prevailing idolatry, and the wickedness which accompanied it. And, bad as the state of things was in the heathen world, it is very probable that, without this provifion, it would have been much worse; and it is remarkable, that the idolatry and wickednefs of the great civilized nations, in the neighbourhood of Judea, far exceeded that of the more uncivilized part of the world. The fyftems of idolatry which now subsist in Afia, Africa, or America, are innocent things compared with the horrid fyftems of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Canaanites, or Tyrians, or even than the religions of Greece, of Rome, and that of all this western part of the world.

When the Jews were infected by the religious cuftoms of their neighbours, and were brought back to the worship of the one true God (as they always were) by very fevere judgments, in which the hand of God was very confpicuous, particularly when they were brought back from a state of captivity among other nations, it could not but be an useful leffon to their neighbours, as well as to themselves; and many facts in the Jewish history make it evident, that their religion, and their prophets were much revered in the neighbouring ftates. This we fee particularly in the history of Jonah's preaching to the Ninevites, and of the application made to the prophet Elifha by Naaman, and Hazael persons of distinguished rank in the court

of

of the king of Syria. The decrees of Nebuchad nezzar king of Babylon alfo, and thofe of the first kings of Perfia, which were published through all the provinces of those extenfive empires, must have made the Jews and their religion generally known and refpected.

In later times, after the conqueft of Alexander the Great, we both find great numbers of ftrangers refiding in Judea, on the account of religion, and also that the Jews themselves were dispersed in a moft remarkable manner, into every part of the civilized world, there being no city, or place of note, without them. Their affiduity in making profelytes is fufficiently known, and the effects of it are manifeft in the number of devout Gentiles, who were brought over to the worship of the true God, though it is probable they did not choose to be initiated into all the rights of the Jewish religion.

That the benefit of the Jewish religion was not to be confined to that nation, but was also to have a confiderable influence on the minds even of distant nations, is evident from many paffages of the books of Mofes; as when it is faid that God would be glorified by their means in the fight of all the heathen, &c. See Deut. iv. 6. Pf. xvi. 23.

The chriftian religion has evidently effected a reformation of the idolatry, and abominable customs of the Gentile world; an effect which all the wiftom and philofophy of mankind would never have

produced.

produced. There are numerous teftimonies of the heathens in favour of the good morals of the primitive chriftians. Celfus owns that there were among them many temperate, modeft, and understanding perfons; and the emperor Julian recommends to the heathen pontiffs the example of the christians, for their kindness and humanity to ftrangers, and not only to those of their own religion, but to the heathens, and for their feeming fanctity of life; and to this he afcribes the progrefs that christianity had made in the world.

Christianity has alfo bettered the state of the world in a civil and political refpect, giving men a juft idea of their mutual relations and natural rights, and thereby gradually abolishing flavery, with the fervile ideas which introduced it, and also many cruel and barbarous customs. The generous principles of chriftianity have greatly contributed to render thofe European governments, which are nominally arbitrary, more favourable to fecurity and happiness than the freeft antient heathen states. The corruption of chriftianity has, no doubt, greatly leffened its good effects; but ftill, as it may be clearly proved, that the very worst state of Christendom, with refpect to religion, and the influence of it, was preferable to heathenifm, at the time of the promulgation of chriftianity, it may be hoped that, with the restoration of genuine chrif

tianity,

tianity, we shall fee the revival of all the happy effects of it.

The time of the promulgation of christianity was the moft feasonable that could have been chofen, both with refpect to its evidence, and its falutary effects. It is unquestionable, that the heathen world was then most deplorably corrupt, without the leaft hope of a remedy by any natural means; and even the generality of the Jews had greatly departed from the genuine moral principles of their own divine religion, and a very confiderable fect of them had abandoned the doctrine of a future ftate.

At this remarkable period almost all the civilized part of the world compofed one immenfe empire, by which means the knowledge of christianity was readily communicated from one country to another; and the apoftles had the eafier accefs to every place of note by means of the Jews, who were previously settled there, in whose fynagogues they had an opportunity of preaching both to the Jews, and alfo to the Gentile inhabitants.

It was, also, a circumstance of great moment to the evidence of Chriftianity, that it was promulgated in the most learned and inquifitive age in all antiquity; fo that great numbers of perfons would have both the inclination, and ability to enquire into it, and fatisfy themfelves concerning it.

All

All these circumftances put together, certainly give us the idea of a wife and kind parent, interpofing in favour of his offspring, at a time when they stood in moft need of it, adapting his relief to their real occafions, and applying it in the most feafonable and judicious manner.

SECTION II.

Arguments from Standing Customs, &c. in favour of the Jewish and christian religions.

HERE are feveral religious cuftoms which

THERE

have been conftantly obferved by Jews and Chriftians, concerning which no probable conjecture can be formed, except that which is alledged in the history of those revelations, as the obfervance of one day in seven for the purpose of reft from labour, in commemoration of God's having rested or ceased from his work after the fix days of creation; the Paffover, in commemoration of the miraculous deliverance of the Ifraelites when all the first born of the Egyptians were destroyed; the feaft of Pentecoft, which was defigned to perpetuate the memory of the giving of the law from mount Sinai; and the feaft of Tabernacles, to remind them of their having lived in tents in their paffage through the wilderness. Of this kind alfo, is the celebration