Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1827) Vol 2.djvu/85

 OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 67 than under that of a prophet, a martyr, and the Son of CHAP. God. By his expiatory sacrifice, the imperfect sacii- ^^' fices of the temple were at once consummated and abohshed. The ceremonial law, which consisted only of types and figures, was succeeded by a pure and spi- ritual worship, equally adapted to all climates as well as to every condition of mankind; and to the initiation of blood, was substituted a more harmless initiation of water. The promise of divine favour, instead of being { partially confined to the posterity of Abraham, was ( universally proposed to the freeman and the slave, to the Greek and to the barbarian, to the jew and to the gentile. Every privilege that could raise the proselyte from earth to heaven, that could exalt his devotion, secure his happiness, or even gratify that secret pride, which, under the semblance of devotion, insinuates itself into the human heart, was still reserved for the members of the christian church ; but at the same time all mankind was permitted, and even solicited, to accept the glorious distinction, which was not only proffered as a favour, but imposed as an obligation. It became the most sacred duty of a new convert to diffuse among his friends and relations the inestimable blessinor which he had received, and to warn them against a refusal that would be severely punished as a criminal disobe- dience to the will of a benevolent but all powerful Deity. Tiie enfranchisement of the church from the bonds Obstinacy of the synagogue, was a work however of some time sonVoTihe and of some difficulty. The Jewish converts, who ac- l^elieving knowledged Jesus in the character of the Messiah ^^''^^" foretold by their ancient oracles, respected him as a prophetic teacher of virtue and religion ; but they ob- stinately adhered to the ceremonies of their ancestors, and were desirous of imposing them on the gentiles, who continually augmented the number of believers. These judaising christians seem to have argued with some degree of plausibility from the divine origin of the Mosaic law, and from the immutable perfections of its f2