had been men of dishoneft principles, they would und doubtedly have revoked their teftimony to fave their lives. As they could get nothing in this world by their teftimony, it can never be imagined they would have perfifted in it, if they had not been very fure that Ho fiah had returned from fea. And they could not but be: fure of this, because their friend had been absent but à few days. Conducted by fuch reasoning, almost all that: knew the story are fully fatisfied that their evidence is: true, and that Hofiah was really preferved, and restored to his country: yet ftill the Emperor would not be convinced, but fettled Hofiah's brother in poffeffion of the whole estate.

The reader, who is no way interested in the ftory, one way or another, and who can judge freely, without: any influence of worldly hope or fear, will undoubtedly. condemn the Emperor as very partial, unreasonable, nd cruel. It is a plain cafe, he ought to have believed e evidence of eight fuch fubftantial witneffes, and to : have restored Hofiah to his eftate,

As the reader has already condemned the unreasonable conduct of the partial Emperor, he is entreated to com pare with it the conduct of those who neglect or refuse the teftimony of the apoftles, concerning the refurrection of our Lord Jefus Chrift. If the intimate acquaintance that Hofiah's friends had with him for above three years together, made it impoffible for them to be mistaken in the man, the intimate acquaintance of the apostles with Chrift, for full as long a time, muft have made it equally impoffible for them to be deceived by any one that fhould come to them in his name, and converse familiarly with them for forty days together. If Hofiah's friends demonftrated their fincerity, by giving up all the: comforts of life, and life itself, rather than revoke their teftimony, there is, at leaft, as much proof of the fincerity of the apoftles, in teftifying the refurrection of Jefus, fince they were fo far from getting any thing in this world by fpeaking in his favour, that, on the contrary,

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by this means they loft all the comforts and accommo dations of this world, and even their own lives. The writers of the New Teftament are eight, who all concur. in giving the fame teftimony. Now, I would defire to know of any man, whether he would not receive the teftimony of the eight men of Morocco before mentioned; and whether he does not blame the Emperor for not believing them, when they gave the ftrongeft poffible proof of their teftimony, by fealing it with their blood? If fo, let him confider whether he is not much more unreasonable if he does not believe the refurrection of Chrift upon the teftimony of the eight writers of the New Teftament, and of many others alfo, who likewife fealed their teftimony with their blood? Whatever reafons he can give for believing the friends of Hofiah, will equally, at leaft, oblige him to believe the difciples of Jefus. And if he will not believe them (though they could not be miftaken, and proved by their' fufferings, that they were fincere in their teftimony), I fhould be glad to be informed for what reafon he would believe the friends of Hofiah. A ferious comparison of thefe things muft needs fatisfy any impartial fearcher after truth, that the apoftles have given us fufficient evi dence of the refurrection of Jefus; and if that one fact be true, the whole fcriptures which we call facred, are justly lo entitled, and worthy of all acceptation. HALLET.

Question.

ON THE EVIL OF SIN.

W

HETHER there be evidence that fin is infinitely evil?

Anfwer. The beauty of virtue, and the deformity of vice, both arife, I fuppofe, from the relation they bear to the happiness of the fyftem in general, and the afpect they have upon it. The worth of virtue arifes from its tendency to general happinefs; and the demerit and hatefulness of vice, from its tendency to mifery. Could it be that there were no more tendency either to happiness or mifery, in the one, than in the other,

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they would be equally indifferent in refpect of praife worthiness, and the reverfe. Happinefs is, itself, a real good, and to be valued for its own fake; mifery a real evil, and for its own fake to be deprecated. For this reason, those moral exercises and actions of creatures which, in themselves, tend to the former, are of real intrinfic worth; thofe which have a like tendency to the latter, are intrinfically hateful and deformed.We know of no other rule by which we can eftimate the degree of worth or deformity of thefe different actions and exercises, than the degree of advantage or difadvantage, refpecting the general happiness which, in a natural course of things, will arife from the practice of the one or of the other. Every moral action which, in its genuine tendency, contributes fomething to the general good, is praifeworthy; and the degree of its praiseworthiness is in proportion to what it contributes to the general intereft, juft as the value or worth of a contribution, made by a particular member of a general partnership, is to be estimated by the increase it makes in the common ftock, Thofe moral actions which, in their genuine tendency of operation, contribute largely to the common intereft, the general fum and ftock of happiness, poffefs a proportionably large share of merit and worth. On this ground it appears, that God's virtue is of infinite worth; alfo, that the merit and work of the virtue of Jefus Chrift are infinite,

