than darkness.

We find therefore that none were fiercer enemies to the gospel than the philosophers.

The sacred story tells us, that when the apostle preached at Athens, that was as much the seat of superstition as of science, the Epicureans and Stoics, though most opposite in their principles, yet conspired to encounter him. They entertained him with scorn; "What will this babbler say?" and his success was but small there. He that fished with a net in other places, and brought great numbers to baptism, did there only with an angle, and caught but one or two souls. And in the progress of the gospel they persisted in their opposition. The most grave and virtuous among them censured the martyrs as fool-hardy in their generous sufferings for the name of Jesus Christ. Antoninus accused the Christians of obstinacy in their readiness to endure torments. Arrianus represents their courage as proceeding from a customary contempt of death, which he opposes to judgment and reason. Crescens, the Cynic, was the persecutor of Justin Martyr. In all ages the gospel felt the sharp points of their malicious wits. They despised it as an illcontrived fable, as the entertainment of small understandings; and faith, as the "presidium" of the weak and illiterate, who were incapable of consideration. Now when those who were in highest reputation for their morality and learning, discountenanced Christianity, it was a strong argument to move the vulgar heathens to judge of it as a mere delusion. In our Saviour's time it was urged as a sufficient reason against the receiving of him as sent from God, because none of the pharisees, the most learned and most likely to understand the prophecies concerning the Messiah, believed on him. John vii. 48.

Secondly; the heathen priests vehemently obstructed the reception of the gospel; for their interest was specially concerned upon the account of their reputation and gain. With great art they had kept the people in ignorance for a long time. They persuaded them that their idolatrous ceremonies, sacrifices, and festivals made the gods favourable, and were the supreme causes of their prosperity; and that ill success in war, public disasters, and great contagions were sent for the neglect of their service. From this fountain all superstition was derived. Now if the doctrine of Christ, that strictly forbids the worship of idols, were received, who would attend to their old lies? who would purchase their

deceitful promises? who would maintain them with prodigal donatives? who would esteem them divine men? They must lose their honour and support, and for their fables be the scorn of the multitude. It is no wonder then that their passions should be edged, and their endeavours furious in opposing the truth. And since the people had a reverend regard for their office, and a high opinion of their wisdom, authority, and sanctity, they readily joined with them in their opposition.

Thirdly; princes, who were adored by the people, thought themselves obliged to prevent the introduction of a new religion, lest their empire should be in hazard, or the majesty and greatness of it lessened; for religion being the true foundation of public peace, every change in it is suspected as dangerous, and likely to bring some eminent alteration in the state. St. Paul was accused for teaching customs which were not lawful for them to observe, being Romans, Acts xvi. 21. And in after-times Christians were condemned as seditious and mutinous, and their assemblies as riotous and unlawful. And it is observable, that there never was a less favourable constitution of time, than when the gospel was first preached; for Tiberius was extremely cruel and extremely jealous of all novelty that might disturb his repose. And Nero, the bloodiest tyrant that ever sat on the Roman throne, endeavoured to strangle Christianity in the cradle.

Besides, the doctrine of Christ was not only new and strange, but severe; for it gives no dispensation for persons of the highest rank from universal duty. It is the law of God, to whom all are equally subject and must be equally obedient. It gives rules without exception, to the court as well as the cottage; to those clothed in purple, and those in sackcloth; it condemns the greatest for delinquents and guilty of eternal death, if they do not abandon those pleasures to which corrupt nature and many strong temptations violently incline them. Now the heathen princes who were prosperous and vicious, could not relish a doctrine that retrenched their exorbitant desires, and strictly forbade their unconfined enjoyment of sensual delights, which they esteemed the prerogatives annexed to their supreme dignity; and the minds of subjects are tainted with dependance on the powerful.

From what hath been discoursed, we may judge how great resistance the gospel met with in its first publication;

for all things that can make an enterprise impossible, were united together against it. Wisdom and power, the pleasures of sin, and zeal for religion; the understandings and wills of men were combined in opposition to its progress. The learned and ignorant, magistrates and people, men and devils joined to suppress it. Hell was in a commotion and the prince of darkness in arms, not to suffer the crowns of so many kingdoms to fall from his head, which for so many ages he had kept. He was enraged to lose the homage and service, especially of the more knowing nations, as the Grecians and Romans; who, by how much the more capable of truth, with so much the more art, to the dishonour of God, for a long time had been kept under his deceit.

