Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1817-08-19


human ingenuity could invent, or human cruelty
infict, the scholar will fud 10 the writings and
apologies of a JUsTIS and a TERTULLlAN strains
Of eoquence and sublimity unrivaled By tie pro
ductioAs Of Cicero or Demosthenes pr The most
blazing aud illustrious lights Of heather Antiquity
IL.
EXTRACTS
1.-The object Of the chsistisn worship Gays Ter
tuian) j. the one only God who b. BIS omnpo-
tence mas drawn the universe out OF nothing
who BY lis wisdom has arranged X in The beaule
Gus order we behold, who by bis providence pre
serves and governs il thro' all as parts according
to that harmonious system " hch he first orfaincd
The wonderful works we admire N nature, the
earth, the sea- The SUM- the stars aud drBament 81
heaven, proclaim the glory, The power, and the
wisdom Of this Supreme Being 4 his Is the6od
who has given the most authcnLck testimony Of
himself both by word and work He j. The God
who privileges some of bis adOreFs with tie gift of
miracles in confirmation OF The truths he has re-
vealed He il the God who inspired The antient
prophets to foretcI the secrets of future times,
appears in their sacred writings The authenti-
city Of thesr writings cannot be called In doubt
y acknowledged by our enemies, the Jews the
writings themselves are in their hands, they are
regularly read by them in their synagogues- The
antiquity Of these writings cannot be contested.
Moses, the first of these inspired penmen, lived
long before any mention was made ola Greek or
Roman author. The prophets, who came after
him are as antient your first legislators and your
first historians. The accomplishment Of their pre-
dictions which could not be then subject 10 human
foresight, not emily proves tue inspiration 70 baye
been divine but also vouches, that the revelation
is indisputably true. Among other remarkable
events predicted in these Frophetck writings, i
the fatal catastrophe which we have seen befal the
Jewish people. the once cherished people OF he
Most High God The total ruin Of their city, and
the dispersion of their whole nation, in the very
manner ii was foretold, visbly mark the aveagng
hand Of divine Justice, and verify the prophecy
l'y the Roman arms they are stripped Of their ma
tioual existence, the pro- het Daniel had predict
ed, above five hundred wears before il happened
they driven like herds Of slaves from their ma
tive soil they are thrown into deep and lasting
gulph Of desoation they wander throughout the
world without laws, without a settlement, with
out protection, without an altar, without sacIi
fee.
. The same divine oraces that foretold the extir-
patton Of the Jewish nation, likewise Indicate
more faithful race Of believers, whom God bad de-
creed TO gather 10 himself cut OF III nations unler
the sun. and TO make his heirs to those choice bes
sings which the Jews had Angratefully rejected
These faithful believers are the converted Gen
heir idols, and profess the faith and laws Of Jesus
Christ, the founder of the christian leligion.n
The mention IL Jesus Christ leads the learned
writer tell bis heather readers who Jesus Christ
IL to declare his divine and human nature his
eternal existence before all ages and his temporal
assumption Of mortal flesh As the prophet Isaiah
bad announced 10 the world about seven hundred
years before that supernatural event took place
The event, sags IL. is of TOO mysterious nature
to he foreseeH. even 10 enter the thoughts Of
man. unless by divine inspiration. Jerusalem and
all Iudea Witnessed the visible humanity the Son
Of God his miracles and resurrection from the
dead eyince his divinity beyond doubt. (" The
circumstances attending his DEATH continues the
apologiSt. arpe AIRED so wonderful ia the pagans
that Pontius Plate wrote full account Of them
10 Tiberius Cesar; the account was deposited in
the Roman archieves, and Tiberius would have
professed himself christian had il been compati-
bic with his temporal Interest,"
Having thus established the christian system Of
religion on its own divine basis. Tertuilian next
proceeds to refute the SANDERS urged by Pagsns
against his christian brethren. He states the res
probability Of their numbers in the towns in the
villages 10 the field. in the army, in their ships,
and in the senate itself. He then makes solemn
appeal 70 the pnbliek al large, and with conf
dence defes them 10 prove any criminal charge
against the hdelifV OF christians 70 fnelF sovereign
against their submission 10 the civil laws of the
empire, against their moral conduct and general
deportment with respect 10 the dnties Of social
life from whence he concludes. how uniustihs-
Bile il must be 10 persecute 10 torture. and to kill
such unoTending subjects, merely for their reli-
gion.
Such. in substance, is the apology which Ter
tullian composed and sent TO the Romsn proyin-
cial governors The storm Of persecution relented
soon after, but whether to the apology, or 70 some
other cause. that is 10 be attributed, we cannot,