On the other hand; as the evil of fin arifes from the injury it does to the general intereft, or the tendency it has, in its genuine courfe and operation, to obftruct the happiness of the fyftem, and produce mifery in it; its demerit, or the degree of its hatefulness, is to be eftimated by the hurt which, in the common and natu ral courfe of things, it actually doth; the happiness it deftroys, and the mifery it produceth. Thefe, I fuppofe, are the general rules by which crimes are estimated among men, both by the legislative and judicial powers; and thofe, in part at leaft, by which punishments are apportioned to them.

By this rule, if it be juft, it will appear, that there is more demerit in vice than there is merit in the crea ture's virtue; as every one will readily conceive, that a creature is capable of doing more mifchief than he is good. According to this rule, the holy fcriptures evidently eftinate the virtues and the vices of men, In relation to the former, Chrift fays, Luke xvii. 10. “So likewife ye, when ye have done all thofe things which are commanded you, fay, we are unprofitable fervants: we have done that which is our duty to do." But, on the other hand, "Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." Gal. iii. 10.

If a man make me a prefent of ten dollars, it is a benefit;-a benefit, however, greatly difproportioned to the injury he does me, if he feal the fame fum froin me. By the prefent, my own enjoyments are increased; and I am enabled to do more good to my neighbours. But, by the theft, my own private enjoyments are diminished, to a degree far exceeding their increafe by the prefent? For, by the theft, I not only fuffer the direct and immediate lofs of that fum, but alfo all my remaining intereft, and even my own perfonal fafety are rendered infecure. Nor does the mifchief ftop here. For, if there be not a power fome where, and that too put into immediate exertion, for laying an effectual reftraint upon the thief, the whole neighbourhood are flung into terror, and neceffarily feel all their intereft and fafety to be endangered. The mifchief ftill proceeds, and nafurally extends through the whole community: and, if it be found that there is no power to fupprefs and, punish theft, government is diffolved, the community Aung into confufion, and all fafety and intereft rendered doubtful and infecure. If this group of evils be the neceffary consequence, e. g. of a piece of theft, according to a common courfe of nature, it is, hence, manifeft, that a perfon may do much more hurt than it is in his power to do good. The exertion of the powers of the community to prevent the evils which would otherwife come upon fociety, do not at all diminish the crime of

the theft, if it did, the effectual exertions of the power of God for preventing any real effential detriment to the moral fyftem, by the rebellion which has taken place in it, would wholly take away the evil of fin. The criminality of theft, therefore, may juftly be eftimated by the mischiefs which, in a common courfe of nature, would be its neceffary effects, unless restrained, and its natural tendency counteracted by fome foreign power, fome extrinfic force; and every crime ought to be eftimated by the mischiefs which it tends, in this fenfe, to produce, without making any abatement on account of the actual prevention of these mischiefs, by the wife and timely exertions of fome foreign power.

It cannot be faid with propriety and truth, on the other hand, that the tendency of virtuous action, to the general intereft and happiness, is equally extenfive. Granting, that a prefent of ten dollars to any one fhould diffufe happiness among a number, this effect muft arife, either from the expectation it begets in others of receiving an equal fum, or from the exercife of thofe benevolent affections whereby we rejoice in every acceffion of good to our neighbour. If the happiness produced by the prefent arife from the former confideration, it cannot be very extenfive; nor can it be diffufed among any confiderable number: for a prefent of fuch a fum to a man, from a kind and generous friend, gives very little reafon to the neighbours, in general, to expect a fimilar fruit of generofity. For, we all know there are but few perfons, however benevolent and generous, who have it in their power to make any very large number of fuch prefents. Befides, taking mankind as they are, the fact is, that fuch an inftance of generofity to a particular friend as frequently excites heart-burnings, and a fpirit of envy in others, as it does gratitude and joy. But if the general joy diffufed on fuch an occafion arife from the exercife of benevolent affections, which are gratified by the beftowment of bleffings, on whomever the benefit be more immediately conferred; this good is to be afcribed not to the virtue of the donor, as its genuine and natural