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Show 7+8 1679· Vv-v Port II. sea. 2. An .Addreft to 'Pr•Jtilants: Vox..t themfelves to great Prejudice for fo doing 1 for they are Excommunicated from all other Share in it, than the P11nifb•enr of the Brtaken of it, which is part of their A11111bema, who, of all others, are moft guilty of aJJins or Jiminijbing, by undertaking to determin~, ~or others as well as thrmfelves, the .l'li•d and lntenti011 of the holy Ghojl 1n 11. • But if it be True, as True it Is, that few have wnt of the Divine Authoa thorjry of Scripture, who do not affirm that the v~ry ~enmen of it were not only infpired by the Holy Ghofi, bu,t fo extr.aordmanly ailed b~ him, as that they were wholly al!eep to the!! own Wtll, Defires or Affefhons, like People taken out of themfelves, and purely Paffive, IU Clny m the Hnnd of the Potter, to the Revel«tion, WiU, and Motion of rbe Spirit~ and for rh1s l!nd, that norhing deliver'd by them, might ha1•e the leaft Poffibility of Mifiake, Error, or lmperfefiion, but be a CA111plt'1ll Declaration of tht WiU 11( God 111 JUen; I cannot fee which ·way (ucb. Men can excufc tbemfel\"es from Great Ptefum_ption, that will, notwithftan.ding, ha':e the ~Vording of CreeJ.r of Commumon, and rejeCt that Declaration of Falth :l.S 1nfufficienr which Is deliver'd in the very Terms of the Holy Ghoft; and deny rhof~ Perfons to be Me110bers of Chril\'s Church, that In Confcience refufero fubfcribe any other Draught than that the Lord has given them. . Two Things oppofe themfelv~s to ~his Pratlice : The Glory •f GoJ, and tbe Honour of 'tbt Scrzpt11re \ 10 that It naturally draws People from the Regard due to God and the Scripture, and begets too much Refpell for Men and their Tradition. This was the Difficulty Chrift met with, and complained of in his Time ; they had fer up fo many Rabbies to learn them Re· li~ion, that the Lord of the True Religion conld hardly find Place amonglt them. And what did they do? They taught for Doflrines the Traditionr of .Men : They gave their own and their Predcoefl'ors Apprehenfions, Con· fuuttions, and Paraphrafes upon Scripture, for the Mind and Will of God1 the Rule of the People's Faith. They were neu at this Pafs in the Church· of C11rintb, when they cryed out, I om for Paul, I am for Apollos, and. I an; f or Cephas, though rhey had not the fune Temptation. And that which followed then, ever will follow in the like Cafe, and that is Dijlrnflio• 1 which Is the contrary to the Second Thing that oppofeth it felfto this Praflice, and that is the Concord of Chriftians. For the Sake of Peace confider it :· Lo here tmd Lo there always followed ; one ef this Mi"'l, and"anotbcr ~that: At fllalfy SeO.r ttl Gretlt .lUen to 'lllnM and HeMJ. rbem. This was tho Cafe of the Jew.r; and yet I do nor hear, that they de· voured one another about their Opinions and Commentaries upon Scrip· ture , but the Chriftians have done both ; Divided and Petlecuted too. Fir/1, they have divided, and that moftly upon the Score of Opinions a bent ·Relision. They have not been cohtentcd with the Expreffi.ons of the Holy GbtJjt; they liked their own better. And when they were iet up in the Room of Scripture, and in the Name of Scripture, Submij]Um was reguired upon Pain of Worldly Punifhments. This dilfatisficd Curiofity, this Unwat· tantab\e, what fhall I il.y ? This Wanton Search h~s coft Cbriflutd()tll dear, and poor E•tl•nd dearelt ofany Part of it. I defign nbt to grate upon any, or to revive old Stories, or fearch old Wounds, or give the leaft juft <Xcafion of Difpleafute to rhofe that are in prefent Power; yet I muft: needs fay, that Opinion on one Side or t'other, bas been the Caufe of much of that Difcord, Animofity and Confufion that have troubled this Kingdom. And it feems to have been the great Strata~ . <gem of Satan, to prevent the fpreading of tne G!oriom G~/Pel of SahJiftion in the World, by taking Men off from the Serious Pur{ult: of Piety and Chatity, Humility, and Holy Living, Peace, and Concord : And,' Cflder Pretence of more ralfed Apprehe~fioos, and fublime Knowledge of Religion, \o put them upon introducin~ Curi:ous and Doubtful Queftions, that have given Occafion, .fi~ft for Contention, :~nd That, for Perfecution. This was no more uncondemned, than unfore-feen of the Apoftle Paul, who exhoued bis beloved s~n Timotby, I Tim. 6. 3. 