The only objection likely to be made to the part of this plan now executed, is, that it is employed in proving that which at the prefent day does not require any proof, the fuperiority of the Chriftian Revelation to the fuperftitions of the Pagan religion. But as Dr. Ireland has managed his plan, it leads first to a view of the hiftory of Chriftianity in the earliest ages of the church, the objections and caTumnies of the heathens, and the triumphant anfwers and refutation of them by the Chrifiian apologifls. It leads next to a view of the beft attempts towards rational theology which were made by the ancients; to a detail of the system of Varro, the great authority of the Romans, in all its parts; to a view of the theology of Plato; his reafonings concerning the immortality of the foul; the notions of antiquity on the fubject of creation; and the fpeculations of the philofophers refpecting the Chief Good of Man. All thefe must be acknowledged to be topics highly inftructive, and likely to be in general interefting to young inen engaged in a courfe of claflical ftudy; and when we add that the lecturer in every inftance clearly ftates the true doctrine of Christianity, on the points which heathen fagacity was per fectly unable to elucidate, it must be confeffed, that the objection falls to the ground; and appears to be, if not futile in itfelf, at leaft fufficiently obviated by the care and conduct of the author. The objection was not indeed overlooked by him, and he has ftated it, with his general anfwer, in the following terms:

"The argument that the deities of Pagan Rome were the beftowers of temporal happiness, and that the calamities which befel the empire in its later age, were occafioned by the civil eftablishment of Chriftianity, has been refuted by an appeal to history. The veil which covered from the eyes of the people the earlier difafters of the ftate, was removed by the advocates of the Gofpel. From their diligence and zeal, therefore, came the defcription of the vices and growing miferies of Rome, while yet idolatrous; while, as Auguftin remarks, her fuperftitions were in their fulleft maintenance; while her priesthood was pub. licly honoured, and the mingled odours of garlands and Sabean frankincenfe afcended from the altars of her gods *. This per. haps might be deemed fufficient for the vindication of the Gofpel. But, not content with this, the Christian writers laboured to ex

"Quando illa mala fiebant, calebant aræ numinum Sabão thure fertifque recentibus halabant; clarebant facerdotia, fana tenidebant; facrificabatur, ludebatur, furebatur in templis. Civ. Dei. lib. iii. c. 31.”

pofe the general inefficacy of the Heathen worship. They afcended to the origin of the Roman deities, and proved them to have been equally helpless in Afia and in Italy: they described the miferies which ambition had inflicted on the world amid the acknowledgement of fo corrupt a mythology, and concluded, that the dominion of Rome had been derived from other caufes, and conferred for other purposes. Of this part of the literary warfare with idolatry, fome fpecimens fhall therefore be given.

"The criticifm of our own days may indeed deem fuch contention unimportant, and the ftatement of it fuperfluous. But our refearches into the tranfactions of other ages, must be regulated by the circumftances of the times to which they belong. We do not want to be convinced of the folly of poly theifm. But, in a contest between two great parties of Chriftians and Pagans, the queftion was juftly regarded as of great moment. To fup. prefs it, therefore, would be to mutilate hiftoric truth, and to caft away one great feature from the portrait of the age which we delineate." P. 116.

It is one important circumftance in the value of this work, that it is calculated to introduce the young hearer and reader to the knowledge of feveral ancient authors, of whom probably they might not otherwife have heard any thing for many years. Among thefe almoft the firft introduced are Orofius and St. Auguftin. The hiftory of the former, and the great work of the latter, "De Civitate Dei," are both diftinctly characterized. The hiftory written at the injunction, and according to the views of Auguftin, and the treatife compofed as a complete anfwer to all the calumnies of the Heathens, who attributed the misfortunes of the empire to the prevalence of Chriftianity. The account of both may with advantage be placed before our readers.

"In public refutation, therefore, of the falfe and blafphemous accufations promoted, by thefe and other caufes, against the Gospel, the zeal of Auguftin planned the memorable treatife Of the City of God;' one of the most valuable works which the piety and literature of the early Chriftian writers have tranfmitted to us. He had now publifhed the first ten books, when, judging the Prefbyter Orofius a fit afliftant in his purpofe, he enjoined him to form his collection of History against the Pagans. The object of this work was to compile from all former hiftories and annals, whatever calamities, common or extraordinary, natural or civil, were recorded in the experience of mankind. Nor was this undertaken through the melancholy love of contemplating a mafs of human evils; but for the fake of convincing the Roman people, that the difafters, of which they complained, as un-, exampled in their nature, or brought upon their own åge or na

tion by the malignant influence of Chriftianity, were long fince familiar, not only to the reft of the world, but to themselves.

"One circumftance attending this work must have ftruck the Pagans with novelty and furprise. The Gentile writers had commonly begun their hiftories from Ninus, as if the earlier ftate of man were unknown to them, or were utterly unworthy of refearch or record; as if the human race had no discoverable origin, or had hitherto lived on an equality with the brutes of the field, and had not attained civilization fufficient for notice, till Ninus prefented to the world the firft fpecimen of orderly and rational government.

"Orofius detects the fallacy of thefe opinions, points out the comparatively recent eftablishment of the too celebrated Affyrian empire, the long lapfe of time previous to it, and the nature of the more ancient governments. He carries the minds of his Pagan readers to the Divine creation of man, and endeavours to imprefs upon them the fall of Adam, as the point from which began to flow the miferies of the world; the first chastisements of fin. Hence he infers the continual fuperintendance of a Providence which acts by judgments as well as mercies, and executes its everlasting purposes on the fons of men, under all the circumftances of life. Finally, he turns their attention to Chrift, the Saviour of the world, and exhorts them to look by faith towards him, in whom alone the fin of Adam could find its remedy; and to repent of the evils which the impious perfecution of his church upon earth had brought upon the Roman empire, through the righteous vengeance of Heaven.

