OCR Text |
Show sss The Chri!Han-Quaker~ •"a b4 Vox.. 1: 1673. indeed it is their N:!l? The Righteoufnefs of .t~is Gent_ii~ . condemns their '. -"1 '"'\,J Mercenary Pra8:ice, who pretend to be ~hriftlan-Mtmftecs; :1~d giVeth Chap. x; Proof of an higher State, than that to wh1<h they b.ve- yet atta1ned. La~:rt.&Suid VII Antiftbentr Inftitutor of the Cynicks, as they we.re called, a._nd in vit.Aptif· Schol~r to Socrau;, taught, (o) '.That Vi_nue wa1 the ~ruefi:. Nobility, tb, that Pirty wtJI alone ,utfful to l1j1~n,g li•ppmeJs- That. true Varue fi~d ' not in Saying but Doing that wb1ch was Good. Not m m.uc~ Le:umng, ' or many wo:ds,but Uprighr.AOiotzs_. In fhorr, that the Prtnc1p~e 9fYir, rue is fufficient to what Wtfdom ts needful) and that all other Thrngs ' ought ro ha\•e reference rhere~o. (p) That ,~iery ~ tbe brfl.tirmoHr, and. ' Virtuous Perfons are always Fnends. That J 1rlllf 11 an Armour, none ca!l ' eitbfr pierce, or take from Good Men. He prefe~ ? J uft Man before ~~ ' Neighbour and gives Women's Souls the fame PnVIledge to Venue, wah ' Men's. H; accounted PleafJJres onf of rbe grcatefl MifdJi£fs in tht World; Vater. Max. 2.10. Cic, pro. Bal. Laert.. Cic.de Jin.2. ' and being alk'd, what Learning was heft? he ~nfwered, Tbat wbicb tin' leaf'71s Men Evil; for thofe,faith be, who w_ou!d !IVf for evu, ( 9) muft have ~ a Care that their Lives be Holy and 74/m this World. IX. From Diogenu, his conibnt. ~cholar and. Fr~end, take. thls one Yery true and notable -Saying. Of Spmtual Exeu:ttauon Lurtuu makes him fpeak to this Purpofe in his Account of his DoE\rine: (r) ' Thot where ' Men's Souls are deePly and frequenrly employ'd in that ~piritual Retire .. t ment, and waiting for Divine .Strength: and are. often exerc~fed . in M~· ' ditations upon the Eternal Mmd; Holy Revelaflonr or lUummat10ns wdl ' ouur, robich enligbun thf So111, and fnable it, the betur to Livt and All, ' Virtuoujly. X. ' Nay, fo greatly were the Piety and Wifdom of Xcnocratrs rever .. · 'enc'd at Jltbem, about four Hundred Years before, Swear not at all, W3S ' fpoken by our Lord Jefus, that the Judges of that Place would not offet ' to put Xenouaus upon his Oath in an high Matter of Evidence, in cafe ' he would have Sworn; becaufe they thought it an Affront to his Integri .. ' ty that his bore Wurd fhould not be prefert'd before all the Oath< of c other Men; Difpenfing1 fays Valerius Maximru, with that to. him, they ' would not have excufed in one another. Which is no fmall Proof, that the Li.ght among the Heathens, impeach'd Oaths in Evidence of Mao's Imperfe€Hon, as being but only fupplemental or in the Place of Remedies, agalnft want of Honelty; and obv10uily efteemed it an higher, 'and more noble State, to arrive at the Integrity, which needs not the extnordinary and affrighting Obligation of ~n Oath, where meer Fear of the CYrfe intail'd upon Perjury, and not an innate Faithfutnefs-, moft commonly ex· torts true Evidence: Which is a fufficient Anfwer to this Q.peftion bow, and hy robat Light fl)e could have aim'd at that Perfellion, or b11Vt known tbat DoUrine, bad not the Scripturfs bun? XL The Chief GooJ therefore, faid Zcno, (f) is to fqu~trt our Livu a, .. cordiTTg t(l tbf Knorolfdge giveTT Yl from the Eternal Being, when the S?ul, emring into tbt Path o] Virtue, walketb hy the Sup: and GuidnJtct of ntht Reafon, andfoUowctb God. Which brings to my RememBrance thefe Sroi.- (o) Ye are an holy Nation, a Roral Priefthood, t PeJ• 2, 9· ---And hath made ~s Kings, !~ ;a:e~~: ~che~~~; :h:-Wi~'f~h;:: i~~~e ~~i~~r !~~~ob~~: ri:~~t~:~~e:~s ~~~~:~ 1 C~-~t1~ theBreaft--Plate of Righteourne!S, Epb. 6. 14. ~J Thejaft: fbalr live by Faich, H.sb~a·<r-·- Without Holinef"s no MarrlhaU fee tfre Lord, Rei.12.14• th~,~~i[ ~~: th~~ ~f:: ~~ :;J! r;;,e:4.their Strength, 1(4• 40. 