fo fhock'd at thofe Cruelties, that he beg'd Leave of Nero to retire into the Country; which being denied him, he confined himself to his own Houfe, under Pretence of Illness. This Silence of Seneca, in relation to the Chriftians, has been alledged by M. Du Pin to prove, that there were no Letters pass'd between thofe two great Men, and that that Philofopher had no Knowledge of Chriftianity. I am forry I must once more differ from that great Critic: But the Tenour of the Words of St. Austin, and the Confequence he draws from this Silence of Seneca, feems to look quite another way, and to imply the contrary. I will lay the Paffage itself before you, and then leave you to judge whether it amounts to a full Proof of what he afferts." Seneca

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(faith he) in a Book de Superftitione, which is lost, "has made a Jeft of the Heathen, Idolatry, and the "Religion of the Jews; but has not faid a Word "of the Chriftians, left, if he had blamed and cen"fured them, he should perhaps have spoken against "his Confcience, and his own private Thoughts;

or if he had commended them, he had gone "against the Custom of his Age, and incurred the Displeasure of his Countrymen." Which Words, I conceive, seem to imply that Seneca had a favourable Opinion of the Chriftians, but for fome Reafons was afraid openly to declare it. And this was not his Cafe alone, but that of many others, whọ refused to make open Profeffion of Religion, left they should disoblige their Friends, and expose themselves to Danger. The fame Father,* in the eighth Book of his Confeffions, fpeaks of one Vitorinus, a Man of great Learning, who upon that Account had a Statue erected to his Honour in the

*Chriftianos tamen in neutram partem commemorare & nominare aufus eft, ne vel laudaret contra Patriæ fuæ confuetudinem, vel reprehenderet contra propriam forfitan voluntatem. St. Aug. Civit. Dei, 1.6. c. 10.

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Roman

Roman Forum, and who often acknowledged himself convinced of the Truths of Chriftianity before he could be perfuaded openly to profefs it, for fear of his difpleafing his Friends, who were Gentiles. He pretended he might be a Chriftian as well in Secret: And this, no doubt, might be the Cafe of many others, who never made an open Profeffion of it, but disguised their Sentiments, being under the Influence (as the fame judicious Writer has obferved) of fome worldly Motives and Views. By an open Declaration in Favour of Chriftianity, they were apprehenfive of incurring the Displeasure of those they had Reason either to love or fear. They were afraid of expofing themselves to Difficulties and Dangers, of rifquing their Eafe and Security, or hazarding their Lives and Fortunes, or both. But the Danger of facrificing their Reputation for Learning was often one of the strongest Prejudices against a public Profeffion of the Chriftian Faith. For a learned Philofopher to go over to the Christians was openly proclaiming his former Error and Ignorance, which very few were willing to own. 'Twas bartering Fame for Ignominy, and exchanging Wealth and Honour for Poverty and Contempt; which seems to have been the particular Cafe of Seneca.

*

The fecond Proof I fhall bring of my Affertion, and which, I hope, will be thought a fair and reafonable one, is drawn from the Works of Seneca himself, and the exact Agreement and Parallel that run between them and the Holy Scriptures. From the frequent Ufe that Plutarch in his Morals has made of the Language of the Christians, fome learned Men have concluded that he must have been acquainted with the Writings of the Apostles. If this be a true Rule, and a juft way of Reasoning, I

* See Mr. Turner's very ingenious Book, The Calumnies, &c. p. 162; to which I own myself much obliged for fome useful Hints in these Papers.

am

am fure it can never with more Juftice be applied to any ancient Writer than to our Philofopher; there being hardly a Page in his moral Works where one may not clearly trace and difcern fome bright Strokes of Light, fome Gleams of the Divine Wifdom, fome pious and elevated Sentiments of Chriftianity, and these not barely aimed at and faintly imitated, but almoft literally copied from the Holy Scriptures, and especially from St. Paul, which favours my Affertion; and these in so plain a Manner, as hardly leave room to doubt that he was acquainted with that Apoftle and his Writings, and had a favourable Opinion of the Chriftian Religion. So fublime and excellent are his Precepts; fo pure, and, I had almoft faid, fo holy and divine is his Morality, that he feems to have carried that, and alfo the Virtues of Benevolence, Humanity, and Charity, the great Glory and Ornament of the Chriftian Religion, to near as high a Degree of Perfection as the Gospel itself; which I hope to fhew in the Course of these Papers. To give you some Inftances of his Agreement with St. Paul. Is he to recommend Union, and a Concord between the feveral Members of a Society, he makes use of the fame Motives, and almoft the very fame Words of that Holy Writer. What must (faith he) be the Confequence, if the Members of the Body fhould fall out and difagree? If the Hands fhould hurt the Feet,* and Eyes go about to wrong and injure the Hands? From whence he draws this juft Conclufion, that as all the Members are concerned for the Prefervation of the whole, they ought to bear with, and affist each other, and to study the Welfare and Happiness of that Society, for which all of them were born;

