14. Under that emperor the last vestiges of the pagan
worship were destroyed, its idols overthrown, its altars demolished,
and its temples closed. The world had become ripe for such a
revolution, as the temples had been long before almost universally
abandoned.
15. Since that period Christianity has prevailed in Europe, and formed
the great bond of the social happiness and the great source of the
intellectual eminence enjoyed in that quarter of the globe. Let us
hope that the exertions now made to diffuse its blessings over
the benighted portions of the earth will prove successful, and that
"peace and happiness, truth and justice, religion and piety" will
prevail from pole to pole.
_Questions for Examination._
1. What was the state of the Jews at the coming of Christ?
2. How were the Jews preserved separate from other nations?
3. What probable cause may be assigned for the neglect of the
Christian miracles?
4. How did the dispersion of the Jews afford an opportunity for the
propagation of Christianity?
5.
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