but for the fake of that great end, a right practice. It is effentially necessary indeed, but it is fo chiefly on this good account. And in this view, beyond all others almost, God appears to be the kind friend and benefactor of mankind, aiming at our prefent comfort and future happiness in one uninterrupted and increasing courfe of favours, vouchsafed through feveral ages to natural religion for its benefit and affiftance, till at laft it was perfected and compleated in Chriftianity.

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SERMON XVI.

I PETER, iii. 15.

Be ready always to give an answer to every man, that afketh you a reafon of the hope that is in you, with meeknefs and fear,

IT is is matter of wonder, that Chriftianity,

which is a revelation fo advantageous to mankind, and fo agreeable to our best notions of a Supreme Being, fhould at firft have had so many adverfaries among both the Jews and the Gentiles; but it is much more wonderful, that in these times, and in countries where the Chriftian revelation is eftablifhed, any fhould be found chufing to fit in darkness, though the light of the gofpel fhines upon all around them: that a holy religion, which commands us to love even our enemies, fhould itself have any enemies; that a religion, which teaches us to Speak evil of no man, should itself be evil-fpoken

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of by any, is what this age and fome former ones have known, and is therefore what we must acknowledge, though otherwise the thing would feem incredible.

The advice, which St. Peter gave in my text to the Chriftians of his days, was then at prudent and a neceffary one; that, considering what oppofition the great truths of Christianity met with from the Jews on the one hand, and from the Gentiles on the other, they should take care to gain such a knowledge of their religion, as to be able to give an answer to every man that afked them a reafon of the hope that was in them; or, in other words, to fhew unbelieving objectors, that the prophesies of the Old Teftament, and the miracles which were wrought by Chrift and his apostles, together with the witness and teftimony of those who converfed with the bleffed Jefus after his refurrection, were a good and fure foundation for that hope, which they entertained, of being, by the merits of his fufferings, not only faved from eternal wrath, but ordained to eternal life. In short, they were directed by this apoftle to prepare themselves, according to their feveral capacities and abilities, to de

fend

fend their religion against all its adverfaries.

How well they followed this advice of the Apostle, appears from the fuccefs which Chriftianity had in the first ages; from whence we may gather, that there was given unto them, as Chrift had promised, a mouth and wisdom, which all their adverfaries were not able to gainfay nor refift. And that they were as skilful to vindicate, as they did by their lives adorn, the holy gofpel which they had received.

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In this therefore it is our duty to imitate them: for, if we live in an age when all the great truths of Chriftianity, and even the very divinity of it in general, has been called in queftion, it becomes us all, according to our opportunities, to arm ourselves with reafon and arguments, that we may be able in this way to fight the good fight of faith, and not by our weaknefs and inexperience betray and give up the best and moft defencible caufe which was ever brought into contention.

For this purpose, it may be of use, with the divine bleffing, to fet before you a short view of the principal attempts against our holy religion, which have been made by the enemies a Luke xxi. 15.

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