IntroduE. C:riiianaty >s the true Religion. Chap.=ì ->F, 45 they conceived would never be , they called it etermem. But at the time when Chrift was born , in the íhutting up ofan evening the Temple fell to the groundof it felt. And thus much for the Antiquity ofChriftianReligion, and confequently for the truth of it, according to theMaximeof Philofophers. Qodprimrtm,idverum, that is true, which was firlt. The fecond way to prove , that Chriflianity is the true Religion , is the Continuance, and prefervation of the Scriptures , whereupon that Religion is grounded. - And this is fo miraculous, as that no Religion deviled orframed by Man, or any falfe God cannot thew the like. For it is plain , that the fews were more under fubjeftionto other Kingdoms, and oftner in Captivity and Bondage , than any o. thenNation in the World. As under the .Tgypti.nr, Philiflins, ALlösbites, Ámorires, Arians, Perfians, Gracianr, Romans, &c. And yet, though all the Nationsabout them bare themdeadly hatred, and fought to fupprefs their Religion , and thatAnti- velour the Great benthimfelf wholly to abollifh the Coppiesofthe Law , yetwere they fo wonderfully preferved,that they perifhed not. We fee,that the works ofPhi- lofophers, Lawyers, Phyfitians, and the like who were accompted excellent in their profcffions, which were highlyefteemed, and forprefervation whereof, all means have been ufed , yet many of them have been loft , many come into the World un- perfe 1, and many very corrupt : yet on the other fide , though the Ten:,were a People very odious and contemptible to other Nations, and though much labour hath been to fuppref their Law ; yet it Rands firm and uncorrupt without addition or diminution,whole and perfeCt , notwithftandinb all the Worlds malice. Andas of theBible,fo may it be faid of their Religion, though they were traufported into other Countries, and in Captivity to ftrange Nations, they never changed it, whereas ex- perience bath taught us that with changing Countries, People commonly, or many times change their Religion. The third proof is, the Certainty of our Religion: Whereas all other Religions are either. r. Unperfcdt. _. Full of ContradiEtions. 3. Counterfeit. 4. Or Quefti- onable, And none of theft can be attributed to ours, and therefore it is the true Religion. t. It is molt lure; that what Religion foeverbath his original fromMan, grows by little and little, by degrees, to that which they call perfeétion : But at the delive- ry of the Law of God , all that was neceffaryfor the Church beforeClárift was delivered molt abfolutely by Moles, all the duties towards God or Man required in that Bate of the Church, being contained in his Books , and to which nothing is or could beadded, or detracted from it, and in the decalogue is the rumof all moral du- ties; for all may be reduced to fomeof tholeheads. 2. For ContradiClions, Mans Laws (as the Apoffle fpeaks) are fealed with Yea a Cha-r r . andNay; but the Law of God,withYea and Amen. And the Fathers prove, that all zo. Contradictions which feem to be in the Scriptures, may be reconciled by the feveral Rules of ContradiCiions in Logique. 3. Thattheirs are Counterfeit may appear by thisithat the belt oftheir Authors have obfcitred their works, and kept them from the view of as many as they could, for fear ofdifcovcry of their falfities: and the beft of their works, have been corrupt in Tome points,and gone abroad into theWorld, under the name of falle Authors, and fomtimes thole which have been fuppoftious or counterfeithave foneerly refembled the Bile ofthe Authors, whom they have focounterfeited, that they could hardly be diftinguifhed from tholethat which were his own. But Gods IIecr: 3t, od. rule in giving his Law was contrary to theirs for he will havea Coppy in thefide of r7' t e theArk, another for the Prince, one for the High Prieft, and for every Prieft one , and the like for every Tribe: and commanded the People to have chief fentences of it expreffed in their hangings,in their frontlets,in the fringes oftheir Garments, in the Eyes of all Men, that whatfoever evil fhould betide then, it might not be one whit impaired: nor would fo many worthy and wife Men have dyed for it, as did in the time of Antioch/45, had they fufpeched it to have been counterfeit in the leaft degree. 4. That theirs is `Opeftionable; is thus proved. In all theirs,foirìthing bath continii- alli
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