Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1810-11-09
: badly strongly prejudiced against

Il And it is not little remarkable.
that the contemplation Of the very same
| scene, which so forcibly struck the Eo
man centurion, has cxtorted similar
confession from one of the most elo-
quent of modern sceptics, who has
never been accused oftoo much Gre
t,nlity, and who, though he could
brirg himself to resist the evidence
both OF prophecy and of miracles, and
was therefore certainly no higot to
Christianity, yet was overwhelmed
with the evidence arising from the
character, the sulisrings, and the death
lot Jesus. allude to the celebrated
comparison between the death of So.
crates and the death Of Jesus, drawn
by the mastery pen of Rosseau. The
passage is probably well known to a
large part of this audience but it az
fords so forcible and so unparalleled a
Testimony to the divinity of Christ, and
bears SO striking a resemblance to that
OF the centurion, that l shall be par
doned, trust, for bringing it once
more to your recollection, and intro.
ducing it here as the conclusion OF this
lecture.
Where, (says he) is the man,
where is the philosopher, who can act,
suffer, and die, without weakness and
without OBSERVATIONS? When Plato de-
scribes his imaginary just man, COW
cred with all the opprob,um of guilt,
yet at the same time merIting the SUBJ
FINEST rewards of virtue, he paints
| precisely every feature in the character
of Jesus Christ. The rese mblance is
80 striking, that all the fathers have
observed it, and it is impossible TO be
deceived in it. WHAT prejudice, hat
blindness must possess the mind OF
that man, who dares to compare the
son OF Soproniscus with the S, N of Ma
Iry!s What distance is there between
the enc and the other! The d.alh OF
Socrates, philosophizing calmly with
his friends, is the most gentle that can
be wished; thatof Jesus, expiring in
torments, insulted, derided, and reyi-
led by all the people, the7most horti-
bic that can be imagined. Socrates
taking the poisoned cup, blesses the
man who presents it to him and who,
in the very act OF, presenting; melts
into tears. Jesus, in the midst of the
most agonlzlng tortures, prays for his
enraged prosecutors. Yes, if the life
and death of Socrates are those of {
Sage, the life and death of Jesus are
those of "a GOD"
knecdose Of George w hi,held: the founder o
Methodism.
An intimate friend of the celebrated
: Hume, asked him what he thought O
Mr.. Whit6eid's preaching; for he hac
listened to the latter part of one of hi
sermons at Edinburgh -" He is sir,
said Mr.. Hume, ''the most ingsniou
preacher | ever heard it is Wort.
while to go twenty miles to hear him.
He then repeated passage towards
: the close Of his discourse which he hac
heard" After solemn pause, h,
: thus addressed his numerous audi
ence The attendant angel is Just a
Bout 10 leave the threshold, and ascend
TO. heaven. And shall he ascend, ant
not bear with him the news of one sin
ner, among all this multitude reciai
med from the error OF his ways p
Z" To give the greater effect to his ex
: clamation, he stamped with his foot
lifted up his hands and eyes to Hesv
= en-, and with gushing tears, cried a
loud"--" Stop Gabriel stop, Gabriel
stop, ere you enter the sacred portals
: and yet carry with you the news Of on,
sinner converted unto Cod" II,
then, in the most simple, but energet
&c language, described what he callet
a Saviour's dying love to sinful man
so that almost the whole assembl,
melted into tears. This address wa
accompanied with such animated, We
natural action, that it surpass. an
thing | ever saw or heard in any othe
{ preacher"
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