in' Crintriving Mah~ Re~emp_t)on. 249 Purpofe to have been borq at Rome the Seat of the E"!ffre, -wherein the,confluence ot all r\...A/1 Nations met, than in an obfcure Corner. So when the Apo£\les weie firrt fent forth tg Chap 21. propagate the Go[pel, humane Prud~nce "'ould judge, that theY' !hould have been affi- VV"\J fled either with Authorit)'and Power, or '~it!J Learning and Eloquence, to. compel or perfuade to a fubmiffion 10 _i~. ,But if tlje1; had been any p,roportion betjVeen the qualitY. of the lnflruments and the Effech produced, the Gofpel had been efteemed a DoCtrine pure! y humane. . The imrpediate Agents had b"'n intiruled ·to all the Honour by the Suf- 'frage ofthe Senfes; and their proger. SuJ!ici~ncl' would bave,obfcured the Vertue ofChri£\ that wrought in them. Therefore God chofe,the weak., things of the World , to confound the . mighty (m); and bafethingsof the Wprld, and things which _are difpife.d,_ hath God chofen ,(m!EI,gdh•· Yea an4 things that are 11ot, to bring ~~- n_oug_ht th~ngs_ that llre, that hi1 G,loripu; Power may fn~!=a;::,0fi. befi,Uy mallijefled, 1 Cor. J, 27. Chnfhamty (11ke JtS Autbor)fprang ~t· a Root out of adryUm""• "' G~ound, an? grew into a fair {hong Tree, not by humane; plantingandr\fatering, but the ~:~q:'ffin~g- ;mraculous rnfluences of Heaven. _j • ·>. :. _• fa«rent, irfe ou~~~t~~~~~sa~~p~~~:~r ~~e~~~~eM!n~~r~bedi:~~~'a ;;~/i~~';h~~~ ~hie~h:~~r~f~J~~~ ~e~~~~t~ quenee to inlinuate the belief of th• Dofrri.nes. they delivered. And with thefeDifadvan, lib. ra. <·49• tages they could never have conceived 'a thought, much lefs )lad Courag~ ~ a,ttempt th; great impof!ibility of converting the whole World to Chri!l:, and fubjefring. tbe Heads of l'rinces, and the Learned and Wife, to the fogt of a cr"ci6ed Perfon, with9Ut the Divine A!li!l:ance. . 1 ' .. x. They were without Authority;nci Powe~1 Other Reli~ions were e~~9lilheci'in ?; vera! Nations, by Perfons of the greate£\ Eminency and Credit 'lffiOng theJ:l\.. 1 ,That 9f th~ l'erftmnby Zoroaflres, that of th~ . Egjpti•~s by ' Hermes, that ,o:f. the Gr~dqnt by. Orph~"l1 'tha~ of the Romans by Mmta, all Kings, or of great ,Repqtation for· t.heir Wifdotll_agq .V ertue; and. they were received withqut <;pntradietion. PQr being C9!;l;~fpop_den! to the co:r.upt lnc)inations of Men, it . ~as not'f)rapg~ t,hat ~he t Princqs h'!d eitp}'r ,qp;~city toJ~; ve~t,them,o, \,p\lwerto pi~. nt them. An<\ ; mt ). •t~r ,ume. ~. M•h~l"'~ OPI'D>I!.:a -,;v~y [oJ, h!S 'R.ejigior by his S;vord, and ad~anced it.b.Y c:;:onque!l:. ; t)l<;>w"'~)s . no }\'on~,<;r1tqat a. Ret 1ig\'in fo plealiqg,to the lo,w,~r Ap_w.tite.s;lthat:gives li'cena~ l;lli\Lcorrl!pt.>'t~?£jons in the; pre'~£t life, , an<;! promife~a.{en[~ai.Jla,4djfo fl!itable to lle~{)s;il) ,t!(e futqr~,")l!\ouid be.eJilj blac~d by ·thole who were· f~l;>jell: to,hi§-Arms. b'Jll!t. tbe, .Apof?