not troublesome unto them not known by any injury so that they an pretend no cause of War but Religion alone which is most of War but Religion alone which is most irreligious For the worship of God is no worship unless it proceed from a willing mind And the will is drawn by instruction and perswasion not by threats and violence He that is compelled to believe does not believe but only makes a show that he may escape pain And he that by sense or fear of punishment would extort assent thereby shews his distrust of Arguments But again themselves destroy this very pretence of Religion when they allow those whom they have subdued to use what Religion they will yea and some times openly acknowledge that Christians may be saved in their own Religion VIII Their precepts compared Compare we now the precepts together On the one side patience is commanded and benignity even to enemies on the other side revenge on this side perpetual fidelity of Marriage mutual toleration of manners on that license of a Vide Euthymium departing Here the Husband performs himself what he exacteth of the Wife and by his own example teacheth her to fasten love but upon one there came women b Azoara 3.8 9. after women new provocations unto Lust Here Religion is called inward to the heart that being cherisht therein it may bring forth Fruits profitable to mankind there it spends almost all its virtue in c Vide Barth Geor. de ritibus Turcarum circumcision and other things in themselves d Azoara 9. indiffererent Here a temporate use of meats and Wine is permitted there to eat of the Swine e 2.26 or drink of the f Vide Euthymium Grapes is forbidden although Wine is a great gift of God for the comfort of the mind and body being taken with moderation That such weak Rudinients as 't were for Children preceded the most perfect Law such as is Chrifts we do not wonder but to succeed after it and for us now to return to types and shadows is preposterous nor can any cause be given why another Religion after the Christian which is far the best of all should be now produced IX Objection touching the Son of God answered The Mahumetists say they are offended that we give God a Son when he uses not a Wife as if the name of Son in respect of God cannot have a more Divine signification But Mahumet himself ascribes many things to God not less unworthy then if he should be said to have a Wife namely that he has a cold hand a Cantacuz orat in Mahum 2.18 and he felt it to be so that he is carried in a Chair b Ibid. and such like As for us when we call Jesus the Son of God we signifie the same thing which he does when he stiles him the word of God for the word is after a sort c Vide Plat. in Conviv begotten of the mind add also that he was born of a Virgin the operation of God alone supplying the Fathers part that he was taken up into Heaven by the power of God which things being confest also by Mahumet declare that Jesus may and ought to be called the Son of God d Luc. 1.35 Jo. 10.36 In lib. doctrina Mahumetis Jesus inducitur deum suum patrem appellans by a cerrain singular right X. Absurd things in their Books But on the contrary in the Mahumetan writings it would be tedious to enumerate how many things there are remote from all truth of a Azoara 28.37 History how many altogether ridiculous Such is that Fable of a fair Woman b Cantacuz orat 2.15 whom the Angels overcome with Wine taught a charm to get up to Heaven and come down again But having got up very high God catcht her and fixt her there and this is the Star Venus Another is of a Mouse c Inlib doctr Mahum in Noabs Ark made of the Elephants Dung and a Cat d Ibid. of the Lyons breath And that 's a notable one e in fine dicti libri of death to be turned into a Ram and to be lodged in the middle space between Heaven and Hell And of f Exod. 1. dainty meats in the other life to be voided by sweat and of Companies of women to be assigned every one for his pleasure All which are of such a nature that they must needs be sotted by their own folly who can give any credit to such gross faults especially now the light of the Gospel shiues round about them CONCLUSION I address my self now leaving Aliens to Christians of all sorts and names beseeching them to lift up pure hands a Jam. 4.8 unto that God who hath made all things visible and invisible b Col. 1.26 out of nothing with a sure confidence that he takes care c I Pet. 5.7 of us that without his permission not a Sparrow d Mat. 10.29 falls and that they fear not those which can only hurt the body e 10.28 in comparison to him who hath equal power both over body and Soul Let them not trust in God the Father only but in Jesus f Jo. 14.2 seeing there is no other name g Act. 4.12 in earth which can save us This ye shall rightly do if you perswade your selves not they that call the one Father and the other Lord shall live for ever but they that compose their lives according to the will h Mat. 7.21 of God Farther I exhort you carefully to keep i 1 Tim. 6. 