ts it, as I remember, into the mouth of Socrates.[7] And
as to the reproach of heathenism, I doubt they had less of it than the
corrupted Jews in whose time they lived. For it is a gross piece of
ignorance among us to conceive that in those polite and learned ages,
even persons of any tolerable education, much less the wisest
philosophers did acknowledge or worship any more than one almighty
power, under several denominations, to whom they allowed all those
attributes we ascribe to the Divinity: and as I take it, human
comprehension reacheth no further: neither did our Saviour think it
necessary to explain to us the nature of God, because I suppose it would
be impossible without bestowing on us other faculties than we possess at
present. But the true misery of the heathen world appears to be what I
before mentioned, the want of a Divine Sanction, without which the
dictates of the philosophers failed in the point of authority, and
consequently the bulk of mankind lay indeed under a great load of
ignorance even in the article of morality, but the philosophers
themselves did not. Take the matter in this light, it will afford field
enough for a divine to enlarge on, by showing the advantages which the
Christian world has over the heathen, and the absolute necessity of
Divine Revelation, to make the knowledge of the true God, and the
practice of virtue more universal in the world.

[Footnote 7: This is in the "Crito" of Plato, where Socrates says it is
wrong to do harm to our enemies. [T. S.] ]

I am not ignorant how much I differ in this opinion from some ancient
fathers in the Church, who arguing against the heathens, made it a
principal topic to decry their philosophy as much as they could: which,
I hope, is not altogether our present case. Besides, it is to be
considered, that those fathers lived in the decline of literature; and
in my judgment (who should be unwilling to give the least offence)
appear to be rather most excellent, holy persons, than of transcendent
genius and learning. Their genuine writings (for many of them have
extremely suffered by spurious editions) are of admirable use for
confirming the truth of ancient doctrines and discipline, by shewing the
state and practice of the primitive church. But among such of them as
have fallen in my way, I do not remember any whose manner of arguing or
exhorting I could heartily recommend to the imitation of a young divine
when he is to speak from the pulpit. Perhap