so Charuii. Reaftnsfor. thetrithof Chriflian Religion. ktrodua. in every atlion fit hiltruments mutt be had and ufed, or elfe the aEtion will prove defeetive and vain : and that the matter muft be well fitted and difpofed before we can work it : in this cafe there were neither. For in the eye of man , there could be no unfitter Inftruments than the Apoftles , they being rude, unlearned, and melt of them Mechannique Men : and for the matter to work upon , they had it altogether unprepared , nay clean againft them. For the Jews, continually the ,hatrect, to the Difciples , which they had born to the Mailer , continued perfecuting them. And the molt Learned among the Gentiles, were the greateft oppofite to that which they endeavoured (namely the propagation ofthe Gofpel).as might be : as, Vlpian t h greateft Lawyer, who wrote many Books againft it and the Chriflians, Galen the greateft Phyfitian Piariista the greateft Platonift, Porphyries the greateft A- riftotelian, Lábanius agreat VVriter in the Greek tongue, Lucian a great fcoffer, and 7;dim: the great Sorcerer, who not only made Dialogues between Chrifi and Peter, to breed hatred and contempt againft Chriftianity, but ( being Emperour) bent all his 'force againft it, prohibiting ChriftianSchools, ejc. Befides, if we confider the ten bloody Perfecutions whereinmany thoufands of Martyrs fuffercd, and that in molt horrid and barbarous maim& and kinds. Towhichif we add Çwhich was touched before) the unapme foot the Inftruments, and the matter (the World) fo rigid, ill- difpofed, andharfh towork upon, and yet tohave the work effeEted, itcannot but be ctinfelfed, that Chriftianity is the true Religion, and that magna efi-veritas,en pra_ yaks, great is the Truth, and prevaileth, -t 3. In the next place, if. weconfider how averfe and unpleafing to flefhand blood the Precepts of thisReligion arc, we molt confcfs the premifes to be true. For they giveus not leave to beLibertines, or licentious and carnal, as the Religion of the Trtrk,, of which we fpake before. For infleadof taking revenge of our enemies for injuries done unto us, we ale bound by them to love our enemies, and to fpeak good of them that perfecute us. lnftead of committing folly with a woman, we mutt not fd Muchas call our eye upon a woman to tuft after her; there is not theleaft thought left at our pleafure. Aron concupifies. Inflçad of covetous heaping up of riches, we Muff. leave all fo: the truths fake. 14. ThePromifes contained in the Scriptures to them that (ball obferve this Reli- gion, are not of the nature of thofe in the Religionof the Epicures and nark:, &c. that is hnnour, preferinent, wealth, p leafure in thisworld, and the like ; but the con- Mat,10.17. trary, as, They (hail whip and fcoureArou ; they (hall binde and lead you whither lvlark it. ii. youwould not ; takeyour Crof and-allowme, and leave all and follow me. But s'45- this aman would thinkwere not the way for fequimini: me, follow me, but di f cedete a me, depart from me ; rather a deterring and ditheartning, than any manner of per- (wading. And in this there is a great refernblance between the Creation and the Regeneration. In the firft, fomething was made of nothing, and here nothing to confound fomething, that we may plainly fee and confers, that it is digit's! Dei qui hit operatur, the fingerof God that bringeth this to pafs that ftrength fhould be coatotinded by weaknefs, fomething by nothing. Therefore this Religion cannot be but Divine. 15. Again,' if we confider the times when ildetboneet began tobroach his forged Religion, we (hall finde it to be in a dilfolute time, a time of idlenefs and ignorance, when neraclius and Conflant ruled theEmpire, the firft being an inceftuous Prince, one that married his Brothers Daughter, and exafperated the Saracens, in denying them pay in his Wars : theother being a Monotholite, and bloody, havingmurthered his-Brother, both of themgiving opportunity to the Saracens,not only to enlarge their Territories, but to propagate their Religion. And if we fhall obferve the Ecclefiafti- cal fiery well, we fhall finde that Age very muchdeflitute of Learned and pious men. Whereas on the contrary, when Chrillanity began and prevailed, the world was ne- ver fo full of eyes,never fo many Learned men,as theScribes and Pharifees,theGreek Philorophers, &c. yet it pleafed God to work upon thehearts of manyof them, in Converting them edit; as-upon Paul'inus, Clemens, Origen, Augultine,./Inbrofe, and o- thers efpecially manyof the Jewifh Priefisbefore there, Ails 6 7. só. And indeed Converfions are agreat argument ofthe truth of Religion. The molt memorable whereof we fee in S,Paid.whowas a zealous Pharifee, who not only had a warrant
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