4, 5· To avoid thofe that doretl about JtuefiiMt, thofe Mea mat wo~ld_ be thought Skilful, Inquifirive Search«& · * afrer Vox.. I. An Atidrefs- to Protejlants. after Truth, fuch as love to excrcife their F I . . 7 49 len_t~; but le~ us hear his Jud ment OJ a~u .ues, and Improve their Ta- 16 Rarflng, S~rmife.r, perocrje Dif~tting; of ltl~~boff'd,s he) &t>J~ctiJ Strife, ~ the Truth ts, nor.c elfe love fuch Difputings. Tl j;;"Pt lllmdt, And Part 11 ory o~er ~be World, the Fiejh (J'td the Devil ·(/n/ey, :fi 0 Jeek a Daily Vill- Sea. 2.' /or».(hrp _wub God, and that Confolotion that ~nfu /fi /, ferv(nt/y after Fel-t herr Trme, have very little 10 lo_{e upon Co e. nb In E111p!oyment of wi!h I were able to faJ that Vain C ntentron n Ollt Wordr. I could this is r:ot all, the Apofil,e does ex re~ftroverfi~ were nor our Cafe! But eonfent not to Wholfom Wordr evJ'• tb/l~lld Ttfothy, That if any .illan and tbepoOrine tbar X accorJi;g toGod/ine/sr £/· pllr JLord lift# 0Jrifl, but dotrng about $!l.11ejlion.r_ &c. The w ' H rou ' knowm1 norbing Vain Dewit, as he writes :o the Co!~jjanr ec ru~~ ~s ted Philojqphy, anJ ctny .Man fpoil you thro11.gb Philqfo b lllld v;0-' u. ·. war~, f<\YS he, left 6fJJ4J / rom the Simplicity_ of rbe G/rp~l a d a;z ~~'{'~ l.hat IS~ Jr4wn them afte~ the Traditions of Men, after the Rudiment~ )f 7b r~e r:;ords (l Chrifl, Cbrifl. He ufed no Humane \vifao h fi okl t e_ or/. ' nnd. not gfrcr a M~ftery, tho' to the humble Difci, l~=to e pa e Wlfd_om, but it was in hut t1 tDtU a Myjlery to the Wife Men~~ th f !J.f";d "';[hlog was plainer ; are not unacquainted with the more de n n °A · nd truly, they that phers, how PhiloJofhy, once taken for ~e "l.~~e ~·~?f,'he Grech Philoro-whtch they elteem d Truejl Wi[dom and ~ trtue and Self· Denial Rank, but.grear Example ofLtfe ~me!"~:! /If" ky Men of ordinary ling upon a .Multitude of idl~ /tll;flion.r and {o e he, I an an_.d.rt of}Vrant- Pau~ ~t Athens, may very well guefs ~hich Waf J.. ~.frtam'd tiN Apojl/e Cbrlfllan.r; efpecially, when we confider, that io~htrru!cy eorred amcng tuner, the Heathcn·Philofophers had the Edncnrion of Cb d ;nd fourth Cen-thar no .Man had.any Reputation among th Cbrij/· v' 1411 Youth, and not ~YeU Inlttated m the. Pf)i/o{opby, Rbetoricei, alld 'P:er/n~;r. who ~re Whtc~ made fot Impunty of Lan•uage a d 1 'd F 1d0' .rhe G,,t,frr. Feuds m the Church: Chrifi: and hfs D 8: .n al a ouo auon for .g_reat and his Philofophy. Yes .lirifiotle muft ._::; mSft ~e prov'd by 4 riflotle methodize the loofe Pant of it and reduce thm ~npture, and by Dein~s and Axioms; and by the Hel ~f fuch Ph· em to Formal Pr.opotilions were taught to fpeak ll)ernpb~jicoliy, ~nd !i~~f!J6h~"•. th~ ~ Filher·Men who, to fay True were neither Guilt lf rfi e m t e e of .dth(u.r, as the firfi Rules' of Pbilqfopb were {e~ 3 udmg !'0' ¥1fdtrfi4'1ding it. But ous Livio~. fo the Chri/lian RJJigion was .dcliv~!~.n, .ar con~ft8ed i~ Virtu-much Plamnefs; fuited to the Capacit of they Wlt muc rev1ry, y.et the Poor; .to inform their Underftandi~gs fubd oun~ ~heA~~_rant, and convert. t.hetr Souls to God, as wdl as PcrlOns of ull)e ~ euA v _l~ns, and and Abtllly. rc ge, '"wwledge, _ .And truly, ttJbtrl wt lonfider the SmaUnef.r of the Writ in .r he lifls, t he Sbortne{s of Cbrijl'1 Sermon.r, the Feame[s of th~.t£Jijll Ev~gl· zbe .&poflle.r, and the many and great Yol"'"r! Co; P1 le.r w~~~ hp finte, we may juftly fay The Text it ai11J!)n ~ . mllleNftJtorr a11d Ct·rtrck£ hid, rather than reveal~l in tbofe Heap.r ij 00u;b~/~ Cobm~'ff' and TrNtb by the Way, let me fay, That the Volllmi?toufnef.r ()f ptreBen,ron~. Where Token of the Un~!tarnif.r uf the Writtrr; for the more I ~J ookr dh no fnuz_!J ltfletldny Matter u, the rwore &11/tr r~nd fbon it will bl· ent on etur drafter the ~hriftians had declin'4 the Simplicity of thei~ '::nxf.{:{1'!C· But grew Cunous and Waqton, lov10g God above All tb · N · hh tglon, and ff~e.rb and keeping t~e Flain CommawJm~nt.r of Cbr{fl~ tb~f r;'::: '::1/o":J. l.J&, ec~me ~ut Ordm~ry and !foJ!JC!y Tbmgs : Tbeir &Jinif.r rendred tbtm Con£~mp~1hihe . ~ey gave .but httle PJ~ofure to Speculative A1inJr. thq bad not '.#J.m t tm a o:v,e Or~l'!ary Cap11crttt.r; and it feemtd harJ th11~' Men 0~ lnquijiuve an4 R~u d Spmt.t~ /hould 'fit lor.on with the Lelf;n of Rufiick~ a~d Pea[ants: PfJilofophers dtd not do fo ; and tbq (l)()uld he like otblr }t,T4• t 1ons. Twas not enough now to know 1bere uuu a GOD, and that He was bur One, Jult and Good, the Ob)e!l'er of their AClions, and rbe l,l.ewarder of |