/gs ,were ,111eanly born anct r:~~;~~i,fi;1~~p,CJ~~ige~~L~a~~ti~~.~;i~~~~; ~~;~~~':d~~~~~nf~~b:~~~a~t~; )3irtQ.y ,Yithout any Chelter from fecular Powers. , .• \\ ' M .- . .;•.•. ~: 2. They!Jad not theadvantag~ of Art'3nd Eloque11'e \O , commencl. ,~heir Religion, T.,l)ere isa kmd of Charm in Rhetorick that makes things appear orher\yjfeo than they are: !Ice bof! Caufe it-ruins, the wor!l: it con?rn:s. ' Truth, tho; in it , f~!f )nvin,c,ible, yet by 1t reems to he overcome ; ,and Error olotams,a falfe triumph. , VVe, h~~~~ -viGbie proqf19f d1is i~ rhe Writi~gsj of Celfiu., Symmachus,~C£cilius, . and others{qr J::agauifm ag'!infi; Ch;;ifl.ianitJ. Wha~ ~ vaft cjjiferen,ceis there.be~ween the Lies and filthin';(SP.fth';,one,and the I"!fh and Sanfr•ty •o( th>. li'tlJfr? Yet w•tl),w,hat·admiraqle.Afldrefs qiq1thex mapage,tl,lae 1pfapwus SubjeCt?, A.! though it({eemed ipcapabl~ of any defe9% yet sh;y, gfve fuch co- {pn,rs ·to it, ·bytthe ~ea.ut~ of f~~ir, Ex.prell_iop~, an?1 thej(~ppar~nt ~ea(on~, •.thatit f~ejll_ed, ~laufiblo; }nd, Cl)nrtian\tY "qtJNtthfland•pg,ts ,Bnghtn 0fs a11d Punty was m~~ qdious t\)· \p'f ~eopl:. , ,But·the .;\poJl).es wq;e mol\ of them whouYi ;unlearned. ,S,t. Paul ,him(e!f.a<;- ~n1?t'i'le~g~s, ,( 3/,C.r. r· .1:1~ that_he was 'IV~4~_,inprefenCJ'.>, and hit SP!fch, lf4S not, With the mtrcmg"WWrdt of llfans Yl(ifdolit . A cruCified .~hri(l was.. all t!Jm Rqttoric~ . . Now, the[~ iii)Pq\e~t defpicable).l,~rfqn.s0were emplpfed to I~bdQe the Wot)d,, !o the-y~oS~.of ~P,pO:; api;l ·~·t.b!t feafon; \'lPen. !It~ Rq,1J.qp ~l(lP.ire w.as at its height, ,when the- IJ\o.!f, :•gqr<.ms ~~$"9" 'Yere ufe~ agam£\ al!lpnoy,apons, f'!len .P.hilofophy. ~nd f.!oqurnce ~"f!'J 111,thm f!m"l'~a~~ ·vtgour; fP..tiW T.ru\!! up!efsadorQed .with the drefs,a\\d artifice offalf-: h?flf w~s ije(Qife'd, , and a ·Meff~ge, frp!fu~pd \tiwfe!f,~qle,fseloquentfy7cp,nveyed, h'!iJt;!> f,wc~ to perfwaqe,. There.fqre,. rhe · Apof11e.d~f~lhe')nfe!yes in the fenfe pf ,th!ji.r own wepk; nJfs, 2 ~pr:A1 7· Jte h1t;1e this1Tr_fpfo~e i!fj ~artf{e'! f'ejfeis, thttt~he ~xce!fp'fC~,ojt~~ p;wer may• ~Erf[G~d,, "l'ft 'If{, pf, ru. 'F'~as lr<?lll;<\til;ruf\ <>f,t\lem~l ~es, their truY}on6fleqc~ jn.God p:o, l*e,!l t,~· • jli~l)1WHf' on!~ fo fi!r pgw_eif,uh~~ ~S Fnablep ~!;em; Iik"lTnll:rut)l,ents in w)tjch ih,er,~ .ts ,n. ot,Vi<Ftue fufficie1Jt for 1hc caBY~9!1,9ha .~f~tu~,irfhl'~ 4'? ng; '~'ce.jvH,'f~tllJ?re ..(<from !,qe &rtlfi's:en~~tu,[es tpeliJ. JiritflY,, as qosl ~e~t~or p~~on<j<;rs uf;s tll~~whicb i~we.~~ llJ ., l'g~\U•e ,'rliP. .c199queNi1~. t;JoJ.'c. rebellion! !?Hi:A&fit; '.'9F iJ:>a~-es the,,W,Of\R §a.nd- a0t;t~<; pD\Y.erfu) · 'l&~de , fpJ the ,AnjJlet!JOUS EJe!flef!~ . oJ \\l~ets,. ,than fhe ff>\>O&e£1, ljap~H~tf., ~~,bXA~ '!fM~~~·~Y,{lf Mcli> ~nd comp.ofe~ pft,he ti)Ort f.o!id Matorial~)fl.\10\\'I~S p,)eaf<bed ·h·' K k y .
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