in Contriving Man's Redemption. odly . The Quality of the Means by which 'twas conveyed and became fuccelsful. ~ 3dly. The eminent, fudden, univerfal and lafling Change made by it in the World. Ch.tp. a' ' r fl . The numercus and great Difficulties that ob!huCl:ed the receiving of the Gofpel. ~ This will appear by reprefenting the !late anddifpofitionofthe World atthat Time when it was fir!l Preached. Firfl, Ignorance was Univerfal; a deep thick darknefs cover'd the Face of the Earth. And the Confequentsofthatgrofs palpable Ignorance, were execrable Idolatry, and the mo[\: notorious depravation ot Mar.ners. . 1 1. Execrable Idolatry: For as in the night SpefJru walk, fo in the times of Ignorance, the Prince of Darknefs made his progrefs in the Earth. He reign'd in the Hearts of Men, and in the Places of their Devotion. The whole World as fill'd with Idols of feveral Forms and My!leries, fome Amiable, others Terrible, according to the humour of Super!lition. For many Ages Satan had kept peaceable poffeffion of his Empire: for the Ignorant World did not under!land its Mifery, but willingly paid that Honour to the cruel Uforper, that was only due to the Lawful Sovereign. They were confirm' cl in their Idolatry by fevera! Things. (r) . They were trained up in it from their Infant State. Now the fir!l PerfwaGons of the Mind, though groOy falfe, and ill Habits, do !lrangely captivate, and are with difficulty removed; becaufe the concurrence of thofe Faculties is requHite, which are under the Power of Error and Vice. No Tyrant is fo exaCl: !y obey'd as Cu!lom, efpeciall y in things efi:etm'd Sacred: For the conceitthar the Seryice is pleafing to the Deity, renders Men incapable to believe any thing that contradi cts it. 'Twas as hard to make the Gentiles forfake the Religion they received from their Birth, and to !oofe the lmpreflions made in rheir render Age, as to make the Africam change their Skin and become fair, and the Europeam to turn Black: for ,the TinCl:ure which the Religion praCl:ifed in each Country conveys to the Souls of Men, is as deep and la!ling, as that which the Sun impreffes up· on their Bodies, according to the diverfity of its Afpeds. (>). The Pagan Religion was derived through a long fucceffion from their Progenitors. Antiquity brings I know not what refpeCl: to things, but 'tis fpwally venerable in Matters of Religion. Therefore the Heathens accufed the Chri!lian Religion of No\"elty, and Urged nothing more plauftbly than the Argument of imm~morial Prefcriprion for their Super!lition (b). They would not con!ider whether it were ju!l and reafonab!e, but !bJ ~id. s,m. with a blind deference yielded up themfelves to the Authority of the Ancients. They ;~:r~'·:'~~t~· ~~;d~f ~:n:~a~~~eG~t ~~e~~t,~e2i~ ~;~h~;':e~~~lat~~~t ~~dh~~'~s fte~~~e~~~h~n c~~ ~Et,;;;;:;.:. rent of the World, and to refcue our felves from the Bondage of popular Errors. dit as c1fm. ce~c12~1r~:i~~:~~fe~~ad~;~~ :r~r~~{r~p~~~r o~~~~~~~ft~~i~~: ~h~~ M~~~r~~~~~~= ~;:~~~~~: ~~~~fin~et~~~~~i:~ut~~k~e~~f ~~~~~~;:get~fira ~~~~s ~~1ig~~~~sdr~~i~h~~~ri~~~~e~~ ~~j~~~;:a~· and !lrongly affeCl:ed their Minds through their Senfes: Whereas the Religion of the Go· Fd. ""· f'"· fpel is Spiritual and Serious, Holy and Pure, and hath nothing to move the Carnal Part. dJ"';;~ :;' Now how difficult was it to overcome Pagat;ifm. when forrified by Antiquity, Univer- Alaviseradi· fality, and fo agreeable to Senfe? How hard was it to free Men from the double Ty- tllln. l'rudent, ranny of Cu!lom from without, and blind AffeCl:ions from wi thin. o. The depravation of Manners was fuch in the Heathen World, that if the unclean Spirits had been Incarnate, and taken their R..eGdence among Men, they could not have •Cl:ed worfe Villanies. The whole Earth was covered with Abominations, as lEupt with the Frogs that poifoned the whole Climate. We may fee a PiCl:me of their Converfation in thefirfl to the Ronwrs. And it could not beotherwife: For as the Aporl!e faith, Thofe rvbo are Dnm4_, are Druni{ in the Nig~t; fo when the Mind is darkned with Ignorance and Error, the AffeCl:ions are corrupted, and Men give up themfel 1•es to the unfruitful Worlzs of Dark._nefs. Unnatural Crimes were committed even among the Greci.rm and Romans, with that liberty, as if no fplrk of common R..eafon had remained in them. The moll filthy Lulls had loll the fear and fhame that naturally attends them. They e!leemed thole things to be the Means to obtain Happinefs, ·that were Caufes of rhe contrary. They plac'd their Sovereign Good in extreme Evil, i.e. Gnful Pleafures. They were encouraged tO work.., all Vncleannefl with greedinefs, not -on ly upon the account of prefent Impunity, for their Laws left almoft all Vices indifferent bur what difiurbed the t:anquility of the Stare; and not only by the multitude of Examples, fo that Vt~es by the1r c~mmonnefs had Ion their Names, and were rtil ed verwes; nay, 'r.was a 11 Ap~tdtostotd Cnme to appear Innocent <~.mong the Guilty 11, btlt principally becaufe rhey thought them~ imp11rita • ~ [elves fecure as to a future State: For either they wholly di(-believed it; and 1Cis cong~~~',:'s~r6~~ &~:L
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=