3 h·~ Th~ Se~ af (/) ~om. a.' 14, •S• - VoL• i. T~fl:imony Staled ana Vindica1ed. cal M:1xims deliver'd hy Laertiu:, Cicero, ~uinrilian, f5t. and coHcaed hv 16]; . T. s: fOr us, charg'd upon Zeno, and his Difciples : Some of \,,b ich I had ·~ formerly an Occa'fion to mendon in another Oifi:ourfC. The}' arc thefe : Chap. X. . (t) ~ Wife Jllnn is void of P~ffio~ . A Wift ftlnn is Sincrre . . A Wife lll,:h La-ert. u D1v~ne ; for he baJb God wub hmlfe/f .' h11t tr Wtded .t1Iants an .Afb,•ijl. Ihhl. The Wuked are cdntrary to tbe Goof: GoJ, be is Oood,fo tr"ainfl God. A ~~br.t. Wlft ManU Reh!,ioll$, be 'if HumM;. He oNy is a Prieft. 0 He only is a srob. Prophet. He_ Loves a'td Honours h1s Pdrcnrs. A Wife llfan' dn/y is Fret. Laert. A Wife 1Ua!1 is void of Sin. Upon which I query, whether tltis arnounfs n·ot to· :lli much as what the Scriptures telch, and thefe here in{hted tell you ; Th:u the Feat of the Lord is the Beginning of Wifdom, and to dep:rrt from Jniqui'cy a Good Underfianding? But farther, to the fame Purpofe; (u) .A Wife A1an itlnnount. .A. nTifc Idtm. .A-lan ir Free ; Wickfd Men are S/,tl!tl.' ~gain_. .A flli£~. A1an ir only .1'er· Cic. Para~ f ea; f or he wantub no Yirtuf, a Wu:ked hbn u ltHpei-{d!, f or fJC hntk no Stob. Virtue. Whereby it is evlderir. tHat the Wi'laorh they m'e:Jnt WlS Virtllt", in OP'"' pofitiou to Vice which the; efteeri:Jed FoHy1 as doth the Scripture frequent .. ·ly: As much as to fay, thofe who are thus Good, are only Wife. Again, .A Wife Man never Lyetb. A IV,fe Mtm U Pence-able, .Mrrk, Idemi 1Hodej1, Diligntr, VirtuOII$, Conjlam, and only U lncirable to l'irtue; Fools 11re- not. Where it is obvlou•, that by Foulr they meant Wi,kd p1i (naf cih!c Pcupk, Wht.t are StiJf·necked, Rebelling ag:dnft God; not dbljghttng to, rc:rain God in their Knowledge. XII. 1Piato thus; (m) To ht lilr.e'God ir to he Holy, J\Jft, dnd Wife, Wb~th is Thcur. the E1td ·of Man's being born, and foo11ld be of hi$ flut!ying "Pbi!f!jopby; tbat cap. 3· 1o.j ~:;:.Jie and Hontfly art all o~e, as Jaitb Clemens Alc:xahdrin~s ollt of Tbir, Reader, was the DoOrine; This the Study; and, which is be(l: of :fll~ This was the Prall ice of rhany of the VIrtuoUs Hearhc:ns, l-vhO bedQle :~. Law unto themfelte;; &undinz their Appetites, whether CofpQt:II 9r Men~al,. within the approved Limits of arl Im(lnrd Holy G11idr, like Garc-fut Mariners, fteering the Courle of thei-r Live: by rhe DireO:ion of that ']feaVe'f11y Star, w'hich in the Gentile-Night ?u ofe in their (Ahfciences ro ~uide them. unto a Bl'eCfed J.rnmorta_li'rb. w11ich. fh~ll be the laft 1Poinr of thei{Divimty, and thc:n We clofe this ,LJ1-fcou~fe wuh Refp;eff'tq them. ,.! y.l:.J • ,J C H A P. XL , . . , Chap. xt ;rhat ~he Lqjl Point cf Gentile--Divinity, to . kit~ lm(Rortt~li~fF and Eternal ~ . :f;:;t'fo,:: t'tf~.~e~ ;~/:'.4 rJ::7i:g.,h~~e{,0~~rf :,~~;:~e;,1; ~;j ~:S·roj:; :J,~:~ cJ the P.y'thagoreaDS. ·:' 1 ·~ 1 .[ i. T J.I'A T the Gflftilu believed there *as. an' 1mmdrtalil.r, 1ancl tb)Jt ·114 t.Men /bd11ld !Jerrllfte1- he' akpumable for 'rl~e Dt"~d1 dope i~ thf BNlJ, (a ~ PoiRO, bur ohfcui'ely laid a own' ·~ong th~ ]Nbt themfe\ves)\ be pl.eofed tp take thefe feW enfutng Authot~fic-S. as a P'roof of what is afferted. IJ PytlMgorar, Dnd rhe Pytb(,gririffm, that thhy all 'held lhc. lmnrorfall!) of the Soul, Confider his and their Doctrine in [he Point'. ' UJ _J • (t) The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning -orWilaOm? Pfdlm uJ i~fo.• ;~ The Rli~~stake Counfd togtther againft: the Lord, P[.d. 2. 2. The Wifdom wtych 1s from ibo fe~ a firA: Pure, then Peaceable, 'JAm. 3• 17. r ) (;/.:a:~ ~iilf~fthe Lorct' You! d&d1m Moly; i tvlt.f ih 44• .fs. t'· Fv]l; : |