Here, then, is one singular quality enjoined by Christianity, to which the natural mind feels a re pugnance, but which reason can demonstrate to be perfectly consistent with the dignity and happiness of man, and to be, in fact the best means of pro moting both. And it is one of those moral quali ties, more, perhaps, than any other peculiar to the gospel. There is no word in the classical languages of Greece and Rome to denote the virtue of hu mility. It is a quality, however, which results so naturally out of the relation in which man stands toehis Maker, that the religion which so forcibly enjoins it may be said to have a sign from hea ven, that it proceeds from God; whilst those which encourage opposite qualities betray them selves to be of earthly origin and of' human in vention.
Take another quality, the forgiveness of injuries, which, if not absolutely peculiar to the gospel, is at least enforced by it with a clearness, and with a -strength of motive not to be found in any other system of religion or morals. "Forgive thine enemies," says a heathen, " for by returning their injuries thou art only equal with them, by forgiving them thou art superior." This is very fair reason ing; but we may justly doubt whether it would produce any very decided effect. The precept of the gospel, however, goes much farther, and is en forced by much more powerful motives. "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that de spitefully use you and persecute you." This is stretching the precept, it may be thought, to the very verge of human endurance; yet it is nothing more than the fair result and legitimate conclusion of the principle by which our Lord recommends it, which is, "That ye may be the children of your father who is in heaven, for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Mat. v. 44, 45. Was any such motive ever suggested by any other teacher? Was man ever authorized to contemplate such an exalted origin, or called upon to imitate such a spotless pattern? Nothing like it is to be found in the records of human 'wisdom. We see ourselves placed in the most intimate union with God, and, as his children, we are called upon to imitate his perfections, the most conspicuous of which are mercy and forgiveness.
Let us now see, then, whether we discover in the gospel such marks and characters as must neces sarily belong to a religion which comes from hea ven. Such a religion must explain and exalt the
divine perfections; must make us better acquainted with the nature and government of God, whose be ing is universally admitted, but whose character is, in general, very imperfectly understood; must be distinguished by wisdom and benevolence; must tend to promote the best interests of man for time and for eternity; and all these marks are to be found in the gospel of Christ, or they are to be found nowhere. It has, at least, annihilated the claims of every other religion, and if any one should entertain a suspicion that it may still mis lead us, we can only say, that if it does, there can henceforth be no confidence in human reason, no dependence on human testimony, and no trust even in miraculous appearances: for in all these respects every thing that the mind can require to satisfy its doubts has been most amply supplied; and we do not think it possible for the present faculties of man to receive any fuller demonstration of the truth of Christianity than is set before us in the au thentie facts on which it rests, and the intrinsic ex cellence by which it is distinguished.
It may appear matter of astonishment that a re ligion so attested, and so obviously calculated to promote the best interests of man, shuuld never theless be so obstinately resisted. This, which might appear singular, is resolved into a promi nent feature of human nature by our Lord's words, " WhOSO doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds be reproved." If the view which has been given of human nature be correct, if it be earthly and sensual in its origi nal tendencies, averse to restraint, and prone to ex cessive gratification, in these circumstances oppo sition to the gospel is exactly what we may expect, and is an additional internal evidence of its divine origin. A religion perfectly accommodated to the natural feelings, or falling in with the prevailing propensities of human nature, would need no other evidence to prove that it could not be divine. For who can doubt that the prominent features of the human character, before it is refined and exalted by moral culture and religious principle, are pride and ambition, selfishness and sensuality, qualities which can never be countenanced by a divine reli gion, and which must be subdued before such a re ligion can be relished by the human mind.