an immediate appeal to his hopes and fears-to his defire of future happiness, and his dread of future mifery in a world to come.

And do we not find, that our holy Religion not only comprehends the beft precepts of ancient philofophy in one regular fyftem, but adds others which are peculiarly and eminently her own? Certainly. And this fhews its high degree of perfection. To the Gospel of Chrift we are indebted for thofe rules of conduct, which enjoin the facrifice of felf-interest, selfish pleasures, and vainglory. By it alone we are taught in the moft explicit language, and in the most authoritative manner, to check all violent paffions, and to cultivate the mild and pure affections of the heart, to forgive injuries, to love our enemies, to refift the first impulfe of evil defires, to practife humility and univerfal benevolence, and to prefer the joys of heaven to the pleasures and occupations of the world. Advancing to a degree of improvement far beyond the leffons of heathen morality, far beyond what was ever taught under the porches of Athens, or in the groves of the Academy; we are inftructed to entertain the most awful veneration for the Deity, and to exprefs the moft lively gratitude for his mercies; we are fupported by the firmeft reliance on his grace, and we are invited upon all occafions to refort in earneft and fervent prayers to his power, mercy, and goodness, for the fupply of our numerous wants, for the pardon of our fins, for

fecurity

be tranfcendent in excellence, and bears within itself the marks of a divine origin".

The revealed will of God is the proper fource of moral obligation. It gives life and vigour to the performance of every duty, and without it all fyftems of morals are dry, uninteresting, and founded upon no fixed principle of action. How jejune and tedious are the Ethics of Ariftotle, and the Offices of Cicero, the writings of Puffendorf and Grotius, of Whitby and Hutchinson, when compared with the fhort rules, illuftrated by the moft pleafing fimilies, and animated by the most striking examples, with which the Gospel of Chrift abounds! His divine leffons touch the heart by the affecting combination of practice with theory, and even engage the paffions on the fide of virtue.

Men who are distinguished by great and extraordinary talents are remarked to have usually a peculiar mode of thinking, and expreffion. Who

From the New Teftament may be collected a system of Ethics, in which every moral precept founded on reason is carried to a higher degree of purity and perfection, than in any other of the wifeft philofophers of preceding ages; every moral precept founded on falfe principles is totally omitted, and many new precepts added peculiarly correfponding with the new object of this religion." Soame Jenyns, p. 9.

"In morality there are books enough writ both by ancient and modern philofophers; but the morality of the Gospel doth fo ́exceed them all, that to give a man a full knowledge of true morality, I fhall fend him to no other book, but the New Teftament." Locke on Reading and Study, vol. ii. p. 407.

ever examines the difcourfes of our Lord with care, will find in them a certain character which difcriminates them from the leffons of all other moralifts. His manner at once original and striking, clear and convincing, confifts in deriving topics of inftruction from objects and circumftances familiar to his hearers. He affects the paffions, and improves the understanding, through the medium of the fenfes. His public leffons to the people, and his private converfations to his difciples, allude perpetually to the place where he was, to the surrounding objects, the season of the year, or to the occupations and circumftances of those whom he addreffes. When he exhorted his disciples to truft in Providence for the fupply of their daily wants, he bade them behold the fowls of the air, which were then flying around them, and were fed by divine bounty, although they did not fow, nor reap, nor gather into barns. He defired them to obferve the lillies of the field which were then blooming, and were beautifully clothed by the fame power, and yet toiled not like the husbandman, whom they then faw at work. When the woman of Samaria was furprised at his afking her for water, he took occafion to represent his doctrine under the image of living water which flows from a fpring. When he approached the temple, where sheep were kept in folds to be fold for the facrifices, he spake in parables of the fhepherd, the sheep, and the door of the fheep-fold. At the fight of little children, he repeatedly defcribed the innocence and fimplicity of true Chriftians. When he cured the man who was born blind, he immediately

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diately referred to himfelf, as the light of the world. He often alluded to the occupation of fome of his difciples, whom he appointed fishers of men. Knowing that Lazarus was dead, and should be raised again, he difcourfed concerning the awful truths of the general refurrection, and of life eternal '.

"Many writers upon the fubject of moral philofophy divide too much the law of nature from the precepts of Revelation; which appears to me much the fame defect, as if a commentator on the laws of England fhould content himself with ftating upon each head the common law of the land, without taking any notice of acts of Parliament: or should choose to give his readers the common law in one book, and the ftatute law in another. When the obligations of morality are taught, (fays Dr. Johnfon in the Preface to the Preceptor) let the fanctions of Christianity never be forgotten; by which it will be shewn that they give ftrength and luftre to each other; religion will appear to be the voice of reafon; and morality the will of God"."

From this view of the fubject appears the excellence of the morality of the Gospel, and confe

10.

Jortin's Difcourfes, p. 229. Matt. vi. 26, 28. John iv. x. 1. Mark ix. 37. John ix. 39. Matt. iv. 10. xiii. 47. John xi. 25. For fome very pleafing remarks on our Lord's manner of teaching, fee Dr. Townfon's Difcourfes, p. 279. Paley's Preface to his Moral and Political Philofophy..

quently

The

quently how unneceffary it is to refort to any other scheme of Ethics for a rule of action, various plans of duty, which have been formed exclufive of Chriftianity, feem not to propose any motives fufficiently cogent and permanent, to withhold men from the gratification of vicious defires, and the indulgence of violent paffions. They must therefore give place to a more perfect law, which has the best claims to general reception, because it is founded on the express Revelation of the Will of the Creator, and Governor of the world, to his dependent and accountable

creatures.

VI. The rapid and extenfive propagation of the Gospel at its first preaching.

Of all the proofs, which are adduced to establish the truth of Chriftianity, there is no one more fplendid, than that which arifes from the rapid and extenfive propagation of the Gofpel; and this proof will appear very strong if it be confidered as the fulfilment of a long train of Prophecies. Far from being intimidated by the oppofition, the enmity, or even the moft fevere and bloody perfecutions of a hoftile world, the Apoftles readily obeyed the commands of their Divine Mafter, and declined no hardships, and avoided no danger, in order to make profelytes to the faith. The effect of their labours was in a very fhort time vifible in every country, to which they directed their steps. The rich and the poor, the

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learned