of the Christian religion. And by these three characters, of antiquity, of perpetuity, and of uniformity, which exclusively belong to it, its authority is the only one upon the earth capable of determining a wise mind.
But if the submission of the believer be reasonable on the part of the authority which exacts it, it is not less so on the part of the things which are proposed to his belief. And here, my brethren, let us enter into the foundation of the Christian worship. It is not afraid of investigation, like those abominable mysteries of idolatry, the infamy and horror of which were concealed by the darkest obscurity. A religion, says Tertullian, which would shun examination, and would dread being searched into, should ever be suspected. The more the Christian worship is investigated, the more are beauties and hidden wonders found in it. Idolatry inspired men with foolish sentiments of the Divinity; philosophy, with very unreasonable ones of himself; cupidity, with iniquitous ones toward the rest of men. Now, admire the wisdom of religion, which remedies all these three evils, which the reason of all ages had never been able to eradicate, or even to find out.
And, first, what other legislator hath spoken of the Divinity, like that of the Christians? Find elsewhere, if you can, more sublime ideas of his power, of his immensity, of his wisdom, of his grandeur, and of his justice, than those which are given us in our Scriptures. If there be over us a supreme and eternal Being, in whom all things live, he must be such as the Christian religion represents him. We alone compare him not to the likeness of man. We alone worship him seated above the cherubim, filling every where with his presence, regulating all by his wisdom, creating light and darkness, author of good and punisher of vice. We alone honour him as he wishes to be honoured; that is to say, we make not the worship due to him, to consist in the multitude of victims, nor in the external pomp of our homages; but in adoration, in love, in praise, and in thanksgiving. We refer to him the good which is in us, as to its principal; and we always attribute vice to ourselves, which takes its rise only in our corruption. We hope to find in him the reward of a fidelity which is the gift of his grace, and the punishment of transgressions, which are always the consequence of the bad use which we make of our liberty. Now, what can be more worthy of the Supreme Being than all these ideas!
Secondly. A vain philosophy either had degraded man to the level of the beast, by centring his felicity in the senses; or had foolishly exalted him even to the likeness of God, by persuading him that he might find his own happiness in his own wisdom. Now, the Christian morality avoids these two extremes: it withdraws man from carnal pleasures, by discovering to him the excellency of his nature and the holiness of his destination: it corrects his pride, by making him sensible of his own wretchedness and meanness.
Lastly. Cupidity rendered man unjust toward the rest of men. Now, what other doctrine than that of Christians hath ever so well regulated our duties on this head. It instructs us to yield obedi-
