-" fore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
" God that made the world, and all things therein, see-" ing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth " not in temples made with hands: neither is wor-" shipped with men's hands, as though he needed any " thing, seeing that he giveth unto all life, and breath, '•' and all things; and hath made of one blood all the " nations of men, for to dwell on the face of the earth; '* and hath determined the times before appointed, and " the bounds of their habitations; that they should seek " the Lord, if haply they might feel him out and find " him, though he be not far from every one of us." Here he tells the Athenians, that they, and the rest of the world (given up to superstition) whatever light there was in the works of creation and providence, to lead them to the true God; vet few of them found him, as delivered in the Scriptures. 137 He was every- where near them; yet they were but like people groping and feeling for something in the dark, and did not see him with a full and clear day-light; " but thought the Godhead like to gold and siver, and " stone, graven by art and man's device."
In this state of darkness and errour, in reference to the Ci true God," our Saviour found the world. But the clear revelation he brought with him, dissipated this darkness; made the " one invisible true God " known to the world: and that with such evidence and energy, that polytheism and idolatry have no-where been able to withstand it: but wherever the preaching of the truth he delivered, and the light of the gospel hath come, those mists have been dispelled. And, in effect, we see, that since our Saviour's time, the " belief of one <( God " has prevailed and spread itself over the face of the earth. For even to the light that the Messiah brought into the world with him, we must ascribe the owning and profession of one God, which the mahometan religion hath derived and borrowed from it. So that in this sense it is certainly and manifestly true of our Saviour, what St. John says of him, 1 John iii. 8, "For " this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he " might destroy the works of the devil." This light the world needed, and this light is received from him: that there is but " one God," and he " eternal, invisible; " not like to any visible objects, nor to be represented by them.
If it be asked, whether the revelation to the patriarchs by Moses did not teach this, and why that was not enough? The answer is obvious; that however clearly the knowledge of one invisible God, maker of heaven and earth, was revealed to them; yet that revelation was shut up in a little corner of the world; amongst a people, by that very law, which they received with it, excluded from a commerce and communication with the rest of mankind. The gentile world, in our Sa viour's time, and several ages before, could have no at testation of the miracles on which the Hebrews built their faith, but from the jews themselves, a people not known to the greatest part of mankind; contemned 138 The Reasonableness of Christianity, and thought vilely of, by those nations that did know them; and therefore very unfit and unable to propagate the doctrine of one God in the world, and diffuse it through the nations of the earth, by the strength and force of that ancient revelation, upon which they had received it. But our Saviour, when he came, threw down this wall of partition; and did not confine his miracles or message to the land of Canaan, or the wor shippers at Jerusalem. But he himself preached at Sa maria, and did miracles in the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and before multitudes of people gathered from all quarters. And after his resurrection, sent his apo stles amongst the nations, accompanied with miracles; which were done in ail parts so frequently, and before so many witnesses of all sorts, in broad day-light, that, as I have before observed, the enemies of Christianity have never dared to deny them; no, not Julian himself: who neither wanted skill nor power to inquire into the truth: nor would have failed to have proclaimed and exposed it, if he could have detected any falsehood in the history of the gospel; or found the least ground to question the matter of fact published of Christ and his apostles. The number and evidence of the miracles done by our Saviour and his followers, by the power and force of truth, bore down this mighty and accomplished emperor, and all his parts, in his own dominions. He durst not deny so plain a matter of fact, which being granted, the truth of our Saviour's doctrine and mission unavoidably follows; notwithstanding whatsoever artful suggestions his wit could invent, or malice should offer to the contrary.
/tNext to the knowledge of one God; maker of all things; " a clear knowledge of their duty was wanting t( to mankind." This part of knowledge, though cul tivated with some care by some of the heathen philoso phers, yet got little footing among the people. All men, indeed, under pain of displeasing the gods, were to frequent the temples: every one went to their sacri fices and services: but the priests made it not their business to teach them virtue. If they were dili gent in their observations and ceremonies; punctual as delivered in the Scriptures. 139 in their feasts and solemnities, and the tricks of religion; the holy tribe assured them the gods were pleased, and they looked no farther. Few went to the schools of the philosophers to be instructed in their duties, and to know what was good and evil in their actions. The priests sold the better pennyworths, and therefore had all the custom. Lustrations and processions were much easier than a clean conscience, and a steady course of virtue; and an expiatory sacrifice that atoned for the want of it, was much more convenient than a strict and holy life. No wonder then, that religion was every where distinguished from, and preferred to virtue; and that it was dangerous heresy and profaneness to think the contrary. So much virtue as was necessary to hold societies together, and to contribute to the quiet of governments, the civil laws of commonwealths taught, and forced upon men that lived under magistrates.