2. If we consider the means by which the gospel was conveyed, it will be more evident that omnipotence alone made it successful. When Christ came from heaven to convert the world, it had been according to the law of reason more suitable to his purpose to have been born at Rome, the seat of the empire, wherein the confluence of all nations met, than in an obscure corner. So when the

apostles were first sent forth to propagate the gospel, human prudence would judge, that they should have been assisted either with authority and power, or with learning and eloquence, to compel or persuade to a submission to it. But if there had been any proportion between the quality of the instruments and the effects produced, the gospel had been esteemed a doctrine purely human. The immediate agents had been entitled to all the honour by the suffrage of the senses, and their proper sufficiency would have obscured the virtue of Christ that wrought in them. Therefore God chose "the weak things of the world, to confound the mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chosen; yea, and things which are . to bring to nought things that are," that his glorious may be fully manifested, 1 Cor. i. 27, 28. Christianity, like its author, sprang as a root out of a dry ground," and grew into a fair and strong tree, not by human planting and watering, but by the miraculous influences of heaven.

nu.,

power

The persons employed were a few fishermen, with a publican and a tent-maker, without authority and power to force men to obedience, and without the charms of eloquence to insinuate the belief of the doctrines they delivered. And with these disadvantages they could never have conceived a

thought, much less had courage to attempt the great impossibility of converting the whole world to Christ, and subjecting the heads of princes, and the learned and wise, to the foot of a crucified person, without the divine assistance.

(1.) They were without authority and power. Other religions were established in several nations, by persons of the greatest eminency and credit among them; that of the Persians by Zoroaster, that of the Egyptians by Hermes, that of the Grecians by Orpheus, that of the Romans by Numa, all kings, or of great reputation for their wisdom and virtue ; and they were received without contradiction; for being correspondent to the corrupt inclinations of men, it was not strange that the princes had either capacity to invent them, or power to plant them. And in later times Mahomet opened a way for his religion by his sword, and advanced it by conquest. Now it is no wonder that a religion so pleasing to the lower appetites, that gives license to all corrupt affections in the present life, and promises a sensual paradise suitable to beasts in the future, should be embraced by those who were subject to his arms. But the apostles were meanly born and educated, without credit and reputation, destitute of all human strength, and had only a crucified person for their leader. Christianity was exposed naked, in the day of its birth, without any shelter from secular powers.

(2.) They had not the advantage of art and eloquence to commend their religion. There is a kind of charm in rhetoric, that makes things appear otherwise than they are: the best cause it ruins, the worst it confirms. Truth, though in itself invincible, yet by it seems to be overcome, and error obtains a false triumph. We have a visible proof of this in the writings of Celsus, Symmachus, Cæcilius, and others, for paganism against Christianity. What a vast difference is there between the lies and filthiness of the one, and the truth and sanctity of the other! Yet with what admirable address did they manage that infamous subject! Although it seemed incapable of any defence, yet they gave such colours to it, by the beauty of their expressions and their apparent reasons, that it seemed plausible; and Christianity, notwithstanding its brightness and purity, was made odious to the people. But the apostles were most of them wholly unlearned. St. Paul himself acknowledges, that he was weak in presence, and "his speech was not with enticing words of man's wisdom," 2 Cor. ii. 4. A crucified Christ was all their rhetoric.

Now these impotent, despicable persons were employed to subdue the world to the cross of Christ; and in that season, when the Roman empire was at its height, when the most rigorous severities were used against all innovations, when philosophy and eloquence were in their flower and vigour ; so that truth, unless adorned with the dress and artifice of falsehood, was despised, and a message from God himself, unless eloquently conveyed, had no force to persuade. Therefore the apostles debased themselves in the sense of their own weakness; "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us," 2 Cor. iv. 7. It was from distrust of themselves, their true confidence in God proceeded. They were only so far powerful as he enabled them; like instruments in which there is not virtue sufficient for the carving of a statue, if they do not receive it impressed from the artificer that uses them. Briefly, as God, the author of wonders, uses that which is weak in nature, to conquer the most rebellious parts of it; he makes the weak sand a more powerful bridle to the impetuous element of waters, than the strongest banks raised by the industry of men and composed of the most solid materials; so he was pleased, by a few artless, impotent persons, to confound the wisdom and overcome the power of the world.

3. The great, sudden, and lasting change that was made in the world, by the preaching of the gospel, is a certain argument of the divine power that animated those mean appearances, and that no instrument is weak in God's hands.

It is a

(1.) The greatness of the change is such, that it was only possible to divine power. It is a great miracle to render sight to the blind, but it is more miraculous to enlighten the dark mind, to see the truth and beauty of supernatural mysteries, when they are disguised under reproach and sad representations, and effectually to believe them, especially when the inferior appetite is so contrary to faith. prodigy to raise the dead, but it is more admirable to sanctify an habituated sinner; for in comparing the quality of those miracles, that is the greatest, in the performing whereof God is discovered to be the absolute Lord of the greater nature; now the intellectual nature is superior to the corporeal. Besides, there is no contradiction from a dead body against the divine power in raising it; on the contrary, if any sense