43
they may have, in so far as their natural powers and their duty to walk in the way of virtue are concerned, they are all perfectly alike.
Amongst every race of people virtue is regarded as virtue, and vice as vice. As food, clothing, and sleep are necded by all classes of persons for their bodies, so certain spiritual blessings are needed by all classes of persons for their souls. All men being sinners, they all need the forziveness of their sins. They all require divine help to enable them to act virtuously. They all need new natures and holy hearts. They all need patience in afflietion and peace at the hour of death. In fine, they all require. wisdom in this world and heavenly happiness in
the next.
Secing then, that these blessings are absolutely necessary to all men, the religion which confers them must be fit
ted to become universal.
If a religion is true and from God, it will be fitted to reform, sanctify, and bless all men, and to communicate to all men the wisdom both of earth and of heaven. Its usages will be fitted for the observance of all men throughout the world. Those who have embraced it will also be desirous of making it known to the followers of all other religions.
This way-mark is visible in the true religion, but the
religions which men have devised are destitute of it,
Each of the religions of men has been adapted to the ideas of some one people alone, and instead of being common to all, each of them exalts some one nation only and despises all the rest of the world.