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141. SALVATION OF THE Gentiles. We believe that, since the preaching of the Gospel, men can be saved only by faith in Jesus Christ; but we must not, therefore, renounce upon the fate of those who never heard of his name, the Scripture having said nothing on that head. We are certain, beside, that God will not condemn any one for an unavoidable ignorance (Rom. chap. 2. v. 12. and the following ;) that is to say, the Pagans will not be condemned for transgressions against the law of Moses, which was not given to them, but for their sins. against the law of nature, reason, and their own conscience. On the same principle, those that sin without the Gospel will perish without the Gospel; not because they have not believed in Jesus Christ, whom they have not known, but because they have sinned against the light of nature, against the law planted in the human heart, in whatever country or situation men may be placed in. (Rom. chap. 1. v. 18, 20, 22) But it may be further acknowledged, that virtuous Pagans, who have worshipped

one God, may be saved by the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, although they have never known their benefactor. Many fathers of the church have been of this opinion ; among others, Justin the martyr, &c. See Clark, Vol. II. pages 283, 354. **

142. OF APPARITIONS.

To reason closely, no philosopher is so little founded in denying the possibility of apparitions as those who deny the existence of a God. Hobbes denied the exis

* Καὶ οἱ μετὰ λογου βιώσαντες χρισιανός εἰσι, κἂν ἄθεοι ἐνομίθησαν· ὅιον ἐν Ἑλλησι μέν Σωκράτης καί Ηράκλειτος, καὶ οι ὅμοιοι αυτοῖς· εν βαρβάροις δὲ ̓Αβραὰμ, etc. Justin, Apolog. 2.

Τάχα δὲ καὶ προηγουμένοις τοῖς ̓́Ελλησιν ἐδόθη ἢ φιλοςοφία τότε, πρὶν τὸν κύριον καλέσαι καὶ τους Ἕλληνας· ἐπαιδαγωγει γὰρ καὶ ἀυτὴ τὸ Ἑλληνικὸν, ὡς ὁ νόμος τὰς Εβραίους εἰς Χρισὸν προπαρασκευάζει τοίνυν ἡ φιλοσοφία προοδοποιοῦσα τον ὑπὸ Χρισοῦ τελειούμενον. Clemens Alex. Strom. I.

Ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ ἀυτοῖς ταῦτα, καὶ ὅσα καλῶς λέλεκται ἐφανέρωσε. Origen, advers. Cels, lib. 6.

tence of spirits, and yet feared to be alone at night or in the dark. Although he believed that there was no other substance than matter, he admitted that from matter there might result malignant or beneficent beings, formed by corpuscules like those which excite ideas in the brain. It cannot be proved, that there have not been persons who have thought they saw spectres, which have disturbed their imagination; there are, therefore, certain parts of the brain, which being affected in a certain manner, may represent the image of an object which has no existence out of ourselves, and may induce a man, whose brain is thus affected, to believe that at two paces from him he sees a frightful spectre or a menacing phantom. This happens often to the most incredulous during their dreams, or in the access of a fever. Can it be denied, that it is possible for a man awake, and not in a delirium, to receive, in certain parts of his brain, an impression, like to that which, by the law of nature, is allied to the ap pearance of a spectre. But if it may be so, sceptics cannot assure themselves that they

shall never see a spectre. Hobbes might, therefore, have acknowledged, that a certain combination of agitated fibres in his brain might expose him to such a vision, although he might not believe it to be a spirit, or the soul of a departed person; and it cannot be doubted that a man, as incredulous as himself, and with more courage, would not fail to be greatly moved, if he saw one enter his chamber whom he knew to be dead.

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143.

IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL

If the soul dies, this must be either because its parts separate, or because it des troys itself or is destroyed by some other created substance, or lastly because God himself annihilates it. It cannot be said, that the parts of the soul separate; for the soul, being a spirit, has no parts. The sword cannot therefore divide it, fire consume it, or any disease administer death to it, because it has neither blood which may inflame, nor humours which may corrupt. It is ridiculous to say the soul destroys itself; for, how can we conceive the soul, or a

being, or any substance whatever, can destroy itself? It is absurd to say the soul is de stroyed by any created or finite substance; for who can conceive that a created substance can destroy a spiritual nature, without having received that power from God, which conducts us to the last supposition. It cannot be proved that God annihilates the soul. We can have no idea of the justice of God, without conceiving that he demands that the good be recompensed, and the wicked punished. Now, it is certain, that this does not always happen in this world; we must, therefore, expect another, where vice is punished and virtue rewarded. Add to these reasons, the desire for immortality, innate in the human breast, and the opinion of the greatest of the philosophers, Socrates, Plato, Cicero, &c.

144. PROOFS OF THE TRUTH OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

Infidels deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ, because they do not find the fact related by profane writers. A prodigy of that nature, they say, could not have been

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