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Show The Chrifiian-Qu'aker,and hi5 · Vo.t. L 1673. nity, would look like Labour in vain; fin_ce \,_non.e tha.f Believes them to ~ ha\'e been Chrifti::an, ought to doubt of thetr ,holdmg fuc.~ General TruthS; C..:hap. IX. but the WondeF is, to quote them in the Ll?guag~ of the fo much,_ yet fo undefervedly Dwi'd._nnil JJPufed !?_«U!urs, vtz . . T~•! not only the BefoGeozilcs, but moft J1jJprovtd CIJrijhant, _of ~he f'nmltlTe Tnn~s, .confe.fs t~ ,.a Divine Light,.. Principle, Word or Spu:ll m . .Ma.lf', W~oft lnfpuaaon gn•es lll· fallible Underlbnding, .and as Man IS gu~ed_ by ."• .be !ball be recoverOl. out of rhat Din and' Mire Sin hath plunsd htm !"• ~nd ~l wtll free. hUll from the Snares of Ploafures, enligh~en hts Eyes, 1~fpue hts Sdul, a-nd lead bim gently by the Ha11d in the Way of ,Eternal RrghleJlufnefs; whofe Reward from God will be lmmorralilnd Eternal Ltfe. Chap. X. ~ CHAP. X. The Third Pan of Gentile:DiviOity, viz. That tbey fCtfl .. Men o[Virtuput Lives, and taught the Indijjenfibknefs tbereof tQ Life ,Eterpa!. Provld by J\:umerotu In.ftancu. , I T may now be Time, th'at ldifpatth the other Tw~ Parts of_ the Gt);,ilt·' Divinity whic'h I thall endeavour with ~11 convement Brevny. There ar~ many lnibnces of their P..iouS Doitrine, and fingubr Examples of their Virtue; I will inibnce in a few, to convince, if I can, fuch as fcarcely belieYe any Good bf them, (ana the rather) (lfear) that they may chargo the Bad upon the Light). th~t their Dollrines and Pratt ice with te· fPe& to good Living, were, and are verY'cbmmenda9lo, a.ud apptuved qf ·an Good Ghriltlans. \· •· ,, ~ Lived about 1. Pihacus Mlrilentru;, one of the Seven Wife Men 0£: Grttct> as they the Year of ' were called hisApophthegrris were thefe' : - the Wob!1~re ' Wh:a ;hou t:lk'it ill in thy ~eisdlbou(J~ not thyfeif. Reproach not l:J:r~it: about ' the Unhappy; fpr the Hand of Gol it on them. Reltore what is com_tnit· OJ~, Y~aU,T ' ed to thy Truft. ijear with thy Neighbour. Love .rhy Neigh6o~r· ';l)ichy~& ~ ' 'R,eproach npt "thy friend, 't.hdugh he 'recede Uom thee alatle. Acg.utt::e ~~~ ears · < HIYitcfty; Seck Oh(cguioufnift; Love 'DiJc~/inc, Tetnp~,.-qnat Pptdcncr, Stob: 28. ' Truth, Faith, lf::rptrirnd, Dp(terity1 Socierj, DilitHzctL, DecOIJ.omj and ~ Piety. . ' Lived at the · II. Cbiltm, another of th'em, he was fo Juft in all his ,Allions, that' in fame Time. his Old' Age he prnfeffed, ' He never bad d{mt t~ny Th~n,g CO(ltrory t9 .tbe Lam. • Confcif11ct of -eq, Uf"igbt llion, only that of .one )'hipg_be was doubtful; • Having giw!n Sehtence againft his Fritnd, a'ccordin£ 1)0 Law, ht;1adVifed ' his Friend to Arpeal from him (h.is Jtidge)fo to prefJ ;?e both his Frjcnd ~ ' and the Law. JJ.cellirn rel<l.~es it thus: ', Wtten his •Life drew·towafds 3Jl •:'<! o..~ • "End, relffy to be fcized ~'Death, he f~()k~ thUs "1:0 his .F~Iends ~bout • , him: My Words and A£\ionsin t~is !ong Term of Years have ~een at' moft all fuch, as I need not repent of,•· wh"'i.~h perhaJ?s you alfO know : *. Truly, even at thit Timf 1om certainn.I netJer (0111111!ftcd any Th(ng, t!Je ' Remem1mmte ~IJ"htrto/ bt(!t.r any TrOub~ . in me, .Jn,lefs1 \his one Thing on· ' Jy, which whe_th,cr it we.rc done lrhifs Qr noV I am rln~rtain: I fat wilft ' mo orhers,"as J'udge upbh the Life of my Friehd; the Law wa< fuc~, ' as the Petfon mull- of Neceflity be condemned, fo th~t eifl{er my FJiend ' rnuft lofe his !.i!e, or fomt' Deceit be 1ufed tOwards 1t1\e ""'f.aw ; re\·olviog ' many Things m my Mind, !br Relief 'of a Condit\o~Jo ~~lj>erat~tl con-til Tliov thereroro-whi<h reacheil"a&ihef,1 t"<~<ll'l~6u· not 11\;~i\: Jt;,.. 