4.66 ThePrejudices again/ Chri/liantty confider' d. and Quiet, and Reputation, and Safety, and, in a word, to the Private andPub- lick Profperity of Mankind, that Men should be Temperate, and Chafe and Juft, and Peaceable, and Charitable, and Kind, and Obliging to one another, rather than the contrary. So that Religion does not create thofe Reftraints arbitrarily but requires thofe things of us, which our Reafon, and a regard to our own Ad- vantage, which the Neceffity and Conveniency of the Things themfelves, with- out any Confideration of Religion, would in moft Cafes urge us to. 4. As to theCafe of Perfecution for Religion ; betidesthat it does not now hap- pen fo frequently as it did in the beginning of Chriftianity, nay very feldom in comparifon, ifall things be confider'd, it cannot be thought unreafonable, both becaufe Religion offers to us, in confìderation of our present Sufferings a Happi- nefsunfpeakably greater than that which we forego for the fake of Religion ; and becaufe when it happens, God does extraordinarily enable Men to go through it with Courage and Comfort, as we fee in the Examples of the Primitive Chriftí- ans, who in great Numbers of all Tempers and Ages, did voluntarily chufe to give up themfelves to there Sufferings, when therewas no neceffity laid upon them, but fair terms of Retreat were offer'd to them by their Enemies. It is one thing when a Man fuffers by the Law, and cannot help it; and another thing when Men may avoid fuffering. In the former Cafe Men fubmit to neceflity, and bear it as well as they can; in the latter Cafe, if Men fuller, it is a fign they firmly believe the Reward of it; and if they fuffer chearfully, and with Joy, as molt of the Mar- tyrs did, it is a plain Evidence that God affords them extraordinary Support in their Sufferings; and then theCafe is not very hard, when Religion puts them upon no- thing, but what it gives them caufe, andenables them, to rejoyce in the doingof it. Fifthly, It is objated; that the Chriftian Religion is apt to Difpirit Men, and to break the Courage and Vigour of their Minds, by the Precepts of Patience, and Humility, and Meeknefs, and of forgiving Injuries, and the like. This Objeítion hath made a great Noire in the World, and hatb been urged by Men of great Reputation, and a deep infight into the Tempers of Men, and at Affairs of the World. It is faid to be particularly infifted upon by Machiavel, and very likely it may; though I think that elfewherehe is pleafed to fpeak with Terms of Refpefk, not only of Religion in general, but likewife of the Chriflian Religi- on; and (which feems very much io contradif the other) he fays in the firft Book of his Difcourfes upon Livy, (Ch. i t.) That the Greatnefs and Succefs of Rome is chiefly to be afcribed to their Piety and Religion; and that Rome was more indebted to Nema Pompili e for fettling Religion among them, than to Ro- mulus the Founder of their State; and the Reafon he gives is much to our pre- fent Purpofe 5 For, fays he, without Religion there can be noMilitary Difcipline, Religion being the Foundation of good Laws and good Difcipline. And parti- cularly he commends the Samnites, who betook themfelves to Religion, as their Taft and belt Remedy to snake Men couragious, nothing being more apt to raife Men's Spirits than Religion. But howfoever thisObjefkion be, I dare appeal both to Reafon and Experience for the Confutation of it. a. ToReafon, and that as to thefe two things. (e.) That the Chriflian Religion is apt to plant in the Minds of Men Princi- ples of the greateft Refolution and trueft Courage. It teacheth Men upon the heft and molt rational Grounds to defpife Dangers, yea and Death it felf, the greateft and molt formidabe Evil in this World; and this Principle is likely to infpire Men with the greateft Courage; for what need he fear any thing in this World, who fears not Death, after which there is nothing in this World to be feared ? And this the Chriftian Religion does, by giving Men the affurance of another Life, and a Happinefs infinitely greater than any is to be enjoyed in this World. And in order to the fecuring of this Happinefs, it teacheth Men to be holy, and just, and to exercife a good Confcience both toward God and Man, which is the only way to free a Man from all inward and tor- menting Fears of what may happen to him after Death. This makes the righteous Man to be (as Solomon fays) bold as a Lion. Nothing renders a Mar,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=