1>ireEtiom for di[CfiWry of the Trut/1. Reafqn abfolutely to any. Engage not your [elves in a Party, fo as to efpoufc their errors, or Non~ t2m au..– implicitely to believe who:tcvcr they fay : For this breederh in you a fecret ddire to pleafc your t~rit::atis in . patty, and interdfeth you in their dividing intcrdt, and maketh you betray the Truth to be ao:::ount~ d~~~;a;a~~o~is: ed Onhodox by thofo you value. ~wmema q:.ta:rcnda funt. cic. "J..r.1t, Dto.p. 6. ObcH pleruraque iis qui difcere volunt; amoritas eomm qui fe docere profitentu;. Delinunt enim [uum judicium aJh1b;ore. IJ habent ratun1, quod s.b eo qutm prob1m, judicatum vident. Cic.de t..'at,Dro. P•7• 9· 5· Direct. 4• '.ta~c hee4 of Pride, which will malt.! you dote upon )'Our own conceitr, and cau[e DirelJ. 4• you to fligbt the weighticft reafims tbat are brougbt by others, for J•our conviCiion. And if once you ·have dpoufcd an error it will engage all your wit, and zeal, and diiigen_ce to·maintain it : It will m:1ke you uncharitable and furious againfi all tlut cro[s you in your way: and fa make you either Pcrfecurors (if you fund on the· higher ground ) or Sed-leaders, or Church~dividcrs and turbulent and cenforiom: if you are <;m t~c lower ground. There is very great rc.tfon in Partls adv;ke· fo"r the choice of a Bifhop, 1 Tim. 3. 6. Not a Novice ; left being lifted up with pride he faU into the condem: nation of the Devil. It is no more wonder to fee: a Proud man erroneous, and in the confidence of his own underfbnding, to.rage againfi all that tell him he is miit:aken, than to hear a drunken man bo:1fiing of his wit, to the lncreafe of his fhame. ~· 6. Diretl. 5· 1•k.e heed of j/othfulnefr and impatience in {<arching after 1rutb, and thin~ not Dire{l. 5 ; to fi; 1 d it in ~ifficult cafes, without both bardand patient jluditJ, and .ripenefr ofHnderjtanding to enable you tiJtrei;z : And fo[ptti iJU opinions which are the o.fffpring of idJenefs amJ e"afe .. what ever Divine il· ltemiJ:ation they may pretend (except :as you take them from others UfOn trufi ( 1n a Hothful way, who attained them by diligent fludics) For God that hath called men to labour, doth ufe to give his b!eiling to the laborious: Aad he thlt hath faid by his Spirit , 1 Tim. 4• 1 5· Meditate upon lbe{< thin~s : give tby {elf "'holly to them, · that thy profiting may appe.r to all ~oth accordingly caufe thofe men to profit, who feck it in this laborious way of his appointment: And he that hath faid, . 1he dejirc of theflothful kJlleth him, dot•h not ufc to b!efs the flothful with his rcachings. He that P.o•. , 4 , 3 o. will fay tO h1m tn judgement, Thou wick._ed. and floth[f!l fervomt, Will not encourage the fiothfulnefs Prov. 21 , 2 r. 'which h'e condernneth.. My Son, if thou wilt receive my word.r, and hid~ my comma~tdments with thee; Mattb. 25.26. fo that tiJou incline thine ear towi[dom, and apply thine heart to underjfanding. Yea , if· tlnu cryeft after k.•owledge, and lifttJI•p thy voice for underllanding: If thou Jiek,!JI her ar Silver, .and Jiarchtjl for her as for bid treafurn; 1hen}halt tbou •nderjland the {tar of the Lord, and find the k,iro,.,Jtdge of God: For the Lord giveth Wifdom: Prov. 2· I,>, 3, 4, 5, 6. Mark here to "'hom God giveth wifdom: All the godly arc taught of God: But mark here how it is that he teachcth them. Not while they fcorn at Studies and Univerfities, and look that their knowledge fhould cofi them nothing, or that the Spirit lhould be inflcad of {<rio~~< fludies , or that their underfiandings fhould difcern wha!s t1'ue or faJfe at the tirfi appearance : But while they think no pains or patience too great to learn the truth in the School ofChrifi. • 9· 7· DireCt 6. Keep am P.affion from your Dlfputu, and in the managemtnt ofaPyour comroverjiis Dire£1, 6. ill Rrligion. For though Pa!fion be ufeful both antecedently to the the Refolutioll of the WiU, and confequently to the effectual execution of its Refolutions, yet it is commonly a very great feducer of the Q! 1 x du~ undtrftandi~tg, and·firangely blindeth and p~rverteth judgement : fo that a Paffionate man is fcldome tiTlt~~/Ae fo fa~ from the truth, ~s when he is moft confiden~ he: is defending _it. When. Pallion hath done pr:~~ r:;t, boylmp, and the heart IS cooled, and Jcavc:[h the JUdgement to do ItS work Without any clamour c-as ambas in and dJitU[bance, its firangc to fee how things will appear to you, to be quite ofanother tendency Hubcro. de– and reafon) t~an in your Pafiion. you efiecmed them. f[~~t~~~J ~;~ verfarium pro\ixe fua explicantem :mdiendi & lenitatem cli:trn afpere dida perferendi, inq. Stu!Jttu! pojl. dif.·. c 1111 ;c. P·H· ~· 8. Dire61:. 7· Keep up a {<n{< of the e>il and danger ·of both extreamr; •ndbe "" fo whoUy in- Dire/;/. 7• tent upon the avoiding of one extream, as to be fearlefs of the other. The narrow minds of unexpe~ rienced men are hardly brought to look on both fides them, and to be <lu!y fenfible of the danger of both cxtreams : But while they arc taken up only with the hating and oppofing one fort of errors, they forget thofe on the other fide : And ufually the fin or error which we obre,ve not, is more dangerous to us than that which we do obferve ( if the wind of temptatio11 fit that way ). 9 9· DireCl:. 8: When you detel1 a~y antie.nt .emJr or corr".pt~~, enquire intoit; origin.sl; andfee Direl1. 8. whether Reformatl~n conftft n?t ratber :n a rejhtuuon of the prumtzve ftatt , than in a1t ixtirp,;.tion of . tbe whole. Ev~n In Popery It felf there·are n:any errors and ill cufiorns, which arc but the corrupti~ on ?f ~ornc wc1ghty truth,. :a~~ the d_egen_craung of forn~ duty of Gods appointment: And to reduce all m {uch cafes, to the pnmttl\'C veuty, ts the way of w1fe and true reformation ; and not to throw· away that which is Gods, bccaufe it is fallen int0 the dirt of hutp;me depravation. But in cafes where aU is bad, there aU muft be rejected. · ~· ,10· DireCt. 9• Pretend not Truth andOrtho~oxHefs againft Chri~ian Love and Peace: anti fo fol- Dircl1. 9· low Truth, as th.'lt you lofe not Love and Peace by :t; ( A.r mucb aJ in you Jyeth Jive ptactably with aU Rom. 1). IS. men). Charity is the ~nd of 7'mth: A:nd it is a ma~ ufc of Mea 111, to ufe them againfi the End. 1 Cor.l3• Make fure ~f the finccnty o~ your Chanty, and hold H faft ; and then no error that you lmld will be defiru6l:tve to you : But tf rou knowmore than otherS, .and ufe your k.!"'"ledge to the wcakning of ,
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