20. Institution of Christ as a most pretious treasure and to that end also read often the k 1 Cor. 4.16 Holy Scriptures where with no man can be deceived but he that first deceives himself For the writers of them were more faithful and more full of a Divine Afflatus than to deprive us l Vide Tert de praeser of necessary truth or to hide it under a Cloud but we must bring a mind disposed m Jo. 7.17 to obedience If we do so none of those things shall escape us which ought to be believed hoped for or performed n 2 Tim. 3.15.16 by us And by this means is the Holy Spirit nourished o 1.6 and raised in us who is given as the earnest p Eph. 1.14 of our future happiness Moreover I disswade all Christians from the imitation of Pagans First in the worship of false gods q 1 Cor. 8.5 which are nothing but vain names that wicked Spirits r 1 Cor. 10.20 use to avert us from the Service f Eph. 2.2 of the true God Wherefore we cannot partake of their Sacrifices so as withal to have a part in Christs Sacrifices Secondly in their licentious manner of living t Eph. 2.3 having no other Law but what is dictated by their own Lust from which it behoveth Christians to keep u
God for some good end will be pleased to permit Neither can any thing be obtained of those evil Spirits which is not to be rejected because the Evil one when he b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Soph. counterfeits is most evil and the gifts of Enemies are b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Soph. snares a Malus bonum cum simâ—â—lat tunc est pessimus Syr. Mimus IV. Against worshipping of the Dead There have been also Pagans and now there are who affirm that they give Worship to the Souls of men deceased But first this Worship too was to be distinguish by evident marks from the Worship of the most High God And then Prayers made to them are in vain unless those Souls are able to bestow something on us Whereof the Worshippers have no knowledge nor any ground to say that so it is rather than it is not so But this is worst of all that the persons to whom they pay this honour are found to have been notorious evil Livers Bacchus given to Wine Hercules to Women Romulus cruel to his Brother Jupiter to his Father so that the honouring of them redounds to the dishonour of the true God and of the Virtue wherein he delighteth whilst unto Vices pleasing enough of themselves there is given a farther commendation from * Cyprian Epist 2. Deos suos quos venerantur imitamur fiunt miseris religiosa delicta Religion V. Against worshipping the Stars and Elements The Worship given to the Stars and the Elements of Fire Water Air Earth was more antient than this not less erroneous For the greatest part of Religious Worship are Prayers and these cannot without folloy be offered up to any but intelligent Natures That the Elements are not such appears even by sense And if any one affirm it of the Stars he will find no proof thereof since from their operations the tokens of their nature no such thing can be collected yea the contrary is evidently gathered from their motion not varied as theirs is which have free will but certain and †The King of Peru moved by this Argument deny'd the Sun to be God prescrib'd And we have elsewhere shewed the courses of the Stars are fitted for the uses of mankind Whence it is man's duty to acknowledge himself to be both more like to God in his better part and more dear and therefore that he does an injury to his own Nobility if he subjects himself to those things God hath given him When on the contrary he ought to render unto God thanks for them which they are not able to do for themselves or are not prov'd to be able VI. Against worship given to Beasts Now this is most unworthy of all that men have fallen even to the worship of Beasts a Vide lib. I. Diod. Sie especially the Egyptians For although in some there shews it self as it were a shadow of understanding yet is that nothing compar'd to man because their inward conceptions they cannot express by speech or writing neither can they do works of divers kinds nor works of the same kind after a divers manner much lest attain to the knowledge of numbers of measures or of the heavenly motions On the contrary man by the subtilty of his Wit catcheth any of those Creatures even the strongest of them wild Beasts Birds Fishes and partly ramos them as Elephants Lions Horses Bulls deriveth also profit to himself from such of them as are most hurtful namely medicines from Serpents Certainly hath this use of them all which themselves know not that he vieweth the frame of their bodies the site of parts comparing their several kinds one with the other and here also learneth his own dignity how much the structure of humane bodies is more perfect than the rest and more noble Which things if a man a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vide Porph. de usu anim lib. 1. consider rightly he will be so far from worshipping other living creatures as gods that he will rather think himself to be by the great God constituted as a little God over them all VII Worship of Accidents We read the Greeks and Latines and others also adored things which have no subsistence but are the accidents of other things To omit those ill-favour'd deities the Fever Impudence b cic de Legib. 