but the doctrine of the Master of christianity did not remain in Judea, but is spread throughout the whole world, in every nation, and village, and city, converting both whole houses and separate individuals, having already brought over to the truth not a few of the philosophers themselves. If the Greek philosophy be prohibited, it immediately vanishes; whereas, from the first preaching of our doctrine, kings and tyrants, governors and presidents, with their whole train and with the populace on their side, have endeavoured, with their whole might, to exterminate it, yet doth it flourish more and more."

There is no reason for diminishing the wonder which this rapid success of the gospel so necessarily excites, by the supposition that all these conversions, or the greater part of them, were little more than a change of profession and name; the substitution of a christian church, for a heathen temple-a mere transition from one system of religious ceremonial to another. In times of fierce persecution the reality of a conversion is tried "as by fire." There was little during the first three hundred years of christianity to encourage a profession of its faith, except so far as the heart had become sufficiently devoted to its holy and selfdenying duties, to be willing to suffer on their account the loss of all things. Mere cold assent and dead formality were not likely to put themselves in the way of being torn by wild beasts, or buried in the mines. The change wrought in the converts was, for the most part and notoriously, a change of heart and of life, as well as an entire change of opinion. The striking alteration in those who embraced the gospel, bore a powerful attestation to its divine authority. Philosophers complained that men improved but little, in goodness, under their instructions; while Paul could say to the Christians of Corinth, a city famous for the profligacy of its inhabitants," Such were some of you: but ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." "The doctrine of

Christ," says a writer of those times, "did convert the most wicked persons who embraced it from all their debaucheries, to the practice of all virtues."* So remarkable was the difference between the Christians and those whom they had once resembled, that Origen, defending their faith against the attacks of Celsus, challenges a comparison between their moral character and that of any other societies in the world. Even the sceptic Gibbon unites in this testimony. Speaking of these early converts, he says: "As they emerged from sin and superstition to the glorious hope of immortality, they resolved to devote themselves to a life not only of virtue, but of penitence. The desire of perfection became the ruling passion of their soul." "Their serious and sequestered life, averse to the gay luxury of the age, inured them to chastity, temperance, economy, and all the sober and domestic virtues. The contempt of the world exercised them in the habits of humility, meekness, and patience. The more they were persecuted, the more closely they adhered to each other. Their mutual charity and unsuspecting confidence has been remarked by infidels, and was too often abused by perfidious friends. Even their faults, or rather their errors, were derived from an excess of virtue."† From all these authorities, it is evident that the propagation of the gospel was not only of great rapidity, but of great power in transforming the hearts and lives of the multitudes who embraced it.

In connexion with the moral power and vast extent of this work; it should be considered, that among those who were brought to the obedience of Christ, were men of all classes, from the most obscure and ignorant, to the most elevated and learned. In the New Testament, we read of an eminent counsellor, and of a chief ruler, and of a great company of priests, and of two centurions of the Roman army, and of a proconsul of Cyprus, and of a member of the Areopagus at Athens, and even of certain of the house* Origen cont. Celsum. + Gibbon, ii. xv. 138—9.

hold of the emperor Nero, as having been converted to the faith. Many of the converts were highly esteemed for talents and attainments. Such was Justin Martyr, who, while a heathen, was conversant with all the schools of philosophy. Such was Pantænus, who, before his conversion, was a philosopher of the school of the Stoics, and whose instructions in human learning at Alexandria, after he became a Christian, were much frequented by students of various characters. Such also was Origen, whose reputation for learning was so great, that not only Christians, but philosophers flocked to his lectures upon mathematics and philosophy, as well as on the scriptures. Even the noted Porphyry did not refrain from a high eulogium upon the learning of Origen.* It may help to convey some notion of the character and quality of many early Christians; of their learning and their labours; to notice the christian writers who flourished in these ages. St. Jerome's catalogue contains one hundred and twenty writers previous to the year 360 from the death of Christ. The catalogue is thus introduced: 'Let those who say the church has had no philosophers, nor eloquent and learned men, observe who and what they were who founded, established, and adorned it."+ Pliny, in his celebrated letter to Trajan, written about sixty-three years after the gospel began to be preached to the Gentiles, expressly states that, in the provinces of Pontus and Bythinia, many of all ranks were accused to him of the crime of being Christians.t

*

Stillingfleet's Orig. Sac. 273-4.

