derable measure to their ignorance of those moral sanctions which our blessed Saviour has established-nevertheless in the commission of crimes which cause human nature to shudder; (for human nature is the same in all ages;) they had in the horrors attendant on the perpretation of those crimes, sufficient admonition of their heniousness; and by the light of nature, they might deduce from this indisposition of their natural feelings to flagitious crimes, the existence of a benevolent First Cause, which having the power to create; must also have power to punish these violations of reason-and from those benevolent

fragments of nature, which have escaped the hands of the destroyer, and which like the broken pillars of a once magnificent building, speak the soul's original beauty and grandeur; several heathen philosophers reasoned well on the nature of man, (considering their imperfect light,) and on the duties due to himself and to society-and from the harmony and order of the visible creation, the evident effect of design; united with those traces of the Creator's finger in the human mind, and with the observation of that bounty, which provideth all things living with plenteousness-they justly concluded, that a Being all powerful existedthat that being was the artificer and legislator of the world that he was the author of that order and harmony which they saw-that he was a bountiful being, from the instances which were incontrovertibly before their eyes, of the extension of his care to the feblest reptile, furnishing it with means of pleasure and subsistencethat he was a being delighting in mercy, from the de

lightful sensations which he had formed the mind of man to experience in the exercise of it; and averse to murder and cruelty, from the horrors attendant on the perpetration of those crimes these were they whom thus reflecting, and thus instructing their fellow-men, St. Paul describes as not having the law, (that is the law of Moses) were a law unto themselves-doing by nature the things contained in the law-their consciences accussing or excusing, as they obeyed its dictates of mercy and righteousness, or leaned to the wicked and superstitious practices of their country, in violation of them-but that these were few in number, we learn from the words of the same apostle, who speaking of the Gentile world in general, observed, that they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, and that therefore he gave them over to a reprobate mind-therefore, and not on any other account :-The conjunction therefore is exceedingly emphatical-it shews that God independent of their abuse of his gifts, did not consign them over to a reprobate mind; did not, for the glorification of his justice, in the punishment of Adam's sin, cut off his posterity from all means of salvation-by such a proceeding, injustice, not justice, would be glorified-and those persons who argue otherwise, shew their manifest ignorance of the nature of justice and mercy, as well as flatly contradict the word of God; which saith, that as he liveth, he hath no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but rather that all should return. unto him, repent, and live-if, therefore, he taketh pleasure in the returning of man unto him, that he may

repent and live; he surely furnisheth him with means and motives to facilitate his return-the advocates of unconditional reprobation, cannot escape this inference, unless they resort to the doctrine of divine impotence; which, admitting the good-will of the Deity to man, limits his power of manifesting it-a slander too gross to be admitted by any man of reason, while the enlightened christian rejects it, as derogating from the merits of his Saviour, which he believes to be at least as extensive to heal, as the sin of Adam was to disorder.

Having now nearly finished my digression from the original subject, I shall shortly resume my refutation of Epicurus Sadducee, and for this purpose shall renew the caution already given the bumble reader, not to draw too favourable a conclusion of heathen Rome from the philosopher's defence, which was drawn as nearly as possible to the life; for although many and grievous corruptions remain in the protestant states of Europe, they are nevertheless literally reformed, when put in competition with the reign of pagan superstition and destruction; which I believe far exceeded in magnitude and deformity, what even now remains of her image in the Romish church.

THE WHEEL OF LIFE.

PART THE THIRD.

I shall begin this division of my subject, by repeating an observation I made in the commencement of my argument with the unbelieving philospher; namely, that from the time of Constantine who was the first christian

emperor (so called,) history does not furnish us with any period, wherein six successive princes of Rome perished by treason* although in the dark ages of popery provo

* Tiberius, an emperor of heathen Rome was smothered or dispatched by poison in the thirty-ninth year of the christian æra; he was succeeded by Caligula, who was murdered by Cassius Cherea-Caligula was succeeded by Claudius his uncle, who was poisoned by his wife Agrippina-Nero, who succeeded Claudius, murdered himself to escape the vengeful fury of his Venemies-Galba, his successor, an able soldier, and worthy of government in those barbarous times, perished by the treachery of Otho, his favorite Otho, who succeeded him, was killed in a battle fought with Vitellius, his competitor-Vitellius was murdered by the soldiers of Vespasian, who dragging his dead body through the streets, threw it with all possible contempt into the river Tiber. These are only a few instances of the barbarity of those times, a few scattered fruits of that wild olive tree, into which some men (of loose principles, who wish to render themselves eminent, or of mistaken judgments, and who are themselves deceived) wish again to ingraft us-but, brethren, suffer not your simplicity to be corrupted by their sophistry-for if these men possess themselves any virtue, they are indebted for it to the influence of that religion, which they endeavour to destroy, and which equally disclaims the loose principles of the infidel, and the loose practices of the libertine-the ravages of war, and in private life the more refined, though (as to human happiness) equally desolating influence of unhallowed nature! -Over the whole universe the divine mercy lifts aloft its hovering wing, and suspends the sword of justice, that the creature of probation may have a fair opportunity of trial-during this day, many warnings and incitements to virtue are afforded him; many

cations were not wanting-I would place this moderation of the people to the credit of christianity; and the cruelties afterwards exercised by men in power assuming that name, as not chargeable upon it-they being in reality heathens, who had only transferred their idolatry to new objects equally prohibited by the Gospel-and. I would vindicate the superintendance of Providence by saying, that these idolaters were never able by fire and sword, to destroy its existence in the hearts and lives of thousandsnor could their sanguinary measures prevent its final progress-they were undoubtedly permitted (for reasons unknown to us) to dam up the well-spring of life, and force it for many centuries to take a subterraneous course-during these ages of crucifixion darkness; the wilderness and solitary desert were its chief receptacles—yet even here it carried too much of the Jew and Gentile-Mara and Tiber had insinuated themselves into the water of life,

opportunities of instruction thrown in his way-that with one eye fixed upon Christ for the succours of his grace, and the other upon that perfect copy of his divine will which the gospel exhibits, the feeble creature may aspire after conformity to that portraiture of beauty and perfection, in which, if sincerely engaged, although feeble as a child-or by nature deformed as a monster-the perfections of God are engaged on his behalf— engaged whether in a day, a year or an age, according to his own good pleasure, to perform his gospel covenant-that he will create in this seeking sinner, "a clean heart," (that fountain of purity to the body) that he will "renew a right spirit," (that only source of right action)" within him."

That the humble ingenuous reader may not be seduced into a misunderstanding of the gospel, by confounding it with the errors of popery on the one hand-or the national and individual imperfections of those who are in part reformed on the other, is the object of this note, as well as to manifest to his view the weighty blessings we derive from the christian religion, of which poor heathens were destitute.