2. with such like Sanity is nothing else but a right temper of the parts of the Body Fortune a suitableness of Event with mans desire and the Affections as Love Fear Anger Hope and the rest arising from the consideration of a thing good or evil easie or difficult are certain motions in that part of the Soul which is most united to the body by the bloud being not in their own power but subject to the dominion of the Will at least as to their duration and direction And Virtues which have several names Prudence in the Election of what is profitable Fortitude in abiding dangers Justice in doing no wrong Temperance in moderation of pleasures and other are certain pronenesses unto good sprung up in the Soul and ripen'd by long exercise which as they may be encreased in a man so by neglect may be lessened and at last extinguished Now Honour a Liv. l. 27. whereunto also we find Temple to have been dedicate is the opinion of others concerning some person as endued with Virtue Which opinion oft happens to the bad and doth not happen to the good it being natural to men easily to err and to be mistaken These things therefore having no subsistence and so being not comparable in Worthiness to things which do subsist neither having any apprehension or sense of Prayers or Veneration to worship them for gods is most contrary to right reason seeing He is to be served for these things who is the Donor and Conservator of them VIII Answer to an Objection of miracles For the Commendation of their Religion the Pagans are wont to allege Miracles against which many Exceptions may be made The wisest among themselves reject many of them as supported by no sufficient Faith of Witnesses and plainly counterfeit a Datur haec venia antiquitati ut miscendo humana divinis primordia urbium augustiora facerent Livius l. 1. Some which are reported to have been real happened in secret in the dark in the presence of one or two whose eyes by the cunning of their Priests might be easily deluded Others there are which caused admiration only in such as were ignorant of things Natural and of Occult proprieties as it comes to pass among ignorant people if they see one draw Iron after a Loadstone By such Arts Simon and Apollonius Tyanaeus as many have written sometime prevailed I grant some greater things than these were seen but yet such as needed not a Power truly Divine being within the reach of Spirits interposed between God and Man who by their celerity efficacy and sagacity might bring together things distant and
by such impression the act of the Will should necessarily follow then the power of deliberating and chusing which we feel c Eusebium vide praep Evang. 6.6 in our Souls had been given in vain then the equity of all Laws d Justin apol 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nisi il electione libera a facultatem habet humanum genus ut turpia fugiat honesta sumat in neutram partem ipse ascribenda actionis causa of rewards and punishments were taken away First because in that which is plainly inevitable there can be neither merit nor demerit neither praise nor dispraise And farther being there are some acts of an Evil Will if these come by a certain necessity from Heaven in as much as God hath given such a power to Heaven and Heavenly bodies it will now follow that God who is most perfectly good is the true cause e Contra quam dixit pluto de repub 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of moral evil and whereas by Law made he professes himself to hate sin the inevitable cause whereof he hath inserted in his Creatures by consequence he must will things contrary to each other the same thing to be and not to be and sin must be committed in that which one does by Divine impulse 'T is more probable which others say that by influx of the Stars the Air first and then our bodies are touched and imbibe certain qualities which often excite in the Soul correspondent appetitions by which the will is moved and many times prevailed with But this so granted maketh nothing to that question which we have in hand For Christian Religion because it very much wiâ—hdraws men from those things which are pleasing to the body could not have beginning from bodily affections and therefore not from the power of Stars which as we have said work not upon the Soul but by those affections The wisest of Astrologers exempt from the Law and Regiment of Stars such men as are truly wise f Ptol. