1

Ranks of Men, and this was no ill fign of the Power of Chriftian Godliness. Nor had they any private Marks of Diftinction; a rare fimplicity, meeknefs, and fweetness of Temper, was the diftinguishing Livery of Chriftians. They love one another fo exceedingly, and call one another Brethren, because they are Children of the fame God, Servants of the fame Mafter, and Coheirs of the fame Happiness. That they have neither Images, Temples, nor Altars, is, because they look upon the infinite Majefty of God to be abus'd by the re prefentation of Images, and not to be pent up in Temples; and the moft agreeable Altar, to be a Holy Mind. That the moft acceptable Sacrifices to God, are Juftice, Charity, Purity, and Innocence. That the God of Chriftians is both Invifible and Omniprefent, and that he knows all things, and is every where in the darkest of Abyffes, even the Abyfs of our own Minds. That never People were fo encompafs'd with Miracle, and fo prodigiously defended as the Jews were, while they ftuck close to the Worship of their God; but mifery with a witnefs, always purfued upon the heels of Difobedience.

He then goes on to fhew how the Philofophers in general concur'd with Chriftians in the Conflagration, and other Doctrines. That Pythagoras and Plato taught one part of the Refurrection, when they taught the Immortality and Tranfmigration of the Soul. And as to the feeming impoffibility of a Refurrection, 'tis much the fame thing, if not eafier, to raise Men from the dead, than to give 'em Life and Being at firft from nothing. He argues likewife, that all the Revolutions in Nature are Emblems of a Refurrection; and that wicked Men are against this Doctrine, because the Doctrine is against them; for they had much rather be Annihilated, than rais'd again only to Torment. That they take Advantage from the prefent impunity in this Life, to conclude against any after reckoning in a Life to come; but Vengeance will be jufter, and heavier

the flower it comes. That the Torments of the Dam. ned are infinite both in degree and duration. That the Fire of Hell confumes and nourishes at the fame time the Bodies it preys upon. That after fo many Divine Leffons and Demonftrations of a Deity, 'tis not a lefs Sin to be ignorant of God, than to affront him. That there is no comparison between Heathens and Chriftians in the point of Moral Duties; for the Heathens practife the Adulteries they prohibit, but Christians will not fo much as allow of wickedness in Thought, and ftand in awe only of their own Confciences. That their Prifons were cram'd with Criminals, but not one Chriftian to be found amongst 'em, but either a Confeffor or an Apoftate. And as for Deftiny, it was ftrangely foolish to plead that in excufe for Sin, because Destiny is nothing but the execution of God's Decrees, regulated by his infallible Prefcience of what the Actions of every one will be, but without neceffitating them fo to be. And as to Poverty, Chriftians are fo far from being afham'd upon that account, that they glory in the Objection, for they conclude no Man poor, but he that thinks himself fo and that they have learnt the Art of poffeffing all things, by defiring nothing; and that by being stript of the incumbrance of Riches, they find themfelves the lighter to run the Race that is fer before 'em. That their Sufferings are no Argument either of the Malice or the Impotence of the God they ferve, but Tryals only to prove and purify 'em. That many Heathens are cry'd up to the Skies for Suffering, tho' Chriftians are cry'd down as much for the very fame Virtue; and yet the Scevola's and Regulus's are not comparable, not only to the Men of our Sect, but even to our Women and Children, who look upon all your inventions of Cruelty as meer Jetts and ScareCrows. That the Perfons who are inclos'd in their own Fat, and furrounded with Wealth and Honour, are in a manner but fatted like Victims for flaughter,

and made a Prey for Sycophants, to be flatter'd out of their Senfes into the groffeft Abominations. That there can be no real Happiness here without the true "Knowledge of God, because worldly Happiness is but a Dream, and flips thro' our Fingers, while we fancy we have it fait in our Hands; and therefore, that a Chriftian, tho' he may feem to be miferable, yet in reality can never be fo. He adds likewife, that the Chriftians religioufly abftain'd from the Plays, and Pomps, and Vanities of the Gentile World, because they look'd upon fuch Diverfions, as inconfiftent with good Manners, and their moft Holy Religion. That the Disciples of the Crofs liv'd above the very ideas and fpeculations of the Philofophers; who, notwithftanding a mighty appearance of Wifdom in their Writings, and a very grave Face of Virtue and Aufterity in their Beards and Habits, were feldom found at Heart; whereas the Chriftians, tho' they always kept a ftrict guard upon their Behaviour, yet their main bufinefs was to be good at bottom, to have their Hearts and Looks all of a piece, and a Confcience void of offence towards God and Man.

