At any rate, it gradually opened upon me, that the free cultivation of the understanding, which Latin and Greek literature had imparted to Europe and our freer public life, were chief causes of our religious superiority to Greek, Armenian, and Syrian Christians.  As the Greeks in Constantinople under a centralized despotism retained no free intellect, and therefore the works of their fathers did their souls no good; so in Europe, just in proportion to the freedom of learning, has been the force of the result.  In Spain and Italy the study of miscellaneous science and independent thought were nearly extinguished; in France and Austria they were crippled; in Protestant countries they have been freest.  And then we impute all their effects to the Bible![9]

I at length saw how untenable is the argument drawn from the inward history of Christianity in favour of its superhuman origin.  In fact:  this religion cannot pretend to self-sustaining power. Hardly was it started on its course, when it began to be polluted by the heathenism and false philosophy around it.  With the decline of national genius and civil culture it became more and more debased.  So far from being able to uphold the existing morality of the best Pagan teachers, it became barbarized itself, and sank into deep superstition and manifold moral corruption.  From ferocious men it learnt ferocity.  When civil society began to coalesce into order, Christianity also turned for the better, and presently learned to use the wisdom, first of Romans, then of Greeks:  such studies opened men’s eyes to new apprehensions of the Scripture and of its doctrine.  By gradual and human means, Europe, like ancient Greece, grew up towards better political institutions; and Christianity improved with them,—­the Christianity of the more educated.  Beyond Europe, where there have been no such institutions, there has been no Protestant Reformation:—­that is in the Greek, Armenian, Syrian, Coptic churches.  Not unreasonably then do Franks in Turkey disown the title Nazarene, as denoting that Christianity which has not been purified by European laws and European learning.  Christianity rises and sinks with political and literary influences:  in so far,[10] it does not differ from other religions.

The same applied to the origin and advance of Judaism.  It began in polytheistic and idolatrous barbarism:  it cleared into a hard monotheism, with much superstition adhering to it.  This was farther improved by successive psalmists and prophets, until Judaism culminated.  The Jewish faith was eminently grand and pure; but there is nothing[11] in this history which we can adduce in proof of preternatural and miraculous agency.

II.  The facts concerning the outward spread of Christianity have also been disguised by the party spirit of Christians, as though there were something essentially different in kind as to the mode in which it began and continued its conquests, from the corresponding history of other religions.  But no such distinction can be made out.  It is general to all religions to begin by moral means, and proceed farther by more worldly instruments.