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Potest vir sapiens multas astrorum efficientias avertere and Virtuous and such in truth were they who first took upon them the Religion of Christ as their life demonstrates And if we attribute also to erudition and good Letters any value against the inclination of the body there have been always among the Christians men of good note in this respect Lastly the effects of the Stars as the most skillful do acknowledge regard the several quartets of the World and are temporary But this Religion continnes now Sixteen hundred years not in one but in most distant parts of the World and under very diverse constellations XII Many points of Christianity approved by wise Pagans But Pagans have the less to oppose against Christian Religion because all the parts of it are of such integrity that by their proper light they do as it were convince the minds of all So that even among Pagans have not been wanting such as have said severally what our Religion hath all together Namely that Religion is not placed in rites a Menander Deo sacrifica semper ingenio probo Cic. Cultus deorum est optimus ut cos semper pura mente veneremur Persius compositum jus fasque animi c. but in the mind that he is an adulterer who hath had a desire b Intus adulter erit Ovid. to commit adulter that injury is not to be c Menander Ille vir virorum est optimus Qui melius aliis callet ferre injurias repay'd that one Wife d Vide Eurip. Andron is to be joyned with one man that the Covenant of Marriage ought to be e Val. Max. l. 2. c. l. perpetual that it is the duty of man to do good to f Homo sum humani nibil à me alienum arbitror Ter. every one specially to the needy that that we must abstain from g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pyth. swearing as much as we can that in food h Satis est populis fluviusque Ceresque Luc. and rayment we must be content with that which nature requires And if there be any thing in Christian Religion hard to be believed like things are found among the wisest of the Pagans as that of the immortality of Souls and that of a return of bodies to life again So Plato i Epist ad Dion taught by the Chaldeans distinguishes the Divine Nature into the Father the Fathers mind which he also stiled the offspring of God the maker of the World and the Spirit which contains all things That the Divine Nature may be united with the humane k Lib. 6. Julian so great an Enemy to Christians did believe and gave an Example in Esculapius whom he thought to have come from Heaven to teach men the Art of Physick The Cross of Christ offended many but what things do not the Pagan Authors say of their Gods that some were in service to Kings others thunder-struck others cut and wounded And the wisest of them affirmed Virtue is then most joy ous when 't is at the dearest rate Plato in his second De repub l Unde Cic. Bonus ille vir vexetur rapiatur damnetur c. prophetically saith To exhibite the Righteous man 't is requisite that his Virtue be spoiled of all ornaments that he be accounted by others wicked that he be mocked and at last Hanged And certainly to set forth an example of the highest Patience was otherwise impossible HVGO GROTIVS AGAINST JUDAISM I. Address to the Jews WE know the Jews are the progeny of a Rom. 9.10 11. Holymen whom God was wont to visit by his Prophets and his Angels Of this Nation was born the Messias and the first Doctors of Christian Religion theirs is the Tree into which we are inoculated they the keepers of Gods Oracles which we reverence much as they do and with St. Paul we send up sighs to God on their behalf praying for the speedy approach of that day when the b 2 Cor. 3.14 Vail being taken off which hangs before their eyes they shall with us clearly behold the c Rom. 3.27 completion of the Law and when according to the Old Prophecies we that are strangers shall every one lay hold upon the skirt of an Hebrew d Zach. 8.21 with this request that we may all joyn together in the Worship of that one God the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. II. Christs miracles cannot be denied by the Jews First then let not the Jews think that unjust in our Cause which they judge to be equal in their own If a Pagan ask Why they believe the miracles done by the hand of Moses they would say nothing else but this There hath been delivered down such a perpetual and constant report thereof amongst them that it could not but proceed from the Testimony of those who had seen the miracles namely that the Widdows Oyl a 2
belongs to Messiah as like places e Gen. 49.10 undoubtedly speaking of Messiah manifest nor have the more antient Hebrews and Paraphrasts taken it otherwise And that Jesus of Nazareth is He in whom these things are fulfilled I might believe his Disciples alone affirming it because of their perfect honesty as the Jews believe Moses in those things which without other witness he saith were from God delivered unto him But beside this we have in readiness very many very strong arguments of that supreme power which we ascribe to Jesus himself seen of many after his Resurrection seen to be carried up into Heaven and then Devils cast out and Diseases healed only by his name and gifts of Languages sent to his Disciples which tokens of his Reign Jesus himself had promised Add to these that his Scepcer that is the Word of his Gospel proceeding out of Sion without humane assistance by sole Diving force made its way to the most remote parts of the World and subdued to it self Nations and Kings even as the Psalm had foretold The Jewish Cabalists place between God and men a certain Son f Nomen qued ei faciunt Hebraei est metator ita Latinis dicitur qui regi viam parat of Enoch without any sign of so great power How much more justly do we place him who hath given so great demonstrations of himself Nor does this any whit diminish God the Father from whom this g ipso