160 Minijlerial Endellvors, or tball do by thisprefeNt \Vori{., I defire . it may be wholy afcribed to the efficacy of the Divine Grace, which is many times conveyed and reached forth by the mofi un– "' Tertul in worthy lnftruments. But to return,"' Tertulli~n bath a notable lib. de prte- Obfervation concerning fome Sectaries in his time, Nunquam fcript adcitim proficitur quam in caftris rebellium, ubi ipjum illic ef{e pro– verf ~Hte- mercri eft ; That men ufually have aquick difpatch and progrefs in the Tents of Herefie, and become Teachers ere they are fcarce Chriftians : He goeth on; Neophytos collocillnt, ut G!~ria eos ob~ ligmt, quia V(ritate non poffunt: They fet up young men to teach, that they may win them ~J Honour, when they cannot gain them by Truth; Certainly this is abait that Pride foon fwallow– eth: and that which bath drawn many into Error, is a liberty to teach before they are fcar(:e any thing in Religion. Oh confider, 1-lafty Births do not fill the houfe, /Jut the grave: Men that ob– trude thonfelves too foon upon aCalling, do not edifie, bnt de· flroy: ~ris good for a while to be flow to JP ea~ Aquin.u, when he heard Albertm, was called B1Js mutm, the dumb Ox, becaufe for agreat while he was altogether filent: ~ris not the Spirit of God, but the fpirit of vain-glory which putteth men up0n things which they are not able to weild and manage: •tisgood to tak! notice of thole compreffions and conflraints that are within our fpirits; but ~cis good alfo to t~tk! heed that they do not arife from Pride, or {ome carnal affections. 2: Idheweth, Th;tt we lhould not precipitate our Judgments .concerningDoctrines and points of Divinity,; That we may not ·rathly condemn or defend any thing that is contrary to the Word of God, or of which we ha~e certainty from the Word : JJ.e flsw to jpeak.; that is, do not fpeak till you have a fure ground : The fudden conceptions of the minde are not always the befi: To take up things hafiily engageth aman to many inconveniencies : Mofos would not give an Anfwer fuddenly, Numb. n. 9• !Wilt hear wh~t the Lord Will ;puzk, concenting you : That great Prophet was at afiand till he l:iad fpoken with God. Under the Law, the tip of the Priefis ear was to beJPrinkfed With blood; firfi he muft he11.r Chri{f, and thenJPeak, to the People, Well then, Be not too hafiy to defend any Opinion till you have ttyed it : How mutable do menof a fndden fpirit and fiery nature appear to the world-! ra~ly profeffing ac~ordirig to their prefent . apprehe~fl~ns, they - - ~r~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=