Background Image
Table of Contents Table of Contents
Previous Page  14 / 504 Next Page
Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 14 / 504 Next Page
Page Background

are, and fundry Texts

of

Scripture,

that

are ufually produced, and urged

in

the

defence

of

he

cantle

under confderation

,

that I

have

not

infifted on: nor vindicated from

the

exceptions

of

the

A

dverfaries.

Not

that

I

judge them

indefenfible

againft their

moil

cunning or

molt

fu-

rious affaults,and

fo

flighted

what

I

could

not

hold

for

urdeed

I knownot

any oneText

of

fcri-

pture;commonly

ufed

or

this

end, nor

any

Argument

by

any

fober man

framed to the

fame

purpofe,

that

is

not

capable

of

an eafy

and faire vindication

:

but

meerly bccaufe

they

fell

nor

in regedarly,in

the method

1

had

propofed

to

my

l'elfe ,

nor would

fo

do

,

unlefs

i had

gone

forth to

the

iffue

of

my

fiat

intendment,

and had handled

the

abode

of

Believers

with

God

at

large

,

from

its

principles

and

caufes

as

I had done

,

that part

of

our doctrine which con

-

cernes

the Continuance

of

the

love of

God with,

and

unto

them

;

which

the

growth

of

the

Treadle under

my

hand

,

would not

give me leave

to

do.

What

bath been,or

may

yet fur-

ther

be

done,

by

others

who have made,

or

fhall

make

it their

bufinefs,to

draw the

Paw

of

this

Controverly

,

to

and

fro

which Mr.

Geodwin,1

hope will

give

fatis£adion,

as

in

other things,

fo in

the particulars

by me

omitted.

As to

what

I have

to

fpeak,or

at

leaf}

think

it

conveni-

ent to (peak, concerning

him,

with whom in this difcourfe

I have

much

to do,and the manner

of

my dealing with him, being

a

thing

of

perfonal

Concernment

,

not

having

any

influencing

Afped

On

the merit

of

the

caufe

,

I [hall,

in

not

many words,

abfolve

you

of

your trouble

in

the Conlderation thereof.

My

Adverfary

is

a

perfon, whom

his

worth,paines,dilígence,and

opinions,

and the

contefls,wherein on their account he bath publikely engaged,have

delive-

red from being

the object

of

any

ordinary thoughts

,

of

expreflions.

Nothing not great,not

confiderable, not fome way eminent,

is

by any Ipoken

of

him,

either confenting with him,or

diffenting from

him. To interpole

my

Judgment

in

the crowd, on the one

fide or

the

other,

I

know

neither warrant

,orfuffcient

caufe

:

We

all

hand,

or

fall

to our

own

maffers

;

And

the

fire

will try

all

our

orkes.

This only

I

fhall

crave

Liberty

to

fay

;

that whether

from his

owngeniva,and

acrimony

of

Spirit ,

or from the provocations

of

others

,

with whom

he

bath

had to do, many

of

his

Polemical

Treatifes

have been [prickled

with Satyrical

Sarcafinec,

and

contemptuous

rebukes

of

the perfon with

whom

he

hath had to

do.

So

that

were

I not re-

lieved in my

thoughts

by

the

confderation ofthofe

Exacerbations and

exafperacions

of

fpi-

rit',

which upon

other

accounts,

betides

bare

difference

of

opinion in religious things

,

have

fallen

out

in

the

dayes

and

feafons

which

have patted over us

,

all

of

them labouring

to

exert

fomethingof

themfelves

in

every

undertaking

of

the

perfons

brought under their power

,

I

fhould

have been

utterly

difcouraged from any contefts

of

thisnature.

Much indeed

of

his

irregularity in

this

kind,I cannot but

afcribe

to

that

prompt

facility he

hath,in putting abroad

every paillon

of

his

mind

,

and all

his

conceptions, not only decently clothed, with language

of

a

full and choice

Ggnificancy

,

but

alto trim'd and adorn'd with

all

manner

of

fignal im-

provements, that

may

render

it

keen

or

pleafantaccording to

his

intendment or

defrre

;What

the

Latine

Lyrickfaid

of

the

Grecian

Peet may be applyed

to

him.

t

lZontedecarrens

velo; amni:,

imbres

em

fuper

norm

alaire

ripae,

Ferver

,

immenfufgr

rui:

profundo

Pindarue

ore.

And he

is

thereby plainly

poffefted

of

not

a

few advantages.

It

is

true

that

when the

proof

.

of

his

opinion

by

Argument

,

and

the orderly purfuit

of

it

is

incumbent

on him,

(a

coserle

of

all

other

wherein he foonefl

faileth,)

themedium heuferh, and infifierh

on,

receiveth

not the

leaf}

contribution

of

real

ftrength

from any

dcefs

of

words

,

and Expreflions wherewith it

is

adorned

and accompanied:yet

it cannot

be

denyed

but that

his

Allegorical

amplifications,

illufirations

and

exaggerations

of

the things he would

infinuate

,

take great impreflions upon

the

minds

of

them,

who are

in

any meafureintangled with

the

feeming

probabilities which

are painted over

his

Arguments,by theirfophiftry,and

pretence

ofTruch.The Apottle giving

that

Caution to the Collofans

that

they

should

take heed,

Nfi

zrs

vi

's.4

a

aoy'fnmr

i,,

sr9xvo-

aoy10,

manifefteth the

prevalencie

offalfe

reafoningi

when

in

Conjondion

with

Rhetorical

per

-

fwa,.4ons.The

great ¡tore alto

of

words

and expreflions which

for

all occafions he

bath

lying

by him, ate of no

little

ufe

to him,

when being preffed with

any Arguments,or

ceflimonies

of

Scripture

, and being

not

able

to

evade, he

is

forc'c to

raife

a

cloud

of

them

,

wherewith after

he bath

a while

darkned the wifdome and

Conned

of

that

,

wherewith

he

bath to do, he.in-

fenibly

flipps

out

of

thecord

,

wherewith he appeared to

have been detained, and

triumphes

as in a

petfea

Conqueft

,

when only an 'inarticulate found

harts been

given

by

his

trumpet,

but

the charge

of

his

Adverfaries

not

once

received

or

repelled.

But

not

any

where,

loth

he more indultrioufly hoift up,and fpread

the

failes

of

his

luxurient Eloquence,then when he

aimes

to render the opinion

of

his adverfaries

to

be

,

morflrum

horendum

,

informe

¡agent,

cui

lumen