cepts, fo is it more cogent in its Penalties; for pray tell me, what is the Force of human Laws? Which an Offender has oftentimes a Chance to escape either by lying bid in his Wickedness, or elfe by pleading Inadvertency or Compulfion. Reflect likewife upon the Shortness of human Punishment, which always ends with Life; for this Reafon you see how little Epicurus valu'd any kind of Torment, by laying down this for his Maxim of Comfort, That a little Pain is contemptible, and a great one is not lafting. But We who know we must account to a God who fees the Secrets of all Hearts; We who have a Profpect of that eternal Punishment he has in ftore for the Tranfgreffors of his Laws; We, I fay, may well be looked upon under fo much Revelation, to be the only Men who always take Innocence in their way; and confidering the Omniscience of our Lawgiver, and that Darknefs and Light to him are both alike, and withall weighing the Heaviness of future Torment, Torment not lasting only, but everlasting, we proportion our Fear and Obedience accordingly, fearing him who thofe Judges ought to be afraid of, who condemn Christians for standing more in awe of God than the Proconful.

CHAP.

CHAP. XLVI.

That Chriftians have a better Right to a Toleration than Philofophers.

Have now, as I think, ftood the whole Charge, and reply'd to ev'ry Article, for which Men have been fo deadly clamorous for the Blood of Chriftians; I have likewife laid before you our whole State, and the Ground of our Faith, namely, the Antiquity of the divine Scriptures moft credibly attefted, together with the Testimony and Confeffion of the very Devils themselves; he therefore that will take upon him to refute me, ought to dif prove these Facts in the fame Method and Simplicity as I have propos'd 'em, and not to fold himself in Quirks of Logick, or the Disguise of Eloquence.

In the mean time I cannot but take notice of the strange Incredulity of fome Men, who notwithstanding they are convinc'd of the Excellency of our Sect, which they are notoriously sensible of by their Conversation and Dealings with us, yet they will not be convinc'd that Christianity is of diviner Original than mere humane Philofophy. For, fay they, Philofophers prefcribe and profefs the fame Doctrine as Chriftians, namely, Innocence, Justice, Patience, Temperance, and Chastity. But now if this Comparison be just, and Chriftianity and Philofophy be the fame things, A a 3

pray,

pray, what is the Reason that we have not the fame Philofophick Treatment? Why are we not equal'd to those in Points of Privilege and Impunity, to whom we are compar'd in Points of Discipline? Why are not they who are of the like Profeffion with us, put upon the fame Offices with us, and which we for refusing run the Rifque of our Lives? But what Philofopher is compell'd to Sacrifice or fwear by your Gods, or to hang out a parcel of infignificant Lights at Noon-day upon your Festivals? And yet thefe Philofophers * destroy your Gods openly, and write against your Superftitions, and with your Approbation into the bargain. Nay, many of 'em not only fnarl, but bark aloud against the Emperors, and you bear it very contentedly; and not only fo, but give 'em Statues and Penfions instead of throwing 'em to the Beasts for so doing; and all this, no doubt, with great Reafon, because they go by the Name of Philofophers, and not Chriftians; a Name which

gives

Quin imo & Deos veftros palam deftruunt,-laudantibus vobis.] Thefe and the following words are plainly an Imitation, or rather a Tranflation of thofe in Juftin Martyr. Apol. 1. Sect. 4. Kai τέτων τινὲς ἀθεότητα ἐδίδαξαν,-Κακείνων τὰ διδάγματα οι μελές χόμοι ἐκ εἴςον 3 πρὸς ὑπ ̓, ἆθλα δὲ καὶ τιμὰς τοῖς ἐυρώπως υβρίζεσι τέτοις τίθελε.

Nomen hoc Philofophorum Damonia non fugat.] When the more fober and inquifitive Heathens took a ftricter View of the Lives of the Preachers of the Gofpel, and of their genuin Followers, inftead of the common and rude Name of Impoftors, they gave 'em the more civil Title of Philofophers, as we find from the beginning of this Chapter; Sed dum unicuiq, manifeftatur veritas noftra, quod ufu jam de commercio innotuit, non utiq; Divinum negocium exiftimant, fed magis Philofophia genus. They cou'd not but own Chritianity to be a more exalted kind of Philofophy, when they faw

t

the

gives no Disturbance to the Dæmons, and how Thou'd it? Since the Philofophers do these Dxmons the Honour, as to place 'em next the Gods. For it was a conftant Form in the Mouth of Socrates, by my Damon's Leave, I will do fo or fo; yet even this fame Philofopher after he had given fuch an Inftance of his true Wisdom in denying the Divinity of your Gods, yet notwithstanding this (fuch was the Inconftancy of the Man) he order'd a Cock to be facrific'd to Efculapius just upon the Point of expiring, in gratitude, I fuppose, to his Father Apollo, who had given him out for the wisest of Mortals. O inconfiderate Apollo ! was you bewitched thus to ungod your self, by crying up fuch a one for the wifeft of Men, who cry'd down the whole Race of Heathen Gods?

But for as much as Men of corrupted Minds have always a burning Hatred to Truth, so

the Chriftians live above the very Notions of the Philofophers. But the difference between the Life of a Chriftian and a Philosopher, was not the only Characteristick; for fays our Tertullian, Nomen. boc Philofophorum Damonia non fugat. Philofopher is a Name the Devils value not, they ftand in no awe of a Philofopher's Beard, nor will the Hem of his Pallium cure any Difeafes. But Chriftians did not only out-live 'em in Vertue, but out-did 'em in Power. For Chrift was a Name that made the very Devils tremble; a thing which the Philofophers with all their mighty Wifdom were fo far from pretending to, that they worshipped thefe very Dæmons next to the Gods. So that Chriftianity and Philofophy differ juft as much as Heaven and Earth, as a Name that can do every thing, and a mere empty Title.

2

fculapio tamen gallinaceum profecari in fine jubebat.] The laft dying Words of Socrates, we have in the conclufion of Plato's Phaedo, and they are thefe, Ὦ Κρίτων, ἔφη, το Ασκληπιῷ ὀφεί λογου αλεκτρυόνα ἀλλὰ ἐπέδοξε, καὶ μὴ ἀμελήσατε.

her ftrictest Followers must expect to meet with the fevereft Usage; but he who adulterates Truth will be fure to have the Thanks of her Enemies for his Service. Accordingly Philofophers affect Truth only in Appearance, and this Affectation puts them upon corrupting her, for the glorious Vanity of a Name; but Christians are heartily and violently fet upon pure Truth, and perform her Commands fincerely, as Men who have nothing to care for here, but in order to their Salvation hereafter; and therefore Chriftians both in respect of Confcience and Difcipline notwithstanding your Comparison are very different Perfons. And for a farther Proof of this Difference, confider what was the Answer that Thales the Prince of Naturalifts made Crafus, when he was prefs'd by him plainly to declare bis pofitive Notions of the divine Nature. Did not the Philofopher put off the Prince from time to time with his, I will confider on it? But the meanest Mechanick among Chri stians apprehends God, and can answer the Question; and can affign fubftantial Reasons, and very fenfibly explain himself upon all these Difquifitions about the divine Nature; tho' Plato affirms it to be fo difficult to find out the Creator of the Univerfe, and when found, to express himself intelligibly upon that Subject. But if you make a Challenge between Christians and Heathens, in point of Morals, let us enter the Lifts, and begin with Chastity; and in the Trial of Socrates I read one Article of the Athenians against him for Sodomy; but a Christian