Sérm. LXIV. The Prejudicesagainft Chri/t`ianity conjider'd. 4.63 Degeneracy both inOpinion and Praflice, and the Conditions'of Mankind feem'd to be even defperate and pall Remedy. This was the needful time, when it was moll feafonable for this great Phyfician to come, and fhow his Pity and Skill in our Recovery. God could have fnt his Son many Ages before; but he thought fit to try other ways firft, and to referee this powerful Remedy to the laft laji of all he feet his Son. 4. The Timeof our Saviour's Appearing; was of all Ages of the World the fitteft Seafon for his Coming; Whether we confider, r. That the World was at that Time belt prepared and difpofed for receiving the Chriftian Religion : Or, 2. That this was the fitteft Seafon that ever hadbeen, for the eafie diffufing and propagatingof this Religion. I afltgn thefe Reafons as tending to give Men fome Satisfa&ion, why this great Bleffìng was delay'd fo long; it being rather an Ar- gument of Wifdom and Goodnefs, than of the want ofeither, to defer Things to that time, in which they are molt likely to have their effe f. Not but that per- haps other and better Reafons may be given. To be lure God had very good Reafons for this Difpenfation, whether we can hit upon them or not. In the mean Time thefe feem not to be altogether inconfiderable. I. That the World was at that time belt prepared and difpofed for receiving the Chriftian Religion. All the while our Saviour's Coming was delay'd God's Providence was difpoung things for it, and training up Mankind for the enter- tainingof this great Blefling. The jereifh Religion was always very burdenfom, but much more fo, towards the Expiration of the 5ercifhState, partly by the Intolerable Multitudeof External Obfervances, which were daily multiplied up- on them, under pretence of Traditions from their Fathers; and partly by rea- fonof their Subjeflion to the Romans, which made the Exercife of their Reli- gion in many refpeds more difficult. And the HeathenWorld was in a very good Meafureprepared for Chriftianity, by being Civiliz'd. About the time of our Saviour's corning into theWorld, Philofophy and Learning had been fo diffus'd by the Roman Conquefts, as had brought a great part of the World fromBarbarifm to Civility. Betides that their Philofophy had this Effed uponMen, to refine their Reafon, and in a good De- gree to detect the Folliesof the Heathen Idolatry and Superflition. 'Tis true indeed Learning and Philofophy flouritht a great while before in the Time of theGrecianEmpire, and perhaps before that in Come other Nations; and the Conqueftsof the Grecians were very fpeedy and ofvaft Extent : But yet they wereneither fo univerfal, nor fo well fettled ; nor did they propagate their Philo- fophy andCivility together with their Conquefts,as theRomans did. So that there was noAge of the World, wherein Mankind were fo generally prepared and dif- poled for the receiving of the Gofpel, as that wherein our Saviour appeared. 2. This was likewife the fitteft Seafonfor the eafie diffufingg and propagating of theChriftian Religion. The Romans, together with their Corquefts, did very much propagate their Language, which made the ways of Communication far moreeafie; And by the longand frequent Correfpondenceof the feveral Parts of that Empire one with another, the ways of Travel and Paffagefrom oneCountry to another were more ready and open. So that no Age can be inftanc'd, in all Refpefts fo convenient for the fpeedypropagatingof a newReligion,as that where- in ourSaviour appear'd, via. when theRomanEmpirewas at its height. And it was very agreeable to the Goodnefs and Wifdom ofthe Divine Providence, that thebra- veft and moft virtuous People in the World (infinitely beyond either the Perflansor Grecians) thouldbe chofen by God, as one of thechiefeft Means for the fpreading, of the bell and molt perfect Revelation that ever God made to the World. Thirdly, It is objected, That we have not now fufficient Evidence of the Truth of Chriftianity, the main Arguments for it relying upon Matters of Fad, of which at this Diftance, we have not, can be fuppos'd to have, fufficient Affu- rance. To this I anfwer. r. That Men not only may have, but have an undoubted Affuranceof matters of Fad, ancienter than thefe we are fpeaking of; and the diftance of themfrom our
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