Octavius had no fooner finish'd his Anfwer, but Cecilius, as it were like another Saul, was ftruck down with the light and brightnefs of heavenly Truth; and being convinc'd and ravifh'd at the fame time with the Discovery, the Tranfport was too big to stay for the determination of Minucius, and therefore he ufurps the Office of the Judge, and thus pronounces Sentence himself, We are both Conquerors, Octavius triumphs over Cecilius, and Cecilius triumphs over Error, I am perfectly fatisfied, and from henceforth fubfcribe Christian for ever.

Cecilius's Eyes being thus open'd, and the Man at length help'd out of the Mire of Heathenifm, the next Point was to fet him right in the way of Truth, and to Catechife him more particularly in the first Fundamental Principles of the Chriftian Religion; but this,

by

by confent, was put off for the fubject of the next days Conference; and that Catechetical Lecture is not now extant, which from the foregoing Piece we have good reafon to believe, wou'd have been a moft inftructive and beautiful Conclufion. To fupply therefore this Defideratum, aud from an African Bishop too, in whofe time the way of Catechizing can hardly be thought to have vary'd much from that of Minucius, I have here fubjoin'd a Summary of St. duftin's Book, De Catechizandis Rudibus; which to me is a moft warm and enlight'ning Difcourfe; whereby the English Reader will fee the Catechetical Inftructions of Old, before Adult Perfons were admitted by Baptifm into the Privileges of the Faithful, and which, I think, he can hardly read, without fome good Effects both upon his Understanding and his Heart.

The first Interrogatory propos'd by the Catechift to the Catechumen, was, whether the Motive of his coming now to be made a Chriftian, was the profpect of fome Advantage in the Life prefent, or in that to come? Upon his anfwering, inthe Life to come; God be prais'd, (reply'd the Catechift) and O! my Brother, I exceedingly Congratulate your Arrival at this Haven, and am heartily glad to find you now Anchoring upon true and folid Happiness, in this dangerous and stormy paffage of Life. But let me tell you, that tho' you are now in queft only of a future Happiness, yet if you keep firm to your promife, you will find ftrange Enjoyment and Complacency at prefent; you will foon be fenfible of the inexpreffible Difference between the pleasures of a Chriftian and a Voluptuary, and that a good Confcience is the greatest Epicurifm in the World: And this you'll find the rather, because Temporary Satisfactions are not the things you come now to reap from your Religion. Some indeed turn Chriftians the better to ingratiate with fome great Men; and others come with more fincerity, but not with lefs dangerous PrinC 2

ciples;

ciples; for they feem to look upon it, as, an Article in the Covenant, that Chriftians fhou'd be the happiest, richest, and finest People in the World; but finding fome Gentiles making a better figure than Chriftians, they are offended, and immediately take leave of their new Religion. But he only is the perfect Chriftian, who loves God much more than he fears Hell; who, fuppofing God fhou'd put it to him in these words, You are at liberty to wallow everlaftingly in carnal Pleafures, and to fin on to the utmost of your Ability, nor fhall you be interrupted in your Enjoyment by Death, or punish'd with Hell; only remember, that you shall never be fuffer'd to reft in my Prefence. He, Ifay, is the True Chriftian, who upon thefe Terms wou'd abhor the Indulgence to Sin, not out of fear of Punishment, but purely for fear of offending that God he loves above all Things, and in whofe Prefence alone is that Reft for Souls, which Eye bath not feen, nor Ear beard, nor has enter'd into the heart of Man to conceive, and which he has prepar'd for them that love bim in this manner.

After this Congratulary Introduction, he goes on to inftruct the Candidate in the Belief of the one True God, who was the Maker of Heaven and Earth; for Marcion and other Hereticks afferted another Being above the Creator. He then acquaints him with the Creation of our firft Parents, the Nature of that Di vine Image after which they were made, their conditional Happiness and Immortality, their original Righteoufnefs and Perfection, both as to Understanding and Freedom of Will, their unhappy Fall, and God's Fore-knowledge of it, and the Juftice and Good. nefs of God, in making Man under that View, either to be an Object of his Juftice, or an Illuftration of his Mercy. After this, he lays before him the amazing Patience and Long-fuffering of God with obftinate Sinners, and his wife and merciful Projects to bring them to Repentance and Happiness. For before he brought

the