a revelation as we now do. Now we can look back upon, the degraded ages of the world previous to the illumination of divine truth; and we can look around upon the nations on whom the sun of righteousness has never dawned, and we can see the same universal degeneracy-the same gross idolatries-the same universal poligamy, the same indecent abominations, prostitutions, the degradation of females, &c. every where abounding in every age and place that is not elevated with the moral influences, and virtuous principles of the gospel; and we can learn from thence the vast--the infinite worth and power of the gospel of Christ. If a single soul can survey the whole effect of christianity on the state of human society, and contrast it with the heathen and pagan nations of all ages, and all the kingdoms of the "false prophet," and yet feel opposed to christianity, he must possess the heart of a fiend and the nerves of a demon.

Thank God, a revelation has been made. It has been made exactly at the right time. It has been promulgated to all the extent that was necessary at this time for the accomplishment of its predictions; and it will continue to be promulgated till "the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ," till "his kingdom shall extend from the rivers to the ends of the earth," till "the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together," till "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea," till "all the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him."

IV. The necessity of a divine revelation, considered.-In order to form an opinion of the necessity of a divine revelation, containing a transcript of the natural and moral attributes of Jehovah, his will concerning our actions, and our final destination, we must look at the condition of mankind where the Bible has been unknown; and com

pare it with the condition of men where it is known. If we shall find, from surveying the condition of man unenlightened with the gospel, a universal defect which neither learning nor philosophy nor any human device can supply or obviate, we shall then see the necessity of something more than we possess by nature. Hence we shall infer, that a wise and good God must have granted that which was so necessary for us. Then on the other hand, when we find the gospel to be the very thing and the only thing to complete and finish our happiness and the perfection of our condition, we shall be constrained to confess that the gospel was the great thing necessary to men, and was therefore the very thing which a wise and good God must have given to men.

1. It is a fact that among all nations unchristianized, the most imperfect, absurd, pernicious and degrading views of God obtained. And not only so but the most extravagant notions of worship and moral duty, and consequently the most degraded, corrupt and miserable condition of the people. The Roman empire in her ancient splendour, was probably the most refined and virtuous part of the pagan world. But what was the Roman empire? They had the refinements of human learning. They had great philosophy, great orators, great statesmen, heroes, conquerors, patriots, and all the greatness and goodness which unchristianized communities can attain to. Yet "temples and fanes were erected to all the passions, desires, fears and evils, to which mankind are subject, Suited to the various characters of the divinities were the rites of their worship. Many of them were monsters of the grossest vice and wickedness; and their rites were absurd, licentious, and cruel, and often consisted of mere unmixed crime, shameless dissipation and debauchery. Prostitution in all its deformity, was systematically annexed to various pagan temples, was often a principal source of their revenues, and was, in some countries, even compulsory upon the fe

male population! Other impurities were solemnly prac

publick, from the

Besides the num

ticed by them in their temples, and in very thought of which our minds revolt. bers of men, who were killed in the bloody sports and spectacles instituted in honour of their deities, human sacrifices were offered to propitiate them."*

Such, reader, is the refined condition of the most improved but unchristianized country in the universe. So high may human efforts unaided by the gospel raise mankind and no higher. It is the very acme in morals and happiness to which mankind are capable of rising without a revelation. But the greatest of all the abominations, which christianity is designed to obviate, is the horrible custom of offering human victims to appease the imaginary wrath of the pagan deities. "The chief oracles among the heathens appointed human sacrifices; as that of Delphia, that of Dodona and that of Jupiter Saotes. It was a custom among the Phinicians and Canaanites, in times of great calamity, for their kings to sacrifice one of their sons, whom they loved most; and it was common both with them, as well as the Moabites and Ammonites, to sacrifice their children. Further, the Egyptians, Athenians, and Lacedemonians, and generally speaking, all the Greeks; the Romans, Carthagenians, Germans, Gauls, and Britons;in short all the heathen nations throughout the world of fered human sacrifices upon their altars; and this not on certain emergencies and imminent dangers only, but constantly and in some places every day. Upon extraordinary accidents multitudes were sacrificed at once to their sanguinary deities. Thus during the battle between the Sicilian army under Gelon and the Carthagenians under Amilcar in Sicily, the latter remained in his camp, offering sacrifices to the deities of his country and consuming upon one

*For this quotation and others on this subject, the reader is referred to the first chapter of Horne's Introduction to the critical study and knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. A work which establishes the Revelation of the Bible beyond all oavil or controversy.

large pile the bodies of numerous victims. When Agathocles was about to besiege Carthage, its inhabitants seeing the extremity to which they were reduced, imputed all their misfortunes to the anger of Saturn; because, instead of offering up children of noble descent, (who were usually sacrificed,) there had been fraudulently substituted for them the children of slaves and foreigners. Two hundred children of the best families in Carthage were therefore immolated, to propitiate the offended divinity; to whom upwards of three hundred citizens voluntarily sacrificed themselves from a sense of their guilt of this pretended crime. On another occasion, the Carthagenians having obtained a victory, immolated the handsomest of their captives, the flame of whose funeral pile was so great as to set their camp on fire." Who can read the story of such abominations and cruelties and not feel his heart bleed within him? Are there men who have basked in the broad light of revelation, and enjoyed the healthful morals and general happiness which it imparts to society, and who would now break down its pillars and crush the highest interests of all future ages in its ruins? Yes there are such men. Men too that profess much benevolence and philanthropy! But they are either deeply deluded and infatuated, or they are the heartless and unprincipled enemies of mankind.

There are now in all unchristian nations vices of the most horrible character, so universally prevalent as to evince the absolute imbecility of all human wisdom, and its entire inefficieny to guide mankind. In the unchristian countries of Africa, Tartary, and the Philippian Isles, the grossest idolatry and superstition prevails and corresponding vices. Among these are polygamy, every man having as many wives as he pleases with the privilege to abandon any of them at pleasure. Infanticide, the practice of murdering such infants as they choose not to raise. Cannibalism, the practice of eating human flesh, and butchering one another for food as we do the brutes, though this is not

universal. Universal prostitution, and the degradation, slavery, and misery of the females.

And indeed Hindostan and China, although renowned for their progress in arts, are little or no better in point of morality. The Hindoos have no less than three hundred and thirty millions of gods to worship and appease. They have impure and shocking rites, self-tortures, the burning of widows, the destruction of infants, an unrestrained intercourse between the sexes, polygamy, self-devotion to Juggernaut, and other horrid customs too numerous and awful to be described.

"The universal characteristicks of the Hindoos are habitual disregard of truth, pride, tyranny, theft, falsehood, deceit, conjugal infidelity, filial disobedience, ingratitude, (the Hindoos have no word expressive of thanks) a litigious spirit, perjury, treachery, covetousness, gaming, servility, hatred, revenge, cruelty, private murder, the destruction of illegimate children, particularly by procuring abortion (not fewer than ten thousand children are computed to be thus murdered in the single province of Bengal every month,) and want of tenderness and compassion to the poor, the sick, and the dying."

In China the finest arts prevail, yet their morals are in many things no better than among the Hindoos. Polygamy is universal among them, the degradation and misery of women as the never failing consequence of polygamy, and the exposure and destruction of infants. This last cruel and inhuman practice prevails to such an extent that no less than nine thousand are estimated to be thus murdered in the city of Pekin every year. O, God! are these the boasted advantages of living without a knowledge of Christ and a divine revelation!!

Those numerous nations who bow to the sceptre of "the false prophet" deriving their religion in part from the Bible, believe in one God, and are not so extravagant in their idolatries, yet as they derive their morals from a licentious and