But these laws being for the most part made by such, who had no other aims but their own power, reached no farther than those things that would serve to tie men together in subjection; or at most were directly to conduce to the prosperity and temporal happiness of any people. But natural religion, in its full extent, was no-where, that I know, taken care of, by the force of natural reason. It should seem, by the little that has hitherto been done in it, that it is too hard a task for unassisted reason to establish morality in all its parts, upon its true foundation, with a clear and convincing light. And it is at least a surer and shorter way, to the apprehensions of the vulgar, and mass of mankind, that one manifestly sent from God, and coming with visible authority from him, should, as a king and law maker, tell them their duties; and require their obe dience; than leave it to the long and sometimes intri cate deductions of reason, to be made out to them. Such trains of reasoning the greatest part of mankind have neither leisure to weigh; nor, for want of educa tion and use, skill to judge of. We see how unsuccessful in this the attempts of philosophers were before our Saviour's time. How short their several systems came of the perfection of a true and complete morality, is 140 The Reasonableness of Christianity, very visible. And if, since that, the Christian philoso phers have much out-done them: yet we may observe, that the first knowledge of the truths they have added, is owing to revelation: though as soon as they are heard and considered, they are found to be agreeable to rea son; and such as can by no means be contradicted.
Every one may observe a great many truths, which he receives at first from others, and readily assents to, as consonant to reason, which he would have found it hard, and perhaps beyond his strength, to have dis covered himself. Native and original truth is not so easily wrought out of the mine, as we, who have it de livered already dug and fashioned into our hands, are apt to imagine. And how often at fifty or threescore years old are thinking men told what they wonder how they could miss thinking of? Which yet their own contemplations did not, and possibly never would have helped them to. Experience shows, that the knowledge of morality, by mere natural light, (how agreeable so ever it be to it,) makes but a slow progress, and little advance in the world. Arid the reason of it is not hard to be found in men's necessities, passions, vices, and mistaken interests; which turn their thoughts another way: and the designing leaders, as well as following herd, find it not to their purpose to employ much of their meditations this way. Or whatever else was the cause, it is plain, in fact, that human reason unassisted failed men in its great and proper business of morality. It never from unquestionable principles, by clear deduc tions, made out an entire body of the " law of nature."
And he that shall collect all the moral rules of the phi losophers, and compare them with those contained in the New Testament, will find them to come short of the morality delivered by our Saviour, and taught by his apostles; a college made up, for the most part, of ignorant, but inspired fishermen.
Though yet, if any one should think, that out of the sayings of the wise heathens before our Saviour's time, there might be a collection made of all those rules of morality, which are to be found in the Christian reli gion; yet this would not at all hinder, but that the as delivered In the Scriptures. 141 world, nevertheless, stood as much in need of our Sa viour, and the morality delivered by him. Let it be granted (though not true) that all the moral precepts of the gospel were known by somebody or other, amongst mankind before. But where, or how, or of what use, is not considered. Suppose they may be picked up here and there; some from Solon and Bias in Greece, others from Tully in Italy: and to complete the work, let Confucius, as far as China, be consulted; and Anacharsis, the Scythian, contribute his share. What will all this do, to give the world a complete morality, that may be to mankind the unquestionable rule of life and man ners? I will not here urge the impossibility of collecting from men, so far distant from one another, in time and place, and languages. I will suppose there was a Stobeus in those times, who had gathered the moral sayings from all the sages of the world. What would this amount to, towards being a steady rule; a certain trans cript of a law that we are under? Did the saying of Aristippus, or Confucius, give it an authority? Was Zeno a law-giver to mankind? If not, what he or any other philosopher delivered, was but a saying of his.
Mankind might hearken to it, or reject it, as they pleas ed; or as it suited their interest, passions, principles or humours. They were under no obligation; the opinion of this or that philosopher was of no authority. And if it were, you must take all he said under the same cha racter. All his dictates must go for law, certain and true; or none of them. And then, if you will take any of the moral sayings of Epicurus (many whereof Seneca quotes with esteem and approbation) for precepts of the law of nature, you must take all the rest of his doctrine for such too; or else his authority ceases: and so no more is to be received from him, or any of the sages of old, for parts of the law of nature, as carrying with it an obligation to be obeyed, but what they prove to be so. But such a body of ethics, proved to be the law of na ture, from principles of reason, and teaching all the duties of life; I think nobody will say the world had before our Saviour's time. It is not enough, that there were up and down scattered sayings of wise men, con- 142 The Reasonableness of Christianity,