'd. ~?!1iole thy"Nei,.hbuut u thy relf, t am. the Lord. r~vir'.. •9· •'.\8• Finatlyli~hr~ • ._,tiitbe_rC1' Tlti11!;' are tntc.- whitfO\Y~r Tbl!l&, a.rt honcft, ~11 pt~1 hn-eq' luf4 oLgo&raepotr, tb.i.n~unthef;Thtnisl Pb1l. 4· i~ :IJ .c \.' .. ~ ,~. ~t. ;r;., t"':'. ~eh•d 'VoL. I. Teftimony Stated and Vindicated. ' ceived, that which I put in Praaice, to be of all other the moft eafie ' to be born: Silently 1 condemned bitn, and perf waded thofe otben who ' judg<d, to Abfolv< him.- Thus preferved (in fo great a Bu6nefs) the Duty ' both of a Judge and Friend 1 but from the AU 1 receive this ( x) Trouble that I fear it is not free from Perfidioufnefs and Guilt; in the fame JJufinef/ at the jam~ Time, and in a publick .Affair, to perf wade others contrary t~ what wa. rn my own Judgment heft. Doubtlefs a Man of Light, Sight and Omfczencc. Of his . Apopbtb_egmt, or Sayings, t~efe few are delirered to us by Laeni11~.' (y) He_fmd, Pr~v1dence of future ~mg.r, coUeOeJ by Reafon, ir the Virtue o{ a Man. Bemg demanded, wberem the Learned differ from tbe Tlnltarned? He anfwered~ in a Good ~:lope. When trjlu, what ir bard? faid, to conceal Secrets, to dtfpofe of Letfure well, and be able to hcJr an Injury Tbertfore faid Chiton, to hit Brother, I can bear Injuries, thou canft not.' Ill. The Precepts of the feven Sopbijh ofGrm, in general· Tholes Solon! Periandcr, C!eobulm, Chi/on, Bia~, andPittac11s (called fev:n wife Men) col eC\"ed by Sojiadet, who fiourifhed above two Thoufand Yens ago. (.::)Follow God, obey tbt Law, Worlhip God, Reverence thy Parents Stob. 21. · ~uffer for J uil:ice, Know thy Self, co~fider Mortal Tbing.r, RefpeO HofPira~ . ~~~ , com~an~ thy Self~ honour ProvzJen~e, Ufe ilOt Swearing, fpeak Well o that '!'h1~h u Go.d, d1fp~r.1ge none, praif~ Virtue, do wllat iS JuH, abjlain ram E_vrl, _rn{/ru_ll thy Children, /ear Dealt,. be a.Lover of Wifdom,judgt accordmg tiJ Egu1ry, curb thy Tongue, exnmute wuho11t C,orruption, do rbat wbercofthoufhaJt not repent, when t.hou hnP finned, be pe111rent, confinerhine Eye, perfcll quiCkly, purfue wl1t~t u projitnble, be in Childhood 1nodejl in Taurb temperate, in Manhood juft, and in old Age prudent, that thou m'ayft dye untroubled. , Thus (ar the ~ife Men, which were therefore fo caHed, becaufcof their Extraordinary Vtrtue, and truly deferved the Name of Chriftian and Vir·. tuous, more abundantly than they who bear ic now. IV. Pytbagora~ very truly tells us, ' The Difcourfe of that Philofopher Sto&. :a. ' is Vain1 by which no PJffion of a Manjs He3.led. And indeed to what ferves their Preaching, and Helring, and Sacramenu, that are neither Cured nor Curing. · • ' All wh~ch is determin1d to be done, ihould aim at, and tend to the Ac· Jamblich. ~ knowledgement of the Deity. ' Endeavour net to conceal thy Faults with Words1 but to amend them ~ by Reproof. (a) ' This is the Principle (flith Pythng•ru) and the whole Life of ' Men confifts in this, that they follow God, and this is the Ground of right ' Phi!ofophy. (b)' Purity is acquired by Expiations, and by refraining from Murder and ' Adultery and .All PoUution. ' We ought either to be filent, or to fpeak Th1ngs that are better than • Silence . , ~l.:!':'t~~i~:&~~~rength of the Soul: (c) For iris the Light of the Soul, |