414 'DIISCELLANEOUS THOU(RTS. Sebastes, where lie heard Mr. Jenks's prayers read daily in the family with great devotion ; he prevailed with himself to join in the worship, and felt his soul refreshed by it ; yet his own house continued prayerless still ; for though he loved religion at his heart, yet he. could not express himself with any tolerable de- cency, propriety or courage in family-worship, and he was ashamed to let his friends know that he made use of forms. What a poor foolish thing is man ! human nature in all ages is too much like itself. What is now practised among chris- tians, to the reproach and injury of revealed truth, lias been a bar to the profession and improvement of natural religion, in the days and the nations of ancient heathenism. Socrates is famous in history for his belief of the one true God, in opposition to the polytheism of the world, and the nu- merous idols of the priest and the people : But be is reported by this means to have exposed himself to the resentment and popu- lar fury of some of his countrymen, so that he is counted a sort of martyr for that cause. Yet, as some report, he was scarce able to support his courage in the public profession of that one true God in a dying hour ; for it is said that he ordered a cock to be offered as a sacrifice to Esculapius the god of physic. I confess it is so mean and servile a compliance, that I can hardly believe it concerning Socrates. But if the soul of the noble Grecian was bound in these fet- ters of a popular religion, which forbid his bold and final pro- fession of his diviner sentiments; it is not Greece only, but Rome also has produced examples of the same weakness among some of its heroes. It must be acknowledged; they had some heavenly flights of thought, and courage enough to let their no- tions just start into light, and give broad hints of their faith; but they were forced to cramp and discourage the progress anti .growth of it, for fear of the national idolatry which reigned in their, age. They had not strength of soul and bravery enough to become martyrs for the truth. Cicero was a great man, but he was afraid to speak what he knew of the unity of the eternal God, the Maker of all. " It is liard, says he, to find out him who is the parent of this universe ; and when you have found him, it is not lawful to shew him to the vulgar world. Ilium quasi parentem houus universi- tatis invenire difficile : & cum inveneris, indicare in vulgtis nefas ;" Lib. de Untvers. p. 2. And the same he saith again, Lib. II. de Nat Deor. Let not our men of heathenism then, or British infidels, charge all this folly upon christians, alone, since their pagan predecessors were guilty o it as well as we. O where shall that city stand, whose inhabitants shall traffic in intellectual treasures, and Set forth all their new improvements
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