MORAL INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY.

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that much immorality remains in Christian countries, amidst themeridian lustre of Christianity. Still the 'prevailing tone andtendency of things, in Christian countries, is favorable to religionand virtue. The ascendency is manifestly on the side of soundprinciples and sound morals. Vice, when practised, is shy andshamefaced, and is compelled to seek concealment, — it doesnot venture to appear in open day. Not so, however, in coun-tries where Mahometanism and heathenism have absolute sway.Seneca says, of his own times, “ All is full of criminality andvice ; indeed, much more of these is committed than can beremedied by force. A monstrous contest of abandoned wicked-ness is carried on. The lust of sin increases daily ; and shameis daily more and more extinguished. Discarding respect for allthat is good and sacred, lust rushes on, wherever it will. Vice nolonger hides itself. It stalks forth before all eyes. So publichas abandoned wickedness become, and so openly does it flameup in the minds of all, that innocence is no longer seldom, but haswholly ceased to exist.” *

Professor Tholuck (of the University of Halle in Germany)has lately, with admirable diligence, candor, and learning, review-ed the origin, nature, and moral influence of heathenism ; theestimate made of heathenism, by the heathen themselves ; theheathenism of the Greeks and Romans, in particular ; the influ-ence of heathenism upon the lives of heathens, particularly amongthe Greeks and Romans ; the heathen philosophy, as it existedin the time of Christ ; and the moral influence of the study ofclassical literature. He has demonstrated, with extraordinaryfulness of learning and research, — that heathenism and its con-sequent vices, as St. Paul says, sprung from mankind, when theyknew God, not glorifying him as God, nor being thankful to himas such, but substituting, for the glory of the immutable God, theimage of the form of perishable man, of birds, of beasts, and ofcreeping things,! — that, with few exceptions of countries andindividuals, (among the former, placing the Roman common-wealth in its earlier times, and among the latter, placing Socratesin the foremost rank,) the most unbridled, indiscriminate, and

De Ira, II. 8.

t Romans i. 17 - 32.