278 A RATIONAL DEFENCE OF THE GOSPEL. [SERM. xvr.. .their shame. This is no fault of the gospel, for they felt not the power' of it. Nor is there any religion or pro- fession in the world that would have had any followers at all by this time, if men must have entirely cashiered that religion, because there have been some persons vicious that have been professors of it. There is no sect, no religion in the world, though the institution and the rules of it have been ever so pious, but what has produced some persons that have been vicious in their lives. But this cavil is still carried on, and Urged with.much vehemence. " If the gospel of Christ were a religion so heavenly, and so divine in its original, as' you pre- tend, surely the nations that profess it would eminently exceed all other nations in piety, in justice and good- ness ; whereas the nations that now a-days embrace .hristianity, are not at all superior to the mahornetans, nor to sonic of the heathens, either in duty that relates to God or man :. And if we may give credit to ancient history, the virtues of the old Romans, long before the 'days of Julius Csar, shone much brighter than any of the virtues of the baptized nations: There was more truth and honesty, more devotion to the heavenly pow- ers, more of a public spirit and zeal for their country's good, than we can find in any christian kingdoms or states now-a-days." 'To this I would give these three answers: 1. The account which we have of the shining virtues of these best ages ofheathenism, is given us only by their own posterity, who lived in succeeding ages, Now it is the well -known temper and custom of mankind to maw -nify the virtue of their ancestors, and to say, that the former times were better than these : But you have scarce any heathen writers, who do riot describe their own age as vicious enough, if they have occasion to talk upon that subject. And therefore there is just reason tó suspect the strict truth of these encomiums of their fore-fathers. 2. Although some social virtues in a. heathen country might really flourish'more for an age or two, springing from the principles of ambition, and honour, and love to their own country; yet there were such vices also practised among many of the gentile nations, which are 2
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