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was no heretic . In the rtrean time , Savonarola preached , l > ut made no such confident offer , no * durst he venture at that new kind
of fire ordeal ^ and put the case , that all four had passed through the fire , and died in the flames , what would that have proved ; had he been a heretic , or no heretic , the more or the less , for the confidence of these zealous idiots ?
If we mark it , a great many arguments , on which many sects rely , are no better probation than this . ' '—Lib . of Proph . Ep . Ded . There is another story likewise , omewhat similar , told by Sir Thos . Roe , in a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury , from
the Court of the Great Mogul : cc The house and church of the Jesuits in India happening to be burnt , the crucifix was found
uatouched , which was given out as a miracle . The king called for the Jesuit , and questioned him about it ; but he answered ambiguously . The king then asked , whether he did not desire to
convert him ; and being answered m the affirmative , replied , you speak of your great miracles and of many done in the name of your prophet ; if you will cast the crucifix into a fire before me , and
it does not burn , I will become a Christian . The Jesuit refused the trial as unjust ; answering , that God was not tied to the call of man ; that it was a sin to tempt him : arid that he wrought mira
cles , according to his own will : yet he offered to cast himself into the fire , as a proof of . Jus own faith , which the king would not allow . Upon this arose a great dispute , begun by the Prince , a stiff mahom etan and hater of Christians , who urged that it was
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reasonable to try our religion after this manner ; but withal , that if the crucifix did fctirft , thexi the Jesuit should be obliged to turn Moor . He alleged examples also of miracles said to be wrought
for less purposes thati the conver * si on of so mighty a king ; and spoke scornfully of Jesus Christ . ' * —?> See Collection of Travels , pub * liskedby Churchill , p . 805 ; quoted by Dr . Mid die ton in Pref . Disc * to the Letter from Rome . Works v . 7 Gu
As the Moorish King had sense enough to know the difference between a miracle and a martyrdom ; that the last could prove nothing but the . Jesuit ' s sincerity , in what he professed to believe , whereas the first would yield the strongest confirmation to the truth also of
what he taught : so the Jesuit had sense enough to decline the proposed trial , which might have been fatal to the credit of the crucifix . -
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No . 94 . Mere Morality , The simple doctrine whick teaches to cease to do evil , an 4 ta learn tpdo well / 'has been unpopular with the multitude in all
countries : to them the belief of mystery , and the practice of superstition is easy , but the reformation of life is like the [ poetical ] ascent from hell- —Hie labor , " hoc opus .
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112 Gleanings , No . 93 > $ 4 *
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No . 93 % Bookseller ' s Judgment . When Dr . Prideaux brought the copy of his Connection of the Old and New Testament to the bookseller , he told him it was a dry subject , and the printing could not , safely be ventured , unless he could enliven it with a lit " tie humour .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Feb. 2, 1811, page 112, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2413/page/48/
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