Epi/tle to the H EB R E vv so t7 jelly. SoOrigen to this purpofe, laws 35 )(Ar @- egseelecnSv noiasms, eh 78 a'ap' rE>J+nar esGoyd tséva, tlX4r n 'KO, Vaßpóryasr dr 7ts >< 74/ àTfOMdv x4xp112rutivas 7 t aver.nrnv, a'tatl 7ñV 4<tplUvr(tirni ¿ ÀVSiar xj 7a 771s names.; ekxfa- LI-uXgvwunxive4 mti ixpowtaivxs, il;e61117ar durs3 spoMrnpira,Tom. 4. inJohan. If the HolyScripturehadufd that Elegancy and choice 'of Speech, which are admired amongthe Greeks, one might have Melted that it was not Truth itfélf that conquered men, but that they had been circumvented and de- ceived by appearing or fallacious confequencer, and the Splendor or Elegany of Speech. That the proper Excellency of Speech, or Syle, confitteth in the d agszis, or meet 4.29+ Accommodationof words untothings, with conftderatiòn ofthePerlin that ufeth them, and the End' whereunto they are applied, all men that have any acquaintance with thefe things will confefs. E&rsgés h *dais 7075 váittamr t riSát $r stew, 7 i3 ni "çct 74' papalo,faith Dionifius Halicarnafles; Nature requireth that ¡wore & jhoúld follow, or le Dyox.flditar: ' made to ferve fentences or things, and not things befiebfervient to words ; whence the too Traaat. de curiousObfervation'of Words, hath been cenfured as an Argument of an infirm and tree. abjeEt mind ; however it may be pardoned in them who placed ,all their Excellency $ene¡ Eparq. in .,ohn,,royí¢, and difpofing perfwauve alluring words ; as Ifserates fpent ten years in his Panegyricks ; andPlato ceafednot unto the eightiethyear of his Age to adornhis Difcourfes; as Dionyflus tettifies of them both. The Syle of the Holy Scripture 'is everyway anfwerable untowhat may rationally be expelled from it. For, _re, It becometh the Majeffy, Authority, arid Holinefs of Him, in whofe rime it fpeaketh. Andhence it is, that by its Simpliciywithout Corruptiòn, Gravity without PithM:rod Atfeélation,Plainefswithout alluring Ornaments, it doth not fo much entice, move, El,. adHew- or perfwade, asconffrain, prefs,and pierce into themind and affedtions, transforming them earbar: ¡Igo a likenefs of thethings which it deliversuntous. And therefore though S'. Paul fayes that hedealt hot with the Corinthians, xae' u`sopoxñv rf v ïì aoolac, in anExcellency or.fnblimity of Speech, orWifdom'like that of the Orators before defcribed; yet he did öv àaoI, n avivmaq& iÿ Suváusws, in fuch an evidence of Spiritual Power , as was far moreeffeaual and prevalent. The -whole of the Sacred Style is .Seo;rr<_oris, if Truth, Gravity, Authority and Majeflycan render it fo ; nor canany inaance be given to the contrary. AndSecondly it every wherebecometh the Subjell Matter it treateth of, which becaufo it is various, it is impoffible thatthe Style wherein it is expreffed Ihould be Vniform ; when yet notwithltanding all itsvariety, it everywhere keepsits own property, to be in Gravity and Authority Rill like unto its felf, andunlike to, or dittinét from all other Writings whatfoevet. Whence Auitinrightly of theHolyPenmen ; Asides dicereómnes Axgipid. de qui reali intelligent quod illi loquuntur, fimul intelligere non eos aliter loquidebkii. I dare ??ott. cbrrff° fay, that whatever under(landswhat they f eak, will alfa underjfandthat they aught not to lib' 4 e' b. have Oakenotherwife. And Origen ofthe Writings ofSt. Paul in particular; If. anyone faith he, give bimfelf to the diligent Reading ofhis Epiifles, Iv árd', i aankeleeilk 4. Air a'r ávd'pas iv td4wgt6ÿ AlEM tesydax 0rsptve&1&, n 14 0.slmíonc, 1104 xo1va  asty} çovaiar, I know full well, that either he will admire his great Conceptions and Sentences under a plain and vulgar Style, or he will fhew himfelfvery ridiculous. The things treated ofin theScripture, are for the moll partHeavenly, Spiritual, Supernatural, Divine ; and no- thingcanbe more fond than to look for filch things to be expreffed in a Flourish of - Words, and with various Ornaments ofSpeech, fit to lead away the minds of men from that which they are defignedwholly to be gathered unto theAdmiration and Contetnplation of. Bodies that have a native Beauty and Harmony in the Compofition of their parts, areadvantaged moreby being clothed with fit Garments, than the Ornaments ofgay Attire. And the Spiritual NativeBeauty ofHeavenly Truths, is bet- ter conveyed unto theminds of meta, by Words and Expreffions fittedunto it, plainly, and limply, than by anyOrnaments ofenticing Speech whatever; and therefore wefay with Auflin, that there isnot any thingdelivered in the Scripture,but juif at itought to be, and asthe Matter requires. Thirdly, TheStyle of the holy Penmen is in a gracious condefcenfron fuited unto then and their capacity, whereoffar thegreatelt part Of them'with whom they had to do, confifted. This Origen at large infilis upon in the beginning of his Fifth Book againff Ceps The Philofphy and Oratoryof theHeathen, was fuited principally, ifnot folely to their capacity that were learned ; this the Authors , and Profeffors of it aimed at ; namely, that theymight approvetheir skill and ability unto thole who were able to judge of them. The Scripture was written for the good of mankind in general, and $atop. in f;¡al. without the lealt defign of any contemporation of it fel , to the Learning and ia6. D Wifdom
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