"Auguftin is a writer of an higher order. While he reverts to the former hiftory of Rome, and of the world at large, he encounters the Pagans with an animated and interefting difcuffion of the radical meannefs and vicioufnefs of polytheifm; the equal folly of the popular mythology, and the philofophic religion of the Romans. This he accomplishes, with perfect fuccefs, in the first ten books. In the twelve which follow, he proceeds to raife his Chriftian fuperftructure on the ruins of Paganism. Beginning, therefore, from the fituation of man in Paradife, he traces the progrefs of Revelation through the fucceeding ages, its continued exiftence, notwithstanding occafional reftrictions of its extent, till the appearance of Chrift, in whom the world was to believe.

"From the accomplishment of the purpofes of God upon earth, he paffes to the final judgment of mankind at the last day; defcribes the condemnation and punishment of the enemies of God, and expatiates on the everlasting happiness of the blessed; when Chrift fhall have given up the kingdom of his mediator. fhip to the Father, and God fhall be all in all.'

But it is only the first part of the work which applies to the fubject before us. And, without entering into any of thofe. opinions which narrow or degrade the Chriftian fyftem of Au

Nn 3

guftin,

gustin, in no writer can we find a more copious, or more intereft. ing account of the ftate of Paganifm in the age in which he lived.

"This account is the more curious, as it fhows us the epinions and practices of polytheifm after the civil eftablishment of Christianity in Rome; and holds up to our eyes a picture of idolatry, when now declining, and indeed faft verging to its extinction." P. 73.

From the copious ftores of this elaborate work of Auguftin, Dr. Ireland draws with freedom in the present volume, nor can he with juftice be cenfured for fa doing. The matter thus collected would not otherwife have been fought or known by his hearers; and his own extensive and accurate reading is thus turned to excellent account, by being digefted and prepared for the ufe of those who are not yet qualified to follow him through the works them felves. It must indeed be confeffed, that after all the care of the lecturer, the views of the Platonic theology, and of the doctrines of the ancient fects refpecting the Chief Good, are unavoidably abflrufe; but if they are lefs fo than they would be found, either in the original works from which they are drawn, or in other reprefentations of them, the chief object of his endeavour may be confidered as attained. He will have opened to young ftudents a track, which they may afterwards fuccefsfully pur.ue. The manner in which the contemplation of ancient opinions is here applied to present ufe, may be exemplified by the conclufion of the fifth chapter, in which the author had examined the theology of Varro, with the aid of his admirable guide, Auguftin.

"From the fubject thus reprefented, a few general inferences may be inftructively drawn.

1. In its religious inftitutions, Paganifm looked to no ob ject beyond political convenience. On this ground alone, Varro fupported the civil theology of his country; and, in the divifion of his work, profeffedly treated of Rome before its gods, the latter having derived all their worship from the will of the former*. Revelation is independent of the establishments of men. Through

"Varronis igitur confitentis ideò se priùs de rebus humanis fcripfiffe, poftea de divinis, quia divinæ iftæ ab hominibus infti. tutæ funt, hæc ratio eft:fic ut prior eft, inquit, pictor, quàm tabula picta; prior faber, quam ædificium; ita priores funt civitates, quàm ea quæ à civitatibus funt inftituta. Civ. Dei, lib. vi. c. 4. He fays indeed, that if he were to write of the entire nature of the gods, he would place the gods first.

we

Through the Divine bleffing, indeed, it is eminently applicable to the civil condition of the world; and those nations are the happieft which admit most of its influence into the direction of their policy. Our own country exhibits a glorious example of true religion allied with the ftate, and of the benefits refulting to both; the ftate hallowed by religion, religion defended by the ftare. But whatever be the views of human governments, whether they admit or refufe a civil connection with it, the Gospel maintains its own character. The everlafting word of God is not altered by any authority of man; and Jefus Chrift is the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever *.’

2. The only theology to which Varro gave a genuine ap.. probation, he confined to the philofophical part of his countrymen. Hence it is evident, that he had discovered in it nothing which tended to the common benefit of the world, nothing which ultimately affected the foul of man. It might amufe curiofity, but did not lead to happinefs. How different the religion of Chrift! Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature +.' The common intereft is proved by the neceffity of a common knowledge. Every foul is the object of God's gracious call; and it is the characteristic of Christianity, not that it addreffes only the wife man after the flesh;' not that it is confined to the mighty,' or the noble ‡;' but that the poor have the Gofpel preached to them §.'

"3. From the manner in which Varro treats his fubject, it is evident that he regarded the gods with no vulgar eye. He did not worship them, as others did, for the fake of the temporal benefits which they were popularly fuppofed to confer. Yet it is obfervable, that neither does he look forward to future bleffings from their hands. In his whole difcuffion, mention is no where made of eternal life ! What may we infer from this? That thofe Romans who profeffed the hope of future happiness from their gods, fpoke from no fettled conviction, but from the ob vious difappointment of prefent expectations. Varro, the great master of Roman theology, had held out no promise to the foul, had made no difcovery of eternity; nor can he be supposed to have entertained a hope, of which he gives no fign.' Here then is the great triumph of the Gofpel. Its characteristic is

we have feen enough of his fentiments to be perfuaded, that this was only a convenient fheiter from the imputation of disrespect to the gods, or a fecret preference of his own natural theology to the civil."

"Hebrews, xiii. 8.

"I Cor. i. 26.

+ St. Mark, xvi, 15.” St. Matthew, xi, 5.**

"In hâc totâ ferie pulcherrimæ ac fubtiliffimæ diftributi onis, et diftinctionis, vitam æternam fruftra quæri et fperari, fa cillimè apparet. Civ. Dei, lib. v. c. 3.”