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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
of
heathenism,
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