fatente 70.5.19.30.36.43 power of Jesus comes and to whom it will h Fatente Apostolo I Cer 15.24 return and to whose honor it is i 70.13.31 14.13 subserviant XXIII conclusion of this part To discourse of these things more exactly is not out business here nor would we have treated of these but to make apparent that in the Christian institution there is nothing either impious or unreasonable for any one to pretend against his embracing a Religion set forth with so great miracle adorned with so gracious precepts and backed with so glorious promises A for special questions he that hath embraced the profession ought to consult those Books wherein the Doctrine of Christian Religion is contained I conclude with my hearty prayer to Almighty God that he would be pleased to open the eyes of the Jews and enlighten their minds that they may find the good effect of that petition * Luc. 23.34 which Christ himself put up to his Father on their behalf upon the Cross HVGO GROTIVS AGAINST MAHUMETISM I. The Rise of Mahumetism THat sincere and simple Piety a Vide Ammian Marcellin 1.21 de constantion which had flourished amongst the Christians whilest they were grievously persecuted and oppressed began by little and little to decay after that by Constantine and the succeeding Emperors it was brought to pass that this profession was not only safe but honorable the World b Vide de hac re pulchre dictachrysostomimor 2. ad 2 cor 12. post v. 10. being as it were thrust into the Church First of all the Christian Princes made no end of Warring even when they might have enjoyed c Marciani laudabile dictum apud zonaram 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Peace The Bishops had great contentions among them about the chiefest d Ammian l. 27. vide nobiles epistolas Gregoris vere magni l. 4.32.34.36 Seats and as in the beginning the Tree of knowledge e Gen. 11. 3. preferred before the Tree of life brought in great misery so at this time also curious learning was more in request than good manners and Religion was turned into an f Ammian l. 22. in fuliani Historia art Whereupon it followed that after the pattern of those builders of the Tower of Babel g Gen. 11. Exprobrat has controversias Christianis saepe Mahumetes praesertim Azoara 26.32 the unadvised affectation of sublime things bred dissonant forms of Speech and difference of mind Which being observed by the Common h Laudat Gregoras l. 8. dictum Lysidae Pythagorici deinde synesii apud pop subtiliter Philosophari causa hominibus fuit magni contemptus rerum divinarum people oft knowing not which way to turn they cast the fault upon the Holy Scriptures and began to shun them as if they were poysoned And Religion every where began as if Judaism had been returned to be placed not in purity of mind but in rites and in such things as contain in them rather an exercise of the i 1 Tim. 4.8 body than amendment of the Soul and also in a slagrant study k 1 Cor. 1.12 of parties once chosen So that at last it came to this in all places there were many Christians in name l Salvian l. 3. de Gubern Praeter paucissimos quosdam qui mala fugiunt quid est alind omnis coetus Christianorum quam sentina vitiorum very few in deed God did not conceal his displeasure at these faults of his people but from the farthest recess of Scythia m Hunnos Avaros Sabiros Alanos c. and Germany n Gotthos Vandalos Alemannos c. called up vast Armies and as in a deluge poured them out upon the Christian world and when the slaughters made by these were not sufficient to correct the survivors by Gods just sufferance Mahumet in Arabia sowed a new Religion which although it directly opposed the Christian profession yet in words after a sort it expressed the life of a great part of Christians This Religion was first entertained by the Saracens who had film off from the Emperor Heraclius who having in short time by force of Arms subdued Arabia Syria Palestine Aegypt Persia seized after upon Africa and upon Spain also on the other side of the Sea But of the Saracens mighty State as others so the Turks o Vide Turcica Leunclavii Laonicum Chalcocondylam chiefly were the successors a Nation as Warlike as any which after many Battels against the Saracens at last invited and closing with them in a League easily received a Religion agreeable to their manners and transferred the Majesty of the Empire upon themselves After this the Cities of Asia and Greece were taken and progress was made by their prosperous Arms into Hungary and the bounds of Germany II. The Foundation of Mahumerists overturned This Religion plainly made for the shedding of blood much rejoyceth in rites and would have it self to be believed without any liberty a Alcoranus Azoara 13. ut habet prima editic lat of inquiring whence it is that the reading of books which it accounteth sacred is forbidden the Common people This very thing is at first a manifest argument of iniquity For that commodity is justly frustrated which is obtruded to you on such terms that you may not look into it True it is all have not equal sharpness of sight to discern all things many by arrogance many by passion by custom some are carried away into