See Paley, 346.

The early advocates of christianity, in controversy with the heathen of Greece and Rome, were accustomed to dwell with great stress upon the argument from its propagation. Chrysostom, of the fourth century, writes: "The apostles of Christ were twelve, and they gained the whole world." Zeno, Plato, Socrates, and many others, endeavoured to introduce a new course of life, but in vain; whereas Jesus Christ not only taught, but settled a new polity, or way of living, all over the world." "The doctrines and writings of fishermen, who were beaten and driven from society, and always lived in the midst of dangers, have been readily embraced by learned and unlearned, bondmen and free, kings and soldiers, Greeks and barbarians.'

We have now prepared the several facts that constitute the materials of our argument. Here is an unquestionable historical event. The rapid and extensive spread of christianity over the whole Roman empire in less than seventy years from the outset of its preaching. Has any thing else of a like kind been known in the world? Did the learning and popularity of the ancient philosophers, powerfully aided by the favour of the great, and the peculiar character of the age, accomplish any thing in the least resembling the success of the apostles? It is a notorious fact that only one of them "ever dared to attack the base religion of the nation, and substitute better representations of God in its stead, although its absurdity was apparent to many of them. An attempt of this kind, having cost the bold Socrates his life, no others had resolution enough to offer such a sacrifice for the general good. To excuse their timidity in this respect, and give it the appearance of profound wisdom, they called to their aid the general principle that it is imprudent and injurious to let people see the whole truth at once; that it is not only necessary to spare sacred prejudices, but, in particular circumstances, an act of benevolence to deceive the great mass of the people. This was the unanimous opinion of almost all the ancient philosophical schools."* No further proof is needed that such men were incapable of effecting any thing approximating to the great moral revolution produced in the

Though kings, and tyrants, and people strove to extinguish the spark of faith, such a flame of true religion arose as filled the whole world. If you go to India, and Scythia, and the utmost ends of the earth, you will every where find the doctrine of Christ enlightening the souls of men." Augustine, of the same century, speaking of the heathen philosophers, says: "If they were to live again, and should see the churches crowded, the temples forsaken, and men called from the love of temporal, fleeting things to the hope of eternal life and the possession of spiritual and heavenly blessings, and readily embracing them, provided they were really such as they are said to have been, perhaps they would say: 'These are things which we did not dare to say to the people; we rather gave way to their custom than endeavoured to draw them over to our best thoughts and apprehensions.''

*Reinhard's Plan n. 165. 6.

Lardner, ii. 614 and 597.

world by the power of the gospel. How different the apostles! boldly attacking all vice, superstition, and error, at all hazards, in all places, not counting their lives dear unto them, so that they might "testify the gospel of the grace of God." But where else shall we turn for a parallel to the work we have described? What efforts, independently of the gospel, were ever successful in the moral regeneration of whole communities of the superstitious and licentious?

The only event in the annals of time that has ever been supposed to bear any resemblance to the propagation of christianity, is the rapid progress of Mohammedanism. But a little reflection will show you that the single fact of its rapid and extensive progress is the only point of resemblance; while, in every thing else, there is direct opposition. The Koran based its cause upon no profession of miracles, and therefore had no detection to fear. The gospel rested all upon its repeated miracles, and, consequently, unless it had been true, would have been certain of detection. Mohammed was of the most powerful and honourable family in Mecca, the chief city of his nation; and though not rich by inheritance, became so by marriage. Jesus was of a family of poor and unknown inhabitants of an obscure village in Judea, and had not where to lay his head. Mohammed began his work among the rich and great. His first three years were consumed in attaching to his cause thirteen of the chief people of Mecca. Jesus commenced among the poor. During his three years of ministry on earth, twelve obscure Jews, many of them fishermen, all unlearned and powerless, were his chosen disciples. Of the first thirteen apostles of the Koran, all ultimately attained to riches and honours, to the command of armies, and the government of kingdoms. Of the twelve apostles who commenced the propagation of the gospel, all attained to the utmost poverty, contempt, and ignominy; and all, but one, to a violent death on account of their cause. The age, when Mohammed set his banner, was eminently propitious to his enterprise. "Nothing

up