Quid fi nocere vellent manus pedibus, manibus oculi? At omnia inter fe membra confentiunt, quia fingula fervari totius intereft; ita homines fingulis parcere debent, quia ad cœtum omnes geniti fumus. Lib. 2da de Ira, p. 51.

which,

which, you fee, fo exactly tallies with the Words of St. Paul: If the Foot should fay, because I am not the Hand, I am not of the Body. The Eye cannot fay to the Hand, I have no need of thee; nor again, the Head to the Feet, I have no need of you, 1 Cor. xii. 15, 21. Again, to perfuade Men to refign themselves to Providence, and to become indifferent to their nearest and tendereft Concerns, he advises them fo to enjoy their Riches,* their Children, and their Wives, as if they expected foon to be deprived of them; which agrees with the Advice of St. Paul, That thofe that have Wives Should be as though they had none, 1 Cor. vii. 29. Laftly, he recommends Holinefs and Purity of Heart from the fame Motives, and in the very fame Terms as the Scripture itself, and as the only Means that can qualify them for the Sight and Enjoyment of God; as our Saviour has declared, Bleffed are the pure in Heart, for they shall fee God, Matt. v. 8. tho' I rather believe he has in his Eye the Apostle's Words to the Hebrews: Follow Holinefs, without which, no Man fhall fee the Lord, Hebr. xii. 24. I could with Pleasure pursue this Subject much farther, and give you more Inftances of this Nature, but that I fear to fwell my Letter too much, and trouble you with too many Quotations; fo fhall proceed to the Virtues of Benevolence, Humanity, and Charity, and to Morality itself, which Seneca has carried, as I have already obferved, to almost as high a Degree of Perfection, as the Gospel itself. Thefe Virtues he advises Men to exercise towards all, even to the worst, and most unworthy Creatures, in Imitation of the Gods, who communicate Light || to thofe that least deserve it,

* Nil nobis accidet, fi patrimonium fic habuerimus, liberos & conjuges tanquam non utiq; femper habituri. Senec. Ep. 98. Animus, nifi fanctus & purus, Deum non videbit. Quam multi funt luce indigni, & tamen iis dies oritur? De Benef. p. 336.

and

and make the Sun* to shine upon the most wicked and ungrateful Wretches; and this he enjoins them to do without the leaft Hopes and Profpect of a Return, that they may be like the Gods, who beftow their Favours without the least View of a Requital from us. To act otherwife, he faith, is not doing Favours, but putting them out to Ufury; and that he truly deferves to be disappointed and deceived, who bestows a Kindness with the Thoughts and View of a Return. Who can read these noble Paffages without turning his Thoughts to the Words of our Saviour? Do good and lend, hoping for nothing again, and your Reward shall be great, and you Shall be the Children of the Higheft, for he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil, Luke vi. 35. and, in another Place, Love your Enemies, blefs them that curfe you, do good to them that hate you, that you may be the Children of your Father which is in Heaven, who maketh the Sun to rise upon the Evil and the Good, and fendeth his Rain upon the Just and the Unjust, Matt. v. 44, 45. but in point of Morality and Purity of Heart, thefe he has carried to the highest and nobleft Pitch, and far exceeded all the Heathen Law-givers and Moralifts before him. Thefe thought it fufficient to forbid Facts, and the actual Commiffion of Sin, and troubled themselves no farther. But Chrift in his Wisdom has corrected thofe Defects. He knew how vain it would be to forbid Men to commit Sin, if they were at liberty to think of, and contrive it in their Hearts; that it would be like putting Fuel to the Straw, and charging it not to burn, like pulling up the Flood-gates, and forbidding the Waters to

* Etiam fceleratis fol oritur, & Piratis patent Maria. Ib.452. Si itaq; Deos vis imitari, da & ingratis beneficia. Demus beneficia non fœneremus. Qui dat beneficia Deos imitatur, qui repetit foeneratores. Dignus eft decipi qui de recipiendo cogitavit cum daret. .

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