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A81551
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A dispute betwixt an atheist and a Christian the atheist being a Flemming, the Christian an Englishman. Published according to order.
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G. G.
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1646
(1646)
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Wing D1678; Thomason E1187_3; ESTC R15204
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24,048
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59
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to take order for his further safety came amongst them the King asked him how he came thither hee said by his wisdome and industry the King bid lay hold on him his servants answered that they could heare him but not see him he went away the King followed him to a river over which he stretching his handkerchief puffed and was then seen of them all he in vain pursued him with their boats for the same day hee went ten dayes journey from thence to Elghamaria and so proceded untill that on a bribe given by a Turkish King of 10000 pound to his father in Law Smaldin for which one night as he slept hee beheaded him This is as strange an act as ever was done by Christ And are there not many more which I can name that have done great and strange things yes Benbarchosin Benchoab Motes Lemlen R. David c. and yet were few of them believed because the Rabbins received not their signes And whereas you interpret the Old Testament to figure at the comming of your Saviour in a meane obscure way and onely for a spirituall Kingdom they say that he must bee borne unto the Kingdom of Jerusalem as well as to the Kingdom of heaven and come in glory and power and take off the yoke that the Jews are so much opprest with and give into their hands the temporall and spirituall power exalting them above all the people of the earth And I have heard a Jew that hath gone to dispute with a Christian and he out of your own Scripture hath so pussed him that he knew not what to say for the first Question hath set him up which hath been to bid him prove by the New Testament your own book that your Saviour came of the seed of David and of the loynes of Juda vvhich he could not doe For the Genealogie of Matthew Chap. 1. onely proves the descent of Ioseph and not of Mary of vvhom came your Christ vvhich you say is not part of the man for you say shee conceived with the Holy Ghost therefore this descent is left uncertain and untill you prove that you shall draw me to believe if in any the Old before the New Law C. For your comparing Christ with an imposture it is most blasphemously done of you For what are these you name are they better seeked they not their own ends more then Gods and the salvation of the world did not they desire to be Kings or to have rule and power over other mens bodies souls and estates did they not make disturbances in the Countrey and would have hindered Caesar from his right which were sufficient badges of their impostury And to the contrary ours came and preached love unity and concord among his believers and gave to Caesar though a Heathen his due Hee for all his Cures asked neyther shooe to his foot not clothes to his back and notwithstanding them had not wherewith to hide himselfe as hee declareth and is testified of him And for Josephus he was a Levit and Christ comming overthrew their profession amongst his believers and took away their tenths and benefits they had by their Priesthood and should hee have left that testimony of him as he deserved it would have wrought so much on the wise following posterity of the Iews that they would have cryed with those that saw his works There was never such a man not such things done in Israel Which is cause enough for him to speake so little of him that did so much And could any after death rayse up the body as hee did No you finde that in the death of those false Christs which our blessed Saviour speaks of after death hath passed then end their devices but his acts were greater after his death then before as in spight of his Watchmen to rayse up his body and joyning it to his soule and then appearing amongst his believers and conferring the spirit of wisdom and power on his Apostles then passing to Eternity with soule and body And what you have heard betvveen a Iew and a Christian is nothing for it shevvs the Iew pragmaticall and the Christian ignorant For as the first Chapter of Matthew shevvs the Genealogie of Ioseph so that of Luke shevveth that of Mary For though it be not Maries in perticular name yet is it most cleere that Ioseph had not two fathers therefore one must needs be accompted Maries A. What you say is somthing but not sufficient to satisfie me I 'le take the words of your own Scripture to condemne you which are A good tree is known by his fruit and can a man gather figs of thistles or grapes of thorne trees We may I say if there were that truth as you pretend there is in Scripture would it not shew it selfe in the professors of it But to the contrary there is so much iniquity in you Christians that take you from the meanest to the greatest all orders and sects whatsoever and there is nothing but deceit covetousnesse whordome adultery drunkennesse swearing gluttony false heartednesse extortion pride Sodomy incest lying stealing all things in greater proportion then amongst the Turks Ethnicks or the most vile of any profession that now is or ever was Is not Religion the colour for the vilest procedings that are doe not the Princes and States of Europe cloke with that their murther plunderings rapine and oppression in the vilest manner Is not that the pretence for the martyring of many soules by the Pope and bloudy Inquisitors and Religion is generally so slightly set by by your selves that from one accounted a very honest man but of the Brownist Sect I heard say that rather then the Pope or English Bishops should come to be established in the Kingdom where he lived hee would that the Turke should prevaile over it they being three the most eminent professors of Christ I marvailed much at his saying in respect as well of the temporall government as the spitituall But recollecting my memory I thought that hee might as well say so as the rest believe and doe as they doe and to discover to you how much the heavens frown on your chiefe deceivers that is the Clergie and Priests of each Christian Sect and in perticular in your Countrey where they are allowed to marry there is scarce a grand childe or childe remaining through the Kingdom of England of any order of Priesthood that is either noble rich or vertuous in any great measure though there are not so few as 100000 beneficed men at all times in your Kingdom Therefore take this for your absolute ansvver that I vvill not be like that simple Courtier vvho being in much honour and esteem vvith his Prince and Countrey for a bribe and hope of better preferment sels his present and future certain honour and profit for expectance of greater from another and so loseth both No I will be sure of the pleasure is certain and enjoy my selfe vvhile I may and run the hazard