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Show - e s \ S R A ------ NS D Bi i ; Fr E ol .b‘{ | A : H" e tafies of th e R i a4 | ? L b gOO 5 th havin b his curiofity, every where labo ure to ca reafon that they were unmeet fo {o grea great Perfonage bein allure b firft the minds or phanfuch Preparative invention of curious things, asthey acquired an hig efteem of their admirable Learning an incomparable Wit, {o nothing was mor eafie then by laying hold on the occafi on, which was' the chicef inducement of hejr Voyage into China, to difcourf concerning Religion and the God of Hea en ; now the Chinefes, who for alon {pace of time had S s it fent for divers of the Fathers of grea ies fro Maccao, they employed them in ithing; by this mean PRaiilin [ undertakings { Mi S f,.ghl.'grf}.'"" R our Fathers unto them ; u K 1 I M e Map at the coflt of the Vice-Roy wa {peedily Engraven, and abundance o th Copies of it were dilperfed througho t the whole Empire; which exc {uch flame in the minds of perfons that were cur ous, that they believed Matthen Ri¢ A THANASIUS KIRCHE s g P ctus like a revived Atlas,to be the mof excellent Aftronomer in the whole worl _and to have fallen from the Clouds. T the Empi: r 3‘}:}'2‘,',‘:" being {mitten with thofe firf fruits o 1 st partakers of {o great e e cnitrsas conftitution of each part of the world declared in heir own Language, bat alf comprehended and difcovered all and e ery place init; whence when that th houle was not able to contain the great numb bithCl'to unfcen work that many lnight bGCO l SoetTor ey e e e- DA T e po T jv e et Si 5 t-ome . -- reny li R e great controverfie about the Worf God bsIng captivated with their deep reaf nings that were ftrengthned wi the s,grea weight of Arguments concerning th one and true God, and the nullity o th Gentile Figments and Images, pref ntly fubmitted themfelves to b inflruGed i their Worfhip and Difciplin ; whence within few years, Men of great no together with other perfons of all ftate vering the vanit;f o The Nobiliy their own Religion, being wath d with the Sacred Water of Baptifm were re cemare ceived into the bofome of ou Hol o Cirift many noble Perfon rins and Colaos, wh {ate harbour of {avin Mother the Church; amongft wific and Goverhours of the Empire, who they term Mandp acknowledging the benefit of th Divine Call unto th Faith, fo warmly embraced the La of Chrift, that the feemed hardly able to reft before that they ad brought over many otixers to embrace the {ame: Hence many Book which delivered the Fundamental of th Chriftian Religion in the Chinefta Language , were written throughou whole Empire, and by and by divulged th unto the incredib]e advantage of But the great Enemy of mankin fuffered not fuch a prey to be re cued from him' for now places of refidence bein eftablifhed through the chief Provi ces of the Empire, and Churches alfo ere@ed unt the {ervice of God ; by the envy an hatred of the Bonxiz, that is their Priefts who were almoft frantick at the o grea advancement and propagation ef th Divine Gof; pel, fo heavy a Perfecutio railed againft our Fachers and Converts,th d.up in Prifon an cruelly Tormented; and laftly b their withdrawing and the tor ] exilemen of the Chriftian Prefeflion, (o hap y a Progrefs of the Faith wa lmoft vreduce unto the extreameft hazar ; but that by the afliftance of th Divine favour, an the indifturbed conftancy of ou Father , and alfo by the Zeal d Books, ublithed by great Perfons whom they ha great Authorit the dcte.&xon o former liberty brought to paf gained unto Chrift ; alfo by realon o that they bore, the innocency o the calumnies of the Adverfaries they were reftored unto thei)r they learning from this one exam i poflibly b tha fuch another Perfecution fhoul to obqur the {o famous Fruits managed for th Glory of the Divine M;zjcfiy no mo a fhadoyv can put out the ligh of the Sun ; therefore matters é again brough unto this Tranquillous condition Chriftianity arofe to (o much.th more hej %uby how much it had been the mo e lowly and violently deprefle ; for the F§i[} o |