CHAPTER X. 79 build up a fence of straw and feathers to-resist a cannon-ball, or try to quench a flaming grenado with a shell of fair water, as hope to succeed in these attempts. But an eternal heaven, and an eternal hell, carry divine force and power with them : " this doctrine from the mouth of Christian preachers has begun the reformation of multitudes : this gospel has recovered thousands among the nations from iniquity and death. They have been awakenedby these awful scenes to begin religion, and afterwards their virtue has improved itself into superior and more refined principles and habits by divine grace, and risen to high and emi- nent degrees, though not to a consummate state. The blessed God knows human nature muchbetter than Rhapsodus doth, and has throughout his word appointed a more proper and more effectual method of address to it by the, passions of hope and fear, by punishments and rewards. If you read on four pages further in these writings, you will find the author makes another concession. He allows that " the master of a family using proper rewards and gentle pu- nishments towards his children, teaches them goodness, and by this help instructs them in a virtue which afterwards they practise upon other grounds, and without thinking of a penalty or a bribe : and this, says he, is what we call a liberal education and a liberal service." This new concessionof that author may also be veryhappily improved in favour of Christianity. What are the best of men In this life ? They are by no means perfect in virtue ; we are all but children here under the great Master of the family, and he is pleased by hopes and fears, by mercies and corrections to in- struct us in virtue, and to conduct us onward towards the subli- mer and more perfect practice of it in the future world, where it shall be performed, as in his own language, perhaps without thinking of penalties and bribes. And since he has allowed that this conduct may be called " a liheral education, and a liberal service," let Christianity then be indulged the title of a " liberal education" also, and it is admirably fitted for such frail and sin- ful creatures, while they are,training up towards the sublimer virtues of the heavenly state. XII. When you are engaged in a dispute with a person Of very different principles from yourself, and you cannot find any ready way to prevail with him to embrace the truth byprinciples which you both freely acknowledge, you may fairly make use of his own principles to shew him his mistake, and thus convince or silence hint, from his own concessions. If your opponent should be a Stoic philosopher, or a Jew, you may pursue your argument in defence of some Christiah doctrine or duty against such a disputant, by axioms or laws bor- rowed either from Zeno or Moses. And though you do not en-
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