Page:Alcoran of Mahomet 1649.djvu/444

 vertues; and indeed if Chritians will but diligently read an ob the Laws and Hitories of the Mahometans,'' they may bluh to how zealous they are in the works of devotion, piety, and charity, how devout, cleanly, and reverend in their Moques, how obedient to their Priets, that even the great Turk himelf will attempt nothing without conulting his Mufti, how careful are they to oberve their hours of prayer five times a day where ever they are, or however imployed? how contantly do they oberve their Fats from morning till night a whole moneth together? how loving and charitable the Mulemans are to each other, and how carefull of trangers, may be een by their Hopitals, both for the poor and for travellers: if we oberve their jutice, temperance, and other morall vertues, we may truly bluh at our own coldnes, both in devotion and charity, at our injutice, intemperance, and oppreion, doubtles the men will rie up in judgement againt us; and urely their devotion, piety, and works of mercy are maine caues of the growth of Mahomatim, and on the contrary, our neglect of Religion, and loones of converation, is a maine hindrance to the increa{e of Chritianity: is it not a hame that they hould read over their Alcoran once every month, and we carce read over the Bible in all our life? that they hall give uch reverence to their Alcoran, as to honor the very Camel that carried it to Mecca and to lay up for holy reliques the napkins and handkerchiefs that rubbed off the weat from hi skin; and we hall prefer lacivious Poems, and wanton Ballads to the acred word of Almighty God? do we not make our elves unworthy of uch an inetimable treaure?''

12. The Turks are our neighbors, and their Territories border upon the dominions of Chritendom: there have been continuall wars, and will be till between us, it concerneth very Chritian who make concience of his wayes to examine the caue, and to look into the ground of this war, whether they be jut or not, which cannot be known but by reading the Alcoran, in which we ee the Mahometans to be the enemies of the Cros of Chrit, in denying his Death, and of his Divinity, alo in that they deny his Godhead: we hall finde o many paages in it repugnant to, and detructive of Chritian Religion, that Chritian Princes are bound