Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1827) Vol 2.djvu/427

OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 409 the powers of education and of opinion. But every CHAP, principle which had once maintained the vigour and ^^' purity of Rome and Sparta, was long since extin- guished in a declining and des])otic empire. Philo- sophy still exercised her temperate sway over the hu- man mind, but the cause of virtue derived very feeble support from the influence of the pagan superstition. Under these discouraging circumstances, a prudent magistrate might observe with pleasure the progress of a religion which diffused among the people a pure, benevolent, and universal system of ethics, adapted to every duty and every condition of life; recommended as the will and reason of the Supreme Deity, and en- forced by the sanction of eternal rewards or punish- ments. The experience of Greek and Roman history could not inform the world how far the system of na- tional manners might be reformed and improved by the precepts of a divine revelation ; and Constantine might listen with some confidence to the flattering, and in- deed reasonable, assurances of Lactantius. The elo- quent apologist seemed firmly to expect, and almost ventured to promise, t/tat the establishment of Chris- tianity would restore the innocence and felicity of the primitive age ; f/iat the worship of the true God would extinguish war and dissension among those who mu- tually considered themselves as the children of a com- mon parent ; t/iat every impure desire, every angry or selfish passion, would be restrained by the knowledge of the gospel ; and that the magistrates might sheathe the sword of justice among a people who would be universally actuated by the sentiments of truth and piety, of equity and moderation, of harmony and uni- versal love ^ The passive and unresisting obedience which bows Theory and under the yoke of authority, or even of oppression, ^!^s^[^^^o^g must have appeared, in the eyes of an absolute mon- dience. arch, the most conspicuous and useful of the evangelic ' See the elegant description of Lactantius, (Divin. Instilut. v. 8.) who is mucli more perspicuous and positive than it becomes a discreet prophet.